january - J路 une 20001 vol . 9, no .
19 Jack Green ASC and Steve Campanelli soc 4th in DP/Operator series by 8 Sean Fairburn SOC 29 Additional Technical Problems
presented by the Introduction of Wiele Screen Processes in the '50s: Widescreen series, part 9 by Rick Mitchell Trivia Quiz: llflw well do y011 bow yow camera ilstary? by LSprague Anderson soc Life on
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A Message from the President
new mill ennium ca ll fo r a new Pre ident, o ur fir t fema le lea der, a [take over the gavel fro m the illu tri o us David R o bm a n a O C Presid ent. I pl edge m y pa io na te vi io n to uni fy a nd move fo rwa rd our ocieLy into th e next entury. One of our bigge t cha ll enge i APATHY. o ma tter how to ugh I a m a lo ne (a nd I' ve humped plenty o f ca mera up ma ny a mea n mo unta in ), I ca nn o t w hip thi de tructive demo n by myse lf. I need to ca ll u pon each a nd every o ne o f yo u. Repl edge a nd fo ll ow thro ugh w ith yo ur devoti o n to the 0 . Acti vely pa rticipa te in o ur mi ssio n to reac h o ut w ithin the film/video/digita l commun itie to educa te, tra in a nd ad va nce o ur technica l kill w hile we network. Acco untability pl ays a la rge pa rt. Attend event /m eetings/ creening I picnic /ba nquet /e-ma il ires and fundra i ers th a t fit ea il y into yo ur a lrea d y bu sy schedu les. And then ma ke room fo r mo re. Fo r the o rga ni za ti o n to grow a nd pro per, it will ta ke dedica tion a nd commitment fro m eac h of us. Th e Boa rd o f Govern o r 'a im i to pro udl y refl ect the intere t and ta lent of the M embership. Let us kn ow yo ur needs a nd de ire . a ll th e phone line or dro p u a line a nd let us kn ow how to lea d you effectively. Yolunt er our idea a nd yo ur experti se to ma ke ALL o f o ur acti vitie ucce fu l one ! Ri e to the occa io n a nd ta ke pride in igning the initi a l " ''a a badge of ho nor. Hit the ew Year o pera ting ca mera a nd o ur live hig he t level of achievement.
EDITORS Dougla Kna pp M ike C ha pm a n Bill H ine George tep hen o n
SOC OFFICERS Pre id em eo rgia Packa rd I sr Vice Presid ent reve E ig 2 nd Vice President Erni e Reed Treasurer Wi lliam M o lina ecrera ry 1 ichael a m y ergea nt-a r-Arm La nce Fi her We bm a te r M a rk Lein Admin . A si ra nt Di a na Peni ll a BOARD OF GOVERNORS Ga ry Ba um Michael j o ne j oe Eppe r o n Do uglas Kn a pp Sea n Fa irburn Al a n Lum Li T o m Fra er Phi llip chwa rtz M ike Fredia n i eo rge rep hen o n Bi ll Hin es Bi ll Wa ldm a n imo n j aye Ben Wo lf
POST-PRODUCTION MANAGER Do ug la Kna pp ADVERTISING/SALES Bill H in e DESIGN & PRODUCTION Lynn La nning, Doub le L De ign, G lend a le COVER DESIGN Ma rk Lein COVER PHOTO B ea n Fa irbu rn soc PRODUCTION COORDINATORS Th e Ingle Group, Brentwood
www.soc.org
CAMERA HAIKU by Rick Garbutt SOC
Found here & there in this issue
copyright all to blazes throughout the observable universe, MXMVIII all rights reserved.
Dedicated, with laughter, to the fond memory of Jeanette Lucas Knapp
CONTRIBUTORS L prague Ander o n Ru ty eller oc Ma rrhew heplic Wi ll iam E ! line oc Da vid E Elkins o Ri k Mitchell B ea n Fa irburn o c j o hn Orl a nd Michael Fredi a ni o Georgia Pa ka rd o Ia imi lia no Trevi o PHOTOGRAPHY hri Bunrenba h M a rk Lein Da vid E Elk in M ehra n a la ma ri o rd o n chenck B ea n Fa irburn Bi ll Hine Ta ra ummer David Tro tti
T he Operatiug amerama11 'lagazine i p ubli hed emi-a n nua ll y by rhe ciery o f Operating a mera men. Fo r adveni ing info rma ti o n a nd a rticle ubmi io n plea e contact:
SOC Attn BiU Hine PO Bo 2006 Toluca Lake, CA 91610 Phone(818) 382-7070
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
USA $12/year In case you've forgotten your eighth-grade English, the Haiku is a traditional style of Japanese poetry, defined by its style: Line 1 - 5 syllables Line 2 - 7 syllables Line 3 - 5 syllables Like the line economy in Picasso's drawings,
the haiku is capable of conveying profound emotion or complex ideas with very few words. And now the layman can experience much of what goes on on a film set through this exciting fusion of media. These haiku are partly based on personal experience, and largely based on legends related by hollow-eyed, hysterical, raving survivors.
Outside USA $22/year (U.S. Funds Only) o pyrighr Š 1999 by rhe Soc iety o f pera ting a mera men
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a regi rcred tra dema rk. All right re erved .
Editorial
On Entering the Third Millennium by William E Hines soc
W
ith thi issue of The Operating Cameraman magazine, we close
the econd and u her in the beginning of the Third Millennium A.D. The Ia t century or two of the Second Millennium was notable in that practical photography and the genesi of the cinematic medium emerged and developed into the mo t effective, affective and ubiquitou rna communication medium ever conceived and put in place. As part and parcel of the industrial revolution, its hardware encompas ed chemical, mechanical optical and electronic components and utilized technique
a ociated with the performing, de ign, artisan and construction art . Motion pictures delivered its captured imagery and sound to its viewer by projected light or by tran mission electronica ll y through cable or by broadcast sound waves. The most recent addition to the equation has been computer genera ted imagerycomputer graphic -which mean that imagery can be crea ted, modified and/or manipu lated digitally to any extent imaginable. As we enter the Third Millennium we find our elve erving an indu try which i in never-ending competition
SOC WEA See the complete line of jackets, shirts, hats & belt buckle
Write to : Society of Operating Cameramen P.O. Box 2006 Toluca Lake, CA 91610
or check the web site at:
www.soc.org
for the viewing audience' time and attention, an indu try in constant demand for product with which to fill avai lable programming time as well a provide product for viewer 'optiona l theatrical vi itation (feature ) or home u e (video ca ette ). There has never been more product being produced and utilized for public con umption. And yet, the industry i in a tate of flux. The principal ingredient appear to be the economic imperative of producing product at the lowest cost-even at the expen e of quality. One only needs to follow the trail of the production dollars to see where product i being produced-or planned for-and why. State ub idized foreign production is being u ed to lure production away from its heretofore established home ba e . onsider where state-of-the-art ound rage are being built. The plan for mas exodu i in place. Ever ince multinational business conglomerate have taken over control of the entertainment and communication industrie and the financing thereof, it should not be surprising that their bottom line i cutting co ts to increa e their profit margins. We at the 0 feel that the better we a camera profe ionals know our medium of expres ion, the better we will be able to perform our jobs. We look for, recognize and nurture innovation in the tool and techniques of our craft in order to enhance our abi lity to provide killed and artistic contributions to operating cinematography. We honor tho e who have excelled in their craft and tho e who have provided Camera Operator with the technical means to accompli h this goal. We have endeavored to deliver in each is ue of thi magazine a balance of quality articl e of eclectic subject matter relating to the cinematic mediaomething current, omething historic; something technical, omething nontechnical; a little humor, a little patho -article of potential intere t to anyone involved in or intere ted in the cinematic media. And thi we will continue to do during the Third Millennium. -Bill Hines SO , Editor
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : EDITORIAL
3
From the front lines to the studio, Philips LDK er e cameras ddiver unbeatable flexibility and superior digital ignal processing, for picture performance second to none. AU in a fururc-ready design concept that makes the LDK 100 today' best investment for tomorrow' imaging world. For the fuU picture call us at 1-800-962-4287 or visit our web site www broadcast.phihps.com
Left: Seminar participants with SCUBA certification gather in the pool. Above: Scott Greene of Hydroflex demonstrates some of the equipment.
Underwater Seminar
by Rusty Geller soc aking movie underwater ha alway been difficult. ln the Ia t fifty year , with the invention of cuba, portable camera , innovative waterproof housings and ver a tile underwater lights, underwater cinematography i now approaching the flexibility routinely achieved above water. The fir t diver were merely hunting for food. Working profe ionally underwater tarred with the ancient ea-faring civilization , which u ed lave labor to salvage their unken trea ure hip . eedle s to ay divers didn ' t get hazard bump , meal penalties were unheard of and the only retirement program wa not making it back to the urface . The fir t underwater touri twa Alexander the Great, who in 332 BC had himself lowered to the bottom of the harbor ofTyre in a glass barrel o he cou ld watch hi diving o ldi er destroy the Phoenician ' underwater defen es. Compre ed air wa first u ed to supp ly a diver in the eighteenth century, but the hard- hat system was heavy and cumber ome, and the diver wa tethered to the urface by hi air-supply ho e. everthe le a early a 1906 a Japanese diver shot till photograph underwater off Ca lifornia's hannel I lands. In the 1940 Jacques-Yve ou teau and Emile Gagnon invented the elf-contained underwater breathing apparatu known a cuba and man was freed to explore the eas like a fish. The fir t underwater movie camera hou ing
weren't much more than steel pots with portholes welded into the lids. As cinematography became more ophi ticated, o did the requirement of underwater camera . Today' underwater hou ing are well-thought-out, u er-friend ly piece of equipment which a ll ow the cinematographer full u e of the modern motion picture camera underwater. Until recent ly, underwater camera systems were usually one-off , built for the particular requirement of a pecific project. Ten year ago Pete Romano standardized hi design of an underwater hou ing for the 35mm Arriflex III camera while shooting underwater equence on The Abyss for Jame Cameron. With a dozen of hi new housings, Pete opened HydroFlex Inc, which manufactures and rents underwater y tern for 16mm and 35mm Arris Imax and video camera , a we ll a camera pia hbag , light meter and complete underwater lighting package . ~> Wayne Baker (left), Scott Greene (below)
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : SOC UNDERWATER SEMINAR
5
This pa t ummer, on July 24 the SO along with HydroFiex and Photo onic co- pon ored the econd annual Underwater Cinematography eminar held in a private ommunity po I provided by OC past pre ident tan Me lain. Fifteen DPs, operator and a i rant pent the morning going through a detailed training ion on each camera housing, followed by an afternoon in the pool operating the camera underwater. con reene of HydroFiex preented their three main 35mm Arri III hou ings: Surf hallow Water and Deep Water, along with their new torpedo- haped Remote Aqua am h u ing for the Arri 1ll which was de igned for remote-crane u primarily with the Libra lll axi head, or to be hard-mounted on underwater vehicle . There i now an rri 435 ver ion available. Tom Boyd of Photo oni pre ented their 16mm and 35mm high- peed camera (10-200 frames per econd) in lightweight hand-holdable refle ed video-tapped hou ing de igned for urf and hallow water work down to 20 feet in depth. Wayne Baker, veteran underwater As i rant and Operator, took the tudent through a typical hoot from prep to filming empha izing the flexibility and re ourcefulne required to deliver good footage in adver e condition . He hared uch trick a u ing Rain-X on flat glass ports and Photo-flo or di h oap on flat acrylic port , to hed water drops while doing urface hot . He went over the dif-
6
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: SOC UNDERWATER SEMINAR
ports, and how to follow focu while underwater where refraction make everything look a third clo er and a third larger. Wayne explained the nece iry for using an opaque- kirted face mask to avoid reflections in the finder, using rubber-coated weight to avoid damaging the bottom of pools, and how to re-route the underwater Cameraman bubble when hooting straight up. Heal o went over precaution when filming explosion underwater: namely, get everybody out of the water, including rh amera Operator before erring off the charge . Matt Brown and cott Greene of HydroFiex went through their underwater lighting packages, including 650 Watt, 1-K, 2-K and 5-K tung ten lamps, 1200, 2500, 4-K HMI and Hydro-Flow Underwater fluorescent lamp which come in 2900, 3400 and 5500 degree color temperature and in 9", 15" 2' and 4' ize . afe and proper use of electri ity in pool/boar ituation wa empha ized. The HydroFiex lighting y rem have redundant Ground Fault Interrupter but the weak point of pool ide hoot i unprotected video power which can hock the camera operator by sending ele tricity ~>
H SHOT? NEXT TIME U9 ~ THE DIGI-CRANE The Ne' Uigi-Crane by OConnor i a lightweight camera support crane that very easily extends from
10 to -lO f et, in five foot increments. It digitally-controlled, robotic camera support head allows smooth, limitle pan & tilt rotation without cable wrapping. The Digi-Crane i lightweight, extremely stable, et -up and tears-down quickly. And it is surprisingly affordable. on tact u today for more information. Limitless pan and lilt axis of the digitally-controlled head
back down to the camera through the video a i t cable. Video assist operator should alway power the deck and monitors by batteries, or through a GFI, which can be supplied by HydroFlex. Gaffer hould run all their water ide power through Shock-Blocks. Once the serious note-taking was through, it was time to hit the water. The pool soon filled with divers, tanks and
camera . Shallow Water and Deep Water hou ings cris cro ed the bottom of the pool a tho e participant who were certified diver got the feel of operating underwater. The Remote Aquacam made it free- wimming debut with a waterproof video monitor a a viewfinder. Veteran underwater cinematographer Mike Thomas demon trated hi watertop dolly, floating the Deep Water Hou ing aero s the urface of the pool as easily a a Fi her Ten on a dance floor. Each camera had a video umbilical to the deck and tudent could watch the high-tech underwater rodeo on urface monitors. As the students took turns on each camera, they saw the plu es and minu e of working underwater. The housings weigh up to eighty pounds out of water, but once below float almost weightless. At first, one is surprised at the ease of moving the big cameras, but oon it became apparent that the hou ing have a lot of mass and limited hydro-dynamic , and if you tried to move them quickly, you moved in read. As the par-
8
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : SOC UNDERWATER SEMINAR
ttctpant adapted to working in the weightless environment, they came to realize why experienced underwater Operators wear double-weight belt and ankle weights. Assistants learned that it' not ea y to ee the len markings while underwater and extra care mu t be taken when setting up the control before ealing the hou ing . Operator discovered that the reflexed optical finder seemed dim in the bright pool, which i why HydroFiex offer video sportsfinder a an acce ory. Despite the use of underwater loud peaker , communication is difficult and it quickly became apparent that exten ive pre-planning of all hot i e entia!. Two-way communication y tern are recommended if the job is elaborate or lengthy. As the diver dried off and packed the gear at the end of the day, they all seemed invigorated, excited at the prospect of expanding their filmmaking challenge to the underwater world. HydroFiex, Photo onic and the OC put a lot of effort into the seminar and it paid off. Fifteen talented cinematographers are now up to peed on hooting underwater with state-of-the-art equipment.
