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Ben Saffer

@bensaffer

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Cinematographer (DoP)
Visual storytelling with passion & precision 🎥
📍London | Repped by @berlinassociates
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“When machines can generate infinite iterations of design and beauty, does human taste become obsolete?”

The Last Tastemaker - new short doc out now on @nowness

Continuing the theme of my personal exploration of AI induced existential dread, there was no one better to try and shed some light on this question than the wonderfully wise and insightful @stephenbayley - famed design critic and co-founder of the @designmuseum

With the help of @bensaffer at @supervisionvp we decided to put AI up against objects that Stephen considered to have reached the apex of design to see if they could improve them. The results were…interesting.

Link in bio to the full film

Massive shout out to the absolutely incredible team on this one. In particular @tomombutler who made everything look so unbelievably stunning.

Starring @stephenbayley
Director, producer, editor: 🙋‍♂️
DOP: @tomombutler
1st AC: @shotby_sankaa
2nd AC: @elinorbagnall_
Gaffer: @tom.mp4s
Cam assistant: @kierenkershaw & @bennewmanfilms
Colourist: @anna.grades
Sound Designer: @spotonsoundstudio @tomthesoundguy
VFX House: @supervisionvp
VFX Artist: Rhys Murphy
VFX Supervisor: Anika Hannington
Supervision EP: @bensaffer by @bensaffer

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18 days ago

AYYY our first major selection for the BIFA and BAFTA- qualifying @boltonfilmfest

Pure gratitude all round to the Witches and incredible crew ❤️ 💃 Keep dancing with your witches people.

Big love:
Starring @anjacilia
@georgiabainess
@syddmiede
@anastasiya.ji
@frankiebounds

Director @avabounds
DoP @bensaffer
Production Design @camillehewittsetdesign
Costume @zybull_creates @tiamaytextiles @ambreker.art
Art Dept @lauremward
Hair and Makeup @kellyautumnmua @makeupbypaigeharley
Choreographer @royston.darren
Fight Director @jackofallblade
1st AC @nowleyson
2nd AC @_heleneeeee
Gaffer @emil_nolan
Spark @tom.mp3s
1st AD @tom.m.crabtree
2nd AD @lucybernardo0
Stills Photography @hannahsmillie29
Sound recordist @sommer_ville
Practical Fx @bryanboundsactor
Grip @thierryennui
Script Supervisor @louise_woollam
Vfx @raiyan.chinoy

#shortfilm #femalefilmmaker #femaledirector by @bensaffer

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3 months ago

"The URSA Cine 17K 65 body is much smaller than earlier digital 65mm systems, and I had already done a lot with the URSA Cine 12K LF, so I didn’t need to change our approach. We had access to shallower depth of field as a choice, but I tend not to shoot wide open, so we were mostly around T2.8 ½.

"The camera also did something in terms of contrast and attention. In the scene where we used a split down the middle in terms of brightness and darkness, that was a story choice, and her face had this beautiful shape that the 40mm Cooke Panchro 65/i lens brought to life."

Working with director Charlotte Peters, Ben Saffer shaped a tender short, To Fly or to Float, about loss, faith and reconnection. Saffer breaks down the intimate approach behind the film's look and why he shot on the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65.

Read more on our website! by @bensaffer

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6 months ago

Trailer drop for The Witches of Pool Bottom. It answers none of your questions. You’re welcome.

Cast
Starring @anjacilia
@georgiabainess
@syddmiede
@anastasiya.ji
@frankiebounds

Director @avabounds
DoP @bensaffer
Production Design @camillehewittsetdesign
Costume @zybull_creates @tiamaytextiles @ambreker.art
Art Dept @lauremward
Hair and Makeup @kellyautumnmua @makeupbypaigeharley
Choreographer @royston.darren
Fight Director @jackofallblade
1st AC @nowleyson
2nd AC @_heleneeeee
Gaffer @emil_nolan
Spark @tom.mp3s
1st AD @tom.m.crabtree
2nd AD @lucybernardo0
Stills Photography @hannahsmillie29
Sound recordist @sommer_ville
Practical Fx @bryanboundsactor
Grip @thierryennui
Script Supervisor @louise_woollam
Vfx @raiyan.chinoy

#shortfilm #femalefilmmaker #femaledirector by @bensaffer

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7 months ago

Stills from ‘To Fly or Float’ — a 1970s period drama directed by @charlottepetersdirects, now featured on the @blackmagicnewsofficial gallery and YouTube channel.

We shot on the Blackmagic URSA Cine 17K 65 with @cookeoptics Panchro 65/i lenses — the 40mm and 75mm. The goal was to combine the emotional closeness of handheld 16mm with the sculptural depth of 65mm — to feel like you’re inside the moment rather than observing it.

The way the Panchro 65s render skin within the 65mm image circle is something I haven’t experienced on any other combination. I could light by instinct and trust the latitude of the 17K sensor — responding to what was in front of us.

Set during the 1979 Winter of Discontent in Birmingham, the film tells the story of an orphaned girl and her estranged uncle navigating shared grief through faith, hope, and the creation of a kite.

Huge thanks to an incredible crew — @litbyluke pulling focus on a format that doesn’t forgive, @steadiwood on Steadicam, @zain__haris on the grade, and Olivia and Charlotte for trusting the process.

Full gallery with downloadable BRAW clips on the Blackmagic Design site. Link in bio.

