Field Notes
Cinematography & digital camera workflows from a Sony Venice & FX owner, operator and DOP.
This blog is a working journal — a place to collect thoughts, tests and observations from the day-to-day of cinematography. It covers lighting, workflows, ideas, colour and camera quirks, mostly centred around Sony systems (I own on a Venice, and previously used the FX6 and FX3), though RED and ARRI cameras make the occasional appearance.
It’s mainly written for other professionals — particularly camera assistants, operators, Sony users and aspiring cinematographers — but I’ll be honest, I don’t expect most people to find it interesting. It’s a mix of technical notes, experiments and the kind of daydreamy thoughts I suspect only 1% of us ever think about. But if you are in that 1% — welcome!
EI Decoration vs Architecture
After posting our FX3/Venice exposure test, a few people got in touch with questions. Fair questions. Important ones, especially to younger cinematographers. This is the follow-up—because EI and ISO aren’t just about making your image brighter or darker. They’re about shaping what lives at the extremes of your image: the texture in the shadows, the roll-off in the highlights, the mood that creeps in at the margins.
Four walls of choice
There’s a hidden superpower to aspect ratio. It doesn’t sound sexy. It’s not some new camera or a lens with a trendy name. But when I’m first asked to help shape the look of a project, it’s where my mind goes first. Yet hardly anyone consciously thinks about it. Not properly. But everyone — everyone on set, everyone in the audience — feels it.
Grey cards, 50% of the frame
Most people probably think colour temperature is a minor detail, one of those things you set and forget. Dial in 5600K, maybe 3200K, make sure it looks about right, and crack on. It RAW or Log right. Simple. Except it isn’t - at least not for me. I’m a specialist, I’m hired to care deeply about the images I help create, and yeah, not everyone cares to that levels and thats ok. But if you’re still here, reading this, I’m guessing you care to.
Shaving Grams: Venice Rig Update
We’ve got a corporate gig down in London next week. Nothing wild— a straightforward job, clean setup, no frills. So I’ve been tweaking the Venice, chasing simplicity and dropping dead weight. First off, no ARRI top plate. I know, shock horror. But hear me out. The solution is the default Sony top hand and rod support. Elegant. Minimal. Saved myself 300 grams, and I prefer the clean look of the camera. I’ve reverted to the Sony stock handle too which maintains the forward and aft adjustment, but the handle feels more solid and also saves some weight.
Cutting the Cord: Testing the UGREEN Bluetooth Transmitter
The UGREEN Bluetooth Transmitter has been a recent addition to my kit, a small but surprisingly useful piece of gear. The main appeal is the obvious… the lack of cables. When you’re moving fast, handheld, or working in unpredictable environments, the last thing you want is wires snagging on rigging or getting in the way of a quick reposition.
Comparing the EI of Sony Venice & FX3: Latitude and Sensor Noise/Grain
This isn’t about winners or losers. It’s not a contest. The Sony Venice and the FX3 exist in different spheres of the industry, each built for a purpose, each delivering stunning images in its own way. The goal here? To see how they can work together—how their colours, textures, noise, and dynamic range can align to tell a cohesive visual story.