British Cinematographer - Issue 83 by Open Box Media & Communications

Cinematographer Roger Deakins CBE, ASC, BSC

Thank you Roger for using ARRI cameras and lenses on BLADE RUNNER 2049, and choosing ARRI Rental to support you. Camera | Grip | Lighting

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CREDITS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 83 / SEPTEMBER 2017

BRITISH

CINEMATOGRAPHER

UNI T ING C INE M AT O GR A P HE R S A R O UND T HE W OR L D

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH t. +44 (0) 1753 650101

Publisher and Managing Editor | ALAN LOWNE | +44 (0) 1753 650101 | alafilmuk@aol.com

“Confidence is essential in all things, even if internally you are very nervous. We all feel nervous at times, and it is not made any easier by tight schedules and limited budgets. But we can’t show it.” - ALEC MILLS BSC

CONTRIBUTORS RON PRINCE has many years of experience in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer Magazine and runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com). In 2014 he won the prestigious ARRI John Alcott Award from the British Society of Cinematographers for services to cinematography. DAVID A. ELLIS has written for a number of publications, including Cinema Technology and Film International. He is also the author of the books Conversations With Cinematographers and In Conversation With Cinematographers. DAVID WOOD is a freelance journalist who writes about film and TV technology and production. He is a former technology editor for Televisual Magazine, and writes for Worldscreen, TVB Europe and Broadcast Magazine. JOHN KEEDWELL GBCT UAV PILOT, the GBCT News Editor, is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on many productions around the world. He crosses over in both film and tape productions and has great knowledge of the new file-based formats and their methods of production. KEVIN HILTON is a freelance journalist who writes about technology and personalities in film and broadcasting, and contributes film reviews and interviews to a variety of publications in the UK and abroad. MICHAEL BURNS has been covering film, broadcast, VFX, animation and interactive design, in print and online, for 20 years. His work can regularly be found in such magazines as IBC Daily, Digital Arts, TVBEurope, Broadcast Tech, and more. He also works as a producer and advisor for conferences and digital agencies.

British Cinematographer is part of LAWS Publishing. Laws Publishing Ltd, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH t. +44 (0) 1753 650101 | f. +44 (0) 1753 650111 The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in British Cinematographer are not representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.

SUBSCRIBE When you subscribe you will receive an unrivalled insight into international cinematography and production. Published six times a year, you can receive the magazine posted to your home or office. You can now also access British Cinematographer anywhere you have an internet connection with our digital subscription. To subscribe please visit www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/subscribe For queries please contact Matt Hood on +44 (0) 121 200 7820 or email: matt.hood@ob-mc.co.uk

EDITOR’S LETTER

MURDER WILL OUT

he anniversaries of 2017 are coming thick and fast now, with some landmark birthdays on the near-future calendar. On the manufacturing front, LEE Filters marked its half-century earlier this year, and ARRI will soon reach the staggeringly impressive landmark of 100 years in the business. Along with gatherings for its staff in Munich, the company is hosting a series of celebratory shindigs around the world – starting in Amsterdam, where it will kick-off IBC in style, followed by Hong Kong with its oriental partners and clients, and then Los Angeles with its occidental friends and supporters at the ASC Clubhouse. Catch one if you can. Our summer visit to ARRI’s Munich HQ taught us a lot about persistence of vision and focus over the longer-term, which has seen a metamorphosis of the company’s business and fortunes – from analogue to digital, with a rosy future path. You can read all about that in this edition. Next up is the silver anniversary of IMAGO, the European Federation of Cinematographic Societies, with a grand, black tie event in Helsinki at the end of October. This includes the first annual IMAGO Awards. The elegant, handmade glass gongs should be highly-treasured, and nice mantelpiece talking-points, for the winners, as cinematographers are being judged solely by their peers – cinematographers. And rounding off the year, The Camerimage International Festival Of Cinematography, will also celebrate its 25 years as the world’s premier event for cinematographers and cinematography. One can only imagine the electric atmosphere and the buzz in Bydgoszcz this time around. We are, of course, delighted to include some the latest work being done by British and international cinematographers in this edition – Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC on Blade Runner 2049, John de Borman BSC on Will, David Tattersall BSC on Death Note, Simon Dennis on The Limehouse Golem, and Eigil Bryld on Tulip Fever, as well as a look over the impressive career of 007 James Bond veteran Alec Mills BSC. Day-to-day, as most within the production industry know, twists and turns are never far away. But the landmark achievements of companies, groups and individuals alike, do give a reassuring sense that by remaining close to your cinematographic roots, and your passion for imagemaking, there can be stability in this business. Or, to conflate the bon mots of Chaucer and Shakespeare – “Quality, like truth and murder, will out!” RON PRINCE Editor | British Cinematographer Magazine British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 03

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CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 83 / SEPTEMBER 2017

IN THIS ISSUE... 07

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Mike Eley BSC says the BSC must seek to be the voice and the champion for cinematographers

On the cover... Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC on Blade Runner 2049

PRODUCTION/POST & TECHNO NEWS

Close-Up... John de Borman BSC on Will

The latest news concerning DPs, including the BSC Summer Luncheon at Pinewood Studios

F-STOP IBC 2017

Our special preview of this year’s technology show in Amsterdam

SPECIAL REPORT

In celebration of its 100th birthday, ARRI invited British Cinematographer Magazine for a behind-the-scenes tour of its Munich headquarters

On The Job... Simon Dennis on The Limehouse Golem

Gaffers ‘R’ Us... Chuck Finch

Behind-the-flaming-scenes at Japanese bulb-maker Koto

Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC delivers a mean and moody aesthetic on the hotly-anticipated Blade Runner 2049

SPOTLIGHT

Your definitive guide to which DPs are shooting who and where

Steven Poster ASC highlights the well-being of the crew, both on and off-set, and shares details of ICG’s free Safety App

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO?

NEW WAVE

Suzanne Smith... has a zeal for wheels!

LETTER FROM AMERICA

ort... Special Rep RRI of A 100 years

CAMERA CREATIVE

ON THE JOB

LIVE & LET DI

Discover who’s been dialling-in the most recent DI grades

CLAPPERBOARD

The inimitable... Alec Mills BSC

Simon Dennis describes how he went for a dirty colour palette to create the eerie atmosphere in The Limehouse Golem

Paul René Roestad FNF, IMAGO president, provides the latest news of the exciting events taking place this year, plus a quick look inside the Leica factory

CLOSE-UPS

John de Borman BSC on Will, David Tattersall BSC on Death Note, and Eigil Bryld on Tulip Fever

GAFFERS ‘R’ US

Chuck Finch has always had a penchant for soft and natural lighting

IMAGO NEWS

GBCT NEWS

GBCT chair Tim Potter argues that cinematographers must be more highly valued, plus the advances in drones and a perspective on vertical format photography

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 05

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE / MIKE ELEY BSC / BSC PRESIDENT

“WE ARE A COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE WHO NATURALLY, AND INSTINCTIVELY, SUPPORT EACH OTHER.” MIKE ELEY BSC

COME TOGETHER BRITISH SOCIETY

OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS Board of Governors 2017

PRESIDENT: Mike Eley BSC IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: Barry Ackroyd BSC VICE PRESIDENTS: Rob Hardy BSC Nigel Walters BSC Haris Zambarloukos BSC GOVERNORS: John de Borman BSC Lol Crawley BSC Oliver Curtis BSC John Daly BSC Gavin Finney BSC James Friend BSC David Higgs BSC Nina Kellgren BSC Nic Knowland BSC Phil Meheux BSC Nic Morris BSC Tim Palmer BSC Chris Ross BSC Oliver Stapleton BSC CO-OPTED ASSOCIATE MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE: Chris Plevin BOARD ADVISOR: Joe Dunton MBE BSC (non DoP) BSC IMAGO REPRESENTATIVE: Nina Kellgren BSC COMPANY SECRETARY: Audra Marshall TREASURER: Frances Russell

This being my first President’s Perspective, it seems only right to kick-off with a huge thank you to our immediate past president, Barry Ackroyd BSC...

’ve known Barry for nearly 30 years and I guess you could say that, over that time, he has been a kind of mentor to me, seeming to be there at crucial moments of my career – nudging me this way, or suggesting that way. It would not be too much of a stretch to say that were it not for him I doubt I would be a cinematographer. It was because of Barry, around 1990, that I was introduced to Document Films, a Soho-based collective of filmmakers who took me under their wing professionally, and supported my burgeoning documentary shooting career. Later, at the turn of the century, it was Barry who introduced me to Ken Loach, resulting in my working on Ken’s film The Navigators. And then, from there, he got me second unit work on his larger movies. The upshot was that I found myself following in Barry’s own footsteps, from docs to features and scripted drama. I detail this because in thinking about what the BSC means to me, I am reminded that we are a community of people who naturally, and instinctively, support each other. Though perhaps not unique, I struggle to think of a profession in which there is such empathy, mutual respect and a willingness to share with fellow practitioners. I suspect this is because, ultimately, it isn’t just a profession. There is a love for what we do which runs deep – a result of us having been introduced to cinema (or at least the moving image) at a young and impressionable age. This isn’t a subject we learnt at school, this is something we absorbed as part of life. Story, colour, balance, tone and, above all, movement. It would be like not wanting to share food or its recipe. We pass it on because we can’t help ourselves. Anthropologists tell us that storytelling is what defines us as human and confirms our identity. And as we all know, cinematography is storytelling. Our shared love for what we do is the built-in mechanism for refreshing and invigorating our industry. It can also be the means by which we address the lack of diversity in our camera department, something I hope to see happen increasingly in my time as president. Mentoring is happening all the time: we have (or at least should have) a trainee on-set, observing, absorbing, making the best tea and coffee outside our own kitchens. There is even now the role of the DP’s assistant, someone who will stay close to the cinematographer on a particular production, very much the same

way a director has their PA, gaining front-line experience of what it takes to be “on” 18 hours-a-day. I have yet to experience that particular association, but I think it a healthy development and another “in” to our world for those who are truly dedicated. When I, as a curious graphic design student, first put my head round the door of the college film department at Leeds Polytechnic back in 1979, I saw facilities but hardly any students. The faculty struggled to lure people away from fine art, fashion, industrial design, you name it. Virtually nobody back then was interested in film. Today, film study is one of the most popular subjects to be found up and down the country in nearly all of our colleges. Are we therefore awash with DP wannabes? Is there a glut of cinematographers? Therein lies the crux. Wielding a device that records a moving image does not automatically make one a cinematographer. It is a position one achieves through time, application, collaboration and, above all, passion. But it is a passion that often requires nurturing. When a cinematography graduate emerges from a school, college or university and sets out on a career, that is when consultation, advice and the proverbial arm around the shoulder really count. Shorn of peers and tutors, our “cottage” industry (some cottage!) can appear like a CGI Game Of Thrones citadel. What language, what customs are observed there? The British Society Of Cinematographers represents excellence in our artistic craft, a pinnacle of sorts, but none of us climbs unassisted. True, no two cinematographers will approach or execute the same job in the same way. We all have our ways. But the inspiration and influence that, as I say, nudge us, come from all the interactions we have along the way – from peers, heroes as well as from totally unexpected sources. This is no clarion call for dilution, compromise or, worse still, conformity. The BSC is a pinnacle of sorts, but never an ivory tower. As artists, we beg, borrow and steal (the latter Picasso-style – what I’d call innovation through adoption). As technicians we nurture our tools and our environment. As human beings we help and assist our comrades, and the next generation, as best we can. The BSC as a voice, an advocate, a champion, extolling the vision as well as preserving it, is surely what our society should be about. n British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 07

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

JOHN TOLL ASC TO RECEIVE 2017 CAMERIMAGE LIFETIME AWARD D

ouble Oscar-winning cinematographer John Toll ASC will be the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th anniversary edition of the Camerimage International Film Festival, to be held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, between 11th and 18th November 2017. With over four decades of experience in film and television, Toll is respected as one of the world’s leading cinematographers, his work spanning a wide variety of genres with such filmmakers as The Wachowskis, Ang Lee, Mel Gibson, Francis Ford Coppola, Terrence Malick, Carroll Ballard, Cameron Crowe, Edward Zwick, and Vince Gilligan. From crime dramas, sci-fi/fantasy films and comedies, to Westerns and melodramas, Toll’s use of light, shadow and camera movement have created striking moments of intimacy that define characters in Hollywood blockbusters, whilst infusing smaller projects with beautiful scope. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography in 1994 for Legends Of The Fall, and also in 1995 for Braveheart. He was also nominated Braveheart for an Academy Award for his work on The Thin Red Line (1998). Toll’s other credits include Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001), Vanilla Sky (2001), Tropic Thunder (2008) and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016). This year’s festival strand “Remembering The Masters” will see screenings of five films shot by the late Raoul Coutard, the masterful French cinematographer and one of the founding fathers of the French “New Wave” – Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960), Alphaville (1965) and Crazy Pete (1965), Jacques Demy’s Lola (1961) and François Truffaut’s Jules Et Jim (1962). Paul Hirsch, the editor of Carrie, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Footloose, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Falling Down, Mission: Impossible, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, will be awarded the prize for Editor With Unique Visual Sensitivity. The official poster of the 25th edition Camerimage has been designed by concept artist and illustrator Piotr Jabłoński.

BSC CALLS FOR TV DRAMA AWARD SUBMISSIONS

Sense8

The British Society Of Cinematographers is calling for submissions for the BSC Best Cinematography In A Television Drama Award 2017. The award is open to all TV dramas that had their first transmissions during the qualifying period of 1st September 2016 to 31st August 2017. The closing date for submissions is Friday 22nd September 2017.

NFTS LAUNCHES SUE GIBSON BSC CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

he National Film and Television School (NFTS) has launched the Sue Gibson BSC Cinematography Award, which recognises a member of its cinematography alumni who has advanced the profession of cinematography in a significant way. Gibson, who passed away last year, was herself an awardwinning NFTS alumna and the first female president of the British Society Of Cinematographers. She was known for her work on feature films, including Alien v Predator, The Holiday, Hear My Song and Mrs Dalloway, as well as numerous TV series, such as The Forsythe Saga, Spooks, Lewis, Poirot and Death In Paradise. The five nominees have been voted for by NFTS cinematography alumni, including multi-Oscar nominee Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC and Emmy nominee, Suzie Lavelle. The winner of the award will be announced at a special event in September 2017, when the winner will also deliver a masterclass. The nominees are: Natasha Braier ADF for The Neon Demon; Charlotte Bruus Christensen DFF for Fences and The Girl On The Train; Ula Pontikos BSC for the television series Marcella; Tom Townend for You Were Never Really Here; and Vanessa Whyte, who together with Katie Goldschmidt, created Illuminatrix, the collective of female cinematographers promoting the work of female DPs. “We felt that it was important to recognise Sue’s achievements as a cinematographer, her legacy in the advancement of female DPs and the cinematography profession as a whole,” said NFTS director Jon Wardle. “We chose to name an award after her as both a fitting tribute and commemoration of such an inspiring member of our alumni.” Gibson’s partner Mike Roberts said, “We are delighted that the NFTS has chosen to honour Sue’s memory in this way. She was passionate about passing her skills on to a younger generation of cinematographers and this is truly a fitting tribute.”

08 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

THE ACADEMY ELECTS DP JOHN BAILEY ASC AS NEW PRESIDENT T

he Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has elected cinematographer John Bailey ASC as its 36th president, in a surprise choice that would seem to favour the interests of below-the-line Academy members. Bailey, 74, whose cinematography credits include The Conformist, Ordinary People, American Gigolo, The Big Chill and How To Be A Latin Lover, was elected by the group’s 54-member board of governors, winning out over hot favourite, actress Laura Dern. Bailey has just entered his fourteenth year as governor of the 90-year-old institution, and replaces Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who led the Academy for four years. A passionate supporter of film preservation and history, Bailey faces the task of overseeing construction of the Academy’s $400 million museum, due to open in 2019. He will also lead the industry group’s diversity goals, and be responsible for planning the 2018 Oscar telecast on March 4th 2018. In addition to Bailey, the Academy elected a number of new vice presidents: make-up artist Lois Burwell as first vice president of awards and events; Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy on the museum committee; editor Michael Tronick for preservation and history; and Fox Searchlight co-president Nancy Utley in education and outreach.

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DANNY COHEN BSC AWARDED HONORARY DEGREE Oscar and BAFTA-nominated cinematographer, Danny Cohen BSC, was awarded an honorary degree during Middlesex University London’s graduation ceremony in June. Cohen was nominated for a Best Cinematography BAFTA for Les Miserables, an Oscar and a BAFTA for The King’s Speech, and BAFTA’s Best Photography & Lighting: Fiction/ Entertainment for Longford. “I am delighted to be awarded this honorary degree,” said Cohen. “My job as a cinematographer entails being behind the camera as opposed to in the spotlight so it is both a surprise and honour to receive it.” A member of the BSC since 2008, Cohen’s credits include This Is England, This Is England 1986, This Is England 1988 and Dead Man’s Shoes, directed by Shane Meadows and Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl, The King’s Speech and Les Miserables. He has most recently been working on James Marsh’s heist picture, Night In Hatton Garden, for Working Title/Focus Features, starring Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Michael Gambon and Ray Winstone.

10 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Red Raven camera kit is now available exclusively through Apple.com and available to demo at select Apple Retail Stores. The complete handheld camera package features a diverse assortment of components from some of the industry’s top brands, including: Red Raven 4.5K camera Brain, the Red DSMC2 Touch LCD 4.7” monitor, outrigger handle, V-Lock I/O expander, 120 GB Red Mini-Mag, along with chargers, mag reader, Sigma 1835mm F1.8 DC HSM lens, a heavy-duty camera case, and Final Cut Pro X. “The Red Raven Camera Kit is a ready-toshoot professional package that gives content creators everything they need to capture their vision,” said Jarred Land, president of Red Digital Cinema. “We are very excited to work with Apple on the launch of the Red Raven Camera Kit, available exclusively through Apple.com.” The Raven 4.5K is Red’s most compact camera head, weighing in at 3.5 lbs. making it suitable for a range of applications including documentaries, online content creation, indie filmmaking, and use with drones or gimbals. The Raven is equipped with a 4.5K Red Dragon sensor, and can record REDCODE RAW (R3D) in 4.5K at up to 120fps, and in 2K at up to 240fps, or REDCODE RAW and Apple ProRes simultaneously. The Red Raven Camera Kit also includes Final Cut Pro X, which offers native support for REDCODE RAW video, built-in REDCODE RAW image controls, and ProRes support. Together with free Red Apple Workflow software, Final Cut Pro allows video editors to work with Red Raven footage on MacBook Pro, iMac and Mac Pro systems.

GTC NAME CHANGE After a ballot of its membership, The Guild of Television Cameramen has changed its name to Guild Of Television Camera Professionals. The historic vote came after members were asked to submit ideas for a new name which was non-gender specific, and properly represented the broadening of the GTC membership over the years.

When the GTC was formed in 1972, cameramen working in the studio and OB environment were all male and membership was restricted to those who operated cameras. These days the membership in now over 1,300, in countries as far afield as Australia, South Africa, USA, Russia and Singapore. It not only includes women, but the GTC also welcomes many who may not actually operate cameras as their core role, such as trainers, scientists and camera engineers, DITs, camera assistants and students. GTC is hoping to expand its work with educational institutions through continuing its well-established student award scheme, the Bill Vinten GTC University Awards, and by working towards establishing a GTC Academy, which will provide information and assistance to people entering the profession from GTC members.

FILMSCAPE SUPPORTS DP SARA DEANE ON VIKING DESTINY

Filmscape recently worked with cinematographer Sara Deane and her crew on Viking Destiny, for Film Mode and Misfits Entertainment, providing a comprehensive camera, lens and grip package, centred around the ARRI Alexa Mini, plus a suite of Cooke Anamorphic lenses. Filmscape delivered full support to the production whilst undergoing its own relocation to new premises in Park Royal West London. Written and directed by David L.G. Hughes, Viking Destiny traces the path of a young Norse girl, banished after being wrongly-accused of the murder of her father, the King. The five-week shoot took in a selection of locations across Northern Ireland, including Portrush Beach, the setting for an epic Viking invasion. The feature, now in post production, stars Game Of Thrones’ Ian Beattie, plus screen legend Terence Stamp in the role of Odin, and is scheduled for release next year.

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

VARICAM 35 ADDS COLOUR TO BBC’S BROKEN L A Productions used Panasonic’s VariCam 35 to exclusively shoot the six-part BBC One drama Broken, featuring Sean Bean and Anna Friel. Created by screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and in Liverpool, Broken was broadcast in May 2017. It shows unflinching portrayals of modern British life, highlighting the colours of Northern England within a hardhitting storyline. The DP was Joel Devlin, whose credits with VariCam include BBC’s 2015 series Dr Foster, as well as the 2017 C4 drama Born To Kill. “The colour aesthetic was one of the reasons I went with the VariCam. I was lucky enough to have used the camera on Doctor Foster, so had confidence in its abilities, which allowed me to spend less time testing for Broken,” explained Devlin. For visual inspiration, Devlin looked at photographers, in particular the work of American William Egglestone, who was prolific in the 1970s and ‘80s and focused on America’s so called ‘Bible Belt’ in the south and the Midwest. “They’re similar communities to those covered in Broken – impoverished, feeling very distant from

the mechanisms of society – and yet Egglestone photographed these communities in a very bright and colourful way,” said Devlin. “He celebrated light and colour in ordinary life, and I really wanted to use that approach in Broken and stay away from the ‘grim up north’ palette.” Working closely with rental provider Panavision, Devlin used vintage Ultraspeed lenses on the

production. “There’s a lot more drama out there, but there’s not necessarily a lot more money around. So you’re under a lot of pressure to shoot something highquality, fast. The technology allows us to do that, but it still has to be tempered against something that gives an artistically good look. From a cinematography point of view, I think it’s very important.” “Even though the low-light capability may be the deciding factor on certain shoots, the VariCam also has an advantage in that it’s a 4K camera. There are not a lot of cameras out there that will produce this kind of picture and do it in 4K. Capturing deliverables in 4K is also becoming more and more important.” “Like the old documentary VariCam from way back, it offers not just one thing. It offers a range of things that elevate it above its competitors and that’s what I like about it.”

BLOOD RUNS THICK THROUGH COOKE ANAMORPHIC/I LENSES

egardless of budget, every director and DP wants their film to look its best. That was no different with Blood Runs Thick, a low-budget, indie horror feature from director Romane Simon, lensed by LAbased Nik Shaw, with Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses selected for the production. “Cookes are my favourite Anamorphic lenses,” said Shaw. “I especially like the coated Cookes because I can runand-gun without a matte box and avoid flaring. Even wide open, I get a super sharp, beautiful image with the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses. I’m talking about no distortion with the 40mm and higher lenses, and minuscule distortion on the 32mm. And then there’s the excellent bokeh. I’ve used them on commercial shoots and two other features. I typically team them up with the Alexa Mini to achieve an optimal weight.” Using his own Alexa Mini digital camera, Shaw rented the 32, 40, and 75mm primes, plus the 35140mm 4:1 zoom Anamorphic from Citizen Cine in Hollywood. “I wanted to make this my best film yet, something to be very proud of,” said Simon. “I did a lot of research on other films that used the Alexa and Cooke Anamorphic/i combination, and with Nik’s encouragement, I knew that the Cooke

12 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

lenses would give us the high-end look we wanted. After all my research, I just wanted to use the Cookes – other lenses didn’t come close to the look I was after.” Starring Tom Sizemore, Emily Killian, Matthew Ashford and Judi Evans, Blood Runs Thick is a Lucky Strikes Film Studio production. Shot in Los Angeles, The Valley, Woodland Hills, and Van Nuys in California, it follows a beautiful young woman who struggles with frightening hallucinations and a crumbling mental state after her husband goes missing. Caught between what’s real and what’s not, her nightmares become reality. “Nik was able to give me the creative look I was going after, similar to Don’t Breathe (2016),” said Simon. “We were always bouncing ideas off each other, and knocking heads, giving me the creative process that I needed.” Shaw’s vision for Blood Runs Thick was to make it look natural, even though all of the scenes were artificially lit. “I was inspired by Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and its neo noir style. And the Cooke lenses brought that extra kick to the picture, allowing me more creativity than with other lenses, especially in low light. I wanted this beautiful blue saturated light and the Cookes gave me exactly what I wanted... and really upped our production values in the way that they handle highlights.” Blood Runs Thick is scheduled to premiere in Hollywood on October 31, 2017.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

LAST POST FOR KODAK FILM LAB’S HORN

fter 45 years in the motion picture film industry, Nigel Horn, general manager of Kodak Film Lab in London, will retire at the end of September 2017. During his career, Horn held several roles at film processing laboratories in the UK, including Henderson’s Laboratory, under the BFI’s ownership (1974-76), Studio Film & Video Laboratories (1976-86), Technicolor London (1987-93) and Soho Images (199304), before founding Post Production Services (2004-06) and then the i-Lab laboratory in Soho in 2006, and subsequently co-founding the i-Dailies laboratory in 2012. i-Dailies was acquired by Kodak in August 2016 and Kodak has announced plans to move the lab to Pinewood Studios. Horn has played a key role in successfully bringing the Kodak Film Lab and Pinewood Studios collaboration together. He will manage the completion of the flagship processing facility opening at Pinewood Studios, and remains committed to working with Kodak to mentor the next generation of film technicians. His successor will be announced in due course. In addition to his career in film processing, Horn was a judge at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival

on the Commission Superieur Technique’s technical committee. He also recently composed and played the music for a new feature-length documentary about the artist Bill Viola. “Nigel has played a valuable and central role in the motion picture industry for the last 45 years,” said Antonio Rasura, director of motion picture services at Kodak. “I want to thank him sincerely for his hard work, commitment and dedication, and to wish him the best of luck in his retirement.” “Nigel has devoted himself to the Motion Picture Film industry and added value across multiple businesses over his career,” said Steven Overman, president of Kodak’s consumer and film division. “His

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NEW BFI DIRECTOR OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS FOCUSSES ON BREXIT

arriet Finney has been appointed director of external affairs at the BFI. She will lead on the significant policy, strategy and public affairs priorities of the BFI, as set out in BFI2022, the organization’s five-year plan for film, as well as navigating a smooth Brexit for the sector. Finney will report in to BFI CEO Amanda Nevill. Finney joins the BFI from the Creative Industries Federation, where she was deputy CEO from September 2016, having joined as policy director in July 2015 shortly after the organisation was formed. Alongside experience in leading the Federation’s influential policy and research team, and developing a strong network of contacts across Westminster, she also brings a keen understanding of the potential impact of Brexit on the creative and cultural industries, having led on the Federation’s post referendum Brexit Report. With insight into the broader challenges and opportunities facing the creative industries, Finney recently worked with Government and sector partners on the forthcoming Industrial Strategy, in which the creative industries have been recognised as a key strategic sector. Finney said: “I’m delighted to be joining the BFI at this critical moment in the evolution of the UK’s film industry. A key priority for the coming period will be working with partners to secure a positive outcome for the sector as we move towards leaving the EU. I also look forward to supporting the delivery of the BFI’s commitments to skills, diversity, audience development and regional rebalancing as set out in the BFI 2022 strategy.” 14 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

in-depth knowledge, skills and experience have been invaluable, and I wish him all the best as he moves on to another phase of his life.” “I am delighted to have had the opportunity to work ‘hands-on’ in all aspects of film processing, and to have devoted my working life to supporting a medium that I have always been passionate about,” said Horn. “I am proud that i-Dailies was instrumental in sustaining film as a creative choice in the UK in 2013, and to contributing to film’s subsequent renaissance, which will continue into the future under Kodak’s guidance at our exciting new laboratory.”

