Cinematic poetry: shooting a video haiku with the Canon EOS R8

Sometimes less really is more. Haiku is a form normally associated with Japanese poetry, but this minimalist style can inspire powerfully succinct storytelling when applied to filmmaking. Haiku film is also a format that allows newcomers to explore the rich audio-visual possibilities that video brings, with its parameters acting as a guide.

Content creator Alexandra Andreeva, who is based in Vienna, has long been interested in trying motion, but always found the transition from stills to video "a bit scary", not least because her older Canon APS-C DSLR doesn't have video capabilities. Here, she shares her experience of shooting a cine haiku about fashion designer Benjamin Benmoyal with the full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS R8, and offers some tips on how to go about making your own haiku films.

Identify your cine haiku story

Alexandra's film uses layering to give interest to a scene – at times she shoots through foreground foliage, for example, and adjusts perspectives to give a sense of movement. "I was keen to play with distance," she says, and the film transitions between environmental shots where Benjamin is seen dressing a model and close-ups of his hands cutting out a pattern. "Switching things up like this makes a film more dynamic, more interesting to watch," she explains. "Shooting everything close-up would get very boring."

This cinematic layering also chimes with the theme of sustainability and upcycling: bringing disparate objects together in creative ways. "I'm always fascinated by people creating something new that you can touch and wear. With Benjamin's work, I love how he is taking something familiar from our childhoods – VHS tapes – and repurposing them."

When it came to filming her haiku, "I was directing for 65% of the time and the rest of the time I was observing," says Alexandra. "I wanted the light to look nice so we could see the 3D structure of the fabric. There were times when I would ask Benjamin if he could do something slower, but there are other times when he's putting the clothes on the model and I'm capturing that [in real-time]."

As someone who is more used to shooting landscapes, having the chance to direct people was a revelation for Alexandra. "Normally, I'm waiting for the sun to rise behind a mountain, so it was nice to have the opportunity to play around with different elements in the frame. I could ask someone to move their arm slightly to the left, so it was coherent with what I had in my head."

Some of Alexandra's favourite sequences were spontaneous reactions to the situation as she observed it. "As you're shooting, you go through the list in your head but sometimes it doesn't match your idea. Or you notice that a particular fabric looks nice in the light and suggest the model does a twirl."

The Canon EOS R8, with its advanced Dual Pixel CMOS AF II technology with intelligent subject detection, was the perfect tool for the task. "You can easily switch your point of focus just by tapping the display with your finger – the focus shifts really smoothly," says Alexandra, who is used to both auto and manual focus.

Another function Alexandra was particularly impressed with was slow-motion shooting. "I think it adds hugely to the atmosphere," she enthuses. It's a creative effect she's used previously, but only on her smartphone, so the image quality when shooting at 180fps in Full HD on the Canon EOS R8 was far superior. "The full-frame quality was amazing," she says.

As a novice filmmaker, Alexandra found the biggest advantage by far was how intuitive the camera was to use. "You just have to tell the model where to go and how to turn, and the camera does the magic. You can concentrate on getting the composition you're after."

Even so, Alexandra was pleasantly surprised by how lightweight the full-frame camera body was compared to the Canon APS-C DSLR she is accustomed to working with, and how flexible it was using the vari-angle display. "I was working handheld and I could shift the angle using the display, which meant I didn't have to move while the model maintained a pose," she adds.

Although she shot a lot of footage, Alexandra had a clear sense of what she would use in the final film and what would remain on the cutting room floor. "It's the same when I shoot stills: as I'm transferring images, I'm remembering the shots I liked best," she says.

Accessible and easy to use, but with image quality and capabilities such as autofocus tracking that will take your stills and video to the next level, the EOS R8 is a launchpad for creativity.

It’s also a great choice for those looking to advance their video skills, thanks to pro-level features such as outstanding low light autofocus, the ability to shoot in Canon Log 3 and intuitive video assist functions. "I'm not a professional photographer, but I'm not an amateur either," says Alexandra. "I think this camera is made for people like me."

After her first foray into filmmaking, Alexandra is inspired to see where the Canon EOS R8 will take her. "You are not limited in any way,” she concludes. “You never need to think 'I can't do that'. You can just follow your imagination."