Iris Ng Telling Sarah Polley`s Stories

Canadian Society of Cinematographers
$4 April 2013 www.csc.ca
Iris Ng
Telling
Sarah
Polley’s
Stories
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Robert McLachlan csc, asc: Game of Thrones • Shooting Zero Dark Thirty
Canadian Society of Cinematographers
Lighting Faces Workshop
By Professionals, For Professionals
April 20 and 21, 2013*
Toronto ON, Canada
Price: $450.00 CSC members
$550.00 non-members
Continental Breakfast, snacks and lunch will be provided.
Hands-on means experience
The CSC believes that the best training comes from doing.
This two day hands-on lighting faces workshop offers the participants
practical knowledge on the fundamentals of achieving the most efficient
and captivating interview lighting setups.
Not your typical 3 point lighting setups
Lighting faces isn’t a one-size-fits-all setup. Accredited “csc” instructors
will demonstrate the importance of background geometry, perspective,
texture and colour for the best camera placement. In this workshop
we will focus on ways to create natural and pleasant lighting setups
that will benefit both you and your clients.
Topics for this workshop will include
- hard and soft lighting
- contrast ratios
- broad, short and glamour lighting
- light control
- modeling
- depth of field
- colour temperature
- inverse square law
- composition
- single and two camera setups
Participants are encouraged
to bring a light meter
(if you have one) for the
practical exercises.
Instructors
CSC lighting workshop
Location and equipment courtesy of
Joan Hutton csc
Alwyn Kumst csc
Carlos Esteves csc
For an application and detailed itinerary please visit the CSC website: www.csc.ca
telephone 416-266-0591
* CSC reserves the right to postpone workshop date(s)
The CSC since 1957
To foster and promote the art of cinematography
A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers
The purpose of the CSC is to promote
the art and craft of cinematography
in Canada and to provide tangible
recognition of the common bonds
that link film and video professionals,
from the aspiring student and camera
assistant to the news veteran and
senior director of photography.
FEATURES – volume 5, No. 1 April 2013
Courtesy of the National Film Board
of Canada 2012, Michael Gibson
The Canadian Society of Cinematographers
(CSC) was founded in 1957 by a group of
Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen.
Since then over 800 cinematographers
and persons in associated occupations
have joined the organization.
Iris Ng: Telling Sarah Polley’s Stories By Fanen Chiahemen
6
Robert McLachlan csc, asc Plays Game of Thrones
10
By Fanen Chiahemen
14
Credit: Jonathan Olley
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Shooting Zero Dark Thirty: 10 Tidbits from the Trenches
By Bryant Frazer
Columns & Departments
2
3
5
16
17
19
20
From the President
In the News
CSC Members Win at the Canadian Screen Awards
CSC Awards Nominees
Tech Column
Camera Classified
Productions Notes / Calendar
Cover: Scene from Stories We Tell. Courtesy of 2011 National Film Board of Canada, Ken Woroner.
Canadian Cinematographer
April 2013 Vol. 5, No.1
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Joan Hutton csc
EDITOR EMERITUS
Donald Angus
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Susan Saranchuk
[email protected]
EDITOR
From
The
PRESIDENT
Joan Hutton csc
Fanen Chiahemen
[email protected]
COPY EDITOR
Karen Longland
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Kayla-Jane Barrie
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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
T
he 56th CSC Annual Awards Gala has come and gone with a bang. It was
a tremendous evening with over 300 people in attendance. I would like
to congratulate all the winners for their outstanding achievement. It is an
honour well deserved for work that exemplifies excellence in cinematography.
The winner’s names can be viewed at the CSC website, csc.ca. A full account of
the gala will be published in the May issue of Canadian Cinematographer.
There is a new specialty television channel being floated, which could be a
much-needed cultural shot in the arm for Canada. A CRTC application has
been filed for Starlight, a channel devoted entirely to Canadian content, with
a major emphasis on theatrical release features. The channel will also show
Canadian made made-for-TV movies, documentaries and TV series.
Canadian features have become somewhat the orphans of our industry. They’re
produced, but are mostly unnoticed by Canadians in general. Often, they have
short theatre runs and then they’re gone. It’s not because we make bad movies,
but quite the contrary. The production muscle backing Starlight attests to that.
All are esteemed filmmakers, internationally recognized artists with armfuls of
awards. Its list of backers reads like a who’s who of Canadian filmdom; Robert
Lantos, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, Denys Arcand, Paul
Gross, Patricia Rozema, Denis Villeneuve and Niv Fichman to name a few. The
channel will be run by Norm Bolen, former Alliance Atlantis content VP.
Canadian broadcasters, at one time, included Canadian features in their schedules as part of their Canadian content obligations, but, that seems to have fallen
by the wayside, with them opting for the American series format. Even when
they did show Canadian features, it was spotty at best. This is not a complaint
because our industry has done exceedingly well in the made-for-television
department. It’s just not so good for Canadian made features.
A channel such as Starlight is a terrific idea and long overdue on our television
landscape. It provides new life for our features and the chance for Canadian
viewers to be touched by Canadian culture. In its proposal, Starlight is asking
that the channel be included on basic cable to guarantee its revenue stream.
The channel would add about $10 yearly to subscriber’s bills, a small price for
defining Canadian identity. Significantly, Starlight will plow $23 million of its
revenue back into our industry to produce 10 to 12 movies a year.
Starlight’s proposal is scheduled to be heard by the CRTC on the 23rd of this
month. I do hope the CRTC sees the importance and value of Starlight because
this is a triple win situation, for our film & television industry, for our culture
and for Canadian viewers.
In The News
IMAX Receives ACCT Technical Achievement Award
T
he Academy of Canadian Cinema
& Television in February named
IMAX Corporation – which
Graeme Ferguson co-founded – the
recipient of the Outstanding Technical
Achievement Award, an honour given
for Recent Canadian Technical Achievements. “IMAX Corporation’s suite of
entertainment technologies are gamechanging advances through which the
Canadian-based company has had a
profound impact on the movie-going
experience for audiences around the world.
As we have also seen this year, IMAX
has also had a tremendous influence on
the bottom-line fundamentals of the
theatrical film business globally,” Academy Chair Martin Katz said.
The Academy also announced that
Julie Bristow, CBC executive director
of studio and unscripted content, as well
as Don Carmody, producer, have joined
the Academy’s Board of Directors.
TV Cameraman,
Director Driftmier dies
Calgary-born, Ottawa-based cameraman and television director John Driftmier died on February 24 at the age of
30. Driftmier was in Kenya filming the
documentary series Dangerous Flights, a
program documenting ferry pilots delivering small, private planes around the
world. He was filming aerial footage for
the series when the small plane he was in
crashed, killing him and the pilot. Driftmier specialized in factual television. His
numerous credits include several Discovery series, including Highway Thru Hell
and Licence to Drill. He is survived by his
wife and parents.
