Want to learn how to turn your phone into
a light? Then keep watching.
Hi I’m Sareesh Sudhakaran and in this video
I’ll show you the cinematography apps I
have on my phone; you know, the ones I actually
use.
To help me find everything I have all the
apps on one page.
The first three are specific to cameras, Sony
Playmemories, the Panasonic Imaging App and
the GoPro app. They help me control the respective
cameras as well as help me transfer images
easily. Most cameras nowadays come with some
kind of app control, and you never know when
you need it.
Next up I have my favorite filmmaking app,
Mavis. It’s not free, but it is mind-blowing.
I get my waveform monitor and I can control
everything possible, including the resolution
and bit rate. The only thing I hate about
this app is it can’t shoot stills. I don’t
understand why they can’t activate this
functionality, but it is what it is. I did
check out Filmic Pro, but I preferred Mavis
more.
For quick photos I use the default camera
app. The portrait mode is fun too. When I
have more time, though, I need an app with
full manual control, and I use VSCO, which
is free. It’s a terrific app. The one major
downside of this app, and other camera apps
in general, is you can’t customize the aspect
ratio. I wish there was a decent camera app
with full manual control and custom aspect
ratios, which is why I use the CineScope.
It’s not perfect, I can’t control exposure,
but what do you do? I had high hopes for the
Panavision Panascout app, but I’ve removed
it because it just isn’t worth it. The famous
Artemis app might be better, but I don’t
need the other functionality.
I use Square Fit to get some photos into a
square shape. I don’t need it often nowadays,
because you have square photos in most apps,
and Instagram allows landscape photos. But
sometimes, like this Roger Ebert tweet I posted,
I need to get it to fit a square shape.
I use the Field Monitor with the GH5 for false
color, as I’ve shown in an earlier video.
It’s a great app with frequent updates,
but it’s not free.
Next up is the handy Focus Chart. Better than
paying for a piece of card you have to take
care of.
The Rode Reporter is an app I use with the
Rod SmartLav+ microphone. It’s convenient,
but the quality of the mic is not professional.
Still, it’s useful. I record directly to
the phone, and then push it to Google Drive,
which I can access it anywhere. You probably
know of a better sound app, please let me
know in the comments below.
Red Tools has some good features; the one
l like the most is the Panning Speed feature.
If you’re a Red camera shooter, it’s a
great app to have.
Next up is the Photometrics app from Arri,
which gives us all the important data on its
light fixtures, and what you can expect. Tremendously
useful, if you’re using Arri lights. They
update with their new additions, like the
LED panels. If you want to estimate how many
lights you need for a specific T-stop, this
app is important.
The LEE Diffusion app is also useful to understand
the different diffusion options like 250,
216, grid cloth and so on. I wish they had
higher resolution images, but it’s better
than nothing.
Next up I have two apps that help my phone
become an LED panel in case I need it. The
Flashlight app is really cool. The phone already
has an LED flashlight, but if you want a softer
light you can use the screen instead. Most
phones output about 500 nits, and the new
Samsung S8 does 1000 nits. This app allows
me to have different colors, and even better,
options for flashlights, like a police car
or ambulance. With full brightness, I get
about f/2.8 at ISO 800 at one feet. Not bad,
eh? If your crew has phones, you can rig a
few of them and have enough light for exposure.
The one thing this can’t do is custom color,
for which I use the Arri Skypanel app. This
is just a marketing app, and Arri doesn’t
advise using it as a light, but you can. By
the way, I’ve used mobile phones to light
when nothing else was available, so don’t
think I’m kidding. Dedicated lights are
better, no doubt, but this is handy and will
be more so as screens get brighter and more
color accurate.
The Sun and Moon app is spectacular. I can
position the sun in a 3D space and map its
movement at any date in the future or past,
or today. It’s a little buggy, but it works
well enough, and it’s free. If I’m location
scouting I can some idea as to how the sun
is going to move throughout the day.
The next app is the official sound meter app
from NIOSH, and it’s free. I’ve downloaded
many sound meter apps, but most of them are
just average or totally inaccurate. This app
comes from serious sound professionals, and
short of a sound level meter, this is the
next best thing. Again great for location
scouting to know how much sound or noise a
location has in the background.
And finally the default iMovie app is something
I keep aside for a rainy day. In fact, I’ve
never used it, but if you need to edit video
on the fly, it’s there.
There are other apps I’ve downloaded, tried
and discarded, but I won’t bore you with
those because these are the ones I keep coming
back to, and are actually useful for my work.
If you know of any good apps for cinematography,
let me know. If you found this video useful,
hit the like button, and don’t forget to
subscribe. Bye Now.
