CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS
$4 March 2011 www.csc.ca
Pascale Bussières Stars in Marécages
DOP Serge
Desrosiers csc
10-MAR
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56698 94903
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Reel Canada • 2010 AGM Reports • The Newman Airhead
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. 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.
CORPORATE SPONSORS All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. CinequipWhite Inc. Clairmont Camera Cooke Optics Ltd. Creative Post Inc. D.J. Woods Productions Inc. Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM Canada Inc. Image Media Farms Inc Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./Ltée PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Rosco Canada Sim Video Sony of Canada Ltd. Technicolor 3D Camera Company Videoscope Ltd. William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV
FEATURES – VOLUME 2, NO. 10 MARCH 2011
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Serge Desrosiers csc Talks about His Work on Marécages By Lance Carlson
The Newman Airhead
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By George Willis csc, sasc
Guerilla Warfare: In the Educational Trenches with Reel Canada
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By Jack Blum
COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 From the President 4 2010 CSC AGM Reports 8 In the News 12 3D Seminar: Karl Herrmann csc 23 Camera Classified 24 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Pascale Bussières in Guy Édoin’s Marécages, DOP Serge Desrosiers csc
Canadian Cinematographer March 2011 Vol. 2, No. 10 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Saranchuk
FROM THE PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc
admin@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Wyndham Wise mfa editor@csc.ca ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House PROOFREADER Karen Longland STUDENT INTERN Savia D’cunha
W
orking in unstable locations or in dangerous situations is part of the reality of our profession. However, these are usually calculated risks attempted willingly by shooters to get that incredible shot or document that amazing story. When danger comes knocking at your door threatening your home, family and self, it takes on a whole new urgent meaning. I’m sure everyone is familiar with last month’s uprising in Egypt, which culminated in the ousting of President Hosni Mubarak. One of our members, Gamal El-boushi csc, acs and his family live in Cairo and experienced the terror of those unsettling days firsthand.
WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss gkondruss@rogers.com CSC OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca CSC SUBSCRIPTION DEPT. PO Box 181 283 Danforth Avenue 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 $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.
During the uprising, the CSC office and members of the executive were in regular contact with Gamal, who says the street outside his home was at times a battleground, and both of his cars were set on fire. He was arrested while shooting the violent demonstrations. The police kicked and punched him, confiscated his camera and mobile phone and “frog marched” him to their command centre for a harsh interrogation. Before being released, Gamal says he was forced to sign a document stating he would not attempt any further filming and he was ordered to stay at home indoors until further notice. Gamal, who lives with his extended family, says they were too frightened to venture outdoors. With good reason. Human Rights Watch has confirmed at least 300 deaths during the uprising. Many observers feel this is a conservative figure, and the death toll was probably much higher. During the Cairo demonstrations all of us at the CSC prayed for Gamal and his family’s safety and for the safety of all Egyptians. A military council is now in power and by time this column goes to print, we can only hope that a just and free peace will prevail in Egypt. I would like to announce a shift on the CSC executive. Director ex-officio, Dylan Macleod csc has become CSC education co-chair and joins forces with existing education chair, Ernie Kestler, to give CSC education initiatives a hard one-two punch. Both Ernie and Dylan were instrumental in producing the CSC’s successful and highly acclaimed 3D workshop in February 2010 with Geoff Boyle fbks. With advances in our industry occurring at lightning speed, we are certain that the combined talents of Dylan and Ernie will keep CSC education on top of our industry’s technological curve.
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The votes have been counted, the nominations have been released, and we’re now into the home stretch for the 2011 CSC Annual Awards show. So jot in your calendars April 2 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel, Toronto to find out who wins big.
Canadian Cinematographer - November 2010 •
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THE 2010
AGM
EXECUTIVE REPORTS
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
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elcome to the CSC annual general meeting for 2010. First, as is customary, let us take a moment to remember colleagues who passed away during the last year. Sadly, we lost four groundbreaking members from our community in 2010. Derek Vanlint csc passed away at age 78 last February 23 in Toronto after a short illness. Full-life member Kenneth R. Davey csc died at the age of 94 on May 7 in Victoria B.C. Doug Dales, the founder and head of PS Production Services, died on December 3 in Toronto at the age of 60 and founding CSC member Don Wilder csc passed away December 8 in Abbotsford B.C. at the age of 84. I would also like to make mention the regrettable demise of a Canadian film and television institution. A victim of changing times and the economy, service house Precision Camera closed its doors in December after 31 years. Not only was Precision a pillar of our professional community, it was also a good friend and sponsor of the CSC. But with every dark cloud there is a silver lining, and most of Precision’s employees have migrated to other jobs in our industry. For our industry, 2010 was neither a bad year nor a stellar year. We seem to be in a holding pattern, with a modest increase of one per cent for the overall net earnings for the Canadian film
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and television industry. In the middle of this, the CSC is still alive and kicking. The 2010 CSC Awards Gala at the Sheraton Centre was a glowing success with its women in film and television theme and our tribute Canada’s military cinematographers. We’ll hear more about that later from Bob Bocking, our awards chair. Beyond our society, CSC members have been recognized for their work in the most stellar ways, by sweeping the 2010 Geminis, winning Genie Awards and a host of other national and international tributes. There are simply too many to mention here. I would, nevertheless, like to make a special mention the film Northern Lights, directed, produced and shot by Antonio Galloro csc. It was nominated for best documentary at the Marbella Film Festival in Spain and won best international documentary at the 2010 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. Northern Lights is a feature-length documentary film that celebrates the spirit and success of Canadian cinematography and the CSC. Hearty congratulations to all CSC members for their outstanding wins and nominations. A milestone of sorts was achieved with the move of William F. White and the CSC clubhouse. For the past four years, White’s has generously provided space for our clubhouse. So when they bought a new building just down the road and asked us to come along, we moved. The CSC clubhouse is an integral part of our Society and is for the exclusive use of our membership for
screenings, meetings or whatever. It just needs to be booked. Our new clubhouse is located 800 Islington Avenue in Toronto. In closing, I would like to thank all the members of the executive and advisory board for their dedication to the CSC, our executive director Susan Saranchuk, who always seems to pull a rabbit out of a hat when all else fails, Karen Longland whose bookkeeping and administration helps keep the CSC moving and our editor Wyndham Wise for his hard work and diligence producing Canadian Cinematographer each month. Joan Hutton csc, president
VICE-PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2010 has been a year filled with exciting new technology. Our sponsors announced many new equipment releases during the year to showcase their equipment and these meetings were generally well attended. There were a total of 25 meetings in 2010 at the following CSC Sponsor locations: Panasonic, Sim Video, Screen Industries Research and Training Centre, (SIRT), Sheridan College, Pinewood Toronto Studios, Technicolor, Vistek ProFusion 2010, Kodak, Sony, Creative Post, Wm. F. White & CSC Screenings (Great Cinematography in Revue) (Dark Country in 3D). George Willis csc, sasc, vice-president
EDUCATION REPORT The enormously successful CSC 3D Workshop (held February 5–8, 2010) took place at Pinewood Studios, Creative Post and the AMC theatre at Dundas Square, Toronto. The keynote speaker was Geoff Boyle FBKS, whose 3D film Dark Country was screened. There were 32 participants who hailed from Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, Malaysia and England. The cinematographers and camera assistants got hands-on experience, and the observers participated in the lecture portions of the workshop on day one. The cinematographers that were not members of the CSC paid $2,500; CSC and IATSE members paid $2,000 to attend. Camera assistants that were not members of the CSC paid $950; CSC and IATSE members paid $760. Observers that were not members of the CSC paid $1,200; CSC and IATSE members paid $900. The workshop generated a healthy profit for the CSC. The CSC Lighting Workshop was held May 15 and 16 at William F. White. Non-members of the CSC paid $325, while CSC members paid $225. The instructors were Ernie Kestler and George Wilis csc, sasc. Michael Jari Davidson was there lending a hand with the lighting set-ups. Gaffer Robert McAdam was helping everyone with their lighting needs, be they fixtures or questions. There were 15 particiapnts: Dominic Bisson, Tyson Burger, Glendon Davis, Cadil Dogan, Ilana Gutman, Aaron Hucker, Goh Iromoto, Alan Lukatela, Robert Macdonald, Jake Morris, Adam Nicholson, Craig Pew, Brian Rose, Steve Thorpe
Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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and Renaldo Tragnone. The workshop was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of Cinequip, DSA: Design Sets Assembly, Fujifilm Canada, Image Media Farm, Kodak Canada, Lee Filters Canada, Rosco Canada and William F. White. Ernie Kestler, education chair
AWARDS REPORT The 2010 CSC Awards Night was held Saturday, March 27 at the Osgoode Ballroom at the Sheraton Centre Hotel in Toronto. The Gala event was attended by 296 members, sponsors and friends, and the evening was hosted by Heather Allin, actor and president of ACTRA-Toronto. All decisions regarding the awards are made by the awards committee: Robert Bocking, chair, Bert Dunk csc, George Hosek csc, John Hodgson and Susan Saranchuk. There were 141 entries. The juries were held in Toronto at Deluxe. The juries were chaired by Robert Bocking. All the categories were judged at Deluxe. John Hodgson produced and edited the Awards Gala show tape with David Oliver at Soho Post and Graphics. Bob Bocking csc, awards chair
PUBLICITY REPORT One of the best publicity vehicles available to the CSC is our website, at csc.ca. Our entire membership listings, our executive, the CSC history, Canadian Cinematographer, demo reels, award winners and nominees, education courses, plus any and all information or announcements pertaining to the CSC can be found there. It’s essentially our organization’s window to the world. As CSC publicity chair, my main focus has always centered on our website. In 2010, the site performed admirably with little or no problem. Though we have tweaked and improved certain aspects, it remains essentially the same as 2009. The traffic through our website has remained steady and at the high end of our estimates from last year. It generated nearly 1,900,000 successful requests in 2010, and that averages out to over 156,000 requests each month, or an average 5,200 successful requests each and every day. We had hoped that most of our full and associate members would subscribe to CSC Reels for their demos; however, the numbers, while they have gone up from 29 to 35, have fallen short of our expectations, even with offering the service for free. On the other hand, 45 members have direct links from our website to their
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demo reels on other websites. In total, 171 members have direct links from their CSC listing to their personal websites, which usually contain their demo reels. I would like to remind CSC members that, as per your request, connection to your reel on our CSC Reels feature was updated to direct access by typing csc. ca/your last name. A website initiative that was started in 2010 is the taping of CSC members on their thoughts about cinematography, the film and television industry and projects on which they are working or have worked in the past. Several CSC members such as Antonio Galloro csc and Kim Derko csc have already been interviewed. The raw tapes will be edited and then added to our site. The first edited tapes will be appearing, hopefully, by the middle of 2011. Nikos Evdemon csc, publicity chair
TREASURER’S REPORT Even in the midst of lingering difficulties for the national and global economies, the CSC has made significant progress this year towards regaining financial health. As an organization, we’re definitely not free from concerns, since we still have an accumulated deficit at the end of 2010. Each of our activities is being consciously reviewed to ensure that we are considering it within the current environment, rather than any past formula. As Treasurer, I am pleased that all CSC activities are being managed in such a way that our finances have benefitted this year. The other executive members devoted a great deal of time and expertise to making these activities and other services attractive to current and new members; I congratulate and thank them all. From my financial viewpoint, I’d personally like to highlight Carolyn Wong who persuaded a great many members and companies to remit amounts that they owed to the CSC for too long. Due to all this vigilance, we managed to reduce the accumulated deficit at the end of 2010, so that is now just under $2,000. This praiseworthy result was achieved through extraordinary efforts and dedication in hard times, especially by our executive director Susan Saranchuk and the team that she coordinates. How she managed to move and improve the Clubhouse without a major expenditure is beyond comprehension. Finally, I am proposing a modest increase in fees for the year 2012, convinced that the CSC will still remain the best value for any similar professional society. Joe Sunday phd, CSC treasurer *These reports have been edited for length to fit the page.
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IN THE NEWS
Barney’s Version has been nominated for 11 Genie Awards, 4 Prix Jutras and an Oscar for Best Makeup.
Courtesy of Clairmont Camera
addition to the Golden Globe Award Barney’ Version won for best actor in a comedy or musical (Giamatti) and Oscar nomination for best makeup. Incendies received 10 nominations, including best picture, best director (Denis Villeneuve), best adapted screenplay and best actress (Lubna Azabal). It has been nominated for best foreign-language film at the Oscars.
Denny Clairmont Honoured by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Denny Clairmont, one of the industry’s premier motion picture camera technologists, received the John A. Bonner Medal from the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The medal of commendation was presented at the Scientific and Technical (Sci-Tech) Awards on, February 12 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Los Angeles Denny and Terry founded Clairmont Camera in 1976. Today, it is one of the largest camera rental companies in the world. Clairmont Camera innovated, designed, and developed essential new products and accessories. In addition, Denny has been a mentor to several generations of cinematographers.
2011 Genie Award & Prix Jutra Nominations Barney’s Version received 11 nominations from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for its annual Genie Awards, including best picture, best director (Richard J. Lewis), best adapted screenplay, best actor (Paul Gamatti), best supporting actor (Dustin Hoffman), best actress (Rosamund Pike) and best supporting actress (Minnie Driver). These nominations are in
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In the category of best cinematography, nominated for a Genie Award are Bernard Couture csc for 10½, Ronald Plante csc for Piché, entre ciel et terre, Claudine Sauvé for The Wild Hunt, André Turpin for Incendies and Stéphanie Weber-Biron for Les Amours imaginaires. Best picture nominees include 10½, Barney’s Version, Les Amours imaginaires, Splice and Incendies, and best director nominees are Richard J. Lewis for Barney’s Version, Denis Villeneuve for Incendies, Xavier Dolan for Les Amours imaginaires, Vincenzo Natali for Splice and Podz for 10½. The winner of the Claude Jutra Award for best first-time feature is Jephté Bastien for Sortie 67, and producers Don Carmody, Jeremy Bolt and Robert Kulzer are to receive the Golden Reel Award for Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D, which, at $7.02 million, was the highest-grossing Canadian film at the domestic box office in 2010. With a worldwide gross of over $296 million, it is now the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time. The Genie Awards will be broadcast live on CBC on Thursday, March 10, 2011. The annual celebration of Canadian film will take place this year in Ottawa at the National Arts Centre. In Quebec, veteran actor and former Senator Jean Lapointe is set to receive the Prix Jutra-Hommage, a lifetime-achievement award, at this year’s Jutra Awards. La Soirée des Jutra, the Quebec film awards, will take place March 13 and will be broadcast live on Radio-Canada. Lapointe has starred in many highprofile films, including Les Ordres, J.A. Martin photographe, Le Dernier tunnel and, most recently, À l’origine d’un cri. Nominations for best cinematography include Bernard Couture csc for Les 7
Columbia Pictures’ Total Recall Is to Shoot in Toronto Len Wiseman is directing Total Recall, the modern remake of the 1990 version starring Arnold Schwarzennegar in Toronto with Colin Farrell top-lining the pricey FX-heavy shoot. Farrell was earlier tapped as the lead in another spring 2011 Toronto shoot, David Cronenberg’s Cosmopolis. But Farrell moving over to Total Recall opened the way for Robert Pattinson to step into the Cosmopolis lead role, opposite Marion Cottilard and Paul Giamatti. Executives at Toronto Pinewood Studios remain tight-lipped about whether Total Recall will shoot in the mega-studio, as has been rumoured in earlier media reports.
Panavision’s Workflow Solution: The Digital Transfer Station Panavision has announced the Digital Transfer Station (DTS), a powerful product providing a unique solution to enable greater flexibility in the production process. The DTS is a complimentary product to Panavision’s SSR (Solid State Recorder) that increases its capability and also provides consistency throughout
the production workflow. The DTS takes uncompressed content from the SSR and outputs DPX or QuickTime files while offering production the option to simultaneously generate a backup tape. This solution provides value to various departments in the production process. For the cinematographer, it is an invaluable addition allowing, for example, the application of Look Up Tables (LUTs) so that material can be generated for editorial needs as well as dailies. For the producer, DTS provides for near-set quality control of the master image giving almost instant feedback on set before the files are sent to post production. The system also helps to accelerate the delivery of off-line files for the editorial process. The DTS solution can enhance the entire production workflow, including visual effects and post-production. For visual effects, this means every frame is available as a DPX file, directly from set. Bo
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Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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IN THE NEWS
Image courtesy of Panavision Canada.
jours du talion, André Turpin for Incendies, Nicolas Bolduc csc for La Cité, Michel la Veaux for Trois temps après la mort d’Anna and Claudine Sauvé for Tromper le silence.
A 3D Exploratory Seminar Held at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design By Karl Herrmann csc
A
s the chair of new technology training for IATSE 669, I was recently offered the opportunity to create and present a 3D training event that was specifically tailored for DOP members. The training was co-hosted by Emily Carr University of Art + Design, who graciously offered its digital studio facility and new Kerner 3D camera rig. Paramount Production Services in Vancouver supported the training by donating all the lighting and grip equipment. A working set was designed to accommodate the issues to be covered. It was about function and not beauty. Several flats were brought in, along with a bookcase as background. I then created varying degrees of depth and contrast by using 8-inch styro balls, painted black on one side, mounted on C-stands. These were moved around during the day to accommodate the different 3D effects under discussion. The Kerner 3D rig, as outfitted at Emily Carr, is an over/under front-surface mirror design utilizing two Sony HDC-P1 cameras, each mounted with matching Fujinon 18x7.6 C-series zooms. All the functions of the cameras, such as focus, zoom, iris, etc., are electronically tied together and operated by superb 1st AC Dave Roman. When the variables changing in the shot simultaneously exceeded Dave’s number of hands, Sean Arden from Emily Carr handled 3D considerations such as interocular and convergence.
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Maria Lantin, director of all things digital at Emily Carr, orchestrated our viewing requests such that we could view live in 3D on a 40-inch monitor and then shortly thereafter review the images, if desired, projected in 3D on the big screen in the same studio where we were shooting. This provided a wonderful opportunity, as it demonstrated the concept that, with 3D, less effect is often more effective. It also demonstrated the absolute importance of having a large screening environment available to any 3D production for dailies. Viewing on the big screen, after composing and adjusting our 3D effect on the monitor, also emphasized how important lighting choices were in 3D. As an example, if we lit the styro balls with their white side deep in the set and facing camera, making them the brightest points in the scene and at the same time decided to converge our shot much closer to camera – say on the white balls in the foreground – it put a strain on the eyes and was very difficult to look at. We were essentially telling our brain to focus in two places at the same time. By simply rotating the brightly lit high-key styro balls in the background around so the black side was facing the camera, the image became much more pleasing and easier to view. Lighting became a hot topic of discussion when Maria showed the group a newly released Sony product called the Stereo Image
Images courtesy of Karl Herrmann.
Karl Herrmann csc: “I created varying degrees of depth and contrast by using 8-inch styro balls, painted black on one side, mounted on C-stands.”
Processor (SIP). With this piece of equipment, you can shoot parallel 3D images, meaning zero convergence and quite effectively dial in the amount of 3D effect into the shot in postproduction. This is of course not what the cinematographer wants to hear, but bear with me for a moment. If you’re doing a critical moving shot, say on a Steadicam, and the convergence would best suit the story by changing during the shot, perhaps this is something to consider. Your assistant is already busy with focus. If you light specifically for the important convergence points in the compositions as the camera moves from one to another, using the SIP to deal with it later, could save valuable production time. It might be helpful for post to march the Steadicam over to the different compositions and quickly converge the cameras appropriately and record a few frames as reference. Converging in post is just one valuable tool the SIP is capable of doing. I believe everyone in the room felt the SIP was a tool to consider when shooting 3D. Along with other available post software, the SIP is capable of adjusting convergence, shot to shot, thus easing eyestrain once the picture reaches the rough cut stage. Too much convergence differentiation from shot to shot has long been a complaint with 3D movies. An important note regarding the SIP, it can converge in post, but interocular distance decisions must be made on set during production. A note to consider: any 3D movie will need some post-sweetening. This includes matching issues such as alignment, lens distortion, colorization, roll, etc. All this can be done with current post software, but the cost is a slight enlargement of the image to allow for the adjustment. Therefore, if you are shooting with a camera with little or no native over scan, you begin to throw away pixels, thus resolution, in the process. Since the cameras on the rig were CCD, we didn’t have the opportunity to do any tests with rolling shutters. It would certainly be something to consider (and test) if
you are doing 3D with any camera with a rolling shutter. DOP members got very involved with moving the camera and exploring camera moves that involved dollying, tracking and zooming. We then began to adjust convergence along with pulling focus and zooming – all at the same time – on these moving shots, just to make it interesting. This led to discussions of various types of shots and blocking in 3D as opposed to 2D. If one watches a well-crafted 3D film in the theatre, you will realize that the 3D effect varies in proportion to the amount of dimension built into the visual blocking. Try flipping your glasses up and down next time you watch a 3D film to discover the depth cues that are used. Justin Carless and James Chase from False Creek Films (falsecreekfilms.com) brought a wealth of knowledge and some very useful software to the event. Their focus is on producing 3D drama-driven visual content for films, television and commercials. If you are getting involved in a 3D project, a phone call to them might be enlightening. The company has just published a book, Fundamentals of 3D Filmmaking, which should be available on Amazon by the time you read this. The 3D Exploratory Seminar could not have happened without the diligence of Louise Baker-Griffiths, training coordinator for IATSE 669, and Sandra Dametto coordinator for Emily Carr University of Art + Design. Michael Verity and Sean Arden from ECU provided excellent input, both on their Kerner rig camera system and especially on the SIP. First AC Dave Roman made sure all things ran smoothly and Phil Hersee graciously came by to photograph the day for this article. Simon Hunt served as gaffer and Michael “Spike” Taschereau as key grip. Again, my thanks to Paramount Production Services for donating the equipment necessary to produce the event and to Emily Carr and Maria Lantin or co-hosting. Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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Serge Desrosiers csc Talks about His Work on Marécages
Photo credit: Guy Edoin
By Lance Carlson
Pascale Bussières
S
erge Desrosiers csc, who was born in Montreal in 1968, has been a cinematographer for almost 20 years. In 2005, he was given the CSC Award for best cinematography in a dramatic short for Guy Édoin’s Le Pont, and that same year was nominated for a Prix Jutra for best cinematography for Claude Desrosiers’s Dans une galaxie près de chez nous, le film. He has received two Prix Gémeaux nominations, for best cinematography: video for the series Diva (1997) and best cinema tography: dramatic or documentary for Jean-Claude Lord’s Quadra (2000). His filmography also includes Lord’s Station Nord (2002) and eight episodes of the hit TVA series Taxi 0-22. In the fall of 2010, I spoke to him at the conclusion of shooting Marécages (Wetlands), a family drama set in Quebec’s Eastern Townships written and directed by Guy Édoin and starring Luc Picard and Pascale Bussières for Roger Frappier’s Max Films. In an age when most “films” are now being shot digitally, for Marécages Desrosiers opted to stick to a basic natural anamorphic film, but with an Ektachrome look and avoided going to a DI.
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LC Tell me a bit about the story of Marécages. SD It’s the story of a family who live on a dairy farm in the Eastern Townships. They have financial problems during a drought as well as a 14-year-old boy who is growing up to be a man. An event turns the life of the family upside down. Forced to confront one another, they have to learn how to forgive. We did do a nice shot near the wetlands with the main actress, Pascale Bussières, walking toward the swamp with the Techno-crane out to 55 feet, but it’s not a major character in the film. LC The film sounds dark. Is it? SD There’s a major accident about half way through it that could be considered a bit dark. There’s also nudity and a 14 year old masturbating in a tree, so perhaps there are some things that you don’t see in every film, but basically it’s a family drama.
LC What is your history with Guy Édoin? I understand he is a firsttime director? SD Yes, it’s his first feature, but I had shot three short films for him previously. One of them, La Pont, won a CSC award. When he called me to shoot his first short film, I suggested that it would be a really good idea to shoot anamorphic. That was eight years ago, and I had never shot anamorphic before. I called Panavision in Los Angeles and said, ‘Give me a hand,’ and they sent everything up to us for the four days. It was great. We also wanted to shoot Marécages on film, so we rented the equipment from Clairmont Camera. Not only did we shoot it on film, but sort of the old-fashioned way, no DI, just interneg and interpositive. It will involve neg cutting the anamorphic, which not a lot of people do these days. LC I understand you used the Hawk anamorphic lenses. Was it difficult to get the lenses you wanted? And how did they perform? SD I used the C-Series lenses previously on the short film and I was quite impressed with their sharpness. For Marécages, Denny Clairmont told me that he had purchased the new V-series, and that I should have a look at them because he was impressed by their quality. So Clairmont was able to provide us with the Hawk V-Series lenses for our tests. We found that those lenses have outstanding sharpness and precision when used wide open, which was a big consideration and it made the decision to keep them easy. And the ACs like them. They are smooth and easily changeable without breaking down the lens accessories or supports, except for the 25 mm, which is more complex. But to be honest, we did not use the 25 mm for Marécages because it was too wide. The preferred lens on the film was the 50 mm, but my own favourite was the 250 mm. I love that lens. LC How long was the shooting schedule? SD It was 30 days, but most of the scenes were shot at or around the farm, so it wasn’t too bad. LC What was the look and feel of the film and how did you achieved it? SD The look is really naturalistic, nothing complicated. Every time someone wanted to put something complicated in a shot or scene, it didn’t work. The lighting needed to be very natural; if you can feel the light, then I would say take it away. Because we were shooting film, and I was using 5219 and 5213, we were going for a slightly softer look. There were about seven days of night shooting. At one point, we were shooting in a barn with about 55 cows and it was a nightmare for the ADs, the ACs and the grips. We made up what we called ‘shit deflectors’ around the camera, but I think everybody got hit at some point, even the actors. An actor and actress helped a cow in labour. They actually did it themselves on-camera, which was something very interesting to watch. It was my first time, and for the crew also, and it was like, “Wow, the actors are there pulling the calf from the cow.’ They were being coached off-camera by veterinarians.
Top: Luc Picard. Above: Director Guy Édoin. “Not only did we shoot Marécages on film, but no DI, just interneg and interpositive,” Serge Desrosiers csc.
Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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LC Did your naturalistic approach work well for the production design? SD The production design is perhaps a bit subdued. It’s a rural setting with tractors and other farm equipment that is a bit dated, but it could be today. Probably typical of a poor farm even now. We also shot at a small-town fair, and I think it will be the funniest part of the film – cows, livestock farmers of all kinds. LC Was there much moving camera and how was that accomplished? Steadicam? Handheld? Dolly? SD We had everything, including a small 24-foot Techno-jib, thanks to Denis Paquette from Cinepool, for the entire 30-day shoot. We also had a Steadicam and dolly. We did several long sequences – continuous three-to-four-minute takes – that were kind of tough on Jacques. We did a 180-degree shot with actors coming in at 75 feet and out at 4 feet, so it was a nice choreography, but at T2.8-and-a-half on the anamorphic, it was a challenge for him. LC What film stocks did you use?
“Taking this traditional approach [to shooting the film] was actually a bit complicated for a lot of the crew,” Serge Desrosiers csc, seen here on the left with Guy Édoin. 16 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011
SD I selected 5219 and 5213 for exteriors because I like the slightly milky look. Because we were not going to a DI, I was trying to keep softer look for the daylight shots as well. There’s not much contrast, which was my intent for the film, almost like the old Ektachrome, with a subtle bluish tint and not much contrast. We shot over 2,000 feet of tests with various filters and ended up with a Coral #2. That was it, nothing else and not much manipulation in the lab. We even tried bleach bypass in the test, but it wasn’t what we wanted. LC It must have been nice to go back to the basics. SD Yes. We did this in a traditional way, so the lab had to be consistent from the beginning to the end of the shoot because we needed to keep corrections to a minimum and some people freaked out. In the end they all pulled it off. Taking this traditional approach was actually a bit complicated for a lot of the crew. On the third day of shooting I called everybody together and said, ‘Look guys, this is not a conventional DI-production process. We will not be able to scan the negative and erase a wire or a boom or a stand or stuff like that. Every department should look through the camera or from the camera view point, because that is what we are going to get.’ This helped get everybody onside from the get-go.
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“
N
ecessity is the mother of invention…” or so the saying goes, and what better place to realize the truth of this than the film and television industry. We are often faced with the challenge of finding solutions to problems that arise at a moments notice, whether on set or on location. These might come in the form of simple logistical issues or the more technical requirement of constructing a piece of equipment to accomplish the task. I recently met with Peter Newman, inventor of the Newman Airhead, and the conversation went something like the following. GW Hello Peter, thank you for taking the time to talk about your invention, the Airhead. What triggered the thought of the Newman Airhead and how did you proceed from that initial idea? PN The initial idea was to isolate the camera on the back of an ATV. For some reason, I had this vision of a four-wheeler with an inverted passenger seat. A Mitchell Mount would stem up between the passenger’s legs. The airbag was to remove the high-frequency rumble caused by the ATV. As I began to construct the mount, it dawned on me that I should forget the ATV and concentrate on the head. I’ve been part of several different configurations of the handheld cheat, with a ball or sandbag. I thought if I could somehow lock the camera to the ball and the ball to the dolly.
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By George Willis csc, sasc
GW Can you give us an idea of the time frame? PN It was around November 2006 when the air bladder entered my mind. An effects crew was simulating a rather turbulent aircraft cockpit – they were using these air bags and altering the PSI. There it was, an inflatable, industrial-strength rubber ball with mounting plate top and bottom cured into the rubber. Eureka! I went searching on my next day off to find one of these air bags. I brought this thing home, where it sat in my shop while I collected the rest of the parts for a prototype. I purchased a bearing at a farm implement store and a valve at a plumbing store. I crudely machined my plates with hand tools. Before discovering our beloved industry, I worked for a company specializing in the concept and creation of amusement park games. There are still games around the world that I was a big part of manufacturing. My lovely wife, Jennifer, suggests that my tinkering mind was not as much a product of making games, but a direct result of my youthful days spent working on a dairy farm in Caledon. If something was broken, farmers would fix it. It seemed as though they were forced to basically invent stuff all the time, just to keep daily operations moving. GW It sounds like you were applying the same basic philosophy. So where did you go from there?
All images courtesy of Peter Newman.
THE
NEWMAN AIRHEAD
PN Once I had a prototype built, which I affectionately named Frankenstein, the next obstacle was convincing people to put their camera on it and attempt to compose a shot. I was a little confused as to how to achieve this. I had been showing various people this monster and explaining the concept but hadn’t ever tested it. Finally, one day on set DOP James Gardner csc – who knew I had been toying with this thing – asked me to set it up. The shot was in the aisle of a tour bus, and James wanted to generate a little organic rocking motion. The head worked and was considered to be a mild success; however, some things were in need of further attention. There was no handle, no pan lock and, most importantly, the bag was a double-convoluted style and proved to be too long. I really wanted to achieve a hands-free camera, and with the original bag the weight was too much to hold upright. It would flop down and scare the hell out of everyone. The motion was nice and the concept seemed sound, but it wasn’t finished. Suddenly, word spread that I had this rig to help with tricky handheld shots and some commercial PMs and DOPs started to call me to rent it. Although I knew it wasn’t quite right, this was enough encouragement for me to pursue a real version. It was at this time that I paid a visit to Neil Williams at Cinegrip. I was familiar with his quality standards and figured any engineering input I could extract from him would be a good thing. This ended up being a great move. When he presented me with the first real head, I was very pleased with my decision to go to him for help. I found a bag more suited for the application, and he had machined and anodized all of the custom parts in a very professional manner. GW What was your approach when designing the head? PN The head was intentionally created with the less-is-more philosophy in mind. We discussed left-to-right balance and stabilization, but ultimately it’s only supposed to be holding the weight. It’s as non-precision as it gets. It was far more important, in my mind, to use components that people were already familiar with, namely the O’Connor-style handle, the Ronford Baker quick release and the Mitchel Mount. I figured it was hard enough convincing people to try a new motion; there’s no way they’d go for it if they didn’t recognize any of that stuff. By now it was fall 2008, and again I was carrying around my Airhead, showing anyone I thought would be interested. All of the sudden, people were starting to ask me, ‘Do you know what that would be good for?’ or tell me, ‘That would have been so handy on my last show.’ All of the things that I wanted to address were basically covered – the handle, mount and, most importantly, the bag. I had achieved the ability to completely walk away from the camera. That was a big moment for me. GW Having achieved this, what was the next part of your plan? PN I was to meet my friend and colleague Adam Quinn at Panavision Toronto to do a little spontaneous demonstration.
Adam had used the head a few times and knew it actually worked. No one else at Panavision had ever heard of it. He started to build a 535, long rods, Optimo lens, 1,000foot mag, etc. It was a pretty heavy incarnation of a camera. He gave the camera a little push, and it started bobbing around. I think it gave everyone watching a bit of a panic but it performed perfectly. Vice-president Stewart Aziz was willing to take a chance of offering the heads for rent, and we hammered out some loose give-it-a-try-type terms. By early 2009, I had dropped off three heads to Panavision. I will be forever grateful to Stewart for taking the chance on the product, and of course, Adam for putting himself on the hook like that. It was a very proud moment. As it turns out, season one of Warehouse 13 had just been prepping its Genesis package at Panavision. I think the producers had already decided on a handheld look, and the timing seemed to be perfect to offer them up my new addition. Key grip Mark Manchester brought the head out, and I think the B-camera ended up living on the Newman Airhead, on a linear bed, for much of season one. I would say the best thing about this whole experience so far has been the overwhelming support I’ve received from so many grips, PMs and operators who have offered the Newman Airhead to out-of-town DOPs or those who aren’t familiar with it yet. It shows me that the product works as a useful film tool. There’s nothing more rewarding than hearing about a job or specific application where the head has come in handy. My favourite specific advantage of the Newman Airhead is the ability to stay on a big fat zoom and still get that organic float to the shot. GW Thank you, Peter. If you, the reader, have a similar story about some equipment you have invented or an item of interest regarding problem solving and want to tell us about it, please contact Susan Saranchuk at the CSC. We’d love to hear your story. Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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GUERILLA WARFARE
In the Educational Trenches with Reel Canada By Jack Blum Actor and director Paul Gross (Due South, Passchendaele) speaking at York Mills Collegiate, Toronto.
I
n the fall of 2004, I called Doug Dales and asked if he would help us out. My partner, Sharon Corder, and I were gathering a few people together to talk about an ambitious idea – a large, impossible, quixotic idea. Without a moment’s hesitation he said, “Sure.” The idea was deceptively simple. Find a way to introduce Canadian film to high school students across the country. The people around the table with us were a combination of filmmakers and educators. We assumed that at some point there would be a few technical challenges and that Doug Dales, who was owner/president of the equipment house PS Production Services, might be helpful to have around. Beyond simple technical support, he had a reputation as the unofficial patron saint of local filmmakers and had been a champion of our domestic film industry his entire professional life. Of course, equipment and hardware turned out to be the least of Doug’s contribution. He would soon become founding president of Reel Canada, but I’m getting ahead of myself. The basic idea was Sharon’s and there were a few principles that she felt could not be compromised. First, the idea had to be dynamic, fun and exciting. The kids we would be dealing with were drowning in Hollywood hype; to reach them, we had to put on some kind of show. Second, aside from insisting that they be good, we could not be dogmatic about the nature of the Canadian films we would screen. We had to embrace auteur work as well as more commercial fare, drama along with documentary, urban, rural, regional and miscellaneous. This proved more challenging than one might have imagined. After all, it’s practically a national pastime in the Canadian film community to take a principled stand about what kinds of
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films we should not be making. This was one of the areas where we often turned to Doug for support. His implacable manner made him a natural arbiter and he never lost sight of the larger goal, which was about demonstrating the incredible quality of Canadian work, as opposed to any particular style or school of filmmaking. Finally, the programming had to come down to the kids themselves. The only criterion that really mattered was whether today’s teenagers would have a chance of actually liking what we wanted to show them. Anything else would do nothing to help our cause. A plan emerged that seemed to fit all the necessary requirements. We would produce a travelling film festival that would go from school to school. At each school, participating students would themselves select the films they wanted to see from a catalogue that we would provide. We would outfit three different venues and show six movies over the course of the day, three in the morning and three in the afternoon, and students would order tickets just like at a real festival. Of course, there would be special guests to speak with the kids after each screening. Now, we knew very little about the education system when we dreamed up this plan. We had no idea, for example, how incredibly busy teachers are and how difficult to get a hold of them. We didn’t know how rigid school schedules are; how much effort it would take from us and from our teacher partners to get the rest of their colleagues to give up one full day out of a very demanding curriculum to watch Canadian movies. We didn’t know how challenging it would be to transform school libraries, drama rooms, even weight rooms, into proper screening facilities with sound and picture good enough to feel like “real” movies. Or how complicated it would be to set up a ticketing system that actually allowed the students their choice of films.
All images courtesy of Reel Canada.
Director Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter, Chloe) speaking to a student at Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School in Toronto.
Doug never let on that he did actually understand these things, but looking back I find it difficult to believe that he didn’t have more of an inkling than we did. But what good would it have done to enlighten us? His style of quiet encouragement succeeded in getting us precisely halfway down the Amazon, by which time it was far too late to turn back. By the fall of 2005 we were ready to launch a pilot effort. Support came from Telefilm, the Harold Greenberg Fund, the Directors Guild, ACTRA and several others. Six schools in the GTA had agreed to participate. We had test-screened dozens of films with students and agreed on an initial program selection, published them in a catalogue and sent them out to every participating student and teacher. About three weeks before our first in-school festival, with the clock ticking loudly, there was a heated dispute among the committee members over just how ready we were or weren’t. So “readiness” was always going to involve a certain amount of guesswork. We once again turned to Doug for his steady hand and his rich production experience and asked him to guide us out of the storm. An event management company, the superb Baam Productions, was brought on board and whipped things into shape in record speed. When we rolled into those six high schools with projectors, screens, big cinema sound and special guests such as Paul Gross, Don McKellar and Deepa Metha, the kids didn’t know what had hit them. But they sure liked it and so did the teachers and principals. For most of that pilot season Doug was in Vietnam. Doug’s relationship with Vietnam began years earlier when he and his family sponsored several refugees to safety in Canada. Doug’s Vietnamese charges were welcomed into his home, given employment at his company and with his continued help eventually brought over their families to join them. In Doug’s version of a quid pro quo, he fell deeply in love with the country, its culture,
and spent months of every year there. That particular fall, he returned on the last day of the pilot season. We were at Marc Garneau Collegiate, in Thorncliffe Park, which boasts one of the most ethnically diverse populations in a very diverse city. Our special guests were Atom Egoyan, Sarah Polley, Peter Lynch and Jennifer Jonas, who had proved enough of a draw that our lunchtime break was swarming with television journalists. Doug arrived from the airport, getting there for only the last 30 minutes of the day and missing all the media excitement, so we were nervous that he wouldn’t understand the impact that the festival had clearly had on the school. We needn’t have worried. In his inimitable way, he took it all in in an instant. This was one of Doug’s most mysterious qualities – his ability to absorb critical information and grasp its essence while appearing not even to be paying attention. We were constantly surprised by his insights into aspects of the program or issues with staffing or funding. After the brief bit of festival he had managed to witness, he declared absolute victory, then gave us a detailed analysis of what remained yet to be achieved. “Well, you will need three prototypes,” he told us. He meant that it would take at least two more seasons of Reel Canada festivals before we really had a grasp of what worked and what didn’t. We were aghast. Two more years of this just to get to the point where we could get serious? Sharon and I were daunted by the challenge. It was exciting, to be sure, to demonstrate what we’d always believed, that Canadian filmmakers had created a fantastic body of work that audiences – even teenage audiences – would love if they were given access to them. At the same time, the overwhelming response from teachers and students alike meant that we had to carry on and try to build a program that would serve schools not just across the city but across the country. Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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From the left, Sharon Corder, director Deepa Mehta (Water, Bollywood/ Hollywood), Jack Blum and Doug Dales.
Doug’s perspective – always taking the long view and never for a moment losing sight of the goal – made us nervous about taking on such a huge commitment. But his matterof-fact certainty about the importance of the program was like the current of a river; there was no point trying to fight it. Doug was right on target. Somewhere after our third season, we started to breathe again and realized that the program had firmed up and taken shape. Our goal of a national program, while still ludicrously ambitious, no longer seemed entirely out of reach. As I write this, we’re in the middle of our sixth season. We’ve brought Canadian films to Windsor, Kingston, Belleville, Ottawa, Woodstock, Sudbury and dozens of other communities across Ontario. We’ve established the program in Vancouver and visited small towns in B.C. that don’t even have a movie theatre. We’ve given students the chance to ask questions of filmmakers like Alan King, Gary Burns and Michael McGowan, and introduced them – in person – to the likes of Gordon Pinsent, Colm Feore and Lisa Ray. CSC members Brent Robinson and George Willis csc, sasc have delighted audiences with tales of the kind of underwater photography used in the documentary Sharkwater. And Passchendaele DOP Greg Middleton csc was impressed with the degree of sophistication in the questions he fielded from the students. We now have requests from teachers across the country, far more demand than we are yet able to meet. Our support continues to grow as well and with hundreds of screenings and tens of thousands of Canadian students served we feel like we have a handle finally on how this thing could work. Our prototypes have evolved into working models, and we continue to set our sights on bringing Canadian films into high schools from coast to coast.
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Actor Colm Feore (The Chronicles of Riddick) with students at Parkdale Collegiate, Toronto.
Of course, Doug won’t be there to see that happen. His shockingly rapid decline and passing has left the entire community in shock, and it has certainly left us with a hole in our hearts. There is really no one else who can replace our founding president, no one who has helped launch so many filmmakers’ careers or kept so many production companies afloat through the lean years. There is no one whose stamp of approval means so much to us. Still, Reel Canada is an important part of Doug’s substantial legacy, and we are determined to carry it on in honour of the values he championed his whole working life: integrity, community, generosity towards the young. At some point after that event at Marc Garneau, Atom Egoyan commented that the Reel Canada program was like a guerilla campaign, taking our culture back one village at a time. It’s been a great privilege to have been in the trenches with Douglas James Dales.
Used Leica Geo System Disto Laser Measurement Devices Attention crew technicians interested in selling used Leica Disto Laser Measurement devices for cash to upgrade to newer models. Contact: Alan J. Crimi, Panavision Canada Corp. at 416-258-7239, shipping, receiving and client services at 416-444-7000 or alan.crimi@panavision.com. www.panavision.com.
Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Contact: Lori Longstaff at 416-452-9247 or llong@rogers.com. Betacam SP Camera package including BVP550 Betacam SP camera with BVV5 recorder, complete with Fuijinon 15x8 broadcast zoom lens, “Red Eye” wide-angle 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. Contact: Christian at 416-459-4895.
SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION FOR RENT Visiting Vancouver for a shoot? One-bedroom condo in Kitsilano on English Bay with secure underground parking, $350 per week. Contact: Peter Benison at 604-730-0860, 416-698-4482 or peter@peterbenison.com.
Fujinon XA17X7.6 BERM-M48 HD Lens in new condition, bought and mounted but never used. As new in box (camera is sold), $7,900. Panasonic Digital AV mixer WJMX50 (missing a few knobs from the lower right corner on the audio mixer), $400. JVC TN-9U 9-inich colour monitor, $60. Photos available for everything. Contact: johnbanovich@gamail.com or 604-726-5646.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE FOR SALE Sony DXC-D30 3 Camera Live Production Package includes three DXCD30 cameras/camera backs/ CCUs and multicore camera cables; Panasonic WJ-MX70 8 input switcher; full camera and switcher monitoring package and waveform/vectorscope; equipment rack for camera monitors & CCUs. Wired and operational. $19,500. Contact Ted Mitchener at ZTV Broadcast Services for complete list of equipment: 905-290-4430 or ted@ztvbroadcast.com. Portable Gel Bin great for studio or location use, holds 24 Rosco or Lee colour correction, diffusion, reflective, scrim, etc., rolls outer dimensions measure 17.5x24x 63 inches, not including wheels and sturdy wooden construction, painted black, bottom and back wheels, side handles hinged front & top, locks for added safety, handy reference chart, $300 obo; Darkroom Safety Lights popular Model D type, accepts 10x12 inches safelight filters (possibly included, depending which kind you’re looking for), takes 7½-, 15- or 25-watt bulb, excellent condition, $50 each. Contact: Andrew at dp@andrewwatt.com. Canon HJ11x4.7Birse HD WA lens one DOP owner, canon factory maintained, $12,000; Canon KJ16Ex7.7 HD lens, mint-used only a dozen times, one DOP owner, canon factory maintained, $5,000; Sennheiser evolution 100 wireless mic kit with wireless lav and wireless handheld mics and receiver with original packaging, mint, barely used, $700. Contact Dave: c 416.553.3356 or email davidwoodside@rogers.com.