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Left: Caterer Shawn Stevens at the barbeque . Above : SOC members fill their plates .
SOC picnic
t was a long time coming but the old fa hioned picnic that was long a taple of activitie returned eptember 19. The etting was the beautiful and e luded Brace anyon Park n tied in the foothills of Burbank. The temp rature wa a comfortable 78 degree and the ky wa lear blue-definitely picni weather. Former 0 pre idem Michael Frediani took on the dutie of organizing and promoting the event. All food and beverage were provided by the ociety for member their familie , clo e a ociate and our corporate affiliate member , who have long upporred our organization. We offered all those in attendance the be t in picnic fare a well a variou picnic game .
I
PHOTOS ON THESE 2 PAGES BY TARA SUMMERS AND BILL HINES
10
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN:
SOC
PICNIC
Old-fashioned fun abounded: three-legged race, egg toss, tugof-war, and more.
Shawn Steven in association with Handy Market prepared undry hors d'oeuvres, cut veggies, and freshly liced fruit for tarters. Shawn then rood tirelessly over his barbecue during the course of the five-hour picnic cooking chicken breasts, veggie burgers, hot dogs, hamburgers and more. We also provided an Astro jump that kept the kids 'jumping for joy' while other played cia ic game uch a tug-o' -war, water balloon to , three-legged race and the ever-popular (frightful) egg toss! During the water balloon toss the H 2 0 flowed ( pia hed!) like-well, water across the joyfu l faces of the haple . When the time came for the egg toss event each contestant (ranging in age from 6-60) faced hi or her partner ju t a few feet away. With each ucce sive tos the di ranee wa increa ed until the final few contestant rood over 30 feet apart. Ultimately two of our preteen conte rants were the only ones remaining without egg on their face ! The laughter and camaraderie that was clearly evident made this picnic well worth the organizing effort. It's been years since many of us have played those games and for the younger set their fir t rime. They brought home with them memorie that will Ia r indefinitely. Prize were awarded to all of rhe come t winners yet
Children had a bouncing good time on the Astro Jump.
none of the kid went home empty handed. A ociate member Tara Summer coordinated the games and prizes with the generous help of her family. She wa there from set-up to finish, proving herself a tirele worker-an a et to the SOC. Lance Fisher SOC and Simon jaye OC sat lei urely behind a table di playing the late t SOC WEAR while their dogs bli ful ly took in the park surroundings. Set medic M ichael Escobosa volunteered his time watching over u d uring the various activities-an uneventful afternoon we're happy to report. All in all everybody who attended had glowing reviews and compliments stating that they wi ll definitely attend next summer's event. We hope to see even more member participation in the year 2000.
Andrew Turoski & prize
Unsolicited testimonial: "What a wonderful day! o profe ional parry planner could have done better! Th re were lots of clear ign directing us to the picnic, balloons setting a fe rive air under a patio set with fabulou food! beer to Mike Frediani for doing uch a great job organizing uch a pecial e em! Any time he wants to give up hi day job- I know lots of people who would hire him!" -Zee Hine
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN :
SOC
PICNIC
11
For classic Old-Hollywood close-ups, with image quality fortheNew Hollywood Many modern cinematographers long for image softening and styling filters like those available in the golden age of Hollywood . But the truth is, such filters can't meet the demands of modern high-performance lenses, and they can 't deliver the subtle nuances that are desirable today. The solution is found only in Schneider Classic Soft™ filters, made possible by state-of-the-art optical technology, and a propri etary Schneider manufacturing technique that produces a MicroLenslet™ array within each filter. Micro-Lenslets cause a precisely controlled soft image to be overlaid on a sharp, in-focus image. This creates amazing In-focus Diffusion™ that blends small wrinkles and blemishes, while maintaining overall sharp focus . In the normal range of exposure, these filters add a closely con fined, very subtle glow to highlights. As a result, you achieve the look you want, with no obvious clue that a softening filter was used . If a large amount of overexposure exists in a scene, like a blown window, Classic Soft fi 1ters add a stylish glow that keeps contrast under control, while adding a romantic look. In a scene with controlled highII
Carole Lombard
II
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Optional MaxTran™ MultiCoating is available on Classic Soft filters: MaxTran is the world's first durable multi-coating for laminated filters. It maximizes the transmission of light while reducing flare and improving both color and contrast. Schneider Classic Soft In-Focus Diffusion Explained Sandwiched between two pieces of Schneider's optical glass (A) are hundreds of precision Micro-Lenslets (B). During use, image light (C) that passes through each Micro-Lenslet is slightly refracted (diffused) (D), while light (E), passing between Micro-Lenslets is unaffected. lights, these filters can cosmetical ly flatter actors and still maintain a " gritty " style . This technique is especially desirable for avoiding a " period " look when striving for modern realism . Schneider Classic Soft filters are made from optical glass that is diamond cut, precision ground, and highly polished. Every filter is also tested with a laser interferometer to guarantee flatness and plane parallelism . As with all Schneider filters, Classic Soft filters work perfectly in front of long lenses, singly or
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This scene from Star Trek : Voyager shows the Hot Gears equipped Panahead inverted on a Javelin Crane . A reversing switch on Hot Gears allows for normal operation in this mode.
Ja move perfectly
with HOT GEARS by Matthew Cheplic
PRODUCTION PHOTOS BY DAVID TROTII PRODUCT SHOTS BY MEHRAN SALAMATI
14
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN:
M
ehran a lamati wa actuall y building an airplane when he began work o n what would eventuall y become Hot Gears. And whi le he sti ll tend to his aircraft when time permit , plenty of DPs and Camera Operator are thankful that Sa lamati brought his prioritie back down to earth . " I started building the plane about five year ago, which led me to work with people who were proficient
HOT GEARS
with aero pace technology, recall Salamati, w ho has worked as a Director of Photography for about 12 year . "One day around that time, I wa on a crane, doing a drive-by hot that ca lled for a 180-degree pan and a boom up on the crane. I knew there had to be an ea ier way than truggling with the camera and bumping into the Assistant." So he drew from his new well of experience and contacts and conceived of a new remote camera package.
"I wanted to build an inexpensive and smart remote system we could take with us, leave in the truck, and u e when we needed it," Sa lamati recount . In read of reinventing the wheel, I preferred to use what a lready
A Hsoft limits" function allows the operator to designate a precise spot where a panned shot needs to stop. existed. The Arriflex and Panavi ion geared heads are prime examp le of indu try-standard tools. So why not build an electronic package which complement tho e?" Indeed, Sa lamati refer to Hot Gears as " the smart remote ystem," and there is ample evidence to support the claim. The unit i 10.5 x 16 x 5.5 inches, and weighs eight pound . It requires only a single umbilical cable between the camera and the control-
ler. And while it contains some pretty advanced software, the controller itself is, in Sa lamati' words, "dead simp le." "If you look at the contro l panel, it's very straightforward," he explains. "The software is doing a lot of the work." Part of that work includes a " oft limits" function which a ll ow the operator to designate a precise pot where a panned shot needs to stop. After moving the camera toward that spot, the operator simp ly pre es a button, and the Hot Gears software e entially takes over, guiding the shot and feathering it to a stop at the designated edge. This can be employed with tilting moves as we ll. In a imilar vein, the operator can rely on the oft limit when executing a dramatic whip pan. Marvin Ru h, DP on Star Trek: Voyager has been one of the fir t to test the waters with Hot Gears. In fact he' already purchased a unit w ith the show's Camera Operator, Douglas Knapp SOC. "It's an exceedingly well thoughtout product, which answers a real fundamental need," ays Rush. "The ba ic problem with remote head in genera l i that they're very expensive. They're good, but I'd like to have a remote head all the time, to use when the mood strikes me. But there's no way to afford that." Rush also points out that Hot Gears distinguishe it elf in how quickly it can be connected and put into use. "Very often, we'd have to budget a minimum of 45 minutes to prepare one shot with other systems. Then there's a lot of cab les, weight, a whole process of balancing
the parts. With Hot Gears, you strap it onto an existing setup, run the cable, and it's ready in about five minutes. And when you take the Operator out
of the equation, the Dolly Grip doe n't have to push nearly a much weight, o there's much less of an inertia i ue with each shot." Rush i also impressed with another function offered by Hot Gears: The unit has a 63-second " memory. '
The unit will record a complex move which can then be played back repeatedly. It will record a complex move which can then be played back repeatedly. This way, when an element besides the camera move itself doesn' t make the grade-an actor's performance, for example-the pressure is off the Camera Operator to duplicate the move time and again. But more than these feature , more than the simplicity or the way Hot Gear idesteps time and budget constraints, the quality of Salamati's invention is what Marvin Rush is mo t complimentary of. "It has the most fidelity of any unit I've tested, " Rush discloses. "When you turn the =*>
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN:
HOT GEARS
15
gear , you get an immediate reaction, a if it were hooked up to your hands. It' o precise, there's no feeling of lag
whatsoever. Don t get me wrong-the other remote units are good, but they' re alway a little pongy. Hot Gear feel lik a comp letel y oneto-one ratio. ' Rush a lso speaks hi ghly of the
preci e range of speeds offered by the unit. Hot Gears boa t 10 peed which offer a decisive advantage over manual controls. As Knapp put it,
" I've yet to find a itua tion I can't handle very elegan tl y with Hot Gear .
Columns l and 2: Hot Gears Controller Unit. Column 3 : Hot Gears motors attached to Arri Geared Head. Above: A Javelin Crane with inverted Hot Gears/Panahead on the set of Star Trek : Voyager.
II
three-foot increments. o the camera hangs beneath the gear head, and it gets lower than a Hothead. We needed a mounting plate to pick up the magazine mount at the top. Panavi ion made that for us a well a a bracket for the len at the front of the Panaflex.' Salamati proved just a accom modating as Panavision when it came to indulging Ru h and Knapp' innovation . 'They a ked me what would happen if the geared head were up ide down on the crane," alamati remember . "That meant the wheel po ition would be rever ed. I made ome modification o the Operator can pre a few button and rurn the wheel the way he u ed to controlling them. It' nice, because they can
Where is the focus? First Assistant doesn 't know. Depth-of field fakes it. -RG CUFF SPERRY- ARTIST GEORGE STEPHENSON SOC -CONCEPT
16
We've used some very long len e on people moving about while the camera move the who le time. They look locked in, and the background !ides behind them. You can keep them accurately in the arne po ition in frame throughout the hot." Knapp and Ru h are o confident about the package' performance, in fact, that they've been implementing it in ways that even Salamati never imagined. "We've been rigging it inverted o that the camera and geared head are upside down, ' explains Rush. 'We use a Javelin, which goe out at
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: HOT GEARS
do th at to get orne nea t o ver-th ebo ulder ho t w here the asse mbl y wo uld get in the way if th e ca mera were top-loa ded. ' a la ma ti a l o impl emented th e necessary witch to insure the picture would regi ter ri ght ide-up de pite the rigging. Ru h remember a noth er in ra nee where a la mati made a few twea k to H ot Gea r o n the Ay: " Doug wa nted to have digita l reado ut forth pa n a nd tilt, so M ehra n devi ed orne L D we rea d-o ut w hich a re re- etta ble, ca n in de the ho t a nd repea t them. " For a ll th e pra i e Ru h a nd Kn a pp a re prepared to direct a t a la ma ti th e fa ther of Hot Gea r i urpri ingly modest a bout hi invention . ' Thi dev ice was not mea nt to o mp te w ith o th er sy rem ," he in i t . " With th Libra y tern a nd Powe r Pod fo r exa mpl e, th ere a re time when you n ed three-a i remote y tern on the job. But fo r mo t day-to-day a pplica tion Ho t Gea rs i th ere to uppo rt a nd
Hot Gears at work on th e Star Trek : Voyager set.
help the Opera tor . ' One uch Cam era Opera tor, Doug Kn a pp, i lightl y le diploma tic: ' Thi i one of the fin e t ca mera in ventions to come a long in ma n y year ."
