Prepping, Shooting and Editing on your Smart Phone
In our current digital age, creating content is now easier than ever. With a smart phone being capable of doing almost anything, anyone who wants to make a film is able to. Even though this is not how we create our own content, we see more and more people producing their own material from their iPhone and thought it was worth sharing with you.
If you only have your smart phone, you still have an opportunity to make a great promotional or music video, commercial or short film. If you're thinking 'how can I possibly create something to the standard of the industry?' Director of Tangerine, Sean Baker, shot his feature film on an iPhone 5. Even though they had a crew, budget, actors etc, the standard of what can be achieved with a phone was established. Tangerine Circled festivals, won multiple awards and got distribution for the mainstream to see.
If you told a film maker 20 years ago, even 10 years ago, all of this could be achieved on your smartphone, chances are they wouldn't believe you. With production companies spending vast amounts of money before they even start production, assembling a crew, getting a script, story boarding, location scouting and many other requirements eating away at your time and money, hiring a company may be financially unsustainable. However you can skip all of that and just go out and shoot your video on your phone. Obviously, when you're working as a professional and you have your own team, producing a film for a client, you will need to have a record of everything in a production log for when you shoot. But if you want to make something to show your potential as a film maker, all you need is an idea and your phone.
Preparing for your shoot, there are many apps you can download, with Celtx and Shot Designer being great starting points to get your ideas flowing and content closer to being shared online. Once you've put everything in place, the production can be as easy as shooting something in your bedroom. As you get more and more ambitious with your projects, FiLMiC Pro is a paid app which will enhance your content even further by providing a variety of features in camera, to make your content look more professional.
Once you have your footage, there are a number of editing apps you can download for your phone, from iMovie to Adobe Premiere Pro cc. But as long as you're able to cut something together that people will want to see, then that's all that matters.
The biggest problem that many filmmakers have is getting their work seen. With everything from Facebook to YouTube, you're able to directly upload your film from your phone to these social media platforms. All you need is that one share and your work could instantly gain traction and get you noticed.
If your budget prohibits you from hiring a production company like us, using your phone could be your alternative. But if you do have the time and money, you can hire a company like us to create content that works. Have a look at the work we have produced for our clients and see if we would be the right fit for you.
