British Cinematographer - Issue 41 by Open Box Media & Communications

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk September 2010 ––– £7

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Covering International Cinematography

Master craftsman.

Martin Ruhe. ––– On the task of filming The American in Sweden and Italy.

Inside. So what’s next for the UK film industry? ––– Great Debate Ben Davis BSC on how he has redrawn Tamara Drewe on celluloid. ––– Camera Creative The latest cool kit & services. ––– Tools of the Trade Robert Richardson ASC, Stephen Poster ASC & Mauro Fiore ASC. ––– Close Up Round-up from tinsel town. ––– F-Stop Hollywood IBC and CINEC 2010 preview. ––– Grains vs Pixels Colin Watkinson. ––– Meet the New Wave

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Introduction –––Ron Prince Editor

Contents.

05 President’s Perspective. John de Borman BSC outlines his plans...

07 Production /

Post & Techno News. All the latest news for DPs.

10 Tools Of The Trade.

We feature the very latest new kit and services...

12 To Live & Let DI.

Discover who’s delivering the DI grades right now.

14/30

Close-Ups. Robert Richardson ASC on Eat Pray Love, Mauro Fiore ASC on The A-Team, and Steven Poster ASC on Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore.

15 Meet the New Wave.

Colin Watkinson… loves his agent and his 5D!

“Collaboration is central to good filmmaking. We are all dependent on each other... production designers, hair, make-up, editors, producers, directors. So we must make events that bring us all together, for us to discuss and reflect on each other’s work.” John de Borman BSC, president of the BSC

16 Who’s Shooting Who? 18 On The Job.

Martin Ruhe on shooting The American in Europe.

20 Camera Creative.

Ben Davis on Stephen Frears’ Tamara Drewe.

23 Great Debate.

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

With the demise of the UK Film Council, industry leaders give us their take on what should happen next to promote the UK film industry.

26 Grains Vs Pixels.

We preview the up & coming IBC and CINEC 2010 shows.

32 F-Stop Hollywood.

The latest news from LA.

33 IMAGO News.

President Nigel Walters BSC.

35 GBCT News.

Ron Prince ––– has many years experience working in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer magazine and runs the international marketing and communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com). Bob Fisher ––– has authored 3,000 magazine articles about cinematographers and filmmakers during the past 35 plus years. He has also moderated many panel discussions for both the American Society of Cinematographers and the International Cinematographers Guild.

The unique resource about which DPs are currently shooting what.

The chairman’s statement & all the latest new from the Guild.

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Contributers.

Business As Usual...

Dear Readers, oh dear. It’s happened again. They’re trying to kill the UK film industry. Or are they? The biggest news to have occurred since our last edition is the coalition government’s decision to abolish the UK Film Council. From the outside, this could appear to be a mortal blow to an industry that has received hefty ‘tolchocks’ in the last few years. Hands up who doesn’t remember Gordon Brown’s the overnight change to the tax laws, followed by the change in VAT legislation which pole-axed dozens of productions overnight? Well, this latest shock has created mayhem, but out of adversity come opportunities. On the one side we hear established filmmakers and talent decrying the loss of the UKFC. The situation even prompted Clint Eastwood to pen a note to chancellor George Osborne that the decision is a wrong ‘un. At the same time, there seem to be plenty of people decrying croneyism and mismanagement. Michael Winner thinks the ‘luvvies’ are talking a load of rubbish. This edition we dedicate to Alan Hume BSC, a highlyrespected cinematographer and much-loved man, who passed away in July. If anything, Alan’s career, spanning sixty years in the camera department, reflects the depth of talent in the UK filmmaking firmament. He was dedicated to his work, and went from film to film. That’s something we all want for our technicians and talent today and into the future. So whilst the embers smoulder, and the smoke rises from the wreck of the UKFC, we decided to get out there and ask a cross-section of the industry – filmmakers, service providers, post companies, trade associations – what could or should be done to preserve and promote the UK film production and post-production industry, at home and abroad? You can read their responses in our Great Debate section. There are ways forward, but the path ahead calls for resourcefulness. Fighters. But that’s something the Brits have never been lacking. We know about adversity. As far as we know, the tax incentives to encourage inward investment are still in place. Clearly, in the short term at least, the industry needs to refocus as quickly as possible, and let the world know in no uncertain terms that it’s business as usual. By the way, you will have noticed, over the course of the last few editions, refreshing changes to the design and layout of our magazine. Stand by in future editions for changes and additions to our editorial content, which we believe add up making British Cinematographer your unmissable read. Keep calm and carry on! Ron Prince, Editor BC

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography. Pinewood Studios Iver Heath Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH United Kingdom t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101 f/ +44 (0) 1753 650111 Publishers. ––– Alan Lowne t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101 e/ alafilmuk@aol.com ––– Stuart Walters t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300 e/ stuartwalters@ britishcinematographer.co.uk Editor. ––– Ron Prince e/ ronny@dircon.co.uk Sales. ––– Alan Lowne t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101 e/ alafilmuk@aol.com ––– Stuart Walters t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300 e/ stuartwalters@ britishcinematographer.co.uk

Carolyn Giardina ––– is a freelance journalist based in the US. She previously served as the technology reporter at Hollywood Reporter, the editor of Film & Video, and as senior editor of post-production at SHOOT. Her work has also appeared in IBC Daily News, Digital Cinema, Post and Below The Line. David A Ellis ––– started out as a projectionist and then moved on to work for BBC Television in London as a film assistant. He has written numerous articles about the industry including many features about cinematographers. 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.

Design & Creative Direction. Open Box Media & Communications ––– Lee Murphy Design Studio Manager t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300 e/ studio@ob-mc.co.uk The Publication Advisory Committee comprises of Board members from the BSC and GBCT as well as the Publishers. British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography is part of Laws Publishing Ltd. Laws Publishing Ltd Pinewood Studios Iver Heath Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH United Kingdom. The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography are not representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Presidents Perspective –––John de Borman BSC President of the British Society of Cinematographers

MEET OUR

W E N PRESIDENT

Community spirit. I would like to start this, my first column as president of the BSC, by congratulating my predecessor Sue Gibson BSC, who gave up so much of her time throughout her term of office spearheading and promoting the Society. Her contribution towards the BSC Film and Digital Image Evaluation, through prep, shoot, post and presentation, was colossal and has helped to promote the BSC throughout the world. Praise should also be given to the Board of Governors; to all those involved in the sub committees and to our Patron Members who continue to help and support the Society. I would like to pay tribute to Ronnie Neame CBE BSC, a long-term member of the society and one of the key British film industry figures of the 20th century, who sadly passed away in Los Angeles, following complications following a fall. He had just celebrated his 99th birthday. We were then saddened to lose Alan Hume BSC who died on 13th July 2010. A charming, gentle man, and consummate cinematographer, who amassed over 100 credits in his career, Alan was elected to the BSC in 1964, and worked tirelessly for the society, accumulating 22 years of service on the board; acting as president between 1969-1971. There was a tremendous turnout at his funeral and messages of tribute have flooded in for the family who were incredibly grateful for these homages. They have asked us on their behalf to thank you all for your kind words of tribute and support. My first task as president was to host the Summer Luncheon at Pinewood Studios on Sunday 18th July. A highly-pleasurable event at which Barry Ackroyd BSC reaped the BSC Golden Camera for his photography of The Hurt Locker. Christian Berger, cinematographer of The White Ribbon, who had flown in from Vienna, and Chris Menges, co-cinematographer of The Reader, were also among the audience to receive their nomination certificates, as did I for my photography of An Education. Congratulations to us all and to all the other nominees for the BSC Best Cinematography Award; Bruno Delbonnel (Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince); Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC (Slumdog Millionaire); Mauro Fiore (Avatar); Roger Deakins BSC ASC co-photography (The Reader); and Claudio Miranda (The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button). Among the many BSC directors of photography present, we were delighted to welcome young upcoming cinematographers and critics David Gritten, Philip French, Angie Errigo, and Matt Wolf. During my welcome I related my plans for the future of the society. For fear of repeating myself, and for those that were not at the summer lunch I would like to sketch out some ideas.

Collaboration is central to good filmmaking. We are all dependent on each other… production designers, hair, make-up, editors, producers, directors, etc… . We all need to communicate and collaborate to make good films. So we must make events that bring us all together, for us to discuss and reflect on each other’s work. We should invite everybody who wants to participate, anybody and everybody that has a passion and love of what we do, aspiring filmmakers as well as established ones. Hence the introduction of: BSC Club, which would be open to all. For a nominal fee it would enable aspiring young filmmakers and all sections of our industry, and just lovers of film, to enjoy BSC screenings, seminars, shows and presentations. We would come together to converse and exchange information and ideas as a film community over a drink after the screenings and Q&A. I am keen to introduce a host of programmes, in collaboration with London venues.

BSC Grand Masters. What makes a classic? We

would be running a season of films followed by vibrant conversation chaired by a cinematographer and inviting the appropriate other crafts, directors and actors were appropriate. We would include anybody interested and, of course, our club members to come. Classics such as Performance, The Red Shoes, Missisippi Burning, The Killing Fields, and The Shawshank Redemption. I have recently seen Breathless at the French Institute, a sensational and imaginative film shot in five weeks in 1959. The guest was Pierre Rissient, who was the 1st assistant. It was fascinating. He talked about the five-week schedule, and how the editing style of the film came about. It is as fresh and modern today as when it was shot, so many have been inspired by this film and copied it. How come?

BSC Studio. Current, high-profile production screenings like Green Zone with Barry Ackroyd BSC, Robin Hood with John Mathieson BSC. These are the people that have accepted so far, and we would invite other guests to join them on stage. We need to collate some more this year as BAFTA have kindly promised four per year. Work in progress…

BSC Visual Television. American dramas have always had a great reputation for slick, well-shot television on 35mm. Well, I feel there has been recently some extraordinary well-shot T… Red Riding, Wallander and Luther, to name just a few. They are all beautifully composed, lit and shot. But under TV schedules? How do they do it? Let’s find out! BSC State-of-the-Art. Our technical events led by Joe

Dunton showcasing all the new technology out there, starting with 3D. We would investigate all new technology both in video and film

BSC Indie. How we make the difference. Showcasing

and discussing what can be achieved on low-budget productions like the beautiful Scouting Book For Boys shot by Robbie Ryan BSC. This would look at video films and any experimental filmmaking as well. We are also keen on upgrading our website by including BSC YouTube, Facebook and Twitter portals that would help to publicise our events and get greater inter-reaction with our film community. This would obviously need the participation of our members to send and include photos and stories, showreels etc… We are lucky we also have this wonderful magazine, that I know is wanting to expand and reach a greater audience. These are my initial ideas that will need support, from ALL of you. To this end we will be sending to you all a questionnaire for you to fill in to tell us which events you would be interested in, and would (if available) attend. This is my attempt of rallying the troops. We have so much talent in this society that is constantly evolving with everchanging challenges. Let’s celebrate the old and the new and share our creativity and inventiveness in a fun, inclusive and vibrant way. Do you not think? John de Borman BSC President, British Society of Cinematographers

British Society of Cinematographers, Board Members.

John de Borman BSC (President). Joe Dunton MBE BSC, Chris Seager BSC, Sean Bobitt BSC (Vice Presidents). Sue Gibson BSC, Gavin Finney BSC, Nic Morris BSC, Haris Zambarloukos BSC , Robin Vidgeon BSC, John Daly BSC, David Odd BSC, Ashley Rowe BSC, Nigel Walters BSC, Derek Suter BSC, Harvey Harrison BSC, Phil Meheux BSC, David Higgs BSC (Governors).

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The Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

News –––Production / Post & Technology round-up

07 BSC Summer Luncheon 2010.

The 24th annual BSC Summer luncheon took place on Sunday 18th July, 2010, in the ballroom at Pinewood Studios, where 155 guests basked in glorious sunshine sipping aperitifs before a buffet lunch. The event was hosted by the society’s new president, John de Borman BSC, who welcomed everybody, including honorary members Douglas Slocombe, Ian Wilson and Wolfgang Suschitzky (who pointed out he was actually a few months older than Dougie). Also present were the wives of past members Marilyn Imi, Betty Parslow, Diane Thomson, Olga Beeson, Anna Lee and Pam Francis, together with members of the press who were there in force this year including Philip French and his wife Kerstie, David Gritten from The Daily Telegraph, (who subsequently wrote a piece about the event in the following Monday’s edition), Angie Errigo and Matt Wolf. De Borman also outlined his plans for the society, which includes a series of screenings that will present the work of past masters and newcomers to the society. The new president was aided by BSC vice presidents Sean Bobbitt and Chris Seager, who presented the Best Cinematography Award. This year there were more nominees than usual. As of next year, the voting window will change to bring the BSC Awards in line with the BAFTAs, Oscars and ASC Awards season. The nominations for the 2009 BSC Best Cinematography Award were: –– John de Borman BSC for An Education –– Roger Deakins BSC and Chris Menges BSC ASC for The Reader –– Barry Ackroyd BSC for The Hurt Locker –– Christian Berger AAC for The White Ribbon –– Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC for Slumdog Millionaire –– Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC for Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince –– Claudio Miranda ASC for The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button –– Mauro Fiore ASC for Avatar The award went to Barry Ackroyd BSC for The Hurt Locker to add to the numerous accolades he has already received this year for this film. He made his acceptance speech via mobile phone from New York over the loudspeaker to the delight of the attendees. Both Christian Berger AAC, who had flown over from Vienna for the event, and Chris Menges, were presented with their nomination certificates. Julian Morson was unable to attend to collect his Associate Membership certificate, due to mechanical difficulties with his motorcar en route, especially unfortunate as he had flown all the way from Budapest to attend the lunch. Pinewood Studios donated the wine for lunch, and Panalux the lighting for the buffet. Despite not having a guest of honour this year, the event was well organised by Audra and Frances Russell, who were presented with bouquets. The festivities continued after lunch, during which old and new friends were able to socialise.

Chris Seager BSC and Sean Bobbit BSC (Vice Presidents) Present John de Borman (President)with his certificate for being nominated for the BSC best cinematography award won by Barry Ackroyd. Guests enjoy pre lunch drinks in Pinewood gardens. BSC members gather for annual photograph after the 2010 summer lunch.

World first from Fujifilm.

Fujifilm has announced the introduction of Eterna-RDS 35mm, the first digital separation B&W motion picture recording film. This new addition to Fujifilm’s range of film stocks is a B&W film intended for making archival B&W separations from colour digital masters. The film is designed for a digital separation workflow using a film recorder. Eterna-RDS offers improvement over conventional non–specific separation film stocks, producing finer detail, accurate gradation linearity, improved granularity and sharpness with reduced flare. Eterna-RDS gives exceptional image quality and offers expanded latitude and linearity. It is designed to run in either a D96 or D97 process. The film has a polyester filmbase (PET base), backed with a transparent antistatic layer to provide static electricity control and scratch resistance. This layer serves to prevent the occurrence of static arcs and the collection of dust due to static electricity, a property which is still effective even after processing. The new film is expected to play an important role in the long-term preservation and archiving of motion pictures. Jerry Deeney, marketing manager for Fujifilm Motion Picture Film UK, explained the importance of the new filstock, “ B&W silver halide film has outstanding stability, with many estimates suggesting it can preserve images for more than 500 years. Eterna-RDS gives our industry the opportunity to help preserve some of the most defining works of our era for future generations.”

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Dougie Slocombe BSC and Wolfgang SuschitzkyBSC, nearly two hundred not out! Fuji says it’s new B&W archival film might last for 500 years. All photos from the BSC lunch courtesy of Richard Blanshard.

DP news in brief.

Ben Smithard picked up the Emmy for best cinematography in a miniseries/ movie his work on Cranford. Tim Palmer has lensed Florizel Street, and ITV Studios production for BBC, to air in September, using the Canon 5D. It is thought to be the first longform production in the UK to have been shot entirely on Canon’s DSLR, and we’ll bring you the inside story in our next edition.

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The Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Plus Camerimage 2010 gets set for Bydgoszcz.

