Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine October 2011 by The CSC

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 October 2011 www.csc.ca

Take This Waltz

Luc Montpellier csc with Sarah Polley

V02 #05

56698 94903

Patch Town • Peter Luxford csc • Flashpoint

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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.

FEATURES â&#x20AC;&#x201C; VOLUME 3, NO. 5 OCTOBER 2011

On the Set of Flashpoint with Stephen Reizes csc By Fanen Chiahemen

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Luc Montpellier csc Reunites With Sarah Polley for Take This Waltz By Fanen Chiahemen

In Patch Town with D. Gregor Hagey csc By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 From the President 4 In the News 17 CSC Members 19 Camera Classified 20 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Luc Montpellier csc and Sarah Polley on the set of Take This Waltz. Photo courtesy of Accent Entertainment

10 14

Canadian Cinematographer October 2011 Vol. 3, No. 5 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR

FROM THE PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc

Fanen Chiahemen editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Karen Longland ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES

eing a contributor to a professional organization such as the Canadian Society of Cinematographers requires a strong commitment in time and energy, plus an unwavering desire to give back to your community to ensure the well-being of your craft. These generous and outstanding qualities are embodied in our former vice president, George Willis csc, sasc. I say “former” because regrettably, George has stepped down as our VP for personal reasons. While George remains a valued member of the CSC, it was his hard work and effort while on our executive board that has left a large footprint on our society.

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. 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: subscription@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.

ISSN 1918-8781 Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40013776 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto M1M 1P1

2 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

George’s list of contributions to the CSC is quite remarkable during his four short years as VP. Notably, George designed the modern CSC logo of a piece of film intertwined with tape, symbolizing the symbiotic relationship cinematographers have with the film, tape and digital media. He was instrumental in designing the look that transformed The CSC News into Canadian Cinematographer and has also penned articles for the magazine. He was the catalyst in the production of the CSC 50th anniversary book. George established the CSC’s permanent clubhouse at William F. White, who generously donated the space. He instigated and helped organize a special screening of the amazing documentary Oceans, which was accompanied by a power point/slide presentation and a Q&A with the film’s Digital Imaging Director Philippe Ros afc. In education, George was a tireless advocate and champion for the CSC’s mentorship program and his incredible CSC Lighting workshop became renowned, attracting participants from around the world. Plus, George rarely, if ever, missed an executive meeting. For those of our readers who do not know George, he is a master cinematographer specializing in commercial and underwater cinematography. George has garnered a slew of career awards from Cannes to New York, which include CLIOs and Bessies. He is also this year’s recipient of the Kodak New Century Award, in recognition of his talent and creativity. George is reserved and respectful by nature, but he possesses a will of iron and a passion that fuels his drive. He also has a highly developed sense of obligation in giving back to a community and industry that has allowed him to practice one of the truly great professions of our time. George’s advice and guidance to me as president has been priceless and much appreciated. A not-for-profit organization such as the CSC lives and dies by its volunteer membership and we could always use a few more George Willises to step forward. There are huge shoes to fill on our executive. The CSC owes George a big debt of eternal gratitude and we sincerely thank him for all his precious time, effort and inspiration.

“outside the box” has kept me with Clairmont since 1989 ; when I first

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arrived in Vancouver to operate on the series “Booker.” I immediately noticed a couple of things. Denny and his staff are as passionate about

cinematography as I am

and they treat all people equally. The camera trainee or the indie filmmaker gets the same care and attention to detail as the seasoned DP. I have always shared this philosophy. This is a

collaborative business and

everyone does his or her part. If ever I am looking for a

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solution to a problem, I can always count on the Clairmont staff to research, acquire or even manufacture the

solution. I get the feeling that it’s not all about profit margin but

about a sense of

pride in supplying the

newest, best and most well maintained equipment. Achieving and assisting

creative vision comes first and foremost. This is what I mean about thinking “outside the box” . There are a lot of rental houses out there, but there is only one Clairmont Camera. Attila Szalay HSC, CSC

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Photo courtesy of Dattner Dispoto and Associates Photo credit: Joan Hutton csc

IN THE NEWS

based on ARRI’s ongoing R&D, as well as feedback from film and television professionals. Epitomizing ARRI’s commitment to future-proofing the system platform and delivering lasting value to its customers, SUP 4.0 further enhances ALEXA’s already impressive versatility and usefulness. New features of SUP 4.0 applicable to both ALEXA and ALEXA Plus include custom looks via ARRI Look Files; new SxS PRO card options; auto white balance; peaking focus check; anamorphic de-squeeze; false colour exposure check for Log C images; fan improvements for hot shooting conditions; and image comparison options for the camera operator.

Technicolor Announces Acquisitions, Licensing Agreements

Above: DOP David Moxness csc and Stephen Reizes csc.

CSC Members Win at the Geminis CSC members walked away with the top prize in two out of the five photography categories at the 2011 Gemini Awards handed out in late August by the Academy of Canadian Film and Television. The Gemini for Best Photography in a Comedy Program or Series went to Stephen Reizes csc for his work on HBO Canada’s Living in Your Car. Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series went to David Moxness csc for his cinematography on the REELZ Channel’s miniseries The Kennedys (see the January 2011 issue of Canadian Cinematographer).

