Record one continuous performance with the relevant body parts visible from preparation through recovery. Place the phone securely, rehearse the widest movement before the take and check the recording itself before uploading. The useful reference is a readable action, not a heavily edited social clip with an attractive soundtrack.
Find the movement boundary before pressing record
Perform the action slowly once while another person watches the phone preview, or use a short rehearsal recording. Identify the highest hand position, widest reach, lowest bend and furthest travel across the floor.
Adjust the camera distance until those extremes fit. A comfortable standing pose is not enough: the dancer may extend beyond that rectangle as soon as the action starts. Avoid deciding a universal percentage of empty space. The action's actual boundary is a more useful measurement.
For an upper-body performance, focus on the information that will be transferred. For a full-body phrase, check ground contact and the complete head-to-foot outline.
Make the recording easy to interpret
Runway's Kling Motion Control guidance recommends one visible performer, continuous footage and avoiding cuts or camera motion. These are requirements for that documented workflow, not specifications for every video tool.
As a practical recording method, choose an uncluttered area where the silhouette remains distinct. Place the phone on a stable support instead of asking someone to track the performer. Keep lighting consistent enough to distinguish hands from clothing and feet from the floor.
Do a test playback. A bright preview does not tell you whether a sleeve hides a hand during the key gesture.
Record a complete phrase rather than a highlight
Start in the intended neutral pose, perform the phrase and finish in a settled position. Keep the preparation that explains how the motion begins. A cropped clip starting halfway through a turn can make direction harder to evaluate.
Use a simple take log:
| Take | Reason to keep or repeat | File to preserve |
|---|---|---|
| Rehearsal | Reveals movement boundaries | Original rehearsal |
| Clean performance | Action remains readable throughout | Camera original |
| Upload copy | Meets the selected tool's requirements | Separate export |
Repeat when a relevant limb leaves the frame, another person crosses the subject or the phone moves. More takes are useful only when they correct a named problem.
Check the exported copy
Open the saved upload file independently of the editing preview. Confirm that the start and ending are present, the frame is upright and the playback speed matches your intention. Keep the unedited original so you can produce a different crop later.
If music is needed for performing, decide separately how the final soundtrack will be handled. Hearing a song during capture is not evidence that a generation tool will preserve, replace or omit it.
Compare file requirements with the selected tool immediately before uploading. Resolution and duration limits belong to that specific workflow.
Common recording decisions
Should I move the phone to follow a dancer?
For this controlled reference approach, reposition the camera before recording so the phrase fits. If the action cannot fit, shorten or redesign the phrase instead of introducing tracking unintentionally.
Is a selfie camera good enough?
Judge the saved file. Check orientation, visible detail and any mirroring before relying on left-right instructions. A convenient camera is useful when it records the required evidence clearly.