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Frank Capra, director of It’s a Wonderful Life and three times Academy Award winner once said, “There are no rules in filmmaking. Only sins. And the cardinal sin is dullness.” One thing smartphones are not is dull. In fact, these modern day wonders are capable of exciting the senses in a myriad of ways, one of which, perhaps surprisingly, is shooting short films.

To find out what makes them so great for the job, we hooked up with Alice Bragg, the Creative Director of World Film Collective, an organization that teaches young people how to make films using cellphones. 

They help you do risky business

Hollywood is famous for many things, taking risks isn’t one of them. You only have to look at the incessant stream of sequels to see that. Thankfully, short films as a genre buck this trend and smartphones make it even easier to be experimental. “You can do some really amazingly dramatic shots with smartphones,” Alice says. “Even simple things like attaching them to a skateboard can produce astonishing results. They really do free you to try something different.”

They put you in 24/7 heaven

Despite the increasing popularity of digital cameras, even the most dedicated filmmaker is unlikely to have one at hand twenty- four seven. Smartphones are different. In a Time magazine international poll conducted last year, a staggering 84% said they couldn’t go a single day without their mobile. While 50% of Americans said they sleep with theirs like a teddy bear. “Smartphones provide filmmakers with endless opportunities to shoot,” Alice says. “And what’s more, it’s far more spontaneous footage, the sort of thing you’d never get in a feature length movie.”

They allow you to just film it

We all know that practice makes perfect. But filmmaking is not an easy thing to practice, especially when you’re just starting out. You need to get hold of cameras, sort out sets, hire lights, buy tapes.  According to Alice, smartphones are perfect to for turning words into actions. “They allow filmmakers to really practice their craft. In effect you’re learning by doing, becoming a filmmaker by making films rather than talking about making films. It’s a crucial difference.”

They teach one-handed movie making

Filmmaking can a mind-blowingly complex affair. Happily, for most filmmakers digital cameras carefully choreography pretty much everything, from the light to the movement and sound. “Not so with smartphones,” Says Alice. “With a smartphone you have to be really controlled. You have to be conscious of every little thing. The fact you’ve got limited depth of field, that light changes are very dramatic, that the weight of the phone makes it hard to keep steady. It’s like learning to drive one handed. If you master it, using movie cameras will come a whole lot easier.”

They turn you into a revolutionary

It’s not often really revolutionary filmmakers like Ingmar Bergman or Woody Allen come along, but when they do they can change the way we think and feel about film forever. Short films allow you to experiment and do things differently. But smartphones allows you take that even further. “Another fantastic thing about smartphones is that they give young and up coming filmmakers the chance to be true pioneers,” says Alice. “You can get some really edgy, raw footage, and even do things that have never, ever been done in the history of film before. That’s something I find really exciting.” 

And Alice isn’t the only one. We’re buzzing at the prospect of learning a whole new way to use our beloved Lumias. If you are too, why not check out the Nokia Music Short Film Competition, launched in association with Sundance London.

 We’re sure Frank Capra would approve.

Image credit: Aubergene + reid + David Drexler

Just over a month ago, we launched a competition with Burton to celebrate the creative spirit, which is such an essential element of the snowboarding buzz. The response was amazing. In the last few weeks we’ve been dazzled by nearly a thousand stunning photos, films and artworks. Unfortunately, not everyone can be a winner. So, after many hours of discussion, these are the lucky individuals who took the honours.

Drum roll, please.

Winning Video: “Throwback Fridays” by Jack Tompkins

“The winning video comes from cinematographer Jack Tompkins, featuring all of riders from a 2 week summer session at Onyx Snowboard Camp in Les Deux Alps, France. The final day of the session, coined as Throwback Friday, is the day when all of the riders go on hill dressed in their favorite old school shred kits. Jack put together a really nice edit highlighting the overall vibe and fun from this day. The video captured the personalities of the riders really well and you can’t help but wish you were on the glacier that day shredding with the crew. Great filming and editing Jack! “

Dean Blotto Gray & Gabe L’Heureux

Winning photograph: ”Gabby Maiden mad because there is no snow in summer” by Stefanie Suchy  www.stefaniesuchy.com

“Even though it’s not immediately obvious that this photograph is about snowboarding, Stefanie’s image evokes a narrative that’s open to interpretation.  Gabby Maiden’s expression really captures snowboarders’ frustrations at being without snow. We love the attitude and the style, and how it showcases snowboarding’s off the slope spirit. It gives a great insight into how important snowboarding is to the people who love it. With the deadpan subject, off camera flash, and narrative outside the image, it could just as easily be in a gallery as a snowboarding themed competition.” 

