So now that 2015 is coming to a close soon and it sure has been an interesting year in film (and otherwise!). This might be a redundant statement because really, when are things not interesting in the film world? Notwithstanding that, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop to reflect upon the films of 2015.
To me, one of the coolest things that happened this year is that a small film called Tangerine [2015] was unleashed onto the world. Produced by the Duplass brothers and directed by Sean Baker, this is a movie that I place firmly in the ‘win’ column. Equipped with 3 iPhones, an anamorphic adaptor, a small stabilizer and some apps to account for frame rates and colour correction, Baker and a small team filmed and assembled Tangerine. Hark! Before you panic, it looks nothing like those baby videos that your friend keeps on posting on her social media. In fact, Tangerine exudes production value; and, in this video essay, I discuss some noteworthy aspects of its cinematography.