As an independent filmmaker, I look to simplify. Anything I can combine with my iPhone means one less thing to carry around.
A director’s viewfinder is essential for moving quickly on set. Until the camera is set, everything else is up in the air. Changing camera position means changing props, lighting, etc. to compensate.
A director’s viewfinder gives the director the ability to find the exact shot he wants — position, angle, lens, etc. A typical director’s viewfinder is around $250.
Chemical Wedding, a UK company specializing in film apps, has developed an all-around phenomenal app. Its beauty lies not only in the simplicity of design but also in the incredible dedication to accuracy and detail.
From their website:
“Artemis has been field tested and tweaked with every camera in our database to make sure that the field of view is correct. With digital film cameras we found that relying on the information from camera manufacturers was not always wise.”
Their database includes just about every camera setup you could think of. Having used Artemis on a couple of shoots, I can attest that the field of view is spot on with the setups I’ve been able to test it against.
Artemis works in two modes. A wireframe mode shows how different lenses compare against each other. In fullscreen mode, the camera zooms in or out to match the field of view of the chosen lens. You can also snap photos from within the app. Images are saved to your iPhone’s photo library with an overlay indicating camera and lens settings.
Artemis Remote is an iPad companion app that receives picture data sent to it from the Viewfinder app, allowing other people to view fullscreen mode without needing to be physically nearby, something that can’t be done with a traditional viewfinder.
Artemis Director’s Viewfinder is a must-have for anyone in the film or video production business. Its price seems hefty compared to other apps on the App Store, but it’s worth every penny. Check out the apps via the links below.
Photo Credit: directorsviewfinder.com
