FilMic Pro and Reticles

[TwoLaneHighway]

Does anyone here have experience with FilMic Pro?

From what I have read, FilMic Pro is supposed to be superior to iOS's camera app, but I am not entirely sold on it yet, and am struggling to do basic things.

I have questions about how the "reticles" work if anyone has experience with this app, and videography in general.

 

[TwoLaneHighway]

Wow, crickets!

140 views an apparently no one here uses FilmicPro?

 

[usagora]

Never heard of it. Have you watched this video? It may answer your question - not sure, though.

 

[TwoLaneHighway]

Never heard of it. Have you watched this video? It may answer your question - not sure, though.

Oh, sure, now someone shows up after I complain! 😛

Yes, I have watched that video and this video led to more questions...

So here is what I am trying to figure out...

A few weeks ago I was at a small rodeo, and it was night time, and there weren't many lights, and I was trying to track the cowboys and the poor little steers they were pursuing.

This was using my iPhone 11 Pro Max and the built-in Camera app.

I had a few problems...

1.) I needed to keep proper exposure on a particular cowboy.

One moment he was at the edge of the arena where it was dark, and the next moment he was riding by me under a bright light.


2.) I needed to keep proper focus on a particular cowboy.

One moment he was on the far edge of the dark arena, and the next he was right in my face chasing a steer.


3.) I wanted a way to smoothly zoom in and out as I tracked the cowboy.



In the link I posted above, and the one you posted, I get how the Filmic Pro exposure and focus reticles work in those basic scenarios, but how would I apply them to my situation above?

For instance...

If I put the Filmic Pro exposure reticle on the cowboy where he was located at the dark, far-end of the arena (e.g. top-left), then that would properly expose for him at that point in time.

But as soon as he changes positions and rides towards me and he appears in the lower right-hand corner of my display, then I assume that exposure reticle will no longer apply, right?

I assume that I need the exposure reticle and the focus reticle to follow my moving subject.

I guess you could place both ot them in the center of the screen, and as you track the subject they would adjust, but I'm not sure.

To be honest, my rodeo shoot seems like a godo example of where an iPhone is no competition for a true video camera, but who knows?!

That is what I need help with, because the Camera app fails miserably in such light/dark and moving subject situations, and I'm not sure that Filmic Pro is much better.

This is a question for a seasoned camera person and an expert videograher...

 

[usagora]

This is a question for a seasoned camera person and an expert videograher...

Which I am not, especially the latter. Have you tried contacting the developer to ask them?

 

[TwoLaneHighway]

Which I am not, especially the latter. Have you tried contacting the developer to ask them?

I could try reaching out to Filmic Pro, but my question is really a videographer question, as I have described a filming problem above, and I need a filming solution so I can get better end results.

Maybe all of the video experts are out on assignment before the Summer ends?

 

[coolguy4747]

This is a question for a seasoned camera person and an expert videograher...

You might find that seasoned camera persons and expert videographers are not using iPhones to record such scenarios. If you want to use the reticles, you probably have to move them around as the cowboy moves around. You could also try adjusting the exposure manually as the cowboy moves through differently-lit areas. I'm not sure if any iPhone apps include proper subject tracking. From the videos above, it does not look like the reticles are meant for that. If this is something you are going to be spending a lot of time doing, it may be worth looking into a camera that can lock focus and exposure on a moving subject. From what I gather, some Sony and Canon models are particularly good at that.

 

[TwoLaneHighway]

You might find that seasoned camera persons and expert videographers are not using iPhones to record such scenarios.

You are probably right!

If you want to use the reticles, you probably have to move them around as the cowboy moves around.

That is what I am thinking.

The tutorial I linked above is very useful, but the subjects are always stationary, inanimate objects, which certainly does not describe those cowboys or steers!!

The only other thing I can think is to put both reticles in the center of the screen and as you track the subject in the center of the frame, hopefully the reticles adjust the exposure and focus accordingly.

But this is a case were manual controls (e.g. manual lens focus) would be better.

You could also try adjusting the exposure manually as the cowboy moves through differently-lit areas.

I have tried that, but it is hard to get smooth transitions, just like I find it nearly impossible to smoothly zoom in and out. (You can always tell I'm using a smartphone.)

I'm not sure if any iPhone apps include proper subject tracking. From the videos above, it does not look like the reticles are meant for that. If this is something you are going to be spending a lot of time doing, it may be worth looking into a camera that can lock focus and exposure on a moving subject. From what I gather, some Sony and Canon models are particularly good at that.

I just bought an iPhone 12 Pro Max this week to use for moving subjects as I also bought a DJI OM4 gimbal.

But my next big purchase will either be a mirror-less camera or a dedicated digital video camera where I have a physical lens I can dial in and have other manual settings that I can adjust, as it is always easier to dial in analog controls versus trying to do it digitally.

 

[sevoneone]

I'm not sure about an expert videographer but, in situations where a subject is moving around a lot between different lighting conditions and you need uninterrupted coverage, the best option is to have multiple cameras, each exposed for the various lighting conditions and you edit the footage together in post.

If you only have a single camera and must capture the entire performance/event uninterrupted, most would lock in an exposure split between the darkest and brightest extremes, favoring whichever is more prevalent/important. Not too underexposed when in the darker areas, and not blown out in the lighter ones. Consider if you or the camera make a mistake trying to keep perfect exposure on the fly, it is going to be a lot harder to fix than grading/balancing the image in post. The iPhone 12/12Pro has 12-14 stops of dynamic range and FilmicPro lets you shoot in 10bit with a Log gamma. Log footage must be graded to look correct, but it will give you the most control over the final image.

For focus, on an ordinary camera most would close down the aperture of their lens a far a possible to maximize depth of field and make it easier to keep sharp focus. This shouldn't be much of a problem with the iPhone's small sensor though... If you're close enough that you are having major focus shifts with the standard camera, moving back some and using the Telephoto camera might put more area in focus for you. I can't find a DoF chart online for the 12 Pros different cameras, so you'd need to try it out.