HORSES FOR COURSES CASE STUDY
THE KIT USED Cameras
Occasionally he dropped down to 2K resolution at 480fps which gave some astounding footage, but 4K/240p seemed to hit the sweet spot in terms of resolution and frame rate. And the crop as the Raptor goes from 8K to 4K to 2K is something that was used a lot to gain extra reach to the subject. “It gives the extra lens range and on many occasions it produces shots I would not otherwise get,” he says. With changeable weather, especially at Kildangan in Ireland, Spurdens says he never lost a clip when using Red’s R3D Raw files. “From black clouds to the sun popping through a gap, I can change everything in post production if there is an unexpected lighting change. Having said that, nailing the correct exposure for me is everything; I want the maximum range for post. I am a stickler for this from transparency film days. But if the sun does come out halfway through a stallion’s run, I know I can save the shot.” Everything was pushed through Red’s IPP2 pipeline in Resolve and is edited on a 5K iMac and LG OLED screen. The Red V Raptor may be an expensive purchase for most independent filmmakers, but Spurdens “The stallions almost flying over these huge paddocks is inspiring, a vision of sheer capability and noise that not many animals can provide”
6-9ND plus Polariser Alphatron Follow Focus
Selection of Vinten tripods CFexpress 2TB and 660GB cards for Raptor CFast cards x6 Chargers, adaptors, card readers Sensor cleaning kit Rain covers Master & Dynamic headphones Motorola walkie-talkies Selection of audio recorders, lav, shotgun mics 12TB Sandisk G-Drives x4 for backup LaCie drives x4 – for backing up the backups! MacBook Pro laptop x2 DaVinci Resolve Studio
Red V-Raptor Red Komodo Canon C300 Mark III Canon EOS R5 C
Accessories
Anton/Bauer Titon Micro 90 battery x3 Anton/Bauer Titon Micro 150 battery x2 Global Dynamics 90 mini V-Lock battery Tilta Komodo Mini V-Lock battery adapter Global Dynamics Derringer handle Global Dynamic baseplates Red Outrigger Handle SmallHD Cine 7 monitor with Red Touch SmallHD 702 Touch monitor with Red Touch DJI RS 2 gimbal
Lenses and lens accessories
Canon 28-70mm f/2 RF Canon 100-500mm f/4.5-7.1 RF Canon 800mm f/11 RF Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 EF Canon CN-E 18-80mm T4.4 EF Canon 85mm f/1.2 EF Canon 24mm f/1.4 EF Zeiss CP.3 25mm T2.1 EF Canon RF to EF adaptors x2 Polar Pro kit with 2-5 N,
loves it. “I’m never left asking for more features in a camera. It’s been awesome in a variety of conditions. From a recent month in Australia filming surfing in 40°C, to -10°C in snow, it performs to the highest degree,” says Spurdens. “Its little brother, the Komodo 6K, is fantastic for action as well. I will use the Komodo over the Raptor in any shot that requires a global shutter and not for a second feel it is inferior. These two cameras make the perfect companions in any situation. “I sometimes hid the Komodo behind chestnut fence posts in the hope a stallion would make a close pass, as you can’t lie down this close – horses think that something is about to pounce on them. “This paid off once with the star stallion, Dubawi, as he ran close to the fence. And there were no rolling shutter effects on the legs. After all, I’m there to capture their physique, so distorted, long, bendy horse legs would just look really silly. The Komodo’s global shutter is just great – and the small form means it can cram in almost anywhere.” The resulting footage is stunning, and the client loves the quality and look of the combination of cameras and lenses that Spurdens chose, for what ended up as a long project over several locations in tough conditions. “I enjoy the results of these difficult action shots, as they stretch my skills – which makes them interesting and really challenging,” he enthuses. “It’s tough if something goes wrong and there’s no second chance, but that is the nature of the profession. It produces really cool shots and sometimes something really glorious happens that makes all the extra effort worthwhile.” Fit for a king, you might say.
BRIDLE SUITE To ensure stallions get chosen for breeding, the films need to show them in all their glory – usually in slow-motion action
David Spurdens is available for films and specialist action filming. More information rapttv.co.uk and davidspurdens.com
41
PROMOVIEMAKER.NET
Powered by FlippingBook