Camera Operator: Fall 2020

VOL. 29, NO.4

FALL 2020

RATCHED

SOC.ORG · FALL 2020

THE MORNING SHOW DUMMY LIVE TV! CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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M AT R I X

4 AXIS GIMBAL SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG U.S. WEST COAST: 1-888-80CRANE • U.S. EAST COAST: 1-888-CRANE52 • DIRECT: (941) 492-9175 • CINEMOVES.COM •EMAIL: INFO@CINEMOVES.COM

CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 NEWS & NOTES

12 THE MORNING SHOW

Back to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Committee Reports

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10 ESTABLISHING SHOT Shanele Alvarez, SOC

41 WHAT'S YOUR STORY...? by Łukasz Bielan, SOC

42 TECH TALK "SOC's New Reviews Initiative Launch"

by Eric Fletcher, SOC "REVIEW: Litepanels Gemini 2x1 LED Soft Light Evaluation"

by David J. Frederick, SOC

46 SMOOTH OPERATOR

"TV on TV"

by Bela Trutz, SOC with Ashley T. Hughes, SOC

18 RATCHED "True Monsters Are Made, Not Born"

by Andrew Mitchell, SOC

26 DUMMY "Framing For Mobile"

by Brian Freesh, SOC

32 LIVE TV "Camera Operating for Live Television "

by David Daut with interviews from: David Eastwood, Bettina Levesque, Salvatore Livia, Hector A. Ramirez, SOC, and Rob Vuona, SOC

"Operator as Storyteller"

by Bonnie Blake, SOC

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26 CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

51 INSIGHT Meet the Members

52 SOCIAL SOC

10 ON THE COVER: Camera operator Andrew Mitchell and Daniel di Tomasso as Dario in Episode 101 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

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Society of Camera Operators Technical Standards Eric Fletcher Corporate Member Craig Bauer, George Billinger, Mitch Dubin, Dave Frederick, Simon Jayes, Sarah Levy, Bill McClelland, Jim McConkey, Matt Moriarty, Dale Myrand, Dan Turrett, David Sammons Education Colin Anderson, Will Arnot, Bonnie Blake, Dave Chameides, Mitch Dubin, Dave Emmerichs, Mick Froelich, Craig Haagensen, Geoff Haley, Sarah Levy, Simon Jayes, Jim McConkey, Larry McConkey, Matt Moriarty, Jeff Muhlstock, John “Buzz” Moyer, Jamie Silverstein, Dave Thompson, Chris Wittenborn Technology Andrew Ansnick, Luke Cormack, Rich Davis, David Emmerichs, Eric Fletcher (Chair), Steve Fracol, Dave Fredericks, Chris Haarhoff, Mike Heathcote, Jamie Hitchcock, Simon Jayes, Doc Karmen, Mark LaBonge, Bill McClelland, Rocker Meadows, John Perry, Manolo Rojas, Sanjay Sami, David Sammons, Job Schotz, Gretchen Warthen Inclusion Sharra Romany (co-chair), Nikk Hearn-Sutton (co-chair), Olivia Abousaid, Shanele Alvarez, Alfeo Dixon, Pauline Edwards, Alexandra Menapace, Jeremiah Smith, Lisa Stacilauskas, Gretchen Warthen, Mande Whitaker

Board of Governors OFFICERS President George Billinger 1st Vice President Mitch Dubin 2nd Vice President Dan Turrett Secretary Lisa Stacilauskas Treasurer Bill McClelland Sergeant-at-Arms Dan Gold

BOARD MEMBERS Colin Anderson George Billinger Mitch Dubin David Emmerichs Eric Fletcher Michael Frediani Daniel Gold Geoffrey Haley Bill McClelland Matthew Moriarty David Sammons Lisa Stacilauskas David Thompson Daniel Turrett Gretchen Warthen

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards George Billinger, Dan Gold, Geoff Haley, Bill McClelland, John “Buzz” Moyer, Dale Myrand, Benjamin Spek, Dave Thompson, Dan Turrett, Rob Vuona Charities Brian Taylor Membership Drive Lisa Stacilauskas Historical Mike Frediani Membership Dan Gold, Dan Turrett

STAFF AND CONSULTANTS Bookkeeper Angela Delgado Calligrapher Carrie Imai Business Consultant Kristin Petrovich and Createasphere

CAMERA OPERATOR MAGAZINE Publishing & Executive Editor Kristin Petrovich Managing Editor Kate McCallum Art Director Stephanie Cameron Advertising Jeff Victor

CONTRIBUTORS Shanele Alvarez, SOC Eric Anderson Bonnie Blake, SOC Łukasz Bielan, SOC George Billinger, SOC David Daut David Eastwood Jesse M. Feldman, SOC Lance Fisher, SOC Eric Fletcher, SOC David J. Frederick, SOC Brian Freesh, SOC Michael J. Germond, SOC Ashley T. Hughes, SOC Bettina Levesque Salvatore Livia Andrew Mitchell, SOC Hector A. Ramirez, SOC Bela Trutz, SOC Rob Vuona, SOC

Anne Marie Fox David J. Frederick, SOC Brian Freesh, SOC Brad Frizzell Jessica Lopez, SOC Robert Lorenz Candace Marias Frank Masi Kari Mitchell John Porter Parker Schultz Al Seib Dallas Sterling Bas Thiele Nicole Wilder Crow Willis

TRIVIA Source imdb.com

TO SUBSCRIBE or for subscription information questions: SOC.org or 818-563-9110

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION (818) 563- 9110 or socoffice@soc.org For digital editions and back issues: SOC.org Camera Operator is a quarterly publication, published by the Society of Camera Operators.

PHOTOGRAPHY Saeed Adyani Michael Desmond Charlie Fernandez Dakota Fine

Is a registered trademark. All rights reserved.

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ATEM Mini Pro ISO model shown.

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Create Training and Educational Videos

Edit and Fix Live Streams

ATEM Mini includes everything you need. All the buttons are positioned on the front panel so it’s very easy to learn. ATEM Software Control is also included for accessing more advanced features! The 4 HDMI inputs allow connecting cameras and computers, plus the USB output works like a webcam for Zoom or Skype.

The multiview even allows all cameras to be viewed on a single monitor!

With the new ATEM Mini Pro ISO model, you can now edit your live show to fix any mistakes or make improvements. You get all video inputs and program recorded as 5 separate video files! Plus a DaVinci Resolve edit timeline is saved, so you can open the live show and make changes with a single click! It only takes a few minutes to edit and upload a perfect version of your show!

The ATEM Mini Pro model has a built in hardware streaming engine for live streaming via its ethernet connection. This means you can live stream to YouTube, Facebook and Twitch in much better quality and with perfectly smooth motion.

You can even connect a hard disk or flash storage to the USB connection and record your stream for upload later!

Use Professional Video Effects ATEM Mini is really a professional broadcast switcher used by television stations. This means it has professional effects such as a DVE for picture in picture effects, commonly used for commentating over a computer slide show.

There are titles for presenter names, wipe effects for transitioning between sources and a green screen keyer for replacing backgrounds with graphics!

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Letter from the President Welcome to the 2020 fall edition of the SOC Camera Operator magazine. My sincere thoughts to you all with hope and trust that you are staying healthy and safe. And the best to all of your families and friends.

Despite the fact that COVID-19 continues to effect the world and our industry with uncertainty and unprecedented challenges, we are reinventing a way back. There are now unifying precautions and standards being implemented by our industry to get production back on track. It has not been easy. The feedback, observations, and ideas from the membership in helping craft a way forward has been invaluable.

As the SOC continues its dedication to helping support our members and the filmmaking community, we have formed a valuable and important alliance with the ASC and Local 600. The SOC Education Committee put together a very informative Zoom event addressing what it is like to get back into production COVID-style. They invited operators and members who have gone back to production to share their experiences, tips, and advice for the challenges we face in doing so. This is all very encouraging, but we must also remain highly aware of putting safety and health as our primary concern on set and in our homes.

The SOC continues to expand its offerings in the virtual realm. The newly created Member Portal continues to build a digital archive of highly informative online learning experiences from the Education Committee. The Technical Committee has created a new initiative you’ll see featured in this issue of the magazine, the Tech Talk Review, which will review relevant production technology that will then be archived on the Membership Portal as a resource.

Please see our News and Notes section for additional reports from the SOC Committees who continue to work to offer more resources and support to our members. And again, a sincere thank you to all the committees and individuals for their commitment and dedication to the SOC. Our members are such great people—who together make up the strength and foundation of this organization, and I am proud to be a part of this group of professionals.

And lastly on a personal note. I’d like to ask and encourage everyone to vote on November 3rd. Our vote is the most powerful tool we have. Make your opinions and voices heard. Realize the importance of your fundamental right. Participate fully and respectfully.

Continue to stay positive, and I hope and pray that you and all of your families, friends, and communities are safe and healthy.

Wishing you all great gratitude and continued optimism this fall and beyond.

Regards always,

George Billinger, SOC Society of Camera Operators, President

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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The SOC Education Committee continues to produce and promote educational Zoom events. The latest is a very informative panel discussion featuring operators who are going back to work COVID-style.

See article recap below:

News & Notes PANELISTS:

BACK TO WORK DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic put a screeching halt to production. The entertainment industry, the unions, and other local, state and national authorities have been working diligently to create new protocols, processes, and procedures to “COVID proof ” production. Gradually, production is starting up again and these methodologies are being put to the test. The Society of Camera Operators’ Educational Committee presented an important Zoom session featuring a panel of camera operators who have gone back into production reporting back on what they’ve experienced, what's working, challenges, and practical coping advice. The video is currently available to view on the SOC homepage for a limited time. Members can access the video on the Membership Portal.

A special thank you to the panel of operators who participated in this informative talk and Q&A: George Billinger, SOC; Dave Chameides, SOC; Mitch Dubin, SOC; Andrew Mitchell, SOC; Cheli Clayton Samaras; and Gretchen Warthen, SOC.

George Billinger, SOC

Dave Chameides, SOC

Mitch Dubin, SOC

Andrew Mitchell, SOC

Cheli Clayton Samaras

Gretchen Warthen, SOC

Whether working on commercials, multi-camera shoots, feature film, or TV series, these operators share the protocol being implemented and tested.

The discussions covered topics such as: the COVID-19 officer’s roles and how they monitor, pre-production preparation, questionnaires, testing, social distancing on location and on stages, shields, mask usage and mask fatigue breaks, gloves, sanitizing and sanitizers, transportation, meetings protocol, managing doors, plexi-dividers, ventilation and filtration, meals breaks, and scheduling challenges.

The challenges specific to the camera operators include: disinfecting, sanitizing and cleaning the equipment, fogging shield or eye-ware, communication challenges due to masks and social distancing, social distancing that can accommodate camera crew and talent, blocking Steadicam shots while working with the six-foot rule.

 WATCH " Back to Work During the COVID-19 Pandemic"

These were some of the highlights of the talks, but we recommend that you take the time to watch the video as it is highly informative and filled with advice and information about how to stay as safe as you can on set and locations.

The operators all emphasized that you stay safe—for yourself and others, report any concerns you observe or experience, and speak up if you need a break or support. Remember we are all in these together and the SOC is here as a resource and support organization.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

The SOC’s Awards Committee Announces

The Heritage Celebration 2021 The Heritage Celebration 2021 is presented by the SOC’s Awards Committee, celebrating the heritage and history of the Society of Camera Operators, past, present and future.

The virtual gathering will host some of the most notable creative teams discussing their collaboration and how they captured some of the most memorable moments.

Dust off your tux, gather your family and friends, with a glass of champagne in hand, for this engaging and celebratory virtual event. Stay tuned for details!

NEW Membership Portal As an SOC member you gain access to the membership portal with over 70+ hours of content.

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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Committee Reports FLASHBACK Written by Michael Frediani, SOC Historical Committee, Chair FADE IN: EXT. DU-PAR’S RESTAURANT - STUDIO CITY, CALIFORNIA - NIGHT - 1979 Another small group meeting of premier Hollywood camera operators has spilled out to the parking lot after a raucous meeting inside.

“Kicked out” was the often-used term. Creating an organization from scratch can be a loud and disordered proposition, but these guys are determined to create an innovative society that will bring respect to the often-overlooked camera operator.

With an idea. A purpose. A goal—the camaraderie and structure must endure. Everything that will be accomplished must be memorialized so the founders, and those who come subsequently will have a legacy to build upon.

Beginning with newsletters and eventually a glossy magazine, the goal of this nascent SOC is to present members and others with the behind-the-scenes inner workings of getting the shot. It’s a physical process all-the-while performing mental gymnastics and personal interactions within every scene—bring our art, our craft, our livelihoods to the fore…

EXT./INT. ON YOUR ELECTRONIC DEVICE - PRESENT DAY - DAY/NIGHT From the outset the SOC has emphasized philanthropy, outreach and education for our members with workshops, screenings and seminars. We want you to be able to grasp the knowledge of your predecessors, and colleagues—then take it from there and make it even better.

Visit soc.org/about/history to view all of our previous magazines, member photographs, awards show videos and seminars. This is our gift to you.

CHARITY COMMITTEE REPORT The Society of Camera Operators has a 16 year history of charitable donations and video creation with Dr. Thomas Lee and The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Over this span of time the SOC has helped raise over 18 million dollars for CHLA. This fundraising has helped Dr. Lee to expand his practice and satellite programs around the world, helping them to prevent over 100,000 cases of blindness. The work we do with Dr. Lee is a fundamental reflection of the standards and ideals of the SOC, and it is a privilege for us to work with CHLA. So far this year we have received $9,000 direct charitable donations, and have plans to promote our ongoing work with CHLA through our social media outlets. We look forward to continuing our annual video productions with Dr. Lee when COVID safety permits.

