Before this course: Phone Filmmaking: storytelling and audio (course 4.4.2), which follows Filming with Your Phone: Light, Sound, Framing (course 4.4). You can already plan sequences, keep continuity, lock focus and exposure, and record clean sound. This course moves from "shooting well" to "shooting with cinema techniques".
Cinematic settings: frame rate and shutter angle
A movie camera blinks very fast and every blink makes one picture. How long each blink stays open changes how blurry moving things look. Cinematographers choose that on purpose.
- Apple says that depending on your iPhone model you can record in HD or 4K and change the frame rate to 24, 25, 30, 60 or 120 fps. Tap the resolution and frame rate values at the top of the Camera screen in Video mode, or go to Settings, Camera, Record Video. Faster frame rates and higher resolutions make larger files.
- 24 fps is the traditional film look; 30 fps is standard video; 60 fps is smoother and lets you slow footage down. Pick one frame rate for a whole project (course 4.4).
- Shutter angle. A 180-degree shutter means the sensor is exposed for half of each frame interval. At 24 fps that is half of 1/24 second, which is 1/48 second. The 180-degree angle is considered normal motion blur. Tight shutters give a stuttering, sharp look sometimes used in action scenes.
- Rule of thumb: shutter speed = 1 divided by (2 times the frame rate). At 24 fps that is 1/48, at 30 fps 1/60, at 60 fps 1/120.
- Most phone camera apps choose shutter automatically. Blackmagic Design's free Blackmagic Camera app, for iPhone and Android, adds film-camera controls: frame rate, shutter angle, white balance and ISO, plus a heads-up display with histogram, focus peaking, levels and frame guides.
- Apple says supported iPhones record video in Dolby Vision HDR, which can be turned off under Settings, Camera, Record Video (menu names depend on model). Keep this the same for every clip in one project.
| Frame rate | 180-degree shutter | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 24 fps | 1/48 s | Film look |
| 30 fps | 1/60 s | Standard video |
| 60 fps | 1/120 s | Smooth motion, slow motion |
- Choose one frame rate for your project (for example 24 fps) and write it in your shot plan.
- In the Camera app, open Video mode and tap the format values to set that frame rate and resolution (options depend on your model).
- Install a manual camera app such as Blackmagic Camera, or use the one you already have.
- In that app set the frame rate, then set the shutter angle to 180 degrees (or the shutter speed to 1 divided by 2 times the frame rate).
- Film a person walking across the frame, once at 180 degrees and once with a much faster shutter.
- Play both back and write which one looks smoother and which looks sharper and more stuttery.
- Check: all clips in your project have the same frame rate and shutter setting.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Cinema has a look. A big part of it is how long the shutter stays open."
[Text on screen: 24 fps, shutter 1/48] "At 24 frames per second, a 180-degree shutter is one forty-eighth of a second."
[Screen: person walking, normal blur versus sharp stutter] "Normal blur feels natural. A very fast shutter looks sharp and stuttery."
[Host] "Pick one frame rate, set the shutter on purpose, and keep it the same all project."
Film the same walking shot at 24 fps with a 180-degree shutter and with a faster shutter. Write one sentence on what the viewer feels in each.
ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude
Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.
For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.
I'm learning "Cinematography: lenses, lighting and composition" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "Cinematic settings: frame rate and shutter angle". What the lesson teaches: - Apple says that depending on your iPhone model you can record in HD or 4K and change the frame rate to 24, 25, 30, 60 or 120 fps. Tap the resolution and frame rate values at the top of the Camera screen in Video mode, or go to Settings, Camera, Record Video. Faster frame rates and higher resolutions make larger files. - 24 fps is the traditional film look; 30 fps is standard video; 60 fps is smoother and lets you slow footage down. Pick one frame rate for a whole project (course 4.4). - Shutter angle. A 180-degree shutter means the sensor is exposed for half of each frame interval. At 24 fps that is half of 1/24 second, which is 1/48 second. The 180-degree angle is considered normal motion blur. Tight shutters give a stuttering, sharp look sometimes used in action scenes. - Rule of thumb: shutter speed = 1 divided by (2 times the frame rate). At 24 fps that is 1/48, at 30 fps 1/60, at 60 fps 1/120. - Most phone camera apps choose shutter automatically. Blackmagic Design's free Blackmagic Camera app, for iPhone and Android, adds film-camera controls: frame rate, shutter angle, white balance and ISO, plus a heads-up display with histogram, focus peaking, levels and frame guides. - Apple says supported iPhones record video in Dolby Vision HDR, which can be turned off under Settings, Camera, Record Video (menu names depend on model). Keep this the same for every clip in one project. - Frame rate - 180-degree shutter - Typical use The exercise I'm working on: Film the same walking shot at 24 fps with a 180-degree shutter and with a faster shutter. Write one sentence on what the viewer feels in each. I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "Cinematic settings: frame rate and shutter angle" from the course "Cinematography: lenses, lighting and composition". Here's what the lesson says: A movie camera blinks very fast and every blink makes one picture. How long each blink stays open changes how blurry moving things look. Cinematographers choose that on purpose. The activity: Film the same walking shot at 24 fps with a 180-degree shutter and with a faster shutter. Write one sentence on what the viewer feels in each. Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Sources
- Apple iPhone User Guide, record a video: support.apple.com/guide/iphone/record-a-video-iph61f49e4bb/ios
- Apple iPhone User Guide, adjust HDR camera settings: support.apple.com/guide/iphone/adjust-hdr-camera-settings-iph2cafe2ebc
- Blackmagic Design, Blackmagic Camera: www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/blackmagiccamera
- Wikipedia, rotary disc shutter (shutter angle): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotary_disc_shutter
Lenses and focal length
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Exposure and manual control
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Light I: colour and the three-point setup
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Light II: shaping light and using external lights safely
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Composition and camera movement
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Formats, gear and the shoot-day workflow
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Final project
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Quiz
At 24 fps, what shutter speed is a 180-degree shutter?
1/48 second.
What does a lower Kelvin number mean?
A warmer, more orange light.
What do you do on iPhone to lock focus and exposure?
Touch and hold the focus area until AE/AF Lock appears; tap to unlock.
What is the default focal length of the 1x Main lens on supported iPhones, according to Apple?
24 mm (26 mm on iPhone Air and iPhone Duo).
Name the three lights in three-point lighting.
Key, fill and back light.
Where is the key light usually placed?
About 30 to 45 degrees to one side of the camera-subject line and raised 30 to 45 degrees.
Why shouldn't you plug many cords into one outlet?
It can overload the circuit and cause overheating or fire (CCOHS says avoid "octopus" connections).
What does Apple say ProRes is not available in?
Cinematic, Time-lapse or Slo-Mo mode.
Why does Log footage need colour grading?
It looks flat and pale on purpose to keep detail, so you add contrast and colour in editing.
What is a frame within a frame?
Using a door, window or arch to frame the subject.
Final exam
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Certificate
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