I think one of the biggest recent advancements in mobile filmmaking is the ability to record iPhone video directly to an SSD.
This was brought about when Apple added USB-C to it's lineup and it was first available with the iPhone 15 Pro/Max. And at the time with the native camera app you could ONLY send out ProRes HQ. And that's actually still the case with the native camera and of course those files are huge and often not a great option for most things.
However, with a third-party app such as Blackmagic Camera or Kino you can record to an SSD too and use the much more efficient HEVC codec, which for a lot of jobs is more than fine and importantly the files are a fraction of the size of ProRes. But, if you want to shoot ProRes you can and not just in HQ (like in the native camera app). You can also shoot ProRes, ProRes LT or ProRes Proxy.
For general work with YouTube or other social media I tend to shoot a lot of ProRes LT as it's a great middle ground that gives you good quality with smaller files. However, if I'm doing anything more "high-end" or that requires heavy color grading or that will be used in VFX work then I am using ProRes HQ.
But all this is to say that shooting to an SSD with any of these codecs is great and really turns your phone into a professional filmmaking tool.
So what's the best way to do this?
Well, it really depends on what you're doing. Some will want to keep a minimalist setup and others will want to trick out their camera rig. And you'll need other accessories to make it all work.
Below are several videos I've made on this topic covering a variety of shooting scenarios and gear.
First, let's keep it simple:
Here's an all-in-one solution:
And here's an a la carte setup:
Any of these options will work depending on what you're doing. And you might mix and match stuff as required by the job. And btw, there are others out there that I will be covering in the future, too (like the Moment Super Cage, etc.).
Here are a few of the main accessories mentioned in the videos (see the actual video descriptions on YouTube for more):
What style setup is your favorite?
Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on YouTube.
Happy filmmaking!
-BC
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