The SOC would like to extend a very big thank you to everyone who has helped us with our charitable efforts in the past and to

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TO BE CONTINUED…BY YOU.

those who are able to help us continue in these efforts! If you are interested in making a charitable donation to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital please contact the SOC at office@soc.org Attn: Charity Committee. If you are an SOC member and you would like to volunteer your time for future video productions please contact briantaylorfilms@gmail.com.

Brian Taylor, SOC Charity Committee Chair

EDUCATION COMMITTEE REPORT The Educational Committee has been in full swing, delivering over 100+ hours of content since the shutdown. On the Membership Portal you will find:

• • •

The SOC/AFI Lecture Series The Inspirational Roundtable Series Making the Transition to Narrative

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

• • • •

The Secret Life of the Camera Head SOC Mentorship Q&A Health and Well Being Series and other miscellaneous educational videos and podcasts

MENTORSHIP COMMITTEE REPORT The SOC Mentorship Program was launched in May of this year, with around 50 veteran mentors, and well over a hundred enthu-

The committee is working towards presenting three more educational sessions in the next 90 days. We are planning on producing two sessions on working with the Ronin and the Movi, as well as a session on the business of camera operating.

siastic mentees that have been rotating through six-week, one-on-

All session are open to members of all categories and will be announced via email.

politics, to communication tips, as well as technical guidance,

If you have not yet set up your SOC Membership Portal, please do so and take advantage of this unique content from some of our most esteemed camera operators.

professional and social relationships at a time in our community

If you need assistance setting up your Member Portal, please email membership@soc.org.

Mitch Dubin, SOC Education Committee Chair

INCLUSION COMMITTEE REPORT

one socially distant session cycles, as well as a few group mentorship virtual events.

Topics have included everything from skills development to set inspirational support and career strategizing. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive and has fostered valuable new when many have suffered from forced isolation and a sense of detachment from others.

Given the pandemic’s unique challenges, the program's guidelines have been fairly self-guided, and have yielded some pretty inventive COVID-friendly formats, using Zoom, FaceTime, Skype, and even meetings in parks and other public spaces, as well as camera house prep floors.

In the coming months, as we emerge out of COVID-19 and ful-

The SOC Inclusion Committee is dedicated to facilitating an inclusive and equitable atmosphere for all SOC members. Since the creation of the SOC Inclusion Committee, we have begun to lay the foundation for our goals in the months and years to come, and identify areas that need growth.

ly re-open our industry, the program aspires to incorporate on-set

We are pleased to be hosting a takeover of the the SOC Instagram in the next few weeks. We hope to highlight members of underrepresented groups, as well as encourage those interested to click through to the website.

Geoff Haley, SOC

Our committee is proud to have been in partnership with Local 600 and the ASC for an important event on inclusion in the camera department. The Talk was co-created with the three organizations, with tremendous effort by our own Kristin Petrovich. Like most of what happens at the SOC, that event couldn’t have taken place without her hard work. We are currently in talks planning the The Talk 2.

We have been working on a SOC 2.0 feature—a centralized gear

The SOC Inclusion Committee has been researching demographic information for the next phase of the member portal. This information will help us understand the needs of the SOC membership as a whole.

use to solve the problems we have on set. This resource hopefully

Interested in being a part of the Inclusion Committee? Email us at inclusion@SOC.org.

Stay safe and follow the Covid-19 protocols. They are there to keep

Sharra Romany, SOC Inclusion Committee Chair

Eric Fletcher SOC

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

shadowing and one-on-one tutorials so that a new generation of eager and passionate operators is able to benefit from the valuable insights and generosity of veterans who are compelled to give back to our vibrant community.

Mentorship Committee Chair

TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPORT review database You'll find our first review featured in this issue of the magazine, Tech Talk Review. Later this year and into early 2021, we will be rolling this out what we are hoping will become a valuable resource for the members. Our goal is to have a deep selection of reviews of both new gear and gear that we are presently using, offering the members a way to learn about gear that they can will become your go-to resource, But this resource is going to be only as good as the members inputs so please let us know what you would like to see both reviewed and included in the database.

up safe and healthy, and to keep the cameras rolling.

Technical Committee Chair

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Establishing Shot Shanele Alvarez, SOC

Photo by Crow Willis

From a very early age, Shanele knew she wanted to be a part of the movie making process. Between always having a video camera in her hands, and a famous photographer for an uncle, she was destined to become a camera operator and cinematographer. As if this wasn't enough, a fateful viewing of The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller gave direction to her passion, and led her on a singular path that would have every moment of her education focused on being an integral part of a production like that.

Shanele's professional camera career started when almost immediately after graduating, she found herself working as the 1st AC on a feature being filmed in Miami being DP'd by Cliff Charles. Mr. Charles noticed Shanele's passion and intricate understanding of the camera department, and told her that if she ever decided to move to New York she would have a guaranteed position at his company. After production, she moved to NY and became Cliff's go-to 1st AC, and a secondary camera operator for many productions.

Throughout high school, Shanele found herself creating video projects for class assignments, and being a part of the drama and TV production clubs. Naturally when it came to college, she chose to focus on communications. Shanele received a BA in Intercultural Communications with a minor in Cinema Studies from San Francisco State, then earned an MA in Screenwriting from CSU Northridge.

Cliff mentored Shanele in operating and cinematography, and provided her opportunities to DP and operate on projects through his production company. After a couple years, Shanele moved back home to Southern California in order to focus solely on expanding her career as an operator and DP. In 2015, she completed another professional dream and goal by amassing enough operator credits to join Local 600. Her early union work consisted mainly of non-scripted shows like Dancing with The Stars, The Voice, The Great Christmas Light Fight, home improvement-style shows. Shanele's first major scripted work came with The Jim Henson Company on two of their award-winning childrens' animated series, using their

After working on some productions as an intern and production coordinator, Shanele decided to go back to school to focus on her passion—cinematography. She enrolled at the University of Miami where she earned an MFA in Film Production, with an emphasis in Cinematography.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS ¡ SOC.ORG

Left: Photo by Jessica Lopez. Right: Photo by Candace Marias.

trademark motion capture technology. As her reputation grew as an accomplished operator, she had the pleasure of being introduced to legendary DP, Alan Caso, ASC. Shortly after her introduction to Alan, he asked her to be an operator on a pilot for the CW Network, shooting in New Mexico. Not only was Shanele up for the task, but she continued to work with Alan on a couple other projects since.

This also started a great mentorship and friendship with Alan Caso, which is still going today and has been instrumental in helping her develop as an all-around operator, and cinematographer. In 2019, Shanele was bestowed the honor of being accepted into SOC for which she is very passionately involved, and is even a committee member for the SOC Inclusion Committee. Shanele's passion for camera operating extends past her love for shooting to the protection

and advancement of the craft and the industry. To do her part she has also become an alternate NEB operator representative, and a member of their Diversity Committee as well. Shanele most recently has worked as an operator on the reboot of Kids Say The Darnest Things, CBS’ All Rise, and a few Netflix projects. She is determined to be a complete operator and most recently took up Steadicam. Up next, Shanele will be headed back to All Rise for the second season, hoping to get on some features, and continue to further develop herself in all aspects relating to camera and cinematography. She aspires to one day be an accomplished and revered veteran in the camera community, and have the opportunity to pay it forward by mentoring future generations of operators and DP's.

SHANELE ALVAREZ, SOC Shanele Alvarez is an established camera operator who loves to create camera moves and angles on anything from sticks to Steadicam. She is experienced in both scripted and non-scripted work with some of her recent credits being: All Rise, The Rookie, and the Netflix special Everything’s Fine with Sarah Cooper. She believes if you are doing what you love, you never work a day in your life. With this love and passion Shanele is continuing to live out her lifelong dream behind the camera.

Photo by Parker Schultz

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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The Morning Show TV on TV

by Bela Trutz, SOC with Ashley T. Hughes, SOC

 WATCH TRAILER NOW Jennifer Aniston in THE MORNING SHOW, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Photo by Courtesy of Apply TV+

The Morning Show is dramatic series created by Jay Carson and Kerry Ehrin for Apple TV+. The show stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carrell, and Billy Crudup, and offers an inside look at the lives of the people who help America wake up in the morning, exploring the unique challenges faced by the men and women who carry out this daily televised ritual. Apple TV+ received four Emmy nominations for the series, and won its first primetime Emmy as Billy Crudup took the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series for his performance in The Morning Show.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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TECH ONDXSLE2Tcam-

n’s Panavisio es o 70 seri eras; Prim rsa Mini lenses; U

Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon in THE MORNING SHOW. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ In October of 2018, after a nice day of shooting, I was on my way to a dinner with the cinematographer I was working with on a feature film called Come Away. As I was arriving, my phone rang and an old friend and colleague was on the line—director of photography, David Lanzenberg. He told me briefly about a project that would shoot in Los Angeles, a high-end television show with A-list actors, and worthy creators and collaborators. The promise was a feature quality series for the new Apple TV+ streaming service. I would be A camera/Steadicam for five months of work, shorter hours than most television shows, and would start in about a month or so. I usually prefer working on features because of the process, but the truth is television has been getting so good—high-quality writing, fantastic look, and great actors. This series felt like a right one for me, and the pieces seemed to fit so I told David I was interested. After a couple of more interviews with Michael Grady, the alternating cinematographer, and Mimi

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Leder, the director and executive producer, I got the job.

OUR TEAM AND THE TOOLS I was happy to invite Gunnar Mortensen, a very good 1st AC whom I have been working with for awhile to come join me on this adventure, and we had Brian “Joey” Morena to operate B camera with his team. Gunnar helped put together the rest of the camera team, and organized the camera equipment order for the show. The cinematographer, Michael Grady, picked the Panavision’s DXL2 cameras fitted with the Primo70 series lenses to capture the show. We figured out a good build for the Steadicam, as I had a feeling we were going to use the rig a lot on the show. We were ready for Day 1.

DAY ONE The first day of production was a huge day on location in a Downtown Los Angeles

restaurant. Meeting Reese Witherspoon and Billy Crudup for the first time, jumping into a six-page scene with three cameras rolling on almost every set-up, at least a couple of hundred extras, and a crew trying to figure out who is who—I had my hands full on A camera trying to put all the pieces together, and meeting everyone while looking for the best images. At the end of the day we had a great first scene for the show, the scene where Cory Ellison meets Bradley Jackson for the first time, and everyone was pleased. There was obvious pressure to make this show as good as we could, after all it was one of Apple TV+’s top shows for the launch of their new platform.

Mimi Leder, our director and executive producer, set a fitting tone for the show on the first two episodes. Day to day, all the actors delivered great performances, and it was interesting to see how the show’s storyline was evolving. I had previously worked with Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Steve Carrell on

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

TRIVIA: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and director/executive producer Mimi Leder have all denied notions that the show is just the story of (now) disgraced TV personality Matt Lauer.

Steve Carell and Martin Short in THE MORNING SHOW. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+ feature films, and it was nice to be reunited with them, and see their performances through the lens again.

WORKING WITH THE TALENT The two lead actresses, Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, could not have been nicer or more professional to work with, and their dedication to The Morning Show is on the screen. Billy Crudup was one of my surprise favorites on the show, his collaboration and performance was fantastic.

It is a great group of actors that aligned on this series, and one of the reasons the show works so well.

THE CHALLENGES OF TV One challenge of a television show, or mini-series, is working with different directors from episode to episode. On a feature film you get to know the director and they get to know you, after that you just create

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

some good scenes together for the next few months. On an episodic project, incoming directors have alot shorter time to tell a onehour script, put their own signature on that episode, yet keep the same style. They lean on the crew more for that set tone.

On The Morning Show Mimi Leder directed three episodes, and David Frankel directed two of the 10 episodes. This provided great continuity, and some of my favorites shots were on their episodes. Mimi Leder uses the Steadicam for great one takes, and we follow actors and the story all around our main stage which presents several key sets for the show. I always appreciate a scene where the one shot tells the story, and all the coverage is orchestrated within that move. On Mimi’s episodes this approach works really well.

CAMERA ON CAMERA Another unique visual on our show is that we have cameras and local 600 camera op-

erators whom we feature as actors. They also shoot the actual footage of the show for the studio monitors, and any segment on the show that plays the anchors and newscasters on camera. Every episode we find ourselves shooting some scenes where our lead cast is in the middle of taping the The Morning Show, or we are in the studio with them which buzzes with all the production equipment and crews we are all used to. At first, it sounded confusing on how to approach these scenes but we figured it out quickly, and actually it was a great advantage to have real operators to work with on setting up these shots. They understood well what we were looking for in our shots, and provided us with some great suggestions too. The on-camera crew, and all the studio equipment like pedestal cameras, studio lights, monitors, jib arms and etc. gave us great texture to create these scenes with all the different layers of a show, and make the audience feel like they are there with us as part of the crew observing.

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Jennifer Aniston and Steve Carell in THE MORNING SHOW. Photo courtesy of Apple TV+

THOSE SPECIAL SHOTS Episode 5, directed by David Frankel, had some great singing performances by our main actors during an upscale party held at Jennifer Anniston’s character’s penthouse.

The performance between Billy Crudup and Jennifer Anniston was sensational for me to lens with the Steadicam. At the end of the performance, we end up finding Fred, the studio boss, and we used three shots; one Steadicam, one Technocrane, and one crane on a track to take Fred outside the balcony, and leave him to find Jennifer’s character talking with her husband. We first find her though the window of her bedroom, and we track with them through her bathroom window, and her two closet windows where we end up pushing in on the two of them—all outside the window, with no other coverage.

The truth is that every day we find several special shots, and that is what keeps the show interesting for us, and for the viewers. I am looking forward to getting back and filming the second season of the show, and making more interesting images.

