Event Guide 2022 - Cine Gear LA EXPO

EVENT

GUIDE 2022

Event Guide 2022: Brought to you by British Cinematographer magazine – Uniting cinematographers around the world

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CINE GEAR LA EXPO 2022 9th–12th June

Los Angeles Convention Centre

Celebrating the Films on Film at Cannes 2022.

Congratulations to the celebrated movies from the Official Selection, Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight, ACID and Semaine de la Critique who brought their stories to life with KODAK film. #SHOOTFILM Learn more at Kodak.com/go/motion © 2022 Kodak. Kodak and the Kodak logo are trademarks.

Cine Gear 2022

Welcome

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CINEMATOGRAPHER

U N I T I N G C I N E M AT O G R A P H E R S A R O U N D T H E W O R L D

Publisher STUART WALTERS +44 (0) 121 200 7820 stuart.walters@ob-mc.co.uk Publisher SAM SKILLER +44 (0) 121 200 7820 sam@ob-mc.co.uk Editor ZOE MUTTER +44 (0) 7793 048 749 zoe@britishcinematographer.co.uk Design MARK LAMSDALE +44 (0) 121 200 7820 mark.lamsdale@ob-mc.co.uk Commercial Manager LIZZY SUTHERST +44 (0) 7498876760 lizzy@britishcinematographer.co.uk Digital Editorial Coordinator TOM WILLIAMS tom@britishcinematographer.co.uk Journalist HELEN PARKINSON helen@britishcinematographer.co.uk Website PAUL LACEY +44 (0) 121 200 7820 paul@paullacey.digital

Subscribe to British Cinematographer Magazine today. You can receive the magazine posted to your home or office, or access anywhere with our digital subscription. To subscribe please visit www.britishcinematographer.co.uk/ subscribe

BE INSPIRED AND INFORMED

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much-anticipated event in the industry calendar, Cine Gear will once again offer attendees the chance to explore the latest and greatest product releases and be inspired and informed through an impressive schedule of educational sessions. You'll find exhibitor highlights and information about some of the seminar content planned for this year's show across the following pages.

The British Cinematographer team will be in LA for the duration of the event, along with our latest issue which you can pick up at our stand and around the show. As well as discovering and getting hands on with new innovations and kit, part of the beauty of events such as Cine Gear is the networking.

We're excited to meet up with industry friends, form new connections, and find out about the incredible work being created and technological advances being made.

In the lead up to the show, we were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Karl Kresser, co-founder and producer of Cine Gear. It is a loss that has been felt throughout the industry. Our thoughts are with Karl's family, friends, colleagues, and all those he made a lasting impression on in the filmmaking community and beyond. In this guide we also share a tribute to Karl along with comments from some of the many who knew him.

Until next time,

For queries please contact Matt Hood on +44 (0) 121 200 7820 or email: matt.hood@ob-mc.co.uk

Zoe Mutter Editor, British Cinematographer

British Cinematographer is part of LAWS Publishing Ltd, Premier House, 13 St Pauls Square, Birmingham B3 1RB The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in this publication are not representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.

LAWS Publishing are proud to be corporate sponsors of Heart Research UK

We are committed to sustainable forest management and this publication is printed by Buxton Press who are certified to ISO14001:2015 Standards (Environmental Management System). Buxton prints only with 100% vegetable based inks and uses alcohol free printing solutions, eliminating volatile organic compounds as well as ozone damaging emissions.

Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear | 03

Cine Gear 2022

Event preview Words: Kevin Hilton

CINE GEAR EXPO BACK IN FULL FORCE FOR 2022

The last three years have been a time of change, disruption and, most recently, great personal loss for Cine Gear Expo and all those involved with it.

The organisers say that even though the show has moved to the LA Convention Centre, they have made sure the feel, mood, and ambience everyone expects at Cine Gear Expo - "the DNA of the show" - are the same as they have been in the past

04 | Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear

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ike other trade shows, the premier showcase for filmmaking equipment and technology was cancelled in 2020 due to the global pandemic. It had an online/virtual presence that year but returned in restricted physical form, and later in the year, for 2021, moving from its long-term home on the Paramount Studio Lot to the Los Angeles Convention Centre.

This year sees Cine Gear Expo return to its traditional June time slot. The organisers were looking forward to a full show at the LA Convention Centre, with more companies and visitors attending, encouraged by fewer COVID restrictions.

Sadly, that optimism was somewhat dimmed by the death of Cine Gear Expo's co-founder and guiding light, Karl Kresser.

Karl's passing has, of course, been a massive blow to his wife and business partner, Juliane Grosso, as well as all those who worked with him on the convention and knew him in the industry, but Cine Gear Expo is still going ahead

this year. With a comprehensive schedule of events, including master classes, seminars, screenings, and the highly regarded Film Series Competition, plus the product and technology exhibition, the 2022 event looks set to be stronger than ever.

Full details of the activities and exhibition had not been finalised when this supplement went to press but some highlights had been confirmed at the time of writing. The show now runs for three days, as opposed to the previous two-day event. This is seen as a big change but also as giving an opportunity to expand the Sessions programme, as well as giving people more time to get around the exhibition.

