Cinematographer Felix Wiedemann has shot the upcoming action
thriller Stratton on ARRI ALEXA XT Plus and ALEXA Mini with
Anamorphic/i lenses from Cooke Optics.
Cooke Anamorphic/i Lenses Bring a Soulful Look to Thriller ‘Stratton’ |
CinematographerFelix Wiedemannhas shot the upcoming action thriller'Stratton'on ARRI ALEXA XT Plus and ALEXA Mini withAnamorphic/ilenses fromCooke Optics. “The choice to shoot anamorphic was partly for the aspect ratio, but also because I like the look of anamorphic lenses and the way they render 3D space into a 2D image,” Felix said. “I tested the Cooke Anamorphic/i’s and immediately liked what I saw. They give a sharp image that holds contrast and colour separation. But beyond the sharpness and technical performance, the lenses have soul. You get a warm feeling from them.” |
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We used twoALEXA XT Pluscameras as A and B cameras, and anALEXA Minifor specialised shots, mainly on aDJI RONIN 3-axis gimbal rig. The RONIN can be handheld or mounted to tracking vehicles. The crew used it to achieve dynamic camera movement in single and dual operator mode - to pan, tilt and roll independently of the Ronin’s movement - or sometimes just as a stabilizing device. |
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"The ALEXA XTs were used in 4:3 mode, but at the time of the shoot, the ALEXA Mini software didn't allow for 4:3 recording yet although it already had its 4:3 sensor. [A temporary beta test of 2x anamorphic de-squeeze in-camera was included in the ALEXA Mini SUP 3.0 in November 2015.] So on the Mini camera, we shot in 16:9 mode. Depending on the situation we sometimes shot spherical 1:2.39 crop or 2x anamorphic in 16:9 mode and adjusted the rushes in post to fit with our 2K anamorphic delivery. But apart from the conversion of the 16:9 material, the workflow is the same. |
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“For most of our footage, the rushes need to be desqueezed by a factor of 2 and then cropped on the sides to 1: 2.39 aspect ratio, because unsqueezing the full recorded image results in a slightly wider aspect ratio of 1: 2.66. We deliver the film in 2K with the aspect ratio of 1:2.39. "Material shot spherically in 16:9 mode on the Mini needs to be cropped to 1:2.39 aspect ratio. Material shot on the Mini with anamorphics in 16:9 mode, however, needs to be desqueezed and then cropped to the aspect ratio of 1:2.39. Both these methods of using the 16:9 mode on the Alexa Mini result in using fewer pixels for the final image than shooting anamorphic with a 4:3 sensor, so there was a slight loss of resolution, but we found it acceptable for the shots we were using it for." |
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“For me the decision whether I like a lens not only depends on the technical characteristics – sharpness and the ability to maintain contrast and colour separation - but also on whether the lens renders the world into textured images that you connect with on an emotional and artistic level. It’s a gut feeling that you get when you look at the images in relation to the visuals and the atmosphere of the project you are shooting. |
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“Anamorphic lenses tend to have a minimum focus distance that is further than a lot of the spherical lenses. This means that to get close to the subject for details or extreme close-ups, you need to resort to dioptres - close-up lenses placed in front of the camera as a magnifying glass, to bring your minimum focus forward - or macro lenses more frequently than on a spherical shoot.” Currently in post-production, ‘Stratton’ is due for releaseearly in 2016. www.cookeoptics.com |