Getting ahead of the game

John’s career as a Hollywood stunt coordinator and second unit director was impacted by the COVID pandemic, when his many years’ experience working in the industry took an unexpected turn in a different direction. “When COVID struck, I had to question my long term plans; I wondered how it was all going to work,” he said. To further complicate matters in Hollywood, the writers’ and actors’ strikes followed after the pandemic, which had a profound impact in the industry. “I don’t think Hollywood has fully recovered yet after all these events happened in such quick succession,” he added. Despite the setbacks, John has taken the opportunity to form Reel Kinetic Media, his production company specialising in action-packed content for TV, films, and brands. “Now is the perfect chance for independent filmmakers to create content the industry always needs. And that’s what we plan on doing with our production company.”

Armed with knowledge, but no kit, John’s first decision was to invest in the Panasonic LUMIX GH5 mirrorless camera. After completing a few projects, it soon became clear that he required a larger screen to view the footage. “I knew I needed something bigger than the GH5’s display,” he explained. He approached his local reseller Filmtools and added the Atomos Ninja and Shinobi monitors to his setup. “I’m used to working on traditional movie sets, so when I first began using Atomos monitors, I couldn’t believe that such a concept existed. They were easy to set up and the image quality was just incredible.”

Geared up for the game

South Bay in Los Angeles, where John is based, is home to the LA Chargers football, Lakers basketball, Sparks basketball and Kings ice hockey teams. It is an area renowned for its sports culture, with the state-of-the-art SoFi Stadium and Intuit Dome (the new home of the LA Clippers basketball team) both just a short ride on the freeway.

As a sports enthusiast, John recalls following the emotional journey of the El Segundo High Varsity boy’s lacrosse team during their season. “The Eagles (home team) were complete underdogs during the playoffs, winning each of their four games on the opposition’s home turf,” he began. However, the conference semifinals saw emotions run high, as the team lost by one point with only seconds to go before the match ended – narrowly missing out on the finals. “The team reached the furthest in the playoffs in the school’s history. They gained admiration and esteem from their opponents and the school. The Mayor of El Segundo even honoured them with citations based on their achievements.”

John uses a Sony FX3 camera with a Sigma 60-600mm sports lens, combined with the Shinobi to monitor all of their games. “With this setup I can get nice, close-up shots, even when I’m 100 yards away from the action,” he explained.

The Shinobi’s suite of monitoring tools and built-in frame guides ensure the best angles are captured, while its bright, high-definition display enables John to closely monitor the team’s reactions on camera. “It’s crucial to have clear focus and correct framing. I absolutely couldn’t have done this without the monitor, ” he added.

John uploads the finished content to social media after shooting and editing footage of each game, attracting thousands of views within a week. “I didn’t understand the impact my videos had on the team, until the coach told me they were a huge morale boost to the team members, their friends and family. They were able to show their accomplishments to those who weren’t at the games. By the end of the season, the stands were packed. I also started getting messages from parents of the team – one of them asked if I was going to shoot a game because he had to work at that time and always looked forward to seeing my highlight videos.”

“I couldn’t believe that such a concept existed. The monitors were easy to set up and the image quality was just incredible.”