Shot on iPhone

Watch Apple’s short film celebrating the upcoming Chinese New Year

Ahead of Chinese New Year which falls on February 5, Apple's official YouTube channel yesterday released a short shot-on-iPhone film about the taste of home.

Titled "The Bucket" and done by acclaimed director Jia Zhangke, the video asks the question: "What gifts would your parents prepare when your Chinese New Year visit comes to an end?".

It invites the viewer to capture the taste of home this Chinese New Year with their iPhone.

The taste of home

And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eu-TqfxpfgU

Apple has also posted a pair of behind-the-scenes videos in which the author sheds some light on how slowing time with the Slo-mo camera feature makes emotions last longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRn6SutCmcU

"Use Slo-mo to prolong and savor the taste of home this Chinese New Year," Apple advises. In the following making-of video, Jia discusses bridging the gap between his subject matter and audience through the Depth Control feature.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lYFWtSIPiM

"Use Depth Control to get closer to the taste of home this Chinese New Year," says Apple.

Shot on iPhone, but...

These short films were all shot on the new iPhone XS.

As we saw with other Apple-commissioned clips, third-party accessories for filmmaking were most likely used in the making of these clips to stabilize footage, capture aerial scenes and more, with color-correction and editing likely done in professional video editing apps.

Prime examples of such professionally done videos include recent short films about a teenage athlete from American Samoa and Japan’s extravagantly decorated trucks, called "decotora," that attempt to highlight low-light photography improvements of the latest handsets.

Shot on iPhone contest

Three days ago, Apple announced a contest inviting iPhone users from around the globe to submit their best shots for a chance to be featured on billboards, in retail stores and online.

Submissions will be accepted from January 22 to February 7, and Apple says a panel of judges will be selecting 10 winning photos.

Apple to pay licensing fees

Responding to criticism by the artistic community that it will use select works from the winning iPhone photographers on billboards without compensation, Apple has since updated the content announcement to acknowledge that winning artists will be paid for their work.

"Apple believes strongly that artists should be compensated for their work," reads the updated press release. "Photographers who shoot the final 10 winning photos will receive a licensing fee for use of such photos on billboards and other Apple marketing channels."

What do you think about these new shot-on-iPhone ads?

Let us know in the comments down below.

Apple shares shot on iPhone short “Détour” by Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry

Apple yesterday shared a short “Shot on iPhone” film, titled “Détour”, by French Oscar-winning director Michel Gondry who is known for such independent movies as “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Science of Sleep”.

The eleven-minute video was posted to the Cupertino company's YouTube channels in France and the United Kingdom as part of its focus on producing local video content that can be shared online rather than the more traditional broadcast ads.

The film runs eleven minutes long and features original soundtrack by indie composer Étienne Charry. It follows the adventures of a small tricycle as it sets off along the French roads in search of its young owner, a nice take on the lost-and-found theme.

And here it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrN1ytnQ-Tg

Along with the short film, Apple also shared a series behind-the-sccenes videos, seen below.

The clips show Gondry at work, explaining his approach to shooting films on iPhone and detailing some of the equipment used for “Détour”, which includes a multi-iPhone rig, Lightning-compatible microphones, a BeastGrip professional gimbal system and more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuDUqqFzELk

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPdwbvJCqfY

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jYI10yT07c

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXgyX6cc5eE

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIW5qChZJPg

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vInEUWuRq_Q

Gondry won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for his work on “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. The director is scheduled to discuss the film and his career while sharing some of the tips for achieving cinematographic results on Apple's devices in a “Today at Apple” session at Apple March Saint-Germain on June 30.

Apple posts two new ‘Shot on iPhone’ videos showcasing camera capabilities

Following up the two clips it released earlier this week, Apple on Tuesday posted another pair of new 'Shot on iPhone' videos to its YouTube channel. The new ads follow the now-familiar structure with 15-second runtimes and catchy soundtracks paired with engaging footage.

The first video, shot by Robert S. in Bregenz, Austria, shows a first-person view of Robert zip-lining. The second video has more of an artsy vibe. Shot by Mark Z. in Manhattan, New York, it features a young woman with her hair flowing in the wind, captured using slow motion.