Montreal Filmmaker Shoots World’s First Feature on iPhone 4 Montreal filmmaker Christos Sourligas has made the world’s first feature film to be shot entirely with the iPhone 4. Inspired by true events, the One Man Band Films production Happy Slapping follows a group of five rich suburban youths who head to the inner city to seek out fame by creating an evening so shocking that their camera phone footage will turn them into instant Internet celebrities. After the group is rivalled by another street gang, they are forced to take their misbehaviour up a notch in order to make a name for themselves while recording everything on cell phones. Sourligas’s five principal actors doubled as cinematographers, shooting with their camera phones. The film, which, according to the Montreal Gazette, was shot for $250,000, premiered in August at the Montreal World Film Festival.

ARRI ALEXA Software Update 4.0 ARRI in July announced the release of the latest software update for its ALEXA camera system. The ALEXA Software Update Packet (SUP) 4.0 provides a number of new features and improvements for both the ALEXA and ALEXA Plus models

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

Technicolor in July announced an agreement with Cinedigm Digital Cinema Corp. to acquire the assets of Cinedigm specific to physical and electronic distribution of digital cinema content to movie theatres. Technicolor also announced the acquisition of LaserPacific’s post-production assets as part of its plans to grow its television (broadcast) and theatrical digital post-production market position. As part of the transaction, key LaserPacific creative talent and personnel from its Hollywood-based operations will be transferred, reflecting Technicolor’s commitment to the recruitment of creative talent to deliver the highest quality services to its clients. Technicolor has also entered into an exclusive franchise licensing agreement with PostWorks for the use of the Technicolor brand and know-how in the New York market. As part of the agreement, Technicolor will sell its New York postproduction assets to PostWorks and provide the company access to its proprietary colour science and post-production workflows.

Take 3: The REEL Challenge Returns The Canadian Film Centre has announced a third round of The REEL Challenge Contest: Celebrating the Movie and Television Industry at Work. It is an opportunity for filmmakers to speak out on the importance of promoting and protecting a vibrant entertainment industry in Canada. This year’s contest is a chance to make a short film or PSA celebrating the people collaborating behind the scenes in the movie and television industry as well as those working in related businesses who together play a vital part in making the magic happen. Eligible submissions should be under 60 seconds in length. The contest runs until January 13, 2012. Three prizes will be awarded: first $10,000, second $3,000, and third $2,000. All categories and genres of new short film will be accepted, including drama, comedy, animation, horror, sci-fi, documentary and experimental videos. Prizes will be awarded to the contestants whose submissions best illustrate the importance of the creative industries at work and are considered the most compelling, provocative and innovative in content and delivery. Full contest details and guidelines are available at www.thereelchallenge.ca. The REEL Challenge Contest is an initiative of the Canadian Film Centre, supported by the Copyright Collective of Canada. Contest is open to all legal residents of Canada (excluding residents of Quebec.)

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Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

ON THE SET OF

Flashpoint

WITH

STEPHEN REIZES CSC

By Fanen Chiahemen Production still from Flashpoint Season IV

nthrax spills, explosions, contaminations, blackouts – this may read like a list from the last decade in terrorism news, but this is the world of Flashpoint, the Torontoshot television series that debuted in 2008 and airs on CTV as well as in the United States. Flashpoint focuses on the exploits of a fictional unit of tactical officers, called the Strategic Response Unit, trained to resolve high-risk situations such as hostage-taking, bomb diffusion and heavily armed criminals. Now shooting its fourth season, Flashpoint has garnered numerous accolades including a 2010 Best Director Gemini Award for David Frazee csc and a 2011 Gemini Award nomination for Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series for Stephen Reizes csc. Flashpoint is one of Canada’s most recognized cop drama series and is the forerunner of other such homegrown series as The Bridge and Rookie Blue. Like any television show, it takes a gruelling schedule to produce Flashpoint. But for Reizes, who alternates DOPing duties with Mathias Herndl this season, the fast-paced storylines are easier on the cinematography. “The fact that it’s an action show actually makes it more forgiving in the sense that the shots don’t stay on the screen very long,” Reizes says, adding, “It’s quite cut up in terms of the editing, and since there is a lot of camera movement as well, the lighting is less likely to be scrutinized.” Even with the fast editing, anyone watching the show can still appreciate the sophisticated look of Flashpoint, which for its first three seasons was shot on 35 mm film format. By season four, the makers of Flashpoint decided it was time to make the transition to digital.

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

“It was a fairly obvious choice,” Reizes says. “You eliminate film stock costs altogether, you eliminate the cost of film processing altogether, and you eliminate the cost of film-to-tape transfer altogether. All the costs associated with shooting 35 mm film stock added up to a lot of money over about eight months of shooting without necessarily making better pictures.” To retain the quality images, the makers of Flashpoint turned to the ALEXA, ARRI’s film-style digital motion picture camera, which became available on the market last year. There has certainly been enough to vouch for the ALEXA’s performance – Trauma, the Radio-Canada produced television series was the first Canadian series to shoot with the ALEXA, and the camera was positively reviewed by Jérôme Sabourin csc, who worked on eight episodes of the show. [Editor’s note: see “First Dates with the ARRI ALEXA,” Canadian Cinematographer, February 2011 at www.csc.ca]. Still, the prospect of moving away from the long-trusted quality of film would make many nervous. However, Reizes, a 25-year veteran of film and television camera work, said losing the established film look of Flashpoint was not a concern for him. Before shooting on season four began, Reizes shot some tests with his 35 mm camera and the ALEXA simultaneously and says he was impressed with how similar the ALEXA images looked to the film images. He added that with the ALEXA he is able to shoot night exteriors with available light and record an urban night ambiance not possible with film. “The technology has gotten to the point where it’s as good as film if not better,” Reizes says. “I think we’ve seen an evolution in the sensor design. The ALEXA sensor sees almost the same dynamic range as film, and sensors in general are much more sensitive in

