Skip to content

How to Film YouTube Videos on Your Phone

2019-08-29 · Long video (solo, talking head or whiteboard) · Ali, Ali Abdaal (channel) · recording, 10:42 · watch on YouTube

Topic: YouTube, writing online and creators · mode: Explanation and tutorial

Filming the whole video on his iPhone XS Max, Ali argues that a phone is all you need to start a YouTube channel, and covers Filmic Pro settings, cheap audio with the Rode VideoMicro, window light, framing by mirroring the phone to a laptop, and add-on lenses.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Why a phone is enough to start a YouTube channel

  • ★★★ Ali's point: to start a YouTube channel or start filming you do not need to wait for a fancy camera or save up for gear; an iPhone or Android phone is all you need. — 00:00:00 · iPhone
  • ★ Ali shot this video entirely on his iPhone XS Max. — 00:00:00

00:00:39 — Video quality: Filmic Pro and its settings

  • ★★ Ali recommends 24 or 25 frames per second for a more cinematic look than the iPhone's usual 30, which looks too smooth; he shoots at 25, the same frame rate as on his main cameras. — 00:01:07
  • ★★ Ali recommends filming phone video in 4K, which most modern phones offer, with the bit rate as high as possible, called Filmic Extreme on iPhones. — 00:01:36
  • ★★ Ali recommends a shutter speed of 1/50 of a second at 25 frames per second, double the frame rate, which he calls the 180-degree rule of filmmaking and says gives the most cinematic motion blur. — 00:02:05
  • ★★★ For decent video quality on a phone, Ali says the most important thing is to use an app like Filmic Pro instead of the default camera app. — 00:02:34
  • ★★ Once the camera settings are set, Ali says, save them as a preset in Filmic Pro and you never have to touch them again. — 00:02:34

00:03:00 — Audio: the iPhone microphone, the Rode VideoMicro and an external recorder

  • ★★★ Ali says audio is arguably even more important than video quality: people will sit through a low-quality video if the audio is good, but no one will want to watch a video with bad audio. (hedged) — 00:03:00
  • ★★ Ali admits that while filming this video on his iPhone he recorded the audio externally, with a Rode NTG4 microphone connected to an external audio recorder. — 00:03:00
  • ★★ The iPhone's own microphone, Ali says, would not be too bad for getting started on YouTube: not audio people would call garbage and turn off. — 00:03:29 · iPhone
  • ★★★ As a middle ground between the iPhone alone and an expensive audio setup, Ali recommends a small microphone such as the Rode VideoMicro. — 00:03:29
  • ★★ Ali puts a Rode VideoMicro from Amazon at about 40 to 50 dollars; plugged into the iPhone with the headphone adapter that comes with the phone and a Rode cable of about 7 dollars, the setup costs about 50 dollars. — 00:03:58

00:04:50 — Lighting: a big window and the Aputure light

  • ★★★ Without money for a lighting setup, Ali says, you can just sit next to a window: natural light from a big window looks pretty reasonable. — 00:04:50
  • ★★ Comparing shots with and without his Aputure light beside a big window, Ali says the light does not make that much difference. (hedged) — 00:05:19
  • ★★ Big expensive light domes, as in his own behind-the-scenes video or Peter McKinnon's, can look intimidating, Ali says, but you do not need them to start; over time a light is worth investing in, and he is glad he spent the thousand dollars his cost. — 00:05:19 · Peter McKinnon

00:06:05 — Framing by mirroring the phone to a laptop; mounts and tripods; start with just your phone

  • ★★ To frame shots with the iPhone's main camera, which he thinks gives better pictures than the selfie camera, Ali mirrors the phone's screen to his MacBook with QuickTime Player instead of using a monitor. — 00:06:05 · MacBook
  • ★★ Ali's phone tripod has a cold shoe mount on top, which lets the Rode VideoMicro attach to it. — 00:06:35
  • ★★ Any tripod can hold your phone, Ali says, as long as you have a phone mount. — 00:07:04
  • ★★★ To anyone serious about starting on YouTube, Ali recommends starting with just a phone and adding gear over time, so that affording camera gear is never the excuse; the real battle is getting over the fear of looking foolish and of public speaking. — 00:07:33
  • ★★ Ali says starting a YouTube channel is great and leads to lots of good things happening in life. — 00:07:33

00:08:01 — Extra lenses from Sandmarc and sitting close with a wide angle

  • ★ Sandmarc sent Ali a wide-angle phone lens and other lenses to review; the video is not sponsored. — 00:08:01
  • ★★ Not a fan of being far from the camera, Ali normally uses a wide-angle lens, even on his main camera, and sits quite close to it. — 00:08:31
  • ★★ For a look different from standard iPhone framing, Ali suggests screwing an external lens onto your phone. — 00:09:00

00:09:23 — Start with a phone and upgrade over time

  • ★★★ Ali's upgrade path for starting on YouTube: begin with just the iPhone, whose audio is not amazing but fine to start; later add a Rode VideoMicro, a 20-dollar tripod and a 50-dollar lighting setup, and eventually a camera. — 00:09:29 · iPhone
  • ★★ Ali says a distressing number of the people who ask him about starting a YouTube channel say they cannot afford a camera, though they own the latest iPhone, a Google Pixel or a Galaxy phone. — 00:09:58
  • ★★ Ali says all modern phones can film in very good quality and have reasonable audio too. — 00:09:58

In the description and comments

  • ★ Ali Abdaal (channel): Asked which tripod and phone mount Ali uses, the channel replies that they are basically all the same. — creator comment

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Filmic Pro · iPhone · Rode VideoMicro

Also: Aputure 120D Mark II · iPhone XS Max · JOBY Gorillapod · MacBook · Peter McKinnon · QuickTime Player · Rode NTG4 · Sandmarc

Replies to

← Previous: The Best iPad Screen Protector - Paperlike V2 · Next → Building the perfect desk setup - 49" Ultrawide Monitor + Standing Desk