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CHRISTOPHER ROBIN Â©2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Domhnall Gleeson as AA Milne and Will Tilston as Christopher Robin in GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN. Photo by David Appleby.

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

CINELAB RECEIVES £2.25M INVESTMENT C inelab London has received a growth capital investment of £2.25m from the Foresight Group, to enable further expansion of its services and capacity. Led by industry veterans Adrian Bull and John Mahtani, the business was established four years ago after the acquisition of Bucks Media Services by Cinelabs International. Cinelab London provides film processing, scanning, distribution digitisation, restoration and archive management of film and video content. In the last year it has worked on a number of high-profile films and high-budget commercials, including Kenneth Branagh’s Murder On The Orient Express, Lost City Of Z, Viceroy’s House and an as-yet untitled Paul Thomas Anderson film, starring Daniel Day-Lewis. Archive and restoration clients include the BFI, FIFA and ITV. The company, which currently employs 21 people, will use the funds to invest in specialist equipment and staff to further expand its services and customer support. Foresight has introduced Darryl Newton, ex-CEO of Factory Media, a

Adrian Bull

Lost City Of Z

successful previous Foresight investee, as chairman. Chris Wardle, Foresight Group, said, “We are excited to be working with John, Adrian and the team in further growing this brand that has a loyal following of major studios, independents and agencies. The business is known for its service levels and fast turn-around times. The number of critically-acclaimed films that Cinelab have in their repertoire is testament

to the quality of work they produce, and we’re confident that we can add commercial value, enabling them to Viceroy’s Hou continue to grow.” se Adrian Bull, commented, “We are really excited to have the support of Foresight in accelerating the growth of Cinelab, and will be looking to expand services in the UK and establish a greater international capability. Film is seeing a revival through HDR and 4K, as film already has the resolution and dynamic range. We do lot of repeat business and tremendous amount of work in commercials and music videos, as well as scanning and restoration of archive content.”

PAUL GREENGRASS TO RECEIVE BFI FELLOWSHIP

he BFI and BFI London Film Festival will honour British film director, producer, screenwriter and former broadcast journalist, Paul Greengrass, with Fellowship of the BFI. The presentation will take place at the BFI London Film Festival’s annual Awards Ceremony on Saturday 14th October. Greengrass, whose Captain Phillips (DP Barry Ackroyd) opened the 2013 BFI London Film Festival, started in film and TV 40 years ago as a researcher and journalist for TV documentaries, working his way up to producer and director on the acclaimed World In Action series and Cutting Edge. His directorial film debut was Resurrected (1989, DP Ivan Strasburg BSC), the true story of a British soldier left behind in the Falklands after the war, followed by The Theory Of Flight (1998, DP Ivan Strasburg BSC), a bittersweet comedy about a young woman suffering with motor neurone disease, which screened at the 1998 BFI London Film Festival. It was Greengrass’ third feature, the critically-acclaimed Bloody Sunday (2002, DP Ivan Strasburg BSC), a powerful dramatisation of the events that led to the Bloody Sunday shootings in 1972, which catapulted Greengrass into the international spotlight, by winning the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear (shared with Spirited Away) and the Sundance Film Festival’s Audience Award. Greengrass’ TV film, The Murder Of Stephen Lawrence (1999, DP Ivan Strasburg BSC) won the BAFTA for Best Single Drama and the Special Jury Prize at Banff; his Jason Bourne films changed the face of the action thriller, and the documentary-style realism of United 93 (2006, DP Barry Ackroyd BSC) about the passengers who lost their lives in wrestling control of a plane to avoid terrorists targeting the White House, brought Greengrass an Oscar nomination. Last year Greengrass and Matt Damon reunited for Jason Bourne (DP Barry Ackroyd BSC), thrilling critics and audiences worldwide. This autumn he starts work on his next film, about Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist who Jason Bourne murdered 77 people in 2011. Captain Phillips

16 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

DP ADAM SCARTH REPORTS ON DAPHNE

inematographer Adam Scarth wrote in with details of his work on Peter Mackie Burns’ indie-drama Daphne, starring Emily Beecham. The movie follows a young woman negotiating the tricky business of modern life. Caught in the daily rush of her restaurant job and kaleidoscopic nightlife of new faces, Daphne is the life of the party, but too busy to realise that deep down she is not happy. When she saves the life of a shopkeeper, stabbed during a failed robbery, the impenetrable armour she wears to protect herself begins to crack. Daphne is forced to confront the inevitability of a much-needed change in her life. “Production began in January 2016, shooting predominantly around Elephant & Castle in London. Peter and I began talking about our visual approach and style early-on. Both of us agreed that it was vital that we put the performance first and foremost – creating a visual language that was restrained and didn’t draw overt attention to itself, yet complementary and reactionary to Emily’s performance, giving her agency over her space and the images. Referentially, we were particularly influenced by the simple but not simplistic visual language of ‘70s cinema, along with Woody Allen’s work with Gordon Willis ASC. We decided to reduce our camera movement to the minimum and restricted ourselves predominately to working from a tripod and simple panning of the camera, unless there was no other option. This forced the importance of where we placed the camera, making nuanced decisions about the placement and the size our characters are within the frame, putting the onus on blocking and character interaction.

With this in mind we opted to shoot predominantly on a 40mm lens, with the objective of making the camera as invisible as possible. The 40mm allows the camera to drift into the background and not draw attention to itself. In terms of look, we were influenced by early colour photography, with photographers like Saul Leiter and Tony RayJones. We wanted to create a palette that utilised colour but without screaming saturation. The early colour film stocks had a muddier, lessdefined texture to the negative, and a vibrancy without delivering ostentatious, poppy primary colours, and this was something we were interested in exploring. A lot of credit has to go to our production designer, Mirren Maranon, for building a rich and sophisticated use of colour into the design of the film, along with Nigel Egerton’s fantastic costumes. The production was served by Panavision London, who were very generous with their time and equipment. I did a day at Panavision looking at lens options that would serve as a good basis for our look. I then did a day at our primary location, doing makeup and costume tests with Emily. This was also an opportunity to explore the lighting design with gaffer

MOVIETECH PIMPS-UP HIGHSPEED PHANTOM CAMERAS

ndependent camera hire specialist, Movietech, has custom-tailored its Phantom Flex 4K high-speed cameras with 128GB of internal RAM to double the duration of the standard recording time. Capable of capturing from 15 to 1,000fps at 4K full resolution, the Phantom Flex Super-35mm sensor delivers ultra-sharp detail with low noise and high dynamic range. The unit can run up to 2,000fps shooting at 2K/1080 with equally stunning image quality. The on-board RAM determines the available recording time, dependent on frame rate/resolution. Adding the upgraded 128GB internal memory package expands the image capture capability, allowing the Flex 4K to record for twice as long at all resolutions and frame rates. Customised and coupled with suitable lensing options, the Movietech Phantom Flex 4K was put through its paces on Guy Ritchie’s King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (DP John Mathieson BSC). The system has also enjoyed outings on the atmospheric music video for London Grammer’s ‘Oh Woman, Oh Man’, along with commercials. “The Phantom Flex is a superb high-speed unit that can capture remarkable detail,” said Movietech MD John Buckley. “We’ve added the internal memory upgrade to improve the recording time, and it’s fantastic to see clients from all areas of the industry using the system to deliver some sensational results”.

18 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Tim Jordan. Tim and I opted to build our lighting package around two 4K Alpha HMIs. The Alphas are versatile lamps and can give great spread from very close proximity. This facilitated my preference for lighting predominately from outside, and to light spaces for the character to exist in, rather than light the characters themselves. From the tests, I opted to shoot with Panavision’s Ultraspeed lenses, as they supplied the muddy and soft texture we were looking for. I also spent a day at Technicolor with colourists John Claude and Peter Doyle, working with the location test footage to develop a basic show LUT. The LUT was built from reference photos and some 35mm stills that I had taken on the test on 200ASA Kodak Colour Plus. John then developed LUTs for different lenses that would counteract some of the colour inconsistencies in the older glass and would allow us to keep a consistent look in the dailies and edit. One of my favourite quotes on cinematography, which also defines the general approach to Daphne, is from Michael Chapman ASC: ‘Cinematography doesn’t have to be beautiful. It has to be appropriate’.”

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

Lulu Elliott

REEL ANGELS ARE ON A DETERMINED DIVERSITY MISSION D iversity in film and TV has been in the spotlight for several years, especially women working behind the camera. Salford and London-based crewing agency, Reel Angels, was established by freelancer Lulu Elliott, to promote diversity and support women working in technical side of film and TV. The agency’s roster includes DPs, camera ops, focus pullers, sound recordists, boom ops, gaffers, best boys, editors and sound post production, who have experience on high-end television projects such as Game Of Thrones and Downton Abbey, as well as major movies including Gravity, Star Wars and Mission Impossible. “Reel Angels exists at a time when there has never been a more opportune moment to employ female talent in film and TV,” said Elliott. “By representing women we see ourselves as leaders in the on-going progress towards full gender parity across the industries. And we invite others to join us and spread the good news that things

are changing. My aim is to achieve 50/50 by the time I am 50, so I’ve got 15 years.” In 2016 Reel Angels was awarded Lottery funds from the BFI to support networking events to engage and connect female production crew in

BFI INVESTIGATES HEALTH OF UK INDEPENDENT FILM

Bristol, Manchester and London, resulting in work opportunities for its members. Jennifer Smith, head of diversity, at the BFI, said, “We encourage all programmes which take the lead in addressing the lack of diversity in the production workforce, and we’re delighted to support Reel Angels to better showcase and connect female production crew. This is work that chimes with our Diversity Standards and our ambition to achieve gender parity in the production industries.” Reel Angels is enrolled on Creative England’s ProConnect Manchester Program, comprising of workshops, one-to-one meetings and networking opportunities, and has strong relations to organisations such as Directors UK, BAFTA Crew, Illuminatrix, Women In Film & Television, plus the GBCT, ACO, GTC and BSC.

ASC PHOTO GALLERY EXHIBIT RELAUNCHES WITH NEW IMAGES

he BFI is launching a commission to look at the health of the UK’s independent film industry. The BFI commission will be chaired by Zygi Kamasa, CEO of Lionsgate UK and Europe, who will examine and report on the current environment for UK independent film, inviting evidence and contributions from cross-industry specialists from the production, sales, distribution and exhibition sectors. Its conclusions will be published in Autumn 2017. A wave of bold and adventurous filmmakers has led to a fresh cultural vibrancy in British independent cinema, most visibly evident on the international stage at the world’s leading film festivals, and with the increased level of film production activity in the UK. However, the challenges facing independent UK film are more pronounced than ever. The commission will work closely with industry partners including PACT, UKCA, the FDA and other stakeholders, to explore how UK film might take advantage of creative and commercial opportunities in the changing landscape across film, TV and digital, and what else can be done to support the diversity and growth of the independent sector. Josh Berger, BFI CEO said: “Film in the UK is booming and the role of the BFI is to ensure that independent film – the incubator of creativity – flourishes in this environment. That’s why we made a commitment to look at the health of independent film one of our first priorities in our five-year plan BFI2022. We look forward Zygi Kamasa to hearing from a range of voices, drawing from their experience and expertise.”

20 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Suki Medencevic ASC - Istanbul Dream

The American Society of Cinematographers’ Photo Gallery has re-opened, with an entirely new collection of still photographs by nine members of the organisation, curated by Paris Chong, manager of Leica Gallery LA. The ASC Photo Gallery is designed to showcase the artistic achievements of the ASC’s members, consisting of 375 award-winning cinematographers from around the globe. The first exhibit opened in March to much success, prompting future editions. ASC members participating include Antonio Calvache (Queen Sugar, Little Children), Richard Crudo (Justified, American Pie), Fred Elmes (The Night Of, Blue Velvet), Denis Lenoir (Still Alice, Uprising), Charlie Lieberman (My So-Called Life, Heroes), Karl Walter Lindenlaub (Suits, Houdini), Suki Medencevic (Stuck In The Middle, The Pixar Story), Steven Poster (Donnie Darko, Southland Tales), and Robert Primes (Felicity, My Antonia). Each cinematographer has contributed five photos. The 45 images on display are printed, framed and available for purchase. Unlimited Edition Box Sets will also be available. Proceeds will go towards the ASC’s nonprofit educational initiatives.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

he $1.5m feature, Edge Of The Blade, directed by Norman Stone, is the story of when Oscar Pistorius (Andreas Damm) met Reeva Steenkamp (Toni Garrn) and their subsequently tragic story. Cinematographer Richard Dunton wrote in with details about his work. “After reading the script, films like Blue Valentine (2010, DP Andrij Parekh) and We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011, DP Seamus McGarvey) were inspirations from the start. Fortunately, Norman and I were on the same page from the beginning, and it was great that he trusted me to be free and creative. We opted for a modern building as the location for Oscar’s house, where a substantial part of the film is set. I took inspiration from films such as Force Majeure (2014, DP Fredrik Wenzel) with its still, symmetrical wides and strong lines, that worked well with the sleek lines of the house. We shot on ARRI Alexas and, after several tests, I decided on the Zeiss B Speeds, paired with Mitchell Diffusion filters. I felt they gave the slightly softer edge I was after. Also, I felt the lenses’ signature triangular bokeh, from the nine-blade iris, lent itself to enhancing the surreal nature of the couple’s relationship. In pre-production, I had a lot of discussions with my gaffer, Will Hickocks, about the look Norman and I wanted to create. A significant part involved silhouetting, with the main sources of light coming

through windows, giving a natural look. Due to budget we had just a few M18s, with an LED package consisting of LiteMats, Quasar Tubes, and Astra panels. The LEDs were great because it meant we weren’t always relying on the Genie.

The shoot took place in Atlanta, GA, over 18 days throughout June. The gear was supplied by Commander. They were amazingly helpful in facilitating what we needed for the shoot on the tight budget we were working to. It was my first time shooting a feature in Atlanta, and I quickly learnt that it could go from blazing sun to thunderstorms in a matter of minutes. Obviously very tricky for any sort of continuity. The film is currently in the cutting room, but I’m really looking forward to getting it in the grade.”

KINO FLO RELEASES SELECT FREESTYLE

ino Flo Lighting Systems has released its new Select Freestyle line of location lighting systems for motion picture and television production, first shown during NAB 2017 in Las Vegas. The new Freestyle systems come with durable, lightweight LED panels that can be easily removed for use as set practicals, or for unconventional mounting when lighting in tight quarters. Weighing in at 8lb/3.5kg, the removable Freestyle LEDs are a force multiplier when it comes to production lighting. The LED panels include rigging points for suspending from a grid or screwing into a set wall, and a twist-on mounting plate assembly for 360-degree orientation, or for building into light arrays. Like all Select LED Kino’s, the Freestyle panels deliver bright, controllable >97 CRI white light, full hue and saturation control colour, cinema gel presets and RGB chromatic selection, via the AC/DC Select controller.

22 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Lighting professionals also can programme Freestyle fixtures to operate between 2500K to 9900K, or choose a full range of colour, lumen level, and green/ magenta correction remotely by standard DMX or wireless DMX. The same hand-held Select controllers can run fixtures remotely on 50-feet of head cable without hooking into a control board. Colour and luminosity remain stable over the rated life of the LEDs using Kino Flo’s advanced True Match daylight and tungsten colour management system, which has been the engineering science behind the success of the company’s LEDs introduced five years ago in the Celeb fixture line. The passive-cooled fixtures do not overheat the LEDs, so there are no heat sink fins or whirling fans. The Freestyle’s 150W Select Controller technology achieves bright, soft light with continuous dimming from 100% to 0% on a linear or square curve without flicker at higher camera speeds or at varied shutter angles. There is no light level change when shifting from 2500K to 9900K, and the colour doesn’t change when the light levels rise or fall. The Freestyle comes complete with the full colour, programmable Select controller, Head Cable (25ft), Complete Fixture with removable LED panel, and a twist-on Centre Mount with the new KinoGrip for hand-held lighting. Like the original Select LED systems, the Freestyle is available in Select 31 (3ft) and Select 21 (2ft) sizes.

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

GERRY VASBENTER GOES ON THE ROAD FOR DORSET CEREALS “I got the call to shoot a series of short content films for Dorset Cereals’ Best B&B Award Winners – a prestigious title, much sought-after by those in the business,” writes DP Gerry Vasbenter. “The brief was to pay particular attention to the breakfast side of operations, using a documentary approach. With a single camera, minimal lights and an unobtrusive hand-held style, the hosts were able to be relaxed and open on camera. Filming in a wide variety of locations across ten days on-the-road (van loaded to the gunnels with kit), made for a journey of culinary delight for me and director James Lovick. Waking up at the crack of dawn and working until sunset each night, James and I were presented with the opportunity to shoot a diverse

STUDIO NEWS:

Gerry Vasbenter

range of B&B styles. From Margate to Haworth, we sampled some of the UK’s best breakfasts – everything from extravagant full English, organic sausages and hot out-of-the oven croissants, to fresh

The Bottle Yard Studios: production is underway on

the seventh series of Sky1 comedy Trollied. The much-loved supermarket sitcom, produced by Roughcut TV, has been entertaining audiences since it began in 2011. Filmed on the full-scale ‘Valco’ supermarket set at The Bottle Yard, a total of six series and four Christmas specials have been made at the studios to date. Series seven will shoot eight half hour and one hour-long episode over nine weeks. Tim Sealey, head of production at Roughcut TV, said: “It’s great to be back at The Bottle Yard. We have always felt very well looked after here, and the team make sure the production runs as smoothly as possible, so that there is no drama, just pure comedy. Sustainability is important to us and The Bottle Yard is a great partner to have to ensure that we retain our Albert 3-star status.” Trollied Other productions recently filmed at The Bottle Yard Studios include: The Crystal Maze, Poldark, Broadchurch, The White Princess, Crazyhead, Noel Edmonds’ Cheap Cheap Cheap gameshow, and the new comedy thriller Ill Behaviour.

Elstree Studios: to satisfy demand for more

workshops and production offices Elstree Studios has vacated some of its storage space. The last year has been a record year for the studios, with the stages in high demand for both film and television productions. The successful alliance with BBC Studioworks has allowed Elstree to offer large stages for major TV shows such as Strictly Come Dancing and Britain’s Got Talent. The newly-created backlot and other stages have been used to produce the highly acclaimed drama series The Crown. Big Brother has expanded its village with two more stages Noel Edmonds ' Cheap Cheap Cheap and a re-vamped auditorium Permission has been now been granted to build a new stage and the company is also investigating other areas that may be used directly for production space, including more stages. Managing director, Roger Morris, said, “We already have clients who wish to use the first new stage once it is built. I hope it will become the best multipurpose film and TV stage in the UK.

24 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

porridge drizzled with whisky cream and brown sugar. Our wagon brimming with camera equipment (and a newfound appreciation for that extra notch on our belts), we filled any spare room in the van with local goods from each B&B. Content with our footage, and with stomachs full to burst, I never would have imagined that off the back of a foodies’ dream breakfast road trip, an EVcom Silver Award for cinematography would be bestowed. Filmmaking at its finest: long hours, teamwork, and a damn fine breakfast.”

PLYMOUTH COLLEGE OF ART PARTNERS WITH BFI

Budding filmmakers across Plymouth and the South West will have the chance to learn from industryleading figures in a new, intensive, short course designed to provide them with practical skills and confidence in creating moving images, thanks to a partnership between Plymouth College of Art and the British Film Institute. The BFI Film Academy Programme offers hands-on filmmaking courses, aimed at developing knowledge and skills for those passionate about film or looking for a career in the film industry. Videographer Billy Abbott, who is also a lecturer in Film, Animation & Media Production at the college, takes the lead in organising the programme, with support from predegree associate Dean Matias Shortcook. Masterclasses and talks will be led by key industry figures including cinematographer Oliver Stapleton BSC, who is co-head of the MA programme at the National Film & Television School, and lead tutor Nick Hart-Williams, former C4 documentary commissioning editor. The deadline for applications is 1st October 2017. A link to the application form can be found on the Plymouth College of Art website, plymouthart.ac.uk.

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

2017 BSC SUMMER LUNCH

Guests enjoy lunch and the awards in Pinewood Studios historic Ballroom

The traditional Summer Lunch, in the 68th year of the BSC, was a wonderful occasion, with members and guests enjoying a pre-lunch drink on the terrace, meeting old and new friends.

hil Méheux BSC hosted the event, held in the historic ballroom at Pinewood Studios, welcoming visiting DPs Philippe Rousselot AFC ASC and Bradford Young ASC, along with honorary members and proffering a toast to absent friends. Unable to attend due to shooting commitments abroad, newly-elected president, Mike Eley BSC sent the following message: “I stood in for the president on this day a few years ago and very much enjoyed the view from the podium, surveying the beautiful room full of friends, colleagues and loved ones, enjoying what I think is the premiere event in the BSC calendar. In these days of national introspection, it is good to be reminded that our industry is one that ranks among the very best in the world. On both sides of the camera, our men and women are in demand across the globe.”

Méheux presented certificates to new BSC members, Felix Wiedemann and Seamus Ole Birkeland, as well as Polly Morgan, McGarvey BSC receives who became a member last year but was the BSC Best only now able to collect her certificate. Cinematography Danny Bishop also collected his certificate award 2017 of Associate BSC membership. for Nocturnal Seamus McGarvey ASC BSC won Animals the BSC Best Cinematography Award for his work on Nocturnal Animals, and Méheux was bestowed with the prestigious ARRI John Alcott Award, presented by Judith Evans of ARRI, for his dedicated services to the society, prompting a standing ovation. Panavision mounted and inscribed the awards, MBS Lighting provided the lighting for the buffet, Richard Blanshard photographed the event, which was organised by Helen Maclean and Audra Marshall. ts Billy Williams BSC presen ) ival Bradford Young ASC (Arr with his certificate of t nomination for BSC Bes 7 Cinematography for 201

John Buckley (Movietech) with John de Borman BSC

Ralph Young (Lee Filters) receives a BSC gift on behalf of Lee Filters' 50th anniversary

Phil Méheux BSC presents the certificate of membership to Polly Morgan BSC

Phil Méheux BSC presents a BSC gift to Judith Evans (ARRI) on the company's 100th anniversary

26 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

John 'Biggles' Higgins (Gaffer) with James Corless (Pinewood Post)

Phil Méheux BSC presents the certificate of membership to Felix Wiedemann BSC

Ed Wild BSC in discussion with Baz Irvine

Hugh Whittaker (Panavision) with Seamus McGarvey BSC

Phil Méheux BSC receives the ARRI/BSC John Alcott award from Judith Evans (ARRI)

Andrew Prior (ARRI), Siobhan Daly (ARRI), Rebecca Price (Azule) and Jon Fry (CVP) Images by Richard Blanshard

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F-STOP / IBC 2017 PREVIEW / BY KEVIN HILTON

Cinematography is part of broadcasting through high-end drama, and even more so now that episodic productions aspire to - and can achieve filmic looks and style.

ecent IBC (International Broadcasting Convention) exhibitions and conference sessions have reflected this crossover, both in camera, lens and hardware products and discussions of latest technologies and techniques. There have also been appearances by cinema heavy-hitters, including directors James Cameron and Ang Lee. By the time this preview went to press no comparable, headline-grabbing names had been announced, but that's not always the point. Some of the speakers and subjects lined-up for the conference programme this year are of interest and importance to cinematographers, and anyone else involved in digital imaging for both film and TV. Notable among the speakers is cinematographer Nic Knowland BSC, who will be on the panel for the IBC Big Screen session entitled ‘Laser - The Creative's Voice’. Taking place on Sunday 17 September,

IBC Big Screen Experience Saturday Night Movie: Baby Driver

this also involves Brian Claypool, vice-president of product management for global cinema at projector manufacturer Christie and Michael Bradbury, head of cinema technology for Odeon Cinemas. In the Big Screen auditorium is ‘Visualising The Science Of HDR & Wide Colour Gamut’ on Saturday 16 September. Participants include David Schnuelle, vice president of technology for Dolby Labs and Dominic Glynn, senior scientist with Pixar. Also on the Saturday is a seminar entitled ‘UHD From Lens To Screen: Who Is Calling The Shots?’. Among those speaking will be Jimmy Fusil, manager of production engineering for Netflix, and Richard Wilding, chief technology officer at Molinare TV and Film. Details of what some of the big companies will be showing at the RAI Centre in Amsterdam were not available at the time of writing. There were a few intriguing, teasing aspects, however. Sony issued a non-disclosure agreement to journalists for a big IBC debut, the only clue being it would be a "nextgeneration CineAlta product". Other than that, Sony will be showing the HDC-P43 for shooting in 4K and HDR at high frame rates and the BRC-X1000 and BRC-H800 remote units. >> Nic Knowland BSC

28 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

IBC Big Screen Experience Monday Night Movie: War for the Planet of the Apes

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NEW from LiteGear! On show at IBC stand 12.D39 The LiteBox, the ultimate softbox, the latest accessory for the LiteTile LiteDimmers - Pro Chroma LIteRibbon Dimmer, LiteMat Dimmer, LiteDimmer Universal, Studio 5x8, Studio 24x8 See the preview of Project Stardust LCA will also be exhibiting new kit from DoPchoice, Hudson Spider, RatPac and Cineo Lighting.

