Camera Operator: Summer 2018 by Society of Camera Operators

SOC.ORG · SUMMER 2018

VOL. 27, NO.3

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS . SUMMER 2018

ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

GREENLEAF · GET SHORTY

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THE

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CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 NEWS & NOTES

12 ANT-MAN AND THE WASP

Membership Drive, Camera Operating In Focus Workshops in Atlanta, and more

8 ESTABLISHING SHOT

Daryl Hartwell, SOC

30 TECH TALK The Latest in Cinema Cameras and The Aerial Perspective: A Conversation with Helinet by Eric Fletcher, SOC

34 SMOOTH OPERATOR

"Big Action, Small Heroes" Peter Rosenfeld, SOC

20 GREENLEAF "Keep the Faith" with Marcis Cole, SOC an interview by Kate McCallum

26 GET SHORTY "Getting the Shot" with Dave Frederick, SOC an interview by Derek Stettler ON THE COVER: Marvel Studios ANT-MAN AND THE WASP. The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

"How I See It" Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC

40 INSIGHT Meet the Members

26 CAMERA OPERATOR Â· SUMMER 2018

41 SOC ROSTER 43 AD INDEX 44 SOCIAL SOC

34 1

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 Geoffrey Haley David Sammons Lisa Stacilauskas Dave Thompson

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards George Billinger, Mitch Dubin, Dan Gold, Bill McClelland, Dave Thompson, Dan Turrett, Geoffrey Haley, Will Arnot, Rob Vuona Charities Alicia Robbins

Historical Mike Frediani Membership Dan Gold, Dan Turrett Technical Standards Eric Fletcher Education David Sammons

STAFF AND CONSULTANTS Membership Services & Operations Coordinator John Bosson 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 George Billinger, SOC Marcis Cole, SOC Chad Daring Eric Fletcher, SOC Daryl Hartwell, SOC Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC

Kevin LaRosa, II Kate McCallum Peter Rosenfeld, SOC Fabrizio Sciarra, SOC, ACO, ASSOC. BSC Mark Sparrough, SOC Benjamin Spek, SOC Derek Stettler Ian S. Takahashi, SOC

PHOTOGRAPHY Eli Ade James Apted Jon Cameron Michael Cioni Guy D’Alema Nick Dent Michael Desmond Michelle Faye Fraser Michael Frediani, SOC Dana Gonzales, ACS Scott Garfield Robbie Hallenberg Stefan Hill Ron Phillips, SMPSP Don Power Ben Rothstein Tina Rowden F. Carter Smith

Joshua Springer Isabella Vosmikova Barry Wetcher

TRIVIA Source imdb.com

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

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

FULL-SERVICE PROVIDER FOR ALL OF YOUR AERIAL PRODUCTION NEEDS

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CW Sonderoptic becomes Leitz. Over a century ago in Wetzlar, Germany, Leica founder Ernst Leitz began a tradition of optical excellence that revolutionized photography and directly informed our design of the Leica cine lenses. Now CW Sonderoptic is taking on the name Leitz Cine Wetzlar to recognize this legacy and continue the tradition of craftsmanship and innovation in service of the filmmaking community.

Come and see us at IBC 2018, RAI Amsterdam Hall 12.Stand: E79

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CAMERA OPERATOR Âˇ SUMMER 2018

Letter from the President Dear SOC Members and Camera Operator Readers: It’s been a great summer, and the SOC has been busy! We’ve had quite a lineup of events throughout the summer that are taking us into the Fall. We saw many of you at NAB, the Chapman/Leonard Product Showcase, J.L. Fisher’s Annual BBQ, and at the CineGear Expo in early June where the SOC presented a talk and exhibit booth. We're also in preparation for many new workshops and events including; NAB New York, and our annual Demo Days showcase of the SOC Technology Award submissions, hosted on November 10 and 11. For a full schedule of events log on to: SOC.org and click on the events tab. The SOC is a brother/sisterhood of camera operators and industry professionals. It is a commitment of the Board and myself to grow our Society, and to do so we have started a year-long membership drive.

Calendar SEPTEMBER •

September 23 September Board of Governors Meeting

OCTOBER • •

•

Camera Operator is one of the many benefits of SOC membership. Our magazine offers first-hand articles and stories from operators. As we say, “Written by the members for the members.” I invite you to consider writing about your own experiences, lessons, and insights. We have a publishing team that can assist you, and thank you to all members who’ve already contributed.Sincerely,

October 17 - 18 NAB New York October 21 October Board of Governors Meeting

NOVEMBER •

As noted in the opening sentence of our mission statement, “The Society of Camera Operators (SOC) advances the art, craft, and creative contributions of the camera operator.” I am confident that you share the same mission, and ask that you seriously consider taking a more active role by joining your fellow camera operators around the globe, to help ensure the future of our great craft by supporting the membership drive and introducing the SOC to your associates.

November 10 - 11 Demo Days at SOC Offices, Burbank November 11 November Board of Governors Meeting

George Billinger, SOC Society of Camera Operators, President

JANUARY •

January 26, 2019 “Save the Date” SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards

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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MEMBSHIP DRIVE TO HONOR SOC’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2019! To celebrate our 40th this coming year and to continue our mission of advancing the art, craft and creative contribution of the Camera Operator, the SOC is looking to double its membership. That may sound like a lofty goal, but if every member signs up one member we’ll be there in no time. As part of the membership drive, we ask you to invite a colleague to join the Society. Membership applications can be found online at SOC.org where benefits and qualifications for each category are outlined. Thank you for participation in the membership drive.

News & Notes JUNE GENERAL BREAKFAST MEETING AND GEARED/REMOTE HEAD WORKSHOP Thank you to Chapman Leonard for hosting the General Breakfast Meeting and Geared/Remote Head Workshop. The breakfast meeting gave members a chance to meet the elected Board of Governors, discuss current Society objectives, network with peers over breakfast, and get hands-on with the workshop.

CAMERA OPERATING IN FOCUS WORKSHOPS IN ATLANTA In July, the SOC Atlanta membership offered two workshops for both camera operators and assistants, that took place at Commander, a full service motion picture equipment rental company. The workshops were very well attended, and 1st AC’s Greg Irwin and Brett Lanius served as the instructors for the AC workshop to help participants achieve the shots designed by camera operator instructors, Mick Froehlich, SOC, Dave Drezwicki, Marcis Cole, SOC, and Bill McClelland, SOC. The instructors set up two hand-held stations, one jib station, and one gearhead on a dolly station where attendees were able to problem-solve and get lots of hands-on experience with the various tech. Below, L-R clockwise: Brett Mayfield, SOC operating, Marcis Cole, SOC instructor; Johua Springer operating, Bill McClelland, SOC instructor; Mick Froehlich, SOC instructor, Catherine Leatherwood operating, Warren Brace. Photos by Joshua Springer

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Establishing Shot by Daryl Hartwell, SOC

Daryl Hartwell on FARGO SEASON 3 operating a power pod. Photo by Michelle Faye Fraser

First, let me say that I was humbled and honored to be nominated for a 2018 Camera Operator of the Year Award - Television, and acknowledged amongst such great talent. Working in the film industry was not what I thought I would do with my life. Growing up in Sherwood Park, Canada, the youngest of three brothers, I was destined to work for the family business. However, in high school I discovered a love of film and left home for Vancouver, BC. Working my way from dolly grip to camera operator was challenging, but I was fueled by my determination and passion to become an A camera operator. Now that I’ve realized my dream, I’ve had the opportunity to travel the world working with some of the most respected professionals in the industry. I’m proud that my vision has also contributed to the Emmy Award-winning ‘Outstanding Cinematography’ for the television series Fargo, and I look forward to continuing to elevate my work and the work of those around me. Ken Krawczyk, CSC was instrumental in my career as an operator. He mentored me and gave me my first operating job. I was a dolly

grip for him for many years, and he inspired and motivated me to move forward in my career. For that, I will always owe him. I consider him a great friend and an amazing mentor. This year, I was fortunate to be honored as a nominee for the SOC COY Television Award for my work on the TV series Fargo. Fargo, Season 1 was when I first heard they were making this Coen brothers classic into a TV series. Being such a huge fan of the movie, and the Cohen brothers in general, I knew I had to be part of it. Before I could even start trying to land it I received a call from Matthew J. Loyd, ASC who was the cinematographer for the pilot. He asked me if I was interested in operating on the show as Matt had gotten my name from Eric Schmidt, ASC whom I did a pilot with. Eric had recommended me to Matt. I was over the moon, and when Matt said he wanted me to be A camera I was beside myself.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Left: On KLONDIKE shooting Tim Roth with Easy Rig. Photo by Dan Power. Right: Showing Ewan McGregor how to operate camera. Photo by Jon Cameron

I worked on the pilot with Matt, and after that Dana Gonzales, ASC came onboard to shoot the remaining episodes. I was lucky to have met him. Dana is very passionate and very talented, and he pushed me and inspired me to be my best. Dana was a fan of the jib arm, so I quickly had to become proficient with that tool. I took to it fast, and I loved it the freedom it provided, and found it worked great for the wide lens coverage 29mm, 32mm close-ups. I found that contrary to what people believe-the jib arm can slow things down-when used properly, it facilitated shooting very quickly in less time that it would have taken to lay a dance floor and move furniture. In saying that, the jib arm also had its drawbacks which we rectified for Season 2 with the introduction of a remote head. This allowed me to only worry about the frame and the shot rather than my footwork. Shooting Fargo is unique due to the fact that there was a definite outline, or rulebook, on the techniques and styles of the show. For example, we rarely went with a longer lens than a 50mm, no Steadicam is used, nor hand-held. This was a challenge for directors coming onboard who haven't shot this style before, but they quickly got onboard and realized how fast things can happen. I found this challenging and liberating at times, and in my opinion the end product is beautiful.

admired from afar. Being able to meet and speak to him was such a treat, and I look forward to more opportunities like this. I hope that I get to do it even more amazing projects, and one day I hope to direct and draw from everything I've learned from all the amazing directors I have worked with. I'm not sure what the future holds for me. I aspire for more, and I definitely have an interest in directing, but at this point I just want to be the best operator I can possibly be, and I feel like every day I get a little bit better, and with every challenge I've become stronger as an operator, and as a technician. I love episodic TV primarily because I get to work with so many talented directors. I feel I've been fortunate in my career with being able to go from TV to feature films. In a perfect world I would do one series, then one feature continuously. I'm currently signed on for Good Boy’s Assess, a Seth Rogen movie, which started this summer. Then directly following that I'll be going onto the Netflix series Lost In Space Season 2 which I really look forward to shooting. I've currently just finished a TV series called Blue Book which will be airing on A&E. It's produced by Robert Zemeckis who I had the privilege of working with on Welcome to Marwen, staring Steve Carrel which will be released on Thanksgiv-

