When British Cinematographer Magazine

Transcription

www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 69 -- May 2015
CREDITS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 69 / maY 2015
BRITISH
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Uniting C ine m at o gr a p hers Ar o und the W or l d
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
t. +44 (0) 1753 650101
Publisher and Managing Editor | Alan Lowne | +44 (0) 1753 650101 | [email protected]
Publisher and Digital Editor | Stuart Walters | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | [email protected]
“This is more than a wham
bam smash-up derby. Having
a female road warrior gives
the piece a much deeper and
broader emotional palette than
the previous Mad Max films.”
John Seale ACS ASC
Editor | Ron Prince | [email protected]
Sales | Tracy Finnerty | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | [email protected]
Sales | Alan Lowne | +44 (0) 1753 650101 | [email protected]
Sales | Stuart Walters | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | [email protected]
Design | Mark Lamsdale | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | [email protected] | www.ob-mc.co.uk
Contributors
Ron Prince has many years experience working in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects
industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer Magazine and runs the international
marketing and communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com).
Adrian Pennington writes about the business and technology of film and TV for
publications including The Guardian, Screen International and Broadcast. He is managing editor of
The IBC Daily, editorial consultant for TVB Europe, a producer of the 3D Masters conference,
and co-author of Exploring 3D: The New Grammar Of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press).
Carolyn Giardina is based in Los Angels and has been covering production
for more than 17 years and is contributing editor, tech, at The Hollywood Reporter,
for which she edits its “Behind The Screen” blog. She is also co-author of
Exploring 3D: The New Grammar Of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press).
David A Ellis worked in the BBC’s film department. He has written for many publications
including Cinema Technology and Film International. He is the author of Conversations With
Cinematographers. His second book In Conversation With Cinematographers is out this year..
Debra Kaufman writes about media and entertainment technology for
American Cinematographer, ICG Magazine, DV Magazine, TV Technology and CineMontage,
the Editor’s Guild publication. She also covers CES, SMPTE conferences, and
the HPA Tech Retreat for USC’s Entertainment Technology Center.
John Keedwell the GBCT News Editor, is a documentary and commercials cameraman who
has worked on many productions around the world. He crosses over in both film and tape productions
and has great knowledge of the new file-based formats and their methods of production.
Kevin Hilton is a freelance journalist who writes about technology and personalities in film and
broadcasting, and contributes film reviews and interviews to a variety of publications in the UK and abroad.
Michael Burns is a journalist and author covering the film, broadcast, design and
interactive sectors. His work over the last 16 years can be found in magazines such as
Broadcast and Televisual, Macuser and MovieScope and online at www.firedbydesign.com.
Valentina I. Valentini focuses on the art and craft of cinematography, and all that it includes,
as a freelance writer based in Los Angeles. She contributes to ICG Magazine, Camera Angles,
HDVideoPro, and is the West Coast Correspondent to IndieFilm3D.com and DigitalCinemaReport.com.
British Cinematographer is part of LAWS Publishing.
Laws Publishing Ltd, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
t. +44 (0) 1753 650101 | f. +44 (0) 1753 650111
The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in British Cinematographer are not
representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.
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EDITOR’S LETTER
Comfort
And Joy
U
nless I’m mistaken, and unless there’s a disruptive
bolt from the blue, the UK movie production
industry should be jumping for joy at the prospect
of a fully-fledged Conservative government for
the next five years. The stock markets rallied instantly on
the news of stability from the new administration. Likewise,
any productions that perhaps paused for thought as to who
might be running the country, can now be comforted by the
continuum of a film-friendly UK regime, offering attractive
financial terms, supported by an enviable depth and breadth of
talent and state-of-the-art service companies.
Unlike some of the political parties, who found it hard to
impress the electorate, the UK filmmaking community appears
to have done a great job in maintaining the ear of The Treasury,
and long may it continue.
This edition is a bit of a time traveller’s treat: from the
wilds of Victorian Wessex, in Far From The Madding Crowd,
lensed by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, to Sara Deane’s
present-day envisioning of London suburbia for The Beat
Beneath My Feet, to John Seale ACS ASC’s delirious dystopia
in Mad Max: Fury Road. Not forgetting the time-shifting
switcheroos in Tomorrowland, shot by Claudio Miranda, and the
fantasy served-up by Ben Davis BSC in Avengers: Age Of Ultron
where time and place are peripheral.
For the creative geeks out there, Steve Yedlin’s technical
approach to the colour on Danny Collins should be of great
appeal, as should our 2015 NAB/Cine Gear Expo feature, and
our interview with Curtis Clarke ASC, who relates the past,
present and future work of the ASC Technology Committee.
However, on a note of caution, Richard Crudo ASC, in his Letter
From America, is keen that developers don’t hamstring creatives
with needless nerdiness.
Thanks for reading. We’re all looking forward to a
straight path, without too many ups and downs, twist or turns
en route, for the foreseeable future.
RON PRINCE
Editor | British Cinematographer Magazine
British Cinematographer | May 2015 | 03
CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 69 / maY 2015
IN THIS ISSUE...
35
On the cover...
John Seale ACS
ASC lines up
a shot on Mad
Max: Fury Road
46
Behind the scenes...
Claudio Miranda on
Tomorrowland
07
President’s Perspective
62
Barry Ackroyd BSC attends the
acupuncturist and ponders the finer
points of the future of celluloid
09
Production/Post
& Techno News
The latest news concerning DPs,
plus Studios Round-Up and Cannes
Film Festival 2015 preview
28
Who’s Shooting Who?
Your definitive guide to which
DPs are shooting who and where
35
ON THE JOB
John Seale ACS ASC gives the
cinematographic inside-track on the
reboot of dystopian caper Mad Max:
Fury Road
40
Camera Creative
Charlotte Bruus Christensen
reveals her love of the English
countryside as she recalls her work
on Far From The Madding Crowd
51
Mountain high...
Robin Browne
pictured on
A Passage To
India (1984)
New wave...
David Procter
BSC on location
42
53
64
Ben Davis BSC on Avengers: Age Of Ultron;
Sara Deane on The Beat Beneath My Feet;
Claudio Miranda on Tomorrowland;
and Steve Yedlin on Danny Collins
Classic Soho post-house Goldcrest
is enjoying a bit of a resurgence
Curtis Clark ASC talks about
the on-going work of the
ASC’s Technology Committee
Close-Ups
50
POST-IT-NOTES
54
F-Stop
Innovator
66
IMAGO News
A look at the UK lighting kit
developer Rotolight
Review of NAB 2015 and a
preview of the 2015 Cine Gear
Expo in LA, featuring the latest
filmmaking kit
51
60
68
David Procter... cooks up a mean curry!
Discover who’s been dialling-in
the most recent DI grades
The chairman’s statement plus the
latest news and views from the Guild
Spotlight
MEET THE NEW WAVE
52
Letter From America
ASC president Richard Crudo ASC
says that manufacturers need to do
more to keep their kit simple
Live & Let DI
Nigel Walters BSC reports IMAGO’s
recent and forthcoming events
around Europe
GBCT News
62
Clapperboard
Ace cinematographer… Robin
Browne Honorary Member BSC
PRESIDENTS PERSPECTIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / BSC PRESIDENT
Vinyl records
British Society
of Cinematographers
Board of Governors 2015
PRESIDENT:
Barry Ackroyd BSC
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:
John de Borman BSC
VICE PRESIDENTS:
Sean Bobbitt BSC
Nigel Walters BSC
Haris Zambarloukos BSC
GOVERNORS:
Oliver Curtis BSC
John Daly BSC
Joe Dunton MBE BSC (non DoP)
Mike Eley BSC
Gavin Finney BSC
Sue Gibson BSC
David Higgs BSC
Nic Knowland BSC
Phil Meheux BSC
Nic Morris BSC
Dick Pope BSC
Chris Seager BSC
Derek Suter BSC
Robin Vidgeon BSC
CO-OPTED ASSOCIATE
MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE:
Chris Plevin
SECRETARY/Treasurer:
Frances Russell
I’m sure you can imagine this. You’re in the first week of filming and,
by the weekend, you’re coming down with the worst head cold ever.
I
t’s one of those things that gets passed around the crew, like
damp pizza at a wrap party. Pounding headache. Sore throat. The
lot. So, I headed to a Chinese acupuncturist and whilst I lay there,
listening to soothing Chinese music, with the needles literally
from head-to-toe, I started thinking of the time I spent as a camera
assistant in China in the 1980s.
I was working with Mike Fox, the great documentary
cinematographer and fellow BSC member. We travelled over much
of China, with Mike creating the most exquisite images that became
Channel 4’s first-ever documentary series, Heart Of The Dragon. As
we travelled around this almost unbelievable country, discovering the
“never before seen”, our Aaton cameras and Kodak filmstock had to
endure –30ºC in Harbin and +40ºC in Nanjing.
As I lay on the acupuncturist’s couch, my thoughts
concentrated on the simple beauty of the cameras and the stock: two
things that were totally reliable in all conditions, that made filming
possible; precious things that could just slip away. Which are slipping
away. And this brought me back to our big questions. Is there a future
at all for film? For celluloid? For an analogue world? Or, put simply, can
Kodak, our sole provider of filmstock, be profitable enough to survive?
Can we as cinematographers generate enough work to keep calling
ourselves a “film industry”? Or is the die cast, with no turning back?
It’s been a dramatic decade of change for our film suppliers.
Kodak was selling 124 billion feet of film a year in the mid 2000s. As
digital shooting has become the norm, last year sales dropped to less
than 500 million feet of raw stock. Digital is replacing analogue filming,
and digital cameras continue to be developed at a pace. Yet, despite
these changes, film fights on.
For example, the new Star Wars movies have returned to using
film, thanks to DP Dan Mindel and his director JJ Abrams. A strange
choice perhaps, as it was George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise
that first pioneered the use of digital projection. Then Star Wars
became the first movie in the early 1990s to be shot entirely digitally.
But maybe things are turning around. Maybe the rot has stopped and
a balance somewhere around this present mark might remain. Who
knows? Maybe Fuji, and yes Agfa, might join in again? Let’s see.
Our craft is confronting changes on many fronts – such as the
motionography in gaming and animation, digital worlds that can and
do generate lensless images. Where real things can be fixed, adjusted
and replaced seamlessly. Take a look at the third character in Gravity,
the Asian astronaut who gets blow away. No credit for him, because he
is just a collection of pixels created in the computer. Yet we all know it’s
unimaginable to not have some element of digital work in a film these days.
We as cinematographers depend on Digital Intermediates and
computer graphic imaging. It’s practically unknown for a film to not
use these two elements. So technology is not going to stop and we, as
cinematographers, need to be ready to participate in developments.
It seems to me that there could be many pitfalls as well as
crucially important decisions to be made. But if the wrong decisions are
made, they could practically destroy cinematography as we know it, and
reduce our roll to information gathering.
So what of the future? Optics – the very thing that unites
all types of cinematography. The lens – the magician’s crystal, that
transmits light that excites chemicals. We are seeing new developments
and new products almost every week. More variety, better speeds,
more choice. Fortunately cine cameras had already reached a peak and
these cameras are indestructible, well almost indestructible.
So it’s true to say film cameras will continue to run, filmstock can
be made readily available, quality film labs can be at our disposal, in the
places wherever we make films. We also need trained camera crews to
keep the cameras and the traditions alive. Then with the existing brilliance
of cinematography we can develop both digital and analogue together.
I can almost hear the groans, sounding like an old record player.
But that’s my point. Records are still alive. It’s an old adage. Radio was
never replaced by television. TV was not replaced by the Internet. And
digital technology will not replace celluloid.
Look at what has happened to records. Vinyl records last
year sold 38% more than they did in 2013. Forty million LP records
were sold. In the same way that some attempts to progress turn into
gimmicks, in the way 3D filmmaking burns itself out in a short time,
the best technologies remain. This is not the final stage of celluloid, it’s
merely the vinyl years.
My wee cold cleared up, as colds always do. Things go on
as before. Tomorrow morning I start shooting again on Kodak with
beautiful ARRI cameras. And filmmaking, storytelling, and all forms of
cinema, go on. Long live cinema!
NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
Deakins movie
tribute is a
highlight of
Cannes Film
Festival
Tribute... one of the UK’s
greatest cinematographers,
Roger Deakins, gets a special
salute from Thales Angenieux
Brothers in arms...
jury
the Coens lead the
at Cannes this year
A
lthough there are no films from British directors
in this year’s competition line-up at the 2015
Cannes Film Festival, there is considerable
anticipation for London-born Asif Kapadia’s Amy
Winehouse documentary and, with the jury chaired by Joel
and Ethan Coen, a highlight for British cinematographers is
the Thales Angénieux tribute to Roger Deakins CBE BSC
ASC, the Coen’s longtime visual collaborator.
Screen idols Cate Blanchett, Matthew
McConaughey, Marion Cotillard and Sir Michael Caine
are among those with films competing at this year’s
festival. The 2015 line-up also sees several auteurs
returning, with new films from Gus Van Sant, Nanni
Moretti and Jacques Audiard. Playing out of competition
are Woody Allen’s 45th film, Irrational Man, which sees
Joaquin Phoenix star as a college professor who starts a
relationship with one of his students, and the new Pixar
animation Inside Out.
Festival director Thierry Fremaux announced the
line-up in Paris, simultaneously launching a campaign to
stem the tide of “selfies” on the red carpet. “We don’t
Banned... selfies have
been outlawed from
the red carpet
want to prohibit it, but we think it’s ridiculous
and grotesque and really slows things down.
You never look as ugly as you do in a selfie.”
This year’s opening film is La Tete Haute (Standing
Tall), by French actress/director Emmanuelle Bercot, and
Cannes is also the worldwide premiere of Fury Road, the
new chapter in the rebooted Mad Max franchise.
Seventeen films were unveiled in competition and
14 in Un Certain Regard. Cait Blanchett will star alongside
Rooney Mara in Carol, based on a novel by The Talented
Mr Ripley author Patricia Highsmith. The 1950’s New
York-set drama is directed by Todd Haynes of Far From
Heaven fame, lensed by Ed Lachman ASC.
In Gus Van Sant’s The Sea Of Trees, Matthew
McConaughey and Ken Watanabe play two men who
meet by chance in Japan’s Suicide Forest, where both
have gone to end their lives; Naomi Watts also stars.
Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard co-star in
a new adaptation of Macbeth, from up-and-coming
Australian director Justin Kurzel, whilst Italy’s Paolo
Sorrentino follows up 2013’s The Great Beauty with
the English-language drama Youth starring Sir Michael
Caine as a retired orchestra conductor who receives an
invitation to perform for the Queen.
The line-up also includes two other Italian
directors, Gomorrah’s Matteo Garrone, who is
premiering his The Tale
of Tales, and Cannes
regular Nanni Moretti,
with My Mother.
As tradition
dictates, France is
represented by four
directors - including
Audiard, Maiwenn,
Valerie Donzelli
and first-timer
Stephane Brize. Asia
is represented by The
Assassin, from Taiwan’s
Hou Hsiao-hsien,
China’s Jia Zhangke
whose Mountains
May Depart marks his
fourth film at Cannes
and Our Little Sister,
from Japanese director
Hirokazu Kore-eda.
Canada’s Denis Villeneuve’s is showing Sicario, a crime
drama starring Emily Blunt and Benecio Del Toro.
One beacon for Brits, especially the
cinematographic community, is the Thales Angénieux
Tribute To Roger Deakins. As an official partner of the
festival since 2013, the company makes a tribute
every year to a prominent international director of
photography. After Philippe Rousselot AFC ASC
in 2013 and Vilmos Zsigmond HSC ASC in 2014,
Angénieux
is honouring
Deakins this
year, whose
work on Coen
brothers
movies
includes Fargo,
The Man Who
Wasn’t There,
O Brother,
Where Art
Thou?, No
Country For
Old Men and
True Grit, as
well as Frank
Darabont’s
The Shawshank
Redemption,
Martin
Scorsese’s
High hopes... Asif
Kundun, Sam
Kapadia’s Amy
is one of the few
Mendes’
British contenders
Skyfall, Denis
Villeneuve’s
Prisoners and most recently Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken.
The twelve-time Academy Award nominee for Best
Cinematography, has also served as visual consultant
for several animated features, including WALL-E, How
To Train Your Dragon, Rango, The Guardians, The Croods,
and most recently, How to Train Your Dragon 2.
Amongst his many accolades, Deakins received
the ASC’s Lifetime Achievement award in 2011
and has garnered five wins of the British Society Of
Cinematographers’ (BSC) Best Cinematography Award.
In 2013, Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II made him a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), the
only cinematographer to have been given this high honour.
Sitting pretty... (l-r) Panavision’s
Hugh Whittaker and Charlie
Todman, Samantha Grieves,
James Kar, John Daly BSC, the
BSC’s Audra Marshall and Nigel
Walters BSC at a preview of the
Regent Street Cinema
Birthplace of British cinema reopens in London
A
fter a £5.8 fundraising campaign the oldest
cinema in the UK has been restored in
Regent Street, London, and is now open
for screenings to the public. Considered
the birthplace of British cinema, The Regent Street
Cinema, within the University of Westminster’s
flagship building, first screened the Lumiere brothers’
moving picture show in 1896. The brothers chose the
Regent Street Polytechnic, as it was then called, for the
screening because of the institution’s reputation as a
leader in scientific experimentation and entertainment.
Entitled Cinematographe, it was the UK’s first public
cinema performance to a paying audience, and showed
a train moving into a station. At the time it left the
audience so astounded they thought it was actually
coming towards them.
Leading figures from UK production service
companies attended a special preview of the
restored cinema. Panavision, the British Society Of
Cinematographers and British Cinematographer Magazine
became sponsors at the event.
Creative Skillset announces
new chair and board members
Creative Skillset, the industry skills body, has announced
that chief executive officer (CEO), Dinah Caine CBE,
will leave her post to become chair of the organisation’s
board. She will replace Stewart Till CBE, who completes
his five-year term as chair following his previous terms
as vice chair.
Creative Skillset has grown in profile and has
delivered several initiatives, such as Hiive, the Skills
Investment
Funds and
industry
accreditation
of courses
through the
Creative
Skillset “Tick”.
Building on this
success, a new
CEO is being
sought with a
strong industry
background to
develop fresh
Moving on up...
Dinah Caine is
and ambitious
moving to the board
public private
of Creative Skillset
partnerships
10 | British Cinematographer | May 2015
as well as a strong, sustainable business plan for the next
phase of the Creative Industries’ growth.
Caine will move to chair the organisation on
the appointment of the new CEO, and two new board
members will also join the board of Creative Skillset,
namely Ivan Dunleavy, the chief executive of Pinewood
Group and Sophie Turner-Laing, chief executive of
Endemol Shine Group.
Stewart Till said: “I’m delighted that Dinah remains
with Creative Skillset. She has led the organisation
since it was a small-scale operation and brought
the importance of skills and public/private creative
partnerships to the heart of Government thinking and
industry practice. We’re delighted that she will continue
to play a key role going forward. Our new board
members, Ivan and Sophie bring huge expertise and
experience from the top of the industry and will be a
massive asset to Creative Skillset.”
Kodak announces independent
production package for UK
filmmakers
As part of on-going efforts to support independent
filmmakers, Kodak has introduced a new programme in
the UK to assist nonstudio productions
in originating their
stories on film.
Kodak’s Independent
Production Package
(KIPP) simplifies the
budgeting process for
indies and provides
a package deal
that includes stock,
equipment rental and
lab services. Kodak
hopes to announce the
availability of KIPP in
other regions soon.
“Film has
always been a big part
of the independent
filmmaking community,
and we want it to
stay that way,” said
Andrew Evenski,
Kodak’s president
of Entertainment &
Commercial Films. “This UK programme makes shooting
film a one-stop-shop for filmmakers on a budget. From
origination through to post, we can put together a
package to get their stories told on film.”
Filmmakers that are interested in shooting on film
can request a combined services package that includes
camera rental, stock, processing and transfer services.
Both 16mm and 35mm packages are available, tailored
to fit their needs. Options are calculated based on title
length, shooting ratio, and the best price at a single per
foot rate. Partners in the KIPP programme include ARRI
Rental, Panavision, Movietech, Take Two Films, Cinelab
London and i-Dailies.
“All of these well-respected companies that
service the imaging chain have heard filmmakers asking
for assistance,” said Sam Clark, origination manager at
Kodak. “These companies understand the challenges
independent productions face, and the programme
exists because we all want to see filmmakers realise
their vision.”
Working in collaboration with the University
Film & Video Foundation (UFVF), Kodak has continued
to support the Kodak Scholarship Program, the annual
international contest to encourage students wanting to
pursue careers in filmmaking. The awards will be judged
by John Bailey ASC, his fourth consecutive year as a
judge, and the winners will be announced in August.
Remember this?...
Kodak is offering
special packages for
indie filmmakers
Ikegami 8K ultra
high-definition
television
(UHDTV)
camera
I
kegami has collaborated with Japan Broadcasting
Corporation (NHK) to develop an 8K ultra highdefinition television (UHDTV) camera. Designed
for live studio and field production, the SHK-810
camera head is compact and weighs less than 20lbs (9
kg). It can be operated in the same way as the existing
Ikegami broadcast camera systems. Ikegami introduced
the first generation 8K UHDTV camera with NHK
in 2002. This was followed by a second-generation
model in 2004 and a third generation camera in 2010.
Ikegami’s SHK-810 fourth generation UHDTV camera
is one tenth the size of the first generation model and
has significantly improved operability. According to
the roadmap of the Japan Ministry of Internal Affairs
& Communications, test broadcasts of 4K/8K via BS
Ikegami...
new 8K camera
satellite television will start at the Rio 2016 Olympic and
Paralympic Games, followed by 8K on-air broadcasting
which is scheduled to start by 2018 in Japan. The
Ikegami SHK-810 camera employs a single 33 millionpixel Super 35 CMOS sensor, achieving 4,000 horizontal
and vertical resolution lines. The colour filter on the
sensor employs a dual-green SHV colour arrangement
and achieves a high level of modulation depth. The PLLens mount allows the operator to use the camera with
8K lenses, cine lenses, 4K lenses and custom-designed
zoom lenses for single-chip SHV cameras.
Canon 4K broadcast zoom lens
Canon is developing a high-magnification, long-length 4K
broadcast zoom lens for use with 4K-capable broadcast cameras
employing 2/3-inch sensors. The new lens is being developed
as a new model in Canon’s UHD DigiSuper series of studio and
field broadcasting lenses. In addition to realising a high level of
imaging performance, supporting the capture of 4K-resolution
video, the new lens will feature specifications and a body size
that ensure a high level of operability and ease-of-use on a
par with Canon’s HD broadcast models. Canon is aiming to
commercialise the 4K field zoom lens in late 2015.
Transvideo StarliteHD
5” OLED monitor
T
ransvideo collaborated with
ARRI on a specially-adapted
version of Transvideo’s
StarliteHD 5” OLED monitor.
The resulting StarliteHD5-ARRI will be
able to control key camera functions
of the ARRI Alexa Mini and the ARRI
Amira cameras. Constructed from
aviation-grade aluminium, the
StarliteHD5-ARRI monitor is the size
of a smartphone and weighs less
than 200g. The StarliteHD5-ARRI
will also be compatible with other
cameras as it retains all of the
monitor’s original functionality,
including waveform,
vectorscope and
histogram displays,
as well as a builtin recorder
for H.264
rushes on SD
cards. The
StarliteHD5ARRI will
be sold
exclusively
through ARRI
sales channels.
Transvideo...
ARRI Alexa Mini
with a StarLite
touchscreen
monitor
BBS Lighting: Pipeline System
Remote Phosphor LED lights
B
BS Lighting have premiered its Pipeline System Remote Phosphor LED lights. In a versatile
form factor, Pipeline offers BBS’ colour rendering, fan-less operation for both Daylight and
Tungsten color output and wireless DMX control, running on AC or DC. Made to address
the challenges of travelling correspondents who often deliver their reports via Skype or
Messenger from a webcam on a desktop, BBS presented present the Pipeline Reporter 3200, 4300
and 5600 Kits. It also demonstrated its LED Flyer Boom light, a ready-to-go LED boom light and
accessory kit built to satisfy the needs of camera and lighting professionals shooting video, cine
and news production. It provides soft bi-colour output along with rapid set-up. The LED Flyer can
deployed on the end of a boom pole, enabling it to follow subjects across the ground or stage as
either a top, front or back light. BBS Lighting’s K7 LED Display also made its NAB debut. Round
in shape, the small K7 can be hidden hides in small nooks in the background of live television
programme sets, museums and other high-end displays where it provides high CRI illumination. Beam
control is provided by quick-change lenses and honeycombs. The fixture comes with a choice of 2W
3000K, 4000K or 5600K or 2W LEDs. The power supply runs off 120-240 VAC.
BBS is showed its Area 48 remote phosphor system, demonstrating that by moving the
phosphor away from the LED itself, colour rendering, consistency and light output are markedly
improved. A staple for features, television and news sets, the source is comparable to a traditional 1k
soft light. It offers DMX and manual control and multiple power options including an optional mount
for V-mount or A/B mount batteries or standard AC power.
Fujinon... the powerful
new UA80x9” zoom
Fujinon launch
two new 2/3”
UHDTV broadcast
zoom lenses
F
ujinon have launched two new 2/3” UHDTV
broadcast zoom lenses, the UA80x9 and
UA22x8, both compatible with 4K cameras.
The UA80x9 is an 80x zoom lens that covers a
broad range of focal lengths from 9mm in wide angle to
720mm in telephoto, making it suitable for live sporting
events and concerts.
The lens features an “optical stabilisation
mechanism” that provides adjustment to image shakes
caused by vibrations and wind. The “floating focus
system”, which controls multiple lens groups according
to the shooting distance, delivers high-resolution and
high-contrast images from close-up to infinity, enabling
4K video production with a highly realistic sensation and
premium picture quality. The UA22x8 is a lightweight,
portable 22x zoom lens covering the focal length from
8mm in wide angle to 176mm in telephoto. It also
features the “floating focus
system”, and delivers an advanced
level of mobility for live sport coverage, indoor/outdoor
programme production and news reporting.
Light Illusion
Colour management developer Light Illusion have released
next-generation colour mathematics for the advanced
Colour Engine, which is at the heart LightSpace CMS colour
calibration system. Whilst the original Colour Engine had
previously proven a fast and accurate for display calibration,
LUT generation, conversion and manipulation, the new
LightSpace Colour Engine has been completely re-written
and enhanced, with visible and measurable improvements
in final calibration results. Flanders Scientific Inc. has been
actively involved in beta testing the new Colour Engine, and
Bram Desmet, general manager, commented. “It’s
always impressive to see something that was already
good to begin with get even better. LightSpace. The
improved accuracy we are seeing is a testament
to Light Illusion’s commitment to the continued
refinement of their products.”
Steve Shaw, CEO of Light Illusion, commented,
“The advanced calibration capabilities of LightSpace
CMS can be seen by the fact any display can be
accurately calibrated without the need for intricate
optimisation of internal display settings. All that
is needed is to turn off any internal display colour
management, set the black and white points as
required, and let LightSpace CMS do the rest.”
