Smartphone-shot movie guns for cinema release
Used a Nokia, so gimme the Oscar
The majority of films shot on cameraphones end up in YouTube's vaults, lost forever among grainy videos of gigs and scenes of animals doing stupid things. However, if amateur filmmakers took things more seriously, their footage could end up in cinemas across the country.
Director Hooman Khalili is bidding to do exactly that. His feature film, Olive, which was shot using nothing but a Nokia N8 rigged up to a 35mm lens, could become the first smartphone-filmed movie to roll out in cinemas across the US.
Olive is the story of a young girl who doesn't speak, but positively affects three strangers she meets.
Khalili has finished the film after it was bankrolled by private investors. However, he now needs further funding to pay for distribution and has reached out on Kickstarter for potential investors.
The director guarantees Olive will been shown on various big screens following its premiere this month. He even wants to submit it for Oscar consideration, which would be a first for a film shot on a smartphone.
To see more about how the film was made, check out the video below, which was probably filmed on a proper camera. ®
COMMENTS
Am I just an old cynic, or does this smell like a Nokia Viral marketing campaign?
Well, I can't comment on your being an old cynic (although I'd hazard a guess that you are, like I am), but I agree on the viral marketing thing.
Gimmick
Little known actor/radio personality decides to be a director and uses a gimmick to get attention. The fund raising bit on his website is a hoot.
I'm not saying that it is a bad thing to use cameras, lenses, and filters to achieve an effect. I knew someone who did several short films using a Fisher Price Pixelvision camera because of the look of the final product. He also did quite a bit of post in After Effects.
Hell some real directors have overused filters. I wanted to walk out of Star Trek Generations because of the heavy handed use of colored lens filters. I seem to remember the director apologizing at a later date for that.
You can get cheap MiniDV cameras for less than the price of the phone.
I had to use a couple of phone clips in my last holiday video, shockinly bad compared to the rest using HDV.
Indeed, you fail.
Don't diss phones you have no clue about ;) The Nokia N8 has HMDI out, as does the E7. Adapter comes included with the purchase.
