by Michael Hoffman
As the market for mobile devices increases and their capabilities become greater and more affordable, the world of cinema finds itself asking a previously inconceivable question: will we ever reach a point where feature length movies can be shot on mobile devices? Considering how far mobile technology has come in the last several years, this certainly seems to be a very probable path. In fact, at the 85th Academy Awards, the movie that won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, Searching for Sugar Man (Bendjelloul, 2012), featured some scenes that used an iPhone equipped with the “8mm Vintage Camera App” because the film ran out of funding before its completion. Before that, Olive (Khalili, 2011) made headlines in December 2011 when it became the first feature film to be shot on a smartphone and released to cinemas. Shot with a Nokia N8 attached to a 35mm lens adapter, the filmmakers were able to obtain a very crisp picture that rivals the quality obtained in other independent films.
However, the selling point for mobile devices is not the quality but rather the convenience. Since a large number of people own smartphones, the ability to also film on these devices presents people with a far cheaper alternative to renting or purchasing professional cameras, which has become a popular option for film students with a very limited budget. Given the “Do It Yourself” capabilities of shooting movies on mobile devices, filmmakers are certainly in an interesting period of time where they can easily share their stories with the world. As a matter of fact, some apps like iMovie allow users to edit videos on mobile devices and when finished, the movie could be uploaded to YouTube for distribution. That means that a smartphone has the potential to be the sole device used throughout the preproduction, production, and postproduction stages.
But with this added convenience, are filmmakers sacrificing the quality of their work and producing a great deal of mediocre material that lessens the professional elements and theories associated with filmmaking? In some regards this seems to be the case, but with the added flexibility of mobile devices, many people are allowed to have a voice in an industry that was previously solely functional through massive studios. This ultimately allows more people to creatively express themselves through the visual medium of storytelling. In all, while capturing footage from mobile devices has not been widely incorporated into mainstream cinema yet, the opportunities that this medium offers seem interesting and could be poised to radically alter the film industry in upcoming years.
However, the selling point for mobile devices is not the quality but rather the convenience. Since a large number of people own smartphones, the ability to also film on these devices presents people with a far cheaper alternative to renting or purchasing professional cameras, which has become a popular option for film students with a very limited budget. Given the “Do It Yourself” capabilities of shooting movies on mobile devices, filmmakers are certainly in an interesting period of time where they can easily share their stories with the world. As a matter of fact, some apps like iMovie allow users to edit videos on mobile devices and when finished, the movie could be uploaded to YouTube for distribution. That means that a smartphone has the potential to be the sole device used throughout the preproduction, production, and postproduction stages.
But with this added convenience, are filmmakers sacrificing the quality of their work and producing a great deal of mediocre material that lessens the professional elements and theories associated with filmmaking? In some regards this seems to be the case, but with the added flexibility of mobile devices, many people are allowed to have a voice in an industry that was previously solely functional through massive studios. This ultimately allows more people to creatively express themselves through the visual medium of storytelling. In all, while capturing footage from mobile devices has not been widely incorporated into mainstream cinema yet, the opportunities that this medium offers seem interesting and could be poised to radically alter the film industry in upcoming years.
