Who says proper cinematographers don't use Nikon gear?
Indie filmmaker and Nikon creative, Tanner Simpson, has released a delightful YouTube video where he talks about his recent success at the Idaho 48-hour Short Film Festival, where his team took home a trio of awards – including Best Cinematography. And it was all shot on a Nikon Z6 III.
Clearly, Tanner is aware that Nikon hasn’t traditionally been the go-to camera for filmmakers, but news such as this all feeds into the narrative that winds of change be blowin’ in the Big N’s direction.
ABOVE: Watch Simpson discuss his Nikon hat trick
And with Nikon churning out pro-video-capable cameras such as the Z6 III, not to mention the highly publicized acquisition of cinema camera manufacturer Red, the brand certainly seems to be cultivating a bit of a name for itself in the video sphere.
Now, Tanner makes it clear that the Idaho 48-hour Short Film Festival isn’t the biggest festival in the world. “We’re not Sundance,” he says with a dry wit. But it doesn’t matter. He’s clearly a talented filmmaker and the cinematic video footage he and his team produced speaks for itself.
That’s not all, though. Tanner proceeds to explain the concept of a 48-hour film festival, which I’ll admit I hadn’t heard of. And it sounds like a brilliant way to hone your video craft and have a bit of fun in the process.
ABOVE: Watch Simpson's award-winning short, Invasion
He explains that he received what’s called a ‘packet’ at 18:00 on a Friday evening, which contained four parameters: a genre, a character, a prop and some dialogue.
Tanner and his team got suspense / thriller, an archivist, a packet of pipe cleaners and the dialogue: “With all due respect, I beg to differ.” And with that, the creative bunch wrote the script, settled on acting roles and locations, sorted any set dressing, shot and edited the film in just 48 hours. And the result? Invasion, which you can watch above.
So, if you’re an aspiring filmmaker, take a leaf out of Tanner’s book. It doesn’t matter what you’re shooting, it doesn’t matter what limitations you have – even a 48-hour deadline – if you put your mind to it, you can create something really special.
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