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ENG Crew Chooses Sony PMW F55 for Red Carpet and Panel Discussion

Posted by Rebekah Toth Burns on September 11, 2014

Franks Hanes President and Owner of Big Shoulders has been represented by Crews Control for almost twenty years. His full service production company is faced with the challenges of meeting the needs of a variety of client types. “We had been waiting for the F55 for a while. We purposely passed on the RED and the C300/ C500 phase. I have been shooting with the F55 for a year now and I love it. Since last spring we have been shooting a concert series which we literally shoot in the dark with some of the highest contrast ratios imaginable. I was blown away by the results. I never want to go back. We capture in 4K and down convert and the quality is unbelievable. If you had told me 3 years ago we would have a 4K camera with this kind of sensitivity and latitude for the price, I would have been skeptical. But now it’s a reality and we have it on our tripods and shoulders all day, every day. The workflow with our Avids has made our post department fans of the camera as well. They love the ease and speed at which the footage is ingested. For us, the true test is our customers, and once we shoot for them on the F 55 they too never want to go back.” Says Frank Hanes.

DP Brian Hajik PMW F55 sony pmw f55 for red carpet

Big Shoulders shot a red carpet and panel discussion event for NBC Universal’s Chicago Fire and Chicago PD where creator Dick Wolf presented. Like so many shoots that Crews Control manages, this Big Shoulders production demanded a camera that could capture crisp hand-held shots of the red carpet and record a panel discussion from the back of a large conference room. This is a good example of using the 4K imager to deliver stunning HD files, 1920×1080 at a 23.98 frame rate. The lean crew, Director of Photography Brian Hajik and Audio Engineer Jeremy Stark, maintained a small footprint while producing a fantastic product. DP Brian Hajik said “In terms of workflow as well as operationally, it’s very similar to what ENG shooters are accustomed to. The camera I used had a zoom lens (Fuji 19-90mm) which gave me decent range…I was able to get the depth of field look, which is really nice.” The Sony VCT-FSA5 shoulder mount accessory transforms the F55’s modular form factor into a hand-held camera necessary for red carpet shoots. It is crucial to have a constant power source for long format shoots like panel discussions. “A standard Anton Bauer brick powers the camera a lot longer than it powers a standard ENG camera” said Brian. DP’s don’t always have the desired amount of control over lighting for conferences the Sony F55 gives the operator “… the ability to really crank up the ISO before you lose any quality”, Brian added.

Side view PMW F55 sony pmw f55 for red carpet

“What I love about the F55 for ENG is that it gives you a film look with the usability of an ENG style camera. It looks absolutely beautiful.” Said Hajik

We would love to hear about your 35mm sensor shoots. What types of projects have you used the PMW F55 or other CineAlta cameras to capture and in what locations did you shoot? Please comment on our blog, Facebook page, Twitter feed, or LinkedIn account.

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