Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Camera’s portable design and dynamic range helped deliver film’s key action sequence.
Cinematographer Megan Stacey was at the helm for the colorful fantasy film “Sketch.” Starring Tony Hale and D’Arcy Carden, “Sketch” follows what happens when a young girl’s sketchbook comes to life and her grieving family must come together to stop the chaotic creatures that were unleashed.
Stacey used Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera as part of her arsenal for capturing the film’s visual effects (VFX) heavy scenes, relying on the camera’s compact design and high dynamic range for key action sequences.
Capturing a Cramped and Chaotic Chase
A pivotal scene in the film takes place on a moving school bus, which presented some unique challenges for Stacey. “The school bus scene is a turning point in the film, featuring everything from a crash and subsequent high speed chase through a cornfield to a giant, glittery monster named Dave,” Stacey detailed. “Real school buses, as anyone who’s ever been inside one knows, are comically small. Especially when you’re trying to shoot a movie in them. We needed a camera we could rig quickly and safely without getting in the way of the stunt driver, and the Cinema Camera 6K’s compact size made it perfect for this setup. It gave us the flexibility to capture what we needed without compromising safety or momentum.”
Stacey continued, “This scene was one of our most complicated set pieces. Once the bus crashed, we had to shoot additional scenes on that same bus while it was in the cornfield, and we only had one chance to get this shot. We rigged several crash cameras, but the shot that ultimately sold the whole gag was the Cinema Camera 6K rigged to look out the front window of the bus. Not only did it seamlessly match our main camera package, but it gave us plenty of dynamic range in an incredibly contrasty scene.”
Stacey noted that they mounted the camera in a tight corner of the school bus that would have been very difficult to reach with a larger body. “The form factor was a huge win. Without the Cinema Camera 6K, we probably wouldn’t have been able to get that particular shot with the dynamic range and look we needed. We were trying to move fast and capture a sense of energy from inside a cramped, high stakes environment. The camera’s size, image quality, and flexibility made it the right tool for the job. We also loved having the ability to use Blackmagic RAW, which gave us solid latitude in post for matching and grading.”
Creating a Colorful World in Post
Along with the Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K being used on set, DIT Anthony Guerrero also used Blackmagic Video Assist 7” 12G HDR monitor/recorder, DaVinci Resolve editing, photo editing, color grading, VFX and audio post production software, DeckLink Mini Recorder 4K and DeckLink Mini Monitor 4K capture and playback cards, Blackmagic Smart Videohub 20×20 router and Blackmagic MultiView 4K monitor during production; while Colorist Loren White graded the film with DaVinci Resolve Studio in post.
“As a cinematographer, I’m an avid user of DaVinci Resolve. It’s such an incredibly impressive program, and I use it for just about everything from cutting my reels, to cutting and coloring camera tests, to pulling still frames. If a colorist I’m working with uses DaVinci Resolve, I’m automatically able to speak more of their language because I know the program so well,” Stacey noted.
White explained, “For ‘Sketch,’ I built a custom LUT based on a film emulation LUT that Seth [Director Seth Worley] and Meg used on set. I kept the look close to what they had been seeing, but we went a bit moodier. The film has themes and elements that appeal to both children and adults, but I didn’t want to push it too bright and light like a kid’s show, so we leaned into the deeper darker color palette.”
White continued, “On a film like this that has a lot of VFX, Resolve’s node workflow worked great for handing all the mattes, etc. The Magic Mask tool also came in handy for separating out the characters, creating subtle spills of light from the monsters and generally making everything feel integrated in the image.”
Stacey concluded, “‘Sketch’ is a bit of a unicorn. We always say that just finishing a movie is a miracle, and making a good one is nearly impossible. But this is not only a good film; it was also an incredibly positive experience on set, especially for the kids, which was really important to us.
“What makes it stand out is the level of ambition. You don’t often see a film with a lower budget take on a VFX heavy, four quadrant story and succeed. That’s a testament to Seth, who is incredibly talented and has a background in VFX. And at the heart of it, the film has something truly meaningful to say about grief and how we process it. I lost my father less than a year ago, and that experience has made the story resonate with me even more.”
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