British Cinematographer - Issue 77 by Open Box Media & Communications

www.britishcinematographer.co.uk Issue 77 -- September 2016

CREDITS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 77 / SEPTEMBER 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

“There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you’ll be free, if you truly wish to be.”

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

- WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971, DIR. MEL STUART, DP ARTHUR IBBETSON BSC)

CONTRIBUTORS RON PRINCE has many years of experience in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer Magazine and runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com). In 2014 he won the prestigious ARRI John Alcott Award from the British Society of Cinematographers for services to cinematography. 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). BIRGIT HEIDSIEK is a German journalist who has been covering the film and media industry for national and international trade publications for twenty-five years. She also teaches technical journalism at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University Of Applied Sciences. 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. 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. TREVOR HOGG is a freelance video editor and writer who composes in-depth filmmaker and movie profiles for such websites as AWN, CGSociety, 3DTotal, Live For Films and Flickering Myth. He is a fan of Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Batman: The Animated Series, The Hobbit, Studio Ghibli and Peter Weir.

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

WONDER WOMEN Y

ou’ve probably heard of a parliament of rooks, and a murder of crows. If memory serves, it was Barry Ackroyd BSC who coined the collective noun for DPs – a “conspiracy” of cinematographers. As we all know from attending regular BSC gatherings, conspiracies need careful management, and conspiracies are rarely silent. In 1983, Frances Russell took on the role of company secretary and treasurer of the BSC. That role has entailed the organisation of regular events, awards, meetings, outbound communications, and generally making sure the society has run like a well-oiled machine. Not easy over a 33-year period. But, with the BSC membership comprising some of the most talented cinematographers and camera operators in the United Kingdom, her front of house position has also often involved great listening and sensitive counselling skills, not to mention the marshalling of sponsors, distinguished friends and patrons. The magnitude of Frances’ deeds, her indefatigable fortitude and good grace have been such that she was, quite rightly, the first non-cinematographer to be presented with the BSC Lifetime Achievement Award when she officially retired during the 2016 BSC Summer Lunch, where the eulogies were as bountiful as they were heartfelt. On behalf of the team at British Cinematographer Magazine, and our “scoop” of journalists, we also thank Frances for her stalwart support (not to mention adroit assistance with the cryptic crossword during flights to Camerimage). Of course, it is widely known that one of the main problems with being retired is that you never get a day off. Not even on your holidays. So it’s just as well that the BSC and various sponsors presented Frances with suitable send-off gifts to remain fit whilst passing the time – a set of golf clubs, and a golden camera. Whilst there will never be another Frances Russell, the BSC’s affairs have been entrusted to the capable hands of Audra Marshall, as the new company secretary, and Helen Maclean as administrative assistant. Frances will remain as treasurer and adviser to the BSC. We wish them the very best. However, it was with sadness that we learned of the passing of Sue Gibson BSC, another great lady of the BSC. In 1992, Sue became the first woman to earn membership to the society, was elected to the BSC board in 2004, and became the first woman president of the BSC, steering the ship between 2008 and 2010. A talented cinematographer, Sue was championed by a “halo” of agents, the original team of Flic McKinney and Kim Macartney, and more lately by Brigid Holland and Alison Law. Sue will be sadly missed, but fondly remembered. Godspeed. RON PRINCE Editor | British Cinematographer Magazine British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 03

CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 77 / SEPTEMBER 2016

IN THIS ISSUE... 49 07

On the cover... Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC on Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Innovator... Alfred Piffl (P+S Technik)

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Barry Ackroyd BSC muses over the effects of Brexit on UK filmmaking and cinematographers

PRODUCTION/POST & TECHNO NEWS

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

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO?

Your definitive guide to which DPs are shooting who and where

On The Job... Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC on Snowden

Clapperboard... John Rendall

Great Danes… Digital Sputnik

Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC reveals some of his creative secrets during the making of Oliver Stone’s Snowden

Alfred Piffl… the mastermind behind the pioneering P+S Technik

SPOTLIGHT

Previews of the latest kit on show in Amsterdam at IBC and in Munich at Cinec

Roy H Wagner ASC HFRPS says that if we want better films, then we must re-embrace the need for communal filmmaking

F-STOP IBC/CINEC

MEET THE NEW WAVE

JP Caldeano… makes a lip-smacking lemony libation!

LETTER FROM AMERICA

CAMERA CREATIVE

Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC discusses his practical raison d’être for Tim Burton’s fantasy picture Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Clo Mauro Fiore se Up... The Magnific ASC on ent Seven

ON THE JOB

CLOSE-UP

Mauro Fiore ASC on The Magnificent Seven

CLOSE-UP

Benoît Delhomme AFC on Free State Of Jones

INNOVATOR

LIVE & LET DI

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

CLAPPERBOARD John Rendall

IMAGO NEWS

CLOSE-UP

Salvatore Totino AIC ASC on Inferno

Paul René Roestad on the need for cinematographers to maintain and augment the spirit of unity and cooperation worldwide

Jani-Petteri Passi on The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Maki

What the effect of Brexit might entail for you and for the future

CLOSE-UP

GBCT NEWS

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 05

PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / BSC PRESIDENT

BEYOND BREXIT 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

We all know that feeling when something goes horribly wrong.

ike when you open the door to the film magazine, expose the neg and ruin those vital rushes. You feel sick to your stomach. Things are not right and your world is falling in. That was the feeling of Brexit on that morning of June 24th, when we all got shovelled into the unknown. A strange Luis Buñuel plot, written by a committee, that had no script and no ending, populated by characters with no morals, who foolishly speak in riddles. A sick comedy, in which public schoolboys fart in class, turn their backs and then point fingers at their chums, saying “It’s not my fault.” The leading cast members – Gove, Johnson and Farage. Now that time has passed, and what seemed like an almighty cock-up now just seems like the same old routine. But we need to take this seriously and ask ourselves, what might be the long-term consequences for British films and for British cinematography? I wish I had the answers, but I don’t. So the “known knows”, will have to suffice. We know that Europe has played a significant part in the growth of British film. It’s helped to keep small independent films alive and provides independent screens in 47 countries. By turning our backs on Europe (if we eventually do), we can expect the possible end of funding from European bodies, or at least some reduction in financial support, which in turn will be a major blow to our smaller budget films, which are at the heart of British cinema. Then there is the dramatic fall in the value of the pound against the dollar and I’m sure the US film corporations will not be deterred in their quest for global domination at the box office, as these studios will literally now get more “bangs for their bucks” as they “double dip” our economy and our talent. If this is the case, and smaller films start to lose the help of European funding, and distribution, then who will we be left to fund, develop and promote our films? It leaves us with the BBC, the BFI, perhaps a little help from Film4, plus maybe some crowd funding, or a lift from investment banking. If this is the case, then my big worry is how will we find and fund original films and, more importantly, original filmmakers? Directors, producers, cinematographers, actors, designers? Our options just got fewer as independent filmmaking is now left solely in the hands of a small few who carry the huge responsibility. The BFI has now the sole responsibility, of taste and quality, in what is our vital independent sector. The BFI is charged with using its meagre £50m yearly budget, to develop, homegrown talent, to kickstart new British filmmaking and to save the past through archiving. It’s a David v Goliath problem.

Believe it or not I’m trying to be optimistic, even realistic. We certainly need as much funding as we can get, but by reducing our influence, I fear the consequences could be a return to a “small England” view of the world where we turn inwards and remain in the status quo. It’s the “Stay Calm And Carry On” attitude which parts of BBC Films has clung onto with brilliant foresight, although they are in the process of substituting ideas for nostalgia, with a policy of rebooting “classic” TV comedies from the past. Digging up the carcasses of Are You Being Served?, Till Death Us Do Part and Steptoe And Son, not to mention The Office reimagining of David Brent: Life On The Road, Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie, and The Rack Pack, a movie about the “glory days” of snooker, which was released initially only on BBC iPlayer. Can this be the future? Is it the equivalent response to Hollywood’s obsession with the DC and Marvel comics? Or is it a stab at the lucrative Chinese market, where snooker is extremely popular. And, yes, Carry On films are on their way back soon. Ex-PM David Cameron left us with a legacy to provide tax relief to aid filmmaking, but added the caveat of the aim being to fund “commercial movies”, the result being the boom in corporate moviemaking here in London. Whilst the tax benefits have created many valuable jobs, with total spends of over £1.4 billion per year on these movies, it seems to me that opportunity is narrowing for our new talent. Can micro or, to put it another way, no-budget filmmaking ever give the opportunity to breakthrough? Can films that are not XXL or super-sized, ever get decent distribution on any platform? Or will the cinemas and online platforms continue to promote the “guaranteed” glam and glitz, big bang blockbusters and furious films from Hollywood? Brexit has dealt the country, and the British film industry, a bum deal, but it won’t stop filmmaking being one of our major creative endeavours. Cinema is bigger than that, and it’s our job, as ever, to play whatever cards we have. Things will always be a struggle. I regret the loss of opportunity and talent that we will never get to see. But, if we move forwards, making films better and bigger (in that order), then we will continue to have an audience worldwide. It’s then that cinema and cinematography will get showcased. Things must change and nothing can stay the same. One day even politicians might resort to the truth. Long live cinema! British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 07

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

ANG LEE TO DELIVER IBC 2016 KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Director Ang Lee, Academy Award-winner for Brokeback Mountain (2005, DP Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC) and Life Of Pi (2012, Claudio Miranda ASC) will deliver the visionary keynote address at the IBC2016 Conference in Amsterdam, on Monday 12 September, as part of the IBC Big Screen Experience.

he IBC Big Screen Experience is at the heart of the IBC 2016 Conference, where more than 300 speakers are expected to attend and share insights on key issues at the heart of the entertainment, media and technology sector. Lee’s keynote will set in context his latest work on Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk scheduled for a US release in November. Shot at a high frame rate of 120 frames-per-second at 4K resolution, using Sony F65 cameras in 3D, by Oscarwinning cinematographer John Toll ASC, and displayed in high dynamic range (HDR), the presentation of this format – unprecedented for a Hollywood feature-length motion picture – is something the director believes is a major step towards the future of digital filmmaking. Lee will outline how this pioneering cinematographic technique not only unlocks a new level of storytelling power and emotional connection with the on-screen characters, but also offers greater control over preserving artistic integrity over the increasing range of delivery formats, both within cinema and to the wider electronic entertainment market.

Each year the IBC converts the RAI Auditorium into The IBC Big Screen Experience, with help from industry leaders including Christie, Dolby, QSC and Harkness Screens, creating a state of the art in cinema. With the support of the Walt Disney Company, this year’s Saturday night movie is Jon Favreau’s adaptation of The Jungle Book (DP Bill Pope ASC), hailed as a technical tour de force. Despite being set entirely in the Indian jungle, the live action – featuring Neel Sethi as Mowgli – was shot on a stage in downtown Los Angeles. Everything else, including the cast of animals, including Baloo the bear and Shere Khan the tiger, was created in computer graphics. The IBC screening will feature HDR 3D using the latest Christie laser projector and a specially-made Harkness screen with Dolby Atmos sound. 08 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

REMEMBERING SUE GIBSON BSC

ue Gibson BSC passed away peacefully in her sleep the morning of 27th July, following a brave battle against cancer. Her illness happened suddenly, as only last year she was shooting in Guadeloupe for the BBC television series Death In Paradise. Born in Derbyshire in 1957, she took up photography at Newport College Of Art in 1970, which influenced her interest in film, taking her to the National Film And Television School. She graduated in 1981 and started her career in the film industry as a clapper/loader. She worked as a clapper/loader for only two years until she started her position as director of photography for commercials, television shows and films. She won several awards for commercials and the Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Technical Achievement for Hear My Song (1991) and Secret Friends (1991) as Two presidents… well as an Irish Film and Su BSC pictured with e Gibson Michael Television Award for Goi ASC at Cineg ea Best Craft Contribution marking the 60th r in 2009, an for Amongst Women of the BSC and the niversary anniversary of the 90th (1998). In 2010, she was ASC given an award for her cinematography work by the International Women’s Foundation. Sue Gibson has the legacy of being the first female member of the British Society Of Cinematographers, having been invited to join the society in 1992. She was elected to the board of governors in 2004, and later became the first female president of the British Society Of Cinematographers between from 2008-2010. By Phil Méheux BSC.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

MICHAEL CHAPMAN ASC TO RECEIVE 2016 CAMERIMAGE LIFETIME AWARD C

inematographer Michael Chapman ASC will be the laureate of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th edition of the Camerimage International Film Festival Of The Art of Cinematography, held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, 12-19 November 2016. Although he retired from filmmaking in 2006, Michael Chapman’s legacy of movie images, created over four decades, with credits including Taxi Driver (1976), Raging Bull (1980) and The Lost Boys (1987), places him among the elite of American cinematographers. He was twice nominated for Academy Awards – for Raging Bull and The Fugitive (1993) – and also tried his hand at directing with All The Right Moves (1983) and The Clan Of The Cave Bear (1986), as well as screenwriting, with The Viking Sagas (1995). Born in Boston, USA, in 1935, Chapman initially worked in New York where he met such filmmakers as

Raging Bull (1980)

directors Michael Cimino, and DPs Owen Roizman ASC and Gordon Willis ASC. Willis became Chapman’s mentor and hired him as a camera operator for such films as Alan J. Pakula’s Klute (1971) and Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather (1972). During the 1970s Chapman served as Bill Butler’s camera operator on Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975), and worked with Philip Kaufman on Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978) and The Wanderers (1979). However, one of the most important partnerships of Chapman’s career was with director Martin Scorsese. Taxi Driver, regarded as an American masterpiece, still fascinates viewers today with its psychological complexity, overall significance and the colour palette with which Chapman portrayed the decadent and murky nightlife in New York. Chapman’s opening title shot for Raging Bull – depicting a lonely pugilist fighting himself in slow motion and shrouded in something resembling fog – became a signature shot for both the director and cinematographer. Chapman also teamed up with Scorsese on documentaries including The Last Waltz (1978) and American Boy: A Profile of Steven Prince (1978), before making his debut as a director in 1983 Tom Cruise vehicle All the Right Moves. He also worked alongside Scorsese for Michael Jackson’s “Bad” music video.

MOVIETECH STAYS FOCUSSED ON LENS COMPATIBILITY AND CHOICE

mid the latest developments in both contemporary and traditional imaging methods, camera, lens and grip specialist Movietech is making sure it remains focussed on compatibility with all formats, particularly when it comes to lenses. As an independent equipment provider, Movietech has made significant investment in products from a variety of industry-leading manufacturers to ensure cinematographers have access to the widest possible choice of lenses, regardless of recording format. The selection of available lenses incorporates the latest families of primes from Bausch & Lomb, Canon, Cooke, Fujinon, Leica, Schneider, TLS, Cooke and Zeiss. The line-up of manufacturers covered by company’s stock of vintage and modern Anarmorphics includes glass from Angenieux, Hawk, Kowa, Mirroscope and Cooke, plus a wide selection of in-house, bespoke manufactured Anamorphic lenses. Movietech managing director John Buckley said, “Trends come and go and equipment is constantly evolving. 10 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

The on-going release of digital imaging systems and unwavering positivity towards film continue to introduce options in the way images are captured. With a keen eye focussed on the future, the Movietech team remains committed to ensuring our product range embraces innovation and provides serious choice through compatibility with the widest possible range of camera systems. “We are incredibly proud that our close working relationships with some of the world’s greatest cinematographers provide fantastic insider opinion, helping us stay right on top of lens technology, both in the present and for the future”.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

UK AND SOUTH AFRICA BOOST GROWTH IN TV SECTORS WITH CO-PRODUCTION AGREEMENT

he UK and South Africa have signed a new television agreement which will strengthen ties within the broadcast industries, encourage the sharing of knowledge and ideas, and drive economic growth through television co-production. The terms of the agreement, which builds on the existing Film Co-production Treaty, were negotiated by the Department For Culture, Media And Sport (DCMS) and the BFI, with the Department For Arts And Culture for the Republic Of South Africa. Television co-productions that qualify under the terms of the treaty will be able to access the benefits of national status in each country. In South Africa these include a higherrate production rebate,

whilst in the UK qualifying television co-productions will be able to access the UK’s High-End Television Tax Relief, the Animation Television Tax Relief or the Children’s Television Tax Relief. UK/South Africa feature films that have qualified under the existing Co-production Treaty include The Salvation (director Kristian Levring, starring Mads Mikkelsen and Eva Green, DP Jens Scholsser), Africa United (director Debs Paterson, starring Eriya Ndayambaje and Roger Jean Nsengiyumva, DP Sean Bobbitt BSC), Tiger House (director Thomas Daley, starring Kaya Scodelario and Dougray Scott, DP Willie Nel) and Dredd 3D (director Pete Travis, starring Karl Urban and Olivia Thirlby, DP Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC). “British television production is a tremendous success story, but we need to make sure the UK remains well placed to take advantage of the opportunities that come through international

collaboration,” said Ed Vaizey, Culture Minister. “This new agreement enhances our already strong relationship with South Africa and will help television production companies in both countries realise the benefits that come with co-production. Amanda Nevill, BFI CEO, commented, “The UK’s TV production sector is stronger than ever and its quality, creativity and originality is admired all over the world. The inclusion of television in the existing, successful film co-production treaty represents exciting new opportunities for growth and collaboration between the UK and South Africa and will be of great mutual benefit to both countries.” Max Rumney, deputy chief Executive of Pact, said: “There is well-established collaboration between UK and South African TV production companies. Therefore, it’s important to the independent production sector that these relationships are strengthened and formalised, and Pact’s members look forward to creating more co-production opportunities with our South African counterparts.”

Qualifiers… Africa United was supported by the UK/South African co-production treaty

MEMBERSHIP IS THE FOCUS

AT PLASA’S 2016 AGM

PLASA… members vote at the recent AGM

12 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

LASA is the lead international not-for-profit trade association for those supplying technologies and services to the event, entertainment and installation industries. Ed Pagett, formerly managing director of Panalux Broadcast & Events, and current chairman of PLASA’s board, has led the organisation through very challenging times. In his speech at the recent AGM he outlined the many changes that have taken place over the last year including bringing in a new managing director following the departure of former CEO Matthew Griffiths, and the demerge from PLASA North America (which has now returned to its former name of ESTA) after four years. This development, said Pagett, although not desired by PLASA, had brought fresh clarity and new opportunities for PLASA, but had also resulted in financial fallout with the North American organisation that has yet to be resolved. “My role as chairman has been to navigate the association back to a position of profitability, strength and, most importantly, into a future that will truly engage our members. A fundamental part of this organisational change has been improving PLASA’s financial performance and we have made significant progress in this regard,” said Pagett. “All this has only been possible with the unstinting support of vice-chair, Adam Blaxill of Stage Electrics, our treasurer Martin Hawthorn of Hawthorn, and John Simpson of White Light, who was chair of PLASA’s overarching governing body prior to the demerge.” These board members have now stepped back from the day-to-day running of the organisation, although their commitment to guiding the association will continue as before. Peter Heath, PLASA’s new MD, who has been with the organisation for three months, received unanimous support from members as he outlined his vision for PLASA as it moves from a time of change to a renewed and sustainable future. Heath’s key points related to creating ‘one PLASA’ – a step which would include staff restructuring and closing the London office, increasing visibility through improved communication and marketing, and broadening availability through new and enhanced products. Heath stressed that there would be renewed focus on the membership and on building relationships across the industry, beginning with an audio focus group. In the longer term, there will be much-needed reinvestment to strengthen PLASA’s value to the membership.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

EXPANDING THE FILMSCAPE FAMILY C

amera specialist Filmscape has expanded its team by welcoming Sandro Leone to the role of head of drama at its West London headquarters. Leone brings 17 years of experience to the position, having previously worked at ARRI Rental where he learned, firsthand, the importance of forging strong relationships with cinematographers, crew and production, as well as gaining experience in the preparation and delivery of quality rental equipment and systems. Leone joins a handful of well-known industry figures occupying key roles within Filmscape, including founder and MD Kevin Harvey, technical director Renos Louka and head of camera floor Mike Rosario. Speaking about the appointment, Harvey said, “Having enjoyed steady growth over the past few years, we are now entering a new phase at Filmscape and we are all absolutely delighted that Sandro has chosen to join us for the journey. He has an incredible knowledge of rental and a depth of industry understanding that will be hugely beneficial both to the company and our customers”. Sandro Leone

LANCE FISHER GRABS FIRST MATTHEWS CAM TANK CAMERA SUPPORT

M KODAK AFFIRMS CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO THE MOTION PICTURES

odak’s on-going commitment to the motion picture film industry is increasing as film production continues to grow and gain momentum. Film processing laboratories are an integral part of the motion picture imaging chain and as part of its continued support of the motion picture filmmaking business Kodak has acquired UK film lab i-Daliies. Steven Overman, global chief marketing officer and president of consumer and film at Kodak said: “The UK is one of the largest film production markets in the world today and we want to ensure film continues to be an option for filmmakers working on all types of projects around the globe.” Nigel Horn, co-founder and general manager, of i-Dailies added: “This sends a powerful message to the filmmaking community about the commitment to film origination into the future. Film processing is fundamental to the film production pipeline and we are proud of the role we have played in supporting film in the UK in recent years.” 14 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

atthews Studio Equipment has just shipped its new Cam Tank camera support system, with the first purchase made by DP/operator Lance Fisher SOC. Matthews is known for innovative camera and lighting support and, in the case of Cam Tank, it was Tyler Phillips, VP of product development and marketing at MSE, who spotted a gap in the market. “During many of my set visits, I would see the camera operator and AC sitting on the ground, with the camera resting on a sandbag in an effort to get a low POV,” said Phillips. “I would hear the DP or director asking for a camera pan, which is very difficult and sometimes impossible to do on a sand bag.” The new Cam Tank accepts both large camera plates as well as direct mount, and is another option for extremely low shots without taking away the ability to pan and tilt the camera. Cam Tank is also an option for Dutch angles, when mounted to a fluid head or shots designed to be pointed straight down off a fluid head or jib. “MSE is great about creating from the ground-up, or taking an old idea and making it better,” commented Fisher. “The Cam Tank rocker plate is just that. Rocker plates have been around forever and I always appreciated what they can do – get the lens close to the deck while

still having smooth pan and tilt. Except for a few one-offs or prototypes, nothing has been done with this tool for over 20 years, until MSE took on the task. When I saw their new and improved version at Cine Gear, I knew I had to have it. “For low shots – the person-sitting-atdesk shot, the low angle tilt-up to the hand holding the phone, the pan of dog’s face low along the floor, etc. – the Cam Tank gets you a good 12-inches lower than a fluid head without sacrificing control. You can also mount the Cam Tank onto another head and create a Dutch shot or a partial third axis. It has nice, non-skid, rubber feet too. It’s built like a tank. It’s beautiful. I told the guys at Matthews I want to purchase another one to put on the shelf – just to look at!”

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

LENS CONTROL SYSTEMS LAUNCHES CINEFADE DEPTH-OF-FIELD SYSTEM

n partnership with cmotion Lens Control Systems of Vienna, Austria, London-based filmmaker Oliver Janesh Christiansen has developed Cinefade, a new system that enables cinematographers to gradually vary the sharpness of the background in a motion-picture shot at constant exposure, whilst keeping the foreground in focus. Cinefade is an in-camera effect that can immerse viewers in a story or make a client’s product stand out in a commercial, enabling an interesting new form of cinematic expression. Depth-of-field is a powerful cinematic storytelling device. In the past, cinematographers have always been limited to choosing either a shallow or a deep depth-offield that stays consistent throughout the shot. Cinefade gives them the opportunity to explore the creative potential of a variable depth-of-field. Fading from a deep to a shallow depth is possible, thereby gradually blurring the background, which could communicate a shift in the subject’s emotional state in a narrative or guide the viewer’s eyes to focus on a product in a commercial.

Cinefade uses a custom cmotion lens control system to vary iris diameter, changing the depth-of-field. A custom-built variable neutral density filter sits inside a matte box and keeps exposure constant by slaving the filter motor to the iris motor. The Cinefade system works with any digital or film camera and cine lens, and allows for a range of up to five T-stops. Cinefade is currently being used by directors of photography for TV dramas, feature films, commercials and music videos and is available as a rentalonly item in London and Los Angeles. Christopher Ross BSC commented, “Cinefade is a really useful and subtle tool to use in moments of extreme drama.”