Egripment Support
Systems TDT Remote
Crane System
E
Pomfort livegrade air
P
omfort have
released
LiveGrade
Air, a
free iOS App for
professional look
creation. LiveGrade
Air helps DPs and
DITs to prepare looks
for the next shooting
days by creating
and visualising their
colour ideas on
an iPad or iPhone.
For exchanging
the created looks
with the film team
the App provides
support for all
essential look
formats. App can
now be downloaded
on the App Store
(for iPad or iPhone
with iOS 8).
Egripment...
the TDT
remote crane
gripment Support Systems were
at NAB 2015 and featured several
new compact and portable
hardware solutions, including the
ProTraveller System, TDT
Remote Crane System
and Universal Dolly as
well as its Focus Dolly
Light and Aluminum
Pack Track. The TDT
Remote Crane System is
a high-quality, lightweight,
modular length, remote
crane, dolly and remote
head. The remote head
on the TDT features the
best qualities of Egripment’s
Scanner and 306 Heads and
incorporates them into an economical, smooth and
solid solution suitable for most ENG-sized broadcast
and smaller digital cameras. The Universal Dolly can
being folded down to 20x30x5 inches (50x75x12.5
cm), and makes a simple addition to other Egripment
accessories, such as seat supports, columns,
bazookas and jib arms. The Focus Dolly Light and
Aluminum Pack Track is based on the company’s
original Focus Dolly, but features an entirely new
design and is built from aluminium, making it lighter
and far more durable than the original.
The company’s crane/jib/remote head
ProTraveller System is designed for use with DSLR
and HDV cameras. With its maximum weight of
82.5 pounds (37 kg) at the largest set-up length, the
ProTraveller combines high-quality crane movements
with a technical remote head on a lightweight frame.
ARRI Rental hires Ed Jones
as marketing executive
ARRI... Ed Jones
has joined to boost
commercials and
promos
A
RRI Rental UK has hired of Ed Jones as commercials and promos
marketing executive. This new position is dedicated to building stronger
bonds between ARRI Rental’s new and existing clients.
Jones joins Simon Surtees, who was appointed as features and drama
marketing executive at the end of 2014. Both have extensive industry experience
as camera assistants, and will focus on managing the company’s relationships with
production and crew, as well as seeking new business opportunities.
“We hope to take our client relations to a new level of excellence with
the addition of both Ed and Simon to our team,” said Russell Allen, director of
operations at ARRI Rental UK’s camera and grip division.
In addition to the new appointments, ARRI Rental’s recent focus has
been on the introduction of the Alexa 65, as well as the implementation of a
programme of refurbishment works to add new and improved facilities to the
company’s premises in Uxbridge.
“Our clients are at the centre of everything we do,” added Allen. “With this
in mind we have concentrated on strengthening our staff, enhancing operations
and offering industry-leading products and services.”
The Alexa 65 system was officially launched in December 2014.
Comprising of camera, lenses and a complete image workflow developed by
Codex, ARRI Rental is experiencing significant demand for the Alexa 65. It is
now in use on major productions including Oliver Stone’s Snowden, lensed
by Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC, and Yimou Zhang’s The Great Wall,
which is being shot by Stuart Dryburgh ASC. Jess Hall BSC also used the
Alexa 65 on a series of commercials for the Halo 5 videogame.
New Dedolight LED kits available
to rent from Cirro Lite
A
fter a delay of almost a year due to demand in
sales, Cirro Lite has announced the availability
of new Dedolight DLED kits from its own rental
department as well as all main rental companies.
The new and efficient LED 40w units, available as bicolour, Daylight and Tungsten versions, offer the typical
optical performance and control expected from a
Dedolight, but they also have added ability to dim
without any colour shift, as well as the capacity to
tune the colour on bi-colour versions with even
colour distribution and without colour shift. They
also provide a clean beam, with no stray light
outside the beam, no hotspots.
The DLED lighting system addresses many of
the challenges when shooting with the new digital
cameras in a busy environment – not only does it
provide optical control for efficiency on-set,
it also provides a new level of
dimming control, allowing
the fine-tuning on
the fly, and
the ability to
add effects
and highlights
with the
projector
system.
New book In Conversation
With Cinematographers
arrives in August
In Conversation With Cinematographers, the new
book by David A. Ellis, a regular contributor to British
Cinematographer Magazine, goes on sale in August 2015.
Published by Rowman and Littlefield, the new tome
features interviews with 21 directors of photography,
as well as two notable camera operators, working in
film and television today. Readers are taken behindthe-scenes of some of the most successful films and
shows of the last several decades. Included are BSC
members: Sue Gibson, Gavin Finney, Oliver Stapleton,
Phil Méheux, Brian Tufano, Clive Tickner, Stephen
Goldblatt, Seamus McGarvey, Peter MacDonald, Mike
Southon, Rob Hardy, Harvey Harrison, Robin Browne,
Adam Suschitzky, Simon Kossoff, Chris Seager, Haris
Zambarloukos, Peter Hannan and Roger Pratt. Also
included are Ken Westbury, David Worley, Trevor Coop
and underwater specialist Mike Valentine.
These cinematographers recount their
experiences on sets and reveal what it was like to work
with some of the most acclaimed directors of recent
times, including Danny Boyle, Francis Ford Coppola,
Clint Eastwood, Lasse Hallstrom, David Lynch and
Steven Spielberg.
“Although cinematographers are vital to
the filmmaking process, they don’t always get the
recognition they deserve,” said Ellis. “They are
responsible for the look of a film and its lasting
impression on the viewer, but their skills are not
as readily appreciated as those of directors or
screenwriters. With valuable insight into the art of
moviemaking, and featuring plentiful photos, this
collection of interviews will appeal to anyone with an
interest in the art of cinematography.”
Blushes for Blanshard
Cirro Lite... is now stocking
the long-awaited Dedolight
LED packages
In the last issue of the magazine (BC68) our longtime
collaborator, and honourary friend of the BSC, Richard
Blanshard went uncredited for the great photos he
again provided from the 2015 BSC Expo, held at
Pinewood Studios in January. We apologise for this
oversight, and thank Richard for all the wonderful
images he has provided of Summer Luncheons,
Operators Nights and BSC Shows over the years.
Canon unveils 4K
reference display
and 4K cameras
C
anon has announced its next-generation of
input-to-output solutions for 4K production
workflows. The range includes the DP-V2410,
a 24-inch 4K reference display, and two new
4K camcorders – the EOS C300 Mark II, a 4K Cinema
EOS camera, and the XC10, a compact, lightweight 4K
video and digital stills camera for aspiring filmmakers.
The DP-V2410 monitor has been engineered
for use on-set or on-location to provide accurate and
reliable output of 4K content, facilitating live shooting
for quality control, focusing and exposure confirmation,
as well as on-set colour management and grading.
It delivers 4K, 4096 x 2160 resolution, and a High
Dynamic Range mode displays extreme highlights and
shadow detail simultaneously. The DP-V2410 has been
optimised to support the DCI-P3 cinema standard, the
ITU-R BT.2020 broadcast standard and ACES Proxy
(ACES Ver. 1.0).
Equipped with 3G/HD-SDI and HDMI interfaces,
plus a built-in deBayer, the DP-V2410 is able to show
native 4K RAW footage direct from compatible Cinema
EOS cameras, saving costs on an external deBayer
unit. The monitor is expected to be available in Europe
towards the end of 2015.
Canon’s new generation of 4K cameras includes
the EOS C300 Mark II and XC10 Touted as highly
durable, the EOS C300 Mark II enables filmmakers
and broadcasters to record 4K video with 15-stops of
dynamic range at high bit-rates to internal CFast 2.0
cards. Created for aspiring filmmakers, or as a B-camera
in professional productions, the XC10 is a compact
digital camcorder that offers the versatility to capture
both high bit-rate 4K video and 12MP stills.
4K-ing crazy...
Canon’s new 4K
capable cameras
Canon’s new
reference
monitor
Panalux expands into new
Perivale facility
Panalux, a provider of lighting rental equipment for film,
television and media production, has consolidated its
Broadcast & Event division, engineering and product
development departments into a customised facility in
Perivale Park, west London.
The 48,000sq/ft warehouse and offices will enable
the company to accommodate a greater number of projects
and allow future business expansion. The new facility has
more than triple the loading bays than its former Broadcast
& Event warehouse, and has a high-bay rack system
allowing for easier loading, more prep space and greater
storage capacity.
Panalux has also consolidated equipment and personnel
from several other smaller locations into the new site, although
its headquarters will remain at Waxlow Road in Park Royal.
“Panalux Broadcast & Event has experienced
consistent growth over the past years; as a result, we’ve
outgrown our current location,” explained Ed Pagett, Panalux
Broadcast & Event managing director. “We’re looking forward
to settling into our new building, which will provide our
different teams with the space they need to continue to
expand on our services.”
Chris Millard, Panalux group technical director, added,
“In-house R&D and engineering continue to set Panalux apart
from its competitors. It is important to the development of our
products and technology that these departments work and
collaborate closely, and we are pleased to have a more than
adequate space to work from.”
Cineverse opens
camera, lens and
LED lighting rental
facility in Atlanta
D
igital cinema equipment provider, Cineverse,
has opened new premises in Atlanta,
Georgia. The 18,500sq/ft facility is located
in the heart of Georgia’s Midtown Atlanta
production community, close by the city’s downtown
area, most stages and popular production locations.
It boasts state-of-the-art camera rental facilities
including an impressive collection of cutting-edge
camera and optics engineering evaluation equipment,
along with an accomplished team of technicians.
Cameras include ARRI Alexa and Amiras, Sony
F65, F55 and F5s, RED Dragon and Epic, plus Canon
C300 and C500s. Lenses include the latest primes
from Zeiss, Leica Summilux and Cooke, as well as
vintage glass, with Anamorphics from Vantage/ Hawk,
Cooke, Kowa and Angenieux, plus zooms from Fujinon
Angenieux and ARRI.
The facility has large three large prep areas, hair
and make-up studios, and an LED lighting showroom
displaying new technology in the lighting and
greenscreen world, used in such films as Gravity and
Fast & Furious 7.
Cineverse... is opening
new facilities in Atlanta
Codex Action Cam
proves a revelation
for Papamichael
C
inematographer Phedon Papamichael ASC GSC
recently deployed dual Codex Action Cam point,
shoot and record packages on a TV branding film
for the new Infiniti QX50 luxury compact SUV.
Using the Codex Action Cams to shoot handheld location
and road footage himself, Papamichael says he discovered
new-found freedoms and creative cinematographic
possibilities, and that the Action Cam imagery intercut
perfectly with the 4K footage from the principal cameras
on the production.
Papamichael, who is best known for big-screen
cinematography on movies including The Descendants,
The Ides Of March, The Monuments Men and Nebraska,
which brought him an Oscar nomination in 2014, often
shoots and directs commercials, where he tries out the
very latest gear.
In the film, Chinese superstars, Archie Kao and
Zhou Xun, portray a couple who break the rules during a
typical car shoot, and get a taste of freedom in the new
SUV. Chased by paparazzi on motorcycles, they abscond
across LA into the high desert and across Malibu beach,
shooting movies on their mobile phones.
The film was directed by Jaume Collet-Sera, through
Bullitt. The toolkit, mainly provided by CamTec in Burbank,
Codex... Phedon
Papamichael used
Action Cam himself
from the back seat
on a recent car
commercial
included two RED Dragon cameras, a
drone mounted with a Panasonic Lumix
GH4, an Edge vehicle and crane, three Canon 6Ds
shooting time-lapse footage, plus two Codex Action Cams.
“We initially added the Codex Action Cams to our
camera package for travelling car logo/badge shots and
other moving details,” said first AC Jeff Porter. “But when
Phedon and Jaume saw that you can literally hold the
Action Cam head in the palm of your hand, they wanted
to play. They saw an opportunity to shoot unscripted,
spontaneous moments with the actors driving in the
Infiniti SUV.”
However, limited space inside the car meant
there was no room for camera operators or focus pullers.
Consequently, Papamichael and Collet-Sera were given
small, handheld monitors, and quickly instructed in how
operate the Codex Camera Control Recorder.
“We literally held the cameras with one hand and
went free-driving with the actors,” said Papamichael.
“Because we used these small cameras, we were able to
get probably 100 set-ups on a 30-minute drive. It was
great. From the back seat, I could hold an Action Cam
out of the window and point it through the side window
of the front seat, getting a hostess-tray-type of shot.
I could rake the
car and get the
actress’ reflection
in the rear-view
mirror. We were
working quickly
and winging it.
There’s a lot of
shaking and bumps
in there, but it
definitely made for
some usable shots
that we could
never have gotten
otherwise.”
Papamichael
appreciated the
Action Cam’s
compatibility
with professional
grade cine lenses
– in this case he opted for Super 16-format Zeiss
Superspeeds, with a C-mount-to-PL-mount adaptor.
“I could roll the iris with one finger,” added
Papamichael. “The little monitor was lying on my lap and
I could pull my own focus to a degree. I would open it up
and get the image flared out, or we’d come out of a tunnel
and I’d roll the iris closed. People are excited about the
footage we got. I’m thinking that with short edits, it will
integrate pretty well with the RED footage we shot. Action
Cam gives you a lot of possibilities – and it’s certainly a fun
option to play with.”
The Action Cams recorded 1920 x 1080 imagery
that Codex Tech Nick Lantz converted to 10-bit DPX
files. For the most part, a rate of 25fps was called for, as
the commercial is meant for broadcast in China, although
Papamichael sometimes shot up to 50fps. The RED
cameras were set up to capture images at 4K resolution
with 5:1 compression. Papamichael used Optimo zooms on
these cameras in part because he likes the way they flare.
“The images are simply amazing. For previous car
and motorcycle commercials, Phedon and I have used
a variety of other small cameras, such as the Novo 2K,
BlackMagic Pocket Camera and GoPros. But the Codex
Action Cam is by far the best. Besides its image quality and
low light capability, it is the only one of these cameras that
has a global shutter, which virtually eliminates the wobbleeffect we’ve experienced when we have mounted cameras
with rolling shutters onto vibrating cars or motorcycles.”
Papamichael is currently in London shooting The
Huntsman, a Brothers Grimm-based feature starring
Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Chris Hemsworth and
Charlize Theron. Codex also recently announced that it is
supporting the new ARRI Alexa Mini and Alexa SXT with its
recording technologies.
Angenieux lenses
capture dwarf
planet images
on NASA mission
T
hales Angénieux has been a key partner in
NASA’s programmes since the successful
Ranger 7 and Apollo 11 missions of the early
1960s. Today, it continues to be closely
involved in the US space agency’s space exploration
programme. Two Angénieux 150-mm-focal-length
lenses are on NASA’s Dawn probe that recently
obtained the first images of the dwarf planet Ceres.
Dawn’s mission is to study the asteroid
Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres, two protoplanet
remnants of the formation of our Solar System that
lie in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The significant feature of these two distant bodies
is that they are virtually unchanged since their
formation 4.6 billion years ago.
Three scientific instruments aboard the
1,300-kg probe are designed to image and map
Vesta and Ceres, analyse their gravity fields and
acquire spectral measurements of the abundance
and distribution of rocks on their surface, as well as
any significant traces of chemical elements.
Dawn was launched on 27 September 2007;
it then completed a fly-by of Mars in February 2009
before reaching Vesta in July 2011, which it studied
up-close for a year. It arrived at Ceres in February
2015, and has already sent back detailed pictures of
the dwarf planet. In particular, images acquired on
19 February show two tantalizing bright spots on its
Ding dong... Procam, which
supplied kit to Dynamo:
Magician Impossible, has
bought HotCam NY
surface. Dawn
reached orbit
around Ceres on
Friday 6 March. Its
mission is scheduled
to end in July.
Looking
back on the project’s
development, in 2005,
Thales Angénieux delivered
four lenses to German firm
Kayser Threde for the Max
Planck Institute (MPI), whish was
responsible for Dawn’s top-tier framing
camera subassembly. Two of the lenses were
designed for integration with the system and two
for testing and preparation. Thales Angénieux had
to meet the challenge of supplying lenses capable of
satisfying the mission’s particularly exacting thermal
constraints (–50°C, +40°C), whilst withstanding the
rigours of space (vacuum conditions, radiation and
launch-vehicle vibrations on lift-off).
Drawing on its experience from previous
projects working with NASA, Thales Angénieux
designed lenses that fully-met these specifications.
Employing the principle of passive athermalisation,
Angénieux’s lenses are able to acquire clear, sharp
pictures in any temperature conditions. Special
Procam zooms into US production
market with HotCam NY acquisition
U
K camera rental facility, Procam, recently
acquired of US-based camera rental company
HotCam New York. The move is designed to
enable Procam to provide its expanding US
client base with the same levels of service and expertise
it is know in the UK, whilst also supporting UK-based
clients shooting in the US.
HotCam New York will mirror the range of services
provided by Procam’s UK offices in London, Manchester,
Glasgow and Edinburgh, which include kit and crew
rental, project management, workflow consultancy and
training for TV drama, features, commercials, branded and
VoD content. Procam is planning on keeping the HotCam
New York branding for the business, and HotCam New
York will benefit from the same 24-hour support offered
to all Procam’s UK clients. Procam plans to expand
HotCam New York’s offering in the US, as well as extend
Procam’s reach into new territories, through further
acquisitions over the next 12 to 24 months.
In the UK Procam works with production
companies including All3Media and Monkey Kingdom
types of glass were
used to withstand
radiations, notably gamma
rays. The lenses’ titanium body
offered the best resistance to launch vibrations.
Thales is also involved in NASA’s Mars Science
Laboratory mission, the most ambitious ever to land on
the surface of Mars. Thales’s Optronics Business Line,
to which Thales Angénieux is attached, supplied the
laser for the ChemCam instrument on MSL’s Curiosity
rover. This laser, employing laser-induced breakdown
spectroscopy (LIBS) technology, is fired at rock targets
to generate a plasma that is then analysed by the rover’s
instruments to determine their mineral composition.
ChemCam is a joint effort of the French space agency
CNES (Centre National d’ Etudes Spatiales) and the U.S.
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
(part of NBCUniversal), with recent productions including
the Made In Chelsea and The Island With Bear Grylls.
Procam also provided crew and equipment on both sides
of the Atlantic for Dynamo: Magician Impossible and US
support for the British reality series Taking New York.
HotCam New York has a long list of high-profile
US shows to its credit, including The Tonight Show
Starring Jimmy Fallon, American Pickers and Teen
Mom. The company was established in December
2004 by sound mixer Trevor Hotz and partner Ali
Grapes, as an off-shoot of HotCam UK. Hotz and
Grapes have resigned their positions as co-owners
of HotCam New York. HotCam UK will operate
unaffected by Procam’s acquisition.
The acquisition of HotCam New York is the latest
part of Procam’s ambitious expansion plans. It follows the
purchase of UK-based lens service and manufacturing
facility True Lens Services, which has designed and
supplied lens modifications for high-profile motion
pictures, including the Bourne series, 007 Casino Royale
and the 2015 Oscar-nominated movie Mr. Turner.
Siren Studios
makes large
order from
MSE grip kit
C
amera and lighting support manufacturer,
Matthews Studio Equipment has taken
a large order of MSE C-Stands and other
support equipment from Hollywoodbased Siren Studios.
“Siren is a company that specialises in
renting and supporting our photo and sound
stages as well as renting grip, lighting, and
production equipment,” said Justin Rhoads,
warehouse manager for Siren. “Our clients range
from small to large budget feature films, music
videos, special events, and print work for various
media including magazine and web.
“We’ve been using MSE since the company
started, and our clients love the strength and
innovation of the various support pieces we
supply,” he added. “Especially the Lo Boys due to
their compact deign and strength. The crank-ovators, medium rollers, c-stands and various other
pieces of hardware are also on every shoot we do.”
Recently, via Siern, MSE supported
commercials for Hasbro, Olay, Taco Bell and
Denny’s, which needed six LoBoys and 12 cranks.
“We’re waiting on a couple of more items from
MSE – Apple Boxes and flags,” said Rhoads. “Then,
there will be another big order – to keep this
busy house supported in the style we need to
accommodate our clients.”
Siren... takes a large order of
lighting and grip kit from MSE
Downton DP David Raedecker goes green with Albert+ scheme
D
P David Raedecker wrote in with his
experiences of the Albert+ sustainability
scheme, as applied to the final season of
Downton Abbey, directed by Minkie Spiro,
produced by Carnival Films for ITV
Albert+ is a mark of sustainability which
indicates that a programme has taken steps to
manage and reduce its environmental impact during
production. It was originally devised at the BBC,
contributed to and peer-reviewed by members of
BAFTA’s Albert consortium, and reviewed by a panel of
sustainability experts who advise the BBC.
“Our sign-up to the green Albert+ scheme was
up by Jez Nightingale from BAFTA,” said Raedecker.
“To reduce electricity consumption, and bring more
control over the lighting, we redesigned the previous
studio lighting rig. We ended-up swopping most of the
Tungsten lighting with LED technology and invented
some of our own customised LED lights.
In the past mainly big tungsten units – such
as 20kw, T12s, space-lights, octodomes and skypans
– were traditionally used on Downton. I felt I didn’t
need that much light output for the look that I
planned on shooting with the Alexa cameras and
ARRI Masterprime lenses. My gaffer, Bernie Rostoski,
suggested swapping all space-lights and most 10k
fresnels with Panalux LED Hilos and Rifa lights
with LED Tech-Tiles. To keep the look of the series
consistent, I kept some of the 20k fresnels.
We tested different LED lights for colour
matching with Tungsten. We found that the only way
to match them to the 20ks was by eye with bi-colour
LEDs. Unlike in previous generations, the LED Hilos and
Tech-Tiles didn’t have a green tint and looked great on
skin, but we found that they fall off quicker than their
Tungsten equivalents.
Bernie and his team came up with the design of
a 1” thick, 4’x4’ lightweight soft light made of bi-colour
LED ribbons and Depron, which we christened the Banjo
light. It was powered by a small battery and wirelessly
controlled
via the main
dimmer desk.
We also made
smaller 2’x2’
units, called
Ukuleles and a
1” ribbon, the
Violin Stick,
with the same
design. They
gave a nice soft
light and fitted
into every
corner without
cabling, hence
making lighting
set-ups faster
and allowing more freedom for camera movement. They
replaced the octodome, and became our primary lighting
source on the floor.
We could dim all LEDs down, without colour
shift, to almost nothing and often ran them at less than
5% of their full capacity. Everything could be wirelessly
controlled via an i-Pad, with the desk op sitting next to
me by the monitor.
To sum up: we saved production about a half to
two-thirds on electricity costs – around £250 daily. Hire
costs of lights were the same or less than the previous
Tungsten packages.
Overheating in the
studio was not an
issue anymore with
the cold-running
LEDs. But, most
importantly, they
gave me a previously
never encountered
fine control and
freedom over
lighting. I am excited
about these new
possibilities, it really
felt like painting with
light for the first time.
I think this has been
a great success.”
Efficient... gaffer Bernie Rostosky stands next to
the banjo light, which he built, and shows-off its
properties to Downton DP David Raedecker
Expansion... Pinewood is
planning the first phase of its
enlargement scheme
Studio Round-Up:
Pinewood Group: is to raise £30m that will part-
fund the expansion of its Buckinghamshire site. The
expansion plans, which are known as the Pinewood
Studios Development Framework (PSDF), are intended
to address “capacity constraints” by doubling the existing
capacity of Pinewood Studios through the addition of
323,000sq/ft of studios and stages, including three
studios of 40,000sq/ft, along with ten workshops and
two production offices.
Pinewood Digital: provided front-to-end picture
services on the production of Genius. The company
worked with DP Ben Davis BSC, DIT Tom Gough and
colourist Adam Inglis to manage look creation, editorial
deliverables, data management through to VFX pulls and
conform. The final grade is to be completed by Inglis
at Pinewood Post Production. Pinewood Digital also
worked with Davis and Marvel on Avengers: Age Of Ultron,
supporting the project with digital dailies, dailies grading,
screening and data archival services in multiple locations
around the world, including Shepperton Studios.
Elstree...
enlisted the
help of C3PO
to encourage
training and
apprenticeships
Elstree Studios:
recently rolled out the red
carpet for the National
Apprenticeship Week,
when a catwalk-themed
reception was held the
studios, organised by
the Department for
Business, Innovation
and Skills (BIS) and the
Skills Funding Agency
in partnership with the
British Fashion Council.
The event highlighted
how employer ‘trailblazers’
are designing new apprenticeships that better meet
the needs of key industries, and was also a thank you
to employers for their hard work in designing and
implementing apprenticeships. The event was hosted
by Nick Boles, Minister for Skills and Simon Ward, chief
operating officer for the British Fashion Council.
Roger Morris, managing director of Elstree
Studios and chairman of Elstree University Technical
College said, “Our country’s creative industries are some
of the most successful and innovative in the world,
employing thousands of people and earning millions of
pounds for the economy. They play an important part in
promoting the country and all its industries to the world.”
Bottle Yard
Studios: production
has commenced
on MoliFilms
Entertainment heist
caper Golden Years,
shooting at the studio
and on-location
across Bristol with the support of Bristol
Film Office. Written by TV Presenter Nick
Knowles, Jeremy Sheldon and writer/director
John Miller, Golden Years’ ensemble cast
includes Bernard Hill, Virginia McKenna Sue
Johnston, Alun Armstrong, Simon Callow Phil
Davies and Mark Williams. It is produced by Mark Foligno
and associate-produced by Lucy Selwood, Tanya Beadle
and Jolien Buijs, with Adam Lincoln the cinematographer.
Bottle Yard Studios also recently hosted popular BBC
dramas Poldark, Wolf Hall and Sherlock, and Disney/ABC
Studios’ musical comedy Galavant.
Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden: principal
photography, under the auspices of John Mathieson
BSC, has begun on Warner Bros. Pictures and Village
Roadshow Pictures King Arthur, a sweeping fantasy
action movie directed by Guy Ritchie starring Charlie
Hunnam and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as Guinevere. The
bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur,
who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang,
unaware of the life he was born for, until he grasps hold
of the sword Excalibur – and with it, his future. Throwing
in with the resistance, and a mysterious young woman
named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword,
Pinewood Digital... was
on-set with Ben Davis on
Avengers: Age Of Ultron
face down his demons and unite the people. The
screenplay is by Joby Harold. Ritchie is also producing
alongside Lionel Wigram, Steve Clark-Hall, Akiva
Goldsman and Joby Harold, whilst Tory Tunnell, David
Dobkin and Bruce Berman are executive producing.
The movie will shoot primarily at the studios, and onlocation in Wales and Scotland. It is slated for release
in July 2016.
