"Left-handed Girl" anyone?

[Davide DB]

I saw this film in the cinema few days ago and I wanted to share a few short thoughts on this work, which I found extremely interesting for the balance between neorealist aesthetics and the use of natural light in complex urban environments like the markets of Taipei. The composition of the image and the dynamism of the camera manage to give a rare sense of immersion, keeping a consistent style for the whole film. It is a remarkable example of how cinematic language can work without huge technical equipment: in fact, the film was shot entirely with an iPhone.

The choice of the iPhone 13 Pro Max was mainly due to the need to move with extreme agility and discretion inside the night markets of Taipei, contexts where a traditional crew with bulky cameras would have inevitably attracted attention and compromised the spontaneity of the scenes. By working with such a common and non-invasive tool, the director managed to adopt an almost documentary-like approach.

Reading several articles and listening some interviews, the director gave several details: The film's aesthetics were built around the use of four iPhone 13 Pro Max cameras, integrated into a workflow that used the Beastgrip Pro system as the base for the rig. To achieve the characteristic anamorphic look and typical horizontal flares, the production used a prototype anamorphic lens from Beastgrip, paired with Black Forest diffusion filters to reduce the excessive digital sharpness of the sensor and give a more organic feel to the highlights of the night markets. On the software side, the shooting was managed entirely through the FiLMiC Pro app using the 4K Lux mode, a choice that allowed for a file with a wider dynamic range, which was later processed in post-production through advanced color correction in DaVinci Resolve.

Seeing some BTS shots, this was really a run&gun configuration. An iPhone and a Gimbal et voila!

https://thefilmstage.com/left-handed-girl-director-shih-ching-tsou-on-collaborating-with-sean-baker-and-seeing-the-world-through-a-childs-eyes/

[zerocool22]

I have not seen the film. I just watched the trailer because you shared the name. But I wonder why they chose the iphone 13 as the main camera. I wonder if its not just to tell people "hey we shot this on an iphone".  I get you can win time with just shooting on an iphone, but the image just isnt there. 
Based on the trailer alone, its not a movie I would want to see, as I have not seen a single frame that looks great. It all looks like something a soccer mom or kid on youtube makes these days. Not into that vloggy style of filmmaking myself. 

[Clark Nikolai]

12 hours ago, Davide DB said:

The choice of the iPhone 13 Pro Max was mainly due to the need to move with extreme agility and discretion inside the night markets of Taipei, contexts where a traditional crew with bulky cameras would have inevitably attracted attention and compromised the spontaneity of the scenes. 

 

It looks good. The use of iPhones is interesting. The quality is now more than good enough for narrative. I would imagine the camera operator would have been seen as just another YouTube travel and food blogger and ignored. I don't know how "guerrilla" their approach was though. Did they inform the market authorities they were shooting or did they just go and do it?

Story wise it seems fine. From my perspective (in a progressive city in another country) the left handed thing is so old fashioned that I wonder if it's truly a thing in Taiwanese culture or just a device for this story. 

[zerocool22]

2 hours ago, Clark Nikolai said:

It looks good. The use of iPhones is interesting. The quality is now more than good enough for narrative. I would imagine the camera operator would have been seen as just another YouTube travel and food blogger and ignored. I don't know how "guerrilla" their approach was though. Did they inform the market authorities they were shooting or did they just go and do it?

Story wise it seems fine. From my perspective (in a progressive city in another country) the left handed thing is so old fashioned that I wonder if it's truly a thing in Taiwanese culture or just a device for this story. 

Do you honestly think it looks good? 

[Davide DB]

4 hours ago, zerocool22 said:

Do you honestly think it looks good? 

I think we are missing the point. Does it really matter exactly how it looks? The low-fi aesthetic fit the story perfectly and, to be honest, I enjoyed it visually much more than that Portuguese film shot on the GH7. Obviously, both are deliberate stylistic choices.

If you read the article, the choice to shoot with a phone and minimal equipment was absolutely necessary to be able to film in a real market on an open set.Baker already shot a movie on an iPhone 5 years ago and looking at Anora, it's clear he isn't afraid to spend money when the production calls for it.

 

[eatstoomuchjam]

5 minutes ago, Davide DB said:

Does it really matter exactly how it looks? The low-fi aesthetic fit the story perfectly

At least judging by the trailer, I agree.  The only thing that bugged me, really, was the glow/halation effect - were they actual diffusion filters or did they just smear the lens with vaseline?

Other than finding the diffusion distracting, though, I thought the look was absolutely well-suited to the story being told.  The choice of a phone felt intimate and immersive.

[Davide DB]

1 hour ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

At least judging by the trailer, I agree.  The only thing that bugged me, really, was the glow/halation effect - were they actual diffusion filters or did they just smear the lens with vaseline?

Other than finding the diffusion distracting, though, I thought the look was absolutely well-suited to the story being told.  The choice of a phone felt intimate and immersive.

In one interview the director spoke about a black forest diffusion filter.

The key factor is that they really wanted to go unnoticed. On the first day of filming, they had to abort because the crew showed up all dressed in black; everyone realized they were doing something and a crowd gathered to see what was happening. They sent everyone home and the next day they forced everyone to wear normal clothes and disperse once their tasks were finished. The group following the actors consisted of only 4 or 5 people.