Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor Admits It’s ‘Quite Difficult’ Going Back To Traditional Movie Sets After Shooting The Spy Thriller Inheritance On An iPhone

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In Neil Burger’s (known for “Divergent” and “The Illusionist”) latest film, “Inheritance”, there was quite a buzz when it was revealed that he filmed his worldwide journey using an iPhone camera, specifically the iPhone 13. Now that the movie has hit theaters in 2025, you can judge for yourself the impact of this choice. To me, the handheld nature of the compact yet powerful iPhone 13 camera seemed to draw viewers further into the enigma surrounding Maya (Phoebe Dynevor from “Bridgerton”), who is attempting to save her father (Rhys Ifans) after he was abducted. However, for Phoebe Dynevor, this innovative approach led to some unanticipated challenges post-production.

In the film “Inheritance“, released in theaters on January 24, Neil Burger and his team adopt an unconventional style of filmmaking known as guerrilla-style, where they shoot scenes at any convenient location. For instance, while Maya is traveling between cities, Burger films Phoebe Dynevor engaged in a conversation from her airplane seat. The movie features scenes shot in hotels, restaurants, and even during a motorbike chase through the bustling streets of Delhi, using the traffic to enhance the character’s experience.

However, you may be aware that movie production often involves more than just the action you see on screen. Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of waiting as directors, cinematographers, set designers, makeup artists, and others work diligently to achieve the perfect shot. During an interview with Phoebe Dynevor about returning to traditional filming after her role in Inheritance, she discussed this transition with TopMob.

Absolutely, it was quite challenging transitioning from Inheritance to my next film. The pace on Inheritance was relentless; we were constantly on-the-go, shooting in hotels and airports whenever possible, even on long flights. There wasn’t much downtime at all. Conversely, the typical movie set experience involves a lot of waiting around, especially during setup times. So, it was definitely a change of pace, to say the least.

It appears that Dynevor’s upcoming movie following Inheritance is rumored to be titled Famous, an intriguing thriller she’s collaborating on with Zac Efron for A24. However, we need to wait a little longer to gather more information about this film.

One issue I often encounter when shooting videos with an iPhone is maintaining sharp focus, especially during movements like panning or scanning similar to Neil Burger’s technique in Inheritance. Light can cause the lens to change focus, resulting in blurry images, which is something that never seems to occur in this movie. When I inquired about it with the director, he shared that…

Jackson Hunt, the operator, cameraman, and director of photography, showcases an exceptional level of skill. Remarkably, he adjusts the focus of the image on-screen while simultaneously controlling the phone. Our software for capturing images was sophisticated, offering numerous features. Yet, Jackson opted against using stabilization or similar tools. Instead, he held the iPhone much like you or I would hold a camera.

It’s been suggested that as smartphones continue to evolve, they could make filmmaking accessible to a wider audience, allowing people to produce films similar to “Inheritance” with sufficient travel funds. I share Phoebe Dynevor’s viewpoint. If technology streamlines the production process, making storytelling faster, it’s likely that many skilled professionals would support this technology, resulting in more movies being released in cinemas.

Look for Inheritance, playing at a movie near you.

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2025-01-25 00:07