Rangefinder - June 2016

EXTRA TIP:

DETACH THE CAMERA FROM YOUR FACE ONCE IN A WHILE AND BE ANOTHER PERSON IN THE ROOM WITH YOUR CLIENTS.

Don’t be surprised when the tension in the air lifts a bit. We do our best to balance this detachment and observation with engaging and speaking with our clients; our cameras are always close and our eyes are always searching.

Move around the space and get closer to and away from your subject to refresh your perspective and create some variation in your footage.

The point here is to be intentional about how you operate in order to share in this experience with your clients, and to wait but be decisive in your documentation.

CONSIDER THE TOOLS, BUT DON’T STOP THERE

With so many options on the market today, you need to be conscientious of the ways in which your tools influence your creative process and, ultimately, the work you want to create. With our love of analogue film, it’s no surprise that our two primary cameras either emulate it or work entirely within its somewhat unpredictable ways.

We can’t overstate how important it is to understand the ins and outs of your tools and whether they align with how and what you’re trying to say through your work. Don’t forget you need to enjoy using them, too.

IN THE GEAR BAG (OPPOSITE PAGE): The Brixton ONA camera bag with Canon 5D Mark III, 50mm f/1.4 lens, gradient ND filter, Pelican memory card case, Canon 814XL-S Super 8, Kodak Film (TriX, 200T, 500T), Digital Bolex with external battery pack, four C-mount lenses and Zacuto viewfinder on Wooden Camera rail system, Hold Fast Money Maker, juicedLink Little Darling audio recorder with remote trigger and Countryman B3 Lav, microfiber cleaning cloth, eight AA Eneloop batteries, four Canon LP-E6 batteries and Me FOTO Globe Trotter tripod.

One of the most interesting cameras we’ve used is the DIGITAL BOLEX (or D16), a modern take on the traditional 16mm Bolex cinema camera. The way the D16 renders grain on its Super

16 CCD sensor creates an organic look to the footage that pulses with its own character; coupled with a global shutter and all sorts of interesting cinema lenses, you’ve got a small beast in your arsenal. Despite its heftier weight, lack of low light capabilities and technology that may have you wondering why you wouldn’t want a camera with more features (like the Sony a7S II), the D16 combines the versatility, look and feel that we’re after in a camera that’s also enjoyable to operate.

The CANON 814XL-S is a Super

8mm film camera that’s both easy and formidable to use. Considering the quirks of this camera is an exercise in learning not only how to load it with film and use its small and murky viewfinder, but trusting that everything (focus, exposure, composition, etc.) is ready when you squeeze the trigger. You won’t know what you’ve shot until the film has been developed and scanned, and with 2. 5 minutes per roll, not being intentional with your shots will prove costly both creatively and financially. We’ll see if Kodak’s new Super 8 camera can take some of the edge off this sometimes stressful but rewarding process.