Capture Cinematic Diwali Videos On Your Phone: Follow These Simple Tips!

Short-form content has become a part of our lives. People not only rely on platforms like Instagram Reels to document their lives, but also use them to reach a wider audience. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the quality you provide stands out. Fortunately, phone cameras have improved so much recently that it’s become easier than ever to shoot “movie-quality” videos on your smartphone itself.

The good thing is that shooting quality content doesn’t involve a big learning curve. Instead, most people ignore the basics. Here are the basics of shooting good quality videos on smartphones so you can capture beautiful videos this Diwali.

Use movie mode/background blur sparingly

If you have an iPhone 13 or later, you’re used to cinematic mode for capturing blurry backgrounds in videos. This creates professional-looking results, but overdoing it can result in a fake and unimpressive look. Everything is nice in moderation. Therefore, background blur or bokeh achieved in Cinematic mode should be used sparingly. Try decreasing the f-stop number (smaller number, larger aperture and vice versa).

Don’t overexpose your photos

If you’re using a phone with a manual camera app, try not to overexpose the image – don’t crop the highlights or destroy the shadows. However, remember that the shutter speed should be twice the frame rate (if you’re shooting at 30 fps, keep the shutter speed at 1/60), and since you can’t change the aperture on most phones, the only way to adjust the exposure is to adjust the ISO.

If your phone doesn’t allow you to choose the exposure manually, like all iPhones, try locking the exposure to a level that balances things out.

Remember to shoot in 4K resolution and at the correct frame rate

If you’re shooting for Instagram reels, that doesn’t mean you can get away with shooting in your phone’s default settings. Always make sure you shoot at the best possible quality and choose the right frame rate for your project. If it’s a vlog, 60 fps would be ideal; However, if you shoot in a cinematic style, shoot at 24 frames per second. Yes, there is also slow motion, but personally I would use it sparingly as the quality drops quite dramatically.

In addition, phones such as the iPhone 15 Pro also enable ProRes LOG recording. You need to go into the settings manually and select these options if you want to go through the in-depth workflow.

Camera movement is key

Good camera movement separates the good from the good. A well-composed shot is something else, but when you combine it with simple but effective camera movement, it can produce quite pleasing results. Yes, you can do these with a mobile gimbal, but smartphones these days have excellent built-in stabilization. So practice moves like fake dolly-ins, pans, false sliders and anything else you see fit. Work on the camera movement and have fun shooting the discs this Diwali. Plus, a bonus tip: visit your favorite travel influencers’ Instagram pages and see how they make their moves.