Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine January 2010 by The CSC

CINEMATOGRAPHER Canadian

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

$4 Januar y 2010 www.csc.ca

Vic Sarin’s A Shine of Rainbows He Heard the Mermaids Singing An Interview with Douglas Koch csc 10-JAN

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In Memoriam: Rob Rouveroy csc & Gilles Carle

CINEMATOGRAPHER Canadian

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) was founded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization. The purpose of the CSC is to promote the art and craft of cinematography in Canada. And to provide tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and video professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

FEATURES – volume 1, No. 8 January 2010

Vic Sarin csc Shoots A Shine of Rainbows By Micol Marotti

We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation.

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He Heard the Mermaids Singing: An Interview with Douglas Koch csc By Wyndham Wise

8 12 18

We’re Condemned to Originality: A Giant of Quebec Cinema, Gilles Carle Dies at 80 By Wyndham Wise Columns & Departments

2 From the President

5 In Memoriam: Robert Rouveroy csc 1927—2009

6 In the News

20 Camera Classified

22 CSC Members

24 Production Notes / Calendar

Cover:Vic Sarin csc photo courtesy of Sepia Films.

Canadian Cinematographer January 2010 Vol. 1, No. 8 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

From The PRESIDENT

Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR Wyndham Wise mfa editor@csc.ca ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House COPY EDITOR

he CSC office received a note from one of our senior members, Josef Sekeresh csc, who now lives in Budapest, Hungary. He wishes to say hello and give his best regards to all his friends and colleagues in Canada. Josef came to Canada

Paul Townend

by way of the Hungarian Revolution, filming the actual fighting on October 23, 1956.

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He sent the footage through the English legation in Budapest.

Karen Longland WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc

He arrived in England in November of the same year and immigrated to Canada in

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May 1957. Josef shot shorts for the NFB, and shared the cinematography credit on

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the Oscar-winning short for Expo 67 A Place to Stand with Laszlo George csc, hsc and

Donald Angus donangus@sympatico.ca

Christopher Chapman csc. He also shot Julius Kohanyi’s Summer’s Children starring

CSC OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP

Don Francks and Kate Lynch in 1979. Josef has been a loyal member of the CSC since

131–3007 Kingston Road

May 1, 1958. Happy New Year Josef from your friends at the CSC.

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In this issue of Canadian Cinematographer Micol Marotti writes about veteran cinema-

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tographer/director Vic Sarin csc and his experiences shooting A Shine of Rainbows in

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Ireland. The family film is being released theatrically in 2010. Our editor, Wyndham

Toronto, Canada M4K 1N2 Email: editor@csc.ca Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication. Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $35.00 for individuals and $70.00 for institutions, including GST. In U.S. rates are $35.00 and $70.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Payment by money order in Canadian funds.

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

Wise, interviewed Douglas Koch csc, one of Canada’s most versatile cinematographers, who has shot award-winning music videos and commercials, documentaries, television dramas, miniseries and groundbreaking English-Canadian features such as I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, Last Night and Bollywood/Hollywood. Don Angus remembers former CSC President Rob Rouveroy csc, and Wyndham acknowledges the passing of a giant of Canadian and Québecois cinema, Gilles Carle. And a final notice to all our members, the Annual General Meeting is being held Wednesday, February 1 at 6:30 p.m., Technicolor Toronto, Boardroom No. 1, 49 Ontario Street Toronto, at the corner of Adelaide Street East and Ontario Street (parking is behind Technicolor off Berkeley Street north of Adelaide). After reviewing the events of 2009, we will be having a light dinner and refreshments, courtesy of the good folks at Technicolor. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and chat with your fellow cinematographers! Hope to see you there!

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In Memoriam:

Robert Rouveroy csc 1927-2009

By Don Angus

obert Rouveroy csc admitted that as president of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers in the 1980s he trod on a few toes with “my benign authoritarian attitude.” The imposing Dutchman, if not exactly a loveable top executive and membership chair, was nevertheless a driving force in the growth of the Society among Canadian cinematographers across Canada. He was the father of the CSC News magazine and the membership directory. He got things done. Born Emile Leonardus van Rouveroy van Nieuwaal on August 21, 1927, in Bandung, Indonesia, the gentle giant who in Canada became Robert/Rob/Bob Rouveroy passed away at a hospice in Holland on November 10, 2009. He was 82. An apocryphal story out of The Hague said at the moment of Rouveroy’s death, his Apple Macintosh computer crashed. He loved his Mac, or series of Macs, going back to the early model he “strong-armed (treasurer) Roy Tash into releasing the money” to buy. He retired to The Hague with his partner Ingrid Cusiel, who survives him. Until fairly recently, he spent about eight hours a day on his computer, restoring old photos and corresponding with about 40 friends by e-mail. He perhaps should have written his life story, with adventures worthy of an action-packed movie script. The young van Rouveroy survived turbulent times in the Dutch East Indies, eventually establishing a camera career in Canada and a Citizen Kane-like regime at the CSC. After time in a Japanese concentration camp on Sumatra, he was

inducted into the Dutch Army in 1945 and “was issued a 35 mm Bell & Howell Eyemo Spider with instructions to learn to operate it p.d.q. or else clean latrines. I didn’t take long to master the thing, and after our armistice I freelanced for Fox Movietone, Polygoon and other newsreels.” He shot several movies for Hong Kong producer Run Run Shaw, and “stupidly joined an antigovernment group opposing (Indonesian president) Sukarno.” With a price on his head, Rouveroy, disguised as a nun, escaped by ship from Indonesia and made his way to The Netherlands. He was, however, “very unhappy in impoverished, tiny Holland” and decided to emigrate to Canada in 1956. He quickly went from pumping gas to camera work with CBC in Edmonton. After a taste of network fame on This Hour Has Seven Days he decided to freelance, starting at Expo 67. He subsequently started shooting for CTV and there met the love of his life, sound recordist Ingrid. Rouveroy joined the CSC as an associate member in 1979 and took the job of public relations chair “because nobody else wanted it.” He was granted full membership a month later and became president in 1980. Because of his efforts in getting corporate sponsors, writing and publishing the newsletter, and starting the directory, membership grew from 70 to about 350 during his tenure. He was presented with the Fujifilm Award (now the President’s Award) in 1999 in recognition of extraordinary contributions to the CSC.

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

In The News

Sim Video Merges with Bling Digital!

DOP Luc Montpellier csc, far left, with director Ruba Nadda, on the set of Cairo Time. The film was chosen as one of the top Canadian features of 2009 by TIFF.

TIFF Announces Its Annual Top Ten Canadian Features & Shorts

IFF announced the Top Ten Canadian features and shorts of 2009 in December at the 9th annual Canada’s Top Ten industry event, hosted by actors Liane Balaban and Ennis Esmer. Established in 2001, the purpose of TIFF’s Top Ten is to raise public awareness of Canadian achievements in film. Public screenings with introductions and Q&A sessions with filmmakers as well as a panel discussion will be held from January 14 through 21 at the Cinematheque Ontario screening hall in the Art Gallery of Ontario, at the corner of Dundas Street West and McCaul. Tickets can be obtain by phone at 416-968-FILM and at the box office located at 2 Carlton Street, Mezzanine Level.

