The examples on this site were filmed on a phone. No fancy camera, no ring light, no gimbal, no tripod. Just a mom (me), her family, a back pocket, and whatever was happening that day.
And that's exactly the point. You don't need better equipment to get better footage. You just need a few small habits — and I promise, once you have them, they become second nature.
Here are the only three things I'll ever ask you to think about. After this, put your phone away and go live your life.
Just hit record.
I mean it — that's the whole tip. The biggest mistake people make isn't bad lighting or shaky footage. It's not filming at all because the moment doesn't feel important enough, or they think they'll remember it anyway, or they don't want to be that parent with their phone out again.
Film anyway. Hit the button, capture 10 seconds of whatever is happening, and stop. A 10-second clip of your kid eating cereal and talking about dinosaurs is exactly the kind of thing you'll be grateful for in 10 years. The mundane moments are the ones that disappear fastest from memory — and they're often the most precious to watch later.
You don't need a plan. You don't need good lighting. You just need to press record.
This is the kind of moment I mean. Ten seconds. That's all it takes.
Turn your phone sideways.
This one small habit makes the single biggest difference when your footage ends up on the TV. When you film vertically — phone held upright — your video will have black bars on either side of the frame when it's displayed on a horizontal screen. When you film horizontally — phone turned sideways, like a TV — it fills the whole screen beautifully.
I know it can feel awkward at first, especially if you're used to filming everything vertically for social media. But your TV is horizontal. Screens are horizontal. And the footage just looks so much better that way.
That said — don't stress if you forget, or if you already have years of vertical footage. I work with both, always. Vertical clips can be reframed and still look great. This tip is just for going forward, when you remember.
"The TV is horizontal. Your living room screen is horizontal. Film like you're already thinking about that moment on the big screen — because one day, it will be."
Slow down the camera.
This is the one that makes footage go from "fine" to genuinely cinematic, and it costs absolutely nothing. When you move the camera — panning across a room, following a child running, scanning a view — try to move just a little slower than feels natural.
Here's why: the camera amplifies movement. What feels like a gentle pan to your hand looks fast and disorienting on screen. Slow it down, hold the shot for a beat before you start moving, and hold it again for a beat before you stop. That's it. Editors call it giving yourself "handles" — a little extra stillness on either end to work with.
If you're filming something that's already moving — a kid running, waves, a dog playing — keep the camera still instead. Let the action move through the frame. Stillness + movement in front of the lens = always beautiful.
Rocky Mountain National Park. Phone. No tripod. Just a steady hand and a beautiful moment.
That's it. Seriously, that's all.
I could give you a list of 20 filming tips. But I won't, because you'd remember none of them and film nothing. Three things is enough. Three things is actually plenty.
Record more. Turn sideways when you can. Move slowly. Then put your phone in your pocket and actually be there for the moment you just filmed.
The whole point isn't perfect footage. It's a real life, lived fully, with the people you love. I'll take care of the rest.
When you're ready to turn those clips into something your whole family can watch together on the TV, I'd love to help. Take a look at the packages here or reach out anytime — it's just me on the other end, and I'm always happy to talk through what might work for your footage.