The iPhone Feature Film

            The Iphone Feature Film

    This post is going to be short and dedicated to the first major feature film that has used smart phones to record a great deal of the footage. The film is titled The Bay. It was co-written and directed by the academy award winning director Barry Levinson.

    To have a film maker of this caliber deciding to shoot a motion picture using nothing but digital cameras and smart phones is going to be a game changer in the indie film world. Anyone of us with a little creativity can produce a feature using these devices.

    Here is the trailer for what many will consider the first major iPhone feature films.

The Bay Trailer:

    It will be in theaters and on demand very soon. I have seen the movie already and I can say that the best footage in the movie seems to have been shot using a smart phone. The blending of different kinds of devices used to record footage is very well done. Even the Skpe footage looks great. The Bay is a found footage film and that is the obvious place to begin with this type of film making, but the iPhone could easily be used to shoot a narrative feature length movie with the proper lighting and equipment.

    Okay that is it for today. I promised someone who emailed me that I would leave a video about a certain cell phone case. They have seen the ads on this site and wanted to know what it was all about.

    Thank you for visiting. Please tell a friend about this site and have a nice day.

                       

Halloween Filmmaking

            Halloween Filmmaking

    Halloween is coming and I thought that some of you might want to shoots some short horror films for the holiday. In years past this usually involved using a video camcorder, but thanks to the iPhone and the quality footage that it can recorded I would suggest using it.

    Today I will be offering up three shorts that were shot using the iPhone 4s. The first is a Star Wars fan film titled Storm Troopers Day Off. There could have been many things done to make it look more cinematic, but the quality of the video is top notch. Online it looks really good by any standard yet alone the standard usually used to judge iPhone filmmaking.

    The second video is a Halloween fan film. There will be a great many of them shot this years. I think that the camera work was good. The kids acted better than okay and the choice of going black and white was a solid on.


    The last film is titled Neighbourhood Watch. I would have liked a steadier picture, but for what I believed is handheld work it is a solid little movie.

    Okay that will be it for today. The next post will be about overseas movies that have been shot with the iPhone. I love how seriously some of these filmmakers are taking it.

    Try to add us to your google plus and to tell a friend about this site. We are growing, but it is hard to get people to visit and to interact. If any of you have an iPhone film on Youtube or Vimeo let me know about it by leaving a comment and if it is good I will post it.
    I have a bonus video. It was shot using the iPhone 5.  Enjoy.

Filmmaking Gear in Action

                iPhone Filmmaking Gear In Action

    It is one thing to tell you about the cool gadgets that you can use to make your iPhone film. It is another thing all together to actually see some of the items being used. I have found a great tutorial that shows some of the equipment being used. Here it is, have a look.

Mobile Filmmaking Gear from Photojojo from Vimeo Video School on Vimeo.


    Okay let me remind you again that the equipment that we pick is only part of the job. You still need to study lighting and sound. To make a good movie you will need a good story. When you are first starting out it is okay to make it up as you go along, but when you are ready for a professional looking film you are going to need a good script and plan your shots. You are a filmmaker and that is what filmmakers do. Whether you are shooting on film or making a low budget digital film you still have to plan out your shots.

    Okay that is it for this very short post. Good luck guys. Remember to add us to your google plus and to stumble us on stumble upon.

Stable iPhone Filmmaking

                Are You a Stable Filmmaker?

    Not a silly question if you spend a few hours each day in front of a computer screen watching footage shot with the iPhone and other digital devices. One of the biggest problems is shaky camera.

    Far too many iphone film makers think that they have the hands of a master surgeon and believe that they can maintain a steady shot even in the middle of a hurricane. You cannot do this and even if you are the one in a million film maker who could why would you want to take the risk.

    With camcorder and Dslr cameras I would readily suggest using a tripod, but the smart phones are so much smaller and part of the fun of using them is their mobility. So what I am going to suggest to you guys is a few steady cam options for you to consider.

    This is a little tutorial on one such option.


    This is a look at two more stablizer videos. 


    Okay that is it for now, please remember to stumble us on stumbleupon and to tell a friend about this blog. Thank you for visiting and if there is any information you wish for me to include in a future post please suggest it in a comment and I will see what I can do for you. Thank you for visiting.

Filmmaking Resources

                iPhone Filmmaking Resources

    Since the whole filmmaking using a phone industry is still in its beginning stages the resources for those of us who are interested in this field is limited.

    There are a great many iPhone short films out there right now and a few
features in production at this moment. Today I would like to introduce you to
one such resource a channel dedicated to this form of filmmaking and I thought that I would post two of their short tutorials.





    As always you must keep in mind that you are still a film maker first. The rules do not change no matter what you use to capture an image. Your iPhone is almost equal in cost to most of the low priced camcorders that shoot footage at 24 frames per second. It is almost even in price to the Canon t2i a Dslr that has been used to shoot not only many shorts, but more and more features. If you are going to be a film maker then you are still going to have to take some time to learn about lighting and sound and quality acting. If you have the talent that little camera phone can not only produce quality footage, but if you are talented enough it can make your dreams come true.



