Camera Operator: Fall 2017

SOC.ORG · FALL 2017 VOL. 26, NO.4

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS . FALL 2017

Only the Brave

DARKEST HOUR THE DISASTER ARTIST WONDERSTRUCK

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CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 NEWS & NOTES Awards Show, Drone & Aerial Workshop, and more

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8 ESTABLISHING SHOT David J. Frederick, SOC

38 TECH TALK Technology Award Nominees for the February 3, 2018 SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards

44 SMOOTH OPERATOR "Underwater Adventures" Ian S. Takahashi, SOC

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48 INSIGHT

52 SOCIAL SOC Ian S. Takahashi, SOC

FEATURES 14 ONLY THE BRAVE "Brave Operating" with Mark Meyers an interview by Derek Stettler

20 DARKEST HOUR "Capturing History" Des Whelan, ACO

26 THE DISASTER ARTIST "Room with a View" with B.J. McDonnell an interview by Derek Stettler

30 WONDERSTRUCK "Between Two Eras"

by Craig Haagensen, SOC

Meet the Members

49 SOC ROSTER 51 AD INDEX

26 CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

ON THE COVER: ONLY THE BRAVE director, Joseph Kosinski and "A" camera operator/Steadicam operator, Mark "Chief" Meyers on location in New Mexico. Photo by Richard Foreman, SMPSP.

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Society of Camera Operators Board of Governors OFFICERS President George Billinger 1st Vice President Mitch Dubin 2nd Vice President Dan Turrett Secretary: Susan Campbell Treasurer Bill McClelland Sergeant-at-Arms Dan Gold

BOARD MEMBERS Bonnie Blake David Emmerichs Eric Fletcher Michael Frediani Chris Haarhoff David Sammons Lisa Stacilauskas Christopher Taylor Dave Thompson

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards George Billinger, Mitch Dubin, Dan Gold, Bill McClelland, Dave Thompson, Dan Turrett

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Charities: Alicia Robbins Events Mark August Historical Mike Frediani Membership Dan Gold, Dan Turrett Technical Standards: Eric Fletcher

STAFF AND CONSULTANTS Membership Services & Operations Coordinator Elise Falanga Bookkeeper Angela Delgado Calligrapher Carrie Imai Business Consultant Kristin Petrovich and Createasphere

CAMERA OPERATOR MAGAZINE Publishing Consultant Kristin Petrovich Managing Editor Kate McCallum Layout & Production Stephanie Cameron Advertising Derek Stettler

CONTRIBUTORS David J. Frederick, SOC Craig Haagensen, SOC

Sarah Levy, SOC B.J. McDonnell Mark Meyers Derek Stettler Ian S. Takahashi, SOC Rémi Tournois, SOC Chris Tufty, SOC Joseph Urbanczyk, SOC Dale Vance, Jr., SOC Des Whelan, ACO

Dale Vance, Jr., SOC Des Whelan, ACO Marc Wostak

PHOTOGRAPHY

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Mary Cybulski Jack English Richard Foreman, SMPSP David J. Frederick, SOC Michael Frediani, SOC David James Sarah Levy, SOC Peter Marsden Craig Matthews Justin Mintz Crescenzo Notorile, ASC Carter Smith Peter Sorel Margot Tufty

TRIVIA Source imdb.com

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

(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.

Is a registered trademark.

All rights reserved.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

David Klein, ASC

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Letter from the President Dear SOC Members and Camera Operator Readers: I hope that our membership enjoyed a productive and fulfilling summer. As we usher in and embrace fall, we are looking forward to the 2017 Awards Season with renewed anticipation.

The SOC is thrilled to once again be presenting our Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Loews Hotel Hollywood, on Saturday February 3, 2018. We are expecting to have a sellout show this year. If you are interested in purchasing seats, please find information at socawards.com. The Lifetime Achievement Awards are one of the cornerstones of the Society.

The SOC Awards provide a platform to pay tribute to our industry’s best and brightest in their respective fields. We look to honor those who have achieved a lifetime of dedication and commitment to the artistry and craft that defines the Camera Department. We also honor those who have moved us with their operating and technical mastery in film and television this year. And—we acknowledge the everchanging technologies that enable us to create these indelible pieces of work. It is always with honor, gratitude, and excitement that we are able to present these Awards.

A second, and equally imperative philosophy within the SOC is our commitment to education. This year we have expanded our efforts through many educational workshops, including a Drone and Aerial Camera Operating Workshop, an Underwater Camera Operating Workshop, and a Telescopic Crane Workshop. These workshops are intended to provide practical development and resources for camera operators, and the many other talented departments and specialists we work with on a daily basis. It is through teamwork and an appreciation of all the intricate parts in filmmaking that we are able to advance our craft. A heartfelt thanks goes out to all who have made such workshops possible through leadership, support and participation. We are in the works of developing more educational workshops for 2018. Please be sure to check out our events page for further details: soc.org/events Wishing you all a beautiful fall and joyous holiday season.

I hope to see many of you at our upcoming SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards in February!

Sincerely,

George Billinger, SOC Society of Camera Operators, President

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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SOC AWARDS SHOW The SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards show will take place on February 3, 2018 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. Information and tickets can be found on the website: socawards.com.

SOC TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS Submissions for the SOC Technical Award are included in this issue on page 38. The SOC will host a day of demonstrations on November 11, where members can get hands on tech and socialize with their peers.

SOC FAMILY PICNIC

News & Notes NAB NYC SOC PANEL On October 18, 2017, the SOC presented a panel discussion on the Keynote Stage at the NAB NYC conference called The Role, Art and Craft of the A Camera Operator. Panelists and camera operators, Jeff Muhlstock, SOC and Dave Thompson, SOC, moderated by Tom Fletcher, discussed how they run a set, their relationship with the DP, director, production, and provided helpful tips that can be applied to any size production. Immediately following the panel The Studio-B&H hosted a reception for SOC members in their booth.

On August 20, 2017 SOC Corporate Member, ZEISS hosted a SOC Family Picnic at Brace Canyon Park in Burbank, California. Great fun was had by all. The SOC has a long history of family picnics and we hope to continue that tradition and celebrate the families that support our members!

Calendar NOVEMBER • • •

November 5 General Breakfast Meeting – Sponsored by J.L. Fisher November 11 Demo Day for the 2018 Technical Achievement Awards November 21 SOC Technical Achievement Award Announced

DECEMBER • •

SOC EDUCATION Operating in the 4th Dimension Working with Telescopic Cranes Workshop The SOC and Local 80 presented a Telescopic Crane Workshop designed for professional camera operators and grips, with 50 students participating. Thank you to Chapman-Leonard, C L Enterprises, Imagecraft, Techno-Dog, and VER for the helping make the event happen.

SOC Underwater Camera Operating Workshop The SOC and HydroFlex presented a very successful 2.5-day workshop on underwater camera operating. Attendees spent Friday afternoon at HydroFlex, focusing on prepping gear and the “do’s and don’t’s,” as well as a hosted reception. Tank One hosted the workshop on Saturday and Sunday. Thank you to Cinema Safety and Marine Services, Divers Unlimited International, HydroFlex, Imagecraft, Nauticam, New England Divers, Panavision and Tank One Studio.

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•

December 3 SOC Atlanta Holiday Party December 16 SOC NYC Holiday Party December 16 SOC LA Holiday Party

JANUARY •

January 15-23 Camera Operator of the Year Voting Period for SOC Active Voting Members

FEBRUARY • •

February 2 SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards - VIP Party February 3 SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards Loews Hotel Hollywood

MORE EVENTS Please log onto the home page, soc.org and click the navigation button, Events, to see all upcoming happenings.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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Establishing Shot

by David J. Frederick, SOC

Left: At NYU, Dave on top of rental truck setting positions of actors while AC, Nick Tzanis looks on. Right: Helicopter camera operator for NBC's TRUE BLUE series. Photos courtesy of David J. Frederick After four decades of working on film sets with professional cameras, I think back at what it was that brought me to this delightfully crazy, creative work. Film cameras, thankfully, had a strong foothold in my early years, and I was thrilled with the Panavision and the ARRI cameras as they got lighter and more agile. I had moved on to camera operating before the introduction of the digital cameras.

When I was a preteen, my widowed mom pointed out that she wasn't in any of the home movies, so she suggested that we kids should take turns shooting the movie camera. I jumped at the opportunity.

My older sister’s Sweet 16 birthday party was my first gig, with all of her friends and neighbor girls in their late-60’s dresses cavorting about. I filmed them. We set up little skits, and did some stop-motion with the single frame release on our super 8mm film camera of the luncheon rolls and meats traveling around the buffet. We all had lots of fun.

The magic moment that cemented me into the lure of the movie camera was when the yellow boxes from Kodak Rochester showed up in the mail. I threaded them onto our projector, set up the screen, and sat transfixed, watching the beautiful images that I was responsible for creating. The stop-motion came out so well, the shots of the cavorting girls in the backyard were hilarious and beautiful, I had even managed

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to accidentally find the backlight. I was hooked! The other magic of film was that my strongest memories of my dad, who died when I was two, are from watching the films of my family that my mom had made of him in their early years. For me, it is this magic that makes time stand still.

My first feature film production job was on The Nesting, a thriller set in the historic Hudson River Valley area. I was hired on as the producer’s assistant, hiring most of the support services. In production I was the A camera 2nd AC, and on the first day of filming I got bumped to B camera 1st AC. I finished as assistant editor in post-production. It was quite a great experience working in 35mm.

I spent the next 12 years as a NABET 15, Association of Film Craftsmen Union camera assistant in the New York area. As a focus puller, I did the Coen brothers’ first feature film, Blood Simple with Barry Sonnenfeld as DP. I finished up my AC career with Driving Miss Daisy, working with Peter James, ACS, ASC. One DP I worked for frequently as an AC was Frank Prinzi, ASC. He was a big enabler for me operating B camera. He called me and said that both operators from the show’s pilot, Gus Makris and Ken Ferris, had recommended me for A camera operator on a new NBC TV series in New York called True Blue, about the NYC rescue police.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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Left: Additional SOC camera operator on JUNGLE BOOK: MOWGLI'S STORY, photo by D. Frederick. Top Right: ATV Steadicam rig on NBC's HAWAII with dolly grip, Michael Schwake driving for chase sequence, photo by Crescenzo Notarile, ASC. Bottom Right: Early SOC underwater workshop instructor, photo courtesy of D. Fredrick.

I then learned what being the A camera operator was. It is a collaboration of many elements on the set, you are an adjunct conductor, mindful of the precise timing of the instruments, keeping the frame in tune and in tempo. The wider shots, the moving camera, seeing around corners, having all of the actors on their marks, the microphone staying out of picture, the back and edge lights out of frame, the dolly moves timed right, the camera at the perfect height and so on. While filming True Blue, I had the opportunity of operating from a helicopter nearly every episode because the show’s producer, Sonny Grosso loved how aerial shots gave shape and scope to the story, and the show’s main character—the city of New York.

My next job brought me and my new family to Seattle to shoot the CBS series, Northern Exposure for two seasons. My family and I decided to call the beautiful Northwest home, buying a house in Redmond, Washington. Our first son, Colin, was born and I was now a member of IA Local 659. I was lucky to get work on films that came up there, Mad Love and Georgia to name two…

Frank Johnson, ASC, offered me A camera/Steadicam on a TV series in Hawaii, Marker. I had three weeks to learn how to operate the Steadicam. Fortunately, Chris Haarhoff, SOC, and Andy Rowlands, SOC

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took me under their wings and got me started with the Steadicam do’s and don’ts. In Hawaii, it was trial by fire. I had been AC for Ted Churchill on a number of projects, and channeled him constantly in my efforts. Our second son Duncan was born during this show, and I was happy to have my family there the whole time.

Next was Portland, Oregon to work with Ric Waite, ASC, and later on with James Cressanthis, ASC on a UPN show called Nowhere Man as A/Steadicam. Ric was a great example of finesse and elegance on set. It was a steady dose of Steadicam and 2nd Unit DP work for me as well.

A few years later in LA filming Jungle Book, Mowgli’s Story, I went house hunting and explored places for my family to settle into. After moving to Los Angeles in 1996, my first big long-term job took me to Toronto, Canada with my friend, DP Arthur Albert, ASC, to operate A/Steadicam on the feature, Dirty Work.

Back in LA, I was excited to land a season at Universal shooting Sliders where I met Alan Caso, ASC who soon after brought me to Wilmington, North Carolina for Muppets From Space. I spent nearly the entire film bent over, moving the camera around on the AeroJib arm at Muppet height.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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On Felicity, I met Michael Bonvillian, ASC and enjoyed two early seasons on the show in LA (years later we teamed up again on Westworld S1 Moab unit). One of my friends from our old AC days, Crescenzo Notarile, ASC asked me to join him on the feature sequel, Time Cop 2 and after that we went to Hawaii for an NBC pilot called Hawaii.

