Hand Held Hollywood officially ceased operations on September 17th, 2024. The site will remain online for archival and research purposes. The App Directory continues to receive updates as needed. If you’d like to contact Taz, the contact form is still functional. We also invite you to join Taz’s mailing list here.

Students sitting in a classroom, some appearing focused on their iPads and others seemingly distracted by a Disney short.

How I used my iPhone & iPad on a Disney short (a.k.a. Blatant Self Promotion)

I wanted to share some fun news! A short film I directed for Walt Disney Pictures just hit store shelves! It’s called Last Chance Lloyd, and stars Nicholas Braun and Raini Rodriguez. If you’ve seen Disney’s Prom (in theaters last April), then you’ve already witnessed Lloyd desperately trying to find a date for the big night. My short goes deeper into Lloyd’s story, exposes a few more failed attempts, and explains why he winds up going with… we’ll, I’m not going to spoil it. If you’d like to check it out, it’s the featured bonus on Disney’s new PROM BluRay.

We shot the film on the Arri Alexa. But, given the option, I would rather have shot it on the iPhone.  HAHAHAHAHAHA! Just kidding. That’s ridiculous. But, I felt like I had to say that considering where you’re reading this post. I did, however, make EXTENSIVE use of my iPhone and iPad on set.

I used my iPhone to keep my shot list handly in Bento, to pre-visualize camera moves with Storyboard Composer, and as a virtual viewfinder with Artemis. I also used it when running lines with the actors. My iPad, however, was the real lifesaver on this production. I used OmniGraffle for iPad to construct all my overhead blocking diagrams (TouchDraw is a nice alternative). In fact, if you’d like to see OmniGraffle and some of those diagrams, check out my recent appearance on MacBreak Studio.

Trivia: When Prom needed a touch more comedy, a scene from my short was moved it into the feature (the car covered in post-it notes). Sadly, that means the short is a little less funny, but on the upside, I was able to add another 2nd unit feature directing credit to my resume.  …and that don’t suck.

The app was not found in the store. :-(
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Heading Into the Sunse— Hang on. I have a call.

Dear iPhone fanatics and filmmaking friends, This will be the final post for Hand Held Hollywood. To loyal HHH readers, I’m sure this feels somewhat overdue. Probably because it is.

Shang-Chi Poster

Shang-Chi Director Directed From His iPhone

I enjoyed reading this brief ScreenRant story, so I thought I’d share it here. It describes how Destin Daniel Cretton, the director of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, was forced to direct an important scene via his iPhone while in the hospital for the birth of his child! Sadly, it doesn’t divulge the details of that unusual workflow, but it’s an excellent reminder that we’re all toting the world’s most versatile piece of filmmaking gear in our pockets and purses!