Arnaud Moro is a photographer, director and cinematographer based in Amsterdam. Originally from the south of France, he graduated in 2015 from the National School of Architecture in Marseille. With his own way of seeing the world, space and light around him we find out what’s in his camera bag.
Below, you can check out the second episode of his latest work ‘A Day In’ – a piece that celebrates the breathtaking beauty of Real de Catorce, a village in the central Mexican state of San Luis Potosí.
This village is the cocoon of the Wixárika culture, one of the oldest indigenous cultures in Mexico that still practice their sacred beliefs much like their ancestors did centuries ago. This video and music are a testimonial of the precious land of the Wixárika people, their culture, and beliefs.
Here’s what Arnaud has to share about his experience while shooting the piece with the Pocket 4K.
Arnaud Moro: As a creative specialist in the visual world, I cover a lot of ground. I extend the same philosophy to commercial storytelling, creating original content to promote well-known brands across a wide range of clients, including Tag Heuer, Marriott group, Alpine Cars and Porsche.
My go-to camera for video production has been the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K for several years now, which I use with a Metabones Speedbooster 0.71x adaptor, giving me a slightly wider field of view when used with a Sigma 18-35 T2 cine lens.
I love the images it gives me and can manually adjust the aperture directly on the lens, unlike a photo lens. As a rule, I don’t like to change lenses too often as I am usually working in conditions that can be extreme for the equipment (snow, sand, very dusty environments).
Image Credit: Lily Rault
One of the standout features was the ability to shoot 4K RAW at 50fps for just over a thousand Euros! Finally, I could shoot slow motion without compromising on resolution, up to 60fps.
I also love the little HFR button that allows you to switch between slow motion and full speed with just one click. It’s a huge time saver when I think back to my previous camera, where I had to wade through endless menus to change this setting.
Despite the plethora of cameras we seen released since the launch of this Pocket 4K almost five years ago, this remains one of the best value cine cameras in the market. Here are the essential accessories I couldn’t do without when rigging the camera for a job.
Image Credit: Arnaud Moro
- Metabones MFT to Canon EF Speed Booster 0.71x
- TILTA Cage to provide additional mounting points and modularity for rigging third-party accessories.
- TILTA baseplate with 15mm carbon rods and a quick-release mount. The latter allows me to remove and remount the camera with the least amount of fuss.
- Fx Lion Nano-Two 100wh V-Lock batteries afford extended run times that will typically last me the day if I don’t use an external monitor. Their advantage is that they are small compared to the classic VLock.
- And if I need to power the camera, an external monitor and follow focus at 15v, then I use the Shape Multi D-tap V-mount plat which has multiple Dtap connections, so no fiddly workarounds, and its super compact compared to mount plates.
- IR ND filters are another must, as the BMPCC does not have an IR cut filter. I use a SmallRig Mini Matte Box or sometimes the Tilta Mini Mattebox with rectangular filters, albeit you can now buy circular filters that would do away with the matte box.
And here are some of the nice-to-haves.
- A top handle for your camera cage can be helpful if you plan to shoot while walking. I use this one from TILTA.
- An external monitor like the Blackmagic Video Assist 12G 7″ HDR gives you added confidence in the images. The advantages are its brightness and HDR output with good color fidelity. But watch out. External monitors can be power-hungry.
- For focus pulling on a gimbal or Steadicam, I will use a wireless solution like the Follow Focus HF Tilta Nucleus Nano 1. It makes transitioning from a shoulder setup to the Ronin straightforward. I just recently bought the DJI RS3 Pro with the LiDAR focus system, and it is amazing when your a solo operator.
Image Credit: Lily Rault
I also carry around a 1200-lumen tactical torch! This flashlight follows me everywhere. It’s on the strap of my backpack as it’s always valuable for places with no light.
It has a great battery life and is super bright, with a strobe mode to blind someone if they try to steal my gear.
Fortunately, I’ve never had to use it like that, but it does see regular use as a back-up light for my shoots. In this Belle Rive Gin advert, the blue reflections on the actress come from this lamp.
[source: Arnaud Moro]
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