How to shoot a SONY Launch Film - FX3 & A7sIII CINEMATIC VIDEO

I've been lucky enough to help launch two of the latest Sony cameras, the FX3 and the a7s3. Now both of these films did incredibly well and they both have eight things in common. Let me explain. What's up YouTube, Jar Craft here with another exciting tutorial. In today's video we're taking a deeper look at what goes into shooting a Sony launch film. But before we jump in, I first need to explain that these films were commissioned by Sony Middle East Africa, of which I am an Alpha Ambassador. So when Sony asked me to be part of the South African launch for the long anticipated a7s3, I first did 10 backflips and then ran around the house twice. I was ecstatic. After a successful launch, I got asked again to help launch the FX3. So if you haven't seen it yet, check it out here. When you look at the two films, there are some striking similarities. So I compiled a list of eight things they have in common. Number one, both films had really small budgets. The budgets allocated to the South African launch This affects everything from location expenses to models to lighting and sport gear. The challenge was to develop stories that didn't require the biggest budget, which leads me to number two. Both films were shot in natural light. This drastically brought down production cost and setup time, which meant we could get away with only light modifiers. In the Sony a7s3 film, we only used one reflector and one diffuser since our shoot was high up in the mountains and the locations were impractical for big lighting setups. I used only one assistant bouncing and diffusing light the entire time. With the FX3, I only had two grips, but we used a larger 8x8 scrim gem for diffusion and a normal 5-in-1 reflector for bounce. The 8x8 scrim gem is invaluable when shooting in harsh light and I opted for a half stop over a full stop for a natural balanced image. With this scene over here, the sun was already quite high so we used the scrim to soften the rim light and brought in a soft bounce for film. Combining these two can seriously elevate the production value of any film shot in natural light. Number three, both films had really small crews. Looking at the overall crew size for the a7s3 film, we had a total of three crew members, excluding the models. Me, who played the director and DP, one grip doing lights and one guy on BTS. That doesn't even count. The FX3 film allowed for bigger crews since the locations were more accessible, but I still chose to keep it small as we had to cover multiple locations and sometimes having a bigger crew can slow you down. Here I had my mate Willem van Eer for directing, me as the DP, two grips for lighting and two people on wardrobe and models. My friend Juan on BTS. Excluding the models, that's six people in total with most scenes having only one model at a time, which brings me to my next point. Number four, both films used characters filmed individually even though they are connected in some way. In the a7s3 film there were three characters connected through a common theme, but their paths never crossed. In the FX3 video there were four characters also connected through a common theme, but they had minimal interaction with a quick half-day shoot together. This meant we could shoot more intentional with each model in their perspective locations without extra model fees. During the film there are key moments where the main model, Talia, crosses paths with other models and we use these scenes as transitions between shooting time with them. For example, the connection here between Sasebo and Talia was done as we finished with Sasebo and focused on all the Talia scenes, overlapping them with only one hour. Number five, location, location, location. With the a7s3 I focused on the beautiful scenery to help drive the story and the cost of shooting in the mountains were minimal. The only challenge here was the fact that we had to hike quite a bit to get to the best spots, which is also one of the main reasons we kept the crew small. With the FX3 film we also went with locations that are free but still favourable in natural light. This brings me to our main location, Enter the Abattoir, probably one of my favourite locations I've ever shot at. This place didn't cost us a dime and it has all the attributes for a cinematic piece. The only thing we brought in was a smoke machine running on a generator which added serious mood and amplified the light rays. The rest were all shot in public spaces where we either got permission from local business or where there was simply no issues filming. This is also one of the reasons why I like to keep the crew small because it enables you to capture scenes quickly without drawing unnecessary attention. But before I carry on, if you're enjoying this video please leave a like and a comment. If you have any questions ask away and I will do my best to answer it. I've got some really cool videos planned for the channel and your support is what encourages me. Number six. Both films had severe time constraints. With only a few days to develop the story, film and edit, time was definitely not on my side and both projects required me to be as effective as possible. With the a7s3 I had to figure out the camera settings on the flight to the location with a super early start the next morning. Same with the fx3 but here I only had the camera in my hands for two days before passing it on to the next ambassador. That being said it was important to have a plan and to know exactly what gear I'd be using which brings me to my next points. Number seven. Both films were shot on only two lenses. In the a7s3 launch I only used the 24-70mm f2.8g master and a 70-200mm f4. The main motivation for this was because we had to keep our gear bags light to make it through all the hiking and those two lenses covered the entire focal range I needed. It's only after this shoot that I truly fell in love with zoom lenses. 90% of this film was shot on a 24-70mm and I only used the 70-200mm for some compression shots. Going into the fx3 launch I again opted for the 24-70mm f2.8 and ended up shooting 90% of the film on it. The rest was shot on a new 35mm f1.4g master. I have to say my view on zoom lenses and using autofocus has drastically changed after these two shoots and if I can ever only recommend one lens it would be the 24-70mm f2.8g master. Number eight. In both films I shot without big rigs and only a gimbal for some shots. As much as I love a bigger setup and a camera with weight these rigs have a tendency of slowing you down. When you don't have an ac or a focus puller and you're shooting against time in natural light the best way is to go with a minimalist setup. The a7s3 film were all shot with my hands using either the lcd or the viewfinder with only a few shots on the gimbal. With the fx3 I used my old cinevate handles, the original top handle and a monitor but that's it. Most of the time being able to work fast is the difference between good and great and that's also my main point for making this video. Sometimes smaller is better, lighter is faster and cheaper is easier. I'm all for big budgets and bigger crew but we have to keep it in context with what we want to achieve. We live in a very exciting age and the potential for high-end productions on smaller budgets with less crew is increasing by the day. And that's it for today's video. Thanks so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.