The Super Bowl is a cultural phenomenon in America, with this year’s installment boasting a record-breaking 123.7 million viewers. The biggest stage in all of music and entertainment, we set out to capture the halftime show in a way the world has never seen before—up close, intimate, and through all new angles—all shot on iPhone 15 Pro.

With USHER, the undisputed king of R&B, gracing the stage, we were challenged to create a documentary that lived up to his epic performance— a feat that couldn’t have been accomplished without the power and versatiltiy of iPhone.

The Super Bowl stands as a cultural phenomenon in America, boasting an astonishing 123.7 million viewers in its latest installment, making it the most-viewed program in US history. At its heart lies the halftime show, a spectacle where one artist commands the grandest stage in music. This year, that spotlight shone brightly on none other than Usher, heralded as the king of R&B.

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Apple Music has stepped in as the official sponsor of the Super Bowl halftime show, aiming to revolutionize the viewer experience. Our mission? To immerse music enthusiasts in an unprecedented journey behind the scenes, offering an intimate glimpse into every facet of the performance's creation, from the intense rehearsals to the electrifying final act—all captured through the lens of the iPhone 15.

The brief was ambitious: showcase the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show like we’ve never seen it before and shoot it all on iPhone.

With the iPhone 15 Pro serving as Apple’s most cinematic camera yet, we wanted to push it to its limits on music’s biggest stage, bringing a new perspective to a familiar show.

Traditionally, live performances are tailored for traditional broadcast and stadium cameras, resulting in a predictable viewing experience. However, our ambition transcended the norm. We sought to redefine live entertainment, presenting audiences with a dynamic and cinematic perspective previously unseen. We not only aimed to elevate the art of performance but also to showcase the unparalleled professional quality of the iPhone through rehearsal and live show footage.

The goal was to bring Shot on iPhone onto the world's biggest stage with an intimate, exciting, and unprecedented look at the Super Bowl Halftime show.

We wanted to highlight iPhone 15 Pro's incredible camera capabilities to new audiences by showing up on the biggest night in culture. We leveraged the power of Apple's full brand ecosystem for a 360 approach and tapped into our partnerships with Apple Music, the NFL and Usher to penetrate new audiences across social. Through capturing the emotion, scale and drama of the haltime show, we wanted to show Apple fans, football fans, and music fans alike what's possible with the phone in their pocket.

The creative idea was simple: showcase the power of the iPhone 15 Pro’s camera by capturing the Super Bowl Halftime Show from a perspective we’ve never seen before, challenging the quality and capabilities of the broadcast cameras.

With Apple believing that the iPhone is a tool that makes storytelling more accessible and dynamic than ever before, this creative insight and challenge were at the forefront of our minds while documenting Usher from rehearsals to the stage. This project was not only in service of the brand's beliefs, but also our chance to prove them to be true during the most significant moment in music.

A film entirely shot on 40+ iPhones, with over 1600 hours of footage, and all edited five days after the performance. This was the creative and production challenge of a lifetime.

The insane timeline called for meticulous planning, with each morning marked by rigorous rehearsals not just for the performers but also for our iPhones. From rigging phones onto backup dancers to mounting them onto stage equipment, every step was in service of making up for the lack of time.

This all resulted in a 10-minute documentary of USHER’s road to the Super Bowl Halftime released online and on Apple Music—a journey marred with pain, passion, and an unwavering commitment to putting on the best show of his life. The documentary also featured completely new angles that were not featured on the broadcast feed, giving viewers a new perspective of the epic show.

An incredible campaign was met by equally incredible results. We garnered over 23.5 million views across Apple and Usher channels. We also got the people talking and interacting with a grand total of 404k engagement—likes, comments, saves and shares.

The impact of the work was also impressive. We saw a 57% year-over-year increase in conversation about Apple and reached followers outside of our existing community on Instagram (61%). Not to mention, we amassed over 674k hours of total watch time—28,083 days.

The film also impacted our brand perception by showing new audiences where iPhone can go when shooting films, differentiating it from other cameras on the market.