There are a lot of horrors one will discover when trying to make any type of short film or project. There are the horrors of scheduling, handling rewriters, or even just getting your lighting up just right.
One horror that was unique to filmmaker Julian Terry in one of his most recent short films was the horror of being one of the first filmmakers to use a new camera for the first time. As we discussed with him in a previous interview for our Horror Week, Terry was one of the lucky few first filmmakers to get to use the Blackmagic PYXIS cinema camera.
Here’s our interview with Terry on how he found the experience and his thoughts on how the PYXIS was able to help him find the courage to take down his latest horror project with ease.
No Film School: As one of the first filmmakers to get your hands on the PYXIS, what were your immediate first thoughts?
Julian Terry: It was a blast to work with! The metal body makes it feel like a little tank. Going from the DSLR-style body of the Full Frame 6k definitely felt different. The reinforced EF mount is a fantastic touch. Our Sigma 20mm 1.4 art lens felt super secure.
My go-to camera for years was the Alexa Mini. I loved the size and weight. It felt perfect going handheld. The PYXIS is perfect for those who love the Alexa Mini form factor.
Something that excited me a lot was the Open Gate shooting! I love experimenting with aspect ratio and the 3:2 shooting sounded like a fun world to see through! I couldn’t believe the camera even had it, the Sony BURANO doesn’t even shoot open gate. Shooting a wide open gate on the full-frame sensor was very difficult to achieve ten years ago. The fact that we could make a fun horror short with a few friends and achieve this look is next level.
NFS: What cameras do you usually shoot on and why? What do you look for in a cinema camera these days?
Terry: So many projects these days have the awful fate of dealing with horrendous compression. We used to shoot with Alexas and Reds for Snapchat/TikTok ads. These apps kill your bitrate. It’s getting tougher for me to see a reason why we should pay more for renting more expensive cinema cameras when they’re being destroyed in compression.
One of the most beautiful movies shot digitally is David Fincher’s Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. It was on the Red One MX and The Red Epic. These cameras also had 13 stops of dynamic range similar to the PYXIS. When it comes to dynamic range I was taken aback by how much we can see into the shadows while still capturing a live fire.
The price range for this camera blows me away. We are matching cameras I couldn’t even dream of owning back in the day.
When it comes to shooting, I love having a camera that is easy to operate. You encounter tons of issues on set and speed is a necessity. I remember being stuck on set digging through an A7S II menu struggling to find important functions. You can’t spend time digging through menu pages. Blackmagic has created one of the simplest UI out there.
And it gets better with each update!
NFS: What was your rig for the PYXIS, how did you customize your setup?
Terry: Matt Miller came through with rigging the PYXIS last second! He gave it a base plate and rails to support a gold mount battery. I wanted to give this one some flair so we taped a 1/4 Black Pro Mist to the front of the Sigma. Since taking the tape off would lose time we left it on. The 20mm combined with the open gate shooting gave it a larger-than-life feeling. I love this look!
We shot most of it on a Dana dolly slider. I did a trick I learned from watching a lot of Spielberg movies which was combining shots. I would set up the track and capture 3 different shots in one. Since the camera was usually moving down a track, sometimes I couldn’t have eyes on the main monitor, I found my eyes glancing to the side monitor to continue operating.
If we needed quick changes, Matt would access the side monitor while I was using our top Osee monitor to see. I’m really excited to shoot with the new PYXIS external monitor! I feel like that will speed things up even more on our shoots.
NFS: Did you do any camera tests with the PYXIS before you started filming (if not, what did you try to shoot first with it?)
Terry: Ha… Nope! We got the camera a few hours before shooting the short. I took a bunch of pics of the camera and sent it to Matt to see what he had lying around to rig it up. He said it was the first time he had done a last-second camera setup with no issues! It all connected nicely and even got our Nucleus follow focus on it.
We shot all the exteriors first. As soon as the camera booted up and we could see the night sky I knew we had something special.
NFS: Now that you’ve shot a project on it, what were the pros and cons of the PYXIS for you?
Terry: It’s my favorite Blackmagic camera so far! They’ve achieved something I didn’t think was possible, a full-frame camera with the Alexa Mini form factor. Its low cost is insane. It really makes it difficult to see myself renting more expensive cameras.
Obviously, the drawbacks people can point to are the rolling shutter and dynamic range. As I pointed out, the DR is the same as the Red that shot some of my favorite movies. Only the Pyxis is better in low light. Great for me, since I shoot with mostly practicals.
Here’s the thing about dynamic range, it’s not a problem for me. In fact, I kill a lot of it in post. I crush the shadows and let the lights bloom. Scary movies aren’t scary if you can see them in the shadows.
Rolling the shutter can be an issue for some. For my style of horror, I live in shots that creep down hallways. I love my slow-moving moves that stay with you.
NFS: Are you interested in using the PYXIS for future projects? If so, what types of projects do you feel it would be good for?
Terry: Of course! I want to build up the PYXIS to be my main camera. It can be rigged for any scenario. Just be ready, because it is a bit heavier than expected due to the metal body. I personally love a bit of heft in my camera, these plastic DSLRs feel like they could break at first drop.
The low cost makes me feel like I can be a bit riskier with my shots. When working with the Alexa 35, I feel nervous when moving a 100k camera.
Let us know what you think in the comments!
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This article comes from No Film School and can be read on the original site.
