Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine December 2011

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 December 2011 www.csc.ca

9-DEC

07

0

56698 94903

9

John Holosko csc • DIT Jasper Vrakking

BLACK is BACK!

OLED display panels with 10-bit RGB

Y

ou take painstaking time and effort to set up, light and capture the perfect shot. Now, with Sony’s beyond-CRT performance, you can SEE every single nuance of your work.

Sony’s 24.5”, 16.5” and 7.4” Super Top Emission OLED display panels provide unparalleled black performance, a wide colour gamut, and quick pixel response with virtually no motion blur.

The PVM-2541 and PVM-1741 as well as the PVM-740 are all-in-one OLED picture monitors, delivering unparalleled picture quality with the performance features and functions found in more expensive monitors, all contained in a compact, stylish design.

By combining Sony’s unique OLED display panel & processing technologies, the PVM Series of OLED monitors deliver exceptional picture quality never seen before in conventional picture monitors.

GROUP

PHOTO | VIDEO | DIGITAL | SALES | RENTALS | SERVICE

COMMERCIAL VIDEO SALES

WITH OUTLINES

COMMERCIAL PRO VIDEO Direct: 416-644-8010 • Fax: 416-644-8031 • Toll-Free Direct: 1-866-661-5257 • ComercialVideo@vistek.ca

TORONTO • MISSISSAUGA • OTTAWA • CALGARY • EDMONTON

WWW.VISTEK.CA

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. 7 DECEMBER 2011

8

Pulling Double Duty on Foresight Features’ Monster Brawl and Exit Humanity By Brendan Uegama

CORPORATE SPONSORS

All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. CinequipWhite Inc. Clairmont Camera Cooke Optics Ltd. Dazmo Digital Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM Canada Inc. Image Media Farms Inc Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./Ltée PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Rosco Canada Sim Video Sony of Canada Ltd. Technicolor Videoscope Ltd. Vistek Camera Ltd. William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV

In Global Hotspots with John Holosko csc

12

By Fanen Chiahemen

Behind the Scenes with Jasper Vrakking: Digital Imaging Technician

16

By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 From the President 4 In the News 18 Tech Column 21 Camera Classified 24 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: DOP Brendan Uegama (centre) on the set of Monster Brawl with actors Kevin Nash as Colonel Crookshank and Robert Maillet as Frankenstein. Credit: Jesse T. Cook

Canadian Cinematographer December 2011 Vol. 3, No. 7 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Karen Longland ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc

FROM THE PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc As 2011 winds down, I would like to make two important announcements regarding the CSC vice-presidency and the 2012 CSC Awards.

The CSC vice-presidency is a multi-faceted position that can be very timeconsuming. To help shoulder the duties and bring even more depth to this volunteer job, the CSC has appointed two vice-presidents. I am very pleased to announce that Ron Stannett csc and associate member Carolyn Wong have agreed to share the responsibilities as the new co-vice-presidents.

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

Gemini and CSC Award winner Ron Stannett csc is an esteemed cinematographer who has been a CSC member and ardent supporter since 1975. Ron brings over 45 years of industry experience, knowledge and perspective to the CSC Executive. As a DOP and cinematographer, Ron has done it all from features to television series through to documentaries and commercials. Through the years Ron has also donated a great deal of time as a jury member for the annual CSC Awards. This year, he is also the 2012 CSC Awards Chair.

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 - December 2011

Carolyn Wong has been a CSC member since 1990, with the last three years as a director ex-officio on the CSC Executive Board. Carolyn began her career in the film and television industry working as a production assistant, then a camera assistant, before settling in as a cinematographer. She is well known and respected for her craft and skilled as an indie film maker, producing and shooting many of her own projects. Carolyn’s experimental documentary Yin Yin/Jade Love won the “Outstanding Short Film Award” at the ReelWorld Film Festival.

The CSC is lucky to have Ron and Carolyn as vice-presidents and I wish them all the best in their new roles.

It’s almost that time again! The 2012 CSC Annual Awards show is just around the corner. The CSC awards committee has made two major changes to the upcoming competition. For fairness and expediency, the format for all submissions is now DVD or Blu-ray only. The exception is the features category, where all formats are still accepted. The other major change is the creation of a new award for certain categories to better reflect their unique style and the exceptional skills required to master them. The new “Shooters Award” will be presented to individuals who have exhibited brilliant camera work in the following categories: Roy Tash Spot News, Stan Clinton News Essay, Lifestyles/Reality and Corporate Cinematography. All other category awards remain the same. The 2012 deadline for award submissions is January 31. The CSC 55th Annual Awards Gala will be held March 31 at the Westin Harbour Castle in Toronto. For details and entry forms please visit: www.csc.ca On behalf of the CSC Executive, I would like to wish all our members, sponsors and readers a merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and a prosperous New Year.

