FEATURE | GO LARGE
have been used, also IMAX has four or five IMAX 65s as part of its rental fleet. The reaction from the association was more to do with what camera works best for your story. But if you ask me whether they are a replacement for 1570 film I would say they are not there yet, none of them, but they’re a pretty good substitute right now.” PITFALLS James’ advice if you’re considering using some of the new large format cameras, is basically ‘pace yourself’. “If you’re going to do large format for a feature or a Netflix drama just make sure you’re taking advantage of what you have but don’t take too much advantage, if you know what I mean. Use the features of the camera that work for you in the story unless your contract requires you to shoot Raw or uncompressed or some other technical detail. Netflix requires 4K, for instance. “Don’t pull everything out of the bag just because you have it, because you can run up your budget without really thinking about it, especially with directors who like to let the camera roll. The cost in hard drives and the cost in assistant editors can be prohibitive. That goes for any digital format but even more so for the larger formats. Also, editing in 8K is near impossible, you almost need a super computer to do it. Even the short test that we did we had to down res to 6K to edit. “You’re also getting this old lens aesthetic with lenses like Hasselblad being used as they cover the back diameter to cover the frame. This aesthetic is at lower resolution than you’re actually recording on which I think is part of what really gives it that film look. It’s an aesthetic that people like and why you have lens coatings being scrubbed off $10,000 lenses to achieve it. So, where we might be headed is
RIGHT Director of the film Passing , Aisha Schliessler, described large-format as “seeing in a new way”.
SHORT FILMS FOR LARGE FORMAT
back to that soft, creamy look which large format has given us. It’s the result of the resolution versus the resolving power.” DRAMA FOR LARGE FORMAT Jonathan Jones from Ember recently made a Netflix trailer over three days using Canon’s new C700 FF cameras. He says, “The full-frame sensor is great! You can crop it to be Super 35 and even Super 16. So all the lenses that you already own you can use on it and then go full-frame for VFX, for instance, and start using some of the new, large-format glass. “This full-frame camera is perfect for owner-operators who aspire to work in film and TV, and especially Netflix, where cinematic drama production is on a huge upwards curve. We wanted to make something epic with these brand new
If you’ve been to a trade show recently you may have seen some stunning short films shot in LF. There were none better than the films on the Zeiss stand at Munich’s CINEC using its new Supreme lenses. We asked Jon Joffin, the DOP and Aisha Schliessler, Director of the film Passing what their expectations were of using these large sensor cameras and indeed the new lenses. Jon Joffin ASC says, “When Aisha and I were shown the prototype lenses, we were taken by their painterly quality, the gentle transition from focus to out of focus areas, and especially the quality of the out of focus blur. It was a natural choice for a film about a painter. “Such extreme depth-of-field seems to work great on faces and, of course, other objects. Is this the main reason for using such camera/lens combinations? Certainly, the thin depth of field that LF provides was one reason that we used the Venice/Supreme combination. The ultra-thin depth of field allowed us to use wider lenses than we would normally choose and still maintain the beautiful painterly background blur. There is something about LF that looks very rich and cinematic, even when downsized to 4K. It has the feel of 70mm film. Director Aisha Schliessler says, “Large-format is like seeing in a new way. The richness and the texture of the image feels incredibly filmic. The thin focus and almost anamorphic quality (without typical anamorphic distortion and bending) helps to direct the viewers’ eyes to where we want them to go, and the image feels much more three dimensional than Super 35. I’m very excited to explore this new canvas.” We also asked them whether, if they had a choice, would they use a large- format camera over, say, a Super 35mm one? “We would most definitely choose LF over Super 35,” was the reply.
ABOVE The full-frame sensor on Canon’s C700 FF can also be ussed in Super 35 and Super 16 modes.
48 DEF I N I T ION | NOVEMBER 20 1 8
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