How to Make Cinematic Video with Phone for Beginners?

Smartphone cameras have made great strides. In a short amount of time, smartphone videography and photography have progressed from just an additional feature to reliable features.

These days, smartphones can be used for making a movie. Tangerine, a 2015 film directed by Sean Baker, is a real proof that smartphones can make a length movie.

You can also make a professional-looking video if you know how to maximize the use of the smartphone.

Without further ado, read the tutorial on how to make a cinematic video with the phone below.

How to Make Cinematic Video with Phone in Seven Steps

Getting a cinematic video result using smartphones is not only about taking the phone out, point the object, and shoot it. When it comes to taking a cinematic video, make sure to record the best image in the phone camera as it can’t be fixed after recording is done. Use some tips on how to make a cinematic video with the phone below to get the best result.

1. Use a Professional Video Camera Application

To shoot cinematic video using smartphones, the very first thing to be done is purchasing a camera application that provides manual control over the smartphone camera and allows the users to record a video at a maximum rate.

2. Time to Shoot

Timing is a vital factor that will affect the result of the video. Therefore, choose timings carefully to achieve the best-looking video from a smartphone’s camera. Also, make sure to have enough light when taking a video within a room, especially at night.

3. Exposure

Choosing exposure is something that needs to be considered carefully. Sometimes, the contrast and light can be captured perfectly in one scene. However, in some cases, you should decide whether to keep the detail in shadows/highlights or find a compromise.

4. Maintaining the Shutter Speed

Hollywood movies are taking images at 24 fps. However, there’s usually too much light when using slow shutter speed to shoot cinematic video. The best option is attaching a neutral-density filter on the phone camera lens.

5. Keep the Phone Steady

Although it has nothing to with the phone camera itself, it will profoundly affect the result if you shoot steady, smooth scenes that are utterly stable and in smooth transition where there supposed to be a camera movement.

6. Composition and framing

Apply the same rules of composition and framing when shooting with a regular camera. A smartphone is a compact device that has excellent flexibility. Find the most interesting angles, and if possible, add the depth of area to the cinematic video by shooting objects close to the camera lens.

7. Focus

Focus is vital in shooting cinematic video. When taking videos in low light, you need to use manual focus in certain applications because a low light will make the autofocus affect the shooting process. That’s why using a professional video camera to shoot cinematic videos will be helpful.

By practicing these tips on how to make a cinematic video with a phone, you will be able to create a video that many people hardly believe that it was entirely shot on a smartphone camera.