Apple Celebrates Beating The Odds With Chinese New Year Film Shot On iPhone
Video screenshot via Apple
Ruminating on a difficult last few years, Apple casts a spotlight on the power of resilience with its 2023 Chinese New Year film, simultaneously introducing the world to the dying ancient art of Chinese opera.
This year’s spot, Through the Five Passes, was helmed by Venice Film Festival award-winning director Peng Fei and Apple’s advertising agency TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai, and was shot entirely on the iPhone 14 Pro, with photography work by Luo Dong and original music by Varqa Buehrer.
The 18-minute short film centers around a young man who has spent most of his life training to be an opera performer. By the time he becomes formidable enough to play the lead role in a major performance, it is the 80s, when the trade is fading. In an affront to his art form, his troupe is even forced to condense their elaborate, hour-long show down to just five minutes, moments before they are poised to take the stage.
Backstage, the young man looks back on all the hoops he had to jump through to get to where he is today, and he harnesses all that he has learned—physically and mentally—into letting the show go on.
The footage concludes with an emotive roll call showcasing the real Chinese opera artists who have made this film possible and are continuing the storied tradition, which dates back all the way to the first dynasty.
Ahead of the video’s international release, CEO Tim Cook unveiled the film in China, writing on local social network Weibo that the story “reminds us all of what it takes to overcome life’s obstacles.”
“I hope you enjoy this touching story that shines a light on humanity, [and] shows the power of pursuing one’s passion… Happy Chinese New Year! Enjoy!”
Video screenshot via Apple
The spot flaunts the iPhone 14 Pro camera’s low-light and stabilization capabilities, which enabled filmmakers to capture every swift move of opera acts and freely experiment with lighting, all with a compact handheld tool.
Most notably, it shines a light on the model’s incredible cinematic mode that shoots in 4K HDR at 24 frames per second—the film industry standard. Cinematic mode also allowed videographers to switch depths of field between subjects.
“Being able to use the iPhone to capture our traditional arts shows a great union between technology and tradition,” explains Peng Fei in the fascinating behind-the-scenes video, which you can view below.
“Chinese Opera has such grandeur, and the iPhone is quite small in comparison. We used its smallness and versatility to capture this grand subject.”
[via Apple, 9to5Mac, The Drum, videos and screenshots via Apple]
