The best possible harmony – that’s why it makes sense to shoot movies on an iPhone. Many film critics believe that Apple’s film is a “live movie”.
For the director, this means that you can shoot as you want and where you want: actors and ordinary people don’t react to a smartphone, it is perceived as something natural.
Thanks to this, even the most touching and intimate scenes look organic.
In this article, we will tell you how not to become a slave to a professional camera, but to focus on history and delve into filmmaking using an Apple iPhone.
Why Is The iPhone Good For Shooting Movies?
There are a number of practical reasons why iPhone’s are good for shooting movies:
- Due to its size, the smartphone doesn’t interfere with other people – passers-by are often embarrassed when they see huge shooting gear and a professional camera. In this regard, the iPhone is more versatile: you can take it out of your pocket at any time and start shooting – sometimes even where it is prohibited.
- A smartphone ready to shoot is always at hand. You don’t need to prepare for a long time, adjust the equipment to capture a unique moment. However, sometimes you’ll have to take one of the best tripods for iPhone. But that’s no big deal.
- You are your own director, cameraman and screenwriter. There is no need for a large team, which first needs to be assembled and paid. You also don’t need to hold hours of meetings to get your message across. Have a cool idea popped up in your mind? You can go and create right away.
- Remote start is another super feature useful in cinematography. iPhone works well with Apple Watch even at the highest point – on a high tripod or on a lighting windup. The watch is working well on 5-7 meters, and a mini-playback appears on the hands, as the watch shows everything that the iPhone shoots. It’s like a magic wand when the stage is built around a corner or in a cramped room where there is no way to install a playback.
- But the main advantage is that it is easy to take shots from a smartphone from unexpected angles and hard-to-reach points. If you’re shooting near a cliff, for example, it won’t be very convenient to hold a large camera. It’s easier to shoot on an iPhone even with one hand.
What Do You Need To shoot?
You can shoot with one smartphone only, but if you want a more professional result, then you definitely cannot do without auxiliary devices.
- External chargers. Agree, it will be a shame if the iPhone runs out of power at the most inopportune moment when you catch a good shot or light.
- Lens. From a wide-angle lens to a macro lens, CPL and even a kaleidoscope lens, everything comes in handy. Let’s face it, the iPhone has a great camera. However, when it comes to professional shooting, it’s best to be well prepared.
- Microphones. In addition to a high-quality picture, there should be clear sound. Unfortunately, the smartphone microphone is still far from ideal, so an additional microphone will come in handy. Otherwise, you will have to overlay voice-over in post-processing. So anyway, audio recording tips will work in favor.
- Stabilizers. The latest iPhones have optical stabilization, but sometimes it doesn’t help either. Then various Steadicams and tripods come into play.
Get Down To iPhone Filmmaking Or How To Shoot A Film With iPhone?
Mobile cinema is a new language in art, but even it has its own rules.
Not every scenario is suitable for a mobile phone.
It can be a first-person movie or mockumentary.
If you decide to use an “objective camera”, you should approach it very strongly, literally dig into the soul of a person.
You need an iPhone to make a very personal movie.
Don’t shoot everything on your iPhone just because it’s cheaper.
The depth of field of the iPhone camera is very high, so in the middle shots, all objects are in focus, the artistry is lost.
Think about the depth of the frame and set up mise-en-scenes with different shots, use bold angles, and play with natural light.
The main snag is when your camera suddenly rings.
So the first rule in shooting mobile movies is to turn on airplane mode.
Don’t forget about distance.
Always capture the frame so that unnecessary elements don’t fall into it.
Cutting objects from a video is much more difficult than from a photo, so move closer or farther, depending on the subject.
One of the most important tips for filmmakers: ALWAYS hold the iPhone horizontally when recording video.
In order not to spend long hours editing and removing overexposures, keep an eye on the sun and other light sources.
When the video is bursting with effects, the mobile movie magic is lost.
Get up early! In the morning, you can shoot especially interesting videos – from an unusually beautiful sunrise to a cold foggy morning.
The only thing is to choose a suitable soundtrack.
And The Most Fun Part: Video Processing And Movie Assembly
The iPhone has a warm color reproduction, closer to red-yellow tones.
This is a problem for big movies, but today there is a lot of software where you can edit a video online for free and save the day.
Moreover, professional editing programs are indispensable.
Unfortunately, a big movie is too demanding to just shoot it on an iPhone and put it into production.
So what other video editing software can you use?
- OpenShot – This is a free open-source video editor that is a great combination of functionality and simplicity. With its help, even an inexperienced user will be able to edit the iPhone video sequence, insert effects and transitions, and overlay subtitles. Despite the non-commercial nature of the software, the program’s capabilities are impressive.
- Adobe Premiere – Premiere is considered the industry standard. Here you can create projects of any complexity. And thanks to its popularity, the web is full of courses and other tutorials about the tool. This is very helpful for novice users.
- Lightworks – Lightworks is inferior in functionality to Adobe Premiere, but it has long earned a good reputation among professionals, as evidenced by the huge list of films that have been edited using Lightworks. Among the projects that were created in this video editor, we can name Shutter Island, The Departed, Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Pulp Fiction and many others.
And don’t forget the native iMovie editor – it’s a simple yet powerful cinematic video editing app designed specifically for iPhone addicts.
You don’t need any directing courses or special skills to master it.
Just learn some video editing secrets and go create some great movies!
To Sum It All Up
Now, videos shot with a smartphone are used for mobile reports, music videos, and short films.
Mobile cinema is available to everyone. After all, everyone has a smartphone.
All you have to do is launch the camera app and start recording video.
So far, the big industry is pretty skeptical about mobile filmmaking.
Cameramen and directors are not yet mentally ready to abandon the classical technique.
Gradually, the movement of mobile movies will gain momentum and in a couple of years will become the new norm.