Indeed, the ALEXA boasts such features as an advanced electronic viewfinder, high dynamic range, and high sensitivity. It also records to two memory cards in-camera – the on-line codec ProRes 4444 and the ProRes 422HQ – streamlining the postproduction workflow. As Richard J. Anobile, an associate producer of Flashpoint, says, “ARRI has been in the motion picture business since about 1917 and has helped create what we know of as quality motion pictures and motion picture capture. So the fact that they’ve now come out with a digital system is remarkable, and there’s no two ways about it. They didn’t beat anybody to the punch, but when they finally brought their camera out they brought a camera that you can certainly count on both on the floor and in post-production, and, ironically, it gave us an opportunity once again to get back to film style.” It’s the ALEXA’s dual card system rolled out earlier this year that enables film-style shooting. With the camera shooting to two cards simultaneously, rather than looking at the data on set at the end of each day’s shoot, the production sends one card to Technicolor to archive, inspect and create dailies, and the second card stays with the production as a back-up. It’s a process that Flashpoint’s producers worked out with Technicolor after being frustrated with the high costs of shooting digital, which required a data kit and a data management technician to back up the images at the end of the day. Not being able to verify data right away is not an idea that most producers and DOPs like. When the idea for the new system was proposed, even Technicolor had to make sure the Flashpoint producers knew what was at stake, according to Director of Sales Grace Carnale-Davis, who recalls, “We said, ‘Are you aware of the fact that you could lose data and not know it?’” And Stephen said, ‘Well, I could do that on film too. And with film I don’t even know what my images are like until they’re processed and transferred to tape.’” It’s a risk that so far has paid off. Anobile says the process has enabled Flashpoint to eliminate a data kit and a data management technician, thereby cutting the show’s costs. According to Reizes, lighting costs have also been reduced. “It’s a monumental step forward for digital cinema,” Anobile says. “Couple that with the beauty of the image we’re getting from the ARRI, it’s a new way to approach digital cinema but in a way that brings us right back to the quality control and creative control of shooting 35 mm.” He adds, “Film is now really being challenged by digital for the very first time and being challenged by a camera you can count on.” By all accounts, Reizes is fully embracing that challenge. “I would say the ALEXA is better than film for shooting television,” he says. “You can shoot things you can only imagine you could shoot on film. It looks more real.” He says he does not believe that the quality look of film will be lost with the move to digital. “I think the opportunities to work with film will be around for a long time, and I also think that we’ll be able to emulate that fairly effectively as well. It’s more of a romantic attachment we have to film,” he says.

FAQ

Technicolor’s Post-Production Workflow with the

ARRI ALEXA

Photo credit: Joan Hutton csc

the shadow. Not only did it give us the look that we wanted, but it was more practical.”

Stephen Reizes csc on the set of Flashpoint

How are Flashpoint and Technicolor using the ARRI ALEXA’s data cards to streamline post-production? In early 2011, ARRI debuted a dual SxS memory card system that allowed the ALEXA to shoot to two cards. SxS are the flash memory cards that can be shot simultaneously, as they are on the set of Flashpoint. Typically on the show, one SxS card holding data recorded before lunch gets sent to Technicolor, which provides full post-production services for Flashpoint. The second card stays on set as insurance. Much like footage shot on a roll of film, the data on the first card is verified, accredited, and colour-corrected by Technicolor dailies colourist Mike Dobroski and rendered into dailies. The DOP then receives colour-corrected dailies. Basically, the colour correction and data rendering process have been transferred to Technicolor’s post-production facility.

How was the process developed? Once the Flashpoint creative producers made the decision to transition from shooting film to shooting with the ALEXA, the line producing team headed by John Calvert questioned

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

Actor Enrico Colantoni in a still from Flashpoint Season IV

Stunt sequence on the set of Flashpoint Season IV

the value of spending money on the data kit and data management technician required to render the dailies on set every day. According to Richard J. Anobile, an associate producer of Flashpoint, there are a number of drawbacks to using a DMT and on-set package for digital capture, not the least of which is the time on set given over to processing and colour work that does not necessarily contribute to the final finish. As well, any colour imposed on set is really being handled by a data technician rather than a creative colourist. The ramifications of shooting digitally were therefore quite substantial for Flashpoint. So the DOP and producers asked Technicolor to explore solutions that would eliminate the data kit and the DMT and simplify the process. Essentially, the focus was to return television production to a film style despite digital capture.

the production cycles through. There are days when the production goes through 30 or 40 cards in total. Each card costs between $800 and $1,200 and holds about 15 minutes of data. Anobile says the cards may currently be at a premium due to this year’s tsunami in Japan which created a shortage. Productions with budget constraints have the option of renting the cards, says Technicolor’s Director of Sales Grace Carnale-Davis, adding that this would be a more cost-effective solution for shorter-term productions like feature films or mini-series.

What were some of the initial reservations about using this workflow? Having somebody accredit images on set meant the DOP would know right away if there were any issues with the images. With the new system, the DOP may not find out until the end of the day. Because Flashpoint had been shooting film for three seasons, the producers were more prepared to take that risk because the process mirrors that of shooting film. Furthermore, because the cards are small, there were concerns about how to handle them on set to ensure they did not get damaged, lost or mixed up. To prevent such scenarios, Technicolor developed a system of colourcoded Pelican cases and trained Flashpoint’s camera department and Technicolor’s post-production team on how to use them.

How many cards does Flashpoint use, and how much does it all cost? According to Anobile, Flashpoint has a group of 50 cards that

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

How well has the system worked? According to Anobile, the process has gone extremely well. After shooting 17 episodes of Flashpoint, there have been no problems. Cost savings have been the main benefit, but the added value is that dailies colour correction is done by Technicolor’s in-house experienced colourists. Anobile stresses that there are many added benefits at Technicolor: they have a multitude of additional tools, people and workstations to facilitate the entire process including QC that would not be available on set, but most importantly they have colourists who have film backgrounds and who can bring their film eye to the digital world. He adds that it will be crucial to the creative path, as the film industry moves deeper into digital capture and finish, to keep film-trained colourists in the process as long as possible, and especially to have them working with younger colourists and DOPs who may not have experience with film so as to pass on that film point of view, creative corporate memory, so to speak. Essentially, the goal should be to use digital capture to refine and improve shoot and post flow while embracing the film look and blending it with what digital has to offer – first as a hybrid look and eventually as a language all its own to pass on to the next generation of creative colourists and filmmakers.

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Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

Luc Montpellier csc Reunites With Sarah Polley for

Take This Waltz By Fanen Chiahemen

10 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

fter working on several films together, there’s naturally a creative trust fostered between a director and cinematographer that often develops into a shorthand or language, and that in turn translates into visually arresting films. For her second feature, Take This Waltz, director and writer Sarah Polley collaborated once again with Luc Montpellier csc, and while the film may initially receive attention for its all-star cast– it features Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman and Luke Kirby – it’s also a testament to the foundation Polley and Montpellier have built for distinguishing themselves as a creatively dynamic filmmaking duo. Take This Waltz traces the journey of a young woman named Margot, played by Williams, who one Toronto summer finds herself pulled between the love of her husband and that of a man who has recently come into her life. Polley says she wanted to create a film that would be “lush and delicious and as juicy as possible and as rich with colour as possible, really saturated.” Montpellier, acclaimed for his cinematography on such films as Cairo Time and The Saddest Music in the World, was a natural choice for Polley. She credits him with giving her an understanding of the visual side of filmmaking while shooting her first short film, I Shout Love, in 2001. “I was not that confident visually at the time, and Luc gave me a lot of confidence, and he was constantly kind of bringing out in me what I saw visually and translating it into real practical terms,” Polley says. While Montpellier says he can’t imagine turning down any opportunity to work with Polley, he was particularly drawn to the poetic quality in Take This Waltz, a story involving ordinary people in real-life situations. “There’s a lot of poetry in the script,” he says. “The film moves from these beautifully intimate, improvised moments where you feel like you’re in the room with someone to these extremely poetic sequences.” After three films together – Montpellier also shot Polley’s first feature Away From Her – Polley could sum up her aesthetic vision to Montpellier succinctly, telling him: “I want this film to be like a bowl of fruit.” Montpellier understood that she was driving at the notion of having a “hot, colourful, welcoming, beautiful rendering of Toronto and the people within it,” he says. “She wanted this sexy passion to take over, that every frame felt like it was dripping wet with sweat.” The bowl of fruit reference became a motif of sorts and gave Montpellier a basis on which to create a uniform look for the film. “The most successful cinematography, no matter how bold it is, becomes seamless,” he says, and that seamlessness is achieved by “committing implicitly to the world that you’re creating. You don’t start the film with these beautiful saturated colours and bowls of fruit and then divert from it. From frame one to the very last frame of the film, there’s a commitment to the world that we’ve created.” Montpellier found the visual language for the film in the pages of the book Lomo: Don’t Think, Just Shoot, an album celebrating the art and phenomenon of lomography, a style of photography typically taken with cameras like the LOMO or Holga to create highly saturated images of random subjects, often unfocused, and characterized by a disregard of traditional photography rules. “There was an immediacy to the photography that I really

wanted to try to capture,” Montpellier says. “[Polley] presented me with a script that had these extremely poetic moments in it. When you look at the lomography books, it’s immediate, but there’s poetry to the images. So that inspired me to go in that direction for the film.” Take This Waltz is a film that explores the terrain of human emotions, and Polley relied on improvisation to document those quiet, close moments between people most naturally. For those scenes, Montpellier used Panavision’s Genesis camera, which at the time could shoot 40 minutes of footage, so reloading could be kept to a minimum. “Sarah wanted the ability to have her actors not be restricted as much as we could, so the notion of using digital came up quite early for the simple fact that we wanted to keep the cameras rolling,” Montpellier says. “Also we needed a machine that would give us the poetic quality that the poetic moments in the film would demand. And also you can shoot in extreme low light with these cameras.” With summer at the core of the film, photographing the light in a way that captured the heat was one of Montpellier’s key tasks. Polley says they decided early on that “the heat should feel really tangible, that you should feel like you’re in a really muggy, humid day in Toronto when you look at every frame.” That look applied to both interior and exterior scenes, and for the indoor scenes, Montpellier says he “wanted this feeling that the Toronto summer outside was seeping into the locations.” To this end, he lit the interiors from the outside with large lamps, using just a few lights on set. The result is a sense of the light of summer streaming indoors through windows and other openings. His lighting choice also translated into less distraction for the actors. “It satisfied the visual aesthetic that I was going for, but also there was a bonus of not having any lamps inside the house to maintain a kind of poetic naturalism,” Montpellier says, adding, “I didn’t want the light in the film to be imposing or unmotivated. I just wanted to try to create as real of an environment as possible.” For a scene in which Polley wanted to simulate the entire passing of a day as Margot lies on her bed contemplating her fate, Montpellier came up with the idea of simulating the movement of the sun in the studio outside the bedroom set. With the help of best boy electric Pierre Berube, Montpellier rigged a 10,000-watt bare Fresnel bulb to a 30-foot Giraffe crane that dimmed up and flew around the set to simulate the sun’s movement throughout a day. “You would see the light move and the shadows shift as the electrics moved the giant arm over the set. The light would then dim down and become this beautiful orange-amber, simulating the setting sun,” Montpellier says. “It was very theatrical in its approach, but it worked beautifully. Sometimes the simplest solution works the best.” The thread of intimacy in Take This Waltz is carried well beyond four walls, and capturing that also took some creativity. In one sequence, Margot and the man she is at-

Opposite page above: DOP Luc Montpellier csc on the set of Take This Waltz. Photo courtesy of Accent Entertainment

Below: Writer-director Sarah Polley. Photo courtesy of Mongrel Media

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

tracted to, Daniel, follow each other through the streets at night. It is an intimate, sensual moment between the two despite being in public. The scene was shot at night on College Street in downtown Toronto, and Montpellier and the crew had to find a way to make it a personal moment among the throngs of barhopping Torontonians. “We wanted to show that they’re escaping their homes and going into this night life,” Montpellier says. “But how do you shoot these scenes when you have two famous actors?” The Canon 5D Mark II DSLR, with its low-light sensitivity and interchangeable lens selection, provided the solution, enabling Montpellier to shoot without additional lighting and to outfit the camera with the Panavision lenses to close any visual gaps. Most importantly, the Canon’s small size allowed the cast and crew to work without attracting attention to themselves. “It’s compact so I could grab this camera and go into crowds and wouldn’t look like a filmmaker at all,” Montpellier says. In what is perhaps the most beautiful sequence in the film, Margot and Daniel break into a pool at night to be alone together for the first time. Their night swim becomes a strange and beautiful underwater dance. It was a daunting scene to shoot, not only because, filming at a public pool at the height of summer, the crew was under great time pressure, but also, as Montpellier says, “Cameras and electronics don’t do well with water; they work against each other.” Fortunately, underwater expert George Willis csc was available to lend a hand, offering technical insight as to how to move the camera underwater. Montpellier says key grip Robert Johnson was instrumental in achieving difficult shots, rigging elaborate underwater pulley systems that enabled Willis to be pulled below the surface and follow the actors as they swam. Montpellier shot the scene using the Sony 950 HD camera, “which blended beautifully with the Genesis,” he says, adding, “Because the underwater sequence was a completely different environment, I got away with using a different high def camera to photograph that sequence.” Back on land, shooting in the residential locations, the crew took over an entire neighbourhood in the west end of the city and easily became part of the community, a scenario that introduced a different set of responsibilities for Montpellier. “The big challenge was getting my big lights up on cranes in different strategic places and still be able to photograph the scene, but to not disturb our neighbours as much. Like good neighbours we didn’t want to upset our neighbours, and that largely was up to me.” Montpellier soon discovered that the locals were willing to cooperate thanks in part to Polley’s reputation. “Everybody, when they found out that we were shooting a Sarah Polley film, was really on board because she is such a Torontonian at heart that people know that generally, and they really wanted to help her out.” Polley’s quiet homage to Toronto was certainly one of the reasons Montpellier was excited to work on her second feature, but it was more than that. “It’s her utter respect for the creative process,” he says. “Sarah has a very strong point of view as to how to make a film, and to me that is such an amazing thing to be involved with.” Take This Waltz premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and regardless of how the film is received in wide release, it’s the experience of making it that Montpellier

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

cherishes. “It’s been an amazing journey. When you get involved with a director after a few projects, you really do evolve as filmmakers together, and it’s very much the case here, and it’s been an amazing return for us to shoot this film together,” he says. For Polley, the journey seems to be far from over. “To be honest, if Luc stopped shooting films, I would stop making films,” she says. “The main joy for me of making films is collaborating with Luc. I really can’t imagine working without him.” Clockwise from top left: Actors Luke Kirby and Michelle Williams. Sarah Polley and Luc Montpellier csc. Actors Seth Rogen and Michelle Williams. Sarah Silverman. Luc Montpellier csc and Sarah Polley. Actors Luke Kirby and Michelle Williams. Photos courtesy of Mongrel Media.

“I didn’t want the light in the film to be imposing or unmotivated. I just wanted to try to create as real of an environment as possible.” “The most successful cinematography, no matter how bold it is, becomes seamless.” “Sarah has a very strong point of view as to how to make a film, and to me that is such an amazing thing to be involved with.”

– Luc Montpellier csc

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 â&#x20AC;˘

his year the Toronto International Film Festival’s official Short Cuts Canada selection included the Craig Goodwill-directed surreal short film Patch Town, shot by DOP D. Gregor Hagey csc. Put simply, it’s the story of an abandoned child on a quest to find his mother. Only the child is a grown man named Jon who works in Patch Town Enterprise, a factory where babies are “born” on the work line every day, where he soon finds himself pitted against a merciless Child Catcher in his struggle to find freedom and family. If Patch Town is difficult to describe, it’s even harder to categorize: it’s a musical, a satirical comedy, and a fairytale, drawn from Russian folklore. The look of the film evokes a dark, Soviet-style oppression, which Hagey achieved by keeping the lighting moody, using films such as 1984, City of Lost Children, and Sweeney Todd, as well as the photographs of Bill Henson, as a visual reference.

fun he could have with it creatively. At 28 minutes, the film packs in a lot of detail, and by altering treatments and adjusting camera settings, Hagey was able to offset the various narrative sections of the film through a visual shorthand, manipulating the dark lighting with coloured gels, filtration, and colour correction in post-production. As a result, there is a huge visual contrast between the bleak, industrial Patch Town Enterprise world and the world to which Jon finally escapes to find his mother, which is more naturalistic and colourful. While Hagey shot most of the film with the Red MX, for the flashback scenes – seen from Jon’s point of view when he is a mere Cabbage Patch doll to a young girl – he shot with the Canon 7D, which not only supplied a different look, but also could be picked up by the child actor playing Jon’s pre-pubescent mother. And with its 14 mm lenses, it presented a necessary distorted view of the world.

Never one to shy away from the unconventional – he’s lensed such offbeat films as Suck and Crazy Lovin’ – Hagey knew Patch Town was an ambitious project, but he also recognized how much

Having had the experience of shooting films that incorporated songs, Hagey embraced the creative opportunities of working on a musical, saying they “suggest more creative lighting and angles

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

than regular dialogue.” He describes how while shooting the opening number, the song was played back at twice the normal speed, with the actor singing fast and the camera running at 48 frames per second, twice the frame rate. “The effect when the shot is played back at normal speed is the actor’s singing the song, but everything around him is moving in a slow way, so there’s a surreal effect on it, which is fun,” he says. “You can’t really do that with dialogue. You can take a bit more of a creative license when they’re singing a song.”

other scene when Jon is escaping from the factory, torrential rains began just as the crew was about to start shooting in a field. “We said, ‘We can’t cancel this and come back another night, we’re too low budget. We’ll just have to work with this rain,’” Hagey recalls. Although the weather limited the number of shots the crew could capture, Hagey says the final images were more evocative than expected and that the rain added an aesthetic that would have been impossible to create with rain towers. “It really fit and worked really well story-wise,” he says.

Short films have been a staple in Hagey’s career and he knows how to work around low budgets. When the budget was too limited to build a set for a high, wide-angle shot at the beginning of Patch Town, “we just had one set that we photographed in a bunch of different places, and the visual effects artists stitched it all together, composited all these little elements into one large shot,” he explains.

According to Hagey, the trick to making sure a low-budget project doesn’t feel cheap is to lean on your strengths and recognize the benefits. Lower budget projects, he says, are “very much director-driven, so I find it easier to push the creativity much further. There are some scenes that are very dark in this, and on a big-budget film sometimes you have to water things down a little bit to have a wider appeal, but something very small budget like this, I can go as far as the director will let me with the creative style.”

Low budgets can also be a catalyst for happy accidents: in an-

with

D. Gregor Hagey csc By Fanen Chiahemen

Stills pulled from Red MX footage by D. Gregor Hagey csc

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

IN MEMORIAN

Peter Luxford csc

the industry was starting to develop and where he could get in on the ground floor.

A celebration of his life and career was held Aug. 6 at the Church of the Epiphany in Oakville, where Rick Perotto, vice-president of business development for William F. White International, delivered a joyful remembrance full of Peter’s accomplishments, dedication and humour. Rick recalled working with Peter on many productions, including the series Road to Avonlea and Forever Knight; the made-for-TV movies Holiday Affair and Blood on her Hands; the feature film Mimic; and dozens of television commercials.

In 1966, 24-year-old Peter arrived in Toronto, checking into the YMCA on College Street. He got his first job as a production assistant at the CBC, and by the 1970s he had worked his way up to top camera assistant. He eventually went freelance and worked as a camera assistant on many of the feature movies that were being shot at that time, such as Don Shebib’s Rip Off and Peter Carter’s The Rowdyman with star Gordon Pinsent and DOP Edmund Long, whom he had met at the CBC. Black Christmas in 1974 was one of several films Peter worked on with cinematographer Reg Morris csc.

he CSC sadly acknowledges the death of Peter Luxford csc on July 29 at age 69. Peter succumbed to lymphoma after a short but courageous fight.

He said Peter, who joined IATSE Local 667 in the mid-1980s, was “a constant source of advice for me when I became the union business representative. Peter’s wisdom was always refreshing and he always brought new perspective to old ideas. Whenever, as business rep, I would visit Peter on set, he always had a big smile on his face, enjoying every minute of the day. “Peter taught us humility, patience, respect for our fellow crew and actors and the shooting process on set. More importantly, Peter taught us the care and love for the cinematic art, that it wasn’t ‘rocket science’ we were performing, but creating the illusion of a story or fantasy, and our role was very much part of the process.” Peter joined the CSC in August 1970, when he was a young camera assistant at the CBC, and was upgraded to full member in November 1988. He was made full life member in November 2010. Born and raised in the United Kingdom, Peter went to a school for culinary arts but soon turned to another interest – photography and film production. His uncle taught film in Britain and this is where his lifelong love for the art blossomed. But the British film industry was small and pretty much a closed shop in the post-war 1950s and early 1960s. As a result, Peter followed the advice of a friend of his father and moved to Canada, where

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

Peter and Bert Dunk csc asc worked together on TV classics such as Police Surgeon and other productions. It was Bert who gave Peter his break as camera operator on The Newcomers in the mid-’70s. Also during that decade and beyond, Peter developed a solid working relationship with Bob Saad csc, camera operating, for example, for Saad on the 1984 comedy hit Police Academy. Feature production slowed in the ‘90s, but Peter found an abundance of work on series and commercials as main unit and second unit cinematographer. At the same time, he was busy shooting hundreds of commercials as a freelancer and full time at Partners film company. From 2000 on, Peter compiled an enviable list of feature production credits as daily or full camera operator and/or second unit cinematographer, including X-Men (2000), Death to Smoochy (2002), Cheaper By The Dozen II (2005), Cold Creek Manor (2003), Cinderella Man (2005), Four Brothers (2005) and Hairspray (2007), and TV credits such as Degrassi: The Next Generation, Instant Star, and Pit Pony. In all, Peter’s credits include over 70 feature and television productions and hundreds of commercials. Peter is survived by his wife Maggie (née Melvin), children Arran and Caitlin, and brother Gill.

Robert Holmes csc John Holosko csc George Hosek csc Colin Hoult csc Donald Hunter 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 Ken Krawczyk 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 Allan Leader csc John Lesavage csc Henry Less csc Pierre Letarte csc Antonin Lhotsky csc Norm Li csc Philip Linzey csc Matthew J. Lloyd csc J.P. Locherer 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 Anthony Metchie csc Alastair Meux csc Gregory D. Middleton csc C. Kim Miles csc Gordon Miller csc Robin S. Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Boris Mojsovski csc Luc Montpellier csc Rhett Morita csc David Moxness csc Douglas Munro csc Kent Nason csc Mitchell T. Ness csc Robert C. New csc Stefan Nitoslawski csc Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Barry F. Peterson csc Bruno Philip csc

Matthew R. Phillips csc André Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Andreas Poulsson csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Ali Reggab 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 Brenton Spencer 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

CSC MEMBERS

CSC FULL MEMBERS Johnny Abi Fares csc 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 Neil Cervin csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc, asc Damir I. Chytil csc Jericca Cleland 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 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 Gamal El-Boushi csc, acs 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 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

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 Kelly John Wolfert 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

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

CSC MEMBERS

Vince Arvidson François Aubrey John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys Maya Bankovic David Battistella Gregory Bennett Guy Bennett Jonathan Benny André Bériault Aaron Bernakevitch Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Thomas Billingsley Stan Bioksic Francois M. Bisson Martin Brown Scott Brown Richard Burman Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Maurice Chabot César Charlone Stephen Chung David Collard René Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie James Crowe Micha Dahan Tim Dashwood Michael Jari Davidson Vincent De Paula Nicholas de Pencier Randy Dreager Duane Empey Andreas Evdemon Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Kevin A. Fraser Brian Gedge Yorgos Giannelis Rion Gonzales Dave Gordon Vladimir Gosaric Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley Josh Henderson Rory Hinds David M.J. Hodge John Hodgson 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 Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau James Lewis John V. Lindsay Dave Luxton

Robert Macdonald Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Alfonso Maiorana Yoann Malnati Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Gabriel Medina 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 Michael Rita-Procter Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Don Roussel Albert Rudnicki Steve Sanguedolce Christopher Sargent Sarmen Sarmazian Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Neil Seale Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Rob Sim Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney Aaron Szimanski Peter Szperling André Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson John Thronberg Ian Toews Brendan Uegama John Walsh Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Carolyn Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Xiao Chen Yu Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC AFFILIATE MEMBERS

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

JoAnne Alaric Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird Abraham Bankole Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Greg Biskup Tyson Burger Gordon A. Burkell Joseph Calabrese Sean Carson Arnold Caylakyan Bernard Chartouni Fanen Chiahemen Suzy Cooper Brent J. Craig Brad Creasser Carmelina Crocco Colin Davis Dominika Dittwald Tony Edgar Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira James D. Hardie Stephen Hargreaves Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Adam Christopher Hickman Perry Hoffmann Robert Howard Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen Nazir Kassam 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 Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro Muñoz Matthew Emil Muszalski Kar Wai Ng Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Greg Petrigo Craig Pew Douglas B. Pruss Lem Ristsoo David Rumley Susan Saranchuk Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Alexey Sikorsky Brad Smith Michael Soos

Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steve Thorpe 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 David A. De Volpi csc Kelly Duncan csc, dgc Glen Ferrier John C. Foster csc Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc John B. Griffin csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Brian Hosking Joan Hutton csc Douglas Kiefer csc Rudolf Kovanic 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 Randal G. Platt csc Norman Quick csc Roger Racine csc Robert G. Saad csc Josef Seckeresh csc Michael S. Smith John Stoneman csc Kirk Tougas 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 Philippe Ros afc

indicates demo reel online, www.csc.ca

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.