The first day of the Expo - Thursday 9 June - will feature the Film Competition between 12pm and 5.20pm; exhibits will be open from 2pm to 7pm. On Day 2 (Friday 10 June) the exhibition will run longer, from 11am to 7pm, with seminars and screenings alongside.

The centrepiece of Cine Gear, the VIP Awards Party, will take place from 7pm to 9pm that evening. Exhibits, seminars, and screenings will continue on Day 3 (Saturday 11 June) from 10am to 5pm, while the fourth and final day (Sunday 12 June) will be dedicated to lighting master classes between 1.45pm and 4.45pm.

It has been confirmed that seminars will be delivered by Blackmagic Design on Friday and Saturday, Zeiss (one on Friday and two on Saturday), ARRI (three sessions), and MBS Group (Friday). Other sessions were being organised at the time of writing and will be announced in the www.britishcinematographer.co.uk

IN MEMORY OF KARL KRESSER ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| Karl Kresser and wife and chief executive of Cine Gear Juliane Grosso

K run up to the show. There will also be a master class by Adorama Rental Company.

The organisers say that even though the show has moved to the LA Convention Centre, they have made sure the feel, mood, and ambience everyone expects at Cine Gear Expo - "the DNA of the show" - are the same as they have been in the past, despite not being at the Paramount Lot. Despite not having the character of the film studio, there are practical advantages to being at the Convention Centre in Downtown LA, including logistically, with getting in and out of the venue being much easier for exhibitors.

It is hoped that attendance levels will return to pre-COVID levels (around 15,000 to 16,000 attendees), if not higher. This is because the Convention Centre has advantages in terms of access for visitors, which give the opportunity for social distancing. Masks are now optional under revised health guidelines.

The requirement for vaccination verification or proof of a negative test for visiting large indoor events has also been lifted. Full details can be found at: www.lacclink.com.

Cine Gear Expo will be taking over two halls, with 163 exhibitors from more than 80 countries confirmed by mid-May. There will also be input from the Expo's main cinematography partners, including the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC), the British Society of Cinematographers (BSC), Society of Camera Operators (SOC), and International Cinematographers Guild (ICG).

arl Kresser, who died aged 60 in elements added over the years. These included April, was the co-founder and Karl's pet project, the Cine Gear Screening producer of the Cine Gear Expo Series Film Festival, which has honoured and international film show. The Los encouraged many emerging filmmakers.

Angeles-based event, which he Through his career Karl gained associate founded and organised with his wife of 30 memberships of the American Society years, Juliane Grosso, became an important of Cinematographers, Society of Camera date on the calendars of cinematographers, Operators, and SMPTE (Society of Motion camera operators, and filmmakers.

Picture and Television Engineers). He and Born in Dornbirn, a city in the west of Juliane also extended their interests beyond the Austria, Karl studied photography and gained cinema business when, in 2012, they bought a a master's degree in the subject. Already vineyard in the Paso Robles region between LA fascinated with the sunshine, blue skies, and San Francisco. In the years before, Karl had and people of Los Angeles after visiting the developed an interest in winemaking and, after film capital of world as a boy, Karl moved to studying the art, went on to produce awardHollywood where he got a job as a driver winning Grosso Kresser Cabernet Sauvignon for the Otto Nemenz and the Candere International (ONI) cinema Bordeaux-style wine. gear rental company.

The film After a year of industry, which becoming well acquainted he did so much to with the streets of LA, promote, was quick delivering gear to the to pay its respects many productions going to Karl Kresser. on in the city, Karl moved William Mackenzieup the ranks of ONI. Otto Smith, director of Nemenz, himself not only photography, says, a cinematographer but "Karl was the nicest also a fellow Austrian experson I have ever met. pat, promoted Karl, who When he was working eventually became ONI's at Otto Nemenz he marketing manager. would regularly lend A key part of the me camera packages company's marketing - he knew that I was a DP WILLIAM MACKENZIE-SMITH strategy was the young DP that had just networking party hosted by Nemenz during moved to LA and he did everything he could a local LA tradeshow. This took on a life of its to help me. I will be forever grateful for his own, latterly being managed by Karl and Juliane. generosity and openheartedness."

The couple had met in 1991 and later married.

Fellow visual effects DP Peter Anderson Their personal and business relationships ASC/VES added, "Karl will be remembered for combined to make them a well-known duo on his expansive knowledge, enthusiastic spirit the LA filmmaking scene. and his gracious generosity. Our appreciation Under their management, the ONI goes to Karl and Juliane for their decades of networking party grew to include side exhibits by presenting Hollywood's emerging artists and technology companies. This eventually outgrew technologies at Cine Gear Expo." the original event and, with the blessing of Otto Nemenz, was established as a standalone Karl Walter Kresser, exhibition under the name Cine Gear Expo. photographer, exhibition organiser, winemaker The show continued to grow, with additional 20 March 1962-10 April 2022 n

“KARL WAS THE NICEST PERSON I HAVE EVER MET. I WILL BE FOREVER GRATEFUL FOR HIS GENEROSITY AND OPENHEARTEDNESS.”

Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear | 05

Cine Gear 2022

Sponsored feature Words: Trevor Hogg

The Gilded Age is different from Billeter’s previous projects as it is set in the 1880s (Photograph by Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO)

THE GILDED AGE OF LIGHTING Manuel Billeter reveals the techniques and technologies used when lensing The Gilded Age, including taking the Lightbridge’s CRLS – Cine Reflectors to the next level.

Billeter aimed for New York to be “an active participant rather than as a backdrop” during filming (Photograph

by Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO)

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inematographer Manuel Billeter has a habit of shooting shows situated in New York City, whether it be Person of Interest, Law & Order, Jessica Jones, or The Gilded Age. “New York is a fascinating city. It’s an iconic character that contributes a lot to the story. I try to have the city as an active participant rather than as a backdrop.”

The Gilded Age is different from the previous projects as it is a period piece set during the 1880s. “The Gilded Age is not as moody as other shows that I’ve tended to shoot. It’s aesthetically driven. The costumes, sets, and locations are exquisite. The colour scheme reaches every palette and variation that is available. It’s not visually muted but a kaleidoscope of colours, patterns, and textures. I tried to embrace, underline, and celebrate that as much as I could.

It’s an important part of the visual vocabulary.”

Major visual references were portrait painter John Singer Sargent, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Mr. Turner for period lighting. Billeter shot episodes 103 to 106 with Salli Richardson-Whitfield while fellow cinematographer Vanja Černjul HFS ASC was paired with Michael Engler for the pilot and episodes 102, 107, 108, and 109. “It was a formidable collaboration,” says Billeter. “Sali and I created a few storyboards for the bigger sequences, but we mostly spent time onset

together looking for the camera angles that suited the scene and worked well with the blocking.”

Previously Billeter served as a camera operator for Černjul. “We had an understanding of what the visual approach would be overall and were alternating with each other almost on a daily basis. Vanja would shoot for five days and then I would shoot two days at the same location. It was important for us to spend time together on location well ahead of shooting and come up with a strategy. By knowing the scenes inside and out we were able to keep track of the chronological order.”

Just as principal photography was to commence, the production was shutdown because of the pandemic and did not resume until the end of September 2020. “The shutdown gave me time to research the period lighting and the evolution of lighting over the centuries,” says Billeter.

“It definitely gave me more time to familiarise and immerse myself in that world. Lighting is a carefully considered craft. My philosophy comes from observing light as it occurs in nature.”

Manipulation is required for storytelling purposes. “You want to underscore the psychological truth of the scene that you’re shooting.” The Gilded Age provided Billeter with an opportunity to utilise the Lightbridge Cine Reflectors, which he became aware of through sharing the same agent with its inventor, cinematographer Christian Berger AAC. Jakob Ballinger, gaffer and founder of Lightbridge, credits Billeter with taking the Cine Reflect Lighting System to the next level. “Cine Reflectors were intended to be used with a hard source, but I thought maybe if I used a SkyPanel that is soft from inception it would come back even softer. It worked and produced a soft gentle light,” says Billeter.

The topic of sizing also needed to be considered. “When I started on The Gilded Age, I knew we were going to be on huge palatial sets but with small windows,” says Billeter. “I thought if we got Cine Reflectors that were bigger than the one metre by one metre, we could bounce light into it and make use of the ambient light and create a light source from inside the set that feels like its coming from a window.

“Jakob came up with the idea of interlocking four panels and I chose the diffusion grade of violet [aka diffusion #3]. It has a soft bounce back and lovely natural falloff. The quads were rigged on a speed rail grid and attached to two big Matthews Crank-O-Vator stands so you could wheel them around and adjust the height easily. That allowed me to put the quad in a corner, see what was coming from a window, crank it up high and tilt it down. Sometimes for indoors I would use the quads to create a book light. Outside of the set, I was putting something harder into it to create more of a sunlight effect. In addition to the quad, we had two sets of the C-100s which is one metre by one metre and FULL RANGE Cine Reflectors come in diffusion gradations. From #DIFF0 a real mirror replacement to #DIFF4 Super White.”

Extensive greenscreen was utilised for the backlot set. “We built a whole city block in the backlot out in Long Island,” says Billeter. “Most of the structures were built up to the second www.britishcinematographer.co.uk

floor so people could come in and out of buildings. The other end of Central Park, towards Madison Avenue, there was much more greenscreen because it just fit in the background.”

Most of the lighting for the greenscreens was for the nighttime scenes. “There were situations where the greenscreen was completely blown out and I couldn’t cut the light, so the decision was made with our visual effects supervisor Lesley Robson-Foster to let it go during the day. At night, we lit the greenscreens with soft sources from the ground.”

Previs was loaded onto an iPad that assisted with the composition and framing of shots. “It showed us what the shot would look like once the visual effects were completed. We had bounces for the actors and two big cranes with 20x40 or 40x60 flyswatters hanging overhead to cut the direct sunlight as much as we could.

Sometimes we couldn’t put the cranes up because it was windy, so then you try to do your best.”