TRUE LENS SERVICE RE-ENGINEERS CANON K35 LENSES

rue Lens Services has announced the latest development in its re-housing project of the Canon K35 lens series. The 18mm, 24mm and 35mm lenses were the first in the range of Canon K35 lenses to be converted into TLS cam form. Classed as the most complicated to convert in the series, these three lenses required an intensive design and development process. Remaining in the range are the 55mm and 85mm, which are to be completed and introduced at IBC 2016. The conversion process will eventually cover all variants in the K35 series, including the 50mm and 18mm T2.8. The 18mm, 24mm and 35mm Canon K35 lenses have a dual cam system to cover the floating element movement and an extended focus scale with approximately 300 degrees of rotation. The 55mm and 85mm are on a conventional single cam system, but incorporate a fixed rear element. 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. All lenses in the series will benefit from zero backlash and

16 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

image shift. This will give accurate dual focus scales that repeat on direction change, giving widespread and even markings throughout the distance scale. Aluminium alloy, stainless steel, brass and robust construction guarantee a long serviceable life. The upgrade process includes: new stainless steel PL mount, high-grade aluminium alloy and stainless steel housing, new cam form focus drive, high calibre focus and

iris rings, engraved dual focus scales, and standard 110mm front ring. The optical layout of the K35 lenses will remain unchanged and their visuals are preserved as they were originally designed. With the mechanical drives giving more user control it now means that the whole series are now matched for 4K digital camera systems used in the industry today.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

PANALUX TO EXCLUSIVELY OFFER LRX ROBOTIC LIGHTING SYSTEM Panalux, which provides lighting rental equipment to film, television and media productions, has become the exclusive provider of the LRX robotic lighting system throughout Europe and Africa.

he LRX robotic lighting system is a remotelycontrolled trolley, with matching lighting heads, that allows for on-set lighting flexibility and convenience, and is well-suited for large-scale sets. Operated via a handheld controller or DMX desk, the weatherproof LRX light heads – designed to withstand both wind and rain – can be pivoted in a range of angles. In addition to pan, tilt and rotating options, the LRX trolley system adds another dimension of tractability, seamlessly and smoothly moving heads along the length of an I-beam. Panalux recently supplied four 23.4K tungsten LRX Scorpion heads and seven 18K daylight/ tungsten LRX single Par heads to the Tenerife leg of Jason Bourne, the latest instalment in Universal Studios’ Bourne film series. The film’s best boy Martin Taylor and rigging gaffer Sam Kite both cited operator safety as one of the most significant advantages to the LRX robotic lighting system. “If we didn’t have these LRX lights, we would have had to have someone up in a cherry picker continually adjusting the beam positions,” Taylor explained. “In terms of health and safety, the fact that these ones move by remote or desk is a big advantage.” According to Sam Kite the ease with which his team was able to rig and switch out the LRX Scorpion and single heads was a game changer. “They are so easy to

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move, so user-friendly – you just unplug and move. We didn’t have a single problem with any of the bulbs. They are just good, easy lights with a really convenient motor system. They did exactly what we wanted them to do.” The LRX single Par fixture features four bulb choices (6K, 12K, 18K, HMI or 12K tungsten bulbs), integrated gel holders, DMX hardwire remote control, and optional condor mounting and cable management systems exclusive to LRX. The LRX Scorpion fixture , with integrated gel frame holder, is a 23.4K tungsten light head featuring 36 650-watt DWE bulbs, and is wired to accept three 19-pin Socapex cables (two lamps per circuit). Robotic capabilities are built into this head; no motors or adapters are required. The flat Scorpion fixture can pan 340 degrees, tilt from 0 to -120 degrees, and is operated via DMX desk or hand controller (hand-held controller can operate up to 32 fixtures). According to Panalux Group technical director Chris Millard, being able to offer clients the LRX robotic lighting system throughout the geographies that Panalux service is an enormous boost. “We are thrilled to be partnering with LRX out of North America to provide our clients this lighting system, which has become something of a must-have on large-scale film, television and even commercial sets. Our long-time clients tell us that the flexibility and capability of having so many control options literally in their hands has become a new industry standard. Beyond that, these lights are extremely easy to rig and use – we have had a lot of demand for them, which we expect to continue to grow.”

PANASONIC ANNOUNCES ENTRY-LEVEL PALM CAMCORDER

Panasonic has announced a new palm camcorder to replace the popular AG-AC90. The AG-AC30 is a 1-chip, full-HD camcorder, designed and built in Japan, which brings in a number of useful tools and features to help deliver professional-looking pictures in different environments. The camcorder offers a newly-designed lens capable of a wide focal range (20x zoom and 29.5mm wide angle), three manual rings for focus, iris, and zoom and two-channel XLR audio inputs. The camera is one of the lightest in its class, weighing 1.5kg, and includes an integrated LED video light, capable of 300lx at one metre, that supports shooting in dim light, such as night time wedding parties and run-and-gun interviews. The camera has a new 1/3.1-type backside illumination (BSI) sensor, which is larger than the sensor on the current model. It is equipped with an illuminating LED ‘tally’ ring, to clearly show when the camcorder is recording, whilst a five-axis hybrid optical image stabiliser (OIS) corrects blurring in virtually all types of shooting, greatly improving stability whilst shooting on the move. A new Level Shot feature automatically detects and corrects the tilting of captured images and complements the OIS for professional looking pictures. A dual recording functionality can ensure safe, secure, simultaneous recording so the user has instant failsafe back-up.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

SACHTLER EXTENDS FSB LINE WITH NEW 100MM TRIPOD

achtler, a provider of camera supports, accessories and bags, has introduced the FSB 10, a new entrylevel 100mm fluid head. The FSB 10 builds on the legacy of the robust but lightweight FSB series to offer a solution for on-the-go camera operators working in areas such as news, documentaries and wildlife. Sachtler’s FSB line of fluid heads has a reputation for being resilient and long-lasting. Director of photography Alessandro Beltrame used his FSB 6 system for The Antarctica Project in the South Pole, where temperatures often dipped below -40 degrees Celsius. “Transport over icy, snowy, and rocky terrain is very difficult; that’s why the equipment has to be

extremely robust yet very lightweight at the same time. The less weight, the better,” said Beltrame. “On top of that, the quality of pan and tilt movements is a basic requirement. It doesn’t matter how well you prepare; you never know how much leeway you’ll actually have in those extreme conditions. That’s exactly why you need the best possible camera support.” The FSB 10 expands on this tradition. With a higher payload than the 75mm FSB 8, the FSB 10 can handle up to 12kg (26.5lbs) and allows users to employ a wider range of system configurations. The head comes in two versions with different camera platforms including the FSB 10 with convenient sideload mechanism with long sliding range for front/ back adjustment of the camera or FSB 10 T with Touch & Go plate for very fast camera attachment. Action sports photographer Tom Day, one of the most renowned filmmakers in the skiing world, famously snapped a picture of his FSB 8 system

frozen while on location in the Alps yet still fully operational. Day, the principle cinematographer for Warren Miller Entertainment since 2000 and an avid user of the Sachtler brand, was one of the first to experience the FSB 10 and tested it in extreme, onlocation environments. “If the FSB system can perform in these extreme locations, then it won’t let you down on your day to day shoot,” explained Day. “The 100 mm version of the FSB 10 allows you to level the tripod so much quicker than a 75 mm. This allows you to set-up fast, shoot on the fly or uneven ground, and ultimately get your shot. He added, “it’s surprisingly lightweight, which is great for someone like me who is always on-location and needs to be mobile. With a bigger head and stick socket, the FSB 10’s legs can be planted even wider. The stability allows me avoid any unnecessary movement and get great shots.”

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN ANNOUNCES PUBLIC BETA FOR URSA MINI

lackmagic Design has announced the availability of Blackmagic Camera 4.0 Public Beta. This public beta lets customers install and test Blackmagic’s major new camera operating system and user interface for the URSA Mini. Blackmagic Camera 4.0 Public Beta is available for download free of charge from the Blackmagic Design website for all Blackmagic URSA Mini customers. Since it was announced at NAB, Blackmagic Design engineers have worked with professional cinematographers and DPs on the new camera operating system and have designed an interface they hope will revolutionise the way operators interact with and use digital film cameras. The public beta of the new camera operating system replaces multi-level menus, large numbers of buttons, and hard-to-find settings, with an newly-designed interface that puts the most important and often used functions at the operator’s fingertips. For example, the new heads-up display dramatically reduces the number of menus and submenus needed to find specific settings and commands. This means users can change settings such as ISO, white balance, shutter angle, iris, frame rate and frame guides without having to navigate through any menus. They can also quickly toggle back and forth between

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different settings, allowing them to try different combinations of settings on-the-fly. They can also save and load presets for different shooting situations and save them to a card for use on different cameras. In addition, there are now custom white balance and white balance presets, along with tint control settings. Operators also get more accurate shutter angle selection, including a large easy-to-use on-screen keyboard for quick entry of settings. The public beta of the new URSA Mini camera OS also improves focus assist. Users can now adjust the colour for focus assist overlays, or they can choose to use more traditional focus peaking tools that highlight the sharpest areas of an image.

The new URSA Mini camera OS has a new “slate” page for entering metadata that can be accessed by swiping left or right on the screen. This brings up a slate for both the shot and the entire project. Entering metadata is simplified through the use of predictive entry suggestions. A preloaded dictionary of commonly used terms can be applied as metadata tags with a simple tap. In addition, lens metadata is automatically read from electronic lenses or can be entered manually, along with production specific information, technical information and much more. All of this metadata is saved with the files and can be used by software such as DaVinci Resolve for editing and color correction. “The combination of URSA Mini’s 4.6K resolution with 15 stops of dynamic range and the new camera OS is incredibly exciting,” said Grant Petty, CEO, Blackmagic Design. “Our dream is to design the world’s most advanced cameras with an incredibly modern OS that’s faster to use and more feature rich than has ever been possible before. Its a privilege to be able provide this update to our URSA Mini customers who are some of the worlds top cinematographers and who blow our minds with their creative work!”

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

CELEBRATING SLOCOMBE

The Servant (1963)

To say that cinematographer Douglas Slocombe OBE BSC ASC, who passed away on 22 February 2016, aged 103, had a varied film career would be a huge understatement.

ven from early-on in his career, his adventures behind the camera would become the stuff of legends, so much so that an entire page of Sight & Sound in 1940 was dedicated to his encounter with Joseph Goebbels during a Nazi rally on the eve of the Second World War; an encounter from which the cinematographer narrowly escaped with his life. A nod to this face-to-face meeting could well have been the inspiration for Indiana Jones’ very own chance encounter with Adolf Hitler at a pre-war Nazi rally in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade, Slocombe’s final film. It is fitting that these two dramatic scenes, one from his real-life and the other from one of his films, bookend an incredible film career that lasted 40 years and included 80 films. Slocombe won BAFTA Awards in 1964, 1975 and 1979, and was nominated

for an Academy Award on three occasions. A special Cinema Rediscovered retrospective at Bristol’s Watershed recently showed a range of work lensed by Slocombe, including It Always Rains On Sunday (1947), The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), The Smallest Show On Earth (1957), The Servant (1963), The Lion In Winter (1968) and Rollerball (1975). Taking inspiration from the pioneering Il Cinema Ritrovato festival in Bologna, Italy, Cinema Rediscovered celebrates great films in the cinema, giving audiences an opportunity to rediscover new digital restorations, film print rarities of early cinema, and contemporary classics on the big screen in cinemas including The Watershed.

ARRI RENTAL OFFERS REHOUSED BAUSCH & LOMB SUPER BALTAR SET

RRI Rental UK has added a newly-rehoused set of vintage Bausch & Lomb Super Baltar lenses to its inventory. The lenses have been re-engineered by True Lens Services to ensure they can withstand the demands of modern-day use while still achieving their classic look. First introduced by Bausch & Lomb in the mid-1960s, Super Baltar lenses were originally designed to be compatible with Mitchell BNCR cameras and are best-known for their use on The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974). The optics of ARRI Rental’s Super Baltar lenses remain unchanged, but they are now housed in highly robust lens barrels with a new stainless steel PL mount and a standard front diameter of 110mm. Comprising six focal lengths, ranging from 20mm to 100mm, the modified set now provides reliable mechanical performance, as well as compatibility with today’s standard lens accessories, such as lens motors and follow-focus units. Though they are also suited for use with film cameras, whilst their warm, soft look and unique flare characteristics also offer a pleasing synergy with the sensors of digital cinema cameras. “ARRI Rental is always on the lookout for interesting additions to our lens inventory,” says Russell Allen, operations director of ARRI Rental’s UK camera and grip business. “We were so pleased when we came across this set of genuine vintage Super Baltar lenses and looked to True Lens Services to bring them up to modern standards and make fit for rental. They offer plenty of character for creating distinct visuals, just what our clients tell us they want.” 22 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Douglas Slocomb e OBE BSC ASC

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

PINEWOOD GROUP AGREES $425M TAKEOVER DEAL VI RENTAL OFFERS T UK’S LARGEST FLEET OF he Pinewood Group looks set to be sold to a US-based asset management business in a deal worth around £320m. Pinewood, which owns UK studios in Buckinghamshire, Shepperton and Cardiff, as well as facilities abroad in Malaysia, Canada, the Dominican Republic and the USA, announced its desire for a takeover at the start of the year. “We believe that we have found the right partner for the business and one that shares our longterm vision for the future of the group,” said Pinewood chief executive Ivan Dunleavy. “Pinewood’s continuing commitment to the UK’s creative industries remains as strong as ever. Staff and customers can be assured that in this new strategic partnership our priority will be to not only maintain, but also to build on, the world class provision of services.” Pinewood has long been a destination for US and UK blockbusters including the 007 James Bond franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and several Marvel titles. The deal for Pinewood Group is backed by Venus Grafton, an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of PW Real Estate Fund III LP. It has a fund of £3.3bn from investors including pension plans and other institutions in Europe, the US, Asia and the Middle East to spend on properties in the UK and Europe. London-based independent asset management business Aermont Capital is an investment advisor to the funds. In 2013, Pinewood launched a plan to expand its Pinewood Studios site to meet the growing demand for UK studio space. The first phase of the expansion was completed this summer. Pinewood has become the second major UK film company sale post-Brexit, following Wanda’s acquisition of Odeon.

VARICAM LT CAMERAS

VI Rental in Bristol has taken delivery of six VariCam LT camcorders for use in natural history and mainstream production, giving it the largest fleet in the UK. The company is a global supplier of broadcast, film and television rental solutions, operating 25 branches throughout Europe and South Africa. It has purchased six of the handheld camcorders, capable of shooting in both 4K (4096 x 2160)

and UHD (3840 x 2160). In addition, the VariCam LT is equipped with dual native ISO settings of 800 and 5,000 and offers the ability to change the mount from an EF mount (standard) to a PL mount (optional), increasing the range of usable lenses. Nick Hill, hire manager at VI Rental, said, “We have been very impressed with what we’ve seen of the VariCam LT. Not only does it offer outstanding image quality, but also the advanced grading tools, in-camera dailies and proxy recording capabilities are a true revolution in streamlining workflow.” “VI Rental has been an excellent partner for Panasonic VariCam,” said Nigel Wilkes, UK group manager at Panasonic. “They held a large fleet of the original HD VariCam in the early 2000s and, as a result, played a significant part in its success, particularly in natural history. The company is now backing the new generation of the VariCam and has a strong belief that the camera can add real value to both natural history and drama production.”

PINEWOOD MBS LIGHTING INVESTS IN LARGE DIGITAL SPUTNIK INVENTORY

s part of its on-going investment into new equipment, Pinewood MBS Lighting has bought a significant number of Digital Sputnik fixtures. Having amassed 60 DS6 fixtures and over 240 single heads, including a quantity of the latest wirelessly controlled DS1 battery-operated lights, Pinewood MBS has become home to the largest Digital Sputnik rental stock in the world. Digital Sputnik fixtures were used extensively by cinematographer Greig Fraser ACS ASC during filming of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which was supported by Pinewood MBS. The company says Digital Sputnik equipment has since become a key part of lighting lists on a variety of film and television productions. Pinewood MBS Lighting managing director, Darren Smith said, “Digital Sputnik have proven to be a great example of what new technologies can really achieve. The fixtures are a real asset, particularly as Pinewood MBS continues its drive to deliver cutting-edge technology through investment in low energy and LED solutions, which offer creative improvements and increased functionality over traditional counterparts.”

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NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

JUNGLE THRILLER PUTS COOKE ANAMORPHIC/I LENSES TO THE TEST

orthcoming film Jungle, based on Yossi Ghinsberg’s memoir, “Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival”, was shot using its Anamorphic/i lenses. The film recounts Ghinsberg’s 1982 journey through the Amazon where he ended up alone for three weeks, before being found and rescued. Jungle stars Daniel Radcliffe in an Arclight Films production, directed by Greg McLean and lensed by DP Stefan Duscio. Production for Jungle, scheduled for release in 2017, was split between Australia’s South East Queensland jungle and Colombia (substituting for Bolivia) along the rivers, jungles, villages and towns, for its rugged and bigger landscapes. Sydney’s digital and film equipment rental house Cinoptix supplied two ARRI Alexa XT cameras and Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses, including a 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm. Cooke also stepped-in to supply one of the first production models of the new 65mm macro Anamorphic/i lens. “I used the 65mm a lot and loved it,” said Duscio. “It is such a versatile lens that it gave us the freedom to go from mid-shot to extreme close-ups without a lens change. The 65mm had a beautiful classic ‘Cooke look’ to it.” With some of the most intensive preproduction work he has ever done, exploring jungles and climbing cliffs, Duscio wanted a classic adventure film look,

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but not something hand-held. “Almost the entire film is composed with elegant compositions and simple dolly moves, practical and pragmatic set-ups. It was important that the audience be able to watch Jungle effortlessly, with the cinematography not calling attention to itself.” Duscio has used Cooke lenses on two previous feature films and various commercials, and thought that, with his desire for big landscapes, Cooke lenses would be perfect for the natural landscapes, skin tones, and faces. “There’s a real roundness and classic quality to the lenses – sort of vintage,” said Duscio. “Today’s new lenses are way too sharp. The Cooke Anamorphics are a beautiful middle-ground between traditional Anamorphic lenses and going too sharp. They’re classic lenses that just feel familiar.” The jungles of Australia, whilst being very production-friendly (the cast and crew could drive right up to the location), did present some challenging shooting conditions. “It’s very difficult once you’re under the dense jungle canopy,” added Duscio. “It has really low light levels and you’re shooting almost wide-open every day. At 3pm, it starts to get dark with sunset at 5:30pm, so by 2:30pm, we’re bringing out large HMIs and bouncing them around the forest to lift the light level under the canopy. I always tried to place our biggest HMIs as far away as possible to give Greg and the cast the creative freedom they needed for blocking, and the cameras the light they needed.” Duscio used all six lenses in his kit with the 32mm and 40mm for wide setup masters and closeups on the 75mm — as

he likes to have the camera a bit closer to the actors plus the 100mm and 65mm. “We tested other Anamorphics, but the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses made the biggest impact,” said Duscio. “Once Greg saw them, he was totally on board, even though he had never shot with Cooke lenses before.”

PROCAM ANNOUNCES NEW PROJECTS DIVISION UK digital cinematography and broadcast hire firm Procam has announced a new division, called Procam Projects, to meet a growing demand for multi-camera, fixed rig, robotics, mini cam projects, car rigs and portable production units. The new operation will be led by former HotCam employees Vicky Holden, as Procam Projects managing director and Dan Studley as group technical director. The new division will have access to £1.2m for immediate requirements, which will include the upgrade of all PPUs to 4K. Further investments will be made in fibre infrastructure and workflow solutions, such as the Quadrus system to further improve multi-camera and fixed rig productions, with funds being set aside for product development. A range of projects across music, entertainment, reality and live production are said to be in the pipeline.

NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

DP MICHAEL SNYMAN DELIVERS A CINEMATIC TREATMENT TO THE NIGHT MANAGER A huge domestic and international hit, the BBC and AMC six-part drama The Night Manager was adapted from John le Carré’s espionage novel by David Farr and guided to the screen by producer Rob Bullock, director Susanne Bier, and cinematographer Michael Snyman. “When I read the initial scripts, I was immediately drawn to the huge ambition they portrayed,” Snyman recalls. “The images that were presenting themselves in my head were nothing short of spectacular. I knew this was a journey I had to be part of.” Along with the attractive playing of stars Hugh Laurie and Tom Hiddleston, one of the keys to the miniseries’ success lies in its creation of a world of glamour and wealth with a level of gripping paranoia normally associated with gritty genre thrillers. “Art director Tom Burton had been looking at a few locations prior to me coming on board,” notes Snyman, a native of South Africa. “When we began collaborating on the scripts, we travelled through Europe for six weeks conceptualising and brainstorming ideas. We fed those ideas to Susanne whose knowledge of Europe’s nooks and crannies is profound. I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with Susanne prior to The Night Manager. We have a well-earned creative trust in one another, which I think was paramount to the outcome of the show.”

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According to Snyman, that scouting journey through Europe – including Mallorca (which doubled for Istanbul), Morocco (doubling for Cairo), Devon, London, and the Swiss Alps – was visually important to grasp the atmosphere of the locations and translate them into the script. “It gave me a good sense of where this film should live cinematically.” Snyman’s approach was to treat The Night Manager like a feature film and to service the ambition and scale that the script deserved. “At the outset, I was concerned about the pitfalls of lighting and photographing (operating a camera) such a huge and complex script,” he says. “In hindsight, it put me inside the story – into our amazing cast’s every action, nuance and subtlety that they so brilliantly portray.” The show’s commissioners requested a 4K deliverable. Well-versed in the RED Epic camera’s capabilities, having shot with it on most of his previous commercials and TV projects, Snyman selected three Epics with Dragon sensors, fitted with Panavision Primos, hired from Panavision London, with lighting kit from ARRI Media London. “The Night Manager was so diverse and vast that I really enjoyed using the RED,” Snyman relays. “There is a certain ‘organic-ness’ that is created by this camera that I felt would be great for the story. I have had a great relationship with the camera. I can shoot in very low light, and I know how the pictures

work and how to work with them in post. We ran two cameras most of the time to get that appealing ‘off angle’ look.” The ability to calibrate the image in post was important on The Night Manager which demanded distinct colour palettes for each location. “There were so many different worlds in the scripts that it presented me with the opportunity to treat each location with a different look and feel,” he describes. “It came down to how the lighting should work, how the camera should move, and how the relationships between the characters developed. It was important not to be contrived but rather to find the subtlety in our approach. All the creatives were on board with this concept.” For example, Snyman explains that London was a place of political turmoil in the story, so he thought the city should remain relatively cold and settled with less handheld work, whereas the quality of light in Mallorca was serene and beautiful, a lot cleaner and warmer. “Apart from the script, I felt we had to find a

camera language to create certain tensions and then keep it there,” he adds. “I wanted to find the chaos in the locations and therefore connect the audience to the film.” Snyman shot A-camera handheld which, he soon found, “put me in the picture between the two main characters” – Laurie’s arms dealer Richard Roper and Hiddleston’s former soldier Jonathan Pine – who are at logger heads trying to take one another down. This was normally operated in tandem with Matt Fisher’s Steadicam to achieve the “off angle.” Snyman also used cranes very selectively. “I feel it takes the audience out of the show. You remove yourself from that tension, and it’s often not the right thing to do. That sort of equipment can make people very aware of the camera.” As with most television productions, the demanding schedule was a major challenge, which was constantly in flux due to the mere logistics involved. “There was a lot of improvisation that took place, and the assistant directors made our seemingly impossible schedule work. The crew was amazing. I was awed by their commitment to a really tough schedule and their professionalism.” Because of the number of locations, rather than shooting episodes, the production block-shot

all the scenes in each episode. “That was tricky for Susanne and the actors, but I think it went well,” says Snyman, who reports that the production shot for 12 weeks, with about 11 days per episode. He was heavily involved in the grade, collaborating with colourist Jet Omoshebi at Encore London to carry the different looks through to final delivery. The show has earned 12 Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Limited Series, along with acting, writing, casting, sound and others.

“THE IMAGES THAT WERE PRESENTING THEMSELVES IN MY HEAD WERE NOTHING SHORT OF SPECTACULAR. I KNEW THIS WAS A JOURNEY I HAD TO BE PART OF.” MICHAEL SNYMAN

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NEWS / BSC SUMMER LUNCH 2016

BSC SUMMER LUNCH 2016 The 67th traditional BSC Summer Lunch proved a joyous and memorable occasion. Held in the historic Ballroom of Pinewood Studios, it marked the retirement of Frances Russell after 33 years of devoted service as company secretary to the BSC.

I Ed Lachman ASC accepts the BSC Best Cinematography Award for Carol

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n honour of her incredible years with the society, she became the first non-cinematographer to be presented with the BSC Lifetime Achievement Award. Eulogies were read out by Phil Méheux BSC but, in truth, few could have been written to adequately describe the appreciation of her loyalty and commitment to the BSC. Frances will remain as treasurer and adviser to the BSC, and expressed confidence in the future capabilities of her joint secretary Audra Marshall and secretarial assistance from Helen Maclean. For her planned world travels with husband Frank, Frances will have in her possession a “golden”

Leica camera engraved with the words, “To Frances, With Love from the BSC.” Ed Lachman ASC was delighted to accept the BSC Best Cinematography Award for Carol, for which he triumphed at Camerimage 2015 as well as receiving an Academy Oscar nomination this year. The guest of honour was Nick James, editor of Sight & Sound magazine, who presented certificates to new BSC members Roger Simonz, Julian Court, Graham Frake and Stephan Pehrsson, who becomes the second Danish-born society member. Apologies were received from two new members – Polly Morgan and Zac Nicholson.

Guests toasting Frances Russell on her retirement

John Daly BSC, Alan Lowne and Tony Spratling BSC Phil Meheux BSC hosted the summer lunch

Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC with Tony Pierce Roberts BSC

Robbie Ryan BSC talks with Ed Lachman ASC

Helen, Frances and Audra of the BSC enjoy the sunshine in pinewood gardens

Roger Simonsz BSC receives his membership certificate Wolfgang Suschitzky BSC

Graham Frake BSC receives his membership certificate from Nick James (Site and Sound)

Ed Lachman ASC, Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC and John De Borman BSC

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WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

cKinney Macartney Management: remembers cinematographer Sue Gibson BSC, past president of the British Society Of Cinematographers. “On Wednesday 27th July we lost our dear friend and client, Sue Gibson BSC. Sue was a member of the McKinney Macartney family from the very start and we were very proud to represent her. She will be hugely missed.” Stuart Biddlecombe is prepping Call The Midwife with director Syd Macartney at Longcross Studios. Ben Butler, Mick Coulter BSC, Sebastian Milaszewski, Polly Morgan, Alessandra Scherillo and Clive Tickner BSC have been shooting commercials. Denis Crossan BSC is in Scotland shooting new ITV drama, Loch Ness, with director Brian Kelly. Shane Daly BSC has finished the new series of Cold Feet with director Terry McDonough in Manchester. Gavin Finney BSC continues shooting the second series of acclaimed drama, Unforgotten, directed by Andy Wilson for Mainstreet. Jean Philippe Gossart is shooting with the second unit on Warner Bros.’ feature Justice League – Part One. Sam McCurdy BSC shot new ITV series, Dark Heart, with director Colin Teague and is prepping Britannia in Prague with Luke Watson directing. Andy McDonnell is lensing the second series of Humans for Kudos with director Mark Brozel. Arthur Mulhern is shooting the feature, The Hatton Garden Job, in London with Ronnie Thompson directing. John Pardue is in Vancouver on the US series, Dirk Gently, for BBC America. Chris Seager BSC is shooting The White Princess at The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol, with director Jamie Payne for Company Pictures. Darran Tiernan is lighting the adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods for Starz. Felix Wiedemann lit the feature Hampstead, for Ecosse Films and is prepping Mammoth Screen’s new two-parter, The Witness For The Prosecution in Liverpool. Wizzo Features: Hubert Taczanowski is shooting ITV/ Hulu’s new eight-parter Harlots, an 18th century drama starring Samantha Morton, Lesley Manville and Jessica Brown Findlay, directed by Coky Giedroyc. Richard Stoddard is prepping the feature The Watcher In

The Woods, directed by Melissa Joan Hart – a remake of the Betty Davis/Disney original of the same name. Dale McCready is shooting in Alberta on the Kudos UK/ Canadian co-production Tin Star for Sky, penned and directed by Rowan Joffe. It follows a detective who is posted to a rural community in the Rocky Mountains, and stars Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks. Gary Shaw, who recently wrapped Fortitude with director Kieron Hawkes, is prepping dystopian, Berlin-set feature Mute for director Duncan Jones. Oli Russell is shooting new C4 comedy drama Foreign Bodies on location in South East Asia. Nick Dance BSC is on The Replacement, a three-part psychological thriller for BBC One shooting in Glasgow, directed by Jo Ahearne. Maja Zamojda is lensing new BBC sci-fi/fantasy series Class, directed by Ed Bazalgette, at Roath Lock Studios in Cardiff. Jamie Cairney is lighting Delicious in Cornwall, a new drama starring Dawn French and Emilia Fox, directed by Clare Kilner and John Hardwick. Baz Irvine is shooting the series two of drama/thriller Safehouse with director Marc Evans. Matthias Pilz is on action show Spies, the followup to last year’s The Selection for C4. Sergio Delgado has wrapped on block three of Humans II with director Carl

Tibbetts. David Rom has wrapped on block two of Cold Feet with director Carl Tibbetts. Jan Richter-Friis DFF is shooting hit US fantasy Sleepy Hollow. Sverre Sordal has wrapped on the short Gus And Son written and directed by Henry Blake. Angus Hudson BSC has completed the grade on the feature The Hippopotamus, directed by John Jencks, and has also shot main unit days on the new Star Wars film. Fede Alfonzo is prepping the feature My Name Is Lenny, the life story of one of Britain’s most notorious bare-knuckle fighters, Lenny McLean, directed by Ron Scalpello. Screen Talent: Adam Sliwinski recently shot Summer Intern for director Lynn Stopkewytch. Bart Sienkiewicz is starting on TV In The Fish Tail, a short film in the Indian Himalayas, with director Lesh Thapar. Chris Newcombe recently completed seven idents for Galbani cheese. Chris Sharman has recently joined the agency, following recent campaigns for the Royal British Legion’s Somme Centenary, and is now prepping Simon Van Der Borgh’s feature Forgotten. Intrinsic: in features, Peter Field operated action unit on Los Alamos. Nic Lawson is prepping A Midsumer Night’s Dream in Austria. Shaun Lee is lighting Five Fingers in South Africa. Craig Feather is

Selfie… Dale McCready pictured with director Rowan Joffe on new drama Tinstar, starring Tim Roth, shooting in Alberta

32 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Grand fromage… Chris Newcombe shot a load of idents for Galbani cheese

Unsafe house... Arthur Mulhern on the set of The Hatton Garden Job with focus puller Kate Eccarius (l) and second AC Fiona Finn Teo (right). Photograph © Luke Varley

Maverick tribute… Ed Wild BSC working on the art installation of The Corridor, one of the centrepieces to the celebrated art exhibition ‘Daydreaming…with Stanley Kubrick’ at London’s Somerset House

lighting the Hank Zipzer movie, and Max Rijavec operated shooting the Thomas Vinterberg movie Kursk. Michael some more on the low-budget feature Trendy. In TV, Wood has wrapped on Nureyev with Jacqui Norris for Soren Bay DFF is on a block of Unforgotten for Mainstreet. Rattling Stick. Julian Court has finished Tennison with Stephen Murphy is lighting The Moonstone for King Bert. director David Caffrey for Noho Film & TV. Sean Bobbitt Ruairi O’Brien ISC continues shooting Muncie for World BSC is prepping On Chesil Beach with director Dominic Productions. Chris Preston worked on The Coroner and Cooke for Number 9 Films. David Pimm has wrapped did a block of Father Brown for the BBC. Rasmus Arrildt on Halfterlife with director Ben Aston. Gerry Vasbenter DFF has agreed to shoot the Sky Arts production Grant is shooting with director James Rees on The Range for – Leary and will prep for Mammoth Screen’s Fearless. In Koala. Hélène Louvart AFC has finished Beach Rats Ireland, James Mather ISC has finished lighting Redwater with Eliza Hittman for Animal Kingdom. Mark Wolf for the BBC. Mark Nutkins has wrapped the Arabic has wrapped on The Devil Outside for Ipso Facto with language TV thriller Daet Raas in Cairo. Chris O’Driscoll is director Andrew Hume. Pau Esteve Birba is shooting for lighting more of the kids’ football extravaganza Nick Kicks El Movil with Manuel Martin Cuenca. Tim Palmer BSC for Nickleodeon and operated on Vera for ITV Studios. has ended his work on ITV’s Tina & Bobby with director Andrew Johnson worked on a block of Casualty before John McKay. James Aspinall BSC has wrapped on The starting a block of Midsomer Murders. Nigel Clarkson Time Of Their Lives with director Roger Goldby. David operated on Class for the BBC and is wielding his Katznelson DFF BSC continues working on Rides Upon Steadicam rig on Midsomer Murders for Bentley and The The Storm with director Kasper Munk. Matt Gray BSC Royals. Arturo Vasquez SVC, Chris O’Driscoll, Dagmar has wrapped on his work with Phillippa Lowthorpe on Scheibenreif, Dave Miller, Ed Lindsley, Gabi Norland, the BBC’s Rochdale. Marcus Autelli and Percy Dean George Burt, Joshua Reis, Lynda Hall, Mark Barrs, Mark recently worked on top notch commercials and promos. Nutkins, Martin Roach, Martyna Knitter, Paul Lilley, Sara Putt Associates: new signing Ali Asad Suzanne Smith and Simon Weekes have delivered worked on Mad To Be Normal, starring David Tennant commercials, corporate films and music promos. and Elisabeth Moss. Si Bell is in Beijing shooting Foreign ARRICREW: Peter Cavaciuti ACO is B-camera/ Bodies for Eleven Films, after which he will shoot In Steadicam under the stewardship of Roger Deakins Darkness with director Anthony Byrne. Giulio Biccari has CBE BSC ASC on Triboro, shooting in Budapest at The started on Guerrilla, starring Idris Elba for Fifty Fathoms Origo Studios and various locations. Derek Walker ACO Productions and Sky Atlantic. Peter Edwards continues in has been busy picking up dailies on all the additional Scotland on Still Game for BBC Scotland. Simon Hawken photography on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Justice has been busy on commercials for Chief in Manchester League, as well as the Steadicam on Filmstars Don’t Die and Rollo Tomasi in Oslo. Paul Lang is shooting drama In Liverpool for DP Ula Pontikos BSC. Iain Mackay ACO recons for Wag TV. New signing David Mackie’s recent operated for Zac Nicholson BSC on Armando Iannucci’s credits include Lad: A Yorkshire Story and working as comedy The Death Of Stalin. Shaun Cobley is on second unit DP on Sand Castle for 42mp. Oona Menges A-camera/Steadicam for Hunter Killer, a feature shooting is prepping Different For Girls with director Campbell. in London and Bulgaria with DP Tom Marais. Paul Simon Reay has completed series two of Marley’s Ghosts Edwards ACO had the pleasure of working with Daniel for Objective Fiction. Peter Talbot is finishing up on Landin BSC and Dion Beebe ACS AS on commercials for the splinter unit of The Golden Circle. Andrei Austin is Samsung, Virgin Trains and Burberry. confirmed on the next series Berlin Associates: Sarah Bartles-Smith is shooting of Outlander for Left Call The Midwife series six with director Lisa Clarke. Ollie Bank Productions and Downey worked on a block of Vera, and has joined Harlots Starz. Jon Beacham with director Jill Robertson. Andy Hollis has finished on continues on Britannia, Mount Pleasant for Tiger Aspect for Sky1. Suzie Lavelle shooting in Wales is shooting Vikings with director Ciarán Donnelly, and is and Prague. Danny Emmy-nominated for Outstanding Cinematography on A Bishop has completed Limited Series for Sherlock: The Abominable Bride. a block on the new Owen McPolin is shooting Into The Badlands series of Humans. Joe for AMC. Toby Moore is on The Halcyon for Left Bank Bullen did dailies on Pictures, with producer Chris Croucher and director Rob Evans. Kelvin Richard Topsy turvey… is shooting Apple Tree House, the new during prep on Oona Menges Di children’s series for BBC. Annemarie Girls with direc fferent for tor Campbell Lean Vercoe had finished Silent Witness with director David Richards. Phil Wood has started on Hat Hair, Lime Pictures’ production for Netflix, directed by Paul Walker and produced by Angela Abela. Len Gowing is shooting So Awkward. Casarotto: Zac Nicholson BSC has wrapped on The Death Of Stalin with director Armando Iannucci. Sturla Brandth Grøvlen is

Trompe l’oeil… is that a shrunken Adam Sliwinski on the set of Summer Intern?

The Worst Witch. Ed Clark has finished on Paranoid and is prepping on Peter Kosminsky’s new project Crossing The Border for Gavin Finney BSC, shooting in Wales and Spain. Ilana Garrard has wrapped on Marley’s Ghosts. Rodrigo Gutierrez worked on an M&S Christmas commercial for Smuggler, directed by Tom Hooper, lit by Justin Brown. James Leigh operated on the new series of Sherlock. Vince McGahon has wrapped on Annihilation and has jumped straight onto Stephen Spielberg’s next picture Ready Player One, starring Mark Rylance and Simon Pegg. Julian Morson continues on The Mummy. Al Rae has wrapped on Trainspotting 2. Fabrizio Sciarra continues on the new series of Lucky Man. Peter Wignall is in Ireland on the new series of Game Of Thrones. Rick Woollard operated Steadicam on commercials for Swarovski, EE and Match. com, as well as dailies on Alex Garland’s Annihilation. Lux Artists: Fabian Wagner BSC is shooting the feature Justice League with Zack Snyder for Warner Brothers. Rob Hardy, BSC is on Euphoria, directed by Lisa Langseth, starring Alicia Vikander. Luca Bigazzi is lighting The Leisure Seeker, directed by Paolo Virzi and will then prep Sicilian Ghost Stories, directed by Antonio Piazza and Fabio Grassadonia. Thimios Bakatakis is shooting Yorgos Lanthimos’ Killing Of A Sacred Deer. Nicolas Bolduc CSC is prepping Hochelaga, directed by François Girard. Sebastian Blenkov DFF is grading Miss Sloane, directed by John Madden and starring Jessica Chastain. Ole Birkeland is prepping American Animals, directed by Bart Layton. Carlos Catalan is shooting series three of Broadchurch, directed by Paul Andrew Williams, Daniel Nettheim and Lewis Arnold. Diego Garcia lit Where Life Is Born, directed by Carlos Reygadas and is prepping Paul Dano’s directorial debut. Benjamin Kračun has wrapped on Film 4’s Beast, directed by Michael Pearce. Magnus Joenck is shooting Andrew Haigh’s new feature, Lean On Pete; Ula Pontikos BSC has wrapped on Paul McGuigan’s Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool, starring Annette Bening and Jamie Bell. Ben Moulden is shooting Two Pigeons, r.. directed by Dominic Bridges. My friend flippe

Simon Rowles an takes a dip with rig underwater

Eyewear… Laura Bellingham shooting somewhere dangerous!

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 33

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Golden hour… Joe Bullen and crew at work in beautiful light

Ali Asad worked on ‘Mad to be Normal’ which stars David Tennant and Elisabeth Moss

… Englishman abroad n Si Bell on Foreig Bodies in Beijing

Happy on location… Suzanne Smith has a smiley moment

Into the woods… a shot from Hinterland, directed by Gareth Bryn

Lipes, Benjamin Loeb, Manel Ruiz, Zack Spiger NSC, Sebastian Winterø, Jackson Hunt, Jake Scott, Brian Curt Petersen, Natasha Braier ADF, André Chemetoff, Mátyás Erdély HSC, John Lynch ISC. Manuel Alberto Claro, Arnau Valls Colomer, Andrew Commis, Autumn Durald, Frederik Jacobi, Benjamin Roux and Ari Wegner. United Agents: Barry Ackroyd BSC is in the US on Katherine Bigelow’s new film, whilst Jason Bourne opened worldwide to great acclaim. Remi Adefarasin BSC shot Ricky Gervais’ David Brent: Life On The Road, hitting screens this summer. John de Borman BSC is prepping Will, directed by Shekhar Kapur, shooting in Wales. John Lee is grading Victoria, which he shot in Adam Scarth is its entirety. David Luther has finished on an episode of prepping on Apostasy, Sherlock. Nic Morris BSC is in Scotland shooting Loch directed by Dan Kokotajlo. Ness, directed by Cilla Ware. Paul Sarossy CSC ASC Steve Annis is shooting BSC is shooting Tin Star for Kudos in Canada. Tony Aoife McArdle’s feature Slater Ling BSC is grading the film AAA, directed by debut Kissing Candice. Bryn Higgins, and My Mother And Other Strangers for Bradford Young is prepping director Adrian Shergold, and before shooting The Last Star Wars: Untitled Han Solo Post in South Africa, directed by Jonny Campbell. Gavin Anthology Film. Martijn Van Broekhuizen is on My Foolish Struthers is shooting Stan Lee’s Lucky Man II with director Heart, directed by Rolf van Eijk. Tom Townend is shooting Andy Hay. Chloe Thomson is rehearsing an exciting Lynne Ramsay’s next feature, You Were Never Really theatre project with director Katie Mitchell, opening in Here. Eric Gautier AFC is shooting Drôle De Père. Alexis Berlin at the end of September, combining live theatre Zabe lensed Sean Baker’s The Florida Project. Jakob Ihre and film. Haris Zambarloukos BSC GSC is prepping is shooting Joachim Trier’s next feature, Thelma. Axel Kenneth Branagh’s Murder On The Orient Express. Marcel Cosnefroy is prepping Les Filles De Reims, directed by Zyskind is in Atlanta on the Simon Fellows-directed Julien Hallard. Meanwhile, in commercials… Justin Brown Steel Country. Alan Almond BSC is meeting for various worked on M&S’s Christmas campaign with director Tom projects. Danny Cohen BSC is prepping Victoria And Hooper, and Daniel Landin BSC shot C4’s Paralympic Abdul, directed by Stephen Frears. Martin Fuhrer BSC campaign for director Dougal Wilson. Also busy shooting has concluded the grade for the first block of The commercials are: Lol Crawley BSC, Luke Jacobs, Arnaud Collection, directed by Dearbhla Walsh for BBC/Amazon Potier, Stuart Bentley, Nanu Segal, Rik Zang, Kasper Studios. David Higgs BSC is prepping on a block of Will, Tuxen, Niklas Johansson FSF, Chayse Irvin CSC, Mauro created by Craig Pearce for TNT, and Tony Miller BSC Chiarello, Danny Hiele, Jody Lee reading scripts. Kieran McGuigan BSC is shooting series three of Grantchester and Laurie Rose is on block one of Riviera, directed by Philipp Kadelbach. Simon Tindall operated for a stint on Out of this w Trainspotting II and recently shot orld… Paul La ng shooting NASA Files fo a new Hunter commercial for r Disc Cheers… John Lynch shootin g a Heineken commercial fo r Guy Ritchie

director Elaine Constantine in London via Industry Art. Charlotte Bruus Christensen is in the US grading The Girl On The Train. Sara Deane finished pick-ups on feature film 2:hrs and is doing additional photography on Class. James Friend BSC is lighting a further block of Stan Lee’s Lucky Man II after completing the grade on Rillington Place. David Marsh has finished on No Offence II with director Catherine Morshead. Niels Reedtz Johansen has finished on Ordinary Lies II for Red Productions and the BBC. Kate Reid is lighting the third series of Uncle for Oliver Refson. Ed Rutherford shot commercials for Dr Oetker for director Rankin in London. Anna Valdez Hanks is lighting a block of Crazy Face for director Declan O’Dwyer and will then go to Belfast to shoot the fourth series of Line Of Duty. Ben Wheeler will shoot the second series of Doctor Foster for director Jeremy Lovering. Magni Agustsson is prepping Endeavour IV with director Bokur Sigthorsson shooting in the UK for ITV. Alex Barber shot ads for Kia with Noah Marshall in Slovenia through Big Fish Films, and McDonalds for director Jim Gilchrist at Outsider. Philipp Blaubach is prepping the feature Shanghai 5 for director Charles Martin in Shanghai. Daniel Bronks lit a Levono spot for director Greg Brunkalla at Stink, and a Maltesers commercial for director Clay Weiner via Biscuit. Simon Chaudoir’s commercials include TK Maxx for Tom Kingsley in Kiev through Blink and Activia for Jordan Scott at RSA. Florian Hoffmeister BSC is shooting a new HSBC campaign for director Louis Sutherland in Lisbon through The Sweet Shop. Stephen Keith-Roach recently shot a Ford ad for Chris Balmond in Lisbon via Outsider and a Waitrose campaign for director Sam Brown in New Zealand through Rogue. Alex Melman lensed a Tesco campaign for Danny Kleinman in the UK and Spain through Rattling Stick. Jake Polonsky BSC is shooting the new series of Billions in New York. Simon Richards recently shot a Vodafone spot for director Simon Willows in London through Bare Films and a Melitta ad for director Stuart Parr in Hamburg for Tony Peterson Film. Martin Ruhe is currently shooting a

overy Chen nel

34 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Broad shoulders… Fabrizio Sciarra on the set of Stan Lee’s Lucky Man

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP Breathless… Ruben Impens on Zargos with director Sahim Omar Kalifa

>> spot for Johnny Hardstaff in Los Angeles. Christopher

Kevin Macdonald, an adaptation of Michel Faber’s sci-fi Sabogal recent projects include The Sun for director novel. Ben Seresin is shooting The Mummy with Alex Keith McCarthy via Stink, and commercials for directors Kutzman at Shepperton. Matt Shaw lit a Renault ad Catherine Losing, Jonny and Will and The Bobbsey Twins for Will Clark Smith, Toyota for Alex Haines, Batfare at Blink. Peter Suschitzky shot a Premiere Inn campaign for Walter Campbell. Erik Sohlstrom has been busy for director Ben Wheatley through Moxie. Joost Van shooting commercials. Dan Trapp Gelder is shooting the John Lewis Christmas commercial did a four-week stint with Ursus for for director Dougal Wilson via Blink. Maersk shooting in China, Alaska, Independent: Chas Bain shooting The Last Denmark and the UK with director Kingdom II, with the first block directed by Peter Hoare. Malcolm Green, and with Caviar Darran Bragg has shot various commercials with Cris director Amir Farhang for Ikea. Ed Mudge, Dan Burn Forti and Tom Newman. Bjorn Wild BSC was in Canada Bratberg is shooting a pilot for Norwegian feature Los Bando Immortale, directed by Christian Lo. Anthony Dod Mantle arovski Woollard on a Sw Biker grove… Rick by Lydia Lewis (loader) DFF BSC ASC has finished shooting oto Ph l. rcia me com Trainspotting II. Ian Foster has been busy shooting commercials. Sam Goldie is shooting spots Threesome… (l-r) Rodrigo Gutierrez ACO, with Ayse Altinok, Nike with Neil Zac Nicholson BSC and Bedford, Skoda with Alex Brown Iain Mackay ACO and a fashion shoot for i-D with Nick Wood. 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 lit a Citroen ad in Barcelona with Bart Timmer. Aadel Nodeh Farahani shot a short with regular director Tom Barbor-Might called All That You Love Will be Carried Away, and a commercial shooting He’s Out for Fitzdares with There for director director Tubby Dennis Ilidias. Erik Brother at Black Wilson is shooting Sheep. Mark Paddington II with Back seat Patten lensed director Paul King. Todd Banha driver… a Lavazza ad Balazs Bolygo was up with th zl cozies e camera with Filmmaster director Paolo in Prague shooting Monico and Michael Haussman at The Family, plus Vertigo and Neal spots for NFU and Black Cow Vodka with Jake Scott and Street’s new TV an ad for Unibet with Steve Cope. Dick Pope BSC shot series for Sky One Britannia, with director Sue Tully. a Samsung spot for Keystone Films in Barcelona. Tat Ulf Brantus has started on Jamestown, Carnival’s new Radcliffe BSC has been on commercials with David Kerr TV series shooting in Budapest. Eigil Bryld is in New at Hungryman, Guiseppe Capatondi at Mercurio and York, shooting commercials. Simon Dennis is prepping Tom Green at Stink. George Richmond BSC has finished the highly-anticipated pilot Krypton, with director Colm shooting Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman II. Christopher McCarthy, for US audiences. Adam Etherington is Ross BSC is lighting Strange New Things for director shooting spots and grading his recent work on Blueprint

36 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Pictures’ The Last Dragonslayer. Cinders Forshaw’s recent work can be seen on BBC1, Sunday night primetime, in the form of Poldark. Eric Kress is finishing up in America having been working throughout the summer on Flatliners, starring Ellen Page and Nina Dobrev. John Mathieson BSC has wrapped on Wolverine III, working alongside director Jim Mangold. Ben Smithard BSC is working with long time collaborator Simon Curtis on his next picture Goodbye Christopher Robin. Mark Waters is shooting Death In Paradise for BBC 1, with directors Richard Signy and ing seat… In the driv ll and his Simon Delaney. Sy Turnbu a shot My team eye upcar job on a Management: Ekkehart Pollack shot a Nissan ad in Spain with Wilfred Brimo through Wanda Berlin, Mercedes in China with Dan Gifford and Eagle Media and a Lexus commercial with director Anders Hallberg and Picture Inc in Prague. Jallo Faber FSF shot Ikea in Finland, Charter Communications in Vancouver and Aldi in Prague with directors Stylewar. Dominic Bartels has been lensing spots for Canali, Lumene and Tom Ford with Chris Feretti with Spring Studios as well as working with Hoi Polloi, Gorilla Gorilla and Just So on numerous projects. Robbie Ryan BSC ISC has been taking some time out after his wins in Cannes, but has managed to shoot short The Door with director Vika Endokimenko. Tim Spence worked with director/photographer Owen Silverwood for Big Sky, Citizen watches with The Mill and Burger King with Wynn Bates and Black Label. Olivier Cariou shot spots for Hyundai with Amyra Bunyard, Kellogg’s with director David Lodge, a Kacperski shoot in Bucharest with Barney Cokeliss and KB with Bistro Films in Prague. Steve Chivers collaborated with director Trey Fanjoy on a Miranda Lambert Vice shoot in Texas and Dom & Nic on Halifax through Outsider Films in London. David Lanzenberg worked with director Rocky Morton on PSA through MJZ and Bridget Savage Cole on Clean & Clear in LA.

