FUJIFILM GFX ETERNA 55: Impressive Cinematic Shorts Highlight Capabilities

Fujifilm held a launch event for its GFX ETERNA 55 at IBC in Amsterdam last night, where it had working models on display and showcased the forthcoming camera's chops with two launch films on the big screen.

The big screen came courtesy of the EYE Filmmuseum on the IJ Promenade opposite Amsterdam Centraal, and we've got the two launch films and their associated BTS videos for you below. It's not always easy to winkle IBC attendees north of the IJ on the night before the show, but there's plenty of interest in the GFX ETERNA 55. Not only was it a well-attended event, it was good to see the new camera up close and personal with the newly announced GF 32-90mm T3.5 Power Zoom as well.

Shot on GFX ETERNA 55: OKAY 

So, to those launch films. The first is OKAY, shot by cinematographer Oren Soffer, together with Director Andrew Kightlinger. Soffer recently wrapped filming on the feature film Onslaught for director Adam Wingard and A24, and previously shot the feature film The Creator, directed by Gareth Edwards.

It showcases well what the camera can do in a wide variety of settings and has obviously been thoughtfully shot. Light, contrast, color: it's definitely cinematic.

Here's the accompanying BTS. "It allowed us to kind of play with two different formats to showcase the full potential of the open gate sensor of the camera," said Soffer. "In certain aspects of this film, it’s spherical, and in certain, anamorphic… What was really great about the sensor’s 4×3 aspect ratio in open gate, it really allows you to both create that intimacy with spherical lenses… But then when you put the anamorphic lenses on them… it just looks so epic."

Shot on GFX ETERNA 55: Eternal

The second  project screened was Eternal, shot by Cinematographer James Tonkin, together with Director Tim Auld. Tonkin has worked with a list of famous musicians as long as your arm, but this is a different vibe altogether as he puts the camera though its paces in a number of different scenes.

Again, we have a BTS. "The thing I found really exciting about this is just seeing how strong the colours are in GFX ETERNA. It’s just doing something that I really, really love in the skin tones, says Tonkin. "We pushed the camera into different lighting scenarios, filming at night in the rain, filming in the day with bright backlit sunlight situations, to really look at the sensor in all its glory, and it excelled with flying colours."