Apple wants you to be convinced that the new iPhone 12 Pro was designed for filmmakers. A “Shot on iPhone 12 Pro” video was uploaded to the company’s YT channel. The filmmaker who made the video is none other than acclaimed cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki. Take a look at the video and listen to what Lubezki has to say about smartphones as filmmaking tools.

When I started working as a cinematographer the cameras were mechanical and you had to do all the thinking.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki

Shot on iPhone 12 Pro

Apple has published a video shot on the newly announced iPhone 12 Pro. The video was shot by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki who is well known for groundbreaking uses of natural lighting and continuous uninterrupted wide-angle shots. Lubezki’s works have been praised by audiences which earned him multiple awards, including eight Academy Award nominations for Best Cinematography. He won in this category three times, becoming the first person to do so in three consecutive years, for Gravity (2013), Birdman (2014), and The Revenant (2015). Apple has recruited Lubezki to demonstrate the video capabilities of the new iPhone 12 Pro.

HDR video with Dolby Vision

According to Apple, the iPhone 12 Pro models offer the highest quality video in a smartphone and are the first cameras and only devices in the world to enable an end-to-end experience for HDR video with Dolby Vision, up to 60 fps, and even better video stabilization for cinema-grade productions. Dolby Vision grading is processed live and sustained during editing, whether in the Photos app or iMovie and coming to Final Cut Pro X later this year. Dolby Vision takes advantage of the Super Retina XDR display for amazing contrast during capture and video playback, and users can share their videos with support for AirPlay up to 4K Dolby Vision to external devices.

Lubezki on the iPhone 12 Pro

“When I started working as a cinematographer the cameras were mechanical and you had to do all the thinking”. Lubezki says. “I think that the iPhone Pro will allow filmmakers all around the world to make films that otherwise are impossible because you don’t have the means or because the cameras are too heavy or too complicated. One of the things that are really exciting about the iPhone Pro is that you have Dolby Vision HDR in real-time. So you are able to see an image that is already color corrected. Shooting with the iPhone Pro allows me to be quite free and spontaneous – a little bit like a jazz musician finding the best images. I love the wide lenses that allow the images to be immersive, to have a focus in-depth, to make the audience feel that you are right there”.

I love the wide lenses that allow the images to be immersive, to have a focus in-depth, to make the audience feel that you are right there.

Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki

Apple utilizes those marvelous shots on its website in order to show off the video capabilities of the new iPhone.  

Watch the video below:

Initial thoughts

It’s a bit strange to see a very acclaimed cinematographer that often uses big and heavy cinema cameras, shoots on a smartphone. However, it’s a bit of refreshing and encouraging as well. It means that you don’t need the most cumbersome and expensive tool to make beautiful films. Just go out with what you have and shoot something great. It’s all about creativity and less about technology. Regardless of the focused product in this article, a quite nice lesson can be learned here.