Josh Stafield Chooses ARRI ALEXA Mini
For all freelance cinematography work
SYDNEY, 10 June 2016 – Melbourne-based Josh Stafield paints a typical picture of a DoP whose success has grown year on year as a result of sheer hard work. Having worked in film and television in a variety of roles for ten years in 2015 he made the decision to go fulltime as a freelance cinematographer and the camera he chose to accompany him was the ARRI ALEXA Mini supplied by ARRI Australia.
Stafield explained, “I owned another camera at the time which I was generally happy with if I used an external recorder but for the sort of jobs I wanted to tackle, directors and producers more often consider cameras manufactured by ARRI. Cinematography is an extremely competitive field in Melbourne and many up and coming DoPs are owner operators. That said I felt it would be difficult to vie for the same sort of jobs without bringing my own camera into the bargain.”
Stafield had used the ALEXA classic amongst other cameras on previous jobs and had achieved good results on but he felt the user experience as an operator was far superior with the ALEXA.
He continued, “I also felt more confident using ALEXA for daytime exteriors and hard light sources. I felt it handled highlights better. So when it came to purchasing a camera I went with the camera that was user friendly and could be used effectively in a range of situations, in other words the ALEXA Mini.”
When deciding on the camera Stafield did his research – not only with the technology but also with the market.
He explained, “I toyed with idea of purchasing an ALEXA classic but the reality is that productions often demand the most recently released models of camera. Also the small form factor of the ALEXA Mini meant it could be configured for a variety of different jobs. That was important to me because my work requirements are quite varied, everything from simple corporate interviews through to high production value drama. Sometimes I'm on my own and sometimes I'm with a reasonably sized crew. Many people also require gimbal or drone work so the Mini increases the number of jobs I can go for. While I don't often use the 4K recording it's good to have the option if a production has that requirement. I also like having the option of shooting anamorphic even though budgets make that a rare occurrence. Built in NDs is also a huge help, particularly if I'm operating on my own. I also wanted a camera that was tough enough to rent out to other operators if I'm not using it.”
For Stafield the ALEXA Mini fulfilled all of his technical specifications and with ARRI’s reputation for making solid equipment that can do a lot of hours without skipping a beat, he was sold on the ALEXA Mini.
With the camera choice made Stafield began to realise that the ALEXA mini also gave him an edge when shooting that other cameras did not. He said, “The ALEXA look is widely respected throughout the industry and most of my clients and collaborators agree that it produces the best image on the market. Combine that with an adaptable form factor, high resolution, high frame rates and you have a very attractive bit of gear. I'm often hearing that the ALEXA Mini is quickly becoming the "go to" camera for high end productions so it helps my business to have access to a camera that is in demand. As a result my Mini has been used in run and gun, drone, Steadicam, Tero, gimbal and car mount configurations. It also stays on the sticks for some shoots because it's a great A-camera in its own right.”
For Stafield handheld work is a staple something his new ALEXA Mini is an ideal weight for as he added, “Not too heavy, not too light. The other great thing about the Mini is that the short length allows you to get into tight corners or get close to the ground for low angle shots. It's amazing what a few extra inches can mean when composing images in restrictive spaces. Every job I do with the Mini leaves me more impressed with the camera. I'm very critical and particular when looking at my own work so it's a nice feeling to see the rushes from every job come back and see the results have exceeded expectations, even with just a stock standard LUT applied.”
So with his camera well established and his choice validated all that was left for Josh Stafield was to reflect on the level of service and support he had received from ARRI Australia which he did as he concluded, “Stefan and the team at ARRI Australia are such a great company to deal with. They are always quick to provide support and ship accessories. They are always keen to fix any issues rather than arguing with owners about why it isn't working. I like the fact that they care about my individual experience as a user. With many manufacturers I feel like once you buy the product you are on your own, whereas with ARRI Australia I feel like they are with you for the lifetime of the product. They have built their brand on reliability and quality and you can tell they make every effort to maintain that reputation.”
For more on Josh Stafield and his work go to: www.joshstafield.com