By Ryan Wilson
CEO, Team Trust
Our phones make life so much easier.
We can do anything from our mobile devices, and it is so convenient. But is it really helping your organization grow?
Honestly, no.
Many of our clients, and likely you, too, use your iPhone to photograph or videotape their programs and events. It’s quicker, easier and way more affordable than purchasing a $10,000 camera or bringing in a film crew for the same amount.
I am not going to disagree with you. I occasionally use my iPhone for filming, and my crew with the Big Ten Network did, as well.
However, we used our phones in unique situations only, not for the entire video.
We have looked at the performance of our clients’ videos shot primarily with an iPhone and those that were shot with high-tech cameras (RED, BlackMagic, Sony cameras). In most cases, the high-quality videos got more views and engagements than the iPhone ones.
Your audience deserves quality, and they should.
iPhones, especially the newer ones, offer many neat cinematic and photographic tricks: You can adjust the frame rate, improve stabilization and shoot in slow motion.
There are also telephoto and wide lenses.
These are all great, and a single BlackMagic camera is not capable of shooting with a telephoto lens or capturing a wide shot without swapping out lenses.
Contrarily, iPhone video work can create focus issues.
Unless you are manually locking in the focus, the most important parts of an image — like a person’s face – can be blurry. The iPhone can struggle to focus on moving objects, and a blurry shot, or even a series of them, can be devastating.
I have seen WAY too many organizations publish blurry images and videos, and it makes me cringe every single time.
High-tech gear allows you to pinpoint the most important elements of a shot, and you’ll be able to bring out the best of story.
Hey Siri, I Can’t Hear You
iPhones can record audio, and it is convenient for spontaneous interviews or even podcast recordings.
Just know the audio can be poor in a gym or loud room. In these instances, an iPhone is not going to work.
This is where I would recommend a high-quality camera and an external mic.
If you’re in a noisy area, you’d unquestionably want to use a lav mic, and clip it to a person’s collar.
The audio will be crisp, clear and, most importantly, easy for your viewers to understand.
If your viewers cannot clearly make out what a person is saying, you need to re-record that audio.
Or consider the video a waste.
If you would like a high-quality video using fancy gear, we’ll get you one!
That’s our speciality.