Watch: Apple Releases 2-Minute Documentary Shot on an iPhone XS | No Film School

There really seems to be two camps when it comes to filmmakers shooting films on smartphones, those who rail against it as gimmicky and awful, and those who (begrudgingly at least) accept that smartphone filmmaking is undoubtedly a way of the future.

It is worth noting though that while RED’s Hydrogen One might not be off to a great start, there are more smartphone camera breakthroughs coming out seemingly by the day, and the smartphone cinematography accessories are starting to pile up as well.

All that being said, it’s nice to take a moment and actually watch some of the best and brightest smartphone filmmakers at work. Which really is the case with filmmaker Jiro Konami’s quite beautiful 2-minute micro-doc ‘Lady Misaki’, which you can view below.

A Smartphone Documentary

Shared by the Mobile Motion Film Festival, Konami’s Apple-commissioned micro-documentary was shot on an iPhone XS and follows the oddly beautiful lives of Japan’s “decotora” or “decoration trucks”.

The new iPhone XS (along with the XS Max and XR) features a new 1.4 µm pixel sensor, which when combined with a neural engine on the A12 processor is quite capable at low-light filming.

While the results aren’t quite on the level as your entry-level mirrorless digital cameras, it is admittedly getting harder to tell the difference as the smartphone filmmaking “trend” continues to grow.

iphone XS smartphone filmmaking iPhone filmmaking micro-documentary

Mark Duplass Has Some Thoughts on Sundance Acceptance

Mark Duplass Shares His Thoughts on Sundance Acceptance

The Calvary King delivers a hopeful message to filmmakers who didn't get into Sundance.

Mark Duplass has always been a filmmaker's filmmaker. He famously delivered his "The Cavalry is Not Coming" speech at SXSW as a call to action for independent filmmakers to stop waiting and start shooting. Duplass also historically creates and works on small-budget indie projects, including being a key member of the lo-fi, bare-bones mumblecore movement. He's also a charismatic actor who brings a relatable ethos to every role he plays—not to mention seems like an overall cool dude.

We love Mark Duplass.

All the above considered, it's no surprise to see Duplass take to social media with an encouraging statement following the recently announced 2025 Sundance lineup this past Wednesday. Duplass, hot off positive reviews for the recently released The Creep Tapes on Shudder, warmly comforted filmmakers that if you happened to apply to Sundance and weren't selected, hey, that's okay. They curate 15,775. It happens.

We all know rejection sucks, but don't sweat it. Be proud of your project no matter what. And watch Mark Duplass's full snippet of encouraging wisdom below.

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