The decisive moment for smartphones overtaking point-and-shoot cameras occurred last summer when the iPhone 4 became the most popular device for picture uploads to the image-sharing site Flickr. At the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, camera makers were scrambling to adapt to this new order, adding internet connections and more powerful zoom lenses to even basic models.

But it is not only photographers who have been quick to realise the potential of the camera in devices such as the iPhone 4 and 4S, and Nokia N8; film-makers have also been working with smartphones to produce not only quality shorts, but in some cases full-length feature films – shot completely on a mobile phone.

Acclaimed South Korean director Park Chan-wook is perhaps the most famous film-maker to adopt the iPhone when he shot his 33-minute feature Night Fishing (original title Paranmanjang) on the device. OK, he "cheated" and attached a 35mm lens to his own iPhone to use as a principle camera, but he had the crew shoot with their iPhones so he had plenty of ready-to-use footage from various angles that he could incorporate into his film.

And it is this kind of flexibility that is attracting film-makers to the smartphone as a work tool. If you know what you are doing you can whip out your phone, shoot a scene pretty much anywhere and Bam! It's in the can and ready to be edited.

Leeds-based writer and director Danny Lacey shoots with HD cameras such as the Sony EX1, Sony F3 and DSLR's like the Canon 5D MKII and 7D for his corporate work, but sees the potential of the smartphone.

"It's incredibly handy and fun to be able to film using my iPhone 4," he said. "Shooting at 720p, 30fps on that tiny piece of technology that fits in the palm of your hand, very exciting. I recently shot an experimental video on my iPhone 4 using an 8mm app called Super 8. On top of that I used a macro lens attachment made specifically for the iPhone. The idea was to film lots of random images with the main focus being on the interesting shapes and flares you can get from various light sources.

"The results were impressive. I ended up with an interesting, abstract video that I called 'Darkness and Light in 8mm'. Even though the app would only let me record at 480x360 pixels, it was still a good example of what you can achieve with this technology."

It is also possible to edit a film on the iPhone, as Majek Pictures demonstrated when they not only shot their four-minute short Apple of My Eye on the iPhone 4, but also edited the footage on the device.

Apple of My Eye is widely credited as the first film to be made on an iPhone 4 and was made soon after the its launch in June 2010.

Michael Koerbel and Anna Elizabeth James are the founders of Majek Pictures. The couple already had the story idea, but no money to make Apple of My Eye, which is a warm, sentimental story of a man's relationship with his granddaughter that evokes images of his own childhood.

While playing around with his new iPhone 4 Koerbel noticed it had a HD camera, "so I said to Anna 'you know we could shoot a movie – let's try it out'," he said.

To make their film, Koerbel and James simply used what resources they had – Koerbel's dad's train set was a main feature in the film, for example – and they were lucky enough to work with talented actors and crew who gave up their talents for nothing.

In the making-of video for Apple of My Eye, we see James editing the film on the iPhone iMovie app as they drive home in their car. Koerbel said that while they proved it is also possible to edit on the iPhone 4, it was strictly a "one off" and wouldn't recommend it for bigger projects.

"After the success of Apple of My Eye, companies started shipping us stuff," said Koerbel, "equipment like dollies, gear, sliders and lenses for example."

This led to Majek's next project, the Goldilocks, which has been described as "Bourne Ultimatum on an iPhone" and the first mobile film series shot and distributed entirely via an iOS device.

In one episode there is a scene where wine is being poured into a glass. Koerbel got the shot by placing the iPhone 4 in a ziplock bag in the bottom of the glass. The scene cost a couple of dollars, max (for the bag) – in a Hollywood production it would have cost at least a couple of grand, if not more.

Goldilocks won first prize in the first iPhone Film Festival, and was included on a longlist in the Interactive Media category at last year's Emmy awards.

While the iPhone has undoubtedly been at the forefront of this new wave of film-making, other smartphones are also being used.

The Nokia N8, with its 12 megapixel camera and Carl Zeiss optics, has not only proved a highly popular and cheaper option to the iPhone, but packs a much better camera than it too – resolution: 16:9 nHD (640 x 360 pixels) OLED.

The new iPhone 4S includes an 8 megapixel backlit camera with CMOS sensor that records 1080p video at 30 FPS – with an f/2.4 aperture and a gyro for video stabilisation.

Even if you don't like the idea of actually filming on the iPhone, there is a bunch of cinematography apps – to use for everything from calculating sunrise and sunset to storyboarding and camera angles – available to help you get the best shot.

Very recently Olive, starring Gene Rowlands, became the first full feature film to be shot entirely on a smartphone – the Nokia N8.

The producers also want it to be the first independently financed feature film to be distributed across 2,000+ theatres in the US without the backing of a major studio. After raising an initial $500,000 (£315,000) privately to cover production costs on the 22-day shoot, the producers are looking to raise a further $300,000 for advertising and distribution of Olive.

The film was made by adapting the Nokia N8 and crafting a 35mm lens adapter onto the smartphone in order to achieve a shallow depth of field. The N8 is also taped to a motorbike and a remote-controlled helicopter for overhead shots in other scenes.

With the demise of 35mm film, digital devices and smartphones are fast becoming an option for film-makers as traditional cameras cease production.

Koerbel says that as the next generation of smartphones is developed with larger HD camera sensor chips, filming on a mobile is going to become even more popular.

"The key to success is to exercise your imagination … and the most important thing is to get your ideas down either by writing or shooting a video. Shoot with the camera you have with you, it has been a springboard for us," is his advice to film-makers.

• Tony Myers is the editor of smartmoviemaking.com