i like the angle of "most of us spend so much money on cameras when phones arent that bad to use" but the other angle is that kids and young adults that want to get into film making but are broke may be inspired by this . imagine all of the stories that were never told because the person couldnt afford fancy equipment and cameras. imagine the stories that can now be told in this age. it really excites me.
Yeah, they've proven that you could shoot a movie on a such low budget as 1000$ for the iPhone, 500$ for a mic, and two more million dollars on actors, writers, fees, make up, costumes, editors, visual fx, cgi, and other equipment, like drones, railed stands, high precision low noise low vibration set, lights (those can be very costly), computers powerful enough to edit and render this whole thing (And render of 4K 90min video is long, I think for theaters it's actually rendered more than that, but idk, I know for the fact that in 2011 one fully cg feature film took 2 weeks to render). If you watch UA-cam (And I assume you are), almost every video you have watched, every video that you think is very well shot, was shot on a phone or on a very low budget camera with a crew of one to four people. It's not that inspiring when they replace a good thing with worse and worse to use one BUT it's inspiring when they make shots dirt cheap, like the Evil Dead open sequence was made using a skateboard, Shaun of the Dead called out the Silenced fans, the Terminator lied to police that it's a student film, they built a fake bar because it's cheaper to build from the ground up, they used twins a lot, Back to the future movies mostly are splitscreens, Deadpool is CG because it's cheaper, Clones of Bruce Lee uses mrs.Sanders backyard for a kung fu movie, Luc Besson's Taxi is cheap as hell in the most of it's impressive shots, all of the music videos are cheap as fuck
@@andrewmirror4611 watch "To Jennifer," it's on Amazon Prime. It was shot on an iPhone. The cast and crew all did a profit participation deal as I understand it and the biggest expense was two plane tickets from LA to Las Vegas that the two leads, one of whom was the director, used for guerrilla shots in the film. I think it's total budget was $500. King Kelly was shot on an iPhone the same year with a modest budget, under $100k and it should be a cult classic. Tangerine likewise under $100k shot on the iPhone. 9 Rides shot on a phone. You could definitely have shot most of the mumblecore films on an iPhone for $50 and food for the cast and crew. The LG v50 ThinQ I'm typing this comment on has three 4K UHD lenses on it and one of those sensors comes with HDR10. It is 4:2:0 HDR10, but 10 Bit Rec. 2020 on a phone is pretty damned good. It shoots great night scenes and the windows don't blow out when I shoot in my house during the day. I can set the ISO at 50 indoors most days with zero added light and get a noise free highly usable image on the HDR10 lens and sensor.
Seriously, it's kind of embarrassing frankly that he didn't even mention it in this video. Then again, it would pretty much negate the entire question of the video, so....
Gwen C I like the video overall but I think including Tangerine would have helped make his point even more. Tangerine is an example of using low quality equipment to its advantage as it complements the tone and setting. Its basically the modern day version of John Waters’ first set of films.
Shot on iPhone **Additional equipment used** And the additional equipments are literally remote controlled robots and massive drones. MKBHD also made a video on this.
Soderbergh's films on iPhone are terrific, but to see incredible guerrilla film-making that takes full advantage of the limitations and flexibility of an iPhone 5(!!!!!!), check out Sean Baker's "Tangerine." It's the film he made before "The Florida Project," and if you see behind-the-scenes details of how he shot some of it (using things like filming on a bicycle for tracking shots), and his unbelievably tiny budget, it's way more impressive (to me) than the "bet you didn't know it was on an iPhone" quality of Soderbergh's ventures.
While Florida Project was shot mainly on film, the last scene was actually shot entirely on a iPhone 6S Plus (as they needed a way to shoot in the Magic Kingdom without anyone at the park knowing they were shooting a movie).
@@TheNamesDitto although you could get fairly decent audio with even a cheap Movo VXR10 on a boom attached to another iPhone with the Zoom app, or the Apogee app, or the Tentacle Systems Timecode audio recorder.
'work within limitations' is actually the best advice that one can give to a beginning filmmaker. I remember years back when I asked my dad for a dslr camera, and the best he could give me that time was a second hand Canon 1200D. I was sad, but nonetheless considerate of what my father could afford, so I made the most out of it. I remember watching hours of Indy Mogul, Tom Antos, Andyax, and Film Riot content just to get the perfect shot. I still remember when I had to use sunlight, a blank white cartolina paper, and flashlights/lamps to fake the 3-point lighting setup. I also zoomed-in my 18-55mm kit lens (to 55mm) to create that bokeh effect at the expense of my aperture, so i had to exaggerate the lighting. I didn't have a dolly, but I wanted that effect so bad that I recreated it just by holding the camera. And since I was using Photoshop before my interest in film making grew, I didn't hit a roadblock when learning color grading (though I still haven't mastered this art lol). In the end, we didn't win the best picture award. But we got awarded the best in cinematography and editing awards, which were big awards for me considering I was pitting my short film against those which were made with canon 5D mk3 and panasonic GH3.
I feel like Tangerine would've been a better example for this video. It was made by Sean Baker, who was much more of an indie filmmaker at the time, it had a smaller budget, it was shot on equipment that was way more inferior (iPhone 5) and it's such a beautiful movie, visually speaking (better than High Flying Bird imo).
There is a movie called _Tangerine_ that came out in 2015 and was shot entirely with an iPhone 5s. I haven't seen it but it was on YMS's Best Films of 2015 list. So yes, and it's already been done before High Flying Bird
I've spent months looking for a camera, and as soon as I found one, it wasn't available in my area at the moment and I fell into a creative road block, but you've inspired me, and production is about to begin, you've saved me so much money, and I'm gonna buy a new mic soon, didn't cost a bone, thank you Austin, seriously
Film Riot made a video explaining how they shot a short with an iPhone and complained about how it would overheat really fast, causing the screen to dim which made it difficult to get proper focus in bright sunlight, and since you can't adjust the aperture, they had to awkwardly tape a ND filter to it. You're also limited to either wide shots or digital zoom. Sure, you can get an _acceptable_ image out of an iPhone, but working with it sounds like such a pain in the ass that you might as well spend a few hundred dollars and get a nice DSLR or mirrorless camera. At least then, you won't have to worry about running out of day light while you wait for the battery to recharge every hour since you can just swap it out for another one. You can get a used Canon EOS M or Sony NEX-3N for less than $150 on ebay, along with a cheap manual lens (sure, neither of those will do 4K, but if you're _just_ getting started as a filmmaker, you probably don't have a PC adequate for editing 4K anyway). And if you're an amateur, using an interchangeable lens camera with full exposure control is a much better learning experience. As you learn how a camera works, you will begin to understand the actual craft of filmmaking. Simply having a story to tell doesn't mean anything if you don't know what you're doing. And to those who say the camera doesn't matter, yes it does. The camera is a visual storytelling device, and your visual storytelling is limited by your equipment. For example, you're not going to do a slow motion shot if your camera can't record slow motion, and you're not going to do a low light scene with an iPhone and expect it to look good. To a degree, you can get by with a cheap DSLR, or even a smart phone, but you will always be constrained by the limitations and you will eventually want something better in order to achieve the specific look you're envisioning in your head as an artist. There's a reason Michelangelo didn't paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with crayons. Also, not all phones have good cameras. I would never even consider shooting a movie with my piece of shit unless I was shooting a found footage movie and I wanted it to look like amateur video.
