“The Invisible Man” is the first feature film made in Australia with ALEXA LF, ALEXA Mini LF, and ARRI Signature Prime lenses. Had you worked with this equipment before?
I was very excited to use the ALEXA LF and Signature Primes on this film. I used the package on a few commercials and, after reading the script, I felt it really suited a modern thriller. I’m a huge fan of what Roger Deakins and Denis Villeneuve achieved on “Prisoners” and “Sicario” and felt this film needed a similar approach in clarity and naturalism.
Why did you decide to work with this camera and lens set-up?
We tested some other lenses on ALEXA XTs, however, after screening the results in a theater, Leigh and I fell in love with the Signature Primes.
When did you use the ALEXA LF, when the ALEXA Mini LF?
Much of the shoot was on a dolly, so I generally employed the ALEXA LF. However, during Steadicam, handheld, or motion control work we used the ALEXA Mini LF.
We were fortunate enough to receive one of the first ALEXA Mini LFs in Australia just in time for our shoot. I was very happy about that; without it, I would have had to run a standard ALEXA Mini on our motion control robot due to weight restrictions.
One shot that was spectacular to achieve on the ALEXA Mini LF was during a car chase in the film. It was a complex maneuver involving many stunt drivers, rain rigs, and three camera operators. The camera was handed through from one vehicle to myself on a tracking vehicle which I then passed to another operator in a third vehicle. This shot could not have been achieved on a larger camera as our clearances through windows were very tight.