Sundance 2024: The Cameras and Lenses Behind 20 Documentaries

“Agent of Happiness”

Dir & DP: Arun Bhattarai
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 16:9 UHD
Camera: Canon C300 Mark 2
Lenses: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L is USM Lens 

The Look: We wanted to keep an intimate setup with a three-person crew, and this camera was perfect. This is a small camera and shoots in 4K with a cinematic look. The smaller the camera, the less intruding it is for the characters. It comes with an XLR input, which is a big plus for recording audio in the documentary. The camera also simultaneously records small-sized proxy footage. This was great for us because the editing of the film took place in Hungary and the filming in Bhutan. We could easily share footage with our editor online this way. It’s hard to keep changing lenses in documentary because it can destroy the authenticity of the moments. The 24-105 Canon has great range and works very well in most conditions so it was the go to lens. 

“And So It Begins”

Dir: Ramona S. Diaz DP: Bruce Sakaki
Category: Premieres
Format: 4K S-Gamut3.Cine/Slog3
Camera: Sony FX9
Lenses: Canon 24-105F4 & Canon 70-200F4

The Look: We opted for the Sony FX9 paired with the Canon 24-105mm f/4 and Canon 70-200mm f/4 lenses, which proved strategic for our documentary. The FX9’s controls and sensor are crucial for capturing spontaneous moments in fast-paced environments. The versatility of the 24-105mm lens complemented the camera really well, and with the camera’s full-frame and s35 mode, the focal range allowed us to have dynamic shots without constant lens changes. The 70-200mm lens captured intimate details during distant moments, and the Image Stabilization feature contributed to smooth and steady footage. I also like the color rendition and contrast these lenses give, they have a certain cinematic look.

The FX9’s practical codec gave us extended recording times which is a key advantage during lengthy scenes, its low light performance ensured adaptability in various light conditions and the option to go full-frame and s35 offered a nuanced depth of field.

This setup facilitated a nimble and efficient workflow, enabling us to adapt to evolving situations. It played a pivotal role in achieving the gritty, in-the-moment look, ensuring that the cinematography effortlessly supported the raw and unscripted nature of the narrative.

“As We Speak”

Dir: J.M. Harper DPs: Allison Anderson and Logan Triplett
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: 4K Digital, 16mm film
Camera: Sony Venice 1, Bolex
Lenses: Panavision Ultra Speed Primes, Panavision 19-90 Zoom

The Look: In prep we met at Koerner Camera in Portland, Oregon, and tested every digital combination that was available matched with Zeiss Super Speeds. In the end we liked the Venice at 4:3 in 4K at a higher ISO. Some of this was due to the ease of not having to change ND’s during our film’s long multi camera conversations, and the other half was the softness of older lenses at this setting. In the end we went with ultra speeds from Panavision as we felt they looked sharp but not harsh, the PV19-90 also had this lovely flair that felt like a film gate flair. We found a lot of lenses that we truly loved within that set, each which were used in critical moments within the film.

“The Battle for Laikipia”

Dir: Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi, DP: Daphne Matziaraki
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 4K
Camera: Sony FS7, Sony FX3
Lenses: Sigma Art 24-70mm f2.8 Canon 70-200 f2.8 Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX II Sony 200-600mm 24mm/ 50mm/ 85mm fast primes 100mm macro

The Look: The Sony FS7 was one of the top cameras for documentary filmmaking when we started shooting the film in 2017. One of its top qualities was the built-in ND and it’s great color range which helped a lot shooting in this landscape. Although it’s not a light camera, it was a great camera for verite filmmaking as well as for a lot of the wildlife shots, depending on the lenses we would use. As the FS7 doesn’t perform very well at night, we would use the As7 or the Fx3 accordingly.

