Tanner Beard, a versatile filmmaker with a career marked by innovative projects, presents his latest creation: “Egypte 4: Double Agenda,” a short, irreverent series that blends humor, action, and spy thriller elements. With script, direction, production, and acting all signed by Beard, the production was shot entirely on an iPhone 15 in ten different countries over the course of two years, highlighting the artist’s talent for creating cinematic experiences in an accessible and surprising way.
You initially created Egypte 4: Double Agenda as a simple experiment to test the iPhone 15, but it ended up evolving into a 6-episode series. What sparked your desire to turn this casual test into such an ambitious global project?
It truly turned into an ambitious global project, but after we had gotten back from Egypt I just thought the stuff we shot was so fun and was shooting a movie in Bangkok last year and just thought ah wouldn’t be fun to link this to all the stuff we shot while on vacation so on my days off my friend Paul Khoury and I went and added a scene to try and tie more of the story together. And that kinda just kept happening.
Working with a cast of close friends and filming in 10 different countries, what was it like to coordinate the logistics and creativity of such a diverse project?
We’ll we were a little self absorbed with it once we got to having so much fun and the places we were traveling around to were so cool but the logistics were just “what can we get away with” and while on vacation in Canada i gotta give a should out to my love Rachel Zimmerman because myself and Alix who came with us just kept shooting crazy scene while we were on snowmobiles or site seeing or dog sledding, and she was just like “what are you idiots doing” but when she saw the series she was like, ok this is pretty funny.
The series combines elements of humor, action, and suspense, reminiscent of Saturday Night Live’s style. How did you manage to balance these layers and ensure the series was engaging from start to finish?
Thanks, Russ – I could just kinda say the same about working with Russell, he’s such a good actor and so good at improv, after working together for so long we know what the end result will look like so we don’t mind humiliating ourselves in public haha.
Egypte 4: Double Agenda was filmed entirely with an iPhone 15. What impact do you think this choice had on how the series was produced and perceived by the audience?
For me as a filmmaker I think story wins all no matter what you’re capturing it on but with that said I was so impressed with the cinematic mode, especially with lots of light and of course it’s ability to move very fast and achieve shots in tight places, or with it’s built in image stabilizer, give the effect of steady cam and sometimes even dolly or jib shots.
Throughout your career, you’ve stood out by bringing fun and originality to your projects. In what way does this new series reflect your artistic evolution, and what can we expect from you in the future?
Well thanks, and if there is an artistic evolution mine would have to be going back to roots – I’ve been making little mini movies since my parents let me use their 1989 VHS camcorder when I was about in 4th grade in 1994 or so. I think I’m just doing what I did then with a little bit more know how but it’s always fun to me, it’s everything to make feature films but they’re years in the making. Always nice to sharpen your blade when you can and that’s why i think we did EGYPTE, I have about 6 movies and acted in some great TV series in the last couple years but all of them are still coming out.
With a production spanning 10 countries and various cultures, what did you learn personally and professionally by leading this project? And how has it changed your perspective on the creative industry?
I learned what a dream it is to get to travel for work and also there were some vacations there too but making movies has allowed me to see the world and there is not much else cooler than that. Also I think the industry changes rapidly and we’ll try to evolve but one thing that stays the same is telling stories with your friends remains to be the greatest dream to continue to pursue.
Filming in 10 countries and working with a group of close friends must have created memorable moments. What was the most fun or striking experience during the shoot?
I enjoyed Canada with Rachel, she was pregnant with our newly born daughter Harley and that was our baby moon as they call it – so that was a special time but i can always look back at this series and remember that.
Follow Tanner Beard on Instagram