When the pilot was finished, I stayed on with my family for some R&R and ran into the Lost pilot producer who I knew from Felicity.

She had work for me on Lost’s additional camera and splinter unit.

I enjoyed my term as SOC President from 2005 to 2007, even when a major political issue arose. In late 2006, as SOC President, I was invited to speak before the IGC board illustrating the need for camera operators to remain in the new AMPTP-IATSE contract. The producers wanted to take away the mandatory staffing of the camera operator. I presented my remarks, focusing on the financial, cultural, and artistic advantages of using a camera operator.

Most of my experience has been as a narrative camera operator on larger budgeted union jobs, but somehow, I was lured into a part of the industry that was unknown to me and seemed exciting…competition reality television. The first was Mix It Up, and I was DP partner with Matt Valentine, SOC. A few years later Matt hired me on NBC’s Love In The Wild in the Dominican Republic’s tropical paradise. A great adventure where I met some of the best camera operators I’ve ever worked with. It gave me a really new perspective on our craft.

In my work with Paul Maibaum, ASC on shows including four seasons of Sons of Anarchy, I had many opportunities to go off and shoot 2nd unit on the camera bike with stunt/driver, Steve Holiday, and stunt/director, Steve Davison. I am very grateful to Paul for those opportunities. In 2011, I received the SOC Camera Operator of the Year Award – Television. I gave a hearty shout-out to the kind gentleman B camera operator, Steve Fracol, SOC, who recently won for Scandal.

At the 2012 SOC awards, Denny Clairmont, the man I presented my SOC President’s Award to for his lifetime of achievements, introduced me to his good friend, Attila Szalay, CSC. Attila hired me to work on The Bridge with him for two seasons. He put me in charge of the camera, concentrated on the lighting, and we really flew through the shooting. Proof that collaboration and division of labor makes for a spirited, happy, and efficient set. We have been a team ever since.

Following that we did a season of Aquarius and then most recently, Get Shorty. On Aquarius, Attila left me to DP the last two episodes as he returned to a previous show commitment.

I love my job and work with the cleverest and most collaborative people of any craft that I know. The potential to tell a story, move people to tears or cheers, and make a positive change in our world is what moves me, one person or a whole audience at a time.

Eric Van Haren Noman, ASC, asked me to join him on a project in Holland, a historical drama about the Dutch painter Vermeer, with an amazing cast and vast sets with countless background in period costume. For Hallmark, Brush With Fate was a mixture of intimate settings in small boats, small rooms in Delft and Amsterdam locations or shots showing five city blocks, canals with barges, bridges with horses and carriages. I was called upon to perform long Steadicam, dolly, or sweeping remote-head crane shots. Eric was the first operator I worked with in my first year in the business who was a real pro. It was a fantastically friendly and memorable collaboration. He has my gratitude and respect.

Left: 2nd Unit DP on Hallmark's VALLEY OF LIGHT filming mechanical bass fish, photo courtesy of David J. Frederick.

Right: 2008 SOC Awards opening presenter speech, photo by Craig Matthews.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

DAVE FREDERICK, SOC Dave Frederick, 1979 NYU Tisch film school graduate, began his professional career as 1st camera assistant, working on films ranging from the Coen Brothers’ Blood Simple to Bruce Beresford’s Driving Miss Daisy. Camera operating since 1986, favorite films and TV series he’s operated on include; Muppets From Space, Mad Love, Georgia, The Soloist, Northern Exposure, Felicity, Sliders, Women’s Murder Club, Sons of Anarchy, The Bridge, Aquarius, Westworld Utah unit, and Get Shorty.

Frederick shoots with every camera and format of film and digital, “There is always a story to be told with a camera. Sometimes it’s a lavish epic captured with remote heads, Titan Cranes, helicopters, Steadicam, U/W, Gyro stabilized rigs or large format anamorphic cameras and lenses. Other times, I find myself hand-held off road or on a freeway making shots with the latest small hand-held professional digital camera.”

An SOC member since 1989, Frederick spent over 20 years as an active board member of the Society of Camera Operators, proudly serving as President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, Interim Treasurer, and Awards Gala Event Producer for seven years. Frederick is also an active member of the ICG Local 600, and the Steadicam Operators Guild. An avid supporter of the work of the Vision Center of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, with his efforts as a team member and leader, the SOC has raised over $145,000.00 for the VCCHLA. In addition, footage shot by the SOC and shown to hospital trustees helped the VCCHLA raise a half-a-million dollars in funding.

Frederick explains, “The ability to share my passions and the joys of cinematography 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 AD yells, "Shoot the rehearsal!" on Hallmark's VALLEY OF LIGHT. Photo courtesy of David J. Frederick.

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Only the Brave Brave Operating with Mark Meyers an interview by Derek Stettler

Christian Slater in MR. ROBOT, Episode 209. Photo by Michael Parmelee/USA Network

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Only the Brave, directed by Joseph Kosinski, is based on the heroic true story of an elite firefighting group called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, as they put everything on the line to protect a town threatened by the historic 2013 Yarnell Hill wildfire in Arizona. With an epic story of real-life heroes pitted against Mother Nature’s fury, the film is like a war movie (and co-written by Black Hawk Down scribe, Ken Nolan), yet focuses in on the personal level to explore the trust, respect and deep sense of brotherhood that develops between the firefighters. Featuring a stellar cast including Josh Brolin, Jeff Bridges, Jennifer Connelly, Taylor Kitsch, Miles Teller, and Andie MacDowell, Only the Brave captures the humanity behind the heroism, as it puts the intense reality of wildland firefighting on the big screen for the first time.

Granite Mountain, ONLY THE BRAVE © 2017 Sony Pictures Digital Productions Inc. Photo by Richard Foreman, SMPSP

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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Posters for the film declare in big, bold letters, “It’s not what stands in front of you, it’s who stands beside you”—a line which surely resonated for the film’s “A” camera operator, Mark Meyers, as he braved conditions ranging from 10,000-foot-high mountain tops to sets with 100-foot-high flames. Camera Operator sat down with him to get the scoop.

Camera Operator: Tell us a bit about your background and how you got the job of “A” camera operator on Only the Brave.

Mark Meyers: I got started as a camera operator just over 12 years ago when operators that I used to push dolly for pushed me into operating. They told me I’d be good as an operator and that I should do Steadicam because I already had half that experience as a dolly grip. It’s an unusual move and, at least at the time, I was probably one of the few people who made that leap. The funny thing though is that I went from working on $200-million dollar movies one after anoth-

er as a dolly grip down to basically doing film school stuff and starting all over as a camera operator to work my way up, eventually getting hired again by the people that I knew.

For this job, I was approached by Claudio [DP, Claudio Miranda], who I’ve known for many years, first meeting him on Crimson Tide when he was a gaffer and we’ve done a few commercials since. He actually first approached me because I have a pilot’s license and he was very interested in doing a lot of drone work on this film, and he wanted to keep it within our department and not outsource it. And then he wanted me for Steadicam as well.

CO: Speaking of drones and Steadicam, what gear did you rely on?

Meyers: We shot with the Sony F65 and F55 and used a Chapman-Leonard Hydrascope,

TECH ON SET:

Sony F65, F55 DJI X5R, DJI M atrice 600 Dro nes Steadicam ARRI/Zeiss Mas ter Primes Fujinon Premie r Zooms JL Fisher Model 10 Chapman-Leo nard Hydrascop e Mo-Sys Remot e Head 100' Motorized Slider

the Mo-Sys remote head system, DJI drones, and I got to put my Steadicam to good use. The grip crew also had a slider made that we could put on the side of a mountain and do tracking shots. But the thing with Joe [director Joseph Kosinski]

TRIVIA: This is the first time Josh Brolin and Jeff Bridges have worked together since True Grit (2010).

Director, Joseph Kosinski (standing in foreground) and stunt coordinator, Keith Woulard (standing in background) direct the Granite Mountain Hotshots as they rest in the "cold black" to plan their strategy for fighting the wildfire. Photo by Richard Foreman, SMPSP

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

and Claudio is, they use the tools where they should be used instead of just using something because it’s there and it’s ready.

Each Steadicam shot was designed to be a Steadicam shot. And that’s something I really appreciate, using the right tool for the right shot. The drones were really just another tool on our set. We collaborated with DJI and started using some of their new experimental tech like the DJI Matrice 600, along with some new guidance equipment that wasn’t yet sold to the public. Claudio was very involved with experimenting with the new equipment like that, he’s really big into the technical side of things and I learned a lot from him. After some tests he and Joe did with the cameras, they decided the quality was good enough and were very impressed, so we ended up using with the DJI X5R for aerial shots.

CO: What was it like on set and who did you work closely with?

Meyers: It was really fun because the whole team got along really well, all the way from the top to the bottom. The crew and the cast—it was all one big family. It was a pleasure working with Joe and Claudio and their style of shooting. Both are consummate professionals and make the job really enjoyable for a camera operator. Of course there was my first AC, Dan Ming, who's awesome and a super nice friendly guy I’ve worked with off and on throughout my career. He likes to make things happen, is super pleasant to work with, and knows everything about everything. My dolly grip, Tommy Ruffner, and key grip, Trevor Fulks, they were always there, always supportive and made me feel safe. They give you the trust you need; you know they have your back. All the producers were wonderful, just good people who wanted to make a good movie. The crew was the same, you never felt like anyone was there just to do a job and get through it. Everybody was there on a mission because it was in their heart, you could feel it.

CO: What was the shooting schedule and where did you shoot?

Meyers: We shot from June until the middle of September 2016 in the Sante Fe area of New Mexico. We shot up in the ski areas, some at 10,000 feet. It was a very physical job. We also shot at some ranches, and at Sante Fe Studios for interiors.

CO: What was it like shooting those extreme wildfire sequences?

Meyers: The fire sequences were amazing.

They were fun. Of course it was intense, too!

I remember this one shot where I suddenly felt the heat intensify and then I noticed the shade on my monitor started warping. That’s when I knew it was time to leave. Over at the studio, the production literally replicated forests that they could control burn with trees that they brought in treated with fire retardant, and an escape path designated if there was ever a problem. There were also

TRIVIA: Ken Nolan and Eric Singer wrote the screenplay based on a GQ article titled No Exit.

ONLY THE BRAVE camera crew films wildland firefighters Anthony Rose (Jake Picking) and Andrew Ashcraft (Alex Russell) sawing down tree branches and clearing the mountainside to slow down a spreading wildfire. Photo by Richard Foreman, SMPSP

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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steel tress that looked real when on fire, but wouldn’t burn down.

There was a lot of practical fire, and a lot of real heat. All kinds of smoke everywhere, one set was built to have towering, 100-foot-tall flames. It was very intense, but I tend to block stuff like that out, and I get into this zone where I know I’m safe, and I just focus on the shot.

CO: So in those intense fire sequences, how are you and the gear protected? You mentioned a monitor shade warping!

Meyers: Well, first of all, we were all required to wear safety gear—fire retardant clothing, helmets, leather boots, gloves—we had all of that, in addition to ventilation and dust masks. But everybody was really safe. The effects crew was amazing, [special effects coordinator] Mike Meinardus and his whole crew took the safety very seriously and no one got hurt from fire. Really apart from the warping on that monitor shade, no gear was damaged. We used furniture blankets and other shielding sometimes, but nothing over the top to guard the gear. The rule was just: “If it get’s bad, get out,” and everyone was always on the same page as what to do and where to go.

CO: What shot or moment from the shoot are you proudest of?

Meyers: There’s one shot in particular, towards the end of the movie, where I’m in a Huey helicopter with the Steadicam on and shooting over the shoulder of a medic character as they approach the site where the burn was and where all the burn victims were. We circled around the site in the Huey as I’m shooting over the shoulder, we landed, and he jumps out of the helicopter and I jump out and then follow him all through the devastation as he walks up and sees all the burned bodies. I’m proud of it because it worked and it worked well, the production was pretty concerned about whether we could even do it all in one shot or if we’d have to break it up. But I took a chance because I knew I could do it. Somehow it worked even without any net to protect from the helicopter’s wind.

Also, there was this one shot with Miles Teller’s character, who got back to base camp after surviving an ordeal. He’s sitting in the truck and he hears on the radio everything happening. We had the real transcripts that were being played, and I was doing this super slow, creeping dolly move into the back seat where he was leaned up against the back. As we pushed in, and slowly wrapped around and boomed up, I listened to the tapes and watched Miles, and it was a moment where I almost broke down. It was so dramatic and I was just in it so much. I almost lost it in tears at that moment. Shooting this film was also special to me because when you’re there and you start meeting the families of these guys and talking with them—it just makes you really want to make a good movie and tell the story well.