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ASHLEY T. HUGHES, SOC: CAMERA ON CAMERA OPERATOR As a camera operator coming from the unscripted, competition, multi-cam, live TV world for over 12 years, 2018 was the year I was working on making my transition into narrative/scripted. It's pretty tough, as most of my colleagues know, but I was letting the world know by talking to everyone about my goal and taking advantage of every workshop or event that the SOC, ICG, and ASC had to offer. After all, it’s all about people believing in you and giving you a chance, and here's one of those special times...

In late 2018, after visiting the set I was working on for the competition show, Million Dollar Mile, Vince Mata from ICG called me to see if I was interested in working on a new Apple TV+ show featuring Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston as a pedestal camera operator–and that I would also be featured in “front of the camera.” Without a beat, I said, “OF COURSE!” And so he recommended me to the video supervisor, and my first day on The Morning Show began right after Thanksgiving that year.

This was the perfect gateway opportunity to do what I know how to do as multicam live operator, and be a student at the same time. Sponge up, watch, and pay attention to the camera department.

TRIVIA: Jennifer Aniston's first time working on a mainstream television series since Friends (1994). Photo by Stephane Malenfant

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

As one of the studio pedestal operators, our job was simple, yet high-pressure. We shot all the broadcast segments of The Morning Show. Our shots showed up in the master control room monitors, or on a TV within a scene. Unlike typical broadcast cameras, we used the Ursa Mini, which worked well with the Panavision DXLs while still having a broadcast look. We usually shot two to three takes of an entire segment, and then the rest of the time the camera crew would shoot us shooting the studio segment. On the call sheet, we were in the Video Department. Even though we were a separate department from camera, we became one team while shooting studio segments. There were a lot of days where we had three pedestal cameras, one jib, and three DXL cameras all rolling at the same time.

vironment, pretending to fiddle with our gear, or we were even encouraged to react to the scene.

When the Camera Department came in to cover the studio scene, this is where the half-pretend, playing like an extra, and a half-real camera operating role came into play. For instance, Bela or Joey would start on a close-up of my monitor and dolly out to reveal the studio segment. In this example, we were also operating, holding the frame in focus. Video control would sometimes record that take if it was usable, but a lot of times, not at all, because we already covered it “clean.” Other times, for instance, when Bela was shooting Steadicam and following a character into the studio, we pedestal camera operators were part of that en-

It really was a unique experience having “The Camera Operator on Camera” role. One that I would love to do again for Season 2.

I learned so much from being a part of The Morning Show crew.

Watching Bela and the whole camera team function was definitely a huge part of my experience, and I hope to take that model to the next scripted show I have the honor to work on.

I have so many favorite moments shooting studio segments on The Morning Show, but I would love to share the most intense one. Reese Witherspoon, playing Bradley Jackson, is interviewing a former employee who was sexually harassed. I am shooting Reese's single, and have to slowly zoom in to a tight shot. It was a really long segment, and the dialogue was at least 15 minutes.

I’m not going to lie—my hands were shaking with sweat the first take. Reese's performance was so incredible, and it was such an emotional moment on camera that I just felt it. Luckily all went well, and I passed the test. But I will say, that was the scene that got all the jitters out for me.

TRIVIA: In one scene Billy Crudup's character is handed a 'Manhattan' cocktail. A clear reference to his character in Watchmen (2009).

TRIVIA: Despite the three leads (Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell) being comedy veterans in terms of their films and TV roles, this show is defined as a drama, though with some light moments sprinkled in.

BELA TRUTZ, SOC Bela Trutz, SOC has been operating since 1996, and likes the challenge of getting the best possible shot.

He has worked with some great directors and cinematographers along the way such as: Denis Villeneuve, Niki Caro, Tom McCarthy, Gary Ross, Roger Deakins, Greig Fraser, Masanobu Takayanagi, Benoit Delhomme, Jeff Cronenweth and many more. His credits include work on such favorite movies as: Prisoners, Foxcatcher, Free State of Jones, Sicario, Bumblebee, and First They Killed My Father.

Photo courtesy of Bela Trutz

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ASHLEY T. HUGHES, SOC Ashley T. Hughes, SOC graduated from USC with a degree in Visual Anthropology and Cinematic Arts. She’s worked as an operator on scripted series AppleTV+’s The Morning Show, and HBO’s Insecure, and a pilot for Fox, What Just Happened, several non-scripted TV shows such as CBS’s Love Island USA, ABC’s The Bachelor, CBS’s Kids Say The Darndest Things, and CBS’s Big Brother to name a few. Ashley has worked on feature films Breaking Fast and Bad Impulse and is also a certified as underwater camera operator.

Photo courtesy of Ashley T. Hughes

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Ratched

True Monsters Are Made, Not Born

by Andrew Mitchell, SOC

Ratched is an American psychological horror drama television series for Netflix, based on the 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. The series was created by Evan Romansky and stars Sarah Paulson as Nurse Ratched.

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 WATCH TRAILER NOW (L to R) Emily Mest as Nurse Amelia, Sarah Paulson as Mildred Ratched, Alice Englert as Nurse Dolly, Charlie Carver as Huck Finnigan and Jermaine Williams as Harold in Episode 101 of RATCHED. Photo Credit: Saeed Adyani/ NETFLIX © 2020

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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(L to R) Camera operator Andrew Mitchell, and Cynthia Nixon as Gwendolyn Briggs in Episode 102 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

Ratched was my ninth series collaboration with producer Ryan Murphy, and the fifth with DP, Nelson Cragg, ASC. As Ryan Murphy Television (RMTV) can be very loyal, we pulled together the usual crew. We had just finished the modern, upbeat satirical show, Politician, and looked forward to this dark and twisted period thriller.

INSIDE THE SERIES Sarah Paulson would lead as the title character in this stylish yet abstract world of mental health, circa 1947. Meeting nurse Ratched in her earlier years gives a glimpse into the mindset of an individual determined to make a difference in a time when psycho-behavioral drugs were being introduced, and a Nobel Peace Prize was given for the revolutionary new procedure—the frontal lobotomy.

On our first day, we were at a practical location for a dinner scene at a monastery.

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The concept was that wide shots were to be symmetrical and static. We did a couple of rehearsals and something was missing. Corey Corona, A cam dolly grip, sampled a very slow drop during the next take. Video village responded with approval, and that became our mode—slow, deliberate motion. It built tension. We also learned that Murphy preferred to push in or pull out of a scene, as opposed to moving side to side, unless we were perfectly tracking an actor’s motion with no pan involved.

The interior mental hospital/health spa set was built at FOX Studios, and we were asked to feature its textured walls, shiny floors, and symmetrical architecture within our frames.

SHOOTING THE SERIES The camera frequently found its way to the floor, as the reflections were amazing. We

would regularly do three-camera, wide shot setups in the hospital. In fact, we ran three cameras as often as it was smart. After a few episodes, it became a challenge to come up with something new. Collaborating with B and C camera operators, Rob Givens and Mark Laskowski, we would always find something creative. The challenge of not seeing a camera, or having limited space, often pushed us to find new and interesting frames. There was a good sense of camaraderie and give and take between cameras, depending on who had the priority shot— sometimes shifting priority from take to take. And from time to time—some shots didn’t work and got pulled out, instead of shooting something the DP didn’t like.

ON LOCATION When on location at Big Sur, we had several driving scenes. A restored 1940s Packard automobile is a wonder to look at, but the

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

(L to R) Camera operator Andrew Mitchell and Judy Davis as Nurse Betsy Ratched in Episode 101 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

front camera mounts proved challenging.

Key grip, David Donoho worked through several options. The hard mounts required the hood to be removed, and the lack of modern suspension just shook the camera too much. A stabilized head mounted to the car proved to be too high to see through the narrow windshield. David found that a stabilized M7 head on a Technocrane arm would deliver. And, since we had only one hero car, this allowed the Packard to be rolled off the trailer for free driving without delay.

Cinedrones provided outstanding aerial footage in Big Sur of our hero driving the twisty roads along the ocean cliffs, and establishing the Seaside Motel.

The motel interior was built on the stage and even though it was enlarged from the practical location, it was tight to shoot in, certainly with two to three cameras rolling.

To help with space, our genius grip and set

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

decorating departments created one-half and one-quarter portion beds. We could shoot over the bedspread without giving up the space of the whole bed.

BASIC DIRECTIVES As operators on Ratched, we had some basic directives. Our reference was Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and the audience will see nods to the film including a Technicolor-infused palette.

The following are three ideas we kept at the forefront of our thinking: Make the wide shots interesting for the whole scene. Never be afraid of a wide shot, RMTV often plays important dialogue in a compelling full size frame.

Feature the costumes and hair, as Murphy loves these components. We often set our lens size to see a certain cut of a dress, a

piece of trim, or a broach. It was crucial to always see the full nurse’s cap.

If your frame was average, make it better.

Working with our amazing on-set dresser, Giovanni Aurelia, we would enhance the shot by adding or deleting layers of fore, mid, and background elements. Gio always has an educated opinion, and is a consistent ally to improving the image while staying true to design.

CONVENTIONAL TECHNIQUES AND OUR TECH In general, we used conventional techniques.

DOLLY: Using dance floor and track is a tried and true method. Skipping it usually bites you in the end. We used a lot of dance floor and that required coordination with the other cameras’ positions. Laying floor for two or three separate cameras, and then

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Camera operator Andrew Mitchell and Daniel di Tomasso as Dario in Episode 101 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

needing to connect them after it’s laid is usually a re-do, so we would just plan for it in advance. Speaking of dance floor, I prefer the dolly grip to adjust for overs and make subtle moves. Corey Corona knows what I’m after and has full reign to adjust on the fly.

hear my cue that I’m going to tag a prop.

SLIDERS: I like to use sliders for low moving shots or extending over objects or on boxes in small spaces.

can really tell a lot of story with a well-de-

STEADICAM: The rig was used for multi-position scenes and plenty of hallway walking scenes. Skimming the floor with low-mode on the Garfield mount was also useful.

FOCUS: A camera 1st AC, Penny Sprague, still prefers to pull focus on the knob. In my opinion, the advantages outweigh the cons. She can feel the camera pan triggering a rack focus, see the dolly start its move or

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In a world where camera loaders don’t have mags anymore, it’s nice that Penny has found a way to keep one foot in a classic style, and one up to speed with all the new technology.

CRANES: To show space and motion, you signed Technocrane move. I don’t think most directors realize how many people are involved in a Technocrane shot. When they ask for a change, at least five people need to adjust. Having a great crane team is priceless. Without good chemistry things can become very frustrating. We have Corey Corona on the bucket; Corey Checketts from Elite Camera Support on the pickle; Penny Sprague pulling focus; 2nd AC, Ben Perry on zoom; and me on the wheels. With that team, it’s easy to improvise the director’s desires in real time.

I love a crane shot that goes from a scenic wide to an intimate story point. We did a shot at the motel exterior where the camera cranes down from the ocean expanse pulled toward the cliff side motel by a car driving in. We push and follow to the back door, and see a lady’s foot step out, rise to find our actress checking the view, she turns into a close-up, and pushes the camera back as she rounds the bumper, and trails away to the office as we see the chauffeur unloading luggage in the foreground. I was DP that day so my good friend from Glee, Duane Mieliwocki, SOC operated the shot.

SHOOTING DURING WEATHER While filming in Big Sur, the rain was a constant companion. The look of rain was great for the show, but it became a nuisance when we couldn’t control when and where it came down. This proved true one night while filming the last shot of the day,

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TECH ON SEeTli: um 8K

on H RED Weap nieux ras; Ange S35 Came eight zooms; htw Optimo Lig mes; PRO-GPI Pri ARRI Ultra Milli and M7 ; Steadicam heads o m re te

TRIVIA: Ratched is a drama series about a younger version of the sadistic Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Jon Jon Briones as Dr. Richard Hanover, and camera operator Andrew Mitchell in Episode 104 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

a “simple” crane car drive-by. First, the actor felt uncomfortable driving an antique car in a downpour. Second, the light in the dash to illuminate the actor’s face made it difficult to see out the window. Third, the windshield completely fogged from inside making it harder to see and there was no heat or defrost in the car. Fourth, after the actor passed it over to the stunt double, the visibility was still not good enough to feel secure about having crew managing the crane near the road. So, after working in pouring rain for an hour, we planted the crane on the ground and we rolled camera as the car drove by. Then we wrapped in the rain, jumped in the vans for the one-hour twisty ride back to town, laughing about all the crazy things we do. Sometimes you just have to roll with the punches.

You may have worked with an actor who prefers to be shot from one side of the face over the other. This was true on Ratched.

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With that in mind we did our best to always accommodate. There was a subtle silent language during rehearsals between operator and DP, and some cues picked up by the talent as to where the DP wanted to shoot, and what blocking would work. Making this effort went a long way building trust, and helping the actor feel comfortable. The only real challenge came when we had another actor in a scene with prosthetic make-up that we didn’t want the audience to see. To accommodate both would mean shooting the wrong side of the line, so some compromises and clever staging helped.

When shooting in the D-Block, essentially the hospital prison, we ran into a challenge.

The bars to the lockup cells were four inches apart. This meant that for all of our dialogue up at the cell gate, we would not only be trying to get a close eyeline, but also see both eyes between bars. This proved to be rather confining for the actors, and difficult to adjust

for camera. We spent many takes digging out eyes from behind the bars as the talent would lean one way or another. On the following episode, production design provided a time-saving new gate with wider bars.

OPERATORS AND DP’S As operators on Ratched, we continued the look and feel as DPs changed throughout the series. There were four DPs in sequence: Nelson Cragg, ASC; Blake McClure; myself; and Simon Dennis, BSC. As I shot Episode 4 and many double-up days, the importance of the operator’s role was emphasized. It was reassuring to have the operator’s creative input about shots, their diligence in showing the camera movement during lighting, and keeping watch to make sure equipment stayed out of the frame. Walking in the shoes of someone else, especially your boss, gives eye-opening perspective as to their stress points and how an operator can relieve those points.

