Create stunning Instagram videos with your smartphone!

Now that Instagram has welcomed videos into its fold, everybody you know is going berserk about it. There are cool Instagram videos of cooking tips, cute twins and the eternal favorite, dogs. The holiday season is here and that is just one more reason to whip out your smartphones and make some cool videos.

We give you a few tips and spiffy editing ideas, to stay one up on your tech savvy cousin. Whether it is sharing your life story or a visual recipe, get started on the right foot!

Use the amazing filters!

One of the reasons why Instagram is the home of all cool social videos is that it has filters that can transform bland videos into stylish ones. There are several filters and the Dogspatch filter in particular is a hot favorite. It provides videos a post-apocalyptic feel and tones down colors. The heightened contrast makes videos look subdued yet ethereal.

We all are suckers for nostalgia. For, sepia toned golden hued videos… The Helena filter does just that.  The orange/teal colors give videos, those, beautiful, sunrise/sunset, honey tones.

Did you know phone lenses can make your videos magical?

Yes, you read that right. Lenses don’t just belong to the expensive DSLR family. There are phone lenses available for smartphones that can transform your videos. Macro lenses can pick up the tiniest details. A fish eye lens can give a 180 degree view and a great perspective. Telephoto lens can help you pick up beautiful shots without nearing and alarming your subject.

Have a plan of action…

Agreed it is a fun, social video and you are not in the race for the Oscars. But having a narrative is much better than randomly shooting what’s around. The most popular narrative structure for small videos is the reverse technique. You introduce the pay off first and then transition to the introduction. Like shooting cooing aunts, smiling mommy and then panning to the cute baby in the bassinet.

Remember to always tell a story. A story with a beginning, middle, and, end. Share a point of view and think of the ending even before you start shooting.

Don’t forget the audio!

Most Insta videos pick up a lot of atmospheric sound as the microphone in your smartphone is still working! Use the mute button to avoid a noisy video or place your finger over the microphone. Sometimes audio can be quite a distraction. Captioning videos work much better as you convey your point across without people straining to hear you while commuting.

When one is not enough!

Have a really intriguing subject? You can create a series of videos with a single hash tag. This way you can tell a bigger story without your friends missing out on the next installment of the series.