An Eye On The World Mark Irwin, ASC, CSC, reflects on advantages of global resourcing “The thing I like the most about cinematography is the ability to use an Austrian camera with a French zoom lens on an Italian fluid head with an English tripod and also rely on a set of German prime lenses.

The reason I get my gear from Clairmont Camera is very simple. To me, it’s not a rental house—it’s a portal into the World of Cinematography.

I started out in the business in Canada and managed to travel a lot while shooting films, so I gained an appreciation for all things international. At the same time, I found that a “monoculture” point of view could not give me the options I was looking for. What I find in Clairmont is a group of people who share my outlook; people who travel to trade seminars and cinematography forums all over the world; people

who can understand my shooting conditions and discover new equipment—film or digital—to meet those needs. I can’t get to Germany, France, Japan or the UK to find the next best thing so I rely on Denny Clairmont, Alan Albert, Tom Boelens, Andree Martin and Mike Condon to go there and bring it back so I can use it.

Call me selfish, but I eagerly await the chance to shoot my next project with the latest and greatest equipment; the Arri 235, the Sony F35, the Arri D-21, the Iconix, the Red, whatever—and repeat the same experience I have had for 16 years and over 38 film and television projects: excellent equipment, innovative modifications and quality service...from quality people I’ve come to trust.”

www.clairmont.com

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

J

Laser projector photo courtesy of Kodak.

ohn Holosko csc was awarded a Silver award in the 2011 PromaxBDA DesignNorth America Awards in the Art Direction and Design: Promo News category for CBC News Toronto: Neighbourhoods. In other news, Magnolia Pictures has bought Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, lensed by Luc Montpellier csc, for U.S. release in summer 2012. Meanwhile, IFC Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights for the Steve Cosens csc-shot Edwin Boyd; Myriad Pictures will distribute the film worldwide.

Also, Ascot Elite has bought the Ken Scott-directed Starbuck – shot by Pierre Gill csc – for German-speaking territories.

William F. White Promotes Paul Roscorla

Photo courtesy of william F. white.

laser projection products. The deal will enable IMAX for the first time to deliver the highest quality digital content available to IMAX film-based screens larger than 80 feet and to dome theatres. This technology also will allow IMAX to distribute content with greater efficiency to the company’s global theatre network.

IMAX expects to introduce the new laser-projection technology by the second half of 2013 and that it will provide the company’s largest screen and dome customers – which have previously only had access to analog film – with a full array of digital content, which often includes Hollywood’s biggest IMAX DMR titles.

Kodak engineers will work closely with IMAX engineers over the next 18 months to assist with the implementation of the technology into the IMAX product family.

Canon Announces Cinema EOS System Canon Paul Roscorla

Production equipment supplier William F. White International has promoted Paul Roscorla to EVP and COO. Roscorla, who has worked at WFW for 30 years, was most recently VP of sales and marketing at WFW Vancouver. Reporting to WFW Chairman and CEO Paul Bronfman, Roscorla in his new post will oversee company operations nationwide.

IMAX Licenses Exclusive Rights to Kodak’s Next-Generation Laser Projection Technology IMAX and Kodak announced that IMAX has licensed from Kodak certain exclusive rights in the digital cinema field to a portfolio of more than 50 patent families covering fundamental laser projection technology. IMAX also licensed from Kodak certain exclusive rights in the digital cinema field to a broader range of Kodak patents covering complementary technologies useful for

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

Canon last month launched its Cinema EOS System, a professional digital cinematography system spanning the lens, digital video camcorder and digital SLR camera product categories.

The camera features a newly developed Super 35 mm-equivalent approximately 8.29-megapixel CMOS sensor, which reads full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) video signals for each of the three RGB primary colors, decreasing the incidence of moiré while realizing high resolution with 1,000 horizontal TV lines. Supported by a heightened signal read-out speed, the CMOS sensor reduces rolling shutter skews. Additionally, the combination of the sensor with Canon’s DIGIC DV III image processor facilitates high-precision gamma processing and smooth gradation expression. Canon also introduced seven new 4K Cinema Lenses—two EF cine zoom lenses, two PL cine zoom lenses and three EF cine prime lenses—which complement the company’s current lineup of interchangeable EF lenses for EOS SLR cameras.

