British Cinematographer - Issue 76 by Open Box Media & Communications

CREDITS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 76 / JULY 2016

BRITISH

CINEMATOGRAPHER

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

“As directors of photography, our responsibility is to the visual image as well as the protection of our crew. The continuing and expanding practice of working extreme hours seriously compromises both the quality of our work and the health and safety of others. It is our obligation to oppose a situation that threatens the well being of every member of the crew.” - CONRAD HALL ASC

CONTRIBUTORS RON PRINCE has many years of experience in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer Magazine and runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com). In 2014 he won the prestigious ARRI John Alcott Award from the British Society of Cinematographers for services to cinematography. ADRIAN PENNINGTON writes about the business and technology of film and TV for publications including The Guardian, Screen International and Broadcast. He is managing editor of The IBC Daily, editorial consultant for TVB Europe, a producer of the 3D Masters conference, and co-author of Exploring 3D: The New Grammar Of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press). DAVID ELLIS has written for a number of publications, including Cinema Technology and Film International. He is also the author of the books Conversations With Cinematographers and In Conversation With Cinematographers. DEBRA KAUFMAN writes about media and entertainment technology for American Cinematographer, ICG Magazine, DV Magazine, TV Technology and CineMontage, the Editor’s Guild publication. She also covers CES, SMPTE conferences, and the HPA Tech Retreat for USC’s Entertainment Technology Center. JOHN KEEDWELL, the GBCT News Editor, is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on many productions around the world. He crosses over in both film and tape productions and has great knowledge of the new file-based formats and their methods of production. KEVIN HILTON is a freelance journalist who writes about technology and personalities in film and broadcasting, and contributes film reviews and interviews to a variety of publications in the UK and abroad. MARK LONDON WILLIAMS has reported on analogue and digital moviemaking for publications such as Variety and the LA Times, and is currently a senior correspondent for Below The Line in Los Angeles.

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

SUBSCRIBE When you subscribe you will receive an unrivalled insight into international cinematography and production. Published six times a year, you can receive the magazine posted to your home or office. You can now also access British Cinematographer anywhere you have an internet connection with our digital subscription. To subscribe please visit www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/subscribe/

EDITOR’S LETTER

THE END OF THE AFFAIR? Q

uestion: What do you have for breakfast after a successful Leave campaign? Answer: a full English! And so it came to pass that the great British public voted (but only just, and only in certain parts of this Sceptred Isle) for Brexit. Who knows what fortune or ferment might unfold now for homegrown moviemakers? And how might the attractions of the UK as a destination change for those heading to these shores from overseas? The UK and European production making industries interact in a wide variety of ways. On the down side, it is highly likely that Brexit will see an end to benefits of the MEDIA scheme, which contributed over €100million to various aspects of the UK industry between 2007-13. British/European co-productions will most likely become harder due to the fall in value of the pound, and they may need new legislation too. It is entirely possible that British productions may no longer be deemed European, and will therefore be in less demand by countries that have EU exhibition quotas. Fewer UK movies will be distributed on Europe, as funding will be withdrawn. Distributors and cinemas may well be hit with lower incomes by dint of having fewer EU movies to circulate. It may well become increasingly complicated for cast and crew to move around Europe. Investors may be scared-off by financial uncertainties. And, if that all was not enough, the UK will cede its rights to determine EU policy towards content creation and distribution. On the up side, there are some potentially huge positives. The Treasury already recognises the value in encouraging inward investment, and No.11 may see fit to change the Film tax Relief scheme to become even more generous. In fact, if the pound remains low or falls further in value, it may become even cheaper to shoot in the UK, which should be even more attractive to US studios, who already spend large amounts of money in the UK, with top quality results. Frankly, with fear and uncertainty swirling around, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether Brexit spells the beginning of the end of the love affair that the UK production industry has been enjoying in the last few years with partners overseas. Or perhaps it’s the start of something new. Only time will tell. RON PRINCE Editor | British Cinematographer Magazine

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 03

CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 76 / JULY 2016

IN THIS ISSUE... 39 07

On the cover... Henry Braham BSC on The Legend Of Tarzan

New Wave... Aaron Reid

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Barry Ackroyd BSC believes diversity in movie production needs proper-funding and a bit of risk-taking to have any chance of success

PRODUCTION/POST & TECHNO NEWS

The latest news concerning DPs, plus a wrap-up of the Cannes Film Festival 2016

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO?

Your definitive guide to which DPs are shooting who and where

Visit the renowned Sparks in Budapest

Barry Ackroyd BSC reveals how he went about framing the latest actionpacked Jason Bourne adventure for director Paul Greengrass

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

SPOTLIGHT

LETTER FROM AMERICA

CAMERA CREATIVE

Round-up of 2016 Cine Gear Expo in Los Angeles

Aaron Reid… a great judge of focal length!

It’s a jungle sometimes, but Henry Braham BSC shows that he knows the ropes on The Legend Of Tarzan

Chris Goodger on Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie

MEET THE NEW WAVE

Clapperboard... Richard Blanshard

Richard Crudo ASC gives his thoughts on the second International Cinematography Summit in LA and a key topic of working hours

F-STOP HOLLYWOOD

Camera Creative... Barry Ackroyd BSC on Jason Bourne

ON THE JOB

Innovator... Dan Sasaki

CLOSE-UP

Janusz Kaminski ASC on The BFG

CLOSE-UP

Terry Stacey ASC on Elvis & Nixon

INNOVATOR

Dan Sasaki… lens guru

LIVE & LET DI

CLAPPERBOARD

The talented... Richard Blanshard

IMAGO NEWS

Paul René Roestad reports on the second International Cinematography Summit in Los Angeles and the big issues of author’s rights, restoration, plus IMAGO’s future agenda

GBCT NEWS

How the GBCT is improving its operations, a look at the new Lytro light field camera, a neat iPad clapperboard and the Valetta Film Festival

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 05

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / BSC PRESIDENT

SPOILT FOR CHOICE BRITISH SOCIETY

OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Board of Governors 2016-17

PRESIDENT: Barry Ackroyd BSC IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT: John de Borman BSC VICE PRESIDENTS: Rob Hardy BSC Nigel Walters BSC Haris Zambarloukos BSC GOVERNORS: Sean Bobbitt BSC Lol Crawley BSC Oliver Curtis BSC John Daly BSC Joe Dunton MBE BSC (non DoP) Mike Eley BSC Gavin Finney BSC David Higgs BSC Nic Knowland BSC Phil Meheux BSC Nic Morris BSC Dick Pope BSC Derek Suter BSC Tim Palmer BSC CO-OPTED ASSOCIATE MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE: Chris Plevin COMPANY SECRETARIES: Frances Russell Audra Marshall

I recall, about 10 or 12 years ago, reluctantly taking my son and a bunch of his mates to see a blockbuster movie at The Empire, Leicester Square...

irst I tried to subtly steer them away from the popcorn by telling them, “It’s the stuff they vacuum up from the floor after the last performance”. It didn’t work. Next then it came to drinks, “Maybe a fresh orange juice? Or a sparkling water?” No! It’s then that I looked up and came across the proclamation, “Spoilt for choice”. Of course, without a flicker of irony, it was pointing out the singular lack of choice. Coca-Cola products only. It was there, in the aptly-named Empire, Leicester Square, that I realised this is our fate: the corporate world equals lack of choice. Fast forward to this year’s Oscars, where the lack of choice was lit up by the #OscarsTooWhite campaign, which pointed to the elephant in the room and exposed the glaring fact that diversity and opportunity have been subjugated for the sake of conformity. Spoilt for choice, again! So now we all know the problem. In truth it’s been with us far too long, and it’s time we acknowledge it and start to change. At the BSC, we know that we need to look at ourselves and ask how’s it going to change. How can we deal with our own big issue, the glaring lack of diversity in our industry? How are we to change this 93% male society of cinematographers? We know it’s an unfair world, and not only on the red carpet. We see our limitation. We see it when we sit down to dinner at Operators Night. We see it at our board meetings. We see it on the credits of most of the films and TV shows that carry a title card that says “cinematography”. Our problem is that it’s a white male world and, therefore, in no way can we say we are a representative society. Though, in all fairness, this problem has been around for a long time. Indeed, it’s an inherited problem, but surely it’s this that makes it even more important that we begin to deal with the issue right now. The motto of the British Society Of Cinematographers is, “Preserve the image”. What that means to me is that it’s our role to be creative, inventive, different and diverse. It also means we need to show a broad creative vision of the world and, as such, we need to encourage, assist and create opportunities. It’s our role to allow the very best to shine. What we can do as cinematographers is to encourage and mentor new, younger and more socially-diverse

cinematographers – to be more inclusive, whilst still retaining the highest standards for others to follow. It’s as much our role as cinematographers to mentor and encourage new talent, as it is to make films, but there is little we can do as cinematographers to generate the work. We are not the ones who decide which films get made, the subject matter, nor the cast, etc., but we are the vital cog in a complex wheel. So we ought to use our influence to encourage and assist, producers, writers and directors to build into the very process of film production, opportunities for new talent, women, black, Asian and ethnic minorities as well as to encourage equality for greater social mobility. It’s no small task, especially as we see the world become a less equal place day-by-day, which is why, for me, it becomes more crucial for production companies to be making films that represent the real world. After all, cinema as popular culture is made to speak to all minorities. It’s always true that you can’t please all the people all the time. It’s not even desirables of try. We are a world of minorities. Yet we have corporate studios taking the tax breaks, reaping the profits and then telling us we are “spoilt for choice” when they offer up multiple remakes, spin offs, sequels and guaranteed moneyspinners. That’s not what I call choice. It’s like being offered CocaCola as the only drink. In my mind if we rightly expect diversity, then we must expect opportunity for new ideas and diverse films to get made, with the same backing and encouragement and promotion as studio movies. Until minority and world cinema are treated like corporate movies, backed financially and promoted widely, then the training ground of talent, the world of short films and the underfunded first feature, the very places where diversity thrives, then opportunity has little chance. Diversity needs opportunity and a properly-funded cinema. Commissioning that takes risks; producers who will take a chance, and give a break to new talent; distributors who want to surprise and not just spoon-feed the audience. Then we truly would be spoilt for choice. British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 07

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

KEES VAN OOSTRUM

NAMED NEW ASC PRESIDENT The Board of Governors of the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has elected Kees Van Oostrum to serve as president of the organisation. This is Van Oostrum’s first term, which will run for one year, beginning immediately.

he ASC Board also selected its slate of officers. They include: Bill Bennett, Dean Cundey and Lowell Peterson as vice presidents; Levi Isaacs as treasurer; Fred Goodich as secretary; and Roberto Schaefer as sergeant-at-arms. “It is our task as an organisation to educate the industry on the value of the cinematographer as authors of the images, to be involved in advancing imaging technology, and most importantly, to promote our artistry,” said Van Oostrum. “I’m honoured to be selected along with these officers to lead my peers and colleagues into new visual frontiers, and continue the educational mission of the organisation.” The 2016-2017 ASC Board members who voted for the new officers are: John Bailey, Curtis Clark, Richard Crudo, Fred Elmes, Michael Goi, Victor J. Kemper, Stephen Lighthill, Daryn Okada, Woody Omens, Robert Primes, Cynthia Pusheck, Owen Roizman and John Simmons. Alternate Board Members include: Mandy Walker, Karl-Walter Lindenlaub, and Oliver Bokelberg. Oostrum previously served as vice president and has fulfilled other roles over the years on the ASC board. He is also the chairman and originator of the ASC Masterclasses, which take place five times a year, due to popular demand, and sell-out enrolment. Inaugurated in 2013, the one-week courses are taught by award-winning cinematographers and incorporate practical, hands-on demonstrations of lighting and camera techniques with instruction in workflow practices. In addition to the Masterclass, other efforts of the organisation include its Student Heritage Awards, Breakfast Club seminars, panel discussions by the Education and Outreach committee, the Friends of the ASC membership, and the on-going committee collaborations with other industry participants vital to the image-making process. Perhaps most notable is the ASC Technology Committee, which has proven unique in its ability to shape the standards and practices of cinematography for digital workflows. “The Masterclasses have been very successful and we hope to expand them to an international level,” added Van Oostrum. “With partner associations worldwide and the support of our community of associate members, there is great promise in the immediate future to develop these and new programs that will help promote the importance of authorship in the creation of artful content.” 08 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

VACANO WINS COMPENSATION OVER DAS BOOT

court in Munich has ruled in favour of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Jost Vacano, now 82 years of age, saying he should be better-compensated for his artistic contribution to the success of Wolfgang Petersen’s classic WWII German U-boat drama Das Boot (1981). The court said that Das Boot producers Bavaria Film and WDR, as well as distributor Eurovideo, will now have to pay Vacano €475,000 in compensation, his share of the revenue that the production earned during 2002-2014. In addition, Vacano will receive a 2.25% share of all future Das Boot earnings. Vacano enjoyed success with director Paul Verhoeven on major Hollywood productions including RoboCop (1987), Total Recall (1990) and Showgirls (1995). He was initially paid DM180,000 (Marks) for his work on Das Boot, and was not given a share of the profits. However, in 2002, the German government changed the law, adding a “best-seller” clause, which allowed people to sue if their initial compensation was “conspicuously misappropriate” to the ultimate financial success of a project. Vacano subsequently filed a lawsuit claiming that he had a substantial impact in shaping Das Boot. The court agreed and ordered the producers to pay compensation. The film has earned more than $100 million worldwide although the compensation was based solely on Das Boot earnings from 2002 to 2014. Previous revenue was not included in the lawsuit as it fell under earlier copyright law. According to court documents, Das Boot earned Bavaria Film $9.5 million over the 12-year period and $10.8 million for Eurovideo, which holds DVD and VOD

Classic… Wolfgang Petersen’s WWII German U-boat drama Das Boot (1981)

rights for the film. WDR, a regional public channel which holds TV rights, has to pay compensation for rebroadcasts of the production, which aired some 54 times on German TV between 2002-2012. Vacano had initially demanded 3.5% of future Das Boot earnings, whilst producers had offered him a 1.5% cut. The court’s ruling on compensation did not include interest payments on the money owed to the cinematographer, something that might push his lawyers to appeal. Vis-à-vis the case, Herr Michael Neubauer BVK, managing director of the German Association of Cinematographers, noted that excluding interest payments, or some other form of punitive damages, set a dangerous precedent. “If there is no punishment for denying or delaying payment, there is no incentive to properly compensate rights holders from the start,” he told the German newspaper Suddeutsche Zeitung. Vacano’s lawyer, Nikolaus Reber, said he will study the court’s decision before deciding what, if any, future action to take. A spokesperson for Bavaria Film said the company will appeal the ruling. In a statement, cinematographic federation IMAGO, which has long campaigned for authors’ rights and fair remuneration commented, “This decision opens a precedent that can be absolutely crucial for the longtime ambition that IMAGO is pursuing to reach the world coauthorship recognition of the cinematography of the film. The cinematographer in most countries of the world is not recognised as an author of the film but regarded as a technician. Therefore they are not entitled to get any royalties or share of the revenue of the film. So this court decision in Munich can be a turning point.”

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC on the mic

HOT TOPICS RESONATE AT SECOND ASC CINEMATOGRAPHY SUMMIT

The second International Cinematography Summit took place under the auspices of the American Society of Cinematographers from June 6-9th 2016. Elen Lotman ESC

Chivo

10 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

pproximately 75 cinematographers from 25 countries, some of whom had attended the first ICS five years ago, gathered at the ASC’s historic Hollywood clubhouse on the first day to hear opening remarks from ASC president Richard Crudo, international committee chair/event coordinator Frederic Goodich ASC, Michael Goi ASC ICS and Kees Van Oostrum ASC NSC, reports Debra Kaufman. The theme of the week, entitled “The Future Of The Cinematographer: Models Of Collaboration”, was apparent in the many countries represented, noted Goodich. The first session of the summit was on “The Future Of Cinematography”, with the conversation – begun by Richard Andry AFC, David Mullen ASC and Australian Cinematographers Society president Ron Johanson ACS – quickly drawing comments from all the cinematographers in attendance. Joe Dunton BSC Cinematographers shared experiences of recent changes that have made their jobs more difficult – from being asked to accomplish 50 to 70 set-ups a day, to editors who reframe shots from 4K or 8K cameras. Curtis Clark ASC, chair of the ASC’s Technology Committee, summed up many of the concerns, adding that the Academy Color Encoding (ACES) system has “been a huge godsend to protect creative intent.” The solution to re-establishing control on-set, concluded many participants, mainly rests on education. “Democratisation of the process is not to be confused with vulgarisation of the process run by ignorance,” said Guillermo Navarro ASC. “We were focussed on film language, and it’s our responsibility to recover that.” Johanson later commented that, “Guillermo’s quest… to make us all understand that we must preserve the disciplines and the language of film, especially in this time of digital capture, where there are many values being left behind and not enough care is taken to educate those beginning their journey … continues to resonate with me.” Attendees also discussed the hot-button issue of authorship of the images. Venezuelan Society of Cinematographers president Ricardo Matamoros SVC, described the newly-formed Federation of Latin American Cinematographers, of which he is secretary general, and their efforts to pass laws giving cinematographers ownership of their images. The German Society of Cinematographers’ Rolf Coulanges BVK, an IMAGO board member, reported on the German high-court ruling in favour

of cinematographer Jost Vacano ASC, who has battled distributors for the best part of ten years over his contribution to the German hit Das Boot. The highlight of the day for many in attendance was the afternoon spent examining the imagery in The Revenant and The Jungle Book, in a programme dubbed “Models Of Collaboration.” The event took place at a prototype Dolby Cinema built inside an abandoned movie house on Hollywood Blvd, boasting state-ofthe-art Dolby Vision HDR laser projection and 38 Dolby Atmos speakers. The Revenant was presented by Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki AMC ASC, DIT Arthur To, and supervising finishing artist Steve Scott, whilst The Jungle Book was presented by cinematographer Bill Pope ASC, director Jon Favreau, visual effects supervisor Rob Legato ASC, producer Brigham Taylor and also Scott. “It was a visually stunning and informative presentation at the Dolby Cinema,” said cinematographer Nina Kellgren BSC, who is also IMAGO vice president. “It was fascinating to see how Chivo worked with his DIT and colourist.” Goodich agreed. “Chivo and Steve Scott broke down shots that were actually composed of sections filmed on different days but tied together to form what appeared to be single shots,” he says. “And The Jungle Book was a simultaneous on-stage process of pre-viz, shoot and composite. Two ‘models of collaboration, two vastly different films employing some of the most cutting-edge tools.” Another day was spent at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences’ Linwood Dun Theatre, where attendees heard presentations on solid-state lighting, ACES and next-generation cinema technology. Cinematographers were able to take a tour of the AMPAS vault, and later engage in a conversation about digital archiving, including viewing a clip on the restoration of The Apu Trilogy. The rest of the conference covered such topics as the continuing relevance of film, cinematography and virtual reality, and visits to Panavision and Technicolor. Goodich was inspired by learning that, “some of the work the ASC does in our community could inspire change in other countries,” and said it was “a particular thrill” to see clips by attending cinematographers “that embodied different visual styles and stories.” Kellgren said she enjoyed meeting Goodich, Richard Crudo and Bill Bennett ASC, “The ASC is particularly clear and open about sharing information and very welcoming,” she said. “The passion and will amongst cinematographers to communicate and collaborate internationally on the state-of-the-art and the role of the DP is both heartening and inspiring.” For Johanson, the highlight was, “the real feeling of camaraderie among those attending. It truly was a collaborative umbrella, and many friendships were made in those four days we were together. It was truly inspirational!”

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

TROW TAKES UP DIRECTING ON KESULAT

lan Trow BSC has finished principal photography on his directorial feature debut Kesulat, a thriller set in the Kosovo War in 1999. Initially conceived nearly ten years ago, with Albanian writer/actor Jimi Tihofsi, the production is based on true stories and tells of how friends and neighbours in a small Kosovan village were torn apart by the horrors of the war. Trow shot in Kosovo for three weeks with cinematographer Mari Yamamura and camera operator Kevin Rudge, backed up by a local crew. Another week of shooting is planned in Wales during the summer. When he’s not shooting, Trow runs Richard Booth’s Bookshop Cinema in Hay-on-Wye, where he also hosts Hay Film School events supported by local filmmakers including Doug Milsome BSC ASC, Richard Greatrex BSC, Chris Menges BSC ASC and Bruce Robinson.

SCHAEFER APPLAUDS ACKROYD’S BRAVURA

Roberto Schaefer ASC AIC

inematographer Roberto Schaefer ASC AIC recently wrote in from the US to share his thoughts on Barry Ackroyd BSC’s President’s Perspective column in the March 2016 issue of British Cinematographer Magazine. “I am moved to write to you to comment on the bravura of Barry Ackroyd BSC. I find it rare in these days of PC and fear-mongering that someone in a position like Barry has the courage to actually write what he believes and pulls no punches.

MOVIETECH FIRST IN EUROPE WITH NEW COOKE ANAMORPHICS 12 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

The business is so lopsided and getting even more so every day. Much of the above-the-line attitude towards the cinematographer and other below-the-line crew is obscene. I have been lucky to be even paid only a reduced rate for the recent DIs that I worked on and gave my all to. Ever since the DI became the post standard there is more need for us to be in the suite and to make sure that the original intent, or a collaborative change with the director, is properly implemented. There are also many times when there is no time on-set to do lighting, or shadowing adjustments, and we are encouraged to fix it in post. But if we aren’t there to follow-through, then who will? I was even asked on one film to do up to six weeks of DI work in a foreign country and be given only per diem, hotel and flights, but no pay! I’m sure that if some of the recent award-winning movies hadn’t had the cinematographer completing their

work in the DI suite, that there would be very different final products, and different awards as a result. I wish that other magazines that represent our industry would have the cojones to express themselves as honestly and bravely as Barry does in his column. In every issue of British Cinematographer Magazine I have read with pleasure his calling-out of the injustices of an unbalanced system in which we are all working. Certainly there are exceptions, and not all productions treat us this way, or worse, but it has become more the norm nowadays. I have the greatest respect for all the cinematographers around the world who strive to help tell the stories that are the movies we make, and their dedication to seeing it through to the final release print. That work is part of the job and should be respected and treated as such. Thank you Barry for continually speaking out and being frank and open in your important column. Sincerely, Roberto Schaefer ASC AIC IMAGO.”

ndependent camera, lens and grip specialist Movietech has announced the arrival of Europe’s first new Cooke 35-140mm Anamorphic/i Zoom lenses. Featuring an award-winning cam-style mechanism for smooth focus adjustments, these true, front anamorphic zooms shoot from ultra-wide angle to telephoto with a 4x zoom ratio. With a linear iris and oval bokeh throughout zoom and focus, the lenses are versatile, precise and designed for all shooting applications. The system delivers control of flare, distortion and spherical aberration and the T3.1-22 aperture, along with 90-degree rotation of iris scale, allow colour and depth-of-field characteristics that match existing Anamorphic/i primes. The 35-140mm zooms also carry Cooke’s Anamorphic/i technology to provide cinematographers and operators with continual, detailed information covering all aspects of lens performance. Movietech managing director John Buckley said, “We’ve been recently investing in some fantastic new equipment and these Cooke lenses are right at the sharp end of Anamorphic zoom technology. Movietech is the only rental house in Europe to have these lenses available and I’m delighted that our cinematographer colleagues are as excited about them as we are”.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

BAFTA APPOINTS FORMER BBC CONTROLLER JANE LUSH AS CHAIR

he British Academy of Film and Television Arts has announced Jane Lush as its new chair. Lush has been closely involved with BAFTA for ten years. She joined the Board of Trustees as deputy chair of the Television Committee in 2010 and has been deputy chair for the past year. She succeeds Anne Morrison, and her tenure as chair will run for the next two years. Morrison will be deputy chair for one year. Lush was a factual programme-maker at the BBC, eventually becoming controller of daytime and transforming it into the market leader with many breakthrough shows such as Weakest Link and the drama series Doctors. As the BBC’s controller of entertainment and comedy, she was responsible for a budget of £200m, commissioning a range of multi-BAFTA-winning series including Strictly Come Dancing, The Apprentice, The Catherine Tate Show, Dragons’ Den and Have I Got News for You. She was part of the BBC Television Board, shaping its channel strategy, managing talent and revitalising programming. Since leaving the BBC, she has been working in the independent sector and is currently running Kalooki Pictures and coproducing with Hat Trick Productions. She was also the founding chair of the BBC’s Performing Arts Fund charity, which has awarded around £5m to young aspiring musicians through scholarships, mentoring projects and giving musical instruments to hundreds of children, one of whom was the international pop star Adele.

PANAVISION ANNOUNCES NEW LARGE-FORMAT DIGITAL CAMERA

anavision has unveiled the Millennium DXL large format camera. The 8K-capable DXL was developed via the contributions of three companies: large format optics and modular accessories from Panavision, a brand new 8K sensor from RED Digital Cinema, and new colour science and workflow from Light Iron (a Panavision company). According to Kim Snyder, president and CEO of Panavision, DXL is being offered in response to heightened demand for large-format cinematography. “Our unparalleled fleet of large format and Anamorphic lenses has been extremely popular in this resurgence of large format capture, and with the Millennium DXL, cinematographers now can capture more than 20-megapixels of true 4K Anamorphic pictures.”

