Mobile Film Making
Cinematic Shooting Techniques

Sound Design and Capture

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Capturing high-quality sound in mobile phone productions is essential—bad audio can ruin even the most beautifully shot footage. Fortunately, with the right setup and techniques, you can achieve professional-grade audio using just your smartphone.

Smartphone mics are omnidirectional and pick up everything—including unwanted noise. External mics give you control and clarity.

Lavalier (Lapel) Interviews, dialogue, vlogging

Shotgun Mic Narrative scenes, outdoor shoots

USB Condenser Voiceovers, studio-style recordings

Control Your Environment

  • Choose quiet locations: Avoid traffic, fans, or echoey rooms.

  • Use soft furnishings: Curtains, carpets, and cushions absorb sound.

  • Block wind: Outdoors? Use a deadcat (furry windscreen) on your mic.

Use Audio Recording Apps

Apps like Filmic Pro, Voice Record Pro, or RecForge II offer manual control over gain, format, and monitoring.

  • Record in WAV format for best quality.

  • Monitor audio live with headphones if your phone allows it.

Mic Placement Matters

  • Lavalier: Clip 6–8 inches below chin.

  • Shotgun: Point directly at the subject’s mouth, just out of frame.

  • Voiceover: Place mic 6–12 inches away, angled slightly off-axis to reduce plosives.

Stabilise Your Setup

  • Use a tripod or rig to avoid handling noise.

  • Consider a phone cage with cold shoe mounts for mics and lights.

Best Practices:

  • Always do a test recording before filming.

  • Record room tone (30 seconds of silence) to help with post-production mixing.

  • If you’re filming multiple takes, clap once at the start of each to sync audio later.

  • Recording audio separately to video can yield the best results, BUT it can be more involved and requires syncing.