The Nokia x Burton Competition Team

3. Highly commended artwork: “Keep Calm and Shred On” By Dana Bergstrom

“When I saw Dana’s work, I felt an immediate connection with it. It’s beautifully drawn and is bursting with energy. I felt that it could really work as a simple animated intro and that it captured the spirit of being a rookie. I thought her drawing would be great for the opening of the Nokia Rookie award video.”

 Leandro Righini, Producer/Director, Capefinn

4. The people’s choice: “Snowtrip Chile” by Evandro Rocha

With nearly 2000 votes and over 8000 views, Evandro’s fantastic film was the clear winner for the People’s Choice Award. Next time he does a snowtrip in Chile, he’ll be doing it on a Burton board and filming it with a #Lumia920.

If you’ve been checking out the entries we’ve been showcasing over the last month or if you voted, you’ll know what a tough job it was to pick the winner. We’d like to thank everyone who honoured us with their entries. You’re all heroes!

As for Jack and Stefanie they’ll be joining Nokia on the slopes of Vail to enjoy one the world’s greatest snowboarding events. For those us who can’t get so close to the action, check out this awesome trailer showcasing what the Burton US Open is all about. 

It’s that time of year again; today is Valentine’s Day. For those whose partners just like some chocolates, don’t forget to grab a box from the shop tonight. For the others who are stuck for ideas, check out our Valentine’s Day apps for inspiration, on Nokia Lumia and Nokia Asha.

Valentine – Free

Trying to think of something your loved-one will enjoy on Valentine’s Day can be tricky. Do you go for the £2.99 flowers from the local garage and hope she doesn’t notice the smell of petrol? Or, do you go for something different and unique?

This app for Nokia Lumia has a gift section that has about a dozen gift ideas that your partner would love. For example, how does a photo book sound? Or, how about providing some red carpet treatment? Both good ideas for making your loved-one feel special.

There’s also a long list (40) of lovely text messages you can send right from the app to anyone you please. Just make sure you type in the correct phone number.

101 Love Msgs – Free

Running with the text message theme, if 40 messages weren’t enough, how about 101?

You could opt for something fairly traditional, such as:

“Waking up to you every day has made my life full.”

Or:

“Your beauty stole my breath the first time I saw you.”

There is a lot to choose from, so maybe you’d prefer to just hit the Spin button to find a random message. Pressing the send button will allow you to enter a phone number or find a contact from your People hub.

Rose Day Theme – £1.00

Show your partner you love them and surprise them with a new theme on their Nokia Asha.

This theme includes heart shaped wallpapers and a new set of icons that’ll keep on reminding that special someone just how much you love them throughout the entire day.

MICHELIN Guide – £8.49

Valentine’s Day only happens once a year and it’s a great way to show the person you love, just how much they mean to you. Why not take them out for a dinner he or she will never forget?

This app for Nokia Lumia may cost a bit, but what you have access to is a fully detailed registry of all the eateries selected by MICHELIN in Europe.

If five-star, cordon bleu cuisine is what you’re after; you’ll find it with this app. However, if you’re looking to something a little more affordable, there’s always that option, too. But go on, splash out – make a night of it.

Love Calculator – £1.00

Are you and your life-long partner destined to be together? This Nokia Asha app lets you know.

Just type in both of your names and the app will calculate how much love is between you both.

Obviously, this is just a bit of fun. Please don’t let it be the reason for the break up of a relationship.

Parcelgenie – Free

This is a clever little app for Nokia Lumia. With it you can actually send real gifts to people, rather than just sentimental messages like the previous two apps.

The nice part is, you don’t have to put anything in the post, or even know the recipients address.

Just choose the person you want to send a gift too from your People hub, select one of 50 gifts from the catalogue, and press send. That’s it from your end.

The other person will receive a text message asking them where the gift should be sent, so it won’t be a surprise delivery, but the cost is taken care of at your end.

Gifts start from £1.99 and include sweets, chocolates, cuddly toys and even a pair of soft slippers.

Each gift is hand wrapped, too, which will be sure to put a smile on anyone’s face.

Whatever you decide to do this Valentine’s Day, app-based, or not, have a great day.

Have you found any other Valentine’s Day apps that you find useful? Let us know, below.

The touchscreen is almost universally accepted as the preferred form factor when it comes to smartphones.

