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FACE THE Find out what DOP Olan Collardy made of Sony’s new FX9 cinema camera FUTURE
“I love to shoot around 35mm, and full- frame lets you shoot wider more easily, still getting that shallow depth-of-field which gives everything a 3D look. It just feels more alive, and that makes me very excited.” Working with faces also means accurate focus is vital, but though it’s been developed from Sony’s award winning AF on its Alpha mirrorless cameras, the FX9 also adds cinema-specific control that will delight filmmakers. “On the FX9’s Fast Hybrid Auto Focus system,” Olan explains, “you can play around with the settings, such as the response time and delay, making it feel smoother and more organic. With the E-mount 35mm f/1.4, it easily followed several people just moving backwards and forwards, and when you want to shift between their faces, all it takes is a dab on the joystick.” “Many filmmakers don’t think it can be as good as a human focus puller, but it’s very close, and doesn’t feel at all robotic. I wouldn’t have known it was a computer in charge of the focus – it’s the best AF I’ve seen on any camera. With the right settings, it doesn’t snap mechanically, but glides, and never hunts for a face. I’d definitely use it when I didn’t have a focus puller.” The FX9 also draws on the run-and-gun values of the FS7, able to adapt quickly and
THESE DAYS, YOU EXPECT every camera to be special – but some are still surprising. That’s what cinematographer Olan Collardy found when using the new Sony FX9. Olan works across a range of short-form content, including music promos, commercials and narratives for web and TV, and he got to try out the new Sony FX9 shooting a music video shoot for Sody’s track, Maybe it was me . The promo was conceived as a single shot with multiple shifts in focus and lighting, so it was always going to be a great test of the new body. “Whether it’s commercials, promos or whatever, I’m a faces person,” Olan says, “and what excites me is getting up close to the character I’m shooting. So what’s most important for me is colour reproduction and skin tones. I need to know that person looks as good as possible. When shooting Sody, the FX9 really gave me that. What was really interesting was how the sensor dealt with moving from one lighting situation to another. Across multiple set-ups, including low light, the camera adapted perfectly, and I could always see good skin tones, even up close where some cameras will fall apart and colours look muddy.” What the FX9’s big 6K full-frame sensor does bring, says Olan, is a very different view of the world compared to smaller chips.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The Sony FX9 on set; A still from Sody’s video, shot with the new camera; DOP Olan Collardy
work handheld when needed. Something it adds to that camera is a new Variable Electronic ND filter, which can be set with a simple turn of a knob on the side of the body. “It’s a feature that’s very much going to streamline how people work in filmmaking,” says Olan. “You won’t need to be switching when the sun goes in or out, or move inside to outside. For jobs like Sody’s promo, that’s so important because we were always moving, and she, the set, and lighting were in motion, too. The FX9 did all the heavy lifting.” Watch Olan’s video for Sody’s Maybe it was me at youtu.be/rwXgHJ-D-E4, and to find out more about the S0ny FX9, head to pro.sony
“Across multiple set-ups, including low light, the camera adapted perfectly”
MORE INFORMATION: www.pro.sony
NOVEMBER 20 1 9 | DEF I N I T ION 57
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