14 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Lush said: “It’s a huge honour to become chair of BAFTA, succeeding Anne Morrison who has taken the Academy from strength-to-strength. It’s exciting to build on all of those achievements, ensuring BAFTA stays ahead of the curve by continually enhancing our gold standard award ceremonies and attracting the brightest and the best to our membership, while expanding diversity across all our activity. I would also hope to extend our reach to younger up-andcoming talent through our excellent yearround programme of events.” Alongside its awards recognising excellence in film, television and games, BAFTA offers a wide range of initiatives that help ensure talented people get the recognition and support to achieve their potential, regardless of their background. BAFTA Guru, the online learning site, is one way people can hear directly from the experts and learn more about a particular craft or career. People can attend any one of hundreds of BAFTA events across the UK, USA and Asia, apply for a BAFTA scholarship or be part of a mentoring scheme or talent development initiative.

At the core of the DXL is a proprietary image mapping process, titled Light Iron Colour, which provides a cinematic look directly out of the camera. Light Iron Colour integrates with DXL’s ultra-high resolution sensor, a new 8K imager manufactured by RED Digital Cinema, and also with Panavision’s large format lenses. The camera body was designed with ergonomics and temperature management in mind: its mid-size form factor is lightweight, yet allows for an airflow system that dissipates heat quietly. DXL also has built-in, crew-friendly, modular accessories to improve versatility and quick changeovers during production. “Our streamlined workflow includes simultaneous recording of 4K proxy files - ProRes or DNx alongside the 8K RAW files,” stated Michael Cioni, DXL product director and president of Light Iron. “This creates a direct-to-edit workflow with the NLE of your choice. Using efficient SSD media, the cost of capturing 8K files with DXL is more economical than using third-party recorders on lower resolution cameras. Light Iron Colour and our Panavised Outpost Systems provide a workflow for DXL that can be easily adopted for shooting large format photography.” “What is exciting,” added Cioni, “is that cinematographers will notice how 8K acquisition creates images that are smoother, not sharper. With a full frame 35-megapixel imager, DXL provides a super-sampled image, much like large format still photography, so that its smoothness is retained whether you finish in 4K, 2K, or HD.” Jarred Land, president of RED Digital Cinema, noted that the collaboration with Panavision marks “the next step forward for the industry. RED pushed the motion picture industry into file-based RAW image capture a decade ago, but Panavision has been renowned for their optics and engineering for more than 60 years. Together with Panavision and Light Iron, we’re shaping the future of large format cinematography.” Snyder concluded, “Panavision’s mission is to provide customers with leading-edge tools and technologies that enable them to achieve their creative vision, and the Millennium DXL is a platform that allows us to expand the ways in which we can do just that.” The Millennium DXL will be rented exclusively through Panavision and will be available in early 2017.

SNAPBAGS AND SNAPGRIDS WORK WITH KINO FLO

DoPchoice, maker of professional light directing products, is now offering its Snapbag version of the softbox and Snapgrid snap-up grid systems to fit selected Kino Flo lights. A departure from traditional softboxes and grids, DoPchoice’s patented Snap Technology cuts installation time to seconds. In a snap the user can remove the Snapbag or Snapgrid from its bag and fit the light-refining tool on to the Kino Flo fixture ready to work. The Snapgrids are purpose-built to fit Kino Flo’s 2-foot and 4-foot 4Bank, Flathead, Celeb, and Select 30 lighting fixtures. Snapbags are available for the Kino Flo Select 30 fixtures. The lightweight and self-tightening Snapbag employs highly reflective materials inside to intensify the light while still gently diffusing for soft output. Weighing a few ounces, it quickly attaches to the light fixture via durable elastic straps that hug the rectangular fixture. Snapgrids mount to the front of a Kino Flo fixture with hook and loop fabric to direct the light and eliminate spill. When the rigid frame is freed from its pouch it instantly stretches the grid into position with no sag. Snapgrids are available for 40 or 50-degree light dispersion.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

PANALUX RELEASES NEXT GENERATION BATTERYPOWERED LED SPRING BALL

analux has released the Panalux LED Spring Ball, a new, multi-purpose, battery-powered soft light for use on-set as a flexible source for practical or generic lighting. Built for small and enclosed sets, as well as remote locations with limited power supply, the wireless Panalux LED Spring Ball eliminates two significant constraints to traditional spring ball lights: heat emission and cables. A versatile LED core replaces heat-producing bulbs used in traditional spring balls, and enables fully-dimmable, colour consistent daylight or Tungsten output. Paired with Panalux flicker-free F-Stop technology and a wireless DMX control system, the Panalux LED Spring Ball can be powered by either mains or batteries and is fully portable. The colour temperature range is from 3200K to 5900K with no shift in output. “This light is a direct response to client necessity,” explained Chris Millard, Panalux group technical director. “Our initial brief was a spring ball with no wires or cables and with LED panels. Immediately, we got loads of feedback from gaffers. The real driver for this product is that it is completely wireless – no mains and no control wires. Having access to such a wide range of expertise within Panalux uniquely places us to fulfil client needs like this.” Gaffer Paul Murphy, who has used two units on his most recent project My Cousin Rachel for Fox Searchlight, said, “This light takes the spring ball to another level. The heat from the traditional spring ball we had previously been using generated a lot of wastage in terms of gels. The Panalux LED Spring Ball is a lot simpler to use and the LED core can be both a soft light or you can increase the dimmer and it becomes a punchy source. The speed of operating it is really quick, and it’s just all around a good piece of equipment to work with!”

COOKE ADDS PANAVISION TO /i TECHNOLOGY PARTNER LIST Panavision has joined the list of Cooke Optics’ /i Technology Partners, pledging to build support for the /i Technology protocol into its portfolio in the future. Cooke’s /i Technology is an open metadata protocol that enables film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens data for every frame shot and provide it to post-production teams digitally. Les Zellan, chairman of Cooke Optics, said, “Cooke is delighted to welcome Panavision to the growing list of leading manufacturers supporting the /i Technology partnership. /i Technology enables camera teams to capture vital information that provides incredible efficiencies for post and VFX teams, allowing them to track shots more accurately.” “At Panavision, we are dedicated to providing our customers with the latest innovations to streamline their

Canon... K35 series

workflow,” said Panavision’s Chief Operating Officer Mark Howorth. “Cooke’s /i Technology offers metadata from camera through post, helping to communicate the vision of the creative team. Supporting filmmakers is always our first priority, and this partnership further expands our ability to provide unparalleled service.”

CANON K35 LENSES GET RE-ENGINEERED True Lens Services (TLS) has unveiled the latest addition in its re-housing project of the Canon K35 lens series. The 18mm, 24mm and 35mm lenses are the first in the range of Canon K35 lenses to be converted into TLS cam form. Remaining in the range are the 50mm, 55mm and 85mm, which are to be completed and released by TLS this autumn, covering all variants in the K35 series. With the 18mm, 24mm and 35mm Canon K35 lenses, all have a dual cam system to cover the floating element

movement, plus an extended focus scale with approximately 300 degrees of rotation. The lenses are made of aluminium alloy, stainless steel and brass, providing a long, serviceable life. The cam driven focus system and chassis style lens housing allow matte boxes and other accessories to be attached to the front of the Canon K35 lenses, without affecting focus movements. The benefit of zero backlash and image shift give accurate dual focus scales that repeat on direction and change with the cam drive system, giving wide spread and even markings throughout the distance scale.

VINTEN GEARS UP FOR 4K SPORTS WITH VECTOR 750

inten, a provider of manual and robotic camera support systems, is offering the Vector 750 pan and tilt head during 2016 sports season. Providing versatile support for 4K, studio, and OB broadcast cameras and lenses, the Vinten Vector 750 allows control for large sports cameras at any resolution or frame rate, including UHD and slow-mo. With its pantographic, “perfect balance” system, that doesn’t use springs or cams, the Vector 750 minimises the inertia of the moving camera and lens, allowing consistent movement and easy positioning at any angle. Moreover, its TF drag system also delivers complete control at any level of movement, infinite adjustment without steps, instant whip pan without manual drag reduction and a fast setup. These Vinten-specific features enable the camera operator to capture the perfect shot with minimal effort and eliminates physical strain while working long hours. Having covered prestigious sports franchises and events such as the Boston Red Sox, the Boston Bruins, with this year’s Summer Games in Rio next, director of photography Tom Guilmette has been using the Vector 750 for years. “Whatever [Vinten] did to design this pan head, no other company even comes close to allowing me to do what I do,” he said. Vinten’s Vector 750 pan and tilt head complements the latest UHD/4K camera and lenses for sports coverage, freeing the camera operator to react instinctively to a director’s call or sudden movement by the subject. With infinite adjustment and perfect balance, Vinten Vector 750

16 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

allows exactly the right amount of torque to be generated at any angle and makes the camera appear weightless in the hands of the camera operator. “Vinten hit a home run with the Vector Series because of the pantographic design, the perfect balance, the drag,” continued Guilmette. “Everything is perfect and the pan head is so responsive. It doesn’t stick.

It doesn’t slip. There are no surprises. It does exactly what I expect it to do and to a guy like me, it’s how I express myself. It’s how I earn a living. It’s how I get that signature shot that I could only get with a Vinten.” Vinten’s patented drag systems allow instant whip pan movement without any manual reduction of the drag, making it ideal for sports coverage since it requires lower drag for following the close action and higher drag for longer shots. And with a centre of gravity range of 8 to 25cm/3.1 to 9.8in and a maximum payload of 75kg/165.3lbs, users can attach a wide range of camera accessories, such as talent monitors and spotlights. Additionally, the Vector 750 comes with updates over existing versions, including an improved slide plate clamp, a larger clamp level, and an updated balance mechanism. The updated balance mechanism increases the payload CoG height range and enables an extra 5kg payload capacity for increased robustness.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

SAM CARE TALKS DIFFUSION FILTERS

P Sam Care, graduate of the NFTS, was chosen by BAFTA in 2011 as a ‘Brit To Watch’ as an emerging screen talent. Since then he has showcased his talents in narrative dramas including Harry Price: Ghost Hunter for ITV and his fourth feature credit, Another Mother’s Son for Bill Kenwright Films, yet to be released. “I got into things when film was still the best format,” he says. “But soon after I started working professionally as digital cameras started to become a real equivalent. So the majority of my cinematography has been on digital cameras. However, depending on the project, I like quite a soft, filmic, cinematic look to the sharp, hyper-real, modern look, and softening filters have always been an important tool in trying to achieve this. My last two projects have been period projects, Harry Price: Ghost Hunter for ITV directed by Alex Pillai was a 1920s ghost story, and Another Mother’s Son, is set in Jersey, during the Nazi occupation WWII. Both shoots included many scenes where candlelight and oil lamps were the main light sources. Both were shot on Alexa cameras in ProRes, and I was looking for a way of subtly softening things down. I started to test filters and other techniques in combination with classic old lenses. After considerable testing for the Harry Price shoot I decided to use old Cooke S2 Panchro primes and old Cooke zoom lenses, Schneider Hollywood Black Magic filters and Tiffen Glimmer Glass filters. I used a combination of all these elements as well as a softer contrast and desaturated grade, to help take people back in time. I was fairly happy with the look, but I’d have to say there was something about the Hollywood Black Magics that in my opinion still felt a little bit forced. You could feel that you were forcing a softer look onto a sharp format and trying to make it look old. I had previously tried the Glimmer Glass filters on a commercial with Cooke lenses and I loved how they brought out certain imperfections in a lens – which is something I actually look for. I found it created, or brought out, brighter colour hues in highlights and flare, and created this beautiful halation around highlights. It reminded me of older lenses I’ve tested over 18 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

the years, like the old 50s and 60s Bausch & Lomb lenses and some of the older Panavision lenses that have been rehoused, but you could never replicate that look. With modern glass I’ve found that the Glimmer Glass filter brought out some of those Tiffen... qualities that I was looking for in 4K filters these lenses that I’d chosen. For Another Mother’s Son I was keen not to repeat myself again, but still wanted to go for a softer look. This led me to exploring the use of nets, which felt like a purer, more organic way of using filtration, with fine stocking material fixed over the back element of the lens, and which we also tested via the internal IRND filter slot of the Alexa XT. I liked the look of the results, although the process was more complicated than using glass filters and more labour -intensive for the camera crew. Luckily my focus puller David Agha-Rafei and loader Seb Marczewski had used them before and, along with Andy Mossman at Movietech, they did a great job helping me test all the elements involved. The only issue with the nets were that when used with candles, oil lamps or heavy practical lighting, they could create quite distracting diagonal flares and sometimes you’d see the texture of the net within the bokeh or highlights. So I continued the tests with glass diffusion filters with the help of Pete Moore at Movietech. They were great. We went through all the types of diffusion filters. I tried the old Mitchells, which I liked, I tried the Hollywood Black Magic again, which I’d used before, Pro-Mist, dozens and dozens of filters, and all the diffusion filters that Movietech had in stock. We

Harry Price: Ghost Hunter

Another Mother’s Son

tried them all, and in the end the ones that really struck me were the Pearlescent from Tiffen. With diffusion filters, because of the way they’re made, you can sometimes see the tiny circular structures of the filter in the highlights or in the bokeh, and depending on the aperture, and the depth-of-field, there can be a danger that you will see a texture. One of the things that impressed me about the Pearlescent was the fact that you couldn’t see that texture. It was the only filter we found with that characteristic. So after testing for Another Mother’s Son, I intended to use the nets for most of it, but to change to glass filters for scenes involving candles and oil lamps of which there were quite a few. For those I planned to change to a combination of Tiffen’s Pearlescent and Glimmer Glass filters. At the end of the first week I had shot both methods for a few days, so I had a good chance to compare them. It was a very challenging shoot, with extreme weather conditions and inconsistent exterior light. We were shooting two cameras and had to work at speed. I made a decision that the nets weren’t quite right for the project both aesthetically and practically. I had fallen in love with the look of the candlelit interiors shot with the glass filters. I found them to have a lovely organically diffused look, very natural. So I decided to shoot the rest of the film with that combination of Tiffen’s Pearlescent and Glimmer Glass. It ended up being a very good decision and I was very happy with end results.”

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

MSE RECEIVES 2ND PRESIDENTIAL EXPORT AWARD

atthews Studio Equipment’s vice president of sales and marketing, Robert Kulesh, recently travelled to Washington DC to receive the company’s second Presidential Award for Export Services. This year MSE was honoured with the “E” Star Award, which recognises companies that have reported four years of additional export growth since their “E” Award. MSE is a 46-year-old manufacturing company located in Burbank, CA, where all equipment is designed and manufactured on site. The company’s primary business is in supplying the international motion picture and television production industries with hardware, lighting control devices as well as lighting and camera support and transport equipment. The President’s “E” Award is the highest recognition any US entity can receive for making a significant contribution to the expansion of US exports.

In 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order reviving the World War II “E” symbol of excellence to honour and provide recognition of America’s exporters. This year, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker recognized 123 US companies and organisations that export goods and services overseas. Matthews recognises the growth of international production and is constantly chasing it – growing its presence on all continents, as the demand for high-quality support equipment is needed. “Export sales are key to the growth of Matthews,” said Kulesh. “Together, these two awards recognize MSE’s continued export growth over the past ten years. I would advise and encourage almost any manufacturing company in the USA to seriously consider exports. If you have a successful product, chances are there are markets throughout the world where you would also enjoy success.”

PANAVISION UNVEILS NEXT GENERATION PANA ND FILTERS Panavision has announced the availability of PanaND filters, which benefit from advances in materials and manufacturing to deliver colour neutrality accurately. “Until now, cinematographers using traditional ND filters to control exposure have always had to deal with colour shifting and optical performance degradation,” said Haluki Sadahiro, Panavision’s director of new product development. “Unlike traditional filters, PanaNDs are made with the highest quality glass and advanced coating technologies. As a result, they are truly neutral – cutting

Winner… Robe rt the “E” Award Kulesh receives from of commerce US secretary Penny Pritzke r

the light without altering the colour temperature.” PanaND filters are available in a wide range of options from 1 to 7 stops in 0.3, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, 1.5, 1.8 and 2.1ND, and come in 4x5.65 and 6x6-inch sizes. The filters feature a sturdier construction and patent-pending tactile markings so users can quickly identify the depth of the ND filter in the dark. Compatible with film and digital cameras, PanaND filters can be rented from any Panavision facility around the world. “PanaND filters are another example of Panavision’s close collaboration with filmmakers that goes back 60 years,” said Sadahiro. “Our focus on motion picture production allows us to better understand the needs and methods of cinematographers. Supporting them with the right tools and unparalleled service is our passion.”

BFI PROGRESSES PLANS FOR WORLD-CLASS FILM, TV AND MOVING IMAGE CENTRE

he BFI has announced steps towards realising its ambition of building a new international centre for film, TV and the moving image, with an offer of support of up to £87m towards the £130m total project cost, subject to a tender process. The BFI hopes to open the new building to the public in 2022. The BFI is at the heart of features in the UK with a network of partners and alliances, filmmakers and audiences that together create an environment where film, TV and the moving image can flourish as a cultural art-form and an economic driver. The major new cultural venue on London’s South Bank (on the existing Hungerford Car Park site) will be the national home for the new flagship centre. Highlights include rich programmes of film, TV and moving image to provide a depth of experience, along with on-stage interviews and masterclasses, world premieres, new releases, classic screenings, restorations, film and live music events and presentations using new and emerging technologies. The centre will showcase adventures in some of the earliest experiments in moving images - including a giant zoetrope and new camera obscura to the latest wonders in holographic and virtual reality storytelling. It will also feature the best possible presentation of films in three cinemas (with 800, 180 and 120 seats) in a technologically-perfect screening environment for every format of film and digital – enabling work to be shown as the filmmaker originally intended. Using the BFI’s world-leading knowledge of film and TV, a state-of-the-art education and research centre will be open to school groups, students and families, with free access to the world’s biggest film collection, events and exhibition schedules and expert education teams.

20 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

There will also be a major gallery space to present exhibitions of international scale celebrating Britain’s award winning creativity and skills in areas such as animation and VFX as well as showcasing the most intimate and rare film artefacts including scripts, private letters and photographs. The centre will be a new home for the BFI London Film Festival, giving it a venue of international stature. The BFI is currently working closely with the key landowners (Southbank Centre, Braeburn Estates, Jubilee Gardens Trust and Lambeth Council) and the local community to ensure that the development will be sensitively designed to complement an expanded Jubilee Gardens. Josh Berger, BFI Chair said, “The UK’s thriving film, TV and screen industries are world-class, fuelled by the vision and imagination of extraordinary British talent who are evolving our artform at speed. One of my priorities will be to drive forward the BFI’s new centre to provide the opportunity to showcase British talent, creativity and

vision to the world. It will inspire the next generation of award-wining British talent, filmmakers and visual effects geniuses, and give audiences one of the best places in the world to experience film in all its forms.” Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO commented, “British film and British filmmakers deserve a home now more than ever, a building that will express our optimism, our confidence and our excitement about Britain’s leading role in the future of film, television and the moving image at home and internationally. It will be a place where filmmakers and audiences will come together to be inspired by our creative legacy and to be part of this most fast moving, dynamic and popular art-form.” Lord David Puttnam said, “British film and TV is the envy of the world. We combine being at the forefront of the latest innovations in technology with a legacy of over 100 years of filmmaking driven by an extraordinary and seemingly endless pool of talent and creativity. This is the initiative I’ve waited my whole life to celebrate.”

Centre of excellence… Lord David Puttnam has waited all his life for the new BFI initiative

Bristol bound… popular shows like Agatha Raisin are finding a home in the west country

ARRI EXPANDS SKYPANEL CAPABILITIES AND LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-SPEED BALLAST ARRI has released new, free-of-charge firmware for its SkyPanel lighting fixture bringing in several refinements. Already able to create a vast number of colours, the SkyPanel with Firmware 2.0, can also now emulate a wide variety of well-known lighting gels including Rosco and Lee filter categories. SkyPanel is known for its impressive output, but with camera sensors becoming more sensitive, the ability to produce good quality low light levels is also important. A new Low End Mode enables SkyPanel to generate accurate CCTs with high colour rendition and smooth dimming at very low light levels. Tungsten sources have endured for more than 120 years because of their light properties and attractive dimming behaviour. In the new Tungsten Mode, SkyPanel can mimic the dimming curve and strike on-and-off effect of a traditional tungsten lamp. Fans on the SkyPanel provide cutting-edge cooling that supports longevity and prevents CCT shift during usage. SkyPanel fans can also be set to different modes or even turned off for short periods of time, directly via DMX. Firmware 2.0 increases the number of SkyPanel dimming curves from one to four, allowing different dimming behaviour for specific applications. Remote Device Management (RDM) is an increasingly popular feature in advanced lighting fixtures, and RDM is now fully implemented in the SkyPanel. This two-way communication between the fixture and the console saves time by facilitating control of many SkyPanel functions from the ground, including DMX address and protocol, fan mode, temperature sensor readings, display settings, IP address and special modes. In further news, ARRI is complementing its latest generation of high-speed ballasts with the new EB 2.5/4 HS AutoScan. Designed for the ARRI M40 and other 2.5 kW or 4 kW daylight fixtures, it incorporates innovative features and allows filming speeds of more than 1,000 fps.

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL FILMING YEAR FOR BRISTOL Bristol Film Office has released figures for 201516, reflecting another positive year for film and TV production in the city with a 65% increase in location filming days. In the year 2015-16 Bristol Film Office issued 370 filming permits and hosted a total of 943 location filming days (65% more than 2014-15). Total inward investment to Bristol from productions using services provided by Bristol Film Office and The Bottle Yard Studios reached £16,674,000. Across 2015-16 Bristol Film Office and The Bottle Yard Studios supported a breadth of productions, including the return of popular TV series, new original TV shows, and a growing number of feature films. These included the return of BBC’s Doctor Who for its 2015 Christmas Special, the hotlyanticipated BBC dramas Poldark series 2 and The Living And The Dead, BBC Three’s high rating and first original drama to air on its on-line service Thirteen, and Sky 1’s first full series of Agatha Raisin. 2015 also saw the return of Sky1’s hit supermarket comedy Trollied for a fifth series and Christmas special, ABC’s medieval musical fairytale Galavant for a second series and CBeebies popular Andy’s Prehistoric Adventures. For the big screen, a total of five low to mid-budget features utilised Bristol locations, crew and facilities including the upcoming Another Mother’s Son and Access All Areas. The reputation of Bristol-made drama was further heightened with a number of national and international awards including BAFTA and RTS West of England Awards for The Lost Honour Of Christopher Jefferies, and Wolf Hall, the major BBC period drama set during the reign of King Henry VIII. Bristol has a solid film-making heritage and has been home to some of the UK’s biggest hits including, Casualty, Skins, Being Human, Only Fools And Horses and The Young Ones. Bristol Film Office has been supporting filming in the city since 2003 and The Bottle Yard Studios has been accommodating productions on its Hengrove site since 2010.

MOONLIGHTING INDUSTRIES STARTS CROWD-FUNDING FOR FOLLOW-FOCUS SYSTEM Swedish film director and photographer Miko Lazic is developing a new professional follow-focus system for feature production. Labelled the Moon Smart Focus, and based on patents originally developed by SAAB, Lazic describes the new system as a “game-changer” and has kick-started a crowd funding campaign. “Moon Smart Focus is what everybody imagined autofocus would be – a simple and easy way to always have perfect focus, regardless of the speed or surroundings,” said Lazic. “It will be one of those products that will be so obvious to use, that nobody will remember how it was before. I’m confident the prototype we are developing will prove that a true autofocus is possible. There are similar systems out there, but none as yet have been simple or affordable enough to use. Moon Smart Focus will change that.” The company behind system, Moonlight Industries AB, has already received 2.5m Swedish Krona (£240,000) in partial funding.

BSC EXPO DATES ANNOUNCED The British Society of Cinematographers has announced that the 2017 BSC Expo will take place on 3rd and 4th February 2017 at the same venue of this year’s show, namely Battersea Evolutions, Battersea Park in London. Show opening times will be 10am - 7pm on Friday 3rd, and 10am - 4pm on Saturday 4th.

GOLDENEYE Thank you to Phil Meheux BSC for pointing out an incorrect attribution in Edition 75. Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) was photographed by Geoffrey Unsworth BSC, and not John Alcott BSC. Unsworth’s other cinematography credits include Becket (1964, BAFTA & BSC win), Cabaret (1972, BAFTA, Oscar and BSC win), A Bridge Too Far (1977, BAFTA & BSC win), Superman (1978), and Tess (1979, BAFTA & Oscar win, shared posthumously with Ghislain Cloquet).