Principal photography lasted 150 days with a prime location being Newport which has restored and maintained mansions from the actual Gilded Age. “The preservation society opened their doors to us and let us film in specific rooms or areas of these old mansions which are now turned into museums with all of the original furnishings and details intact,” says Billeter. “The Russell house was a mix of rooms on location and onstage.”

For season one, Černjul decided to capture the footage with two Panasonic VariCam Pure 4K which has been replaced with the ARRI ALEXA Mini LF for season two. “Most of my scenes were shot with a single camera and I would fold in the B camera whenever I could,” says Billeter. “We had a dual lens approach. For the storylines that involve Old New York we used Cooke Anamorphic lenses that have a nostalgic

“Jakob [Ballinger, gaffer and founder of Lightbridge] came up with the idea of interlocking four panels,” explains Billeter

“LIGHTBRIDGE CRLS CINE REFLECTORS WERE INTENDED TO BE USED WITH A HARD SOURCE, BUT I THOUGHT MAYBE IF I USED A SKYPANEL THAT IS SOFT FROM INCEPTION IT WOULD COME BACK EVEN SOFTER. IT WORKED AND PRODUCED A SOFT GENTLE LIGHT.” CINEMATOGRAPHER MANUEL BILLETER

and vintage feel, and Cooke S7s which are more dynamic and crisper for New New York. I tend to favour wider lenses over longer ones even for coverage.”

The aspect ratio was the same for the anamorphic and spherical lenses, “framing for 16:9 and extracting the centre from the anamorphic image.”

One LUT was utilised with LiveGrain added in postproduction to create different film stock grains for Old New York and New New York. “Very often some lighting decisions onstage are made based on the knowledge of how I can play with it in post,” says Billeter.

“More than before, our work as cinematographers extends all the way into the post process because so many choices can be made later. There was so much fine tuning such as playing with the levels of the light and gas fixtures, during which we were working with a brilliant colourist, Jack Lewars at PostWorks NY.” Other key team members included A camera operator Oliver Cary, B camera/ Steadicam operator Pyare Fortunato, 1st AC John Oliveri, assistant B camera Michael Burke, key grip Chris Skutch, A camera dolly grip Keith Bunting, and gaffer Sean Sheridan.

The opera sequence captured at the Academy of Music proved to be challenging due to COVID-19 protocols. “The shot starts with the camera in the orchestra pit, pans across to the conductor, dollies right and rises up into the balcony box where our main characters are situated,” says Billeter. “We had to do seven to eight passes with a motion control camera because we couldn’t fill the whole theatre with extras. The result is beautiful as we had real people sitting in the audience rather than being a CG created background.” n

WE BELIEVE THAT SHARING GREAT IDEAS WILL INSPIRE EVEN MORE GREAT IDEAS At Lightbridge, we want to redefine the role of the light manufacturer in the twenty-first century: we place visionary artists and their lighting at center stage.

In our manufacturing space we integrate research and refine best practices.

We foster a constant exchange of ideas between our production team and lighting professionals, in order to strengthen the link between light as an art form and the needs of the international lighting community.

The CRLS Cine Reflectors are a proud manifestation of our collaborations on and off set with the professional lighting community. After beginning our work with cinematographer Christian Berger on CRLS in 2017, we are excited that Manuel Billeter has now spearheaded CRLS to meet the challenges of today’s productions with his vision for bigger reflective surfaces and the use of soft sources.

www.thelightbridge.com

Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear | 07

Cine Gear 2022

Innovation insights Words: Kevin Hilton

CINE GEAR EXPO 2022: TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCT PREVIEW

Developed in collaboration with leading cinematographers, the ARRI ALFA lenses offer a characterful and carefully detuned anamorphic look, and have already been used on The Batman

After a strong showing under difficult circumstances last year, many of the cinema and filmmaking technology market's leading manufacturers have returned to Cine Gear Expo with their latest products.

Over 160 top companies in this field will be present and although not all had confirmed what will be on display, British Cinematographer rounds up the highlights so far.

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his year is already turning out to be a good one for new camera releases. Among the highest profile introductions is Sony’s VENICE 2. This is an updated and reworked version of the original large format model and is a 8.6K device featuring several additional sensor modes. VENICE 2 features Cinemascope capability (2.39.1), which enables shooting in 8.2K up to 72fps and in 5.5K up to 120fps.

Other ratios offered include Large Format Scope using Full Frame, Super35 17:9 and 6:9, with support for Super35 full height 2.0x squeeze anamorphic‌. This year will also see Sony launch a version two of its Rialto 08 | Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear

extension system. This is designed for confined space and, along with a separated VENICE, featured in cockpit shots for Top Gun: Maverick.

Blackmagic Design will be showcasing two digital cinematography cameras. The URSA Mini Pro 12K feature a 12,288 x 6480 12K Super 35 sensor and 14 stops of dynamic range in the established URSA Mini body.

Oversampling from 12K provides 8K and 4K images, while it is possible to shoot at 60 fps in 12K, 120 fps in 8K and up to 240 fps in 4K Super 16. The Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro has been designed for handheld work and features a 6144 x 3456 Super 35 high resolution HDR sensor, dual native ISO, EF lens mount and direct recording to USB-C disks.

