You knew THIS was coming

[Jim Cancil]

Stephen: I am am about the last person who would be able to spot a ringer. Here’s a partial posting on one of the major Mac blogs (TUAW, 30 June) that may explain better. It was my source.

“Here’s another example: the Ducati motorcycle team filmed the entire commercial above on eight different iPhone 4s over a period of four days — watching it in HD shows off just what this camera is capable of.

They did use the Owle Bubo, which explains some of the better shots a little bit. And you can also see that slight shudder so common to low-end HD cameras, especially when the camera pans quickly or tries to capture fast motion. But especially without color correction, the images still look terrific for a camera on your phone. The audio is great as well, but I’m not convinced they did that with only a phone. The final video was edited together in Adobe Premiere, just because “there were enough unknowns” without trying to use iMovie on iPhone for the first time.”

Jim

[Stephen Smith]

Don’t get me wrong, I think the iPhone 4 is very cool. However, I don’t see it as fulfilling production needs. Or rather, my production needs. One example, depth. How much better would those interviews had been with a blurred out background. The b-roll shot where he was hugging his girl. I kept looking at the background because it was just as sharp as the subject matter in the foreground. If given the tools a camera operator can help enhance storytelling instead of just pointing the camera in the right direction and hitting the record button. I say anyone who wants to shoot on their iPhone and miss out on a lot of camera functionality more power to you.

Stephen Smith
Utah Video Productions

Check out my Motion Training DVD

Check out my Motion Tutorials

[Tim Wilson]

[Stephen Smith] “I say anyone who wants to shoot on their iPhone and miss out on a lot of camera functionality more power to you.”

Good for you for adding the “more power to you.” 🙂

The piece Jim linked to really struck me. It wasn’t a gimmick, like the producers of the piece I originally post admitted theirs was. This was a nice package, well written, well edited – they clearly had a specific thing in mind from the start, and executed. If you didn’t know it was an iPhone, you wouldn’t say, “Hmph, dang iPhone video.”

You’re right of course that they made some tradeoffs. Some of those could have been compensated for with even basic post – again, I was struck by their not having color corrected. That means no white balance. I assume natural lighting. Onboard audio? In any case, bare bones, and came out really well for the kind of on-location, run and gun piece that it was. Not just for an iPhone.

So after posting the original movie with a playful rolling of the eyes – not bad, but come on man – having been through DV, HDV, etc., and listening to the common response to DSLR video, I’ve now come to the place where I’m less interested in what’s NOT possible with these cameras than what IS possible. What do these small-format cameras allow you to do that you couldn’t do before, faster, cheaper, and maybe not at all?

After you start to answer that, what are the unique aesthetics that become possible? That is, beyond the crappy shaky “look, I’m using a cheap camera” nonsense that we saw so much of a few years ago.

Not that I’m advocating that everybody drop film for DSLRs, then drop those for iPhones – just thinking about what’s possible when we add more brushes to the jar, more colors to the palette.

Since I acknowledged at the beginning that this was kind of off-topic, and that I can count on you kids to be thinking broadly, now I’m curious – anybody have some more links to good iPhone videos?

tw

Tim Wilson
Associate Publisher, Editor-in-Chief
Creative COW Magazine

My Blog: “Is this thing on? Oh it’s on!”

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[Marvin Holdman]

I’ve always said, “It’s not what you point at it, it’s what you point it at that counts”.

Marvin Holdman
Production Manager
Tourist Network
8317 Front Beach Rd, Suite 23
Panama City Beach, Fl
phone 850-234-2773 ext. 128
cell 850-585-9667
skype username – vidmarv

[Stephen Smith]

[Tim]
Not that I’m advocating that everybody drop film for DSLRs, then drop those for iPhones – just thinking about what’s possible when we add more brushes to the jar, more colors to the palette.

Here is a camera that will get us attention on the next big shoot and looks more stylish then any film camera. 🙂 Barbie Video Girl Doll

In all seriousness, in my neck of the woods they are trying to turn news reporters into camera operators and editors. I wonder if we will see news reporters running around with iPhones in the not to far future.

Stephen Smith
Utah Video Productions

Check out my Motion Training DVD

Check out my Motion Tutorials

[Stephen Smith]

Marvin,
Very true, there is a funny Mary Tyler Moore Show episode where a camera operator is sent out to get footage of a burning building and returns with a close up of ants.

Stephen Smith
Utah Video Productions

Check out my Motion Training DVD

Check out my Motion Tutorials

[Jim Cancil]

Stephen: It is not my trade (I mfg. canvas products..) but thinking about what you said: “.. trying to turn news reporters into camera operators and editors. I wonder if we will see news reporters running around with iPhones in the not to far future.” Seems logical…

I could envision one of you with great editing skills becoming contract editors/production house for TV stations where the feed is sent to you 24/7 …and you simply clean it up ..and ready it for air. Those local feeds could be bundled and sent to the Networks like AP feeds. It’s not my business, but every business I know of is using more contractors to keep internal costs down.

Jim

[Ryan Loetscher]

With TV all but dead, stations cant afford the photog and reporter any more. The station I worked for already switched to all platform journalists. CNN, MSNBC, they rely heavily on viewers sending in video on these little contraptions. Videographer means nothing now. The iPhone makes complete sense where the content is the focus rather than the professionalism of the video. I’d rather shoot with a Red any day or a DSLR…. but every camera has its purpose or else they wouldn’t be able to sell them. we should be asking what these inventions will do to the makeup of our society rather than the industry.

[Stephen Smith]

[ryan]
With TV all but dead, stations cant afford the photog and reporter any more. The station I worked for already switched to all platform journalists. CNN, MSNBC, they rely heavily on viewers sending in video on these little contraptions. Videographer means nothing now. The iPhone makes complete sense where the content is the focus rather than the professionalism of the video. I’d rather shoot with a Red any day or a DSLR…. but every camera has its purpose or else they wouldn’t be able to sell them.

I agree.

[ryan]
we should be asking what these inventions will do to the makeup of our society rather than the industry.

I think this means we will finally see good footage of Big Foot. The problem has been that when someone sees him they don’t have a camera handy. You always have your phone with you so the next time you spot him you can get some footage. 🙂 I mean, what if this guy had an iPhone instead of a big stick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctXn4P3B7OM&feature=related
Get
Get

Stephen Smith
Utah Video Productions

Check out my Motion Training DVD

Check out my Motion Tutorials

[Ryan Loetscher]

Totally! Big foot, you’re screwed!