LUKE FRATER
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY - CAMERA OPERATOR VIDEOGRAPHER - EDITOR
DOCUMENTARY - COMMERCIAL - CORPORATE - INTERVIEWS
Filming a RNZ Doco Series
By Luke Frater
'The Turning Point' was a 2023 documentary series Directed by Steph Miller and Produced by Ocular. It focused on six different people and conservation groups around New Zealand taking on the challenge of protecting and restoring our natural environment, paving the way to a more hopeful future.
The series was shot over 18 Filming Days across NZ, with our crew of six (Director, Producer, Cinematographer, Sound Recordist, AC, and Runner/Editor) spending three days with each group. The ultimate output was 6x 12-13min episodes. The Series premiered on the Radio New Zealand youtube channel in November 2023.
Here is a breakdown of how I approached some of the different setups and scenarios during the project, as well as the pre production plan we set out with.
Interview Setups
Each of our episodes was centered around at least one hero interview setup. These were normally in our main talents home, workplace or, in a few cases; a marae. We kept the lighting setups for these rather simple as we could only travel with limited kit; running a 2x2 Flexi RGB panel as a key light (supporting the rooms natural window light… often softened by an 8x8 silk), a reflector as a fill/bounce, and an RGB tube as a backlight.
Talent was center framed with Director Steph Miller just to the right of camera. A Cam was a Sony FS7mkII with a Sigma 35mm 1.8 ART lens. We also ran a B Camera (Sony A7S) which was operated by our AC on the day.
Our aim was to create clean interview frame, naturally lit, which showed our talent in a place that the felt comfortable, while also giving a bit of extra insight into their lifestyle.
People Shots
In pre-production Steph and I discussed the look of the series and the different references we had found in film and television. From this I created a style guide of rules and ideas to guide us so that the series had a consistent look. This was especially important as the six episodes would take us through many different environments and settings. Some of these were: film handheld on the easyrig, close to the subject on a wide lens, move with the subject, no slow motion, film with back or side light, embrace sun flares.
To achieve this I filmed 95% of the (non interview) footage with the Sony FS7mkII paired with the Fujinon 18-55 MK Cine Zoom, rigged with the Easyrig Minimax w/ Stabil arm. This setup allowed me to move with the talent smoothly and chase the action. The Fujinon gave us the visual look of a prime lens, but the strengths of a zoom lens when needed. We lived at the 18mm end of the lens mostly, preferring to get close to our subjects while showing off the environment around them.
Drone Shots
Capturing the drone shots on the series meant some early rises and late finishes for me and a couple of the crew. I find the best conditions for aerial photography is when there is still some long shadow detail on the landscape. Filming taking place in March meant we still had long sunlight days, so a drone flight could still be achieved even before or after our 10hr filming day.
With each episode being shot over a three day period we had a few choices for which morning/evening we could fly and film these… based on which day would have the best weather conditions for the environment. Once we had identified a day, we would log drone flights/check permits, and a small team would head out before or after the main shoot on a mini road trip to find the spot.
The drone shots on the series were mostly used (like all drone shots) to establish an area/region. As most of our filming is up close with our subjects though, often on the wide end of the Fujinon 18-55, the drone shots also provide the viewer a chance to step back and breath, while also driving the story forward.
So when you see a big drone shot over the Manawatu with a winding river moving through it know that me and Steph Miller were down there standing in the corner of a farm paddock with 100 cows next to us looking on curiously. Filmmaking.
The Turning Point / Pre-Production vs Production
Lastly here is a look at the pre-production document I created to structure the look of the series, compared with the some final shots from the series. I’m pretty happy with how we were able to achieve the look we set out to capture, while still remaining agile and flexible as a small documentary crew. A huge shout out to the rest of crew on such a big effort to bring this all together!
Crew
Director: Steph Miller
Producer: Kate Goodwin
Cinematographer: Luke Frater
Sound: Trent Williams
AC's: Sophia Chan, Maisy Riera, Elise Lanigan
Runner/Editor: Monique Thorpe