Nittany Ballet Dancers in The Nutcracker

One of my favorite events to film each year is PASCP/Nittany Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. While many of the main elements remain year over year, it’s still amazing to see the new ways that each scene is dreamed up.

While I normally just film the show for archival purposes, this year I was asked to also provide b-roll footage during the dress rehearsal, to be used for social and publicity for next year. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to get more familiar with our Ronin RS-2. While I’ve usually operated with the FX6 and a prime lens, I decided to run with a Sony FX3 paired with the 24-70 f2.8 GM II. I also had two focus motors, and took the time to 3D print a couple gear rings to operate both zoom and focus from the Ronin handle. The final touch was wireless monitoring with the RavenEye module that broadcast live video to my phone. All in all, a pretty streamlined setup!

I coupled the gimbal footage with some handheld, slo-mo shots on the FX6 and 70-200 f2.8 GM II lens. Although it broke my back a bit, the 4k120 looked amazing, and I loved being able to use the rehearsal as an opportunity to get closer to the stage, to really capture the technical performance aspects that might otherwise be missed from the back of the auditorium.

I captured the show with two Blackmagic Design products: the Pocket Cinema Camera 6k Pro, and the Production Studio 6k Pro. Both have EF mounts, so I paired the pocket with a Sigma 24-70 Art zoom and the studio with the beloved Canon 70-200. Manual focus is a must, so I loved working with the large monitor on the Studio and its focus peaking abilities. I also decided to be professional and make postproduction less taxing by getting the camera timecodes synced with a couple of Tentacle Sync E packs.

Why Blackmagic versus the usual Sony packages I typically film with? Well, I’ve found for these shows that BRAW is just an amazing, invaluable tool when working with ever changing stage lighting, and the increased dynamic range allows me to reign in the spotlights while still having some of the more dimly lit parts of the stage still visible. And since I deliver in 4k, the 6k sensors give me creative flexibility with cropping if needed. The downside? File sizes. Footage and audio from both shows occupy nearly 3TB of space on my array.

From the Client:

“Working with Chris at CW Studios has always been such a pleasure. The quality of work and the attention to detail is unparalleled, and they’re never afraid to try something different. I would highly recommend CW Studios for your next video project.”

— Paul Gibson: Artistic Director, PASCP

About the Project:

- Ronin RS-2 Gimbal
- Sony FX3/FX6
- 28-70 f2.8 GMII
- 70-200 f2.8 GMII
- Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6k Pro
- Blackmagic Design Studio Camera 6k
- Sigma 24-70 f2.8 DG OS HSM ART
- Canon 70-200 f2.8L IS III USM