Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Fifth 'Experiments' video uses iPhone 12 Pro camera to show 'Dark Universe'

Titles for 'Experiments V: Dark Universe'

Apple has released new videos showcasing the low-light and Dolby Vision capabilities of the iPhone 12 Pro, with "Experiments V: Dark Universe" taking viewers on a light-filled visual journey.

The fifth in its "Experiments" series of videos, the fifth installment "Dark Universe" focuses on changes Apple made to the camera system in the iPhone 12 Pro. Shot by Donghoon Jun and James Thornton of Incite, the brief 1 minute and 51 second-long video takes advantage of the iPhone's ability to shoot in very dark situations and to record HDR video, to create the abstract film.

"We wanted to push the iPhone 12 Pro with its Dolby Vision and low-light recording capabilities to the limit," a quote reads alongside the video.

Shot in a portrait orientation instead of the usual landscape, the video moves from close-up shots of plasma balls and tubes to glitter in motion, soil-like material shifting around, ferrofluids, plumes of ink in water, silks in motion, and other elements, with the overall concept of seeming like other-worldly events.

Throughout, the video takes advantage of black backgrounds and colorful subjects, though not all are brightly colored. Some elements are similarly dark, counting on the capabilities of the camera to pick up finer details and darker shades.

Like other videos in the series, a behind-the-scenes video is also provided, showing how Incite shot some of the scenes. While the team relied on traditional filming techniques for some of the shots, some unusual apparatus was required in some cases.

For one shot, an iPhone was dangled over a debris-covered sheet over a piston, and was used to film the flying material. However, to get an extra shot of the camera zooming in, the team also dropped the iPhone, counting on its optical image stabilization system to steady the camera during freefall.

The previous "Experiments" video used the iPhone 11 Pro to film "Fire & Ice." The third experiment concentrated on water, the second employed a bullet-time rig and 32 iPhone XR cameras, and the first showcased the time-lapse and slow-motion capabilities of the iPhone XS.



7 Comments

JinTech 9 Years · 1061 comments

This would be have been much cooler if not shot in portrait mode.

ivanh 12 Years · 596 comments

Try taking a thumb-nail sized spider spinning a web video / photo in mild breezing wind, see if you can focus.

David H Dennis 9 Years · 68 comments

JinTech said:
This would be have been much cooler if not shot in portrait mode.

I have to agree with this.  It’s just crying for viewing on the big screen, and that means a computer, or my iPad which I have in landscape orientation.

Also, why is the video not allowing full screen viewing? It would look so much better against black than the rest of the web site.

StrangeDays 8 Years · 12986 comments

ivanh said:
Try taking a thumb-nail sized spider spinning a web video / photo in mild breezing wind, see if you can focus.

What on earth are you talking about? Is that the typical use case for our smartphone cameras now?

This video was demonstrating the ability to capture the increased color spectrum afforded by Dolby Vision. It's got 60x more color capture ability -- thus the deep, vibrant blues and pinks, which are typically more difficult for sensors to capture. 

JinTech 9 Years · 1061 comments

JinTech said:
This would be have been much cooler if not shot in portrait mode.
I have to agree with this.  It’s just crying for viewing on the big screen, and that means a computer, or my iPad which I have in landscape orientation.

Also, why is the video not allowing full screen viewing? It would look so much better against black than the rest of the web site.

Very frustrating. Apple knows this too. I know they are trying to appeal to a younger audience but come on Apple! Why show off this amazing tech only to film in portrait!?