Graeme Ferguson
ARRI Refreshes ALEXA
Product Line
Credit: Courtesy of ARRI.
ARRI in February announced it is refreshing its ALEXA product line, incorporating new features inspired by feedback
from professional users. The ALEXA XT,
ALEXA XT M, ALEXA XT Plus and
ALEXA XT Studio cameras will replace
all previous models except for the original ALEXA. Owners of existing ALEXA
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
3
saving LED light features dial-in colour
temperature control and full range dimming. There are also Canon’s portable,
removable lens cameras – timesavers for
cinematographers – as well as AadynTech’s
weatherproof single-source LEDs.
Credit: Kayla-Jane Barrie
Those were just some of the products on
display at the William F. White Centre
in Toronto for the 2013 February Freeze,
which brought more than 40 of the industry’s top suppliers – many from the United
States – as well as 400 plus industry professionals and students.
Above: William F. White Chairman/CEO Paul
Bronfman. Below: The Kino Flo Celeb
and Paddington Bear. Framestore’s decision to establish an operation in Montreal
is based on the city’s significant software,
creative and technological talent base and
a proven track-record of attracting quality
VFX work from major U.S. film studios.
This combined with the fiscal advantages offered by Quebec’s Film Tax Credit
mean both Framestore and its clients will
benefit from improved cost efficiencies.
Framestore’s other offices are in in London, Los Angeles and New York.
cameras will be able to purchase individual
upgrades that deliver most of the features
of the XT configuration. The company
is also offering an upgrade that equips all
existing ALEXA cameras with one of the
major features of the XT configuration:
the new XR Module (Xtended Recording), which allows ARRIRAW data to be
recorded in-camera to a new internal digital magazine that was co-developed with
Codex and will replace the SxS module.
Framestore Adds
Montreal Office
Visual effects company Framestore recently announced the addition of a Montreal
office to its worldwide chain. The Montreal studio will accommodate a significant
proportion of Framestore’s growing slate
of confirmed film VFX work for 2013,
including RoboCop, All You Need Is Kill
4 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
CinequipWhite
February Freeze:
Strong Turnout, High
Hopes for Industry
If William F. White Chairman/CEO Paul
Bronfman’s predictions are correct, 2013
will turn out to be a strong year for local, as well as U.S., productions on this
side of the border. “Canadian producers
are becoming more and more recognized;
their projects are becoming higher budget,
production values are increasing, and I’m
very bullish about the Canadian production side,” Bronfman said.
Among the technology those productions may be taking advantage of include
the Kino Flo Celeb of which Whites was
the first supplier in Canada. The energy-
Bronfman, who hosted the event at the
WFW Centre along with Larry Lavoie,
General Manager of CinequipWhite, expressed his optimism about the industry
nationwide despite recent developments
such as the elimination of the Saskatchewan Film Employment Tax Credit
(see “An Industry in Crisis,” Canadian
Cinematographer, February 2013). “We’re
still keeping our Regina office open,”
Bronfman said. “Yes, we are. Because
we’re still hopeful that common sense will
prevail.” He also expects that the annual
technology showcase will only continue
to grow in years to come. “We’re hoping
to continue to add products and services
every year to make it worthwhile for
people to come back,” he said.
Letters to the Editor
T
hank you for your well-written and
informative article “An Industry in
Crisis” in the February issue of Canadian
Cinematographer. Here in Vancouver our
industry members are striving to inform
our B.C. government of the value of tax
credit incentives to bring productions
here. There have been a number of uninformed people speaking out against such
incentives recently. I think your article
illustrates beautifully the economic value
to the entire province these incentives
potentially provide.
Regards,
Jan Kiesser csc, asc
CSC Members WIN at the
Canadian Screen Awards
CSC congratulates the following
Canadian Screen Award winners
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Nicolas Bolduc csc, Rebelle
Best Direction in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series
Philip Earnshaw csc, Degrassi – Scream, Part Two
Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series
Sponsored by Deluxe Toronto Ltd.
Paul Sarossy csc, bsc, asc, The Borgias – The Borgia Bull
Best Photography in a Variety or Performing Arts
or Sketch Comedy Program or Series
Dylan Macleod csc (with Pierre Marleau), Love Lies Bleeding
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Technicolor On-Location
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Grace Carnale-Davis
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Technicolor_CSC_MagazineAd_b6 2013-03-11
technicolor.com/toronto
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
5
Iris Ng
Telling
Sarah
Polley’s
Stories
By Fanen Chiahemen
T
here’s a family secret revealed in
Stories We Tell, the first feature-
length documentary by Toronto native
Sarah Polley. But it’s not the secret that’s
under examination here, but storytelling
itself and how each person’s version of the
same story can cause the truth to mutate.
6 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
The documentary captures that essence by interweaving testimonial-style interviews, home movies from the
1960s, 1970s and 1980s – shot mostly by Polley’s father, Michael – with dramatized recreations of events
shot to look like they were captured during that era.
“[Polley] wanted to closely match the 8 mm archival
footage shot by family, and to blur the lines between
what was archival footage and what was an interpretation of the past,” director of photography
Iris Ng explains. “The
intention was not to
trick the viewer but encourage them to question what they were
seeing. To wonder how
much is fictionalized
and filling in of gaps,
which tends to happen
when you’re dealing
with something that
occurred 30 years ago.”
It was Ng’s use of Super 8 film on another
project that brought
Polley to the cinematographer. “Iris made a beautiful
short film several years ago called Point of Departure
which examined her own family history in a really innovative way,” Polley says. “I remember the film opened
with a Super 8 shot, and it moved me to tears, partially
because of the way the format itself was being used. The
aesthetic and tone of her film became the seed of inspiration for Stories We Tell.”
Ng used the format for the recreations, and the production amassed several Canon 1014XL-S cameras –
the DOP bought one herself from another filmmaker,
while the National Film Board purchased several from
New York-based Du-All Camera and rented from CSC
member Justin Lovell. She shot with the Kodak Ektachrome 100D reversal film (7285), as it was the closest
film stock to the Kodachrome, which had been discontinued but was commonly used in that era, having an
inherent smoothness to the grain and a distinctive falloff in the shadows.
Scene from
Stories We Tell.
Left to Right:
Sarah and
Michael Polley.
Courtesy of the
National Film Board
of Canada 2012.
“We tested a whole bunch of stocks – negative mostly
– which captured so much more information,” Ng says.
“Even though we had the option of manipulating them
in post, it was apparent, as my colourist Mark Kueper
offered, that ‘right out of the box,’ the reversal had all
the inherent qualities we were going for.”
Because the film was a daylight stock, Ng primarily had
daylight balanced light, namely 400W up to 6K HMIs,
Kino Flos, and Photoflood bulbs, playing them as mo-
tivated sources whether they were practicals or natural
daylight from outside a window. Also, Ng noticed in
watching the authentic archival Super 8 footage the
use of a spotlight that was obviously mounted on top
of the camera. “I think because Kodachrome came in
such a low speed at the time, probably 40 ASA, that for
any interior shooting they would need these sun guns,”
she says. “So in the interior scenes of the home movies,
you would see someone lit by the spotlight, and everything in the background
would quickly fall off.
