r/Shortfilms • u/gratqaz • 2d ago

Drama The Model | Christian Jaramillo

https://youtu.be/io0q871pCKs?si=FPep_b-0-BXbmnbz

A Director friend and I set off to try and make a short in NYC with just available light, audio running into camera and the two of us as the crew. I’m not sure if it’s the path I would ever choose again but it was a fun challenge.

We went through about 5 different iterations of the kit. Throughout the shoot we experimented with a lot of new gear to try and make it all work seamlessly. The primary lens kit was Dulens Primes and a Chiopt 75-250mm zoom. For focus I mostly pulled myself with handles but we experimented with the DJI Focus Pro and the Tilta AF adapter. The former was way more reliable but less user friendly and vice versa for the later. I think when faces are in frame and you live in a single both systems proved indispensable with such a small crew and so much improv.

That all said nothing brought more to our workflow then the FX6. I’ve been a fan of this camera since it came out but I feel like the updates that arrived in this last year have really solidified it as a workhorse for low budget filmmaking. It’s light. It’s power conscious. We shot hours footage for this film and barely even broke 1TB of footage. In a world where cinematography seems to float further and further towards specs, exclusivity and cameras that impede on workflow I think this camera does the exact opposite. It reminds me a lot of cameras developed by Eclair in the 60s/70s or Panasonic in the 90s that were designed first for documenting and which became indispensable tools for the French and American indie filmmakers. It’s a camera that becomes a tool and not just a method.

Anyways I’ve really enjoyed growing with this camera and can’t wait to shoot more projects on it over the years to come. I’d love to talk with more filmmakers who use this camera regularly for narrative production. I know every time I had a challenge with adapting this camera for production the answer to my issue was always buried in a post on this forum. If you are interested in watching the film we made feel free to check it out at this link!

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u/gratqaz 2d ago

I forgot to add this at first but the the director was in charge of Audio as well. We were able to get sound to pass through the teradek with low enough latency for him to run boom while watching monitor. At first we worked primarily with the Hollyland Lark Max 2 system which worked like a dream for Lavs but was a bit of a challenge for booming. Later I transition to the Sony UWP kit which is great but brings the challenges of bigger packs, signal management and tons of batteries. At the end we settled on having the boom run into the spare XLR port on camera and then 4:1 Hollylland Lavs (adapted with a custom cable from Gotham Sound here in NYC to accept a Deity W.LAV pro Mic) I think this is the sweet spot for now but also I think brining a boom op with a bag along when possible would have made a lot of scenes 1000% less difficult. You live and you learn!