Author: Bokeh Rentals

DZOFilm has a reputation for selling affordable lenses that can produce gorgeous, cinema quality at a fraction of its competitors’ prices. Their gear may not stand quite at the pinnacle alongside Zeiss and Leitz, but it’s close—and far less pricy.

Here are three DZO creations that operate at a much lower price point and still handle full-frame shooting:
DZOFilm Vespid Cine Primes
25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm (w/ 90mm macro)

The Vespid Primes are the most comparable to DZOFilm’s “top of the line” competitors because of their PL mount and remarkable 46.5mm image circle. This is the paramount design feature of the Vespids, and it allows real, full-frame filmmaking.
The soft rendering of skin, neutral color and coated optics give the Vespids an organic look that sits between the clean look of modern day digital and the soft, analog aesthetic of vintage cinema lenses. There’s a healthy, natural-looking contrast that still does a sufficient job handling glare and specular highlights. This balanced look continues to bokeh, which is shaped by the 16-bladed iris into unpronounced circles.

The Vespid primes are named after a specific family of wasp for their light weight and agility. And the comparison holds, as these lenses are lightweight, compact, and faster than their variable-zoom counterparts.

This set comes with a 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 125mm and sometimes with a 90mm macro lens. The 7 lenses are built with the consistency of a solid lens package, which comes at much convenience to the user. All lenses have the same aperture capabilities, an impressive T2.1 to T22. The swapping of lenses—standard for any prime set—is made easier by the consistent sizes and weights.

Each lens has an 80mm front filter with a matching 77mm thread, so you can simply transfer one filter to another when changing out focal lengths. There is also a magnetic rear filter holder in all seven lens sizes.

The Vespids have focus readings in both imperial and metric units. With smooth internal mechanics, the lenses all have 270° rotation of the focus knob, except for the 90mm macro lens, which has a generous 300°, for accurate focus pulling.
The 6-lens package runs about $7,500 and a 7-lens bundle (including the 90mm macro) for $8,700. The macro can be considered more of a specialty lens and might not be necessary for all productions.

DZOFilm Catta Cine Zooms

35-80mm, 70-135mm

DZO also manufacturers its own lines of zoom lenses that balance advanced features and shooting demands with affordability. Since the dawn of mirrorless cameras, demand for full-frame cinema zooms has grown massively, and DZO hopes to satisfy that market demand with the Cattas’ 43.5mm image circle.

The set includes a 35-80mm and 70-135mm zoom lens, both stretching T2.9-T22. Between the two pieces, shooters can get from a wide 35mm to a tight 135mm, without the labor of switching lenses each shot (as one would with the Vespids). Like the Vespid primes, the two Catta zooms also have 270° focus rotation and rear filter holder.

Besides being both full-frame-capable and relatively affordable, the DZO Catta Zooms have the advantage when it comes to its small form factor.

See, these lenses were designed specifically for cameras with short flange-distances, such as the Sony Alpha line and RED V-RAPTOR. As such, the Catta zooms have an E mount (E/L/RF/X/Z mounts)—and not the widely sweeping PL mount. This means that although the Cattas are in fact full-frame glass, they are not specifically built for the higher-end PL camera bodies like the ALEXA AMIRA or RED RANGER. Be sure to double check lens compatibility and research any lens adapters that may be needed, especially when dealing with the Cattas’ toolless interchangeable mount design.

The Cattas produce gorgeous, naturalistic imagery with a uniquely pleasing flare—satisfying, but not quite with the loudness of a vintage lens. DZOFilm puts the Catta’s beautiful flare and physical versatility to the test in the demo video below:

The DZOFilm Catta Zoom lenses are available in both black and white models for roughly $3,099 each, depending on the retailer.

DZO Pictor Cine Zooms

20-55mm, 50-125mm

The Pictor cine zooms have similar priorities to the other DZOFilm lenses: full-frame shooting, consistent front diameter sizes (95mm), and lightweight form factor. In fact, the comfortable weight and wide focal ranges of this two-lens set makes it perfect for run-and-gun shooting scenarios. As a bonus, the lenses are nearly identical lengths, so swapping them out on a matte box or handheld rig should be considerably less trouble than, say, swapping out primes.

