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FAST LANE TO THE FARMYARD When Jeremy Clarkson’s camera crew swapped exotic cars for agriculture, the Canon EOS C500 Mark II was ideal for bringing home the bacon
Cinema EOS C500 Mark II came in, as other cameras were put out to pasture. “We’ve shot on many formats through the years, previously on large cinema cameras that are a hell of a lump to have on your shoulder for hours and hours. So when we kicked off the second season of Clarkson’s Farm , we went to Canon,” explains Leaver. “Sometimes we’ve clocked up 13 or 14 miles on foot around the farm in a day, because it is very much shot as it happens. It’s not scripted, it just rolls on and every day changes as stuff happens.” As well as the reality-type handheld footage, the show’s beauty shots give a huge boost to the production values. Glorious sunrises, wild deer and hares running across the meadows, majestic drone images and carefully calculated slider shots make it visually stunning. For most, that would mean running around like a headless chicken. “I now live local to the farm, so whenever the weather’s good, I can go there to shoot.” The Canon EOS C500 Mark II is a great all-rounder and decently priced,
SURROUNDED BY FARMYARD animals, agricultural equipment and mud, outspoken presenter Jeremy Clarkson and his DOP Casper Leaver have been through several years of massive change. It’s a partnership that began 20 years ago, when the new-look Top Gear launched, and since then the pair have jetted and driven around the globe to film the world’s most exotic cars. They continued their petrolhead road trips for Amazon Prime’s The Grand Tour . Leaver also managed to squeeze in credits for films like Rush from the legendary Ron Howard, as well as commercials for Aston Martin and McLaren cars. All high-octane stuff, filmed on some of the priciest cinema cameras around with large crews. Now Clarkson and Leaver find themselves living in rural Oxfordshire, focusing on Clarkson’s latest TV series for Amazon about life on his 1000-acre farm. Part reality show, part fly-on-the-wall documentary – and often very funny – the show has been a surprise smash hit. It takes viewers through the harsh realities of running a farming business in the face
BREAK IT DOWN The EOS C500 Mark II’s modular design allows the crew to fit the same camera to a variety of rigs
of evaporating subsidies, badger-spread tuberculosis and endless red tape. “Us non-farmers have been on a journey of exploration. It’s interesting to learn about where food comes from and the struggles farmers go through,” admits Leaver. This is a different kind of show, a world away from the motoring work. It took a total change of equipment to make sure it could be captured in all its glory. It called for lighter cameras, capable of stunning 4K even in poor light. That’s where Canon’s
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