iPhone’s short films continue to spread throughout the world. And continue to explore filmmaking styles. The newest Shot in iPhone , the first in Southeast Asia, is a documentary.
Poached, directed by David Gelb, director of Jiro Dreams of Sushi, and creator of Chef’s Table, reveals Singapore’s vibrant hawker culture in its story of the rivalry between two hawkers. The documentary short, shot on an iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, tells the story of Singapore’s national dish, chicken rice, and the tension that arises between two hawkers as they compete for the crowned recipe. The Ultra-Wide camera, Cinematic mode, and macro lens of iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max allowed Gelb to film everything from the bustling, tightly-packed Hawker kitchens to the details on every grain of rice.
“Shooting in a hawker kitchen, there’s not a lot of space. We want to tell their story, but we don’t want to interfere, and we want to present what they are doing in a very authentic and natural way,” Gelb stated.
“iPhone 13 Pro has such an extensive suite of tools within this one device. One of the great things about Cinematic mode is that it can automatically rack focus from one subject to the next. We’re able to just focus on getting the framing just the way we like it, and iPhone will take care of the rack focus for us.
“We actually have the ability for the first time to adjust the depth of field itself in post-production,” he added.
Food in Singapore is not just sustenance; it’s woven into the culture of the country. And not just eating it; photographing food, too. So much so that there is a saying in Singapore, The camera eats first. It was a perfect opportunity for iPhone to show off what it can do from low light to slo-mo.
Poached also allows iPhone to attach itself to a subject deeply entrenched in, and hugely important to, Singaporean culture. It is a Singaporean story about pride, conviction, and the courage it takes to resist change. Protected by government bodies and UNESCO, hawker centres are national treasures, where family-owned stalls churn out the same recipes that have been made for decades. To Singaporeans, chicken rice represents everything this nation is proud to be – pragmatic, straightforward, bound by tradition, heartfelt, and family first. This seemingly simple dish becomes a proxy for the Singaporean dilemma, Should one stick to traditional roots or evolve and modernise?
Famous local-food commentators, Bjorn Shen (chef) and Annette Tan (blogger), provide the narration narrate the building tension between the two stall owners, enhancing the authenticity of the story.
Accompanying the film is a 3-minute behind-the-scenes look at how the device’s compact nature made it easy for Gelb to get creative with these iPhone-specific features.
Poached is running on YouTube, digital, and social media.
Credits:
Creative Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Singapore
Director: David Gelb
Production Company: Independent Media
