Download This Incredible Camera App Right Now
If you want to have complete manual control over your iPhone's video camera, then you will want to download the FilmicPro app. I first came across the app when a friend told me about the FilmicPro short film competition. When I read the description in the App Store, I was blown away by one claim in particular: that it beat out some pretty high-end digital production cameras in a blind audience test during Zacuto's Revenge of the Great Camera Shootout (which you should take the time to watch, by the way).
I downloaded the app and started shooting some tests. My plan is to edit the footage, post it, and then give my overall impressions of the workflow and the quality of footage the app produces. For the purposes of this post, I want to focus on the app's settings, features, and what it's like to shoot with it.
The first thing you notice when you first launch the app is that you have an entire set of manual controls, like you would on most any camera. You can set your white balance, ISO, frame rate (24fps-60fps in 1080p; up to 240fps in 720p), and audio levels. You can also adjust exposure and zoom controls.
Here are some of the features that really grabbed my attention when I first started shooting with the app:
Variable frame rates - Now you can shoot from 24fps up to 60fps in 1080p and up to 120fps and 240fps in 720p.
Variable bit rates - You can choose how your footage is encoded; whether at Apple's standard 24Mbps, 32Mbps, or up to 50Mbps.
Image Stabilization - Hand shake is all but eliminated when using this app. I was able to shoot some wonderfully smooth hand held shots when the Image Stabilizer was turned on (It can be toggled off in the app's settings).
Rack focus - To pull focus between two marks, first frame your shot, then manually dial in and lock the two focal points. Once those points are set, simply hit the Focus icon on the screen and the app will automatically toggle between the two focus marks.
Zoom Rocker - The zoom controls are on the right hand side of the screen and I first thought that I would have to repeatedly tap the + or - buttons to zoom in or out. To my surprise, however, all you have to do is hold either button (just like a normal zoom rocker) and the camera zooms in and out smoothly.
Custom Presets - Once you have dialed in the settings you want for the camera, simply save them as a Preset so you can call them back up later.
Some things to consider:
Mirrored Image - As of this writing, there seems to be a bug that causes the image on your screen to be mirrored when you first launch the app. Everything is opposite of where it should be and your camera movements are backwards as well. This can be fixed by switching to the front facing camera and then back again.
iTunes Ingest - Although you can email individual clips straight off of your phone, or upload clips directly to Vimeo, to ingest several clips at once for editing, you will need to go through iTunes. It would be nice to have the capability of dragging and dropping all files directly from the phone to a hard drive for ingesting and editing.
Cropped Previews - When I pulled up my FilmicPro library to preview the clips I shot, a few were severely cropped and were not playing back at the full 1920x1080. I'm not sure if this is a bug in the preview window, or if the footage itself was actually cropped. I will have to ingest the footage to my computer to know for sure. However, I did contact FilmicPro support to make them aware of the problem. Hopefully the footage itself was not cropped, or this could cause big problems for shooters who want to use this app as a viable production solution.
I will definitely be putting this app through its paces over the next few days and posting my thoughts and impressions. I would love to shoot an entire short using only this app. In the meantime, if you are already using FilmicPro, please leave your tips in the Comments section below.
Useful iPhone Apps
Here is a list of some very handy iPhone apps that I use on a regular basis. Hopefully you will find some helpful resources in this list. I've divided the list up into different categories.
Photography
Snapseed - This is a free photo editor that has some great tools. After importing a photo (or taking one from within the app), you can apply several built-in filters and adjust the intensity of each. The HDR filter is particularly great. You can also manually adjust the image's brightness, contrast, saturation, white balance etc. or fine-tune specific areas of the photo by using the Selective Adjust tool. Often I will touch up my photos with Snapseed before sharing on Instagram.
Tilt Shift Generator - This app takes any photo and applies a blur effect, simulating a tilt shift lens look. Although apps like Instagram have a tilt shift filter built-in, I really like the effect of the Tilt Shift Generator app. In addition to the blur effect, you can adjust vignetting, contrast, and color.
100 Cameras - This app allows you to layer filter after filter on each of your photos until you get exactly what you want. You can choose from a variety of filters and adjust the intensity of each. By applying different types of filters of varying intensities, you can really get some unique looks.
Diptic - This app allows you to create photo collages with different layout and border styles.
Business
JetSet - This is an expense-tracking app. You can create different reports for tracking specific business trips. Once the trip is over, you can quickly export all of your data into an Excel spreadsheet. Expenses can quickly be categorized as mileage, hotel, meals, airfare, public transit, etc. All of these separate expense categories are built in to the app. You can snap photos of business receipts and attach them to your reports. Looking for the contact information of a particular airline or hotel? You can quickly find it from within the app.
