Five Great Apps for Filmmakers

One of the best things that you can do as an artist is equip yourself with all the tools you need to be excellent at your craft. Of course, this is also true in filmmaking. In the past, compiling all the tools you needed to make a film came with a pretty hefty price tag, the sort that could keep you from actually making a film. While we can’t promise that filmmaking will ever become a zero-sum game (in fact, we can promise that it won’t), we can make recommendations of some worthwhile tools for your smart phone or computer tablet that won’t break the bank and will definitely help you get the job done.

Here are five great apps that will enhance your filmmaking experience:

1. Movie Slate: Seriously, kids, this is a Swiss Army knife of filmmaking apps. You can use this customizable tool as a digital slate, clapperboard, shot log, and notepad for any type of production that you are doing, and even for more than one production at a time. You can sync your timecode manually, or use an optional plug-in to sync the timecode to a number of compatible cameras, audio recorders, and timecode generators. You can make notes on each take of a shot on the fly using your device’s keypad, camera, or microphone, and a searchable Shot Log History automatically compiles all the information you have for each shot – including notes, timecode data, and even GPS location – and then you can export it to Final Cut, Avid, Adobe Premiere, or any of a number of other formats. (PureBlend Software, $24.99)

2. pCam Calculator: The pCam Film & Digital Calculator is a lens calculator that is great for both motion picture and still photography. In fact, it’s so good that in 2010 it won recognition from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for Outstanding Achievement in Engineering Development. With this app, you’ll be able to quickly calculate all sorts of important stuff: depth of field, focus splits, field of view, color correction filters, HMI safe speeds and shutters, time lapse, illumination beam intensity, light coverage, and even underwater focus distances. (David Eubank, $29.99)

3. Spectral Audio Analyzer: Okay, this one is for you Android users so you don’t think we’ve forgotten about you. This handy little app analyzes and displays a location’s audio signature using your device’s microphone. This will help to identify environmental noise, search for annoying tones, and more so that you can tweak your equipment for the best sound possible. The pro version has a selectable bandwith of up to 24 kHz, and the free version has an 8 kHz spectral bandwidth. (RadonSoft, $5.70 or free)

4. PocketLD: This app is a veritable cornucopia of information for the lighting professional. It serves as a photometric database (with over 1,000 commonly-used fixture and lamp combinations!) and calculator. Just enter the desired throw distance, and PocketLD will instantly tell you the beam/field diameter and the fc/lux for any selected fixture and lamp. (Michael Zinman, $19.99)

5. Sun Seeker: For those of you who are not terribly technically-minded, this handy little app will tell you when the sun will rise and set on any given day. Not enough, you say? Okay, well, it also helps you, the discriminating filmmaker, plan in advance for a shoot so that you will know when the sunlight will be optimal for a shot. Using GPS and a magnetometer to determine your precise location, the app will provide views of both a flat map and a 3D augmented reality that shows the solar path over hour intervals for a day, helping you with both lighting and continuity. (Ajnaware Pty Ltd, $5.99)

We know that there are other great apps for people in the entertainment industry, so we’ll be highlighting more in the days ahead. If you want to suggest some that you have used, let us know below or at info@hollywoodconnect.com. After all, now that you have that phone or tablet, you really should get more use out of it than just playing Angry Birds or Words With Friends.

All our best,
The Hollywood Connect Staff

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• Filmmaking,
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