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Lens/Camera Information
Lens series: Cooke SP3
Focus lengths: 32mm, 50mm
Camera: Sony Burano, Sony FX3
Format: Digital
Production information
Director of Photography: John Decker
DOP Instagram: @johndeckerstudio
DOP website: johndecker.com
Colourist: John Decker
Producer: John Decker
When I was commissioned to make a documentary film about a monastery, my imagination immediately shifted to the more impressionistic side of the genre. I decided to avoid the well trodden tropes (narration, interviews) in exchange for something purely visual, painterly even, as a way to share with others what I found so fascinating about the lives of monks living in the 21st century.
Knowing I would be filming solo inside a rather dark monastery over the course of year, I knew I needed equipment that would give me the freedom to move quickly and create without getting bogged down with gear. As a minimalist, I originally considered filming everything on a single lens. There’s something about the spartan approach that just really appeals to me, especially when working alone. After a final scout however, I decided on two lenses for practical reasons. The SP3’s were just released, and as I’ve always been a big fan of the warmth and texture of the Panchro’s, I knew these lenses would be a good match for what I was envisioning.
I chose a 32mm and 50mm and decided to pair them with a Sony Burano. In hindsight, I couldn’t have made a better choice of equipment for what I was aiming for. The dual native ISO on the Sony allowed me to film under varying lighting conditions with confidence, and the way these lenses rendered space, with their subtle fall-off and pleasing bokeh, just seemed to fit my imagination. As a solo operator you rely heavily on intuition, and so pairing things down to the essentials really frees you up to just see and capture what moves you.
