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‘Crazy Rich Asians’ director Jon M. Chu shares short film shot entirely w/ iPhone XS Max [Video]

In the build up to the iPhone XS release on Friday, we’ve seen a handful of reviews, unboxing videos, and more. Now, Jon M. Chu, director of the hit film ‘Crazy Rich Asians,’ has debuted a new short film shot entirely with the iPhone XS Max.

As noted by Wired, Chu shot the video with “literally zero” equipment other than the iPhone itself, meaning he didn’t use any additional lightning, lenses, or even a tripod. While Chu did edit the film on a computer, he says he did not apply any color correction or other post-processing effects.

The film, which is entitled ‘Somewhere’ and offers a look at dancer Luigi Rosado’s rehearsal area, was shot in 4K, with slo-mo aspects at 240 frames-per-second:

I had literally zero equipment,” says Chu. “I see a lot of samples of iPhone videos, and sometimes they use different lenses or professional lights. I didn’t have any of that.”<

Chu shot the film—a view into dancer Luigi Rosado’s rehearsal space, titled Somewhere—in 4K using the iPhone’s native camera app. It was all shot handheld using the phone’s default stabilizing system. And while he edited the video on a computer, Chu didn’t apply any color correction or any post-production tricks. What you’re seeing is the default output of the iPhone’s camera.

Specifically, Chu noted that he was impressed with how well the iPhone XS Max was able to handle moving shots, with auto focus correctly identifying the subject and the built-in stabilization ensuring every shot was smooth:

“I’m moving around a lot, and the focus was adjusting as I was moving, but it was finding the subject really well,” he says. “There’s a shot at the end where I’m rushing toward the garage—that’s using the built-in stabilizers. It’s pretty smooth.”

The ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ director was also impressed with the iPhone XS Max’s color accuracy, saying that “you can see the colors, they really pop.”

Tim Cook took to Twitter to praise the short film – calling it “amazing work.” Check it out below and let us know what you think of it down in the comments.


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Avatar for Chance Miller Chance Miller

Chance is the editor-in-chief of 9to5Mac, overseeing the entire site’s operations. He also hosts the 9to5Mac Daily and 9to5Mac Happy Hour podcasts.

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