An active photographer explains the points you can learn from the fact that Apple filmed the announcement event with the iPhone 15 Pro Max
The new product launch event held by Apple on October 31, 2023 became a hot topic as it was all shot with the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Stu Maschwitz, a filmmaker and cameraman who has worked on various movies, explains how Apple shot event footage with the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
What Does and Doesn't Matter about Apple Shooting their October Event on iPhone 15 Pro Max — Prolost
All of Apple's product launch events are shot with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and Apple releases the equipment used and the shooting process.
Apple's product launch event was shot with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, what kind of apps and equipment were used to achieve the beautiful images? -GIGAZINE
At Apple's filming site, they used equipment used by professionals, such as high-performance camera rigs and cranes. ``Apple's explanation that ``I took a photo with an iPhone'' does not guarantee that you can take a photo,'' said Maschwitz. However, using expensive equipment is not necessarily necessary to capture great footage.
Mr. Maschwitz introduces the following movie in which video creator Brandon Lee releases his own movie shooting situation.
At Apple's filming site, filming was done using high-end camera rigs and rails. However, Mr. Maschwitz says that such equipment is necessary to take smooth images using a heavy camera, and is not necessary for a light camera like the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
On the other hand, Mr. Lee is photographing people in the downtown area at night below. The lighting for shooting was two portable LED lights, and the camera was fairly simple: a handheld gimbal and a single-lens reflex camera.
In addition, by attaching a long leg to the gimbal, Mr. Lee is able to shoot footage that looks like a crane shot even though it is handheld.
It may seem like a pretty rough shooting method, but the gimbal suppresses camera shake considerably, so you can shoot high-quality footage.
To take various shots with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you may need to use equipment such as gimbals and tripods, but basically consumer products are sufficient, and high-end products like the ones Apple used for event photography are generally sufficient. Maschwitz said it doesn't require extensive equipment.
Furthermore, Apple uses a free app called '
Maschwitz also said, ``One of the great features of the Blackmagic Camera is that you can express the shutter speed in terms of angle, just like a cinema camera.''
Camera shutter speed generally refers to the exposure time to the film, so it is expressed in seconds, such as '1/60th of a second' or '1/200th of a second.' However, since film cinema cameras release the shutter by rotating a semicircle, the film industry uses the term 'shutter angle', which refers to the number of times the shutter rotates per frame.
Setting the shutter speed is also very important when shooting continuous footage. For example, if you shoot a video at 24FPS (frames per second) and set the shutter speed to 1/48th of a second, the shutter angle will be 180 degrees. In the video industry, there is a rule of thumb called the '180 degree shutter rule' that states that a shutter angle of 180 degrees is just right. It is said that the blurring will be smaller. In other words, the technique of adjusting the shutter angle to match the image you want to capture is extremely important.
Video exposure can be set using three settings: lens aperture,
Although Apple uses huge lighting equipment, it says, ``This work itself is shot in low light.'' Normally, you would need to use an ND filter to limit the amount of light that enters the lens itself, but Maschwitz points out that there is no indication that Apple has used an ND filter.
Therefore, Mr. Maschwitz believes that Apple prioritized image quality, avoided the use of ND filters, and shot at a low ISO sensitivity. Lowering the ISO sensitivity will reduce the brightness of the screen, but will reduce noise. According to Maschwitz, if you want to make the most of the iPhone 15 Pro Max's dynamic range, the optimal ISO sensitivity is between 1100 and 1450.However, the reason why Apple lowered the ISO sensitivity is because of the lower noise than the dynamic range. I suspect that the priority was given to
Of course, Apple's method of shooting in low light is not the best solution for shooting footage with the iPhone 15 pro Max. You can create impressive images just by setting the ISO sensitivity appropriately and adjusting the direction and color of the light.
Mr. Maschwitz said, ``Lighting does not just illuminate, it requires professional skill to balance the light source. Photography is nothing but light. Literally, photography is made up of nothing but light. Birth. Whether it's a daytime scene or a wedding record, it's reduced to just light before it becomes a photograph. Proper lighting is more important than anything else in photography.'
Of course, if you shine strong light with huge lighting equipment, lens flare and ghosting will occur. To prevent this, Apple has installed a very large
Maschwitz has some advice for shooting footage with the iPhone 15 Pro Max:
・Use camera equipment. However, it does not have to be a high-class item.
・Use lighting correctly.
・Use a camera app that allows detailed settings, such as Blackmagic Camera.
・Use a shutter angle of 180 degrees if possible.
- Use a matte box or black tape to prevent light from entering the lens.
・Perform Log shooting while applying LUT to preview.
・For color editing after log shooting, hire an excellent color editing engineer.
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