As a seasoned cinephile with over three decades of movie-watching under my belt, I must say I’m thoroughly intrigued by the unconventional approach taken by Danny Boyle and his team for 28 Years Later. The decision to film this highly anticipated sequel using an iPhone is, in a word, revolutionary. It harks back to the groundbreaking digital camcorder experiment of 28 Days Later, which left an indelible mark on my cinematic consciousness.
28 Years Later, the much-awaited follow-up to the groundbreaking zombie movie, 28 Days Later, is set to follow in its footsteps by utilizing an unconventional filming method. Back in 2002, Danny Boyle’s influential zombie film featuring Cillian Murphy was released in cinemas, having been filmed using a digital camcorder – a choice that was quite extraordinary at the time. This decision resulted in a dreamlike aesthetic, which significantly contributed to the believability of a zombie apocalypse, despite the relatively low camera resolution (480p). The eagerly awaited sequel is set to push boundaries once more by being filmed entirely on an iPhone.
The highly-anticipated sequel to the zombie film, titled “28 Years Later“, was filmed using an iPhone 15 Pro Max, the top-tier and most powerful model from that generation. Principal photography for this movie, starring Cillian Murphy, Jodie Colmer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes, concluded in August with the portable device. To facilitate filmmaking more efficiently, various accessories were employed alongside the iPhone; however, the final product will exhibit the phone’s camera capabilities. Notably, Danny Boyle’s longtime cinematographer, Anthony Dod Mantle, who collaborated on “28 Days Later” and many other projects, returned to work on this film. Interestingly, while some recent movies have been shot on an iPhone, it is expected that “28 Years Later” will explore the iPhone’s capabilities more extensively than any other production thus far.
28 Years Later Is Not The Only Movie Filmed on an iPhone
28 years after its debut, capturing scenes with an iPhone 15 as the main camera is indeed unexpected (and remarkable), yet not entirely novel. Most recently, Steven Soderbergh dared to experiment with the iPhone on both the chilling horror film Unsane, starring Claire Foy, and the sports drama High Flying Bird, featuring André Holland. Interestingly, Unsane appears to be the most minimalistic application of an iPhone in cinematography so far (with fewer high-tech devices being used). Meanwhile, Sean Baker, currently garnering Oscar attention for Anora, utilized a trio of iPhone 5S devices to shoot Tangerine, an acclaimed low-budget production that has been hailed as one of the best, if not the best, feature films ever made with an iPhone. Tangerine was particularly noteworthy due to its stunning visual appeal, employing cinematography techniques that have yet to be surpassed by other iPhone-shot movies.
In the movies “28 Years Later” and its predecessor, employing an outdated digital camera contributes to their raw and dreamlike atmosphere. It seems as though viewers are stumbling upon a forgotten video they discovered in a dusty box, encountering a chilling nightmare that appears to be genuine. The irony is that such a “video” could originate from a modern smartphone camera capable of 4K resolution, making “28 Years Later” likely much sharper than the original 2002 film. Yet, despite this improved clarity, it’s hard not to admire the artistic choice, particularly given how most contemporary films rely on similar digital filmmaking techniques.
28 Years Later
is set to release in theaters on June 20, 2025.
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2024-09-20 03:04