Written and produced by Olivia Maiden
Produced by @dreamhivefilms

#cinematography #blackmagicdesign #ursacine17k #cookeoptics #panchro65 by @bensaffer

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8 months ago

🎉 Protocol 909 has won Best Sci-Fi Short Film at the London Independent Film Festival 2025 @londoniff 🖤

Huge thanks to the festival, jury, and everyone who helped bring this world to life: cast, crew, and collaborators who believed in the vision from day one.

Follow for updates and sign up to our mailing list for future screenings.

🎬 CLON presents
A short film by Estela Oliva @eoliv
With Anastasiya Ador @anastasiya.ji and Feliks Mathur @feliksmathur
Written, Directed & Produced by Estela Oliva @eoliv
DoP & VP Supervisor: Ben Saffer @bensaffer
Editor: Antonio Lewis @toneocreative

🎶 Music: Ana Quiroga @anaquiroga__

Produced by Unform Experiences @unformexperiences
Filmed at The Creative Digital Lab @thecreativedigitallab
Project Manager: Kristina Pulejkova @tinapulejkova
Volume Technician: Matthew Carr
Script Consultant: Herty Owusu
Kindly supported by LSBU @lsbu and Startup Croydon @startupcroydon
Sound and Colour Post-Production by Company 3 @company_3: Senior Colorist Stefan Perry @stef_colour, Re-recording Mixer Adam Gama Davidson @adamgamadavidson_sound

🌐 www.clonworks.com

#Protocol909 #SciFiFilm #ShortFilm #SpeculativeFiction #Futurism #UnformExperiences #ArtificialIntelligence #Clon #Clonworks #EstelaOliva #VirtualProduction #SyntheticLife #SyntheticBeings #LIFF by @bensaffer

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a year ago

Featured by @cookeoptics 🎥

Honoured to have my work on To Fly or Float showcased to launch the new Panchro 65/i.

We shot on the URSA Cine 17K + Panchro 65s — exploring how large-format texture changes intimacy and depth.

Full feature on Cooke’s site 👉 link in bio.

#Cinematography #CookeLook #ShotOnCooke #LargeFormat #DoP #BenSaffer #UKFilm by @bensaffer

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a year ago

Meet the eyeballs behind the lens 👁️🎥

@bensaffer is stepping in as Director of Photography on The Witches of Pool Bottom—and he’s bravely agreed to point a very expensive camera at whatever madness we throw at him.

#filmmaking #filmproduction #shortfilm #femalefilmmaker #studentfilm #ukfilm #behindthescenes #filmmakerlife #comedyfilm #bodyimage #bodypositivity by @bensaffer

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a year ago

Behind the Glitz, There's Grit.. 🍯

Shoutout to our powerhouse crew on ‘I Was Honey Boo Boo’, a raw, unfiltered dive into Alana Thompson’s world beyond the fame - and this team captured it all

🎥 @BenSaffer - DOP (Digital Orchard Alumni)
💻 @DanielSaffer - DIT (Digital Orchard)
🧡 Rachel Wood @steadiwood - B Cam Operator & Steadicam (Orchard Crew)

Ben shared, 'I’m so proud to have worked on this project - the trailers alone have already racked up hundreds of thousands of views online! It was a real pleasure collaborating with my brother, Daniel Saffer, who did an incredible job as DIT, ensuring a seamless dailies grade throughout’

💥 Daniel added, 'A strong dailies grade sets the tone for the whole project - especially when the trailer is of the dailies, so it had to shine from day one. Working with a fun and skilled team was a great and insightful experience'

Rachel Wood said, ‘I had a fantastic time working with such generous collaborators as @bensaffer and @katieboland13. They have a clear vision for what they want but are still open to new ideas from me and the rest of the team. I’m so excited for everyone to see the results of all our hard work!’

👏 An absolute dream collaboration across the Orchard family - we couldn’t be prouder

#digitalorchard #orchardcrew #Iwashoneybooboo #camerateam #behindthescenes #DOP #DIT #steadicamop by @bensaffer

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a year ago

Over the moon to announce I’m now repped by Laura Reeve @berlinassociates ! Delighted to be joining an incredibly talented roster—including some of my favourite cinematographers and directors. Excited for what’s to come! #Cinematography #DirectorOfPhotography #BerlinAssociates #NewRepresentation #FilmIndustry #SetLife #Filmmaking #BritishFilm #CareerGoals #UKFilmmaker #DOP #BehindTheLens #OnwardsAndUpwards by @bensaffer

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2 years ago

We had @hero_ldn over to film a #VirtualProduction advert for an airport-tech company.

DOP @bensaffer
VP Specialist @bchriz
Co-Produced @tvox_agency

Not easy to film on an airplane? Easy to film in the lab! taken in Croydon, United Kingdom by @bensaffer

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2 years ago

At @cubestudiosuk, our production-first approach is what drives our #Innovation, ensuring our team and productions stay at the forefront of technology, to deliver the best in content creation.

We were thrilled to host an #InnovationSession with the #REDDigitalCamera team for an exclusive demos of the game-changing #VRAPTOR [X] and #KomodoK.

With #DOP @bensaffer on hand, we were able to explore some innovative features such as Phantom Track which seamlessly integrates GhostFrame™ and Frame Remapping.

#CUBEStudio #VirtualProduction #VirtualProductionStudio #Studio #Innovation #Stories #Content #ContentCreation #Innovation #Technology #REDCamera #KomodoX #CreateYourReality by @bensaffer

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2 years ago