China – Apple has launched Glad I Met You, its annual Shot on iPhone film celebrating Chinese New Year, directed by award-winning filmmaker Bai Xue and captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro.
The mixed-media short blends live-action storytelling with handcrafted stop-motion animation to tell the story of Lin Wei and a lost dog named Little White, who find a home in each other and rekindle Lin Wei’s spark for life.
“The most important shot in this film comes when the dog, Little White, runs toward Lin Wei. Using slow motion magnifies the emotional impact by extending the moment,” says Bai Xue.
Lead animal coordinator Hao Shuai adds, “When shooting, large devices tend to distract animals during takes, but iPhone is so small that it eliminates many of the hurdles we’d normally face.”
Cinematographer Gao Wei Zhe says, “Shooting on iPhone opened up more possibilities and broadened our imaginations. We can use 8x optical-quality zoom to focus on a character while still capturing the wider environment. The lightweight design of iPhone also enables perspectives similar to those of animals.”
The stop-motion sequences were handcrafted by creative studio BUCK and shot using the iPhone 17 Pro’s still photography capabilities.
Each character features custom internal armatures designed for thousands of micro-movements, alongside more than 20 hand-painted, interchangeable mouth expressions, animated frame by frame to match voice performances by well-known Chinese actors.
“Everything you see on screen in the stop-motion portion was built by hand, with care and love,” says Ege Soyuer, creative director at BUCK. “There’s something magical about knowing that what you see on screen actually exists in the real world, under lights, on a miniature set, moved millimetres at a time by real people.”
Beyond the film, the integrated campaign spans broadcast, digital, and social platforms, and encourages audiences to capture their own pets during Chinese New Year.
Douyin pet creator Ke Ming, who voices one of the animated characters, hosts a behind-the-scenes vlog using Dual Capture, alongside additional how-to videos and creator collaborations highlighting features such as 8x zoom and the Center Stage front camera.
The campaign was created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Shanghai, with live-action production by Shooting Gallery and stop-motion production by BUCK.
Character design for the stop-motion sequences was led by Mackinnon & Saunders, with sound by CODA Music and finishing by Heckler.