Behind the Scenes of Apple's Latest Film "Berlengas Island Cup 2018"

“This was one of the most challenging projects that we’ve ever done and it exceeded our expectations by far…” - Pedro Patrocinio

About the film

It’s a beautiful story about two diehard soccer teams going head to head off of the Berlengas islands near the Atlantic coast of Portugal, seven miles from the mainland. Check out the film below: 

Origin of the story

While approaching this project, our research led us to the sea - the true habitat of Portugal and a natural extension of its territory. We soon discovered two communities that live near the Atlantic Ocean: Baleal and Peniche. These two communities happen to share a passion for football that goes back all the way to the late 1940´s.

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

We kept digging and found out a number of books that contain documents from the 20th century involving the rivalry of these two football teams. We found pictures of matches between the two teams that date back to the 1970s and, guess what? The players in those teams are still alive today! We were thrilled to come across this story and to have a chance to witness the 21st century match between Baleal´s surfers and Peniche’s fishermen.

“That’s when we realized that this story needed to be told in first person: through the eyes of the characters and their grandsons [who are now the players].” - Pedro Patrocinio

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

The location

Since both teams refuse to play this match in each other’s territory, they picked an ideal, neutral location - the Berlengas Island in the Atlantic coast of Portugal, located 7 miles from the mainland, a small, 244 acre nearly deserted island at N 39° 24’, W 09° 30’.

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

“They might look like small non-professional teams, but they embody the passion in the sport and carry the drive of true champions. ” - Pedro Patrocinio

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

The winners were not just going to be hailed as "the best in the field," but also the "bravest at sea." Berlengas island is the perfect setting, the perfect stage, and the perfect field.

Gear

This was one of the most challenging projects that we’ve ever done, and it exceeded our expectations by far. Using the Beastgrip Pro and DOF Adapter MK2 gave us a much more cinematic look, which work great in harmony with the iPhones.

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

This film needed beautiful landscapes that were part of the narrative and after several tests, we decided that we’d film everything involving characters with the DOF Adapter MK2 and the Beastgrip Pro rig to handle the camera better in the ocean. 

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

Challenges

It’s amazing how easy it is to shoot with the DOF Adapter MK2, but with the intense turbulence in the water it became easy to make focusing errors. We also had some ghosting on the image when we used our Zeiss Compact Prime CP.2 lenses, but we're extremely happy with the final result, and are excited to help push the mobile community forward with projects like this.

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio) 

Credits

This film was commissioned for Apple, produced by Bro Cinema with the American and British production company Object & Animal, and created by Pedro Patrocinio and André Braz, who acted as both Directors and Directors of Photography.

Photo credit - Leonor Patrocinio Alves (@leonorpatrocinio)

Follow them on Instagram at @pedropatrociniodop, @fariabraz, @brocinema and @apple. BG