John Collins
Director of Photography
Experience and Camera Kit Information
Sony's Venice, F55, F5, FS7, Arri Alexa, Alexa Mini, Amira, Panavision's Dxl2 and Reds are a joy to shoot with. We've been using them for high end cinema documentaries, TV commercials, trailers, Blue Peter, Songs of Praise and two food series with Nigel Slater and Adam Henson. These modern cameras are supremely flexible. You can have them fully loaded with a big rig and cinema lenses or you can strip them right down so that they are almost the size of an DSLR camera. This allows you to shoot in tight spaces, rig them to lightweight jib arms and sliders and to get to places that you wouldn't normally take a broadcast camera. I have a number of gimbal rigs for super-smooth tracking shots.
The BBC have approved all these cameras for broadcast use and the feedback I've been getting from BBC producers and editors has been great. In short everyone loves the stunning footage that these new large sensor camera deliver.
I've worked in most disciplines within the film and television industries. I've filmed serious documentaries, children's TV shows, pop promos, commercials, religious documentaries, celebrity interviews, political documentaries and current affairs programmes. I also have a lot of experience filming cars, trains, bikes and planes, using minicams and tracking vehicles.
If you are producing a programme that requires specialised techniques or equipment, please ask, I will almost certainly have the necessary experience.