The Top Ten Canadian features are, in alphabetical order: Ruba Nadda’s Cairo Time (Luc Montpellier csc DOP, see Canadian Cinematographer, December 09); Denis Côté’s Carcasses; Sherry White’s Crackie (Stephen Reizes csc DOP); Peter Stebbing’s Defendor (David Greene csc DOP); Bernard Émond’s La Donation; Xavier Dolan’s I Killed My Mother; Matthew Bissonnette’s Passenger Side; Denis Villeneuve’s Polytechnique (Pierre Gill csc DOP, see Canadian Cinematographer, June 09); Jacob Tierney’s The Trotsky (Guy Dufaux csc DOP); and Alexandre Franchi’s The Wild Hunt. The Top Ten Canadian short films of 2009 are as follows in alphabetical order: Jamie Travis’s The Armoire, Helen Haig-Brown’s The Cave, Pedro Pires’s Danse Macabre, Cam Christiansen’s Five Hole: Tales of Hockey Erotica, Anne Émond’s Naissances, Kazik Radwanski’s Out in That Deep Blue Sea, Cordell Barker’s Runaway, Chris Landreth’s The Spine, Émile Proulx-Cloutier’s La Vie commence and Bruce Alcock’s Vive la rose.

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

International equipment rental house Sim Video announced in November their merger with Toronto-based production service provider Bling Digital. The merger expands Sim Video’s current service offerings beyond camera and postproduction equipment rentals to now include Video Assist Packages, On-Set Data Management and Digital Dailies Services from their Toronto headquarters. “Digital production has seen incredible growth over the past few years and with that, new challenges have been raised for producers. We’ve been looking for new opportunities to expand our services for some time now but we needed to find the right fit for us and for our clients,” said Rob Sim, president and CEO of Sim Video International Inc. “We recognized that while we’ve been very successful in providing camera and post services for many years, we were not adequately servicing our clients on the steps between. What drew us to Bling Digital was their expertise and knowledge in developing and implementing on-set solutions. We quickly recognized that their most valuable resource didn’t lie in their high-tech equipment but more so in their staff. Their team brings a whole new skill set to our company that will help us provide a better range of services to our clients.” Bling Digital is a relatively new company and they have experienced great success over the past few years primarily servicing the commercial production market. The company is best known for their highly reliable on-set data management solutions and recent expansion into digital dailies. Bling Digital and their staff will be moving to Sim Video’s Toronto headquarters on January 1, 2010. Once the integration of services is complete in Toronto, Sim Video plans to branch out those services to all other Sim Video locations across Canada, the U.S. and China.

Sony Creates New Digital Sector Sony Corp., already a major player in the visual effects and CG animation biz with Sony Pictures Imageworks, is getting further into the digital post business with a new unit, Sony ColorWorks. The entry of ColorWorks further heats up competition in the increasingly crowded DI space, which already includes Technicolor, Deluxe’s eFilm, Prime Focus, Warner Motion Picture Imaging and Ascent Media’s Company3. ColorWorks will offer full-service digital intermediate, including film restoration and 4K DI. While still setting up its new facilities, ColorWorks completed DIs on three features, the Michael Jackson concert film This Is It, Zombieland and the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (in stereoscopic

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Five Canadian Features Selected for Sundance 2010 Five Canadian feature-length dramas have been selected to screen at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, which runs from January 21–31 in Park City, Utah, two of them lensed by CSC members. The DOP on Adriana’s Maggs’s Grown Up Movie Star is Jason Tan csc and on Daniel Grou’s Les 7 jours du Talion, it is Bernard Couture csc. Others going are Lixin Fan’s documentary, Last Train Home, Eli Craig’s Tucker & Dale vs Evil and Vincenzo Nataili’s Splice, with Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody.

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Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

P O

ashmir-born Canadian director/cinematographer and CSC full member Vic Sarin hoped

to get a bit of the luck of the Irish with his most recent film, A Shine of Rainbows. Judging by the film’s sweep of awards on the 2009 festival circuit, which included the Audience Award at the Heartland Film Festival in Indianapolis, its U.S. premiere, first prize from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival for Best EnglishLanguage Film, and its opening night slot at the Vancouver International Film Festival, he seems to have found the elusive pot of cinematic gold.

Connie Nielsen

Vic Sarin csc Shoots

A Shine of Rainbows By Micol Marotti 8 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

Sarin directing A Shine of Rainbows: “If I could shoot everything I do on film I would. I’m not saying that digital is bad, but it’s just a different type of art.”

Even the rugged and often remote region of Innishowen Peninsula in Northern Ireland, where most of the film was shot, seemed to take its cues from Sarin, providing him with idyllic shooting conditions and even a series of rainbows on command. “Once we decided to shoot in Northern Ireland,” he said, “I did a site check in Donegal. The first place I looked was Five Finger Strand, which became the location for our first day of shooting because it has these unbelievable vistas, breathtaking cliffs, miles of sandy dunes and crystal clear waters. But we knew we had to be very lucky with the weather, as the rain and wind conditions could jeopardize days of shooting. As we were returning – still discussing the risks – I suddenly stopped the car and caused a traffic jam on the narrow country road because right in front of me was the most perfect rainbow. It’s one of those occasions where I had to go with my instincts.”

magic and her appreciation of colour to help him find acceptance and a place to belong.

His instincts also served him well when he, and producers Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts, his partners in the Vancouver-based Sepia Films, decided to option the rights to Lillian Beckwith’s book of the same name. They defied the critics who thought that the simple story of a young orphan named Tomas (newcomer John Bell), who is saved by an extraordinary woman, Maire (Danish-born actress Connie Nielsen from Gladiator and Battle of Seattle), maybe a bit too saccharine for modern, cynical audiences. Maire takes him to her home on the wind-swept Corrie Island, just off the coast of Ireland, where she lives with her husband (Adian Quinn), and shares with Tomas the secret of the seals, the mysteries of the giant stones, her belief in the power of rainbows,

are also strong directors, but

“I was interested in the relationships in this story,” he said. “In our current global climate, which seems to be driven by negative forces, the character of Maire shows us a way to change the equation. She’s a positive force in this boy’s life because of her appreciation of things that we sometimes take for granted like colour, which is really a metaphor for love. The ‘magic’ of our physical surroundings and that sense of connection and hope in humanity were really attractive to me.”

“I think a lot of cinematographers

there is still a stigma in Canada that if you’re a cinematographer you are a ‘below-the-line’ technician.” Vic Sarin csc Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

