By James DeRuvo

Last year at at the iPhone 11 launch event, FiLMiC Pro joined the stage to show off a new app that was capable of multi camera recording from a single mobile device. Dubbed DOUBLE TAKE, the app is now available for iPhone XS and above.

Taking advantage of the latest processor upgrades in the iPhone XS and I iPhone 11 mobile devices, Doubletake can capture professional grade video from two cameras on your iPhone, thereby creating multiple angles of a scene from a single take.

Doubletake can also capture professional broadcast-style news interviews or even run and gun style Youtube like videos where having additional camera perspective is helpful, but not very practical.

Key features in DoubleTake include:

• Multicam: Enables content creators to capture two different focal lengths of the same subject at the same time.  DoubleTake uses the Ultra Wide lens (iPhone 11 Pro Max, 11 Pro and 11 only) and the Tele lens to capture both an establishing shot and a punch-in shot on a subject simultaneously. Or use any other combination of front and rear lenses for unrivaled multi-cam capture.
• Camera Visualization: Similar to a director’s viewfinder, DoubleTake’s camera picker view enables users to visualize all available cameras on the device.  Use this view to help decide how to frame a shot and which cameras to select.
• Shot/Reverse Shot: Enables users to capture all the organic and intimate interaction between two actors or interviewer and interviewee.  Traditionally, filmmakers need to employ two cameras and place these in cumbersome ‘over the shoulder’ locations. With DoubleTake, users can place one device in between the actors, effectively placing the audience in the middle of the conversation.
• PiP or Discreet: The DoubleTake interface allows users to see both cameras of the video capture at the same time through the use of a Picture in Picture (PiP) window.  The PiP window can be moved around the screen, tap to zoom in, or swiped away if distracting (the second video will continue to record). With DoubleTake, users can record videos as separate discrete files or as a composite video that includes the PiP window animated as it is seen on screen.
• Split-Screen: Doubletake can also use any two cameras to create a 50/50 split-screen effect that is saved as a single video. This is ideal for capturing engaging interviews, or any scenario where two sides of the story require equal weighting on screen.
• Focus and Exposure Controls: DoubleTake enables users to set and lock focus and exposure on both cameras during multicam capture with FiLMiC’s unified reticle. Tap anywhere to set an area of interest with the reticle, then tap again to lock or unlock. FiLMiC’s camera switcher effortlessly moves between A and B cameras during a recording to adjust the focus and exposure for each, independently of one another.

• Full frame focus and exposure for smooth and easy automated focus and exposure adjustments;
• Selectable broadcast frame rates: 24fps, 25fps, and 30fps depending on project requirements;
• 1080p video at high bitrate encoding for maximum quality. (Note: 1080p video is the maximum resolution supported by Apple today for multi-cam capture);
• Composited PiP or separate discreet video files recorded as .h264 .mov files are saved to DoubleTake’s internal library which supports batch export directly to the camera roll.

FiLMiC Pro Doubletake is a free app that can be downloaded in the Apple App Store for iPhone XS, iPhone XR, and all iPhone 11 mobile devices. You can also install it on your iPhone X, but it will only support basic single camera operations. No multicamera functions are enabled.

What do you guys think? Frankly I think it’ll be a boon for documentarians on the mobile platform, as well as maybe even corporate and wedding shooters. And I can’t wait to see what Casey Neistat does with it.