How do you film UGC on a phone so it looks good?

Should you film UGC on the back camera or the front camera?

Use whichever camera looks sharper on your phone for each shot, and test it rather than guessing.

Film the same five-second shot of your face and of the product on both cameras, then watch them on a laptop or television, where softness shows. If the back camera wins, use it for product close-ups and anything you can set up and leave running. Use the front camera when you need to watch yourself to stay in frame, such as a talking shot where you move around.

When you film yourself on the back camera, put a small mirror or a second screen where you can glance at it, or mark your spot on the floor with tape so you land in the same place each take. Before any of this, wipe the lens with a soft cloth. A phone lives in pockets and hands, and a thumbprint turns every light in the room into a haze.

How do you light UGC filmed on a phone?

Face a window or a soft lamp so the light falls on your face and the product, and keep bright light out from behind you.

A phone sets its brightness from the whole frame, so a bright window behind you darkens your face to balance it. Turn round so the window is behind the phone instead. Switch off ceiling lights if they are a different colour from the daylight, because mixed light makes skin look patchy. Tap and hold on your face in the camera view to lock focus and brightness, so they do not drift when you lift the product into shot.

Film all the parts of one video at the same time of day, so the light does not change between the hook and the close; the parts of a UGC video script names each part you will be filming.

How should you frame a vertical UGC video?

Hold the phone upright, keep your eyes about a third of the way down the frame, and keep the product near the middle.

TikTok and Instagram lay captions, buttons and the account name over the top and bottom of a vertical video, so anything important in those strips can end up covered. Keep your face, your hands and the product in the middle band. Set the phone at eye height for talking shots, because a camera looking up from a desk is rarely flattering, and move it closer rather than zooming in, which softens the picture.

Plan the framing before you film by writing what the camera sees next to each line. The two-column script puts what you say and what the viewer sees side by side, and turning that into a shot list tells you which shots need a close frame and which need a wide one.

How do you keep a phone steady while filming UGC?

Put the phone on a stand or prop it against something solid, and only hold it when the movement is part of the shot.

• For talking shots, use a stand or a stack of books at eye height, so the frame stays still while you talk.
• For product close-ups, rest your elbows on the table and hold the phone in both hands, which steadies it more than one arm in the air.
• For walking or reveal shots, move slowly and keep the phone close to your body, so the motion reads as deliberate rather than shaky.
• Turn on the phone's grid lines, so you can see whether the frame is level before you record.
• Switch on do not disturb, so a call or a banner does not interrupt a good take.

Sound matters as much as the picture. Film in a room with soft furnishings, close the window, and keep the phone near your mouth for talking shots, because distance makes a voice sound hollow.

How many takes should you film of each part?

Film every line at least twice and the hook several times, so the edit has a choice of reading and expression.

Break the script into its beats and film them one at a time rather than in one long take. A mistake then costs you one short line, not the whole video. Vary each take slightly: a little slower, a different gesture, a smaller smile. Leave a pause before and after each line so there is room to cut.

Before you pack up, watch the best take of each beat on the phone with the sound on. Check that the product is in focus, your words are clear, and nothing in the background distracts. Reshooting while the light and setup are still in place is quick; coming back another day means matching everything again. If you are still deciding what each beat should say, the parts of a UGC video script lays out what each part has to do.