Apple designed a custom iPhone-based camera that used ProRes to shoot car racing scenes for Apple's F1 movie

iPhone camera tech and the ProRes codec were used for some of the racing footage in F1: The Movie. The Apple Original was directed by Joseph Kosinski, who wanted to capture a certain scene but had no lightweight, portable and durable enough camera that would be easy to attach to a racing car. Apple had to make a custom one.

The custom camera was controlled via a custom iPad app, with the footage filmed using the 4K ProRes log format and the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES). This took place before the iPhone 15 phone series' release that made ProRes log recording available to consumers. Everything also had to be shot at 24 frames per second to match things like motion blur in the movie. According to Wired, the custom camera's specifications were similar to the iPhone 15 Pro and its 48 MP main camera.

There was no wireless connectivity in this custom camera. So, Apple engineers resorted to using USB-C to control it, making it possible to adjust things like frame rate, shutter angle, white balance, and exposure gain to pause or continue the video.

These all boost the utility for filmmakers when added to the iPhone Pro. The Apple company enhances its involvement in film production, as iPhones are often utilized on film sets. Just like Samsung and Sony, Apple devices are used to film footage using their flagship smartphones.

The custom-built iPhone technology was only used in F1: The Movie. F1 is added to the growing list of movies partially or fully shot from an iPhone. Recently reported and upcoming film 28 Years Later, also utilizes over 20 iPhones for a scene. This makes the iPhone a powerful device for users who want to do filmmaking.