Montreal - Bill Kerrigan
I’m a film teacher with decades of experience as a director and cinematographer, having worked on drama, documentary, and commercial productions in over 40 countries. For more than 30 years, I’ve also guided young filmmakers, sharing both practical skills and the creative mindset needed to succeed in the industry.
Early in my career, I was among the first in Canada to transition from 35/16mm film to video, recognizing how this shift could drastically reduce production costs. One milestone was shooting a drama in Italy with the first Sony digital camera—at just a quarter of the usual budget. The project aired on Bravo TV, marking their first experience with a video-based production instead of film. Excited by the possibilities, I introduced these advancements to my students, ensuring they stayed at the forefront of new technology.
My formal teaching journey began at Concordia University, where I taught Cinematography and Technical Aspects of filmmaking. I then led workshops at the National Film Board of Canada, helping industry professionals adapt to emerging video tools. Beyond academia, I’ve worked with Canada’s First Nations and Inuit communities, sharing digital filmmaking and documentary methods tailored to their unique stories.
Over the years, I’ve presented at Toronto Metropolitan University and spoken at ‘Cinema EOS NAB 2015’ in Las Vegas about the future of digital cinematography. More recently, my focus has shifted to mobile filmmaking, especially the remarkable capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro Max. My earliest foray into iPhone cinematography was years ago, filming Hugh Jackman promoting a Wolverine film for social media—an experience that showed me how quickly smartphones were reshaping the industry.
Today, I’ve developed courses on iPhone cinematography and built a thriving community of 15,000 mobile filmmakers through my Facebook group (iPhone Cinematography), where we share tips and emerging techniques. From shooting on 35mm to embracing the latest smartphone technology, my career has been about adapting to change, passing on what I’ve learned, and inspiring the next generation to explore every new possibility in filmmaking.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1719230818546493
Lessons
Rates: to be announced
Lesson 1: Consulting (One-on-One)
Date Available: Now
Lesson 2: Introduction to Mobile Filmmaking with iPhone
Date Available: Now
Lesson 3: Blackmagic Camera App
Date Available: Now
Lesson 4: Apple iPhone Native App Video
Date Available: Now
Lesson 5: Final Cut Camera App
Date Available: June, 2025
Lesson 6: Using Log and LUTs
Date Available: June, 2025
Lesson 7: iPhone Postproduction
Date Available: June, 2025
Lesson 8: Timelapse
Date Available: June, 2025
Lesson 9: Documentaries and the iPhone
Date Available: July, 2025
Lesson 10: Music Videos and the iPhone
Date Available: July, 2025
For information contact: iphonecinedp@gmail.com
Comments
'Bill’s notice for an iPhone cinematography class came at the perfect time for me, as I am using the iPhone to film for a special project in development. I have no training with this, and within one course I learned many things that will immediately be helpful going forward.
Bill is generous in sharing his decades of experience and mastery of the media, and I appreciated him doing so in a comfortable, responsive and encouraging manner.
I recommend the class for newbies, old pros and everyone in between!'
Cynthia Davis - Filmmaker
Montreal QC Canada
'The word that comes to mind after studying with Bill is "empowering".
His wealth of experience and insight gave me a sense of freedom to create in the way that I want to create. Whatever notions I had about trade-offs when going strictly iPhone quickly evaporated - he showed me how to harness it all for the best possible cinematic outcome. There is a seismic shift underway in all aspects of the business; it requires an experienced guide. Bill intuitively shapes his teaching to meet your specific talents halfway. It's not about conforming to the new rules; it's about being liberated by them. Cannot recommend highly enough."
Gerald L'Ecuyer - Director / Filmmaker
Montreal QC Canada
"I had been using my iPhone as a backup to my regular camera when shooting documentaries, but the audio was often problematic and the picture quality wasn't as good as I hoped. This was becoming a major issue for me, because I would use my iPhone to capture spontaneous scenes that otherwise would be difficult or impossible to film. I had never really thought seriously about how you could use it better as a camera. Bill really helped me figure out how I could improve the way I shoot with my iPhone and showed me specific software and hardware fixes to do that. My iPhone shooting will never be the same."
Greg Gransden - Director / Filmmaker
Montreal QC Canada
"I had the pleasure of completing some one on one Iphone cinematography tutorials with Bill. As a filmmaker and director, filming is a large part of my research process. I work in documentary and performance based filmmaking, mostly on location and a phone camera has always been a handy and essential tool is planning the visual treatment and shot lists for my films. Studying with Bill, the quality of my iPhone shooting has increased immensely. Working with simple add-ons, such as a cage, nd filters, external storage drive and a good audio set-up, my research footage can potentially be included in the final production. Understanding the workflow with the Black Magic interface has made matching my iPhone footage with other cameras in post possible and so easy. Bill also provided me with handy workflow checklists that are extremely useful when using my iPhone as a second camera on a shoot."
Marlene Millar - Director / Filmmaker
Montreal QC Canada
Mobile Filmmaking Lessons