As far as versatility goes, the 20-55mm and 50-125mm Pictor zoom lenses have great breathing performance that work well with the smooth 270° focal rotation. Because of these mechanical advantages, however, the Pictor zooms are somewhat slower at T2.8-22.

The Pictor lenses have a 31.1 image circle, which is full-frame, but may require additional research depending on the body and shooting mode. For example, shooting 5K on the RED GEMINI requires a larger image circle than what the DZO Pictor provides, so you may have to crop in post-production or shoot at a lower resolution.

While the Pictors have a somewhat smaller image circle, they do come with both a PL and EF mount, giving them a wide range of uses, from Sony A7s to ALEXA cinema cameras. Also, the DZOFilm Pictors have an interchangeable mount that allow you to switch lens mounts at any given time, opposed to other lenses that may require a professional.

For productions on a budget, DZOFilm manufacturers marvelous, low-cost lenses that stand a chance against its higher-priced competitors.

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices!

Cooke Optics has released modern, full-frame recreations of two legendary lens sets: the Varotal/i and Panchro/i. The original Varotal was first released in 1971, and the Panchro in 1921—giving these two lens package their vintage bona fides. The redesign process included taking the Varotal and Panchro’s successful, vintage-era aesthetics and upping the technology for 2020s filmmaking standards. Most importantly, the Varotal/i and Panchro/i are full-frame, meaning their image circles can fit frame sizes up to Super 35.

When Cooke rehoused these lenses for new sensors, it also upgraded the exteriors for modern filmmaking. For example, the Varotal/i lenses have been rehoused in aluminum, with a scratch-resistant anodized finish for tough environmental conditions.
Both Cooke’s new Varotal and Panchro lenses are built for flexibility and consistency. The full-frame lenses are color matched, have matching falloff, and are built to the industry standard PL/LPL mounts. They are also equipped with /i Technology, an innovation only possible in the digital age of filmmaking. Cooke’s /i Technology digitally captures lens data, frame-by-frame and synchronized to timecode while shooting. This includes focus readouts, T-stop, depth of field, shading and distortion mapping—data easily gathered in order to streamline the production processes. Although the /i Technology system is great for the VFX workflow, it can also come in handy for producers, ACs, and script supervisors to save valuable time on set.
Cooke’s Varotal/i lenses are zoom lenses that come in two sizes: 30-95mm and 85-215mm, both capable of T2.9. They are full-frame spherical lenses, available in either PL or LPL mounts, and have the same front diameter size of 114mm. Tim Pugh, CEO of Cooke Optics, said: “Fifty years after the launch of the first Varotal lenses, we are proud to bring these new Varotal zooms to our customers. They are now able to choose an entire color-matched Cooke line, complete with the Cooke Look, for their full-frame productions.”

The Panchro/i lenses also shoot full-frame images, but among a variety of fixed focal length primes: 18mm, 21mm, 25mm, 27mm, 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, 100mm, 135mm and 152mm. This involved the Cooke team redesigning the 18mm, 21mm, 27mm, 32mm, 35mm, 40mm, and 50mm lenses to fit full-frame image circles. The new Panchro lenses have a max aperture of F2.2, with the exception of the 100mm, which is limited to F2.6. Although Cooke has released lenses with faster exposures, the optics manufacturer chose to keep the aperture capabilities of the original lenses from a century ago. See, the Panchro lenses from the 1920s had the incredible ability to open as wide as F2.0, which gave Cooke a massive industry advantage as Hollywood shifted from silent films to talkies. Because quieter lights had to be used on set to allow the microphones to pick up the actors’ dialogue; and since Cooke lenses needed less light than the competitors’, the manufacturer had a head start in the new industry of spoken-dialogue films.

Although a sub-2.0 T-stop would’ve been possible for the Panchro redesign, Cooke chose to double down on its vintage design, and for good reason. The Cooke look has become a go-to preference among cinematographers. Its natural-yet-sharp look stands in contrast to the perfect exactness of most digital photography nowadays. Cooke’s Varotal/i zooms and Panchro/i primes provide a warm colour palette, vibrant texture, beautiful skin tones; and it’s this distinct, creamy-soft look that’s put the lenses in such high demand. Ed Lachman, DP on Erin Brokovich, holds the Cooke look in high regard: “I admire their balanced colour and smooth contrast. They’re sharp and give a real clarity, yet they are never brutal. They bring a consistent warmth to the colour which is natural and close to what the human eye sees.”

