Filmmakers Visit Volcano-Ridden Indonesia and the Indigenous People Who Live Among Them

Filmmakers Justin Pelletier and Adam Maruniak of Brick Films have been hard at work over the last three months to produce this “volcano epic,” and it does not disappoint.

The Vancouver-based duo spent two months in Indonesia on a client project and somehow managed to fit this beautifully crafted production into their crazy schedule. Traveling to four of Indonesia’s astounding list of volcanoes over their two-month stay, they went with no fixers and befriended locals to help tell the story. 

The most notable of their boots on the ground help is Nararya Nemo Narottama, a man whose family has roots at the foot of Mount Agung, an active volcano, and the highest point in Bali, Indonesia. While Pelletier and Maruniak were wrapping up production at Narottama’s family home, the call came to evacuate. Narottama’s voice can be heard narrating the piece throughout.

For all you gear heads out there, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that a majority of this thing was shot on a Panasonic GH4 coupled with a Glidecam for camera support. And the aerials? A humble GoPro Hero 5 flown on Gopro’s Karma drone. 

Not only is the cinematography and storytelling top notch, but the score and accompanying sound design are also very impressive. Impressive enough that “Amongst Fire” has been short-listed for a few film festivals. Follow along with the Brick Films crew for those announcements! Great work gents!

Amongst Fire's Arsenal:

Camera: Panasonic GH4

Lens: 12mm Rokinon f2.0

Stabilizer: Glidecam HD 4000

Audio: Rode Videomic Pro Shotgun + Rode Smartlav

Drone: Gopro Karma Drone with Gopro Hero 5

All images used with the permission of Adam Maruniak.

Sean Horton's picture

Sean is a commercial photographer and DP based in San Diego. He can usually be found petting the nearest dog, drinking beer, or watching the lowriders cruise his neighborhood while doing the aforementioned simultaneously.

Log in or register to post comments
1 Comment

Beautiful cinematography.