If I could do it again I'd add a few extra camera angles and even more props. Maybe a security feed outside the door and an extra wall in front of the actors so we could do reverses and give the actors a few extra angles to work towards. Sean Persaud (who I've seen do stage work) really worked the entire space during his scenes, and those props and nooks gave him things to chew on.

Oo, never saw that, but I love love love practical effects! Props to them for getting good BTS. We actually worked out a spacewalk sequence and a few other locations but we were already way over budget and unfortunately had to cut them. We managed to keep the zero-g wire work which was absurdly fun to shoot.

The shoot that convinced me we could pull it off on a budget (which I backed!) was https://vimeo.com/58429056 "C (299,792 km/s)" which is really quite beautiful.

Also, plug for Star Trek Continues. Those guys are next level. Their attention to detail is up there with The Love Witch.

I got to use the VENICE at the launch event last year. We whipped it hard, the rolling shutter was undetectable. Might be a different story with HFR, that function wasn't ready for the demo and it sounds like it won't be ready for launch either.

The Sony developers were constantly telling us that it was using a new generation of sensor that was still rolling but would look like global. Hopefully that holds up and this tech spreads into other cameras soon!

Looking forward to renting this, finally a Sony camera I'm excited to shoot with!

Great article! You guys missed a few really amazing opportunities for medium format coming up on the horizon. The Sony VENICE and RED Monstro are really the best option with their full frame sensors. I've been using Kipon focal reducers and they're great, even with an A7s. It'll be even better on the full frame VENICE. Unfortunately the RED doesn't have a native M or E mount (even third party).

https://vimeo.com/203257566

I'm working on a custom mount for the RED as well with the Kipon optics. The Dragon isn't quite full frame so the focal reducer doesn't quite give the medium format look, but it does get further than the Vista Vision look! Can't wait to try it out on a MONSTRO someday soon ;)

If you dig into the RED forums, there's a few sets of the Duclos Mamiya lenses there. They're really fantastic. I think the Pentax 67 lenses are good candidates for cine conversion as well. The older Hasselblad series lenses are also fairly inexpensive online right now.

It's fantastic. There just hasn't been a good replacement for a 2k single point source. Slap a fresnel lens on this and just go