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.


Good luck with your iPhone films. Please take a moment to share this post with a friend and to stumble us on stumbleupon.

 

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.

    Thank you for visiting my blog. If you like this post I would suggest that you take a moment to share it with a friend.

Iphone Shorts and Notes

            Iphone Shorts and Notes


    It is the year 2013 and before it is over it may be looked upon as the year of the smart phone film. The only thing that is keeping this technology from being recognized as an important part of the digital film making revolution is the fact that there has not been a successful feature film shot with this technology. I am confident that this will change this year.

    One of you reading this is going to make the first major smart phone motion picture if it has not been done already.

    Today I would like to post a few iPhone films that I have been made aware of and by doing so I would like to thank the film makers who have produced these films. Great work guys.


    Okay let’s talk about goals for the upcoming year. The goal of each and every one of you who make these films should be to get better and better at it. Study the craft of film making. Learn as much as you can about screen writing. Keep in mind that you can not make a great low budget film without a great script. Most of the famous indie film makers you have heard about are writer directors. From Kevin Smith to Quintin Tarantino to guys who moved on to major feature film making like Christopher Nolan and Peter Jackson. If you need advice on how to become a better screenwriter you can click here to visit a great blog on how to write a low budget screenplay.

    There is a growing audience for these types of films as the devices to make them and distribute them become more and more popular. Identify your audience and network with them as much as possible. This is the audience that will allow you guys to earn a living from making these types of films. Network with other film makers. I know that most of us are mavericks, but we do need to share information as much as possible. By the time that Hollywood takes notice of this growing film industry it will be old and dusty. It is up to each and every one of you.

    Okay that is it for today. Try to visit our advertisers, even by checking them out for a few moments it helps to pay the bills for this site.  Add us to your google plus and stumble us on stumbleupon. Thank you for visiting and keep making movies.

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.