Our Latest Featured Customer Video Is With Simon Shasha Who Pairs The Latest Blackmagic Design Micro Cinema Camera With Our CAME-TV Came-single Gimbal Stabilizer and the Blackmagic Micro Cage To Produce His Video 'training Day'.
Tell us a little about yourself and the videos you create.
Hi guys, my name is Simon Shasha. I am an independent-filmmaker living in Sydney, Australia. I grew-up in a very low-income, working-class family. Film and Cinema have always helped me escape reality when I needed too, and further my understanding of the human-condition. I believe that filmmaking is the ultimate amalgamation of all the arts. My ultimate goal is to create films that address the human-condition. I want my films to be powerfully empathetic and allow the audience to experience life in someone else's shoes. For work and income, however, I create live-event videos for many famous musicians that come to tour in Australia (a showreel of my live-event work can be seen here:https://vimeo.com/70929158). Live-event video production is very exciting, energetic and kinetic, and requires a filmmaker to be able to adapt to the situation - there are no storyboards in live-event video-production - so you can never truly be prepared - you just have to adapt to each situation as best as you can and be confident with the decisions you make as you shoot.
How did you decide on choosing our CAME-TV Single?
I already owned a CAME-TV 7800 3-Axis Gimbal. When I found out that I was selected as a beta-tester for Blackmagic's Micro Cinema Camera, I decided that a small, light, single-handed 3-axis gimbal was needed. Having been impressed with my CAME-TV 7800 gimbal, and after seeing the other single-handed gimbals on the market, I decided that the CAME-TV Single was the best choice based on specs and quality.
Do you use the CAME-TV Single often?
Yes, very often! I now use it even more than my CAME-TV 7800. The CAME-TV Single is just so simple and fun to operate! And the battery lasts FOREVER!
What is your typical camera setup when using our CAME-TV Single?
My typical setup is usually a Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera/Micro Cinema Camera with a Panasonic 12-35mm F2.8 lens.
What kind of style do you typically try to aim for when shooting videos?
My favorite film of all time is the French film "La Haine". Not only is the story, acting and direction great, but the cinematography too. The cinematography it uses, in my opinion, is very a pseudo-documentary style - though it is a cinematic film, the photography is very realistic and reminiscent to the lighting and camera movement you'd usually expect to see in many documentaries - it is very raw and gritty. My other favortie films, such as "Amores Perroes", "City of God", "Children of Men", and the commercial and music-video work of French director, Romain Gavras, also employ this technique. I usually try and aim for this style when shooting with my films and live-event work. I do this because I feel that the realness and rawness of this technique draws the viewer in more and allows them to feel as though they are really there - thus immersing them in a more subjective experience with the film's environments and characters.
Would you recommend the CAME-TV Single to other videographers/shooters?
Yes! Especially if you want to achieve cinematic camera movement with a small and easy to use kit!
How often do you go out and shoot videos?
I try and shoot every weekend - even if I will never use the footage. I believe it is the best way to learn and master technique.
What do you like best about the CAME-TV Single?
I like that it allows the creation of very cinematic camera-movement - and it does it while being compact, light and easy to set-up!
Where does your inspiration to shoot videos come from?
I believe video/filmmaking is a very powerful art-form. It has the power to influence hearts and minds, and allow people to feel things - truly feel things. I really believe filmmakng can make the world a better place by means of subjective immersion and empathetic response. My inspiration comes from wanting to contribute to that goal. From a technical-aspect, I draw my inspiration from from my favorite director's (Terrence Malick, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Wong Kar Wai, Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Spike Lee, Chan-wook Park, Takeshi Kitano, Christopher Nolan, Darren Aronofsky), my favourite cinematographers (Christopher Doyle, Emmanuel Lubezki, Rodrigo Prieto, Roger Deakins, Matthew Libatique, Jeff Cronenweth, Jordan Cronenweth) but also from commercials and music-videos too (mainly the work of Jonathan Glazer and Romain Gavras).
What is your favorite type of shot you like to achieve?
I don't necessarily have a favorite type of shot, however, I like when a shot is so immersive that even I forget that there is a camera there. This is why I like the work of Terrence Malick so much; I feel his use of only natural-lighting creates a very natural, immersive and subjective experience
Is there anything else you would like to share about the CAME-TV Single?
The CAME-TV Single is truly a great-product that opens up an entire world of camera-movement that was just not feasible before - and it does it with a very small footprint at a very affordable price. I recommend it to all filmmakers, but I highly-recommend it to other filmmakers that are like me; low-budget filmmakers that usually work alone and have a very "run and gun" style of cinematography. It really is an amazing piece of kit!
How was your experience with our Blackmagic Micro Cage?
The CAME-TV Blackmagic Micro Cage was really great and easy to work with - amazing build-quality too! It allowed me to take the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera, which is basically a camera-sensor in a box, and sculpture my own hand-held, light-weight rig around it. I suspect that the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera will be used mainly for things like drones, and as a "crash cam" with car-mounts and so on, however, thanks to equipment like the CAME-TV Blackmagic Micro Cage, the Blackmagic Micro Cinema Camera can now be used like any other camera in a traditional handheld/chest/shoulder set-up. The CAME-TV Blackmagic Micro Cage provides the freedom and capability to allow cinematographers to customize their filmmaking configurations as they see fit.
For more information on the CAME-Single gimbal and the CAME-TV BMMCC Cage click below! Make sure to also sign up for our newsletter to receive updates and information on any new products we release.
