When people say “gear doesn’t matter” this is exactly what they mean. Vision and skill over gear.

Being a working professional right now in the industry I’ll tell you the secret, spend 90% of your money in lighting and a great production designer after that it won’t matter what camera you’re using

The 'cinematic look' is mostly about lighting, style and grading.

"pick the gear that has least amount of barriers between you and the thing that you want to create" - Patrick Tomasso

The C300 MKI was a real gem. The 4K sensor downsampled to 1080p gave a really beautiful image, one of the best 1080p cams ever IMO.

Netflix certified was such a reductive thing. Like who tf care if you’re camera can shoot 4K raw, there’s like a million other things that are important to make a movie good. It honestly shows with the quality of Netflix originals today with how bad that type of thinking is.

Blue Ruin was so insanely good. It never recieved the attention it deserved, IMO. But it's never left my mind ever since I saw it. It had such intense energy. Everything felt so REAL. The tension, the violence, the emotion - I never doubted the veracity of any of it for a second. It's definitely in my personal top 50.

Soderberg is a pretty famous director, more so than Edwards in my opinion.

Soderbergh has been using unorthodox cameras for decades. He shot Full Frontal on a Canon XL1s. He shot Unsane on the iPhone 7. He shot Che on the RED One prototypes. He used 1940s lenses on The Good German. When it comes to mainstream directors making experimental choices for cameras, Soderbergh is the archetype.

3:16 The lamp joke / callback to the lamps video was perfect 😂

What I like above all is how accessible all this gear has become for the masses. For Steven Soderbergh any camera is within reach, but what is far more interesting is that a Canon C300 mark I or a Sony FX30 is within reach of the next Steven Soderbergh that is now between 16-18 years old and saved hard for it with their side job next to school. That will allow them to experiment, hone their craft and even allow them create their first own independent films or documentaries with minimal means. There is no longer a dependency on film studios to get in and to get noticed. The gear to produce high quality film, and the platforms to publish it, have never been more accessible than they are now. The art of movie and documentary making will be better for it in the future.

The problem nowadays is that stories suck.

wouldn't call a camera that cost 20k at the time of shooting a potato

I have many long and amazing conversations about this, but you perfectly articulate the whole matter here. Nicely done, well said, and many thanks for taking the time to create and share these insights.

love when you do these talks about equipment. The interwebs with all these tech reviews vs “hey do you know how to capture a scene, moment”. Keep it up. People might even listen. Have a great one.

One thing that should be noted here: One of the BIG reasons for going for Alexa, Venice, RED, etc. is the ease of working in a team - i.e. rigging follow focus, zoom gears, wireless video, etc etc quickly and conveniently. A lot of these rigs for smaller DSLRs or iPhone run into a lot of Frankenstein problems regarding how to make it work fluidly for the TEAM around you. You may be okay to deal with those issues if the payoff is meaningful, but just something to consider when you plan! Great vid and thanks.

I love how this is even seen on social media, people using camcorders again, digital cameras from the 00s and 35mm film. Its exciting that Hollywood is allowing a bigger variety of equipment because it opens up many more doors for many more people!

Other nice examples of directors opting for ‘budget’ cameras because it enabled them to make the film the way they wanted to make it are David Lynch (Inland Empire) and Danny Boyle (28 days later). Both went for 3 chip mini DV cameras even when film was available to them because those cameras gave them the speed and light sensitivity they needed for their vision.

The Kirkland Signature doggy clothing is the best part of this video. And I need to get my friend's dog some. LOL.

Yes, the creator was shot on The Sony FX3, BUT the post production process was treated and handle like it was shot on an Alexa etc...Post pro. played a very important part of how this movie looked on the big screen.

Hit the nail on the head with loving the era we’re in. In 2001 with Sony vx2000 being the standard, I could only DREAM of what we have today at its prices! -C

Yes. Love this film. Blue Ruin is my go to whenever I fool myself into thinking my gear is holding me back rather than my skillset. Also Steve Yedlin ASC’s in depth presentation on perceived resolution vs spatial resolution.

