Shooting a travel video using only a Sony Xperia 1 IV wouldn't stop filmmaker Dennis Schmelz from unleashing all his creative powers. After just a few days shooting in the Swiss Alps, Dennis used the cinematic tricks he would usually employ with his Sony Alpha 7S III to make a short travel video using the latest premium Sony smartphone.

“I want every movie I make to be dynamic”, says Dennis “and that is why I used the different features of the Xperia 1 IV to change the speed and look of the film. I used each of the three camera modules to get different looks and shot in 4K at 120fps to create slow-motion and shot time-lapse sequences. These changes in viewpoint and speed are what helped to make the final film look so dynamic.”

Dennis had the perfect shooting location, surrounded by beautiful mountains and winter sports. “The story was built around what we can film in the mountains. We chose two athletes – a skier and an ice skater. I could film them both whizzing by, before then slowing the footage down. All thanks to the Xperia’s impressive 120fps shooting rate.”

With no lenses to change, the Xperia 1 IV offered Dennis freedom you do not have with a regular camera. “Filming with the smartphone is super easy and handy because it is so small. You can bring it everywhere, which is particularly handy for projects like this,” Dennis adds.

With kit kept to an absolute minimum, Dennis was fearless in improvising to achieve the creative shots we see in the film. In one scene, we see a close-up of tiny frozen snowflakes on the ground. It looks like Dennis used a macro lens and slider, but the reality is somewhat different.

The Xperia 1 IV has three rear-facing cameras, each with a Zeiss lens. The 16mm lens provides a super wide-angle field of view, while the 24mm lens is excellent for more standard shots. The impressive 85-125mm optical zoom lens even more fantastic, particularly for portraits and capturing those finer details within a scene. “All three cameras can shoot in 4K resolution at 120 fps too, making the Xperia the perfect companion for a filmmaker like myself,” says Dennis.

Dennis wanted to get some wide overview shots of the location, just as he would on any other video he would typically shoot. Usually, he would use a drone to do this, and even though he was shooting with a smartphone, Dennis was still undeterred from getting these shots.

Bright sunlight and white snow can cause problems for any filmmaker. Yet, with careful planning, Dennis could ensure he kept as much detail in the sky and snow without blowing out the highlight detail, all thanks to the Xperia.

“I underexposed most of the shots to keep the highlight detail in the clouds and snow, and then in post-production, I lifted the shadows a little. There is no flat or S-Log profile, but if you keep that in mind, you can work within the limits of the footage.”

Changing the Xperia 1 IV settings is straightforward, especially as the menu system and display resemble those of an Alpha series camera. This gave Dennis the freedom to change settings quickly when needed and ensure he was ready at all times to get the shots he wanted.

“Sometimes, we were shooting in rough conditions at an altitude of almost 4,000 metres. It was super cold, and the wind was blowing. It would have been much harder in these conditions to change lenses on a camera so the fact I could grab the Xperia 1 IV, take the shot, put the phone back in my pocket and ski to the next point was so liberating. I was always ready to hit record and can’t wait to take the Xperia back out there again!”

To see more of Dennis' work, visit his website - https://www.dennisschmelz.de/