NEWS RELEASE
Sebastian Lindstrom
Effective: June 25, 2014
Lindstrom Takes SCHNEIDER OPTICS iPro Lenses to Liberia for Documentary
Van Nuys, California, June 25, 2014—When Sebastian Lindstrom, co-founder of What Took You So Long, and his team journeyed to Liberia for their latest documentary, they employed an iPhone 5s equipped with the iPro Lens System® by Schneider Optics http://vimeo.com/91119789. “We are a small documentary production company that specializes in supporting non-profits and development entities around the world,” explains Lindstrom. “Our method of filmmaking depends on high-quality, lightweight equipment.”
For the documentary about women with obstetric fistula, which was co-funded by the United Nations Populations Fund, the team took two Canon 5Ds to the West African country. And for the most audience-engaging results, they also took a 7D and an iPhone to capture slow motion and extreme close-up footage. “We shot with the iPhone 5s ─ mostly in 720p at 120-fps ─ and iPro Super Wide and Macro lenses,” he says. “The Macro captures the same details as a $1000 lens would. It’s amazing how close you can get with it ─ so close, we were able to position it just inches from a person’s iris,” which is shown in the opening sequence of the video.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, “The iPro Super Wide frames a much bigger picture of the world than the native camera inside the iPhone,” Lindstrom adds. “While at a stadium in Monrovia for a big soccer game between Liberian and Ghanaian teams, the president of Liberia came out on the field to wish everybody ‘good luck.’ The iPro Super Wide lens enabled us to spontaneously capture innovative wide-angle shots for slow-motion content that will take audiences’ imaginations to the next level when watching our videos. In retrospect, we should have left the 7D at home, because the daylight footage we caught with the iPhone and iPro lenses was superior ─ and it was much easier to pack.”
While the DSLR revolution gave the world access to smaller, less expensive cameras, Lindstrom notes that “Filming with a phone takes it to another level, as you can quickly position angles that your DSLR would require a jib for, and it’s something most people travel with anyway. And you could never get smooth traveling shots by holding your DSLR outside of a car window with your hand like we did with the iPhone. We believe that the iPro Lens System used in conjunction with the iPhone 5s for slow motion filming has the potential to become an important, value-added component for any type of documentary work. We plan to use them in all our upcoming shoots around the world as an integral part of our DSLR filming.”
For the past five years, What Took You So Long has worked within more than 70 developing countries. “Some of the areas we travel to may not take kindly to visiting filmmakers,” he says. “So it’s very beneficial to be able to shoot with the iPhone ─ now with professional-grade lenses that are easy to conceal.”
To see video that What Took You So Long team members captured in Liberia with the iPro Lens System, visit http://vimeo.com/91119789 and www.WhatTookYouSoLong.org.
Schneider Optics offers Macro, Super Wide, Wide Angle, 2X Tele and Fisheye lenses allowing users to get more in every shot with smart phones or iPads. For additional iPro information, visit http://www.iprolens.com or contact Schneider Optics, at 818.766-3715.
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Information Prepared by Lewis Communications: susan@lewiscommunications.net