Ondrej Holzman At this year's Febiofest, a film also appeared in the category of films shot on a smartphone Bubbles don't lie directed by Štěpán Etrych, which was interesting not only because it was based on one of the stories of the well-known journalist Miloš Čermák, but also due to the fact that it was filmed with an older iPhone 5. Still, you can't tell from the result.
The five-minute film, Aquarius Pictures' tenth film in the series, was shot entirely with an iPhone 5. It was filmed everywhere, exteriors, interiors, and green screen was also used. Post-production was a very demanding project and although you can read more about it here, we went directly to the director Štěpán Etrych with further questions. Before the short interview, you can watch the entire film below Bubbles don't lie view
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Let's start simple - why the iPhone 5?
I bought the phone at the end of 2012 mainly to shoot movies on it. Compared to other smartphones, it was simply the best for filmmaking: there were the best apps for it, as well as a range of accessories. Also, I've had a soft spot for Apple for a long time, I bought my first iPhone in the summer of 2007. Last fall I briefly considered getting a "six" Plus, but because the accessories I have for shooting - especially lenses - did not come with the iPhone 6 compatible, I stayed with the "five".
What attracted you to the iPhone as the only camera in the film?
Bubbles was the second film I shot on the iPhone. The first one was Redemption, which was shown at Febiofest a year ago and then at a number of festivals around the world. On the iPhone, I was amazed by the image quality that can be squeezed out of it. If there is enough light, the picture is absolutely brilliant - it has incredible sharpness and drawing, especially in detail. Macro shots look amazing. After watching Redemption, many people couldn't believe that it was a movie shot on a mobile phone. Of course, it's not just a matter of the phone, but also the application I use for filming.
Was filming with an iPhone easier than with a regular camera, or did it bring more complications?
Shooting on an iPhone has its own specifics, of course it needs to be handled differently than a camera or SLR. Compared to the camera, it probably has a rather bad shape, so you can't do without some kind of shooting holder. And I also can't imagine shooting only with the built-in application, it just wouldn't work.
But the Filmic Pro app makes the phone a top-notch camera. It allows, for example, shooting at a film frame rate of 24fps, fixing the exposure or white balance or sharpness. You can also record video at a significantly higher data rate of up to 50 Mbps. Shots from an iPhone with this application even beat the Canon C300, which costs around 300 thousand crowns, in blind tests.
During the filming of Bublin, the iPhone served mainly as a camera, post-production and other matters took place in specialized software on computers. However, Apple has already shown in some of its advertisements that it can almost completely function only on an iPhone or iPad. Can you imagine such a thing? Could the latest iPhones and iPads be used to shoot Bubbles?
Bubbles would definitely not be possible to make completely on the iPhone alone. There is no application that can compare to Adobe After Effects, in which we animated all the bubbles. In some shots, such as from the hockey stadium, Old Town Square or Charles Bridge, we used up to fifty layers, a number of masks, motion tracking and so on. But if it was just a clean cut and a connection with the music, it certainly wouldn't be a problem. But it would be better to edit on a larger tablet screen than a phone.
Over time, how do you rate filming on a mobile phone? Was it an experience for you that made you plan to use mobile devices in your creations in the future, or did it discourage you and return to the classics?
In my opinion, mobile phones have a future in filmmaking. I'm looking forward to shooting some film on the iPhone again - maybe on anamorphic glass, which I didn't use for Bubbles. I'm not conservative about it, I enjoy trying new things. For example, in the summer we plan to shoot a melodrama, which we have been preparing for a long time. It will be a big challenge and it will cost a lot of money. I paid for all the previous films from my own pocket, now we will try to select the film for the first time using crowdfunding, by reaching out to film fans.
is there a list of accessories that were used for the iphone 5 shoot?
That "film"/video is 90% post-production. You can shoot a better picture on a Note 4 etc...
Proof, please.. not only that I shoot a better picture on the Note 4, but also that 90% is post-production.
Díky
What do you mean… evidence? Well, you see that in the movie, don't you? :)
Every movie has it in post-production, I've yet to see one that doesn't have it :)
Perhaps the author himself admits that the result of the film is greatly influenced by effects and editing.
I googled several other articles about this movie and shooting with an iphone. Even a professional Bentley commercial was filmed. A film about the film is also available online. In any case, it should be emphasized that in addition to the iPhone itself, a number of accessories (additional lenses) were used. I looked into whether it would be more convenient to shoot with an iPad, but it only has a 5Mpix camera. On the other hand, it has a stronger battery, so you can take a longer recording on one charge. They took into account how long the iPhone lasts on one charge, so you can shoot a longer picture than a timelapse video only using the battery pack, i.e. having the iPhone constantly connected to an external battery, and that's a solution I don't think is possible.
BTW iPads are quite popular among tourists for taking photos, so it's a bit of a shame that they only have a 5Mpix camera. It would be nice if the next retina mini had more RAM and a better sensor for taking photos and videos.
If I'm not mistaken, the post-production of the Bentley advertisement was also processed on iOS - specifically on the iPad (which somewhat serves Apple to its credit).
The iPad Air 2 has an 8MPx iSight…
Yes, it has, but only the Air 2, the others 5MPix, when I was talking about tourists, practically everyone carries a mini ipad. I am looking forward to the new retina mini, hopefully they will give it 2 Gb of ram. The sensor will probably remain the same or they will do it the other way around, put an 8 MPix sensor and the frame will not increase. Let us be surprised.
The iPhone 6 Plus also has optical stabilization.
So record it, but you would have to take a Note 2 and not a 4 so that we can understand each other, because the iP 5 is over 2 years old. then send me a link to that movie of yours thanks
and will you process it as well? (it's listed at the end of the video)
http://reza.la/portfolio/bentley-intelligent-details/