In an unprecedented move for anime and manga fans worldwide, tech giant Apple has just premiered “Midnight,” a groundbreaking short film shot entirely on the iPhone 15 Pro. This remarkable creation is part of Apple’s global Shot on iPhone campaign.
Directed by none other than the acclaimed Japanese film director Takashi Miike, “Midnight” is a live action adaptation of the manga, Midnight created by none other than the legendary “God of Manga” himself, Osamu Tezuka. The film boasts a star-studded cast featuring celebrated actors Kento Kaku (My Family, Tokyo MER and House of Ninjas), Yukiyoshi Ozawa (Assistant Inspector: Daimajin, One Last Bloom), and Konatsu Kato (White coffee, The 13 Lords of the Shogun), capturing a brief yet mesmerizing cinematic experience for Osamu Tezuka fans worldwide.
What makes “Midnight” truly revolutionary is its utilization of the iPhone 15 Pro’s cutting-edge camera technology. With its powerful capabilities, the iPhone 15 Pro captures the vibrant colors and dynamic cityscapes of Tokyo’s nightlife with unparalleled clarity and depth. The result is a visually stunning 19-minute masterpiece that transports viewers into the heart of the action.
“Mr. Tezuka is something of a god among manga artists so it was an honor 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.”
-Takashi Miike via Press Release
Connecting both anime and tech fan together the film showcases the potential of mobile filmmaking that can revolutionize the way stories are told. With Apple leading the charge, the boundaries of creativity continue to expand, promising even more exciting innovations on the horizon. Miike continues,
“Action mode accurately captures the facial expressions of subjects in a scene in a dynamic way, while reflecting their emotions and thoughts. For example, in the scene where Kaede hears news of her father passing away, furiously rushing out to show her sadness. Thanks to iPhone 15 Pro and Action mode, I was able capture such a scene. It is beyond what a conventional stabilizer can do without compromising the high-quality of the film. It is truly a magical feature. While Cinematic mode gives the film a more cinematic look, I was even more impressed by the ability to adjust the focus after shooting. You can focus on whatever you want, whenever you want. I hope that game-changing features like this that are impossible with regular photography equipment will be added more and more, and that it will break the conventional thinking of filmmakers.”
-Takashi Miike via Press Release
This groundbreaking collaboration marks a significant moment in anime history, as it represents the first instance of Osamu Tezuka’s works being filmed using a mobile device. Watch the short film and BTS below!
Storyline:
“Midnight” is the name of a late night taxi driver, played by celebrated film and TV actor Kento Kaku, who roams the streets of Tokyo offering help to those who need it. Midnight intervenes in a conflict between a young woman, played by Konatsu Kato, struggling to take over her deceased father’s truck driving business and fight off a nefarious local gang, lead by a boss played by character actor Yukiyoshi Ozawa. He joins Konatsu in a thrilling car chase across neon-lit Tokyo as he helps her find her feet, all captured exclusively by the iPhone 15 Pro camera.
The action-packed film utilizes all the latest camera features of iPhone 15 Pro:
- Shooting in low light: For years, iPhone has had the highest quality video in a smartphone, and that is taken to another level thanks to ProRes Log encoding, which improves video and action shots in low-light situations. Taking videos at night is not an easy task even in normal shooting conditions, and the iPhone 15 Pro lineup allows users to capture subjects clearly even in darker places — a particularly powerful ally during the night scenes in this film.
- Action mode: Action mode allows an incredibly smooth-looking video that adjusts to significant shakes, motion, and vibrations when video is being captured in the middle of the action, such as the scene where young female star Konatsu Kato runs to the scene of her father’s unfortunate demise.
- Cinematic mode: Cinematic mode records videos of people, pets, and objects with a beautiful depth effect with automatic focus changes, so anyone can capture cinema-style moments, even without the skills of a professional filmmaker. For creative control, the focus can be changed during and after capture, and users can also adjust the level of bokeh effect in video even after recording, as seen in the outdoor street restaurant scene between Kento Kaku and Konatsu Kato as Midnight comes to grips with the troubles the young woman faces.
- 5x Telephoto camera: iPhone 15 Pro Max provides the longest optical zoom ever on iPhone: 5x at 120 mm. Great for close-ups, wildlife photos, and catching the action from further distances, the new Telephoto camera on iPhone 15 Pro Max has an innovative tetraprism design with a combined optical image stabilization and autofocus 3D sensor-shift module, Apple’s most advanced stabilization system yet. This feature comes to life in Midnight’s dramatic car chases where the camera is able to rapidly zoom in on Kento Kaku’s intense and dramatic facial expressions.
- Pro workflows for filmmakers: The new USB‑C connector is supercharged with USB 3 data transfer speeds — up to 20x faster than USB 2 — for data transfer speeds up to 10 gigabits per second. ProRes video can be recorded directly to external storage, enabling higher recording options up to 4K at 60 fps, and greater flexibility on set when using iPhone as the main camera. iPhone 15 Pro also introduces a new option for Log encoding and is the first smartphone in the world to support ACES, the Academy Color Encoding System, a global standard for color workflows.
- LiDAR Scanner: This technology improves autofocus by 6x in low-light scenes for more accuracy and reduced capture time in photos and videos, and also unlocks Night mode portraits, rendering a beautiful low-light bokeh effect. In addition, the post-production of the film incorporates unprecedented techniques, such as the use of LiDAR scanners on iPhone 15 Pro models for a 3D model-based creation of Midnight’s special cab with a “fifth wheel”.
- Long-lasting battery life and incredible durability: Whether you’re a professional or everyday user, the iPhone 15 Pro lineup still gives you amazing all‑day battery life, even with so many advanced features. And with it’s titanium design, the toughest back glass in a smartphone, and the Ceramic Shield front cover that is tougher than any smartphone glass, it can stand up to the most intense tasks.
- Capabilities for professionals and novices: iPhone 15 Pro’s video capabilities leave it in a class all its own, stacking up to very expensive, professional-grade cameras. Yet a beginner can pick up an iPhone and intuitively know how to use it to capture stunning footage. Nothing else has the range of this incredible workflow.
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