CO: Was there anything you learned from this shoot that stands out?

Meyers: A big lesson is to go with your gut, that really made a few shots. But another lesson is to fully utilize the capabilities of the tools at your disposal, which will make your job easier. Joe is all about hitting exact marks on framing, so I really had to use tools like the functions on a remote head to make sure I hit the marks precisely.

CO: What have you been up to since Only the Brave wrapped?

Meyers: After Only the Brave, I went on to the Jerry Bruckheimer film, 12 Strong directed by Nicolai Fuglsig, and starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Pena, and Michael Shannon. That one was a lot of very physical work! It wrapped in February 2017, and then after that my son was born. I took some time off and then I’ve been doing some commercials and recently worked a bit on Westworld.

TRIVIA: Second time director Joseph Kosinski and actor Jeff Bridges have worked together after TRON: Legacy (2010).

The Granite Mountain Hotshots clear brush around the alligator Juniper tree to save it in Columbia Pictures' ONLY THE BRAVE. Photo by Richard Foreman, SMPSP

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

MARK MEYERS Mark "Chief" Meyers started his film career in 1989 as a Local 80 grip and soon became a dolly grip working on many feature films. He had the privilege of working with Tony Scott on many of his projects from Days of Thunder to his final film, Unstoppable. Encouraged to become an operator himself by camera operators whom he pushed dolly for, Meyers pursued Steadicam and hasn't looked back since. Meyers currently resides in the Los Angeles area with his fiancĂŠ, Adrienne, and his baby son, Strong.

DEREK STETTLER An Associate Member of the SOC since 2015, Derek Stettler is a filmmaker who also writes for the ASC's American Cinematographer. Derek discovered filmmaking as his life's passion after graduating high school in 2010, having since made a number of short films and commercials. He currently works as a freelance video editor, camera operator, and writer.

Photo by Carter Smith

Photo by David James

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Darkest Hour Capturing History

by Des Whelan, ACO

Des Whelan on the set of DARKEST HOUR with Gary Oldman, photo by Jack English.

Darkest Hour is a thrilling and inspiring true story which begins at the height of World War II. Within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill (played by Academy Award nominee Gary Oldman) must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: considering a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany, or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty and freedom of a nation. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe, the threat of invasion is imminent. With an unprepared public, a skeptical King, and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.

DETROIT. Photo by François Duhamel.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS ¡ SOC.ORG

A TECHNICAL FOOTNOTE

INTRODUCING NEW TECH

I had just finished The Commuter, an action picture set in a New York subway carriage which we shot for nine weeks on a stage in Pinewood Studios in London. It was, as you can imagine, a very restrictive set with not a lot of space to move the camera. Paul Cameron, the DP with key grip, Paul Hymns built track overhead into the set so we could track the entire length of the carriage, added a small remote arm so we could now also move left and right, and adjust the height of the camera. Great—all we needed now was a small stabilized remote head, lightweight and reliable.

To demonstrate how the Stabileye differs from Steadicam, I set up a shot in a long corridor which runs behind the stages in Pinewood. I started with the camera on the floor, tracking low, with feet breaking frame, still tracking at floor level we drifted up to head height, wrapped 360 degrees around our actor, then ended up back behind him and tracked him the entire length of the 300-foot corridor.

I had used the Stabileye before on a couple of shots on Fantastic Beasts but didn’t get to really use it to its full potential. So when The Commuter came along, the Stabileye looked like the ideal solution. It’s lightweight, robust and remarkably stable.

It can be hand-held, usually by the grip or stuntman, while the operator sits at a desk operating remotely. It can be mounted on a dolly, crane, car, etc. It can be handed from one person to another, step on or off a crane, wire rig, or tracking vehicle. It’s smaller and lighter than Steadicam and just as steady. It was a great success and I couldn’t wait to use it again.

LONG SHOTS Bruno Delbonnel, the director of photography, asked me to do Darkest Hour, a picture about Winston Churchill, directed by Joe Wright who is noted for his elaborate, elegant long camera shots, most notably in his film The Atonement, which received many justifiably accolades for camera operator, Peter Robertson. I had worked with Bruno on commercials and many Tim Burton pictures, and we have become good friends, but this would my first picture working with Joe. I had mentioned to Bruno my experience with the Stabileye and that it might be something that Joe might be interested in exploring. So I set up a show-n-tell for Joe and Bruno in Pinewood Studios.

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

You can’t start low and end high with Steadicam, and the restricted width of the corridor would impede the arm of the Steadicam.

Joe Marsden from Stablieye carried the rig and I operated it remotely. So whomever is carrying the rig, usually a grip, doesn’t have to worry about composition, they just need to get into the right position and communicate on headsets so we can adjust and refine the shot as needed.

Joe and Bruno liked what they saw, I could see the wheels in Joe’s head turning, imagining the possibilities, and how he could get the camera to move more freely and easily. I didn’t have to wait long, from the very first week of shooting Joe had dreamt up shots, which would stretch the Stabileye to its limits.

I don’t know how we could’ve executed the very elaborate shots that Joe devised, notwithstanding the budget and schedule, without the Stablieye. Because it’s lightweight, it can be rigged quickly and easily on wire rigs.

We shot every day on the Stablieye, it became the default camera platform, and there was seldom a location or situation that we didn’t consider it.

ON LOCATION We shot mostly on location in stately homes, public buildings, and abandoned tube stations.

Our studio set on the stage in Ealing Studio was very compact, with very narrow corridors and small rooms, reflecting accurately the period, and the real situation. We tracked along the narrow corridors, in and out and around rooms, up and down stairs, over tables, between people, low to high.

When we didn’t need to have the camera in hand-held mode, we would mount it on a

dolly, track along almost any floor surface, and still get steady images. Of course, we still laid track and tracking boards when practical and necessary.

Most of the sets were built inside period buildings, which came with many restrictions and conditions that also applied to the use of period aircraft and vehicles. Because we were often not permitted to lay track or boards, or use a dolly, we would hand-hold the Stabileye, which is what it was designed for, and then we could move everywhere quickly and with ease.

Joe, Bruno, and I could now go to almost any location or set confident that we had an efficient way to make the shot work. Joe was happy to extend the shot and not do coverage, giving the scene elegance and that feeling of real time. The camera was free to explore the space and the drama, and because it was stable you didn’t have that sensation of a camera in the room that hand-held shots can sometimes suggest.

TECH LIMITATIONS One of the limits of the Stabileye is that you can’t accurately control a whip pan. Its lightweight design means that the inertia created can overwhelm the gyros, so often you have to “Zen” your stop by framing short and allow the gyros to travel on and come to a stop. We tried not to over extend its design criteria but we seriously pushed it to its limits. We did use a Technocrane and a Scorpio head, a platform that I love to shoot from when required, but given the restrictive spaces at some of our locations it wasn’t always practical.

TRIVIA: John Hurt was originally cast as Neville Chamberlain, but had to withdraw due to health issues (he died during filming).

The role was then given to Ronald Pickup. The film is dedicated to Hurt, as it was his final project he was involved with.

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Gary Oldman stars as Winston Churchill in director Joe Wright's DARKEST HOUR, a Focus Features release. Photo by Jack English.

TRIVIA: This is the second film about Churchill in 2017, the first being Churchill, starring Brian Cox. Des Whelan with director of photography, Bruno Delbonnel on set of DARKEST HOUR, photo by Peter Marsden.

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As I mentioned earlier, we would hand off the camera from person to person, we had a shot which tracked in front of an actor, who was reading a letter from Churchill, we tracked along the set for about 200 feet, and then handed the camera to a waiting stunt man on a wire rig who pulled the camera vertically 150 feet up through the bombed out buildings. A lot of the shots we did would have been normally executed by Steadicam, but I don’t think that it would have worked in most of our locations, also it looks different, you don’t get that arch that you get when you pan on Steadicam, and you can’t get low to high, in shot with Steadicam. You can also run with the camera much faster as it’s lighter, and you can pick the fastest runner.

THE ACTORS When we did our first camera tests with the actors, we anxiously waited for Gary Oldman to come on set. We were informed that his makeup and prosthetics would take a little time, and three hours later Winston Churchill walked onto the set and introduced himself to the crew, we never met Gary Oldman. In fact, I struggled to remember what he looked like and had to look him I had Panavision UK make me an electronic eyepiece to use on the Scorpio Head desk when we shot WOLFMAN in 2008. It was shot on film by Shelly Johnson, ASC and I've used its ever since. It allows me to look through an eyepiece and not have to use the Monitor— no need to flag off the screen and less distraction.

Photo by Des Whelan

up on IMDB...To us, he remained Winston Churchill for the entire picture as he hit his marks, took his looks, delivered those famous speeches, and made those iconic gestures. Day in day out, through hours of makeup, his energy and concentration was impressive.

John Hurt, who I had worked with on The Field was to play the part of Neville Chamberlain, but had to withdraw due to health issues. The news of his death came on the TV while we were shooting in Manchester, on the last day of principle photography.

THE CREW I had a fantastic crew, most of whom I’ve worked with many times, the 1st AC, Julian Bucknall, with who I have worked with for about 12 years, is a class act and great with the actors. Paul Hymns was our key grip, and unlike grips in the U.S., key grips in the UK are usually also the dolly grip. Paul has a great eye and loves a challenge. He has a fantastic touch and understanding of what the camera sees, along with Joe Marsden of Stablieye, who often stepped in and carried the rig on very complicated shots. He and Paul have a wonderful working relationship and make my life much easier with their in-

We shot mainly with one camera, the Mini ARRI Alexa. Bruno favors using wide lenses, in this case Cooke S4’s. It’s hard to get another camera in on the action without compromising something, and Joe was very thoughtful about coverage. We didn’t shoot what he didn’t need, so our time, energy and resources were put to where they were needed.

FREEING THE IMAGINATION Joe and Bruno were impressed with the versatility of the Stabileye, I know Bruno wanted to use it on his next picture with the Coen brothers, which is currently shooting in New Mexico, and I have no doubt that Joe will dream up more shots with the Stabileye in mind. I’ve just started on Tim Burton’s, Dumbo and the opening shot was shot using the Stabileye.

It is a game changer and it will, in my opinion, supersede Steadicam as it’s infinitivally more versatile, and it allows any operator to use it. Like every innovation that has come and has enabled us to move the camera with more freedom, precision and grace, it is now only down to what you can imagine…

T E C H O N S E T:

ARRI Studio Finder); ARR

Alexa (Optica

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I Mini Alexa

lenses; Ang

stincts and skills—not to mention they both have a great sense of humor.

; Cooke S4

enieux 18-8

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genieux Camera syst em; 30/50 Techn ocrane; Scro pio Remote stabilised ahead; SuperPana g reared Head ; Libra Head; Chapman H ybrid Dolly; Chapman Pe ewee Dolly 24-270 Zoo

m; Stabileye

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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TRIVIA: A passion project for screenwriter and producer Anthony McCarten who is also known for The Theory of Everything (2014), Death of a Superhero (2011), and Via Satellite (1998).

Camera operator Des Whelan on the set of Joe Wright's DARKEST HOUR, a Focus Features release. Photo by Jack English

Des Whelan, ACO Des had his first real experience on a major film set on Barry Lyndon which was being shot in Ireland when he was sent down to the location to show Stanley Kubrick a very close focus zoom lens.

Camera operator Des Whelan and Kristin Scott Thomas on the set of Joe Wright's DARKEST HOUR, a Focus Features release. Photo by Jack English

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He started as a trainee 2nd AC, gradually moving up to 1st AC. After 10 years as an assistant, in 1987 he got his break as operator on a TV movie called Troubles. Des is a member of the GBCT (Guild of British Camera Technicians), is an associate member of the BSC, and a Board Member of the ACO. Des has worked on over a 100 productions and his credits include films such as; Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Fury, Captain America: The First Avenger, Sherlock Holmes, and Miss Peregine’s Home for Peculiar Children to name a few. He’s currently operating on Dumbo with Tim Burton.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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The Disaster Artist Room with a View with B.J. McDonnell an interview by Derek Stettler

TRIVIA: James Franco described the script as "A cross between Boogie Nights (1997) and The Master (2012)" (both films are directed by Paul Thomas Anderson).

Dave Franco and James Franco, DISASTER ARTIST. Photo by Justina Mintz,, courtesy of A24

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

On the surface, The Disaster Artist is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau's cult hit, The Room (2003)—a movie whose very existence seems to defy comprehension. Since its release, The Room has developed a passionate fan base who have turned it into an unexpected cultural phenomenon, united in their enjoyment of the movie’s almost otherworldly oddness. Adding to the mysterious nature of the movie itself, the questions of how The Room was made have fueled fans’ obsession with it for years; and this is where The Disaster Artist comes in.

