The Growing Trend Among Film Makers To Use Mobile Technology For Filmmaking
Technology is making life easier in many ways, and even the world of filmmaking is being impacted. No longer are content creators limited to using large, bulky camera set ups, as mobile phone camera resolution has increased in power and computer technology has made inroads to making digital the major game changer to the industry as a whole. The most important question on everyone's lips is, how is the film industry going to adapt with the new influx of mobile filmmaking?
As the industry steps forward in a new direction, we took a look at who the new technology frontrunners are, and what has been happening behind the scenes, to bring audiences a viewing revolution.
This Isn't The First Time A Brand Has Been Used Exclusively For Filming
While there are many producers who still want to shoot on classic style film, the older technology is struggling, where Kodak, the last remaining manufacturer of film, recently pursued deals with all of the major film studios to guarantee a minimum purchase of film product so the company could avoid bankruptcy. Kodak’s film sales plummeted 96% in the last decade alone – leaving the option to use a classic style and creative freedom by a director, in potential ruin.
This isn’t the first time a brand has been used exclusively for filming. In 2011, Toshiba partnered up with a social indie film project called ‘Inside’, alongside Intel. The branding partnership was created as Toshiba was seen as a more desirable brand that would appeal to the target audience demographic.
Two years later, in 2013 a LG cell phone did what can be argued as being a more of a ‘giant leap’ for cell phone usage in film. The LG G2 was sent to space to film the earth with its 13MP camera. The video footage captured was phenomenal, and set the bar high for a future in cell phones making movies.
Apple in Modern Family
Modern Family has received a lot of media hype over the past few weeks as a result of the announcement that they have filmed an entire episode only using Apple products (the iPad and iPhone 6) with the episode to air February 25, 2015.
Apple was first featured in Modern Family five years ago, when it was featured as an unpaid placement that demonstrated the use of the iPad with the FaceTime app. This year’s episode sees the sitcom take place entirely online, with the episode storyline unfolding through the devices instant messages, mobile, and video chatting apps (FaceTime included).
Apple’s manufacturer insisted that they have paid nothing for the product placement, and that the opportunity is strictly trade out with Apple providing the devices to the Modern Family show’s executives. However, Apple cannot be credited entirely for the stunt as it has been revealed that the show’s executive, Steve Levitan, was the one to approach the manufacturer with the idea – to which Apple was very receptive, Apple used the iPad tablet to film the majority of the episode.
Mobile Brand Commercials
The executives at Modern Family are not the only ones to have taken this creative direction, as Apple themselves followed the trend with an ad that aired during the 2015 Oscars telecast and featured Martin Scorsese that was shot entirely using the Apple iPad 2.
Apple unveiled their ‘Make a Film With The iPad’ spot that was shown during the Oscars live telecast. Similar to how Modern Family’s show executives used the technology, Apple chose to showcased the iPad as a film making tool for next-generation directors. With a little help and leverage from Martin Scorsese, the film chronicles the efforts of students from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Each student was given the iPad to write, produce, shoot, score and edit their films in a matter of days.
The Product Placement Celebrity Endorsement Factor
Like many other brands have done in the past, Apple is just the latest to push mobile technology in film. Not only are manufacturers attempting to revolutionize the way films are made, they are revolutionizing the way we use technology. Not only that, they’re also using multiple forms of entertainment marketing to get their product in the spotlight and create talking points that are PR friendly and newsworthy.
Using the Oscars to debut an ad that showcases revolutionary filmmaking tools, teamed with a celebrity endorsement, and then following that up with a televised episode showcasing the functionality of the products has the potential to spike a large conversation.
This Isn't Apple's Only Endorsement Deal
Apple has received help from celebrity endorsements in many different ways – including LeBron James and Ellen DeGeneres’ personal apps that are available for download in the Apple store. You can read more about these apps here.
What are your thoughts on this product placement strategy? Do you think it is a winner, or a potential flop? We would love to hear what you think. Comment with your thoughts below.
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