Riga – Shot with iPhone 4
Inspired by the videos Aaron Rose did for us, Thomas Christensen shot a little montage with his iPhone from a day in Riga.
Awesome job Thomas. We’ll be sending you some iPhone 4 cases for the effort!
Vagabondage by Aaron Rose
Vagabondage is the third and final film in a series of shorts by Aaron Rose using his iPhone 4. Shot on location in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and Prague, this is his most intimate film yet.
Vagabondage by Aaron Rose
Vagabondage is the third and final film in a series of shorts by Aaron Rose using his iPhone 4. Shot on location in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and Prague, this is his most intimate film yet.
For many, travel represents romance and freedom, but for Rose it’s like living the life of a vagabond. To fulfill one’s wanderlust doesn’t come without sacrifice, as its greatest risk is the loss of community, a disconnection from friends, lovers and family. This is the film’s underlying theme.
Vagabondage also serves as an autobiographical account and celebration of relationships held between Rose and close friends, both old and new, the beauty in what they represent and where they stem from.
Aaron Rose for Incase Concludes with Vagabondage
We’re pleased to introduce Vagabondage, the third and final film and photo essay in a series of abstractly autobiographical shorts by Aaron Rose using his iPhone 4. Shot on location in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin and Prague, this is his most intimate film yet.
For many, there is an allure to travel, a romantic freedom, but for Rose it’s like living the life of a vagabond. To fulfill one’s wanderlust doesn’t come without sacrifice, as its greatest risk is the loss of community, a disconnection from friends, lovers and family. This is the film’s underlying theme.
Vagabondage also serves as an affectionate celebration of relationships held between Rose and close friends, both old and new, the beauty in what they represent and where they stem from. These personal experiences created through travels far and wide conjure up feelings of sadness, loss, desire and most importantly love.
Aaron Rose for Incase is a series of three original short films and photos essays. Traveling to a number of international locales, Rose shot each piece using the iPhone 4 high-definition camera while relying on our cases to provide his iPhone with the on-the-go protection that on-location shooting requires. From the creation of an ominous documentary featuring the Berlin neighborhood of Kreuzberg as seen through the eyes of Rose, to a cheeky teenage drama about a gang of girls’ experience with love and now his own personal travel diary that evokes feelings of mixed emotion about his love for travel, Rose was given carte blanche to experiment with the creative possibilities that can be captured using the high-definition camera of iPhone 4.
Fake Love by Aaron Rose
Fake Love is the second in a series of three short films by Aaron Rose shot in the Echo Park and Silverlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles using his iPhone 4. These are the photos from the film all shot with an iPhone 4.
Fake Love By Aaron Rose
Fake Love is the second in a series of three short films by Aaron Rose shot in the Echo Park and Silverlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles using his iPhone 4. The film is Rose’s tribute to teen soap operas, a genre he finds both mystifying and exciting; he feels that American television “is the new avant-garde cinema.”
The story follows a gang of girls, one of whom believes that “fake love” is more exciting than true love. Instead of actors, Rose compiled a group of musicians, poets, writers, photographers and artists that hang out at the notorious all-ages club The Smell in Los Angeles. According to Rose, “They didn’t really have to act because they are such amazing personalities.”
Song: “Positive Amputation” by No Age from the album Everything In Between courtesy of Sub Pop
Introducing Fake Love, a Film Inspired by Teen Soap Operas
Following the release of Kreuzberg, a documentary of the Berlin neighborhood as seen through the eyes of Aaron Rose, we bring you Fake Love. For his second film, Rose employed complete creative freedom to experiment with the high-definition camera on his iPhone 4 to create a teen soap opera.
Filmed in the Echo Park and Silverlake neighborhoods of Los Angeles, Fake Love follows a gang of girls, one whom believes that “fake love” is more exciting than true love. Choosing to feature real people that he felt could best orchestrate a scenario that speaks to the youth of today, Rose called upon a cast of friends comprised of musicians, poets, writers, photographers and artists living in Los Angeles. According to Rose, “They didn’t really have to act because they are such amazing personalities.” Truly a tribute to teen soap operas, a genre he finds both mystifying and exciting, Rose believes that American television “is the new avant-garde cinema.”
