What do you need in your smartphone filming toolkit?

Our Smartphone Filmmaking course has proved really popular with the charity sector who need a constant stream of good stories but are often on a tight budget. Filming with a smartphone and a small filming kit provides many with the opportunity to try filming for the first time.

Smartphones are able to record film and sound to a very high quality these days, and are really blurring boundaries and opening up new possibilities for storytelling. But, there’s a bit more to think about when you are filming compared to taking photos.

We strongly believe it’s not all about the kit. There is plenty you can do to improve the quality of your storytelling, filming and editing skills that has nothing to do with the tools you use. However, there  is no doubt that having the right equipment will help you get better results. Here we look at some of the items we recommend buying to ensure a top-quality result for under £200.

Mile 91’s basic smartphone filming kit

Tripod

We recommend you use a tripod when filming an interview. It will stabilise your camera and give a professional feel to the footage. There is nothing worse that watching an interview and the camera keeps moving.

Smartphone holder

This is what grips your smartphone and attaches to your tripod. You won’t be able to attach your smartphone to the tripod without one. We like this particular one because it’s small and can fit easily in your pocket, meaning you can always have it with you.

Lapel microphones

People always ask us about cameras but we’ve never had anyone ask about microphones. Actually audio is quite often more important than the visuals. People are much more forgiving of bad visuals than they are of poor audio. The microphones on smartphones aren’t very good and so we strongly advise a lapel microphone when you are interviewing someone. We also recommend this extension cable and this adaptor allows you to monitor the audio as you record. If you would like to go wireless then these Rode Wireless ME mics are good.

Headphones

Ideally you want to be able to monitor the sound whilst you are recording. This allows you to listen out for interference that you wouldn’t otherwise hear;  if it’s windy, or there is a necklace, or some clothing rubbing on the microphone.

Windshield

If you are interviewing outside these little beauties can save the day! Wind blowing on a microphone is a really annoying noise and will ruin a good interview. We recommend you get at least two, so you have a spare incase you loose one.

For more information on our smartphone filmmaking training courses visit our training pages, or get in touch to discuss an in-house course.