Cinema buffs may already be familiar with CinefestOZ, the five-day film festival that descends on Australia each year. From headline speakers, such as Director Rachel Ward, to film premieres, it’s the number one destination for anyone who loves movies to gather and celebrate all the industry has to offer. During this year’s festival, which ran from 28 August – 1 September, Sony’s Xperia 1 made a very special guest appearance.

Glenn Gainor, head of physical production for Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems and President of Sony Innovation Studios, took to the stage to deliver a keynote speech at the industry program. During his talk, Glenn, whose credits include Screen Gems’ upcoming action thriller Black and Blue and past titles such as The Intruder, Think Like a Man and Friends with Benefits, just to name a few, discussed how filmmakers can create powerful stories that reach millions of people through clever technology.

Glenn Gainor, head of physical production for Sony Pictures’ Screen Gems and President of Sony Innovation Studios

It’s this professional grade technology that helped Directors Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl – whose latest project, PROSPECT, which is now available to watch in Japanese cinemas – craft a visually stunning short film created using Xperia 1 as their only camera!

Chris Caldwell and Zeek Earl, Directors of “Taste”

Premiering at CinefestOZ during Glenn’s keynote, Taste tells the story of a chef who uses advanced technology to source the sub-molecular essence of the food we eat without harming the environment. But how was the gorgeous movie made with just a handheld device?

Cinema Pro “powered by CineAlta” means users can capture cinema-quality footage without time-consuming edits. Pair the handset’s 21:9 CinemaWide display (inspired by Sony’s award-winning BRAVIA® technologies and powered by X1 for mobile) with the ability to shoot in 4K HDR, and you’ll be treated to the ultimate immersive experience next time you watch (or direct) your own movie!

What’s more, Xperia 1 allowed directors Zeek, Chris, and mike morse to reach locations they would normally struggle to get to with larger apparatus. Their last project saw almost 100 crew members working together. When filming Taste, there were times when the crew consisted of no more than four people, including the actress. The directors explained that they felt “liberated” in using Xperia 1 and were able to climb mountains and venture into some of the busiest urban areas to capture the perfect footage.

You can catch more of the behind the scenes here:

Source: Sony Mobile Blog
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