Oscar-winning director used MacBook Pro to produce 'Moonlight'

Posted:
in General Discussion edited February 2019
In a new feature published by Apple on Wednesday, Hollywood director Barry Jenkins goes deep into how he has embraced technology like Mac to help create films after starting in a traditional film background.

Barry Jenkins
Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins embraces Apple's ecosystem to help produce his feature films including his MacBook Pro and iPad.


While he started cutting film by hand in college, Jenkins soon moved to modern techniques such as non-linear digital film editing, the Apple expos reads. Now, when working on a film, he relies not only on an ARRI Alexa camera, but also a MacBook Pro and a new iPad Pro to get the job done.

"These ARRI cameras and the Apple platform are the two things that have helped me become the maker that I am," says Jenkins.

To edit, Jenkins and his fellow collaborator Joi McMillon utilized Avid Media Composer to bring everything together on their workstation Mac Pro.

Barry Jenkins in the Behind the Mac campaign
Barry Jenkins in Apple's "Behind the Mac" campaign


Jenkins can be seen in 2018's Behind the Mac ad campaign holding his MacBook Pro with an external hard drive. He stands under an umbrella in the rain, smiling with his gear, as he exports the final cut of his award-winning film Moonlight. The Apple ad ran frequently at the end of 2018 and made an appearance during Super Bowl LIII in February.

Jenkins is currently filming an adaptation of James Baldwin's "If Beale Street Could Talk," and will soon jump to an Amazon limited series based on Coulson Whitehead's "The Underground Railroad."

Jenkins marveled at how easy it is for the younger generation of filmmakers to produce great content.

"You can kind of make any damn thing right now, whether with your phone or with a DSLR," Jenkins says. "The world is a young filmmaker's oyster."

Apple might conceivably partner with Jenkins again. In November, reports claimed the tech giant is teaming up with A24, the studio behind "Moonlight," to produce content likely destined for a video streaming service that is rumored to launch in April.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 8
    Meh. 

    Let me know when a blockbuster buster movie gets produced an a laptop. 
  • Reply 2 of 8
    ronnronn Posts: 653member
    "Jenkins is currently filming an adaptation of James Baldwin's 'If Beale Street Could Talk,' and will soon jump to an Amazon limited series based on Coulson Whitehead's 'The Underground Railroad.'"

    "If Beale Street Could Talk" was released on Christmas Day 2018. It already won a Golden Globe and has three Oscar nominations. Looking forward to "The Underground Railroad" series since it's based on Colson Whitehead's fantastic novel.

    Have a couple friends -- a visual artist and a poet/musician -- that are using the same/similar Apple tech and software for shorts in their work.
    minicoffee
  • Reply 3 of 8
    Moonlight was a waste of time. But that's just me.
  • Reply 4 of 8
    payecopayeco Posts: 581member
    The good ole’ 17” MacBook Pro. RIP.
  • Reply 5 of 8
    Meh. 

    Let me know when a blockbuster buster movie gets produced an a laptop. 
    Ah yes, because a Best Picture Oscar-winning film with amazing storytelling and craft isn’t good enough.
    ronnfastasleepMisterKit
  • Reply 6 of 8
    TrueNorth said:
    Moonlight was a waste of time. But that's just me.
    Thank god.
    ronnfastasleepminicoffee
  • Reply 7 of 8
    AppleExposedAppleExposed Posts: 1,805unconfirmed, member
    And we're supposed to be surprised?

    Almost all hit music is made on Macs and most movies are made on Macs.

    I guess the "shocker" is that he mostly used a Macbook? But the article states they returned to a Mac Pro every now and then which is very common in art creation.

    Meh. 

    Let me know when a blockbuster buster movie gets produced an a laptop. 

    Moonlight and hundreds of others are produced on a Macbook.

    Exclusively on a Macbook? Maybe some indies.
    ronn
  • Reply 8 of 8
    It’s be interesting to actually know what they did on which machine, because you go on to state they used Avid to edit on a Mac Pro. Did they edit on the MBP? Ingest footage? Just send emails? 
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