The iPhone 16 Pro’s excellent video quality, numerous lenses, and cutting-edge capabilities like ProRes video and the new 4K slow motion option make it a fantastic tool for filmmakers. Additionally, it’s incredibly user-friendly, making it a breeze to record stunning footage of your loved ones this Christmas season. However, with minimal effort, other phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, Pixel 9 Pro XL, or older iPhones and Android phones, can also record high-quality video. However, there are numerous ways to enhance your home videos, and the holidays are among the most ideal occasions to experiment with mobile video creation.

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Making videos that you want to watch repeatedly requires more than just a good camera. Additionally, you must understand how to operate the camera correctly, how to catch the ideal moments, and what constitutes a visually appealing photo. You can transform a basic home video into something more motivational that you’ll want to show your family and rewatch in the future with a little forethought and a creative eye.

Here are my best recommendations for creating your own family films, whether you’re hosting a holiday feast, travelling to far-off places on vacation, or just hanging out in the garden with pals.

1. Think on the type of video you want.

Think about what you want your video to contain a little before you begin. It might just be a movie about everything that occurs around the holidays or your child’s next birthday, but think about becoming a little more specific. Maybe a video featuring them opening their gifts or the games you play together.

Instead of having countless hours of footage to sort through, having a more defined tale to tell—even a simple one—will help you think about what shots you’ll need to obtain and shoot and edit exactly what you need. Since you’ll probably want to just recount the events from the morning till the games and drinking at the conclusion of the day, a Christmas day video can be simpler. Nevertheless, instead of merely recording every moment of your day together, try to think about how you might be selective and produce a compelling story.

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I created a basic storyboard to assist me develop my ideas for angles and a list of shots I knew I would need for my film.
Hoyle Andrew/CNET
I choose to demonstrate how I prepare my own hot mulled cider for my own holiday-themed film, which is embedded above. I was able to decide precisely which images I required and in what order by limiting it to a single subject. I even created a storyboard of shots in advance. Although you don’t need to go that far, it will be very beneficial to have a general notion in mind.

2. Correctly configure your phone

Although almost all modern smartphones are capable of taking excellent video, it’s a good idea to check the settings to make sure you’re prepared. Although you are in charge of your resolution settings, full HD (1080p) is definitely a smart place to start because it will look good and not fast use up your phone’s storage. If your phone supports it, you can boost it to 4K. If you’re using an older smartphone that doesn’t handle editing as well, you can even lower it to 720p.

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Consider filming in Apple’s ProRes format if you have an iPhone 16 Pro, 15 Pro, or 14 Pro and intend to use programs like Adobe Premiere or DaVinci Resolve for extensive post-production. If you want to keep things simple, it’s better to film in standard video mode. This gives you the highest image quality, but the files are huge.

You may go one step further and shoot in log if you have the most recent iPhone 16 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro. Out of camera, the colour profile known as “log” appears to have very little contrast, but in post-production, it offers a great deal more versatility in terms of modifying the contrast, colours, and overall appearance of the movie. The process of applying these adjustments is known as colour grading, and it’s frequently what distinguishes regular home recordings from high-end, Hollywood productions. Shoot in Log and colour grade your footage with DaVinci Resolve on your desktop or iPad if you want to give your video a genuinely cinematic, expert appearance.

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The greatest software to use if you want to record videos from your iPhone that appear professional is the BlackMagic camera app.
CNET/Andrew Lanxon
However, it’s good keeping an eye on your storage, particularly if you’ll be gone for a long time. You don’t want to fill up your space on the first two days of your trip and then be unable to take pictures during the remainder of your trip. You can now use USB-C to connect an SSD to your iPhone 15 Pro if you’re recording ProRes Log so you can save those large files straight to external storage.

3. Make sure your videos are brief and to the point.

It’s simple to stand and record a five-minute video of someone peeling potatoes for supper, but when you view it back, you’ll find that it’s far too long to be engaging. Rather, think about limiting each clip to 15 to 20 seconds. When you watch a 15-second video again, you may be amazed at how long it actually looks. Having multiple small segments intercut will make the video seem more interesting and polished.

Instead of capturing the entire ascent, think about taking 20-second clips at 5- or 10-minute intervals, or simply at especially picturesque vantage points, if you’re hiking up a stunning mountain track. But be prepared to record amusing or fascinating occurrences as they occur since you will love looking back on these intimate times in the future.

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Avoid going overboard — It would have been wasteful and time-consuming to capture a minute or more of footage because I only needed roughly five seconds of this overhead image in the final video.Hoyle Andrew/CNET 4.

