This morning while opening my web browser I stumbled across an interesting headline “$1.99 app Saved Oscars Film”. I was intrigued, partly because I mis-read the headline and thought it read that the app saved the Oscars themselves. My head isn’t always on straight when it is still early in the morning. I clicked on the headline and read the article and was impressed to find that the app was used to film part of a documentary that won an Oscar.
The documentary was titled “Searching for Sugar Man” and had been filmed on a Super 8 MM film camera. Unfortunately, due to budgeting, the director ran out of money before they were able to acquire all of the shots they needed to finish the documentary. The director of the film, Malik Bendjelloul, discovered an iPhone app, 8 MM vintage camera, that simulated the look of 8 MM film and decided to try using his iPhone to complete the documentary.
The finished product was astonishing, it is extremely difficult to differentiate between the shots filmed with the 8 MM camera and the shots filmed with the iPhone and its application. This opens a whole floodgate of possibilities in the film industry and for independent filmmakers. Every day it is becoming easier and cheaper for someone to make their own film. This opens so many more doors for more ideas and visions to become a reality and make it’s way to a film screen.
I think this is a big step in an exciting new direction for filmmaking. I cannot wait to see what else becomes possible in the future for filmmaking on cellular devices.