What’s the best camera for a shoot? The definitive answer is, “The one you have with you.” The ubiquity of the mobile camera means that when you’re in the presence of great instructional content, it can become video in seconds. In addition, viewers are developing a special respect for authentic-looking video—footage that looks raw, real, and genuine. This is why many training videographers have moved to iPhones as their main production equipment, even on high-production-value shoots. So how can you benefit from this stylistic trend?

In this session, you’ll learn important strategies for capturing great content on your smartphone. You’ll discuss the technical aspects of smartphone video production and investigate how to address the physical challenges of smartphone cameras and microphones. You’ll then look at the content side of smartphone video production, including how to use your device to record on the fly and conduct informal interviews. This session will help you leverage the authentic look of mobile video to engage your audience. You’ll leave feeling empowered to hit that “record” button anytime and anywhere when seeking new eLearning content.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the important features of authentic-looking video content
• About the technical challenges of the camera and microphone on your smartphone, and how to work around them
• How to compensate for your smartphone’s recording equipment
• What aspects of your video can be altered and polished with the help of camera apps

Audience:
Novice to intermediate designers, developers, and managers.

Technology discussed in this session:
Mobile phone technology for recording video and audio; camera apps.

Technology required:
A modern smartphone or tablet to practice shooting video.