Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine November 2011

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 November 2011 www.csc.ca

DOP Steve Cosens csc on Edwin Boyd

NFB’s 3D Doc • Behind the Scenes

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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 – VOLUME 3, NO. 6 NOVEMBER 2011

Behind the Scenes with Chris Thompson: First Assistant Camera Operator By Fanen Chiahemen

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DOP Steve Cosens csc on Edwin Boyd

8

10

By Fanen Chiahemen

The St. Judes: NFB’s New 3D Documentary

By Lance Carlson

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 From the President 4 In the News 18 Tech Column 19 Camera Classified 20 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Still from Edwin Boyd. Photo Courtesy of EOne Films

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Canadian Cinematographer November 2011 Vol. 3, No. 6 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

I

n this issue of Canadian Cinematographer there are two new features making their debut. One deals with technical matters that are of interest to cinematographers, while the second is a series that highlights the production functions and the people that affect cinematographers directly and indirectly.

WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss gkondruss@rogers.com CSC OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca CSC SUBSCRIPTION DEPT. 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996

The new monthly Tech Column will poke, dissect, critique and rate equipment big and small that are essential to today’s cinematographer. The column will be penned by our resident technophile Sarah Moffat. An associate member and an executive board member of the CSC, Sarah is a talented cinematographer who specializes in underwater cinematography, documentaries, nature/wildlife, dance and extreme sports films. She was also instrumental in organizing last year’s wildly successful CSC 3D workshop. Sarah also delivered lectures on “Motion Camera Theory Basics” at ProFusion 2011 in June. Sarah says she’s been fascinated by cameras and gadgetry since she was a young girl and knows how to mix it up with a piece of equipment beyond the specs to see how it really performs in the field. So, if anyone out there has any ideas about equipment, please let us know and Sarah will put it through the paces. In this issue, Tech Column tackles the Nexto Video Storage units.

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.

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

Our industry has been revolutionized by digital technology which has profoundly altered how we approach and practice our respective crafts. Not only has the scope of traditional production jobs changed, but technology has created a number of new ones. Our new feature, Behind the Scenes, explores how, and how well, we have adapted to our new work world. For the first article in the series, we look at the folks who seem to know what the cinematographer is thinking before the cinematographer does. At least the good ones have this uncanny ability. They’re the camera assistants. Our editor, Fanen Chiahemen, pens this Behind the Scenes installment on what is arguably the cinematographer’s single most important production asset.

Being a cinematographer can be a solitary existence. There is usually only one of us on set. Even if it’s a multiple shoot there’s often no time for conversation and camaraderie. There is the annual CSC Awards night, but as good as it is, it’s only one night a year. To increase the opportunities for us to talk, exchange ideas, network and simply have fun, the CSC is organizing Pub Nights. The first one was held last September, and the next one is scheduled this month, Tuesday, Nov. 22 in Toronto. You can get the details at the CSC website: www.csc.ca. You need not be a cinematographer or a CSC member to attend.

This is an industry-wide invitation. See you there!

A Supernatural Transition From Film to Digital I shot the first three seasons of Supernatural with a 35mm dream package from Clairmont Camera. Then, the studio wanted to make a move into the digital world.

One thing I wanted to make sure of was a seamless transition from film to digital. Supernatural was coming of age and I didn't want to change the look we set with the 35mm tools. I was looking for an evolution—not a new palette.

I had set my mind on two D-21s for our A and B cameras and a Red One for Steadicam, 2nd unit and additional camera works. And what was most important to me was that Denny Clairmont and his team put their resources behind my choices through testing, setting my LUTs and establishing the work flow.

On Supernatural we go to hell each week in our stories but one place I didn't want to go was production hell. You know what I'm talking about: weird things happening to your equipment, failure you don't expect, name it. But because of the nature of the preparation and the support of Clairmont Camera we never lost any production time due to the change of system, and whatever glitches we encountered were resolved in a swift fashion.

It is well known to what extent the Clairmont family will go to service the camera crews, design and fabricate tools to fit particular demands but there is more. I found friendship, not the business bias type, but friendship based on complicity and dedication in research for the best .

What am I talking about? Too good to be true?

Maybe I found some kind of heaven on Earth and it's called Clairmont Camera‌Heaven for the DP! Serge Ladouceur CSC

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Hollywood 818-761-4440

Vancouver 604-984-4563

Toronto 416-467-1700

Albuquerque 505-227-2525

Montreal 514-525-6556

IN ThE NEwS

Member News Montreal-based Suki Films is on board to co-produce a feature version of Craig Goodwill’s short film Patch Town, lensed by DOP D. Gregor Hagey csc, after the film received high praise from the press, industry and the public throughout this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. This satirical comedymeets-musical clashes Russian folklore and Soviet-style oppression with western-style consumerism. Meanwhile, the feature film Charlie Zone, shot by DOP Christopher Ball csc, won three awards at the Atlantic Film Festival, including Best Cinematography. Also, Vancouver-based cinematographer Ian Kerr csc was awarded the Emmy for Outstanding Cinematography - News Coverage/ Documentaries at the 32nd annual Emmy Awards for News and Documentaries. Kerr’s work was recognized for the film Lost Mummies of New Guinea, a National Geographic Explorer documentary shot in March 2010.

