Overview
Jonny Revolt is an Atlanta-based DIT who mainly works on feature films and television shows. Recently, he had the opportunity to work on the award-winning film The Six Triple Eight, serving as the main DIT across multiple shooting locations in the U.S. and UK. In this interview, he shares exclusive insights into his setup and workflow using Livegrade Studio and Silverstack Lab.
„In 2011, I made my way from editing to the camera department as a DIT because traveling and being on set was more exciting“, Jonny recalls. This passion for being on the move was definitely fulfilled during the production of war drama The Six Triple Eight, which took him to Georgia and Tennessee, before heading overseas to the UK.
The film tells the incredible true story of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-Black, all-female unit during World War II, tasked with clearing a massive backlog of undelivered mail to boost soldier morale.
Jonny joined the production thanks to his long-standing relationship with Tyler Perry Studios. Reflecting on the experience, camaraderie wasn’t only a central theme on screen but also played an important role behind the scenes: „The camera teams were amazing! I am grateful I had this opportunity with such a great team. Shout out to Michael Watson our amazing DP, Matt Patrosky A-OP, Warren Brace A1st, Grace Peller James A2nd, Gregg Easterbook B-OP, Daniel Fiorito B1st, Erika Haggerty B2nd, April Crowley C-OP, Kane Person C1st, Walker Markey C2nd, and of course the support team Andrew
Managing a multicam shoot: Setup and workflow
The production primarily used Sony Venice 1 cameras. „In America we had three camera teams but access to eight Sony Venices at all times. Sometimes a fourth camera team was brought on depending on the day,“ Jonny explains before adding sarcastically: „And a ton of GoPros, which was a lot of fun for our loader.“ To accommodate all those camera signals, Jonny worked with his standard setup housed on two Inovative Echo carts:
- 3x Flanders Scientific DM240 monitors
- 3x BoxIOs to run six signals through 40×40 Blackmagic Videohubs
- 2x Leader LV 5330 for monitoring Log switching between all cameras
- 3x OWC Thunderbolt 3 expansion docks to plug in all the Thunderbolt 3 or 4
- 3x OWC docks expandability
- 2x Stream Deck controllers to „make life easier“
Having started back in 2011, Jonny still remembers the days where he „would have to color on the camera truck and bring an iPad of stills to set to show the DP.“ Ever since he started working with Livegrade, he could do it all on set: „When Livegrade 1.0 came out that was the game changer for me!“ These days he still enjoys being as close as possible to the creative process, as he shares: „I definitely thrive on the creative process with a DP. The more I can color and expose their vision, the better my day on set.“
What Jonny values about Livegrade is the ability to directly visualize what a DP wants to see and give them the tools to experiment: „I like to let the DP be creative and have it instantly show up on screen. I’ve had DPs on other shows pop into the tent for 15 seconds and say ‚Africa summer 1950s‘, they pop back in 2 minutes later and they are happy.“
So, how does Jonny organize his workflow when working with Livegrade Studio? „In terms of my workflow, I like to keep it simple: CDL+LUT=look“, he shares. He prefers getting involved as early on as possible, to know what he’ll be dealing with LUT-wise: „I like to work with a colorist and the DP during prep, in order to come up with an initial show LUT or two. That will be my base and then I apply a CDL on to that.“
For The Six Triple Eight, Jonny had to keep an eye on multiple cameras simultaneously and adapt his feeds according to the DP’s and director’s changing needs: „As I had to have six cameras up at all time, the lower two monitors on my setup were the hero cameras, and on the third monitor I had a quad of the other four cameras. Both carts had 40×40 Blackmagic’s and I would do the switching from my cart according to which cameras DP Michael Watson and Director Tyler Perry wanted to see on the big screen.“
One of the best features [in Livegrade Studio]was the ability to change the slot letter so I could keep the camera team straight in their respective slots as they would change cameras.
Asked about his favorite features in Livegrade Studio, Jonny highlights: „One of the best features was the ability to change the slot letter so I could keep the camera team straight in their respective slots as they would change cameras. I use Pomfort’s .pfla file format religiously for exporting and am a big fan of Smart Groups when you need to find a clip quickly – location is normally my go-to as DP’s can always remember where they were“. Livegrade Studio, combined with Silverstack Lab, made dailies creation effortless: „I use Silverstack Lab to play clips and create dailies after applying a .pfla, which makes color matching so quick. And stealing the metadata from sound is a dream!“
Challenges and standout moments
Managing six cameras was already demanding, but some days pushed the limits even further: „The difficult days for me were the ones we did have eight camera teams, like in Bradford, UK. We were 34 people spread out over three blocks, all shooting the same time with so-called COFDM wireless transmitters, that was a hectic day.“ He continues to explain the unique nature of these transmitters: „They are only legal in the UK, developed by the British military. They must be at least eight feet in the air because they emit harmful radiation, but they provide line-of-sight wireless control for over a mile.“
Speaking of military, another intense day was tied to a central war scene: „The only truly difficult day was the war scene with stunts and bombs and our camera team slipping and sliding in the mud with eight units shooting at the same time all over the battlefield. That was a crazy day.“ But amid the challenges, there were countless unforgettable moments as Jonny recalls: „There were so many memorable days and so many great experiences. I don’t normally cry on set but Kerri Washington killed it, a couple of her performances LIVE were so amazing.“
Huge thanks to Jonny for sharing these insights into his work with us!
Jonny Revolt , DIT
Jonny Revolte is an Atlanta-based DIT with a diverse background in film production. He began his career in Los Angeles in 1997 as a director of music videos before transitioning to editing. In 2011, he found his true calling as a DIT, combining his technical expertise with his passion for on-set collaboration—and he hasn’t looked back since. With extensive experience in feature films and television, Jonny has become a trusted name in the industry,
Posted in: Production Insights
