You don't need a camera crew, or even a camera. The phone in your pocket films sharper video than most people will ever need. What makes a talking video look and sound good is not the gear. It's four simple things: how you hold the phone, where the light comes from, how close the microphone is, and keeping the picture still.
Here's how to get each one right in a few minutes.
Turn your phone on its side
Hold your phone sideways, so the picture is wider than it is tall. That's the shape of a YouTube video, a laptop screen and a TV. A video filmed upright fills only a thin strip in the middle of those screens, with black bars on both sides.
You don't lose the upright version by filming sideways. Short upright clips for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels can be cut from a sideways video afterwards, with you in the middle.
Show yourself from the waist up
Sit or stand so the picture shows you from about the waist up. That's close enough to see your face and far enough to see your hands when you talk with them.
- Put yourself in the middle of the picture.
- Keep your eyes about a third of the way down from the top.
- Leave a little room above your head, but not a lot.
If you're too far away, you look small and the room takes over. If you're too close, every small movement looks big.
Face the light
Light from in front of you makes you look clear and awake. Light from behind you turns you into a dark shape against a bright background.
The easiest good light is a window. Sit facing it, with the phone between you and the window. On a cloudy day the light is soft and even, which is ideal. At night, put a lamp in front of you, a little to one side, instead of using the light on the ceiling.
Get the microphone close
People forgive a picture that isn't perfect. They don't forgive sound they can't hear clearly.
- Film in a quiet room, with the door and windows closed.
- Turn off fans, air conditioning and anything that hums.
- Rooms with soft things in them (a sofa, curtains, a rug, a bed) echo less than empty rooms with bare walls.
- Keep the phone close, within about an arm's length. Most phones have their main microphone along the bottom edge, so don't cover it with your hand or a phone grip.
If you have a small clip-on microphone that plugs into your phone, use it. If you don't, a quiet room and a close phone get you most of the way there.
Keep the phone still
A shaky picture is tiring to watch. Rest the phone on something solid at about eye level: a stack of books, a shelf or a small tripod. A phone held at eye level looks at you the way a person would. A phone on the desk looks up your nose.
The back camera films a sharper picture than the front one. The front camera lets you see yourself while you talk, which helps many people relax. Either is fine. Pick the one that helps you talk naturally.
Before you press record
A few checks save you from filming twice:
- Wipe the lens with a soft cloth. A smudge makes the whole picture look hazy.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb, so a call or a message doesn't interrupt you.
- Check that the phone has enough battery and storage for the whole talk.
- Film ten seconds, then play it back with the sound on. Can you see your face clearly? Can you hear yourself without turning it up?
While you talk
Talk to one person, the way you would across a table. Look at the camera lens, not at yourself on the screen.
Leave a short pause before your first word and after your last one. If you stumble over a line, stop, take a breath and say the whole line again. You don't need to start the video over. A good edit keeps the last take and cuts the ones before it.
When you're finished, upload your video and we'll send it back edited, with the long pauses and retakes cut and your name on screen.
Questions people ask
Do I need a microphone?
No. A quiet room and a phone within an arm's length of you give clear sound for most talking videos. A small clip-on microphone helps in a room with echo or background noise, but it's not required to start.
Should I use the front or the back camera?
The back camera films a sharper picture, and the front camera lets you see yourself while you talk. Use whichever helps you talk naturally. Either looks good when the phone is still and you're facing the light.
What should I wear?
Wear solid, comfortable clothes in a color that stands out from what's behind you. Very thin stripes and small, busy patterns can flicker on video, and an outfit the same color as your wall makes you blend into it.
How long should my video be?
As long as it takes to say what you want to say well, and no longer. Say it once, clearly, and let the edit take out the pauses and the lines you said twice. Videoteca edits videos up to 60 minutes long.