Michael Seresin BSC has started principal
photography on Warner Bros. Pictures’ new big-screen,
3D adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s beloved classic
The Jungle Book, marking the feature directorial debut
of Andy Serkis. Blending live action and performance
capture, the film features an impressive roster of stars
including: Benedict Cumberbatch as the tiger, Shere
Khan; Cate Blanchett as Kaa, the snake; Christian Bale
as the panther, Bagheera; Andy Serkis as Baloo, the
bear; Peter Mullan as the leader of the wolf pack, Akela;
Naomie Harris as Nisha,
the female wolf, who
Classic... Rohan Chand
adopts the baby Mowgli
is playing Mowgli in
as one of her cubs; and
The Jungle Book
Eddie Marsan as Nisha’s
mate, Vihaan. On the
human side, young actor
Rohan Chand will play
the boy raised by wolves,
Mowgli. The film is being
produced by Steve Kloves
and Jonathan Cavendish,
with Nikki Penny as
executive producer. The
screenplay is by Callie
Kloves, based on the
stories by Kipling. The
film is slated for release
in October 2017.
Legend... Astrid
Bergès-Frisbey stars as
Guinevere in the new
King Arthur movie
WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP
CONTACT
LENSES
History man...
Toby Moore on
the set of A.D.
Toby Moore lit
A.D. in Morocco
for Lightworkers
Media/NBC
J
ess Hall BSC sent us images of himself at work
during the shoot of two Halo ads, directed by
Rupert Sanders. Jess says that these were the first
commercials to be shot using the new Alexa 65
camera. The spots had over 4 million combined YouTube
hits within 24 hours of their release.
Lux Artists: Nicholas Bolduc CSC is on
Kim Nguyen’s Two Lovers And A Bear, starring Dane
Dehaan. Natasha Braier ADF is photographing Nicholas
Winding Refn’s The Neon Demon, starring Elle Fanning
and Keanu Reeves. Autumn Durald is shooting Charlie
McDowell’s Untitled Sarah Silverman Pilot for HBO.
Eric Gautier AFC is prepping Deep Water, directed by
James Marsh. Rob Hardy BSC is prepping Lewis And
Clark, directed by John Curran, starring Casey Affleck,
for Playtone/HBO. Benjamin Kračun shot The Tunnel:
Debris for Sky Atlantic, starring Clemency Posey. Jody
Lee Lipes is prepping Manchester By The Sea for director
Kenneth Lonergan, starring
Casey Affleck and Michelle
Stand and deliver...
Williams. Michael McDonough
Jess Hall BSC shot
one of the first TV
ASC is shooting Virtuoso, a new
commercials with
HBO show directed by Alan
the new Alexa 65
Ball. Martijn Van Broekhuizen
NSC is on Corin Hardy’s The Crow,
starring Jack Huston. Gökhan
Tiryaki is shooting the
Christopher Hampton-scripted
feature Ali And Nino, directed by
Asif Kapadia. Fabian Wagner
BSC lit the pilot for Jenna Ban’s
new show on ABC, Flesh And
Blood, and is grading Victor
Frankenstein. Bradford Young is
prepping Story Of My Life for Denis
Villeneuve. Meanwhile, Steve
Annis, Andre Chemetoff, Kasper
Tuxen, Arnaud Potier, Manuel
Alberto Claro, Nikklas Johansson
FSF and Tom Townend are
shooting commercials.
Dinedor Mangement: Sara
Deane has wrapped the feature
Genesis. Peter Field is operating
second unit on The Huntsman.
Gareth Hughes is on Steadicam
in Manchester for the German
feature UFA. Marc Gomez del
Moral shot a teaser for an
unnamed Bulgarian feature.
Gabi Norland lit the shorts In Memory and Birth.
Bashart Malik operated for Adam Lincoln on Golden Years.
Rasmus Arridlt DFF is on block one of Tiger Aspect’s
Cuffs. Craig Feather has begun Mount Pleasant, also for
Tiger Aspect. Ruairi O’Brien ISC is in Prague to on the
new season of BBC’s The Musketeers, and Gareth Hughes
is operating on the 30th anniversary episode of Casualty.
Dave Miller lit the computer game Stagefright, followed
by Jura Productions’ documentary, The Wine Show. Nic
Lawson shot additional work on Batchewana for The
Tilting Ground, and Carl Burke is in the US for Raw’s
Team Foxcatcher. Marc Gomez del Moral, Dave Miller,
Stephen Murphy, Paul Lilley, Pau Castejon, Ciro Candia,
Carl Burke, Craig
Feather, Lynda
Hall, Sara Deane,
Shaun Harvey Lee,
Martyna Knitter
and Martin Roach
shot a range of
commercials,
corporate films and
music promos.
Berlin
Associates: Owen
McPolin shot the
opening block of
Beowulf with
director Jon
East and
producer
Stephen
Smallwood
for ITV
Studios in
Newcastle.
He was
BAFTAnominated
for his work
on Da Vinci’s
Demons. Suzie
Lavelle is on
the opening
block of
Endeavour, with
director Sandra
Goldbacher, for
Mammoth Screen/ITV. Toby Moore lit A.D. in Morocco
for Lightworkers Media/NBC, and is now on Call The
Midwife’s Christmas episode with director Juliet May.
Andy Hollis is lighting Ruby Robinson for King Bert
Productions, with director Matt Lipsey, and will go on to
Mount Pleasant for Tiger Aspect/Sky, director Ian Barnes.
Oliver Downey is shooting Fresh Meat in Manchester
for Objective Productions/C4, with director Jamie Jay
Johnson and producer Rhonda Smith. Mark Garrett was
DP on the BAFTA-winner and Oscar-nominated short,
Boogaloo & Graham, shot in Belfast, directed by Michael
Lennox. Alasdair Walker is lensing Benidorm for Tiger
Aspect/BBC. Phil Wood lit producer/director Tony
Britten’s feature Draw On Sweet Night, starring Christian
McKay and Doon Mackichan. Kelvin Richard is starting
Beyond Blood, shooting in Nigeria, UK, France and
Germany. Sarah Bartles-Smith is on second unit of
Apocalypse Slough for Working Title TV/Sky.
Casarotto: Sean Bobbitt BSC is shooting The
Queen Of Katwe, with director Mira Nair, in Uganda and
Johannesburg. PJ Dillon is on Penny Dreadful II with
director Brian Kirk. Matt Gray is lighting Midwinter Of The
Spirit for ITV with director Richard Clarke. Jean-Francois
Hensgens is in the midst of Blind Point
with Dominik Moll. Tim Palmer
BSC is on Shetland III for the
BBC, with director Thaddeus
O’Sullivan. Lukas Strebel
has wrapped on Wallander:
The White Lioness.
Selfie...
Wojciech Szepel is with
Adam
director Michael Engler
Sliwinski
on the set
on Apocalypse Slough for
of With
Working Title/Sky Atlantic.
This Ring
Screen Talent: Adam
Biddle is lighting in darkest
Peru. Adam Sliwinski is
Oooh aarr
h.
Etherington .. Adam
shooting Po (l) on location
puller Ram ldark, with focus
i Bartholdy
Enigmatic...
Bjorn Bratberg!
shooting With This Ring for director Anne Wheeler. Bart
Sienkiewicz shot various promos for Kuwait Airways and
Kuwait International Bank. Catherine Derry lit several
commercials for Buddy Films.
Independent: has signed Adam Etherington who
recently shot Poldark with Will McGregor for Mammoth/
BBC. Chas Bain is in Budapest shooting Nick Murphy’s
The Last Kingdom with Carnival Films/BBC2. Darran Bragg
has wrapped Anomalia in Switzerland with director Pierre
Monnard. Henry Braham BSC is shooting Fox’s The Bastard
Executioner for director Paris Barclay. Bjorn Bratberg
shot with Indy8 directors John Turner and Jake Dypka for
Nescafe and Panache. Oliver Curtis BSC lit three Dove ads
and one for luxury perfume brand Ferragamo. Ben Davis
BSC was in Cuba with Knucklehead director Rob Leggatt
for V05. Benoit Delhomme AFC is on Free State Of Jones
for director Gary Ross, starring Matthew McConaughey.
Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC is on Oliver Stone’s
feature about Edward Snowden. Ian Foster did a BMW
spot
Shock horror... it’s
with
Owen McPolin on the
Rogue
set of Penny Dreadful
Films’
director
Mark
Jenksinson.
Sam Goldie lit
the BBC Election
Campaign trailer. Eduard
Grau has wrapped on The Gift for director Joel Edgerton.
Daniel Landin’s work features as part of the Alexander
McQueen exhibition ‘Savage Beauty’ at the V&A. Seamus
McGarvey BSC ASC has completed Gavin O’Connor’s
The Accountant, starring Ben Affleck. Mark Patten was
in Budapest and Jordan shooting second unit and digital
content for Ridley Scott’s The Martian. George Richmond
BSC is shooting Eddie The Eagle for director Dexter
Fletcher, starring Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman.
Chris Ross BSC has wrapped Detour for director
Chris Smith. Ashley Rowe BSC is shooting Stephen
Poliakoff’s Close To The Enemy. Martin Ruhe was in
Manchester with Some Such director Nick Gordon
shooting a John Smith’s ad. Erik Sohlstrom collaborated
with RSA director Christian Larson on a Rimmel shoot.
Daniel Trapp was in South Africa with Rohan Blair Mangat
for Landrover. Ed Wild BSC is shooting London Has Fallen
for director Babak Najafi, starring Gerard Butler, Morgan
Freeman and Aaron Eckhart. Balazs Bolygo has completed
NBC’s 13-part thriller Odyssey in Morocco. Ulf Brantus is
shooting Nobel, a Swedish television drama, in Stockholm.
Simon Dennis is prepping She Who Brings Gifts, with director
Colm McCarthy. Eric Kress shot a pilot for Sony in the US,
with director Neils Arden Oplev. Ryszard Lenczewski is
teaching at a film school in Poland after his feature Ida won
the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. John Mathieson BSC is
shooting Warner Bros’ King Arthur with Guy Ritchie. Ben
Smithard BSC lit Richard Eyre’s adaptation of the stage
>>
Dear-stalker... Daniel Trapp in
the wilds on a Landrover job
Men are from Mars... Mark
Patten has been shooting
for Sir Ridley recently
Born in a barn... (l-r) Henry
Landgrebe (focus puller), Dai
Hopkins (grip) and DP Stuart
Biddlecombe on Hinterland
>> play The Dresser. Mark Waters is shooting ITV’s Jekyll And
Hyde, with director Robert Quinn.
MyManagement: Anders Flatland FNF worked
with director Jakob Ström on a Gilde commercial. Will
Humphris is prepping Scott & Sid with director Scott
Elliott in York. David Lanzenberg’s two latest feature
The Age of Adaline and Paper Towns are due for UK and
US release. Jallo Faber FSF is shooting second unit on
Spectre. Simon Rowles has begun a docu-series starring
Idris Elba through Shine North shooting in the UK, Ireland
and US. Petra Korner is shooting the historical bio-epic
Zayed in the desert near Abu Dhabi, UAE with director
Mohamed Gomma. Olivier Cariou was in Budapest for
The Range with director Ross Cooper for Friend London.
He also shot Compare The Market Campaign starring
action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. Richard Stewart lit
a music video for Rae Morris through Forever Pictures
with director Charlie Robins. Paul Mackay worked with
directing duo I Owe Youth on promos for Freddie Dixon
and The Charlatans. Sy Turnbull shot spots for Vax
with Riff Raff films and Epson with Citizen Films. John
Perez has been shooting with The Dempsey Brothers
That’s the way I like it... director
Andy Saunders shows DP
Roger Bonnici what he wants
on a Zurich Insurance job
on Right Guard and spots for Bertolli Oil
with Paul Goldman. Steve Chivers worked
with Vaughn Arnell on Dove and Mars with
Stink Shanghai. Nicolaj Bruel lit campaigns for
Schwarzkopf in Bogota with local director Oscar Azula.
Simon Archer BSC has started another block of Doc
Martin. Tomas Tomasson shot a commercial for an
Icelandic TeleCompany, directed by Guðjón Jónsson using
Alexa with Zeiss MasterPrime lenses, and a Vodafone ad
on RED Dragon camera with an Alura 18-80mm zoom.
Aaron Reid shot music videos with director Carly Cusson
for Jeremih feat Krept & Konan and Alexa Goddard.
Robbie Ryan BSC has wrapped on I Am Not A Serial Killer
with director Billy O’Brien, and is prepping American
Honey, the latest feature from director Andrea Arnold.
Dominic Bartels lit numerous commercials, one being for
Kiko Cosmetics with Spring Studios and director Robin
Harvey. Roger Bonnici shot with The Camera Crewing Co
on a Shark Vacuums commercial, and graded
his film The Power. Vincent Warin
is shooting Johnson & Johnson
te?...
ints ma n
in Cape Town in Michael
o
t any m
els
Go
ic Bart
Domin ercial with a
m
m
o
c
a
horse
hungry
Geoghegan.
Ekkehart
Pollack was in
Germany for Nivea
with Knucklehead
directors The Dempseys and
Opal with Andi Roth. He also got two nominations at
the German Film Awards for his work on a Cafe Royal ad
and a Mafia/Gangster-AachenMünchener’ commercial,
both directed by Marc Scholermann. Tim Spence worked
with directors Tim Hope and Passion Pictures as well as
shooting campaigns for McDonalds with director Richard
Jung at Park Village and Sky Sports with Chris Wilcox.
Jo Willems SBC has been in Cape Town on Budweiser
with director Adam Hashemi. Pedro Castro, Lester De
Havilland, Marcelo Durst, Dennis Madden, Mel Griffith,
Gerry Floyd, Tuomo Virtanen, Andy Horner and have all
been busy shooting their own projects.
Sara Putt Associates: Simon Bell is winding up
on series two of People Just Do Nothing for Roughcut
and will start a block of Cuffs. Ed Moore has
been doing dailies on My Mad Fat Diary. Simon
Hawken and Kate Reid have lit a number of
commercials. Paul Lang was on location in
the US, Germany and Poland shooting a
documentary on Nazi Secret Files. Dave
Marsh is lighting Fungus the Bogey Man.
Nick Dance BSC is joining the next
series of Mr Selfridge. Giulio Biccari is
lighting a block of Crossing Lines in
Prague. Si Wagen is in Yukon again for
a block of Gold Rush for Raw TV. Mike
Brewster is confirmed on The Autopsy
Of Jane Doe as second unit DP. Danny
Bishop lit a block of Endeavour and is
B-camera/Steadicam operator on The Crow.
Rodrigo Gutirrez did dailies on The Infiltrator.
James Leigh is in Cornwall operating on Doc
Martin. Jon Beacham is operating on Crossing
Lines. Andrei Austin is on the new series of Outlander.
Vince McGahon is B camera/Steadicam operator
on Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Julian
Morson continues on the new Bond Spectre. Al Rae is
B-camera/Steadicam operator on Jungle Book. Fabrizio
Sciarra was in Morocco operating on A.D.. Rick Woollard
operated on commercials for Partizan and RSA, including
Heineken and Rimmel. Des Whelan is A-camera on Tim
Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children. Ed
Clark is operating on Bastard X with DP Henry Braham
BSC. Phil Sindall has been doing dailies on Downton
Abbey for Carnival.
>>
In the thick of it...
Fabrizio Sciarra doing
some Steadicam
operating on A.D.
>> McKinney Macartney Management: Stuart
Biddlecombe is shooting noir crime drama Hinterland
in South Wales. Ben Butler, Denis Crossan, Sebastian
Milaszewski, Katie Swain, Arthur Mulhern, Alessandra
Scherillo, Clive Tickner and Robin Whenary have all
been shooting commercials. Seamus Deasy is lighting
Out of Innocence for Country Woman Films in Ireland,
with Danny Hiller at the helm. Gavin Finney BSC is
shooting the forthcoming ITV drama Unforgotten for
Mainstream Pictures with Andy Wilson directing. Jean
Philippe Gossart is on Drama Republic’s six-parter,
Doctor Foster, for BBC One with director Tom Vaughan.
Sam McCurdy BSC is shooting Crossing Lines III, in
Prague with directors Niall MacCormick and Susan Tully
for Tandem Films. Andy McDonnell is on the final series
of BBC drama New Tricks. Polly Morgan has teamed up
with director Dominic Leclerc for BBC psychological
crime drama, From Darkness, prepping on location in
Manchester and Oban. John Pardue is prepping John
le Carré adaptation, Lucky Man, with director Andy
De Emmony for Carnival Productions. Chris Seager
BSC shot the Untitled John Stamos Pilot in Los Angeles.
Mike Spragg is prepping second unit on FX’s The Bastard
Executioner. Felix Wiedemann completed photography
Away, with director David Blair, and is prepping City Of
Tiny Lights with director Pete Travis in London.
United Agents: Barry Ackroyd BSC is in New
Orleans on The Big Short, for Plan B Entertainment/
Paramount, with director Adam McKay. Robert Alazraki
AFC is in India shooting Un Plus Une with director
Claude Lelouch. John de Borman BSC is in Malaysia
on the first block of Indian Summers II, directed by John
Alexander. Andrew Dunn BSC is in Atlanta shooting
Keeping Up With The Joneses with
reading various projects, whilst her work on Thomas
director Greg Mottola. John Lee did pick-ups for The
Vinterberg’s Far From The Madding Crowd has gained
Call Up, which he shot last year with director Charles
rave reviews. James Friend BSC is lighting block one
Barker. Gavin Struthers and David Luther are both
of Silent Witness. Zac Nicholson is shooting three-part
working in Cape Town on alternate episodes of the
drama Capital for Euros Lyn and Kudos/BBC1, and is
Starz pirate series Black Sails. Nic Morris BSC is
nominated for a BAFTA TV Craft Award for his
doing Jekyll & Hyde, directed by Joss Agnew for ITV.
work on The Honourable Woman. Neus
Tony Slater Ling BSC is in the US shooting The
Olle lit short film The Rain Collector
Dirt Road To Lafayette with director Kenny
for director Isabella Wing-Davey
Glenaan. Chloë Thomson was in Morocco
at Wigwam Films. David
shooting Damascus Cover for director
Raedeker has wrapped on
Dan Berk. Haris Zambaloukos BSC’s
block one of Downton
work on the hugely successful
Abbey’s final series. Niels
Cinderella has been widely praised.
Reedtz Johansen is
Alan Almond BSC is on Dickensian
shooting Danish drama
for the BBC. Danny Cohen BSC
Follow The Money,
has finished The Danish Girl, and
directed by Søren
is prepping Stephen Frears’ latest
Kragh Jacobsen and the
feature, Florence Foster Jenkins.
producers of Borgen.
Martin Fuhrer BSC has started
Ed Rutherford graded
on the first block of Jericho,
BFI feature The Ones
directed by Paul Whittington for
Below for director David
ITV and David Higgs BSC has
Farr. Anna Valdez Hanks
graded Ed Hall’s Partners In Crime,
me... Tomas
is meeting for projects. Ben
starring David Walliams. Ian Moss
Chrome-do ts the make-up
ge
Wheeler is in Manchester
is in Belfast shooting The Frankenstein
Tomasson e the highlights
lady to tam
shooting 1970s-set Cradle To
Chronicles, directed by Ben Ross for ITV/
The Grave for BBC2 and director
Netflix. Tony Miller BSC is prepping ITV’s
Sandy Johnson. John Barr shot a
Peter Pan, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence and
commercial for Google in LA with Sami
Kieran McGuigan BSC has begun Danny And The
Benhadj through Big Productions in Paris. Philipp
Human Zoo, written by Lenny Henry for the BBC. Laurie
Blaubach worked with Paul Gay at RSA on Wickes and
Rose is prepping Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire. Simon
Dyson spots. Daniel Bronks lit a commercial for Issey
Tindall is grading the Chapman Brothers’ The Marriage
Miyake with Jacob Sutton via Laura Holmes. Simon
Of Reason And
Chaudoir shot a campaign for L’Oreal with Barnaby
Squalor for Sky.
Roper through Premiere Heure. Florian Hoffmeister
Charlotte Bruus
lly Morgan
BSC recently shot a Vodafone commercial for directors
Christensen is
Squinting... Po
>>
C drama
on the set of BBDarkness
From
Abroad.... Olivier Cariou in
Budapest on The Range
The plot thickens.... DP Eben Boulter
on the set of thriller Level Up. Images
by Craig Sugden Photography.
>>
Jan Richter-Friis FSF shot US TV series Powers with
Walfa in London & Lisbon through Pulse Films, and
directors Mikael Salomon, David Petraraca, Bill Eagles,
is working on Terence Davies’ new feature A Quiet
Tim Hunter and Aaron Lipstadt, which will hit UK
Passion in Belgium and the USA. Stephen Keith-Roach’s
screens soon. Dale McCready is on Carnival Films’
commercials include a recent trip to Mexico for Old El
superhero drama Lucky Man. David Rom has wrapped
Paso for Peter Lydon, directing through 76 Ltd. Darren
on the eight-part sci-fi drama HUMANS, with director
Lew recently completed a multi-country shoot for New
Lewis Arnold via Kudos Film and TV. Jamie Cairney has
Balance with director Johnny Hardstaff through RSA.
wrapped on BBC series The Kennedys, directed by Chris
Tim Maurice-Jones BSC was in Bucharest with Jake
Gernon. Duncan Telford is grading the mockumentary
Nava on a Tanqueray campaign through Cherry. Alex
Hoff The Record for Dave Channel starring David
Melman shot a Thunderhand spot for Rocky Morton
Hasselfhoff and Craig Roberts, directed by Natalie Bailey. at MJZ in London. Phedon Papamichael is prepping
PrinceStone: DP Stephan Pehrsson is shooting
The Huntsman for director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan. Tat
Apocalypse Slough via Working Title TV for SKY/NBC.
Radcliffe has shot a Halifax ad for Guy Manwaring
This comedy series, depicting the end of the world as
in London through Sonny. Peter Suschitzky lit a
a comet hurtles towards earth, is being directed by Tim
Habitat commercial with director Miles Aldridge for
Kirkby and Saul Metzstein, and is
Annex London. Simon Richards was in sunny Cape
shooting in Malta, South Africa and
Town shooting a new LV spot for director Vesa
London. DP Ian Liggett is in
Manninen at Outsider. Joost Van Gelder shot
Belfast on The Secret Life Of
a Gillette ad for director Adam Berg in
Boys for BBC, with director
Barcelona through Smuggler.
Beryl Richards. This is
Wizzo FEATURES: Hubert
a ground-breaking,
Taczanowski’s feature, Spooks:
interactive comedy
The Greater Good, has premiered,
series for kids
starring Kit Harrington, Jennifer
made for different
Ehle and Peter Firth. He has
platforms. DP Gary
just wrapped Kudos’ six-part
drama River starring Stellan
Skarsgard with directors Richard
Laxton, Tim Fywell and Jessica
Hobbs. David Procter’s debut
feature Bypass, which premiered
at Venice Film Festival last year,
has been on general release in
the UK. Erik Wilson shot the US
heist movie Masterminds, directed by
Is it a bird? Is it a plane?... no,
Jared Hess and starring Owen Wilson,
it’s Petra Korner flying around
on a telescopic arm
Kristen Wiig and Jason Sudeikis. Tim
Sidell’s feature Norfolk is on the festival
circuit after premiering at the Rotterdam Film
Festival. Maja Zamojda’s film Jet Trash is being
released in the UK this summer. It was directed by
Charles Henri Belville and stars Robert Sheehan. She
is currently shooting the sci-fi comedy series Tripped
for director Jamie Stone through Mammoth Screen
starring Blake Morrison. Dan Stafford-Clark shot main
unit pick-ups on Remainder, directed by Omer Fast and
written by Tom McCarthy. Eben Bolter is shooting the
thriller Level Up, the directorial debut for Adam Randall,
starring Josh Bowman. Mattias Nyberg is lighting Thea,
a thriller/horror directed Nirpal Bhogal. Gary Shaw
has wrapped on Life At These Speeds, starring Barry
Crudup, directed by Leif Tilden, with Sam Rockwell
as EP. Peter Hannan BSC ACS has graded Absolutely
Anything, directed by Terry Jones, starring Simon
Pegg, Kate Beckinsale and the voice of the late Robin
Buddies... Jallo Faber (l) gets
Williams. Pressure, Richard Mott’s second feature for
a hug from cinematographer
director Ron Scalpello, is on the festival circuit. Richard
Hoyte Van Hoytema during
production of 007 Spectre
Stoddard’s feature, Just Jim, the directorial debut by
Craig Roberts, received its world premiere at SXSW.
Clarke is shot a BBC documentary about the history of
Romanian gypsy music, Gypsy Bling Kings, directed by
Liviu Tiparitu. DP Gerry Vasbenter is shooting Worm, a
fast and dramatic sci-fi thriller. Directed by Keir Burrows
it tells the story of three Oxford PhD students who
accidently invent a wormhole generator. DP Simon
Walton worked on BBC’s Casualty using an Alexa, with
Claire Winyard as director. Of the agency’s camera/
Steadicam operators… Peter Robertson Assoc BSC,
ACO is shooting
Tempest in Malta, directed by Michael Bay,
with cinematographer Dion Beebe ACS ASC. Sean
Savage Assoc BSC ACO lit pick-ups of season five of
HBO’s Game Of Thrones, and will work on season six,
shooting on Alexa with Cooke Primes and Angenieux
zooms. Simon Baker ACO is on The Huntsman with
director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan, producer Joe Roth
and cinematographer is Phedon Papamichael. Mark
Milsome ACO and James Layton ACO are shooting
several episodes of Downton Abbey series six. Nic
Milner ACO is shooting London Has Fallen, with director
Babak Najafi and DP Ed Wild. Thomas English did
Omega Revolution operating on ads for Jaguar, Land
Rover and New Balance, plus Steadicam on Adidas,
music videos for FKA Twigs and Nero and German a
language drama in the Peak District.
on the job / JOHN SEALE ACS ASC / MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
Mad Max: Fury Road is the muchanticipated, fourth instalment in
writer/director George Miller’s
post-apocalyptic, high-octane,
action franchise. It is also the first
digital film for cinematographer
John Seale ACS ASC, whose
storied career spans more than
30 years and such iconic titles as
Mosquito Coast, Witness, Gorillas
In The Mist, Dead Poets Society and
The English Patient, for which he
won the 1997 Academy Award,
writes Adrian Pennington.
T
he project has had an arduous trek to screen
since first being mooted 25 years ago. It was
close to shooting in 2001 with original star Mel
Gibson. Security concerns at the time of the
Iraq war halted another attempt in 2003. With
Warner Bros’ backing, and a $100m budget, the Village
Road Show Pictures sequel got back on track in 2009/10,
with lead actors Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron.
Riding the crest of the 3D wave, the production
was conceived in native stereo with Dean Semler ACS
ASC, who lensed Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and Mad
Max Beyond Thunderdome. Spool forward three years,
and in January 2012 with little more than two months
until principal photography, John Seale received a phone
call at his home in Sydney from producer Doug Mitchell.
“He rings out of the blue. Tells me Dean has
amicably parted from the show and asks me if I would step
in,” recalls Seale, who had worked with Miller on Lorenzo’s
Oil (1992). “I suppose I was the only one available,” he
suggests modestly. “I had an evening to think about it.”
