SHOOTING TATAU with Dale McCready

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NZCS Newsletter #5
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SHOOTING TATAU with Dale McCready
After shooting in the UK for the last seven years it was a pleasure to be asked back to New Zealand to
shoot a tv show. A chance to catch up with friends and family, but also a chance to go to the islands and
reconnect with crew and cast I hadn't seen for a long time...
Most recently in the UK I'd been shooting high-end drama aimed around family viewing with shows such
as Merlin, In The Flesh and Atlantis. While shooting In The Flesh I had the great pleasure of working with
Producer John Rushton and at the time he mentioned he was going to make a show set on a fictional
island in the South Pacific shooting in Auckland and Rarotonga. My interest was piqued to say the least.
Then I found I'd have the chance to work with a great Director in Wayne Yip who had made the very
interesting Utopia for Channel 4. An opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
I wrapped in Manchester from a show called Cucumber and headed straight to New Zealand and on to a
recce bus to tour Auckland. Bethell's, Pukututu, and Murphy's Bush! I was definitely home. Straight on
after that to wonderful Rarotonga and many trips around the Island.
Tatau presented some challenges to film. Auckland in windy, rainy spring had to match in with highseason, sunny Rarotonga; Day for Night shooting in jungles; high contrast interiors with hot sea and
sand outside. Wayne and I really wanted to create a show that looked distinctive but of course with the
normal limitations of time and money.
We both favoured shooting anamorphic even though we weren't able to screen the full widescreen in the
final delivery. We both felt that the lenses would give us great optical character, even without the
landscape aspect. I also really wanted to use my FlyLine cable cam system and Gremsy gimbal so this
lead us toward using the smaller, lighter Red epic camera. We could crop in and not lose too much
resolution and also the high resolution gave us more framing options. We settled on Kowa Prominar
lenses which had a limited 4 lens set, so the flexibility of the camera format and oversampling from 6K
helped us punch in closer when we needed to.
We also had limited options in the way of power and lighting in Rarotonga, so we tried to get the newer
Dragon sensor for the Red through Dean Thomas at Imagezone. I'd hoped this would help balance the
strong contrast in Raro between a darker interiors and the sunny exteriors for day work with it’s
potentially wide latitude sensor.
Over the course of the shoot our experiments proved fruitful. The gimbal gave us a cost effective
Steadicam style rig, while also serving as a terrific stabilised remote head on jibs and rigs. The cable
Cam created dynamic movement and the lenses always made the shots look interesting with terrific
distorted bokeh, even if they were on the edge of sharpness at times.
The Red Dragon camera sensor was truly impressive holding highlights and I don't think any other
camera at the moment can beat it for latitude. It is fairly low noise so our beach night shoots could be
exposed just on the limits of our lighting capability and looked fantastic once graded up. The 6K detail is
beautiful, very cinema in feel.
For night exteriors in the islands we used one 4K HMI, one m18 and two Area48 phosphor panels that
were absolutely beautiful bounced. We added to this my own Rotolight Anova bicolour LED and smaller
tungsten and kino fittings. Judicious placement of fires by the very capable Art Dept provided a
background when there was none, and occasionally we could blast the 4K straight out to sea to light up
the reef to give us some more depth even if it was just a line of crashing surf in the distance. I was ably supported on the shoot by Gaffer John Bell and his team while Kirsten Green managed to
hold focus when I was pushing the lenses as far as I could. Grip Conrad Hosking provided some terrific
light-weight dolly and rig options in the islands which were so useful I ended up preferring them to the
full dolly most of the time back in New Zealand too. We used a combination of pipe slider up to 5m in length and a short Silent Cat slider. We used a light jib
for crane shots using a slimmed-down B camera on the gimbal, operated by remote control with joystick
or handwheels. This rig also worked beautifully inverted on a hihat to shoot boat to boat. The stability of
the gimbal meant I could frame a shot of swimmers or an island and the camera would just hold the
frame no matter what the camera boat was doing underneath it. At one point we created a fun continuous panning shot in the jungle with 3 characters sitting around the
camera. The gimbal was inverted on a hi hat and sat in the middle of the cast while the crew hid behind
trees as we remotely panned 4 or 5 revolutions. Much more fun that trying to operate a normal head and
stumble about amongst the cast!
