Cinematographer/founder
of Kohl Pictures of Jacksonville and Director, Ben Orisich collaborated with
Bright Red TBWA Agency to create the Cayman Islands “Point of View” (POV)
television campaign this past November. The project uses new state-of the-art
equipment that gives viewers a real-life experience through the eyes of the
Cayman Islands active traveler.
“We
wanted to create an experience where viewers feel as if experiencing the
adventurous activities
on the island. We were able to successfully capture what the natural human eye
would,
an up
close focus and racking focus to infinity backgrounds,” says cinematographer,
Mark Kohl. “It
was also important for us to incorporate hands to keep it from looking as if
the campaign were
shot on a handheld camera.”
Kohl
previously worked with Radiant Images, a full-service rental house for digital
cameras and
film
equipment, and knew the company recently worked on a POV system with the Codex
camera.
The Codex camera is several steps above the GoPro system allowing the use of
interchangeable
“C” mount lenses, and wireless focusing capabilities, with a 10-bit color
depth.
“We
wanted a realistic feel for the campaign. It is imperative that viewers see
through human
eyes,
not an extreme wide angle with an infinite depth of field like using a GoPro.
We also
needed
a camera that captures the Cayman’s deep beautiful colors. We needed Alex type
quality
mounted
in front of someone’s face.” says Kohl.
One
of the biggest challenges was showcasing underwater activities that went on in
the Cayman
Islands.
Radiant worked with Hydroflex and developed the first underwater housing for
the
Codex
POV camera, which used an underwater BNC cable tethering the camera to the recorder.
“This
was a tricky task because the sealed BNC cable was only 80’ long and we had the
recorder
on a
boat, which limited our shots of being in the sweet spot of the location. It
ended up working
out
great and we could actually see underwater on live video. I don’t remember ever
doing that
before.
It was quite exciting watching the clients see the underwater footage as it was happening.”
says Kohl.
