Smartphone Filmmaking: An App Review

I previously wrote a post about using your iPhone to take decent photos. This post, I’m taking it a step further. Since I was short on cash, I’m using my iPhone to film a short film for the Mobile Film Scramble. I’m new to the whole iPhone filmmaking thing, but having such a portable camera that you carry around everywhere makes being a guerilla filmmaker even easier than ever. And I love being a guerilla! It’s an addictive adrenaline rush.

So, one setback to filming on your iPhone is the fact your iPhone reads exposure, white balance, and focus as the same thing. This leads to very average footage. To fix this, I downloaded an app called FiLMiC. There is a pro version and a classic version. The verdict?

The footage was surprising good! Here is an exterior shot, raw and dirty. There is some loss of quality due to upload.

And an interior shot:

Being able to set exposure and focus separately improves the video quality exponentially. Overall, I was happy with the results, even with my now ancient iPhone 3GS. Changing the frames-per-second is also a great feature, since it allows you to use Hollywood standard (that’s 24 FPS), Euro standard (25 FPS), and video standard (30 FPS). It’s hip these days to shoot digital video at 24 FPS, so if you are feeling like Scorsese, you are free to do so with this app.

You can also do some minor edits in this app, but I prefer to do most of my edits on a full size computer. Maybe in a few years my views will change, but right now, I am of Camp Towers of Processing Power. Still nice to do edits on the fly, though.

There are some problems with this app. First of all, even though the app allows you to have more control of the built-in camera, it still relies on automatic data entering your aperture. Many people like this. Control freaks like me who prefer complete manual control do not. But, you are using an iPhone, not a Canon 1D, so it’s a minor issue.

Personally, I don’t see too much variance with the white balance. Maybe this was fixed in FiLMiC Pro, but the classic version seems a little slow to read white balance. Also, the record button is slow to respond. It may be a programmed to record a few seconds after you stop recording. For me, this is a little annoying, considering your iPhone, iPad or iPod has finite storage space. This may lead to happy accidents for you, however.

Try it out! If you are like me, you might want to buy the classic version first, to see if you like it. The classic version is only $0.99 and will work on all iPhones. The pro version requires iOS 6 or higher.

Happy Filmmaking!

Why 98.9% of all YouTube videos are garbage!

What's the fastest way to make your YouTube upload suck? Well, if I could only limit the list to five:

5. Gimmicky transitions.

4. Unreadable or cheesy fonts.

3. Complete disregard for copyright.

2. Crappy Tribute/Slash videos.

1. Using the prepackaged title cards from Windows Movie Maker as is.

Let's take a short, but detailed look at all of them.

5. Gimmicky transitions:

The Simpsons said it best. NO MORE STAR WIPES! For that matter, let's get rid of page wipes, pixelated wipes, sliding wipes, block wipes, any type of wipe. Unless you are Star Wars or some 1980s sitcom, only two transitions really matter: the clean cut and the dissolve. That's it. Anything else and you risk looking like a 12-year-old with too much time on your hands (please see #2).

4. Unreadable or cheesy fonts:

Titles or captions should not be in Curlz, Tempus Sans, or Comic Sans. They should be in a readable text, like Arial or Verdana. That also means your dark-colored title or text should not have a dark-colored background. And I have no idea why the YouTube developers decided annotations were a good idea.

Comic Sans strikes again.

3. Complete disregard for copyrighted music:

Hey, I'm all for public domain or fair use. But at least cite from where you got the copyrighted material. Biggest offenders: home videos that must have Ying Yang Twins accompanying your dog chasing his tail. They both have nothing to do with each other; which brings me to...

2. Crappy Tribute/Slash videos:

If it's been on television, odds are a tribute video exists, regardless of how obscure. Growing Pains? Yep. Family Matters? Covered. Dawson's Creek? Duh. Wuzzles?(Off topic: every person born after 1988 is scratching his or her head right now.) You bet your sweet tail!

Even worse are those videos that hint at some type of sexual relationship, usually between two characters of the same gender. I'm not a homophobe, but yeah, some of these videos exist because homophobes exist. Well, some--like Spock and Kirk--are quite good. Others, not so much. But come on, you know Olivia Benson and Alex Cabot were meant for each other! Elliot who?

You know you want it, Benson.

1. Using the prepackaged title cards from Windows Movie Maker as is:

Oh. My. God. I really don't have any words for this. Wait. Yes, I do. Stop it. At least change the background color from that VHS blue to black or something. And no more double-superimposed titles or spinning newspapers. But seriously, Windows Movie Maker can only take you so far. Buy Final Cut Pro or Avid. If you want to go all out, create your titles with AfterEffects. Or if you are broke, download one of these Ubuntu Linux editors.

Gotta love clichés that are dated even for Windows.

Bonus: Booty clapping videos.

I'm pretty sure this one borders on child pornography. All 14-year-old girls everywhere: this is not cute!

See you in Trig, Becky.

Happy Filmmaking.

Quick Filmmaking Technique: Rotoscoping

The rotoscoping technique is back with a vengeance! From Kanye West's "Heartless" video to Charles Schwab commericals, the trend is picking up again. What is rotoscoping? Basically, it's the technique of animating or tracing over either live-action or other representations of people or objects. In its most basic form, all elementary school children have done it to "show off their art skills." You remember? Of course you do.

Rotoscoping is not only the art of making a subject look animated, but it is also responsible for greenscreen effects (Forrest Gump) and those doppelganger effects in some films (Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor).

Luckily for the filmmaker on the budget, rotoscoping is alot easier and cheaper nowadays. The effect is easily achievable on a computer with high-end motion graphics software. Adobe After Effects is optimal, but you may want to try out some open-source software as well.

When shooting, keep these steps in mind:

• You should plan for rotoscoping prior to reaching post-production stage, ideally, in preproduction.
• Shoot your live-action in a neutral and uninteresting location, such as a soundstage. This will help maintain a clean rotoscoping without looking cluttered.
• Pay close attention to light and shadow during the shoot. You don't want your subjects looking too 2-d!
• Rotoscope only works if your actors actually act. Rotoscoping maintains a human element to what appears to be living 2-d art.

When editing:

• Use a vector technique (such as the infamous "pen" tool) to draw around your characters or objects. Some programs can trace a subject automatically, but always check the accuracy first for a professional look.
• This would be used as a matte, which you can use to onionskin (superimpose) your image to sync with the live footage. Your matte and your live footage should have the same frame rate.
• For Kanye's look, you would need to flatten the colors of your actors. Stick to a limited palatte that creates a "pop art" look.
• For the A-ha or the Charles Schawb look, draw a visible outline around the subject. Make the line as thick as you would like. Emphasize the lines, not the colors.
• In both, resist the temptation to dramatically recolor actors' clothes.
• Don't forget keyframes or rendering!
• Practice before make significant changes to your rough cut.

For more great examples of rotoscoping, check out the master: Ralph Bakshi. His films like American Pop and Lord of the Rings inspired many filmmakers.

Happy Filmmaking!