EOS C200: Behind the Scenes with Porsche New Zealand

New Zealand has some of the most scenic roads in the world, and therefore acted as an ideal backdrop for Porsche Asia Pacific to film a media launch piece for the EOS C200 - a rugged, small yet powerful addition to Canon’s cinema range.

Porsche had invited a handful of international guests to come on the experience, so the day had to be a run-and-gun shoot to accommodate the guests, but still maintain the quality of a high-end production. Working with Logan West(producer and photographer) and Joel McDowell (driver and BTS photographer) for this shoot, it was critical everyone was in communication with each other as we knew there were stretches of road and key landmarks that we couldn’t miss. We scouted the route the day before to see where we could pass the convoy and which spots would look the best on camera.

I’ve always been a big fan of Canon’s cameras. I specialise in music events, lifestyle, and automotive videography, so for the majority of my shoots I need a camera that is reliable, compact, comfortable and produces a cinema quality image. For this project in particular the Canon EOS C200 was an ideal choice, paired with the EOS 1DX Mark II as my secondary handheld DSLR for moments when we needed to jump quickly out the car and get passing shots or scenic B-Roll. It let me utilise a full Canon colour, 4K50fps workflow that’s relatively lightweight and suited for fast-paced productions like these.

The EOS C200 was mounted to a Movi Pro, attached to a RigWheels Cloud Mount, which can be re-positioned quickly around the car for rear, side or front shots. It’s light weight, reliability, and weather resistance made it suit a gimbal setup, being able to continue rolling in case of bad weather. We used a MIMIC with a Ninja V external recorder to control and monitor shots from inside the car, meaning I could run the entire setup from the passenger seat, tweaking camera settings using the browser remote built into the EOS C200.

The Canon EOS C200 paired with the Atomos Ninja V is a must-have combo as an addition to the camera. It expands the capabilities of the EOS C200’s recording outputs and makes it extremely versatile for different types of shoots, both on-camera and off. It builds on my current 4K50 workflow, allowing me to record ProRes externally over HDMI - perfect for this shoot as natural lighting conditions changed in a split-second, meaning we had some wiggle room in post. Both the camera and the recorder were built for the same reasons, and it simply feels like it should be a part of the camera.

It’s stunning to see these cars on our road, and this shoot made for a technically challenging yet rewarding experience - a significant mix of art direction and practical skill, which the Canon EOS C200 was well equipped to handle.

A few final tips

1. Always follow the road rules.
2. Use polarising filters on automotive shoots, to minimise glare and reflections.
3. Don't be afraid to speed up your footage in post-production. In this instance, I increased the speed of my footage to make an 80 km/h shot feel like 120 km/h.

Matthew Clode is a cinematographer from Auckland, New Zealand. From leading New Zealand in event filmmaking to producing cleanly tailored film for commercial clients, Matt creates tension, character and excitement in each project that he creates.