By bringing vintage characteristics to the new Varotal and Panchro lenses, Cooke aims to maintain its century-long position at the center of the film industry. Demand is high for both sets of cinema lenses, but either could be acquired online from the manufacturer or through rental houses.

Rent the Cooke Varotal/i FF Zooms from Bokeh Rentals

Rent the Cooke Panchro/i FF Primes from Bokeh Rentals

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices!

After decades of DSLR production, Sony made a splash with the VENICE cine camera back in early 2017. The original VENICE was lauded for its incredible color accuracy and built-in flexibility for filmmakers.

And five years later, the full-frame professional camera body finally has a follow-up in the Sony VENICE 2.
The Sony VENICE 2 comes in two versions: Either a 6k or 8.6k (usually simplified to “8k”) sensor.

Interestingly, the sensors are built as interchangeable “sensor blocks”. Users can swap out their 6k sensor with the 8k, or even slide in a sensor block from the 2017 VENICE without any additional firmware. In the moment, some view this as the digital equivalent to swapping out different film stocks. Long-term, however, the interchangeable image sensor is a signal that Sony is future-proofing its products and looking to build longstanding relationships with cinematographers; instead of paying full-price for the VENICE 2, users of the original VENICE only need to purchase the new VENICE 2 sensor.

[A caveat: The original VENICE sensor can be put on either VENICE 2 model, the two VENICE 2 sensors are interchangeable, and the VENICE 2 6k and original VENICE sensors are swappable—the only limitation is that the VENICE 2 8k sensor cannot be placed onto the original VENICE body.]

As a full-frame shooter, the VENICE 2 has a lot of image flexibility for filmmakers, including anamorphic formats with the use of anamorphic lenses and additional firmware. Even if full-frame delivery isn’t a particular fascination for some filmmakers, having full-frame capabilities can open creative opportunities for wider frame capture and better low-light performance.

The VENICE 2 can shoot frame rates up to 120fps at 4k and 90fps at 6k on the 6k sensor. On the 8k sensor, it can capture 60fps at 8.2k and 90fps and 5.8k. When the 6k sensor is used in combination with a purchasable anamorphic license, it can shoot up to 75fps at 4k 4:3 and 72fps at 4k 6:5.

Following off the successful innovation of the VENICE, the new VENICE 2 will also have dual base ISO. The 8k sensor has Base ISO3200 and Base ISO800, and the 6k sensor has Base ISO500 and Base ISO2500. This means that at the two base ISOs, the noise levels are nearly identical—a massive improvement in capability from the standard ISO system of DSLRs. At the end of the day, the dual Base ISO system give the VENICE 2 excellent low light capabilities. This, on top of a 15+/16+ stops of dynamic range, gives the VENICE 2 sublime low light performance suited for digital cinema.

The VENICE 2 allows internal recording of X-OCN or 4K ProRes footage onto AXS memory cards—a considerable workflow upgrade, as it allows file formats to better retain dynamic range and color capture. Additionally, the X-OCN accommodation is more practical for filmmakers, as it has faster file transfers and smaller file sizes. Beyond the technical pluses, internal recording with dual AXS slots cuts down on any extraneous cables and added weight the camera would take on, as unwieldy form factor was a complaint noted by users of the original VENICE.

Because Sony prides itself on color capture, the Sony VENICE 2 can apply 4K or HD LUTs to the monitor output. A remarkable convenience, you can also import LUTs, CDLs, and ART files to the VENICE over a WiFi or Ethernet connection without removing any SD cards. CDLs can even be applied via a web interface and embedded in clip metadata.

The Sony VENICE 2 already has some glowing reviews from legendary cinematographer on its site, including Claudio Miranda ASC, AIC and Rob Hardy, BSC, ASC. It’s among the most anticipated cameras to be released and plenty of gorgeous demo footage is being circulated online, such as this beautiful, oceanside promo shot by Claudio Miranda:

Rental houses are scooping up the VENICE 2 in response to its high demand, especially after the massively successful VENICE release.