The forging of relationships also drives Sarin’s cinematic philosophy. When it comes to shooting on film or opting for the more expedient and technically advanced digital format, there is no question for him. “If I could shoot everything I do on film I would. I’m not saying that digital is bad, but it’s just a different type of art. When I shoot on film, it’s another experience because I’m watching the actor and not a monitor. I need to build a strong relationship with both my actors and my crew. Before we commit to film, I discuss the scene extensively and there’s a lot more preparation and teamwork involved. With film shoots you need to have the work and life experience to think quickly through any problem that may arise. Film is less forgiving than digital and it’s more expensive to fix.” Sarin added, “Digital has its own virtues, in that it’s much quicker and when you only have 28 days, like I had on this shoot, and are restricted to shooting only seven hours a day. It would have made things less stressful knowing that you have the option to shoot more.” In addition to the special considerations made to his child actor, Sarin had to contend with another set of special circumstances for Bell’s special co-star. “We used an animatronic seal for the scenes where Tomas nurses the pup back to health because there were a lot of scenes in the water and we wanted to cut down on the unpredictability of a real seal’s behavior. Neal Scanlan is brilliant! He worked on the animals for the film Babe and with our seal he created an equally compelling puppet that I really put to the test. It had to withstand saltwater, and we had to be able to shoot it from every angle.” Vic Sarin’s background in shooting documentary films proved useful as he tested not only his equipment but his crew by making them wade in knee deep in the chilly ocean waters. “It was like the good old days of doc film with my Arri 3 on my shoulder, the only difference is that now I have a three-camera shoot and a larger crew.” Although, he added, “I never lose sight of the money involved. I’ve been lucky because the studios and the producers never pressure me to change my process or my vision for the film. They respect me because they know that I respect their work and the budget.” Sarin’s impressive collection of awards and industry acknowledgements – including an Emmy Award for Millennium: Tribal Wisdom in a Modern World (1992), a CSC Award nomination for best cinematography for his feature Partition (2007), three Genie nominations and two Gemini Awards (Millennium and Love and Hate: The Story of Colin and Joanne Thatcher) – all attest to Sarin’s respect and love of his craft. Ironically the role of cinematographer was not his first love. “My father was a theatre owner in Kashmir. I grew up watching Gary Cooper in films like High Noon and I was equally mesmerized by James Mason in 20,000 Leagues under the Sea. I really thought that I was going to make my mark as an actor. Unfortunately there wasn’t a high demand for actors with my strong accent, so I decided to pursue a career behind the camera instead.” Although he experienced some barriers

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

to becoming an actor, Sarin has not let industry stigmas stand in the way of his goals of being both a cinematographer and director of his films. “I think a lot of cinematographers are also strong directors, but there is still a stigma in Canada that if you’re a cinematographer you are a ‘below-the-line’ technician and therefore the opportunity to direct is never presented to them. It’s hard to change roles in the industry. In the U.S. it’s more open. In my case, the U.S. producers saw my work on Whale Music (1994) and when they heard that I had an interest in directing, they offered me an opportunity to try both. There’s more of an entrepreneurial spirit in U.S. filmmaking, whereas in Canada we take a more conservative and analytical approach.” Sarin also takes on another Canadian ‘stigma’ – that all Canadian films have a type of ‘look’ because of our physical surroundings and our unique light. “I don’t believe that it makes any difference to the film whether you shoot it in Canada or India. The perception that our natural light is different, or that pollution or haze that exists in some South Asian or European countries gives their films a softer look that we can’t achieve, is incorrect. That ‘look’ can be achieved in Canada depending on the time of day you shoot and your lighting know-how. “When I shot Partition – which was set in India in 1947 – the film’s location was central to the plot. The story would not have been credible if audiences didn’t believe they were in India. I surprise a lot of people when I reveal that some of the scenes they thought were taken on location in Kashmir were actually shot in Vancouver. It requires a lot of preparation and familiarity with your physical surroundings to know how the light will be at different times of day and how to use colour.” When it comes to colour, Sarin, like Maire in A Shine of Rainbows, spins a bit of his own magic. “For the early scenes of Tomas in the orphanage, I worked with an almost black-and-white colour palette – the colours are grey and the lighting emulates the look of greenish fluorescents. When we see Maire for the first time, she’s bathed in colour and stands in sharp contrast to her surroundings. I purposefully over-saturated the colours so that as Maire begins to transform the way Tomas sees the world, there is a visual cue in the landscape and colors that underscores the emotions of the story.” “Vic’s use of colour and our locations really adds another layer to the film,” said Tina Pehme. “As the film really doesn’t have a lot of dialogue, it was important that the landscapes and the colours reflect the characters’ inner struggles and support the story arcs. And no one does that better than Vic.” “At the end of the day,” said Sarin, “even after all the prepa-ration and teamwork that goes into making a film, I really believe that even Spielberg doesn’t know how it will turn out until it’s up on the screen. When it all comes together it’s a bit like magic and I am still mesmerized and attracted to it as much as I was when I was 10 years old watching movies in my father’s cinema.”

From left to right: John Bell (with the yellow coat and boots), Tara Scully and Jack Gleeson. All images courtesy of Sepia Films.

Acting newcomer John Bell with his animatronic seal pup friend in A Shine of Rainbows.

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 â&#x20AC;˘

He Heard the Mermaids Singing An Interview with Douglas Koch csc By Wyndham Wise

ouglas Koch csc is one of Canada’s top directors of photography, and certainly one of our most versatile. His credits include award-winning music videos, commercials, documentaries, features, television dramas and miniseries. Graduating from Toronto’s Ryerson Polytechnic (now Ryerson University), Koch began his career assisting on short films by the likes of Bruce McDonald, Peter Mettler and Patricia Rozema. He rose to the status of DOP in 1987 with the television movie The Kidnapping of Baby John Doe, and cemented his reputation for technical innovation and striking visual imagery with Rozema’s groundbreaking I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing, a major advancement in the quality of English-Canadian cinema.

clients is no less impressive. He has shot spots for some of the heavyweights in the corporate world, including MasterCard, Budweiser, Jaguar, Toshiba, Labatt, Bell Canada, Apple, Ford, McDonald’s and Rolex. He has won multiple Bessies, including a Gold Bessie in 1997 for a Visa Canada spot entitled “Luggage.”

During the 1980s, Koch became a very busy music video cameraman, shooting over 100 videos for Bruce Cockburn, Anne Murray, Sarah McLachlan and many others, capturing the top prize at the 1994 Canadian Music Video Awards for Spirit of the West’s “…And if Venice Is Sinking.” His list of commercial

WW When and where were you born?

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

Koch won the CSC Award for best commercial cinematography for a spot about TVO’s Saturday Night at the Movies, and was nominated in the theatrical category for Last Night (1998). He also received Genie Award nominations for I’ve Heard the Mermaids (1987) and Last Night. I spoke to the affable Douglas Koch at his home in Toronto in November. (Ed’s note: The interview has been cut for length. The complete text will be posted on the CSC website.)

DK Vancouver, 1960. WW What was your education?

Douglas Koch csc

DK I went to high school, Sentinel Secondary in West Vancouver, and then right after graduation I moved to Toronto and entered the Ryerson film program. WW Did you become interested in cinematography at Ryerson? DK Basically, yes. I had made a couple of Super 8 films in high school, where I did everything. So I thought maybe I would be a director, but as I got into it and made some more films, I realized that what I really enjoyed was the cinematography part of it – constructing the image visually. There were way more people better at directing then me. WW When did you graduate? DK In 1983. I remember shooting a short around that time, A Trip around Lake Ontario, as an assistant to Peter [Mettler]. I’m dying to see that film again. And a bit later I worked with Peter on the Patricia Rozema short Passion: A Letter in 16mm. Peter knew that I was into lighting, which is of course a huge part of cinematography, whereas he was never that much into lighting and more interested in the design of the shots. We made a number of films together, including Bruce’s [McDonald] short Knock! Knock!. Peter shot it, and I did the lighting. WW You were working with members of the burgeoning Toronto New Wave – Patricia, Bruce, Peter, Atom Egoyan and later Don McKellar. It was an incredible rich and vibrant time for the independent Toronto film scene. And during this time you also began to shoot music videos. DK I’ve always said if you want to learn the craft of cinematography, get into music videos as quick as you can. You will