Sometimes when we shot Fargo I would have to use a blowtorch to heat up the Lambda head because it was so cold outside that the fluid would not work. We primarily lived on a Fisher 10 dolly with the Fisher 21 Jib arm. I truly felt I was spoiled to be working with Noah Holly as he's a brilliant, amazing man.

ing of this year. I'm very excited to see how that turned out as we

I've also had so much support from my family, Vern and Leona Hartwell, my fabulous parents, and my brothers Chris and Brent. I truly don't think I could've achieved what I have, or aspired for more without my parents instilling such strong work ethics in me, and the desire to achieve. I feel that everyone I work with along the way has inspired me, something that I draw from daily.

never had the opportunity to experience without being in this indus-

Being nominated for SOC Camera Operator of the Year - Television was such a huge honor to be recognized by peers that I hold with such respect. People like Mitch Dubin who have looked up to, and

film Industry. This business is built on opportunities and chances for

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

used alot of motion capture. This business has provided me with the opportunity to work with so many amazing people, and I’ve experienced so many unique and memorable moments in some of the most beautiful places I would've try. It's also provided me the luxury of a different office and different experiences every day. I honestly can't picture myself doing anything else and I really feel like I’ve found my true calling. For that I feel blessed every day, no matter how challenging the day was, I have never had a regret about the decision I’ve made to pursue a career in the advancement, and I feel like my dedication and sacrifice has been rewarded by working on more and more amazing projects.

DARYL HARTWELL, SOC A career in the film industry was not something Daryl Hartwell imagined for himself. Growing up in Alberta as the youngest of three brothers, all signs pointed to a future in the family glazing business. In high school, Hartwell found himself in an environment that expanded and nurtured his lifelong love of movies, culminating in a move to Vancouver to follow his dreams. Momentum ramped up as Hartwell worked his way into operating camera after establishing himself as a top-notch dolly grip in the growing film community there. Since then, determination, skill and passion have propelled Hartwell into realizing his dream of operating the A camera. With previous collaborations on Emmy Award-winning projects under his belt, Hartwell is humbled to be recognized for his not only for work on its own merit, but to be acknowledged by so select a group of peers as the SOC. His credits include such projects as; Legion Season 1, Marvel FX, The Women of Marwen, with director, Robert Zemeckis, and currently shooting the TV series Blue Book. On location for POWER RANGERS with hand-held. Photo by Nick DentÂ

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS Âˇ SOC.ORG

Nets are not new to George Mooradian ASC who still recalls the decades past trick of stretching scraps of Dior hosiery across a lens that he learned under the tutelage of the great Storaro. And filters have always been part of his hallmark look—so it’s no surprise he gravitated to the new Schneider True-Net Filters that come in various densities of Black, Beige and Gray.

“

From the grey to the warmer beige, to black, I love what these filters do to the face and the overall the imagery. The black may be my favorite — as it evokes a feeling of afternoon in Sussex or the fjords outside of Stockholm—bringing to mind a romance we attribute to that type of light. The True-Nets pair so well with today’s super-sharp cameras and lenses, giving off a more natural and organic look that’s distinctively unique. And it is all in a modern housing that’s easier to use and repeatable, yet evokes that nostalgic look. There’s nothing else like these — I will definitely incorporate them into my new shows.

”

Mooradian Puts True-Nets to the Test Known for bringing a feature film look to multi-camera shows, George Mooradian ASC is a seven-time Prime Time Emmy Award nominee. His hit series include: According to Jim, The Exes, The Soul Man, The Carmichael Show, Best Friends Whenever, The Bill Engvall Show, Your Family or Mine, Happily Divorced, episodes of American Horror Story, and he is currently shooting REL and Generation Gap.

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Ant-Man and the Wasp Big Action, Small Heroes by Peter Rosenfeld, SOC

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) is grappling with the consequences of his choices as both a superhero and a father. Approached by Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly, also known as the Wasp) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), Lang must once again don the Ant-Man suit and fight alongside the Wasp. The urgent mission soon leads to secret revelations from the past as the dynamic duo finds itself in an epic battle against a powerful new enemy.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS Âˇ SOC.ORG

L to R: The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Ant-Man/ Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

TRIVIA: Ant-Man and the Wasp is the second MCU film produced in the 2.39:1 aspect ratio to be a sequel to an original MCU film produced in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio following Avengers: Age of Ultron, although this film has shifting aspect ratios in IMAX which closely matches the said aspect ratio of its predecessor.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

As a camera operator it’s not often you get to know what’s coming more than a few months ahead. Knowing that a movie is coming several YEARS ahead is rare. In this case however, I knew that Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp was in the works and I was most likely going to be a part of it. I have been director, Peyton Reed’s camera operator for 15 years now, and had operated all of his movies since 2002.

SMALL HERO, LARGE FORMAT About a year or so before principal photography began, Peyton called me to get my thoughts on large format photography with the ALEXA 65 system. At that time, I was shooting Bright with DP, Roman Vasyanov. We were using the ALEXA 65 system and ULTRA PANAVISION 70 Anamorphic lenses. Roman crafted incredible images on that picture. Putting aside the many aesthetic reasons, I told him that there are

a great many benefits that come with the increased sensor size. There was the luxury of reserving an area outside of the theatrical release for visual effects. A big consideration for a movie like this. There would also be a need to extract an IMAX (1.9:1) format from the sensor area. Lastly, the greater resolution would allow flexibility for reframing in post. “Can we shoot an action movie with this format?” Reed asked me. “Sure,” I responded. However, as an operator I know that Peyton is fond of complex Steadicam master shots, and his frames are often very specific. This would not be Bright where a looser more frenetic camera style was part of the aesthetic. I proposed using an ALEXA SXT for the Steadicam work and he agreed. When Dante Spinotti, ASC was signed on he instantly became enamored of the ALEXA 65 and the beautiful images he could craft with it. The die was cast.

TECH ON SET:

2 ALEXA 65 bo dies with ARRI DNA len ses ZEISS and ANG ENIEUX Zoom s ALEXA SXT wit h ARRI MASTER PRIMES for St eadicam 50’ and 30/40 ’ TECHNOCRA NES TALON Remot e Head

For Ant-Man and the Wasp Dante and Peyton decided on the ALEXA 65 in Open Gate mode, shooting at a resolution of 6.5K (6560 x 3100), and scaling at 87%. The ALEXA SXT was also set to Open Gate mode with a resolution of 3.4K (3424 x 2202) and scaling at 95%.

TRIVIA: This is the twentieth film to be released by Marvel Studios for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Marvel Studios ANT-MAN AND THE WASP. L to R: David Dastmalchian (Kurt) and camera operator, Peter Rosenfeld BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

THE STORY OF ANT-MAN CONTINUES AND EVOLVES Ant-Man and the Wasp turned out to be far more ambitious project than the original. The first Ant-Man was essentially a heist movie with the added element of Scott Lang able to shrink, and enlist the aid of armies of ants. Ant-Man and the Wasp is more of an action picture in the classical sense with car chases, and large fight scenes. Both movies were shot at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, as well as on location in San Francisco where the stories are set. However, in this last picture we spent far more time in San Francisco than we did on the first movie. The main unit was there for several weeks, and the second unit for much longer. Ant-Man and the Wasp features spectacular stunts, hundreds of background artists, and very large action sequences staged in iconic San Francisco locations.

THE CAST Most of the cast returned and picked up their roles from the first movie. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lily in the title roles, Michael Douglas is back as Hank Pym, and we introduce Michelle Pfeiffer as Hope Van Dyne’s mother, Janet. Michael Peña, David Dastmalchian, and Tip T.I. Harris also resumed their characters from the first movie.

THE CREW Among the crew returning from the 2014 Ant-Man was the extremely talented production designer, Shepherd Frankel, and our popular and very clever 1st AD, Lars Winther. Also critical to the film crew was the return of dolly grip, Brad Rea. Brad has been on several of Peyton’s movies, and was one of the first crew members Peyton asked me to hold for this picture. For an operator, having

a short hand and mutual trust with the dolly grip is huge. Brad and I have been working together for a long time and I rely on him heavily to help me plan shots and decide how to execute them. Need an example of how a great dolly grip can save the day? We had a long dialogue scene in one of our largest sets. The actors were going to wind their way over several hundred feet of uneven stage floor then ascend some stairs to an elevated platform. We needed to land in a wide shot at this point in order to promote some cuts to the close-ups which followed. Although we had a Technocrane on set, it was not feasible for the first part of the shot. I was considering the Steadicam but knew that a ramp would have to be built in order for me to get the camera up to the height that the actors would end up at. The geometry was not promising, and the ramp would have to be pretty steep. Brad suggested we try the

TRIVIA: In the trailer's soundtrack, the higher pitch guitar chords that repeat are the riffs from a song named "Ants Invasion" by Adam and the Ants. BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Oculus stabilized head on the dolly. The large Chapman dolly could give us just enough of the height change that we needed. The Oculus head would take out any unevenness of the stage floor. We shot this complex shot without a rehearsal and it worked like a charm. So perfect, in fact, that the director asked to do it several more times with tighter lenses to single out the characters.

THE CHALLENGES Ant-Man and the Wasp also had other challenges for us. There were complex crane moves with both the 50 foot, as well as 35/45 foot Technocrane. The large format left very little room for error on focus. Our 1st AC’s, Brad Peterman on A camera, and Haydn Pazanti on B camera, had a lot to contend with. Our B camera operator, Chris Schenck was often squeezed in at the last minute to pick out a bit of coverage or a tighter value. This left Haydn very little time for marks,

and rarely a rehearsal. They all were terrific and rock solid.

TECH CHOICES Dante selected the ARRI DNA prime lenses as well as a selection of ZEISS and ANGENIEUX large format zoom lenses. We never actually “zoomed” on this picture but used them as variable focal length lenses. Dante knew the sweet spots of each lens, and would often suggest using the same focal length on a different piece of glass depending on the subject. A close-up of our leading lady might be on the Angenieux zoom set to 80mm. However, for the opposing shot on another character he might select an 80mm prime lens. It was often like a painter switching his brush. His tremendous talent, experience, and confidence was a driving force on this picture. For me, working with Peyton Reed is always a pleasure. He is sensitive to the performance

and is brilliant with his cast. He is also a visual director and, most importantly for an operator, knows when a shot is not right. His movies showcase his style, love of music, and sense of humor. His tremendous success at the box office attests to the fact that his pictures connect with the audience. We’ve been working together for so long that I can watch him rehearse the cast and, by observing where he chooses to stand and where he looks, I can visualize how he wants to shoot the coverage.

