Directing on No Budget: Prepping a Short Film in LA
I’m prepping for an upcoming short film and there is literally no budget. That means no flexibility for extra equipment. We’re sourcing what we can from filmmaker friends, but even with a generous network there are hurdles to shooting in Los Angeles that you have to plan around.
This post is a look at how I’m approaching the gear. Not a theoretical setup. The actual kit going out the door on shoot day.

The Permit Problem
Shooting in Los Angeles almost always means a permit, even if you’re just pointing a camera at a sidewalk. There are some exceptions. In Santa Monica, for example, I’ve been told a group of three or fewer with no tripod can shoot around the area without pulling paperwork. I don’t want to take that risk with a full cinema camera on my shoulder. It looks exactly like what the city is trying to regulate, and I’ve seen productions get shut down for less.

For the day exteriors on the street, I’ve decided to go much smaller. That means the iPhone becomes a legitimate A-camera option for certain scenes, not a backup.

The iPhone + Blackmagic App Rig
I’ve done extensive tests with the Blackmagic Camera app on the iPhone. Here’s what I landed on.
Shutter stays at a 180 degree equivalent so motion looks cinematic instead of video-stiff. Lens wide open to shallow out the depth of field as much as the sensor will give me. That’s the honest limitation of a phone. You’re fighting a tiny sensor, so every bit of optical separation counts. To keep the aperture open in daylight, I use a variable ND attached to a phone case. There are heavier, better options out there, but this one fits in my pocket and that’s the whole point of this rig.

Recording settings: Apple ProRes 422 HQ, max bitrate, 4K, Apple Log for HDR. With those settings, there is zero chance of keeping the files on the phone. So I shoot to an external SSD.

Why I Built My Own Enclosure

Lexar Lexar makes a slick MagSafe SSD that a lot of people use. It’s small, it’s sexy, it works. I went a different direction. I bought a separate ACASIS SSD ACASIS SSD enclosure and dropped my own SSD SSD into it. The enclosure is bigger, which is the obvious trade-off, but it also gives me HDMI out, an SD card reader, and extra USB-C ports.

Why that matters on a no-budget shoot: at the end of the day I can dump the main camera’s footage onto the same drive and hand a single unit to the editor. One drive, everything, gone. Convenience beats sleekness on a set where I’m the DP, the director, and the DIT.
Small snag: the enclosure is MagSafe and clicks right onto the phone. But the phone case phone case with the ND filter on it doesn’t have the magnet, so I had to buy an extra ring ring to attach it. Tiny detail, would have been annoying to figure out on set.

Bonus: I put another magnet magnet on an existing Samsung T7 SSD Samsung T7 SSD I already owned. Now it snaps onto the back of my laptop during offloads. Small quality-of-life win.

Sound
For audio I’m running the DJI Mic Mini DJI Mic Mini. I monitor through AirPods Pro AirPods Pro so there are no cables dangling off me while I’m running a shoulder-mounted phone rig through Santa Monica. Wireless mic, wireless monitoring, nothing for a pedestrian to trip over. Keeps the footprint invisible, which matters if we’re shooting low profile and trying not to look like a production.

The Real Camera: Blackmagic Pocket 4k Blackmagic Pocket 4K
Everything outside of the run-and-gun street scenes is going on the Blackmagic Pocket 4K with a Sigma 18-35 Sigma 18-35 and a speed booster Speed Booster. It’s an older camera. It’s not as slick as a Sony FX3 Sony FX3. But I chose it for a reason. Color. If the B unit is iPhone footage graded in Apple Log, keeping the A camera in the Blackmagic family gives me a better shot at matching the two in post. I ran tests. There’s still a difference, but it’s a manageable difference. The Sony might look prettier on its own, but the grade across a whole short film is what actually lands with an audience. Consistency beats prestige when the budget is zero.

What I’m Really Doing Here
This whole setup is about removing excuses. No budget used to mean no film. It doesn’t anymore. Between a phone that can record ProRes, a used Blackmagic Pocket, and a roll of gaff tape, there is no honest reason not to shoot. The hard part isn’t the gear. The hard part is the story, the performances, and the dozen decisions a day that will make or break the thing.

I’ll post more as we get into production. If you’re prepping something similar and have questions about specific settings or workarounds, find me on Instagram at @munwalkr.

[AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: Gear links in this post are affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.]

Gear Links
Fotga Black Shockproof Phone Case Smartphone Case for iPhone 16 Pro Max + 58mm Variable ND2-ND400 ND Filter: https://amzn.to/42bn8B4

ACASIS 10Gbps Magnetic M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure With 4K ProRes Recording M.2 EnclosureCompatible IPhone 17/16/15 Pro/Pro Max Magnetic SSD Enclosure with Cooling Fan For Video Editor/Blogger/Videographer: https://amzn.to/4tpPYJS

1TB M.2 2242 Gen3x4 NVMe PCIe SSD, Up to 3500MB/s Read, 3D NAND, Compact SSD for Ultrabooks, Laptops, Intel NUC, Lenovo ThinkPad, Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook, Mini PCs, Embedded Systems: https://amzn.to/4dKyX8t

Samsung T7 Portable SSD, 2TB External Solid State Drive, Speeds Up to 1,050MB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2, Reliable Storage for Gaming, Students, Professionals, MU-PC2T0T/AM, Gray: https://amzn.to/4tHOWZI

Hagibis MagSafe Magnetic Patch, Magnetic Adapter Ring, Universal Magnetic Conversion Kit for Power Bank, SSD Enclosure, Docking Stationg, Hub, Car Mount, Phone Stand (KM30 White): https://amzn.to/4tQ11w2

TENOC Universal Metal Ring Sticker for Magnetic Charger Compatible with iPhone/Samsung/Android All Cellphones, Magnetic Mount/Phone Holder Conversion Accessories, 3Pcs, Black: https://amzn.to/4tpQMOU

DJI Mic Mini (2 TX + 1 RX + Charging Case) Wireless Lavalier Microphone, Ultralight, Noise Cancelling, Up to 48-Hour Battery Life Bundle with 2 x Deco Gear Lapel Microphone and 5″ EVA CaseAirPods Pro: https://amzn.to/4vt3QVv

Apple AirPods Pro 3 Wireless Earbuds, Active Noise Cancellation, Live Translation, Heart Rate Sensing, Hearing Aid Feature, Bluetooth Headphones, Spatial Audio, High-Fidelity Sound, USB-C Charging: https://amzn.to/4tjVfmo

Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4K (CINECAMPOCHDMFT4K):https://amzn.to/4myEBwS

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM Lens for Canon, Black (210101): https://amzn.to/4sG6Pav

VILTROX EF-M2II 0.71x Speed Booster, EF to Micro 4/3 Focal Reducer Booster Adapter Auto-Focus for GH6 GH5M2 BMPCC 4K GH4 GH5 G100 G95 G85 OM-1 EM-1 E-M1X E-M1 iii E-M5 iii E-M10 iv E-M10 iii(EF to MFT): https://amzn.to/4tm14zW

Lexar SL400 2TB Portable SSD with Hub, Black: https://amzn.to/4crkDPL

Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Line Camera (V2): https://amzn.to/4tViFhX