Getting ready to record

First things first: What settings do you need to change to record your video on your phone? Depending on what type of phone you have, these can typically be found under your Camera Settings.

Resolution:
1920×1080/1080p preferred, 1280×720/720p acceptable

FPS (Frames per second):
30 FPS preferred

Storage Space:
Make sure you have enough storage space for your recording. We recommend 4+ GB.

Your recording equipment

What you need:

  • Your phone
  • Your ring light equipped with a phone holder
  • Lapel microphone

Here are a few things to do when recording yourself with your phone:

  • Be sure to film in landscape mode! We are staunchly anti-vertical here at Bullhorn.
  • Put your phone on airplane mode before recording so you don’t get interrupted by alerts or vibrations.
  • Test out your microphone (if you’re using one) by recording a short video in which you tap on your mic a few times. If you can’t clearly hear the taps, something’s not right.
    • We recommend putting your lapel mic at chest level and threading the wire under your shirt.

Help the creative team add your slides to your footage

Option 1: Record your slide deck on your computer as you present so we know when to advance your slides in our final cut.

While you record yourself on your phone using the directions above, simultaneously record your computer screen with your EngageX presentation slide deck. Submit this screen recording with your session recording.

For PC: Download a free screen recording app like OBS 

For Mac: Open QuickTime and select ‘New Screen Recording’

Option 2: Fill out this document to tell us at which timestamps to advance your slides in our final cut.

Recording Best Practices

Now that you’ve decided how you’re going to record your video, it’s time to set up your shot! A good-looking video has three main components: audio, lighting, and composition. This section covers how to make the most of your surroundings to ensure that your video looks and sounds great.

Audio

The importance of audio can’t be overstated. Low video resolution is much easier to tolerate than poor audio quality. Here’s how you can make your video sound crisp:

  • Find a time and place with as little background noise as possible.
    • Good: smaller, crowded rooms
    • Bad: large, empty, echo-y rooms
  • Keep microphones close, but not too close.

Lighting

Do:

  1. Face a window if possible
  2. Use a white screen background
  3. Try using lamps or other non-harsh lights

Don’t:

  1. Have a window behind your back
  2. Stand right underneath a light
  3. Use lights that are too bright

Composition

Do:

  1. Position your head at almost the top of the frame
  2. Embrace a natural-looking background

Don’t:

  1. Position your head in the center of the frame
  2. Have a messy background (or desktop background for screen recordings)

Sharing and exporting videos

Congratulations! You just created your video(s). Now what? 

If you created a video as part of a project, your best bet is likely to upload your video(s) to a Google Drive folder and share it with the appropriate people.

But that’s not our only video sharing option. We also use Box for file storage and Wistia for video hosting and sharing. Reach out to the contact information provided below if you’re interested in using one of these platforms.

Questions?

If you have any questions or if you’re encountering a unique issue not covered in this guide, reach out to Eric Eldredge at eric.eldredge@bullhorn.com for help.

Happy filming!