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 21

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

FILMS ON FILM SWEEP CANNES 2016 AS ROBBIE RYAN BSC SHINES

Winners… Director Ken Loach with DP Robbie Ryan BSC

Film is back and the artistry of shooting on filmstock became both cool and clear once again at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. The event closed with four of the top prizes, plus two La Semaine de la Critique awards presented to official selections, all shot on Kodak.

aking home the coveted Palme d’Or was I, Daniel Blake (dir. Ken Loach, DP Robbie Ryan BSC), which shot on 35mm. The Grand Prix award was taken home by Juste La Fin Du Monde (It’s Only The End of the World) (dir, Xavier Dolan, DP André Turpin), which also shot on 35mm. Best Director went to director Olivier Assayas for Personal Shopper, framed on 35mm by DP Yorick Le Saux. Critique awards were given to Las Mimosas, shot on S16mm by DP Mauro Herce for director Olivier Laxe, and Albüm, which used 35mm, directed by Mehmet Can Mertoğlu, with cinematography by Marius Panduru. Winning the prestigious Jury Prize was American Honey, directed by Andrea Arnold, partially shot on Kodak 35mm, which made DP Robbie Ryan a two-time festival winner. Ryan noted, “We shot a few scenes on Kodak 200T 35mm, the beginning scene and sporadic scenes like her on the swing… and they are my favourite shots!” Also among the twelve official selections shot on 35mm film at the festival were Loving (dir Jeff Nichols, DP Adam Stone), which enjoyed a seven-minute standing ovation, and Chloe Sevigny’s much-lauded, directorial debut, the short Kitty (DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC), which closed the 22 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Palme d’Or... I, Daniel Blake

festival and was called a “Cannes hidden gem” by The Hollywood Reporter. “Some things you just don’t bend on. I always dreamed of shooting on 35mm,” Sevigny told Vanity Fair magazine. In celebration of the analogue renaissance, French film lab Hiventy and Cannes Film Festival’s CST (Supervisory Technical Committee for Sound & Image) co-hosted a cocktail reception. Delighted by the growing number of films shot on film this year – in competition at Cannes, and across the industry – the reception

Tribute… Peter Suschitzky pictured on set with with David Cronenberg

was in recognition of the unique artistry of shooting on film, as well as the attributes that make it the premier choice for preservation through recording and/or printing. Speaking at the event, Academy Award-winning director and Cannes 2016 Jury Member László Nemes (Son Of Saul, shot on Kodak 35mm) said, “The magic of cinema lies in the craftsmanship. Real film prepares the mind in a different way and prepares the audience for the magic as well. You get less with digital video and this is a regressive step. I want to make sure new generations understand what it means to shoot on film.” French manufacturer Angénieux has been an official Cannes Film Festival Partner since 2013, and 2016 marked the fourth edition of the “Pierre Angénieux Excellens in Cinematography” honouring cinematographer Peter Suschitzky ASC. The tribute ceremony was an occasion for prestigious artists to personally express their admiration for this successful cinematographer in their previous collaborations with him, including Matteo Garone (dir. Tale Of Tales), actresses Alba Rohrwacher (Tale Of Tales), Juliette Binoche (Cosmopolis), Valeria Golino (Ludwig Van B) and actor Viggo Mortensen (Eastern Promises, A History of Violence, A Dangerous Method). Director John Boorman (who was not in Cannes this year) also paid tribute to Suschitzky through a video screened in The Bunuel Theatre, and Mortensen read a letter from director David Cronenberg with whom Suschitzky has worked on eleven movies. Previous Angénieux tributes have been to Philippe Rousselot (AFC ASC) in 2013, Vilmos Zsigmond (HSC ASC) in 2014 and Roger Deakins (CBE BSC ASC) in 2015.

Cannes Red carpet… Matteo Garrone, Alba Rohrwacher, Peter Suschitzky and Juliette Binoche. Photo by Dominique Charriau

CANNES 2016 LIST OF WINNERS: Palme d’Or: I, Daniel Blake Honorary Palme d’Or: Jean-Pierre Léaud Grand Prix: Xavier Dolan, It’s Only the End of the World Jury prize: Andrea Arnold, American Honey Caméra d’Or (best first feature): Divines (dir. Houda Benyamina) Best director: Graduation (dir. Cristian Mungiu) and Personal Shopper (dir. Olivier Assayas) Best actor: Shahab Hosseini, The Salesman Best actress: Jaclyn Jose, Ma Rosa Best screenplay: Asghar Farhadi, The Salesman Best short film: Timecode Many of Hollywood’s most notable filmmakers have recognised the differentiating artistry of film and continue to shoot on 16mm, 35mm and 65mm, including JJ Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), Danny Boyle (Steve Jobs), Kenneth Branagh (Cinderella), Joel & Ethan Coen (Hail, Caesar!), Todd Haynes (Carol), Adam McKay (The Big Short), Sam Mendes (Spectre), László Nemes (Son of Saul), Christopher Nolan (Interstellar), Naji Abu Nowar (Theeb), David O. Russell (Joy), Zack Snyder (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice), Steven Spielberg (Bridge of Spies) and Quentin Tarantino (The Hateful Eight). Among popular TV series that shoot on film are AMC’s The Walking Dead (DP Michael E. Satrazemis) and FX’s American Horror Story (DP Michael Goi ASC).

The apprentices… MPs Angela and Maria Eagle enjoyed their visit to Pinewood

PINEWOOD VISIT BY SHADOW MINISTERS Pinewood apprentices were delighted to recently meet with Angela Eagle MP, Shadow First Secretary of State, Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, and Maria Eagle MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, during a visit to the studios 10 May 2016.

ELSTREE TO BUILD NEW LARGE STUDIO SPACE

Elstree… new studio space will be bigger than the famous George Lucas facility

Hertsmere Borough Council’s planning committee unanimously granted permission for Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, to build a new studio on the recently-cleared four-acre area at the back of the studio complex near to The Big Brother House and the George Lucas stages. The application is to build a new stage the same height as the Lucas Stages but larger at over 21,000sq/ ft with connected scenery storage, workshops and production offices. Cllr Morris Bright, chairman of Elstree Studios said that this development will part-fulfil the much-needed requirement for more studio space. Managing director of Elstree Studios, Roger Morris, added, “The industry needs

more production space, and we already have clients who wish to use the new stage once it is built. It will probably be the best multi-purpose film and TV stage in the UK. We look forward to having more space to meet our client’s needs in the years ahead.” Elstree Studios has re-established itself as one of the top UK Studios attracting work from across the film and television industry including many major Hollywood productions. Last year Elstree Studios made record sales with productions such as Strictly Come Dancing, The Danish Girl and new drama The Crown.

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 23

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

DIFFERENT ANGLES

RRICREW: Matt Poynter spent May with Danish DP Rasmus Arridlt on Crazy Face, a new C4 drama filmed on 35mm, directed by Al Mackay, as well as operating A-camera for Shane Daley on Cold Feet. Iain Mackay ACO is in Budapest operating for Chris Ross BSC on the feature Terminal, starring Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg. Derek Walker ACO GBCT recently finished second unit on Dr Strange and has since done dailies for Star Wars VIII, The Mummy, and a commercial in Barcelona with DP Angus Hudson BSC. Peter Cavaciuti ACO has had what he considers one of the best shooting experiences of his career under director Robert Zemekis on Allied, with great precision and timing demanded from the crew. Peter was backed-up by first AC Olly Tellett and second AC Paul Snell, along with B-camera operator Luke Redgrave ACO and his team, namely first AC Toby Eedy, second AC Jack Sands, central loader Dan Lillie and Kai Brasey. All have been guided by the watchful eye of DP Don Burgess ASC. Ossie McLean ACO is B-camera and Steadicam operator on the main unit of Kingsman: The Golden Circle with DP George Richmond BSC and director Mathew Vaughn. Following two weeks on a car chase through London for the action unit of Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Oliver Loncraine is now operating A-camera on Fox’s Prison Break sequel in Morocco with DP Jeffery C Mygatt, who he previously teamed up with on the London season of Fox’s hit series 24: Live Another Day. Paul Edwards ACO has been busy with his steadicam rig on dailies for various projects. Creative Media: Joel Devlin is lighting Endeavour with director Ashley Pearce. John Rhodes is lensing at Three Mills Studios and around London on the latest series of The

24 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Royals with Mark Schwahn and Álvaro Gutiérrez has been back to his native Spain for a commercial for Schweppes. Dirk Nel continues on Red’s brand-new detective series Paranoid with director Kenny Glenaan. Berlin Associates: Sarah Bartles-Smith recently wrapped on the comedy drama Wasted. Ollie Downey is working on Vera. Mark Garrett shot Let It Ride for Buccaneer Media with director Tim Hopewell, airing on Nickelodeon later this year. Andy Hollis is shooting on Mount Pleasant for Tiger Aspect/Sky1. Suzie Lavelle is lighting Jamestown in Hungary, for Carnival Films/Sky1, with director Sam Donavan. Owen McPolin lit Dawn for World 2000 Entertainment with director Robert Stromberg. Toby Moore is on The Halcyon for Left Bank Pictures with director Rob Evans. Kelvin Richard shot a block on Doctors with director Shani Grewal and is on new BBC children’s series Apple Tree House. Anne-Marie Lean Vercoe shot Silent Witness with director David Richards. Phil Wood is working on commercials. Len Gowing lit Moving On and is lensing So Awkward. Casarotto: Sturla Brandth Grøvlen is shooting Thomas Vinterberg’s Kurske. Hélène Louvart AFC has wrapped on Barrage with director Laura Schroeder. PJ Dillon ISC is shooting episodes of both Vikings and Game Of Thrones 7. Sean Bobbitt BSC has completed Stronger in Boston, with director David Gordon Green. Gerry Vasbenter is on Bates Of Amazon for IMAX

and director Mike Slee. David Katznelson DFF BSC is working with director Kasper Munk on Rides Upon The Storm. Zac Nicholson BSC is shooting The Death Of Stalin for Free Range with director Armando Iannucci. Mark Wolf is lensing The Devil Outside for Ipso Facto with director Andrew Hume. Michael Wood shot Let Me Go on location in the UK and Vienna. Tim Palmer BSC is with director John McKay on Tina & Bobby for ITV. James Aspinall BSC is lighting for director Roger Goldby on The Time Of Their Lives. Matt Gray BSC worked with Phillippa Lowthorpe on BBC’s Rochdale. Julian Court lit Tennison with director David Caffrey for NOHO Film & TV. Annika Summerson, Brian Fawcett, David Pimm, Marcus Autelli & Sam Care have worked across commercials and promos. Intrinsic: in features, Peter Field operated splinter unit on Space Bear. Nic Lawson shot second unit for That Good Night in Portugal. Max Rijavec operated on the lowbudget feature Trendy. In TV Ruairi O’Brien ISC lit a block on Humans for Kudos/AMC with Stephen Murphy operating. Ruairi is now in Glasgow shooting Muncie for World Productions. Andy Clark lensed more of the daytime dramas The Coroner and Father Brown, and Chris Preston did more Doctors and The Coroner. Rasmus Arrildt DFF is on Crazy Face in Bristol. In Ireland, James Mather ISC is lighting Redwater for the BBC. Mark Nutkins lit the Arabic language TV thriller Daet Raas in Cairo. Chris O’Driscoll shot more of the kids’ football extravaganza Nick Kicks for Nickleodeon. Nigel Clarkson operated on Class for the BBC and wielded his Steadicam rig on Midsomer Murders for Bentley and Wasteman for Left Bank Pictures. Martin Roach has been operating on Made In

Mountain climber... Zack Spiger workng on a commercial

Shaw creates A flair for flares… Gary tude, an in-camera look on Forti rnshaw assisted by grip Reece Hea

Special delivery… Kate Reid lines up a shot on Call The Midwife

Out of the smoke... Jakob Ihre busy shooting a commercial

Chelsea. Arturo Vasquez SVC, Bashart Malik, Chris O’Driscoll, Dagmar Scheibenreif, Dave Miller, Ed Lindsley, Gabi Norland, George Burt, Joshua Reis, Lynda Hall, Mark Barrs, Martin Roach, Martyna Knitter, Paul Lilley, and Stephen Murphy have been working on commercials, corporate films and music promos. Lux Artists: Fabian Wagner BSC is on the feature Justice League with Zack Snyder for Warner Bros.. Rob Hardy BSC is lighting with director Alex Garland, on his new feature through DNA called Annihilation. Luca Bigazzi has wrapped on Gianni Amelio’s untitled feature and is prepping on Paolo Virzi’s next project starring Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren. Ole Bratt Birkeland is grading National Treasure, directed by Marc Munden. Sebastian Blenkov DFF is grading Miss Sloane, directed by John Madden, starring Jessica Chastain. Nicolas Bolduc CSC has started on Hochelaga, directed by François Girard. Carlos Catalan is shooting series three of Broadchurch, directed by Paul Andrew Williams. Lol Crawley BSC has wrapped on Netflix/Plan B’s TV series, The Oa for director Zal Batmanglij. Jessica Lee Gagne is shooting Daddy, directed by Ashim Kawal Mohan Singhahluwalia. Diego Garcia is on Where Life Begins, directed by Carlos Reygadas. Ruben Impens has finished Zargos, directed by Sahim Omar Kalifa. Benjamin Kračun is prepping on Film4’s Beast, directed by Michael Pearce. Luke Jacobs lit series three of Hinterland for BBC Wales. Ula Pontikos BSC is lighting Paul McGuigan’s Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annette Bening and Jamie Bell. Arnaud Potier is lensing Plonger by Melanie Laurent. Stuart Bentley is grading SSGB, directed by Philip Kadelbach. Adam Scarth has graded Daphne, co-produced by the BFI and The Bureau, directed by Peter Mackie Burns. Nanu Segal shot Old Boys, directed by Toby MacDonald and produced by Film4. Michael McDonough BSC ASC is set to shoot Debra Granik’s new film My Abandonment. Rik Zang is shooting the feature Pimp, directed by Christine Crokos. Steve Annis is prepping Aoife McArdle’s Kissing Candice. Bradford Young is prepping on the next Star Wars instalment to be directed by Rian Johnson. Tom Townend will do Lynne Ramsay’s next feature, You Were Give it some Never Really Here. Eric Gautier AFC is muscle… Joe prepping Drôle de Père. Meanwhile in the Russell crouche commercial world, Thimios Bakatakis low for a shot s on Fortitude shot Axe and Esso campaigns, directed by Nick Gordon and worked on Radiohead’s Instagram with Yorgos Lanthimos. Justin Brown recently won a D&AD Award for Brooks, directed by Bjorn Ruhmann and shot Verizon for Tom Hooper. Daniel Landin BSC lit a Chanel No.5 campaign with director Solve Sundsbo. Kasper Tuxen shot the latest Heineken campaign with

director Nicolai Fuglsig and won a D&AD Award for Under Armour, directed by Martin De Thurah. Niklas Johansson FSF and Alexis Zabe also received D&AD recognition pencil awards for Volvo, directed by Gustav Johansson, and Samsung Galaxy, directed by Eliot Rausch. Chayse Irvin CSC shot Beyonce’s feature length video ‘Lemonade’. Also busy shooting ads are Mauro Chiarello, Axel Cosnefroy, Danny Hiele, Jakob Ihre, Magnus Joenck, Jody Lee Lipes, Benjamin Loeb, Ben Moulden, Manel Ruiz, Zack Spiger, Martijn Van Broekhuizen NSC, Sebastian Winterø, Jackson Hunt, Jake Scott, Brian Curt Petersen, Natasha Braier ADF, André Chemetoff, Mátyás Erdély HSC and John Lynch ISC. My Management: the agency is ecstatic that two features shot by Robbie Ryan ISC BSC won prestigious awards at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The Palme d’Or was awarded to Ken Loach’s film I, Daniel Blake, whilst director Andrea Arnold took home the competition’s Jury Prize for her road movie American Honey. Robbie also won the Best Cinematography Award at the Berlin Music Video Awards for his work on the music video ‘Lights’ by Hurts, directed by Dawn Shadforth. New signing, Andrew Boulter has been a DP for many years with experience in commercials, music videos, docos, corporates and short films. His latest work has taken him to India and China on car shoots with Nigel Simpkiss. Jo Willems ASC SBC has shot ads for Calvin Klein with Francis Lawrence, Alka Selzter with Renny Maslow and Hewlett Packard in Iceland with Danny Kleinman. His latest project is a collaboration with director David Slade on American Gods, a TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s acclaimed contemporary fantasy novel, shooting in Toronto. Sy Turnbull has been in Spain on Opal with

Laurent Chanez through Tempomedia, in Belgrade with Olivier Groulx, in Santiago with Great Guns director Callum MacDiarmid and in Jamaica with Bouha Kazmi on a Zayn Malik music video. Dominic Bartels has been on spots for Hugo Boss and Pepe Jeans with Jon Clements, Ebay with Ben Steiner and has also collaborated with directors Simon Baker, Mike Harris, Barnaby Roper and Max & Dania on various projects. Olivier Cariou’s latest projects include KPN and Postnil through Bonkers with director Michael Wong in Amsterdam, Compare The Market in Spain with Dave Scanlon, a short film for Dior in Paris with Stephen Allander through Together Media and Schweppes with Justin Dickel at Thing 2. David Lanzenberg shot for Dove with director Peyton Wilson and for Starbucks with 1st Ave Machine and director Tim Brown. Tomas Tomasson lit an Icelandair commercial, directed by Ari Magg, produced by Snark. Simon Rowles has been working with Mike Reilly and 7 Wonder on an on-going Micky Flanagan project, has collaborated with Ben Frewin on Will.I.Am at the Royal Albert hall and shot Sony and Costa Coffee spots. Steve Chivers shot Gwen Stefani’s latest music video in LA with director Sophie Muller and Honda Civic with Dom & Nic at Outsider. Nicolaj Bruel was in Spain with director Martin Werner on Magnum. Aaron Reid lit a Thompson launch film in Spain with director Alex Cribs at Kode Media, music videos for WSTRN and Migos, and a hip-hop documentary with Storyvault films and director Danielle Graham. Tim Spence shot spots for E45, Robinsons, Samsung, Sky and Rexona with The Mill. Anders u Flatland FNF was with Pekka I know what yo

er… shot last summ z Álvaro Gutiérre pictured in production

Brothers-in-arms… Tommaso Mele (l) and Peter Cavaciuti (r) on the set of Allied in Maida Vale, directed by Robert Zemeckis, with DP Don Burgess ASC

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 25

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Take a break... Niklas Johansson FSF received D&AD recognition pencil award for Volvo

Christmas comes early… DP Adam Etherington (c) with Karl Clarke (l) (A-cam Loader) and Rami Bartholdy (r) (A-cam focus) in Snowdonia on Sky’s The Last Dragonslayer

In the thick of it… ercoe Annemarie Lean-V tness Wi working on Silent

Happy on location… Suzanne Smith has a smiley moment

Sesan, Vevo Lift, Jack Garratt as well as shooting for Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Vincent Warin worked on a Komili spot in Istanbul with director Devon Dickson and for Hermes in Paris. Katelin Arizmendi was in LA with Vince Haycock and Park Pictures and in the Caribbean on Stella. She also lensed a short film Last Night In Paris with Phillip Ramhofer. Todd Banhazl has been busy lensing spots for Delta, Freeform and Alcatel, and went to Delhi with Ransom in Films for Vistara Airlines with director Georgi Banks Davis. Smile please… DP Kelv ure feat the g Richard shootin Paul Mackay shot for Barclays, Natwest, ITV and Team eria Nig in d Bloo ond Bey Sky, and worked with Shine North and director Jules Higgs, promos with Great Coat, Mos Films and director Carly Cussen. Petra Korner has been shooting and, in her Hara on Mitsubishi and spare time, teaching a masterclass at Terre di Cinema in Aksel Hennie on NSB and Sicily. Tuomo Virtanen shot spots in his native Finland Hench man… Infinitum. Jallo Faber FSF with directors Oskar Bard and Mikko Lehtinen. Richard David Procter on location in latest work includes shooting Stewart, Gerry Floyd, Marcelo Durst, Mel Griffith, Pedro southern Spain shooting a car commercial. in his native Stockholm with Castro and Lester De Havilland have all been working on Picture by Gary Holder. Lukas Hammer and in personal projects around the globe. Barcelona on Hostelworld Screen Talent: Adam Sliwinski is on Signed Sealed with Smuggler director Barry Delivered 7 for Crowne Media. Bart Sienkiewicz recently Bangs. Ekkehart Pollack was in Malaga with Anders worked on ads for Carphone Warehouse and Huawei, a Hallberg and B-Reel and in Mallorca with Cadmo Quintero brand film for National Lottery and a promo for DJ Moti on Ford as well as lensing a Huawei ad in Barcelona with feat Nabiha called ‘Turn Me Up’. He is now shooting As director Gary Shore and Knucklehead. John Perez most Darkness Falls, a feature with director Mark Peters. Davey recently shot a promo in Mauritius and a Sunsilk Gilder shot a brace of shorts, Lambing Season, directed by commercial with director Luis Gerard and Depo Films in Jack Benjamin Gill, and Marina & Adrienne, directed by Istanbul. Roger Bonnici shot for Honda with Andy Lucy Campbell, plus a promo for Band Of Skulls directed Saunders and Tinderflint. Will Humphris lensed spots for by Jack Lightfoot. Simon Rowling shot Cognition, directed Nuffield Health with director David Campbell, Olay with by Ravi Chopra, starring Jeremy Irvine and Andrew Scott. The Mill and Jamie Lancaster, and has also been shooting McKinney Macartney Management: The Big Walk in the Peak District and Loch Lomond with congratulations to Polly Morgan on being invited to Spicer & Moore for the charity The Not Forgotten become a member of the BSC. And congratulations to Association, which helps veterans of the armed forces. Gavin Finney BSC for receiving the Televisual Bulldog David Wright lit for Lenovo, Beats with Shaun Grant, Award 2016 and The Guild Of TV Cameramen award of music videos for Nelly with director excellence for his work on Wolf Hall. Stuart Biddlecombe shot the hit drama Sherlock for Hartswood Films and is prepping the next series of Call The Midwife at Longcross Studios. Ben Butler, Mick Coulter BSC, Sebastian Cooking up a O’Brien at w top shot… Ruairi Milaszewski, Alessandra or

Scherillo, Clive Tickner BSC and Polly Morgan BSC have been shooting commercials. Denis Crossan BSC is underway on new ITV drama Loch Ness in Scotland. Shane Daly has finished the new series of Cold Feet with director Terry McDonough in Manchester. Gavin Finney BSC is shooting the second series of the acclaimed Mainstreet drama, Unforgotten, with Andy Wilson directing. Jean Philippe Gossart has completed principal photography on The Halcyon, the splinter unit on Star Wars: Episode VIII, and is prepping with the second unit on the Warner Bros. feature Justice League: Part One. Sam McCurdy BSC is prepping new ITV pilot Wagstaffe in London. Andy McDonnell has finished shooting DCI Banks and will collaborate with director Mark Brozel on the second series of Humans for Kudos. Arthur Mulhern has started prepping the feature The Hatton Garden Job in London, with Ronnie Thompson directing. John Pardue is in Vancouver shooting the US series Dirk Gently for BBC America. Chris Seager BSC has finished Guilt for ABC Network and started prep on The White Princess at The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, with director Jamie Payne. Mike Spragg completed principal photography on the second series of Fortitude and now prepping The Good Karma Hospital in Sri Lanka with Bill Eagles directing. Simona Susnea is shooting an art project for the Institute Of Modern Art in Brisbane. Darran Tiernan is shooting the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for Starz. Felix Wiedemann is lighting the feature Hampstead for Ecosse Films with Joel Hopkins at the helm. United Agents: welcomes Remi Adefarasin BSC to its roster. Remi has two films opening soon, Me Before You, directed by Thea Sharrock and David Brent: Life On The Road, directed by Ricky Gervais. Barry Ackroyd BSC is in the US for Katherine Bigelow’s new film. John de Borman BSC is meeting for various projects, and recently shot a commercial for Armani, directed by Tom Monro, for Production Club. John Lee is in prep on block two of new BBC drama In The Dark, directed by Ulrik Rolfsen.

k in the kitc hen

26 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Shooting The Bard’s shorts… Dave Pimm pictured lensing short films commissioned by The Globe for The Complete Walk event held on Southbank

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Before & after… Oliver Ford and crew on an ever-so wetand-wild shoot

David Luther is lensing a new episode of Sherlock. Paul Sarossy CSC BSC ASC shot a block of Tin Star for Kudos in Canada. Tony Slater Ling BSC lit My Mother And Other Strangers for director Adrian Shergold and will go on to The Last Post later this year, directed by Jonny Campbell. Peter Suschitzky ASC won the David Di Donatello Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Tale Of Tales, and was honoured at Cannes by Angénieux as a part of their fourth annual Pierre Angénieux Excellence In Cinematography celebration. Chloe Thomson has finished on Ellen, a single drama for C4, with director Mahalia Belo, and is now on an exciting theatre project in Berlin with director Katie Mitchell. Alan Almond BSC is meeting for various projects. Danny Cohen BSC is grading The Final Portrait and White lines… conducting recces for Victoria And Bashart Malik Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears. holds up the Martin Fuhrer BSC is grading the local traffic first block of The Collection, directed by Dearbhla Walsh for BBC/Amazon Studios. David Higgs BSC is shooting Churchill, directed Jonathan Teplitzky, and Tony Miller BSC is grading Fleabag for BBC/Amazon Studios. Kieran McGuigan BSC is prepping on series three of Grantchester and Laurie Rose is shooting NW, directed by Saul Dibbs. Simon Tindall operated for a stint on the Trainspotting 2 shoot, after which he started prep on Ben Anthony’s latest project. Charlotte Bruus Christensen is in the US shooting Fences for Denzel Washington. Sara Deane has just finished Danny Scheinmann’s After Louise. James Friend BSC is gearing up for the opening block of Carnival’s Lucky Man II. David Marsh has finished on No Offence II with director Catherine Morshead. Neus Olle is attached to an Argentinean feature project. David Raedeker is with director Sally Wainwright on the 90-min drama To Walk Invisible, about the Brontë sisters. Niels Reedtz Johansen is on Ordinary Lies II for Red/BBC. Kate Reid is shooting a block of Call The Midwife for Sheree Folkson and will light the entire third series of Uncle for Oliver Refson. Joshua James Richards is a new client, co-repped with Artistry in

the US. Ed Rutherford is reading scripts and taking meetings. Anna Valdez Hanks is lighting a block of Crazy Face for director Declan O’Dwyer. Ben Wheeler is shooting The Level, a new drama series produced by Hillbilly for ITV, and is attached to White Gold for Damon Beesley for BBC2. Magni Agustsson has been busy with commercials including Betsafe for Henry Moore through Bacon, and a new Icelandair campaign for Arni Thor Jonsson in Iceland. Alex Barber shot a Sky ad for Frederic Planchon at

Roper for Cadence. He has also won a Pencil Award at the D&AD Crafts for his cinematography on Skrillex’s music video ‘Doompy Poomp’ directed by Fleur & Manu for Division Paris. Dimitri Karakatsanis recently shot a Halfords commercial for Sebastian Reed in London for Believe Media. Stephen Keith-Roach lit a Honda spot for Jeff Labbe in London through Academy. Tim Maurice-Jones BSC recently lit a Tesco Mobile ad for Traktor in Mallorca, a Panasonic spot for Jim Gilchrist in Barcelona via Not so spooky… DP Simon Outsider, and an Reay and operator Ilana Ikea ad for Michael Garrard having a laugh on the set of Marley’s Ghosts Clowater at Premiere Heure. POV… a Alex Melman did a Alessandr a es Deezer spot for Scherillo us on Codex Acti e Molly Manners at th on a Camer nier Academy in London, ING set of a Gar cial commer for director Fiona McGee in London for Goodoil/ Rattling Stick, and Sainsburys for Guy Manwaring in Rome Eye eye... Ja Scott sighti ke through Sonny. Jake shot for di ng a Polonsky BSC recently re Dawn Shad ctor forth lit a commercial with Rory Kelleher in Lithuania for Markenfilm and is now on the new series of Billions in NY. Simon Richards’s ads include Diet Coke for Steve Reeves via Academy and a Another Film Co, Nationwide also with Steve Reeves, and BAA commercial a new Land Rover campaign for Simon Ratigan at HLA. for Dom & Nic in Christopher Sabogal was in Mexico shooting a short film London, via for David Petch through The Sweetshop. Marcel Zyskind Outsider. John Barr DFF shot Le Boin Coin commercial in Slovenia for director lensed a Sainsburys Joshua Neal at Premiere Heure. campaign for Helen Sara Putt Associates: Ali Asad has signed with the Downing in London agency. He recently worked on Doctor Who and Mad To Be through Pulse. Normal starring David Tennant and Michael Gambon. Si Bell Philipp Blaubach has is in Malaysia shooting Foreign Bodies for TNT/E4 and Eleven finished shooting the feature Kaleidoscope in London for Films. Mike Brewster just wrapped on Interlude in Prague. director Rupert Jones. Daniel Bronks’ commercials Pete Edwards is confirmed on Still Game for BBC Scotland. include a BT spot for Jeff Low in London through Biscuit Simon Hawken recently shot second unit on Emerald City. and McDonalds for Jonathan Herman in Berlin. Simon Paul Lang shot at Glynbourne with director Guy Evans Chaudoir’s ad campaigns include G-Tech with Ace Norton who he also worked with on The Secret Of Beethoven’s in London for Prettybird, Charlotte Tilbury with Baillie Fifth Symphony, which aired on BBC4 recently. Oona Walsh through RSA in London and Rimmel with Barnaby Menges has completed Verity with director Lyndon Ives.

