Large Format DPs: Composition and Shallow DOF - What's Different?

Hey everyone, Darius Pope here, Best Boy Electric. I've been wrestling with something lately on sets using cameras like the ALEXA 35 and even the VENICE 2 on a recent commercial. We're often pairing them with pretty fast large-format glass. Back in the day, with an ALEXA Mini and Super 35, getting that creamy, shallow depth of field was a bit more of a deliberate choice, often needing longer lenses or shooting wide open. Now, it feels almost... inherent.

My question for the DPs out there, especially those who came up in the Super 35 era: how has the prevalence of large format influenced your approach to composition? Are you consciously adjusting framing or lens choices to avoid excessive shallow DOF, or are you embracing it and composing differently knowing it's so readily available? I’m seeing some really interesting results but trying to understand the creative process behind it. What's your current methodology?