Shot on iPhone 18 Pro: Beastgrip Cages Spotted in Apple TV’s Full Throttle

Apple TV recently released a new episode of Full Throttle, filmed at Circuit of The Americas ahead of the 2026 United States Grand Prix. The entire episode was shot on iPhone, and we were excited to see just how many Beastgrip cages were used throughout the production.

If you watch closely, you'll spot iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max devices mounted all over the vehicles, both inside and outside. Some of the setups are clearly visible in the episode itself, and a behind-the-scenes reel shared by host Christina Roki gives us an even better look at how everything was rigged.

The episode features two very different driving experiences.

First, Christina Roki and F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda take a Ford Raptor onto the new off-road track at COTA, putting it through some serious jumps and rough terrain.

Then Liam Lawson takes a Mustang Dark Horse SC around the circuit with former NFL quarterback Vince Young in the passenger seat, calling the action like a football game.

It's a fun six-minute video, with plenty of onboard angles, close-ups, and exterior shots that show just how extensively iPhones were used.

What really caught our attention was the number of Beastcages mounted on the cars.

The production used multiple suction-cup rigs to position iPhones around the vehicles, capturing the drivers, passengers, and action from different angles. Some of these mounting positions were pretty wild, especially considering the jumps, vibrations, and forces involved.

Christina Roki also shared a longer behind-the-scenes reel on Instagram, where we got a much clearer look at the equipment. In addition to all the car-mounted rigs, we spotted a Beastcage on a handheld gimbal, filters used across the setups, and external SSD drives mounted directly to the front of the cages.

And when you're mounting an iPhone to a car that's jumping or braking hard, the last thing you want to worry about is your camera rig.

That's one of the reasons we build Beastcages the way we do. The rigid aluminum frame, multiple mounting points, and secure lens and filter mounting interfaces are designed for setups where reliability really matters.

Image Credits: Apple TV & Christina Roki

Since we've been testing our lenses extensively with the new iPhone 18 Pro series, we couldn't help paying attention to the visual results in Full Throttle.

Throughout the episode, there are some beautiful starburst effects, polygonal flares, and warmer flares appearing near the corners of certain shots. The iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture opens up more control over how these effects are rendered, especially when working with external optics.

We also noticed several shots with impressive telephoto perspectives. While we can't confirm which lenses or adapters were used, it's interesting to see the variety of looks achieved throughout a production shot entirely on iPhone.

One of the things we love about iPhone filmmaking is how adaptable the platform has become.

We've seen Beastgrip equipment used in all kinds of productions recently. From the MLS live broadcast filmed with iPhones, where Beastcages and our Фoton DOF Adapters were integrated with professional broadcast lenses, to Thursday Night Football halftime highlights, and the recent ROSÉ "New Trick" music video, shot on iPhone 18 Pro with some pretty elaborate camera rigs.

And now Full Throttle, with iPhones mounted all over moving vehicles.

These productions are very different, but they demonstrate something important: the same iPhone can be used in a relatively simple handheld setup or built into a complex rig with external lenses, filters, monitors, storage, and professional support equipment.

For us, that's always been the idea behind Beastcage.

An iPhone is an amazing camera, and we believe it should be treated like one. That means having a reliable foundation that can be configured around the needs of the production, using familiar industry-standard mounting systems and accessories.

Whether it's a small handheld rig or a complex broadcast setup, the fundamentals don't change. Rigidity, secure mounting, proper optical alignment, and the flexibility to build the camera system you need.

Our goal has always been to provide that foundation and let filmmakers take it as far as they want.

Seeing all these setups was especially interesting because we recently did something similar at Slide Society’s “Drift Night 112” event on October 16.

We mounted an iPhone 18 Pro inside a Beastcage directly onto a drift car and used our Full-Frame and Circular Fisheye lenses to capture some extremely wide perspectives of the action.

We were also experimenting with the iPhone 18 Pro's variable aperture. Combined with our fisheye lenses, it produced some really interesting flares and starburst effects, especially with bright lights in the frame.

We've also been testing our entire lens and DOF adapter lineup with the iPhone 18 Pro series, looking at how the new aperture control affects image quality, depth of field, and optical characteristics.

We'll be sharing the full video soon, including more footage from our drifting shoot.

In the meantime, check out the Full Throttle episode and Christina Roki's behind-the-scenes reel. There are plenty of interesting camera setups worth a closer look.professional filmmaking. But USB-C makes this kind of setup remarkably straightforward with an iPhone.

A single connection from the phone can potentially link it to external storage, power, monitoring, transmission, or other parts of the production workflow while keeping most of that equipment off the gimbal.

We don't know the exact signal chain or every device connected during the shoot, but the physical advantage is easy to see: the iPhone and gimbal remain incredibly compact.

That's particularly important because the small size of the camera is one of the biggest reasons to shoot with an iPhone in the first place.