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 27

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Decision-making… Tony Kay on set of Black Mirror working out a Technocrane shot with DP Ruben Impens

A grave moment… Oona Menges has completed Verity with director Lyndon Ives

Taking a breathe of fresh air… (l-r) Alex Bender, B-camera 2nd AC; Craig Shiels, B-camera grip; Ossie McLean, B-camera operator; and Ali Youssef, central loader

Bedroom an Mike Brewste tics… DP r shooting Interlude in Pr ague

a ATV… Steve Chivers with e camera car that might hav come from Mad Max

Winner...Simona Susnea is pictured with her Nahemi Kodak Student Commer cial Award 2016 for Best In Brief

Cat in the hat... Rik Zang is shooting the feature Pimp, directed by Christine Crokos.

>> Ed Moore is confirmed

on a block of ITV’s Vera. Simon Reay is lighting the new series of the comedy Marley’s Ghosts, starring John Hannah, for Objective Fiction. Peter Talbot lit a splinter unit for Trainspotting 2 and second unit on Kingsman 2. Giulio Biccari is confirmed on a block of Guerrilla for Fifty Fathoms. Jan Jonaeus completed a block of Hooten And The Lady in South Africa. Andrei Austin is on the latest instalment of Sherlock for Hartswood. Jon Beacham is prepping Britannia and will operate for DP Michael Snyman. Danny Bishop is on Humans after wrapping on 10 Rillington Place. Joe Bullen was on location in Scotland on Hush. Ed Clark is operator/Steadicam on Red Production’s drama Paranoid. Ilana Garrard is busy on promos, commercials and did dailies on B-camera for Simon Reay on Marley’s Ghosts. Rodrigo Gutierrez is operating dailies on the period drama The White Princess. James Leigh is operating on the hugely-

anticipated next instalment of Sherlock. Vince McGahon has started as camera/Steadicam operator on Alex Garland’s Annihilation for DNA Films. Julian Morson is still on The Mummy, starring Tom Cruise. Al Rae is on Danny Boyle’s Trainspotting 2 as camera/ Steadicam operator for DP Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC. Dale Rodkin is in his native South Africa on 24 Hours To Live, starring Ethan Hawke. Fabrizio Sciarra did dailies on The Level for Hillbilly Films, and is confirmed as Steadicam/camera operator on the next series of Lucky Man. Peter Wignall worked on an Outsider commercial for Disney. Rick Woollard has been busy on commercials including Halfords for Believe, Betway for Independent, Mountain View for Great Guns and an Elton John commercial for RSA, as well as doing dailies on Annihilation and Old Boys. Independent: Chas Bain is shooting The Last Kingdom II with the first block directed by Peter Hoare. Darran Bragg shot an H&M ad in London with Bruno Miotto of The Family in Milan. Henry Braham BSC has finished Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2. Bjorn Bratberg shot various commercials with Indy 8. Ben Davis BSC lit Martin McDonagh’s latest feature. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC is with director Danny Boyle on Trainspotting 2. Ian Foster has been busy shooting commercials. Sam Goldie is with Nexus shooting an Audi ad in Slovenia and Croatia with GMunk. Jess Hall BSC shot Ghost In The Shell directed by Rupert Sanders. Darius Khondji AFC ASC is shooting Okja for director Boon Joon Ho. Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC is lighting Life for director Daniel Espinosa, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal and Rebecca Ferguson. Carl Nilsson shot ads for Magners and Land Rover with Jake Scott and went to Barcelona to shoot a Citroen spot. Aadel Nodeh Farahani is with B-Reel on a Royal Caribbean ad with director Russell Brownley. Mark Patten has completed Taboo with director Anders Engstrom, the

Eclipse… David Marsh takes a look skywards on the set of No Offence II

28 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

We are sailing… Aa del Nodeh Farahani (c) on the Royal Caribbea n shoot, with Claud Rodriguez, VTR; Da ia ni Gallardo (l), focus puller; Adria Calvo (r), grip; and Russe ll Brownley (back) director. Photo cre , dit: Dani Gallardo

Up and away… Michael Wood five-stories high in a Vienna fire department cherry-picker on Let Me Go

Ring of fire… Gary Clark lenses up on Attila the Hun played by Emil Hostina Workin’ it… Si Bell on location in Malaysia shooting Foreign Bodies

Alive and well… the crew on Silent Witness (l-r): clapper/ loader, Eliot Stone; Tim Palmer BSC; assistant grip, Owen Charnley; grip, Gary Norman; focus puller, Richard Brierley; and gaffer, George Vince

eight x one-hour mini-series starring Tom Hardy. Dick Pope BSC has been shooting ads with Ulf Johansson, Smith & Jones. Balazs Bolygo recently completed work in Romania with director Ciaran Donnelly on the new Discovery Channel mini-series Harley And The Davidsons. Ulf Brantus shot the dramatic and highly acclaimed series Marcella, and is currently enjoying being in his native Sweden. Eigil Bryld’s feature Tulip Fever is on release. Simon Dennis is in Canada on Colm McCarthy’s SyFy pilot written by David Goyer. Adam Etherington has finished The Last Dragon Slayer, directed by Jamie Stone for Blueprint Pictures. Cinders Forshaw is grading the second series of Poldark, airing on BBC2 in the autumn. Eric Kress is in the US lighting Flatliners this summer. John Mathieson BSC is also in the US shooting Wolverine 3, working with director Jim Mangold. After grading Viceroy’s House for Gurinder Chadha, Ben Smithard BSC has moved on to Goodbye Christopher Robin with Simon Curtis. Mark Waters has begun a summer of shooting in Guadeloupe on the hugely popular BBC series Death In Paradise. PrinceStone: Of the agency’s DPs… Gary Clarke recently finished shooting Barbarians’ Rising for The History Channel, an eight-part series charting the rise and fall of the Roman Empire as told from the point of view of barbarians, shot in and around the Nu Boyana Film studios in Sofia, Bulgaria. Diego Rodriguez lit the comedy thriller White Island, set in the Ibiza’s club scene, directed by Ben Turner and starring Lydon Ogbourne and Billy Zane. Oliver Ford recently shot commercials for Nike and Fiat, featuring Samuel L Jackson, and has been working with Martin Parr. He is in preproduction for a documentary commissioned by Dazed and BFI about a

Just the ticket… Tomas Tomasson on an Icelandair ad

transgender swimming club. Laura Bellingham is prepping Ibizan feature length documentary Paradise Found for Smacc Films, as well as short BFI drama Baby Shower for director Joseph Pearce. Of the agency’s camera/Steadicam operators… Peter Robertson Assoc BSC ACO shot tests for a sci-fi thriller Life shooting at Shepperton Studios throughout the summer, starring Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhall and Rebecca Ferguson, with Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC the DP. Simon Baker ACO is shooting B-camera and second unit dailies on My Cousin Rachel starring Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin and Iain Glen. James Layton ACO is on A-camera on block three of the second series of Icelandic thriller Fortitude, directed by Metin Huseyin, with DP Mike Spragg BSC. Joe Russell also worked on the second series of Fortitude, with directors Hettie MacDonald, Metin Huseyin and Kieron Hawkes, and DPs Wojciech Szepel, Si Bell, Mike Spragg and Gary Shaw. Sean Savage is in Budapest working on the second series of The Last Kingdom for Carnival Films. Of the agency’s camera operators… Mark Milsome ACO has recently been on A-camera on The Etruscan Smile for Po Valley Productions, starring Brian Cox, Thora Birch and Peter Coyote, directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis, with Javier Aguirresarobe looking after the cinematography. Tony Kay shot blocks four and six of the third series of sci-fi drama Black Mirror. Dan Nightingale was in Manchester filming the second series of Paul Abbott’s comic police drama No Offence with director Catherine Morshead and DP David Marsh. n

Over the edge… Martijn Van Broekhuizen shooting a Chase Bank Commercial

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 29

F-STOP HOLLYWOOD / CINE GEAR EXPO 2016 / BY MARK LONDON WILLIAMS

FEEL THE HEAT

The 21st edition of Cine Gear Expo was held on the backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood. This year, the “heat” wasn’t only on the latest products, but also in the ambient weather that stuck through each day of the show, as folks wandered around the faux-NY streets to get a gander at what was new, or simply refined, in terms of gimbals, gear, cranes and cameras.

s for the lighting side, BBS’ Peter Plesner perhaps summed it up best, by saying the company wanted to offer a “clean, white light.” Whilst inadvertently riffing off Hemingway’s “clean, well-lighted place,” he captured a kind of simplicity that manufacturers are increasingly striving for in the plug-and-play landscape of video and audio capture that continues to unfold around us. Now if only Paramount could simplify their poorly thought out queue-management – which somehow managed to be even worse than last year’s – then the show can greet attendees, who have managed to wander in off Gower Avenue without already ARRI… being frazzled, before it SkyPanel is time for elevenses.

A&C Ltd: If Cine Gear is about looking at the latest gizmos, A&C are well-positioned with their Gizmo line of remote camera systems. Their top billed Gizmo Prime rotational head weighs only 42lbs and, along with their Pee-Pod units, come WiFi enabled, so they can be controlled by any Apple or Windows phone or tablet (no Android, as of yet!). The WiFi also serves to update software in the controllers as well. Angenieux: “It’s not easy to make Anamorphic glass,” company tech support manager Jean-Marc Bouchut told us. But with its Optimo line of compact zoom lenses, that’s exactly what they are doing. Not that such glass is laying around everywhere. One of their most buzzed-about offerings was the new 44-440mm range lens, which can be converted to a 25-250mm spherical lens with a change of “six screws” (and a swap out of the rear optical element). The conversion isn’t meant to be done on-set, but by the gear house sending out the package – and to date, there are only two available for rental in the LA area. Stay tuned! ARRI: “The SkyPanel is very hot,” we were told without irony, at the ARRI booth. And indeed there was lots of interest in the versatile, lightweight lights, which have the added plus, being LEDs, of not being overly “hot” after all. On the camera side, “the Alexa Mini is still running strong”, which, based on the numbers of people trying them out, was clearly true. Also greatly anticipated were coming features for the Alexa SXT, including multiple format options, 2 or 4K delivery resolutions, and more, perhaps to rival the SkyPanel for “heat” by the time the next show rolls around.

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Barger Lite: We caught up with Ed Barger at the RST booth, where he was sharing space, and showing off prototypes for his “entry into the LED world.” The Barger 20” is a 3x4 panel where each of the 20 tubes can be controlled separately to create an “infinite number of looks” in terms of colour and temperature. The back unscrew for easier firmware updates, and five had been sold, at the midpoint of the show, to LA rental houses based on the prototype alone. The real McCoys, or rather, the real Bargers, should be available by July. BBS: The Danish-based lighting company, currently overseeing an expansion into LA, remains one of the most affable at the whole show. Founder Peter Plesner told us that this year they were showing “small changes” to many of their better known products, like AC/DC capabilities to their four-way controller. Their lighting tubes and strips, which are practically the “Legos” of the lighting world, have been “ruggidised” according to Plesner, who also said he was “looking forward to people building their own stuff” with BBS’ constituent pieces. Meanwhile, they are keeping with remote phosphor in many applications because it “combines very well with daylight – the skin tones are better.” Chapman Leonard: The venerable studio equipment company was in a smaller booth this year – across from the same New York Street where they were last time. But in a sense, the reduced space served to show off even better the equipment they were highlighting – smaller cranes and dolly systems, for the “lighter footprints” of the expanding panoply of digital cameras, smaller LED lighting packages, etc. Their Cobra VT (Vertical Travel) can track and crane in a much tighter space than its heavier predecessors. It can also readjust quickly to different configurations, making it a perfect metaphor for film biz attempts to respond to constantly changing technology and delivery systems.

All smiles... The RED camera marketing team descend on British e Cinematographer publisher Alan Lown

Production line... Tour of on the new Mole Richards plant and factory floor

Winner… Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC was honoured with Cine Gear’s Cinematogra phy Lifetime Achievement Awa rd

Cinemoves: Founder/owner Scott Howell reported business was “off the charts” in the previous year. That was when they debuted their innovative Oculus head, with its four axes and 360-degree capabilities. Since then they’ve also acquired Pictorvision, which – continuing Oculus’ themes – not only provides their own aerial camera mount systems, but a line of drones as well, getting Cinemoves moving into the air. If that wasn’t enough, Howell co-founded CineTrix (see below), in order to help power all those remote panning, tilting, and gyrating cameras. Cinetrix: Hollywood is big on mash-ups. So what’s not to like when Cinemoves gets together with Grip Trix, of electric dolly fame, to form Cinetrix, which offers longterm charging and power solutions for power in the field? Their batteries offer 18 hours of LED power to one hour’s worth of 2K juice at the other end. Units are stackable, and even better, “solar capable,” as far as offering solutions both “green” and practical, when far in the field. Indeed, while they are still developing BlueTooth connectivity for future units, the current ones offer not only AC and DC capabilities, but USB ports as well. Meaning they can brand themselves as a necessary pit stop and remote charging station for everyone’s depleted phones and portable units at next year’s show! Cineo Lighting: “Lighting isn’t usually in the same sentence as ‘technology,’” laughed Cineo’s Rich Purcell, but Cineo’s new and in-the-pipeline products exemplified those particular themes of this year’s show – lighting units, mostly LED, that are portable and increasingly “tuneable” in terms of colour Cineo... and intensity. All of Cineo’s “phosphor is now HSX ported over to proprietary LEDs,” he continued, ranging from the 75,000 lumen 4x4s used on The Royals and other shows, to the Matchstix, which now boasts in-line dimmers. A tuneable HSX unit is coming in July, part of the sea-change that’s allowing DPs and lighting directors to “design their own spectrums, for the first time.”

Codex: The image capturing and processing company had its new Production Suite 4.0 on display, with a new user-interface that allows for easier dailies viewing, archiving, and of course, colour grading. The suite is Chapman Leonard... being promoted as a one-stop “camera-tothe team show off post” solution, and other “hot swappable” their latest camera support equipment features gets Codex paired easily with cameras like Alexa, RED and GoPro. Their stackable modules offer from 8 to 16TB memory – just the ticket when you’re filming a studio tentpole. Or just Grip Factory about anything of length in an increasingly “hi-def” world. Munich: No trip to Cine Gear is Colorfront: The Academy Award-winning developer complete without of on-set dailies and transcoding systems showcased catching up with its new 2016 Express Dailies system for Ultra High GFM’s sprightly Definition (UHD) and High Dynamic Range (HDR) Derek Magee. image-processing in dailies workflows for digital cinema, Perched on their high-end episodic TV and OTT internet entertainment usual “corner” in channels, such as Amazon and Netflix. Express Dailies the Paramount 2016 also supports Panavision’s newly-announced backlot, GFM Get a grip... Derek at the Grip large-format DXL 8K camera. These was showing off Fac tory booth latest advances enable producers, their reimagined cinematographers and DITs to review and refurbished original camera material in HDR on“Quad Dolly,” set, rather than having to wait until making its debut at the show – downstream post-production. and now machined from “a single piece of aluminium.” It was getting a good, buzzy response, as was their Cooke Optics: The always-agreeable simple-yet-elegant strap bracing kit for their bazooka Geoffrey Chappell mentioned that Cooke’s base. Magee found himself in the midst of “non stop Anamorphic zoom lenses were getting traffic” this year, and also a great response with their way of thought the 2016 edition was capturing a certain classic a little “more international” look with today’s digital than last year’s. gear. The 35-140mm range lens has already Kino Flo: “Everyone likes been a success, and the modularity,” company 45-405mm version is in co-founder Freider Hocheim told us. development. They’ve also He was, of course, talking about their own launched CookeOptics.tv, an online products, like the kits (one named the BarFly, the very channel featuring various masterclasses film where then-gaffer Hocheim and best boy Gary Cooke... new front in lighting, cinematography, collaborating Swink devised their unobtrusive fluorescent lighting Anamorphics with directors, and more. Tune in now. were on display breakthrough that ultimately led to Kino Flo’s creation),

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 31

F-STOP HOLLYWOOD / CINE GEAR EXPO 2016 / BY MARK LONDON WILLIAMS Dialogue with ASC Cinematographers... A very informative and entertaining panel with some of the world’s best and award winning cinematographers

Spot the dog... Roy Wagner ASC at Cine Gear

LED fixtures on >> and display at the show.

“Who ever heard of taking a fixture apart?,” he added rhetorically. Now, of course, that modularity and accessibility – and “swapability” – are increasingly expected, and when Hocheim says that “this is a marathon,” in terms of the on-going changes to be wrought by digital cameras, and the gear that lights them, he speaks for many Cine Gears yet to come. Lee Filters: Sales director Ralph Young said the company had a “good year” since the last show. There wasn’t a particular “new product” they were sprouting this year, though if time has flown by since the previous gathering, new additions to their Stopper line of filters help further slow down time’s march, or at least light, allowing for longer, more creative exposure options. Additionally, Young mentioned a steady expansion into newer markets like stills photography and architectural settings, particularly hotels, such as The Winds in the Philippines, while the work proceeds on new camera filters. Matthews Studio Equipment: Ed Phillips said the gripequipping company had at least “five new products which were very well received,” including a return of the “ rocker plate, which hasn’t been made in our country in 25 years.” One of the other highlighted items was the announcement that the Dutti Dolly, invented by grip James Saldutti, would be made and sold by Matthews. The aluminium plate rides on skate wheels, extremely low to the ground, and is useful in a variety of situations where traditional dolly tracks can’t be laid. It’s been used in a variety of settings already, including a down-the-Eiffel Tower fight scene in Rush Hour. “Good operators like it,” Saldutti told us. “It’s about putting the right tools in the right hands,” which may be one of the best one-line summations of Cine Gear as a whole, that we’ve heard. Mole-Richardson: The storied lighting company helped kick off Cine Gear with a BBQ event at its new Pacoima headquarters the night before the show – north of its Hollywood roots, but with faster freeway commute times for those working and building at the copious, soundstage-like grounds, and for those making the daily deliveries of equipment to the

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Photo: ©George Leon/Filmcastlive

Burbank studios and elsewhere. Much of their newer gear was lighting up their show displays as well, with a 5” LED light from one of the pioneers of Fresnel use, along with a 900W SeniorLED which boasts a 5kw Tungsten equivalent. The Vari Panels and Vari Moles offer their own entries in the current Grailchase of increased and variable Kino Flo… Select LED colour control. 30/20 DMX

Panasonic: The Varicam 35 grabbed a lot of traffic for the electronics giant, with its design to simplify workflow – another motif of this year’s show. The Varicam can support 4K/120fps uncompressed RAW recording, using the Codex-developed module, offers in-camera colour grading, and can shoot in UHD. As can the lighter LT models, which are increasingly used in documentary and live sports settings. Panavision/Light Iron: One of the show’s highlights was the debut reel of footage shot by Panavision’s brand new DXL – or Digital XL – 8K camera. The small screening Panavision… room in the corner DXL 8K camera of their large display area was routinely packed for the demo. A series of scenes and in some cases “contemplations,” had been shot by various well-known cinematographers like Dean Semler, Mitch Amundsen and others, covering wilderness vistas, period interiors, zooming vehicles, and more. The footage managed to be rivetingly sharp, particularly in outdoor scenes, without feeling overly “video-ish.” The camera itself is a partnership between Panavision, Light Iron, and RED, and is said to weigh only around 10lbs. You’ll be hearing more about this all the way to the next Cine Gear, and beyond. Mole-Richardson… 900W Vari-Skypan LED

Pinewood MBS: While offering their usual Cine Gear hospitality in their “corner lounge” on one of Paramount’s backlot streets, turning the space behind a building facade into a practical “interior” for the duration of the show, MBS’s executive VP Michael Newport said the lighting company is “getting into our stride in terms of growth” – not just as Pinewood’s stages expand in places like the UK and Atlanta, but also in the NY market as well. But the business model is going beyond the soundstages, with expanded location capabilities, including mobile generators, new LED packages touted by Pinewood managing director Darren Smith, and more. “We don’t want to just be a ‘check the box’ type company,” Newport continued. “We’ll do what it takes for what productions want to accomplish.” Whether it’s on a soundstage or not. Power Gems: If you heard the strains of “Manchester, England, England,” being hummed from the Hair soundtrack, it might have been in honour of Power Gems. Sales director Patrick McGuane reminded us that the ballast-making company has been manufacturing and designing products in Manchester “for the last 23 years,” – their outposts in Hollywood and Atlanta notwithstanding. They continue to push the limits of modular construction and components, and also continue to expand into architectural and event markets as well. The Rag Place: President Pat Caputo agreed with one of this year’s sub plots, that “LED lighting is the future,” and he makes no bones that The Rag Place wants to “lead the accessories line for that future”. Those first bold steps into tomorrow are coming with a line of snap bags for LEDs, and one of his most

CINE GEAR 2016 TECHNICAL AWARD-WINNERS Photo: ©George Leon/Filmcastlive

Photo: ©George Leon/F ilmcastlive

Thales Angenieux - Angenieux 44-440mm Optimo A2S Zoom Lens Zacuto - Gratical Eye Micro OLED Electronic Viewfinder ARRI - ARRI Trinity Camera Stabilisation System Sony - PVM-X550 55” Trimaster EL 4K OLED monitor. Codex - Codex Production Suite AC Lighting Inc. - Chroma-Q Space Force LED Lights Direct Hit FX - Rapid Reload LFH and BFH Bullet Hit Squibs

Honorable Mentions:

Cinemoves - CineCube Battery Pack System TiltaMax - FIZ (Focus, Iris, Zoom) unit RED - MDRs (Motor Driven Rollers) That Cat Camera Support - Silent Cat Camera Sliders 360 Heroes - 360 Abyss Underwater Housing

minutes at a time, once everyone got their Instagram pictures to post. The vest, managing director Terry Carey told us, was spending “more time on peoples’ backs than in the booth.” Richard Crudo ASC, Saul Molina AC circulation director and three time consecutive Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki ASC, AMC Photo: ©George Leon/Filmcastlive

buzzed-about products this year, their Magic Cloth. Like any good magician, Caputo declined to say how the magic worked, but he held a swath of it up to the sun for us, while demonstrating the soft source diffusion that the filter can provide in a variety of situations, even, or perhaps especially, without a fusion-driven solar source nearby. Rosco: The Sun Valley-based lighting and stage materials company, just up the freeway from the new Mole Richardson plant, had most of its catalogue stalwarts on display at the show, including the View, a window filter system that allows broadcast studios to balance light between exteriors and interiors, as has been done on a few of the past Olympics, in the Bloomberg studios, and elsewhere. The budget-priced

Silk 210 LED fixture continues to sell well, and their Cube family of lighting fixtures are finding additional uses in architectural settings, too. Tiffen: One of the steadiest queues at the show was in front of the Tiffen booth, where attendees waited to get pictures of themselves strapped into the company’s new Steadimate, an addition to their storied Steadicam line-up. The vest and adapter allows for hours of use by taking the load off the operator’s arms, though trying out the prototype only lasted a few

Transvideo: Ooh la la! Despite being positioned in a slew of booths just outside the official entrance to CineGear, the Transvideo folks were very pleased with how many looks their compact Starlite monitors were getting, thanks to the circuitous route Paramount insisted that everyone take to the show. The result? Everyone had to pass their display! Their 5”, phone-sized monitor, released at NAB, continued to be a hit, with spot playback, metadata reports, and a SmartCorner with easier, immediate interface – which might describe their booth placement as well. n Transvideo... StarliteRF monitor-recorder mounted on the ARRI WCU-4 controller

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MEET THE NEW WAVE / AARON REID / CINEMATOGRAPHER

TOTALLY FOCUSSED Filmography (so far): In production with Private Passions - Hip Hop (Sky Arts doc, November 2016). Brotherhood (August 2016), Legacy (2015) and Community (2012).

When did you first discover you wanted to be a DP? I was a filmmaker first, directing and shooting my own work. However by the end of Uni I was being asked to shoot other students’ films. I started to get really into it and obsessed about lighting and cameras, and it moved on from there. Where did you train? London Film School, 2006-08. It was great. I shot solely on film for two years – an experience that was invaluable. What are your favourite films? A Prophet (2009, dir. Jacques Audiard, DP Stéphane Fontaine) – I really enjoy social realism and films where I learn about different cultures and ways of life. A Prophet is very subtle in its approach to lighting and the camera work. It feels almost observational. I didn’t notice how well it was shot until watching it second time around. Central Do Brasil (Central Station) (1998, dir. Walter Salles, DP Walter Carvalho) – such a moving film. The humour and the acting are great. Visually it’s unique in that it feels observational, but every shot is considered and immaculately framed. Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005, dir Rob Marshall, DP Dion Beebe ACS ASC) – Dion’s work is just exceptional. It’s definitely a film where the cinematography, production design and costume come together in perfect harmony. Atonement (2007, dir. Joe Wright, DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC) – I watched this film at Camerimage in 2007 and was completely blown away by the cinematography and the story. The one-take shot on the beach left me with goosebumps. What’s the best advice you were ever given? I recently went for lunch with Remi Adefarasin BSC. We met through my colourist Jat Patel at Molinare. I was in grading Brotherhood and Remi was with Jat after grading David Brent Life On The Road. I spoke with him for hours, and had so many questions. I hope I didn’t bore him. One of the things that he said to me, some of the best advice I’ve had, was to make my approach to lighting as simple as possible, and to really test as much as possible with pre-grades before shooting. Who are your DP/industry heroes? Emmanuel Lubezki AMC ASC is my favourite DP. I’m moved by every film he does because there is always something ground-breaking. Robbie Ryan BSC – I love the way he frames and lights, and how close he gets to his subjects without it feeling uncomfortable. Brian Tufano BSC – not many people know, but I was a spark on Adulthood for a week. My gaffer was the only person who knew I was training to be a DP so he put me on the floor with Brian. It was one of my greatest experiences. 34 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Dion Beebe ACS ASC – his work is fantastic. Everything he shoots is flawless and I love how his work complements production design.

Which films are you most proud of to date? Brotherhood. We shot the film in four weeks on what was really a six-week schedule, averaging 27 slates a day.

Amir Mokri – I grew up watching films that Amir shot, such as Bad Boys II, Don’t Say A Word and Lord Of War. I was always amazed with how natural his hard backlighting and hot windows felt.

Tell us your hidden talent/party trick? Guessing distances in feet, which always goes down well with the camera crew.

Have you won any awards or received any nominations? A Royal Television Society Award for a documentary I made as a student. What’s your proudest moment? Getting booked to shoot Brotherhood. The previous films in the trilogy had been shot by the amazing Brian Tufano BSC, so it was an emotional moment considering I’m up-and-coming, and on the previous film I was a spark. I had a lot to live up to, and it was great of Noel Clarke and Jason Maza to give me the opportunity. What’s the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had? I shot a music promo and off that the director was awarded a $100k promo in LA. However, the label would not let me shoot. I was gutted but I bounced back! What have been your best and worst moments on set? Best: shooting Sir Tom Jones and hearing about his friendship with Elvis. That was a humbling moment. Worst: on a commercial in Nigeria and the Nigerian agency was annoyed that the production had employed a black cameraman. They employed a white Nigerian man to stand next to the camera for the entire shoot. He was a local barman in Lagos and turned out to be a really nice guy. Even so, it was a demoralising experience. Tell us your most hilarious faux pas? End of a night shoot in Sheffield. I’ve got my breakfast, but I’m so tired that I accidentally flip the entire meal over myself, and the floor, whilst trying to sit down.

In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot? Children Of Men (2006, dir. Alfonso Cuaron, DP Emmanuel Lubezki AMC ASC) – it has so many levels visually. The style, the technology, the handheld, the vision – such a great film. What are your current top albums? I love deep house and techno, along with trap music and rare groove. I don’t have albums, just an epileptic mix of cool groovy music. Can you tell us your greatest extravagance? Nice cars. But I’m trying to get it out of my system before I settle down and have a family. Which three adjectives best describe you and your approach to cinematography? Traditional. Untraditional. Evolving If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now? Probably a DJ living in Berlin and travelling to beach locations in the summer. DJing can be technical and creative, but the more you understand the technology, the more creative you can be. Which I feel also applies to being a cinematographer. What are your aspirations for the future? To keep on growing as a cinematographer, learning as a filmmaker, and to one day become a member of the BSC. Best moment on set... shooting Sir Tom Jones

Away from work, what are your greatest passions? Manchester United – I’ve been lucky enough to shoot most of the squad this year with Chevrolet and Kode Media, which I was over the moon about. What one piece of kit could you not live without? My light meter – I cannot imagine shooting something without her.

Brotherhood

SPOTLIGHT / SPARKS, BUDAPEST

TRAILBLAZER

Watch the birdy.. (l-r) Judit Romwalter, Vilmos Zsigmond, Susan Zsigmond and Richy Romwalter at the opening of “Photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond” exhibition in the Ludwig Muzeum, Budapest, in 2015. Photo by Marianna Sárközy.

Hungary has made a significant impact on the world of cinema. It produced its first newsreel in 1896, with its first documentary following in 1901. Later in the 20th century many Hungarian actors, producers and directors won acclaim in Hollywood and the British film industry. The country has also produced outstanding cinematographers, notably the late Vilmos Zsigmond ASC and László Kovács ASC, both of whom won international acclaim and many awards.

he local film business, however, has been through highs and lows, often with little infrastructure and support. Since the fall of Communism the situation has improved dramatically as new studios have opened, supported by hire and facilities companies offering up-to-date technology and equipment. Key amongst these is Sparks Camera & Lighting; cofounded by Zsigmond it has formed its own identity that has grown far beyond that famous initial association. Based in Budapest, Sparks works on feature films and high-end drama productions for the domestic and international markets. Hungary has become a major

movie production centre, offering both locations and sound stages. In both cases producers, directors and cinematographers demand the latest gear, which Sparks provides through associations with manufacturers such as Panavision, ARRI, Chapman, Mole Richardson, Matthews and Canon. Over 20 years ago, says Sparks’ manager Judit Romwalter, the situation was very different. Zsigmond, who left Hungary in 1956 during the Hungarian Uprising, saw the lack of new camera and grip equipment when he returned to his homeland in the early 1990s to shoot Stalin, a 1992 TV movie co-produced by HBO. Also on the shoot was Judit’s father, gaffer Béla ‘Richy’ Romwalter, who started as an electrician at National Hungarian Television Chanel in 1966 and has been working as a gaffer since 1973. “They had met before, but they became very close friends on that

production,” Judit Romwalter comments. “Vilmos was surprised that my father could be working with the old equipment he had, so he proposed that they set up a company to supply proper, up-to-date gear to do the job.” Sparks was the result of that proposal and, with the help of William F White Ltd, came into being in 1992. Over the years the company has built up an inventory that includes “all the professional brands”, including Sony, Canon and, more recently, RED. It has been handling Arriflex since 1997 and from 2005 has handled the agency for Panavision in Hungary. This last relationship goes back even further to the days of Lee Lighting, where a key figure was Jackie Rowden, who now heads up Warner Bros Studios Leavesden’s production rentals department. “We are very thankful to Panavision and Jackie,” comments Romwalter. “We’ve been working together for a long time. Through all the years of Sparks we have had a partnership with them, which has helped us serve our target market of national and international productions. This includes feature films, TV series and big commercials. It gave us the chance to work with amazing cinematographers such as Vilmos, László, Darius Khondji, Dante Spinotti, Dean Seamler, John Mathieson, Haris Zambarloukos, Ben Davis, Benoit Delhomme, Andrew Dunn, Harvey Harrison, Tim Palmer, Attila Szalay, Martin Kenzie, Jon Daly, Nic Morris, Nic Knowland, Alexander Witt, Chris Ross and many others.”

Red carpet tribute… (l-r) Linda & Pierre Andurand, Violaine Kyung Bourgeais, Jerry Schatzberg, Catherine Deneuve, John Boorman, Vilmos & Susan Zsigmond, Judit Romwalter, Siew Moï Tng and Dominique Rouchon at Angénieux’s 2014 tribute to Vilmos Zsigmond in Cannes. Photo by Pauline Maillet.

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What a picture… a gift for Sparks’ 15th birthday

“WE ARE VERY THANKFUL TO PANAVISION AND JACKIE. WE’VE BEEN WORKING TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME. THROUGH ALL THE YEARS OF SPARKS WE HAVE HAD A PARTNERSHIP WITH THEM, WHICH HAS HELPED US SERVE OUR TARGET MARKET OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL PRODUCTIONS. THIS INCLUDES FEATURE FILMS, TV SERIES AND BIG COMMERCIALS.” JUDIT ROMWALTER

Witt, John Bruno, Friends… (l-r) Alexander Zsigmond and Judit Romwalter, Vilmos er together when Dante Spinotti enjoy dinn Budapest Hercules was shooting in

Meeting… (l-r ) Vi Zsigmond, Lászl lmos and Richy Romwó Kovács discuss the Int alter er Cinematograph national Masterclass in er 2003

Sparks began stocking digital cameras in 2007, RED, Canon and ARRI among them. Romwalter feels that these brands and the technology they use have changed the whole filmmaking world. “Digital has become more asked for and people are using it for different types of production. There are still productions that would like to shoot on film,” she says. “Last year I was talking to Vilmos about what he thought would happen to film. He replied that the problem was there are no more labs, which makes things very difficult. But film is film and digital will never be film.” Hungary joined the European Union in 2004, something Romwalter says has benefited the country in general and the film business in particular. “Being part of the EU has made things much easier not only for the film industry but other businesses,” she says. “In our sector we have seen tax rebates, which has helped foreign productions that come here and spend money. From the days when there was only one studio with two stages there are now several studios, including Korda, Origo, Astra and Stern. Overseas productions also come for the locations; the Sky 1 TV series Jamestown, set in colonial America, is being shot here in a forest with a fishing lake. People also come here because we have places that look like France, England or cities like Berlin.” Romwalter says that all this is providing a platform for nurturing and training the next generation of filmmaking professionals: “That includes all the behind-the-scenes people, from electricians to set builders to assistant camera operators and DITs up to directors of photography.” Encouraging the new wave was something Zsigmond was committed to. He supported the Academy Of Drama & Film in Budapest, where he trained alongside Kovács; with the help of Sparks and Panavision he established International Cinematographer masterclasses where students and up-and-coming DPs could learn from leading practitioners, including himself and Haskell Wexler. Today, the Hungarian film industry’s best gaffer was brought up at Sparks. Because of the closeness of the relationship between Romwalter and her father and Zsigmond, who died in January, she says it is “a hard one” to talk about memories of him. “Vilmos was not only a business partner or founder, he was part of our family,” she says with emotion in her voice. “I think about his humour and life experience as well as what he did professionally. He never said no, always had time to talk and was very gentlemanly. He gave my father an opportunity and, through that, he gave us a chance to change our lives and we are so grateful to him. He was a unique person. “ The Romwalters have celebrated Zsigmond in a documentary (coming out later this year) that she says looks at him from “another perspective”. The father and daughter are also continuing showings of the exhibition “Photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond”, first seen at the Ludwig Museum in Budapest during 2015. Whilst the two work together closely, Judit acknowledges that this could have been a difficult situation: “I have to thank my father because it’s not easy to be a parent and a business partner. We’ve had our difficult times, but have worked together for 20 years. We are thankful for our great professional relationships with film industry people all around the world and to have great clients and employees.” As for the future of Sparks, Judit, who studied economics and joined the company in 1996, says filmmaking technology and equipment is continuing to change, something she keeps up with by talking to others in the industry and reading articles about the latest trends. “Technological change is now very fast,” she comments, “which in one way could be dangerous. So it would be good to know what will happen in five years and what everyone will be using.” Predicting the future is not easy, but Sparks has ridden the trends over the years and appears well placed to do the same as time moves on. British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 37

LETTER FROM AMERICA / RICHARD CRUDO ASC / PAST PRESIDENT - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

SUMMIT TO THINK ABOUT

Outgoing ASC president Richard Crudo ASC reflects on the big issues debated during the 2016 International Cinematography Summit in Los Angeles.

n addition to the many good things that can be said about cinematographers, people often lose sight of the fact that we’re also the most generous in how we regard our colleagues. No other discipline in the motion picture industry can make a remotely similar claim to such solidarity, affection and respect within the ranks. Anyone who has had the good fortune to attend a gathering of our number will instantly recognise the special bond. Cinematographers have always been known as the most passionate artists in the business; it’s no surprise that our shared understanding of the “how” and “why” of what we do translates so easily on a social level as well. And this is precisely why we regularly meet in our home countries in an effort to protect and expand our interests. Seeking to bridge the geographical distance, early this past June, the ASC hosted the second International Cinematography Summit at our Clubhouse in Hollywood. It was attended by representatives of more than thirty cinematography societies from around the world for the purpose of increasing communication and interaction surrounding the artistic and technical changes that are affecting our craft. The first summit was held in 2011 and was a huge success; the results this time were even better. Standardisation of emerging technologies, educating the next generation, archival concerns, future trends - these issues are at the forefront for all of us, regardless of where we live or work. Beyond those however, a few critical items seemed to permeate the zeitgeist. One concerned an aspect of artist’s rights. It’s scary to think that at this late date we’re still hearing reports about cinematographers being blocked from supervising the finish of their work in the DI suite. Does discouraging or altogether barring the cinematographer from placing the final touches save money or time? Example after example has proven the opposite to be true. Equally troublesome, artistic integrity is compromised every time the original intent developed by the director and cinematographer is cast aside. Since we’re hired for our taste and expertise – which are generously proffered at every point in the process, by the way – you really have to wonder what’s going through someone’s head when they choose the exclusionary route. Compounding the insult, throughout the world we are rarely paid for our post-production labour. Short of a binding, right-of-authorship agreement – which I assure you will never be enacted in the United 38 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

States – we’re pretty much left to our own devices in this respect. Our employers are aware of the great commitment we bring to the job and many of them are all too eager to use that against us. Right now our only recourse is to develop strong relationships early-on with directors and producers that will serve to protect us when necessary. The irony is that the smart ones understand how important our contribution is and generally insist that we supervise the DI. Problems usually emerge only when the uninformed are in control, and sadly there are enough of those running around the industry to fill the London O2. Hopefully the feelings stirred at the International Cinematography Summit will spread some desperately needed knowledge and lead to an improved situation. A second topic that drew a great deal of momentum was the problem of excessive working hours. This has become a nearly universal policy that is by nature insidious; on the surface it doesn’t seem dangerous, but it is. Speaking from my own considerable experience, it’s a miracle that on innumerable occasions the extreme exhaustion experienced by myself and my fellow crewmembers hasn’t led to disastrous consequences. “As Directors of Photography, our responsibility is to the visual image as well as the protection of our crew. The continuing and expanding practice of working extreme hours seriously compromises both the

quality of our work and the health and safety of others. It is our obligation to oppose a situation that threatens the well being of every member of the crew.” When the late ASC legend Conrad Hall expressed this sentiment in 2002, he had just endured (survived, is a better term) an arduous – but not particularly uncommon – schedule on the feature Road To Perdition (2002). He returned home with a desire to alert the industry and incite reform of a mindset, which had taken an enormous toll on his health. For the first time, he put forth the notion that excessive hours had become a type of officially sanctioned abuse. In 1997 Los Angeles-based assistant cameraman Brent Hershman was killed while driving home from a shoot in a sleep-deprived state. Countless others continue to avoid a similar fate merely by luck or the hand of God. It remains a black mark on the industry that no substantive action has been taken to reignin the thinking that leads to the working under these onerous conditions. The international assembly agreed: this needs to change and the sooner the better. As always, the “how” part is the difficult part and no course of action was determined. Perhaps it’s just as well that we continue to chip away little-by-little as we engage the battle to maintain our dignity. Nonetheless, the summit concluded with a spirit of accomplishment and optimism. It was gratifying to witness so many cinematographers from so many parts of the world acting so intently upon the challenges of our day. It came as no surprise, though. When you think about what we do and what we all represent, it goes to show you that once again: that’s just who we are.

ON THE JOB / HENRY BRAHAM BSC / THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

JUNGLE

VIP

A decade after Tarzan left Africa to live in Victorian England as John Clayton III with his wife Jane, the couple are lured back to the Congo under false pretences by Leon Rom. A treacherous envoy of King Leopold, Rom plans to entrap Tarzan and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for diamonds. But when Jane becomes a pawn in Româ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s devious doings, Tarzan must return to the jungle to save the woman he loves.

he $180million Warner Bros. Pictures production of The Legend Of Tarzan is based on the famous fictional character originally created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. The new movie is directed by David Yates, written by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer and stars Alexander SkarsgĂĽrd as Tarzan, Margot Robbie as Jane, with Christoph Waltz portraying their double-dealing nemesis Rom. Principal photography began on June 30, 2014, at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, under the supervision of cinematographer Henry Braham BSC, and wrapped four months later on October 3rd. Amongst the sets on the backlot was a large working waterfall and a 100-foot-long collapsible pier. Inside the studios were entire jungles with climate effects. Making Africa and its jungles appear authentic was especially important, and Braham spent a further seven weeks after the Leavesden shoot in Gabon shooting background plates and landscapes.

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ON THE JOB / HENRY BRAHAM BSC / THE LEGEND OF TARZAN

>> “Tarzan is a very old property, since its inception by Burroughs in the early 1900s, and there was a great opportunity to tell the story with a contemporary perspective,” says

Braham. “I was attracted to the project as it’s a great adventure, with real characters, expressive emotion and true passion. Along with the opportunity to work with David at the helm, the ambitious scale and scope of the movie was of great appeal. I really felt we could make a great looking movie.” Braham says initial discussions with Yates about figuring out the visual ideas for the production were long, “because that’s often the hardest part of making any movie. The idea was to make an expressive, immersive movie using the counterpoint between intimacy on the one hand, and scale on the other, to create a dynamic, big-screen experience.” He continues. “This might sound obvious, but you have to understand our rationale. David is open to counter-intuitive thinking and we did not want to be reverent in our approach. We wanted the movie to be expressive in the way that the camera is inside the story, up close with the characters and their emotional journeys, rather than being outside, observational and marvelling at the landscapes. It had to be dynamic in the way that the camera moves and frames the action. And we wanted it to be cinematic in a way that made

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the jungle exciting, dark and dangerous – this sort of environment can look really dull and boring if you’re not careful. “So we came up with a methodology to build and shoot as much as we could in the studio, to shoot backgrounds and aerials at a later date and join things up in post production. There are some really brilliant people out there who will engage with you on a challenge like this. Furthermore, one of the joys of filmmaking today is that you can approach manufacturers and design the technology around

your idea, in ways you could never really do before. You no longer have to pick up equipment from the shelf and just go with that. You can start with a blank piece of paper and really mould what you want to suit the movie.” On the technology side, Braham says it was fortunate that pre-production coincided with the arrival of the 6K RED Dragon camera. “Physically it’s a very small camera, not much larger than a Hasselblad, and has powerful, large format image capture capabilities. I could see the possibility of using it in all manner of different situations on-set. Jarred Land and the team at RED proved very helpful and responsive in making physical changes to the camera body to enable what I wanted to do, along with various updates to the software and workflow functions.” After extensive testing of a wide selection of lenses that would suit the camera’s 6K sensor, and the production’s 2.40:1 aspect ratio, Braham settled on Leica Summicrons. These were tuned to his visual predilection by the optical engineering team at Panavision. “The Summicrons were not just better in terms of bokeh and accurate geometry for the VFX teams, they also looked really beautiful on the jungle and the actors,” he exclaims. “They were perfect for capturing Tarzan’s towering physicality. Alexander had made himself unbelievably fit for the part, and we could so easily have thrown away his hard work with the wrong lens choice.”

“WE CAME UP WITH A METHODOLOGY TO BUILD AND SHOOT AS MUCH AS WE COULD IN THE STUDIO, TO SHOOT BACKGROUNDS AND AERIALS AT A LATER DATE AND JOIN THINGS UP IN POST PRODUCTION.” HENRY BRAHAM BSC With this camera and lens combination, Braham says he had the versatility to shoot the entire visual needs of the production – from gritty and dynamic action moves via handheld, Steadicam, cranes, wires and dolly, through to more controlled and intimate macro photography of fauna, flora and flesh. “Tarzan has animal sensitivity to the environment, and as part of the visual language of the movie we were able to go around the Leavesden studio sets with the actors and shoot material that revealed the intimate connection between them and the environment,” he explains. Regarding one of the brilliant people on the production, Braham says that working closely with production designer Stuart Craig proved key in helping to achieve the dynamic, big screen experience. “We wanted an exciting and dangerous aesthetic to the rain forest sets and the torrential, monsoon

downpours,” he says. “The sets were huge in scale, and we spent a lot of time together doing camera and lens tests, experimenting with every photographic trick in the book, looking at how best to render a variety of backdrops. In the end we settled on a range of painted scenic backdrops, rather than shooting bluescreens. Thanks to Stuart, his understanding of paint techniques and the wonderful skills of his amazing team, I had great flexibility and huge control in the studio.” Discussing his approach to lighting The Legend Of Tarzan, Braham says, “I don’t light shots, I light sets – so the camera can go anywhere within them. This was especially important with the dynamic and fluid camera moves we wanted. I worked for months ahead of production to create different emotional states in the production with intense light and intense dark. My lighting plan was based on truth

Flying eye… a six camera array was used to capture aerials and backplates

and reality – by which I mean I wanted the audience to really believe in the source of the light. As we were shooting large exterior jungle sets inside the Leavesden stages, we had to have complete coverage of ambient daylight from above. This meant having a huge, controllable rig that was capable of changing between different weather and light conditions.” He adds: “I am not sure there’s anything extraordinary in this approach, but we were all surprised at how well it worked. When you watch the final movie you do not get the sense that a vast bulk of it was shot in a studio in Watford.” Braham says the working regime on the UK leg of the movie was based on sixday-weeks, but limited to 8am to 6pm each day. “In those ten hours you can achieve

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ON THE JOB / HENRY BRAHAM BSC / THE LEGEND OF TARZAN / BY RON PRINCE

“THE SETS WERE HUGE IN SCALE, AND WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOGETHER DOING CAMERA AND LENS TESTS, EXPERIMENTING WITH EVERY PHOTOGRAPHIC TRICK IN THE BOOK.” HENRY BRAHAM BSC

total concentration, with a great rhythm, and consequently get a huge amount of work done. The crew love it too. With longer hours, the pace and concentration is very different.” After wrapping production in the UK, Braham went to Gabon for seven weeks to shoot aerials and backplates. The African technical advisor, Josh Ponte, who had originally worked in Gabon on gorilla reintroduction programmes, provided great insight into the country and excellent connections to the president and his office. Braham decided to concentrate work in a central area of the jungle to maximise use of the fast-changing weather. The team also camped in the jungle for some of the most remote waterfalls. Given the challenges of the landscape, all footage was shot from a helicopter. For the VFX plates, Braham used a six-by-6K camera array system built for the project by Shotover in New Zealand. Often this rig was suspended from a line of around 50ft in length to prevent prop-wash from disturbing water and foliage, while the second technical support and safety helicopter was positioned behind to help with correct vertical positioning of the camera array. Braham also used a single camera Shotover for the landscape photography and worked closely with his long-term film pilot Fred North on what was a highly-complex logistical aerial shoot. “I have shot in wildernesses before, such as the Arctic, but never in a vast expanse of jungle,

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where there’s no safe landing place and you can’t dial 999 in the event of anything going wrong,” he says. “I knew every scene of the movie backwards and what kind of light I needed to capture to help the VFX teams match the background and foreground elements together in post.” Typically the unit would lift off at 4am, before first light, to do pre-sunrise and sunrise photography. Once back at base camp, a mobile lab – setup and operated by Technicolor, harnessing a colour-managed workflow specified by DI grader Peter Doyle – processed the footage and transmitted the

deliverables back via mobile satellite to the post team in the UK. After some afternoon rest and relaxation, the camera team would take off again for evening shoots, with the resulting footage similarly processed and transferred during the night. “The way I shoot digitally is exactly how I shoot with film,” says Braham. “I don’t do anything on set. I prefer it that my digital filmstock and the various deliverables are developed and processed by a lab to my specific colour requirement. These days there are a huge number of people who need be in the communication loop about the visual intent of the movie. Therefore, it’s crucial that your workflow is built on a rock, and that the artistic intent and colour integrity are transferred intact throughout the whole process.” In this regard Braham is equally thankful for Doyle’s brilliant talents. “Peter is great at original thought, and understands the significance of preserving the look and the colour from source. He helped establish an ACES colour pipeline on the production, and designed the blueprint for the workflow from the Leavesden and Gabon shoots.” Braham completed the DI with Doyle at Technicolor in London. “We focussed on the usual things such as skin tones, the interplay of highlight and shadow, and finessing the colour arc across the movie. But Peter is an unusual combination of photographic aesthete and technical authority. Whilst there was some grain added to embed the movie and help the suspension of disbelief, we tried hard not to put a veil between the audience and the screen, and you are not aware of that in the final projected image.” Braham concludes: “Production is all about collaboration. It’s a team effort involving direction, production design, camera, editing, VFX, DI and technology vendors. We evolved The Legend of Tarzan together, as a collaborative effort, and I think it worked really well. The end result is the sort of movie I would want to go to see at the cinema.” n

CAMERA CREATIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / JASON BOURNE

Jason Bourne is the fifth film in the successful Bourne spy thriller series, and the sequel to The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and The Bourne Legacy (2012).

