Happy Campers Documentary Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 4K
Brie Clayton September 30, 2024
0 Comments
Pocket Cinema Camera 4K's dual native ISO helps capture difficult to get night shots for award winning doc.
Blackmagic Design today announced that the award winning documentary Happy Campers was captured with Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K digital film camera. Shot in Blackmagic RAW, Director and DP Amy Nicholson relied on the camera's dual native ISO to capture stark sunny days and dark summer nights while profiling the trailer park community of Inlet View Campground.
Photo credit: Grasshopper Film
Happy Campers follows the final days of a working class summer colony as they prepare for their waterfront campground to be sold to developers. Set on a backdrop of rust bitten RVs and stunning sunsets, Happy Campers explores what's beneath the clich trailer park stereotypes of the close knit community. Following the film's premiere at DOC NYC, America's largest documentary film festival, and a limited theatrical release, it's now available on VOD nationwide in US and Canada.
With more than 20 percent of the film captured at night to showcase campfires, fireworks and more, Nicholson identified the camera's dual native ISO as the most crucial element for the film.
Photo credit: Grasshopper Film
I had no lighting package, so I would get up before sunrise and shoot until the light got ugly, then do some interiors or wait until late afternoon, and go back out again. I didn't have the room or time for bounce cards, so everything in the final film was captured entirely as is. There was always a ton of wind, blazing sun, and a million mosquitos, but the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K made it all manageable.
The dual native ISO range was fabulous. When we got to color correction, editor John Young and I were astounded at how little noise reduction we had to do in the campfire and fireworks shots. Colorist Gene Curley at Nice Shoes worked his magic, but the camera allowed me to capture some stunning night scenes, Nicholson explained. When the image was enlarged, we would see detail we hadn't noticed on our dailies. I remember one particular night shot where John and I both yelled out loud, Look at all the bugs!'
Photo credit: Grasshopper Film
Living amongst her subjects, Nicholson took on both director and DP roles for the documentary. While she's previously directed five films, Happy Campers was Nicholson's first time as DP. She noted, Having never operated a camera before was a huge factor when selecting my kit. The Pocket Cinema Camera 4K's settings are clear and simple. Thanks to the Blackmagic OS, I was able to get comfortable with the settings in record time, and spoiler alert: time was literally running out at the trailer park. I had to grab 40 years of memories in a few short months, so I had no learning runway.
Nicholson credits the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K's small design with allowing her to straddle both director and DP roles. It allowed me to be stealthy and friendly, since I was directing at the same time, and I wanted the film to be primarily verit , she explained. For a novice like me, having a very small camera allowed me to operate, but it also kept me friendly. The smaller and less in your face' you can be, the more intimate your footage will be. Happy Campers' is a very intimate portrait of community, and it was extremely important to capture what was there without altering the feeling of the place. We were all very close in the campground, so projecting that feeling and getting close physically made all the difference in the world.
Photo credit: Grasshopper Film
When this project presented itself, and it became clear I would be shooting alone, I knew the Pocket would be great. I was shooting in an RV campground with lumpy dirt roads. I was living in a camper the entire time, and my production office was a small shed just outside with a single work table. Everything in my camera package had to fit into a garden cart, so it was very important that it be small and manageable. Simplicity was paramount, she added.
I am much better at talking and making people feel at ease than I am with F stops and focus. Just ask my editors. But once I got the first few batches of dailies through Resolve, I could shoot with absolute confidence. The sensor was amazing; it looked like film, said Nicholson. When you are shooting alone, sound is a huge factor and you really have to pay attention to your environment, so your brain is getting pulled in that direction constantly. Knowing the picture was going to be fabulous took one worry away.
Photo credit: Grasshopper Film
Audiences and fellow filmmakers are always surprised that I worked alone. But that's the point of the Pocket Cinema Camera 4K; that you can create a beautiful motion picture with a very small, easy to manage package that you can quickly learn, Nicholson concluded. I worked hard to make Happy Campers' feel more like an experience than just simply an observational film. It's an emotional story, and it would be impossible to feel it' had it been shot another way.
October 2, 2024RKM Studios Produces Music Videos Using Blackmagic CloudNick Phoenix's music videos shot with URSA Mini Pro 12K and completed
September 30, 2024Turn Your LOG Footage into Stunning Cinematic Visuals: A Color Grading Guide in DaVinci Resolve 19LOG footage is just the starting point with lots of possibilities. In
Enjoying the news? Sign up for the Creative COW Newsletter! Sign up for the Creative COW newsletter and get weekly updates on industry news, forum highlights, jobs, inspirational tutorials, tips, burning questions, and more! Receive bulletins from the largest, longest-running community dedicated to supporting profess
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
01/12/2025
L3Harris and PentenAmio formalise their teaming agreement at MilCIS 2025, streng...
01/12/2025
Artemis II is NASA's first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. The crew, from left: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Vic...
01/12/2025
IRVINE, Calif. Wooden Camera has introduced its new Accessory Collection for the Canon EOS C50. The new lineup includes a low-profile, gimbal-ready cage, expand...
01/12/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for its Dec. 18 Open Commission Meeting that will include a vote on a report an...
01/12/2025
In most years, a graph of annual local TV ad spending is about as predictable as an electrocardiogram of a reasonably healthy patient in a doctor's office. ...
01/12/2025
Many industries have seen big-ticket hardware turn into software. Switchers, though, demand a combination of real-time performance and sheer bandwidth that has ...
01/12/2025
GENEVA Shanghai will host the next quadrennial Radiocommunication Assembly (RA-27) and World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-27), Oct. 11-Nov. 12, 2027. This...
01/12/2025
NEW YORK Just in time for Giving Tuesday tomorrow (Dec. 2), the Broadcasters Foundation of America is seeking out donations to help television and radio industr...
01/12/2025
STOCKHOLM, Sweden Net Insight CEO Crister Fritzson has informed the company's board that he will retire from the video transport and media cloud technology ...
01/12/2025
01 Dec 2025
Kyivstar and Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation Select Go...
01/12/2025
The prequel to the global hit Sky Original mob crime saga, Gomorrah' is a s...
01/12/2025
Featuring Florence Welch, Red Hot Chilli Peppers' Flea, designer Bella Freud...
01/12/2025
Back to All News
A Down to Earth, All Too Relatable Hero: Cashero' Teaser ...
01/12/2025
In the rush to deliver content to every screen, many broadcasters overlook one of the most crucial steps in the workflow: format and frame rate conversion. Get ...
01/12/2025
Fox Corporation Chief Financial Officer Steve Tomsic to Participate in Upcoming ...
01/12/2025
Arvato Systems' Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Receives BSI C5 Certification (T...
01/12/2025
Summary This short video gives you an summary of the changes in under two minutes.
--...
01/12/2025
As the festive season approaches, RT Supporting the Arts is proud to showcase a...
01/12/2025
Researchers worldwide rely on open-source technologies as the foundation of their work. To equip the community with the latest advancements in digital and physi...
01/12/2025
Festive specials of Christmas in Kilmainham presented by Marty Whelan, High Road Low Road, Callan Kicks the Year and Keys to My Life
Ring in the New Year with ...
01/12/2025
Architect and television presenter Hugh Wallace, best known to RT audiences as a long-serving judge on Home of the Year, has died at the age of 68.
In a state...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
Happy Campers Documentary Shot with Pocket Cinema Camera 4K 