For information on Hot Gears, please contact Mehran Salamati at (3 10)455-720 1 or Salamati@Earthlink.net.
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: HOT GEARS
17
We worked together until I shot a couple of pictures in Canada where I met teve ampanelli. r wa on a picture called Bad Company when we met. I had seen a lot of his work and liked him very much. I got an opportunity to hoot a picture in hina called Amazing Panda Adventure. I couldn't hire American becau e there was no fair trade agreement with hina and thus they didn t permit American to work there. o the first thing I did wa to hire crew members I knew from anada. ampane lli wa one of the fir t I hired. Right about the time I was having a hard time finding a Key rip, lo and behold, the United tares igns a mo t favored nations and a fair trade agr ement with hina. Sudd nly the lid was off, but I'd already hired these people and I couldn't fire them. However now I could hire harlie Soldany a my Key Grip. harlie and I have done probably fifteen or eventeen pi ture together and it felt wonderful to have somebody that I was really ex perienced with, to have him there a our Grip. It wa good ro have teve on the job; he' a an-do Operator that wouldn't ay no to any kind of a hot. I a lwa y like an Opera tor who feels like he' contributing. I leave a lor of
Advice for a would-be Camera Operator: Begin studying some art books and learn what makes good composition. leeway for the Operator ro become involved in camera coordinating and in choreographing the camera movement in collaboration with the Dir tor. It was important for me when I wa a Camera Operator and so I re peer that capability in other amera Operator . I try to pa that on. lt not quite the English ryle or Briti h ryle where the Cameraman doesn't even pay attention to what the framing i , a they call it.
Steve and I co ll aborated on everything and if I think my suggestion is at lea t a good or better than theirs (Operator/Director) i , I' ll jump in and put in my two cent worth . But once a cene is launched, I pretty much let lint and teve work out a ll of the coverage while I work on the lighting which help us move really quickly. We a ll come out ahead because I get the bonu of being able to be more involved with the lighting and it al o give the Operator a chance to be more involved with the creative proce
Frank Miller and I operated on that one. Rick Waite A c wa probably a big an influence on me as anybody in term of learning good compo ition and designing workable shots. SF: What kind of techniques do you try to pass on to Operator who have erved under you and i there anything that you look for in a good Operator?
JG: Let me just tell you a tory about what happened to me and you'll read thi piece of advice in it. When I wa truggling with the problem and
SF: Let me back up ju t a little bit. When you moved up to Camera Operator, who were ome of the people who in pired you to become such a fine and experienced Operator a you were?
JG: I think most of the experience came from talking to other Operator . I can't hone tly ay that I In Heartbreak Ridge, the Marine Gunnery Sergeant learned a lot about operat- (Eastwood) is proud of the way this platoon member ing from Directors of (M ario Van Peebles) has improved in combat training. This was the film on which Jack Green moved up to DP. Photography. Yes, I learned about compo ition concern of moving up to Camera from them, but I al o learned a lot about compo ition from studying art Operator, my wife knew that I wa books and good till photography and pending a lot of night awake other art form . worrying about it. I would say I learned an awfu l lot So on day I hear thi thump on from terrific amera Operator like the front door. It was my wife. She cou ldn 't open the door becau e her Don Thorin A c. Thorin operated for arms were full of book -art book Don Morgan and I was the 1 t A isrant Cameraman. I give much credit to So I take the art books from her immediately and she ay , "If you Michael Watkin A who moved me want have a good eye about compo iup to Operator. He wa very helpful. These men bared a lot with me at the tion and be a good Camera Operator, time. Every show that I got on, Operrudy these books. Study the history of ator would give me tip and how me art and learn from the be t what make good campo ition how lighting trick to make the hots smoother and i used for dimen ionality, mood etc. more comfortable. Frank Holgate was I pored over tho e books in my terrific in he lping me. reading room (the john) and I swear Rick Waite A c wa a really good till photographer before becoming a that helped me as much a anything in my whole life. It wa a wonderful gift Director of Photography and he had my wife gave me. I wou ld pass that on very strong ideas about compo ition, o we'd always talk about the compo - to any Camera A i rant who i gravitating toward becoming a Camera ing of shot . I learned a lot from him, Operator. Begin studying some art and he invited me to operate on Forty-Eight Hours a long with Rick books and learn what makes good eff. Then we did The Border, and composition. Go to the Los Angele "'*>
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : DP/OPERATOR SERIES
23
photography becau e it was a strong intere t of mine. My dad had a photo lab in his bathroom when I wa growing up and he would let me help him print and develop pictures. A couple of year later I worked up the nerve to a k Joe if I could come along to watch him hoot. He aid, "Rather than come watch me shoot why don't you come help me hoot." l went with him a hi A i rant ameraman, though he did everything and I pretended to learn. He invited me on other shoot after that, and I was o infatuated with the business and so totally overwhelmed by how wonderful it was to be creating photographs, motion picture photograph ! It wa uch an exciting bu iness and it involved lighting. We were hooting indu trial , documentarie , new reel and anything that came along. We would go out as a team. When I got a little experience Joe recommended me to omeone el e and that someone recommended me to someone else, etc. Eventual ly I was working for mo t of the Director of Photography in the San Franci co Bay
area and I had to top cutting hair. I worked as a amera As istant for five more year in the Bay Area and then I had a wonderfu l opportunity to work in the film business in outhern California. We cam came to San Franci co and I worked for them. Bob Boatman wa the Cameraman at the time and he invited me to come to work for We cam in outhern alifornia. I jumped at the opportunity. I wa a newlywed. I had only been married for two week when they hired me. My new bride was very upportive of me and we moved to outhern California. I worked another year for We cam before they went out of busines . After that I got a job with elson Tyler at Tyler Camera systems. When work got slow I freelanced as a amera A istant. I worked with the like of Don Morgan harlie Ro her and Melvin Sokol ky. The work con isted mo tly of commercial but no tudio work. When Don Morgan got a chance to shoot a feature I came a long as his Camera Assistant. In 1975 I had been a sisting Michael Watkins and he
-_:-.
Jack Green hand-holds an Arri 2C to film a fight scene with Clint Eastwood (far right) in Every Which Way But Loose. This was the first film that Jack operated on for Clint, and they have done 28 more together.
20
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: DP/OPERATOR SERIES
a ked me if I had thought about moving up to amera Operator. o on a little picture called Fighting Mad with Peter Fonda, I moved up to amera Operator. In addition to Michael Watkins, I worked for Rick Waite A and Rex Metz A who did a couple of picture for Clint. I became the 'B' Camera Operator for Rex Metz on The Gauntlet which happened to be a lint Ea rwood picture. When it came time for lint to do Every Which Way But Loose, the Operator who had been on The Gauntlet wa n't available o they a ked me and I aid ab olutely. That was the beginning of thi particu lar romance. If you count the two that I did as a Camera Assistant, aerial photography for Play Misty and Dirty Harry, this i our twenty-eighth project together. In L985 lint Ea twood m ved me up to Director of Photography. SF: How long had you been operating prior to becoming a Director of Photography?
JG: I operated for lint on fourteen pictures during the cour e of eight year . Bruce urree A wa one of Clint main DP and I hot five picture with him. After we worked on Beverly Hill op together Bruce a ked lint why he had never moved me up. "You know Jack' ready to move up. Why don't you move Jack up. ' Well I thought that was the mo t generous thing for omeone to do, beca u e here he wa talking him elf out of a job. That wa uch an amaztng occurrence for thi bu ine . Fortunately for me lint moved me up on Heartbreak Ridge in 1985. I u ed teve StJohn a my teadicam Operator a well a the 'A' Camera Operator. ~>
DIRECTORS OF PHOTOGRAPHY & CAMERA OPERATORS:
4th in the Series
Jack Green Steve Campa by B Sean Fairburn SOC
ack Green ASC happens to be a founding member of the OC. In addition to being a talented Director of Photography, Jack i an exceptionally nice human being. I visited him on the et of Space Cowboys, Clint Ea twood biggest budgeted picture to date. Watching Jack work with his amera Operator, Steve Campanelli soc gave me the opportunity to see if the rumor were true: that lint likes to hoot rehearsals and if he likes the fir t take, move on. Unles one i accu tomed to shooting port or documentarie thi pre ent quite a challenge for the amera Operator. Having been an operator for Clint on many a film Jack is familiar with the blinding pace of Ea twood pictures which hi torica ll y come in ahead of schedu le and under budget. Space Cowboys is the 28th project Jack ha worked on with Clint Eastwood. If communication and tru t between a DP and Director make for an efficient and economica l production then Jack and Clint' relationship is a testament to that end .
J
SEAN FAIRBURN (SF): Jack, what characteri tics in Steve convinced you he was a good operator? JACK GREEN (JG): First, let me say I
operated a SteadicamTM for twelve
year ; ten years as an Operator and then two more year even after I became a Director of Photograp hy. It's an amazing invention and I loved working with it. I gave it up when my back started bothering me but I till loved it. My Operator, Steve Campanelli think of the teadicam in the arne way I do, i_n that it' really a tool that has to be utili zed carefully and judiciou ly. It' not a dolly but in certain ca e it' a one per on dolly and the hot has to be well planned to ju tify it unique capabi litie . Another element that it can incorporate is a point of view and how it makes a good point of view. Steve understands tho e element . Tho e are the elements that I thought I learned pretty well as a Steadicam Operator. How one puts the audience into the camera's position o that it's not ju t a dolly hot, not a point of view but a moving
camera that becomes a voyeur. Steve is very good at a ll of that a nd I really appreciate hi abi lity. Our tyle were very compatible and that was a real strong factor in my decision to introduce him to lint. SF: o how did you get started in the
industry? JG: Wow, how did I get tarred in the
industry? Well , I u ed to cut hair a a barber in my family' bu ine s for ten years. I graduated from high school and barber co ll ege in the ame week. My father aid that barbering i ornething you can alway fall back on. Then one day thi fellow started coming into the hop. Hi name was Joe Dieve and he wa a Director of Photography in San Franci co. He hot mostly sixteen-mi llimeter film, and occa ionally thirty-five millimeter. =*> We would always talk about
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: DP/OPERATOR SERIES
19
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County 1u eum of Art and to art ga lleries. When you're on loca tion in a metropolitan area, pend time in art mu eum on your day off. It' a ll incredible information rhar is easi ly avai lable from your loca l library or book tore. Bill Hine o ha written a wonderful book (Operating inematography for Film and Video) a nd he doe a fine job of helping ed ucate and train Operarors ro face rhe work ahead . Hi writings in the International Cinematographer magazine are enational. But there' nothing better for the new Operator than to look at a picture and learn from it compoirional trength . You can apply what you learn directly to your eye piece. You ' re dealing with a two dimen ional
A istant tran irioning to Camera Operators is sore ly neglected.
imparted when they have an opportunity.
SF: What other advice can you give to a fledgling Operator?
SF: Tell us a little about being ab le ro work with your children on the set. What do you ee through their eye ?
JG: Rea ll y, on the set the only way i getting on a camera and doing it. Have omeone show yo u carefully what it i that you have ro overcome. The question is how do yo u get the camera into the po irion you want in order to ee what you want ro ee. That comes from experience, ituation by ituation. I try to teach as I go along, to both the amera Operator and everybody in the Camera Department who is willing to li ten. You have to do it hot by hot. You can't ju t tart arbitrarily pointing a camera around a
~
~~ ~
- --..-.. ... Jack Green and his camera crew, clockwise from left: daughter Heather (loader), Jack, Steve Campanelli SOC, 1st Assistant Bill Coe, Bill's son Trevor, and Jack's son Peter (2nd Assistant). urface. It ju t happ n to move and change continually. o rudying art and composition i one of rhe be t piece of advice I ca n give ro anyone. Let your Direcror of Photography know that you really want to move up to amera Operator. A k him to find hot for you to do that are nor life threatening and rhar you can learn from . I wi h we wer better at training our Operator for al l the things they wil l face. Our indu try i very bad at thi and our training of Camera
room and aying thi i what you do under the e circum ranees becau e they won't be the ame . [try and pass on what I want to accomp lish with a lens and why that choice was made. If there' an important emotional tatement that I want to make with that particular len choice, I let them know that. Bill oe our Camera Assi rant and Steve ampanelli are very good about li rening, ab le to take it with them and maybe share what I've
JG: I am lucky to be working with my children. They grew up in the bu ine and are relatively ucce ful at raying emp loyed, e pecia lly in features, where you pend a lor of time out of town. We have regret and rhe major regret is having to pend an accumulated number of years away from your children during their formative year . One bears gui lt for the re t of one' life over that. You never seem to get over that gu ilt no matter how much time you pend with your children a they grow older. I'm fortunate that they cho e to get into the same business so that we can work together. When they work on the sets with me I get to spend time with them, give them all of the love and hugs now that I wa never ab le to give them before when I wa traveling o much. I know that on ly put a lve on my guilt but the fact we are working rogether helps an awfu l lot ro make it better. My o ldest son, Peter was the fir t ro come and help me on the et ar age e leven. He came out on Uncommon Valor tO pend his summer vacation lugging ca e on the et. I got him to late the cene and do things that wouldn't get in the way of set business. He pent mo t of his summer vacations helping our. Loader and A i rant Cameramen taught him how to load and bang late . ow he i my 2nd A at twenty-nine year old. My daughter Heather came on later after she went to film chool at Loyola Marymount. She wanted ro be a rill photographer. Her first picture with me wa Twister. he i now my loader on Space Cowboys and doing a great job. I am encouraging her to be a cinematOgrapher and he has already DP'd a how I helped produce.
