@athenae thank you! The hardest thing was that the actor was often a goofball. Super nice guy. I think he sometimes is a bit insecure because of the whole modeling thing. And so I had to go through a lot of audio where he was just being silly. He was more serious during the shoots but every once in awhile he digressed. I think that is what helped it stay so real though. He was truly being himself.

@thejenniferzhang We need to get him in touch with the festival and perhaps we can help it grow. During your shoot, how difficult was it to shoot yourself and make dolly shots? I know it was an effect right? But very subtly done. Has anyone had a chance to watch Charon yet?

@aguillossou I think sometimes people feel so comfortable being recorded with a smartphone versus a DSLR or another camera, that they may tend to go silly, right?

@thejenniferzhang I'm curious as to what some of the challenges filmmakers who worked on feature films encountered, if any. Telling a feature film on an iphone is so different from the "traditional" route, or is it? Did anyone find any limitations as a filmmaker in terms of what they could or could not do creatively?

@susy this actor has done a lot in front of RED cameras and Arri cameras that I don't think the phone made any difference. He's just silly. But when he's on, he's amazing. So far I've found that people are most comfortable when they don't think the camera is on, whatever camera that is. That's when I get some of the best shots.

@athenae That’s a good question for Jennifer.

@susy It was so incredibly difficult -- but more emotionally than technically. I did have to have in my head the shots that I wanted dolly'd so i could shoot them wide enough to add the digital dolly in post on the Videoshop app. It was challenging... but less challenging than having to push record and then stepping in front of the camera... hoping I hit my mark and that the autofocus had kicked in, and then to emotionally "get there" to do the performance. Re: the app, I bet the video app developer would be thrilled to hear from you! I don't know if they ever tested their app for this... but I was able to use it to export the whole film in 4K in about the same time it would take on a computer! Insanely well developed, and the app only costs $20.

Anthony @anthonybradford if you can share how you shot your film, Raider of the Last TP and captured good audio and good lighting a bit I would think everyone here would like to know! 

@thejenniferzhang: I did have to have in my head the shots that I wanted dolly'd so i could shoot them wide enough to add the digital dolly in post on the Videoshop app

wow! So not just a screenplay but an organized shot list! Can you elaborate a bit on the importance of that? Even for shorts I truly believe shot lists are extremely necessary.

@susy

WOMAN began as a modern dance work with text "Phenomenal Woman", sounds of breath, heart beat etc.. No real score.

When COVID hit I new I wanted to be creative.  WOMAN was to be revived.  Why film?  I could create an environment that is specific to each character.  Far more superior to any stage lighting design or set design.  When the characters morph into their ethereal identities could not have worked with out film.

On a funny note, wanted the characters at the end to ribbon out and then intertwine and dive into the pond.  Still working on it to say I did it!    

@susy so for my short film "Raider of the Last TP", I used a tripod and softbox lights as well as sometimes LED lights in more awkward, smaller spaces to light my face, where I couldn't necessarily bring in or find a place to plug in the softbox lights. For any steady shots, I filmed myself and used the DJI Osmo 3. As for audio, I used a Rode Video Mic-Me L shotgun in my main phone (iphone 11pro) and also recorded audio concurrently and separately with my old phone (the iphone 6) using the voice memo app. I would usually plant it iphone 6 unseen like right behind my laptop or in my front jacket pocket. I could then sync in post, which was pretty easy. I used Adobe Premiere to edit it and Adobe Audition to further clean up sound. I use a Ulanzi cage when I shoot on my phone, and is great as you can throw LED lights on the cage for tougher to reach spots or shots. 

@carterlil How many films have you made before this one?

@aguillossou

Yes!!!  Dancers are the same way.  If they think I am not watching (my are peripherals always a go) they do incredible stuff!

@susy

yes indeed. I tried to make the film the same way I would make a traditional film. I think it's very important for the kind of film I was making (a drama), but I imagine if you're making a documentary or a found-footage film or something more organically suitable for a cell phone, it'd be less important. It's funny because the camera was the novel part of the process... but for everything else, the "traditional" filmmaking skills applied just the same. Shotlist to get the coverage you need for the edit, schedule to make sure you make your day, etc.

@carterlil LOL. I was a professional dancer and have filmed dancers a lot in the past two years. We are all indeed goofy...and clumsy.