Using the IPhone 14 Pro for video marketing.
If I had a nickel for every time a small business owner told me that they haven't started using video in their marketing plan because they cannot afford it, I’d have enough to afford it for you. Luckily for them, and for you, you do not need a DSLR or a cinema camera to make quality video content. In fact for the vast majority of marketing videos, the IPhone in your pocket is overkill.
Every year smartphone video quality improves, and Apple's iPhones are among the world's best-selling smartphones, capable of shooting news stories, corporate videos, commercials, and even feature films. The latest iPhone models, such as the iPhone 14 Pro Max, offer astounding image quality for a consumer device. However, to achieve professional-grade footage, it's essential to use the device correctly.
Using the included camera app for casual use is fine, but for more professional video production, I recommend using FiLMiC Pro. This app has long been the most popular video capture app for iPhones and some models of Android smartphones, offering a lot of capability for a reasonable cost. The app, with its cinema add-ons, now enables the maximum dynamic range of the phone's camera with 10-bit SDR capture capability and a LogV3+ gamma profile that enables color grading.
When using an iPhone 14 Pro for video, it's important to set up the device properly. Don't just hit the video mode and start recording. For best quality, shoot in 4K with a frame rate of 24fps. For slow-motion, 4K at 60fps allows the footage to be slowed down by 40 percent. In HD mode, slow-mo images can be shot at 240fps. The resolution and frame rate can easily be changed in iOS 16 by going to the Settings app and selecting Settings > Camera > Record Video.
The iPhone 14 has a Cinematic Mode that implements digital blurring or bokeh to simulate the way a standalone camera and lens capture depth in a scene. It also simulates focus pulling. With a tap, the user can change focus between subjects in a scene. Although it's a useful feature, Cinema Mode is still imperfect at this stage of development and will require some getting used to in order to pull the perfect video. I recommend staying away from this feature until the technology gets a little better.
From the last generation iPhone onwards, the ProRes codec has been available, allowing iPhones to shoot 10-bit HDR footage that delivers less compressed files with higher fidelity colors. These ProRes files are quite large, so be sure there is enough storage space on the iPhone for these huge files. If HDR footage without the ProRes file size is desired, make sure Dolby Vision is enabled. This setting enables the iPhone's camera to capture more details in the highlights and to capture more accurate colors.
Locking the exposure and focus on the iPhone before recording is also essential to ensure that the exposure and focus do not change abruptly during recording. It's important to pay attention to lighting because it makes a huge difference in picture quality. Even with vastly improved image stabilization, excessive camera movement is distracting, so always keep the image as steady as possible. A good gimbal, such as DJI's Osmo Mobile 6 Smartphone Gimbal Stabilizer, can smooth out video footage and add interesting and controlled movement to a shot.
Finally, audio is a major consideration for iPhone users. Avoid using the internal mic, as wind noise can overwhelm it. Instead, use an external microphone or a separate audio recorder. I reccomend the Rode VideoMicro Vlogger Kit for Mobile Phones (3.5mm Connection). In summary, with the right techniques and accessories, iPhone video can look very professional.