After 10 years of organising the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Plus Camerimage in Lodz, the festival directors are relocating this year’s event to the city of Bydgoszcz (pron. “bid-gosh”), from 27th November to 4th December. The main festival center will be the Opera Nova, a modern facility situated on the bank of Brda river in the city centre. It has two stages (grand and small), two auditoria, with technical and administration staff on hand. The building also includes a Congress Centre for the various conferences being scheduled. The facility, together with the nearby Multikino (multiplex ciname) and high standard hotels, will allow the orgainisers to gather all the festival events in one place. In effect, Plus Camerimage has returned to Poland’s Kujawsko-Pomorskie region where Festival began 40 kilometers away in Torun, where it was held for its first seven years. This year’s recipient of the lifetime achievement award will be cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. Ballhaus was born in Germany on the 5th of August, 1935. During the 50 years of his career he has shot almost 120 films, including documentaries. He is perhaps best known for cinematography on many films by director Martin Scorsese including The Departed, Gangs of New York and The Age of Innocence. He is a threetime Oscar nominee, a winner of a European Film Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema and of numerous other awards. The lifetime achievement award to a Polish Director With Unique Visual Sensitivity, will be presented to the internationally acclaimed director, scriptwriter and producer Jerzy Skolimowski. A retrospective review of his films will be organised and a book on his life and work will be published in time for the festival. Jerzy Skolimowski was born in Lodz in 1938. He graduated from the ethnography faculty of the Warsaw University. Influenced by the success of Andrzej Wajda’s film Innocent Sorcerers, which was based on Skolimowski’s script, he enrolled at Lodz Film School to study directing. With his schoolmate, Roman Polanski, he wrote a script for the famous Knife In The Water, directed by Polanski in 1962. Between 1972 – 1989 six of his films competed at Cannes Film Festival, and three of them won awards The Shout was awarded by the Cannes Jury in 1978, Moonlighting was granted the award for the best script in 1982 and The Lightship received Jury’s special award in 1985. After 17 years of a career break in moviemaking, he came back to Poland to shoot Four Nights with Anna (2008). He has published several volumes of poetry, written plays and is also a successful painter. The organisers are also calling for entries to the various Plus Camerimage competitions, including the Main Competition (fiction films, deadline 20th September), Student Etudes (fiction etudes, deadline 18th October), Polish Films (deadline 27th September), Documentary Films, sponsored by Discovery Networks Central Europe (deadline 15th October), and Music Videos competition (deadline 20th September 2010). More information about Bydgoszcz can be found at www. bydgoszcz.eu, and the orgainisers can be contacted at www.pluscamerimage.pl for anyone wishing to submit a production.

Various views of Bydgoszcz, the smart new home for Plus Camerimage, plus Michael Ballhaus and Jerzy Skolimowski. Alan Hume BSC, a wellrespected cinematographer, with a career spanning over 60 years. Photo courtesy of Bondstars.com Guests at Panalight’s recent Alexa launch got to play with the new camera and learn about set-to-post workflow.

ARRI’s IBC plans and new website.

Panalight launches Alexa.

Rome-based film equipment rental house Panalight, recently took delivery of its first ARRI Alexa digital cameras, and introduced the new arrivals to it clients – DPs, assistants, production and post production companies – at a special event, held on 22nd of July at the company’s offices at Cinecitta Studios. A hardware and workflow presentation was given by ARRI Germany’s representative, Oliver Temmler supported by Mauro Sembroni from ARRI Italy. To add to the event, companies like Aldo Ianiro SRL, DSC Lighting SRL, Cartoni Spa and Fujinon, also contributed with their latest lighting, grip and lens technologies. Panalight is organising similar events at its subsidiary branches in Milan and Bucharest, giving DPs the chance to test and shoot with the Alexa and gain a comprehensive overview of set to post-production workflow, a service already offered by the company’s PanaDigital Lab, also based at Cinecitta. Panalight, which recently serviced Focus Features’ The American, has also added the new Supertehno 22 Technocrane to its inventory, and now offers the complete range of Supertechnos from 50 to 15.

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ARRI will unveil important breakthroughs in all of its different business areas on its two stands at IBC. 2010 has been quite a year for the Munich-based company, perhaps most obviously because of the successful launch of its Alexa digital camera. ARRI started shipping Alexa cameras to customers in June, and several major productions have already put them to use, including Roland Emmerich’s Anonymous and Martin Scorsese’s The Invention Of Hugo Cabret. Other announcements are expected at IBC from the lighting department at ARRI, with significant new products on both the LED and traditional lighting sides. These will be showcased on ARRI’s camera and lighting booth in Hall 11, alongside new tools from the company’s Professional Camera Accessory range and products that expand the versatility of 35 mm film acquisition, including 2-perforation movements and HD-IVS high definition video assist units. The DI systems team at ARRI will be showing its latest developments in archive and restoration applications in Hall 7. ARRI is timing the launch of a revamped, news-based portal into its corporate website to coincide with IBC 2010. Visitors to ARRI’s camera and lighting stand at the show can explore the new pages and share ideas about content with members of the ARRI team. The new welcome page of the ARRI website will feature prominent stories, case studies and interviews with top creative professionals in the film and television industries. As well as delivering information about the diverse range of ARRI products, the website will showcase how these products are being put to use in the field. Content will be solicited from key partners and commentators, and attention drawn to developments affecting the entire industry. “Our idea with the new-look website is to provide a resource to our customers and the wider filmmaking community as a whole,” said ARRI MD Dr. Martin Prillmann. “This resource will become increasingly valuable over time, as the site matures and the archive of articles expands. Our goal is to create a destination website where people can find good quality, trustworthy information.”

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The Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

What’s shooting on FujiFilm?

The following features and TV dramas opted for Fuji film stocks… Hunky Dory, DP Charlotte Bruus Christensen, dir Marc Evans; The Awakening, DP Edu Grau, dir Nick Murphy; The Last Furlong, DP Tim Fleming, dir Agnes Merlet; The Lotus Eaters, DP Gareth Munden, dir Alexander McGuinness; The Other Side, DP Peter Robertson, dir Billy O’Brien; Will, DP Oliver Stapleton BSC, dir Ellen Perry; Everywhere & Nowhere, DP Brian Tufano BSC, dir Menhaj Huda; Attack the Block, DP Tom Townend, dir Joe Cornish; Spooks - Series 9, DP Fabian Wagner, dir Michael Caton-Jones; Waking the Dead - Series 9, DP Mike Spragg. Commercials, idents and music videos supplied with Fujifilm, via Island Studios and Panavision, include… Vodafone (Blinder), DP Ross McLennan; Revlon (Short Films), DP Riego Van Wersch; Dove (M&Y Films), DP Denzil Armour-Brown; Sky Broadband (76 Ltd), DP Steve Keith Roach; Niquitin (Smuggler), DP Rob Hardy; Ikea (Stink), DP Richard Stewart; Pfister Furniture (Partizan), DP Simon Chaudoir; Land Rover (Cricket Brand Communications), DP Tim Green; Tesco (Smuggler), DP Denis Crossan; Specsavers (Mustard), DP Alessandro Scherillo; and Zurich (Blink), DP Franz Lustig. Idents include… BBC Education Series (Red Bee Media), DP Tom Townend; The Inbetweeners (Channel 4), DP Richard Mott; Hollyoaks (Channel 4), DP Luke Scott; The Ashes (BSKYB), DP Tim Green; GMTV (ITV Creative), DP Daniel Bronks, and music videos include… The Script (Bikini), DP Rob Hardy; Gabrielle Chilmi (Between The Eyes), DP Rob Hardy; Take That (Between The Eyes), DP Ed Wild; Rumer (Pulse Films), DP Matt Fox; and Mark Ronson (Partizan), DP Denzil Armour-Brown;

What’s shooting on Kodak?

South African features selecting Kodak filmstocks include… Dark Tide, dir John Stockwell, DP Jean-Francois Hensgens; and Winnie, dir Darrell Roodt, DP Mario Janelle. UK features include… One Day, dir Lone Scherfig, DP Benoit Delhomme; RA One, dir Anubhav Sinha, DP Nicola Pecorini; The Veteran, dir Matthew Hope, DP Philipp Blaubach; W.E., dir Madonna, DP Hagen Bogdanski; Decoy Bride, dir Sheree Folkson, DP Nanu Segal; War Horse, dir Steven Spielberg, DP Janusz Kaminski; The Killer Elite, dir Gary McKendry, DP Simon Duggan; and Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, dir Lasse Hallstrom, DP Terry Stacey. TV dramas include… Song Of Lunch (BBC), DP Jan Jonaeus; Merlin III (Shine Ltd), DPs Dale McCready and Peter Greenhalgh BSC; Accused (RSJ Films Ltd), DPs David Luther and Fabian Wagner; and This September (Gate TV), DP James Aspinall. Commercials to harness Kodak recently include… Hovis (Gorgeous), DP Jess Hall; World Cup (ITV), DP Alessandra Scherillo; Persil (Knucklehead), DP Simon Chaudoir; Knorr (Partizan) DP Baz Irvine; Halifax (Tantrum), DP Adrian Wild; McDonalds (Academy) DP Jake Polonsky; Total (Academy), DP John de Borman BSC; George@Asda (Bare Films), DP Bob Pender Hughes; Play.com (Gorgeous) DP Benoit Delhomme; Robinsons (Infinity) DP Ray Coates; Johnson & Johnson (Knucklehead), DP David Ungaro; Clarks (Outsider), DP Steve Chivers; Tesco (Slingback), DP Howard Atherton BSC; M&S (Thomas Thomas), DP Martin Hill; Virgin Atlantic (Traktor), DP Steve Blackman; Sugar Puffs (Hammer & Tongs), DP Simon Chaudoir; McDonalds (Steam Media), DP Charlie Stebbings; DFS (Ink Films), DP Mik Allen; Sierra Mist (Smith & Jones), DP Andrezej Sekula; Ford Mondeo (RSA), DP John Mathieson BSC; Tesco (Little Fish Films), DP Keith Goddard BSC; Crocs (Believe Media), DP Jake Polonsky; Toyota (RSA), DP Alex Barber; Agent Provocateur (RSA), DP Simon Chaudoir; Mars (Another Film Company), DP Tom Townsend; Digital UK (Partizan), DP Vincent Warren; Boots (Hammer & Tongs), DP Simon Chaudoir; Morrisons (Park Village), DP Mark Emberton; Camelot (Therapy), DP Theo Garland; Wicks (Thomas & Thomas), DP Mike George; Babilis (Brother Films), DP Tony May; Flora (Park Village), DP Mark Emberton; Philips (Outsider), DP Stephen Blackman; L’Oreal (Blink), DP Thierry Pouget; Falabella (Lucky Strike), DP Jose Casillas; Uncle Bens (Mustard), DP David Kerr; Activia (2AM), DP Bob Pender Hughes; Asda (HLA), DP Federico Alfonso; Carphone; Warehouse (Patizan), DP Alex Melman; and Holland & Barrett (The Gate), DP Baz Irvine.

Alan Hume.

Alann Hume BSC, prolific cinematographer and director of photography, and the veteran of four James Bond films, died on 13th July 2010, aged 85. His career spanned six decades in the British film industry. Hume started as a clapper-board loader at Denham Film Studios during World War II. In his debut year in 1942, his first three productions included some of the biggest stars of the screen: David Niven in Spitfire, James Mason in Thunder Rock, and Noel Coward, John Mills and Richard Attenborough in In Which We Serve. He quickly graduated to the position of focus puller in 1943, and had his first camera operator assignment after the War ended with the second unit of Great Expectations in 1946. After a few years perfecting his craft with back-to-back productions as a focus puller, he became a regular camera operator in 1953 and rarely found himself with time between films. The Carry On series of comedy films kept Hume steadily employed from Carry On Sergeant in 1957. He worked on 99 productions as a fully-fledged cinematographer between 1960 and his retirement in 1998. He was on the 2nd unit of The Spy Who Loved Me capturing the classic ski-jump stunt in the pre-titles sequence. His 007 James Bond credits as cinematographer are For Your Eyes Only (1981), Octopussy (1983), A View To A Kill (1985). He also shot Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), and Shirley Valentine (1990). Sir Roger Moore described him as being, “One of the loveliest film professionals, with such a lovely sense of humour and it was joy to know and work with him.” Hume’s son, and camera operator, Martin wished to thank everyone who sent messages of tribute and support following his father’s death.

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31/08/2010 12:47

The Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Tools of the Trade –––The latest products and services in the industry Panavision 3D Projection System.

If you have a product or service that you’d like to highlight to the industry, then this new section is for you! Contact us NOW to let us know about your special ‘tools of the trade’.

Panavision has introduced an affordable way for exhibitors to adapt current film and digital projectors for high-quality 3D presentations. The Panavision 3D system incorporates advances in spectral filtration technology that enables audiences to see the full colour spectrum when 3D images are projected on either silver or white screens. Panavision Senior Vice President Eric Rodli explains that the new system enables exhibitors with film projectors to show motion pictures in 3D format by simply changing lenses. A filter mechanism is used to adapt digital projectors for 3D presentations. The re-usable glasses worn by audiences are designed to enable people to see nuanced colours that are integral to the visual grammar created by cinematographers and collaborators. “Our system is also designed for use with white screens that are commonly used in cinemas with film projectors,” he adds. “White screens provide more centre-to-edge illumination than silver screens used with other 3D digital projectors. This will allow audiences to experience films the way they are meant to be seen.” Rodli notes that while contemporary filmmakers associate Panavision with developing and renting motion pictures cameras and lenses, the company has deep roots in projector technology. Panavision founder Robert Gottschalk moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1945 in pursuit of a dream of becoming a filmmaker. Gottschalk owned a camera store when he met someone who was marketing the aqualung designed by Jacques Cousteau in 1953. Gottschalk designed a housing for cameras, which gave swimmers more flexibility for shooting film underwater. That sparked his interest in developing a fast, wide-angle lens for underwater photography. When Gottschalk organised Panavision in 1954, he used the technology developed for underwater photography to revolutionise the movie-going experience. Panavision developed and sold some 15,000 Panatar lenses, which provided an affordable option for exhibitors to adapt projectors for the wide-screen CinemaScope format. The new Panavision 3D system will be available this autumn.

Cinesite’s has increased the floor space at its Soho premises (pictured) to accomodate extra VFX firepower for 2D and 3D films. Litepanels is finding some new and innovative ways to extend its LED lighting range.

Have You Tried Litepanels Yet?

Since taking the world by storm in 2004, Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, has revolutionised professional production and stills lighting with its light-emitting diode (LED) technology. Now, Litepanels’ LED technology has been harnessed into a highly-portable fresnel design, in the form of the Sola LED Fresnel Series, yielding superb controllability and single-shadow properties. The new Sola Fresnels provide variable beam angles from 10 to 70 degrees, with manual dimming and focus via LCD touchscreen or DMX controls. Unlike HMI Fresnels, Litepanels’ Sola Series offers full range dimming, from 100% down to zero. What’s more, the powerful and energy efficient Solas draw just a fraction of the power, around 10%, of conventional Fresnels, with very little heat generation. Designed for both oncamera and off-camera mounting, the SolaENG is 4” x 4” x 5” (102mm x 102mm x 127mm) and weighs 10oz (.28kg). Litepanels’ has also expanded its award-winning Micro product line with the launch of the new MicroPro Hybrid. It provides continuous LED light combined with a Flash feature, just the ticket for today’s multifunctional video DSLR cameras. At the top of the MicroPro Hybrid housing is an integrated dimmer dial that puts instant 100% to 0 dimming, with minimal colour shift, at the operator’s fingertips. The output from this 9W fixture is flicker free and heat free and remains consistent. For more versatility, an integrated filter holder allows for work with the three included colour/diffusion gels. The MicroPro Hybrid produces 1.5 hours of continuous output from 6 x AA batteries or 5-6 hours from Energizer e2 Lithium cells. It measures 5.5” W x 3.75” H x 1. 5” D (139.7mm x 95.25mm x 38.1mm), weighs 10.5oz (300g), and offers a variety of mounting options. Litepanels is also offering a Sizzlin’ Summer Special until the end of September on its Ringlite Mini, and rebates until the end of the year on its MiniPlus 1 and 2 Lite Kits, and run and gun 1 x1 Flypacks.

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31/08/2010 12:47

The Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Cinesite’s Stereoscopic 3D Services .

Cinesite, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kodak and one of the world’s leading film visual effects houses, has announced the launch of stereoscopic 3D visual effects services catering for films shot in stereo, as well as the conversion of 2D films into 3D. Cinesite’s first stereo 3D project will be Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, for which the company has been awarded a significant volume of stereoscopic VFX work. “With the recent resurgence of stereo 3D films, and our track record at the cutting-edge of visual effects for high-end feature films, moving into stereo 3D is a natural progression for us,” said Antony Hunt, managing director, Cinesite. “We’re developing our services in response to growing client demand, and the high volume of work we’ve been awarded on Pirates Of The Caribbean demonstrates the level of trust and confidence that major distributors have in our capabilities.” Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is due for release on 20 May 2011, the fourth installment in the successful Disney/Bruckheimer series. To accommodate its new stereo 3D services, Cinesite is undergoing a major expansion which includes growing its production staff by 40% and taking on a new floor in its Soho building to accommodate 85-100 additional visual effects artists – bringing its custom-designed post production facilities to 37,000sq/ft. Having added 250 terabytes of storage from BlueArc, Cinesite anticipates that it will have added almost half a petabyte of disc space by the end of 2010. “Kodak’s continued investment in Cinesite’s digital infrastructure helps to position the company as one of the industry’s leading providers of 3D workflow solutions,” said Kimberly Snyder, President of Kodak’s Entertainment Imaging division. “This significant investment represents Kodak’s enthusiasm and confidence that Cinesite’s new stereoscopic services will be extremely successful in meeting marketplace needs as 3D continues to thrive.” As well as investing in new compositing software, providing an additional 500 visual effects seats, Cinesite has purchased a Dolby stereoscopic projection system for its 36-seat screening room, a stereo 3D-capable Scratch viewing system from Assimilate, plus stereo 3D editing suites.

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31/08/2010 12:47

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Live & Let DI –––Who’s dialling-in the DI grades

Flying colours.

Rushes has hired Matt Turner as its new director telecine. Pepper: pulled out the stops for Tamara Drewe, shot by Ben Davis. Molinare: did the grading on the feature Africa United, TV drama series The Deep and First Light.

Technicolor UK.

