[BLOG] Is Mobile Filmmaking The Future?
This topic caught my attention by me magically finding this website for the “iPhone Film Festival”. Which then brought my attention in articles I saw about “mobile film making”. I realized a lot of shorts and docs these days are being filmed on phones. I even came across some films on “Vimeo” that were shot on an iPhone just to get an idea of what it would look like. As an ex-iphone user I do not doubt how impressive iPhones video quality looks but how does that compare to an actual professional camera and equipment though?
The theory about mobile filmmaking is that it has more of an intimate approach with the director and it’s audience. I mean on a daily basis we upload pics and videos to Instagram and Vine. That comfortable vibe is pretty much set in stone with a phone we use daily. Not to mention we use our phones to capture moments. Now rather that moment is a fight outside your window or pulling a prank on your friend to upload to Vine for a million views, it’s no doubt that once a video goes viral, people will talk. It’s easy to share through out social media and to reach out to more audiences. Not to mention your budget will pretty much go to your set more than equipment which could save you thousands. They have some eqiupment for iPhone film making such as the camera stabilizer below which runs about $150. You’ll be saving a lot money with this way of film making that’s for sure. 
There are also tons of apps for film making and because of those apps director Bendjelloul saved his film “Searching For Sugar Man.”
Bendjelloul had shot nearly all of Sugar Man on expensive 8mm film when he ran out of funding, but he wasn’t going to be satisfied with the product until the vision he had in his head was complete.
“It was just a very few shots left, but I needed those shots,” the Swedish filmmaker told CNN recently. “One day I realized there was this $1[.99] app on my iPhone. And I tried it, and it looked basically the same as the real stuff.”
The irony is that while I had shitty equipment that I was trying to make look pristine and professional, Bendjelloul was using the 8mm Vintage Camera app by Nexvio to make Sugar Man‘s last shots look grainy, and old, and mysterious. He would even film something once, upload it to his computer, and then film it again off his screen after he dialed down the brightness. He wanted digital to appear analog.
I see a lot of people saying there is a lack of challenge it comes to mobile film making. Personally for me I love being on a set. I love to see people work together, using different cameras, lenses, using different lighting, having a lot of people on set working hard. Having my family on set after a good shoot then we break all the equipment down and talk, those are the moments I treasure. I couldn’t feel the same way if my director whipped out her iPhone and we started shooting in between getting text messages and notifications from Twitter. Phones are a huge distraction in itself. I enjoy the challenged of that. However, I do not doubt the quality of iPhone films. I mean watching iPhone films on personal devices I think it’s a great idea if you want to put your stuff out there. Do I believe that mobile film making is the future of films in general? I am not convinced of that.
For those who are on board with it the “iPhone Film Festival” is coming in 16 weeks. Check out the website here http://www.iphoneff.com/and check out the trailer to “Searching For Sugar Man” below!
source:esquire.com