Apple is Coming For Y'all: Disruptive Video Production Technologies

[independent]

Last year: Dolby Vision, LiDar, and IBIS.

This year:

Cinematic Mode: Continuous AF. Face-tracking. Auto-subject shifting. Rack Focusing. Changing focus/bokeh. 

These aren't consumer technologies, and most iPhone users will not use them (aside from touch-to-focus). Why bother?

Pros certainly won't use iPhones (not yet). But everybody else—in the near future. Apple is putting tremendous effort into laying the groundwork to crowdsource quality content. Offering these features that nobody asked for in the hands of millions? We are going to start seeing iPhone-generated narrative/reality/doc content (not TikTok videos) to hit the mainstream. Very soon.

For what? To sell more iPhones? Nah, that's a flatlined market. 

A capture-to-delivery scenario would likely be end game. Digital services, cloud, etc. is more important. I imagine there will be added incentives for users to deliver not to YouTube (google) but Apple TV. The ecosystem is more important. The Apple walled garden must grow, even if it be watered by your peasant blood.

Build it, and the mortal fools will come. This is the plot of 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

 

 

 

[androidlad]

You forgot to mention ProRes codec support for up to 4K 30P on the Pro model.

Now Apple just need to disable sharpening and noise reduction.

[majoraxis]

The iPhone might not be idea for Cinematic mode, but the large touch screen of the iPad, if it gets these same features, could be a great product for shooting reviews, interviews, bloggers, corporate videos, anything you don't have a budget for. Why not fly an iPad around the room and touch what you want to focus on. It could look good and not cost a lot especially if you edit on the iPad as well... if the low light continue to improve there may be other reasons to shoot on Apple.

[Emanuel]

Ditto.

1 hour ago, androidlad said:

You forgot to mention ProRes codec support for up to 4K 30P on the Pro model.

Now Apple just need to disable sharpening and noise reduction.

No idea why they miss 4K 120fps anyway...

Had to buy the €700 OnePlus 9 Pro instead.

without mention my 2020 ASUS Zenfone 7 Pro without locking the exposure at that frame rate though : (

 

https://www.gsmarena.com/apple_iphone_13_pro-11102.php

[Andrew Reid]

I see it becoming an established style, especially on social media. And real films will have to mimic it to get the authentic feel of that when needed by the script.

Sure will be interesting to play with and see how it develops but for now it is 99% a TikTok thing to raise the production values of short social media measured in seconds.

I am impressed that Apple managed to put ProRes codec into a phone as well.

What is stopping the camera companies now exactly with their hardware and lack of internal ProRes. Just outdated chips or what?

[BenEricson]

1 hour ago, Andrew Reid said:

I see it becoming an established style, especially on social media. And real films will have to mimic it to get the authentic feel of that when needed by the script.

Sure will be interesting to play with and see how it develops but for now it is 99% a TikTok thing to raise the production values of short social media measured in seconds.

I am impressed that Apple managed to put ProRes codec into a phone as well.

What is stopping the camera companies now exactly with their hardware and lack of internal ProRes. Just outdated chips or what?

I’m very surprised they figured out how to regulate all of the heat being generated with 4K / ProRes. The large file sizes will also kind of force people to buy the 1TB versions.

I’m hyped to try it, but I can’t stand portrait mode. It’s really nice in theory, but always looks funky and fake. 

I personally love phone footage because it feels candid and fun, fake depth of field may just feel processed and funky. Also, capturing huge ProRes with a tiny tiny sensor is hilarious.
 

[Brian Williams]

28 minutes ago, BenEricson said:

I’m hyped to try it, but I can’t stand portrait mode. It’s really nice in theory, but always looks funky and fake. 

I personally love phone footage because it feels candid and fun, fake depth of field may just feel processed and funky. Also, capturing huge ProRes with a tiny tiny sensor is hilarious.
 

I agree with that for the existing portrait mode for photos, especially around hair, they haven’t nailed it yet. But that video Apple showed today, to me it looked WAY better than what we’ve seen so far, for video or photos. Could just be selective footage they showed though.

also, the original BMPCC had what, basically a 1” inch sensor and shot ProRes. So a 1/2” sensor on a phone shooting ProRes isn’t hilarious to me, especially when it’s got decent portrait mode that potentially makes the footage look like it was shot on a much bigger camera.

I sold my mirrorless camera last year and replaced it with the IP12ProMax, and I can imagine going back to a “big” camera. I’m excited for each of these small steps.

[Brian Williams]

17 minutes ago, Brian Williams said:

I agree with that for the existing portrait mode for photos, especially around hair, they haven’t nailed it yet. But that video Apple showed today, to me it looked WAY better than what we’ve seen so far, for video or photos. Could just be selective footage they showed though.

also, the original BMPCC had what, basically a 1” inch sensor and shot ProRes. So a 1/2” sensor on a phone shooting ProRes isn’t hilarious to me, especially when it’s got decent portrait mode that potentially makes the footage look like it was shot on a much bigger camera.

