Director Ran Out of Money, Finished Shooting his Oscar-Nominated Movie on an iPhone - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Director Ran Out of Money, Finished Shooting his Oscar-Nominated Movie on an iPhone

by

541444_largerWhile filming Oscar-nominated documentary "Searching for Sugar Man", director Malik Bendjelloul said, in an interview with CNN Money, that he ran out of money and had to finish filming his movie on his iPhone with the 8mm Vintage Camera app.

I started shooting this on a Super 8 camera, like with film, which is pretty expensive stuff, and completely ran out of money. I really had a very few stuff, it was a very few shots left but I needed those shots. And one day I realized that there was this $1 app here on my iPhone and I tried it and it was basically the same as the real stuff.


In the past there have been other directors, like Oldboy director Park Chan-wook, who've used iPhones to shoot films. There's even an iPhone Film Festival dedicated to movies shot on the devices, but Bendjelloul's film has since been nominated for an Academy Award.

Nexvio Inc.'s 8mm Vintage Camera app has seen an increase in downloads in the past five or so days, according to a chart from sister-site AppShopper. The app has gone through a couple different price drops over the past year and a half, which is why Bendjelloul refers to the app as a "$1 app," but is currently available for $1.99. [Direct Link]

The 85th annual Academy Awards will air on February 24th, 2013.

Top Rated Comments

173 months ago
This cannot be serious...with an iPhone app? Lol he couldn't buy a point and shoot that's a million times better than any cellphone camera?

Come on now...this is just...wow bad...

Or he could've used the money that he would have spent on a camera to buy more 8mm film. Oh, wait...

Seriously - what's happening to people's comprehension skills? These sort of comments are far too frequent.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
That is quite possibly the coolest iPhone related story I've ever read.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
This cannot be serious...with an iPhone app? Lol he couldn't buy a point and shoot that's a million times better than any cellphone camera?

Come on now...this is just...wow bad...

Did you read the article?
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
He couldn't have finished the movie on his iPhone 5 if the device hadn't even been announced yet when the movie came out in July 2012... just pointing out that someone should correct the article :p
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
This cannot be serious...with an iPhone app? Lol he couldn't buy a point and shoot that's a million times better than any cellphone camera?

Come on now...this is just...wow bad...
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
173 months ago
"I realized that there was this $1 app here on my iPhone and I tried it and it was basically the same as the real stuff."

really..... a tiny, 8mp sensor is basically the same as 8mm film...

More amazing than this guy using the iphone to finish the movie, is that he also seems to be blind..
:cool:
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple Card iPhone 16 Pro Feature

Apple Card Promo to Offer Free AirPods Pro 3

Friday May 15, 2026 8:59 am PDT by
Starting as early as next week, customers who sign up for an Apple Card at Apple's retail stores in the U.S. will receive $249 cash back when they purchase AirPods Pro 3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The promotion has yet to be officially announced by Apple, so exact terms and conditions are not available at this time. AirPods Pro 3 are priced at $249 in the U.S., so customers who...
airpods pro 3 pink

New Apple Card Holders Can Get Free AirPods Pro 3, But There's a Catch

Monday May 18, 2026 8:11 am PDT by
Apple today launched a new promotion offering new Apple Card holders the chance to earn back the cost of AirPods Pro 3 through monthly cash rebates, but there is a recurring spend requirement attached. Customers who open a new Apple Card account and purchase AirPods Pro 3 directly from Apple by June 15 will qualify. Starting July 1 and running through April 30, 2027, cardholders can earn $25 ...
Apple WWDC25 iOS 26 CarPlay Light mode 250609

Six Popular iPhone Apps Now Available on CarPlay

Thursday May 14, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's CarPlay system for accessing iPhone apps on a vehicle's dashboard screen has received six popular apps in recent weeks: ChatGPT, Perplexity, Grok, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and the indie artist streaming platform Audiomack. Make sure you have the latest version of each app and they will automatically appear on CarPlay. ChatGPT Starting with iOS 26.4, CarPlay supports voice-based...