Technicolor UK has completed the full 2K DI, film, video and digital cinema deliverables on a number of features. These include Focus Features’ The American, shot by DP Martin Ruhe for director Anton Corbijn, with George Clooney in the lead role as an assassin lying low in Italy; Working Title’s Senna, a documentary on Brazilian F1 racing driver Ayrton Senna, who won the world championship three times before his death at age 34, directed by Asif Kapadia; Archipelago, directed by Joanna Hogg, produced by Gayle Griffiths and Kiyoshi Nomura, with Ed Rutherford the DP; and Marv Film’s Kisk Ass, the story of Dave, an unnoticed high-school student and comic book fan who decides to become a super-hero even though he has no powers or training, directed by Matthew Vaughn, with Ben Davis BSC the cinematographer. Technicolor also completed full 2K DI grades on, I Am Slave, a thriller set in London’s slave trade and centered on a woman’s fight for freedom, directed by Gariel Range with Robbie Ryan BSC the cinemetographer, and Blue Moon Rising, a sports production from Endemol Entertainment UK, directed by Stewart Sugg, which follows a group of Manchester City fans throughout the ‘09/10 season in the wake of the takeover by Sheikh Mansour of Abu Dhabi. Other recent DI credits include Clash Of The Titans, It’s A Wonderful Afterlife and Sherlock Holmes.

Pepper.

Dovetailing nicely with our piece about Ben Davis BSC’s work on the Stephen Frears directed Tamara Drewe, Soho’s Pepper revealed a little about its work on the film. Scanning was completed via Pepper’s Spirit 2K, with the grade completed it its large 4.5m DI theatre, that combines Digital Vision’s Film Master with a 2k Barco DP90 projector and Cinespace colour management, by Adam Inglis. Digital Vision Film Cutters were used for conforming and management of additional VFX and title elements. Tamara Drewe is colourist Inglis’ second grade for Frears after having completed Chéri with DP Darius Khondji. “What was particularly interesting about grading Tamara Drewe is that it is not just a literary adaptation, but also a visual one. Production designer Alan MacDonald, cinematographer Ben Davis and visual effects supervisor Mark Nelmes attended the grade to further finesse their work in bringing Posy Simmonds’ distinctive graphic novel to the screen,” said Inglis. “Although not a direct copy of the book’s visual style, many of the stylistic elements are retained, and the film also follows the same seasonbased chapter structure. The shoot occurred mostly in the Autumn, so as well as the broader strokes necessary to separate the distinct moods light and weather patterns as the year progresses, small seasonal details and clues such as leaf colouration were adjusted in the DI to complement the VFX work. I like to think that what we have achieved in the DI is stylish and yet naturally captures the essence of both our English countryside and the subtlety of Simmonds’ beautiful artwork.”

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Molinare.

Molinare has been keeping busy too. Colourist Tim Waller was responsible for the grade on the Sean Bobbitt BSC lensed Africa United, produced by Footprint Films, Link Media Production, Pathe Pictures International, directed by Debs Gardner-Paterson. It’s the extraordinary story of three Rwandan kids who walk 3,000 miles to the Soccer World Cup in South Africa. Using ingenuity, and a World Cup wall chart for a map, the pint-sized protagonists set off through the endless horizons of Africa in pursuit of an unlikely dream. And as they walk they gather a tribe - a ragamuffin team - of broken and brilliant characters who help them negotiate a way through a series of dangerous, hilarious and often bizarre situations. The film was scanned using Molinare’s Northlight, with grading done on Baselight grading, and ARRI Lasers for the film outs. Waller said, “To maximise the impact of the film, Debs and Sean were both very keen to get as much colour into the images as possible but without making it look ‘painted’ . In their own words, they were unlucky with the weather despite the good expectations as they were in Africa. The grade presented all the problems associated with the sun going in and out of the clouds, especially on Lake Tanganyika where the water changed colour massively on every angle. However, with the unique tools that Baselight provides, we were able to balance them perfectly using keys and shapes in order to create a seamless scene.”

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Watchout for First Light releasing in September. This Lion Television docu-drama for BBC Two, directed and produced by Matthew Whiteman, starring Sam Heughan, is an intimate one-off World War II production, that tells the extraordinary story of 19 year-old Geoffrey Wellum – one of the youngest pilots to participate in the Battle Of Britain, who was posted at the beginning of the war having never flown a Spitfire. It was lit by DP Mark Wolf, who said, “Being a war film set in 1940, Matthew and myself wanted First Light to have a specific period look. We controlled the photography by using only those lens focal lengths that were available in the period. Editor Chris King followed up by inventing and then developing a grade that captured the feeling of the old Kodachrome colour reversal film stocks which were first introduced in the 1930s. The impact is one of fairly low contrast, lovely cyan skies and slightly faded greens. To add to this, skin tones were enhanced by giving them a warmer hue to emphasise the youth of the pilots. But we needed to shoot First Light on HD - a format which provides the opposite of these qualities, i.e. sharp, contrasty images. So, to capture the feel we were after during the shoot, we toned down the HD look by using an old set of Zeiss lenses and low contrast settings – unifying the look was made harder since we used several different HD formats and also scanned unseen combat footage negative from the1969 film, The Battle of Britain. Chris moulded all these formats together to create our ‘Vintage Kodachrome’ look.” Molinare grader Graham Holtom, said, “The challenge was to create a seamless grade which didn’t end up too flat, but also not too contrasty either, whilst enhancing the alternating warm and cold tones. We used the RAF uniforms as a guide – these were grey with a hint of blue, and once we got the grade right on those we were able to set the tone for the whole project.” Molinare’s grader Gareth Spensely was in control of the DI dials on The Deep, Tiger Aspect’s five x 60-minute action adventure for the BBC, shot by Adam Suschitzky, starring Minnie Driver, James Nesbitt and Goran Visnjic.

LipSync.

LipSync is set to do the DIs on Ralph Fiennes’ directorial debut feature Coriolanus film, shot by Barry Ackroyd BSC, with Fiennes in Shakespeare’s title role, produced by Artemis Films and BBC Film; Jane Eyre, shot by Adriano Goldman, with Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) in the title role and Michael Fassbender as Mr Rochester, produced by Ruby Films, Focus Features and BBC Films; The Great Ghost Rescue, currently shooting with Antoine Roch the DP, and a cast including Kevin McKidd and Steven Mackintosh; and We Need To Talk About Kevin, lensed by Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC, the film adaptation of Lionel Shriver’s award-winning novel, starring Tilda Swinton and John C Reilly. Recent grades completed include Made In Dagenham, a dramatisation of the 1968 strike at the Ford Dagenham car plant, produced by Stephen Woolley, directed Nigel Cole, shot by John de Borman BSC; and Blitz, a cop/serial killer thriller, produced by Lionsgate, starring Jason Statham, Paddy Considine and David Morrissey, lit by Rob Hardy.

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Films@59.

Digital Vision’s Nucoda Film Master was used to conform and grade the new series of BBC One’s Mistresses by Bristol-based facility Films@59. Produced by Ecosse Films, Mistresses delves into the tangled lives of four female friends and their relationships. Films@59 colourist Tony Osborne, who carried out the grade, knew from very early discussions with the series producer Rhonda Smith and DP Alan Almond BSC that they required a very different look and feel from the first two series, which had a glossy, glamorous sensibility and softer storylines. They had also moved away from film and gone digital opting for the RED digital camera system. Osborne explains, “The idea was to achieve a look that was darker and richer, but without too much contrast and one that would not be overly saturated. From the start of the project Alan said that he didn’t want the American look that you get with some dramas, which have vibrant brash colours. He wanted a natural look that was the premise throughout filming.” Osborne used Nucoda Film Master for three stages of the post production process. The first-stage was to carry out the data conform from the RED RAW files processing out to LOG files. The second-stage was the grade itself and during the third-stage Osborne used elements of Nucoda Film Master’s DVO toolset to reduce shimmer and grain. The series, which opens in the present with a prologue, conjures up a feeling of tension and unease. Osborne explains, “There are unresolved issues and the viewer doesn’t yet know what they are so it had to draw the audience in immediately. The DP, producer and director wanted to give that first scene a look completely different to the rest of the series. The story lines are dark and it was important that this was reflected in the grade.” Throughout the rest of the grade Osborne was sensitive to maintain the colour theme relating to the four main female characters and their environments.

Rushes.

Rushes… has appointed of Matt Turner as its director of telecine. In his new role leading the grading deptartment, Turner will work closely with award-winning colourists Simone Grattarola and Denny Cooper. Prior to joining Rushes, Turner worked as senior colourist at Company 3 in LA on a number of high-profile advertising projects including Superbowl credits for Bridgestone Tires and Coke Zero, Travelers Insurance, Kia as well as a move into feature digital intermediate. Before his move to the US, Turner had five-year run at Framestore, and nine years at The Mill prior to that.

Company 3.

Speaking of Company 3… colorist Stephen Nakamura brough his keen eye and technical ingenuity to a number of major feature films this season, including adventure story Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, drama The Town, historical drama The Conspirator and documentary Waiting for Superman. Further bolstering unification of its digital intermediate (DI) services, Company 3 has expanded executive producer Devin Sterling’s role to oversee DI operations between its Santa Monica and New York facilities, liaise with sister companies Method, and Rushes in London, as well as supervise any remote DI projects within Company 3’s international network of virtual outposts.

31/08/2010 12:48

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Close Up –––Mauro Fiore ASC The A-Team

Avatar took audiences on a surrealistic journey to a future world where humans invade an alien planet and engage the natives in a desperate battle for survival. The film broke box office records when it was released in 3D format on IMAX and traditional cinema screens in 2009. Avatar earned three Oscars and six other nominations. Mauro Fiore ASC claimed one of the Oscars, for best cinematography, along with outstanding achievement award nominations from BAFTA and his peers at the ASC. So what did Fiore do for an encore? The A-Team, which premiered on cinema screens around the world this summer. It’s another action-adventure story, only this time the main characters are empathetic human beings who make emotional connections with audiences. The A-Team is an adaption of a mid-1980s television series about four veterans of the Vietnam war who were accused of a crime they didn’t commit. They banded together and performed heroic deeds in a quest for redemption. In the contemporary film, the main characters are veterans of the war in Iraq who join forces as mercenaries and perform dare devil deeds for the right reasons. “It’s not a simple story,” Fiore says. “Each of their missions has sub-plots augmenting the main story about these four men who are trying to redeem their reputations by fighting bravely in the face of overwhelming odds.” The A-Team is Fiore’s second collaboration with writer/ director Joe Carnahan on a long form narrative film following in the wake of Smokin’ Aces in 2006. Ridley Scott is among the executive producers, with Tony Scott and Iain Smith amongst the producers. Fiore and Carnahan have also worked together on various commercials during the past half a dozen years. They agreed that 35mm anamorphic was the right format for creating an organic look and feeling that visually augments the emotional tone as the drama heightens. They also discussed creating specific looks for different environments. Carnahan cast Liam Neeson in the role of Col. “Hannibal” Smith. Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copeley and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson were brought onboard to portray Lt. “Faceman” Peck, Capt. “Howling Mad” Murdock and Sgt. B.A. Baracus. They originally intended to film scenes at practical locations around the world. However, a decision was made to produce The A-Team in and around Vancouver, Canada as a concession to the budget and schedule. Fiore and production designer Charles Wood scouted locations in and around Vancouver searching for the right environments for different parts of the film. They found a location in Kamloops, a region just outside of Vancouver, which has similar landscapes and mountain ranges as the dry, arid environment characteristic of the Baja desert in Mexico. Two blocks in a warehouse district convincingly served as alleys in Mexico when they were dressed with signs and extras wore the right costumes. Other scenes are staged in an army Iraqi camp, where they are printing American money with plates stolen from the mint, on downtown streets in Frankfurt, Germany, and on the harbor in Long Beach, California.

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“We created specific looks for each environment,” Fiore says. “The Mexican section was treated very warm and sun-lit with a saturated golden tone, almost like reversal film. The audience isn’t always able to see the shadow side of people’s faces. The Iraqi section of the film was produced in a field outside of Vancouver where we built a set for an army base. We decided on a desaturated look with very little color in it. Most of the backgrounds were dusty. We used physical special effects to create a blown out sort of look with details in backgrounds not decipherable.” Carnahan created storyboards for action sequences, which provided guidelines for covering scenes. He and Fiore agreed to cover the action with two cameras. “The story called for scope,” Fiore says. “The 2.4 aspect ratio was really important, and I like the effect of anamorphic lenses optically.” They made several exceptions. Second unit cinematographer Larry Blanford suggested shooting a night exterior scene that is set on a dock in Long Beach in Super 35mm. Fiore and Carnahan embraced that idea. “We wanted the ability to be able to open up to T- 2.0 or 2.8 and enable the second unit to use zoom lenses at night in that scene and few others,” Fiore says. Other scenes filmed in Super 35mm included a helicopter sequence set in Mexico, a night chase scene in the Iraqi segment, and a huge stunt set in Frankfurt, where people seem to be falling off 200 to 500 foot high skyscrapers. Fiore generally covered scenes with A and B cameras. He used the A-camera for close-ups during dialogue scenes, and the B camera for wide-angle coverage of environments and for visual subtext, including close-ups of hands and faces. Panavision provided the camera package – a Millennium XL was the A-camera, a Panavision Platinum the B-camera, and Panavised ARRI 435 and 235 cameras were used for highspeed cinematography. Fiore carried a combination of anamorphic C, E and G series lenses, and the second unit used Primo prime and zoom lenses. Fiore had two filmstocks on his palette. He used Kodak Vision3 5205 250 D film for daylight exteriors, because it renders “a bit” more contrasty images than the 100-speed negative, and Kodak Vision 3 5219 500T negative for night and darker interior scenes. “My relationship with my gaffer (David Tickell) and rest of the crew was very important, because this is a collaborative process, and you need everyone’s best efforts,” he emphasises. Dave Kurvers, a digital imaging technician, was in charge of taking stills of scenes, which were colour corrected and sent to Technicolor, in Vancouver, as visual references for the dailies timer. Final touches were rendered on the look of the film during DI timing with colourist Yvan at EFilm, in Los Angeles. The A-Team was produced and distributed by 20th Century-Fox.

31/08/2010 12:48

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Meet the New Wave –––Colin Watkinson Cinematographer

Fitter happier.

Filmography (so far): Master Class (2010), Entourage Season 5 (2008), The Fall (2006), and Immortals (2nd Unit) (2010). When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer? Peerless Camera Company had a motion control studio which was always very busy. The first time I ever went out on location, that was it, I was hooked.

Where did you train? At Peerless Camera Company, and then on set. What are you favourite films? The Big Lebowski (DP Roger Deakins BSC ASC). It’s a great comedy. In The Mood For Love (DPs’ Christopher Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan and Pin Bing Lee). This film is stunning, just beautiful. The Godfather (Gordon Willis ASC). No explanation needed. And recently – The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (DPs Jens Fischer and Eric Kress) Who are your DP/industry heroes? Barry Ackroyd, Ben Davis, Benoit Delhomme. All three of these DPs taught me so much, yet all three of them are totally different. The work of Conrad Hall makes me believe I can mature and only get better in cinematography. Have you won any awards or received any nominations? The Fall won the Austin Film Critics Award 2008 for Best

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Colin Watkinson pictured with the ladies playing football in Dubai for a Puma ad, that also featured Pele. All are actual football players and one did a cartwheel when she scored a goal.

Cinematography, Best Film at the Sitges Catalonian International Film Festival 2007, and also won the Crystal Bear – Special Mention’ in the Generation 14plus – Best Feature Film category at the Berlin International Film Festival 2007. The Fall came in the ASC top 50 films for cinematography for the last decade. I was nominated at the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2008 for Best Cinematography on The Fall and also at the Online Film Critics’ Society Awards 2008 for Best Cinematography, again for The Fall. What’s you proudest moment? My mum and dad made a trip to London just to see The Fall. What’s the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had? I tend not to remember details of rejections. What’s been your best/worst moment on set? There have been so many fun moments. Using the EVO pursuit car in the Entourage car chase was particularly exhilarating. My worst moment was being an assistant and having to tell Steve Lowe that the four-hour animation he just finished was useless as the camera had the capping shutter closed. Tell us your most hilarious faux pas? Too many! Away from work, what are your greatest passions? My family, cooking and football. What one piece of kit could you not live without? Canon 5D. What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever shot in? Aberneri Boli in Jaipur, India What’s the hardest shot/thing you’ve had to light/frame? An actress, whom I won’t name, but would only be lit one way no matter what the scene was. In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot? Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) DP James Wong Howe. What are your current top albums? MGMT. It’s oracularly spectacular. What’s your greatest extravagance? My agents, ha ha ha! What’s the best thing about being a DP? Being able to park close to the set. What’s the worst thing about being a DP? A million questions every day. If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now? A pipe fitter. What are your aspirations for the future? To keep having fun, and to shoot more films.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Who’s Shooting Who? –––Which cinematographers are working on what...

Top to bottom: Pete Edwards shooting Series 3 of Armstrong And Miller for BBC. Steve Chivers enjoying a break in Hong Kong. Manel Ruiz call his agent to complain about being lost. DP Will Humphris shooting a Reserve Bank commercial on 35mm in Mumbai with director Pushpender Misra at Flying Saucer. Nicolaj Bruel working on Philips ‘Circus’ shoot with Barney Cokeliss at RSA Films.

