Lambo Films

In 2011, I will make the first Belgian feature film shot on mobile phones. I have already done a lot of experiments, and would like to share my experiences with you.
A mobile-phone image is at its best when it shows something that is coincidental or prohibited. Because you always have your phone with you, you can film anything just by accident. You can also film almost without being seen since your camera is not conspicuous. And because it is almost invisible, your camera plays a less dominant roll.
Especially in the case of documentaries, with a regular camera a situation can be “created or acted” because of the presence of a camera. Without the camera, things would have unfolded in a different way. A mobile phone seems to disturb reality less than a regular camera. With a phone, you can capture the intimacy of daily communication and keep the authenticity of the situation. Characters are more sincere and authentic.
A 16mm camera, for instance, also has its limited time of shooting, in which things have to happen. A phone, however, is quickly switched on: sometimes something happens, sometimes it doesn’t. But it doesn’t matter because you can keep on filming endlessly.
The low resolution of a phone produces a very grainy result on the big screen. You have to use this to your advantage. The grainy effect makes the images blurry, dreamy, secretive, impressionistic. When people or objects are kept at a distance, the grainy effect makes them unrecognizable. People become dark and threatening figures. This makes the material exciting because you can’t really see who is doing what.
When you are using the sound of a phone, you have to take into account that the poor quality can also be used to your advantage: the secretive or coincidental aspect can be emphasized by the fact that the audience can only catch a few words of what is being said.
There is also the flexibility of a mobile phone. The image can be twisted and turned constantly. The phone can pass through small holes. You can make endless tracking shots and come really close to your subject. Funnily enough, it is not distracting when an image is on its head.
Since phones are cheap, you can actually film one scene with a lot of phones. You can ask anybody on your set to film the scene. How many angles do you want?
Light can change drastically because of the automatic light meter of the phone (for example, when you pass a window). Again, you can turn these technical problems to your advantage.
You should constantly explore the aesthetic possibilities of the phone as a film camera. But the form should always follow the content: a story of an undercover journalist or policeman; a story of a secret organisation or a forbidden love. Don’t try to make a “normal” movie with your phone. If the form doesn’t match the content, an audience will feel cheated. They will constantly ask themselves: “Why is this story filmed in this way?”