ARRI will have a number of cameras on its stands, including the ALEXA Mini LF camera. The ALEXA Mini LF has featured on major feature films, including The Batman, The Power of the Dog, and Dune. It can run in both Super 35 and large formats and offers ARRI’s colour science for natural skin tones and colour correction, plus compatibility with HDR and wide colour gamut displays. A recent development has been the launch of secondgeneration versions of ARRI’s introduced TRINITY and ARTEMIS stabilisation systems.

These now work as a modular package but with two different stabilising methods. Users can choose between the wholly mechanical ARTEMIS 2 and the hybrid TRINITY 2, which has electronic stabilisation that allows for a >> www.britishcinematographer.co.uk

Cine Gear 2022

Innovation insights wider variety of movement and angles. Also on the ARRI stand, visitors will find the Hi-5 lens control hand unit, Signature Zoom and Prime lenses and a full range of lights, with the Orbiter being the featured item.

ARRI Rental will be exhibiting alongside ARRI and will show a black and white model of the ALEXA 65, a specially engineered version of ARRI Rental’s exclusive 65mm camera, facilitating monochromatic digital cinematography of unprecedented clarity, texture, and beauty. ARRI Rental will also showcase it latest lens options for large format: ALFA anamorphic and Moviecam spherical lenses. The ALFA lens set comprises eight lenses ranging from 40mm to 190mm. Developed in collaboration with leading cinematographers, they offer a characterful and carefully detuned anamorphic look, and have already been used on The Batman. The Moviecam lenses combine vintage optics and a cinematic backstory with modern, high-performance lens housings.

Respectfully updating a 1980s design, they are impressively compact and lightweight for largeformat lenses. Moviecam lenses come in 11 focal lengths, from 16mm to 135mm.

Panasonic’s LUMIX range of mirrorless cameras will now be on show during Cine Gear.

Introduced in early 2022, the GH6 is now the flagship of the Micro Four Thirds G Series. This mirrorless camera can record internally on CFexpress Type B cards at 5.7K using ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422 codecs and is aimed primarily at videographers and stills photographers but also for shooting independent films, documentaries and B or C camera footage.

Also launched at the beginning of this year was the Canon EOS 5 C. This is the manufacturer’s first full frame 8K Cinema EOS camera. It is a hybrid, combing filmmaking capabilities from the Cinema EOS series with the photographic features of the EOS R System.

The 5 C has a high-resolution, full frame CMOS sensor, DIGIC X processor and RF Mount for 8K shooting, while its 45 megapixel still photo mode is able to capture images at burst speeds of up to 20fpsecond. Canon will be showing other digital cinema products, including the EOS C70, which has been upgraded with new firmware that adds features such as 12-bit Cinema RAW Light recording, and the EOS C300 Mark III. Among the camera support systems on show at this year’s Cine Gear Expo will be Cinema Devices full product lines: The main focus will be on the Ergorig System, which own the Society of Camera Operators’ 2022 Technical Achievement Award. The whole range is designed to allow operators to work in a familiar way but without the pain often associated with handheld working. The latest addition to this range is Ergorig CenterFit, which was designed for female body types but has also become popular with male operators as well. Also on the Cinema Devices stand will be the AntigravityCam system and the ZeeGee support, which is said to deliver a recognisable handheld look.

For camera and accessory power, Bebob will be introducing additions to its range of B-Mount batteries. This series of multi-voltage interfaces was launched three years ago and has now been expanded through the 24V and 12V products. These support multiple voltages and comprise the B90cine with 86Wh capacity, B155cine (156Wh) and B290cine (285Wh). A fourth newcomer is the B90cineHS. This battery 10 | Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear

“RESPECTFULLY UPDATING A 1980S DESIGN, THE MOVIECAM LENSES ARE IMPRESSIVELY COMPACT AND LIGHTWEIGHT FOR LARGE-FORMAT LENSES. THEY COME IN 11 FOCAL LENGTHS, FROM 16MM TO 135MM.” is also a hot-swap adapter and can be connected in series to other B-Mount batteries.

Supporting the new batteries are the BS2 and BS4 chargers and a variety of adapters.

Lighting looks to be a dominant presence at this year’s Cine Gear Expo. Both the NANLUX and NANLITE brands will be on display. Recently released products from both include the NANLUX Evoke 1200, described as a LED version of a HDMI spotlight; the NANLITE Forza 720/720B, promoted as the brand’s brightest spots, which were launched in March; and the NANLUX Dyno 1200, seen as an alternative to the ARRI SkyPanel S360.

French manufacturer K5600 will be highlighting its move into COB (chip on board), which has been applied to both the Alpha 300 LED Fresnel and Joker 300. The company says it is using a 600W COB of approximately 1cm diameter that can produce a consistent beam without shadows on the Fresnel and be dimmed for low light working.

