Rowan Johnson

"I grew up on the internet," says British corporate videographer Rowan Johnson, who started out as a teenager filming music videos for the guitar recordings he was making in his bedroom. Fascinated by technology, this was his creative driver. "It was the early days of YouTube, and I was experimenting online making videos."

After studying media at school, Rowan went on to get a degree in media production at Southampton Solent University. It was a "baptism of fire for making video content," where Rowan ended up running the student TV station. When he graduated, he decided to step outside of the tried-and-tested broadcast career path and go it alone.

One of those fields was at Boomtown Festival in Hampshire, where Rowan was the first to use the Canon EOS C400 for a large multi-camera broadcast. "There were five of those cameras in the country, and we had three of them at the festival, which was incredible," he says.

From starting out with a Canon EOS 650D, the Canon EOS C400 has become a favourite of Rowan's, due largely to its versatility. "The fact that I can be doing a sit-down fireside chat with a CEO one day, the next day take it out as a run-and-gun camera for an event highlight video, and on day three use it in a live setup – that is incredibly valuable, because one camera can do everything."

At festivals from Wales to the Cotswolds, Rowan and his colleagues put together complex multi-camera rigs for live broadcasts, featuring the Canon EOS C400 and Canon EOS C80 with Canon Cine Servo and Hybrid RF lenses and adding remote-controlled Canon CR-N300 PTZ cameras for additional angles. "We can have a couple of camera operators doing the hero shots in the pit, on stage or as a roaming camera, and use the PTZs for supplemental shots to increase the production value," says Rowan. "They are also massively useful for conferences and corporate events."

Producing educational content, promotional videos and events, Southpoint Films has worked with a range of companies, from cruise liners and cleaning companies to universities and medical practices. "We're a one-stop shop for corporate video production," says Rowan. "I was able to find a few really good clients early on, some of whom I still work with today. We tend to do a lot with companies that work behind the scenes but keep the world ticking. If you're the sort of person who is curious about how the world works, it's fascinating."

What first sparked your interest in making videos?

"The film School of Rock inspired me to play bass guitar and I started making videos for the rock music that I was playing in my bedroom. The early stages were me experimenting with videos and stop motion. I got my first Mac when I was 15 and used to spend every day trying to find weird ways to customise it. I was a GarageBand kid and then an iMovie kid. My work in film stems from my interest in technology, and asking ‘how can I use technology to do interesting things?'"

What do you enjoy about filming live events such as music festivals?

"The exciting thing about festivals is that you're part of the show. Ultimately, you're the eyes for the audience, which is a tremendous privilege, especially when you're working with well-known acts. It's really hard work, with long days and pressure, but your work is instantly seen by a massive crowd, because a significant amount of people in the audience are watching what you're broadcasting onto the screens. There's a prestige and honour in being trusted to deliver a performance of that scale, which is really exciting."

How important is autofocus for live events and broadcast?

"As resolutions are increasing – with the Canon EOS R5 series shooting up to 8K – you can't risk a shot being slightly out of focus because the operator couldn't quite see the detail on a tiny screen. I've been using video autofocus since I had the Canon EOS C100. Then the Canon EOS C200 had face tracking autofocus, and now you can track the eye. It removes human error because the camera is better than a person at processing what it sees. We're often working with small teams wearing multiple hats; if the camera can relieve some of the pressure, that's amazing."

What piece of Canon kit can you not live without, and why?

"When I'm working on big live events, my favourite camera is the Canon EOS C400 paired with a Canon Cine Servo lens. It's a stunning combination. The EOS C400 is an incredible camera, with fantastic low-light performance, expansive input/output and remote control via the XC protocol – which means I can control the setting of every camera backstage with a remote controller such as the Canon RC-IP1000 or Canon's Multi-Camera Management Application."

What else could we discover in your kitbag that helps you elevate your work?

"I've always got a Canon Power Zoom Adapter PZ-E2B with me. Like many video producers, I often use ‘photography' lenses on my cinema cameras. While most RF lenses are already designed as hybrid lenses for video, the Canon PZ-E2B turns my Canon RF 24-105mm F2.8L IS USM Z and Canon RF 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM Z into mini broadcast lenses, which is a game changer."

"The case for video is clear. A good video will hold people’s attention and, if it's done well and in an engaging manner, it will hit far harder than text on a piece of paper. It's also the language of the younger people coming into the workforce, who are expecting things to be done in video because that's what they consume."

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