The VENICE 2 main unit costs $54,270 for the 6k sensor and $59,500 for the 8k sensor. Bad news for all the smart shoppers out there—Sony confirmed that the price of the VENICE 1 will not be reduced alongside the VENICE 2 release, as some have hoped. However, anyone with the original VENICE can buy a VENICE 2 6k sensor block and install it onto their VENICE body.

The 8.6k VENICE 2 is shipping in February 2022 and the 6k VENICE 2 model will be following in March.

Rent the SONY VENICE 2 from Bokeh Rentals

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices!

LEITZ (formerly known as Leica) is one of the oldest, most-established camera manufacturers around, and it’s been innovating in optical engineering since the late 1800s. Nowadays, LEITZ products are used throughout the entertainment industry, from Marvel movies to Sundance indies. In fact, LEITZ has a comprehensive, searchable list of hundreds of titles on its site.

Every few years, LEITZ releases another state-of-the-art lens package, built to order from its site or redistributed by professional rental houses. New among its lineup is the prime cinema lens series, designed as a complement to its zoom lens package,

The LEITZ Primes stand in contrast to other LEITZ lenses that err towards the analog, such as the M O.8, in that the Primes opt for a more refined, “digital” look. LEITZ touts the kit’s ultra-clean image, which includes certain perks of high quality optical design—like minimal breathing, distortion, and non-visible chromatic aberration.

It’s common for digital cinematographers to prefer interior environments, claiming artificial light is more conducive to a clean visual style. The demo video below of the LEITZ cinema lenses (on a RED) proves the contrary: outdoor environments—even lush landscapes with bright primary colors—can be captured beautifully on LEITZ glass. The LEITZ lenses’ aversion to chromatic aberration works great in a run-and-gun atmosphere, as demonstrated in the shots captured on moving motorcycles. Shooting against the sun, even over a reflective, ice-covered foreground, proved no challenge to the LEITZ lenses, and the results are stunning for images captured solely in natural light. Check out the demo reel below:

While a clean image style can be preferrable for filmmakers, it’s also worth considering the accompanying lenses’ practical advantages. A clean-styled, digital era look is perfect for workflows of VFX-heavy productions with a lot of rotoscoping, compositing, and greenscreen use. Similarly, this LEITZ cinema lens lineup could come in handy for post and virtual production processes.

Whereas analog-styled lenses are tuned for curved focus rolloff—the LEITZ cine primes have remarkable precision, with a smooth rolloff that matches well with a highly variable depth of field. Most of the set’s lenses have a 270-degree focus rotation to maximize focus pulling accuracy, which is crucial for low-light filming. Because LEITZ is an internationally minded manufacturer, focus marking on the lenses can be in either feet or meters, changeable by user.

The Primes’ aperture capabilities are exemplary within its field, especially for the price of this kit. Perfect consistency is impossible for a kit that ranges from 18 to 350mm—but the LEITZ prime lineup comes close. All lenses between 18mm to 135mm can open up to a 1.8 T-stop, among the widest out there at the moment. The 180mm can reach T2, and the longest lens—the 350mm—can open up to 3.6mm.

These LEITZ lenses can have a PL/LPL mount for use with a majority of large format cinema cameras. The lenses have an image circle of 46.5mm, and although they can cover large formats, it’s worth taking a peek at the extensive tech specs to see how the field of view is affected:

The thirteen-lens set comes with a wide span of lengths, going as high as 350mm. In case that doesn’t cover enough ground, LEITZ has this Primes lens package colour matched with the LEITZ Zoom lens package; meaning that if there isn’t enough time to line up a shot or change from one prime to another, a zoom lens can be used in the moment, seamlessly integrating with the prime-package footage.

After a century of operation, LEITZ continues burnishing its name into the optical engineering industry. This thirteen-lens Prime set has all the benchmarks of digital-era cinema: incredibly wide aperture, minimized chromatic aberration, and no breathing when racking focus.

Filmmakers interested in the LEITZ cine primes may be hesitant to go after the complete kit. Instead of renting all thirteen lenses, it could make more sense for your production to rent a partial set or start off small with an individual lens.