I think the reason I (and I'm sure many others) flock towards cameras is that it makes me feel professional. It almost legitimizes me as a videographer because I have nice gear that people "ooh and ahh" at. I like your point about the microphones too - you need 24 frames a second to create realistic audio, but you need 44,100 pictures a second of sound to make it natural. It shows how big sounds plays a part in filmmaking.
If the budget is 2 million dollars a 2000 dollar DSLR which is 1000 times better than an iphone is what like 0.1 percent of the budget for arguably one of the most important equipment.
Keep in mind the cost of paying/feeding/housing: actors, sound, lighting, cinematographers, script writers, editors, paying for licensing rights to songs or paying for permits to shoot somewhere, kitchen staff, etc. Just because the camera is cheap (you can actually get far better and cheaper camera for half the price of an iPhone X), doesn't mean everything else it takes to make a film like this will be cheap as well.
The people saying "if you can afford an expensive smartphone, then you can afford an expensive DSLR" are dumb. A phone is a general tool that you need for life nowadays, so spending a lot on one isn't a problem, because you'll need it for work, socializing, school, etc. You're getting a lot of value on it. A DSLR, however, is something with very limited capabilities. All you can do with it is shoot video/pictures. You're getting way more value from a phone. Also, these people fail to realize that no one's buying a phone specifically to shoot a movie. They probably bought the phone years ago, so they probably don't have the money now.
No one needs a 1200 dollar phone in 2021, unless you're a programmer or a pro-gamer, it's dumb. 400 dollar phones are so good now. No need for the latest iPhone
I just want to toss in the products I've had a good experience with: If you're recording VOs for your movie or just want a generally good mic for vocals, take a look at Audio Technica's ATR-2100. I picked a couple up for $50 each a few years ago and I absolutely love them. They're all-metal, inexpensive, robust, and very easy to work with. It comes with an XLR jack and USB cable if you want to plug it straight into a computer, but I found an H4N Pro + Fethead works best. The audio quality isn't perfect, but for a cardioid dynamic mic it's damn close to an SM7B for 1/8th of the price. Not to mention it's lighter and works just fine handheld. As for cameras, Austin is totally right when he says that the camera isn't as important as the other equipment as long as you know how to use it. That said, the Pixel 3 is probably the best phone camera-wise right now since 1. the camera is great, 2. it's cheaper than an iPhone, and 3. you can transfer files to a PC for editing without dealing with all the iTunes bullshit. If you use final cut and work exclusively on apple products, the iPhone will obviously be easiest, but otherwise a Pixel, LG, or Samsung phone takes the cake. I've shot a lot of stuff on my LG V30, and it's really convenient to have the super wide-angle 2nd lens for indoor shots when you need to pack everything in. Your mileage will vary, but you can make just about any camera work if you play to its strengths. Of course if your budget is high enough, consider picking up a cheap DSLR. I can't speak for Canon's Rebel series, but the few times I've used them were pleasant. A DSLR also has the added benefit of Magic Lantern or similar software. In addition to camera quality, consider the convenience of having 2 or 3 cameras. Since everyone on your crew most likely has a smartphone, you can use multiple phones for different angles in a dialogue scene or, even better, and action scene. Chase/running scenes are really tough to keep exciting when you have to keep telling the actors to stop so you can reposition your camera a few feet. (I am not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned, I just have too much time on my hands)
Austin Thanks a lot, you're filmmaking videos are great because I just entered production of our first feature film, your advice is strongly beneficial not just to me but to the entire crew on set. Keep making amazing content.
I agree with the core idea of the video that not owning a proper camera shouldn't stop you from presenting a good story. I also agree that instead of 'researching' new cameras, looking for stuff to buy, and procrastinating, people should instead just go out and create something. However, I don't think that big film studios with big budgets (even though 2mil is comparatively small) should stoop to the level of making movies on (objectively) inferior cameras when indie films with less than 1% of that budget look far better. I mean, It's not like they filmed the whole movie on the same phone or on the personal phones of the production crew, they went out and bought a box of Iphones to use as cameras. Instead of buying those, they could have bought cheap cameras with many more features and a far better video quality. While the story that you tell in a movie or other visual format is probably the most important part, I don't think people should undermine the "visual" part. If people wanted a story, they could read a book or, if they're more passive, listen to one as an audiobook. People like to think that the visuals aren't important but that's simply not true. I mean, look at videogames. There are plenty of great games that were created before computers even had dedicated graphics cards but now, very few play them. Even games that are less than a decade old just don't hold up to modern expectations of graphics (with exceptions). We've just moved on. Same with special effects in movies. Lots of older movies look dated when special effects don't look good and a bad CGI scene can completely pull you out of the moment. There's also a reason people go to movie theaters (besides movies coming out earlier) or owning HD televisions. High quality image is just better. This isn't just some personal preference thing though, it's biological. People are attracted (in a neurochemical and emotional sense) to things that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and look beautiful. Hell, even though people don't like to admit it, romantic relationships that don't contain physical attraction just don't work that well (many even say that attraction on an aesthetic level is the foundation of a good relationship). When I see the clips from the movie shot on a phone it just subconsciously turns me off to watching it just like bad cover art to a book will make me pass it by when looking for something to read even though I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and many good stories just have bad coverart.
In a behind the scenes video, Tom Scott and Matt Gray went over their tech for filming. They also covered the importance of audio, stating "Audio is king". They encouraged using whatever camera you have on you, but definitely using an external microphone.
Thanks so much for this! As always, I loved it. I’m not the type to ask random (albeit wonderful) youtubers for advice in my specific situation but I’m really glad you mentioned audio. My mom has late stage cancer and we’re making legacy videos. I want my kids to be able to hear her voice. Not overlayed with a ton of garbled background noise; I want to be able to hear it and remember it as clearly as I can now, and from the losses I’ve had previously, I know it’s not as easy as it seems to hold on to the parts of people that are important to us. I want a good microphone for her to use. It matters to us. So thank you for the information.
5:32 hey, that's my mic! Had it for a few years, it's fantastic for the ~80€ I bought it for back then. Sound Quality is really nice, it's USB not XLR meaning you don't need a mixer to use it on PC and it comes with the mic stand you can see in the Video.
Loved this video!!!! I’m taking a video production class right now and every week we shoot a film on iPhones and edit it and show to the class. It’s my first experience with making any sort of films, so I was a little annoyed when my the teacher said he wasn’t gonna provide us with fancy cameras or any real equipment other than what we’ve already got, but this video totally opened up my eyes to all the possibilities rather than the setbacks!
How about a film made with an android, a rig made out of tape, a ton of green screen, with footage from video games. (Don't worry about the video games the one I'm making is not a let's play.)
Very well said. We just shot our first feature film, called Munnariv (meaning foreknowledge) on 2 iPhone SEs. Currently in postproduction. All points you said are absolutely true, especially working within the limitations part. An additional issue we faced here in Kerala, India, with it's equatorial climate, is heat. Whenever we took the camera outdoors, it'd not let us shoot more than a minute of 4k footage at 100Mbps. It'd just stop responding, the file would get corrupted and we'd loose the performance. The DoP had a nerve wrecking time whenever we went outdoors, though we had 5 or 10 ice packs always with us. Indoors, inside an air conditioned room, with the temperature maintained at least around 25 degree Celsius, it worked like any other camera.
