Director Bai Xue + TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai Bring Pets to Life in Apple’s Chinese New Year film
For Chinese New Year, Apple has unveiled Glad I Met You, the latest instalment of its annual Shot on iPhone campaign. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Bai Xue and created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai, the film blends live-action and stop-motion animation, captured entirely on iPhone 17 Pro. It follows Lin Wei and a lost dog, Little White, through a series of funny and heartwarming encounters, as they find a home in each other and Lin Wei rediscovers his spark for life.
The film also showcases the iPhone 17 Pro’s advanced camera system, using features including 8x optical-quality zoom, 48MP Telephoto and Ultra Wide lenses, 4K 120fps slow motion, Cinematic and Action modes, and enhanced low-light performance to capture both the energy of Chinese New Year and more intimate moments.
Bai Xue said: “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.”
Lead animal coordinator, Hao Shuai, added: “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.”
“Shooting on iPhone opened up more possibilities and broadened our imaginations,” says cinematographer Gao Wei Zhe. “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.”
Beyond live action, the stop-motion spotlights the precision of still photography captured with iPhone 17 Pro – its ability to capture all the amazing details of the puppets, sets, and props that were handcrafted by BUCK. Through stop-motion, the film brings out the inner voices of Lin Wei and Little White, and shines a light on the unspoken human–animal bond rarely understood beyond animal lovers.
Each character was built with custom internal armatures engineered to withstand thousands of micro-movements, while over 20 unique mouth expressions per character were 3D printed, hand-painted, and swapped frame-by-frame to match voice performances by well-known Chinese actors. These sequences demonstrate the precision of the 48MP rear camera system on iPhone, revealing intricate details of handcrafted textures and fabrics.
“Everything you see on screen in the stop-motion portion was built by hand, with care and love,” said 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 millimeters at a time by real people.”
Beyond the film, the campaign encourages users to capture their own pets during Chinese New Year. Popular Douyin pet content creator Ke Ming—who voices one of the animated characters in the film—hosts an interview-style behind-the-scenes vlog. Using Dual Capture, he simultaneously films himself and the set while speaking with the production team about the filmmaking process. Two how-to videos and creator collaborations further demonstrate features such as 8x zoom and the Center Stage front camera.
The integrated campaign spans broadcast, digital, and social platforms. The heartwarming Shot on iPhone story evokes appreciation for the positive impact animals have on society.
Credits
Brand: Apple
Creative Agency: TBWA\Media Arts Lab, Shanghai
Production Company (Live-Action): Shooting Gallery
Production Company (Stop-Motion): BUCK
Character Design (Stop-Motion): Mackinnon & Saunders
Sound: CODA Music
Finishing: Heckler
Main Film
Director: Bai Xue
Main Film DOP: Gao Weizhe
Main Film Director of Animal: Hao Shuai
Main Film Editor: Qiao Lin / Yuqing
Main Film Music Gao Xiaoyang / Varqa
BTS
Director: Jason Kahgiap
Producer: Areta Mak
Camera Operator: Huang Hai Bo / Liang Jun / Sura Tian
Camera Assistant: Fan Fei
BTS Editor: Kang Kang
