Film partly financed by local iPhone carrier

Korean director Park Chan-wook -- most famous for movies like Oldboy and Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance -- has debuted a film shot entirely on the iPhone 4, says the Wall Street Journal. Called Paranmanjang, or Ups and Downs in English, the 30-minute short tells the story of a man who catches a woman's body while fishing. Beyond the actual film, the scouting, auditions and making-of documentary were all shot with an iPhone 4, according to Park.

The movie is partly a promotional tool for local cellular carrier KT, which contributed $130,000 towards production costs. KT is the only Korean iPhone carrier, and has reportedly been advertising Paranmanjang since October, when it launched an ad also shot with an iPhone 4. The Journal remarks that KT has sold about 1.84 million iPhones since it first gained the product in in November 2009.

The iPhone 4 records at 720p resolution and 30fps, making it above-average amongst smartphones but comparatively limited as a professional camera. Most pro-level video is shot at a minimum of 1080p and 24 or 60fps. A number of filmmaking tools have nevertheless been invented for the phone, such as Steadicam-style stabilizers.

by MacNN Staff