be very frequently forced to produce something from nothing, which is always a great training ground. You will have to go into strange places with a bunch of lights and some crazy smoke machine – although, that’s very 1980s – with the minimum budget for the art department, and probably not much of an idea for the end result. It’s incredible how much they rely on you, the DOP, to come with ideas to make the video work. And if you can actually make it work, then you will get more work and better pay. I really learnt so much from making these low-budget Canadian music videos. I was constantly being forced to pull a rabbit out of a hat. WW As far as I can determine, the first feature-length drama you shot was The Kidnapping of Baby John Doe, which was made for television (1987). Is that correct? DK That’s right. I don’t remember clearly how it came about – I somehow met the husband and wife filmmaking team of Patricia and Peter Gerretsen. They had made some educational films, and all I could show them was Patricia’s film, Passion. I went over to their house, they had a 16-mm projector, and I showed them the film. They watched the whole thing, and we discussed it afterwards. I must have been 26 at the time, and I was determined to get this TV movie. And sure as hell, they hired me. I couldn’t believe it. It was the first thing I had done that was feature length. It was an interesting experience, and it led to I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing. WW Which I do want to talk to you about because in many ways it’s the film that broke the mould of English-Canadian filmmaking. It’s one of the key films of the Toronto New Wave, and stylistically it was quite radical. It was shot in colour, black and white and on video, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s one of the very finest films ever made

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

about the City of Toronto. Tell me how you became involved with Mermaids? DK I already knew Patricia and Alex [Raffe, the co-producer of Mermaids] because of my work on Passion. When they approached me about making a feature, they asked me how I would shoot it. They didn’t have any real money, so 35 mm was out of the question. They were hoping, somewhere down the line, that the film would play two weeks at the Carlton Cinemas in Toronto, like Atom had done with his first feature, Next of Kin, which I had worked on as an assistant. So they asked me what format they should use. I had shot Baby John Doe on Super 16 because the Gerretsens had some notion that they could blow it up for a low-budget release. There’s no such thing as a Super 16 projector, so the only way to show it in a theatre would have been to blow it up to 35. But since Patricia and Alex didn’t see their film as a theatrical release – the best they were hoping for was renting 16-mm projectors for a screening at the Carlton – I said let’s go with regular 16 mm. Then to my surprise, they did blow it up to 35 mm. WW But you also used video. Polly’s confession to the camera, which frames the beginning and end of the movie, is recorded on video. DK What we did is shoot those scenes on video, probably Betacam or something like that, I really don’t remember. Then to convert to film, we did it very cheaply by simply filming the image on the television monitor. Instead of blowing all sorts of money we didn’t have by doing it the ‘proper way,’ I knew of a way of shooting the image off the screen that was flicker free. There were a few, little technical things I had to work around, but it could be done. It was done more in a way that we knew it would give the film a crazy look, but in a pragmatic, cheapest way possible. Fortunately, we had some time while shooting that sequence to send the footage to the lab to see if was working the way we wanted it too. I played with the image on the monitor, for example, to make Shelia’s hair redder. I must say of all the projects I have shot, Mermaids is the best script I have ever worked on. Not only could I not put it down when I received it, I was completely charmed by it. I couldn’t wait to see what this crazy girl was going to do next. I loved the writing, and during production it was a real treat to see what Shelia [McCarthy as Polly] would come up with. It was a joy to work on, and I really looked forward to a day’s shoot. And that’s only happened to me a few times. WW How did you do the flying sequence in Mermaids? DK That sequence is really just an example of simple cinematic tricks. WW Did you use wires? DK No, there are no wires. It’s basically Shelia lying on a diving board. The gaffer on the shoot, David Owen, lived in this crazy collective in downtown Toronto, on Wellington Street, west of Bathurst. From the roof there was this great view of the

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

Toronto skyline in the distance. So we had Shelia on this diving board, and what I suggested we do was use the Toronto skyline as the background. It was so far away, and I used a long lens, and then we dollyed from side to side, giving a sense of movement. It looked like the buildings passing behind her. We used wind machines and small things such as zooming in as we passed her; whatever we could think of without turning the whole thing into a dangerous stunt. WW Then, of course, the film had a tremendous success at Cannes in 1987, winning the Prix de la Jeunesse, and an unprecedented commercial success upon its theatrical release later in the year. DK I always thought people would like the film. There was no question that the script was really great and the performances were wonderful, particularly Shelia. But then to see the film in a theatre and have people standing and clapping and going absolutely ballistic, it was wild. I had never before – or since – encountered anything like it. Definitely it was a big surprise. I remember the morning after the Cannes screening I was working on another film. No one had called me to tell me what had happened, until someone on the set came up to me with a newspaper and said, ‘Check out what happened to the film you worked on at Cannes.’ It was crazy, and for the next couple of

Originally the three segments were to be shot by three different cinematographers and I was hired to shoot the beginning and end, to wrap it all together. However, that wasn’t going to work, so I shot the whole thing. But I had three bosses to satisfy. It sure made me busy, prepping with three different directors, who all had different ideas. To complicate matters, there was another director assigned to the film, but she had creative difference with the producers and so Deepa was brought in at the last minute. WW You shot one of my favourite Canadian documentaries, The Falls (1991), for Kevin McMahon. Tell me a bit about that one because it really is an intelligent documentary. DK That was certainly one of the smartest documentaries I ever shot. Kevin is a very clever lad, and what made it interesting was that he was brought up in Niagara Falls, and as a journalism student he used to write these scathing articles about what the Hooker chemical company was doing on the other side of the Niagara River, in New York. I meet Kevin through his brother, Michael, who was the producer and editor on the film. We shot it in Super 16, so we could blow it up for a theatrical release. I must have spent six or seven weeks in Niagara Falls shooting the film. I really enjoyed myself on that one. And I can tell you we are in a lot of Japanese home movies. Every time we set up a shot, we were surrounded by tourists. We became one of the attractions. WW At some point you began to shoot commercials and became an in-demand cameraman with an impressive list of clients. Last Night: “We had co-operation from the TTC to shoot the streetcar scene, where the mob tries to flip one. The thing is so heavy and the centre of gravity is so low. But they did manage to rock it.” Douglas Koch csc

weeks there were stories in the paper about the film and Patricia every day. Then it played TIFF in the fall, and the whole thing started all over again. WW Following Mermaids, you shot a film for Don Owen, Turnabout (1988). DK I only shot part of that one. It was a really neat idea, and I had a chance to work with Don, who was quite an eccentric character. My agent at the time introduced me to the project, and she was enthusiastic because the script was completely from a woman’s point of view, yet a man had written it. How I became involved was because Don had shot most of the film with another cinematographer, but when he got into the cutting room he wanted to shoot more footage, which I did. WW Also around this time, in the late 1980s, you worked with Deepa Mehta for the first time, on an unusual film called Martha, Ruth & Edie. Unusual, in the sense that it had three women directors – Deepa, Norma Bailey from Winnipeg and Daniele J. Suissa from Quebec. DK I was hired by the producers who said they really loved my work and I was told I could give this thing a unity of vision.

