Watch: 5 Clever Tricks for Better Smartphone Cinematography
Smartphone cinematography is a whole lot more effective and fun with these simple tricks.
Shooting a video on a smartphone can be a little tricky. You're dealing with a camera that is super tiny and lightweight in comparison to DSLRs and cinema cameras, which can be both a limitation as well as a benefit. In this video, Jordy Vandeput of Cinecom goes over a few really practical and creative tricks that take advantage of the size, shape, and weight of a smartphone so you can perform better cinematography on your next project. Check it out below:
Like I said before, there are advantages and disadvantages to shooting a project on a smartphone. First of all, the size may restrict the sensor size, but it will also allow you to put it in just about any tight space you can think of. Second, the lightweight quality of a phone may result in more shakiness and vibration when shooting handheld, but it will also allow you to mount it anywhere using only a bit of tape.
Vandeput discusses solutions to these types of things in the video, but he also shares several other helpful tricks that will give you a lot more creative latitude as you shoot on your smartphone.
- Unique POV Shots: Tape your phone to a door, an object your subject picks up, or even a car tire for sweet POVs.
- Creative Transitions: This is a pretty cool trick for a creative transition. As you're recording, old your phone loosely on one side and then let it swing down. Then, for the next shot, swing it back up.
- Better Skintones: The flash on your camera is going to render your skintones a little green, but coloring it with a red highlighter will help give you more natural tones. You can also try other colors to create a stylistic look.
- DIY Anamorphic Lens Flares: Taping a length of fishing line against your camera lens will produce those horizontal, anamorphic-looking lens flares.
- Clay Camera Stabilizer: Take advantage of clay's malleability by forming it to hold your smartphone.
What are some other clever cinematography tricks you can use on your smartphone? Let us know down in the comments.
Source: Cinecom
