MANILA, Philippines - Nokia launched its Nokia N8 with three short film directed by three young directors. Here’s what these young, creative and award-winning directors have to say:
Pepe diokno
How did you start filming on the Nokia N8?
I took a few clips of my brother playing around the house one afternoon. I figured the N8 is really great for capturing personal moments, and it is. I recently took it along on a family trip to China, ditching my still and video cameras. Very happy with the results.
Did you do the editing on the Nokia N8? what was it like?
It’s great for when you’re on-the-go, because you can even use it to create slideshows with text. If you have a little bit more time, it’s also easy to drag the clips to your desktop and use editing software you’re used to.
What are your thoughts on how mobile phones are slowly transforming into powerful mobile imaging devices?
With the N8, I have a phone, a still camera, a video camera, a voice recorder, a PDF reader, a web browser, and a notebook all in my pocket. I use it for research, oculars, taking down notes, doing interviews. It’s been a big help in my work in the creative field. I imagine it’ll be a big help for all kinds of people, too.
Treb montreras III
Would use the Nokia N8 again to do another short feature?
Yes, in fact me and some of my friends are planning to do a short action flick with the N8.
What do you think is the best feature of the Nokia N8?
I’m so impressed with the USB connectivity and HDMI direct features of the phone.
Since I got my N8 I’ve used it not only as an imaging device but also for checking e-mails, social networking and listening to music. I’ve always loved Nokia for their user-friendly interface and they did it again with this one. I also love the multi-tasking features of this phone. The N8 can handle so many applications at the same time unlike other phones that don’t allow you to do so.
What was your N8 short film about? What was the title?
The film is entitled “Frank da Crank.” It’s a moving portrait for a friend of mine. We call him “Frank da Crank,” he’s an interior designer and an amazing dancer.
What inspired you to shoot it?
I’m a big hip-hop fan. And I have always loved shooting the urban/hip-hop lifestyle here in the Philippines. One of the most familiar characters in the Manila hip-hop scene is Frank. A lot of hip-hop heads here recognize him for his very unique dance style.
How did you come up with the story?
Normally it would be really hard to shoot if I brought the bulky professional camera with me, specially on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Good thing the N8 is handy and portable. We were able to film despite the bad weather. Luckily, I had my umbrella and top hat in my car. I immediately thought of paying homage to Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly.
How long did it take you to film it?
Almost two hours.
Did you do the editing on the Nokia N8? What was it like?
For this film I decided to edit on my desktop. I wanted to know if I could easily integrate the footage in my professional editing system. It was very easy. I just dragged and dropped the footage into my editing timeline.
What are your thoughts on how mobile phones are slowly transforming into powerful mobile imaging devices?
I love that I don’t have to bring a lot of gadgets with me. The quality of the images from this phone is even better than some of the dedicated pocket cameras on the market today.
(This is the link to my film: http://www.vimeo.com/15870059)
Paul Soriano
What was it like doing the Nokia ad on Nokia N8?
I was the guy behind the Pier Roxas campaign. We put together a really, really interesting campaign. It is making a lot of waves the last I talked to the Nokia people I was told that because of the ad Pier Roxas gets hundreds of hits a day, a lot of text messages and peole are hot on helping him out.
Is it your first time to do a film on a cell phone camera?
I think it is the first TV commercial to use a cellphone, the Nokia N8. I found that very interesting more important is that I was able to complete the ad. I have been directing TV commercials for about four years, and we always use film and HD technology.
Were you skeptical at the start?
When I was asked to do the campaign, I had to ask Nokia to let me try out the unit to see if it could work. I tried it side by side with many HD cameras, and whatever you see in the Pier Roxas ad is shot on the Nokia N8.
What about for still shots?
It takes great photos. Being a good director it is almost a necessity to have a camera on me all the time. The N8 has a really good HD camera loaded with the Carl Zeiss lens.
What is it like as a cell phone?
It’s great that in my pocket I have a really competent cell phone for calls and texting, a great camera for still shots and a good video cam for location spotting. It’s a perfect combination.
Are the videos and pictures easy to upload?
If I am at castings, auditions or workshops I can take video with my phone and I can easily upload it to my computer and then watch it on TV.
Would you use the N8 for other commercials?
I think that the Nokia N8 will be great for viral campaigns the ones we can post online. Besides making our own personal videos. I would not be surprised if someone makes a long film on it.
Did you use the same N8 for the shooting?
I used just one N8 and it did just great. There were no problems and it was easy to Bluetooth the videos to the computer. We had numerous takes, and the phone never shut down, never hung. I have to add that we were shooting under extreme conditions at the Pier on Roxas Boulevard.