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John Pope on Ten Years with the Misfit Atom
In anticipation of the Misfit Atom’s ten-year anniversary, we’ve been reflecting on our time with the matte box – and we’re not the only ones. John Pope, a prolific North American cinematographer, has been a Misfit Atom user since it first arrived on the scene in 2015.
We sat down with him to discuss his career, his values, and the importance of top-quality gear like the Misfit Atom.
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Misfit Atom
Original price was: $469.$229Current price is: $229. -
Misfit Atom 19mm Studio Kit
Original price was: $947.$699Current price is: $699.
Pope’s journey to becoming a working cinematographer started by complete serendipity:
“I’ve been doing this for close to 20 years. I went back to school to do film scoring, and kind of by happenstance, I ended up having one of my professors push me into an video editing class – learning through Adobe Premiere. The deeper I explored filmmaking, the more I felt that I was heading in the right direction for where I was in life at the time.
Early on, I came across this short film called Most (Garabedian, 2003), and I remember how I felt at the end: ‘This is what I want to make’. That’s what I wanted to do, to be able to learn the craft and move people like it had just moved me. From there I did everything I could to fast-track my cinematography.”
That craft is one of the most valuable aspects of Pope’s career trajectory, and has helped motivate him through the most challenging aspects of his career.
“There’s a reason people go to set and work long hours: it engages our creativity and skillsets in unique ways. We get fulfilment in both working with others and through self-expression within our craft. I’ve worked in commercials for the majority of my career, and the thing that has kept me grounded is that very chemistry of the experience.
Sometimes what you’re doing is the most ridiculous job in the world: it’s the most ridiculous experience, it’s the most ridiculous advertisement. You still have the craft to practice. All the same components still work – it provides a level of satisfaction regardless of the final result.”
Circa-2015, Pope was working primarily in documentaries. With the rise of gimbals and the Steadicam, the mission statement for shooters like Pope was minimising weight whilst maximising performance:
“It blows my mind thinking back to 2015, the options we have now versus then. I was filming numerous full-length documentaries, and I was embracing the Mōvi. I bought the Mōvi M10, then upgraded to the M15. Gimbals were just coming out and starting to make waves, and we were discovering all that had to come along with that technology. Remote follow-focus suddenly became a bigger thing, but when it came to matte boxes – what were we going to do for filters?
I was a RED person, so they never had built-in ND or filtration. That required you to build the camera more carefully to work within the capacity of the gimbal’s motors.
Bright Tangerine, at the time, I only knew for matte boxes. Not long after my Misfit, I bought my Misfit Atom. And the Misfit Atom was this fantastic bit of kit –lightweight, clamp-on or with 15mm rails. It was perfect. When you’re running and gunning, it’s fast to put on. Having a matte box that can go on a gimbal – or for protecting the lens when I’ve done car work – is great. It packs easy, it’s no-nonsense.”
Pope got in touch to request a service to his Misfit Atom, which had broken for the first time in his ten-year tenure with the matte box. Fixed with a quick email to customer services, Pope took the time to express his admiration for Bright Tangerine’s design ethos. Returning to that notion of craftsmanship, he highlighted importance of respecting your tools – and more importantly, respecting high-quality tools.
“I believe in taking pride in your work, and taking pride in your tools. Granted, they are tools – they’re meant to be used – but it’s how you treat your tools.
I admire Bright Tangerine beyond measure because it is evident that the team takes immense pride in their work. There’s a perceivable elegance in the user experience that provides a confidence that’s difficult to find amongst the sea of camera accessories.”
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