4. Keep your phone steady.

Handheld footage that is unsteady is the easiest way to damage a video. Make sure the stabilised video mode on your phone is turned on. If not, think about steadying your phone with a little tripod. Naturally, this also lets you, the director, participate in the action, which is fantastic if you’re the one preparing the food or distributing the gifts.

You might even think about bringing along a tiny portable gimbal, like as the DJI OM 5. The integrated selfie stick makes it easier to video yourself or acquire more unique angles for your movie than if you were just holding your phone in your hand, and it enables you get incredibly steady footage even while you’re moving. Check out some of the greatest accessories that you can use with your phone to enhance your footage if you want to take your mobile filmmaking a little more seriously.

5. Use angles creatively
Trying out multiple viewpoints is a terrific approach to enhance your film’s cinematic elements. If you’re filming your youngster taking a Christmas present from the tree, think of a more interesting approach to capture the moment rather than just filming them from a nearby standing position. You could also place the phone among the gifts inside the tree so you can see your youngster reach for the camera to get their surprise.

You may play with your angles in countless ways, so consider how you can make things interesting. It’s always possible to try reshooting specific scenes from different perspectives (or with a different phone or camera) and then combine them in your video editor. For instance, I used two perspectives in my video to show the cinnamon and ginger being thrown into the pot: one in which I was gazing into the pot in the first person, and another in which I had placed my phone behind the pot to show me doing so. Little things like this can have a significant overall impact.

I brightened the cider in the pan with a little LED light and used a tripod to capture this overhead view. The light is simply balanced on a roll of paper towels, so it’s not a very fancy setup!
Hoyle Andrew/CNET 6. Make the lighting and acoustics better.
Make sure your phone can record clear audio if your video will have people speaking to the camera. For example, your pals may inform the camera where you are in the world or how much they need a beer after the strenuous climb. To get the greatest results, think about purchasing a small external microphone, such as the Rode VideoMicro, which connects to the power port of your phone with an adapter and significantly enhances the sound quality.

See also:Top Accessories for Improved Video

There are still many things you can do to aid if you don’t want to spend more money on additional equipment. The clarity of those voices will be greatly improved by shutting off or at least reducing background music or by closing the doors to block out kitchen appliances. The wind will be your worst adversary when it comes to quality audio outdoors. While there may not always be much you can do about it, you can try to minimise the issue by putting a buffer between it and your phone and putting your back to the wind.

Adding your own light will assist keep your footage looking decent if you’re filming indoors in dimly lit areas. Lighting is also very important. Although I’ve covered a number of LED light sources in my guide to video accessories, the Zhiyun Fiveray FR100C light stick is one of my favourites for video production because it’s portable and can emit any colour you desire, allowing you to be creative.

Try using time lapses and slow motion.
Slow motion and time lapse modes are available on the majority of modern phones, and both can be excellent tools for your movie. Using time lapse to speed up a lengthy sequence and slow motion to slow down fast-paced action must, of course, make sense.

I slowed down the video of me tossing ginger into the pot to create a fantastic slow-motion effect of the cider splashing up, and I utilised slow motion when lighting the stove to give the flames a dramatic aspect in my mulled cider video. It didn’t make much sense to shoot a time lapse because it’s a little scene, but if you want to document the entire dinner-making process, for instance, a time lapse from high above in your kitchen, filming you moving around for perhaps a few hours might make a cool addition to a holiday movie.

Make changes to your video.

It’s time to put your video clips together after you have them. For those of you who are completely new to video creation, this may be the most difficult aspect. Fortunately, there are simple ways to accomplish tasks.

Certain phones, such as the iPhone and the latest Samsung Galaxy models, come with built-in auto video makers that let you choose a few clips and have them automatically combined into a movie with background music and scene changes. Even though they aren’t always the most sophisticated productions, they are worth considering if you’re a complete novice and only want a simple movie created to give to your loved ones.

As an alternative, consider software like BlackMagic’s DaVinci Resolve, which is available for free on the iPad (and Mac or PC) and only requires a paid upgrade for certain advanced features. Creative professionals all over the world utilise this very versatile video editor, which is well-known for its excellent colour editing tools. GoPro’s Quik is a more straightforward method. In addition to being free, it allows you to add various video clips to a project, which the program will instantly transform into a completed movie. Additionally, iPhone owners will get free access to Apple’s iMovie, a very user-friendly video editor with a wide range of presets and styles. Adobe Premiere Rush is designed to be mobile-friendly and offers a large selection of editing tools. Although it’s a fantastic app, it costs $10 (£9, AU$15) every month, thus it’s only worthwhile if you intend to produce more videos.