The world of filmmaking is as vast as it is intricate. While it’s a compelling field that has managed to attract the likes of creative minds from across the globe, there are still many who are hesitant to give it their all. This is because aside from it being highly technical and creative at the same time, it also costs a lot of money.
Admittedly, many aspiring filmmakers are hindered by these monetary constraints, which is why most of them tend to forego the dream altogether. They postpone the dream to earn money for film school and invest in the right equipment or brush off the dream as nothing more than a hobby.
But although money can be a big hindrance to achieving your dreams, it shouldn’t be the end of the road for you. If you’re truly determined to become a filmmaker one day, you can still do it through improvisation and being resourceful. For instance, you can use your smartphone to make your films.
Since the dawn of the digital age, there have been many mobile devices and applications that you can use to make your dreams come true. Of course, it won’t be as high-quality and clean-cut as those produced in real studios, but it’s a start. If you want to give it a try, here are four mobile apps that you can consider:
A Video Editor
When you’re making films, you’ll have to take a lot of videos for different scenes from various angles and locations, then, later on, merge them into one file. This can be impossible without a reliable video editing tool that’s easy to use and accessible. While traditional video editing will require a desktop and editing software, you can replace it with your phone and mobile app.
Just make sure that the app you’re using has a built-in video player for mobile devices because this will allow you to create your films seamlessly. It’s better to ensure you can get a frictionless user experience from the get-go rather than much later when you’re already pressed for time to finish the film.
A Comprehensive Filmmaking Software
Filmmaking is a multi-faceted craft. Of course, its primary purpose is to produce a high-quality film but to get that result, you’ll need to come up with a plot, create a script, hire actors, shoot the scenes, edit the videos, and make the final cut. Plus, there are other minor jobs in between all the major ones.
Mentally taking note of everything that has to be done can be head-splitting, which is why you’ll need an app to cover all your grounds. Do yourself a favor and get a comprehensive scheduler that will allow you to streamline your film production by putting your shooting schedules, contact lists, calendars, storyboards, or other data in one place.
A Scriptwriting Tool
The script you have on the first day of shooting won’t be the same as the script you have on the last day. This is because it’s fairly common to make changes here and there throughout the process of filmmaking. But although this is a usual occurrence, that doesn’t make it any less inconvenient.
The reason for this is that it can be taxing to have to change the script over and over again. But if you had a scriptwriting tool that lets you annotate the changes to the script without having to reprint the pages, then you can move on to shooting your film. Plus, you won’t have to keep wasting paper and ink.
A Cloud-based Storage
Shooting a film with your phone means that you’ll have to rely on your phone’s internal or external storage device, which won’t be that big. Unlike when you’re using traditional video cameras, you won’t have the luxury of switching SD cards when the current one is full.
Although most smartphones nowadays can have as high as 256 GB storage, it might not be enough for the number of videos you’ll have for your film. That’s why you should consider using a cloud-based storage app, which can double as your backup reserve too. This way, you can easily upload your videos to the cloud, so they won’t take up space on your phone, and access them whenever you need to.
Being a successful filmmaker can be a long shot from where you’re standing now, but it won’t become reachable if you don’t move from your spot. So, don’t throw your dream away just because of money; instead, put your imagination to good use and maximize all the resources available to you. One day, you’ll realize that you’ve come too far in reaching your dream just for you to back down.