Since the release of the iPhone and later the iPad, there has been a continuous rollout of apps or apps targeting the video production market. Some have come and gone, but many have now become an indispensable part of our kit, providing convenience and in some cases replacing high-priced production gear.

Preproduction

Some of the most useful applications have been designed for use in pre-production and planning. It often takes the place of expensive desktop software and, in some cases, adds additional ease of use.

Scripting apps like script pro allow users to write scripts with the help of popup menus and shortcuts right on their iPad.

It is also compatible with industry standard software such as final draft. It also makes sense when connecting an external keyboard to the iPad and removing the onscreen keyboard for an even bigger view.

Another extremely useful app is the Hitchcock Storyboard Composer. This is a very well thought out storyboard app that allows the user to upload various images from their libraries, add music, notes, and of course shot descriptions. It also emulates camera movements such as pans, tilts, and dolly movements. Your storyboard can be exported as a PDF or even played back as a movie.

Production

Perhaps some of the most popular applications are those used for production, such as the film slate or DSLR slate, which replace the need for expensive clapperboards.

The movie slate app does everything you need a clapper to do and then some. You can create comprehensive voice and image annotations, export reports, and ingest shot data into editing platforms like Final Cut Pro. You can also sync timecode between cameras, including other iPads or iPhones, with time on a clock, and even sync with a song from iTunes, if you are recording a music video.

Telepromptor apps are also gaining popularity. The promtor app allows you to edit the text of the presentation and has a customizable text scrolling screen where you can adjust the size and speed. Another useful feature is the ability to sync between iPads so your presenter can talk to multiple cameras displaying the same text.

There are also several editing packages available, such as iMovie, a portable version of the popular Mac desktop software. It’s surprisingly flexible with many of the usual features. Users can edit existing images or record more with the iPad camera’s built-in 1080p HD capability. Of course, this won’t be as good as a professional camcorder, but it’s very useful for shot planning, location scouting, and storyboarding.

And when you’re done, the sharing possibilities are endless. Upload to YouTube or Vimeo, a cloud or website, or even play it on a big screen TV using AirPlay.

The iPhone and iPad have brought a lot of new possibilities to the world of video production and I think video production is the best for it.