A couple of years ago, an Apple iPhone 5S was used to shoot a film called Tangerine, which was a big hit (grossing seven times its cost). The movie premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Now, the same iPhone 5S has found a place in a museum build by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Apple iPhone 5S finds a place in history
The Apple iPhone 5S would be placed alongside the souvenirs from some of the most famous movies such as The Wizard of Oz and Alien. The museum, stretched across the 300,000 square-foot building, will allow visitors to see a wide range of property retrieved after being used in some of the most historical films.
A video released by the Academy shows Baker handing over the iPhone 5S used to shoot the film, to the museum. “Director Sean Baker (@LilFilm) has generously gifted the #AcademyMuseum the iPhone he used to shoot his 2015 feature ‘Tangerine,’” tweeted The Academy official Twitter account.
Director Sean Baker (@LilFilm) has generously gifted the #AcademyMuseum the iPhone he used to shoot his 2015 feature “Tangerine.” This #MuseumMonday, Baker takes us through one of the film’s scenes. pic.twitter.com/zmebpxsZTz
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) December 18, 2017
In the video, Baker mentioned that for editing purposes he used a Filmic Pro app, which cost him $8, notes PhoneArena. Further, Baker noted that the crew used different add-on lenses, as well as camera apps to record the video. He also stated that shooting with the iPhone 5S was simpler because the crew did not need any special clearance. Using the iPhones was also a lot cheaper than using traditional cameras.
In the video, Baker not only talks of the equipment used to shoot the film, but is also seen revisiting the site where the best scenes of the movie were shot. Baker also mentions that of the three iPhone 5s used for shooting the movie, he sold one to pay rent and donated another one to the museum.
Not the first time
Directors and choreographers have been ardent fans of the iPhone when it comes to their video capabilities. Recently, director and videographer Tristan Pope shot a new dance video Smoke and Mirrorless completely on the iPhone X. For filming the video, Pope clubbed the iPhone X with Moment’s wide-angle and telephoto lenses, a Zhiyun Tech Smooth 3 Axis Gimbal, and Yongnuo LED video light wand. To balance the phone, Pope got a cheap Amazon tripod and an Anker battery pack, notes SlashGear.
This was not the first time Pope has turned to the iPhone videography. In 2015, he came out with an independent movie, Romance in NYC, which was shot completely using the iPhone 6.
When asked about his view on the best phone for photography, Pope said, “This question is not as straightforward as it used to be. Currently with the technology advancing the way it is, you cannot really go wrong with anything you choose in the iPhone, Pixel, Samsung flagship phone lines.”
Tangerine may not be the first instance where an iPhone was used to shot a video. We have seen commercials shot on iPhones, including Apple’s own ads. Nevertheless, Tangerine will always remain a movie which will be remembered as the first motion picture to be shot entirely using an iPhone.
