5 Apps Every Cinematographer Needs
INTRODUCTION
From movies like Tangerine, to High Fantasy, or 28 Years Later, it's been proven that using smartphones as a cinema camera is a possibility.
However, rather than focusing on how phones can be used to shoot projects, I’ll instead show how they are more often used by professional filmmakers - not for their filming ability but rather by using various apps as cinematography tools.
Before we start I should note that I don’t have any affiliation or sponsorship with any of the apps mentioned, and that this video is less about recommending specific applications or software than it is about showing the kinds of apps and how they are incorporated into the workflow of industry filmmakers.
1 - VIEWFINDER
The app that is most often used on professional sets by cinematographers is a viewfinder. This is a cheap alternative to the old school method of using a pentafinder - an optical viewfinder which you can attach your different lenses to and look through to pre-visualize the frame.
Using an app to do this both saves on renting a pentafinder and makes it quicker to flick through different lens options with the tap of a button.
These apps exist as a digital scouting tool that simulates how a shot will look on various camera sensors and lenses - without needing the actual camera gear in your hand.
They can therefore be used for pre production planning, to view and capture frames when you’re recce-ing - visiting a location before the shoot: which can later be used as reference frames in your storyboard. Or, it can be used on set, in collaboration with the director, to easily communicate your vision, or flick through different focal length lenses or camera positions until you settle on a frame everyone is happy with.
This precise information about the lens and placement of the camera can then accurately be communicated to your camera and grips team - saving time and unnecessary switching to different lenses or moving the camera around to find the right spot.
The reason you probably don’t want to just use your camera phone, instead of a viewfinder app, to line up a shot comes down to field of view.
The two most popular apps, Artemis - which I use, or Cadrage, are paid apps at $20 or $30 respectively. They come with a wide selection of cameras and lenses which you can plug in based on the gear which you’re using.
This provides a very accurate field of view which will match the shot width of how the actual lens will look on the actual camera, unlike the stock standard camera app which will just show a wide angle field of view.
They also provide options such as adding the frame lines for the aspect ratio you’ll be shooting in, exposure adjustment, and the capability of capturing video or stills for different projects with camera and lens metadata that you can refer back to once you’re on set, or use to plug into storyboards.
2 - LIGHTING DIAGRAM
In the same way that a viewfinder allows you to pre visualize and plan for the exact frame you want, a lighting diagram allows cinematographers to plot exactly how they’d like their lamps set up at each location or set.
This is especially useful for pre-lighting - where certain electrical crew members are sent ahead to the next location, before filming, to rig and set up fixtures before the rest of the crew arrives - which saves on set up time.
Giving your gaffer a detailed lighting plan to work with will ensure the lights are correctly positioned when you arrive.
This blueprint can be created any number of ways: from physically drawing a sketch on paper, to plotting where your lights will be positioned using an app.
My methodology is to bring a notebook to the recce. At each location, I’ll take a couple photos of the space on my phone, then roughly sketch where I imagine placing the light sources.
It’s also possible to use a lidar scanning app, a laser or tape measure to make floor plans with more accurate measurements - if specific distances are required such as for rigging polecats between walls.
After the recce is complete and I have a bit more time, I’ll then use an app to more carefully create a bird’s eye view floor plan of exactly what gear I’ll be using and where it’ll be placed based on the location photos and sketches.
There are some more advanced paid software options for this that also come with 3D modelling capabilities, such as Vectorworks Spotlight.
Or, you can design these plans yourself in software such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator, with the option to purchase custom illustrated assets such as from Film Set Objects.
But I usually just use either the diagram feature in Sidus Link - Aputure’s app which is available for free download, or the Nanlink app - which is Nanlite’s free software.
These come with illustrated drag and drop options such as lights, textiles, people, and furniture, that you can use to build your diagrams - which can later be exported and passed on to the relevant crew members who will be assembling these plans in the real world.
Although I like this app workflow, these diagrams can also be created by just roughly hand drawing them - as ultimately it's not the diagrams that’ll be seen and judged but the actual lighting in the footage.
3 - FILM EQUIPMENT APPS
We mentioned how the Sidus Link and Nanlink apps can be used for making diagrams, however they are actually primarily designed for another function - controlling and adjusting film equipment - in this case lights.
Once you have your lights set up, the next step is to turn them on and balance the levels. In other words, different fixtures will need to be dimmed up or down until you arrive at a brightness and colour temperature for each lamp that you’re happy with.
Rather than needing to have a crew member stand next to each lamp and do this manually, it’s much easier to use an app. This allows DPs to stand at the camera or monitor and adjust the exposure of the light levels by eye.
The app required will depend on what brand of lights you’re using. Aputure lamps can be wirelessly adjusted via bluetooth with Sidus Link, while Nanlite fixtures use the Nanlink app.
Some gaffers may also have their own DMX controller board which they link all their lights to - which fulfills the same function.
Then there are other film equipment apps which offer wireless control, such as the Ronin app, for adjusting and calibrating gimbal motors.
Monitoring apps which link to transmitters like the RavenEye which runs through the Ronin app, the HollyLand, or VAxis app which provide a relatively low cost monitoring option. Or apps that can be used to trigger a camera to roll or adjust exposure settings such as the GoPro or Blackmagic app.
4 - WEATHER
One of the most important jobs a DP fulfills is lighting, and, if you’re shooting outdoors, this will largely be determined by the natural sunlight and weather conditions.
Therefore it's important to keep a close eye on the changing weather conditions and where in the sky the sun will be at the shooting location. During the recce, for both exterior and interior locations I’ll consult an app which predicts the path of the sun.
You can then use this as a guide to your lighting, for example finding a frame, blocking, and time of day for shooting where the actors will get a flattering three quarter backlight from the sun. Or, for interiors, check whether the sun either will, or won’t, come directly through a window.
For this I use an app called Sun Seeker. It has a 3D mode, which uses your phone’s camera to highlight the path of the sun and where it’ll be at different times during the day. You can also take photos in this mode during the recce, to remind yourself of sun locations for later.
Another useful free sun tracking tool that I use is ShadeMap - which is especially useful if you aren’t able to recce locations or perform a light study in person. This uses Google Maps data, to give a prediction of what area will be in shadow at a particular time of day.
You can search any location and scroll through different times and dates. It’s an incredibly accurate tool, which takes into account the shadows cast by buildings, trees or other objects.
Apart from these specific studies it's also important for filmmakers to constantly be checking various weather forecasts - so that they know what is coming and try to schedule the shooting of exteriors around any undesired weather as best as possible.
5 - CREATIVE TREATMENTS
If you’re competing for a freelance, HOD job in filmmaking, pitching for funding, or just want to communicate your creative vision you may need to create some kind of a visual treatment.
This could take the form of a slideshow, a mood board, a lookbook, or a more practical form like a storyboard.
There are a number of apps or software that you can use to put together creative treatments. When it comes to a mood board, I like to use Milanote - which is like a freeform page that you can attach references, images, text, or palettes to in order to articulate your vision.
You can also share and work together on this document with other collaborators.
For more formal treatments which you have to present, I like working in Google’s G-Suite on docs, sheets or slides. Although similar software from Apple or Microsoft works just as well.
For each project I’ll create a new folder on Google Drive which I can populate with different templates - such as a camera specs and gear list sheet, a visual treatment slide, grade document, a folder for images from the viewfinder app which were taken on the recce, and a storyboard sheet.
This helps me to stay organised, better prep for each project, and create visual documents based on the director’s input that can clearly communicate the kind of look, tone and style that we’ll try to achieve on set.