Zach Cregger’s filmmaking workflow begins with a device that is far less imposing than a cinema camera: an iPhone. In a newly shared Apple TV video, the Resident Evil director describes using his phone alongside the Cadrage app to map filming sequences before a crew begins shooting.
The process is deliberate rather than casual. Cregger uses the setup to decide which shots are needed, which lenses suit those shots, and what will sit inside each frame. He then prints the resulting images so the crew has a concrete visual reference for the work ahead.
That approach was not reserved for one production. Cregger said he used it on both Barbarian and Weapons, which he wrote and directed, and that every scene in those films was planned in advance with photos.
A phone as a pre-production tool, not a replacement for the set
The important distinction is that Cregger is describing planning rather than claiming the iPhone is standing in for a full production camera package. His phone-based images serve as a practical way to settle creative decisions early: the intended composition, the perspective suggested by a lens choice, and the elements visible within the borders of a shot.
In filmmaking terms, a frame is simply the visual area the audience will see. Choosing what is inside it affects the information an audience receives, where its attention is directed, and how a moment is staged. A character isolated in a wide frame, for example, communicates something different from a close framing that leaves little room around them. Cregger’s stated workflow puts those choices on paper before production reaches the point where time, cast, crew and equipment are all moving at once.
The reference to lenses matters, too. A lens is not merely a way to make a subject look closer or farther away. It influences the field of view and the relationship between foreground and background in an image. By making a lens decision while pre-planning, a director can provide a more specific target for the eventual shoot rather than relying on a loosely described idea of the shot.
Why printing the images is a meaningful part of the process
Photographing a prospective setup is only one half of this method. Cregger says he prints the images for the crew, turning a personal planning exercise into a shared production document.
That creates a direct visual shorthand. Instead of communicating solely through verbal direction—such as describing the height, angle and content of a shot—the team can look at the planned image. The printouts show what Cregger has decided should be in the frame and provide a basis for conversations about how to recreate that plan in the real location with the production’s intended equipment.
There is still a useful boundary around what the material establishes. The video explains Cregger’s own preparation routine; it does not detail the exact iPhone model, the particular lenses used in each finished scene, or the extent to which individual setups changed during production. It also does not claim that previsualization eliminates on-set choices. What it does establish is a remarkably comprehensive starting point: Cregger says every scene in Barbarian and Weapons was planned with photos in advance.
Cadrage’s role in visualizing a shot
Cadrage is the app Cregger identifies as part of the process. In the context he describes, it helps him plan the shot before the main filming work takes place. The phone and app allow him to explore a sequence visually, make decisions about framing and lenses, and retain those choices as images that can be printed.
That is closely related to previsualization, often shortened to previs: the practice of working out how scenes may look before principal photography. Previs can take many forms, but Cregger’s account is rooted in photographs. The value of that choice is easy to understand from the workflow he describes. A photograph records the actual space and the director’s proposed viewpoint, while the printed version makes it portable and immediately legible to other people.
For an audience, the takeaway is not that a phone alone determines a movie’s finished look. It is that an accessible device can help capture and communicate an intention early. The eventual production must still execute the shot, but the crew starts with a specific visual goal rather than an abstract instruction.
What the routine says about Cregger’s process
Cregger’s comments point to a highly prepared directing style. He writes and directs Barbarian and Weapons, then uses photo planning to carry scene-by-scene decisions into production. The workflow links writing, visual design and crew communication: a sequence exists on the page, gets interpreted through planned shots, then is distributed in physical form as a guide.
It also emphasizes that planning does not need to begin with specialized hardware. The iPhone is useful here because it is a camera Cregger can use to make an immediate record of a proposed angle and composition. Cadrage complements that by helping him think through lenses and framing. Printing the result makes it functional for a film crew rather than leaving it as a collection of images on one person’s device.
Apple’s video arrives as Cregger’s Resident Evil is available to rent or buy, including through the Apple TV app. Apple TV has also been appearing in wider entertainment and game-related conversations, including reports concerning possible Apple TV 4K support for major Nintendo games.
The practical lesson: clarity before the shoot
There is a useful production principle inside Cregger’s account even for readers who will never direct a feature: make the idea visible before asking others to carry it out. His process converts decisions about shot selection, lenses and composition into physical materials that others can consult.
For Cregger, that preparation extended across every scene in Barbarian and Weapons. The value is not a promise that every result can be predicted perfectly. It is the reduction of ambiguity. By the time the crew receives the printouts, it has a clear picture of the intended frame—and a concrete starting point for bringing that intention to the screen.
