The Feature Film That Blew Everyone Away at Sundance Was Shot on an iPhone 5s

NoFilmSchool.com ^ | January 28, 2015 | V Renée

[Swordmaker]

What does it take for a film to be a huge hit at Sundance, nab a distribution deal, and get a nationwide theatrical release? Big Hollywood stars? Mass appeal? Expensive professional equipment? Short answer -- no!

Director Sean Baker's feature film Tangerine, which got picked up by Magnolia Pictures, is one of the most talked-about films at the Festival this year even though it doesn't exactly fit the profile of a buzzworthy entry. Firstly, it features unknown actors; no Kristen Wiigs, no Ethan Hawkes. Secondly, it's a story about two transgender women on a Christmas Eve odyssey through the many subcultures of L.A. to "get to the bottom of the scandalous rumor." So, mass appeal? No. (V appeal? Hell yes.) Lastly, it wasn't shot using an expensive, top of the line cinema camera. In fact, it was shot using the device I use every day to take notes, check emails, and dodge calls from bill collectors.

That device, of course, is the iPhone 5s. Tangerine was shot completely on the Apple device, but this smartphone camera setup also included the 1.33x Anamorphic Adapter from Moondog Labs, the FiLMiC Pro app, and external recording devices. Sound mixer Irin Strauss shared on Twitter how they went about recording the audio on a dual system with an SD 664, lavs, and boom mics.

As you might recall, we talked about Moondog's anamorphic iPhone adapter back when it was raising funds on Kickstarter. And FiLMiC Pro, which was used on that gorgeous Bentley ad, (also shot on an iPhone 5s), turns your "iOS camera into a broadcast worthy 2K HD video camera" by giving you manual control over focus, exposure, ISO, shutter speed, tint, and color temperature.

The overall cost of this setup -- a setup that shot a feature film that is just killing it at Sundance? Well, Moondog's adapter costs $160, FiLMiC Pro is $8 in the App Store, and iPhones range from -- what? $200 to $600 depending on service and features? So, you're looking at $168 to $768 to get high quality images for a feature film.

Smartphone filmmaking is still a long way away from not only being fully on par with traditional feature filmmaking, but also being accepted as a legitimate form of feature filmmaking. Personally, I love it. I've always loved it. When the Moment lenses hit Kickstarter, I bought a set. When Moondog's Anamorphic Adapter hit Kickstarter, I bought it. Any app that can turn my iPhone into a little filmmaking tank of fury, I'm all over it.

When you shoot with an iPhone, are you loosing some control over your instrument. Yes. Are you losing image quality. Of course. Does it matter? Maybe not as much as you think, considering the fact that The Hollywood Reporter described the look of Tangering as “crisp and vigorously cinematic”, with “an aesthetic purity that stands out in a field where so much indie filmmaking has gotten glossier and less technically adventurous.”

I think part of the hang up with filmmakers about smartphone filmmaking is that they're not sold on the idea that people should start making movies with them. But that's just it -- it's not that we should, it's that we can. Tangerine has proved that once again.

[Swordmaker]

Despite the odious nature of the film's subject, the fact that is demonstrates that any of us can make a feature length film with an Apple iPhone with a minimal expenditure of extra equipment. The Moondog 1.33X Anamorphic adaptor for the iPhone 5/5s, which were developed with crowd sourced funding,

have brought some special abilities to the iPhone 5S for the ridiculously low price of $160 and later to be available for the iPhone 6/6plus for $175 (Sorry Android users), and the Filmic Pro App software they used to make their film is available in the Apple App store for a mere $8, means that pro feature filmmaking is within the reach of everyone. That takes care of the equipment. . . you need to provide a REALY CONSERVATIVE SCRIPT and the talent. — Swordmaker

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

And at least the movie title isn’t something like “Angels in America”. No spam, no foul. I guess.

[Swordmaker]

Sundance feature film "Tangerine", one of the most talked about films at Sundance, was made entirely on an iPhone 5S using a $160 crowd sourced 1.33X anamorphic lens system from Moondog and the $8 Filmic Pro App! Although I despise the film's subject matter, I applaud the fact that the method opens up the ability of all of us (if we have the talent) to be able to make full length feature films with our Apple equipment! — PING!

