ABC’s new TV series “Defying Gravity” is using Sony’s F35 CineAlta HD camera system for production.
Michael Edelstein, the show’s executive producer, said the F35 camera had the best image quality, the greatest depth of field and worked well with the heavy amount of green screen VFX work used in many scenes of the show.
During preproduction, Edelstein said his team conducted extensive side-by-side comparisons with many competitive high-end digital cameras and found that the dynamic range and color rendition of the F35 gave a film-like look for the show.
The F35’s ramping capabilities are notable in several scenes and played a key role in creating dramatic effects that were used to reveal elements of the characters’ backgrounds. For example, one scene shows a main character flashing back to her childhood, standing alone and abandoned in the middle of a train station.
The shooting began at three frames per second and people flew by her. Then the DP pushed the ramp down to 50 frames per second and everything slowed down. The producers were pleased with the shot.
The camera’s gammas, the knees and the color controls are manipulated on the set. Some shading of the show is done during principal photography. However, room is left for more enhancement during post. The F35 offers an immense latitude and a wide colorspace, the producers found.