How to Film Interviews on a Smartphone | Audio, Framing and Setup Tips

Name: How to shoot an interview using one camera or smartphone
Uploaded: 2014-10-26
Duration: 2 min 54 s
Description: My 2014 video tutorial on filming an interview with one camera or phone.

Before I press record on a phone interview, I sort out three things (what's behind the person, how they sound and how the picture is exposed). Then I record a test clip with a stand-in, play it back, and only bring in the real guest once it's right.

I taught video classes at General Assembly in London for close to ten years (archived instructor page), mostly in person and some online. One of them, Mobile Video: Produce Content Like a Pro, covered the kit, framing, popular shots and interviewing on a phone. I brought all my kit into the room, let people pick it up and try it, then set up practice interviews for them to film. This page is the setup I taught, and the one I still use on paid jobs.

From the shoot, vox pops at an event

In 2026 I filmed a set of quick vox pop interviews at an event, for the organiser's social media team. They wanted the feel of the day rather than something polished, and they wanted it fast, so the whole job was done on a phone. The intro and outro were made in advance, and I cut the interviews together in iMovie on the iPhone so the social team could share them straight away.

	What I used
Phone	iPhone 16
Camera app	Blackmagic Camera
Settings	4K, 25 frames per second, widescreen (16:9)
Sound	RØDE Wireless PRO
Light	My own amaran Pano 60c and F7
Edit	iMovie on the iPhone, with the pre-made intro and outro

Why film interviews on a phone at all

Authenticity is the word I keep hearing. There's been a period where everything was overpolished, and some event organisers now want video that feels like the day itself. A phone suits that, because it's quick, it doesn't put people on edge, and it shoots the format TikTok and Instagram want. In my view, part of the reason TikTok is popular is that raw feel.

Raw still has to be watchable, though. That's what the setup below is for.

What's in my bag

I bring everything with me. That means a standard tripod, my phone, sound and light. I shoot on an iPhone 16, which is more than adequate; filmed in the right conditions, the quality is surprising. Android phones are very good too, and any modern phone will give you a great result. The settings below are the iPhone versions, so look for the same options on yours.

When I started teaching, the mics plugged into the phone with a cable. Wireless came along later, and now I use a RØDE Wireless PRO (£239 at Wex Photo Video, checked October 2026).

For light I carry two small amaran lights from Aputure's lower-cost range, the Pano 60c panel and the F7. The F7 is bi-colour, so it runs from warm to cool white, and the Pano 60c does that and full colour too. The Pano 60c can run from a USB-C power bank, which helps when there's no socket where you need the light. The full kit list, with UK prices, is in my budget phone rig.

My setup, step by step

1. Ask where the video is going

Before I unpack anything, I check with the client where they'll be uploading and sharing it. That decides whether I film landscape or portrait, and how I rig the phone in its cage. My vox pops were widescreen. If a client needs both shapes, I film landscape in 4K and crop the portrait version later (step 3 explains why that works).

2. Pick the spot for the background

I'm always mindful of what's in the background. I don't sit anyone in front of a bright window, because the phone exposes for the window and their face goes dark. I find the part of the room with a decent background and build the shot there.

At an event I don't get the luxury of a room that's sealed off from sound. That's normal, and it's why the audio and the test clip (steps 5 and 7) matter so much.

3. Set up the phone

I record in 4K at 25 frames per second. 25 is the standard in the UK and Europe, and it avoids the flicker some lights show on camera at 30 frames per second on the UK's 50Hz mains. In the iPhone's own camera app, 25 fps only appears once you go to Settings > Camera > Record Video and turn on Show PAL Formats.

I film in 4K even though most social media never needs more, because it gives me room to crop. If the client wants widescreen and portrait, I can scale in with my finger for the portrait version and still have a sharp 1080p picture.

I record with Blackmagic Camera, which is free. It shows a histogram and gives you the kind of controls you'd find on a professional camera, which helps me nail the exposure. The phone sits in its cage on a tripod.

4. Frame the shot

How much of the person I show depends on how much of their body I want in. Filming in 4K, I go a little wider than I need, because I can scale in later for a closer shot. I place them on the rule of thirds, in a spot I know will still work when I crop in.

The format matters here too. A frame that suits widescreen won't always survive a portrait crop, which is why step 1 comes first.

5. Get the audio right

The mic goes on the person, in the traditional spot on the chest. For the height, I stretch out my thumb and index finger and measure that span down from the chin.

I always look at what they're wearing first. Given time, I hide the cable so the shot looks clean, either under the shirt or down the side of a jacket with the transmitter in a pocket. If the clothes won't allow that, or the person has long hair, I clip it near the neck and run the cable over and down the back.

I always leave a small loop of cable just below the mic, held in place by the clip. When the person moves, the cable gets tugged and rubs against their clothes. Without the loop, that rustle travels straight up the cable into the mic. With it, the loop takes up the movement first.

I use a RØDE Wireless PRO, and two of its features matter on a phone shoot. Each transmitter can record its own backup of the audio, so if the wireless link to the phone drops, the take isn't lost. And that backup is recorded in 32-bit float, so a sudden laugh or shout won't distort it. One catch is that 32-bit float only applies to the transmitter's own recording, not to the audio the phone records (RØDE's user guide).