I just want to mention that rolling shutters can be found in most manufacturers' flagship cinema cameras, including: all ARRI cameras from the ALEXA onwards (since they've used the same sensor technology for nearly a decade since it's that good), SONY VENICE (the F55 and F65 both have global shutters, but not many large productions use them anymore), VARICAM PURE/LT/35, CANON C700 (FF/35) (also has a GS option, but I've only ever seen RS models at any other rental houses in my area), any RED camera from RED ONE to RED WEAPON MONSTRO/GEMINI/HELIUM, PANAVISION MILLENIUM DXL 2 (since it uses a Monstro sensor), and VISION RESEARCH PHANTOM FLEX4K. I only bring this up to highlight the fact that global shutter isn't much of an issue for most modern cinema cameras, and shouldn't be the deciding factor in any purchase outside of very specific shooting scenarios. *names capitalised for readability
I hate to be that guy, I’m not a big cinema guy or anything, I don’t know the names of any cameras, but that movie doesn’t look very nice. Maybe I couldn’t pin it down it being shot on an iPhone but it looks very unprofessional and I definitely think the whole thing would be better if it were shot with a professional camera. It seriously bothers me how it all looks like regularly recorded video, I honestly never noticed until now just how much a camera can affect video quality
This is probably mostly due to the fact that an iPhone can only produce one single focal length. Professional movies typically use lenses between 15 and 200mm and switch rapidly, even within a scene. With an iPhone, you only get 29mm. For many settings, this is a really shitty focal length due to the fact that it isn't really wide angle to capture the whole scene, but also not a telezoom which would allow you to capture undistorted closeups.
Hey Austin, I'm seeking ideas for short film documentary type videos for my channel. There's one big twist though which is I'm limited to using only stock footage & b roll to create my videos, no actors/interviews etc. Although this style of creating videos is widely frowned upon by professional filmmakers who shoot their own scenes etc, it's something I enjoy doing & find very convenient & affordable. Long story short, I used to make daily/weekly videos w/minimal dialogue on various current events via creative commons using licensed stock footage in addition to 3rd party news clips/archive footage etc. The result was a mix between a dramatic short film/unorthodox doc.. Due to recent UA-cam policy changes which now require original commentary for videos, I've been left w/no other option but to delete nearly all my preexisting content & millions of views. I'm now in the stages of starting over from scratch in attempts to salvage my channel that I worked so hard on creating. My new plan is something completely different which is foreign to me, & that includes incorporating original scripts for each video which will be narrated by a voice over artist & written by an award winning screenwriter... The goal is to create informative proper short film docs minus the traditional format which includes interviewees etc as previously mentioned.. Since I previously made videos with no script or dialogue & rather just "winged it" on each video given my frequent upload rate, I'm now having an extremely difficult time coming up with new ideas. I mainly focused on geopolitical tensions & day to day news/current events instead of topics that were thought of in advance & created from scratch. The only genres I've come up with so far include humanitarian issues, climate matters, endangered species, sci-fi/space, military & politics. Although I can branch out on these various topics I'm looking to expand the list for more options. The transition from video news journalism to narrated short films is much tougher than I ever anticipated. Any opinions or advice would be welcomed & greatly appreciated!
@Twelve But he didn't. Yes, you can spend the money on a DSLR camera, but what Austin is trying to say is that people spend more time looking at reviews for various cameras as opposed to going out and shoot a simple film. There are only 3 types of iPhone 10 on the market. The only thing you have to decide on is which size to pick.
Henriko Magnifico most likely people aren’t BUYING an iphone to shoot a film. They already have one. The message here is basically “use what you have.”
This was awesome!! I loved your perspective. I'm an editor and can't tell you how many times people come to me with 4K footage and a story that should have been shot on toilet paper! It's a disease I call "resolutionitus". They think if they see every 4K pixel in the perfect color space their story will magically work all of the sudden.
Part of the movie "Upgrade" from last year was shot on an iPhone, specifically the shots that moved with the protagonist's body, which was a great effect.
For all the saltiness about shooting on phones in the comments, the fact of the matter is this: it's never been a better time to start shooting movies. I went back recently and looked at a short film I did with some friends in the early 2000s when I was in grade 9. We shot it on a big old VHS camcorder, digitized it all in an early version of Premiere, and did a bunch of VFX on twos using Photoshop. So most of the film was at 320x240 15 fps using a Cinepak or similar codec. Even to get to the point where we could edit it on a computer, we had to shoot it, set up a capture device, plug a VCR into it, and capture in realtime into Premiere. That doesn't make it not look like garbage. That doesn't make it more valuable an artistic exercise. It just made it hard. There were plenty of people who were better artists than we were that didn't try something similar because we happened to have the tech nerdery to make it happen. Listen, I wouldn't change that experience because it was cool as hell at the time and made me appreciate the labour that real filmmakers do. But the bottom line is this: the baseline has risen considerably, the barrier to entry has lowered and that's not a bad thing.
Challenge Accepted Austin! I really love your videos, but this is one is special to me. I have seen too many friends spend months or even entire years saving to buy giant cinema cameras because they think it'll make their films better. Most of them don't make movies any more. Modern technology has put the means of production in all of our hands. There are no excuses any more. When everyone can make movies the audience won't pick their favourite based on how many "K's" your camera can shoot with. 🙄
I work for a film distribution and I've never asked even once what a movie has been shot on. It either looks good or doesn't. For low budget films having cast of note or marketable genre hooks are far more important.
This whole little comment war about "Oh but the latest iPhone is still expensive!" "Ah yes but you already have one!" is really missing what seems to me to be the fundamental part of the video. The message I got from this wasn't "Look how good the iPhone's camera is" so much as that if you have a smartphone, any smartphone, you already have the basic tools you need to start creating. Sure, the sound and video quality won't be as good, but what matters more than that is that you're exercising your filmmaking muscle, and growing in your skill and creativity. Sure, you might not have the latest iPhone, and sure, you may think everyone has one already and that it's not worth buying better equipment, but it's not about that. It's about not letting things like mediocre or even bad equipment be a BARRIER to you beginning your journey as a filmmaker. Your first short film, screenplay, youtube video, short story, illustration, isn't going to be your best. What's important is to develop and learn, and to achieve that goal, you don't need anything more than the equipment you have already.
I do very much believe in the Chase Jarvis "The Best Camera is the One You Have With You" idea. The other day I realized I needed to capture some snowfall but didn't have my camera with me, so said fuck it and pulled out my iPhone. It really integrates just fine into the nicer footage!
I'm sure the subject matter definitely didn't have anything to do with him excluding one of (if not *the*) most critically acclaimed "shot on an iPhone" films made, during a video literally titled "Can You Shoot A Feature Film on an iPhone." 😒
@@Eric-Truong If you have enough money for a fucking mid-end or high-end smartphone (the majority of people), you probably have enough money to buy a used low-tier dslr. Which looks 100x better than ANY smartphone.
I made a school project on a smartphone and although it is obviously not an actual dslr it turned out great, nobody gave us shit about video quality! Didn't have any stabilization or mount. It's actually on my channel rn. I think it's a fun example what's possible with a phone, especially for school projects! Highly recommend using phones just because it's so freaking convenient. Most of the fun happened in the editing anyway.
@@skylake8123 Well, Yes! But with one you film, and with the other while filiming "Oh sorry guys, me mum is calling, gotta put a break on the recording" The point is, you already have a phone anyway, why buy another, and $2Mil is enough for a 1000$ camera, there's no need to go as low as an iPhone
Can it run apps????7 years software support???? Can it be a computer in your pocket???? Just don't talk shits...... camera is just one of the features in the smartphones!!!! Ffs ..... you're the type of guy that say *"wHy We NeEd A sMaRt Tv WhEn We AlReAdY hAvE a SmArtPhOnE"*
I have a Lumix point & shoot that gives more flexibility than any cell phone. Optical zoom, real aperture, shutter speed, ISO. And I bought it used for less than what my cell phone cost new. So while you CAN shoot a film on an iPhone or another cell phone, there are more flexible options around the same price point or less. Even a used APS-C DSLR with just the "kit" lens(es) will give you better flexibility. But definitely the point stands that you don't need expensive kit when there are things that matter more.