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retaining an entry-level price tag. This product was announced at Cine Gear, where it won the Cine Gear Technical Award. Other manufacturers were able to provide details of what they will have on show during IBC, giving a flavour of where cinematography and post is going right now. Panasonic will launch the AU-EVA1 compact camera, aimed at documentaries, The Vitec Group commercials and music promo shoots. similarly scheduled a big reveal for This will feature a 5.7K Super 35mm sensor and 4K early September, based round what was described as recording at 4:2:2 on to SD card. The company will a "revolutionary new camera support product", jointlyalso have its full range of VariCams; the top of the produced by Sachtler and Vinten. There will also be the range VariCam 35, the compact debut of Litepanels' "latest genre-defining LED LT and the Pure with 4K lighting panel range". The Gemini is a 2x1 RGBMole uncompressed RAW and Richardson... WW soft panel combining daylight, tungsten and Tener LED 120fps capability. RGB LEDs and offers a range of control options, Blackmagic including cable and wireless DMX and, in what Design will have a is claimed to be an industry first, Bluetooth. range of acquisition ARRI was keeping its main IBC and post equipment news under wraps, but able to give details on display. The of a new external filter for the Alexa URSA Mini Pro will Mini and Amira, which was launched be shown with an at the Beijing International Radio, open protocol to TV & Film Exhibition (BIRTV) at the allow connectivity end of August. The manufacturer and control over says it decided to produce its own full Bluetooth. The Video spectrum ND filter in answer to demand Assist 4K now has for a high-quality external filtering device new professional to go with its small format and documentary oscilloscopes shooting cameras. The ARRI FSDN filter giving readings of will be available in 6.6x6.6-inch and 4x5.65 waveform, RGB formats and is made from optical quality parade, vectorscope and Schott B270i glass. Expect to see a new histogram. DaVinci version 14 Lightweight Matte Box too. The modular LMB is claimed to be the biggest in 4x5 accessory expands on the feature-set and the history of the product, giving creative possibilities of the popular LMB-25 while

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30 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

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performance enhancements of up to ten times, multi-user collaboration features and, perhaps most interesting, audio post capability based on Fairlight technology, which BMD bought last year. Most manufacturers have a take on workflow and Canon is promoting its 4K version at the show. There will also be the oldfashioned combination of camera and lens in the form of the new EOS C200 and the CN-E70-200mm T4.4 L IS and CN E18-80mm T4.4 L IS KA S. The EOS 200 is Canon's first Cinema EOS to include Cinema RAW, a light format giving 4k/UHD/50p capability. There is also an advanced auto-focus system and LCD display panel. RED Digital Cinema did not supply product details in time for this preview but Cooke Optics will give the camera manufacturer's Weapon 8K some publicity through the S7i Full Frame Plus range of Prime lenses. These are designed to work with the sensor area of a 46.31mm image circle and come in 18, 25, 32, 40, 50 100 and 135mm formats. The S7/i Primes feature T2.0 apertures and can be used for 35/Super 35mm and full frame shooting. On display too will be the Panchro/i Classics, an updating of the old Speed Panchros. The two zooms in the Anamorphic/i series are to be shown in addition: the 45-450mm and 35-140mm complete the

Anamophic/i range, which has been joined by the Anamorphic/i SF series, which features a coating to allow flare and 'aberration' effects. The new Leica Thalia lenses from CW Sonderoptic will be at the show, after they started deliveries at the beginning of August. Hire companies across Europe are now stocking the Thalias, which were designed in collaboration with ARRI Rental to ensure compatibility with the Alexa 65 camera. As well as ARRI, RVZ in France and Ljud & Bildmedia in Sweden now offer the new lenses, while in the US TCS in New York and the LA branches of Keslow Camera and Otto Nemenz International have stocks of them. P+S Technik will demonstrate its LensChecker, a projection system designed to appraise lenses both at the rental house and on location. It features a professional lens evaluation graticule (reticle) from US hire company Otto Nemenz and is able to work with both spherical and Anamorphic lenses. Expect to see the latest addition to the Kowa Evolution lens range

and rehousings for Canon F and K35, Leica/Leitz-R and vintage Kowa Anamorphics. Tiffen's NATural neutral density filters will be on shown together with three new Steadicam products. The M-1 Volt flagship product now features a modular addition, boosting the capability of the support, which is able to effect whip pans and maintain a level horizon. Also new is the three-section post for the M-1 to allow low-mode operation and a three-section arm for additional height movement. >>

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British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 31

F-STOP / IBC 2017 PREVIEW / BY KEVIN HILTON

Support hardware is increasingly well represented at IBC and this year there will be Miller with its Skyline 90 Fluid Head for the European market; and the Dutti Dolly designed by US grip James Saldutti, the Rover smartphone camera cage and the MyWay grip rigging system from Matthews Matthews... Studio Equipment. Dutti Dolly Lighting will be difficult to miss and LED continues to make itself felt. Among luminares to look out for are: MoleRichardson's Variable-Color LED Fresnels, which come in 200W and 300W (Vari-Baby and Vari-Junior) and 400W and 800W (Vari-Studio Junior and Vari-Senior) power versions, will be on show with the 1600W Tener LED; the Celeb LED "wall of light

for the 21st century" from Kino Flo, which will also show the FreeStyle Kino range of lightweight LEDs; the Pipeline One-Foot 4-Bank LED remote phosphor fixture from BB&S Lighting; Photon Beard's Highlight LED family, which has 90, 270 and 360W models and feature TLCI (television lighting consistency indexes) compliance with natural skin tones and more light emission without colour shifts; and the Silk 220, a 2x2 soft light panel that is now the biggest in Rosco's Silk range. The stands of distribution companies are sometimes akin to mini-exhibitions within the main show. LCA and ACEntertainment prove this with a wide variety of equipment from a LiteBox... LiteTile broad selection of manufacturers. LCA will have new LiteGear luminares, including the LiteBox and LiteDimmer Pro Chroma Lite Ribbon and LiteMat dimmer, plus DoPchoice's SnapBox diffuser and Rabbit Ears housing, the C-80 full gamut LED in soft light form and Hudson Spider's Redback parabolic LED array.

Among AC-Ent's offerings will be the Chroma-Q variable white LED space light and soft light source, the Q-Line bi-colour LED tubes from Quasar Science and examples of its Tourflex Cabling in-house custom cable assembly service, which covers both signal and multicore connections for film and TV. The Transvideo-Aaton Digital stand is always worth a visit, although there might not be cake as there was for last year's anniversary celebrations. It will definitely feature the Starlite RF-a and StarliteHD-e monitors, HDR functionality for the CinemonitorHD range, the Stargate seven-inch monitorrecorder and the Cantaress mixing surface for the CantarX3 and Cantar Mini location recorders. British Cinematographer personnel will be trudging with alacrity round the halls of the RAI as usual looking out for the latest and best products. The magazine itself can be picked up from the ARRI and DoPchoice... Snapbox LCA stands. n

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32 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

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34 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

SPECIAL REPORT / ARRI / MUNICH DIARY BY RON PRINCE Franz Kraus and Jörg Pohlman

ARRI: 100 YEARS YOUNG

In celebration of its one-hundredth birthday, ARRI invited British Cinematographer Magazine editor Ron Prince and co-publisher Alan Lowne for a behind-the-scenes tour of its Munich headquarters during flaming June. Here’s a journal about what turned out to be a very special jaunt indeed. Sunday, 7pm: So what does it take to become a

centenarian? Often it’s attributed to a wee dram of whisky before bedtime. Sometimes it’s having walked the dog, or taken a bracing freshwater swim, twice daily in all weathers. Not sure this applies to a veritable camera and lighting business, whose business encompasses to the four corners of the earth, but at least we’re going to get some insight into ARRI’s longevity and its future plans during this trip. I wonder whether we’ll encounter any people in lab coats? Alan and I are greeted at Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss airport by our personal driver, Andreas. The armrest cup-holder in the backseat of his fabulous Mercedes is stuffed with ARRI’s famous tradeshow Gummi Bears, especially for us. Alan Lowne hugging Stephan Schenk hugging Ron Prince

We’re whisked down the autobahn, checked into the hotel in The English Garden district, and find ourselves ordering Wiener Schnitzel for supper, before you can utter “Donner und Blitzen” – which the sultry weather is threatening outside.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Monday, 10am: “We work where other people like

to come on holiday… welcome to ARRI,” is the greeting from Ursula, the chirpy receptionist at ARRI’s lighting manufacturing facility in Stephanskirchen, some 110km south of Munich. The journey here in Andreas’ wunder-car has certainly been wunder-bar – with the autobahn swooping through picturesque wooded vales and hills on this glorious summer morning. The neatlooking factory is tucked away in a dingly dell, beside an idyllic brook, across from paddocks that surround the family estate of ARRI cofounder’s son, Bobby Arnold. Must come on holiday here, it’s fabulous. We meet Markus Zeiler and Markus Lampier, general managers of ARRI Lighting’s business unit, and Tino Schuldt, who oversees industrial engineering here. “It was a lumpy, bumpy ride to get to 100 years,” admits Markus Z. “During the 1990s the time and motion experts came in and recommended that ARRI close down its lighting division. >>

Mike Eley BSC – President, British Society Of Cinematographers On behalf of all BSC members, I’d like to congratulate ARRI on reaching its 100th anniversary. It’s very hard to imagine our industry without those four bold letters, whether it be on a camera, a light or a lens. It remains a reassuring sign of reliability and commitment to getting the shot. To all the people in Munich and across the world working for ARRI - thank you.

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 35

SPECIAL REPORT / ARRI / MUNICH DIARY BY RON PRINCE ARRI never does anything by half

Reegan Köster joins the team ARRI's Lighting factory in the sunshine

Markus Lampier Markus Zeiler and Tino Schuldt

But we like to look to the future, and someone within the senior management back then decided to keep it going.” Note to self: patience at the crease, plus fortuitous decisions make for a long innings. As we amble through the large test studio, festooned with HMIs, fresnels and LEDs, we learn that ARRI’s lighting manufacturing business is going great guns. Here they turn out 50,000 Tungsten/Daylight lampheads plus LED fixtures per annum. Whilst there’s been a reduction in demand for Tungsten, LED is most definitely on the rise. For example, ARRI has sold over 28,000 SkyPanels worldwide to date, and they only launched in October 2015. Back in the UK, Pinewood MBS has accumulated the world’s largest stockpile of these. Overall, ARRI’s lighting business has seen a growth of 40% in the 2016-17 period over the previous year, making for a handsome turnover of over €100 million. The words “hot” and “cakes” spring to mind. Although various parts, like spigots for example, are tailor-made by third-parties in Italy, Germany and Great Britain, and bulbs/LEDs come from trusted suppliers in Germany, Malaysia, Japan and Korea, the meticulous assembly is all done here. Some of the testing processes have been automated/ n Prince pose Alan Lowne and Ro nders Robert in front of ARRI fou gust Arnold Richter and Au

36 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

robotised, but the products are lavished by the human touch to make sure they really shine. “We rely on the experience of our workforce,” says Markus L. He reveals that it takes one person one day to make one ARRIMAX. One hundred SkyPanels are made per day (although they, indeed all lamps, are rigorously tested in lab-like conditions for two days before they’re ready for shipping, and any fixtures showing the merest trace of fragility or unreliability are promptly weeded out). Do they mind copycat products creeping into the market from the Far East? “Not especially, because quality of light and reliability are the differentiators, and the thresholds are very high,” says Tino. “We have 15 years of experience in LED colour science, and know just how hard it is to create RGBW tuneable white light, and you can’t readily match the optics either. As ARRI also makes digital cameras, we do a lot of testing to optimise lighting quality for the digital sensor. Also, we are always reaching out to cinematographers, gaffers and our rental house partners for their feedback as to how we can make better products.” Investment has been such that ARRI’s lighting division now has eight dedicated software engineers, focussed on writing some funky new, customisable lighting effects, available in the new Firmware 3.0 – such as candles/firelight, passing clouds, cops’ cars, fireworks, night clubs, lightning, paparazzi, strobes and pulses – along with no fewer than 46 pre-programmed matches to common light sources, including Tungsten, sodium vapour and fluorescents. We pass an indoor football table, with green playing blue. Markus L reminds us that England wore an emerald strip during that painful penalty shootout at Euro 2002 Academy ’96. Note: Award for Thanks for innovation of camera systems that, but shows the winning spirit is vital when the chips are down.

Monday, 12:30pm: A wholesome canteen lunch, in

lovely sunshine, beside that idyllic brook, which is teeming with trout. Just time for a quick photo of me and Al in front of a large print of the company founders, Richter and Arnold, with their film cameras on wooden sticks, and then we’re back in the marvellous Merc. Although Andreas is sticking to the Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung, we’re back in time for our next appointment with two of today’s ARRI bosses – executive board members, Franz Kraus and Dr Jörg Pohlman.

Monday, 3pm: ARRI’s HQ in Türkenstrasse, in

the mellow University district, was originally a small shoemaker’s shop, before ARRI’s founders, August Arnold and Robert Richter, took over the property. Incidentally, the “AR” of Arnold and “RI” of Richter make up the name ARRI. Today, across its various sites and divisions around Munich, and the wider Bavaria region, ARRI employs 500 people, and 1,500 people worldwide. ARRI remains a familyowned business, and occupies the same space, though the site has grown to the size of an entire city block. Franz, who has helped steer the ship since 1983, puts ARRI’s longevity down to healthy roots. “The original founders were filmmakers, an integral part of a close-knit filmmaking community that still exists today. They knew about all of the elements of filmmaking – camera, lights and post production – and developed a truly unique understanding of the processes, the industry, the people and the value chains. They made reliable products that worked, based on what people really needed, and gave ARRI its hallmark reputation for image quality, reliability and patient innovation. Of the original analogue camera companies that existed, only ARRI is still standing. So we are very proud to have reached this milestone, which was not necessarily a given, especially with the transition from analogue to digital.” Indeed, that’s quite an achievement. Less than a decade ago, ARRI was predominantly an analogue business, and moving into the digital market was a crucial step to get right. But it wasn’t a sudden thing. We are reminded that ARRI’s success in laser film scanning and recording technology gave precious insight and knowledge into digital colour science, dynamic range and resolution, “so it was not such a great leap as you might imagine into digital imaging and digital cameras, although it did take a lot of funding,” says Franz. Roger Deakins’ He also favourite film camera fondly remembers the considerable contributions of Bill Lovell, former head of 3D and digital at ARRI Rental in the UK. “Bill was a very important figure, who was very close to reality

CONGRATULATIONS! Burnt and bruised ALEXA

Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC It seems I have been using ARRI cameras, lenses and lighting equipment for much of the company’s 100-year history. Well, I have for 35 of them. From film to digital, from the ARRI BL to the ALEXA Mini, it is my opinion that ARRI, both its company and equipment, continues to be second to none. Here’s to the next 100!

Oliver Stapleton BSC

“REFLECTING ON WHAT WE’VE SEEN SO FAR, IT STRIKES ME THAT ARRI ISN’T AN OLD COMPANY. IT’S EFFECTIVELY A BRAND NEW BUSINESS, BUILT ON A 100-YEAR PEDIGREE.” and what was possible, who travelled the world for ARRI, and who was hugely responsible for what has become the ALEXA camera system today.” Jörg says that with the advent of its digital wares, ARRI’s R&D team has tripled in size to over 100, and that the turnover on camera and lighting accessories has more than doubled during the last few years. They have now built and shipped over 70 ALEXA 65 cameras, an ARRI product available only through ARRI Rental. “We find ourselves in a unique position with development capabilities, have a highly-competitive range of new products and accessories, and see lots more potential,” says Jörg. “We view any competition as a challenge, not a negative threat, and are very optimistic as we set our sights firmly on the future.” Next year the company will expand into brand new premises. Carrying the project name ‘ARRIAL’, and centrally-located in Munich, it will provide 215,000sq/ft of space to accommodate 600 employees. That said, Jörg notes: “We’re mindful that rental companies spend money with ARRI, and we are keen to safeguard their investments with new upgrade paths for software and hardware, so that ARRI continues to make a good investment for them.”

Monday, 5pm: Next up is Stephan Schenk, MD of ARRI

Cine Technik and general manager of the Camera Systems business unit. He gives us a quick tour of the impressive in-house museum, which features an Oscar statuette amongst many other gongs, plus an array of ARRI’s old and new cameras, all preserved behind glass. One is a charred and badly-bruised ALEXA, which still works. There’s Roger Deakins’ favourite old ARRIFLEX 535 film camera, before he switched to ALEXA, of course. With all of this mighty history on display, Stephan talks about future developments in the areas of VR/ AR/360. ARRI has recently cooperated with Radiant Images in LA, on a camera rig featuring ten ALEXA Minis. More about that tomorrow. Trying to tease out any secrets regarding the next generation of cameras, he says, “It’s very easy to create a ‘wishlist’ of specifications for a camera – to shrink the form factor, make it lighter, improve the dynamic range, colour gamut, give it more pixels – but you have to balance all of those variables. What counts for us, and our customers, is to offer the best overall image quality, with the most

pleasing skin tones and colours, with the best overall production value, that is quick and easy to operate, whilst providing data with reliability and efficiency for post houses. Ultimately it is about delivering a complete camera system – lenses, camera, accessories and workflow. That’s why the ALEXA SXT, for example, has 14 different shooting formats. So, yes, being a camera manufacturer we, of course, are working on new sensors and camera systems, but we will never put out an inferior product.” For anyone waiting for a 4K ALEXA, your patience is very much appreciated. Last year ARRI snapped up the camera stabiliser system product group from Vitec. “Image stability is extremely important especially when you are working at higher resolutions. The TRINITY is a great addition to our product range and there is more to come,” Stephan says.

ARRI’s 100th birthday – that’s special! I have been purchasing and renting ARRI cameras and lighting for almost 40 years. It is quite amazing to think this wonderful company is still with us, and is still run with the same spirit that it was founded. What is that spirit? Brilliant engineering based on user consultation. Thank you ARRI. May you continue this ethos forever!

Ben Davis BSC I’ve been working with ARRI cameras my entire career – from a 16SR on my first student film to the 6K ALEXA 65 now, via many other ground-breaking varieties – the BL2, 2C, 535, 3C, 435... the list goes on. All were great and remain so. Always manufactured with the user in mind. Always reliable in tough conditions. Now it’s ARRI lighting fixtures that are breaking new ground, and it’s a privilege to have them as another tool in a DP’s arsenal.

Monday, 6pm: Last night’s Wiener Schnitzel was

so good, that it would seem churlish not to try it one more time. And guess what? It’s equally as good at the local beer garden, where we’re having supper al fresco with ARRI’s head of corporate marketing and communications, Ute Böhringer-Mai, and two of her team, Reegan Köster and Heiko Meyer. We discuss – amongst the more trivial matters of fiendishly-longGerman-compound-words – the digital revolution and need for ARRI to continually communicate its burgeoning offerings via print and social media. Celebrating its centenary, ARRI has conducted 300 interviews with industry professionals from all over the world – including Wim Wenders, Ang Lee and Roger Deakins to name a few. Previewed online, the teaser for The Filmmaker’s View grossed 33,000 views in one week. The Filmmaker’s View will be launched on 12th September. It’s been a long but fascinating day. Tired as newts, we settle down with more Donner und Blitzen outside to refresh the bedtime air.

Tuesday, 7.30am: We chomp on freshly fried eggs

and bacon, amid a colourful delegation of families from India, who have come to meet their guru. Reflecting on what we’ve seen and heard so far, it strikes me that ARRI isn’t an old company. It’s effectively a brand new business, built on a 100-year pedigree. And they are making the most of their new digital faculties. >>

Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC The first time I visited ARRI in München was in the wake of a student film festival, where we were honoured with the first international graduation film prize. We visited the factory and its different departments, much the worse for severe visits to the bar. Last year, approximately 30-years later, I was back working within the same walls, prepping Snowden for Oliver Stone. ARRI were immensely helpful through all departments – from their most experienced technicians and management, to the shop-floor testing facilities, even their in-house runners and trainees. Everyone was exceptionally service-minded and professional. I have always enjoyed collaborating with ARRI, whether it’s in the UK, South Africa, or Germany. They listen. They remember. They advise elegantly. I will always look forward to returning to ARRI, and ARRI München, in particular, is the Holy Grail centre of their massive empire. My thanks and best wishes to you all.

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 37

SPECIAL REPORT / ARRI / MUNICH DIARY BY RON PRINCE Alexa Studio

CONGRATULATIONS!

Mike Valentine BSC

Siegfried Wetscheck with a canister of sensor wafers ALEXA Mini bodies

Tuesday, 9am: Back at HQ, we’re on a tour of the

department where the ALEXA SXT, ALEXA Mini and AMIRA cameras are built. I lost count of how many camera bodies we saw at various stages of construction, but it can’t have been far off a hundred – with all of them already sold. Before shipping, every lump gets shaken and stirred for 30 minutes by a US military-grade machine, whose vibrations are so forceful the beast is kept in the basement to prevent damage to the building. This trauma is followed by a plunge into a freezer that reaches down to -40ºC, after which it gets baked in an oven that could cook your Sunday roast. These various ordeals take six hours. Next each sensor is calibrated, and tested for dead pixels with all manner of fixed pattern grads and filters. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s then a forensic scrutiny of all of the camera buttons and functions, like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, plus dark room tests with Macbeth charts to see if the camera really is yielding 14-stops of dynamic range. The failure rate is low – less than one camera per day. After two days of scrutiny, the finished product is assembled, with the correct lens mounts and accessories, as per the customer order. “There’s no point in shipping a product that people cannot use immediately, and too many returns is not good for business or ARRI’s reputation,” says our guide, Daniel Schwerdtfeger.

Tuesday, 10:30am: We are now entering a ‘clean

zone’ where you have to wear a hat and blue overshoes. Where the technicians, in sealed-off glass rooms, are dressed as if they could be pioneering a cure for something nasty, or splitting the atom. This is where the ARRI-specified sensors for the ALEXA and AMIRA make holy communion with the boards that will fit into the camera body, before taking part in the Great Shake-off/ Bake off we witnessed earlier. Siegfried Wetscheck, manager of bonding and cleanroom assembly, says the sensor bonding process involves pressure, vibration and 25 minutes of time to make Stephan Schenk the 960 teenythe ide bes tiny stitches that t ine cab trophy connect the sensor to the circuit board. Vorsprung durch Technik!

38 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Bonded board and sensor

For over 30 years, I have had the pleasure of revealing the hidden beauty of the underwater world – in over 90 features, many TV dramas and commercials. Throughout this time, I’ve had the pleasure of either owning or using the wide variety of ARRI cameras. Working underwater pushes you and your equipment to the limit. I have never had a major breakdown and always appreciated your advice and technical support, whether shooting at Pinewood or the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Thank you and congratulations!

Tuesday, 12-noon: Also on the Türkenstrasse

plot is ARRI Media, Creative Solutions and Post Production Services. Starting from the rooftop canteen garden, Michael Koch and Angela Reedwisch show us around numerous VFX, 3D animation, editorial, colour grading and motion graphics suites, where the creative producers and digital artists work on a variety of corporates and visualisations for BMW, Audi, Bosch and Volkswagen, as well as TV shows, commercials and features. One such up-and-coming project is the football feature Trautmann – produced by Robert Marciniak, Steve Milne and Chris Curling, with Daniel Gottschalk the DP – for which the team is recreating Wembley Stadium and Manchester City’s Maine Road of the 1950s, with plenty of crowd replication required. We’re then given a trouser-shaking Dolby Atmos presentation by sound producer Michael Huber, in a brand new mixing studio. ARRI has another Atmos mixing stage at its separate branch over at Bavaria Film Studios. Beside ARRI’s facilities, the only place outside of the US for Dolby Vision post is London. We learn that ARRI’s Post wing now has a 50% market share in DCPs for the German market. If we weren’t giddy enough by now, with all that swirling sound, there’s a special demonstration of ARRI’s pioneering work in interactive VR/AR/360, from Clarens Grollmann, which is hugely impressive. One sad note is they closed the ARRI film lab 18 months ago, greeted by tears of auf Wiedersehen. Before we leave for lunch and then the airport, we’re handed the brand new ARRI Look Library, a book of LUTs akin to a Pantone swatch. The ARRI Post team came up with the idea of making and selling off-the-shelf LUTs, available to you for very little money. I can see this being a valuable resource and an excellent money-spinner.

Tuesday, 3pm: We’re leaving for the airport,

brandishing family-pack bags of Gummi Bears and stylish ARRI jackets that will come in handy at Camerimage. Andreas’ tarmac-munching Merc makes short shrift of the schlep to Franz Josef Strauss. So much more than a camera and lighting business, the digital world has opened up a myriad of new opportunities, and ARRI knows it’s in a marathon, not a sprint. Note: spread your wings, broaden your opportunities. Serendipitously, a jogger runs by, wearing a T-shirt bearing a sentiment in ARRI’s new yellow day-glow premises type that reads… “I’m good today, but will be much better tomorrow.” Seems to sum it up in a nutshell really. Happy 100th birthday ARRI, and thanks for a splendid trip. n

Chris Menges BSC ASC In 1957, aged sixteen, I was apprenticed to the outstanding American cinematographer/director Allan Forbes Jnr. His camera of choice was a little gem – the ARRI 11A. Allan was a superb teacher and 12 years later I shot my first feature, Kes, for Ken Loach. The little gem was by then the ARRI 11C. In its lead blimp, it was huge, taking two strong people to lift, but it made location sound possible. Now, years later, we can dance with a new little gem – the ALEXA Mini - and catch more than words! Thanks ARRI for making so much possible.

Michael Seresin BSC ASC Congratulations on reaching a century. What an achievement – and still a family company. Your cameras and culture have been a part of my filmmaking life forever. Through rigour, innovation and imagination you have helped us all fly. Just wonderful.

Gavin Finney BSC Congratulations on 100 years! ARRI’s cameras and lights have been an integral part of my imagemaking since I first pulled an ARRI 16mm BL out of its box and loaded a precious short-end at film school, and they’ve been with me ever since. Their cameras and lights work so well because they listen to cinematographers and through listening, many have become our friends. Cinematography is quite simply in ARRI’s DNA – long may they continue.

