iPHONE X VIDEOS: SHOOTING LIKE A PRO
With such up to date technologies, the fact that iPhones have almost completely replaced standalone video cameras has come as no surprise. However, many continue to argue that you can still differentiate between a video that’s been shot on a phone and one that’s been shot with the dedicated polish of a DSLR, for example. While that may be partly true, the reason that iPhone videos appear lackluster is largely down to bad habits.
In the immediate aftermath of the iPhone X launch tech blogs were understandably flooded with ‘iPhone X camera versus [insert device here]’ articles. Regardless, does a review such as this really demonstrate the true capabilities of what a camera can do when it’s put in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing? With only a few tips, tricks, apps, and accessories, you’d be surprised at the level of cinematic excellence you can achieve.
MOVIES INDISTINGUISHABLE FROM CINEMA
The iPhone hasn’t exactly been a stranger to the cinema in recent years. Late last year it was announced that Stever Soderbergh, the Oscar-winning director behind Ocean’s Eleven and Traffic, would make his return to the big screen with a film shot entirely on Apple’s most popular product. The film, titled Unsane, is a psychological horror in which an unstable bank employee (Claire Foy) is trapped in a mental facility against her will. On shooting with an iPhone, Soderbergh claimed that it is “the future” and that “Anyone going to see this movie without any idea of the backstory to the production will have no idea this was shot on
the phone.” Many critics have hailed Unsane as Soderbergh’s best movie to date, whether this is because of his experimentation with the iPhone or not, is still up for debate.
Moving forward – while there were plenty of videos demonstrating the 4K video capabilities of the iPhone X in the run-up to its launch, there were videographers that didn’t shy away from putting it to the test. One included Tristan Pope, who created the threeminute short movie Smoke and Mirrorless.
This no-frills set up puts to question whether you can make a “real” video with an iPhone X. On the movie, Pope said: “To me, the 240FPS on iPhone has always been a huge tool in my arsenal of equipment. To achieve these frame rates on any other camera would A: be very expensive and B: be a large format camera. To have this in the palm of your hand has always been the biggest draw to mobile film-making for me.”
Similarly is another three-minute short film that follows the life of a French pastry chef. Aptly titled Made in Paris, this one was shot by photographer Ryan Earl and filmmaker Nick Arcivos of AmnesiArt who produced, created, and edited the film in only four days, entirely on an iPhone X.
Unsurprisingly, the iPhone X is better at previous models than recording 4K videos. When it was compared with the Panasonic GH5, a camera that delivers DSLR performance, it was able to deliver an on par experience although the GH5 still outperformed on tasks such as zooming in and low-light conditions.