In Susanna Kosa’s promo for biking brand Merida, starring cyclist Marius Røren, we are locked in from the first frame to the last.

“I really wanted this film to be about being in the moment,” Sanna explains. “I want the viewer to breathe with him, feel the burn in his legs and the exhilaration as he speeds downhill.” Shot over three days with the Sony FX6 and Sony Alpha 7S III, the film is composed of multiple elements, and with First Person View (FPV) from her collaborator, Chrisander Bergan, each shot merges into a fluid high-speed ride.

“One of my specialties is outdoor sports and I do a lot of video work in cycling,” Susanna explains. “I’d used some FPV footage from a drone-mounted action camera before, and the impression of speed was amazing. With Marius I wanted to use FPV, but with a cinema camera. I was so glad I found Chris to help, as he was instrumental in the success of the project.”

Filming the spectacular scenery needed a spectacular pilot, and Chris jumped at the chance. “I love to collaborate with skilled filmmakers and add something to their work. Why use an FPV drone rather than a regular GPS version? Both can follow a rider, but with an FPV drone you can really push the X-factor.” Chris explains. “Pilots as good as Chris have an eye for cinematic framing and they’re able to fly sideways with the rider, spin around them and do some really wild stuff too,” adds Susanna.

Adding to the idea of speed, Susanna and Chris were sure to use frame rates and shutter speeds that would give a proper sense of pace. “For the aerial shots, we used 50fps, so a 1/100sec shutter speed,” Susanna confirms, “which along with the FE 14mm f/1.8 GM lens gave some fluidity to the footage. Chris could get close to Marius while isolating him against this blur of scenery. For the terrestrial shots I used 25fps for most because to me it feels the most natural.”

Using Sony FX6 and Sony Alpha 7S III cameras for both the aerial and terrestrial elements gave consistent colour and quality with an organic, connected feel. “Handheld or FPV, the FX6 is light enough to do either,” Susanna says. “We stripped it down for use on the drone and plugged the monitor back in to check footage between flights. Weight is always important for the way that I work, because there’s a lot of hiking and I need to carry all the kit myself.”

Not just part of the storytelling, speed was also a factor in production, and for that the FX6 was equally instrumental. “We were shooting throughout the day and conscious of the need to work quickly as we didn’t want our athlete Marius to cool down and injure himself,” Susanna says. “One of the decisions to use the FX6 was for its digital ND mode, which is much faster in controlling exposure than using physical filters.”

“Working roadside, car-to-car, or in the air, rolling shutter can be a huge concern for the speed we were working at, too,” Susanna continues, “except that with the FX6 it’s not an issue at all! Normally at those speeds you might see some bending in the frame. The solution is to go up in speed to avoid it, but that means you lose the motion blur. With the FX6, it’s possible to stay at the most cinematic speeds.”

“All those factors mean the FX6 is ranked as a top choice by FPV pilots,” Chris chips in, “the weight, the AF, the low-light capabilities, the choice of frame rates, and also how easy the camera is to balance on a drone.”

And while they only spent a few days on location, Susanna is quick to point out the speed that her team came together, too. “Seeing some of the early footage I knew we were making something special with special people,” she remembers. “The first time I saw Chris flying this big drone with the FX6 slung on top, he cut the power and just let it drop out of the air into his hand. It was obvious he was a great flyer, and the whole team showed companionship and dedication right up until the last shot.”

“The sun was down, the sky was purple and there was some beautiful pink light,” she finishes. “We had 50 seconds left on the SD card and two minutes of battery for one last run. Everyone was excited, and Chris said ‘if we get this shot, I’ll jump in the fjord.’ And of course he had to do it. With such a good pilot and the FX6 it was never in doubt.”