A new promotional video from Sony has been circulating showing Director Ben Affleck and Salvatore Totino ASC going around Los Angeles testing the new Burano. The video’s purpose is to show how small and convenient the Burano is compared to the Sony Venice 2, their flagship cinema camera.
In the video there is one part that makes anyone with common sense cringe, as Totino hangs out the window to get a supposedly better angle but ironically defeats the purpose of the whole video showing how convenient it is to use the Burano.
The reason the video is getting a ton of flack is because these are professionals but are shown practicing and promoting poor safety practices that should never be done whether on a professional or amateur set. You never want to have someone on set be compromised in a dangerous situation, which could put someone’s life at risk. In this case, hanging out of a car window to get the shot, and albeit a poor looking shot.
What could’ve been done differently?
A simple way to have still gotten the shot in this specific scenario is to simply reposition the screen to a different angle that accommodates to your position. And in this case, if the burano on board camera can’t fold that way, add another monitor that allows you to do so. Another is to get a wider lens that solves the issue of being too close.
We make sure on our projects to always follow set safety best practices, and make sure everything is done correctly and safely without putting anyone at risk, whether it’s crew or talent. Make you always work with a company that values safety over getting the shot.
Where can I find the video?
You can find the clip here, which was posted by a user on reddit. The original video is: Ben Affleck & Salvatore Totino ASC, AIC take the Sony BURANO for a spin around LA (Sony has now removed the original version of the video that contained this due to criticism of poor safety practices)
Sony engaging in and promoting dangerous practices in their new promo for the Burano with Ben Affleck. The camera guy hangs out the window to get a better shot. This video is being scrubbed off the internet, privated on youtube, and removed from Sony’s site.
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