ABSTRACT
The microbudget film was shot entirely on an iPhone 5s, using only a tiny anamorphic lens attachment by Moondog Labs that allowed capturing a widescreen image using the phone’s entire sensor, and FiLMiC Pro, an app that provides access to higher bit rate video at 24 frames per second and manual aperture, color temperature, and focusing. The deep depth of field, for instance, is utilized to showcase every detail of the Santa Monica Boulevard area where much of the action takes place, in shots that keep everything in sharp focus; it is also complemented with shot compositions that emphasize the depth of the frame, used variously to stylize the look of a location’s architecture and to visualize relationship dynamics between characters. Tangerine’s unique cinematography demonstrates that an understanding of both the narrative and technical capabilities of lenses can unleash their full expressive potential.
