You’d be hardpressed to name a cinematographer as beloved and acclaimed as Emmanuel Lubezki. The cinematographer of such films as “Birdman,” “The Revenant,” “Gravity,” and “The Tree of Life” has been nominated for eight Oscars and won three in a row in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He’s definitely an expert on what makes a beautiful shot and what technology you should use to get there. And thankfully for Apple, he’s willing to promote smartphones too.
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Yesterday, Apple unveiled its 2020 line of iPhones and during the presentation, when talking about how great the cameras are on the iPhone 12 Pro Max (such a silly name), the tech company enlisted the help of Lubezki. The filmmaker is shown, in a behind-the-scenes video you can see below, using the iPhone 12 Pro Max (and a number of different gimbals) to shoot some truly breathtaking footage. Of course, it doesn’t take a world-class cinematographer to turn that sort of terrain into incredible footage, but it doesn’t hurt to have Lubezki, does it?
Now, don’t go thinking that all you have to do is buy a new iPhone and you’ll be able to call yourself the next Lubezki and go off and film a cellphone version of “Gravity.” While the cinematographer does rave about the cameras and the fact that a skilled videographer can easily make something beautiful with them, your videos of your kids at their baseball game or your drunken nights with your friends are still going to look amateur when you post them on Instagram or Facebook. They’ll just have super beautiful colors and crystal clear video.
But hey, don’t let me ruin all the fun. If you are someone that prides yourself on having the latest, greatest slab of technology in your pocket, by all means, shell out the $1500 (or whatever the top of the line phone costs this year) and you can try to be an Oscar-winning cinematographer. If you’re here because you love Lubezki’s work and want to see the man in action, you can watch the video below.