Not every day we see a small crew that chooses to film race cars with high-end cinema cameras and lenses. Here, cinematographer Dennis Zanatta puts you in the race with the ARRI ALEXA 35 paired with the mighty Signature Zoom 65-300mm. Check out this high-precision cinema equipment and lenses to shoot this high-precision sport.
Shooting sports with ARRI ALEXA 35 and Signature Zoom
Let’s be honest. The ALEXA 35 is not the first camera that comes to mind when considering shooting sports. Camcorders are much more suitable for that, and if you are eager for the ALEV look, then you can pick the dedicated AMIRA. Nevertheless, in this case study, cinematographer Dennis Zanatta utilized the precision of the ALEV 4 (ALEXA 35) paired with the exceptional zoom glass (ARRI Signature Zoom 65-300mm) to film fast cars. Moreover, Zanatta used those beasts in an indie project (very small crew). That is pretty rare since the cost of the ALEXA 35 is almost equal to that of the Signature Zoom (around the $75,000 price tag). Explore below what Zanatta has to say about it.
Camera positioning
Zanatta: “Filming Sports is always crazy because you have to be ready, and you always have to be fast, and you always have to have an eye on where to position the camera. You always have to sometimes keep both eyes open because you are looking at the viewfinder but at the same time looking around to see what’s happening cuz you can get yourself hard. My name is Denis Zanatta, and I’m a director for Photography in Los Angeles California. I’ve been working in the industry as a cinematographer for 20 years. Film the car brought me a lot of memories because I started a cinematographer in the racing industry where I filmed a lot of races from off-road to Indie Car to Formula 1 Moto GP. Having a camera on your shoulder and being right there with the pilots with the team filming the behind-the-scenes is always exciting especially for a race car fan like myself every time that we film car racing you have to keep a safe distance you know it’s our lives in case there’s a tire flying or a car coming your way but sometimes you are in a spot that you were too far from the racetrack. Sometimes I want to get just the detail of the tires spinning you know or the tires shifting or drifting during a turn so I want to be even closer”.
Utilizing the 1.7 extender
Zanatta: “I always have in the kit an extender so I can double the size of the lens. The ARRI extender has a 1.7 extender so I can get really close to the tire when you know the pilot is doing the turn you can see the tire drift to the side. It’s very exciting to have the opportunity to film with the ALEXA 35 with the Signature Zooms. It’s just my dream. You can not ask for a better quality than pairing the ARRI 35 with the Signature Zooms. it’s amazing carrying the ALEXA 35 with the Signature Zooms is the most cinematic camera and lens in the market that has a perfect balance perfect weight and using the Signature Zooms it makes everything beautiful it gives the audience a different experience”.
Preferred focal length
Zanatta: “My preferred focal length it’s always 24-75. For me, the perfect length to be closer to the action. The 24-75 gives you that impression of being closer but at the same time if you need to you can be a little bit of a distance and close to a 75 which is a beautiful focal length as well as the 65 to 300. it’s a lens that I always use when the race starts. This is the perfect lens for where the action is going and being a race fan and myself I just adore being with the camera filming and also being the eye of the audience. The filmmaking process is all about collaboration and having the best team it’s it’s very important for the success of your project. We had a lot of fun I’m filming the indie car race with the ALEXA 35 and the Signature Zooms and I can all wait until the next one”. Check out the full interview below:
