Sony Burano and DZO Arles Lenses: Capturing Brief Documentary Footage with These Lenses

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Hey there! Meet Julien Jarry, a visionary Director and DP hailing from the bustling streets of New York City. My team and I specialize in crafting stories, lending a hand to documentaries and commercials alike. Our goal? To communicate a message, and cast a vision. We create videos to achieve objectives such as raising funds, spreading awareness, and marketing a product or strategy.

Recently, we took on a challenge: creating a snazzy 'About' video for a local architect. In this post, we'll let you know how we lit, shot, and captured B-roll footage to make it happen. Plus, you'll get an exclusive peek into our creative process. Buckle up, let's dive right in!

Shooting Black and White with the Sony BURANO

The Sony BURANO's image sensor, oh boy, it's a stunner! I figured it would bring our architect's work to life by capturing everything inside his office and his creative process in black and white. I aimed for clean, punchy blacks to create a strong visual impact, and black and white footage thrives on contrast. We maintained that focus while lighting his workspace.

I teamed up the Sony BURANO with the Sony FX6 as a B camera, and it held its ground. For lenses, we chose the DZO Arles primes because they offer a clean look at T1.4 apertures, perfect for my shallow depth of field preference. The new Arles lenses were a treat, and they looked stunning at T1.4.

The DZO Arles lenses strike the right balance between size, weight, and performance, blending seamlessly with the BURANO. Shooting in black and white, they nailed the desired vibe for this project.

As for lighting, I turned to my trusted Aputure lights. I kept things simple with a few 600Ds, a 36-degree spotlight mount used creatively, an Amaran tube light, and some ultra bounce. For sound, I went with the industry-standard Sennheiser 416 shotgun microphone.

When it comes to gear, I trust my small HD monitors, Wooden Camera accessories, Anton Bauer batteries, and Sachtler tripods. They make everything easy-peasy for us, no matter what we throw at them.

The Sachtler Flowtech 100 and 75 with Aktiv 10 and 8 combos? Yep, they really shone on this shoot. Wewere up against a tight space, but manipulating the legs onto a desk allowed me to achieve the composition I wanted.

Location Scouting

I swung by the location the day before to make sure my concept would work, and thankfully, it did. I initially tested a frame using the 24mm f1.4 GM lens on my Sony A7RV, knowing we'd use the DZO 25mm T1.4 lens for the main angle.

When it came to set day, we kicked things off by setting up our interview frames and lighting. We positioned the A and B cameras, and our trusty tripods once again came in handy. The lighting was motivated by the natural light coming in through the window in the space. Lucky for us, the sky was consistently overcast on the day of our shoot.

However, the window position was less than ideal for the shot. It was just far back enough, lacking the frontal level we needed. So, we threw up an ultra bounce and used the Aputure 600D Pro and 36-degree spotlight mount to simulate a "window" effect across the room. The space was cramped, so we had no room to add another light modifier where we needed the light to come from.

All in all, the setup worked out beautifully, giving us the additional lighting on our subject's face that we needed. To maintain consistent ambient lighting throughout the day in the back room, we used another 600D pro bounced into an ultra bounce. Additionally, we used an Amaran PT2c tube as a hair light and finally, a single B7c in a desk lamp completed the lighting setup.

Production Crew

This was a relatively small job in a tight space. We kept our crew compact to preserve maneuverability. After shooting the interview and some office footage, we shifted to a construction site to capture extra B-roll.

My wife Kelly operated the B camera and swung, while Kevin handled the lighting as gaffer. We tapped Antonio to shoot the BTS video for the footage available now on Adorama TV, and our buddy Enrique took a few BTS stills.

The Shot List

I had a loose shot list bouncing around in my head, and it did the trick because the project was straightforward. Usually, I don't recommend winging it, as it's easy to miss items. I knew I could shoot our subject naturally and also capture all the cool stuff in their office. It worked out like a charm, and I dig documenting that way. It feels authentic, just like a documentary should.

Fun Feature of the Sony BURANO

The BURANO surprised me with its IBIS (in-body image stabilization). At first, I didn't think I needed or wanted it, yet I used it throughout the entire b-roll shooting session with the EasyRig. I'm proud to say it significantly improved the stability of my handheld footage. The ability to map IBIS on/off to a custom button made it a breeze for me to toggle between tripod and handheld shots. The BURANO's 8.6K resolution is off the charts! Upgrading from the FX6 seems like the next logical step when looking for enhanced image quality.

Final Thoughts

As part of my ongoing project with this client, I'll be tackling still photography. While I didn't have time to shoot stills of him during this video shoot, the BURANO's resolution is off the charts. I can pull high-quality frame grabs that I'll be stoked about. Overall, I'm pumped with what we produced!

Cheers,

Julien Jarry

Empowered by my trusty Sony BURANO, Sony FX6, DZO Arles primes, Aputure lights, Sennheiser 416, SmallHD monitors, Wooden Camera accessories, Anton Bauer batteries, Sachtler tripods, and expert crew members Kelly, Kevin, Antonio, and Enrique.

Julien Jarry utilizes the Sony BURANO's impressive image sensor to capture the architect's work in black and white, aiming for clean, punchy blacks to create a strong visual impact.
Teamed with the Sony FX6 as a B camera, the Sony BURANO maintains its performance while the DZO Arles primes, chosen for their clean look at T1.4 apertures, help create the desired vibe for the project.
Sachtler tripods, such as the Flowtech 100 and 75 with Aktiv 10 and 8 combos, are trusted tools for Julien Jarry, enabling him to achieve the desired compositions in tight spaces.
For the photography aspect of the project, Julien Jarry plans to leverage the high-resolution capabilities of the Sony BURANO to grab high-quality frame grabs.
Collaborating with his crew members, including his wife Kelly, Kevin, Antonio, and Enrique, Julien Jarry successfully crafted a compelling 'About' video using a mix of gadgets like the Sony BURANO, Sony FX6, DZO Arles primes, Aputure lights, and Sennheiser microphones, demonstrating his dedication to the art of photography and videography.