“Black Box Diaries”

Dir: Shiori Ito, DP: Hanna Aqvilin, Yuta Okamura
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 4K, HD
Camera: Canon c300, Sony Fs5, Sony A7r III, iPhone, GoPro
Lenses: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM, ZEISS Planar T 50mm f/1.4, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Ultra Wide Angle

The Look: Our production spanned over seven years and was primarily shot by four people, including the director, and required a dynamic and adaptive cinematographic approach. Initially, we opted for “fly-on-the-wall” and static shots, enabling us to capture events in their most raw form. This shooting style was particularly beneficial in the beginning, as I didn’t speak Japanese. Additionally, the director, Shiori Ito, incorporated direct-to-camera shots (filmed with an iPhone) in a confessional style, where she speaks very personally about her experience, creating a close connection with the viewer.

Towards the end, the cinematography evolves into a more reflective and nuanced style, mirroring the transformation of the film’s narrative and the subject’s progression effectively. The film also includes abstract imagery, which works artistic breaks, reflecting the passage of time, Shiori’s mindset, or the prevailing mood.

“Eternal You”

Dirs: Hans Block and Moritz Riesewieck, DPs: Tom Bergmann, Konrad Waldmann
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 4K
Camera: Mostly Canon C500 MKII and Sony FX9 as A-cameras and C70/ FX3 when the camera shouldn’t attract too much attention.
Lenses: Sigma Cine Prime lenses, occasionally Angenieux Optimo Style Zoom lenses, old Zeiss photo lenses, plus occasionally Optimo DP.

The Look: Tom Bergmann: It’s always my goal to create strong and meaningful images, so we decided to shoot the film almost entirely on prime lenses. It means as the cinematographer you become much more a part of the scene in front of you. You have to move around the room to get a variety of shots and angles to get the coverage for the edit. So you are not only observing scenes from a distance but somehow become a part of them.

The FX9’s dual iso combined with the variable ND gives me full flexibility in really every light situation. It’s a little tricky to film with these tiny cameras outdoors without a viewfinder, and with an external monitor, it loses the balance. The FX3 is an incredible strong camera. It’s a little tricky to film with these tiny cameras outdoors since they don’t have a viewfinder, and with an external monitor, it loses the balance. But still — the camera produces an incredible image and sometimes you need a small solution that doesn’t look like a professional camera.

Konrad Waldmann: It was essential to find a visual language that would merge well with Tom’s footage. In that case that’s way more important than implementing my own vision. Apart from that, I really wanted to be not visible with my camera work. I want the viewer to get soaked into the story and not be aware of the camera. I think a lot about organic movement, focus and the right focal length.

I always prefer prime lenses over zooms. It feels like my eye adapts the focal length and I start to see and think in that specific focal length. When I want to be closer and need to go physically closer. With zoom lenses it can get a little messy sometimes using to many different focal lengths.

“Every Little Thing”

Dir: Sally Aitken, DP: Nathan Barlow, Dan Freene, Ann Johnson Prum
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: 8K and 4K 
Camera: RED Raptor, RED Komodo, Phantom Flex 4K
Lenses: Canon Prime Lenses, Canon Zoom lenses

The Look: “Every Little Thing” required the filmmakers to live and breathe daily life with Terry Masear as she takes in and rehabilitates injured hummingbirds in the hills of Hollywood. We decided upon RED as our capture medium for the story elements of the documentary as the cameras are very small and easy to shoot with all day long. The color science is fantastic and the high resolution format of RED gave post some room to reframe, whilst bird cinematography specialist Ann Johnston-Prum shot Phantom Flex 4K super slow motion footage to capture the wonderful images of the birds in flight. The general philosophy for the cinematography was to capture a day in the life of these small wonderful birds, and to understand the wonderful learnings these tiny creatures can teach us through the eyes of one of the most generous of souls that is Terry Masear.

