IPHONE APP FOR FILMMAKERS: HELIOS SUN CALCULATOR

One of several views available with Helios

Chemical Wedding, the same company that offers the Artemis digital director's viewfinder, also offers Helios, another useful Iphone/Itouch app for filmmakers.    Helios "graphically predicts the path of the sun from dusk to dawn, on any given day, in any given place."  


For filmmakers and photographers who work in natural light (as opposed to artificial lighting), this can be a great pre-production tool.  Knowing where the sun will be at any given time of day can make the difference between a dimly lit (or backlit) shot and a good, professional image.  Additionally, you can email the information, so that you have a hard copy of the results for your planning needs.


Helios is also just $29.99 in the Iphone App Store, and has an average of 4.5 stars out of 5, although there are only five votes so far.


If you've had a chance to use this, let us know.

IPHONE APP FOR FILMMAKERS: DIGITAL DIRECTOR'S VIEWFINDER

If you have an Iphone, you might be interested in Chemical Wedding's Artemis, a digital director's viewfinder for the Iphone.  Artemis allows the user to choose camera format, aspect ratio and lens type - it's made for both directors and cinematographers, and so far shows 4 out of 5 stars (out of 24 votes) in Iphone's App Store.

Users (and Chemical Wedding) note that the primary limitation of this app is that it is currently limited by the focal length of the Iphone camera.  Anything wider, and the app will create a blank screen around the subject to present an idea of the covered landscape.

Considering the inflated price of so many professional applications and hardware related to the film industry, the $29.99 price seems very reasonable.

If any of you have tried with app, we'd like to hear from you.