Tang Chi’s FS5 wedding shoot
One of China’s most respected wedding cinematographers reveals his thoughts on a camcorder he helped design.
Tang Chi is one of China’s most famous wedding cinematographers, originally based in Shanghai his distinctive, highly cinematographic style helped define the look of a modern wedding video. In addition to being a director of the Tang Film Pictures studio he founded in 2012, he served on China’s first national wedding video contest in 2013 and is a highly regarded lecturer at Shanghai Theatre Academy. His reputation ensured he was one of a small group of cinematographers invited by Sony to contribute to the design of the PXW-FS5.
A typical Tang Chi wedding shoot takes place over two days, with his first FS5 shoot featuring one day in Xiamen and another in Beijing. The above video shows highlights from Her Dream, followed by a detailed behind-the-scenes account.
Interview with Tang Chi
I’ve been shooting wedding videos for over a decade and I’m still greatly touched by every wedding. I aim to make every wedding video the best I’ve ever done. So I really enjoy the challenge of each shoot and the reaction of my customers when they see my work. I was recently honoured to be consulted in the development of the PXW-FS5.
What surprises me most is that the camera weighs just 0.83 kg, a perfect weight for so many purposes. For example, it can be easily mounted on a Steadicam, drones, and shoulder pads.I found its light weight enormously helpful for so many scenes and applications.
Getting ready for a bright future
When time is limited, I can quickly get the camera ready to shoot. No need to worry about camera weight and size. Two batteries, U30 and U60, provided enough power for the whole day’s shooting. I used third-party and Sony lenses, both performed really well.
As for memory, I used two 128GB Sony SD cards, and also simultaneously recorded a back-up to be safe.
PXW-FS5 has an amazing 200fps slow motion feature, which helps me to capture every special moment which I couldn’t do before with my DSLR. This feature allows me to shoot very fluent slow motion pictures When I want to express something romantic or express some special feelings. Slow motion helps give my short love story movies a more cinematic feel.
PXW-FS5 has an amazing 200fps slow motion feature, which helps me to capture every special moment which I couldn't do before with my DSLR.
Tang Chi
Wedding cinematographer
Another new function of the PXW-FS5 that really amazed me is variable ND, which is a revolutionary way to control exposure without sacrificing DoF. This ND filter not only features traditional 4 stops ND of clear, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16 It also enables you to finely tune exposure without changing DoF by adjusting ND.
Another special function is Clear Image Zoom, which gives your prime lens a 2x zoom effect without visible picture quality loss. When I use 50mm lens and my movement is limited due to space, I always use this function to adjust framing. Then without changing lens, I can easily get perfect framing.
I used several Picture Profiles, switching between them according to the situation.
It’s easy to adjust colour tone, contrast and other detail. With PP and other settings, I can easily get closer to the look I want on site. PP presets also leave you enough space for post-production and colour grading. I think everyone should use customised Picture Profile settings.
PXW-FS5 is amazing. It perfectly combines both professional features and mobility.
Its variable ND, super slow motion and PP, have all given me incredible experiences.