That was the case for
a lot of home movies
from that era because of
the low film speed.”
So Ng did some research and found an
array of sun guns that
could be mounted on
cameras,
eventually
procuring from Craigslist a Kodak Instamatic
Movie Light that could
be attached to certain
Super 8 cameras of the
time. “I tested the effect
with the Instamatic and found that it reproduced the
same quality and intensity we were seeing in the home
movies, so key grip Zach Zohr created a mini rig which
allowed it to be positioned on top of the camera,” she
explains. “Although not conventionally desirable because it was flat and created an obvious shadow behind
the subject, it really sold the look we were going for.
But because we were shooting at a low speed and on a
daylight-balanced reversal stock, it was particularly hard
to balance the colour of that light. And it was way too
hot to place a gel anywhere near it, so using an 80C
filter on the lens was a happy medium between losing
two stops with a full correction and having too far to go
in terms of balancing the colour in post.”
Although the recreation scenes were challenging to
light, they were also exciting for Ng because it required
her to embody the character of the person who shot the
archival footage she was trying to emulate. To that end
she would mimic the shooting styles she observed in the
home movies. For example, she noticed that Michael
Polley would often use an “in-camera editing trick”
while shooting. “There’s a shot of Diane [the director’s
mother] lying on the grass, and he shoots about two
seconds of her straight on, and he stops the camera,
and clocks it 15 degrees, and then there’s another burst
where he shoots another two seconds, and he repeats
this maybe eight times in a sort of pinwheel fashion,
and it’s just one of those playful things that he did very
spontaneously, but it was something that I mimicked
during one of the more playful moments.”
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
7
Above: Stories We Tell director of photography Iris Ng, left, with director
Sarah Polley. Middle: The director’s father Michael Polley in Stories We Tell.
Bottom: Scene from Stories We Tell. Left to right: Michael Polley and Sarah
Polley.
Images on this page: Courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada 2012.
Ng also noticed that when Michael Polley was operating the
camera he would frequently pan away from the human subjects
and shoot what was in the background, say a field or a rooftop.
“As he mentions in the beginning of the film in his interview,
his style of shooting home movies was not to pay attention to
the people too much. So I would keep that in mind and I would
drift when shooting in the way that Michael’s camera might have
drifted to emulate that style he has.”
This technique served to make it more difficult for the viewer
to identify a scene that had been reconstructed, Ng says. “If the
attention was always on the central character, I think the connections would have been too literal; it would give away the fact
that they were recreations.”
Ng would also sometimes operate the camera in such a way that
it looked amateurish. “I had to embrace the flaws that a novice
shooting home movies might make,” she explains. “Like things
going soft sometimes or second-guessing one’s panning or tilting
at times.”
Because shooting in Super 8 meant having a turnaround of two
days to see dailies – by which time the crew was usually out of
8 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
the location – there was no opportunity to evaluate footage as it
was shot, so testing in pre-production was crucial.
Also, as Super 8 was “a format that was never meant to be professional,” Ng says she did not always trust the camera to hold
up. The solution, she and the crew decided, was to shoot a take
they were happy with and then capture another take on a backup
camera. “We would always have two in use, plus any backups
ready, knowing one would jam or fail in some way. In total, we
went through six cameras over a three-week shoot.”
Shooting the testimonials with Sony F900-Rs was a lot more
straightforward. “We wanted a very naturalistic look so we
wouldn’t be imposing a heavy-handed visual interpretation that
would influence how the viewer should feel about the story or
the storytellers. We just wanted something very neutral.”
Rather than undermine the narrative, the divergent techniques
and approaches to composition that went into making Stories
We Tell ultimately converge into a compelling film, and Polley’s
faith in Ng’s instincts and judgment went a long way to bringing
together the final product.
“Sarah’s a very collaborative and trusting director, and I think
this film especially put that to the test because shooting in
Super 8 you have no means of monitoring what the DOP is
doing,” Ng offers. “And she put that trust in me from the very
beginning, and that allowed me to be free to follow the action
in the way that I felt was the most natural. It was just a great
experience.”
During interviews, Ng would situate the subjects beside a window with diffused light, shooting them at a medium range to
discourage too much focus on their emotions. “We weren’t always in situations where there would be sufficient natural light,
so I would have a 575 HMI or tungsten fixture with CTB on
hand, which I diffused and did my best to play as natural light,”
she says.
VANCOUVER
CALGARY
TORONTO
416-444-7000
TORONTO
HALIFAX
HALIFAX
902-404-3630
416-444-7000
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© Kodak 2013. Kodak and Vision are trademarks.
Throughout the documentary, behind-the-scenes style shots of
the crew filming the subjects are interspersed among the recreVANCOUVER CALGARY
ations, home movies and testimonials, a device that came about
604-527-7262
403-246-7267
somewhat organically, according to Polley. “When we were
604-527-7262
403-246-7267
shooting our first interview, Iris had the idea to shoot some B
roll of behind-the-scenes footage on Super 8 since we knew we
would be using so much archival Super 8 in the film,” the director recalls. “When we watched the footage we realized that it
helped articulate one of the central ideas of the film – the feeling
of nostalgia triggered by the format immediately calls into question the accuracy of memory, and how a moment that has only
just been captured or lived is already relegated to the past and is
unknowable and its truth subjective.”
Canada
Client: Panavision
_____________________________________________________
Docket:PAN-COR-1634-08R1
________________
CSC News
Media: _____________________________________________________
Placement: ____________
W x 2.125" H
N/A
Trim Size:5.25"
______________________
Safety: ____________________
Bleed: N/A
________________
B&W
7, 2010
Colour: ________________________
Publ. Date: 2010
_________________ Prod. Date: Jan
____________
Stories We Tell
Camera formats:
Tel: 416-423-9825
Fax: 416-423-7629
E-mail: [email protected]
Canada
Client: Panavision
_____________________________________________________
Docket:PAN-COR
_______
CSC News
Media: _____________________________________________________
Placement: ___
Interviews: HD-CAM - Sony F900-R
“Archival” recreations: Super 8
- Canon 1014XL-S (Kodak 7285
100D), transferred at Technicolor
New York
Real archival footage: Regular 8 mm (transferred at
Frame Discreet)
YOU
TO ARCHIVE
WWHEN
x 2.125"
H CHOOSESafety:
N/A
Trim Size:5.25"
______________________
____________________
Bleed: N/A
_______
ON FILM, YOUR WORK LIVES ON.
B&W
Colour: ________________________
Publ. Date: 2010
_________________ Prod. Date: Jan
___
Film is more than entertainment, it’s history.
