Shaping stories with Ninja

Orion Phillips II is a director of photography, photographer, editor, colorist, and actor based in New Jersey. His passion for artistic storytelling has led him to work across commercials, documentary-style narratives and films. Over the years, he has collaborated with renowned brands such as Google, Ad Council, Ericsson, and Broadway League.

Among his standout projects is the romantic comedy I Hate My Love Life, a short film that he co-produced, filmed, edited, colored, and acted in. Starring Reggie C. Hayes and Terri J. Vaughn, the film was shot over four days in Los Angeles and has since been featured in multiple film festivals.

Orion also worked on a docu-style piece for the Ad Council, capturing discussions between mental health experts and faith leaders on mental health in the African American community. “Many of the projects I take on are driven by a desire to create change and help those in need,” he shares.

As a director of photography, Orion relies on the Atomos Ninja as his primary monitor, integrating it into his hybrid shooting setup. Using the LUMIX S5IIX full-frame camera, Orion pairs it with the Ninja for both run-and-gun filmmaking and tripod-mounted teleprompter work. “The Ninja’s focus peaking tool is one of my go-to features,” Orion shares. “It’s incredibly sharp and makes manual focusing a breeze, which is essential since I rarely rely on autofocus.”

As well as its monitoring capabilities, Ninja also enables ProRes RAW recording, delivering high-quality footage that’s easier to refine in post-production. “Shooting in ProRes RAW gives me the flexibility to fine-tune colors and exposure with ease, while maintaining exceptional image quality,” Orion adds.

“Being able to review images and send a feed to other monitors makes my productions run a lot smoother.”