Love this Austin. Glad he made another film with the iPhone. Unsane was a thorn in the progress of mobile phone filmmaking, so he righted a wrong with this one.
5:20 I’m such an idiot... When you said DSLR, I thought you were talking about a Nintendo DS XL, and my first reaction was, “Who would pay 2000 bucks for a DS XL?”
It's crazy you say this stuff Austin, because I was having a problem with how much I talked about making videos without actually filming so my friends and I made this channel, that I am commenting with so that we are actually practicing our film making abilities! We've been uploading 2 comedy sketches a week for the last 4 and a half months!
I don't want to be a filmmaker, but I do want to be a writer and your videos and advice are super helpful. I'm gonna stop doing "research" and get back to writing... after the video.
Android phones have also been getting better. The Google Pixel 3 has a really good camera that does well in low light, Samsung's camera's have been improving too and Nokia has a phone with 5 cameras. All of the techniques for shooting on an iPhone such as using an external mic, tripods, wide angle lenses and e.t.c still apply to Android.
@Mert Ertuğ The Mate 20(especially in low light),but overall the note 9 is better,The S10 should be better than both when it comes out on March 9(wait a month more and the price will go down)
Our latest short film "Gotham Pizza" was shot entirely on iPhone. It has it's pros and cons but the end result is more than satisfactory if you know how to play to the iPhone's strengths.
There's a couple of things they're not telling you. First, both Tangerine and High Flying Bird used clamp-on animorphic lenses. So when you factor in the cost of a new iPhone with the extra lens, you're basically up to $1,200, which is the price of a Fuji X-T30 with a Viltrox 33mm lens, brand new. And that's not even touching perfectly usable, but slightly older, used mirrorless cameras and lenses. iPhones also require adapters to use SD cards. Second, the film Tangerine didn't record its audio with an iPhone. It was shot with film-grade, professional microphones and recorders that probably cost tens of thousands of dollars. I suspect High Flying Bird was recorded with similar, high-quality sound equipment. I'm not saying that you can't use an iPhone as a camera if you already have one. Just don't assume that buying a new one is the solution to all your problems.
i like the angle of "most of us spend so much money on cameras when phones arent that bad to use" but the other angle is that kids and young adults that want to get into film making but are broke may be inspired by this . imagine all of the stories that were never told because the person couldnt afford fancy equipment and cameras. imagine the stories that can now be told in this age. it really excites me.
Yeah, they've proven that you could shoot a movie on a such low budget as 1000$ for the iPhone, 500$ for a mic, and two more million dollars on actors, writers, fees, make up, costumes, editors, visual fx, cgi, and other equipment, like drones, railed stands, high precision low noise low vibration set, lights (those can be very costly), computers powerful enough to edit and render this whole thing (And render of 4K 90min video is long, I think for theaters it's actually rendered more than that, but idk, I know for the fact that in 2011 one fully cg feature film took 2 weeks to render).
If you watch UA-cam (And I assume you are), almost every video you have watched, every video that you think is very well shot, was shot on a phone or on a very low budget camera with a crew of one to four people.
It's not that inspiring when they replace a good thing with worse and worse to use one
BUT it's inspiring when they make shots dirt cheap, like the Evil Dead open sequence was made using a skateboard, Shaun of the Dead called out the Silenced fans, the Terminator lied to police that it's a student film, they built a fake bar because it's cheaper to build from the ground up, they used twins a lot, Back to the future movies mostly are splitscreens, Deadpool is CG because it's cheaper, Clones of Bruce Lee uses mrs.Sanders backyard for a kung fu movie, Luc Besson's Taxi is cheap as hell in the most of it's impressive shots, all of the music videos are cheap as fuck
Oh yeah, if I am a broke film maker, nothing better than spend $+1000 on an iPhone instead of, say, $600 on a proper camera.
@@andrewmirror4611 watch "To Jennifer," it's on Amazon Prime. It was shot on an iPhone. The cast and crew all did a profit participation deal as I understand it and the biggest expense was two plane tickets from LA to Las Vegas that the two leads, one of whom was the director, used for guerrilla shots in the film. I think it's total budget was $500. King Kelly was shot on an iPhone the same year with a modest budget, under $100k and it should be a cult classic. Tangerine likewise under $100k shot on the iPhone. 9 Rides shot on a phone. You could definitely have shot most of the mumblecore films on an iPhone for $50 and food for the cast and crew.
The LG v50 ThinQ I'm typing this comment on has three 4K UHD lenses on it and one of those sensors comes with HDR10. It is 4:2:0 HDR10, but 10 Bit Rec. 2020 on a phone is pretty damned good. It shoots great night scenes and the windows don't blow out when I shoot in my house during the day. I can set the ISO at 50 indoors most days with zero added light and get a noise free highly usable image on the HDR10 lens and sensor.
You are right 👍
@@Lambda_Ovine Or the point is you already have a cell phone, so you don't have to spend anything. Focus on stories, not excuses.
Yes you can especially if you film vertically!
Yeah I’ll be sure to shoot it
@@skibur848 Shoot what because if that happens its gonna be my head
M Kid yes
Austin: It’s the one you have in your pocket.
Me: Looks at pocket
*Sees iPhone 4*
I have an LG V30...so I'm way off
Keep it for a few years. A crazy collector might pay a lot for it.
I had and iphone 4s for 5 years................
5
Years.
Austin: It's the one you have in your pocket.
Me: look at pocket
*Sees Samsung*
i got a Alcatel ONETOUCH Pop Astro
aka probably the cheapest smart phone in existence
No mention of Tangerine, which came out 4 years ago, shot on iPhone5s, and currently sits on a 97% on RT.
Seriously, it's kind of embarrassing frankly that he didn't even mention it in this video.
Then again, it would pretty much negate the entire question of the video, so....
Because he's not Steven Soderbergh?
:(
I didnt know roosterteeth was rating movies now
@@notreallysure4575 He meant Rotten Tomatoes.
Gwen C I like the video overall but I think including Tangerine would have helped make his point even more. Tangerine is an example of using low quality equipment to its advantage as it complements the tone and setting. Its basically the modern day version of John Waters’ first set of films.
Good luck walking around with a 50 foot charging cable everywhere
I’VE FOUND YOU AGAIN!!!!
powerbank
Woah I'm early
Yeah
Oof ur early
Shot on iPhone
**Additional equipment used**
And the additional equipments are literally remote controlled robots and massive drones. MKBHD also made a video on this.
200+ plus likes and no one disagreed. Legendary comment.
Shivam Mhaskar ye I was about to comment this:)
a dji phantom four is literally the price of an iphone
@@flamingfive3893 true, but most people already have a phone camera; most people don't have a phantom.
High Flying Bird din't use any fancy equipment. If you look at behind the scenes photos and interviews with Soderbergh, it's very minimalistic set up
Soderbergh's films on iPhone are terrific, but to see incredible guerrilla film-making that takes full advantage of the limitations and flexibility of an iPhone 5(!!!!!!), check out Sean Baker's "Tangerine." It's the film he made before "The Florida Project," and if you see behind-the-scenes details of how he shot some of it (using things like filming on a bicycle for tracking shots), and his unbelievably tiny budget, it's way more impressive (to me) than the "bet you didn't know it was on an iPhone" quality of Soderbergh's ventures.