The Kowa lenses we ended up with proved perfect for the material. They're interesting and flare nicely
but are extremely light and small. I could fit 3 of the 4 Kowas on to the gimbal without overloading it. I
supplemented the Kowas with my own Lomography Petzval 85mm lens using an EF mount for the Red
and I also at times used my Dog Schid Optiks Trump58/38mm lenses when a big focus rack was
needed. The Trump has the option of using a drop-in Waterhouse aperture to mimic the ellipse of
anamorphic even though it's a spherical lens. This cuts in very well with true anamorphic shots. We also got to experiment with shooting in very low light using the new A7S Sony camera. We shot a
couple of scenes, one in candlelight and another in dim street light and this camera was very impressive
in this use. Most noticeably we had to put a torch on the actors marks at one point because it was to dark
for them to be seen. Not a problem I’d expected to encounter in a normal drama shoot.
All in all this shoot was terrific fun and I think it'll look really interesting. We used a combination of dolly,
handheld, Easyrig, gimbal, cable-cam and crane to shoot the show with an emphasis on keeping the
camera alive as much as possible. It was great fun getting back home to work for a change and dip my toes back into the industry after a
while away. I can see that things are looking up in general with plenty of work on the way. My only
thought to add to the future, is that I could see that if things get busy there seemed to be very few
younger camera people coming up. I think long term there needs to be an emphasis on training new
talent, and in particular emphasis needs to be placed on making being a camera assistant an attractive
option for people getting into the industry. Not to mention there seems to be a gap in Steadicam
operators and Focus Pullers emerging. Something to watch. I'd like to thank the crew for all their time in helping to make Tatau the fun show it is and hope it allows
everyone another chance to go to Raro next year. There are far worse places to shoot! (Photo above: Kirsten Green & Abby Mounter)
UPDATE ON APPLYING FOR ACCREDITATION
Applying for Accreditation.
What is accreditation?
Accreditation is part of a framework within the NZCS that recognises excellence in cinematography and
encourages the pursuit of that excellence.
Based on three cornerstones, accreditation is peer recognition, accreditation recognises the skills, not
the format and accreditation is open to any full member of the society.
the format and accreditation is open to any full member of the society.
To this end it is important for members who feel that they have reached a certain level in their craft to
consider applying for NZCS accreditation.
Applications are available all year round on the NZCS website, http://www.nzcine.com/application-foraccreditation/
While the application process may seem onerous at first, there is ample motivation and time to begin the
process of applying with the application deadline not closing until May 31st each year.
All areas of cinematography are open to accreditation, and as accreditation recognises the skills and not
the format, applications should not be limited to feature and television drama cinematographers alone.
Application requirements are straightforward. However, a comprehensive body of work is needed in
order to apply and only a cinematographer’s best work should be submitted.
How do I apply for accreditation?
There are three ways to begin the accreditation process within the NZCS; by application, by nomination
and by invitation. This article will concentrate on application, whereby any full member can apply for
accreditation after three years membership of the society.
There are four main parts to an accreditation application:
1. Letters of endorsement.
Each application needs to be accompanied by letters of endorsement from two accredited
members of the NZCS, only one of whom may be an accreditation committee member. A list of
accredited members can be found on the accredited members page of the website(
http://www.nzcine.com/accredited-members/ ). A list of accreditation committee members can be
found on the website main page.
2. A full and detailed CV (and website link if applicable).
3. A showreel no longer than 10 minutes in duration.
4. Full copies of two complete projects, be they features, episodes and/or documentaries. If the
applicant’s main work is in other genres, then the suggestion is 10x commercials, 10x music
videos, 10x current affairs segments, etc.
The technical specifications of the video files to be submitted can be found on the accreditation
application download. Complete applications along with the application fee of $275 must be lodged with the NZCS Secretary,
PO Box 78 360, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1245 no later than the 31st of May of any given year. Incomplete
applications may not be accepted. http://www.nzcine.com/accreditation.pdf
Photograph below by Simon Riera: Thom Burstyn receiving his accreditation certificate.
REFLECTION ON THE TOLKIEN ERA with Richard Bluck
With the release of The Hobbit 3 in December 2014 the Tolkien era in the New Zealand film industry has
come to an end. Beginning shooting in October 1999 with The Fellowship of the Ring, there have been
six films made over the 14 years. Countless hours of Behind the Scenes footage, multiple DVD sets and
Extended versions have kept the franchise alive with the huge fan base.
For Peter Jackson and the Wingnut family it has been an epic journey. For the New Zealand film
industry it has pushed us even further into the international arena as a viable film making country, with
great locations, highly trained crew, a substantial investment in infrastructure and our positive attitude to
filmmaking.
Thirteen DOP’s have been involved in the shooting of the films and apart from Andrew Lesnie (he
should probably qualify as an honorary NZer) and Alex Funke who is now a New Zealander; most of
these were New Zealand Cinematographers.
