We made a new short film called "MIRANDA" to enter into the FiLMiC Pro One World Film Contest (***UPDATE: We Won!***). Have you seen it? If not, check it out here...
This project was approached similar to a "film race" as we shot it all in one long afternoon (in about 7 hours). Then, post-production was a very quick turnaround of about one week - BUT, we then got a reprieve from FiLMiC Pro when they extended the deadline (it wasn't for us directly of course, it was for everyone entering the contest due to a typo in the rules). So, we ended up working on it for a few more weeks.
What this allowed was more time to do some VFX work and sound design that wouldn't have made it into the film otherwise. This is a good thing. :)
The movie was shot with an iPhone 8 Plus using FiLMiC Pro. One scene was also shot with a Canon C200 (the rules of the contest say the film has to be 70% shot on a mobile phone using FiLMiC Pro, so this was allowed). We used the C200 because it was a new camera and we wanted to test it out.
Ultimately our short films are experiments. We use them to test out different gear/technology and filmmaking techniques - along with helping to improve our storytelling skills (and of course they're pretty fun to make, too!).
Speaking of tech, here are some details of what gear we used and some other specs:
1. iPhone 8 Plus with FiLMiC Pro (and a Canon C200 shooting Canon Log 3 with a Sigma 16-35mm Art Lens)
2. Shot 4K FiLMiC Pro "Flat" on the iPhone
3. Primarily used a Moondog Labs Anamorphic Adapter and the native iPhone Tele lens
4. Used a Helium Core rig (camera cage) with ND filters
5. Also an iKan external field montior
6. RODE wireless lav mics and a Zoom H4n Pro recorder
7. Also an Audio-Technica shotgun boom mic package
8. Our main gimbal was a Zhiyun-Tech Crane (to hold the weight of the Helium Core), and we also used a Smooth-Q smartphone gimbal for a few shots
9. Edited the film in Adobe Premiere Pro
10. Color graded with our LUT packs and Lumetri Color (within Premiere Pro)
11. Music licensed from the Artlist and composer Damon Criswell
After you watch the movie definitely check out this behind-the-scene "making of" we put together, too:
If you want to make movies today there really are no excuses not to do it. Everyone has a smartphone. It doesn't matter the brand, just get out there and do it. And btw, this applies to DSLRs or mirrorless cameras etc., too. In other words, the gear doesn't matter. Use whatever camera you have and go make a movie. Or a music video. Or a travel film. Whatever you want to make.
Just don't wait to create. :)
Have you made a movie with a smartphone? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on social media. We'd love to see your work. Happy filmmaking!