DK I think it’s a natural progression for people who make music videos to segue into commercials. Music videos are quite a grind in terms of what you have to accomplish in a small amount of time. There are not a lot of music video directors who can move into dramatic features, so commercials become the natural extension for music video directors and cinematographers. WW Jumping ahead to the mid-1990s, you again lensed a film by Patricia Rozema, When Night Is Falling, her lesbian ‘coming out’ film that has one of the most erotic love scenes in Canadian cinema. DK I must admit it was pretty unusual having a lesbian love scene with two straight actors, a lesbian director and two straight guys shooting it, my assistant and I. What I remember most about the controversy surrounding the film was the fact that Blockbuster Video forced Patricia to censor the lovemaking scene. There was one moment that Blockbuster demanded a cut if it was going to sell or rent the film. No ifs, ands or buts. Patricia, who was livid with this, said ‘Okay, if you are going to force me to cut the scene, at least put on the display box that it had been abridged by Blockbuster.’ But they simply said, flat out, ‘no.’ Apparently this was Blockbuster policy, and as a consequence I boycotted them for years. I thought it was very underhanded of them to have the power to censor a film but not acknowledge they had done it. WW When Night Is Falling is another film with fantasy sequences and a wonderful punk version of the Cirque du Soleil. DK We looked at it as Cirque du Soleil – but not as good. They

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

Lisa Ray (in blue) in Deepa Mehta’s Bollywood/Hollywood.

didn’t get the good people, although I will always remember the Steben sisters, a twin acrobatic high wire act. It’s one thing to present this sort of weird, punky circus, but it’s another thing to actually deliver the goods. We were really blown away filming them. They’re incredible. [Ed’s note: The Montreal-born Steben sisters, identical twins, have performed with the Cirque du Soleil in Las Vagas.] What many people don’t know about that film is that the first script I saw was very different from the final version that appears on the screen. In the version I read, the Camille character [played by Pascale Bussières] is having an affair with the head of the Christian college where she works. It’s a totally secret affair, completely off limits, and exposure would cost them both their jobs. Then she runs into circus girl [Rachel Crawford], has an affair with her, but it turns out that circus girl is the daughter of the head of the college. He has completely disowned her, wants nothing to do with her, and so has never mentioned his daughter to Camille. I thought this was great, amazing. What a great plot twist. But Patricia got so much heat from her backers and Telefilm Canada and I don’t know who else that she had to make significant changes to soften the impact of the film. WW Last Night is another great Toronto film that you shot, this time

for Don McKellar. The movie poster has that iconic shot of a disabled Toronto streetcar with Sandra Oh in the foreground. DK We had co-operation from the TTC to shoot the streetcar scene, where the mob tries to flip one. But the TTC said there is no way we could actually do it. The thing is so heavy and the centre of gravity is so low. But they did manage to rock it. Actually, we shot a lot of the exterior scenes for that movie up on Old Weston Road, which is in the northwestern part of the city. I had never been to that part of the city. It has a small-town feel about it. I enjoyed working on that one; it was a good script. WW Following Last Night, you shot two for Deepa Mehta, Bollywood/Hollywood and The Republic of Love. DK Bollywood/Hollywood was a real hoot. I really like working with Deepa. She’s a very decisive type of person. Sometimes she would only do one take, which always gave me the shivers. All the technical elements – camera operating, composition, focus, sound – had to be good right from the start of the scene, as she would frequently used the first take. But it’s true that the best, most authentic performances come with the first few takes. If you have to do 10 or 12 takes on a drama, you know there’s something wrong. You get the most natural performances early,

Rachel Crawford and Pascale Bussières in Patricia Rozema’s When Night Is Falling.

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

so you have to be poised to get it right the first time Deepa has a very strong, unified sense of the colour palette she wants to use. She didn’t want to see the colour green. She wanted the reds, the yellows and the blues to stand out. I was okay with that, and worked within her range, to the point of experimenting with some over-the-top techniques, which proved to be a real pain in the ass, even dangerous. These days, with digital intermediaries and the ability to play with colour, it can be done with relative ease. I designed some filters that were not easy to use, but maintained the proper skin tones and clear whites while turning the background foliage into a weird shade of brown. It’s a very romantic story, so we wanted the leads to look good all the time. WW Tell me a bit about The Bronx Is Burning, a miniseries you shot in 2007 for American cable. DK The Bronx Is Burning is essentially a baseball film based on a book. It’s the year 1977 in New York City. The city is facing bankruptcy, and there was a killer summer heat wave, a huge blackout that led to widespread looting and arson, there was the Son of Sam killings, and President Jimmy Carter basically said ‘New York City can go screw itself.’ Then the New York Yankees won the World Series with Reggie Jackson hitting three home runs with three swings of the bat. The focus was the tension between Jackson, the Yankee manager, Billy Martin, and owner, George Steinbrenner, set against this backdrop of what is going in the city. It was an eight-hour miniseries, and pretty grueling to shoot. We shot most of it in New London, Connecticut, and a little bit in New Haven; it just wasn’t practical to shoot in New York, although the second unit shot locations and street scenes in the city. Most of the television dramas I have done are with Jeremiah Chechik. He directed National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and Benny & Joon, which is an intensely good film. Then he did a remake of Diabolique with Sharon Stone, which got trashed, and then The Avengers, which got dumped by the studio. In a way I feel sorry for the guy because The Avengers is not the film he set out to make. I worked with him on a drama called Meltdown in Vancouver and then the Bronx project came up. We also shot a pilot for a really funny show called the Middleman, which was picked up. But they wanted to shoot it in L.A., and I wasn’t interested. The great thing about a pilot is you have more time and money, and you get to set the tone for the series if it gets picked up. Although once you get into a series, it will have lots of standing sets, which buys you a certain freedom because the repetition means it gives you the ability to experiment or fall back on what you have done before, so there is something to be said for shooting a series. I just wasn’t interested in spending six months in Los Angeles at the time. WW Looking back, what is your most satisfying moment in your career as a cameraman? Or your most satisfying film? DK I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing because it was such a pleasure to work on and in the end having it turn out so well. My memory of it is that is was a tough shoot and I was not all that experienced, but there’s that bit of “no pain no gain” cliché. Just

because you had a good time making something, doesn’t mean you will have a good film at the end. But Mermaids might just be the exception to the rule. Despite the difficulties of the shoot, I really enjoyed doing it and the result turned out really well. WW What’s the best piece of professional advice you ever received? DK My mentor, Alar Kivilo [DOP on A Simple Plan and The Blind Side], back at the time when I was starting out in the business, told me, ‘The bitterness of low quality lingers long after the sweetness of low cost is gone.’ That’s my favourite quote. WW Thank you for your time.

