Day 1 of 4 – Filming for the first of two days in a real estate office dressed as a clinic. Great crew and cast so far. Some of the actors were only on today, others we’ll see tomorrow. We even got to meet Marlee in person. After the long day, I hit the hotel pool to unwind. Ready for day two!
Technical: This is my first professional project I’ve decided to film entirely on my Nikon ZR while the Komodo X stands by. After watching The Odyssey on Wednesday I was in the mood for a larger-than Super 35 look. Nikon ZR plus Viltrox EPIC lenses gave me VistaVision anamorphic which felt appropriate in translating this film’s big message told inside small spaces. Plus, my KX kit’s size meant there were places it simply wouldn’t fit that the ZR handled well. Lit with several Nanlite fixtures including Pavobulbs, Picos, Forza Leko60, 120s with snap bags, and my trusty 240.
Day 2/4 – Filming at the same location as before, but tonight was company move so I needed to get all the gear packed and on the van for location two tomorrow. Another great day with solid, emotional performances, and lots of opportunities for interestingly appropriate visuals. Looking forward to tomorrow.
Day 3/4 – Our second location was all day at Grace Community Church. About two dozen of its congregation volunteered to be extras for a pivotal and emotional sequence. We were all blessed by a live performance by Elizabeth and Lily of the Sisters J.
Day 4/4 – Yesterday was the last day of principle photography. We filmed at a condo in Manchester, the same one production had given our lead to stay in. Despite the tough and emotionally heavy scenes we filmed at this location, lighting and filming them was an absolute dream. I had so much fun working across this entire project, but the scenes we shot here were such a joy to figure out for drama, technical, and logistics.
It’s very very hard to be the DP, gaffer, best boy, key grip, dolly grip, cam op, 1AC, DIT, and, uh, probably camera PA, too (haha), all by oneself, but the exhaustion was worth it. Especially this day. Lighting for drama is my favorite discipline as a cinematographer, and the scenes we filmed at this condo were especially challenging to lens and light.
In a small space I kept my gear footprint small, but meaningful. Here I boomed two RGB Nanlite 120C pars into chimeras with grids. They would play either daylight or tungsten depending on the scene’s time of day. Then I played tiny Picos for set accents, and occasionally used the Forza 60 Leko to motivate sunlight through a window.
For this scene, a oner, the 120s were tungsten, the Picos in the background were tuned a bit warmer than tungsten — I think 2700°K — with a smidge of G/M green added to make them look a little more consumer-y.
Michael’s 120 was positioned above and slightly in front of him to help give him a sad, but natural look. Sharonne’s 120 was over the table and feathered off the table to bring the exposure down and also have a bit more key on her chest, letting her face be in the darkness, silhouetted by what one of the Picos was doing in the kitchen. Michael is kept out of focus during the entire exchange. When Sharonne moves to the dining table, a third Pico gives her face some underscratch as the drama unfolds. Rack to Michael for the first time. Gut punch.
I am impressed with my Nikon ZR’s image and ease-of-use and have been enjoying the process of being a one-man-band on a micro indie skeleton crew short film so much more due to it’s low light performance. Higher base ISO = less-powerful light = lite-weight units = smaller footprint = less crew needed =great image quality despite tiny crew, less gear, and less time, in a tiny space.
Simple. Subtle. Effective. The vortex artwork between the struggling couple adds to the visual tension. Another deceptively simple, yet dramatic, oner.
Not only am I testing the Nikon ZR’s capabilities as an A cam, but SmallRig’s version of the blackmagic promist 1/4 filter. I am enjoying the results so far.
Though working with a skeleton crew on a micro budget film is a challenge onto itself, I threw everything I am into this film to squeeze as much production value out of what we had, in regard to equipment, budget and schedule. I’m especially thankful the cast and crew were 100% on board with my crazy ideas, and it’s no shock to me that we finished each day on schedule or slightly ahead of. I think that’s a Holy Spirit thing, and I sense the finished film will affect audiences in all the appropriate ways.
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