SUMOLIGHT’s latest high output LED lamp is the SUMOMAX. This 700W fixture is hexagonal in shape and has a high lumen output and modular construction. It was produced to satisfy requests from cinematographers, lighting directors and gaffers for a more powerful entry in the SUMOSPACE+ range and can be used as a key, hard, punch, space, or soft light.

Among NBCUniversal subsidiary Cineo Lighting’s recent introductions are the ReFlex R15 hard source LED, which can be switched between spot to flood light; the Quantum II panel, featuring fourth generation LED technology plus control by the C²OS touch screen console; and the LB800, which allows for multizone operation as well as operation by the C²OS.

FilmGear International will be bringing its new beam projectors to Cine Gear Expo.

The Power Beams come in both HMI and tungsten form, with new models including the 1.8/1.2kW Daylight Power Beam and 5/2kW Tungsten Power Beam. These have higher output and greater versatility and are already being used in the industry. The range includes 18, 24 and 36-inch faced lamp heads, which are claimed to give better beam definition over longer distances.

Chimera Lighting has this year been producing both standalone fixtures and systems for working with other manufacturer’s products. These include the new, octagonal Daylite Octa 7, accessories for the ARRI SkyPanel S30, Medium Lightbank for the Creamsource Vortex 8 and POP Bank for the Aputure P600. Aputure itself has recently introduced two new tube lights (the two-foot full colour T2c and the four-foot full colour T4c) and four new flexible mats (the high output, full colour F21c and F22c and bicolour F21x and F22x).

Litepanels’ big launch is the new Gemini 2x1 Hard RGBWW LED panel. This is claimed to be brighter than other 2x1 panels, being able to deliver up to 23,000 lux @10ft/3m of output. It has a lightweight construction but is twice the size of the Gemini 1x1 Hard, which was introduced last year.

Weighing 11.5kg, it includes a yoke and integrated power supply and has a maximum power draw of 500W. The Gemini 2x1 Hard can produce a 20-degree beam of hard white light but is also able to switch to a soft 100-degree wash using diffusion panels that are included. >> www.britishcinematographer.co.uk

Exclusive lenses, developed in-house Our ALFA anamorphics were developed in collaboration with leading cinematographers to offer a characterful and carefully detuned look, while the Moviecam spherical lenses reinvigorate these classic but scarce vintage optics. Both series are suitable for large format or Super 35 and are available exclusively from our rental facilities worldwide.

Explore our unique lens solutions

Cine Gear 2022

Innovation insights Creamsource Vortex 8 on show at BSC EXPO (Credit: John Keedwell)

Rosco RDX LAB System

WHAT IS CINE GEAR EXPO? Unique in concept, Cine Gear Expo offers artists and technicians the opportunity to discover state-of-the-art technology and techniques including content capture hardware, workflow software, support equipment, and the latest production services. Invitees get hands-on training, gain knowledge and skills from world technology leaders and network with peers all within a professional and comfortable environment.

Since 1996, Cine Gear Expo has grown to become the premier event for the technology, entertainment, and media industry. The Hollywood community is stretched out far and wide across the world and Cine Gear Expo reunions bring us together in a proud alliance of moving image professionals.

Cine Gear features exhibits, new product and service introductions, complimentary seminars led by industry leaders, master classes, film competition, awards ceremony, and ample opportunity to network with peers.

12 | Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear

The most recent product from Creamsource, which was seen at the 2022 NAB Show, is the Vortex lighting series. This an LED lighting system designed for film production and comprises two fixtures: the high-powered flagship 650W 2x1 Vortex8 and the 1x1 325W Vortex4. The Vortex8 fixture is designed to be robust and can be used in any conditions (it is IP65 water resistant). It has a wide CCT range and can work with high shooting speeds of up to 5000 frames per second (fps). The Vortex4 is a smaller all-inone system, includes integrated PSU and antennas and can be used as a hard or soft light when operating in conjunction with Creamsource’s Diffuser or Dome.

Fiilex will be showing its latest LED Fresnel, the Q10 Color. This is a 900W LED luminaire, which the manufacturer is offering to director of photography and gaffers as a new type of 5K tungsten lamp that is able to quickly produce high quality colours.

Moss LED’s recent products include the FlexLED strip. By using a new LED chip,

Moss has produced something that combines the best features of 24V (lower current, less voltage drop) with the benefits of a traditional 12V FlexLED strip. Short Cut bi-colour FlexLED comes in two versions: 120 LED/ meter (12mm width) standard version and the higher output 240 LED/meter (12mm width) high output version.

Elation Professional has expanded its KL Key Light series of LED Fresnel luminaires with the introduction of the full colour KL Fresnel 6 FC. This is designed for applications where high output soft light, precise colour reproduction and adjustable colour temperature are required. Features include a 220W RGBMA LED engine calibrated at 6500 Kelvin and the ability to produce up to 8,000 field lumens with a manual zoom range of 10-degrees to 32-degrees for convenient beam adjustment. Elation has also added new models to its IP65 Proteus and Fuze ranges.

These include the Excalibur, the 70,000 lumen Proteus Brute LED wash, the Fuze MAX full spectrum LED moving head and the Wash 500 Fresnel moving head.

