iPhone 15 Pro principal camera on 28 Years Later Zombie flick - Danny Boyle / Anthony Dod Mantle

[Andrew Reid]

Going for today's small chip low-fi digital look, just as they did with the original 28 Days Later in the 90s.

https://www.wired.com/story/28-years-later-danny-boyles-new-zombie-flick-was-shot-on-an-iphone-15/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/28_Years_Later

https://theasc.com/magazine/july03/sub/index.html

But then... what's with the huge cine lenses on the front?

[sanveer]

"However, Danny Boyle’s forthcoming zombie flick, 28 Years Later, was shot over the summer with a bunch of adapted iPhone 15s, WIRED has learned, making the Hollywood thriller, with its budget of $75 million, the biggest movie to date filmed with smartphones."

 

This is apart from the Insane Lenses Attached to the Camera, big budget additional gear, God knows what else etc.

 

Tangerine was a film actually shot on an iPhone woth attached lenses. But genuinely shot on it, with minimum extras. 

 

This Danny Boyle film saying it's shot on an iPhone is just so ... dishonest

[Alpicat]

Does seem a bit pointless sticking such a large lens on a phone. Wonder if they used the Blackmagic camera app or the stock app on this. I've noticed no one is discussing that the iPhone 15 Pro can now shoot raw video like Android phones already do. It's only up to 1080p (2.5k and 4k are expected soon - probably on the iPhone 16), but unlike on Android phones, no transcoding is needed as the app records CDNG directly. 

Here's a video I did shooting in 1080p 14-bit CDNG - the crop is heavy and the app needs work but was interesting to try this out. Reminds me of the original BMPCC in a way. Once they sort out the 4k recording let's see if anyone will use this to make a film

 

[ND64]

Sure Travis Pastrana can do amazing job with 1983 Subaru GL Wagon. Sure its anything but a 1983 Subaru GL Wagon.

 

[eatstoomuchjam]

iPhone filmmaking has made DOF adapters a thing again!  I was just curious about this the other day and looked into it - Beastgrip seems to be the only company currently making them and they are sold out now.  It's sort of a weird niche - use the phone as a super portable recording device...  but then lose that portability by throwing on big cinema glass.

[SRV1981]

8 hours ago, eatstoomuchjam said:

iPhone filmmaking has made DOF adapters a thing again!  I was just curious about this the other day and looked into it - Beastgrip seems to be the only company currently making them and they are sold out now.  It's sort of a weird niche - use the phone as a super portable recording device...  but then lose that portability by throwing on big cinema glass.

I may check beastgrip - I’m looking for an ND filter for the iPhone 16 but easy to use. 

[eatstoomuchjam]

I just ordered a couple of fairly inexpensive magsafe filter holders as well as the Angelbird magsafe CF adapter.  At least one of the filter holders claims to be stackable so we'll see how it all works out.

[IronFilm]

22 hours ago, sanveer said:

This is apart from the Insane Lenses Attached to the Camera, big budget additional gear, God knows what else etc.

Labour still costs the same, no matter if you're shooting on an iPhone or an ARRI 35

22 hours ago, sanveer said:

Tangerine was a film actually shot on an iPhone woth attached lenses. But genuinely shot on it, with minimum extras. 

The Sound Dept for Tangerine was still using US$60K-ish or more of sound equipment, as you might expect on a low budget feature film. 

 

[sanveer]

11 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Labour still costs the same, no matter if you're shooting on an iPhone or an ARRI 35

The Sound Dept for Tangerine was still using US$60K-ish or more of sound equipment, as you might expect on a low budget feature film. 

 

Tangerine Budget = $100,000

This film's budget =   $75,000,000

That is 750 TIMES the Budget 

 

Are we really comparing budgets here 

 

[majoraxis]

 

[Clark Nikolai]

I look at this and get the impression that the only reason to use iPhones instead of "real" cameras is as a marketing gimmick. iPhones are capable of good quality and all that but ergonomically, they're awkward to use. If this film was shooting with an Arri Alexa for example, I wouldn't even know about it, but I do know about it. Doing something different is a way to stand out. It'll be interesting to see the results.

I hope I don't sound negative or anything. I think it's great that there are high quality devices in most people's pockets now. The hippy era dream of video technology democratizing media production has now happened. Most are using it for unimportant things but some are using it to communicate their lives to others and be part of the world of media. In the past many types people weren't allowed in to the world of media. That's over.

[Andrew Reid]

It is crazy that they'd use a DOF adapter on a high-end production like this.

The ground glass doesn't work very well and introduces all sorts of softness and corner blur.

If that is the look they are going for, why the fuck are they using 50k ARRI primes?

I can only assume it might be a specially modified iPhone from Apple with an interchangeable PL mount for modern Super 16mm lenses.

[MrSMW]

16 hours ago, Clark Nikolai said:

I look at this and get the impression that the only reason to use iPhones instead of "real" cameras is as a marketing gimmick.

100%, what else could it be?

”Yes, we looked around for the best cameras we could find regardless of budget and the clear winner was the Apple iPhone 15 (Pro) because, you know, well it’s just the best camera out there right now”.

Just because you can, does not mean you should.

But then at the same time, it’s kind of fun. Didn’t Soderbergh do a film a few years back on just his iPhone he whipped out of his back pocket? I seem to remember seeing posters all over the Paris Metro…

Just as long as the average person doesn’t believe it’s all about the phone!

But then, what is the harm if they did?

Anyway, I’m going all in on FX3’s because you know, ‘The Creator’…

[eatstoomuchjam]

12 hours ago, Andrew Reid said:

I can only assume it might be a specially modified iPhone from Apple with an interchangeable PL mount for modern Super 16mm lenses.

That's not out of the question - or that Apple had nothing to do with it and they just ground off the lenses for the 24mm.  Though for whatever it's worth, the cage that the phone is in really looks like a Beast Grip cage.  It's a popular cage regardless of DOF adapter, though - and IIRC the DOF adapter is EF mount, not PL.

I also wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple weren't throwing some money at the production for them to use iPhone to film it - so that they can later say "look what you can make with an iPhone!"

[IronFilm]

On 9/23/2024 at 10:39 AM, sanveer said:

Tangerine Budget = $100,000

yup, my point was that Tangerine still cost a decent chunk of change

And that:

On 9/23/2024 at 10:39 AM, sanveer said:

This film's budget =   $75,000,000

Simply eliminating the camera & lenses rental costs from an AAA budget level (welll... more like an AA or even A budget level) production does very little to the overall cost of it. 

[eatstoomuchjam]

Why limit yourself to cinema lenses?

Now you can also use this cage to make sure your phone is powered by v mount and has an external screen and shotgun mic!  You can finally realize the dream of having a cinema camera in your pocket...  just as long as you don't mind a heavy backpack full of accessories.

https://petapixel.com/2024/09/26/moments-smartphone-supercage-has-integrated-power-mic-headphone-jacks-and-more/

[Andrew Reid]

On 9/24/2024 at 11:44 AM, eatstoomuchjam said:

I also wouldn't be at all surprised if Apple weren't throwing some money at the production for them to use iPhone to film it - so that they can later say "look what you can make with an iPhone!"

They must be involved in some way!

Hopefully they'll be honest enough to admit that it wasn't entirely a "creative choice"?