It is amazing to see what progress has been in the quality of mobile device cameras . From the first commercial models, which appeared about 19 years ago, until now, it has reached a quality that is out of the ordinary. And it is not unusual for a phone to record video at 4K and 60 fps. This is what has led many to choose now not to invest in a home camcorder and record the most special moments with their phone. This has led to the fact that with a telephone and little else, quite professional results can be obtained.
The world of cinema has not been immune to this trend. There have been projects in this sense, that of making professional films with a mobile phone. And you may be surprised with what devices. For example, Sean Baker shot the movie Tangerine is shot with an iPhone 5s, a device that went on sale in October 2013. That is, it had not yet reached a quality as extreme as that offered by most of devices. Just take a look to see that a very high level of quality was achieved. To achieve that particular vision, he used a gimbal, a stabilizer, and an anamorphic lens. This type of lens compresses the image horizontally, to better adapt it to the cinema format. In addition, a mobile recording app with advanced functions was used, but whose price is quite cheap.
Director Steven Soderbergh has extensive experience shooting movies with a mobile phone. An iPhone 7 Plus allowed us to record a spectacular thriller , Unsane , which tells a story of harassment. From 2019 is High Flying Bird, available on Netflix and which was filmed with an iPhone 8, an anamorphic lens and Filmic Pro as a recording app, just like Tangerine. And it is enough to see, even the trailer, to see how it is possible to achieve such a high level of quality with something we have at hand. There is no doubt that the smartphone is the invention of the century.
The possibilities of the smartphone are proven
Camera cell phones have advanced with astonishing speed. Both when it comes to taking photographs and recording on video, they reach levels of quality that are already difficult to overcome. Both when it comes to incorporating a very competent optics, as well as the development of software that allows the correct processing of images, we always have the possibility to go one step further. It may be difficult for you to understand how a film or television movie can be made with the same things that you have in your pocket. But do not be misled, as recording with the phone is only part of the process. The incorporation of special lenses, as well as the necessary software to achieve the desired effect, result in works like the ones we have discussed.
But, obviously, not everything is on the phone. The different fragments then go through a careful production and montage process , just like the audio, which is not recorded exclusively by the phone’s camera. A recording of a movie with a mobile phone has a huge job, hence it can be explained that the results are so professional. On the other hand, a large part of the success of this material resides in a good script, which has led to some of these films not only being known, but also having been awarded at festivals.
Think of all the possibilities that your device has. This may encourage you to do your own experiments, and see how much something as common as a telephone can get you. Make your device not only record family events or simple curiosity, the possibility of going one step further is now possible. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to get the necessary accessories and software to help you. The desire is on your part, because your phone is already ready to give the best of itself.