Yet, The Disaster Artist explores a deeper story behind the making of what has been called, “The Citizen Kane of bad movies.” At its heart, it tells a universal story of friendship and a remarkable true story of outsiders struggling to realize their dreams of success amidst great adversity. To get a peek into the making of this unique making-of story, Camera Operator spoke with The Disaster Artist’s “A” camera operator and Steadicam operator, B.J. McDonnell.

Camera Operator: How and when did you get the job of an “A” camera operator on The Disaster Artist?

B.J. McDonnell: I work with one of my buddies, director of photography, Brandon Trost. We have done a bunch of Seth Rogen films and we had worked with James Franco on a few films in the past, and there was always talk of this film. James Franco always had interest in the story for as long as I have worked with him. Brandon asked me to do the film, so around the end of the 2015 we began principle photography.

CO: Having worked with James Franco before, what was it like working with him again on this film?

McDonnell: James Franco is a great guy. I worked a little on This Is the End. I didn’t really get time to know James on that because I was prepping a film in New Orleans that I was directing, Hatchet III. I couldn’t commit to the feature but I had time to day play with Brandon Trost and crew while I was prep-

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

ping. I was later hired to do The Interview.

On that film I got to know James pretty well.

I knew about the book, “The Disaster Artist” while we were shooting The Interview in Vancouver. When we did The Disaster Artist he pretty much had a clear view of what he wanted out of the film. He and Brandon worked very close together to accomplish a look and feel for the movie.

CO: How would you describe your approach to shooting the film?

McDonnell: It was honestly pretty amazing to be able to recreate certain scenes from The Room. James, Brandon and I would watch sequences from The Room and try to copy it exactly. We would shoot the recreations on dollies, and the storyline was almost all hand-held. I did a few scenes using the Steadicam but not much. I was A camera/Steadicam, and Jesse Feldman was the B camera operator.

CO: Who were some of the other members of the crew that you worked closely with?

McDonnell: I worked closely with Brandon [Trost], James [Franco], and Jesse [Feldman] mostly. My friend and 1st AC, Markus Mentzer was with me on my camera as well as Blake Hooks as 2nd AC. Greg Dellerson was the B camera 1st AC. Justin Duval was our gaffer who I’ve worked with a lot in the past. We all have worked with Brandon in the past. We all are buddies, so it’s nice to be able to go to these jobs and know you are working with friends.

CO: What gear did you use on set?

McDonnell: I used my GPI Pro Steadicam setup for the Steadicam shots. The rest of the film was mostly all handheld so I guess my shoulder could be considered the gear I mostly used.

CO: What was the most memorable moment for you during the shooting of the film?

McDonnell: My most memorable moments on the film were the recreations. I had seen The Room in the past and I knew

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TRIVIA: James Franco spoke like Tommy Wiseau throughout each day's filming, and even directed using Wiseau's distinctive voice and syntax, though Jason Mantzoukas said that Franco didn't direct in character and only spoke like Wiseau.

B.J. McDonnell, Dave Franco, and James Franco on the set of THE DISASTER ARTIST. Photo by Justina Mintz, courtesy of A24

TRIVIA: Greg Sestero stated that when he was writing the book, Tommy Wiseau said that only two actors could play him in the adaptation: James Franco or Johnny Depp.

B.J. McDonnell on the set of THE DISASTER ARTIST. Photo by Justina Mintz, courtesy of A24

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

very clearly what scenes we were going to recreate. It was really fun remaking the scene where Tommy yells, “You’re tearing me apart, Lisa!” We also did the scene where Tommy opens the door to the roof of his building complaining to himself, “It’s bullshit, I did not hit her. I did noooot.

Oh, hi Mark!” Those were the most fun for me doing the film as well as when Tommy Wiseau came to set for a guest appearance.

I will just leave this as saying it was very interesting [laughs].

Rob Zombie’s 31, Popstar: Never Stop Never

CO: What have you shot since and what are you working on next?

and the Point Grey team is always a good

Stopping, Warren Beatty’s Rules Don’t Apply, Office Christmas Party, Annabelle: Creation, HBO’s Ballers, and USA Network’s Shooter.

I also wrote and directed three music videos for the band Slayer’s album Repentless and just finished directing a narrative for Slayer for the Blu-Ray release coming out later next year.

B.J. McDonnell is a motion picture camera operator and director. In 2000, McDonnell graduated from Los Angeles City College with his degree in Cinema and quickly became a grip, and then a union camera/Steadicam operator member of I.A.T.S.E 600. He

CO: Anything else you'd like to mention?

McDonnell: Working with Seth Rogen time. It’s more a gathering of friends and crew I love working with and I always come

McDonnell: Since shooting the The Disaster Artist, I’ve worked on quite a lot. I shot

B.J. MCDONNELL

out laughing. Always a great time and I look forward to more in the future.

is also a member of SAG/AFTRA. In 2008, McDonnell won a Telly Award for cinematography and camera operation. McDonnell has shot such features as Jack Reacher, Battle: Los Angeles, The Interview, Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter, Neighbors, and many more.

B.J. McDonnell on the set of THE DISASTER ARITST. Photo by Justina Mintz, courtesy of A24

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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Wonderstruck Between Two Eras

by Craig Haagensen, SOC

TRIVIA: In 2008, Wonderstruck novelist Brian Selznick’s groundbreaking book The Invention of Hugo Cabret was awarded the Caldecott Medal, was nominated for a National Book Award, and was the basis for Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning film Hugo.

STRANGER THINGS, photo courtesy of Netflix Julianne Moore and Oakes Fegley in WONDERSTRUCK. Photo by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Based on Brian Selznick’s critically acclaimed novel, Wonderstruck, the film takes place in both 1927 and 1977. Ben (Oakes Fegley), and Rose (Millicent Simmond) are children from two different eras who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress, Lillian Mayhew (played by Julianna Moore) whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook. When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests to find what they are missing that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry.

It seemed as if no time had passed since I last worked with Todd Haynes and Ed Lachman on the feature Carol. Maybe it was the constant beat of great reviews and the heady number of award nominations (22 major) that kept it in the seeming present. Or… maybe time slowed down. After all, it was shot in Cincinnati for 1950’s New York, the city Mark Twain said of, if he had only a year longer to live, he’d spend his next ten years of life in Cincinnati. Regardless, Todd was calling and his next project was Wonderstruck.

Wonderstruck was to be shot in two eras— 1927 and 1977. In 1927, Rose, played by Millicent Simmonds and deaf from birth, runs away from her home in Hoboken, New Jersey to New York City find her mother, a famous silent screen actress. In 1977, a 10-year-old boy in Northern Minnesota, struck deaf by lightning, decides to travel to New York City to find the father he’s never known. These parallel stories lead to a surprising end.

PREPARING FOR PRODUCTION As in past projects we collaborated on, Todd forwarded extensive photo files with images he felt compelling and germane to the two intertwined stories. In addition, I asked for his musical selections, as Todd’s pre-production musical choices have bearing on the mood of the story, and, in any case, make great listening on my iPod! Both Ed and Todd did extensive scouts, and they always

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

invite me to join scouts in the final weeks to discuss with me their respective thoughts on staging the scenes and help assess any special equipment required. I’ve found scouting prior to production is immensely helpful. It not only provides time to absorb the director’s vibe but also affords a fresh set of eyes that might see alternative views. During these scouts I recorded street sounds with a Zoom H4n Portable Recorder. It picks out sounds you might overlook, just like the ones the sound recordist on set can’t stop complaining about. You realize there’s something to be seen in that sound, something the audience will see but the kids might miss, to their peril. These scouts also allow me to apply sun readings to locations. I record sun elevations and compass bearings at half-hour intervals throughout the days prior to scouting, using compass and inclinometer, a practice I learned from director/cameraman, David L. Quaid for whom I assisted for years. One can buy the Suunto combination instrument at the Panavision store now, but the individual units are lighter to carry.

THE LOOK AND STYLE To tell this story we opted to use 35mm film.

Previously, Carol and Mildred Pierce, both period pieces, were done in 16mm. Film seemed appropriate for the two stories, with 35mm being chosen to aid in the extensive visual effects needed to assist in creating the looks for both 1927 and 1977. The visual ef-

fects department, supervised by Louis Morin and producer Annie Godin, needed the additional information 35mm would provide to seamlessly deal with structures that had been modified to modern design and which our inventive production designer, Mark Friedberg, could not return to their former glory without such help. Mark provided the mother’s milk for operators—wonderful sets and practical locations designed and dressed that allow beautiful compositions to flow with little effort.

FILM AND CAMERAS The 1927 footage was shot on a special run of Kodak Double-X B&W film stock, ASA 200. Kodak’s 4X, rated at 500 ASA, was not possible to obtain. John DeBlau, Ed’s longtime gaffer, provided the secret sauce he and Ed used to delineate the black-and-white era from the 70’s color period. They make a terrific, and sometimes quite entertaining pair. Decades of working together makes for almost telepathic communication between them. The cameras that we used for the 1927 period were ARRIFLEX 435 bodies mounting Cooke Speed Pancho lenses and Cooke 20-100mm, and Angenieux 25-250mm zooms. In keeping with the lens limitations of the time, zooming was not utilized.

ON LOCATION Wonderstruck did extensive filming in the New York Museum of Natural History, and was the first to be given that honor. In our

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story Ben, played by Oakes Fegley, meets Jamie, a lad his age, played by Jaden Michael.

Jamie’s father is on his way to work at the New York Museum of Natural History, and Jamie invites Ben, who appears a bit lost, to keep company with him at the museum.

Jamie takes Ben on a tour of the public areas, and they play a game, chasing one another through the museum’s halls. One hall has a life-sized depiction of a herd of elephants at its center. We wanted Ben and Jamie to run on either side of the elevated elephant herd while we shot through the legs of these huge creatures. Putting down 80 feet of metal track was not permitted, so we utilized a Western dolly which would softly roll on the museum’s well-polished stone floor without marring the surface, or disturbing the Board of Directors, who so kindly gave us run of the museum. Eventually, Jamie leads Ben down halls that are not open to the public which hold myste-

rious artifacts behind glass-front cabinets, all leading to an assemblage room where both bones and wire are combined for ALEXA & ALEX A Mini digthe future displays of creatures. Ben ital cameras; A RRI 435 & AR and Jamie devised their own SemaRI 3 film cameras; Cooke S-4 len phore-like code with flashlights to ses (1977 era); Cooke Sp silently communicate, and we diseed Pancro len ses (1927 era); Cooke 20 cretely rolled our camera to record -100 zoom (cla ssic edition, aka "old"); An their spontaneous explorations genieux 25-25 0 zoom; Techof these creatures scattered about no crane (vario us telescoping the room in their semi-assembled lengths); O'Connor 257 5 heads; ARRI forms. Ed’s lighting was minimal, to SkyPanel LED; SourceM say the least, and carefully caressed only aker LED blanke t key objects and areas, leaving the boys to lights be themselves as they excitedly launched themselves into the space. Track had been laid at right angles to the room to record but not to disturb their unrehearsed acTodd is not one to avoid hand-held, and tivities. Master focus pullers, 1st AC, Gus Limberis, and 1st AC, Tim Metivier had a Wonderstruck was no exception. When Ben first arrives by bus to New York City, he challenging but rewarding outcome in this exits onto the street to find himself in the dimly-lit practical location.

TECH ON SET:

Craig Haagensen and Ed Lachman in conference in the Minnesota lake house set in our Yonkers stage. Photo by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Times Square of 1977, far different from the quiet Minnesota lakeside home he left.

(That location, incidentally, was formerly the lake cabin of baseball great Babe Ruth, located in upstate New York). He finds a nearly overwhelming sight of diverse denizens not unlike those seen in Mean Streets and Taxi Driver. That is, a crowded, ever-flowing, and hustling throng of humanity, streets and sidewalks littered beyond imagination, and a traffic and storefront cluttered vista, completely unlike anything Ben has seen before. And all is silent for Ben. We utilized a rickshaw to follow Ben moving through this sea of humanity with the Cooke Zoom on our ARRI 435, to which I fitted my ESP (Enhanced Stabilization Platform) which I designed and used on many of my previous projects, most notably for Ridley Scott’s Black Rain, the opening musical title sequence crossing the 57th Street Bridge (Primo 50mm S-35 hand-

held from insert car from a front platform), and the end motorcycle chase sequence between Michael Douglas and Matsuda-san (ARRI 2-C HS Primo 50, 75 & 100mm), as well the chase of children’s feet in Fatal Attraction’s bunny-boiling sequence (with a low-angle bracket designed to allow operator control of tilt angle). The platform gives me an approximately three-fold gain in lens stability, yet still feels “hand-held” and lacks the “float” feel often found with Steadicam.

