'Shot on iPhone' Dazzles With Journeys to Mexico and Turkey

A few years back, directors started shooting spots with digital SLRs. Many in the commercial production industry marveled at the convenience of working with smaller cameras as well as the visual quality that could be achieved. But diehard enthusiasts insisted—and still do—that digital will never replicate the look of film.

Apple is firmly in the digital camp, of course, and it has long promoted its camera-equipped iPhones as valuable tools for filmmakers. Now, for new entries in the “Shot on iPhone” campaign, Apple and TBWAMedia Arts Lab enlist directors Los Pérez and Sinan Sevinç to show just how cinematic one can get with the iPhone 14 Pro.

Los Pérez—aka Tania Verduzco and Adrián Pérez, Barcelona-based partners in life and work—headed to Verduzco’s native Mexico to shoot “Huracán Ramirez vs. La Piñata Enchilada.”

Clocking in at just over 13 minutes, the ambitious production, which broke last week, finds an iconic pro wrestler coming out of retirement to battle a rather terrifying piñata. It’s a wildly entertaining tale, showcasing the high-intensity action, costume design and art direction that Los Pérez is known for.

Sevinç, who is based in Germany, traveled to Turkey to shoot “Grand Escape,” which follows two teenagers as they make a skateboarding video in Istanbul’s historic Grand Bazaar. Police give chase, juicing the drama. Sevinç’s film runs less than 3 minutes, but every second is thrilling.

Both shorts—made for Apple Mexico and Apple Turkey, respectively—aptly demonstrate iPhone 14 Pro’s action and cinematic modes as well as the device’s ability to perform in low-light environments.

These are features any filmmaker can use to their advantage. Yet it should be noted that Los Pérez and Sevinç brought their big, bold stories to the screen aided by top-notch crews and equipment, as we observe in the making-of clip below for “Huracán Ramirez.”

That’s not to dissuade filmmakers with fewer resources. As we’ve seen over and over, no matter what camera you use to make a commercial, film or music video, story is everything.