This is what I was thinking of!! Tangerine is one of my *favorite* movies
@@lucislibari It is such a great film.
xingcat I really need to break the plastic on my Florida Project DVD...
Yes! I was waiting for him to talk about tangerine
While Florida Project was shot mainly on film, the last scene was actually shot entirely on a iPhone 6S Plus (as they needed a way to shoot in the Magic Kingdom without anyone at the park knowing they were shooting a movie).
0:48 "right? right? not quite"
for some reason i love the rhyme
sounds like it's straight out of a dr seuss book
😅
Right? - Right? - Well - not-quite
Shits' TIGHT.
Aka theyre just flexing to us androids. But deep down we all know
The nintendo ds is the best phone camera to make a movie with
nah
No... the gameboy camera is the latest and greatest yo.
Wow you guys are so dumb. I use my refrigerator camera.
All of you are idiots I use my slippers camera
Bitch I use my Magnavox Odyssey camera
"...is one of the very first critically acclaimed films shot exclusively on an iPhone"
**Sean Baker lets out a single tear**
At least he said “one of”
"One of" kinda makes a big difference.
Yeah, the title of the video is silly because it's already been done. Of course you can. Tangerine is incredible.
Sean Baker: Am i a joke to you....?
I was literally typing a comment about Tangerine when I saw this lol
Tangerine is an AMAZING movie shot on an iPhone as well!
And it was cirtically acclaimed and it was way lower budget. 100 000 usd.
As well as it being shot on an iphone 5 or 4 i think
Tangerine was shot on a Iphone 5s! Yup it is a great movie!
Why wasnt it filmed on a tangerine
Yes 10/10 masterpiece
Or you can buy a $100 phone, then spend the thousand you saved on a dslr.
Why hello there.
Dude. When u go back to Mars, Can u save Opportunity Rover?
Or just get a $1k phone and ur all set
Like me!
Lmao
Visual fidelity is probably not the problem with shooting with a phone. But you've got to have good sound. Bad audio quality will kill your film.
Sound engineer here. Pretty sure they didn't use the iPhone mic.
Sound Devices Mixer was on set from BTS I saw.
@@TheNamesDitto although you could get fairly decent audio with even a cheap Movo VXR10 on a boom attached to another iPhone with the Zoom app, or the Apogee app, or the Tentacle Systems Timecode audio recorder.
“The camera you have a in your pocket”
*pulls out Android*
Haha, exactly!!!
*pulls out Nintendo 3DS*
*pulls out gamecube*
@@constellationgacha6311 -holy hell how big is your pocket-
useless trash #23 bigger then ur-
'work within limitations' is actually the best advice that one can give to a beginning filmmaker. I remember years back when I asked my dad for a dslr camera, and the best he could give me that time was a second hand Canon 1200D. I was sad, but nonetheless considerate of what my father could afford, so I made the most out of it. I remember watching hours of Indy Mogul, Tom Antos, Andyax, and Film Riot content just to get the perfect shot. I still remember when I had to use sunlight, a blank white cartolina paper, and flashlights/lamps to fake the 3-point lighting setup. I also zoomed-in my 18-55mm kit lens (to 55mm) to create that bokeh effect at the expense of my aperture, so i had to exaggerate the lighting. I didn't have a dolly, but I wanted that effect so bad that I recreated it just by holding the camera. And since I was using Photoshop before my interest in film making grew, I didn't hit a roadblock when learning color grading (though I still haven't mastered this art lol). In the end, we didn't win the best picture award. But we got awarded the best in cinematography and editing awards, which were big awards for me considering I was pitting my short film against those which were made with canon 5D mk3 and panasonic GH3.
I feel like Tangerine would've been a better example for this video. It was made by Sean Baker, who was much more of an indie filmmaker at the time, it had a smaller budget, it was shot on equipment that was way more inferior (iPhone 5) and it's such a beautiful movie, visually speaking (better than High Flying Bird imo).
The neglect of Tangerine in the video breaks my heart but the love for it in the comments heals it
_"And it's the one you've got in your pocket."_
*Shows iPhone X*
I'm poor, you think I can afford to drop $1k on a damn phone?
Huawei flagship phone is cheap now
@@LastBastion and spies
There is a movie called _Tangerine_ that came out in 2015 and was shot entirely with an iPhone 5s. I haven't seen it but it was on YMS's Best Films of 2015 list.
So yes, and it's already been done before High Flying Bird
I've spent months looking for a camera, and as soon as I found one, it wasn't available in my area at the moment and I fell into a creative road block, but you've inspired me, and production is about to begin, you've saved me so much money, and I'm gonna buy a new mic soon, didn't cost a bone, thank you Austin, seriously
Film Riot made a video explaining how they shot a short with an iPhone and complained about how it would overheat really fast, causing the screen to dim which made it difficult to get proper focus in bright sunlight, and since you can't adjust the aperture, they had to awkwardly tape a ND filter to it. You're also limited to either wide shots or digital zoom. Sure, you can get an _acceptable_ image out of an iPhone, but working with it sounds like such a pain in the ass that you might as well spend a few hundred dollars and get a nice DSLR or mirrorless camera. At least then, you won't have to worry about running out of day light while you wait for the battery to recharge every hour since you can just swap it out for another one.
You can get a used Canon EOS M or Sony NEX-3N for less than $150 on ebay, along with a cheap manual lens (sure, neither of those will do 4K, but if you're _just_ getting started as a filmmaker, you probably don't have a PC adequate for editing 4K anyway). And if you're an amateur, using an interchangeable lens camera with full exposure control is a much better learning experience. As you learn how a camera works, you will begin to understand the actual craft of filmmaking. Simply having a story to tell doesn't mean anything if you don't know what you're doing.
And to those who say the camera doesn't matter, yes it does. The camera is a visual storytelling device, and your visual storytelling is limited by your equipment. For example, you're not going to do a slow motion shot if your camera can't record slow motion, and you're not going to do a low light scene with an iPhone and expect it to look good. To a degree, you can get by with a cheap DSLR, or even a smart phone, but you will always be constrained by the limitations and you will eventually want something better in order to achieve the specific look you're envisioning in your head as an artist. There's a reason Michelangelo didn't paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with crayons.
Also, not all phones have good cameras. I would never even consider shooting a movie with my piece of shit unless I was shooting a found footage movie and I wanted it to look like amateur video.
I think the reason I (and I'm sure many others) flock towards cameras is that it makes me feel professional. It almost legitimizes me as a videographer because I have nice gear that people "ooh and ahh" at. I like your point about the microphones too - you need 24 frames a second to create realistic audio, but you need 44,100 pictures a second of sound to make it natural. It shows how big sounds plays a part in filmmaking.
If the budget is 2 million dollars a 2000 dollar DSLR which is 1000 times better than an iphone is what like 0.1 percent of the budget for arguably one of the most important equipment.
I think you missed the point lol
I'm not blaming talking about this video I'm talking about the movie
Agreed. If you can afford a 1000$+ iPhone then you can afford a DSLR and get so much better video quality
A 1000 USD DSLR is also better than any iPhone camera
Keep in mind the cost of paying/feeding/housing: actors, sound, lighting, cinematographers, script writers, editors, paying for licensing rights to songs or paying for permits to shoot somewhere, kitchen staff, etc.
