Follow these eight simple tips to capture great phone footage for your SimplyReeled videos.
Vertical 9:16 Format
Natural Lighting First
Lens Prep & Stability
Hold your mobile device vertically for all recorded clips. Short-form platforms require vertical or portrait orientation to achieve full screen engagement. This works best for Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts.
Natural light usually works great.
Whenever possible, face toward a window or light source, record in a bright area, and avoid having a bright window directly behind the subject.
Wipe your camera lens clean before recording. Fingerprints can make footage look blurry or hazy. Hold your phone steady with both hands and make slow, smooth movements.
• 07
• 08
Show the Process
Send Original, Unedited Footage
Don’t only record the finished result. Capture the beginning, the work being done, and the final outcome whenever possible. Think: Before → Process → Finished Result.
Avoid adding filters, music, captions, stickers, logos, or social-media effects before sending your clips. Original footage gives us the most flexibility and the best final quality.
• 04
Keep Clips Short
Record several short clips instead of one long video. Aim for 5–10 seconds per clip.
For one finished 15–30 second SimplyReeled video, sending approximately 8–15 different clips gives us more options when editing.
• 05
Capture Different Angles
Give us a mix of wide shots, close-ups, action shots, details, and before-and-after footage whenever possible.
• 06
Leave Extra Time Before & After
Record for about 1–2 seconds before the action starts and keep recording for another 1–2 seconds after it ends. This gives us room to create smoother cuts and transitions.
From Phone to SimplyReeled
Send Us Your Original Footage
Once your clips are ready, upload the original files to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud.
Then paste the shareable link into your SimplyReeled project form. Make sure the link allows us to view and download the files.
For the best quality, avoid sending videos by text message or adding filters, music, captions, or effects before uploading.
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Turn your everyday phone footage into polished, ready-to-post short-form videos.