Future of Filmic Pro Mobile App Unclear After Mass Layoffs

Industry InsightsSmartphone Filmmaking

by Alex HohenthanerDecember 4^th, 2023

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The future of the popular mobile phone video app Filmic Pro is uncertain, as Petapixel reports that according to their sources, parent company Bending Spoons has laid off the entire original staff. 

According to his LinkedIn Page, founder and CEO Neill Barham’s position at the company ended last month. Now, it seems, the rest of the staff has been let go as well, and the last official social media post was made in mid-October. The last update for the app featuring support for the new Apple Log picture with the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max profile was issued in October as well. The option to record externally onto SSDs is still lacking (but available on Apple’s native camera app and the free Blackmagic Camera app).

Filmic Pro – long considered the leader in smartphone video apps

Filmic Pro was long considered to be one of the best video apps for mobile phones, giving users much more control over their cameras and access to settings such as exposure, frame rate, bit rate, and much more. It works with the most popular gimbals for phones and includes flat and log profiles. It was used in feature films such as Tangerine, which was the first movie to come to cinemas shot entirely on an iPhone. 

Another app by the company called Firstlight is aimed more at photographers and also offers more control and access to features than the standard phone camera app. 

Takeover and new subscription business model

The Milan-based company Bending Spoons bought Filmic and its apps Filmic Pro and Filmic Firstlight in September 2022. They are mostly known for their Splice app, which allows filmmakers to edit their videos on phones and tablets. Bending Spoons bought this app from GoPro in 2018. 

With the takeover, Filmic Pro switched to a new subscription model, which left us confused, as you can read in our evaluation of the move. It also left Filmic Pro’s users alienated as was made very clear by the many negative App Store ratings and Google Play Store ratings.

With their future in doubt, what’s an alternative?

So far, Bending Spoons has not released any official information and has not responded to requests for comment. There are no mentions of Filmic or their apps on their site, either. We will keep you posted should any more information arise. If you are looking for an alternative, perhaps Blackmagic Design’s Blackmagic Camera app for iPhones is a good fit, as it offers many of the same features for free. It was also used to shoot Apple’s latest event entirely on iPhone 15 Pro.

Have you been using Filmic Pro? What other alternatives do you know of? Let us know in the comments below!