Today let’s discuss the best apps for filmmakers.
Your weather app
Now, this might seem like a boring or obvious one. But think about it for a second. When planning a shoot–especially an outdoor scene, a night scene, or a scene that you want to utilize natural lighting for–your weather app is essential. You need to know if it’s going to rain. You need to know what the temperature is going to be. You need to know when sunset is.
Obviously no weather app is perfect, and you can’t 100% predict what the weather will be the day of your shoot. But using your weather app to help with planning the shoot will make you that much more prepared.
Cost: Free, and comes installed on most phones
Google Earth
Here’s another one you can access from any computer for free. Have you ever used Google Earth as a virtual location scouting tool? When you use Google Earth to virtually explore locations, you can see their exteriors and the surrounding locations to help you visualize your shots. I always recommend visiting a location before locking it in, if at all possible, but this app will help you understand if a location is even worth considering.
Cost: Free, can be accessed on desktop computers or phones
Sun Seeker (Apple) or Sun Positions (Android)
Just like with your weather app, it’s important to have an understanding of what the sun will be like during your shoot. Do you want to use natural lighting and want to know when the sun will be in the best position to shine through a specific window? Do you want to visualize what the light will look like throughout different points of the day? Do you want to know when sunrise, sunset, and golden hour will be?
These apps track the movement of the sun, which you can use to build your schedule.
Cost: Sun Seeker, £9.99, Sun Positions, free
Shot Designer
Shot Designer calls itself “the industry standard app for camera blocking,” and I couldn’t agree more. This app helps you design even the most complicated shots. It features a camera diagram, animation, shot list, storyboards, a director’s viewfinder, and team sharing. It works fast–so fast that you can use it to reconfigure your plan on-set–and helps you create your set layout, camera angles, and so much more.
Cost: free to download on apple and android products, $19.99 for a pro version
Scriptation
This Emmy winning PDF editor allows you to edit, annotate, make notes, and mark up scripts directly on your iPhone. This app saves you time and money by allowing you to transfer notes and annotations so that you’re not stuck copying them over by hand. You can include photos, set plans, and highlight lines with the tap of a button.
Cost: free for iPhone users, with optional in-app purchases
Shot Lister
Used on big productions including The Haunting of Hill House, Haunted Mansion, and Ozark, Shot Lister has a free download as well as a paid subscription option. Pro features include script importing, crew sync, storyboards, a way to note your favorite takes, and more. The website has plenty of tutorials to make sure you’re getting the most out of this app.
Cost: Free to download, Pro features are $15.99/month, or $99/year
Artemis Pro
This digital viewfinder allows you to do a LOT all in the app. You can record videos, create custom framelines, visualize color grading ideas, add stand-ins to help you visualize your shots, and use the virtual wide angle mode. All of these make fore an efficient and streamlined on set experience.
Cost: $29.99
Saturation
Last but certainly not least on the list of best apps for filmmakers, Saturation says that their app will help you “streamline your production budgeting, payments and actualization.” You can collaborate and communicate with teammates, keep your projects organized, track expenses, utilize industry standard templates, create budgets, integrate with your bank, manage contacts… is there anything this app can’t do?
Cost: free for one project with limited features, $25/month (with a free 30 day trial) for select features, or $75/month (with a free 30 day trial) for full access
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