Remember discmans? Apple's CNY film will take you back

As the annual lanterns and lion dances emerge from hiding, it also means it’s time for Apple’s annual cinematic love letter to…itself. Once again, Apple’s annual festive film a Shot on iPhone extravaganza. This year’s offering, I Made a Mixtape for You, is a pure nostalgic sugar rush straight from the '90s.

Grab your Tamagotchis and frosted tips, kids—we're going for a ride. Now, Ad Nut has seen a few of these Lunar New Year releases, and let's be honest, they're usually more about showing off iPhone's camera tricks than actual storytelling. But this year, Apple's gone full Greatest Showman (no literally—they hired the film’s director, Michael Gracey) and cranked the charm up to eleven.

So, if you have a spare 12 minutes, grab your baijiu (or boba; Ad Nut doesn't judge) and settle in for a tale of love, longing, and the pressures of dating in the face of tradition. The hero, a 21st-century lad, feels the heat from his elders to settle down and gets a blast from the past. He's transported back to the '90s, a magical land of Mando-pop and spontaneous flash mobs.

Director Gracey weaves an elaborate (albeit predictable) tale with the help of Oscar-winning cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt. And let Ad Nut tell you, this duo has put that iPhone 16 Pro through its paces. Sweeping dance sequences captured in glorious 4K 120fps Slo-mo? Check. Theatrical moving set pieces that would make Busby Berkeley proud? Double-check. Audio mixing so crisp you can practically hear the cha-ching of Apple's marketing budget? Triple-check.

"When he's doing these big, beautiful leaps that are incredibly balletic, to capture them at 120 frames in 4K resolution is just beautiful," Gracey notes. "The iPhone is built for movement, especially for dance. From the picture quality to the higher frame rates, all those things are there on the phone. Being able to access that in something that fits in your pocket is an incredibly powerful tool."

Will the hero find love amid the absurdity, synchronised dance steps and Mando-pop serenades? Will he succumb to the pressure of tradition or forge his own path? Will Ad Nut finally figure out the appeal of TikTok or the Cinematic Mode on iPhone? Some questions are best left unanswered until viewing.

One thing is certain: Apple wants you to believe that 16 Pro is the key to unlocking your creative genius, whether you're filming epic dance sequences or remixing classic tunes with studio-quality precision. While the Shot on iPhone series is getting progressively shorter over the years (23 minutes in 2022, 18 in 2023, and a brisk 15 last year) and the work is a blatant plug, but Ad Nut, a sucker for nostalgia, begrudgingly admits it is…sweet. Fine, somewhat cheesy charming, too. Now, if you'll excuse Ad Nut, Ad Nut has a sudden urge to practice the moonwalk and create a mixtape of its own.

This is Apple’s eighth Lunar New Year offering from creative arm, TBWA Media Arts Lab Shanghai. The campaign will be distributed across broadcast, digital and social media platforms. And because one film shot on an iPhone is clearly not enough, there's a behind-the-scenes video, also shot on iPhone.

CREDITS

Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai
Production: Partizan
Director: Michael Gracey
Screenwriter: Wu Jue Ren
Art Director: Joel Chang / Qin Shi Jie
Director of Photography: Erik Messerschmidt

Music:

• Not Every Love Story Ends with a Happy Ending (1992) - Jimmy Lin
• I Am Willing (1994) - Faye Wong
• I Love You (1997) - David Tao

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.