Dear readers who have video, photography, or other relevant experience:

I have been shooting some video to demo mobile web content and I'm running into problems. I'm not finding much online to help me out.


First off, I don't have the right gear. That is a known issue. I flat out have NO pro video gear. Been using my still camera's video function. But what IS the right gear? I'm working on creating a list of gear I should get to do this.

I need to be able to get really close to the handset to make sure that the screen is readable (I need dual use for HD presentations and YouTube). This probably means I need a macro lens, but correct me if I'm wrong. Also, I need to deal with getting the proper angle. If I use a tripod when I shoot them on a table top, then I can only get it at a slight angle since you can't exactly point directly down. I am shooting with the phones on a table top, but am experimenting with shooting them on a platform.

The problem with shooting the handset in a vertical position is that it easily moves when you interact with it (looks bad and makes editing difficult). My last video I made I placed a piece of paper on a music stand such that it bent at the joint that the phone rested on giving it a nice "seamless" backing. Helped, but the phone still jostled about while I interacted with it. Aside from that, it was nice to get the image head on with no odd angle (since I can put the camera on a tripod facing forward rather than down).

The other problem I am running into is lighting. You still photographers will probably have a lot of grey matter (oh, and don't forget the connective white bits!) to help me here.

With the phone head on, I basically have a nice glass surface just asking to be a mirror. Most phone displays don't get bright enough to compete with heavy lighting which really complicates things since you need to get the phone itself well lit. Lighting up the phone usually means that the camera gets well lit as well, and thus shows up as a reflection on the phone (especially during darker screens).

Watching the iPhone videos I realize that they are on a black background. Is this the key? Shoot with them on a black mount at a distance from a black background?

I realize that the high end production video is probably a fake screen edited onto the real screen in post production. I don't think this is an option for me since I am going to need to do these videos across at very least a few handsets. Oh, and I lack the actual skill to do the compositing.

I have to do this on a bit of a budget, but any suggestions more than welcomed. Camera recommendations, lens suggestions, accessories, techniques, etc.

Tags: lazylj, video