Ad Review: Apple’s ‘Glad I Met You’ - a 12-min cinematic gem in the Shot on iPhone series

In an era where smartphone cinematography has become table stakes, Apple continues to push boundaries with its Chinese New Year film. ‘Glad I Met You’, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Bai Xue and created by TBWA\Media Arts Lab Shanghai, stands out not just for its emotional depth but for its audacious claim: the entire 12-minute short was captured exclusively on the iPhone 17 Pro.

Released on 30 January, this isn’t your typical 60-second product spot. It’s a self-contained short film that feels like a heartfelt indie drama, blending live-action intimacy with whimsical stop-motion to deliver a tale of loneliness, companionship, and rediscovered family during the Lunar New Year festivities.

At its core, the ad film follows Lin Wei, a young urban office worker whose life in the bustling city has settled into quiet repetition. Spending the holiday season alone amid glowing lanterns and festive preparations, she encounters a stray dog she names Little White. What begins as chance meetings evolves into something profound through small, understated moments of connection.

The talking dog (brought to life through stop-motion) embarks on an elaborate, cleverly orchestrated plan that gently nudges Lin Wei toward courage, confidence, and an emotional sense of home. No grand romantic gestures or explosive resolutions here; instead, the narrative lingers on quiet pauses, shared glances, and the transformative power of unexpected companionship. An extended closing sequence features real pet owners sharing their stories, grounding the fantasy in authentic, tear-jerking reality and subtly championing pet adoption.

Bai Xue’s direction elevates the material into something luminous. Lantern-lit streets glow in rich amber hues, interiors feel lived-in and warm, and the colour motif underscores themes of harmony and renewal central to the Chinese New Year. The storyline reimagines ‘home’ beyond blood ties or physical spaces; here, home finds us through a furry, four-legged companion when we least expect it.

What makes the short film creatively masterful is its seamless fusion of styles. Live-action sequences, handled by production company Shooting Gallery with DOP Gao Weizhe, capture the gritty poetry of city life with a documentary-like tenderness. These transition fluidly into handcrafted stop-motion crafted by BUCK, with character design by Mackinnon & Saunders.

The talking dog isn’t CGI slickness; it’s practical puppetry, frame-by-frame animation that gives Little White expressive eyes, quirky mannerisms, and a voice that feels delightfully alive. This blend isn’t gimmicky as it serves the story. Stop-motion injects whimsy and imagination into the girl’s internal world, visualizing the meticulously thought-out scheme as playful, almost childlike ingenuity, while live-action anchors the emotional realism. The result is a visual language that shifts scale effortlessly: from sweeping urban vistas to microscopic details of a dog’s paw or a lantern’s flicker.

Cinematographically, the iPhone 17 Pro disappears into the craft. Apple’s engineers and crew rigged the device for both traditional shooting and the demanding rigors of stop-motion: close-focus work, intricate lighting setups, and frame-accurate consistency.

Features like the 8x optical zoom allow dynamic perspective shifts without bulky equipment, while the Centre Stage front camera maintains perfect framing in dialogue-heavy scenes. Low-light performance shines in night-time lantern parades, delivering cinematic depth and color accuracy that rivals professional rigs.

A companion ‘Backstage with Ke Ming’ video reveals the ingenuity: iPhones mounted on custom rigs for stop-motion tables, crew managing exposure between puppet adjustments, and seamless stitching of the two worlds. Practical effects dominate, devoid of heavy VFX crutches, proving the iPhone 17 Pro’s ProRes, computational photography, and stabilization can handle a feature-length narrative’s complexity.

This hybrid approach isn’t just technically impressive; it’s thematically resonant. The stop-motion dog represents the spark of imagination that breaks routine loneliness, while live-action grounds it in relatable humanity. Editor Qiao Lin/Yuqing maintains a deliberate pace, lingering shots on faces, and atmospheric pauses that let viewers breathe with the characters. Music by Gao Xiaoyang/Varqa adds subtle emotional swells without overpowering the quiet uplift.

‘Glad I Met You’ has already earned top honours at the inaugural ONE Asia Chinese New Year Awards, selected from a competitive shortlist by industry leaders. It cements Apple’s evolution from ‘Shot on iPhone’ proof-of-concept videos to genuine cinematic events. At 12 minutes, it demands and rewards your full attention, far removed from interruptive ads. Viewers emerge not thinking about megapixels or chip speeds, but about the stray dog they might notice next time, or the small connections that make us feel less alone.

In an industry chasing spectacle, Apple’s quiet confidence shines. By entrusting a profound story to a pocket-sized device and visionary talent like Bai Xue, ‘Glad I Met You’ doesn’t just showcase the iPhone 17 Pro, it reminds us why we tell stories at all: to find family, wherever it finds us. This is smartphone filmmaking at its most poetic, proving that the most powerful tool isn’t the gear in your hand, but the heart behind the lens.