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Apple's tribute to the Mac, shot with the iPhone 5s

Apple

Now this is impressive. Apple has released a video tribute to the Macintosh that was shot entirely with iPhones.

The "1.24.14" video features footage shot on January 24, 2014, exactly 30 years after the Mac's debut. Apple sent 15 camera crews across the world to capture Apple products in action. The crews shot more than 70 hours of footage with the iPhone 5s, mostly unaided (some shots used "additional equipment" and apps other than the default Camera app). That footage was then edited and scored with original music on the Mac. A little over a week later, it's ready for viewing.

As Apple notes, "Thanks to the power of the Mac and the innovations it has inspired, an effort that normally takes months was accomplished in a matter of days."

Director Jake Scott -- son of Ridley, who directed the original "1984" Mac ad and who collaborated on this project -- wrangled a team of 15 cinematographers toting 100 iPhones in locations around the globe. Using FaceTime, he was able to remotely direct the shots live in the Los Angeles command center while the footage was being collected. Although all the shooting was done on January 24, the advancing time zone clock meant that the actual live cinematography ran for 36 hours.

After the field day, 21 editors worked furiously to put the final piece together. Although the cinematographers originally planned to use pro camera gear, the results of the iPhone 5s test footage were so compelling that the project moved over to a full-iPhone camera approach.

Happy birthday, Mac. Here's to 30 more years!