Photo Credit: Bob Kurtz
‘Yvonne’ is a short film that follows a homemakerwho is frustrated with her family life and is desperately trying to change her circumstances. In her desperation for change, she decides to take up permanent residence inside her refrigerator. It’s a comedic story of the unbelievable lengths we will go to change ourselves and those around us; what will be most unbelievable to many of you reading this article, is that it was shot entirely on a camera that retails for $1299.
‘Yvonne,’ the newest short from director Andrew Putschoegl, wasshot in 4K using Samsung’s flagship camera, the NX1, andis a case study in just how far the technology has progressed and just how far Samsung is willing to push the envelope. For those unfamiliar with the NX1, the camera has a back-illuminated 28.2-megapixel sensor that is capable of shooting full-resolution 4K movies at 24-frames per second – the industry standard for filmmakers.Ihad the opportunity to speak with Andrew Putschoegl about the process of shooting an entire movie project on the Samsung NX1.
ALC: First off, congrats on the positive reception coming out of L.A. Social Media Week. Can you walk us through the typical set-up for your shoots?
Andrew Putschoegl (AP): We shot ‘Yvonne’ on a sound stage; most of the set was pre-built so it was a matter of coming and setting up our lights for each shot. It was great because this allowed us to have complete control over lighting. I used the NX1 primarily to see what we can do and do well with it. I loved that it allowed me to set it to continuous auto-focus and just forget it. [The NX1] is a great tool because it doesn’t get in the way of telling our story.
ALC: What were some of the other benefits of shooting with the Samsung NX1 over a larger camera system?
AP: There are definitely benefits to going smaller; for one we were able to put the camera in places that we just couldn’t get to with a bigger system. In ‘Yvonne’ the shots [where the perspective was] from inside the fridge just wouldn’t be possible; with a larger system we’d have to destroy the fridge – cutting out the back to place a camera behind the wall just wasn’t in the budget. (Laughing) We had to return the fridge in one piece.
Also with shooting with the NX1 we knew that the 4K video can easily be adapted for any screen. So we weren’t too concerned about whether people were going to watch this online, on their phones, or on a big movie theater screen. Shooting in 4K allows us to scale the picture to fit the screen it will be displayed on; we’ve already submitted ‘Yvonne’ to various film festivals. (Ed. Note: ‘Yvonne’ debuted on YouTube a link to the full movie can be found below.)
More importantly the NX1 allows me to invest in this system at a low price point. Even if I can’t get a budget of half-a-million dollars, it won’t stop me from being able to tell the stories we want to tell. It breaks down many barriers to entry; I can use this camera with a crew of 30 people but I can just as easily scale down to a one-person crew. I’ll go in shoot some B-roll and then perform an interview with just camera.
ALC: What’s the most important thing people should know about shooting with the NX1 or any other camera for that matter?
AP: A camera is just a tool to tell your story. We’re creating in a time where we don’t have to be constrained by our tools. There are just so many resources available to filmmakers that just weren’t available 5-10 years ago. You can shoot high-quality films at a fraction of the cost. There’s nothing to keep you from executing your vision.
Andrew Putschoegl is a native of Oakdale, Minnesota. He graduated from Chapman University in Orange, California with a degree in film and television production, with an emphasis on directing and producing. His work includes features, television, shorts, commercials, music videos, and webisodes. One of his most recent projects, the short film Hello Caller, won the Theatrical Distribution Offer Award at the 2011 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. He continues to develop and create projects across various formats for domestic and international audiences.
Check out ‘Yvonne’ and some behind the scenes footagebelow:
