How to Make a Short Film on a Ricoh GR Camera in 1 Day

(Or any camera with video!)

Romanticize your everyday life!

Wouldn’t it be satisfying to make a short film in one day?

I did just that earlier this year with my Ricoh GRIII pocket camera. This tiny and mighty camera is famous for being a beast of a street photography and “everyday carry” camera, but not so much for its video functionality. I love its filmic and cinematic qualities, and challenged myself to make a “day in the life” film of my day on April 18, 2024.

Here’s how you can do it and how I did it.

This video includes a play-by-play of techniques I used for my 3-minute film:

1. Choose your video setting.

Choose a color setting in Image Control or make other adjustments. (Or skip this and just use default settings.)

2. Shoot short scenes during your day.

Record ~10-second clips. Limit yourself to 20–25 total scenes to avoid getting overwhelmed with too much material later.

Press the video button on the side of the camera to put your camera in video mode. Use the regular shooting button on the top of the camera to start/stop recording your clips.

3. Choose your favorite scenes.

After transferring photos to your device, select ~10 of your favorite clips — ideally spread over morning, afternoon, and evening.

4. Combine the scenes into a short film.

Use a simple video or social media app like CapCut (free), TikTok, Instagram, or iMovie (Mac). Add text, transitions, or music for extra pizzazz.

I just dropped my favorite clips into CapCut and added text, simple transitions, and music.

5. Enjoy and share your short film!

Originally published at https://jill.design on August 4, 2024.