Forget Me Not

Shoot Date- 2nd- 4th March 2020

Role- Camera Operator

Production- MFS Productions

NOS- C4 Obtain, prepare and return camera equipment

Performance Statments

– P9 where practical, test equipment on delivery

– P8 check that equipment matches documentation, and, where it does not, seek solutions, (Link to P17)

– P17 store and handle items safely

NOS- C2 Specify camera equipment required

Performance Statments

– P8 ensure that appropriate camera testing has been carried out

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Forget Me Not is a story about an old lady named Rose who suffers from Dementia. Her daughter Karen and her husband Geoff are carers for rose as she will not allow anyone from a hospital come near her. Karen is a nurse so the only way of getting near rose is by removing her work clothes before entry upon the house. Karen tries to relive the good old days with her mother through pictures but Rose remembers nothing. Is this too much for Karen to take…

The Cameras…

– ARRI ALEXA SXT (ARRI 2017)

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For this shoot we were lucky enough to have been rented x2 ARRI Alexa SXT cameras from ARRI Rentals (ARRI, 2020). This was the first time I had properly used an ARRI camera on a production. Prior to this I had rigged, but not used one to this extent.

A week before the shoot , we decided to have a mini workshop followed by test/prep day, so that everyone was familiar with the equipment(P9 NOS). To some people, including myself, having to learn menus on a camera is something which can be tricky to get your head around. The workshop allowed us to play around with its menus, to find out where everything is on the camera, and I was shocked with how simple the Arri’s menus actually are.

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Compared to Sony, the Arri’s menus are layed out on one big screen on the side of the camera, and is very easy to get your head around. Everything is more of less labelled above its buttons which gives it such an easy understanding.

An example…

In the menus on a Sony camera, it is more difficult to adjust settings such as ISO’s and Colour Temperatures. To amend these settings you access one menu within another The process can be time consuming, and very technical. Whereas compared to the Arri, the information is all in one place for you to make quick amendments to, without getting lost in its menus.

Sony FS7 ISO Change…

As you can see in the video below, changing something as little as the ISO on a Sony camera, can be very tricky to understand, as is it necessary to go into multiple settings on the camera in order to access certain menus you wish to adjust. (Youtube, 2016)

ARRI SXT ISO Change…

In this short video, you can see just how simple it is to change an ISO settings on an Arri camera. As well as the Sony, an Arri allows you to have pre-set ISO’s to flick between, but changing the values of these on a Sony is extremely long and confusing. On the Arri, it is made so simple and easier to change.

NOTE: The camera in the video is an ARRI Amira. However its menu display is the same as an SXT model. (YouTube, 2016)

When the cameras arrived, documentation was included, containing information of the contents in the boxes and where they should be stored. To make sure that everything they say should been in the boxes we decided to go through each of them and lay out its contents, ticking off everything that was included in the cases (P8 NOS). This was the best way of looking after the equipment, as they were rented and we did not want to lose/misplace anything which could result in further connections being damaged between the film school and Arri. We made sure that we kept A Cams package separate to B Cam to prevent contents being mixed up with between the two.

To make sure that the cases were safe and that they could not get damaged, when loading the van, we made sure that all rented equipment was placed to one side; keeping it safe and protecting it from being damaged by other equipment in the van. Upon arrival to location, the camera teams made sure that the cases with the SXT equipment in were handled with extra care, and two people to each box was the way we went about this (P17 NOS). The cameras were off loaded safe and damage free.

The 360′ Shot…

For one of the scenes towards the end of the film, director Simone Walsh, wanted to capture a slow dance between Karen and Rose through a 360 degree shot which would be cut up into a montage of images between the pair. Before the shoot we decided to do a test of this shot (P8 NOS) to ensure that the correct equipment was being used for the type of shot it was. We needed to make sure that because we were using the Movi Pro (Freefly, 2020) that we had the lightest equipment attached to the gimbal. The lighter the rig, the easier it would be for me to operate. The Sony FS7 (Sony, N.D.) was the camera we decided to go with as it could be stripped down to just its body and attached to the Movi.

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On the day of the shoot with the actors in place we were able to do a rehearsal of the dance, so that I could master the shot and capture it how Simone had planned in her head. I had to make sure that I hit every position in the room, so that I was maintaining my framing with both actors in shot. After a few times rehearsing and shooting multiple takes, we eventually got the shot, and was able to move onto the last few of the day. Take 4 was the best take.

