Dad and his 2 Sons Shoot Action Movie on iPhone

I was browsing Vimeo a few days ago, when I came across a film shot on an iPhone. In the description, filmmaker Brian Vowles wrote: “Four years ago I set out to make a short film with my two boys and an iPhone. It’s done now. We hope you like it.”

I started watching and was amazed at the VFX work that had gone into making this short. But apart from that, you could immediately see this film had been very carefully crafted. The shot selection and editing was also spot on. And the 2 young boys starring had obviously taken this seriously.

Shot on an iPhone 6.

Inspired by Hollywood blockbusters like The Road, Terminator, Stand By Me and hit series The Walking Dead, all the beats were there. Brian wanted to bring a new twist to the end of the world: what would it be like if the central characters are two young boys?

Mr Vowles told the Press Association: “Boys are just incredibly dumb, it doesn’t matter where they are or how much trouble they’re in.

“The whole premise is that at the end of the world boys would still be farting on each other, pulling each others fingers and riding in carts. Still being boys, just at the end of the world.”

Using the tried and tested method of writing your story around the locations available, Vowles wrote the plot starring his kids and a free location – a compound that started life as a prisoner-of-war camp, before being abandoned in 2008.

His boys, now nine and eleven, brought their own ideas to the production as well.

“In the scene when they explore the school, Brandon just turned to me and said ‘wouldn’t it be cool if this is full of skulls?’”

“And I thought ‘yeah, it’s kind of scary you thought of that but you’re right that would be awesome’.”

The finished filming in 2015 and Brian, who earns a living making 3D characters for children’s TV shows, then spent the next three years sweating over every fine detail of VFX work, editing and sound design. Probably the reason it took 3 years is he was working around his day job and family life.

Brian premiered the film at a local cinema, with the whole family in attendance.

“My dad was there and welling up just because he knows how much time and effort went in,” Brandon said.

“I think it was just overwhelming and had been in our lives for so long that it was done. Just to know that dad’s not just crazy, toiling away in the dungeon. But it’s finished.”

If you’re curious what a VFX artist and his boys can achieve with a smartphone, we recommend giving it a watch. We’re seriously impressed by the obvious dedication gone into making this short. It takes something to have that kind of focus, to keep going day after day, month after month, until you get it right.

The film itself is kinda reminiscent of that Black Mirror story where the woman gets chased around by a killer robot the whole episode. But produced out of passion and for the simple love of movies. And the kids do a great job too.

You can watch the whole thing here:

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