Tel: 416-423-9825
Fax: 416-423-7629
E-mail: dmaguire@maguiremarketin
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Behind the scenes footage: Super 8 - Canon 1014 Auto
Zoom, Nikon R8 (Kodak 7219 500T, 7213 200T)
“Modern-day” recreations: Super 8 - Nikon R8
(Kodak 7219 500T, 7213 200T)
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
9
Credit: Courtesy of HBO Canada
Robert McLachlan csc, asc Plays
Game of Thrones
By Fanen Chiahemen
10 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
B
Credit: Sean Leonard
eing enlisted to shoot a couple of episodes of a series
as popular and acclaimed as Game of Thrones comes
with its fair share of pressure. As Vancouver and
Los Angeles-based director of photography Robert
McLachlan csc, asc remarks, after two successful seasons, “the
bar has been set pretty high.”
What McLachlan discovered, when he teamed up with director
David Nutter to film the climactic last two episodes of the HBO
series’ third season, was that for all its intricate plotlines and
fantasy elements – the series features seven noble families
warring for control over a mythical land –the key to maintaining
the show’s standards was to keep things pretty simple.
McLachlan says Nutter favoured substance over style, in keeping
with the show’s ethos. “The template as a rule is quite naturalistic, and as much as possible true to the era we’re supposed to
be shooting in where there aren’t a lot of artificial
sources of light,” the cinematographer explains.
This meant using natural light or modified natural light as much as possible, softening with negative fill when necessary to give some modelling to
a subject. The ARRI ALEXA helped facilitate the
show’s shooting style even in low-light situations,
and it was thanks to the camera that McLachlan
was able to capture a scene he says is going to be
the series’ most shocking yet – a scene he filmed
almost entirely with candlelight.
McLachlan explains, “It starts with a big happy occasion, and what I wanted to do with the scene
was put the viewers at ease. On Game of Thrones
even the simplest scene is shot in a very contrasty,
moody, dark light, with a lot of dark shadows
where things are lurking. So I lit this hall quite a
bit brighter by Game of Thrones standards. I had
the art department put extra torches in and twice
as many light sources as I would normally have,
and I brought the light levels quite a ways up
substantially, just to get the viewers subconsciously
feeling there’s no way anything bad can happen.
“And then, organically, within the scene there’s a
point at which the party is led out of the hall and
most of the people leave, and because it’s obviously
dark throughout the rest of the castle, I got all the extras to grab
most of the torches and candelabra and leave with them. So as
they walked out, they picked up the actual instruments that were
lighting the scene, and the hall naturally got much darker and
suddenly spookier, and that’s when really horrible things start
to happen. The beauty of the candlelight made a really fantastic
visual counterpoint to the brutality that followed.”
With so few candles left in the room, it was just a question of
adding very soft studio light to pick up some of the residual
smoke that was in the air from all the candles. He adds that
he often uses smoke as a lighting tool. “Slightly backlit smoke
Robert McLachlan csc, asc in Morocco
utilizing Schneider Optics’ Hollywood Black
Magic filters on Season 3 of Games of
Thrones. Previuos page: Candles are used
often in Game of Thrones.
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
11
Credit: Courtesy of HBO Canada
Still from Game of Thrones.
becomes your fill light, so you don’t have to throw a bunch of
other light in from the front, and you end up getting a much
more naturalistic feeling, so in this case I was doing the same,”
he says.
By using smoke for fill light, which helped open the shadows
up, McLachlan could often get away with a 20K just outside a window streaming in – when shooting in a large castle hall, for instance – and almost no extra fill light from the
floor. “Also, we used this wonderful unit we hadn’t used before
made by Dedolight called the Octodome; it’s one of my favourite lighting tools,” McLachlan says. “It just throws an incredibly soft light; it doesn’t have a very deep profile. One person
can move it around, and we usually softened it through a full
grid cloth. There was no unmotivated backlight ever used.”
To help maintain the visual continuity throughout the series,
which switched out the director and DOP every two episodes,
the cinematographers, directors, producers and executives, were
given new retina display iPads loaded with the PIX System for
posting dailies. “You just downloaded it off the Internet and everything that was shot throughout the season was loaded on it, as
well as episodes from last season,” McLachlan explains.
12 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
“You could go in and see what somebody had done either the
day before or the year before on a similar set. I think by and large
people won’t see much of a difference from DP to DP.”
For the episodes he shot, McLachlan worked in Croatia,
Morocco and Northern Ireland, and he adopted a simple philosophy to deal with the unique obstacles each location provided:
“You take what you’re given and work with that as best you can
rather than fight it. Because when you fight what you’ve got visually or go against what the location gives you in terms of natural
light and conditions, and look and feel, you generally fail.”
Fortunately, working on such a large production, McLachlan was
granted the luxury of time to plan ahead. For example, in June of
2012 when he and Nutter scouted locations in Morocco, where
they would be shooting in November, they used sun-tracking
software uploaded on an iPhone to determine exactly where the
sun was going to be at the time they would be shooting. “So we
had four months to formulate our plan for how we were going to
shoot it,” McLachlan says. “That way you’re not dragging a lot of
cranes or lighting lifts around. You can just let Mother Nature do
it if you’re in the right place at the right time. It turned out really
gorgeous, and we were able to use natural light and none of our
own light. It’s when you’re fighting the elements and shooting
a scene that’s taking forever, and not necessarily where or when
you want to be doing it, that you have to start pulling out a lot of
equipment to control it.
“That’s why throughout my whole career I’ve always pushed
directors as much as they could to know before they get to a
location how and where they were going to be shooting, where
they want to look and how the scene is going to be blocked,”
he continues. “Most don’t like to be nailed down that much for
whatever reason, but most of the directors they had on the show
this year either understood or were made to understand by the
DOP that we had to work this way.”
What McLachlan struggled with abroad was adjusting to the way
jobs were classified. “In Britain they don’t have grips like we’re
used to having in North America,” he explains. “It comes down
to the rigging crew to do a lot of that stuff. When you need a big
green screen on location, it’s a bit more of a cumbersome process
there than it is here. Here if you need a 12 or 20 x frame or something you tell the grip, and it’s usually up in a flash. In the British
system the electrical department does all the lighting stuff, as well
as light modification, so things that would normally fall in the
grip department here are all under lighting department there.”
McLachlan credits much of his success on a show of such scope
to his working relationship with Nutter. “I’ve worked with over
250 directors, and I’ve never worked with anyone more prepared
than he is. When you have someone that dedicated and experienced who has all their ducks in row and knows exactly what
you’re meant to do, it just makes a huge amount of difference,”
he says. “But quite apart from that, he is an absolute prince of
a man – kind, empathic and generous to a fault. The cast and
crew are all demonstrably happy when they know he is directing
that day.”
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Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
13
Credit: Jonathan Olley
Greig Fraser acs, director of photography on Zero Dark Thirty.
Shooting
Zero
Dark
Thirty
By Bryant Frazer, StudioDaily.com
With awards season running at full throttle, much ink has been spilled about the
political implications of Zero Dark Thirty. The controversy has nearly overshadowed
director Kathryn Bigelow’s pulse-quickening achievement in translating the boots-onthe-ground details of the CIA’s long-running manhunt for Osama Bin Laden to the
screen. The press and punditry will continue to dissect the film’s attitude toward
torture. Meanwhile, we dug into some of the behind-the-scenes details of the film’s
making that have been released in various outlets to pull out some nuggets about
how Bigelow’s crew pulled off the immense feat of principal photography.
14 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
hes
10 Tidbits from the Trenc I
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Greig Fraser ACS chose the ARR
Director Kathryn Bigelow and cinematographer
s in the film’s climactic raid sequence.
ALEXA because of demanding low-light condition
the need to capture the low light of
“It was a very specific decision, driven in part by
are wonderfully sensitive to light,
the raid in Abbottabad,” Bigelow said. “The cameras
light source possible, allowing us to
so we were able to utilize the softest, dimmest
more accurately simulate a moonless night.”
M recorders.
ARRIRAW data was recorded to Codex Onboard
handheld, Codex recorders and
For scenes when the camera crews were working
packs given to the camera assistants
other accessories were mounted on special back
ex Datapacks, modding them to
by Digilab Services. Digilab also redesigned the Cod
tion-molded plastic.
replace their aluminum shells with lightweight injec
Codex was used to archive the
The brand-new LTFS tape offloader module from
to LTO-5 tape.
276 hours of footage gathered during the shoot
line, and DNxHD MXF media was
Dailies were graded using the ACES colour pipe
rendered out for editorial.
close personal friends, making
Fraser and production designer Jeremy Hindle were
was a shot that looked like it was a
collaboration quick and easy. “Every time there
look at each other and say, ‘Oh God, we
reference to another movie, Greig and I would
ge it to look a little less familiar, and
shouldn’t do that,’” Hindle explains. “So we’d chan
strip it back to be as bare and natural as possible.”
of huge crowds gathered to watch
Shooting in Chandigarh, India, was difficult because
to solve this was to distract a crowd
the Western filmmakers. “We found that one way
Mark Boal, “including one where we
with ‘fake shoots,’” said producer and screenwriter
al shot we needed elsewhere.”
had one of our grips dancing, while we got the actu
10
film’s climactic sequence were CG, VFX
Even though the stealth helicopters used in the
real Jordanian Black Hawk helicopters
supervisor Chris Harvey recommended shooting
in flight as well as the interaction with
first to capture the motion of a real helicopter
dust in the environment.
3D models of Osama Bin Laden’s
The visual development team at Framestore built
the production design team dug in
secret Abbottabad compound for Hindle before
ca of the compound out of aged
and spent three months building a full-scale repli
that it could withstand real Black
cinder block. “We had to build the compound so
built the structure on six-to-nine-foot
Hawk helicopters flying right down on it, so we
caissons underground,” said Hindle. -night, and a second time with a “night
Most of the raid was shot twice — once night-for
what the SEALs would have seen during
vision” lighting scheme that sought to replicate
s of infrared lights, and then making
the actual event. “We did that by wiring up a serie
accurate to what SEALs see because
them film-friendly. This turned out to be pretty
er.
they also have mounted infra-red lights,” said Fras
Daily.com.
This article is reprinted with permission from Studio
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
15
THE
CORPORATE/EDUCATIONAL
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Nigel Akam • Kraft Slice of the Living Dead
Sarorn Sim • Dow Chemical Company Sonata
Kelly Wolfert csc • Edmonton International Airport Keith Walker Glass
TH
LIFESTYLE/REALITY
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Kristoff Rochon, Tom Bellisario • Canadian Pickers “Win Some, Lose Some”
Allan Leader csc • Hail Mary “Open Tryouts”
A nn u al
CSC Awards
Nominees
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
AWARDS:
DOCUDRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY
Jeremy Benning csc, Kim Bell • We Were Children
Daniel Grant • The Real Inglorious Basterds
George Hosek csc • In Her Footsteps
ROBERT BROOKS AWARD FOR
DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sponsored by:Vistek
SPECIAL HONOUREES:
THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD
George Willis csc, sasc
“For outstanding service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.”
Stephen Chung • The Defector: Escape from North Korea
Barry Lank csc, Ian Kerr csc • Smarty Plants
Vic Sarin csc • Desert Riders
MUSIC VIDEO/PERFORMANCE
CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE BILL HILSON AWARD
Sponsored by: William F.White
Graeme Ferguson
“For outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion
picture industry in Canada.”
Ray Dumas csc • Skrillex Devil’s Den
Pasha Patriki csc • Saidah Babah Talibah Revolution
Bobby Shore csc • CFCF Exercise #3 (Building)
THE KODAK NEW CENTURY AWARD
DRAMATIC SHORT CINEMATOGRAPHY
Ron Stannett csc
“For outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.”
THE CAMERA ASSISTANT AWARD OF MERIT
Eddy McInnis
“For excellence and outstanding professionalism in the
performance of the AC duties and responsibilities
Sponsored by: REDLAB digital
Kris Belchevski • Malody
Guy Godfree • Frost
Pasha Patriki csc • Air Balloon Circus
FRITZ SPIESS AWARD FOR
COMMERCIAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD
Sponsored by: Dazmo Digital
Sponsored by Panavision Canada
Rasha Amer • Layers Vancouver Film School
Jerome Riel • The Great Maldini Humber College
Brian T.C. Smith • Der Kandidat Humber College
Vinit Borrison • Tattoos by Ben
Christopher Mably • Nike Football Vapor Trail
Dylan Macleod csc • Jackson Triggs Lights
Adam Marsden csc • Volvo In Your Hand
CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARDS:
TV DRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE ROY TASH AWARD FOR
SPOT NEWS CINEMATOGRAPHY
Boris Mojsovski csc • The Day
Vic Sarin csc • A Mother’s Nightmare
Glen Winter csc • Arrow (Pilot)
Adam Dabrowski, Nick Vyfschaft, Rohan Mcleish, Jeremy Cohn
• Danzig Shooting, Global News Toronto
Adam Dabrowski, Nick Vyfschaft • Newtown Shooting, Global News Toronto
Liam Hyland • Hurricane Isaac:The Day After the Flood, CTV News
THE STAN CLINTON FOR
NEWS ESSAY CINEMATOGRAPHY
George Glen • Wild Horses, Global News Calgary
Nathan Luit • Invest YYC, Global News Calgary
Peter Szperling • Pipe Organist, CTV Ottawa, “Regional Contact”
NEWS MAGAZINE CINEMATOGRAPHY
Allan Leader csc • Daily Planet “Beluga”
Kirk Neff • 16:9 “Off the Grid, Disposable Labour”
Kirk Neff • 16:9 “High Drama”
16 • Canadian Cinematographer - Apirl 2013
Sponsored by: Sim Digital
TV SERIES CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sponsored by Technicolor Toronto
Eric Cayla csc • Bomb Girls “Jumping Tracks”
Paul Sarossy csc, bsc, asc • The Borgias “The Borgia Bull”
Glen Winter csc • Arrow “Vendetta”
THEATRICAL FEATURE CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sponsored by Deluxe
Kamal Derkaoui csc • The Tall Man
Philippe Lavalette csc • Inch’Allah
Brendan Steacy csc • The Lesser Blessed
Tech Column
Sony’s F5/55 Puts Users into the Picture
S
ony’s new F5 and up-model F55
have been called the “RED Killer,”
but company reps play down the
notion they’re gunning for any particular camera maker or model. RED Digital
Cinema might say the same thing, noting
their dramatic 50 per cent price drop for
the Epic to $19,000 – putting it smack at
Sony’s F5 pricing level – was merely coincidental. Coincidences like this, however,
only happen in movie scripts, don’t they?
the internal cards. Both cameras have 4K
RAW to the AXS-R5 ($6,300) SSD modular recorder which clips on to the body.