I now know another reason to go see Civil War

I was assigned to watch Blue Ruin in Cinematography 1 because it was shot on the same standard high def camera (C-300 Mark I) that we used for most of our projects.

I love how you concisely present the information here. Learning about some of these cameras makes me want to track them down and try them out. But, I appreciate you telling it how it is. Great shots and storytelling require experience, skill and talent, the gear is just the tool we use. Thank you.

As someone that’s always felt the camera/equipment should be decided based on the project, this video is very refreshing! Although I’m more of a writer than actual filmmaker, I’ve been shooting shorts/skits since middle school. And it’s always been hard to express my opinion to my DP friends who would laugh at me for shooting skits on iPhones or camcorders. Love your content! Thank you.

gonna shoot my movie on a yukon gold

I'm not a filmmaker, but I love Blue Ruin. Pleased to see that it hasn't been forgotten. It's such an incredibly grounded revenge story and an excellent use of a small budget.

saw blue ruin because of you mentioning it in this video and it was a great and wrenching experience. thanks!

A wonderful post! I especially love the footage you captured too

DUDE Blue Ruin!!!!! Love that film so much! It is amazing we have all this gear that we can create with. We become to infatuated with it over creating the thing itself. Also love your content man and love what you say in this vid. It's hard for beginners to understand for we always think if we get that camera or lens, we will instantly level up.

This is a great video man. I keep saying this when I'm pitching big horror movies to streamers. They're all so stuck on what has worked in the past, but it's really just to cover their ass. But... You're right, all the sensors these days are incredible, even the iPhone. If you have a good script, production design and actors combined with a director/dp team and most importantly an interesting eye... almost anything could be amazing.

Loving Blue Ruin!!!!!!! Great story telling, and a great example of great cinematography.

Love this video - such a great discourse that I hope we continue!

Every frame a picture hits home here

Thank you for talking about Blue Ruin. Criminally underrated, with a truly next level performance by Macon Blair.

That’s actually insane what they got from the C300! 🔥 Time to dust off my 5D ii

Give Roger Deakins an iPhone and he’ll shoot more gorgeous footage than most people with a full IMAX rig, because he understands composition. Lighting, framing, movement, all part of his planning for composition, hence why he didn’t care about going digital, gear is secondary to compositional understanding. But nicer gear in the hands of a pro, that’s how you end up with Blade Runner 2049 or Samsara.

I love what's happening in the industry! Great vid

Was half-expecting a mention of Inland Empire tbh

i have a c300 mkIII and c100 mkII that my work uses as daily cameras. its unreal how they hold up against everything else. sometimes you just need a workhorse camera over anything else. everyone who owns a ferrari usually still needs a toyota to get them to the mall and back.

Pacification screened at Cannes and was shot on a bmpcc6k with an old super 16 zoom lens. Probably the most beautiful film of last year!

Thank you Patrick for you work. This was inspiring and helpful.

Today I learned one of my favorite movies "The way of the gun" was shot on a "Moviecam Compact" and a "Moviecam SL." I never made the connection between the camera used and the look of the film until this video. For some reason, I just assumed all movies were shot using the same type of camera. Definitely earned a sub from me.

All true. I watched Hollywood DOP Shane Hurlbert talk about the Sony Burano and its auto focus being useable for filmmaking. Finally, the penny is dropping in Hollywood. Cameras are amazing right now and I really do think that the key area for filmmakers is to come up with better, original scripts. Great to hear your views on this PT

Reminds me of a quote, "The best bike in the world is the one you're riding."

Great video ! Victoria, an amazing movie shot in one unique sequence was shot on the C300 mk 1 too.

Blue ruin is such a great movie. Thank you for the reminder.

Another important aspect is to have a good DOP, as a director myself I know nothing about cameras but I really know what I see in my mind and the DOP knows what to use and what is possible with the budget available.

