Anthony Noack Captures Artist’s Journey in Estonia with Blackmagic Design
Solo filmmaker documents conceptual artist’s year long tower residency exploring migration and belonging.
Blackmagic Design today announced Australian independent filmmaker Anthony Noack’s new documentary focusing on internationally acclaimed conceptual artist Mery Crystal Ra was created relying entirely on the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and DaVinci Resolve to capture the visually striking film.
The documentary presents a portrait of Mery Crystal Ra during her year long residency at the Tallinn TV Tower, where she created her solo exhibition “Invisible.” Known for her symbiosis of light, movement and technology, Ra’s work has been exhibited in the European Parliament building, at UNESCO global events and international summit conferences.
For Noack, the project held deep personal significance. The themes of migration, creativity and belonging in Ra’s work strongly echoed his own family story of migration from Estonia to Australia. When he unexpectedly met the artist during a trip, he seized the opportunity to document her residency.
Working solo without lighting or grip equipment, Noack captured the documentary over two days at the iconic tower location, relying on the camera’s versatility to handle challenging conditions.
Noack explained: “I spent a day interviewing the artist and there were a lot of bright windows. Shooting in log, I was able to just expose for the highlights and then recover the scene in post without having things blow out around the artist. I do find the camera quite versatile in that regard. Having the NDs in the camera itself was also a great bonus.”
Portability was critical to the production’s success. Noack transported the camera from Australia to Estonia in a bag that he then carried on public transport to the shoot location. “I took a bus to the tower, and it was fine to carry on my back. That was a big bonus.”
DaVinci Resolve’s integrated workflow transformed the post production process. The ability to jump between pages without having to export and re ingest allowed Noack to move seamlessly from edit to color correction to verify challenging exposures would work.
He also relied on DaVinci Resolve’s AI powered audio tools to help address on set challenges, including crowd noise and a malfunctioning lapel microphone. Noack collaborated with composer and sound designer Caleb Linder on the film’s final score and mix, and utilized DaVinci Resolve’s Smooth Cut feature to remove verbal hesitations.
Noack said: “Doing a preliminary sound mix and using the various tools to make sure everything sounded okay was really helpful. Add to the ability to jump over to the color page and check that if anything was exposed to its limits really helped it all come together.”
For color grading, DaVinci Resolve helped Noack shape the film’s distinctive visual palette. Shot on a grey, overcast day, the film opens with a white palette, white beds, outfits and bright windows, before transitioning to warmer, more colorful exterior scenes filmed on a return visit.
“I used Resolve’s color grading to shape the shots to give them a bit more contrast,” Noack said. “Having experience with the camera and the software, I knew that if I was shooting in an unideal situation, I could pull out a good finished product in the end.”
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter!
Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting professionals working in film, video, and audio.
Enter your email address, and your first and last name below!
Responses