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.