Parkpoom Wongpoom is widely acclaimed as one of Thailand’s greatest horror filmmakers. Wongpoom is a master of scary storytelling with haunting visuals that will stay with you Those follow — a short film he made with Apple iPhone 13 Pro.
Those follow marks the director’s return to filmmaking after a four-year hiatus and has been described as a “hallucinatory tale of karmic revenge”.
Wongpoom, who is internationally known for his horror masterpieces Shutter (2004) and Alone (2007), had its last release in 2018 with host family.
More about Parkpoom Wongpoom’s Those follow
The plot is connected with the local Thai faith
The 20-minute short film follows two teenagers on the run after a robbery gone wrong. They hide out at a local ghost mask festival. But the two soon realize that while they can hide from people, there is something they can’t hide from no matter how hard they try.
Like his previous films, Wongpoom took care of that Those follow is rooted in Thai culture. Described as a film based on true events, the theme follows a local Thai belief known as ‘Phi Ta Khon’, or ghosts following people. The belief is part of a tradition in northeastern Thailand, where the film is set.
Essentially, the story is about karma and how it affects people.
Low-light capabilities of Apple iPhone 13 Pro
Wongpoom filmed in low light with the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, which can record in Dolby Vision up to 4K at 60 fps. Commenting on the phone’s filmmaking capabilities, he said it’s “an experiment to show the world what we can do and to inspire future filmmakers to make their own movies.”
The phone’s camera system comes with larger sensors, such as the ƒ/1.8 aperture in the Ultra Wide camera and the ƒ/1.5 aperture, and new 1.9 μm pixels in the Wide camera. The lenses can capture more light, making it easier to shoot in the low-light conditions needed for the cinematic effect of horror movies.
“iPhone 13 Pro can capture images in low light, revealing details in that darkness. If we hid scary elements or ghosts in the shadows, we could still capture it all in excellent quality and tell the story we wanted,” Wongpoom said.
To make the experience unique, Apple plans to promote the film on a special billboard at Sathorn Unique, Bangkok’s most iconic abandoned building in the heart of the capital.
This isn’t the first time an Asian director has teamed up with Apple to make a movie on an iPhone. In February, South Korean legend Park Chan-wook released his fantasy film Life is just a dream which was shot entirely with an iPhone 13 Pro.
Those follow was released on YouTube and apple.com/th.
(Main and Featured Images: Ritthisak Wongpanngam)