T Barry Ackroyd BSC

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he title of the film was officially revealed to the world on February 7th, 2016, during Super Bowl 50, although the exact plot has been kept a closely guarded secret. What is known is that the story starts several years after Bourne’s disappearance in The Bourne Ultimatum, as he unexpectedly resurfaces in a post-Snowden world facing unprecedented danger and instability. At the same time, a new programme has been created to hunt down Bourne whilst he is trying to find answers to his past and his family. Starring Matt Damon in the lead, alongside Julia Stiles, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones, the $120million Universal Pictures production is directed by Paul Greengrass, co-written by Greengrass and Christopher Rouse, with Damon and Greengrass amongst the producers. It is the director’s third outing on the Bourne franchise, having previously directed The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum. Jason Bourne also marks the fourth collaboration between the director and cinematographer Barry Ackroyd BSC, renowned for the freedom of his framing style, the pair having collaborated on United 93 (2006), Green Zone (2010) and Captain Phillips (2013).

Ackroyd spent a year working on the production, beginning prep in May 2015 and starting principal photography in September following extensive scouting. Filming took place at multiple locations including Tenerife, which doubled for scenes set in Greece, the Aria resort and casino in Las Vegas, Constitution Gardens in Washington DC, in London at Paddington and Woolwich train stations, the Kreuzberg area of Berlin, as well as Rome and Iceland. Most interiors were shot on stages at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden. After various pick-ups were completed, production on the movie wrapped towards the end of April 2016, following which the cinematographer immersed himself in the final DI grade. Ron Prince caught up with Ackroyd as he was preparing to head off on his next assignment in the US with Kathryn Bigelow. What were your first thoughts on reading the script of Jason Bourne? BA: It’s a film where Bourne rediscovers his roots, so it’s a new chapter in the story rather than being a reboot. I thought that it was an intelligent film aimed at an intelligent audience, made by intelligent people – by whom I mean Matt and Paul – and that’s a big part of its appeal. I also reflected on how Paul’s Bourne movies are the essence of the Bourne brand. It was an automatic “yes” from me when Paul asked if I was interested in shooting the next movie in the franchise.

“(PAUL AND I) HAVE AN OBSERVATIONAL STYLE OF FILMMAKING, AND HE LIKES THE PARTICULAR WAY I ACHIEVE THIS FOR HIM. IT’S A STYLE THAT EXISTS IN ALL MY FILMS, SO IT WAS THE OBVIOUS SALUTATION TO SUIT THIS FILM.” BARRY ACKROYD BSC What were your initial discussions with Paul about shooting the movie? BA: I believe Paul and I share a filmmaking vocabulary, built on working together on other movies over many years. We both have an observational style of filmmaking, and he likes the particular way I achieve this for him. It’s a style that exists in all my films, so it was the obvious salutation to suit this film. I wrote a briefing document for the studio – that was also later given to the camera crew – to outline our cinematographic style. I described documentaries from the 1960s made by revolutionary directors – including D.A. Pennebaker, Richard Leacock and Robert Drew – who changed the way we could look at the world. I wrote about how the camera should be loose and free, and used Leacock’s famous quote where he says, “Just shoot and shoot and shoot. Screw the tripod.” Our plan was simple: to shoot what was there in front of us, from multiple camera positions and with a freedom of movement, until we captured the essence of the story. To me all of this seems absolutely natural and completely obvious, even if it’s slightly haphazard. This inquisitive and observational style in fact came from Canada and the US, yet strangely the studios don’t realise it. But for me it’s now a British style. I hope they think that it’s revolutionary, perhaps because they don’t connect documentary and features in the same way that we do. Ultimately, it gives this type of action thriller an edge, and contributes to a seat-of-the-pants experience.

What creative references did you investigate? BA: Along with the documentaries, we obviously watched The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, as well as some great films of the 1970s, such as The French Connection (1971, dir. William Friedkin, DP Owen Roizman ASC), The Parallax View (1976, dir. Alan J Pakula, DP Gordon Willis ASC) and All The President’s Men (1976, dir. Alan J Pakula, DP Gordon Willis ASC). These were the filmmakers and cinematographers who were first influenced by the same documentaries, and although the styles are different, the drama really does impact on you. They were unafraid to have multiple perspectives on a scene and to interweave action

So how did you go about creating the freeform, multi-perspective documentary style for Jason Bourne? BA: It’s all about being simple, conscious, skilled and well-prepared. We decided to have three or sometimes four cameras on each scene, shooting from different perspectives, with individual but complementary framing. The plan was to shoot long takes, to make it feel real and believable – as though you are there too. It feels like a gun-and-run style, although we were actually hugely prepared for it. I think actors like this way of capturing the action from multiple simultaneous perspectives, and it ensures that nothing is missed, it’s always on-camera. Who were the camera crew that supported your modus operandus? BA: I picked camera operators who have the same sensibility as me, and who also have the flexibility to change their approach during production. They were all great: Ollie Driscoll, with whom I have worked for decades; Josh Medak who worked with me on The Big Short; and Chris McGuire, who shot the renowned seven-minute Steadicam one-shot in HBO’s True Detective. With me included, we had four operators, but there was no traditional demarcation of A, B, C or D-camera roles. Rather, we looked at each scene and discussed which angles and perspectives suited each operator, and then swapped between the different camera

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CAMERA CREATIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / JASON BOURNE / BY RON PRINCE

“WE DECIDED TO HAVE THREE OR SOMETIMES FOUR CAMERAS ON EACH SCENE, SHOOTING FROM DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES, WITH INDIVIDUAL BUT COMPLEMENTARY FRAMING. THE PLAN WAS TO SHOOT LONG TAKES, TO MAKE IT FEEL REAL AND BELIEVABLE – AS THOUGH YOU ARE THERE TOO.” BARRY ACKROYD BSC

lens combinations. For any one scene we might >> and have had a trio of 35mm cameras – one with a long

zoom on a monopod, one with a Steadicam, and one handheld with a short zoom – plus a 16mm camera. We each have slight variations in how we frame, and it was a combination of eyes – mine, Chris, Josh or Ollie’s – that interpreted what Paul wanted. How did you decide on shooting film versus digital? BA: We shoot on film because that’s what we do. Film is always the first choice. Along with having the finest image quality, and properties such as beautiful motion blur, film is also UHD by default, giving it a futureproof element. The principle format of Jason Bourne is 35mm, with some super 16mm used for the more observational-style camera. We decided to use digital because the second unit had complicated stunts to shoot at night, with car crashes and multiple cameras, and they needed to know that they were getting the shots there and then. Because of this we, on main unit, decided to make these sequences flow together using the Alexa digital format. It also helped shooting digital when some of the locations, such as inside the casino, just couldn’t be altered. I’d say the ratio of the movie is about 60% film and 40% digital, and everything we shot digitally ultimately had to fit with the filmic look we had already established. Which cameras and lenses did you select? BA: We used Aaton Penelope 35mm and Aaton XTR 16mm film cameras, plus ARRI Alexa XTs shooting ARRIRAW. These were variously fitted with my regular, preferred selection of strong telephoto zooms and wide-angle lenses. The 35mm zooms included: Fujinon 19-90mm (T2.9), Angenieux 24-290mm (T2.8), Angenieux 15-40mm (T2.6), TLS 80-200mm (T2.8)

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and Panavision Primo (3-1) 135-420mm (T2.8). We also had a dozen Ultra Primes ranging from 20mm to 180mm, plus several Super Speeds (T1.3) from 18mm to 85mm. The 16mm zooms we used were Canon 8-64mm (T2.4) and 11-165mm (T2.5). Panavision supplied and shipped the camera and lens packages for us. Which film stocks did you select? BA: For the 35mm I went with Kodak 5219 (500T) and Kodak 5207 (250D). The 16mm stocks were Kodak 7219 (500T) and Kodak 7207 (250D). I used the Tungsten stocks for night and interior scenes, and the 250 ASA daylight for exterior shots. These are stocks I’ve used on many films. They are familiar and give a level of grain and texture that let you know that this was shot on celluloid. We processed everything through iDailies in London, and we reviewed dailies via Pix, or on a pre-loaded iPad whenever the WiFi connection was not fast enough.

Tell us about your lighting strategy? BA: I have to applaud Harry Wiggins, my chief lighting gaffer, and Jay Kemp, my US gaffer, and their great teams of electricians, for understanding the broad brushstrokes of what I wanted. Both Harry and Jay would accurately pre-light up-and-coming scenes to my precise instructions, and then be ready to help me finesse the lighting on the day of the shoot. We never tried to impose a look, rather it was more about creating an atmosphere and letting the drama come from the reality of the performances. Jason Bourne is a very colourful yet dark film. I accentuated the blue militaristic light of the CIA hub by building-in blue fluorescent fittings, and embraced the yellow of the sodium street lighting in the Greece scenes using LRX Scorpions with Lee Filters’ 013 Straw Tint. We used ARRI M-series lights with LRX Singles to punch daylight into the Aldermaston interiors, and when the action went down into storm drains we deployed ARRI S60C Skypanels with a strongly saturated colour to create an ambient, below-the-streets look. We tried to build lights into sets as much as possible, and used all manner of battery-operated lights – Kinoflo Celeb 200 & 400s, BBS’s Area 48 and LED Flyer, plus TheLight’s Velvet 1x1 – to wrap the light in a natural way around the actors, which helped to keep our camera set-ups fluid and moving fast.

Tell us about the DI? BA: The DI is a very important part of the filmmaking process. Now it’s necessary to have the final grade at both 2K and 4K for HD and UHD deliverables, plus a HDR (High Dynamic Range) pass to add deeper blacks, etc.. For this I have to credit Rob Pizzey, colourist at Goldcrest, for his invaluable input, with whom I had previously work on Green Zone and Captain Philips. A lot of the DI work on Jason Bourne seemed to be mainly about streamlining the look taken from the multiple cameras, corralling the film and the digital footage and making them sit comfortably shot-by-shot. Only occasionally did we have to add or reduce the grain. The other big job in the DI is, of course, adding the visual effects shots as they get finished. Double Negative gave us great VFX that are invisible yet vital to the finished film. Overall, I feel we managed a beautiful, coherent look and one that is very Bourne. How did this production push you? BA: I’m too close to it to mention anything specific right now, but ask me again in a couple of years and I’ll give you a better idea. Generally, I would say that none of it was easy. It was a year in the making, and this one production

took me to more locations than I have probably ever been on before during a single production. Cinematographers have to make critical decisions under pressure, and that’s the norm. But these decisions perhaps are not as fraught, nor as difficult, as they were 20 years ago. Experience is the key, there are no short cuts when it comes to deciding which is the best route to take, when anything is possible. I’m not saying we got everything right, but we did enough to survive. That’s possibly why cinematographers’ careers go on for such a long time. What’s your overall feeling after completing the movie? BA: I had the good fortune to work with a great crew, who did an amazing job, and who made Paul and me endlessly happy. I think the film reflects that in some ways. We have a particular way of working, and some of my methods are pretty crude, but thankfully the crew keep coming back and that’s reward enough. I start shooting on a new Kathryn Bigelow film very soon, and it’s good to know that some of the same crew are going to be there. So perhaps I must be doing something right.

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CLOSE-UP / JANUSZ KAMINSKI ASC / THE BFG / BY RON PRINCE

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TALL

ORDER

The BFG (short for The Big Friendly Giant) is the title of Roald Dahl’s classic 1982 children’s book about a sweet orphaned girl named Sophie, who one night is taken away from her dormitory to a faraway land populated by giants.

he quickly learns that the BFG collects, catalogues and delivers pleasant dreams to children. Together the pair formulate a plan to rid England of the mean, and even larger, giants who enjoy eating children when they’re not giving them horrid nightmares. An animated television adaptation was released in 1989, with David Jason providing the voice of the BFG, and there have been many theatre performances over the years. However, a new $140 million adaptation of the tale, directed by Steven Spielberg for Walt Disney Pictures, combines live action with digital wizardry to throw dreams of friendship and adventures – that are by turns funny, grotesque, tender, as well as spectacular – up on the big screen. Mark Rylance fills the title role of the BFG, his face and body magically transformed by the latest motion capture techniques, whilst newcomer Ruby Barnhill plays the plucky Sophie.

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CLOSE-UP / JANUSZ KAMINSKI ASC / THE BFG / BY RON PRINCE

>> The movie was framed by Spielberg’s longtime

cinematographic collaborator Janusz Kaminski ASC, whose experienced eye was used in varying measure to create the look of the stunning environments in the movie: post-war London in the fog; Giant Country, the off-the-map territory where the BFG lives; Dream Country, where he collects dreams; the BFG’s sprawling workshop, where he stores dreams in glass jars; gangs of child-eating giants; and even HRH The Queen and her corgis at Buckingham Palace. “It was a very interesting experience for me in many respects,” says Kaminski. “First of all, it’s a lovely story, and we also had the conundrum of how to actually do it. From the start Steven wanted real interaction between the little girl and the BFG, and also with the other CG characters in the movie. He assembled a group of really amazing people who helped him to figure out and create a methodology of how to make it work.” The production shot at Barnaby Studios, in the city of Vancouver, Canada, lured by cost-saving tax incentives. Starting in March 2015, Kaminski says he had around eight weeks of prep on the movie, which was sufficient enough to get acquainted with the set-builds, art department props, lighting fixtures and interactive lighting requirements and previz already undertaken by the director. “I saw three seasons there – winter, spring and summer – but I did not point the camera outside the studio walls for the entire production,” he recalls. Along with large live action sets, such as Sophie’s dormitory and The Queen’s ballroom, the studios also housed two separate technical volumes: one a large SimulCap space, containing partial sets, props and bluescreens, where a Technocrane fitted with tracking

markers was used to capture Barnhill’s performance; the other a smaller MoCap space, where the physical performances of Rylance and other actors were captured via motion capture suits and facial markers. Although physically separated, Barnhill and Rylance were able to perform together by watching monitors on-set, where the output of the Alexa XT cameras was combined with real-time CG renders of the giant and the backgrounds. Monitors were strategically placed to help the actors with eyelines and, depending on the scene, Rylance performed on elevated platforms to give the correct perspective of his giant frame in relation to Barnhill and the surroundings. To assist efficiency, the production matched the action, as closely as possible, to previsualisations done by The Third Floor. The crew were able to watch the results on-set via local monitors, with feed into the Alexa XT eyepiece for the camera operator. On-set… Kaminski and Spielberg with a big frickin’ clapperboard

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“It was a wonderful idea to enable Ruby, who had never acted in a movie before, to see the BFG travelling through the set, and for her to interact with a real face with emotional and nuanced expressions, rather than perform to a dumb, green ball or an imaginary creature,” says Kaminski, who estimates the sets were surrounded by up to forty computer technicians helping to deliver the on-set imagery. “From the outset Steven emphasised the importance of this technology for the sake of the storytelling. For me it was very interesting and tremendous fun, and I think it’s a wonderful way of making a fantasy movie for children.” As the cinematographer, Kaminski’s key role was to create a distinctive look for the movie. “By the time I start on a movie other departments are generally already well advanced on the production,” he says. “When I arrived on The BFG there were many beautiful, colourful Fantasia-like illustrations and drawings, but they did not have the aesthetic or panache we wanted. Through my conversations with Steven and Rick Carter, the production designer, I looked at how we might change the aesthetics to be a little more intimidating and darker, and then translated that to the set with the lighting set-ups.” The main effects in The BFG were achieved by Weta Workshop, the same group in New Zealand that created the singular worlds of The Lord of the Rings and Avatar. “Their CGI is as good as it gets,” says Kaminski, “by which I mean phenomenal, but it was important to make sure their lighting was the same as my original intent on-set.” Kaminski says he would typically review hundreds of versions of VFX shots during regular satellite review session with visual effects producer Jennifer Meislohn. “Although the VFX shots had a logic to their lighting, it was sometimes too logical and therefore not favourable to the fantasy image. The team at Weta were very respectful and obliging to my wishes to change the image, and they made this part of the production an enjoyable process.” Starting March 23rd and concluding on June 12th 2015, The BFG shot twelve-hours a day, five days a week, with weekends off. “By the time you get back to your hotel you have done a 15-hour day, and that’s a lot of hours,” he says. “But what can you do? If you don’t like it there will be three other guys willing to take your place just like that.”

“FROM THE START STEVEN (SPIELBERG) WANTED REAL INTERACTION BETWEEN THE LITTLE GIRL AND THE BFG, AND ALSO WITH THE OTHER CG CHARACTERS IN THE MOVIE.” JANUSZ KAMINSKI

Due to the strictures of the tax breaks, Kaminski was only able to bring a small crew from LA. These included A-camera operator Mitch Dubin, who has worked with Kaminski for over 20 years, camera assistant Mark Spaff, and grip Jim Kwiatkowski, with whom Kaminski went to film school in 1983. Local crew included Stuart Haggerty and DIT Simon Jori, who he says were both meticulous. Kaminski oversaw the final 2D and 3D stereo DI grades on The BFG with colourist Mike Hatzer at Technicolor in LA. “Although we did not plan the cinematography with 3D in mind, and I was not involved with the dimensionalisation process, the 3D stereo version The BFG turned out to be amazing. The details of sets and backgrounds are beautiful, and the spatial differences between the characters is spectacular. If there was a choice, I’d definitely pay to see the 3D version at cinema.” Whilst he appreciates that working at the cutting-edge of technology has achieved an impressive overall result, Kaminski believes it’s ultimately a foreign process for the DP. “I like shooting live action movies like Munich,” he concludes.

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 51

CLOSE-UP / CHRIS GOODGER / ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: THE MOVIE / BY RON PRINCE

THAT RIVIERA TOUCH

After the best part of 25 years since they first burst onto TV screens, champagne-quaffing fashion PR expert Edina “Eddie” Monsoon and her best friend Patsy, are back. But this time they’re on the big screen, in Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie.

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elmed by English TV and film director Mandie Fletcher and written by Jennifer Saunders, this Fox Searchlight Pictures production of the hugely-popular BBC television series of the same name oozes glitz, glamour and comedic chaos in equal measures. The action begins at an uber-trendy fashion party in a London warehouse, where Eddie and Patsy are blamed for the sudden death of supermodel Kate Moss in The Thames. In an attempt to escape attention, the pair flee penniless to the playground of the super-rich, the French Riviera, but soon succumb to the desire of living the high-life. Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie stars the same names as the original line-up, including Saunders and Joanna Lumley in the lead roles, along with Julia Sawalha as Eddie’s long suffering daughter Saffy, June Whitfield as her mother, and Jane Horrocks as ditsy PR assistant Bubbles. Along with supermodels Kate Moss, Jerry Hall and Cara Delevigne, the sitcom spin-off brings together around 60 celebrities including fashion designers Stella McCartney and Jean-Paul Gaultier, pop stars Lulu, Emma Bunton, Harry Styles and Tiny Tempah, comedians Janette Krankie and Barry Humphries, both as himself and Dame Edna Everage, plus actors Rebel Wilson,

Kathy Burke, Joan Collins and Mad Men’s Jon Hamm. There’s even a part for Saunders’s long-time comedy partner Dawn French as a breakfast TV show presenter. Principal photography began on 12 October 2015 in the south of France, under the auspices of cinematographer Chris Goodger, whose credits include the TV series Jam & Jerusalem, Blandings, Not Going Out and Citizen Khan, with longform productions including the TV movie Dustbin Baby (2008) and the hard-hitting Afghan war drama Kajaki (2014). Goodger says he had no hesitation in accepting the invitation by Fletcher to lens the production. “Mandie and I first met ten years ago, and have worked together many times since on shows such as Jam And Jerusalem and Blandings. She is a decisive director who knows what she wants and understands how the camera frames the comedy,” he says. “Our biggest concern was how best to turn a high-profile TV brand, with a cult following, into a movie. You don’t want to change or reinvent things, and although the audience expect something bigger, they also want it to feel like they are back with a familiar old friend. Also, Fox were not after a quirky little English film, rather one with international appeal. “So cinematographically we decided to make the movie alluring and colourful like the TV series, but wanted to elevate in some way too. Our early conversations included the excellent production designer

“WE DECIDED TO KEEP EVERYTHING COLOURFUL AND HIGH KEY, ESCHEWED SHAFTS OF MOVING LIGHT AND SHADOWS, AND MOVED THE CAMERA SIMPLY ON A DOLLY WITH A JIB ARM TO KEEP THINGS STRAIGHTFORWARD AND FAST FLOWING.” CHRIS GOODGER Harry Banks, and we discussed how we might find ways to bring a dynamic excitement to the many locations we were going to shoot at, especially the party and fashion show venues in the movie, such as the warehouse where Kate Moss falls into the river.” He continues: “Looking back at the original Ab Fab series, 90% took place as a multi-camera, kitchen-based shoot, with 10% on location. We ended up with the exact opposite, 90% on location and 10% in the kitchen, shooting with one camera – which I think really helped it transition into the feature format.” Apart from viewing a range of glossy, sun-kissed and super-glamorous Martini commercials from the 1970s, Goodger says they did not look at any creative references for the movie, although he says they were aware of TV comedies, series such as Only Fools And Horses and The Inbetweeners, successfully transitioning from short to long format. “We wanted to stay true to the Ab Fab brand, and there was simply no need to change things by introducing a handheld look, or shallow depth-of-field. I think it’s unfamiliar enough to watch the show in the cinema, never mind assimilate the inherent visual difference between TV studio cameras and modern digital cinematography cameras. So we decided to keep everything colourful and high key, eschewed shafts of moving light and shadows, and moved the camera simply on a dolly with a jib arm to keep things straightforward and fast flowing.” The production was framed 2.35:1, shooting ARRIRAW with Alexa XT, mainly using Ultra Primes in the 24mm to 50mm range, rented from Video Europe, with the idea of keeping fairly close-up to the characters. Although he prefers to shoot without preset LUTs in-camera, Goodger opted for ½ Schneider Hollywood Blackmagic filtering to soften down the

image. He also operated, remarking “I just love this part of being a cinematographer.” The crew included Goodger’s son Toby as focus puller and first AC, with Sam Hayes the second AC, who Goodger calls his “dream team.” They were supported by DIT Alastair Holloway and camera trainee Kit Mackenzie. Performing grip duties was Josh Close, with longtime collaborator Doug Goddard as the gaffer. On the French side of the production Goodger worked with gaffer Didier Versolatto and grip Thierry Garcia, who he says were both excellent. Goodger first saw the script in July 2015, and had four weeks of non-consecutive prep before production began in the south of France. Working hours during the seven-week shoot were 11-day fortnights. “I’m not sure who invented that one, as it’s a tough regime for a crew,” he remarks. “But Mandie is a fast director, so we never overran and on many days we wrapped early.” The production shot entirely on location, with no studio builds. Shooting started in France to take advantage of the autumnal weather and the light. As luck would have it the Cote D’Azur was deluged the week before the cast and crew arrived. “On the odd occasion when we didn’t have a sunny day I knew the magical talents of our colourist Gareth Spensley would more than make up for it later in the final DI,” he recalls. A private home in Finchley, with an extensive dig-out basement, was eventually found as the location to match the kitchen of the TV series. “It took a lot of finding,” notes Goodger. “It’s amazing how many kitchens we had to look at before we found the right one, with the famous staircase. But even then the art department had a lot of work to do remodelling things to get it

just right. We shot there during November, and you start losing the natural daylight by about 3pm. So I was able to keep things going by firing-in a lovely wash of light through the windows with some ARRI M-90s along with diffused two and four bank Kino Flos dotted around the interiors.” Regarding the lighting on the production Goodger says, “Although we had quite a small lighting package, the production design team and art department proved to be fantastic collaborators in dressing scenes and making them look fun and glamorous. For example, the party scenes in Cannes, shot above the Crosiette, and the scene in which Kate Moss gets pushed into The Thames, which we shot at a cavernous brick-built Victorian pumping station in the east end of London, were each cleverly dressed with a mixture of practicals – stick lights, rope lights, festoon lights – which worked a treat.” Regarding the DI at Molinare, Goodger says there was not a huge amount to do apart from some beauty work on the skies, actors and celebrities, and making sure that bluescreen VFX shots from the London warehouse scene were invisibly melded into the final picture. Goodger concludes: “For me, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie was a great experience, and the polar opposite of my previous film, Kajaki, which was a gruesome tale that we shot in the sweltering deserts in Jordan. I think we have delivered a result that that people will enjoy watching, and I really hope it will rocket.”