A Selected Filmography

A Trip around Lake Ontario 1984 (short, assist. camera) Next of Kin 1984 (assist. camera) Snowscreen 1984 Knock! Knock! 1985 (short, assist. camera) Passion: A Letter in 16 mm 1985 (short, assist. camera) Divine Solitude 1986 (assist. camera) The Kidnapping of Baby John Doe 1987 (TV) Dear John 1987 I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing 1987 Turnabout 1988 Martha, Ruth & Edie 1988 Friends, Lovers & Lunatics 1989 Defy Gravity 1990 The Falls 1991 Battle of the Bulge 1991 Collateral Damage 1993 When Night Is Falling 1995 Last Night 1998 Rusty 1999 A Word from the Management 2000 (short from the Preludes collection) Untitled Secret Service Project 2002 (TV) Bollywood/Hollywood 2002 The Republic of Love 2003 (+OP) Meltdown 2004 (TV) The Bronx Is Burning 2007 (miniseries) The Middleman 2008 (series pilot) The Catsitter 2008

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

“We’re Condemned to Originality” A Giant of Quebec Cinema, Gilles Carle Dies at 80 By Wyndham Wise

orn in Maniwaki, Quebec, in 1929, Gilles Carle passed away November 28 at the age of 80 after a long struggle with Parkinson’s disease. A key figure in the development of a commercial Quebec cinema, who directed more than 400 films, Carle grew up in Rouyn-Noranda where his father managed a dairy. When he was 16 he left for Montreal to study art. He began his professional career as a graphic artist and writer at Radio Canada before he made his first short in 1961. From 1961 to 1966, he directed a number of documentaries for the National Film Board. His innovative debut feature, La Vie heureuse de Léopold Z. (1965), tracked the adventures of a snowplow operator during a madcap Christmas Eve. The film was lensed by Jean-Claude Labreque csc (see Canadian Cinematographer, November 09).

In 1971 Carle joined forces with producer Pierre Lamy to form Les Productions Carle-Lamy, which produced Claude Jutra’s Kamouaska (1973), Denys Arcand’s first features, and all of his early films. The quirkily paced, proto-feminist La Vraie Nature de Bernadette (1972) starring Micheline Lanctôt – widely regarded as his best film – and Le Mort d’un bûcheron (1973) starring Carole Laure eventually led to the more mainstream but graceful Les Plouffe (1981) and the epic love story Maria Chapdelaine (1983), both classics of Quebec cinema. He wrote or co-wrote all of his films, and worked closely with some of Quebec’s best cinematographers, including Labrecque, René Verzier, François Protat and Pierre Letarte csc. He once described his movies as “social fables,” allegorical tales rather than “films of social protest.” His major works from the 1970s not only explored and challenged the myths of Quebec society, but also he developed a unique style of narrative filmmaking that often probed the boundaries between fantasy and reality. Carle once said about Canadian moviemaking that due to limited budgets and the overwhelming influence of Hollywood films, “we’re condemned to originality.” Named in 1995 to France’s Legion d’Honneur, Carle was made an officer of the Order of Canada in 1998 and in 2007 received the Order of Quebec. He won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes film festival for his short film, ONF 50 ans, made to celebrate the NFB’s 50th anniversary, and three of his features – La Vraie Nature, La Mort, Fantastica (1980) – screened in Official Competition. Maria Chapdelaine was shown in competition at the Venice International Film Festival. He won multiple Genies (including best director and screenplay for La Vraie Nature, when they were known as the Canadian Film Awards, and Les Plouffe), Prix Gemeaux and was given the Prix Jutra Lifetime Achievement Award. Gilles Carle had little interest in material success and turned down several lucrative offers to work in France and in Hollywood. “Movie making is like an airport, they are the same everywhere,” he once told a reporter. “There is nothing more disgusting than a film without culture. Producers are only interested in box office receipts. It’s like premature ejaculation instead of making love.”

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

“Gilles Carle was a true builder. Along with many other members of the NFB’s French team in the 1960s – people such as Michel Brault, Gilles Groulx, Arthur Lamothe and Pierre Perrault – he was at the heart of the emerging world of Quebec film. He was deeply attached to his roots and offered an authentic look at Quebecers – bringing them to the screen with daring and humour, and painting a vibrant and unforgettable picture. His powerful and unique works remain a crucial part of our cinematic heritage.” Tom Perlmutter, Government Film Commissioner and Chairperson of the National Film Board of Canada “His style and inspiration place Gilles Carle among the pioneers who have given Quebec and Canadian cinema its national and international dimension and luminous modernity.” The Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor-General of Canada “Gilles Carle will be remembered as an exceptional, vibrant and loquacious storyteller.” Jean-Claude Labreqcue csc “He was perspicacious and a man of great intelligence. Even his illness couldn’t silence him.” Pierre Curzi, former actor (he appeared in Maria Chapdelaine) and now a PQ member of Quebec’s National Assembly

Above, Gilles Carle directing La Mort d’un bûcheron. Right: La Vraie Nature de Bernadette, La Postière and Les Plouffe. On the previous page, Carole Laure in La Mort d’un bûcheron featured on the cover of Cinema Canada, 1976.

“Gilles Carle was one of the most influential Quebec filmmakers who deeply influenced the province’s culture. He was a man of immense talent known worldwide.” Quebec Premier Jean Charest said in a statement published in the Montreal newspapers, adding there will be a full state funeral for Carle, a rare honour for a Canadian filmmaker. (It was held December 6 at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.)

Gilles Carle’s films include: Dimanche d’amérique 1961 (d); Patinoire 1962 (d); Natation 1963 (d); Percé on the Rocks 1964 (d); La Vie heureuse de Léopold Z. 1965 (d/sc); Place à Olivier Guimond 1966 (d/sc); Place aux Jérolas 1967 (d/ed); Le Québec à l’heure de l’Expo 1967 (d/narr); Le Viol d’une fille douce 1968 (d/sc); Red 1970 (d/co-sc); Stéréo 1970 (d/ sc); Les Mâles 1971 (d/sc/ed); Un Hiver brûlant 1971 (d/ ed); La Vraie Nature de Bernadette 1972 (d/sc/ed); Les Corps célestes 1973 (d/co-sc); La Mort d’un bûcheron 1973 (d/cosc/ed); La Tête de Normande St-Onge 1975 (d/co-sc/co-ed); A Thousand Moons 1976 (d, TV); L’Ange et la femme 1977 (d/sc); L’Âge de la machine 1978 (d/sc); Homecoming 1979 (d, TV); Fantastica 1980 (d/sc); Les Plouffe 1981 (d/co-sc); Jouer sa vie 1982 (co-d); Maria Chapdelaine 1983 (d/co-sc); Ô Picasso 1985 (co-d/sc); Death in the Family 1986 (d/sc with Denys Arcand, TV); Equinoxe 1986 (co-sc); 50 ans (d); Le Diable d’amérique 1990 (d/sc); La Postière 1992 (d/sc); Le Sang du chasseur 1995 (d/sc); Pudding chômeur 1996 (d/sc).

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

Classifieds

Equipment for Rent Vancouver-based 35-mm MOS camera package: Arri 35 III 3rd generation specs. 130fps motor, N35 4 perf movement, CE high-speed base and accessory box, PL mount, custom Jurgens optics with color tap and frameline generator; 2 x 400’ mags; FF2; 5x6 matte box; two dual 12v batteries and chargers. All gear ships in four cases. Well maintained former Clairmont package. Contact Adam Braverman: 604-418-0241; adam_braverman@hotmail.com. Equipment for Sale Zylight LED sungun kit and Manfrotto fluid head tripod system, other equipment as well. Please inquire: David Collard, 416-920-7979 Sony BVW-400a Betacam SP Camcorder Camera used by professional cinematographer (one owner), never rented out. Comes complete with Fujinon A15x8BEVM-28 lens, Petroff matte box with 4x4 and 4x5.6 filter holders, remote zoom and focus control for lens, 6 Cadnica NP-1 batteries, Sony BC1WD battery charger, Porta-Brace fitted cover w/ rain jacket (like new) and Sony factory hard shipping case and manuals. Lens and camera professionally maintained by factory technicians. Usage hours are: A – 1,918 hours; B – 1,489 hours; C – 4,286 hours. $10,000.00 obo. Contact: Craig Wrobleski csc, 403-995-4202 Aaton XTR Super 16 pkg: including body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5-mm–60-mm S-16 zoom lens, Zeiss 9.5 prime lens, 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,85N6, polarizer, ND6, clear), follow focus and cases $22,000; Nikon 50–300 -mm F4-5 E.D. lens w/support, $1,000; Kinoptik 9–8-mm 35-mm format lens c/w sunshade $1,400. Contact stringercam@shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com New Video Camera Rain Covers. Custom rain covers for sale. New design that fits and protects most Sony PMW EX3, Canon XHHDV, Panasonic VX200 cameras with the viewfinder extending toward the rear of the camera. Price: $200.00. Noiseless rain cover for the external camera microphone. Price: $30.00. Onboard Monitor rain cover, camera assistants can see the focus during the shot. No more hassles in the rain! $60.00. Custom Red One camera covers available upon request. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Lori Longstaff: 416-452-9247; llong@rogers.com.

