A few weeks after Accsoon shocked the world (including myself) with news of their new SeeMo Pro SDI which allows filmmakers and video pros the ability to turn their iPhones into a working production monitor, we have one of our first pieces of gear aimed at facilitating this very thing.
With Tilta’s new Rotatable Phone Mounting Bracket, you’ll indeed have the ability to use your iPhone on set as a portable production monitor, and you can even attach and adjust it however you’d like to your camera rig now.
Let’s explore this helpful new smartphone mounting bracket and explore how it could be used for your projects and shoots.
Credit: Tilta
The Tilta Rotatable Phone Mounting Bracket
A cool little device that isn’t going to break the bank (or your production budget), this new rotatable phone mounting bracket is about as simplistic, yet usable, as they come. With a small size perfect for attaching to even the smallest and lightest of camera rigs, you should have plenty of versatility to put your smartphone in whatever position you’d want really.
Here are some of the key features:
- 180-degree tilt adjustment flexibility
- 360-degree rotation
- Supports devices with a width of 60mm to 90mm
- Maximum load support for 300g
- Designed with soft silicon material for anti-slip protection
- Supports accessories via cold shoe and ¼ threads
Price: $32.90 (coming soon)
It should hold your smartphone nice and steady, plus allow you to move it around for basic shooting functions. This isn’t a top-of-the-line piece of gear by any means, but for smaller projects, it should work great.
Credit: Tilta
Who Are These Smartphone Production Devices For?
What’s interesting about this new piece of film gear has less to do with the mount itself, and more about what’s going on in the industry, and specifically who these new smartphone production tools are for.
It seems like this Tilta Phone Mounting Bracket is designed for the right level of video professional who might be just run-and-gun enough to not have the time or resources for a more advanced monitor setup, yet also not too run-and-gun that you don’t want to just use your camera’s LCD screen exclusively, this should be a great solution to help you out on shoots.
I wouldn't think there is a large sub-section of video pros using this tool, but recent trends would indicate that more and more filmmakers are operating in this small crew (or no crew) level of production, and unlocking their smartphones as a cheap and useful tool in production is quite appealing.
Credit: Tilta
The Future of Smartphone Production
Also, with AI advancements continuing to rock the film and video landscape, it certainly seems like budgets for projects might be trending leaner at least until clients and agencies can fully understand what can be done with algorithms versus production teams. Any tools which help streamline production and make things easier and more affordable appear to be welcomed.
Still, my personal biggest question and concern about using an iPhone as my production monitor might simply have to do with my issues with wanting to check my phone every 15 minutes.
Will turning your iPhone into a monitor mean your production is going to constantly be interrupted by fantasy football notifications? Or if you’re a shooter/producer hybrid, will you have to cut mid-take to answer a call from your client?
Still, with an affordable price and easy-to-attach setup, it’d be hard to pass on a mount like this if you’re at all interested in trying out this type of production.
How do you feel about this new Tilta Phone Mounting Bracket though? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
