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Filming on an iPhone with Sameer Baria (MA Cinematography)

By Elise Czyzowska

28 March 2024

A class assignment filmed entirely on an iPhone, The Silence Between Us was created by a six-person cast and crew:

A visual representation of how silence can speak louder than words, the project made the Official Selection for the Lift Off Global Network, and in today’s blog, we spoke to Director of Photography, Sameer Baria about the experience of shooting the project entirely on an iPhone…

Had you ever shot a film on iPhone before? How did you adapt your typical approach to suit the medium?

Before this project, my experience with mobile filmmaking was limited to personal videos and photos – I’d never really considered incorporating them into my professional practice.

There were a couple challenges – limited exposure control, and composing shots with a fixed focal length, for example. I also had to prioritise scheduling shots based on the sun’s path to try and maintain some control over the final ‘look’!

My focus had always been on industry-standard cameras, but after dealing with these new challenges, I found I was able to maintain a similar approach. Concepts such as framing, shot division, and lighting are always relevant, after all, regardless of your equipment!

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Still from The Silence Between Us

What’s the best tip you discovered for shooting on an iPhone?

To maximise the iPhone’s capabilities, I opted to shoot in its’ native resolution (UHD 3840×2160), with ‘HDR Mode’ enabled – this preserves the maximum amount of image fidelity and dynamic range!

The build-in sun dial feature of the camera app is a great help in controlling exposure and preserving details in highlights.

It’s also important to note the significance of colour grading in achieving a professional look with iPhone footage. You may not have the same flexibility in manipulating colour information, but you definitely still have enough to achieve your desired look.

Can you share a bit about the process of establishing the film’s dreamy, hazey visuals?

During pre-production, Hardik and I discussed experimenting with the film’s look to make it distinctive and surreal. He discovered a super affordable set of attachable macro lenses on Facebook Marketplace, all designed for iPhones.

The set included 24mm, 50mm, and 85mm lenses – and although they were intended for macro shots, I decided to explore how they’d work for composing wide-angle.

To my surprise, they produced a distorted bokeh effect around the edges, with sharpness in the centre – coupled with the moody weather that day, it all came together to complement the desired atmosphere.

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A look at how Sameer tracked the sun’s path to maximise lighting!

What about the opportunities you found from mobile filmmaking?

Filming on an iPhone certainly presents its own set of limitations and challenges, but I really appreciated the creative freedom it provides for experimentation.

The ability to place the camera anywhere, without the need for grips, speaks volumes. With a phone, anyone has the power to tell a story without the constraints of crew, budget, and other production limitations. This freedom is what every filmmaker dreams of achieving in their professional journey.

For this film, the mobility afforded by mobile filmmaking allowed us to move quickly between setups, and focus more on storytelling.

The time saved on setting up and lighting shots was redirected towards fruitful conversations with the Director, which resulted in a really creatively enriching experience!

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Still from The Silence Between Us

And finally, how did it feel, to have the film selected for the Lift Off Global Network!

It was a huge surprise for me! I didn’t expect it – I didn’t even know Hardik had submitted the film to the festival!

The entire film was a class exercise, just a taste of what was to come later in the course – but it ended up giving me a completely different perspective on cinematography.

I really would recommend that all filmmakers try experimenting with mobile filmmaking at least once during their practice.