The Ultimate Filmmaker Challenge is a 7-day film race created by New Yorkers Yaron Urbas and Frances Lozada. The goal is to move people from talking about making films to actually making them.

To emphasize the fact that filmmaking doesn’t require fancy  equipment, the Challenge’s founders decided to shoot their movies with limited  equipment. When Urbas suggested that Jabari Clarke-Pennegan serve as his director of photography using an iPhone, Jabari was skeptical. “I have a very nice camera that shoots full HD,” he said, “and I love using it, so the thought of putting it aside to shoot on my phone worried me.” Nevertheless, the challenge intrigued him.

“I figured I wouldn’t be able to hand hold the iPhone for the entire film. As a substitute for a tripod, I took two shock mount rubber bands and attached the iPhone to a boom pole.”  This made possible a bird’s-eye perspective, while also keeping the phone steady.

 

The director Urbas had a separate sound recording device, but couldn’t get it to function, so they ended up using sound directly from the phone

The zombie makeup was done by Anthony DiFolco, whose work can be seen at http://www.basicallymakeupny.com/

“What I learned the most from working on this film,” says Jabari, “is that my equipment doesn’t define me, I define my equipment. If you learn and understand the fundamental rules of filmmaking, then a lack of resources cannot stop you. The only resource you really need is your creativity.”