Advanced Workflow for Toronto Model Shoots: Behind-the-Scenes at Sugar Beach with Sony A7IV
Setting the Scene and Concept
Hi everyone, this is Blake Anderson, and I'm a videographer here in Toronto, Ontario. In this behind-the-scenes look, I wanna walk you through my workflow in terms of this model shoot that I did recently at Sugar Beach on Toronto's lakefront. We did a model shoot with about four models, aiming for a dreamy, immersive vibe that juxtaposed the urban skyline with the natural beauty of the lakefront. The goal was to capture ethereal scenes inspired by themes of lust and temptation, tying into the song "Wicked Games" by Chris Isaak. I did a little bit of research around the song, and it's interesting—it came out in 1989 but didn't get much traction until the movie by David Lynch, Wild at Heart. There's a scene where they play the song, and then it took off from a DJ and got even more popular. This is a song that I've always resonated with and thought was fitting for this shoot, helping accentuate the image, theme, and emotion I was going after.
Equipment and Techniques for Golden Hour Videography
To start off, I used my Sony A7 IV with the Tamron 35-150mm, and I shot it in 4K using S-Log2, which people who know the camera understand you can use Picture Profile 8 to capture the most high dynamic range of the Sony A7 IV. Typically, what you need to do when you shoot in S-Log2 is you need to overexpose the image, ensuring that it's 1.7 to 2 stops overexposed. This way, you're getting the highest dynamic range of the camera, and you're not crushing the shadows, and you're also not overly exposing or clipping the highlights. Be careful when shooting outside—I was shooting during golden hour, capturing the models around six o'clock, seven o'clock Eastern time. We had a nice sunlight that was coming from the city, from the skyline behind us. It was dim, but we also had lights on set as well.
What I did use is my Sony A7 IV, my Tamron 35-150mm, and I shot without an ND filter as I needed to get as much light as I could. When you shoot in 60 frames per second, it's typically cutting down the light—from my understanding, it's 2.5 times more light you need to get the exposure from a 24-frame exposure. When shooting 60 frames, you're not getting as much light into the lens. That's why I opened up the lens to about 2.8, sometimes a little bit less in terms of the aperture. I wanted to get the most light in shooting at 60 frames. If it wasn't working with the 2.8, I would up the ISO to 1600, and I think at some point it's 3200 as it was getting darker out, but for the most part, I was shooting with the aperture open and with the Tamron 35-150mm.
Composition, Framing, and the Power of Telephoto in Super 35 Mode
With this shoot, as when you're shooting at 60 frames on the Sony A7 IV, it's gonna crop into the image. So when you're shooting at 150 millimeters on the camera, you're essentially shooting at 225mm in the Super 35 mode. In order to shoot, you're very much zoomed into the subject—in this case, the model. That way, it allows the background to be really have a lot of bokeh and create the subject to really pop and accentuate the model from the background. With this shoot, we did it on a beach at Sugar Beach in Toronto—I think it really captured it well in terms of the glistening from the water behind the models. There were like a factory, and that was about, I would say, about 50 yards away. Some of the lights from the factory you could see in the bokeh as well as again, the glistening water really helped, I think, accentuate the scene and give that kind of dreamy vibe to the video.
For those optimizing for "golden hour bokeh effects" or "telephoto model portraits," this setup excels in compressing the scene and adding cinematic depth, making simple beach shots feel like high-end productions.
Post-Production Process: From Raw Footage to Polished Instagram Reel
I shot in Sony S-Log2, which is Picture Profile 8, and that shoots it in a flat image and it allowed me to not clip the highlights but also not crush the shadows. Then in post-production, once I've captured this video, what I typically do is I will cut the image down to what I consider some of the best shots. And that's typically just because I wanted to stabilize some of the footage. I cut some of the best parts and cut it down to about four or five minutes of the video. I knew that I was gonna cut it even further from there.
What I wanted to do in this situation is put it in a timeline, allowed Final Cut to slow down the timeline to 24 frames per second with the 60 frames that the video was shot in. And then once I had it in a 24-frame timeline, I graded the footage and edited some of the points out that I didn't like and just captured what I considered the best parts. And then I color graded it, then exported it in Final Cut using H.264. And then once I had about three to four minutes of my edited best shots, I then further cut those down 'cause I know for Instagram, typically people's attention span is probably 30 to 60 seconds at most. And so I wanted to ensure that it was at least less than 60 seconds.
The way I shoot, I tend to like to go longer sometimes 'cause I shoot often for YouTube and other content. I've been pushing myself to edit in a shorter amount of time. Color grading played a crucial role, using tools like Magic Bullet Mojo and Magic Bullet Looks, which I go on in other videos to explain that workflow. And I also added Reno to make sure the image was sharp and the compression on Instagram wasn't going to compress it too much.
Musically Inspired Editing and Creative Reflection
I chose the song "Wicked Games," and I thought it was just a great song that was very much a classic and helped accentuate the image and the theme I was going after, and the emotion. I wanted to play with a certain degree of lust and temptation. I chose that song and then I chose what I considered the best part of the song. I edited to the beat—so typically that's what a lot of creators will do, editing to the beat or rhythm, and that really helps to create immersion for the viewer.
Some advice in terms of being a creative: sometimes we consider the audience and the impact or message for the audience, and of course you want to consider the audience, but when you're doing a creative piece and it's more about self-expression. And so I wanted to focus on what I wanted to express in some capacity. I think at some level I'm thinking about the audience, but Rick Rubin, who created a great book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, talks about how the notion of the audience comes last in a lot of ways. I think some of my best work in terms of videography is when I'm not overly concerned about the audience, but of course there's always some degree of a through line or certain story or message we wanna get across, and we have to consider the audience. But we also should consider what's driving us in terms of our inception of the video.
To add a bit more engagement: What's your go-to song for creating a dreamy vibe in your shoots? Share in the comments below—I'd love to hear your ideas and maybe incorporate them into future projects.
Final Thoughts and Advanced Tips
So that's my workflow in terms of this shoot I did with the song "Wicked Games" and with this model shoot that I did. Hopefully this video—and this advanced blog post—is helpful for you to consider some tips and ideas for your next shoot. As you venture into your next "Toronto golden hour videography" or "S-Log2 workflow" project, remember the balance of technical skill and creative flair. The Sugar Beach model shoot was not only a technical endeavor but also a narrative journey that captured the interplay of city and nature, light and shadow.
For advanced tips: Experiment with overexposing in S-Log2 during varying light conditions to push your dynamic range further, and always test your ISO limits in low light to avoid noise while maintaining sharpness. If you found this post insightful, feel free to subscribe to my channel for more videography inspirations and tutorials. Thanks for reading, and have a great day—happy shooting!
