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SHOOT STORY EMINEM MUSIC VIDEO
VistaVision and all those formats. So that opens up a choice for me now; I’ve got lens coverage so that’s not an issue but what do I want to do for resolution and depth-of-field? “For me, medium-format is a mixed bag of nuts. You get this compression but also you’re at such a larger format that depth-of-field can become a struggle. But apart from that my feeling is that the earlier I jump into new technology the better it is for me as I’m at the forefront of this new thing. I can rent my cameras more and so they pay for themselves early on. Also with RED, early adopters are rewarded with better deals for the next one and other preferential treatment on the back end. Also I’m heavily invested in the technology so I can understand how it will benefit my work. Being informed about how these cameras function and not believing the marketing hyperbole is important.” EARLY ADOPTER Chris’s familiarity with the platform and his thorough understanding of the technology is a big part of why the Monstro felt like a natural choice for Chris when he was shooting the video for Eminem. “All this technical stuff fades away into the background when I’m on set. I understand the parameters and they’re on my mind, but if I want to do something artistic or creative or solve a technical problem or a visual problem where for instance a VFX needs more resolution, I can fix that.” THE EARLIER I JUMP INTO NEW TECHNOLOGY THE BETTER IT IS FOR ME AS I’M AT THE FOREFRONT OF THIS NEW THING
straddle the line between almost full-frame and medium-format. That impacts not only the imaging but also the lens choices that will cover that. “When you get in to medium- format, one of the things that people like about it is for the same equivalent field of view of say Super 35mm, you’d use an 80mm lens for a wide shot, whereas in Super 35mm that’s a close up. So you get the same field of view, that’s relative, but the compression you have, that exaggeration of perspective has changed. So you’re getting a relationship with the environment you didn’t get before with the compression, plus your depth-of- field falls away quicker so you get that shallower depth-of-field with medium-format. So now we have a sweet spot in terms of lenses, we have a multitude of lenses that will cover the image circle of VistaVision or full-frame. These are lenses from the stills world and a lot of new lenses are coming out supporting these various gate dimensions for all these different digital cameras.” So we’re experiencing a renewed interest in vintage glass that has been
rehoused to work with full-frame or these various formats which are coming out. Companies like TLS in the UK are benefiting from this popularity and indeed Chris is already working with them to fine- tune their rehousing designs. SHOOTING IN THE WILD WEST All this new technology is in theory great but there are dangers to be aware of before you jump into the experimental water. “Ironically you may think you’re trailblazing with this larger sensor and the resolution but I’m actually using lenses that are 40 years old on the Eminem video. I have a set of rehoused Canon K35s that came out of the 1970s, but they are full-framed lenses so they cover
IMAGES Chris used a set of rehoused Canon K35 lenses on the Eminem shoot.
DEFINITION JUNE 2018
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