Keeping focus.

Dirk Nel shooting America: The Story Of Us for which he’s been nominated for an Emmy. Mike Spragg is currently shooting the BBC’s Waking The Dead. Mel Griffith on a desperados shoot in chile with BBH. Still from the film Perfect Skin, directed by Kevin Chicken, shot by Nicolaj Bruel.

Jallo Faber getting to grips with strange equipment while shooting the feature The Hunters II in Overkalix, nothern Sweden. Si Wagen with Chuck Berry on his recent documentary feature shoot about The Beatles for Iambic/Sony Music. John Perez falls in after a drunken fishing trip in Vancouver with the Knuckleheads. Ben Moulden on the infamous ‘swine flu’ Coke Zero job in Shanghai with Karni & Saul. Lester De Havilland shooting the short film Love Me, Or Else. Oliver Stapleton BSC and his crew on the set of Ellen Perry’s Will. Crew from l-r: Video-split operator Rob Hamilton, director Ellen Perry, writer Zack Anderson, DP Oliver Stapleton BSC, director’s assistant Alex Hodgson, standby art director Cat Law, operator Simon Baker and focus Sean Cobley. Robbie Ryan BSC finds time for a bit of snorkling while in Ibiza with Sophie Muller & Factory Films.

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Over at Independent… Ulf Brantas is shooting Bjorn Runge’s feature Happy End in Sweden. Kieran McGuigan is lighting writer / director Lisa Azuelos’s feature LOL in the US. Miley Cyrus and Demi Moore star, in this remake of the French film with the same title. David Odd BSC has started shooting Silk for the BBC, for Michael Offer’s block. It’s a 6-part drama by Peter Moffat about a female Barrister on course to take Silk. Ben Smithard is prepping Simon Curtis’s new film My Week With Marilyn, starting this September. It’s a Trademark / Weinstein and BBC Films production, shooting in London, with Michelle Williams playing the lead. Mark Waters is shooting BBC’s Fabulous Baker Boys in Cardiff, a three-parter for BBC Wales, until mid September. Ben Davis BSC recently finished shooting Mikael Hafstrom’s new feature, The Rite, in Hungary and Italy, and is currently prepping John Madden’s new comedy, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Shooting in India, it stars Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson and Bill Nighy. You can read about Ben’s work on Tamara Drewe in this edition. Benoit Delhomme AFC is shooting Lone Sherfig’s new feature, One Day. Eduard Grau is lensing Nick Murphy’s supernatural thriller, The Awakening. Shooting in London and Edinburgh, it stars Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton. Jess Hall BSC is in the U.S. shooting Ruben Fleischer’s new comedy heist, 30 Minutes Or Less, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride. Martin Kenzie is lighting and directing 2nd unit for Oliver Parker on Working Title’s Johnny English 2. Darius Khondji ASC AFC recently finished Woody Allen’s new romantic comedy, Midnight In Paris, starring Rachel McAdams, Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson and Marion Cotillard. Dick Pope BSC has completed the DI on Jill Sprecher’s The Convincer. Chris Ross is lighting season two of the BAFTA award-winning E4 series, Misfits. Ben Seresin is shooting Matthew Vaughn’s prequel to the original X-Men trilogy, X-Men: First Class, starring James McAvoy and Aaron Johnson. Oliver Stapleton BSC has just finished Ellen Perry’s Will. Simon Coull, Oliver Curtis BSC, Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC, Dan Landin, Sam McCurdy BSC, Mattias Montero, Mark Patten, Martin Ruhe, and Fraser Taggart have been shooting commercials. And Ed Wild shot a short film with Riz Ahmed, commercials and a Take That promo.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

PrinceStone’s operator/steadicam clients’ credits include…Nic Milner on Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Peter Robertson on Unknown White Male and Hanna; Gerry Vasbenter on Great Ghost Rescue; Sean Savage on Killing Bono, and Christopher And His Kind; Rodrigo Gutierrez on The Devils Double; Simon Baker on Will; Xandy Sahla on Downton Abbey. DP Stephan Pehrsson is in Wales shooting the Doctor Who Christmas Special. DP Vladimir Trivic has the feature SoulBoy opening this month. Gerry Vasbenter camera operator & steadicam operator, is in Ireland shooting A Game Of Thrones for HBO. Simon Baker camera operator & Steadicam operator, just completed Will with DP Oliver Stapleton BSC. Peter Robertson camera operator & Steadicam operator, is about to shoot another beautiful ad for Channel in Paris with Joe Wright and Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC. Mark Milsome camera operator has been working on The Killer Elite, the Australian feature for director Gary McKendry. DP Gary Clarke is shooting Gold Rush in Alaska for Raw. And Ian Liggett has been in Bangladesh shooting Bishaash for the BBC. Meanwhile Dinedor Management’s… Eric Maddison FSF finished Thirty Days of Night, for Dark Horse Entertainment, as Peter Butler starts lighting for Alex Pillai’s feature Victim. Tom Townend is lighting additional scenes for Lynne Ramsey’s We Need to Talk About Kevin. Peter Field left Texas having wrapped on Riverhorse Entertainment’s feature Doonby, and moved on to operate for the action unit on Captain America: The First Avenger. New client Mattias Nyberg is prepping Decode’s provisionally titled documentary Streetdance 3D. Steve Buckland is on White Van Man for ITV Studios in Manchester. Ian Moss has wrapped Hattie, starring Ruth Jones for Angel Eye Media and is then off to Lithuania to shoot Dangerous Films’ D-Day documentary. Jim O’Donnell has done additional photography on Merlin for Shine, and has stepped into the breach at Objective’s Peep Show. Mike Fox BSC went to California with Paul Merton to light his documentary The Birth of Hollywood, then did some additional photography at Skins. Peter Thornton has started two blocks at Waterloo Road, and Andrew Johnson is welcomed back at Kudos for MI High 5. Martin Ahlgren, Ben Filby, Steve Annis, Garry Turnbull, Tony Brown, Tom Townend and steadicam operator Dion Casey have all been shooting commercials. Creative Media Management’s… Gavin Struthers has lensed BBC1’s period drama Garrow’s Law Series 2, a four one-hour series through Twenty Twenty Television, using RED 4k (build 30) and Cooke Primes. Directed by Ashley Pearce, it stars Andrew Buchan, Alun Armstrong, Lyndsey Marshal, Rupert Graves and Aiden McArdle, and was shot at BBC Dumbarton Studios, and at locations in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

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News from Sara Putt Associates is… Mike Brewster is starting as 2nd unit DP in September for the final leg of Harry Potter. Oliver Cheeseman is shooting Tank Commander for BBC Scotland Comedy. Nick Dance is in Bristol shooting series V of Skins for Company Pictures. Pete Edwards just lensed series three of Armstong & Miller for BBC which he shot on ARRI D21. Paul Lang is travelling between Madagascar, Mexico, Sri Lanka, India, Spain and Indonesia for a BBC series about Spice. Dirk Nel has been nominated for an Emmy Award for America: The Story Of Us. Dirk lit the episode focusing on the American Civil War. Having finished on The Great Outdoors for Tidy Productions Dave Marsh has gone straight on to the first block of Lewis for Granada. Peter Robertson is working on several Hallmark movies of the week for Parallel Films in Ireland. Doug Hartington is in the Middle East and Israel for Bibles & Buried Secrets, presented by Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou it’s three one-hour series for BBC Religious unit. Gareth Hughes is up in Rochdale operating on Waterloo Road for Shed Productions and BBC. James Leigh is ending a block of Casualty for BBC Vince McGahon is going to operate for Philippe Rousselot on the second Sherlock Holmes for Warner Bros. Joe Russell has finished on the second series of Land Girls for BBC. Peter Wignall is story boarding prior to prepping as 2nd unit operator on X-Men for 20th Century Fox. And Des Whelan is currently shooting as A-camera operator on Captain America for Paramount. News from Digital Garage…Chris Openshaw has been nominated for a News and Documentary Emmy Award. In the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Cinematography, Chris shot Egypt Revealed an episode in the Discovery Channel’s Atlas series, following the lives of six individuals throughout Egypt. Stories include a 17-year old bread delivery boy in Cairo, a Bedouin herbal healier in the Sinai hoping to pass on his secrets to a new generation before he dies. Si Wagen has been in shooting a feature documentary on The Beatles for Iambic / Sony Music. McKinney Macartney Management’s… Balazs Bolygo has just completed Toast for Director, SJ Clarkson through Ruby Films. Seamus Deasy is in prep for “Neverland” for Nick Willing through Parallel Films, Dublin. Ben Butler, Mick Coulter BSC, Denis Crossan, John Lynch, Sebastian Milaszewski, John Pardue, Clive Tickner BSC and Michael Wood have all been lensing commercials. John de Borman BSC is now the new president of the BSC, and has been shooting commercials too. Gavin Finney BSC is prep in Lousiana on Limousine for director Vadim Jean. Phil Méheux BSC has completed The Smurfs for Raja Gosnell through Columbia Pictures. Mark Partridge is filming series four of the BBC series Lark Rise To Candleford for producer Annie Tricklebank. Joe Maddison’s War, shot by Chris Seager BSC, will air on ITV in September. Mike Spragg is shooting Waking The Dead for the BBC. David Tattersall BSC is prepping the sequel to Journey To The Centre of the Earth for director Brad Peyton. Darran Tiernan is in Ireland shooting 2nd unit on Camelot for director, John Hayes. Brian Tufano BSC has just completed filming on Everywhere And Nowhere for Menhaj Huda. Fabian Wagner is filming The Accused for David Blair for the BBC, and Felix Wiedemann is about to start filming Anuvahood for directors, Adam Deacon and Daniel Toland.

United Agents’… Barry Ackroyd BSC has finished filming an HBO pilot in New York, directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Alwin Kuchler BSC has graded Morning Glory, directed by Roger Michell. Brendan Galvin has completed filming Tarsem Singh’s Immortals in Montreal. Tony Slater-Ling is prepping Morcambe And Wise to be directed by Jonny Campbell for the BBC. Paul Sarossy BSC CSC is in Hungary shooting Neil Jordan’s epic series The Borgias. Haris Zambarloukos BSC has re-shoots to do on Kenneth Branagh’s movie Thor. Marcel Zyskind is attached to Michael Winterbottom’s next film. Alan Almond BSC is shooting Diarmuid Lawrence’s South Riding for the BBC. Danny Cohen BSC is prepping Johnny English 2, directed by Oliver Parker. John Conroy is ending another block of Silent Witness, to be followed by Karl Golden’s Weekender. David Higgs BSC is shooting Rafta Rafta, directed by Nigel Cole. Dale McCready is on the final block of Merlin III, while Steve Lawes is in prep on Mammoth Screen’s Monroe, directed by Paul McGuigan. Carlos Catalan is in Spain shooting Running With The Bulls for Indian director Zoya Akhtar. Jonathan Harvey is on 60s-set horror feature Speak No Evil for director Pat Holden, whilst Benjamin Kracun remains busy with commercial work. David Raedeker recently lit director Jonathan Olley’s short film Heroine’s Children. Niels Reedtz Johansen is about to start work on Foxglove for Ornette Spenceley. His short Big Mouth has also just been selected for the 2010 London Film Festival. Zac Nicholson is camera operating on Johnny English 2. Barry Ackroyd, Alex Barber, Stephen Blackman, Simon Chaudoir, Alex Melman, Alessandra Scherillo, Alwin Kuchler and Rain Li have been on commercials. Philipp Blaubach just finished shooting The Veteran with Matthew Hope through Insight Films. Tat Radcliffe is on the new BBC TV project The Shadow Line, with Hugo Blick in the Isle Of Man, through Company Pictures. Wizzo Features… has just signed Natasha Braier, who has built an international career both in films and commercials. Her credits include the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear winner The Milk Of Sorrow, which also received a Best Foreign Film nomination at this year’s Oscars. In the UK, she shot the acclaimed Somers Town directed by Shane Meadows, and The Infidel, directed by Josh Appignanesi and written by David Baddiel. Gary Shaw is starting on the feature Ill Manors, written and directed by Ben Drew (aka Plan B), produced by Atif Ghani. David Luther has wrapped on the six-part series Accused written by Jimmy McGovern, directed by Richard Laxton and produced by Sita Williams. The BBC’s Roger And Val Just Got In directed by Jamie Rafn was lit by Federico Alfonso, starring Dawn French and Alfred Molina. Erik Wilson is shooting a new version of Just William for the BBC written by Simon Nye. Duncan Telford is lighting a Bollywood film shooting in London and Southern India called Podaa Podai through Kollywood Productions. Angus Hudson lit a short film for W Hotels directed by Eduardo Ponti. And finally Vision@Wizzo’s… Ben Todd is shooting Diaries Of A Call Girl starring Billie Piper. MY Management… has signed Will Humphris, freshly returned from shooting commercials worldwide. Dominic Bartels has been shooting episodes on the award-winning series Bookaboo Season II for Happy Films director Ian Emes. Roger Bonnici is in Bangladesh filming the finale episodes of Bishaash, a new drama for BBC World Service Trust with the directors Waris J Islam, Sameer Ahmed & Selem. Do Elephants Pray?, the film that Roger shot with director Paul Hill, has won two more awards, this time taking the Silver Palm Award at the Mexico Internatiional Film festival, and Best Film (Audience Appreciation Award) at the Phuket Film Festival. Nicolaj Bruel has been filming with award-winning commercials director Kevin Chicken on a test for his new film Perfect Skin, a psychological horror starring Ben Daniels, due to start filming later in the year. Robbie Ryan BSC is on Wuthering Heights, directed by Academy Award-winning director Andrea Arnold with whom Robbie has worked with on Wasp, Red Road and Fish Tank. Jallo Faber FSF has started shooting Hunters II. Ben Moulden is confirmed to work on the British sci-fi feature Sector Zero, with director Susie Halewood. Icelandic DP Tomas Tomasson is confirmed on another series of the BAFTA Award-winning children show Lazy Town. Eugene O’Connor has been shooting big concerts for Harry Connick Jr in New York, Snoop Dog in London and Metalica in Bulgaria. John Perez, Gerry Floyd, Simon Archer BSC, Richard Stewart, Vincent Warin, Lester De Havilland, Manel Ruiz, Ekkehart Pollock, Steve Chivers, Olivier Cariou, Tim Spence, Dominic Bartels, Marcelo Durst, Andy Horner, David Lanzenberg, Mel Griffith, Anders Flatland and Dennis Madden have all been lighting commercials and music videos.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

On the Job –––Martin Ruhe The American

An Italian job. Corbijn, who is Dutch, also has very successful parallel careers as a stills photographer and a director of visually arresting music videos for bands like U2, Depeche Mode and Coldplay. He met Ruhe through Herbert Grönemeyer, a popular musician in Germany. Ruhe is a native of Germany who studied at the Berlin Film School, and who spent good portions of his career working out of London, including an early stint as a runner at Sammy’s and then working with the MoCo rigs at Cell Animation, before earning his stripes as a cinematographer, going on to shoot hundreds of music videos and TV commercials, and a feature credit for Harry Brown, directed by Daniel Barber. Along with Control, Corbijn and Ruhe have collaborated on many music videos, and the pair teamed up again recently for The American, Focus Features’ $20m thriller starring George Clooney, which was filmed in Sweden and Italy. The film is based on the Martin Booth novel, A Very Private Gentleman, with the screenplay written by Rowan Joffe. Clooney plays Jack, a ruthless, master assassin. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows that his next assignment will be his last. Jack disappears to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. But..! “We both felt that this film was like a classic Western, where someone is trying to turn straight, but cannot escape their past, yet the story is based in a European context,” says Ruhe. To zero in on the right approach, Ruhe and Corbijn looked at a number of recent visually interesting films. No Country for Old Men, directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and photographed by Roger Deakins BSC ASC stood out. “We didn’t try to follow that same visual path,” Ruhe explains, “but we loved the simplicity, straightness and modesty of that film, and the way they used that particular environment. They never show off, and they never do things just for the sake of doing them. Everything is controlled and straightforward, and quite close to the actors. That’s something we really liked.”

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In 2007, the feature film Control earned Best British Independent Film and Best Director Award for Anton Corbijn at the British Independent Film Awards. The film also earned kudos at BAFTA, Cannes and other festivals around the globe. Control was a sympathetic look at the brief life of Ian Curtis, the talented young leader of the UK band Joy Division who committed suicide at age 23. That film took place mainly in 1970’s Macclesfield, in the north of England, and the bleakness of Curtis’ world was portrayed by cinematographer Martin Ruhe in evocative black and white.