MY MOST MEMORABLE SHOT If I were to pick one shot that was memorable from Ant-Man and the Wasp, I think it would be this one. First, the set up—Scott Lang (Ant Man) is being pursued by his opponent, Ghost. With his suit regulator broken, Ant-Man can neither shrink nor grow. So in essence, he has no powers at his disposal other than his athletic ability. Meanwhile, his opponent is a meta-hu-

L to R: The Wasp/Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Ant-Man/Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

man who can pass through walls and obstacles. We watched a stunt performance of this scene a few weeks before shooting it. Peyton had a concept that we photograph the Ghost with classical, rock-steady shots. Tracking shots on a dolly for the side angle. A stabilized head for the close-up leading her. However, for the shot leading Scott through this maze, he wanted frenetic energy. Hand-held. Colin Follenweider was the Ant-Man stunt double who would swing on cables, jump tables, and sprint at full speed to try and get away. Colin, I should mention here, is a former Cirque Du Soleil acrobat and is blazingly fast. Me running backwards in front of him was out of the question. Even Brad Rea’s ‘steadi-sled’ (a cart that I can ride on and be pulled along quickly) would not be anywhere near fast enough. The set was also very tight with many sharp turns. “Let’s get a GripTrix and I’ll shoot it handheld from the back of it,” I blurted out. I confess to not really giving this much thought. The GripTrix is like a golf cart on steroids with tremendous torque, and a very tight turning radius. “You sure?” Peyton asks me. “Can a vehicle make those turns?” I looked at Brad Rea. He

shrugged. “Yes,” I answer. Hoping I was right. I knew that we might have to shift some things around, but in leading a runner in a close-up at full clip with a long lens, we could get away with it. In the weeks that followed before we shot the scene Peyton would occasionally ask me, “You sure about this GripTrix thing? Is it going to work?” “Yup,” I would answer. Sometimes confidence is everything. When the day arrived, of course we were under the gun to get this sequence quickly. Thankfully, Mike Howell was the GripTrix driver and had lots of experience with that vehicle. I gave him one test run, by himself, to get used to the turns. I went old school on this. Hand-holding the ALEXA 65 with a 150mm prime lens. I had key grip, Alan Rawlings strap me in tight, and wedge in some furniture pads around me. I knew that at times I would have to pan 90 degrees both left and right. Our rehearsal was take one. As the slate cleared and Lars called, “ACTION!” I can only describe what happened next as framing as if my life depended on it. I fought as hard as I could to keep his head ‘in the box.’ Colin was going full speed, and I knew at times I would lose him, but struggled to reacquire as best I could. “CUT!” was called as the shot ended and I

staggered my way back to the monitors, unsure whether this worked or not. We gathered around and watched playback together. When the shot was over there was applause. A strange thing had happened. There was so much energy in that shot that the viewers became participants. In a kind of Roman Polanski-way (think of the audience leaning to one side in The Tenant) when Colin slipped away out of frame then back in they leaned in and cheered. They were invested in my success or failure in framing him in. I have a habit of always trying to watch the director’s face when shots are played back. You can learn a lot about how the shot is working, or not, by his or her reactions. In the case of this shot, as I glanced over at Peyton I saw a familiar expression. A small smile, eyebrows raised, leaning forward towards the monitor. The shot worked perfectly and he knew it. His expression was of a deep desire satisfied. I like to say that even on the hardest of days, working in this business is still better than anything I can think of. But when it’s great, when you have achieved the director or DP’s vision with a tremendous shot, that satisfaction is like nothing else. It’s a high that I can never match with anything else I do. It’s the drug that fuels us all. #bestjobever

Hannah John-Kamen (Ghost) BTS on set. Photo by Ben Rothstein

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

TRIVIA: Director Peyton Reed stated in a recent interview that he went back and re-watched all of Michelle Pfeiffer's past movies just prior to working with her. BTS on set with cinematographer, Dante Spinotti. Photo by Ben Rothstein

PETER ROSENFELD, SOC

Photo by Ron Phillips, SMPSP

Peter has been the camera operator on award-winning movies like The Social Network, Chicago and Memoirs of a Geisha as well as blockbusters like Ant-Man, Suicide Squad, and X-Men: Wolverine.  Among the directors who Peter has operated for are; Oliver Stone, David Fincher, Rob Marshall, Peyton Reed, Kathryn Bigelow, and Nancy Meyers. His well-rounded career includes extensive experience shooting news and documentaries, having worked for the BBC and CBC in foreign bureaus such as China and Russia. Peter has covered many of the world's hot spots and combat zones.  Peter was assigned to Beijing during the Tiananmen Square crackdown, found himself in Baghdad for the first Gulf War, and filmed the 1989 collapse of the Berlin Wall. He speaks three foreign languages; French, Mandarin Chinese, and Russian. Peter lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR Â· SUMMER 2018

Greenleaf Keep the Faith

with Marcis Cole, SOC an interview by Kate McCallum

Photo by Anne Marie Fox

Lynn Whitfield ("Lady Mae") and Keith David ("Bishop Greenleaf") in GREENLEAF SEASON 3 on OWN. Photo courtesy of OWN/Photographer Tina Rowden

Greenleaf  is an American television drama series, created by Craig Wright, and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and Lionsgate Television. Clement Virgo also serves as an executive producer and director. The series follows the unscrupulous world of the Greenleaf family with scandalous secrets and lies, and their sprawling Memphis megachurch with predominantly African-American members. The series' lead characters are Bishop James Greenleaf (David) and Lady Mae Greenleaf (Whitfield), and Grace Greenleaf (Dandridge), their estranged daughter who has returned home after 20 years following the mysterious death of her sister, Faith. 20

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Camera Operator: How did you get hired for this dramatic series? Marcis Cole: Jim Chressanthis, the DP called me for this project. We've worked together before on several shows such as; Martial Law, Ghost Whisper, The Client List, and Watsons go to Birmingham, and we have a really good relationship. Jim gave me my first TV opportunity some 20 years ago. That show ended up running two seasons, so I learned a great deal about the structure of shooting episodic. It was also an aggressive show, meaning there was a lot of fight action. Our number one actor on Martial Law was famed Chinese actor/director, Samo Hung. For those of you who don’t know him...he's like Jackie Chan's big brother, and he was the guy that fought Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon. Samo would work really close with the operators on fight choreography. So after two seasons of that, you definitely know where not to be (with a camera) during the fight! [Laughs] CO: Who’s on your production team on Greenleaf? Marcis Cole: Our DP is James Chressanthis ASC, GSC; B cam, Andy Fisher; A 1st AC, Larry Gianneschi IV; A 2nd AC, Robert Veliky; B 1AC, Steven Latham; B 2nd AC, Nick Gianneschi. Our DIT is George Zelasko, our digital loader, Kelsey Symons, and Ultility is Ryan St. Clair.

Marcis Cole: Greenleaf is set in Memphis... but we’re shooting in Atlanta. Atlanta gives us that lush green surroundings. Shooting in Atlanta also gives us an abundance of churches! There are many large churches there that help us sell the idea of "church life," and also help us feature in shots these large congregations! CO: What is it like to work with the talent? Marcis Cole: The actors are very strong! Keith David, Lynn Whitfield, Merle Dandridge…they all come so prepared! Each one of them are different in the way they bring emotion to a scene. Their level of depth, and commitment to the work is appreciated. Also we have no boundary lines on the show...the actors joke and sit with crew at lunch at times. This creates a closeness, a friendship that you really welcome when doing 13-14 hour days. CO: What is Oprah’s involvement on the show? It must be incredible to work with her. Marcis Cole: She did not act in this season, but—her presence is felt around set. We want to make her proud of the content here you know?! Oprah is the standard. CO: Do you have any specific challenges shooting on the series?

Our B Cam is the one and only Andy Fisher. One word, solid guy...okay, it wasn't one word, but you get my point! Andy and i have done three shows together.

Marcis Cole: This is episodic TV, and for me there are few challenges. Episodic crews work at speed! You learn to make it fast— and good! The one challenge I find myself working with involves multiple directors. In a season you can have 10 to 12 different directors, unlike in the feature world where you just usually have one. The challenge comes when your show is very stylized. A showrunner usually looks to his DP and operators to protect the show’s camera language and style. The challenge is giving every director what they want, but within the confines of that show’s style! It’s a delicate balance, and the more they understand that show’s world, the better off we all are. I must say that we are all artists here...it’s learning how to be the paint brush sometimes that's key.

CO: Where do you shoot the series?

CO: What tech are you using on set?

I’ve worked with Larry before on a pilot. This was our first longer time experience together. I feel that we definitely see things the same. Those sensitivities are there or they’re not with AC's. We'll be doing a shot, and sometimes the actors are still giving it, even though they've yelled “Cut!” It’s that “stuff” that's magical at times! So we ignore the “Cut,” and live with the performer until they return to us…if you know what i mean!

