Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, key for the filming of “Falcon and the Winter Soldier”

The memorable aerial scene from the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a production of Marvel Studios to Disney+, was shot with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K model from Blackmagic Design.

Following the plot of Avengers: Endgame, Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up on an adventure around the world in Falcon and the Winter Soldier that tests their skills and patience, as they fight against the Flag Smashers, a group that claims life was better during the Blip.

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 that the character of Mackie fought airplanes and helicopters, but will also fight against winged villains while they try to escape. Despite having been quite a challenge, these images They set the stage for the rest of the series.

The visual effects supervisor Eric Leven worked with Kari Skogland (director) at the beginning of production to design the sequence, so that it would be striking, but without worrying about the methodology. After viewing the scene, Leven and Skogland spoke to the stunt coordinator. Hank Amos and the director of photography PJ Dillon. Ultimately, they ended up opting for Pocket Cinema Camera 6K of Blackmagic Design.

Free fall with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K

Once chosen Pocket Cinema Camera 6K, Amos and Dillon began working on the technical aspects of the shoot. It was the first time that something larger than a compact action camera would be used in a variety of configurations, not just strapped to a helmet. After testing for a week with the parachutist and aerial coordinator Travis Fienhage, Amos was sure everything could work out well.

In Dillon's own words: "Kari preferred the sequence to have an experiential quality, so we wanted to attach cameras to the suits and helmets, while also capturing images with a much higher cinematic quality. The Pocket 6K model was the most logical choice for several reasons, including the possibility of using high-quality lightweight photography lenses, but mainly because we could shoot in Blackmagic RAW. This format gave us greater control during grading and creating visual effects. When setting the exposure, "We were pretty sure we wouldn't lose details, especially in the shadows."

Images recorded in Blackmagic RAW They were perfectly integrated with those captured by the main cameras in logarithmic format. According to Dillon, "We found the sensor quality of the Pocket 6K to be outstanding. There was virtually no noise, and we had great flexibility when making color 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 iris remote controls. The idea was to use a wide-spectrum exposure, to capture both the bright sky and details in the shadows, and the sensor worked wonderfully."

According to Amos, people "aren't aware" of the technical achievement of shooting with the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K in free fall: "Most people don't realize that 90% of what they see was actually filmed in the air. Visual effects are so good these days that it's hard to tell what's real and what was generated by zeros and ones, but I can say that a lot of what's on the screen is real, and we only added the landscape and canyons during the shot. Post-production. Seeing someone doing tricks next to the helicopters, these images were captured by a Pocket 6K unit attached to a suit with wings, at chest height. The same happens when the actors fly towards the camera.

Filming on blue background with Blackmagic

As for the shots with a blue background, Leven's team managed to place the model Pocket Cinema Camera 6K 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 Falcon's wing, which added complexity to the scene. In this sense, To live remembers: "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 long shots and close-ups of paratroopers fighting, actors fighting in front of a blue background and digital doubles, all staged, and you can't tell the difference between the real and virtual elements."

Amos also served as a stunt coordinator on blockbusters including Captain Marvel y Pantera Negra. Despite being used to complex jobs, he was impressed with what they were able to accomplish in Falcon and the Winter Soldier, particularly in the skydiving scene, with the model Pocket Cinema Camera 6K: "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."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWBsDaFWyTE