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My iPhone 4 Fireworks Extravaganza

T

The Bronx Bull

macrumors member
Original poster
Jul 3, 2010
90
0
Each year my family has a 4th of July party with a fireworks display over the lake, and I figured this would be a good opportunity to test out not only the iPhone 4 photo capability and 720p video, but iMovie as well. The bad news: iMovie is prone to crashing, as we all know. I had to trim the hell out of my photos and much of the fireworks. The good news: everything looks great once I got it to import! Hopefully Apple is working on an update for iMovie.

I'm in the video alongside my grandfather, a WWII Pacific Marine, in the midst of the video. After one of the mortars was launched, my uncle, who is remotely launching the fireworks, says: "Pop, that one was made in Japan!" LOL.

Tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxR8vdlRbAs
 
Dude, seriously, you've sold me. I've been on the fence about buying iMovie since I"m clueless about anything video related other than watching them.

Your video was awesome. And I'm not just talking about the actual subjects in the video, but the transitions such as dissolve, etc. But also how you incorporated the music and other stuff. Really a good job.

Question, how did you get the music to duck down when the fireworks started? I though you couldn't do that on the app version. Or did you split the music into two and duck the second part?
 
Nicely done. Both the fireworks and the video.

Super jealous of the fireworks display though. Stupid Colorado banning everything including Sparklers...
 
iceterminal said:
Dude, seriously, you've sold me. I've been on the fence about buying iMovie since I"m clueless about anything video related other than watching them.

Your video was awesome. And I'm not just talking about the actual subjects in the video, but the transitions such as dissolve, etc. But also how you incorporated the music and other stuff. Really a good job.

Question, how did you get the music to duck down when the fireworks started? I though you couldn't do that on the app version. Or did you split the music into two and duck the second part?
Click to expand...

Thanks! iMovie is extremely simple to work. This helped me out a bit: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4174

As for the volume adjustment when the fireworks start: when you double tap on a video clip, you'll be presented with the "title" options. On bottom, "enable audio" is there, with a yes/no box - yes means the audio from the video will play along with the music (which auto adjusts to make room for the clip audio), and no means "music only."

Rooskibar03 said:
Nicely done. Both the fireworks and the video.

Super jealous of the fireworks display though. Stupid Colorado banning everything including Sparklers...
Click to expand...

Thanks! I'm in New York though - we're borderline communist bloc! My father's friend is a licensed pyrotechnician, however; he's seen stringing together the "e-matches" right in the beginning of the video. He did say that our personal display is still illegal without a "sponsor." Take what you will from that!
 
Awesome display and a great show of what the iPhone 4 is capable of.

As far as the "illegal" goes on some things like this it just makes it more fun. You could have your family form a sort of group and use that as the sponser.
 
Very nice! Can I ask how long it took you to do this project from start to finish?
 
Not bad, not bad at all. Just had a small fireworks show last night in downtown Vegas and I was going to record it with my iPhone 4 to see how well it would do but most of the fireworks were obscured by buildings in the downtown area so I passed.

I think they'll have something else going on at the baseball park (Cashman Field) here tonight, or tomorrow, not sure but I might give it a go if they do.

Good job on the video, OP, nicely done.
 
Sweet!
I was born and raised in "The People's Republic Of New York" and to top it off, my Dad was FDNY for 30 years...no fireworks for us growing up...:mad:

Really enjoyed your video...:)
 
Very well done! When played back on my iPhone 4, it shows off just about everything that is amazing on this phone... The video quality, retina display, YouTube in HD, and those deep, deep blacks. The fireworks really pop on my screen. What an unbelievable phone this is.

Fireworks are particularly challenging to film, and the fact that the iPhone 4 can do such a great job of it is a true testament to the quality of the camera and the software.
 
rotobadger said:
Very nice! Can I ask how long it took you to do this project from start to finish?
Click to expand...

Well, I rode shotgun on the way up to the party, which is about a forty-five minute drive. I started the video when I stepped into the car to go home, worked on it on the entire drive home, and maybe ten more minutes at home? Roughly one hour.

AshStorm said:
Bronx Bull,

Very cool!

/salute your Grandfather
Click to expand...

Thanks! He's gotten plenty of accolades lately. Have you heard of "The Pacific" on HBO? He was in Eugene Sledge's K-3-5 unit as a Machine Gunner on the first waves at both Peleliu and Okinawa - naturally, the producers from HBO have been all over him for that pre-production period. Here's a picture of him on Okinawa in 1945 with Sledge (Grandfather is on the far left, shirtless and holding the Jap flag, Sledge is in the middle, prone, with a helmet on):
getimage.exe


We're all very proud of him.

Ronnoco said:
Sweet!
I was born and raised in "The People's Republic Of New York" and to top it off, my Dad was FDNY for 30 years...no fireworks for us growing up...:mad:

Really enjoyed your video...:)
Click to expand...

Thanks! We had quite a few VFDs at the show!

redman042 said:
Very well done! When played back on my iPhone 4, it shows off just about everything that is amazing on this phone... The video quality, retina display, YouTube in HD, and those deep, deep blacks. The fireworks really pop on my screen. What an unbelievable phone this is.

Fireworks are particularly challenging to film, and the fact that the iPhone 4 can do such a great job of it is a true testament to the quality of the camera and the software.
Click to expand...

Appreciate it. I think they came out superb as well - especially for a phone. The hardest part about filming the show is that most of the mortars were going over the treeline! It's noticeable at the end when the branches obstruct the blasts!
 
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