TRIVIA: Actor, author, and Marine veteran Greg Alan Williams rescued Takao Hirata from a mob at the intersection of Florence and Normandie during the 1992 Los Angeles riot. Marcis Cole: We are using the RED Weapon with the helium sensor on this show. And we're housing those cameras with Cooke 5/i's. Jim has always liked Cooke's. I remember when we would fit lenses to cameras… now the lenses in some cases are bigger than most cameras. CO: What’s your background and who have been your mentors? Marcis Cole: My Grandfather Douglas is my mentor...he was an artist in São Paulo, Brasil. though he has passed away...he still talks to me. You see…my grandfather, knowing he wouldn't live to see me and my brothers reach adulthood, would draw all of our birthday cards. He would also write passages about life in the cards. Things that didn’t mean much to a 5 or 6 year-old kid then, are understood loud and clear now. I have 13 years worth of messages from him. How cool and wise is that? I’ve learned from some pretty dynamic operators. Dave Emmerichs, SOC was the first operator to tell me that I could actually make a living at this if I kept going. That meant a lot to someone like myself. I then met Guy Bee at a camera prep, and we later met up again at another Steadicam workshop. Guy took me under his wing a bit, and that summer we went to Showbiz Expo. As we approached the Pro both, who's standing there, but Chris Hartoff, SOC, and Bob Ulland! I was tongue-tied?! I knew who these guys were, and to me it was like meeting Mohammed Ali…hahaha. Bob later told me that, stuttering in front of him...was a great honor...hahaha. I would also form a relationship with Chis Hartoff, and Jimmy Muro. Chris was like a scientist when it came to Steadicam, and its balances. You can see this in his work! Jimmy, on the other hand, was like Spiderman. He

would crush ideas of how and what you could do with a Steadicam. He would move this camera platform through space with a controlled abandonment I’d never seen before. I once saw him scale a railing with the rig, because the shot was on the other side of that railing?!  If I could give any advice to young operators, it would be this. Take a workshop… then take two more! Take what you've learned from those workshops, and make it yours…make it work for you! There are no rules set in stone! If it feels good, and gets you the shot...in the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Do it...Do it now!” I would also like to say this...opportunity is everything. However, if you are not ready for

that opportunity, and you say yes to a job that's the "you" they will remember.

chat. As we shook hands I asked him what

CO: You’ve been an operator on many projects. Do you have any fun stories or experiences you want to share?

of photography.” I thought to myself…Nice

Marcis Cole: I have had so many amazing experiences, but I will share one with you. This took place on the set of Titanic. The second unit broke for lunch, and to our surprise the 1st unit had too. I joined the 1st unit guys as they sat, and met several people. As time went on, people were leaving the table and I found myself talking to one of the guys I had not yet met that night. I should mention that we were all in our rain gear, and it was night. As I finished and stood up, so did he. We'd had a nice little

Russel Carpenter. Russel turned to me and

it was he did. He replied, “I’m the director going kid?! Well, because I had only been on second unit up until then, I had never met said, "Don't worry, sometimes I don't know who I am either.” He was really cool about that. Hahaha. The lesson here is always meet the cameraman! CO: What’s next for you? Marcis Cole: The show’s on hiatus and I’m really excited that I get to spend time with my 9 year-old son. I’ve come to realize how important it is to keep balance between work and family and this is time treasure.

TECH O N S E T:

Cooke Lense s RED Weapo n with Helium senso r Steadicam

TRIVIA: Former basketball player Rick Fox has appeared on the show as Darius Nash. Photo by Stephane Malenfant BTS photo of Marcis Cole (Episode 303). Photo courtesy of OWN/Photographer Eli Ade

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

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TRIVIA: The show won its first Gracie Award in 2017 for  Actress in a Supporting Role - Drama for Lynn Whitfield. L-R: Iyanla Vanzant, Patti LaBelle, Lynn Whitfield ("Lady Mae") in GREENLEAF. Photo courtesy of OWN/Photographer Tina Rowden

Marcis Cole, SOC Marcis Cole, SOC started in the business at the age of 20, working as a PA for the commercial production company Shire Productions out of Philadelphia. Shire’s creative director and owner was the renowned inventor of Steadicam, Garrett Brown. After two years as a PA, Marcis moved on to grip for another two years and worked with NFL Films where he learned to load film. He became a regular there for three years, loading and assisting their famed camera teams.

BTS photo of Marcis Cole (Episode 307). Photo courtesy of OWN/Photographer Guy D’Alema

After meeting with filmmaker and President of NFL Films, Steve Sabol about operating and becoming a regular, Marcis made the decision to head west. Once in Los Angeles, he realized that moving into operating would be smoother if he learned to operate Steadicam so he called Garrett, and returned to Philadelphia to take his first workshop. Marcis went on to take three Steadicam workshops and met operators such as; Guy Bee, Chris Hartoff, SOC, Jimmy Muro, Kurt Gardner, Dave Emmerichs, SOC, Jerry Holway, and Mark O’Kane. Many of his commercial and feature (day play) opportunities came through meeting these camera artists. Credits have included; Street Kings, State of Play, Warrior, First Purge, Captive State, and Greenleaf. Photo courtesy Marcis Cole, SOC

BTS photo of Marcis Cole. Photo by Guy D’Alema

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR Â· SUMMER 2018

Supported by Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment

Get Shorty Getting the Shot with Dave Frederick, SOC an interview by Derek Stettler

Yago (Goya Robles), Rick Moreweather (Ray Romano) and Gladys (Sarah Stiles) on set GET SHORTY. Photo by Isabella Vosmikova/EPIX, courtesy of MGM Television

Get Shorty is produced by MGM Television and Season 2 premiers on EPIX August 12. In the final week of filming Season 2, Camera Operator was invited to the set to see the camera department at work and speak with A camera operator, Dave Frederick, SOC. Camera Operator: How did you get the job of A camera operator on Get Shorty?

Dave Frederick: I was hired for the pilot of Season 1 by my long association with the cinematographer, Attila Szalay, ASC, CSCS, HSC. The pilot was shot by David Franco and then Attila alternated blocks with David Mullen, ASC. I had previously worked with David Franco and was happy to collaborate on the pilot. I had met David Mullen prior and was excited to work with him for the

first time on the alternating blocks of Season 1. Then, when Season 2 started, it was Attila again and a long time friend of mine, Joe Gallagher, became the alternating DP. This was a great collaboration, Joe and I go way back; decades, in fact. CO: Nice. So who are some of the members of the crew that you work closely with?

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

In the EPIX series, Get Shorty, based on Elmore Leonard's novel and subsequent film, Chris O’Dowd plays Miles Daly, the muscle for a Nevada crime ring who attempts to become a Hollywood film producer to escape his criminal past and win back his recently-estranged family. As he navigates the maze of show business with the help of a washed up producer of low-budget films (Ray Romano), Miles’ struggles to reconcile his ambitions as a filmmaker, his desire to be a family man, and his career as a criminal make for some very compelling drama. Dave Frederick: Attila is the type of person that everyone loves, the cast and the producers all love to be around him. His work is collaboratively inclusive, artful, efficient and creates a set that is always pleasant. I did the A camera and Steadicam operating as well as the remote head shots. Season 1 our B camera operator was Paul Elliot, a veteran UK roots DP who resides in Santa Fe and was part of our local hire group. Season 2 was shot in Los Angeles and we were able to use our usual team that includes Chris Tufty, SOC on the B camera. Season 1 and 2 we had Nick Shuster as A camera 1st AC. Nick introduced us to Kingslea Bueltel as B camera 1st AC, and for Season 2, we reunited John Waldo on B camera 1st AC with Chris Tufty. For Season 1, I was reunited with one of my favorite dolly grips, Michael Schwake. He and I rarely spoke about the actual moves, there was an unspoken professional sense of where the lens should be and it just happened. Of course we had specific shot designs that we would devise, but anytime there was an actor off the mark or a background element out of kilter, Michael would move the camera in such a way that the shot was just right. On Season 2, I was introduced to another extraordinary dolly grip artist: Greg Brooks. Greg was spot on from take one of the first shot we did together and I knew I was in good hands with him. Both Michael and Greg had my back on

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

my Steadicam work and crane shots, and they are both equally responsible for the dynamic A camera shot that comprise both seasons of Get Shorty so far. CO: How would you describe the approach to shooting Get Shorty? Has the style of shooting changed from Season 1 to Season 2, and how does it compare to shooting other television series? Dave Frederick: The shooting style of Get Shorty is rather clearly prescribed. We rarely, if ever, back off on telephoto lenses and instead bring the audience in close to the characters and the action with wider lenses. The most oft used lens was the 28mm, I called it “The Shorty Lens.” We shot the series with vintage Zeiss primes, a mix of the Super Speeds and the standard lenses. Combined with the ALEXA Mini, this made for a relatively small and agile camera package for Steadicam, handheld, and car interiors. Conversely, we also used vintage Cooke 5-to-1 zooms and the also vintage Angenieux 10-to-1 zooms. The style of our photographic storytelling was defined as low, close and wide, unobtrusive camera movements and exploring the shadow side of our characters. CO: It’s very neat that two past SOC presidents are operating on this show, can you speak about that? Dave Frederick: Get Shorty is the third tele-

vision series that Chris Tufty and I have operated on as a past SOC presidential team. We started back on The Bridge then went on to Aquarius, and now finishing with Season 2 of Get Shorty. Chris and I met on the Executive Board of the SOC in the early 2000’s, and have been close friends ever since.  CO: It’s great to have visited you on the set at Paramount Studios, but where else was the 2nd Season of Get Shorty shot? Were any locations particularly challenging? Dave Frederick: Season 2 of Get Shorty was filmed for the most part in the Los Angeles, Hollywood studio area. We had our studio sets on the storied RKO Stage 19 of Citizen Kane fame, now part of the Paramount studio lot you visited. Our production designer, Elizabeth Hershberger Gray, made one set on that stage which was highly reminiscent of the lavish mansion sets of Citizen Kane. It was the Get Shorty character Amara’s home with huge columns and equally lavish decor. While it was great fun to work frequently on the studio lot, the company was also often out on location. One particularly memorable, and also quite horrible, moment was shooting three floors down in the Los Angeles City wastewater treatment plant just south of the LAX airport, near El Segundo. It was a perfect dungeon for one of our main characters to be kept prisoner during an ep-

TRIVIA: The car Miles drives is the same one Ryan Gosling drives in La La Land.

isode. As a company we all sighed a great breath of relief as we wrapped out of that stinky and filthy location.

ography was not as complicated, but it was

CO: Ah, I can imagine! So what was your favorite moment during your time operating on this series?

CO: Very cool. So what gear do you rely

Dave Frederick: One of the most memorable experiences for me on this series was the opening shot of the pilot episode. It involved a Steadicam oner, crane walk-off shot that began outside, and then I tracked the camera into a casino kitchen, in through the gaming room, through a dining area, and then outside again, through a window into a parking lot to see a tackled man then get thrown into a van which sped off and then ended up close on one of our lead characters eating at a table and giving the signal for the same tackled man to lose his tongue. I watched Larry McKonkey’s Goodfellas shot at least 15 times the night before to get stoked to follow in his footsteps. The chore-

Dave Frederick: Our camera package was

still quite a complex shot and I am proud of the end result.

on to capture Get Shorty and move the camera?

from Clairmont Camera for Season 1 and when Denny sold off his business and retired, we ended up with Otto Nemenz ser-

TECH ON S E T:

ALEXA Mini cameras Vintage Carl Zeiss Super Speeds, Vintage Carl Zeiss standa rd speeds, Cooke zoom s, Angenieu x zooms Chapman/Le onard Hydra scope crane Chapman/Le onard PeeW ee & Hustler IV d ollys Steadicam

vicing Season 2. We had three ALEXA Mini cameras full-time, A and B, and a C as a dedicated Steadicam camera. On Season 1, we used Chapman Hydrascope telescoping cranes frequently. A camera was on a Fisher 10 and B camera was on a Chapman PeeWee dolly. On Season 2, we had the A camera on a Chapman Hustler IV and the B and D cameras on the Chapman PeeWee dollys. CO: And what have you been up to since Get Shorty finished shooting?