Can you do a video essay on how to know which camera to use, based on the feeling you want your film to give off? Maybe specifically for beginner film makers? (affordable cameras)

You say this now... but just wait till the Ronin 5D comes out. 🤔

Reminds me of how El Mariachi is done, the camera for the story you want to tell, or telling a story based on the gear available to you

Great to hear Jeremy Saulnier shouted out! We took Michael Carmine's cinematography class at NYU film school together back in the 1990's. He is a good guy.

Great channel! love your vibe!

You can't overlook how fast technology has improved over the years. 20-40 years ago "cheap" high quality tech didn't exist. When Kevin Smith was getting started, if you wanted cheap, you went with black and white film. Back in 2018 I bought a Sony a7 full frame for $1000. It's still worth $800 used. With a simple "hack" I unlocked 24FPS video but limited to 1080p which doesn't cut it today for cinema. The a7 iii gets you 4k at up to 30fps and is around $1700. USD. If you're an aspiring filmmaker, you can get access to plenty of cool stuff to learn with without needing a professional salary.

Thanks for this video Patrick. I will track that movie down and makes me want to see Civil War even more now.

I could have sworn it was shot on an LF based on the trailer, crazy that it was the ronin 4d!

Blue Ruin is one of my favorite movies ever. Great video.

Ronin for SOME scenes. Venice 2 was used a lot too. For static shots and slower scenes I think it's important to use a high quality sensor. For action scenes you can get away with a lot more. More interesting is that when watching the movie you tend to not pay so much attention since you're focused on the story. For me, the most distracting shots were the "beautiful close-ups" because they looked so different than the docu style cheaper camera ones. IMHO, the burning forest shots were absolutely distracting, I get the contrast they wanted to achieve, beauty in the chaos, etc, but they went a little overboard with the visuals. The sniper nest setup at the beginning on the top of the building is a perfect example of the maximum they should have gone for. Anyway, interesting movie, I highly recommend it for cinema tech fans, there is a lot to talk about.

I remember David Lynch hot off Mulholland Drive started using the Sony PD 150. I was blown away that one of the greatest directors ever was using an affordable camera to shoot an entire movie.

The industry dictates what cameras are "acceptable" and KZfaqr's GAS needlessly increases the churn rate of new tech. The reality is that we've all had access to quality digital cinema cameras for quite a long time now. Today the quality level is so miniscule between brands you'd be legit hard pressed to tell the difference. I often see people gushing over the quality of the Komodo X, but when I see what they've shot with it, I honestly don't see much better visual quality than that of a GH5. Yes, shooting 16-bit raw with a high dynamic range sensor provides you more latitude in post, but if you already know how to light a scene and expose your shot properly, shooting on ProRes or other 10-bit codecs isn't a deal breaker.

Great video, and great movies! Thanks!

Damn, I've been a huge fan of Jeremy Saunier ever since I first watched Blue Ruin in 2014. I had no idea he used such an inexpensive camera! For my three little short films, I used a BMPCC4K with a Canon FD 24mm 2.8 vintage lens. All for around $1,500. I also overlayed a faint filter of fake 35mm film over the entire project. Everyone told me not to, but it ended up looking fantastic! The filter cost $30. And I received Davinci Resolve editing software for free with the camera. I'm new to all of this and never knew you could make a professional looking film for so cheap.

I remember when I was in film school back in 2017. We all made a short film using Arri Alexa and top tier gear. Almost every single one looked like shit.

It's all about the lighting. There are several movies that were shot with incredibly expensive cameras and the image will still be devoid of any depth or color.

A great video by the way. Love you style. Love the video not knocking you. Stay strong.

I don’t shot movies, but I feel blessed to be able to shoot what I do in 10bit log for less than $3000. The problem for me will never be the quality of the camera, and that’s a great feeling.

the story, lightning, set design, wardrobe .. they all add up. camera and lenses are just one component.

Location/Production Design/Set Design/Set Decoration over everything else. Lighting is important but you can plan and frame around natural light. You'll blow through a lot of budget trying to fight the sun.

The film Rush was also shot on C300s and fast / Furious 5 was on a c500 Blue ruin is also amazing and has a great look to it. Its amazing what can be achieved this days for relatively so little

Great video and ❤ for the dog!

