IMAX has released the trailer of The Creator. This 80,000,000 USD movie was shot by cinematographer Oren Soffer, with the help of DP Greig Fraser, ACS, ASC, on the Sony FX3. This is the first time an IMAX movie is shot on a prosumer mirrorless camera.
The Creator
The Creator is an upcoming American science fiction action thriller film directed by Gareth Edwards. The film stars John David Washington, Gemma Chan, Ken Watanabe, Sturgill Simpson, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, and Allison Janney. Music composed by Hans Zimmer. On an estimated production budget of more than $80 million, principal photography began in Thailand in 2022, with Greig Fraser and Oren Soffer serving as cinematographers. It’s important to mention that Fraser was involved mainly in the pre-production phase and had to leave to shoot Dune Part Two. Hence, the main lead cinematographer was Soffer. To give the film the feel of classic Hollywood epics such as Ben-Hur (1959), the filmmakers opted to shoot the film in the 2.76:1 ultra-wide aspect ratio. However, there’s an IMAX ratio as well. Explore the IMAX trailer below:
Shot entirely on Sony Fx3
The technical highlight from a cinematography point of view of The Creator is that the film was shot on the Sony FX3. There was a solid discussion on the net about that. Many have claimed that the main camera was the ARRI ALEXA 65 and that the FX3 was a marketing stunt by Sony (or by Fraser). Indeed, initially, it was written in IMDB Tech Spec that the film was shot on the ALEXA 65 combined with FX3. However, the ARRI 65 was deleted, and the Sony FX3 remained the main camera. Moreover, Fraser told before that he was truly impressed with the Sony FX3 as stated: “It’s an amazing prosumer camera. I’m about to use that on a film I’m shooting in Thailand (The Creator). I’m about to shoot the entire film on this camera. It’s so ridiculously that it’s so small. It has such a high ISO…in a much small camera”. Moreover, BTS pictures confirm the use of the FX3. Thus, the Sony FX3 is the main camera to shoot this movie.
First mirrorless to shoot for the IMAX
If we are not mistaken, this is the first time a blockbuster shot on a prosumer camera is being aimed at an IMAX screen. We all remember The Possession of Hannah Grace which is a Hollywood production shot on the Sony A7S II, and of course, the excellent Act of Valor which is the first DSLR Hollywood film (shot by Shane Hurlbut, ASC). However, these films were not intended to be screened on an IMAX screen. The Creator is definitely the first movie shot on a prosumer camera that costs less than $4,000 and aimed for an IMAX screen.
The Sony FX3 was defined as ‘Alpha on steroids, can be utilized professionally, is Netflix Approved, extremely durable, and reliable, and belongs to Sony’s acclaimed Cinema Line (together with the VENICE). However, it’s far from being an IMAX-certified camera. Nevertheless, glad to see this little beast reaches the huge canvas together with other affordable cinema cameras (see Z CAM for reference). Great time to be a filmmaker.
Product List
Here are the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers.
- Sony FX3 Full-Frame Cinema Camera
This is my opinion:
The fact that the Sony FX3 rig they are using is essentially the same size as an Alexa Mini, RED V Raptor rig means something is Rotten in the state of Denmark. I get that you can get a higher ISO with the FX3 and would be a great choice if it wasn’t rigged as big as other choices that have greater built-in usability, dynamic range, and codec options.
If it was an 8 million dollar budget, sure. But 80 million? The DP has to give a better explanation than size and ‘it’s an amazing prosumer camera’, because by the looks of it, size doesn’t matter when you can fly an 8K, RAW, 120fps camera with more dynamic range on the same small gimbal. As for ISO? Hasn’t stopped the Alexa Mini from gobbling up feature film market share. I smell money and an NDA.
With 80 million as my budget, I would go Alexa 65 all the way.
This article is very misleading. Including the photo of DP Ryan French with the incredibly large FX3 build in the article makes it seem like ‘The Creator’ team used this kind of build. I am sure Greig and Oren would be happy to shed some light on the actual rig they used…
I’m Sonichu.
Resolution and dynamic range are more than adequate but I agree with those who smell an NDA rat. And money. No good reason on a job that big to use that particular camera for anything but promotional or ‘crash cam’ reasons
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There’s a wonderful interview with director Gareth Edwards in the latest TOTAL FILM magazine, and he says one of the most astute things I’ve heard (paraphrasing) about present-day filmmaking – as someone who has directed the smallest DIY movie (MONSTERS) as well as the biggest studio pictures (GODZILLA, SW ROGUE ONE), he made a kind of pros and cons list before embarking on THE CREATOR. His observation – things that are easy on a no-budget movie (moving fast, 30+ setups a day, no shot lists, improv drama, etc.), are nearly impossible on big-budget studio movies. Likewise, things that are easy on big-budget movies (tons of extras, costumes, big pyro FX, and giant props) are nearly impossible on no-budget movies. With THE CREATOR, Edwards sought to take the best of both production methods and apply it to this film. So I can see that small, multiple cameras that are self-contained and quick to set up and move around is something he obviously brought with him to this film. I’ve been on sets with Alexa’s and every setup is painfully slow compared to grabbing your DSLR and running and gunning and shooting available light. After reading that interview, I totally believe the FX3 is the primary-if-not-only cam on set for this flick.
Is there a source on this information? Oren Soffer hasn’t confirmed this yet.
I don’t know what marketing genius approved the trailer. But one of the shots in the trailer uses ACTUAL footage from the Beirut explosion – an incident that killed people in real life, and was captured by everyday citizens right before they were injured or lost their homes as the shockwave hit them. That footage was shot on someone’s phone, (probably) uploaded to social media, and then someone downloaded it, color graded it, and had VFX work slapped on it in post. So not only is it IP theft, it’s in bad taste, period. The movie might be great. But using ACTUAL footage of a tragedy in a movie like this? That’s just wrong. And this movie should NOT be promoted for that reason alone. YM Cinema, please take note.
I do not want to take anything away from Greg or Oren, their work is fantastic together in this film, but wanted to set the record straight on DSLR shooting. Unfortunately this was not the first film shot on a DSLR for IMAX, I did it in 2009 with the Canon 5D MK II for Act of Valor. We projected the film in 12 IMAX screens across the US and we were on a DSLR Budget of $8.25 Million.
Watched it! Great film that demonstrated the power of DSLR in professional filmmaking.