Dave Frederick: Since Get Shorty wrapped, Attila and I have been shooting the Sons of Anarchy follow-up, called Mayans MC for FX/Fox 21 Television. It is fun to be back on the bikes again. I did the first four seasons of Sons of Anarchy and was honored with the first Camera Operator of the Year in Television for my work on Season 3 of that series back in 2010. It is a tough mix of hand-held, Steadicam, and dolly work and I love it.

Dave Frederick, Chris O'Dowd, and Lucy Walters on the set of GET SHORTY. Photo by Isabella Vosmikova/EPIX, courtesy of MGM Television

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Left: Dave Frederick, Nick Shuster (A camera, 1st AC), Brent Egan (A camera 2nd AC). Right: Megan Stevenson, Dave Frederick, Chris O'Dowd. Photos by Isabella Vosmikova/EPIX

TRIVIA: Ray Romano's shaggy hairdo was styled after producer  Brian Grazer.

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 handheld off road or on a freeway making shots with the latest small handheld 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

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Photo by James Apted

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.”

DEREK STETTLER An Associate Member of the SOC since 2015, Derek Stettler is a filmmaker who also contributes to the ASC's American Cinematographer magazine. 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, as he works toward his dream of directing feature films. Photo by F. Carter Smith

Tech Talk

The Latest in Cinema Cameras Not since the start of the “digital revolution” have there been so many choices for quality cinema cameras as there have been in the last eight years, and as technology gets better, the innovations come faster. In the last nine months there have been five new cameras introduced to the market and they all give us new choices in ways to visually tell stories. Here’s the latest on the five new players:

ARRI

by Eric Fletcher, SOC

Canon entered the professional market space in 2011 with the C300, and in 2016 they introduced the C700. Earlier this year Canon released the EOS C700FF, the full-frame (38.mm x 20.1mm). While the previous C700 was a Super 35mmsized sensor the new C700FF uses a still camera’s full-frame size making the C700FF a large format camera in the film production world. And since the sensor is 17x9 you can shoot anamorphic at greater than 4K by utilizing the same sized body and ergonomics. This new camera drops right into existing rigs optimized for the C700.

PANAVISION

ARRI has always taken time to introduce their answers to market demands. In April, ARRI released their long-awaited answer to the “Netflix dilemma.” With Netflix’s delivery requirements tied to a resolution number (4K), ARRI has built the ALEXA LF, their large format 4K answer to Netflix’s delivery requirements. With a large format sensor and a new line of lenses to go with their bigger sensor, ARRI delivers a camera with tried and true ergonomics, ease of use, and the color space and noise profiles that DP’s love.

CANON

Panavision’s update to the Millennium DX is the Millennium DXL2 shares the previous DXL’s modular body and accessories, and optimizes the already stunning sensor/software suite. By building a completely modular system, you can not only customize the size of the camera to the task, but you can also adjust the feature set to the production needs on a set-up by set-up basis.

PANASONIC

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Late last year, Panasonic added the AU-Eva1 to their Varicam lineup. A small full-featured body is optimized for hand-held, gimbal or aerial use, while maintaining the quality of the larger Varicams with an astonishing weight of 2.6 pounds for the bare body. And—the dual ISO system of the Varicams makes the EVA1 an enticing small, form factor camera.

RED

dual native ISO’s of 500 and 2500 providing high dynamic range and low noise. Sony adds the option to record multiple formats at once, reducing the on-set acquisition and post production times needed to create proxy files. Sony streamlines the workflow both on and off set. Five new cameras in nine months. Now it seems that the format wars are over and it looks to me that the focus on future cameras will be filling the ITU2020 color space so that they will more closely replicate the human eyes response. One wonders what the next few years will bring.

The Aerial Perspective: A Conversation with Helinet Not one to sit on their laurels, Red Introduced another camera at NAB this year. The Red Gemini, its first Dual ISO camera shooting at either ISO 800 or ISO 3200 natively means that the Gemini provides high dynamic range and low noise under both normal lighting conditions or in very low light. Red has also adopted a unified body design across its three model range, allowing the DP, operators, and assistants to tailor their builds without regard to the model of Red camera they are using.

SONY

An interview with Kevin LaRosa II, VP of Aerial Film Production, Helinet, Stunt Pilot & Aerial Coordinator and Chad Daring, Director of sUAS Operations, Helinet, Drone Pilot by Eric Fletcher, SOC SOC member and Chair of the SOC Technical Standards Committee, Eric Fletcher, SOC had the chance to visit Helinet and speak with Kevin and Chad about the latest in aerial photography and their advice to operators working in the field. Here is a section of their conversation. For the full interview visit the website www.soc.org/co Eric Fletcher, SOC: If you had an opportunity to talk to every camera operator on the planet and say, "This is what helps us," what would that be? And what can they provide to help you? Kevin LaRosa: The one thing that I would stress, because we hear this, and it's not knocking anybody. It's a good lesson, and maybe I would've done this in the past, but I'm very careful about it now. An aerial team, whether it's drone, helicopter, jet, or airplane, we're just a small piece of the pie. It's rare we are on set from day one to the end. Usually, you're called for a little sequence, and you're there for a day or two days, or maybe a week. But other people are on set for months. They're very invested and all friends.

Sony’s much anticipated Venice builds on Sony’s impressive electronic cinematography history. In 1999, Sony introduced the first 24p camera to the production world. The Venice takes the high points from all of their past HD cameras and builds it in a small, lightweight camera that is intuitive to use. With a 36x24mm large format full frame sensor that boasts

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

When a contractor, like an aerial service provider or drone crew, shows up, a lot of times what we hear in the industry is that they think they own the set. That everybody needs to stop doing what they're doing and pay attention. I get safety. When a helicopter shows up, I love it when everybody is involved in a safety meeting and pays attention. But we're just a small piece of the pie and integrating into production. My advice, with all that said, remember that this is a big

wheel, and there's a lot of people pushing, and you're one piece of it. Our job as a service provider is to figure out how to integrate into what's already set up. There are workflows. They may work fast or slow. There are certain things you have to figure out and learn to integrate into the team instead of just dropping the hammer and saying, "This is how it is or the highway.â&#x20AC;? Unless it's safety. That's different. Eric Fletcher, SOC: When you get called by a producer or director of photography and they say, "I want to do some aerials," what is the process that you all go through, especially if you're deciding where it might be a job that may be able to cross over to full size versus a UAS? Kevin LaRosa: I've always believed, and will continue to believe, a drone can do a certain amount of work. That envelope is ever-expanding. A helicopter can do a certain amount of work. That envelope is not expanding very much. It's sort of reached the limits of what it can do. What's happening is we're starting to have overlap. The overlap exists right now and will continue to grow. On jobs that call us and say, "Here's what we want to do." That's the first thing, just listening to what they want. From there, you can deduce what it probably should be, but there's that overlap. So, there are times where you can say,

"Look, that can be a helicopter or that can be a drone. It might be more cost effective to use a drone for this. However, there might be more restrictions. You're not going to fly as long, or maybe there's some sort of drone ordinance and it has to be a helicopter." The first thing is to listen to what they want to do, and then we suggest the platform. We suggest the platform based on a few things. Like I said, city ordinances, or if we have to do a shot coming from three miles off shore coming in, well, we can't take the drone that far, line of site issues. But they also want the drone to pull right up to an actor. We can't take a helicopter right on the beach full of non-participants. We're going to blow sand and the downwash. Sometimes we find production companies will have to figure it out on their end. "Okay, maybe we're not going to go as far. It sounds like it's moreimportant to have..." Where's the priority? Does the drone come right up on the beach and move right up to the actor? Or...it's this huge scene, and they want speed and energy, and they're going to say, "Just use the lens." We actually end up giving them the options. We let them choose as a customer. I don't like forcing it. There could be budget restrictions. It might be more economical to use a drone. We just tell them what their restrictions are.

Kevin LaRosa. Photo by Glen White

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS Âˇ SOC.ORG

The best part for us is we are a full-size operator. You're not just calling a helicopter company, and we're going to trash drones because we want the work. And we're not a drone operator that's going to say, "No, no. You don't need a helicopter. They're burning fuel.” The beauty when they call Helinet, or Kevin LaRosa, or Chad Daring, is we can provide either platform. There's a lot of times we actually do that. They say, "Well, give us a quote on the helicopter. Give us a quote on the drone." That's what we do. That's kind of fun. Eric Fletcher, SOC: How does the workflow change from say, an Inspire 2 to the heavy lifter? What are the different steps of those? If you wanted to break out these are points to remember when you're using an Inspire 2. These are points to remember when you're using a heavy lifter. Chad Daring: Solutions like the Inspire 2 have a lot less moving components on them. Therefore, there are fewer things to do for personnel such as your support team, 2nd AD, 1st AD, for instance. With a larger drone that's carrying a cinema camera on it with a lens that requires FIZ and video downlink. All those components take attention from an individual just like assistants on a camera. All of those components require time just like a camera setup. Therefore, there's a bit of patience involved in prepping the UAS for a shot.

Although, it's still a very fast solution when looking at how much time a drone is on a set to when it's flying, it's still pretty insignificant as far as the footprint it can have. The drone can be set up off on the side, then carried onto the set and setup. Then you will go through your camera settings. When you have to change a lens or a filter, those kinds of things take a bit of time. The Inspire 2 is a solution that is much faster, but then there are compromises with that as well. Read the full article at www.soc.org/co Eric Fletcher, SOC Eric Fletcher, SOC a native of St. Louis, Missouri, started in the film industry in the early-80’s as a camera assistant and then moved up to operator. Along the way, Eric was a DP on over 4,000 political commercials, along with operating on many TV movies, features, and TV Series. During his career, Eric has been at the bleeding edge of the move to HD production and beyond, as he participated in the first live demo of analog HDTV transmitted via fiber optics. Presently, Eric is a full-time camera operator/Steadicam operator, and is honored to serve on the Board of Governors for the SOC, and is also the chairman of the Technical Standards committee, where he leads the jury that decides the SOC Technical Award winners. Photo by Michael Desmond

Chad Daring. Photo by Rob Gluckman

Photo by Rob Gluckman

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Smooth Operator by Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC

HOW I SEE IT

Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC going for a ride on set of ANASTASIA: Standing: Geoff Storts, B cam 1st AC. Photo by Robbie Hallenberg

IN THE BREAK OF DISCOVERY Each show is a journey and learning experience with challenges that push me to embrace my skills and trade. As the song goes, “Started from the bottom now we’re here,” I realize this is much more than hitting the red button, pan, tilt, and invoice. This is an art form and science, knowing what the lens does, the degree of the angle, the speed, the light, what types of light, color temp, reflective versus non-reflective, skin tones

(which is HUGE if you don’t know how to light for that). Experienced in all formats of media from 8mm to card-based; but, that wasn’t the half of it. I had much to learn, not only about skill, but about myself as well. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the best in my area and beyond. All, or at most, I’ve had my share of mistakes along the way. Executing something unsafely just to get that next job and not saying, “No.” Experience is knowledge—knowledge is knowing better and passing it forward, which goes back to experience. Basic but essential. With

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

The Society offers different levels of membership for individuals and manufacturers in the production community â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Active, Associate, Educator, Student and Corporate.

operators. I reached out and befriended her, and was shown how to properly operate, and what separates a ‘good’ operator from a ‘great’ one. From that day forth we are still great friends. Relationships. Knowing there were no rental houses that would have Steadicam equipment, I invested in myself, purchased one, and never looked back. I invested in myself. Being in the drum-line from high school to college, and drum and bugle corps, wearing a vest was natural to me. Lowering my C.G. (center of gravity), crab-stepping when changing directions, heel-toe when going forward, and on my toes when going backwards. It was second nature maneuvering around when ‘dancing’ around the area.

