Directed by Chas Harrington & shot by Rick Joaquim SASC 

Stay Calm is a short film that explores a moral debate between medical professionals during a battle for the life or death of a hate criminal, set inside an ambulance rushing to the nearest hospital. 

Hawk London had the pleasure of sitting down with Director of Photography Rick Joaquim as he shared some insights into the story, beautifully captured using the MiniHAWK Lenses to draw our attention to the film’s central dilemma.

RICK & CHAS

Chas Harrington & Rick Joaquim at the British Short Film Awards. 

Rick shares that Chas Harrington, the film’s director, was put forward by Rick’s producer friend named Jack. Jack thought that the two would line up quite well since they shared similar approaches and a combined love for film. Rick and Chas got to talking and decided to get together. That’s how Chas got to his pitch that Rick was very fond of.

  • “That of course is an amazing challenge for a cinematographer, to shoot in the back of an ambulance” 

How to keep it interesting and fun, without the camera getting in the way? Those are the questions that the Director and DP kept asking themselves in the back of an ambulance yard the week prior to the shoot. Both creatives used this exciting final week of preproduction to talk through and envision the story in the place it would be captured. 

MiniTEST

 Joe Gubb 1ac during the MiniHAWK test 17.10.2023 

Now, let’s go back in time to when Rick and his focus puller Joe Gubb made it to Hawk London’s premises to test some lenses keeping in mind the challenges of the space on location and other various limitations. The takeaway from the test was pretty obvious to Rick and his 1st AC from the beginning: A small camera package, making use of tight framing and dynamic actor movement to maintain visual interest. The choice fell on – our MiniHAWK – a set of compact lenses with a Hybrid Anamorphic design.

The lenses’ anamorphic look with a spherical delivery utilizing high-speed optics and super close focus, paired with an Alexa MiniLF on our Fokus Pokus Powerback. Perfect for the close-quarters situation.

LIGHTS AND ACTION!

Ricks’s gaffer, Adam TRZ, and his spark Ken Liew, united by the “When Is Lunch” uniform, were in charge of lighting the set inside and out keeping to the 360 concept. Lamps were placed inside the ceiling, and controlled by Adam using the Gaffers Control: he would dim down the lights that were specifically on the side of the camera to avoid creating a flat image. 

Gaffer Adam TRZ & Ken Lew aka When Is Lunch crew, prelighting the set. Photo by: Gemma Sealey

Rick his assistant hiding lamps around the set. Photo by: Gemma Sealey

To keep a little bit of eye light, a special device called the Cinemoon™ was used as well as a bigger set of lights placed outside of the vehicle to create the idea of dynamic movement and traffic lights, making us believe the ambulance truly is rushing to the hospital.

 Rick shooting in the confined space of an ambulance. Photo by: Gemma Sealey

Once the script was broken down into portions, Chas initiated a smart approach to scene blocking that would position the actors and the camera crew to the opposite sides of the vehicle for each take, before then switching sides. Both Rick and Chas’s challenge was to let the actors move around freely while finding new and dynamic angles, without getting in the way.

As DP, Rick was facing a dilemma with himself. How to capture a brutal and challenging plot about someone fatally wounded, while also making each shot look beautiful and engaging? The decision was made to embrace the hybrid visuals created by the MiniHAWK lenses along with good lighting and composition, to draw viewers attention and allow the meaning behind the images to engrave themselves into our memory.

Joe Gubb changing MiniHAWK. Photo by: Gemma Sealey

  • “That’s what the MiniHawks were good for, achieving the desired close-focus shots that allowed for intimate moments in the ambulance, contributing to the film’s unique visual feel.” – States Rick

With the anamorphic look in the out-of-focus areas being enhanced by the lenses’ impressive close focus, the MiniHAWKs brought the cinematography to another level. Due to their spherical nature, Rick could frame for 16×9 instead of for a widescreen frame, allowing further space for the crew to maneuver within the tight filming location.

Photo by: Gemma Sealey

Having worked with the MiniHAWK lenses on a commercial in South Africa, Rick was keen to try them on a narrative project. He states that the lenses not only helped him keep the camera package small but also created a whole new look for the film:

  • “As soon as I spoke to Camille Brayer and Charles at Hawk London that MiniHawk was an option, that choice was a no-brainer for me” 

Rick shares his love for the full camera package and the support Hawk London was able to provide. He is thankful for this collaboration with Chas and the relationships he was able to build with the actors as the crew learned to work together to film something great in a challenging location.

“I am so grateful for the support of Hawk London and the confidence they had in this project. It meant a lot and worked like a charm as the shooting process was fluid and efficient.” – Rick Joaquim SASC

Board by: Danni Baxter  Photo by: Gemma Sealey

Article written by: Anastasia Plisova on 25.06.25 Edited by: Ben Cridge & Rick Joaquim on 26.06.25