SCREEN AFRICA EXCLUSIVE: Bongeziwe Mabandla’s latest music video offering for ‘Bawo Wam’ is a visual delight shot on the FUJIFILM X-H1 camera. The music video was both directed and shot by award-winning, Johannesburg-based cinematographer and Director of Photography (DOP) Rick Joaquim.
“Last year December I was given the opportunity to shoot a music video on the then unreleased FUJIFILM X-H1. I had been toying around with the idea of a Double Exposure music video for quite a while and thought this would be the perfect project to try it out on,” comments Joaquim.
The music video employs the use of Double Exposure, which is a photographic technique that combines two different images composited over one another into a single frame and is something that Joaquim says he has always found extremely beautiful and interesting. The technique has been implemented for years in photography but the cinematographer, signed with the Exposure Crew, really wanted to apply it to his cinematography. “So the way I went about this was that we shot all the foreground plates and people against a green-screen, this allowed us to superimpose any images and footage I would shoot later on over the characters as well as affording us way more flexibility in post-production,” explains Joaquim.
The FUJIFILM X-H1 takes the seat as the top performing mirrorless camera in Fuji’s X Series range and shooting the music video with the brand new X-H1 offered Joaquim many benefits that he had become accustomed to while using other cameras. The X-H1 records actual 4K (4096 x 2160p) internally but can also output 4k to an External Recorder, such as the Atomos Shogun Inferno. Although the output is only 8-bit, internal recording is done at 4:2:0, and 4:2:2 can be output over the HDMI port. Full HD footage can now be recorded at either 50 or 100 Mbps in 1080p at 120 fps – “slow motion is always a welcome addition to any camera,” says Joaquim.
Another added feature that Joaquim enjoyed was that the FUJIFILM X-H1 also offers F-log, which is Fujifilm’s flat video profile that allows for more dynamic range and options in post when pushing the footage. The X-H1 is also the first camera in the X Series to include ETERNA, a new film simulation ideal for shooting movies. This mode simulates cinematic film, creating understated colours and rich shadow tones, greatly enhancing creative freedom during post-processing – it can be used as an end-point in itself or to give yourself a degree of latitude for colour grading.
“The X-H1 also brings amazing In-Body Image Stabilisation (IBIS) for hand-held shooting and not to mention Fujifilm’s Dynamic Range modes to video recording for the first time, allowing you to capture more highlight information,” comments Joaquim.
“I have to thank my crew on this project, I was able to work with some of my industry friends on this music video. A big thank you also has to go to my animator, Charl Naudé who was a huge part of this music video and helped me handle a huge part of the post-production on this. We had 142 shots that were shot on green screen and needed to be keyed, composited and graded,” says Joaquim. “We also decided very early on that we wanted the whole music video to be in black and white, and shooting for black and white is something I quite enjoy as both a cinematographer and photographer, as it makes you think in terms of tones and contrast instead of colour.”
“I feel this camera could be quite a game changer in the mirrorless video market, it’s going to offer a lot of filmmakers a new tool to shoot with. Especially for those trying to break into video and coming from stills originally. It’s a great hybrid camera, and although it won’t replace dedicated video cameras it offers a lot of Pro Video features that we were able to make use of for this project,” Joaquim concludes.
TECH CHECK
EQUIPMENT:
- Camera: Fujifilm X-H1
Official Fujifilm X-H1 Highlight Specs:
- X processor Pro
- Integrated 5-axis image stabilisation (IBIS)
- Vibration-free closure
- Professional video features (including Cinema 4K)
- Large electronic viewfinder with 3.69 million pixels
- Folding and swivelling 7.6 cm (3 inch) 1.04 million touch screen LCD pixels
- 25 cm (1.8 inch) shoulder display
- Particularly robust housing
- Splash-proof and dust-proof
- Cold-resistant to minus 10 degrees
- Improved AF algorithm
- Dual memory card slot
- Wi-Fi function
- Film simulation modes (including ETERNA)
- Creative filter effects
KEY CREW:
- Director and DOP: Rick Joaquim
- Focus puller and additional camera operator: Martin Bleazard
- Lead animator + VFX: Charl Naudé – Kilroy Was Here! Productions
- Offline editor: Gideon Breytenbach – Kilroy Was Here! Productions
- Opening title design and online edit: Dan McCauley + Jesse Konrad Coetzee – Dolph
- Grading: Jarryd Duthoit – Mushroom Post
- Gear rental house: Media Film Services
