Hold your phone upright the entire time. Never turn it sideways — this is for TikTok, Reels and Shorts.
Wipe down panels, glass and any visible dirt. Clean machines look professional on camera.
Film with the sun behind you or to the side. If the machine is backlit or in shadow, move or wait.
Move bins, pallets, rubbish and clutter out of frame. The machine should be the hero.
Clip the Bluetooth lapel mic to whoever's speaking and make sure it's synced to the phone. This lets you move the phone around without ruining the audio.
Begin every shot at least 2 metres from the machine so the whole thing is in frame. You can always zoom in later — you can't zoom out if the machine isn't there.
First 2 seconds matter most. Start with the machine moving, a door opening, a bucket lifting — not a static shot.
Keep the machine and any action in the middle of the screen. Avoid the edges — buttons and captions will cover them.
Film the same thing from 3–4 different spots: wide, close-up, operator view, ground level. More angles = better final edit.
Zoom in on controls, hydraulics, tyres, attachments, brand badges. These make the edit punchy.
5–10 seconds per clip is plenty. Don't film one long take — short clips are easier to edit and look better.
Get a clip of just the engine/machine sound on its own — no talking. We'll layer it in editing.
Don't film in landscape (sideways)
Don't start with "Hey guys" or talking to camera first — start with the machine
Don't film into the sun — it'll blow out the image
Don't use zoom — physically walk closer instead
Don't film with fingers over the lens or microphone
