PRODUCTION. THE LETTER
primes. For gimbal work, the crew went with a combination of the Canon C500 on the Movi Pro and a Sony Alpha 7S III on a DJI RS 2. For lighting, they used a Dedo 400W HMI with an Octodome. “We shot anamorphic 2.40:1 and delivered in UHD 3840x2160 16x9 letterbox file (with the black bars on top),” says cinematographer William Edwards. “I chose the Canons as they are such efficient documentary cameras, combining great dynamic range, ease of use when handheld and ten stops of internal ND – plus I love the full-frame look. The smaller gimbal is wonderful in- car, but again I much prefer the image and movement of the better Canon camera on the Movi Pro.” At one point, the team considered using Hawk V-Lite anamorphics for the pope, but ended up deciding against it in order to preserve sharp focus when framing subjects on the edge of shot. “Some of our hardest technical challenges were finding clean radio frequencies in Italy,” laughed Edwards. “Spectacularly, our recordist’s mixer crashed moments before the pope came in to meet our contributors in the Vatican. Thankfully, he had a spare one he could grab from a car nearby. On top of this, all our cameras were lined up on the left of
the room, as we were sure Pope Francis would walk to his left. It was only when he was about to come in that someone told us he would be entering from the other direction. We had to move our set-up very quickly, as you can imagine.” RAINFOREST FILMING Like many productions during the Covid-19 pandemic, the crew worked remotely with local teams in different environments. The most challenging location was the Amazon, where a team filmed for a month, embedded with the Borarí tribe in Maró Indigenous Land with leader Chief Dadá Borarí. If you think finding clean radio frequencies in the world’s eighth largest economy was a challenge, imagine filming in the world’s largest tropical rainforest, consisting of myriad ecosystems – from natural savannah to swamps – without relying on the financial might of a Planet Earth -style programme. Directors of photography Cristian Dimitrius and Cosmo Roncon Junior can attest. “The biggest technological challenge we faced was to work with high-end cameras in a rainforest during the rainy season,” explains Dimitrius. “Any replacement or spare part in case of a failure meant wasted travel days at
a high cost. This was a constant concern. For most of the shoot, the team used a Red Gemini with an anamorphic lens on a DJI gimbal – and these may not perform well in a place that’s hot and humid 100% of the time. “ As Roncon Junior attests, the Red Gemini is very strong, versatile and a fantastic performer in low light. “It was excellent for us in the rainforest, where we were using only natural light. Especially during the early morning or at night. These were the best times to show Chief Dadá’s lifestyle in the Amazon,” he asserts. “He is a powerful person with a very powerful message in an extremely powerful place. We needed to translate that strength, merged with the forest, to the film.” The Letter: A Message for Our Earth is available to stream on YouTube
“Spectacularly, our recordist’s mixer crashed moments before the pope came in to meet our contributors in the Vatican”
COME TOGETHER The globetrotting documentary was a collaborative effort, compiling the work of various remote camera units – with the four spokespeople finally converging on Vatican City for an audience with the pope
42. DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
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