Cassius Rayner is one of the hardest working people in mobile filmmaking today. He’s been quietly making films for more than 20 years, working as a director and camera operator for many years working on a variety of productions in the UK and around Europe for such icons as Sky, ABC, PBS, FilmFour and Channel 4, BBC 2, Meridian News and various digital channels.
Since 2014, however, he began to embrace a new, up and coming medium – one that has been increasingly gaining traction and respect around the filmmaking and production communities – mobile filmmaking. In fact, Cassius was one of the early pioneers who saw the unique opportunities that mobile filmmaking presented, long before the rest of the world would catch on. With each announcement, with each advancement, with each technical hurdle that the device manufacturers would put forward, Cassius would be there embracing each new development, learning its ins-and-outs, testing each device and taking them to their limits so he could gain that unique, deeply rooted perspective that he brings to the art today.
Back in 2017 Cassius was one of the first to teach smartphone cinematography at some of the UK’s top film schools including the Met Film School at Ealing Studios, London Film Academy, and was a regular guest speaker and lecturer at the BFI in smartphone filmmaking, leading the way in embracing new technology to tell small and large scale stories. In fact, Cassius was also among the first to embrace early smartphone filmmaking technology leaders like Filmic Pro, Apple, Sony and Zhiyun and, leveraging nothing but smartphone cameras, has produced documentaries, drama and music videos, winning 14 International Film Awards. He’s also gained extensive experience working on locations in Africa, South America, China, Hong Kong and Europe – all on mobile devices.
Lead the Way by Teaching
Cassius not only has a passion for filmmaking, he also has a passion for sharing his knowledge, especially with those less fortunate – people with amazing stories to tell, but without the resources to share them. He was the first to launch a mobile filmmaking camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo, teaching all aspects of film production and using smartphones to do it with a class of 40 students and teachers.
“So many people wanted to learn the skills that I was overwhelmed with over 200 signing up,” added Cassius. “I also managed to get company sponsors and equipment sponsors from Zhiyun, Sennheiser, Sony and Filmic Pro. It was truly an amazing experience!”
Over the years he’s accumulated a treasure trove of knowledge, expertise and techniques for mastering the art of mobile filmmaking – and now he’s bringing all of that knowledge to the masses, packaging up everything he knows into a brand new master class – Smart Film 101.
The smartphone filmmaking course is based on getting back to basics, getting a visually structured short film made and how to use a smartphone, ND filter and an app to shoot a cinematic film. No additional equipment, no expensive accessories.
“Another key area for this course is to reach filmmakers who have no budgets, and those living and working in countries where the film industry is small or non-existent, and those that don’t have the luxuries like many European countries have. I wanted to create a course that is affordable for all, so every month I will give out a number of free courses to filmmakers who really deserve the opportunity,” Cassius added.
“The time has come for me to pass on that knowledge, experience and skill sets for anyone, of any skill level, to learn the techniques of smartphone filmmaking. It’s why I’ve designed this course. We’re at a pivotal point in time when an entirely new generation of aspiring creators is exploring the world of filmmaking and content creation. I want to teach them just how accessible it all is – from the gear to the techniques – to be successful!”
To get a sense of how Cassius works, take a look at this behind the scenes video of some of the work he’s done filming a cinematic documentary in Kenya using nothing but smartphone technology. Check it out here.
To learn more about Smartphone Filmmaking 101 and to sign up, visit here.
