Film Shot entirely on iPhone

A film claimed to be the first ever cinema-standard film to be shot solely on the iPhone has been premiered by South Korea.

‘Night Fishing’ is said to have the same picture resolution as conventional films, but took just 80 people, 150m won (€100,000) and 10 days to create.

Director Park Chan-Wook said he at first approached the project, a 30-minute film about a surreal encounter between a fisherman and a female medium, for fun.

‘New technology always offers wonders and useful features. Testing them is part of the amusement,’ he told Yonhap news agency in an interview after Monday’s premiere.

But the director, best known internationally for ‘Oldboy’ and ‘Thirst’ which each won Cannes festival prizes, discovered unexpected benefits.

‘It was a new experience compared with making a meticulously planned movie. Even a casual and spontaneous shot delivered a surprise,’ he said.

‘It felt like there were more choices.’

The scenes were shot simultaneously with two iPhones from different angles, but staffers also contributed with recordings on their own iPhones.

‘Some of them had an unexpectedly interesting angle,’ said Park Chan-Wook, describing the process as more democratic since everyone with a smartphone took part.

PROne, the agency representing Park Chan-Wook, claimed the iPhone movie would be the first ever to be shown in cinemas.

Park Chan-Wook, however, said the medium would not outweigh the message.

‘Making a film with smartphones might generate more interest at the moment. But as time goes by, stories and actors on screen will be seen as more important,’ he told Yonhap.