Just because the camera is cheap (you can actually get far better and cheaper camera for half the price of an iPhone X), doesn't mean everything else it takes to make a film like this will be cheap as well.
High Flying Bird is probably one of my favorite movies of the past few years, and nobody is talking about it. Thanks for giving it some attention man!
The people saying "if you can afford an expensive smartphone, then you can afford an expensive DSLR" are dumb. A phone is a general tool that you need for life nowadays, so spending a lot on one isn't a problem, because you'll need it for work, socializing, school, etc. You're getting a lot of value on it. A DSLR, however, is something with very limited capabilities. All you can do with it is shoot video/pictures. You're getting way more value from a phone.
Also, these people fail to realize that no one's buying a phone specifically to shoot a movie. They probably bought the phone years ago, so they probably don't have the money now.
No man on earth "needs" an iPhone.
@@Generic8864 and those are junk
No one needs a 1200 dollar phone in 2021, unless you're a programmer or a pro-gamer, it's dumb. 400 dollar phones are so good now. No need for the latest iPhone
big tip if you have a hoverboard use that to stabalise moving shots
“It’s the one you’ve got in your pocket.”
Me: *watching on mobile* “...”
That’s what he said?
You're pacing and editing are top notch, Austin.
Thanks!
“A good story will almost always overcome technical limitations” Hits home, doesn’t it. ;)
I just want to toss in the products I've had a good experience with:
If you're recording VOs for your movie or just want a generally good mic for vocals, take a look at Audio Technica's ATR-2100. I picked a couple up for $50 each a few years ago and I absolutely love them. They're all-metal, inexpensive, robust, and very easy to work with. It comes with an XLR jack and USB cable if you want to plug it straight into a computer, but I found an H4N Pro + Fethead works best. The audio quality isn't perfect, but for a cardioid dynamic mic it's damn close to an SM7B for 1/8th of the price. Not to mention it's lighter and works just fine handheld.
As for cameras, Austin is totally right when he says that the camera isn't as important as the other equipment as long as you know how to use it. That said, the Pixel 3 is probably the best phone camera-wise right now since 1. the camera is great, 2. it's cheaper than an iPhone, and 3. you can transfer files to a PC for editing without dealing with all the iTunes bullshit. If you use final cut and work exclusively on apple products, the iPhone will obviously be easiest, but otherwise a Pixel, LG, or Samsung phone takes the cake. I've shot a lot of stuff on my LG V30, and it's really convenient to have the super wide-angle 2nd lens for indoor shots when you need to pack everything in. Your mileage will vary, but you can make just about any camera work if you play to its strengths. Of course if your budget is high enough, consider picking up a cheap DSLR. I can't speak for Canon's Rebel series, but the few times I've used them were pleasant. A DSLR also has the added benefit of Magic Lantern or similar software.
In addition to camera quality, consider the convenience of having 2 or 3 cameras. Since everyone on your crew most likely has a smartphone, you can use multiple phones for different angles in a dialogue scene or, even better, and action scene. Chase/running scenes are really tough to keep exciting when you have to keep telling the actors to stop so you can reposition your camera a few feet.
(I am not sponsored by any of the brands mentioned, I just have too much time on my hands)
Austin Thanks a lot, you're filmmaking videos are great because I just entered production of our first feature film, your advice is strongly beneficial not just to me but to the entire crew on set. Keep making amazing content.
I agree with the core idea of the video that not owning a proper camera shouldn't stop you from presenting a good story. I also agree that instead of 'researching' new cameras, looking for stuff to buy, and procrastinating, people should instead just go out and create something. However, I don't think that big film studios with big budgets (even though 2mil is comparatively small) should stoop to the level of making movies on (objectively) inferior cameras when indie films with less than 1% of that budget look far better. I mean, It's not like they filmed the whole movie on the same phone or on the personal phones of the production crew, they went out and bought a box of Iphones to use as cameras. Instead of buying those, they could have bought cheap cameras with many more features and a far better video quality.
While the story that you tell in a movie or other visual format is probably the most important part, I don't think people should undermine the "visual" part. If people wanted a story, they could read a book or, if they're more passive, listen to one as an audiobook. People like to think that the visuals aren't important but that's simply not true. I mean, look at videogames. There are plenty of great games that were created before computers even had dedicated graphics cards but now, very few play them. Even games that are less than a decade old just don't hold up to modern expectations of graphics (with exceptions). We've just moved on. Same with special effects in movies. Lots of older movies look dated when special effects don't look good and a bad CGI scene can completely pull you out of the moment. There's also a reason people go to movie theaters (besides movies coming out earlier) or owning HD televisions. High quality image is just better.
This isn't just some personal preference thing though, it's biological. People are attracted (in a neurochemical and emotional sense) to things that are aesthetically pleasing to the eye and look beautiful. Hell, even though people don't like to admit it, romantic relationships that don't contain physical attraction just don't work that well (many even say that attraction on an aesthetic level is the foundation of a good relationship). When I see the clips from the movie shot on a phone it just subconsciously turns me off to watching it just like bad cover art to a book will make me pass it by when looking for something to read even though I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover and many good stories just have bad coverart.
The O in STORY not being quite centered on the lens at 2:59 is mildly unsettling
In a behind the scenes video, Tom Scott and Matt Gray went over their tech for filming. They also covered the importance of audio, stating "Audio is king". They encouraged using whatever camera you have on you, but definitely using an external microphone.
4:01 Mr. Flare get out of Austin's video.
Thanks so much for this! As always, I loved it. I’m not the type to ask random (albeit wonderful) youtubers for advice in my specific situation but I’m really glad you mentioned audio. My mom has late stage cancer and we’re making legacy videos. I want my kids to be able to hear her voice. Not overlayed with a ton of garbled background noise; I want to be able to hear it and remember it as clearly as I can now, and from the losses I’ve had previously, I know it’s not as easy as it seems to hold on to the parts of people that are important to us. I want a good microphone for her to use. It matters to us. So thank you for the information.
4:41 Thought that said "go shoot a short person"
5:32 hey, that's my mic! Had it for a few years, it's fantastic for the ~80€ I bought it for back then. Sound Quality is really nice, it's USB not XLR meaning you don't need a mixer to use it on PC and it comes with the mic stand you can see in the Video.
"you've got it right in your pocket"
Bold of you to assume I can afford an iPhone
Austin’s Story>Specs rhetoric works really well. Great video as always.
What about a Samsung smart fridge?
Loved this video!!!! I’m taking a video production class right now and every week we shoot a film on iPhones and edit it and show to the class. It’s my first experience with making any sort of films, so I was a little annoyed when my the teacher said he wasn’t gonna provide us with fancy cameras or any real equipment other than what we’ve already got, but this video totally opened up my eyes to all the possibilities rather than the setbacks!
How about a film made with an android, a rig made out of tape, a ton of green screen, with footage from video games. (Don't worry about the video games the one I'm making is not a let's play.)
Also good, but make sure you look at copyright issues before posting it online.
@@lunayen Thanks!
Very well said. We just shot our first feature film, called Munnariv (meaning foreknowledge) on 2 iPhone SEs. Currently in postproduction. All points you said are absolutely true, especially working within the limitations part.
An additional issue we faced here in Kerala, India, with it's equatorial climate, is heat. Whenever we took the camera outdoors, it'd not let us shoot more than a minute of 4k footage at 100Mbps. It'd just stop responding, the file would get corrupted and we'd loose the performance. The DoP had a nerve wrecking time whenever we went outdoors, though we had 5 or 10 ice packs always with us.
