In the ever-evolving world of filmmaking, the tools we use to tell stories are shifting and increasingly, they’re fitting into our pockets.
Apple’s latest short film, Big Man, was shot entirely on the iPhone 16 Pro and is a powerful reminder that compelling cinema doesn’t require a truckload of gear.
Directed by Academy Award-winner Aneil Karia and starring UK music icon Stormzy, Big Man follows Tenzman, a weary musician whose unexpected bond with two kids sparks a journey of warmth, spontaneity, and renewed purpose. It’s an emotional story told with rich visuals and cinematic flair, and yet, it was all captured on a device most of us carry every day.
For Karia, this was his first time shooting a full narrative piece on an iPhone. "It’s been a really invigorating process," he says. The lightweight, compact nature of the phone enabled the crew to move more freely, shoot more intimately, and adapt in ways traditional cinema cameras often can’t. Whether squeezing into tight corners or capturing spontaneous performances, the iPhone opened up creative opportunities that would have been more difficult with larger rigs.
Above: Big Man behind the scenes YouTube video by Apple
The iPhone 16 Pro’s Cinematic mode, with its shallow depth of field and automatic focus pulling, enabled visually dynamic storytelling without the usual logistical complexity. Director of Photography Stuart Bentley points to this versatility as a game-changer: "If you’re hungry and passionate about cinema, there’s no reason you can’t make an amazing film. You can do it all on an iPhone."
Beyond flexibility, Big Man showcases the technical muscle of the iPhone 16 Pro. Slow-motion scenes were filmed at 4K 120 fps, enhancing action with fluid detail. Scenes in dimly lit arcades and music studios were shot using the phone’s advanced low-light capabilities, and by shooting in Apple ProRes Log, the team preserved a high level of image data for professional-grade color grading in post. The result is a film that looks anything but mobile-made; it's a grounded piece of cinema.
This isn’t just a one-off for the iPhone either. Not long ago, I wrote about the iPhone 16 Pro being used to capture a Weeknd music video, and more recently, director Danny Boyle’s upcoming film 28 Years Later, the highly anticipated follow-up to 28 Days Later, was shot on an iPhone, reaffirming that this shift is not a gimmick.
What makes Big Man so exciting isn’t just the story it tells, although excellent with a standout performance by Stormzy, but it’s what it represents. It’s a reminder that filmmaking is no longer limited to those with deep pockets or studio access.
As Karia notes, there was a time when filmmaking felt completely out of reach. Now, with a powerful camera sitting in your pocket, those boundaries have all but disappeared.
Check out the full short film and behind-the-scenes video on the official Apple YouTube channel.
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