Tilta has just released a new short promotional film called The X Gift shot entirely with the Apple iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max and with Tilta’s upcoming Khronos ecosystem of accessories. The film was directed by Angie Su and shot by Claudio Miranda, ASC, who notoriously shot “Life Of Pi”, “Tron: Legacy”, and “Top Gun: Maverick”, to list a few. So let’s take a closer look at it with a cup of hot chocolate near the Christmas tree and fireplace!
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro was announced in September 2023, and at the very least we can say that the addition of the USB Type-C port instead of the well-known Lightning port has unleashed many new creative possibilities for content creators. Indeed, the iPhone 15 Pro can record footage internally and externally in ProRes HQ; it supports ProRes LOG recording, LUT support, and much more. Also, recent apps like Blackmagic Camera App have unleashed the iPhone’s full potential. If you want to learn more about the filmmaking capabilities of the iPhone 15 Pro, you can take a look at our independent dynamic range Lab Test here.
Like many mirrorless and cinema cameras, having excellent recording capabilities is nothing if you can’t set it up as a comfortable and appropriate creation tool. The iPhone 15 Pro is no different: it doesn’t have any mounting points out of the box, so you can’t mount it on a tripod/gimbal or any other camera support system, you can’t attach accessories to it, you can’t mount filters in front of the three built-in cameras, etc. To transform the iPhone 15 Pro into a production-ready camera, you have to mount it into a cage and adapt accessories to it.
In a recent promotional film, camera accessory specialist Tilta – which we recently visited for a factory tour that you can watch here – teased some of their upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max accessories with an entire lineup of accessories called the Khronos.
Tilta’s “The X Gift” shot on the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
A couple of hours before Christmas, Tilta released a rather impressive short film, “The X Gift,” shot on the iPhone 15 Pro. This short film was directed by Angie Su and Oscar-winning director of photography Claudio Miranda, ASC. You can also find Yong Ok Lee, the production designer who worked on “Minari” and “The Farewell”, in the credits.
According to Tilta, they used the company’s latest innovation to shoot the film, including the Khronos Ecosystem, specifically designed for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. Also, the team used the Blackmagic Cam App, which now supports the Nucleus Nano II wireless follow-focus system.
Bob Smathers, the first assistant camera on this project who has also previously worked on “Tron: Legacy” and “Top Gun: Maverick”, mentions that “we’ve used iPhones in the past, but usually there always have just been autofocus. So, this is the first time we’ve been able to rack focus manually and do it as smooth rack focus and not just tap the screen to have it grab focus in a particular area. Looks like it’s more of a cool crew work for us.”
Tilta Khronos accessories for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max
At the time of writing this article, we have little information about the Tilta Khronos ecosystem of accessories for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max. Judging by the short film, “The X Gift”, Tilta will launch camera cages for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, a removable trigger handle/grip, and an external recording SSD.
The cages will be available in grey/titanium and green colorways. According to the pictures, the cages will have plenty of mounting points around the iPhone, cold shoe mounting points, built-in NATO rails, and an interesting removable filter system.
Pricing and availability
We don’t have any information about the pricing of the Tilta Khronos ecosystem of accessories yet, but all products should be available by the end of January. Stay tuned to CineD; we’ll keep you updated as soon as we learn more about it.
What do you think about these accessories for the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max? Did you like Tilta’s short film, “The X Gift”? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below, and Merry Christmas from the entire CineD team!