Indoors, inside an air conditioned room, with the temperature maintained at least around 25 degree Celsius, it worked like any other camera.
10:12 Woah! How much money do you spend on a cup of coffee, Austin? o-o
Austin McConnell $299
PewDiePie $399
2.98
Coffee is expensive man lol
I just want to mention that rolling shutters can be found in most manufacturers' flagship cinema cameras, including: all ARRI cameras from the ALEXA onwards (since they've used the same sensor technology for nearly a decade since it's that good), SONY VENICE (the F55 and F65 both have global shutters, but not many large productions use them anymore), VARICAM PURE/LT/35, CANON C700 (FF/35) (also has a GS option, but I've only ever seen RS models at any other rental houses in my area), any RED camera from RED ONE to RED WEAPON MONSTRO/GEMINI/HELIUM, PANAVISION MILLENIUM DXL 2 (since it uses a Monstro sensor), and VISION RESEARCH PHANTOM FLEX4K.
I only bring this up to highlight the fact that global shutter isn't much of an issue for most modern cinema cameras, and shouldn't be the deciding factor in any purchase outside of very specific shooting scenarios.
*names capitalised for readability
These are just the cameras that came to mind. There's definitely more.
Short Answer: Eeeh Kinda
Long Answer: *watch the video*
Thanks for being useless
Short answer is too long. Shorten it. Now.
@@ytcorporate9237 Shorter answer: Meh
@@masht-5029 When I say short, I mean fucking short God damnit!
I saw ads for unsane and thought the noise was part of the look.
When I saw the orig trailer, I thought that it was filmed on a Phone from the start.
Is that just me?
The Sundance Film "Tangerine" by Sean Baker also was shot with an iPhone. iPhone 5S i believe.
I hate to be that guy, I’m not a big cinema guy or anything, I don’t know the names of any cameras, but that movie doesn’t look very nice. Maybe I couldn’t pin it down it being shot on an iPhone but it looks very unprofessional and I definitely think the whole thing would be better if it were shot with a professional camera. It seriously bothers me how it all looks like regularly recorded video, I honestly never noticed until now just how much a camera can affect video quality
This is probably mostly due to the fact that an iPhone can only produce one single focal length. Professional movies typically use lenses between 15 and 200mm and switch rapidly, even within a scene. With an iPhone, you only get 29mm. For many settings, this is a really shitty focal length due to the fact that it isn't really wide angle to capture the whole scene, but also not a telezoom which would allow you to capture undistorted closeups.
I agree, looks like shit. Looks like a high school media project haha
I think the close up angles have a weird camera tilt or something. But the wider angle shots and the follow shots look pretty decent
only the most unimaginative directors would think you couldn't do that
Hey Austin, I'm seeking ideas for short film documentary type videos for my channel. There's one big twist though which is I'm limited to using only stock footage & b roll to create my videos, no actors/interviews etc. Although this style of creating videos is widely frowned upon by professional filmmakers who shoot their own scenes etc, it's something I enjoy doing & find very convenient & affordable. Long story short, I used to make daily/weekly videos w/minimal dialogue on various current events via creative commons using licensed stock footage in addition to 3rd party news clips/archive footage etc. The result was a mix between a dramatic short film/unorthodox doc.. Due to recent UA-cam policy changes which now require original commentary for videos, I've been left w/no other option but to delete nearly all my preexisting content & millions of views. I'm now in the stages of starting over from scratch in attempts to salvage my channel that I worked so hard on creating. My new plan is something completely different which is foreign to me, & that includes incorporating original scripts for each video which will be narrated by a voice over artist & written by an award winning screenwriter... The goal is to create informative proper short film docs minus the traditional format which includes interviewees etc as previously mentioned.. Since I previously made videos with no script or dialogue & rather just "winged it" on each video given my frequent upload rate, I'm now having an extremely difficult time coming up with new ideas. I mainly focused on geopolitical tensions & day to day news/current events instead of topics that were thought of in advance & created from scratch. The only genres I've come up with so far include humanitarian issues, climate matters, endangered species, sci-fi/space, military & politics. Although I can branch out on these various topics I'm looking to expand the list for more options. The transition from video news journalism to narrated short films is much tougher than I ever anticipated. Any opinions or advice would be welcomed & greatly appreciated!
It would’ve been awesome that you talked about Dogma 95, it’s pretty fitting.
If you can afford a 1000$+ iPhone then you can afford a DSLR that will make 1000x better looking shots
True
That’s not the point...
@Twelve
But he didn't. Yes, you can spend the money on a DSLR camera, but what Austin is trying to say is that people spend more time looking at reviews for various cameras as opposed to going out and shoot a simple film.
There are only 3 types of iPhone 10 on the market. The only thing you have to decide on is which size to pick.
Henriko Magnifico most likely people aren’t BUYING an iphone to shoot a film. They already have one. The message here is basically “use what you have.”
THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE VIDEO IS TO WORK WITHIN YOUR LIMITS
This was awesome!! I loved your perspective. I'm an editor and can't tell you how many times people come to me with 4K footage and a story that should have been shot on toilet paper! It's a disease I call "resolutionitus". They think if they see every 4K pixel in the perfect color space their story will magically work all of the sudden.
When they shot it in such a short time and with that equipment. What did they spend the 2M on?
Actors probably. Also locations.
actors crew locations props
Part of the movie "Upgrade" from last year was shot on an iPhone, specifically the shots that moved with the protagonist's body, which was a great effect.
0:56 "The one you have in your pocket"
*has an android*
You are so right about sound mixing. Ive seen youtube videos that were just unwatchable because of bad sound quality
You wrong about me having Iphone in pocket...
PhantomDogman yeah! Do you also keep your phone in your mouth?
@@SlightlyToasty Maybe...
For all the saltiness about shooting on phones in the comments, the fact of the matter is this: it's never been a better time to start shooting movies.
I went back recently and looked at a short film I did with some friends in the early 2000s when I was in grade 9. We shot it on a big old VHS camcorder, digitized it all in an early version of Premiere, and did a bunch of VFX on twos using Photoshop. So most of the film was at 320x240 15 fps using a Cinepak or similar codec. Even to get to the point where we could edit it on a computer, we had to shoot it, set up a capture device, plug a VCR into it, and capture in realtime into Premiere. That doesn't make it not look like garbage. That doesn't make it more valuable an artistic exercise. It just made it hard. There were plenty of people who were better artists than we were that didn't try something similar because we happened to have the tech nerdery to make it happen.
Listen, I wouldn't change that experience because it was cool as hell at the time and made me appreciate the labour that real filmmakers do. But the bottom line is this: the baseline has risen considerably, the barrier to entry has lowered and that's not a bad thing.
Don't forget to use Filmic Pro instead of the awful default camera app
Louz worth every penny of the $15
Challenge Accepted Austin! I really love your videos, but this is one is special to me. I have seen too many friends spend months or even entire years saving to buy giant cinema cameras because they think it'll make their films better. Most of them don't make movies any more.
Modern technology has put the means of production in all of our hands. There are no excuses any more. When everyone can make movies the audience won't pick their favourite based on how many "K's" your camera can shoot with. 🙄
no one ever talks about sean baker's Tangerine when talking about iphone movies, that is by far the best one
I'm partial to the earlier film King Kelly which had a motivation for the use of the iPhone beyond just economy.
I work for a film distribution and I've never asked even once what a movie has been shot on. It either looks good or doesn't. For low budget films having cast of note or marketable genre hooks are far more important.
You didn't even mention Sean Baker but okay
Just commenting to help with the algorithm. Great video again Austin!
