FiLMiC Pro app hits v7.3

With the latest v7.3, FiLMiC Pro adds yet more capabilities to the well-regarded mobile filming app. Heath McKnight is a confirmed fan.

The team behind FiLMiC Pro has released version 7.3 of the game-changing mobile filmmaking app for iOS and Android, which adds new features and updates, most notably the ability to customize which buttons and features you'll want immediate access to. Let’s dive in!

When ver. 7 debuted, one of the biggest features was QAM (Quick Action Model system), which pulled up the most important camera controls at the touch of a button. While this was an incredible feature, you still add to touch the center of the screen to pull up the functions. It's a great feature, but as the team behind FiLMiC Pro revealed, mobile filmmakers asked if there could be more than one custom function button.

Ver. 7.3 takes it a step further by enabling every viewport button on a widescreen smartphone to act as a custom function button, totalling six. This makes it even easier to program which features and settings you want instant access to. You can change any of the six viewport buttons to whatever works best for you, such as accessing the shutter, zebras, autowhite balance lock, and more.

The bigger update was when version 7.0 dropped, and included the QAM feature along with:

• Even more control of focus, exposure, audio, bit rate, gamma curves, aspect ratios, and their huge library of film simulations. 
• Film in True Log or Flat.
• 16- and 24-bit audio support.
• Integration with DJI and Zhiyun gimbal stabilizers.
• The Custom Function Button allows you to choose your favorite features that can be accessed quickly.
• More film looks to get a great cinematic feel.
• And much more.

Check out some suggestions on how to customize the 6 viewports into function buttons in this video from FiLMiC Pro:

Mobile filmmaking and FiLMiC Pro

If you’re a mobile filmmaker, FiLMiC Pro should be your go-to cinematography app, and even if you aren’t, it’s a great one to have on hand. Even though Apple introduced a Cinematic Mode to iOS (with supported iPhones) and other apps available, my experience with FiLMiC Pro shows it stands above the others.

Adding the CineKit (in-app purchase) gives you LogV2 and LogV3 capabilities, filming in 8-bit and 10-bit SDR on supported phones. You also get an extra 2.5 stops of dynamic range (!!). FiLMiC Pro offers an official LUT pack to grade the LogV2 and LogV3 footage for Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, LumaFusion (mobile editing), and VideoLUT.

Even if you aren’t a mobile filmmaker, your iPhone or Android can act as a great B-camera during filming. It can even be an A-camera for pretty much any type of shoot, especially with gimbal hardware support. It’s not uncommon to see productions of all sizes using a mobile device to film action, whether using a gimbal, going hand-held, or some other stabilization device.

You will likely remember the memes that started popping up when the iPhone debuted in 2007, describing all the devices it replaced: Phone, PDA, music player (iPod), fax machine, etc. You can arguably add video camera and even NLE to the mix.

Someone starting out in production today may want to go the mobile filmmaking route, featuring a $1000 to $1500 smartphone plus apps like FiLMiC Pro and an NLE app. Compare that to purchasing a mirrorless or affordable cinema camera, plus computer and NLE and other apps, which would cost around $7,000 to $10,000, depending on the camera, lenses, system, and NLE. (Neither of those take sound and G&E into account.)

Pricing & availability

FiLMiC Pro was recently acquired by Bending Spoons, a mobile app developer based in Milan, Italy. The pricing is an annual subscription of $49.99, or if you only need it for a short time, a weekly subscription of $2.99. CineKit is part of the subscription.

It’s still a fairly affordable price to turn a compatible smartphone into a powerful camera. Throw in a mobile NLE like LumaFusion or KineMaster, and you have a full-blown mobile filmmaking solution.