The choice to shoot The American entirely at actual locations made a huge impact on all subsequent decisions about the look. “We knew that we’d need to take in the places we found and make up our own visual grammar based on those situations, along with the script and the story. So we let the landscapes and locations be our inspirations,” says Ruhe. “Many of our locations were old houses in villages in Abruzzo, which have rooms no more than 2 or 3 meters square, and villages like Castel Del Monte and Sulmona high up in the mountains.” When it came to format and aspect ratio, those tight spaces gave Ruhe pause for thought. But the filmmakers chose to frame the story in a widescreen 2.35:1 aspect ratio using, 3-perf, Super 35mm format. “The tight spaces did make us concerned, but we knew if we worked carefully, we could make them work with the format. But the landscapes in which we were shooting were so beautiful. The Italian portion was filmed in late summer and early autumn, and we wanted to keep that emphasis on landscape that you see in the classic Westerns.” Those autumnal scenes, stand in stark contrast to the portions of the film photographed in Sweden in January, which culminate in a dramatic shoot-out scene on a frozen lake. Clooney is walking with his girlfriend through the frozen, undifferentiated landscape when they are suddenly attacked and the bullets start flying.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

To film the frozen lake scene, Ruhe used Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 film. “The sun never gets very high off the horizon in Sweden, especially at that time of year,” he says. “We had maybe four hours of daylight. Using the 5219 gave me an additional hour. I initially thought about using lights in the scene, but temperatures were reaching 20-below zero Celsius, so we had to move very quickly. I ended up using as little equipment as possible for speed.” For The American, Ruhe selected ARRICAM Studio and Lite cameras with Cooke S4 lenses, supplied by Panalight. In Italy, he used the 5219 as well as Kodak Vision3 250D 5207 film in some daylight situations. There was a Steadicam operator on hand for part of the shoot and for 2nd unit, in the form of Italian Alex Brambilla, but Ruhe prefers to operate the camera himself when possible. “Operating is important to me,” says Ruhe. “I do a lot of European jobs, and that’s how I learned. I’m not used to working with an operator. Also, when you’re working with a film eyepiece, it’s the best way to see what you have. With a video camera eyepiece, it can be hard to see the finesse in acting or to judge your lighting. But when I’m operating with a good viewfinder, it’s direct contact. You can feel what the actor will do and move accordingly. I even find it tough to work with a Steadicam operator sometimes because you have to let go and somebody else does that, but Alex did a great job.” Ruhe says that he and Corbijn never considered a digital format. “I’m not sure where the discussions about different video formats come from,” he says. “If you go strictly by quality, handling or which format has the best, most-developed equipment, film is superior. Anton comes from film and he does all his still photography on film. There’s no compression and there are no electronics ‘fixing’ the things you do. It’s immediate, we know how it works, and you get on film what you see and experience.”

In terms of the colour palatte, Ruhe says, “Compared to the other film Control, that we made together, which was B&W, we used a lot of natural, local colour in The American during the days, but added warm orange tones, greens and deep blues on the evenings and nights to bring out the very European feeling of the film’s setting.” Corbijn’s aesthetic in the stills world doesn’t have a direct impact on Ruhe’s images, but there are some parallels. “Anton’s photography is very iconic,” says Ruhe. “The beauty is there when it’s shot. When we did the digital intermediate at Technicolor in London for The American, we didn’t go crazy and apply a big new look. We mainly worked on contrast with the grader there, Asa Shoul, and on making it look even and beautiful. Most of the work is done on set. The DI is for continuing what we’ve done there. You have to be careful not to do too much in DI, as you can quickly fashion the picture out of fashion. DI is more of an extension of what we do, and I love to use it as a tool for things you can’t do on set. Sometimes it’s hard to do a shadow on set, but it’s easy in the DI.” Ruhe goes on to explain that working with a director who is also a photographer makes for an interesting collaboration. “Anton is very specific,” he relates. “He has great intuition and sense of framing. He is not very interested in the traditions of filmmaking. If the formula says to place the horizon a third of the way up the frame, he might put it right in the centre. So we might end up centering on things that you usually don’t see that way, and it becomes something on its own. I think I’m probably stronger in terms of the craft of storytelling in films, and he is very good at making things his own in his own artistic voice. Just covering the story wouldn’t be interesting to him and that’s what I like about him. It’s not about ego for us, so it adds up in a very nice way. Working with Anton is always a very interesting journey. We talk a lot, and constantly communicate during production.” Both filmmakers have a strong visual backgrounds – Corbijn in music videos, Ruhe in commercials and music videos. When asked how his approach differs in each medium, Ruhe replies, “I try to look for commercials that are more narrative, as opposed to just beautiful pictures. Beautiful pictures can be great and doing that can be good training because it teaches you in different directions. You learn when to move fast and be spontaneous, and when something really needs attention. I try to mix it up and be open. But I think I feel strongest when I’m doing stories. I’ve always seen commercials and music videos more as stations on the way to doing stories for the big screen. Narrative is just so much more profound. There’s a chance people will remember a film for years, and if it’s a good one, maybe longer.” Ruhe also offers an insight into working one of the industry’s biggest stars. “Working with George Clooney was an absolute pleasure. He’s very experienced and precise, and naturally knows how to make shots work. So you can set up a steadicam shot and he will come up with ideas about his action and performance. He did most of the pick-ups too – it’s always his hand you see in a close-up in this film. Also, he was never far from the set, often watching us lighting, and was always prepared to stand-in. He said this came from years of doing bad TV, when he had to do these things himself. He knows what’s required, and really wanted to help. He’s a real gentleman.” Written by David Heuring & Ron Prince.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Camera Creative –––Ben Davis BSC Tamara Drewe

As a recent Guardian review observed, “Like the filthiest possible feature-length episode of The Archers, and with a tiny conceptual dash of Straw Dogs, Posy Simmonds’s graphic novel series Tamara Drewe has been converted into a fantastically mad and undeniably entertaining bucolic romp.”

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DP Ben Davis BSC worked closely with the heads of department on Tamara Drewe, particularly production designer Alan MacDonald, to create fours seasons in one film. Images courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

It has achieved big laughs at press screenings, along with gasps and winces at its operatically violent ending. By all accounts, from cinematographer Ben Davis BSC, whose credits include Layer Cake (2004), Stardust (2007) and Kick-Ass (2010), Tamara Drewe was an enjoyable and enthralling production to work on. “Whilst the result of the film is light and frivolous, and just what the director intended, it was incredible to work on and I thoroughly enjoyed the whole process,” enthuses Davis. A Sony Pictures Classics release, directed by Stephen Frears, produced by Alison Owen, Tracey Seaward and Paul Trijbits, the lead role of Tamara Drewe is played by Gemma Arterton – an ugly-duckling of a teenager, who returns in babelicious triumph to her home turf, the sleepy Dorset village of Ewedown, where her ex-boyfriend, shy hunk Andy (Luke Evans), realises he is still in love with her. What unfolds during the film, written by Moira Buffini is no pastoral idyll, but “a seething hellhole of moral turpitude, where people will commit deplorable acts out of sheer resentment and boredom.” “Those visuals, shot in Dorset (which Frears apparently consciously envisaged as a “new Provence” for the film) have been likened to the spirit of the French New Wave of Godard, Truffaut and Chabrol. The whole film looks beautiful, with a chocolate-box depiction that the American audience will surely lap up,” concluded another review. So, we couldn’t wait to ask Davis about his work. “The film is extremely entertaining and unselfconscious,” says Davis. “Stephen made that point when the film was screened in Cannes. There’s a lightness of touch it, so much so that although it’s running time is the best part of two-hours, you feel like you have only been watching it for one.” Although Davis had never worked with Frears before, he says he was delighted to get a call from producer Tracey Seyward. “I went for meeting in Notting Hill Gate, at Stephen’s favourite café Raoul’s. I had read the script, but not had time to read Posy’s graphic novel, and never met Stephen before. I listened intently to what he had to say, and wasn’t sure at all that I would get the job when I left. Stephen is a very intelligent man who makes you think. He kept referring to the book. So I bought a copy, digested what he had said, and then it all clicked. I rang Tracey to arrange a second meeting, and things started working really well from that point,” he explains.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

In essence, the original graphic novel is a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy’s nineteenth century novel Far From The Madding Crowd. The big debate was how to bring the book, also serialised in The Guardian, to the screen. “Stephen wanted the visuals to be handled in a particular way, never too introspective, nor self-conscious. Rather the film had to be light and really fun to watch,” explains Davis. “But we had to be true to the book. The story takes place in the countryside, over the course of four distinct seasons, which dominate the landscape and the proceedings. It starts in summer and ends in spring, and each season needed to have its own identity. It was my job to take this brief and make it work cinematographically.” An obvious reference for Davis was the 1967 John Schlesinger-directed production of Far From The Madding Crowd, starring Julie Christie and Terence Stamp, with the legendary Nic Roeg the cinematographer. “I’m a huge fan of that film, it’s stunning, breathtaking. They, of course, had the luxury of shooting over the course of the seasons. I watched it just before we shot, and realised just how clever and intelligent a work it is. Tamara Drewe is not a remake of Far Form The Madding Crowd, but if you know that film then Tamara Drewe will amuse you, and you will enjoy it even more for that.” Principal photography took place during a sevenweek period, from late August to mid-October 2009, mainly in west Dorset, but also for a week on stages at Pinewood Studios. Davis says that Frears left the choice of format and aspect ratio up to him, but with the proviso that the camera should be able to move freely. Davis decided against anamorphic, due to the weight and set-up time of the lenses, and opted for 2.35.1 on Super 35mm. “I’m a great fan of this aspect ratio, as it seems natural when I am framing. This film is about multiple characters, so you can easily compose a shot with one character in closeup, with a second character in the background,” he says. Cameras included ARRI LT and STs for speed and ease of deployment, fitted with Cooke S4s. “Being T2 the Cookes are fast, and they deliver a crisp clean image,” says Davis. “Also, they’re solid and robust, and as most of the lenses are the same size, you don’t have to change the camera set-up so much.” Davis selected Fujifilm stocks, “as these have a little grain, and I like a bit of texture to the image. The Fuji 500 daylight I used mixes colour temperatures very well. Daylight through the windows combining with warmly-lit interiors comes out very well.”

Speaking about the colour palette for the fours seasons in the film, Davis immediately praises the work of Alan MacDonald, the production designer. “I think his was the greatest challenge of all – how to make the autumn season we had to shoot in look like winter, spring and summer? We discussed this at length and planned on using some visual effects, some in-camera techniques, plus the DI grade to each contribute to the look of the different seasons.” Davis describes the summer as a very saturated, warm palette, not a look that he is especially fond of, but which gave a real identity to that time period. The autumn provided a strong visual change, assisted by some bad weather, with the saturation drained from the images, and a more neutral look applied, making flesh tones less rosey and more natural. For winter, Davis shot half-corrected tungsten stock, knocking back the windows and using plenty of tungsten light to make the images more austere. For spring, it was back to the neutral tones of the autumn look, but with more warmth and colour added, particularly to the greens, enhanced further during the DI grade. Davis says he is flattered by the comparison to Chabrol, “but for me Tamara Drewe isn’t that. For me the visuals in the film were about telling the story, and we tried to avoid it becoming too photographed. I wanted the camera to be free to do what it needed to do under Stephen’s direction. We didn’t want anything visual to get in way of the characters and the film. The viewer should not be aware of the images, just the story. Most films I done have had a strong visual identity. This production was more about the characters and story.” Davis says he was very liberal with the camera movement in the film. “Stephen was very clear about this, that the camera needed to be able to move when required. There’s not much handheld though, in fact most was done on a dolly, so it was quite traditional in that sense, but I did use zoom lenses a lot. That’s maybe where the 1970’s French New Wave film references come from. I like using the zoom, it’s another tool in the DPs toolbox. They were once a revelation, but got sidelined due to their inferior image quality. However, today’s zooms are very good indeed, and they’re especially interesting when you move the camera laterally at the same time. Have a look at the opening shot of The Conversation (1974, DP Bill Butler), and you’ll see what I mean. It’s one of the great zooming shots in film.” In terms of Davis’ lighting strategy, he points to his gaffer David Smith. “He took a lot of the weight away for me. I like to operate, and did on this film. Lightwise, we kept the exteriors and interiors natural, and worked on the premise of giving Stephen the ability to do what he wanted to do by keeping lights off the floor. When we were shooting exteriors, I used very little light. I don’t tend to light exteriors, for me it’s about controlling the daylight. It’s far better to manipulate what you’re given, to soften or redirect it, or introduce contrast into the negative.” As the production was based in Dorest, dailies were delivered from Deluxe, although Davis would print up sections of the negative and review as and when he could, also paying keen attention to the lab report on printer lights from Clive Noakes, saying “it’s important that the negative doesn’t take the scenic route, and remains correctly exposed” The DI on the film was completed at Pepper in Soho, by Adam Inglis. “He’s a good colourist. I was able to attend the grade, which was mainly about finessing the palette for the different seasons, for eight days, but in my absence Adam took care of the rest.” All-in-all, Davis says it was a delight to work on this film, and a revelation to work with Frears. “Stephen is one of my heroes, and he has wonderful people around him, such as Tracey his producer, Alan MacDonald, Stuart Renfrew the first assistant director, and Penny Eyles our script supervisor. They work with him regularly, and are very experienced. “I have to say that I learnt a lot from Stephen. He has a remarkable vision. He has the whole film from start to finish in his head. He sees the whole journey of each character, and would explain that clearly to everyone each day usually at breakfast in his caravan. He can change and adjust on the fly too, which means you have to be at the top of your game. He also directed standing beside the camera, which was great for the actors and great for me. He rarely looks at the monitors, except for an occasional glance at the onboard. He’s great with the actors and the crew too, very firm and determined to get what he wants, like a conductor, but everybody responds so well to his approach. Shooting the film was fascinating and inspirational for me.” Written by Ron Prince.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Greate Debate –––Industry leaders give us their take on the UK film industry

Persistence of vision.

We asked industry leaders, and the government, what should be done to preserve and promote the UK film production and post-production industry, at home and abroad? Here’s what they think...

Worth checking out is PACT’s A New Business Model For UK Film Producers. Contact PACT on 020 7380 8241or visit www.pact.co.uk The danger now is that the film industry will be broken up, and that the UK Film Council’s strategic leadership, largely taken for granted these past ten years, will be gone. As far as the ‘inward investment’ sector is concerned we must be grateful that the Culture Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has at least stated that the tax credit will remain. Without that incentive, our stages will go black in an instant, and billions will be lost. However, the tax credit is not enough in itself. We desperately need to have an enabling/ coordinating organisation that will continue to reach out to the American studios and large production companies: to seek out new projects at an early development stage; to give producers confidence and guidance towards working in the UK; and to compete for the work. This would, in effect, be an export driver, funded perhaps as a public/private partnership in its initial years, which albeit in a different way, would perform the duties and functions of the long departed British Film Commission. In the short term, the government must quickly quell the dangerous uncertainty that has now arisen in the minds of studio executives and producers. Because this political decision was made in such an unbusinesslike way, it has given the impression that the UK is now, once again, unpredictable. Iain Smith, producer

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Although not perfect, the UKFC is, by a country mile, the best and most effective support mechanism the British film industry has ever had. I fear its passing could be ultimately as damaging as the abolishment of the Eady Levy by the Thatcher government, or, indeed, as damaging as the demise of the Rank Organisation or Polygram. The film tax credits are supposedly still in place (for now anyway, they wouldn’t axe everything at once, would they?). Obviously, without tax incentives the British film industry is kaput. Whatever your views of Gordon Brown, as Chancellor he was a great supporter of the film industry. But, as has been demonstrated by the abrupt and demented proposed destruction of the UKFC, with this current government we are not safe. They don’t see film as an industry to protect, nor as a culture to preserve. Without the present tax incentives, inward investment (principally from the US) will cease. As for indigenous films and the financial support for film from the Lottery (already cut back considerably to pay for the Olympics) there are no government plans and no guarantees. This government has no clever, concrete proposals for the future of our industry – absolutely no ideas whatsoever – only a political desire to slash and dismantle our country’s cultural infrastructure in the name of reducing the deficit. Sir Alan Parker, director

It would be helpful to our industry to not allow films to come here and use our tax incentives, without there being a point system in place. This would force the productions to use our heads of departments, and our post production facilities – not necessarily all, but at least a quota, to include British actors, writers, directors, etc, too. This seems to happen everywhere else but here. Canada for instance, has this system in place and has been successfully making films with the Americans for years. Also, the UKFC, with our Lottery money, has invested a lot in converting 250 high street multiplex cinemas to digital. How does this promote our indigenous films? Could there not be a season in which these cinemas are obliged to show British films? How about if cinemas, like in the old days, put aside a percentage of each box office ticket sold and put this money into a “British Film industry pot”, that would help writers write and filmmakers realise their films? I realise our industry is international, and would hate for that to stop. But it would be nice for it to be on an even playing field. Let’s find a way in reinvesting in our industry for the good of our film culture. John de Borman BSC, president, British Society of Cinematographers

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Whilst the abolition of the UK Film Council could certainly be viewed as a setback, the assurance that the UK tax credit system will continue is very welcome. As an industry, we must now pool our resources and expertise to ensure we maintain a close working relationship with government. We have a number of highly-efficient and productive bodies representing our industry, including the Production Guild, PACT, UK Screen, BSC and ASPEC, to name but a few, who must now work collaboratively to facilitate the future relationship with government and ensure that both businesses and individuals working within the industry have continued representation. It will also be crucial that this representation extends internationally in order to attract inward investment from overseas productions, a key role that the UK Film Council, and in particular the British Film Commissioner, previously performed. Steve Smith, MD - Worldwide, Panalux

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Cut backs are inevitable, but like running any business you first appraise what each department actually does before you wield the axe. The most important function the UKFC performs, especially the British Film Commission, is to ensure that we remain, regardless of political changes, a film-friendly country. Last year saw an enormous increase in inward investment in film production in the UK, against fierce competition from other countries, some having far better tax benefits than the UK. This influx brings in almost £1 billion per annum, creates lots of jobs, keeps studios busy, with benefits to the local economy and the Exchequer. The other area the UKFC deals with is compliance – guiding filmmakers through the complex muddle of tax credits and other compliance benefits and regulations. Let’s get commercial. Let’s make the industry boom by being the most film production friendly country in the world. Nevertheless let’s appraise the UKFC, and where changes for the good are required let’s make them, but please don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. Roger Morris, MD, Elstree Studios

The abolishment of the UK Film Council highlights the fundamental role the government plays in supporting our industry. From the grass roots of film societies and regional film theatres through to archives, cinema distribution (both digital and film), film schools, the development of features and shorts (high and low budgets), film festivals and regional film funds like Film West and Film London – they are all dependant on either direct or indirect Lottery funding, or a combination of both. The media has pounced on the film investment premiership funding, but it’s vital these other fundingreliant bodies are also sustained and replenished. Whatever quango, arts council, BFI or UKFC body, that administrates that grant is irrelevant to the receiver. What’s important is that we can make, distribute, celebrate and encourage British and European movies and moviemaking, at the same, if not higher, level than we have been. Whilst supporting cinema as a cultural imperative seems to continue to be an impenetrable mystery to successive governments, (unlike many of our European neighbours, like the French who appreciate cinema as an art form), what is unarguable is the revenue generated by a thriving film production and distribution business. That business needs to be educated, and instructed, here in Britain if we have any chance of achieving a sustainable industry. Our role now, especially those of us who are active practitioners, is to help encourage the coalition government to see the bigger industry picture. As an industry statesman so adroitly reminds us, it was under firstly a Thatcher government and then the government of John Major that the UKFC was first conceived, and that fact should put to rest the notion that there any political points to score by hanging the industry out to dry. Stephen Woolley, producer

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

As President of IMAGO, representing 27 societies of cinematographers within Europe, I have argued that the UKFC’s emphasis on attracting American investment has been to the detriment of a greater involvement with the cultural and financial filmmaking might of Europe. How many European films have been encouraged to shoot in the United Kingdom? European film producers are anxious to co-produce films with Britain. Ken Loach, Stephen Frears and Mike Leigh are often funded in France. A potential market of cultural significance has been overlooked in the scramble for Hollywood glory. European budgets may not be as great as American films, but their employment ratio on the camera side would be far higher. Ten European films at £100.000 would employ ten times as many camera staff as one American bringing in one million pounds, most of which might evaporate back to the USA anyway due to tax concessions. Even the camera crews arriving from the USA get away with the equivalent of tax murder, as their earnings are transferred home through tax loopholes. It is surely time to turn away from America’s overbearing influence, and seize the opportunity afforded by the axing of the UKFC to encourage our Minister of Culture to support a real renaissance in British Film. Nigel Walters BSC, president, IMAGO

Britain is one of the most successful nations in the world when it comes to film. It is vital that we continue this success, now and in the future. Firstly, we need to maintain financial investment. It’s important that we maintain the tax credit for the industry and that we keep Lottery funding. Over £100m of public funding is a significant commitment and a real statement of our support for film, particularly in the current fiscal climate. Also what’s vital is investment in skills; this is the cornerstone of a vibrant film industry. As with all other industries we start with the grassroots, encouraging young people to see the value of academic subjects like maths and science as a springboard to exciting jobs in industries like film and video games where technical skills are in high demand - that’s what keeps the industry alive and on the cutting edge. We need to reach out to traditional markets, US, Japan, Europe while highlighting our unique traditions, selling the UK as the future of film production. It’s also time to do more to build relationships with emerging markets. We need to tap into what’s happening in Brazil, China, and establish these trade and cultural links, because in the future this is where new investment will be coming from. A healthy film industry must have a strong homegrown element. There needs to be film coming out of the UK and investment coming in. Our independent television production sector has understood the importance of Intellectual Property retention and, as a result, has become the largest exporter of TV formats in the world. We need to ask what lessons can be learned for our film industry as well. Government will be aiming for solutions that would enable content creators to retain substantial ownership of IP and have greater access to revenues from the films they create. Finally, the film industry must appeal to audiences – we need to connect with audiences and make sure publicly funded films are attractive to film goers here and abroad. There’s a role for government, in seeking to encourage and support growth and enterprise. Seeking to ensure diversity of audience and as well as diversity of film content. This means providing audiences with the opportunities, through managed distribution, to see content that does not necessarily compete with the Hollywood blockbusters but has cultural value and is more than pure entertainment. Ed Vaizey, MP, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries

“The initial announcement was not well delivered and the ministers have not outlined who will administer the Lottery funding nor the verification for the tax credits, both of which they have pledged to keep in place if the UKFC disappears. The industry needs clarity on these points and assurance that whoever deals with them in future must do so equally, as well, or better than the UKFC. No mention also has been made of the British Film Commissioner’s office, particularly the one in L.A., nor Skillset, both of which hold importance to the industry” Jeff Allen. MD, Panavision UK Did the UK Film Council provide a valuable service? Absolutely. Was it the most efficient way to ensure a healthy film industry in this country? Perhaps not. We must view this decision as an opportunity to build on some of the good things the UKFC did and work together to ensure that we come up with a new model to provide support for the film industry. First, we must recognize that the British film industry is in good shape. The industry contributes more than £4.5billion a year to GDP, and more than £1.2 billion to the Exchequer. Second, Jeremy Hunt has been unequivocal in [the government’s] absolute commitment to the industry. The core strands of that support are Lottery funding, which will be increased, and film tax relief, which will remain in place… this is positive news. Could we introduce a system whereby internationally established UK producers, who have had success in both commercial and cultural terms, play a role in distributing lottery funds? Surely they are more likely to pick winners than the bureaucrats. Trade associations could do more to bring producers, exhibitors, and distributors together, so that new British films have a better chance of being seen. The big inward-investment films will continue to come to the UK, with or without the council, and they come for a number of reasons: the film tax relief we have in place; the exchange rate; the studios’ infrastructure; and our creative and craft skills. The office of the British Film Commissioner has been invaluable in attracting some of these films to this country. But could others do this better? The studios themselves already undertake much of this work, and are good at it. In the first half of 2010, 14 inward-investment films with budgets of £500,000 or more started filming in the UK. Perhaps there is a private-public partnership model that could be made to work to attract investment? Certainly this is worth a serious look. Michael Grade, chairman, Pinewood Shepperton

Event features\International Exhibition\Seminars\ Workshops & Master Classes\Panel Discussions (Acquisition to Distribution)\Screenings Dedicated to the Art of Cinematography\Awards Ceremony\ Hair & Make Up Demonstrations\Special Effects & Proscethics and much more.. Contact\

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Sales & Marketing, SCS Exhibitions Ltd. 275 London Road, North End, Portsmouth, Hampshire UK PO2 9HE Tel. +44 (0)23 9266 5133 Fax. +44 (0)23 9262 9149 Email. info@scs-expo.co.uk

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Grains vs Pixels –––Film & digital filmmaking technologies

IBC & Cinec previews. Last year’s IBC in Amsterdam had a preview of 16 minutes or so of James Cameron’s Avatar. This year the Convention’s Monday Night Movie is the special edition of the whole film, demonstrating the power and evergrowing influence of 3D on modern cinema. Cinec in Munich is also highlighting stereoscopy and the importance of the films themselves with a pre-show event on 16th September at the city’s ARRI-cinema, again to prove what the technology can do. Several exhibitors at both IBC and Cinec are also emphasising the link between their hardware or software and the films already using them. ARRI’s Alexa digital camera system makes its European debut at IBC. Since its launch at NAB 2010 Alexa has been used to shoot both Roland Emmerich’s Shakespearian thriller Anonymous and Hugo Cabret, Martin Scorsese’s version of the book by Bruce Selznick. The results of the ARRI digital intermediate division’s work into creating a full digit-based production chain incorporating Alexa will also be seen, along with new DI archiving and restoration tools. On the lighting side ARRI is to introduce new products based on both LED and traditional technology. French manufacturer Aaton is in Amsterdam and Munich on the back of its Penelope 35mm, DI-compatible camera being used by director of photography Caroline Champetier on the Cannes Grand Prix contender Of Gods And Men. Aaton scored a double-whammy on the film, with sound recordist Jean-Jacques Ferran using the company’s Cantar audio recorder. Bridging the gap between the film and digital domains in a theme on the P+S Technik stand at both shows. Central to this is the 16Digital SR mag, which stores image files on an opto-mechanical drive and handles in a similar way to film mags. It can work with both RAW and HD material, the latter using HD-SDI outputs. The 16Digital SR mag records CineForm in compressed and uncompressed formats at 10-bit 4:4:2 and is compatible with several leading manufacturers’ workflows, including Cinegy, DVS and Quantel. The unit is aimed at the documentary, indie feature, film school and rental sectors. P+S is also showing the SI-3D stereo camera system with SI-3D field recorder, which employs two SI-2K minicameras and has full stereoscopic visualisation, and the Weisscam HS-2 MkII. This is an enhanced version of the HS-2, offering high speed and standard speeds for all picture standards, RAW and HD workflows and a variety of recording options.

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Seeing the latest filmmaking equipment at the big trade shows is absolutely necessary for camera crew to keep up to date and decide what to use for the next production. While the exhibitors’ on-stand demos give a good, hands-on idea of what a piece of kit can do, it is in isolation to the finished product. Which is why recent IBC and Cinec exhibitions have included film screenings to show the end results of technology.

Cooke’s new 5/i lenses have aperture stops from T1.4 to T22, and are available are 18, 25, 32, 40, 50, 65, 75, 100 and 135mm.

The Sony SRW9000 camera and Leica’s new Summilux C Prime lenses are the big attraction from Band Pro this year. The Leicas are PL mount opticals that have been in development for over three years. They are T1.4 close focus lenses with a standardised length, 95mm threaded lens mounting and similar positioning of focus and iris rings. Since being launched at IBC 2009 Cooke Optics’ 5/i Prime lenses have been used on films directed by Woody Allen and Martin Scorsese. This lens range will feature at both Amsterdam and Munich this year, along with the Panchro lens, also celebrating its first birthday, and the established S4 range. Earlier this year Fujinon, ARRI and Zeiss formed a strategic partnership to develop new products through an exchange of technology, standards and concepts. ARRI and Zeiss have been working together for ten years on Prime lenses and now Fujinon is bringing its expertise with zooms to the mix. The first result of this collaboration is the ARRI/Fujinon Alura Series of zoom lenses. Fujinon will be at both shows, promoting its new 5 megapixel models for day and night work and 3D optics for TV work, featuring synchronous control.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

3D-capable DI grading systems, like Assimilate’s SCRATCH, will be in your face. Image of SCRATCH courtesy of QLab, Mumbai.

Lee Filters will be at Cinec with the 700 Series of colour units and the Urban range. The latter was designed to satisfy the current trend for “gritty industrial colours”, which feature in both film and TV drama productions. Earlier this year LEE introduced 313 new gobo designs to its catalogue, along with additional colours for the Glass Dichroic filter line. Stereoscopy for just about everything and anything looms large at both IBC and Cinec. Amid the rig hardware and ever increasing line of post-production systems for 3D, with systems on show from Quantel, Grass Valley and Assimilate, those tramping the halls of the RAI in Amsterdam will be able to see the first results of the collaboration between S3D Technologies and SGO. The aim is to create a full 3D production chain, incorporating S3D’s shooting equipment, including the new S3D Beam Splitter Rig and S3D Calculator, with SGO’s Mistika colour grading system. Version 5 of Mistika now offers full stereoscopic capability. 3D has influenced the design of new lights and camera hardware, but this field carries on as ever, with innovations for all styles of shooting. Rotolight is in full-on exhibition mode towards the end of the year, exhibiting at Photokina in Cologne, IOV ProVideo, Coventry, Broadcast India, Mumbai and Canon Pro Photo Solutions in London, as well as at IBC and Cinec. A standout for most of these shows will be the RL48-A lens mounted LED luminaire designed for HD-DSLR work.

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The Sola Series LED Fresnel lights from Litepanels will get European showings at IBC and Cinec. These won several awards at NAB 2010 for their combination of LED and Fresnel technologies, delivering both low energy consumption and low heat generation with long light throws, focus and control. Mole-Richardson will be at both shows with its 575W Daylite Par, which features a Brytal aluminium reflector and designed for both film and TV work, and the MoleLED 12-Pack, developed in conjunction with OSRAM Sylvania using its proprietary Phosphor Dome technology. With an international debut at IBE and a swift followup at Cinec, Photon Beard’s Wi-Light is being promoted as a new, budget conscious system for studio lighting control. Aimed at wired installations working on the DMX512 protocol, Wi-Light has been designed to work with Photon Beard’s Highlight fluorescents, which run with DMX. The system can also operate combined fluorescent and incandescent set ups. Even in the age of CGI in-camera backgrounds are still important and Licht-Technik is launching a new artificial sky lamp at both IBC and Cinec. The LT-SkyLight comprises 40 modules, each with six T5 KinoFlo tubes, making a total of 240 with a total output of 19.2kW. The 12.6 metre by 5.1 metre light is designed for car shoots, effects and in-fill lighting. Matthews Studio Equipment is launching its MICROgrip and MICROmount systems during IBC, following up with a showing at Cinec. MICROmount is based on the MICROgrip Head and offers mounting systems for lightweight and monitoring equipment. The MICROgrip Head itself has a diameter of 1.25-inches, with tapped 3/8-inch rods of differing lengths. Vinten is celebrating its 100th anniversary at IBC by introducing three new products. Joining the Vector range of intelligent heads are the 750i, designed for sports TV work, and the 430, a pan and tilt head that can accommodate a range of cameras, from EFP units to minibox lens systems. Vision Blue head is designed to work with lightweight camcorders and DSLRs working in video mode.

IBC 2010 runs from 10th to 14th September at the RAI, Amsterdam.

www.ibc.org

Cinec 2010 runs from 18th to 20th September at MOC Events Centre, Munich.

www.cinec.de

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Close Up –––Steven Poster ASC Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

You don’t need all of the fingers on one of your hands to count the number of cinematographers who have shot films with dogs and cats in all leading roles. Steven Poster ASC joined that exclusive club when he shot Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, which Warner Bros. released to cinemas in 3D format this summer. The film is a fantasy drama with real cats and dogs cast in the leading roles. The animals interact with human characters portrayed by Chris O’Donnell, Jack McBrayer, Fred Armisen and Kiernan Shipka. The story: Kitty Galore, a former spy in the timeless battle between dogs and cats, has a diabolic plan to take over the world. Members of the two species who are age-old enemies unite to save themselves and their humans from the threat she poses. Poster, current president of the International Cinematographers Guild, brought a diverse range of experience to the project. He has shot films with animals in prominent roles before, e.g., Stuart Little 2 and Big Top Peewee, and knew that it would distract them if cameras and/ or people got too close. He also knew that it is a serious understatement to say lighting hairy animals is challenging. He describes Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore as, “An intriguing James Bond-type story. After about 30 seconds, you believe the dogs and cats are smart and funny and that they really know how to talk.” The film was produced on stages and at practical locations, including a large amusement park, in North Vancouver, British Columbia. It was his first collaboration with director Brad Peyton. “Brad had a sense of how to put the story together in a graphic way that made it an intriguing experience for me,” Poster says. “I think the fact that he has directed animated films has a lot to do with the emotional quality that he brought to the way the story unfolds.” There were also close collaborations with visual effects supervisors Jerome Chen and Richard Hoover from Imageworks and Blair Clark from Tippett Studio. Poster had established relationships with both, having worked with Chen on Stuart Little 2 and with Hoover on commercials. Chen, Hoover and Clark supervised the creation of computer-generated animation which replaced the faces of dogs and cats whenever they were talking, added CG characters and created entire scenes. He explains that a decision was made to produce Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore in traditional 2D format on 35 mm film in 1.85:1 aspect ratio, because shooting with a large 3D rig would have distracted the animals and made it difficult to get shots they needed to tell the story. The 2D images were converted to 3D during post-production. Poster covered scenes with two Panaflex XL cameras mounted with Primo lenses. One of the cameras was on a 20-foot Technocrane most of the time. “That allowed us to get incredible close-ups without startling the dogs and cats,” Poster says. “The trainer, Boone Narr, and his crew were the only ones who came close to the animals. He and I had collaborated on Stuart Little 2. He doesn’t teach animals to do tricks. He teaches them how to learn. If you’re lucky you can get two or three animals together at the same time. But, many times we filmed them separately when we could shoot split frames and clean plates.” Poster stresses that lighting dogs and cats had unique challenges, because their fur “eats light.” He cites a scene where the characters were a German Shepherd with a black snout and an Anatolian Shepherd. Poster describes the latter as, “a very large white dog with a black face. That’s about the worst combination you can imagine.” A beautiful German Shepherd, whose movie name is Diggs, plays a prominent role in the film. Poster explains that not only are the dog’s eyes on different sides of his face. They are deep-set and surrounded by dark black fur.