The Test…

This was the only example I could find of the test we done for the 360 shot in Forget Me Not. As you can see from the video, both stand ins were centre frame throughout the entire shot. This is what we were aiming for on the day of the shoot. (Youtube, 2020)

The Take…

You can see a very similar comparison from the test footage and the actual footage we captured on the day. I was able to get the shot which I had practiced multiple times in the test exactly how we planned it. (Youtube, 2020)

Testimonials…

Simone Walsh- Director

I have worked with Lewis on a number of shoots now and all I have is praise for him. He has exceeded my expectations every time and I was extremely happy that he was the main operator on Forget Me Not as I trust him to do a fantastic job. There were a number of shots that were combined and a 360 shot that we put in and I never for a second doubted his ability to get these shots. I am confident that the film is going to turn out amazing and a huge part of that is down to Lewis and capturing what we wanted from the scene. He has excellent communication skills and there was always open dialogue between myself, him and the DOP which was an integral part of making the film work due to the complexity of some of the shots. He had a great rapport with his camera team which was also evident throughout the shoot. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that one day he will be a great camera man in the industry and hope that he will continue to work on my projects. – Simone Walsh

Ben Eckersall- Director of Photography (Instagram, N.D)

Lewis went above and beyond as the operator on ‘Forget Me Not’. Consistently being able to pull off a number of technically difficult shots not only improved the quality of the film but also helped us stay on schedule. I would definitely turn to Lewis for any operating roles in the future and would be more than happy to work with him again.

Sony v ARRI…

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There are many people who have mixed opinions about weather or not one company is better than the other and which cameras stands out more. Lets look at why they have a preference and delve in deeper.

Why a preference…

Having been on shoots whereby kit we have used has been Sony, it is easy for me to say that I prefer using Sony cameras over Arri’s. However, this is not a good enough reason for why I should make this preference, as from a technical aspect, Arri’s are known for being the camera to go with. Many well known movies tend to use ARRI over Sony and there must be a reason why. This section of research will give me a better understanding on why some production companies chosen one rental over another and will display primary research from myself of the big question, Sony or ARRI?

Danny Usman– 1st AC(Instagram, N.D.)

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Danny Usman, is a ex graduate from The Manchester Film School who since leaving has worked on many exciting projects as a 1st & 2nd AC, working on music videos featuring the likes of British artists, Ed Sheeran (IMDB, N.D) & Stormzy (IMDB, N.D) on their music video “Take Me Back To London” (YouTube, 2019).

I recently got in tough with Danny to ask for his opinion on weather or not he preffered using a Sony or an ARRI. His reply was,

His reply is quite open as he gives different reasons for the two companies. It seems to me that his knowledge for Arri is strong and that these cameras are where his comfort is when it comes to filming. He gives some valid points regarding certain lighting situations for the Sony and explains in an overall statement at the bottom that the two cameras have their own advantages and disadvantages in comparison to one another.

Rob Hardy- Filmmaker (Vimeo, N.D)

Up and coming Filmmaker, Cinematographer and Musician, Rob Hardy, explains in an online article his reasons why “ARRI cameras are so popular with professional cinematographers”. Written on ‘Nofilmschool.com’, speaking about the Arri Alexa (ARRI, N.D.), he says;

“When you combine the fact that the Alexa is dead simple to learn and operate, with the fact that these cameras are built like tanks and steadfastly reliable… it’s no wonder why people return to the Alexa time and time again.” (Nofilmschool, 2015)

He goes on to speak about the video shown below, released by ARRI. (Youtube, 2015). (APPENDIX 6)

To sum up Roberts thoughts (APPENDIX 6), it is clear that he is a fan of ARRI and believes that the quality of image captured from them, is better than no other. He makes a valid point about how companies always seem to go back to an Alexa for their productions, as well as telling us just how well build an Arri camera actually is.

Rico Bam (IMDB, 2019)

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Rico Bam, is a freelance AC who has a very impressive knowledge regarding his role and cameras. He has worked on many productions in the UK (IMDB, 2019) and over time has collected a foundation of knowledge regarding cameras and what the different brands of cameras can do. He is able to tell me fine details of different cameras such as an ARRI or a RED, explaining specific details I have never seen anyone display before.

After working with him on a small project a couple years ago, I was able to see just how impressive he actually is as an AC, in which I Loaded and he Focus Pulled. Recently , I got back in touch with him to ask for his opinion regarding a Sony and an ARRI, and lets just say I can take a lot of very useful information from his message and use it for myself for future shoots I work on. This was his very defined message

Arri is an amazing camera. The design and functionality of the Alexa range and Mini cameras were put together when arri invites long time operators in the field to help them come up with things that would be practical and useful. Relying on the first hand experience of people that use it as a tool everyday. The result was a range of camera fit for various types of filming. The older style Arri’s are heavy cameras but once you have it on your shoulder it’s remarkably well balance and a lot more comfortable then I expected. The menu option is functional, intuitive and simple and to the point. It’s also been an on going process and with newer camera they have listen to feedback from users and they continue to try and make things better. Simple things like where to put a power ports and how to connect the eyepiece to the camera. Figure out what break the most frequent and how they can re-work it to be more sturdy or less prone to braking.

Most of my experience on Arri has been the Alexa classic and Arri Mini. they are in my opinion absolute work horses in the TV drama world running 12hrs a day 5 to 6 days a week and it works every time. TV drama shoot can sometimes be in a lot of different weather condition and location with dust and humidity. And with a good camera assisting team the helps look after the gear it keeps performing well. Specially the mini. What a little trooper. It does not early overheat like the Reds do. It very rarely have issue with dropped frames. Even the ProRes compressions is enough to make it affordable for smaller productions to get a high quality image without needing massive amount of data storage capacities. Now when it comes to sensors it has a good dynamic range and and really good in relative low light.. I once worked on a film where the DOP light 60% of the scenes by candle light and a few soft practical. And the min managed to capture remarkable detail at 800 EI. Now I know that Arri sensors ten to have a stronger green hue that it picks up, especially where a sensor has had a high number of hours clocked up it could be more evident. But as a general rule it as a really good skin tone representation. DOP’s in the TV drama world love them for all these reasons.

Now with all this said.. Sony cameras… I am not a fan really but that probably cause I always associate them with still cameras. I have worked with the Sony F55 a few times and I just do not like them. They have silly things like an almost unworkable menu system.. and extreme tricky system to make it shoot in a raw format. You have to shoot in raw to get anything good quality enough to compare to the likes of what (in my opinion) the Alexa Mini will give you.. one of my pet hates is the on/off button that sits right next to where the operator’s face goes.. we actually had to put some tape over it so the operator did not accidentally turn it off mid take. Just not a camera I enjoy working on. But I believe they are good cameras for run and fun shooting stuff, but personally I think one big factor is the cost as run and gun self shooters probably can’t afford an Arri from the onset. Even renting it from a rental house, the F55 is cheaper so low budget productions and run and fun shoots would choose this due to budget constraints.

The only other Sony I have worked on is the Sony Venice… now this bad boy is probably my favourite camera at the minute. Or at least in line with the Arri Mini for me.. but really I would probably choose the a Venice if I had to choose. Sony Venice is one of those game changes.. it’s not perfect by any means and some aspect like compatibility with some of the extra bits you slap on the camera it turns into a heavy lumpy thing compare to the mini that has some of the bits built in to the body.. but those trade offs you can live with when it comes to using the functionalities on the body, the two native EI’s and the sensor. The picture you get from it is just so beautiful. Some people say it’s a bit to digital. And it is digital, I agree.. not as digital as a red in my opinion, but still digital and clean. But it’s like looking at a sheep and saying.. it looks more like a sheep then a goat. Well in my opinion if you want a sheep to look like a goat you better off finding a goat to look at. Lol. I always want to see what a few vintage lenses would look like on a Venice. Maybe it will loose some of that digital clean crisp lines. But then again it’s really an artist choice to compliment a story.

So if you want you can have a look at the nexflix show called “The Stranger”. That was shot in Venice with some anamorphic lenses… and also the show on BBC 2 called “Giri/Haji”. That as shot on the Venice with new Leica lenses (they are more cleaner lenses). But yeh I always come back to the performance in low light and the colour representation. It always blows my mind. Specially Gari/Haji where they shot scenes in Tokyo at night using just the neon street lights and a bit of bounce and the images was still well balance in detail and colour representation. They also took a leave out of the Arri book when they designed some of the function buttons so you can bypass the stupid Sony menu system to get access to some functions instantly and with one or two clicks.

Rico Bam. Assistant Camera

Sony a7S II vs ARRI Alexa Mini…

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A video created by ShareGrid (YouTube, 2018), an American rental company/ YouTube channel, shows us the difference between a Sony a7S II and an ARRI Alexa Mini. They give a brief detail into what each of the cameras can do and show the difference in picture, though test shots of the pair. They make it clear that the difference between a £2000 Sony and £50,000 ARRI, technically, has not much difference from one another, only an Arri is the more popular due to its well built body and renowned reputation.

An example from the video showing so little differences between the two cameras, in different lighting situations are shown below (4K Shooters, 2018). Depending on the lighting, you may or not see a difference in the examples. See (APPENDIX 7) for more detail

A= Sony a7S II, B= Arri Alexa Mini

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As you can see from slides 1 and 2, the image looks very similar and the colours are almost the same. Compared to slides 3 and 4, when the lighting situation changes. The cameras begin to show a difference in picture with the ARRI keeping more natural looking skin tones and the Sony showing slightly more brighter, bolder colours. (APPENDIX 7)