I sold my mirrorless camera last year and replaced it with the IP12ProMax, and I can imagine going back to a “big” camera. I’m excited for each of these small steps.

Should be “and I CAN’T imagine going back to a ‘big’ camera”

[KnightsFan]

I think this is great news. The more we can do with generic devices like smartphones that can run 3rd party software, the more creative options open up to us. Some purists are married to using large sensors to get "real" depth of field control, but I say that once it can be simulated to the point of not being able to tell the difference, we'll all be free to use smaller, lighter gear with fewer expensive accessories. Will this camera be indistinguishable from a full frame camera with a 50mm f1.4? Probably not--but it's getting excitingly close!

I'm not an Apple user as I don't like their closed ecosystem, but good for them for pushing a little farther into pro imaging quality with iphones.

 

2 hours ago, BenEricson said:

I’m very surprised they figured out how to regulate all of the heat being generated with 4K / ProRes.

Yeah since apparently it's physically impossible to make a ProRes encoder that is smaller than a Ninja V.

[Emanuel]

2 hours ago, Brian Williams said:

Should be “and I CAN’T imagine going back to a ‘big’ camera”

I can even-fully-understand...

...be with you

...and follow the (digital) mantra : )

 

though, every form factor has a magic of its own... ;- )

 

- EAG

[Emanuel]

The major point is small cameras are changing the cinema and its aesthetics... since the beginning of the second half of the last century : X

[Chrad]

9 hours ago, independent said:

Pros certainly won't use iPhones (not yet). But everybody else—in the near future. Apple is putting tremendous effort into laying the groundwork to crowdsource quality content. Offering these features that nobody asked for in the hands of millions? We are going to start seeing iPhone-generated narrative/reality/doc content (not TikTok videos) to hit the mainstream. Very soon.

 

Mark my words: this won't happen. People aren't making TikToks instead of traditional film content because they were waiting for the right technology to roll around to decide it's worth doing. If the incredible democratization of filmmaking technology we've seen over the past couple of decades wasn't enough to get them involved already, they lacked the time, energy, or interest. The truth is we who are interested in traditional filmmaking are part of a shrinking demographic.

[BenEricson]

4 hours ago, Brian Williams said:

also, the original BMPCC had what, basically a 1” inch sensor and shot ProRes. So a 1/2” sensor on a phone shooting ProRes isn’t hilarious to me, especially when it’s got decent portrait mode that potentially makes the footage look like it was shot on a much bigger camera.

I hear ya. I love the original bmpcc. That being said, a sensor that is double the size and 1080p instead of 4K is not the same. Also, the pocket looks best with vintage glass or maybe a giant 18-35 with a speed booster. 

Like other have said above, they need less processing, not more. We don’t need fake depth of field, we need the option to remove noise reduction, skin processing, and HDR features. That being said, I obviously haven’t used the camera. I’m sure it’ll be fun. Just something I’ve noticed over the years. It’ll always still look like a phone, it just gets slightly better.

[ND64]

You read too much into it. Apple as corporation is addicted to high profit margins, so they have to sell expensive iPhones. But they're struggling to convince people they still need to spend $1200 on a phone, while Chinese brands with half the price can do 90% of the job. Apple is facing the same problem Japanese camera makers has been faced for years: the "good enough" dilemma. The only thing that will force me to upgrade my flagship Chinese smartphone, is a dead battery! And I'm not alone in this.

 

And by the way, adding Prores to codec options of a phone, is not innovation. While I understand the decision, its sign of a big failure of this industry that couldn't finally implement a solution optimized for mobile devices. We have super powerful SoCs consuming only 3 watts in a hour, but have to use an ancient codec designed for ancient ASICs. 

[Chrad]

It should be ProRes Raw of course, but I suppose that waits til Red's patents expire in 2027.

[independent]

On 9/15/2021 at 12:29 AM, Chrad said:

Mark my words: this won't happen. People aren't making TikToks instead of traditional film content because they were waiting for the right technology to roll around to decide it's worth doing. If the incredible democratization of filmmaking technology we've seen over the past couple of decades wasn't enough to get them involved already, they lacked the time, energy, or interest. The truth is we who are interested in traditional filmmaking are part of a shrinking demographic.

So much wrong with this. First of all, "this" IS happening. We are all witnessing a major shift on social media platforms from photography to video. Why? Simple: storytelling. 

Second, "waiting for the right technology" is missing the point. Human beings will mess around with things to create (See: 2001: A Space Odyssey). Apple is putting these filmmaking tools that nobody asked for into their iPhones and people WILL start using them. 

Intent doesn't matter. Steve Jobs didn't plan on iPhones revolutionizing the world through social media. Nobody intended phones to be used to disrupt the hegemony of traditional media corporations. But the technology was there. And out of a billion people, a good number will eventually start using them. Mess around enough, some kid from nowhereistan will make the best film of the year.

