When Austin-based cinematographer David Wells was handed the treatment for the C4 Energy sweepstakes featuring rapper and actor Ludacris, he knew this commercial would require out of the box thinking. Designed as a one-take, point-of-view shot, the spot would require a lighting setup tailored to the wide plane of view and a camera package nimble enough to operate as POV rig. Wells selected ZEISS Nano Primes with the Venice 2 Rialto to realize the project.
A prolific Texas commercial and music video cinematographer, Wells was an obvious choice to lens this unusual stunt for C4 Energy. The beverage company wanted to shoot a promo for a sweepstakes giveaway that among other prizes, included the iconic Integra Type S, a car featured in the Fast & the Furious franchise. None other than music icon and Fast & the Furious cast member Ludacris was attached to star in the spot. It was one of those full-circle moments where you get to work with someone you've admired for years, describes Wells.
The promotion was designed as a unique, one-take first-person point-of-view shot, moving from inside a convenience store out to a gas station parking lot. I knew right away it would require a POV mount, explains Wells. The commercial delivery specs required large format, so Wells decided to use the Venice 2 Rialto as the camera. Finding the lenses to pair with the Rialto rig was not as easy. We looked at some other lenses, but they proved too heavy during tests and the actor had a hard time holding his head up. I thought, I need a small lens that's going to look great, shave weight, and have a stop of T-1.5.' Then it dawned on me: the ZEISS Nano Primes.
Wells had encountered the ZEISS Nano Primes for the first time at the 2024 South by Southwest Film Festival. The Nano Primes are small, clean, and fast they checked all the boxes. He acquired a pair to test with experienced Austin operator, James Navarra. Our actor/operator was able to move his head easily. We mounted the Venice 2 to an Easy Rig with a little plate that fits on the back, using the tension to help hold up the operator's head. We added a monitor in front of his eyes with a focus motor on rails, lenses, and a matte box for filtration. (It's Navarra's own hand that reaches out to fist bump Ludacris in the commercial.)
Camera rig locked; the next challenge was how to light for the extremely wide field of view. With a focal length of 25mm, along with extensive blocking from the store into the parking lot, rigging lights out of sight was essential. We didn't have the budget for a Condor to hang a big softbox with raking lights, so we ended up putting lights on the top of the store, describes Wells. We rigged all these ARRI S60 fixtures to the rooftop of the 7-Eleven. Then we hung hard fixtures to imitate existing streetlamps in the parking lot and replaced overhead lights under the gas pumps with cinema lights to ensure everything looked right.
The Nanos proved their merit once more during the operator/actor's movement from inside the bright gas station to the night parking lot. We shot at T-4 inside, then did an iris pull outside all the way to T-1.5, the cinematographer explains. What really sets these lenses apart is how fast they are. I don't think there's anything like it below a T-2 anywhere else. The difference between a T-2 and a T-1.5 is huge, especially in large format. The moment of transition is seamless. After days of prep and hours on location setting up, it only took five takes to capture the sequence.
There are so many things I like about the Nano Primes, reflects Wells. The Nano Primes are like smaller versions of Supreme Primes. They're a fantastic choice when you need a small, compact lens. They give us the opportunity to get closer in tight spaces and maintain a high-quality look.
The sweepstakes deadline has passed, but the promotion can still be watched on C4 Energy's Instagram and social media.
Check out the full interview with David Wells at: https://lenspire.zeiss.com/cine/en/article/dp-david-wells-chooses-zeiss-nano-primes-for-pov-rig-on-sweepstakes-starring-ludacris/
North America Stories
29/01/2026
MELBOURNE, Fla., January 29, 2026 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) reports fu...
29/01/2026
Bluey' Wins Second Consecutive Top Streaming Title of the Year with 45 Billi...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Presents East Coast Premiere of Peter and Leonardo...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Love is Blind: Sweden Returns for a Third Season - Premiering ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Unmask Bridgerton' Season 4 With Our Complete Coverage Guide
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season ...
29/01/2026
Back to All News
Extraordinary Crime Mysteries, Mythical Worlds and High-Stakes...
29/01/2026
Editor's note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a series focused on ...
29/01/2026
Get ready to game - the native GeForce NOW app for Linux PCs is now available in beta, letting Linux desktops tap directly into GeForce RTX performance from the...