It is easy to see why too. As well as providing a sleek and minimalist look, removing a keypad or Qwerty keyboard, gives you the space for a bigger screen. This, in turn, makes browsing the web, playing games or watching videos a more pleasurable experience. 

While many people might still prefer typing on a Qwerty keyboard, it seems that we’re prepared to sacrifice this for the greater benefits of a touchscreen display.

Given that we’re so used to tapping away on our displays, is it now time to do without physical buttons on our phones altogether?

Unbuttoning

My Nokia Lumia 820, just like my Lumia 800 before it, has several buttons on the side that controls the camera shutter, the volume controls and the power/wake key.

However, practically all of these functions can be done without these buttons! 

Rather than use the camera shutter button, I tend to tap on the touchscreen instead. Likewise, when it comes to adjusting the volume, I actually use the remote control on my headphones, much more frequently than I ever use the buttons on the phone.

I know that not everyone is going to have headphones with a remote control but you can still use Nokia Audio to adjust the volume. It’s nowhere near as convenient as using the side volume buttons but it does demonstrate that the technology exists to make them redundant. 

Can we make do without the power button too?

Nokia Lumias are already gorgeous objects – just think how much prettier they would be without any of those side buttons.

Nokia Lumia 820

Personalisation meets power

Learn more, here.

Buttoned up

That’s the case against physical buttons. Are there any arguments in favour? To be honest, I’m struggling.

Pressing up and down to adjust the volume is undoubtedly convenient. But a simple swipe gesture could perhaps work equally well?

I guess a photography aficionado will always want a physical button to take a picture and it can’t be denied that there is also something deeply satisfying about pressing a button. It feels mechanical and, therefore, human. Tapping a screen is, somehow, more impersonal.

We’d like to know what you all think about this. It’s just for fun and out of pure interest – we’re not deciding a future design direction for Nokia!

Please have a vote in our informal poll and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Do smartphones still need physical buttons?

There’s no doubt the Nokia Lumia is a phone that is friendly to winter sports. Thanks to the super sensitive touch screen it’s glove friendly for easy use when out in the cold.

So shouldn’t the world’s best cold weather phone have a premier app for winter sports to go along with it?  We think so.

WINTER SKI & RIDE is the perfect companion app for skiers and snowboarders providing weather and snow reports, complete with resort maps and information.

WINTER SKI & RIDE also lets skiers and boarders track their activity, set goals and earn achievement.

One thing you’ll notice is the Track button. Activate this switch and throw your Lumia in your pocket as you conduct your ride and you can see real time analytics for your run, including maximum speed, vertical feet and time. All this data is saved to the cloud for future reference and comparing your runs over time.

For those concerned about the GPS running down their battery – WINTER SKI & RIDE has been optimized to run in low-consumption mode, meaning you can track activity and still have battery at the end of your day on the mountain!

Want to get in touch with other skiers and boards? You can connect with them on the service and see leaderboards and share runs amongst individuals or groups, depending on how you choose to set it up.

The app also has instructional videos from professional ski and snowboarding instructors that will give you insight into techniques for traditional skiing, telemark, snowboarding, freestyle and cross-country skiing. Because WINTER SKI & RIDE is endorsed by the Professional Ski Instructors of America, it has professional lessons from the best ski instructors around the world.

WINTER SKI & RIDE is available, exclusively for Nokia Lumia phones and can be found in the Nokia Collection today.

One thing I love about Nokia Music is the ability to create your own mixes. Today, while listening to one, which included the Beatles it struck me how many people must have been involved in influencing their sound. Turns out some have been so influential that they’ve been described as the Fifth Beatles. Actually, there are four who regularly get mentioned, an alternate Fab Four if you like. But just who are these guys and what was their role in bring the Beatles to the top?

Stu Sutcliffe – The Original Bassist

A friend of John Lennon’s from art school, Sutcliffe was persuaded to part with the prize money he’d won for in an art competition in order to buy a bass guitar and join the band. Sutcliffe epitomised the cool look that Lennon thought the band should emulate, but unfortunately never really got to grips with the bass. McCartney’s apparent anger at Stu’s musicianship led to on-stage fisticuffs on several occasions, however, it was Stu’s romance with Astrid Kirchherr that opened the Beatles up to several key new influences, including the Beatle haircut. Stu died of an aneurysm in 1962, McCartney took over on bass and another key ingredient in Fab Four history was in place.  Sutcliffe’s is told in the 1994 film Backbeat.

