Cinematic iPhone XR video shows intimate side of NYC

Andy To is a rising creative with a poetic touch to video and quickly becoming a name to know.

His name is now on the mind of Apple CEO Tim Cook, who gave the young filmmaker a shoutout on Twitter for a short on life in New York City captured all on the iPhone XR.

With emoji of a heart and the Statue of Liberty, Cook tweeted, “Love this remarkable #shotoniPhone video of NYC’s unstoppable energy. The brilliant @andyyto shows us some of the best of what iPhone XR can do.”

Andy To iPhone XR, the backstory

To see the fast-moving clips of New York City life is to glimpse into the heart of To as he drinks in the surroundings of his new home. To moves through the city like a wide-eyed child who appreciates his gifts and works to get an audience to feel what he feels.

The short runs 3:39 and will stir viewers to see more from the young man who grew up in a hard-scrabbled Oakland neighborhood born to parents rescued by the Hong Kong coast guard as they fled war-torn Vietnam.

To offers the backstory on his website and a 2018 recap video on his YouTube channel, below, celebrates his move to New York City and his first full year as a freelance filmmaker and photographer.

“The camera gave me a new voice,” To writes. “It changed my life and allowed me to tell my story… At the end of the day, the reason why I create is because it has given me a gateway from my problems when I was a kid.

“When I am creating, everything around me is bliss.”

The New York video is the sixth in a series of travel shorts he made with an iPhone. Some of his other stops include Chicago, San Francisco, and Taiwan.

He has a growing body of corporate commercials and his energy for work extends into podcasting, wedding photography and as a social media influencer.