Making Movies with a Telephone

Steve Rosen in 2008 with his Panasonic HPX-500 video camera. State-of-the-art at the time but a lot of camera to carry around.

Words: Steve Rosen Photos and the film Ella courtesy of Steve Rosen

I’ve been making movies my entire adult life; I’m 79, so that’s a lot of films. After using a Bolex B-8 in high school (my dad bought it so I could film his golf swing in slow motion), I upgraded to a Bolex H-16 Reflex in 1963. Six months later I took it with me to L.A. when I transferred to the UCLA Motion Picture Division.

I came of age professionally in the psychedelic ’60s, shooting rock ’n’ roll films (before they were called “music videos”) for a variety of bands, ranging from The Jefferson Airplane to Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. I filmed rock concerts, happenings, love-ins and 2nd unit, in both 16mm and 35mm. Directors forced fisheye lenses on me because they were groovy. I’ve disliked them ever since. Just a personal opinion, as is most of what appears in this article.

Over the decades since, the technology of filmmaking has changed dramatically; slowly at first, much more rapidly in the new millennium. As a young documentary filmmaker, I upgraded from my 400’ Bolex to a self-blimped Cinema Products 16-R in 1974. It was the first 16mm camera with an onboard battery; a big deal then. Eight years later I bought a 16mm Éclair ACL that I used for 13 years; then a Super16 Aaton for nine (both feature snap-on magazines). The 21st Century marked the birth of digital cinema, and brought with it a procession of Canon, Panasonic and Black Magic cameras. If you buy a new camera today, it’ll be obsolete before the batteries are fully charged.

The pandemic ended my professional career, but not my passion for filmmaking. I wanted a paradigm shift, so I cast a glance onto my iPhone; a 6S at the time, not quite what I had in mind. I saw a TV spot for the 13 Pro Max during a football game and ordered one immediately, with 512GB of storage.

The Rig

The iPhone in an Urban Armor Gear case. A good precaution given how easy it is to drop such a small camera.

Back in 1982 I made a short film about Ansel Adams turning 80. The woman I worked with asked him, “So you’ve not yet given up the camera?” Ansel crossed his arms, smiled and replied, “No. I’ve dropped a few though.” If arguably the world’s most famous photographer can drop a camera, dropping a slippery, fiddly phone is inevitable. And it’ll make a gut-wrenching sound when it hits the pavement. So, the first accessory you’ll want is a good protective case (mine is from Urban Armor Gear).

Once you have a case you’re basically good to go, unless you want better sound and a more filmic look. I did, so I started searching the internet. That’s when the aftermarket reared its ugly head. But this stuff’s CHEAP compared to what I’m used to. For example, a BeastGrip Pro cage costs the same as one 400’ roll of 16mm color negative (10 minutes). And you’d still have to process and print the film!

That BeastGrip Pro can be used with any smartphone, but I’m focusing on the iPhone, because it’s what I have. Its major appeal is Apple ProRes, the same codec in many digital cinema cameras.

Okay, why a cage? Admittedly there’re times I just pull the phone out of my pocket; that’s one of its advantages: It’s always available. But if you want better sound, for instance, you have to mount the mic somewhere. True, for ten bucks you could buy a tripod mount with a cold shoe on top; but I’ve handheld nearly every film, video and digital cinema camera you can name, so I’m fussy. That’s why I sprung for the BeastGrip Pro. It’s designed for handholding, and the addition of a lens mount opens the door to a plethora of accessories.

BeastGrip recommends using it without a protective case, but I tweaked the spring clamp so it works with the UAG. That way I can keep the phone in my pocket, have the accessorized cage close by, and fit them quickly together when I need to. For that mic, I chose a Rode VideoMic Pro. At $300 it’s the single most expensive accessory I’ve added to my kit. But good sound is important, and I don’t have the luxury of an audio recordist anymore. What most attracted me is the ability to set the right and left channels at different levels.

Before I continue, I need to point out the three major disadvantages of smartphone filmmaking, at least for me. No eyepiece -- a fucking glare obscured, finger-smudged touch-screen instead -- and the inability to use long telephoto lenses. I’m not even talking 300 or 400mm! You’re basically stuck with what’s considered a “medium telephoto” on a dedicated camera … after you’ve added an auxiliary lens.

BeastGrip Pro cage with custom Sandmark VND neutral density filter mounted on the lens.

The Film Look

It’s admittedly an affectation to talk about the film look. An entire generation has grown to adulthood without ever seeing celluloid projected on a screen. But there’re those of us who hold to traditions created long before the digital revolution.

For instance, 200 years ago Peter Roget (the guy who brought us the thesaurus) introduced the concept of “persistence of vision” -- the fact that the human eye retains an image for a fraction of a second. Later, during the development of the motion picture camera, it was decided 16 frames per second was the minimum needed for the human eye to accept realistic motion. In 1929 a soundtrack was integrated with the film print, and they found 24fps to be the minimum speed for undistorted audio.

