In my quest for learning every thing possible about the new Arri alexa I stumbled on a video about a DoP who recently started using the camera. He has predominately been hired out for his use of film (as in the medium, not movies in general). This short piece is wonderfully crafted, giving insight to the artist, his tools and why they matter.

In case you were wondering, yes, the piece was shot on an Alexa as well.

As a filmmaker in DC, I make most of my income from shooting interviews. Most of them are pretty dull and boring. Not all interviews should be shot in this style, but I do love the way they set it up. You get a a great sense of the individual. From the staging of his gear and bike to their use of b-roll with him in his element, good stuff.

Duncan in Vancouver with Alexa

It’s great they way they stage him with the window, feels natural, but it just feels like a conversation with another DoP. (Nice to have enough latitude to still hold exposure outside those windows!) The way he talked about the camera, and more importantly the why behind using that camera struck me to be pretty impressive. So I went ahead and dug a little deeper and saw that he has a blog of his own. The blog mostly follows Scott and the different shoots he has around the globe. I recommend poking around his site and check out a few of his posts.

There’s a lot to be learned from other types of filmmakers. I’ve been on the lookout for new influences as a cinematographer because I want to have an arsenal of different styles and looks and to know best about how to achieve it. I think it’s important for people to find new sources of inspiration and knowledge. This even goes for myself, I usually tend to stick around high-end cinema blogs, forums and the like. You’ve got to get out of that tech spec jargon and look for creative motivation.  If you keep going to the same place for inspiration, you’ll never grow as a filmmaker.

 

Scott Duncan with Aaton Penelope film camera