It just works
This whole little comment war about "Oh but the latest iPhone is still expensive!" "Ah yes but you already have one!" is really missing what seems to me to be the fundamental part of the video.
The message I got from this wasn't "Look how good the iPhone's camera is" so much as that if you have a smartphone, any smartphone, you already have the basic tools you need to start creating.
Sure, the sound and video quality won't be as good, but what matters more than that is that you're exercising your filmmaking muscle, and growing in your skill and creativity. Sure, you might not have the latest iPhone, and sure, you may think everyone has one already and that it's not worth buying better equipment, but it's not about that. It's about not letting things like mediocre or even bad equipment be a BARRIER to you beginning your journey as a filmmaker.
Your first short film, screenplay, youtube video, short story, illustration, isn't going to be your best. What's important is to develop and learn, and to achieve that goal, you don't need anything more than the equipment you have already.
I’ve been making videos for 6 years. I’ve only used iPhones
Thats pretty awesome how they can shoot a full film on a iPhone! Awesome vid as always Austin.
"it's the one you have in your pocket"
android users rise up
I do very much believe in the Chase Jarvis "The Best Camera is the One You Have With You" idea. The other day I realized I needed to capture some snowfall but didn't have my camera with me, so said fuck it and pulled out my iPhone. It really integrates just fine into the nicer footage!
Yes, Sean Baker's "Tangerine." looked awesum shot entirely w/ an Iphone
Or better yet, use a web cam. Both Searching and Unfriend have a budget of 1 mil. Lower then even Unsane (at 1.5 mil) and looks better.
Can I eat the iPhone I want to see what it taste like
like iphone
and chinese worker sweat
Please no, you'll feel sick afterwards.
Sure.
This video has Chan my view on filmmaking as a whole thank you Austin
nice job excluding tangerine, a movie that also used iPhones before this one.
And it also looked awful, honestly if you have a budget that's over 200 get yourself a better camera.
I'm sure the subject matter definitely didn't have anything to do with him excluding one of (if not *the*) most critically acclaimed "shot on an iPhone" films made, during a video literally titled "Can You Shoot A Feature Film on an iPhone." 😒
Exilion that’s not the point, not everyone has a camera but everyone has a phone
@@Eric-Truong If you have enough money for a fucking mid-end or high-end smartphone (the majority of people), you probably have enough money to buy a used low-tier dslr. Which looks 100x better than ANY smartphone.
@Andrius Bandzinas My point is that if you can get a dslr, please get one.
Everytime i have a movie project: Bad equipment, bad story, short deadline
Magic Mike was a masterpiece of cinema that was subtly about the economy, Austin. How dare you show it disdain!
I made a school project on a smartphone and although it is obviously not an actual dslr it turned out great, nobody gave us shit about video quality! Didn't have any stabilization or mount.
It's actually on my channel rn. I think it's a fun example what's possible with a phone, especially for school projects! Highly recommend using phones just because it's so freaking convenient. Most of the fun happened in the editing anyway.
A 1000$ camera is far better than an 1000$ iPhone.
The point is you already own the phone.
@@MarioPowerx these people just like any excuse to rag on iphones, leave em to it
Faiz Saleem Why don’t people just let others enjoy the phone they bought, for god’s sake.
@@skylake8123 Well, Yes!
But with one you film, and with the other while filiming "Oh sorry guys, me mum is calling, gotta put a break on the recording"
The point is, you already have a phone anyway, why buy another, and $2Mil is enough for a 1000$ camera, there's no need to go as low as an iPhone
Can it run apps????7 years software support???? Can it be a computer in your pocket???? Just don't talk shits...... camera is just one of the features in the smartphones!!!! Ffs ..... you're the type of guy that say *"wHy We NeEd A sMaRt Tv WhEn We AlReAdY hAvE a SmArtPhOnE"*
I have a Lumix point & shoot that gives more flexibility than any cell phone. Optical zoom, real aperture, shutter speed, ISO. And I bought it used for less than what my cell phone cost new. So while you CAN shoot a film on an iPhone or another cell phone, there are more flexible options around the same price point or less. Even a used APS-C DSLR with just the "kit" lens(es) will give you better flexibility.
But definitely the point stands that you don't need expensive kit when there are things that matter more.
Lol the battery would die out in the first scene
Not related but hi fellow Madeon-er :)
so charge your phone before you start.
What do you mean my phone doesn’t die that fast
@@koushuu Beings is my favorite wbu?
Lol y'all iPhone users trynna cover up that weak ass 2800 mah battery 😭😂😂
Love this Austin. Glad he made another film with the iPhone. Unsane was a thorn in the progress of mobile phone filmmaking, so he righted a wrong with this one.
Tangerine did it first but go off I guess
Actually they did it third behind To Jennifer and King Kelly.
"It's the one you have in your pocket."
*pulls out my flip phone*
5:20 I’m such an idiot...
When you said DSLR, I thought you were talking about a Nintendo DS XL, and my first reaction was, “Who would pay 2000 bucks for a DS XL?”
It's crazy you say this stuff Austin, because I was having a problem with how much I talked about making videos without actually filming so my friends and I made this channel, that I am commenting with so that we are actually practicing our film making abilities! We've been uploading 2 comedy sketches a week for the last 4 and a half months!
They should have used a pixel
I agree, probably would've been better since the pixel does less video processing making it easier to to change color in post.
I don't want to be a filmmaker, but I do want to be a writer and your videos and advice are super helpful. I'm gonna stop doing "research" and get back to writing... after the video.
Who else is watching on android XD
@@NCozy me me shot me...🙎
For video, LG V30, Huawei is amazing for stills but sucks at video
Android phones have also been getting better.
The Google Pixel 3 has a really good camera that does well in low light, Samsung's camera's have been improving too and Nokia has a phone with 5 cameras.
All of the techniques for shooting on an iPhone such as using an external mic, tripods, wide angle lenses and e.t.c still apply to Android.
@Mert Ertuğ Pixel 2/3*
@Mert Ertuğ The Mate 20(especially in low light),but overall the note 9 is better,The S10 should be better than both when it comes out on March 9(wait a month more and the price will go down)
Our latest short film "Gotham Pizza" was shot entirely on iPhone. It has it's pros and cons but the end result is more than satisfactory if you know how to play to the iPhone's strengths.
Just because one can doesn't mean one should, like awful SoundCloud rappers. The technology is there, but the talent isn't.
Wrong.
@@jmorales09 about the rapping?
For me, the tough part about getting started with filmmaking is that... I have no friends.
Samsung note 7 + overcharge = makeshift grenade
“I’m not your sensei” Yes Austin you are 😁
Try it with an android
even easier
Well nowadays the flagships cost the same but who cares
ur mom
midlowreborn ur mom's mom
Reverse card
There's a couple of things they're not telling you. First, both Tangerine and High Flying Bird used clamp-on animorphic lenses. So when you factor in the cost of a new iPhone with the extra lens, you're basically up to $1,200, which is the price of a Fuji X-T30 with a Viltrox 33mm lens, brand new. And that's not even touching perfectly usable, but slightly older, used mirrorless cameras and lenses. iPhones also require adapters to use SD cards.
Second, the film Tangerine didn't record its audio with an iPhone. It was shot with film-grade, professional microphones and recorders that probably cost tens of thousands of dollars. I suspect High Flying Bird was recorded with similar, high-quality sound equipment.
I'm not saying that you can't use an iPhone as a camera if you already have one. Just don't assume that buying a new one is the solution to all your problems.