Telefilm Submits Falardeau Film for Academy Award Nomination Telefilm Canada, which chairs the pan-Canadian Oscar selection committee, announced that the feature film Monsieur Lazhar, directed by Philippe Falardeau and shot by Ronald Plante csc, has been submitted as Canada’s choice for consideration as a possible nominee in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 84th Academy Awards, to be held in Los Angeles on February 26. The nominations for the Academy Awards will be announced on January 24. Meanwhile, Music Box Films has obtained U.S. rights to Monsieur Lazhar.

Photo Courtesy of Redemption Pictures

Photo Credit: Marc Bryan-Brown

Deluxe Integrates London DI Facility Into Company 3

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Deluxe Entertainment Services Group recently announced the integration of its Deluxe 142 Digital Intermediate facility into post-production facility Company 3. The addition extends Company 3’s reach into Europe, complementing its existing New York, Atlanta and Santa Monica locations. Company 3 in London will be overseen by Stefan Sonnenfeld, Company 3 president, co-founder and president of Deluxe Creative Services, with day-to-day operations led by Patrick Malone, director of Digital Film Services. The DI service remains an integral part of the suite of services offered by Deluxe 142, which will continue to offer a complete end-to-end post-production solution to their client base spanning the broadcast and feature film market. The facility has two theatre’s featuring Da Vinci Resolve R350 digital grading systems and 2K Barco projectors which mirror those installed at Company 3’s U.S. locations. This enables the global team to work together to offer an end-to-end solution from dailies through to deliverables. The London facility is also equipped to work in partnership with Company 3’s sister facility, EFILM. Top: Still pulled from Red MX footage by D. Gregor Hagey csc Middle: Ian Kerr csc Bottom: Still from the film Charlie Zone.

PS Mobile Goes Live PS Production Services recently launched PS Mobile, a site optimized for mobile devices. PS Mobile takes the key features of the regular PS website and simplifies them for smaller mobile screens. The site provides key contact information, news and event information, product information, industry related apps and the latest editions of both PS Insider and PS Backlight.

PS Mobile also includes a production toolbox that will provide valuable information on everything from electrical standards and wire gauges to focal lengths and colour correction charts, all available in an easy-to-read format on the go. In other news, PS also announced the appointment of Wendy Moss to The Actors’ Fund of Canada Board of Directors. Wendy is a veteran of the film, television and new media industries and is currently responsible for Business Development and Sales Administration at PS in Toronto. Wendy devotes many hours to assisting others and their causes and has been involved with PS’s charity of choice, The Actors’ Fund of Canada for the past four years.

Sim Video Appoints Three Execs On the heels of recently expanding into Atlanta, Georgia, Sim Video International has promoted three senior staff members to its Executive Management Team. John DeBoer, Director of

East Coast Operations, has been appointed the position of Chief Operations Officer and will be responsible for company-wide procedures, purchasing and engineering. DeBoer will also function as the General Manager for the Sim Video Toronto office.

Jim Martin, VP of West Coast Operations and New Business Development, has been promoted to Chief Strategy Officer and will lead Sim in all global sales strategies as it pertains to equipment advances, expanded geographical opportunities and market trends. Chris Parker, who heads up Sim’s workflow services division Bling Digital, has been named Chief Technology Officer and will be responsible for identifying, experimenting and implementing new technology to ensure clients benefit from the most current and efficient systems available to the motion picture and television industry today.

THX Enhances Colour Management Software THX in September announced enhancements to its popular THX cineSpaceTM colour management software with support for 64-bit operating systems on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, in addition to 64-bit support in cinePlugin versions for Adobe Photoshop, Apple Shake, Eyeon Fusion, Nucoda Film Master and Nuke. The plug-ins are tightly integrated into the workflow and functionality of the associated systems and enable highly efficient display calibration and LUT selection. The latest

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Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

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THX cineSpace offerings also add support for the new X-Rite i1 Display Pro colourimeter and the Datacolor Spyder line of colourimeters, providing facilities with more choices in terms of price, quality, accuracy and functionality for display calibration devices.

Sony Products Unveiled at CSC Meeting Sony at CSC’s meeting at Videoscope in September unveiled the new Sony NXCAM FS100U camera. In a presentation, François Gauthier, Sony of Canada’s Product and Marketing Manager in Broadcast Acquisition Products, also described new camera products announced at IBC, including S-Log and S-gamut functions, PMW-F3’s zoom and firmware, the 4:4:4 projector, as well as the F65 camera. CSC members were able to watch footage on the 4:4:4 projector.