SF: What kind of help did you give them to get them tarred in the right direction? JG: lr's an on-going process of learning and working on et . When they were young I gave them rill camera ~>
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: DP/OPERATOR SERIES
25
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with no automatic functio ns and asked them to shoot film and look at the re ults. We would critique t he result and they learned a lot from that. Over the cour e of film after film I try to de cribe what we are doing on set to help them and my crew gain undertanding of not only how but why we are doing it this way. I teach them to
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How well you get along with others is actually more impor路 tant than doing good work. be considerate of the story and the director's goal, to convey what he/she wants the audience to feel at any given moment. My kids learn the responsibi lities of the other crew members and their importance to the production as a whole. It helps them to understand and be considerate of everyone on the set, not just the Camera Department. My youngest son, Ryan, started with me like Peter banging slates as a Second Assi tant and ha a piration to be a Camera Operator. I see value in learning skills from the person above you and knowing what the job are. I think there is tremendous importance in the awareness and knowledge of other jobs on the et. It disturb me that many cinema cia es and colleges do not teach set etiquette and ometime the tudents come right out working a DP without the understanding and appreciation of the other members of the et. Crew members are human being and should be treated with respect. I think that the schoo l work well for the academic learning but student hould al o work on the et to gain an understanding of t he human interaction and interper ana l relationships invo lved. How well you get a long with other i actually more important than doing good work .
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The Wide Screen Revolution (1952-1970}:
Additional
Technical Problems Presented by the Introduction of
Wide Screen Processes in the 'SOs by Rick Mitchell
T
he previou installment dealt with the problem encountered in doing vi ual effect in the variou wide screen proce e introduced after 1952. Adju tment also had to be made in the editing room and in the laboratories. Cinema cope called for only one change in the editing room, one which temmed from the de ire of editors to view the image un queezed. Fox engineer atisfied this by developing a cylindrical piece of plastic which could be attached to the Moviola picture head. Still used today, it wa known a a ' bubble.' In Europe, where flatbed editing machines like the KEM and teen beck were commonly used, un queezing optic were introduced into their picture head . The e device were al o used when film photographed in 65mm, Technirama, and Techni cope were edited using 35mm anamorphic work print . uper cope pictures were apparently edited with contact un queezed print . The Cinerama travelogue were actually edited, scored, and dubbed from three-panel contact prints on Moviolas modified for the ix-perf pulldown. The center panel would be edited first, then the other panel checked to make certain there were no problems with the overall cut. When MGM got involved, the image from the three negative were optically reduced and printed ide-by-side, queezed, on a 35mm print. The 70mm ver ion of Oklahoma! and both ver ion of Around the World in 80 Days were edited with contact 70mm print on a pecially ~> de igned We trex editor, a Rube Goldbergi h
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
29
combination of the worst features of the Moviola upright and the flatbed. By the time 20th entury-Fox became involved in the proce s, len e for reduction printing had been developed and all subsequent 65mm productions were edited u ing 35mm anamorphic reduction print . On some films such as Cleopatra, a matching 70mm work picture wa kept conformed to the 35mm ver ion a it was approved. In
First Cut: Conversations With Film Editors (Univer ity of California Press) John D Dunning, co-editor of Ben-Hur tate th at film wa edited in 35mm with direct nonsqueezed reduction from the 65mm negative. As the image were le s than two perfs high , the editors often had to double check the action by compari on with a 70mm print! Of course Vista Vision, Technirama, inema cope 55 and Camera 65/Uirra Panavi ion were all developed with the idea of producing higher quality 35mm print o reduction printers and len e were part of the
design . Technicolor al o had printers that wou ld blow up and stretch images from Techniscope negatives into 4-perf queezed prints for editing. This led to a problem in conforming the negative ro the 35mm cut work
Solution was louncl in inking consecutive numbers at every loot along [the film's] edges. picture a the origina l negative key numbers-latent image number printed at every foot along the outer edge of negative and intermediate stock -were not normally reproduced on the reduction prints as they are on contact print . Solution to thi problem was found in a technique developed in the early day of optical sound toe tablish and maintain a sync reference between two or more related pieces of film: inking consecutive numbers at every foot along their edge . uch
coding wa -and till i -used on synchronized work picture and tracks, three-strip Technicolor negative , and on both daily and relea e print of three-panel Cinerama films. For reduction prints from the larger frame formats, the negative takes to be reduced were assembled into a roll and after printing, a common code representing the negative footage would be inked onto both the negative and the reduction work picture to be subsequently used a a guide in matching the negative to the edited work print. Technicolor did have a Vi taVision reduction printer that printed negative key numbers under the appropriate frame of the reduction print, and their Techni cope daily printers were designed to blow up and stretch the key numbers as well as rhe picture. By the late '60 they had completed de ign work on a 65-35 edge numbering system u ing fiber optics which was never implemented because of the decline in 65mm photography. "I've shot extremely stable footage from helicopters and camera motorcycles with the Gyromaster. , An affordable; capable : alternative.¡
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
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camera operator
The COSHARP 65-35 printer deve loped in the '90s by the Technology ouncil of the Motion Picture and Televi ion lndu trie ha uch a feature. Thi unique printer is currently being used at CFI, the on ly American lab regularly proces ing and printing 65-?0mm, for reduction from 8- and 15-perf a well a 5-perf 65mm photography. Superscope negative were of cour e given the plice that was standard for Academy aperture film
in 1954. As Cinema cope u ed the full aperture area, a narrower negative plice was part of its design consideration, with the recommended dimensions for projector aperture plate set to eliminate the visibi lity of p lices during projection . T hese dimensions were changed in t he early '70s to allow for a slightly thicker splice, re ulting in the change in the recommended projection aspect ratio for anamorphic films with an optical track from 2.35:1 to 2.40:1. Other-
70mm prints for the 1961 reiss ue of The King and I were made fro m origina l negatives.
wi e there were no changes in negative cutting and printing 35mm anamorphic fi lms. egative cutting was standard for the larger frame negative which were often cut into A & B rolls to allow fades and disso lves to be made without going through a dupe rage. With the exception of 35mm print made by Technico lor in its dye transfer proces , all large negative printing was done off the original cut negatives, which were of course protected in advance by separations including 65mm eparation . Technicolor never built an IB printer for any format larger than 35mm. With horizonta l Vi ta Vi ion and Technirama, only a mall number of prints were struck, not likely more than 10 in the former instance as there were only that many situations set up to project them . These were all color po itive print a not enough were ordered to ju rify the co t of IB printing. initially on ly about 50 70mm prints were made on each release, =*>
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
31
The Chariot Race in Ben-Hur, showing the 2.75:1 aspect ratio.
but a the number of 70mm-equipped theater grew in the mid -'60 , the number of print truck grew w ith Lawrence of Arabia having a record 150 70mm print made during its origina l release. The 70mm prints were often made on optical printers at very slow speed to incorporate such image correction a adding a queeze at the ide to eliminate di tortion-when projected on deeply curved Cineramatype creens. Thi printing method damaged the negative ' perforations and years later wou ld create major problem for pre ervationi ts. Deluxe Laboratories made 35mm print directly from the inema cope 55 negative of Carousel and The King and I while the 70mm print for the latter' 1961 70mm rei ue were made off the origina l negative by Technicolor. In 1963 in a joint venture w ith Technicolor, Panavi ion developed a n optical printer len that a ll owed high quality unsqueezed 70mm print to be made from film hot in 35mm anamorphic. Such blowups were made optically off the origina l cut negative until l 978 when the increa e in order for them, for better sound not higher qua lity picture, led to their being made from 35mm printing CRI and internegatives. In the '80 , on films like The Empire trikes Back where upward of 200 70mm prints were being ordered, a 65mm printing
32
internegative wou ld be made off the master interpo itive. Prints on a ll th e co lor films released in Superscope were made by Technicolor with the queeze being introduced during the mak ing of the matrice . Technicolor a lso made ome of the prints on films which ub equently u ed the technique under such name a Warner cope (1958-61), Mega cope a nd Hammerscope. A notable exception was the American release of such H a mmer film a H ouse of Fright (1960), The Pirates of Blood River (1962), and The Crimson Blade (1964), which were printed by Pathe from queezed internegatives. Black-and-white print were made from queezed dupe negatives; FI, Deluxe and Pathe a l o all having the uper cope optical printer len e . Until the earl y '60 , Technicolor proce ed the negatives and made not only the 70mm relea e prints on a ll film hot in 65mm, but a l o the initial 35mrn general release and 16mm non-theatrical prints. ome of the 35mm anamorp hic relea e prints of Raintree County a nd Ben-Hur were "letter-boxed' to retain the 2.75:1 Camera 65 aspect rati o. In the early '60 , both Deluxe and MGM Laboratorie would put in 65/70mm faci lities and wou ld begin doing lab work for their parent companie , 20th Century-Fox and MGM. They would a l o make the 35 mm relea e print using a 3 mm queezed internegative
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
made from either a 65mm or 35mm squeezed interpositive, a well a any new 70mm, 35mm or 16mm print of the films origina ll y printed by Technicolor路 Deluxe al o doing new print of 65mm film made for United Ani t relea e. Becau e plice would show in prints from a Techni cope negative, those printed in the United tate were a semb led into ingle roll with an extra frame at the head and tail of each cut. Te hnico lor' computerized Auto-Selective printer wou ld be programmed to skip those two frames at each cut when making the matrice . In the late '60 becau e of the number of Techni cope film their client were importing, Deluxe and Pathe put in optical printer to make squeezed 4-perf interpo itive or internegatives, and after 1966, CRI eliminating the extra frame in the proce . The e labs were a lso able to capitalize on a brief flurry of intere tin Techni cope by low budget filmmaker in Hollywood. By 1970 anamorphic photography and it a ociated po t-production technique had become a worldwide tandard, and a previously noted, in the early '80 uper cope wa revived as Super 35 and many of the po tproducti n techniques introduced for it in 1954 were revived with a more contemporary pin. (MGM, current owner of the United Arti t library, recently u ed Super 35 optic to make a new anamorphic internegative on
Vera Cruz, the fir t fi lm to be released in Super ope.) The other format fe ll into disuse, creating problem in re taring them and/or making new print . Although black-and-white eparation were made on almo tall the 65mm Technirama and Vi taVi ion films, they were made dry, which meant any cratche on the negative were printed into the eparations and they were never te t printed back to ee if there were any other flaw in their manufacture. During the '60s and '70 interpo itive were made off the original negative to generate 35mm and 16mm internegative for TV syndication u e. Later, new theatrical print were made off the e internegative with re ult of varying degree of quality when compared to print from the original relea e. When eriou effort were made to re tore many of these film in the late '80 and early '90 , the e internegative were con idered unacceptable the eparation discovered to be flawed, and the origina l negatives were found to be faded, especially on film hot in the '50 . VistaVi ion had urvived for rear projection work, and after it adoption by John Dyk tra for vi ual effect work on tar Wars it u e became randard in that field and is stillu ed for plate photography on element to be campo ired digitally. 65mm wa al o u ed for this work by Douglas Trumbull and his successor Richard Edlund. Much of the lab equipment developed in the '50 and '60 for both the e format would find their way into various effect houses. Pre ervationi ts working on the re toration of 65mm and Vi taVision film would u e this equipment a a foundation for developing new
equipment that met higher contemporary tandards. Restoring films in le used format proved to be more difficult. In 1972 Pacific Theater , which had bought the inerama Corporation approached Linwood Dunn about making a ingle strip 70mm converion of This ls Cinerama. In pection Douglas Trumbull (left) and Richa rd Edlund are filmmakers who have used 65mm film for of the origina l negative revea led fading problem not only between digitally composed elements. cene , but al o betwe n panels, which would make co lor recorrecfour theaters internationally that can tions time consuming and expen ive. how the original three-projector Technico lor till had a et of matrice proce . on the film and so a new IB print was In 1965 MGM Laboratorie made struck and used in a trip le head an unsqueezed 2.2:1 IP on Ben-Hur. optical printer to create a new 65mm All ub equent 70mm print have internegative. been made off internegatives from thi Unfortunately this was done in IP . Although wide creen buff would the standard 70mm 2.2:1 aspect ratio love to see it, reported ly it i not commercially viable to do a restoration of o a third of the image in the ide panels wa cut off. There ha been this film in its original 2 .75:1 a peer talk over the Ia t decade of doing ratio or to make new 70mm print in restoration on a ll the Cinerama this ratio of the other film hot in travelogue in both three pane l and amera 65/Uitra Panavi ion a there 65mm; a of thi writing there are are not enough theater
Burt Lancaster, Gary Cooper in Vera Cruz
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
33
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internationally that cou ld show them properly to recover the costs of the print . Technicolor junked its Technicope printer in 1975 and had tared away its lenses for squeezing or un-
Resolution of state-of-the-art digital systems is not up to the quality [neeclecl]••• queezing Technirama. 35mm 4-perf anamorphic IPs and eparation had been made on the various film hot in these proce se , bur a th e former e pecially had been done to yield un queezed internegative for nontheatri al release and TV syndication, that they had not been made to the highest tandard of quality was immediately evident when they were u ed as a ource of new theatrical print in the '80s. Fortunately a number of facilities had been et up by then which pecial-
ized in film restoration a nd they et our ro develop optic th at wo uld yield the highe t quality image from the e negatives. partacus got the delu e treatment from Robert A H a rri and ] arne C Katz: restoration to a 65mm IP with new 70m m print . Beca u e Technirama is no longer a commonly used format, pre erva tionists would like to pre erve Technira ma film s in 65mm, a wa also done w ith Di ney s leeping Beauty. Unfortunately many of the owners of Technirama films have been reluctant to go for the add itiona l expen e. H arri and Katz a lso restored the Vi ta Vi ion film Vertigo in 65 mm . Techni co pe film like American Graffiti and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly have a lso benefited from new printer optic resulting in print that a re sha rper than tho e from the film ' original relea e. atu ra ll y there ha been talk of u ing digital techno logy ro both preserve and eliminate orne of the conversion problem with these ~>
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now arcane format . In the opinion of man y pre ervationi t and tho e knowledgeable about film technology, the resolution of state-of-the-art digital y terns is not up to the quality of, e pecially, three panel inerama, 65mm, Technirama and Vi taYision; and film-even reduction to 35mm anamorphic eparation - i till con idered the be t medium for the preserva tion of films in those formats. Unfortunately economic may re ult in deci ion on this i ue tha t will be regretted in the future . The next in tallment will deal with a nother area of the Wide Screen Revolution that has rarely been covered: its effect on nontheatrica l a nd amateur filmmaking. Did you know that anamorphic len e , including Chretien' H ypergonar, were being marketed to amateur filmmaker -in 1928?