  Good luck with your project. Remember to stumble us on stumbleupon, add us to your google plus and check out our advertisers. They are the ones who pay the bills for this blog to remain active.  Thank you and good luck.

Iphone 4s vs. The World

                iPhone Filmmaking, The Battles

    If you want to know how good a camera is then sometimes you are going to have to pit it against other cameras. If the iPhone is going to be used to make films, then it is going to have to be able to compete against the dslr cameras. So I have gathered together some test videos where the iphone 4s is pitted against the massive dslr cameras.

    You would at first think that it would not stand a chance, but hey this is a Apple and they have been known to make some pretty impressive technology.

    To look at the iPhone laying next to the Dslr cameras you would think that in this battle to come that the iPhone would be crushed.

    Okay the first battle we are going to look at is the iPhone vs. the Canon t3i. Both are shooting HD rather than movie mode, but I was pretty impressed by the iPhone 4s. It seemed to have richer and deeper color than the Canon.

Next up is a battle with the Canon 5d mark ii. This camera is the gold standard of Dslrs. They are shooting feature length movies with the Canon 5d and the iPhone 4s measures up well to this camera.

      Just remember if you are going to be an iPhone filmmaker you are still going to have to learn about lighting and sound and the basic techniques used by filmmakers. If you wish to learn many of these techniques I am building a all purpose website for the micro budget filmmaker. If you would like to visit it
click here . The site is not complete yet, but there is plenty of information for the beginning filmmaker there.

      The last thing that I would like to leave you with is a very basic lighting tutorial. You will need to know this if you are going to be making a low budget movie with your iPhone.

                IPHONE And Film Apps


    You got your iPhone. You have tried to shoot your own little short film and it looks like a home video.

    What happened?

    You shot it without adding any film maker apps.

    That is okay. This can be fixed. The great thing about the iPhone is that there are tons of apps both cheap and not so cheap that can help you make the best iPhone film possible.

    The apps that you will select depend largely upon what you have in mind. I am going to assume that you want to shoot something that looks like a standard motion picture. This means that you want the footage that you record to be shot at 24 frames per second. This can be accomplished by adding an app named Filmic pro. This app will give you a few options depending upon the look you wish to achieve. Here is the basics of what Filmic pro is all about.

    Next you will need a color and or look correcting app. You will want this because most film makers either lighten or darken scene. Some scenes are grainier and some are crisper. This is done to aid with the visual story that you are trying to tell. This is done also with how you choose to light each scene, but after the filming is over you will want to have the ability to change the look of your film as much as possible. The best app for this is called Movie looks.    

        You will also want to keep track of how much money you are spending. You will be amazed at how much money can be spent shooting a five minute short if you do not budget carefully. This app is free and it is named Film Budget. Also get an app named Red Laser it is a barcode scanner. You can scan items and it will check to see if it is available anywhere online for a lower price.

    You are going to need an editing app. I would recommend that you use iMovie. You can edit your movie in phone with this. Understand that if you want to do a pro job of editing and color correction you should export your footage to your computer and use a higher class of editing equipment. Note that most Apple computers come with world class media editing software fully installed such as Final Cut Pro.

    Okay that is it for now. Remember to stumble us on Stumbleupon and add us to your Google plus.
    Thank you and good luck with your film

iPhone Gadgets.

                    IPHONE GADGETS

    Let’s start with the fact that there seems to be a new gadget designed to help you shoot with the iPhone every other day. It is hard to keep up with them, but I thought that I would mention a few today. I will also throw in a DIY solution as well.

    The first item we will look at is the Tiltpod. If you want to find one of these Tiltpods I would suggest Googling, it won’t be hard to find. It is a simple sort of mini tripod that can attach to your keyring so you can take it anywhere. Great thing to have for a iPhone filmmaker.

    Okay here is a review of the Tiltpod followed by some footage.

Next up is the awesome GLIF. I love this item and can not wait to get my hands on it. It will allow the filmmaker a chance to mount an iPhone and attach it to any number of tripods or my favorite the Monopod. Also you can just set it up go. Take a look and remember it is okay to send me gifts.  Hey did you notice how gift rhythms with Glif?

This is the Glif. from Studio Neat on Vimeo.


The DIY I am offering does not really have much to do with the iPhone. then again you could make an iPhone movie about the making of this. This happens to be a how to make the legendary Ironman repulsor Arm. This DIY can be done for under 20 dollars. While if you guys want a DIY of how to become the Incredible Hulk it's easy. Get angry. Get really really angry. And don't forget to wear pants that stretch. I never could figure out why he doesn't.  The Hulk is the superhero that needs tights the most. Tights stretch you know. He could buy them from a WWE store. He could even have his logo on the sides and back.

iPhone Gone Super 8

                 iPhone Old School Look

    Let’s have some fun with our iPhone filmmaking.

    The best thing about filmmaking is the fun you can have experimenting. You can do fan films. You can do your takes on scenes from your favorite movies.

    One of the best ideas that was suggested to me was why not do a super 8 kind of movie with the iPhone. It turns out that the guys who did the movie Super 8 already had that idea. They even came up with an App to help you do just that. All you have to do is visit the App store and find it for about two dollars and it will be well worth it.