Among Environmental Lights’ recent launches in the run-up to Cine Gear Expo was the Pixel EcoFlex 4-in-1 Neon LED. This allows operators to mix RGB with 3000K white, 6500K white or amber in a vertical bending or horizontal bending profile. The vertical bending version can flex up and down, which makes it possible for users to wrap it around 3D structures but still have the light facing outwards. The horizontal bending version can flex side-to-side so that shapes or signage can be formed on flat surfaces. Both versions can produce preprogrammed or customised effects through the use of any Environmental Lights LED pixel controller.

Launched earlier this year, the LiteGear Auroris is a large area lighting fixture with dimensions of 3 m x 3 m and weighing 114lbs. It is aimed at being used in shooting environments such as hangars, soundstages, and warehouses, as well as situations where there are low ceilings and not enough rigging points. The body is 1-inch thick, allowing Auroris to be used in 12-inch-deep soft boxes. Designed to be easily set up by two people in under 20-minutes, Auroris features next-level spectrum colour, a range of 2,000K to 11,000K, cinema quality white light, wide gamut hue and full spectrum technology.

Distributor AC Lighting will have its full portfolio of brands on display. Among recent products is the Luminex GigaCore 30i.

This is a 10Gb Ethernet switch for AV integration, installation, and touring work.

Because of its 10Gb connectivity, the GigaCore 30i enables full networking of >> www.britishcinematographer.co.uk

Meet the final puzzle piece.

he Tr y t at m 15 m r E xpo gea Cine th #143 Boo

ZEISS Supreme Prime Lenses With 14 focal lengths from 15 mm to 200 mm, the ZEISS Supreme Prime lenses unite coverage up to Full Frame and beyond with high speed in a small, lightweight lens.

Their look is characterised by a gentle sharpness and a very smooth transition between the in-focus and out-of-focus areas. The Supreme Primes give the creator absolute control over the image by revealing subtle nuanced details in deep shadows and bright highlights. zeiss.com/cine/supremeprime

Cine Gear 2022

Innovation insights lighting control, audio, intercom, Mapper, released last and compressed video. Also new is month. This is Zeiss’ standardised colour output for first entry in its new PROLIGHTS’ Spektra. The system CinCraft ecosystem, is now being used increasingly in which is intended to film and TV production, which offer a range of lens calls for greater consistency of looks, for visual colour output. PROLIGHTS effects as well as now says that every Spektra other applications, fixture will meet the standard it in the digital sets and match other units with domain. Also on the same marking. show will be current Rosco Laboratories will lenses, including the be showing a larger, improved CZ.2 Zooms, CP.3s, version of the prototype LWZ.3 Zoom, the interactive background system 11 lens set that was seen at the BSC expo Radiances range in April. No details on this and all 14 focal update were available but the lengths of Supremes.

RDX (Rosco Digital Experience) Zeiss will also be hosting main LAB itself was developed in stage panels on Thursday, Friday, and Rosco DMG Triple Yoke MAXI MIX conjunction with visual effects studio Saturday, plus a Women in Media party FuseFX, with the aim of creating a digital on Thursday night. backdrop specially for virtual production within Chrosziel’s booth at Cine Gear Expo will a LED volume. The system uses what is be formatted in a similar way to its display at the described as “the world’s most extensive library NAB Show. It will feature three distinct of background images”, with FuseFX’s Live ‘stations’, each of which will be showing Action Backdrop technology enabling a chosen different aspects of the company’s product image to be manipulated on set in real-time offering. Station 1 will have the Chrosziel TP7-II through an Android laptop. lens test projector, which features a laser On the lens side, Zeiss will have the new rangefinder, USB hub and Chrosziel software for 15mm Supreme Prime, which was introduced in displaying lens data. This will be used in April. This is an extreme wide-angle T1.8 conjunction with a PL mount and a Prime lens (maximum). Also on display will be the CinCraft for demonstration purposes. Station 2 is to

feature the Chrosziel Premista servo drive on a Fujifilm Premista 28-100mm lens and Sony VENICE camera. On Station 3 there will be a Sony FX9 camera with an E-mount cine lens working with a Chrosziel Zoomer Z2 servo motor on its zoom ring with the cable spliced into the connection from the Sony grip for control. There will also be a new product in the form of the Chrosziel hot mount E-to-PL adapter with metadata transmission, 12-pin Hirose connector and LEMO power in.

The post-production and interchange aspects of modern filmmaking will also be well represented at Cine Gear Expo 2022. Dailies and transcoding specialist Colorfront will be showing upgraded capability, plus expanded DCP/IMF mastering toolsets, for its entire product line during the Expo. A key element of this is integration with Frame.io’s Camera to Cloud workflow initiative, which is enabling greater cooperation and collaboration between the cinematographer and DIT on set with the colourist and visual effects artists at the post house. New features of the Colorfront system include Express Dailies 2022, which has been optimised through working with Apple using the new Mac Studio M1 Ultra workstation. This allows SDR and HDR material to be processed simultaneously and then outputted to Apple XDR displays. Express Dailies 2022 is now also able to work with the newest native camera formats, including RED V Raptor 8K VV and VENICE 2 8.6K, as well as providing improved performance for Blackmagic Design 12K RAW. >>

We are incredibly excited to announce the latest addition to the British Cinematographer portfolio – the BCinePlayer.

