Philipp Paulus took advantage of the Blackmagic PYXIS 6K’s rigging and framing options, using the open gate 3:2 aspect ratio for the feel of a photographic format for a high fashion shoot.
Helmut Lang is a luxury fashion brand whose recent Resort 2025 campaign was Inspired by New York City’s Riverside Drive and the park close to it. Photographer and director Philipp Paulus shot the video for the project on the Upper West Side on the busy city streets. The designer’s collection included 34 different looks, and Philipp was tasked with delivering three 45 second films combining key features and one 15 second clip for each look.
Philipp shot with Blackmagic Design’s PYXIS 6K digital film camera. “The PYXIS was especially useful for this project because it gave us the greatest flexibility in framing, allowing me to shoot in both vertical and horizontal orientations while the camera was fully rigged out,” he said. “We were shooting on New York City streets, and depending on our environment, we wanted certain scenes in both formats for different deliverables. Due to its box form factor and rigging possibilities, PYXIS can just be turned on its side for a vertical shot without having to modify any of the rigging gear.
“I shot in 6048 x 4032 Blackmagic RAW 23.976 fps. I love the open gate 3:2 aspect ratio for the feeling of a photographic medium format, and it is also quite easy to turn horizontal footage into vertical in that aspect ratio. Ever since I started shooting with a full frame sensor, I never want to go back. I love the shallower depth of field for the creamy, cinematic bokeh it has. Also, its lowlight performance results in cleaner images with less noise. It is something I take advantage of on almost every project.”
Philipp also finds that PYXIS 6K’s box design makes rigging the camera very easy. “I basically have a cheese plate on each side of the camera and can rig it vertically or horizontally to an Easyrig. Even with a matte box, follow focus, battery plate and wireless transmitter, PYXIS still has a very handy form factor that can fit in a backpack and be taken anywhere,” he said. The Easyrig is a configurable rig that phtographers can wear on their backs.
To scout locations ahead of the shoot, Philipp used a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K digital film camera, which he owns. He captured b-roll for the campaign at the same time, and then used that same camera to capture stills during the main shoot.
“The main production was shot on a fully rigged out PYXIS using a Blackmagic Video Assist 7” 12G HDR, which is super bright. It is essential to have a device like that on a bright location shoot. In addition, we used the URSA Cine EVF, which is not only very handy when it comes to precise framing but also adds a helpful set of function and record buttons. For post production, I edited and graded in DaVinci Resolve Studio.
“Using the DaVinci Resolve Speed Editor keyboard, I reviewed and selected footage very quickly and then I went over to the DaVinci Resolve Micro Panel to assist with more nuanced adjustments that are difficult to achieve with a mouse. I always have it on set with me as well, for a quick look at the colour on the dailies,” he commented.
In post, Philipp noted that he used DaVinci Resolve Studio’s UltraNR Noise Reduction on some shots captured at dawn. This feature is a DaVinci Neural Engine driven denoise mode in the Color page’s spatial noise reduction palette. “It gave me a better result than any other NR tool I have used in the past. The image stayed crisp, colours were not affected, and noise was simply reduced - as you would want it.”
Philipp was also curious about Resolve’s Film Look Creator, which involves working with an additional node that applies one of the looks in the Film Look Creator. The final colour ended up as a blend of his usual colour look and this new look, which he was very pleased with.
“Taking stills with a Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K and recording motion with the PYXIS 6K was something we did for the first time on this shoot. It made matching stills and motion in post in Resolve quite straightforward, aligning colour correction with the look and feel,” Philipp said.
“I’ve used the PYXIS for numerous projects already, including a fashion film highlighting the return of Italian fashion brand Armani to New York for its Spring/Summer ‘25 collection. It handles whatever I need it to do with true flexibility.” www.blackmagicdesign.com
