Diwali has always been a festival of color, light, and human connection. This year, Apple's latest Shot on iPhone film reimagined that energy through a breathtaking new lens—literally. The viral Diwali reel, filmed entirely on the iPhone 17 Pro Max, brings India's cherished tradition of rangoli to life as a vibrant, moving artwork.
The concept was developed and executed by howareyoufeeling.studio, a Mumbai-based multidisciplinary duo known for transforming emotion into immersive visual experiences. Through dance, fabric, and color, they transformed the floor art of rangoli into a dynamic installation that moves, flows, and evolves—celebrating Diwali not just as a festival, but as an expression of collective joy.
"We wanted to translate the emotion behind making a rangoli—the patience, the rhythm, the sense of togetherness—into something fluid and cinematic," said Neil Ghose Balser, one half of the creative duo. "The iPhone 17 Pro let us frame both the intimacy of a gesture and the scale of celebration this concept warranted."
Art of seeing emotion
Set against a palette inspired by traditional rangoli powders—deep magenta, turmeric yellow, indigo, and emerald—the reel captures dancers swirling in fabrics that mimic the patterns of colored sand. Each movement reveals a new layer of design, blending performance art with optical illusion.
Behind the scenes, the simplicity of the iPhone setup allowed the team to shoot seamlessly across locations and lighting conditions without bulky rigs or extended downtime. For Himanshu Lakhwani, the Director of Photography, the iPhone's versatility changed the way they worked:
"Having a camera that can do it all—shoot with 8x optical-quality zoom, record Dual Capture video, and automatically adjust to include everyone in frame—made this shoot incredibly fluid. We're talking about one device that replaced an entire kit," Lakhwani said.
The iPhone 17 Pro Max camera system is Apple's most advanced yet—boasting three 48MP Fusion cameras and a new 48MP telephoto lens with a next-gen tetraprism design. It offers up to 8x optical zoom, letting creators shift from wide celebration shots to intimate, emotional close-ups without losing clarity or color accuracy.
The new Center Stage front camera, with its wider field of view and 18MP resolution, helped the team capture both performers and behind-the-scenes moments. AI-driven framing automatically adjusted the composition to include multiple crew members or dancers in motion—perfect for a shoot that was as spontaneous as it was choreographed.
Even under shifting festival lights and fireworks, the Photonic Engine ensured skin tones, textiles, and colors stayed true, natural, and cinematic. Combined with 4K HDR recording, ProRes Log, and ProRes RAW support, the resulting footage looked like it came off a professional cinema camera—except this one fit in a pocket.
For the creative duo, the project was as much about emotion as it was about innovation.
"Diwali is about sharing light—through art, gesture, or emotion," said Balser. "This reel was our way of expressing that energy in motion."