Completely agree! I owne a good camera but more and more, I understand that first the story, second the art design, after the lighting and last the camera/lens is important. But we are so lucky now, plenty of affordable tools!

The C-300 MK 1 holds up surprisingly well. It had a 4K sensor that produces a great looking 1080P. I still use one to shoot TV Commercials.

Watch Upstream Color!!! shot on a Pana. Beautiful

that sony fx3 clip made me chuckle! Blue Ruin is such a good looking movie

From the trailers I didn't notice that anything looked different until you said something. Now I can't unsee it.

new subscriber. I am def going to be checking out the films mentioned and I have enjoyed seeing lesser or older gear getting the job done on productions and I learned about some here. Great video.

Hey man, I just found your channel, and this was great, Top notch vibes all around

Always loved this movie. Crazy to see that it was shot on the C300 Mk1

I've been out of the loop with cameras for sometime because I got into graphic design.. 4 years later and I'm starting to think I should have continued with getting into film school. Cameras in general are just so fun to play around with and someday I would love to shoot a short film of some kind, see where it takes me. The only thing that's stopping me is the funds. Perhaps in a year I will go back to school and get into film. It feels really motivating to find stuff like this, knowing that you don't need the top tier products to achieve the style you want.

KNOWLEDGE is everything. This video is epic

Great video, totally valid!

A hand of applause for the glitching lamp in the back.

Great video bro!

You should check "Monster" from Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda from a short story by Haruki Murakami. I believe it was shot on a DJI Ronin 4D for most of the scenes. Very beautiful movie about kids, family, and bullying.

One of the best outros in the history of KZfaq

I can hear your heart more. You have definitely changed over the last 6 months. This video sounds like you on your other channel. Good job, keep it up!

The Creator had metric tons of special effects that were added over the location shots. Everyone is ragging on the recent blockbusters having a boring, monotone look, but all I can think about are SFX people having to not only match the movement and lighting of CGI elements, but also the "artistic look" shot on some wild, unusual camera...

I freaking love your color grade man

Blue Ruin is SUCH an underrated study in visuals and tension!

Worth mentioning Civil War also used a Venice.

Dude every time I’ve come across your videos I’ve always agreed with you, but I’m so glad to find someone express share the same feeling I have about this Creator FX3 shit. Subscribed.

dog w/ Costco fit 🔥🔥

Now, I have Lumix BGH-1 after using Canon 60D for 10+ years. Now, I can experimenting color grading in V-log. Everyday, we learn something new from filmmaking to streaming as well. and I think you're right it's about what's in the frame and it's all about the right timing of the natural light. In my country, the weather is unpredictable. but still, trying to have that kind of colors I want.

Great video & glad to see you include Come True in this, but it was shot on Sony a7sii not a7iii with an Atomos to get 10 bit with only 5-6 ppl crew, including the director & actor. Super gorgeous cinematography in that movie using almost a decade old camera that I own. Inspiring stuff 🔥🔥

I saw presence at sundance. It looked great! I couldn't tell it was shot with the new Sony A9iii. The camerawork was very fluid and you get lost in the perspective of the ghost. I didn't notice any clipping, banding, etc. but it also didn't have that soft arri look or a look shot on film. It was more contrasty and sharp which was most likely due to the color grading, but looked more like RED footage. With the camera movements used though, the Sony A9iii makes more sense. Great film, highly recommend. Also, look for Ghostlight and Porcelain War when they come out. Great films! Also out of my mind is a good family film from Sundance that should be on Disney Plus.

Would love a video on Dogme 95 and Von Trier/ Vinterberg if you haven’t already done one.

hello, i have sony a7iv at work with a kit lense, how can i achive the kind of color of your videos? what kind of lut you use? we shoot at 24f and log, i think, we pick the scene file 10 and then color in premiere pro, doenst look like that, though, thnks. great video btw

Great points, very motivating

Damn, I thought I was the first person to shoot a feature film on the Sony a7iii, I didn't know about the film Come True.