If you’re using an iPhone to record videos, there are three tools you need to take your videos to a more professional level: stabilization, lighting and great sound. This is the most basic gear list – there’s always more fun tools to pick up along your video journey.

Many of the links in this blog post are affiliate links – thanks for your support! And this is all gear that I own and love.

Holiday Gift List for the iPhone Video Creator

Selfie-stick / tripod combo photoThis selfie-stick-tripod combo is a great option for stabilization. It’s a bit pricey at $40, but worth every penny. Shaky video is a sure sign of an amateur video creator – and this device gives you a plethora of options for taming that shakes. It can work as a tripod, set up a few feet away, and you can use the remote to start and stop the video. It will extend to nearly 5 feet tall, so if you’re short, you can use this to hold your phone while you are standing, but it’s too short for most people to get the camera at eye level.
This $18 Pocket Spotlight is my choice for shining a little light on your subject. Lighting is an important aspect of filmmaking. This little guy can brighten your face just a bit in a dimly lit room, or it can provide enough light to make you look good in a pitch black room (although your video will look a bit like the Blair Witch project – minus the shake if you’ve bought the tripod above.) It has three levels of brightness, and lasts around an hour running on battery at full blast. But it’s hard to tell when the light is getting dimmer – so I suggest adding a mini-USB cable to plug it into a battery pack or the USB port on your computer. It comes with a mini-USB cable, but it’s about 4″ long. The longer cable will let you plug it in and use it at the same time – giving you unlimited light.
 The Movo PM10 Lavalier microphone can clip to your shirt and make you sound great. At $15, it’s a steal. Note that microphones for smartphones are different than other similar looking microphones.So be sure to buy one that says it works with smartphones. Extension cables are also specific to smartphones – and you might want one of these if you need to move further from the camera (I have the 6 foot cable, and I’m gonna get the 20 foot cable soon.)  The Rode SmartLav+ is the cadillac of Smartphone Lavalier microphones – and will set you back $80.

Here’s a little video about using this gear with an iPhone:

Not that the tripod in this video has been replaced with the one above.