Another factor that affects our acceptance of realistic movement is “motion blur,” If the individual frames are too sharp, the image stutters when played back. Because of its mechanical shutter, a film camera’s speed at 24 fps is 1/48th of a second. Although hardly anyone shoots film anymore, these are the standards we’ve become accustomed to, and the basis of the film look.

Lately many opt to shoot and play back at 60fps, because it’s “like looking through a plate-glass window.” 60fps is available on the iPhone, and I won’t argue which is best cinematically, only which I prefer. And it isn’t looking through a plate-glass window. So, when choosing an app, I wanted to shoot 4K ProRes at 24fps while holding the shutter speed at 1/48th of a second.

Camera Apps

The two native iPhone apps (Video and Cinematic) both offer 4K at 24fps. If you don’t want to bother with, or pay for, another app, they’re pretty good. And you don’t need to select ProRes, either. HEVC is fine for vacations, baby’s first step, lens tests, cute kitties or those times when you don’t want to eat up storage quickly (ProRes HQ is the Great White Shark of mainstream codecs). I’ve intercut ProRes and HEVC often with good results.

That said, if you want 1/48th of a second -- and manual control of exposure, white balance, and focus -- you’ve got to go to the App Store. Eventually I settled on Filmic Pro and BeastCam, because neither requests much personal information. They’re both good, but Filmic Pro defaults to 1/48 when possible. It also locks color temperature on record, a nice feature. However, there is a drawback: Recently Filmic Pro became a subscription app. It’s not prohibitive, so I’ve stuck with it. But if you’re put off by that, BeastCam comes in a very close second and has a still photo mode, which few other cinema apps do.

There are two other app’s worth considering. One is practical, the other just fun. Rode Reporter allows you to record audio only while manually monitoring levels. And with 8mm II you can simulate shooting film, and adjust the look from crappy, projector scratched 8mm home movies, to passable super16 with the occasional (and once inevitable) dust spec.

I’m not a big fan of slow motion (probably as a result of shooting my dad’s golf swing when I was 12), so I can’t recommend a slo-mo app other than Apple’s. But that brings up a potentially embarrassing issue.

When working fast in VIDEO or CINEMATIC mode, it’s easy to accidentally tap SLO-MO on the (glare obscured, finger-smudged) touch-screen. I have more than once. If you do, your footage will start fine, but switch to 120fps after a few seconds. I’ve discovered that if I load the clip into iMovie and select “speed” (the little clock), it’ll show the settings throughout, so I can change them back to the frame rate I want, and export (Although SLO-MO is 1080 HEVC, not 4K ProRes). If you accidentally touch TIME-LAPSE you’re fucked. The modes on iPhones should be lockable.

Filters & Lenses

First of all, some smartphone terminology can be confusing. Especially the fact that the selfie camera is called the “front” camera, and what should be the front camera is called the “back.” So it’s the back camera I’ll be referencing. Go figure.

When you’re outside on a bright day, it’s impossible to dial the ISO down enough to hold a 1/48 shutter speed, so you’ll need a neutral density filter. The best variable ND I’ve found is from Urth. It’s also the cheapest. Sandmarc makes a good one for their lenses, but it won’t fit others. Both filters have hard stops at minimum and maximum, little color shift and no dreaded X. (As an aside, using the clip that comes with the Sandmarc VND, I made a mount for the BeastGrip Pro so I can fit the Sandmarc filter over the wide and telephoto cameras simultaneously. It works great, but you can’t buy it anywhere).

Urth VND neutral density filter mounted on BeastGrip telephoto lens

In December 2022 I upgraded to the iPhone 14 Pro Max. The change was a no-brainer because of the improved resolution of the wide camera. Now I can park an auxiliary telephoto on that one camera, zoom in and out, without switching back and forth. I regularly use one of two lenses: the 2022 Sandmarc or the 2023 BeastGrip. The BeastGrip is sharper in the corners, but also bigger and heavier. The Sandmarc is a good choice if you want less weight. I shot most of ELLA with the Sandmarc because I liked the softer edges.

An Alternative Rig

The 14 Pro Max works with the BeastGrip Pro, but I wanted to give the BeastCage a try. Removing the phone from its case and fitting it into a precision-machined shell provides more precise centering of auxiliary lenses. SmallRig makes a similar cage for a third the price, but I wanted to use those telephotos, and plates for both are included with the BeastCage (as well as one for Moment). I really liked the grip on my BeastGrip Pro, so I bought another one, set the lens mount portion aside, amputated the handle from the clamp portion, and fabricated a bracket for it (as you can see in the photo).

There’s also a 58mm filter plate available for the BeastCage ($29) that covers all three cameras. That allows you to use effects filters, polarizers or NDs. Get one, but order the VND from Urth: Ironically, BeastGrip’s own VND doesn’t work well unless it’s centered over an individual lens.