Pete Best – The Original Drummer

Pete Best was the original drummer in the Beatles and their original heartthrob. Best’s drumming was apparently a little ropey and Paul McCartney was said to be jealous of his “best looking member of the group” status, but it seems the final straw came when the other three Beatles opted for the famous Beatle haircut and Best decided to remain with his still fashionable quiff. When Ringo Starr was asked to join the band in 1962 legions of Pete Best fans besieged the band at their regular Cavern gig shouting “Pete forever, Ringo never” and during the melee George Harrison was head-butted leading to him sporting a black eye in the first promo shots of the new Beatles.

Brian Epstein – The Manager

Brian Epstein originally worked in the family business, running the NEMS Music store in Liverpool, before being persuaded to follow up on a customer request and going to watch the Beatles play at the Cavern. After watching the show he went to meet the band, being recognised as a local celebrity he was greeted by George Harrison with the flippant “And what brings Mr. Epstein here?”. Epstein managed the Beatles right up until his death of a drugs overdose in 1967. The following upheaval triggered the loss of focus that would eventually lead to the band’s demise. McCartney has since gone on record to say “if anyone was the fifth Beatle, it was Brian.”

George Martin – The Producer

Former Royal Navy pilot George Martin raised a few eyebrows when he signed The Beatles to Parlophone in 1962 after they’d been turned down by every major label in the UK (with Decca famously declaring “the Beatles have no future in showbusiness!”). Martin’s flexible approach to his headstrong young protégés lead to some of the most original moments in the Beatles repertoire. For example, the moment when Lennon, having played with both rock and orchestral versions of Strawberry Fields, asked Martin if they could use the beginning of one and the end of the other (ignoring the fact that the two versions were in different tempos and different keys)- . Martin obliged by splicing the tape and playing with the tape speed until he found a match. This is the version that was released.

Would the Beatles have risen to such heights without the Fifth Beatles? Who knows, but one things for sure they’re not the only band with unsung heroes. If you can think of any others let us know in the comments below.

Chris is Nokia’s EVP for Sales and Marketing. Driving sales of Nokia Lumia keeps him on the road almost continually, meaning he is totally reliant on his phone to do his work, to keep himself entertained and stay up-to-date with friends and family.

But what does that mean for his Lumia Start screen? Let’s take a look.

Tell us the apps you’ve prioritized and why?

I prioritize the apps I use on a daily basis on top of the first screen. So things like People Hub, email, news, weather, navigation as well as social/communications apps. 

For news I use Weave, which is a fantastic RSS reader and allows me to stay up to date on business, technology, competitors, sports and all things animals since they are one of my passions outside of work.

On communication, the best-kept secret for business is Lync 2010. Sure, being able to have presence information and instant messaging is nice but the single biggest benefit is being able to do conference calls with a single click. No more entering conference ID information and Pin #’s to dial a conference call. Simply click on the link in your calendar and Lync will call you back and put you directly in the conference call. If you’ve tried to make conference calls on the road, I promise you this is the best feature in the world and unique to Windows Phone.:)

Skype is particularly near and dear to me because it allows me to see my teenage kids while I’m on the road. There’s nothing better than getting to see and hear them from anywhere and anytime while traveling . And for Twitter, I’m really liking the new version of Tweet It. Super awesome UI, easy to navigate and it does a great job of using the Live Tiles.

What apps do you use to pass the time?

I am very boring in this area: it’s mostly news or sports.

For sports, I really like the ESPN ScoreCenter as well as the PGA Tour app. The PGA Tour app is terrific but only have one feature request and that is it makes me a better golfer. I also just downloaded the Nokia-exclusive app, Winter Ski & Ride. I am a snowboarder and this looks like a fantastic app for anyone who skis or boards. It has snow reports, tracks your activity, resort information, lessons, safety, etc. Just started using it but very excited about it! [Editor’s note: check for these two apps in the Nokia Collection].

Lastly, I really like the game Wordament and play quite often in the evening with my teenage son when on the road. The cool thing about it is you compete with all these people live on the internet and get real time feedback on how you fared (or in my case not) against thousands of people. I see the number of individuals playing Wordament increasing significantly so obviously others have found it quite compelling too.:)

What is the last app you paid for, and what does it do?

iFun. This is an app that makes your Windows Phone look and act like an iPhone. I purchased it for $0.99 and it’s my favorite to show current iPhone users. After showing them all the great things and difference about Windows Phone I say if they really miss the iPhone there is an app to make Windows Phone look the iPhone.

