Sorry but cant agree. I say shoot it on your phone to aspiring filmmakers a lot. Thats because I finished film school in the 90s when technology was WAY less democratized. I wouldve killed for todays tech. Paranormal Activity & Blair Witch couldve been shot on an iPhone.
I edited my first film school project on a Steenbeck. I cut it so many times I shouldve just handed my tutors a roll of Scotch tape and saved the hassle.
I skipped a week of school to make a movie. We only had access to secondhand cams and a boom. So we degraded the footage and made it cinematic (lone survivor so jt was already thematic). But a big plot point was communication- I bet a phone cam wouldve been relevant.
blair witch still cost hundreds of thousands of dollars...
I went to film school in the early 2000s and we would have all KILLED to have access to the affordable capabilities of an iPhone and a modest editing deck. Of course sound, lighting, location, actors, catering etc are all still major costs, but still.
You still need everything else tho: sound, cast, crew, locations, costumes, makeup. I think the point is that You still need money even on no budget
One of the most famous stories from the 90s is how Kevin Smith made Clerks and sold off his comic book collection, took loans, etc. I love how shitty the film looks, but could you imagine how much trouble hed have saved if we went back in time and gave him a 2014 iPhone?
Aspiring screenwriter here, I didn`t go to film school so I have no friends who are interested in film in the same way as I am. Any advice on how or even where to reach out to people?
When I watched Unsane I spent the whole time imagining the camera operator wheeling around an iPhone on a Steadicam rig
Unsane was shot on an iphone 7 plus
I dont know much about film making, but isnt it also a way of broadening your horizons and exploring what you can do with less? You definitely have to be creative enough to be able to pull it off!
Literally counting the seconds with the finger on that trigger, night after night, hearing my money clicking away inside the camera. PTSD indeed. Its also just the reality of asking yourself if youre making something to create and cultivate your voice as an artist or to make a product that can be sold? iPhones and YouTube grant this incredible opportunity to both make AND platform your stuff to see what actually works.
Everyone should send this tweet to Thank you! How about shoot your film on whatever you have? Or maybe just shoot your filmperiod? Creativity should not be limited due to what technology you may or may not have access to. Im a writer, I write on my Mac and I also write with pen and paper
Steven Soderbergh shot Unsane on an iPhone 7 Plus and High Flying Bird on an iPhone 8. If its good enough for an Oscar winning director whose films have grossed over $2B, its good enough for up and coming or first time directors working on a budget.
My film teachers said theres only so much technology can do, you can shoot a film on the newest high tech camera million $ budget but its a meh story no one wants to watch or an amazing story on an iPhone that goes viral. Good storytelling is key.
Lights and location and you can make even a substandard camera or IPhone very cinematic. Just learning a bit about those things can take you a long way.
I think you`re missing the point "shoot on an iphone if you want it to look like it was shot on an iphone" is not the same as "shoot on an iphone"
Considering how affordable starter equipment is to rent these days, shooting with a phone falls between "you have no choice" and "personal challenge." If that`s the case, then go for it. Either way, trying to figure out a decent sound option is the secret sauce.
I got it for music videos but yes my dream is to make a feature. I want to cut my teeth on some shorts I came up with based on my nightmares finding reliable actors and locations is the issue
My first short was inspired by Blair Witch and shot on an iPhone. It wouldnt be hard to do better than I did trust me I did film school 2000-03 (cut sound on mag, yikes), and just did a Zoom horror short. It`s what the story called for. I had a super 8 camera when I was but a boy and made horror films with my friends. I wish I had todays tech to use back then. iPhone would have been a blast and perhaps I would have pursued a film career.
Completley agree. My brother and I have been using our phones, and making makeshift film gear for years now, and have several shortfilms under our belt (and now we know alot more because of it) Most people have a Phone, and some access to a laptop, either way, both can come
Can u shoot with an iphone? Sure, but there are so many other affordable options with better results and usable skills to learn. If u could save up for that 16mm stock, new filmmakers can save up to rent a DSLR and lens kit for a weekend. Use your iphone for pre-viz tho!
Find it pretty weird that the guy who tweeted that is associated with Robert Rodriguez who is probably one of be biggest advocates and supporters for micro-budget filmmaking lol
Thanks for this tweet. Its truly inspired me.
Thats the way I always looked at filmmaking. If you have access to high end equipment, dope. But if you dont, use whatever you can get your hands on to make your film. Plus, an iPhone in the hands of a talented story teller can be just as powerful as the high end equipment.
A used Sony FS-100 or Canon C100 and a plastic body f/1.4 50mm lens will set you back about the same as a new phone.
This is another matter of an open mind. Technology goes further really fast and even if the effect is not cristal clear and ideal - it`s more natural and real. And most of all: why the hell not?
28 Days Later was made with a Canon XL1, miniDV. Phones, GoPros, Fisher Price My First Camcorder all absolutely usable to shoot a movie.
Yes yes yes yes yes.
They wouldnt be amazinnnngggg! shot on an iPhone!
My first camera was a Sony Handicam and having to convert Hi-8 film to a digital format was cumbersome and time consuming. Working with an iPhone is pretty effortless. Shot on iphone Ppl just desperately want to lecture on this app....about anything they can.
If I recall correctly, can confirm, from the $7000 budget for El Mariachi, round $6000 went for film stock and developing it. That`s insane. INSANE I TELL YOU!
I agree with you completely. He blocked me.
