Latin America. Blackmagic Design's Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model was used to film the dazzling skydiving sequence in the first episode of the Marvel Studios-produced "Falcon and the Winter Soldier" series.
Following the plot of "Avengers: Endgame", Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in an adventure around the world that tests their skills and patience, as they fight the Flag Smashers, a group that claims life was better during the Blip. The series was directed by Kari Skogland.
In the first episode, Wilson faces a formidable opponent who has hijacked a plane over Tunisia and taken a person hostage. The complex sequence required not only Mackie's character to fight airplanes and helicopters, but also to fight winged villains as they try to escape. Despite being challenging, these images lay the groundwork for the rest of the series.
Visual effects supervisor Eric Leven worked with Skogland at the start of production to design the sequence to be eye-catching, but without worrying about the methodology. "In the early scripts, an aerial battle with Falcon was already mentioned," Leven commented, "and we wanted the character to stand out more than in previous Marvel Studios films. Winged villains were the ideal challenge, as this gave him the opportunity to chase people, rather than aircraft. There were several videos of suits with wings on YouTube, and Kari wanted to use cameras attached to the body and helmets for the sequence."
Leven's team began working on the scene during the pre-production stage. "We designed the sequence from conceptual sketches first, and then we thought about how to shoot it," Leven added. "It was nice to have no creative restrictions at the beginning."
Having visualized the scene, Leven and Skogland spoke with dangerous shot coordinator Hank Amos and cinematographer PJ Dillon. "We started discussing what could be done in a practical way and what elements would be digitally generated," Leven said.
Amos was used to the limitations of skydiving scenes in terms of photography and wanted to shoot the scene in the air. "I would say that we are not guided by any guidelines when it comes to capturing aerial images of people in winged suits," Amos said. "I knew Marvel Studios wouldn't accept the kind of recorded material usual in these types of shots. But in a suit with wings, every gram counts. These guys are moving at a speed of 225 kilometers per hour, and if a thread comes off the suit, they feel it."
Considering that weight and size would be fundamental factors, cinematographer PJ Dillon began to look for a solution. "We quickly opted for the Pocket 6K model," Dillon said. Next, Amos and Dillon began working on the technical aspects of filming. It was the first time that anything larger than a compact action camera would be used in various configurations, not just attached to a helmet. After testing for a week with paratrooper and air coordinator Travis Fienhage, Amos was certain everything could work well.
"Kari preferred the sequence to have an experiential attribute, so we wanted to attach cameras to suits and helmets, and in turn capture images with a much higher cinematic quality," Dillon said. "The Pocket 6K was the most logical choice for a number of reasons, including the ability to use high-quality lightweight photo lenses, but mainly because we could shoot in Blackmagic RAW. This format gave us more control during color grading and visual effects creation. When setting up the exposure, we were quite certain that we would not lose details, especially in the shadows."
"The images recorded in Blackmagic RAW were perfectly integrated with those captured by the main cameras in logarithmic format," Dillon added. "We found the sensor quality of the Pocket 6K model extraordinary. There was virtually no noise, and we had great flexibility when making chromatic adjustments. This was important to us, as, for compelling reasons, we did not want to equip the camera with accessories such as focusing systems or remote controls for the diaphragm. The idea was to use a broad-spectrum exposure, in order to capture both the bright sky and the details in the shadows, and the sensor worked wonders."
In addition to aerial photography, the sequence contains images of the actors against a blue background, and Leven's team combined them seamlessly with dangerous shots and digital environments. "Most people don't realize that 90 percent of what they see was actually filmed on the air," Amos said. "At present, the visual effects are so good that it is difficult to discern what is real and what was generated by zeros and ones, but I can say that much of what is seen on the screen is true, and we only added the landscape and the cannons during post-production. Seeing someone doing pirouettes next to the helicopters, these images were captured by a Pocket 6K unit attached to a suit with wings, at chest height. The same thing happens when the actors fly into the camera."
As for the shots with a blue background, Leven's team managed to place the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model in places where it would have been impossible to place larger versions, for example, at the end of a crane used in dangerous shots to simulate a camera attached to the Falcon wing, which added complexity to the scene. Leven said: "One of my favorite parts is when Falcon and one of the winged villains punch each other in the air as they fall. There you see general shots and close-ups of paratroopers fighting, actors fighting against a blue background and digital doubles, all assembled, and it is not possible to tell the difference between real and virtual elements."
Amos also served as the coordinator of dangerous scenes in blockbusters, including "Captain Marvel" and "Black Panther." Despite being used to complex jobs, he was impressed with what they were able to achieve in "Falcon and the Winter Soldier", particularly in the skydiving scene, with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model. "I was surprised by the performance and reliability of these cameras. Leap after leap, we always knew we could rely on quality and resolution worthy of a Marvel Studios project."