>>
>> In truth, Seale had enjoyed the experience of
working with Miller and was friends with Mitchell. While
Semler’s reasons for leaving at the eleventh hour are
a little sketchy, the film could not have found a more
experienced talent to take over the reigns.
With the decision made, Seale was thrust into
the white heat of pre-production. The crew and technical
decisions were already locked-in, so the main challenge
was grasping the stereo 3D system, which stereographer
and VFX producer Paul Nichola had spent three years
trying to perfect.
Planning in 3D
Since 45% of the script was to be filmed in the confines
of the War Rig – an armoured oil tanker driven by a
group of female warriors led by Theron’s character
Furiosa – the 3D cameras had to be small and portable,
characteristics which none of the existing stereo rigs
were able to fulfil.
Using sensors acquired from discontinued
optical system Dalsa, the project’s 3D team custom-built
cameras from scratch. The plan was to have at least
twenty camera bodies fitted with different sets of paired
lenses, which the production would simply swap over
rather than have to stop, change and realign, thereby
slowing the shooting schedule.
“It was a headlong flight into digital, which I had
not done before, and into 3D which was new to me,”
“I knew enough about the Alexa to
know it was a battle-hardened camera
with a good contrast ratio.”John Seale ACS ASC
explains Seale. “In addition, coverage was planned with
one camera, which was a little alien to me after 15 years
of using multiple cameras.”
Nor was there a script until shooting began,
in part because the film’s dialogue is so sparse. Preproduction was designed from 3,500 storyboards.
In a week of changeover in Sydney, Semler
walked Seale through the tests and technical
parameters, but no sooner had Seale got himself
familiar with the challenge than Miller announced
the show would shoot in 2D.
“That was in front of 30
people one morning and he
promptly asked me what
camera I was going to
use,” says Seale. “I was
a little staggered,
but I knew enough
about the Alexa
to know it was a
battle-hardened
camera with
a good
contrast
ratio. So
that’s what
I said we’d
use.”
Switching to 2D
A quick call to Panavision Sydney and Seale
secured six ARRI Alexa Plus’ (for standard sound shooting)
and four Alexa Ms (for truck interiors) a pair of which
were hot from Roger Deakins BSC ASC’s use on Skyfall.
With principal photography less than five weeks
away, Seale briefed first AC Ricky Schamburg and coordinating camera assistant Michelle Pizanis
to visit Panavision LA, procure glass and
ship it back to Australia. The inventory:
17 PV mounted zooms, 4 x 19-90mm,
5 x 15-40mm, 2 x 11; 1 24-275mm,
2 x 4; 1 17.5 – 75mm, 2 x LWZ2
17.5-34mm and 2 X LWZ 127-68mm.
The show didn’t carry any primes,
standard for any John Seale film, apart
from two mini 16mm T2 and 15mm T4
lenses, which Panavision’s Dan Sasaki
reconfigured especially for Seale.
“The elements of the 16mm
primes had a hyper-focal distance
from the front of the glass to about
10ft at T5.6/8 stops, which gave
us fantastic focus range on the
Alexa M’s for the interior of the
truck,” explains Seale. “Thanks to
Bob Harvey and Paul Jackson
[Panavision] and Stephan Ukas
Bradley [ARRI] we had the
amazing back-up service that
is required for a film of
this size at remote and
distance locations.”
Lining-up... getting
ready for a shot in
the War rig
Each camera was pre-built and dedicated to a rig. Two
Steadicams were used consecutively with Alexa Pluses,
riding with a 15-40mm lens most of the time or a LWZ.
“I could see in Dean’s tests that he was
struggling a bit to find a balance between the interiors
and desert exteriors, particularly at the beginning of
the movie when the vehicle is intact (with the Dalsa
chip),” reports Seale. “The truck had a sunroof in it
for daylight, which mainly lit the driver and front
passenger, but we had five beautiful girls in the back
seat to cover too.”
The Alexa’s range helped balance interiors
and exteriors as did a change in lighting package
from HMI to LED in the switch from 3D to 2D. Cool,
dimmable Creamsource LEDs were hidden inside the
cab and on a roof-mounted rig ready to be shifted into
position. They could also be handheld making multicamera work more feasible.
As the War Rig suffers damage during the course
of the film, the light became less of an issue. By the final
scenes the camera crew were able to work handheld
with available light.
On location in Namibia
Fury Road was originally to be shot near Broken Hill in
New South Wales, Australia. “Two years of heavy rainfall
rendered it more like an alpine meadow than a desert
when the whole premise of the movie is that the world
Back in handheld mode… John Seale
pictured with B-camera operator
Andrew Johnson (l) in the War rig
Another POV...
John takes
a different
view with the
Alexa M
Following
the action...
the “Truggie“
tracking vehicle
Cool shades... John pops on
the the videocular glasses
has no water and no plant life,” explains Iain Smith, who
boarded as executive producer in 2012 to assuage
studio nerves about the location change.
Relocating to the Dorob National Park in the
Namib Desert, along southern Africa’s Atlantic coast,
provided the fantastically barren wasteland and
coincidentally fulfilled a creative ambition of Miller who
had wanted to shoot there in 2003.
“We had 120 vehicles running at high-speed
in the park, but we were very careful to make sure
everything we did was environmentally correct,”
stresses Smith.
Frequent sandstorms and intense heat required
special precautions by the camera crew. “Much as
I have shot plenty of film negative films in desert
or jungles, I had never shot digital under severe
conditions,” says Seale.
Time was too tight to perform many tests on the
Alexa before the units were shipped to Africa, but Seale
quickly learned that its contrast was as proximate to
film negative as he’d experienced. “Once I knew that I
settled in quite happily.”
The Alexa’s were supported by Codex Onboard
recorders and backed-up to SXS cards in Pro Res.
The Codex assigned to the Alexa Ms were protected
in sealed Pelican cases to which the crew added
motorised fans to keep the kit cool with a hole for
cables to the camera.
Leaf blowers from a local hardware store were
adapted to fit to camera matte boxes to blow dust away
from the lens when mounted on two specially built dune
buggies fitted with Libra Head mounts, front and back.
The camera arsenal supplied by Pizanis included
ten Canon 5D Mark 11, with cinestyle software applied
to desaturate the image, and six Olympus OM 5 (as
‘crash’ cameras). “All the crash cameras had a set working
film speed, filtration and shutter speed by the time we
were ready to roll,” says Seale.
Two Ultimate Arm Edges (tracking, stabilised
cranes on a Toyota Tundra and a Mercedes 4WD
supplied by Performance Film Works) were deployed
in over 40% of the action sequences. Each needed its
own camera package: Alexa Plus with a 19-90 or/ a 4:1.
These would go to and from main unit and action unit,
which was shot by second unit stunt action specialist
David Burr ACS.
“We would try and supply David with as much
gear as possible from main unit when extras cameras
were required. When they needed the additional Edge
Vehicle, or Steadicam shot, the crew would follow with
its own dedicated gear,” he explains. “This worked a
>>
Bare-chested...
War Boys
and War Lord
dressed for set
Tigers under the tanker...
DP John Seale and gaffer
Shaun Conway consider
the lighting options
All action... multiple Steadicams at work
All aboard... the camera team
riding the action rig in the desert
Handheld... John has a
look through the Alexa M
>> treat and really the hardest thing was that everyone
wanted a 15-40mm. We got another one in the end as
I spent most of the day policing gear and lenses, whilst
rigging or de-rigging cameras.”
The 3D R&D was put to good use by the grip
department, led by Adam Kuiper, which devised a harken
rig and track system using yacht fittings and bungee cords
to allow three camera cross shooting. “It gave extreme
mobility to the cameras,” says Seale.
RF interfaces were used with the Alexas to transmit
images to a command vehicle for monitoring by the director.
Miller was not only able to review shots, he could edit
material to determine what further coverage was needed.
“He was adamant that all the operators keep the
point of interest of the shot in the centre of the frame,”
says Seale. “That was very difficult for most of us who
had spent all our life framing for Anamorphic. George is
saying ‘put Charlize’ or ‘put the car into the centre of the
frame, it doesn’t matter what’s on the edge’. He wanted
the audience’s eye to go straight to that point of interest.”
He continues: “There is conventional continuity of
lighting and continuity of scene, but George was getting
us to frame as such and he would reframe again in post
to achieve a continually smoother flow of images so that
there are is no eye travel on the cuts. There is a boldness
to that kind of process.”
Having worked with Miller before, Seale was
prepared for the director’s determination not to waste time
on set and to mould the film through post. “He might not
know how to get there, but he knows where he is going.
On this film, the end result controlled the execution.”
To provide maximum image quality and flexibility
for post-production manipulation, Seale operated the
Alexas in ARRIRAW. Heads of department viewed dailies
“George spent a lot of time convincing
me I didn’t have to worry about
continuity of colour, of lighting or
weather. We’d fix it in post.”John Seale ACS ASC
on iPads. “They had a LUT on them just so that the
image looked reasonable but really we were watching
the action,” he explains.
“This show was always going to be made in post.
George didn’t talk about a look and neither did Dean
pass on anything. George spent a lot of time convincing
me I didn’t have to worry about continuity of colour,
of lighting or weather. We’d fix it in post. That was fine
with me. I’m a great advocate of the DI and tend not to
use grads or filters because you can add them in post,
and if you do lock them in on the digital neg you can
have a nightmare trying to alter it later.”
At least 80% of the film has been manipulated
in some fashion. With a script spare on dialogue, few if
any shots were run at 24fps. There are numerous VFX
shots and colourist Eric Whipp went to work crunching
the focus, tuning colour or replacing skies for eight
months on Miller’s Baselight.
“I could never deny that this film has the
image impact it has without the collaboration of those
departments. Let’s be honest, some of the ARRIRAW
negatives were pretty boring, but in the final grade it
just looks great.”
The seven-month shoot wrapped before
Christmas 2012 and required a month of reshoots in
Sydney a year later. The additional photography made
use of two Blackmagic Design Cinema Cameras and
four Nikon D800s recording Pro Res to the Atomos
Ninja 2.
“This is more than a wham bam smash-up
derby,” says Seale. “Having a female road warrior
brings a whole new light to what might have caused
the apocalyptic event, how that has impacted the
planet and how that would influence the character’s
actions. It gives the piece a much deeper and broader
emotional palette than the previous Mad Max films.”
CAMERA CREATIVE / CHARLOTTE BRUUS CHRISTENSEN / FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD
Hardy
perennial
Far From The Madding Crowd was Thomas Hardy’s
fourth novel and his first major literary success. It
originally appeared anonymously as a monthly serial in
Cornhill Magazine, a popular literary journal, where it
gained a wide readership and positive critical notices.
W
hilst the 1874 novel has remained a
favoured read, several films have been
based on the book, the best-known of
which is John Schlesinger’s 1967 adaptation
starring Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan
Bates, lensed by Nic Roeg BSC. Although being a hard act to follow, the romantic
drama has been reworked once again for the big screen,
with Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen
and Tom Sturridge in the leading roles, under the auspices
of Danish Dogme auteur Thomas Vinterberg and young
Danish cinematographer/operator Charlotte Bruus
Christensen in charge of delivering the visuals on celluloid.
Made on an estimated £12m budget, the BBC Films, DNA
Films and Fox Searchlight Pictures production, includes
Andrew Macdonald and Allon Reich amongst the
producers, with the screenplay by David Nicholls.
For those unfamiliar with Hardy’s tale, it is set in
south-west Victorian England and revolves around the
headstrong and beautiful farm-owner Bathsheba Everdene
(Mulligan) who is attracted to, and buffeted by, three very
different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts), a frugal but
well-meaning sheep farmer; William Boldwood (Sheen), a
prosperous, mature but lonely bachelor; and Frank Troy
(Tom Sturridge), a dashing but reckless Sergeant. They each
contend for Bathsheba’s hand, and conflict is inevitable. By
the end of the dramatic story, Bathsheba learns that
romantic passion can be a dangerous, heartbreaking
illusion. And that love can blind a person to defects of
character, when what really count are honesty, steadiness
and integrity.
Whilst the new production has been enjoying
favourable reviews, the critics have particularly honed-in
on the “ravishingly good”, “sun-soaked” and “lustrous”
framing of Bruus Christensen’s work. The visual appeal of
Wessex proved so great that one pundit remarked, “As
soon as you leave the cinema, you want to pack a suitcase.”
A 2004 alumnus of the National Film & Television
School, and recently listed among Variety’s ‘Top Ten
cinematographers to watch in 2015’, Ron Prince caught up
with meteoric Bruus Christensen over Skype to discover
more about her take on the movie.
How did the script come your way?
CBC: It was through Thomas, as we have worked
successfully together on two movies now – Submarino
(2010) and The Hunt (2012). However, I think he may have
had to convince the studio and the producers that a little
blonde Danish girl could put a classic Thomas Hardy story
on the big screen.
Did you have any reservations about shooting a remake?
CBC: Yes and no. Although I had never done a studio
picture before, I had absolutely no reservations about
shooting a period piece, a studio picture, and welcomed
the chance to work with Carey and also with Thomas
again. But, Thomas and I realised how very-much-loved
the 1967 film is in the UK, and around the world, and
knew it was a challenging project to take on in that
respect. So we asked ourselves how are we going to tell
the story for a 21st century audience? Thomas felt that we
should be inspired by, and stay true to, the original story.
That we should go with Hardy’s scenes and descriptions,
keep it underlit, and not force any modern energy into the
drama or the cinematography.
What were your discussions with Thomas about the movie?
CBC: As I have mentioned, we wanted to stay faithful to the
book, the emotions, feelings and descriptions in the story,
and not push anything unnatural upon it. At the very early
stages of working on a movie with Thomas he often throws
in words or lines to create a frame of reference. On this
production the words were “sweeping romance” – which got
me thinking. That said, Thomas is a Dogme 95 director with
a robust, but simple, Scandinavian style about his work, and
he also wanted to get to the bone of story – to the truth.
So there was a mix in our thinking – a combination
of old-style and free-style; a merger of big, static shots that
are allowed time to breathe, juxtaposed with intimate,
more Bergman-like images, where the lighting in the eyes
exposes the emotions in the soul. Nothing
unnatural, no special focus on the
beautiful costumes or candlelight –
more of a simple documentary, if
anything, of 1874.
What research did you do, and what creative references
did you consider?
CBC: I read the novel a couple of years ago, when Thomas
first started talking about the project, and also again when I
was being considered as the cinematographer. I was struck by
Bathsheba’s fragility, by the strong and powerful emotional
currents that Hardy’s novel evokes inside the characters,
and the backdrop of the English countryside he describes.
Along with the novel, we just had to see the 1967
movie version with Julie Christie. But, we also watched
Fanny And Alexander (1982, DP Sven Nykvist), Doctor
Zhivago (1965, DP Freddie Young), Gone With The Wind
(1939, DPs Ernest Haller and Lee Garmes) and Days Of
Heaven (DP Nestor Almendros). These are classic films that
stay within themselves – their tales are simply-told, and are
not affected by trends.
Along with the feeling of properness in these
movies, we also liked the Technicolor look in Gone With The
Wind and how it supports the sweeping romance.
Obviously, we do not have the tools for that now, so
Thomas and I invented the idea of a “Prime Colour” movie
– that would play-up the strong, heavy reds in the
costumes, the blues in the dawn and dusk lighting, and the
natural green of the landscape.
Actually, there’s a lot of landscape Hardy’s book,
and what you realise from reading the text is that he picks
up on something specific in the views he describes – such
as corn heads bobbing in the wind, sturdy trees in the
landscape or scudding clouds. I underlined these
descriptions when reading the book. So rather than just
pitching-up with a camera and shooting a straight but
beautiful landscape, I had something extra to consider that
would bring interest to the frame. I also referenced a whole
host of French and Danish landscape artists and
photographers, and in the end I compiled a 300-page
PowerPoint, scene-by-scene mood document.
How did you decide to shoot film vs digital?
CBC: Right from the start we knew this production must
be shot on 35mm film, and to keep the visuals as simple
and as natural as possible. Hardy is all about texture, the
subtle quality of the texture, and the best way to achieve
this was in-camera on film. We could have chosen to shoot
digitally, and then relied heavily on the DI to give us the
“I was struck by the strong and powerful emotional
currents that Hardy’s novel evokes inside the characters.”Charlotte Bruus Christensen
result we wanted, but we did not want to go on that detour.
We wanted to create the movie on-set, in the camera, using
different film stocks lights, filters and use only a short DI to
help it come together.
With this in mind, and taking into account that the
film takes place over many years and different seasons,
meant me having to be meticulously prepared. For each
scene I had know exactly the time of year and time of day it
was set, to pre-plan the filmstock I wanted to use, plus the
lens, filtration, colour palette, camera movement, framing
and overall intention – all so that images would cut together
nicely and minimise the time in the DI too. Whilst this is
nothing new, it does take dogged determination and
discipline. It’s very hard to keep things simple. But there’s
beauty and romance in simplicity.
Can you explain the creative reasoning behind you choice
of aspect ratio, cameras and cameras, lenses?
CBC: The camera and lens package came from Panavision.
We shot open gate 2.35:1 Anamorphic, but with a set of
spherical lenses. I wanted to shoot widescreen, not just to
capture wilds of the landscapes but also for its
compositional possibilities in support of Bathsehba’s
romantic story. For example, when we see Bathsheba and
Gabriel Oak, they are almost always on their own in the
frame, with space around them, isolated from one another.
But with Bathsheba and Boldwood, they are more often in
the frame, close together, deepening the feeling of how he
has forced himself upon her. With Sergeant Tory, to
emphasise Bathsheba’s feelings of danger and attraction, I
went more for a two-shot, where you can place one subject
in the foreground and the other in the background, and play
with distance and intimacy in the same frame.
I went with Panavision Millennium camera, and a set
of Panavision Primos. The lenses are very colourful and
helped to bring out the red, green and blues we wanted,
without having to adopt too much filtration. There was also
great colour consistency between the lenses in the set. To
bring a richness to the close-up images of Carey, I specially
selected a 40mm UltraSpeed,
which had the perfect
balance of softness,
warmth and rich blacks
for working on low
ASA stock.
Which filmstocks did you choose?
CBC: I went with Kodak Vision 3 50/250 Daylight and
200/500 Tungsten. I used the 50D on all of the daytime
exteriors and some interiors with bigger lights, as the
contrast is good and the over-exposure is great. I wanted a
richness of colour on the negative, and nice fine grain. I
used the 500T on the fire and storm sequences, and several
party scenes when lighting for 360º-handheld. It’s a
beautiful stock too. I knew the 250D would be perfect for
the many overcast autumn and winter scenes in movie. I
employed the 200T to help keep things underlit, but keep
subtle details in the shadows. For example, I used it on the
opening shot to heighten the visual impact as Carey
emerges from dark shadows and into the light, and also in
some of the candlelit scenes to capture the natural fall-off
of the light but without the image quite going to black. The
film processing was done at i-Dailies in London, who did a
great job for us throughout the production.
Who were your crew?
CBC: Oh, I really loved my British crew! They were all so
experienced, committed to the project and very supportive. I
connected with gaffer Alex Scott immediately – he knew what
I wanted from the candlelight and made sure it worked. It was
great to reconnect with focus puller Ashley Bond, having
previously worked with him on Mark Evan’s Hunky Dory.
Nothing was ever too much trouble for my key grip Simon
Thorpe. On B-camera and Steadicam I relied on Anders Holck,
and AC Rami Bartholdy, who I asked over from Denmark.
Anders shot the gorgeous, floating Steadicam that concludes
one of my favourite scenes of the movie, the ‘Hollow In
The Ferns’ sequence, in which Troy seduces Bathsheba in
the misty forest with a display of his swordsmanship.
Are there any other special mentions?
CBC: Thomas and I had an amazing collaboration with the
extremely gifted production designer Kave Quinn, who was
constantly offering options and creative solutions to all our
needs and wishes. Her eye for atmosphere and creative
mind certainly gave us the perfect settings to
create the look of the film.
What was your shooting schedule?
CBC: I was in the UK for a total of 17 weeks. Apart from an
exterior for the fire scene, which we shot at Warner Bros,
Leavesden Studios, and a week in London at the end of the
shoot, we were based entirely on-location in Dorset –
Sherborne, Mapperton, Beaminster and the coast near
Durdle Door. It’s a beautiful county, with rolling hills,
coastline and wonderful light, and I absolutely fell in love
with it. I could easily imagine myself living there one day.
We started principal photography on September 16th 2013
and shot for seven weeks, mainly 11-day fortnights.
Were there any happy accidents?
CBC: The whole shoot was very tricky because of the
changeable weather conditions. It rained a lot. I don’t know if
you could describe it as a happy accident, but one morning, as
we were setting up for one of the bigger shots in the movie,
in which Gabriel’s inexperienced new sheepdog drives the
flock over the cliff, the weather turned in our favour. The
combination of the sea mist and the rising sun gave me a
wonderful, ethereal, silvery light that suited the moment, and
provided wonderful cinematographic opportunities with
dramatic silhouettes that are very pleasing on-screen.
Tell us about the DI?
CBC: We completed the DI with Adam Inglis at Company 3
in London. As we had created the movie in-camera, this was
really a finishing and finessing point for the visuals. Although
we had ten days booked, a fair amount of time was taken up
doing other jobs, such as creating screeners for the studio
execs, and checking the VFX. It all went very smoothly and
we did fewer days of grading than we had expected.
Throughout the production, Thomas and myself
were nervous about the final result. But I think we have
delivered a simple movie about a fragile heroine in a
powerfully emotional story with empathetic visuals, of
which were are very proud.
Smooth operator...
Charlotte likes to frame
the images herself and has
a subtle handheld style
CLOSE-UP / ben davis bsc / avengers: age of ultron & Genius
Super hero
A
s much as big action blockbusters are often
derided for being all visual effects and noisy
set pieces, the genre is hugely popular and
successful, which can be only good for the film
industry. They provide employment for hundreds of crew
and allow studios to finance more thoughtful, intellectually
stimulating features. Like many cinematographers Ben
Davis BSC works on both, most recently the latest Marvel
Comics epic, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Genius, a lowbudget study of the background to some of the great
literary works of the 20th century.
Davis’ filmography is varied, but super-heroes of
various kinds have become frequent entries. From the
wannabes of Kick-Ass (2010) to ancient Greek prototype
super-beings in Wrath Of The Titans (2012) and, most
recently, a foray into the Marvel-verse with Guardians Of
The Galaxy (2014), Davis has become more familiar with
those of amazing powers.
“It’s something that just happened,” he says. “I was
never a huge comic book fan, but your career goes in a certain
direction. It wasn’t something I deliberately set out to do.”
Avengers: Age Of Ultron is the second film to feature
an ensemble of Marvel characters – Tony Stark/Iron Man
(Robert Downey Jnr), Captain America (Chris Evans, Bruce
Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and
Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) among them. Like
2012’s The Avengers (DP Seamus McGarvey
BSC ASC) it was directed by Joss Whedon,
co-creator of the similarly Marvel-based The
Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D TV series and driving
force behind Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
Davis met Whedon when the
writer-director visited the set of Guardians
Of The Galaxy. “He liked what I was doing
and from that meeting to signing on to do
Avengers: Age Of Ultron was a quick process,”
Davis says. “What
he brings to
The Avengers is
very different
to Guardians Of
The Galaxy. It’s
earth-bound and
a normal setting
but in that are
these extraordinary
characters and
situations. Joss gives them
a humanity through the writing,
but in this one he did set out
to make it grittier than the
original, which I loved.”
All Marvel
films are shot digitally
in HD but there was not a prescribed ‘house
style’. Davis says there were “many
discussions” during
which a number
of concepts
were worked
on, with input
from production
designer Charles
Wood, who
also worked on
Guardians Of The
Galaxy and Wrath
s
Tent-poles... Ben believe essary
Of The Titans. “The
nec
blockbuster billions are
s
utie
style developed in
bea
to bankroll little
pre-production,”
Davis explains. “The
aim was to get something very real so we looked at quite
a bit of war photography, which influenced the third act
featuring a big battle.”
This has “a lot of handheld camera” but the
angles are different from what people might expect.
“War photographers and camera operators don’t stand
in the line of fire,” Davis comments, “so there are views
not directly looking that way. But within this we wanted
to show each hero using his or her powers and put the
audience in there with them.”
The scale of the action sequences is
shown by the use of three camera operators:
Julian Morson on A-camera, Luke Redgrave
on B and Sam Renton on a third when
necessary, which Davis says was “about
70 percent of the time.” Each was using
an ARRI Alexa XT with Primo lenses
provided by Panavision. Davis adds
that although he “loves operating”
the size of this film did not
make that a practical option:
“I need to be on top of the
lighting and be looking at
the monitors. If I’m on a
camera then I don’t
have an overview of
everything, although
during the big
battle scenes I did
grab a [Canon
EOS] C500
to
do a bit of
handheld
shooting.”
There are
cinema
purists
who are concerned at the amount
of money spent on what they
see as lightweight, mass-market
entertainment. But as well as
clearly enjoying working on a
production like Avengers: Age Of
Ultron, Davis sees it as the reason
he can do a film such as Genius.
“It’s also why the crews
can do it and Panavision and Panalux can supply
equipment for a lower budget, independent film,” he says.
“If you’ve got returns of billions from an Avengers movie,
then that keeps the industry viable and is how it can get
indies into cinemas.”
Genius was directed by actor and stage director
Michael Grandage and tells the story of book editor Max
Perkins’ work, at New York publishing house Scribner,
handling such American literary heavyweights as Ernest
Hemmingway, F Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe.
Starring Colin Firth as Perkins, with Dominic West, Guy
Pearce and Jude Law as the authors, Genius was shot in
the UK, where Manchester, Liverpool and London stood in
for the Big Apple.
Davis says Genius threw up a “completely different set
of challenges to Avengers”, the biggest of which was recreating
NYC of the 1930s without actually being able to go to the
US due to the small budget. “We had to create [the period
and the look] but with very little money for visual effects,”
he explains. “What we did was create a sense of the city.”
To portray a mid-20th century metropolis bustling
with people and creative energy, Davis and Grandage
looked to early colour photographs of New York by Saul
Leiter as both inspiration and a template for their look.
“Those were very interesting and from that I created
a LUT with [freelance colourist] Adam Inglis working at
Pinewood,” Davis comments. “It was exhaustive to cover
all the colours and changes and all the settings were
connected to it.”
Genius was shot using Panavision Anamorphic
lenses on the Alexa, which Davis says softened the digital
camera, reducing some of the sharpness and helping
achieve the period feel. Which is a far cry from what he
describes as the “heroic lighting” for The Avengers, where all
the characters had to look as good as each other. Although
there are many who would consider the protagonists of
Genius – particularly Hemmingway – to be as much a superhero as Captain America, Iron Man or Hulk.
CLOSE-UP / sara deane / The beat beneath my feet
Images by
Gavin Smith
Low-budget filmmaking can come with all kinds of restraints and frustrations for the
creatives on a production. Scant crew, stripped-back resources and precious little time.
