What is it and why is it awesome?
Fact: The iPhone camera(s) are improving at a rapid pace and every generation is capable of capturing an increasingly crisp video. But that sharp increase in quality results in an equally sharp increase in the storage that a given clip takes up on your device. And as an expert in content curation, you're likely familiar with this equation:
long clip = big file = long uploading time
But why? Easy. Traditional uploading technology will attempt to push a file to its final destination as one big lump all at once, meaning the bigger the clip, the longer the wait and the higher the failure rate especially when connected to an average connection. So we at Cinebody have responded to the ever-increasing quality of iPhone video and their respectively increasing file sizes by implementing what's called multipart uploader.
It functions similar to how it sounds. Instead of forcing your clip through to the cloud in one, single, cumbersome endeavor, multipart uploader will break your clip into a bunch of small chunks via our custom-built clip handler then upload those chunks individually. Then, when all those chunks have been uploaded, Cinebody will repackage them into one cohesive file for project managers to view, download and edit with as if nothing ever happened.
This results in noticeably faster upload times and a stark reduction in instances of upload failure caused by an app time-out or a connection that is insufficient in uploading sizable clips. Tried, tested, and tested some more, Cinebody's multipart uploader is freakin awesome.
So I can film as long as I want, right?
Of course you can....but realistically, you shouldn't. While multipart is designed to better support long, high-res clips of dense file sizes, it's important to remember that your device comes with its own innate limitations that might still interrupt your filming experience. We've listed a few below:
- Storage: Your device has a built-in storage cap and Cinebody relies on some of that storage in order to save and then upload the clips you film in-app. So, if you don't have the space on your device to save a 30-minute clip filmed at 4k, then you won't be able to film for that long. In fact, Cinebody will stop recording as soon as your device reaches its storage limit which could be a pesky interruption if you're not expecting it and/or in the middle of a crucial take. So to prevent this, we recommend the following:
- Check your device's storage before filming by going to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and clear some space if necessary.
- Be cognizant of how much storage video files take up. This may take you by surprise as video files can get pretty beefy. For example a 10-minute 4K @ 60FPS clip is 4.26GB. A couple of those and you could eat up some serious available storage.
- Consider breaking up long clips into a few takes. Not only is this a fool-proof way to prevent a mid-clip interruption, but you'll also enjoy the luxury of lightening fast upload times, ridiculously low failure rates, and the opportunity to make aesthetic corrections along the way rather than having to be locked into what you captured in just one clip. It will also be a HUGE help to the person editing your video, as 3 medium-sized clips are MUCH easier to review and manage than one giant one.
- IMPORTANT: If your device runs out of storage mid-clip, the clip will not save.
- Battery Life: Unsurprisingly, your device also has a battery with a limited lifespan between charges, and taking video is quite labor-intensive for your battery. That said, if you are doing a good bit of filming, on your native camera or in-app, you'll notice an uptick in battery drainage, but you knew that. What's really important here is that Cinebody will automatically stop recording if your phone flashes any sort of low battery warning, which it typically does at 20%, 10%, and 5%. Again, this could be a real fist-clencher if you're mid-take and your battery reaches 20% but it does ensure that your clips is saved should your device die. Long story short, if you're planning on filming, make sure your phone is charged as much as possible.
- Clip Prep: Less of a limitation of your phone and more of a limitation of multi-part upload technology in general, clip prep is the period of time when the app saves a large clip and breaks the file into chunks. For small files, this is nearly unnoticable, but when you film large clips in-app, Cinebody will communicate that a clip is still in this phase of the upload by showing you a grey "arrow" icon situated in the top right corner of a pending clips thumbnail.
How do I know when my clip uploaded?
Way ahead of you. We've built several different icons to be housed at the top right of all of your clip's thumbnails which communicate the status of your uploads. To see these, head to the 'profile' page by tapping the grey 'person' icon at the bottom-left corner of the app and look for one of the following:
- Gray arrow - your clip is in the queue for upload, your clip is currently being broken up for multipart upload
- Blue square - your clip is currently uploading
- Green checkmark - your clip has successfully uploaded.
- Orange arrow - your clip lost connection during finalization, tap to retry when you have a stronger connection
- Red exclamation point - your clip upload failed, likely due to corruption during filming. Tap to retry.