Doesnt hurt that you can get a Blackmagic 4k for $1200 with a cage and some other goodies. For like $2k you can have a cinema ready rig. I think I spent $2000 on the camera, gimbal, and 6 cine lenses. You gotta be savvy on offerup and just ask adorama for a deal on the BMPCC4k
Ive shot two very short films on my phone and had far less trouble than I did with my old DSLR.
Soderbergh shot Unsane on an iPhone I believe, and though not optimum image quality, movie was great. A possible comparable example may be subtitles, where in a great story you forget theyre even there after a few minutes.
Blair could not have been shot on an iphone. there is a magic in the fabric of the imagery in Blair Witch that would be non-existent on an iphone. I think the exact way video technology was democratized was kind of one of the magical things that fell into place that makes it work
My $700 HD digital camera from 2010 looks like the lowest setting on a phone now. If I had this back in the day, holy hell! I would have made more movies than Ed Wood!
Me neither. It`s a very odd stance. It`s like saying you can`t make music on a laptop because what you really need is a studio full of gear and a label backing you.
Unsane was done on an iPhone.
Have to agree. You can do many amazing things with an iphone/samsung. They even have film maker kits out for phones for external mics, lighting, etc. Ofc it`s not incredibly fancy stuff, but for a budget film, it works relatively well.
Telling filmmakers to shoot on an iPhone is not speaking from a place of privilege. Its a privilege to have access to todays HD cameras like Canons and yes, iPhones, editing software you can call up on a laptop etc. In the 90s, 16mm film would send filmmakers into HUGE debt.
crazy how people say shit like this unaware how halloween and even saw came to be when technology was way less accessible
I think I`m going to do that. If the story works and I capture it right that is most important part. What`s the point of putting a professional camera into my hands if I`m going to end up with botched project from the get go.
Also I don`t buy the argument that saying "shoot on an iPhone" is classist and excludes people who can`t afford iPhones. Tangerine was shot on an iPhone 5S, which you can now pick up for about thirty quid. A Moondog lens for the 5S costs 90 second hand.
well said, Leigh. you can learn a whole lot by shooting a movie with your phone. even if it`s just for you, your friends, and social media.
I was there before non linear edit suites. Now that shit was tough and time consuming. And forget colour correction and grading!
You tell great stories, but youve had the backing of budget for your ideas. Dont get me wrong no one uses the funds better, but do you think you could have made an Upgrade or Saw with a Clerks budget? Just curious how you would improvised had conditions were different?
And theres a difference between saying Nolan should shoot on an iPhone and saying the kids finding voice and bankrolling it themselves can use it. No it doesnt look great but it looks damn good for what it is and can showcase your skill to people with deeper pockets
I feel like a movie shot on an iPhone is always going to look better than a movie that wasn`t shot at all for lack of gear.
I went to film school 99-03, and I cant even imagine how much an iPhone would have changed everything. I mean, we barely had burn it to DVD tech. 2 years later: YouTube. Insane.
I bet I could send you my Samsung galaxy whatever with its cracked screen and you`d be able to make a badass movie. Its not the tools its the craftsman. Sure, I`d love to have a 10 thousand dollar Eddie van halen guitar but that doesn`t make me a good guitar player.
Hard agree. And for anyone who thinks there`s no comparison, try editing an actual piece of film on one of these then get back to me. My friend made a feature film on his phone. No budget filmmakers have no excuse not to be making a movie right now My sister and I shot a short film on an iPhone during quarantine, entirely because we felt like we needed to make something in lockdown. I cant even imagine trying that in the 90s. My first short film was shot on a Hi8 cassette tape, transferred to VHS for editing with two VCRs, and then outputted onto another VHS that I then took to my friends houses to show them the finished product. The iPhone, and all that comes with it, is aspirational.
Pretty sure 28 DAYS LATER was shot on a Canon XL1 - which is a horrible camera (compared to an iPhone)
Have to agree with this. Several of the best & most creative music videos I`ve ever seen were shot entirely on iPhone.
LEIGH YOU`RE THE BEST!!!!! YOU TELL IT!!
Just reading your response got me super excited and the gears turning. I`m now downloading Blair Witch and PA to watch and chat with my co-writer and a producer about doing this. Thanks for the inspiration!
My friend Callum shot his masters thesis on iPhone for a tiny budget that mostly went to pay for a severed goats head and the movie is wonderful: Yup: take High Flying Bird, great script & performances, brilliant use of camera placement, which Im sure the iPhone helped. Maybe looked a tad too crisp in places but would it really have benefited from having been shot on an Alexa with Hawks? Im not convinced it would have.
Homemade sextapes deserve 70mm treatment.
Why am i blocked by this person? Can someone screencap Micahzamkhan`s tweet?
Didn`t you shoot parts of Upgrade on an iphone? Or am I getting details mixed up
I shot Alkyli Projects first short film on my iPhone 11.
Also, we didn`t realize it was super 16 until day 2 of shooting.
they`re also conveniently forgetting that Unsane was shot entirely on an iphone
Clerks wouldnt be as affective without the grain that current iPhone quality videos have eliminated.
Its also pretty dishonest to say Tangerine was shot on a custom fitted anamorphic... they used a moondog labs lens w/ filmic pro lol
Totally. iPhones shoot 4K, have 3 built in lenses and you can crop, color, add luts in post etc... Wasnt UNSANE shot on an iPhone?
I, too, went to film school in late 90s and tried to make a esque Jersey dudes talking about love and pop culture movie and would`ve killed to shoot it on an iPhone instead of going into debt for super 16mm
Wasnt Unsane shot with an iPhone as well?
you tell them leigh
its people like that who discourage a lot of aspiring film makers its sad
when the credits roll all about your story. Does it justify that look?
