Studio Amori

We advertise quite vocally that one of the advantages of choosing Studio Amori is that we shoot our video in Cinema RAW DNG.  We understand that this doesn't really mean a whole lot to the layman - so let's take this opportunity to break down exactly what it means.  

The best way articulate what it means for you is to explain the benefits of the format - by shooting this way we're able to deliver an end-product with better, richer colours, a video with deeper dynamic range, and something that ends up sharper, clearer, and more attractive to watch.  

We can achieve that because we're not losing any of the detail when we shoot.  The industry is rife with Cinematographers using HD DSLR Photography Cameras to make video - which is probably fine for a $600 vendor, no doubt, but these machines are definitively limited.  These cameras, and, indeed, a lot of video cameras available, only have the capacity to deliver compressed files.  There's nothing wrong with compression, necessarily, as it's an inevitable step in the workflow- but it's the last step.  Compression during this first step, during this production step - that hurts the results and limits the editing process.  That's why some other films look muddy and dull while ours look vibrant, colourful, and clear-- because we take the steps to ensure that we have total control over the edit.

That means we have the right gear for the job, the right facilities for the edit, and that means we enter production the right way.

Let's be blunt: a HD DSLR or Mirrorless System Camera will be a very nice camera, but it will be a camera designed for Photography and that means all those video features are after-thoughts by the manufacturers.  They're very good - excellent even - for home movies and amateur filmmaking but they're very limiting in Professional Contexts -- and we speak from experience!

These Still Photography cameras deliver Motion Video that doesn't quite look right - and that's usually as a direct result of poor, in-camera compression.  The translation of that in terms of the end-result is: poor or inconsistent colour-reproduction, blurry or stuttery movements, and other imaging flaws or weaknesses.

There are clear advantages to using the Cinema Cameras we use - but our biggest advantage is in the lenses.  We use high-quality Cinema Lenses because we want your movies to look and feel like movies.  There are all kinds of jargon we could throw around to illustrate how and why these specialised lenses and cameras deliver a better image - but we don't want to get bogged down in the jargon.  We just want you to know that with our gear, and our know-how, we can deliver you a video that will look amazing no matter how big or how high the resolution of the screen you're watching it on -- whereas these Still Cameras and Still Lenses will give deliver a video that won't look very great on anything larger than your Smart Phone.

A lot of other vendors will sell lapels as this great convenience - and that's because they're right when they say that they'll deliver an excellent quality of audio - but we don't think they're the best way to go about things.

When lapels are the best option, we have the equipment and we will use them, but we have the facilities and equipment for less intrusive ways of recording the important audio and dialogue from your day.

Our first and preferred strategy is to work directly with your DJ, Venue, or MC to capture a direct audio feed from the microphones being used to deliver the speeches and the vows to your guests.  We work this way because it means we don't need to interrupt your enjoyment of the night to capture the speech!

Of course, sometimes the DJ, Venue, or the MC will lack the compatible equipment to capture this signal - and this is where we make a judgment call.  If the acoustics of your venue are accommodating, we'll capture the vows or the speeches with our high-quality camera-mounted microphones.  If the acoustics are not accommodating (for example: if there will be too much echo or too much ambient noise), then we'll hook you up to lapel microphones and capture the speeches that way.

We use a minimum of two cameras, with a contingency camera available at all times.

We aim to have one camera operator per camera, including your Director of Photography.  We can reduce the number of operators to reduce your costs, but we definitely do not recommend it.  Good practice is to have every camera attended to at all times - this means there are eyes on the shot, but this also means there's somebody there to make the sure the camera is working, recording, and safe from damage.