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Sharon Stone as Lenore Osgood in Episode 103 of RATCHED. Photo by Saeed Adyani

Working on Ratched was one of my favorite show experiences. I am personally fascinated by mental health treatment; how it has progressed and recessed over the years. Netflix is always up for something fresh and this look into Nurse Ratched’s formative years will tantalize an audience curious about

why humans Photo

by Jane behave Goodall the way they do—and not just the patients in the asylum.

I’ve shared some of the tools, experiences, and challenges in a way that hopefully helps. There are so many ways to do our jobs and execute shots. It’s been an honor to participate in the educational webinars

presented by the Society of Camera Operators during the COVID-19 shutdown. As we glean information and experience from others, we can then add our personal to touch in creating the most effective way to express the feeling and emotion of the story before us.

ANDREW MITCHELL, SOC

TRIVIA: Often Nurse Ratched is considered one of the greatest female villains in movie history.

She is even viewed as a great rival to the very well-known villain, The Wicked Witch of the West. Ratched has been named the fifth greatest villain in movie history by The American Film Institute.

Photo by Kari Mitchell

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Andrew has operated on 383 television episodes and more than a handful of features, including: Touched by an Angel, High School Musical, Glee, Scream Queens, American Crime Story, Ratched, Hollywood, and The Prom. The SOC honored him twice with the Camera Operator of the Year - Television Award in 2012 and 2017. Working his way from camera loader to operator, Andrew celebrates his 23rd year as a camera/Steadicam operator in 2020. “I love being an operator because it mixes artistic expression, technical knowledge, physicality and social interaction. Working in television allows me to go home every night.”

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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Dummy Framing For Mobile

by Brian Freesh, SOC

 WATCH TRAILER NOW

Cody (Anna Kendrick) and Barbara (Meredith Hagner) in DUMMY. Photo courtesy of Quibi.

Dummy is a technically groundbreaking American web television series that premiered on the new streaming platform, Quibi in April 2020. The series was created by Cody Heller, and is executive produced and stars Anna Kendrick, who plays an aspiring writer who befriends her boyfriend's sex doll, and the two take on the world together. Anna Kendrick received an Emmy Award nomination for actress in a short form comedy or drama series for Dummy. The series was originally developed as a television pilot, but the script was rewritten as a film and then split into less than 10-minute episodes to fit into the concept of Quibi.

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Some dozen or so years ago I met—then AFI Fellow—now international DP, Catherine Goldshmidt while I was a prep tech at Clairmont Camera. Fortunately for me, we remained friends as we entered the professional filmmaking world, and we were able to work together on a few occasions. Unfortunately for me, she then moved to England. However, she occasionally gets bored of working on Dr. Who and Spider-Man, and works a bit in the United States.

And so it happened that I had the great fortune of being invited

by DP, Catherine Goldschmidt to operate A camera and Steadicam on streaming newcomer Quibi’s narrative show, Dummy, a comedy about a TV writer and her burgeoning friendship with her boyfriend’s sex doll. Antics ensue of course, but from my point of view, the novel framing method was the strange part.

If you’ve been living under a rock this year (okay, I guess we all have in a way), you might not have heard of Quibi. Short for ‘Quick Bites,’ Quibi was envisioned with two specific gimmicks, both based on a single premise: a streaming platform intended to be viewed only on mobile devices (I heard they’re branching to TVs though). The first gimmick is that no episode would be longer than 10 minutes, so as to be short enough to watch a full episode almost anytime, anywhere. The second, and most unique and interesting gimmick, is that Quibi requires all their content to frame for both standard 16:9 horizontal (landscape orientation), AND 9:16 vertical (portrait orientation) to allow the viewer to get a full screen image no matter which way they orient their device. To my knowledge, no one before Quibi has required the ability to switch from one aspect ratio to the other while viewing, and certainly not by way of rotating a device to keep a full screen!

charge, and Cody really set a respectful and enthusiastic tone. Also, Anna keeps it light...so she’s cool too.

FRAMING As most of you will know, the tried and true standard way to frame for 9:16 is to use a high resolution camera, record using the full sensor, and just ‘punch into’ the vertical 9:16 frame, which can then be at least HD resolution. This is often used for social media ads that rely on only that 9:16 vertical aspect ratio. And for that purpose this solution is fantastic, or any other time you are only framing for the vertical aspect ratio, and is certainly superior to physically turning the camera on its side, an unfortunate necessity in days of yore. But if you want to frame simultaneously for 16:9 and 9:16, this method presents an issue.

When punching in from the 16:9 to a 9:16 with common top and bottom, the vertical frame is 1/2 the size of your 16:9. A medium shot in 16:9 is now a close-up in 9:16, and so on. Now storytelling is heavily impacted by which aspect ratio is viewed. A bunch of information is missing in the vertical frame, but nothing is gained. The story will play out in much tighter shots, forcing a closed in, claustrophobic feel. This makes the vertical frame feel like a bit of an afterthought— something tolerated, rather than embraced.

The major difference between shooting for any streaming network, and a typical cable or broadcast network—9 out of 10 times—are the high resolution requirements, which obviously can limit the choice of cameras to shoot on. Though with more high resolution cameras available these days, that is perhaps becoming less of an issue. In the case of Quibi, resolution ultimately was important, but only as a means of getting decent resolution on the 9:16, because mobile devices are small, obviously...

Before I get into our approach to the framing, I need to mention something special about Dummy, something I’ve generally only ever seen on indie movies. There was a real sense of familial togetherness and inclusivity. This was a short shoot, only 18 days for principal photography, and we had a very small cast, just two main characters who dominate well over 50% of the screen time. There was certainly a larger budget than any three week movie I’ve ever been on, but we still retained that intimate feel that I usually only detect on smaller movies. Most of us bonded very quickly, cast and crew alike, and everyone’s input was valid and welcome. I really cannot understate how much that kind of atmosphere is appreciated. And I really need to credit show creator, writer, and showrunner, Cody Heller, for that atmosphere. The tone on set is something established by those in

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

See framing build on page 28.

So here’s where it gets weird.

To solve the problem of the two frames being different sizes, what Catherine came up with was to shrink the 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimensions of the 9:16 vertical, rather than use the entire sensor.

It’s a brilliantly simplistic solution and is a big part of what drew me to this project. (Also, a fantastic script...and frankly, you all should jump at any opportunity to work with Anna Kendrick!) So we composed within a ~4k by 4k square that contained a cross made out of both aspect ratios. Since distribution is for mobile devices, the ~4k x 2.25k resolution is still more than enough.

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< 9:16

^ FRAMING SIMULTANEOUSLY FOR 16:9 AND 9:16

< 16:9 To solve the problem of the two frames being different sizes, what Catherine came up with was to shrink the 16:9 aspect ratio to match the dimensions of the 9:16 vertical, rather than use the entire sensor. Photos courtesy of Brian Freesh.

The first and most obvious benefit of doing this is that everything in the frame is the same size, no matter the aspect ratio being viewed.

This is incredibly evident when actually rotating the mobile device, the aspect ratio change is so seamless I don’t even notice, it’s purely subliminal. Imagine looking through your window, and just rotating it around the image you see outside (someone should invent a window that can do that)! With the previous method, when you change the orientation to a tighter or wider image, there is a distinctly noticeable cut created actively by the viewer. Personally, that pops me out of the story every time. With Dummy’s method, I stay in the story, and maybe even catch extra details.

Our wonderful B camera operator, April Kelley, and I both quickly fell in love with taking advantage of each aspect ratio’s unique space.

A simple example: A 16:9 close up of a character will not see what they are holding, but in the 9:16 you absolutely can. April and I often discussed how to tell the story and fill the frame in interesting ways, and were constantly helping each other design set dressing for the 9:16. If nothing else, Brad Frizzell, our on-set decorator, got a workout trying to dress the 9:16 every shot after already dressing the 16:9.

He handled it like a pro, and quickly adapted to having great options ready for us. And I think he was excited that we always needed the rugs on the floor.

Because, with this framing method, rather than just the 16:9 having extra information, each aspect ratio has information in the frame that the other does not have. So now the viewer can choose whichever frame they prefer, and the visual language is essentially the same other than the shape of the frame, but now the viewer can also interact with the frame in an engaging way if they wish to see what they might be missing in the other format. With the punch-in, you only gain by staying in the 16:9, there’s no motivation to view the 9:16.

While we were certainly up for the challenge of this dual framing adventure from a creative standpoint, truly it was the unexpected logistics that created the biggest challenge. Forget booming from below the frame, for example, as there’s more frame down there now. Dolly track positioning became very delicate, both to keep from seeing it without compromising the shot, but also because we couldn’t always remove rugs and other obstacles. We probably ended up on Steadicam a bit more than intended, though lowering the camera helps a lot with

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

TRIVIA: Cody named the doll in the show after her dog Barbara.

On the set of DUMMY. Left to right: Meredith Hagner, Brian Freesh, Anna Kendrick. Photo by Brad Frizzell

this. Keeping stands and other equipment clear became a whole new challenge as well. Oh, and the poor location mat team probably heard from me more often than my 1st AC. Although, to be totally honest, none of those hold a candle to the pain I felt several times a day when I would receive a piercing side-eye from Anna Kendrick after I told our costumer that, yes, I would indeed be seeing Anna’s legs and feet in another shot.

But the single biggest challenge as an operator was actually a result of the necessary post workflow. Our incredible DIT, Peter Brunet, liaised this, and many other issues for us, and explained the issue to me in a beautiful detail that I could not hope to communicate properly. Suffice to say, this was a novel idea for post as well, and they were limited in a way that unfortunately required us to lock the position of the 16:9 within our square. The 9:16 could be moved side to side if needed towards the end of the post process, but the 16:9, for the most part, was too logistically complex to allow for regular re-positioning.

Most of the time this isn’t a major issue of course, when composing a medium or tighter on the talent our standard cross set-up was generally spot on. But the wider shots, when composed well for the 16:9 do end up with a lot of floor space in the 9:16. This was frustrating at first, but as mentioned I learned to embrace the unconventional frames and started to fall in love with them. Framing for 9:16 is unconventional to begin with, after all, so if you’re going to do it, you might as well embrace it and have fun!

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

However, this also leads to a couple lens quirks. Many lenses will lose sharpness at the edges of the frames, particularly anamorphics. By using the top third of the frame for our actor’s faces, any lens that gets mushy at the edge is out of the question. Though you won’t get much benefit from an anamorphic using the center of the frame anyway. We went with Panaspeeds, supplemented with Primo 70s that Panavision matched to the speeds for us.

Another challenge with the 16:9’s locked position is what it means for camera placement. Because we were using the top of the sensor to frame with, I often had to either tilt down or boom down to preserve composition.

That may sound counterintuitive to some, but you can test this with your phone camera pretty easily—just pick a frame, holding the camera level. Then limit yourself to the top half of the frame to make the same composition. You will need to back up, and then either tilt or boom down to compensate. Now imagine doing that with a dolly, or a Steadicam, or having to suddenly get lower doing hand-held.

Such was the constant battle with lens height. The camera will only go so low before a reconfiguring is necessary. Getting lower helped to avoid dolly track and slider rails too though, so there was added value.

Focal length itself was also obviously affected. Since we were using a smaller portion of the sensor, we had to either use a wider lens or move the camera back. As such, we found that 17mm was our hero

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(L–R) Star and executive producer Anna Kendrick and camera operator Brian Fresh behind the scenes in Quibi’s dramatic comedy DUMMY. Photo by Nicole Wilder / Quibi

lens for the shoot, which, is roughly equivalent to a 25mm lens on a 35mm sensor. The conversion factor was approximately 1.5x, similar to 35mm versus large format, but if you’re not used to it, it’ll throw you. Fortunately, the Artemis app has user adjustable framelines, and we had an Artemis Prime set up to use as a finder with our actual lenses, rather than just using a phone or having to make a weird custom ground glass.

THE CAMERA During testing, the Sony Venice provided the best overall image quality right out of the camera of all the options that provided a high enough resolution. That’s no secret nowadays, the Venice is one of the most popular cameras right now. The only downside was a lack of user adjustable frame lines, as you can imagine, we needed a few. It was still fairly new at the time, but I hear Sony is updating the frameline options as we speak. We used the one user frameline to give us our 4K square, but Peter had to get creative for the 16:9 and 9:16. And that’s how we ended up with an Odyssey 7Q on each camera.

Frank Sheeran (Robert De Niro) and Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci) in Though not designed to be simply frameline generators, their ability THE IRISHMAN. Photo courtesy of Netflix to have two custom frame lines overlaying the image on the output

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signal made them as ideal as we could get. April and I needed to see the custom frame lines as well as Peter and video village, so the path of least resistance was to put them on the cameras, before sending the signal to the other monitors However, the Venice EVF does not have an SDI input, so the last piece of the puzzle were a couple of Zacuto EVFs instead, allowing us to take the signal out from the Odyssey, into both the EVF and a Teradek to get the signal to DIT and village.

Notably, we did not take advantage of the Odyssey as an on-board monitor. It was pretty large and cumbersome for such a purpose, and since it served such a vital purpose it was just simpler to give it a secure place to live where we wouldn’t be messing with it. Peter often had to access it as well, so it would have been a pain trying to use it for framing at the same time.

The Venice with a raw recorder weighs in at a pretty reasonable 12 pounds. But when you add Panavision’s power distro, cheese plates and handles, an MDR, a couple motors, a transmitter, and an Odyssey recorder, and all the brackets and widgets, it can turn into a pretty bulky machine. My incredible 1st AC, Lauren Peele, worked some crazy sorcery, kept the weight down, and rigged nice and low so that my sled length stayed reasonably short without adding a

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

TECH ON SET:

/ e 6K 3:2 w Sony Venic and 9:16 6:9 custom 1 eeds; s; Panasp e n li e m a fr 7Q ; Odyssey Primo 70s eline for fram n generatio

TRIVIA: The premise of the show, sans the talking part of the sex doll, is based on creator Cody Heller and her fiance Dan Harmon, the Emmy Award-winning showrunner of Community and Rick & Morty. She even named the lead characters after them.

