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Syria Mobile Festival: smartphone documenting of war as it happens

Citizen journalism is coming of age around the world. Nowhere has this development been more dramatic than in Syria, where smartphones and other mobile devices have been used to capture the uprising and the devastating war. Earlier this year, the Syria Mobile Festival began honoring the daring and memorable work of smartphone documentarians. Films include “A Physiotherapist Diary,”…

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“Dot”: the world’s smallest stop-motion animation character

Professor Fletcher’s invention of the CellScope, which is a Nokia device with a microscope attachment, was the inspiration for a teeny-tiny film created by Sumo Science at Aardman. It stars a 9mm girl called Dot as she struggles through a microscopic world. FacebookTwitter

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“The Run”: the art of the chase

This short iPhone movie by  Ettore Nicoletti demonstrates one of key techniques of the classic chase scene: the lead character at first does not know she is being stalked. In a kind of homage to  O. Henry, there’s a comic twist in the end.   FacebookTwitter

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“Action Selfies”: Is Filmbo the next step in star-it-yourself mobile cinema?

Selfies are not (necessarily) evidence of narcissism. St. Augustine’s “Confessions,”  Franklin’s Autobiography, and van Gogh’s “Self Portrait with Bandaged Ear” can all be seen as precursors of the modern video blog. So are stand-up comics and one-man band performers like the early Dylan accompanying himself with his harmonica. Mobile moviemaking easy-to-use technology makes it is a natural…

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Mobile MovieMaking Basic Basics: 14 simple tips that’ll make your videos memorable

As with playing golf, painting a picture, flying a plane,  running a business, or engaging in any other worthwhile activity, getting good at making movies can be a lifelong activity. Even the greatest filmmakers learn every time they make a movie. Nevertheless, by implementing a few simple strategies (described below), you can use your mobile device to make…

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“Time Collapse Video”: seeing, believing, and…reality

Director Cy Kuckenbaker got into the bowl with pro skateboarder Cory Juneau to shoot a video reminiscent of a Busby Berkeley dance sequence. The skateboarding action, captured with a Lumia 930 is astonishing. But that’s only  the beginning. In a companion video, Kuckenbaker takes viewers behind the scenes to show how editors virtually obliterate time to…

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