by FilmInk Staff
DP Edward Goldner, ACS, relied on 65mm sensor to capture vast desert landscapes for new crimes series.
Blackmagic Design announced that DP Edward Goldner, ACS, captured the series Treasure and Dirt with the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 digital film camera. The camera was chosen for its 65mm RGBW sensor, which complemented the expansive outback environment, the perfect backdrop for the gritty crime series.
Directed by Madeleine Gottlieb and starring Michael Dorman and Liv Hewson, Treasure and Dirt is an adaptation of Australian author Chris Hammer’s novel and follows homicide detective Ivan Lucic (Dorman) who is investigating the murder of a miner in an outback opal town along with rural detective Nell Buchanan (Hewson).
Goldner and Gottlieb wanted to create imagery that felt extremely structured and minimal, with Goldner emphasising, “We were spartan in our visual approach. The default was to lock the camera off unless there was a clear motivation for movement, which was usually a mirroring to any motion actors created in frame. On this show in particular, ungrounded movement and visual prompts felt very much like a heavy handed laughter track. I think this may have been a combination of the sparse, deadpan tone of the show along with the stark desert environments we shot in, where I felt like any embellishments really stood out.”
Goldner added, “I also shot the show at quite deep stops, usually T16-T22 to hold backgrounds and give the environment a real presence. Aside from instilling a bit of an older world quality to our imagery, I felt like this hammered home how much the show’s setting informed its characters.”
Goldner and Gottlieb held as much action as possible in wider frames, akin to a theater according to Goldner.
“I shot 17K, open gate, full width, cropped slightly top and bottom in post to the release format of 2.39:1, and we chose Q3 compression as it was incredibly data efficient. With the 17K files and 65mm sensor, one might expect gigantic files, but this was not the case,” explained Goldner. “The URSA Cine 17K 65 piqued my interest because of its sensor size, and it was less about resolution. In testing, I found that 17K, 8K and 4K all retained the same sensor size due to the camera’s in sensor scaling, but because the camera’s data management is so efficient, 17K was extremely manageable for post.”
With camera rentals via Lemac Film and Digital, Goldner worked alongside Camera Operator Matt Dobson, SOC, running two URSA Cine 17K 65s with a third body for the splinter crew. Goldner chose Tribe7 Blackwing7 T-Tuned prime lenses, citing the ability to run them wide open and push aberration and texture to help create a different look.
“We had a few different visual languages,” commented Goldner. “Our detectives existed in the normal world, which had rigid, structured frames and deeper focus, and then there was the cult world, which called for a softer aesthetic that was handled beautifully by the Blackwings. I wanted the viewer to feel like they were being sucked in and indoctrinated by the cult leader.”
Regardless of the world Goldner created in camera, the severe desert environment remained constant. “Conditions are so harsh that many locals live in underground dugouts. It’s probably the most challenging location for a camera in Australia,” he explained. “However, the URSA Cine 17K 65’s exposure latitude was up to the challenge, and I was consistently impressed with how the camera held up as we transitioned from full sun to low light inside caves. 1600 ISO performed well with highlight retention with minimal noise in the shadows.”
Goldner concluded: “I’m usually a creature of habit and shy away from using unfamiliar camera systems for long form work. However, the URSA Cine 17K 65 felt incredibly comfortable and intuitive after a short period of time. This was paramount when working at a fast pace. I couldn’t have been happier with how everything turned out and felt that the format complemented the show so beatifically.”
Treasure and Dirt is an Easy Tiger Production for the ABC in association with BBC and the South Australian Film Corporation.
About Blackmagic Design
Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com/au.
