We've already discovered the best film making apps for Android devices, now it's time to iOS. There is a high chance that you might see something at a film festival taken on an iOS device or a local documentary even. This just proves that you don't need the industry's top film making gear to make a decent film.
The apps available on iOS certainly exceed those for Android, but we don't think they'll quite replace a professional studio just yet. But if you've got ambition and determination, there is no limit to what you can do with your iPhone or iPad.
Cinema FX For Video
This app is sure to bring some style to your video. It costs just £1.49 and works with both the iPhone and the iPod touch. It's proven that your iPhone can capture great quality photos and videos, but nearly everyone has an iPhone which means nearly everyone can capture the same quality videos as you. So how do you stand out from the crowd?
If you want your video to look a little different to the 'norm', this app lets you add adjustable filters to make your film look unique. This goes well beyond just being able to use a black and white filter to make something look 'vintage', you can stack layers and create unique looks for your film.
You can export your video to your camera roll so that you can use your video elsewhere. The rendering of videos is a little slow but the results can be fantastic and give your video a more professional look.
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Celtx Script
Write screenplays anywhere with Celtx Script, a clever scriptwriting software. This app is free and also works on iPad as well as iPhone and iPod.
You can create screenplays, theatre scripts, comic scripts and many more with the on screen options and layout tailored for each different kind of dramatic work. The various buttons ensure that you're always working in the correct way. Different elements of the script are laid out in the right place for you, so you don't have to worry about anything like alignment etc.
The app also allows you to add notes to areas of your script which are preserved across the desktop and iOS versions of the app. You can also send the script to friends, family and colleagues via a text or PDF format. The only downside her is the lack of support for final draft format, but other than that, this app is more than capable of letting you create an Oscar - winning script on your iPad.
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Storyboard Composer HD
This app is relatively pricey at £22.99 but it allows you to get the look and pace of your film before you even pick up a camera. It is also compatible with all iOS devices so can be used anywhere.
We all know the best video comes from a large amount of planning and preparation - most importantly, story boarding. Getting the composition of your shots correct before you actually start filming will make a massive different to their end quality. But this is a lot of work.
Storyboard Composer HD simplifies this process slightly. It enables you to take or import photos into the app and then customize the photo by adding arrows and notes to indicate what will be happening on screen. You can even indicate what camera moves will be made, e.g zoom or pan, the app will then animate those on your photo.
If you like, you can specify how long each shot should last, eventually building up a complete skeleton for your film - you can play back what you produce in storyboard composer as a video and then export it to use elsewhere. As we said, it's not cheap but it comes in very handy.
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iStopMotion
This app allows you to create stop motion and time lapse videos, but it's only compatible with iPad. At £7.99, it's reasonably priced for the features it provides. It's a fantastic way to create animations without actually having to learn to draw. You can even make films without actors with this app.
We think this app offers everything you need to start with this kind of film making. One of the best features is camera overlay, when you're lining up the next frame in your stop-motion video, you can see exactly where everything was in the last frame so their isn't much room to go wrong.
Although this app is only compatible with iPad, you can actually use an iPhone as a remote controlled camera for the main iPad app. It also exports up to 1080p so the results look amazing.
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FiLMiC Pro
At a reasonable price of £7.99, this is the answer to all the frustrations filmmakers experience with iPhone's default camera app. The best features are the ability to set the focus and the exposure separately, to lock them individually and to lock the white balance. These are all vital for getting the tone and mood of what you're filming correct.
Other features include framing guides, on screen audio meter which shows color bars or a slate at the start of each clip and you can upload your video to Dropbox which means it's immediately available.
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Vizmato
This is fantastic for newbie video editors as it makes it more fun and less daunting. It allows you to play clips and use a simple series of buttons and options to apply effects on the fly. With a simple tap of a button, you can make a section slow motion or add various other video filters.
Some say this app comes across as young and toy like but it is a free app and actually offers a large amount of precision. Every tweak you make is displayed in the timeline so you can easily go back and change or delete it. It's hardly a replacement for video editing but it certainly has a number of features that we're missing with iMovie.
Vizmato Now
Action Movie FX
This is another of our free apps and we love it because it offers such an easy way to shoot video with some added special effects. Action Movie FX also offers you in-app purchases so if you want to go above and beyond with effects, you can. It's compatible with iPhone and iPod touch and comes from the production studio of JJ Abrams, director of Star Trek and Mission Impossible!
This app even allows you to include flash floods and tornadoes. Although you can't add these effects to videos you've already shot, you can create a new video through the app using the effects.
The drawback of this is that the export output is limited to 720p which could be an issue. But on the plus side, the initial app is free so it's worth checking out.
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