especially those shots where the ship is
pushing through the ice.”
The film was shot in 4K and edited in
Adobe Premier Pro. “I always edit with the
RAW and 4K files,” Joffe says. “We master 4K,
grade in 4K and stay in 4K throughout the
whole post-production process.” Sometimes
he’ll bring in a colorist, and, for Kingdom
of the Ice Bear, he used an external sound
designer to help layer in the atmospheric
noises and ensure the narration was crisp
and clear.
Overall, Joffe credits his passion for
helping transform the final piece into an
award-winning film. “Good storytelling
starts by being curious,” he says. “Especially
if you’re working on documentaries.” He
also won second place in the Commercial/
Illustrative category for Tales by Light Season
2 Extended Trailer, a teaser video for the
second season of his National Geographic
documentary series Tales by Light (season
1 is currently available on Netflix). “Wildlife
is my passion, and I continue to improve my
skills every year, whether that’s taking more
advanced diving courses or lessons in drone
operation,” he says.
When it came to submitting his films to
WPPI, Joffe says the 5-minute time limit
helped him curate his selection, but he
was still mindful of which films would do
best under the judging criteria. Creating
storylines for films under 5 minutes means
“you really need to communicate a strong
message,” he says. “The film can’t be pure
visuals—it needs a message and a story.
The films I entered were strong regarding
storytelling, and the strong visuals
followed.”
For more tips from Abraham Joffe, and to see the
full-length film, go to rangefinderonline.com.
WHEN IT
COMES TO
DRONES…
GET QUALIFIED
Go through the training and testing required
to become—for those in Australia—Civilian
Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certified.
There, you’ll learn that the most important
flying rules are: Don’t fly within three nautical
miles of a towered airport, don’t fly above 400
feet, and don’t fly within 100 feet of people or
overpopulated areas.
[Editor’s note: In the States, you can get remote
pilot certification through the FAA.]
PLAN AHEAD
Think about what shot (or shots) you want to
achieve before taking off. It’s not only safer,
but will also conserve battery power.
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Grand wides [big-vista panoramic shots
of landscapes] establishing a scene or a
birds-eye shot can be powerful. Fast flying or
exaggerated moves don’t always mean more
impact. The power of a well-framed, eye-in-the-sky shot shouldn’t be ignored!
RANGEFINDERONLINE.COM 49
CAMERAS: RED EPIC Dragon,
Canon 1D C LENSES: Canon 200-400mm
f/4L, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II, 100-
400mm f/4. 5-5.6L IS II DRONE: DJI
Inspire 1 AUDIO: Sound Devices 633
Field Production Mixer, Sennheiser MKH
8060 microphone, Rycote Windshield
microphone kit SOUND RECORDING: Jen
Walker SOUND DESIGN: Nylon Studio
EDITING: Lorna-Jean Bradley
î CATHERINE HALL
“This film shows excellent
technical skill by capturing a
challenging arctic environment,
and IT DISPLAYS VERY
SKILLED STORYTELLING,
selling this voyage without
feeling like a commercial. It’s a
brilliant approach of soft-selling
something through a video that’s
filled with profound visuals. There’s
superb use of audio, ranging from
the cracking sounds of the ice to
the compelling interviews.”
îADRIAN HENSON
“It does a fantastic job of selling
photo tours and creating a sense of
urgency—I literally felt like signing
up for the tour while watching
it. I FEEL EDUCATED, AND
I FIND IT STUNNINGLY
BEAUTIFUL. It is hard to note
the technical details because the
videography never draws attention
to itself. The cool colorcast
supports everything within the
context. I never feel let down
because a scene is too short,
and the film also never loses my
attention by hanging with a scene
too long.”
VIDEO S TILLS THIS SPREAD © ABRAHAM JOFFE
