Before you leave: charge your phone, microphone, light, and power bank to 100%.
Before you leave: set video quality in advance — 4K 30 fps for beauty shots or 1080p 60 fps for action.
Before you leave: disable unnecessary notifications and use airplane mode for important scenes.
Before you leave: download offline maps to save battery and mobile data.
Before you leave: write a 5-7 shot list for the day — road, food, street, you on camera, details, evening recap.
What to film: wide establishing shots — a street, square, beach, station, or view from transport.
What to film: medium shots — walking, showing the location, or briefly explaining what is happening.
What to film: close-ups — coffee, tickets, signs, hands, food, textures, and city details.
What to film: movement — entering a cafe, boarding a train, opening a door, walking through a street.
What to film: atmosphere — market noise, rain, street musicians, transport sounds, and short ambient clips.
What to film: one short talking segment in the morning, afternoon, and evening to give the vlog a story.
Tip: film the same moment three ways — a wide shot, a close detail, and a shot of yourself.
Tip: start recording 2 seconds early and stop 2 seconds late so editing is easier.
Tip: record short 5-12 second clips instead of long uncut takes.
Tip: when walking and talking, keep elbows close to your body and hold the phone slightly above eye level.
Tip: in bright sun, stand sideways to the light instead of facing it directly for a more dimensional face.
Tip: if it is noisy, repeat the line somewhere quiet as voiceover.
Tip: film transitions — opening a door, putting the phone on a table, getting into a taxi, lifting a cup.
Tip: hold the phone vertically for Reels and horizontally for YouTube from the start.
One-day kit: phone, power bank, cable, lav mic, mini tripod, lens cloth, small light, and water.
