Director Jason Wise and cinematographer Jackson Myers–who teamed on 2013’s documentary, Somm, detailing the competitive exam that sommeliers or wine stewards must pass in order to reach the designation of Master Sommelier–have returned with Somm: Into the Bottle, which explores people’s fascination with wine and answers many questions about its history and production. Wise and Myers shot the new film, which world premiered to sold-out crowds and fittingly opened the Napa Valley Film Festival, primarily on Sony’s F55 4K camcorder. The documentary is available in select theaters and just debuted on iTunes.
DP Myers said of the Sony camera, “The F55 was our top choice, for a number of reasons. We knew this shoot would take us around the world, so we needed a camera that could easily travel with us, without slowing us down. In addition, we knew we’d be shooting in some really dark places and really tight places, and often outside in the middle of the day. The F55 handled those scenarios without a problem. We took a lot into consideration, but what we loved in particular about the F55 was the image. It really excelled in low light situations, especially in wine cellars where natural light was our only source. The way the camera renders colors in low light is astounding – it looks like a natural environment so it’s not drawing your attention away from the image; it allows you to visualize these dark cellars the way your eyes would.”
Director Wise added, “The F55 really shines in challenging environments. Yes, we used it to shoot insane vistas and some of the most exquisite places on earth, but it’s really down in the pitch black shooting funguses that blew us out of the water. Shooting black fungus in a jet black room filled with black bottles, and having to find detail is a big testament to a camera’s ability. It’s situations like that where we can actually say, we could not have made the film without the F55.
“The camera itself had an uncanny ability to morph into a small, unpretentious, unthreatening camera as well, which is a strange thing to say as a benefit, but on this film, we really needed that,” he continued. “It was helpful to be able to go back and forth between this big, exciting camera that was also able to play the role of an intimate camera. This camera doesn’t have to skimp on any of the technical aspects and was able to serve two purposes for us.”
