App turns smartphone owners into film crew members

Film Crew enables professional filmmakers to crowdsource smartphone footage from anyone wanting to join the crew and earn a credit.

The rising quality of smartphones’ video capabilities is opening up new opportunities for consumers to create their own mini films. Now Film Crew is an app that enables professional filmmakers to crowdsource smartphone footage from anyone wanting to join the crew and earn a credit.

Those with film projects — which could be anything from short films, ad spots, or even lo-fi horror movies — are able to list them through the app, detailing the shots they need filming and offering directions to smartphone users. Others using the app can then follow their instructions — such as setting, character actions, dialogue — to create clips that will be edited into the final film. Once they’ve uploaded their shot, they can share it with friends on social networks and receive a credit as a crew member in the final product. Available for free on both the App Store and Google Play, the app turns anyone with a smartphone into a camera operator for projects bigger than they could otherwise complete themselves. Filmmakers also benefit from getting a unique multi-faceted perspective for their movie.

Much like Crowdsync — the platform that creates music concert videos from the footage filmed by multiple spectators — Film Crew has recognized the possibilities of combining the material already being created by consumers on their smartphones. How else can citizen-produced content be collected and curated?

Spotted by Miranda Porter, written by Springwise