Sony Brings the Sony FX2 to Students for The 2025 ShotDeck Recreations Contest

Studying Under The Masters

For the students of Columbia College Chicago and Emerson College, the ShotDeck Recreations Contest was both an exercise in technical precision and an opportunity for creative expression. Edgecomb and Trudell offered the FX2s without stipulations, opening up the collaboration to any student who wanted to submit to the contest.

"The fun part for me was that I offered some insights, I offered some thoughts, but for the most part, I tried to stay out of everything as much as possible," Edgecomb said. "I wanted this to be a learning exercise for them more than just me telling them how to do things, because no one's going to learn that way. And I think the final result is quite good with what they were able to achieve."

Because students must use shots from ShotDeck, the contest imposes its own built-in creative constraints. But it was within these boundaries that the students were able to practice their craft, which mimicked a centuries-old way of learning. 

"Emerson is a creative place that leaves a lot of stuff open for students creatively, and I think having such strict guidelines [within the ShotDeck Recreations Contest] made them have to utilize different aspects of their skill sets, their brain, their thought processes, and their analytical sense," Trudell said. "I likened it back to when you used to study under a master painter, and you would recreate their paintings over and over and over again in their style. And eventually, they would send you off, and then you would go do your own thing."

The ShotDeck Recreations of Columbia College Chicago

Alex Hampton, an undergraduate at Columbia College, wanted to recreate something with a simple production design, focusing on lighting and composition. For his recreation, he chose a shot from Miles Ahead, Don Cheadle's directorial debut, in which he also starred as musician Miles Davis. 

"I think the most difficult challenge with my shot, specifically, was getting the correct haze pattern and light beam," Hampton said. "We were working on a sound stage, so we couldn't haze the whole room. We would run the machine for a take, and then clean the air, so every attempt looked wildly different."

"We couldn't really see the light beam until there was texture in the air, but as soon as we ran it, the entire crew started smiling. I vividly remember looking over at my friends who helped with the build and getting nods of approval as we pressed record."

While the haze would help with the final composition, the original shot called for a cool, heavy silhouette, forcing Hampton to blend dark shadows with a bright spotlight to achieve the desired contrast.

"The most surprising thing I noticed about the FX2 while shooting was the camera's ability to capture low-light," Hampton said. "I went for a high contrast shot, so I had to rely on the camera's ability to capture clean shadows, and it did amazingly well."

The ShotDeck Recreations of Emerson College

On the other side of the spectrum, Leslie Ann Melendez of Emerson College chose a composition with an array of soft, warm light, selecting a frame of actress Emma Laird from The Brutalist.

"It was really great to go on ShotDeck and be immersed in really beautiful and inspiring shots," Melendez said. "We used the FX2, which was lightweight but also produced stunning photographs with the low-light settings that really blew me away."

Another unique recreation that embraced simplicity while also leaning into lighting and composition was a frame from a music video by Omar Apollo for his song Spite. Rebecca Wong of Emerson wanted something simple to achieve with the resources she had, yet complex enough to challenge her creatively.

"I really wanted to focus and challenge myself on the shape of the light as it hits the floor and the subject, since it was interesting that you couldn't really discern what the light was," Wong said. "I enjoyed working backward. In first, understanding the direction of the light, then the shape, and how it hits in a particular way."

"I think understanding the directionality and shape of the light was the most difficult," Wong added. "We were all contemplating if there was one light or multiple, and how to achieve the look of the harshness/softness. It was a challenge not knowing the true source, but it felt satisfying once we got the look down."

Moving away from medium and wide shots, Emerson students Noelle Leslie-Morgan and Ethan Smith chose a composition that brought together a kaleidoscope of colors. The duo focused on space and visual textures by recreating a shot from Joji's music video for his song Slow Dancing in the Dark.

"The shot we chose had so many wonderful textures and colors that we couldn't wait to tackle it," Leslie-Morgan said. "The biggest challenge we faced was getting the orientation of the various elements just right. Creating the space and visual textures of the space took a lot of finessing. Another challenge was lighting the hand while keeping the contrast throughout."

The Sony FX2 removed the obstacle of having to fight the colors and contrast, allowing Leslie-Morgan and Smith to focus on the important elements of their shot, like experimenting with their props and fine-tuning their composition. 

"We loved the clarity that came through despite shooting in a darker space," Leslie-Morgan said. "Visual noise was not an issue in the low-light setting."

"We didn't have fake blood, so I mixed glycerin, water, and red food dye to try and make the right consistency. It felt like I was doing a chemistry experiment!"

"The most memorable moment for me was covering my hand in fake blood and clawing away at the glass pane, trying to, as close as possible, match the orientation in the shot," Smith said. "I walked away with a red-stained hand!"

Making Learning, An Experience 

The ShotDeck Recreations Contest isn't simply an exercise or a way to learn more about cinematography. It's a way to experience the best moments from set. The ones of pure creativity and creative problem-solving. 

"It would have been silent [on the stage] for a half hour, everyone's just doing all this detail work and moving things very precisely, sliding the camera back a little bit," Trudel said. "And then one of them just sticks their head up, and was like, 'I haven't had this much fun in so long.'"

The winners of the 2025 ShotDeck Recreations Contest will be announced in late November. Visit @ShotDeck on Instagram to stay up to date on the awards!

To learn more about the Sony FX2 and the other cameras in the Sony Cinema Line, visit our Camera Comparison Chart.