Avid DNX-HD MXF or Apple ProRes for editorial or DPX for VFX and finishing. Codex is providing an entire production platform for the X35 from recording the images produced by the camera through to dailies delivery and post-production.

Suds + Stimulating Conversations + Loads of Laughs = One Great CSC Pub Night

By Guido Kondruss

I

t was just before 7 p.m. in September when CSC Executive Director Susan Saranchuk and I huffed our way up the stairs to the library at the Imperial Pub in downtown Toronto. When we finally reached the summit, panting and feigning composure, we were met by President Joan Hutton csc, who looked no worse for wear after her stair climb. The three of us were the first on the scene and it was good enough for an elbow hoisting quorum. The first CSC Pub Night was officially underway!

Photo Courtesy of Videoscope

We were soon joined by CSC affiliate member Matthew Muszalski and D. Gregor Hagey csc. Matthew, a third year Ryerson student, told us that he was shooting three student films this year and was hoping that at least one of them would make the cut for a student prize at the 2012 CSC Annual Awards Gala. Gregor was quite pleased that the short film he DP’d, Patch Town, which enthralled audiences at its premier at this year’s TIFF, was now in development as a feature.

From left, Kazuo Endo, Senior Product Planner, Sony Corporation; Wes Kirkpatrick, Videoscope General Manager; CSC President Joan Hutton; François Gauthier, Product and Marketing Manager, Sony of Canada; and Peter Slisarenko, Manager, Regional Sales, Sony of Canada. Courtesy of Videoscope

Codex Digital, P+S Technik Collaborate to Provide Workflow for New PS-Cam X35 Codex Digital, a developer of digital media recorders and media management systems for film and television production, in September announced a collaboration with P+S Technik to provide a workflow for the new PS-Cam X35 digital camera. A Codex Onboard Recorder records images from the PS-Cam X35 camera. The data packs can be moved over to a Codex Transfer Station for Mac OS X where the unique Codex Virtual File System will generate whatever deliverables are required such as

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

As much as we enjoyed the sofas on which we were sprawled, we knew it was time to make a larger territorial claim. The five of us decamped and hoisted the CSC flag over a large wooden oblong table in a corner of the pub. Soon there were 13 of us laughing wildly and chatting away. Those in attendance were John Holosko csc, who regaled us with stories about living and working in Los Angeles. While associate member and Steadicam specialist Brad Hruboska had recently been putting his considerable shooting talents to use on the horror/mystery feature The Barrens about the New Jersey Devils. Associate member Tony Edgar was about to leave for the United Arab Emirates to shoot, on Kodak 35 mm film, the remaining two of a commercial trilogy celebrating the UAE’s 40th anniversary. Digital imaging engineer Jasper Vrakking says he’s had a great year working on four features so far, including Total Recall and Resident Evil.

Affiliate member and resident producer/cinematographer at Humber College in the Acting for Film and Television program, Ian McLaren was glad that the support staff strike was over so that they could get back to work developing the next generation of actors. Associate member François Aubry said that he DP’d two docs so far this year. One was on the legendary coureur des bois Étienne Brule, while the other, Real Voodoo, explored the dark religious practice in Haiti. Perhaps more interestingly, François was recently married and was off soon to the Greek Islands for a honeymoon. Congratulations, François!

So how good was the evening? It was pretty darn good. Pub Night was scheduled to go until 9 p.m., but we only called it

quits after 11 p.m. that night. Everything and anything was talked about, and yes, we did solve all the problems facing the film and television industry. It’s amazing what you can accomplish after a couple of drinks!

CSC Executive Director Susan Saranchuk with CSC members at Pub Night.

Photo Credits: Joan hutton csc

The next Pub Night is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 22 at the Imperial Pub in Toronto. Check the CSC website for details: www. csc.ca. So circle the date in your calendar and be prepared for a great time! Also, watch for an announcement on the upcoming Vancouver CSC Pub Night!

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Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

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Behind the Scenes with

Chris Thompson First Assistant Camera Operator

By Fanen Chiahemen

A

s first assistant camera operator, or focus puller, Torontoborn Chris Thompson has a job that requires the utmost in meticulousness with virtually no room for error. His main responsibility is to maintain image focus, but he also has to assemble the camera, maintain the equipment, ensure the exposures and stops are correct, change lenses, move the camera gear and check the gate. Thompson, who has worked in the business since the 1980s, says, “The hardest part of the job is you are trying to keep something in focus, and the drop off could be so minimal, just inches, and you’re trying to maintain that.” He adds, “I know people in the old days that if a shot was out of focus, they got fired. It was very stressful and it’s still stressful.”

Thompson has most recently worked on the feature Flicka 3, the third instalment of the latest movie adaptations of the classic 1940s children’s book My Friend Flicka. The horsecentred feature was shot over the summer in Kelowna, British Columbia, with Michael Damian as director and Ron Stannett csc as director of photography. Even after almost 30 years’ experience, Thompson still felt the pressure, especially with animals in the shots. “The biggest stressful situation would be something where it’s a very long lens, and you’re pulling an actor or a horse, and you can see that the depth of field is very shallow, and you’re doing your best to maintain that focus, and you buzz it and you miss it, and the light is going down, and they have to take the horse back to one, and the actor has to redo his lines,” Thompson says. “So the stress there is that you know how difficult it is to do, but people just expect you to nail it. But you just have to manage your stress and have confidence in your ability, get what marks you need and rely on your experience and just get that shot.”

Photo Credit: Carole Segal

According to Stannett, a 46-year industry veteran, what makes a good focus puller is “a person that’s dedicated to doing that job. They’re few and far between because it’s a really tough job.”

Thompson says he has heard many DOPs acknowledge that focus pulling is the most demanding job on set. “You have to concentrate so much that you’re exhausted by the end of the

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

“It’s probably one of the most stressful positions on the whole set.”

Photo Credit: Joseph Lederer

– Chris Thompson

previous page: First assistant camera operator Chris Thompson hauls camera gear. Above: Chris Thompson on the set of Flicka 3

day mentally,” he says. This is why he believes an open-ended, communicative relationship between DOP and camera assistant is critical. According to Thompson, the most important quality in a DOP “first and foremost is the demeanour. Someone who is professional and a gentleman and understands the difficulty of what all the assistants and the operators have to do and who encourages a healthy, low-stress environment in order for us all to do our jobs. And someone respectful and supportive.” He recalls an unpleasant situation on a show he worked on years ago that he declines to name. “I remember we had this British DOP come out to this show, and he turned to us and said, ‘Gentlemen, I expect my assistants to be seen and not heard.’ And he really did stick to this,” Thompson says, adding, “It was pointed out to us that three soft shots, and you’re fired, three camera run outs, if you’re a second camera assistant, you were fired. It was very militarized.” Although Thompson acknowledges that working in the film industry can be “a trench warfare situation sometimes,” he says such a mentality isn’t necessary to be effective with getting the best results from people.

By all accounts, Thompson and Stannett have fostered a working relationship in which Thompson can do his best work. Describing what he likes about working with Thompson, Stannett says, “I can turn my back and concentrate on lighting and other things on the set, and behind me the camera department is being well organised.” But perhaps most importantly, Stannett appreciates Thompson’s competence as a focus puller. “He doesn’t miss a beat. And he’s very creative. He’ll follow what the camera’s doing and he’s very creative as to where he puts the focus. And it’s right on all the time,” Stannett says.

Indeed, knowing how to focus an image takes artistic as well as technical skill. For example, while pulling focus on the science fiction television series Battlestar Galactica, Thompson says, “You’d have somebody in the lens, but they’re not talking and the other person in the background is talking, so you’d throw the focus, but maybe as you’re there and you’re feeling the story and you’re feeling the scene out, the guy is saying, ‘Look, I was really disappointed when you abandoned me on that planet.

You left me there, and I thought you were my friend…’ And you think, ‘I’m going to pull focus to the guy who’s quietly listening, the reaction when he said, ‘You abandoned me.’ Let’s see how he feels.’” Thompson frequently exercised such creativity on the show, something the directors appreciated. “I remember the director saying to the operator, ‘I want you to frame like this,’ and he would say to somebody else, ‘Could you do that? And Chris, the focus pulling, do it when you feel like it’s right.’”

It’s that artistic side to the job that Thompson says he finds most satisfying.

As technology has evolved over the years, so has Thompson’s working method. While some of his colleagues prefer to do things “the old-fashioned way with a tape measure,” Thompson explains, “I now have a remote focus unit in my hand and stand beside a high def monitor and I turn the focus knob with that to keep the shot in focus.” However, the shift to digital shooting has had little impact on what’s required of him. Even though with HD it’s immediately apparent when a shot is out of focus, “You still need to know how to assemble the camera gear, put it together, put motors on and slide matte boxes on and filters. I still have to keep focus,” he says.

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

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DOP Steve Cosens csc on

E d w i n I

n the aftermath of the Second World War, Edwin Boyd, a Toronto army veteran dissatisfied with his post-war circumstances, turned to crime to make money. Boyd pulled off several bank robberies, first alone and then with a crew who became known as the Boyd Gang. Authorities finally apprehended Boyd in 1952, and although he copped a life sentence, he was eventually paroled. By the time he relocated to British Columbia under a new identity, his headline-dominating crimes and capture had bestowed on him the status of a notorious folk hero.

Boyd’s life story sounded like the stuff of movies to director Nathan Morlando, and, along with producer Allison Black, he spent 12 years developing a script, during which time Morlando also developed a close relationship with Boyd himself. As a result, Boyd, who died in 2002, has been reincarnated as the protagonist of Morlando’s aptly named feature Edwin Boyd, which premiered this past September at the Toronto International Film Festival, winning the festival’s jury prize for best Canadian first feature.

