Yes, 28 Years Later, directed by Danny Boyle, was filmed primarily using iPhone 15 Pro Max smartphones, making it the most expensive film to date shot on smartphones with a budget of $60–75 million. This choice echoes Boyle’s approach in 28 Days Later (2002), which used consumer-grade Canon XL-1 camcorders for a gritty, documentary-like aesthetic. For 28 Years Later, Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle employed custom rigs, including one holding up to 20 iPhones, to capture dynamic action scenes, achieving a “poor man’s bullet time” effect with 180-degree coverage. These rigs, fitted with professional cinema lenses and adapters, allowed filming in remote locations like Northumbria with a light footprint, enhancing the apocalyptic vibe.
The iPhones shot in 4K ProRes with log color profiles for post-production flexibility. Drones and Panasonic cameras were also used for specific shots, like infrared zombie sequences, but iPhones were the primary capture devices. This approach maintained the raw, visceral feel of the original while leveraging modern smartphone technology.
