Useful Apps You can Use for Cinemotography

The other day I came upon an article on theblackandblue.com, which is a site mainly used for tips for cinematographers. These tips range from special new focus tools to the importance of bottled water on any type of set. The specific article I thought was definitely something that could help all cinematographers with a smart phone, is the article about the five most useful applications for any cinematographer. I will touch upon the four that I think are extremely useful. The first app mentioned is the shot designer that was already mentioned in class. This allows you to set up your floor plan and camera moves for every scene. 

The next app they mentioned was the Cinemek Storyboard Compser HD. With this app you have the opportunity to  make your storyboard with real pictures you take with your Iphone, Ipad, or Macbook. You can choose your camera shots and positions, add audio, and easily rearrange scenes or shots if necessary. This app seems to take storyboarding to a whole new level making it way easier for the cinematographer to edit and manipulate. No more stick figures and arrows to represent our actors' movements. This app costs $29.99, which in my opinion seems well worth it. 

Cinema is the next app that they recommend to all cinematographers. This application is exactly how it sounds. It contains forms such as, talent releases, shot lists, equipment lists, and many more. Now instead of worrying wearing all these forms are, you can have them conveniently on your smartphone's digital archive. 

The last app they mentioned that seemed very convenient is one called the Green Screener. With this app you can shoot your camera of your smartphone or Ipad at the green screen and you can automatically see which parts are lit differently, which is crucial for any green screen. I think all these applications will one day completely replace the process of production that is in effect now. They seem so much more adaptable and are less time consuming then what is done in the current industry. 

A functional audio interface, perfect for a college student

A popular audio recording app, Rode Rec, just got completely renovated and revamped. Rode Rec is an app for your ipad or iphone(currently unavailable to android users like myself), that turns your phone into a fully functional audio interface. It comes with options and abilities that professional audio interfaces have.
Rode Rec 2.8 gives you the ability to:
-Record at various sample rates
-Choose stereo vs. mono
-Control of your input & output signal
-Versatile compression and expansion controls
-Extensive "Rode Rec" equalizer
-iZotope presets for various scenarios
-and more

After you finish recording your audio, Rode Rec even has a built in sound editor. The sound editor program seems very in-depth for a phone editing program, but I'm sure it can not compare to any industry standard programs. Regardless, it would probably work in a pinch. With the Rode Rec editor you can:
-Edit with a trim tool
-Create basic or complex fades
-Create markers and regions
-Share directly to sites like Dropbox and Soundcloud
-Export in 9 different file formats

Rode Rec also sells lavalier mics that are made specifically for this app and your iphone which can be found here. In combination with the mic this app seems very practical. The biggest problem I see is that, depending on the situation, it will be very difficult to monitor your levels while you are recording, but there are ways to work around that.

I love that the industry is creating affordable alternatives that will produce a competing product, for simple use right on your iphone. I am excited to see what similar apps will be released in the near future. Here is a video directly from Rode Rec to learn more.



Introducing RØDE Rec 2.8 from RØDE Microphones on Vimeo.

(I tried to embed but couldn't get it to work with vimeo)