That Edwin Boyd should be a hit with TIFF audiences should perhaps be no surprise, given its duo of winning ingredients: Torontonians love a Toronto folk hero, and everyone loves a historical gangster film. The

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latter is what first attracted director of photography Steve Cosens csc to the project. “I was really drawn to the idea of creating this world of a bank robber during that time,” Cosens says. “It was a world I was excited about, just diving into this world of gangsters. I knew that it would be fun.”

What made it particularly appealing for Cosens was Morlando’s eagerness to use lighting to depart from the traditional gangster movie aesthetic, specifically forgoing the warm sepia look that is the trademark of so many period pieces. “I find that a lot of historical films bring a nostalgia to the light as if the world looked different then than it does now,” Morlando says. “I wanted to use natural light because I wanted to connect the past to the present, and I felt that natural light is what connects the two times; and I wanted Edwin Boyd to feel as contemporary as possible.” Morlando knew Cosens could deliver after watching a documentary Cosens shot on an ARRI S called Dagger. “It’s all natural light. He shot it himself, and it’s extraordinary, and that was actually for me the inspiration,” Morlando says.

Cosens – whose credits include 2006’s Snow Cake, for which he was nominated for a Genie Award in cinematography, The Tracey Fragments (2007) and

B o y d

By Fanen Chiahemen

Nurse. Fighter. Boy (2008) – has a track record for creating striking images with natural light, and true to form, he shot Edwin Boyd on 35 mm, using minimal additional lighting. “A lot of times my lighting was very much motivated by practical lighting,” he says, explaining that in many scenes “the fixture that we see in the scene is the actual light that’s lighting the scene.”

Cosens says he lit all the shots with white light, adding, “The palette was very monochrome. Initially, Nathan wanted to shoot a black and white film, so everything is intentionally as muted as possible, all the colours, all the wardrobe, all the walls, everything.” According to Cosens, the one warmly lit scene in the film is “a very conscious choice.” In a scene that captures a tender moment in which Boyd gives his wife a gift, “there’s a little warm light, a glow behind her, because it’s a positive, hopeful moment in the film,” he says.

it. “I didn’t want to get into crafting specific lighting for each character,” he says, adding, “I played the latitude of the film, so I knew that if somebody was at the edges of the room, they would be a couple of stops underexposed and look good, and if characters were up by the raw light bulb where it was about five stops overexposed, I knew that would be fine too because you can do that on film. It wouldn’t have handled as nicely if we’d done that on HD for sure.”

Cosens’ resourcefulness with light is evident in a scene in which Boyd’s gang escape from jail to go into a flophouse — an old tenement building where gangs would congregate. There were many pages of dialogue to cover, and the crew had very little time to shoot. (Edwin Boyd was shot in just 25 days). When Cosens read the script he knew he wanted to light the flophouse scenes with one light bulb, so he hung a 150-watt bulb in the middle of the room and shot the whole scene with

Shooting on film was something that both Cosens and Morlando were committed to from the beginning. “[John] Cassavetes was a strong reference point for me, as was Taxi Driver, and a mutual reference for both of us was There Will Be Blood, and those films were all shot on film,” Morlando says. For Cosens, the push to shoot on film extended to the practical.

“It was an aesthetic choice because film is film and it just looks good,” he says. “But also, it became clear

It’s a scene that Morlando describes as the anchor of the film. “It’s a very wild scene in terms of the narrative, and it’s particularly wild in terms of the way it was shot. I think it’s one of the most beautiful sequences in the film, and it’s literally lit with this one bulb that you see in the film,” Morlando says. “Also, it gave us the opportunity to really go handheld and move around.”

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

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that we were going to be shooting in the winter, and I didn’t want to be shooting all these winter exteriors on HD. Especially bright snow outside.

It just doesn’t hold as nicely.” He chose Aaton’s Penelope, which, with its light weight, allows for handheld shooting. The camera is also designed for 2-perf shooting, which was important for a low-budget film. Like Super 35, 2-perf uses the complete width of the negative and therefore wastes less film. This cuts film stock costs in half because the single frame of film is divided into two usable parts. Shooting 2-perf is therefore similar in terms of cost and running times per magazine to shooting Super 16.

Photo Credit: Bryce Duffy

Top: Steve Cosens csc on the set of Edwin Boyd. Middle: Steve Cosens csc with director Nathan Morlando. Bottom and previous page: Stills from Edwin Boyd.

Photo stills courtesy of EOne Films

Both Cosens and Morlando ascribe that commitment from everyone involved for making a shoot that could easily have been thwarted by time constraints and weather conditions –in wintry Sault Ste. Marie – go smoothly. “We were moving a lot and having to roll into places really quickly and light quickly and shoot quickly, and that was a challenge,” Cosens says. According to Morlando, Cosens’ calm confidence was a huge factor in making it all work. “People who have seen the film remark on the beauty of the film and the epic nature of the film,” he says. “The beauty that he was somehow capturing through natural light felt to me like a miracle.”

