Apple commissioned filmmaker Park Chan-wook to shoot a movie entirely on iPhone 13 Pro.
Park, best known for 2003 revenge thriller Oldboy and 2016’s The Handmaiden, used Apple’s latest smartphone technology to tell a beautifully surreal tale of life, love, and death.
Life is But a DreamLife is But a Dream follows an undertaker who accidentally awakens the ghosts of an ancient swordsman and the recently deceased warrior who saved his village. A spirited fight ensues between the young heroes over who deserves the funerary box.
“I wrote a story that I’ve always wanted to tell. A specific camera didn’t come to mind when I wrote it,” Park said in a companion making-of video. “What’s amazing is that we can shoot something like this”—a blend of horror, fantasy, martial arts, romantic comedy, and musical—”with an iPhone,” he added.
Compact and even wearable, the iPhone can be hidden in small spaces or strapped on to a stunt performer for different perspectives and interesting shots. The crew took particular advantage of features like Cinematic mode, which allows for shallow depth of field and seamless focus transitions, as well as Night mode to capture low-light scenes.
This isn’t Park’s first smartphone rodeo. The South Korean auteur filmed the 30-minute-long Night Fishing entirely on an iPhone 4. The fantasy-horror film was released worldwide in 2011 and won the Golden Bear for Best Short Film at the Berlin International Film Festival the same year.
“For people who think filmmaking is such a daunting task and are afraid to even try it, I say fear no more,” Park said. “Just pick up your iPhone and shoot your daily life, the things around you, or your own short story. Begin by shooting anything, and from there take one small step at a time.”