Crew on the set of DUMMY. Left to right: Meredith Hagner, Brian Freesh. Photo By Brad Frizzell

bunch of weight to the bottom. Though in hand-held mode there was no best place to put that Odyssey, so we had to manage with it offsetting the center of mass of the camera to the right, making a level horizon just that extra bit of a challenge.

All in all, though there were many obstacles, the end result speaks for itself.

I’m so impressed with the way the show seamlessly transitions from one aspect ratio to the next, and everyone I have spoken with prefers the way we did it to the punch-in method, so any struggles were totally worth it. The camera and post-production logistics should both be less of an issue today than they were when we filmed. Between that and what we learned from doing it once, I would love to take another crack at it to see what else we could do to refine the process, and the compositions.

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

BRIAN FREESH, SOC Brian Freesh, SOC is an LA-based camera and Steadicam operator. While attending college for computer visual effects, he quickly decided he was more interested in creating movie magic on the set than in an office, and pursued film instead. Eventually, he fell madly in love with Steadicam when he took the class as an elective—almost on a lark—to learn more about camera movement. So in love that he took the same class another three times. A few years later, after a move to Los Angeles and a couple years at Clairmont Camera rental house, Brian bought his first small Steadicam, and took his first Steadicam workshop. Five years, three more workshops, another Steadicam purchase—and with the help of a few friends, family members, and mentors—Brian finally pushed into full-time camera and Steadicam operating, which has caused even more purchases. Too many, one might say.

Though Brian is honored to be most recognized for Childish Gambino’s This is America music video, he has also operated on TV shows such as Star, The Rookie, Westworld, and the upcoming Station Eleven, as well as the films All the Bright Places, All Together Now, and the soon-to-be-released Wander Darkly. Not to mention countless commercials and music videos. Photo by Brad Frizzell

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Live TV!

Camera Operating for Live Television

by David Daut with interviews from: David Eastwood, Bettina Levesque, Salvatore Livia, Hector A. Ramirez, SOC, and Rob Vuona, SOC In this “golden age of television,” so much focus is directed towards scripted shows that it can be easy to overlook the incredible work being done in the space of live television. Whether it’s live, primetime musical specials, lavish awards ceremonies, talk shows, game shows, or sports, immensely talented operators are there, shooting without the safety net of a second take. In this article, we spoke with a number of operators working in live TV to ask about the unique challenges that come with that territory.

DAVID EASTWOOD Photo courtesy of David Eastwood

broadcasts. Where did you get your start and what was it like transitioning into these other types of projects?

I started back in the late 70s, early 80s shooting 8mm and 16mm surf adventure films, as well as snow ski, snowboard, jet ski, windsurf, and motocross before they were called extreme sports. From there the video camera world was changing, and the one-piece Betacam and CCD sensors were just beginning to emerge, which led me into long format news magazine-style shows: 60 Minutes, ABC’s Primetime Live, ABC World News Tonight, CBS’s 48 Hours, etc. In the mid 80s I bought the very first Jimmy Jib camera crane and started using that to enhance the shoots, and add more movement to the shot other than pans, tilts, and zooms. Shortly after, I purchased the first Steadicam designed for video cameras, called the EFP. The multi-camera live TV world had opened up a whole new opportunity to use these tools, and I never looked back. I was lucky to be one of the first operators to use these tools on a full-time basis in live TV. CO: How much overlap is there in these different spaces? Obviously the challenges are unique, but I imagine certain basic skills apply regardless of the type of project.

Credits: The Little Mermaid Live!

American Idol

Dancing with the Stars The 92nd Academy Awards 2020 Golden Globe Awards

David Eastwood has worked for 35 years as a camera operator with most of his credits as a full-time Steadicam operator for live TV. He has won 15 Primetime Emmy Awards with over 50 nominations. He was the first owner and operator of a Jimmy Jib camera crane and an early innovator of a zoom/focus handle control for Steadicam. He also incorporated several new technologies for live TV during the late 80s including: onboard program monitors, tally lights, prompter monitors, and single-pole resting stands (Moses pole).

Camera Operator: You’ve worked on everything from fully scripted shows, to game shows and reality competitions, to live TV

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There is some overlap of these different shows; most operators pingpong around. The difference is the skill level of your particular camera specialty. For 27 years mine was Steadicam, so that is what you get known for. For some its long lens, pedestal operator, hand-held, dolly, Photo byhead ?? robotics, Techncrane, jib, etc. remote CO: Conversely, what are some things you’ve learned doing live TV work that you think give you a unique skill set when it comes to doing other types of work?

The best thing about live TV is that it’s over at a specific time. The bad thing is that it’s over and a specific time. So, the pressure to rehearse and get it right is always a battle with the clock. Much like preparing a shot for golden hour or sunrise, time doesn’t wait. Once the show starts, it’s one and done—no retakes. I feel you have to be calm, relaxed, and stress free to succeed in live TV—something that can translate to everyday life. Once you, as an operator, have a shot and the red tally light is on your camera, you are the network.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CO: In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen something of a resurgence in live broadcasts even outside of the usual things like sports and awards shows. With live TV musicals like Grease or Hairspray and even interesting, unique experiments like Woody Harrelson’s film Lost in London. What do you think is bringing about this renewed interest in a style of presentation that had largely been dead for 50 years?

Like all live TV, I think a lot of people watch for the immediacy, the energy, and the fact that if something goes wrong, there is no turning back. Much like a car race, some of the excitement is in the potential crash. The renewed interest of live TV long-format shows is more like watching theatre. Not all angles or editing can be inserted into the show, although it does get very creative and sophisticated, with some of the shots and equipment used for such a short time. One of my first live, long-format shows was in April of 2000; a two-hour movie of the week called Failsafe with an all-star cast and director. We shot that show on multiple sound stages, with camera positions, equipment, and crew all working fast and furious. That was a well-deserved Emmy Award for technical direction/camera/video. The current shows—Grease, Hairspray, Little Mermaid, etc.—are all now shot in similar fashion.

CO: What are the different challenges in shooting a live TV special for something that is scripted (like one of the aforementioned TV musicals) as opposed something like an awards show that, while structured, has more room for unplanned moments to occur?

Over the past 10 years, most live TV shows are very scripted with each camera having a specific shot list numbered to happen at a certain time in the scene, all choreographed during rehearsals, with actors hitting marks. With that format, more goes into being in the right palace for your particular shot number. As a Steadicam operator, shot numbers allow you to be prepared for your shot—when to get in place and when to get out of a scene. Most Steadicam shots are designed to have you maneuver in front of or around existing cameras at the edge of the frame, so getting in and out while not being in other camera views is half the battle.

Photo by Rick Escalante

Awards shows, music shows, and reality competitions are more zone coverage and freelance shots. Camera coverage is more fluid, so the challenge is to be aware of your surroundings and other operators.

That format allows for more spontaneity and energy to the job.

CO: Obviously the realities of most things, (including television and film production) have changed dramatically in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of lingering effects do you think this will have on the industry when it comes to these sorts of productions?

The COVID-19 challenge for us in live TV is that most of our shows used to revolve around large crowds and audiences in close contact.

Recently, more virtual formats—augmented reality, green screen, Zoom—have taken precedence.

Camera robotics have also taken a front-and-center role in that world.

Rail cams, remote heads, tower cams, jibs, and camera cranes all allow the operator to be removed from the scene, spaced out, and without a human element involved on set. Fortunately for me, we have a company, Fluid Pictures Inc., that has provided that type of camera support equipment to the industry for 30 years. I have recently seen an uptick in operators calling us for hands-on training to improve and expand their operating skills working with that equipment.

COVID-19 shall pass but its effects on live, large audience participation shows will be interesting. I think people will be more aware of close contact, cleaning, spacing. It’s a creative business; doors will close and new ones will open.

What is becoming more difficult with COVID-19 and returning shows is the overlapping of COVID-19 testing, with most shows not accepting a previous test from a show that you did a day or two before. So, sometimes we are testing three or four days a week, and crews can’t work because they weren't tested in time for the particular show. A central testing body that could share data for the IA union crews might help mitigate some that road block.

David Eastwood using 3D at THE GRAMMY AWARDS for a special Michael Jackson tribute. Photos courtesy of David Eastwood

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

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BETINA LEVESQUE

Photo courtesy of Betina Levesque

Credits: Hairspray Live!

Dancing with the Stars

MTV Video Music Awards American Idol Screen Actors Guild Awards

Originally from Miami, Florida, Betina Levesque, has been a camera operator for local news programs, primetime sitcoms, singing and dance competitions, awards shows, live TV musical specials, and more. She has won five Emmy Awards for her television work alongside 12 nominations.

Camera Operator: Where did you get your start as a camera operator, and how did you find your way into operator for live TV? When I was a young girl growing up in Florida, I dreamed of doing something glamorous and exciting. I had the opportunity to intern at the local NBC affiliate in Miami when I was in high school. I immediately fell in love with the TV cameras. They trained me and hired me to be a camera operator right after I graduated high school.

That’s where I got my first live experience. We did three live newscasts a day, and I operated a TK-76 on the live trucks. We went out every night and broadcasted live from a location. Seven years later, I moved to L.A. I worked on sitcoms—One Day at a Time, The Jeffersons, The Facts of Life, Three’s Company, Home Improvement, and Married…with Children just to name a few. About 15 years ago, I started working on live shows. Since then, some of the live programs I’ve worked on have been Dancing with the Stars, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, various awards shows, So You Think You Can Dance, and Hairspray Live!.

CO: How much overlap is there in these different spaces?

Every show has different formats and challenges, but the basics stay the same. We all have to zoom, focus, and move our cameras ourselves.

CO: Conversely, what are some things you’ve learned doing live TV work that you think give you a unique skill set when it comes to doing other types of work?

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To do a live show, you must be organized, feel comfortable around controlled chaos, and have a very good memory. On a show like Hairspray Live!, there are a thousand scripted shots, divided between the camera operators, for a two-and-a-half-hour show. The shots come so fast sometimes that you don’t have a chance to look at your notes. If you miss a shot, you have single handedly destroyed the integrity of the show. Meanwhile, Dancing with the Stars is a combination scripted and unscripted show—the dance numbers are scripted so we can capture the nuances of the dance. On Dancing with the Stars, I am one of 13 cameras operating a very busy pedestal camera on the dance floor. We have two types of choreography at the same time: dance choreography in front of the camera and camera choreography behind. I have to be very organized and take copious notes about where my camera positions are, when I need to “hide” so I won’t be seen on television, and when to duck so the Technocrane can fly above me. With the crane inches over my head, the Steadicam flying in front of my lens, the hand-held cameras kneeling on the floor next to me, I always have to be on the exact mark every time.

American Idol is non-scripted, and I’m the close-up camera for the singer on a long lens; shooting through smoke, haze, and low lighting.

Focus is always critical, but when you are always on a tight lens, and you are live, there is not much room for error. It is important to be on the same page as the director, feel the pattern of the takes and be able to predict the movements of the singer.

In a scripted show, you may have a shot that you are worried about— so many things need to come together for this shot to be perfect—and as the time approaches in the show for this particular shot, it’s easy to get nervous, but it is important to stay focused on what you need to do the make the shot look beautiful. You must be able to perform under this pressure. A live show is almost never perfect, and sometimes the wheels come off the bus, but you need to be able to stay calm and concentrate, and not be distracted by what is going on around you.

Nothing compares to live television.

CO: In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen something of a resurgence in live broadcasts even outside of the usual things like sports and awards shows. In particular, live TV musicals. What do you think is bringing about renewed interest in this style of presentation?

Everyone loves a good musical! I loved working on Hairspray Live!. I think that we have seen a resurgence because it is new and different to what we have been seeing on television, and people like to tune in to see the excitement of a live musical, and maybe see a mishap or two.

CO: What are the different challenges in shooting a live TV special for something that is scripted as opposed something like an awards show that, while structured, has more room for unplanned moments to occur?

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

On live scripted shows—whether it be a musical or sitcom—every shot is scripted. The actors and dancers must hit their mark. Everything is planned down to the last detail. When the live show is not scripted— award shows, music shows, live events—there are camera assignments and “zone” coverage. Every unscripted show has a pattern. If something unplanned happens, everyone sticks to their “zone.” If something is happening outside your zone, you just stay with your zone. The director does not need 15 images of the same thing.

CO: Obviously the realities of most things, (including television and film production) have changed dramatically in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of lingering effects do you think this will have on the industry when it comes to these sorts of productions?

I think that it is too early to tell, but one thing is certain: we can all say goodbye to buffet-style dining on the set!

Betina Levesque on the set of HAIRSPRAY LIVE! Photo by Charlie Fernandez

Toré Livia is an 11-time Emmy Award-winning Steadicam operator who has worked on 10 Super Bowl halftime shows, eight Olympic opening ceremonies, 11 Tony Awards, and numerous Academy Awards. Some of his proudest moments include the four minute and 40 second opening shot of Grease: Live, the opening ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, the 2014 Tony Awards opening number of three minutes and 35 seconds with Hugh Jackman, and Photo courtesy of Pauline Edwards Lady Gaga and Bradly Cooper’s performance of Shallow at the 2019 Academy Awards. Toré is also a DGA director who feels the combination of thinking like a director while operating has always been his strongest asset.

SALVATORE “TORÉ” LIVIA

Camera Operator: Where did you get your start as a camera operator and how did you find your way into operator for live TV?

Photo courtesy of Salvatore “Toré” Livia

Credits: Grease: Live 91st Academy Awards

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

2008 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony 68th Annual Tony Awards

I got my break at Food Network right out of college. They were looking for young people who wanted to learn TV and didn’t demand much pay. They were just starting out, so it was really the most incredible place to learn. I took full advantage learning every position

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Left: Stedicam operator Tore Livia and state manager Gary Natoli on center stage as they prepare for the Emmy Awards. Photo courtesy of Al Seib/Los Angeles Times.