Rent from Bokeh Rentals

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices

Masterbuilt has been upping the game in vintage-styled cinema lenses for the digital era. The company’s two parallel lens packages, the Vista-M Classic (for “Masterbuilt”) and Soft Flares lenses, are remarkable feats in optical imaging: large format lenses with a vintage style and top-of-the-line technical capabilities, such as their consistent max aperture of T1.4.

These two lens packages are indeed master-built, and although their looks differ optically, they have many key specs in common.

First and foremost, the sets are comprised of the same six focal lengths: 15mm, 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 105mm. All twelve lenses have the same front diameter of 114mm, which means that filters can be swapped out between lenses with minimal tweaking. If a wide shot is lined up on a 25mm with an ND filter on the front, and the crew is moving onto a medium shot on a 50mm—the same ND filter can be applied to the 50mm. And because the two lenses have the same aperture abilities, very few (if any) changes need to be made between setups.

Both the Vista-M Classic Primes and the Soft Flares Primes have crisp sharpness in its areas of focus with a gentle falloff, giving a more tactile, pre-digital feel—akin to 1970s or 1980s lenses like the Canon K-35. The combination of crisp sharpness and gentle fallout distinguishes the Masterbuilt vintage look from the sterile, digital-looking aesthetics from other leading brands. To optimize focus performance, both kits have a 300 degree barrel rotation with focus marks in feet. Smooth, accurate non-breathing focus is ensured, which is crucial when opening up to its impressive 1.4 T-stop or when working in low-light scenarios.

Because these Masterbuilt lenses were heavily inspired by the Canon K-35s, they were built with aspherical elements to capture the aberration that comes with vintage lenses, in stark contrast to the “pixel-perfect” looks of more digital-era minded gear. Subtleties like this in the image give the lenses authenticity among more classic-feeling lenses.

Watch Newsshooter’s close-up look at the new Vista-M lenses from a TM Camera Solutions representative at Cinegear Expo ’19:

 

Masterbuilt’s products are built towards a vintage sensibility with the technical capabilities of modern day lenses. This includes the convenient features of smooth focus and significantly improved light performance (especially when used with digital camera bodies), as well as the fundamental improvements in frame formats. In fact, the Vista-M Classic and Soft Flares Primes are purpose-built for large formats, such as Super 35, IMAX 65, ARRI ALEXA 65 OPEN GATE, RED MONSTRO 8K VV, and others.
Although the looks are inspired by vintage cinema lenses, the Vista-M and Soft Flares lenses are newly housed in solid, beautiful casings of similar weights, much like the Canon K-35s. In order to serve all full-frame large formats, the lenses can be built to LPL, PL, and Panavision mounts.

Not only are the two packages’ looks designed to be interchangeable, but the similar capabilities make it all the more convenient. Similar apertures allow a Vista-M lens to be swapped out with a Soft Flares lens without so much as a lighting reconfiguration—and that’s even if the lenses are of different lengths.

Where the Vista-M and Soft Flares differ, however, is in the exact temperature of their vintage look. Much like the tuning variations in BLACKWING lenses, Masterbuilt designated its different products by their different flare behaviors. The Soft Flares lenses offer softer-edged, smoother contrast flares than the Vista-M Classic Primes. Both the Vista-M and Soft Flares have softer, lower contrast looks, but because of their differing performance with flares, they can be swapped out on a per-setup basis depending on the intensity of flares.

These ultra-quality lenses from Masterbuilt are built to order and have been produced on a limited basis. Finding these sets out in the wild could prove a challenge for any filmmakers, so it’s worth checking in with rental houses ahead of time.

Rent MASTERBUILT VISTA-M CLASSIC lenses from Bokeh Rentals

Rent MASTERBUILT SOFT FLARES lenses from Bokeh Rentals

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices!

The ALEXA Mini LF and Sony VENICE are two revolutionary inventions that have brought full-frame to cinema cameras—something typically reserved for DSLRs. These two compact, professional-grade camera bodies have similar price points, applications, and capabilities—but a few crucial specs set them apart.

The Sony VENICE was a very popular release in 2017 for bringing full-frame, something typically reserved for DSLRs, to compact cinema cameras. It set Sony on a new direction after its decades of focusing on DSLR manufacturing.

