Apple taps ‘Oldboy’ director to shoot a martial arts fantasy film on an iPhone 13 Pro

Apple has commissioned famous Korean director Park Chan-wook to create a short film as part of its “Shot on iPhone” campaign. Park, perhaps best known for the action thriller flick Oldboyused an iPhone 13 Pro to shoot a 20-minute fantasy martial arts movie entitled Life Is But a Dreamwhich the tech giant has released on YouTube.

The film starts off with horror-like elements after an undertaker digs up a grave to steal a coffin and awakens the ghost of a swordsman, who then awakens the ghost of a hero who fell after saving the undertaker’s village. After that, it becomes a blend of action, romance, dark comedy, dancing and pansori, a Korean genre of musical storytelling.

Apple has also released a behind-the-scenes clip alongside the short film showing Park and his crew using an iPhone 13 Pro on gimbals and mounts for the shoot. The crew specifically praised the phone’s ability to quickly shift focus, blur the background and shoot in low light. In the behind-the-scenes footage released alongside the film, Park said it’s a story he’s always wanted to tell and that he didn’t have a specific camera in mind when he conceptualized it.

You can watch the “making of” video below: