iPhone 8 Shot Short Film Makes a Splash in Zürich
French filmmaker, Tom F. Pardo’s shirt film Submerged has been selected for MoMo 2020 to be held in Zürich in April, 2020. Beautifully shot on an iPhone 8, the short film is one of the few to use sound design as a driving force behind the narrative. We asked Tom to tell us more about why and how he made the film.
What is the story behind your film?
Submerged is an experimental film that tells the story of a woman trapped into the noise of the city she’s living in. The idea of making a film that would rely only on sound to build the narrative was something I wanted to explore from the beginning. I was also eager to make a film around freediving, a sport that I discovered a few months before writing the script.
What were the steps which led you to make it?
Directing my first short film was something I wanted to do for a long time. When I moved to Nice (France) last year, after living in London for three years, I heard about a new film festival that was celebrating the 100th anniversary of the iconic Victorine Studios (which reopened in 2019 in Nice), and the goal was to make a 5min short film with a smartphone for this occasion. Having already the theme and story in mind, I immediately decided to give it a try.
“I didn’t go to film school, but I started editing videos when I was 15”
Why did you choose a smartphone to film with? What equipment did you use?
Using a phone was a pre-requirement to enter the contest, but I was happy to do so, as it is a great option in terms of cost and facility of configuration. I was indeed my own cinematographer and operator on set, so I was quite relieved to not have a professional camera in my hands.
In terms of gear, I used an iPhone 8 with the FiLMiC Pro app (in log format) for the entire shoot, except for the underwater scene where I used the native camera of the phone due to overheating issues with the app.
Sound was really important for this project, so I hired a sound engineer to capture it separately on set. I also used a 18mm Moment lens and a Movi Freefly stabiliser for the first part of the film, along with a LenzO underwater case by Valstech that I paired with a grip. This case could go down to 100 meters underwater, which is quite impressive.
Concerning post-production, Avid Media Composer was my preferred choice to edit the piece.
How much did you know about filmmaking before you made this film?
I’ve always been an avid consumer of cinema since my childhood, so my learning experience was pretty much watching as many films as I could.
I didn’t go to film school, but I started editing videos when I was 15 and I also spent the last three years in London where I learned the craft of movie trailer editing in a professional agency. This was an incredible opportunity to learn more about the final rewrite of a film and the notion of rhythm in a story.
What did you like/not like about filming with a phone?
I loved using a phone for its facility to move around actors and try different compositions effortlessly. The only downside was the limited dynamic range and colour depth, and overheating was also another challenge in a city as warm as Nice during summer.
Has making the film changed your life in any way?
Absolutely. Making this film made me understand how much I enjoyed the process of directing a film, so my plan is to pursue this path from now on, while editing trailers in the meantime to pay the bills. I’m also particularly excited to meet other fellow filmmakers in the festivals where the film has been selected.
How successful was the film, personally and in gaining an audience for your work?
I am really proud of what we’ve achieved with Submerged. The film has won the Grand Jury Prize and Public’s Choice Award at the Plug Mobile Film Festival in Nice, and has been selected in 5 festivals around the world so far; from San Diego to Dhaka and of course Zürich! The different interviews that I had in France and abroad have definitely helped me gain some visibility for future projects, and I’m thankful for that.
Looking back on the movie, is there anything you’d have done differently?
Nothing really. I feel like we’ve done the best could with the time and budget we had. There’s no time for regrets, let’s keep making films and learning new things on every project!
How important are film festivals that give these kind of films a platform for you?
I think they are crucial for upcoming filmmakers to share their work and meet new people who could be potential collaborators, and it’s great to have festivals such as MoMo to celebrate mobile filmmaking, as it is a medium that will continue to be a fantastic option for filmmakers to start out in this industry.
Eager to learn more?
Join our weekly newsletter featuring inspiring stories, no-budget filmmaking tips and comprehensive equipment reviews to help you turn your film projects into reality!