Right: 2019 SUPER BOWL halftime show. Photo by Robert Lorenz.

I could—TD, video, tape, AD, A2—but my love was instant when I started shooting. Believe it or not, you can be creative and artistic shooting a casserole or whatever and I was inspired. Eventually, I wanted to shoot more than food and cooking, so I left Food Network and started finding my way towards entertainment shows. The range of things I worked on was vast and numerous: talk shows, news, NFL football, pilots, game shows, soap operas, golf, etc. I truly believe they all paved the way for where I am today. It allowed me to work with hundreds of directors and productions and see the difference strategies they all used. Eventually I found myself at MTV shooting Unplugged and Total Request Live along with Spring Break, and more.

I kind of found my niche with shooting music and dance, which is mostly what I work on today.

CO: What are some things you’ve learned doing live TV work that you think give you a unique skill set when it comes to doing other types of work?

Live TV is amazing. You get one chance to get it right. You can rehearse it a thousand times, but it’s the last time that matters the most.

The more live shows you do, the more comfortable you are handling those high-pressure situations.

CO: In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen something of a resurgence in live broadcasts even outside of the usual things like sports and awards shows. In particular, live TV musicals. What do you think is bringing about renewed interest in this style of presentation?

Personally, I love live musicals. They are incredibly challenging, but they allow us to tell these rich stories. Having worked on shows like

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Grease: Live, Jesus Christ Superstar, Rent, and Hairspray, I can say that there is zero spontaneity in a show formatted that way. Every single shot, from start to finish, is precise and calculated, planned, and broken down to bars and beats. An award show is totally different because although you have certain responsibilities for particular shots like a presenter entrance, you as an operator are always trying to “sell” shots to enhance what’s happening. You are always trying to help the director find dynamic shots that enhance the broadcast, and you are always listening to whoever is speaking on stage because it’s the camera operators who know where every celebrity is seated. If someone thanks Lady Gaga, it’s the operator’s responsibility to get her so the director can relate the two.

CO: Obviously the realities of most things, (including television and film production) have changed dramatically in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of lingering effects do you think this will have on the industry when it comes to these sorts of productions?

We are in a totally new production world now. Working on back-toback-to-back shows is complicated because they all want you to be tested days in advance of their show. There isn’t a universal database they can all go off of, which makes things very complicated to work consistently. Just in the last seven days I’ve been tested 11 times for three shows. The one I’m working on at the moment, the next show after that, and then the next one after that because they all have to comply with protocol. I have a funny feeling it’s going to be like this for a long time. And when they finally come up with a vaccine, I see us getting back to exactly the way it was pre-COVID. We are all praying for that day.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Camera Operator: Where did you get your start as a camera operator and how did you find your way into operator for live TV?

HECTOR A. RAMIREZ, SOC

I got my start at KLXA channel 40 in 1968 where I was doing local news and shows. In 1972, I went to CBS Television where I worked on scripted shows like All in the Family, Good Times, and Three’s Company, along with live broadcasts like the The Academy Awards, The GRAMMY Awards, the AFI Awards, and sports shows. The transition between scripted and live was at first difficult; scripted shows demand that you follow a preconceived format for shooting while live shows require complete concentration to be able to react to unforeseen events while still following the director’s vision of the show.

Photo courtesy of Hector A. Ramirez

Credits: America’s Got Talent Dancing with the Stars

The Academy Awards The GRAMMY Awards The CMA Awards

My television career began in 1968 with my first job with KLXA channel 40, a Spanish channel. Getting the experience and “paying my dues” working at KTLA, working for independent producers, and a brief stay with ABC, I finally landed a job in 1973 at CBS Television City. Working at CBS was the catapult of my career as it gave me the opportunity to work on challenging and demanding shows of which there was no room for error. Some of these shows were the likes of All in the Family, Maude, The Jeffersons, One Day at a Time, and Three’s Company. There were also specials and variety shows like Sonny & Cher, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Carol Burnett, and numerous news events like Nixon’s departure from the White House and arrival in San Clemente. My stay at CBS also continued to be an opportunity to learn how to operate various types of cameras and equipment like the Chapman Crane, hand-held cameras, Steadicam, and Tyler mounts for helicopter shoots.

After eight years at CBS, I had developed relationships with various directors and producers who began seeking me out to work for them in the freelance arena. I made the move to go freelance and to date have not stopped working. I have traveled the world working on shows and specials like the Perry Como, Andy Williams, David Copperfield specials, Bob Hope USO specials with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley. I also spent three months working in Monte Carlo on the Monte Carlo Show. I have worked on The Academy Awards, The GRAMMY Awards, the Country Music Awards, and a variety of live events. My travel days have slowed down considerably a I have currently been working on series shows like America’s Got Talent and Dancing with the Stars, of which I worked on 11 years as the Steadicam operator.

After 50 years of working in this business as a cameraman, I still enjoy working and contributing to the creative process of live television.

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

CO: How much overlap is there in these different spaces?

As an operator, the basic skills for shooting do not change. Without those skills, it would be very difficult to deal with all the demands that come with working on this type of show, where it be scripted or live.

The main difference is that in live shows there is no room for error.

CO: Conversely, what are some things you’ve learned doing live TV work that you think give you a unique skill set when it comes to doing other types of work?

As an operator on live shows, you become acutely focused on what you are doing. That carries to all the other mediums, which helps in accomplishing a better result.

CO: In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen something of a resurgence in live broadcasts even outside of the usual things like sports and awards shows. In particular, live TV musicals. What do you think is bringing about renewed interest in this style of presentation?

With the insurgence and popularity of reality TV, it has sparked demand for this type of show and opened the door for live musicals. I believe that people have always liked going to live shows—theatre, concerts—so the next best medium is to see plays acted live on television. It was so in the 50s with shows like Playhouse 90. Like they say, everything old is new again.

CO: What are the different challenges in shooting a live TV special for something that is scripted as opposed something like an awards show that, while structured, has more room for unplanned moments to occur?

On a scripted show like Grease or Hairspray, you are required to follow a set of shots without any deviation. In a live awards show such as the Oscars, you still have a set of shots that you follow, however there are oftentimes events that occur that have not been anticipated and therefore you have to be prepared to react to what is happening at the moment.

CO: Obviously the realities of most things, (including television and film production) have changed dramatically in light of the

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COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of lingering effects do you think this will have on the industry when it comes to these sorts of productions?

I have just started to work for the first time since the beginning of COVID-19. For the operators, not a lot will change on how we op-

erate other than following the guidelines set forth from the CDC and local government. For the productions like America’s Got Talent, which I just finished, they have made many changes on how the show is produced; from virtual audiences to existing sets like using exteriors in Universal Studios. The amount of personnel that is normally used will be scaled down.

Hector A. Ramirez on the set of DANCING WITH THE STARS. Photos courtesy of Hector A. Ramirez

Rob Vuona, SOC is best known a a Steadicam operator on live television shows in Los Angeles, and was the design consultant on the first Steadicam specifically designed for live television, Tiffens Shadow-V where the “V” is for Vuona.

ROB VUONA, SOC

Rob moved to LA in 1985 to pursue a career in television production and attended California State Polytechnic University in Pomona with a major in telecommunications.

During his 30 years behind the lens, on 100s of shows, shooting in 125 countries, he has earned 13 Emmy Award nominations that resulted in six wins. He is humbled to have been appointed to the first SOC Live Television Awards Committee.

Photo courtesy of Rob Vuona

Credits: iHeartRadio Music Festival American Idol

The Voice Hairspray Live!

People’s Choice Awards

When he isn’t operating a Steadicam, he spends time traveling with his wife Jacqueline, eating pasta with his family, skiing, mountain biking, and avoiding injuries playing ice hockey. He is still working on a coffee table book covering the first 50 years of his camera operating career.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Camera Operator: Where did you get your start as a camera operator and how did you find your way into operator for live TV? I started while still in college, shooting corporate events along with shooting sports; specifically extreme sports: sky surfing, street luge, inline downhill, skateboarding, skiing, etc. Those jobs transitioned me into more mainline sports: football, basketball, golf, NASCAR, etc. Some of the guys there were also working on entertainment shows, and I thought staying home instead of constantly traveling for sports sounded appealing, and coming from live sporting events, the transition into live entertainment was natural. Fortunately for me the adrenalin rush of shooting live is present whether it’s sports or entertainment.

CO: How much overlap is there in these different spaces?

I think every show has their unique challenges, but all the shows have overlaps. Like all the other genres, once you have played in that realm the basic skills still pertain, but it’s the specifics that make a difference.

For example: features have certain language and etiquette while on set, as does live TV; both have overlaps but yet both are so very different. From a camera standpoint, while doing a live TV show, cameras all do their own focus as well as zoom (Steadicam, jib, Technocrane, pedestal, dolly, etc.).

CO: What are the different challenges in shooting a live TV special for something that is scripted as opposed something like an awards show that, while structured, has more room for unplanned moments to occur?

The challenges with both genres are abundant. The scripted shows are so specific, the actors have to hit their marks, the cameras have to be in the perfect position, the lighting has to be spot on, the sound has to be working, all departments are literally working the whole time, there is very little margin for error on everyone’s part and it all has to work together for it to be done live. There’s no take two! Once it has happened its done and you’re onto the next scene, act or segment.

An awards show doesn’t share all of these same challenges, but there is definitely more room for error and if something goes wrong there’s always a bail out shot to cover. On a live TV musical, if there is a serious technical issue, you have less options to cover the mistake. I will defer to my buddy Tore on this one as he has done them all and can elaborate in more detail.

CO: Obviously the realities of most things, (including television and film production) have changed dramatically in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. What kind of lingering effects do you think this will have on the industry when it comes to these sorts of productions?

CO: Conversely, what are some things you’ve learned doing live TV work that you think give you a unique skill set when it comes to doing other types of work?

I believe live TV work gives you a unique skill set because doing a show live leaves no space for error. When you go live, you’re on your game and you get no seconds takes. The ability to perform under pressure becomes a part of your personality. Doing camera on a live show requires you to not only frame the required shot but zoom, focus and be aware of the other 12 cameras, as to not impede their shots as well as listening to the director and AD countdown shots. It’s all a very surreal experience and a well-oiled machine that occasionally comes off the tracks. [Laughs] CO: In recent years, it seems like we’ve seen something of a resurgence in live broadcasts even outside of the usual things like sports and awards shows. In particular, live TV musicals. What do you think is bringing about renewed interest in this style of presentation?

I believe the interest in the theatre has never gone away, and bringing it to live TV is just another way for people to enjoy live acting and performing. Everyone loves the idea of “Live Live” where anything can happen. Who doesn’t love the ill-timed snicker of a joke and the occasional off-script comments, and the surprise of co-actors responses. With new tech and the advent of HD, 4K, and even 8K, it’s even easier and attainable to translate and adapt these types of shows to live television. One thing that theatre and live TV have in common are the collaborative efforts of creative minds.

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

Rob Vuona shooting on stage at the iHEARTRADIO MUSIC FESTIVAL. Photo by John Porter

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As my wife calls it, “The Rona” has obviously affected our industry in so many unforeseen ways. I can honestly say that I am 100% happy that my four month forced retirement has ended and the phone has started ringing again. I am so thankful that our industry has come together in a way that is managing and caring enough about the safety of all of us while still allowing us to do what we love. As much as we love the sneak peeks into everyone’s home via Zoom, I know I can’t be the only person saying they do not want to see another person on live primetime TV looking down into their laptop camera. [Laughs] I believe we are still in the infant stage of all of this post-quarantine procedure getting us back to work, so it’s difficult to predict what the lingering effects will have on live TV productions.

One of the things that I have observed so far from the productions I have been a part of post-lockdown—is the lack of audience. This seems to be a double-edged sword. Having a live audience creates an electric atmosphere for all genres live, so doing without makes your surrounding have a very different vibe. On the other hand, having more space to work and being able to actually hear what is going on makes doing our job much less stressful. Of course if you are on the newly created COVID-19 compliance team, your job just got more stressful. Another effect of “The Rona” is the workflow for live shows.

Many shows are still going live but many of the acts are being pre-re-

corded and rolled in during the show to facilitate the mandate of social distancing. The show still looks live and feels live and is—in all accounts—all live, it’s just that some of the live parts are prerecorded.

Live shows take hundreds of people all working together in a short amount of time in very compact spaces; COVID-19 doesn’t allow for this to happen, and consequently the live show is now being reimagined. On one of the award shows I worked on, we did 23 music acts. We shot all of them live, but 22 of them were pre-recorded.

The opening music act, all the awards and presenters were recorded live on the day of the event, and all the rest were tape roll-ins. From a physical standpoint I hope this format sticks around as it allows for a much more civilized workflow. Typically, when we do an award show, we rehearse all week, then the day of show we rehearse in the morning, then do a full three-hour dress rehearsal, go to dinner, then come back and do the three-hour live show. Doing Steadicam is a very physically demanding job—and it’s pretty obvious, but needs to be said—wearing a mask is obviously important, but is also makes it very difficult to do our job. To add to it, being around actors and talent that are not wearing masks requires us to wear a shield as well. This combination takes breathing heavy while wearing the Steadicam rig to a new level so, this is one thing I hope does not linger as an effect of COVID-19.

DAVID DAUT

David Levisohn using 3D at THE GRAMMY AWARDS for a special Michael Jackson tribute.

Photo courtesy of David Eastwood

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A writer and film critic for close to ten years, David Daut specializes in analysis of genre cinema and immersive media with bylines at Lewton Bus, No Proscenium, and Heroic Hollywood.

