Reflections from the L.A. Set
Peter Märtin, Director
I decided to keep the film simple with long takes that allow the eye to rest and judge lens performance. I made sure all important situations were covered: day, night, interior, exterior, artificial light, ambient light, candles, car-to-car, car interior, macro, beauty, organic and technical detail, moving, steady, back light and dazzling light shots. Every scene and element in the frame has been precisely chosen to provide clear examples of lens characteristics, and every focus setting, camera movement, and rack focus has been carefully selected to display lens performance. We had a tight two-day shooting schedule, and the MiniHawks enabled us to work quickly, meaning that we had no overtime and got all the desired shots.
Peter Märtin, Director and Daniel Pearl, ASC, Cinematographer
The lenses are small and lightweight, perfect for hand held filming and systems with reduced weight capacities, such as drones or stabilizing systems. The MiniHawk primes weigh approximately 1.6kg, a new industry benchmark. All 8 primes have an impressive aperture, and their stunning performance wide open was very helpful for night shooting with available light. The lenses have a shallow depth-of-field and beautiful bokehs not only on highlights, but on every out-of-focus element, creating an organic, cinematic feel.
The MiniHawks focus almost to the front element. We did not need any diopters and could pull focus from extremely close to infinity. You will notice that the lenses have zero breathing. Geometric distortion is well corrected, and even the wide-angle lenses are good for architectural shots. However, our HAWK engineers ensured actors heads always stay round and never become oval (cone head effect) as can be seen on nearly every other geometrically corrected wide lens.
Working with Daniel Pearl inspired us. His knowledge and experience helped us push the lenses to their limits, and Sarah Butler’s performance and look are perfect. It was a pleasure to work with such a focused camera crew, production, post-production and skilled Assistant Director.
Daniel Pearl, ASC, Director of Photography
I really like the MiniHawks. They produced creamy images with beautiful bokehs when set for shallow depth-of-field. Physical size, weight, and maximum aperture beat existing anamorphic lenses in every way, impressive when considering the current shooting style and additional recent cinematic advances for camera movement.
The lenses at T1.7 combined with the Arri Alexa and its 800 ASA rating made it possible to shoot anywhere with very little, or in some cases, no additional light, and that is huge in terms of the balance of quality and quantity in the shots we made. The MiniHawks will be a valuable asset going forward where cinematographers are judged on both the look of their images and the speed with which they are shot.
No filters or post-production softening tricks whatsoever have been used. Peter and I agreed to keep the images pure in order to preserve the integrity of the lens demonstration aspect of this film. While shooting, we were a small, quick-moving crew with minimal additional lighting. What you see is what you can also get in similar situations. When you put the MiniHawks on the Alexa, you can point at anything, and it looks good.
Justin Quach, 1st Assistant Camera
After working with numerous other lenses, I am still in awe of the new MiniHawks we used for this short film. The smooth mechanics in focus and the effortless iris rolls were amazing. What really blew my mind was the close focus factor on 2:40 images, the organic sharpness --it's more life like--, and how the optics resolve. Other lenses are often too sharp and look artificial. You almost always have to have a bit of diffusion to smooth things out, not with the MiniHawks.
Justin Quach, 1st AC
Sometimes, the lighting budget makes shooting anamorphic unviable because in order to shoot anamorphic, you need more light. These lenses begin to solve that problem.
We had a great team and could work very quickly, Daniel and Peter never had to wait for us. I can't wait to shoot with the MiniHawks when they are released.
Bennett Cerf, Movi Operator
The similarly weighted lenses made working with a gimbal a lot easier. The lenses were light and fast with super-close focus, not to mention the wonderful anamorphic bokehs. Everyone wants to shoot anamorphic on a gimbal nowadays. These lenses are very light and balanced out the camera very well. I liked them a lot.
Bennett Cerf, Movi Operator
David Koubík, Editor & Colorist
MiniHawks match very well, require minimal work in post, and give you more headroom, making the job simple and easy for every colorist.
David Koubík, Editor and Colorist
I viewed the images on a 2K large screen and my first impression was the bokehs. The lenses have stunning anamorphic qualities, but they are sharp over the entire frame, even on the edges.
The film was shot on Red and Alexa cameras, and the lenses looked equally good on both. I was impressed with the superb image quality and especially liked the bokehs when the lenses were wide open.
Sarah Butler, Actress
The thing I'll never forget about the Hawk shoot is learning to drive stick shift in Steve McQueen's Mustang from Bullitt. My feelings about it were a collision of guilt at not having learned such an essential skill, excitement at being entrusted with this glamorous car, and the obvious anxiety. What if I blow the clutch or crash the car? Either of those outcomes was possible at any time.
Sarah Butler, Actress in front of Steven McQueen's Bullitt Ford Mustang on Mulholland Drive
Everyone had faith in my ability to learn on the fly, even the owner of the vehicle who was riding in the follow car! I wore a cool leather jacket and the same model watch as Steve McQueen as I attempted to throw sexy, confident looks to camera, simultaneously praying that I wouldn't lose control of the car. It even began to rain! I drove across Los Angeles to downtown and across the famous 6th Street bridge. Just as I thought I was off the hook, Daniel suggested that I drive all the way back to Hancock Park… on the freeway! I had no time to disagree and found myself on an 8-lane highway in downtown Los Angeles at the tail end of rush hour on my very first day of driving stick.
Peter assures me that the footage was incredible, so I guess my near death experience was worth it. In all actuality, the rush of excitement at learning a new skill is something I hadn't felt since childhood, and that feeling made that day special.
See the MiniHawk Short Film here.
