After significant advancements to mobile technology in recent years, it’s no longer a question of if smartphone hardware can capture professional-level video. How you construct your shot and the gear you use now determines the quality of the video you shoot on your smartphone. The JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit can help you shoot professional videos thanks to its highly versatile design and flexibility. With the JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit and these five production tips, you’ll make the most out of your smartphone’s camera.

Keep your camera steady

Since smartphone cameras don’t have the same in-body stabilization as most dedicated cameras, you experience much more camera shake. Camera shake lowers the quality of your video and can make it look distorted and blurred. So, it’s best to negate as much shake as you can.

To keep your smartphone steady throughout the entire shot, consider using either a tripod or handheld stabilizer. Tripods help prop up your camera on solid surfaces, and handheld stabilizers are great for keeping your camera steady when vlogging. Conveniently, the GorillaPod Mobile Rig can be either a tripod or a stabilizer. The rig’s flexibility allows you to keep your camera steady in a variety of situations.

Make sure you have good lighting

Good lighting is just as important, if not more important, than the camera you use. Since smartphones have smaller sensors than traditional cameras, they tend to capture less light. So, to correctly expose your scenes, you will need adequate amounts of light to capture more detail with your smartphone camera. If you can, plan your shoot during the day — this way you can use natural light to your advantage. It is, after all, an excellent method for achieving natural, flattering-looking skin tones. 

However, you may want to be careful not to get too much light and run the risk of overexposing your shot. If you’re shooting indoors, try shooting near a window so you can use the natural light coming through.

If you need extra light inside or your shooting at night, use a portable LED light. These products are powerful enough to light your subjects and are portable enough to carry around with you. When choosing a light to use, you will want something that’s able to emit the ideal color temperature you desire for the scene. JOBY’s Beamo Mini LED emits 5100K, replicating daylight sun in the process. Therefore, you can get all the benefits of daylight sun, no matter where you are or what time of day it is. 

You can also use a diffuser to soften the LED’s light to achieve the same natural skin tones you’d get using sunlight. And, if the light is still too intense for you, you can adjust the light’s intensity in the JOBY app.

Work on your composition

How you frame your shot plays a significant role in the visual quality of your video. To improve your framing, implement the rule of thirds whenever you’re setting up your shot. Keep your subject away from the center of the frame because it will make the composition look more visually attractive. Additionally, it would be best if you shot a variety of unique camera angles of the same scene to spice up the flow of your video. You can do this with the GorillaPod Mobile Rig, thanks to its flexible legs.They allow you to either hold it, wrap it around something or stand it up. So, you can try many different angles to change up the flow of your video.

Capture quality audio

Audio is vital to the quality of your video. Good audio allows your audience to hear what your subjects are saying and better understand what’s going on. However, built-in smartphone microphones don’t capture the best quality audio. You can place your smartphone’s microphone closer to your subjects so their voices are clearer, but that can limit the type of compositions you can do. It’s best to use a mobile microphone, like the JOBE Wavo Mobile microphone. When paired with the Windjammer, the mic captures clear audio while reducing unwanted background noise.

Use a portable setup

Smartphones are portable — by comparison, heavy setups can make it challenging to shoot on the go. When packing for a shoot, bring only what you need. The Mobile Rig has removable arms, so you only need to hold what you need. Also, with all of your gear attached to the GorillaPod Mobile Rig, it’s easy to carry around — even with one hand.

A new approach to portable vlogging

With these five production tips, you have the tools that could lead to a dramatic improvement in the quality of your mobile video. Additionally, the JOBY GorillaPod Mobile Vlogging Kit can help you carry out each of these tips with its versatile, portable design and pro-level features.

Learn more at: JOBY.com