Nudges and winks aside, however, these
black boxes have intrigued the marketplace with their technology and modular
design. Officially, they are the PMW-F5
Cineastes 4K and PMW-F55 Cineastes
4K Camera, clocking in at $19,400 and
$34,900 respectively. What you get is a
modular system weighing in at about five
pounds before you slap a rig or glass on it.
It’s 4K ready from capture to distribution
with 2K/HD options and 4K/2K RAW
recording options.
Extras include the DVF-EL100 OLED
Viewfinder at $5,800, the DVF-F350
3.5” LCD Viewfinder for $3,800, and the
DVF-L700 LCD viewfinder for $5,000.
Lens packages are the SCL-PK6/F PL sixlens set for $24,600 with the SCL-PK3/F
PL mount three-lens set for $13,600.
Recording is either through two internal Six’s Flash memory card slots with
MPEG2, MPEG4 compression, while
the F55 also compresses 4K internally to
There’s 60 fps out of the box (XAVC
HD), 120 fps (XAVC 2K/HD) with
upgrade, and 120 fps 2K RAW with the
AXS-R5 in 16-bit. On the front end, there
are PL and FZ lens mounts with thirdparty adaptors for a variety of glass such as
Nikon, Cooke, Canon and Leica.
The adage that form necessarily follows
function is fading to black in the digital
age, which perhaps gives designers more
time to research how their products are
actually used on the front lines and to incorporate that feedback into their output.
François Gauthier, Sony Canada market manager - broadcast acquisition and
production, says Sony made a concerted
effort to go out and poll users and shooters for their wants and needs and then
built accordingly. “Also, and this is new,
the F5/55 is more of a platform which
can be built out for what the user needs”
rather than just a purpose-built camera, said Gauthier. “And it has a wide
range of connection options from HDSI
to HDMI.”
The F5 is a video camera that can be
used for broadcast capture, for studio,
for documentaries, even cinematography,
while the F55 is a cinematography capture
device that can be used for video shoots.
“It’s very popular with the rental houses
already,” said Gauthier, because it’s a flexible platform, which meets their clients’
diverse range of needs.
Sony made sure not to depart from standard menus and workflow, and it will be
also familiar to anyone who uses Sony
equipment now. There’s already a range
of rigs and accessories available from a variety of sources including ARRI.
It’s also relatively light at 5 lbs in base
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
17
form, which is either a plus or a minus,
depending on point of view, says Gauthier: “A lot of Steadicam operators prefer
something a little more robust.” Still, it’s
also slim enough to work in a side-by-side
capture for 3D, which is a plus, he adds.
Toronto-based director of photography
Nigel Akam, an 18-year veteran of the industry, was among the first to shoot with
the F5 last summer using a pre-production
model with an early firmware version that
was upgraded for the February launch.
“My first impression out of the box is I
think they got it right,” he said. “It addresses a lot of the things people have been
asking for over the last couple of years in
this space.” He likes the diversity of range:
“It fills a lot of different needs from corporate video, to commercials, documentaries
and film. It has a lot of different flavours
of codecs to address what anyone wants to
shoot, incorporates 4K, and it’s got some
future proofing.” The latter is important,
he says, because lifecycles on cameras are
shortening dramatically. Those old Betacams that cost $120,000 back in the
18 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
day may have required a mortgage but
they lasted a decade or so. Today’s gear
is quickly eclipsed by something newer,
faster, lighter and most often, cheaper.
at the talk around 4K and asked, ‘What
are you going to do with all that data?’”
he said. “But that’s where the market
is going.”
The convergence of the H265 codec approval and the release of the F5/55 is also
a happy coincidence, he notes. “All of a
sudden, the 4K codec makes it more manageable for people to shoot RAW because
there’s a big segment of the market which
doesn’t have the capability to handle that
workflow.” What’s also interesting is the
controls setup, said Akan. “As an owneroperator, the controls are set up on the left
side, which is normal for me, but for film,
an Alexis, for example, would be set up
with the controls on the right for the camera assistant,” he said. “However, there’s a
remote control option, and there’s also an
iPad Wi-Fi control option, too, which is
really 21st century.”
Even if 4K isn’t the intended output, 4K
is the default capture, just as HD became the default even before the rest of
the world caught up. “They finally realized that instead of building a camera and
saying, ‘Here it is,’ they should go out to
the field and build a camera back to the
factory,” Mitchener said. “We’ve had a
lot of interest and got a few on order for
customers. The real advantage is that the
35 mm sensor gives you so much creative
control.”
Ted Mitchener, sales manager at HD
Source and business development manager at ZTV Broadcast Services, says the
arrival of the F5/55 has turned his head.
“Six months ago I would have laughed
Ian Harvey is a veteran Toronto-based
journalist who writes for a variety of
publications and covers the technology
sector. He welcomes feedback and
eagerly solicits subject matter ideas
at [email protected].
Edmonton Film Cooperative wants your unused Arri 35 mm camera. Do you have film cameras
languishing on a shelf? Give it a new life, give it to a film coop and we will give you a healthy tax credit.
Have a 35BL, a 235, a 435 gathering dust because everyone is Red cam nuts? Have other great camera
accessories? Let us know, let’s make a deal. Contact Andy @ [email protected] and work a great deal.
Short-Term Accommodation for Rent
Visiting Vancouver for a shoot? One-bedroom condo in Kitsilano on English Bay with secure
underground parking, $350 per week. Contact: Peter Benison at 604-229-0861, 604-229-0861 or
[email protected].
Liberty Village Office Space Approximately 1,250 sq ft of fully furnished, turn-key office space in prime
Liberty Village location available to established television or new media production company in shared
office setting. Features include glassed boardroom, 2 closed door offices, internet access, alarm system
and shared kitchen. Please reply by email to [email protected] or call John at 647.891.4027
5D, 7D, 60D, Black Magic Cinema, Red MX, Red Scarlet, Red Epic $800.00 new plus shipping and taxes.