At an event I also make the client aware of the situation, so I can set their expectations. It won't sound like a studio. There's more on background noise and recording the room in room tone and ambient sound.

6. Light the face

I try to bring two lights at minimum. One light can work, and a third is a bonus if you can carry it.

The first goes on the face, set to leave a little contrast across it, which gives the shot a more cinematic feel. The second is a backlight on the back of their hair. That edge of light separates them from the background, and it always works.

For colour, I start with the room. If there are overhead lights I can't control and they're on the warm side, I set my lights warm to match. Both of mine can be set from warm to cool, so the face doesn't end up a different colour from everything around it. If I can turn the room lights off, I choose a mood instead, either something moodier or brighter and more open. That depends on how the client wants the video to look, though I tend to like a warmer look.

For a softer face, use key and fill instead, covered in two-point lighting, and rooms with mixed light are in colour temperature and white balance.

7. Record a test clip with a stand-in

I don't have the luxury of time, so the test is quick. Before the person I'm interviewing sits down, I record a short clip with someone who isn't going to be featured. I play it back to hear how the audio has come out, and I check the exposure is where I'd expect it.

I do it before the interview, not during it, because time is of the essence. At an event people are there for networking and all sorts of other things.

There's no script. I just chat to them in a normal way while I watch the audio meters. That way I hear their real speaking voice at the level they'll actually use.

8. Check battery, space and how the footage gets off the phone

You'd be amazed how quickly recording drains a phone battery, so I carry a charger and keep topping up. I check the free space before the first take too, because 4K takes far more room than 1080p. The phone shows roughly how much space a minute of video takes at each setting, under Settings > Camera > Record Video.

I also decide how the footage is getting off the phone before I start. There's nothing worse than filling it with no plan. If you have an iPhone 15 Pro, 16 Pro or 17 Pro, it can record ProRes video straight to a drive plugged in over USB-C (Apple), which is worth looking into if you film long interviews. Standard models like my iPhone 16 can't, so I copy the footage off between interviews instead.

9. Bring in your guest and press record

Once they're sat down, I chat to them while I check the meters, and I always tell them they don't have to get everything perfect. The energy you give from behind the camera is the energy you get back. At an event I also walk them through what will happen and say how long it will take. I keep to a set number of questions, so I'm not holding someone past the point where they're anxious to get back to networking.

Not everyone is media-trained, but you'd be surprised how good people can be on camera once you've walked them through it. How to interview someone on camera goes further into this. If you can reach your guest beforehand, send them what to wear on camera, which has a checklist for guests.

Then press record.

One phone or two?

I've done both. If you have the luxury of a second phone or camera, use it for another angle. It gives you a second vantage point, and the kind of look you see in professional interviews recorded on far more expensive cameras. That's the point really. It's not about the lens behind the interview, it's about using the same tactics you'd use with any professional camera.

If you only have one, my 2014 tutorial shows how to make an interview work with a single camera or phone.

My 2014 video tutorial on filming an interview with one camera or phone.

Cleaning up noisy audio afterwards

When the room is noisy and I really want it to come out well, I clean the audio afterwards with Adobe Podcast's Enhance Speech, which you can use free with an Adobe account, within daily limits. What you can get away with now compared with a few years ago is remarkable, as long as you had a good microphone on the person to begin with. It can't rescue a voice the mic never picked up properly. The rest of the edit is covered in editing, exporting and getting your video found.

What I'd do differently

The more interviews I've done, the more I've learned that the camera matters less than how comfortable the person feels, whether it's a phone or a professional camera. What I'd tell my earlier self is to watch the person, not the screen.

Look for signs that they're anxious. Some people are better standing than sitting. Some are better when they can move their hands than when they're kept still. Read their body language, and know when to stop for a break.

Above all, don't feed people their lines. I've seen car-crash interviews where someone off camera tells the guest exactly what to say. Nothing kills the authenticity and energy of an interview faster.

The same goes for the edit. People make mistakes, reach for a buzzword, or pause to think. In my opinion, that's what audiences are looking for. Strip out every one of those natural moments and over-sharpen the edit, and the interview risks not landing at all.

My checklist

Everything above is on one page in my phone interview checklist, to print or save as a PDF and keep in your kit bag.

Questions I get about phone interviews

Should I film an interview vertically or horizontally?

Ask the client where it's going first, because that decides it. If they need both, film 4K horizontally and crop a vertical version from it. If it's only ever going to TikTok or Reels, film vertically from the start.

Why film at 25 frames per second in the UK?

UK mains electricity runs at 50Hz, and filming at 25 fps stops many room lights flickering on camera. It's also the standard frame rate for UK and European video. In the US, where mains runs at 60Hz, 30 fps is the usual choice.

Do I need a separate camera app?

Not to start. The iPhone's own camera records 4K at 25 fps once PAL formats are switched on. I use Blackmagic Camera because its histogram tells me whether the face is properly exposed, and it costs nothing.

How to film an interview on your phone