With people tapping on their phones all day, I thought it’d be fun to make an “interactive” video that encourages your viewers to touch their fingers to the phone. The concept was inspired by Namie Amuro’s 2015 music video, Golden Touch.

I’ll show you how to shoot and edit a variety of scenes without leaving your iPhone or Android phone.

After you recreate one (or more) of the 10 scenes—or invent your own take on the concept—post the results on Instagram with the hashtag #PlaceFingerHere to be featured in the gallery below. Who knows, you may even see yourself on Create’s Instagram, or on mine!

Main Tutorial

Watch this video to see examples of the 10 techniques and general tips.

Note on health and safety: While you can shoot many of the scenes below entirely by yourself, some require two or more people. When you're involving others in your shoot, we recommend it's someone you live with. And please follow all COVID-19 safety guidelines in your area, such as wearing masks.

Here are the shots you can get by yourself:

• Poke Eye
• Bubble Gum Pop
• Page Turn
• Backpack stuck
• Instagram Scroll

Equipment: You’ll need your phone and, for some shots, a tripod or another way to prop up your phone.

Poke Eye

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 1 OR 2

PROPS NEEDED: NONE

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER

You can shoot this scene selfie style by yourself, or with a second person.

Bubble Gum Pop

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 1

PROPS NEEDED: BUBBLE GUM

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER

This scene is simple—prop your phone up and then blow a bubble. Try to line up where the bubble pops with the center of the screen.

Page Turn

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 1 OR 2

PROPS NEEDED: BOOK

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

For this scene, you can shoot it by yourself by starting the shot directly on the book. Or if you have someone to help you shoot, you can start the shot wider. The trickiest part here was coordinating and timing the phone movements with the page turn movements. It took us several attempts to get the shot.

Person Tripping

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 2

PROPS NEEDED: NONE

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: BEGINNER

This effect is one of our favorites and requires no props. For this scene, you’ll need 2 people: One person to trip, and one person to move the camera to trigger the trip. It helps to put a small piece of a sticky note on the center of the screen so you can line it up. Make sure the person tripping is doing so safely!

Backpack Stuck

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 1

PROPS NEEDED: BACKPACK

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

You can shoot this scene by yourself, as long as you prop up the phone or use a tripod. The most difficult part here is body coordination: miming the action and trying to keep the backpack in a fixed point in space. If you have dance experience or clown miming experience, this shot might come a little more naturally to you.

Shirt Change

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 2

PROPS NEEDED: 2 DIFFERENT COLOR SHIRTS

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

This scene requires a match cut. For tips on match cuts, see my #grabyourshoes challenge. The most difficult part of the shot is matching up the action so it’s smooth. We did several attempts before we got a smooth cut that we liked.

The person moving the camera must move forward at the same time that the shirt-wearer jumps backward. For a smooth transition, try cutting on the movement—especially if there’s motion blur.

High Voltage

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 2

PROPS NEEDED: HAIR DRYER AND HOMEMADE “HIGH VOLTAGE” SIGN

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

To really sell this effect, turn on a hair dryer at the same time as you put your finger on the center of the screen.

We shot selfie style so that we could line up where to put the finger. Use a small piece of a sticky note to mark the center of the screen to help you line it up.

Basketball Spin

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 2

PROPS NEEDED: BASKETBALL, ROPE OR STRING, TAPE

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ADVANCED

We made the basketball appear to float by dangling it from a string that was off camera.

To give the basketball immediate spinning momentum in the scene, we shot in reverse. To reverse footage, you can search the App Store or Play Store for “Reverse Video”. Alternatively, if you have Snapchat installed, you can use the reverse filter.

Water Balloon Pop

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 2 OR 3

PROPS NEEDED: BALLOON, WATER, NEEDLE

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: ADVANCED

You’ll probably want three people for this shot: One to pop the balloon, one to manipulate the camera, and (optionally) one to sit underneath the balloon and get drenched.

Make sure you use the slow-motion setting on your phone for this one. At the moment of the water balloon pop, move your camera upward slightly toward the balloon to simulate the finger onscreen popping the balloon.

Instagram Scroll

NUMBER OF PEOPLE NEEDED: 1

PROPS NEEDED: A SECOND PHONE

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE

To get this shot, first screen-record the actions you want on your phone. (Here’s how to screen record on iPhone and on Android.)

After you’ve made the screen recording, play back the video and use a second phone camera to shoot. Time your movements with the actions on the screen-recorded video. This may take a few attempts to get the timing to line up perfectly each time.

Create Your Own Scenes!

Post your results on Instagram with the hashtag #PlaceFingerHere to be featured in the gallery below within 24 hours of posting—and maybe on Create’s Instagram, or on mine. Remember, you’re not limited to the ideas above. I especially love to feature original scene ideas.

#PlaceFingerHere Gallery

Coming soon.