A
ll of which mean, you have to get on and make
Fish Tank (DP Robbie Ryan BSC), and The Royal Tenebaums
the best of your situation, in the hope that it
(DP Robert D. Yeoman) as suitable references.”
will come together on the big screen. Which
Production took place during October 2013, at
is exactly the case for cinematographer Sara
suburban locations across Wimbledon, Sutton and Croydon,
Deane, whose nimble-footed, collaborative work on the
south London. “I had just two weeks to prep the kit, do the
financially-challenged indie production, The Beat Beneath
recce’s and plan the shooting schedule, before we went into
My Feat, has resulted in a movie of real heart, and earned
full production – which lasted for 24 days,” she explains.
plaudits at Raindance and Berlin, where it was nominated
Deane’s crew included gaffer Neil Hawkins, grip Fric
for a Crystal Bear and listed as one of the festivals’ top ten
Lopez Verdeguer, DIT Romek Sudak, focus pullers Adam
films by GQ magazine.
Conlon, Jason Wingrove and Malte Hubner, plus Steadicam
A 2009 graduate of the National Film & Television
operator Andy Johnson. Due to the restricted finances and
School, with a multitude of shorts to her name,
schedule, she says there was no chance to pre-light any of
plus a handful of feature credits, Deane says she
the scenes – including the
leapt at the chance to shoot the production in
order to expand her dramatic palette in testing
circumstances.
Produced for an estimated budget of less
than half a million pounds, The Beat Beneath My
Feet follows Tom (played by Nicholas Galitzine),
a teenage outsider who harbours dreams of
becoming a rock star. Bullied at school, his life
takes a dramatic turn when an intimidating
stranger moves into the flat below and
plays loud music throughout the night. Tom
recognises his new neighbour as Max Stone
(Luke Perry), a disgraced American guitarist
who disappeared years earlier, owing a fortune
in unpaid tax, and has been
presumed dead. Tom agrees not to
reveal Max to the authorities on
condition that he teaches him the
dark arts of rock guitar. Life then
takes on some unexpected twists
and turns for them both.
three short, music video
The production marks
style, fantasy sequences
the directorial movie debut by
that intersperse the movie
John Williams, who hails from a
– and keeping the limited
background of working in animation
number of repeat locations
lst
and directing music videos for big
visually different presented
Wistful for dollars... whi ed,
help
more cash would have
names such as Radiohead, Coldplay
a significant challenge.
ne
cinematographer Sara Dea and
and The Offspring. It features an
The production
thinks the pressure of timerp
original soundtrack, performed by
shot ProRes on Alexa XT,
money kept everyone sha
Galitzine, with music supervision by
using a variety of Cooke
veteran producer Tony Visconti.
S4 lenses and an Angenieux zoom, with a 2.39:1 aspect
“I was recommended, and introduced to
ratio. The lighting and camera equipment was provided by
the director, by my old film-school friend, DP Felix
Filmscape Media.
Wiedemann,” says Deane. “I loved the wonderfully
“Due to the budget, there was no way we could
immersive and emotional script. Although I knew there
have ever shot this production on film, so digital and ProRes
would be limited resources, I really wanted to work on the
digital were always on the cards,” says Deane. “I elected
production as I had not shot this type of rites-of-passage
for the widescreen format, as I knew it would lend itself to
comedy drama before. I wanted it to be naturalistic, but
the story as a whole, and I could compose the image for
not too kitchen-sink, cleanly-lit and with a bit of a look. I
two people in a close-up, or create an individual’s sense of
suggested some images from Submarine (DP Erik Wilson),
isolation and contemplative loneliness, as needed.”
Deane likes to operate, and shot a mixture
of dolly and handheld camera styles to separate the
different parts of the story as they frequently took place
in the same locations.
“I wanted the look to be soft whilst also bringing an
honesty to the visuals and showing a certain innocence in
the faces. So we lit very soft and cleanly, using colourless
white light from HMIs for day interiors and tungsten for
nights. We shot at T2.8 as much as possible throughout
production. I frequently used wide lenses to get close-up,
to place the characters in their surroundings, and often
shot Tom front-on to enhance his frank openness in
contrast to Max’s brooding shadow. Now and again, I used
the zoom on the dolly to inject some fun ‘70s energy
into the pictures,” she says.
“It was one of those productions
where we all wanted more of a look to
the locations, and in some instances, due
to location restraints, we had make do
with what we had. But the production
designer Alison Butler added colour in many
locations and the results of those worked
out well.”
Along with shooting straight live
action, Deane was also charged with lensing
a trio of stylised music video sequences that
Williams developed for the movie. For The
Devil Cheated Me, Tom is pictured playing
guitar in a car driven by the devil, against
a Las Vegas-style backdrop, which Deane
shot against greenscreen at Wimbledon
Studios using Alexa, with lighting effects to
simulate movement. For Girl In A Wardrobe,
Deane captured puppeteered paper cutouts of the characters, around 10cm in height, on a
small stage using a BlackMagic cinema camera. Separate
live-action greenscreen footage of the characters’ faces
was composited over the puppets for the final result.
The third music video, for The Dream, features a liveaction greenscreen performance overlying an animated
background of stills, taken from the movie’s various day
and nighttime locations.
“The music videos make an interesting creative
juxtaposition against the realism of the story,” she remarks.
“We only had a day to shoot each of them, and I enjoyed
the challenges of shooting these too.”
Deane completed the DI on the movie with
colourist Kevin Horsewood at Prime Focus in Soho.
“Perhaps because of the pressures of time and money,
the team galvanised and worked well together,” concludes
Deane. “All-in-all, the production went according to plan,
and it was an enjoyable experience making what has
turned-out to be a feel-good British film.”
CLOSE-UP / CLAUDIO MIRANDA / TOMORROWLAND: A WORLD BEYOND
Future shock
Claudio Miranda
ASC, the Chilean
cinematographer
who won an Oscar
and BAFTA in 2013
for Ang Lee’s Life
Of Pi, most recently
photographed
director Brad
Bird’s ambitious
Tomorrowland
for Disney.
Images courtesy of
Walt Disney Studios
S
et in the present
day, the story
– penned by
Bird and Damon
Lindelof (Lost) – revolves
around a disillusioned
former boy genius, played
by George Clooney, and
an optimistic and curious
teen named Casey, played
by Britt Robertson, who
embark on a mission
in an alternate present
world, Tomorrowland, a
vision of the future.
Walt Disney himself first coined this name to
represent his futuristic views and it went on to became
one of the sections of his theme parks. The first
Tomorrowland opened at Disneyland in 1955.
Ironically, the film itself might also offer a future
look at filmmaking. It was shot and posted in 4K
resolution, and, received high dynamic range
(HDR) grading. When Tomorrowland opens, it
will become the first theatrical feature to be
released in Dolby Vision, Dolby’s new HDR
format. Additionally it will get mastered for
IMAX’s new HDR-billed laser-illuminated
projection system.
For the cinematography, Miranda
relates that, “Brad wanted to have a
65mm look, but it turned out to be
really impractical, that’s when we chose
the F65. He wanted a detailed negative.”
Miranda previously
used Sony’s
F65 4K digital
cinematography
camera on Joe
Kosinski’s Oblivion.
“It really has huge
latitude,” the
cinematographer
says.
Tomorrowland
began filming in
August 2013,
with principal
photography wrapping that February. It was shot on
stage in Vancouver, BC, as well as on location including
at Calatrava in Valencia, Spain and on an exterior set
built at Kent Hangar Field in Vancouver. For the shoot,
Miranda reteamed with camera operator Lucas Bielan,
who also worked on Oblivion and Life Of Pi.
“Naturalistic” is how Miranda describes his approach
to the photography, saying “I love a lot of practical lighting,
and I feed off of that. I’m not heavy handed.”
He cites as an example a scene that takes place in
a monitor room, which was photographed in a 60-ft. ring
of media panels. “I used a lot of LED media panels and
use them to light the actors,” he says.
The difference between the two worlds – the “real”
present world and Tomorrowland – is most obvious in the
architecture though also with light, as Miranda relates.
“When we first visit Tomorrowland, I had a little more
glorious colour to it. When Casey holds the pin and first
sees Tomorrowland, there’s adventure and hope and light.
It’s warm and inviting and exciting. There’s a present day
that’s more muted, a little more bleak… but there are also
Picture this... whilst
HDR delivers
pleasing results,
Claudio believes
it comes with a
learning curve and
needs more time
different versions of how we approached Tomorrowland
driven by what is happening in the story.”
The cinematographer says he had a “great” first
experience collaborating with Bird, whose directing credits
also include Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and earlier,
Pixar’s Ratatouille and The Incredibles, both of which won
him Oscars for best animated feature. “For Tomorrowland
we talked about scene and tone, and I’d ask him what he
wanted it to feel like. We had a shorthand.”
To create the fantasy world of Tomorrowland, Bird
employed visual effects, expertly led by VFX supervisor
Craig Hammack and Industrial Light & Magic. But Miranda
relates that they also wanted to do a lot in camera. “When
she touches the pin [as seen in the trailer], that’s an incamera cut. She’s really in a field and really in a jail ceil.
“In another scene, she goes through a field, which
takes her to the Calatrava. She goes down a flight of
stairs, through a doorway, and she’s now in Vancouver,
and we go into a tunnel and board a monorail. She’s on
stage, and goes to an exterior stage in Vancouver, then
back into the monorail to a stage. The monorail stops, and
she’s in Spain again at the Calatrava, and then a swamp in
Florida. It feels like a continuous shot.”
Tomorrowland was graded with colorist Stephen
Nakamura (Ridley Scott’s Exodus: Gods And Kings) at
Company 3. Nakamura also graded the Dolby Vision
version.
“It’s pretty amazing; it feels very three dimensional.
This is a great thing that’s coming,” Miranda says of HDR.
“You have more range, though you want to be careful
not to use the whole gamut all the time, or it gets slightly
abusive for the eyes.
“Night time blacks are just insane; they’re just
beautiful. A starry night is true black, and it makes the
nights feels very three-dimensional,” he adds. “Explosions
get a flash of brightness that you don’t get in the normal
theatrical world.”
He also learned that that are some aspects of
HDR to be watchful of, including high contrast panning
shots. “For instance, if you have a high contrast building
and pan, there’s subtle stuttering in film. But in Dolby
HDR, that difference between whites and blacks is much
greater, so the stuttering between frames could come
across sometimes as a mistake. It’s not anything people
are going to see because we’ll address it. It’s something
you just have to watch out for.”
Miranda oversaw the Dolby Vision grade. At
press time, IMAX was going to create the master for its
laser projection system, also with Miranda’s input. He
recommends, ideally, building an extra week into the post
schedule for HDR grading.
“Once you have your master grade, some say you
can just apply an HDR grade, but I disagree,” Miranda
explains. “You have to do a special grade with access to the
original footage, and make the grade for that. You can take
it a lot further, but how you wield it is different. You have to
make an aesthetic choice in that new environment. I don’t
think you can get the benefit if you just put a curve on the
movie, you have to take the time and do a good pass for it.”
CLOSE-UP / Steve Yedlin / Danny Collins
Director of photography Steve Yedlin’s cinematographic process focuses on
rigorous image science no less than on creative camera work and lighting.
B
lending his own unique style of on-set artistry
with in-lab artistry, he’s captured photographic
beauty in such projects as 2012’s Looper and
the 2013 reboot of cult classic, Carrie. With the
release of Danny Collins comes yet another example of
Yedlin’s multifaceted expertise.
Written and directed by seasoned Hollywood
writer and producer Dan Fogelman, the film exemplifies
Yedlin’s dualistic approach to the capture of light, in which
a balance is struck between intuitive
creativity and
deterministic
science.
The movie
focusses on
aging ‘70s
rocker Danny
Collins, played
by Al Pacino,
who cannot
give up his
hard-living
ways. But when
his manager
Frank Grubman
(Christopher
Plummer)
uncovers a
40-year-old
undelivered letter written
to him by John Lennon, he
decides to change course,
and embarks on a heartfelt
journey to rediscover his
family, find true love and
begin a second act.
Using mostly
traditional lighting
units on set, often diffused with 1mm
Depron, Yedlin was able to achieve Fogelman’s vision of a
classically-lit piece. “We just wanted it to feel traditional and
cinematic,” he says. “We didn’t want that plastered veneer
or over-baked comedy look. Instead, we wanted traditionally
rich photography, but with a very palatable sense.”
Yedlin used the ARRI Alexa, often mounted on
an AeroCrane jib arm and Carbon Head remote head.
Panavision’s PCZ 19-90mm zoom lens was the workhorse
glass. With good optical performance for a zoom and a
versatile focal length range, Yedlin notes that, compared
to using prime lenses, the lens saved time by reducing
both the changing of lenses and the rebalancing of the jib
and remote head.
To enhance the traditional aesthetic of the
piece, Yedlin used his own custom colour algorithms to
emulate the response of Kodak’s 5219 camera stock
printed to Kodak Vision 2383 print stock. He combined
this with a film-grain emulation algorithm – not an outof-the box plug-in, but yet another of his own custom
creations, which uses a probability-map method
that’s totally different from other film grain
algorithms on the market.
These post effects were combined
with the in-camera use of a classic, nowdiscontinued lens diffusion. “There’s a
company called Harrison that made multiple
types of diffusions,” says Yedlin, “but there is
one type simply called ‘Diffusion’ or ‘Harrison
Diffusion.’ And that specific filter gives you
a local blooming effect without defocusing
blur. So, it has the attribute I
like about lens diffusion
without the attribute I’d
rather avoid.”
Harrison is
now defunct, but
luckily, Yedlin had
a small collection
of Harrison filters
that he’d had
custom-made
by the company
in 2007 for the
film The Brothers
Bloom. Although
Harrison
Diffusion were
commercially
produced in
thicknesses starting at 1 and getting thicker from there,
the Bloom filters which were brought out for Danny
Collins were custom-fabricated to be subtler, with a
thickness rating of 1/2.
As for the Alexa, Yedlin argues it’s the best on the
market: “It has the best latitude, the lowest noise, the
most light sensitivity, and it’s just superior in terms of onset use. I just care about what gets the most information,
and that’s the Alexa.”
In regards to colour response, Yedlin takes
a mathematical approach, opting for custom
transformations based on his own data sets over the
manufacturer’s prescribed LUT. In explaining his
methodology, Yedlin says: “The manufacturer’s
LUTs are just a proposed way to display
data. You don’t have to use that. I have
my own system for taking the data that’s
collected and prepping it for display.”
In this case, that system –
based on data sets from a purely
photochemical processes – converts
Alexa’s LogC response to a more
photochemical-like response, including
imperfections and idiosyncrasies of
negative and print film.
“The transformation between
the data sets is done with a bunch of
maths I’ve developed for the
purpose,” he says. “This math is
completely different from what
you can get from simple lift/
gamma/gain adjustments. I prep
the final colour response, and I
determine the way the colours
and densities are displayed.”
For Danny Collins, Yedlin
was selected from a short list
of possible cinematographers,
which was, again, another lucky
coincidence in the making of
the film. Director Dan Fogelman
recognised Yedlin’s name after
recalling a note he had written
himself following a screening
Free radical... rather than just accep
t
manufacturers’ LUTs as standard,
Steve has developed his own math
s
for handling the colour response
“we wanted traditionally
rich photography, but with a very palatable sense.”Steve Yedlin
of Looper: “Check out this DP.” Fogelman’s research
proved serendipitous for Yedlin, as his name immediately
stood out among the potential picks.
The two couldn’t have been more creatively insync, and Yedlin’s admiration for Fogelman’s professionalism
kept the project moving along successfully.
“Even though he was technically a first time
director,” says Yedlin, “Dan’s a veteran writer and producer
and is someone who has sat there with directors, sat
next to the monitors. So, he didn’t feel like a first-timer.
Moreover, he was just magnificent with the cast and
crew. If there was a member of the crew he hadn’t
spoken to in a long time, he would go out of his way to
do a joke with them, make them feel appreciated. It was
just amazing how gentlemanly he was.”
Yedlin also enlisted the help of Wade Whitley, a
focus puller with whom he had worked on at least ten
previous films, and camera operator Dale Myrand, a
regular member of Yedlin’s crew. Yedlin and Myrand strove
for a confident and inertial camera style, actively trying to
avoid any sense of an over-reactive or fidgety camera.
Yedlin praises the work of production designer
Dan Bishop, who was mostly sculpting a realistic
contemporary world for the film but also got to, for one
flashback scene, create a period environment in his
signature mid-century style. And it was this scene that
was Yedlin’s favourite to light in the film.
“Since we weren’t doing a flashback ‘look,’
we wanted the light itself for this scene to be oddly
evocative,” explains Yedlin. “So we hit on the idea of
the sun coming through the window, shining in the
character’s face and twinkling through trees that were
rocking in the breeze. We achieved this by putting an 18K
on a lift directly in the shot. There was a second lift that
had the trees and a fan.”
Yedlin’s unique blend of hard science and
cinematic savvy make him a sought after cinematographer
in Hollywood. With a precise method and deliberate
execution, Yedlin’s work in Danny Collins combines
elements of classicism with contemporary technology,
and this is sure to appeal to filmgoers everywhere.
Close-ups were researched and written by
Valentina I. Valentini, Carolyn Giardina, Kevin Hilton
and Ron Prince.
SPOTLIGHT / ROTOLIGHT
SEEING THE LIGHT
R
otolight is a multi-award winning, British
manufacturer which has helped change the way
people work with light. Whether a multi-million
pound 007 James Bond feature or a low-budget
short, versatile, colour calibrated lighting equipment is a
necessity and one on which Rotolight has established
its reputation, writes Adrian Pennington.
The family-run business is headed by
Rod Gammons, its creative director and
chair, his son Rod Aaron Gammons,
as managing director, and Helen
Gammons the financial director.
Rod Gammons was a
former music producer and
owner of a highly successful
A/V equipment company
where he established a
day-to-day contact with
producers, broadcasters and
cinematographers. Through
these relationships he
conceived the idea of a ringlight
as a unique mounting method for
professional video cameras, and
decided to pursue its development
by launching Rotolight in 2009.
The RL48 proved to be a
ground-breaking product. The design
allowed the light to be attached to a
shot gun microphone mounted on top of
the camera making it ideal for run-and-gun style
documentary, ENG work on camcorders and the new
influx of DSLRs. What’s more, it introduced LED to a
market dominated by tungsten, fluorescent and HMI.
“This was a step forward in lighting, not just for
video but for photography,” says Alex H-French, Rotolight’s
head of marketing. “It meant one light could be used for
both photographic and cinematographic image capture,
previously impossible with traditional flash systems. Flash
light systems have a lot of drawbacks, such as diffusion and
bounce and a strong light source. The RL48 was offering
full spectrum continuous light with studio accurate colour
and a 140-degree angle that produced subtle, flicker-free
effects and enhanced natural skin tones.”
The RL48 range expanded to kit form, featuring
calibration and colour FX gels and an adaptor to mount
the light on tripod mounts or accessories. The product is
now on its third iteration, boasts colour rendering index
(CRI) greater than 91 and continues to be a staple of any
gaffer’s toolbox.
On Captain Phillips (2013), for example, Barry
Ackroyd BSC and chief gaffer Harry Wiggins handpicked
ten RL48s to illuminate the cramped interior of the
lifeboat which features in the latter half of the movie.
In 2012, the company debuted the Anova V1.
This Bi-Colour LED EcoFlood delivered a 1,000W
(tungsten equivalent) output, with a 110-degree superwide floodlight, perfect for creating a high quality key
light or ambient fill light for studio and location filming.
The units can be
electronically set to
accurately reproduce any
colour of white light, from
candlelight through to full
daylight, in 10 degree Kelvin steps
of 3150K – 6300K maintaining perfect
colour temperature across the whole dimming
range, which makes colour correction a very simple task
when matching to ambient light.
An innovative ‘Magic Eye HD’ app provided
iPhone/iPad remote control of colour temperature and
brightness, for which the firm was honoured with the
Technical Excellence and Innovation Award at Cinec 2012
and the Cinegear 2013 Technical Award. Most recently,
this May, the Guild of Television Cameramen bestowed its
prestigious ‘Seal Of Approval’ award on the Anova.
The Anova are the fill lights of choice at the Rovers
Return in Coronation Street, where ITV head of lighting Chris
Chisnall appreciates being able to quickly balance the prevailing
colour temperature without having to resort to gels, whilst
the battery operation makes them a dream for fast rigging in
awkward areas of the set. The fixtures are also deployed on
EastEnders and Hollyoaks, for BBC Three drama In The Flesh,
Country File, The Great British Sewing Bee and in studios like
central London’s newest 4K-ready space Celebro Studios.
In the cinema, Rotolight gear has seen action on
Skyfall, specified by VFX and plate photographer Stefan
Lange to fill in for the night-time scene in which Bond
enters the Golden Dragon casino by water taxi.
More honours followed, notably the prestigious
BKSTS Technical and Scientific Achievement in 2013, but
with competitors beginning to offer LED alternatives,
Rotolight couldn’t afford to rest on its laurels.
“Some people have been burnt in terms
of the quality of LEDs which can bring the whole
technology into disrepute. So what we decided
to do was fine tune our technology,” explains
H-French. “Lower quality LEDs can produce too much
green skin tone or too little red, in which case a modifier
has to be used and no-one wants to be using those.
Lighting camera operators want excellent quality lighting
with minimal fuss. That is the mark we want to achieve and
I truly believe we’ve hit it.”
Measured by CRI or the Television Lighting
Consistency Index (TLCI), fast becoming the industry
standard for gauging the quality of broadcast lighting,
Rotolight kit scores at the highest end of the register. The
Anova Bi Colour V2 is placed in the top category with a
score of 86, according to the TLCI scale.
The majority of product is designed, tested and
assembled at Pinewood Studios UK since 2010 from
where, incorporating feedback from gaffers, photographers
and lighting camera-ops, Rotolight is preparing to fulfil
orders for its third major on-camera LED product line.
Ready to ship, the circular Neo is already winning
plaudits as an industry-standard in waiting. It’s feature set
includes a dual rotary encoder control system for rapid
brightness and colour temperature adjustment in the field,
and ‘Dynamic Drift Compensation’ for smooth dimming
from 0%-100% with no colour shift.
The Bi-Colour LED technology (from 3150K to
6300K) delivers a powerful 1077 lux at 3 feet – twice that
of competing LED on camera lights, it is claimed. The CRI
is 95 with an almost perfect skin tone reproduction. It can
be powered by 6 AA batteries for up to 5 hours or by AC or
D-TAP cable, drawing only 9W at full power.
“We are now in at a stage with LED lighting where
tuneable colour temperature is becoming an increasingly
usable option rather than a gimmick,” declared British
Guild of Television Cameramen member Simon Edwards.
“Rotolight with the Anova and now Neo are at the
forefront of that technology.”
MEET THE NEW WAVE / DaVID PROCTER BSC / CINEMATOGRAPHER
HIGH JUMPER
Filmography (so far):
Isolation (2009), Bypass (2015), Blood Cells (2015)
When did you discover you wanted to be a DP?
The raw, emotive power of film grasped me from a very
young age, but it wasn’t until I was about 19 that I even
knew what a cinematographer was. Storytelling led me
first into documentary, where I soon discovered that my
true passion lay in the visuals.
Where did you train?
Ravensbourne, Hull School of Art & Design and NFTS Short
Courses. Then I cut my teeth in the documentary world.
What are you favourite films, and why?
The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007, DP Janusz
Kaminski) – a powerfully executed piece of cinema that
is beautifully crafted. Outstanding cinematography and
exceptional performances.
The Hunt (2012, DP Charlotte Bruus Christensen) –
a compelling and deeply harrowing social study.
Terrifying because of its viability.
The films of Andrey Zvyagintsev and Alejandro González
Iñárritu have influenced and inspired me heavily.
What’s the best advice you were ever given?
Don McAlpine ACS ASC once told me, “Calm seas never
made a skilled sailor”.
Who are your DP/industry heroes?
Phil Méheux BSC has been incredibly supportive as a mentor
over the years. Conrad Hall ASC for his exquisite work. Mikhail
Krichman for his collaborations with Andrey Zvyagintsev.
Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC for his technical mastery across styles.
Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC, for whom I recently
shot second unit, as he is always pushing boundaries.
Have you won any awards or received any nominations?
Short films I’ve shot have had great exposure on the
festival circuit with numerous awards and jury mentions
internationally, as with my commercial work. I’ve been
lucky enough to receive a BIFA nomination and four
nominations at Camerimage since 2009, most recently
the 2014 ‘Cinematographer’s Debut’ for Bypass.
What’s your proudest moment?
Having my feature debuts Bypass and Blood Cells both premiere
just days apart at Venice Film Festival was pretty overwhelming.
What’s the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had?
I was rejected from NFTS. Everyone has their own path!
What’s been your best moment on set?
Shooting Arcade Fire live last year. Lol Crawley BSC and
myself were dressed as skeletons shooting Anamorphic
16mm on stage in front of 20,000 people.
And your worst moment on set?
During a tech recce on the salt
marshes of Morcambe Bay we were
caught out by the infamous tides.
Next thing we knew our car was on
its side sinking in quicksand, freezing
water flooding the interior. We had
to swim for shore with what we
could save. A lot of kit didn’t make
it and the car was destroyed, but
fortunately no one was hurt.
What was your biggest challenge
on your latest production?
On a recent perfume commercial
in Prague, after weeks of set build
at Barrandov Studios, I had to
light the entire stage to 2,000fps.
We couldn’t source enough
1,000hz ballasts in Eastern
Europe and so went tungsten,
utilising nearly 400K of lighting.
That was fun!
Tell us your most hilarious
faux pas?
Whilst shooting a Metallica documentary in
India many years ago during Divali. Being the festival of
light there was no shortage of candles lining the narrow
streets of Old Delhi Market. I became lost in the moment
searching for a frame. Seconds later, the camera was
grabbed from me and I was thrown to the floor, with
shouting in all directions. As I noticed flames around me
and the smell of burning, I realised I got too close to the
candles. I wasn’t seriously hurt but my clothes were gone.
Away from work, what are your greatest passions?
Snowboarding. Travel. Music. Cooking, particularly
Asian. I’ve trained in Indian cuisine and love to relax in
the kitchen after trips away.
What one piece of kit could you not live without?
It would have to be Helios, the sun-tracker. Knowing
where the sun will be, or should be, is invaluable.
Which films are you most proud of to date?
Blood Cells was a true rite of passage, and the
cumination of six years collaborating with directors
Luke Seomore and Joseph Bull.
What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever shot in?
On Blood Cells we shot in the basement of an East
London steambaths. Sandwiched between a scrapyard
and a recycling plant, the place was a squalid network
of glass walled cubicles. I can only imagine what goes
on there after dark.
What’s the hardest
shot/thing you’ve had
to light/frame?
On a commercial for Tesco
Smoked Haddock (dir.
Kim Gehrig) we wanted
to achieve a rotating shot,
ascending a working 100yr
old chimney on location in
Grimsby. Lined with a century
of tar, the wire rig took the
best part of a day to install
and lighting was extremely
challenging. It was worth
every second.
Tell us your hidden talent/
party trick?
I can jump pretty high,
apparently.
