4 Tips On Shooting Video For Mobile Viewing

As one of my favorite scholars said, “The medium is the message.” That phrase, coined way back in 1964, is even more fitting today, especially when thinking about mobile medium such as smart phones, tablets, glasses. While Marshall McLuhan may not have envisioned all of these communication devices (actually, he did presage quite a few electronic advances), he was ahead of his time in recognizing that the medium itself is an integral part of the message.

No surprise then, you need to account for the medium for which you’re shooting your video. Here are a few tips on how to do shoot video for mobile viewing.

1. Upsize – Everything needs to be bigger because of the size of the mobile screen. A mid-shot should become your long-shot; your close-up a mid-shot; and an extreme close-up your close-up. While this advice is a little extreme, it illustrates the point. Play around with different framing and see what works for you.
2. Stablize – If your video involves any running around or a lot of hand-held work, it might not work so well on mobile. Using a tripod, dolly, jib, etc. will give you great mobile footage.
3. Keep it Short – Make sure you keep the length short. Though people are watching longer videos on mobile devices than in the past, if you want people to really be engaged keep a video shorter than a minute.
4. Front-load -There’s a chance someone’s boss is going to walk in on them while watching your video … Put your most important info first (i.e., web address, phone number, special offer)