“When we shot close-ups of Diggs, we had a Kino Flo BarFly on short stands on both sides of the dog with the light aimed into his eyes,” he says. “Sometimes, we had a third Kino Flo BarFly placed over the front of the camera to get catch light in the dog’s eyes.” Poster used Kodak Vision 3 500T 5219, and occasionally rated the negative for an exposure index of 800 in darker settings. “I also consistently used Tiffen Glimmerglass filters on lenses to help take the images a little toward fantasy,” he explains. That isn’t something you learn from reading textbooks about filmmaking. Every cinematographer does it differently based on their instincts and vision for the story. There are scenes with 30 to 40 dogs in different places that were shot with a very large Motion Control crane that repeated flawless replication of moves and focus in order to create seamless splits during post-production. On smaller setups, a Libra remote head that could record and play back moves was used. A scene where the audience sees Doggie HQ for the first time with many dogs in the shot, required 56 passes in a hugely ambitious motion control shot. Poster stresses that the collaborative process included cinematographers Brian Pearson and Roger Vernon who led the second units. “They were invaluable colleagues who were able to finish off complicated scenes that had many small parts,” Poster notes. “There were several scenes that they shot from scratch. A talented second unit is great asset if they successfully emulate the style of shooting and match what the first unit is doing.” Front-end lab work was done at Technicolor, in Vancouver. Poster took digital stills of all the various setups. He manipulated those images at night and sent them to the dailies timer as visual references for each scene. The lab provided digital dailies. “It’s important to project dailies for movies that will be seen in cinemas on a screen,” he says. “This is the only way to understand the scope and scale of the movie you are making. It can be a simple and inexpensive process. We used a Panasonic AE3000 digital projector and either painted a white wall or had the grips build a simple frame and stretch fabric to make it into a screen. Every day at lunch, a regular group of us would eat in the dark and delight in our work from the day before.” David Cole, the DI colorist at LaserPacific, in Los Angeles, got batches still photographs while the film was in production, to give him a sense of Poster’s vision for the look. He had a head start, because they had collaborated on six previous films. More than 1,000 visual effects were seamlessly melded with live-action film during DI timing. The timed DI was converted to 3-D format. “It was a painstaking process that began with converting key frames from each scene,” Poster says. “We sat in a big screening room wearing 3-D glasses, and told them things like, ‘That dog in the foreground needs to be more at the plane of the screen, and that object has to be a little further back. Bring that object off of the screen. Let the convergence fall a little further back.’ We guided them through every aspect of converting the images to 3D, and later analysed each shot in motion to see if any fixes were needed to make the scene work seamlessly for the audience.”

Close Ups were written by Bob Fisher, and edited by Ron Prince.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Close Up –––Robert Richardson ASC Eat Pray Love

Bob Richardson ASC had just completed shooting Martin Scorsese’s Shutter Island and Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds back-to-back when his agent asked if he had read a book titled Eat Pray Love. Richardson said that he had read and “immensely enjoyed” the autobiographical book written by Elizabeth Gilbert. “It’s an intensely penetrating portrait of her life,” says the cinematographer who won Oscars for JFK in 1991 and The Aviator in 2004, plus nominations for Born on the Fourth of July in 1989, Snow Falling on Cedars in 1999 and Inglourious Basterds in 2009. “Liz Gilbert had a handsome husband, a comfortable home in New York City and a promising literary career ahead of her. But, when she and her husband discussed having children and raising a family, Liz decided she wanted more in her life before she became a mother. She left her husband and began a journey in a quest for a deeper meaning in her life. “I was fascinated by her story, and by coincidence, I had told members of my crew that I wanted to shoot a movie where a woman was the central character, which rarely happens in contemporary films,” he adds. Richardson made an immediate connection with director Ryan Murphy, who also wrote the script for Eat Pray Love, while discussing how to use images to help tell the story. “Ryan felt that the 1.85:1 aspect ratio was the right aesthetic for telling this intimate story and I agreed,” Richardson says. “We also agreed that 35 mm film was the right choice for both aesthetic and practical reasons. Film provided both the look and latitude needed to shoot on schedule in the environments we anticipated.” Richardson scouted locations with Murphy, Dede Gardner (producer), Bill Groom (production designer), Scott Robertson (assistant director) and Stan Wlodkowski (executive producer). They began in New York City, flew to Italy, where they found locations in Naples and Rome, went on to Delhi in India, where scenes were filmed at a palace about an hour from the city, and to Bali in Indonesia. Julia Roberts was cast in the leading role. Richardson had three to four days to film tests with her, Viola Davis and Billy Crudup, who also had significant roles. The tests were used to guide decisions about lighting, make-up and costume design in different stages of the story. The camera and lens package, provided by Panavision, included three Millennium XL2s and one Millennium with Primo, Angenieux Optimo Cooke zooms, plus a broad range of Panavision Super-Speed and Close Focus glasses.

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Richardson and the second unit primarily (directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, with Masanobu Takayanagi the cinematographer) covered scenes with Kodak Vision 3 5219 500T film. They also had Kodak Vision 3 5207 250D, 5212 100T and 5217 200T available when those emulsions were needed in different environments. Asking Richardson when and how he used different stocks is like asking an artist why he chooses different paints in various situations. Everyone does it differently. “Liz’s character and how we filmed her evolved with the story,” he says. “In the earliest scenes, she is living a warm and comfortable life. When she and her husband discuss having children and raising a family together, Liz realizes that this isn’t what she wants … at least not with the man who she has married. She makes a difficult decision to end what is a happy life on the surface. “But, below the surface her emotions were in turmoil,” he explains. “As her journey evolved, differences in how we used colours, light and shadows subtly reflect the twists and turns in her life. For example, when Liz decides to leave her husband, scenes are subtly darker with colder hues and more things happen in the shadows. Camera movement is also somewhat more agitated. When she arrives in Rome a sense of warmth replaces the cooler colors and camera movement is calmer.” He says that those nuances in visual grammar aren’t things audiences notice on a conscious level. It’s something they feel. Richardson primarily covered scenes with one camera, reserving a second one for larger environments. He chose to use a dolly, crane or Steadicam depending on the motion and angles that felt right for each scene. “Ryan wanted a restless feeling in New York,” he says. “Scenes filmed in Rome generally had more master shots augmented with closer-in coverage. The feeling of restlessness resurfaced with Liz’s inner questions. India was the steadiest environment with colours that seemed to pop off the screen. (Production designer) Bill Groom enhanced what was there, including adding colours to settings.” Richardson says that each location brought its own spice to the visual recipe for the story. “My lighting was primarily interpretive, but natural,” Richardson says. “I lit more on this film in exterior locations then I have in the past. Part of that was because we wanted the lighting for Julia to fit both the locations and the emotional stages of her life as she travelled and the story evolved. Sometimes her light was less than flattering than other times, it was important to let her beauty shine. Julia is a stunning woman. I am speaking about both her beauty and her mind. I had a fabulous time working with her as did everyone on the crew. She was a bright light in our daily endeavours.” DeLuxe did the front-end lab work and Yvan Lucas at EFilm, in Los Angeles, timed both dailies and the DI. This was his third consecutive collaboration with Richardson following Inglourious Basterds and Shutter Island. The film was scanned at 4K resolution. “It is of great advantage to have the DI colorist timing dailies,” Richardson says. “To begin with, they become your partner from beginning to end in the creation of the looks that help bring the final film to life. Yvan did magic with the footage we shot. He had the look of dailies so right, there was little for me to add. We were able to time the DI very rapidly - six days total – which is rare.” Richardson is currently in England filming Hugo Cabret in 3-D with Martin Scorsese directing.

31/08/2010 12:49

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

F-Stop Hollywood –––The latest news from the West Coast

Tinsel tales. As this issue of British Cinematographer went to press, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Creative Arts Emmy Awards were approaching, and Siggraph, the annual computer graphics confab, had just wrapped at the Los Angeles Convention Centre, writes our gal in L.A. Carolyn Giardina. As more and more processes in the production pipeline go digital, there is, of course, a continued blurring of the lines between traditional processes. During his Siggraph keynote, Jim Morris, general manager and executive vp of production at Pixar Animation Studios, said: “It is the blurring of these boundaries that has me so excited about cinema. The digital tools we have give aesthetics for storytelling that wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago.” During Siggraph, the latest advancements in areas such as virtual production and motion capture underscored his message. “We have already seen what great artists can do with the blurring of the lines of cinema,” Morris said. “I believe this is just the start. To keep the art form going, it is up to us to take advantage of what has been developed and to make intelligent and provocative motion pictures.” Morris, who recently produced Wall-E, is next producing John Carter Of Mars, directed by Andrew Stanton (Wall-E), which Morris said would combine live action, computer generated characters, and CG environments. “Just in the past few years you can represent this story in a way that does it justice,” Morris said, adding that principle photography has recently wrapped. The blurring of the lines was evident around Siggraph. “Before you get the actual imagery in the can, you are visualising it – or previsualising it – and sometimes in a virtual production space you are actually finishing it, all inside a digital environment,” said Mat Beck, ASC, of Entity FX, who was on hand at Siggraph. “The computer is getting more and more powerful in generating a look, and that is of immense interest to the cinematographer. That is why cinematographers need to be brought into the process early… so that their creative energy and experience is brought to bear early enough to make a difference. A lot of decisions are being made earlier in the process than what is traditionally defined as production.” “Production teams are working in a nonlinear fashion,” added Autodesk’s Rob Hoffman, citing the increasing use of mocap and virtual production. “The

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nice thing is the directors can get exactly what they want. They are controlling the motion paths, the environment, and the movement of virtual characters. Reflecting this topic on the exhibition hall, OptiTrack was for instance demonstrating its motion capture process, then imagery was streamed to the nearby Autodesk stand, where it was manipulated as part of the production process using Autodesk’s Motionbuilder. On the show floor, The Pixel Farm unveiled a brand new architecture designed to improve the processes involved in camera tracking in VFX creation. PFMatchit has a new, node-based flowgraph architecture with a visual overview of tracking workflows designed to give digital artists a procedural, nonlinear environment in which to experiment nondestructively with different approaches to a shot. “The tracking market is long overdue for an overhaul, and this is a game-changing advance from The Pixel Farm. I think they’ve just re-invented 3D tracking,” said Victor Wolansky, VFX Artist, E3post, and 3D tracking professor at fxphd. Industrial Light & Magic and Sony Pictures Imageworks announced a co-developed open source project titled Alembic, which could result in production workflow efficiencies. Alembic is a computer graphics interchange format focused on efficiently storing and sharing animation and visual effects scenes across multiple software applications. “This can shorten production complexities when dealing with multiple geographic locations and multiple productions,” said ILM CTO Richard Kerris, who believes that the filmmakers including cinematographers will enjoy a benefit. “It won’t be ‘our system can’t read those files’ or ‘our proprietary system doesn’t talk to that third-party system.’ All of that can eventually go away.” Just following Siggraph, Sony Electronics held an event in Los Angeles for cinematographers, unveiling the next generation of its HDCAM SR technology, including enhanced capabilities for the F35 and advance

Keynote Speaker Jim Morris, general manager and executive VP of production at Pixar Animation Studios.

pre-production units of the SRW-9000PL camcorder-which combines the SR format’s image quality and the performance of the F35 into a one-piece camcorder, eliminating the need for external recording devices. The SRW-9000PL camcorder will be available this fall. The SRW-9000PL weighs approximately 15 pounds. Options include S-Log and S-Gamut wide colour space gamma functions, which essentially create a ‘Digital negative,’ Sony reported. The new camcorder also offers full bandwidth visually lossless RGB 4:4:4 HD digital image capturing, programmable bi-directional ramping, multi format image capturing, more than 12 stops of dynamic range, 14 bit analogue to digital converter and exposure index ratings of 640 to 1000. A planned future upgrade to the SR line will give users the option of hybrid or integrated 1TB solid-state memory card recording, the company reported. Sony’s enhancements to the F35 camera include an exposure index workflow at ratings from 640 to 1000. Sony also plans to upgrade the F35 to real time 12-bit RGB workflow capabilities later this year with HDCAM-SR technology. In addition to enhancing the F35’s capabilities and compatibility with Cineon workflows, Sony has been participating in AMPAS’ Image Interchange Framework (IIF) Project for next generation motion picture workflows and will be supporting IIF and the Academy Colour Encoding Specification (ACES).

Goi Reelected ASC President

Michael Goi, ASC has been elected to serve a second term as president of the ASC. The other officers are Vice Presidents Richard Crudo, Owen Roizman and John C. Flinn, III; Treasurer Matthew Leonetti; Secretary Rodney Taylor; and Sergeant at Arms Ron Garcia. Members elected to serve on the ASC Board of Governors include John Bailey, Stephen Burum, Curtis Clark, George Spiro Dibie, Richard Edlund, Stephen Lighthill, Isidore Mankofsky, Daryn Okada, Robert Primes, Nancy Schreiber, Kees Van Oostrum, Haskell Wexler and Vilmos Zsigmond. Goi notes that the ASC’s foremost objective is educating aspiring filmmakers and others about the art and craft of cinematography. ASC is also involved in the development of motion picture technologies, and it recently participated in the Joint Technology Subcommittee on Previsualisation with the Art Directors Guild (ADG), Visual Effects Society (VES) and PGA, which led to the formation of the Previsualisation Society.

31/08/2010 12:49

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

IMAGO –––Nigel Walters BSC President of IMAGO

Europe a go-go. As a child I was often taken on “mystery bus” tours around South Wales. Invariably we would end up in the same place, Barry Island, to disappointed cries of, “Not here again!” However, during the journey there was usually some unexpected gem to experience before we reached the final, predicted destination. Being president of IMAGO is a very similar journey, never knowing what to expect, but with having confidence in the final destination. Driving through the desolate docklands of Gothenburg a few weeks ago I was able to spend an unexpectedly inspiring hour at the Gothenburg Film Studios, where a group of young people, determined to improve the filmmaking opportunities available in their city, were already expanding the studios opened by Vittorio Storaro AIC only last year. Interestingly, the seven young entrepreneurs/cinematographers who were seizing this economic and cultural opportunity, gifted by the closing down of Swedish TV facilities in the city, did relate rumours of considerable importance to lovers of film, and those urging the freedom of choice of the cinematographer. Swedish TV is holding discussions with the aim of returning some TV drama productions to film. It transpires the main reason for this about turn has been problems encountered in post production, when the image has been digitally captured on High Definition cameras. The Swedes, it appears, may after all allow their cinematographers and producers to choose the right tool for the job, whether film or HD.

I am still tempted to write that open letter to Andy Quested enquiring if there are plans to show the Oscar-winning, The Hurt Locker, shot on 16mm film, on BBC High Definition Television at any time in the future. Perhaps the Swedes at least have discovered the improvements in grain reduction and stock have made a difference to their thinking regarding the suitability of 16mm film for HD transmission. As the autumn season encroaches, the members of the societies of IMAGO are actively preparing to participate in masterclasses, festivals and trade shows. The Norwegian society is continuing the acclaimed series of IMAGO Masterclasses on September 18 and 19th in Oslo, with four half-day seminars, each presented by distinguished international cinematographers including Ellen Kuras ASC and Barry Ackroyd BSC, neither of whom need any introduction to European audiences. Young cinematographers present should learn a great deal from these two practitioners who developed their craft via the documentary route. Visit IMAGO.org for the latest news of all the “Masters”. IMAGO’s collaboration with the Frankfurt eDIT Festival continues to bear increasing results for the understanding of the craft of cinematography to a wider audience. The choice for the IMAGO Honour To A Cinematographer, for a significant contribution to the craft of cinematography, has this year been gifted to the BvK, and will be presented to its distinguished honorary member Franz Rath BvK. Other cinematographers committed to attending the eDIT Festival include the young Russian cinematographer Pavel Kostomarov (How I Ended Last Summer), Giora Bejach, winner of the Golden Frog for Lebanon last year, John Mathieson BSC (Robin Hood) and Barry Ackroyd BSC (The Hurt Locker). The full programme for the festival which begins on September 25th can be found on IMAGO.org. It is the most comprehensive to date. Birgit Gudjonsdottir BvK represented our federation at the eDIT launch in Brussels on August 30th.

John Mathieson BSC and Barry Ackroyd BSC have committed to attending this year’s eDIT Festival in Frankfurt.