In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would
you love to have shot?
Jurassic Park (1993, DP Dean Cundey ASC)
What are your current top albums?
I’m bouncing between Emika, Ludovico Einaudi and
Sage Francis.
Can you tell us your greatest extravagance?
Cage diving with great whites. I’m hooked.
What’s the best thing about being a DP?
The travelling.
What’s the worst thing about being a DP?
The travelling.
Give us three adjectives that best describe you and
your approach to cinematography?
Passionate. Emotive. Instinctive.
If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now?
Chef.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I’m very happy maintaining a balance between the
diverse challenges of commercial and dramatic work.
I’m keen to make the right choices and wait for the
stories that simply need to be told.
LETTER FROM AMERICA / Richard Crudo ASC
Simple
stupid
ASC president Richard Crudo
ASC says changes in the textures
and topography of technological
development are disorienting,
unnecessary and need to be more
accessible for cinematographers.
W
hen British Cinematographer Magazine
editor, Ronny Prince, asked me to write this
column he mentioned that I might want to
include some observations about the 2015
National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention,
which I attended this April in Las Vegas. OK, here goes…
It was big. Huge. Enormous, in fact… Filled with
people. Oh yes, and lots of motion imaging technology
too. 4K this, 8K that. Someone was probably hatching
ideas for the next wave of 16K and 32K devices on the
property as well, but I must’ve missed them on the way to
the bar. Technology on top of technology on top of... well,
you get the idea. And what was the big take away shaped
by the collective of merchants at the temple? We’re living
in a time of great change.
Gee, that’s original. Can anyone cite a single moment
in history that didn’t represent a time of great change?
Now, obviously, a cinematographer’s lot is wholly
governed by our mastery of the equipment we use. And
believe me, I’m no Luddite. I’m as well-educated about
the capabilities and applications of our gear as anyone.
Proof positive? I made my reputation in the film era and
continue to recognise it as the gold standard for image
creation. But I’d now much rather shoot digitally.
Don’t let that openness and embrace of the future
fool you, though. When you peel away the pixel-pap and
nano-nonsense and really get down to the bottom line,
circuits and wires bore the hell out of me. We have some
spectacularly well-informed technical minds both as
Active and Associate members at the ASC, and I must tell
you there have been moments when I’ve been cornered
by one of their number and their chatter has put me to
sleep... standing up!
I recall a conversation some years back with the
late, great Conrad Hall ASC in which he stated that it’s
irrelevant for a cinematographer to know the chemical
composition of the Eastman negative. This is so obvious
that it cries out to become a motto, chiselled into the
masonry above the entrance to every one of our current
manufacturers’ headquarters. Their drive to complicate
rather than simplify is the great plague of our industry.
What’s even more disturbing is that
so many cinematographers have blindly
signed on to the movement. I can only
speculate that they don’t feel competent
in their positions unless they can expound
at will about the minutiae of the latest
gadgets, most of which Conrad would have
agreed is meaningless. Perhaps the loss of our magicianlike hegemony over film has simply been replaced by the
impenetrable recitation of the unfathomable. Though his
sentiment may be lost on them, it’s important to remember
that Conrad’s informed dismissal of whatever might come
between his emotions and his tools did nothing to deter
the brilliance of his achievements.
By now the enlightened cinematographer knows
that throwing more people and more equipment at what
is in its essence a very simple task is not a wise path.
We also know that obfuscating a creative process with
increasingly cumbersome and more onerous technical
requirements does not help us do our jobs any better
or more efficiently. But why do there seem to be so few
attempts to redirect that bend in the river? How is it
that the community of cinematographers – especially
the younger ones - aren’t out there burning down the
establishment with demands for simpler, more ‘plug-andplay’ solutions to imagemaking?
Among many of our manufacturers, a catastrophic
loss of clarity has pervaded what not long ago was a smart,
sensible atmosphere. Time and again I hear it from my
colleagues; I also see it in my own experiences. Nothing is
basic or intuitive anymore. We understand that it’s hard
for the makers of our gear to be simple, to pursue the
elementary...but I have no sympathy. Anything worthwhile
in life requires focus, commitment and effort. When you
don’t approach it from that level, you end up with the type
of mess we’re forced to deal with every day. Go out to
photograph a movie or television show and what you need
to pull it off recalls not so much the building of a rocket
(which is bad enough) but the launching of one. Yes, the
game has changed. For those without benefit of a few
decades perspective, I assure you, it’s not for the better.
Straight-talk
in’... ASC mem
ber George
Folsey liked
to ke
focussed in a ep conversations
forthright m
anner!
Another publication recently asked what
technological development would be most beneficial to
cinematographers in the next decade. Only half-jokingly,
I answered film. Clearly, that’s never going to happen –
and that’s okay, since digital images are finally starting
to approach the potential of what we had before. Beside
which, I realise this is a scream into the wilderness – and
a wilderness it is. Sit quietly in the desert for an hour
and you’ll be amazed at the disorienting changes in the
textures and topography surrounding you. Review the
tools and practices you employed on a shoot just last
month and you’ll experience a similar confusion at the
rapid transformation.
I look forward with the greatest of optimism and
implore our manufacturers to stop mistaking movement
for progress. Please... embrace a philosophy of ‘less is
more’. If there’s one thing you can do to assure a good
future, it would be to make our tools and workflows more
compatible with a direct and uncluttered mind.
During my early days as an ASC member, the
legendary William A. Fraker used to wax poetic about
his own start with the organisation more than thirty
years earlier. Thirteen-time Oscar nominee George
Folsey was a member of the Board of Governors and,
when the discussion at a meeting veered too far off
track, he was known for slamming his hand on the table
and proclaiming, “Enough with the horseshit! Let’s talk
about photography.”
And he was so right. In the final analysis, the
only thing that matters is what your work looks like
when you’re done. Not the technical horseshit you had
to use to get there.
POST-IT NOTES / Goldcrest
Goldcrest, which originated as
an independent film production
company, was founded in
January 1977. It enjoyed early
success, receiving 30 Oscar
nominations and winning 15;
most notably Best Picture gongs
for Chariots Of Fire and Ghandi.
O
ther significant titles include Watership
Down, Local Hero, The Killing Fields, The
Mission, Hope And Glory and All Dogs Go
To Heaven. Goldcrest was acquired by
the current owner, John Quested, in 1992, and the
company launched Goldcrest Post Production the same
year. Since the early nineties Goldcrest has continued
to develop its distribution, finance and post production
services alongside its extensive film library.
In 2012, mindful of the increasing global
demand for UK creative services and talent, the
Quested family embarked upon an ambitious plan to
refurbish and expand Goldcrest’s post-production
facilities, committing a substantial investment to the
development. Building upon its rich heritage and
credibility within the film industry worldwide, and
uniquely placed in terms of its independent status
and location, they formulated a plan to create an
indomitable USP – a legitimate, one-stop location for
feature and high-end television clients, encompassing
first class picture and audio post facilities in a central
Soho location.
Goldcrest enjoys considerable regard for its
sound post services within an international client base,
and its credit list includes many of the biggest feature
titles of recent years. Until recently, its focus was almost
exclusively on audio post production, but over the last
twelve months it has completed a hugely ambitious
programme of enhancement, adding theatrical picture
post facilities to its roster of services. This development
entailed the opening of three new digital intermediate
grading theatres within its Lexington Street facility.
To accompany the new DI offering, and to maximise
convenience to clients, the company has developed a
full range of supplementary services, including film and
RenaissancE
period
colourist
.. Goldcrest’s
Grading trio. s Adam Glasman
de
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in
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line-
Rob Pizzey
Lee Clappison
digital dailies, conform and on-line editorial, Digital
Cinema Mastering, 35mm film scanning and recording,
video and file deliverables and screening facilities.
In terms of spec, the details are impressive. A
total of ten DaVinci Resolve systems connected to a
SAN, with half a Petabyte of storage, support Goldcrest’s
grading and online functions. With an eye on future
requirements as well as today’s needs, the system is
capable of the playback and real-time grading of multiple
4K streams. Each of the DI suites, built around Resolve’s
grading platform, run on Linux workstations with 4GPUs.
A fourth room, dedicated to video mastering, pairs a
Resolve colour corrector with a Canon 4K monitor. The
facility also continues to make provision for those clients
originating on film, with 35mm ARRI scanning, dustbusting via Pixel Farm’s PFClean and ARRI film recording
included in its list of services.
Alongside the technical capabilities of the DI
department, the aesthetics of the new space were
equally important. These environments and their
respective circulation and reception areas needed to
be comfortable and agreeable places to be as well as
satisfying practical needs. To achieve this, the
company sought input from colourists, clients and
designers, distilling years of cumulative experience
to create the environs.
Alert to the demand for established creatives,
Goldcrest has furnished its new picture post facilities
with some of London’s premier film grading talent. The
new picture post team boasts renowned colourists Adam
Glasman and Rob Pizzey, both formerly at Company 3,
and Lee Clappison, who joined Goldcrest from Lipsync
Post. Between
them they
have graded
ded
gra
u
Gra
u
Ed
many of the
Good timing...
ldcrest
Go
at
ise
nça
Fra
Suite
most criticallyacclaimed film
releases of
recent years,
including
Cinderella,
Kingsman: The
Secret Service,
Macbeth, Les
Miserables,
Anna Karenina,
Rush, Skyfall,
Captain
Phillips,
The Iron
Lady, Calvary and My Week With Marilyn. The company
also recruited leading industry figures to develop and
oversee the new facility. Patrick Malone came on board
as managing director in January 2014 and was joined
soon after by CTO Laurent Treherne, commercial director
Martin Poultney and head of production Rob Farris.
In tandem with picture-post developments Goldcrest,
has invested heavily in improving its audio services, with
refurbished foley, ADR and dubbing stages, pus the
construction of central London’s largest Dolby Atmos
mixing theatre. Furthermore, it has thirty-four cutting
rooms within the same location, affording it the ability to
accommodate projects on-site for the duration of their
post schedules.
The DI facilities have been in demand since
opening last July, with grading services provided for
High Rise, (DP Laurie Rose), Kingsman: The Secret Service
(DP George Richmond BSC), Suite Française (DP Eduard
Grau), Icon and London Road (DP Danny Cohen BSC),
Slow West (Robbie Ryan BSC), Urban Hymn (DP Denis
Crossan BSC), Suffragette (Eduard Grau), Inbetweeners II
(DP Ben Wheeler), Survivor (DP Danny Ruhlmann), Our
Kind of Traitor (DP Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC)
and Macbeth (DP Adam Arkapaw).
There is a great deal of creative collaboration
between Goldcrest’s DI colourists and the
cinematographers with whom they work, and Kingsman:
The Secret Service was no exception. Having worked with
cinematographer George Richmond before on a number
of projects, colourist Rob Pizzey knew that Richmond
liked to establish the look of a film prior to the shoot.
This provides a solid reference for use both on-set and
within the dailies process, and sets things up for the
final grade. To facilitate this, Richmond pre-lit some of
the sets at Leavesden Studios together with various
exterior locations. This allowed Pizzey to set basic looks
for each scene with a range of different exposures. In
all, Pizzey set about 25 different looks for Richmond to
apply via LUTs. As a result of these efforts the dailies
were balanced and a pre-grade wasn’t needed to match
scenes for offline. When it came to the final DI sessions
there were no nasty surprises, as everybody had a
good idea how the film should look. The colourist and
cinematographer were able to concentrate their efforts
on the finessing the look of the movie. Unencumbered by corporate agenda, Goldcrest
aims to continue to grow both domestically and
internationally, expanding its existing facilities in New
York and to establish a facility Los Angeles.
F-STOP / NAB 2015 Review / by Debra Kaufman
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nab 2015 review
ARRI... showed a clutch of new
gear – including the Alexa 65
ARRI:
showcased
the recently
introduced
ALEXA SXT
and ALEXA
Mini, as well
as the ALEXA
65, announcing
that a deal with IMAX
will see the corporation using a customised ALEXA 65
on its major 2D productions.
The new ARRI Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom
AUWZ 19-36/T4.2 extends the range of the ARRI/
ZEISS Master Anamorphic lenses to cover extreme
wide-angle focal
lengths between
19mm and 36mm,
while the
SkyPanel
new Master
LED fixture
Anamorphic
Flare Sets
enhance the
creative looks
possible with these
lenses.
ARRI also unveiled SkyPanel,
a new line of LED fixtures. The S60
and smaller S30 are colour tuneable,
and offer soft, clean shadows as well
ARRI...
as interchangeable diffusion panels,
adapted
large aperture for smooth, even
Transvideo
light and on-board battery input for
monitor
portability.
In collaboration with cmotion,
ARRI introduced new tools for its
Electronic Control System: the new intelligent cforce
mini-motor, to adjust lens settings on weight-optimised
cforce mini
AMC-1
WCU-4
Codex... broke into colour
with Review Live, pictured on
a Mac beside a Tangent panel
camera configurations; the Active Motor Controller
AMC-1 with an LBUS interface; and the Wireless
Compact Unit WCU-4, featuring M4 mounting
points on its top and bottom. ARRI is also working
with Transvideo on a specially-adapted version of
Transvideo’s StarliteHD 5” OLED monitor, which will be
able to control the ALEXA Mini and AMIRA cameras.
Cinedeck: caused quite a stir with
File-based Insert Editing, a new
feature enabling file-to-file insert
editing on digital deliverables. Using
this capability
via a Cinedeck
RX, MX or
ZX platform,
editors can
perform frameaccurate insert edits, of video
and audio, into a digital file, in a
similar manner to insert-editing
on tape. This eliminates the
traditional, time-consuming
workaround procedures
of editing and rerendering entire final
programme content,
or editing and
laying off to tape
then re-encoding
to a delivery
file, with vastly
improved
efficiency.
Codex: unveiled its Codex Review Live colour
management and look-creation system at NAB 2015.
Based on the concept that it is preferable to create
LUTs in advance, this new Review Live system allows
users on-set to create and preview looks, as well
as do basic grading and colour management from
multiple live HD-SDI camera feeds. These looks
and grades can be used by the cinematographer
to communicate their creative intent, and also
be used as the starting point for dailies and post
deliverables that adhere
to that intent. Codex
Review Live is compliant
both with ASC’s CDL
(Colour Decision List) and
the AMPAS’ new ACES
(Academy Colour Encoding
System), and also works
with Codex Backbone
digital production pipeline
and media management
system, in which looks
and metadata are securely
managed for downstream
image-processing. Codex
Action Cam, the new 4K
recorder for Panasonic’s
Varicam 35 and the wide
range of support for ARRI
cameras also proved big
attractions from Codex
Codex... broke into colour
this year.
with the S-series Vault
K5600... lit up the
show with its well
known lamps
K5600 Lighting: showed off the Evolution Kit with its
new 3200K colour temp lamps for both the Alpha 200
and Joker 200, now available in addition to the existing
5600K lamps. The Kit combines the Alpha 200 and/
or the Joker 200 in five configuration options. The new
Alpha 200 is a compact (6.75” W, 10” H and 6” D) and
4-pound Fresnel, based on the same design philosophy
as the larger Alpha fixtures. The Alpha 200 accepts both
HMI and Ceramic Discharge Lamps, to project in 3200K
and 5600K. K5600 also introduced the 3200K lamp
for the Joker 800; by emitting comparable lumens to its
traditional 5600K equivalent, the Joker 800 can now
generate over 3000W of incandescent light. Also shown
were the Joker-Zoom 800 with a faceted, open-face
style reflector and focusable 15-55 degrees and the
compact and lightweight Alpha 9K for location shooting.
K5600 also now offers a1000Hz high-speed ballast for
both the Joker 400 and Joker 800.
the package. With the addition of slider capabilities, rails/
shelf can be used from ground level to over six feet; it
also accommodates two speed rails for a slider dolly, and
gives the user a stable base for sliding, eliminating the
transport of C-stands and sand bags. The KerriKart can
transport any size camera and lens.
Matthews...
Car Mount
package
Litepanels... Astra and
Caliber lighting products
Litepanels/Vitec Group: introduced the Caliber
3-Light Kit, which offers a wide focus range that can
be powered via AC or AA batteries and is aimed at
webcasting, blogging and professional content creation
as a portable, out-of-box lighting solution. Accessories
include a colour frame, correction filters and a 4-way
barn door. Also new are the Astra 1x1 EP and 1x1 E
Series, as well as two additional models in the Astra 1x1
series that debuted last year. Extensions to this line are
aimed at offering more variety of intensity
levels and price points. Both the new 1×1
EP and 1×1 E series offer a Bi-Colour
fixture to adjust colour from daylight
Panasonic: introduced its 4K companion camera, the
AG-DVX200 for the Varicam series, the AK-UB300
4K multi-purpose camera, the AK-UC3000 4K-ready
studio system and the P2 Cast, a cloud-based news
production system. The AG-DVX200 4K large-sensor,
4/3” handheld camcorder offers 4K/60p recording,
a 13X optical zoom and a V-Log L gamma curve
(12 stops of latitude, target) and will be available in
autumn 2015 at a suggested list price under $5,000.
The AK-UB300 4K multi-purpose camera targets
remote studio, weather and traffic reporting, image
magnification and sports implementations. The AKUC3000 4K-ready system outputs a UHD signal up
to 3840/2160/60p, and its B4 mount accommodates
existing 2/3-inch lenses.
P2 Cast integrates the network features of
Panasonic’s P2 HD camcorders with AVC-ULTRA
recording, the AJ-PX5000G, AJ-PX800 and AJPX270, to make content uploaded to the cloud
immediately available for reviewing and editing.
Time Warner Cable NY1 News in New York City
has tested the system; PS Cast is available now in
the U.S. and Europe on a free trial basis through to
September 2015.
Panasonic also announced its HX-AI wearable
POV action camcorder that weighs 45 grams and
the AJ-PX380 1/3-inch AVC-UTRA shoulder-mount
camcorder for ENG operations. Also showcased
was the latest Toughpad and Toughbook mobile
computers including the next generation 4K displays,
available in July 2015.
Mole Richardson: released seven new LED products,
including the 100W Vari-Mole (Type 9161) portable
all-in-one kit lighting fixture aimed at professionals and
consumers and priced at under $1,000. This fixture is
tune-able between 2700K and 5600K and has the
equivalent output of a 650-watt tungsten
head. The 150W Vari-Baby LED
(Type 892131), the company’s first
variable colour baby, is equivalent
to a 1,000-watt Fresnel fixture, with
2700K to 5600K adjustable colour
and dimmable from zero to 100 percent.
The 900W SeniorLED uses a 960-watt
LED chip to output 1000-foot candles in full
flood at 10 feet and is available in Tungsten
(9341) or Daylite (9351). The Vari-SoftLED is
a colour-adjustable light from 2700K to 5600K
that is also zero to 100 percent dimmable and can
be daisy-chained with other fixtures. The 300W VariSoftLED is a shadowless wrap-around light that has
been one of the company’s most popular products in the
three months since it was released.
Panasonic... ToughPad
to tungsten. Built from aluminium I-beam core for
maximum durability, all Astra fixtures include
a curved yoke design with a wide tilt range,
dual-integrated cable guides and optional
Gold Mount or V-Mount battery plates.
Matthews Studio Equipment:
showcased its new Vator III series of heavyduty cranking stands. Matthews began
making the Vators over 35 years ago and
introduced the Vator II stands 15 years
ago. The new Vator IIIs are manufactured
via CAD-CAM techniques, precision laser
cutting/machining and CNC machining and
come with a two-year warranty on parts and
manufacturing. Central to the Vator III stands
is the precision rack-and-pinion gear drive
mechanism that reduces components in the
drive train to two moving parts.
MSE also introduced the customizable
KerriKart, designed by director of photography
Bill Kerrigan, which incorporates traditional
cart support with a capacity to add a slider to
Panasonic... 4K
AG-DVX200
camera
>>
F-STOP / NAB 2015 Review / by Debra Kaufman
RED... new 6K Weapon camera
>>
RED: debuted Weapon, its smallest and lightest digital
camera that uses RED’s 6K 19-megapixel Dragon sensor.
Weapon’s features include workflow enhancements,
cable-free peripherals, and integrated mounting points.
Interchangeable I/O expanders allow cinematographers
to use the camera in a gimbal, run-and-gun, or studio
environment and the camera incorporates peripherals
with integrated circuitry, including top handle and LCD
display options that connect directly to the DSMC
Brain. Weapon’s onboard wireless connectivity allows
for remote control by either Apple iOS or Android
mobile devices. Other features include built-in stereo
microphones and speaker, a Record/Start/Stop button on
the top handle and new intelligent OLPFs with integrated
circuitry that communicate colourimetry information
to the Brain. Weapon also supports the Apple ProRes
codec, and allows users to record simultaneously in R3D
and Apple ProRes file formats. Weapon is backwardscompatible with existing power options, RED Mini-Mags,
DSMC lens mounts, cables, and most mounting and
support components.
Rosco: introduced two
new LED light fixtures: the
LitePad Vector and Silk
210. The LitePad Vector
is a portable LED fixture
measuring 8”x8” (200mm
x 200mm), weighing less
than four pounds, with
four times the brightness
of its 12”x12” LitePad
predecessors. Features
include on-board dimming
controls and compatibility
with Anton-Bauer and
Sony battery packs. The
lightweight Silk 210 light
fixture uses high-quality
proprietary tungsten
and daylight-balanced
LEDs to create broadspectrum white light and
colour rendering for skin
tones and vibrant scenic
elements. This fixture can
be ordered with the
industry-standard V-mount or
Anton Bauer battery plates.
Rosco... LitePad
vector and Silk
210 LED lights
RoscoLED Tape Systems are customisable,
engineered LED solutions that can be used as accent
lighting in a set. Three different Broadcast Kits come
with multiple 5M reels of high-quality, high-output LED
Tape and a RoscoLED Power Box for power and dimming
controls. RoscoLED Tapes, which are field-cuttable, are
UL and CE certified and come with a 3-year warranty.
SolidAnim: introduced SolidVCam, equipped with
SolidTrack camera real time markerless tracking
technology, Motion Builder and Unity plug-in.
SolidVcam has a full stabiliser HD monitor
within system. This easily portable viewer
can be used for on-set previz, virtual
shows, and providing accurate framing
or cinematics. SolidTrack can be used
indoors and outdoors and be set up in
10 minutes. The new version includes
a wireless option,
a smaller and
lighter camera
survey and a
new platform
compatible with
Linux.
Sony: unveiled its next
generation HDC series camera,
the HDC-4300, which uses three
2/3-inch 4K-image sensors and
supports the same B4-mount
lenses and control surfaces as the
HDC-2000 series cameras. The
HDC-4300 is capable of 4K/HD
operation, with 2x, 3x Super Slow
Motion as standard; higher
speeds up to 8x are also
available. The HDC-4300
supports next-generation
ITU-R BT.2020 broadcast
standard’s widened
colour space. With
direct attachment of B4
HD lenses, the camera
works well for live sports
broadcasts; Sony’s SZC-4001 software
package (sold separately) allows broadcasters
to take advantage of 4K capabilities.
Sony also showed its 4K live over IP solution
for live broadcasting, centered on its 4K-ready, IP
networked live production switcher. The Networked
Media Interface allows all devices to be connected,
and all signal types transmitted, via
a single Ethernet cable. As of
April 2015, 30 manufacturers
support Sony’s IP Live
Production System.
The company
demonstrated High Dynamic
Range mastering with
FilmLight Baselight, with
its BVM-X300 master
monitor. Sony also
debuted 1TB and 2TB
Hard Disk Drives with
Thunderbolt and USB3.0
dual interfaces, the latest
entries in its expanding
portable storage line-up.
SolidAnim... Solid
Track and Solid
Camera technology
Thales Angénieux... new Optimo
30-72mm Anamorphic glass
Thales Angénieux: gave the first demonstration at NAB of its wide-angle
Anamorphic zoom lens, the Optimo 30-72mm. This lens is complementary
to the Optimo 56-152mm A2S launched in 2013, and is the second of three
planned. The Optimo 30-72mm is based on the optical design of the 2012 SOC
and 2009 Academy of Motion Picture award-winning Optimo 28-76mm and
15-40mm zoom lenses. The Optimo A2S lenses are optically-designed to weave
in cylindrical and spherical optical elements in the rear group for a 2x squeeze of
the image on the horizontal axis. With this design, both lenses are also compact
and lightweight (4.8lbs/2.2kg and 5.3lbs/2.4kg). They are both PL-mount lenses
with a PV mount available on request and can be used with the Angénieux lens
servo motorization system –ASU (Angénieux Servo Unit).
Tiffen... Lowell LED
lights, Steadicam Solo
and Dfx digital filter suite
The Tiffen Company: demonstrated, for the first time at
NAB, version 4 of its Tiffen Dfx digital filter suite, a plug-in
package that replicates Tiffen optical filters, Rosco and Gam
gobos and gels. Version 4 adds support for OFX, which makes
it compatible with Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve and
Assimilate Scratch solutions, as well as The Foundry’s Nuke. Also
newly supported are Sony Vegas and Blackmagic Resolve Lite
editing suites. Version 4 adds 12 new visual effects filters, 93
new historical photographic processes, and 30 new motion
picture film stocks. Other new features include
edge-aware smoothing algorithm, a curve tool and
an improved interface. GPU acceleration rampsup speed; other features include 32-bit floatingpoint precision for a non-destructive workflow,
and Retina display support for Mac.
Tiffen also held live demonstrations of its new Black Diffusion Filters, including
Black GlimmerGlass, Black Pearlescent, and Black Soft/FX as well as other available
filters designed specifically for HD and 4K acquisition. Tiffen displayed a line of Lowel
lighting solutions and the new Steadicam Solo, with the new Arm and Vest Package
and the new Steadicam Universal Smartphone Mount.
F-STOP / Cine Gear Expo / by Michael Burns
Cine Gear Expo
LOS ANGELES
2015 Preview
Cine Gear Expo LA 2015 – the
annual four-day conference and
tradeshow for film, video and
digital media – is almost upon us.
T
aking place from June 4th to 7th at The Studios
at Paramount, Hollywood, you’ll get the
opportunity to discover the latest technology
and techniques, get hands-on training, gain
knowledge and skills from industry leaders, hear breaking
industry news and network with artist and technician
peers and industry leaders. You’ll also be able to obtain
the newest equipment and top professional services,
such as the selection we have gathered here for you.
ARRI: will be promoting its new-generation ALEXA
lineup – the ALEXA SXT models, the ALEXA Mini and
the flagship ALEXA 65, with a live feed showing off the
100 mm Prime 65 lens. Also on display will be the new
ARRI SkyPanel LED soft lights, as well as the L10, which
rounds out the company’s L-Series of
LED Fresnels. ARRI
will be hosting two
presentations: one
from ARRI Rental
on the ALEXA 65
system (now at work
on productions
worldwide) and
the other on
the increasing
importance of mobile
filming applications.
