What is the most effective way to make a talking head video using a cellphone? Believe me or not, you do not have to go to a professional studio in order to to make useful and professional looking videos. But there are a few tips that i would like you to follow.
Number 1, make sure that there is more light in front of your face than behind you. If you are standing in front of a window, then it will darken up your face and the brightest thing on your screen will be the light from the window.
Preferably, have someone hold the phone for you as it records. You want to frame yourself in a way that your head almost touched the top of the screen and the bottom cuts off somewhere in the middle of your chest or body. You would also want to be no father than two or three feet from the phone so that the microphone can pick up your voice. Also try to have the phone placed at your eye level as anything below will have it shooting up your nose which would look awful.
If there is no one around and there is still something you want to document, then there is nothing wrong with shooting it yourself. Hold it a few inches above your eyes and hold your arm straight out. Will it look perfect? No. But it can still come across as an effective communication tool.
Finally, try to make four to five versions of your video instead of just shooting it once and select the best one. That is the best way to make an effective video.