ERRATA
A couple of errors crept into the last i ue and orne acknowledgements were mi ing from my contribution . Fir t, the illu tration at the beginning of my historica l article (w hich I did not choose) i not a inerama creen, but the Magical Mirror Screen developed for inema cope. In my annotations to the Technicolor article, in the li t of the last films to be hot in three- trip, it hould be An Annapolis Story, not The Rose Bowl Story, which wa a 1952 CineColor film.
First Assistant prays, The Actor hits his mark; the dailies are sharp. - RG
And I hould like to acknowledge that mo t of the information in tho e annotations came from the writings of Dr Rod Ryan, the foremost authority on motion picture co lor proce se , and conversations over the years w ith Dr Ryan, the late Sid So low of CFI, the late Pete Comandini of YCM Laboratorie and Jim Danforth, Douglas Knapp oc, Scott MacQueen of the Walt Disney Company, and Richard P May of Warner Bro I Turner Entertainment. -Rick Mitchell
Blazing action thrill, Concentration so intense; The Steadicam trips. - RG
We changed emulsions, I did not set my meter. Force the roll one stop. -RG
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
It IC ~ โ ขI L I. .
Camera Trivia <i}uiz How well do you know the history of cameras?
1.
arne the fir t camera that 9. Which came fir t, the Filmo or the allowed reAex viewing during Eyemo? the shot. 10. Henri Chretien i credited with 2. What wa the 4-digit Kodak building the fir t anamorphic code for the fir t motion motion picture len . What year did picture film they had in he build it, and what year wa it general u e? first u ed on a feature film? 3. True or fal e: You can't 11. Louis LePrince made uccessful change per pective by changmotion picture in France in 1888, ing lense . u ing a paper negative, becau e 4. What wa the fir t movie with celluloid had yet to be invented. ychronized sound? When Kodak invented celluloid, 5. The Technicolor camera u e LePrince et up a demon tration of three trips of film to record hi sy tern in ew York. Why did the three primary color . the demon tration never take place? When threading, which trip 12. What wa the fir t film to use a of film goe in which gate, Sreadicam 1"' hot? and what are the ernul ion po ition ? 6. What wa the name of the first 3- trip Technicolor film made by a studi ? You ' II get 1 point if you name the fir t live action feature, 2 point if you name the fir t live action hort ubject and, ye 3 points for both. For a 4th point: What wa the name of the fir t 3- trip Techni olor animated film? 7. Which camera wa the fir t to officially u e T - top on it len e ? (Hint: It wa not a motion picture camera. ) 8. Why did Abel Gance choo e wooden DeBrie cameras to hoot apoleon rather than the more modern metal DeBrie ?
13. Who de igned the movement that were u ed in the early Panavi ion camera ? 14. How did Martin and 0 a John on, the popular African explorers influence the design of a famou camera? 15. Each of the following ub tance ha been applied extensively to motion picture film at one time or another. Why? a. Hot wax b. Mercury fume c. Uranium ferrocyanide An wers ar www.soc.org Š / 998 L Sp rague Anderson. All rights resen ,ed
No sound slows us down . No tempers. Tranquil drive-bys. Second Unit joy. -RG
THE O PERATING CAMERAMAN : WIDESCREEN REVOLUTION
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aving driven cross-country from Cherry Hill NJ to California, I exited the freeway at Hill Street, down-
town Los Angeles. I recognized the stark white thirteen-story building known as Los Angeles City Hall, from having seen the original Dragnet TV series. LiHie did I know that nine years later I would be filming the documentary-style THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: UFE ON THE STREETS
~>
41
openings for the new ver ion, Dragnet '69, for Jack Webb' Mark VII Productions at Universal City Studio . I didn't know a oul in the motion picture industry, which wa till partially controlled by legendary studio chiefs Darry l Zanuck and Jack Warner.
Job Hunting The year was 1960 not the best time to be arriving on the Hollywood scene. jobs were carce due to the impact of televi ion on the moviegoing public, and Twentieth Century-Fox wa on the brink of bankruptcy due to budget overrun on Cleopatra. So with the Yell ow Pages under my arm, I et out to look for a job. I went down the list of movie companie alphabetically that I wou ld vi it each day, then learned to arrange my daily vi it geographically. It made more en e to drive to Twentieth Century-Fox and then to MGM in Culver City, rather than driving over the hill to Warner Bros in Burbank, and then back to MGM. My search was further complicated because I didn't have a pecial trade kill. Telling someone in the per onnel department that "I could do everything and would do anything" didn't cut it e pecially at the heavily union-
ized studios. And yet I did have some experience and a lot of enthusiasm to offer. My high school experience included still photography for which I received numerous awards as well as stage managing Damn Yankees and No Time for Sergeants at the Camden County Music Fair near Philadelphia. I had also worked a tage manager for the Latin Casino Theater Restaurant, a night club bigger than anything in Las Vegas. Some of the hows included Steve Parker's Holiday in japan, Patti Page and Johnny Mathis. After that I attended the prestigious Goodman Theater Schoo l in Chicago, tudied art and interior design at the Philadelphia Museum College of Art, and majored in radio, television and film at Miami University. My burning de ire wa to be a Hollywood cameraman. Weeks of job hunting turned into months, so I started visiting some of the smaller production companies. I remember one interview in particular that lasted less than 30 seconds. I wa a ked what a keylight wa . I felt my mouth getting dry, my ear getting hot and weat forming on my forehead. I didn't know the answer, but I mustered up the courage to venture a
The Shah of Iran (in sunglasses) visits Los Angeles . John Orland (center) records his arrival with a Filmo camera.
42
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : LIFE ON THE STREETS
guess. "A key light hang from the ceiling." Any hope of getting a job ended then and there.
News Photography 101 Finally I found a part time job with RSVP Productions for which I wa paid $35 per week. The owner, Rick Spalla made his living by covering the Hollywood scene and also provided new film to Channel 9,
KHJ-TV. Before going out on an assignment, a decision would be made a to whether the film coverage would be ound or ilent. Sound coverage meant
The Auricon Cine Voice
u ing an Auricon Cine Voice 16mm camera. A two-per on crew was required plu the on -camera host. Because three of u would be tethered together by sound and power cable , most shooting wa done with the camera itting on a tripod. The Auricon camera was manufactured in Hollywood and was known in the trade a a " oundon-film camera.' We used single perf black and white film, and sound was recorded optically on the non-perf edge of the film. We would lug the camera, sound amplifier ca e , tripod, lights, etc and 1 would operate the sound amplifier to make sure the audio level were correct. The original Auricon did not have a reflex viewing ystem. This created several challenge for the cameraman. The ubject could appear to be in focu through the viewfinder, but would be out of focu on the film plane. In critical ituations to verify=*>
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focu the camera wou ld have to be opened the film unthreaded the pre ure plate removed, and a small pri m in erred into the gate. Focu wou ld be a ured by us ing a tiny magnifying glass with no handle, about the ize of a dime, while the cameraman wa looking at the image in the prism and focusing the len . Not an ideal situation especially when covering a burning building with it wall about to collap e. The zoom lens, a Pan Cinor, was very slow, rated at The Auricon f4.5, but wa actually about a half an f- top lower. There were everal models of the 16mm Auricon camera. One accepted 1200-foor magazine , a ll owing a ha lf hour how to be recorded . I remember one incident in particu lar while breaking down the camera after a hoot. Confident that I knew what I wa doing, I pun open the threaded lid on what I t hought wa the feed side of the magazine, expecting to see a tiny short end. But much to my horror, I could ee 1200 feet of exposed 16mm co lor film-the entire how-wound around a core. I quickly lammed the giant magazine door clo ed not aying anything to anyone, and delivered the film to the lab. After a leeple night, I picked up the processed film and looked at it. There was a slight orange treak indicating edge fog on one side of the fi lm that stopped before it reached the picture area. I had been aved by the low ASA rating of the color film, and no one knew that I had crewed up big time. Sometime I wa ent out a lone for an MOS hoot. Thi meant u ing a mall but sturdy wind up Bell and Howell 70 Filmo camera with a three len turret. It big brother wa the 35mm Eyemo, a combat camera u ed by the Army in World War II. On t he 16mm B&H Filmo, switching to another lens on the turret meant a lso witching the corre pond ing tiny lenses on the viewfinder turret. Later,
the camera lens turret was modified to connect to the viewfinder, o witching the lens automatica ll y changed the len on the viewfinder turret. Prior to that, I forgot more than once to make the nece sary adju tment and occasiona ll y fi lmed a subject ~ using a 75mm camera z lens w hile a 25mm lens g was po itioned in the o~ viewfinder turret. iii Then there was the § dreaded parallax. lf a ~ subject wa clo er than 10 or 15 feet to the 1200 camera, an adjustment had to be made to the viewfinder. The prob lem went away when reflex viewing y rem came into vogue.
On the beat One of my more intere ting assignments was covering the lengthy
trial of the infamou mobster Mickey Cohen. After a while he began to nod in recognition when I entered the crowded courtroom. Having worked for Rick Spalla for a year, I enro lled at USC, attending class five nights a week. I tudied cinematography, editing, motion picture history, criticism, etc. Later I went on to establish a succe sful production and editing bu ine with one of my professors, Herbert L Strock, who had directed Battle Taxi with Sterling Hayden. We were hired by Consolidated Film Industries to re-edit movie in the Republic Picture library that had deteriorated due to the nitrate film tock. My next job was film librarian for David L Wolper Production on the TV series, Hollywood and the Stars. At the same rime I got married, and received a raise in exchange for going on my honeymoon, due to the critical nature of my job-big mi take! It wa a very low time in Hollywood. ~
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Derek Ughlbody with twin awards.
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45
Many union editor were working in a non-uni on capacity for Wolper Productions. But oon after the series wa old to BC, I was a ked to join the Film Editor Guild, which I did, and got another big raise. I was sent to Puerto Vallarta a assistant cameraman on an BC documentary coveri ng the making of The Night of the Iguana tarring Richard Burton,
I sweated bullets until the lilm dailies were processed without a hitch. Ava Gardner, Deborah Kerr and Sue Lyon. Produced by Ray tark and directed by John Houston, the film was photographed by Mexico' legendary Gabrie l Figueroa. I had told my bo s I wa familiar wi th the 16mm Arriflex camera, when indeed I had never touched one. I banked on the fact tha t the cameraman, David Blewitt, who wa also a
46
terrific film editor, wouldn't notice if I loaded the magazines incorrectly or threaded the camera wrong. I sweated bullets until we returned to Hollywood and the film dailies were processed without a hitch. Puerto Vallarta was a challenging location and the daily routine was incredibly grueling. A dugout canoe, launched through the surf, would take us to the peed yacht where we would transfer our camera gear for the half hour journey to Mi maloya Beach. From there we transferred our equipment to a raft that took us to the dock where we finally unloaded our camera gear, ready to begin our day's work. There wa the additional emotional burden of knowing that President John F Kennedy had just been assasinated, and wondering if the United States would come under attack by unnamed Communist forces during our absence. In Mexico I also learned about the " turistas"-yo u don 't want them! I would squat in the jungle bushes fearing an iguana would nip at
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : LIFE ON THE STREETS
my "expo ure " while attempting to fend off battalions of mosquitoes. They were everywhere including the in ide of our hotel room at the El Rio in Puerto VaUarta. The hotel didn' t have window screens to keep the hungry pe t away. Sometimes in the middle of the night when the mosquitoes were on the attack, I would spray DDT onto the nude body of our producer, Bill Kronick, and he would return the favor. After returning from Mexico, I worked a an assistant cameraman and cameraman on several epi odes of Hollywood and
the Stars.
