Camera Setting Comparisons:

Goal: Capture shallow depth of field while minimizing motion blur and accurately capturing the full range of color even when changing angles or positions in relation to the direction and/or intensity of the suns rays

• iPhone 16 Pro Max/Filmic Pro App
• 24 FPS
• 1/120-1/240 Shutter Speed (Adjusting and setting manual slide out variables)
• ​Manual Focus Assist and Exposure Modes
• ISO 200
• Manual White Balance Adjustments
• Set to 1X Zoom in Camera Settings for maximum clarity and minimum latency
• Recorded in 4K, edited to 1080P to best capture high resolution video

3 clips edited together in this video sequence

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Recording Water Droplets With a Focus on Frames Per Second Settings

Fast shutter speed captures clear water droplets and ripples in the fountain, but changes in frame rate bring the drama. In the videos embedded below, compare the videos shot at 24 FPS; shot at 30 FPS, played back at 30 FPS; and shot at 60 FPS, played back at 30 FPS.

• The latter is a technique often used to bring greater detail to slow-motion effects. 

Shooting Conditions: Welcome to Houston!
97 degrees and 100% humidity

During the shoot that lasted from 9:00 AM until noon on a sunny day, camera angle movement and focal length changes proved challenging depending on the sun's location in the sky.  Using the Filmic manual focus assist and exposure mode was helpful in balancing details in the foreground, background and subject. However, Auto White Balance caused ISO shifts that resulted in some grainy footage. 

On the other hand, setting custom white balance brought out vibrant, more accurate colors... that is, until a pan or zoom introduced more or less light to the lens aperture, resulting in yellow-green tint shifts and unplanned (yet often super-cool) high contrast (blown out background) images.

I usually shoot on a full-frame Canon or a mirrorless micro four-thirds Lumix GH5.
But what is the greatest camera in the world?
The one you have with you.
For most, a phone with camera is always handy. ​

I look forward to getting more practice with the Filmic App on board. With the sun high in the sky, I found it next to impossible to see the iPhone screen, the image actually appearing in the viewfinder, and the controls for the App. Once the controls become second nature, and I work through some of the physical kinks, shooting professional level videos with my iPhone (or iPad) and an independent App should become more the norm.

Recorded at 24 FPS

Recorded at 30 FPS
​Playback 30 FPS

Recorded at 60 FPS
​Playback 30 FPS

1. When editing in PremierePro, I unlinked the audio from the video so that I could use one constant uninterrupted sound-bed. Because I like to have this flexibility in post, I often shoot long continuous shots even if I am making adjustments while shooting, rather than quick stopping and starting.
2. For the 60FPS/30 FPS audio track, when editing, I reduced the speed of the audio to better match the motion and impact of the water droplets.
3. As you'll see in the flower scenes as well as the water sequences, I like to keep or intentionally shoot video that randomly blurs, shifts focus or has extreme color or light shifts to use as transitions when editing.

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Professional Examples of Lighting
Mr. Robot
USA Network, 2015-2019

Elliot, a brilliant but unstable cyber-security engineer and vigilante hacker, becomes a key figure in a complex game of global chaos when he and his shadowy allies try to take down the corrupt corporation his company is paid to protect.
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www.imdb.com/title/tt4158110/?ref_=ext_shr_lnk

Even the TV series' IMDB description alludes to the lighting style that follows Elliott throughout all four seasons of Mr. Robot.

• Elliot suffers from a condition similar to  schizophrenia with multiple personality disorder and drug addiction.

In the scene, "Control is an Illusion", muted colors with high-contrast lighting and strong shadows metaphorically focus the viewer's attention on the two sides of Elliott's face.

Not only is Mr. Robot lauded for its complex narratives and character development, film critics recognize the series for innovative cinematography including lighting techniques which subconsciously guide the viewer through plot twists, turns, and surprises.

"Elliot and Angela's Wedding Isn't Real"  is an example of one of Elliott's brain glitches that transport him to surreal delusions.

The cinematography suddenly transitions from muted colors and a steady shallow depth of field to a handheld DSLR look.The lighting is natural outdoors with a grey sky contrasted by heightened reds and yellows.

Many of the angles are extreme shallow depth of field shots. Instead of highlighting/shadowing one side of Elliott's face, we see him in full light, appearing to perhaps even be followed by his own spotlight, setting him apart from the blurred frenzy going on around him.

"Tell Me This Isn't a Dream" returns to high contrast light and strong shadows, but the room begins to fill in features with natural light from the windows and a broader color range than we are used to in scenes depicting Elliot during confusing or thought-provoking moments. The scene becomes brighter as he reaches an ultimate resolution in his mind. This final transition signals what the 7-step storytelling process refers to as a new reality.

Mr. Robot Official YouTube Channel
www.youtube.com/@MrRobot/featured