I had a lot of fun when I was a kid, but one bit of fun I never got to enjoy was making movies with the family’s 8mm movie camera. The reason for this is because my family didn’t own an 8mm movie camera, which was a shame because my life could have turned out a lot differently.
I can see myself directing blockbuster after blockbuster, becoming larger than Spielberg, larger than Lucas. In fact, I’d be larger than Spielberg, Lucas, AND Howard put together.
And my movies wouldn’t just be guns, explosions, bare naked eye candy, aliens, and car chases (what else is there, right?). No! My movies would have all of that AND have a story that people care about. I’m not talking about puppies, sunsets, and granola, I’m talking deep subjects full of meaning and heart.
Yeah! That’s it! Meaning and Heart!
And I would make little cameo appearances in every movie I make. Maybe appearing as the repentant cause of an untimely death, or a father-to-be living in an apartment complex, or a gun toting sports fan.
I know what you’re thinking, that sounds suspiciously like M. Night Shyamalan’s career, or even more suspiciously like Alfred Hitchcock’s career, and it does, except all my movies would be blockbusters and I would be bigger than Spielberg, Lucas, and Howard all rolled into one. (Weren’t you listening/reading?).
I’m a lot older now, and my desk jockey job allows me to afford an 8mm, if they still made them, but they don’t. Still, that doesn’t mean my dreams of movie making need be abandoned. Nah-ah! Though a quest to eclipse Spielberg may need to be adjusted, maybe lowered a smidgen, I can produce 8mm-like epics with my trusty iPhone, for free!!!!
I know what you’re thinking, you’re thinking, “ Wow! That’s cool, Vern! I too had dreams of making it big in Hollywood, or at least well known in Hoboken, and I also have dreams of shooting an 8mm blockbuster. Where can I get this free movie making magic for my iPhone that you speak of?”
Well, my friends, feast your peepers on iSupr8, a straight up, super duper super 8mm camera simulating movie maker that has so many features that you’ll get dizzy just thinking about them.
First thing you’ll notice is that it’s a Universal app, meaning that you can shoot using either your iPhone or iPad 2. I suspect you’ll want to use your iPhone (unless you’re Spike Lee).
Second, you’ll notice that the user interface reminds you of the vintage cams the app was named after. The layout is simple and includes frame rate selector (12, 18, and 24fps), movie light switch, movie resolution (medium and high), a viewfinder, the record/stop button, the “film developer” switch, and three buttons that gets you instant help (Info), automatic film processing (Insta-Process), and access to movies other folks are creating with iSupr8 (Feed).
In the Film Developer screen you get information about the shot you took. You can also change the “film” by switching film stock, preview your work where you can fine tune your epic, then develop it, trash it, or share it.
iSpur8 gives you two free film stocks to choose from, but there are seven more you can buy through in-app purchase for a buck apiece. The first film stock is the default Tru 8 100D, which produces a well balanced movie with good color. The other freebie is a film stock sponsored by Levi’s. Yes, the people who make jeans. This one is called Film Workshop that renders your movies with a bluish tint.
So, is iSupr8 any good? You be the judge. Here’s a short movie I took using the Tru 8 100D stock and high resolution.
Film I shot with iSupr8 through my iPhone 4
Not bad, huh?
Did I mention that iSupr8 is free? Well, it is, but for a limited time only so grab it while you can.
OK, so maybe you’re not into old, scratched up movies. Maybe you want to expose the wonders of nature to a public hungry for more nature films. One tool nature videographers use is time-lapse video, where each frame is taken seconds apart resulting in a time-compressed movie. You can watch ice melt, grass grow, or street scene morph from deserted byways to bustling avenues.
Of course, with your iPhone, you should be able to shoot such wonders, and you can with Motion Pictures, a free time-lapse app that’s simple to use.
Select the number frames and the record and playback frame rate, then setup your shot and press ‘Record’. The app gives you time to let the camera settle before it starts shooting.
Once you’ve capture that extended moment you can save it to your camera roll.
You can also use Motion Picture to adjust the speed of movies you’ve already taken with other apps, which speeds up the action in the movie.
Motion Pictures is ad supported, but who cares? It’s free and gets the job done.
Now that you have all of these bits of movie wonderment you’ll need to put them all together into an awe inspiring masterpiece. For that you need a movie editor. Luckily, for the those with funding problems, there’s Video Editor Free.
With V.E.F. you can join and edit your movie bits into a coherent feature. The app is pretty basic, you don’t have titles, special effect, themes and the like, and you can’t edit or add a soundtrack, but what it does it does well.
V.E.F. is ad supported, but not annoyingly so. It gets the job done, which is always a good thing.
Grab Video Editor Free and create some movie magic.
OK, that’s a wrap for this week. Movie related freebies below with direct links.