WHO’S SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

Lovely still… from Armando Iannucci’s Death Of Stalin: (l-r) 2nd AC Alex Finlayson, 1st AC Ben Brown, camera operator Iain Mackay ACO and key grip Andy Woodcock

In me swimmers…. DP Oliver Ford on the short film The Future

Scoping it out… Charlotte Bruus Christensen on the set of Fences

Richard Stewart has >>

Close-up…. Robert Sha ckla artist Robin Lee’s project dy on Closer

With the latest gizmos… camera operator & Steadicam operator Joe Russell with a camera and a drone on Sherlock

38 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Squint… Andrew Rodger checks out the framing on his next shot

been busy shooting a promo for Ellie Goulding with director Emil Nava through London Alley, a promo for artist Frances with director Marc Klasfeld and Great Coat Films. He has also shot Volvo with directors Daryl and Pulse Films. Sy Turnbull shot l’Oreal in Paris with director Laurent Chanez and Opel Zafira in Slovenia with Alex Feil and Tempomedia. Tuomo Virtanen collaborated with Tim Brown and Roman Ruetten on Foster Farms in LA and also Old El Paso with director Terry Lee. Nicolaj Bruel lit AT&T in Marseilles and Barcelona, Playstation in Prague with director Filip Engstrom through Smuggler, and also Peugeot in his native Denmark with director Christian Lyngbye. Simon Rowles has been working with 7 Wonder in LA and the UK on an on-going Mickey Flanagan project and also with IWC Media on Science Of Stupid IV. Aaron Reid lensed an ad for Citizen for Epson Retail of the Future with director Rollo Hollins, collaborated with Ryan Andrews

at Kode on a music video for new girl band IV Rox and has been shooting in Johannesburg with director Jak O’Hare for a Nandos Music Exchange. Juan Carlos Perez shot group Maroon 5 in Cuba on their latest video. Will Humphris worked with Lisle Turner on a chocolate commercial, Argos with Ben Hume Patten and Burger King with Fred Rowson, and with The Mill including Rimowa in Zurich with Russell Tickner and Gaviscon in Prague with John Riche. David Wright has been shooting a Moktariboon Documentary in York with director Mohammed El- Salomouny through Noon Vision, a promo with Secret Garden and director Harry Barber, Franco Bollo promo with Mad Ruffian with Chris Watson Wood and spots for HMX media and Shine North Director Rob Farquhar. Vincent Warin shot Garnier Nutrisse with director David Mould through 76 Films in London starring Davina McCall and Holly Willoughby. Katelin Arizmendi was in San Francisco shooting for Reebok on 35mm and on a National Geographic Mini-series with Lloyd Lee Choi through Variable. She has also shot a short film in Ohio with Sasha Levinson. Todd Banhazl has been in NYC shooting a feature. Paul Mackay lit an ITV spot with director Adrian Headley and Actimel with Feed Films and director Reese Wilkinson. Andrew Boulter lensed a BRD Bank ad in Bucharest with Ivo Mostertman and a spot for Jaguar with 76 Films in Austria with director Nigel Simpkiss. Mel Griffith has wrapped on Halal Daddy in Sligo, Ireland, uplifting, feel good adventure, celebrating multiculturalism in modern day Ireland, written/directed by Conor McDermottroe. Petra Korner worked with David Lodge on Specsavers in London with RSA Films. Jo Willems, Anders Flatland

Level playing field… (l-r) focus puller Steve Marles GBCT, Tim Palmer BSC, assistant grip Philip Lake, grip Marc Tempest, 2nd AC Matt Noon and camera trainee Carl Noble All tooled-up… Fabian Wagner BSC on the set of Waner Bros’ next blockbuster Justice League

Smooth operator… Samuel Pearce gets his eye in on Christina Novelli’s Same Stars video A grand day out… Al Rae and crew enjoy a scenic trip on Trainspotting II

FNF, Gerry Floyd, Marcelo Durst, Pedro Castro, Tomas Tomasson, Roger Bonnici, Lester De Havilland have been working on personal projects or have been away on their summer holidays. Gravy Crew: is celebrating its second anniversary this September. DP Robert Shacklady GBCT has been busy with fashion brand Boohoo.com’s new campaign shooting in Germany. He also shot in Poland and with artist Robin Lee on Closer whilst working on a new motion control technic for Stink Digital. Andrew Rodger MGTC has wrapped on series Borderline, Little Rock, airing on C5, directed by Matt Jones, produced by Zoe Roche, and exec produced by Ralph Little. He now in prep for horror feature The Dare, directed by Giles Alderson, shooting October at Nu Boyena Studios and on location in Bulgaria. Samuel Pearce’s recent music promos include: Kate Nash’s track 3am, directed by Lee Jones, Christina Novelli’s Same Stars, directed by Lee Jones, and Rizzle Kicks’ Happy That You’re Here, directed by Toby Lockerbie, plus ads for Asda, Barclaycard, NowTV, Wickes and Mini. Rob Carter is working as B-camera/Steadicam on Three Girls for DP Matt Gray BSC, with the show directed by Phillippa Lowthorpe. James Davis worked as Movi operator on a Mini Countryman ad for DP Thomas Hole, directed by Ed Rosie, and on a Sun Dream Team 2016/17 job for DP Marcus Domleo and director Ben Jones. He also performed as camera/Steadicam op on a Power Monkeys advert for C4, for DP Rich Bell and director Jim Hayton. PrinceStone: of the agency’s DPs… Ian Liggett is in Ireland shooting The Secret Life Of Boys with director Beryl Richards and producer Trevor Klein. The series for BBC and ABC Australia is shot on the ARRI Amira.

Diego Rodriguez recently shot Paralympic trailer in London and LA for Fulwell 73, and Green Network spot for Smiling Fox. Oliver Ford recently shot promos for Hervé and Adam F in Lithuania with director Joshua Lipworth, did some more work for Nike in Madrid, and also lit the short The Future for director Enrico Poli. Laura Bellingham is prepping the feature Double Date. She recently shot commercials for Playstation and Victoria Beckham Eyewear. Of the agency’s camera/Steadicam operators… Peter Robertson Assoc BSC ACO shot tests for sci-fi thriller Life, shooting at Shepperton Studios throughout the summer using ARRI Alexa 65. Sean Savage is in Budapest filming the second series of The Last Kingdom for Carnival Films and Television. The series stars Alexander Dreymon and Emily Cox, and is directed by Peter Hoar and Jon East, with DP Chas Bain. Simon Baker ACO shot B-camera and second unit dailies on My Cousin Rachel starring Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin and Iain Glen. This feature adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s novel is directed by Roger Michell, with Mike Eley BSC the DP. Joe Russell shot A-camera and Steadicam for the new series of Sherlock for Hartswood. Tony Kay worked on new drama series Muncie in Scotland for DP Ruairi O’Brien and director John Strickland. Of the agency’s camera operators Dan Nightingale was on B-camera on Sherlock for DP David Luther, and on Poldark with DPs David Rom and Nick Dance. Mark Milsome ACO was in Corfu shooting the next series of The Durrells for ITV, directed by Steve Barron with DP Sam Renton. n

(l-r) on Nice rococo legs… ss, tne the set of Silent Wi DP Emilia Fox with , David Richard Stoddard erly Bri Cave and Richard

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 39

F-STOP / IBC & CINEC PREVIEW / BY KEVIN HILTON

PREVIEW OF TWO MAJOR EUROPEAN TRADESHOWS – IBC AND CINEC 2016 Film and television were once different worlds and bitter rivals. Today each borrows production and stylistic techniques from the other, with technology straddling both areas. The crossover can be seen this year with both IBC and Cinec taking place during September.

any of the big names in cameras, lenses, lighting and support equipment – ARRI, Sony, RED, FujiFilm – exhibit at both, but there are still some, usually smaller, more specialist companies, that are only seen at Cinec, Vantage and Oppenheimer among them. To muddy the issue even more there are other specialists, such as Miller Camera Support and Mole Richardson, that stick with IBC even in a Cinec year. Whatever the reasons for a company’s decision to go to Amsterdam or Munich – or both – the two shows offer a broad range of film and programme-making hardware and software.

While its full title is the International Broadcasting Convention, IBC has over the last ten years been increasingly a showcase for film, with the Saturday night Big Screen Experience – this year it’s The Jungle Book – and big names from the world of cinema on the conference programme. David (Lord) Puttnam will speak about social media and the possible implications of the UK leaving the EU for the film industry, on Sunday 11 September, but more attention has been given to Ang Lee’s keynote speech on Monday 12 September. The film director, who will also receive the IBC International

IBC’s Saturday night Big Screen Experience will be The Jungle Book

Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk

40 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Honour for Excellence, is to discuss his upcoming release Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk. Due for general release in October, with a showing prior to that at the New York Film Festival, Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk was shot by cinematographer John Toll ASC at 120 frames a second in 4K with HDR processing. Lee, who also presented the film at the 2016 NAB Show, says this technique gives it a full “immersive experience”, further enhanced by the use of Dolby Atmos sound. A Sony CineAlta F65 camera was used to shoot the action; high-end cinematography has been a priority for Sony over the last ten to 15 years, and the company is extending its use of higher resolutions and HDR technology into other product and application areas as part of its Beyond Definition programme. During IBC, Sony will show the HXR-NX5R, a handheld HD camcorder that is part of the NXCAM range. It has three 1/2.8-type Full HD Exmor CMOS sensors and a 40-times Clear Image Zoom, with a 3G-SDI terminal for 60p output. TV sports is a big area for Sony; this is now covered by the HDC-4800 4K/HD ultra high frame rate camera system, which produces super slow motion in 4K. This means up to 400P (eight times) for Ultra HD or 800P (sixteen times) in HD mode. Also new for the show will be the RM-30BP remote controller, which is able to control a range of functions, including lens operation, such as auto or manual focus, iris and zoom; camera control, including recording and display functions and shutter speed; and playback and controlling up to three cameras.

Oh lord… David Puttnam will speak about the implications of Brexit

Ang Lee will receive the IBC International Honour for Excellence

Sony… HXR-NX5R handheld HD camcorder

(No details of Sony’s line-up for Cinec were available at time of going to press.) Pre-publicity for the Cinec show has also highlighted technological innovations for filmmaking, with mention of Sebastian Schipper’s Victoria. Released last year, this crime story features night scenes in Berlin and was filmed in a single continuous take by DP Sturla Brandth Grøvlen using a handheld Canon EOS C300 and Zeiss standard speed lens. Zeiss will be at both Cinec and IBC with a selection of new and established products. Among the recent releases are the 2.8/21, 2/35 and 2/50 compact Loxia lenses, which are optimised for video recording. Also on display will be the Compact Primes and Zooms, plus the Otus and Milvus lenses. Canon is only at IBC, showing new additions to its Cinema EOS range. These include the ME200S-SH, a compact multi-purpose camera, and the CN-E18-80mm T4.4 L IS EOS cinema lens featuring cine-servo operation.

ARRI is on home ground at Cinec, but was not releasing details of what it will be showing at either that exhibition or the IBC in the run-up to both. It will be demonstrating the Artemis Trinity camera stabilisation system, which was first shown at NAB. The German manufacturer has taken over the Artemis range of stabilisers from Sachtler and the Vitec Group; the first result of this

was to upgrade the Trinity, which combines mechanics with 32bit ARM-based gimbal technology. ARRI can usually be relied upon to have a slew of new products in all areas – including cameras, lighting and lenses – so expect more to join the Artemis and other established ranges by the time of both IBC and Cinec. Panavision will be exhibiting, along with Ludwig Kameraverleih, a wide selection

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 41

F-STOP / IBC & CINEC PREVIEW / BY KEVIN HILTON

of its lenses during its first visit to Cinec. These include the latest large format lenses, including the Primo 70, Ultra Panavision 70, Sphero 65, System 65 and Super Panavision 70. Attendees also can get a close up of Panavision’s new Anamorphic T-Series, which was created exclusively for digital cameras, along with the company’s portfolio of other popular Anamorphic and spherical lenses. The partnership between Panavision and Ludwig has made it possible to support filmmakers in the region with a wide range of equipment, backed by local, skilled services and facilities in major German cities. During the NAB Show Blackmagic Design announced that its development team was working with cinematographers to produce a new camera operating system. In August it released the public beta version of Blackmagic Camera 4.0, which is designed to work with the URSA Mini camera. This is intended to do away with multi-layer menus and a large amount of buttons, making for quick and easy setting of functions such as ISO, white

42 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Walking the walk… Artemis Trinity camera stabilisation system at ARRI

balance, shutter angle, iris and frame rate. Ikegami is better known for its broadcast cameras and this year will be moving into native 4K with the UHK-430. This is a two-part system that enables the sensor and lens head to be taken apart and fitted on camera poles and other supports. The UHK-430 is based on the AXII processor, which offers 16-axis colour correction and focus-assist for both 4k and HD shooting. Several companies that will be at both IBC and Cinec have been releasing new products and upgrades during the year at shows and in general.

Creamsource… is showing its new Doppio+

ndth One take… DP Sturla Bra Grøvlen shot Sebastian take Schipper’s Victoria in one 0 with a using a Canon EOS C30 Zeiss standard speed lens

RED Digital Cinema has been giving a push to its DSMC2 cameras, which are based on the Dragon sensors, as well as giving prominence to the 6K/100 frames a second Weapon camera. Since last year Cooke Optics has been building up its Anamorphic range of lenses and this year is completing the series. The final addition is the 35-140mm zoom, a true front Anamorphic lens with oval bokeh for both zoom and focus using a patented optical zoom. It can deliver wide angle and telephoto modes through a 4-times zoom ratio and two-times anamorphic squeeze. The new lens will be shown with the full Anamorphic/i series alongside the 5/i, S4/i and miniS4/i ranges.

Cooke… new front 35-140mm Anamorphic/i zoom

Lighting will be to the fore at both shows. K5600 will be high-profile with the new Alpha 800W, which first appeared at IBC 2015 in prototype form. This is a small Fresnel and is claimed to be the only 800W model of this type available. Also on the stand will be the Bug-A-Beam 1600W. The main product for Cineo Lighting will be the HSX colour-tunable soft source fixture, which is being debuted at IBC 2016, although it is being shipped internationally. The HSX is described as flicker-free with

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 43

F-STOP / IBC & CINEC PREVIEW / BY KEVIN HILTON >>

a colour tuning range of 2700k-6000k. It has an output control reach of 0-100 percent and can be controlled locally or using DMX or RDM remote protocols. The Cineo HSX will also be seen on the Lights Camera Action (LCA) stand, along with LiteGear’s new S2 LiteMats. These are slender and light units featuring soft and colour-correct Hybrid (bi-colour) outputs. Another luminare getting its first showing in Amsterdam is Outsight’s Creamsource+. This range features a fourth-generation LED light engine and comes in two models; the Doppio+ and the Mini+. Both can run in daylight, bi-colour and tungsten, with a ‘special order’ option also available. LED remote phosphor is the central technology for BB&S Lighting with the Pipeline four-bank 3’ and 4’ systems. The range features 3200K, 4300K 5600K and bi-colour versions and is able to produce more than 4000 lumens per foot. The fixtures run cool and can be remotely controlled over DMX.

Matthews... new VRig for VR purposes

44 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Cineo… HSX colour-tunable soft source

Matthews.. low pointof-view Wedge POV camera mount

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that virtual reality (VR) will make a big impact at both Cinec and IBC. Among the grip companies producing specific hardware for this burgeoning area is Matthews Studio Equipment. Its VRig is claimed to be the first professional camera support system made especially for VR production. Matthews will also be showing the Wedge portable low point-of-view POV camera mount, which can accommodate film, video or DSLR cameras. Wireless is now an established part of shooting and Transvideo is demonstrating its full system for transmission and monitoring. This includes the StarliteRF five-inch 3G-SDI touchscreen OLED wireless monitor-recorder and the TitanHD2 Rx stand-alone receiver. Also new is the Stargate 7-inch high-end monitor-recorder. What is described as a “novel storytelling device for filmmakers” will be on show

during IBC. Lens Control Systems of Vienna and Londonbased filmmaker Oliver Janesh Christiansen have teamed up to produce Cinefade, an in-camera effect designed to vary the depth of field in one shot and make for a gradual transition between sharp and blurred backgrounds. IBC 2016 takes place at the RAI in Amsterdam from 9 to 13 September. Cinec is at Munich’s MOC from 17 to 19 September. n

MEET THE NEW WAVE / JP CALDEANO / CINEMATOGRAPHER

LIVING THE DREAM Filmography (so far): Features: Goitacá (2016), Hush Hush (2016, second unit DP), Guardians (2016, second unit DP). Shorts: Quetzal (2016), Pas De Deux (2015)

When did you discover you wanted to be a DP? I’ve always been the creative one in the family. I came to London when I was 23 to learn about filmmaking. I was happy being a runner on a big film and to go back to tell my parents I worked on something big. When I worked at ARRI I met amazing people who always supported my craziness and showed me most of the things I know today. My first time on a film set was when my friend Mike Rosário took me to a 007 Stage at Pinewood. Since then it became an obsession for life to be a cinematographer. Where did you train? I worked at ARRI UK for about eight years, first as a camera floor technician, then as crew support technician, and had the pleasure to work with the best professionals in the industry. Missing the creative side, I went to do a masters degree in cinematography at the MET Film School at Ealing Studios, where my mentors included Nic Morris BSC, Robin Vidgeon BSC, Mike Fox BSC, Philip Sindall ACO and the late Sue Gibson BSC. What are your favourite films and why? City Of God (2002, dir. Fernando Meireles, DP César Charlone) and Blood Diamond (2006, dir. Edward Zwick, DP Eduardo Serra)... I love their magical contrast and colourful cinematography. Prisoners (2013, dir. Denis Villeneuve, DP Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC) is simply stunning – the acting, composition, everything is very well executed. What’s the best advice you were ever given? Anthony Dod Mantle once said to me, “JP, you can have a small location...but if you have good actors, nice lighting and a good script... then you can have an amazing story.” Also, my parents always encouraged me to follow my dreams. Who are you DP/industry heroes? Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC is a great human being. He showed me around the set of Molly Moon And The Incredible Book Of Hypnotism and took me through his lighting. He has a huge sense of humour. His cinematography on Elizabeth (1998, dir. Shekhar Kapur) is stunning. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF ASC BSC gave me advice without knowing it while I was working for ARRI. For him it was probably a simple two-minute conversation in the corridor, but for me it was much more than that. Slumdog Millionaire (2008, dir. Danny Boyle), Rush (2013, dir. Ron Howard), 127 Hours (2010, dir. Danny Boyle) and Dogville (2003, dir. Lars von Trier) have been very inspirational films for me. 46 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Eduardo Serra AFS ASC, not simply because he is Portuguese, but I think he is an amazing professional with movies such as Blood Diamond and Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (2011, dir. David Yates).

which was used as one of the props. I attached this to the clapper loader’s back, which he wasn’t aware of, and this caused a lot of amusement amongst the crew. Away from work, what are your greatest passions? My family, the beach and friends.

César Charlone ABC shot my favourite films of all times City Of God (2002, dir. Fernando Meireles), and The Constant Gardner (2005, dir. Fernando Meireles).

What one piece of kit could you not live without? My light meter.

Have you won any awards or received any nominations? I’ve had the normal official selection in a dozen of festivals, and had three films at Cannes but didn’t receive any awards or nominations yet.

What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever shot in? México City, it was scary in the beginning after hearing all the gang stories, but at the same time it was exciting.

What’s your proudest moment? Being invited by DP George Richmond BSC to be camera operator on a Carlsberg commercial alongside Tim Wooster and an amazing crew. They’re exceptional talents, and being trusted by them was an honour and a reward in itself. What have been your best/worst moments on set? Best: I once worked with a female director who was worried about not finishing her film due to weather conditions. She was funding the project and was stressed. We went away for ten minutes to chat about what shots we could lose to make it work. I think I acted a bit like a psychologist to calm her down and bring her confidence up. In the end we hugged and cried together under a tree and both said, “We can do this!” Then we laughed and went back to finish the film, which turned out to be a success. We promised each other that we would never reveal this to anyone. So I won’t mention any names.

Tell us your hidden talent/party trick? Give me lemons and I can make the best Caipirinha. What are your current top albums? Radiohead “OK Computer”. Foo Fighters “One by One”. Everything by Ludovico Einaudi and Hans Zimmer. Can you tell us your greatest extravagance? Investing in property. Give us three adjectives that best describe you and your approach to cinematography? Serious. Articulate. Perfectionist. If you weren’t a DP, what would you be doing now? Possibly being a lifeguard. I love being on the beach. What are your aspirations for the future? I would love to shoot a big blockbuster feature film before I hit 40, or at least be a camera operator on a big feature.

Worst: I was shooting Goitacá in the jungle in Brazil, and got an allergic reaction on my foot after being bitten by massive mosquitos about 30 times. I could barely walk, but I kept shooting. Tell us your most hilarious faux pas? Working on a scene that involved drugs and gangsters, I decided to try to lighten the mood of the crew by cutting out a section of a porn magazine, Goitaca

Hush Hush

SPOTLIGHT / DIGITAL SPUTNIK / BY ADRIAN PENNINGTON

In 2006, young Estonian director Kadri Kõusaar was starting to film her first feature Magnus and turned to the Kallas brothers, then running Tallinn-based kit supplier Duograaf, to source a technical solution.

“W

e wanted to shoot at least 2K digital RAW,” recalls Kaur Kallas of Digital Sputnik. “My brother, Kaspar, remembered he’d seen a strange camera head in a faraway corner at NAB called Silicon Imaging SI2K. We decided to take a plunge and order one. What we got was a working prototype without a recorder and a non-functioning lens mount. This started our journey of building custom solutions for the film industry.” If they could connect two SI2K camera heads to a recorder the Kallas’ realised they’d have a small and mobile 3D camera system. By 2010 they had designed one weighing only 7kg without battery, while the competition weighed-in at 35kg or more. It caught the eye of director Werner Herzog and DP Peter Zeitlinger who selected it to film the acclaimed 2010 3D documentary Cave Of Forgotten Dreams. It was around this time that the brothers also began taking LED technology seriously. “We felt that the market would be ready in a few years to replace HMI and tungsten with LED lights and the technology was becoming available,” says Kallas. “So from 2010 the majority of our effort went into perfecting an LED lighting solution for replacing HMI.” Their solution was a system designed to be modular, lightweight and energy efficient, whilst maintaining high colour precision and flicker-free dimming. The individual modules are grouped to light fixtures and controlled by either iPad or DMX, allowing users to change a number of parameters like colour temperature. “Digital cameras see the world differently than our eyes,” he explains. “All CMOS chip-based cameras see RGB primaries, but they do not see the full spectrum. Based on that, we selected RGB LEDs that emit light at the sweet spot of CMOS sensor RGB primaries. We then create white light by mixing together RGB at high output, which in turn gives the CMOS chips more chromatic information than traditional lights. Aesthetically, this means that the camera is seeing more colour depth and the images coming out of the camera are more saturated.” Products range from the DS1 powered by V-mount batteries for runand-gun-style, to the DS6 Frames,

presented as a replacement for Dino lights or 2-4KW HMIs. Digital Sputnik also manufacturers accessories including the DS Beam, which turns six DS3 systems into a multiple fixture beam that can be attached to a truss. “Our philosophy is to have the light module as a building block and use it in different configurations,” he says. After the launch of its first product, DS3+, in 2013, it took about a year to get it into the hands of the right people; “those who could see the potential of light grading and how it can improve their workflow and the final image,” says Kallas. Per D. Fasmer joined the team as head of sales in the US, concentrating his efforts on demonstrating and testing for leading DPs. All this paid off in 2015 when the firm was selected to be the main lighting source for Independence Day Resurgence (DP Markus Förderer BVK) quickly followed by Star Wars: Rogue One (DP Greig Fraser ACS ASC), Queen Of The Desert (again for Herzog and Zeitlinger) and Ghost In The Shell (DP Jess Hall BSC). “It is definitely not easy to get access to high level professionals,” he says. “It helped that Peter Zeitlinger was teaching cinematography in Munich and Markus Förderer was his student a while ago. Additionally, Greig Fraser also knows Markus well and through these recommendations we got invited to the camera test on Independence Day Resurgence.” Other major productions using DS kit include The Neon Demon (DP Natasha Braier); Jason Bourne (DP Barry Ackroyd BSC), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (DP Harry Braham BSC), Kong: Skull Island (DP Larry Fong ASC), Fast 8 (DP Stephen F. Windon ACS ASC), Alien Covenant (DP Dariusz Wolski ASC) and Bright (DP Roman Vasyanov ACS). “We are fast becoming a ‘go-to’ light source on many high budget productions,” says Kallas. “The light grading capabilities of our fixtures have played a major role in getting our fixtures on these jobs. Being able to grade the light to achieve the look you want, instead of grading the image, is not only a huge timesaver onset but it also allows the cinematographer to achieve the desired ambience already on the set, thereby dramatically reducing post production requirements.”

