CineCraft: Unified Shot Planning, Capture, and Post-Processing for Mobile Cinematography

Paper Title

CineCraft: Unified Shot Planning, Capture, and Post-Processing for Mobile Cinematography

Publication Info

• Topic area: Mobile cinematography and creative tools for filmmaking.
• Keywords: mobile filmmaking, cinematography, shot planning, AR guidance, camera automation, storyboard, post-processing, creative tools, user study, workflow integration.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: Mobile videography lacks tools for executing dynamic, professional-grade cinematography due to fragmented workflows and limited automation.
• Significance: Bridging planning, capture, and post-processing in a unified system enables solo creators and novices to achieve complex shots without specialized equipment or crew coordination.
• Motivation and related work: Professional filmmaking relies on coordinated teams and specialized tools for planning, camera control, and editing. Existing mobile apps focus on isolated features (e.g., manual controls, AR overlays) but fail to integrate these stages into a cohesive workflow. CineCraft addresses this gap by drawing inspiration from professional practices and adapting them for mobile deployment.

Solution

• Proposed approach: CineCraft, a mobile application that unifies shot planning, AR-guided capture, and post-processing using a storyboard-derived shot plan representation.
• Novelty:
  1. A storyboard-derived shot plan encoding time-varying camera parameters for planning, capture, and post-processing.
  2. Real-time AR guidance and automation for focus and zoom during filming.
  3. Integrated takes management and rough-cut assembly within the same app.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Shot Planning: Users create shot plans using a two-plane representation (foreground and background) with keyframes for camera movements, focus, and zoom.
  • Capture Guidance: AR overlays provide real-time framing feedback, adaptive tracking, and automated camera parameter adjustments.
  • Post-Processing: Takes are organized under shot plans, enabling users to select preferred takes and assemble rough cuts directly within the app.

Results

• Concrete findings: CineCraft significantly improved execution success (M = 4.50 vs. 3.25), shot reproducibility (M = 4.25 vs. 2.50), and creative intent matching (M = 4.38 vs. 2.00) compared to the standard mobile camera app in Study 1. In Study 2, participants rated the system highly across planning (M = 6.11), capture (M = 6.44), and assembly (M = 6.22).
• Advantage over baselines: CineCraft outperformed the standard camera app in executing complex shots like dolly zooms, with automation and AR guidance reducing cognitive load and improving creative outcomes.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Study 1: Validation of planning and capture features with 8 participants performing dolly zooms and chase sequences.
  • Study 2: End-to-end workflow evaluation with 9 participants creating short films, including planning, capture, and rough-cut assembly.
  • Metrics: Execution success, reproducibility, creative intent matching, exploration, expressiveness, and immersion.
• Limitations and future work: Visual guidance can feel cluttered on small screens; assembly tools may lack advanced features for professional editors. Future directions include adaptive interfaces, generative AI for planning, and interoperability with professional NLEs.

Summary

CineCraft is a mobile application that unifies shot planning, AR-guided capture, and post-processing for cinematography through a storyboard-derived shot plan representation. Two user studies demonstrated its ability to help users execute complex shots, manage takes, and assemble rough cuts, outperforming standard mobile camera apps. By automating focus and zoom and providing real-time AR guidance, CineCraft reduces cognitive load and enables solo creators and novices to achieve professional-grade cinematography. The system’s integrated workflow and compositional abstraction offer insights for designing creative tools that bridge ideation and execution seamlessly.