Rose incorporated the use of a tripod for more controlled filming; he affixed an Incase Slider Case to the tripod with a “T” bracket. To assist in capturing the dramatic feel of a soap opera, Rose also filmed with a Zacuto Z-grip and Spider Dolly.
The three-part series by Rose showcases the way his creative mind harnesses the capabilities of iPhone 4 to create an inspired visual experience that engages viewers. Be sure to bookmark the Aaron Rose page; following Kreuzberg and Fake Love, a final film and photo essay by Rose will close the series on November 30.
Q&A with Aaron Rose
We sat down with Aaron Rose to ask him a few questions about the making of his short film Kreuzberg which was shot entirely on an iPhone 4. Here’s what he had to say.
When filming Kreuzberg, you told us that you used a tripod. How did you alter the tripod to meet your needs?
I actually didn’t have to alter the tripod at all. The big problem was how to attach an iPhone to an existing tripod.
What materials did you use?
I rigged a contraption using a basic steel “T” bracket from the hardware store and attached it to the tripod using a simple wing nut. It was a pretty DIY setup, but worked well for my needs (lock shots, simple pans, etc.).
How did you attach the iPhone 4 Slider Case to your tripod?
I attached the “T” bracket to the iPhone case by punching holes in it and using nylon plugs to keep it in place.
What was your experience like filming and shooting photos with your iPhone 4?
It was actually quite fun. My biggest problem was holding the camera steady when shooting hand-held. Other than that, it worked great. A zoom mechanism would have been handy, but I quickly got around it.
Do you feel that iPhone 4 will spark an increase in DIY filmmaking? If so, how?
I would hope so. Again, I don’t really think a camera makes a good film. The person looking through it has to have good ideas. That said though, being able to just pull an iPhone camera out of your pocket with a few seconds notice was a really nice plus. A lot of my favorite shots in Kreuzberg were taken that way. I would see something and within seconds be shooting. That’s hard to do with even the simplest SLR or video camera.
What kinds of projects would you like to see other people create using iPhone 4?
The phone/camera hybrid offers an amazing intimacy when shooting. Subjects aren’t intimidated by a camera on a phone. It somehow seems less serious. This is really helpful in getting subjects to relax. I would hope that people would continue to explore this intimacy and make very personal films on the iPhone 4 that couldn’t be obtained any other way.
And now, a few questions for you…
- Do you find that you take more photos and videos with your iPhone 4 than with your camera?
- How has the iPhone 4 changed the way you make and edit video?
- Has there ever been an unexpected situation when your iPhone 4 came in handy?
Leave us a comment with your answers. If you leave one of our favorite comments, we’ll send you an iPhone 4 case.
Introducing Kreuzberg, a Film and Photo Essay by Aaron Rose
We are pleased to announce the release of Kreuzberg, the first of three original short films and photo essays by director and curator Aaron Rose for Incase. Known as one of the cornerstones of the street art movement, Rose is an artist, film director, exhibition curator and writer who merged his artistry, love for travel and reliance on his iPhone to create the visuals of Kreuzberg and two upcoming film and photo essay releases. Each piece highlights the creative possibilities that can be captured using the built-in HD camera of iPhone 4.
While traveling in Germany, Rose shot Kreuzberg on location in the Berlin neighborhood of the same name. Rose used the high-definition camera on his iPhone 4 while relying on our Snap Case to provide his iPhone with the protection that international travel and on-location shooting requires.
According to Rose, the film is a tribute to Brian Eno and David Bowie, both of whom recorded in Kreuzberg in the 1970s. Since the 1980s, the historically Turkish neighborhood of Kreuzberg has also been home to a population of artists, musicians and anarchists. Kreuzberg’s main characters are Fiona Geuss, an art historian who reads excerpts from Boris Groys’ essay on “light luggage,” and Nathan Harrington, a musician who also created the film’s original score. In the film, Harrington recites a poem written by Rose expressing nostalgia for the town and its storied history that echoes in its streets.
The three-part series by Rose will showcase how his creative mind harnessed the capabilities of iPhone 4 to create an inspired visual experience that engages viewers. Be sure to bookmark the Aaron Rose page; following Kreuzberg, we’ll be releasing two additional films and photo essays by Rose on November 2 and November 30.
