This guide to filming content for social media focuses solely on shooting rushes (the raw footage, as it comes out of the camera, before any editing or color changes).
Format
On social media, it’s best to shoot vertically (9:16 format).
1. Vertical is the way users naturally use their phones.
- 95% of users hold their phone vertically;
- Filming in this direction saves users from having to turn their screen, making it easier for them to use;
- It makes people want to stay longer, as they don’t have to “do anything”;
- It fills the whole screen, making it easier to concentrate on what you’re seeing.
2. Social networks favor this type of format.
- The different types of videos (Instagram Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels) are optimized for 9:16;
- They were designed for mobile use, for scrolling;
- Vertical videos are better highlighted in algorithms → more potential views;
- Horizontal formats appear with black bands on the sides, which makes them less immersive and less professional.
Shot Framing
You don’t want to shoot something you want to highlight in a rush. The better the video, the more attention it will attract.
The rules are different if you’re filming people or an environment. There are 3 types of shots: wide, medium and detail.
Wide Shots
- You want to see the environment (the street, the garden, the whole of the exterior);
- Hold the phone upright; you don’t want a perspective that’s too tilted, giving a distorted, out-of-proportion house;
- If a house/property can’t be shot in vertical format, you can take 3 shots in horizontal format and then assemble them vertically when editing.
Medium Shots
- Focus on one part of the house (terrace, entrance, patio, etc.);
- It’s better to take a shot that’s just a little too wide than one that’s too narrow, so that you don’t see the important element;
- This is often done to show a feature that sets the house apart (arches, a beautiful door, etc.).
Detail Shots
- We want to show what makes the house special (materials, moldings, a custom-made banister, ironwork, etc.);
- We need to get close to the element so that it’s sharp and in focus.
→ If you’re not sure of the framing, redo it several times until you get it right.
→ Taking videos from several different angles of the same subject allows you to vary and decide which one will work best for editing.
→ Having a finger, hair or other external element pass in front of the camera spoils the shot, it has to be redone.
→ Avoid appearing in mirrors, window reflections or shadows.
→ Avoid showing people who might be recognizable (face), who are nude (swimsuit) or children in shots where there are people around.
How to Shoot?
Zooming “physically”
- Avoid zooming in on the phone with your fingers at all costs, as you will lose a great deal of quality in the video;
- By moving gently towards the object you want to film, you will zoom in much more naturally.
Doing a “tracking shot”
- A dolly is a way of filming in the same way as walking forwards for a zoom or backwards for an unzoom, but here it will be towards the sides or diagonally;
- Moving slowly from left to right allows you to highlight an element without being abrupt;
- Be careful of the video’s stability! If there’s a hitch or too much vibration, the video will be unusable.
Avoid unstable one-handed shooting
- Depending on the content you want to shoot, the use of a tripod or something that blocks and stabilizes the phone can be useful if you don’t feel comfortable (you can use a phone stabilizer);
- Some phones have a “stabilization” option for videos, if this is your case you can activate it, it will help a lot;
- In case you’re walking for a shot, try to bend your knees to dampen small jolts.
More Is Better Than Less
- Shooting 2-3 seconds before you start moving and 2-3 seconds at the end makes editing easier, as it leaves more room for transitions.
Light and exposure
Beware of backlighting!
- A video or photo that is overexposed and therefore too “white” is impossible to recover, so use “soft” light;
- It’s better to have natural light in the back or for the video to be a little too dark (a little, not too much).
What About Horizontal Format?
Although the vertical format is the most popular on social media, the horizontal format (16:9) can sometimes be recommended or used.
- This will more often be the case on a platform like YouTube, as it is configured for videos in this format;
- Long videos (interviews, vlogs, documentaries, tutorials…) remain mostly horizontal.
When the subject is wider than it is tall
- Landscapes, panoramas, group scenes, entire buildings;
- The horizontal format allows you to frame the whole without moving back too far;
- Ideal for travel vlogs, guided tours, location presentations, the horizontal format quickly gives a professional or film effect.
- If you want to use the video outside social networks, it may be more interesting in this format (website, TV, or screens in landscape, event teaser, trailer, advertising, etc.)
Warning: Posting a Video in This Format in “Reels” Mode on Facebook or Instagram Is Not Recommended
- It is displayed with black bands;
- It is less attention-grabbing on phones;
- Less good referencing in algorithms;
- The same rules apply as with the vertical format (stability, framing, light, etc.).
In Summary :
- Vertical format to be prioritized (9:16);
- Different framing;
- Sharp image;
- Good lighting;
- Stable shot (no shaking);
- Long enough to cut in editing.
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