A second before his Rebel Moon debut on Netflix, Zack Snyder releases a 1-minute video demonstrating some cool tips for shooting an epic film using just your smartphone. Check them out.
Snow Steam Iron: Shot on iPhone 7 Plus by Zack Snyder
Snow Steam Iron is a short 4-minute film, directed and shot by Zack Snyder in 2017. The film was shot by Snyder, entirely on an iPhone 7 Plus with FiLMiC Pro App, throughout one weekend with his friends and family. The film was premiered on the mobile app Vero. Plot: Snow gently falls on the blood-stained streets of a seedy out-of-time New York City. Steam envelopes the nightmare unfolding within its narrow alleys. Iron is the will of the one who would dare to resist – fight – survive. As you can realize, this is an epic film with a solid presence of the Snyder spirit. Check out the trailer below:
Shooting an epic film on a smartphone
Snyder is not the first to utilize a smartphone to shoot a film. Many other acclaimed directors and cinematographers also did that, but mainly for PR purposes (for instance, Ridley Scott, Emanuel Lubezki, and more). However, that film looks like a true passion project of Snyder. And now, before Rebel Moon debuts on Netflix, Snyder throws some tips to others. It must be noted, that all the pictures in the article were shot by Clay Enos, and capture the behind-the-scenes of Snow Steam Iron. You can see the iPhone 7 Plus on-set. By the way, below you can explore our video, which demonstrates the unique cinematography techniques used on Rebel Moon:
As stated by Snyder at the beginning of his presentation: “People always ask: ‘Is the phone good enough for shooting?’ I made a film called Snow Steam Iron, and I shot it entirely with my iPhone. Hi, I’m Zack Snyder, creator of Rebel Moon. I also directed movies like 300, Watchmen, Army of the Dead, and Justice League. Here’s a One Minute Film School, to help you make something epic”. Snyder divides his tips into three segments which are color, movement, and slow motion.
Color grading: Saturation – down, Contrast – up!
First, Snyder starts from the postproduction process, and color grading is one of those stages. As stated by Snyder: “User color. Once you shoot your shot, go to Edit, Saturation – down, Contrast – up. It makes everything look a little bit less…like it just came out of your camera”. Indeed, when thinking about it, this is the “Snyder Look” which was implemented in all of his movies, especially 300.
Camera movement: Use a cheap slider
Snyder also addresses the camera movement. “You should always buy a little mini slider,” says Snyder. “They’re not very expensive. You mount your camera on it, set it on a tripod, or table, and then get a nice clean push. Suddenly, you’re gonna look at your shots and be like, ‘Wow, that looks like it’s from a movie’”.
Slow motion
Snyder continues and talks about slow motion. “If you do some little push on to your friend into a closeup, and you use slow motion as they turn and look, it really will add to the cinematic quality of the shots you’re making. It’s the working through of the angle, the subject, camera move, and color”.
Wrapping up
Snyder summarizes and states: “That really, in the end, creates the shot and makes it look like something more than just like: ‘Oh, I used my phone and filmed my friends’ . Now that you know, go film something you love”.
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