SUCCESS IS WHEN PREPARATION MEETS OPPORTUNITY

Working next to a legend, DP Dean Cundey, ASC for ANASTASIA. Photo courtesy of Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC

operating, you must anticipate the action of events, whether it’s in studio mode, hand-held or Steadicam, to get the dance and rhythm down. That’s when the frame comes to life—there, within the struggle, chaos, the intensity and conflict. Interpreting the shot as well as the actor giving his or her performance and making the camera an additional character as well. These are just some of the things I see and take into consideration when operating, and the motion behind it. Internalizing–feeling the moment by instinct. This can’t be taught…you must know.

RELATIONSHIPS The one thing I’ve been asked is how to get where I am…I say “relationships.” Just like any career, your attitude towards any job description makes those who you to want work with again to those you’d rather not. The people and crews I’ve worked with before, and others I meet for the first time. I like forming relationships, not only for this common thread, but as a person individually. A majority of my production family are very good friends of mine to this day. Having great communication and relationships is key along with being open to learn and listening.

Throughout my path, I’ve met and worked with some world-class people, and have been to places I couldn’t have imagined, but nothing like what I was about to experience. I was working on a show in Lexington, Kentucky, and another show was in prep in Louisville, Kentucky and looking for another operator. I submitted for it. The DP was coming from Los Angeles and signed off on me before I knew who he was. One of the top 100 cinematographers of all time, Dean Cundey, ASC, and honorary SOC member. I grew up watching his movies-the original Halloween, where he was also a Steadicam operator and Panaglide at the time. His credits include; Escape from New York, the Back to the Future trilogy, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and Jurassic Park…just to name a few. Knowing this, I would be working beside him on this show called Anastasia. Our camaraderie and trust were established and built when I was asked to orchestrate the moves of the actors. I have a technique that I like to use when I challenge myself and gauge the difficulty of the work. I use golf terms. A par 3 to par 5 when it comes to the sled. Needless to say, I stayed under par with a few bogey’s. It’s fun for me.

SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITY One of my very first shows was as an intern/2nd AC. A very good friend, and colleague, Jeff Barklege, SOC, was DP for a Movie of the Week (MOW) and grasped the ins and outs of the Camera Department. Learn while doing. He brought down a Steadicam Operator from Chicago named Bill Nielsen. As soon as I saw his rig I said, “That’s it!! I want to be that guy!” I was hooked! From that moment on, I knew what I wanted to do. I began reading and researching. What’s a Steadicam? How and why does it work? Then discovered there were no Steadicam operators locally. I asked Jeff if he knew any operators besides Bill that I could talk to. He suggested a good friend of his, Janice Arthur, from Cincinnati, Ohio who had moved to Chicago. A trailblazer in her own right being one of the first female Leading the shot on set of ANASTASIA. Photo by Robbie Hallenberg

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CINE GEAR EXPO 2018 ATLANTA

OCTOBER 6-7, 2018 PINEWOOD ATLANTA STUDIOS FAYETTEVILLE, GA

2018

FOR FULL DETAILS GO TO:

WWW.CINEGEAREXPO.COM

EXHIBITS • SEMINARS • DEMONSTRATIONS • NETWORKING • SPECIAL EVENTS

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

The days were made, and I felt very accomplished, but modest and humble. Relationships were formed yet again. The director, Blake Harris, and Mr. Cundey were very pleased with my work and collaborations as B camera/Steadicam.

made it swell. His parents asked what part of California I was from and I told them I was not, but hailed from Hamilton, Ohio where the film was being shot. Even though he may not remember my name, I could tell I made a difference with him.

THE TALENTED TENTH

LEAVING A LEGACY

The Talented Tenth is an essay that was written by William Edward Burghart (W.E.B.) DuBois in 1903. An African American, socialist, historian, and civil rights activist. What The Talented Tenth is, was those from the African American communities would leave, educate themselves in a specific technical or industrial skill, return to their communities, educate and orchestrate what was taught to the next generation, and pass forward the knowledge and skills, and repeat the process in those skillsets.

I feel, I’ve been charged with a great, but rewarding responsibility to those who have come before me which helped pave the way. The late, but great Gordon Parks, Bill Dill, ASC, Johnny Simmons, ASC, Ernest Dickerson, ASC, Kirk Gardner, Jessie Maple, the first African American Woman to join ICG, Local 600, with the classification of operator. Not to mention those I look up to on being a trailblazer such as Bradford Young, ASC, Rachel Morrison, ASC, Alfeo Dixon, SOC, Quenell Jones, SOC, Jessica Lopez, SOC, and Alan Caso, ASC, addressing the elephant in the room, for his bold speech at the 2018 ASC Awards acknowledging the lack of diversity not only in the camera department, but in the industry as a whole.

QUOTING W.E.B. DUBOIS’S “DuBois issues an argument for the higher education of African Americans that he contends, that effective teaching, technical skills, and developing the best in this, that they as a race may guide a way from contamination and death from the worst. Educating the best minds to disseminate unto the rest, allowing the general uplift of all. Program of higher education on the other hand, seeks to promote intelligence, broad sympathy, knowledge of the world that was, and is and of the relation.”

In my eyes, I am honored, proud, and blessed to be in the company with those I admire and stand together with as an operator. Paying it forward on what I’ve learned to the next generation. I am one of the many, one of the very few, but one of the proud…The Talented Tenth.

THROUGH MY LENS All the blood, sweat, and many tears along my career, I’ve kept many things to myself; but, observed privately the diversity aspect of it, or the lack thereof. Being aware of this, I’ve witnessed first-hand the steps in correcting this in the past decade in all aspects including camera. More people of color and women behind the lens and supporting departments. The only time I’ve seen this was on a show I happened to day play on, and the entire camera department were women of different ethnicities. It made me smile to see how far we’ve come. As amazing as this was, I look upon myself, usually being the only African American in the camera department, if not the only, a few in the company. I have mixed feelings on this. One being, “Why don’t I see more people of color on these shows?” Which saddens me, but I’ve known this for a while. But, there comes a time where being in the position that I’m in, gives exposure for those looking from the outside in from my peers and on location. There was a moment I’ll never forget. I was B camera/Steadicam on a movie called Chain of Command. We were on break and I happened to look over and there was a young African American couple and their son, who was about 6 years old at the time. I saw his face in total awe and I decided to walk over to talk to the couple and their son. I invited them over to set and I could see on this little man’s face, the fascination he had with the camera. I asked him if he wanted to see what I see, and he shouted “Yes!” with enthusiasm as if he could just explode from excitement. His parents nodded their okay and sat him with me on the dolly. I told and showed him what panning and tilting was, and he held my hand tightly. I knew right then and there, I made a difference in this young man’s life. Seeing someone who looked like him, doing what I’m doing. We took a picture together and the smile on his face just warmed the heart and

On set of ANASTASIA, (l-r): Blake Harris, director; Armando Gutierrez Jr.; Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC; and Emily Carey. Photo by Robbie Hallenberg

NIKK HEARN-SUTTON, SOC Nikk Hearn-Sutton, SOC began his career as a camera/Steadicam operator by complete accident but, it became a life changing back in 1998. While attending an A/V school in Cincinnati, Ohio for radio broadcasting and TV he heard about a movie to be shot in the area within the year. Asked if he would be interested and he agreed. His love was in the Camera Department, and having no prior experience, came in as a camera intern/2nd AC. Being within proximity of camera always. From there he met many local camera operators, DP’s, 1sts and 2nds and began to hone his skills. Training came from doing, reading and asking questions. Then he met Bill Nielsen, a Steadicam Op out of Chicago, and Nikk knew right then and there what he wanted to do as a career. Nikk Hearn-Sutton’s notable credits include: Anastasia: Once Upon a Time, The Strangers: Prey at Night, The Haunt, Chain of Command, and Wicked Mom’s Club.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Society of Camera Operators SOC TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD 2019 SOCAWARDS.COM

Online Submission Open!

CELEBRATING 40 YEARS OF THE SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS

The Society of Camera Operators’ Technical Achievement Award online submission is now open until October 12, 2018. The Award is given for a technology that is used by the camera operator, camera crew and on-set productions. Technologies that increase the safety, efficiency and ease of production are given special consideration. There is a $750 administrative fee per submission. Submissions will be reviewed by the Technical Committee in person during Demo Days on November 10 – 11, 2018. SOC members are also invited to participate in this industry event. Submit technology at: SOC.org/techawards The Technical Achievement Award will be presented at the SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards on January 26, 2019 at the Loews Hollywood Hotel. Past awards recipients can be found on the Awards' site – SOCAwards.com.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Insight Photo courtesy of Benjamin Spek

BENJAMIN SPEK, SOC What was one of your most challenging day in the industry? three and a half weeks shooting behind Deer Valley Ski Resort in February. Had to snowmobile all crew and equipment. In every day. Rarely got over 10 degrees. The Steadicam work was the most challenging in that climate and environment. What is your most memorable day in the industry? I was meeting John Bailey at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Disney Concert Hall courtyard on a Sunday in between performances. He offered me the A camera operator position on his next feature, and have been working with him ever since. Credits:  Alias, The Way, Way Back, How To Be a Latin Lover, A Walk in the Woods, Crossbones

FABRIZIO SCIARRA, SOC, ACO, ASSOC. BSC What was one of your most challenging shots in the industry? The most challenging day was when I had to perform a full 400' mag length shot up and down stairs following a kid running from an indoor house down to the street with an ARRI 535 on my Steadicam. By take five I thought I would have never make it to the end of the day alive. Luckily, the director loved take five! What is your most memorable day in the industry? When I was called by Peter Robertson, SOC for a Steadicam tag work on a feature film and I ended up standing next to Meryl Streep. Credits:  Krypton, Ripper Street, The Current War, Stan Lee's Lucky Man, Emerald City

Photo by Steffan Hill

DAVID SHAWL, SOC What was one of your most challenging shot in the industry? The martini shot of a Kesha music video shot entirely on my Steadicam features a real live leopard walking just inches in front of my camera. My heart was racing as the animal handler only used a thin almost invisible leash and earlier during the rehearsals the leopard freaked out and knocked over some lighting equipment causing a lot of tension on set.