David studied at the USC School of Cinematic Arts and currently works as a freelance writer based out of Orange County, California.

Photo courtesy of David Daut

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

by Łukasz Bielan, SOC

What’s Your Story…? have a good sense of humor, and allowed me to do the take over, and not walk away in failure. In an irony of this, I became the go-to hand-held guy…

We all make mistakes, but we try our hardest to be the best professionals in our field.

I have been taught, coming up as an operator, that take two should (almost always) be for the actor.

On the set of HOBBS AND SHAW. Photo by Frank Masi

I came up through the ranks starting as a camera trainee, 2nd AC, then focus puller, and eventually as an operator. I had the great privilege of working with some of the best people in this business, including cinematographer, Sven Nykvist who was my true mentor and a father figure. I worked on nine of his pictures, which is a fraction of the over 130 films he has made. We became very close. He taught me a lot about filmmaking and lighting, but above all, how to be grateful and understanding—how to be a good person. I believe he was not only an outstanding cinematographer but also an amazing human being.

He also always said that the most difficult thing to achieve in one’s art, profession, and life is simplicity… We seek for ways to be original, and ways to stand out, by over thinking, and over achieving what really is in front of us. The simplicity is so obvious that it frightens us.

Cinematographer, Nicola Pecorini was the one who gave me a shot at operating, and I never wanted to do anything so badly. Of course the beginnings were bad!

My first day consisted of shooting an important hand-held scene, that involved a swift, and precise whip-pan to finish a close of our actor. I had been practicing between set-up’s and during lunch. The director, Thomas Schlamme was very adamant about getting it right on the first take.

So, he calls, “Action.” My heart is racing, the eyepiece is getting fogged up (super 16mm camera), but I continue my shot. I start my composition as discussed, and on a dialogue cue, I am to whip pan to our hero. I do it with a precision of a surgeon—I end up on a beautiful close-up! Tommy calls, “Cut.” I feel very proud. He walks up to me and says, “That was great, the timing, the composition perfect, but you end up on a close-up of an electrician.” He did

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

On the set of HOBBS AND SHAW. Photo by Frank Masi

ŁUKASZ BIELAN, SOC Łukasz Bielan, SOC is a Polish born cinematographer and camera operator who now resides in California, and has lived and worked in the United States for decades. Since entering the world of cinema in the early 1990s, he served as an assistant cameraman and camera operator on several acclaimed international films, among which are the biographical drama Chaplin, Sleepless in Seattle with Tom Hanks, Public Enemies, the Oscar-winning survival drama Life of Pi, the Tom Cruise starrer Oblivion, the James Bond film Spectre, Transformers, Deadpool 2, Hobbs and Shaw, and The Tomorrow War to name but a few. His work on Life of Pi earned him a nomination for British Society of Cinematographers GBCT Operators Award in 2013. In the last few years he has begun to transform from an operator into a cinematographer.

He recently shot Love Sonia starring Frida Pinto and Demi Moore. His latest cinematography work was on an action/ comedy feature called The Comeback Trail starring Robert DeNiro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman.

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Tech Talk What a strange year it’s been so far. In March the industry did something it’s never done before—it shut down—it went dark. We all went on a forced hiatus, one that is finally coming to an end.

During this time the SOC focused even harder, and accelerated what we have been calling “SOC 2.0.” The Education Committee kicked it into overdrive with an unprecedented amount of content being created via Zoom events. The Technical Committee also used the time well by growing and expanding to better serve the members. Later this year and into early 2021, we will be rolling out what we are hoping will become a valuable resource for the members—technical reviews of new products. Our goal is to have a deep selection of reviews of both new gear, and gear that we are presently using, offering the members a way to learn about gear that they can use to solve the problems we have on set. This expanded committee is made up of members from every facet of camera operating.

We have representatives from feature films, scripted television, un-scripted (reality) television, multi-camera television, live/sports television and documentary film, and TV. Each member brings with them years of experience, their unique perspectives on gear, and problem solving skills.

This will be a great resource for all of members, and will also rely on you the members to help us find the gear that should be reviewed. So—if you see something interesting that you want us to consider reviewing let us know so we can write about it, and get it into the database.

One of the things that has me really excited about this initiative is that it’s something we all can use, as it will help to keep us all informed on what’s out there. I’m primarily a scripted TV operator, but my roots are in independent documentaries where you are often the one-person band, and knowing what’s out there, and what’s new might just be what you are looking for.

Case in point, I recently discovered LightPanels Gemini 2x1 LED Softlight. Something that wasn't on my radar since I’m no longer having to kit out and carry my own lighting package, but this tech is something my documentary, indie feature, and unscripted colleagues have to deal with. Back in the day (bear with me…I’m old) we had limited choices in what we could bring with us, and more importantly plug into a wall and use. Not anymore. With the Gemini 2x1 we can plug multiple units into a household circuit (it draws 350watts) or even use with two gold mount or V-mount batteries. With two batteries we get full output with this unit AND up to 2.5 hours of runtime all while punching out User selectable 2,700K-10,000K full spectrum light via its RGBWW LED array. 100% dimmable flicker free. 600 industry standard gel colors are built in and selectable via an onboard interface and LCD screen. The control is easy and intuitive. I didn’t read a manual, and was able to call up its various modes

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SOC'S NEW REVIEW INITIATIVE LAUNCH

by Eric Fletcher, SOC with ease. Modes include: police light, lightening, fire, TV set, strobe, paparazzi, and others. All accessible via the built-in controls, an app on your phone, or via a DMX. It also reduces cable clutter when running via AC with a daisy chainable power plug. It’s built rugged, but it’s also lightweight (22 pounds) making it very friendly to the run-and-gun shooter. It's also bright, really bright, for a small battery operated unit.

Fellow Technical Committee member Dave Frederick, SOC has been using several of these on a project he’s been shooting, and I’m sure he’s going to have an even more extensive hands-on review.

But this is my takeaway, there is so much gear that we each don’t know about that a centralized “Peer Reviewed Database” is going to be helpful to all of us, and that’s why we are working hard to bring this to our members. Having that resource in one place will make it easier to be informed, and right now that’s huge. I’m starting a TV series, and I have been reminded of that as I scour the web for information for what we need to do to work under the new COVID-19 protocols. We have been talking and planning about how we are going to get back into production since early July, and while there are changes like—you can’t be closer than six feet, and the best way to have a conversation is back to back, and that we need to monitor ourselves for the good of everyone—production ends up adapting rather quickly. I will say get good with the wheels as many shows are going to remote heads and mini-scopes, or short cranes to keep the operator and dolly grip socially distant from the actors.

I’ll talk about this more as we get some shooting time under our belts.

Everyone be safe. And let us know about gear we should review as this is a resource that is only as good as it’s member’s participation.

Bry Thomas Sanders, SOC, making adjustments of the Lightpanel Gemini 2x1 LED Soft on the set of AMY’S GIFT. Photo courtesy of David Frederick, SOC

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

REVIEW: LITEPANELS GEMINI 2X1 LED SOFT LIGHT EVALUATION

by David J. Frederick, SOC An opportunity was presented to me to get a few lighting units to test and use during two different productions recently, and I will say that I am impressed with the versatility, the subtleness, and the power of the Litepanels Gemini LED 2x1’ Soft lights.

The over whelming aspect of these lights is that they are a mighty powerful lamp in a modest-sized, affordably priced, and fairly lightweight package with the ability to serve my photography is several different manners of operation. From their low amperage AC power draw enabling them to easily be used on location in a wall outlet, working off of an attached industry standard Anton Bauer battery and also way up on a stage grid attached to a computer cue DMX system!

Tech Talk

output power, subtlety and nuanced color shading, and simple preset settings for nearly every imaginable lighting situation in one robust, yet compact unit at a very reasonable price point!

The narrative efforts were equally as satisfying. My team and I were able to accomplish huge page counts in a variety of locations with minimal muss and fuss, while achieving a large lighting package look with only a few of these Gemini units. I was involved with the crewing and equipment provisions for a short narrative film, Amy’s Gift, and my associate directors of photography, Dianne Farrington, SOC, and Bry Thomas Sanders, SOC had their first experiences with the Gemini LED 1x2’ Soft lights.

I have been working with the Litepanels company products since their beginnings as an early adopter of the Mini Lite Panels, the Micro Litepanels, the earliest 1x1’ Litepanels, and the Mini Ring light. I helped out on a promo shoot, and did their Steadicam demo footage and testimonial of the beautiful design of that unit.

Now I am pleased to applaud this accomplishment in bringing this welcomed, affordable addition to the cinematographer’s lighting toolbox—the Gemini series of LED Soft lighting systems. In my recent experience working with these Gemini lights, I discovered that they are indeed many things to all people, inasmuch as they satisfy many of the requirements of lighting our subjects in every filmic situation with ease, both subtle and powerful output, with the added ability to supply high CRI levels, and a beautiful palette of filming colors, effects, and industry known presets.

My use has been on documentary and narrative filming projects. The quick set up, CC presets, handy “speed or subtle” dimming knob, dependable clean output, and ease of AC or battery power, with attached gold mount plates and batteries, made these a go-to, and beautifully effective tool for our documentary interviews, and set-up for the project I was enlisted to shoot this fall. My responsibility for making very famous legendary faces, and distinguished speakers look good with an artful appearance was quick and easy with the Gemini units. Quick set-up, execution, and wrap-outs was the name of the game for me, and I was so happy to expand upon the standard LED “look” with these beautiful new units that made my images look natural, and have just the right amount of “portrait pop” I was looking for.

There were zero misgivings in unwanted color shifts, intensity fluctuations, and the light the units gave off was clean and pure. When color effects or lighting effects were desired I could dial them in, enjoying the presets for a variety of flicker/color effects such as fire, TV, police or emergency light simulations. Really a great deal of incredible

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

Director Drew Rosenberg pointing, and DP Dianne Farrington, SOC with the Gemini 2x1 LED Soft on the set of AMY’S GIFT. Photo courtesy of David Frederick

Here are some of the comments from co-DP and camera operator, Bry Sanders, SOC: “Recently, I had the pleasure of working with several of the new Litepanel Gemini 2x1 LED Soft panels for our film, Amy’s Gift. They proved their worth in many ways. I found they produced a very pleasing quality of light while proving to be extremely versatile and practical. Considering their low power consumption, I was impressed with the unit’s light output, which was more than sufficient to create satisfying ambient bounce light for intimate night, and punchy enough to create satisfying directional key light, even at very low output. I also found they worked very well as fill light for daylight scenes, supplementing and filling with a uniform, soft quality, and easily adjustable color temperature. The color correction presets proved essential for quickly ball-parking our color temperature corrections, while the fine adjustment dial was helpful in making quick adjustments on the fly.

Had we been a longer shoot, I would have built custom WB presets,

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and the fact that the Geminis have programable buttons for this purpose was intriguing to me. This short narrative film, Amy’s Gift called for some slow-motion shots, and the Geminis were a great option for this. Quickly adjustable, output-wise, I never detected any flicker or color shift. With their size and onboard ballast construction, they were easy to rig and power—primarily utilizing house power—and although we didn’t have need for the built-in effects, I’m interested to see how they perform on future projects. All said, I was impressed with the new Gemini Litepanel, and look forward to utilizing them on future projects.”

Dianne Farrington, SOC, also DP on Amy’s Gift, submits her impression: ”On a recent project I discovered the versatility of the Litepanel Gemini 2x1 LED Soft lights. After using tungsten lights in the past, the Gemini units provided an amazing flexibility in comparison. Considering the instruments low mass to output ratio, and built-in power supply, the lamps were fast and easy to set. Two Gemini units were used on a set that had a large scenic window as a background source.

We easily toggled through the Gemini settings to match the color temperature of the natural window light. One lamp was enough to

The Litepanel Gemini 2x1 LED Soft on the interview set of a documentary shot by David J. Frederick, SOC. Photo courtesy of David Frederick

provide nice background kick and the needed background separation, while the other provided a beautiful soft fill for the actress. The Litepanel Gemini 2x1 LED Soft lights are powerful, compact, have variable programmable color temperature, and a precisely dimmable light source. These are all functions that make it a considerably great asset for this and future projects.”

DAVID J. FREDERICK, SOC David J. Frederick, SOC has made the SOC a very important part of his career in the film industry. He’s served the SOC as a past SOC president, a 22-year board member, the producer of the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards for seven years, and presently he is a member of the SOC Corporate and Technical Committees.

Photo by Michael Desmond

ERIC FLETCHER, SOC Eric Fletcher, SOC, a native of St. Louis, Missouri, started in the film industry in the early 80s as a camera assistant, and then moved up to operator. Along the way, Eric DP’d over 4,000 political commercials, operating many TV movies, features, and TV series. During his career, Eric has been at the bleeding edge of the move to HD production and beyond, participating in the first live demo of analog HDTV transmitted via fiber optics. Presently, Eric is a full-time camera operator/Steadicam operator, and is honored to be on the SOC Board of Governors, and he is the chairman of the Technical Standards Committee where he leads the jury that decides the SOC Technical Award winners.

Photo by Bas Thiele

A 1979 NYU Tisch Film School graduate, Frederick began his professional career as a 1st assistant cameraman, working on films ranging from the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple to Bruce Beresford’s Driving Miss Daisy. In his recent role as director of photography and associate producer on Estilo Americano, he brought a wealth of experience and knowledge, enlisting a deep pool of talent behind and in front of the camera lens, with vendor participation providing gratis cameras, lenses, and lighting gear.

Frederick’s credits on film and TV series as a cinematographer on include: The Society, Get Shorty, Muppets From Space, The Soloist, Northern Exposure, Aquarius, The Bridge, and Sons of Anarchy.

