Why We’re Shooting MascotLand on the Only Silent VistaVision Camera in the World
- gvaldez801
- Nov 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Over the last few weeks, the industry has been buzzing about VistaVision cameras — especially after a widely circulated Wall Street Journal piece described them as “unreliable, cranky, never quiet, and always in need of coaxing.”
And that reputation is true except for ONE camera.
For Mascot Land, we’re shooting on the only silent, production-ready VistaVision camera in the world — a custom-restored system owned and engineered by our DP, Ben Braham Ziryab. This is the same camera used on One Battle After Another and Bulgonia, and it has a unique distinction: It runs quietly enough to record sync sound.
This is unheard of for VistaVision. Most units are so loud you can’t even hold a conversation next to them — let alone record dialogue. We have the unicorn.
What Makes This VistaVision Camera So Unique?
It’s the Only Quiet VistaVision Body Still Operating
Typical VistaVision cameras have:
thunderous mechanical noise
vibration that rattles the dolly
inconsistent movement
the need for blimps or blankets
Ben’s camera solves all of that. Through years of precise mechanical work and custom engineering, he built a VistaVision system that:
stays quiet on set
runs smoothly enough for dialogue
maintains perfect registration
doesn’t require a blimp
performs like a modern camera with the soul of a 1950s beast
This alone makes Mascots Land historically significant.
What Is VistaVision?
VistaVision is a large-format 35mm film process created by Paramount in 1954, famous for its horizontal 8-perf negative and unparalleled image depth. Blockbusters like Vertigo, The Searchers, and Top Gun: Maverick (for aerial plates) used the format.
But today, fully functioning VistaVision cameras are extremely rare — and silent ones effectively did not exist until the Mitchell-Fries VistaVision was built.
Why We Chose This Camera for MascotLand
MascotLand moves between:
raw, handheld 16mm
mythic, memory-soaked VistaVision sequences on 35MM
Dreams, trauma, fractured identity, and surreal 90s Americana demand a format that feels larger than life. VistaVision becomes the psychological language of the film.
We're going a step further with Ektachrome
Ektachrome on VistaVision produces:
glowing highlights
dense shadows
deep blues and ochres
a surreal, subconscious shimmer
It feels like a memory you’ve lived before.
No plugin or AI model can replicate it.
The Camera as a Character
Filmmakers love to say the camera is a character. In this case, it’s literal.
Ben’s VistaVision is:
mechanical yet quiet
large-format yet nimble
vintage yet rebuilt
temperamental yet trustworthy
It’s a perfect metaphor for MascotLand and its characters — people who are stitched together, full of contradictions, haunted by myth, and louder on the inside than the outside.
Why This Matters in 2025
As AI video becomes frictionless, audiences are craving the opposite: physical craft, human imperfection, and real-world texture.
Shooting on the only silent VistaVision camera isn’t a gimmick. We just want to feel alive again and show the truth, which only film can do.
Follow the Production
We’ll be sharing:
lens and stock notes
on-set footage
comparisons between 16mm and VistaVision
camera maintenance diaries
MascotLand
....It will be one of the only modern films shot on a truly silent VistaVision camera with Kodak Ektachrome . That’s not just a technical detail. That’s the soul of the project.
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