Two Complete Video Villages for Sale $2,000. At this price, these units will pay for themselves in less than five weeks on a normal television series. Cost to create new would be over $5,000. Plus these very sharp, robust AC/ DC monitors are no longer available! Includes four x 9inch Sony AC/ DC monitors, four 12V batteries and chargers, four A&J hard cases, remote controls and antenna signal boosters, spare power cords, connectors, etc. BNC cables in winder, two stands, dolly carts and doorway boxes with storage drawers. Contact :Robert McLachlan : office: 604-926-5253; cell: 604-7614041; rmclachlan@mac.com. NEW PRICE – DVW700WS Digital Betacam with viewfinder and two widescreen zoom lenses. Canon J1 5x8 B4WRS SX12 and Fujinon 5.5-47. Very low hours on new heads. $8,000, plus taxes. Contact: Michael Ellis: 416-233-6378. Betacam SP Camera package. BVP550 Betacam SP camera with BVV5 recorder, complete with Fuijinon 15x8 broadcast zoom lens, “Red Eye” wideangle adapter, 6 IDX Li-Ion batteries, IDX quick charger with AC adapter, flight case, soft carry case, Sony monitor and 10 fresh Beta SP tapes ($140 value). $2,500. Call Christian: 416-459-4895. Panasonic HPX500 (Canadian model with Canadian warranty) with the latest up dates. Low hours. Perfect condition. 2/3 CCD 1080/720 HD camera with 4 P2 card slots. Comes with Anton mount, all factory accessories (most have never been opened) & original box. Only camera body and EVF for sale – not lens, base plate or batteries. Photos available. 604-726-5646; JohnBanovich@gmail.com. Elmo TransVideo TRV16 16-mm film-to-video converter color CCD. Converts mag or optical film frame, color, iris, focus adjustments. Excellent working order. Best offer accepted. Contact: Bea: feldab@rogers.com. Betacam SP D30 camera, PVV3 Recorder Back, Fujinon 16X, 9-144 zoom lens, six batteries, charger, power supply and case, Sony PVM 80Q 7 1/2inch monitor and case. $3,500. Contact: Joan Hutton: 416-693-9776. Sony DVW700 Digital Betacam camera. Excellent condition. One Sony viewfinder, one Sony battery case, one Sony tripod adaptor, and one 8x160mm Canon zoom lens. $19,900 plus taxes. Call 613-255-3200. For Sale The Essential Guide to Canadian Film by Wyndham Wise . First published in 2001, this second edition of The Essential Guide to Canadian Film is now 1,500 entries, completely revised and updated, including 650 biographical notes with filmographies and 850 film reviews, with credits, of award-winning Canadian films. Also included are a complete list of winners at the Canadian Film Awards, Genies, Oscars, TIFF and Cannes, and a detailed chronology of Canadian film and television history. The Essential Guide to Canadian Film is an individually numbered, unique publication of encyclopedic proportions ; a handsome reference text for film and television professionals, students and fans of Canadian film. Hardcover, 374 pages. $80.00 plus shipping via Canada Post Express. To order, email editor@csc.ca. Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to editor@csc.ca.

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

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Canadian Cinematographer is a glossy magazine devoted to the art and the craft of cinematography. It is published 10 times a year by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), a nonprofit organization established in 1957. Canadian Cinematographer covers the full spectrum of cinematography - film, television, HD and digital-production techniques. Each issue contains feature articles, interviews, industry news and latest equipment updates.

CSC Members

CSC FULL MEMBERS Jim Aquila csc John Badcock csc Michael Balfry csc Christopher Ball csc John Banovich csc John Stanley Bartley csc, asc Stan Barua csc Yves Bèlanger csc Peter Benison csc Jeremy Benning csc John Berrie csc Thom Best csc Michel Bisson csc Michael Boland csc Nicolas Bolduc csc Raymond A. Brounstein csc Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs Barry Casson csc Eric Cayla csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc, asc Damir I. Chytil csc Arthur E. Cooper csc Walter Corbett csc Steve Cosens csc Bernard Couture csc Richard P. Crudo csc, asc Dean Cundey csc, asc Franáois Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc David A. De Volpi csc Kamal Derkaoui csc Kim Derko csc Serge Desrosiers csc Jean-Yves Dion csc Zoe Dirse csc Mark Dobrescu csc Wes Doyle csc Guy Dufaux csc Ray Dumas csc Albert Dunk csc, asc Philip Earnshaw csc Michael Ellis csc Carlos A. Esteves csc Nikos Evdemon csc David Frazee csc Marc Gadoury csc Antonio Galloro csc James Gardner csc, sasc David A Geddes csc Ivan Gekoff csc Laszlo George csc, hsc Pierre Gill csc Russ Goozee csc Steve Gordon csc Barry R. Gravelle csc David Greene csc John B. Griffin csc Michael Grippo csc Manfred Guthe csc D. Gregor Hagey csc

Thomas M. Harting csc Peter Hartmann csc Pauline R. Heaton csc Brian Hebb csc David Herrington csc Karl Herrmann csc Kenneth A. Hewlett csc Robert Holmes csc John Holosko csc George Hosek csc Colin Hoult csc Donald Hunter csc Joan Hutton csc Mark Irwin csc, asc James Jeffrey csc Pierre Jodoin csc Martin Julian csc Norayr Kasper csc Glen Keenan csc Ian Kerr csc Jan E. Kiesser csc, asc Alar Kivilo csc, asc Douglas Koch csc Charles D. Konowal csc Alwyn J. Kumst csc Jean-Claude Labrecque csc Serge Ladouceur csc George Lajtai csc Marc Lalibertè Else csc Barry Lank csc Philippe Lavalette csc Henry Lebo csc John Lesavage csc Henry Less csc Pierre Letarte csc Antonin Lhotsky csc Philip Linzey csc J.P. Locherer csc Peter C. Luxford csc Larry Lynn csc Dylan Macleod csc Bernie MacNeil csc Glen MacPherson csc, asc Shawn Maher csc David A. Makin csc Adam Marsden csc Donald M. McCuaig csc, asc Robert B. McLachlan csc, asc Ryan McMaster csc Michael McMurray csc Stephen F. McNutt csc, asc Simon Mestel csc Alastair Meux csc Gregory D. Middleton csc C. Kim Miles csc Gordon Miller csc Robin S. Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Luc Montpellier csc Rhett Morita csc David Moxness csc Douglas Munro csc Kent Nason csc

