“Our goal is to capture the rawest images”. That’s how director Thierry Donard describes his cinematic approach, as he talks about his latest white-knuckle project: Human X Part II. And, given that Donard films the most remarkable athletes, in the most extreme conditions, those raw images are truly breathtaking.

For over 40 years, the French filmmaker has followed extreme sportspeople over mountains, waves and everywhere in between. He films hard. He needs his equipment to be tough, compact and dependable. That’s why he chose Sony’s BURANO, FX3, FX6 and G Master lenses for the sequel to his original exploration of extreme sports athletes: Human X.

Compact excellence

Donard and his team shot almost exclusively in harsh conditions and uncompromising locations. Getting the shot required both creativity and practicality.

For many of the shots in Human X Part II, this meant making the most of the compact form of the Sony FX3 and FX6. From helmet mounts to gimbal rigs and even placing the cameras in boxes for shots in rivers and underwater, these smaller Cinema Line cameras delivered images from the heart of the action on multiple occasions. When extensive mountaineering gear and safety equipment were needed, the minute footprint of the FX3 was truly appreciated.

This was complemented by Sony’s G Master lenses, which were used with all the cameras to bring incredible optical quality within a practical, compact design.

Extreme shooting tip 1: Safety gear and equipment must ALWAYS be prioritised. Shoot with smaller cameras and lenses, if needed.

The BURANO was Donard’s A-camera of choice though, proving itself to be far more practical and manageable than other cinema cameras. Donard found he was able to shoot with it on his shoulder or a tripod - even handheld - and all without a camera assistant. Something which was especially helpful with such a small crew.

Crucially, by filming with Sony Cinema Line cameras, Donard is also able to achieve a consistent look across all his shots, whether they’ve been captured on the BURANO, FX6 or FX3.

Rapid changes and lighting challenges

The nature of the action in Human X Part II meant that many of the shots had only one take, with no chance of re-shooting. What’s more, both the subject and the lighting conditions could change with little warning, so Donard and his team had to adapt quickly. This made the autofocus on the BURANO and FX6 invaluable, providing pin-sharp clarity amongst the exhilarating chaos and rushing action. Donard knew that his cameras would move the point of focus as his subjects moved.

Extreme shooting tip 2: Keeping a shot in focus is paramount, but incredibly challenging in extreme sports filmmaking. Make sure you have a powerful autofocus or a talented 1^st AC with you.

As lighting conditions changed, the electronic variable ND filters within BURANO and the FX6 were an absolute essential. These allowed Donard to adjust exposure by up to 7 stops, without touching the aperture or spending time scrambling for external filters. And the new exposure analysis tool meant that he could quickly check the highlights and shadows of a shot with a single tap.

At moments of low light, the dual native ISO of the BURANO, in particular, saved the production. It delivered startling dynamic range to capture the first rays of sun cresting a mountain range or the last of the daylight kissing the barrel of a wave. In Donard’s words, the dynamic range that the BURANO demonstrated on this shoot was “exceptional”.

Extreme shooting tip 3: Fast-paced productions mean creative decisions can’t always be made in the moment. Working with cameras and file formats that offer high dynamic range keeps choices open for post-production.

Empowered by incredible low light capabilities, the BURANO’s new V2 firmware upgrade then unlocked incredibly smooth slow motion capabilities. Shooting at 120fps in 3.8K or 240fps at 1.9K allowed Donard to “freeze moments that are barely perceptible to the naked eye”, giving him “a cinematic look while ensuring optimal clarity in fast-paced, unpredictable environments”.

Smooth, colour-rich post-production

With that exceptional dynamic range captured across hundreds of hours of unique, captivating footage, Human X Part II needed to work with a file format that balanced creative possibility and workflow practicality. Shooting with Sony’s X-OCN on the BURANO, Donard’s team unlocked cinema quality images with files that were much smaller than the RAW files they’d used before - and therefore easier to manage ‘on the ground’. This helped the team to speed up post-production while still working with a 16-bit format that allowed for remarkable scope in colour grading.

Throughout production and post, Donard and his team pushed every tool they could to explore how extreme sports athletes continue to push themselves. And Sony’s cameras stood out for what they enabled.