Kaur Kallas

He also claims that if a production is shot entirely with LED lights it could result in power savings up to 85 per cent. “When using RGBW LEDs we have the possibility to create white balance light from 1500K up to 10,000K, plus we can mix in any primary or secondary colour,” he says. “Digitally-controlled RGBW LED based lighting platforms will make lighting into an exact science. Mobility and modularity will make it possible to shift the focus back to content creation instead of infrastructure management.” The firm’s manufacturing base is in Tallinn, Estonia, which employs 22 people. LEDs are manufactured by Cree in the US. Digital Sputnik has showrooms in Stockholm and Amsterdam with a recently opened office in Sherman Oaks, LA. Rental partners include MBS Lighting at Pinewood in UK, Atlanta and Los Angeles; Cinelease, Xytech in New Zealand, The Netherlands’ Het Licht, Norway Dasglys and Miracle Worker in Poland. “All our fixtures are manufactured in the EU according to our specs,” he says. “We do the final assembly, calibration and testing in-house to make certain that all the fixtures that we send out are up to our high-quality standards.” The lightweight and modular build of the equipment has found novel applications. A partnership with Intuitive Aerial and Swedish DP Simon Sjörén in 2014 filmed skiiers at nighttime shot by a Red Epic mounted on one drone, lit with Digital Sputnik LEDs on a second drone. The DS Heli System demonstrated a technique that might be used in a multitude of night exterior situations where a heavy toplight is needed for wider angled framings. While Digital Sputnik’s focus has been on high profile features, “since they have the highest demand on technology” it is starting to look more at lower budget features and television drama already scoring success with True Detective and Hawaii Five-0 using its systems. Kallas concludes: “Our focus is also enhancing the user experience and we are currently developing a new iOS-based management software, allowing smaller productions to have the same level of central management, which has only been possible up to now with a dedicated DMX controller board.” n British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 47

LETTER FROM AMERICA / ROY H WAGNER ASC HFRPS

Easy Rider (1969, DPs László Kovács & Baird Bryant)

Roy H Wagner ASC HFRPS argues that if we want better films, then we must re-embrace the need for communal filmmaking and recreate the provincial voices that told great stories.

hat would you do with all that vacant real estate at any studio if you got rid of all the “heavy breathers”; those people who have nothing to do with the creation of a television series or motion picture? The major studios – from their inception through to the corporate consumption of the 1970s – made a minimum of 50 films a year at each of these giant facilities and now, with the miniaturisation of crews, equipment and transport, we must tear down facilities for making films so that we can hire more and more people to talk about making fewer and fewer films. Studio management goes into chaos mode if more than one company moves onto the lot. There’s no room to put them. More parking lots, fewer sound stages! We are finally at the end of an era. An era that we forestalled in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s with the advent of independent thought and freelance filmmaking. After Easy Rider, and other legendary low-budget projects made outside of the system, studios raced to the unemployment centres to embrace any new thinking filmmaker. It worked for a while. There was money for everyone. They even found enough money to pay their filmmakers. Today nobody can afford to do business with the studios. Profit margins appease the stock market and the boards of the great and mighty monoliths. Billionaires seek aid from the poor citizens of states and cities they cannot afford to hire. In order to help the collapsing profit margins workers are required to wave previous agreements, forget expectations based upon successful previous ventures, and the hope to maintain homes and lifestyles in their personal communities. Business partners in the community – those who’ve furthered the science and industry of this great technological invention – must continue to invent, develop, test and produce revolutionary equipment and processes, without hope of ever recovering their costs. The digital revolution, seemingly great for filmmakers for the immediate future, will ultimately be destroyed at the hand of cost-cutting. We will see the end of that technological revolution. Many manufacturers and vendors are forced to close their doors. How can they possibly afford to negotiate equipment costs and rental rates at progressively declining rates? What’s going to happen with the various new cameras from different manufacturers? Vendors can’t afford to pay-off last month’s new technology. We’re going to see the same thing happen in production that occurred in post production. Facilities could not stay in business to keep up with their equipment leases. 48 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

There is a grave issue, a reality that will only become an issue when upper and middle management are personally faced with the consequence of their choices. With their management plans based upon their length of contract, a common conversational thread speaks to only what is of value during those terms. It’s some other executive’s problem after their term. How many studios have vaulted only the “masters” from their television shows, discarding the original material? If film has been shot, to my knowledge, the final project does not produce a cut negative. The digital master is the only thing that exists. What happens to the outtakes, the printed takes that are, for the most part, just rolled up into the rejected material? As for digital assets most of these projects have no “ins and outs” since the cameras often run continuously. Studios can’t afford to make YCM protections of all the footage because printed takes are not isolated. Do we store the hard drives, computers, tape decks, heads and accessories until we find a solution? This begins to smell like the old days where camera negative had no value after the first run of the film or series. How many of our classic films’ camera negatives exist? The three strip Technicolor negative does not exist for Singin’ In the Rain. How many more? The millions of preservation dollars that have been spent to stabilise and restore our assets at 2K, 4K, 8K is a stopgap approach. It is not a final solution. Colour space and proprietary signature capture is changing rapidly. In the years to come asset protection will become the biggest part of the motion picture industry. We are at the end of an era. If the studios want to be in the motion picture or television business they are going to have to invest in the community. Technologists, equipment manufacturers and vendors, and personnel (the artists and artisans) have been financing the industry’s cavalier approach to filmmaking. They would continue to do so, but the bottom line has finally reached their bottom line.

This is a multi billion-dollar industry. You want to make movies? Put your money where your mouth is. Don’t expect a state to co-venture, a camera rental facility to give away their inventory for two cents on the dollar, and employees to wait until you decide to come back to the community to make films because you can plunder another impoverished country’s workers stealing their ethnic and unique voice in order to make another “tent pole” production. When you go to those unique communities you only hire the worker. The unique voice, the artist that communicates the culture, history, and diversity of that community is not hired. Think, where are the great Australian, British, French, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, Philippine independent voices? There are a few, very few! I recall a very dear friend of mine, an Australian director, bemoaning that he could not get his government to invest in his Australian films because of their desire to invest in “American” product at their studios. One could agree that beneath the need to be profit-motivated, the bottom line requires that we maintain a higher standard of technical and esthetic product. International films had a unique signature based upon their communal legacy. That’s gone. I can’t imagine it returning. The unique voices of every community we use to take advantage of low wages or tax assistance to make Hollywood films have been muted. We have Wal-Marted filmmaking. Thus, we have the most sophisticated equipment we’ve ever had, most talented pool of artists ever, highest educational level in all departments and yet we cannot make consistently good films! We must re-embrace the need for communal filmmaking, recreating the provincial voices that told all of our great stories. From writer, director to production team we must assert the need to bond together to tell those stories that say who we are, where we’ve come from, what are our aspirations and failures. Think of any great filmmaker or great film from our past and you will find that communal bond. It’s not about what camera we use. It’s about what’s in our minds and hearts. That’s what our audience still wish to see – films about us, our characters, and how they resolve their lives. n

CAMERA CREATIVE / BRUNO DELBONNEL AFC ASC / MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN / BY RON PRINCE

No one loves dark fantasy perhaps more than director Tim Burton, and his latest movie, entitled Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, is no exception. The production is based on the 2011 novel of the same name by Ransom Riggs, in which the spooky story was told through a combination of intense narrative and quirky photographs taken from the personal archives of collectors listed by the author.

he tale concerns 16-year-old Jacob Portman, who, after a horrific family tragedy, follows clues that take him to a crumbling orphanage on a Welsh island – “Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children” – run by the mysterious Miss Peregrine. He is selected to defend the Peculiar Children from a sinister band of monstrous forces that is hell-bent on slaying them. From a script written by Jane Goldman, production began for two weeks in February 2015 in the Tampa Bay area, Florida, before relocating to the UK for location shoots near St Austell, Cornwall, and Blackpool Tower Circus, the studios at The Gillette Building in Hounslow, London, and finally to Antwerp in Belgium, where the orphanage exteriors were shot.

>> British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 49

CAMERA CREATIVE / BRUNO DELBONNEL AFC ASC / MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

>> Lensing the movie was Bruno

Delbonnel AFC ASC, Burton’s cinematographic collaborator

on the comedy horror Dark Shadows (2012) and artswindle biopic Big Eyes (2014). Delbonnel’s other credits include Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (2001) and A Very Long Engagement (2004), both directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Across the Universe (2007), Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince (2009) and The Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis (2013). Ron Prince caught up with Delbonnel over Skype as the cinematographer was taking a few days of rest and relaxation at home in Paris, prior to commencing prep on Joe Wright’s Darkest Hour, which looks at Winston Churchill’s charge against the Nazi army in the early days of World War II. Was it an automatic ‘yes’ to work with Tim again? BD: Yes, it was. I was on board from a very early stage, in fact. We were meant to shoot Miss Peregrine after we finished Dark Shadows, and before Big Eyes. We went scouting for a couple of weeks around the coasts of Wales and Scotland in search of an orphanage location, where much of the action takes place. But Tim acknowledged the script needed some rewrites, so Miss Peregrine got pushed back, and Big Eyes happened instead.

50 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Shadow players… operator Des Whelan shows Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC a magic trick

What research did you do for Miss Peregrine? BD: Not a great deal. Ransom Riggs’s original book had a very poetic mood that I wanted to recreate on-set. It’s very visual, very unusual, about found vintage images, which are a bit weird – images where the flash might be too strong and you don’t see a face, or you just see a small part of a body. It was a great starting point for me to build the movie visually. The peculiar children are not superheroes, they are simply little kids with special gifts – one is lighter than air, one happens to be very strong. Peculiar, charming, gripping – all at the same time.

What were your initial discussions about the look of the movie? DB: If you watch Tim’s movies, each of them is about people who are bit “different” or “peculiar” living in the “regular” world, facing regular people. That’s why the look of his films is always a bit twisted, but never totally gothic as people imagine. It’s always very simple and he really wanted to keep this sense of reality with a twist. You have to find a way to light “in-between”: scary and real at the same time. On a more pragmatic approach, one tricky point of the story is a loop in time, where the action is variously set between two different periods – 1942 and 2016. Finding a visual way to help the audience place the story in the correct time period was a main talking point. In both the book and the script, the 2016 scenes, which are set in Wales, it is raining almost every day, whereas the action in 1942 takes place on just one sunny summer’s day, and we realised this was a way to make the difference – especially though the lighting. To take the idea a step further I shot some test material of the dinner sequence and then worked with Technicolor colourist Peter Doyle, who did the final DI, to apply a kind of 2-strip Technicolor

look to the footage. We played around with various settings – the contrast and deep blacks to bring some strength to the image – and produced quite a strong initial look. Later in the final DI we dialled that look back to a more restrained level, in keeping with Tim’s request to ensure the images retained empathy with the characters. What was the creative reasoning behind your choice of aspect ratio, cameras and lenses? BD: I am not a great lover of Anamorphic framing – the 2.40:1 aspect ratio always seems a bit odd to me, and the lenses have ugly distortions that are just not to my taste. And 1.66:1 is not interesting. I prefer 1.85:1, as it’s great for locations and sets, and I knew it would be the perfect fit for the different sizes of the characters – some are tiny, whilst others are over 6ft tall. So 1.85:1 is a great compromise, not too tight, and not too wide. I went with Cooke S4s lenses. I selected the ARRI Alexa Studio as it has an optical viewfinder. I like to light with the finder, and don’t understand how you can light with an electronic finder in the camera nor a monitor on set. OK, the eyepiece on the Alexa Studio is a bit darker, perhaps 1.5 stops, but it’s great for my purposes. Panavision provided the camera and lenses. Was Miss Peregrine always planned as a digital shoot? BD: No, the original plan was to shoot Miss Peregrine on film. When the movie got postponed, we began prep on Big Eyes in Vancouver, and decided to shoot that on film. But Technicolor shut down their local lab, and the nearest facilities were in LA or Toronto. Tim likes watching dailies first thing in the morning, and the cost and logistics of supporting that with film just did not work out. So we discussed the matter and went digital. Big Eyes was my first digital feature and, if anything, this exercise proved a great training ground for Miss Peregrine.

Did you apply any LUTs and diffusion on-set? BD: My thinking is that I never had a LUT when shooting on film, and I would not want one when shooting digitally. I started to eschew filters on Harry Potter. If you soften an image with diffusion in camera then you cannot go back. For me, it’s all about getting the best digital file I can get on-set, like a good neg, and then taking that into the DI suite, where you have very powerful, creative tools to adjust the image. I kept the workflow very simple, shooting with ARRIRAW to get a fat, rich digital negative. Other than shooting one stop down, with a tiny increase in contrast, I had a very pure image.

No filtration, no LUTs. Technicolor provided us with rushes on harddrives every morning, which we viewed on calibrated monitors. Who were your crew? BD: I had the absolutely top people with me on Miss Peregrine. The fantastic Des Whelan was my A-camera operator, and Biggles was my exceptional gaffer. They variously recommended the other crew including Vince McGahon, who operated B-camera/ Steadicam, Matt Windon as first AC, Peter Marsden the DIT and Dave Maund the key grip. How did you move the camera? BD: We had two cameras on the shoot – the A-camera that was always on the go, plus a Steadicam ready-to-go as required. We had all the tools – Technocranes, dollies and tracks – but I prefer not to move the camera so much, and definitely not for the sake of it. As the cinematographer, we have to create a world for each movie and each scene. The frame, the acting, the

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 51

CAMERA CREATIVE / BRUNO DELBONNEL AFC ASC / MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN

light are all connected. I like to find the sweet spot of a good frame and to capture what the director is doing with the actors. It’s much more interesting to let the actors move, to see their body language, and play between a wide and a close-up in one shot, rather than having the traditional set-ups for wide, mid and close-up. What was the shooting schedule and working regime? BD: I had a decent prep time of three months, and then we shot from 100 days, from February 24th and July 24th. The working hours were five-day weeks, partly due to the UK laws governing the children and also partly because Tim prefers this regime. It’s a nice regular way of working for the crew and the cast. Movie production is very demanding and people need to rest at weekends. Longer hours are painful, and potentially very dangerous. We need to be protected. Just so I could be prepared I might do some pre-lighting with Biggles on a Saturday morning, and then would perhaps enjoy a bit of Blackpool’s attractions. I remember a beautiful moment watching an elderly couple dancing together under the proscenium in the Blackpool Tower Ballroom. It was a shame that we could not shoot there, as it’s an extraordinary place. I tried fish and chips too.

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“AS THE CINEMATOGRAPHER, WE HAVE TO CREATE A WORLD FOR EACH MOVIE AND EACH SCENE. THE FRAME, THE ACTING, THE LIGHT ARE ALL CONNECTED. I LIKE TO FIND THE SWEET SPOT OF A GOOD FRAME AND TO CAPTURE WHAT THE DIRECTOR IS DOING WITH THE ACTORS.” BRUNO DELBONNEL AFC ASC What was your approach to the lighting? BD: The key challenge was how much to bend and shape the light between the two time periods in the movie. In the pub scene in Cornwall, we had to legislate for both at the same time with two different lighting set-ups in same building, as the action switches between the two eras. Generally I went with diffused softlight and bounced light for the rainy 2016 scenes, keeping things balanced, static and appropriately dreary. For 1942, the lighting was much more energetic, with 20k Mole beams and 20k Fresnels punching-in sunlight. I also used moving lights in the form of Martin MAC Viper Profile high-output luminaires,

that are used in rock and roll stage lighting. Working with Biggles, I moved the lights behind the actors – such as on walls and foliage – to bring a sense of the sun constantly moving and give strange feeling of life and liveliness in 1942, and highlight the distinction between 2016. What was your level of involvement with the VFX? BD: I worked with VFX supervisor, Frazer Churchill, mainly during prep on the visual effects storyboards and previs sequences, and tried to follow these as accurately as possible in production given the practicalities and physics of the locations. However, as the script was evolving and changing the whole time – with VFX scenes getting added, changed and cancelled – we often did know when the monsters would appear, although we had a good idea of their sizes and shapes. So, during production, the key thing was that I knew to anticipate and that we would often need to be quick on our feet. My main involvement in the VFX process was principally about making sure Frazer had accurate information about the placement direction and quality of light. Were there any happy accidents? BD: Yes, the British weather. We were absolutely fortunate that when we started shooting in Cornwall

on a 2016 scene, and needed rain, we got rain. And when we need sun, on a 1942 scene, it was sunny. It was incredible to get the exact weather we wanted everyday. Did this production challenge you in any particular way? BD: Yes, shooting a feature film of this scale, or any scale, at The Gillette Building was a nightmare. It doesn’t have proper stages in any aspects: low ceilings, no grill, pillars in the middle of the space to support the leaking roofs. Because of these limitations there were many things I wanted to do but couldn’t. As for the creative the aspect, I used a technique, with the moving Viper lights, that I had not really explored before. Although the fans on these lights are pretty noisy, and they can disturb the sound recording, you can use them in really interesting ways, around the sets and around actors. The performers can hit the lights at different points, and fade in and out of the image. It was a very appropriate technique for this story, and it’s something I definitely want to develop in the future. n

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ON THE JOB / ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC / SNOWDEN

“‘Ssh!’ Was his first utterance as he motioned me with his finger to enter the Munich hotel room that November. We had never met before and never spoken. But he had kept a dossier of our complete written communications over the years, which he proceeded to read verbatim to me, insisting on my complete silence as he spoke. ‘Ssh!’”

o began, with an appropriately theatrical and somewhat spooky flourish, the first meeting between cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle and veteran moviemaker Oliver Stone, in late 2014, to discuss the director’s intended biographical political thriller about Edward Snowden, the American computer professional, former CIA employee and contractor to the United States government, who leaked thousands of classified documents in June 2013 without authorisation. Snowden’s disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programmes, several run by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance (comprising the intelligence agencies of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and US), with the cooperation of telecommunications companies and European governments. A subject of controversy, now living as a political refugee in Russia, Snowden has been variously labelled as hero, whistleblower, revolutionary, patriot and traitor. His revelations have provoked all manner of discourse and argument about mass surveillance strategies, government secrecy and the equilibrium between national security and personal privacy. Stone’s eponymously titled movie about Snowden is based on the books, “The Snowden Files” by Luke Harding, and “Time Of The Octopus” by Anatoly Kucherena. The screenplay was written by Stone and Kieran Fitzgerald. The movie includes Snowden’s backstory 54 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

– from US Army reservist to security specialist at a top-secret government facility in Maryland, followed by ever-ascending roles in cyber-security within the CIA and Dell, which manages computer systems for multiple government agencies – before his self-ignited trajectory from NSA employee in Hawaii, to outlaw in Hong Kong where he released classified information to journalists from his hotel room, and his subsequent asylum in Russia. The movie features an ensemble cast including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Scott Eastwood, Logan Marshall-Green, Timothy Olyphant, Ben Schnetzer, LaKeith Lee Stanfield, Rhys Ifans, and Nicolas Cage. “During my time at film school, there were certain directors – such as Roman Polanski, Nic Roeg, Ingmar Bergman, Andrei Tarkovsky and Martin Scorsese – who accelerated my learning. Oliver Stone is on that list too,” says Dod Mantle. “There was something about his body of work, which for me was devastating and wonderful as a student. He smashed the walls with sound and aesthetics and editing, and left quite an impression. It was quite by happenstance that, although I have been in the running to shoot some of his movies down the years, events have conspired against us working together. But then came Snowden. I felt like I owed him one, and went to meet Oliver. At that first, clandestine meeting, he read out every e-mail we had exchanged in the past, and made me listen to all of the excuses I had ever made for never having worked him before. I found his approach mischievous, spontaneous and wonderful by turns. He understood that I never take on a project without reading the finished script, and he waved a 60-page hand-written document at me, and told me I was not to leave the room until I had read it.”

tively with Abstract… shooting crea g Kong a long Canon zoom in Hon

“(OLIVER STONE) WAVED A 60-PAGE HAND-WRITTEN DOCUMENT AT ME, AND TOLD ME I WAS NOT TO LEAVE THE ROOM UNTIL I HAD READ IT.” ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC More often than not it is the script which lights my visual intention for the movie and how to sustain up a cinematographer’s desire for a project, and Dod the audience’s attention and emotional concentration Mantle remarks, “It was astonishing, super-serious, for such a heavy, complex subject matter. Oliver likes severe, electric content, about surveillance and machines this sort of brevity. I also sought to implement a third investigating people’s minds, computers watching you at dimension in our film – to personify, in some way, the night. It was hard to instantly visualise, and there were fundamental fact that we are watched upon much more no murders, no car chases, no bodies – apart from a that we know – and to do this by the way the camera metaphorical head-on- a-platter, of course. But the story moves, or does not move, in relation to the was topical, never far from the headlines, and involved other dramatic cameras. a conscientious young man whose actions resulted “Obviously I had to interpret in fear and alienation on a personal level, and locations – that we would on the wider scale created one of the biggest never ever have the chance political scandals since the Second World War. to visit, let alone shoot at – It was very hard to say no to this time.” as logically as possible. This On the subject of visualising the movie was not a flashy, abstract with Stone, Dod Mantle says “images of or unreal world that we intrusion” was a term he used a lot during wanted create with the their initial discussions. “Clean, clear cinematography. So to help high-resolution images portray find a certain truth and honesty, whereas aesthetic I smaller cameras, surveillance gained cameras, with lower resolution images, imply myth, something covert, sinister, dangerous, untrustworthy, and these are much in evidence in our daily lives. “Words often fail me when I try to communicate ideas. So during pre-production I sent Oliver illustrated dossiers of images I had either made myself or found, together with very Coffee break… Anthony brief notes, that described Dod Mantle with Marcus Pohlus B-camera/ Steadicam operator

Oliver’s agreement to include production designer Mark Tildesley into this process. He and I have worked on many productions together and see eye-to-eye. During the course of Snowden, Oliver, Mark and myself a became a powerful collaborative trio.” In terms of his creative cinematographic references, Dod Mantle cites Laura Poitras’s Academy Award-winning documentary Citizenfour (2014), about Snowden and the NSA spying scandal, as a helpful preliminary insight into the man and his motivations. He also re-watched one of his own personal favourite movies, The Parallax View (1974, dir. Alan J Pakula, DP Gordon Willis ASC), being particularly enthused about a man being way-in-over-his-head in a sinister drama, and by the relationship between humans-under-surveillance and architecture. With themes of dislocation, alienation and fragmentation in his mind, Dod Mantle examined the artistic works of cubist/expressionist painters, such as Lyonel Feininger. He also studied the PBS/Frontline show United States Of Secrets, which investigates the history of the US’s surveillance programme. Due to consternation about interference by the NSA, Stone decided to shoot as much of the movie as possible outside of the US. Principal photography began on February 16, 2015 in Munich, Germany, and lasted for eight weeks on sets built at Bavaria Studios, and at locations doubling for Maryland, Washington, Virginia and Hawaii. But this was only after some challenging circumstances. Due to the controversial nature of the picture, backers that had been originally affiliated with the project began to step away. With