“Girls State”

Dirs: Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, DP: Laura Hudock
Category: Premieres
Format: Canon Log 2, Full Frame, 2.39:1
Camera: Canon C500 Mark II
Lenses: Canon CN-E 35mm & 50mm were the main lenses, also had a Canon 70-200mm for some shots

The Look: We needed cinema primes that were full frame and relatively lightweight for long hours of verite filming as well as six sets across cameras, so the Canon CN_Es are what we collectively decided on. For consistency across the DPs we also wanted to limit the focal length as well as something not too wide to prevent distortion in close-ups and create more intimacy. My subject was Emily Worthmore. For her story arc I used the 35mm on the first and last day of filming and the 50mm for everything in-between. I wanted more compression during her run for office to heighten the intensity and then switched back to the 35mm to give more breath and space in the frame when the pressure was off. 

“Ibelin”

Dir: Benjamin Ree, DP: Tore Vollan
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 4K
Camera: Canon C300ii, Canon C200, Sony FX6, Arri Amira, Sony FS7, Sony A7iii
Lenses: Zeiss Distagon 35mm f 1.4, Zeiss Planar 50mm f 1.4, Zeiss CP2 28mm f 2.1, Sony FE 24-70 2.8, Angenieux 25-250.

The Look: We knew from the start that the film would consist of many very different visual elements, a huge part of which would be animated scenes and archival material. The look of the film would be very much dominated by the animated scenes. Director Benjamin Ree wanted the animated scenes to be true to the actual WoW (“World of Warcraft”) universe, with relatively saturated colors and high contrast. In addition to this, there was the grainy, softer, and bleaker VHS material from the home video camera and our own contemporary material, which we wanted to have a natural and softer look but visually blend with the other elements. Because of this wide palette of visuals, we decided that we could allow ourselves to work on two to three different camera systems. Since we wanted to shoot the interviews with multiple cameras, it reduced our costs to use the production companies’ own Canon and Sony cameras.

We shot the interviews primarily on Canon cameras, mainly because I am used to Canon and have good experience with their color rendering. A visual element that developed during post-production was to have the aspect ratio in the interviews change with the context of the film. The prime lenses were chosen both to meet the budget and to give us the quality of a sharp and clean image, natural skin colors, and soft contrast. The Angenieux zoom made it possible for us to execute the final shot in the film that Benjamin wanted to be a long take going from a wide to an extreme close-up of a significant detail.

The Sony A7iii was used to get shots on a gimbal. To accommodate matching all different cameras, we shot on Canon Log 2, SLog3, and RAW, and together with our eminent colorist Tom Lilletvedt, we put a lot of effort into balancing the look and taking care of transitions. Several times in the film Benjamin, together with the animator and editor Robert Stengård, made match cuts from a contemporary shot to an animated scene, and it was therefore essential that our material was similar enough in color and texture to make the cuts work.

“Igualada”

Dir: Juan Mejia Botero, DP: Gómez
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: UHD
Camera: Sony FS7 and Fx6
Lenses: Sony 70-200mm, and 24-70mm GMs

The Look: I’m obsessed with the 70-200 mm lens; it has always been part of my equipment. But in “Igualada,” this lens allowed me to establish a connection — a complicity — with Francia. It became key in understanding how close I could get, to build intimacy without being invasive or overwhelming. It helped me grasp what I could capture and what I couldn’t. Taking the risk of working with an open aperture and this lens was exhausting because we never knew when or where the day would take us, and oftentimes the lighting conditions were not the best. Still, I wanted to bet on having the possibility to create depth and intention with the focus. Above all, I didn’t want to miss any details. Capturing textures was crucial to me, and I hope I achieved it.

So my rig was heavy: Sony FS and often a 70-200mm. I had already worked with this equipment in extreme conditions, and it had never let me down. So I sacrificed the comfort I could have had with a more portable camera for a camera I knew well and trusted.
Of course, there were references and an idea of how Juan wanted the film to look, but often in the field I felt almost like a war reporter. Political campaigns are hectic and insane. We had no control over any situation; we never knew what would happen. So, my job had more to do with the ability to read the situation and make necessary decisions to find the best way to tell what was happening. Trusting my intuition as a camerawoman and especially the bond we were creating with Francia were crucial. She gave me clues about what would happen.

Filming, I’ve always allowed myself to live in the moment. So, the audience will encounter a record where they feel my breath, fatigue, frustration, anxiety… My idea was to be true to that moment I was experiencing. This wasn’t just any recording; I was documenting the memory of a country. It was an honor and a privilege that Francia allowed me to accompany her so closely.

“Love Machina”

Dir & DP: Peter Sillen
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: 4K 
Camera: ARRI Alexa 
Lenses: Cooke S4i prime lenses, Optimo 28-76mm zoom

The Look: “Love Machina” covers a lot of technology, but at its heart, it’s a love story. The combination of the Alexa sensor and the Cooke primes gives a very clean, smooth palette. I love the way the Cookes are sharp but subtly soft in a way that really pleases the eye — they just work well with people and feel natural. They worked well for this story. The film also has a good bit of different types of archival sources. With all the different types of footage in the cut it was even more important that our photography establish a solid, natural baseline to provide unity for all that archival to play off. 

“Luther: Never Too Much”

Dir: Dawn Porter, DP: Bryan Gentry
Category: Premieres
Format: ALEXA LF 3.8K & ALEXA SXT 3.4K
Camera: ALEXA LF & ALEXA SXT 
Lenses: Canon Sumire

The Look: Early in the process, I had conversations with director Dawn Porter and producer Leah Smith about the look of the film. We wanted to utilize color to energize an emotional and immersive feeling. It began with research of performance videos and wardrobes from Luther’s previous concerts. We decided to sample color combinations from those to pay tribute to Luther’s admiration and use of color. Dawn stressed the need for close-up shots to feel intimate while allowing some breathing room in the medium shots. Immediately, the combination of ARRI ALEXA LF and ARRI ALEXA SXT came to mind. I knew the size difference between these sensors would help achieve her primary objectives. Alexa’s large format sensor would allow us to use a longer focal length on the wide shot, which would flatter our talent while enabling us to maintain a 6-foot distance from them. Meanwhile, the ALEXA SXT’s S35 sensor would create a feeling of greater intimacy when cutting between the two.

I always consider an observational vs. suggestive approach when shooting a documentary. “Luther,” the film, is about the legacy of Luther Vandross and his journey to becoming the premier singer of his day. The lens needed to be an observer and not suggestive. We needed the glass to be kind to the skin of our talent while holding a decent amount of contrast. I knew the lens would need to be flexible as we were jumping between recording studios, offices, and private homes. Bokeh rendering and transitional fall-off were significant factors for this project. The Canon Sumires were an excellent choice for this. They rendered in focus areas well while producing a delicate fall-off into a painterly bokeh. I looked forward to the inherent halation that occurs when using the lens between apertures T2 and T1.3. It presented a modern, flattering feel with some vintage characteristics we all love from Canon’s Classic K-35 lenses. We were happy to see how well the lens and color design blended with our aged archival assets. It contributed to the immersive feel Dawn was after.

“Never Look Away”

Dir: Lucy Lawless DP: Darryl Ward 
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Camera: ALEXA Mini
Lenses: Zeiss Superspeeds

The Look: It was universal gear that you could build something that would work for all the remote shoots.

“A New Kind of Wilderness”

Dir & DP: Silje Evensmo Jacobsen 
Category: Premieres
Format: 4K 
Camera: Sony FX6
Lenses: Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM

The Look: We used different types of cameras in the beginning before we had any funding for the film: a Sony FS7 and a Canon. We chose the fx6 because it is so easy to maneuver and doesn’t take up much space in the room when filming sensitive scenes. It is also quite easy to use and allows autofocus when directors that are not really full-time cinematographers need to shoot alone.

