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Steven Soderbergh has long been known for his innovative approach to filmmaking, often embracing unconventional tools to push the boundaries of screen storytelling. With his latest feature, Presence, the Oscar-winning director has once again turned to cutting-edge consumer technology, this time opting to shoot the entire film on Sony’s mirrorless A9 III.
The decision is a testament to the camera’s remarkable video capabilities, including its 4K 120p 10-bit 4:2:2 recording and groundbreaking global shutter, which eliminates rolling shutter distortion. By utilizing a lightweight setup, Soderbergh was able to create an immersive, ghostly perspective that places the audience directly in the haunting gaze of the film’s supernatural entity.
Since it was first unveiled, the Sony A9 III has impressed by presenting a leap forward in imaging technology, integrating several of Sony’s most advanced features. At its core, the camera is driven by dual Bionz XR processors, ensuring ultra-fast data processing, seamless subject tracking, and responsive performance, even at its blistering 120fps burst rate.
A dedicated AI-driven autofocus processor enhances real-time subject detection, providing industry-leading tracking accuracy for moving subjects. The camera’s 9.44-million-dot EVF, with a 120fps refresh rate, maintains exceptional clarity during high-speed shooting, ensuring photographers – and filmmakers like Soderbergh – never miss a critical moment.
Further setting the A9 III apart is its global shutter technology, eliminating rolling shutter distortion and enabling distortion-free captures at any shutter speed. The 4-axis vari-angle touchscreen offers flexible composition options, while its ergonomic grip and optional vertical extension caught Soderbergh’s attention by ensuring superior handling – a hugely important aspect of making Presence.
Presence Gives the Haunted House Movie an Injection of Innovation
Presence joins the list of great haunted house movies by redefining the ghost story and turning the unseen into the observer. Shot entirely from the point of view of an invisible spirit, the film follows a family moving into a beautifully renovated 100-year-old home, unaware that they are not alone. The film’s roving, voyeuristic camera creates an eerie sense of omnipresence, making the audience feel like the ghost itself.
While Presence doesn’t rely on traditional horror jump-scares, it builds tension through its unique visual storytelling and unsettling domestic drama. However, it isn’t just the film’s innovative cinematography that makes the film so effective but its ability to blend supernatural elements with real-world anxieties. Screenwriter David Koepp, the scribe behind the terrific Kevin Bacon film Stir of Echoes, taps into themes of control, grief, and hidden dangers lurking in everyday life.
Instead of delivering a conventional haunted house story, the film explores human dysfunction through the lens of an ever-watching entity. Though Presence may not terrify in a traditional sense, its creeping unease and stylish execution leave a lasting impression.
Steven Soderbergh Lauds Sony A9 III
This isn’t the first time Soderbergh has experimented with non-traditional cameras for feature filmmaking. His previous films Unsane and High Flying Bird were shot entirely on iPhones, proving that professional-grade cinema is no longer limited to bulky, high-end rigs.
With Presence, his choice of the Sony A9 III further blurs the line between prosumer and Hollywood-level production, demonstrating how advancements in mirrorless technology are reshaping the way movies can be made. The film’s minimalist setup, reportedly using only a Sony 14mm F1.8 GM lens and a gimbal, allowed for unprecedented mobility and intimate, voyeuristic camerawork.
The Sony A9 III’s standout feature is its global shutter technology, which sets it apart from conventional stacked CMOS sensors. Unlike rolling shutters, which can introduce distortions like motion skew and banding under artificial lighting, the global shutter captures an entire frame at once, ensuring distortion-free images at incredibly high speeds. With a 24.6MP resolution, the A9 III strikes an optimal balance between speed and image detail, avoiding the performance trade-offs of higher-resolution sensors like the 50MP Sony A1.
For Soderbergh, a key advantage of the A9 III is its ability to capture 4K video at up to 60fps, oversampled from 6K, delivering sharp and detailed footage. This makes it an excellent tool for filmmakers who require high-speed capture without sacrificing image integrity. Additionally, the A9 III’s in-body image stabilization is highly effective, enabling smooth handheld shooting even without a gimbal.
Speaking to Filmmaker Magazine, Soderbergh said one of the main attractions of the Sony A9 III was the mobility it gave him. “[The camera’s] primary mode is as a still camera, but it also shoots really good video. It’s small, and this new version has a sensor that was never used in a DSLR before.”
The filmmaker carried out a variety of tests, looking at other digital cameras as well as those he’d previously used. “I stripped them down as much as I could, then put them on the smallest stabilization rig that would support them.” There was just a few pounds difference between the camera he could use and stabilize and still be able to move about freely. “We did all these tests with the Sony and this one rig. And I’m like, ‘This’ll work. It’s not heavy’.”
Soderbergh’s use of the Sony A9 III was crucial in realizing Presence as he envisioned – a film that doesn’t just depict a ghost story but embodies one through its camera work. The lightweight design and cutting-edge technology of the A9 III allowed for seamless, fluid movements, reinforcing the eerie, omniscient perspective at the heart of the film.
