There’s no debate about it. Features like “Tangerine” and prize winning shorts like “The Russian Roulette” demonstrate that smartphones can be used to make great  traditional movies. Most of these use the same complex–and often time-consuming–process followed by Hollywood moviemakers.  But there is another side to mobile moviemaking. Because the camera is usually close at hand, you can shoot a movie at a moment’s notice. Hence the advent of a new genre: the Instant Documentary

While making an instant documentary requires you to think about all the traditional moviemaking issues—such as lighting, framing, and steadiness—the real key is attitude. You need to be ready to swing into action when something interesting appears in front of you.

Sometimes the opportunity will be obvious. If you’ve been watching a toddler struggling to walk, you’ll likely think to yourself: “It would be great to film her first independent steps.” But as an instant documentarian, you also need to be ready to shoot when something unexpected happens—an event you weren’t even thinking about. An example is the instant documentary–shown above–of a novice pianist who suddenly announced that he was going to play a piano riff with his eyes closed.

If you’d like to submit your own instant documentaries, drop a note at info@mobilemoviemaking.com.