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

IN THE PICTURE E

cho Artists: Niels Thastum shot Borg/McEnroe, directed by Janus Metz, starring Shia LaBeouf and Sverrir Gudnason, which will open the 2017 Toronto Film Festival. Sean Price Williams has graded One Man Dies A Million Times, directed by Jessica Oreck. David Gallego lit Brakland, directed by Martin Skovbjerg. Christopher Miles is shooting the TV series Mr Inbetween, directed by Nash Edgerton for FX. Michael Paleodimos has graded the short Oxsijan, directed by Edward Watts. Carlos Catalan is grading the short Don’t Look At The Finger, by visual artist Hetain Patel. Charlie Herranz, Lachlan Milne, Edgar Dubrovskiy, Andrew Commis and Alexandre Jamin are shooting TVCs. Felix Wiedemann has graded Electric Dreams’ episode The Hood Maker, directed by Julian Jarrold for Amazon and C4. Screen Talent: Adam Sliwinski is shooting Gourmet Detective for Crowne Media. Christopher Sharman did pick-ups for Peter Medak’s feature, The Ghost Of Peter Sellers. Bart Sienkiewicz has wrapped on the series Immortality, for Blackpills in Paris with director Nick Parish, and is shooting additional cinematography on the feature See You Soon in St. Petersburg, with director David Mahmoudieh. Intrinsic: James Mather ISC shot the feature Don’t Let Go in Ireland, and is prepping Krypton. George Burt has been lighting Black Site. Malcolm McLean is operating on Slaughterhouse Rules, joined by Torquil Fleming Boyd on Steadicam. Mark Nutkins is prepping the feature Gatecrash in York, after lighting some splinter unit on Three Seconds and two shorts, Lovely Cuppa and The Director. Cathal Watters ISC has wrapped the fourth

Living The Dream crew... in Savannah, Georgia: (l-r) B Camera loader, Callie Moore; B Camera focus puller, Alan Newcomb; A Camera focus puller, Richard J. Lacy; camera operator, John C. Lehman; A Camera loader (seated), Kane Pearson; DIT, Alex Talley; camera utility Jay Johnson; Director of Photography, Tim Palmer BSC; dolly grip, Chris Koch; and key grip, David Spencer

series of Peaky Blinders. Soren Bay DFF has graded his episode of Endeavour. Andrew Johnson has been lighting more of Holby City. Chris Preston has shot more of Father Brown. Nic Lawson has taken over as DP on Deep State. Stephen Murphy has completed his Tyneside stint on Vera. Tony Coldwell is on Free Rein. Ruairi O’Brien ISC is in Cape Town shooting the final blocks of Troy. Petr Cikhark ACK has been in Mexico shooting First Face Of America. Jorge Luengas AEC is on A-camera on Strike Back. Richard Donnelly was in Budapest lighting second unit on Mars and Rasmus Arrildt DFF is starting the second series of Delicious in Cornwall. Dave Miller has been shooting Jamie Oliver’s Quick And Easy, and Simon Weekes captured the action for the World Rally Championship. Martin Roach visited every club in the Bundesliga, shooting promotional material for next season’s broadcasts. Andrea Chiozzotto, Arturo Vasquez SVC, Brian Strange, Chris O’Driscoll, Dagmar Scheibenreif, Dave Miller, David Liddell, Ed Lindsley, Gabi Norland, George Burt, Lynda Hall, Mark Nutkins, Martin Roach, Martyna Knitter, Max Rijavec, Richard Donnelly, Suzanne Smith, Simon Weekes and Stephen Murphy have been busy with commercials, corporate films and music promos. United Agents: Barry Ackroyd BSC is prepping David Mackenzie’s next feature, The Outlaw King, shooting in Scotland. Remi Adefarasin BSC is shooting Juliet Naked, directed by Jesse Peretz. John de Borman BSC is lighting Slaughterhouse Rulez directed by Crispian Mills. John Lee has completed Ordeal By Innocence in Glasgow, directed by Sandra Goldbacher, produced by

Mammoth, and is now on Bodyguard, a new Jed Mercurio drama for World Productions. David Luther is in Prague prepping new German TV series Das Boot, directed by Andreas Prochaska. Nic Morris BSC graded Love, Lies And Records, directed by Cilla Ware for Rollem Productions/ BBC. Tony Slater Ling BSC is prepping The Informer, a Neal Street/BBC drama, with director Jonny Campbell. Haris Zambarloukos BSC GSC is grading Murder On The Orient Express and signing up for his next film soon. Alan Almond BSC is reading scripts. Danny Cohen BSC recently concluded on Night In Hatton Garden for James Marsh, and will shoot Stephen Frears’ A Very English Scandal for Blueprint. Martin Fuhrer BSC is meeting for various projects. David Higgs BSC is prepping Little Dragon, a biopic about Bruce Lee directed by Shekhar Kapur. Kieran McGuigan BSC is shooting the next series of Humans, and Laurie Rose BSC has finished on Overlord for Bad Robot. Bet Rourich will light Hacker for Poul Berg. John Sorapure is lensing Back for Big Talk, and Film4’s High Window is being lit by Simon Tindall. Si Bell is available. Charlotte Bruus Christensen is prepping A Quiet Place for John Krasinski. Sara Deane has graded Anna And The Apocalypse. James Friend BSC is lighting all five episodes of the TV drama adaptation of Patrick Melrose’s novels, for director Edward Berger and Showtime/Sky Atlantic. David Marsh is lighting series two of Good Karma Hospital for Tiger Aspect/ITV in Sri Lanka. Neus Olle is lighting new Spanish TV1 drama series, Letter To My Father, for her regular Catalonian director Mar Coll. David Raedeker is lighting the feature The Souvenir, for director Joanna Hogg and producer

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Welcome to boudoir… Se my an Price William on the set of s Good Time

Nice legs… Al Rae on A Camera shooting The Angel in Bulgaria

Not the Vicar of Dibley… Stephen Murphy in production on Vera

I might be from Denmark... but I ain’t King Canute says Niels Thastum

In the pink... Bart Sienkiewicz on the set of Immortality. Photo by Lou Faulon.

Luke Schiller, which has backing from Martin Scorsese. Niels Reedtz Johansen is prepping the big action feature The Serpent’s Gift in Denmark. Kate Reid is lighting the opening block of series two of Marcella, for director Charles Martin, followed by new drama series Press, for Lookout Point/BBC and Tom Vaughan. Joshua James Richards is developing a new project with regular director Chloè Zhao. Ed Rutherford is prepping Vanity Fair for Mammoth/ ITV with director James Strong. Anna Valdez Hanks is having a family break and reading for projects in the autumn. Ben Wheeler is on the final leg of block two of The Durrells for Niall McCormick. Magni Agustsson is busy with commercials including BT for director Tom Hooper in London via Smuggler, McVitie’s for Andy McLeod at Rattling Stick, and a Vodafone campaign for Jeff Low at Biscuit. Alex Barber’s recent spots include Visa for The Bobbsey Twins in Warsaw through Blink, and a McDonalds ad for Tony Barry in London and Slovenia via Knucklehead. Philipp Blaubach shot Sky Arts’ short When Bowie Met Bolan for director Jim O’Hanlon, and a Morrisons campaign for Patrik Bergh at 76. Simon Chaudoir’s commercial projects include KFC for directors Man vs Machine in London through Friend, and Premier Inn for Rob Leggatt in London via Knucklehead. Lasse Frank’s ads include Squarespace for director Andreas Nilsson in Kiev through Biscuit. Florian Hoffmeister BSC is shooting Johnny English 3 for director David Kerr through Working Title. Dimitri Karakatsanis has graded the feature The Dishwasher for director Jeremie Guez. Stephen Keith-Roach’s latest projects include Confused.Com for directors Traktor at Rattling Stick, and

a Savills campaign for Ben Wheatley through Moxie. Alwin Kuchler BSC shot a VW spot for director Nick Gordon in Sweden through Somesuch. Tim MauriceJones BSC recently shot an EE spot for Hank Perlman in London for Hungryman, a Betway ad for Hanna Maria Heidrich in Bucharest via Believe Media, and a TVC for Pure Insurance with director Jun Diaz in Prague through O-Positive. Alex Melman lit a Vodafone ad for Danny Kleinman through Rattling Stick, Tena for Jeff Low via Biscuit, and Marmite for James Rouse through Outsider. Sebastian Pfaffenbichler lensed a Kia ad for director Cadmo Quintero in Lisbon through Markenfilm. Tristan Oliver is lighting Wes Anderson’s stop-motion feature Isle Of Dogs. Jake Polonsky BSC prepping the new series of Billions in New York. Simon Richards did a Senseo commercial for director Simon Willows at Bare Films in Poland, and collaborated with Blink’s new director, Java Jacobs, on a Pot Pasta ad. Christopher Sabogal is shooting Vera for director David Leon in Newcastle for ITV. Independent Talent: after finishing Collateral, where he collaborated once again with director SJ Clarkson, Balazs Bolygo has worked on re-shoots for Paddington 2. Simon Dennis is shooting HBO’s American Crime Story until early autumn. Since finishing The Boy With The Topknot, Adam Etherington has been shooting commercials and is now prepping the feature The Dark Outside, a film he has been involved in developing. Cinders Forshaw lit a pilot for YouTube Red, called Hayden’s Dream, with a breakout director and strong focus on young women believing in their abilities. Eric Kress is prepping a pilot for TNT, The Deep Mad Dark,

I shoot dead people... a ringer for Rutger Hauer, DP Petr Cikhart in production on The First Face Of America

directed by Niels Arden Oplev. John Mathieson BSC is working on the feature Mary Queen Of Scots. Sam Renton has wrapped on the feature Supervized, directed by Steve Barron, and is set to shoot Swati Bhise’s project Swords & Sceptres, set between 1855-58, which tells the story of the 19th Century Queen of Jhansi who bravely fought against the East India Company in the mutiny of 1857. Ben Smithard BSC shot for Jaguar with Knucklehead director Gary Shore, M&S Christmas with Rattling Stick’s Danny Kleinman, and went to India with Black Label’s Asif Kapadia to shoot a piece for Prudential. After that, Ben will begin prep on Richard Eyre’s King Lear. New client Maja Zamojda is with director Charles Sturridge on the second series of Marcella. Ole Birkeland BSC is shooting The Little Stranger for director Lenny Abrahamson. Darran Bragg has finished the short film How A Kite Flies, for director Ben Gough. Henry Braham BSC is shooting Georgetown for director Christoph Waltz. Bjorn Bratberg is in Wales shooting BBC1 Wales/S4C drama Keeping Faith via Vox Pictures, directed by Andy Newbury. Jordan Buck has been busy on ads with directors Mollie Mills, Dael Poulter, Scott Peters and Dan Emmerson at Somesuch. >>

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

Ready for another take?... director Mark Lobatto with 1st AC AJ Golesworthy, DP Eben Bolter and actors Maisie Williams and Ronald Pickup on Stealing Silver

Jaguar crew... (l-r) Brendan Harvey 2nd AC, Rob Hawkins AC, Kim Seber operator, Robert Shacklady GBCT, Jamie Crawford director, Mike Green 1st AC GBCT. Photo courtesy of Neale Haynes

Cooking up a visual treat... Dave Miller shooting Jamie y Oliver’s Quick & Eas

Oliver Curtis BSC has been shooting commercials with 76 Ltd and is about to head off to Malaysia on a Mastercard shoot with director Andy Lambert. Ben Davis BSC is lighting Tim Burton’s Dumbo. Benoit Delhomme AFC That’s a cra shot for Cle De Peau David Gallego cker... enjoy with David Sims, Coty a laugh on locati s on Fragrance with Olivier Dahan and Margiela with Fabien Baron. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC has finished shooting Thomas Vinterberg’s Kursk. Ian Foster is busy shooting commercials. Kit Fraser is set to shoot Farming, the directorial debut from Nigerian-British writer-director Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, chronicling his own story growing up fostered by a white working-class family in the UK, starring Kate Beckinsale, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Damson Idris. Sam Goldie was abroad with MJZ director Mike Maguire for Mars, Ayse Altinok at Biscuit on JD Williams, and was in The Canaries shooting two promos with Alison Goldfrap. Eduard Grau is shooting Joel Edgerton’s Boy Erased. Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC is lighting The Widow for director Neil Jordan. Andreas Neo has been shooting ads. Aadel Nodeh Farahani’s most recent TVC work included Alcatel with Niall Coffey at Kode Media. Roman Osin BSC has finished shooting Andre Øvredal’s Mortal. Having just finished McMafia for director James Watkins, Mark Patten is shooting for Jaguar with RSA director James Bryce. Dick Pope BSC is shooting Mike Leigh’s next feature, Peterloo.

Tat Radcliffe BSC has completed Yann Demange’s White Boy Rick. Christopher Ross BSC is on FX’s new ten-part series Trust, with Danny Boyle directing the opening episodes of this drama chronicling the story of the Getty family. Ashley Rowe BSC is lighting season two of Jamestown for Sky. Martin Ruhe shot for Porsche with Stink director Nacho Guyan, VW with Bart Timmer, and Ferrari with Johnny Hardstaff at RSA. Ben Seresin BSC ASC is prepping Doug Liman’s feature Chaos Walking, a dystopian tale where there are no women and all living creatures can hear each others’ thoughts in a stream of images, words and sounds called ‘Noise’. Oliver Stapleton BSC is lensing Michael Hoffman’s next feature, about Gore Vidal. Alan Stewart is shooting Aladdin for director Guy Ritchie. Dan Trapp has been shooting Arcade Fire with Riff Raff and most recently worked with director Caswell Coggins at Sky Creative. David Ungaro AFC collaborated with Gary Freedman on a Bulldog Skincare ad, Bruce St Clair at Bang TV for Lexus, and with Meert & Marcus in Ibiza for Piaget. Ed Wild BSC shot Walkers with Zach Math at Bold, and Jaguar Land Rover with Nick Wickham and Nick Jasenovec at Caviar. Gravy Crew: Robert Shacklady GBCT’s been busy with Jaguar Land Rover, Neta-Porter shoots and main unit dailies on BBC’s Hetty Feather. Rupert Power ACO GBCT worked with Tim Potter GBCT for a teaser of British comedy The Quarter, DP Oliver Curtis BSC, directed by Robin Sheppard. He also shot a promo for Secret Cinema’s Society Of Love with DP Felix Schmilinsky, directed by James Partridge. Operator Joshua Lee GBCT did dailies on The Royals, Midsomer Murders and Holby City, and DP Samuel Pearce is shooting commercials and promos.

ARRI Crew: Ossie McLean ACO SOC is B-camera/Steadicam for DP Florian Hoffmeister BSC on Johnny English 3. Camera/Steadicam operator Jeremy Hiles ACO is on Endeavour series 5 with DPs Jamie Cairney and Ollie Downey. Shaun Cobley ACO operated B-camera on the UK unit of Ridley Scott’s All The Money In The World with DP Dariusz Wolski. Iain Mackay ACO is in Rome with Chris Ross BSC on block one of Danny Boyle’s ten-part Getty drama Trust. Derek Walker ACO GBCT was A-camera/Steadicam for DP Ed Rutherford on ITV’s Victoria series 2, and helped finish-off additional photography on B-camera/Steadicam for DP JP Gossart on Justice League. Tom Wade has been shooting shorts, and working on jobs for Bare Films and AMVBBDO. Casarotto Marsh: Eben Bolter has finished The Dames, a documentary by Roger Michell, and is now on Adam Randall’s second feature I See You, in the US. Tim Palmer BSC is working with Jon East on the second block of spy thriller Killing Eve for Sid Gentle Productions. Julian Court is shooting the first and last blocks of the Killing Eve, with director Harry Bradbeer. Matt Gray BSC lensed Kiri for The Forge with director Euros Lynn. David Pimm recently completed on Simon Amstell’s debut feature Benjamin. Annika Summerson is shooting One Night, a ten-part Scandinavian TV series, with director Oystein Karlsen in Norway. Mark Wolf has wrapped on Last Summer, directed by Jon Jones. Michel Wood is gearing up for Carmilla, with director Emily Harris. Helene Louvart AFC recently finished Alicia Rohwacher’s Lazzaro Felice for Tempesta, and is prepping Mia Hansen-Løve’s next film, Maya, shooting in India. Lukas Strebel is working again with director Urs Egger in Austria. Wojciech Szepel has graded TV mini-series Howards End. Bruce Jackson shot Kids iPlayer for the BBC, with director Claire Norowzian. Sebastian Cort embarked on a Swiss adventure lensing Ionza for Greatcoats with director Johnny Mourgue. Marcus Autelli, based in Barcelona, shot Balvenie for P For Production, with director Scott Grummett, in Glasgow. Gerry Vasbenter worked on a Nike commercial with director Mark Downes, as well as Oka ads, with Dom Evans directing for Light Arcade. McKinney Macartney Management: Stuart Biddlecombe is shooting Craith in Wales, with Gareth Bryn directing. Mick Coulter BSC has finished shooting Shetland >>

Field research... Laura Bellingham testing equipment for Stump

42 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

Coffee break… Neil Oseman on the comedy road feature Above the Clouds

with director Rebecca Gatward and has started prep on MGM feature Nasty Women, shooting in London and Mallorca, with Chris Addison directing. Denis Crossan BSC has completed principal photography on Next Of Kin for Mammoth Screen, and is getting ready to shoot the feature Asher, directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Shane Daly is prepping Strike Back in Croatia with director Michael J Bassett. Seamus Deasy has finished the feature, The Art Of Love, in Ireland. Sergio Delgado worked on Silent Witness with director Thaddeus O’ Sullivan and is prepping Full Force, with Nick Love directing. Gavin Finney BSC has completed principal photography on The Miniaturist with director Guillem Morales. Jean Philippe Gossart has wrapped with the main unit on Justice League Part 2, and is in prep with the second unit on Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 2, Please let me in... with Stephen Woolfenden directing. Oona Menges in Sam McCurdy BSC has completed Belfast on lighting principal photography on Lost In Space Zodiak Kids’ Joe All Alone for Netflix, and is readying for Hellboy in Bulgaria, with director Neil Marshall. Andy McDonnell shot Troy: Fall Of A City in South Africa, with Mark Brozel directing. Polly Morgan BSC is prepping Legion in the US. Ben Butler, Sebastian Milaszewski, Arthur Mulhern and Alessandra Out to lunc Scherillo have been Vincent W h... shooting commercials. ar and friend in Chris Seager BSC is lighting The Alienist in Budapest with director Paco Cabezas. Mike Spragg BSC lit Strike Back for Left Bank Pictures and is prepping NBC’s The Brave with Brad Anderson directing. Simona Susnea, Clive Tickner BSC have been shooting commercials too. Darran Tiernan is shooting HBO’s Westworld. Robin Whenary has completed on Thanks For The Memories in London, with director Amit Gupta. GBCT Diary Service: cinematographer Edward Ames GBCT has completed the post-war thriller The Last Witness, directed by Piotr Szkopiak, starring Alex Pettyfer, Talulah Riley, Michael Gambon and Robert Wieckwicz, using Alexa SXT and Amira cameras with Leica Summilux C primes. Stephen J. Brand GBCT and Mike Fox BSC worked in 50-degree heat in Turkey on a viral for Tui Hotels Germany, using Sony F55, FS5 and A7S cameras shooting at 150fps. Emma Edwards GBCT operated on The Green Room, and was DP across several Netflix social campaigns. She has also been working alongside fellow Guild members – Suzanne Smith GBCT for the Almeida Theatre’s acclaimed Figures Of Speech, directed 44 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

by Anthony Almeida, and with DP Ingrid Domeij GBCT for Prospect Union’s STEM Futures campaign in an allfemale group of technicians. Matt Fisher GBCT was in South Africa as B-camera/Steadicam/AR operator on Paramount’s Action Point, written by Johnny Knoxville, based on a real story about a dangerous amusement park in the 1970s. DP Tania Freimuth GBCT has completed the short Pitfall, a drama set in WW2, directed by Ben Desmond, edited by Trace Taylor and graded by Joseph Bicknall at Cheat, shot on Varicam LT with Cooke lenses supplied by Movietech.

good as a A wink’s as shooting ré nod… And al ci a commer

Jamie Harcourt GBCT was on B-camera, and occasionally the DP, on Silent Witness and Hard Sun. After four weeks on the Yorkshire Moors, DP Martin Hawkins GBCT and his team finished shooting the Jack Dee six-part comedy series Bad Move. Martin then lit Stuck, Sky’s first live sitcom for ten years, at The London Studios, directed by Nick Wood, starring Jennifer Saunders, Joe Thomas and Dan Skinner. Paul Lang GBCT went to Bulgaria to shoot Midge Ure working on his latest album. DP Martin Testar GBCT has completed the feature And If In A Thousand Years in Ireland, directed by Jerwood Prize winner Patrick Hough. DP Daniel Katz ISC and camera operator Stew Cantrell travelled from New York to shoot the UK section of US crime drama Three Seconds. They couldn’t have done it without: first AC Guillermo Alvarez on

A-camera; first AC Jake McClean Walker on B-camera, and B-camera second AC George Telling, who assisted with the rest of the camera crew. Prince Stone: of the agency’s DPs… Laura Bellingham photographed Stump, a short for Stigma Films, directed by Tommy Boulding, sponsored by Canon and shot on Canon C700, about the difficult relationship between two brothers forced to share care-assisted accommodation. Oliver Taking a commercial brea Ford shot the UK half Simona Susnea at the cam k... era of a Ghost Poet promo with Zhang & Knight for Agile films, and did a Beats by Dre piece on WizKid for director Shaun James Grant. He’s also been restoring an ARRI 16SB camera with director Duncan Ward. Of the agency’s camera/ Steadicam operators… Peter Robertson Assoc BSC ACO is shooting the Freddy Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek, with director Bryan Singer and DP Tom Sigel ASC, using Alexa 65 around London. Sean Savage Assoc BSC ACO SOC worked on Overlord for Paramount Pictures/Bad Robot at Leavesden Studios, with director Julius Avery and DP Fabian Wagner, using Alexa SXTs and C-series Anamorphics. The story is set during preparations for D-Day, and centres on a group of American paratroopers on a mission behind enemy lines. James Layton ACO did B-camera/ Steadicam dailies on The Forgiving Earth with director Hugo Blick and DP Hubert Taczanowski for Netflix/ BBC, and shot unit Steadicam on Born A King, Augusti Villaronga’s feature, with Josep Civit the DP. Joe Russell ACO is working with DP Julian Court BSC on Killing Eve, an eight-part thriller series written by Phoebe WallerBridge for BBC America, produced by Sid Gentle Films, directed by Harry Bradbeer, in London and Europe. Dan Nightingale has finished on ITV’s four-part drama Hatton Garden, with director Paul Whittington and DP Adam Gillham, shooting with Panasonic VariCam LT and Zeiss Master Primes. Tony Kay ACO GBCT has been shooting commercials as well as working on the series 2 of ITV’s Marcella, using Panasonic Varicam and PV Vintage lenses. Rob Hart ACO is in Corfu on series three of The Durrells, for directors Roger Goldby and Niall Maccormick, with DPs James Aspinall and Ben Wheeler. Peter Wignall ACO is on C-camera/Steadicam on Ron Howard’s Star Wars spin-off The Red Cup, >>

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Letterbox format… Julian Court on the set of Killing Eve

Mr Whippy… Jake Scott and crew shooting a Givenchy commercial

Paul Lang GBCT filming Midge Ure in Bulgaria working on his new album

. Going steady.. Rupert Power t shooting Secre ty Cinema’s 'Socie o Of Love' prom

with DP Bradford Young ASC, at Pinewood using Alexa 65 and Alexa Mini. Camera operator Mark Milsome ACO is on S4C/ Joio Productions’ eight-part drama Bang, set in Port Talbot, with Philip John directing. The DPs are Graham Frake and Mark Milsome, using Alexa Mini on the MoVi stabiliser. Berlin Associates: Sarah Bartles-Smith lit Sicknote for King Bert Productions, and is now on BBC’s Two Doors Down series 3. Catherine Derry is shooting C4 drama, The Room, with director Anthony Philipson. Ollie Downey is on a block of Endeavour for Mammoth Screen, directed by Brady Hood. Mark Garrett is shooting BBC2 comedy

46 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Riding high… Nanu Segal shooting Money Supermarket directed by The Bobbsey Twins

Dave Allen, with producer Brett Wilson, and director Andy De Emmony. Len Gowing is on So Awkward series 3. Suzie Lavelle has started A Discovery Of Witches for Bad Wolf/Sky, with director Juan Carlos-Medina. Ian Moss is framing Safe for Red Production Co/Netflix, with director Daniel Nettheim. Owen McPolin has started on Vikings season 6. Toby Moore is shooting Call The Midwife. Neil Oseman lit Perplexed Music, a short film about grief, starring Paul McGann, written/directed by Mark McGann, shot in Somerset and on the Cornish coast. Prior to that, Neil shot comedy-road-feature Above The Clouds, selected for the Edinburgh International Film Festival’s Work in Progress Showcase. Kelvin Richard continues on Apple Tree House series 2. Sara Putt Associates: Giulio Biccari is in his native South Africa on the latest installment of BBC’s Our Girl. New signing Tom Debenham has a background in VFX on various features and is second unit DP/VFX supervisor on Electric Dreams. Peter Edwards is on Still Game for BBC Scotland. Simon Hawken is in Poland shooting a TVC for Brightspark. David Mackie lit a documentary for Nine Ten Productions. Oona Menges was in Belfast on lighting Zodiak Kids’ Joe All Alone.

Happy on location… Suzanne Smith has a smiley moment

Simon Reay has wrapped on Jurassic World as splinter unit DP, and is now lighting Waffle The Wonder Dog for Darrall MacQueen. Andrei Austin did dailies on Hard Sun, Sick Note and Call The Midwife, and is prepping on the new series of Outlander. Jon Beacham has completed on Lost In Space. Danny Bishop is on Patrick Melrose, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the aristocratic playboy. Joe Bullen worked on a Bryan Adams gig in Europe. Ed Clark is in Ireland on Playground Entertainment’s Little Women, as A-camera/Steadicam. Ilana Garrard is operator/ Steadicam on Mammoth Screen’s adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence for DP John Lee and director Sandra Goldbacher. Rodrigo Gutierrez is underway on Mary Queen Of Scots operating B-camera. James Leigh has finished on Doc Martin. Julian Morson continues on Tim Burton’s Dumbo. Vince McGahon has started on the second installment of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them as A-camera/Steadicam. Al Rae is A-camera/ Steadicam on The Angel, shooting in Bulgaria and Morocco. Fabrizio Sicarra did dailies on Marcella, Teen Spirit and Rellik, and a promo for Sam Smith. Rick Woollard has been busy on commercials for Just Eat through Kream, Jaguar via MJZ and Thompson Holidays through HLA. Wizzo & Co: welcomes Nicola Daley ASC to the roster, whose latest feature, BFI-funded Pin Cushion, directed by Deborah Haywood, opens Venice Critics’ Week. Previous features include Thirst, directed by Robert Carter and the soon to be released feature documentary Manolo: The Man Who Made Shoes For Lizards directed by Michael Roberts. Adam Barnett is also new to the roster, who shot feature Two Graves, directed by Gary Young immediately after graduating from the NFTS. Baz Irvine is grading the three-part thriller Trauma, directed by Marc Evans, Dale McCready is shooting The Split, and David Procter, is lensing Netflix drama in London, Yorkshire and Norway. Patrick Meller has wrapped on director Ninian Doff’s debut feature in Scotland. Hubert Taczanowski is with director Hugo Blick, and Jamie Cairney is shooting season two of acclaimed C4 drama Flowers, written/directed by Will Sharpe. Mattias Nyberg is grading Detectorists series 3, directed by Mckenzie Crook. Sverre Sordal is prepping the feature >>

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Easy does it... Baz Irvine on the set of Trauma. Photo by Joss Barratt.

