A place of harmony among various lenses
By Will Frampton
Owner and Director at McLeod Media
The smartphone has a place alongside legacy cameras
Adapt, or die. The longer you go in life and business, the more those three words resonate.
I am stubborn when it comes to changing my production habits. I get comfortable with a camera, I want to master that camera and that lens, and keep using it for many years. The iPhone just has never been high on my list as a tool to integrate into my production patterns.
But strong and effective tools ultimately stand the test of time, and find their way into our workflows and rhythms of life.
Getting outside the comfort zone
I think I’ve arrived now at a place of harmony among the various lenses, including the smartphone lenses. These moments of epiphany and understanding come at the most interesting times. In my case, it came in southern Africa, August 2023 while producing a travel film series in Zimbabwe and Botswana.
The gear list for the trip was well-thought-out. I factored in formal interview set-ups with lighting versus “on-the-go” kits that would be used in the African bush. The combination of a Sony FS-5 with a Sony A7-R worked great … until I was in a spot where the gear wasn’t what I needed, and I tried something sort of crazy. Well, for me, anyway, it was a bit crazy.
I took out my iPhone and started shooting video (horizontally, of course). I had done this for broadcast reporting, to publish content to social media or quickly get stuff out during breaking news. But never had I embraced the smartphone for high-level, episodic production.
In a pinch, and in low lighting, it was incredible how that little lens came to the rescue. As I twisted and contorted my body to get just the right angles, I realized: “I could never get this shot so cleanly with either of my Sony cameras.”
As I shot video around a campfire, capturing silhouettes of people in perfect contrast with the fire and the darkness of night, the iPhone truly seemed like the perfect answer in that moment.
Robert Ray, a lead reporter for Fox Weather, uses the iPhone to film in remote and challenging areas.
Finding the right recipe
Day by day, on that 10-day production run through the African wilderness, I tip-toed more and more into using the iPhone. As a way to get stabilized shots on the run, as a way to get video in tight places, and capture sudden images when I wasn’t ready with my legacy cameras immediately at my side.
And since, I have found the right recipe that makes me feel like I’m making the most of 2024 technology while still embracing legacy gear and production styles to craft great storytelling.
The average viewers of major broadcast news platforms might not realize how much of what they’re watching today, originates from a smartphone. Take for example one of Fox Weather’s lead reporters, Robert Ray.
“Every single shoot, the iPhone is used,” said Ray, who has traversed the United States covering the most significant weather events of recent years. He says the iPhone has opened up a world of possibilities, to be more mobile on assignment, untethered by larger, legacy equipment.
“Over 200 days on assignment each year, all over America and internationally, the iPhone is the only method I use. For capturing video elements, interviews and live shots for Fox Weather and Fox Media, the quality is remarkable. As is the ability to move and capture precisely and creatively at speeds not achieved in the past.”
Ray continues: “There is trepidation (in the broadcast industry), in the sense that many believe the technology is a job killer. I understand, but I would counter that belief with confidence, and say there needs to be a tech-savvy and creative person operating the smartphone. If one can achieve the expertise, then the job opportunities are not broken, but rather dynamic and current.”
The great ones find a way
The photographers of the early 20th century may have gasped when presented with the notion of filming with sound and video synced. The cinematographers of the 1950s may have raised eyebrows when they saw more portable versions (albeit still incredibly heavy) of their sound stage cameras heading out in the field to capture the first news reports for ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Some news photographers of the 1970s may have thought the new ¾ inch video cameras of the early 80s were beneath them. So on, so forth.
Adapt or die.
There’s a place for all of these new video tools of the 21st century. Great producers will find a way to have everything live in harmony.
Will Frampton, carrying his traditional gear through Africa’s Kalahari Desert (with lions nearby).