The VOD (Video on Demand) platform runs in parallel to the main website and complements it, with a focus on highlighting the industry’s best motion content.

British Cinematographer’s video player offers inspiration and insight for cinematographers and the wider filmmaking community.

Curating some of the latest and greatest videos along with original content, the player is dedicated to celebrating a visual craft in all its splendour.

Explore the work of others, learn new techniques, watch interviews and debates, and showcase your own creations by simply uploading a video to our Showcase playlist, which works alongside our other free playlists such as Behind the Scenes, Interviews, Training and Skills, Industry Issues, and Roundtables and Panel Debates.

www.bcineplayer.com 14 | Event Guide 2022 | Cine Gear

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Cine Gear 2022

Innovation insights Also new are expanded mastering features for Transkoder 2022.

Blackmagic Design is to give a preview of DaVinci Resolve 18, which is currently in beta test. Central to this is an important update to the colour correction/editing/audio mixing/VFX system’s cloud collaboration capability. The new version will enable multiple editors, colourists, VFX artists and audio engineers to work on the same project simultaneously, on the same timeline from anywhere in the world. DaVinci Resolve 18 will support Blackmagic Cloud for hosting and sharing of projects, in addition to a new DaVinci proxy workflow. Also part of the update are new Resolve FX AI functions, which run on the DaVinci Neural Engine; time-saving tools for editors; a Fairlight legacy fixed bus to FlexBus conversion feature; and GPU accelerated paint in the Fusion graphics section.

Also to be seen will be the Blackmagic Cloud Store Mini fast storage system, and the Cloud Pod for transforming any USB-C disk into a network storage device.

Camera movement and hardware is always a feature of Cine Gear Expo and among the leading companies showing this necessary equipment will be Gyro-Stabilized Systems.

The company recently upgraded its Cinema Mini 512EX system. The GEN2 version features faster camera swaps to added tuning profiles, which are designed to deliver a smoother cinematography on land, water or in the air.

GSS has also introduced three new gimbals aimed primarily at industrial inspection work.

Blackmagic Design Cloud Store in use with DaVinci Resolve

The Utility Series U416, U512EX and U512EX OGI are 4 and 5-axis gimbals that were designed for aerial inspection and survey. Many features on the systems are a result of direct feedback from the industry specialists. They offer the ability to work with: Digital Stills Imagery, 4K/HD Daylight Cameras, HighResolution Thermal IR (infra-red), Corona Detection and Geo-referencing/Tracking. The U512EX and U512 EX OGI are small, light devices with dual sensor capability, while the U416 houses up to four sensors.

Matthews Studio Equipment (MSE) is known for its range of grip gear, which can be used in both studios and on location. Its products include stands, sliders, dollies, and light modifiers.

Among these are the Air Climber modular pneumatic grip and lighting stand, which can extend to 25 feet/7.62 meters, the new Veeboxx portable soft box and Claw, which are used together to transform the Astera Titan tubes into a diffused lighting source, and the BM1 Bulb Mount for mounting E26/E27 battery-powered bulbs on grip equipment and hardware. n

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Cine Gear 2022

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Credit: MGX Studio

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Sonequa Martin-Green (centre) films a scene

the pain points – then developing in Pixomondo’s AR new features or integrating with wall stage in Toronto (Credit: Paramount+) complementary technologies to create more streamlined workflows for virtual production.

For example, creatives are used to being Management of 3D LUTs is now integrated into able to adjust their shutter angle to achieve a leading tools from both Pomfort and Assimilate, particular creative effect or manage motion blur. so Digital Imaging Technicians can grade But with an LED screen in the mix, they have an LED screen in the same way they would often been restricted to selecting a specific manage any other monitor. shutter angle to avoid visual artefacts. Brompton There are now even workflows available introduced ShutterSync®, a feature that allows to support multi-camera virtual production the refresh timing of the LED screen to be shoots using LED screens. These rely upon adjusted to match the chosen shutter angle of Brompton’s Frame Remapping technology, the camera – putting creative control back in the which allows multiple different content streams hands of the user. to be interleaved so a frame from each stream Similarly, LED screens can vary wildly is shown in turn. Each camera can run at a in their achievable colour gamut and accuracy different genlock phase offset, so they each see of colour reproduction. Brompton is a pioneer their own unique content on the one screen. of Dynamic Calibration, a technology for LED The typical application in virtual production that ensures accurate reproduction of colours is to allow different camera positions to see a within the gamut and intelligent management background with the correct perspective. of out-of-gamut colours. Dynamic Calibration LED screens can deliver new also underpins Brompton’s implementation possibilities to teams of all sizes and are now of HDR video, an increasing requirement for an established part of the landscape for film virtual production – partly due to the ability to and television production. n encode absolute colour and brightness Virtual Production information into HDR Studios by 80six content, which can then be faithfully reproduced on the LED screen.

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