‘Guardians of the Galaxy 2’ Is First To Shoot On Advanced New Camera

The first Guardians of the Galaxy film was praised for a wide number of reasons, not the least of which being the film’s outstanding visuals. It appears as if Marvel‘s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is looking for an even more enhanced visual design, as the film has just been confirmed as the first movie ever to shoot on RED’s 8K WEAPON Vista Vision/full-frame 35mm camera.

A press release by RED discusses the camera’s chief selling points, in addition to quoting praise from certain members of the Guardians crew.

“We are all hugely excited to be shooting the next Guardians of the Galaxy on the new WEAPON 8K. This is my third collaboration with RED, having previously shot with the RED EPIC® on Prometheus and the EPIC DRAGON on Tarzan,” says Nik Korda, Executive Producer. “The large sensor size and super high resolution offered by the new WEAPON 8K, combined with its lightweight and compact size open up a whole range of new creative possibilities.”

WEAPON 8K captures 8K at 75 frames per second (fps), 6K at 100 fps, or 4K at 150 fps with REDCODE® RAW; and its wide dynamic range produces cinema-quality images rich with natural color. Additionally, WEAPON 8K features interchangeable lens mounts, an intelligent OLPF system, and in-camera 3D-LUT outputs.

“RED’s 8K WEAPON is the little big camera. Perfectly counterintuitive. And perfect for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2,” says Henry Braham, BSC, Director of Photography.

There is no statement as to whether or not the new camera will be used for the entire shoot, or simply to enhance certain key sequences in the film. No Film School notes that use of the new camera may complicate certain technical aspects of cinematography, such as lens choice. They also note, however, that the payoff may be worth the effort.

The 8K WEAPON is actually a bit more advanced than anything necessary for most Hollywood films (a theater screen can only show 4K), but this will work in the film’s favor. With a high-resolution sensor, the camera provides visuals with interpolated color that will appear much sharper than the average 4K film. In short, it’s never really a bad thing to shoot with more resolution than you technically need

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is set to premiere this colorful new tech in theaters on May 5, 2017.

Source: No Film School