“Shot the iPhone” is no longer just an Apple marketing slogan; instead, it has come to symbolize the achievement of directors who used this pervasive technology to capture their latest films. By not employing common industry tools, he sends a message. It seems that the director is trying to prove that good films can be made without expensive technology in order to maintain his reputation as a filmmaker. Of course, for the ploy to work, the film has to be exceptionally remarkable.
The phrase “Shot on iPhone” has evolved from a simple Apple marketing slogan to a source of pride for directors who have employed everyday technology to shoot their latest movies. By not employing common industry tools, he sends a message. It looks like the director is trying to prove that he can make quality films without expensive equipment in order to maintain his reputation as a filmmaker. Of course, for the ruse to work, the film has to be exceptionally remarkable.
Fortunately, we’ve done a lot of work in the area of iPhone movies. There was 2015’s Tangerine, directed by Sean Baker shot almost entirely on an iPhone 5S (with the help of some anamorphic lenses and a camera application). Then came a more prominent example in the form of Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane. This was captured using an iPhone 7 Plus for what turned out to be a minor disappointment on film. Still, we kept in mind the tendency of directors to use handheld technology to capture stories.
But perhaps before Soderbergh considered shooting the entire movie on a smartphone, Jonathan Glazer – the idiosyncratic director of “Sexy Beast” and countless music videos – pondered the idea in 2013.
A loose adaptation of Michelle Farber’s novel, ‘Under the Skin’ is Glazer’s attempt to address profound questions about human nature through the eyes of an extraterrestrial played by Scarlett Johansson. It sounds like a pretty epic premise, but the scenes in this film evoke a bit of an indie vibe rather than a sci-fi blockbuster.
Much of this was due to Glazer’s use of a small camera to allow Johansson to interact with audiences in Glasgow without revealing that they were part of the film. The result is a truly eerie and often disturbing tone that permeates the entire film. But when considering how best to capture a truly spontaneous moment, Glazer revealed to his Slant Magazine how he initially thought of using an iPhone. “At one point, we talked about filming on an iPhone,” he shared. It had to be, it had to be the world as it was.”