And you're mistaken about the democratization of filmmaking tech. First of all, traditional filmmaking is far, far still prohibitive for most people. You're still spending thousands - at least tens of thousands of dollars to make even a watchable short film. And by you, I mean you, trust fund kid who wants to make movies but have shit stories that doesn't resonate with any normal people.

So it is all about technology, in the same way that camera phones, inferior as they are, have disrupted the professional photography industry. 

And it's not just about the camera. It's about technologies (both hard and soft) that will reduce the need for gear and crew and any other prohibitive costs that have otherwise prevented billions of people on this planet from making their own movies, telling their own stories. Not cat videos, TikTok clips, or dick pics. But stories. That hasn't happened yet. But it will.

The obvious trajectory of this evolution is for ONE PERSON to tell a STORY, as we have always done for thousands of years. Except this time, millions will be gathered around the fire to hear the best ones.

 

 

 

 

 

[Brian Williams]

On 9/14/2021 at 10:38 PM, Eric Calabros said:

And by the way, adding Prores to codec options of a phone, is not innovation. While I understand the decision, its sign of a big failure of this industry that couldn't finally implement a solution optimized for mobile devices. We have super powerful SoCs consuming only 3 watts in a hour, but have to use an ancient codec designed for ancient ASICs. 

You don’t have to use an “ancient” codec, you can continue to use the 10bit HEVC, which is definitely not ancient, and the next best thing after ProRes.

[Brian Williams]

On 9/14/2021 at 10:33 PM, BenEricson said:

Like other have said above, they need less processing, not more. We don’t need fake depth of field, we need the option to remove noise reduction, skin processing, and HDR features. That being said, I obviously haven’t used the camera. I’m sure it’ll be fun. Just something I’ve noticed over the years. It’ll always still look like a phone, it just gets slightly better.

I would say we do need fake depth of field, bc that is maybe the biggest difference in look between a video show on a phone and one shot on a mirrorless, aside from low light capabilities.

I’m not sure iPhone footage is know for having high noise reduction applied (Samsung for sure, Apple not so much). If you shoot with Filmic Pro, there’s no noise reduction, definitely nothing being done to skin, and you can shoot 10bit SDR if you don’t want HDR.

Even now, it does still look like a phone. But a few more iterations and I bet you it won’t.

[D4cl00]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:04 AM, Andrew Reid said:

I see it becoming an established style, especially on social media. And real films will have to mimic it to get the authentic feel of that when needed by the script.

Sure will be interesting to play with and see how it develops but for now it is 99% a TikTok thing to raise the production values of short social media measured in seconds.

I am impressed that Apple managed to put ProRes codec into a phone as well.

What is stopping the camera companies now exactly with their hardware and lack of internal ProRes. Just outdated chips or what?

I think camera companies are disconnected to what consumers really want and are afraid of positioning their products completely different.

As an example, I want a large sensor webcam for vlog work and meeting. Just to put on a tripod, that’s it. Remote work and still having shitty webcams, OR having to pay too much money on a full camera I don’t want.

I want a vlogging camera, like Sony released, but without the crappy 8-bit video codec and their shitty control system for under $750, including lens. I’m not paying over $1200 for a full kit if my phone is right next to me, but at the same time I want better optics. I do not want it to take pictures, I need a drastically easier menu system like Blackmagic products have, and I want amazing autofocus. The lens can be fixed.

Likewise, I am ok spending between $2-3K on a cinema camera with amazing autofocus because I don’t have a crew with focus-puller for my solo work, and this one needs to ProRes or BRAW on an SSD I can stick in the camera. eND filter. 
No photos, simple menu system focused on filmmaking (there are dozens of options on the market if I want to take pictures).

The problem with mirrorless cameras is that they are positioned as dull, Swiss-army knife devices that don’t dare to make any choices. By their choices to want to cater for everyone, they can’t become specialized, clearly positioned machines to solve one task really well.  

[D4cl00]

On 9/15/2021 at 7:33 AM, BenEricson said:

I hear ya. I love the original bmpcc. That being said, a sensor that is double the size and 1080p instead of 4K is not the same. Also, the pocket looks best with vintage glass or maybe a giant 18-35 with a speed booster. 

Like other have said above, they need less processing, not more. We don’t need fake depth of field, we need the option to remove noise reduction, skin processing, and HDR features. That being said, I obviously haven’t used the camera. I’m sure it’ll be fun. Just something I’ve noticed over the years. It’ll always still look like a phone, it just gets slightly better.

I just found my original BMPCC in a box after moving and I realized how much fun it was shooting with this camera, despite all its shortcomings.

It are the limitations and the singular focus, stripping it to the core, that makes it such a pleasure to shoot with.

I never used the newer cameras but they don’t seem “pocket” at all, and a bit of overkill to carry along.