Filmmaking on the go: Exploring the creative liberties and footprint of mobile films this World Photography Day

A picture is worth a thousand words. Now multiply this to the tune of the average 24-frames-per-second and what you have for yourself is an endless realm of visions. The digital era has often been criticised for feeling isolative and blurring authenticity. But cutting-edge technology, which appears to be evolving mile a minute, has collapsed borders, uniting communities based on their unique passions and perspectives. The visual medium, be it photography, videography or art, has greatly benefited from this evolution. Today, in honour of World Photography Day, we will be shining the spotlight on the booming creative potential of mobile filmmaking. The mobile filmmaking revolution is here to stay(Photo: Sparks Film School – For representation purpose only) World Photography Day is celebrated on August 19(Photo: Freepik – For representation purpose only) Why the smartphone filming revolution is importantThe big leagues are well-guarded and gate-kept and this possibly couldn’t be any truer when it comes to the world of cinema. If you thought making it big as an actor was tough, you haven’t even begun to unfurl the struggles of aspiring filmmakers. While success isn’t assured in any field, what the booming mobile filmmaking revolution aims to seek, is give arts a gear formidable enough to weave their own story, minus the politics and red-tapism involved in breaking into the scene. Choosing to shot your film on your smartphone will allow you greater creative reign over the final product(Photo: Freepik – For representation purpose only) Any and every content produced today, is inherently global nature and mobile filmmaking allows you to have complete creative reign over your final product. Very pressing issues like budget and networking can wholeheartedly take a backseat as you commit yourself to achieving your vision. The celluloid no longer refers to just movie theatres. In an increasingly global atmosphere, avid audience are always on the look out for authentic narratives and storytelling. With there being multiple communities to spread the word and encourage one on their journey, there simply exs no excuse to not get filming right away. What’s more, this won’t be a fruitless pursuit. Film festival circuits, such as the International Mobile Film Festival, was launched back in 2009 and will be completing 14 glorious years of celebrating mobile films from the world over, next April. Can you try your hand at this?There is no parallel to match the experience you will gain when you actually begin filming on your own accord. That being said, the internet is teeming with advice and pointers to consider if you’re an absolute novice when it comes to practical experience. Basics to keep in mind is having a fully charged phone and ample storage space so that you can toy around with as much footage as possible. Break down your final product into a series of shots on a vision board and target them one one. If you aren’t sure of your hand being rock-steady, invest in a tripod which will serve you well if you chose to continue on this path. The internet is teeming with communities that will help you decode how to kickstart your mobile filmmaking journey(Photo: Freepik – For representation purpose only) Additional tips suggested Screen Skills include keeping your phone on airplane mode so that no notifications may interrupt your audio, avoiding zooming in on the screen and simply taking the smartphone closer to your subject to be extra mindful of the audio and positioning your microphone as close to the source sound as possible. Additional hacks to maximise your smartphone camera’s ability to aid your quest for creativity, will differ from model to model but must be looked into. Inspiring specimens to binge on for inspirationThere is no dearth of great specimens that will leave you brimming with inspiration when it comes to the shining gems of smartphone-shot films. Aryan Kaganof’s SMS Sugar Man (2008), clocking in at an hour and twenty-one minutes, was among the earliest examples of this. The film was shot entirely on a Sony Ericsson W900i, as per IMDb. Jay Alvarez’s I Play with the Phrase Each Other (2013), with a nearly two-hour long runtime, was the first film to be “composed entirely of cell phone calls” as per the same IMDb licle. Sean Baker’s 2015 film Tangerine, Steven Soderbergh’s 2018 film Unsane and Hassan Fazili’s Midnight Traveler (2019) are some of the highest-rated, wildly popular indie circuit films, shot entirely on smartphones. More binge-worthy titles in the category include Ricky Foshiem’s Uneasy Lies the Mind (2014), Matthew A Cherry’s Rides (2016), Stefen Harris’ Blue Moon (2018), Unsane-fame Soderbergh’s High Flying Bird (2019) and Claude Lelouche’s The Best Years of a Life (2019). Kurt Ela’s Char Man (2019) deserves a special mention here owing to the fact that it was shot on an iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy 8 and an iPad. Start with photographyAs thrilling as the world of amateur filmmaking sounds, not all of us here have even dabbled with the idea of making our own motion picture. That being said, we’ve all taken pictures at some point or the other. You may not be the best at it but at the end of the day everybody has a vision. Even if you wouldn’t really label yourself as ‘creative’, everyone has a mental image of what a perfect picture looks like, never mind the subject. In the same breath, the average smartphone is more than well equipped to help you bring your version of a perfect picture to life. Most smartphone cameras will equip you with the basics like flash, aperture, HDR, portrait mode, depth sensor and optical image stabilisation to name a few features. These are more than enough to get you started on what could be an entirely new journey of creative discovery. You don’t really need a DSLR to hone your photography skills(Photo: The School of Photography – For representation purpose only) You don’t really then, need to own a DSLR or be a renowned photographer to celebrate World Photography Day. Get clicking!