The main message of “Snowbrawl” is obvious: the iPhone 11 Pro features a terrific movie camera. No surprise given that Apple paid for the 94-second action movie (aka commercial), which has attracted plenty of attention: 21,743,028 views as of December 2. But there’s a subtler lesson here, namely that finding stories doesn’t require exotic locations or fantastical happenings. Everyday events captured with a few simple cinematic techniques can be memorable. The secret is to go beyond video snapshots and tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It also helps to use a few cinematic techniques like those used in”Snowbrawl.” We’ve listed 18 of them following the movie.

Cinematic Techniques Used in “Snowbrawl”

Most of the following techniques are easy to manage. Of course, you don’t need to use them all. Incorporating just a few will add appeal to almost any movie. The numbers refer to when the technique is used. For example: 0:00 is at the beginning of the movie. 0:05 is five seconds in. If you spot other examples of cinematic storytelling in “Snowbrawl,” we hope you’ll share  your observations in the comments section.

0:00 CLEVER TITLE (“Snowbrawl”): If it’s unique—never used by anyone—so much the better.

0:00 ESTABLISHING SHOT: This one gives a bird’s-eye view, but any shot that introduces the story with a strong visual will do.

0:00 BOLD SOUND CUE: it could be a musical element, a natural sound (the wind, an animal cry), or a person saying something dramatic (“What am I doing here?”)

0:03 BIG OPENING ACTION The snowball striking the snowman.

0:05 FRAME WITHIN A FRAME: The poles enclosing the boy with the snowball.

0:05 LOW ANGLE SHOT : The ordinary way to shoot people is head-on, but angling the camera upward often adds visual interest. All that’s required is crouching down.

0:05 PUSH-IN SHOT: Camera movement—if smooth—can add excitement. In this push-in example, while the camera approaches the subject, the subject—the boy with the snowball—simultaneously moves toward the camera, doubling the visual impact.

0:06 SLOW MOTION: Although the shot of the girl running is very short, the moment of slow motion adds significance to the action.

0:13  HEAD ACTING: One of the most effective acting moves is turning the head and looking at something off camera. This is something that even novices can effectively carry out.

0:14 PROP:  Just as things are important in everyday life, things—like the toy bear here and the warrior sled (0:27)— play essential roles in movies.

0:19 SOUND EFFECTS: Sounds recorded during the shoot may not be clear. Luckily, it’s easy in post-production (editing) to insert recorded sounds (“foley”) such as  the exaggerated (but entertaining) clang of the snowballs hitting the metal disk.

0:23 COSTUMING: While we might think of costumes as relating to the entire body, sometimes a single element—like the goggles—makes a performance stand out.

0:32 POV: A classic bit of filmmaking is to show a character (or group of characters) engaged in an activity and then cut to what the character or characters are seeing—their point of view (POV).

0:33 DUBBING: Like natural sounds (foley), dialogue—such as the sledder’s cry— can be enhanced in the post.

0:49 WORM’S-EYE VIEW: This is similar to the low-angle shot in that the camera is close to the ground, but instead of angling up, the camera is shooting straight ahead.

0:52 HIGH-ANGLE SHOT: Looking down on the action is almost always thrilling. It can be achieved in a variety of ways, by shooting from a ladder, an upper-floor window, a crane, or a drone. What’s unusual about this example (following the descent of the snowball) is how short the shot is. It’s less than a second, yet effective.

0:52 MATCH CUT:  We first watch from above as the snowball falls, and then—from a heads on position— see it end up in the girl’s hand. If the editing is done carefully—when the two shots match—the action seems continuous.

1:11 SURPRISE ENDING: The ending—whether happy or sad—will be more effective if the audience doesn’t see it coming. It’s a bit like a football quarterback faking a run play and then throwing a touchdown pass. Here, the girl combatant puts on a frightened expression reinforced with a scream, sending viewers off in one emotional direction, which sets up the unexpected climax—a true reversal of fortune.

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For more about “Snowbrawl,” take a look at the “making of ” video.

The editors of MobileMovieMaking have chosen “Snowbrawl” at the Mobile Movie of the Week.