What is Cinematic Anyway? The Sony FX9 and Canon CN-E primes

The cinematic look

Achieving cinematic-looking images is something that we always want to do at Spellbinder. Why? Well, because we love the cinema. We love beautifully shot content and we aspire to create slick, modern imagery. But what exactly is the cinematic look when we talk about digital content? Asking this question it becomes apparent that it’s surprisingly difficult to answer. Aesthetics is a rich and complex subject that encompasses many theoretical, historical, philosophical, and technological factors in relation to cinema. Cinema’s brief 130-year history has created many movements, styles, aesthetics and to a certain extent (especially in regards to Hollywood) rules that we filmmakers need to know. Not to mention the immense technological changes that we have witnessed during this time. As Pablo Picasso put it “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”.

Now in the post-digital world, other new media influences on cinema complicate things even more. Technologically and creatively speaking we can probably say that the following are key to creating images that have an inherent cinematic quality:

• Lighting
• Lens type and focal length
• Camera System
• Camera and/or subject motion
• Digital image processing and colour grade
• Editing / pace
• Sound and sound design
• Music / scoring

But these technological aspects alone will not create something that is cinematic. We could shoot someone sitting on a park bench with a soon-to-be-released Alexa 35, Leitz lenses, with the most beautiful morning light and not make a cinematic image (though that would be a hard task!). In order for something to be cinematic, it needs to tell a story. There needs to be emotion, pacing, intrigue, drama, tension, and relief. If you boil it down into the constituent parts of an edited sequence or live cut, every shot you include in the final output needs to tell a story in, and of itself. When we think of it like that, it’s obvious that being cinematically orientated is not just about the kit that you are shooting with. BUT it’s a good place to start! So onto that kit…

Sony FX9 full-frame 6K sensor

For the majority of our content production, the Sony FX9 is the best choice in terms of price, accessibility, and image quality. The back-illuminated Exmor R sensor renders significant improvements in dynamic range, and contrast over the seminal Sony FS7. Crucially, the camera intercuts well with the many FS7s that are still being used to shoot broadcast content today almost 9 years after its release! We still run the trusty FS7, but the look of the full-frame sensor on the FX9 is vastly superior. Moreover, the Sony colour profile Cinetone also lends itself to fast turnaround production workflows where we turn your content around very quickly. Here, little to no colour manipulation will occur in post-production. It was no accident that Sony called it Cinetone. S-Cinetone to give it the proper name is as the name suggests cinematic. Cinematic in its warmth and richness, generating a pleasing image.

If HDR is more important to your production than the Rec709-like look offered by S-Cinetone then HLG can give HDR images right off the camera where you are not grading in post or shading live. Of course, Sony’s SLog 3 is still there for when you really need it.

As with its predecessor, the FX9 is an incredibly versatile camera that can be configured depending on the production’s requirements. But it really does take things up a notch in terms of useability, and most importantly, image quality. The oversampled UHD image results in beautiful cinematic images that are a lot less video-like than the FS7 and that translates on-screen in your video or live productions.

Cine Style Canon CN-E Lenses

Spellbinder has recently invested in a full set of Canon CN-E lenses which come in the following focal lengths: 14mm, 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm, 135mm. We acquired the set in December 2022 and are now putting them to good use on many of our productions. The Canon CN-E lenses have proper focus markings which make the accuracy for critical focus much easier. Working with a proper Cine style prime lens means that everything from interviews to live content and B Roll can pop and we can easily create that shallow depth of field and concentrate the audience’s focus on the subject, product, or rack focus within the shot to allow the story to unfold. For us, the CN-Es coming in Canon EF mount means wide interoperability without the need for PL mount camera systems. This has cost-saving benefits to our clients and simplifies setup, therefore, streamlining workflow on set.

Testing the lenses on Optical Support’s lens projector

Our new lenses are also a great choice for multicamera content. A prime lens is not always the most versatile way to film live music, events, or live streams because a single operator has to move the camera to vary the shot. Ideal for a Steadicam, gimbal, crane or tracked camera but not always the right choice. Fortunately, the CN-E lenses will intercut very well with Canon CN-7, CN-20 and other CN range zoom lenses. So it’s good to know that we are covered for slightly higher budget scenarios. In these cases, we can supply the best of both worlds. Prime lenses for capturing beautiful interviews, beauty shots of locations and venues, hero gimbal shots and zooms to ensure maximum coverage.

The Kit People and Technology to Create Beautiful Content

Before a few final thoughts, let’s just think about sound, sound design and music. You might think why would you include sound in an article about aesthetics and the question ‘What is cinematic anyway?”. Digital media is all around us and how we consume that varies. Much of your content may never be viewed with sound on! That’s one reason why the imagery and graphic approach need to be spot on. But the point I want to make here is how we read and interpret images comes from the relationships in our brains as we observe and listen. Our brains are incredibly capable of making associations in an instant, and sound is something that may be quicker to interpret. And even as a camera and lighting obsessive, it’s crucial to recognise how important sound is. It is so emotive and critical to our relationship with the world around us.

These relationships of meaning and the vast library of imagery that reside in our brains are what make something cinematic. Ultimately, it is the viewer that will find something pleasing or not pleasing as an image. That’s why it’s up to us here at Spellbinder, to make sure that we have the best people, kit and technology to help you maximise your goals.