We have pushed the boundaries in Motion Control, Miniatures, 3D, Visual Effects, Scale MoCo, and
High Frame Rates. We have developed a wealth of knowledge and skilled technicians who have honed
their crafts.
We should be proud of what we have achieved and where the journey has taken us.
Where to from here - for Wingnut, only Peter knows - as an industry we have grown from the experience
and as long as we remain competitive we will be able to play on the international stage.
The local filmmakers have benefited from the Tolkien and international film projects with the education of
experienced technicians, access to equipment and facilities. This is the work that keeps the industry
going while local projects are developed and funded.
We are embracing all the latest technologies and actively developing new technologies. But we still
have to work on new models of filmmaking that allow New Zealand films to be developed, financed and
distributed around the world. Perhaps that is our greatest need at this point in time.
Richard Bluck is a NZ Cinematographer who worked on the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and was 2nd Unit
DOP on The Hobbit trilogy. He is currently President of the NZCS. Photo below by Richard Bluck. Crane landing on ridge above Earnslaw Burn, South Island.
IMAGEZONE SHARE SUCCESS AT THE NZ FILM
AWARDS
Imagezone, New Zealand’s premier technical services and film equipment rental company has been involved in the
success of many of the winners in the 2014 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards, also known as the Moas. Dean Thomas, founder and Managing Director of the company offered his congratulations to all the nominees.
“We are proud to have been of assistance to many of the fantastic films that were recognised in the awards,” he
said. “As a young rental camera company, we are thrilled that so many of our clients were strongly represented.”
These successes include:
Best Cinematography: Dave Garbett - Everything We Loved. The Rialto Channel Best Film: The Dark Horse.
Best Director: James Napier Robertson - The Dark Horse.
Best Television Feature: Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story.
Best Visual Effects: George Zwier - The Dead Lands.
Best Documentary Editor: Erebus: Operation Overdue.
“Overall, five of the films we supported won awards in 13 categories,” said Dean. “We don’t want to take credit for
the success of these films but we’d like to think we played a small part in getting them made on budget and with the
look the cinematographer wanted.”
Imagezone has built its reputation as a New Zealand owned and operated business that will roll up its sleeves and do
whatever it takes to meet its client’s needs.
“We understand that film making is a creative and collaborative process and we believe the film equipment rental
business should follow suit,” said Dean. “We consult very closely with our clients to ensure they get the visual impact
they are after and we also try to resolve any technical challenges that may arise pre-shoot. We know how important
it is to get potential problems sorted before the director says ‘action’.”
The company offers the very latest high-end camera, video and data equipment rental, plus production video assist
facilities and post production services but it’s their pre-production services and technical support that really makes
the difference.
Dean explains. “When Imagezone collaborated with Dave Garbett to help establish a unique look for the film
‘Everything We Loved’, we were able to marry the total camera package to the style he envisaged. The resulting
filmic look was both unique and of a very high standard, so we weren’t surprised to see Dave win a Moa for
cinematography.”
Dave Garbett is equally complimentary about Imagezone.
“We had some fairly serious budgetary restrictions on ‘Everything We Loved’. I felt sheepish about approaching
Dean but it wasn’t a problem. After a couple of conversations we came up with a small, simple, highly effective
camera package that packed a big punch.”
“My experiences with Imagezone have always been about building a relationship between myself as a DOP and the
camera rental house,” continued Dave. “For 'Everything We Loved’ Imagezone tailor-made a kit that provided me
with the right tools to do visual justice to the script. Their support was intrinsic to the success of this movie.”
Every film, long or short, poses its own unique challenges and Imagezone are able to customise their equipment to
cope with both the rigors and creative needs of film making.
“Industry legend Leon Narbey, DoP for The Dead Lands, had unique cinematography challenges when shooting the
film. He required both the camera and operator to be very close to stunt men during the epic hand to hand fight
sequences, where the actors were wielding taiaha. In addition to supplying his main production camera we were able
to outfit him with a specialist light-weight camera that enabled him to get within the fight scenes. The results speak for
themselves,” said Dean.
The challenge for both the New Zealand film industry and Imagezone is to build on recent successes. With the new
government incentives coming into effect, 2015 is already looking to be a great year and Dean and his team are
excited about what is to come.
Below: Dean Thomas and Dave Garbett
RON JOHANSEN, PRESIDENT of ASC visits NZCS
A meeting of minds, NZCS Committee Members Mark Lapwood ACS, Murray Milne NZCS, Paul
Richards, Donny Duncan, Dave Cameron ACS and guest Peter Parnham with Australian
Cinematographers Society President Ron Johansen ACS, NZ Cinematographers Society President
Richard Bluck NZCS and NZCS Chairman Keviin Riley.