Barger-Lite: is debuting three, all-new LED production
Lite prototypes, utilising the latest in LED tube
technology. “Like all Barger-Lites they are designed to
work with Chimera Light Banks and Lighttools LCDs, the
industry standards in controlled soft lighting,” revealed
company founder and award-winning cameraman, Ed
Barger. “The new LED models use extremely shallow
Chimera Light Banks developed for the three Barger-Lite
LED models, offering medium (3x4 foot), small (2x3
foot), and extra small (1x2 foot) front screens.” The
Barger-lite LED Lites will be at the Chimera and RST
Visions In Colour stands.
Cinelease: The Cinelease team will also be welcoming
visitors to its stand throughout Cine Gear, presenting
hands-on product experiences, entertaining industry
colleagues and detailing the latest developments at
the company. The biggest news among the latter is
the recent addition of Steve Smith to the UK team,
bringing his thirty years experience in the global
lighting industry to the new role of managing director.
Cineo Lighting: is
exhibiting the Cineo
Matchbox, its latest
portable Remote
Phosphor Lighting
source for film and
TV production. At
3.25in x 5.25in x
1.5in, and weighing
15oz (0.42kg), Cineo
describes the Matchbox
as ‘small but mighty’. It
outputs up to 1,000 lumens
at a variety of interchangeable
colour temperatures. The company claims Matchbox
can be run on any input voltage from 6-26V DC, as
well as AC with the included adapter. The Matchbox
includes an onboard 0-100 percent flicker-free
dimmer. Versatile mounting options are provided by
the standard quarter-inch tap include at the bottom of
the fixture. Cineo says the small sources are ruggedlybuilt from anodised aluminium to withstand demanding
applications in both the field and the studio.
Cooke Optics: Visitors to the Cooke Optics stand
at Cine Gear Expo may be the first to see the recently
unveiled Anamorphic/i Zoom lens. Like the rest of
the Cooke Anamorphic/i Prime set, it’s a true front
Anamorphic lens, with 2x squeeze. In addition, the
company is showcasing its newly-shipping 25mm and
135mm Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses as part of the range
that currently includes 25, 32, 40, 50, 75, 100, 135mm.
Cooke’s /i Technology enables film and digital cameras to
automatically record key lens data for every frame shot
and provide it to post-production teams digitally. Also
on show will be a complete range of colour-matched 5/i
prime lenses, the S4/i series and the miniS4/i range. The
latest Cooke Metrology range of lens testing equipment
will also be available for demonstration.
Grip Factory Munich (GFM): Manufacturer of dollies,
cranes, track and camera support equipment, GFM, is also
taking a trip to LA. “On show this year is the stabilised
remote head, Gyro Head G2, plus the Spring Mounts for
stabilised heads,” said GFM owner Dieter
Zuhra. The G2 is a 3-axis, digital, gyro
stabilised remote head system with
a joystick for one-man operation.
It offers programmable start /
stop smoothness, damping and
maximum speed for all axes, as
well as eliminating undesired
shaking during fast and
rough camera operation.
“The GF-8 Crane,
Multi-Jib, GF-Jib
and GF-Tele Jib as
well as a number
of other rigs
will also be
on display,”
added Zuhra.
F-STOP / Cine Gear Expo / by Michael Burns
i-Dailies: support services and rental firms are
also well represented at the LA Expo. Among the
former is the venerable i-Dailies, which is flying
the flag for UK film processing and laboratory
services – ranging from 35mm and 16mm
negative processing to full grading facilities,
sound track processing, and archive restoration.
K5600: New 3200K discharge bulbs are part of
the array of lighting presented on the K5600 stand.
First marketed when K5600 launched its Evolution
Kit 200W, these 3200K bulbs are now available for
the company’s Joker-Bug 800W, with no adaptation
to the existing beamer required. K5600 claimed around
100lm/W with the 3200K discharge bulb for the 800W,
without overheating. The company also claimed the
advantage of these bulbs would become clear in situations
where working with gels proved to be ‘a bit intricate’, such
as on Chinese lanterns, Pancakes and Softubes.
Pinewood MBS Lighting: Also keen for discussion
about their lighting and grip equipment services at the
Expo, in the comfort of their hospitality suite, are newlyformed UK-based Pinewood MBS Lighting and US-based
partner MBS Equipment Company. Offering the latest in
state-of-the-art lighting equipment, the company says its
experienced team is there to collaborate with production
and crew to deliver a comprehensive equipment
package, on-budget without compromising on logistical
or creative needs.
fast, tuneable colour on location.
Neo uses exposure information
from the camera (Shutter speed and
ISO), plus distance to the subject and data
from the light, to accurately calculate the correct
aperture whilst also compensating for skin tone contrast.
Neo also offers Designer Fade Mode, which allows
DSLR cinematographers to create and design custom
fade up / fade down production effects, or for
seamlessly transitioning between scenes.
The system features Bi-Colour LED lighting
technology with Accu-Colour for colour
rendering. It delivers 1077 lux at three
feet, providing a soft light source, as
well as long battery life and Rotolight’s
signature ‘ring-light’ effect.
Rotolight: is showcasing its Neo LED lighting fixture,
developed via extensive feedback from cinematographers
and photographers. The company says the Neo is the
world’s first on-camera lighting system with accurate
electronic colour temperature display (CCT) to enable
True Lens Services (TLS): Premier
lens service and repair company, TLS, will
also have a presence at Cine Gear Expo,
and according to head of group marketing
Anushka Ayaru it will be showing two sides to its
business. “Along with service and repair, we also have a
wide range of bespoke products,” she said. “Among our
offerings this year we will be showcasing our extension
tubes, range extenders, the TLS Speed Panchro
conversions and the TLS Morpheus 80-200mm.
Also on show will be the brand
new, much anticipated Nikon
conversion, the Aurora
24-70mm, which will
be released later
this year. TLS is
always keen to
create solutions
for our clients so
we look forward
to meeting and
discussing what
the lens world
needs next.
LIVE & LET DI / WHO’S DIALLING-IN THE DI GRADES
Skylab... developed a slick
VFX, editorial and grading
workflow for Chappie
Company 3...
senior grader
Paul Ensby
Drama queen...
Jet Omoshebi is a
standout grader
at Company 3
Company 3, Soho: well-known DI grader Jet Omeshebi,
recently voted London’s No.1 drama colourist by Televisual
Magazine, has completed the DI on feature Fifty. The
company has expanded its DI team with new recruits
Todd Kleparski, Kim Honeyman and Jahanzeb Hayat.
Kleparski, who previously held senior positions at
Technicolor and Molinare, is head of production and has
overseen the DIs on Cinderella and Everest. Honeyman
and Jahanzeb both bring over five years of DI and dailies
experience. Honeyman has supervised the DI done by
recently-recruited senior grader Paul Ensby on The Book
Thief and The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
The CO3 dailies team worked on Mission
Impossible 5: Rogue Nation and Now You See Me: The
Second Act, and is supporting premier shows currently
shooting, including 007 Spectre and Zoolander 2. Ensby
has graded The Lady In The Van, the Allan Bennett story
for BBC Films lensed by Andrew Dunn BSC for director
Nicholas Hytner. Senior grader Greg Fisher has completed
Brian Helgeland’s Legend, lit by Dick Pope BSC, helping to
enhance actor Tom Hardy’s two different looks for Ronnie
and Reggie Kray throughout the feature.
Molinare: has
appointed post
veteran Rowan
Bray as general
manager of
operations. She
joins from Prime
Focus, where she
was managing
director of the
UK post division.
Molinare DI grader
Andrew Daniel
was responsible
for the looks on
Darlow Smithson’s
documentary
Dark Horse, the true story of how a syndicate, in one of
the poorest mining valleys in Wales, bred the racehorse
Dream Alliance, on a slagheap allotment, which went on
to challenge the racing elite. Dark Horse was directed by
Louise Osmond, with cinematography by Benjamin Kracun.
“We treated Dark Horse’s dramatic reconstruction
sections as if we were designing the look for a feature,”
said Daniel. “That is to say, we told that story almost
separately, in the grade anyway, from the archive. The
temptation is to pump a lot of blue into the blacks, but
with Dark Horse we wanted something a little more
Molinare...
has lured
the talents
of Rowan
Bray
challenge of lightning for a cross shoot in every scene.
ethereal. So we introduced some
Asa did a great job in the DI.”
green into the mix and then
“Andrew had just a single day to set a colour bible
graded separately on top of that
with me,” said Shoul. “We conformed a wide and closebase. Some of the archive was
up from each scene of the movie for us to play with. We
pretty tough to deal with and,
went for a rich glossy
for many of the
look, wanting a saturated,
races, we let the
more American feel to the
jockey’s outfits
film. For the sunset shot
do a large portion of the work, pumping
of the London skyline, we
the colours of our hero horse and rider
replaced the sky and even
to better expose them to the eye.”
changed the time on Big
Meanwhile, senior grader Asa
Ben - all in the grade!”
Shoul worked on Big Talk Productions’
The Game
romcom Man Up and BBC Wales’ Cold
stars Brian Cox and Tom
War spy series The Game. Directed
Hughes, was directed
by Ben Palmer and lensed by Andrew
Molinare... pulled out
the stops for Man Up...
by Niall MacCormick
Dunn BSC using ARRI Alexa, Man Up
...and Dark Horse
and Daniel O’Hara, and
follows Simon Pegg and Lake Bell as
was lensed by Urszula
they go on a chaotic and hilarious blind
Pontikos and Sam
date. Palmer said, “From the outset I
McCurdy BSC, using
wanted a very naturalistic look to help
Sony F65 and ARRI Alexa
enforce the realism and the honesty
cameras. “We had a
of the story. Coupled with that, a
limited palette of colours
lot of my references were American
with mostly muted
romantic comedies - When Harry Met
browns,” said Shoul. “We
Sally, Bridesmaids, Silver Lining Playbook
enhanced the green and
and Crazy Stupid Love. Luckily Andrew
blue tones where we
had shot Crazy Stupid Love, so that was
could, added grain for
a real help. I talked with him and
a filmic feel and used a
Asa about achieving that Hollywood
Kodak print emulation LUT to make it more cinematic –
gloss without compromising on the naturalism we
playing it shadowy to keep the interest on the actors and
were after. To make things trickier I wanted to cross
going with the practical low-lighting feel. The result has a
shoot all the scenes. This presented its own challenges,
wonderfully real and atmospheric feel.”
but Andrew is an astonishing DP and embraced the
Technicolor
PostWorks...
completed
the final
mastering of
Steve Jobs:
The Man in
the Machine
Technicolor PostWorks,
New York: completed final
mastering for Sinatra: All Or
Nothing At All and Steve Jobs:
The Man In The Machine, the
latest documentaries from
Academy Award-winning
producer/director Alex
Gibney. Editorial conforming
and final colour grading
for both projects was
performed by a small team
of artists and technicians
working under the direction
of Ben Murray, the
company’s VP of creative
services, in collaboration
with Gibney’s production
team and editors from
Jigsaw, NY.
X+Y
Park Road Post... used
Mistika for magical
purposes on The
Hobbit: The Battle of
the Five Armies
LipSync Post: has opened its third grading suite, incorporating a Baselight grading
system and Blackboard control panel from FilmLight. LipSync Post recently provided
full post-production services for Wolf Hall, the hugely-successful drama adaptation of
Hilary Mantel’s historical fiction novel.
Freelance colourist Adam Inglis, who graded the show, commented, “Wolf Hall
was a true collaborative work with director Peter Kosminsky and DP Gavin Finney BSC.
With Baselight it was a very smooth process, as the system is quick, precise, clean,
intuitive and adjustable. It was particularly useful on this project because you can really
precisely manipulate the shadows – and there are a lot of shadows in Wolf Hall.” LipSync also provided full post services on Catch Me Daddy, Hyena, X+Y, The
Face Of An Angel, A Little Chaos and The Falling.
Onsight: the spellbinding visual account of how flying
animals evolved into the species we see today, became
a reality in the documentary series David Attenborough’s
Conquest Of The Skies, produced by Atlantic Productions,
with the help of SGO’s Mistika technology. As well as
winning a 2014 BAFTA, the landmark series was recently
nominated for a British Academy Television Craft Award
for Special, Visual & Graphic Effects. Formats used
included 4K, HD, 3D and 2D including a bespoke 4K
workflow, built by the company’s post division. After
providing R&D and camera solutions for the project,
the facility worked with massive amounts of data,
approximately 50 terabytes, and a variety of camera
formats, including RED Epic. In post, Onsight provided
plate preparations, DI, VFX, conform, QC, mastering and
deliverables in 3D and 2D across numerous high-tech
suites at its London facility. This included the ability to
screen 4K masters, combining 5K live action with 4K VFX
and CGI. Using Mistika senior colourist Andy Lee was
able to alternate between the colour and depth grades,
as well as the VFX conform, and bring vivid, eye-catching
colour to the remarkable winged creatures in the show.
Technicolor: is expanding its colour grading services to
include high dynamic range (HDR) grading for movies,
TV shows and commercials. The result is a more realistic,
immersive cinematic experience with greater depth, richer
colours and enhanced details in shadows and highlights.
HDR colour grading services will launch at Technicolor
facilities in 2015, beginning in LA. Additionally, the
company is licensing an Intelligent Tone Management
plug-in that enables broadcasters to create HDR content
ngs
The Nature Of Thi
LipSync Post...
delivered the
grades on The
Face Of An
Angel and X+Y
in their own facilities. The plug-in analyses video content
in real-time and provides colorists with direct control of
luminance in the shadows, mid-tones and highlights.
Shed, Santa Monica: new creative-finishing boutique
Shed is the launch customer for the latest generation
of Baselight multi-GPU hardware platform. In the
configuration at Shed, the hardware employs multiple
GPUs to provide faster access to high-quality RAW
content, as well as boosting grading power for Ultra-HD,
4K or higher resolutions. Shed will also add location
and dailies services, based around FilmLight’s Daylight
system with Slate, shared storage, and review and digital
asset management systems from Codex. Among Shed’s
roster of DI graders is Yvan Lucas, who started at film
laboratory Éclair in Paris before moving to the USA. He
is supervising colourist on Quentin Tarantino’s current
production The Hateful Eight.
Filmworkers, Chicago: has reached an agreement
with veteran colourist Craig Leffel to represent him for
colour correction projects in the US Midwest. Leffel has
worked in colour correction for more than 20 years,
grading for all of the city’s top advertising agencies
for accounts including Coors Lite, American Family
Insurance, Kraft, Coca-Cola and Chicago Blackhawks.
Skylab, Vancouver: (formerly Digital Film Central),
recently developed a new workflow to integrate creative
grading with editorial and VFX for Neill Blomkamp’s
movie, Chappie. Working with visual effects studio, Image
Engine, the team created a feature-finishing architecture
using FilmLight’s BLG file format, Baselight and Academy
Color Encoding System (ACES) technology. Chappie is
set in the near future where crime is controlled by an
Cheat: has been working with celluloid exposed by
Stealing Sheep
Rumble
various DPs. Nick Eriksson lensed a music video by
James Slater, shot on 16mm with a Bolex, for Stealing
Sheep’s charming exercise in lo-fi surrealism Not Real.
James Westbrook photographed Rumble, a short film
about a young boxer directed by Matthew Hopper
on Super 16mm. Rina Yang framed Roxanne, a short
which gives transgender women a voice, for director
Paul Frankl on 35mm. All the grading, finishing and
deliverable creation for these projects was carried out
at Cheat, with thanks to iDailies and Cinelab for film
processing and scanning services.
Continuing its research into film neg
emulation, Cheat is working with colour scientists and
programmers to create accurate profiles of film neg
emulations that will work with cameras of the future.
An example of the current technology is short film The
Nature Of Things, directed by Bjoern Ruehmann, shot
by American DP Larkin Seiple, which used Cheat’s
emulation as a starting point for the look.
Park Road Post, Wellington: used SGO
Mistika for post production of The Hobbit: The
Battle Of The Five Armies. Mistika’s colour grading
and finishing systems have played a central role at
the Wellington-based post house since shooting
began for the trilogy of Hobbit films in 2011. SGO’s
technology was again used throughout the DI
online, stereoscopic post and final grade. oppressive mechanised police force. The title character
was realised entirely in VFX, based on a motion capture
performance by Sharlto Copley, and the majority of the
movie is comprised of VFX shots.
Principal photography, by DP Trent Opaloch,
took place in South Africa, with a Baselight grading
system on-set to create proxies for editorial and to
prepare the full resolution content for transport.
Skylab managed the entirety of the media, as well as
colour metadata, on behalf of the studio. Background
plates were delivered to Image Engine and other
VFX houses as OpenEXR files, using ACES to ensure
consistency between viewing environments and BLG
files to manage technical grade information in a nondestructive way. Using Baselight’s colour grading and
finishing tools, creative director and colourist Andrea
Chlebak began to develop the look before and during
the shoot. This created significant efficiencies in the
finishing process and provided a context for other
departments to make their decisions. Skylab’s technical
director, Chris Davies, also developed a range of
custom LUTs to be applied automatically to particular
scenes and VFX layers to ensure each element would
work well together in the final grade. “When a project involves as much VFX as
Chappie, it is far better for editorial, effects and
grading to take place in parallel to avoid the pressures
that mount up at the end of a typical DI,” commented
Davies. “This highly evolved workflow has profound
implications for boosting productivity. In the past,
VFX and DI companies all had their own internal
colour pipelines. Now, we are at the point where we
can link technologies together and produce an overall
workflow that allows everybody to work with one
unified system.”
Cheat... did the
DIs on Rumble,
Roxanne, Stealing
Sheep and The
Nature Of Things
Roxanne
CLAPPERBOARD / Robin Browne Honorary Member BSC / by David A. Ellis
Aspiring... pictured
at the camera as a
clapper/loader on
The Victors (1963)
Classical composer
Cinematographer Robin Browne was born in
Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire in November 1941,
moving to the London area in 1952. He was always
interested in photography and whilst at his school
in Highgate he ran the photographic society and
volunteered to snap school events. During his school
holidays he did some work for a London fashion
photographer and learned how to process film.
A
fter leaving school he went to Merton Park
Studios and trained in the camera department,
working with twelve others. He said: “I started
by making tea, which was part of the trainees
duties. I learned how to operate a number of cameras
including the Newman Sinclair and was with them for
eighteen months. The first feature I worked on was Horrors
Of the Black Museum (1959) as the assistant clapper
loader. A chap named Trevor Wrenn was the main loader.
Some time later the operator on the film rang me and said
he was about to start work on The Third Man TV series and
would I consider moving to Shepperton?
I went because I was offered twice the wage.”
Browne remained a loader for seven years and
went on to become a focus puller for six. He says he was
a focus puller when all DPs would shoot wide open. When
he entered the business, Kodak stock was only 12ASA.
Following his time as a focus puller he became an operator
for three years before moving on to DP work.
Asked what his first day as a DP was like, he said,
“I was quite confident about exposure and composition.
Having worked as a camera operator I wasn’t thrown in
at the deep end.”
On location... Robin
Browne (c) with the
second unit camera
team on A Passage
To India (1984)
Films he has worked on include The Battle Of
Britain (1969), Catch 22 (1970), A Bridge Too Far (1977) and
Moonraker (1979).
He has had a number of credits for visual effects.
“I was involved with Force 10 from Navarone (1978) on
the second unit. Visual effects designer Derek Meddings
(1931-1995) suggested I do visual effects on Krull (1983),
which took eighteen months to shoot.”
Browne said the best advice he was given was by
the son of his godfather, cinematographer Harry Stradling.
Stradling junior, also called Harry said, “You have got to
maintain continuity of lighting. There is a tendency to do
a wide shot and then cut-in close to the actors. I can’t tell
you how many times cameramen re-light the close up –
but it is much better to have it match the long shot than
be completely different.”
What does he think of cinematography today?
“I think the schedules have got a lot tighter. When I was
a loader and focus puller productions were much longer
and there was less pressure. My son Justin is a steadicam
operator. He is working on a big production for a major
studio in Hollywood. He said they have to get seven pages
of dialogue done in a day and it is all-go.”
What advice would he give to up-and-coming
cinematographers? “I would say don’t over light. I am one
for avoiding camera movement unless it is necessary.
I would say use zooms sparingly. I think it is a shame
when people zoom unnecessarily.”
“I can’t tell you how many times cameramen
re-light the close up – but it is much better
to have it match the long shot than be
completely different.”Robin Browne Honorary Member BSC
When asked what the worst thing about being a DP
was he said it was the limited time you have to prepare and
light shots. He said that a lot of directors he worked with in
later years didn’t want to rehearse, they just wanted to shoot.
“One of the things I loved about the early days was that the
directors rehearsed and perfected the scene,” said Browne.
What was the hardest thing he has lit? “On one film
starring Kevin Costner, I was told they couldn’t afford to
supply me with more lights. One shot, which was essential
to the film, was a house exterior at night. We used the
headlights from cars. I think for a major film with a leading
star in it, it was a pretty grim situation to be in; but in the
end I was very pleased with the result.”
On-set... Robin takes a
serious look at the next
scene. Image courtesy of
BKSTS/Image Technology.
Eye eye... Robin getting ready to
shoot some 16mm on a job for Honda
Seasoned... Robin Browne
operating the camera aboard
a 1970’s industrial-strength
crane on The Adventures Of
Black Beauty (1972-74)
Precision... Robin lines-up a
three-element matte shot
Browne says one of the best locations he worked on
was in Kenya when working on Born Free (1966) as a loader
in 1964. It was still old Africa and he was there for eleven
months. He says that the only crew members still alive are John
Hall, the boom swinger and Bill Cartlidge, the assistant director.
Some of the directors he has worked with include
David Lean and Richard Attenborough. He said, “I love
working with really intelligent people. They include the late
Mike Nichols. He was so brilliant and a tremendous talent,
who had the time for everyone. Attenborough and Lean
were good directors that gave you the time of day. I love
directors that have a visual eye – the ones that can see a
composition and help you frame up.”
When asked about his aerial work, Browne
commented, “The wonderful thing about shooting aerial
sequences in America and the UK is that there are
companies that provide pilots with filming experience.
On Gandhi (1982) we had a helicopter pilot from the Indian
army, who unfortunately had no previous film experience.
I had to film the train sequence and get close. The pilot was
reluctant to get close enough. It is a dangerous job and I
have worked with several pilots who were eventually killed
during aerial filming or stunt flying.”
As for his views on digital cinematography, Browne,
who now lives in Detroit USA said, “Since I moved to the
states I have done less and less production and have done
more commercials. I have shot a few commercials digitally,
but I am going back three years. In the last three years or so
digital has bounced ahead. Most of the problems seem to be
sorted now.”
Is he sad to see film disappear? “Yes, I have spent
most of my life shooting film. In the old days I would shoot
on Kodak for colour and Ilford for B&W. Another stock I
loved, which I was introduced to by the late cinematographer
David Watkin BSC was Agfa. You could shoot really contrasty
subjects with Agfa. It had a soft image, which I thought was
great. I also liked the fine grain, slow Kodak film. I was never
one for high-speed film. I preferred to use more light.”
Asked about the challenges facing cinematographers
today he said, “If you have come from my generation and
you are not on board with the new technology, then that
must be a challenge. There was a time when we used
Mitchell cameras for B&W and Technicolor cameras to shoot
colour. Now a cameraman has to know about film and the
many digital cameras that are used.”
Finally, he was asked if he ever had a favourite
camera. Browne said, “Yes it was the ARRIflex. When it
first came out you could only load 400ft, so you were
constantly re-loading.”
INNOVATOR / Curtis Clarke ASC
Practical
primaries
As a cinematographer, Curtis
Clark ASC is known for pushing
creative boundaries. As the
chair of the ASC Technology
Committee since 2002, he
is also leading the charge to
investigate new motion picture
technologies and champion
workable cinematographic and
display solutions.
I
t’s a huge undertaking, made even more vital as
digital technology continues to evolve and advance.
The ASC Technology Committee maintains a large
and active membership, including vice chairs
Richard Edlund ASC and Steven Poster ASC.
Its stated goal is: “to examine and understand
emerging motion imaging technologies so that it
can advise its membership and the motion picture
industry on the convergence of these technologies
with traditional motion picture techniques.” Carolyn
Giardina caught up with Curtis Clark ASC in LA to
discover more.
From the selection of the sharpest lenses with optimal
exposure, to the way we handled the blow-up, it had to
be done very carefully. The objective was that anyone
who saw the finished film wouldn’t know it wasn’t
35mm origination, and it worked perfectly.
I loved the fusion of how technology finds
solutions to enhance the art form. I continued to do
that on almost all the films I’ve photographed, such as
Alamo Bay (1985). This led to my awareness of, and
being drawn to, technology solutions that best serve
the art form of filmmaking, particularly cinematography.
BC: Tell us
BC: Tell us about your
about the
background and how it
formation
inspired you to address
of the ASC
technical initiatives.
Technology
CC: I started my feature
Committee?
film career with The
CC: In 2002 I
Draughtsman’s Contract
was asked to
(1982), made in England
form the ASC
with Peter Greenaway,
Technology
which was an immensely
Committee.
successful film that had its
The ASC
own technical challenges.
realised we
I had to shoot numerous
were entering
scenes at very low light
into new
The usual suspects... (l-r) Lou Levinson, David Reisner, Joshua
Pines, Curtis Clark and David Register at the 2013 Academy
levels using candlelight,
world that
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical
and found that depthwould be
Achievement Awards. Photo by Aaron Poole/©A.M.P.A.S..
of-field was going to be
filled with
a problem with 35mm.
uncertainty
I needed to be able to shoot at T1.3. I had the idea
and disruption during the transition from everything
to experiment with Super 16mm, because it has an
being shot on film and finished on film, using an
intrinsically bigger depth-of-field, and find a way to
end-to-end photochemical workflow, to the Digital
enhance the image quality of the 35mm blow-up
Intermediate process, initiated by Kodak with its
reproduction. We kind of pioneered that process. I had
innovative Cineon system. But DI was just the starting
a very special relationship with the film lab that helped
point of the emerging digital imaging revolution, which
us take the right steps, and recall getting wonderful
then progressed to digital cinema projection and
support at the lab from Len Brown and Paul Collard.
eventually digital motion picture cameras.
Leader of the pack...
Curtis Clark ASC,
chairman of the
ASC’s Technology
Committee. Photo by
Owen Roizman ASC.
BC: A notable initiative was the development of
the ASC Colour Decision List (ASC CDL). What
impact have you seen from this, and is there
more work ahead?
CC: It’s hard to find a production that doesn’t use
the ASC CDL; it has become a de facto standard.
Its flexibility is the secret to its success. It can be
used within ACES or any colour space reference.
It’s a very mature and robust technology. There’s
continual suggestion and encouragement to
expand it into secondary colours, and that
presents a bit of a challenge. Once we start
doing that we are in effect starting to develop a
colour corrector.
At the moment we have most postproduction technology vendors implementing
our current RGB primary colour grading; it’s been
a universal adoption. If we start to move into
supporting secondary colour correction, then it
might become a question of how readily they will
continue to adopt it, because we are now starting
to potentially compete with their own proprietary
colour corrector grading functionality.
