Natural products brands can shoot awesome video on their phones without a video crew. Here are some easy tips to capture your company's authenticity at Natural Products Expo West—and beyond.

3 Min Read
5 tips for shooting great video on your phone
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Sure, a video crew and professional equipment can help, but fear not! These aren’t necessary to shoot awesome video and "keep it real." In fact, capturing footage on your phone is not only efficient (anywhere, anytime … Natural Products Expo West, anyone?) but can also have a superauthentic feel that resonates with your audience. Here are a few oh-so-simple tips to shoot bomb videos on your phone.  

Make it interesting—and authentic. Sort of a no-brainer, but, you know … Your videos should be worth watching. Don’t be unprepared (or boring). Do plan something fun and interesting that is core to the natural products industry and unique to your brand (have an impressive sourcing story? Rigorous testing process? Innovative eco initiative? Event planned at your tradeshow booth? Roll it!). These are things that will really engage your audience and, more than likely, things that are happening at your office or manufacturing facility every day. Check out this video we just shot at the Olomomo facility.

Keep it short. We repeat: SHORT. The most common mistake we make with video is making it too long. Today’s modern viewer has a short attention span, especially on social media where you’ll likely get the most bang for your buck with this content. To ensure that your viewers will watch the entirety of your video, make sure you can deliver your information concisely—shoot for 30 seconds (and if you have to go longer, we’ll forgive you if it’s under two minutes). You may want to practice what you’re going to do, or say it a few times and time yourself, before you film. Don’t over-rehearse, though. Because that’s just kind of lame.

Quiet on set, and bring up the lights! Shooting with your smartphone is just fine. But be sure to set yourself up for success. Record in a quiet space (when possible ... Expo may need to be an exception) with adequate lighting. If you’re shooting outside or near a window, the light source should always be behind the camera. Make sure the subject is close enough to the phone for his or her voice to be clearly audible. You may want to record your video once and then play it back with your phone volume at 50 percent. If the audio is hard to hear, adjust your placement and try again. Finally, if you’re shooting on your phone, it never hurts to use a stabilizer grip or gimbal.

Always shoot horizontally. When you start recording your video, make sure your phone is turned horizontally. The widescreen format that is standard on most screens and televisions makes this a very important step. Also, try to avoid zooming while you film.

Edit your video. Anyone can record a video on his or her phone and post it to social media these days, but you can stand out by taking a little bit of extra time to add some pizazz. Include your logo and graphics to amp up the production quality. The good news is, there are many free video-editing apps for both iPhone and Android that can help you get the job done. You may already have a video clip of your brand's logo animating on screen. By using free services like Dropbox, you can download these video clips directly to your phone and then use a free video editor to cut your phone footage together with music, your logo and more. Have some fun, but try not to overdo it. The simple addition of music or an animated element such as a logo can go a long way and should only take an extra half hour or so.

 

About the Author(s)

Sean Leddy

Senior Marketing Designer, Penton

Jessica Rubino

Vice President, Content, New Hope Network

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