IMG_0615IMG_0614I’ve said it a thousand times. I love movies. I love chick-flicks, rom-coms, mysteries and thrillers. I love family favorites and classics, action-adventures and comedies. I like mash-up movies with a little bit of everything.
I love to write stories, and I aspire to one day make a movie.
I was recently thrilled when I saw a tweet about a new phone app by J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot productions called “Action Movie FX.” Abrams is known for films like Cloverfield, M: I- Ghost Protocol, Super 8 and TV shows like Lost and Person of Interest. When I saw the tweet I immediately searched the app store and downloaded it free. I figured that anything Abrams puts out would be amazing. I was not disappointed.
Within minutes I was filming my two sons sitting in front of our Christmas tree, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Suddenly a missile fires from just off-camera and the smartly decorated corner of my living room becomes billowing inferno, boys and all. Maybe a little harsh, but they were on-board.
On the way to my sister’s house for Christmas with my family, my boys and I were inspired to film the dangerous road trip on the streets of Amarillo, Texas.
Shooting through the front windshield of our pick-up, the roads seem clear. From nowhere a cloud of mist appears and slamming down in front of us is a dark sedan. It flips and hurtles and crashes right before our eyes! We arrived a few minutes late, but once we showed the video of our adventure to the others, we were instantly forgiven. The roads can be treacherous!
This little app is fun. Tons of fun. The effects look real—as real as you need them to on a phone, anyway. It has two FX with the free app: Missile Attack and Car Smash, and then four more that can be downloaded for ninety-nine cents per pair. It’s a small price to pay for hours of harmless destruction. How often can you say that?
I recommend the smart phone application, and I hope to see more fun gadget-y apps like this in the future. Download this app today, and enjoy your new career in movies!
That’s a wrap for this Toast to Cinema. Thanks for reading!