THE IPHONE FEATURE FILM PODCAST

THE IPHONE FEATURE PODCAST About a year ago Tangerine, a feature shoot entirely using an iphone, hit theaters. During the next few years dozens of films will follow in its footsteps. With each iphone the cameras and the apps that go with them improves. At this moment you could shoot a feature length film that is equal in visual quality to the first generation of digital feature films. Today we are going to take a quick look at the this iphone feature along with a podcast interview and live interview with the film maker. If you have shoot a short or feature film using a smartphone I would love to hear from you and perhaps do an interview or at least feature your project in a future post. When I started this blog over three years ago many suggested that the iphone would be a passing fad where film makers were concerned, but since then it has become an important part of the micro budget film makers tool kit and in third world countries it is has become the primary tool.




  

AWESOME IPHONE 7 FOOTAGE

AWESOME IPHONE 7 FOOTAGE


Some of the footage coming from iphone film film makers using the iphone 7 is nothing short of amazing. Here is some 4k iphone 7 footage. Now some 4k footage without color grading.   

 This blog has been a great deal of fun to work on. I wish that I could keep up with all of the advancements in iphone film making, but things seem to change every other week. Soon the idea of feature films being shot with just a smart phone will seem like the most natural thing on earth.


 

New Iphone Short Films

New Iphone short Films



There are so many iPhone films being produced each week that it is hard to keep up with them and to decide which ones that I would like to spotlight here at this iPhone film making site. Lets get right to it and have a look at a few films. This film is foreign and the truth about the iPhone film making movement is that it has become an extremely popular tool used by film makers in developing countries. Dslr cameras are are to come by in many of these countries, but the iphone, particularly the older models such as the 4s are available and can be used to record amazing footage.  


   


  

This short film was shot using the iphone 6. 

 

   Next is the short iPhone film titled Balloon along with the making of video. advice to all iphone film makers, you can do a great deal to help future film makers by shooting some behind the scene footage.


     

 

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David Lynch And iPhone Film Making

  Today I am please to offer a guest post by iPhone Film maker    SSBelafonte.  If you like this post take a moment and visit him on facebook at www.facebook.com/ssbelafonte

                                David Lynch And iPhone Film Making

It can be argued that creative innovation is born of limitation. David Lynch is, arguably, one of the most innovative filmmakers to have emerged during the twentieth century. As an iPhone filmmaker, I am, inescapably, influenced by the dark genius of David Lynch. Lynch has made some dichomotic statements regarding the use of digital advancements as they apply to filmmaking. Would David Lynch support or decry the burgeoning iPhone filmmaking movement?



(David Lynch's Rubber Duck) Belafonte Neo-Noir Digital Surreal Short Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing from SSBELAFONTE on Vimeo.



As a filmmaker, I utilize the digital video camera of the iPhone 5 to achieve my creative vision because I enjoy the challenge of creating within the imposed boundaries of rigid limitations. Additionally, it’s an astonishingly high quality camera (8-megapixel, HD 1080p at up to 30 frames per second) that is built into a portable device that I always have with me. Perhaps, the most attractive aspect: it didn’t cost thousands upon thousands of dollars.



It has been almost 36 years since the release of Lynch’s first, feature-length film Eraserhead. Lynch made Eraserhead as a student at AFI with a prohibitively small budget. As a result of the financial limitations Lynch, being an Eagle Scout, employed inexpensive materials and methods to create an innovative masterwork. From the use of black & white film to, quite literally, building his own sets, and creating his own soundscapes, Lynch’s innovations were a means of circumventing limitations.



While promoting his latest feature-length film, Inland Empire (filmed with DV), in 2008 Lynch expressed his distain for the iPhone as component of cinema:



Now if you’re playing the movie on a telephone

you will never, in a trillion years experience the film.

You’ll think you’ll have experienced it, but you’ll be cheating.

It’s a, such a sadness that you think you’ve

seen a film on your fucking telephone. Get real.


David Lynch on digital video versus film at AFI in 2010:



And we did tests, um, ah, to bump up to high-def from

the low quality DV that I was shooting. And then tests from

high-def to film. And I loved the quality, and I think what

I loved about it was it’s not film. And you know,

the advances in film, everything is very very crisp.

I mean you can make it soft if you want but its, its got

a – film is so beautiful. But it used to be, in the 30’s less quality.

