Get close to the source – When you’re far enough to get the shot framed the way you want it, the camera mic isn’t close enough to pick up a good, clean audio take. But you don’t need a microphone and boom to solve this problem. Grab your phone, hit record, and then set it just out of frame, close to your subject—and start recording. Then just overlay or mix the phone track onto your video track later, and reduce the volume of (or delete) the original audio track. 

Cut down distortion – Good thing Scotch tape is all you need to address this tricky situation! Just place a small piece of tape over the microphone hole(s) on your phone and it will reduce the amount of sound that’s able to enter the mic, often giving you a much better result. Make sure there are no bubbles or seams in the edges of the tape that might leak higher-volume sounds, and experiment with different thicknesses of tape (duct, masking, paper, etc.) until you find one that works best with your phone and environment.

Use Airplane Mode – Avoid embarrassing audio gaffes by always setting your phone to Airplane Mode (which silences its cellular, Bluetooth, and WiFi connections) and muting its volume when on location, so that you don’t ruin an otherwise perfect take.