4 Must Have iPhone Apps and Links For Video Production

Like everyone who has one - I love my iPhone. 

Briefly, here are a few apps that I've used recently on the road and in production.

1. LlamaSlate.

 

Often times I am shooting with two different cameras and the cameras don't have a way of synching with each other through timecode: a betacam and an HVX200, Two HVX cameras (they say you can synch with firewire but I have yet to figure it out*), a Varicam and a HV30 etc. 

In the past, I have asked the people I am interviewing to clap in front of their face - to slate the two cameras.  Now, I don't have to.  This wonderful app gives a clap or beep to mark the beginning or end of a take.  I can also input the quality of each take and then go back in the edit and check what I thought at the time. Terrific. 

One way to get this even better would be to have the iPhone synch with timecode.  I've got to think that's around the corner.

2. SpeakEasy

If you want a nice audio reference of what your talking head du jour has said on camera - boot up SpeakEasy on your iPhone.

Plug in the mic that comes with the phone and voila - you've got a digital recorder that even 12 months ago was hundreds of dollars.

You can download the file through additional free software and play it in iTunes.

Zap it off to the transcriber. Done.

If anyone has tried using it straight out of a mixer, let me know how it works.

3. Footage Calculator

While not available from the app store the people at Digital Rebellion have made this tool accessible for mobile internet browsing.  Find it here.

It has come in very handy when I was recently shooting in the UK with an HVX 200 and had a limited supply of P2 cards.  The tool allows you to figure out (based on frame rate, format and resolution) how much storage you will need.  

4. Sunrise Sunset Finder

Optimized for your mobile browser, link to this handy site here.

Anywhere in the world you can find out in two clicks when the sun will rise or set.
Exterior shots just got that much easier.  Now you know exactly when to make the crew call for tomorrow's shoot.

Many thanks to Breece at Deltree for posting about Llamaslate. Check out the hyperlink for other apps he finds useful in the field.

Also, selfreliantfilm.com posted way back in July their list of cool production apps and that's where I found Sunrise and the Footage Calculator.

Let me know how you are using your iPhone in production or post.

* By the way if you have synched two HVX200s - let me know how you did that too!

Comments

[Jon Roemer]

This app costs more but is much more sophisticated for sun & moon times as well as their position in the sky. Search a location, date, and/or let it use the GPS built in to the iPhone.

http://spiraldev.com/focalware/

My review:
http://jonroemer.typepad.com/jon_roemer/2008/12/iphone-apps-3-focalware.html

[Christopher Ming Ryan]

Thanks for letting me know. I'll download it as soon as I get paid! :)

@chrismingryan