Film Production Apps

Film Production Apps: From scriptwriting to storyboard composers, iPad and iPhone assistants for all areas of filmmaking
As lightweight devices tailored for on-the-go activity, the iPad and iPhone has already made fans out of filmmakers who want to stay in touch on set. Increasingly, clever applications are turning these digital tools into integral parts of the filmmaking process itself. Below we highlight several apps that make production more efficient—from drafting a script to creating a storyboard and more.

Scripts Pro

The functionally sleek Scripts Pro screenwriting software allows you to create and edit new scripts, as well as open files created in Celtx (a free scriptwriting program) and the industry standard Final Draft on iPhones or iPads. When the app senses an external keyboard plugged into the iPad, it eliminates the touchscreen keyboard to maximize the view. An affordable alternative to Final Draft, Scripts Pro sells from iTunes for $6.

Storyboard Composer

The finishing component to any good script is a storyboard. Cinemek's Hitchcock Storyboard Composer uploads multiple images from your libraries and adds them to the storyboard where you can arrange the photos and add audio, notes or scene-picker wheels. Once you've finished working with the images, the app compresses them into a PDF which can then be played back as a video. For a full scope on the Storyboard Composer's capabilities, check out the video. From iTunes for $20.

Artemis Director's Viewfinder

With an extensive catalog of lenses and camera types, Artemis Director's Viewfinder provides a great platform for realistically viewing the shot through your selected camera format. The viewfinder allows you to zoom in, compare lenses and play with the aspect ratio as well. Once you're happy with the shot, you can save it and upload to a storyboard or send it through email. From iTunes for $30.

DSLR Slate

Along with using your iPad or iPhone to create and edit stories, you can also use it on set in place of an oft-costly clapperboard. Designed for use with digital cameras, DSLR Slate not only offers a running timecode and inputs for typical production items like 'scene,' 'take' or 'director,' but it also provides info on camera settings such as ISO speed, aperture, white balance and more, as well as syncing audio for dual-audio system shoots. From iTunes for $5.

Pro Prompter

For shoots that require a teleprompter, ProPrompter not only provides a customizable scrolling screen of text on the iPad (in either portrait or landscape modes), but it also syncs multiple iPads so the presenter is free look at various cameras at any time. The app also allows you to easily adjust the speed or loop the script for numerous takes. From iTunes for $10.

TCoder
A tool geared toward journalists, TCoder runs alongside the camera, syncing the time code with any notes you are taking for reference later or to email to an editor. From iTunes for $4.