Apple kept a little secret about the filming of the last event, the iPhone received important help to achieve it
The weekend is coming and it’s time to reflect on Apple’s special event “Let Loose” that gave us the launch of the new iPad Pro, iPad Air and the update of its accessories such as the surprising Apple Pencil Pro and the Magic Keyboard. In this case, We will see a very different angle focusing on the filming of the event. Let’s remember that since the pandemic, Apple got us used to seeing their pre-recorded events and apparently they are very comfortable with that. At the end of the event, It could be seen that the entire event was filmed with the iPhone but he could have received some additional help.
In accordance with a confirmation from Apple to journalist Stu Maschwitz, those from Cupertino used the lenses in some of the shots at the event. Remember the scenes with shallow depth of field? It was not due to post-production but quite the opposite. Apple achieved this by using the Panavision lenses.
“Apple informed me that for several shots where a shallow depth of field was desired, Panavision lenses were attached to the iPhones using a mount called the “Lens Relay System,” which is available for rent although not listed on their website.”
The explanation is simple, according to Maschwitz a shot is created as if it were some kind of aerial image that is captured with another lens system. It’s like when your cell phone crashes into a pair of binoculars, that’s a lens relay system. They avoided focusing the image as if it were a film shot as is normally done.
The Panavision lens system helps the iPhone lens capture this type of image and then the final capture is Apple ProRes. There are several interesting details in the Maschwitz publication that are worth reading. He also highlights that the ProRes that the iPhone 15 Pro has has a very valuable foundation to achieve truly impressive quality.