YouTube Videos #7 - Iphone Promotional Video Creation

A lot of people laugh at me when I tell them I make promotional videos with iPhones. They probably think I’m a loon and live in a dream world. 

So for the sake of a laugh and some entertainment at my expense, allow me to explain how I make these videos. 

We will assume I’m taking a 6-second scene of a couple sitting at a table with a large window behind them and tropical gardens viewable through the window.

The couple is actually models you hire on a daily basis, since this is a promotional video there is no speech or acting. Just normal things like smiling, walking, swimming, etc.

The equipment I use for this is as follows. Note this is exactly a scene I’ll be using in my new video, specially designed to be ambiguous enough to blend into any promotional video.

Everything in this scene, from the model's position to the lighting, to the camera angles, even the storyline has been painstakingly recorded on a storyboard.

It then becomes something like paint by numbers without on the spot improvisation or any wasting time. 

Let’s start with the iPhone itself. In this case, I’m using three iPhone 12 pro Max’s.

There is an app called Filmic Pro that unlocks DSLR settings on the iPhone. All three iPhones have this app installed. 

There is another app called Filmic Remote that allows an iPhone to be controlled remotely by another device with the remote app installed on. 

So I’ve also got three iPads with the remote app installed on. One iPad for each iPhone. 

For this scene, one iPhone will be mounted in a DJI handheld gimbal. The other two will be mounted on tripods.

I will operate the gimbal-mounted iPhone, by that I mean I will walk slowly with the iPhone keeping the subjects in the area of focus that is shown on the storyboard.

All three iPhones will be controlled by my son in law who, sitting at another table, will control the focus and aperture settings of each iPhone from those three iPads. 

I hope you get the picture. 

Lighting is enhanced by four flat panels led studio lights, with diffusers, that cover the entire color spectrum and intensity. They are mains and battery-powered and most importantly, remote-controlled.

I normally use two as key lights and two as fill lights.

These are set up on tripods specific to them and can accommodate overhead requirements as well.

Audio though not needed for the models is covered by six Rode wireless GO mics. Each iPhone has two connected via Bluetooth. 

These mics are set up to provide the depth of field audio-only.

A soundtrack will be added later. This will be a music soundtrack to complete the video. 

Now the method is quite simple. 

I’ve designed on the storyboard how the models are sitting. They are next to earth. I’ve one key light facing each model, but at an angle, one backlight illuminating the area between them and the window and one directly outside illuminating the tropical garden area visible through the window. These two backlights have different hues added as well.

I’ve had leather waistcoats made up that have 5 small pouches sewn into them vertically on the left side. 

These pouches correspond to the position of my left-hand fingers and thumb. All of which will be used whilst I’m walking with the gimbal in my right hand.

4 pouches hold each of the remote controls for the led lights. The last pouch holds a small electronic clapper. It makes a sound similar to a Christmas cracker going off. 

This sound shows up as a spike in the audio of all the cameras, thus giving a timing and reference point. 

I’ve also a small whistle on a lanyard sewn on the waistcoat. 

So to start we run a few tests, mainly for lighting. Once completed and we are both satisfied as to our movements, we call the models in, they sit down and we do one quick walkthrough, taking particular note of the lighting on the models.

When all is good, the remote operator switches all iPhones to record, we settle ourselves and I press the clapper. Thus providing an audio start mark on all iPhones.

I then walk slowly to the couple, the remote operator adjusts all three iPhones' focus in real-time.  This is important because if I want to cut to certain models face in editing, all the iPhones will have exactly the same field of focus.

As I get closer I’m paying particular attention to the lighting on the models, as they get closer I’m increasing the lighting in real-time on them, reducing the lighting on the window but slightly reducing the lighting outside to blur the focus.

Once completed I blow my whistle and the recordings are stopped. 

What I’ve just rapidly gone over covers two very important principles in filmmaking. 

The first is continuity, within a scene everything must stay the same. By using 3 cameras, if I decided to cut to a close face shot of one of the models, the background, lighting, audio, everything would match. 

The second is shoot to edit. In other words, you don’t embellish. You don’t do the same scene over and over. By having 3 cameras running exactly at the same time with all the settings the same ( continuity ), I get my scene finished quickly and it’s easy to edit.

When I input this into my editing software I input all three camera videos with audio. 

I watch the A camera, the one on the gimbal, and let’s say I see the female model touch the male model's arm, I’ll cut to his close up that’s focused just on him.

That’s how I edit. Simple and clean and rapidly. 

For the audio, I listen to all six of the tracks and the clearest one is the one I use.

A six-second scene will take probably no less than 5 minutes to edit. Done. Saved for the main video. The stuff not used is archived on a hard drive.

This process is repeatedly done throughout the day and we are normally able to get at least 10 usable six to ten-second scenes that require models done within a single day.

Starting from the morning golden hour shoot, then shooting scenes throughout the day, the evening golden hour shoot, ending in the late evening shoot. 

These scenes with models take up about half of the two-minute promotional video. The rest is normally drone work or water work or exterior work.

There you go. An incredibly quick overview of using iPhones. 

Not what you thought is it. 

See the video below for these phone's capabilities.

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