In Conversation: Ryan Schembri Interviews Award-Winning Filmmaker Abraham Joffe

A shot of Abraham Joffe filming time-lapses for a wedding in Santorini, Greece, in 2013. All photos © Untitled Film Works

Abraham Joffe has gained ground in recent years, both in his native Australia and here in the U.S., as a dedicated, passionate documentary and nature filmmaker. The advanced diver/underwater cameraman, adept at 4K workflow, time-lapse and other filmmaking techniques, began his career shooting for the late filmmaker and adventurer Malcolm Douglas in the far reaches of Western Australia. Today, Joffe’s Sydney-based company, Untitled Film Works, is highly regarded for its creative storytelling and currently produces most of the film content for Canon Australia.

I first met Abe at a wedding expo where we were both displaying our work. I was totally mesmerized by the beautiful imagery playing on an HD monitor Abe had brought in to showcase his first 5D wedding. (We’ve since shot many big weddings together, and I have appeared in a couple of Abe’s documentary pieces for Canon.) I recently sat down with Abe [who swept the competition in the Filmmaking category at WPPI this year, including winning a Grand Award] to ask him about his style and technique and find out what’s next for this cinematographer from Down Under.

A still from Joffe’s Grand Award-winning film profiling nature and underwater photographer Darren Jew. 

Ryan Schembri: Why filmmaking?
Abraham Joffe: My first love has always been a fascination with history, stories of exploration, endurance and science. My dad used to read me National Geographic magazines for bedtime stories and I loved it. And when I was 10 years old, my mum and dad packed up the four kids, bought a 1984 Troop Carrier and traveled around Australia. Mum was the one who bought our first camcorder—which quickly became my camcorder. I started by filming our adventures as a family and I was hooked.

RS: Did you go to film school? Is it necessary for today’s filmmakers?

AJ: I attended the North Sydney TAFE film and TV course straight after school. It was a great course, and it was nice to get the experience of working with 16mm film. Even though I did miss most of the second year due to working with Malcolm Douglas, they graciously allowed me to complete subjects in my own time. It was good to get the diploma. I think all forms of training and study are beneficial, but of course nothing beats hands-on experience.

RS: When was your first experience using a DSLR as a video camera?

AJ: I first picked up a Canon 5D Mark II in April 2009, at the NAB conference in Las Vegas. For me, like most people, it was a jaw-dropping experience. The combination of full-frame sensor/shallow depth-of-field plus low-light capability made it irresistible. I was an early adopter, and we bought three cameras and a bunch of primes right out of the gate. We were the first studio in Australia shooting multi-cam weddings with the 5D; our business soared.

Joffe advocates shooting “pre-scenes” of couples in their everyday life before the wedding day to weave into their film.

RS: Untitled Film Works shoots more than 90 weddings per year. Is there a formula for a good wedding film?
AJ: We’re known for our cinematic, story-driven films. We believe our point of difference is that we will spend a lot of time with our couples prior to the wedding because to document the big day successfully, we need to fully understand the couple’s story. We often shoot what we call ‘pre-scenes,’—interviews and scenes with the couple going about their everyday life before the wedding. It’s nice to weave this footage in with the wedding day because it gives a broader sense of who the couple is. Almost every wedding features a white dress, vows and speeches, but if you have other material from outside the wedding day, you can create a film that means more to the couple…and offer a larger package.

RS: How do you successfully intersperse interviews into videos?
AJ: Like always, content is king, and the most important thing you want to take away from an interview is narrative that helps push the story further or reveal something new from your subject. I am constantly striving to become a better interviewer—and I find it all starts with empathizing with your subject. The interviewer ideally should not be involved in the technical side of the shoot. Keep eye contact with your subject and try and help them forget there is a recording session taking place. The more comfortable and connected the subject is to you, the more personal it becomes.

RS: With a large-sensor camera and 4K resolution, what’s your secret for maintaining focus?
AJ: In 4K, correct focus becomes even more critical. In the past, getting a subject just slightly out of focus could sometimes be included in a scene and go by unnoticed. Not in 4K. Even the slightest degree out will strike the eye very quickly. So practicing your focus pulling has never been more needed. I tend to stay away from adding larger monitors to the cameras as I generally find that slows down the shooting speed. I like my rigs stripped down to the bare essentials; it suits my shooting style.

Australia’s first 4K wedding, captured by Joffe in 2012.

RS: DSLRs also lack tools for exposure. How do you avoid overexposing while juggling shutter speed and depth-of-field?

AJ: That is an area I hope does get addressed in upcoming DSLR models. Zebras and live histograms would be incredibly welcomed. Currently I use visual judgment to correctly expose. It should be noted that it’s important to set your LCD brightness to manual and center the level (that way it won’t change due to lighting conditions). I also find that viewfinders can give the impression that things are brighter than they should be, so that also needs to be taken into consideration when shooting. Always review your work on a calibrated monitor.

RS: Which camera accessory do you regard as the most useful in your work?
AJ: A good quality viewfinder attachment (like the Zacuto Z finder) as well as great quality ND/Polarizer filters (my preference being Tiffen). The control those additions give you in exposure are the biggest “must haves” for me on a shoot. Of course, there are many other important tools, like all the stabilization options (monopods, glidecams, sliders) that enable a DSLR to be used effectively.

RS: How often do you use zoom lenses versus primes? What would you recommend for someone starting out?
AJ: Until recently, the only zoom lens I was happy with using with DSLRs for video was the 70-200mm f/2.8L USM (which is a stunning, must-have lens in any kit). However, the new standard focal length zooms from Canon are just fantastic. The 24-70mm f/2.8 L II USM is just a brilliantly sharp “prime-like” zoom that has brought real flexibility back to general shooting. The L series primes have some big advantages including speed and the ability to shoot in incredibly low-light scenarios. The quality and sharpness in a dedicated L series prime has always given our look an edge over inferior glass. Another, often forgotten, advantage to shooting with primes is that it really forces you to compose your shot and move your camera. Using a zoom lens can lead to a lazier shooting style as the shooter isn’t forced to work to the strengths of the focal length.

RS: How can filmmakers take advantage of available light in dark interiors?
AJ: I am, at the core, an “available light” shooter, but will often use scrims, cutters and bounce to work with the light. More often that not, great lighting is the art of subtraction, rather than addition of, light sources.

RS: What sort of sound recorders do you use to get such clear voice recordings?
AJ: My rule is to always use on-camera microphones, but in the heat of production, sometimes we fail to attach them! I would always suggest a top mic to improve the atmosphere that is captured while shooting. The RØDE VideoPro and the Sennheiser MKE 400 are both great choices. For interviews, my first choice is to use a boom mic (RØDE NTG3 or NTG5 are both great options, and the NTG3 is great for run-and-gun audio). Both require a separate recorder, and my current preference (for quality and portability) is the Roland R-26. It’s lightweight, but with decent pre-amps. The most important advice I give new shooters when approaching sound is: listen. Wear headphones and make considerations for sound. I have always been a “visual first” shooter, but have made real efforts to improve the sound in my productions. We have also begun shooting a lot more atmospheric sounds while on location. All of this adds great impact to the final production.

RS: Do you score your own films or does the client have a say in music choice?

AJ: For many projects, we source music from licensed libraries like the Music Bed and Audio Network. But when budget allows, [like it did with the six-part TV series Tales By Light my team and I recently produced for National Geographic Channel Australia, airing this month], we have it originally scored. We are fortunate enough to have Blair Joscelyne (AKA Moog) from Mighty Car Mods YouTube fame scoring the current series. There is nothing like sitting with a composer and being involved with this other ultra-creative side of filmmaking.

RS: How easily can traditional photographers transition into video?
AJ: There was a fundamental shift back in 2009 when the DSLR video revolution began. As more and more producers began experimenting with DSLRs, it was our cinematic storytelling skills that became the differentiating factor. Now in 2015, there are lots of producers creating story-driven productions with DSLRs and it’s what the market expects of everyone. It just means we have to work harder to find an edge. In film, there are a lot of moving parts—a modern wedding filmmaker is also using a plethora of tools to move the camera and create a cinematic experience, plus they have to record good sound. That being said, the big advantage photographers have is their eye; having a good eye is a huge plus.

Australian wedding photographer Ryan Schembri, owner of X-Sight Studio, is a WPPI Triple Master, an Honorary Life Member of AIPP and a five-time WPPI Grand Award winner.

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