You think you can't film anything serious on your phone? Wrong! Check out "Tangerine" (2015) directed by Sean Baker. Whole movie was shot on 3 x IPhone 5s smartphones. The movie was a success and now available on Netflix. While equipment matters, most important thing is The Story. Let's pretend we have a great story and a very tiny petty cash budget on hands. What do we need in order to film this story? Let's make a list.
1. Script
It is the most important thing you need before you even started planning the shoot. Script is your story in writing, organized in specific manner so everyone can visualize the story same way you see it. There are large variety of a script writing software all of them have cons and pros, but for the beginner I would recommend Scrivener and Celtx software. Both of them are very straight forward, simple and functional. You can of course write script by hand or in word, but It would look much better (and FASTER!) in script-writing software.
Celtx - FREE
Scrivener - CAD$52.70 - CAD$67 (FREE trial full version is available too)
2. Phone
Simple. Your smartphone! Seriously, most modern smartphones have a decent camera with at least an HD resolution, as well as an ability to modify settings. Try, play, film, soon you will figure how to get the best result out of your phone.
3. FiLMiC Pro App
(Optional) In order to turn your phone camera to a serious filming tool, I would recommend to upload FiLMiC Pro App to your phone. The app adds controls similar to video camera controls, as well as many other useful features.
FiLMiC Pro App CAD$ 19.99 at Google Play Store
4. Microphone
Never use your phone microphone if you can use external mic instead! Phone mics still provide a bad sound, especially if your talent few feet away from it. Now add weather, wind, environmental noise, other people around. Disaster! So, don't be cheap and invest in a microphone. There are many good options around, but I trust Zoom and RODE in this case. Zoom H1n Handy Recorder and Rode smartLav+ Lavalier Microphone for Smartphones and Tablets will be your best friends on many different projects. I would recommend to have both of them since one is a shotgun mic and the other is a lavalier mic.
Zoom H1n Handy Recorder - CAD$ 118.86
Rode smartLav+ Lavalier Microphone - CAD$ 96.12
Zoom is great as a handheld mic/recorder and Rode smartLav+ can be connected directly to your phone. Lavalier is good when you capture voice of a single person, while Zoom can provide a nice sound from group of people who stands ~ 2 meters in front of microphone. Zoom H1 also great for capturing ambient sounds
5. Light
(Optional, but ALWAYS good to have) In many cases you can film on your phone using just a natural light, but when it comes to filming inside or at night, having a light source can be a game changer. Again, there are many good options, but my personal choice are:
Neewer Super Slim Bi-Color Dimmable LED Video Light - CAD$ 55.99
Aputure AL-M9 Amaran LED Mini Light on Camera Video Light - CAD$ 65.00
Neewer gives you a great quality for the price as well as ability to control color temperature and intensity. Battery and charger are also included. Amaran is super light and small, but gives you enough light to decently lit group of people up to 2 meters from your lens.
6. Camera Stabilizer
My favorite camera stabilizer Zhiyun Smooth 4 comes with free ZY Play app for your smartphone and gives you full control over filming process. You can not just capture shake free smooth videos, but also tilt, pan, control focus, exposure and perform gazillion other cool operations with just one hand. I would call it my gadget #1 (besides my phone of course).
Zhiyun Smooth 4 3 Axis Gimbal Steadicam Stabilizer - CAD$ 128.00
Small size, light weight, long lasting battery (I've filmed for 4 hours once and battery only lost half of a charge). It charges quickly too. Great deal for 128.00 CAD!
All of the above equipment is just a very basic gear you need to feel comfortable while filming on your phone. Keep in mind: Your story is primary thing and your equipment is secondary! If you have a good story, you can tell it even with basic equipment.
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