We are all potential film makers – the only camera you need is the phone in your pocket

I’ve been totally inspired to give visual storytelling a go, so paying it forward.

When I studied communications in the 1990s, I found film really intimidating … the equipment was cumbersome, the set-up time consuming and the post-production sucked the joy out of it for me. I chose radio, over film and photography, as my practical subject because it seemed much more intimate.

I realised the error of my ways on photography shortly afterwards. You don’t need to spend hours in a darkroom to create great images. I’m sure there are purists who say digital photography is cheating, but it has made photography so much more accessible. I invested in a digital SLR camera years ago, but since the cameras on smart phones have improved my DSLR hasn’t seen the light in a while.

Technology has also made film making much more accessible. Apparently journalists are creating entire packages (filming, voice-overs and editing) on their mobile phones, and there are even feature length films shot entirely on mobile. But where do you start? Which apps are the ‘best’ for filming and editing on your mobile? Do I need any of the ‘extras’ … tripods, clip on mics, lens? It is all a bit over-whelming.

Thanks to a fantastic workshop I attended at the Fastnet Film Festival in Schull yesterday, I have the answers I needed. The brilliant Neil Leyden (@neilleyden), head of RTE.ie, made it all seem so simple. In his workshop ‘Creating Stories Using Your Phone’ he talked about how digital journalism is transforming news media, gave direction on shot sizes, angels and sequences, and most importantly shared which apps and equipment he uses. I’ve listed the apps below for anyone equally bamboozled.

Will I make it as a digital journalist? Probably not, but I’m going to have some fun experimenting with my phone and hopefully introduce more visual storytelling into my work. After all isn’t it about time our digital experience at work caught up with our digital experience at home?

Go on, give film making on your mobile a go.

PS for my fellow Dublin City University graduates who chose film, I apologise that it has taken me so long to get the wonder of film making, but I got there in the end.

Recommended Apps (for iPhone, there are equivalents for Android):

·        For filming: FilmicPro

·        For editing: LumaFusion

Or there are perfectly good free apps available:

·        All in one filming and editing: Clips

·        Editing: iMovie