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Mason’s building blocks
Horacek often shoots at wide apertures to create a soft cinematic background, which inevitably puts greater pressure on focusing. That’s one reason the Ninja has become important. Its bright display gives him a clearer view than relying on the FX3’s smaller camera screen, while de-squeeze monitoring means the anamorphic image can be viewed with the correct proportions during the shoot. “The de-squeeze features on the Ninja have played a big role in making it possible for me to film with anamorphic lenses,” he says. Focus tools and LUT monitoring also allow him to judge something much closer to the intended finished image on-set. For movement, Horacek rarely turns up without a DJI RS5 gimbal and Tilta Advanced Ring Grip, which he uses for tracking work. And he actually welcomes some weight in his anamorphic lenses when shooting handheld, finding the extra mass can help settle camera movement. them to experiment, fail safely and try ideas you couldn’t justify on somebody else’s budget. Never stop playing From putting a skateboard underneath the camera to writing around having only one actor available, Horacek’s best ideas often come from treating limitations as opportunities. Keep moving Skateboarding taught Mason Horacek to think dynamically. Try low angles, tracking movement and unconventional camera positions rather than always defaulting to eye level. Choose the format for the job Maximum quality isn’t automatically the right choice. Horacek uses ProRes Raw when the production benefits from it, but ProRes HQ when smaller files make more practical sense. Don’t overcomplicate the solution A stick dropped into shot by a crew member or tape marks on a Dana Dolly can solve problems that might otherwise demand expensive equipment. Make personal work Client projects build a career; personal films develop your creativity. Use
Pizza the action A slider brings movement to a fast food advert
The Atomos Ninja means there is no compromise on the quality of the footage It’s a compact philosophy rather than an obsession with making everything tiny. Take enough equipment to achieve the image, but make sure the kit never starts dictating what shots are possible. Raw when it matters A compact FX3 camera armed with the Atomos Ninja means that there is no
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September/October 2026
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