In Hollywood, when something’s a hit, there’s usually a sequel.
Cue LG, which has been following a similar script to showcase the cinematic video features of its new V30 smartphones.
Fade in: A few weeks back, LG tapped Game of Thrones cinematographer David Franco to shoot a short movie using only the V30. The resulting clip, “A Day in the Life,” showed off the device’s filmmaking functionality through a montage of people, places and things, elevating the ordinary into a vibrant visual palette.
Franco’s project generated considerable buzz, and LG advanced the plot by commissioning short films from six emerging directors—who worked entirely on V30s, of course—and staging a gala premiere at last weekend’s New York Film Festival.
“This program is geared to target the people who value storytelling through video and strive to capture their true self and experiences on video, whether they’re a student, a new parent or an experienced videographer,” LG MobileComm USA president Chang Ma tells AdFreak. “Everyone, with the help of this smartphone, can become a filmmaker.”
Well, maybe not everyone. (Just use your phone to send texts, Rob Zombie!) But the six works created for this campaign exhibit a broad range of styles and subjects, showing off the V30’s new video features such as Cine Effects, Point Zoom and Log-recording.
First up is Elaine del Valle’s “Tagged,” which compellingly explores the history of a magnificent and mysterious mural on an East Village apartment building in New York:
“I had the idea for ‘Tagged’ for quite some time now, but it wasn’t until I learned of the LG V30 opportunity that I knew it would be the right tool to accomplish this film,” Del Valle tells us. “It made me put the film on the front burner and made me challenge myself beyond the technical [difficulties] that oftentimes we, as filmmakers, get bogged down by.”
She adds: “The last shot, for me, was the very best part. As soon as I knew I would be with a spoken-word artist [Caridad De La Luz, aka La Bruja], I knew the LG V30 would let me shoot it in a way that would have taken hours otherwise. I was able to focus on her and the strength of her words, which I wanted delivered straight to camera as she walked down a busy street. I was able to track her as she walked, never losing focus and keeping her in great light. I cannot begin to tell you how daunting that shot would have been if I had to think about it as a planned shot [with a conventional camera].”
For a totally different vibe, there’s “LMFAO” by Ramon Pesante, an unsettling techno-thriller that tackles online troll culture:
Leyla Rosario’s “She Was Afraid to Fly” provides a moving take on the nexus of memory and technology, with the phone itself playing a particularly poignant role:
Shooting ads or branded content on phones—especially for the purpose of promoting said devices—might seem a tad 2009. Such product demos seem fitting, however, given LG’s stated desire to portray its V series as the phone for video in an age of handset auteurs.
Previously, “video projects on mobile technology were largely only possible by full-fledged artists who applied their creative and technical skills to a smartphone,” says Ma. Now, LG and other smartphone makers have “given those capabilities to everyone,” he says, “which is particularly apt in our evolving digital society, where video is becoming the new currency for digital cred.”
Check out the three other films in the series below.
The Fans. The Brands. Social Good. The Future of Sports. Don't miss the upcoming Brandweek Sports Marketing Summit and Upfronts, a live virtual experience on Nov. 16-19. Early-bird passes available until Oct. 26. Register now.
