Shot in just five days on an iPhone using only the Blackmagic Camera and practical lighting, the film earned finalist honors at the 2026 SF3 Film Festival.

With a background that spans two decades of celebrity and fashion photography before transitioning to narrative filmmaking, James Demitri set himself a deliberate creative challenge for the feature length film “Fire Alive”, an award winning new horror film shot using Blackmagic Camera App: prove that a compelling feature film could be made with a phone and the right app. 

 “Blackmagic Camera just feels like you’ve upgraded your gear to the next level,” said Demitri. “It swaps what feels like a phone to feeling like you’re using a professional camera.” 

Blackmagic Design shared the story behind the film, which we share here, as it is a good weekend or holiday read that may inspire you to pick your smartphone and try the free Blackmagic Camera app from Blackmagic Design, which is also available for Android. 

Fire Alive” follows four filmmakers as they explore whether hauntings are real, delivering an intentionally ambiguous narrative with multiple twists that leaves audiences questioning what they have witnessed. Shot primarily in a darkened, wood paneled 1970’s style basement, the film draws on Demetri’s love for the horror films of that era. 

 For Demitri, the decisive advantage of Blackmagic Camera was its ability to lock exposure controls, white balance and aperture in challenging, rapidly changing low light environments.  Shot in five days, the period the team could use the house loaned for the film Fire Alive was ready after two days in post.

Shooting on an iPhone 16 Pro Max, the filmmaker also noted that the combined pipeline of Blackmagic Camera and iPhone hardware produced cleaner, more gradable footage than some of his larger format productions, eliminating the noise and banding issues he had experienced with other cameras in low light scenarios. 

“I really want to encourage other creatives to not do something because you think you can’t,” said Demitri. “The phone and the app will do an excellent job of something you can show on the big screen. It’s a genuine tool of choice, not a fallback.” 

James Demitri has confirmed two further feature films in production for 2026, where he plans to use Blackmagic Camera and iPhone platform again. 

“The combination of the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Blackmagic Camera is mind blowingly good,” said Demitri. “I’m really looking forward to doing more with it”.