First Feature Film Recorded Entirely On An iPhone

First Feature Film Recorded Entirely On An iPhone

We all knew that this day would come and it may change the way we look at cinematography forever. It is pretty amazing to think that this entire feature length movie was created on nothing more than a humble iPhone.

Having already gained success at Sundance Film Festival and receiving rave reviews from New York Times, Tangerine may be one of the lowest budget movies ever. Creator Sean Baker explains how this was not the only advantage of using the iPhone 5, though. One additional and huge benefit was the fact that it meant that shooting in public didn't require the usual permits that filmmakers must apply for. 

Here is the trailer:

The film will be on limited release from July 10.

 

Adam Bevan's picture

Adam Bevan is a writer from London, England who has travelled to over 30 countries and continues to travel as a passion. His love of photography grew out of a business venture with a friend but continued to grow from there. He is currently working freelance while increasing the number of countries he's seen.

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12 Comments

Gimmick for gimmicks sake.

I guess we could say the same about photographers who put out good work with lower end cameras? It's not about the camera, it's how you use it that matters.

I'm thinking what he meant was that it shouldnt be a big deal because its an Iphone but rather on a phone, it could have been any good phone. Ok, I think that's me talking now. But oh well, iphone is a big deal anyway and it was shot on one but the title makes it seem like the iphone is bringing something huge to the table but it isn't.. All it has is its form factor which I think should be attributed to smartphones. About quality, hmmmmm post production can argue a bit for me. A better title could have been, first feature film recorded entirely on a smartphone. You can disclose which afterwards. I might just be hating on the iphone but deep down, im not. Lol. Hello guys. Second thoughts, Iphones have the most and best accessories on the market soooo... Its kinda easier. Hmmm. FFT. (Food For Thought).

Yup

Looks funny.

i'm not so sure about this "film" from the 2 min trailer. it's either kinda cool or really dumb. either way i would not really call it a film if it's "filmed" with am iPhone. to me he was just too cheap to rent or buy a camera. would FS even be talking about it if it wasn't done with an iPhone ? i doubt it. just a gimmick. and what makes it a feature film ? i bet there are lots of high school kids that have shot films before this. either way, i'm not going to see it.

Making a film requires a lot more than a camera. You need good lighting, audio, crew, etc... I honestly doubt the people who made this film were cheap. They saw a challenge using a tool we all have and went for it. The quality (not just video) looks well made, so I think the people who made this are very skilled and knew what they were doing. Sure, it probably wouldn't have gotten a lot of attention if it weren't filmed on an Iphone, but that doesn't make it any better or worse. The story line looks different which is refreshing, and the acting from the trailer seemed good. No need to be so negative. Maybe you'd love the film if you saw it. Or maybe not, but you'll never know until you know.

Apparently they also used this.....

http://www.moondoglabs.com

The relevant question should be; "would anyone really care about this film if it wasn't made using an iPhone?" The film does look like it could be entertaining, I feel like a lot of this stuff just gets over-hyped because it was "shot on an iPhone".

I think you all missed the point. The article is suggesting before you spend money of a DSLR or digital video cam. To consider what you can do with a iphone.

But theres a flaw with this logic. They are referring the iphone as a cheap piece of technology. Granted, the movie looks like a quentin tarantino B movie at maybe 18th of the cost. But the iphone isn't cheap. Between the phone and accessories they used to make the film. They spent about $1000. So where's the savings. I can get a digital cam with a rode shotgun mic for under $1000 and get the look via post.

It would be a better article if it was about that anyone with real talent can use anything even a iphone/smart phone to create something creative and brilliant. The key word "talent", uncle Bob who thinks creativity is a stick stuck in the ground would not been able to pull this off.

Oh James Raven why not share why i am wrong. DA.

We all know a film is always about the story, how you choose to film it is both a creative and budget decision. This smacks of "lets film this on a iPhone, even if we can afford a better camera." Quite frankly the trailer looks very "videoish" to me, like it could have been shot on any current day, fixed lens camcorder. Highlights are blown out and even factoring in web compression looks soft. There is a reason a seasoned DP selects specific lenses for a film or specific scene. A fixed lens iPhone camera pales in comparison on just about every level. Maybe it's a good, compelling story and will do well on the festival circuit and I wish the film well.

Ok, the first thing I notice about this film is that (IMO) the story is very simple. That’s not a bad thing, but it just seems like it goes for the “low” and easy topics to attract people to watch (sex and violence). Again, this isn’t necessarily bad, it just doesn’t have the depth and potential of a more finely crafted story for a film.

I know that wasn’t about the actual camera being used and all, but I think if they had chosen a different topic it might have helped it case.

On to my thoughts on the fact that it was shot on an iPhone. Simply put...it looks like it was shot on a smartphone (the fact that it’s an iPhone doesn’t matter). The color and texture just wasn’t there for me. It seemed like instead of helping the story, the color and editing was distracting. It wasn’t bad, but something held me back from getting immersed in it, and I think it was a combination of the storyline, color, and editing.

What I took away from this was, "wow the time when a GOOD film can be solely created on a phone is getting closer,” not that it is already here and definitely not that this is an example of that good film.

Thoughts? I’d love to hear any feedback on this.