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 55

ON THE JOB / ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC / SNOWDEN

“CLEAN, CLEAR HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES PORTRAY TRUTH AND HONESTY, WHEREAS SMALLER CAMERAS, SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS, WITH LOWER RESOLUTION IMAGES, IMPLY MYTH, SOMETHING COVERT, SINISTER, DANGEROUS, UNTRUSTWORTHY.” ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC

studio ready to support the production either, >> no things became extremely difficult for Stone who had

to finance everything along with the producer during pre-production. Eventually, financing came through from France and Germany, and the production started in Germany as a German production, with contracts being signed eight days before production began. After the Berlin leg, production took place in rapid succession around the world during April 2015, in Washington DC, followed by Hawaii, using a house on the same street where Snowden had lived, and then Hong Kong at The Mira Hotel, where the on-therun Snowden had dramatically blown the whistle. This part of the shoot concluded in the middle of May. Dod Mantle framed Snowden in 2.39:1 aspect ratio, using Alexa 65 and Alexa XT, both shooting in open gate mode, for around 60% of the production. Lenses for the Alexa 65 included a set of Prime 65 glass for the studio shoots in Germany, with Vintage 765 Primes for the round-the-world shoot. A full set of Leica Summicrons, plus Optimo zooms and macro primes, were variously used on the Alexa XT. The main equipment package was supplied by ARRI Munich, under the supervision of Manfred Jahn, with the full support of the company’s R&D team for the recently released Alexa 65, as well as the Alexa XT. “The Alexa 65 is a robust, composed and powerful imaging device, and the 6K, big-screen experience is something to behold,” remarks Dod Mantle. “From the extensive testing I did in and around ARRI’s HQ, I got a very good idea about how I could punch into the image, and keep going in for creative purposes, which you will see in the final movie.” Canon Europe also supported the production with a C500 camera and a 50-1000mm PL zoom, which Dod Mantle used for in-camera effects during

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the round the world trip and on a body rig during the cramped Mira Hotel scenes, whilst a Codex Action Cam was used to provide a range of surveillance footage. Gerhard Beier from Leica supplied a PL-mount prototype M4 DSLR, which enabled Dod Mantle to shoot sequences with Joseph Gordon-Levitt alone around the world. “Oliver is very adventurous intellectually and demands the same from the people he works with,” says Dod Mantle, “so I was fortunate in having a trusted crew around me who took the project to their hearts too.” Supporting Dod Mantle, who operated A-camera once again, was first AC Telfer Barnes. When the cinematographer donned his body rig for the Hong Kong hotel scenes, he was supervised by Jacob Bonfils and assisted by Christian Betz. Marcus Pohlus operated B-camera/ Steadicam, and second unit DP was Jo Heim. Thomas Nievelt was gaffer, Bernd Mayer the key grip, whilst Dan Carling performed DIT duties. “As I have my hands full, operating, lighting and attending to the director’s needs, a great crew is essential to me,” says Dod Mantle. “I will always be behind the camera – this is where the film is bound together, in the moment – and the energy radiating out from the crew towards the actors is of infinite importance and significance to me. I am concerned by the way technology is pulling camera ACs away from the side of the camera, where I think they

should nearly always be, due to monitoring and focus via monitors, with their heads buried so often at a 90-degree angle to where the actors are working. I prefer the classic partner feeling of having one’s first AC as close to my ears and eyes as possible, but this is the subject of another article.” Defining and executing the colour palette for each movie he works on is always a key consideration for Dod Mantle, and Snowden was no exception. “There’s a colour arc that changes across the movie. Things start out colourful and safe, as Snowden is revealed to be a bright, intelligent young man with an incredible career path. But this starts to change as things go wrong. Hawaii should be a paradise, but the colours change to include dangerous yellows and unsettling greens. Washington is a steely blue. The further he gets away from security, and the more he begins to question his odds of survival, we see magenta creeping into the image – it’s a very alienating and dangerous colour, abhorrent and cold, that becomes even more embracing during the Hong Kong hotel

Fragmentation… painting s and prism test images

scenes as his separation and loneliness really kick in.” As a twist in the tale, Dod Mantle says he was shocked to suddenly find himself in the same room as Snowden during an additional five-day leg in Moscow. “When I shot Rush for Ron Howard, and got inside the head of Niki Lauda, it was very moving when I eventually got to meet the man himself. So too with Edward Snowden. I had spent the best part of a year exploring his story and his psyche, and it was at once deeply strange as well as a privilege to meet him faceto face. This bright young man, forever haunted by his predicament, eternally estranged from his roots, yet so noble and selfless in his actions. I also got to meet Vladimir Putin too at his dacha, during that shoot. It will all fall into place when you see the movie and the various surrounding events when it premieres.” Dod Mantle did the final DI with Company3’s Stephen Nakamura, during one week at the company’s New York facility and another in LA. “The DI is always very critical for me, and I refused point blank to participate in the DI over any type of remote satellitecum-cyber link, insisting that I work creatively with Stephen, with whom I got on very well, in the same

How’s about this?…. director Oliver Stone considers his cinematographer’s suggestion

physical space before we did the final DI with Oliver. It was a busy time refining the imagery, and we concentrated a good deal of our efforts on Oliver’s desire to have luminance in the faces and to keep the visual connection to the actors.” As for the working hours on Snowden, Dod Mantle declares, “Oliver and Ron Howard are the people you want to work with, they like to recuperate, recharge and consider at the weekends. We had some long days during our stint in Germany, and travelling around the world was hard at times, but Oliver is quite stringent about working a decent amount of hours every day.” Asked how this production challenged him, Dod Mantle concludes, “Whilst is was a big challenge, that pushed me aesthetically, I think the subject matters that the movie covers, and the times we’re living through, are hugely significant and are the greater challenge for our children, families and friends. Snowden is a vanguard production, and I am delighted to have played a part in telling this story in an intelligent and open-hearted way.” n

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CLOSE-UP / MAURO FIORE ASC / THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN / BY RON PRINCE

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Western action film The Magnificent Seven is a remake of the 1960 western of the same name, which itself was a remake of the 1954 Japanese film Seven Samurai.

irected by Antoine Fuqua, written by Nic Pizzolatto and Richard Wenk, and with cinematography by Mauro Fiore ASC, the $110m MGM/Columbia Pictures production sees the townsfolk of Rose Krick put under siege by malevolent industrialist Bartholomew Bogue. The helpless residents enlist the support of seven mercenaries – comprising of a bounty hunter, a gambler with a fondness for explosives, a sharpshooter, a tracker, a professional assassin, an outlaw and a Comache warrior – to protect them whilst they prepare for a violent confrontation. However, upon meeting the town’s residents, the Seven find themselves fighting for much more than money. The movie stars Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lee Byung-hun, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard and Haley Bennett, with music by James Horner, who passed away during the early phases of the production, and Simon Franglen. Principal photography began in the north of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on May 18, 2015, concluding 64 days later in the middle of August. Two huge, dust-filled, Western towns were built on the fertile cow pasture backlot, under the auspices of production designer Derek Hill. Other locations included St. Francisville and Zachary, Louisiana. A further two weeks of shooting took place in New Mexico. The Magnificent Seven is the fourth movie collaboration between Fiore, who won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography on Avatar (2009), and

director Fuqua – the pair having teamed-up previously on Training Day (2001), Tears Of The Sun (2003), The Equaliser (2014) and Southpaw (2015), along with many commercials. “Antoine spoke to me about The Magnificent Seven while we were shooting Southpaw during the summer of 2014,” recalls Fiore. “Most DPs dream about shooting period films or Westerns as these genres just don’t appear so much these days, and you get to prove your skills on these sorts of movies. So I jumped at the chance. Also, Antoine and I have had a good long stint of working together over the last few years. We’re really good friends and have evolved a shorthand together. Antoine obviously has the freedom to think up whatever he wants, but also he allows me to go about my work in my way.” Looking back to the early discussions and creative references for the up-and-coming production, Fiore says, “We both watched the original The Magnificent Seven movie (1960, dir. John Struges, DP Charles Lang) with Yul Brynner, Charles Bronson and Steve McQueen. It’s a brilliant Western, and a wonderful showcase of Hollywood actors, but we were never going to make ours in that style. We preferred to revisit the neo-realism of Seven Samurai (1954, dir. Akira Kurosawa, DP Asakazu Nakai), which, although pretty dated now, is told from very close to the heart. We loved Kurosawa’s way of telling the story in detail, his way of breaking down each character, their relation to tyranny, and the way the story weaves in and out of locations – all in a very naturalistic way.

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CLOSE-UP / MAURO FIORE ASC / THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN

>> “We were also influenced by the Spaghetti Westerns of

Sergio Leone, and looked at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (1966, DP Tonino Delli Colli) and Once Upon A Time In The West (1968, DP Tonino Delli Colli). Leone’s storytelling style – his portrayal of the West as a mythological place, with larger-than-life characters, the use of discomforting close-ups and majestic wide shots – creates a very powerful visual language that also has real heart. Especially with the evocative Ennio Morricone scores playing such a big part in audiences’ engagement.” He adds: “All of this really excited Antoine and me, and we wanted to take this opportunity to pay homage to this sort of filmmaking rather than the traditional, realistic or modern stylized Westerns. We wanted our style to be a self-evident, self-conscious style instead of just storytelling, but didn’t want to bombard the audience with too much of a style. Although, as you will see, we spent a lot of time on the big action sequences.” Fiore says that, from the outset, The Magnificent Seven was conceived as a widescreen celluloid experience. “Apart from The Equaliser and Southpaw, Antione and I have always shot on film, and we always had a desire to shoot The Magnificent Seven on film using Anamorphic lenses. I think Antoine might also have had this stipulated in his contract. ARRI had recently launched the Alexa 65 and I did side-by-side tests to check it out. It is a spectacular camera, but I didn’t choose it – partly as I knew the idea of film was fixed in Antoine’s mind, and partly as I was looking forward to returning to the discipline of shooting and lighting with film. My last feature productions on film were The A-Team (2010) and Runner Runner (2013). I was also interested to experience again the innate richness of colour you get from celluloid, as opposed to the flatness of RAW images.” Fiore worked with Panavision in LA, who assembled a lens package that would eventually combine of G, C and E-series Anamorphic lenses, and Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 cameras. “The widescreen aspect ratio was important to us as, along with this being our personal homage to Westerns, this format takes you back historically – the audience feel they can relate to the time period and the genre. It’s also

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great for landscapes and faces. And, with the bokeh, flares and little lens imperfections, Anamorphic can be as much a welcome character in a movie as the actors themselves.” In terms of lighting and look, Fiore says he broke the movie down into distinct moods – the idyllic world of the town before it gets taken over, and then the harshness of the place under siege. “On day exteriors, you have to be aware of the time of day and position of the sun for each scene, and I scheduled this, as far as I could, with first AD Joe Camp III,” he remarks. “I used the slower Kodak Vision 3 5203 50D stock to bring out the brilliance of the colours in the sets, costumes and skies in exterior day scenes and to evoke a romantic almost magical feel to the town at the start of the story. When the place gets devastated and the Seven appear, I switched to the faster and more contrasty Kodak 5207 250D to bring some grit to the image and I spent more time sculpting the faces from light into dark shadows. I loved the results I achieved with film. Something in the negative is richer than you get with digital, and it’s a great way of capturing colours.” Regarding the filming of nighttime sequences with 500ASA film Fiore declares, “It was unbelievably exciting and creative to have to re-adapt to this again. When you shoot digital at upwards of 800ASA, you often don’t need to light too much at night. But with film it’s very hard to rely on just ambient light and you really have use your skills. The actors and directors are not used to this anymore, and it’s very impressive when you have a 100ft softbox to create moonlit exterior.” Fiore’s crew on The Magnificent Seven included A-camera operator Kirk Gardner, and B-camera operators Dave Richert and Lucasz Bielan. Focus puller was Larry Nielson, with John Janusek key

grip and gaffer Mike Kelly. “I’ve worked with these guys for many years on many movies. We are a tight-knit family, not just a team, and that’s very important to me,” he notes. Fiore also points out the talents of second unit DP Lukasz Jogalla, “who did those impossible, lyrical, epic shots you always want of sunrises, mountains, landscapes and skies, often with the doubles,” and stunt coordinator Jeffrey Dashnaw, “who ran a sizeable action unit and whose considerable experience was absolutely pivotal during this production.” The working regime was five-day weeks, 12 hours per day, “which I love,” Fiore remarks. The production worked mainly with two cameras: the A-camera delivering a wide of each scene and the B-camera providing “enhancing, subtext images, profiles or something else off-skew.” Multiple cameras were deployed on the action sequences, “to save the actors having to fall off horses too many times, as much as anything else,” he says. As for the camera movement, Fiore says, “We wanted the camera to have an observational style, to watch the drama rather than being part of it. Consequently, there is very little use of handheld, apart from the final fight scene. For the wide/master shots, the A-camera was frequently mounted on a Chapman Hydroflex crane, with Raptor base – which has no problem at all moving around the exterior sets in sand or mud – or mounted on a dolly.” Discussing some of the pro and cons of shooting film versus digital Fiore says, “Compared to digital, when you can review and QC your imagery right there on-set, the celluloid workflow feels really slow. Plus, waiting to see your rushes, and spotting any unwanted imperfections, can be problematic, as production might have moved on by the time you notice something. It’s a shame that the quality of the video tap on film cameras has not evolved further, as questions are often raised on-set, and you can only answer them when you see the rushes. With digital – for better and also for worse sometimes – you get used to having a look applied on-set and living with that look from there. “However, the sheer depth, range, vibrancy and tonality of colour you get from shooting on negative, is unbelievable. It was a really pleasant shock for me to have such a huge range of control in the DI. I think if you retool the filmic workflow, with better video taps and have the support of on-set colourist, then film can work very well indeed. Furthermore, when you shoot with a film camera you

Mauro Fiore ASC

“ONE HUGE ASPECT OF SHOOTING A WESTERN IS HOW EXPOSED YOU ARE TO THE ELEMENTS – DEALING WITH THE CHANGING WEATHER AND LIGHTING CONDITIONS.” MAURO FIORE ASC

have fewer cables, no umbilical cord to the DIT, no one telling you the exposure nor what the video signal looks like. Shooting with film is a freeing experience; you put the camera on the dolly and roll. Simple as that.” Fiore completed the DI grade on The Magnificent Seven with Stefan Sonnenfeld at Company 3 in LA over a ten-day period. “As far as I was concerned, each scene in this movie had its own specific look,” says Fiore. “So we went through the entire movie, evolved the looks for each scene, and then Stefan did the colouring for me. He knows colour and the end result is amazing – just what I wanted.” When asked how this movie had challenged his cinematographic skills, Fiore says, “One huge aspect of shooting a Western is how exposed you are to the elements – dealing with the changing weather and lighting conditions, never mind the heat and dust – day-in day-out. You can’t plan for everything, so you must be able to think on your feet and react quickly as required.” On a final note, Fiore mentions composer James Horner who passed away at start of the production. “Music played a big part in the original Spaghetti Westerns that inspired us to make this film. Antoine was able to take the music James had written for our version of The Magnificent Seven and apply it to the movie. It’s a great score that adds a great deal to the visuals.” n

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CLOSE-UP / BENOÎT DELHOMME AFC / FREE STATE OF JONES / BY RON PRINCE

NOBLE INTENTIONS

Free State Of Jones is inspired by the life of Newton Knight and his armed rebellion against the Confederacy in Jones County, Mississippi, during the American Civil War (1861-65).

ewton, a poor farmer serving as a battlefield medic in the Confederate Army, becomes disenchanted with the corruption he sees and deserts to a swamp where several runaway slaves have already gathered. When the Siege Of Vicksburg degrades the ability of the Confederacy to maintain its war effort, desertions increase and many more find their way to the swamp. Newton assembles the deserters and runaway slaves into a militia, and leads an armed rebellion against the Confederacy. They succeed in capturing a large slice of south-central Mississippi, organising it as the “Free State Of Jones”. Despite getting little help from the Union, they manage to hold out until the end of the war, and Newton continues to fight against racial inequality. The $65m production was written and directed by Gary Ross, with Benoît Delhomme AFC the cinematographer, and Matthew McConaughey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mahershala Ali and Keri Russell starring in the lead roles. Principal photography began on February 23 2015, concluding 14 weeks later at the end of May, with shooting taking place at locations in New Orleans, Lafayette, Chicot State Park, Ville Platte, Clinton and East Feliciana Parish in Louisiana.

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“These sort of movies don’t come along every day,” says Delhomme. “I liked the subject very much – mainly the part about the reconstruction of the country after the US Civil War, which had never been told properly in movies before. I realised that the reconstruction explained so much about the state of the USA nowadays. It also had a great cast and a strong writer/director, Gary Ross, who had only directed three movies before, but they each had a very specific style. He talked to me at the first meeting as though he would get the power to make the movie with total artistic freedom, without the studio interfering at all in the process, and this obviously impressed me a lot. Also, as a cinematographer, I liked the way that 90% of the movie was set outdoors, and the challenges of shooting in swamps and battlefield sequences. Many of my previous films have been set a lot in interiors, and I really wanted to do an outdoor film for once. This one would bring the task of controlling natural light, rather than using electric light.” Recalling his first discussions with Ross about his vision for the movie, Delhomme says, “I tried to convince Gary to shoot with Anamorphic lenses for weeks, but he was very reluctant to go that route. He was obsessed by making the film look historically very accurate. He wanted a very real, documentary-style result. He did not want anything artificial, nothing romantic, precious or

typically cinematic – nothing that might knock people out of the reality-style he wanted. The thing I learnt quickly is that you can’t influence Gary’s taste, so I kind of stopped trying to find spontaneous visual ideas and put all my energy into working in Gary’s style.” To get himself into the zone, Delhomme initially immersed himself in the historic photojournalism of Mathew Brady, well-known for his documentation of the Civil War. However, Ross did not want the film to have any period patina, preferring it to be stripped down and denuded of any typical artifice. Delhomme recalls watching Full Metal Jacket (1987, DP Douglas Milsome BSC) and Barry Lyndon (1975, DP John Alcott BSC) together with the key crew, to really get an idea of how to shoot the battle scenes which start the movie and which took nearly all the energy of the pre-production. The production was finally framed 1.85:1, using multiple ARRI Alexa cameras, shooting ARRIRAW, fitted with a mixture of Panavision Primo, Primo Zoom and Vintage spherical lenses and using only ND filtration. “Gary wanted the camera movements to be as straight and as simple as possible, no cranes or dollies, just tripod and handheld – a lot of long lens shots, no flares, no pretty or dirty foregrounds. He was constantly avoiding too complex shots and effects that would make the movie look too much like we were ‘making Cinema’”, Delhomme notes. Delhomme’s crew included Bela Trutz as A-camera/Steadicam operator, with Chad Rivetti as A-camera first assistant camera/focus puller. “Chad saved my life on this film, as he could focus pull at T1 on the toughest

Benoît Delhomme AFC

handheld shots,” he recalls. Other camera operators included Greg Morris, Michael Watson and Jerry Jacob. Bob Bates was the gaffer, Nick Leon the key grip, with Brian Stegeman the DIT. As Ross wanted to shoot long takes, some lasting up to 20 minutes, of the swamp and battlefield sequences, with multiple cameras, Delhomme elected to control and choreograph the cinematography from the DIT tent. He recalls: “Nearly all of the daytime sequences were shot with available light, and my main concern was to keep the continuity of light during those days as Gary was very clear with me that he would not interrupt a scene for weather changes. To protect the set and subdue the many changes in the sunlight, I had big nets strung out above these scenes. For maximum control, I did a lot of iris pulls on all three cameras simultaneously, whilst also communicating with the camera operators via radio mics. It was a big, complicated and pretty crazy challenge for me and the crew.” The director’s desire to use as much natural light as possible carried through to the nighttime scenes, and here too the illumination was kept as minimal as possible. “Gary did not want any fills, and asked me to light mainly with one source using real fire, candles or torch light,” explains Delhomme. “He did not want to see too much detail in the backgrounds either, preferring to go very dark. So even though we had all sorts of cherry pickers and lights at our disposal, we did not use them as much as I thought we would. It was more about switching lights off. “For the interior day scenes, I wrapped all the sets with white cotton tents and used HMI light bounced all around to create some very soft ‘north light’ coming through the windows, never put one light inside. It looked like we were shooting indoors with real available daylight. Gary was rigorous in this methodology of keeping the lighting to a bare minimum, and this approach certainly gave a lot of freedom to the actors and the camera operators.” Delhomme says that with the coordination of multiple cameras, and rigours of the lengthy, physically-challenging shoot, he was thankful for a fiveday-week shooting schedule. The DI grade was conducted at Technicolor in NY, with colourist Peter Doyle, where the neutrality and reality of the on-set look was retained and the final image kept simple and free from any visual trickery. Delhomme concludes: “Although it was an intense cinematographic experience for me, I think Free State Of Jones is probably the movie where my personal input and taste are the least obvious. That specific idea of neutrality and reality gets you to focus on the dramatic action rather than noticing the artistic work done behind the camera.” n British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 63

CLOSE-UP / SALVATORE TOTINO AIC ASC / INFERNO / BY TREVOR HOGG

MAN

HUNT

After a seven-year absence, Professor Robert Langdon has to solve another puzzle with deadly global consequences in the production of Inferno, which reunites the trio of actor Tom Hanks, veteran filmmaker Ron Howard and cinematographer Salvatore Totino ASC AIC to bring the Harvard symbologist sleuth to cinematic life for the third time. Salvatore Totino AIC ASC

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“W

hen we came to do Inferno it wasn’t about having a visual connection with The Da Vinci Code (2006) and Angels & Demons (2009),” explains Totino. “The consistency here is Robert Langdon and where he has gone in his life. It was about throwing away the photography, succumbing to the moment and putting Robert Langdon in the real world.” Principal photography for the Columbia Pictures production was conducted from April 27, 2015 to July 21, 2015 with stage work taking place at Origo Studios and Korda Studios in Hungary. “In Florence, we shot the Palazzo Vecchio, The Boboli Gardens, Vasari Corridor, various street locations, outside of Porta Romana, Pitti Palace and the courtyard there. In Venice, we shot at St. Mark’s Square, the balcony at St. Mark’s, the canals, and on the train between Florence and Venice,” he says.

Previs and storyboards were reserved for the fight sequences. “During the location scouts you come up with a loose idea of your approach and then, as you get closer, Ron does an incredible shot list which is very extensive,” remarks Totino. “What was interesting and challenging was the Cistern in Istanbul. It’s an underground aqueduct that the Romans built in the 8th century and it’s now a tourist attraction. A big part of the story takes place there. We built about a third of it on-stage with bluescreen in the background. There are a bunch of these can lights in the Cistern. We built those, added LED technology into them so I could control the levels and tried to make it look real. In a way you’re copying what’s there.” On this production, there was not the money for extensive digital augmentation, which led to some creative innovation for the train scene. “Normally you would build two train cars, do a whole greenscreen environment, and go out shoot plates,” explains Totino. “I said, ‘Why don’t we shoot on the train with the available light, have some LED lights for fill, and let it go.’ Ron said, ‘Great. Let’s try it.’ When we took the train from Florence to Venice, Ron had the actors rehearse. We spent the first two days of photography in Venice and on the way back shot the scene for real. We knew exactly where we wanted the cameras. It turned out fantastic and is in the movie.” Aided by his frequent American collaborators, Totino also utilised the same Italian talent that assisted him on Everest (2015), including gaffer Felice Guzzi, key grip Paolo Frasson, and camera operator Daniele Massaccesi with additional support provided by a Hungarian crew. “I always use two cameras and there were three or four of them for action sequences,” states Totino. All of the equipment came out of ARRI Budapest. “We shot with ARRI Alexa XT and Cooke S4 lenses. ARRI XT cameras have builtin Codex and we shot 3.2K ARRIRAW. It’s the closest thing I’ve seen digitally to film. I like it a lot. For lighting, we used a bunch of 18K ARRIMAXs, SkyPanels and some Sumolights. We did use a 100-ft Technocrane a couple of times that came out of Germany. The guy who operates the bucket has to be in a scissor lift because it’s so high off the ground.”

“The colour palette of Inferno is environmental,” reveals Totino. “When we’re in the streets of Florence at night, the lights are a yellowy sodium vapour. I’m not going to change all of them, and make it look nice and clean. That’s what Florence looks like.” The DI process which took place in New York was not elaborate. “It was more about fine-tuning and matching from scene-to-scene. I worked with Gregory Fisher of Company 3 on the film. The first time I worked with him was on Everest. Gregory is an artist who knows the technology, uses it to his advantage and adds his artist abilities. It’s a nice flowing relationship.” Running shoes are required in order to collaborate with Ron Howard. “I love working with Ron,” remarks Totino. “Every day is like the first day he has been on-set. Ron is so excited, focussed and prepared. You do a lot of work in a short amount of time. It is not uncommon to do anything from 35 to 45 set-ups in a 10-hour day.” Totino is also a big fan of the leading man who has to prevent a biological agent from wiping out half

of the world’s population. “What’s so great about working with Tom Hanks is that he loves what he does and is so flexible,” Totino says. Hanks performs alongside Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Irrfan Khan, Sidse Babett Knudsen and Omar Sy. “The cast is unbelievable. Everybody worked hard, were focussed and there were no Hollywood elitist attitudes.” The biggest challenge was the financial reality. “It was not the budget that we were used to making the other two movies and the studio was expecting another big film,” notes Totino. “It was like, ‘How can we do this film and make it feel just as big?’ A lot of that was using real locations and not building a lot.” The subject matter of Inferno is timely. “Because people move around so much now it’s easy to transport infectious diseases across the globe within days. Then you take what’s happening with the terror in the world, and go, ‘Holy shit! This can be real’,” he says.

