Shoot to thrill
WANT TO TAKE THE VIDEOS YOU MAKE TO THE NEXT LEVEL? THESE ARE THE APPS YOU NEED
POINT, shoot, share - that’s the way to make video for the internet, right? Well, it could be that simple, that’s for sure. That’s what most people do. But there is a better way, a way that’ll likely see whatever story you have to tell reach more people… and make them glad it did.
Mobile phone cameras have improved dramatically in a very short space of time. Even to the point where they’re too good for most people’s needs.
In other words – if you’ve got one of the latest and greatest iPhones or Android devices, you’re probably not making the most of the fantastic footage it can capture.
Here are three apps for iOS and Android that will help you do just that – you can do all of it right on your phone, and you’ll be amazed how much better the results are with just a little time and effort.
FOR SHOOTING FILMIC PRO
They say: FiLMiC Pro v6 is the most advanced cinema video camera for mobile. Ever. FiLMiC Pro features cutting-edge capabilities and is the most responsive manual filming app available on mobile. A multitime iOS Video Camera App of the Year, FiLMiC Pro has been used in more high profile video projects by award-winning directors than any other app.
We say: You know what they say, garbage in, garbage out. Now, obviously the stock footage from your mobile phone’s camera app may not be garbage, but it certainly could be better. What Filmic Pro gives you is the kind of control you need to make the footage you shoot as good as it possibly can be. Producing the best footage possible sets you on the right path and gives you more flexibility down the line when editing.
Control over frame rate, an expanded dynamic range, live analytics, and image stabilisation elevate the capabilities of your phone to pro-level. So much so that top filmmaker Steven Soderbergh has even shot a proper feature film with the app on iPhone.
Filmic Pro can be expanded with even more controls with in-app purchases, and its makers offer a few add-on apps to help with the process – there’s DoubleTake, which utilises front and back cameras simultaneously so you can shoot two-people face-to-face at the same time; and Remote, which allows you to monitor and control the app from a second iOS device (like an iPad). They also make a still image camera app – Firstlight – which provides some lovely film emulation effects.
Cost:
£14.99 with in-app purchases. Filmic Remote costs £9.99. Doubletake is free, Firstlight costs £7.99. Double Take and Remote are iOS only.
FOR EDITING ADOBE PREMIERE RUSH
They say: Feed your channels a steady stream of awesome with Adobe Premiere Rush, the all-inone app for creating and sharing videos — fast and easy. Powerful tools let you quickly create videos that look and sound professional, just how you want.
We say: You know Adobe – maker of the venerable Photoshop picture editing software. You probably also know it makes a raft of other creative apps, like Illustrator and InDesign. It also makes one of the film industry’s standard video editing packages in Premiere Pro – it’s a full-featured professional app with many bells and whistles, but is available only on what you might call ‘proper’ computers.
There is a trimmed-down version, though, which works on phones and tablets and provides 90% of the features you’ll need. It’s called Premiere Rush. It can be used for free – but a subscription will unleash the real power. And as well as all the features the app brings, you also get lots of online storage for projects, and access to Adobe’s huge range of fonts, to give your work a unique look and feel.
You can create animated titles, have access to thousands of royalty-free soundtracks, and easily resize your projects to a variety of social-friendly aspect ratios.
If you do want to go further, you can kick things off in Rush and move projects into Pro on desktop for the final touches.
Cost: Subscription to Adobe Premiere Rush costs £9.98/month, or £19.98/month for Rush and Premiere Pro.
EDWARD STEPHENS TESTS OUT
IN a world of look-alike cars it’s refreshing to drive something that stands out. And the latest Mazda3 in GT Sport Tech format is certainly a car which commands attention – not to mention a lot of enquiring questions from fellow motorists anxious to know what it is.
And what it is is a low slung sporty hatchback that’s been engineered to look powerful even when it’s stationary.
It’s eye catching both inside and out and comes with a lot of hi-tech gadgetry to please the most ardent technophile. For starters it’s a mild hybrid but it also uses Mazda’s unique Skyactiv-X engine, which means it has the highest compression ratio of any production petrol engine in the world.
And that means an abundance of smooth, refined, useable power combined with sensible economy. Think the frugality of a diesel engine and the quietness of a petrol one. And in the case of the car driven here there’s the added bonus of all-wheel-drive to complete the package.
For most buyers, however, a car is all about looks and the super sleek lines of the Mazda3 – particularly with the glaring snowflake white pearlescent paint job (think Simon Cowell‘s teeth) contrasting with the black trim and black wheels – make it hard to resist. Inside there’s a stylish, slightly minimalist look dashboard, full leather seats, piano black inserts around the gearshift and on the doors and a Bose audio system.
There’s a centre-set, 8.8-inch infotainment screen with sharp graphics and it’s all controlled using a dial near the gear shift rather than the ubiquitous touchscreen chosen by most manufacturers.
