Unfortunately, the built-in microphone in most smartphones (if not all of them) is both low quality and improperly placed. It is very common to catch wind and unnecessary environmental noise that will compete with or drown out any important audio while shooting video outside. This is almost impossible to edit out later. It is advisable to shoot your video in a quiet place, preferably indoors when possible with less ambient noise. 

Professionals are shooting all sorts of commercial grade videos and feature films using their mobile phones, but the audio is almost always captured with a separate recording device suitable for the job. So, for exceptional quality videos with superb audio, you should get an external recording device or at least a directional microphone that will work with your smartphone. If using an external microphone isn’t possible or practical then stay as close to the audio source as possible and try this little trick: use your hand to cover around the phone’s microphone (but don’t completely cover it). This way, unwanted noise can be reduced, which might give your final product a chance.

Staying physically closer to your subject ensures better image quality, less digital noise, and better focus in your videos since most smartphones use a digital zoom rather than optical zoom. If your video requires super zoom close-ups of tiny details, they make clip-on macro lenses that will fit any iPhone or Android smartphone.

This is one of the easily made mistakes in mobile videography: shooting vertical videos. You have to stop shooting vertical video! Some videographers, (yes… video entrepreneurs, too) who use their smartphones for digital filmmaking often make the mistake of holding their phones vertically, that is to say up and down rather than sideways while recording. Hold your phone horizontally so that videos played back on other screens (virtually everywhere) will look fine.

The camera app on your smartphone may do a good job, but there’s more to video recording than what most of them have to offer! Some third-party apps are very intuitive with great features for those new to developing video content while some others unlock professional-like features that might bring out your inner George Lucas. While you will find some pretty good free apps, investing in a couple of apps that cost a little bit of money can pay huge dividends.

Before you begin recording your videos, make sure that you have all of the gear, props, scripts, actors, and shooting locations ready to go. Additionally, make sure your phone an excellent and that you have enough storage space (available memory) to store the footage – high-definition (HD) video files can get large and will drain a battery quickly.

There's a tutorial video by Filmic Pro “5 Things to Do Before You Shoot iPhone Video” that covers much of what is discussed above. It provides additional insights into all aspects of the videography production process. 

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc across the globe, and while some countries are just beginning to come out of the devastating impact of the virus; others are bracing up for the impact of a second wave, once again bringing normal life to a grinding halt. For the mow, no one knows when there will be a return to normalcy, but one thing is certain; people will find a way to go on with their lives - personal and organizational. Mobile video production remains one of the ways in which people are continuing to make a living and discover new skills. 

Producing great videos can be a fun and lucrative pursuit for entrepreneurial-minded filmmakers. Master the art of videography with your smartphone by following these tips. Through practice, trial, and error and you will start seeing professional results in no time!