Tui Hotels crew… (l-r): director Andy Brooking; PA Kim Husher; DP Stephen Brand; Tui Hotels rep Ferd J a; and DP Mike Fox BSC

Action man... Matt Fisher brandishes the camera in South Africa on Action Point

Ilkley, directed by Harry Michell in Yorkshire. Matthew Emvin Taylor shot the short Stairwell in Malta, directed by James Vernon, and went on to shoot the short Careful How You Go, directed by Emerald Fennell, starring Phoebe Waller Bridge. Karl Oskarsson has completed End Of Sentence, scripted and directed by Elfar Adalsteins, starring John Film school... (l-r) Ingrid Domeij GBCT (DoP for Hawkes. Matthias Pilz has been shooting main teaching). Shooting crew unit days on acclaimed drama Requiem, and for campaign - Juliet Nick Dance BSC is currently shooting season 4 Pumptre (sound), Kirstie of Poldark, with director Joss Agnew. Oli Russell Howell (sound), Emma Edwards GBCT (lighting is grading drama-comedy Derry Girls, directed camera) and Eva Arnold by Michael Lennox, and Richard Stoddard is (lighting camera) colouring the final episode of Dr Who featuring Peter Capaldi before shooting a feature in the autumn. Tim Sidell is lensing a feature directed by Tom Beard in London. Susie Salavati has shot a number of documentary projects. Duncan Telford has graded Hailmakers, directed by Jim Owen, and Damian Bromley’s episodes of drama Will, directed by Shekhar Kapur, will air soon. Dan Stafford-Clark shot Enterprice with Martin director Nida Manzoor. Say cheese... Guild DoP the ying Hawkins and his team enjo king on David Rom’s episodes of sun in Yorkshire whilst wor Move Poldark series 3 continue Jack Dee’s comedy Bad to air. Angus Hudson

BSC has been shooting short form work with director Chris Wehrfritz, Antonio Paladino with Alexander Bach, Traktor & Alex Feil and Ben Magahy with the Tubby Brothers - he also shot Sam Smith’s comeback promo with director Luke Monaghan. Charlie Goodger shot with Lucy Cohen & Maxim Kelly, Daniel Bronks lit a major sports campaign with Pedro Martin Callero and Fede Alfonzo with Gabe Turner. Franklin Dow shot with Marie Schuller. Gary Shaw did a commercial with Bryan Buckley and a major Hollywood star. Jan Richter-Friis worked with Stylewar and Ruben Woodin Dechamps with Daniel Brereton. Theo Garland shot a major campaign with Neil Harris, Ross McLennan worked with Terri Timely and Will Bex has been working with drama director Sam Miller. Vision @ Wizzo: Rasmus Heisse DFF is prepping Netflix’s series The Rain, with Natasha Arthy directing. Malte Rosenfeld is shooting Close, an action espionage thriller starring Noomi Rapace, directed by Vicky Jewson. James Blann’s short Landline, with Matt Houghton, is in post. Eoin Mcloughlin has wrapped on Metal Heart, a coming of age comedy-feeature directed by Hugh O’Connor. Jonas Mortensen is planning his next feature with director Colin O’Toole, fresh from the success of their short Cowboy Dave, starring Steve Evets. Nadim Carlsen is shooting Border, a thriller with director Ali Abassi. His previous features, What Will People Say and Strawberry Days, were selected for Toronto IFF and Karlovy Vary IFF respectively. Nick Morris’ short, Wren Boys, with Harry Lighton directing, is in post, as is Ben Wearing’s short They Wait For Us, a near-future thriller with George Thomson and Lukas Schrank. Benedict Spence is working on series 3 of BBC sitcom Witless with director Andrew Chaplin. Jaime Feliu Torres is shooting commercials with Somesuch and Knucklehead. Jim Jolliffe is shooting ads

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MOTION PICTURE

DOCUMENTARY

MUSIC VIDEO 18/08/2017 16:09

Three Seconds crew… (seated, front of shot) DP Daniel Katz ISC, (l) Guillermo Alvarez first AC & camera operator Stew Cantrell, (r) Jake McClean Walker B-camera & George Telling B-camera second AC

The DP is the chap in the background... Ben Moulden on an Armani commercial

with Gorgeous, Ian Murray with HLA and Tantrum, and Denzil Armour-Brown with Friend. MyManagement: Petra Korner AAC is lighting The Pages, a political thriller starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Tika Sumpter in Chicago, with Joe Chappelle directing, shooting with Hawk’s V-Light Vintage ‘74 Anamorphic lenses on Alexa Mini and SXT. Dominic Bartels worked with Matteo at Spring Studios for Max Factor, P&O ferries with Jamie Maule-Ffinch, Simon Baker for Rolex, and a Fifty Life shoot for Production Company Space City, directed by Mike Harris. Nicolaj Bruel DFF spent two weeks in Shanghai for Black & Cameron shooting Buick with director Garde Abildgaard, followed by Warsaw for Perwol with E+P films, directed by Mikon Van Gastel. Aaron Reid’s globetrotting saw him shoot in Jamestown, Ghana, on a music video for J Hus’ track ‘Spirit’, directed by Hugo Jenkins at Black Dog Productions, then Jamaica and Barbados for Bacardi with director Jak O’Hara. Olivier Cariou shot the latest Compare The Market TVC with director Dave Scanlon. Following his shoot in Las Vegas with The Killers, Sy Turnbull has worked on a Jaguar shoot with Aaron Christian, Capital One with Outsider, Optrex with Owen Harris, before heading out to Charlotte, USA, to shoot Food Lion with director Henry Mason. David Lanzenberg has wrapped on Best Of Enemies in Atlanta, and is now on Your Lifetime, with director Lee Krieger. Robbie Ryan BSC ISC has taken time out after a sevenmonth shoot on The Favourite, which follows the political machinations behind-the-scenes during the reign of Queen Anne. Paul Mackay has been collaborating with JM Films and director Meji James on music videos for Sharon Doorson, and with Seyi Shay and Eugy and Qatar Racing at Goodwood with Luti Media and Daps. Car Shoots for Audi and VW have been the latest projects for Simon Rowles with Vertical, along with a charity shoot

On target... DoP Tania Freimuth GBCT shooting a scene from Pitfall

with Mark Henderson. John Perez has been focussing on his own projects in Turkey and Romania. Ekkehart Pollack shot for Range Rover in Slovenia with 2AM, and director Steve Cope, before going on to Lithuania for a BMW job with Iconoclast and director Manu Cossu, returning to Slovenia for Mercedes with Marken Films and director Jan Wentz. Vincent Warin lensed Aptimal for Anima Istanbul with director Devon Dickson. David Wright lit a Rhys Lewis music video for Lemonade Money, directed by Charlie & Jordan, rocked out with Wolf Alice for My Accomplice, and framed Valentino’s My Theresa for Pulse Films, helmed by Joanna Nordahl, the Swede who has earned a reputation for her videos, short films, documentaries and contemporary performance pieces. Jo Willems ASC SBC worked on a short with David Slade in LA, and then went to Scotland for a Glenmorangie ad, via Friend, with director Man vs Machine. Will Humphris took time out from a trip to Thailand to shoot with Pulse Films for Huawei with director Bonnie Wright, and then joined forces with director Fred Rowson for Burger King and Art Fund through Blink. Jallo Faber took a trip to Berlin for a Hyundai shoot, produced by Czar and Canal Digital in Kiev with director Martin Werner at Bacon. Katelin Arizmendi shot for BMW with director Philip Ramhofer in California, Adidas for Kode Media with director Nick Bartleet, and for Pepsi with Mundo Sisters in NYC. Todd Banhazl is shooting Braid with director Mitzi Peirone, a psychological horror story of Petula Thames and Tilda Darlings, two self-proclaimed artists turned dealers and schemers on the run. Richard Stewart is shooting a doco in Cape Cod. Lux Artists: Rob Hardy BSC continues shooting Mission Impossible 6, directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Bradford Young has wrapped on the Untitled Hans Solo Project with director Ron Howard. Jakob Ihre is prepping

Martin Testar GBCT (foreground), John Hough and Tracy Bass (producer) with Patrick Hough (director) on Skellig Michael off the Kerry coast, on recce for feature length project to shoot in 2018

for The Hungry Season for Chiwetel Ejiofor. Autumn Durald Arkapaw has wrapped on Max Minghella’s debut feature Teen Spirit. Martijn Van Broekhuizen NSC is shooting Rotterdam, I Love You directed by Koen Mortier, whilst Ruben Impens SBC has completed his stint on the production. Matyas Erdely HSC lit László Nemes’ next feature, Sunset. Jessica Lee Gagne is shooting Escape At Dannemora, the new feature from Ben Stiller. James Laxton recently shot a Guinness ad across Africa, directed by Wilkins & Maguire. Stuart Bentley has wrapped on Rowan Athale’s feature, Strange But True. Jake Scott shot a Cartier commercial for Louis Leterrier. Hagen Bogdanski has completed on the second season of Berlin Station. Ben Fordesman wrapped on the Netflix production The End Of The Fucking World with director Lucy Tcherniak. Ula Pontikos BSC is prepping Amazon’s drama series Carnival Row, directed by Paul McGuigan. Arnau Valls Colomer AEC is shooting Javier Ruiz Caldera’s feature Super Lopez. Julien Poupard is on C’est Ca L’Amour, directed by Claire Burger. Chayse Irvin shot a Toyota campaign for Mark Molloy. Eric Gautier AFC is shooting Zhang Ke Jia’s feature Money And Love. Tom Townend shot the IOC Winter Olympics campaign with director Jaron Albertin. Also busy shooting commercials are: Darius Khondji AFC ASC, Ari Wegner, Jody Lee Lipes, Sebastian Blenkov, Daniel Landin BSC, John Lynch ISC, Natasha Braier ADF, Michael McDonough BSC ASC, Nanu Segal, Benjamin Loeb CSC, Mauro Chiarello, Axel Cosnefroy, Steve Annis, Frederik Jacobi, Lol Crawley BSC, Crystel Fournier AFC, Nicolas Bolduc CSC, André Chemetoff, Leo Hinstin, Rina Yang, Benjamin Kračun, Justin Brown, Ruben Impens SBC, Magnus Joenck, Manuel Alberto Claro, Luke Jacobs, Danny Hiele, Zack Spiger NSC, Jackson Hunt, Manel Ruiz, Ben Moulden, Alexis Zabe, Adam Scarth, Rik Zang, David Bird and Trevor Wineman. n

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 49

MEET THE NEW WAVE / SUZANNE SMITH

ROLLS WITH IT Filmography (so far): Samsara (2017, in post), Guardians (2017, in post), Sunset Rose (2015), Corinthian (2014)

When did you discover you wanted to be a DoP? My granddad had an incredible collection of cameras, which I remember playing with from a young age – standard 8mm and Super 8mm (Yashica) cine cameras, numerous film stills cameras, and a Panasonic that recorded onto small cassettes that you’d then put into a VHS adapter so your films would play on the television. I was completely fascinated by it all. When I realised I could do a job working with them, it was all I wanted to do. I wanted to be a camera operator and later learned about the role of the cinematographer during my studies at university. Where did you train? I began working for a camera rental company for several years where I learned about camera, grip and lighting equipment, then I went freelance as an assistant and progressed from there. I’ve always studied outside of work and still do –attending courses and seminars with cinematographers as often as possible. What are your favourite films? The Illusionist (2006, dir. Neil Burger, DP Dick Pope BSC) – such a stunning film, period done beautifully, but without losing the harsh realism of the time. Gone With The Wind (1939, dir. Victor Fleming, DPs Lee Garmes/Ernest Haller) – the use of colour is incredible, particularly the scene where Scarlett surveys the empty crop fields. The barren purple landscape will forever stick in my mind. Skyfall (2012, dir. Sam Mendes, DP Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC) – I love the depth Daniel Craig brings to the character of Bond. I particularly liked how this film examined his dark side. The cinematography depicted this beautifully. Arrival (2016, dir. Denis Villeneuve, DP Bradford Young ASC) – I thought this film was absolutely stunning and effortlessly riveting from start to finish. What’s the best advice you were ever given? “Shoot, shoot and shoot. Just keep shooting as much as you can.” Fabian Wagner BSC ASC. A documentary cameraman also once said to me, “Always shoot into the light.” Who are your DP/industry heroes? Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC – his work on The Conformist (1970) and Apocalypse Now (1979) had a huge impact and taught me to really look for that connection with the energy of a story and its characters. Natasha Braier ADF – for her wonderfully vivid work on Neon Demon (2016). I’m a huge fan of Nicolas Winding Refn’s films and loved the striking images she created for this picture. Fabian Wagner BSC ASC – who has generously given me advice throughout my career. His stunning work on Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia and Game Of Thrones is inspiring. 50 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Patty Jenkins – because Wonder Woman (2017, DP Matthew Jensen ASC) was incredible. A just and noble superhero movie was exactly what we all needed to disappear into in this turbulent political climate. Roger Deakins CBE BSC OBE – I really admire his work on Skyfall (2012), Sicario (2015) and The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001), to name just a few. What’s the worst knock-back you've ever had? I applied to the NFTS and was rejected after my interview. I thought that was it, but I just went on to take a different path. What's been your best and worst moment on set? Best: on a very low-budget short with a funeral scene, which I was told would be a small chapel. When we turned up for the recce it was really quite a big church! I had to work out a more elaborate lighting plan with little time and no budget, but we pulled it off and I felt very pleased with what we achieved. Worst: when I was an assistant on a horror film, doing the board and then realising I had no-where to run before the special effects kicked-off. I got drowned in a fountain of fake blood, and spent the day cold, wet and very red. What has been the biggest challenge on production? I recently shot a short on 35mm called Spotlight On Me that is an artistic film about the humanitarian crisis in Syria. The director wanted the camera to break through a cloud of smoke and track in towards one of the characters against a black background. The shot also had to last for six minutes. We had to find a way to contain the smoke to get the effect. We went for quite a heavy-duty indoor smoke provided by Artem, and built a wall of poly with black drape around it to hold the smoke back for long enough to do the move. I was on-edge for a few days until the rushes came back, but thankfully it all worked. Away from work, what are your greatest passions? Running, snowboarding and visiting art galleries.

What one piece of kit could you not live without? The Artemis and Sunseeker iPhone apps. Which films are you most proud of to date? My first feature Guardians, because it was an incredible challenge. I’m also proud of Samsara, a short that we recently wrapped about Buddhism. I loved the concept behind the script and I hope it will translate well in the finished film. What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever shot in? An old courthouse in Wimbledon, which has a jail underneath and stairs that lead up to the docks. The cells have a horribly eerie atmosphere, with etchings on the walls carved by the prisoners. It looks really great on camera though. What’s the hardest shot you’ve had to light/frame? A scene in Guardians that had seven actors in a small kitchen performing an action sequence. The walls were painted dark green and dark red, and the cabinets were white gloss. We shot with two cameras and it was a tight schedule, so it was quite tricky to control the contrast and keep it looking consistent. Tell us your hidden talent/party trick? I can rollerblade on ramps, pretty embarrassing actually. In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot? Gandhi (1882, dir. Richard Attenborough, DPs Billy Williams OBE BSC/Ronnie Taylor BSC). What are your current top albums? Gomez – Bring It On; Death Cab For Cutie – Narrow Stairs; The Smiths (self titled); OK Go, Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky. Give us three adjectives that best describe you and your approach to cinematography? Prepared. Spontaneous. Instinctive. Suzanne Smith . Photo by Little Vintage Photography

If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now? I wanted to join the RAF. I also like the idea of being a chef, as it combines being technical and creative like cinematography. n

Sunset Rose (2015)

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SPOTLIGHT / KOTO ELECTRIC

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Koto Electric has a 70-year history of manufacturing electronic devices and lamps. Founded in 1947, the company started out as a manufacturer of large, incandescent lamps used for film shoots in Japan. By 1974, taking advantage of its considerable know-how in lamp manufacturing, Koto also began developing halogen lamps for the Japanese fishing industry, which are still widely used today.

ish or squid, which are consumed heavily by the populous of the island country, are attracted to the bright lights generated from these lamps, allowing fisherman to catch more at night than they could by fishing during the daytime. Depending on the style of the fisherman, underwater or surface lamps are used. Underwater lamps are made with tempered glass to resist the water pressure and can be submerged at up to 400m below sea level. Surface lamps are used on the broad-deck to attract the fish, drawing them near the fishing boat. Sensing a growth in demand, Koto was the first in Japan to develop metal halide lamps, in 1979, followed by the first 20KW halogen lamp used in the motion picture and entertainment industries, and their bulbs are now utilised on sets worldwide to light up productions including those made in Hollywood, UK, Germany, France, Bollywood, Middle East, South East Asia and China. Koto has just over 170 employees. The company is headquartered in Tokyo and the manufacturing facility is about an hour northwest of the capital city, in the rural farming area of Ibaraki. Koto’s large factory is a spectacle of flames, molten glass and liquid nitrogen, where precise craftsmanship, modern machinery and artisanal glass blowing are fused together, especially for the manufacture of larger bulbs. Smaller wattage bulbs, like Koto’s 200W range, are fully-made by

52 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

automated machines. However, due to their size, the manufacture of bigger wattage lamps, like the 9KW and 18KW, cannot be automated. So, skillful technicians who have trained for over ten years, form each and every single large glass bulb by hand and breath. Koto’s DIS (single-ended), DI (double-ended) and high wattage halogen lamps, are developed and produced in the factory. The DIS product line runs from 125W to 18KW, and can be readily used with various lighting fixtures such as ARRI, Dedo, K5600, and Broncolor. Tungsten halogen bulbs range from 5KW to 24KW. Tungsten bulbs are nowadays often deployed on interior and studio shoots, or used to light-up scenes involving high-speed cameras, and are valued for their flicker-free emission. Unlike other lamp manufacturers, Koto is the only company in the world to design, produce, and sell both metal halide lamps and Tungsten halogen lamps in-house, giving a big advantage in terms of product design and production flexibility. If you’ve ever worked on stage with discharge lamps and felt sunburned, it was the UV from the bulbs.

Koto was the first manufacturer to block UV rays from the metal halide lamps. These bulbs are designated UVBlock, and have a 95% reduction of UVB and UVC. Recently, Koto developed a brand new 18KW single-ended bulb, the DIS-180H VIVID, which has a top flight colour rendition. While the output of 18KW packs a punch, the new lamp turns ARRI’s ARRIMAX 18/12 into a new benchmark in terms of colour rendition. Values up to 100 in TLCI (Television Lighting Consistency Index) show the possibilities of this stateof-the-art daylight system. With its long history in lamp manufacturing, Koto not only supplies lamps to the Japanese entertainment market, but also imports various lighting equipment such as ARRI as an official distributor. Having wellestablished sales channels of lamps to Japanese TV stations, theatres, and equipment rental companies, it was not an unnatural move for Koto to start importing lighting related products to Japan. “As we all know, LED is a big trend in the lighting market,” says Susumu Harada, president of Koto. “However, being an expert in lighting, we see a strong demand in light quality for filmmaking and stage entertainment. Lamp manufacturing is and will be our core business without a doubt. We are also striving to become a total lighting system supplier together with the cooperation of our international partners.” Koto lamps can be purchased from Koto’s designated distributor in each country or region. If you cannot locate one near your area, you can go to their company webpage (www.koto-jp. com/en/) and place an inquiry directly. n

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LETTER FROM AMERICA / STEVEN POSTER ASC

Steven Poster ASC, president of the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600, says well-being of the crew, both on and off-set, is of paramount importance, and shares details of ICG’s free Safety App.

e work in a dangerous industry. That’s a simple statement of fact. From a small mistake of dropping a heavy piece of equipment on someone’s foot, to the death of a beautiful, spirited young woman dying on a train trestle because the producers lied about having permission to be there, we are in danger every day of our working lives. You could be working on a simple, no stunts, no obvious danger production, but there is always the potential for accidents to happen. For many of us, there has been a newly-energised emphasis on safety after the tragic death of Sarah Jones. Even though Sarah’s death was completely avoidable if the producers hadn’t lied to the crew, if somebody had just said, “I don’t think this is safe”, then the situation might have been questioned by the rest of the crew. Then there are those on our sets that would say, “Oh come on! Let’s just do it and get out of here.” How smart is that…? Many of us still believe in cinematic immunity. “Don’t worry. That will never happen to us. We’re filmmakers.” This is usually a problem of younger, less experienced filmmakers who really don’t know the rules. As a cinematographer and president of the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600, I’ve had a long history of being aware of the dangers we face every day. In fact, one of my first jobs as a DP at Universal Television was on a short-lived series called Class Of 65. I caused an older grip to fall and break his arm, just because I wanted to go faster with a camera on a Western Dolly on a running track behind North Hollywood High School. When I realised the danger I put that man in, I was appalled and dismayed how unconscious I was about safety. I vowed that I would never knowingly put any of my crew or cast in untoward danger no matter what the situation. 54 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

We all have to have the right to say no. But how difficult is that when you are an island, alone, surrounded by production people and even crew saying “Come on. Just do it.” I’ve only had to shut down two shows in my career where I felt the situation was unprepared and poorly thought out. One case was because I thought the working conditions were not safe on an open highway, with no police controlling traffic. And one was because I thought that an explosion was dangerously close to civilians watching the stunt. But those two times taught me a valuable lesson. WE ARE ALL SAFETY OFFICERS ON OUR OWN SETS. If you see something, say something. Our beloved show business isn’t worth the loss of life or limb… ever! One condition that has grown increasingly more dangerous is working longer periods than is safe. Unfortunately, this has been demonstrated time after time with accidents driving home from consistently long days on a set. Insufficient break times between work periods. We call it “unsafe hours”.

It’s for these reasons that The International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600 of the IATSE, has developed what we call our Safety App. This App is available free-of-charge on both IOS and Android platform at both App stores. Obviously, the App’s phone numbers will not be useful out of the USA. But what is useful are the Industry Safety Guidelines, which are embedded in the App with no need to download. These were developed over years to guide us in all of the dangerous work we are likely to perform. These guidelines are full of useful and essential information that you might want to check out before they are needed. We take great pride in a resource like the ICG Safety App and its many features. Originally conceived of largely as a means of providing static information, the App has evolved and become a powerful tool for two-way communication, which our members are discovering and using every day. By using the App to report unsafe hours, hazardous working conditions or other on-set problems (all of which will be handled confidentially), our members not only give our reps the chance to quickly come out, but also to set things right. The App also contains a Workplace Harassment and Discrimination section with the Local’s AntiHarassment and Anti-Discrimination Policy, and studio hotlines to report harassment and discrimination. Local 600 is committed to ensuring all our members work in an environment conducive to their health and safety. We will be glad to help any group around the world wanting to develop their own App. Remember, safety is not an accident. n

CAMERA CREATIVE / ROGER DEAKINS CBE BSC ASC / BLADE RUNNER 2049 / BY RON PRINCE

MORE HUMAN THAN

HUMAN

Three decades after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos, and bring an end to humanity. K’s discovery takes him on a quest to locate Deckard (Harrison Ford), the former LAPD blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.

evelopment of a sequel to Sir Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982, DP Jordan Cronenweth ASC) began in 1999. However, the project was shelved due to problems concerning the rights to Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, with similar issues besetting other proposed sequels, series and shorts. After much rumour that Scott would direct a new installment, it was announced in November 2014 that he would in fact produce a new film instead. On February 26, 2015, Blade Runner 2049 was confirmed, with Canadian Denis Villeneuve in the director’s chair. Harrison Ford was also confirmed to return as Deckard, as was original writer Hampton Fancher, with the film entering production in mid-2016.

Having previously worked with Villeneuve on the muchacclaimed Prisoners (2013) and Sicario (2015), Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC was invited to perform cinematographic duties on the new production. Although Villeneuve and Deakins scouted for locations in London, and discovered a number of inspirational sites, there was precious-little studio space in the UK. So the pair were forced to cast their net further afield. The production was eventually based out of Origo Studios near Budapest, Hungary, with the further-out-of-town Korda Studios providing additional stage space for the many elaborate sets. Locations included a brace of former Soviet power stations, along with other suitably dystopian buildings around Budapest. Production took place from July to November 2016.

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 55

CAMERA CREATIVE / ROGER DEAKINS CBE BSC ASC / BLADE RUNNER 2049 / BY RON PRINCE

Ron Prince caught up with Deakins as the cinematographer was putting the final touches to the production’s 2D, 3D and IMAX release versions, assisted by his wife James Ellis Deakins. Blade Runner 2049 is scheduled for global release in October 2017. Thanks for meeting up. I imagine you’re pretty busy finalising the movie? RD: Yes, I’ve nearly completed the main DI, and it’s a hectic time getting the different 3D, IMAX and HDR releases ready. I’m a bit picky about these things. For example, I am very conscious that 3D can go too far if someone’s not supervising it, and the result can suddenly adopt a Marvel comic type-of-look. Blade Runner 2049 is not that sort of film. Plus, there are lots of VFX to put in place. Although we tried to do as much as possible in-camera, nothing is quite as big as you really want on-set. So there are lots of digital set extensions to give the picture more scale and scope, and plenty of other small changes to be made in frame. Denis is a stickler for details, and thankfully James is keeping track on all of this. This is your third film with Denis, but how did you get to know him originally? RD: In 2011, I was asked by the Academy to introduce the best foreign language film director nominees at a soirée, one evening before the Awards ceremony. Denis was one of the nominees, with Incendies (DP André Turpin AFC). He had shot all of his previous films in Canada, and when I heard later that he was to make his next film, Prisoners, in the US, I asked my agent to ask if he had anyone in mind. We collaborated successfully together on Prisoners, and then asked me to shoot Sicario. When did you first hear about Blade Runner 2049? RD: I had heard rumours that maybe Ridley was not going to direct Blade Runner 2049, and they were looking for a director. We were just finishing Sicario, when Denis mentioned his involvement. What were your initial thoughts and feelings about being invited to shoot Blade Runner 2049? RD: It was the sort of opportunity you can’t say no to really. The original movie, although it was not successful at the time, has since become an iconic standard. So whilst it was daunting prospect, Denis makes his own films. This was not going to be a follow up in a traditional sense –

Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC

rather more a standalone film with connections to the original in terms of story points. Also, I love science-fiction – interesting sci-fi, rather than science fantasy – and love the novels of Phillip K. Dick. The closest I had ever come to sci-fi was 1984 (1984) and In Time (2011) – but one was long ago with little science and now seems less and less like fiction, whilst the other was shot with a very contemporary look. This production was of much bigger scope and working with Denis again was very attractive. Tell us about your discussions regarding the look of the movie? RD: It’s a long old process really. Denis and I functioned as we did on Prisoners and Sicario – focussing on storyboarding the script during pre-production. We spent a long time on this. I initially went to Montreal, where Denis was editing Arrival, and we would sit with a storyboard artist and sketch and play with ideas. I then also worked separately in LA with another storyboard artist. We spent several months on this, on and off, and the storyboarding went on right until a few days before we started shooting. Did Sir Ridley dispense any advice or guidance to you cinematographically? RD: I talked with Ridley for a time in general terms regarding the world, about the smog of Beijing, for instance, but that was about it. He was busy on his own film. Did you watch the original movie? RD: Yes, I did, but not with a mind for taking anything particular from it, other than to explore the story points. The original was essentially a cops and robbers premise, about a man searching for replicants and

taking them out before falling for one. It was a strong, straightforward plot. It touches on what it means to be human, and how far AI and bioengineering go before humanity is lost or replicated, but it was, in essence, a noir-ish detective movie. As I have said, Denis’ film is standalone, and quite different in its mood and look. The new film is more of a mystery and, perhaps, more psychological than an action piece. What were your visual references? RD: I watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s Solaris (1972, DP Vadim Yusov) a couple of times – not that it bears much relation to what we were doing, but it is a film I love. My main references came from general searches I did on the Internet relating to stern, modern, brutalist, concrete architecture, looking at how they use natural light as part of their design. What I found was really the greatest stimulation for what I wanted to do. Early on, Denis and I went on a series of scouts in and around London, and there’s no doubt that we found some wonderful structures there. They formed a template for some of what you see in the final movie, but there was no studio space available in the UK so we were not able to shoot there. So we broadened our recces to Slovakia and then Hungary, where we found a number of fantastic locations, including a couple of old Soviet power stations – one of which we shot at for real, the other which Dennis Gassner, the production designer, used as a guide for a stage set. We needed a lot of stage space for the many set-builds and Ridley had suggested we look at Budapest where he had shot The Martian. Origo and Korda studios are good facilities and both were available.

