A disposable camera for video
With film, you'd shoot something, get back to the party and not see it for weeks. Undeveloped is a Super 8 camera for your iPhone that works the same way. Everything you shoot goes onto a 3:20 roll, one clip after the next, and you can't watch any of it yet. When the roll runs out, it turns into one continuous film on its own, and you can start another.
$2.99 once.
There's no subscription, and you don't need an account.
Why it works this way
Being able to see a video the second we shoot it changed how we film. We shoot the same thing over and over, keep one and rarely look at it again. People used to shoot what was happening and wait to see how it came out, and they looked more like themselves.
There's nothing to look at afterward, so you film for a few seconds, put your phone down and go back to whoever you're with.
You used to finish a roll, send it off and wait for it to come back. Then you'd sit down one night and see all of it, including the blurry parts. Undeveloped works the same way, except it develops on your phone as soon as the roll runs out.
How a roll works
Every roll is 3,600 frames, the same as a 50-foot Super 8 cartridge, which comes to 3 minutes and 20 seconds at 18 frames a second. The counter on screen shows how much you have left.
Tap record for a few seconds, then put your phone back in your pocket. You might shoot a little today and a little more tomorrow. You can't look back at anything or redo a take, so whatever you shoot stays on the roll.
When you use the last frame, your clips automatically develop into one continuous film, in the order you shot them, with moving grain and a warm flash at the start of each shot. You can save it to Photos or send it to whoever was there, and then start another roll.
Can you peek? No.
You can't look at your own shots either. If you could check them you probably would, and you'd end up looking at your phone instead of at the people you're with.Shared rolls
Remember the disposable cameras on the tables at a wedding? This works the same way, but with video. Everyone films on the same roll from their own phone, wherever they are, as much or as little as they like. When the roll is full, it develops on everyone's phone with all the clips in the order they were shot.
The couple, the parents and the wedding party can all film on one roll through the day, from getting ready to the dance floor. If your uncle uses most of it on the toasts, there won't be much left for the dancing.
Everyone films on the same roll during the trip. If somebody uses a lot of it at the airport there's less left for the beach, and you'll all see the whole thing when the roll runs out.
Nobody has to be the person filming all weekend, and nobody can check what's on the roll until it runs out.
Parents, grandparents and aunts can all film on one roll from wherever they live. You'll want to go slowly so there's film left when the baby starts walking. If there's still some left on the first birthday, whoever started the roll can develop it that day.
The look
You can pick a film stock, set the grain and add a sprocket strip if you like. You'll see the look live in the viewfinder, and it becomes part of the film when the roll develops.
Gentle color for every day.
This is a rough preview on the web. The real look is rendered on your iPhone, one frame at a time.
Privacy
There's nothing to sign up for and there are no ads or analytics. I don't run a server, so I never see your films. They stay on your iPhone and back up to your own iCloud, which you can turn off. A shared roll goes through iCloud to whoever has your invite link.
Questions
It develops automatically on your phone. Your clips are put together into one continuous film in the order you shot them, with the look you chose. The film goes in the archive, where you can play it, save it to Photos or send it to someone. Then you can start another roll, and you can shoot as many rolls as you like.
No. You have to finish the roll to watch it, and the only thing you can see before then is how much film is left. If you want to try the camera first, Test Mode in settings shoots takes that get thrown away and don't use up your roll.
A roll is always 3,600 frames. The frame rate decides how long that lasts:
You can also keep more than one roll going, say one for home and one for a trip, and swap between them. Each one keeps its film.
Open the archive, tap Start a shared roll and give it a name. You'll get an iCloud link to send in Messages or anywhere else. When your friends tap it, the app opens and they're on the roll. Up to 12 people can share the same 3,600 frames, and anyone can film as much as they want until they run out. Then it develops on everyone's phone. If you'd rather give everyone the same amount, turn on equal shares when you start and choose how many people, from 2 to 6. You can add more later, up to 12.
Anyone who has it, so only send it to people you want on the roll. Once 12 people have joined, or everyone you chose with equal shares, anyone else who opens it can watch the film but can't shoot on the roll.
Whoever started it can tap Develop what's shot so far in the archive, and it develops for everyone with what's on the roll.
Yes. Each person filming on a shared roll needs the app on their own iPhone, at $2.99, and an iCloud account. I can gift App Store promo codes if that's a problem for your group, so write to me.
It's $2.99 once. There's no subscription, and there are no in-app purchases or ads.
If iCloud Backup is on, which it is unless you turn it off, your finished films come back when you install the app again. A solo roll that hasn't developed yet is only on your phone, so deleting the app deletes it.
Any iPhone on iOS 17 or later.
You can shoot a little at a time over the next few weeks, then watch it all in one sitting.
$2.99 once. iPhone, iOS 17 or later.