New challenges After Wolper Production , I formed my own company, Direction Unlimited. I filmed numerous TV commercials, mostl y local, and tried to produce a TV documentary about the declining fortunes of the American railroad industry and ended up owing Deluxe/General Laboratories several thousand dollars, due to my own
declining fortun e -art imitating life. Through the union I became a n apprentice editor in the hipping department at Paramount Picture . I wo uld occasionally have to rewind a 35mm feature fi lm print after a creening. Huge Vi sta Vision print offered a challenge because they cou ld easi ly pin out of control on the high - peed electric rewinds, flying lik e spaghetti a ll over the place. But mo t of the time I at on the econd tory fire escape of the editoria l department watching Bonanza being hot on the We tern treet below me. After a w hile I pretended I wa
Clete Roberts made it a point to introduce me as his cameraman. directing the how a nd the crew was working for me. The real challenge I had in th e hipping department was to answer the phone before anyo ne else. The req ui red greeting was: "Fi lm hipping department." Much better for me to a n wer " Hello. ' After a ll , I wa now a 'producer ' who e friend and busines a ociate knew that they cou ld reach me at Pa ramount Studio . John Orland the producer a lmo t got fired from Para mount Pictures. Fro m the projection room I had picked up the 35mm reel of cut work print from Otto Preminger's In Harm 's Way, a big World Wa r II movie tarring John Wayne. I then delivered them back to the cutting room. Later my bo received an angry phone ca ll from Preminger saying one of the reels I had picked up, igned for and wa supposed to deliver back to the cutting room was missing. I said lo ing a 35mm reel of the movie wa impo ib le on my horr trip from the projection room to the cutti ng room . Even Howa rd Koch , rudio hea d, got involved and I wa afra id they were goi ng to ca ll the police and have me a rrested. Otto Preminger had a reputation for crea ming at his actor to get good performance out of them, o I had visions of him creami ng at
me. Luckily a maintenance man di covered the mangled 35mm reel at the bottom of the dumbwaiter which wa u ed to tran port film between the fir t and econd floor of the edi toria l building. The reel had fallen down the haft through the narrow opening between the floor of the dumbwaiter and the side of the wa ll. M y ca reer was aved by the dumbwaiter.
Covering the news for KHJ After my stint at Paramount I reestablished my relation hip with KHJ-TV by providing film footage for evera l of its loca l show openings. Rick Spa lla was long gone and Clete Roberts was the current on-camera host who had come over from K XT. His company, USTV ew , provided new fi lm on a contract ba is to KHJ. I began to work as a ca mera man for Clete Roberts on seve ra l o utside projects for KCET. Clete was a well known TV personality, very handsome, and had a reputation for going
to the scene of breaking new wearing a trench coat which became hi ignature. More than once, people wou ld approach our table in a restaurant and a k Clete for hi a utograph. H e a lway obliged and made it a point to introduce me a hi cameraman. Hand baking and polite exchange could always be expected w henever I accompanied Clete Roberts on a new tory. By 1964 the technology had changed dramatically since the Ia t time I had been in the TV new bu iness. ow everyone wa u ing Kodak Ektachrome EF co lor film with a daylight speed of around A A 40, and w ith a magnetic stripe a long one ide for ound film recording. The ound amplifier had gotten much maller and lighter, so now in addition to shooting, I could a l o ride the a udi o level . The Auricon Cine Voice was still being u ed but it was common practice to have the top of the camera chopped off to accommodate a ~>
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : LIFE ON THE STREETS
47
400-foot magazine. It had a true reAex viewing ystem. The lens of choice was an Angenieux zoom lens. Body braces were being u ed to
The Cine Voice would be labeled as ergonomically unsafe by today's standards. upport the Auricon camera, which tuck out in front of you and probably would be labeled as ergonomica ll y un afe by today' tandard . It helped if you were a former football player, which I was. For silent filming the Bell and Howell 70 DR camera wa being u ed, but now with a linkage between the camera turret and viewfinder turret. I u ed quartz light for tandard lighting etup and a Frezzo lin i ungun for run-and-gun situations. KHJ-TV was a lways very budget con ciou , and I knew that lete
Robert ' days of being anchorman and suppl ying new film were coming to an end. During this period I was hired by Clete to accompany him to Seattle Washington, where I would film the origi na l hamu killer whale being loaded onto an airline freighter for the trip to Sea World in San Diego. C lete again hired me to film a TV pecial about the infamou rebellion on the Berkeley campus of the Univer ity of alifornia . Mario avio wa the leader of the Free Speech Movement. Hi group of tudent went on trike and Governor Ronald Reagan called in the California ational Guard to restore order on the campu . It was potentially a very explosive ituation, with memorie rill fre h in my mind of the Kent tate tragedy a few year earlier. Yet what l mo t remember about the al Berkeley rebellion tory wa the hared hock and embarrassment of having left our statio n wagon parked in front of the airline terminal with the motor sti ll
running. In our ha te to get our equipment on board the airp lane, we had totally forgotten about our car. Clete, in hi charming way summoned a tewarde and told her the tory. he in turn told the pilot, who radioed the air traffic controller who notified company offi ial , and within minute we were a ured by the miling tewardes that our vehicle wou ld be taken care of. In the ummer of 1965 the Wart riots broke out. I wa hired a a freelance cameraman to cover the story. It was one of the mo t frightening situation I have ever been in. I wa driven into the riot area by a KHJ radio reporter who eemed to be a little too daring in uch a frightening and dangerou situation. He drove and talked nonstop whi le I hunkered down, afraid of being shot by a niper. Later I concluded that thi namele s reporter's 'courage" wa the result of being wel l fortified with alcohol. After our ration wagon was
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : LIFE ON THE STREETS
tolen in Watt , I tea med up with a blac k LAPD plain-clothe office r who dro ve me aro und in an unm arked car. Wh en member of the ati ona l Gu ard approac hed u with their gun drawn, he showed them hi police credenti al When ome threa tening indi vidual ca me up to our car, he wa able to charm th em with hi treet talk. I
Ihad bettered all 3 television networks, beaten only by KTLA with its telecopter. received verbal credit from KHJ air for my work and a Los Angeles Times TV column proclaimed th at KHJ' new -film cove rage wa second onl y to KTLA. I wa ve ry proud of th e fact th at I had bettered all three telev i ion netwo rk , bea ten onl y by KTLA with it teleco pter. I decid ed it wa time to reenter th e TV new bu in e throu gh my own Di rections Unlimited film company. I made a ve rbal and written pre entati on to Ma lcolm Kl ein and Wa ll y herwin at KHJ-TV th at included th e Los Angeles Tim es article about my new -film cove rage of th e Watt ri ot . oon a fter, I was awarded the new film contract. One of th e conditi on was thar I had to qu ote them a weekl y fee fo r the e ervices. For any new tori they wa nted cove red be ond the co pe of our contract, r wo uld bill additiona l per onn el co r , film and lab charge . My co mpany initia ll y u ed Ea tman Kodak to proce EF color rever al stock but it rook eve ral hours to get the developed film back. Later we witched to FI where I arranged to get our film onto proce sing machines ahead of oth er cu ro mers. Eventu all y we gor even fa ter se rvice at ew film La bo ra tory. 1 prov id ed film coverage to KHJ-TV fi ve day a wee k, which consisted of at lea t two ca mera crew , one ound and one il ent. On th e wee kend if nece ary, I could a lways be co unted on to cove r a brea king to ry by myse lf. A new reel ca meraman' jo b ca n
be ve ry stres ful but doing it for KHJ-TV made it eve n more tre ful. There alway eemed to be more news to ri es than th ere were ca mera crew . In many in ranees I would arri ve in th middl e of a pre conference. Arri ving late, I would have to crawl to th e pea ker' podium on my hand and kn ee below th e fi eld of vi ew of th e asse mbl ed newsreel ca mera o [ co uld qu eeze a mi crophone onto th e crowded lectern. I u ed my own light even if the ubj ect wa properl y lit in ca e the other cam eramen turn ed off th eir lights and left earl y.
Beginnings of the modern era In the mid '60 th e life of a newsreel ca meraman wa getting better. M o t place th at had regul ar press conference including th e mayo r's pre room at ity Hall, now had perm anent lighting o you ju t had to determine th e correct expo ure and hoot. There wa no need to wo rry about placing a mi crophon e on th e podium beca use th ere was one
permanent microphone and an audi o junction box th at we all plugged our sound amplifi er into for ound/film reco rding. Adapting to the e change wa n't easy. Los Ange le Intern ati onal Airport had recently in tailed boa rding tunnel (now ca lled Jerway ) th at pa senge rs used to either boa rd or di embark from an airpl ane. Prior to that people u ed a et of mobile tair and famou pa sengers wo uld po ea t th e top for picture that u uall y included ome of th e airplane and th e name of the airline. eedless to ay it was a ve ry photogenic opportuni ty. All th at changed with th e advent of th e tunn el (Jerway ). n one occa ion when Eli za beth Tay lor and Richa rd Burton had ju t arri ved at LAX, the a emb led new reel crew and on-camera reporter we re told to wa it until they ca me out of the new ly in ta iled Jerway and into the airport waiting area. One of th e crews broke rank and ran down th e Jetway. You ca n im agin e what happened next ~>
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THE O PERATI NG CAMERAMAN: LIFE ON THE STREETS
49
when most of the news crews, my elf included tormed inside the Jetway. About ha lf a dozen cameramen connected by cable to half a dozen audio men conn cted by cable to half a dozen reporter , plu ti ll photographers and newspaper reporters, turned into a ea of out-of-control media which erupted into fistfights. Meanwhile Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were till in ide the airplane. W hen order was fina ll y re tored, Tay lor and Burton, probably without ever knowing what caused the delay, came out of the Jerway and we all got our coverage.
Showtime At KHJ-TV in the mid to late '60s Wally Sherwin concocted a format for a new program called Tempo. It wa to be broadca t live for air four or five hours a day. There wou ld be live ho ts at KHJ's tudio anchoring the how and taking live telephone call from viewers. The engineering department
took one of the big 2- inch quad video tape machine and adapted it to accept a 3-second loop o a ca ller who aid omething offen ive cou ld be
Not every Hollywood event was as glamorous as people might expect. bleeped before it wen t out ove r the air. The new format a l o included more news coverage. Wally decided that he wanted to u e young good looking reporter , o he held everal audition which I attended. The kid looked the part but bad no on-air experience. The best of the lot were hired and were ent out with me and my new crew . Often it was a painful experience, but we survived . Occasiona ll y I wou ld hoot feature storie with ome of t he how' ho t : Stan Borman Jack Well , Don Mcquire (who later wrote the movie Tootsie),
JoAnne Pflug Maria o le and former Congre man Bob Dornan. After lot of growing pain , Tempo wa nominated for a local mmy by the Academy of Televi ion Art and Science . ot every Ho ll ywood event wa a glamorou a people might expect. In 1965 I covered a po t-premiere parry for the movie King Rat, at the famou Whi ky-A-Go- o on th Sunset Strip. I wanted to get a wide hot of the large crowd, searchlights and arriving limou ine . I decided to climb up a m tal ladder on the side of the building to get to the roof. I put my B&H 70D R in a small cu tommade case and attached a thick trap to each side of it. Then, with the trap around my che t and camera ca e hanging behind me I tarred up the ladder. I wa one tory above the ground when the trap started to slip and, with each vertica l step, the strap moved a little more until it wa up around my neck. I tarred to choke a
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : LIFE ON THE STREETS
the camera case began winging back and forth behind me. It seemed like a life-or-death struggle to reach the roof. Unnoticed by the throngs of people below, with each step becoming more difficu lt, I finally reached the roof. It was frightening and exhausting, but I got my shots and lived to tell about it.
Blue Rain One of my strangest experiences on a technical level was with Ektachrome EF color film stock. I began to notice white dots with little blue tail on individual frame of the proce ed film which I called "blue rain.' They were very annoying and each day the problem wa getting worse. I al o noticed the "blue rain" on film that wa hot by other local TV ration . My teriously the "blue rain" was occurring only on film that wa shot using my Auricon cameras. I con-
I covered the Beatles' visit to Los Angeles, the dedication ol the San Diego Freeway, Robert Kennedy's assassination... suited the film lab and its personnel said there wa nothing phy ically on the film. It eemed to be a chemical reaction to omething. Then I consulted Birns & awyer' camera repair department and Eastman Kodak Company. o one had any an wers. About a month later, Eastman Kodak called me and aid they had finally discovered what was causing the problem. It wa a chemical reaction cau ed by magnesium particles. We deduced that the 400-foot magazines were beginning to show some wear and micro copic magnesium particles were floating around inside and contaminating the film. We took the necessary step and the "blue rain" ended in Lo Angele .
I've seen it all Among the many Storie I've covered through the years are the Los
John Orland photographing hospital ground-breaking ceremony.
Angeles Dodgers' first appearance in a World Series at Chavez Ravine, the Shah of Iran' visit to Lo Angeles, the groundbreaking for Jack Kent Cooke's Inglewood Forum, the opening of the Los Angeles Music Center, the grand opening of the Cinerama Dome Theater in Hollywood and the world premiere of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, the world premieres of Camelot, 2001,
Black Tights, Far From the Madding Crowd, Move Over Dm·ling, Grand Prix, numerou Academy Awards Shows originating from the anta Monica Civic Auditorium, numerou City of Pa adena Tournament of Ro es Parade , and a peace march to protest the Vietnam War. This last event took place near the Century Plaza Hotel where President Johnson was staying and turned into a
full-scale riot. In addition I covered the Beatie ' vi it to Lo Angele , the dedication of the San Diego Freeway leading into the San Fernando Valley, Robert Kennedy's assassination at the Ambassador Hotel and his flag-draped casket being loaded onto a military airplane for the trip back to Washington DC. A a news cameraman I am privileged to have had an in ider's view of Los Angele during the tumultuous decade of the '60 ; it glamorou movie tar , city government, public official , ometimes controver ial LAPD, hippies, sports, freeways, social change, UCLA and U C, new buildings sprouting up, and other subject that could fill a book. It wa a great beginning.