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Why did you go with Alexa again? Were you not tempted by the Alexa 65? RD: We tested the Alexa and Alexa 65, and did side-byside comparisons. The Alexa 65 is very clean and sharp, and has an impressive image range, no doubt. But the Alexa XT has a certain texture and activity in the image. Nothing as strong as film grain, but something that both Denis and I preferred. We had been perfectly happy shooting with Alexas on Prisoners and Sicario, so we really didn’t want to change the formula. It was always intended that the film be released in IMAX and Skyfall was also released in IMAX, so I had some experience in shooting an image, which works the best for the two formats. Shooting spherical 2.40:1 on the Alexa works particularly well for IMAX as the extra space top and bottom negates the need to crop the frame, as would be the case in shooting Anamorphic. You really do gain more ‘image’ when you see the film in IMAX. You went with the Zeiss Master Primes again. Why? RD: Simply because the Master Primes are the fastest, sharpest lenses I can get my hands on. I like their clarity. If I want to soften the image, I do it by lighting or exposure on-set. I have never liked to use filtration, and don’t recall using a diffusion filter for many, many years. For framing the characters, the lens of choice was typically a 32mm, as we did on Sicario, but to get the scale of some sets and cityscapes we went much wider than that – shooting with 14mm and 16mm lenses. Testing is always crucial, tell us more about your work? RD: I always like to make extensive tests of the cameras and lenses. Andy Harris, my first AC, took care of that

part for me at ARRI in Munch. The key screen tests I did in advance were for some of the ‘exterior’ sets, which were being built on interior stages. We wanted LA to resemble an extremely smoggy version of Beijing, with constant rain and snow, and to create this onstage, in-camera, and not by artificial effect in post. I had previously used misters on The House Of Sand And Fog (2003). You get a look that is similar to smoke, but with a different luminosity in the way light blooms. Some were a bit skeptical of this approach, so, to convince and reassure them, I worked with the wonderful Germen special effects supervisor, Gerd Nefzer, who rigged-up a system of sprinklers and nozzles that could fill the stage with mist. As far as I was concerned the results looked really good and we ended-up using this system a lot during production. It was quite taxing to work with this level of humidity for 12 hours or more. Something like the Everglades on steroids. Of course, we could not use the air-con as it would destroy the atmosphere. Did you create any LUTs to help with the overall look? RD: Yes, just the one. I don’t change LUTs from scene-to scene. I created a LUT for In Time at EFilm in LA, which I changed for Skyfall, and then further adapted with minor changes in contrast and colour for Prisoners and Sicario. EFilm modified it slightly for this production. I sometimes adjusted the colour a little on-set with my DIT Josh Golish, but anything done on set is non-destructive, so you can start afresh with the dailies or, at a later date, in the DI if you like. We viewed dailies with our dailies timer Matt Waller in a purpose built theater set-up by Efilm at Origo, or on an E Film calibrated EVUE system.

Can you describe some of the looks you achieved on Blade Runner 2049? RD: It has a wide variety of looks and atmospheres for the many different environments that action plays in. There’s the grey, foggy, smoggy dystopian city by day and night, and all manner of rain and snowstorms. The character Niander Wallace (Jared Leto), who builds the replicants, is blind, and I thought it would be ironically interesting to bathe the massive concrete building where he works with a warm world of moving sunlight, which Denis ran with. The sets each came with their challenges. Sometimes we’d be lighting a set with 250 space lights and 32 x 12 light Maxi Brutes, sometimes with 76 ARRI SkyPanels, with 238 x 300W Betweenies, with a bare 24Kw bulb rigged to the bottom of a moving truss, or with just a few 2ft LED tubes supplied by Lightgear in London. We used lines of Colour Blast LED lights or Bad Boy spotlights to create the effect of overhead flying vehicles passing by. One set is lit by a 40’ x 30’ LED screen playing back an image we shot in pre-production, again similar to something we had done in Skyfall. Then there are variously settings where the overall cast is red or orange and for these we needed to gel every light with a specific filter pack. There’s a scene set in a big stage show, for which we just used theatrical spotlights. That was interesting for me as we spent a lot of time in pre-production, working on a special lighting previz, so we knew exactly how the lighting had to be rigged with only a short time between rigging and shooting. The lighting had to be carefully choreographed and programmed, so that it was both in-sync with the action and repeatable on separate takes. We worked with Light Design Kft., a local company specializing in show lighting, and they did a fantastic job. I’ve done VFX previz before, and did some for the opening sequence, but doing a ‘lighting’ previz of a set was a new one for me. How did you motivate the camera? RD: I can’t say we took a particular approach to moving the camera. Overall, Denis’ style is sparse. He prefers wide shots, and likes to let the action play out in front of camera – nothing frenetic – which gives the actors space to perform, and gives the audience a relationship with the overall frame. I operated, with Andy as my first AC. For a lot of the time I had the camera on my preferred Aerocrane. This is a sectional jib arm that can extend to around 14ft, and I use it in conjunction with a Power Pod remote head. It’s fast to set-up and you can reframe and make changes quickly as the scene develops. You just need a good dolly grip like Bruce Hamme, and a key grip like Mitch Lillian, to make it work. They were both very ably assisted by Attila Szûcs. When we needed a second camera or Steadicam >>

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 57

CAMERA CREATIVE / ROGER DEAKINS CBE BSC ASC / BLADE RUNNER 2049 / BY RON PRINCE

“SHOOTING SPHERICAL 2.40:1 ON THE ALEXA WORKS PARTICULARLY WELL FOR IMAX AS THE EXTRA SPACE TOP AND BOTTOM NEGATES THE NEED TO CROP THE FRAME.” ROGER DEAKINS CBE BSC ASC

I was fortunate to have my longtime friend and expert Steadicam operator, Peter Cavaciuti. Otherwise we used specific gear for specific shots. A 50’ Tehnocrane came in handy for a couple of sequences and, on the other extreme, we used a drone for some shots. What was your main challenge on this production? RD: The challenge of any film is to sustain an aesthetic over a period of time, with consistency and unity. I do obsess and agonise about what I want to do and how best to achieve it. Blade Runner 2049 was especially challenging – due partly to the sheer diversity of looks, and partly to the schedule. The production was relentless. Our schedule was for a 91-day shoot, quite ambitious for what was on the ‘wish list’, but we really cracked along at a good pace, given we were hardly on one set for more than a few days at a time. So I have to thank my gaffers – Bill O’Leary and Krisztián Paluch – plus the various rigging gaffers from Hungary, New York City and Italy. A special thanks to production designer Dennis Gassner and his team of brilliant art directors, which included Paul Inglis and Rob Maclean, as well as our set decorator, Alessandra Querzola, who was a valued and tireless help. The storm scene set at sea and at night was only one example of a sequence that provided a specific challenge, because of the elaborate effects rigs necessary to float cameras close to the water, whilst being pounded by effects waves, as well as shoot from beneath the waves in a vehicle whilst it was sinking. For this we had two 50ft cranes with remote Hydro heads, plus an Aquacam MK5 housing for the Alexa XT, plus two Nauticam housings for the Alexa Minis, so each could cope with the waves and submerge when necessary. We’d originally planned to shoot this complicated sequence in the existing facility in Malta, but we ended-up actually building our own tank on the backlot of a studio in Budapest. Our problem was with our schedule and facilitating a difficult move from Budapest to Malta and back. With an array of wave makers and dump tanks and with misters and smoke machines it was quite a number.

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Some of the lighting set-ups look really cool. What can you tell us about these? RD: My lighting ideas mainly start life as a rough drawing on a sheet of paper, and whilst they appear simple, it’s sometimes hard to get them built, rigged, powered, connected to dimmer boards and programmed – all in time for the shoot. For one scene, I had the idea of lights that circle slowly on the ceiling. This involved over 300 Betweenie 300W Fresnel lamps, fitted into two large concentric circles, which then had to be programmed so the light would chase around the circumference. For another situation we made three circular trusses of about 25ft diameter, each of which held 35 10Ks. These lamps were also programmed in a chase so that the effect was of a soft beam of sunlight crossing the set. I’d like to particularly thank our local dimmer operator, Titusz Badonics, and Stephen Mathie from the UK, with whom I also worked on Skyfall, for their help setting-up and operating the dimmer board. Give us some detail about your work on the DI? RD: A normal DI grade would take a couple of weeks. But because this movie has several hundred VFX shots, the post work for me has been piecemeal. We’ve been working on it for a good couple of months, paying attention to the details as new versions of VFX come in. I’m working at EFilm with Mitch Paulson, my regular DI grader, and when I complete the main 2K/4K DI, I will also oversee the 3D and the HDR versions. What are your thoughts about HDR and your HDR work on Blade Runner 2049? RD: HDR for me has many issues both good and bad. In the normal world you would not be looking at a light source of 1,000 or 4,000 nits. Certainly not in the dark. Whilst it is sometimes a bonus to have the range of blacks to highlights in an image, it is all

too easy for that image to become painful to look at. To take the regular DI file and transfer it directly to HDR means the contrast and saturation go ballistic. We have a number of sequences, which are a blend of yellows and reds. Without making a specific LUT to translate the normal DI to HDR these scenes skew entirely to a deep red and lose any of the subtlety they might have had. Without a lot of care you can be looking at a very different looking movie. The production was 91 days. How do you keep fit, sane and focussed on such a long shoot? RD: It wasn’t the longest shoot I’ve done. I think Kundun (1997) was 103 days. But I did work six days per week, every week – Monday to Friday shooting, and Saturdays I was always pre-lighting, as we had so many stages and sets that we were shooting back to back. We stayed in an apartment, rather than a hotel, in Budapest, which was kind of nice, and on my day off I’d go for a run, walk around the city with my camera, or we’d visit galleries and museums. It’s a great city. But I love shooting. You are always trying to push yourself and delve into new possibilities, and everyone gets such a buzz when something like one of those revolving light rigs actually works! Also, how often do you get to work on a movie of such scale and variety with a director you really like? These opportunities don’t come along every day, so you have to make the most of it. Besides, there was a special camaraderie amongst the international crew on this production. They worked fantastically well together, even in quite stressful situations, which came along pretty often. Why can’t it always be like this, in other areas of life? n

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ON THE JOB / SIMON DENNIS / THE LIMEHOUSE GOLEM / BY MICHAEL BURNS

GOTHIC HORRORS

Given the popularity of Victorian London for drama settings, bringing a new look to a period film is getting ever harder to pull off. Yet this is a challenge that held no fear for cinematographer Simon Dennis and director Juan Carlos Medina when planning to shoot The Limehouse Golem.

he film stars Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy and Douglas Booth, and is an adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s 1994 murder mystery novel, Dan Leno And The Limehouse Golem. The screenplay, by Jane Goldman, was one of the appealing factors for Dennis, who describes it as a “wonderful, macabre, dense, twisted yet beautiful script”. Dennis, known for films such as The Sweeney (2012), Pusher (2012) and The Girl With All The Gifts (2016), and work on TV serials like Peaky Blinders (2014) and Black Sails (2017), was introduced to the director by producers Stephen Woolley and Caroline Levy. The DP and director hit it off right away. “We seemed to have the same taste not just in film, but on how to practically approach a movie for what we hoped would be the best creative outcome,” says Dennis. “Juan was very passionate about this particular project and that really resonated with me.” Another aspect of the project that excited Dennis was the opportunity to work with Alan Rickman, who was initially attached as the detective character, John Kildare. However Rickman had to pull out due to ill-health two weeks prior to photography. “It was very sad to hear of his passing [post shoot], yet at the time we all just assumed he was temporally unwell. The production was about to shut down when Bill Nighy was able to graciously step in. He went on to give an amazing performance, and do the character justice.” When planning for a film set in 1880, the first thing that Dennis and Medina aimed for was to break down the tropes and clichés of the period genre. “And in a way, respect that genre by not following them too much,” Dennis recalls. He reveals that, in this departure from the norm, they took a lead from cinematographer Wally Pfister ASC and director Christopher Nolan’s approach on The Prestige (2006).

“They were going for dirty, natural lighting, and keeping the camera ‘grounded’ by mostly going hand held,” he explains. “It felt right for us to go the same path, although Juan and I felt that grounded for us was keeping the camera feeling mounted, heavy with developing wides, and very select and precise coverage. We ended-up shooting most of the movie with one camera for that very intention.” As creative research for the film, they looked at visuals of the 1800s and artists of the period. “We were especially inspired by the works of John Grimshaw, John Martin and Gustave Doré. We also looked at William Blake, although his work was obviously much earlier,” explains Dennis. “They became essential in determining our dirty but colour-coded palette, the atmosphere and visual tone of the film.” Film references included the more macabre or colour enthused works of Ken Russell (The Devils, 1971, DP David Watkin BSC), Derek Jarman (Caravaggio, 1986, DP Gabriel Beristain BSC ASC) and Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger (The Red Shoes, 1948, DP Jack Cardiff BSC). Pre-production took six weeks. “Most of the prep schedule involved being true to the period and homingin on those key colour palette references, as well as a lot of meetings between Juan, myself, and the incredible production designer Grant Montgomery [who Dennis had worked with on Peaky Blinders].” One Stop Films in London (who Dennis had used on The Girl With All The Gifts) supplied the camera kit – and was also responsible for a key aspect of the film. This occurred when, after a session of testing modern Anamorphic lenses, Jon Iles at One Stop offered Dennis a rare set made by Todd-AO. “These were old school Anamorphics in the truest sense, used on movies like Dune and Mad Max,” recalls Dennis. “There were only four in the box – 35, 55, 75 and 100mm – all collecting dust and the glass was weathered at the edges in places.” Testing them, mainly out of curiosity, Dennis saw right away the set had a very unique look. “Even without filtration they had a natural, gauzy feel with haloing flares and beautiful fall-off. Age-wise they felt tonally closer to the ‘60s and ‘70s, which was no bad thing. Also, the 55mm had a 12-inch minimum focus, which I’d never seen

Simon Dennis

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before. On returning to the production office, Juan watched the tests and when it came to the Todd’s he immediately stopped me and said, ‘This is the movie, this is the look I had always imagined!’ During the shoot, Juan joked by calling the Todd’s the ‘jewels’ of the shoot which, on hindsight, was a pretty good description of them. So thank you to One Stop for helping us film our distinct period look!” With production based in Leeds, various parts of Northern England stood in for Victorian London. “I’ve always embraced the UK as a location,” says Dennis. “The only catch is when you’re shooting on practical location, it’s a deadline factor when it comes to night shoots – and we had a few.” Such tight deadlines rely on a tight crew, and Dennis gives particular praise to his “amazing operator, Danny Bishop, and wonderful hard-working gaffer, Paul Murphy. They both were invested heavily in bringing a striking take on the Victorian horror genre.” The film used a fusion of practical locations such as Manchester’s Town Hall and Library complex, as well as location sets.

“Grant Montgomery, who is never one to hold back, designed incredible sets, including renovating a huge old mill into a fully-functioning, gold-encrusted music hall and a vast coal-tinted Victorian street and alleys,” reveals Dennis. The film was shot with ARRI Alexa in Anamorphic 2.35:1, on dolly and Steadicam, except for one scene involving hand held work. It’s plain that both director and DP had very focused ideas on the approach to the film, yet they encouraged experimentation between themselves. “Juan for instance wanted a ‘tilt and shift’ feel to a few key flashback scenes,” explains Dennis. “This meant swapping to a spherical format, and as they are fiddly, it slows the filming process down, which concerned me. As the Todd-AO 55mm was an incredibly fast lens for Anamorphic (a T1.4 lens), I tested shooting wide-open to get part way to the look he required, and then later shading down areas, which he loved. For the rest of the movie though, I kept the T stops to around 5.6 / 4.” “I planned on underexposing a lot – I knew the Alexa could handle that,” explains Dennis who adds that the lighting approach on the film was largely

inspired by John Grimshaw and, “a little Caravaggio/ Rembrandt – natural, but gothic.” “I wanted to use broad soft sources with tinges of greens and ambers, and where possible, a little haze created a dirty, part-desaturated feel,” he adds. “Part of this ‘dirt’ I should say was due to underexposing the camera.” DIT Will Clements created LUTs for the under exposure – which did not affect the colour space - in quarter, half and full-stop increments, depending on the scene. “Most day exteriors, for example, were underexposed by a good two stops!” recalls Dennis. That look was carried all the way through to the grading process, with Dennis working closely with colourist Jamie Welsh at LipSync – the facility that did all the post, including VFX. “They always welcomed notes and feedback on their work, which was excellent,” recalls Dennis. “We had a great time and Jamie was amazing. He always worked with a smile and willingness to stay on-target of the key look we’d mostly created and baked-in on set, and yet still offer up worthy ideas.” n

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 61

CLOSE-UP / DAVID TATTERSALL BSC / DEATH NOTE

THE DARK SIDE

“It’s a bit different for sure,” says cinematographer David Tattersall BSC about Netflix’s Death Note. “An R-rated, wish-fulfilment, teen-horror with a detectivethriller twist and plenty of blood and guts – the kids are going to love it.”

irected by Adam Wingard, and based on the manga series of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the full-length feature follows Light Turner, a high-school student who comes into possession of a supernatural notebook, called Death Note, which grants him the power to kill any person simply by writing down their name on its pages. Able to converse with Ryuk, the demonic god of death who created the tome, Light decides to use his new potential to kill criminals and change the world, thereby becoming a notorious serial killer. But an enigmatic detective is hot on his trail and is determined to end his reign of terror. Tattersall had previously worked with Wingard on the pilot of Outcast in 2015, Fox’s successful supernatural TV series, and their collaborative experience was such

62 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

that the cinematographer was invited to shoot Death Note. Production began in British Columbia in June 2016, at locations around Vancouver and on sets built at Northshore Studios. “Adam loves this genre, and has plenty of experience working on the dark side,” says Tattersall. “I had only dipped my toes briefly into horror before but wanted to explore it more. I also have a soft spot for Vancouver, where I shot The Day The Earth Stood Still (2008) and Tooth Fairy (2010), and had a great experience working with the Canadian crews there.” Aesthetically, Tattersall says that Wingard knew precisely what he didn’t want for Death Note – no handheld – preferring something more controlled, yet determinedly gritty and hair-raising by using other shooting and cutting techniques. During pre-production the pair would settle down together, several nights every week, with a selection of DVDs and revisit sequences they both remembered from movies that might prove inspirational. “We checked out Fincher’s fine work in Se7en (1995, DP Darius Khondji AFC ASC) and Fight Club (1999, DP Jeff Cronenweth ASC), along with Kubrick’s The Shining (1989, DP John Alcott BSC) and Clockwork Orange (1971, DP John Alcott BSC). We also zeroed in on a handful of well-crafted sequences from classic movies, such as The French Connection

(1971, dir. William Friedkin, DP Owen Roizman ASC) and Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese, DP Michael Chapman ASC). The cool textural tones in these movies gave us some clues for how we might approach our more sinister moments and particularly the elaborate foot chase in our third act.” “A further key consideration was how best to ramp-up the terror surrounding the appearance of Ryuk. Having watched Jaws (1975, DP Bill Butler ASC) and Alien (1979, DP Derek Vanlint), we landed on a less-is-more approach, the less you see of him, the more effective and unnerving the moments he appears will be.” Tattersall says a key influencing factor for the look of the production came from the location choices – in some of the more down-and-out parts of Vancouver – such as the warehouse district, with its dingy alleys, old diners and dilapidated hotels, he knew he could enhance the existing industrial sodium vapour lighting with contrasting greens and blues, “for a more edgy result.” In keeping with the thrilling nature of the action, the pair also decided to imbue the imagery with a shallow depth-of-field, from a mixed use of both extremely long focal length lenses with very wide distorting lenses and very low light levels. Being a Netflix show, it was dictated from the start that Death Note would be a 4K production. “The industry has fallen in love with the ARRI Alexa, but as it is defined as a 3.2K camera, we had to test the range of Netflix-certified cameras,” he reveals. “The Reds, Sony F65 and Alexa 65 all produce great images, but after conducting side-by-side comparisons on a big screen and considering our subject matter and location working environments we settled on the Panasonic 35 (since rebranded as the Panasonic Pure). It has a lovely, soft, realistic creaminess to the image that comes closest to the Alexa. I have to say that we ended-up falling in love with the look of the Panasonic 35, and used it for 95% of the show, only occasionally using the Phantom Flex for super high-speed 500fps moments”

“A KEY CONSIDERATION WAS HOW BEST TO RAMPUP THE TERROR SURROUNDING RYUK. HAVING WATCHED JAWS (1975, DP BILL BUTLER ASC) AND ALIEN (1979, DP DEREK VANLINT), WE LANDED ON A LESS-IS-MORE APPROACH.” DAVID TATTERSALL BSC Tattersall opted to pair the Panasonic 35 with Zeiss Master Prime spherical lenses, shooting for a widescreen 2.39:1 extraction. “The Master Primes are superb. The Zeiss lens designers cracked it with this range of focal lengths. It’s nice to have T1.3 in your back pocket when you know you have a lot of night work coming up. “Our basic rules for dialogue coverage were fairly conventional, a 40mm for medium shots and 100mm for close-ups, but when Ryuk appears, and for all of the flashbacks, we ramped-up a more expressionistic approach. Using the 14mm on a rollover rig or the 12-1 zoom with a doubler.

“Also on a practical level, compared to the Anamorphic equivalents, the Master Primes have a flatter look with minimal distortion. Shooting spherical and framing for 2.39:1 is often the preferred source material for VFX post later on.” Whilst it had been decided to show only brief glimpses of Ryuk – such as a silhouette, or showing just details, a hand or red eyes emerging from the darkness – to raise the dramatic ante, Tattersall turned the dramatic tension a notch higher, by also introducing what he calls, “some funky, far-out photography.” As he explains, “A scene might start with normal coverage and a regular dolly move, but as the moment of extreme terror or graphic violence developed, we would

C David Tattersall BS

introduce our distorting filters and roll the horizon over to one side or another, to create a sense of discomfort and heighten the supernatural.” Using a P+S Skater Scope allowed Tattersall to pivot the lens block and thereby rotate the picture, sometimes a full 360-degrees, often getting to within half an inch of the ground. On other occasions, a Lensbaby was used to change the axis of the focal plane, to give a selective focus and blurring. “We really messed around with the image,” he says. “One of our favourite and most effective tricks was to smear Vaseline on an optical flat to flare specular highlights. Sometimes the old tricks are the best.” n

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12154 Montague St. Pacoima, CA 91331 USA British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 63

CLOSE-UP / JOHN DE BORMAN BSC / WILL / BY KEVIN HILTON

AS YOU LIKE IT

Episodic TV drama usually follows a template for directorial style, camera technique and overall look that is laid down in the pilot. But there are always exceptions...

he TNT production Will was piloted two years ago, when its foundation style was set, although it did not go to series until this year. Which meant the director of photography on the first episode of the full run, John de Borman BSC, was able to adapt the looks and approach to match new sets and locations. Will follows the adventures – fictionalised but based on fact – of the young William Shakespeare, played by newcomer Laurie Davidson, as he arrives in London to make his way as an actor and budding writer. The series was created by Craig Pearce, who wrote Baz Luhrmann’s films Strictly Ballroom (1992), Moulin Rouge (2001) and, most relevant in this case, Romeo + Juliet (1996). Pearce also serves as one of many executive producers, who also include Shekhar Kapur. The Indian film director is known for his vibrant films in his native country, including Masoom (1988)

64 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

and Bandit Queen (1994), and the equally vivid Elizabeth (1998) and its sequel, The Golden Age (2007), made in the UK. Kapur directed the pilot of Will and early episodes of the series proper, setting much of the look for what followed. “Shekhar wanted a look that was in keeping with his Indian filmmaking background,” says de Borman. “That meant a lot of colour with lots of people in the cast and big scenes.” Kapur shot the pilot, with Erik Wilson on cinematographic duties, using locations in London, including The Globe Theatre and parts of Hampton Court. On the back of this the production was sold to TNT, which made more budget available. Production moved to Dragon Studios in Wales, where around 35 big sets were built, including an emulation of The Globe, in three to four studios. “Because there was a bit more money available once the show was sold to TNT they could build sets that were very well-made and finished,” de Borman comments. “These were all beautifully done by the production designer, James Foster. I was the cameraman on the first two episodes of the full series and that allowed me

to pre-light everything and get the lights in the right place. This included lighting through the windows, with everything ready for me shooting with Shekhar and then the other DPs afterwards.” De Borman has shot four episodes so far; two directed by Kapur and a third by Magnus Martens. Others have been photographed by David Higgs BSC, Damien Bromley and Eric Kress. An aspect that has been common to all these shoots is the bustle and crowded atmosphere of London in the late 16th century. “There is a cast of 15 main characters and then approximately 500 extras,” de Borman explains. “A lot of it is close-ups and mid-shots, with the camera on the move all the time going from one person to another. The whole point, as Craig Pearce saw it, was for it to be a punk film. So we’ve got people with Mohican haircuts and tattoos, wearing costumes that look like original Vivien Westwood clothes.” The sense of movement was realised by the use of dollies and some handheld camera work but mostly through the unusual implementation of two Steadicams. These were fitted with ARRI Alexa Minis, while a conventional Alexa was used for other set-ups. “We didn’t always use the Steadicams, but they were available to us all the time,” de Borman says. “We also put the Alexa on a dolly or used it handheld sometimes. There are some scenes of nudity and violence and we had to find an angle where things weren’t revealed too much but were more implied.” While de Borman says it is “very rare” for him not to operate the camera, the sheer

John de Borman BS C

logistics and schedules of Will meant he had to hand over that role to others. “In this case there were so many sets to re-light and I needed to be beside the director during the shoot,” he comments. “Because Shekhar wanted the look to be so colourful I needed to be close to the images. And he liked to have me by his side as well giving him my view on whether a shot was working or not. So I relied on the DIT to give me the final look of the film.” Lenses were primarily Cooke Optics S4s, with S5s used for darker sequences. Angénieux zooms were brought in for scenes shot further away from the action. Because the episodes were being double or even treble - banked to keep to the production timetable, actors were working on different episodes with different directors at the same time. “We were all jumping around,” de Borman says. This, he adds, was tricky but because the lighting was already in place, each cinematographer was able to

“SHEKHAR WANTED A LOOK THAT WAS IN KEEPING WITH HIS INDIAN FILMMAKING BACKGROUND, THAT MEANT A LOT OF COLOUR WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE IN THE CAST AND BIG SCENES.” JOHN DE BORMAN BSC come in and start work, with the flexibility to arrange their own set-ups. “Every DP has a different look to an extent. Some like to put a lot of light through the windows. I prefer to under-light. The look of the episodes started out very bright, but in the last of Shekhar’s episodes it was lower key and flattened out, a bit foggy and smoggy.” Being able to change looks and settings on a regular basis, accommodating several DPs using the same sets at different times, was, de Borman points out, partly made possible through the use of LED lamps. “The new LEDs allow you to vary the intensity of light, making it more contrasty with no backlight, or less top, and more rim lights,” he says. “It give you

an incredible amount of control, all from an iPad, changing things by tiny increments.” Among the LEDs were ARRI Sky Panels, which de Borman says are “very bright” without changing the colour of what is being shot. Will ended its initial ten-episode run at the beginning of September, after receiving generally favourable reviews. There is no word on a second season as yet but de Borman appreciates having had the opportunity to work in a different way alongside other cinematographers. “It was great to work with other cameramen and see how they do things,” he concludes. “It was a great experience.” n

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melanie@onsetlighting.co.uk British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 65

CLOSE-UP / EIGIL BRYLD / TULIP FEVER

FLOWER POWER

Evoking the time of Vermeer’s 17th century Holland was one of the key challenges facing cinematographer Eigil Bryld and director Justin Chadwick for The Weinstein Company’s historical drama of Tulip Fever.

