How to film a listing on your iPhone.

Before you press record

• Prep the home as you would for photos: clear counters, lights on, blinds open. Our prep checklist covers it.
• Clean the lens. A smudge softens every clip.
• Clear storage and charge the battery; 4K uses space fast.
• Turn on Do Not Disturb so calls don't interrupt a take.
• Decide the format: vertical for reels, horizontal for a walkthrough. You can't fix it later without cropping.

Camera settings

• Resolution: 4K at 30 frames per second is a good default; 24 fps gives a more cinematic feel, 60 fps makes slow motion possible.
• Lens: the 0.5x ultra-wide is tempting indoors but distorts edges; 1x often looks more natural. Use 0.5x for small rooms, carefully.
• Exposure: tap and hold to lock focus and exposure on a mid-tone area, so the image doesn't pulse as you move past windows.
• Grid: turn it on to keep verticals straight.

Keep it steady

Shaky footage is the fastest giveaway of amateur video. A handheld gimbal is the single best upgrade. Without one, hold the phone with both hands close to your chest, keep your elbows tucked, and walk slowly heel-to-toe. Use the phone's built-in stabilization, and avoid zooming while recording.

Moves that look professional

• Slow push-in: walk straight into a room from the doorway.
• Slide: move sideways past a kitchen island or along a wall of windows.
• Reveal: start on a door frame or a detail, then move to reveal the room.
• Static hold: sometimes just hold still for five seconds. Editors love clean static shots.

Film each move for 5 to 10 seconds, and do two or three takes of the important ones.

A shot list for phone video

1. Exterior approach: walk up the path toward the front door.
2. Front door opening into the entry.
3. Main living space: push-in, then a slide.
4. Kitchen: slide along the counters, a detail of the range or island.
5. Primary bedroom: push-in, then the view or the closet.
6. Primary bath: slow pan.
7. Best secondary spaces.
8. Backyard: walk out the back door into the yard.
9. A closing exterior hold.

Light

Turn on every light and balance them as much as you can; mixed warm and cool bulbs show up as color shifts. Shoot when daylight is soft, and avoid filming straight into bright windows at midday. If you're filming exteriors, the light rules from exterior photo timing apply.

Audio and talking to camera

If you're on camera, a small wireless mic clipped to your collar makes a huge difference over the phone's built-in mic. Film in a quiet room, turn off HVAC fans, and keep each talking segment short. If you're not speaking, record clean room tone and let the editor add licensed music and captions.

Mistakes to avoid

• Walking fast and swinging the phone.
• Filming yourself in mirrors.
• Recording one long take of the whole house; editors need separate clips.
• Mixing vertical and horizontal clips in one project.
• Leaving clutter you'd never leave for photos.

Handing off to an editor

Editing is where phone footage becomes a listing video: choosing the best takes, stabilizing, color matching, cutting to music, adding captions and branding, and delivering vertical and horizontal versions. KONAH's You Record, We Edit takes your phone footage from anywhere in the US: upload the clips in your portal, add notes, see the price before you pay, and get the edited video back.

When to call a pro instead

Phone video works well for reels, agent intros and quick walkthroughs. For luxury listings, twilight, aerials and cinematic films, professional cameras, lighting and a Part 107 drone pilot make a visible difference. A common split: film your own social clips weekly and book professional video for the listings that need it.

Quick reference

1. 4K, 30 fps, locked exposure, grid on.
2. 1x lens unless the room is small.
3. Gimbal or tucked-elbow walking.
4. 5 to 10 seconds per move, two takes of key shots.
5. Separate clips, one format per project.
6. Mic if you're talking.

Vertical or horizontal: decide per project

Most agents want both formats, but filming both from one take rarely works well. A common approach: shoot horizontal 4K for the walkthrough, keeping the main subject centered so an editor can crop a vertical version later, then film a handful of dedicated vertical clips for the hooks (the striking first frame, a detail, you talking to camera). Label clips clearly or keep them in separate albums so nothing gets mixed up when you upload.

Filming exteriors and the street

Start and end outside. A slow walk up the path, a static hold of the front, and a gentle pan of the street give context buyers want. Avoid filming neighbors, their homes as the main subject, license plates or children; frame on the listing. If you want an aerial, hire a Part 107 pilot rather than flying your own drone without a certificate; around Washington, the pilot also handles airspace authorization.

Talking-to-camera tips for agents

• Write three bullet points, not a script; read-aloud scripts sound stiff.
• Look at the lens, not the screen.
• Film in short segments: one room, one point.
• Smile before you start talking and pause after you finish, so the editor has clean edges.
• Keep it about the home and the neighborhood's places, not about who should live there.

Uploading and organizing footage

Before you upload, delete obvious bad takes, but keep anything you're unsure about; editors can rescue more than you'd think. Name or number clips in the order of the walkthrough if you can. In KONAH's You Record, We Edit, upload the clips to one project, add notes about which takes you prefer and any text you want on screen, and choose your branding. The price is shown before you pay, and both vertical and horizontal versions come back.

Accessories worth buying

• A phone gimbal: the biggest single upgrade for smooth movement.
• A clip-on wireless mic for talking to camera.
• A small LED light for dark corners and talking segments.
• A lens cloth, kept in your car.
• A portable battery pack for long shoots.

Together they cost less than a single professional shoot and make every phone video noticeably better.