In Broadcast - December 2017 - 50

50

www.inbroadcast.com | Vol: 7 - Issue 12 | December 2017

InMedia

Sony PXW-FS7 Braves
Antarctic Chill
Australian cinematographer Pieter de Vries opted for Sony's
PXW-FS7 as his go to cameras for an Antarctic shoot...

R

ecently Pieter de Vries, one of
Australia's best known and most
well respected cinematographers, had
an important choice to make. The shoot
was a challenging one - the Antarctic.
The choice was which cameras to use.
In the end de Vries chose the Sony
PXW-FS7.
He explained, "The camera needed
to be compact, suited to handheld
cinematography and able to accept
any lenses. It also had to be affordable
so that I could take two camera bodies.
These days we just take it for granted
that it can record in 4K. A lot of
filming was done on Zodiac inflatable
watercraft and this meant that the
camera had to be well balanced on the
shoulder just to keep it safe if nothing
else. The FS7, in my opinion, was the
perfect choice."
Balanced Shooting
De Vries knows his camera
equipment. He also knows what to
look for and what will work in the most
challenging of environments.
"The extension handle on the FS7
is perfect and I was able to keep the
camera balanced on my shoulder -
this being so important from a safety
aspect and also for the ability to pan
around and look in all directions very
quickly. The camera is compact, in fact
it's the ideal size to fulfil its role in
Antarctic conditions."
Indeed it was the "Antarctic
conditions" that not only posed the
biggest production problems but also
Pieter de Vries in the Antarctic
with Sony PXW-FS7 cameras

the most amazing images.
"I've used a Sony PXW-FS7 for quite
a few years, and as I own one, I'm very
familiar with it so I had no second
thoughts about using this camera for
this shoot. All Sony professional video
cameras are reliable, in fact more
reliable than film cameras. I've never
had an issue working with a Sony
camera anywhere I've ever filmed hot
or cold wet or dry, and this shoot was
very cold.
"The best feedback that I can give
about the choice of this particular
camera on this job was simply that
I was able to get everything that I
wanted and that there was no shooting
situation out of reach. Shooting on
the ship or in cold weather on the ice
or rocking about in Zodiacs with salt
water splashing around, I was able to
effortlessly get the video sequences
without any issues whatsoever."
Camera Trek
In addition to Sony FS7 cameras de
Vries used a variety of other cameras
GoPros, Zenmuse X5R's with Inspire
drones and various stills cameras
mounted in gimbals including the Sony
A7S Mk2 a Sony A7R Mk2, Sony RX100
Mk4 and a Sony PXW-X70.
With the FS7s as his main cameras
there was filming on board the ship
in common spaces, in cabins, in the
engine room, on the bridge, on the
ship decks in icy minus 10 degree
conditions, and an incredible amount
of scenes shot on the ice and on a large

snowfield where de Vries and his crew
had to climb uphill
carrying all of
their equipment.
He added: "That
uphill climb alone
made the compact
and
lightweight
FS7 the right camera
for this job. I shot in Cine EI
mode which gave me the
maximum dynamic range
required especially in the
bright conditions of Antarctica.
We transferred our footage at
the end of each day using dedicated
software to back up the various cards
and to then make backups of those
backups. One of the drives was then
secured in a pelican case and they
were not touched for the remainder of
the voyage. There were approximately
65 hard drives containing all the 4K
footage. We reviewed our rushes
whenever we could on one of the
other drives dedicated only to viewing
footage."

and the various technical
specifications of the camera.
The quality of our images on
this shoot was excellent and
being able to use lenses from
different lens makers, as you can
with the FS7, is a big plus. Both FS7
cameras performed without fault in
the warm humid conditions on board
the ship and the extremely cold
outside temperatures. Condensation is
always a consideration in extreme cold
but because there are so few moving
parts, if any, aside from the neutral
density filter wheel it was never an
issue for the FS7s. All of my Sony
cameras were handpicked for this
shoot and they didn't miss a beat."

Key Choice
For a cinematographer of de Vries'
experience the choice of camera is
absolutely key and on this particular
shoot he simply couldn't have been
happier than with his choice of Sony
FS7.
"The Sony PXW-FS7 is a perfect
documentary camera in many
respects because of its compact size
and weight, the quality of the images

Training
Between
assignments,
Pieter
conducts training that is ideal for
anyone who wants to take their
expertise beyond menus and dials.
Using Sony cameras, his philosophy is
that one-to-one training or being part
of a small group is the fastest way to
gain the techniques that enable you to
tell compelling stories with a video or
DSLR-style camera.

"The Sony PXW-FS7
is a perfect documentary
camera," Pieter de Vries
http://www.inbroadcast.com https://www.cabsat.com/exhibitors/jeremy-guevel?&page=2&azletter=A&searchgroup=libraryentry-exhibitors https://vimeo.com/piet
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of In Broadcast - December 2017
