Team Deakins 28 YEARS LATER - with Anthony Dod Mantle
Oct 22, 2025
In a captivating discussion, Anthony Dod Mantle, the award-winning cinematographer known for his work on Slumdog Millionaire, shares his groundbreaking approach to shooting 28 Years Later using modified iPhones. He details his unique collaboration with director Danny Boyle, emphasizing the aesthetic choices that influenced their decision to use consumer tech. Anthony discusses the challenges of achieving professional-grade visuals with iPhones, including adapting lenses and stabilization methods, and reflects on balancing beauty and violence in the film's storytelling.
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Format Follows Story And Constraints
- Anthony's camera choices come from logistics, director collaboration, and the film's parameters, not from a fixed style preference.
- He treats each film neutrally, letting budget, location and story drive format decisions.
Match Cameras During Prep And Grade
- When mixing high-end and consumer cameras, plan grading and matching in prep so disparate resolutions and lenses marry at the grade.
- Control focus, exposure and where you push each format to avoid forcing low-resolution glass to compete with primes.
Choosing The Untouched Countryside
- Danny Boyle pushed to avoid urban settings and wanted a lightweight crew to protect locations and reallocate budget into places rather than footprint.
- Anthony scouted North England, Wales and Scotland and accepted muddy, mobile prep to reach protected, picturesque sites.