The ALEXA Mini LF has a simpler history: essentially, a 4K version of the ALEXA’s large format sensor was combined with the ALEXA Mini, leaving users with a compact, full-frame cinema camera. Possibly to appease streamers like Netflix, this cinema-made-simple camera body has been embraced by both modest and blockbuster-level productions.

ESSENTIAL SPECS

The selling point for both these cameras is large format at a small size. At full resolution, the Mini LF can shoot 40 fps, falling short of the VENICE’s 60fps. Also, the VENICE can shoot 6K, whereas the Mini LF is limited to 4.5K resolution (although ARRI famously prioritizes image over pixel count).

Beyond the numbers, it’s worth checking out footage before coming to any conclusions. Below is footage of the VENICE with Angénieux Optimo prime lenses and the Mini LF with ARRI Signature primes.

VENICE

ALEXA MINI LF

SIZE
Since the selling point of these cameras is merging a large format image with a compact frame, significant effort was put into making these bodies lightweight and easily maneuverable. The ALEXA Mini LF’s carbon fiber body is only 5.7lbs, with a form factor modeled after the ALEXA Mini that makes it great for versatile filmmaking—hence its heavily lauded use in the Oscar-winning 1917.

Watch legendary cinematographer Roger Deakins discuss using the Alexa Mini LF for 1917:

The Sony VENICE is made of magnesium alloy and weighs a slightly heavier 8lbs. It has LCD panels on either side of the body for both operator and AC.

EXPOSURE

As part of their versatile appeal, both cameras have exceptional low light performance. Both ARRI and Sony tout 15+ stops of dynamic range on the ALEXA Mini LF and VENICE, and although those numbers aren’t ironclad, the latitude in any outdoor demo footage speaks for itself. The two cameras come with built-in ND filters, although the VENICE’s 9-stage mechanical scroll wheel offers more ND options. This isn’t a dealbreaker, but it could come in handy when run-and-gunning documentary footage or crunching under a tough production schedule.

Interestingly, the Sony VENICE has two base ISOs. This means that at 500ISO and 2500ISO, the noise levels in the image are identical. Some users report the 500 level looking marginally clearer; but nevertheless the dual-base ISO is an important feature when shooting in non-ideal environments, and just might push the VENICE over the finish line for more guerilla-minded filmmakers.

LENSES

Like many Sony cameras, the VENICE has a native E-mount for Sony lenses. However, VENICEs can be purchased with a PL mount depending on the retailer or rental house. Even with an E-mount, though, Wooden Camera LPL adapters can be used without any compromise to the image. The Sony VENICE has a native E-mount, as do many Sony cinema cameras. But ARRI cinema primes can be mounted without comprising image with a Wooden Camera LPL mount.

The ALEXA Mini LF comes with an LPL lens mount (an upgrade to ARRI’s PL mount) but can be fitted with an EF Mount (LBUS) to fit Canon lenses, or an LPL to E-mount adapter for Sony lenses, among others.

There aren’t limitations to the lenses you can use on these full frame cameras. You can use Sony lenses on the ALEXA Mini LF, ARRI lenses on the Sony VENICE; as long as there’s the proper mount or adapter.

Overall, there are a lot of minor differences between the Sony VENICE and the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF. If the 60fps capability is a must, or you prefer a higher number of pixels, the VENICE is your best bet. If a smoother workflow and lighter body is essential for you, then the Mini LF might be more appealing. At the end of the day, though, the visual style is the most important thing. Before picking your compact, large-format cinema camera, be sure to find the image that best fits your desired look.

The best way to pick your favorite is by trying the cameras out yourself:

Contact us to customize a package to suit your production needs at low prices!

After months of negotiation, the IATSE and AMPTP have finally reached a deal for its Basic Agreement—just two days before the big strike date. This is a gamechanger for Hollywood studios, audiences, and tens of thousands of union members.

See, the International Alliance for Theatrical Stage Employees operate under a Basic Agreement with the Alliance for Motion Picture and Television Producers, which dictates labor rules and practices. The contracts are set to expire every few years, this way they can be renegotiated among the two parties. The last contract expired back in September, and after failed negotiations for the union’s 40,000 film and television crew workers, the IATSE voted ninety-eight percent in favor of authorizing a strike—and overwhelming display of consensus among below-the-line and above-the-line employees.

