Christoph Benfey

I spent a month shooting a TV show in Africa, and this might be the only piece of personal content I got. I woke up at 5am, ran 4kms with a heavy backpack full of gear, passed warthogs, monkeys and sleeping elephants to get this shot, hours before flying out of the country on the last day. But as a freestyle pilot, this location was a dream come true. I’ve never been so nervous and so excited at the same time; I had a few close calls with older batteries dipping in voltage at very inopportune moments, but thankfully I managed to come out with all my quads, GoPros, SD cards, and a few once-in-a-lifetime shots in the can. Here’s one of those shots! — A big thank you to my good friend @calebmjohnston for doing the sound design on this clip, which really takes it to a whole different level. He’s also a fantastic composer if you’re ever looking for music to accompany your visuals! — Music: “What Do You See” by @Daniel.Deuschle , licensed via @MusicBed Subscription Shot on @GoPro #Hero10 Stabilized in @ReelSteady Edited in @adobe #PremierePro Graded with @lutify.me Equipment: @ArmattanQuads Marmotte with @DJIGlobal Digital #FPV system. @Tattulipos #6S Packs. — #VictoriaFalls #Africa #Zimbabwe #Zambia #VicFalls #GoPro #CinematicFPV #Drone #Waterfall #Travel #DJI #FreestyleFPV #AerialCinematography #SoundOn #Cinematography #Filmmaking #MillionDollarChallenge

If you only looked at my Instagram, you’d be forgiven for not realizing that my bread and butter for the past 15 years has been narrative cinematography: 8 feature films, 50 episodes of TV, a few dozen shorts, and countless music videos and commercials. So here’s a look at that side of me. I’m grateful for every director, collaborator, and my incredible camera, grip and lighting teams. This highlight reel spans the last decade, over 35 hours distilled down to just 2 minutes. Big thank you to @damenrb for helping touch up the colour on this and making it really sparkle! Music by @UncleSkelly , Licensed Via @MusicBed Subscription. — If you want to know…in order of appearance: Billion Dollar Bluff - Directed by @StefanBrogren DJI RS2 - Directed by @PeterMcKinnon Paris Paris (2 seasons) - Directed by @Dominic_Desjardins2 Lasko & Kestler - Problems - Directed by me Things I Do for Money - Directed by @ShootGoodFilms Street Spirits - Directed by @RyanCFurlong Volvo - Transition Zone - Directed by @Phil.Beans Mitsubishi - Produced by @PilothouseMedia Live Different - Directed by @JohnnyThe8th Doritos - Directed by @MichaelPett @CynthiaTauroMusic - Dancing - Directed by @YeahFilms A Father’s Love - Directed by @ScottyTrapasso Hunter’s Chance - Directed by @Courtney_Deelen Motherly - Directed by Craig David Wallace Cannondale - Directed by @JMIV Transfusion - Directed by @Media_That_Matters @Seaway - Lula on the Beach - Directed by Miguel Barbosa Arlington - Hollow Moon - Directed by Miguel Barbosa Seaway - London - Directed by Miguel Barbosa @Selfish_Things - 8147 Mulholland Terrace - Directed by me — #Cinematography #DemoReel #5120x1080 #CSC #Reel

I got to bring the new DJI Mini 3 Pro with me to Barcelona, and did I ever get a bunch of use out of it! I know this is going to be controversial in the cinematography community, but one of my favourite features is the new true vertical video mode. The gimbal actually rotates 90° and shoots in portrait modes. So this #SpaceElevatorEffect video of La Sagrada Familia isn’t cropped for social media, it’s full frame vertical video baby! The drone weighs in at 249g with the standard battery, and I got around 30 minutes of flying while doing this shot, which really comes in handy for time lapse! I spent a lot of time flying this thing over the past few weeks so if you have any questions don’t hesitate to hit me up! — Shot on the new @DJIGlobal #Mini3Pro. Edited in @Adobe #Lightroom, #PremierePro & #AfterEffects. Graded with @Lutify.Me LUTs. Music: “Like No Flower” by @JacuzziJefferson , licensed via @MusicBed Subscription. — #Barcelona #LaSegradaFamilia #DJI #Drone #VerticalVideo #Spain #Gaudi #City #Architecture #DroneVideo #Timelapse #Hyperlapse #SpaceElevator #PerfectLoop #Downtown #Boomerang #AerialHyperlapse #Summer

With so much buzz around IMAX and large format these days, cinematographer Christoph Benfey set out to explore the technical differences between film formats and sensor sizes, from Super 16 to IMAX...but without having every camera on-hand, he had to DIY it. ▶ Watch the full video (link in bio) to see how he did it, what he found out, and what happened when GFX ETERNA 55 entered the chat.

All the cameras are amazing these days, so it’s rare that something special comes along and gets me excited in a different way. The @fujifilmproduction #Eterna55 is one of those exceptions for me. I made a video about film formats and sensor sizes if you want to learn more. — Music: “City of Dust” by @lukeatenciomusic , licensed via @musicbed subscription. — #FujiFilm #IMAX #Filmmaking #Cinematography

What a 50mm lens looks like on various film and sensor formats. Full video is in full video land, You know where to Tube it. — #IMAX #Film #Cinema #Filmmaking #Tutorial

Does size matter? There’s only one way to find out. — #IMAX #ProbeLens #Movies #Filmmaking #YouTube

It’s tool time with me your host. — #FilmIndustry #AppleBoxes #AprilFools

Ever wonder what to do with that decommissioned submarine hatch you’ve been meaning to toss? Well, now you know. It’s been a minute since I did one of these, it felt like the right time to bring it back. Also I’d like it to be summer again, please. Thanks. — Shot as stills on @DJI Mavic 3 Pro Cine. Edited in @Adobe Music by Windmills, licensed via @MusicBed subscription

Charging towards adventure with the X5 means I capture everything that gets in my way! I can’t be the only one who feels like a Knight when I’m using the giant invisible selfie stick… — #X5 #CostaRica #SuzukiJimny #ItsCalledALance

No matter what, you’ll always land the perfect shot flying A1 🧘‍♂️ #antigravity #360drone #antigravitya1

When I’m editing, the Logitech MX Master 4 has become essential. I’ve mapped it to the tools I use most so I’m not constantly switching between keyboard shortcuts. A quicker edit means more time actually creating things. Thanks @logitech for the collab on this one. #MXMaster4 #LogitechPartner #Ad #WilhelmScream