 Live Action Videos Step 2. Filming Using your script or storyboard as an outline, begin to film your video one scene at a time. Filming in scenes will make the editing process easier later on, as well as allow you to film your video out of order to make the most of your time at each location. Shooting video with a phone isn't always the most intuitive experience. Learning some simple tips can quickly take your video quality from amateur to professional. Orient your phone horizontally. Filming in a landscape position will allow your project to be easily viewed on any device. Keep your phone steady. Use two hands, a tripod, prop your phone on a shelf or windowsill, or even tape your phone to the wall. This will make a big difference in producing steadier footage. Avoid backlighting. Make sure that your subject is not in front of a window, as you will not be able to clearly see their features. Avoid digital zoom. Instead of using your phone's built-in digital zoom, which may degrade the image quality, zoom in by simply moving your body closer to the subject, if you can. Lock focus and exposure. Tap on your phone's screen, Android, and hold, iPhone, on the point you want to focus on. This will lock the focus and exposure at their current settings. This prevents your phone's autofocus and brightness from affecting your perfect shot. Sample video features. Many smartphones come with some powerful video features such as slow-mo and time-lapse effects. Play around with these effects if they make sense with your story, as they can produce compelling video. Good quality audio is essential for a great video. Smartphone microphones have come a long way, but they can also provide some challenges when it comes to filming. If you're in a quiet room relatively close to the camera, your smartphone mic will absolutely do the job, with the added benefit of being automatically synced with your video. However, if you have a more complicated setup such as positioning your subject relatively far away from the camera or in a place with any real background noise, the dialogue is at risk of being drowned out. The good news is there's a couple of ways to get past this issue. Bluetooth microphones. Any Bluetooth headphones you have will be equipped with a microphone, or you can buy relatively cheap Bluetooth mics that work with any phone. You can use these to record any dialogue that would otherwise be too noisy. Just try to avoid them being seen in your shot, unless it's part of the plot of course. More phones. If you're working with others, chances are they will also have a phone. You can record only audio on another phone placed nearby, such as in your subject's pocket, and sync this audio with your phone's video during editing. It's important to remember that mistakes are going to happen. It's rare that things are perfect on the first try, so do a few takes and once you're satisfied with the results, make sure your clips are safe. Now you're ready to begin the editing process.