Frederick shoots with every camera and format of film and digital, “There is always a story to be told with a camera. Perhaps it’s a lavish epic captured with remote heads, cranes, helicopters, Steadicam, U/W, gyro rigs or large format anamorphic cameras, or, I can film hand-held, with the latest small professional digital camera.” He explains, “The ability to share my passion and joy of filmmaking with the director, actors and crew on any film set is what gets me out of bed in the morning. When I encounter a story rich in integrity and humanity, I thrive on bringing it to life through the lens.”

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The TIffen Company, LLC. 90 Oser Avenue • Hauppauge, NY 11788

Operator as Storyteller

Smooth Operator

by Bonnie Blake, SOC

Captions: Top left, clockwise: Bonnie Blake, SOC on the set of DEAD TO ME with sound boom ops Dirk Stout and Mitch Cohen and A Camera Operator Damian Church, photo courtesy of Bonnie Blake; (l to r): Camera technician Nate Havens, Bonnie Blake on dolly, DP Anette Haellmigk, and dolly grip Matt Horochowski on the set of INSECURE, photo by Anne Marie Fox; Bonnie Blake B camera operator on the right with extra camera operator Tammy Fouts, photo courtesy of Bonnie Blake; director Debbie Allen and Bonnie Blake on the set of INSECURE, photo by Anne Marie Fox.

I’d like to share some experiences since the pandemic shut down film production last March. My focus is on the insights I’ve received from my recent SOC volunteer activities.

I’ve been involved with mentoring camera operators from both the SOC and the IATSE Local 600 programs. This has provided me the opportunity to reflect on what I’ve learned from my own mentors, and a chance to build relationships with three “new to me” camera folks.

They have taught me things from their divergent career paths, as well as from their own unique set of life experiences, including what’s it like to live in South Dakota, and “homesteading’’ in the wilds of Malibu.

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I have to give credit (with a wink and a nod) to another SOC mentee for pushing me to participate in the SOC Inspirational Roundtables, which was fun and pushed me out of my comfort zone in the area of public speaking via Zoom.

Relationship building has been a key element in building my career— both as a camera assistant and operator. That is probably true of most of us, although there are the lucky few who work their way up in the camera department under the tutelage of one or two directors of photography. They are taken under their wings and given the chance to perfect their skills on a well-paying union job. Although I had many

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

directors of photography, camera operators, first assistants, directors, writers, rental house technicians, even actors show me, usually by example, how to operate a camera, capture a performance, and how to function effectively on set (set etiquette), no one “moved me up” to camera operator on a long union job.

I had to piece together work opportunities when I made the transition from 1st AC to operator by contacting everyone I’d ever worked with and asking for referrals. I worked on freebies and low-budget, nonunions jobs as a camera operator to perfect my skills. I learned new skills by asking favors from rental house managers whom I had befriended as an assistant, and organized workshops to get my hands on new pieces of equipment. I also produced and shot short films, and documentaries. I lit a fire under myself and didn’t stop—I definitely pushed myself out of the comfort zone I had created by being a first assistant camera for 12 years, and before that a total “newbie” to the world of motion pictures. Maybe I felt driven to be extra prepared to take on the role of camera operator as I had been as a camera assistant, because as someone who is still among the few women camera operators now, and even fewer 20 years ago, I felt the need to be able to prove myself under the scrutiny of crews who may have doubted my abilities or readiness. Fortunately I have a good sense of humor which helped when I dayplayed, and often fellow crew members and above-the-line executives would fall back on stereotypes of what women do on a film set and assume I was a “wardrobe lady” or script supervisor, and try to point me in the appropriate direction. I’ve always felt that—regardless of our differences—people are more alike than different, but the need to prove myself in these environments was very motivating.

My introduction to this world began when an actor friend in my earliest days as a camera production assistant advised me “to be friendly to everyone on set” because today’s PA will be tomorrow’s producer/director/showrunner/director of photography. Another friend, a NABET 15 sound mixer who was the only person I knew on the technical side of filmmaking, introduced me to several camera assistants. We would hang out together at rental houses in New York City becoming familiar with the equipment, and then get coffee. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the beginning of many years of “hanging” out at rental houses, grabbing coffee, and then having many meals at all times of the day and night on set while getting to know new colleagues. What I was ostensibly doing was building a network of contacts to stay in touch with when I was looking for employment. But what that friend was also showing me was the sheer enjoyment of knowing this eclectic assortment of fascinating, skilled, talented, adventure-seeking, dedicated people. I had found my tribe, and I continue to get enormous satisfaction from our collaborations and mutual support when times are tough.

It’s been a thrill to work all over the world, and realize that the majority of people I met on a film set—whether it’s for a narrative project, documentary, or a TED Talk—care very passionately about what they do. Even though working as the director of photography on a TED Talk in India was enormously challenging, as many of the male camera

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

crew felt threatened by working with a woman, we had a breakthrough moment when all of us thought that we needed to “cut the light” off a certain part of the stage. Our aesthetic agreement crossed all cultural, gender, and religious barriers. The long hours of rehearsal, and having a woman teach them the TED Talk visual style was worth it when the audience of 1,000 business moguls, academics scientists, and artists were dancing wildly in the aisles after the first session. Their reaction was so energizing that everyone on the crew: Indians, Europeans, and Americans bonded together over our mutual sense of excitement and purpose.

I have learned how to glean information about the intent of any project from the director, writers, showrunner, director of photography, actors, stunt coordinators, as well as the assistant directors by honing my listening skills during a set-up, and after each take. I’ve learned from listening to director’s notes to actors that the blocking may change—and the director may not realize that these changes will affect the timing or choices of what I, the dolly grip and the 1st AC (plus the boom operator, lighting technicians, etc.) will do in the take.

I have no expectations that the directors and actors will always understand the ramifications of their changes. But if I listen to the notes, I can communicate these changes to my camera team. If the changes involve background action, I’ll also consult with the first assistant director. Of course, we all have to be on our toes, and follow the lead of the actors. My documentary experience was priceless during my last job on Dead to Me when Christina Applegate, and Linda Cardellini often ended a scene with improvisations.

Also, since I had worked as an actress in a previous incarnation, I am always impressed by actors and the dedication that is required, not only to get hired, but to maintain the level of concentration necessary to create a believable character in the middle of what is often pandemonium.

It’s wonderful to be their first audience from behind the camera.

Preparation for shooting includes, of course, reading the script, watching all of the previous projects of the director and director of photography, and having one-to-one conversations about visual style—including equipment choices with the DP, and other camera crew. This kind of prep is tricky when you’re day playing, but that’s when listening gets even more critical. I once day played on the first season of Westworld without any time to ask questions. The show hadn’t aired yet so I had no opportunities to do my usual homework. I barely had time to hear the bare bones of the framing style from the A camera operator, and the 1st ACs, and read the sides. The world of that show was unique and cryptic, but later in the day I struck up a conversation with the A dolly grip—and during a long wait for actors, or FX, or God knows what—he explained to me the whole premise of the show. He was fascinated by the story, and drew me into it which was exceedingly helpful as the long night continued, and the shots became more complex. I was so thankful for his friendliness and for his enthusiasm, and I returned for additional camera days. I received the same backstory script information from a stand-in on Carnivale, and I will always owe much gratitude from the observational skills and patience of those essential members of the crew.

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The flip side of listening is the ability to communicate with a variety of people—both in front of and behind the camera—and it requires clarity, and brevity. A sense of humor also goes along way.

Another gem of advice from more than one mentor: bring compassion to work with you for everyone on the set—even the people in charge of everything—no matter how challenging their personalities may be. Trying on “new hats” helped build my compassion, so when I was a newbie camera assistant in NYC, I took what I thought would be a really cool job traveling all over the West. The only hitch was that I was the only camera assistant: loading, slating, writing camera reports, pulling focus, loading the truck, and occasionally driving it.

Needless to say, I really appreciated a good-size union camera crew after that one. When I DP’d on small projects it often required me to be my own location scout, my own assistant director, production designer, and set decorator if I was to have half the chance at shooting visually compelling scenes. From those experiences I have renewed respect for the entire production design team. The on-set dresser is one of the first people I introduce myself to, and I invite them to look at the monitor and consult with me as to how best to convey the production designer’s intent, or simply make the best arrangement of background objects for all cameras involved.

refining our skills. I think our exchanges have had more honesty, openness and an increased awareness that our industry needs more diversity.

We can continue to support inclusivity not just with educational webinars, but also by getting out of our comfort zone when it comes to hiring crew members who are often underrepresented on our camera teams.

This means we hire someone who we might not have worked with, and are not on our lists of “first calls” when we need to fill day-playing positions and 2nd units, or as in the case of my job with Toby Oliver last year, a full-time position on the crew. Even one day of experience under the guidance of experienced camera operators can make a huge difference in the trajectory of a career—not only for those who are just starting out as camera operators and assistants—but also for those of us who are mid-career but have not had the opportunity to work on higher profile projects.

They may have the skills, but have not had access to meeting the people who could hire them on these projects.

I also encourage our SOC associate members to take the initiative to create and/or attend workshops and events that are relevant to what they need to polish their skills, whether with people or equipment. In this way we can continue building a supportive and relevant community.

My involvement with the SOC led me to produce one of our short documentaries for the Vision Center at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles screened at our SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards. This experience also was invaluable as I learned more about procuring location permits, asking for multiple favors to secure donated equipment, and recruit a volunteer crew. But the rewards of meeting former patients and their families was priceless, as was getting to know Dr. Lee and his work more intimately.

This brings me to some of my experiences on Dead to Me, Season 2. I had the wonderful opportunity to work, for the first time, with a whole “new to me” camera crew. I knew the A camera 1st, Brian Udoff, from our mutual participation on the National Executive Board of Local 600, but I had never even met the rest of the camera crew. So after years of being in the comfort zone of familiar communication styles with my “regular” camera crews, I had the challenge of adapting to new personalities on a second season show that was experimenting with visual styles. I was fortunate to work with this talented crew, and fantastic, down-to-earth actors.

I enjoyed our visual experiments, especially with the flashback scenes, and the challenges of exterior night scenes in San Pedro. My excellent B camera team included 1st AC, Sarah Brandes; 2nd AC, Alicia Pharris; and B dolly grip, Billy Pierson. Working with a new camera team can be another example of “being out of your comfort zone.” And our director of photography Toby Oliver demonstrated his willingness to hire a new person on his crew by giving me the opportunity.

One of the bright spots of these challenging months has been the generous participation of many very experienced camera operators in the SOC’s Inspirational Roundtables. These men and women encouraged all of us to be open to meeting new people, learning all the new gear, and/or

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Photo courtesy of Bonnie Blake BONNIE BLAKE, SOC Bonnie Blake, SOC, originally from Louisville, Kentucky, began her career as a camera assistant in New York City.

After moving to Los Angeles, she reclassified as a union camera operator in 2000. Her credits include: Action, The Agency, Blue, Monk; Dirty, Sexy, Money; CSI: New York, Hawthorne, The Goldbergs, Single Ladies, Being Mary Jane, Insecure, Doubt, The Kominsky Method, and Dead to Me. She has also been fortunate to work on many TED Talks in California, Canada, India, Scotland, and England. In 2017, she was the Director of Photography for TEDGlobal in Arusha, Tanzania.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Insight JESSE M. FELDMAN, SOC

Photo by Dakota Fine

What was one of your most challenging shot or challenging day in the industry? On The Chi, Season 3 we shot an episode where every scene was a oner, great work by operators Dave Sammons, SOC, and Jordan Keslow!

What is your most memorable day in the industry? The first day I used the Ergorig prototype on set, and was able to hand-hold the camera with no pain—my career immediately opened up again.

What is the job you have yet to do but most want to do? Working on something in the X-Men or Star Trek universe would really satisfy the childhood in me.

Credits: American Crime Story, Pose, Sons of Anarchy, The Disaster Artist, American Horror Story, The Chi

LANCE FISHER, SOC What was one of your most challenging shot or challenging day in the industry? I was doing a shot for Steve Yanconelli, ASC that involved a boom up from dead bottom to very top with a 180 degree pan, and the dolly moving very fast with a quick stop. No remote head or crane, the sheer physicality was daunting, and nearly impossible on a Panaflex with no video monitor. I had to keep my eye on the eyepiece, keep the actors in the frame, and not fall off and not break the camera by hanging from it!

The person who helped you most in your career? Oh so many...Ron Garcia, ASC; Suki Medencevic, ASC; Chris Chomyn, ASC; Gale Tattersall, Bobby Liu, ASC; Richard Hissong, and so many others.

Credits: Foster Boy, Channel Zero for SyFY, House, M.D., Paycheck, The Dead Zone

Photo courtesy of Lance Fisher

MICHAEL J. GERMOND, SOC

Photo by Dallas Sterling

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2020

What was one of your most challenging shot or challenging day in the industry? Universal Studios bought late ad-time for the 2018 Super Bowl, and we had six hours with celebrity talent to execute. We rehearsed for one day, to the minute, AC's recording camera placement to the inch. The third operator would hop ahead with an advance team to be on set before the director and talent arrived.

What is your most memorable day in the industry? It's 2018, the Eagles won the Super Bowl, confetti streaming from the rafters, and I'm standing three feet from the Lombardi Trophy. Twenty-million live viewers, and my task was a three-minute Steadicam one'r (backwards) through the crowd of 150 players and families.

Credits: Sunday Night Football, The Olympics, Kentucky Derby, Super Bowl LII, Universal/Disney Theme Park Commercials

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Social SOC @ ire_castroj

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@ Society_of_Camera_Operators TAG us or use #TheSOC and your pics could be featured here.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Being a member of the Society of Camera Operators gives you access to the Camera Operating Series in partnership with AFI; priority and discounts to training; invitations to events and screenings; over seventy hours of videos, members only offers; and participation in the mentorship program.

The Society offers multiple levels of membership; Active, Associate, Student, Educator, and Corporate. For a full description of benefits, costs, and qualifications visit SOC.Org/Membership.

CAMERA OPERATOR ¡ FALL 2020

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