Australian Z 8 Music Video Breaks New Ground In More Ways Than One
This mighty team of emerging POC artists and creatives have made a marvel with mirrorless.
If you ever needed proof that mirrorless technology is the future of hybrid photography and videography, look no further than HARD2SAY by Ta-ku. The video — a collaboration between the Perth beatmaker, Korean-Aussie hip-hop group 1300, and a crew of primarily POC filmmakers — was captured in its entirety on the Z 8 and the result is a feast for the eyes, ears and soul.
Ta-ku - HARD2SAY ft. 1300 & Sango (Official Video)
HARD2SAY tells the story of a father’s attempt to connect with his young daughter through a familial bond to rural photography. Ta-ku reveals that the lyrical hook for the track (“we say things that are hard to say”) explores “that intergenerational gap of self-expression, and how we can write that in a song as a way of dealing with that issue. What I mean by that is: I know our parents love us, but we just can’t talk to them sometimes.”
Executive Producer Ada May Ma, whose photography-loving grandfather was the inspiration for the narrative, adds that the film was “in homage to immigrant families who hold back from pursuing their creative endeavours for various reasons”.
Great strides with the Z 8
12-bit Internal N-RAW Video
Thanks to the talents of the team and 12-bit 4K/60p internal N-RAW Footage, the clip takes on a unique aesthetic and tone – at once cinematic, intimate, and nostalgic. Director Alexander Wu-Kim hails the creative freedom afforded by the Z 8: “because we’re out in the wilderness and in landscape, carrying a bulky camera around in those instances would have been quite difficult, but obviously it being so lightweight, it meant that we could be more mobile and agile in what we were shooting. It really allowed us to push the boundaries…”
Director of Photography Elijah Flores was equally enthused, particularly with the Z 8’s red recording indicator, illuminated buttons, and Nikon’s most advanced autofocus, the latter of which he remarked on: “normally when working with Callum (Dunnington, First Camera Assistant), I’ll have him pulling focus manually, but with the Nikon subject tracking, I can just hold it handheld and it would stay in focus”. Callum added that “it looks pretty much like you have a focus puller on hand.”
Capable of internal 12-bit N-RAW Video and 20fps RAW Images, the Z 8 offers the best of both worlds with the aim of being the ultimate hybrid camera.
We’re delighted to see such high quality cinematography and stills being produced on the Z 8, which was recently crowned Camera of the Year 2023-2024 in the 2023 EISA Awards. ( https://eisa.eu/awards/nikon-z-8/ )
Ta-ku - HARD2SAY ft. 1300 & Sango (Official Video) Go Behind the Scenes
A sign of great things to come
As more content is made by POC Australians in groundbreaking fashion, it’s important to recognise this moment in the industry timeline. “I think Australian content is definitely getting more diverse and being able to be a part of it is an amazing process” begins Ada. “To be able to collaborate with everyone here – Nikon, Odd Assembly…to be at the forefront of making that change and seeing people like myself on or behind the camera has just been really great.”
Alexander, reinforcing the point, believes “it’s really important for us to tell these stories of people of colour and represent them well, and I hope we have.”
Check out the clip for HARD2SAY and the BTS doco and we’re sure, like us, you’ll agree that’s exactly what they’ve done.
You can shop the Nikon Z 8 and the expansive range of NIKKOR lenses at Nikon.com.au.