Courtesy of Michael Cioni

What is your most memorable day in the industry? Steadicam for a live broadcast of Elon Musk unveiling Tesla’s new solar roofs to change the world by powering your home and car from the sun and then on the same day filming Lady Gaga in an intimate and emotionally vulnerable music video until the sun came up the next day. Credits: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The Voice, Revenge, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Strangers: Prey At Night

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 S. Abrams Grant Lindsay Adams Danny Alaniz Michael Alba Bret Allen Colin Anderson Philip Anderson Kevin W. Andrews Andrew Ansnick Mariana Antunano Francois Archambault Joseph Arena Robert Eugene Arnold Will Arnot Ted Ashton Jr. Kjetil Astrup Mark August Andrei Austin Grayson Grant Austin Jacob Avignone Daniel Ayers Jesse Bactat Christopher Baffa Lonn Bailey James Baldanza David Baldwin Jr. Jerry Banales Christopher Banting Jeff Barklage Angel Barroeta John James Beattie Jonathan Beattie Tim Bellen Brian Bernstein Corey Besteder George M. Bianchini George Billinger Howard H. Bingham Maceo Bishop Michel Bisson Bonnie S. Blake Jason Blount Jeff Bollman John Boyd Katie Boyum Kevin D. Braband Hilaire Brosio Garrett Brown Kenny Brown Pete Brown Scott Browner

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Neal Bryant Stephen Buckingham Robin Buerki Gary Bush Rod Calarco Stephen S. Campanelli J. Christopher Campbell JR D. Campbell Susan A. Campbell Jose A. Cardenas Robert Carlson Jeffrey Carolan Michael Carstensen Peter Cavaciuti Dave Chameides Lou Chanatry Joe Chess Jr. John Christopher Cuthbert Anthony Cobbs Steven Cohen Marcis Cole Keith Colodny Kris A. Conde Andrew Glenn Conder Brown Cooper Dan Coplan Gilles Daniel Corbeil Luke Cormack Ross Coscia Javier A. Costa Richard J. Cottrell Tom Cox Jeff Cree Rod Crombie Bradley Crosbie Richard Crow Jeff L. Crumbley Grant Culwell Francois Daignault Nicholas Davidoff Markus Davids Rick Davidson Richard W. Davis Roberto De Angelis Andrew A. Dean Michael S. Dean Anthony Deemer Kris Andrew Denton Kevin Descheemaeker Joel Deutsch Don Devine Kenny Dezendorf Twojay Dhillon David E. Diano Troy Dick Jim van Dijk Alfeo Dixon Matthew I. Doll Rick Drapkin Scott C. Dropkin Mitch Dubin Simon Duggan, ACS Mark Duncan Allen D. Easton William Eichler David Elkins Jason Ellson David Emmerichs Kevin J. Emmons

Ramon Engle Alex Escarpanter Steve Essig Brant S. Fagan Diane L. Farrell Dianne Teresa Farrington Jesse Michael Feldman Ellie Ann Fenton Michael Ferris George Feucht James Anthony Firios Andrew Fisher Lance Fisher Dawn Fleischman Michael-Ryan Fletchall Eric Fletcher Christopher Flores Michael Flueck Houman Forough Felix Forrest Ian Forsyth Justin Foster Steve G. Fracol Keith Francis Tom “Frisby” Fraser James Frater David J. Frederick Michael Frediani Brian Freesh Steven French Dan Frenkel Mick Froehlich Jeff Fry Paul M. Gardner David Gasperik Rusty Geller Michael Germond William Gierhart George Gifford Laurie K. Gilbert William Spencer Gillis Mark Goellnicht Daniel Gold James Goldman Allen Gonzales Robert Gorelick Afton M. Grant Chad Griepentrog Ric Griffith James Gucciardo Robert Guernsey Pedro Guimaraes John Gunselman Craig Haagensen Chris C. Haarhoff Jess Haas Kevin Haggerty Geoffrey K. Haley John Hankammer Tim Harland Joshua Harrison Daryl Hartwell Kent Harvey Chris Hayes David Haylock Nikk Hearn-Sutton Mike Heathcote Dawn J. Henry Alan Hereford Steven F. Heuer Kevin Hewitt David Hirschmann Jamie Hitchcock

Petr Hlinomaz Abe Holtz Jerry Holway Paul Horn Casey Hotchkiss William Howell II Bradley Hruboska Colin Hudson Ashley Hughes Christian Hurley Philip Hurn Matthew Hutchens Spencer Hutchins Alexa Ihrt Dave Isern Christopher Ivins Eugene W. Jackson III Jerry Jacob Francis James Alec Jarnagin Gary Jay Simon Jayes Andrew “AJ” Johnson Christopher D. Jones Quenell Jones Steven Jones Jacques Jouffret John H. Joyce David Judy Mark Jungjohann David Kanehann Mark Karavite Lawrence Karman Dan Kavanaugh Derek Keener Adam T. Keith Brian Kelly David Kimelman Dan Kneece * Rory Robert Knepp David T. Knox Beth Kochendorfer Robert Kositchek Bud Kremp Kris Krosskove Thomas Lappin Per Larsson Jeff Latonero Kristian Dane Lawing Sergio Leandro da Silva Richard Leible Alan Lennox Rachael Levine Ilan Levin Sarah Levy David Liebling Jimmy Lindsey, ASC Abigail Linne Hugh C. Litfin John Lizzio Christopher Lobreglio Patrick Longman George Loomis Jessica L. Lopez Greg Lundsgaard Kenji Luster Guido Lux Rob Macey Vincent C. Mack Paul S. Magee Giuseppe Malpasso Kim Marks Justin Marx

Jared G. Marshall Cedric Martin Philip J. Martinez Daniele Massaccesi J. Steven Matzinger Brennan Jakob Maxwell Parris Mayhew Peter McCaffrey Bill McClelland Jim McConkey David B. McGill Ian McGlocklin Michael P. McGowan Christopher T.J. McGuire Ossie McLean Aaron Medick Alan Mehlbrech Hilda Mercado Olivier Merckx Matias Mesa Jack Messitt Mark J. Meyers Mike Mickens Duane Mieliwocki Marc A. Miller Phillip Miller Andrew Mitchell William Molina Mitch Mommaerts Mark Emery Moore K. Neil Moore Matthew Moriarty Josiah Morgan Josh Morton Manolo Rojas Moscopulos John “Buzz” Moyer Jeff Muhlstock Michael James Mulvey Scott T. Mumford Sean Murray Saade Mustafa Dale Myrand Leo J. Napolitano Marco Naylor Robert Newcomb Julye Newlin George Niedson Terence Nightingall Kurt Nolen Randy Nolen Austin Nordell William O’Drobinak Mark D. O’Kane Gery O’Malley Michael D. Off Andrew William Oliver John Orland Brian Osmond Georgia Tornai Packard Heather Page Nick Paige Curtis E. Pair Victor J. Pancerev Noah Pankow Andrew Parke Patrick J. Pask Al “Tiko” Pavoni Matthew Pebler Paul C. Peddinghaus Douglas Pellegrino Andre Perron John Perry George Peters

Matthew A. Petrosky Jonathan F. Phillips Alan Pierce Theo Pingarelli John Pingry Jens Piotrowski Joseph Piscitelli James Puli Louis Puli Kelly Pun Ryan Purcell Yavir Ramawtar Juan M. Ramos James B. Reid John Rhode Dax Rhorer Selene Richholt Alicia Robbins Ari Robbins Peter Robertson Brent Robinson Brooks Robinson Dale Rodkin Eric Roizman Sharra Romany Peter Rosenfeld Dave Rutherford Rafael Sahade P. Scott Sakamoto Sanjay Sami David M. Sammons Joel San Juan Juanjo Sanchez Bry Thomas Sanders Milton A. Santiago Daniel Sauvé Gerard Sava Sean Savage Martin Schaer Ron Schlaeger Michael Scherlis Mark Schmidt Job Scholtze Vadim Schulz David Jean Schweitzer Fabrizio Sciarra Brian Scott Benjamin Semanoff Barry Seybert Barnaby Shapiro David Shawl Chelsea Lee Shepherd Osvaldo Silvera Jr. Gregory Smith Needham B. Smith III Teddy Smith Vanessa Smith Dean Robert Smollar John Sosenko Andy Sparaco Mark Sparrough Benjamin Xavier Spek Francis Spieldenner Sandy Spooner Lisa L. Stacilauskas Robert Starling Thomas N Stork Michael R. Stumpf David L. Svenson David Taicher Ian S. Takahashi Yousheng Tang Jaron Tauch Gregor Tavenner Christopher Taylor Peter Taylor Paige Thomas

David James Thompson Henry Tirl John Toll, ASC Eduardo Torres Remi Tournois Neil C. Toussaint Bryan Trieb Michael Tsimperopoulos Chris Tufty * Dan Turrett Brian Tweedt Joseph Urbanczyk Matt Valentine Dale Vance, Jr. Paul D. Varrieur Leandro Vaz Da Silva Ron Veto Adi Visser Stefan von Bjorn Rob Vuona Bill Waldman Michael J. Walker Timothy N. Walker Gareth Ward Gretchen Warthen Mic Waugh Raney “Bo” Webb Aiken Weiss Drew Welker Dale A. West Clay Westervelt Des Whelan Robert Whitaker Mande Whitaker Kit Whitmore Peter Wilke Jeffrey Wilkins Ken Willinger Chad Wilson David A. Wolf Ian D. Woolston-Smith Peter C. Xiques Santiago Yniguez Brian Young Lohengrin Zapiain Chad Zellmer Brenda Zuniga

