Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1503172
a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 3 c g w 1 7 thing we did was set up the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro on a tripod in the field and shoot reference footage of the helicopter landing. The camera's internal NDs came in extra handy on that sunny day, and we were able to get excellent reference of the level of dirt and debris we should be aiming for. A camera like the Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro is great for a lot of the work we do in the field because of its small form factor and ease of use. It fits easily in the set bag, and the setup time is extremely fast. This comes in handy when the ADs are rushing to get through the day, and we only have a short window of time to get the plates we need. In addition, we are never worried we will miss the shot thanks to the 6K resolution and the ability to shoot Blackmagic RAW. Dan Novarro: Eventually the director came to us and asked if we could add more lettuce leaves to the helicopter shots—just like we predicted. We promptly headed to the parking lot of our studio and set up a plate shoot that must have looked very strange to anyone who was passing by. We set up our show's main picture cam, as well as our Black- magic URSA Mini Pro 12K, behind several industrial-sized fans and threw fistfuls of plastic lettuce leaves into the wind. Our rigging grips set up a large black background in the distance, and thanks to the reference footage we took on set, we were able to perfectly match the look of real helicopter debris. Once we shot a couple of different takes, we were able to quickly offload the footage from our URSA Mini Pro 12K and did a quick test composite in DaVinci Resolve Studio to confirm we had what we needed. When all was said and done, we had an excellent VFX salad. Not everyone can say they've thrown lettuce into the wind for work, but it's just one of the many perks in the job of a VFX supervisor. Lesley Robson-Foster: Even aer five years with a show, you never know what a day might bring. With The Marvelous Mrs. Mais- el, I've been lucky enough to shoot in many amazing locations and work on finding solutions for many complicated shots. ous edge blending,' so we actually got some really good results." Lesley Robson-Foster is a VFX supervisor and Dan Novarro is an assistant VFX supervisor on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.