How it works
Here's the plan: you'll join us on a Zoom call on your laptop or PC, and while we chat, your smartphone does the actual filming. Your phone's camera is far better than your laptop's webcam, so we get great footage without sending a film crew round.
- Your phone records the video, lens at eye level. It's not on the Zoom call at all, so once it's set up you can forget about it.
- Your laptop runs Zoom, sitting out of shot directly below or just behind the phone, or off to the side. Right under the phone is best, so your eyes stay close to the lens when you're looking at us.
- You, about a metre to a metre and a half away, framed from the chest up. We'll fine-tune together on the call.
When we're done, you send us the video file from your phone (there's a section on that below), and we take care of the rest.
Tap the numbers to match them to the notes.
Your phone
Front or back camera?
The back camera is technically a touch better, but front cameras on modern phones are genuinely good, and the difference is tiny for what we're making. What matters far more is that with the front camera you can see yourself while you set up, so you can check your own framing without a second pair of hands.
If someone at home can help you frame up and press record, feel free to use the back camera. Otherwise, front camera every time.
A couple of minutes in your settings
- Go to Settings → Camera → Record Video
- Pick 4K at 25 or 30 fps if you've got the space (see below). Otherwise 1080p HD at 30 fps is still great.
- While you're there, go to Settings → Camera → Formats and choose High Efficiency. Same quality, roughly half the file size.
Menus vary a bit between phones, but the settings are all there:
- Open your camera app and switch to Video mode
- Tap the settings gear (usually in a top corner)
- Look for video resolution or video size and pick UHD 4K (30 fps) if you have space, otherwise FHD 1080p (30 fps)
- On Samsung phones, also look in Camera settings → Advanced video options and turn on High efficiency video (HEVC) for smaller files at the same quality.
One more thing: stick to 25 or 30 fps. Don't be tempted by 60 fps. It doubles the file size and we don't need it for this.
A note on 4K and storage
4K gives us more room to crop and polish in the edit, but it eats storage. Check your free space first: Settings → General → iPhone Storage on iPhone, or Settings → Storage on most Androids.
If you've got less than 10 GB free, just film in 1080p. Honestly, it still looks great, and it's much better than your phone filling up mid-take.
If you happen to have an external SSD or hard drive you can offload files to, film in 4K without a second thought. Most people don't, and that's fine.
A rough guide, using the high-efficiency (HEVC) setting at 30 fps. Figures vary a little between phones.
Setting up the shot
Holding it steady
Please don't handhold. Even the steadiest hands wobble. In order of preference:
- A small tripod. We can post you one, free, no strings attached. Just ask. It's by far the easiest option.
- Prop it up. A stack of books, a shelf, a mug against a heavy vase. Anything stable works. Lean the phone against something solid, or wedge it upright.
However you mount it, give the phone a gentle prod before you record. If it wobbles, it needs a better home.
Height and distance
- Lens at eye level. This one change makes the biggest difference. A phone looking up at you from the desk is nobody's best angle. Raise it on books or a box until the lens is level with your eyes when you're sitting comfortably.
- About a metre to a metre and a half away. We usually want you framed from the chest up with a little space above your head.
Which way round?
We'll tell you before your session whether we're filming portrait or landscape. If you're filming in 4K, landscape is ideal: we'll have enough room to crop to portrait in the edit. If in doubt, ask. It's much easier to film it the right way than to fix it after.
Portrait: upright, for Reels and Stories.
Landscape: sideways, for YouTube and screens.
Framing yourself
- Your eyes about a third of the way down from the top of the frame
- A little space above your head (not loads, not none)
- Sit a bit away from the wall behind you rather than right up against it. A sense of the room behind you looks much nicer than a flat wall
- Have a glance at what's in shot behind you. Nothing embarrassing on the bookshelf, no laundry rack photobombing you
Just right: eyes on the top third, a little headroom, chest-up.
Too low: a sea of empty space above your head. Raise the phone or tilt it down.
Too close: step back so we can see you from the chest up.
Sound
Good news: your phone's microphone is decent, and in a quiet room at this distance it'll do a good job.
- Pick the quietest, softest room you canCarpets, curtains and sofas soak up echo. A living room usually beats a kitchen or hallway, where hard shiny surfaces make you sound like you're in a swimming pool.
- Close the windows and listen for humsFridges, fans, dishwashers. The things you've stopped noticing, the microphone won't. If there's an unavoidable low constant hum, don't worry too much, as we can get rid of that in the edit. Variable noise from washing machines or beeping microwaves is a pain, though.
- Silence both devicesPhone on Do Not Disturb or flight mode. An incoming call doesn't just interrupt, it stops the recording dead. Mute notifications on the laptop too, so emails and message pings don't end up in the footage.
Light
You don't need special lights. Try the setups below to see what your camera sees.
Facing a window: soft, even, flattering. Let daylight do the work.
Window behind you: the camera exposes for the window and you become a silhouette.
Evening: a lamp pointed at the wall in front of you bounces soft light onto your face.
A single overhead light hoods your eyes with shadow and makes you look knackered. Add a bounced lamp in front of you.
- Face the lightSit facing a window and let daylight do the work. It's what the pros are imitating with all that expensive kit.
- Never sit with a window behind youIf the room forces it, close that curtain and use a lamp instead.
- Filming in the evening?Point a lamp at the wall in front of you, so the light bounces back onto your face. Bounced light is soft and kind. A bare bulb aimed straight at you is neither.
- Don't rely on a single overhead lightIt puts shadows in your eye sockets. If the ceiling light is all you've got, add that bounced lamp in front of you.
- One kind of light at a timeMixing a lamp with bright daylight means the camera can only colour-balance for one, so either you look blue or the room goes orange. Let one win: the window while it's bright, lamps with the curtains closed.
On the day
Before we start
0 of 6All set. See you on the call.
A few things that help the edit
- Leave a few seconds of quietAfter we've asked you a question, before you start talking, and again at the end before you stop.
- Fold our question into your answerInstead of "Since 2019", say "I've been volunteering since 2019". Our questions won't be in the final video, so complete sentences are gold.
- Eye contactLooking at yourself on screen is fine, and so is looking off camera at eye level, as if to an interviewer. Just don't look downwards at a laptop below the phone.
- How to soundYou're a barrister, or a barrister-to-be; you don't need us to tell you how to express yourself. But if you'll allow us one observation: authenticity and warmth are great registers for social media, and the best videos tend to be from people responding naturally in real time. We'll give you an idea of what we intend to chat about in advance; bullet points are great, but rote scripts distance you from the viewer and often sound a bit dull.
- Give us several different introsIf we're spreading your content across a series of videos, it's really nice to have a few intros of different lengths:
- "My name is Paul Clark, and I'm Technology & Communications Officer for The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, one of the four Inns of Court."
- "I'm Paul Clark. I look after communications, brand, design and new technology at The Inner Temple."
- "I'm Paul, and I do comms for the Inn."
- One long recording is fineNo need to stop and start between takes. Leave it running and we'll cut out what we need.
- Don't worry about mistakesStumble, laugh it off, have another go. Takes are free and nobody sees the outtakes. We'll be right there on Zoom to guide you.
- What to wearWear something you feel good in: as casual as you like is fine (we're filming for social!), but if you feel more confident in your court armour, that's fine too. No chainmail please. One technical note: fine stripes and small checks can shimmer strangely on camera.
Sending us your footage
Video files are too big to email, but sending them is easy.
Our upload link
Go to we.tl/r-m5dQquUCzhFppgPU and it'll take you straight to our WeTransfer upload page. Add your video, hit Transfer, done. Nothing to install, no account needed.
iCloud link
In Photos, select your video, tap Share, then Copy iCloud Link, and paste it into an email to us.
SwissTransfer
Free, no account, files up to 50 GB. Go to swisstransfer.com, add your video, and email us the link it gives you.
The one big rule: don't send video over WhatsApp or text message. Messaging apps crush video down to a fraction of its quality, and all your careful setup goes to waste. The three options above all send the full-quality original. If a share menu ever asks about size or quality, choose original or actual size.
Questions?
None of this needs to be perfect. A steady shot of a well-lit person you can hear clearly is all we really need. We'll sort the rest together on the call.
Stuck on anything, or fancy that tripod? We'll get you sorted.