Last week I was working with a client and I told her she could make good videos for her business with an iPhone. She said “C’mon Scott, there’s no way.” It’s true though. As proof, this entire video was shot and edited with my iPhone 4.

I intentionally mixed up the shot locations for difficulty, added pictures with narration, and edited this in iMovie on my iPhone.

I used 4 key pieces of equipment:

1. An iPhone 4 to shoot and edit the video.
2. An XShot camera extender and case.
3. The kVConnection cable to allow microphones to plug into the headphone jack of an iPhone.
4. A TechSmith lavalier microphone with 10-foot cord.

Creating a small business video with your iPhone is easier than you think. In the coming weeks, I’ll do some more videos illustrating how to do all this. In the meantime, what’s holding you back?

I thought this post over at MacWorld was interesting. In it, they outline their workflow for shooting video at the recent MacWorld event.

I know most of us don’t have the luxury of having a video crew to assist us. What’s interesting though is how much they were able to do with an iPhone and iMovie on a MacBook Air like I talked about. It’s easy to capture good enough audio with a lav mic or Zoom H1 recorder along with the kVConnection cable attached to your iPhone. This is an incredible combination that makes capturing marketing, training, or convention videos a snap. Use the xShot Camera Extender instead of schlepping a tripod around. And while the MacWorld crew used iMovie, you could also easily use ScreenFlow or Camtasia:Mac because I find they’re faster than iMovie.

Video like this is more than acceptable these days. How are you rapidly producing video for your business?

I work with a lot of trainers, consultants, and freelancers. Often times we want to create quick videos together. I’ve found my iPhone and MacBook Air, when combined with ScreenFlow [aff], creates a great portable video system. Nothing even comes close to the weight or coolness factor when creating, editing, and sharing videos from the field.

[Download iPhone version]

So for example, if you want to create a “coffee talk” video series while in your local coffee shop, you could capture, edit, and upload videos, over your favorite latte. And because we’re using ScreenFlow, we can combine our video with Keynote presentations or anything else we can pull up on my Mac. It’s truly a portable production studio.

If you’re a small business or solopreneur, I encourage you to leverage video. And your iPhone, MacBook Air, and ScreenFlow is really all you need.

I’ve done several posts using the xShot camera extender and I really like the product. It’s a little handheld tripod “wand” that allows you to easily record yourself. What was missing though was an elegant iPhone 4 holder. Well, not anymore.

The xShot iPhone 4 case is a well made product. It has two parts that slide onto your iPhone. It protects the back of the phone but has all the necessary openings for the camera and flash. More importantly, it feels really solid in your hands and because of the raised tripod slider in the lower left corner, it’s easy to hold.

It’s that tripod capability that really sets this case apart. This case allows you to quickly mount your iPhone 4 onto a tripod in either the horizontal or vertical positions. They provide 2 clips that you can screw onto your 1/4″ tripod mounts. Then, you slide your iPhone 4 onto the clip and voila, your iPhone is attached to a tripod or the xShot camera extender. It slides off just as easily too.

This is a great case and for $25, really extends the versatility of your iPhone. If you’re shooting tutorials or how-to’s in the field, I highly recommend this case.

Here’s Steve Garfield’s initial review of the case. He does a great job going over all the basics of it. My quick review follows and I rib Steve a little.

[Download the iPhone version]

I’ve been asked how I make some of my videos where I’m walking or moving around. When I’m not using a tripod for a rock solid video, I’m using the xShot camera extender. I learned about this tool from Steve Garfield in his book Get Seen.

It’s a great way to create videos when you’re by yourself because you can hold the camera out in front without extending your entire arm. This is a great tool for creating how-to videos or even interviews in the field. You can make your videos more natural and more conversational because you’re just walking & talking.

[View iPhone version]

When you use the xShot, try to hold it as steady as possible. And take a couple of practice videos so you know how to frame yourself. Unless you’re using a video camera with a flip out LCD screen, you can’t see yourself. This makes it hard to know how you’re framing yourself. If you’re not careful, you can cut the top of your head off. It just takes a little practice so you know where the camera lens should be pointing.

The xShot is a great addition to your tool kit.

I think the iPhone 4 is a great device because it makes it so easy to create compelling content right in the field. I still find it amazing that you can shoot and edit video right on the device. But how’s the audio?

It’s no secret I like the Kodak Zi8 because it has a mic-in jack. This allows you to capture great video AND audio when using an external microphone. I’ve tried plugging my current Audio Technica mics into my iPhone but haven’t had much luck getting them to work with it. I did have a couple of other mics in my office and thought I would try these while recording video.

The first mic is the Griffen SmartTalk Headphone Adapter. This is really designed as a lapel mic when using your headphones while making calls. But you can also use it as an external microphone while shooting your videos.

The second is the VeriCorder Mini-Mic. This is a small, directional microphone you can plug into your iPhone. I think it provides a pretty good gain to the audio too.

Watch and listen to the video below. Tell me which microphone you prefer. Either way, I think the iPhone 4 sets the bar for in the field video creation.

[View iPhone version]