Shot on iPhone has travelled to Japan. For the new film, TBWA\Media Arts Lab and Apple partnered with highly renowned director, Takashi Miike, to create a 19-minute, live-action adaptation of Midnight, a 1986 manga series by the Godfather of Manga, Osamu Tezuka. And again, this film was shot entirely on iPhone 15 Pro.
Midnight is a suspense drama about a taxi driver who encounters strange passengers while making his night rounds. In Apple’s film, the driver is pulled out of his way to help a female truck driver, Kaede, who is running from a hitman. Primarily filmed in Tokyo’s darkest streets, Midnight shows off the robust low-light and cinematic capabilities of iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. The film combines live-action shots with CGI and pioneers the use of the LiDAR scanner on iPhone in film post-production, in order to create the 3D model base for the Taxi and its iconic fifth wheel.
Midnight made its debut on YouTube on March 6, and was released on apple.com/jp, Abema TV, and Apple TV on March 7. The full film and the behind-the-scenes will play in select taxis all around Tokyo from 10pm until morning. The campaign will also be supported by broadcast, magazine, OOH, DOOH, digital and social.
Fun facts: Director, Takashi Miike, plays a role behind the camera and in front of it, starring as Kaede’s father. The film is narrated by Akio Otsuka, who portrayed Black Jack in the animated series based on Tezuka’s renowned manga. The script was written by famous TV, anime and film screenwriter, Yusuke Watanabe. The original manga (the physical magazine itself) will also be featuring the film’s characters on the cover of its March 2024 issue.
Kento Kaku stars in this film as the taxi driver, Midnight. Konatsu Kato plays the female protagonist named Kaede. Yukiyoshi Ozawa plays the villain that has been sent out for the bounty on Kaede.
Director, Takashi Miike, commented, “Mr. Tezuka is something of a god among manga artists so it was an honour to take on the challenge of expressing his work using only iPhone. As we were shooting, I naturally began to challenge myself to think about how we could make a work unique to iPhone, beyond the usual approach to a film. I truly felt that the iPhone has the power to do things that a conventional movie camera can’t.”
Credits:
Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Tokyo
Production Company: OLM, Inc.
Editorial Company: Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.
Finishing: Imagica Entertainment Media Services, Inc.
Director: Takashi Miike
Executive Producer: Misako Saka
Director of Photography: Nobuyasu Kita
Original Music: Koji Endo
Licensed Music: Midnight Klaxon Baby by THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT