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

Mitchell T. Ness csc Robert C. New csc Stefan Nitoslawski csc Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Bruno Philip csc Matthew R. Phillips csc Andrè Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Randal G. Platt csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Andreas Poulsson csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Peter Rowe csc Brad Rushing csc Branimir Ruzic csc Jèrùme Sabourin csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc, bsc Michael Patrick Savoie csc Ian Seabrook csc Gavin Smith csc Christopher Soos csc Michael Spicer csc John Spooner csc Ronald Edward Stannett csc Pieter Stathis csc Brendan Steacy csc Barry Ewart Stone csc Michael Storey csc Michael Sweeney csc Adam Swica csc Attila Szalay csc, hsc Jason Tan csc John P. Tarver csc Paul Tolton csc Bert Tougas csc Chris Triffo csc Sean Valentini csc Brett Van Dyke csc Roger Vernon csc Daniel Villeneuve csc Daniel Vincelette csc Michael Wale csc John Walker csc James Wallace csc Tony Wannamaker csc Peter Warren csc Andrew Watt csc Jim Westenbrink csc Tony Westman csc Kit Whitmore csc, soc

Brian Whittred csc Ron Williams csc George A. Willis csc, sasc Glen Winter csc Peter Woeste csc Bill C.P. Wong csc Bruce Worrall csc Craig Wrobleski csc Yuri Yakubiw csc Ellie Yonova csc CSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Joshua Allen Don Armstrong John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys David Battistella Gregory Bennett Jonathan Benny Jonathan Bensimon Andrè Bèriault Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Stan Bioksic Francois M. Bisson Christophe Bonniere Martin Brown Scott Brown Richard Burman Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Maurice Chabot Cèsar Charlone Stephen Chung David Collard Renè Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie James Crowe Micha Dahan Michael Jari Davidson Nicholas de Pencier Ricardo Diaz John Drake Randy Dreager Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Joshua Fraiman Kevin A. Fraser Tom Gatenby Brian Gedge Rion Gonzales Vladimir Gosaric Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley John Hodgson Cliff Hokanson James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka

David Johns Jorma Kantola Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Charles Lavack Jim Laverdiere Robin Lawless soc Allan Leader Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau James Lewis John V. Lindsay Matthew J. Lloyd Dave Luxton Robert Macdonald Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Tony Meerakker Gerry Mendoza Tony Merzetti Bill Metcalfe Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Sarah Moffat Robin Lee Morgan Helmfried Muller Brian Charles Murphy Keith Murphy Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Ted Parkes Deborah Parks Pavel “Pasha” Patriki Rick Perotto Allan Piil Scott Plante Ryan A. Randall Dave Rendall Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Don Roussel Christopher Sargent Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Neil Scott Neil Seale Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney Andrè Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson Kirk Tougas

Frank Vilaca John Walsh Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Kelly John Wolfert Carolyn Wong Kevin C.W. Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird P. J. Barnes P.Eng. Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Mark A. Biggin Caroline Brandes Adam Braverman Gordon A. Burkell Joseph Calabrese Tim A. Campbell Arnold Caylakyan Bernard Chartouni Johnny Yan Chen Brent J. Craig Maggie Craig Brad Creasser Ana Cunha Colin Davis Dominika Dittwald Micah L. Edelstein Tony Edgar Andreas Evdemon Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira Aizick Grimman James D. Hardie Stephen Hargreaves

VANCOUVER 604-291-7262

Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen Christine Jeoffroy Rick Kearney Matthew Casey Kennedy Guido Kondruss Boris Kurtzman Ryan Lalonde Charles Lenhoff Tony Lippa John Lipsz Lori P. Longstaff Robert H. Lynn Megan MacDonald Jill MacLauchlan Parks Yoann Malnati Julie McDowell Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro Muòoz Kar Wai Ng Peter Osborne Ted Overton Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Greg Petrigo Douglas B. Pruss Elise Queneau Lem Ristsoo Susan Saranchuk Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Brad Smith Kyryll Sobolev Michael Soos Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Trevor J. Wiens Irene Sweeney Willis

CALGARY 403-246-7267

TORONTO 416-444-7000

CSC FULL LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc, asc Robert Bocking csc David Carr csc Marc Champion csc Christopher Chapman csc, cfe Robert C. Crone csc, cfc, dg Kenneth R. Davey csc Kelly Duncan csc, dgc John C. Foster csc Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Douglas Kiefer csc Rudolf Kovanic csc Ken Krawczyk csc Les Krizsan csc Naohiko Kurita csc Harry Lake csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Harry Makin csc Douglas A. McKay csc Donald James McMillan csc Jim Mercer csc Roger Moride csc George Morita csc Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roger Racine csc Robert G. Saad csc Josef Sekeresh csc John Stoneman csc Derek VanLint csc Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle indicates demo reel online, www.csc.ca

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902-404-3630

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010 •

Production Notes Angle mort (feature); DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to March 6, Montreal Caprica (series); DOP Stephen McNutt csc; OP Tim Spencer; to February 2010, Vancouver Flashpoint III (series): DOP Stephen Reizes csc; OP Tony Guerin; to May 28, Toronto Fringe II (series); DOP David Moxness csc (even); DOP Thomas Yatsko (odd); OP Chris Tammaro; to March 2010, Vancouver Human Target (series); DOP Robert McLachlan csc, asc; OP Junichi Hosoi; to February 2010, Vancouver Life UneXpected (series); DOP David Geddes csc; OP Steven Adelsen; to February 2010, Burnaby, BC Meet Phil Fitz (series); DOP David Greene csc; OP Monty Rowan; to January 14, Kentville, NS Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (feature); DOP Guy Dufaux csc; to February 6, Montreal Quand l’amour est épuisé! (documentary); DOP Serge Desrosiers csc; to January 15, Montreal Shattered (series); DOP David Frazee csc; OP Mark Chow; to April 2010, Vancouver Smallville IX (series); DOP Glen Winter csc (odd); Barry Donlevy (even); OP Brian Whittred csc (odd); Neil Seale (even); to April 2010, Burnaby, BC Supernatural V (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 2010, Burnaby, BC La Vérité (feature); DOP Ivan Gekoff csc; to March 8, Montreal

Calendar of Events January 21–31, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, festival.sundance.org 22–29, Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival, Vancouver, vimff.org 29–Feb. 7, Victoria Film Festival, Victoria BC, victoriafilmfestival.com

February 1, CSC AGM at 6:30 p.m., Techincolor Toronto, Board room No. 1, 49 Ontario street, Toronto. admin@csc.ca

March 3–7, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston ON, kingcanfilmfest.com

Special Offer

SPONSOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES Advertising in Canadian Cinematographer is an investment in – and an opportunity to help stimulate – the Canadian film industry. There are no longer surcharges for full colour, and we are offering free advertising on the CSC website www.csc.ca to all advertisers who commit to magazine insertions of $1,500 and up per publication year – September 2009 to June 2010. Three web months for $1,500 of Canadian Cinematographer ads, six web months for $3,000 and so on. Web specs will be available on request. For questions, more information and to place orders, please contact Don Angus at Telephone: (416) 699-9149; Email: donangus@sympatico.ca.

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - January 2010

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