Blackmagic Design announced that multiple Blackmagic Micro Cinema Cameras and Video Assists were used to shoot the web movie for new Lexus car, LC500. It was shot by Kei Takahashi, a cameraman and founder of Tokyo-based KID Co. Ltd., on location on and above the highways of California.
With power and comfort, the LC500 was born as a luxury coupé which symbolizes Lexus’ next generation. To bring out the attractiveness of the car, the production shot the car driving along the stunning Angeles Crest Highway in California. Shot using a number of cameras, including six Micro Cinema Cameras, the movie captured the intense nature of California and the LC500 powerfully running through the curvy road from various angles. Along with the Micro Cinema Cameras, Takahashi used two Video Assists for monitoring.
Takahashi said: “We temporarily blocked about 4 km of the road for the shoot, and let the LC500 run the 4 km. When the car came back to the starting point, we started shooting again. We repeated this several times. It took 15 to 20 minutes for each round, and we only had one day to shoot the entire movie. And since we were at an external location, we had to finish while the sun was out. It was a very tight schedule, so we wanted to capture as many angles as we could.”
The Micro Cinema Cameras were set using a single pipe across the car with grips. Tripod mounts were installed via the grips, where three Micro Cinema Cameras were mounted. Another Micro Cinema Camera with a suction cup was stuck to the window on the driver’s side, while the last was installed near the driver’s foot. With this setup, Takahashi was able to shoot five angles such as the speedometer, the driver’s hand, gas pedal and a number of other specific features of the car in action. Takahashi used another Micro Cinema Camera to shoot a vertical size movie.
“The director and I were thinking that it would be interesting if we put the Micro Cinema Camera rotated in 90 degrees on top of another camera when shooting the LC500 from the camera car. The idea just came up and we decided to shoot the vertical size movie in case we could use the footage for something,” said Takahashi.
Also, DaVinci Resolve was used for on set grading, with the final postproduction process completed in Japan.
“The Micro Cinema Camera’s advantage is its compact size. It can be installed where regular cameras cannot fit. The main advantage that allowed me to shoot the vertical size movie was that it can be rotated in 90 degrees. As the schedule for this project was very tight, it was very beneficial to shoot many angles at a time”
The Video Assists were used to set up the Micro Cinema Cameras. Takahashi talked about Video Assist: “It’s easy to connect and easy to see. It’s easy to use and compact and I like that I can use the Canon battery. The Video Assist is versatile.”
“I work with Murakami, the director of this project, for other projects. The Micro Cinema Camera has become a real stable for us for use on car related jobs. For car commercials, small cameras are often used by installing them in a car like this project or mounted on a head. However, the picture quality of those cameras usually did not look good, and is missing richness in the picture. We are shooting something luxurious, so we want the image to match that. The Micro Cinema Camera, on the other hand, can capture a rich image and is easy to match with other cameras,” concluded Takahashi.
DGA Feature Nominees: Audiard, Baker, Berger, Corbet and Mangold
The field of feature nominees for the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards spanning two categories is set. Nominated for the DGA honor for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 are: Jacques Audiard for Emilia Pérez, Sean Baker for Anora, Edward Berger for Conclave, Brady Corbet for The Brutalist, and James Mangold for A Complete Unknown.
The DGA also revealed the nominees for the Michael Apted Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in First-Time Theatrical Feature Film. The first-time narrative feature directors are: Payal Kapadia for All We Imagine as Light, Megan Park for My Old Ass, RaMell Ross for Nickel Boys, Halfdan Ullman Tondel for Armand, and Sean Wang for Diddy.
“2024 has been a truly extraordinary year for storytelling--and today’s nominees have created audacious and unique films that expand the possibilities of cinematic excellence,” said DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter. “I am thrilled to congratulate all our nominated directors for their brilliant work, which is visionary, inspirational and speaks to the depth of the human experience. To be chosen by one’s peers is the true marker of outstanding directorial achievement and what makes these nominations so very special.”
The winners will be announced at the 77th Annual DGA Awards on Saturday, February 8.
Here’s a fuller rundown of the nominees in both DGA Award categories:
THEATRICAL FEATURE FILM
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film for 2024 (in alphabetical order):
JACQUES AUDIARD
Emilia Pérez
(Netflix)
SEAN... Read More