In short: To film UGC videos with your phone you need only a recent phone, a window, a quiet room and a steady hand. Shoot vertically in 9:16 at 1080p or higher, face soft daylight, keep the phone microphone close to your mouth, show the product in use and put your hook in the first three seconds. Below is a minimum kit, the technical specs the platforms and creator guides give, and a checklist to run before you press record.
How to film UGC videos: what you actually need
Every creator guide we read makes the same point: brands want UGC that looks like a real person filmed it. One creator platform says a smartphone with a good camera, natural light and a clean setup is enough, and another says brands prefer smartphone footage because it looks authentic and matches what people see in their feeds. So learning how to shoot UGC is mostly about doing simple things carefully.
UGC creator equipment: the minimum kit
These are the items the guides mention. None of them needs to cost much to start, and we have not listed prices because the guides do not give reliable ones.
| Item | Why | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Smartphone with a good camera | The main camera and microphone | Required |
| Window or other soft light | Lighting shapes how good the video looks | Required |
| Quiet, soft room | Less background noise and echo | Required |
| Clean lens | A smudged lens softens every shot | Required |
| Tripod or phone stand | Stability; one guide calls it a solid addition once you film regularly, not a day-one essential | Optional |
| Ring light | Fills shadows on cloudy days or in dim rooms | Optional |
| Lavalier (clip-on) microphone | Clearer voice than the phone mic | Optional |
| Editing app | Trim pauses, add captions (guides name CapCut and InShot) | Optional |
UGC video format, size and specs
Two different things get called “specs”: what the platform accepts and what a brand asks for. For the first, TikTok’s Business Help Center lists its in-feed ad requirements for non-Spark ads as vertical 9:16 at 540×960 pixels or more, files up to 500 MB, formats including .mp4 and .mov, and a bitrate of at least 516 kbps. That page is about ads, which matters because brands often turn UGC into ads.
For Instagram, one 2026 vendor guide recommends a 9:16 canvas of 1080×1920 pixels for Reels. We could not open Meta’s own help pages to confirm it, so treat it as a widely used recommendation rather than an official rule. A creator platform’s guide suggests recording at 4K or 1080p at 30 or 60 frames per second.
- Orientation: vertical 9:16 unless the brief says otherwise. The Instagram guide adds that faces, prices and captions should stay away from the top, bottom and right edges, where app buttons and captions sit.
- Length: follow the brief. Guides do not agree on one ideal length, and formats such as demos and unboxings run from 15 to 60 seconds in the rate guides.
- Frame rate: 30 or 60 fps, according to the creator platform guide above.
Lighting: natural window light vs ring light
One guide puts it plainly: lighting is critical and plays a big role in the quality of your video. Face a large window for soft daylight, and avoid strong backlighting, which turns you into a silhouette. A soft ring light directly in front is the usual fallback, and another guide suggests one when the day is cloudy or the room is dim. Another says natural light is better than artificial, though artificial is fine if it is bright enough. Do a short test recording first, as JoinBrands advises.
Colour accuracy for beauty products
For foundation, blush or lip products, a beauty brief guide warns that colour-sensitive products shot in unflattering light look wrong however good the content is. Two habits help. Use the AE/AF lock so exposure and focus stop shifting mid-shot, and adjust white balance if your phone allows it, as JoinBrands’ creator help suggests. Also skip filters that change the shade: the same help page advises avoiding filters to keep the content authentic.
Audio: what viewers notice first
One starter-kit guide says viewers scroll away from bad sound faster than from a video that looks imperfect. The guides agree on the basics:
- Pick the room with the least background noise; carpet and curtains soak up echo.
- Keep the phone microphone close to your voice and speak slowly and clearly.
- Watch for wind if you film outdoors, and listen back to your first take before continuing.
- A wireless lapel mic or a voiceover recorded in an editing app are the options one guide gives for cleaner sound.
- Add captions; two guides recommend them.
On music the guides disagree. JoinBrands’ creator help says not to use music, while another guide suggests royalty-free music at low volume. Follow the brief, and if it is silent, leave music out.
Stability, framing and backgrounds
- Use the back camera. JoinBrands notes the front camera may not match its quality.
- Frame head and shoulders for talking shots, and add close-ups of the product and cut-away shots you can use to cover edits.
- Keep the background simple and, where you can, in keeping with the product’s theme.
- Avoid shaky footage. Vary angles and scenes rather than filming one long take.
The hook and structure of the video
One guide splits a UGC video into a hook in the first 0–3 seconds (movement, a product close-up or a problem statement), a body of short clips showing the product in use, and a clear recommendation at the end. Show the product being used rather than only held. For hook ideas by format see UGC video ideas and hooks, and for wording, UGC script templates for beauty and fashion. Brief points on what brands ask for are in the UGC brief template.
Delivering your files
Read the brief for the file type and whether raw footage is wanted. Contract guides say to state whether raw footage is included or only the edited final, and it is often priced as an add-on. Our suggestion, not a rule from these sources: keep the original file straight from your camera roll, since messaging apps can compress video, and use a clear file name such as the product and your name. Send what was asked, in the format asked, before the deadline, and keep your strongest clips for a UGC portfolio where the deal allows it.
On Usicri
On Usicri you see each campaign’s price, open spots and whether a product is provided before you start, then upload a video you confirm you filmed yourself. The brand approves or rejects it, and if it is rejected you are told why, so a clear note is a chance to fix lighting or sound and try again. Browse open campaigns to see what brands ask for.
Approved and paid videos can be shown in your own portfolio, and you keep 100% of the payout. New here? How to become a UGC creator covers the steps around filming.
Pre-shoot checklist
- I have read the brief: length, orientation, message, what to show and avoid.
- Phone lens is clean; back camera selected; recording at 1080p or higher.
- I am facing a window or soft light, with no strong light behind me.
- The room is quiet; phone microphone is close to my mouth; I have done a sound test.
- Exposure and focus are locked and no filter changes the product colour.
- The background is tidy and the phone is steady.
- My hook is ready for the first three seconds.
- I have filmed the product in use and extra close-ups.
- I know the file type and whether raw footage is requested.