You can record and upload videos using any device that you are most familiar with that has filming capabilities, including your smart phone, computer, and/or camcorder, digital camera, or professional equipment. See some hot-to instructions below.

You’ll need to record your video first and save it on your computer desktop or smartphone.
Then separately, see our Submit Video page and fill in the required fields.
At the bottom you can attached your video directly on the form.

We will review it and approve it.
Note, by submitting you agree to allow us to edit it as needed before we upload it to our site.

A. Using a smartphone/Ipad

Because you’ll probably have these devices with you all the time, they’re especially convenient for capturing a video right in the moment. Most smartphones have video filming capabilities.

Iphone/Ipad:
General tips of how to use your smartphone to record videos:

•Video – Shooting video with an iPhone

•Article – How to record a video with iPhone or iPad

Record Your Video 

Set up your iPhone or iPad so that your video will appear in its proper orientation. If you do not position your device properly, your video may display sideways or even upside down when viewed online.

When using the camera on the back of the phone or tablet, orient the device horizontally – with the microphone and Home button positioned on the RIGHT side and the earpiece on the left, as shown below.

If using the front‐facing camera (so that the phone mirrors you speaking), position the device horizontally with the button on the LEFT side of the phone (the opposite of the picture above).

Compress video:

To compress the video on your iPhone or iPad, you can download an app called Video Compressor from the Apple app store. Search in the Apple app store for “Video Compressor” and you should find it without problem. “Get” it for your iPhone or iPad where your speech video was recorded and is stored.

When the Video Compressor app is installed, open it. You will see a screen like the one below.

Tap LOW. This setting will compress your video so that it is as small as possible for uploading. If your original video was recorded well (see general guidelines), the quality of the compressed video should be fine for display online. Much will depend on the specifics of your video, so feel free to experiment with the other settings too. Try to compress your file so that it is no larger than 20 MB for the fastest upload to Connect. You can use a much larger video if necessary, but be prepared to wait for a longer time for the video to upload to Connect.

Once your video is compressed, you can copy it to your computer by using your device’s USB cable to connect the iPhone or iPad to your computer.

Iphone 

http://www.untamedscience.com/filmmaking/getting-started/iphone-video-tips/

IPhone Video Tip 1: Hold it steady

This is extremely important. The first of our iPhone video tips is to keep the phone as steady as possible. The iPhone can take lovely HD footage if it is perfectly still, but if you shake the sensor (move the phone) the image quality begins to degrade. Just as when you shoot with a professional video camera, a tripod will only help you!  For this shoot, I tried this tripod.

If you don’t have a tripod, one stabilization trick is resting the phone on a t-shirt or something soft while you hold it on a table top, the ground or any solid surface. Holding your breath during shots can also help minimize shakiness if you are hand-holding the phone on a solid surface. If you can prop it on a surface without holding it (I’m fond of using two bean bags to hold it at the right angle), that’s even better.

IPhone Video Tip 2: Use Good Light

If you can’t get good studio lights, one simple solution is to go outside! Smartphones can take amazing photos and video, but the the light needs to be fairly bright. We’ve all seen grainy photos and videos from well-meaning folks, so just keep in mind the lighting in most houses alone is not bright enough for crisp photos and video. If you’re filming indoors, light it up as much as possible – with bulbs or even just filming near a sunny window.

IPhone Video Tip 3: Focus on Sound

The best way to get good sound is to use a quality microphone that’s close to your mouth. There are a few good microphones for the iPhone. The two that I’m a big fan of are the Rode SmartLav and the Rode iXY. If I were to consider any of these iPhone video tips the most important, it would be this one. Without good sound, the video is going to feel more amateur.

IPhone Video Tip 4: Use some lenses

Mix it up. Try a few specialty lenses. They may not be the best thing in the world, but they’re fun to try to mix up you shots. For this shoot, I used a 60x microscope lens, a telephoto lens, and a wide angle lens kit. Overall, they’re cheap and kinda fun to play with. However, I should note that the BEST lens is the one that is on the camera. These cheap lenses do act to degrade the quality of the image a bit, as you can probably see from the video we took.