Currently, the Brooklyn-born cinematographer has entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe as he is lensing Spider-Man: Homecoming. “Everybody seems happy with the dailies at the moment so I guess it’s going well!” n

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 65

CLOSE-UP / JANI-PETTERI PASSI / THE HAPPIEST DAY IN THE LIFE OF OLLI MÄKI

KNOCK OUT

Finnish pugilist production The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki, directed by first-time director Juho Kuosmanen, uses a véritéstyle to tell the tale of the 1962 world featherweight championship boxing match between country baker Olli Maki and the American titleholder Davey Moore.

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he production shot mainly on 16mm B&W reversal filmstock, and won the Un Certain Regard prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Birgit Heidsiek caught up with DP Jani-Petteri Passi to discover more about his filmic approach and techniques. What lead to the decision to shoot on 16mm B&W reversal? J-PP: The decision came with the story that takes place in early ‘60s. We wanted the material to look naturally a bit like it was shot on that time, and to avoid digital processing as much as possible. Also, me and the director Juho have worked in several productions together, always shooting on film, both colour negative and reversal B&W, so we were not dealing with something that would have been totally new or exceptional for us. We first tested only colour film formats – 8mm, 16mm and 35mm, both negative and reversal, with different ASAs – but after the tests we realised that we had to get rid of the colours. It was a thought that we had had already, before the tests, but we somehow thought it would be too radical. But after that we felt that we really had no choice. So we had some tests with negative and reversal B&W stocks and found out that the

reversal has much richer tones, deeper blacks and cleaner whites. Also the grain of 16mm B&W negative was way too aggressive for our purposes. What is specific about reversal film? J-PP: The latitude, look and texture, to begin with. Its latitude is very limited, which means that it naturally has a very high-contrast look. But the limited latitude also means that exposing it is very critical, because Tri-X is very sensitive to under or overexposure. If you miss the exposure just by one stop either over or under, it can have a very significant impact during post production. Often you cannot bring those missing things back in post, unlike when working with negative. The peculiar feel of the material in this kind of film also means that the small mistakes, dust, scratches, the sway of the emulsion or the exposure issues just look something that should be there. Which camera and lenses did you use? J-PP: We shot on ARRIFLEX 416 Plus S16. The original plan was to use the production company’s old Aaton XTR S16, but there were some electronic issues with it because we needed power for all the accessories, wireless follow focus, monitoring etc. But it was an easy decision to go with the new one because although we shot on Tri-X, we are not big fans of having troubles. The lenses were production company’s high-speed Zeiss Distagon lenses.

“THE CAMERA WAS MOSTLY HANDHELD BECAUSE OF THE RHYTHM AND INTENSITY OF THE STORY, BUT THERE WERE NO STRICT RULES, AND WE JUST TRIED TO RESPECT THE CONTENT AND THE FEELING OF EACH SCENE.” JANI-PETTERI PASSI Why did you shoot most of the scenes with a handheld camera? J-PP: The camera was mostly handheld because of the rhythm and intensity of the story, but there were no strict rules, and we just tried to respect the content and the feeling of each scene. Did you draw any storyboards for the boxing scenes? J-PP: There was no storyboarding, the only drawings that we had were our lighting maps. The boxing scenes were mostly choreographed by the actors during the rehearsals. I basically tried to learn what they would do, and how they would move, so that I could be in the ring with them and with the camera without being knocked out. I also told them how I would be moving with them and asked them to move in a certain direction if needed. It was like being a third party that wants to dance with two guys who are only interested in hitting each other. What was your light concept like? J-PP: One of the main purposes was to not make our lighting work too visible, because the film needed an authentic feeling. We didn’t want to stylise too much because that would easily break the illusion, especially in this kind of B&W period film that already is, in a way, set in some other time and dimension. So we always had a reason for the light – meaning that light should always have some logical source that we could explain to ourselves. The day exteriors were mostly non-bounced daylight and the interiors were lit with or without diffusion, but always from outside to give the needed freedom in the set and to have the natural look.

In which situations were the conditions too extreme for using reversal stock? J-PP: We had, for example, large shallow locations where we wanted to shoot in various directions and move quite long distances during a shot. In this situation, we couldn’t hide the lamps that needed to deliver the level of light needed for reversal stock, which is quite slow, around 160/200 ASA. In those kinds of situations we augmented and enhanced the practicals with our own lamps and shot on 500ASA colour negative, and sometimes also push-processed the material to capture everything we needed. But luckily we only had a couple of those locations and situations because we preferred to shoot on reversal, which we used for about 90% of the film. Why did you decide to use colour film stock too? J-PP: We had to use colour negative in some occasions because it is faster and can be push-processed. Also there was not so much reversal filmstock available. Kodak had to empty both their European and American supplies and even manufacture some more to get all the material we needed. How did it change the workflow to shoot on film? J-PP: Compared to video productions, the biggest differences are that you have to wait longer for the dailies with film, and with video you can check the

takes afterwards from the video recorder. Which, in my opinion is only a good thing – assuming that you can deal with the pressure – because it makes you be very alert and aware when the camera is rolling. You also have to concentrate more on the following scenes and days, not on something you have already done, because usually there is not much to do after the material is shot, unless there are some major problems. Do you prefer to shoot on film? J-PP: The format depends of course on content and the resources, but I really like to work with film. In this organic format, with a chemical process, there is always something mystical and deep that electronic video formats just don’t have. I think that the choice of the format is similar to the choice between a human drummer and a drum machine in a band, or the difference between vinyl album and a digital format. What is your next project? J-PP: My next main project is a feature-length documentary called Post Punk Disorder (working title), a sequel to the film The Punk Syndrome (2012). In that one I’m working as a cinematographer, but also as a co-director and co-writer, which was the case in The Punk Syndrome too. Post Punk Disorder will premier in the autumn of 2017. n

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 67

INNOVATOR / ALFRED PIFFL / P+S TECHNIK / BY BIRGIT HEIDSIEK

Alfred Piffl, founder and CEO at P+S Technik

A visionary engineer, P+S Technik founder and CEO, Alfred Piffl has been responsible for the development of various futureproof tools over the years – such as the award winning Mini35 image converter and the Skater Mini camera dolly, which won the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Technical Achievement Award. SKATER Scope snorkel lens system

68 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

urther innovations include the SI-2K camera system, as well as 3D stereo rigs that meet the requirements of camera movement in stereography. After introducing the first 1.5x front Anamorphic lens, the Munich-based cine-equipment manufacturer is now offering more full-frame Cinemascope zoom lenses. A focal point for creative people, the talents of Piffl and his team at P+S Technik, are a consistent attraction for innovative cinematographers. The new Cinemascope zooms, with a 1.5x squeeze factor, benefit from all the advantages of the classic Cinemascope lenses without any of the disadvantages. “It’s the rebirth of an old idea. That’s what we’re making happen”, Alfred Piffl moved into states Alfred the first P+S Technik workshop in 1991 Piffl. “Since analogue film is no longer the standard, there’s no more need for a 2.0x squeeze. The 1.5x Anamorphic is the natural design for the size of digital sensors because the aspect ratio 1:2.35 is very close to the human field of vision.”

After the NAB 2015 roll-out of the 35-70 CS Cinemascope Zoom Lens, which had been tested by Panavision Hollywood, the German innovator designed a new PS-Zoom 70-200 CS for Super35mm and larger sensors that also achieves full-frame (36 x 24mm) coverage. With just these two Anamorphic zoom lenses, an entire production can be captured in Cinemascope. “I think there will be two main trends when it comes to the future of cinema optics”, underlines the engineer. “One of them will be storytelling with lenses that possess character so that they can create a certain mood.” As a mechanical engineer for nuclear power plants, Piffl decided to turn his hobby into a career. “I was enthusiastic about photography”, states Piffl, who started to work in the 1980s at Linhof, the oldest manufacturer of large-format cameras in Germany. He took the next step and became a designer at ARRI (Arnold & Richter) where he specialised in film movement systems. “Our main task was to produce syncsound cameras that made it possible to work with the original sound on-set,” he explains. As a young Kowa Anamorphic vintage engineer at ARRI, lens set, rebarreled and he also introduced serviced by P+S Technik CAD systems. Due his affinity for computers, Piffl moved to Rodenstock where his talent was recognised by Henry Chroscicki, founder of Technovision, which introduced Anamorphic lenses to European DPs such as Vittorio Storaro AIC AS. “Chroscicki was always on the lookout for new innovations”, recalls Piffl who got invited to the Hotel Carlton in Rome. “For two years, P+S Technik upgraded his cameras to the state-of-the-art. We were completely isolated from the global market.”

ng a Cooke Technician re-housiies 1 - 2016 Panchro 28mm Ser

P+S Technik team – 201 5

“IN THE 3D AGE, WE’RE GLOBAL MARKET LEADERS. WE BUILT MORE 3D RIGS THAN ANYONE ELSE. BUT 3D CAUSED ALL KINDS OF PROBLEMS DUE TO THE GLASSES, AND THE ENTIRE IMAGE NEEDS TO BE SHARP IN THIS NEW METHOD OF STORYTELLING.” ALFRED PIFFL However, when Otto Nemenz invited him to a film technology fair in Los Angeles, the engineer realised the vast business potential awaiting him. In 1993, P+S Technik entered the international market and focussed on refurbishing existing camera technology, with a concentration on film movement systems and pan-able optical view-finders. “At that time, longlasting camera technology was still going strong,” he says. The digital film era began in 2000. The German post-production facility Das Werk acquired an interest in P+S Technik and introduced the motto “Vision possible”. But during a shoot by German filmmaker Wim Wenders, it became apparent that the look of Sony’s new digital CineAlta 24p camera couldn’t compete with the Arriflex 435. “Due to the small sensor, it looked like video because there was no depth-of-field,’ says Piffl. Together with German DP Ben Gabel, P+S Technik developed the Mini35 and Pro35 image converters that could be used with Sony, Panasonic, and miniDV cameras. “This was our breakthrough”, he recalls, “because with our tools it became possible to produce professional images.” Trainspotting-director Danny Boyle and his DP Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC shot 28 Days Later (2002), which became a cult film. It resulted in P+S Technik having a unique feature for several years. The image converter earned P+S Technik an award by the British Society of Television Cameramen GTC. In 2005, P+S Technik launched its Weisscam HS-1 digital high-speed camera for extreme slow motion photography. The follow-up model Weisscam HS-2 was again developed in cooperation with DP Stefan Weiss as a single-chip camera with 2K resolution. “For the first time, high-speed photography became affordable,” says Piffl. Two years later, the Munich manufacturer designed and built the SI-2K Digital Cinema camera in cooperation with Silicon Imaging. By separating the photo unit from the sensor unit, the SI-2K emerged as an extremely small, handy camera that enabled the DPs to visualise new ways of seeing. “Anthony Dod Mantle used it for Slumdog Millionaire (2008), which won him an Oscar for Best Cinematography at the time when Kodak was still the main sponsor for

set with DP and PS-Freestyle 3D Rig on ment partner PS-Freestyle rig develop 2010 – Philippe Bordelais, AFC

the Academy Awards,” he says. Guy Ritchie’s Nike Football commercial and the flash mob at London’s Victoria Station, also shot with this camera, were also revolutionary. In 2008, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honoured P+S Technik with a Technical Achievement Award for the Skater Mini camera dolly that was developed with Director/ DP Sebastian Cramer. The patented system, which fits in a briefcase, is a mechanical tool that enables precise circle and curve tracking shots. Equipped with three wheels, it comes with a laser pointer to track the radial center for the move. Piffl recalls, “It’s a minimalistic functional principle that proved successful in the marketplace.” P+S Technik also became a pioneer in the field of stereo 3D technology. In collaboration with late DP Alain Derobe, the company designed 3D rigs. “In the 3D age, we’re global market leaders”, reports Piffl. “We built more 3D rigs than anyone else. But 3D caused all kinds of problems due to the glasses, and the entire image needs to be sharp in this new method of storytelling. The viewer has to orientate himself in the image, which needs to be processed by the brain. In the future, the viewer won’t look through

a window but will be very close to the story, so that he will become part of it.” The P+S Technik CEO sees not only a trend towards Virtual Reality, but also a trend in which moving images will increasingly interact Andreas Dasser (R&D and with all P+S Technik since 2004) CTO at and DP and inventor Sebastian Cra levels of mer Academy Awards Recepti at SciTech society. on The future of P+S Technik as an innovative manufacturer of tools for the creative on-set is assured if Alfred‘s daughter, Anna Piffl together with Andreas Dasser, P+S Technik partner since 2004, assume the management of the firm. As head of R&D, Dasser is involved in all product developments. Anna Piffl created the first P+S Technik website in 1998 and has been supervising various product launches such as the skater mini, Weisscam and 3D rigs. Her innovative marketing campaigns include the Pro35 vs. 2/3” sensor comparison (DVD). For two years, she has also been handling the sales, working closely with the industry and customers, moving the company steadily forwards. n

Alfred Piffl with the first ARRI 35 BL 4s camera at ARRI in 1988

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 69

LIVE & LET DI / DIALLING-IN THE DI GRADES Jason Bourne

Technicolor, Soho: supervising visual colourist Peter Doyle was intimately involved in the DI grade and HDR deliverables for Tim Burton’s Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children, lensed by DP Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC for director Tim Burton. The Technicolor team also included dailies producer Rachael Watmough, technical operations manager Chema Gomez, data operator Tristan Hey, dailies colourist Mel Kangleon and dailies production manager Cherri Arpino. “The overall aim of the colour arc was to differentiate between the two temporal spaces that the story is split between,” explains Doyle. “The creative vision for Miss Peregrine’s house was inspired by the notion of evoking a picture-postcard summer in 1940s Britain. Rich graphic greens, translucently vivid blue sky and a blushing bubble-gum pink help to shape these scenes into a warm, dream-like, happy feel. In contrast, the contemporary era is characterised by bleakness, which echoes Asa Butterfield’s character, Jacob Portman, and his sense of isolation and desolation. These two very different looks created a provocation – for both to be distinct enough to clearly demonstrate to the audience which era the scene SIM Group, Toronto: recently announced that its various is located, whilst also allowing for the two eras to interact companies provided production and post services to 20 TV as the script demanded. Bringing characters across these th productions nominated in the 68 Emmy Awards. These temporal spaces seamlessly required a shared vision productions received a total of 123 nominations. Among between editing, lighting and colour. Tim wanted the them are Game Of Thrones, The People v O.J. Simpson: characters to have a real presence and for their journey American Crime Story, and Fargo with 23 nominations, 22 to be immersive, which he expressed in his framing and nominations and 18 nominations respectively. Bruno’s exceptional lighting helped me to interpret the PS Production Services supplied grip and lighting ideas of ‘presence’ and ‘immersion’ in the DI with an packages to Bates Motel, SIM Digital provided cameras to acutely sharp, snappy and dynamic grade.” The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Mr. Regarding the HDR deliverables, Doyle says: Robot and Bling provided offline rentals on Confirmation, “The idea of different grades and different audience Orphan Black and Transparent (Chainsaw also supplied experiences of the movie is a very personal choice, and Avids) while the kind of imagery that Tim, Bruno and providing I go for means that we don’t rely on the dailies to Mr. display medium to impart the look. The Robot and medium is not the message. There is an Confirmation. absolute philosophical commitment to All three reproduce the grade across the deliverables companies and Bruno lights with this in mind. I built provided the grade in an ultra wide colour gamut and services on this means that all UnReal. Game my grades have Of Thrones, been in floating the leader in point so there is a nominations, question of using utilised the colour science editorial The People v O.J. Simpson: to map the desired American Crime Story and postlook onto the various production display media. Part services from Chainsaw, as did Jane The of that is treating Miss Peregrine’s Home Virgin. Reality shows including The Amazing the VFX in the same For Peculiar Children Race, Project Greenlight, Shark Tank, and reality way and results competitions So You Think You Can Dance, and in all our imagery American Idol were all finished at Chainsaw. To translating, without round it out, The 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards, The clipping or noise, across the various brightness levels. Oscars and It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown all It is an extremely technical process, but by drawing on received editorial and post-production services from Technicolor’s colour science and our experience, we know Chainsaw. Tattersall Sound & Picture provided sound what to expect, and this allows us to direct the more services on Fargo, Penny Dreadful and Vikings. technical process back into the creative.”

DI ANOTHER DAY

Goldcrest Post London: senior colourist Rob Pizzey was reunited with DP Barry Ackroyd BSC and director Paul Greengrass, this time for the DI on Jason Bourne, using Da Vinci Resolve Studio to complete the job. “It was a fantastic project for Goldcrest, as not only did we have to deliver the 2D rest-of-the-world version, but also a 3D grade specifically for China,” said the company’s Martin Poultney. “Added to this Goldcrest had to deliver its first ever Ultra HD/HDR Dolby Vision home cinema version too. Editorial and production were based at our Lexington Street building, and the sound mixes were carried out in our recently-opened Dean Street Theatre 1. So Jason Bourne has been a true end-to-end, picture and sound project for Goldcrest.” Having previously collaborated with Greengrass and Ackroyd on a number of films, Pizzey already had an extensive understanding of how the team wanted to use the DI grade to enhance the action. “In Jason Bourne there are sequences in Las Vegas, Athens and Berlin and an important part of the grade was to differentiate the mood and feel between these locations, but to ensure the overall aesthetic of the series remained in evidence,” Pizzey explains. “Barry and I worked during pre-production to produce templates in Resolve from test footage, which would then act as a base for him to check his lighting onset, and for processing the rushes. Deploying Resolve at the pre-production stage meant that when we came back together to do the final grade, the sessions were extremely smooth and productive.” The grade was also used to enhance the film’s editing, particularly in the action sequences. “One of my favourite sequences in the film to grade takes place in Athens, which was shot entirely at night,” enthuses Pizzey. “As the action is on the streets, which are filled with layers of smoke, and a fire unfolds, the edit intercuts scenes from a CIA control room. I kept the CIA room very cool and clinical, with a blue palette to differentiate from the warm, realistic riot scenes. Using shape work, I was Morgan able to reflect some of the warmer tones from the screens in the control room back onto the actors’ faces. It was a very subtle, but extremely effective, contrast within a key sequence.” The Goldcrest team worked in full 4K throughout the project, and also deployed DaVinci Resolve Studio’s new capabilities to deliver the film in HDR for the first time. “HDR isn’t just a new delivery format, it’s a fantastic creative playground for production teams to deliver a completely new experience to audiences,” he concludes. Senior colourist Adam Glasman got to work with cinematographer Mark Patten for the first time on Luke Scott’s Morgan, for Scott Free Productions and 20th Century Fox. Morgan is a tense sci-fi thriller with A.I. at its core. Glasman will be reunited with Patten and Scott Free later this year for the grades on the much-anticipated TV miniseries Taboo, co-written by and starring Tom Hardy. 70 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Company3, London: welcomed CO3 LA colourist Siggy Ferstl to help realise the unique vision of director Tom Ford for his second film, Nocturnal Animals, shot on 35mm in the US by Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC. Starring Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film tells the story of an art gallery owner who is haunted by her ex-husband’s novel, a violent thriller, which she interprets as a veiled threat of revenge. Bridget Jones’s Baby has been a key project for Company3 over nine months. The dailies team worked on the movie during the shoot last autumn whilst Greg Fisher, senior DI colourist, completed the film finishing, working closely with director Sharon McGuire and DP Andrew Dunn BSC. Shot digitally, the movie revisits the chaotic life of Bridget, now in her early 40s, who finds herself pregnant and struggling to identify the father of the child. Due for release in October, the Oasis documentary feature Supersonic has been finished at Company3 London. Named after the band’s debut single, Supersonic gives an indepth look at the band’s meteoric rise from their debut in 1996 to the world-renowned Knebworth gigs where they played for two nights to over 100,000 fans. Fisher worked with director Mat Whitecross to blend a vast array of archive formats and to provide a consistent look across the movie. The production adds to CO3’s expanding portfolio of documentaries and indies.

Café Society

Technicolor PostWorks NY: completed the finishing on Café Society, Woody Allen’s first digital motion picture as a director, captured by cinematographer Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC. Set in the 1930s, the story charts the rise of the young and naïve Bobby Dorfman (played by Jesse Eisenberg) from his humble origins in the Bronx, before finding fame in Hollywood and returning to New York in triumph. Working with senior colourist Anthony Raffaele, Storaro, created looks that reflected the major locations, each in need of a distinctive visual style, and for the main character as he navigates a world of dreams and artifice. “When Woody asked me to do Café Society, he had never done a digital capture before, but I knew that I had to jump completely into this new chance we had,” says Storaro. “I wanted to

see images on-set that would be very close to the final result and afterwards on dailies even closer, almost 90% of that way to what we would see at the end – Anthony with Baselight was able to offer that.” Storaro wanted to keep a 16-bit 4K workflow throughout and was also insistent that Baselight was the ideal system for both the dailies and DI. The project was shot on Sony F55 and F65 cameras and graded using the ACES standard, with Baselight converting to XYZ to retain quality and to allow HDR output to all the deliverables. “A real plus of ACES is that you can achieve every colour and density you could ever want,” notes colourist Raffaele. “Vittorio always wants a o Vittorio Storar crisp black level. But with digital rk AIC ASC at wo ’s projection you do not get the same on Woody Allenty Café Socie quality black level as you do with print. The full support for ACES in Baselight enabled us to emulate film.” Raffaele made extensive use of Baselight’s layer functionality, including emulating the original Technicolor three-strip process and colour intensity to create strong key looks, identifying each location.

Emma Comans

Brotherhood

“The Bronx was supposed to be a softer palette. It was poor, lower-toned, with muted contrast,” Raffaele explains. “Los Angeles was more vibrant, new, golden with a luminous glow, reflecting the fact that our main character is in a more uplifted place. The New York look was a merging of the two, bringing something back from LA, with a fresher look. Bobby Dorfman has changed his life and so the image is a cleaner colour palette, with more contrasts.” He used Baselight’s DFuse tool to soften-out skin, particularly to make the main female characters look more radiant and angelic, and layering tools helped him complete simple VFX jobs too, such as adding lights to a dawn scene and matting out unwanted objects. Raffaele also points to Baselight’s ability to switch colour spaces readily, allowing him to create the final grade in HDR on HD and immediately apply it to the 4K RAW footage inside ACES, then roll out the deliverables to multiple colour spaces. Technicolor PostWorks NY also provided postproduction services for seven TV programmes that received nominations in the 68th Emmys. They include the scripted series The Affair, The Americans, Master Of None, Mozart In The Jungle and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the documentary mini-series Jackie Robinson and the documentary series Vice.

Molinare: has hired Emma Comans as post-production manager. She joins from Blue 2.0 where she was a senior post producer looking after projects for Raw TV, Arrow Media, BBC and Lime Pictures. Meanwhile, DI grader Jateen Patel did the grade on David Brent: Life On The Road, the feature adaptation of the popular TV series The Office, starring and directed by Ricky Gervais. The BBC Films production, lensed by Remi Adefarasin BSC, sees a camera crew following Brent as he embarks on life on the road, fancying himself as Britain’s newest ‘rock star!’ “The look of the movie was discussed with Remi and Ricky, who mainly wanted to retain a modern documentary feel but still have a filmic base,” says Patel. “Remi used the Alexa Mini to shoot 3.5K ProRes XQ with a flat 2K centre punch-out, in the knowledge we’d need the extra space in the DI. We used this to comp distracting parts of the image, plus dynamic rotations and pan and scans in Baselight to make sure comic beats were not missed or cropped out. We also used Baselight’s blur tool and tracking ability to take camera moves from certain shots and apply them to others in creative and seamless ways that echo the emotional peaks of the movie. Remi and I watched the movie many times to apply these tiny changes throughout and the result is a look and feel that enhances the comedy and narrative whilst not distracting anything from it.” Patel also pulled out the stops for Brotherhood, lit by cinematographer Aaron Reid, the final instalment in Noel Clarke’s gritty trilogy. The film sees Clarke, who also directed, return as west London gangster Sam, who was jailed for killing a man in the first film, then hunted down by the victim’s family on his release in the second. With Sam facing up to his new world, he realises it also comes with new problems and new challenges. “The first two films in Noel’s trilogy were shot on film and showed London in a very gritty and desaturated palette,” Patel explains. “Early discussions with director Noel and Aaron were that Brotherhood should have an extremely polished look with a Hollywood blockbuster feel of nice colour separation and filmic blacks. During the grade we enhanced the contrast via an interesting way, by only using certain parts of a film print emulation LUT. As a result this allowed the colours to be as strong as possible without getting muddy. This was also made easy as the locations were fantastic, and by the way Aaron lit these on a tight schedule. The final piece is a clean polished look, whilst still representing West London in a filmic, gritty way.”