It would’ve been the first strike in the union’s 128 years, and were it to take place, it would’ve likely devastated operations across film, television, and streaming services. Estimates of the damage are impossible to calculate—but the idea certainly animated more Zoom negotiations as the strike date loomed.

And that’s why the historical strike was averted when the IATSE reached a deal with the AMPTP last Saturday.
See, tensions are high in the industry. The on-set tragedy of Netflix’s Rust production last week, the recent Netflix walkout that yielded a CEO response—there is palpable tension between employees and studios, on multiple fronts. And not just “below the line” employees, but A-list talent too; such as Scarlet Johannsson’s recent Disney suit or Warner Brothers unilaterally sending their 2021 slate to HBO Max for day-and-date release—then quietly patching it over with a reported $200M in payouts. Were a strike to take place, the battle would’ve exploded over the already unsettled industry.

The proposed Basic Agreement is yet to be ironed out completely, but the IATSE is touting some of the terms that are set in stone, such as the increase minimum wages by 3% annually and a “living wage” for the lowest-earning employees (the specifics for pay increases will be released in the coming weeks).

Although wages are first to come to mind, another aspect of union’s complaints were about quality of life, which stretches beyond the paycheck.

This is why the new Basic Agreement includes a 54-hour weekend rest, which would eliminate a common practice in which Friday shoots stretch into Saturday mornings, referred to as “Fraturdays” by the crews that had to endure them. Similarly, the IATSE-AMPTP agreed to increase meal penalties for studios. The way it works is that production employees have a right to lunch breaks, but productions are able delay or altogether skip meal breaks at the cost of a penalty paid out to workers. Over time, however, studios began budgeting for meal penalties, and it became common practice to incur the small penalties and regularly delay or deny meal breaks to crews. Because money is no object to some studios and tech companies, IATSE members have pushed to further incentives productions to give meal breaks, thereby easing some of the studio workarounds crafted over time.

By no means is this the limit of the proposed Basic Agreement. Over the coming weeks, lawyers from both parties will be working to translate talking points into tangible contract language. This has been laid out by the IATSE as its its four-phase plan, culminating in the Basic Agreement’s ratification vote.

The IATSE will release specific details of the new contract over the next few weeks to be received by its members—and if a majority votes to ratify the Basic Agreement, then all is resolved for the next three years, until expiration.

IATSE leadership is confident in the deal it struck, with President Matthew Loeb calling it “a Hollywood ending” after “our members stood firm”. Some other members, however, think the IATSE could’ve gained more in the deal. For instance, a TV editor in the Local 700 told the LA Times: “They were patting themselves on the back without even talking to us first”. She thinks the union had more leverage from the strike: “We just held a huge hand. And we just basically folded”.

Whether the Basic Agreement is enough will be decided by IATSE’s tens of thousands of members over the next month or so. The voting date is TBD, but discourse will keep bubbling on social media, where most of this process has taken place.

In the meantime, check out our selection of high-quality gear for filmmakers.

The most underappreciated aspect of cinematography is achieving and maintaining focus. It used to be that focus pullers would run off rulers and good ole fashioned intuition—but thankfully, the analog days are behind us, and 21st century filmmakers now have a dazzling selection of toys to keep their subjects in focus, no matter the depth of field.

Bokeh Rentals has compiled a list of the best follow focuses available in 2021. NOTE: These are remote follow focuses that allow wireless lens control—opposed to cheaper wired or focus-whip follow focuses, which only allow mechanical lens manipulation.

BEST VALUE – NUCLEUS-M FOLLOW FOCUS

The Tilta Nucleus-M is an excellent bargain for low budget productions, with capabilities that extend far beyond other sub-$1000 items—while actually having wireless motor capabilities. It doesn’t have all the fancier perks of its pricier counterparts—such as adjustable friction knobs or ritzy touchscreens—but it gets the job done.
The Nucleus-M runs about $1,400 for the full kit, which contains both the FIX hand controller and a separate hand control that can also operate focus and iris.