Asking only $600.00
GoPro Hero2 camera - Outdoor package
In excellent condition with minimal use 11MP HD HERO2 Camera, Waterproof Housing (197’ / 60m), HD
Skeleton Backdoor, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, USB Cable, Helmet/Chest Strap, Head Strap, unused
Adhesive Mounts, Three-Way Pivot Arm, Manual/instructions, 4 GB SanDisk SD card, Original packaging
$300 Photos available. Contact John Banovich 604-726-5646 or [email protected]
Nikkor AF-S VR 500mm F 4 IS ED Lens. Super rare and very hard to find!!! Serial # 204153 Perfect
condition. Not a scratch on it!!! Only one year old. Included Hard Shell Case, Lens Hood, Lens Strap, Case
strap. Come with Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod, Jobu head and Jobu Mounting Bracket. Asking price
$9000.00 [email protected], 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile)
BL III Camera Kit $3750 Or Best Offer [email protected], 604.566.2235 (Residence),
604.889.9515 (Mobile) ARRIFLEX BL3 BODY WITH PL MOUNT, 4 PERF MOVEMENT, VARIABLE SHUTTER,
FULL 35MM GATE, VIDEO TAP ELBOW, 2 X ARRI 400’ BL MAGAZINES, 2 X POWER CABLE, CASES FOR
CAMERA, MAGS.
Equipment for Sale
1- Nikon 200mm F2 Century Conversion PL mount, std film gears on focus and iris (32 pitch-mod 0.8),
Duclos reversing gear, shipping case included $4,500 excellent condition
1- Angenieux 25-250 T3.9 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gears on focus, zoom, and iris
(32 pitch-mod 0.8), lens support and collar, shipping case included $2900
1- Angenieux 25-250 T3.9 Arri PL mount, std film gears on focus, zoom, and iris (32 pitch-mod 0.8),
lens support and collar, shipping case included $2900
1- Tamron 300mm F2.8 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gear on focus (32 pitch-mod 0.8),
42mm filters: clear, 2 x 85, shipping case included $1,200
2- Tamron 180mm F2.5 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gear on focus (32 pitch-mod 0.8),
$900ea
1- Carl Zeiss Jena (DDR)180mm F2.8 Pentacon Six mount, with Arri PL adapter and Micro 4/3s
adapter, $1,000 iris can be de-clicked and std film gears on focus and iris (32 pitch-mod 0.8) added on
request $750
1- O’Conner 50 fluid head with Mitchell, Mini-Mitchell, 150mm ball bases and tie-downs, 2 quick
release plates extra hardware (pan module needs fluid) $500
2- Working Chrosziel Fox single channel wireless systems and many spare parts: 4- working
Handsets, 2- working MDRs, 1- dead MDR, 2- working FMG-6 motors, 1- working but jumpy FMG-6 motor,
1-FMG-6 motor for parts, all handsets have been converted to Sony L batteries, 2 Battery chargers, 3
batteries, 4 straight antennas, 4- 90º antennas, 28 focus scales, 4- 0.8 32 DP motor to lens gear, 3- 0.8
32 DP motor to lens gear (extended for lens travel), 3- 0.6 40 DP motor to lens gear, 4- 0.5 48 DP motor
to lens gear, 4- 0.4 63 DP motor to lens gear, 7 motor cables, 4 Arri 24Volt power cables, 2- Aaton 12Volt
power & run cables, 1- Heden motor cable, Arri 12Volt film camera power cable, 2-Panavision 24 Volt
power cables, 1 12 Volt Aaton power cable, 1 P-Tap power cable, 1- Aaton run cable, Arri SR3 run cable,
Moviecam run cable, Panavision run cable, 1- Video camera run cable 1- Arri 11 pin Fischer run cable
$2500
Contact: [email protected]
AATON XTR SUPER 16. Camera package includes body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three
magazines, Cooke 10.5mm-60mm S-16 zoom lens, zeiss 9.5 prime lens 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,
85N6 polarizer, ND6, clear) follow focus and cases – $12,000
Separately:
- Nikon 50mm-300mm F4-5E.D. lens with support – $1000
- Kinoptik 9-8mm-35mm format lens comes with sunshade – $1,400 Contact: [email protected]
1) Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG-3DA1)
The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD
card media. The AG-3DA1 will democratize 3D production by giving professional videographers a more
affordable, flexible, reliable and easier-to-use tool for capturing immersive content as well as providing a
training tool for educators.
At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920 x 1080 2.07 megapixel
3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. Camera
is very new. Includes Kata Carrying case, 4 batteries. To view photos/questions email [email protected] or
call 416-916-9010. Asking price: $17,500 (includes tax). Will ship out of province.
2) Proline 17 inch Teleprompter
Included is both PC AND Mac versions for our industry leading Flip-Q teleprompter software. Flip-Q
automatically “Flips” the secondary output on your laptop so both the operator and talent will see perfect
reading left-right text. The ProLine 17 standard LCD panels are the lightest weight, lowest profile designs in
their class. In addition, they offer both VGA and composite video inputs adaptable with any computer output
or application. They also offer flexible power options including 100-240V AC or external 12v DC input. Price
includes Tripod attachments and Pelican carrying case. Complete tool-less set-up. To view photos/questions
email [email protected] or call 416-916-9010. Asking Price: $2,000 (includes tax).
Arrisun 5 - Arri 575w HMI PAR: 575W HMI lamp head, barn doors, 5 lenses with case, 50ft cable,
575W/1200W electronic ballast, spare bulb and a large solid traveling case. 214 hours on the head. all in
excellent condition $5,900 [email protected]
Sony PMW-F3 with S-Log
Excellent conidition with low hours, Optional RGB S-Log upgrade installed, Kaiser top handle, Optional
on-board mic, 32GB SXS card “A series” - 100mb/sec, All factory accessories and manual $11,000.00
Shape Composite F3 Shoulder Mount - NEW
NEW!! Never Used. Still in box. Can be used with Panasonic AF-100, Sony FS-100, FS-700, HDSLR, Canon
BL IV Camera Kit $8,950 Or Best Offer [email protected], 604.566.2235
(Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile) ARRIFLEX BL4 BODY WITH PL MOUNT, 4 PERF MOVEMENT,
VARIABLE SHUTTER, FULL 35MM GATE, ARRIGLOW MODULE AND ARRIGLOW GROUNDGLASS IN RED,
CEI COLOR 4 VIDEO TAP CAMERA AND ELBOW, CEI ELECTRONIC RETICLE GENERATOR, BL4 VIEWFINDER
EXTENSION, WIDEANGLE EYPIECE WITH HEATED EYECUP, POWERCABLE FOR HEATED EYEPIECE,
ARRIFLEX 4 x 5 SWINGAWAY MATTEBOX, ARRI FF2 FOLLOW FOCUS WITH EXTENSION, WHIP AND 2
GEARS, 15MM ARRI SLIDING BASEPLATE SET WITH 2 X 18” AND 2 X 12” STAINLESS STEEL 15MM
RODS, 5 X ARRI 1000’ BL MAGAZINES, 2 X ARRI 400’ BL MAGAZINES, 3 X DOUBLE POWER 12 VOLT
BATTERIES, 2 X 12 VOLT CHARGES, POWER CABLE, CASES FOR CAMERA, MAGS, MATTEBOX, ETC.,FILM
TEST HAS BEEN SHOT. [email protected], 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile)
JVC GY-DV300 Broadcast Quality camcorder. 4x3 or 9x16 switchable 750 horizontal lines with
several extra batteries and carrying case. Plus and external Shure VP88 stereo microphone with Rycote
bracket and wind screen with high wind cover and extra mic cables. Asking $ 1200.00. Contact Robert
Bocking csc 416 636-9587 or [email protected] for more information.
