All products and promotions are independently selected by our experts. To help us provide free impartial advice, we will earn an affiliate commission if you buy something. Click here to learn more
BRIT award-winning musician Stormzy will make his acting debut in a new short film, captured entirely on the latest iPhone. The British singer, who counts a Mercury Prize and Ivor Novello Award amongst his impressive collection of gongs, stars as Tenzman in Big Man when it's released on June 18.
It's the first project in Apple's Shot On iPhone lineup that was filmed entirely in the UK. Academy Award-winning director Aneil Karia used an iPhone 16 Pro to capture every scene in Big Man.
Discussing the process of using a £999 smartphone to film a Hollywood production, Aneil Karia said: "I’ve never shot an entire piece of narrative filmmaking on an iPhone before, and it’s been a really invigorating process. It’s much smaller than the traditional cameras used for television, film, or music videos, and the lightness and flexibility that comes with that is boundless in a sense.
"I like trying to strive for an intimacy with characters, and sometimes a big camera is not particularly conducive for that. So it’s been huge, being in smaller spaces, being lower key for the actors."
iPhone 16 Pro, released in September last year and due to be updated with Apple's newly-announced iOS 26 software in the coming months, boasts several upgrades over its predecessors, including 4K 120 frames-per-second capture for cinematic slow-motion sequences. This feature was employed by director Aneil Karia in a sequence that takes place on a trampoline scene at the pier.
iPhone 16 Pro comes equipped with a triple-camera system, which can be used to film Spatial Video — with three-dimensional depth to watch on Vision Pro, Cinematic Video for a Portrait Mode-style bokeh-effect in video, 120 frames-per-second, 4K Ultra HD with HDR picture standard standard, the list goes on... APPLE PRESS OFFICE iPhone 16 Pro comes equipped with USB 3 data transfer speeds up to 10 gigabits per second, which enables filmmakers to record in Apple's ProRes format directly to external storage. For those who don't know, ProRes is an almost lossless video compression format developed by Apple for professional video editing and post-production. It's designed for use with industry-standard applications, like Final Cut Pro.
Cinematic mode, which employs the same depth-of-field effects as Portrait Mode photographs for video, combined with the iPhone 16 Pro's low-light capabilities enabled filming in dimly lit arcades and dark music studios, the team added.
The short film, the first filmed entirely in the UK, will be available to watch on YouTube on June 18
APPLE PRESS OFFICE
Cinematographer Stuart Bentley, who worked on Big Man, said that big productions relying on smartphones should motivate the next-generation of filmmakers. He said: "Traditionally filmmaking was the reserve of a small section of people and you couldn’t access it.
"It felt completely impenetrable to me as a young kid. And I think now people have this amazing camera in their pocket, and it’s like everybody can do it. If you’re hungry and passionate about cinema, there’s no reason you can’t make an amazing film.
Save over £100 on iPhone 16 Pro
Amazon has slashed £101 off the flagship iPhone 16 Pro. Released at the end of last year, this is the first handset built for the launch of Apple Intelligence, with a faster A18 Pro system-on-a-chip to handle the on-device processing. It also packs the best camera found on any iPhone, capable of shooting 4K UHD footage in 120 frames-per-second and Dolby Vision, thanks to the new 48MP Fusion camera
iPhone 16 Pro
$999
$898
"Do it all on an iPhone, it’s all there for you.
"I guess ultimately what’s been really interesting is it’s a super versatile camera with all these different kind of tools. You can use Cinematic mode so you get that shallow depth of field, and it automatically pulls focus to follow the action. You can shoot 120 frames per second at 4K, which is obviously insane.
"We’re pushing the camera to the very limits of what it’s capable of, and we’ve found it to be really resilient," he added. "And obviously it’s tiny so you can get the camera into positions where you may not be able to get a traditional camera which has been really liberating for us and in ways that allow you to be really inventive and creative with your camera choices."
Stuart Bentley, a member of the British Society of Cinematographers, has worked on several BAFTA, Emmy, and Academy Award-winning projects. His journey began creating skateboarding videos before progressing to high-end television and feature films.
iPhone 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max sport the thinnest borders around the display of any Apple device ever shipped from its design lab, increasing the screen size to 6.3- and 6.9-inches without substantially growing the overall footprint APPLE PRESS OFFICE Director Aneil Karia won the Academy Award for Best Narrative Short Film for The Long Goodbye starring Riz Ahmed. His debut feature Surge earned Ben Whishaw the Special Jury Prize for Acting at Sundance, whilst his recent work includes BAFTA nominations for Top Boy and The Gold.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
- Three and Vodafone users promised boosted phone signal at ‘no extra cost’
- There's a brand-new way to watch Sky TV, and it's on-sale from £6 today
- Your iPhone, iPad and Mac will look unrecognisable with new design update from Apple
- Best VPN deals
- Vodafone unleashes fastest broadband upgrade yet
- Apple will let you save your passport on iPhone ...but UK users miss out for now
The narrative follows a chance encounter between Tenzman — a disillusioned musician, played by Michael "Stormzy" Omari — with two spirited youngsters who reignite his sense of purpose. Their unexpected friendship leads to a transformative journey that rekindles warmth and optimism in the weary performer.
The cast includes newcomer Klevis Brahja, who was street-cast for his debut acting role.
Jaydon Eastman portrays Tyrell, bringing extensive theatrical experience to the production. Eastman's impressive resume includes playing Young Simba in The Lion King's UK tour, Bruce Bogtrotter in the West End's Matilda the Musical, and Little Michael in MJ The Musical at the Prince Edward Theatre.
Most Read