LOCATION EXTERIORS Our Bed-Stuy street location served the film very well for both the 1927 and 1977 dressing, and background actors with period traffic provided by car collectors from near and far providing a fantastic collection of vehicles. Peter Agliata, 2nd unit DP/B operator, with 1st assistant camera, Tim Metiver, and 2nd assistant camera, Graham Burt, all had a

feast working this spectacle, as well as on our Wall Street and other twin period locations.

Their contribution to the film is simply beyond calculation. Loader, Nick Koda had his hands full, and he did a perfect job of organizing our media demands. Dealing with both film and its various stocks, and digital, was done with aplomb. Our still photographer, Mary Cybulski, had a once-in-alifetime canvas, and predictably produced wonderful photos. While producers often underestimate the value of an artistic, fulltime stills person, those stills taken will be published not just in movie-centric publications, but will find space and generate interest in fashion magazines, collector’s publications, and all manner of web and newsprint worldwide.

[As a sidenote: Cal Roberts, ace focus puller, and I first met as assistants on the production Sail to Glory. My father, Bob

TRIVIA: Todd Haynes announced his plans to adapt the novel after the success of Carol (2015).

Jaden Michael, Oakes Fegley, and Julianne Moore in WONDERSTRUCK. Photo by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions

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“Hagy” Haagensen, director/cameraman and multiple Clio Award winner, used what was then this nearly forgotten military device to smooth his hand-held ocean sailboat race footage. It was the Kenton K-6 gyroscope, which is now, in a lighter K-4 size, ubiquitous for Steadicam operators. When I upgraded to camera operator, I contacted Henry Struck of Ken-Labs to discuss his equipment for feature film use. My application utilized the wonderfully engineered ARRI 2C High-Speed body, with interchangeable Panavision and ARRI PL mounts, to which I added a 100% video door, designed by the legendary Joe Dunton. This fed signal to the NTSC electronic video viewfinder that allowed eyecup as well as a nearly arm’s-length viewing. I modified B&W tubed news gathering Ikegami, and Sony EVF’s to run on 9-volt batteries. These EVF’s also did duty on many Panaflex and ARRI studio bodies, and as an operator, I find our modern EVF’s equally as useful for operating those “impossible” shots. I

also would like to acknowledge the excellent Steadicam operator, Randy Nolan who was impressed with what Cal Roberts and I were doing on City Slickers II with the system. I believe Randy was the very first to later apply the Kenyon product to Steadicam.]

TIPS FROM THE TRADE I always have a 5 or 6-foot-long extension viewfinder cable in my kit to allow me to hold the EVF off of the camera body. This came in very handy for a dolly shot in Wonderstruck where my talented dollyologist, Dan Beaman, followed actress, Millicent Simmonds in an over the shoulder move as she repeatedly hid, then emerged, and hid again behind a museum directory that had room for only Dan, the dolly and Millicent...but not me! I operated with Dan, dolly, ARRI ALEXA, and Millicent to my left, with the extended cable EVF in my right hand to my eye, and operating with left hand on the O’Connor 2575 on my left as she tries to evade museum security, emerg-

ing, then retreating behind the signage several times.

Todd had also envisioned a dream sequence wherein Ben is pursued by wolves. This is a recurring nightmare that comes to life when he and Jamie explore the museum. Our set was placed outside our Yonkers’ stage, and we waited for nightfall to shoot the scene.

A bed of cotton batting was laid covered by several more inches of white Epson salt, which gave off the sparkle of snow. The set was studded with various trees and shrubs in their appropriate winter condition, though it was quite pleasant weather outdoors. As this was a sequence VFX would enhance, it was decided to record it on a Canon C300, which allowed me to use a device I designed for Adrian Lyne’s Jacob’s Ladder, but never used for that film. It did see use on Lyne’s later project, Indecent Proposal while filming Woody Harrelson’s race up several flights of staircase in his vain attempt to derail his wife’s departure by helicopter to a fateful rendezvous. The device allowed me, in

TRIVIA: The film reunites director, Todd Haynes with Julianne Moore. This is their fourth collaboration after Safe (1995), Far from Heaven (2002), and I'm Not There. (2007). Moore's performance in Far From Heaven earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role.

The theater where Millicent (Julianne Moore) enters to watch her mother perform in a silent feature film circa 1927. Photo by Mary Cybulski

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CREATING MOMENTS THROUGH MOVEMENT

COBRA VT 22-61

Hustler IV

Miniscope 5 & 7

www.chapman-leonard.com @chapman_leonard

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA LOUISIANA, NEW MEXICO, TEXAS, & GEORGIA FLORIDA UNITED KINGDOM & EUROPE

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

(888) 883-6559 (888) 758-4826 (888) 337-8243 +44 1 727 838424

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Wonderstruck’s case, to chase Oakes on foot, following, leading, and in profile as he runs across the snowy vista. Green screen was placed in a “U” shape on the three sides to be photographed to allow VFX to extend forest and snow. After a number of 50-yard dashes following Oakes, I began to silently question my volunteering for this mission!

A CHARACTER’S POV Ben is struck by lightning while on the phone, and this presented another opportunity to do what some of us operators see as one of the more difficult shots to do—a character’s POV. It definitely helps to understand the state of mind of the character, and even better is to see the artist’s performance before doing their point of view. Sometimes production asks this be done before the actor’s actions are recorded. In Wonderstruck’s case, Ben has been struck not only deaf, but totally unconscious for hours. He awakens confused, and his vision has been affected.

To present his condition visually, it was suggested we just use the tried-and-true out-offocus look with swing and tilt lenses. I opted to try a combination of reality and illusion by having the attentive, and always organized Randy Schwartz, 2nd AC, order up a set of split diopters usually used to keep two widely separated objects in focus. In this case, I handheld the split diopter in front of my handheld camera, twisting, rotating

and shifting its positions as I roamed across objects and room, creating what would illustrate for the audience Ben’s double vision and his silent world. At first I thought the effect was not as pronounced as I had expected, until I realized 1st AC, Gus Limberis in an unwitting demonstration of just how good he is on focus, was following my motions, and doing quite a good job of making things look quite normal. Against every fiber in his body, a quick discussion with Gus had him following and enhancing the effect, rather than fighting it.

CABINET OF WONDERS The most enjoyable moments on Wonderstruck occurred on the “Cabinet of Wonders” set. Cabinets of wonder, also called curiosity cabinets, were a centuries-old tradition developed in Europe during the Renaissance.

Containing skulls, butterflies, ancient artifacts, hunting trophies and assorted creatures, real and imaginary, these displays filled with drawers and shelves lined with amazing objects collected by wealthy during their travels and explorations around the world, were presented to visitors. The precursor to our modern museums, Mark recreated one, which inhabits a forgotten storage room in the museum. It’s here that Todd showed his director’s skill and delicate touch with our two young actors, quietly guiding them in one of their most important sequences

Photo by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions

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where now fast friends, Jamie and Ben, begin to unravel the mysterious book Ben found among his mother’s possessions.

Wonderstruck was ultimately a hugely-rewarding project. Challenging locations, multiple recording formats, digital and film media, the pressures of two periods, and child labor laws conspired to make for something easy to go awry, but a great crew, a director and DP at the top of their game backed by a production team with a view to art, and in full support of this project, such as Christine Vachon of Killer Films, Brian Bell, executive producer/UPM, and Frank Murphy, co-producer, made it all happen for this rich and complex project.

I am currently now working with Ben Stiller, who’s directing Escape at Dannemora, an 8-part mini-series for Showtime with DP, Jessica Lee Gagné. Filming will be completed March 2018.

CRAIG HAAGENSEN, SOC Craig Haagensen attended LIU as a premed, graduated dean’s list, but decided his summer job as a busy Local 644 1st AC was far more interesting. Mentored by his father, a top New York AC, he quickly gained favor by such commercial directors and DPs as Howard Zieff, Bert Stern, Ridley Scott, David Quaid, Zoli Vidor, and Ian Wilson. As a camera operator, he has worked multiple projects with Adrian Lyne, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Terry Gilliam, James Gray, Jonathan Demme, and DP’s Adam Greenberg, Harris Savides, Tak Fujimoto, Adrian Biddle, Darius Khondji, Peter Biziou, Roger Pratt, Richard Yuricich, and Bruno DelBonnel. Some of his favorite past projects include Jacob’s Ladder, 12 Monkeys, Carol and Mr. Robot (Season 1). Haagensen has DP’d several features, and is also a DGA member, having acted as director/DP on sequences for Black Rain, The Interpreter, The Next Three Days, and We Own the Night.

He was a member of camera locals 644, 666 and 659, and now IA 600.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Robert McLachlan ASC, CSC is no stranger to Schneider MPTV filters. He’s counted on them for his work on many successful series from Game of Thrones to Westworld, to Ray Donovan.

So when Schneider-Kreuznach came out with the new RHOdium Full Spectrum ND filters, he was game to try them.

“

Our super-star DIT, Tim Nagasawa never misses a thing. But when we slid a new RHOdium filter in without telling him, he thought the iris control wasn't working because even though we’d moved outside, there was no color shift at all. These make every other ND filter ever made obsolete as far as I’m concerned.

”

RHOdium FSND’s Take Neutrality to a New Level for Robert McLachlan ASC, CSC With two Emmy nominations, four ASC nominations and ten CSC Awards to his credit, Robert McLachlan has shot 450 television episodes, TV movies, feature films and 300+ commercials. He is presently shooting the highly lauded, Ray Donovan.

w w w. s c h n e i d e ro p t i c s . c o m CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL•2017800-228-1254 • email: info@schneideroptics.com Phone: 818-766-3715

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Technology Award Nominees for the February 3, 2018 SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards

Tech Talk

The SOC recognized outstanding technical achievement annually at our SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards. This year’s award show will take place on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at the Loew’s Hollywood Hotel. The Technical Achievement Award is an opportunity for the production technology community to be acknowledged for excellence, and for their contributions to creating technologies that increases the safety, efficiency and ease on set and in production for the camera operators and crew.

We’ve received the following outstanding submissions listed below. Each of the technologies will be presented to the judging committee at the SOC’s Demo Day, on Saturday, November 11 at the SOC’s Burbank office. Following the formal demonstrations, SOC members attending will be invited to gain hands-on access to the gear being demonstrated. Of these submissions, the SOC Technology Committee will vote for the technologies that deserve to receive this prestigious award.

Good luck to each of you and continued success with your efforts and products!

Here are this year’s Technical Achievement Award submissions:

BB&S Area 48 Remote Phosphor Lights Area 48 Remote Phosphor LED fixtures provide HD-friendly 98 TLCI soft output, comparable to 1200W traditional lights while drawing only 122W. BB&S’s Remote Phosphor LED technology positions the color providing panel (in Chroma Green, 2700ºK, 3200ºK, 4300ºK, 5600ºK, 6500ºK, Chroma Blue, or 10,000ºK) away from the LEDs, greatly improving color rendering, consistency and output. Lightweight, compact and dimmable, these fixtures may be combined in yokes to hold 2, 4, or more. The Soft runs on AC or batteries and offers an inline Remote Dimmer. The Studio is 48V for applications requiring extremely smooth dimming even in the last 5% to zero. bbslighting.com/collections/products

Cooke Optics /i Technology Cooke /i Technology enables film and digital cameras to automatically record lens data for every frame shot via electronics inside /i equipped lenses: focal length, focus distance, zoom position, near and far focus, hyper focal distance, T-stop, horizontal field of view, entrance pupil position, inertial data, distortion and illumination data. Pull focus easier with higher accuracy. With continuous remote readout of the precise focus setting, T stop and depth-of-field you can see the actor in front of you and the focus setting on the lens beside you without turning your head or having to move your eyes too much. www.cookeoptics.com/i/itech.html

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

DrivingPlates.com DrivingPlates.com LLC is the world’s largest library of 360 degree moving backgrounds for simulated driving sequences. Our patented nine-camera array provides a 26k panoramic set of plates for use in compositing, projection, and LED scenarios. Our library contains 5,000 plates from 16 countries, 18 states, and 80 cities. We offer custom plate services to fit the needs of any production. Our street legal rig travels as a suitcase and a carry-on and attaches to any vehicle including rental cars or picture cars allowing us to film anywhere in the world on a moment’s notice. www.DrivingPlates.com

Inspire 2 The DJI Inspire 2 intelligent camera drone offers powerful, safe, reliable capabilities and high-quality imaging. It has a top speed of 58 mph and with the new dual battery system, flight time is up to 23 minutes with the new X7 Super 35 camera. The Inspire 2 supports stabilized Zenmuse cameras including the new X7 (Super 35 sensor) as well as the X4S (1-inch sensor) and X5S (MFT sensor). The X7 camera has 14 stops of dynamic range and uses a dedicated aerial mount system, the DJI DL-Mount, featuring an ultra-short flange focal distance to carry DJI prime lenses with focal lengths of 16mm, 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm. www.dji.com/inspire-2 • www.dji.com/zenmuse-x7

Light Ranger 2 The Light Ranger 2 from Preston Cinema Systems provides the accuracy demanded by the best digital cameras and lenses whether the camera is on a tripod or a moving platform. It also completely eliminates the necessity to measure focus marks. It measures distances to multiple subjects simultaneously. Finally, it gives the focus puller two options; to manually operate the focus to best reflect the dramatic intent of the scene, or use the autofocus mode for situations where the requirements for speed and precision are beyond manual control. www.prestoncinema.com

Oppenheimer Panhandle System The Oppenheimer Panhandle System began shipping in 1993, so 2018 is our 25th Anniversary. Developed by Marty Oppenheimer and Brian Smith, our goal was incorporating the Preston Microforce as the panarm grip of popular fluid heads, beginning with Sachtler and O’Connor, then adding Ronford, Cartoni, Vinten and Weaver Steadman. We wanted a system of flexibility combined with robustness and adaptability. Today, we accommodate most fluid heads and work with every Microforce produced. The system has improved with time, adding handheld arms so that the system can also be a camera handgrip.