Equipment for sale!! All equipment in excellent shape!!
Panasonic AJHDX900P High Definition Camera, Panasonic Stereo Microphone, Canon Zoom Lens 8x160
(J20a x 8B4 IRS), Dionic 90 Anton Bauer Batteries & charger, Anton Bauer mini fill light 12 V, Marshall 7”
HD-SDI LCD Monitor & accessories, 2 x Porta Brace camera bags, Sony Digital Betacam (DVW700) and
accessories, Sachtler fluid head VIDEO 20 III & Sachtler tripod legs fibre & fibre case. Call 613-255-3200,
Total $ 25,000.PL mount prime lens set (Sony) 35mm, 50mm 85mm all T2.0. Mint condition. Used briefly for one
shoot $5200.00 John Banovich, csc 604-726-5646 [email protected]
Panasonic BT-S950P 16:9 / 4:3 SD Field Monitor for Sale (Excellent Condition) - $100.
Portabrace included Please contact Christian at (416) 459-4895 or email [email protected]
OWN A PIECE OF CINEMA HISTORY: selling a vintage Bell & Howell 2709 camera with mags.
THE film camera of the 1920s and ‘30s; assorted other goodies. Contact: [email protected].
VIDEO & AUDIO GEAR FOR SALE: (2) HVX-200 Panasonic P2 Camcorders $1,500 each; (1) DSR-1500
Sony DVCAM recorder, $1,500; (1) Sony DSR-1 DVCAM dockable recorder $1,000; (3) Sony PVV-3
Betacam recorders $500 each; (3) Mitsubishi XL25U video projectors $500 each; (1) Mackie 1604VLZ
audio mixer $500; (1) Glidecam PRO2000 camera stabilizer $200; (1) Glidecam DVPRO RIG camera
stabilizer $300; (1) Yamaha P2075 amplifier 75W stereo/150W mono $500; (3) HVR-Z1U Sony HDV
camcorders $1,000 each; (1) Sony DSR-300 DVCAM camcorder $1,500; (1) For-A VPS-400D 8 input SDI
switcher $2,700; (2) Sony WRT822/WRR861 wireless transmitter/receiver – no mic - $750 each; (2) Sony
BRC-300 remote control P/T/Z cameras $1,990 each. Call Ted Mitchener at ZTV Broadcast Services 905290-4430 or email [email protected].
Services
Flicker-Free HMI & Hi-Speed Cameras available with operator/gaffer (Toronto)
Includes a new ARRI M18 1800W lensless HMI with Arri 1000Hz Flicker-Free Ballast, stand, and lots
of head cable. It’s as bright (or brighter) than a T5 but runs on household AC 120V and draws less than
20Amps. We also have the Sony FS700 Super-35 CMOS sensor high-speed camcorders with PL, Nikon,
Canon, or Pentax mounts. Great for overcranked product shots on a budget. 60fps, 120fps or 240fps @
1080p and 480fps @ 720p. Other camera/grip/electric & 3D support gear available as well. Contact
Tim at 1-888-580-3274 ext.700 or [email protected]
Need your reel updated? Looking for an editor? I am a CSC associate member who is also an editor
with my own FCP suite. I am willing to trade my edit suite time in exchange for rental of your gear, or
shooting advice, or both. Please send email to [email protected].
Do you travel between Toronto and Hamilton for production every day? Need a place to: screen
dailies, host your production office that’s close to both? Hill’s Production Services www.hillsvideo.com.
We are a full Service Production Company with cameras and edit bays for making EPKs. Some grip gear, if
you find yourself in the field, short of one or two items. Hill’s also has office space and a mobile screening
room. Located just off the QEW in Burlington, check us out 905-335-1146 Ask for Rob Hill.
Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a one-time $25
(plus HST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items
you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to [email protected].
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013 •
19
Camera Classifieds
Equipment Wanted
CSC Member Production Notes
Arrow (series); DOP Glen Winter csc & Gordon Verheul csc (alternating episodes); 2nd Unit DOP
Gordon Verheul csc; to April 18, Vancouver
Beauty and the Beast (series); DOP D. Gregor Hagey csc & David Greene csc (alternating episodes);
to April 18, Toronto
Berkshire County (feature); DOP Michael Jari Davidson; OP Steven Szolcsanyi; to May 16, Toronto
Continuum II (series); DOP Michael Wale csc (alternating episodes); OP Greg Fox; to June 4, Vancouver
Copper II (series); DOP Pierre Gill csc; to July 3, Toronto
Covert Affairs IV (series); DOP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes); to October 3, Toronto
Killing III (series); DOP Gregory Middleton csc; to June 14, Burnaby
A Fighting Man (feature); DOP Bobby Shore csc; to May 6, Toronto
Listener, The IV (series); DOP James Jeffrey csc; B Cam Operator Kit Whitmore csc,
to April 13, Mississauga
Nikita III (series); DOP Glen Keenan csc & Rene Ohashi csc, asc (alternating episodes);
B Cam Operator Peter Sweeney; to April 13, Toronto
Pompeii (feature); DOP Glen MacPherson csc, asc; to July 5, Toronto
Supernatural 8 (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP & 2nd Unit DOP Brad Creasser;
to April 19, Burnaby
New CSC Sponsor
Miller Camera Support Equipment
Calendar of
Events
APRIL
5-14, Cinéfranco,
Toronto, cinefranco.
com
11-20, Images Festival
of Independent Film
& Video, Toronto,
imagesfestival.com
20-21, Lighting
Workshop for Faces,
Toronto, csc.ca
Darren Burns, manufacturing manager (left) and Paul Maroni group sales and marketing manager
of new CSC Sponsor Miller Heads with the top of their line, the Skyline 70 fluid head.
20 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2013
JUNE
25-May 5, Hot Docs,
Toronto, hotdocs.ca
9-12, Banff World
Media Festival, banffmediafestival.com
CUT. SHAPE. FOCUS. TUNE.
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PHOTO | VIDEO | DIGITAL | SALES | RENTALS | SERVICE
The Visual Technology People
WWW.VISTEK.CA