Dave Grohl's What Drives Us Shot With URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
data-src=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c562aaf4-bpthumb.jpg data-srcset=https://creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/avatars/263018/5fa08c561c0e7-bpfull.jpg 2x class=lazyload avatar avatar-80 photo height=80 width=80 />
Brie Clayton June 14, 2021
0 Comments
Blackmagic Design today announced that What Drives Us, the new documentary by David Grohl of the Foo Fighters, was shot using a variety of Blackmagic Design cameras. This included using URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K to capture interviews with some of rock's biggest icons, including Ringo Star, Steven Tyler, Ben Harper, The Edge and Slash. The documentary also used DaVinci Resolve Studio to edit and grade the film.
What Drives Us shows the commitment of bands and artists to play music for others anywhere the road will take them. The film is filled with interviews from the world's biggest musicians and looks at the tradition and rite of passage of rock bands going on the road in any vehicle they can afford. To shoot What Drives Us, Grohl chose Jessica Young as the cinematographer.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2411710 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us.jpg 1000w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us-300x164.jpg 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us-768x420.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us-624x341.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us-50x27.jpg 50w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141447/2-what-drives-us-100x55.jpg 100w data-sizes=(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px />Young was faced with shooting a documentary that included a huge amount of hours of interviews. Due to the hectic schedules and locations of Grohl and the interviewees, she shared the daily shooting duties with cinematographer Todd Bell. Young relied on two Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2s as her main interview cameras, with the Pocket Cinema Camera 4Ks being used by different crew members, who were able to easily learn how to operate them and could jump in and capture spur of the moment shots.
Young explained the vision that she and Grohl had for the film: What Drives Us is a talking head plus archival picture. I got the sense early to go with a punk rock' approach: make no rules with the freedom to err on the side of not normal. The subject matter was about musician misfits cramming themselves into vans and touring the country come hell or high water. Stories about living through bad food, bad sleep, bad gigs and dangerous road conditions while running down their dreams.
We also kept lighting naturalistic and took liberties with some off framing and stuffed close ups. The edge of frame in the wide angle often had a foreground element and the close up frame might be a little in your ear' or awkwardly close kind of view if you were crammed inside a van with your band.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2411711 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us.jpg 1000w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us-300x164.jpg 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us-768x420.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us-624x341.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us-50x27.jpg 50w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141507/3-what-drives-us-100x55.jpg 100w data-sizes=(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px />Since each interview was at a different location, Young and her crew never had a chance to scout before shooting. Decisions had to be made the day of and had to be simple.
Both Todd and I have used Blackmagic cameras in the past and know they will give me an amazing image. And with the high dynamic range and ease of use, the cameras let me be incredibly creative while handling any of the regular challenges a shoot like this has, Young said. And being able to have the rest of the crew easily grab a Pocket got me a lot of great shots. The C Cam ops were a handful of great guys and we usually shared a common AC who would then pick up a Pocket when rolling on interviews, often catching Dave in a follow up question or laughing moment.
Those impromptu moments and making sure that Grohl's interviews were not interrupted was another reason why Young chose Blackmagic Design cameras.
data-src=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us.jpg alt= class=lazyload wp-image-2411712 data-srcset=https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us.jpg 1000w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us-300x164.jpg 300w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us-768x420.jpg 768w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us-624x341.jpg 624w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us-50x27.jpg 50w, https://gcs.creativecow.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/14141534/4-what-drives-us-100x55.jpg 100w data-sizes=(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px /> I have used Blackmagic cameras a lot in the past. They are reliable, she said. I haven't counted them all, but I've been fortunate enough to be in the
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
06/07/2026
Long-developed relationships and informal access, three production models, and c...
06/07/2026
The deal follows Lumine's recent acquisition of Synamedia's video-networ...
06/07/2026
This former SportsCenter producer is shaping local-team studio coverage to surro...
06/07/2026
IMS Productions and FOX Sports deployed more than 100 cameras, 32 onboard feeds,...
06/07/2026
Lumine Group Inc. has announced the completion of its acquisition of the Video Network Business from Synamedia. The business will operate as a standalone compan...
06/07/2026
NASCAR has announced a content and commercial partnership with Motorsport Network, a motorsports and automotive media platform, to distribute NASCAR original co...
06/07/2026
Versant Media Group has announced a definitive agreement to acquire Full Swing, a sports technology company, from Bruin Capital and a group of minority investor...
06/07/2026
DAZN has announced global broadcast rights to 3ICE, a professional hockey format featuring three skaters and a goalkeeper per side, with no power plays or offsi...