Creature comforts include heated seats, a heated steering wheel and a head-up display projecting the car’s speed into the windscreen so you don’t have to take your eyes off the road ahead.
And while there are front and rear sensors to make parking easy they are just one part of the belt and braces approach on this car which also has front and rear facing cameras to simplify things even more, not to mention a 360 degree view of the car from above. If you can’t park your Mazda3 with all that kit on board you shouldn’t be driving it.
Other features include cross traffic alert to warn you of cars approaching from the side – useful when parked at supermarkets – and rear smart brake support to help avoid low speed accidents.
Mazda has a reputation for delivering family cars with a sporty bias and this one is no exception.
The steering is pin sharp and the short throw, super smooth six-speed manual gearbox is a delight to use and one of the best in the business.
The handling, too, is spot on with barely any roll on corners and the added grip of the all-wheel-drive is always reassuring.
The 0-62 acceleration time of 8.5 seconds means this car is never really lacking on the performance front but at times I felt it could perhaps be just that little bit sharper.
On the practical front the Mazda3 is a good five-seater with – for its size – sensible leg room for both front and rear travellers. The boot will take 351 litres of luggage but the 60/40 split rear seat back folds down to accommodate more. It all goes to show you can have a sensible car wrapped up in a sporty package so it appeals to the family and enthusiastic drivers.
Mazda has a reputation for delivering family cars with a sporty bias and this one is no exception
SThis David Austin has a lovely perfume
T VALENTINE’S Day, last weekend, was a timely reminder for gardeners that there are about six weeks left in the bare root planting season if you want to introduce roses into your garden.
Bare root is the most economical way to buy roses – these are plants that have been grown in a field, lifted from October onwards and sold with the soil removed.
It’s a good idea to soak the roots in water for a couple of hours before planting to rehydrate them.
But with the current temperatures don’t try planting in frozen or waterlogged soil. Keep roots damp and cool until the winter weather is less severe.
The oldest rose in the world is thought to be more than 1,000 years old. Climbing the walls at Hildesheim Cathedral in Germany, this dog rose, Rosa canina, survived even bombings during the Second World War. Roses are good value and with a bit of care will last for many years in your garden.
Here are my top tips to help you grow healthy plants...
They flower best in the sunshine but there are varieties that will perform in north-facing situations – and a little bit of shade from hot summer sun is helpful too.
Don’t plant in the same place as a previous rose as this can lead to replant disease. Climbers like to be at least a foot away from the wall to avoid dryness around the root system.
Prepare the ground well by incorporating a generous quantity of well rotted organic matter before planting. Sprinkle mycorrhizal fungi over the roots when planting – this helps roots establish much quicker and enhances nutrient and water uptake. You’ll find this in your local garden centre – ask for Rootgrow. When roses are positioned among other plants – especially those that attract beneficial insects – they tend to stay much healthier and look very beautiful too.
Pests find it more difficult to find a suitable host for laying their eggs and the spores of diseases are less likely to fall on another rose.
However, be careful not to allow perennials to grow too much right round the base of the rose, they will take the lion’s share of water and nutrients and leave little for the rose. Apply fertiliser around April and again in June – this can be well rotted manure or garden compost – but try to keep it a clean distance from stems.
If you choose a healthy variety of rose then diseases shouldn’t be a huge problem, but you can help boost their resistance by applying a foliar feed like Maxicrop or SB Plant Invigorator.
Roses love plenty of water at the roots, so an occasional good soaking in summer will help encourage strong growth and quicker repeat flowering – especially significant for roses near to walls or hedges.
If you do water then try to avoid getting the leaves wet, or water early in the day so the leaves can dry out quickly otherwise you may well be encouraging blackspot.
Inspect the leaves during summer – are they covered in greenfly? I tend to just squash them between my fingers and otherwise rely on the general insect eating population to do their bit.
It’s been my experience that a garden that encourages wildlife and doesn’t use pesticides tends to keep a healthy balance between predators and pests.
Lots of us get nervous when confronted with secateurs and a rose bush – what to do? There are many complicated theories about
pruning, but you’re best keeping it simple.
With shrub roses, cut them down to around half their size in late winter/early spring – ideally before they spring into fresh growth. If they’re well established, choose one or two old stems – these will be brown or a dull green – and cut them out completely at base level which will encourage healthier new stems. And with climbers, cut back last year’s flowering shoots to between 4 and 6 inches.
Finally, I’d like to share a good tip I received from gardening guru Helen Dillon about choosing varieties.
She told me breeders save their best varieties to name after family members. For example in the David Austin catalogue, you won’t do better than the likes of ‘Olivia Rose Austin’, a beautiful pink English shrub rose that flowers early with a delicious fragrance. Or try the climber ‘Claire Austin’ which has creamy-white highly fragrant double flowers that open from pale lemon buds – just gorgeous.