Photo Credit: Sophie Giraud

According to Cosens, shooting film in this digital age can sometimes be a battle, and he credits the film’s producers, as well as Kodak and Panavision, for standing by the filmmakers’ vision. “Allison, the producer, was really on board to try to shoot film and to try to make it work, and Kodak has been incredibly generous,” he says. “They really stepped up and gave us some great prices.”

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Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

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The St. Judes

New 3D NFB ’s

DOCUMENTARY

T

he St. Judes is called experimental in part to differentiate it from Transitions, an IMAX 3D film made in 1986, but more significantly because it uses contemporary 3D technology and tools. But story is still king, and Anita Lee, National Film Board producer, and Jeffrey St. Jules, writer and director, flushed out the story with all of this in mind, as well as with the support of John Minh Tran, director of photography, and stereographer Tim Dashwood to perfectly complement their team.

Lee saw things in St. Jules’ earlier works that triggered a suggestion that he consider 3D for the project. He warmed to the idea, not because he was anxious to add gimmicks, but to explore innovative ways to add layers of meaning and impact to the story.

Lee feels it is a hybrid form with elements of excitement and risk.

For Lee and St. Jules, 3D was a way to explore the language of film and to add levels of meaning to this story. Lee has done a lot of drama/documentary hybrid projects, and she was interested in innovation, such as mixing genres and approaches, so 3D was in the back of her mind and it was an opportunity to push the boundaries. Knowing St. Jules’ aesthetic she could see that it would lend itself to this project, because they are not using it in a traditional way. St. Jules was excited by the possibility of capturing a really powerful or emotional interview with a person in front of you in 3D. He felt it was important to use it to increase the emotional impact otherwise it’s just novelty.

The filmmakers looked at it in terms of a way to expand the language of documentary film. It became an experiment where they explored how to use 3D in a meaningful way, within the documentary process. It’s “experimental” but it’s still narrative.

Once they were comfortable with the idea of going ahead with 3D, they talked to local suppliers, but rather than a client relationship they wanted people who were really Carlson passionate about their role. When St. Jules and his production supervisor, Mark Wilson, met Dashwood, they knew he had the perspective and the creative excitement to be a collaborator. Lee in turn had known Tran for years and had produced his wife Siu Ta’s film She also remembered that Tran’s 2008 documentary Daddy Tran was in part about large format 3D photography.

St. Jules explains that the main story is of his grandparents, who met in a lumber camp in Northern Ontario in the 1940s and of their separation which resulted in having to give up their children, and explores the afterBy Lance math of that. This part is told in the form of an early 1950s-style NFB documentary. The film then explores the aftermath of the separation, and the last part interviews people who are not from his family but who had also given up their kids. St. Jules did not know his grandparents, which makes them seem somewhat mythological to him and is why he created the story originally as fiction. The film has some of its original elements but now has dramatic as well The logistics of using 3D equipment suggested that sets in a as documentary elements which transition from one to the studio would be far easier to deal with than hauling equipment other. around to people’s homes. A set built for St. Jules’ grandmother’s

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

Photo Credit: Max Putintsev

DOP John Tran frames up the shot with a rig

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

15

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

Photo Credit: Max Putintsev

Photo Credit: Max Putintsev

Photo Credit: Max Putintsev

kitchen was also used to interview the other women. The men were interviewed on the set of his grandfather’s house. Actors were hired to portray St. Jules’ grandparents, and parents who had gone through similar experiences were interviewed for the last part of the film. There was initially concern that the studio, lights and big camera rig might intimidate people, but in fact it all seemed to offer an anonymity that allowed them to open up.

The archival footage in the film is not dimensionalized, rather it is placed in a 3D plane within a 3D environment, not full screen. St. Jules employs interesting and innovative photography techniques such as printing out frames on a laser printer and then ripping the edges and re-photographing them on a stand to give it a more organic feel. In re-photographing them, they actually have a sense of dimensionality on the pieces of paper.

One of the challenges at the conceptual stage was arriving at an appropriate perspective in close-ups during the interviews. A longer lens can keep the crew back and let the director get closer to the subject, but the downside of that is magnifying the positive parallax in the background. The filmmakers ended up using a 25 mm lens for most of the film and a 35 mm lens at about 5 feet from the subject for a more close up feel, giving a stereoscopic roundness or perspective while retaining a sense of intimacy. Tran and St. Jules went to Dashwood’s studio where they mocked up the setups and shot every conceivable lens and subject distance combination. They also did complete exposure tests on the ALEXA, figuring out which gamma curve and which settings they were going to use. They also prepped a DCP (Digital Cinema Package) and took it to Technicolor for several screenings. Dashwood stresses that “prep work in 3D is the most important thing you can do, because very simply it will save you time on set.”

Also, in testing the crew tried every aperture from T-1.4 to T-8 and found that on the longer lenses you need parallax cues in the background that you bring in to fuse the complete image. If depth of field is too short you get blobs in the background. 3D works best as a wide and close format. In addition, every time they changed lenses, the camera assistant would set the exposure and Dashwood would check the depth of field. This is important because lenses are measured in T-Stops which are set at the factory, so you are not going to have the same depth of field with every lens. It is more important that the depth of field matches, rather than the exposure (which can be adjusted in grading).

They found that there could be as much as a half stop difference in lenses and with that the bokeh, the aesthetic quality of the blur, wouldn’t match.

Convincing the production to use the ALEXA was not a big sell even though one might think that a 2/3-inch chip camera would be more suitable for a documentary. According to Dashwood, “a 2/3-inch camera might make sense if we were shooting at Top: The DSC “Dashwood 3D” chart employed to calibrate the rig. Middle: 1st AC Pierre Branconnier and S3D Assistant Mark Bone prepping the Arri remotes. Bottom: Tim Dashwood shoots plate shot with underslung Hurricane rig and Canon XF105 cameras

T 2 or 2.8, but the ALEXA had more than enough sensitivity and we had adequate lighting for shooting at T-4 or 5.6.” Tran agrees that it’s understandable that the producer has to worry about cost, but as a DOP he has always been a proponent of using the best tools available for the job. “The ALEXA gave us the range and the colour, as well as the flexibility and the simplicity to do the job.” It’s the only camera where the simplicity alone overshadows everything for 3D. For example, it has a 3D link cable so that you only have to adjust the menus on one camera because it clones everything that you do and you only have to hit record on one camera. It also has its own file management so that both the files have the same number, one labelled L and the other R. For Tran, being able to shoot tests three weeks in advance was great because he could determine what the director was looking for and was able to mock up where the window light was with respect to the various lenses. By using the same camera (in the test) and rig, he was able to get a good feel for the challenges he was facing. The tests also helped determine the final ASA they were going to use. According to Tran, “3D needs more depth of field and we shot most of it between T-4 and 5.6, even though we rated the ALEXA at 320 ASA which is lower than many people use.” The other method they employed to heighten the impact of the interviews was to add a subtle dolly move to what would have otherwise been a static shot. The set pieces at Wallace Studios were shot in colour but were given further treatment to look like different time periods with some being matched to the archival footage. Tran had to build in a bit more light than he does in 2D, where he likes the background to be soft, but that doesn’t work for 3D. It is not uncommon for lens changes on a 3D rig to take up to a half an hour, but with Dashwood and his team it took just minutes. That included alignment and calibration with the software that he had developed. Describing some of the tools he has developed to make 3D shooting more efficient, Dashwood says, “Over the past couple of years we have developed a system to try to make things flow a lot smoother on set and that system became known as Stereo 3D CAT (Calibration and Analysis Tool), which we just released last week.” He adds, “This film was one of the first projects where we had our new chart, which I designed for this purpose and DSC Labs is producing.” The chart is set up and the signals from the two cameras are plugged into a MacBook Pro, which will transmit back to an iPad exactly what disparities you have in the rig. You can then manually tune them out in a matter of minutes, saving considerable on-set time.

[Information, tutorials and video are on Dashwood’s website dashwood3D.com].

Reflecting on the project, Tran says, “I thought it was a fantastic experience. It was exciting to be working with Tim and his team.” He adds, “My specialty over the last few years has been shooting feature documentaries, but I now really see the potential of this form and would like to continue to learn more of this new language and explore it further in documentaries and feature documentaries.”

The St. Judes is scheduled for release early next year.

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

17

TECh COLuMN

Review

The Nexto Video Storage ND 2725

By Sarah Moffat

A

s a photojournalist and documentary cinematographer in both still and motion imagery, having a reliable storage device in today’s world of the industry is a must. The key elements I look for in gear when planning a shoot are performance, efficiency and practicality. Here’s a breakdown of the three elements for the Nexto ND 2725.

Performance: The Nexto ND 2725 is fitted with two slots and two ports for data transfer. Slot one, on the top, is for compact flash cards. The second slot, on the side, is a multiple card slot that enables the user to load files from a variety of popular card types physically smaller than compact flash. With these slot options, the Nexto ND 2725’s performance easily outdoes the standard portable hard drives used mainly with laptop computers. The Nexto allows the user to offload and store files without the need for a laptop or desktop computer or card reader. The ports, located on the bottom of the device, are for USB OTG and ESATA cables, all of which come with the Nexto. The storage device can also be used as an external hard drive from your computer.

The Nexto storage device uses the relatively new Lithium Polymer, or Li-Po, batteries. The main difference between these and the conventional Lithium Ion cells, such as Ni-Cad and NiMH, is that Li-Po batteries don’t need a metal casing, drastically reducing their weight, and because of the technology of Li-Po batteries, they can be shaped to fit almost any space. The Nexto can operate with two batteries -- one internal and one external.

