A New Look in a Familiar Space: San Diego Two Camera Shoot

The shoot took place in San Diego on November 3, 2026. Camera operator Jack Gaertner had worked with Joni before, and rather than repeating the setup that had worked on previous shoots in the space, he tried something new to get a different look out of it.

The camera package was a Sony FX9 as the primary and a Sony FX3 as the secondary. It is a sensible pairing for a single operator covering a subject who needs to be captured cleanly in one pass. The FX9 carries the main angle and does the heavy lifting on image quality and handling. The FX3 fills in the second angle, which gives the edit somewhere to cut and gives the producer options that do not depend on getting a second take. Running two bodies solo means the second camera has to be set thoughtfully and trusted, so framing decisions get made up front rather than adjusted on the fly.

A Zoom streaming kit was also on set. That is a common requirement now on shoots where someone who is not physically in the room needs to see and hear what is happening as it happens, whether that is a producer, a director or a stakeholder watching remotely. It changes the job slightly. The operator is not only capturing footage for the edit, they are also responsible for a live feed that reflects the room accurately for the people watching from elsewhere. Handling that alongside a two camera setup takes planning and a clear sense of priorities when something needs attention.

If you need a camera operator in San Diego or anywhere else in the country, Assignment Desk can crew it.