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: LIFE ON THE STREETS
51
Clockwise from the right: Giovanni Cavallini A.I.C. (DP), me, Raffaele Chianese (Focus Puller), and Giancarlo Rocchetti (KeyGrip/Dolly Grip). The film was Children of Hannibal.
fiLMMAKING FROM AN ITALIAN POINT OF VIEW y name i Ma imiliano Trevi . I live in Rome, Italy where I have been working a a Camera Operator for eight year . I ju t recently joined the Society of Operating Cameramen. Thi year I have al o been offered my fir t tudio picture here, although I did operate on US production back in Europe. One film I worked on is Titus, directed by Julie Taymor, with Anthony Hopkins and Jessica Lange. Another is the Italian film We All Fall Down, which has been at Sundance Film Festival. I'm working now on a TV series which will be finished in about 36 weeks, but I may not be able to do all the erie becau e I m waiting for the date the film tart in LA. A you know, tudio picture have everalluxurie that Emopean films lack. Some example : I can get every kind of equipment I need , and mo t importantly I can u e the newest equipment becoming more and more a complete
M
That's me wearing the Steadicam .
Operator. There are more people in the Camera crew. The amera Operator is definitely much respected. ln Italy the Production ompany alway ha money problem . And Ia t but not least in the US, the Movie i an lndu try. (Of cour e I m talking about Studio Production. In Italy, only Fiat is an Industry.) I often get the American Cinematographer and imilar literature where I read and learn about the ometime different working relations between the DP and the Operator. For example, from ob erving everal studio picture Operator at work on sets, I noticed that the main goal for them i to keep correct framing throughout the cene without having to be concerned with other things, leaving the rest of the main et photography matter to the DP. Europe has Operators that are mainly executors of crisp, full and fluid image , but I per onally enjoy having a re pectful total involvement in the cene. I like to ee my elf involved, when possible, in the con truction of the scene together with the Director and DP, involved in choo ing lenses, movements or pecial equipment. While the DP work with the Gaffer, I prepare the camera with my A si tant and eventually rig it with the Grip . I Like to think about the movement of the actor . I enjoy looking at the effect of the Lighting in the viewfinder for the DP and then talking to the heads of the Sound, Production Design, Make-Up and Grip departments and eventually even the actor , while we rehear e and if nece ary even while we hoot. In all of thi I can guarantee you that I' ll make ure That's me on the set of that everything that needs to Davide Ferrario's film be in focus will be, that the Guardami, which was at acror won t shine like a fish, Venice Film Festival '99. that the mic is out, that the eyelines will not eros , and that according ro movement and the light everybody will hit their marks, becau e sometime the video a ist is inaccurate. If it happen that omething i wrong during a scene I will ignal a top. I like to think of my elf a a Director/DP in training because only by being in their hoe can l be a good Operator and be proud of what I do for them and the film. Ju t recently I had an job offer from a Producer before they even hired a DP. Anyway, I believe any project is a world on its own, where Producers, Dire tars, DP and Operator must bring filmmaking knowledge, con istency and a natural creative attitude that alway work better when there i a profesional and rene atmo phere of cooperation. Films were, are and will be made together and the better the unity, the better the film . tao Max SO
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: ITALIAN
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53
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Training Tomorrow's Professional Filmmakers by David E Elkins hen you think of film schools, the first ones that come to mind are AFI U , U LA and YU. Start adding C A to this list. Win ton Salem i home to one of the newe t film schools in the country. Only 6 yea r old, the orrh arolina chool of the Art School of Filmmaking is already a stare-ofthe-art facility ready to nourish tomorrow' professional filmmakers. inc 196- the orth arolina School of rhe Art has been training student for careers in the arts. It i pre ently compo ed of five art chool : Dance, De ign & Production Drama, Filmmaking, and Mu ic. When former Governor Terry anford fir t propo ed that the tate e rabli h a
W
performing art chool, no one could predict that this school would one day be known as one of the best. The School is now one of 16 campu e 111 the University of orth arolina y rem. The most recent addition to this art con ervatory i the ch ol of Filmmaking. In the 1970 former CSA Chancellor Robert Ward began discu ing the possibility of adding a film school to the campus. The Univer ity Board of Governors granted permission to plan for a film school but the e plans were pur on hold until 1990 when Chancell or Ale Ewing
reopened the di cu ion. On March 6, 1992 the UN Board of Governor approved thee tabli hment of the chool of Filmmaking at CSA. The first dean of the chool was Sam L Grogg who wa appointed in January 1993. Mr Grogg' academic background included graduate rudies
56
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : FILM SCHOOL SERIES
and a PhD in popular culture and film from Bowling Green Univer ity. He erved as head of arional Education Program for the American Film In rirure from 1974-1979. He has al o executive produced everal theatrical motion pictures, including The Trip to Bountiful. The chool was fir t set up in a converted laundry building with offices and a screening room. Variou other building on or near the campu were u ed for classroom and rage space. The fir t class of 55 student enrolled at the hool in eptember 1993. AI o that year the orrh Carolina General A sembly introduced a bill to appropriate the necessary fund to con truer a fa ilirie complex. The official groundbreaking for the permanent home of the school, the "Studio Village, " took place in ovember 1995. The chool of Filmmaking tre e the collaborative nature of filmmaking and the nece iry of working as a ream member, all within a rigorou conervatory atmosphere. While derailed individual instruction is offered in
pecific areas, the School hope to create the "compl te filmmaker. " Thi individual hould be a storyteller of unu ual vi ion who know how to u e and valu all the component that are essential to the creation of a motion picture or a TV program. Thi goal i aided by in-depth instruction in film production, hi rory, theory and critici m, along with practical advice on getting work and succeeding profes ionally. The current program focu e on directing, producing, creenwriting, editing, cinematography or production design. After completing rhe four-year
undergradu a te progra m, w hich include genera l tudie in the huma nitie a nd sc ience , the tudent ea rns a Bac helo r of Fine Art degree in Fi lmmaking. The choo l a l o offer a Co llege Art Dipl o ma Progra m. All film classe in the dipl o ma progra m are identica l ro those ta ken fo r the deg r e. At the heart o f the progra m i th e ma terla ppre ntice a pproach to tra ining. Exp erienced mentor work one-o n-one w ith students to develo p the ta lents a nd kill neces a ry for a pro fe iona l career. The faculty con i t of working professio na l w ho have esta blished ca reers a nd continue
Elmer Bern stein , W ynn Thom as, pike Lee, Ka th y Ba tes, T ed Tall y jonas Ro enfield a nd Kevin Reynold . The conserva tory setting of th e choo l require th a t each tudent must int r view for admi ion a nd on ly th e mo t promi ing student a re accepted. Continu a ti o n in the progra m is by
" in vita tio n o nl y." Students a re in vited to continu e not o nly based o n their
to work in t heir cho en a rea . The wo rk of the facu lty a t th e choo l of Filmm a king h as wo n or been no mi na ted for Aca demy Awa rd , Emm y Award , Ca nnes Film Fe ri va l Award , W rite rs Guild of Am rica Awards, Cabl ACE Awa rd a nd ma ny o ther . In additi n to the full time re ident fac ulty, tudent have the opportun ity to me t w ith a va riety of guest a rti t fro m w ithin th e film maki ng co mmuni ty . The e profe io na l are bro ught in a pa rt o f a pa rtic ular cia o r fo r the entire choo l a a who le to ha re their profe io na l experience . Some past gue t a ni t include Ro bert Wi se,
grade for both a rt a nd genera l studies cl asses, but a l o ba sed o n their profes io nal a nd crea ti ve kill , a lo ng with their a bility to interact within th e schoo l community. The film c urri culum is currentl y structured o th a t genera l-studies cia e are held in the morning a nd film ci a se in the a fternoon a nd
1) Cinematography students Bruce Cole & Alex Anderson being shown the Ronford flu id head by faculty member Robert E Collins . 2} Cinematography students attend ing a lecture by Bill Hines SOC. 3) Bruce Cole setting up an Arriflex 16S camera on the Ronford fluid head, with Robert E Collins . 4} Bruce Cole, instructor
tim e is usua ll y 15-20 student . The student wr ite, produ ce, direct, de ign, shoot a nd edit a va riety o f film a nd vid eo project during the fir t two yea r . Th y lea rn every a peer of filmm a king, fro m pre-productio n pl a nning a nd budgeting to actu al producti o n of th eir film a nd fin all y post produ cti on, where it a ll comes together in the editing proce . At the end o f the econd yea r, students mu st decl are th eir area of peci a li za tion . Compl ete dedi ca ti o n is required a t th e choo l ince tudent pa rticipa te in lectu res, work ho p , creenings, producti on meeting , crew a signm ent (on th e rage a nd =*>
Robert E Collins and Alex Anderson discussing the operation of the camera and fluid head . S} Cinematography faculty member David E Elkins SOC explain ing the principles of focus pulling w ith student Matt Petrosky operating the Arriflex 16SR3 camera . 6} Cinematography student Brian G irecky operating the camera wh ile Parker Garrett pulls focus. Alex Anderson and John Kelly are seen in the background . 7} Bill Hines SOC explain ing to cinematography students the proper operation of the Arriflex gear head . 8) David E Elkins SOC pulls focus while Bruce Cole practices working with the gear head . 9} Parker Garrett practices with the gear head whi le Kenny Wilson pulls focus .
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : FILM SCHOOL SERIES
57
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Studio Village, North Carolina School of the Arts on location) and profe ional internhip . During the third and fourth year of rudy, students must obtain a professional internship outside of chool with a company involved in film or video production. The internhip is a requirement of the program and the student receive cour e credit for the uccessful comp letion of this intern hip. The main goal of the conservatory erring i to give the tudent training that is con i rent with w hat they will encounter in the profe sion. The chool of Filmmaking facilities provide that. In eptember 1997 the School officia ll y moved into its new rudio Village which is a multi purpo e complex, housing production, post-production and exhibition facilities . It wa de igned to be a fully functioning motion picture tudio. In
addition, it provides a "back lor environment" where tudent can film exterior scene in which a variety of looks can be achieved. The buildings of the Studio ViiJage are built a long a "Main Street" and fashioned in several different architectural styles. On one side of the Main Street is the Production/Post-Production complex which consi ts of three ound stages varying in size from 2,500 to 8,000 quare feet for shooting film or video productions a recording stage, a mixing stage, an ADR/Foley stage where sound effects can be created, and film and video editing rooms along with production offices for taff and student . The Recording Stage can be used for recording scores and original mu ic for film production and i capable of hosting an entire 100 piece orchestra. earby is the newly com-
pleted Main Instructional Facility that re embles a period- tyle brick high school. Thi building hou e faculty offices, two small studios, a computer lab, classroom , a faculty lounge and a still photo processing lab. On the other ide of Main treet is the Exhibition Complex. This complex consists of the Film Archive along with three motion picture theaters de igned to exhibit all format of film and video-16mm, 35mm, 70mm in Academy, Widescreen and Cinemascope format . The largest of the three theaters can seat 288 people with the two smaller theaters having seats for approximate ly 90 people each. Part of the Exhibiti on complex i a climatecon trolled storage facility for the schoo l's impressive film and video archive co llection. The origin and still the core of the CSA film archives i ollection, the Raymond J Regi which contain approximately 7,000 feature film . The School of Fi lmmaking Moving Image Archives was establi hed in 1994 and now contains more than 30,000 feature fi lm , 17,000 trailer and 9 000 horr and documentaries. With recent acqui irions, the School of Filmmaking currently ha a film archive econd on ly in size to that of the Library of Congress. It i the large r film archive of any film school in the world. And the films in the archives don 't ju t it in storage. Each week approximately 15 fiJms are creened for CSA film students in the three theater . A tared by current School of Filmmaking Dean Dale Pollock, "The opportunity for our student to ee th e great ma terworks of cinema pre en ted in their origina l form is unpara lleled." Student also have access to professional production and postproduction equipment for filming and editing their film and video project . The production equipment currently includes Arriflex 16 R2 and 16 R3 film cameras, ony Beta P video camera , ]VS S VHS video camera , a complete grip package complete lighting package with Arriflex and Mole Richard on lighting instruments, Mini Panther and Super Panther dollies, a 1 ton grip truck, a 3/4 ton ~
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: fiLM SCHOOL SERIES
59
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O mniMix Stud io in Studio Village, NCSA camera truck; two crew vans and one 4x4 pickup truck . The postproduction faci lities currently include new digital editing platforms using Fina l Cut Pro, an ADR/Foley Stage, SSL OmniMix Digital Mixing Console, two LightWorks non linear editing su ites, three SSL ScreenSound digital audio editing suite , and five Avid non linear editing uite including one AVID Media Compo er, one AVID Fi lm Composer and three AVID MCX suites. Some additional features of the Studio Village comp lex include dressing rooms for actors, equipment torage facilities, a full size loading dock, outdoor pool for shooting water shot , high-amperage power distribution boxes provided for shooting exterior within the Studio Village, water pipes routed to roofs to provide water for outdoor rain scenes, and an underwater tank. In April 1998 the School of Filmmaking held its formal dedication ceremonies for the Studio Village. Leaders of state and local government and private and corporate benefactors of the school as well as respected members of the film industry attended the three day celebration. The highlight of the dedication was a tribute to
60
THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN:
legendary filmmaker Robert Wise, director of The Sound of Music and West Side Story. Keynote peaker Jack Valenti, chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, aid, " I believe that what is happening here ought to be the model for other states around thi country." This statement reaffirmed what everyone at the orrh Carolina School of the Arts had known since the Studio Village began to take shape. This i a pecial chool, a unique school. In January 1999 Dale Pollock was named the new dean of the School of Filmmaking. Mr Pollock ' background includes serving a chief film critic and box-office analyst for Daily Variety and later as chief entertainment correspondent for the Los Angeles Times . While working at the Times, here earched and wrote Skywalking, the best elling biography of Star Wars creator George Lucas. A new edition was recently publi hed by Da Capo Press. In 1985 he joined the David Geffen Company as a development executive and in 1986 joined A&M Films, where he was appointed president in 1990. Mr Pollock has produced 12 feature films including A Midnight Clear, Blaze, House of
fiLM SCHOOL SERIES
Cards, Mrs Winterbourne a nd Set lt Off H e is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictu re Art a nd Sciences and the Prod ucers Guild of America. ln hi welcomi ng me sage Dea n Po llock wrote, ' Building on th e vision of founding Dean a m L Grogg, we plan to make the School of Filmmaking the top con ervatory film chool in the wo rld. Our students will enjoy hand -on production traini ng and experience from the moment they begin their studies in our four year undergraduate program. More importantly, they wi ll learn the oc ia l cultural and moral perspective of film, and how cinema firs into a historica l and theoretical context. Building on my experience a a producer of 12 theatrical feature film s, l plan to expand the scope and detail of what we teach at the choo l of Filmmaking but o ur stronge t resou rce will alway be our tudent . We want the brighte t, mo r creative and most amb iriou young filmmaker to emerge from the chool of Filmmaking, prepared to rake their place as the ci nema tic voice of the 21st century." Recentl y, Ra nd y Benson, a 1997 gradua te of the schoo l won th e tudent Acade my Award for Be t Documentary for his film Man and Dog, which wa produced a nd shot whi le he was a student a t the school. And judging by the recent third a nd fourt h year film produced by th e tudenr there wi ll be many more award won by th e e ruden ts in th e fu ture. F r more information abou t the chool of Fi lmmaking ca ll (336) 770- 1330 or check th e web sire at www.ncorts .edu/film .