28/01/2026
Top L-R: The Liars, Jazz Infernal, Living with a Visionary
Second Row L-R: Paper Trail, The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Crisis Actor
Third Row: The Boys and ...
28/01/2026
Airlines, cruise and tour operators double down on ad spend as Australians' prioritise travel
Sydney January 28, 2026 - New Nielsen Ad Intel data shows a...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Marshall Electronics launches the CV420-27X, its next-generation ultra-high-definition (UHD) IP camera, at ISE 2026 (Stand 4N900). Engineered for modern IP-base...
28/01/2026
Grass Valley has announced that Television Mobiles Ltd. (TVM), one of Europe's leading independent outside broadcast providers, has carried out a major refu...
28/01/2026
AI, graphics and virtual software power new production capabilities
FOR-A is bringing remarkable new technologies to FOMEX, the Future of Media Exhibition (ex...
28/01/2026
Continuing a longstanding collaboration, Riedel Communications and Nordic media technology company Media Tailor have once again joined forces to deliver a state...
28/01/2026
Pebble has appointed Paul Nagle-Smith as vice president for customer fulfilment, strengthening its senior leadership focus on customer delivery and operational ...
28/01/2026
Cloud playout solutions provider, Veset has announced that leading Mexican broadcaster, TV Azteca is using Veset Nimbus on AWS as a disaster recovery (DR) playo...
28/01/2026
Ensuring it can keep pace with a rapidly evolving live sports market, Balkan broadcast facility provider MVP Most Valuable Production has upgraded its flags...
28/01/2026
Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cloud solutions provider that powers and protects life online, and Yospace, the leader in dynamic ad insertion tec...
28/01/2026
The renowned Reykjavik City Theatre (RCT) recently underwent a major intercom system upgrade using Clear-Com solutions. This milestone project utilizes Clear-C...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
28/01/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Premieres a New Piano Concerto by Peter and Leonar...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix's Kohrra Season 2 Unveils A Thrilling Whodunnit Tr...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
What Next? Netflix Presents the Latest German-Speaking Series,...
28/01/2026
Quantum technologies are rapidly emerging as foundational capabilities for economic competitiveness, national security and scientific leadership in the 21st cen...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
The Wait Is Over: Teaser Trailer Drops for Jo Nesbo's Dete...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces a Fictional Miniseries Inspired by the Marta del Castillo Case
Entertainment
28 January 2026
GlobalSpain
Link copied to ...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Santiago Mitres New Film Starring Ver nica L...
28/01/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Unveils the Teaser Trailer for Berlin and the Lady wit...
27/01/2026
L-R: Jonathan Cuchacovich, Sonia Kennebeck, Alan Fischer, Daeil Kim, Andrew Sta...
27/01/2026
Nielsen will continue to drive growth and provide local audience measurement
in...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Pinterest
Bluesky
Email...
27/01/2026
Amagi Media Labs Limited, the only cloud-native SaaS provider offering end-to-end solutions across live production, content preparation, distribution, and monet...
27/01/2026
Miri Technologies Inc. today unveiled its V410 live 4K video encoder/decoder for streaming, IP-based production workflows and AV-over-IP distribution. Designed ...
27/01/2026
The Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell in Massachusetts has chosen Ikegami cameras for incorporation into its broadcast-quality television production facili...
27/01/2026
SipRadius, specialists in secure, low latency media transport, will show the pro AV community its end-to-end solution for high quality content distribution and ...
27/01/2026
Hiltron will highlight the fruits of its 45-plus years of experience in satellite communications system integration and product development at the annual GovSat...
27/01/2026
Klvr will demonstrate how its Charger Pro solution is delivering cost reduction and performance benefits for live entertainment and pro AV markets at ISE 2026 (...
27/01/2026
Amino, a global media technology leader in enterprise video and digital signage, today announced that its Integrated Systems Europe (ISE) 2026 booth (4N700) wil...
When Austin-based cinematographer David Wells was handed the treatment for the C4 Energy sweepstakes featuring rapper and actor Ludacris, he knew this commercial would require out of the box thinking. Designed as a one-take, point-of-view shot, the spot would require a lighting setup tailored to the wide plane of view and a camera package nimble enough to operate as POV rig. Wells selected ZEISS Nano Primes with the Venice 2 Rialto to realize the project.
