[ philmblog ] — iPad for Directors | Part 1

iPad for Directors | Part 1 | Introduction

I bought an iPad for two reasons. One, I’m a bit of a Mac geek and (as my partner says) would probably buy anything with an Apple logo on it and, two, I could see the potential for the iPad to be a great tool for Directors on set. I’m always nervous taking my MacBook Pro on set for fear of scratches and damaging it (I told you I was a Mac geek) so the opportunity to have a Mac in the form of a very portable tablet that can be tailored as an invaluable tool to store scripts, storyboards, video references, images, make notes on and (so I’ve discovered) can be used as a portable monitor from the camera is a dream come true. I usually carry my laptop and a large folder on set - basically I have an artificial brain on paper. If I lost it, I’d be in trouble. The iPad allows everything to be stored (and more importantly) backed up in one very mobile device. Goodbye heavy folder.

Well, that was the excuse I gave myself to buy it. Now I’ve got to make that happen.

Having searched around on various sites, I couldn’t really find a place that went into specific detail on how an iPad could be used for Directors. There’s the awesome Hand Held Hollywood that has a great directory and it’s podcast is always a good watch but wasn’t hitting the mark. So, here is iPad for Directors. I’ve been doing the legwork, using apps, reading reviews to see what would be useful for me and I’ve decided to share. As I’m about to start pre-production of my next feature film CRASHING WALL STREET this is very much a baptism of fire for the iPad. I’ll keep updating this section as I find stuff that’s useful to me.

So, without further ado, move onto: iPad for Directors | Part 2 | The Apps

If you find anything, please share in the comments box below.