Why Danny Boyle Chose to Film ’28 Years Later’ Using iPhones

Director Danny Boyle is acclaimed for his groundbreaking post-apocalyptic film “28 Days Later,” which he shot using Canon digital cameras. This choice allowed him to capture haunting visuals of a deserted London, while adding a palpable sense of urgency to the film’s rapid-moving zombies.

In his sequel, “28 Years Later,” which debuted this weekend, Boyle turned to a new consumer innovation: the iPhone. Boyle revealed to Wired that by utilizing a rig that holds 20 iPhone Pro Max cameras, the film crew crafted what he called “a budget-friendly version of bullet time,” enabling them to capture thrilling action sequences from various angles.

Even without the rig, Boyle (who previously directed a biopic about Apple co-founder Steve Jobs) mentioned that the iPhone acted as the film’s “primary camera,” after disabling features like automatic focus and adding specialized accessories.

“Filming with iPhones allowed us to operate with minimal equipment,” Boyle explained, highlighting that the crew could “navigate swiftly and lightly into rural areas that we aimed to preserve from human impact.”