While we still refer to the OppCam Panhandle, Hollywood has dubbed it the Rock-N-Roll Handle. oppenheimercameraproducts.com

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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Tech Talk RED WEAPON WEAPON cameras are engineered for excellence, delivering cutting-edge performance in a lightweight, intuitive design. WEAPON produces cinematic image quality and impressive dynamic range along with industry-leading 8K resolution and a wide range of features--blazing fast data rates (300 mb/s), in-camera 3D LUTs, the freedom to record REDCODE RAW and Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHR/HD formats simultaneously, and interchangeability across RED's entire line of sensors. www.red.com/products/weapon

Ronin 2 The Ronin 2 from DJI is a versatile, professional 3-axis stabilization system that was designed to give filmmakers the freedom to capture any scene they can imagine. Upgraded high torque motors allow it to support a wide range of camera packages at weights up to 30 lbs. and resist high winds and G-forces when in motion up to 75 mph. Other improvements include a versatile mount for use as a remote head, faster setup, a redesigned frame with centralized power system, and enhanced intelligent features. www.dji.com/ronin-2

Sigma Cine Lens Entering the market at an attractive price point of under 5K USD, the full line up of high-speed Cine Prime and Zoom lenses delivers outstanding optical performance in a desirable compact form factor. Renowned for their superior photo lenses, Sigma retains 100% of that superb optical system with their Cine lenses, which are designed for 6-8K shooting and housed in a completely new mechanical lens design optimized for modern cinematography. Sigma Cine lenses are manufactured by a vertically integrated production system in Aizu Japan, where nearly every step in the process is done in-house, ensuring premium quality and optimized pricing. www.sigmaphoto.com/cinema-lenses

DEMO DAY for the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards The SOC will host a day of demonstrations on November 11, where members can get their hands on the tech, and socialize with their peers. Learn more at soc.org/events.

VER CONGRATULATES

DAVID MILLER ASC Winner — Emmy® Award for VEEP Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)

‘

As Bernstein says in Citizen Kane, “It’s no trick to make a lot of money if all you want is to make a lot of money.” We don’t go into cinematography for profit. It’s not a job but a calling. There’s no such thing as a simple shoot—every project takes our special brand of care. You really have to love it. Fortunately I get to work with outstanding crews who share that love affair and make it all worthwhile.

David Miller trusts his eye. And well he should, his arresting visuals bring life to some of television’s most intriguing episodics and comedies. His shots are straight forward—making way for the intense dialog-driven scripts that come his way.

Whether it’s HBO’s quick-paced VEEP, thoughtful moments of The Good Place, or the unforgettable, plot-driving shots on The Newsroom, Parenthood, and so many more memorable hits—his sure-footed imagery deftly maps its way through the sight lines on set, regardless how many actors fill the scene.

Watch the interview at ver.com/DavidMiller

ver.com

VER Camera Prep facilities:

CAMERA | LIGHTING | LED | VIDEO | AUDIO | BROADCAST | RIGGING | AV

LOS ANGELES | NEW YORK | CHICAGO | NEW ORLEANS | ATLANTA | MIAMI

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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Smooth Operator

by Ian S. Takahashi, SOC

UNDERWATER ADVENTURES

Pushing a Hydroflex RAC the ‘hard way’ through the water with Shay Mitchell for PRETTY LITTLE LIARS. Photo courtesy of Ian S. Takahashi

2:00 a.m. I sit inside a car suspended just above 233,000 gallons of water by a Champion Crane. Dive mask on, air tank in the footwell, I go through the scene beats and DP notes…then, “Three...two...one... action!” and the car sinks into the water as our talent, Guillermo Diaz escapes from the trunk of the car and into the back seat. Holding his breath and fighting for his life (acting), while our safety team, Katie Rowe and Pete Turner, are just out of frame keeping watch. “CUT!”-and the car rises out of the water again. The cold wind cuts through my wetsuit. I hold back shivers as Daryn Okada, ASC gives notes for the next take. To my left, David Sammons, SOC is set to go again, underwater tech/1st AC Peter Lee gives me the thumbs up. I am wet, cold, breathing air from a bottle, and couldn’t be happier. Scandal, Season 6.

WHY UNDERWATER? I’ve always loved being underwater, floating weightless and observing, so to be able to do that for a living, is a dream come true. Plus, people, in general, do not spend much time in the water paying attention, ob-

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serving the world down there, so it gives us a level of freedom for telling stories. If you think about it, most people’s idea of ‘underwater’ comes from either a swimming pool, top-down snorkeling, or from movies!

THE PATH Like everything in this industry, I think you can pick a general direction, but there isn’t a real “one path” to achieving your goals. I knew that I wanted to shoot underwater, and that I wanted to learn from the “big boys (and women).” I’m happy with what I have been able to do so far, and the fact that the SOC published this, means that it didn’t all go wrong.

THE START My grandfather had been a photographer in General Patton’s United States Army Signal Corps, and my father had worked in documentaries while in graduate school. They both went on to having careers in other fields, and accomplished what they had set out to.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2018 Loews Hollywood Hotel, Hollywood

Celebrate the Art and Craft of the Operator and Crew Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: • Governors Award, JOHN BAILEY • Distinguished Service, DENNY CLAIRMONT • Camera Operator, P. SCOTT SAKAMOTO, SOC • Mobile Camera Platform Operator, DAN PERSHING • Camera Technician, JOHN CONNOR • Still Photographer, JOJO WHILDEN January 15 – 23, 2018 Camera Operator of the Year Voting Period open for Active Voting Members

FOLLOW THE CONVERSATION

#SOCAwards

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

PURCHASE SEATS AT SOCAWARDS.COM

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I, on the other hand, liked to swim around in pools, and I liked to shoot pictures of things. It was not until my senior year in college that I realized I wanted to combine them. The catalyst was when operator Mike Thomas came to visit a class I was taking, and spoke about his underwater work on Thin Red Line, Truman Show, Cast Away, and other projects he had worked on, that I realized an underwater camera operator/DP was an actual job. Mike was generous enough to give me his phone number and take my calls for the next 13 years. In fact, he still does.

So this being my goal, I put some friends together, we all chipped in, and called up Hydroflex. We rented an ARRI 35-3 housing and some lights, and shot a short film that was half underwater, including underwater greenscreen. With the help of the legendary Phil Bowen, and my future wife, Corinna (loading film), we got through it and learned a lot. It looked good enough to book me a job later that year.

I moved to Los Angeles, and went to Hydroflex seeking an internship, but a young man named Loren Elkins had filled that position a few weeks earlier. Loren is now arguably the best water tech out there, and one of my most trusted teammates, when he isn’t working with Pete Romano, ASC, of course.

So, with that path gone, I looked for another one. Mike Thomas brought me in as camera intern under John Toll, ASC and for months I learned just how little I actually knew (an important step) and how incredible John and his team are. This was an important part of my career path, because it immediately set the bar much, much higher. Learning good habits and techniques is priceless. Side note, John’s first words to me were “Hi. Don’t f*** up.” Words I still try to live by today.

THE TECHNIQUES The work operating underwater is basically hand-held in three dimensions. You can swim up, down, left, right, forward, backward and

combinations of those. A properly trimmed housing, with a good operator can float through the water, creating moves akin to a dolly, crane, or Steadicam, but all of that, takes practice. Separating your body movement from your arms and hands so you can isolate the camera, is easier said than done. If you can’t do this well you will end up seeing each kick stroke translated into camera movement. Even stopping needs a special technique, so that you can bring 80 pounds of camera and housing to rest in water. Right now, think about how to swim backwards then stop, all while maintaining a frame that doesn’t show any movement, and compensating for talent’s depth changes.

A big factor is buoyancy. Do I want to be neutral and use my breath to control small depth correction? Should I use a float-rig, and if so, manually inflate or hook to my tank? Jacket style BCD (what does this mean) or back-inflate? Should the camera be negative? Nose heavy? Nose buoyant? Overall buoyant? Should I personally be negative? Buoyant? Neutral? Camera neutral and myself negative? Camera negative me neutral? Camera buoyant and myself buoyant? All these choices affect the way that you and the camera move through the water, which therefore affects the shot and your operating. Understanding the housings, their dome versus flat port, versus MegaDome, versus ‘Takahashi Mega-Flat-Port,’ and how everything affects everything else is just one part of the job. Being able to quickly move through these configurations, keeps the attention off of you and your team, and allows you to do the best job without a certain someone looking at their watch, and then at you.

Choosing the right housing for the job is also critical, as they all react to the water differently. Different designs mean different weight distribution, and different hydrodynamics affecting how the housing moves through the water in multiple directions. Water doesn’t compress, so if talent jumps into a pool, or if someone throws a car at you, it will first create waves that will move the camera, then they’ll hit the wall and come back. So you may think that your small housing will be the

Inside the Supona wreck in Bimini with freediver, Valentine Thomas; gaffer, Jimmy Lyons; and key grip, Paul Womack shooting a feature for the Meza Brothers on Hydroflex RAC-MKV. Photo by Marc Wostak

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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best choice for a small body of water, but it’s probably not. I’d take the Hydroflex RAC-MKV, as its size and shape will be pushed around less by that water movement. Think of operating your phone, hand-held on a windy day, versus putting an Alexa on your shoulder—big difference.

departments. This job is dangerous, and that trust extends to our own lives, and the future of our own families. That trust needs to be there.

THE DIVING CERTIFICATION QUESTION

We were shooting in the Long Beach Harbor, lost all visibility in the water, and had to shoot John Hurt throwing objects into the water at us. The current was tumbling us around, and I had my face in the monitor looking for anything that could tell me where I was. The sun?

A shadow of a boat? Bubbles indicated which way was up. The safety diver stayed near me, would look at his compass, then grab my waist and point me in the general direction we wanted to be in. Somehow we got a few takes.

For some reason the question I get asked the most is, “Do you need to be a certified scuba diver?” The answer is, “Yes.” You should actually be a pretty fantastic diver. It should be natural for you by this point.

Just learning to control your depth, body position, etc. is sort of like walking, so would you hire a hand-held camera operator who isn't good at walking?

Your marine team should also all be great divers, as we do the same work as the “dry” crews, but underwater, placing lights, building trusses and rigging. Inflate your BCD before you are handed a shotbag or stand so it doesn’t take you straight to the bottom, then deflate your BCD before you let go...so you don’t go straight back to the surface. Little things like that make a big difference.

THE GEAR Diving gear...for me, less is more. In a tank, I’m usually in my suit, weight belt and a Hookah line. No BCD, no whistle, no computer, no dive-line, nothing to get in the way. Just me and the camera, and a way to breath, usually. When that’s not an option, I have been lucky to work with the team at Ocean Management Systems (OMS) and love their modular, and incredibly well made gear. Comfortable and durable. [Some repetition] My gear gets used all day, rinsed and dried in hotel showers or docks, or worse--thrown into a bag, sometimes still wet, then shipped to another location and used again. Like all of us, it needs to arrive and do its job without a fuss. Sometimes I’ll go from the water to the airport, and then straight to the next set with the gear still wet. Nothing quite like climbing into wetsuit in Los Angeles that is still soaked with North Carolina water.

ANOTHER WORLD Underwater is a different world. Light and weights react differently, and therefore photographing and working underwater is different.

I find that my job isn’t just to show up and operate, but to work with the DP to facilitate their vision being translated underwater.

One example, when one amazing DP/ASC I worked with wanted sun rays coming through the water, but wasn’t seeing them. I mentioned, quietly, that those rays are caused by the water refocusing the light into beams, so smaller point-sources make it easier to achieve. Those 3x side-by-side 18ks became 1x18k and 3x Xenons and we were good to go. The DP was happy, production was happy, and Ian was useful.

