FMP Research - Films Shot On iPhone

To support the outcome of my short film production, which I am planning to shoot completely on an iPhone (which is my new iPhone 13 Pro!), I am going to look at a couple of different independent films shot totally on an iPhone. I think that it is rather interesting how the development of mobile phones has come such a long way; and how they've come to even replace professional film cameras. For reference I have decided to have a look at the important specs of the current iPhone 13 Pro which I am using to shoot my film.

It is also a very convenient way to do it as it's a piece of equipment I always have access to; unlike most film equipment which needs to be borrowed/bought. Thinking about this in the context of the film industry; using an iPhone which is already available rather than spending the budget on borrowing/buying professional equipment saves money that can be used on other aspects of the film, such as set design, location scouting etc. Filming on an iPhone is not new to directors, and perhaps marks a turning point within the industry; this interesting solution to higher costs of production; comes about due to innovation of smartphone cameras.

Below are the specs for the iPhone 13 Pro, which is made up of three separate cameras, the telephoto lens, ultra wide lens and wide lens. The function of this is that (according to Apple ToolBox) three cameras can capture more light than one which helps users take better pictures. Apple pairs the three cameras at the factory. When you're recording a video, you can actually record different angles and magnification at the same time.

Directors such as Steven Soderburgh, Sean Baker and even Tristan Pope, not a director, but simply a film fanatic, have created different styles of films using this method. Even with older generations of iPhones!

iPhone 13 Pro Camera Specs

Of course, since iPhone cameras aren't specifically designed for filmmaking, the quality of the footage won't necessarily be perfect. The article which I got the behind the scenes photo of the filming of 'Unsane' - is critical of the cinematography. They say 'Her [Claire Foy - main character in Unsane] ward is a grimy, under-lit space, and the iPhone’s 4K video camera doesn’t handle low-light conditions particularly well..Faces disappear into fuzzy blurs, the colors trend toward a muddy yellowish-brown, and light sources burn out into blazes of distracting white. The Caucasian characters look blotchy and ill, and the black characters look like shadows.' This is said about what was shot on an iPhone 7 Plus with a 4K camera. I am intending to shoot my short film on an iPhone 13 Pro with a 4K camera as well. Blog Post Research on Unsane

Despite these drawbacks highlighted in this article about the film, I think that the footage from the test shots in 4K (not all of them were shot in 4K at 30fps - but those are the camera settings I intend to use despite the significantly greater space for the film) is quite impressive and almost impossible to tell it was shot an iPhone. This sounds rather similar to Soderburgh's so-called 'rapturous praises' about the production of Unsane on the iPhone; however I believe my production can build on the criticism about his film in this article; as I have shot in well lit areas which are either lit, or dark, rather than in between with a sort of dingy/grey aesthetic to it. The footage looks very clean and crisp and I believe looks quite impressive.

Reference list Cashify. (n.d.). 12 Movies Which You Never Knew Were Shot Completely On iPhone | Cashify Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.cashify.in/12-movies-which-you-never-knew-were-shot-completely-on-iphone. DPReview. (n.d.). All Apple iPhone 13 and 13 Pro camera upgrades: Explained. [online] Available at: https://www.dpreview.com/articles/6780391159/all-apple-iphone-13-and-13-pro-camera-upgrades-explained. Robinson, Tasha. “Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane Makes a Poor Showing for the IPhone 7.” The Verge, 23 Mar. 2018, www.theverge.com/2018/3/23/17156978/unsane-movie-review-iphone-7-steven-soderbergh-claire-foy. Accessed 2 May 2022. “Why Does the IPhone Have 3 Cameras?” AppleToolBox, 11 Nov. 2021, appletoolbox.com/why-does-iphone-have-3-cameras/#:~:text=Three%20cameras%20can%20capture%20more. Accessed 2 May 2022.