Mercedes chooses Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Pro for latest campaign

The advertising campaign for Mercedes-AMG’s EQS 53, an all-electric vehicle, was shot with Blackmagic Design’s Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro and Pocket Cinema Camera 4K.

The digital campaign was directed by Alessandro Di Cristanziano, while the cinematographer was Leonardo Cestari, who was supported by drone pilot Simone Castagna, cameraman Leo Papuluzzo and editor and colourist Andrea Pescini. The shoot spared no resources, with a special DJ set up on the terrace of the Lumen Mountain Photography Museum in Kronplatz (Plan de Corones), and took place over three days in the Trentino-Alto Adige/South Tyrol region of Italy.

Cestari confirms that the choice of Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera models was due to their “incredible versatility, especially given the logistical challenges of the various mountain elements that made up a significant proportion of this shoot.” “Beyond that, I love their excellent cinematographic qualities,” he confirms. The crews responded perfectly to the various challenges of the shoot, including managing the light in mountainous terrain: “The sun behind us was very harsh compared to the light on the mountains, as was the light in between the branches, causing strong areas of light and shadow. However, the wide latitude and dynamic range of the 6K sensor ensured that we could balance these two completely different lights easily, while the Gen 5 color science helped to get the truest essence of the colors.”

Der Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro was mounted on a vehicle using a spring system in order to shoot the Mercedes-AMG EQS 53 sequences on the winding road. In contrast, the interior scenes of the commercial were shot in a garage with an electronic dolly, which helped to achieve dynamic and elegant images. In parallel, a drone with a Pocket Cinema Camera 4K unit and a 10mm lens captured the campaign’s various aerial sequences for a more contemporary look.

Lighting and post-production

Inside the garage, Cestari relied on LED-based lighting: “”For example, we achieved the signature red on the dashboard using a dimmable LED tube from Astera, while an ARRI SkyPanel helped with the filling light. Rating the camera at its native 3200 ISO, we were able to move comfortably in the dark dimness of the garage, while still getting a clean image thanks to the camera’s dual gain sensor.”

The production team used a ProRes 422 HQ workflow to capture 4K footage for delivery in UHD, while relying on DaVinci Resolve Studio for editing and colour grading the material: “I loved how the entire editing and color workflow worked so smoothly for us by staying in one software tool,” notes Cestari.