David Brent: Life On The Road

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 71

CLAPPERBOARD / JOHN RENDALL / BY DAVID A. ELLIS

MR RELIABLE

John Rendall worked non-stop for 45 years in the world of film, TV and commercials production, earning great respect around the industry along the way. During this lengthy career, Rendallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s polite, calm and easy manner made him the perfect contact man for leading production service companies. 72 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

lthough now retired, he still keeps himself busy in vital areas of the production business, as the unpaid chairman of the Association of Studio and Production Equipment Companies (ASPEC), part of the Professional Lighting and Sound Association (PLASA). Rendall’s mission through ASPEC is, among other things, to maintain and enhance technical standards and qualifications within the industry and to ensure that the highest standards of health and safety are adhered to, as well as dealing with issues such as training, fraud and theft. Rendall was born in Pinner, Middlesex on 24th August 1939. As a child he was interested in photography and did his own developing and printing. After leaving school in 1957 he managed to get a job with Random Film Productions, starting on a wage of £4 per week. He began as a camera assistant, working his way up to cameraman. “We shot mainly documentaries on 35mm, which were reduced to 16mm. We went all over the UK and shot the first National Trust film,” recalls Rendall. He says he did a lot of shooting on the Forth Road Bridge and was present when it was opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II and The Duke Of Edinburgh on September 4th 1964. “I would fly up there nearly every week with a camera, tripod and a couple of rolls of film to shoot matching shots of the structure being extended. I would remain there for a couple of days, and it was really exciting,” he remembers, noting that on most locations he shot mute and only occasionally had a soundman with him. After ten years working for Random Films he decided it was time for a change and moved to a rental company, Cine Rentals, based in London W14. “The range of equipment was interesting and the name of the guy running it was Dick Bayley, a cameraman. I organised the rental side, taking orders, talking to customers and making sure the freelance boys turned up,” he says. Cine Rentals eventually moved to Kensal Rise in Lee Lighting’s facility and Rendall decided it was time for another change. He joined Samuelson Film Service in Cricklewood in 1971, starting in their Sam Freight section. This job meant he would often have to travel abroad at short notice. He says, “You got to know people that way because it’s so much a ‘knowing people’ business and most people in the business are lovely. The Samuelson brothers were into everything. Michael Samuelson ran the lighting side. David Samuelson operated the engineering section and Tony was the accountant. Tony also opened the Production Village nearby, which had studios, offices and also housed a pub called The Magic Hour. Sydney Samuelson was the highly-respected CEO. It was he who had achieved an amazing coup in obtaining a Panavision agency in the UK. So I gained valuable experience in the rental of both spherical and Anamorphic formats and visited their HQ in Los Angeles. Later, when there were company changes, I was fortunate to be appointed a director of Samuelson Film Service London Ltd.” Recalling Rendall’s time at the company, Sir Sydney Samuelson, said, “The camera rental side of our

company was complex, hugely varied and carried unbelievable responsibility as far as getting the customers’ requirements exactly right. The gear for a one-day commercial was absolutely as important as the gear on a twelve-week major feature on-location somewhere abroad. The operation was like the bridge of a battleship and John Rendall was our klewood having Rendall at Sammy’s in Cric hts of Head of captain. I think I would say that my personal achieved the dizzying heig own office his name for him, and the way he accepted his Client Liaison and with responsibility was, Mr Reliable.” One of Rendall’s dear friends, cinematographer Robin Vidgeon BSC said, “I would spend two weeks prepping camera gear dropped the gear back off and told John that on this hired from Sammy’s and would receive amazing help particular shoot on-location somewhere in Devon we from their top engineer Karl Kelly and John, in putting were shooting in a meadow, when the cameraman together the very best equipment. I remember John picked a flower, put it between his teeth and said ‘Hello was like a quiet headmaster, totally unflappable, with a Fairyland’. I remember John saying “Don’t worry Keith, dry sense of humour.” you are in the right business.” Rendall himself recalls, “Eventually SFS London Cinematographer Wit Dabal PSC said, “John Ltd moved to a new building in Greenford and after played an important role in my feature and commercial a while Panavision, who had set up their UK facility career. I was using Sammy’s equipment at the time. I felt like I was taken care of and in the right place.” After his retirement Rendall took up voluntary work driving for the local hospice in Esher. He then went on to organising the transport for SIR SYDNEY SAMUELSON them. That was something he took over Samuelsons. I worked for them as a client enjoyed, which involved meeting a lot of people. contact, under the lovely Hugh Whittaker, getting However, the production business always seems reacquainted with all the latest Panavision equipment to draw prople back in. As chairman of ASPEC, Rendall and trends and also enjoying meeting some great new regularly attends meetings, which are hosted by the colleagues. The introduction of High Definition was a Health & Safety Executive. He also co-chairs, with Peter very interesting period for both productions and us. Jaques of the Production Guild, the Film Broadcast I retired in 2002.” Health & Safety Group. This group consists of Mark Furssedonn, group operations director representatives from the major television broadcasters, of Panavision Europe said, “I have known John for the unions and the Health & Safety Executive. Rendall over thirty years. He had many roles including first took on the unpaid role of secretary. ASPEC holds feature film liaison. He is a thoroughly nice gentleman meetings every other month and often have guest who is well respected and has a huge knowledge of speakers. “Though companies compete with each other the film industry.” outside, at ASPEC meetings everyone comes together Asked if he had visited many film sets, Rendall on a friendly basis,” he remarks. says, “I went if someone invited me, or maybe to Regarding ASPEC’s campaign to prevent fraud deliver an urgent piece of equipment. Productions and theft, Rendall says, “These have, sadly, been on are very conscious of any information being given out the increase and steps are vigorously being taken here before it should be, for example, on movies such as to reduce them. By working closely with colleagues Bond and Star Wars. I used to go on set a great deal in the USA, and now globally, rental equipment and and have loads of stories about whom I have met over the lives of those involved in that sector can be the years. My crowning glory was meeting the famous closely controlled and safeguarded under the Rental Kiwi actor Russell Crowe, who was filming Proof Of Guard banner.” Life (2001, Slawomir Idziak) at Pinewood Studios. I was When asked what he does to unwind he says, obviously someone Russell didn’t recognise, but he “I used to enjoy golf, but I have a shoulder problem, came up to me and was very chatty.” so I don’t do that at the moment. I take the dog out On one occasion when he was working for everyday, I enjoy our beautiful local parks and the river Samuelson’s, cinematographer Freddie Young BSC and we are members of the Royal Palaces, so we can go walked in clutching one of his Oscars and jokingly said, to the various buildings. The grandchildren also keep us “Don’t break it.” busy, which is lovely. I also enjoy reading and going to Rendall goes on to speak highly of others he the local gym, mainly to use the swimming pool where I knew and knows, including cinematographers Ossie try to keep fit by walking in the water.” Morris BSC, Alex Thompson BSC, Keith Goddard, Rendall says he is quite gregarious and really Wit Dabal PSC and Billy Williams OBE BSC. Goddard enjoys talking to people, adding, “If you don’t talk to BSC said, “John was at Cine Rentals and I was a people, you don’t find out about life,” and reminds us of clapper loader at Ocelot Productions. After a shoot I the fact that, “we are not on this planet for very long.” n

“THE OPERATION WAS LIKE THE BRIDGE OF A BATTLESHIP AND JOHN RENDALL WAS OUR CAPTAIN. I THINK I WOULD SAY THAT MY PERSONAL NAME FOR HIM, AND THE WAY HE ACCEPTED HIS RESPONSIBILITY WAS, MR RELIABLE.”

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 73

IMAGO NEWS / BY PAUL RENÉ ROESTAD FNF / IMAGO PRESIDENT

Britain has decided to leave the EU. The decision has been received with bewilderment in many countries. But whatever happens from here on, the need to stand together in this world has never been more important.

lthough the EU might be in a slight spot of trouble, IMAGO thrives and grows. Every year, new cinematographic societies around the world apply to join IMAGO, and they are, of course, more than welcome. But then again, IMAGO is not based on the free flow of money, nor steel and coal. As for a free flow of workers across borders, the film industry has never seen this as a problem. Americans works in the United Kingdom, Norwegians work in Hungary, and we all work in Hollywood. For IMAGO the main thing is to work to better the cinematographer’s situation, to share technical and artistic experiences, and to discuss topics of common interest across borders. As outgoing ASC president Richard Crudo ASC wrote in the July issue of British Cinematographer Magazine (edition 76), one important topic of common interest is Manaki Cinemato graphers Film excessive working Festival in Bitola, Macedonia hours. Not only do 12-14 hour days, worked week after week, badly affect any family life, but also many people have been injured in accidents around the world, even killed – never mind how seriously this affects the quality of our work. Legendary cinematographer Conrad Hall ASC was one of the first who put this seriously on the agenda in 2002, referring to his own experiences on Road To Perdition.

Conrad Hall ASC

74 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

Other important topics are discussing the fact that more and more often cinematographers are no longer part of the grading and/or DI process, or at least they are rarely being paid for this work. And, of course, we must also put on the agenda the frequent lack of cinematographers as consultants when our old and vast heritage of films are restored and digitised in film archives around the world. IMAGO has just made an agreement with ACE (Association des Cinémathèques Européennes) to work together to strengthen the financing of restoration of our film heritage in European archives, to strengthen education and the training of new restoration personnel, and to promote the fact and usefulness of having the creators and cinematographers as creative consultants when the films are being restored. We believe this agreement of cooperation will strengthen both national archives, and we believe also the quality of restoration of our film heritage. We often hear the sentence: “We will never have authorship rights here”. This puzzles most cinematographers who already have authorship rights in their countries, and not least of course Jost Vacano BVK, who recently won a battle over authorship in Germany, after having fought for his authorship rights for many years. Why a still photographer should have authorship rights when taking exactly the same “photo” as a cinematographer, and not the cinematographer, is a riddle to many. But, although many in IMAGO believe strongly in cinematographers’ authorship rights, for some this is not so important. This discussion will no doubt continue in the years to come. IMAGO has just established a new Authorship Committee under the leadership of Luciano Tovoli AIC ASC to look into this matter with, amongst others, Jost Vacano BVK ASC and Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC as senior advisors to this IMAGO Committee. IBC in Amsterdam and Cinec in Munich, are nearly here. IMAGO will have a strong representation at both venues, and most of the IMAGO board will be visiting Cinec, talking and discussing topics of common interest with our sponsor partners. IMAGO’s General Assembly will be held during the Manaki Cinematographers Film Festival in Bitola, Macedonia, on September 13th and 14th. There, cinematographers from all around the world will gather to discuss our challenges, and make agreements on how to proceed with our challenges.

IMAGO NEWS / BY NIGEL WALTERS BSC Jost Vacano BVK ASC

THE PASSION OF JOST VACANO

ne man’s struggle for justice came to a conclusion in Munich recently when cinematographer Jost Vacano BVK ASC achieved a landmark decision, which also has important ramifications for cinematographers everywhere. He was awarded half a million Euros in compensation against the producers and distributor of the series Das Boot (1981), for which he was Oscar-nominated, plus a 2.25 percent share in all future earnings. A fundamental principal of copyright law in Europe describes an “author” as contributing a personal and intellectual creativity to a project. It took courage and belief in the justice of his case for Jost Vacano to embark on this hazardous legal journey involving considerable financial implications with no guarantee of success. The 82-year-old veteran suffered many setbacks: personal finances were depleted by well over 50,000 euros as the case progressed over the three layers of German judiciary: although now restored to good health, the pressures occasionally had taken their toll. The Supreme Court judgement is a massive step forward; it recognises the cinematographer as an “author”; Vacano’s initial contractual payment was adjudged by the Supreme Court to be not for his work, but for the use of the film by the producer; the ruling was that this original payment only covered the “normal” use of the film (in the case of television, just three screenings).

Two further appeals are forthcoming: one by Jost Vacano for interest payments for the money he would have earned (in 2002, a change in German copyright law gave authors the right to participate in turnover); the other by Bavaria Film, the producers who made 9.5 million Euros in the 12-year period 2002-2014. Eurovideo which holds DVD and VOD rights earned over 11 million Euros. Jost Vacano had been given moral and practical support by the German Society Of Cinematographers, the BVK, during the eleven years since initial requests for transparency were made to the programme makers. We should all salute the supreme courage of Jost Vacano in his fearlessness by standing up fair remuneration as the reward for his creativity. His innovative techniques created lasting images of claustrophobia, despair and hope, which will long live in film history. IMAGO is pledged to continue promote authors’ rights through the European Parliament. The Authorship Committee was re-established in Rome on July 28th under the auspices of IMAGO’s legal adviser, Cristina Busch, senior advisors Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC and Jost Vacano BVK ASC, members Simon Plum DFF, Luciano Tovoli AIC ASC and Nigel Walters BSC.

British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 75

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

SHOULD I STAY (OR SHOULD I GO)? With the vote to leave the European Union, a lot of things in our industry are now in flux, to say the least. Many co-productions are negotiated and financed from across Europe.

ax incentives are up for grabs for politicians wishing to either use the money for other pet projects or for even increasing the encouragement for films to come to the UK. Will we be able to nip over to Hungary to work on picture, like we have been able to? What will happen to the money that comes into our industry from the EU at present? Will the pan-European licensing process that is due to come into force in the near future effect us? Will our more venal politicians tear down the laws that offer some (albeit small) protection to the workforce? What can we do to protect ourselves? Over the next few years, as the Brexiteers work out how our world will look in the future, the government and the department that looks after our neck of the woods (I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to name it as things are changing very fast and it might have a different name by the time you are reading this) will need to be advised by the industry if they are to make the right decisions for us and negotiate a deal that will not cause damage. At present the government is passing the buck to the British Film Institute, BFI, to gather the evidence and policy ideas. The BFI in turn is consulting the movers and shakers of the film and television world. The current tax incentives for the UK are working well to bring both films and quality television to our shores. With the possible removal of restrictions on government aid it could lead to the temptation to increase the incentive, but this would probably cause other governments to follow suit. The forces that would cause a move upward or downwards are finely balanced, which means the prospects are, therefore, that there will be no change in the immediate future. There are many EU funds which some filmmakers are able to tap into. It is likely that these will not be available after an exit unless the exit deal is very close to still being an EU country. Any deal that was that close to what we are leaving would raise the prospects of the hardline exiters rejecting the deal and putting us further away from EU than any but the most xenophobic would want. At present, the UK has been out of Eurimage for some years, but a country does not have to be in the EU to be a member. It would be a great irony if leaving the EU was the trigger for re-joining it. The prospect of borders going back up over Europe is not a pretty sight. Needing work permits to cross the channel would seriously hamper many productions, and anyone who remembers the pain of dealing with the Carnet de Passage system will shudder at the prospect of its return. Until an exit deal is in place, all of these issues will be just point of conjecture. It is now the time to start lobbying for what we would like to see in this new and complex world. 76 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL

THE BREXIT

EFFECT

Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford motor company, said: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.”

It has now been several months since the decision for the UK to leave the European Union and, after the inevitable turmoil in the financial markets has died down, most stocks have returned to levels above the time of the vote.

he exception to the rule is currency market and, at the time of writing, the pound is hovering around $1.30, down from about $1.45 before the vote. Not a total disaster and meltdown as it was predicted and forecast, yet it’s still significant and will certainly affect some aspects of the business. The full implications of the future exit from the European Union have yet to be fully understood, yet there are both potential positives and negatives from the outcome. Many in the UK have taken a pessimistic view about the effect Brexit will have on future investment in film and TV productions, yet looking Hollywood’s point of view the industry will potentially look like an incredibly attractive investment and there will be potentially huge international funds queuing to be invested in British cinema. There is a perceived vacuum about to be left by the reduction in EU funding and our friends across the Atlantic are apparently keen to fill that vacuum and see a great potential in a few years time in the UK film and TV business. Another potentially more important advantage of the Brexit vote is that the UK will now be able to use its independence to create a more attractive environment in the world for international filmmakers. The UK could well become the first choice location for many producers, and the film and TV industry is arguably in the strongest position ever to lobby the UK government for robust tax incentives going forward for the film business. Clearly time will tell whether this goes one way or the other, however the fuss has generally died down now so the next two years will be pivotal in how movies are structured and financed. I will leave you with three quotes from Henry Ford the founder of the Ford Motor Company, all of which are particularly relevant to the Brexit vote. 1. Don’t find fault, find a remedy. 2. Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently. 3. Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.

scrutinised to find the very best next generations of trainees for the year going forward. After the applications are selected for the first interview, the next stage is the interview process, taking place in September and October at the GBCT offices in the Panavision building in Greenford. The GBCT training scheme is widely regarded as one of the very best training schemes for young talent, who have a passion for cinema, to start to gain a foothold in the business, and applications are very carefully screened and examined. The entry procedure and process to be successful is rigorous and extremely thorough, and is designed to find the very best people for future productions. It is not for the fainthearted and those who succeed are ultimately extremely highly-regarded throughout their career and across the business. Clearly not everybody who applies will be successful, yet those who are selected will have the very best practical knowledge taking them forward to an illustrious future career within the industry. Anybody who works within the business knows it is not a static environment and we keep on learning throughout our careers, and as technology develops we get to use some of the finest equipment alongside the finest camera crews and technicians in the world. As part of the application process there is a trainee course in November that is run full-time over a period of six days, and on day six of the course those attending will be given three sets of tests – oral, practical and written – which incorporate what they should have learned during the six-day course. The final selection is then made based on those results. On Wednesday, 30 November 2016 the decision will have been made and those selected to be the next GBCT camera trainees can then call themselves a Guild

Trainee when looking for work, but the official start date for them is January 2017. As a guide it is likely those selected will be trainees for a period of 18 months to two years after they’ve been accepted, and they are expected to find their own work was well as keeping a log of what they’ve learned and the productions they have worked on, so few further discussions on needs and requirements can take place on a regular basis. The GBCT in its role will continue to keep in contact and will ensure the trainees are provided with the very best on-going tuition and practice using industry standard techniques and equipment. Clearly some trainees will be working with camera crews who will request them for future productions and they will hit a rich vein of work, and it is a part of the business to learn about networking and getting in touch with the busiest and best camera crews available. The GBCT provide the best training and connections within the business and the scheme has created many extremely talented technicians who go forward to be extremely valuable members of the team. The GBCT rightly see the trainee scheme as a huge benefit to the future of excellence in technicians, and it is really the flagship advantage of being a member of the GBCT, along with the many other excellent training courses held throughout the year. If you are looking for a future career within cinema and television the training scheme is the very best and you can start working towards an application in 2017 and starting in 2018. Some previous experience is necessary to move forward so if you are in a position to apply in 2017 then work towards that application starting now.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS This is an official call for submission for the 2016 ACO/ BSC/GBCT Operators Award for Television Drama, sponsored by Ronford-Baker, and the Features Award sponsored by Panavision. These Awards will be announced and presented at Operators Night on Friday 2nd December at the Langham Hotel, London. The deadline for entries is Friday 23rd September 2016.

And two famous quotes from the real event (and film) Apollo 13... NASA Director: This could be the worst disaster NASA’s ever experienced. Gene Kranz: With all due respect, sir, I believe this is gonna be our finest hour. And: Gene Kranz: I don’t care about what anything was DESIGNED to do, I care about what it CAN do.

GBCT CAMERA TRAINEES 2017 It is again the time of year when the GBCT has started sifting through and evaluating the applications for new GBCT Trainees going forward in 2017. If you were looking to apply in 2016 the deadline for applications has sadly passed, and all the applications are now being carefully British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 77

GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL

GBCT DIGITAL SEMINARS AND TRAINING IN 2016-2017

learly the next few years will potentially be pivotal, and will be potentially frustrating and also potentially liberating, so it really is how you approach the Brexit vote as to how you go forward. In the cold light of day there are much bigger issues in the world than Brexit. It is however, the time to hone those skills you have and make sure you are the very best at what you do within your particular field of expertise. The only real way of learning is by taking a practical course or by learning on the job like the trainee scheme mentioned above. Realistically the technical aspects of business are changing so quickly it is a constant challenge to keep up with the changes in cameras and techniques used in current cinema and TV. Starting in September there will be a series of GBCT seminars dealing in all aspects of current production from a technical viewpoint. Whilst they are short in nature, they are all looking at current technology and practices, so are crucial to understand. While some aspects of the business will be common for many years to come and totally non-camera specific in nature, such as lighting, lenses and how they are used, and camera movement and operations for example. However, technology has a habit of affecting many other areas, and new lights are invented, new lenses are introduced and new camera movement devices are also produced. So it’s vitally important to keep on top of the latest trends and you won’t get to learn that by simply going to an exhibition or trade show, the only way to really learn the skills of to immerse yourself in an intense training programme. For you to simply stay still doing what you have always done will mean you will go backwards in this current dynamic and ever-changing vibrant business. It is with this in mind the GBCT has developed the very best training within the business today and going forward from September onwards here are some of the training courses you may be looking to attend. If that’s the case please get in touch with the GBCT office and they can tell you more. I also enclose a link to the website at the end of this article for more up-to-date information. These workshops and seminars are generally held in the evening and last approximately two hours. They are led by specialists at the forefront of digital cinema technology and they provide a great opportunity to get a unique perspective and ask questions you want to understand. They also provide a great networking opportunity as the business is highly diverse and sometimes it’s hard to meet other people in the same area.

78 | British Cinematographer | September 2016

GBCT SEMINARS (FROM SEPTEMBER 2016 ONWARDS) Introduction, Cameras and Formats

Gives an introductory overview of the various types of digital cameras and recording formats, highlights the strengths and weaknesses of each and discusses the ways to test and choose the appropriate format for a job. Introduces resolution, bit-depth, compression, transfer function and colour space.

Working with RAW

Gives an understanding of what is meant by ‘Raw’, including discussion of different types of digital sensors, the ways different cameras handle processing, file formats and compression, bit resolution. Discusses on-set monitoring and implications of recording Raw for post-production. Seminar led by a Camera Designer/ Engineer.

Understanding Gamma and Working with Log

Gives an understanding of what is meant by ‘Log encoding’, including discussion of gamma and transfer functions. Describes what ‘Rec. 709’ means. Discusses how different cameras handle Log encoding, on-set monitoring and implications of recording in Log for post-production. Seminar led by a Camera Designer / Engineer.

Filtration

Creating and Applying Looks & LUTs

Gives an understanding of the difference between a ‘Look’ and a ‘LUT’ and when each could be used. Discusses Rec. 709, lowcontrast and custom looks and how to use them for monitoring and post-production. Discusses the use of LUTs for emulation. Seminar led by an experienced DIT or dailies colourist.

Lenses and their Unique Looks

Gives an overview of the various types of modern lenses and optical instruments for cinematography and discusses how they differ in optical qualities and practical use. Introduces basic optical theory including aberration control and recent concerns such as telecentricity. Discusses what to look for in testing and what kind of tests to shoot. Seminar led by a lens designer.

Filtration and Digital Cameras

Gives an overview of the types of filter that are available for cinematography, including discussion of how digital sensors differ from film emulsion in relation to Lenses and their filtration. Discusses spectral Unique Looks sensitivity, infra-red pollution, diffusion, neutral density and polarisation. Seminar led by a filter designer. Links: //www.gbct.org/ seminars.html and //www.gbct. org/trainingcourses.html Creating and Applying Looks & LUTs

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British Cinematographer magazine British Cinematographer â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s No.1 cinematography magazine, reflects the dynamism of the times. We focus on the art and craft of cinematographers, and the technologies they use during production and post production.

British Cinematographer now available online! DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTION

(6 issues per year delivered to your inbox and accessed online) You can now access British Cinematographer anywhere you have an Internet connection. PC, MAC, tablet or mobile, the digital magazine will be configured for all platforms.

PRINT & DIGITAL

(6 issues per year including post and packaging + delivered to your inbox and accessed online)

Take advantage of our unrivalled insight into the world of international cinematography by subscribing to the magazine. Published 6 times a year, you can receive the magazine posted to your home or office, view the magazine online and have full access to our back issue library.

BACK ISSUE ARCHIVE

Print and Digital subscribers can now take explore our back issue library online as part of their digital subscription.

For more information please contact Stuart Walters | Tel: +44 (0)121 200 7820 | Email: stuart.walters@ob-mc.co.uk

Subscribe online at www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/subscribe British Cinematographer | September 2016 | 79