THE TEAM Hire the best people, and let them do their jobs. I have a very short list of names I call on for my water team. People I trust to watch my back, who will speak up when they need to, and handle their own

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SHORT STORIES

We were shooting Queen of the South in Dallas for DP, John Brawley and our first shot was me jumping backwards into the pool with the camera, with just my mask, ear plugs, and weights, as automatic gunfire erupts and I slowly sink to the bottom, shells falling around me.

As I landed on the bottom, Dallas police dive team commander, Terry Varden shoves a regulator into my mouth so I can breathe again, then I whip pan right to catch someone diving in.

On The Last Ship we did a three-minute take, starting on a CU and pulling back to reveal underwater mines. One minute in, my Hookah line tangled in some fake kelp, so I spat it out and kept going. I followed one of the divers around a mine and landed in a CU for a one-minute hold for top-side dialogue, while I hovered mid-water, kicking as I was weighted negative. I realized that I needed to breath soon, and that’s when a hand reached around and shoved a regulator into my mouth, he pushed the button to clear it, and hovered next to me until we heard, “Cut! Moving on!’ I spat the regulator out, gave him a thumbs up, and swam to the surface to talk to Peter Weller, our director. Trust that your safety team is on their game.

Finally, one of my favorite moments was seeing a safety diver’s face, who will remain nameless, when his job became letting Beyoncé sit in his lap while he held onto the sides of the tank so she could be comfortable while talking to our director, Jonas Akerlund between takes.

By the way, she was amazing.

IAN S. TAKAHASHI, SOC Ian S. Takahashi, SOC was born and raised in the Napa Valley of California where he worked under director, Francis Ford Coppola before moving to Los Angeles, and he interned under John Toll, ASC. Ian concentrates on underwater work, and benefited from a long mentor relationship with Mike Thomas, and a later introduction to Pete Romano, ASC. His underwater credits include; The Last Ship, True Detective, Scandal, Pretty Little Liars, Masters of Sex, Beyonce’s Lemonade, Katy Perry, Selena Gomez, Kate Upton, Nike, Corona, and features: Swiss Army Man, Neon Demon, All I See is You, and The Layover. Ian just completed projects for directors, Marc Forster and Joe Wright.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

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Insight CHRIS TUFTY, SOC What was one of your most challenging shot or challenging day in the industry? Shooting a handheld POV shot of an LAPD officer involved shooting on Boomtown. The whole cast and crew applauded when I finished!

What is your most memorable day in the industry? On Murder One, when I walked onto the 20th Century Fox lot on my first day as a union operator! Its history was calling me…

What is the job you have yet to do but most want to do?

Be an alternating DP on a TV series.

Photo by Margot Tufty

Credits: Genesis -The Closer, The Bridge, Aquarius, Best Seller, Nightmare on Elm Street, Pts II & IV

RÉMI TOURNOIS, SOC What was one of your most challenging shots in the industry?

When I had to turn down Escape Plan and Ender’s Game the same day because of previous commitment. Karma always comes around, right?

What is your most memorable day in the industry?

Being told to forget the rules and try something new every takes by Walter Hill and Lloyd Ahern on Bullet to the Head. These gents rock.

What is the job you have yet to do but most want to do?

I want to do a spaghetti western, zombie movie, or any job that lets you think outside the box with some good people and a good script.

Credits: Mr. Right, Zipper, Bullet to the Head, Queen Sugar (Season 1), Zoo (Season 1)

Photo courtesy of Rémi Tournois

JOSEPH URBANCZYK, SOC The person who helped you most in your career?

Vilmos Zsigmond… Above all, I like to think he taught us about that delicate balance of light and shadow, and not just in the creation of film, but also the light and shadows within ourselves, in our lives. In his youth in Hungary, he stood with his camera before the darkest shadows of oppression; later he went on to become one of the greatest cinematographers in the world. And by his extraordinary life and example, he showed us all the very opposite of what he had witnessed in his youth. He revealed to us, both as a filmmaker and as a friend, that magnificent light that lives forever in the human spirit. For that- and much more- I am eternally grateful to this wonderful man who was my mentor and my friend.

Photo by Peter Sorel

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Credits: Justified, House of Lies, Mad Men, Paycheck, Six Days Seven Nights.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

SOC ROSTER CHARTER MEMBERS Lou Barlia Parker Bartlett Paul Basta Michael Benson Stephanie Benson Rupert Benson Jr. Bob Bergdahl Howard Block Donald Burch Jerry Callaway David Calloway Philip Caplan Mike Chevalier Bill Clark Dick Colean Steve Conant Jim Connell Rick Cosko Jack Courtland Elliot Davis Sam Drummy Joe Epperson Michael Ferra Ron Francis William Gahret Jim Glennon Ray Gonzales Jerry Good Jack Green, ASC Gil Haimson Peter Hapke Lutz Hapke Bill Hines Jim Hoover Bill Howard John Huneck Wayne Kennan, ASC Bob Keys Gary Kibbe David Kurland Norm Langley Thomas Laughridge Steve Lydecker Brice Mack III Joe Marquette Jr. Owen Marsh Bob Marta Bob McBride Ed Morey Tom Munshower Fred Murphy Al Myers Lee Nakahara Jay Nefcy Rik Nervik Leigh Nicholson King Nicholson John Nogle Dan Norris Skip Norton David Nowell, ASC Wayne Orr Richard Price Ernie Reed Arnold Rich Randall Robinson Parker Roe Sam Rosen Peter Salim

Lou Schwartz Chris Schwiebert Michael Scott Bob Seaman Hal Shiffman Roger Smith Fred Smith Michael St. Hilaire Ray Stella Joe Steuben John Stevens Carol Sunflower Bill Swearingen Joseph Valentine Ron Vidor Sven Walnum

ACTIVE MEMBERS Peter Abraham Jonathan Abrams Michael Alba Bret Allen Colin Anderson Kevin Andrews Andrew Ansnick Francois Archambault Joseph Arena Will Arnot Ted Ashton Jr. Kjetil Astrup Mark August Andrei Austin Grayson Austin Jacob Avignone Daniel Ayers Christopher Baffa Lonn Bailey James Baldanza David Baldwin Jr. Jerry Banales Christopher Banting Jeff Barklage Angel Barroeta John Beattie Jonathan Beattie Tim Bellen Peter Berglund Corey Besteder George Bianchini George Billinger Howard Bingham Maceo Bishop Michel Bisson Bonnie Blake Jason Blount Jeff Bollman John Boyd Katie Boyum Kevin Braband Hilaire Brosio Garrett Brown Kenny Brown Pete Brown Scott Browner Neal Bryant Stephen Buckingham Robin Buerki Gary Bush Rod Calarco Stephen Campanelli

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

J. Christopher Campbell Susan Campbell Jose Cardenas Robert Carlson Jeffrey Carolan Michael Carstensen Peter Cavaciuti Dave Chameides Lou Chanatry Joe Chess Jr. Jeffrey Clark Anthony Cobbs Steven Cohen Marcis Cole Kris Conde Andrew Conder Michael Condon Brown Cooper Dan Coplan Luke Cormack Javier Costa Richard Cottrell Tom Cox Jeff Cree Rod Crombie Richard Crow Jeff Crumbley Grant Culwell Francois Daignault Nicholas Davidoff Markus Davids Rick Davidson Richard Davis Andrew Dean Michael Dean Anthony Deemer Kris Denton Kevin Descheemaeker Joel Deutsch Don Devine Kenny Dezendorf Twojay Dhillon David Diano Troy Dick Matthew Doll Rick Drapkin Scott Dropkin Mitch Dubin Simon Duggan, ACS Mark Duncan Allen Easton William Eichler David Elkins Jason Ellson David Emmerichs Kevin Emmons Ramon Engle Alex Escarpanter Steve Essig Brant Fagan Diane Farrell Dianne Farrington Jesse Feldman Michael Ferris George Feucht James Firios Lance Fisher Eric Fletcher Michael Flueck Houman Forough

Felix Forrest Ian Forsyth Steve Fracol Keith Francis Nick Franco Tom Fraser James Frater David Frederick Michael Frediani Brian Freesh Steven French Dan Frenkel Mick Froehlich Jeff Fry Paul Gardner David Gasperik Rusty Geller Michael Germond William Gierhart Laurie Gilbert Harvey Glen Mark Goellnicht Daniel Gold James Goldman Allen Gonzales Robert Gorelick Afton Grant Chad Griepentrog George Griffith James Gucciardo Robert Guernsey Pedro Guimaraes John Gunselman Craig Haagensen Chris Haarhoff Jess Haas Kevin Haggerty Geoffrey Haley John Hankammer Tim Harland Joshua Harrison Kent Harvey Chris Hayes David Haylock Nikk Hearn-Sutton Mike Heathcote Dawn Henry Alan Hereford Steven Heuer Kevin Hewitt David Hirschmann Jamie Hitchcock Petr Hlinomaz Abe Holtz Jerry Holway Paul Horn Casey Hotchkiss William Howell II Bradley Hruboska Colin Hudson Christian Hurley Philip Hurn Spencer Hutchins Frederick Iannone Alexa Ihrt Dave Isern Christophe Ivins Eugene Jackson III Jerry Jacob Alec Jarnagin Gary Jay Simon Jayes Andrew "AJ" Johnson

Christopher Jones Steven Jones Jacques Jouffret John Joyce David Judy Mark Jungjohann David Kanehann Mark Karavite Lawrence Karman Dan Kavanaugh Adam Keith Brian Kelly David Kimelman Dan Kneece Rory Knepp David Knox Robert Kositchek Bud Kremp Kris Krosskove Per Larsson Jeff Latonero Kristian Lawing Eric Leach Sergio Leandro da Silva Richard Leible Alan Lennox Rachael Levine Sarah Levy David Liebling Jimmy Lindsey, ASC Hugh Litfin John Lizzio Christopher Lobreglio Patrick Longman George Loomis Jessica Lopez Greg Lundsgaard Kenji Luster Rob Macey Vincent Mack Paul Magee David Mahlmann Giuseppe Malpasso Kim Marks Jared Marshall Cedric Martin Philip Martinez Justin Marx Daniele Massaccesi J. Steven Matzinger Parris Mayhew Peter McCaffrey Bill McClelland Jim McConkey David McGill Ian McGlocklin Michael McGowan Christopher McGuire Ossie McLean Aaron Medick Alan Mehlbrech Hilda Mercado Olivier Merckx Matias Mesa Jack Messitt Mike Mickens Duane Mieliwocki Marc Miller Phillip Miller Andrew Mitchell William Molina Raphy Molinary Machado Michel "Mitch" Mom-

maerts K. Neil Moore Mark Moore Matthew Moriarty Josh Morton Manolo Moscopulos John "Buzz" Moyer Jeff Muhlstock Michael Mulvey Scott Mumford Sean Murray Saade Mustafa Dale Myrand Leo Napolitano Marco Naylor Robert Newcomb Julye Newlin William Nielsen, Jr. Kurt Nolen Randy Nolen Austin Nordell William O'Drobinak Gerry O'Malley Michael Off Mark O'Kane Andrew Oliver John Orland Brian Osmond Georgia Packard Heather Page Nick Paige Curtis Pair Victor Pancerev Andrew Parke Patrick Pask Christopher Paul Al “Tiko” Pavoni Matthew Pebler Paul Peddinghaus Douglas Pellegrino John Perry George Peters Matthew Petrosky Jonathan Phillips Alan Pierce Theo Pingarelli Jens Piotrowski Joseph Piscitelli James Puli Louis Puli Ryan Purcell Yavir Ramawtar Juan Ramos James Reid John Rhode Ari Robbins Alicia Robbins Peter Robertson Brent Robinson Brooks Robinson Eric Roizman Peter Rosenfeld Dave Rutherford P. Scott Sakamoto Sanjay Sami David Sammons Joel San Juan Juanjo Sánchez Bry Sanders Milton Santiago Rafael Sahade Daniel Sauvé Gerard Sava

