Canadian Society of Cinematographers
$4 September 2010 www.csc.ca
DOP Glen MacPherson csc, asc V02 #03
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Zoe Dirse csc • Chris Hansen • Rodney Charters csc, asc
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.
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FEATURES – volume 2, No. 4 SEPTEMBER 2010
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Resident Expert: Glen MacPherson csc, asc Breaks the 3D Rulebook in Resident Evil: Afterlife By Micol Marotti
Zoe Dirse csc: Educator & Cinematographer
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By Robin Phillips
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Rodney Charters csc, asc Talks about the Revolutionary Canon 5d Mark II DSLR Cameras By Lance Carlson
Columns & Departments 2 From the President 4 In Memoriam: Chris Hansen 1968–2010
6 In the News
21 Camera Classified
22 CSC Members
24 Productions Notes / Calendar
Cover: Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: Afterlife, DOP Glen MacPherson csc, asc. Image courtesy of Alliance Films.
Canadian Cinematographer September 2010 Vol. 2, No. 4 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 PROOFREADER Karen Longland INTERN Jonathan Thomas WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca
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recently came across comments by Peter Leitch, the president of Northshore and Mammoth Studios in Vancouver about the harmonized sales tax (HST). I was like everyone else in Ontario and British Columbia when the HST took effect and I got a look at my gas and electrical bills. The sticker shock had me hyperventilating and reaching for the smelling salts. But Leitch had a different take on the blended tax and kept his eye on the bigger picture and our film and television industry. “What the HST does is reduce our costs on a lot of the goods and services that we rent by some percentage. That’s extremely significant in a market place where a difference of four or three per cent can take a project from here to New Mexico, Louisiana or even Ontario,” he said.
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. Payment by money order in Canadian funds.
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Canadian regional competitiveness aside, what Leitch is talking about is having an edge. In dollars and cents, a seven per cent savings on a $5-million-dollar production is a whopping $350,000, which is more than enough to snap fiscal heads to attention. However, the HST is neither a tax break nor an incentive, but rather a streamlining of how our provincial and federal governments run their taxation commerce, which in turn helps big business run industries more cost effectively. Whether or not our film and television industry was part of that larger design, we’ll take the edge anyway we can. Canada already presents an attractive face to the international film and television community, boasting some of the best facilities, locations, production and creative personnel in the world. But to keep those resources and a thriving industry, we need to continually be on top of the competition and the best way to do that is through a financial edge. While certain stimulus plans are in place and available, more could be done by our governments to ensure a sustainable future for our industry. Nothing will attract or drive away productions from our borders quicker than cost. Recent financial figures from Canadian Film and Television Production Association (soon to be the Canadian Media Production Association) show that overall production in Canada has dropped $200 million, with a substantial portion of that being in the film sector. Even though the film and television industry in this country is still a $5-billiona-year business that employs well over 120,000 people, any drop translates into job loss with skilled production and creative people going elsewhere to work, or leave the profession altogether. It’s a vicious downward spiral that can have long-term devastating consequences for our industry. The point is that tax incentives and tax breaks do work and they do provide the sharp edge we need to keep on top of the game and make our country – no matter if it’s Vancouver, Toronto or Halifax and all points in between – the first choice for any production company. This and only this will ensure a thriving and robust Canadian film and television industry.
In MEMORIAM
Chris Hansen 1968–2010 By Pauline R. Heaton csc
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hris Hansen worked for me as an underwater technician and then an underwater camera assistant for many years. So many years, in fact, that he became like a brother. When an assistant is new, the crew of Watervisions (the leading company in Canada for the source of underwater production in HD) will take him or her on a dive to see how they perform and, more importantly, how they work as a member of the team. On one of the first ocean dives with Chris, we were diving in the open ocean around a very high tidal area called Race Rocks. That day, as our guest, we were diving with the publisher of Playback magazine. Once we were set, in a spectacular spot out of the fast currents, Chris noticed that we were finished and were just going to hang out. He decided to go for a little jaunt and signalled to me he would be back. We were surrounded by very large sea lions, which stick very close to you when killer whales are searching for a good meal. This was enough excitement for us, but not for Chris. So he dove into the wall of current, like going through a portal in Stargate, and disappeared. I was very concerned, but I did not abandon my post with my crew to chase after him. I figured he would end up a couple miles away, floating, and we would have to pick him up. At the end of the dive I concentrated on getting the crew safely into the boat, and just as he had popped into the current vortex, Chris popped back out. Leaving the crew behind was a no-no, but I realized, like the seal lions, he was truly a child of the sea. Years later we went back to the very same location to film a Scuba Cow milk commercial. This commercial was a great success and was written up in Playback, and Chris was on the front page, standing with the producer and the Scuba Cow. The commercial played for over eight years on televisions in British Columbia. After that, I never worried about Chris and diving. We went on to make beautiful music together on that medium called celluloid, also known as film. Show after show, we teamed up as underwater technician and underwater cinematographer. Then we became underwater focus puller and cinematographer. Eventually Chris became an operator of film and HD cameras, and I moved into the more organizing and overseeing role of DOP. When Watervisions produced A Last Wild Salmon, Chris put his foot down and demanded that this very pregnant producer stay back at the office and he would travel to all the destinations as the underwater camera cinematographer. I agreed. Chris and the crew travelled all over British Columbia and completed the underwater sections of the film. It went on to be a finalist at the
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New York Film Festival, a Leo Award winner for cinematography and a finalist of the International Wildlife Film Festival. It sold all over the world and is still used in schools and libraries as a teaching tool. Another time, Chris and I ventured off to shoot a feature starring Benjamin Bratt in Belize (After the Storm, 2001). We shot there for over a month. We filmed most of the scenes in the real ocean with the real creatures in our frame. On our days off we used our own cameras and spent the days hanging around nurse sharks and stingrays, filming. The shoot was a USA Network original movie filmed in association with Trimark Pictures and executive produced by the Foxboro Company. It won best picture and best screenplay at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival and best picture at the Angelciti Film Festival in Los Angeles. Chris went on to win the Canadian Society of Cinematographers’ Camera Assistant Award of Merit. Chris moved into the ranks of underwater operator on a secondunit crew of the miniseries Traffic (2004), based on the movie of the same name. The tying thread of the story was the underwater element, which led to the discovery of a ship full of drowned illegal aliens. In order to shoot these scenes, we positioned a large dive boat over a huge sunken freighter ship and proceeded with an underwater RCMP dive team on camera, tag teaming to depths of over 100 feet. These shots had to be obtained with very short, deep dives. Chris was one of two shooters. I was the other. We would take turns giving our bodies the rest they needed to travel to those depths. One shot entailed going more than 100 feet down inside the ship and travelling down a staircase to a door, where the police diver had to open the door to find the drowned people. The result ended up with a quote published in Variety when it was nominated for an Emmy Award as best miniseries. The quote, by Eric Bross, co-director on the series, was about the work done by Watervisions: “[the company] not only delivers an extraordinary texture to the project but also was an incredible dose of realism, which was crucial to Traffic.”
Chris was the first underwater HD operator in IATSE and accomplished amazing award-winning footage on shows such as Mermaid Chair, Dead Like Me, Stargate Atlantis, The Guard etc. His footage on The Guard not only was constantly used to promote the series but also was used in many episodes and as the main titling and teaser footage throughout the series. One of the last great diving moments came when Chris and I slipped away and did a small film shoot for Parks Canada. We filmed gray whales by helicopter and by boat. After that Chris and I went to a secret place where we knew we would find baby gray whales. Chris put on an all-black wet suit and slipped into the water. He swam very gingerly up to a mother gray whale who was feeding in the shallows. He approached her with stealth movements and silent breathing. As he got close, he slipped underwater and under her tail. There was a baby gray whale that frolicked with Chris in the shallows. She swam right over to him, and he obtained a beautiful shot of the baby approaching him and then spinning under him so close he had to allow the whale to swim by him to capture the whole animal. The mother eventually intervened and gave Chris a gentle push with her tail. He had not only shot and experienced a very rare encounter but had bragging rights for future dive stories. Undoubtedly, Chris was the best underwater drama shooter in Canada. No one could touch his diving expertise shooting in elements where most people would not venture even if they were given the opportunity.
accomplishments and a partner in Watervisions. My brother Chris, I loved you, and my children, Aaron and Dylan, will miss you. You will never be forgotten. Your films and your love will live on. Goodbye old friend, until we meet again. June 26, 2010, Chris Hansen, a former associate member of the CSC, succumbed to the injuries he received due to a rock climbing accident. He worked as an underwater 1st AC and was listed by IATSE as an underwater DOP/OP and underwater electronic camera operator. He leaves behind his wife, Shelly, and two-year-old son Taje. He was 42 years old.
I was once asked, when Chris had done something that made me upset, why I continued to work with him for so many years. I said the truth was it was like working with my brother. We might have had small spats, but the lifetime bond with Chris was never going away. Chris was such a positive force, which could never really be harnessed. With his passing, I will be in shock for the rest of my life. Chris was one of the corner posts of many great
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The CSC is pleased to announce an exciting new series devoted to the art of cinematography, Great Cinematography in Revue. The program, roughly every two months at Toronto’s historic Revue Cinema, will feature some of the most beautiful films ever made. A post-screening Q&A with each film’s DOP will engage the audience on the artistic and technical aspects of cinematography. The series launched August 1 with Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line (1998), shot by two-time Oscar winner John Toll asc. Starring Sean Penn, Nick Nolte and Elias Koteas, with a host of big-name cameos, The Thin Red Line is an elegant and poetic adaptation of James Jones’s acclaimed novel about the dramatic battle of Guadalcanal during the Second World War. Los Angeles-based Toll took part in the discussion via Skype. Moderating the Q&A was Arthur Cooper csc, the DOP on a number of successful Canadian features such as One Week (2009) and Young People F**king (2008). Curating and hosting the screening was Alan Bacchus, a Toronto-based writer, the creator of dailyfilmdose.com, and the business affairs specialist for The Harold Greenberg Fund. The Revue Cinema first opened in 1912. After earning the title of longest continuously operating cinema in Ontario and possibly Canada, it closed in 2006. The neighbourhood rallied, however, and with the support of local residents, businesses and cinephiles, reopened in 2007. It is operated by the not-for-profit, communitybased Revue Film Society. Visit revuecinema.ca, and for more information on this series, contact Alan Bacchus at albacchus@ hotmail.com or 416-579-9109. A fuller account of this event will appear in the October issue of Canadian Cinematographer.
CSC Members at TIFF 2010 The 2010 edition of TIFF, North America’s largest and most prestigious film festival now in its 35th year, features 11 features and shorts shot by CSC members. Galas include Richard J. Lewis’s Barney’s Version, DOP Guy Dufaux csc, and George Hickenlooper’s Casino Jack, DOP Adam Swica csc. Dufaux also has a film, Jacob Tierney’s Good Neighbours, in the Special Presentations section. In the Contemporary World Cinema program there is Ed Gass-Donnelly’s Small Town Murder Songs, DOP Brendan Steacy csc, and in Reel to Reel there is a documentary by William D. MacGillivary, The Man of a Thousand Songs, DOP Kent Nason csc. This year’s Canadian Open Vault is a re-struck and restored version of Allan King’s classic cinéma-vérité film A Married Couple (1968), DOP the late Richard Leiterman csc. CSC members are well represented in the Short Cuts Canada program. Associate member Daniel Grant has three films: Nadia Litz’s How to Rid Your Lover of a Negative Emotion Caused By You!, Darragh McDonald’s Love. Marriage. Miscarriage. and Danis Goulet’s Wapawekka. Jason Tan csc is the DOP on Greg Atkins’s Above the Knee and associate member Joshua Allan lensed Firas Momani’s The Adder’s Bite.
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Missy Peregrym in Rookie Blue.
Toronto-Shot Rookie Blue Enters Its Second Season Rookie Blue, the filmed-in-Toronto police drama following newly minted cops, is set to move on to a sophomore season. The show, which debuted on Global and ABC as a summer series in late June, will return for a second season, the two networks have announced. The show, which was originally known as Copper (see the October 2009 issue of Canadian Cinematographer), was co-created by Tassie Cameron, the screenwriter and producer who helped develop Flashpoint, another successful Torontoset police drama. The DOP is David Perrault csc. Rookie Blue tells the stories of five recent police academy graduates starting their careers patrolling the streets, with young Canadian actors starring as the inexperienced quintet of officers. The show has drawn mixed reviews from critics and has been described as (both favourably and unfavourably) Grey’s Anatomy but set in a police station. In a related news item, another Toronto-shot cop series The Bridge (also featured in the October 2009 issue) was cancelled by CBS after only three episodes ran in primetime; however, it remains on CTV with a healthy viewership.
Photo credit: Steve Wilkie.
In The News
CSC Supports Screening Series at the Historic Revue Cinema
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ON SET AD-F.indd 1
4/13/10 2:05:10 PM
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In The News
Telefilm Extends Web-Ciné 360 to the English-Language Market Telefilm Canada has announced that Web-Ciné 360, a pilot initiative that aims to encourage the incorporation of online marketing and use of social media tools in distribution business practices for Canadian films well ahead of their release, will henceforth be offered to the English-language market for the next two years. The Telefilm Canada initiative has been previously offered to the French-language distributors since January 2010. Eligible distribution companies will obtain financial support from Telefilm for designing promotional campaigns that include online marketing by making use of search-engine optimization or Web technologies in general; by producing a content-rich website; by creating content for such social media tools as blogs, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; or by using online advertising. In order to measure the strategies’ effectiveness, distributors will be invited to make use of recognized online marketing and Web audience analysis tools, and even to use companies with expertise in this area. “We’ve noticed that Web-Ciné 360 has elicited a lot of interest within the industry in the French-language market,” said Michel Pradier, Telefilm Canada’s director of project financing. “This has hastened the adoption of new interactive tools and their integration into existing distribution strategies. Based on our experience since the launch of the pilot initiative, and following discussions with the industry, we are today extending the initiative to the English-language market. Our aim is to support Canadian producers and distributors in the ongoing improvement of their feature-film promotional and marketing strategies.” Telefilm’s initiative for the English market is aimed at distribution companies eligible for the organization’s feature-film Marketing Program, for projects having recently obtained production support. Distributors have until October 29, 2010 to submit a project. For further details regarding eligibility criteria, see telefilm.gc.ca/en/funds-and-programs/web-cine-360.
William F. White International Launches Viral Vans Hoping to do away with the perception that it only caters to Hollywood-sized productions, equipment supply house William F. White International (WFWI) is launching a solution to target the increasing number of indie production companies. To that end, WFWI has introduced what it’s calling viral vans – a one-stop shop, mobile production unit, complete with camera, lighting grip and sound, to name a few features. Manager of commercials for WFWI, Dan St. Amour, got the ball rolling and in January 2010 brought on Jonathon Root as interactive manager to carry out this new initiative. “We wanted to have an all-access production vehicle,” says Root, who explains that growing trends in the media community led WFWI to address the demand for small, mobile production
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units. “We wanted it to be affordable because a lot of these people are working with a small budget, and for it to be a one-stop shop where they could get everything they wanted in one place.” Director of marketing and communications Lowell Schrieder adds that WFWI teamed up with Sim Video “to enhance the attractiveness of the offer with their digital cameras and capabilities,” including a data-management station with editing software. Root and Schrieder emphasize the mobility of the viral vans that anyone can drive, whereas before, clients were required to hire a driver, which added to production costs. Features include a rolling desk on wheels with a full power station and LED lighting and everything is on carts for portability, organized by type of gear. WFWI has also launched an interactive website at whitesinteractive.com for planning shoots and insurance. There are currently two viral vans in stock, and Schrieder is optimistic that, “If the signs are pointing in the right direction, then we are looking to expand our fleet and quite likely will do so.” These mobile units go for a flat rate of $650 per day and can be built up with additional packages, including higher-end cameras and anything else in the WFWI inventory. Package prices range from another $300 to $1,200. Source: Playback
2010 Recipients of the Canwest-Hot Docs Completion Fund Six completion grants totalling $182,000 from the Canwest-Hot Docs Fund were awarded to the following projects: Stéphane Thibault and Isabelle Lavigne’s At Night, They Dance, an observational portrait of a family of belly dancers in a working-class district of Cairo; Jay Cheel’s Beauty Day, a funny and moving personal history of one-time cable television star Ralph Zavadil; Jeremy Torrie’s Cuda, about a Canadian soldier who faces trials and tribulations when attempting to restore the classic muscle car of his deceased platoon buddy; in Julia Ivanova’s Family Portrait in Black and White, a mother is raising 16 black children in Ukraine, where 99.9 percent of the population is white; Jamie Kastner’s Recessionize! For Fun and Profit!, an international survey of inspirational and instructional tales from people finding creative ways to weather the economic storm; and William D. MacGillivray’s Ron Hynes: Man of a Thousand Songs, a visceral profile of iconic singer-songwriter Ron Hynes, said to have provided the soundtrack for a generation of Newfoundlanders. Also six no-interest loans totalling $69,000 were awarded to the following projects: The Art of Affliction, an exploration of the historical connections between art and illness; Alan Zweig’s A History of Battle Fatigue, a point-of-view essay on posttraumatic stress disorder as something we do to our own soldiers; Derreck Roemer and Neil Graham’s Lost Highway, the stories of people living and working along a once prosperous but now desolate stretch of Ontario’s Highway 7; Brenda Kovrig’s Painting by Number$, an exploration of the world of corporate art; Shelley Saywell’s Rise Up, which follows Lorraine Segato’s efforts to organize a concert featuring homeless performers; and Rama Rau’s Slumdog Millionaires, a look inside the lives of actual millionaires living in Mumbai’s Dharavi slum.
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Image courtesy of Alliance Films. Photo credit: Rafy.
Resident Expert: Glen MacPherson csc, asc
By Micol Marotti
n a darkened post-production facility
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of Deluxe, in the heart of downtown Toronto, CSC, ASC member Glen
MacPherson is leading a revolution, armed only with a set of polarized glasses and a desire to break all the accepted rules of shooting in 3D. Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010 •
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“This is the fourth Resident Evil film, so we wanted to do something amazing and push the boundaries of 3D technology. We’re underwater; we’re in the air; and we’re even shooting close-ups in 3D,” he says with a wry smile. MacPherson, a veteran cinematographer with more than 25 years in the business, reunited with Paul W. S. Anderson who himself returns to the Resident Evil franchise as director and writer, to create a visually evocative but realistic wonderland for Afterlife’s heroine Alice. “What I really think sets Paul’s direction apart is his willingness to always push creative boundaries in all aspects of production whether it is 2D or 3D, and still remain true to the story and the characters,” says MacPherson. For the collaborative team on Afterlife that meant creating a film that was inspired by Capcom’s highly successful survival/ horror video game, but that could also expand the story line enough to give theatre audiences a unique stand alone experience. Alice (Milla Jovovich) is still fighting the dark forces at the Umbrella Corporation while seeking survivors among the undead, but this time she is joined by a team of former allies and will come face to face with her nemesis for the very first time. “Alice is very much a Clint Eastwood-like heroine, so that despite the highaction scenes, we still needed to create scenes where the audience can connect with her and see her expressions and at the same time build some tension,” says Anderson.
led to his work with legendary action-film director Richard Donner on 16 blocks starring Bruce Willis and then a string of blockbuster films including Rambo IV (2008) with the incomparable Sylvester Stallone. His long list of credits includes an episode of the long-running Doctor Who and Cadillac Girls, the 1993 Canadian feature staring Jennifer Dale. “Rambo is still considered one of the most violent action films ever made. It was a wild time on that set, but we had a lot of laughs. The weather was crazy, and we were always dressed in garbage bags because we knew we would get splattered in fake blood every day. I loved filming in Thailand so much. I actually bought a place there, and that’s where I retreat after big shoots.” When the call came to shoot Afterlife, MacPherson had just finished shooting the highest grossing of the Final Destination films, which ironically proved to be a defining experience. “When I said ‘yes’ to shooting Final Destination 5 in 3D, I didn’t really have a whole lot of experience shooting in the format, so maybe out of naiveté I really worked the camera hard and used it in situations that probably it wasn’t meant to be in. I hung it on race cars. I shot off of flatbed trucks at full speed; lots of stunts like that and it worked out great. I was struggling with how I could satisfy Paul’s penchant for the ‘wideshot’ and still be able to get close enough to the actors. I decided to throw caution to the wind and see how I could do close-ups with the camera,” he explains.
MacPherson is especially in tune with Anderson’s vision in citing Clint Eastwood’s films as one of The $55-million-plus budget of the inspirations for getting into the Glen MacPherson csc, asc: “I think of 3D films Afterlife meant that MacPherson business. “Growing up in Montreal, compared to 2D when we went from silent had the luxury of shooting with I used to sneak into the local drive- films to talkies.” the Sony F35s and Pace’s Fusion in and watch Clint Eastwood films 3D system, which James Cameron and I decided that I wanted to shoot movies. So as soon as I could used in Avatar. Since Avatar, Pace refined the system’s work flow I enrolled into CEGEP, a prep school for college, and I took film and added more capabilities and lens options that allowed and television courses. Then I went to Algonquin College for a MacPherson to check the close-up shots as he was shooting them. year. I was shooting third-year student films and was anxious to “With the system, 75 mm used to be the longest lens you could start working and one day I heard that Altman was shooting a use, but now we can get 150-mm lenses so that I can shoot the film in Montreal. So I rushed back home. I remember that bold close ups of Milla and blur the background,” he says. as anything, I marched into their production offices and went right up to the producer and told him he should hire me as the The effect of this type of shot gives audiences the sensation cinematographer. Well, I didn’t get that job, but I did get a job of being in the scene, standing side by side with their heroine with catering on the film and that gave me an opportunity to as bullets seemingly graze by. Or even more spectacular is the hang around with the camera crew, and they felt sufficiently bad effect of seemingly standing in the middle of an apocalyptic L.A. enough for me that they took me with them as part of their crew streetscape as the dreaded Axe Man walks right by you dragging on the next film,” recalls MacPherson. his jagged weapon. “We’re really beyond just making things jump out at you on the screen, and we can now move toward drawing His meteoric rise as one of Canada’s busiest cinema- the audience in and playing with lighting and shadows to create tographers south of the border really gained momentum after multi-dimensional backgrounds.” the success of the low-budget Romeo Must Die in 2000, which
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Photo credit: Rafy.
Wentworth Miller
Milla Jovovich
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Macpherson moves effortlessly between dark broody apocalyptic scenery reminiscent of the graphic novel type cityscapes in Sin City, and stark white scenes when Alice comes face to face with her arch enemy. “I had discussed with Paul giving both Milla and Ali [Larter] a softer edge. It was a bit of a science experiment in lighting, so for Ali we used china balls on poles and low lights around the camera to give her a glow off the shoulder and her face. With Milla, she instinctively knows how to move in the scene to catch the light, and so we were able to do these great one-shot scenes moving between the two characters.”
won’t be shot in 3D, I think that they will be the future. We’re learning to forget about calculating pixels and using calculators on set, and instead embracing 3D technology to drive character development. So why not 3D for dramas?” For now we can safely bet that Resident Evil: Afterlife will have a long life in theatres after its September 10 premiere.
MacPherson’s lighting ‘experiment’ was inspired by a previous experience on location of Rambo IV and soon became the most talked about set piece on Afterlife. “Lighting is even more important in 3D, and with Paul and [producer] Don [Carmody], they like to come on set and start shooting right away, so we didn’t have a lot of time to manually adjust lighting between scenes. Then I remembered the set up for Rambo. After a few anxious days with my gaffer, Michael Galbraith, prepping and scouting jungle terrain to get an idea of where we could hide lights (Sly doesn’t take to being told that he can only shoot in one direction), we decided to light up three miles of jungle every night with the help of 13, 200-foot cranes on remote controls so we could react to lighting changes quickly. That gave me the idea of building 6 50x60-foot lightboxes on double-fuse chain motors powered with remote controls for Afterlife,” he explains. He adds, jokingly, “I had four electrics on set, each armed with remotes that could adjust the lighting instantly with a push of a button which meant the LRX Scorpions were ready before the Zombies! Don would come on set in the middle of winter with his sunglasses, newspaper and suntan lotion and ask us to turn on the Scorpions so he could tan. He was a good sport about it though, because it was a very expensive installation that had to be set up on the rooftops but the result was worth it.” Although used to dealing with big-budget films and massive set-ups, MacPherson recalled an experience on a low-budget television movie that reignited his passion for cinematography. “I shot the Don Cherry movie (Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story, 2010) with director Jeff Woolnough for the CBC. It was great fun because we didn’t have the same stress as on the big-budget shoots. We had time to manually adjust our lighting set-ups and we really had to be creative on set because we didn’t have the money for lots of equipment and crews. It’s great fun to get back to that kind of shoot.” MacPherson, however, is right back on track for an even bigger 3D shoot with director Paul W.S. Anderson as he sets off for Germany to shoot the highly anticipated remake of The Three Musketeers. “It’s a bit like a Resident Evil reunion. Paul is directing and Milla plays Milady de Winter. Orlando Bloom and Christoph Waltz (Oscar winner from Inglorious Basterds) are in it as well, and we’re shooting in a castle.” What does MacPherson think of the longevity of the 3D format? “I think of 3D films compared to 2D when we went from silent films to talkies. The format is here to stay, and even though people say that dramatic character-driven films
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Director Paul W.S. Anderson with Glen MacPherson behind him.
“This is the fourth Resident Evil film, so we wanted to do something amazing and push the boundaries of 3D technology.” – Glen MacPherson csc, asc
Zoe Dirse csc Educator & Cinematographer
By Robin Phillips
Photo credit: John Narvali
a male-dominated field, Dirse feels it’s important to encourage her female students when they show an interest in camera. “I’m committed now as an educator to getting more women in the industry,” Dirse says. She talks to her students about what it was like for her getting into film. “I do tell them it wasn’t the easiest road for me either. But I don’t go on and on about that in the classroom because it’s discouraging.”
Zoe Dirse csc is flanked by two of her students, Ian Carlton, on her right, and Scott McIntyre at the 2010 CSC Awards.
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fter a three-decade-long filmmaking career, Zoe Dirse csc finds herself working on her next big project – tomorrow’s cinematographers. This September begins her fourth year as a full-time professor in Sheridan College’s Media Arts program. The program teaches film techniques and skills to students who want to work in the film and television industries. Dirse brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the classroom. She teaches cinematography as well as documentary. “I enjoy passing it on to a younger generation,” Dirse says. She talks to her class about working on set, problems that she has encountered and how she solved them as well as tricks that she has picked up. Through her industry connections she is able to give her students real-world experience. “She gives us a lot of opportunity to go on sets and field trips to meet people. She has a lot of contacts,” says Tyler March, who was in Dirse’s secondyear camera class last winter. Dirse teaches a mix of male and female students, with a male majority. As a successful woman in
Dirse’s story begins in the late 1970s. She came to film with a background in social work. She earned her degree in psychology and teaching from the University of Toronto. Dirse took some theoretical film courses where she fell in love with French New Wave cinema while at U of T. A few years later, her friends from university were filming a French production in Toronto with the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). They asked Dirse if she would help them. Despite having no experience outside of her film courses at U of T, she agreed to help out. She worked as a production assistant on the film, entitled Roses Roses, directed by Lydia Wazana. On that project Dirse met a cameraman named Claude Benoit. Benoit was an artist with the camera and taught Dirse a new way of looking at film. “The camera is not just a technical means. It’s also for artistic expression. It allows you to create a visual image with esthetic value. That’s why I decided to go into cinematography,” Dirse says. This eye-opening experience encouraged her to pursue camera work. In 1978 she enrolled in a two-week training course with the CSC. This career move was a huge undertaking but Dirse didn’t shy away from the challenge. “It takes a lot of perseverance and drive. It’s a huge thing,” Dirse says. “Part of my drive initially came from being told I couldn’t because I’m a woman. That made me more determined to prove the naysayers wrong.” One day on her way home from the CSC course she passed a film set on Mount Pleasant Road in Toronto. She recognized an opportunity and her determination took over. She turned her car around, parked and began looking for someone to talk to. She struck up a conversation with the first person she saw, a gaffer. She stood with him for two hours until she found a camera assistant. She asked him if there was any way she could work for them. He said she could come back and help out on the set. It didn’t pay a salary but she gained a lot of experience and she got a second job out of it. The next year she joined IATSE. Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010 •
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When she left the NFB in 1997 she began working freelance. Among her credits are Eylem Kaftan’s Vendetta Song (2005) and Ali Kazimi’s Runaway Grooms (2005), which won the Donald Brittain Award for the best social/political documentary program at the Gemini Awards in 2005. Projects like these were exceptional. She also found herself working on a lot of television projects, mostly reality shows. “That was a turning point to go into teaching. A chance to make films that mean something to me and not have to rely on the grunt television work that was taking over,” she says.
Dirse’s impressive list of credits includes Forbidden Love (1992), which won the Genie Award in 1993 for best feature length documentary, and Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which won best Canadian feature film at the 1993 TIFF. Dirse spent a few years working on features and commercials before getting the job that would shape her career. “I heard about a job opening at the NFB. I thought ‘oh wouldn’t it be nice to live in Montreal, wouldn’t it be nice to work for the NFB and travel.’ So I applied,” Dirse says. “I think I got in because I had that good training in Toronto with the CSC and IATSE.” She joined in 1982 as a camera assistant. The output of the NFB gave Dirse steady work and constant opportunities to improve her skills. “At the NFB I would work on seven-to-10 projects a year. As a freelancer I wouldn’t have made that many. That’s why my filmography is so dense.” At the time Studio D was launched, a female documentary unit within the NFB that made films about women. Dirse did a lot of work with Studio D because she understood the importance of what they were doing. Her list of projects include Aerlyn Weissman and Lynne Fernie’s Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives (1992), which won the Genie Award in 1993 for best feature length documentary, and Alanis Obomsawin’s Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, which won best Canadian feature film at the 1993 Toronto International Film Festival. “I like documentary because it’s a vehicle for change, education and enlightenment,” Dirse says.
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As a professor at Sheridan she is able to share her passion for both documentary and the camera with her students. “If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be taking documentary,” says Aleksandra Lason, who was in Dirse’s second-year camera class last winter. As one of the few female students in the camera class, Lason finds it helpful to talk with Dirse. She is sympathetic to her female students’ worries about the industry. “I think Zoe is different because she understands why it’s so difficult,” says Lason of being a female cinematographer. Dirse understands how helpful it can be for these women to have someone to look to who is in the industry. “They feel they can see themselves in that role,” Dirse says. Dirse is also a role model outside of the classroom. She speaks at events about being a professional woman in the competitive film industry. She has spoken at two International Women’s Days as well as events sponsored by Women in Film and Television and at film festivals. Dirse says she likes that there are so many opportunities to talk about being a female cinematographer. “It shows there is more awareness and an acknowledgement of a lack of women in the field. By speaking about it you bring an awareness to it.” In October, Dirse will be heading to Vancouver to attend an international symposium on women in media. The three-day event, called SexMoney Media, is being hosted by Women in View, an association of media professionals from across Canada. As well as being a teacher and role model, Dirse has not given up the career that got her here. This past summer she finished principal photography on a project called Sisters in Arms, a documentary about women going into combat roles in the Canadian military in Afghanistan. Through the different roles she fills – cinematographer, teacher, mentor – Dirse is able to give back to the indutry that has been so good to her. “Cinematography has been a wo derful career for me. I don’t think any other profession would have given me the opportunity to look through the lens in such a profound way.”
Photo credit: Robin Phillips.
Aleksandra Lason, Sheridan College student.
The Next Generation of Female Cinematographers
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ny one waiting for women to take over the cinematography industry has been waiting a long time. For decades the cinematography field has been dominated by men. With each generation the numbers rise a little bit, but not enough. At least this is what Michael Glassbourg, coordinator for Humber College’s film and television program, has observed. “Absolutely there has been a noticeable change. Thirty years ago there were almost no women cinematographers and possibly none. And now there are quite a few,” says Glassbourg, who has worked at Humber full time for 18 years. “There needs to be even more, but that’s coming. It takes a while for a culture to change. Certainly there’s been many, many years of bias against women being cinematographers. But we know that there are some really amazing ones. And certainly I’ve taught a few of them,” he says. There is certainly no shortage of female film students who want to be cinematographers. These women know what they want and won’t let any one stop them because of their gender. Aleksandra Lason is a second-year film student at Sheridan College. She never backed down from the challenge of being a woman in the Media Arts program. Her passion for cinematography got stronger because it was more difficult for her, being one of a few women in the second-year camera class. “Because I’m a girl, I did have to fight harder in this class,” Lason says. “A lot of guys in this program are like ‘the girls don’t know what they’re doing.’” Diana Young is also a second-year camera student at Sheridan College. She agrees that women have to work harder to make it. “We have to prove ourselves that little bit more,” Young says. However, this isn’t what makes her nervous about entering the industry. What makes her nervous is, “That I’m a student, and basically to them I know nothing.” Krista Dzialoszynski, a graduate of the Humber film and
television program, agrees that the challenge of being new in the industry outweighs any hardship caused by being a woman. After graduating in 2007, she worked on some short films for the Canadian Film Centre as a member of the electric crew. She says that when she told people what she was there to do, they would look at her as if she were not capable. “That exists for the first few minutes until you show them you know what you’re doing. I didn’t feel at a disadvantage because of my gender.” These women recognize that the barriers are coming down. “Film women, especially older ones, have developed a tough skin,” says Lauren Ashmore, a second-year in film and television at Humber. “I’m not sure if my generation will do the same thing because it’s more accepted now.” Young agrees. “Years ago it was almost weird for a girl to be in this industry. Now more girls are being accepted.” The only thing that they find undesirable about the industry is the union structure. “It just seems so unattainable to go through that route. I think I would end up being really bitter,” Dzialoszynski says. They see all of the steps that one has to go through to become a cinematographer, and they don’t want any part of it. “I’d prefer to just jump into it,” Lason says. “I know assistants that have been assisting for 10 years.” They can’t wait to start doing what they want to do, create visuals. “I’m attracted to images. Being a part of creating a strong, interesting image is cool,” Dzialoszynski says. “When I watch a movie, the stories never really get me. What I’m entertained by is the creativity in the images,” Ashmore says. Young agrees. “It’s fun to see the world through a lens. Creating these shots that tell a story,” she says. The persistence of these visual, creative women could further change the perception of women in the industry. Maybe some day it will be a non-issue. Just wait and see. Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010 •
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Rodney Charters csc, asc
Talks about the Revolutionary Canon 5d Mark II DSLR Cameras By Lance Carlson
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he Canon 5d Mark II has been embraced by the independent film community for its low-light sensitivity, shallow depth of field, interchangeable lens selection and relatively low cost. It boasts a full frame 35-mm CMOS sensor that is larger than the Red’s at a fraction of the price. It has changed the landscape of independent filmmaking in a relatively short timeframe. CSC associate member Lance Carlson spoke to Rodney Charters csc, asc (Friday the 13th, 24) about his work with the revolutionary camera when he was in Toronto for Profusion 2010. LC: Do you recall what it was that interested you in shooting moving images rather than stills? RC: The complexity, the added space and time component. With stills you are freezing a frame in a moment and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s a very valid art form, but in cinematography and filmmaking as a whole, telling stories in motion and time with dialogue and actors and so on, is a whole other world. When the digital [still] cameras came out and became professional. I acquired one. It was like a re-introduction to stills. I had the satisfaction of immediate feedback and that’s a fundamental change. I had the capability of shooting images and being able to adjust the stop or depth of field and make all those creative changes and see results immediately and to see the large prints that could be made. The natural transition of a digital stills camera to one that captured motion was only a matter of time.
Photo credit: Lance Carlson.
LC: So did you find Digital Single-Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras or did they find you?
18 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010
RC: Friends of mine in the ASC, Bill Bennett and Russell Carpenter, found out about the cameras and actually drove down to the Canon headquarters. They had heard that a rep had taken delivery of a prototype body and they wanted to confirm the rumours. They were tremendously impressed with its low-light capability. Bill called me and said, “Why don’t you try to get hold of the Canon rep, Tim Smith?” Tim agreed to come up to our set and bring a couple of bodies with him. He arrived with this camera that looked very much like the Canon 5d that I had, but it had “Mk2” on the bottom and sure enough there was a switch that said video. We set it up on a shot along side our Panaflex.
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John Cassar, the director, was very cooperative and curious. We set-up one scene and were amazed by the results. Mind you it was 30 fps and not manually controllable, so we had issues with that, but there was enough going on for us to say, “Wow, this is extraordinary.” The cameras were instigated by AP and Reuters to shoot stills and video. They wanted a camera for their still photographers that could also capture 30 seconds of video in the field for their websites. Canon added it as an afterthought. I don’t think they knew what they were getting into – nobody did. So now we are faced with a camera that does a pretty extraordinary job, but it’s not perfect. There’s a lot of data thrown away. It’s difficult to get green or blue screen data out of it; however, if you are looking for a large sensor camera (twice that of a 35-mm motion picture frame) with very shallow depth of field, very beautiful skin tones, nothing else comes close. For example, shooting an entire episode of House on it was remarkable. They had to deal with some banding issues and they had some noise, which may have been a result of overheating. Shane Hurlburt swaps the body after three hours because he says the heat will increase the chance you are going to have these issues in the colour as it is recorded.
I have used them on small web episodics and promos. We shot 19 pages in two days, and I was lucky enough to be able to use Panavision lenses with the mount, so I could use my 11-to-1 or 3-to-1 zooms. That’s pretty satisfying, because we didn’t have any issues with focus marks on those lenses. Focusing on the Canon is difficult because the depth of field is so shallow. The first purchase I would recommend anyone make is one of those finders that magnify the display and you can get your eye right up to it, which also helps to stabilize the camera when you are shooting because you get the camera right up against your face. LC: Sony is apparently responding. What do you think they are going do? RC: Well, we’ve heard the rumour that they are going to give us an F35 in an EX body. Basically, all the manufacturers understand that the small chip is dead. I never bought in to the 2/3-inch chip; it’s smaller than 16 mm and it just drove us crazy [editor’s note: actually its 11 mm]. We had real issues with that, and I am glad they’re going away. They probably have a role in 3D – after all the biggest film ever (Avatar) was shot on 2/3-inch chips. I suspect that 2/3 inch will stick around for 3D.
Canon is in this business to stay All of these cameras give a pretty and they are so big. It’s remarkable admirable image, it’s just that some that they responded and gave us a look more video-y than others, and 23.98 frame-rate camera, which is I think that’s one of the advantages essential for this business. We used of the Canon. It doesn’t look like it extensively last year on all our video; it’s a completely different New York footage for background beast. They’re using their colour plates, which we used for backspec, their colour-processing chip screen projection and the camera from a superb still camera. One Canon 5d Mark II DSLR performed perfectly. Would I stack of the key things is that when you it up against my 35-mm camera shoot with one of these large-chip with film? Not necessarily, but there are times when we need to cameras your zone of focus is so shallow that when you go to shoot in very low light and the camera has a superior ability to a close-up in 35-mm terms you know the background is going pull imagery from the dark. out of focus, but in the small-chip camera you are picking up detail on the walls and you are distracted by it. That’s important, It’s a great tool. It’s also a stealthy tool, you can take it into a because what it’s about in cinema is that you want to see the crowded street and people don’t know that you are shooting. In a emotional content in the eyes, you want to see the performance recent film, Up in the Air, they shot a wedding sequence and you in the eyes. Quite often what I see in the eyes is different than can see people in the background shooting on still cameras but what is being spoken, and that’s part of the whole language of actually they are shooting motion with photographers dressed drama and if you are not focused on that you are distracted, up in tuxes. Nobody gave it a second thought, but if you put a particularly if the film is not that great. motion picture camera there people would say, “wait a minute.” LC: Any other projects coming up where you are going to use LC: What other applications have you encountered or do you suggest? these cameras? RC: For someone starting out, for $800 you can buy a body and put any old lens on it and shoot motion picture files that are going to be acceptable at a broadcast level. If you are very careful and you avoid brickwork that set off the moiré pattern and if you deal with people in close situations, you can get very beautiful imagery with this camera.
20 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010
RC: Yes, in discussing upcoming projects this camera is mentioned often by the producers because it’s an attractive alternative. It allows for multiple set-ups without a great deal of expense, especially in stunts. So, yes, I think there will be more work done and hopefully we’ll get another version, like a Mark III version of the 5d, which will go further. We will have to wait for that, but they can only get better.
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 416-577-3058, shipping, receiving and client services at 416-444-7000 or alan.crimi@panavision.com. www.panavision.com. 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. Equipment for Sale 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. Panasonic AJ-HDX900 Camera package: One DOP owner, for sale or rent, regular Panasonic service. Includes viewfinder, microphone, portabrace and raincover, $13,900 obo. Canon 16eX7.7 HD lens, mint, $8,000. Canon HJ11x4.7Birse HD WA lens, regular Canon service, $15,000. Panasonic 8.5-inch HD monitor with portabrace, $3,000. Sony LMD 9050 9-inch HD field monitor with portabrace, $1,500. Panasonic 17-inch LCD monitor with portabrace and screen protector, $1,200. Sachtler video 18 with carbon legs and soft case, $5,000. Petroff 4x5 mattebox three stages, top and side flaps, tons of adapter rings, 4x4, 4x5.65, 4x6 filter trays, $1,500. Sennheiser evolution 100 wireless mic kit with wireless lav and wireless handheld mics and receiver, mint, $750. Transvideo multi-channel video transmitter, $1,150 – Sold. Single chanal 30 video transmitter, $200. Camos portable wireless “director’s monitor” with v-lock plate, $300 – Sold. Lilliput wireless monitor with v-lock plate, $150. Contact: Dave Woodside at 416.553.3356 or davidwoodside@rogers.com.
picked up. Item is located close to Montreal. Price: $ 4,800.00. Contact: Erik at 514-637-5077 or erikgo@videotron.ca. 16 – 35 mm Film Equipment for sale: Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment, here is a short list of items we have for sale: Densitometer McBeth Td903 for calculation of film density, $300. Split reel (16 and 35 mm) various sizes, Moviola Rewinds, 35-mm film synchroniser, Scan-0-scope converter lens system, Scope lens to “squeeze” and “unsqueeze” anamorphic, $3,500. Tilt Plate for heavy cameras, $800. And more. Contact: Erik at 514-637-5077 or erikgo@videotron.ca. 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 $22,000. 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. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Contact: Lori Longstaff at 416-452-9247 or llong@rogers.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 tax. Contact: Michael Ellis at 416-233-6378.
Cooke S4 set: 14, 18, 21, 25, 27, 32, 40, 50, 65 (incl. soft-focus attachment), 75, 100, 135. In excellent condition, this set was used by a single cinematographer. All the lenses will be overhauled prior to delivery, $18,000. Briese 77 Light, full kit, including Tungsten and HMI flicker-free setup, two Eggcrates and Manfrotto Mega-Boom. Excellent condition, $ 22,000. cookes4sale@gmail.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.
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-DV7AW, 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.
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 WJ-MX50 (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.
Oxberry Computer Controlled Animation Stand. This stand is in excellent working condition. Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment. The stand is computer controlled by the famous Kuyper Control software driving stepper motors connected to different axis of the stand. Here is a list of what is driven: camera zoom in and out; table – north-south axis, east-west axis; rotation, 2 pegs (top and bottom); camera – focus, take-up drive for mag and shutter. The camera comes with interchangeable gates and can be use for16 mm, super 16 or 35 mm. This kit comes also with 400ft –16-mm mag, 400ft – 35-mm mag, 1,000ft – 35-mm mag and 400ft bi-pack mag. The sidelights are 650 watts Red Heads with polarised filters. The lights are suspended on Manfrotto Pole Cats. The table’s backlight is connected to a rheostat with a solar electric current regulator. This is a great stand for any independent filmmaker or small effect animation company. Sorry we cannot ship this item. It has to be
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 at 416-693-9776. For Sale 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 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.
Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010 •
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Classifieds
Equipment Wanted
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 Bélanger csc Peter Benison csc Jeremy Benning csc John Berrie csc Michel Bisson csc Michael Boland csc Nicolas Bolduc 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 François Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc David A. De Volpi csc Kamal Derkaoui csc Kim Derko csc Serge Desrosiers csc Ricardo Diaz csc Jean-Yves Dion csc Zoe Dirse csc Mark Dobrescu csc Wes Doyle csc John Drake 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 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 Laliberté Else csc Barry Lank csc Philippe Lavalette 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 Mitchell T. Ness csc Robert C. New csc
22 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010
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 André 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 Jérôme 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 Frank Vilaca 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 Kevin C.W. 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 André Bériault Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Thomas Billingsley 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 René Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie James Crowe Micha Dahan Michael Jari Davidson Nicholas de Pencier Randy Dreager Gamal El-Boushi Andreas Evdemon Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Joshua Fraiman Kevin A. Fraser Thomas Gatenby Brian Gedge Rion Gonzales Vladimir Gosaric Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley David M.J. Hodge John Hodgson Cliff Hokanson
James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka David Johns Jorma Kantola Ali Kazimi Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Douglas John Kropla 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 Alfonso Maiorana Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Tony Meerakker Tony Merzetti Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Sarah Moffat Robin Lee Morgan Helmfried Muller Brian Charles Murphy Keith Murphy Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Alexandre M. Oktan 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 Rob Stewart Marc Stone
Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney André Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson John Thronberg Ian Toews Kirk Tougas Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Kelly John Wolfert Carolyn Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Adam Braverman Tyson Burger Gordon A. Burkell Joseph Calabrese 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 Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira Aizick Grimman James D. Hardie Stephen Hargreaves Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen 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 Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro Muòoz Kar Wai Ng Peter Osborne Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Greg Petrigo Douglas B. Pruss Elise Queneau Lem Ristsoo Susan Saranchuk Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Alexey Sikorsky Brad Smith Kyryll Sobolev Michael Soos Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Trevor J. Wiens Irene Sweeney Willis Ridvan Yavuz CSC LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc, asc Robert Bocking csc Raymond A. Brounstein 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 Glen Ferrier
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John C. Foster csc Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Brian Hosking 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 Wilhelm E. Nassau Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roland K. Pirker Norman Quick csc Roger Racine csc Robert G. Saad csc Josef Seckeresh csc Michael S. Smith John Stoneman csc Y. Robert Tymstra Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc James A. Wright Keith Young CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle
indicates demo reel online, www.csc.ca
TORONTO HALIFAX TORONTO HALIFAX 416-444-7000 902-404-3630 416-444-7000
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Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010 •
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PRODUCTIONS & CALENDAR
Production Notes Anything Goes (feature); DOP Michael Jari Davidson; OP Steven Szolcsanyi; to September 17, Toronto L’Appât (feature); DOP Guy Dufaux csc; to September 23, Montreal Being Human (series); DOP Pierre Jodoin csc; to December 6, Montreal Degrassi: The Next Generation X (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Brad Vos; OP camera B Paula Tymchuk; to November 4, Toronto Disturbing Image (TV movie); DOP Daniel Villeneuve csc; to October 1, Montreal 18 to Life II (series); DOP Marc Charlebois csc; to September 29, Montreal Falling Stars (series); DOP Chris Faloona; OP Michael Soos; B Cam OP Brian Gedge; to November 5, Toronto Haunting Hour (series); DOP Michael Balfry csc; OP Dale Jehraus; to December 28, Burnaby, BC Heartland IV (series); DOP Craig Wrobleski csc; OP Rudy Katkic; to December 17, Calgary Hellcats (series); DOP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; OP Kevin Hall; to November 18, Vancouver Human Target II (series); DOP Robert McLachlan csc, asc; OP Junichi Hosoi; to January 14, 2011, North Vancouver How to Be an Indie II (series); DOP Yuri Yakubiw csc; OP Brian Harper; to December 10, Toronto In Security (series); DOP Ken Krawczyk csc; OP Mark Dobrescu csc; to September 16, Regina The Kennedys (miniseries); DOP David Moxness csc; OP Michael Carella to September 17, Toronto Murdoch Mysteries IV (series); DOP James Jeffrey csc; OP Mark Hroch; to November 1, Toronto Nikita (series); DOP Rene Ohashi csc, asc; OP Gilles Corbeil; B Cam OP J.P. Locherer csc; to December 10, Toronto Rookie Blue II (series); DOP David Perrault csc, OP Frank Polyak; to January 21, 2011, Toronto Sanctuary III (series); DOP Gordon Verheul csc; OP Steven Adelson; to November 2, Burnaby, BC Skins (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; OP Andrew Cull; to December 15, Toronto Smallville X (series); DOP Glen Winter csc; OP Randal Platt csc; to March 22, 2011, Burnaby, BC Supernatural VI (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 31, 2011, Burnaby, BC Trauma II (series); DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to October 20, Montreal
Calendar of Events September Aug. 26–Sept. 6, Montreal World Film Festival, ffm-montreal.org 2–12, Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, Vancouver, vlaff.org 9–19, Toronto International Film Festival, Toronto, tiff.net 16–25, Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, atlanticfilm.com 18–26, Cinéfest International Film Festival, Sudbury, ON, cinefest.com 20–24, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Ottawa, animationfestival.ca 24–Oct. 2, Edmonton International Film Festival, Edmonton, edmontonfilmfest.com
Subscribe to Canadian Cinematographer online www.csc.ca 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. Payment by money order in Canadian funds.
24–Oct. 3, Calgary International Film Festival, Calgary, calgaryfilm.com 30–Oct. 15, Vancouver International Film Festival, Vancouver, viff.org October 4–8, MIPCOM, Cannes, France, mipworld.com 8–16, Antimatter: Underground Film Festival, Victoria, B.C., antimatter.ws 13–17, Planet in Focus: International Environmental Film & Video Festival, Toronto, planetinfocus.org 13–24, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Montreal, nouveaucinema.ca 26–30, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, St. John’s, NL, womensfilmfestival.com
24 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2010
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