If you follow filmmaking - or mobile filmmaking for that matter (is there even a difference today?) - then you probably heard that Danny Boyle's upcoming $75MM zombie film "28 Years Later" was shot on an iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Yep, you read that right. A $75MM Hollywood movie was shot on an iPhone.
It sounds pretty crazy until you remember that the original 2002 film "28 Days Later" was shot on standard definition video using a prosumer Canon XL1. For those who don't remember or aren't technical that's SD 720x480 video. Today we shoot 4K UHD 3840x2160 video on phones.
Not only was the resolution low, but the camera quality - while pretty good at the time - is nowhere near as good as an iPhone today.
So Boyle is a risk taker and likes to experiment, and so when you consider that it makes a bit more sense with this project. Sort of.
Check out this video below where I breakdown the trailer and talk about why I think he shot on iPhone and also how I don't think most general audiences will ever know...
And in that video I mention a previous video I made (embedded below) when I first learned about this movie being shot on iPhone. In it I ponder whether or not shooting a feature film on a phone is a good idea or not (spoiler alert: I'm still torn about it for a feature-length project)...
Now of course there have been numerous feature films shot on iPhones from Sean Baker's "Tangerine" to Steven Soderbergh's "High Flying Bird" and many even smaller and lesser known indies, too.
BUT, there has never been a large-scale $75MM Hollywood film shot this way and so that definitely sets it apart.
And when you think about it, while Danny Boyle is definitely a risk taker, you really have to give credit to the studio execs who signed off on shooting this movie on a consumer grade video camera (albeit one that looks amazingly good). That's a pretty risky decision especially in an overwhelmingly risk-averse studio system today.
What do you think? Would you shoot a feature film on an iPhone? Let me know in the comments below or hit me up on YouTube.
Happy (mobile) filmmaking!
-BC
P.S. Considering making your own iPhone shot film? Check out my various mobile filmmaking courses.
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