And this new, this DV that I was shooting reminded me of that.

So it’s just, some information is lost and it made me

feel like there was more room to dream, and I liked that aspect.



  (David Lynch’s Louboutins) was inspired by the print ads that Lynch created for Christian Louboutin; filmed exclusively with the iPhone 5 camera, in the vain of David Lynch, and edited in iMovie. It is intended as a contemplation of the deeper story line of the femme-fatales within the ads. When filming with the iPhone 5 camera lighting is the most important variable. Beautiful cinematography can be created, even in low light conditions, if the shot is properly lit. To achieve the cinematography you see I worked backwards in terms of lighting, filming at night in complete darkness, incrementally adding low-light sources (simple flashlights): simple innovation from limitation.

  Lynch has made it inescapably clear that he doesn’t want us watching films on the iPhone. I am, largely, in support of this conclusion. However, if you’re going to watch Lost Highway on your iPhone or not watch it at all, the world becomes a better place if you have see it. However, as a means of capturing images Lynch has expressed support for DV, and specifically low-fi DV. The iPhone filmmaker utilizes their iPhone, creatively, out of limitation. On can argue that innovation has thus occurred allowing the iPhone filmmaker more room to dream. If David Lynch has taught us anything, it’s that: anything is possible In Dreams.

(David Lynch's Louboutins) Belafonte Neo-Noir Digital Surreal Short Move Along from SSBELAFONTE on Vimeo.




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A Look At iPhone 5 Short Films

A Look At iPhone 5 Films

I have been busy working on finishing up an eBook so I have not posted as often as I would have liked to. Today we are going to look at some shorts that have been shoot using the iPhone 5.

So far the iPhone 5 looks like a great addition to the digital film makers tool kit. I still like the iPhone 4s as a film making tool because at the moment there are so many addons and accessories that are available to use with the 4s that have to be redo to fit the iPhone 5 due to the different dimensions.

I would again like to remind you all that it still comes down to basic film making technique.

If you want to make a quality film, then you should start with a quality script. A good script for a short film and a great one for a movie. If you wish to learn the basics of writing a good screenplay then (shameless plug alert) check out a copy of my screenwriting good by clicking the banner on the right side of this post.

Next you will need to learn about basic lighting.

Here is a quick video on the subject. Not how to light, but what kind of lights that you should look into.
    

 Next is a video on better lighting.
    

 Now we will look at a few iphone 5 short films.
   
(David Lynch's Louboutins) Belafonte Neo-Noir Digital Surreal Short Move Along from SSBELAFONTE on Vimeo.

Crevice, 틈 from dong-hyuck kim on Vimeo.

Goodbye from Keaton Tucker on Vimeo.

I would like to thank Vimeo for today's short films. I have to say that the video quality is slightly better than at youtube. If you are just a film maker I would strongly suggest trying them out to display your videos. You can use both youtube and vimeo if you wish, but watching movies of vimeo I sometimes get that Imax theater feeling.

Okay that will be it for today. Please take a moment to share this post with a friend and add us to your  google plus.

   

The Newest iPhone Filmmaing App

               The Newest Iphone Filmmaking App

Neal Edelstein, the producer of the films Mulholland Drive and the Ring has advanced the iPhone film making world by introducing a new IOS App. With this App a film is delivered in chunks. The first movie that he has made available through this App is his own production, Haunting Melissa. A straight horror film that would probably do well on any platform, but will help to advance the use of this game changing app.   Haunting Melissa does not have an exact length. I understand that they shot thousands of hours of video. This video is offered in chapters on a timeline that can be tweaked on the back end. This means that the content constantly changes. Like different options on a video game. You could go back to a previously viewed chapter and find that it has changed slightly. The possibilities are awesome and for the creator the profits could be as well. Each chapter will be offered at .99 cents in the iTunes store, but you could buy a season pass for as low as 6.99. I believe that the first chapter is free to view. This could advance the world of iphone film making by providing another attractive platform for the iphone film maker to market his or her material. If you want to be a film maker all you have to do is go out and shoot something everyday. You learn by doing the day to day work. Shooting your films, editing your short films. Posting them online and sharing them with friends. Thank you for visiting. Please take a moment to share this post with a friend.

Iphone Filmmaking Tips.