The best part is I show iFun on my beautiful Lumia 920 and put it next to the person’s iPhone. And trust me – it looks so much more beautiful on the Lumia 920 than the iPhone!

Which apps are your guilty pleasures?

Since the Lumia 920 has great imaging capabilities, I tend to play with a lot of the photo applications.  By far the best two are Cinemagraph and Photobeamer.  Yes they are Nokia exclusives but believe me, these are off  the charts.  Cinemagraph provides capability to combine animation with still images; definitely creates a “wow” moment when your pictures now have movement.  Photobeamer is a super easy way to show your pictures on any screen.  Next is Timelapse Pro, which takes a picture every 15 seconds and then builds an animated movie with the still images. It’s great to capture sunrise, sunset, storms coming in, etc.

And I even used it when the kids and I set up the Christmas tree this year. It took us about 3 hours to set up and decorate the tree and Timelapse built a terrific animated movie showing how it all came together.

One other that probably fits under guilty pleasures is SBUX Card. Since I am a die-hard Starbucks lover this is a great app to keep track of your Starbucks cards and the amounts on each card. You can  use it to actually pay at the counter with a QR code from the app and also keep the drink preferences of family and friends which comes in handy as it makes me look like I remember everyone’s coffee preference.:)

Lastly, Nokia Music is probably what I use most when not working. The service is just awesome. I don’t need an ID, user login, etc. I just select Nokia Music and tell it what kind of music I like and it starts streaming immediately.

You can also find Chris’ favorite apps from App Highlights under “staff picks”.

Starting today, the fashion-elite from around the globe gather in London to show off their Autumn/Winter 2013 collections. To ensure that we’re as up-to-date as possible when it come to the latest styles, we’ve selected some of our favourite fashion or style apps from the Windows Phone Store, for Nokia Lumia.

Vogue – Free

If it’s fashion news you’re after, than look no further than Vogue.

Vogue is split into three sections; Daily News, People & Parties, and Twitter.

Daily news delivers news articles, such as Lara Stone taking part in this years Red Nose Day activities, as well as a ‘This Week in Pictures’, which is everything you’d expect it to be. You can share these articles with your like-minded friends using Facebook, Twitter or good old-fashioned email.

People & Parties put you in the front row at the catwalk and behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest fashion events. With a never-ending gallery of images, you’ll know what’s hot, and what’s not.

Twitter keeps you connected to British Vogue’s latest tweets. This is essential if you want to know exactly what’s happening in fashion, the moment it happens.

Zara – Free

While catwalk fashion is both fascinating and exciting, we all want to know exactly what’s available to buy right now on the high street; that’s where Zara app comes in handy.

The interface is really simple, as it’s all laid out into different sections. If you want to look for clothes for men, find the Man section, Clothes for women, click on the Woman, and so on.

If you’re looking to buy items instead of just browsing, you can add them to your shopping cart and purchase them once you’ve finished your search. These items can be delivered right to you home, or another address you prefer.

However, if you prefer to see your clothes in a store and try them on before you purchase them, there’s a handy built-in store locator that makes the shopping experience that much simpler.

Fashion Show Photographs Tile – Free or £1.49 to remove the in-app ads.

Fashion events are about capturing what’s new in the world of fashion and sharing pictures with people who love fashion.

While this app isn’t an official one of any kind, it connects you directly with the ‘Fashion Shows‘ Flickr group and displays the latest 20 photos uploaded there. Photos often come from fashion shows, or from stylish people on the street.

Images can be saved to your phone, or set as your lock screen background image directly from within the app. There’s also a Live tile notifies you when any new content is added.

Fancy – Free

Fancy is all about sharing the fashions you like with your friends or followers across social networks.

You can browse through the vast catalogue of items; from stylish clothing, to accessories and homeware.

The nice part is you can also create content, rather than just reading/looking at other people’s content.

If you see something you want to share with people, take a photo of it from your Nokia Lumia (or select it from your photo album), add a title, choose a relevant category, add it to a list, and add some comments to get the conversation started.

If people like it, they can comment on it and share it with all their friends.

Sharing is automatically done via Facebook and Twitter, providing you’ve signed in and authorised that to happen, of course.

These apps are all available for the Nokia Lumia 920, Lumia 820, or Lumia 620, as well as other Nokia Lumia smartphones.

Are you a follower of the latest fashions? What app do you use? Use the comments section below to let us know.

Image credit: Greenpatte

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