“Nocturnes”

Dir: Anirban Dutta, Anupama Srinivasan, DP: Satya Rai Nagpaul
Category: World Cinema Documentary Competition
Format: 4K XAVC-I
Camera: Primarily Sony PXW-FX9
Lenses: Primarily Zeiss Compact Prime CP.3 lenses

The Look: The form factor of the gear was a critical decision for a documentary like “Nocturnes.” The film was photographed across different seasons and over a few years. It therefore needed to have a high repeat value. Additionally, given the remoteness of the location and a very contained crew size, it meant that we were to be as light footed as was possible. The operational challenge was then required to be balanced with the film’s aspiration of being an immersive experience for a theatrical projection! Creating this, then entailed working with prime lenses and having access to a basic lighting package that could be powered easily, especially important for night shoots in the forest. For a cinematographer, all these requirements can tend to be irreconcilable! However, with the combination of FX9, Zeiss CP.3 lenses and appropriate lighting fixtures that were taken through rigorous technical tests, we found the build that the project needed to meet the entire range of goals from logistical to creative.

“Porcelain War”

Dir: Brendan Bellomo, Slava Leontyev, DP: Andrey Stefanov
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: Blackmagic RAW
Camera: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, Sony FX-30, GoPro Hero 11 Black, DJI Mavic
Lenses: Leica/Lumix Vario-Elmarit 12-60mm f/2.8-4.0, Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8, Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6

The Look: Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K were used to A and B cameras. We chose this camera due to its small size, ease of use and incredible RAW recording. We found that we could faithfully capture the colors of Ukraine from sunsets to night scenes and create amazing results with careful color grading. We also found the Super16mm size created the perfect depth of field. We shot mostly wide-open for a consistent depth of the image, with variable ND filters used to maintain exposure. To us, this made the footage feel closer to how the human eye sees our lives. And we felt it was of paramount importance for audiences to feel as if they were right next to us: not observing, but experiencing intimately. We also used a Sony FX-30 for filming macro backgrounds for our animated scenes, due to its incredible autofocus in moving shots. For lenses, we used a Leica 12-60mm as our main lens. It had very painterly color rendition and great focus falloff. But, most of all, this zoom range allowed us to capture most of the documentary on a single lens. This helped us react to rapidly changing conditions and be ready for anything, especially when our city was under attack, and we had to film and move very quickly. 

“Power”

Dir: Yance Ford, DP: Julia C Liu
Category: Premieres
Format: Sony S-Gamut3.Cine/Slog3 Full Frame 
Camera: Sony FX9 as primary A and B cameras, Sony FX6 and Sony A7smkiii as C and D cameras
Lenses: Canon CN-E Cinema Prime lenses, Angenieux EZ-1 45-135mm zoom, and Canon L series zooms

The Look: All the verite moments in the film had to be accomplished with a very small footprint and available light. Because we were filming in police stations and community centers where folks were talking about extremely sensitive and often fraught topics, we wanted to have a minimal impact on the environment and allow for the subjects to feel as comfortable as possible. The Sony FX9 and a mixture of the Angenieux EZ-1 and Canon L-series zooms allowed me to keep the handheld build super lightweight so I could stay nimble and follow the story where it needed to go. The exception to this was the ride-along scene, where we were able to pre-rig a Sony A7smkiii with magnets on the dashboard of the police car to capture Inspector Adams driving. I sat in the backseat and filmed his over the shoulder, which allowed for two angles in the car without having to shoot from the front passenger’s side seat.

The interviews made up the bulk of the project, and we selected the Canon CN-E primes for their open stop, full-frame coverage, and clean look. Yance wanted each interview subject to have their own bespoke backdrop, which our crew meticulously created with clear coroplast panels and a jungle gym of black and white showcard and Titan tubes to build the texture, shapes, and colors.

