Skip to main content

Get creative with Apple’s ideas for iPhone 12 videos

Shot on iPhone 12 — Everyday Experiments. Get creative at home.

If you’ve recently taken delivery of a brand new iPhone 12 and are keen to shoot some experimental video shots, Apple has you covered.

Recommended Videos

The tech giant has just released its latest “Shot on iPhone” video (above) offering some inspiration on how you can put your new Apple handset to work.

In partnership with creatives Donghoon Jun and James Thornton of Incite, the video shows you how to use a different perspective “to turn the everyday into something extraordinary.”

You’ll never believe the stunning results you can achieve with just a few water-filled party balloons and some colorful sheets of paper when used with the phone’s slow-motion mode. “The cool thing about slow-mo is I can play with time and slow down the balloons and see all the cool shapes that are usually a little too fast for the human eye,” Jun says.

You can also get incredible visuals by combining oil, water, and food dye while shooting with the iPhone camera’s macro capabilities.

Using glow sticks and string lights with the iPhone 12’s new Night Mode time-lapse feature can generate some pretty impressive results, too.

Jun and Thornton also offer a few tips on how you can enhance the shots using Apple’s free iMovie app on your phone, though the Photos app offers some basic editing functions if you’re looking for a quick and simple way to jazz up your footage.

“Try these simple experiments yourself, or use them as inspiration to create incredible visuals from the stuff you already have in the cupboard,” Apple suggests in notes accompanying its latest Shot on iPhone production.

The company also posted another video recently offering tips for budding filmmakers interested in shooting a movie on an iPhone 12 Pro, though the ideas are good for any smartphone or small camera. Another video from Apple, created in partnership with Academy Award-winning director Damien Chazelle (La La Land and Whiplash), shows how you can obtain amazing results shooting vertically in portrait mode.

Apple started selling the new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro in October 2020, with the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max hitting stores last Friday.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
I was wrong about the iPhone 16
An iPhone 16 laying on a shelf with its screen on.

The iPhone 16 is a little over a month old, and I've been using it almost nonstop since it was announced last month. I reviewed the phone for Digital Trends and bought one with my own money as my personal phone of choice.

Not long after its unveiling, I wrote an op-ed complaining about the iPhone 16's lack of a 120Hz display. I said it was the "one thing holding back the iPhone 16" and that its 60Hz screen was "an unreasonable spec." I'd still like to see the refresh rate addressed with the iPhone 17, but after living with the iPhone 16 for over a month now, I've found that it's not nearly as big of an issue as I believed it would be.
A 60Hz screen matters, until it doesn't

Read more
This iPhone 16 Pro accessory proves less is more
WaterField Designs CitySlicker Pouch for iPhone in white leather.

Now that we’re approaching the end of the year, hot tech summer and flagship phone season are winding down, too. That means I’ve been looking for fun little accessories to help me carry around all my phones and gadgets.

One of my trusted brands for tech accessories is Waterfield Designs. I’ve been using its bags and other accessories for the past decade, and they’re some of the finest bags I own. They’re built to last, as my first messenger bag is still looking fantastic.

Read more
The iPhone 17 Pro Max may slim down this particular feature
The Dynamic Island on the iPhone 14 Pro Max.

The iPhone's Dynamic Island is expected to get even smaller on the iPhone 17 series, according to technology analyst Jeff Pu (via MacRumors).

According to Pu, in a research note with investment bank Haitong International, the iPhone 17 Pro Max will offer a “metalens” for Face ID. Because of this, the Dynamic Island will be “much narrowed.”

Read more