Gear: Minimal & Brutal
High production value doesn't mean $10,000 cinema rigs. In short-form video, hyper-crisp audio and clean lighting on a modern smartphone usually outperform over-produced cinema setups, because they feel native to the platform.
The Camera
Use your phone's rear camera. Clean the lens. Shoot in 4K at 30fps (or 60fps if doing heavy slow-motion). The front camera destroys image quality and compression.
The Audio
Audio is 70% of video. Invest in a wireless lavalier mic or a directional shotgun mic. Bad lighting is forgivable; echoing, tinny audio will cause instant swipes.
Lighting: The Key to Depth
Shallow depth of field (the blurry background) is great, but lighting creates true dimensional depth. You need a key light positioned at a 45-degree angle to your face. Keep the background darker than your face to force the viewer's eyes onto you.
Software & Apps
Desktop software (Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve) offers the ultimate precision for hyper-cuts, but mobile apps like CapCut are dominating the space due to their native auto-caption engines and built-in trending effects.