If you don’t want to purchase lenses, you can still set up interesting shots. Variety is the spice of life AND filmmaking. Try shooting from the ground, from up high, from the side, from inside things – lots of angles! The camera may be small, but you can still be very dynamic with the way you shoot and tell your story.

Extra iPhone Video tips

1 Use the tap to focus feature: the iPhone does a great job of focusing on near or far objects. Make sure you’re focusing on the right one.

2 Don’t shoot vertical video: Don’t hold it up and down. If you’re not convinced, you need to watch this (hilarious) Vertical Video PSA.

3 Get B-roll: If you’re going to edit it later, get a diversity of shots. Close ups, wides, the works.

4 Get Close: The bigger your subject in the shot the better. Most iphone videos are seen on tiny screens. To get the detail you have to get close.

5 Learn proper Framing: This goes for all filmmaking. Know what the rule of thirds are? If not, check out this link.

Android Phone or Tablet

•Article – How to Shoot, Edit & Publish Videos From Your Android 

•Video – Shooting a Viddy Video on Android

Step 1: Record Your Video 

Set up your device horizontally so that your video will appear in its proper orientation, and:

With an Android phone, make sure the microphone is positioned on the right side and the earpiece on the left.

With an Android tablet, make sure the camera is at the top of the device (while you hold the device horizontally).

Record your video, ensuring that you are following the general guidelines provided above.

Compress video:

To compress the video on your Android device, you’ll need to download an app called Video Converter Android from the Play store. Search in the Play store for “Video Converter” and you should find it without problem. Install the free version.

The free version will give you access to the functionality you need for three days. Unfortunately, after the three‐day trial period, you will have to purchase the pro version of the app, which cost $3.22 in late 2014. We will monitor the price to see if it changes drastically, and we will keep looking for free alternatives.

Once Video Converter Android (free trial) is installed on your device, open it. A “codec,” which customizes the app specifically for your device, will be recommended. Install that.

Samsung Galaxy 

•Article – How can I take Videos with my Samsung Galaxy Camera

•Video – How to Use the Video Recorder on Samsung Galaxy Tab 

•Video – How to Record a Video on Samsung Galaxy

B. Using your computer

Most computers have video filming capabilities with the built-in camera.
General tips of how to use your computer to record videos:

Apple computers 

•Video – How to Video Record on Macs

•Article – iMovie (2013): Record Video with the Face Time HD Camera 

Windows computers 

•Article – Camera app and webcams help

•Video – How to Record Yourself On a Webcam Through Windows Live Movie Maker 

•Article – Windows 8: How to Use the Camera App to Record Videos

If you are looking to screencast your screen while recording your voice, see the following options: 

• QuickTime (Mac):  Free and comes pre-installed with OS X (10.6 or above). It’s as simple as File > New Screen Recording in the QuickTime menu. (Make sure to select your Microphone options and you may begin recording)

• Screencast-O-Matic (Windows + Mac): Free, web-based screen recording program that can record up to 15 minutes of video with a small watermark. Will require installation of a small piece of software.

C. With a Webcam – and Youtube

Webcams are best for recording yourself, which allows for a very personal, informal style. A webcam is built-in with a lot of newer computers, although you can also purchase an external one for around $20.

D. Using a digital camera

Most digital cameras have video filming capabilities.The following articles and videos can also give you general tips of how to use your digital camera to record videos:

•Video – Make Videos With a Digital Camera 

•Article – Digital Cameras and Video, a Beginner’s Guide 

Follow the instructions with your camera for recording and then transferring the file to your computer.

E. Professional recording equipment

If you want to create a more professional-looking video, you’ll need to make a larger investment in your recording equipment. Along with a high-quality video camera, you’ll want to consider purchasing items like additional lighting, microphones, and tripods. You may also want to purchase separate video editing software. Built-in editing software like iMovie and Windows Movie Maker should be able to handle basic editing tasks, but if you want that extra level of polish, professional software like Adobe Premiere or Final Cut may be a better option for you.