How a smartphone app changed the way I look at filmmaking.

by Mazin Akar

As a recent actor turned filmmaker and on the brink of my directorial debut this Summer with a five- figure budget overseas — I was tremendously keen to investigate the various methods of filmmaking which could provide me with more insight into honing my own craft and technique along with maintaining a firm grasp of the technical know-how of cinematography as a whole, if only to better understand the vernacular of film and better communicate my vision with my troops on the ground.

Having always been known as someone who often times, bites off more than he can chew — I inherently found myself in such a predicament when attempting to understand the basics of moving images via the now discontinued Canon 5d mkiii ; a potent, full-frame DSLR camera which usually comes with a stock 50–105mm EF lens. Despite having owned this camera for several years, I never once felt fully qualified in operating such a sophisticated piece of hardware or capable of taking full advantage of all the incremental features of either the camera or it’s lens in order to realize my ambitions of making films.

Fundamentally, I recognized that I was far too overwhelmed by the hardware to make any sort of real progress and knew that I had to scale back in order to fully grasp the fundamentals. I ended up selling my DSLR earlier this year and committed to starting from scratch. My saving grace would come in the form of a wildly overlooked piece of tech which contains every tangible feature one would need in order to start making films as soon as they finish reading this article. For those of you who guessed it, you’re probably already off to a stronger start than I had during my transition to filmmaking. For those of you still scratching your heads, I’d like you to now reach into your pockets — I’m of course referring to the modern smartphone.

Whether you’re an iOS or Android user, chances are your smartphone camera can produce images rarely distinguishable these days from a DSLR or pocket cinema camera. Pretty outrageous, right? I certainly felt that way anyhow..That is, until I began to do a little investigating.

Now you may or may not have started from the same place I had but if you’re reading this, then it’s probably safe to assume that you’ve considered ‘mobile’ filmmaking at some point as a legitimate practice in the realm of indie filmmaking and I’m here to tell you — you certainly should. But you don’t need the advice of an overly-opinionated amateur like myself. The industry is full of success stories from filmmakers taking to their phones to maximize their creative output while minimizing costs. Take Writer/Director, Sean Baker for instance, whose 2015 film ‘Tangerine’ premiered at Sundance to rave reviews and stunned critics and audiences alike when it was revealed that the entire film was shot using an iPhone 5s on a rather modest budget of $100,000.

“We came across two things that elevated the look”, commented Baker during an in-depth Q&A regarding the film and his process. He was referring to both an anamorphic lens specifically designed and built by Moondog Labs for use on camera phones as well as a specialized app known as FilmicPro. It was the app which changed the game for me. Designed to maximize the functionality of a phone’s native camera; It provides the user command over sophisticated exposure elements such as shutter speed, ISO and white balance alongside customizable color profiles, resolution and frame rates. With all of this control (and ease of use!), the user is essentially able to utilize their smartphone as a DSLR.

I was thrilled to say the least — Not only was I able to tap into my smartphone [iPhone X] and utilize it’s dual 12-megapixel, 4K camera to it’s maximal potential but I was also able to successfully teach myself the fundamental components of exposure and composition without the intimidation factor of larger camera systems or schlepping excess equipment around with me everywhere I went.

I’m proud to say that I’ve just completed my first short film using my iPhone and the FilmicPro App and the results are stunning to say the least but more on that in the next article. What I will say is that tapping into my smartphone camera has not only made it easier for me to understanding the basics of what constitutes a great image but it’s also given me the confidence to make the movies I want to make, when I want to make them.

It’s no secret that smartphone cameras are becoming more and more sophisticated these days, with major developers adopting multi-lens camera phones as the new standard. With that said, I think it’s safe to say that there certainly exists an emphasis on filmmakers and photographers alike as we all continue to explore this exciting new frontier in independent filmmaking.

FilmicPro is currently available for iOS and Android in the app store and Google Play respectively for a one-time purchase of $13.99. And no, this was not a sponsored post, simply the enthusiasm of a wannabe filmmaker with an urge to spread the gospel. If you or someone you know has shared the same struggle and frustrations of not knowing where to start when it comes to making films, I highly recommend downloading this app and focus on honing in your preferred aesthetics. I will continue documenting my own journey and experiences with the aim of providing this community as much clarity and insight as was provided to me.

Thanks for reading and until next time-Happy filming!