66 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

owever, whilst the soft purity of the lighting in artworks such as The Milkmaid (1658) and Girl With A Pearl Earring have been the inspiration for many a movie set in that period, and proved a solid starting point this time around, Bryld and Chadwick mentally transported themselves back in time, to imagine what life was really like. As Bryld explains: “At that time, people would have had peat fires and candles constantly burning, and the interiors and exteriors would have been pretty dense and smokey at times. So whilst we absorbed paintings by Dutch masters like Vermeer, these were more of an initial clue to understanding the environments we would create, light and shoot. Our understanding of what life must have been really like, led us to a concept of what we called ‘dirty lighting’ for this production – with layers of multiple soft-source shadows, mixed colour interior/exterior illumination, lots of real firelight and plenty of atmosphere.” Adapted from Deborah Moggach’s eponymous novel by Chadwick and Sir Tom Stoppard, Tulip Fever follows an artist (Dane DeHaan) who falls in love with a young married woman (Alicia Vikander), of whom he has been

commissioned to paint a portrait by her elderly husband (Christoph Waltz). Set in Amsterdam during the period of tulip mania, the two clandestinely invest in the risky flower market in the hope of building a future together. Originally, the feature was planned to shoot in 2004, with Jude Law and Keira Knightley as the lead actors, and John Madden directing. However, production was halted as a result of changes in tax rules affecting film production in the UK, and it wasn’t until 2014 that the production got into full swing with a new director and cast. Shooting took place over 48 days, during June and July in 2014, at Pinewood Studios, where exquisitely detailed sets of the main house, courtyard, tulip traders’ premises and a short length of canal, were built, as well as at Cobham Hall in Kent, Norwich Cathedral, Holkham village in Norfolk, Tilbury in Essex and Kentwell Hall in Suffolk – all standing-in for Amsterdam. Danish cinematographer Bryld is known for his work in such films and TV shows as Wisconsin Death Trip, which won him the 2001 BAFTA Award for best factual photography, Kinky Boots (2005), Becoming Jane (2007), the highly-acclaimed In Bruges (2008), plus You Don’t Know Jack (2010) and Netflix’s House Of Cards (2013), which both yielded him Primetime Emmys. Currently based with his family in New York, where he also shoots commercials, Bryld’s next long-form venture is Ocean’s Eight, an all-female spin-off of the Ocean’s Trilogy of heist comedies, directed by Gary Ross and set for release in the summer of 2018. “I had never worked with Justin before, but we had several Skype meetings and rapidly discovered we had similar ideas for Tulip Fever, and I definitely sparked on his ambition, energy and excitement,” Bryld recalls. “We both wanted to respect the period aspect of the story, but did not believe it should be a distant memory or a dusty old costume drama. For it to really come to life, we both thought it should feel modern and relevant, with an engaged camera.

Eigil Bryld

“We discussed the natural light and how it was used in paintings by old masters, and aimed to get the sense of the low sky outside, but with real atmosphere from fires and flames.” Bryld framed the production in 2.35:1, shooting without filtration using ARRI Anamorphic Master Primes on Alexa XTs, which were generally rated at 800ASA. The camera package was supplied by ARRI Rental in London. Paul Donachie operated A-camera/Steadicam, assisted by first AC Jennie Paddon, with Bryld on B-camera, assisted by David Penfold. The gaffer was Mark Clayton. “Right from the start, we wanted this movie to have a contemporary but epic feeling,” says Bryld. “The obvious choice would have been to use older glass, to render a softer, more poetic result, but I was reluctant to do that as we wanted to have freedom of camera movement to pick up on the detail and textures of the sets and costume, and to keep the look crisp and more square. Older glass can get quite distorted around the edges of the frame, especially on wider-angle lenses, and it is especially noticeable on close-ups. The Anamorphic Master Primes are fabulous lenses that can open up to T2.2, with lots of detail. I was not worried

by the sharpness of the image. I knew the smokey atmos would help to subtly soften the image and accentuate the dynamic difference between the youth and maturity of the actors in a kind way. Also, framing in widescreen I could compose for tight, intimate two shots of the lovers, or create a sense of space and an individual’s isolation.” Prior to the shoot, during extensive camera tests of sets, hair, make-up and costume, Bryld worked with Technicolor in London to develop a single LUT for the shoot. “I modelled the overall look on a fairly contrasty film stock, and then swung the colour to the cooler side of the colour spectrum,” he explains. “Although digital gives you plenty of wiggle room on-set, I’m not a fan of tweaking the look day-by-day. I prefer to make any visual changes in-camera, through the lighting, exposure and atmospheric effects.” As for the dirty lighting, Bryld went for multiple soft-sourced shadows, with mixed colour. “I was very mindful of the need to build layers of lighting into the sets, rather than have the light from one perfect side light, and to also clearly differentiate between the different environments in which the action took place. The kitchen, for example is a more pleasurable, homely space, filled with light, whereas the living room has a much more oppressive atmosphere.”

Working closely with his gaffer and the production designer, Simon Elliott, Bryld saw that a range of LED fixtures were carefully concealed in built-in panels, which could be opened or dropped down on hoists as required. To create the appropriate ambience for the different scene settings, DMX-controlled daylight and tungsten LitePanels were judiciously placed in the ceilings in checkerboard formation, supplemented with soft bounce lighting through windows, and real fire light emanating from hearths and candles. Whilst these lighting set-ups delivered a tremendous amount of control, they also helped to support the freedom of camera movement desired by the director, allowing for 180-degree turns and the active engaged style they had originally conceived. Due to a shooting commitment with Woody Allen in New York, Bryld was only able to attend the DI at Technicolor, with colourist Jean Clement Soret, for a few days. “Despite the brief time we had together, we got through a lot of the key moments, and I left Jean Clement with the task of maintaining the overall image contrast to keep the sense of shape and volume in the sets. He filled-in the blanks, and think he did a great job. Bryld concludes: “Tulip Fever is an complex, intriguing story and was certainly a cinematographic challenge. It all came together beautifully in the end, and I believe the story is all the more powerful by having respected that historical period with our approach.” n

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British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 67

GAFFERS ‘R’ US / CHUCK FINCH Chuck Finch and Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC on the set of Anna Karenina

SHINING A

LIGHT ON

CHUCK FINCH

Born: Westminster, London

Education: St Michael’s School, Sloane Square, London Lives: West Sussex Hobbies: Fishing, golf and family time

Selected filmography: Justice League (2017) Darkest Hour (2017) King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword (2017) Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (2016) Pan (2015) Jupiter Ascending (2015) Edge Of Tomorrow (2014) Anna Karenina (2012) Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows (2011) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011) Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010) Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince (2009) Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (2005) Kingdom Of Heaven (2005) Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (2002) Chocolat (2002) Planet Of The Apes (2001) Braveheart (1995) Memphis Belle (1990) Batman (1989) Hope And Glory (1987)

Big Break: After qualifying as an electrician I was going to work in Germany Auf Wiedersehen Pet-style. But a couple of weeks before I went my dad asked, “Can you pop into [lighting company] Mole-Richardson and pick up some money for me?” It was one of those pivotal moments. I met somebody there and got chatting. He asked if I wanted to go to Paris on a job with actor David Niven where I made more money than I would have as a contracted electrician in Germany. After that Mole-Richardson offered me a job and that was it. It just went from there, starting at the bottom of the pile. Passion: I have always been interested in light and how it works. At its most basic level it’s quite logical and simple really. It’s duplicating what you see when you walk into a room everyday and ask the question “Where does the light come from?” Usually it’s the window!

Style: I have always been into soft and natural light. I took a big interest and was lucky enough to work with a lot of great people along the way. Cinematographers like Geoffrey Unsworth BSC (A Bridge Too Far), really taught me about cutting light to eliminate shadow. David Watkin BSC on Memphis Belle – was one of the first DPs to experiment heavily with soft sources. And I learned a lot from Roger Pratt BSC from Shadowlands, Batman and a couple of the Harry Potter films. Now I work closely with cinematographers such as Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC (Anna Karenina), John Mathieson BSC (King Arthur: Legend of the Sword) and Philippe Rousselot AFC ASC (Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them 2) – who I have known for 30 years. I’m about to spend the next eight months with Philippe, more time than I have with my wife. So you have to get on well and lots of cinematographers become more than acquaintances. They become your friends.

Tom Cruise and Chuck Finch on the set of Edge of Tomorrow

68 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Pictured with Brad Pitt

Set lighting: One of the best things about working on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 was that there were a lot of sets to light. That’s what I enjoy doing, rather than the VFX-heavy films which always involve a lot of greenscreen. I spent my whole career learning how to make sure lamps and cables are out of shot but on VFX-heavy films you get told ‘don’t worry about it’. I have just done Darkest Hour starring Gary Oldman about Winston Churchill’s early years as PM at the start of World War II and the build up to Dunkirk. It was wonderfully shot by Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC. I’d like to do more of that kind of filmmaking. How the industry has changed: I have seen Arc lights become extinct, HMIs go from 8K to 12K to 18K to the growth of LED. In addition to technology, the role of the gaffer has changed too – we have a lot more input now. We discuss with the cinematographer what they want and try to anticipate what they will need. But you don’t want to secondguess too much because you don’t want them to think: Who’s lighting this film?’ Lighting is a collaboration between two people who work together closely and are good friends really. The only difference is the cinematographers get paid a lot more than gaffers do! Key people: My most important asset is my crew. We use all sorts of lighting kit and grip equipment. Some good, some not so good. But the truth is you can’t work with bad labour. The most important single person for me is my rigging gaffer. After the cinematographer and I discuss a lighting rig, I’ll go on with the rigging gaffer and they have to put it all into place in good time. Starting out: I think it’s harder to break in now that it used to be. I would say to anybody who wants to become a gaffer to first of all become a qualified electrician. Then get on-set and observe what happens closely and try and understand what the light does. Always listen, never be afraid to ask questions, never be late and never moan on-set – just be enthusiastic and don’t play around with your mobile phone. When you are in a position like mine you can speak your mind and throw out a few bollockings, but when you are coming up through the ranks just be there, observe and keep your mouth shut.

ne with Enjoying the sunshi C on Ridley John Mathieson BS aven He Scott's Kingdom of

On the set of League with Justice Fa Wagner BSC bian ASC

“MY MOST IMPORTANT ASSET IS MY CREW. WE USE ALL SORTS OF LIGHTING KIT AND GRIP EQUIPMENT. SOME GOOD, SOME NOT SO GOOD. BUT THE TRUTH IS YOU CAN'T WORK WITH BAD LABOUR.” CHUCK FINCH Best advice received: My dad said work in a career you love and that way you’ll never have to do a day’s work in your life. Cinematographer Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC says: When you are lucky enough to work with the great Chuck Finch as your gaffer you know everything is going to be alright. I love Chuck’s style because he is one of the rare gaffers who is as happy on a tiny set, painting with a few small light sources, as he is on a huge stage with thousands of lights. His magic is that he treats everything as one. He knows the story and helps the light fuse with it. To do that, he works so brilliantly with his crew and everything seems to run so smoothly. I love working with him and I look forward to the next time. John Mathieson BSC, cinematographer, says: The relationship between cinematographer and gaffer has been like elephant and mahout. They used to stay together all their lives. Although I’ve never been sure who is the elephant and who is the mahout. Now, with the volume of films, you don’t always get your first choice and crews don’t stay together like they used to. What you miss is the shorthand of that relationship between cinematographer and gaffer. A good gaffer like Chuck knows when something is not right. He’s good at second guessing you – anticipating what you will need, even if you don’t articulate it – which

can take a lot of time and energy with a gaffer you haven’t work with before. We did Ridley Scott’s Kingdom Of Heaven together, in the desert for 144 days and Chuck didn’t complain once. It was the largest single building ever lit for film (a quarter of a mile wall in the Moroccan desert for the Saracens laying siege to Jerusalem scene). We had lots of lighting, real cavalry charges and there were 5,000 or 6,000 extras on some scenes. That sequence cost around $700K and we didn’t see any rushes for three or four days. In that situation you want somebody on your shoulder saying, “This is going to look good”. That’s why good gaffers are important – they are the only ones who understand what you are trying to achieve and give you the confidence to do it. When you have got a good gaffer you hang onto them, and what makes Chuck Finch good is that, in addition to understanding lighting, he’s very affable and people like him. He’s very social – he’ll talk to anybody about anything, which is great, because I don’t really want to talk to anybody on-set. In addition of this affable quality, he brings a very disciplined quality. When he raises his voice and says he wants the set cleared, people listen and do it. He’s also more than capable telling a producer something that they don’t want to hear. For me he’s the number one go-to gaffer this side of the Atlantic. n

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British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 69

LIVE & LET DI / DIALLING-IN THE DI GRADES

WEB OF COLOUR

Company 3, London... Spider-Man: Homecoming

Company 3 London: Sony Pictures and Marvel

Studios teamed-up to bring the most popular character in comic book history to his rightful home as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in Spider-Man: Homecoming. It stars Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, and was graded in ACES by Company 3 senior colourist Greg Fisher. Fisher worked closely with director Jon Watts and director of photography Salvatore Totino AIC ASC on the production. Fisher comments, “The film is part high-school, part superhero movie. It needed to feel rooted in NYC, but also not be too detached from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.” During production, Spider-Man: Homecoming called Pinewood Studios Atlanta its home base, but Watts’ sensibilities as a director and his approach to making Spider-Man: Homecoming a grounded superhero film combined to make practical photography a priority, with the production shooting at various real locales in the Atlanta area. On the look of the film, Fisher comments, “I tried to get some filmic feel into it without losing the cleanness familiar with Marvel movies. Salvatore had done a great job making Atlanta feel like his home town of New York. This realism of Peter Parker’s neighbourhood is a big part of why you empathise with him. He feels like a real kid in a real environment. Without that, the action can feel detached and abstract.” With VFX and CGI-heavy productions, sometimes the sheer number of VFX shots and their schedule can be challenging. Fisher points out the importance maintaining colour integrity throughout the creative post process, across a pipeline with several vendors. “There was a lot of CGI, and each iteration was often a different colour as VFX were trying to tie the sequence together. Integrity of the costumes throughout all of the different lighting conditions had to be maintained and CGI blended-in with live action. ACES was used throughout the post. This worked well for the VFX department as they could be confident that all vendors were treating the colour in the same way. The straight ACES RRT is much improved, but it does require a little bit of tweaking.” On his creative collaboration with director Jon Watts, Fisher adds, “With the compressed schedule and large number of VFX reviews, it was great to see Jon keeping perspective and not allowing those things to overwhelm the film’s human touch and sense of fun.”

Technicolor, London... Darkest Hour

70 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

Technicolor London is currently in the process of overhauling its Filmlight grading infrastructure, carrying colour grading at MPC, Jean Clement Soret, completed out a package of upgrades, which involves updates to the DI on Justin Chadwick’s 17th century drama Tulip multiple Baselight 2 units and implementation of the Fever, set during the height of mania for the boldlyflagship Baselight X. These will further support the coloured flowers, shot by cinematographer Eigil Bryld facility’s HDR and 4K capabilities across all broadcast and for The Weinstein feature projects to ensure work Company. The is carried out at the best possible movie stars Alicia Technicolor, Londo n... Tulip Fever quality through each stage of post. Vikander, Dane DeHaan and Molinare: The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Christoph Waltz. directed by Patrick Hughes, starring “One Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. can’t help being Jackson, was released in August influenced by the and was graded by Molinare senior Dutch masters colourist Asa Shoul. Lensed by DP of that period,” Jules O’Loughlin, says Soret. “Their the movie is a achievements, with Molinare... throwback to the light and colour, rs Film Sta ‘90s buddy movie, remain iconic – Don’t Die In Liverpool with Reynolds something we given 24-hours to celebrated with our dailies deliver assassin and finishing colour-grade.” Jackson to The lighting by Bryld, submit evidence he adds, “was very painterly in The Hague. as you’d expect for a story set Shot using in early 17th century Holland. It ARRI Alexa in was very Rembrandt-like, with Anamorphic, deep shadows, and a muted O’Loughlin palette, with the exception the attended the film’s costumes and, of course, first week of the the tulips which are so central grade in Molinare’s to the narrative.” flagship Jack Cardiff Three films worked theatre to set some on at Technicolor London were selected for looks. Action scenes the 2017 Toronto and Venice film festivals. were given a silvery Soret also graded The Current War, about blue desaturated electricity titans Thomas Edison and feel for cool realism, George Westinghouse, starring Benedict with the interiors Cumberbatch, directed by Alfonso having a mixed Gomez-Rejon and shot by Chunglight – combining hoon Chung, which received its world Molinare... The Hitman's green shadows and premiere in Toronto. Also premiering at Bodyguard warm skin tones. Toronto was The film contains Joe Wright’s approximately 1,000 highly-anticipated WWII drama, visual effects and Shoul used the VFX mattes to increase Darkest Hour, starring Gary Oldman light-wrapping and help the comps sit in, particularly as Winston Churchill. The film was during the car chases where the car interiors were studio lensed by Bruno Delbonnel AFC shot bluescreens. Fellow colourist Jateen Patel did a pass ASC and graded by supervising DI adding Anamorphic lens flares and skies to help grey days colourist Peter Doyle. match-in with the rest of the footage. The Venice Film Festival saw Lean The Soho facility has been especially busy recently On Pete, directed by Andrew Haigh, with no less than six films debuting at the Toronto Film with cinematography carried out by Festival including The Children Act (dir. Richard Eyre, DP Magnus Joenck, in competition. Andrew Dunn BSC), Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool (dir. The VFX team at Technicolor Paul McGuigan, DP Urszula Pontikos BSC) and Dark River London, led by Gary Brown (dir. Clio Barnard, DP Adriano Goldman) all premiering. worked extensively on the film.

Technicolor, London: global creative director of

Park Road Post... The Inland Road

Park Road Post... Mortal Engines

The Embassy, Vancouver & Alter Ego, Toronto:

When you book a commercial into the Super Bowl ad breaks, you know the creative and technical quality is going to be under real scrutiny. For Nissan’s Return Of The Snowman spot, VFX specialists The Embassy in Vancouver banded together with post house The Embassy, Vanco Alter Ego – 3,400km & Alter Ego, Toron uver away in Toronto – to... Return Of The Sno wman harnessing FilmLight’s BLG (Baselight Linked Grade) workflow. The Embassy is well-known for photo-realistic, hard surface VFX work, having created digital Iron Man suits for all three films. Having worked on countless commercials with Alter Ego, The Embassy made the decision to become part of the creative process for grading, thereby improving the efficiency and precision of their VFX work and presenting a consistent preview to their clients. As Alter Ego runs Baselight as its flagship grading system, the render-free BLG workflow was ideal for the situation, despite the distance between the two sites. The RAW footage from the live action shoot was delivered to both facilities. Working out of Toronto, Alter Ego colourist Wade Odlum set the initial look with the director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan and the ad agency. Odlum comments: “To create the look for Return Of The Snowman, we decided to go with a desaturated wintery feel, slightly on the cool side, but we had to maintain the car colours and actors’ skin tones throughout.” The individual grade for each was then handed over to The Embassy in Vancouver simply by transferring small BLG files containing the colour metadata. VFX supervisor David Casey loaded the RAW footage into Nuke and, using the Baselight for Nuke plug-in, added the latest version of the grades from Toronto. Casey and Odlum saw exactly the same grade, however many times it was updated, simply by exchanging compact metadata files, with no timeconsuming rendering or video file transfers. Odlum adds, “The best thing was that, every time a work-in-progress was made for the clients, everyone was looking at the spot with the colour correction that we set. Once it came time for the final grade, we were simply passed the ungraded VFX shots and put them back in our timeline. All of our original colour correction applied perfectly, and with the supplied mattes we were able to finish the spot.”

Park Road Post, Wellington, New Zealand:

has been pulling out the stops good and proper of late using its SGO Mistika systems. Colourist Clare Burlinson did the grade on The Inland Road, directed by Jackie Van Beek, shot by DP Giovanni Lorusso, and featuring David Elliot, Chelsie Preston-Crayford and Georgia Popata in the leads. The movie follows teenage runaway Tia, who survives a fatal car crash and moves in with the strangers involved in the accident, threatening the family’s delicate balance. The coming of age drama is set in New Zealand’s

Park Road Post... The Changeover

rugged South Island, and Burlinson used Mistika with Park Road’s ARRI RAW colour management system to aide the naturalistic gaze of Lorusso’s spacious landscapes and intimate hand-held close-ups. Burlinson also worked on Miranda Harcourt/ Stuart McKenzie’s fantasy horror The Changeover, starring Lucy Lawless, Melanie Lynskey and Timothy Spall, shot by DP Andrew Stroud. Based on the Carnegie Medal-winning novel by Margeret Mahy, the action follows sixteen year-old Laura Chant who lives with her mother and four-year-old brother Jacko in a low-rent suburb on the edge of earthquake-scarred Christchurch, New Zealand. When Laura is drawn into a supernatural battle with an ancient spirit, she discovers her true identity and the supernatural ability within her, and must harness it to save her brother’s life. The DI grade focussed on enhancing the eerie magical moments of the movie, whilst maintaining the chaotic reality of urban life. The two directors, DP and colourist all contributed to the rich and mysterious palette of the film as the characters drift deeper into the magical world. Meanwhile, colourist Damian McDonnell applied his talents to Christian Rivers’ sci-fi thriller Mortal Engines. Many years after the Sixty Minute War, cities survive a now desolate Earth by moving around on giant wheels attacking and devouring smaller towns to replenish their resources. The movie, that has Hera Hilmar, Robert Sheehan, Hugo Weaving and Stephen Lang in the lead roles, was shot using RED cameras by DP Simon Raby. Early-on it was established that having a supervising colourist on-set would enable dynamic image control from day one. The workflow remained in CDL form, with colourist McDonnell working alongside Raby to establish looks across scenes and sequences. Matthew Wear and Erin Woolhouse were the dailies colourists. CDL info was passed from Pomfort LiveGrade and read into Park Road’s Mistika system for full grade check, data QC and editorial offline MXF delivery. The established looks were saved and stored for future DI looks within Mistika and delivery with VFX turnovers. All on-set and grading monitoring was handled in P3 colour space for optimum colour precision. Last, but by no means least, Jon Newell tweaked the colouring on Cleverman – Season 2, directed by Wayne Bell/Leah Purcell, lit by DP Mark Wareham. The sci-fi fantasy is set in the near future, when creatures from ancient mythology must live among humans and battle for survival in a world that wants to silence, exploit and destroy them. For the second series Park Road Post... Cleverman - Season 2 of Cleverman Wareham had

a clear and articulate vision of the tonal colour palette representing the futuristic world. The Park Road team collaborated with the cinematographer during production and were involved from the very first camera test. During this period the facility developed, with the DP’s guidance, a bespoke show LUT (predominantly cyan to the shadows for a cool-but-rich look) that was used on all cameras. This look enabled Wareham to see his stylised output on all on-set monitors whilst shooting. The look was also baked into all of the rushes and was used throughout the editing process. So when it came to the final colour grading sessions in post production a lot of the hard work had already been done. This meant Park Road could collaborate and spend time in the grading suite to further enhance the overall look for the show, in particular developing the more creatively complex sequences based. This included the Aboriginal world of The Dreaming, which involved emulating a lens baby defocus pre-look, which was applied through a series of keys and dynamically moving shapes. Minor continuity issues such as variations in the time of day, or the harder to control drone cameras, were also managed in the grade suite. n

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 71

CLAPPERBOARD / ALEC MILLS BSC / BY DAVID A ELLIS Return Of The Jedi... behind the camera as a dramatic scene unfolds

Notable cinematographer Alec Mills BSC has been responsible for the look of many well-known movies, which include The McKenzie Break (1970), Death On The Nile (1978), Return Of The Jedi (1983), Christopher Columbus (1992), and worked on no fewer than seven 007 James Bond films.