I see both sides. I see the rationale
that says, if we extend our open platform to
secondary colours, it would be a powerful tool
for cinematographers and filmmakers. The
other side is, we’ve already achieved what it
was originally intended to do. For most dailies
colour grading, you don’t necessarily need to go
beyond primaries.
But the functionality could expanded to
include secondary colour. It wouldn’t replace ADC
CDL v1; it would be an additional option.
If we do go down that path, that’s how it
would be emphasised, because it’s not an attempt
to compete with colour corrector manufacturers,
and their comprehensive colour grading features
that are essential for final colour grading.
BC: AMPAS recently introduced v1.0 of its
Academy Color Encoding System (ACES), an
open, device-independent colour management
and image interchange system. Tell us about the
committee’s involvement in this work.
CC: The committee has been involved for five or
six years. The ASC has been a huge supporter
of this, knowing the importance of having an
open colour management system that is crossplatform and eliminates the ambiguities of secret
sauce transforms. We are trying to get to one
image interchange framework so everything
is known. The workflow shouldn’t be broken;
it should be a perfectly healthy workflow that
has an understood and very powerful colour
management system, and accommodates the
widest dynamic range and colour space that
the source material has. All of that should be
preserved and utilised throughout the production
Winners... (l-r): Joshua Pine
chain, especially when colour grading.
s, Curtis Clark, David Reisner
David Register at the 2013
and
Academy of Motion Picture
Education has been an ongoing effort.
Arts
and Sciences’ Scientific and
Technical Achievement Awa
There will be a more concerted effort, now
Photo by Michael Yada/©A
rds.
.M.P.A.S..
that there’s an official version 1.0. There’s a
perception that the official release of version
1.0, now makes it ready to use. Actually it was
ready to use before it was an official release version
1.0, but since it now has the Academy’s official release
imprimatur, it really is safe to go in the water.
On a personal note Sony Pictures and Tristar
recently remastered Alamo Bay (1985). They did a 4K
scan with ACES, ADX, full 16-bit colour. All of a sudden
we were seeing colours and tones in the negative that I
wasn’t able to see in the answer print. If I ever needed
convincing about the importance of ACES, which I
didn’t, this was a remarkable epiphany.
BC: You’ve been working in the field of high dynamic
range (HDR) recently, and served as technical
consultant on a short film, Trick Shot, filmed by Gale
Tattersall with Canon’s new C300 Mark II. Tell us more...
CC: The Canon C300 Mark II is an excellent new
camera that not only has a 15-stop dynamic range,
but also outputs an exceptionally wide colour gamut
with 4K resolution. There are two sides to the HDR
coin – image capture and display. This means you have
to capture an extended dynamic range of scene tones
in the original image and then be able to properly
reproduce it on an HDR display, which in itself can
effectively reproduce that dynamic range at significantly
greater brightness levels than are the norm with current
standard dynamic range displays.
There is some controversy about what that
optimum light level should be for HDR mastering with
a professional reference monitor, which Dolby has
been promoting at 4000nits. Others are saying maybe
2000nits is more practical for mastering. HDR consumer
sets, when they come to market, will probably peak at
around 1000nits.
Then you have to do a conversion or remastering to make it practical for distribution – to
non-HDR formats. We used ACES in the final grade of
Trick Shot to preserve the wide colour gamut and wide
dynamic range captured by the C300 Mark II.
Colour decision... members of
the ASC Technology Committee
at the 2014 HPA Awards with
the gong for the ASC CDL.
Photo by Capture Imaging.
“It’s hard to find a production that doesn’t
use the ASC Colour Decision List; it has
become a de facto standard. Its flexibility
is the secret to its success.”Curtis Clark ASC
BC: What are some additional ASC Technology
Committee initiatives?
CC: We currently have two, highly-active
subcommittees. One is UHDTV, which is directly
addressing HDR – clarifying what it means and how it
can be used in a predictable and efficient way that best
supports the filmmaker’s creative intent.
The other is a laser projection subcommittee,
which is working to understand what can happen
with laser-illuminated projection – both to increase
brightness for HDR, and also to expand the colour
gamut, because we know it will probably expand beyond
the current DCI P3 digital cinema colour space.
What might that new standard be? We have put
out a suggestion – we’re calling it practical primaries,
based on a variation of the new Rec 2020 colour space
proposal that’s part of the UHDTV agenda. We have
an RFI (request for information) out to all the projector
manufacturers, who are actively working with us on
the committee, which should help us come to an
understanding and agreement on what those practical
primaries might be if they are not Rec 2020, but within
the wide gamut colour space vicinity of Rec 2020. It
doesn’t have to be Rec 2020, which was created for
UHDTV broadcasting. Rec 2020 wasn’t created for digital
cinema, though digital cinema is being influenced by it.
BC: A further subcommittee of the ASC Technology
Committee is addressing virtual production. Could you
give us an update on its initiatives?
CC: Our virtual production group has been hugelysuccessful. We originally had previs, which morphed into
virtual production because it was difficult to separate the
two. As we move more into the use of virtual production
techniques, the importance of previs, especially for visual
effects, has become common practice. But previs is also
extending more into planning the entire film.
We are exploring tests and showcasing successful
examples of the use of virtual production, as well as previs
and postvis. It’s all merging into a new approach to filmmaking
where we can integrate live action with CGI elements in a way
that lets us better-manage creative intent, with efficiency.
ASC Colour
Decision List
The ASC Colour Decision List
(ASC CDL) allows the crossplatform interchange of basic
RGB colour-correction data
during production and postproduction. It has received
numerous awards, including a
technical achievement award
from the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts and Sciences,
Primetime Emmy Engineering
Award from the Academy of
Television Arts and Sciences,
and a Hollywood Post Alliance
Judges Award for Creativity
and Innovation.
IMAGO NEWS / NIGEL WALTERS BSC / PRESIDENT OF IMAGO
Object of affection...
retiring and muchloved president Joan
Hutton CSC is thrilled
with her memento
Walters
Light meter... Nigel AGO’s
BSC presents IM
Spectra
tribute to Joan – a plinth
mounted on a
Slings
and arrows
When the proposed
IMAGO International
Cinematographers’ Hall Of
Fame is inaugurated, one
Canadian name will feature
prominently. It is that of
Joan Hutton CSC, who has
retired after serving 22
years as president of her
society. Not only is Joan
the longest serving past
president of any IMAGO
society but also, as the first
lady president anywhere,
she deserves her place in
history of the federation.
New boss...
new president
of the Caadian
societyGeorge
Willis CSC SABC
I
t was to honour her dedication and role in building
a successful society that the CSC recently held in
Toronto a meticulously-organised Awards Gala. As a
delegate representing fellow cinematographers at many
international conferences, Joan Hutton was responsible for
encouraging the CSC to join IMAGO, thereby introducing
the federation’s presence on North American soil.
It was to show IMAGO’s appreciation that, as
president, I had the privilege of presenting the IMAGO
tribute to Joan. It is simply a Spectra Meter mounted on a
plinth, fortunately not yet a complete relic of a previous age
in filmmaking. The first of the four previously awarded went
to Giuseppe Rotunno AIC, Fellini’s cinematographer, who
is known in Italy as “Mr 5.6”. By luck rather than judgement
they all read 5.6 anyway! By good fortune it also proved
to be Joan’s favourite light meter. It was presented for her
dedication to her society and support for the international
aims of IMAGO. By example of their support to establish
a strong global organisation the Canadians, the Japanese,
Israelis, New Zealanders and Australians had been a crucial
factor in persuading the European Societies to evolve
IMAGO into its present community.
The sitting board of IMAGO comes to the end
of its six-year term of office in Jerusalem next October.
In an interview by Guido Kondross of the Canadian
Cinematographer, I was asked where I thought IMAGO to
be heading in future years. Not a simple question to answer.
It is not as easy to foresee the future as it is to look back on
past mistakes and reflect on challenges which should have
been handled with greater wisdom.
It requires a clairvoyant to predict the role of the
cinematographer in twenty years, yet alone that of IMAGO!
Not every society has had a leader like Joan, although
the Austrians were favoured to secure the dedication of Kurt
Brazda as the rock on which their society was established.
The Luciano Tovolis of our profession are few and far
between, and every society is dependent for survival on
the dedication of one or two individuals. Cinematographers
are fortunate to have
such colleagues giving
freely of their time to
improve standards of
cinematography, to
restore respect in our
profession and to fight
for better working
conditions and a just
reward for our creativity.
There are encouraging
signs that younger
cinematographers
are showing a desire to actively contribute to creating
more civilised working lives to meet the pressures of this
digitalised world.
In the last six years I have been struck by the
generosity and goodwill towards one another by members
of our profession. IMAGO’s Masterclasses are an example.
They do not only embrace technology, but also primarily
focus on the inspiration which creates images. Inspiration
is a two way experience; many “master” cinematographers
admit to the inspiration they themselves have
experienced by just attending these Masterclasses.
Many years ago I shot a film in Japan. When it was
completed the crew clubbed together and bought an
expensive gift for our interpreter. It was a framed print,
which was duly wrapped and presented to him at the end
of production party. He showed great delight; when we
asked him why he had not opened it he replied was that
the act of opening in the presence of the giver would
imply the possibility of displeasure. His pleasure was
receiving the gift. To open it was an act of disrespect!
To appreciate one another we have to appreciate
that cultural differences within our organisations are
a reflection of society itself. We all have something to
learn from each other. There are no identical rooms
in the house that IMAGO has patiently built from
the original inspiration of an Italian some 23 years
ago. Cinematographers as artists can now enjoy the
freedom of crossing physical frontiers. The frontiers of
understanding the more intricate machinations of the
minds of cinematographers require greater patience.
All cinematographers will benefit by the CSC
joining IMAGO. What each society contributes to
communicating with another is usually returned with
interest. No miracle cure exists for solving problems but,
by using the Internet and the tools available to us, we
have the means to help each other. IMAGO will continue
to work to press for improvements through legislation
in the European Union to improve the vulnerability of
the growing army of self-employed workers in the film
industry. Co-authors rights
for cinematographers already
Place setting... the
exist in many countries.
hall in readiness for
the gala celebrati
Efforts to persuade our
ng
Joan Hutton’s lon
legislators are beginning to
g
presidency of the
bear fruit as IMAGO has
Canadian society
repeatedly explained the logic
and justice of our cause of
residual rights to European
legislators mainly through the
efforts of our legal advisor,
Dr Cristina Busch.
Remember the
Hall of fame... Conrad Hall ASC believed
cinematographers were responsible for
the well-being of the crew, as well as the
visual image of the movie
declaration
T
he final event of 2015 for Cinematographers will be
the evergreen experience of Camerimage in Bydgoszcz,
Poland. Ten years have passed since the declaration
of Lodz passed a resolution that “the working
conditions of many film and TV Productions have deteriorated
to such a critical degree that immediate action is imperative.”
The signatories included Vilmos Zsigmond, Billy Williams,
Jost Vacano, Kees van Oostrum, Alfonso Beato and Phedon
Papamichael. Among those present were the late Lazlo Kovacs
ASC and Gerry Fisher BSC. IMAGO honours their memory as it
does that of Miroslav Ondříček whose death recently marks the
loss of an inspirational and respected Czech cinematographer.
As I continue these Presidential ramblings (an expression
much-loved by the Australian president of the ACS, Ron
Johanson), I am reminded of a recent email from Haskell Wexler
ASC. His missives are seldom addressed correctly but they have a
habit of arriving, eventually. His latest is
a reminder by the nature of its contents
that when the IMAGO Hall of Fame
becomes a reality the pride of place
should be reserved for Conrad Hall ASC.
There are no apologies, following
Fondly
remembered...
the anniversary of the tragic death of
IMAGO honours
Sarah Jones through criminal negligence
the memory of
by the producers, to quote once
respected Czech
cine
matographer
more Conrad Hall’s statement: “Our
Miroslav Ondříček
responsibility is to the visual image
who passed
of the film as well as the well-being
away recently
of our crew. We strive to explore the
language of cinematography and the art of storytelling. The expanding
practice of working extreme hours seriously compromises both the quality of
our work and the health and safety of others. I believe it is my obligation and the
obligation of every cinematographer to oppose a practise that compromises our
creative ability as well as the health and well-being of every member of the crew.”
Nothing much has changed since the Camerimage declaration.
“Our responsibility is to the visual
image of the film as well as the
well-being of our crew.”Conrad Hall ASC
Brussels didn’t sprout
It was with more than a twist of outrageous fortune that
IMAGO was forced to cancel at a late hour the planned March
Brussels Conference on which so many hopes were resting.
E
verything was in place for a memorable
and successful day. Guest speakers of great
distinction were in place. The Danish DFF
were sending to the conference delegates
to illustrate how they are able to achieve excellent
cinematography in civilised working conditions. A wide
range of issues in the agenda included the problems
of the self-employed film worker and the role of the
cinematographer in the restoration and archiving of
our images.
Unfortunately, the planned cine equipment
exhibition to help finance the conference failed to
materialise. A perfect storm of misfortune ensued:
key personnel to the conference success found
themselves filming on different continents. More
back-up will be needed in future. An apology is owed
to the many who were disappointed. Gratitude is
due to those whose contribution promised to make
this event the most important in our 23-year history.
Many lessons will have been learnt for the future.
IMAGO must never lose the energy and enthusiasm
of all our voluntary board members. They are the
backbone of our profession. However, there is future
requirement for a more professional base for our
operations. A permanently manned office with a
secretary is essential.
The societies of Australia and Israel, the
Japanese, New Zealanders, and latterly Canadians are
now members with full voting rights. The CSC, on
the evidence of their outstanding Awards Gala,
has much to offer IMAGO. Film is still taught at
their outstanding faculty at Ryerson University.
Their President George A Willis CSC SASC will
be attending the IAGA in Israel, the first to be held
outside Europe. The interests of societies outside
Europe are now represented by a board member and
the aspirations of the remaining “associate” nations
who will not be forgotten. Malaysia is expected to be
accepted as such a member in October.
IMAGO will continue to support the two
Festivals dedicated to the craft of Cinematography.
The oldest is the Manaki Festival in Macedonia and
the flag bearer for our profession is Camerimage in
Bydgoszcz, Poland.
IMAGO must sadly say farewell to Labina
Mitevska, the former festival director of the
Manaki Festival, the oldest devoted to the craft of
cinematography anywhere. IMAGO owes much
to Labina who is returning to pursue her acting
career. She has transformed her festival into the
most glamourous and successful in Macedonia. Her
replacement is Dimitar Nikolov who has extended
the festival by two days and has introduced two new
competitions, including SEE CAMERA, which focuses
and encourages cinematographers of films from
South Eastern Europe.
Thanks to the generosity of the Manaki Festival,
IMAGO has been able to hold in Bitola for the last three
years one of its most important events in its calendar.
It is the IMAGO Balkan Conference, which encourages
understanding by communication in the region as well
as helping to improve standards of cinematography.
An eagerly-anticipated event early this October,
usually supported by distinguished members of the ASC,
is the IMAGO Oslo Digital Cinema Forum, organised by
Paul-Rene Roestad and the Norwegian FNF. IMAGO
is appreciative of the smaller societies in particular
associating their events with pride with the umbrella
federation. Using the logo of IMAGO is synonymous with
working together for the common good.
The Finnish Society held a successful inaugural
Film week-end last November whereby the larger
Scandinavian Societies were hosts to cinematographers
from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Possibly a regular
Baltic Conference could point the way to the future
of IMAGO with similar meetings taking place in South
America, Eastern Europe and Asia, bringing together
cinematographers to communicate and examine
regional problems.
GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / by Tim Potter
The going
rate
T
hose of you who know me will know that I
enjoy the odd glass of wine. So much so that
from early in my career I would use some of
my disposable income to fill my cellar with
some rather nice vintages from some of the world’s
better sources. As the years went by, and the wine
improved, I would open the occasional rather fine
example and, as well as enjoying its wonderful taste,
I would marvel at how much the value of the bottle
had increased over the intervening years. The gains in
some cases were quiet refreshing. Refreshing enough
to enhance the enjoyment immeasurably. I was never
in it for the financial gain, I liked drinking it too much.
But the enjoyment has often become tainted when I
consider that, as the wine has sat quietly maturing in
my cellar, inflation has been eating away at its value as
surely as any mouse that has tried to gnaw its way in
through the foil and cork.
Since my collecting started the level of the
Retail Prices Index (RPI) has risen from 100 in 1987
to 256.7 in February of this year. For most of this
period the rates that camera crews could achieve
(particularly on television dramas) were almost static.
There was dip in the rates in the early ‘90s as a
consequence of the 1990 Broadcasting Act, leading
to changes in the broadcast environment, that in turn
led to the dumping of large numbers of former staff
crews unceremoniously on to the open market. After
recovering its former level the rate did not move until
the union signed an agreement with the BBC that
started to force the minimum up, and consequently the
going rate started to rise, but oh so slowly.
This is the world into which the grips launched
their campaign for a base rate of £300/day. The
focus pullers have joined this campaign and there
has been considerable success. Some producers have
complained to the union that they felt like they were
being mugged. This is rather disingenuous as it is they
who have been slowly but surely mugging us for the
last quarter century. If the rate had kept pace with
inflation over these years the new grip/focus base rate
would be closer to £500/day. This means that the job
is still worth nearly half its real terms value compared
with 25 years ago. This slow erosion of the value of the
work we do leads to many struggling to make a decent
living from their career. Ultimately it would have led to
an unsustainable workforce.
The successes that are being achieved in
consolidating the going rate, and the lack of success
in getting any of what the crews want formalised in
any agreement, has led us inexorably to the point
where we must set the conditions of our own
services. From April 1st. each of the craft branches
of BECTU issued its own terms. To know what we
are all expected to demand, everyone should check
their branch websites for the details. This action
is a rallying call to all technicians to stand up for
themselves. To realise that it is possible to impose
a fairer set of terms and conditions.
Peanuts... the unions are now
setting rates of pay, check your
branch website for details!
GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / by John Keedwell
FORM FACTORS
C
ameras are getting smaller. It’s official. Looking
around at the wide variety of cameras
available it’s clear to see the trend is firmly
towards cameras becoming smaller and more
compact. Looking back only a few years the thought of
a 4K-capable, moving image camera, was a thought only
imagined by a few visionaries.
RED cameras, with the ability to shoot 4K and
above, have only really been around since the official
launch of the RED One in 2007, and they were hailed at
the time as the pioneering company that gave the rest of
the industry a jolt. Now 4K-capable cameras are readily
available at a much lower budget than even a few years
ago, some for around just around a thousand pounds.
For example the Panasonic GH4 has a form factor
similar to a DSLR stills camera, yet doesn’t have size of
the mirror box of a DSLR. Instead the Micro 4/3 (MFT)
lens mount reduces the depth between the lens flange
and the sensor so the camera can be reduced in size.
This has the added bonus of enabling lens adapters to
be used for many different lens mounts as there is now
a larger distance to accommodate lens adapters. Whilst
perhaps not as robust as other lens mounts, it certainly
opens up possibilities of using many different lenses on
the camera.
I recently did an independent test for the Rosco Silk
210 LED light, and this was launched at the NAB show.
More detail of this
great new lighting
tool in a minute,
but as part of the
test we wanted to
see how different
sensors on different
cameras registered
the colours on a test
chart. We tested
many of the highend moving picture
cameras side-byside with the same
lighting, along with
my Panasonic GH4
I recently bought.
On examining the results side-by-side the GH4 actually
stood up extremely well against other massively more
expensive and complex cameras. This was, of course, a
simple static test of a test chart, and perhaps a moving
image could be showing up different impression artefacts,
yet I was suitably impressed with the image quality of this
tiny camera compared to the other big hitters. If I was to
shoot a long movie production I would still pick one of the
traditional form factors over the form factor of mirrorless
cameras, however shooting a documentary where I
needed to hike up a mountain with the camera would
probably make it a first choice over the other cameras. It’s
all about picking the right tool for the job in hand.
Of course form factor is a vital part of the
operational efficiency of any camera, along with the
robustness of the lens mount, flexibility of use in terms
of accessory ports, and the connectivity. Other factors
to be taken into consideration are the recording format,
compression, and overall form factor when shooting on
location. The larger form factor of a traditional moving
picture camera – such as the ARRI Alexa, RED, or a Sony
– is way more manageable and robust than a small stills
camera that happens to shoot 4K video.
The cameras have, of course, become even smaller
and lighter than even a few years ago, due to improvements
in electronics and sensors. However, if a camera becomes
too small it is more difficult to design in terms of buttons,
switches and connectors to the outside world. It is also
more difficult for the camera technicians to operate in cold
conditions for example, when wearing gloves. This is always
one of the traditional tests when evaluating any camera,
can it be used at -10° C with your gloves still on? For some
cameras that is a bit of a struggle to achieve.
What we now have available are many extremely
small cameras, capable of some extraordinary visual
results, with many now able to record up to 13 stops of
dynamic range or more, and recording high-quality images
on a relatively small storage device. Some cameras are
specifically designed for hazardous use, and they really
need to be as small and compact as possible so they can
“form factor is a vital part of
the operational efficiency of any
camera, along with the robustness
of the lens mount, flexibility of
use and the connectivity.”John Keedwell
High-flyers... Small 4K-capable
cameras, like Blackmagic’s Micro
Cine Camera and Panasonic’s
GHR, make an irresistible mix
with the latest drones
operational possibilities. Up
until only a few years ago
the only way to get
quality aerial shots
was to use a
helicopter or
perhaps even
a jet aircraft.
Now it is
possible to fly
a high-quality
camera over
land with some
incredible results. In fact
there are places you could fly a drone where you wouldn’t be
able to fly a helicopter if the safety of the helicopter crew was
at risk, such as over a volcano for example. A drone can even
be flown inside a building with suitable safety provisions put
in place, and the helicopter would definitely not be allowed
inside many buildings!
Whilst this is enabling great creative shots to be
created for documentaries and also movies, it also brings
up other potential safety issues of course, and these have
become front-page news in recent months. Where the drone
needs to be operated by a competent operator who also has
a “spotter” looking at the drone and what is around it at all
times, they also need to be certified by the different aviation
authorities in different countries, and the airworthiness needs
to be also certified. All this is extremely sensible of course,
and will hopefully bring a professionalism and safety element
to unlicensed operators wanting to potentially undercut
other operators. The certification is suitably expensive in
price to sort out people who are playing at it against those
people who are taking it professionally.
be placed in shot of the main camera and be able to
be disguised. One such example is the Blackmagic
Micro Cine Camera, which was launched at the
NAB show recently. Whilst not recording in full
4K resolution, its small size and low weight lends
itself extremely well to being attached to a remote
controlled hexacopter drone, for example, with
the ability to have the focus, iris, and zoom to be
adjusted wirelessly. A truly remarkable engineering
feat considering it will cost around about £700
when it becomes available in July.
This idea of a small high-resolution camera
being attached to a drone brings up other interesting
GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / by John Keedwell
Rosco LED
Another area in which technology has
marched on has been in the use of LED
lighting for moving picture productions.
The advantages of LED lights are many over traditional hot lights, and include less
power draw for more illumination, the ability to change the colour temperature of the
light output at the turn of a dial, smaller size, less weight and the eradication of the
need to change lamp bulbs when they blow. LED lights are certainly here to stay and
the positive effect on the environment alone in using less power is something to be
applauded. They are not the magic bullet that does everything, of course, but they are
now highly sophisticated and here to stay.
A few years ago there were only a few notable major manufacturers who were
cornering most of the available LED lighting market and being quite robust in their
defence of their position. Now it seems the choice of LED lighting is immense with
many different qualities of construction and colour control. So a new LED light is now
not as big a headline as it was even two or three years ago.
One lamp does jump out in recent months and I mentioned above about the
Rosco Silk 210 LED light and this needs closer attention. The biggest factors in which
LED lights are measured and
compared are: quality of the colour
temperature output of the light; the
physical amount of light emitted per
Watt of input current; and also the
size and weight of the unit. In all
these areas the Silk light excels, and
when it becomes available I’m sure
it will be the first choice for most
DPs looking for quality LED lighting
fixtures. Take a look for yourself.
When the levy breaks
I recently attended a discussion and debate organised by BECTU
called The Future Of Film Post-Election. The discussion and
debate was held between filmmakers and several politicians.
I
n the audience of the filmmakers were some eminent
directors of photography, directors and producers,
who were all at the top of their profession. Onstage
were three politicians from different parties and also
Jane Roscoe, the director of the London Film School.
Many different areas of film production were
discussed including tax incentives, piracy and digital IP,
skills and apprenticeships, the EU being a single digital
territory, and film production being spread more around
the country, not just London-centric. There were also
discussions about the pros and cons of zero hours
contracts, unpaid internships, and also funding for training
in creating moving images being available at an earlier
level in schools, and this was an interesting development
going forward.
All of the discussions up to this point were quite
positive and constructive and will obviously depend on
which party ends up in power after the general election
in May as to where the direction will lead. It seems
whoever the government is for the next five years will
have some longer discussions regarding funding of
British films, distribution of a wider variety of content and
the requirement for more investment into training at a
grassroots level.
Training people to use the moving image to convey
their message to the world is now vitally important, yet
there seems a lack of understanding how powerful the
moving image can be, in any form. With 4K TVs and vastly
superior technology we have available in the home, there
should be many more visually-literate people out there
who understand a good image and a story told well.
As part of my training schemes I now hold, I
have been personally asking many people who have
a clear and important message how they deliver it to
a wider audience. Many have really no idea how the
basics of the moving image can enhance their vision,
and yet children can easily pick up the fundamentals
of creating a story using quite basic video equipment.
There is perhaps a big lesson to be learned here.
Back to the discussion: Then came a longer
discussion talk about a levy scheme similar to the
French system and also the Eady Levy we had in this
country a few years ago. The Eady Levy was a tax on
box office receipts in the United Kingdom, intended
to support the British film industry and named for Sir
Wilfred Eady. It was established in 1957 and terminated
in 1985. This discussion then divided the audience from
all of the politicians. Many in the audience were of the
opinion a levy scheme was a positive direction to move
towards yet the politicians unanimously agreed between
themselves that this was a bad idea going forward and
wouldn’t apparently work, they said. Obviously the few
words I have available here do not do justice to the level
of discussion on the night - yet the mood of the audience
seemed to turn at this point where they felt none of the
politicians were listening to the people on the ground
who work within the business.
It reminded me of a situation I was in where the
organisation I worked for didn’t really understand the role
my team played in the success of the project. The people
at the top didn’t even really know what I did yet were
making decisions based on what they thought we did.
Quiz mistress... Jane Roscoe,
director of London Film School, asked politicians for their views
on government incentives and laws for filmmaking
It reminded me that filmmaking is a highly
collaborative and coherent effort all working intensely
and hard towards the common goal, and every day there
need to be difficult decisions made at many levels to
achieve the results everyone desires. When somebody
or something stops that machine from working efficiently
it becomes chaos, so filmmaking has developed into an
efficient structure of departments, all ultimately working
between themselves towards a common objective.
Truly magnificent productions can be achieved this
way, and it struck me that many lessons can be learnt
by other industries by taking this passion we have with
our business to create something extraordinary and
something we can be proud of.
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