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Blog: June 9, 2009 : 3:14 am

iPhone 3G S Will Make Moviemaking Easier

I already use my iPhone a lot as a filmmaker (look for an upcoming post about creative ways use iPhone when making movies).

The iPhone 3G S looks like it’s going to expand the kinds of things I can accomplish. Here’s some of the things I’m looking forward to in the new model…

Compass
I’m still using the original 8GB iPhone 2G, so buying into the iPhone 3G S means I’ll also get access to great GPS navigation. The Compass feature takes this to the next level. Don’t think this is important? Try shooting a movie in an unfamiliar city. The iPhone lets you navigate like a local.

Improved Speed
I love my current iPhone, but when I really start pushing it, it ratchets along like a 19th-century carnival ride. I think I am going to notice the accumulated time saved in hundreds of half-seconds throughout a normal day.

Increased Storage
I keep all my work as .m4v files on my iPhone, and it’s served me well. More than once, I’ve whipped out the phone and given a potential client an instant look at what I do. It’s a wow factor for them on several levels: the picture quality is breathtaking, and the Star Trek techno-cool aspect doesn’t hurt.

Problem is, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for the podcasts and music I want for myself (I highly recommend the TEDTalk podcast). Now it’ll be easy and affordable for me to have room for both.

Video Recording
The implications here are obvious. Whether I’m demo’ing a shot and emailing it to a VFX supervisor, or testing possible setups while I am scouting locations, video recording makes me a very happy director.

Reduced Cost
This is small but it’s refreshing to see the cost of the phones dropping. Apple is making it too easy to justify buying this thing. And do I have to mention the importance of saving money as a filmmaker?

3.0 Software Upgrade
If you already have an iPhone (or even an iPod Touch), you don’t need the iPhone 3G S to get some great updates. Cut and paste (finally!), MMS support, and voice memos are just a few of the new upgrades. I’m especially looking forward to the Notes Sync capability – I often jot down story ideas or production notes in the Notepad, and have to email it to myself to retrieve it. (NOTE: iPod Touch users will need to buy the 3.0 upgrade; it’s still free for iPhone users, however)

• • •

The only problems I see are coming from AT&T’s camp: MMS support won’t actually be available from AT&T until “late summer,” and there’s no sign on the horizon of when they’ll finally make tethering possible. Megan Lavey at the Unoffical Apple Weblog has a great article about this very thing.

iPhone 3G S will be available June 18. I’m probably going to hold off a few weeks before buying, to let Apple work out the kinks, but you can be sure I’ll be sneaking down to the AT&T store soon enough.