PAIKE finally found the behind-the-scenes video of “The Creator”. We have said before that this film can be said to be a miracle of IMAX. To be precise, it is a miracle created by Sony FX3. It was shot with a mirrorless camera for the first time. IMAX giant screen movie, why do you say that? Maybe you will understand after watching this video.
What models are available for “Shooting for IMAX”?
We need to explain here first, what kind of cameras are needed to shoot IMAX movies? The first choice is definitely IMAX film cameras, such as MSM9802, MKIII, MKIV, and then IMAX-certified large-format digital cameras that meet the requirements of “shooting for IMAX”, such as ARRI’s ALEXA LF, ALEXA MINI LF, ALEXA 65, Panavision’s DXL2, RED’s Ranger MONSTRO, and of course Sony’s VENICE.
FX3’s unique rectangular red prompt light when recording
We have introduced…
We previously published an article titled “Can SONY FX3 also shoot IMAX blockbusters?” The article mentioned, “This $80 million film was shot by cinematographer Oren Soffer with the help of DP Greig Fraser (ACS, ASC), using Sony FX3 cameras. This is the first time an IMAX film has been shot without a mirror. The camera shoots.”
FX3 suspended on a swing arm
Director Gareth Edwards commented on this, “My favorite movies are visually driven. It’s less like a scene and more like a dream. It’s just pure emotion. This movie is the type of movie I grew up loving. It’s a movie mixed with robot sci-fi. We really go against all odds. It’s really a crazy, rich, visual ride that I wish it could be like when I was a kid watching it The movie affects people around you like that.”
FX3 rectangular red indicator light is particularly obvious at night
Faint FX3 in video
We can vaguely see the camera in multiple scenes of the downloaded behind-the-scenes video of “AI Creator”. Judging from the introduction of the film’s camera, what appears vaguely in the scene is Sony’s FX3 mirrorless camera, because It has a unique long red recording light above the back screen. Of course, the FX30, like the FX3, is also a long red recording light, but it had not yet been “born” when the filming of the film started.
Although the picture is blurry, the FX3 rectangular red indicator light is still very conspicuous.
In this short video, you can see the photographer shooting with the FX3, taking full advantage of the small size and full-frame advantages of the Sony FX3. It can be said to be the first successful attempt for a high-end film project involving a mirrorless camera. As Edwards said: “It was just a really crazy, rich visual journey… The look of this movie blew my mind and I was affected”.
The red indicator light is more conspicuous
Dramatic model “replacement”
In fact, before the filming of “AI Creator” started, the crew decided to use the ARRI ALEXA 65 large-format camera to shoot the film. Fraser and Soffer were responsible for shooting. Fraser used the ALEXA 65 and Sofer used the FX3. But as soon as filming started, Fraser was transferred to the crew of “Dune 2”, the main photographer was also replaced by Soffer, and the host was also replaced by Sony FX3. This may not have even occurred to Soffer himself. However, there are still many skeptical voices saying that this is just a “marketing gimmick” by Sony or Fraser. As for whether it is a gimmick, we will not discuss it here. The final conclusion is that FX3 “luckily missed” and became the host of IMAX movies.
IMDB changed the film’s technical specifications for the second time
There is another detail that many people find difficult to notice. The original IMDB notation for this film showed that the technical specifications showed that the film was shot with ALEXA 65 and FX3. It didn’t take long for ALEXA 65 to be removed from the list, leaving only FX3 (see picture below).
Please look at the “Camera” item in the middle of the picture above
Which other model?
DP Fraser said he was impressed by the Sony FX3, saying: “It’s an amazing consumer mirrorless camera. I’ll be using it on a film I’m shooting in Thailand. This is “AI Creator”). I will shoot the entire movie with this camera. It is so small…it has a high ISO…a lot of features packed into a very small body.”
ATOMO monitor
Judging from the short film, director Edwards personally operated the FX3 and shot many shots. As for the ARRI ALEXA 65, it may have never participated in this project. Sony FX3 is the real host of “AI Creator”.
Did you use an anamorphic lens (focus puller screen)?
You can also shoot IMAX movies with a DSLR
“AI Creator” is the first “IMAX movie” shot with a mirrorless camera, but it is not the first movie shot with consumer equipment.
The cameras used to shoot “Act of Valor” are tagged on IMDB
2012’s “Act of Valor” was the first movie shot with a SLR camera, and it was also shown in IMAX theaters. The film was shot by cinematographer Shane Hurlbut, ASC. Hurlbut said: “I don’t want to take anything away from Fraser or Soffer, who worked brilliantly together on this film, but I think I’m the first person to shoot a film with a DSLR, and I did that in 2012 with a Canon 5D MK II shot “Act of Valor” and screened it in 12 IMAX theaters across the United States on a budget of just $8.25 million.”
To summarize
Despite this precedent, whether they use mirrorless cameras or SLR cameras, their shooting of IMAX movies is only a very small number of special cases and cannot represent the future development direction of the entire film field. Of course, it cannot be said that they are just If we can afford to shoot low-cost works, similar things like this may happen in the future, but it will definitely not replace high-end movie cameras. We can regard this as an interesting anecdote in the development process of the film field. After all, professional things must be done by professional people and equipment.
