Useful Cinematography iPhone Apps (Part 6)

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Useful Cinematography iPhone Apps Part 6Creative Commons License photo credit: Cristiano Betta

At the time the first installment of this series about useful cinematography apps was written, Apple’s iOS App Store had 150,000 apps, which was a huge number. Now the App Store has over 500,000 apps — more than a 300% increase.

Those apps have been downloaded more than 15 billion times, or about 2 downloads for every person living on the planet!

There’s no arguing with the numbers that the iPhone platform is more powerful than ever. As a resourceful filmmaker, your job is to capitalize on any tool that can help you work on set faster, better, and with more efficiency. Having a smartphone enables you to do just that.

So here’s five useful cinematography iPhone apps that you can put to use on set today.
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Finding the Best Laser Measuring Device for You

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Laser Tape Measure Hilti PD-40

You can only sneak around set as a tape measure ninja for so long before it gets old. Sometimes you just want need to stay next to the camera and get your marks.

Introducing the laser measuring device: a technological godsend for the camera assistant who doesn’t have the time to walk on set with their soft tape measure.

Laser tape measures are incredibly useful tools. They allow quick and accurate measurements to be done almost invisibly and are small enough to easily fit into a pouch or pocket.

But with so many brands, models, and features out there — not to mention high prices — it can be tough to pick the right one.

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The Ultimate Guide to Eyepiece Chamois

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Photo by CamCushions.comPhoto: Camcushions.com

When you spend all day pressing your eye onto a camera’s viewfinder, you’re not exactly living in the lap of luxury.

It’s easy for the viewfinder to become sweaty, dirty, and possibly spread an eye disease. The standard rubber eye cup is also not the most comfortable material to shove your face into.

That’s why you want to cover it with a special type of eye cushion called an eyepiece chamois.

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Is R3D Data Manager Worth Your $80?

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R3D Data Manager Screenshot - Is It worth the money?

Some say it’s a life saver, while others call it sophisticated copy and paste. But in cold hard facts, R3D Data manager is a piece of software that allows you to safely transfer R3D files and RED camera footage from a card or drive onto multiple hard drive backups.

There’s no doubt that the program works. I’ve used with success and it does what it says it’s able to do, but the big question is: is it worth your $80?

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Quick Way to Quit Fumbling with Your Hex Keys

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Quick Way to Quit Fumbling with Your Hex Keys Allen Keys

You will grow to love hex bolt screws. You don’t really have a choice considering the amount of camera gear that utilizes them. As a result, your hex keys (or allen keys) become attached to your hip.

But, the trouble with hex keys is finding the right size for each type of bolt on your equipment. When you’re working at a fast pace, you don’t have the luxury to test each key one by one.

So, as resourceful filmmakers, we will turn to the most versatile tool of all to solve this annoying problem.

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Warning: Keep Your Clutter Off the Camera Cart

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Crap on the Camera Cart

Work long enough in the camera department and you will eventually be blessed with a camera cart. They come in all shapes and sizes and are most useful in studio settings or on large locations.

But a good cart’s value doesn’t go unnoticed and you need to protect it because everyone else on the crew will be licking their lips, waiting to seize the opportunity to use your cart to lug their gear.

And you can’t let that happen.

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Should You Buy an AC Pouch to Wear On Set?

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Camera assistants often wear a pouch on set to hold essential tools, gear and other knick-knacks. These pouches come in all shapes, sizes and brand names. But before you pony up the cash to buy one, ask yourself whether or not you would want to wear one at all.

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Save Money and Your Tools in 10 Minutes or Less

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Losing gear is part of the life cycle of a toolkit. A tool can easily find its way out of your hands in the hustle of production, but you should be spending money on new tools instead of replacement ones. If you have 10 minutes of time, you can save money and save your tools by using this easy tactic.

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Useful Cinematography iPhone Apps to Have on Set (Part 5)

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Apple’s iPhone is an amazing piece of technology and in the previous parts of this series (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4) I highlighted apps from depth-of-field calculators to camera reports that make it a must-have tool on set. So, let’s take a look at five more apps that stand to turn the phone in your pocket into a hard-working piece of gear.

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The Two Types of Camera Tape You Need

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Various Colors of Paper Tape

This post comes by way of reader Naj who wrote, “I see many different kinds [of tape] on Filmtools…and am wondering if you could explain what each is used for? I need to do a bulk order and don’t want to get the wrong ones.”

The world of film production adhesives is a confusing one, but tape in its various forms is integral to the flow of a film set and an essential part of a camera assistant’s toolbag. If you’re building up your kit, make sure you have these two types of camera tape sitting pretty waiting to be tabbed.

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