FILMMAKING

Daring to be different: Tier Zero and the EOS R5 C

The young creatives who make up this trail-blazing agency have long relied on Canon equipment, but the technical capabilities of the hybrid mirrorless EOS R5 C are enabling them to take their projects to the next level.
Four people sit at a round table, all leaning in to look at the Canon EOS R5 C that's sitting in the middle of the table.

"We thought it would be cool to give people a look into how we do things, and turn the camera towards our personality," says Charlie Lindsay about creative agency Tier Zero's Canon EOS R5 C product launch video. Taken on a Canon EOS R5 C with a Canon RF 35mm F1.8 MACRO IS STM lens at 1/100 sec, f/11 and ISO3200. © Tier Zero

"In Canada, you don't really see a creative agency where everyone is literally from a different country," says Jamal Burger, co-founder of the Toronto-based Tier Zero creative agency. "Coming to Canada as a minority, how that affects our thought process creatively, and with no prior business experience – we are trying to do the same thing our parents did for us. Trying to figure it out."

Originally working as independent creatives armed with the most affordable equipment at the time – including the Canon EOS 600D (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 850D) and the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM – friends Jamal, Charlie Lindsay and Due Pinlac joined forces as Tier Zero after their individual commissions began to gather momentum and project requirements grew.

Their first full production as a collective was for Canon Canada's Creator Class, where they took the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III across India to New Delhi, Agra and Varanasi. "Creator Class solidified our intention of storytelling from a humane standpoint, travelling with ethics, not just going somewhere as tourists and voyeurs," says Jamal of the project, which remains one of the team's favourites.

More recently, Tier Zero filmed a campaign on the Canon EOS R5 C. We spoke to them to find out more.

A black and white headshot of Jamal Burger.

Jamal Burger is responsible for making sure Tier Zero is always growing. An ideas man who loves to create stories that draw from his personal experience, Jamal began his creative journey borrowing his friend's Canon EOS 5D (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV). © Tier Zero

A headshot of Trae Nguyen, against a yellow background.

Trae Nguyen began as an intern and immediately loved how different the feeling was on a Tier Zero set. Four years on, she is a fully fledged member of the team and loves to create stories infused with her Vietnamese heritage and passion for food. "We're like family," she says. "Everyone on set matters to us. That's our driving force and what distinguishes us when we work together." © Tier Zero

Past, present and future

'We'll figure it out!' is a Tier Zero philosophy that keeps coming up in conversation. It's central to this young and growing agency – even though they don't know everything, they remember where they came from, they take it forward and they grow together.

"Everyone in our team started with a Canon – I started with a Canon EOS 600D," recalls Due, Tier Zero's creative director. "It was accessible from a price standpoint, but also produced great quality images, even for a starter. You get the 600D, the nifty fifty [Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM] and you're like, 'Wow, I can do depth of field, I can get it sharp like my colleagues do.' It was a starter pack that really gave you confidence to produce creative work, and prompted you to go out and shoot, even if you didn't have a client or project in mind."

From the EOS 600D, the crew stepped up to a Canon EOS 5D Mark III (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV), and then the Canon EOS-1D X Mark III. It's this history with Canon DSLRs that made the team's transition to the mirrorless Canon EOS R5 C for upcoming projects such an easy one, while also giving them the opportunity to take advantage of the camera's additional video production capabilities.

Tim Coleman

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