- We are here in the Lowdown screening room,
where I have been watching some of our next guests
work on the Sony Laser Projector,
and let me tell you what, it looks so good.
We are gonna be talking to Drew Geraci
who is a Sony Artisan and film maker,
but first, before we talk to him,
let me give you the Lowdown on the Sony Laser Projector.
The Sony Laser Projector has consistent brightness
and colors, smooth dynamic contrast, fast on and off,
and up to 20,000 hours of virtually no maintenance.
Fun fact, you could watch a movie a day for 27 years.
That sounds pretty fun to me.
And now I am so excited to talk to our next guest,
Drew Geraci, from his early days
of a US Navy combat photographer,
all the way to the biggest productions in Hollywood.
He is also a Sony Artisan, and just an overall incredible
filmmaker and cinematographer,
and he is here to chat with us today.
Hey Drew, thanks so much for being with us,
it's great to have you on the Lowdown.
- I'm really excited, thanks for having me.
- [Jenna] This is great, I was watching some of your work
on the projection before we were chatting,
and I am very impressed,
and I have lots of questions for you.
- Well, I've got lots of answers for you,
so I'm really excited.
- All right, so let's just jump into it.
So, what is it like seeing your work
projected on the big screen?
- I think there's something to be said
about seeing your work on the big screen,
just because you're actually getting to see
the full resolution, the full pixel count,
and it's just one of those kind of mesmerizing experiences
that is unforgettable.
So I think there's definitely a back and forth battle
between filmmakers and content creators,
because while it's great to be a able to consume something
so easily on your phone or your tablet,
I think there's definitely something to be said about
actually watching the content as it was prepared by the DP
and the director,
and being able to see it come to life on the big screen.
- Now you do a lot of filming in 4K and even 8K,
is there anything that you were shooting,
and then you took it to the big screen on a projector,
and you were watching it where you're like,
oh, I actually didn't even notice that
when I was filming it?
- Yeah, actually that happens quite a bit.
We just finished filming for the Sony Airpeak S1,
and we were out in Utah, and we were shooting
with the Sony Alpha one, which shoots 8K ,
and I was able to capture some incredible experiences
with the new drone and the camera,
but I was able to see the detail and the mountains,
and you can actually see the snow fluttering
off the top of the mountains in 8K,
and it's just absolutely mesmerizing to watch.
And it's those kind of details that you don't normally see
if you're watching on 1080p or below.
- So we are now seeing HDR a lot more,
and I feel like it might be confusing for a lot of people,
and even myself sometimes,
do you wanna explain kind of HDR?
- Yeah, I mean, I think in the simplest term,
HDR is for high dynamic range.
And high dynamic range really allows you
to see those mid tones,
those highlights, and those shadows,
in ways that you've really never seen them before.
And it also gives the artists, or the cinematographer,
the chance to really showcase what it is
that they wanted to show when they were creating that piece,
whether it's for a TV show or for a film.
- So I also hear that you have a lot of things
that you've been working on,
is there anything that you're able to talk about?
- Oh, that's a great question.
So there's always a lot of things that are being worked on,
I do a lot of motion control time lapse,
as well as aerial work,
and we're working on a couple different feature films.
I can't necessarily say what, or who they are for,
but we're creating content
that honestly has never been created before,
and it's really about going out there,
and kind of doing experimental stuff when it comes to HDR
and high resolution content.
So we are using a plethora
of different kind of Sony Alpha cameras,
as well as the Venice two,
and when you combine all those together,
you can create some really nice movie magic.
- So you told us how technology
has changed your experience as a filmmaker.
How has it changed for you as a viewer?
- If you look at all the different shows
and streaming services that are out there,
there's a lot of offers that come with 4K HDR,
4K or 8K Dolby Atmos Vision,
all these different plethoras of color combinations,
and I think from my viewing standpoint,
being able to see it on the big screen,
or on a projection, or a TV in your house,
has really come a long way.
And being able to see all those pixels,
especially in a 4K or an 8K screen,
it immerses you in an environment
that maybe you didn't really notice or see before,
when you're viewing it in 1080 or even 720p.
- So I'm a huge Sony fan, I shoot on all Sony,
so I'm kind of curious of what your cameras,
what lenses, what's your go to setup?
- Well, that's great, I'm a huge Sony fan too.
I've got a plethora of different setups,
I love my Sony Alpha one,
it's probably my favorite camera to use.
And then I also use the Sony A7S3,
the A7R3 and R4, the A74, I've got too many cameras.
I've got a camera addiction, actually.
- I do too.
- And I have to say that it just gets better with time.
Sony's coming out with all these amazing lenses,
especially my favorite right now is the new 12 to 24,
and the 70-200 mark two, because that lens
is the crispest, sharpest lens I've used, probably ever.
And it's one of those things that when you're shooting
an interview, or you're shooting landscape shots,
you're just gonna get an incredible view.
And when you couple that with the AK technology
from the Sony Alpha one, you get the crispiest,
the sharpest and the freshest looking image,
and it's probably one of the reasons
why I use it all the time.
- So you have worked on a lot of projects,
what is your favorite project this year?
- Actually, my favorite project this year
is working with the Sony Airpeak.
Being able to go out to Utah,
being able to capture incredible vistas,
especially ones that I've never seen before,
because I've never been to Utah.
So it was kind of a nice wake up call
when I was able to take the Airpeak out there,
and get shots at 200, 300, 400 feet,
and see different perspectives using the Sony Alpha one.
And for me personally, working on these projects
really just helps invigorate me,
and gets me excited for the next big project.
- So you were at a point in your career
where you are working on the highest productions,
with some of the most incredible producers and directors,
what is that like?
- That's a great question,
because sometimes I have to pinch myself,
because it really feels like a dream.
But being able to collaborate with different directors
and DPs and creatives of all levels,
it's one of those things where it's like,
it's surreal, but at the same time, they're just people,
and being able to work on high profile sets,
and you understand the technical aspects,
you go in there, you do a job, and then you do it again,
and again, and again, and again, and it's wonderful.
I never actually thought that I would end up
being able to work with Steven Spielberg,
or David Fincher, or Alejandro Inarritu.
Because these were all idols of mine when I was growing up,
and then literally because of the work that I was creating,
it put me in a position where I could then
work with these highly influential directors.
- Now, this is a question I like to ask a lot
of creative people that I meet.
What inspires you, and what keeps you motivated?
- Oh my gosh, that's an amazing question,
because I feel like inspiration
comes from a lot of different things.
I love social media,
because I get to see what other people are doing.
Other photographers, cinematographers,
and I can take the information
that they're putting out there and be like,
oh wow, that's a great idea.
Maybe I can couple it with this, this and this,
and then create something that's original and of my own.
I get inspired when I can see something coming to fruition.
I'll go out there and I'll shoot a shot, and be like,
oh wow, this looks really good,
why don't I try doing it this way?
And then I'll go out and keep replicating it,
and doing it over and over again until I can perfect it,
and it then just spirals
into this giant ball of inspiration,
and that's pretty much what's been happening
for the last couple of months now,
and I haven't been happier.
- Well, your work is incredible,
and it has been such an honor to talk to you,
and thank so much for being on the Lowdown.
And like I said, we are now best friends,
because we have all of the same interests,
so I'm gonna add you on Instagram.
- I love it, we're BFFs.
Thanks for having me, have a great day.
- Drew, thank you so much, I really appreciate it.