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TECH FEATURE

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Smartphones are now more sophisticated than ever, with video technology that can make a professional out of a novice.With apps providing cut-and-polish editing tricks, a smartphone is the perfect first camera for any aspiring filmmaker. Words Glenn Cochrane MOVIES MOBILE

”Setting up shots is fast. You put the phone where you want and compose the shot. Of course, you’re still shaping and controlling light, but because a smartphone is so small and easy to wrangle, you’re spending little time making room for the camera like you would with a more extensive setup.” New Zealand director Jason Howden ( Guns Akimbo , 2019) is another filmmaker who has put a smartphone to use. ”I shot behind the scenes on my film Deathgasm (2015), of actors goofing around in costume, on an iPhone, which I cut into the actual film.”

Guns Akimbo

Guns Akimbo starring Daniel Radcliffe and Samara Weaving is a highly stylised gambol that also makes use of smartphones. ”We did all of the video call stuff on phones. I hate it when they cut to CCTV or video cam footage in movies, and it’s obviously shot on the same format as the rest of the film. It looks so bad,” he says. ”We had the actors holding the phone. One of them did an amazing self-tape just

Tangerine

W hen Sean Baker’s 2015 film Tangerine – shot with an iPhone 5S – arrived to critical acclaim, Hollywood spun into a frenzy. The potential for a new wave of indie filmmaking was realised, and some big name directors couldn’t resist the opportunity to experiment. Steven Soderberg ( Ocean's Eleven ) shot Unsane (2018) entirely on an iPhone 7 Plus, as did Zack Snyder ( Justice League ) with his short

responses, and telling stories are what all filmmakers use any camera for,” says John Wynn, the director of The Risking Hawk (2019). ”For any aspiring filmmaker, a smartphone can be the tool that allows them to tell their story. The most important thing to do is to point, record,

holding it and going crazy, and we used that to maintain the energy.” ”It’s pretty amazing what kids can do these days, too” he notes. ”When I was 13, I had a slasher movie all planned out. I even made props. But then the only dude we knew who had a camera refused to let us kids use it, so it never happened. If only I had a smartphone back then.” Award-winning Melbourne filmmaker David Cleeve makes a variety of media content, including commercials, shorts, and music videos. In 2019 he was the DOP on a short film called

Smartphones can be used in almost every situation. From action sequences and wide shots to intimate scenes or atmospheric mood moments

and shoot. And then repeat that process until you get it right.” In 2019 and 2020, Wynn used a Motorola One Android smartphone to shoot his award-winning

Motorola commercial campaign, and then an iPhone 12 Pro for a series of pre-production tests for a

Unsane

No Hard Feelings . For it, he used an iPhone XS and XS Max and external equipment to get the most out of his setup. ”We were able to mount standard lenses onto the rig, which allowed for a really nice depth of field. ”The quality and capabilities of smartphones get better every year. The best thing about creating stories is that you can use just about any tool to do so. I absolutely recommend a smartphone as an entry point.”

Snow Steam Iron . Park Chan-Wook ( Oldboy ) made Night Fishing with the antiquated iPhone 4; and the titan of Hollywood himself, Steven Spielberg, shot a music video for Marcus Mumford last year on a smartphone. STACK recently picked the brains of some professional filmmakers who have shot with smartphones and relayed their experiences to benefit anyone with a movie-making itch. ”Evoking emotion, triggering visceral

feature film he worked on a few years ago. ”Smartphones can be used in almost every situation. From action sequences and wide shots to intimate scenes or atmospheric mood moments. Everything you’d use a cinema camera to tell a story, you can capture with a smartphone.” Regarding the benefits of filmmaking on a phone, the most significant pros are speed and accessibility.

48 FEBRUARY 2023

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