Cinematography : What are your favorite cinema tools? by Ashley Renee Smith

Ashley Renee Smith

What are your favorite cinema tools?

Hey DPs,

I was watching this interesting interview with Illya Friedman, discussing cinema technology and sharing his opinions on how to utilize the proper technology available for your goals.

I've known Illya for many years and so I've heard him share some of these thoughts before, but I'd love to know YOUR thoughts regarding the best "content style tools" that you've used and how they've helped you learn and grow as Cinematographers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UA71LsXnMWk

Ty Strange

I felt sorry for Illya, Ashley Renee Smith. He seemed very pained by the constant drum of iPhone-making-movie questions.

My takeaway boils down to this: Easy doesn't necessarily equal good. If you're making a home movie, sure the iPhone suits that task, but unless you mac out the iPhone as they did in the making of Tangerine (2015), the cinematic experience will have limitations.

Ashley Renee Smith

Ty Strange, I completely agree. It was clear that he'd rather talk about something else, but the question kept coming back around. It definitely takes a lot of extras to film something of quality on an iPhone and one you've spent money on all of that, you could have just invested in a strong starting camera that has more professional features.

Ty Strange

Ashley, I can certainly appreciate the challenge in filming something with everyday equipment or tech, but it strikes me as more about bragging rights than proof of concept. I don't feel a cinematic seismic shift in the making.

Gareth Taylor

I could not even finish watching this interview. The questions are so redundant and it's painful really. Everyone is so focused on tech that it has become a hindrance to filmmaking and the process as a whole.

People are so consumed by the thought of proving what you can and can't do with a certain tool that they pay no attention to what the tool is for, which is to tell a story and make a piece of art.

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