Some of the best filmmaking happens when the plan changes.
A shift in natural light, an unexpected movement from your subject, or a composition you discover only after you start shooting can completely change the direction of a scene. For filmmakers working this way, the camera needs to keep up without constantly pulling attention away from what is happening in front of the lens.
That is exactly what director and cinematographer Christina Ienna set out to explore with the new Sony FX5.
Working outdoors with dancer Tyler Angell, Ienna kept the production intentionally simple and allowed movement, light and location to guide the shoot. Along the way, she put some of the FX5’s most interesting filmmaking tools to work, including AI-based autofocus, Open Gate recording, multiple base ISO options, 16-bit X-OCN RAW and the camera’s flexible monitoring setup.
The result is more than a look at a new cinema camera. It is a great example of how the right technology can disappear into the background and give a filmmaker more freedom to watch, react and tell the story unfolding in front of them.
In this Sony Alpha Universe feature, Ienna shares her experience shooting with the FX5 and why sometimes staying present behind the camera is just as important as the technical decisions happening inside it.
Chasing Movement in Ordinary Places with the Sony FX5
By Christina Lenna and Ashley Sherwood.
- Christina’s Website: Christina Ienna | Cinematographer & Storyteller
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stina
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- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christina.ienna
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@stina_stina
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/christinaienna
The way someone moves through a space, light changing across a face, wind catching fabric, or the environment shifting around a subject are the kinds of small, unpredictable moments I’m always looking for through a camera.
When Sony lent me the new FX5 to take out into the field, I wanted to test it in a way that felt true to how I like to shoot. Instead of creating something controlled, I took the camera outside with a dancer and gave ourselves the freedom to explore.
There is something I really enjoy about working this way. You can have a general idea of what you want to capture, but the environment and artist inevitably give you something you didn’t plan for, and that’s often where the magic happens.
I have spent two decades working across documentary, narrative, and commercial projects, from intimate stories to large-scale productions. That range of experience has shaped an approach that is adaptable yet grounded in strong visual storytelling. For me, cinematography is as much about instinct and curiosity as it is intention and technical craft.
Finding Frames
When a dancer is improvising, you know each movement will happen a little differently every time. I responded to what Tyler chose to express, moving with him and finding a rhythm between us while being very present in the moment.
It became less about creating a traditional shot list and more about observation, anticipation, and reaction.
This is where the FX5’s AI-based autofocus became particularly useful. Having focus stay locked onto my subject meant I could put more of my attention toward his movement and how I wanted to frame it.
The larger rotating LCD screen gave me the freedom to quickly change my own position, particularly when getting the camera lower or moving through the environment with him.
These practical features can have a large creative impact when they allow you to work more instinctively.
A Little Room for Change
I also approached this shoot knowing that the final images weren’t necessarily going to live in one format.
We are creating for so many different screens nowadays that I find myself thinking beyond a single aspect ratio more and more.
Filming in Open Gate gave me a larger canvas to compose with more possibilities in mind, without limiting myself by deciding exactly where every frame would ultimately live while filming.
Being outside also meant working almost entirely with what was presented to us.
Clouds moved. The direction and quality of the light changed. Tyler moved between open areas and pockets of shade.
Instead of fighting those changes, I embraced them.
Having three base ISO options gave me more dynamic range to adapt to those conditions, while recording 16-bit X-OCN RAW left plenty of information in the image for the grade.
I want to make deliberate choices on set, but I also don’t want to lock myself out of choices later.
Keeping It Simple
Another thing I wanted to explore was how simply I could work.
There are productions where I’m surrounded by a full camera department, monitors, audio, and everything else that comes with a larger set.
Then there are times when filmmaking is just you, a camera, and the person in front of it.
For this shoot, keeping things small allowed Tyler and me to move effortlessly through the location without overcomplicating the process.
I appreciated that same simplicity in the FX5’s monitoring options and how user-friendly the menu system is.
I could keep the information I needed in front of me while controlling what was being sent to an external monitor.
It’s a small workflow detail, but one that helps keep things moving without interrupting the creative flow.
Staying Present
When I’m behind a camera, I want my attention on what is unfolding in front of me.
The best images often happen in the moment when given more time and space to notice.
There will always be technical decisions happening in the background, but I don’t want those decisions to pull me away from the reason I picked up the camera in the first place.
Sometimes the most interesting thing you can do is simply stay present and patient with what is unfolding in front of the lens.
Christina Ienna
Director + Cinematographer
@stina