hey include: On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969, DP Michael Reed BSC), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977, DP Claud Renoir), Moonraker (1979, DP Jean Tournier), For Your Eyes Only (1981, Alan Hume BSC), Octopussy (1983, DP Alan Hume BSC) as camera operator; and The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence To Kill (1989) as the cinematographer. Later in his career, he even tried his hand at directing. Born on 10th May 1932, Mills had a keen interest in the cinema as a boy. On leaving school at fourteen he was fortunate enough to get a job in a small studio called Carlton Hill Studios, Maida Vale, as a tea boy, later as a clapper/loader. He enjoyed his time there and stayed for three years. Carlton Hill specialised in B-movies. Eyes That Kill (1947), The Monkey’s Paw (1948) and Vengeance Is Mine (1949) are some he recalls. Mills left Carlton Hill to do national service in the navy. On his return he went back to film, and worked on several movies with cinematographer Harry Waxman BSC, from whom he says he learned a great deal. In 1955 Mills became the focus puller on Contraband Spain, followed by Lost (1956) with Guy Green directing, and Waxman as the cinematographer. Along with features, Mills also

worked in television. His first major production as a camera operator was when Michael Reed gave him a break in 1966 on The Saint series. Asked what TV was like compared to features, he said, “TV is more demanding because they have smaller budgets, meaning you have to cover more pages in a day. On Soldier Soldier we had to do about eight pages a day. Episodes usually took a week, occasionally two.” His favourite TV series was The Saint shot on 35mm. The first time he worked on 16mm was on Press Gang. Soldier Soldier was also on 16mm. In 1969 Mills operated on his first Bond, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, with locations in Switzerland and Portugal. He said, “Principle photography on a James Bond film usually takes around six months. There are several units. First, second and model, and sometimes flying and underwater units, all of which have at least one camera operator. Location work can be very tiring.” He remembers that six months of concentrated filming on Licence To Kill at Churubusco Studios in and around Mexico City was very draining. Not to mention the very humid conditions he experienced in Florida Key West. Even when that was finished there were still six months of editing, but that didn’t involve him until the final grade, which usually took a few days. ed with tur pic .. on. ins Rob Swiss Family Did he enjoy all working on erator) and DP op ra me (ca y Da Ernie C sitting in the the James Bond pictures? “Yes, Harry Waxman BS s, while Ted dark glasse every one. What a wonderful background with the grass relaxes on Underwood (grip)

The Saint... Mills TV series as ca ’ first mera operator, and fir experience wo st rk with Roger M ing oo who also direc re, ted this episode

72 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

company Eon Productions are. Barbara and Michael, and the late Cubby, were like a family to me. And they don’t forget you, even after years of retirement.” Mills became an associate member of the BSC in January 1977, becoming a full member in 1984. He was on the board between 1998 and 2009, and acted as vice president from 2002-2009. He was also chairman of the GBCT from 1978 until 1980/81. He went up the ranks and became the DP on The Island Adventure (1982). He said that the first job as a DP is always scary, but on this film he was working for free for producer Stanley O’Toole, to get a credit. Mills worked for Disney as a focus puller and later as an operator. He said, “I was focus puller on several, including Kidnapped (1960, DP Paul Beeson BSC), Greyfriars Bobby: The True Story Of A Dog (1961, DP Paul Beeson BSC) and The Moon-Spinners (1964, DP Paul Beeson BSC). I operated on Guns In The Heather (1969, DP Michael Reed BSC) and Diamonds On Wheels (1973, DP Michael Reed BSC), which was mostly around Pinewood. I did nothing in America for them.” Regarding challenging movies, Mills said Roman Polanski’s Tragedy Of Macbeth (1971, DP Gilbert Taylor BSC) was particularly exacting as an operator, both mentally and physically. His most challenging as a cinematographer though, was Shaka Zulu, a ten-part TV series, shot entirely in South Africa. It took a year. However, it was a very useful production for him, because “Cubby” Broccoli had seen it in America. He offered Mills The Living Daylights, which led to his return to the Bond team. Did he choose the second unit DPs on the 007 movies? “Sometimes. Arthur Wooster BSC was long-established, and was well-known for his action Hollywood legend... pictured with Bette Davis during Death On The Nile

Moonraker... Ken Adam's impressive space station set on one of the stages at Éclair Studios

The Living Daylights... at Ouarzazate Airport in November 1986. The Lockheed C-130 Hercules was provided by the Royal Moroccan Air Force, courtesy of King Hassan II of Morocco, who was always keen to welcome filmmakers to his country Licence To Kill... on location at Key West, in the Florida Keys, with his usual crew: (l-r) Mike Frift (camera operator), Frank Elliot (focus puller) and Simon Mills (clapper loader), whilst director John Glen sits behind the camera checking the set-up, and June Randall (continuity) keeps an eye on everyone

On Her Majesty's Secret Service... in the cable car winding house of Blofeld's Piz Gloria lair. The sequence was actually filmed on a mechanism designed by SFX supervisor John Stears on a stage at Pinewood, so Mills was not quite so high off the ground. But being winched towards the giant cogwheels at 15mph he still needed to be confident that the cable would stop at the right time!

photography on the Bond films. And James Devis BSC was always a pair of safe hands on second units.” Speaking about Mills, Devis said, “I first met Alec at Pinewood in the early 1950s. We spent about nine happy years there and we became friends for life. Whatever grade Alec was in, he was always an efficient, dedicated film enthusiast and very popular with the whole crew. I was fortunate enough to have his son Simon as my first assistant for several years, who is like Alec in his work ethic. I do not know what I would have done without him.”

Shaka Zulu... shooting with over 2,000 Zulu warriors for several days

Mills would often source equipment from Samuelson’s. Recalling his dealings with Mills, Sir Sydney Samuelson said, “This excellent technician has been known to me for as long as I was developing a company to supply camera equipment. This eminent British cinematographer has so many iconic films to his credit and, in my view, they have all hugely benefited from the sheer professionalism of attitude and technical expertise of Alec Mills BSC.” Mills said he learned a lot about lighting from the likes of Jack Cardiff BSC, Jean Tournier and

Octopussy... playing a practical joke on Roger Moore by hiding the Fabergé egg from him

Vengeance is Mine... using an old Vinten camera. Valentine Dyall was the star of the picture (seated in front of the camera), with cinematographer Jimmy Wilson (second row, first from left). George Bull (gaffer, second row second from left), Charlie Parkhouse (sound mixer, to the right of the lamp), Bill Oxley (camera operator) and the focus puller Mo Pierrepoint

Michael Reed BSC. “Confidence is essential in all things, even if internally you are very nervous. We all feel nervous at times and it is not made any easier by tight schedules and limited budgets. But we can’t show it,” he said. Asked about shooting greenscreen, he said he didn’t use it much, as it was specialist work at the time. He says he preferred not to use it, saying it was much nicer to see what he was filming, rather than imagine what it would look like later. Mills’ industry heroes include Harry Waxman and Michael Reed. “They had influence over me in so many different ways. From a directorial point of view it was probably Roman Polanski who challenged me most.” Mills says that he kept the same crew as much as possible. For many years Danny Shelmerdine was his clapper loader, Mike Frift his focus puller, then Frank Elliot. After getting his break on the Bond films as cinematographer, he was delighted to use Mike Frift as his operator. His gaffers usually came from the old school. He worked with John Tythe, Roy Larner and Geoff Chappell, who for so many years serviced and maintained Mills’ light meters. Looking back to shooting on celluloid, did he have a favourite film stock? “As I recall most of my films were shot using Kodak. I found Kodak never let me down.” Asked about his experience in directing, Mills said, “The producer who gave me my break as a director was Stanley O’Toole, who gave me my break as a cinematographer. He offered me the opportunity to direct two horror films, Bloodmoon (1990) and Dead Sleep (1990). I always wanted to direct, so it was a golden opportunity to see if I was capable. The scripts were awful, but I put a lot of work into the projects. All things considered, the end result was much better than I could have hoped for.” Mills’ last film as a cinematographer was The Point Men (2001). He taught cinematography between some of his movies at the National Film & Television School, and again after his retirement from a very successful career. He said, “It was nice to be involved after I retired, as this was an opportunity to pass on years of experience.” He said his advice to newcomers would be very little, except to be honest and learn to from your mistakes. Like several others before him, Mills has recorded his time in the business in a 256-page book entitled, Shooting 007 & Other Celluloid Adventures (ISBN: 9780750953634), published in 2014 by the History Press, with a foreword by the late Sir Roger Moore. But the tale doesn’t end here for a man whose cinematographic talents and persona are woven into the very canvas of British cinematographic history. Mills is currently writing another volume. n British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 73

IMAGO NEWS / BY PAUL RENÉ ROESTAD FNF / IMAGO PRESIDENT Beside the sea… the Hanaholmen Hotel and Conference Center. Photo: Hanaholmen/ Robert Lindström

IMAGO AWARDS 2017

Almost 100 feature films, TV dramas and documentaries from all corners of the world have so far been nominated by IMAGO´s member societies for consideration by the IMAGO Award juries. The IMAGO juries will start their work in September, and will have their final nominations for the IMAGO International Award For Cinematography ready in good time for the big day of celebrations on October 28th, where more than 250 cinematographers, partners and film colleagues will gather in Helsinki, Finland, to celebrate not only the art of international cinematography, but also IMAGO´s 25th Anniversary. After the Awards gala and ceremony, there will be drinks and dinner, and the party will hopefully go on all night. IMAGO thanks our important sponsor partners, without whom we would not have been able to arrange these important awards. So far, ARRI, RED, Panasonic, Sony, Drylab, TVTools Finland and more are amongst the important partners in this grand, black tie event. Absolutely essential for IMAGO, and for the success of our celebration, is the great assistance, work and planning being done by the Finnish Society Of Cinematographers (FSC) and their President Tahvo Hirvonen FSC, and the IMAGO Awards Committee, headed by Ron Johanson ACS and Tony Costa AIP. The IMAGO Awards and celebration will take place at the Hanaholmen Hotel and Conference Center in Helsinki, located on a beautiful half-island just outside the centre of Helsinki. It is a newly-renovated building – with swimming pool, restaurants, cinema and good space for our partners to present themselves – and is perfect for the IMAGO Awards and celebrations. More information about the IMAGO International Awards for Cinematography can be found at www.imagoawards.org.

The IMAGO/FNF Oslo Digital Cinema Conference

IMAGO´s Conference on new digital production methods, focussing on new equipment and software, was arranged on September 8th to 10th at the Norwegian Film Institute in Oslo. More than 200 cinematographers and experts from around the world gathered to exchange experiences, 74 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

to learn and to discuss. The IMAGO Oslo Digital Cinema Conference is regarded as one of the most useful of its kind globally, and this year’s conference was an undoubted success. Most major camera manufacturers were there and informed the participants about their latest developments, their thoughts for the future, and received feedback from cinematographers’ experiences. One of the main topics this year was ACES in post production, and Alex Forsythe, one of the central technical designers of ACES, attended to discuss practical experiences, and to receive feedback from ACES users. Other topics included the challenges of Virtual Reality, VFX, HDR, new LED cinema screens, future-generation imaging, new recording techniques, high-sensitivity cameras and the future impact of 8K Sensors. There were lectures on lenses for big format cameras, in addition to masterclasses with acclaimed international cinematographers. More details will come in the next edition.

The 38th Manaki Brothers International Cinematographer´s Film Festival

The world´s oldest cinematographer´s film festival will be held in Bitola, Macedonia, on September 23rd to 30th. Not only are Bitola and its surroundings truly beautiful, visiting the city is an experience in itself. Being there during the Manaki Brothers International Cinematographer´s Film Festival means seeing a great selection of films, meeting international cinematographers and other colleagues. The festival is, of course, especially important for audiences from southern and eastern Europe, and the Balkans, to get acquaintance with the art and importance of cinematography, and should be on every international cinematographer´s agenda. It is arranged by the Macedonian Film Professional´s Association, and the event’s director, Blagoja Kunovski, with his good team, fill the programme with high-standard masterclasses, a top-quality

selection of international films and, not least, a social aspect and networking opportunity during the festival that make it all the more important to attend. IMAGO will, as usual, be strongly represented there.

Camerimage 2017

Camerimage celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2017, and will take place from 11th to 18th of November in Bydgoszcz, Poland. During the 25 years it has existed, few other arrangements have succeeded so much in international focus on cinematography as Camerimage. The great and important job for all cinematographers done by the festival director Marek Żydowicz and his great team, led by Kazik Suwala, is vastly impressive. IMAGO will arrange several conferences at Camerimage this year, among those are masterclasses and a new conference on gender and diversity. The work to inspire more women to choose cinematography as their profession is important to IMAGO, and to all international cinematographers, and this work will continue as one of IMAGO´s priorities.

Photo Exhibition at Camerimage: “IMAGO 25 years – 50 photographs”

With Camerimage and IMAGO celebrating our 25th anniversaries this year, IMAGO wishes to focus on the visual eyes of its cinematographer members around the world during Camerimage. Creating images is the art and

Watch the birdie… cinematographers attending the IMAGO General Assembly in Bitola 2016

profession of cinematographers. Many cinematographers are also creators of great still images, and we believe the public will take interest in seeing how cinematographers work with visual artistry in composition, motifs, contrast, colour or black & white, when it comes to still images. The exhibition is a co-operation between the ASC and IMAGO, where a great selection of photographs from both ASC and IMAGO members will be exhibited. After the exhibition at Camerimage, the photographs from IMAGO members will be auctioned, and the income will be donated to a Polish children´s charity.

IMAGO visit to Leica – CW Sonderoptic

By Louis Philippe Capelle SBC, IMAGO General Secretary Together with senior optical technician Olivier Tordeurs, I visited Leica-CW Sonderoptic to follow the maintenance workshop around the Summicron and Summilux lenses. It was a good opportunity to visit the factory in Wetzlar, discover the manufacturing process of these famous tools, meet with managing director, Gerhard Baier, and his team, and to discuss more about the joint activities between CW Sonderoptic and IMAGO. Wetzlar is located about 80km north of Frankfurt, surrounded by green hills and forests. The centre of the city is well-preserved, with 400-year-old houses, and not too badly destroyed during the war. Leica-CW Sonderoptic has exquisitely designed buildings – one has the shape of a lens, the other of binoculars – in the middle of a kind of Zen garden, and more new buildings are under construction, including a new CW Sonderoptic factory, administrative building and a 130room hotel. “We hold many events here, and the availability of rooms in Wetzlar is not enough. So better have our own BSCexpo-220x149.5-aug copy.pdf 1 03/08/2017 hotel for customers and visitors,” said Gerhard.

In the Leica shop on the premises you can, of course, find everything, including the most expensive lenses and stills cameras. It’s the place where you need a Platinum + credit card, and busloads of Japanese and Chinese tourists stop-by for what seems to them a real pilgrimage. Whilst Olivier was starting his workshop together with colleagues from Video Europe and Vantage, I did the VIP owner’s tour with Gerhard, and we went through the process of assembling and controlling the different lenses: Thalia, Summilux and Summicron. We were lucky to see the new Thalia 180mm on the projector bench. I very often analyse lenses on a projector, and although I am not a real optical specialist, I notice immediately what makes the 11:12 qualities or flaws of a lens. Switching from Thalia

180mm to Summilux 135 there were only very minor differences in definition and contrast. Of course, the Summilux is almost three stops more luminous. Svethomir from Leica and Daniela Kesselem, newly arrived at CW, showed me around the factory. Daniela is an optical engineer and product manager. Svethomir gave us an extensive behind-the-scenes tour of the factory, where they polish the lenses and assemble the still cameras. He explained how difficult it is to be within the tolerances with the aspherical elements of the Summilux. There are several throw-away boxes with unsatisfactory pieces of glass. Success came quickly for this range, as more than 200 sets of Summilux have been sold around the world. The latest batch of Thalia lenses for large format sensors is already sold out for this year’s production. We talked about the further developments, the future, and about going Anamorphic or not. As you might guess, what is said behind Leica’s walls remains there. Thanks to Daniela, Gerhard, Rainer, Seth and all the other people we met and who shared a little bit of their time with us. n For more information on IMAGO; visit www.imago.org.

BSC expo C

The UK’s Premier International Event for Film & TV Production Equipment & Technology

CMY

2 nd -3 rd February 2018

Battersea Evolution Battersea Park, London UK Find out more at:

www.bscexpo.com Free Entry | Free Seminars | For more information contact: Tel: +44(0)23 9266 5133

Email: bscexpo@scs-expo.co.uk British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 75

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY TIM POTTER - CHAIR - GBCT Eoin McLoughlin on location

WHAT VALUE A DP? It would seem to be one of those things we take to be self-evident, that the person who creates the image for a visual medium should be the one member of the crew to be of higher value than any other. Is this what we find in the real world? If you are to look at the way the cinematographer is sometimes treated, you might not be mistaken for thinking otherwise.

Tim Potter

76 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

ver the years, the camera department branch of BECTU has published the real rates of pay that members have reported. These are the rates they have actually received, not the minimum from agreements of the past, or what optimists think they are worth. These ratecards are periodically updated as and when sufficient information comes in. The proverbial hit the fan recently when some of our departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most esteemed practitioners noticed that the reported rates for camera operators exceeded those of their heads of department on some lower budget productions. It took little examination to find the reason for this anomaly. Camera operators have been having great successes in getting good rates on television dramas and some low budget pictures. The occasional use of a Steadicam can help boost this rate. However, the rates reported by cinematographers were some ten years out of date. The ratecards are only as good and current as the information that is fed in to them. Once this message got out to the general population the flow of information became a flood. What this shows us is that we need to be ever-vigilant about how we keep up with how our profession is perceived. It is not for no reason that the cinematographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rate for a commercial is at least twice that of any other member of the technical crew. Their mastery of the technicalities of photographing the moving image has to encompass vast fields of physics,

optics and engineering as well as having the ability to deploy this knowledge in an aesthetic manner that is appropriate to the production in hand. This knowledge is often the product of great experience and is practiced under some considerable pressure. While we can say that a cinematographer needs something to photograph: yes, the talents of the production designer are vital to the setting in which the cinematography takes place; the actors are vital to portray the story; the script writer is vital to the whole impact of the film; even the caterersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; assistant is vital to keep the crew marching on its stomach. In just the general execution of a shoot, a crew takes a certain amount of money to keep it on the road. If a crew member can save the production enough of those minutes on the road (to save more than they are paid) by being there rather than not, it is cheaper to have them on the job rather than not. None of this, however, can outweigh the contribution of the cinematographer. As a crew gets progressively smaller, as the budget and intentions of the shoot get smaller, we eventually get to the point where the only necessary technician is the cinematographer, whether it is the most guerrilla of experimental dramas or the most difficult of documentaries. The cinematographer is the fundamental basis of cinema. It has never more been the right time to actively promote the work and value of the cinematographer. n

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL GBCT UAV PILOT

DRONE AND CAMERA TECHNOLOGY

It struck me the other day that the many advances in technology in this movie business have been incredible, and the past decade has seen truly revolutionary advances that have literally shaken the business up.

n looking at key contenders for the “Technology Shake-up Award” there are a few individuals and companies who have really pushed the boundaries and widened expectations beyond the normal level. Clearly there are plenty who could be considered contenders, yet the original Red One camera surely must be up there. I am guessing you thought the Red cameras had been around for quite a lot longer? Yes, there was a development phase for a few years before the first cameras were finally delivered, and many thought it was a con at the time, yet they were developing a product nobody had ever done before! It all takes a bit of time. The camera also broke the mould with the original price point being so relatively low, making the Ultra High Definition camera affordable to many. In the course of researching for this article, I found when the Red One camera came into full production and delivery to paying clients, and I was struck at the particular appropriate timing for this article. The first Red One cameras were delivered in August 2007. Yes, just 10 years ago this August! Happy first decade, and 10th birthday, Red! The quest for higher resolution cameras and the ultimate move to digital cinematography since then has happened at an extremely brisk pace, and none more visible than in the area of cameras and cinema projection. The advances in technology to make a camera as capable are actually mind-boggling, yet perhaps an even more staggering steep rise has been in the area of higher quality camera drones. Looking at the commercially available drones, the sheer advances in so many areas have made this a reality, and without all of these advances working together in harmony it would not be possible. If you had said that would happen even ten years ago you would have been laughed at heartily. Yet the drone business has only really been around since

2013. And look how far it has developed in that time. For example, the drone knows where it is in 3D space anywhere in the world due to GPS satellite navigation. The camera is supremely well gyro-stabilised, and the advances in high capacity rechargeable batteries also needed to happen. All this, in addition to the small 4K capable camera, lightweight and bright monitor screens, advances in high power electric motors with no moving parts, autopilot with return to base if the signal is lost, waypoint navigation, motion tracking, obstacle avoidance, autonomous flying, and Wi-Fi capabilities. They also have geo ringfencing so it’s impossible to fly into restricted airspace. Some of the small amateur drones also now have facial recognition, the capability of 3D mapping, and all have the ability to live stream a HD signal back to the controller on the ground! All this technology has primarily been developed for Smartphone demands and the military, of course. Advances in high power, lightweight batteries, new materials, clear and bright touch sensitive screen technology, along with GPS and camera technology all needed to be designed to be included in the Smartphones we carry around with us each day. Like any new technology, the weak point of the system is often the operator or pilot, and there have been a few isolated

incidents where some idiot people have flown a drone where it shouldn’t be in airspace, such as flying above crowds of people who are not under your specific control. This can cause chaos with commercial flights and quite rightly there have been newspaper articles and TV news items highlighting the dangers to aircraft and others. This is giving the drone business a bad reputation with the public who don’t know, and it brings in restrictions that potentially stop the creative use of drones for fantastic shots that are impossible to achieve otherwise. >>

British Cinematographer | September 2017 | 77

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL GBCT UAV PILOT Vertical... YouTube channel called Glove and Boots, with videos in the style of Sesame Street puppets, with one called Vertical Video Syndrome - A PSA. It has had over 8 million views so far

This is why the Civil Aviation Authority in the United Kingdom, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the USA have made the commercial flying of drones to now require an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) pilot’s licence. I have completed my personal training and have now gained my wings, enabling me to fly commercially. In fact, the use of video footage or stills without first gaining a pilot’s licence (and insurance etc) is prohibited. Yes, any Herbert can still go out and buy a drone and fly it about the same day, yet using any images for any gain whatsoever (such as putting it on a website) is not allowed and would be subject to a hefty fine. All of this is good for the credibility of the business of flying drones commercially, and nobody wants to see any accident due to the actions of an idiot. The airspace maps of the UK are very highly complicated to the untrained eye, and many people would be blissfully unaware they even existed if they didn’t have formal training and a rigorous flight test. Ignorance is no excuse, of course. Imagine someone being able to buy a car and then being able to drive it on the roads without any tuition at all, no insurance, and they don’t even know which side if the road to drive on, the speed limits and about communicating intentions to other road users. With no idea of the rules and regulations about how to drive, it would end in chaos and many accidents, and also deaths and mayhem. There have been some incredible shots using drones, some reminiscent of the opening scene in the classic Touch Of Evil from Orson Welles, so it is just the beginning, and there will inevitably be discussions of “is it CGI, or is it a drone? It is another tool we can use to create a visual feast for the viewer and ultimately needs to tell us part of a story, or it hasn’t worked for the film. The drone shot also needs to edit seamlessly into the ground footage or it will stand out. High quality cameras need to be used and the drone needs to be flown with a stable platform to attach a suitable camera to. That only comes from hours of practice, along with help from the engineers who design the drones systems and drone manufacturers who make them. This is where good training is so vital and regulations need to be in place to help the legitimate drone pilot with their legitimate business, and it also needs to encourage or enforce other amateurs to get training and a licence. Make no mistake, a drone falling from any height can seriously injure and even kill someone, much like a car can in the hands of someone who is inexperienced. The actual drone should be licensed and the driver needs to be trained properly. Yes accidents can still happen, of course, yet mitigating against them happening as much as possible means we as film makers can fly with a camera in reasonable freedom, without having oppressive rules stopping us from being creative in the future. 78 | British Cinematographer | September 2017

IS VERTICAL A NEW FORMAT? Cinema and television pictures have always been displayed in a horizontal (or landscape) format. Yes, there have been 4:3 aspect ratios that seem almost square to us now, and there have been various “flavours” of widescreen images over the years, yet it is effectively a horizontal format. This is how the human eyes and brain see the world, and is the most natural format to use. We have two eyes and they are arranged horizontally. However, this centuryold convention now has a “new kid on the block”, and we should ignore it at our peril. Read on to understand why. The mobile phone has become an icon of the last few years, and we often rely on the content, and view content via this medium. Many people now use the smartphone as a way of communicating to their friends with video and still images, and that more often than not creates some potential issues for this business. If we watch most amateurs making a quick video, the camera is more often than not held in portrait format, creating a vertical aspect ratio video when played back. Why is that? Is it because they are lazy, or is there another reason? Before we look at that we need understand why this has become so commonplace now, and there is a simple reason. Fundamentally the mobile phone is a phone with a camera inside. It is not a camera with a phone in it, and that’s a big distinction. It is certainly more effort to hold the camera in the traditional landscape format, it requires two hands, and there is not really a firm grip on the body. Ergonomically it is more comfortable and convenient to hold it vertically. Most people watch the result on their Smartphone, and it fits the full screen nicely when held in the same way, thank you very much! So what’s the issue? Watching “Facebook live”, Snapchat and Periscope videos is not cinema or television of course, yet many traditional movies are now watched on train journeys on a phone or small tablet with a reflective screen in less than favourable lighting conditions. I have often seen a major widescreen movie being watched on the Tube with the phone held in portrait format. Clearly this is a potential issue for professionals. Or do we take a look at the market and give them what they want? There is now a large proportion of video marketing on the escalators on the London underground and in shopping malls, and the videos are often displayed

in a vertical format. Clearly the video content needs to be produced with that in mind from the outset, or it goes horribly wrong, so there is clearly a potential market. There was even a movement afoot to introduce the vertical video as a format, and Vervid was seen in 2015 as “the YouTube of vertical videos”, showing 9:16 aspect ratio videos only. The content seemed to consist of short videos shot on a Smartphone. Yet Vervid went belly up in 2016. There is also a YouTube channel called Glove and Boots, with videos in the style of Sesame Street puppets, with one called Vertical Video Syndrome - A PSA. It has had over 8 million views so far. Clearly, cinema as we know it is not going to redesign all the cinemas, nor will cameras, grip gear and edit suites be redesigned to accommodate this idea. All professional cameras are designed to a standard to be used in one way, with the eyepiece on the left side of the camera and much more. It’s not simply a case of turning the camera on its side to shoot a vertical movie! Yet there are commercials and short films specifically produced this way, normally with Smartphones, with all the limitations and lens quality issues there. However, with mobile phones and tablets being used increasingly to view movies more than traditional TV, it’s a factor that needs to be looked at carefully. It does make me wonder if there will be a 4K TV designed to be rotated to show vertical videos! If the consumer is given what they want then maybe there is a niche market for vertical cinema in some places. I see films about New York Skyscrapers and Easter Island statues being great subjects, yet I feel the opening shot in the first Star Wars film would have lost its impact somewhat if shown vertically! n

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