    Basically you get to shoot as if you are using an old super 8 camera. The footage is pretty good and with this 8mm vintage App you get to switch from standard 8mm to the 1920's to the 1970's looks. I like the 1970's look so much I am planning on shooting a Grindhouse short film using it.

    One more little filmmaking tip before you start shooting using your vintage 8mm app if you want to have that JJ. Abrams anamorphic lens flare you need to smug your lens with your finger. The oil from your finger will stain the lens enough to produce a natural lens flare.

    Good luck and have fun like the guys who did this Super 8 trailer using the iPhone and if you like this blog we would be grateful if you were to Stumble us on Stumbleupon our goal there is page one.

iPhone Filmmaking 101

                 iPhone Filmmaking 101

        Time to get around to actually talking about what goes into making an iPhone film. There is not much difference between making one of these films than making a normal film using a Dslr or a camcorder.

    You are going to need to concentrate on script. You need a good story to tell or what is the point of making a film in the first place.  If you do not know how to write a screenplay that is okay I have written a blog that will teach you all the basics just  click here .  Secondly you are going to have to learn how to light your scenes. The rules for proper lighting are universal. Almost all lighting with the exception of film noir is 3 point lighting.

    Here is a quick look at what is meant by 3 point lighting. Practice lighting set ups before you invest a great deal of time and effort in shooting your project. Remember that old line spoken before a crew starts shooting a film. Lights, Camera - Action.

Next we will have a look at the basics of iPhone movie making.

    iPhone Supports

    Now that you have your iPhone and you have added some cool filmmaking apps we can move onto getting other things that we will need for our filmmaking.

    We need something to hold the iPhone and to keep it stable.

    These items are known as steadicams or stabilizers. The reason that you will need to get one or the other is that you do not wish for your film to look as if it was shot with a handheld phone even though that is what you are using. Films are stable to look at. They are not shaky unless you are making a found footage movie.

    What I am going to be suggesting today is two options. You can buy professional equipment or if you are good with your hand you can DIY.

    The first video is from a Macworld show. The gentleman answering the questions will mention a great many products that you can use with your iPhone. You can google the products mentioned. Later I will try to track down some links for you.

  
    Next is a DIY tutorial. Here you will learn to make your own iPhone stablizer.  Understand that if you wish to be an iPhone filmmaker you are going to need something to stabilize you image. Always keep in mind that no matter what you are using to make your movie you still have treat it as if you are making a professional film.

If 9 dollars is too much money to spend on your DIY how about spending a dollar to make your own tripod adapter?  With this you can attach you phone to most tripods.

iPhone Short Films for Inspiration

I could write about making iPhone movies, but reading is not the same as seeing them first hand so I though that today we would looks at few iPhone shorts and mention a few of the basics needed to make one.
  
     You are going to need something to stabilize your iPhone, meaning a mount or a steadicam or a tripod. Shooting hand held is not a real option. Shaky camera work is for those who have been in the industry for years and have actually planned it that way. Secondly you are going to need something to help with sound unless you are doing a sequel to the Artist. Get an attachable mic or something like a zoom H2 or H4 to record sound. And an app to edit once your are done shooting.

     Okay let's look at the first short film, this is an asian horror short Titled Cursed. It was shoot using an Apple iPhone 4S.

Okay nexted up is Limbo also shot with the iPhone 4S.

And the last of the 3 films we will be looking at is a split screen film that shows footage shot with the iPhone and the Canon 5d side by side. Matches up a lot better than I though that it would.

                   iPhone Blockbusters



Buy the The iPhone Lens Dial at the Photojojo Store!


    There aren’t any iPhone Blockbusters yet and this is the good news. You can be the first person to shoot an entire feature using your iPhone that will make millions of dollars. Features have been shoot using the iPhone.
    The picture quality is getting better and the market for these movies can only grow.

    This blog is going to focus on the basics. This is movie making 101. We are going to treat the iPhone as we would any other small camera.

    With a camera we need certain things to shoot a quality film.

    We will need a good lens. The lens on the camera is going to be good enough for close friends and family, but if you want to produce something that will change the world, or at least your world we are going to have to attach a better lens.



Buy the The iPhone 4 SLR Mount at the Photojojo Store!

We are going to need lights.  I promise that we will keep the lighting setup under 50 dollars. What would the point of using an iPhone to shoot your film be if I was going to suggest that you use a 1000 dollar lighting set up.

This is low budget filmmaking which means that nothing can cost more than your camera.

    Next we will get you some quality sound. Again we will try to keep the sound needs under 200 dollars. Why does sound cost more than lights? That is easy to answer. Views will forgive poor lighting more than they will poor sound.

    Next we will look at editing your film.  Your computer and some low cost software will do.  We will also talk about a script. Trust me that even found footage films have scripts.

    At the end of this we will talk about marketing and distribution of your film.

   Note pictures have been provided by my friends at Photojojo. The only connection we have with them are that they have and will continue to provide really cool pictures for us. If you have any technical questions about lenses and mounts they would be a great resource to contact.



    Okay here is a short iPhone film.