About the author: David E Elkins is a Filmmaker Residence in Cinematography and is also Chairman of the Cinematography Department at NCSA School of Filmmaking. He is a member of the SOC and International Cinematographers Guild Local 600. He has worked since 1985 as an Assistant Cameraman and as a
Camera Operator on a variety of feature films, TV series, music videos and commercials. His two books, The Camera A si ra nt's Manual and Camera Terms a nd Concept , published by Focal Press, are used throughout the world by beginning and professional filmmakers. He is currently working on the third edition of The Camera Assi ra nt' Manual which is scheduled for publication in late 2000. You may contact him at comdove@ool.com .
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : FILM SCHOOL SERIES
61
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Advertisers' Index Advanced Camera Systems . . . . . 30
Mole-Richardson . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Aerocra ne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
Mr Time Lapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A rriflex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
21 36 Bogen Photo Corp ...... 45, 47, 49
OConnor Engineering ........ 7, 9
Birns & Sawyer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Otto Nemenz lnt' l ... . .. . ... . . 43
Cartoni USA ....... ........ 34
Panavision lnt'l . . . . inside back cover
Century Precision Optics . . . . . . . 61
Panavision Remote Systems . . . . . 44
Chapman Studio Equipment Inc .. 28
Ph ilips BTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
C inematography Electronics .. . .. 35
Photo-Son ics . .. . .. . .........
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Schumacher Camera . . . . . . . . . . 27
Ed-Venture Films/Books ........ 22
Sean Fairburn . .. ............ 46
Ferra Camera Mounts . . . . . . . . . 51
Sony Electronics Inc . . . . . . . .
Eastman Kodak Co . . . . .
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38-39
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Geo Film Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
Tiffen Mfg Corp ............. 58
Hydroflex .................. 37
Tyler Camera Systems . . . . . . . . . 52
J L Fisher
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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
Lee Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
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!Rpster of the Society of Operating Cameramen Gregory Paul Collier John A Connell Tom Connole John A Corso Ivan Craig Richard A Cullis Michael L Culp Joseph C D' Alessandro Edward Dadulak Rocky Danielson Richard W Davis Mark T Davison Ray de Ia Motte Eric DeBiackmere Kris Andrew Denton David Diana Troy Dick joseph DiGennaro Glenn DMncenzo Sean Doyle Simon Duggan, ASC David E Elkins David Emmerichs Steve Essig )ames Etheridge Brant S Fagan Tom Faigh Benjamin Sean Fairburn David B Fang Yuen Randal Feemster Michael Ferris Kenneth Ferro ACTIVE Lance Fisher Art Adams Aaron Fitzgerald Bret Allen Eric Fletcher Derek M Allen Howard Ford Lee Allison Sail Aridi Houman Forough lan Foster Ted Ashton )r Bill Asman Thomas Fraser David J Frederick John H Atkinson Dan Auerbach Michael Frediani Daniel Ayers Mike Freeman Michael Richard Frirt Paul Babin Rusty Geller Christopher 1Baffa Vincent Baldino Michael Genne Gerard Banales Wayne Getchell William Gierhart Stewart Barbee Allen Gonzales Jeff Barklage Lee Grover Tom Barron John Gunselman Gary H Baum Anette Haellmigk Guy Bee Tim Sellen Dennis Hall Richard Benda Chris Hayes )eb Bergh David Haylock Marc Andre Berthiaume Steven F Heuer Lance Billitzer Sean Higgins Ronald High Christopher A Bishop Charles M Hill)r )oe Blaisdell jeffrey Hoffman )ames Blanford Richard Bolter Joachim Hoffmann Robert Chapman Horne David Boyd Casey Hotchkiss Billy Bragg Scott M Browner Gary Huddleston Michael K Bucher Jeffrey G Hunt Philip Hurn Robin Buerki Stephen S Campanelli David Insley Levie Isaacks Susan A Campbell Michael )arocki Robert Carmichael Simon )ayes Michael W Chambliss Louis Chanatry Tom Jensen Michael A Johnson Joe Chess )r Steven )ones Julian Chojnacki jacques )ouffret Marcis A Cole
CHARTER Parker Bartlett Paul Basta Michael Benson Howard Block Mike Chevalier Sam Drummy joe Epperson Ron Francis Bill Gahret Peter Hapke Bill Hines Bob Keys Norm Langley Ed Morey Lee Nakahara )ay Neky Rik Nervik Leigh Nicholson John Nogle Dan Norris David Nowell Wayne Orr Ernie Reed Michael Scott Hal Shiffman Michael St Hilaire Ray Stella joseph F Valentine Ron Vidor
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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN :
John H Joyce David Judy Mark D Karen Michael Karp Wayne L Kelley Glenn M Kirkpatrick Douglas H Knapp Dan Kneece Rory Robert Knepp Robert Kositchek Kris Krosskove Brian Lataille joshua Lesser Michael Levine Ken Libby Hugh C Liffin Lynn Lockwood Thomas Loizeaux George Loom is Allan Lum Li Gregory Lundsgaard Kenji Luster Vincent C Mack Heather MacKenzie Paul S Magee )ames Mann Ja mie Maxtone-Graham Stan McClain Donald M McCuaig Martin Mclnally Robert L Mehnert Anastas N Michos Robert Mills William E Mills William Molina Lawrence P Moody Douglas R Moore Jeff Moore Robert Moore Denis Moran Donald Morea Chris Moseley Don Muirhead Sean Murray Thomas W Myrdahl Michael Negrin, ASC William R Nielsen )r Randy Nolen Tamas P Nyerges William O'Drobinak Russell Ofria Andrew William Oliver Lucio Olivieri John Orland Rafael Ortiz-Guzman Georgia Packard Charles Papert David Parrish Philip Pastuhov Aaron Pazanti Eric G Petersen Mike Pierce Peter Pilafian Robert Presley Bernard Reilly Kevin Riley Randall Robinson David Robman Andy Romanoff Peter Rosenfeld Andrea Vittorio Rossetto Michael S Roth Andrew Rowlands
SOC
ROSTER
Rudy Fenenga )r John C Flinn Ill, ASC Mark Forman Peter F Frintrup Richard Garbutt )ames Garvey Harvey Genkins Wayne Goldwyn Phil Gries Wynn Hammer Robert Hayes John Hill Chris Hood Kent Hughes Carrie lmai Gregory Irwin Chris Ishii Ryan S Jackson Thomas Patrick Johnson Frank EJohnson, ASC Kurt )ones Michael A )ones Cathy Kanavy Francis Kenny Douglas Kirkland Michael Klimchak Robert La Bange George La Fountaine, ASC Thomas Lappin Stevan Larner, ASC Lee David Laska John Le Blanc Mark R Leins Alan 1Levi Mark Levin llya Lie-Nielsen Roland ) Luna Richard Ma rks Dr Ellen Matsumoto Ray McCort Michael P McGowan Nick Mclean Sr John McPherson, ASC Charles Minsky K Adriana Modlin Richard Mosier joshua S Narins ASSOCIATE David S Adelstein Sol Negrin, ASC Leonard GAllen Ill John Newby David Paone Samuel Ameen Andrew Parke Gary-Oiyn: Armstrong Mark Ashley Diana Penilla Eric A Plautz Chuck Barbee Ted Polmanski Bonnie Blake Peter Bonilla Serge Poupis Don Presley Chris Boyer Udo Ravenstein Maja Broz Richard Rawlings )r, ASC Douglas Busby Bill Reiter Bruce Cardozo Kirk Chiswell Brian D Reynolds Alan Richter Ed Clare Marvin Rush, ASC Greg Collier Robert E Collins Mehran Salamati John Savka Richard Crudo Carl Martin Schumacher Sr )ames A Dennett Ronald Deveaux Bob Seaman George Spiro Dibie, ASC George W Singer )r )an Sluchak Patrick Michael Dolan Kevin Downey Don Spiro Owen Stephens Paul Duclos Bert Dunk, ASC Kevin I Stolpe Tara Summers Gary Eckert Michael Escobosa John Teal )ames Rush Tom Sanders Michael Santy Richard I Schaefer Chuck Schuman Philip Schwartz Alicia Craft Sehring Floris Sijbesma Osvaldo Silvera )r Jamie Silverstein Guy Skinner Mike Spodnik Sandy Spooner Stephen St John George B Stephenson Michael Stramisky David Stump Brian Sweeney )ames H Sweeney Bill Swinghamer Gene Talvin Stephen A Tate Taj Teffaha Richard Tiedemann John Toll, ASC Tsuneyuki Tometaka john Trapman Massimiliano Trevis Jeffery 1Tufano Daniel Turrett Pernell Tyus Robert Ulland Paul D Varrieur Edward Ventura Bill Waldman Victoria Walker William Webb Aiken Weiss Kit Whitmore, CSC Brian Keith Wilcox Bill Williams lan D Woolston-Smith Mick Worthen McKeen Warren Yeager Elizabeth Ziegler
Ronald Turowski Craig W ~alsh Patty Walsh Brian Watkins Haskell Wexler, ASC Shaun Wheeler Calvin T Wood Pol C Wright Noel Adrian Wyatt Tony Yarlett WAllen York David RZera Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC
CORPORATE AEROCRANE Greg Pedrick ARRIFLEX CORPORATION Bill Russell CFI Adam Chuck CHAPMAN/LEONARD STUDIO EQUIPMENT Leonard T Chapman Charles J Huenergard t CLAIRMONT CAMERA Denny Clairmont DELUXE LABORATORIES HONORARY )ames Burrows Richard L Thomas Dean Cundey, ASC EASTMAN KODAK COMPANY Bruce Doering Curtis E)ones William A Fraker, ASC Ron Howard John L Mason FUJI PHOTO FILM USA Ron Kelley Kathleen Kennedy Mark Murphy jerry Lewis FUJINON, INC Rick Mitchell John Newton A Linn Murphree MD GEO FILM GROUP David Myers George Nolan )ay Roth JL FISHER COMPANY Steven Spielberg )ames L Fisher Dennis Knopf Frank Stanley, ASC George Toscas LEE FILTERS Dan Hennessy MATIHEWS STUDIO LIFETIME ELECTRONICS, INC Bill Hines Ernst "Bob" Nettmann RETIRED OCONNOR ENGINEERING LABS Eugene Ashbrook Rupert Benson )r Joel johnson OTIO NEMENZ Bob Berry AI Bettcher INTERNATIONAL Vee Bodrero Karl Kresser PACE TECH NOLOGIES Don Burch Vicenzo M Pace Phil Caplan PANAVISION Bruce Catlin Bill Clark Tracy Langan Ben Hogan Cliff Concialdi PHOTO-SONIC$ Jim Connell Conrad Kiel Don Cropper Robert Feller SCHNEIDER OPTICS Stan Wallace Mike Ferra Gerald Perry Finnerman, ASC SONY ELECTRONICS Jerry Fuller Larry Thorpe TECHNICOLOR jerry Good Gil Haimson Kim Sherwood TECHNOCRANE LTD Lutz Hapke Simon )ayes Gary Holt VINTEN, INC Capt John W Hussey Ken Schwenk Bill Johnson WILLIAM F WHITE David Kurland LIMITED joseph Longo William F White Steve Lydecker Owen Marsh Bob Marta Michael McClary Emmanuel Metaxas King Nicholson Arnold Rich Sam Rosen Frank Ruttencutter Lou Schwartz Phil Stern Sven Walnum ROSTER CURRENT AS OF Ben Wolf 12/17/99
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