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Sean Savage Martin Schaer Ron Schlaeger Mark Schlicher Mark Schmidt Job Scholtze Vadim Schulz David Schweitzer Fabrizio Sciarra Brian Scott Brian Scott Benjamin Semanoff Barry Seybert Barnaby Shapiro David Shawl Osvaldo Silvera Jr. Gregory Smith Teddy Smith Vanessa Smith Needham Smith III Dean Smollar John Sosenko Andy (Andrew) Sparaco Mark Sparrough Benjamin Spek Francis Spieldenner Sandy Spooner Lisa Stacilauskas Robert Starling Thomas Stork Michael Stumpf David Svenson Ian Takahashi Yousheng Tang Gregor Tavenner Christopher Taylor Peter Taylor Paige Thomas David Thompson Henry Tirl John Toll, ASC Remi Tournois Neil Toussaint Jamie Trent Bryan Trieb Michael Tsimperopoulos Chris Tufty Dan Turrett Brian Tweedt Joseph Urbanczyk Matt Valentine Dale Vance, Jr. Paul Varrieur Ron Veto Adi Visser Andrew Voegeli Stefan von Bjorn Rob Vuona Bill Waldman Michael Walker Timothy Walker Gareth Ward Gretchen Warthen Raney "Bo" Webb Aiken Weiss Dale West Clay Westervelt Mande Whitaker Robert Whitaker Kit Whitmore Peter Wilke Ken Willinger Chad Wilson David Wolf Ian Woolston-Smith Peter Xiques Santiago Yniguez

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Brian Young Chad Zellmer Brenda Zuniga

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Christine Adams Brian Aichlmayr Colin Akoon Jamie Alac Ana Amortegui Philip Anderson Greg Arch Michael Artsis Scott Auerbach Ryan Baker Tyson Banks Michael Barron Matt Bell Alicia Blair Peter Bonilla Jean-Paul Bonneau Massimo Bordonaro David Boyd Warren Brace Mary Brown Rochelle Brown Donald Brownlow Clyde Bryan Sasha Burdett Anthony Caldwell Ryan Campbell Jordan Cantu Jack Carpenter Marc Casey Quaid Cde Baca Kirsten Celo Libor Cevelik Ian Chilcote Damian Church Ricco Ricardo Clement Gregory Collier Mack Collins Antoine Combelles Gabriel Copeland Gareth Cox Richard Crudo, ASC Chad Daring Farhad Dehlvi Enrique Del Rio Galindo James DeMello Johnny Derango Caleb Des Cognets Ronald Deveaux Jorge Devotto Vincent DeVries Adam Dorris Orlando Duguay Adam Duke Keith Dunkerley Brian Dzyak David Eubank Allen Farst Nicholas Federoff Kristin Fieldhouse Stephanie Fiorante Jessica Fisher Tom Fletcher John Flinn III, ASC Mark Forman Mike Fortin Chuck France Jerry Franck Michael Freeman Fred Frintrup Hiroyuki Fukuda Dmitrii Fursov Sandra Garcia Benjamin Gaskell Hank Gifford Michael Goi, ASC

Wayne Goldwyn Al Gonzalez Erik Goodman John Goodner John Greenwood Phil Gries Josef "Joe" Gunawan Marco Gutierrez Jason Hafer Bob Hall Tobias Harbo James Hart John Hart Jason Hawkins Adam Heim Andres Hernandez Anthony Hettinger John Hill, Jr. Tammy Hineline Andrew Hoehn Scott Hoffman Chris Horvath Nichole Huenergardt Jake Iesu Toshiyuki Imai Andrew Irvine Gregory Irwin Michael Izquierdo Neeraj Jain Keith Jefferies Lacey Joy Henry Joy IV Johnny Juarez Jessica Jurges Timothy Kane Brandon Kapelow Ray Karwel Frank Kay April Kelley Alan G. Kelly Kevin Kemp Jeremiah Kent Mark Killian Douglas Kirkland Christian Kitscha Michael Klaric Michael Klimchak Nick Kolias Mark Knudson Brian Kronenberg Robert La Bonge Laurence Langton Jose-Pablo Larrea Dr. Thomas Lee Gerardo Leon Alan Levi Mark Levin Adrian Licciardi Ilya Jo Lie-Nielsen Niels Lindelien Eamon Long Gordon Lonsdale Jasmine Lord Christopher Lymberis Dominik Mainl Aaron Marquette Chris Martin Jose Martinez Nicole Martinez Jim Matlosz Nathan Maulorico Brett Mayfield Ray McCort Marcus McDougald Mike McEveety Marcel Melanson Mengmeng “Allen” Men Sophia Meneses Jonathan Miller K. Adriana Modlin-Liebrecht

Kenneth Montgomery Mark Morris Matthew Mosher Jekaterina Most Nick Müller Hassan Nadji Navid Namazi Zach Nasits Jimmy Negron Michael Nelson Michael Nelson Benjamin Nielsen Dennis Noack Russell Nordstedt Ing. Jose Noriega C.A.S. Louis Normandin Casey Norton Crescenzo Notarile, ASC Jorel O'Dell Pascal Orrego Jarrod Oswald Paul Overacker Justin Painter Larry Parker Steven Parker Florencia Perez Cardenal Mark Petersen Jon Philion Mark Phillips Tyler Phillips W. S. Pivetta Ted Polmanski Robert Primes, ASC Joe Prudente Delia Quinonez Jem Rayner Marcia Reed Brice Reid Claudio Rietti Ken Robings Andy Romero Tim Rook Peter Rooney Sam Rosenthal Jordi Ruiz Maso Dylan Rush Jake Russell Kish Sadhvani Christian Salas-Martos Danny Salazar Steve Saxon Joshua "JC" Schroder Christian Sebaldt, ASC Christopher Seehase Yael Shulman Stephen Siegel Peter Sikkens Michael Skor Jan Sluchak Robert Smith Laurent Soriano David Speck Don Spiro Owen Stephens Derek Stettler Michael Stine Darren Stone Scott Stone Skyler Stone Aymae Sulick Jeremy Sultan Andy Sydney Tiffany Taira Brian Taylor Fabian Tehrani Andres Turcios John Twesten Daniel Urbain Sandra Valde Thomas Valko Ioana Vasile

Aimee Vasquez Christopher Vasquez Michael Velitis Nick Vera Benjamin Verhulst Marshall Victory Jesse Vielleux Breanna Villani Miguel Angel Viñas Terry Wall W. Thomas Wall Justin Watson Thomas Weimer Alex White Ryan Wood Tim Wu Tim Yoder Scot Zimmerman

CORPORATE

Abel Cine Adorama Rental Co. Arri, Inc. B&H Foto & Electronics Corp Band Pro Film & Video Brother International Corporation Canon, USA Inc. CarL Zeiss Microimaging, Inc. Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment Cineverse Codex Cooke Optics Limited CW Sonderoptic Diving Unlimited International Inc. Filmtools Inc. Fujifilm/Fujinon Geo Film Group, Inc. History For Hire Imagecraft Productions, Inc. JL Fisher Inc. Keslow Camera Manios Digital & Film Matthews Studio Equipment Panavision Preston Cinema Systems Red Digital Cinema Sigma Sony Electronics Spacecam Systems, Inc. The Vitec Group Tiffen Transvideo

EDUCATORS John Grace Ralph Watkins

HONORARY

John Bailey, ASC Tilman Buettner James Burrows Alexander Calzatti Trevor Coop Roger Corman Dean Cundey, ASC Bruce Doering Clint Eastwood Tom Hatten Ron Howard Gale Anne Hurd Sarah Jones Michael Keaton Ron Kelley Kathleen Kennedy-

Marshall Jerry Lewis Gary Lucchesi Larry McConkey A. Linn Murphree M.D. Diana Penilla Steven Spielberg Robert Torres George Toscas Roy Wagner, ASC Alfre Woodard

RETIRED MEMBERS

Aldo Antonelli Paul Babin Tom Barron Al Bettcher James Blanford Bruce Catlin Ivan Craig Richard Cullis George Dibie, ASC Robert Feller Dick Fisher Jerry Fuller Anthony Gaudioz Wynn Hammer Ken Hilmer Gary Holt Robert Horne Douglas Knapp Michael Little Heather MacKenzie James Mann Stan McClain Michael McClary Ron McManus Mike Meinardus Emmanuel Metaxas Robert Moore Sol Negrin, ASC David Parrish Aaron Pazanti Richard Rawlings Jr., ASC Andy Romanoff Frank Ruttencutter Carl Schumacher, Sr. Chuck Schuman Philip Schwartz Guy Skinner George Stephenson Gene Talvin Joseph Tawil Adam Ward

STUDENTS

Veronica Aberham Michael Acosta Reynaldo Aquino Nathan Bachmann Melissa Baltierra Zakrey Barisione Daniela Bornstein Ziryab Brahem Emmett Bright Jiayao Chen Petr Cikhart Autumn Collins Meghan Cullen Sabrina Cullen John Darian William Dauel Annor Doeman Michael Garcia Sean Garry Christian Hall Mufeng "Derek" Han Rita Hansen Tyler Harmon-Townsend Myles Holt Carolyn Hunt

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Crystal Kelley KC Kennicutt John Lansdale Jun Li Eric Liberacki Guilherme Lima Ari Linn Deidre Locklear Vincent Lomascolo Jose Lora Carl Loven Aedan McHugh Jeff-Steven Mojica Fabian Montes Joshua Montiel Takuya Nagayabu James Nagel Lucien Night Rui Jiang Ong Lorenzo Pace Weerapat “Art” Parnitudom Ryan Petrolo Connor Pollard Karina Prieto Macias Matthew Psyllos Cheng Qian Ryan Richard Jackson Rife Marco Rivera Tiye Rose-Hood Edgar Santamaria Esther Santamaria Emil Schonstrom

Brittany Shank Sathish Shanmugam Alexandria Shepherd Jennifer St. Hilaire-Sanchez Davin Stanley Kezia Supit Grace Thomas Kendra Tidrick William Torres Ivan Velazquez Tianyi “Christopher” Wang Anthony Worley Watcharawit "Koon" Ya-inta Linxuan "Stanley" Yu Lucia Zavarcikova Qiaoyu "Joy" Zhang Yiyao Zhu

Current as of October 20, 2017.

AD INDEX ARRI C2 www.arri.com Blackmagic Design 11 www.blackmagicdesign.com Canon 3 www.canon.com Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment 35 www.chapmanleonard.com Cinematography Electronics 2 www.cinemaelec.com Cooke Optics 7 www.cookeoptics.com CW Sonderoptic 5 www.cw-sonderoptic.com Glidecam 45 www.glidecam.com

Image Craft Productions 19 www.imagecraftproductions.com 47 J. L. Fisher www.jlfisher.com 13 Lindsey Optics www.lindseyoptics.com Matthews Studio Equipment 13 www.msegrip.com 25 Paralinx www.paralinx.net 9 RED Digital Cinema www.red.com 37 Schneider Optics www.schneideroptics.com Back Cover Teradek www.teradek.com C3 Tiffen www.tiffen.com 41 VER www.ver.com

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS . WINTER 2017 SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS WINTER 2015 VOL. 24, NO. 1

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SOC.ORG · WINTER 2017 VOL. 26, NO.1

SOCIETY OF OF CAMERA . FALL 20162016 SOCIETY CAMERAOPERATORS OPERATORS . FALL

Hacksaw GoneRidge Girl

CAMERA OPERATOR · WINTER 2015

Hidden American Horror Story: FreakFigures Show Live by Night Birdman 1

Browse our online store to see the inventory of water bottles, T-shirts, hats, pins, and more...

CAMERA OPERATOR · FALL 2017

SOC.ORG · FALL 2016 VOL. 25, NO.4

SOC.ORG · FALL 2016 VOL. 25, NO.4

Michael Frediani, SOC

SullySully

La LaLaLandLa Land Nocturnal AnimalsAnimals Nocturnal Manchester by thebySeathe Sea Manchester Technical Achievement AwardsAwards Technical Achievement

CAMERA OPERATOR

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(@sarahlevydp) I don’t often get star-struck working in TV and film, but working with Kermit on The Muppets for ABC was a career highlight.

We were faced with many challenges shooting handheld “Office-style” with puppets that require camera operators to hide puppet “sleeves,” human arms, raised steel-deck sets with corridors for puppeteers to move through. Incredible crew including DP Craig Keif, A Cam 1st AC Jarod Oswald, 2nd AC Joe Solari @jseppe A Camera Dolly Grip, James Madigan. #ARRIAmira ---------------------------------------------------#bestJobEver #thesoc #cameraOperator #Camera #Lens #DirectorOfPhotography #Cinematography #Cinematographer #Videography #Photography #Videography #PhotographyIsLife

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(@dr1vancejr) "Anybody can put the guy in the box, just look on instagram or Facebook. Operating is about the subtleties that make the shot work from start to finish, and learning how to make the adjustments." - Dale Vance, Jr. -----------------------------------------------Battling the smoke, ash, wind and freaks on season 2 #FreakishOnHulu with Ellie Ann Fenton ------------------------------------------------#bestJobEver #thesoc #cameraOperator #Photographer #Camera #Lens #DirectorOfPhotography #Cinematography #Cinematographer #Videography #Photography #Videography #PhotographyIsLife #CameraSupport #CameraAccessories #SOC #bts #movies #film #scandal #revenge #steadicam

Photo by Jake Koenig

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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