Iphone Filmmaking Tips

The iPhone has become one of the tools used by indie flimmakers to get the job of filming done. It has become a part of the possible tools used by film makers because of its availability. Many of you have one and for the first time are considering using it to shoot a short film or perhaps even a feature. The question is can this little device get the job done?

The answer is yes. Hundreds of short films have been shot using the iphone 4s and the iphone 5. The quality of the video that these smartphone can capture is equal to some of the Dslr camera that are very popular with indie film makers. This site began as a place where films made with these cameras would be shown and tips would be offered on how to make your own iphone film. I believe this is going to be the year that we re-focus on the basics of iphone film making. I will offer more tips and more short films than in the past.
First up is a tutorial on how to shoot using a iphone.


Next we will look at two short films shot using the iphone 4s and the iphone 5.


iPhone 5 Film from Josiah Media on Vimeo.

As you can see the quality of these short films can stand up to that shot with video camcorders and Dslr cameras. It will only be a matter of getting use to using these smartphone with standard film making techniques that films equal in quality to those using standard cameras will be produced.
One more thing before we call it a post. If you have not checked out Vimeo then I suggest that you do. The video quality there is amazing. I love youtube, but Vimeo is pretty impressive.


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About Recording Basic Sound

About Recording Sound

Once you really get around to making your iphone films the thing that will bother you the most is sound. The device can record impressive video, but recording sound at a professional level on its own is a bit beyond it.
If you are making a short film to show to family and friends the iphone’s mic will get the job done, but if you want to make a film that will be shown to strangers and entered into contest then you are going to need to record better audio.

Since I am a low budget filmmaker, I thought that I would offer you some low budget solutions today.
There are two micro budget filmmaking solutions that I would like to talk about today.
The first one is the Zoom h1. There are many recorders in the Zoom family. The h2 and the h4 are popular as well, but cost a bit more. The goal of this post is really finding quality sound for less than a hundred dollars.

 You are going to look at recording Audio separately and then mixing it after you shoot. You are going to do this because you get better sound quality this way. You are going to do this because it is what the professionals do.  Okay here is a quick look at the Zoom h1 and a second video on a shock mount for it. The shock mount is for a dslr, but you can get a simple pole and attach it.

 Now let’s look at the Tascam im2 mic. This will allow you to record sound directly to the phone. It is very easy to set up and use. Just download the app and go. Here is a short video on how it works.


There are dozens of options where it comes to recording quality audio for your iphone film. Ths has been two. If they work for you great. If not you are free to do the research and to go out and find the option that works best for you. Iphone filmmaking is not always easy, but if it is something that you love you should have fun at it.

Okay that is it for today. If you liked this post could you take a moment to share it with a friend.

Iphone Filmmaking Back to Basics

                Iphone Filmmaking, Back To Basics


    For those of you who are new to the blog or those who would like a refresher course this post is for you. The basics of what make a quality video involve more that just pointing your device and capturing video.
    You will need to learn the basics of iphone film making.

    Let’s start off with a quick little video tutorial on how to shoot good iphone video.


    Next we need to talk about basic film making techniques. These techniques are the same whether you are making an iphone movie or a digital feature film. These are the basic things that we must do to get that film look.

First thing you want to do is to shoot your film at 24 frames per second or simply 24p. This is the industry standard and it is why films look different from broadcast tv and or video. The best way to do this with your iphone is to add an app. The app that was designed to give you that film look is one named Filmic pro. You can download this from the app store. Here is a short video concerning the app, there is also an app called almost dslr.


    Next thing we need to concern ourselves with is basic lighting. The kind of lighting we use is called 3 point lighting. The basic set up that is used in all films. You need to understand key light, fill light and back light.



    Okay now if you got that we need to look at basic sound recording. You can use your iphone to record the sound and if you are making the film for a few friends or just yourself then the mic on the phone will do fine. However if you are making a film to be seen by others. To be broadcasted or even sold, then you are gonna need to use an external recording device. The best low budget answer to this is to get a zoom h1 audio recorder. They cost around a hundred dollars and record great sound.

    You will want to edit your iphone film. There is an app that will make it easy for you to do this on your phone or you could download the footage to your computer and use professional editing software to edit it into a film.

This post has been for the beginner. If you wish to learn more about digital filmmaking please click here  to visit my website.

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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.

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 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 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.