Apple Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[ziravan]

BFL

[LittleBillyInfidel]

I’m in the business. Anyone could draw stick figures on a flip book as long as it’s about “transgendered” people - it will be a huge hit.

[Hetty_Fauxvert]

bookmark

[Swordmaker]

And at least the movie title isn’t something like “Angels in America”. No spam, no foul. I guess.

My girlfriend's favorite soap opera has been "General Hospital" which day before yesterday featured a pretty explicit "love" scene between to homosexual men. . . she said she was nauseated by it. . . I was there yesterday and just caught them kissing. She is probably going to drop watching it after some twenty years of following the story line. She says they've jumped the gay shark. The lame stream media is determined to cram the gay/transgendered agenda down America's throat.

Yes, I know the CEO of Apple is gay. . . but I want the various actors, singers, and CEOs to live and let live. . . and live their lives privately. NOT in my living room. . . or parading down Main Street. I find such demands to be shoved in our faces examples of brainless allegiance to political correctness.

In October, the medical and insurance industries replaced the diagnostic codes they both used with a new and improved version, moving from the ICD-9 which had approximately 17,000 diagnostic codes to the ICD-10 which has 155,000 diagnostic codes. They forgot an important one which my girlfriend and I have thoughtfully defined for the soon to be added adenda:

321.0 SPLAT Liberal Cerebral Defenestration (LCD) or Liberal Acquired Brain Absence (LABA), Complete loss of rationality, cognition, and cerebration due to indiscriminately keeping one's mind so far open that the brain falls out. First and subsequent encounters.

The beauty of our diagnostic code is that it explains absolutely everything Liberals do. Everything.

[pepsionice]

From the technology side...it means any kid with a summer school period off...could make a movie with a dozen people from the neighborhood, and it might make a million off some artsy cinema crowd, and all he needs is for grandma to buy him a IPhone 5 for Christmas.

[Swordmaker]

I’m in the business. Anyone could draw stick figures on a flip book as long as it’s about “transgendered” people - it will be a huge hit.

LOL! YUp! You are right.

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

There ought to be a non-hetero ‘lewdness’ alert.

But sorry. You mainly wanted to discuss the ‘tech side’ of this. Personally I resent too many Blair Witch wannabes with their jerky camera shots through half the film or worse. That makes me queasy too. And all those stupid strobe lights, flickers, etc.

[I’ll rant a little more, but not on your ‘dime’ because it’s not about cameras.]

[Arthur Wildfire! March]

And then again, what’s probably worst of all is the ‘bilingual’ nonsense. Rewind, play-again. Stop. Rewind again. Ruins the flow. Worse than some muttering wonder who requires subtitles to understand, and drowned out by blaring theme music to boot. I almost miss the synthetic voices of the old days. [Almost.] At least you could understand them. Can’t they find a happy medium?

But if the mood music is some lame hard-note piano, what difference does it make? Long, sappy close-ups, even during action scenes. Nothing in the least interesting to look at behind them. Their faces frozen with stinky looks.

One-man-army karate moves that remind me of Peter Pan flying around. Kicking a thousand times in mid-air. Then the old ‘gut monsters’ popping out of their navels. Gets old fast. Or a lock of hair needling their eyes.

I’ll take all of that over two guys kissing each other.

[Swordmaker]

Really? Do you have to be so lewd and obscene on a family forum? We know you don’t like Apple. . . but that is no reason to plaster obscenities over FreeRepublic.

[Swordmaker]

And your graphic is obscene.

[SampleMan]

Precisely!

What does it take for a film to be a huge hit... it's a story about two transgender women

[gattaca]

That’s hilarious (I’m familiar with coding)!

[huldah1776]

love your coding post and wanted to bring the American Film Renaissance group to the discussion.

http://www.afrfilm.com/index.cfm

How about we promote what is good...

MISSION
The American Film Renaissance celebrates timeless American values by producing, showcasing and distributing films that promote freedom (including free speech, free enterprise and freedom of worship), rugged individualism and the triumph of the human spirit; and through supporting, nurturing and training filmmakers who share AFR’s mission.