The BeastCage is ideal for production applications. That’s both an advantage and a disadvantage. It feels more professional because it’s a solid unit, like an actual camera. But these are phones! You need to make calls, text, search the inter-web and play solitaire. Consequently, I still use the BeastGrip Pro often. In fact, I modified that lens mount portion I’d set aside to fit the Sandmarc telephoto.

The best argument for getting a BeastCage (or a SmallRig cage) is simultaneously the strongest reason not to: It’s designed to perfectly fit specific iPhones. While writing this, I received notification that plans for the iPhone 15 had just been leaked. A complete redesign, with USB-C and a much larger camera bump, indicating higher resolution in all three cameras. Like I said above, obsolete before the batteries are fully charged.

Making Movies

Unlike digital cinema cameras where I never use stabilization, smartphones need it. Even on a tripod. Cameras are bricks, but phones are so light they’re twitchy, and the slightest movement (like touching the screen to focus) can cause distracting jitters. If you’re using a native app you don’t have a choice; stabilization’s always on.

I’ve tried several Bluetooth remotes to start and stop recording, and they can be convenient in some situations, but I’ve had problems with consistency. Occasionally they just flat refuse to work, so you miss a shot. Not good, so I’ve tossed them.

Camera operator’s view of the Filmic Pro interface.

When shooting with any digital device it’s always better to underexpose, and never overexpose. Good post-production apps, like LumaFusion, allow you to bring up a moderately underexposed image nicely without blowing out the highlights. I still have Final Cut Pro X on a massive computer in my office, but now I edit on a 1TB iPad Pro. It’s part of that paradigm shift, and LumaFusion allows me to output the viewer via HDMI to my LG TV. Pretty cool. I’m sure there are other good editing apps, but I liked LumaFusion from the start and never looked back.

Above I wrote that you’ll do just fine shooting HEVC, and that’s true. But I should mention some advantages of ProRes. It might eat up storage, but ProRes gives you room to crop and reframe, color correct, or color grade when editing. However, always be sure to check the modified clip on a big screen. It can look great on a phone or tablet, but look like shit on an 80” TV.

Additionally, LUTs and overlays are available for apps like LumaFusion, and they work best with ProRes. I bought one overlay package that includes realistic film grain, frame masks, and a huge selection of flares and light leaks. It can be fun, if you don’t overdo it. LUTs are a personal taste. Some are pretty bizarre; others can add a nice effect. I use them regularly, but usually only at 40% to 60%.

The Aftermarket

There are a ton of accessories that might be fun to play with, but don’t necessarily need to be part of a kit. Gimbals, for instance, have become extremely popular, even before the increased sophistication of smartphones. I have a Zhiyun Smooth 5 I seldom use. I don’t like the floaty look, and the normal stabilization in the iPhone is fine for an old documentary guy like me.

Fitting the BeastGrip 1.33 anamorphic lens to the iPhone mounted in the BeastCage.

Anamorphic lenses: I have a BeastGrip 1.33 I’ve used a couple of times. But I generally prefer long lenses; anamorphs emphasize wide. And if you use Cinematic Mode (I do occasionally for interviews), Lidar doesn’t work reliably. If I’m going for that Cinemascope look, I shoot only the wides with the anamorph, and crop the normal and telephotos in post to match.

Tripods: Many portable tripods are made for smartphones. But they’re virtually identical to compact tripods that’ve been around for decades. Hit a garage sale. And carbon fiber isn’t necessarily desirable. It might be for hiking, but even a fully tricked-out phone is so light it needs some heft to keep it still. If you want a lightweight, keep a sandbag or beanbag nearby.

Oh, and one last thing. It should be obvious, but, when shooting video, set your phone to “Do not disturb.” And remember to switch it back afterwards.

BTW: I don’t receive any form of compensation from the companies mentioned here. As a matter of fact, they don’t even know I exist. These recommendations are merely opinions and choices I’ve made after a lot of trial and error.

The author filming in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco in 1967. He is using an Arriflex 35 IIc fitted with an 8mm fisheye lens.

Steve Rosen graduated from UCLA in 1967 and pursued graduate studies in documentary and ethnographic film. His many award-winning documentary credits include DDT-KNOWING IT SURVIVES US (1969), ACAPULCO GOLD (1973, cinematographer and editor), SILVER HARVEST (1978), ON LOCATION: EAST OF EDEN (1981), SOLVING MEDICAL MYSTERIES, (1984).

In 1987, he partnered with Terri DeBono as Mac And Ava Motion Pictures and produced THERESA-A CHANGE OF FACE (1990), BEYOND BARBED WIRE (1996), THE ROOTS OF CALIFORNIA PHOTOGRAPHY (1999), ACCIDENTAL HERO (2001), MY NAME IS BELLE (2005), ONCE UPON A TIME IN OLD MONTEREY (2006), BOYHOOD SHADOWS (2010), LOOKING FOR AN AUDIENCE (2012), and 9,000 8th GRADERS (2020).

Editors note: For a good example of what is possible with iPhone movie making here is the Film Ella made by Steve Rosen. This film was made using the technology Rosen reports on in the article.