Mobile journalism has changed content creators’ and consumers’ lives for the better. Reporters of all kinds are able to tell their stories through the means of mobile devices, such as an iPhone or Android. Newscasters will now use a cell phone to record themselves at the scene of an incident, instead of requiring a full camera crew to film them; this is groundbreaking. MoJo is cheaper, more convenient, and allows for more stories to be told.
Storytelling isn’t just for news reporters. MoJo also applies to movie-making. In as early as 2015, movie directors opted for a lower-budget iPhone shooting technique. A movie called Tangerine was filmed solely on an iPhone 5s, though hefty help with audio, editing, and lenses was needed to make the movie as cinematic as possible, as told in this article.
Several other films were made with an iPhone 5s. Some fallbacks include that shooting in the cold caused the phone to die and that the post-production editing was immense, but saving money seems to be the main motivation, and worth any bumps in the road. In addition, shooting on an iPhone offers a more creative and innovative way to approach film-making. In my opinion, it is very difficult to tell if a movie is shot on an iPhone vs. a $10,000 professional camera.
The two movies above were shot strictly on iPhones, but three years (AKA three iPhone generations) apart. Can you tell from the trailers alone which movie appears to be more advanced?
Many production experts and audiences believe iPhone-filming to be more humanistic and raw than regular filming mechanisms. I agree with this statement, though I wonder if that it said solely because it is made clear that a movie was shot with an iPhone. If this information were not released, I predict that only the most expert of eyes could tell the difference in production. Similarly, these iPhone-shot movies are not “The Godfather” or “Avatar.” They are lesser known, indie-style films. This “raw” effect can be due to several other aspects besides the iPhone.
MoJo is easy, cheap, and high quality. It has taken the news industry by storm, and is quickly invading the movie world. One day, we may only be watching TV shows and movies shot by an iPhone. And far into the future, we may not need extra audio and editing tools to make the film Oscar-worthy. Technology is advancing at a rapid rate and we are all here to enjoy the outcomes.
GILLIAN 