CVP ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE.
THE COOKE LOOK The documentary played to the strengths of Cooke’s Varotal/i FF lens range
DYLAN BRUCE SPENT the best part of his school years hoping to work in the fields of illustration or animation. However, after watching The Revenant (2016) on his 18th birthday, he ‘realised there was this magical thing called cinematography’ – even if he didn’t fully understand what it involved at that point. Fast-forward to his final year at the University of Westminster and Bruce met some directors who had signed to Academy Films. They started working together; he would shoot a lot of their music promos. “This was a very steep learning curve as I’d only just finished university and had to quickly start learning how to work with crews and productions,” Bruce explains. “It threw me into work and helped me build my confidence and industry connections.” “A documentary felt like a great way to test the Varotal glass, with the need to be reactive”
Now an established DOP, he’s just wrapped on Man of the Soil , a short documentary filmed at Tuffon Hall Vineyard in Essex to showcase Cooke’s Varotal/i FF lens range. The rationale behind the film is to showcase the kit in surroundings more creatively stimulating than a run-of-the-mill lens test. The focus of the documentary was Leslie, someone who’s been working the land his entire life and has wizard-like knowledge of the inner workings of the vineyard environment. “Cooke got in touch with me through the recommendation of Mungo Penfold, Account Manager at CVP,” Bruce explains. “Mungo is someone who has helped me make many impossible jobs work, and I’m very grateful for this. After meeting with Cooke, we spoke about how to make a lens showcase both compelling and visually arresting. A documentary felt like a great way to test the Varotal glass, with rapid changes in lighting conditions and the need to be reactive.” A TIGHT SCHEDULE Adding the three Cooke Varotal/i FF Zooms and set of S8s to a camera supplied by 24/7 Kit, Bruce says that the whole package
69. JUNE 2023
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