7 minute read

Documentary Filmmaking with GFX100 II

Hear from the team behind a new documentary film made with FUJIFILM GFX100 II focusing on the Caramel Curves Black female biker group

Geneva Peschka and Anna Andersen are two directors that believe in the power of storytelling.

“Stories change the world, right?” begins Geneva. “Look at history. History itself is a story. Whoever has told it, storytelling is a beautiful tool.”

Anna agrees: “As a storyteller, you get to see so many different types of people doing weird, crazy, and wonderful things you would never expect. And you get to share their stories alongside them. That’s such a gift.”

“The two of us focus on connection, sisterhood, women, amplifying marginalized communities, and changing narratives,” Geneva adds.

Caramel Curves female biker group stand on coast cheering with hands raised while looking out to sea

Caramel Curves

Their recent collaboration using FUJIFILM GFX100 II is called The Solace of Sisterhood – a documentary film that focuses on a Black female motorcycle group in New Orleans named Caramel Curves. After first hearing about the group, the pair were immediately inspired.

“They were unlike any other biker crew we had ever seen,” says Anna. “They’re dressed to the nines, look amazing, and are all about the community. They’re about showing up for the kids, especially little girls, showing them why riding is so freeing, and such a great way to find release.”

The film focuses on the group’s co-founders, Coco and Tru, and Tru’s daughter, Skye. It aims to go past the ‘biker chick’ exterior, telling a more personal story about the Caramel Curves.

“I wanted to explore who these women were beyond how they have been portrayed to the world, and to hold space for softness, duality, and vulnerability,” expresses Geneva.

“We wanted to portray the beautiful relationships of a mother and daughter, and sisterhood,” she continues, “as well as delving into what type of legacy you want to pass on in the world.”

For Anna, using GFX100 II on a project like this was ideal.

“If you need to be nimble, but still want incredible footage and great colors, this is the camera,” she enthuses. “If you’re mounting it on anything, doing any sort of action, or trying to have a low footprint in an intimate space, this is a great camera. You can also scale it up to do something extremely commercial too. It has those capabilities.”

Mother and daughter in bright pink outfits stand on top of a grassy hill against a dark cloudy sky

Personal Connections

Tru and Skye’s story holds a deeper significance for Geneva, who was herself raised by a single mother. She was greatly impacted by the community of women her mother had built while growing up.

“Whether it was intentionally or unintentionally, I had access to all these different worlds because of the sisterhood of women she created around me,” Geneva recalls. “So, that theme is greatly important to me.

“This group of Black female motorcyclists, the beauty of sisterhood, and the impact of it on our lives is such a beautiful and profound thing. Especially at a time in the world when we can feel so isolated, and so alone.

“There are already incredible stories about these women out there, but Anna and I wanted an opportunity to expand the narrative even wider, to give a more open lens.

“We’re in a world where loneliness is a pandemic, we just need human relationships and the power they hold,” concludes Geneva. “We want people to look at each other differently, more openly, and with ease.”

woman sits on motorbike looking sideways past camera

Anna agrees, adding that she hopes the film will broaden aspirations. “We hope young women see these awesome riders, get inspired and decide to do something they may have thought was out of reach.

“We also hope it encourages them to find softness in themselves, and understand we’re all people who can hold both hardness and softness at the same time. We hope it reassures them we’re all complicated, have lots of layers, and are full of dualities – and that it helps them embrace that.”

GFX100 II: A Trusted Companion

Documenting such a dynamic group comes with its challenges, but Kenny Hamlett, co-director of photography alongside Safiyah Chiniere, reveals that, with a combination of portability and AI-assisted subject detection autofocus, GFX100 II was perfect for the job.

“I knew we had to be able to move with them on the bikes – I didn’t want to simply film them going past from tripods, so I brought my car mount” Kenny begins. “Then I found out GFX100 II has a dedicated motorcycle tracking autofocus, and I thought: this camera is built for this project!

“We stripped it down to just the camera and lens, and mounted it on the car – I didn’t even need any manual focus tools. Being able to trust the camera to find focus while tracking a motorcycle was impressive.”

Director of photography using camera rig

Photo 2023 © Justin Stailey | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF18mmF2 R, 1/250 sec at F2, ISO 125

Another advantage of having GFX100 II in hand was its versatility. From tracking moving motorcycles on the streets to interview footage and B roll of the city, the team found the camera a winning tool.

A big reason for this was GFX100 II’s support for a variety of formats, including FUJINON Premista, 35mm, and anamorphic – all made possible with a simple GF to PL adapter. These options come in addition to an already-extensive range of high-quality FUJINON GF Lenses that make full use of the camera’s newly developed 43.8×32.9mm GFX 102MP CMOS II HS sensor.

“We could use whatever lenses we wanted,” beams Kenny. “Being able to use anamorphic, Premistas – it was great.

“It’s also possible to connect an external SSD and roll on that, which meant these huge file sizes became manageable, so we weren’t having to swap memory cards all the time.”

Safiyah agrees, commenting on the camera’s ease of use and its In-Body Image Stabilization (IBIS), which provides up to eight stops of correction.

“I’d never used the camera before, but I loved it,” says Safiyah. “I liked how easy it was to navigate. Everything was right there. It was very smooth getting into the menu and finding the settings I needed.

“I like to use push and slow motion to convey the feel of a film and I didn’t even need a stabilizer,” she continues. “It was very easy, smooth, and it just looked good.”

BTS photo of Director of Photography using camera rig on tripod in a living room

Photo 2023 © Justin Stailey | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF18mmF2 R, 1/125 sec at F2, ISO 800

Camera to Cloud Connectivity

GFX100 II is also the first Fujifilm camera to feature Frame.io Camera to Cloud (C2C) technology natively, with no requirement for an additional transmitter. This allows filmmakers to send proxy files directly to the cloud automatically as they are being made, making them accessible to anyone with a secure link, a device, and an active internet connection.

“C2C is wild,” says Kenny. “We weren’t even thinking about it, it was just uploading seamlessly as we were recording and working. Knowing your editor or producer can literally see the footage as you’re working is pretty handy.

“It’s going to make productions a lot easier and cheaper for many companies, that’s for sure. Especially people who can’t afford to fly out their entire team.”

Close up of hands operating smartphone

Unmatched Color

GFX100 II evidently brought a lot to this production, but for Kenny it was Fujifilm’s renowned color science that stole the show. The camera builds on nearly 90 years of industry experience with the brand new REALA ACE Film Simulation mode and support for F-Log2, which offers even wider dynamic range.

He was particularly impressed with how the camera handles skin tones. “When you look at skin tone, specifically Black skin tone, many cameras will add different hues, but Fujifilm’s color science just made it look real.

“It didn’t seem artificial or anything, it looked perfect.”

This same color rendition helped the team achieve what they all agree is their favorite footage from the film, portraying Tru and Skye standing on a hilltop together.

“It’s a beautiful moment. It’s like Skye is symbolizing hope for the future, freedom, and that passing on of legacy,” says Geneva.

“This came out wonderfully,” agrees Anna. “The lush green grass, the dark blue sky, and then Tru and Skye are in these incredible pink outfits that pop out.

“The way it looks on screen – it’s striking, but also soft. It feels like the colors are representing the themes of the story,” she concludes.

Learn more and read the full specifications for FUJIFILM GFX100 II and FUJINON Premista Series today – and watch the trailer for The Solace of Sisterhood below.


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