Beach Assault! Going Guerrilla for Create50

How to make a short film on an iPhone

What do Steven Soderbergh and Sundance have in common? They’ve both championed the iPhone as the ultimate indie-filmmaker’s tool. So, on a busy Bank Holiday weekend in May 2018 a micro-crew set out to see if we could make a cinematic masterpiece in glorious 4k with just an iPhone 6s. As a result, Create50 has its very own iPhone entry in the shape of Life’s A Beach, shot in true guerrilla style on a stunning beach in Byron Bay, Australia Norfolk.

Here’s how it unfolded…

Phase 1: Acquiring a Target

I decided to direct and entry for The Impact very late in the day. Because I had already acted in David Jacobson’s version of Can She See Us Daddy (the companion-piece to his extraordinary wild-card entry The Watchers) I was unable to appear in second film, as to do so would definitely rule-out either one or the other. But in April 2018, whilst on holiday in Ibiza, I made a video of our family trip (as I always do) filmed and edited entirely on my iPhone. I was struck by two things:

In good natural light the iPhone video quality is awesome.

I really wanted to direct a narrative film.

So, I checked my ego/inner exhibitionist at the door and decided to stay behind the camera for this one…