# Petr Špetla – Filmmaker · Writer, cinematographer (DOP)

> Petr Špetla is a Czech cinematographer (DOP) specializing in documentaries and short fiction films. He shoots all over the Czech Republic, most often in Prague, and regularly travels abroad. He shoots, edits, mixes sound, grades color and prepares DCPs for cinemas. Together with his wife he runs the production company Špetla Film, and he writes novels under the pen name NullMason.

- Web: https://petrspetla.cz/en/
- Czech version: https://petrspetla.cz/llms.txt
- Based in: Trutnov, Hradec Králové Region, Czech Republic
- Works in: Czech Republic, Prague, Hradec Králové Region, Europe, Worldwide
- Phone: (+420) 736 270 070
- Email: petr@spetlafilm.com
- Company ID: 88798615

## The scene is my canvas

I specialize in documentaries, but I don’t shoot them the usual way. I don’t just record. Just as on a fiction film, I look at a scene the way a painter looks at a canvas.

I look for angles that let me work with natural light properly. When it’s needed, I light the whole scene to support the atmosphere. I think in shot sizes and choose the lens for what the shot should tell the viewer.

I started in high school as a runner on a feature film. Fifteen years of experience later, my work ranges from TV news stories and music videos, through story and screenplay, to the feature documentary Gravitation, which screened in sixty cinemas.

- Ambassador: Panasonic Lumix
- Workshops: Megapixel · FotoŠkoda · Biofilms
- Film equipment: Working with distributors and manufacturers

## From the first shot to the big screen

- **Camera / DOP**: Image, light, composition. Handheld, gimbal and drone with an A2 license.
- **Editing**: Rhythm and dramaturgy. I read the footage as a whole, not as a pile of shots.
- **Sound**: On-set recording with DPA microphones and post-production – cleanup, foley, mixing and loudness.
- **Color grading**: DaVinci Resolve on a calibrated workstation. Color that carries the emotion of the scene.
- **DCP**: Extensive experience preparing DCPs for theatrical distribution and festivals.
- **Writing**: Stories a film budget would never allow. I write novels under the pen name NullMason.

## A cinematographer for your film

Documentaries and short fiction films only. I don’t shoot commercials.

I direct, too: I can direct documentaries and fiction scenes myself. When needed, we can bring another director or other crew members I recommend on board.

- **Handheld** (Up to ten hours on set, including travel from Trutnov, travel CZK 10/km). Includes: Lumix S1II (6K 24–30p 16:9, 5.1K 60p open gate 3:2, 4K 100, FHD 180); Camera rig (99Wh V-mount, Hollyland Mars 4K wireless video, 7" monitor, DPA 2017 shotgun mic, 32-bit 4-ch XLR adapter, Samsung T7 Shield SSD, top handle); Easyrig Minimax; Recording in ProRes RAW / ProRes / H.265; Modern, vintage or cine lens set
- **Color grading**. Includes: DaVinci Resolve; 16" MacBook Pro with XDR display and Asus ProArt 32" UHD monitor calibrated to Rec.709; Color grading and image retouching; Export for YouTube / TV / cinema DCP
- **Sound post-production**. Includes: Audio cleanup (noise, unwanted frequencies, echo, hiss…); Adding missing foley and mixing it; Loudness normalization and balancing to YouTube / TV / theatrical standards
- **Editing**. Includes: Rough and fine cut in DaVinci Resolve; Working with dramaturgy and rhythm
- **DCP creation**. Includes: DCP for theatrical distribution and festivals; Picture, sound and subtitle QC

I’ll send you a tailored quote based on the scope of the shoot. For multiple shooting days we’ll agree on a discount. Before the shoot I require a contract and a 50% deposit.

## The gear I bring

- **Camera & rig**: 2× Panasonic Lumix S1II (main camera and backup / B-cam), Easyrig Minimax, 99 Wh V-mount battery, Hollyland Mars 4K – wireless video transmission, 7" monitor, DPA 2017 shotgun microphone, 32-bit 4-ch XLR adapter, Samsung T7 Shield SSD, Top handle
- **Gimbal**: DJI RS4, Hollyland Mars 4K, CFexpress Type B cards
- **Cine lens set**: Sirui Vision Prime 1 15mm T1.6, Sirui Vision Prime 1 24mm T1.4, Sirui Vision Prime 1 35mm T1.4, Sirui Vision Prime 1 50mm T1.4
- **Modern lens set**: Lumix 24mm f/1.8, Lumix 50mm f/1.4, Lumix 24–60mm f/2.8, Lumix 100mm f/2.8 Macro, NiSi True Color VND, Freewell VND kit 3–7
- **Vintage lens set**: Zeiss Flektogon 20mm f/2.8, Zeiss Flektogon 35mm f/2.4, Vivitar 28mm f/1.9, Helios 44-2 Valdai 58mm f/2, Helios 44-2 Zebra 58mm f/2, Biotar 58mm f/2, TTArtisan 75mm f/1.5, Carl Zeiss Jena 135mm f/3.5, Canon FD 35–105mm f/3.5, Canon FD 80–200mm f/4, Freewell VND kit 3–7
- **Drone**: DJI Mavic 4 Pro, 2× battery, up to 51 min of flight each, Freewell ND filters, Liability insurance
- **Sound kit**: DPA 4097 interview kit, Deity PR-2 – 32-bit recorder, 2× DJI Mic 3 set, DPA 2017 shotgun microphone
- **Lighting kit**: Redhead 700W bi-color, Nanlite FC-500B 500W bi-color, Nanlite PavoSlim 120C 120W RGBWW panel, Nanlite FC-120C + projector with gobos, Neewer FS60B, Zhiyun Molux X60 RGB + battery grip, PMI Smoke Genie Professional haze machine, SmallRig 85 cm softbox with grid, Redhead 90 cm softbox with grid, Reflectors, 5× aluminum light stand, 280 cm
- **Post-production workstation**: DaVinci Resolve, MacBook Pro 16" with XDR display, Asus ProArt 32" UHD calibrated to Rec.709, LG OLED TV 42C54, Bowers & Wilkins PX8 Dark Forest headphones

## Workshops and studio design

I have been teaching people to film since 2011. My workshops led clients to ask me to design studios for them – rooms with equipment where they can then shoot their own videos.

Designing a studio looks simple, but it is easy to sink a lot of money into it and still end up with something bland. That’s why I take care of both function and aesthetics: acoustics, light, sound and several camera angles, even in a small room. I always work within the client’s budget and I’m happy to work with very affordable gear.

- **Studio design and build**: From an empty room to a finished studio, including training. A studio can be built even where it seems impossible at first – say, in a hall full of metal and echo.
- **Upgrading an existing studio**: A little often goes a long way. Lighting, sound, graphics and editing take the result to another level.
- **One-to-one workshops**: Filming, lighting, sound and editing for new filmmakers and for companies. I have also taught them at Megapixel, FotoŠkoda and the Biofilms rental house.
- Projects: Fantastický podcast (Sound, lighting and a green-screen studio); pipMaster Grill (Studio before and after: light, sound, graphics, editing); GGBooster (Sound and lighting); Swaglift (Sound and lighting); U kulatého stolu (Video with suggestions for improvement)

## Films and projects

- Gravitation (Feature documentary): Sixty cinemas, a prime-time broadcast on Prima Zoom and two awards from the International Outdoor Film Festival, including the CzechTourism award.
- Bohemian Parforce (Feature historical documentary): A film about the parforce hunt, which also gave rise to the famous Velká pardubická steeplechase. With producer and presenter Jan Zavazal, in Czech and English.
- Krkonoše: Cesty Vlachů (Documentary · IndieStream): Modern optics for the present day, vintage lenses for the historical reconstruction.
- Kingdom Come: Deliverance II (Live-action series · Warhorse Studios): A live-action series for one of the biggest Czech video games. The project after which I knew I wanted to shoot more fiction.
- Crystal Valley Week – Panará (Špetla Film)

## Writing – pen name NullMason

Film taught me how to tell stories. Sooner or later, though, it always runs into the budget – even the smallest idea costs money. Words have no budget.

Under the pen name NullMason I write novels across genres, from dark urban fantasy to romance. I draw on real life and on dreams I have been writing down for years. I publish the books for free, chapter by chapter, as they are written – for now in Czech.

- [Architekti reality](https://nullmason.com) – Fantasy · Horror: Ema discovers she carries a shard of the power that ancient bloodlines use to rewrite reality – and that a hunger is rising from the cracks in the world, one that cannot be erased.
- [Cizinec a Sakura](https://nullmason.com) – Romance · Adventure: A Tokyo manga artist and a quiet European on a reality show across Japan. A grown-up romance about culture clashes and the courage to take your life into your own hands.

## FAQ

### How much does a cinematographer cost per shooting day?
I’ll send you a tailored quote based on the scope of the shoot, the number of days and the gear. Just fill in the inquiry form. The base package is handheld with a Lumix S1II, a complete rig, an Easyrig and a lens set, up to ten hours on set including travel from Trutnov.

### What kinds of projects can I hire you for?
Documentaries – feature-length, series and travel documentaries – and short fiction films. I don’t shoot commercials.

### Do you also direct?
Yes. I can direct documentaries and fiction scenes myself. When needed, we can bring another director or other crew members I recommend on board.

### Where do you shoot?
All over the Czech Republic, most often in Prague. I have my own car and arrive with the complete kit. Travel is charged at CZK 10/km.

### Do you shoot abroad?
Yes – travel is part of the job and I enjoy it. We’ll arrange flights, accommodation and transport of the gear for each project.

### Do you work with international productions?
Yes. I work with Czech and international crews, in the Czech Republic and abroad. On set I work in Czech and English, and all pre-production communication can be in English too.

### What gear do you bring?
Two Lumix S1II cameras, an Easyrig, a DJI RS4 gimbal, cine, modern and vintage lenses, a DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone with an A2 license, a sound kit with DPA and DJI Mic 3, and Nanlite, Redhead and Neewer lights. The full list is in the Gear section.

### Do you rent out equipment?
No, I’m not a rental house. I bring the gear and operate it myself as part of the shoot. You don’t need to know anything about gear – I’ll choose what the job needs.

### Do you also do post-production?
Yes. I edit, grade in DaVinci Resolve on a calibrated workstation, do sound post-production and prepare DCPs for cinemas and festivals.

### What are your terms?
Before the shoot we sign a contract and a 50% deposit is paid. For multiple shooting days we’ll agree on a discount.

## Links

- [Send an inquiry](https://petrspetla.cz/en/#inquiry)
- [DOP reel](https://youtu.be/FCzDevjRQz4)
- [Špetla Film](https://spetlafilm.com): Production company – turnkey films
- [Svět v hledáčku](https://eshop.petrspetla.cz): Courses, e-books and workshops (in Czech)
- [NullMason](https://nullmason.com): My books and short stories (in Czech)
- [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSl02cEgrF1I8mkZeBLGR-g)
- [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/spetlafilm/)