So maybe you finally got an iPhone for Christmas or perhaps you’ve had one for a while but never really explored the digital landscape it opens up. Time to get with the program – or application.
For a town built on being first fastest and the allure of the shiniest sleekest new thing, it is no surprise that Hollywood has taken to iPhone Apps like paparazzi to a drunken starlet.
Of course, not all the downloadable gizmos are mere fun and games. Some apps actually can help you get your job done both on-set and at home. We've come up with the best. (And see accompanying story: ""Twilight Star's App Has Bite.")
Get ready to hit Install.
1. Movie★Slate ($9.99). While it has no hierarchy, this list, like every shot in every film, has to start somewhere -- and a slate seems the logical choice. Indeed, Movie★Slate is exactly what you expect – a digital slate and clapper board. But it is also a fully customizable shot log and multi-function notepad. And because this is not only extremely helpful for that gaggle of producers hanging around set but just so damn cool, you can easily sync up the time codes between multiple iPhones over Bluetooth. Nice, no?
2. Actor's App ($0.99). A necessary piece of Tinseltown tech to help those waiters prepare for the next casting call. Providing scenes to practice and add to your repertoire, it also helps organize your schedule. "I wish I had this kind of practical advice at my fingertips when I started out," says Patrick Gallagher who plays Couch Ken Tanaka on Glee and Attila the Hun in the "Night at The Museum movies. "It promises and delivers tips for motivating and orientating your career, and regardless of how successful you are, every actor in this town needs that."
3. Movie Tweets (Free). They say everyone’s a critic and with this social networking based app, everyone is a 140 character 21st century Pauline Kael. With the app's four main feeds – Top 10 Box Office, Coming Soon, In Theaters and the Fandango Five -- you can get the buzz before you buy your ticket. And don’t kid yourself with the illusion that this is for the cineastes only, as the producers of Sasha Baron Cohen’s "Brüno" and the studios have learnt, a tsunami of negative or disappointed Movie Tweets can kill your opening weekend.
4. Artemis Director’s Viewfinder ($29.99). According to Laura Michalchyshyn, a GM at Discovery, this director’s viewfinder is “currently being used by the directors and cinematographers of '30 Rock' and 'Nurse Jackie," to name a few. Plug in the format, the aspect ratio, and the type of lens you’re using and Artemis will, utilizing the camera built into your iPhone, preview the shot ... and it saves all that data and the settings for instant retrieval later.
