International. 4GOT10, the new feature film by director Timothy Woodward Jr., was shot entirely with Blackmagic URSA PL cameras. This modern Western film starring Dolph Lundgren, Johnny Messner, Vivica Fox and Danny Trejo recently opened in theaters. Also, the digital color grading was done using DaVinci Resolve Studio.
The film features cinematographer Pablo Díez and direction Timothy Woodward Jr., who has starred, directed and produced dozens of films and television shows. Filming took place in different parts of California, and the filmmakers strove to create a modern look while retaining the aesthetics of Western films. A high level of contrast was also incorporated into all the shots in order to evoke the subgenre known as "Spaghetti Western" that was all the rage in the 1970s.
"This is an action-packed film with lots of shooting and explosion scenes. We used real fire for much of the shoot, which could be a problem for many digital sensors. However, thanks to the global shutter offered by the URSA model, we had no problem filming the sequences with flames or detonations. It was also not necessary to deal with the sudden movements of the camera that usually cause instability of the image in other digital versions. This is fantastic because the film includes several scenes that could be problematic for other teams," Díez said.
"Also, the additional monitors of the URSA camera were very useful during filming. I was able to use the screens closest to the cameraman to see the signal histogram and menus with ease. The outdoor monitor became an essential tool for our main camera assistant Tania Espinosa, as she can access the functions quickly and make the necessary adjustments without hindering the folding screen," continued Díez. "In addition, being able to record in ProRes format, it was very easy to achieve an optimal result in all aspects of post-production."
Díez used different URSA models as main and secondary cameras to shoot in ProRes 4:4:4:4 with Schneider's Cine-Xenar lenses.
"It is of the utmost importance for a cinematographer to know the performance of the cameras he uses in order to make the most of their potential. By modifying certain parameters and striving to highlight the intermediate tones, we have been able to achieve beautiful images with a natural appearance," said Díez. "The URSA camera is ideal given its ability to retain and reproduce wonderfully the different skin tones. Sometimes people forget the most important aspect of images: good distribution and intensity in the intermediate tones. This is precisely the aspect in which the URSA model stands out."
