Apple’s Pocket Movie Maker iPhone
A virtual host of ‘Shot on iPhone’ videos, by novice and professional filmmakers, with impressive cinematic results, have been motivationally available for online viewers for some time now.
Viewer interest however, has not abated. It remains buoyant with each progressive filmic iPhone achievement, that continues to keep viewers compellingly captivated with the stellar results that can be obtained with Apple’s smartphone camera optics.
1. Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Introduction
Filmed in Iceland with an iPhone 13 Pro, the cinematic ‘Introduction’ commercial, directed by Los Angeles filmmaker Diego Contreras in collaboration with Apple, is a superbly produced and edited demonstration of Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro camera upgrade features.
Innovations include a new ‘Cinematic Mode’, that can shift focus from the foreground to the background, a 3x optical zoom capability, advanced low-light performance, a macro video facility, advanced stabilisation, and ProRes video editing.
2. Apple iPhone 13 Pro: Hollywood In Your Pocket
Advertising Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Los Angeles, USA
Directed by two-time Oscar winning filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, with renowned Greig Fraser as her cinematographer, ‘Hollywood In Your Pocket’ in the first in a series of Kathryn Bigelow brand communication campaign commercials for Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro.
The commercial’s soundtrack song is by British singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer, Timothy Lee McKenzie, better known by his stage name Labrinth.
3. Apple iPhone 13 Pro, Kathryn Bigelow On Set
Advertising Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Los Angeles, USA
The impressive ‘behind-the-scenes’, expose of film director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer Greig Fraser on set, offers compelling glimpses of how, in the hands of professionals, cinematic results are achieved with an iPhone 13 Pro across a range of iconic movie genres.
4. Apple iPhone 12 Pro, Make Movies Like The Movies
Production Company: Somesuch Films, Venice, California, USA
Apple’s encouragement to ‘make movies like the movies’ with their iPhone 12 Pro, was directed by multi-award winning commercial filmmaker Kim Gehrig in collaboration with Oscar-winning Director of Photography, Linus Andersen.
The entertaining ‘Make Movies Like The Movies’ montage demonstrates the iPhone 12 Pro’s capability of offering an exciting opportunity to add cinematic dynamism, and inventive flair to homemade movies with filming, editing, and playback, all in Dolby Vision.
The soundtrack features an original orchestral score by American composer, singer, and songwriter, Danny Elfman, that was recorded at London’s famous Abbey Road studios.
5. Apple iPhone 11 Pro, Snowbrawl
Advertising Agency: TBWAMedia Arts Lab, Los Angeles, USA
Apple teamed up with mobile network provider Verizon for the ‘Snowbrawl’ holiday season commercial, filmed with Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro by Oscar-winning Cinematographer Robert Elswit.
Directed by famed Hollywood filmmaker David Leitch of the action-packed John Wick feature films, the commercial features a delightfully assured performance by young soccer sensation Makena Cook as the lead actress.
David Leitch’s masterful action-packed storytelling is highly entertaining to view, and provides an impressive technical demonstration of the iPhone 11 Pro’s Ultra High Definition triple-camera system, and new Ultra Wide lens capabilities.
6. Apple iPhone 11 Pro, Daughter
Advertising Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Shanghai, China
Based on a true life experience, Apple’s 2020 Chinese New Year long-form storytelling commercial is about a young mother that steadfastly decided, against cultural norms, to assert her independence by raising her daughter on her own.
The tensions that decision caused between her and her own mother, is at the heart of Apple’s Chinese New Year message to families, that “no matter how much we all grow apart, humanity has the power to bring us together”.
Directed by lauded American screenwriter and filmmaker Theodore Melfi, the superb cast delivers powerfully emotive performances in their respective roles lead by award-winning Chinese actress Zhou Xun.
Filmed entirely with an Apple 11 Pro, by esteemed cinematographer Lawrence Sher, the production values of the commercial are impressively cinematic and rewarding to view.
7. Apple iPhone 7, Romeo and Juliet
Advertising Agency: TBWA\ Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur
Apple’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ commercial of a few years ago, demonstrating the iPhone 7’s, low-light, high-resolution, zoom optics, and stabilising filming capacity, I regard as a 30 second little gem that sparkles with delightful performances from its young cast.
The scenario centres on the famous balcony scene in Act II Scene II of Shakespeare’s celebrated Romeo and Juliet love story, and the immortalised line; “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?”
I unfortunately, haven’t been able to establish who the filmmaker is that directed this enchanting commercial, with its emotive end-story twist, and high production values.