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

The Austrian AAC, with the generous co-operation of Mercedes Escherer and Cristina Busch, has been participating on behalf of IMAGO in an EU consultation Green Paper impacting the creative and cultural industries in Europe. The consultation collates opinions ranging from the business environment, to the need to open up a common European space for culture, especially the promotion of European creators on the World Stage. Congratulations to the new BSC president, John de Borman BSC. A fluent French-speaker, with a home in France, he entertained a capacity audience with a Q&A on his latest film, An Education, at the AFC’s Micro Salon earlier this year. John has wasted no time in proposing an impressive blueprint to bring the BSC further into the 21st century. In his statement to members, he is encouraging a policy of inclusiveness with other crafts. He has proposed the establishment of a BSC Club which would enable up-and-coming filmmakers to meet more established colleagues, and to attend some BSC functions; a BSC season of films of its Grand Masters; a BSC Indie season for low-budget films, and a collaborative examination of how so many TV features are so well shot in such a short period of time. There is also a commitment, shared by the board, to improve the rusty BSC web site. Although there is no mention of IMAGO in his statement, the federation has been encouraged by the recent decision of the BSC to involve it in the discussions, and publicity regarding the BSC European Expo, which is to start in Pinewood in September 2011, alternating annually with Cinec in Munich. It is hoped to include masterclasses and other events within the Expo. The bi-annual Cinec in Munich, which I personally regard as the most comprehensive show for cinematographers, is expected to be as popular as ever, with over 150 contributors. It starts on September 18th. Successful European shows, such as Cinec, have attracted the attention of the American organisers of Cine Gear, who are currently exploring opening their own show in Europe The AEC of Spain has advanced a proposal for an International IMAGO Magazine on the Internet. This will be discussed at the IMAGO Board meeting in Frankfurt on September 24th. The Serbian society has made enquiries with IMAGO which is also in discussions with the Columbian society to encourage them to join their fellow South Americans from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico and Cuba, as associates of the federation. This contact came about by a chance conversation at the BSC’s open night, attended by a young cinematographers Michael Speed from America, and Daniela Goggel from Columbia. All visitors to Pinewood are welcome to join the BSC at their clubhouse on the first Tuesday evening of each month. IMAGO welcomes the formation of ISC, Irish Society of Cinematographers, whose initials will unfortunately clash with the Indian Society’s ISC. A suggestion made to John Leahy, secretary of the new society that the Irish cinematographers practise speaking with an Indian accent has met with silence. If there was a Welsh Society, they would be happy to oblige! Looking forward to October the Manaki Festival in Macedonia takes place from October 16th to 22nd. This country awaiting EU membership still has unfortunately to discover cheap airfares, but the Manaki Bros. Festival in Bitula is an experience not to miss, as Billy Williams BSC and Peter Suschitzky ASC discovered last year. As the oldest event dedicated to the art of cinematography it is the festival to expect the unexpected. IMAGO has pledged to support the Estonians in enabling the IAGA (Annual Conference) to be held, probably next May, in Tallinn. IMAGO has received a detailed programme from the ACS President, Ron Johanson for IAGA to be held in Sydney in May 2012. Since joining IMAGO, the Australians have given wholehearted support and encouragement to the federation and the Rome IAGA gave a positive response to their generous invitation. All cinematographers are delighted that Camerimage is to continue in Poland. From the beginning of the crisis, IMAGO has been confident of a positive outcome, although there is no denying the existence of extremely dark clouds on the East European horizon. IMAGO is planning a seminar in Bydgoszcz to discuss the issue of working conditions in Europe. Many of our sponsors, potential exhibitors and societies have made enquiries as to the latest news on the proposed “World” Conference of Cinematographers, which is planned to be held in Budapest in November. As we go to press the HSC has announced that a Conference of Cinematographers will be held in Budapest from the 17th to 19th of November. The distinguished cinematographer/director, Lajos Koltai HSC ASC, will

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open the conference on the morning of November 18th. It is expected discussions will centre on authors’ rights for cinematographers and working conditions in Europe. Screenings are planned for films from Australia, Finland, Italy, Portugal, Denmark and Sweden. As proposed at the Rome Conference an IMAGO, a directory of all the members of the 38 countries is being prepared, and hopefully will be ready only for distribution to the societies and their members in time for the Budapest Conference. I urge the few societies who have not yet done so, to urgently send a list of members with their email addresses to Tony Costa at tony@filme.com.pt Finally, I have been promising for many months Rodrigo Gutierrez, an associate of the BSC, to publicise the recently formed Association of Operators in the United Kingdom, to which he would like to welcome fellow European members. The ACO has been formed to promote the technical and creative skills of the camera operator, to emphasise the importance of the role to the integrity of the filmmaking process, and the artistic and economic success of a production. The ACO plans to offer workshops, training and information to its members, who already number almost one hundred, including operators on the continental mainland. Please email them at ACOgroup@ymail.com Nigel Walters BSC IMAGO President

31/08/2010 12:49

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

GBCT –––Tim Potter Chairman of the GBCT

Clean slate. I was all ready to write about the benefits of government subsidies/tax breaks/investment schemes which have helped our industry, but the news of the winding up of the UKFC over the next eighteen months has brought into sharper focus our need to consider how we want governments to assist us in the future. The UKFC unashamedly concentrated its efforts on encouraging the American majors to invest in UK production. The record investment in production in 2009 proves that they succeeded in this part of their remit. This, however, should not be the whole story of government intervention. A very small number of pictures made up this financial bonanza. These few swallows did not a summer make for those crews not involved in these blockbusters. Our view of the future of government intervention should take into account the breadth of production types that need to exist for a healthy industry. We have proved that we can be a facilitator for the high-end productions. We now need to consider how we might encourage the return of the medium budget picture that has been the mainstay of our industry and to control, through properly regulated schemes, the low budget production area that has been the only source of indigenous production to survive the financial winter. While the tax breaks will not disappear they will need a body not too unlike the UKFC to hold the hands of productions through the process of making the tax break work. This kind of facilitating encourages inward investors to look on the UK as a friendly place to make films and thus profits for themselves and the local crews. This work also steadies the nerves of the city investors who have been burned too often by sudden changes to policy and tax breaks. We will need to clearly think what manner of organization will be best suited to this task in the future. The wholesale sweeping away of the middle ground in film production has exposed to the full glare of our scrutiny the low budget sector that has grown to fill some of the vacuum that this carnage has left. Budgets under £2m were rare two years ago, but in the last year this has seemed like a level to aspire to. There are now several production houses with a reasonable throughput of films that are using government and broadcaster subsidies or tax breaks to work in the sub £2m range. Some are honourable in the way they make provision for crews, who accept work on rates that are as little as half the going minimum for such projects, by including them in the distribution of the future revenue stream. This practice should be encouraged at this level of production, but regulated to ensure that it is fairly done and available on all such productions. Now is the time for clear thinking on the way we want these government interventions controlled for our benefit, as the sweeping away of the UKFC has left us a potential clean slate to work with. Tim Potter Chairman, GBCT

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What has the UK Film Council ever done for us?

With the recent government initiated shock demise of the UK Film Council, here are a few statistics that were brought to the UK Film Industry in its history • The core UK film industry contributed approximately £4.3 billion per year to the UK economy – up by 50% since 2000, when the UK Film Council was created; • In 2009 UK films took 7% of the global box office and 17% of the UK box office; Independent UK films took an 8.2% share of the UK box office, the highest figure of the last decade; • UK film grossed $2 billion at the worldwide box office in 2009; • UK box-office takings are at record-breaking levels, worth £944 million in the UK in 2009, up 62% from 2000; • The overall territory box office gross for the UK and the Republic of Ireland exceeded £1 billion for the first time in 2009; • UK Film Council investments in British films have been hugely successful – for every £1 invested, £5 has been generated at the box office; • Over 173.5 million people went to the cinema in the UK in 2009 – up 31 million from 2000, the highest since 2002 and the second highest since 1971; • The UK has more digital cinemas than any other European country – 365 and counting; • Overall UK audiences had a far greater choice of films in 2009 – 503 films were released, 31% more than a decade ago; • The UK film industry directly provides jobs for almost 44,000 people, with extended employment impact of 95,000 jobs; • The film industry earns over £1.3 billion in export income from film rights and film production services; • In 2009 alone, British films and talent scooped 36 awards. • The UKFC have backed more than 900 films (shorts and features) which have entertained more than 200 million people and generated approximately £700 million at the box office worldwide, taking the best of British film culture and talent around the world; • £74 million earned from our National Lottery investments has been reinvested to make new British films, provide people with more opportunities to gain the skills to work in film, and give audiences across the UK better access to more films; • The UKFC supported new and established filmmakers who have achieved critical success at international film awards including the Oscars® and BAFTAs and at premiere festivals including Cannes, Berlin and Sundance; • UK Film Council-backed films include Gosford Park, Bend it like Beckham, Touching the Void, The Constant Gardener, Happy-Go-Lucky, Man on Wire, Red Road, This is England, Vera Drake and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. In the words of Monty Python, apart from all that, what have they ever done for us..? ...Well it actually appears to be quite a lot. Sadly this will be no longer possible. John Keedwell, GBCT

31/08/2010 12:49

British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

Oh, what a UKFC-up!

The sad demise of the UKFC is a bad thing for all technicians working in the British film and TV industries...

For some time I’ve been planning to write a piece for the GBCT page of British Cinematographer Magazine about how one is supposed to financially survive as a jobbing film technician in the current climate. Obviously there are those of you out there – busy commercials DPs, and anyone working on Harry Potter, who survive pretty well – I’m only referring to the other 98% of us. I was intending to call my piece something like, The Second String, How To Make A Living In Today’s British Film And TV Industry. I might be alone, although my carefully conducted research (chatting to mates) would indicate that I’m not, but is it really quiet. Or is it just me who isn’t working as much as I need to be? Now, if you’re a keen, young, enthusiastic ex-media studies graduate, with little more than yourself to keep, then you’ve probably stopped reading this already. After all, working on a succession of low or no budget films can tick both boxes in terms of making your way in the business and gaining experience. Generally most Lo-No productions do at least feed you, and you can build a CV of slasher/zombie pics in a matter of months. Anyway, all was going well with the piece; I was getting some good feedback from people of various grades telling me how they manage to put food on the table, and keep a roof over their heads, when they’re not on ‘the big one’, when I got the call from the Guild office. Apparently, the Government had just announced that it was about to make things a lot tougher for all of us. They had decided to scrap the UK Film Council! Forget finding a ‘second string’, try looking for a whole new career. Bizarrely, the Government’s decision to do away with the UK Film Council will not only affect all the newcomers, or desperados, who work on the Lo-No budget movies, but it will also affect the 50-year old farts like me that work on ‘proper films’. It’s official, there’s going to be even less work for all of us. The UKFC has not been without its critics, and I’ve read, watched and listened to lots of review programmes about how bad many of the UKFC funded films have been. All those Lo-No budget zombie and slasher movies are generally Lo-No budget for a reason – even at the script stage they’re not very good, and any decent studio or distributor who’s seen the rushes, would run a mile rather than invest in them.

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The UKFC’s endeavour to bring filmmaking to the regions has also had it’s fair share of criticism, and for years I’d seen my regional film agency – you’ll have one near you too because they’re the local representatives of the UKFC – throw money and funding at all sorts of weird and wonderful initiatives; ‘Size Really Doesn’t Matter: The Gay Guide To Shooting On Mini-DV’, ‘Filmmaking With An ASBO: Steadicam For Tag Wearers’ etc. etc. To be honest, that was where I thought all the £15 million production fund was directed; meaningful, but commercially worthless projects that didn’t have a focus puller nor production accountant anywhere near them. However, amongst the many pre-title credits you’ll see before a film, you’ll have sometimes noticed the caption: ‘Funded By The National Lottery’. Essentially, it would appear that not only have the needy, the weird and the many minority groups been supported by the UKFC, but because they dish out the Lottery money, some really good films have been funded by them as well. Without actually knowing it, I’m sure we’ve all been involved in projects and productions which have been funded, at least in part, by the UKFC. You may not have appreciated it whilst ‘eating the bacon roll on location’ as it were, but many recent home-grown features have been funded by the UKFC long after wrap has been called, either in the post-production stage, or at the much more crucial stage of distribution. Despite any misgiving you might have about the choices of film that the UKFC has decided in its wisdom to support (and I could personally slate a dozen, or so, films from last years crop), the expertise they have at hand, in possibly the most underrated and least glamorous areas of film production, sales and distribution, have been well worth the cost of running the thing. That said, the running costs of the UKFC, with a staff of 75 people (their top ten execs all earned more than £100,000 a year), in a five-storey building, with a rent of £300,000 a year, were at one point in excess of £7 million a year. That’s a lot of ‘slasher’ pics. As a comparison, Film4, which basically does the same thing as the UKFC – reads scripts and dishes out money – apparently manages to operate with a staff of just ten (although I’m not sure if this is from a single storey building, and I’ve no idea what their rent is), and some might say that their track record is far more successful. So what does the future hold? Who’ll fund the unfunded and part-funded from now? More importantly, with the potential demise of the lower budget or even Lo-No budget film, will the technician’s pond be even more crowded than it is already and will only the bigger, or cheaper, fish survive? Personally, despite my own reservations on where the money went, who got funding and who didn’t, I think the demise of the UKFC is a bad thing for all technicians working in the British film and TV industries. It’s especially bad news for the future generation of loaders, focus pullers and operators. After all, where else will they get the practical experience that everyone expects them to have when they move up the grades? The UKFC is dead, and there’s nothing on the horizon to replace it. Thinking that its disappearance won’t affect the world of film and TV that we all know (and occasionally work in) is very shortsighted. Maybe now is the right time to finish that article about having a ‘second string’? Anyway, it will have to wait. I’ve got to do my evening paper round. Steven Hall, GBCT Camera Operator

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

The Camera Operator

Camera Operators. Currently a controversial grade in the camera department in the film and Television industries, whether it is in some parts of the USA where the unions don’t prevail, or in Europe and especially here in the UK. This is a small band of craftsmen that some consider a legacy from the past, when the structure of the camera crews and physical size of the cameras demanded more personnel. So the debate continues… Some people believe that these specialised camera technicians are not needed in the new world. More and more Directors of Photography now feel the need to also perform the creative process of camera operating. Others will argue that Camera Operators are not just ‘pan pushers’ but that they perform a very important and specific role within the production of a film. Operators may not have been perceived as responsible or in charge of the Camera Department, and yet more often than not are often considered by some others as real part of the creative process on a film, it can sometimes be difficult to see the real full value that camera operators will bring into a project. The argument is that the lighting and framing of the story goes hand in hand and some still believe that by splitting this process the Director of Photography loses control and direction of how the story is being told. One of the early lessons I learned in the industry is that there is no right or wrong, just different. What works for some doesn’t work as well for others and at the end of the day nobody really knows what really works from one film to another. No one in the history of film production can actually say that how they do something is the only way to do it, mind you many practitioners do think that… Film making is a process achieved by the collaboration of many people and is up to the creative people to bring the best out of their collaborators, we all look and approach this process from very different angles, and we all look at it from a different perspective. The input that an experienced operator can bring to this process is not just from a practical and technical point of view on how it is best to achieve a camera move, but also it crosses into the creative side of the relation between the Director and Director of Photography, in others words how best the story is going to be told. Surely if two minds are better than one, and three if used properly will have a much better result. Some Directors and Directors of photography feel that they need a close collaboration between themselves, and that a lot is taken away if there is a third ingredient in the mix. Fair point, but on the other hand this is only one of the ways of looking at something; not necessarily the only way. Whatever the argument is, and believe me there are plenty, experienced Camera Operators are very useful to have, and a lot of the organisation behind the scenes is actually done by them. They need to understand the full requirements of the job so the camera team can work fast and in an efficient way. These are qualities to be valued and nurtured, and this of course spills over the rest of the crew. If they don’t know what’s going on, at least they know who to ask… that goes from other technical grades to members of the cast. Camera operating is such an enjoyable and rewarding experience, that perhaps the real reason why so many Directors of Photography have to convince themselves that they have to control all the aspects of cinematography is simply because of that, and not that the Camera Operator is a thing of the past. The many reasons for having a Camera Operator on a film far outweigh any cost implications. A good operator can save the production both time and money far in excess of the cost of employing them in the first place! Schedules are not kept by cracking the whip but by the smooth running of the crew, and having someone to think ahead! Rodrigo Gutierrez President, Association of Camera Operators (ACO)

What is a DIT?

The DIT or Digital Imaging Technician has become an established role in the production of many major American pictures, yet a precise definition has yet to be fully defined. Where do they sit in the whole process from the camera to the post production chain? Neither a traditional Loader nor simply a link between the shooting and the post house, they are a really new role that needs to be defined properly. The GBCT are currently in discussions with the Guild of Television Cameramen and BECTU under the umbrella of the British Camera Standards Council, to specify how this important new role should be best defined and classified. The DIT has now become a quick way to describe many various roles within digital production, but the current definition doesn’t fully represent some of the extremely important roles that now take place on set. Some of the factors under discussion include having an essential pre-requisite knowledge of the following: • knowledge of the processes of film and TV production, as well as of possible differences in respective production and post-production techniques • extensive knowledge of customary cameras, storage media and their respective possibilities and limitations • knowledge of lighting, optics and filters, colour theory and technical and creative light exposure • in-depth knowledge of video and digital technology and of measurement technology used in practice, such as waveform monitors, vectorscopes, histograms • good knowledge of use of computers and relevant accessories, e.g. to be able to assess the data security of different storage media for image recording or to be able to make camera-specific adjustments • basic knowledge of possibilities and work flow in postproduction, e.g. of colour correction and transfer to film It is clear that the role is an important one for the future in digital productions, and it is only correct that the full implications and responsibilities of the role should be clear and defined clearly. The role is a combination of camera technician, computer and storage expert, with a strong comprehension of all the multitude of post production routes and distribution currently available. There will be more to report in future issues John Keedwell, GBCT

Guild of British Camera Technicians, Board Members.

Jamie Harcourt, Tim Potter (Chairman), Jem Morton, John Keedwell, Steve Brooke Smith, Keith Mead, Louise Ben-Nathan, Shirley Schumacher, Trevor Coop, David Worley, Darren Miller, Sarah Hayward, Mary Kyte (Honorary Treasurer)

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British Cinematographer Covering International Cinematography www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 041

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