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS

Christine Adams Brian Aichlmayr Colin Akoon Jamie Alac Ana M. Amortegui Greg Arch Fernando Arguelles Michael Artsis Joshua Ausley Ryan Vogel Baker Scott Gene Baker Thomas Bango Tyson Banks Michael Barron Adam Wayne Beck Adriatik Berdaku Justin Berrios Alicia Blair Peter Bonilla Jean-Paul Bonneau David Boyd Warren Brace Mary Brown Rochelle Brown Donald Brownlow Clyde E. Bryan Sasha D. Burdett Leslie McCarty

Chip Byrd Yi Cai Anthony Q. Caldwell Ryan Campbell Jordan Cantu Jack Carpenter Marc Casey Quaid Cde Baca Kirsten Celo Libor Cevelik Ian Chilcote Damian Church Kerry Clemens Gregory Paul Collier Antoine Combelles Nathan J. Conant Gabriel Paul Copeland Gareth Paul Cox Richard P. Crudo, ASC Chad Daring Farhad Ahmed Dehlvi Eric Druker Enrique Xavier Del Rio Galindo James DeMello John Densmore Johnny Derango Caleb Des Cognets Ronald E. Deveaux Vincent DeVries Lance Dickinson Matthew Duclos Orlando Duguay Adam Duke Keith Dunkerley Colin Duran Brian James Dzyak Andre Ennis David T. Eubank Allen Farst Nicholas A. Federoff Kristin Fieldhouse Stephanie Fiorante Jessica Fisher Tom Fletcher John Flinn III, ASC Mark Forman Mike Fortin Tammy Fouts Chuck France Michael A. Freeman Fred M. Frintrup Hiroyuki Fukuda Dmitry Fursov Sandra Garcia Benjamin Gaskell Hank Gifford Michael Goi, ASC Wayne Goldwyn Al Gonzalez John M. Goodner John Greenwood Adam Gregory Phil Gries Josef “Joe” Gunawan Marco Gutierrez Jason Hafer Bob Hall Tobias Winde Harbo James Hart John Hart Jason Hawkins Adam Heim Andres Hernandez Anthony P. Hettinger John M. Hill, Jr. Andrew Hoehn Scott Hoffman Chris Horvath Nichole Huenergardt Jake Iesu

Toshiyuki Imai Andrew A. Irvine Gregory Irwin Michael Izquierdo Neeraj Jain Jennie Jeddry Keith Jefferies Lacey Joy Henry Bourne Joy IV Johnny Juarez Jessica S. Jurges Timothy Kane Brandon Kapelow Ray Karwel Frank Kay April Kelley Alan G. Kelly Mark H. Killian Douglas Kirkland Christian Kitscha Michael Klaric Michael Klimchak Nick Kolias Mark Knudson Brian Kronenberg Robert La Bonge Laurence Langton Jose-Pablo Larrea Alan Levi Mark Levin Ilya Jo Lie-Nielsen Jun Li Niels Lindelien Marius Lobont Eamon Long Gordon Lonsdale Jasmine Lord Christopher Lymberis Dominik Mainl Aaron Marquette Jose del Carmen Martinez Nicole Jannai Martinez Jim R. Matlosz Nathan Maulorico Brett Mayfield Ray McCort David William McDonald Mike McEveety Josh McKague Marcel Melanson Mengmeng “Allen” Men Alexandra Menapace Sophia Meneses Christopher Metcalf John Paul J. Meyer Jonathan Miller Andrew R. Mitchell K. Adriana ModlinLiebrecht Kenneth R. Montgomery Mark Morris Matthew C. Mosher Jekaterina Most Nick Muller David Mun Nicholas Matthew Musco Hassan Nadji Sam Naiman Navid John Namazi Zach Nasits Jimmy Negron Michael Nelson Benjamin Kirk Nielsen Dennis Noack Chastin Noblett Jose Maria Noriega Louis Normandin Casey Burke Norton Crescenzo G.P. Notarile, ASC Jorel O’Dell Adrien Oneiga

Bodie Orman Pascal Orrego Jarrod Oswald Paul Overacker Justin Painter Larry Mole Parker Steven D. Parker Florencia Perez Cardenal Angelica Perez-Castro Mark W. Petersen Jon Philion Mark Phillips Tyler Phillips W. S. Pivetta Ted Polmanski Robert Primes, ASC Joe Prudente Delia Quinonez David Rakoczy Jem Rayner Marcia Reed Brice Reid Claudio Rietti Nathan Rigaud Ken Robings Andy Romero Tim Rook Peter J. Rooney Daria Rountree Sam Rosenthal Jordi Ruiz Maso Jan Ruona Dylan Rush Kish Sadhvani Christian Salas-Martos Danny Salazar William Tanner Sampson Chris Sattlberger Nick Savander Steve Saxon Christian Sebaldt, ASC Christopher Seehase Brian Sergott Alexander Seyum Sathish Shankutty Yael Shulman Stephen Siegel Peter Sikkens Karina Maria Silva Anil Singh Michael Skor Jan Sluchak Robert F. Smith John Snedden Laurent Soriano David Speck Don Spiro Owen Stephens Derek Stettler Michael Stine Darren Stone Scott Stone Skyler Stone Joshua Stringer Aymae Sulick Jeremy Sultan Andy Sydney Tiffany Taira Brian Taylor Fabian Tehrani John Twesten Gary Ushino Daniel Urbain Sandra Valde Thomas Valko Aimee Vasquez Christopher Vasquez Michael Velitis Nick Vera Benjamin Verhulst Marshall Victory

Jesse Vielleux Breanna Villani Miguel Angel Vinas Terry Wall W. Thomas Wall William Walsh Neil Watson Alex White Ryan Wood Tim Wu Tim Yoder Scot Zimmerman

CORPORATE

Abel Cine Adorama Anton Bauer Arri, Inc. Atomos B&H Foto & Electronics Corp. Band Pro Film & Video Blackmagic Design Brother International Corporation Canon, USA Inc. Carl Zeiss Microimaging, Inc. Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment CineDrones Codex Cooke Optics Limited Core SWX CW Sonderoptic Diving Unlimited International, Inc. Duclos Lenses Freefly Systems Fujifilm/Fujinon Filmtools, Inc. Geo Film Group, Inc. Helinet Aviation Services History For Hire Imagecraft Productions, Inc. JL Fisher, Inc. Keslow Camera Litepanels Manios Digital & Film Matthews Studio Equipment Monster Remotes Other World Computing Panasonic Cinema Panavision Preston Cinema Systems Pursuit Aviation RED Digital Cinema Sigma Sim International Sony Electronics That Cat Camera Support Tiffen Transvideo Ver Wooden Camera Zacuto USA

EDUCATORS

John Grace Ron McPherson Mauricio Vega Ralph Watkins

HONORARY John Bailey, ASC Tilman Buettner James Burrows

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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

Richard Colman Andrea Damuding John Darian William Dauel Dakota Diel Annor Doeman Michael A. Garcia Sam Gilbert Badra Alois Haidra Christian T. Hall Mufeng “Derek” Han Tyler Harmon-Townsend Marisa Harris Myles Anthony Holt LaKisha Renee Hughes Carolyn Scott Hunt Daniel James Crystal Kelley KC Kennicutt John P. Lansdale Eric Liberacki Guilherme Costa Ari Linn Vincent Lomascolo Jose Lora Carl Neuzen Loven Jeff-Steven Arevalo Mojica Fabian Montes Joshua Montiel Rome Imari Mubarak Takuya Nagayabu James Nagel Lucien Night Rui Jiang Ong Ruben Palacios Vishal Parmar Weerapat “Art” Parnitudom Ryan Petrolo Connor Pollard Karina Prieto Macias Cheng Qian Ryan Richard Jackson Rife Marco Rivera Edgar Santamaria Esther Santamaria Emil Schonstrom Alexandria Shepherd Simon Sidell Jennifer St. Hilaire-Sanchez Grace Thomas Kendra Tidrick William Torres Romas Usakovas Anna Vialova Anthony Worley Peiqi “Eric” Wu Watcharawit “Koon” Ya-inta Linxuan “Stanley” Yu Lucia Zavarcikova Yiyao Zhu

STUDENTS

Jamie Araki Reynaldo Aquino Sammy Avgi Nathan James Bachmann Melissa Baltierra Zakrey Barisione Daniela Bornstein Ziryab Ben Brahem Emmett Bright Jiayao Chen Petr Cikhart Autumn Collins

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www.zeiss.com Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment

www.chapmanleonard.com Cine Gear Expo www.cinegearexpo.com

Helinet 2 www.helinet.com J. L. Fisher 19 www.jlfisher.com Leitz Cine Wetzlar 3 www.leitz-cine.com Mathews Studio Equipment 10 www.msegrip.com Schneider Optics 11 www.schneideroptics.com That Cat Camera Support 25 www.cameraslider.com Tiffen C3 www.tiffen.com

SOC.org

Michael Frediani, SOC

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

Current as of August 5, 2018.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SUMMER 2018

Browse our online store to see the inventory of water bottles, T-shirts, hats, pins, and more... 43

Social SOC

Curated by Ian S. Takahashi, SOC society_of_camera_operators

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society_of_camera_operators @mitchdubin operating this fantastic shot from #legion ! photo credit, @dana_gonzales_asc !!! ---------------------------------------------------#bestJobEver #thesoc #cameraOperator #Photographer #Camera #Lens #DirectorOfPhotography #Cinematography #Cinematographer #Videography #Photography #Videography #PhotographyIsLife #CameraSupport #CameraAccessories #SOC #bts #movies #film #TheSOC ---------------------------------------------------lkarman Mitch must be hermetically sealed before operating simonholland101 And the world's strongest boom operator

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society_of_camera_operators The SOC is proud to announce that Barry Wetcher (@barrywetcher) will be hosting our IG Account this week! -----------------------------------------------Barry is the recipient of the 2014 SOC Still Photographer Lifetime Achievement Award - 2016 Publicist Guild Excellence in Feature Film Still Photography Award...as well as the East Coast VP of the SMPSP! ------------------------------------------------#Photography #Videography #CameraSupport #SOC #bts #movies #film #TheSOC #unitstills #smpsp #photography #filmmaking #cinematography #asc @ davethompsonsoc @iberiafilm #willsmith #alicebraga @alicebraga_oficialr

Photo by Jake Koenig

Follow the SOC membership on Instagram. See iconic photos from behind-the-scenes, on-set backstories, and images that inspire. Join in the conversation! @ Society_of_Camera_Operators 44

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS Âˇ SOC.ORG

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