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 53

CLOSE-UP / TERRY STACEY ASC / ELVIS & NIXON / BY DEBRA KAUFMAN

MY WAY

The image of President Richard Nixon and rock n’ roll legend Elvis Presley shaking hands in The White House is as iconic as it is incongruous. Elvis & Nixon tells the story behind that image, in the Amazonproduced comedy directed by Liza Johnson (Hateship Loveship, Return), shot by cinematographer Terry Stacey ASC (Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, 50/50, Adventureland), and starring Kevin Spacey as Nixon and Michael Shannon as Elvis.

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tacey, a graduate of the University of Manchester, has lived in the US since the early 1980s, originally arriving in New York City as a drummer in a band. He got into the moving image industry by shooting music videos and then went to South America with a Bolex to shoot documentaries. In the mid-1990s, he worked on numerous IFC movies, including Love God (1997), an early digital movie, The Laramie Project (2002) and American Splendour (2003). Stacey and Johnson were already well-acquainted with each other’s work, and also lived within blocks of one another in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighbourhood. They met for coffee and immediately hit it off. “When you meet a director, you have a list of film references that you hope he or she will connect with,” says Stacey. “We liked movies like All The President’s Men (1976, Gordon Willis ASC) and Midnight Cowboy (1969, Adam Holender) and The Conversation (1974, Bill Butler ASC/ Haskell Wexler ASC). We also talked about photography from that era, such as William Eggleston and Gary Winograd.” They both quickly agreed that because Elvis & Nixon depicts “an absurd slice of life,” it shouldn’t be stylised. “The form shouldn’t detract from the story,” says Stacey. “It should be naturalistic.” Referencing The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005, Stéphane Fontaine), Stacey also wanted the camera to have “kinetic energy,” especially, and “to make sure we held a lot of wide frames and use composition where we could.” The challenge, as always, was time and money: the movie had a $12 million budget and 24 shooting days, with Spacey only available for a week. New Orleans stands in for 1971 Washington DC; Baruch College stood-in for the White House exterior, whilst White House interior scenes were shot on a stage built in a converted WinDixie supermarket. Other portions, including the White House corridors, were shot in the mayor’s offices in downtown New Orleans. Other locations included a Greyhound bus station that doubles for the Washington DC airport and an old hotel, the Pavilion, with a very ornate bathroom.

Behind the scenes… Terry Stacey

“I LOVE THE ALEXA AND TREAT IT LIKE A FILM CAMERA. IT WAS IDEAL FOR THE MANY LOW-LIGHT CONDITIONS, AND I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP THESE AMAZING HAPPY ACCIDENTS.” TERRY STACEY ASC Stacey praises the production designer Mara LePere-Schloop for her ability to create a realistic White House, as well as Graceland. “She had a lot of challenges,” says Stacey. “She focussed on keeping things in period. We just had to be creative.” For example, in one scene inside a limo near the airport, they had to put two period cars on either side of it to block out contemporary billboards and buildings. In the Pavilion Hotel, they shot in rooms on the 17th floor. “We had no control of the light from the windows, but we couldn’t find any hotel room on a lower floor,” says Stacey. “So we sealed all the windows and put in our own light boxes with strips of LEDs. In front of that was a layer of diffusion. You could almost see the strips of LEDs, but on camera, it became this soft white light. We could turn it up 100 percent and it worked as a key light, but when we looked at the windows, we could turn it down and it looked like daylight.” Stacey chose to use the ARRI Alexa for the production, with two cameras used

extensively in the Oval Office scenes with Elvis and Nixon. “I love the Alexa and treat it like a film camera,” adds Stacey. “I use my meters and know I have the extreme latitude to play around with later. It was ideal for the many low-light conditions, and I was able to pick up these amazing happy accidents,” he says. “In one scene, we’re following Elvis through the lobby. As the elevator doors closed, you could see his reflection, which I never thought we could get.” Prior to the shoot, Stacey had done lens tests and decided to use Kowa, older Japanese Anamorphic lenses. “They’re very particular,” he says. “If you point them at the

light, they flare easily. The various aberrations and softness gave it the texture that I liked.” For the most part, he says, they used the 50mm and 75mm lenses. “Oliver Cary was my A-camera operator,” he says. “He could keep up with Elvis, like a parrot on his shoulder. The Anamorphic lenses were great for focusing in on Elvis.” Cross shooting in the White House scenes with Elvis and Nixon was perhaps the biggest challenge. “It could be difficult to get the two lenses to match, and we didn’t have a DIT on-set because of budget,” says Stacey, who also credits gaffer Chip Carey and key grip Eric Damazio. “My favourite scene in the movie is Elvis in an anteroom before going into the Oval Office,” says Stacey. “He looks in the mirror and has a moment with himself, talking about the death of his brother. It was hard to find a way to light him, until I realised there were these potted plants. We created a down light with these small Dedolights, a very punchy tungsten light that reflected this red colour from the flowers into his glasses. The red gave a disturbing feel, which was great for the scene.” “That was another one of those happy accidents I love with the Alexa,” he says. “What you see is what you get with digital, and there’s something wonderful about that when you’re on a tight schedule.”

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INNOVATOR / DAN SASAKI / BY ADRIAN PENNINGTON

Revered by cinematographers as a magician capable of conjuring quintessentially distinctive looks, Dan Sasaki, VP of optical engineering at Panavision, modestly dismisses his lauded status.

“I

am definitely no Leonardo da Vinci,” he says. “I’m a person who knows how to deconstruct something and how to learn from others. When I’ve made mistakes cinematographers have let me know it. I’ll bring something that I think answers all of their problems and they’ll say, ‘Why have you brought me this? It’s unusable’ or they’ll push me much further into developing something with a far greater emphasis than I’d imagined.” The truth is that, despite his humility, Sasaki embodies the Panavision brand in his dedication to artistic perfection. His successes have included the flare lenses used by Janusz Kaminski ASC on Saving Private Ryan (1998); the specialised 20mm Anamorphic that John Schwartzman ASC used on Pearl Harbour (2001); the design of the Anamorphic Wide-angle Zoom (AWZ), which has become known as the ‘Bailey’ lens, after cinematographer John Bailey 56 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

ASC; and the refurbishing of vintage Ultra Panavisions for Robert Richardson ASC to shoot The Hateful Eight (2015). “Designing a lens is an art form because you’re helping artists to express themselves,” he says. “It doesn’t come about by some mathematical formula, but by adding or subtracting detail to produce the image that a cinematographer desires. It’s a very analogue, human process.” Of his three decade-long Panavision career, Sasaki says, “I didn’t have a choice. My father had worked at the company since I was a year old, and at the dinner table growing up it was always a fascinating time to hear him talk about his day, analyse the movies and explain the technical intricacies of the cameras.” Sasaki recalls being invited to an advance cast and crew screening of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (1977, DP Vilmos Zsigmond ASC HSC) and his father Ralph talking about working on the cameras and lenses for films like Fiddler On The Roof (1971, DP Oswald Morris BSC) and Jaws (1971, DP Bill Butler ASC) in the 1970s. Although Sasaki senior, who retired as VP of operations in 2008, invited his teenage son to join him during school vacations in the Tarzana headquarter’s workshop, this was more because Sasaki junior showed a passion for mechanics rather than about any plan of succession. “I had an innate curiosity about how things worked and was constantly taking things apart, like TVs and radios,” says Sasaki. “I used to watch Dad put cameras together and think that this was cool, but it didn’t really cross my mind to make working with cameras my career.” In fact, nothing really prepared him for work at Panavision, not even the physics he studied at Long Beach State. “My training really started when I got there,” he says. He joined the optical department of the company aged nineteen in 1986, and spent the next four years in the servicing division repairing glass - dusting lenses, cleaning, engraving and checking inventory. “Dad was very protective of Panavision’s reputation – he wasn’t going to let just anyone get involved,” he says. “Also, he didn’t want to show any favouritism, least of all to me, so I believe he held me down for longer than he would

have with other people until he felt I knew what I was doing and that I’d matured enough to move up the ladder.” Sasaki became lead repair operative then manager of the section, gaining more responsibility and experience over time. It was a formative period bringing him into contact with cinematographers and assistants. Some of the cinematographers that helped a lot in the early years were Wally Pfister ASC, Samuel Bayer, John Alonzo ASC, and John Schwartzman ASC. Some assistants that helped were Richard Mosier, Alan Blauvelt, Dick Meinardus and Norman Parker. “I vividly remember the first feature I worked on which was Dances With Wolves (1990) with Dean Semler ACS ASC and camera assistant Lee Blasingame. I think it was then that Dad realised that maybe I’m not too dangerous to be let loose, that I wasn’t going to upset the apple cart.” Sasaki was mentored by Tak Miyagishima, Panavision’s fabled lead mechanical designer from 19552011. “He told me never to give up. He said, ‘treat every challenge as a learning process’ and he taught me how to get the best out of working with cinematographers and not to be afraid of bringing a different perspective to the table. He impressed upon me that being different is part of the innovation process.” Sasaki credits his first break as creating the first C60mm Anamorphic lens for László Kovács ASC on Multiplicity (1996). “László thought there was too big of a focal length span between the 50mm and 75mm. His thoughts were that a 60mm would be an ideal focal length to bridge this gap and it would closely correlate to a 27mm lens in the Super 35 format. As a result, this became such a popular focal length and the 60mm became a standard focal length in our future builds.” Sasaki used The Hunt For Red October (1990) for Jan De Bont ASC, as a platform to optimise the classic C-series line of anamorphic lenses. The process included updating the optics and determining ways to flatten the images on the film plane. This paved a path for the C-series lenses in use today. “It took me a while to figure out a signature look and I’m quite sure that someone else will have another way of customising lenses which will do the job just as well. If I have achieved anything it all stems from the cinematographers and camera assistants, Tak and my Dad who inspired me.” The look of a show is an alchemic mix of elements from the optical density of the photographic emulsion to the shooting style and visual effects. “It is never as simple or as binary as removing the coating from a lens,” says Sasaki. When Kaminski sought Panavision’s help for Saving Private Ryan, Sasaki figured that being a WWII film a gritty old lens would fit the bill. “When we did initial tests Janusz felt it looked too modern, so we removed the coating,” he says. “That only served to add another layer of error into the lenses – which gave them an aberrant quality, something pre-1940, but it offered a flare that they wanted. That process of trial and luck worked perfectly for that film but only when combined with other elements like the shaky camera movement and the timing in post.” Now, instead of removing the coating from lenses Panavision has found a way to produce the same look without having to destroy the lens and achieve better control over the degree of effect and unwanted glare. “Many cinematographers come in asking for a look that’s in their head and it’s our job to try to interpret that,” he says. “Other times we’ll offer them some choices and suggestions. For example, on Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Dan Mindel BSC ASC said he wanted it to have a 1970s kind of aesthetic. We researched what a lens from the period might have looked like with modern film stocks and started to build

“DESIGNING A LENS IS AN ART FORM BECAUSE YOU’RE HELPING ARTISTS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES. IT DOESN’T COME ABOUT BY SOME MATHEMATICAL FORMULA, BUT BY ADDING OR SUBTRACTING DETAIL TO PRODUCE THE IMAGE THAT A CINEMATOGRAPHER DESIRES.” DAN SASAKI something that we felt would maintain that aesthetic without the liabilities associated with an older lens.” Surprisingly, Sasaki says he doesn’t own a camera. “I’m no artist or photographer so my impression of what a cinematographer wants may not be quite right. Sometimes they will send me a still photo or example of what they would like to see. Based on the example or description we can start determining methods to customise a lens. It usually takes a couple of iterations before we match the cinematographer’s expectations.” The vogue for degrading of lenses – decoating, recoating, antiquing – is exemplified by the exacting demands of Robert Richardson and director Quentin Tarantino in their search for a distinctive look to match the wide screen wild west of The Hateful Eight. “Bob and Quentin wanted to shoot 5-perf 70mm film but the only choices were old System 65s used on Far And Away (1992, DP Mikael Salomon). We tested these for them but they suggested that the image looked round and predictable. Bob challenged me to find a look that hadn’t been seen before. Bob always knows what he wants and he knew that if he kept talking my ego would get the better of me. So we looked in the archive for Ultra Panavision lenses which hadn’t had light through them since Khartoum (1966, DP Edward Scaife BSC). On most the grease had atrophied so the lens couldn’t move or the glass was fogged up, but one lens was in working order. We threw that onto the test projector and before I knew it Bob declared that they will shoot the picture with that style of lens.” Sasaki worked with Richardson’s first assistant Gregor Tavenner to retrofit 15 lenses to work on a reflex

camera. This included converting them for follow focus, increasing the working depth, and varying focal lengths (some that didn’t exist in the 1960s) in just a few months. The digital revolution has introduced a wave of super sensors making large format much more accessible. Sasaki feels that artistically, large format offers many depth perception cues that are very attractive to the human visual processing system. “Large format offers many features that both cinematographers and directors can identify with immediately, including increased magnification, perspective and character,” he says. “We’ve seen recent films that span from Super 16mm all the way up to IMAX. Cinematographers are no longer bound by old standards in formats or capture media. Ultimately, though, whether 65mm, 35mm, 16mm, Anamorphic or spherical, the cinematographer will choose the best format to fit the story. They now have more choices than ever.” Dan continues to mine Panavision’s library of vintage optics. In some cases, lenses are built from the ground up and some are mechanical updates to the originals. Richardson turned to Sasaki again for Live By Night (2017), directed by Ben Affleck, combining the ARRI 65 with the newer Sphero 65 series, also used by Jess Hall BSC on Ghost In The Shell (2017). The Primo 70 series were used by Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC on Passengers (2016) and System 65 lenses by both Ben Davis BSC on Doctor Strange (2016) and Adam Arkapaw ASC on Assassin’s Creed (2016). “These three series of lenses have intrinsically different imaging characteristics. The one thing that is becoming essential in this format is the request for T2.0 or faster optics. In nearly every case we had to create optics from scratch to achieve lenses with such large imaging diagonals and high speed.” Another example is the re-optimization of the Ultra Panavision 70 anamorphic lenses used by Greig Fraser on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). “We started with the base 1.25x anamorphic squeeze lenses used on The Hateful Eight and made many modifications to suit Greig’s needs and accommodate the Alexa 65 camera. In many cases, we had to completely start over with the base lens and rebuild it to become a more modern version that met his expectations. He is currently working with Hoyte Van Hoytema ASC and director Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk (2017), at least 60 per cent of which is being shot in native IMAX and for which Sasaki has built optics to fit airplane cockpits. He also recently developed anamorphic lenses for Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One (2018, DP Jansuz Kaminski). Has he ever not managed to solve a problem? “There are times when I try to violate the laws of physics. I sometimes try to violate the Lagrange Invariant [a conservation of energy law] by trying to get more light through a system than it will allow. We have to try.” British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 57

LIVE & LET DI / DIALLING-IN THE DI GRADES

HEY GOOD LOOKIN’

Technicolor, London: provided on-set dailies, and supervising visual colourist Peter Doyle did the finishing DI on Warner Bros.’ The Legend Of Tarzan, directed by David Yates, with cinematography by Henry Braham BSC. On-set dailies began in April 2014 and ran until the end of the year, based mainly at Warner’s Leavesden Studios, with a few days of shooting in the Italian Dolomites. The last six weeks of shooting was based in the pristine jungles of Gabon, where the dailies team were prepped for jungle life by National Geographic explorer Josh Ponte, including what to do in the event of meeting a wild elephant. Operations manager Chema Gomez, said: “We took our on-set dailies equipment into the middle of nowhere essentially. Kilometres of trees encircled us and we were right on the equator, which meant extremely high temperatures and humidity levels of 95%. So prior the journey we had to adapt our systems to survive zan Tar The Legend Of under those conditions. Also, the camera crew shot with six RED Dragons, shooting a 6K resolution, all mounted on a helicopter, so the amount of data we needed to process was pretty demanding. The only way to communicate with editorial in London was through a small satellite dish that production brought in. So we developed a workflow where we were sending very small files on a daily basis that editorial could cut with. At the end of each week we sent a drive with the hi-rez MXFs for them to relink. It all worked well and helped the crew back in London stay on top of what was happening. Doyle stated that The Legend Of Tarzan represented “an evolution in our ultra-wide gamut workflows.” Meanwhile, Michael Hatzer provided HDR DI colour finishing on The BFG, directed by Steven Spielberg, lensed by Janusz Kaminski ASC. The dailies for principle photography were processed by Technicolor LA, and graded by John Vladic. Supervising colourist Peter Doyle, dailies colour grader Mel Kangleon, plus Chema Gomez and Linda Luseno, processed deliverables for dailies. When production moved to the UK for the aerial/VFX shoot, Technicolor London adapted the dailies workflow to Baselight. Doyle discussed the colour pipeline in detail with Kaminski, DIT Simon Jori and colourist John Vladic to understand their creative 58 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

vision. He and operations manager Gomez then used this information to create a bespoke dailies workflow, which was implemented by both UK and LA teams. Global creative director of colour grading, JeanClément Soret, The BFG provided the DI using Baselight, on the Justin Chadwickdirected Tulip Fever, shot by DP Eigil Bryld. “Eigil’s lighting was very painterly, as you’d expect for a story set in the early 17th century Holland,” said Soret. “It was Rembrandtlike with very deep shadows and a muted palette, with the exception of the film’s costumes and, of course, the tulips which are so central to the narrative. One can’t help being influenced by the Dutch masters of that period. Their achievements, with light and colour, remain iconic – something we celebrated with our dailies and finishing colour-grading.”

Technicolor, London… conducted the DIs on Tulip Fever (pictured), The Legend Of Tarzan and The BFG

Technicolor PostWorks, NY: post work for director Rebecca Miller’s new romantic comedy Maggie’s Plan, proved a labour of love for Technicolor PostWorks. A longtime supporter of independent film, the facility furnished suites and systems to picture editor Sabine Hoffman and her crew. It also provided resources for dailies processing, editorial finishing, colour grading, sound mixing and deliverables. The project involved months of concentrated effort, spanning pre-production through to the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Maggie’s Plan, tells the quirky story of an independent, thirty-something, whose plan to have a baby as a single mom is derailed when she falls in love with a “fictocritical” anthropologist, destroying his marriage. Set in modern day New York City, the film was shot by DP Sam Technicolor Po Levy, collaborating with stW or ks , NY grade on Rebe … the DI Miller for the first time, cca M Maggie’s Plan wailler’s romcom for s a labour of lov capturing the city in e warm, glowing tones. “I spent a lot of time with Rebecca during pre-production, breaking the script into its elements,” Levy recalled. “She has the soul

Lipsync: has appointed colourist Tom Russell, who brings 25 years of experience, gained as a freelance colourist, at many Soho-based postproduction and VFX houses, including Lipsync Post. His movie credits include Michael Winterbottom’s The Face Of An Angel (2014, DP Hubert Taczanowski), Julian Jarrold’s A Royal Night Out (2015, DP Christophe Beaucarne), Alone In Berlin (2016, DP Christophe Beaucarne) starring Emma Thompson and Brendan Gleeson, and The Journey (2016, DP Greg Gardiner) starring Timothy Spall and Colm Meaney. He has also worked on TV productions such as Cider With Rosie. “We often noticed how Tom always emerged from a grade with happy clients,” said James Clarke, head of DI at Lipsync Post. “His creative expertise and experience will be a great addition to our strong line up.’’ The company’s team of colourists includes Scott Goulding, whose credits include Seve (2014, DP John Pardue), Gregory Porter (2016, DP Alfred George Bailey), and the forthcoming Mad To Be Normal (2016, DP Ali Asad), and Jamie Welsh, who recently graded The Infiltrator (2016, DP Joshua Reis), starring Bryan Cranston, and who will shortly be grading The Limehouse Golem (2016, DP Simon Dennis), written by Jane Goldman, and Sense Of An Ending (2016, DP Christopher Ross BSC) from Origin Pictures. Lipsync Post has been providing investment and equity services alongside its post-production services for the film and television industry since 2006, and recently completed its one-hundredth equity investment deal for The Nice Guys, directed by Shane Black.

Lipsync Post.. has hired colourist Tom Russell, whilst The Nice Guys marked its 100th equity deal

Cheat… did the DI on sci-fi picture Genesis, and has a new suite and surroundings

Cheat: has completed the set-up of its fourth suite, a dual-purpose Flame VFX and DaVinci DI grading suite. Partnering with First-Light Audio and Whealhouse Editors in the same building, Cheat is now offering complete post packages. Lead colourist Toby Tomkins is currently completing the grade on the first film of a sci-fi trilogy titled Genesis, directed by Bart Ruspoli and Frederick Hutton-Mills, and shot by DP Sara Deane on Alexa 4:3 with Xtal Express Anamorphics. Phase two of Cheat’s film emulation research has begun and will be launch at Camerimage 2016, where there will also be a panel on the film aesthetic in a digital age.

of a poet. She described the look she wanted as ‘awake’ and I intuitively knew what she meant. It should sparkle and glow.” Levy drew inspiration from California still photographer Janet Delaney, whose work employs colour in a striking, but nuanced way. In preparing for the shoot, Levy shared one of Delaney’s photographs with DI colourist Alex Bickel who referred to it in preparing a camera LUT that was used on the set and in dailies production. Bickel understood the aesthetic Miller and Levy were aiming for. “It’s sweet and romantic, but with a light touch,” he said. “It’s colourful in just the right way.” After the film was shot and edited, Bickel worked with Miller and Levy to refine the look during post-production finishing

sessions. “We had a lot of time to play and that gave everyone the freedom to explore options,” he recalled. Bickel says that the grade is realistic, except for a few times where it becomes more stylised and artistic to underscore points in the story’s emotional arc. He refers to one scene where John and Georgette become lost in a snow storm. “They haven’t been in love for a long time, but it was important to show that there was still a spark between them,” he said. “We found that ‘spark’ in their skin tones and the way they reflect the snow. It turned out beautifully.” Another example is a scene set in an illegal casino located below a Chinese ... PostWorks NY restaurant. Levy lit the set with ng hti lig y od the mo of old neon fixtures, washing it in and final grade n Maggie’s Pla striking tones of cyan and blue. “I spent a lot of time worrying, studying the set and discussing it with my gaffer,” Levy said. “I wanted to be certain that it would all come together.” The moody lighting gave the sequence a surreal edge that Bickel pushed further in the final grade. “It’s the one time where we went outside

our color space,” Bickel explained. “We let things go crazy and managed to pull it off.” Levy says that it became one of Miller’s favorite scenes in the film.” Roundabout Entertainment, Burbank, LA: has extended its high dynamic range (HDR) mastering services by upgrading its DaVinci Resolve systems with the latest software release from Black Magic Design, version 12.5. The new software includes improved HDR grading controls that add to the facility’s ability to finish, grade and deliver theatrical, television and home entertainment projects in HDR. It also adds new tools for editing, visual effects and noise reduction. “We have developed a complete workflow to support our clients’ needs to make HDR deliveries that conform to distributor specifications,” said CEO Craig Clark. “We share our clients’ enthusiasm for HDR and are providing them with the quality they need, and the efficiency and reliability they expect.” Roundabout initiated HDR services more than a year ago. It launched one of the industry’s first HDR quality control operations and currently provides that service for several Amazon original series. “We’re ahead of the game in HDR,” said senior colourist Michael Smollin. “We’ve got the expertise and the gear to produce HDR masters, and we’re one of few facilities providing HDR QC on a daily basis.”

Molinare: recently lured Dolores McGinley to head up its VFX department in the newly-created

role of creative director. She has joined the Soho facility after a six-year stint at Technicolor where she was the lead senior VFX designer. McGinley has recently worked on the new series of Black Mirror and Poldark, as well as title design across a number of other series. Before Technicolor, she was senior designer at Pepper Post. On the DI front, Molinare’s senior grader Asa Shoul completed the grades on BBC supernatural horror The Living And The Dead, starring Colin Morgan, Charlotte Spencer and Tallulah Rose Haddon, directed by Samuel Donovan/Alice Troughton. The series aired on BBC iPlayer as a ‘boxset’ in its entirety before starting on traditional television – the first of its kind for the BBC. The show, shot by DPs Matt Gray and Suzie Lavelle, focusses on a happily married couple who inherit a remote family estate in Somerset. When the disturbed teenage daughter of the local vicar comes to stay with them, the whole estate becomes gripped by supernatural powers beyond their control. “This chilling ghost story plays out in golden summer wheat fields and the brown autumn forests of England in 1894 with stunning landscapes and costumes,” said Shoul. “We looked at early photographic techniques and images that Matt had found and I suggested using Baselight’s Autochrome function which limits the variation in colours.” Autochrome was the Lumière Brothers’ first colour process and the images would often just have two or three colours. “The ARRI Alexa’s image just had too many colours and exteriors felt a little modern, so limiting Dolores the palette helped to give it a period McGinley photographic feel. Using the Blend function on Baselight enabled us to dial-in exactly the right amount of the Autochrome effect so that it didn’t feel forced. We also tilted the skies to be a little more cyan than blue, which again helped the period feel. The grade went on a journey through the six episodes as we passed from summer to autumn, (referencing Days Of Heaven) and the safer warm tones moved to darker greens and browns. For the final episode there were definite nods to The Shining. Not to give too much away, but whenever a modern light-source appeared we used Baselight’s Dfuse to add an Anamorphic flare.”

