I'll admit it. I'm a dinosaur! I still carry a light meter. I measure my depth of field with an actual tape measure. I still own HMI's. Some habits are hard to break.
I have also resisted using the iPhone for production, and with good reason. Without a $20K enhancement package, the limitations were just too many in my opinion. Then, my old friends from Black Magic (yes... they have been around for a very long time) launched their new camera app (not so new anymore) for smartphones, and I was all in! Better yet... IT'S FREE!!!!
True, there are limitations (iris control being a major issue for me), but Black Magic has really thought through the functionality of this app and given me almost everything I need to use my phone as a reliable C-Cam. Proof... I even pulled it out on a true crime series I'm serving on as DP for some driving shots, and am thrilled with the results.
I also teach production a couple of nights a week at the local community college, and since it's a TOTALLY FREE APP, I have made its download and use a part of the curriculum.
I don't have the time or space to get into all the features in this post, so check out this link to read more from the Black Magic site. https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera
I also invite you to try out the app for yourself and share your experience with us in the comments below. It's a wonderful time for experimentation!
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This is great! Thank you Michael! I still value a light meter in production so we can just be dinosaurs together. LOL!
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I think that I put the BM app on my phone as soon I could and it's a great tool. I'm currently in production production of a no budget feature film and 98% of the film is being shot on the Pocket 4K because that's what we have. But some of the shots, the ones where a couple of the actors actually went to LA, were shot on an iphone with BM app. Honestly the footage looks awesome and is more than usable. I don't think it would have been as usable shot on the iphon native app, especially with the Prores option on the BM app.