Fremont, CA, USA – Monday, June 24, 2024 – Blackmagic Design today announced that Australian independent drama “Heart of the Man” was filmed with the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K digital film cameras.
The compelling debut feature film by Indigenous writer, director, actor and producer David Cook explores notions of identity, love, grief and acceptance. Inspired by Cook’s personal experiences, “Heart of the Man” revolves around rising amateur boxer, Chris Wundurra (Parker Little), who is torn between pleasing his father and following his heart. The coming of age story was shot in Brisbane and Warwick, a small Queensland town, and is already captivating audiences with its authenticity and emotional depth.
From the onset, Cook was adamant about using Blackmagic Design cameras given the film’s strict budget and short production timeframe. With many scenes shot at sunrise or sunset, the team had to move in time with the sun, often capturing exterior running and training shots. Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro enabled the skeleton crew to move quickly, without jeopardizing image quality, even in the challenging run and gun nature of the shoot.
Director of Photography Nathan Jermyn was impressed by the lightweight and mobile nature of the Blackmagic Design cameras. He noted, “The key challenge with this film was keeping a consistent look and feel whilst often traveling hours between shoot locations. This meant we didn’t have a lot of time to set up, and only a few takes once we got to the location. So, we needed a camera we could trust to create great images the first time. Often getting a camera on and off a gimbal slows you down significantly, but with the Blackmagic cameras we could leave them on and be ready at a moment’s notice.”
Cook had a very clear vision in his head for what key shots would look like, aiming to recreate a retro mid ‘90s look for the film. Beyond that he left a lot of room for experimentation. Small in size, it meant that the whole crew could be a part of the trial and error process.
“It was a really interesting shoot. Small crews mean you’ve got to be doing stuff outside your lane. We made it up as we went along and what we got out of that was impressive,” said Jermyn.
“Heart of the Man” had a limited budget for lighting, so the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro’s dual native ISO was a significant benefit for getting the most out of shots in dim light. Surprisingly, the film’s boxing ring was shot outside, behind a row of commercial businesses in inner city Brisbane. Already eliciting an early ‘90s old school feel, no set dress was necessary, however the exterior shoot presented some challenges.
“We had no control over numerous exterior lights, and having to manage the light during sunrise meant that there were some issues for me and the team balancing light. I was trying to give stuff a glow and keep as much of the lighting as soft as possible, to match that ‘90s feel of the rest of the film,” Jermyn noted.
“I had some prior experience working with Blackmagic Design cameras, so I knew I could rely on them to get the job done. It’s a considerably smaller package than any equivalent, and the film looks great. I’d recommend it to anyone who needs to be mobile on their next shoot,” Jermyn concluded.
Press Photography
Product photos of Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro, Pocket Cinema Camera 4K and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/media/images
About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, colour correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci colour correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com
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Coming of Age Drama Heart of the Man Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro
