the VFX screen vs PropChat

the VFX Screen helps you prepare phones for screen inserts and replacements on set. Display a custom image, tracking markers, solid colors or patterns on the screen so the camera can capture what your VFX shot needs. Adjust colors in real time, scroll content vertically or horizontally, and use the three-finger gesture to lock the screen once it’s ready. The app is made for VFX supervisors, filmmakers and crews who need a quick, flexible screen setup during a shoot.

PropChat is the solution for chat, video call and phone call screens in film, TV, advertising and digital content. It simulates a real phone — messages, calls, lock screen — controlled in real time by the production team, so the actor lives the scene and you save time and budget in post-production. HOW IT WORKS The actor's phone runs PropChat in scene mode, showing a realistic messaging interface. From another device (or a hidden panel on the same phone), the operator behind the scenes triggers messages, calls and screen changes exactly when the script calls for them. WHAT YOU CAN DO • Send messages live, or build a queue of prepared messages and fire the next one with a tap or a key. • Voice notes, photos, videos and simulated locations as received messages. • Incoming voice and video calls, with a chroma-key color or a background video for effects in post-production. • Lock screen with realistic notifications, plus the real clock and battery level. • Customize the contact, the chat's look and the wallpaper for each scene. • Control everything with Bluetooth keyboard shortcuts, without touching the actor's screen. • Remote control: run the prop phone from an iPad or another iPhone, without relying on the set's Wi-Fi. • Automatic backup of the operator's setup, so you don't lose your configuration between takes. • English and Spanish, with a 12-hour or 24-hour clock. WHO IT'S FOR Directors, assistant directors, producers, content creators and film students who need a message, a call or a notification to appear exactly when the scene requires it, without the risk of a real notification coming in mid-take. PropChat includes a free trial and several plans (weekly, a 6-week Production pass, or annual) — see the options inside the app. REMOTE CONTROL WITHOUT THE SET'S WI-FI Turn an iPad or a second iPhone into the operator's control pad and run the actor's prop phone over a direct connection (Bluetooth / peer-to-peer Wi-Fi), without relying on the set's network or an internet signal. Ideal for location shoots, film and TV sets, independent productions and content creators who need reliable remote control of their prop smartphone wherever they shoot. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/