--- title: "Apple Had to Invent a Camera for the F1 Movie Because Broadcast Ones Weren’t Good Enough" description: "I have no idea if the [Brad Pitt *F1* movie]() will be any good, but there's no question that the creators have taken the cinematography to heart. The director, Joseph Kosinski, is famous for his work on *Top Gun: Maverick*,…" date: "2025-06-19" modified: "2025-06-19" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/apple-had-to-invent-a-camera-for-the-f1-movie-because-broadcast-ones-werent-good-enough" categories: - "F1" - "News" - "Racing" tags: - "race car" --- # Apple Had to Invent a Camera for the F1 Movie Because Broadcast Ones Weren’t Good Enough ![US actor Brad Pitt performs during the recording of a scene for his new film "F1" directed by Joseph Kosinski during the Formula One Mexico City Grand Prix at the Hermanos Rodriguez racetrack in Mexico City on October 26, 2024. (Photo by LEXIE HARRISON-CRIPPS / AFP) (Photo by LEXIE HARRISON-CRIPPS/AFP via Getty Images)]() *Brad Pitt stands beside an F1 car during filming for the F1 movie at the 2024 Mexican Grand Prix. \Lexie Harrison-Cripps/AFP via Getty Images\* I have no idea if the [Brad Pitt *F1* movie]() will be any good, but there's no question that the creators have taken the cinematography to heart. The director, Joseph Kosinski, is famous for his work on *Top Gun: Maverick*, after all, which was absolutely dazzling. To that end, Apple, the film's primary financier, developed a special camera using the guts of an iPhone to capture onboard footage, because the [Formula 1]()'s typical broadcast cameras weren't good enough for Hollywood duty. Obviously, filmmakers strapped many different kinds of cameras in different positions on the fictional APX GP cars that Pitt and his co-star Damson Idris drive in the movie. However, they needed something to get that familiar offset overhead onboard shot that we see in F1 broadcasts. The cameras that normally capture that angle during actual racing record at a resolution too low for the big screen, and don't offer granular control for things like color grading that movies require. Apple's solution was to pack the camera system of an iPhone into one of the small winglet pods that hang off the air intake above the driver's head. *[Wired]()* and YouTuber [Bobby Tonelli]() published deep dives into the little module this week, and it contains a lot of tech. You've got an iPhone 15 Pro's camera sensor, backed by one of Apple's A-series processors. There's also an iPhone battery in there, as well as a neutral density filter to control the intensity of light reaching the sensor. The lens is assuredly of a higher quality than something you'd find on the back of a consumer smartphone. ![]() ![]() ![]() In addition to all that, Apple had to test the unit to ensure it could stand up to the rigorous stresses of, you know, being fixed to one of the world's fastest race cars, that can hit up to 220 mph in straights and pull over 5G in corners. It also had to match the lightness of the camera system that F1 cars normally run, because we all know that they pay quite close attention to weight in this sport. Naturally, all footage the system captures is in Apple's lossless ProRes format, but the camera cannot be controlled wirelessly, as that's supposedly against FIA regulations. So, the production team had to connect an iPad to the little camera pod over a USB-C cable to make necessary adjustments, as well as start and stop the recording. ![Filming takes place for the film F1 on track during practice day at Silverstone Circuit, Northamptonshire. Formula 1, Apple Original Films and Warner Bros. Pictures today revealed the title of the upcoming movie starring Brad Pitt, directed by Joseph Kosinski, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Joe Kosinski, will be F1. Picture date: Friday July 5, 2024. (Photo by David Davies/PA Images via Getty Images)]() *David Davies - PA Images* ![Brad Pitt, actor, attends the Mexico City Grand Prix Qualifying event at the Autodromo Hnos. Rodriguez in Mexico City, Mexico, on October 26, 2024. (Photo by Gerardo Vieyra/NurPhoto via Getty Images)]() *NurPhoto* This view into the solutions required to make a film with footage from F1 cars is fascinating; it's also exactly what happens when you've got the world's biggest tech company bankrolling the whole thing. Again, I don't know if *F1* will enter the echelon of great racing movies, but I do suspect it'll at least be beautiful to watch, and that counts for a lot. *Got a tip? Email us at tips@thedrive.com*[]() ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()