Documentary filmmaking with SmartPhones

Bern Caughey

Bern Caughey

Veteran
For a longform documentary we'd like to film some impromptu interviews at locations that are less than film friendly, & are leaning toward using our SmartPhones.

Initial thought is to utilize the iPhone 6s+ with a Rode VideoMic Me attached, & record 1080p/24 at 50 Mbps using the Filmic Pro app. When possible we may also use a Rode smartLav+ connected to another iPhone 6, but this may not always be practical, so we'd often just keep the camera close to the interviewee.

http://www.filmicpro.com/apps/apple/filmic-pro/

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1186598-REG/rode_videomic_me_directional_mic.html

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1059342-REG/rode_smartlav_smart_lav_lav_mic_for.html

Wonder if anyone has thoughts, or experiences, with similar filmmaking? We're open to different mics, or apps, but will be using the iPhones as that's what we own.

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
I would go with the SmartLav+ over the VideoMic Me. Get the extension cable for the lav.

The downside is that you cannot monitor the recording without a breakout adapter, and those get mixed reviews. On the plus side, FilmicPro (an absolute must) offers manual audio record level control and a rudimentary but effective meter.

One other option may be the Tascam DR-10L, though again there's no live monitoring simply because it's attached to the interviewee, same as if you used a second smart phone.

I am not at all a fan of recording sound in a way that cannot be monitored through headphones, but the safeguard is to listen back to the takes on-location. This adds time to the shoot, but it's the only way to know for sure that your recordings are usable before it is too late. Or, you could run a headphone extension from the DR-10L.
 
Bern, I just got back from shooting a project in Europe and used my iPhone SE as a B-cam. The shots with this camera were not audio critical, as that was handled by my A-cam. But I have to say, I was more than pleased with the video quality I got from this camera using FilmicPro. We have really come a long way.
 
Last edited:
Thanks everyone!

Ordered both the VideoMic Me, & smartLav+. Hoping to use a separate iPhone to record audio from the smartLav+, & attach the VideoMic Me to the iPhone capturing footage. Any suggestions for a App just for recording audio? Something that allows the files to be dumped directly into DropBox, similar to the function in Filmic Pro? Seems Rode's Rec app doesn't get great reviews.

So far been happy with Filmic Pro, & the 'Epic Guide' tutorials really helped understand the functions.

http://www.filmicpro.com/videos/tutorials/

http://www.filmicpro.com/works/the-epic-guide-to-filmic-pro-v5-in-depth-tutorial/
 
I've never had a problem with the RØDE Rec app and, in fact, prefer it to anything else I've tried. Voice Record Pro is another decent option, but I still prefer the wavform display on RØDE Rec.
 
Alex H. said:
I've never had a problem with the RØDE Rec app and, in fact, prefer it to anything else I've tried. Voice Record Pro is another decent option, but I still prefer the wavform display on RØDE Rec.
Click to expand...

Thanks again!

Briefly tested the RØDE Rec app & it seems to work fine.

Another question...do you prefer AIFF, or PCM, when recording audio directly into Filmic Pro? What are the pros & cons?
 
Bern-

Great thread.

Why not something like an H1 which would allow headphone monitoring?

Good luck on the project.

I need to test the FilmicPro app.

Be well.

Rob
Smalltalk.Productions
 
robfilms said:
Why not something like an H1 which would allow headphone monitoring?
Click to expand...

Mostly it's a matter of space. For every extra thing I add into my bags something else has to come out.

Another filmmaker suggested juicedLink's Little DARling audio recorder, which appears to have some useful features, & I may consider depending on how well the smartLav+ works out. For this project I think lavs are going to be used infrequently, & we'll mostly rely on the onboard VideoMic Me. It's acceptable that these segments are a bit rough.

Just got the VideoMic Me. One feature I missed was that it has a headphone jack so the audio can be monitored. Imagine it only allows monitoring the mic, & not the recording, but it's still a welcome feature.
 
Another option is the iRig Pro. It's compact, offers headphone monitoring and phantom power, and has XLR input. If you have a lav that's wired for XLR and phantom, or you have an XLR adapter, this is a great option for connecting straight to your iPhone via Lightning.
 
bern-

how did the smartphone shoot work out?

footage, bts or set-up stills available to share?

what would you do differently the next time?

thanks in advance for any info you care to share.

be well.

rob
smalltalk.productions
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top