Settings, once and for all
- Wipe the lens. It’s the most common cause of a hazy image.
- Film vertically: it’s the format for reels, stories, TikTok and Shorts.
- Choose high definition (1080p) or 4K, at 30 frames per second. Keep the same setting for every take.
- Stay on the main lens. Digital zoom degrades the image; take two steps forward instead.
- Press and hold on the screen to lock focus and exposure: the brightness no longer shifts during the take.
Light does half the work
Film in daylight, with the room lights off or all set to the same color. Stand with your back to the window or to the side, never facing it: otherwise the room goes dark and the window turns white.
Outdoors, on the terrace or by the pool, the first hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset give soft light. At midday, shadows are harsh.
Short shots, one gesture at a time
A shot lasts three to five seconds and shows one thing. Move slowly, hold the phone with both hands, elbows against your body, and walk in small steps. Take every shot twice: the second one is almost always the keeper.
- Hotel: the entrance, the front desk, a room door opening, the made bed, the bathroom, breakfast, the view.
- B&B: arriving at the house, the room, the breakfast table, the shared dinner table if you have one, the garden.
- Vacation rental: the front of the house, the equipped kitchen, the living room, the bedrooms, the outdoors, the view from the terrace.
- Campground: the welcome desk, the lane, a pitch, a rental unit from the inside, the pool or the river, the evening.
Add close-up details: the cup of coffee, the linen, the key, a hand opening a shutter. They are what gives the edit its rhythm.
Sound, people and music
Film without background music: it gets added during editing. Keep the ambient sound when it tells something: coffee pouring, water, birds.
Anyone recognizable on screen, guest or employee, must agree before the video is posted: in France, image rights come from the right to privacy (article 9 of the French Civil Code). The simplest options: written consent, or filming people from behind, just hands, or empty spaces.
For music, a business account can’t use just any track. Meta offers a royalty-free library for business content, the Sound Collection.
In the edit
- Strongest shot first: it’s what holds people in the first seconds.
- Subtitles or on-screen text, for people watching with the sound off.
- A fifteen to thirty second video is enough to show a moment; save longer ones for a full tour.
- A line at the end that says what to do: book, send a message, ask about availability.