Apple Captured the Awesome Power of Nature, on iPhones, for Earth Day

A lot of environmental advertising presents the natural world as a source of endless but fragile beauty. But there is a strain of green messaging that goes completely the other way—portraying Mother Nature as infinitely more powerful than humans, and liable to strike back when provoked. (The 2014 Conservation International spot "Nature Is Speaking," narrated by Harrison Ford, is the classic example of the latter.) 

Apple struck a balance between the two poles in its Earth Day 2019 spot, which broke on Wednesday. 

There is plenty of beauty here, but also a whole lot of ferocious energy. There's as much to fear as to admire. And all of it was shot on iPhones—demonstrating's the versatility and mobility of the device to capture footage of our great planet, from the mountains to the seas. 

And the footage is remarkable indeed. And no wonder—Apple commissioned a group of filmmakers from Camp4 Collective, which made the celebrated mountain-climbing documentary Meru in 2015, to shoot the film. 

Topping things off is the soundtrack, "Last Rites" by Megadeth, which brings even more headbanging energy to the proceedings. 

Apple has certainly focused on reducing its environmental impact in recent years. It now powers all Apple facilities with 100 percent renewable energy sources, among many other initiatives. And it makes some lovely environmental ads, too, including the famous Carl Sagan-voiced spot from June 2017, released to protest the U.S.'s exit from the Paris climate accord. 

Below, check out a BTS video for "Don't Mess With Mother," in which the various filmmakers talk about the process of making the film. 

This is the second "Shot on iPhone" film Apple has released in a week, following the NHL spot starring Mitch Marner, filmed by his Toronto Maple Leafs teammate Auston Matthews.