4 Quick Tips for Filming Amazing Video on your Smartphone

When newborn photographer Stacy Murphy redesigned her studio, she wanted a video to showcase her new look. But rather than fuss with her camera’s video function, she decided to use her iPhone to take her video clips.

Style: Grace
Song: “Baby Steps” by Douglas Romayne

We chatted with Stacy to find out how she managed to get such polished video clips on her iPhone. She told us the video was easy to create, and that it took longer to arrange her props in the studio than it did to film them.

“I just literally hit ‘video record.’ And with the use of Animoto, it’s just extremely fast to drag pictures, drag video, and it works.”

Here are some of Stacy’s tips for photographers looking to record professional-looking video on their smartphones.

1. Stabilize your phone. Stacy hooked her phone up to a Gorilla Arm, and put it on a skateboard to get long, smooth takes. She also held the phone herself when she needed shots from a higher vantage point, tucking her arms close to her body and moving slowly and steadily to keep the video even.
2. Shoot different angles. When she was shooting her studio tour, Stacy would record from 4 or 5 different angles or distances. That way, she would have a number of video clips to choose from and didn’t have to go back and reshoot later.
3. Know your equipment. Even though Stacy prefers the ease of using her iPhone, she still recommends learning how to make basic adjustments to your phone’s focus and exposure.
4. Just get started. “You don’t need all this equipment, it doesn’t have to be perfect — just get it out there.”

Stacy created her video using the Pro-exclusive style Grace. Try it for yourself and start creating videos today.