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3 Tips for Recording Smartphone Interviews

Writer's picture: John ClintonJohn Clinton

Updated: Oct 5, 2023


Smiling couple looking at camera centered in frame

There's a lot that goes into recording a great video interview. If you are looking to capture some of the important people in your life on camera without worrying about the technical aspects and dynamics of conducting an interview, feel free to reach out to us at Posterity Media to schedule a session.


If you're not quite ready for the full Posterity Media experience, but would still like to capture a few clips of your "personal celebrities" sooner rather than later, I encourage you to grab your smartphone and give it a try. Below are my top 3 tips for recording a family interview with your smartphone. If you're someone who is game to dig into the details and wants to get your smartphone interviews looking and sounding as awesome as possible, you can also reference my full Guide to Recording Smartphone Interviews.


(Note: Especially if you and your interview subject are not in the same location, using Zoom to record your interview could be a great alternative. Take a peek at our 3 Tips for Recording Interview Over Zoom and Complete Guide to Recording Interviews Over Zoom for more.)


1) Pickup a smartphone tripod


These are incredibly easy to use! And setting your phone up on a tripod means saving your arm from holding up your phone and trying to keep it steady. There are many smartphone tripods out there - even something as simple (and cheap) as this tabletop one can do the trick. Place that on a stable surface, fine tune the height by stacking a few books underneath, and you'll be good to go. There are also taller smartphone tripods that makes more sense for your location.


2) Find an optimal location


An ideal location needs to be a few things: quiet enough for your subject to be heard when they are speaking, bright enough for your subject to be seen on camera (but not too bright), and comfortable enough that everyone (including you) can sit for an extended period of time. The best advice I can give you is to record a few test clips. When you play them back, can you hear your subject clearly? Can you see them clearly? Does everything generally look and feel ok? If yes, then you're all set. If not, try another spot.


3) Add a touch of formality


When I take an interview session with my family members just a tad seriously, they tend to give better interview answers. If you assemble a question list (such as our Posterity Media Question List for Interviewing Married Couple), send it over in advance, schedule a date/time for the interview, pick a location, and setup your phone on your fancy new smartphone tripod, it will add just enough formality to inspire your loved ones to be more thoughtful in their responses. Above all, you want to come away with a great performance from your interview subjects - if they think you're doing this "for real" they will be more likely to rise to the occasion.


I hope these tips are helpful! And for the best results I definitely recommend doing a test run (with someone other than your interview subject) before your actual interview - this will help you work out any kinks in your setup. Good luck with your interview and let me know how it goes at john@posterity.media.

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