Paul Lake Marketing Manager, Mark Lapwood ACS, Ron Johansen ACS and Wes Printz, Service
Manager with the Phantom Flex at Panavision in Auckland.
Chris McKenzie from Professional Lighting Services with Ron in front of the 100k Soft Sun
SHELLY JOHNSON ASC event for NZCS
Sometimes a working relationship flourishes into something rather more than a regular freelance job, and if it does, it
might do your career a world of good. Especially if you are a cinematographer and the other guy is one of the first
employees at ILM, has an VFX Oscar on the shelf, offers you Jurassic Park III and follows up with movies like The
Wolfman, Captain America: The First Avenger, and The Expendables 2.
This is the gist of the story told by American cinematographer Shelly Johnson ASC, who spoke at an NZCS member
gathering upstairs at the Horse and Trap in Auckland during January. Johnson was in Auckland shooting a TV Pilot Lumen with director Joe Johnston, continuing a relationship that marks
their fifth project together.
Johnson clearly puts a lot of thought and care into how he works with the director, and this has paid dividends on the
screen and in the form of repeat projects.
When the relationship began on Jurassic Park III, Johnson had the foresight to call the cameraman from the
previous project and asked him why he wasn't on this one.
"I will tell you exactly why," came the reply, "because when you work with Joe you need a plan, whether he has
given you notes or not - you need a plan."
"I had done a few little features and a lot of TV - probably 40 or 50 movies and pilots," explains Johnson. "This was a
huge opportunity. Everyday it got bigger and bigger, just as you thought you were over the hump, there was another
sequence. I got to the end of reading the script and wondered: 'how am I going to do this?' "
He says he began by taking the movie apart, breaking it up into bite-sized chunks that he could get his head around.
"When movies get to a certain size you have to dissect them. The big movies like Lord of the Rings - or whatever work this way," he notes, adding that just because a production is big doesn't mean it is ideal.
On The Wolfman for instance, he arrived some two weeks before principle photography - and that was only a week
after the director.
Still, Johnson must have ended up developing a pretty convincing plan; because that was some 14 years ago and
the projects he and Johnston have worked on together since have been challenging and sizeable, as the clips
shown to the NZCS audience showed.
He says Johnston is fun to work with, but as you develop your plan you need to make it flexible. This can make
lighting a challenge because aside from a small wedge like a single slice out of a cake, you need to be prepared to
shoot in any direction without waiting for riggers to clamber around the grid repositioning lights.
Flexibility also comes with extensive use of Technocranes which are a lot easier than repositioning dolly track if you
are in a set, say, made of plaster rocks. Johnson recalls in one smaller studio they even covered a Technocrane
with plastic and built it into the set - apparently even at Shepperton, space can be tight.
It's all part of striving to do better, and Johnson says a good director will always push their cinematographer. "It is very important not to fall victim to working in a comfortable place. I think cinematography is one of those forms
that thrives when it is pushed to the limit, whether the director does that, or you do it for yourself.
"The only way to push it to the limit is to do so from a uncomfortable place where you are not entirely sure of the
result - which was more of a risk on film but pretty much zero risk now with digital because with film you had to wait
to see if it actually works."
He admits staying focused on a long job isn't always easy but says communication is the key - something he says is
toughest when it comes to operators. "There is a lot you want the operator to do on their own. You want them to feel they have the freedom to do things,
but if I say too much to an operator it will almost lock him up. So much of what they're doing is now."
With subtle communication at the centre of good relationships perhaps it is no wonder he has the same operator, AC
and Gaffer in the US for 25 years, although as a result of international productions like Captain America and The
Wolfman, both shot in the UK, he has assembled a regular UK crew, and now in New Zealand for the first time he is
using a Kiwi crew including NZCS member John Cavill as operator.
NZCS thanks Shelly for his time talking with us and hopes both he and Joe Johnston had a great experience
shooting in New Zealand. (Photo below by Paul Richards)
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REMEMBERING JOHN DAY
John Day passed away on 7 January 2015, while travelling in India.
John will be remembered by many for his humor, infectious laugh, kindness, and creativity.
John’s his first job in the industry as a cameraman was in 1968, at NZBC. He then went on to free-lance in the late 70’s and worked on a trio of movies as focus puller including
“Beyond Reasonable Doubt” and “Goodbye Pork Pie”.
He worked as camera operator on “The Scarecrow”, “Desperate Remedies” and all three “Lord Of The
Rings”.