28-Foot Black Camera Trailer with new brakes and tires, 20-foot awning, dark room, viewing lounge, two countertops with lots of storage space, heating and air conditioned, side windows and three access doors. Contact: jwestenbrink@rogers.com Digital audio natural sound effects library for sale, recorded in various countries. All recorded on VHS digital with analog audio search on audio channel 1 and time code on audio channel 2. Completely catalogued by time code and includes Sony PCM decoder. $3,500.00 OBO. Contact: rvbocking@rogers.com.
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.
Briese 77 Light, full kit, including Tungsten and HMI flicker-free setup, two Eggcrates and Manfrotto Mega-Boom. Excellent condition, $ 22,000. Contact: pierredp1@gmail.com Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WSP/PVV3P, PAL, 262hours drum time, $ 2,500; Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WS/PVV3, NTSC, 251hours drum time, $2,500; Sony BetaCam SX DNW-7, NTSC, 257hours drum time, $5,000; and IKEGAMI DV-CAM HL-DV7-AW, NTSC, mint condition, as new, 61hours drum time, $7,000. All cameras with porta-brace covers. All owned by me and serviced by Sony Hong Kong. Sony Beta SP/SX player/recorders, DNW-A25P X2, PAL & NTSC, 500 & 644hours drum time, $6,000; Satchler 575 HMI, open-face, mint condition with spare bulb, $2,500 & case. The lot for $20,000. Contact: François Bisson at blitzvideo@mac.com. 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, six Cadnica NP-1 batteries, Sony BC-1WD battery charger, Porta-Brace fitted cover with 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 at 403-995-4202 Aaton XTR Super 16 package 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 $17,500. Nikon 50–300-mm F4-5 E.D. lens with support, $1,000. Kinoptik 9–8-mm 35-mm format lens c/with sunshade. 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, $200. Noiseless rain cover for the external camera microphone, $30. Onboard Monitor rain cover, camera assistants can see the focus during the shot. No more hassles in the rain, $60. Custom Red One camera covers available upon request. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material.
Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011 •
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CAMERA CLASSIFIEDS
EQUIPMENT WANTED
PRODUCTIONS & CALENDAR
Production Notes Chaos (series); DOP Attila Szalay csc, hsc; OP Richard Wilson; B Cam OP Brian Whittred csc; to April 29, Vancouver Combat Hospital (series); DOP Gavin Smith csc; OP Sean Jensen; to July 15, Toronto Covert Affairs II (series); DOP Colin Hoult csc & Jaime Barber (alternating episodes); OP David Sheridan; to October 15, Toronto Edwin Boyd (feature); DOP/OP Steve Cosens csc; to March 28, Sault Ste. Marie, ON Flashpoint IV (series); DOP Paul Sarossy csc, bsc & Stephen Reizes csc (alternating episodes); OP Tony Guerin; to September 15, Toronto Fringe III (series); DOP David Moxness csc & Thomas Yatsko (alternating episodes); OP Chris Tammaro; to April 1, 2011, Vancouver Hellcats (series); DOP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; OP Kevin Hall; to March 17, 2011, Vancouver How to Be Indie II (series); DOP Yuri Yakubiw csc; OP Brain Harper; B Cam OP Russ Goozee csc; to March 22, Toronto Laurence Anyways (feature); DOP Yves Bélanger csc; to April 4; Montreal Life with Boys (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; to July 7, Toronto Mortal Combat (webisodes); DOP C. Kim Miles csc; OP Craig Powell; B Cam OP/Steadicam Pieter Stathis csc; to March 4, Vancouver Nikita (series); DOP Rene Ohashi csc, asc; OP Steven Adelson; B Cam OP J.P. Locherer csc; to April 6, Toronto Really Me (series): DOP Gerald Packer csc; to March 11, Toronto Smallville X (series); DOP Glen Winter csc & Gordon Verheul csc (alternating episodes); OP John Davidson; to March 22, Burnaby, BC S.O.S. II (series) DOP Marc Gadoury csc; to June 30, Montreal Supernatural VI (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 31, 2011, Burnaby, BC 30 vies (télé-roman); DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to April 1, 2011, Montreal Warehouse 13 III (series); DOP Mike McMurray csc; to July 22, Toronto
Calendar of Events MARCH 2–6, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston ON, kingcanfilmfest.com 10, Genie Awards, Ottawa, academy.ca 13, Prix Jutra, Montreal 25–Apr. 3, Cinéfranco, Toronto, cinefranco.com 31–Apr. 9, Images Festival of Independent Film & Video, Toronto, imagesfestival.com APRIL 2, CSC Awards, Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre, Toronto, csc.ca 28– May 8, Hot Docs, Toronto, hotdocs.ca MAY 4–5, Hot Docs Forum, Toronto 14–15, CSC Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca VANCOUVER
CALGARY
604-527-7262 403-246-7267 VANCOUVER CALGARY
604-527-7262
403-246-7267
TORONTO
416-444-7000 TORONTO
416-444-7000
24 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2011
HALIFAX
JUNE
HALIFAX 12–15, Banff World Media Festival
902-404-3630
902-404-3630
ALREADY T HE CAMERA OF CHOICE ALEXA is now in use on a vast range of 3D and 2D feature films,
To name only a few...
T V shows, commercials, documentaries and music videos.
ANO NYMO US – 2D feature
All over the world, filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese
H UG O C ABRET – 3D feature
and Roland Emmerich have quickly taken advantage of the
TH E TH REE MUSKETEERS – 3D feature
camera’s exceptional image quality and streamlined workflows
D ISNEY PRO M – 2D feature
to bring their creative visions to life. With a modular design and
RED BULL AIR RAC E – 2D feature
convenient update methods, the future-proof ALEXA enables
ARMANI PERFUME – commercial
cinematic storytelling like no other camera system before.
MERC ED ES BENZ – commercial ...much more to come
www.arridigital.com
© Kodak, 2011. Kodak and Vision are trademarks.
HIGHER DEFINITIONx3 As our family grows, so do the possibilities of filmmaking. The KODAK VISION3 Film family has raised the bar for high-definition capture — with unrivaled highlight latitude, reduced grain in shadows, flexibility in post, and of course, proven archival stability. Now with the addition of KODAK VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 5213/7213, we’ve developed a film that performs superbly in both controlled interiors and in challenging high-contrast exteriors. It’s time to look forward to the future with more options and no compromise. Learn more at kodak.com/go/200t