Genius Scan - Turn your iPhone into a portable scanner. Take a photo of a document from within the app and it will "scan" it into a document that you can export as a PDF and send via email. Have several pages to scan? No problem. Keep adding pages to the same document. When finished, each of those pages will be compiled into a single packet.
Readers
The two apps listed below are great for bookmarking articles for later reading.
Journaling
A friend of mine recently turned me onto Steller, a great journaling app that allows you to create separate stories for any adventure you might find yourself on. Snap photos, take videos, and add them to your story. Choose from different layout styles and insert your notes to provide context. You can also connect with other storytellers within the Steller network and follow their stories.
Path is an app that I use mainly as a personal journal. Much like Facebook, you can post photos, videos, and status updates (known as "Moments.") You can also check in to locations, like Yelp or Foursquare. However, Path limits you to only 150 friends, so you are only sharing with those that are closest to you. However, I keep my Path private.
Video Production
iSlate - This is a useful app for slating and logging shots when out on a shoot. Hold the phone in front of the camera (like you would with any slate) to mark scene and take numbers. Then after "clapping" the slate, you can make notes within the app about each take and export those notes as a shot log.
8mm - A nice little app for creating a variety of old Super 8mm film looks. I've used this app on a few professional projects, including a music video I shot and edited for St. Jude.
Light Meter - Dial in your shutter speed and ISO, then hold the phone up to your subject, and the app will give you the proper f-stop.
Sun Surveyor - This app uses the phone's built-in compass to give you a 3D rendering of the sun's path throughout the day. It will also give you the exact sunrise and sunset times.
GoPro - I use this app to connect via WiFi with my Hero3. It allows me to control every setting on the camera, start and stop recording, and also monitor the shot during recording.
Feel free to add your list of favorite apps in the comments section below.
Time Management for the Independent Video Producer
For almost 10 years I was an independent video producer and director. I was responsible for developing new business through networking, budgeting projects, writing, storyboarding, shooting, editing, and maintaining client relations. If you also work as an independent producer, you understand just how many different hats you have to wear throughout the day. For me, keeping track of my time was crucial. It helped me to gauge whether certain tasks were worth the time invested. Reviewing time sheets also helped me to determine whether a particular video project stayed on budget. And that helped me to write up a more accurate budget for the next project.
To help me stay organized with my time management, I found an app for my iPhone called Eternity. There is a free lite version that you can try out before investing in the full version. However, I would encourage you to purchase the full version. It has proven itself very useful.
Within Eternity, you can create a hierarchy of activities to track. I normally would organize my categories by client name. Then I could drill down and add in sub-activities, like:
writing
pre-pro meetings
shooting
editing
and so on.
At the end of each week, I would export my timesheet in a CSV file that I could export into Excel for archiving. Since the app stays with you on your smartphone, you can track your time on the go. Simply pull up a particular activity and then start the timer. When you have completed the task, stop the timer and Eternity will create a log entry for you.
Eternity is a great tool for any freelancer who needs to evaluate how the day has been spent.
The Best Video Camera Ever
Everyone wants to know what THE best video camera is on the market. Friends will sometimes ask me this question before making a purchase, “What video camera would you recommend?”
I’m flattered that they respect my opinion, but the answer is a little more complex than it used to be. Today there are an incredible amount of cameras out there – each with their own capabilities. I’m hesitant to say that one camera is BETTER than another camera, because I’m not quite sure that’s the case.
Every camera is DIFFERENT. Each brings to the table something that makes it unique. Think of these different cameras simply as tools in a toolbox. Each one performs a specific function and each one is suited for a particular job. I feel the same way about cameras. They are simply tools that help you to tell a visual story. You should select a camera based on the type of story you want to tell and the style/look you want to achieve. For example:
If you want your video to look a little raw and feel low-budget and home-made, select a camera, shooting format, and shooting style based on those parameters.
If you will be shooting at a location with very low light levels, choose a camera that performs especially well in low light.
If you want to achieve a rich, cinematic look with shallow depth-of-field, select a large-sensor camera with a fast lens (one that can open up to f2.5 or f1.8.
You get the idea.
Editing systems are now fully capable of importing video footage from different cameras (with differing frame rates, formats, and frame sizes) into the same project. So now, producers can mix and match their source footage into one video if need be.
The goal has always been to tell the best story. All you need is the right tool for the job.