View Full Version : Project shot on Red MX with Panavision Lenses


Nathan P. Brown
June 28th, 2011, 05:33 PM
I'm a producer...so not highly technical, but I've shot a lot of Red projects but this was my first with Panavision, and first with anamorphics. I really appreciated the incredible scope of these lenses, and the refinement and quality of them. We shot fast and furious, and they came through for us in tough shooting environments.

I wanted to share the piece here, it is a PSA. Some of it was shot on a 5D with spherical lenses, wondering if people can tell what was shot on the 5D.

Anyway, here it is...I hope you find it beautiful and inspiring:

YouTube - ‪What Do You Run For?‬‏ (http://youtu.be/JRzY8oFX75I)

DP was Joe Farris
Camera Operator, Dave Wightman
Color by Tyler Roth at Filmworker's Club Chicago
Directed by Chris Folkens (who fought the fight to shoot this on Panavision!)

Sareesh Sudhakaran
June 28th, 2011, 11:45 PM
Great video...which is probably why I don't get the need for Panavision.

Charles Papert
June 29th, 2011, 01:22 PM
VERY nicely shot. Kudos to all involved.

I do however wonder why it was necessary to shoot these with the Pana anamorphics. If the spot is going to be projected in theaters, the subtleties may be more apparent, but being that the Panavision anamorphics, while lovely and unique, are heavy and difficult to work with especially under time constraints/small crew/physically demanding locations...I'm sure your AC's had quite a time pulling focus on all those shots of people running towards camera, particularly under "fast and furious" conditions! (I might need their phone numbers!)

Spherical zooms have come such a long way in recent years. I'm not denying that there is something of a look to the anamorphics but I'm not entirely convinced that the success of the spot hinges on the lens choices anywhere near as much as the combination of location, time of day and directorial choices. Much of this has to do with the fact that I'm not a lens freak like many of my colleagues--having shot so much with the functionally hobbled still lenses and DSLR's over the past year or two and still had great response to the material, I'm more convinced than ever that it's what you do in front of the camera (and in the post suite) that provides a great deal of the look. A few classic flares and the oval out of focus look notwithstanding.

Most importantly--great work and a very successful PSA and you should be extremely proud of it. Congrats.

Tim Polster
July 1st, 2011, 08:24 AM
Great job! I really liked the finished product. The image quality is fantastic with a lot of detail. I admit I do not know anything about Panavision lenses but they sure do have a great look. This piece to my eyes represents the new "digital film" look. It looks close to film but with more detail but still retains that sense of distance and suspension.

Thanks for sharing.

Warren Kawamoto
October 19th, 2011, 11:27 AM
Great job! I noticed that the soundtrack sounds extremely similar to one from "Blood Diamond." Did you guys create your own version for this piece?

Bruce Watson
October 20th, 2011, 11:34 AM
wondering if people can tell what was shot on the 5D?

Nope. And I was looking for it. Nicely done.

Jerry Porter
October 20th, 2011, 12:48 PM
Well done! And what he said^^^

Daniel Grey
October 21st, 2011, 03:25 PM
Very gorgeous footage, if I had to guess I would say the 5D was used in the shots around the African village. The shallow depth of field and the low light capabilities would of been a bonus. Plus the weight and expense of the anamorphics and Red MX would have stopped me from trying to get them to an African village in the first place.

I couldn't see a difference in the cameras in the final footage though, so well done Tylor Roth.

Jonathan Shaw
October 23rd, 2011, 09:01 PM
Awesome, couldn't tell the 5D stuff but I wasn't really looking as I enjoyed just watching.

Nathan P. Brown
October 25th, 2011, 08:32 AM
Thank you everyone for watching!

Yes, the 5D was used in the African footage.

The music was composed by David Buckley of Firefly Music. David composed THE TOWN and scores THE GOOD WIFE. Very talented guy.

We are very proud to have just found out this was nominated for an Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.