Even for this little price, you can use handy buttons on the side to set marks for each shot. This way, once you hit your focus mark, the unit will vibrate—alerting the operator to stop adjusting. Similarly, you can use the buttons to set a range on the focus knob, which can implement a hard-stop mechanism, so your focus puller doesn’t overdo it.

There’s also a handy little reverse-direction function on the unit, if, say, your 2nd AC has to re-orient themselves to the other side of the camera in between takes. This way, you can still spin the focus knob on the unit in the same direction to achieve the same result, without anyone getting confused and fussing up the focus mid-take.

The Nucleus-M doesn’t even come with batteries—but it’s an excellent deal for wireless focus-pulling.
Here’s a in-depth, half-hour walkthrough of the Tilta Nucleus-M system from IPG Rentals:

BEST DEAL – WCU-4 FOLLOW FOCUS

The WCU-4 from ARRI is a top-shelf remote follow focus containing many of the essential features of its similarly priced competitor products. It’s got daylight-visible monitors, a focus knob with adjustable friction, an iris slider, six programmable buttons for things like shutter angle, frame rate, white balance, and more.
Also, the WCU-4 can do focus tracking—automatic focus using an ultrasonic focus measurer—in situations where manual focus isn’t necessary or won’t cut it. The dynamic focus tracking system of the WCU-4 is leagues ahead of earlier auto-focus technology and places the WCU-4 among the top of the list.

Another feature of the WCU-4’s customization is its different vibration patterns. Implementing vibration patterns as a tactile alert system while filming can be very useful to an operator who needs the heads-up when a mark has been reached, or battery or storage is running low. These programmable, handy notifications allow the operator to focus solely on the craft of operating, and their customizations can be saved onto an SD card for later use, whether on this system or another rental.

Because the WCU-4 is an ARRI product, you can add an optional software license to enable remote control of all ALEXA cameras (with the exception of the ALEXA HD Plus). The WCU-4 can also control the AMIRA when you combine the Universal Motor Controller.

Rent the WCU-4 from Bokeh Rentals

MOST POWERFUL – TERADEK RT MOTION

The Teradek RT lens control system is lightweight, multi-functional, and the most expensive of our selection. The full kit costs $11,999.95 and can be purchased directly from Teradek’s website.
Teradek’s option is ultra-compatible with RED systems, features programmable buttons and sliders, and can even work from 5000ft away. Built for accessibility, the motors on this follow focus are near-silent, and the RT’s six axis build allows modular functionality for your rig.
If you’re looking to treat your production to a cream of the crop lens system, the Teradek RT Motion might be the way to go. Check out the video below to see just how simple it is to set up the RT Motion:

Rent the Teradek RT Motion at Bokeh Rentals

BEST INTERFACE – PRESTON HU4

It’s only about twelve hundred dollars more than the ARRI WCU-4, but the Preston HU4 (“hand unit”) has even more bells and whistles. Most notably: a daylight-visible touchscreen. Now, an OLED touchscreen isn’t a must-have for ACs, but it does offer quite some more functionality—such as its pinch-to-zoom scales that help narrow measurements even further.

The HU4 has a lot of familiarity with its predecessor; it’s mainly the top-notch features that are expanded in its update. If you’re interested in what Preston has to offer, but don’t quite wish to shell out for their newest, shiniest product, you can also check out the Hand Unit 3, which is still a fantastic follow focus.
Much like the ARRI WCU-4, the Preston HU4 has the splash-proof housing, five pre-marked focus rings, lens mapping capabilities, an iris slider, adjustable drag/friction on its focus knobs, even the programmable buttons. The HU4 can even store 1000 lens profiles, just in case you plan on using one thousand unique camera lenses. Also, with the Preston Cinema smartphone app, you can share your lens profiles wirelessly for later use.
Another notable feature of this handy follow focus is its focus-freeze button, which is to be used alongside the dynamic focus-tracking system. Say you’re focused on someone twenty feet away, across the street, with autofocus on. Using the focus-freeze button, you can pause the focus; this way if a car, say, crosses frame between the lens and the actor, the focus will remain on the subject and not be shifted to the obstructive foreground feature. It’s these detailed operation features that make the HU4 highly intuitive for shooters.
No Film School has a solid walkthrough with a Preston rep at Cinegear 2019: