Storytelling Is in Your Hand
The iPhone is the tool and the process is the winner!
I headed out last Friday to film a story and simplicity won the day!
I was inspired to challenge myself on this project.
My guest in episode 194 of the SBP Podcast Mobile Filmmaking, Michael Harlow, set off to complete 57 adventures, in 57 hours. Melissa Harlow, his wife, filmed it with her iPhone to make a documentary to submit to our International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego.
Michael was not new to the podcast. In January 2021, I invited him to the podcast to share his secret diving discovery which I had held secret since 2011-12.
In the episode, he shares the fascinating story of what he accidentally discovered while scuba diving. He contacted me because he wanted to film a documentary with his iPhone, but he needed a case to film underwater, at that depth.
Back to August 2024: I invited Michael to share his adventurous marathon which began August 23rd at 1pm and ended August 25th. All of it took place in the county of San Diego.
This is the video I shot with my iPhone. I challenged myself to drive there, film it, and edit the story using iMovie on my iPhone.
What I am going to do is share the details of the simplicity and the quirks of editing on a phone. But overall, I will share the tools and method I used so you can share simple stories like this, or more extensive ones, using the same tools and process.
All you need is your iPhone. Sure, an Android is fine too…but I have an iPhone and that is what I used.
Are you ready? Watch the video and celebrate Michael Harlow’s achievement (he completed all 57 adventures in 57 hours).
Subscribe to find out all the details in a following post I will share soon for paid members.
Note that this video was shot in 4k and the quality is much better than what you see on Substack because Substack will compress uploaded videos with a higher resolution than 1080HD. For comparison, I’ve included the YouTube video below it.
Speaking of process…I released the latest SBP Podcast Episode 195 today. I emphasize how important it is to be mindful of how important the process is in filmmaking. But of course, check out the topics we discuss on the link or the “Show Notes” in the episode if you open it in a podcast app.
If you have a film you shot with a smartphone camera, any brand, submit it to the International Mobile Film Festival in San Diego. I can hardly wait to see you there April 25-27, 2025!