06/07/2026
Bundle gains 100 new synths & more
Synth Anthology 5 the largest and most feature-packed edition of UVI's hardware synth emulation bundle, bringing toge...
06/07/2026
Available now via free firmware update
MOTU have just announced that three of their popular audio interfaces now boast official Milan Certification. The 16A...
06/07/2026
Rohde & Schwarz completes Hunter Preliminary Design Review for the Integrated Co...
06/07/2026
The R&S IMAGER from Rohde & Schwarz uses millimeter wave imaging to inspect the ...
06/07/2026
The National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF), an agency of the Department of Sp...
06/07/2026
Digital Domain Appoints Industry Veteran Patrick Davenport as Executive Vice Pre...
06/07/2026
Gravity Media USA appoints Brittney Boston as Head of Business Development
Brie Clayton July 6, 2026
0 Comments
The strategic new appointment supports...
06/07/2026
Remote Editing Without Cloud Storage in Resolve
Michael Cioni July 6, 2026
0 Comments
This is a step-by-step guide that demonstrates how to setup your...
06/07/2026
Automatic Caption Translation in Adobe Premiere Pro
Colin Smith July 6, 2026
0 Comments
Here I showcase the innovative automatic caption translation f...
06/07/2026
Flavor's First Ever Managing Director Neal Cohen Retires; Longstanding Execu...
06/07/2026
How Adam Rosenwach Pivoted from Music to Medtech Without Missing a Beat What do the rehearsal room and the boardroom have in common? More than you might think...
06/07/2026
Zhongyi Optics unveils the Dreamy Zone T1 FF Cine Lens Series on Indiegogo with ...
06/07/2026
Techtel debuts insyght: making ST 2110 media discovery easy
intellisphereinsyght2026
6 July Written By Suzanne Costello
Sydney, Australia - 06 July 2026 T...
06/07/2026
Monday 6 July 2026
Sky agrees to acquire ITV Media & Entertainment, creating a ...
06/07/2026
Fresh from his World Cup heroics with Cabo Verde, Roberto Pico' Lopes will join the RT panel for Argentina v Egypt tomorrow and for the England v Norway q...
06/07/2026
Nations have long invested in domestic infrastructure to advance their economies, protect and use their data, and take advantage of technology opportunities in ...
06/07/2026
Every year, the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML) reveals where thousands of AI researchers have decided to put their work.
This year's ...
06/07/2026
A death can be unsuspicious, but it has to be explained
What happened to Ke...
05/07/2026
We've gone to another level of integrating the graphics into the set architecture' - Zac Fields, SVP, Graphic Technology and Integration, FOX Sports...
05/07/2026
Browser-based and desktop apps available
Digital Sunset Studios have been busy working on an interesting project: a free software tool that provides compute...
04/07/2026
When Canada qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026, OneSoccer knew this wasn'...
04/07/2026
Celebrates company's 80th anniversary
Rhodes have recently revealed that they will be producing a limited run of electric pianos in celebration of their...
04/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Empower Youth Broadcasting Program
Brie Clayton July 3, 2026
0 Comments
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Blackmagi...
04/07/2026
iZotope Joins Boris FX
Boris Yamnitsky July 3, 2026
0 Comments
iZotope, the team behind RX and Ozone, is joining Boris FX. A letter from founder Boris...
04/07/2026
April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...
03/07/2026
New bundle & three Single Packs
Continuing to expand their already sizeable orchestral collection, VSL's latest release introduces three new Single Pack...
03/07/2026
Venue installs new ATC-equipped control room
LSO St Luke's, a unique music venue that also serves as the home of the London Symphony Orchestra, have rec...
03/07/2026
Caden Pearson appointed new Commissioning Editor for NITV
3 July, 2026
Media releases
National Indigenous Television (NITV) has strengthened its commitment...
03/07/2026
1 February 2023
SHARE Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email
Munich, Germany, 1st February 2023: Cinegy GmbH, the premier provider of software technology for digit...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/07/2026
Death Star
Andy Marken July 2, 2026
0 Comments
Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate i...
03/07/2026
Berklee's New Visual Identity: Honoring Our History, Building for What's...
03/07/2026
Scripps Research scientists awarded $2M to advance global disease surveillance Two Gates Foundation grants will expand wastewater surveillance and AI-driven dis...
03/07/2026
Joan Pulupa joins Scripps Research faculty to study the organization of DNA in brain cells and its links to neurodegeneration Using smell-sensing neurons and ad...
02/07/2026
Entering her senior year, this hometown girl is paving a career in live sports production gaining experience in replay and audio and as a TD
In the live-sports...
02/07/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level ha...
Dave Grohl's What Drives Us Shot With URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K 