“Skywalkers: A Love Story”

Dirs: Jeff Zimbalist, Maria Bukhonina, DP: Renato Borrayo Serrano
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: 4K 
Camera: Canon C300, Canon C70
Lenses: Canon 70-200 f/2.8L IS II and Sigma AF 18-35 f/1.8 DC HSM Art Canon EF-S 

The Look: The biggest challenge for this film was to archive an artistic cinematographic aesthetic and be ready to shoot in extreme situations such as running in and out of spires or psychologically hard situations for our characters. With Sigma mechanical zoom lenses, we could get a balance between low light challenging situations and a precise focus due to the metallic corpus of the lens when the sweat in the hands became a factor. Working with the Canon 70-200 allowed us to rack focus between our two main characters with great precision and intimacy in highly tense situations high up in the sky.

“Sue Bird: In the Clutch”

Dir: Sarah Dowland, DP: Carissa Henderson
Category: Premieres
Format: Resolution: 3840×2160 UHD capture Color Profile: C-Log Flat, full frame Monitoring gamma is Rec. 709
Camera: Sony FX9
Lenses: Zeiss Supreme Lenses 25mm, 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and Canon L-Series 70-200mm

The Look: To tell Sue’s story we were always looking for the most emotionally evocative frame in the moment. Sometimes it’s being close and wide, reflecting contrast between the inner and outer worlds of Sue, and sometimes it’s being far away on a long lens. As much as possible, we wanted to show how Sue experiences and navigates her way through the rigor of her career.

Through long shots and intentional framing at fixed focal lengths, we applied a degree of composure and poetry to the chaotic and over-sensory world of the stadium environments that we were navigating with Sue. The camera is most often handheld, eye level or below, floating intuitively between Sue and Sue’s perspective. Being a verité film that was captured mostly indoors we were relying on given light and fast prime lenses. We were always looking for symmetry and geometric frames within frames. Our DP Carissa Henderson took great care to compose shots thoughtfully, using the environment to actively complement a central focal point or create graphic patterns.

“Sugarcane”

Dirs: Emily Kassie, Julian Brave NoiseCat, DPs: Christopher LaMarca, Emily Kassie
Category: U.S. Documentary Competition
Format: Full Frame Digital
Camera: Canon C500 Mark 2 
Lenses: Canon L series 35mm f1.4 prime lens – Canon L series 50mm F1.2 prime lens 

The Look: The main artistic goal was to create an entry point for the viewer that was both intimate and epic in scope, establishing a world where the landscapes on people’s faces and the world around them simultaneously echo the character’s deepest truths and inner conflicts. This was a two-camera vérité film. Director/cinematographer Emily Kassie and I found our language shooting on 35mm and 50mm prime lenses often inches away from our characters’ faces.

Our A-camera was a Canon C500 Mark 2 (B-camera was a Canon C300 Mark 2). The C500 Mark 2 was chosen for its full frame sensor, low light performance, modularity, and its ability to run four channels of audio. We chose not to have a dedicated sound person so we ran audio in camera throughout production, which wouldn’t have been possible without this camera. The majority of the film was shot on 35mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.2 Canon L-series prime lenses.

“Will & Harper”

Dir: Josh Greenbaum, DP: Zoe White
Category: Premieres
Format: Prores 3.2k, Canon RAW 4k, 5k RED
Camera: AMIRA, Canon C300, RED Komodo
Lenses: Cooke Panchros, Cooke 20-100

The Look: “Will & Harper” is a road movie and a buddy movie. We used Komodos on the hood of the Jeep Wagoneer they drove, because they’re so small and riggable. We wanted to roll for long takes to cover Will and Harper chatting as they drove on highways, so it was all about how to do that safely and solidly. When we weren’t in cars, Devon Catucci operated his steadicam with an ARRI AMIRA on a prime, to give us unbroken, graceful follow shots. I danced around Devon on a Canon C300 with the 20-100 zoom and an easyrig, capturing details and closeups to complement Devon’s wider frames. There’s a lovely, nostalgic feeling that the Panchros bring, and they’re very small and lightweight, so they were the perfect lenses for all the different applications and environments we were expecting to encounter while bringing a soft, cinematic look to the story.