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 59

CLAPPERBOARD / RICHARD BLANSHARD / BY DAVID A. ELLIS A young Richard Blanshard with Paul McCartney

Richard Blanshard has many strings to his artistic bow. He’s an award winning documentary director, director of photography and stills photographer, not to mention his talents as a musician and singer. His passion for storytelling sees him regularly working across the world covering a range of genres from documentaries and arts to factual entertainment for major TV companies. Roger Pratt BSC

60 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

lanshard has worked with some of the biggest names in the film world, photographing them on the set. He regularly supplies this magazine and the BSC with outstanding images from the many BSC functions he attends. He is an honorary friend of the BSC. Blanshard was born in Essex and grew up in Pinner, Middlesex. His father had a chemist shop and Blanshard would help his father process film. At seven he started taking photographs and at ten began to shoot 8mm films. At the age of 15 he left school to go and work for Kodak in their Motion Picture Division, printing film and other tasks, including projection. Whilst there he went to Harrow photographic school. He went on to work as an assistant for commercial and industrial photographers in Uxbridge. He assisted on shoots that included jumbo jets and weddings. He printed all of their B&W work. From there it was on to a company called PIC Photos, shooting film publicity, which included premieres and press launches. He photographed several royal premieres. One day he was made an offer he couldn’t refuse, though others did. That was going to the Cannes Film Festival, photographing the stars, which started with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. In 1974 he went freelance and was the official photographer to the American and British film industry at Cannes from 1974–96. Blanshard has been a stills/special photographer for both TV and features, which include The Saint, Porridge, Little Buddha, Let Him Have It, Return To Oz, Mission Impossible, The Dark Crystal and Equilibrium. He has been the DP and director on a number of documentaries too. He said, “For me documentary filmmaking is harder than feature filmmaking because your subject is changing all the time. When you have a script you have got your road map. You know what people are going to say. In documentaries things change by the minute. You are constantly re-writing the script and adjusting the story. Many of the guys that go into features after documentaries, for example Dick Pope, Barry Ackroyd and Chris Menges know how to make the drama look real because they have experienced real situations. They add another dimension to their dramas because they can look through the viewfinder and think ‘That doesn’t feel real to me.’ I started doing stills and ‘the making of’ as well. To me

Little Buddah

it became part of the process of trust. Actors are more comfortable talking to someone who is part of the crew, and because of that you get better material from them than some stranger would, who comes on the odd day.” As an accomplished musician and singer he has backed on a number of recordings for artists such as Paul Young, Kim Wilde and Elkie Brooks. He has shot a number of music videos too. He said, “Music and photography are similar – the camera is like a musical instrument. It’s about beats and rhythm”. His awards include Special Contribution to the film industry for The Krays, People’s Choice Awards, Best ad: The Krays and the ARRI John Alcott Award. Next year, ARRI is one hundred years old and Blanshard has been commissioned to make some films to celebrate this huge anniversary. Being a man of many talents, one wonders which he prefers to lean towards the most? “I love to make things. I love to direct, produce and shoot my own stuff. I don’t have the budgets to hire people so when I shoot something it’s going to be how I see it. I edit in my head as I am shooting. When I worked on feature films as a photographer I worked with such amazing people like Ossie Morris, Alex Thomson, Billy Williams and Vittorio Storraro. I watched these maestros and took everything in. Even if I’m directing I still want to work with the camera. When I’m in the cutting room I know exactly what I’ve got and I know what the editor’s Dennis Hopper

The Krays

Pictured with Werner Herzog

“FOR ME DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING IS HARDER THAN FEATURE FILMMAKING BECAUSE YOUR SUBJECT IS CHANGING ALL THE TIME. THINGS CHANGE BY THE MINUTE.” RICHARD BLANSHARD got to work with – it’s important to me. I did a series for BBC2 called Behind The Camera, covering fourteen cinematographers for the fiftieth year of the BSC. I pitched the idea because I wanted to tell the world that without these clever guys there wouldn’t be a film. Roman Polanski said to me ‘You can make a film without a director but not without a cinematographer.’” Blanshard has worked with some of the best directors in the world, including Brian De Palma, Fred Zinneman and Ken Loach. He has also done DP work for German director and producer Werner Herzog on LA Boheme. He has done work for Films without Borders, a UK registered charity that provides hands on educational filmmaking workshops for disadvantaged young people between fifteen and nineteen, living in challenging countries around the world. George Lucas, Whoopi Goldberg and many others support it. Blanshard is a Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire

Werner Herzog’s La Bohème

mentor and DP and has made over fifteen films around the world for them. Three of the films were screened at this years’ Cannes Film Festival. His films as DP and director include: I Love You (2014) and Westminster Abbey (2012). His DP work includes The Last Jews of Iraq (2015) and Night will Fall (2013), directed by Andre Singer, about the holocaust during the Second World War. Blanshard said, “There were thirty greenscreen set-ups around the world. Panavision helped a lot. We used a RED camera and I used lenses that were used on the first Alien film. It has been nominated for an Emmy and has won the RTS and Peabody Award.” Recently he DP’d Sow The Wind. “Sow the Wind is a theatrical feature documentary which follows the story of how the Soviets abused the indigenous people of Kazakhstan, by nuclear testing of over five hundred explosions. Today it is still contaminated and the repercussions of radiation still exist. I shot in Kazakhstan in the closed nuclear test site, the Polygon, which is the size of Wales. I also shot in the Nevada desert and at Mercury, the US nuclear test facility, which still functions, running underground tests today,” said Blanshard. Asked if he had any favourite features he had worked on he said, “The Krays was a good film to work on. I shot the poster two years before the film was made. I also shot a short super eight film, which helped them to get their finance. It was the first feature for Martin and Gary Kemp, so they were totally open to me crafting the still photography. Judge Dredd was an extraordinary film visually. There were 250,000 stills taken on that movie. We had to overshoot as eighteen actors were given stills approvals. I have enjoyed them all because they have all been different.” Asked why the production people required him twelve months before The Empire Strikes Back was made, he said, “ They wanted me to document every department and every scale model. They wanted progress shots for book purposes and reference. They had decided to make R2D2 semi remote-controlled so I had to go with Kenny Baker on numerous occasions to the company who were doing this to shoot the various tests.” Blanshard has also worked with Aerial Camera Systems Film Division with Peter Allwork BSC and Matthew Allwork on Harry Potter, Troy and Phantom Of The Opera. Would he like to direct features? “Yes, I’ve been asked. It would have to be the right vehicle. If I make a film I want it to be seen by people – I don’t want to make a film for my own ego.” Finally he was asked which cameras he uses currently for film and stills. He said, “For films. I have been using RED Dragon, RED Weapon, ARRI’s Alexa and Amira, Sony F55 and A7S. For stills I use Sony Alpha. I launched Alpha camera for Sony in the UK.” British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 61

IMAGO NEWS / BY PAUL RENÉ ROESTAD FNF The ASC Clubhouse was filled to the brim with interested listeners

INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS SUMMIT IN LOS ANGELES Many IMAGO board members attended the ASC International Cinematographers Summit in Los Angeles at the beginning of June. With around 70 cinematographers from around the world participating, the summit discussed common challenges like the future for cinematographers in the digital age, archiving, ACES, frame rates, laser projection and much more. Vittorio Storaro lecturing about Authorship for cinematographers

epresentatives from more than 30 cinematographic societies participated, and international meetings like this are important. It gives cinematographers from around the world a valuable chance to meet, to exchange experiences, to learn from and to support each other. This is exactly the reason IMAGO was established in 1992, and we are grateful that the gathering international cinematographers now also have become a tradition of the ASC.

The future of Cinematography The intense changes in cinematography, with Virtual Reality, shorter production periods, new cameras, more possibilities to shoot in existing light, all mean that cinematographers are under pressure. With the possibility to shoot in 4, 6 and 8K, cinematographers also often experience their (l-r) Nigel Walters BSC, shots being reframed in Tahvo Hirvonen FSC, Frederic Goodich the edit, and the images Daskalothanasis GSC, RonASC, Yannis Johanseon ACS, Deyuan Mu CSC and are often coloured in Avid, Yang Shu CSC even before the director is there. When we get to the DI, the directors are surprised when we say, “This is not our image”. Roberto Schaefer ASC AIC asked, “How do we get our control back?” Ron Johansen ACS said, “At the end of the day we are artists. We must understand the technology, but must convey to our colleagues that we are artists, not merely a recorder of images.” 62 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

Who is the author of the images? Cinematographers are the custodians of the image, it is our heritage and our responsibility, said Frederic Goodich ASC. But the discussion quickly turned to a discussion about authorship, and the view by many is that cinematographers are authors of the image, and should receive remuneration for the use of the images. For many, the struggle is less about money, but more about getting the respect on sets that many feel have become chaotic. During the summit, news came that Jost Vacano BVK ASC won a court case in Germany regarding fair remuneration for the film Das Boot (1981), directed by Wolfgang Petersen. Vacano developed a method to capture long-running sequences in a cramped submarine, which became a visual signature in this film. The film grossed $85million worldwide, and Vacano was, after an eight-year long court case, awarded a settlement of €475.000 Euros for his work. Vacano’s struggle, supported by the BVK, was on behalf of all German cinematographers, to focus on cinematographers rights as a visual artist. Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC held a detailed talk about the situation of authorship for cinematographers, and the importance of fighting for this right. Many of the delegates present noted the importance of membership in IMAGO, where experiences and facts about authorship and other challenges for cinematographers can be shared and cooperated about. In addition, the delegates of the 2016 summit had detailed seminars about the need for focus on gender equality in cinematography, ACES, the making of The Revenant with the team behind the camera, including award-winning DP Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki AMC ASC, visits, talks and demonstrations from those such as Panavision, Technicolor, AMPAS and more. It proved a great summit for all present, and our warmest thanks go to the whole team at ASC, president Richard Crudo ASC, and to Frederic Goodich ASC, Kees Van Oostrum ASC, Michael Goi ASC, Patty Armacost and Delphine Figueras.

The year ahead IMAGO is the European Federation of Cinematographers, a collaborative, global umbrella for the world’s cinematographic societies. It was created to bring European cinematographers together to discuss and find solutions to challenges of common interest, to promote cinematography on an international level, and to share and exchange experience and knowledge. IMAGO now has 49 international societies, with almost 4,000 professional cinematographers as members, from all corners of the world. IMAGO is not a union, but a federation that works to inform and promote the importance and relevance of cinematography to the general public, film colleagues and the cultural-political environments. IMAGO Board members The interest shown by in Los Angeles: (l-r) Paul René Roestad FNF cinematographers worldwide to meet, Predrag Bambic SAS, Nin /President IMAGO, a Louis Philippe Capelle SBC Kellgren BSC, discuss topics of high importance, Rolf Coulanges BVK and , Elen Lotman ESC, technically and creatively, is rapidly Ron Johanson ACS increasing. IMAGO is the international Jost Vacano BVK ASC hub and, as the direct connection between all national cinematographers societies, it has never been more relevant than now. IMAGO has many Gender equality challenges in the year to come. Nina Kellgren BSC and Elen Lotman ESC are together heading an IMAGO Restoration & archiving of our film heritage committee that will increase focus IMAGO plans to work closely in collaboration with on the necessity to address gender the archivist and restoration associations of Europe to equality and equal opportunities for focus on the need to speed up the process of restoring, female cinematographers. 50% of our digitisation and archiving the millions of film rolls from population is represented by less than our vast film heritage. Film material deteriorates even 10% amongst cinematographers, and under the best of storage conditions, so this work this needs to be addressed. and expansion of restoration capacity are matters of urgency. Archiving need more funding from the EU Working conditions and national governments to cope with this enormous As stated many times before, IMAGO is task, and more qualified personnel need to be educated not a Union, but working conditions are for archival facilities to have sufficient qualified staff still discussed amongst our members, for the future. The need to focus on collaboration and experiences from around the between restorers, colourists and archive staff and the world are exchanged regularly. IMAGO creators of the films, including directors, sound creators is working on the possibilities to get and cinematographers is important. Many larger financing to arrange an international archives around the world already have good routines conference on this topic, and the on collaboration, but the need for cooperation with situation for cinematographers and other the authors and creatives of the works needs to be creatives, in Brussels next year. focussed on to ensure maximum quality, especially in smaller archival facilities and cities. Informing about Authorship As already mentioned, IMAGO works to Education – we need to learn from each other inform its members about the situation IMAGO arranges masterclasses around Europe, and of authorship of cinematographers in all our member hopes to expand this wherever cinematographers IMAGO Award countries. In many countries cinematographers have full meet cinematographers, to exchange creative ideas IMAGO is planning its first Award Ceremony in Helsinki authorship rights, in other countries they do not. and experience, to also the rest of the world. The next in 2017. It will be the first Awards that are given entirely Many of our member societies are not concerned masterclass is planned to be arranged in Amsterdam from Cinematographers to Cinematographers. with authorship, but many are, and feel something is this autumn. If these plans are agreed by the IMAGO strange when stills photographers have full authorship IMAGO also collaborates with major film schools, General Assembly this autumn, and if we get a gorights in most countries, and cinematographers have not. through our education committee. The cinematography ahead, you can look forward to a magnificent Award Jost Vacano BVK ASC is one cinematographer who students of today are tomorrow’s cinematographers, so Ceremony in 2017. has fought for his rights over many years, and he just it is in our interest that film schools can get experienced won a court case in Germany regarding his authorship professional cinematographers as guest lecturers. The IMAGO General Assembly 2016 rights with the film Das Boot. The compensation amount IMAGO is planning an international educational IMAGO´s General Assembly takes place during the of $540,000USD was calculated from the earnings from conference in Munich next year, in cooperation with Manaki International Cinematographers Film Festival, the film between 2002 to 2014. In addition, Vacano will the German Film School. The aim is to find out how in Bitola, Macedonia, 13–14 of September. The festival receive 2.25% of all future revenue. He originally asked IMAGO and some of our more than 4,000 members runs from September 11–17, and is the oldest festival for 3.5% of the earnings, and the producers of the film can assist the film schools in tailor making the that focuses on cinematography, in the world. It was earlier offered 1.5%, but this was refused by Vacano. cinematographer’s education. established by the Macedonian Film Professionals The court ruling may be appealed, but this court decision Some of IMAGO’s member societies feel there may Association in 1979 to honour the Manaki brothers, the is a great step forward for all that have worked for be too many cinematographers for the market to absorb, first filmmakers in the Ottoman Balkans. recognition of cinematographers as artists. so that will be on the agenda amongst many other items.

Bitola, Macedonia

British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 63

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY TIM POTTER - CHAIR - GBCT

In April the GBCT had a very lively and successful Annual General Meeting. It was gratifying that we can still produce such a level of enthusiasm. The future of our operations and business was thoroughly aired.

ALL TO THE GOOD

64 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

he guild’s subscription has been held at its current level for some years, but the board felt that in order to offer an enhanced and streamlined service to members a (less than inflation) rise would be necessary. The meeting surprised us all by calling for a greater rise than the board had asked for and by the spirit in which they embraced the improvements offered. The new subs rate of £18/month will kick in with the New Year (January 2017). To greet this increase the office is looking to consolidate the administrative help that Dee Edwards can call-on into one permanent and possibly fulltime assistant. For years the guild has been trying to recover its financial stability and has not been able to afford the luxury of a permanent post in the office. Assistance was shared among several occasional, ad hoc helpers with the talents to cover the office’s various needs. Over the eight years that she has been overseeing the office operations, Dee has worked hard to improve the services we offer while acting prudently to re-build the finances. We are now seeing the benefits of this and, with the help of the increased subs, can now contemplate returning to a staffing level that the guild has not enjoyed for many years. The consolidated and increased service in the office is to be backed up with a streamlined and improved office IT package with improved accounting software, a revamped website and database. The board has drawn up its requirements and will be putting this into action over the remainder of the year. Members are encouraged to send in photographs of their activities so that we can show the breadth and depth of the talent we represent. One of the remits we gave to Dee was to increase the profile and reputation of the Guild. We are now active in many areas of the infrastructure of the film and television industry. We run training courses in many areas. After a run of bad luck with several printers going out of business at just the wrong moment, we will again be publishing a hardcopy version of our directory of members which will be sent to all top production companies, producers and production managers, so that they will have at hand a source of the top camera talent. Quietly, over some years, the office has been making itself the go-to place for productions looking for camera technicians in an emergency at any time of the day or night. Knowing that there will be someone there to find top quality camera technicians when all other sources are closed has proved to be a great boost for the Guild’s reputation. The Welfare Fund continues to look after the interests of members who have fallen on hard times. Its services are most often called on to help with funeral costs for those of us who have found ourselves in the genteel poverty that an inadequate pension has left us (a topic for another time). The improved dynamic service that the office will be offering makes it now a great time for the Guild to make a greater mark on the industry, both as the voice of camera technicians and as the foremost provider of top quality camera training.

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL

FIX IT ALL IN POST

If you have been following British Cinematographer Magazine for the past five years or more (and I hope you have) you will have seen various discussions about the Lytro camera and the implications for cinematography going forward. My original article was written rather tongue in cheek, yet with a suitably sobering thought going forward.

mentioned this camera could capture focus information and can be effectively focussed after capture on the camera, so negating the need of a good focus puller. It seems the technology has marched on quicker than ever imagined and we now have a fully-working, high-resolution camera capable of quite extraordinary feats of technology. The implications are potentially huge going forward. As a brief recap, starting in 2012 from a camera in the shape of a square tube less than five-inches long it was really nothing more than a novelty in its initial stages. Then in April 2014 Lytro introduced its secondgeneration camera in the form of the Lytro Illum light field camera. This had a 40-megaray camera sensor and was aimed primarily at keen amateur photographers. Since 2012 there have been some major developments and breakthroughs, and now the technology has become viable as a creative tool for the cinematographer. Whilst the implications of this are huge, the creative freedom it brings for certain projects will potentially revolutionise how we make movies going forward. It certainly won’t be competing against compact cameras we have at the moment as the form factor is staggeringly large, yet the concept of the light field camera creates some interesting possibilities and also brings up certain issues concerning how many people it would require to operate in the field. Why is this so different to any other camera you have seen? It’s the way camera sensor records the light rays hitting the sensor that is so radical and revolutionary, with the possibilities only becoming obvious after you know what it does and how it does it. Light field photography (also known as plenoptic photography) captures information about the intensity of light in a scene. Crucially it will also capture information about the direction that the light rays are traveling in space. Lytro’s light field sensor uses an array of micro-lenses placed in

front of an otherwise conventional image sensor to record intensity, colour and directional information. Here come the implications. When all this information is captured on the 755-megapixel sensor (yes, you read that correctly!) it is capable of capturing 16-stops of dynamic range, and up to 300 frames per second. This is technologically fascinating and groundbreaking in itself, however these are perhaps the least exciting features in the new Lytro Cinema Camera. The technology and concept is potentially difficult to get a full understanding within the scope of this article, however if I explained the camera essentially creates a digital holographic representation of the subject in front of it, then many avenues of exploration opens up. Essentially the camera captures depth information as well as the traditional colour, focal point, movement, exposure and frame rates. In effect you are able to change focus and other elements long after you have sent the actors home and left the set.

Visual effects implications

Compared to traditional cinematography, where the decisions made on-set are a combination of parameters set at the time of photography, the light field camera captures all this information and can be controlled and manipulated at the post production level. In other words, such factors as focus, shutter speed and frame rate can be altered later. This gives a great potential for visual effects shots as it is possible to create different “slices” of a live scene and separates them out into different layers, (much like in Adobe Photoshop or After Effects). This effectively means every shot you create with this camera can effectively be separated out into components and become a very clean-edged greenscreen shot! This is not merely a simulation of depth, it is actually retracing every light ray into a 3D space. This negates the need for set tracking markers being placed on the cyc. Because the Z-axis (or depth) is already known, that layer can become a layer you can track and then easily cut out later.

3D implications

It also means if you can shoot in 2D and 3D at the same time with the single camera. If you decide to create a high frame rate 3D version there is no need to have two separate cameras and a stereographer continually setting the separation for each shot. Each separate shot has the same motion blur and gives a much finer 3D effect that is optically perfect. Clearly there is much more to this camera than just greenscreen and 3D, and it still requires the skills of cinematography, lighting, camera movement, script, story and acting to make it a worthwhile experience for cinema. It does explore new areas of cinematography and in the right hands this can become an extremely interesting tool for the right project. For example, motion blur can be used as a creative tool in any shot at any point, and altered later during the shot rather than being “baked in” on the set at the time of the shoot. This could be a new effect like “Bullet time” was in The Matrix (1999, DP Bill Pope ASC). Whilst there may not be the need for a focus puller or a stereographer when using this camera, there will always be a need for a large set, sturdy tripod and a good camera grip to move this huge beast of a camera in its current form! It is currently one of the larger cameras available on the market at the moment. It is something akin to the size of a 1930’s blimped movie camera, so rather difficult to use on a small set or location. It is also connected to an array of computer servers all making huge amounts of fan noise. So that will annoy the sound recordists, the grips, along with focus pullers and camera operators, and probably the producer, director and set designers too! However I’m sure within time this size will be reduced to be more manageable and usable in the future. In all seriousness the camera has potential for some incredibly creative effects shots and going forward it could potentially create a “look” that is as unique as 35mm film at the cinema. The thought of “fixing it all in post” has now become a potential reality. Who would have thought that was possible? British Cinematographer | July 2016 | 65

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL

“IN 2016 THE (VALLETTA FILM) FESTIVAL INTRODUCED A NEW COMPETITIVE SECTION TITLED ‘TEENS ONLY’. FIVE TO SEVEN COMING-OF-AGE FILMS WERE SELECTED TO COMPETE FOR THE TRITON TEENS CHOICE AWARD.” JOHN KEEDWELL

VALLETTA FILM FESTIVAL

IPAD CLAPPERBOARD

If you were asked to name a summer film festival, you At the other end of the scale the humble clapperboard would probably think of the Cannes Festival in the has been in use for over a hundred years now, south of France, held every May. This has been a hugely essentially making a noise and giving a visual clue successful festival over many years, of course, and has for the editor to synchronise the sound and picture become a must attend event on many people’s calendars. together later. The humble slate has gone through However there is a “new kid on the block” in the form of many manifestations over the years from a simple the Valletta Film Festival held in Malta in June. Whilst not manual device to some sophisticated timecode as established as the Cannes film Festival (it is only in its enabled clapperboards. second year in 2016), it has drawn some very favourable The requirement for clapperboard is still as discussions, and has provided relevant as ever, however, as there still a fantastic way of seeing needs to be a method many new films in a unique to record the output and interesting way, and with from the camera different themes. separately to the In 2016 the festival sound. It is possible of introduced a new competitive course to record them section titled “Teens Only”. both onto the same Five to seven coming-ofmedium at the same age films were selected to time, but flexibility oncompete for the Triton Teens set and quality normally Choice Award. This new dictate the requirement section will make the Valletta for separate systems Film Festival accessible for sound and picture, to audiences and hence a method of The Yard Triton Award... ng with alo under 18 years synchronising them at a won best film r graphy fo best cinemato niec Zajt of age. The aim later date. DP Ita Zbro is to show works Any useful camera kit thematically and really only needs to pass one simple test here aesthetically linked in the UK. Can it be used wearing gloves in to the experiences a cold, wet, muddy field when it is raining of teenagers and to and in the dark? If it passes that test then create discussions it is deemed useful and suitable. Fail that between filmmakers test and it won’t last long in the biz. Some and young cameras don’t pass that test, incidentally... audiences. This Gabriel Albuquerque, in initiative is the first collaboration with the GBCT, has produced phase of a larger plan the cLAPiT system, and it is certainly worth to make the festival a close look for your next production. accessible to all ages. Based upon the display from an Apple iPad, the The second edition of the festival will also consist cLAPiT is more than simply a clapper board, it is a mini of three competitive sections for independently-produced production unit all by itself. Yes, it makes a noise when feature films, documentaries and short films and three the two sticks are clapped together, so passes that test, non-competitive sections – Islanders, Without Borders yet it does so much more in addition. and Masters Of Cinema. cLAPiT produces camera reports through its In June 2016 there were eight Triton Awards internal logging system, and this can be downloaded handed out by three international juries to the films in the with notes for the editor and instantly sent via email to following ‘best’ categories: film, director, cinematographer, the editor. It is also shower resistant and thus passes screenplay, actor, actress, documentary and short film. one of the essential tests! It can be adjusted for right/ The award for best film was won this year by The left hand operation, and they have been successfully Yard. This also won the award for best cinematography for tested on feature films, TV dramas and TV commercials its DP Ita Zbroniec Zajt. by experienced clapper loaders. Take a look. 66 | British Cinematographer | July 2016

IT SEEMS FILM IS NOT DEAD... On attending the Media Production Show in Islington recently it became clear there is still a market for film as an acquisition medium, and there is a business model based on 35mm, 16mm and even 8mm film. The collapse of Kodak was a shock to most people in recent years, yet with a new business model of providing stock for cameras only, and not providing for projection, there seems to be a thriving market. By concentrating on film stocks purely for cameras and not projection this means a large cut in the amount of film stock consumed of course. Yet this, in conjunction with excellent telecine and processing, can be a fantastic way of shooting on film (with all the benefits) and having a digital version for projection at the same time. One lab that has taken this concept and seems to be delivering fantastic products to a keen audience is Cinelab, based in Slough. Whilst discussing possibilities for the future, it seems Kodak are about to launch a Super 8 film camera before the end of the year, combining the traditional Super 8 film cartridge with a digital copy. Anyone sending their footage to Kodak for processing will also receive a digital copy of their film. The price of the new Super 8 camera is likely to be between £270 and £510 ($400 to $750). Join the queue now!

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