Many will remember John as a pioneer in the early days of commercial production houses setting up
Matte-Box Films in 1980 with Trish Downie. It was through Matte-Box Films John produced and directed many award-winning commercials
and music videos including the innovative effects-laden video for Peking Man
exploring visual options which were only beginning to be used in the 80’s.
In 1988 he co-directed the Herbs documentary “The Power Of Music - Te Kaha o Te Waiata”
with Lee Tamahori which remains an iconic part of New Zealand music documentary history. Aside from his commercials and documentary work, John also directed a number of television
programmes.
programmes.
In 1990 Matte-Box Films merged with Flying Fish, and John directed his first feature “The Returning”.
John was a great friend and mentor to me, from my earliest fumbling steps in the 1970’s, Goodbye Pork
Pie a formative experience. Mattebox films gave me many early opportunities to spread my wings as a
commercial cameraman. A good man. A dedicated film maker.
We miss you bro’
Stuart Dryburgh ASC, NZCS
John was such a generous and warm hearted gentleman. Yet another great loss for our close film
community.
John Mahaffie NZCS
John was a great operator. He had a fantastic eye and a true craftsman from the old school.
Paul Lake
I met John in my first week in the film business. Barney gave me a job as 2nd assistant on Beyond
Reasonable Doubt and my first job was to go out with Mr. Day to 'shoot' a 'pick-up' for a kids' film that
Roger Donaldson had directed. Shoot! Pick-up! I can still remember how exciting that was. First day of
production on BRD I felt like a kid at a new school - a complete outsider. John saw me eating lunch on
my own and yelled out 'Jono! Over here!' - and introduced me to Lee and Turtz and Jowsey and Trou
Bayliss and other luminaries and made me feel like one of the boys. A fucking legend - I loved him.
Jonothan Cullinaine
So sorry to hear that. One of the nicest people. Had good times with him, often involving Ian Turtill. Sad.
Bruce Sheridan
He was a legend in the industry.
Richard Bluck NZCS President
My memories of John trace my own journey through the screen industry including.
John as Camera op on Desperate Remedies for Leon Narbey NZCS dealing with 2 Directors in his own
quiet way.
John and Kevin Hayward shooting The Returning with John taking an amused interest in the Gaffer (me)
who was more interested in lenses than lights.
John the person who explained to me why I was called to set to stand in for Al Guilford NZCS after he
was in a vehicle accident.
John - quiet sparkling eyes - knowing something we all should
Kevin Riley Chairperson NZCS
John was The Dude when I first met him on the Scarcrow as a ring in loader. Mellow but yet totally onto
it. Sly smile and kind eyes. Such a lovely man and talented camera operator, producer, mentor to see
many people in our industry. He will be dearly missed. Very sorry to hear of his passing.
All the best to his whanau.
Renaud Maire
MEMBER BENEFITS REMINDER
Don't forget to support those who offer discounts for NZCS members:
Rialto, Academy, The Penthouse, Victoria Cinemas, The Film Archive, the International Film
Festival, also The Basement, Bats Theatre, Classic Comedy Club, the Interislander, Resene
Paints, FnF Fuels.
Further details on the website under Member Benefits.
http://www.nzcine.com/member-benefits/
TIPS & TRICKS
From the following website: http://www.indiewire.com/article/6-best-apps-for-filmmakerscinematography-20141225
Cine Meter II (for iPhone, iPad, Android - $19.99)
The original Cine Meter app was only five bucks, but it also wasn't nearly as good as the second
version is. I think it will take a lot to completely do away with light meters, and people like Wally
Pfister, ASC will never entirely do away with them, but Cine Meter II is allegedly giving the 100year-old contraption a run for its legacy. In its infancy, it already offered more than a traditional
light meter – waveform monitor and false color display – and now it's giving cinematographers
lots more. Now you can set shutter angle, ND filter compensation, and arbitrary filter factors, use
the front-facing camera for "light meter selfies," the spot meter zooms in up to 15x, and there's the
option to add a Luxi photosphere for incident-light readings for $30. Best of all, Cine Meter II
doesn’t require a WiFi connection, nor does it use any of your phone's data.
Artemis (for iPhone, iPad, Android - $29.99)
Yet another option for replacing a brick-and-mortar version of on-set relics – (Anyone else getting
nostalgic yet?) – is Artemis, a director's viewfinder app. Having been among the first viewfinder
apps out there back in 2009, Artemis is bound to be on most directors' and cinematographers'
mobile devices. The app gives the user frame lines according to the lens size and aspect ratio
you enter. Version 6 debuted in 2012, and included a redesigned UI, support for AirPlay and the
ability to store snapshots a la metadata into a gallery.
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