As part of the smartphone movement, there is a new attachment that you can purchase that will give you the iconic Michael Bay movie look (if you couldn't tell, that was sarcasm).
A company called "Moment" has developed an anamorphic lens attachment that will give you the lens flare your been desperately searching for with your smartphone. While it's a cool concept, it still looks silly to me. Yeah, the images it produces are cool, but I still wouldn't call that person a filmmaker if they use their phone.
I was actually talking to a friend about this yesterday. He's worked on movies like Pirates of the Caribbean and 50 First Dates and he reiterated my feelings, saying "It's cool to use those for stuff like YouTube and social media, but no self respecting filmmaker will use a phone to film a movie.". Keep in mind, this man works IN THE INDUSTRY. He knows what the big dogs use and what they're needing to make these big budget movies, and it's not an iPhone.
The thing that got me when watching the Kickstarter video for this anamorphic lens is when the founder's of moment called themselves filmmakers. While that may be undeniable with the amount of work they've done, I stopped taking them seriously when they said they use their phone as part of their equipment to film a lot of their stuff. That's the one phrase that I consider kryptonite in a conversation.
My friend even said at one point, "They have film festivals where it's strictly smartphone based, but what people are really saying is 'Hey, look what I did with this piece if sh*t!" I couldn't agree more.
For those of you that want to use your phone for recreational use, then have fun with it. Try to create all you can while you can because that's a good way to practice when you realize you have to get the real stuff to make the videos you want. There's nothing wrong with wanting to use what you have to try to make something cool, just remember it will only get you so far. Do yourself a favor, invest in the right equipment, not a fad.
-Adam
Do you agree? Let me know in the comments!