• 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. 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 604-2290861, 416-698-4482 or peter@peterbenison.com. eqUipMent for SALe • Sony eX-3 hD camera, Sachtler Video 20 Tripod, JVC GY HD-100 Camera. Sony pMW-eX3 XDcAM hD camera, with accessories, memory card, Fujinon lens, BP-U30 Battery, BC-UI Battery Charger & AC Unit, Fujinon VCL-614B2X Lens (5.8mm-81.2mm) w/Lens Hood, Porta Brace Camera Case and rain cover, Vari-Zoom pan-handle zoom controller All in excellent condition- $7500. Sachtler Video 20 111 tripod with aluminium legs and ground spreader and hard transport case. All in excellent condition - $7000. JVC GY HD-100 Shoulder mount camera with Fujinon zoom lens and adaptor for Anton Bauer Dionic 90 batteries. Vari-Zoom pan-handle zoom controller. Excellent condition $2000 or best offer. Contact Peter Rowe at 905 891 9498 or peter@peterrowe.tv • 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. • Briese 77 Light, full kit, including Tungsten and HMI flicker-free setup, two Eggcrates and Manfrotto Mega-Boom. Excellent condition, $ 22,000. Contact: HYPERLINK “mailto:pierredp1@gmail.com” pierredp1@gmail.com.

• 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 $12,000. Nikon 50–300-mm F4-5 E.D. lens with support, $1,000. Kinoptik 9–8mm 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. • 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.

CAMERA CLASSIFIEDS

EQUIPMENT WANTED

• 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: HYPERLINK “mailto:johnbanovich@gamail.com” johnbanovich@gamail.com or 604-726-5646. 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. • 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.

• 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 portabrace 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 HYPERLINK “mailto:blitzvideo@mac.com” 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.

VANCOUVER

CALGARY

604-527-7262 403-246-7267 VANCOUVER CALGARY

604-527-7262

403-246-7267

TORONTO

416-444-7000 TORONTO

HALIFAX

902-404-3630

416-444-7000

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011 •

902-404-3630

PRODUCTIONS & CALENDAR

Production Notes Bag of Bones (miniseries); DOP Barry A Donlevy; to October 28, Halifax Bomb Girls (miniseries); DOP Eric Cayla csc; to November 16, Toronto Call Me Fitz III (series); DOP Ian Bibby; to November 18, Wolfville Cottage Country (feature); DOP Luc Montpellier csc; to October 30, Toronto Covert Affairs II (series); DOP Colin Hoult csc & Jamie Barber (alternating episodes); OP Dave Sheridan; to October 7, Toronto Degrassi: The Next Generation Xi (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Jeremy Lyall; to November 24, Toronto Good Dog II (series); DOP/OP Jason Tan csc; to October 6, Toronto Haunting Hour II (series); DOP Michael Balfry csc; to October 28, Aldergrove Heartland V (series); DOP Craig Wrobleski csc; OP/Steadicam Damon Moreau & OP Jarrett Craig; to November 30, Calgary Highland Gardens (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Jeremy Lyall; to October 3, Toronto Lost Girl II (series); DOP David Greene csc; OP Rod Crombie; to January 22, 2012, Toronto Mama (feature); DOP Antonio Riestra; to December 9, Toronto Murdoch Mysteries V (series); DOP James E. Jeffrey; OP Michael Fylyshtan; November 15, Scarborough My Babysitter's A Vampire II (series); DOP Gerald Packer csc; to November 15, Toronto Nurse 3D (feature); DOP Boris Mojsovski csc; to October 14, Toronto Really Me (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; to December 1, Toronto Republic of Doyle III (series); DOP Malcolm Cross; OP Tony Guerin; to December 11, St. John's Resident Evil: Retribution (feature); DOP Glen MacPherson csc aSC; to December 23, Toronto Rookie Blue III (series); DOP David Perrault csc; OP Frank Polyak; to January 23, 2010, Mississauga Snow White (feature); DOP Brendan Galvin; OP Francois Daignault; to September 9, Montreal Still (feature); DOP Brendan Steacy csc; to October 5, North Bay Story of Luke (feature); DOP David Klein; to September 3, Sault Ste. Marie Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town (TV movie); DOP Mike McMurray csc; to October 7, Toronto The Transporter (series); DOP Derick Underschultz & David Herrington csc (alternating episodes); OP Rudy Katkic; to November 21, Toronto What's up, Warthogs! II (series); DOP/OP Arthur Cooper csc; to October 28, Toronto Yamaska III (series); DOP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 16, Montreal

Calendar of Events – October 1-9, Toronto International Latin Film Festival, tilff.com 12–16, Planet in Focus: International Environmental Film & Video Festival, Toronto, planetinfocus.org 12–23, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Montreal, nouveaucinema.ca 14–22, Antimatter: Underground Film Festival, Victoria, B.C., antimatter.ws 18–22, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, St. John’s, NL, womensfilmfestival.com 19-23, imagineNATIVE Film Festival, Toronto, imaginenative.org 20-27, Toronto After Dark Film Festival, torontoafterdark.com

noVeMBer 3-6, Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton, swfilmfest.com 3–6, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, vaff.org 8–19, Reel Asian International Film Festival, Toronto, reelasian.com 9–20, Rencontres internationales du documentaire du Montréal, ridm.qc.ca 16-26, image+nation, Montreal, image-nation.org 17–26, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival, aboriginalfilmfest.org

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2011

A CLEAR PATH THROUGH POST Format

SxS cards

Direct to Edit workflow Tape-based workflow

Format

Tape

Format

On-board recorder

File-based workflow

On-board recorder

ARRIRAW workflow

Format

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Film. No Compromise.

IMAGE IS EVERYTHING... SHOOT FILM.

Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine October 2011

Articles inside

Camera Classified

CSC Members

From the President