Jake Fruia
The much talked about ‘That Sugar Film’, actor/director Damon Gameau’s candied 2015 documentary, made fantastic use of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K, as well as DaVinci Resolve. If there was any doubt, simply take a look at the beautifully shot trailer below and see for your self.
For the unfamiliar, ‘That Sugar Film’ follows Gameau as he chronicles the sugar in everyday foods (not in the obvious trappers such as sodas and candy, but other less thought about sources), and analyzes it and its role in our diet with everyone from experts to celebrities. This took Gameau, his cinematographer Judd Overton, and their crew all over the world to film. This is where the compact power of the Blackmagic Cinema Camera came into play, as Overton points out, “For me, the Blackmagic cameras are about the latitude and great image I can get in such a small, easy to carry design. With the 40 day worldwide road trip we were on, I shot in ProRes and mostly handheld or on my shoulder with a small rig”. And, shooting everywhere from a crowded mall to the inside of an airplane, the Blackmagic Cinema Camera was the way to get those shots. As Overton mentions, “It really was amazing to be able to throw a couple of cinema quality cameras in my backpack and just go to where the shots needed to happen.”
Though, if you watch the trailer, you’ll also notice several effects shots in the mix as well. That was the other part of their overall shoot, as Gameau and Overton knew their audience, and knew they need the film to be striking and visually engaging as well as informative. So they relied on the Blackmagic Production Camera 4K to shoot their RAW green screen shots: “For the green screen productions, many of which were done for intricate and over the top VFX shots, such as Damon on a spoon full of sugar being eaten or Damon inside a digestive system, we shot in RAW on the Production Camera 4K. I was looking for high resolution and the ability to shoot in RAW to get everything I could out of the shots and nail down VFX plates that would be easy to work with for the VFX crew,” he added.
‘That Sugar Film’ premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam this past November, and is looking to be available worldwide in 2015. You can find out more about the film and its sweet subject matter at ThatSugarFilm.com
Damon Gameau’s That Sugar Film Shot on Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K
Fremont, CA – December 08, 2014 – Blackmagic Design today announced that actor and director Damon Gameau’s new documentary “That Sugar Film” was shot using the Blackmagic Cinema Camera and Production Camera 4K. The documentary was also graded using DaVinci Resolve and premiered in competition at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam in November.
“That Sugar Film” is a combination of academia, education, irreverence, celebrities, science and comedy. Directed and hosted by Damon Gameau, known for his roles on “Puberty Blues,” “Secrets & Lies” and the cult classic “Thunderstruck,” the film aims to investigate how sugar has infiltrated our diet and culture, what it’s doing to us and how we can develop an arm’s length relationship with it. The film’s cinematographer is Judd Overton, who has shot dozens of films, including “Return to Nim’s Island.”
The film follows Damon as he eats and drinks everyday items found on grocery shelves across the world, while at the same time visiting with people in various locations throughout the world, from the Australian outback to New York City’s Times Square. The documentary’s production schedule was broken into two main parts: a global travel shoot with minimal equipment, and an intense set of green screen productions, which resulted in 200 VFX shots interspersed throughout the film. For the travel based footage, the team primarily shot on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, while using the Production Camera 4K for green screen shots.
“At every step, we knew we had to make the film accessible and entertaining for everyone, from kids to adults. But it had to be educational throughout as well. So we went to town to make it as visual as possible, and that included a huge amount of green screen work and VFX shots, as well as Damon and I jumping on planes with our entire production thrown in our backpacks as we traveled to different cities,” said Overton.
“For me, the Blackmagic cameras are about the latitude and great image I can get in such a small, easy to carry design,” continued Overton. “With the 40 day worldwide road trip we were on, I shot in ProRes and mostly handheld or on my shoulder with a small rig. It really was amazing to be able to throw a couple of cinema quality cameras in my backpack and just go to where the shots needed to happen.
“For the green screen productions, many of which were done for intricate and over the top VFX shots, such as Damon on a spoon full of sugar being eaten or Damon inside a digestive system, we shot in RAW on the Production Camera 4K. I was looking for high resolution and the ability to shoot in RAW to get everything I could out of the shots and nail down VFX plates that would be easy to work with for the VFX crew,” he added.
Once footage was shot, the offline edit was completed at production company Madman Production, with online, VFX and final grading using DaVinci Resolve at VFX head Seth Larney’s home studio in Australia.
“The image quality, latitude and ability to easily grade and push around footage with the Blackmagic cameras were perfect for the film. And I love how the cameras made the entire post workflow so easy,” said Overton. “I have been a Blackmagic camera customer since the first camera shipped, and this film really showed how powerful they are for getting amazing images and being flexible enough to use in any shooting environment.”
“That Sugar Film”premiered at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam November 20, 2014 and will hit worldwide distribution in 2015. Check out the trailer http://www.thatsugarfilm.com. Worldwide sales for the film at Metro International, sales@metro-films.com.
