Rounding up some documentary film uses for the iPad

The technology has been launched, and now people are trying to figure out how it might work.

Since the January announcement of the iPad, some ideas have sprung forward for the device, which is larger than an iPhone but lighter and cheaper than a laptop.

Scott Simmons at The Editblog has some ideas that includes being able to use a program such as On Location to do tasks such as logging and editing of clips on a shoot. And he notes that the iPhone/iPod app Movie Slate will actually allow the iPad to work as an effective electronic slate at a fraction of the cost of a real one such as the $1,200 Denecke TS-3.

Scott notes,

The iPad also seems like a natural device for some type of client friendly review and approval process. It could be the day’s rushes exported into an app that would allow the client to sit back at the end of the day and watch clips, makes notes and mark good takes. They could then email a file to the editor that would then link the data to the editor’s online clips for editing. It would also be a great way for clients to watch rough edits and make notes.

As we noted here before, Philip Bloom wonders if theiPad could make a less-expensive field monitor. We haven’t seen any further testing of this idea, but will be interested to see.

Kristian Gabriel Films made a list of current iPod/iPhone apps that should lend themselves nicely to the iPad. They include such apps as FilmCalc, Artemis Director’s Viewfinder and the Cinemek/Hitchcock Storyboarding tool.

Jonathan Poritsky at The Candler Blog has a rundown of potential uses for the iPad as a production tool.He breaks it into Pre, Prod and Post phases with apps that might work for each.

He says,

…when voices on the internet decry the new iPad “just a big iPod Touch”, I would ask the dissenters how they could consider that a bad thing. The truth is that if it were just a big iPod Touch, it would already solve a great deal of problems with the smaller screen on Apple’s mobile devices. Even though the device isn’t available in the wild yet, it is fast becoming clear that the iPad is something more than a glorified iPhone.

He also commends Omni Group’s announcement of the development of five new apps specifically for the iPad. While these tools are more general organizational apps than for filmmaking, it signals an terest among developers to find ways to maximize the Ipad’s usefulness.

And, finally, FreshDV has a Facebook post on 7 ways the iPad will help filmmakers and creatives. This one is more distribution-oriented.

The final of the seven, “Communal Watching,” notes,

A world where everyone walks around staring at little screens doesn’t sound like very much fun. Many of us (still) enjoy watching movies at the theater, where every laugh, groan, and gasp in the audience becomes part of the experience. However, movies are increasingly viewed less and less in the theater and more and more at home (or on the go). Here’s where the iPad offers filmmakers an opportunity: a connected viewing device like the iPad can afford the viewer a new community-based watching experience.