Insta360 X5 360-degree camera used to shoot scenes for Hollywood film How to Rob a Bank
Insta360's flagship 360-degree camera, the X5, was used in making David Leitch's new action film How to Rob a Bank, and its footage appears in the theatrical release.
The Insta360 X5, a compact 8K 360-degree camera from the Chinese maker Insta360, has made its first appearance in a Hollywood feature. Footage it recorded is part of How to Rob a Bank, a new action film directed by David Leitch, who also made Bullet Train and The Fall Guy. The film is now showing exclusively in theaters. The case shows that a camera typically used for travel and social media video can also serve professional film production.
The cast includes Nicholas Hoult, Zoë Kravitz, Anna Sawai, Pete Davidson, Christian Slater, Rhenzy Feliz and John C. Reilly. The story follows a group of social-media-savvy bank robbers who turn their heists into viral content. Their growing fame draws the attention of an FBI agent and a software engineer.
Why a 360-degree camera
The filmmakers wanted the regular cinematography to look polished, while the videos supposedly recorded by the robbers had to feel raw and believable. After extensive testing, they chose the Insta360 X5. The camera records everything around it in 360 degrees, so the viewing direction can be chosen during editing. Leitch reportedly said that when a particular shot was needed and an X5 was already recording, the team could use that footage in post-production to create it. For example, a shot framed on a gun barrel could be reframed to show the person holding the weapon.
Scale of use
Production typically used seven or eight X5 cameras per shooting day, rising to between 12 and 20 during demanding heist sequences. One camera was placed inside a money bag to capture robbers throwing in cash, turning the bag around and tossing it. Another setup filmed through a stack of banknotes. Cameras were also used on motorcycles and moving vehicles, and the X5's FlowState Stabilization and 360-degree Horizon Lock helped keep footage smooth and level.
The production reportedly went through around 20 to 30 replaceable lenses but only about two camera bodies, as the lenses can be swapped in under a minute. The footage was processed and reframed in Insta360 Studio, then transcoded to ProRes for editing in DaVinci Resolve and Avid.
