Words by Xxxx Xxxxx
How CVP helped David Spearing capture a star on tour
D avid Spearing is an Oldfield. Recently, following shooting the dynamic documentary Pink: All I Know So Far, directed by Michael Gracey, he was asked to shadow Pink on 30 dates of her European and North America tour last year to capture shots for her own personal archive and social media feeds. “She likes to document and archive things, so I was following her around and filming everything,” he introduces. “That included her and her kids, when they’re backstage getting ready for the show, during the show and on days off with the band where the crew and I would film elements there as well. If there were some social media videos to make, I would also cut some shots together too.” award-winning director, editor and DOP who has become well-known for his work documenting tours and filming music videos for famous artists, from McFly to Mike For the initial batch of dates in the UK and Europe, he decided to use a
Sony FX6 which he had bought from CVP for a McFly tour in Brazil a few years previously ( Pink: All I Know So Far had been shot on Blackmagic). This is something he paired with a range of vintage glass. “I had several vintage lenses to use because I like working with vintage glass,” he says. “So I had a bunch of Olympus Zuikos and Canon FDs which looked great, but they’re a bit more fiddly to use on tour because of how small and fragile they are.” A summer break in the schedule gave him the opportunity to look at other options. As well as leaning towards vintage looks, Spearing likes to keep his kit compact, shooting only with a small backpack containing his
gear to maximise his ability to respond to what’s around him. That means big lenses are out of the picture. Luckily, it was around that time Cooke released the SP3 primes. “Philip Jimenez at CVP said they had a couple of sets so I pulled the trigger; I didn’t even test them as I would usually do. They were small and I could tell they were going to be perfect – and they have been. The lenses have that vintage look, but they’re also sharper and cleaner while in such a tiny housing. I bought them and was using them for two or three months straight on tour with Pink.” Spearing likes to use the FX6 on these jobs because of its portability. Touring with any musicians entails a long periods of waiting around with not much happening. When something does happen, it’s fast so a heavy unit is not ideal for capturing the moment. His commitment to what is effectively a run-and-gun approach meant he couldn’t take all his vintage lenses out with him. “I took the 25mm, 32mm and the 50mm. I then had to decide between
YOU FEEL AS IF YOU’RE NOT JUST ANOTHER CUSTOMER; YOU’RE SOMEBODY THEY VALUE
feedmagazine.tv
Powered by FlippingBook