Nexto measures its charges against capacity to transfer, therefore the internal battery alone can transfer 40GB with a full charge.

With the additional external battery, it can transfer 110GB. And with its auto power timer, Nexto saves power by switching off after file verification.

Efficiency: Nexto is fitted with the patent technology X-COPY, which allows for files to be copied from the card/camera directly to the HDD; there is no CPU step. By eliminating the CPU step, Nexto saves time and battery power, and reduces the chance of transfer failure, and it also transfers about three times faster than standard devices. In addition, Nexto displays the transfer status in its LCD window, verifies the transfer once complete, and indicates how long the transfer took. The device also stores up to 2T of data.

Practicality: The Nexto ND 2725 is extremely light, and when marching around in the field with cameras around your neck and on your shoulder for hours, every ounce adds up in your pack. Weighing 230g with the hard drive, the Nexto eliminated the weight of my 17” laptop and portable hard drive from my pack. With the Nexto I know that in any situation I can back up files on my own as opposed to having another body there with a computer and more hard drives. I can trust that the files are there because I can see them, and if I still feel unsure, I can just use Nexto to back up and store while saving the cards until I am back on a computer at the end of a shoot day. The device also comes with a handy sleeve with a belt loop on the back, so you can wear it on your waist or stick it in your pocket. The external battery is a small cylinder shape that fits into a slot on the Nexto pouch.

Nexto Video Storage ND 2725 is an excellent choice in optimization for file storage efficiency in the field. I recommend it for any cinematographer and photographer shooting solid state, especially where assistance is limited.

For more information, please visit the Nexto website at www.nextodi.com.

Sarah Moffat’s camera experience includes motion picture and still photography. She has worked in drama, documentary and live broadcast.

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

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: 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: johnbanovich@gmail.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 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

HALIFAX

902-404-3630

416-444-7000

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011 •

902-404-3630

19

PRODuCTIONS & CALENDAR

Production Notes Belle Baie (series); DOP/OP Georges Archambault; November 20, Caraquet Bomb Girls (miniseries); DOP Eric Cayla csc; to November 15, Toronto Call Me Fitz III (series); DOP Ian Bibby; to November 18, Wolfville Degrassi: The Next Generation Xi (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Jeremy Lyall; to November 24, Toronto The Chronicles of Riddick (feature); DOP David Eggby; to January 12, 2012, Toronto The Listener (series); DOP Stephen Reizes csc; OP Cudah Andarawewa; to February 15, 2010, Mississauga 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 csc; OP Michael Fylyshtan; November 15, Scarborough My Babysitter's A Vampire II (series); DOP Gerald Packer csc; to November 15, 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, 2012, Mississauga, SICK (feature); DOP Michael Jari Davidson; OP Steven Szolcsanyi; to November 19, Toronto The Transporter (series); DOP David Herrington csc; OP Rudy Katkic; to November 21, Toronto Warm Bodies (feature); DOP Javier Aguirresarobe; OP Francois Archambault; to November 18, Montreal Yamaska III (series); DOP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 16, Montreal

Calendar of Events – November 3–6, Silver Wave Film Festival, Fredericton, swfilmfest.com 3–6, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, vaff.org 5–6, CSC Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca 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 17–19, aluCine, Toronto, alucinefestival.com 17–26, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival, aboriginalfilmfest.org 22, 7pm–9pm, CSC Pub Night, Imperial Pub, Toronto 30–Dec. 4, Whistler Film Festival, Whistler, BC, whistlerfilmfestival.com

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2011

$4 October 2011 www.csc.ca

Take This Waltz

Luc Montpellier csc V02 #05

05

0

56698 94903

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with Sarah Polley

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ALREADY T HE CAMERA OF CHOICE ALEXA is now in use on a vast range of 3D and 2D feature films,

To name only a few...

T V shows, commercials, documentaries and music videos.

ANO NYMO US – 2D feature

All over the world, filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese

H UG O C ABRET – 3D feature

and Roland Emmerich have quickly taken advantage of the

TH E TH REE MUSKETEERS – 3D feature

camera’s exceptional image quality and streamlined workflows

D ISNEY PRO M – 2D feature

to bring their creative visions to life. With a modular design and

RED BULL AIR RAC E – 2D feature

convenient update methods, the future-proof ALEXA enables

ARMANI PERFUME – commercial

cinematic storytelling like no other camera system before.

MERC ED ES BENZ – commercial ...much more to come

www.arridigital.com

© Kodak, 2011. Kodak and Vision are trademarks.

HIGHER DEFINITIONx3 As our family grows, so do the possibilities of filmmaking. The KODAK VISION3 Film family has raised the bar for high-definition capture — with unrivaled highlight latitude, reduced grain in shadows, flexibility in post, and of course, proven archival stability. Now with the addition of KODAK VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 5213/7213, we’ve developed a film that performs superbly in both controlled interiors and in challenging high-contrast exteriors. It’s time to look forward to the future with more options and no compromise.

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