Filmmaker Interview: Testing The Limits of the Sony BURANO

The Sony BURANO is a dream camera for documentaries. Marrying the imagery of the Sony VENICE with the ergonomics of the FX9, it's quickly becoming a go-to choice for creatives who need to move quickly and never miss a shot. But for Nagasawa, whose work mainly resides in the narrative world, the BURANO was still a mystery whose limits needed to be tested.

"This was [one of] the first narrative pieces shot with the BURANO," Nagasawa said. "We shot it starting in December of 2023, and we used prototype cameras. So, it was really a test for the BURANO and also a test for us."

Nagasawa is no stranger to the Sony ecosystem, having worked extensively with the Sony VENICE on Season 3 of Bel-Air as a DIT. Now helming The Henchman as DP, the cinematographer wanted to see how the BURANO would thrive in a narrative setting with limited lighting and a small crew.

"I had been doing some tests and working with Sony Cine with the BURANO early on during the prototype stage, and so I was very comfortable with the camera," Nagasawa said. "So, when [Elko Weaver] approached me to shoot The Henchman, it seemed like a very obvious choice."

"I knew that we would have to move fast and light minimally to make it work. So, it was just planning for that and seeing how we can get the most out of the lighting package, the locations, and the time we had for each location."

While some shots and pickups were captured with the FX9, FX6, and a drone, the majority of The Henchman was shot with a pair of BURANO cameras. With them, Nagasawa juggled compositions shot in handheld, on a Steadicam, a gimbal, and on sliders. 

"We built it up into a full-blown studio mode camera on sticks, put it on a Steadicam, put it on a Ronin gimbal, and did handheld," Nagasawa shared. "We put it through the paces, through all different lighting conditions and different camera rigs, and it worked really great."

With interiors shaped by moody lighting inspired by 80s action movies, and day exteriors shot in the bright LA sun, Nagasawa demanded that the BURANO handle multiple lighting scenarios and meet ever-evolving ergonomic needs. Yet as he shot, the BURANO adapted to his every need. 

"[The BURANO] has the power of the VENICE 2 but also has the ease of use and ergonomics of like FX9 or FX6," Nagasawa explained. "What I loved is that I could just grab it, put it on my shoulder, and shoot really fast. It booted up fast, and I could quickly dial in the NDs."

"As far as getting it on the Steadicam, it was very intuitive, and [getting it on] the gimbal also worked out great."

Filmmaker Interview: Lighting The Henchman for the Sony BURANO

What really surprised Nagasawa was how familiar the image from the BURANO felt. Using the built-in X-OCN LT codec and his own custom LUT, the cinematographer discovered that he could rely on his muscle memory from his time with the VENICE to speed up his lighting setups. 

"When we first started, I was using my light meter for the first couple of setups, but [the BURANO] just fell into place so easily," Nagasawa explained. "It's so close to the VENICE 2 in sensitivity and latitude."

"After I got through a couple of setups, I could [light] by eye because I knew exactly what to expect. I felt so comfortable with [the BURANO]. Just knowing the VENICE and Sony color science so well, it felt so natural."

Nagasawa needed to shoot quickly to capture all that he wanted for The Henchman. For several setups, the creative team lit the scenes in 360 degrees using small LED lamps so they could focus on composition, action, and story.

"I wanted to test the limits of the low end and the high end, in action sequences via camera movement, shooting hot exteriors, and super dark interiors," Nagasawa said. "We set up a lot of these great magnetic LED bricks that we put all over — inside of construction work lamps and on the walls — and I told [my team] to crank those things and let’s shoot right into them because I was sure that the sensor could handle that and give it its own look." 

"And I was very happy and surprised how well it held up."

Filmmaker Interview: How the Sony BURANO Thrives in Narrative

During his time with the BURANO, Nagasawa molded the camera to his creative experience instead of adapting to the toolkit. Because it's imbued with the essence of the VENICE and the FX9, the BURANO acted like a studio camera when Nagasawa needed it and could then go handheld or on a Steadicam when the demands changed.

"I just treated [the BURANO] like a big studio camera. Like I was shooting on the VENICE 2," Nagasawa explained. "I used the same lenses and filtration that I would use with the big studio camera, and it gave me the same results."

As The Henchman heads to festivals, Nagasawa sees the BURANO as a unique addition to veteran cinematographers and emerging filmmakers alike. For him, it balances imagery, ergonomics, and price, building a new foundation for creatives to reach even higher artistic heights. 

"The FX9 and FX6 are so intuitive and so easy to use, I know a lot of the newer filmmakers coming up are very comfortable with that workflow and that menu," Nagasawa said. "So being able to have that side by side with the power of the [BURANO's] sensor is a really great combination."

Click here to learn more about the Sony BURANO and the upcoming Firmware Version 2.0.