RED Launches Scarlet-X RED Digital last month released the Scarlet-X. With burst

modes up to 12 fps at full 5K resolution alongside 4K motion capture from 1-30 fps, the camera allows photographers and cinematographers to simultaneously capture motion footage and still content. Scarlet-X comes standard with a Canon EF or PL mount, which can be swapped using Scarlet-X’s interchangeable lens mount system. Panavision, Anamorphic, and Nikon lenses are also compatible with the camera. The Scarlet-X, which can capture 5K REDCODE RAW stills and true 4K motion footage, produces visually lossless files that can easily be graded and finished.

Digital Domain Standardizes on Tweak Software’s RV-SDI and RV for Stereo Dailies Tweak Software announced that digital production studio Digital Domain has standardized on Tweak’s RV and RV-SDI software to enable a common collaborative viewing experience from desktops to screening rooms for image, sequence and 2K stereo dailies review throughout its studios. RV enables easy review of images and sequences through a flexible dailies workflow and an advanced media architecture that can automatically combine media of different resolutions, frame rates, color spaces, and audio sampling rates. RV-SDI provides dual link SDI output with embedded audio to handle 2K stereo playback/review in screening rooms and theatres. Digital Domain also tapped RV’s open API and SDK to integrate RV tightly with its proprietary DMX dailies system. The result is a seamless experience for users during dailies whether they are all together in one room or remotely connected from different facilities.

events in New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. Recognized for its groundbreaking performance, Stereo3D CAT is a one-ofa-kind monitoring and analysis solution that helps professional stereographers quickly solve spatial disparities that commonly disrupt 3D shoots. It was introduced at NAB 2011 and won “Best in Show” for its ability to simplify stereoscopic 3D camera calibration and monitoring. [Editor’s note: see The St. Judes: NFB’s New 3D Documentary, Canadian Cinematographer, November 2011 .

Meduza Systems Launches 3D Camera for TV Production Meduza Systems recently launched the Meduza TITAN, the first fullycontrollable, lightweight, 3D precision single HD camera with 1080p dual sensors for 3D television production.

Featuring two 1080p CMOS sensors, the 3.5 kg TITAN is capable of a full range of frame rates, from 24 fps to 120 fps in 10 bit, and has fast, fully motorized inter-axial and convergence.

Convergence is accurate to 1/1000 of a degree and the inter-axial to 1 micron.

FUJIFILM Optical Devices Posts Online Video as Part of Social Media Initiative FUJIFILM’s Optical Devices Division recently posted a video tutorial on “How to Clean A Lens” on its YouTube channel, Facebook page, and corporate blog. The three-minute video, the first installment of a multi-part video series on “Lens Care Maintenance,” features Thom Calabro, director of marketing and product development for FUJIFILM North America Corporation’s Optical Devices Division. Supported by on-screen graphics and illustrations, Calabro describes proper lens cleaning techniques.

The “Lens Care Maintenance” series expands the Fujifilm Optical Device Division’s online video library, including tutorials on “Optimum Focus,” “Optical Stability,” and many that detail the features of the company’s lens line. The videos are part of a social media initiative introduced in March 2011 as a means to better inform the market about the unique benefits and features offered

by FUJINON lenses.

Dashwood Launches Commercial Version of 3D Technology Dashwood Cinema Solutions launched the commercial version of its award-winning stereoscopic 3D (S3D) production technology – Stereo 3D CAT – at three special

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

5

In

ZTV

Photo Credit: Joan Hutton csc

We Trust

“

ZTV founder Steve Zajaczkiwsky in his workshop.

H

i, I’m Steve!” I was shaking hands with Steve Zajaczkiwsky, the owner and founder of ZTV, one of Canada’s foremost professional video equipment rental houses. A young-looking 40-something, wearing a small button-down checked shirt, black cargo shorts, black Reeboks, and sporting a green ear stud, Zajaczkiwsky is not exactly the image one has in mind for the head of an enterprising broadcast services company. He may be the CEO, but Zajaczkiwsky is still willing to roll up his shirt sleeves and dirty his hands to get the job done. “I’ve been in the back with the fellows, moving and cleaning gear,” he says.

The company name, pronounced ZEE-TV, was inspired by Zajaczkiwsky’s name. To many of his friends, he’s known as Steve “Zee,” and it didn’t take much for it to be pressed into service as the company moniker. The ZTV story runs something like The Little Engine That Could. Starting off 20 years ago, literally as a one-man rental band working out of his basement, Zajaczkiwsky nurtured and developed ZTV through the years into an evergrowing concern that is now housed in a spacious 10,000 squarefoot industrial complex in Mississauga, Ontario.

Zajaczkiwsky earned his industry chops early in life. As a teenager he drove, for over a year, the equipment truck for Norman Jewison and his Canadian Centre for Advanced Film Studies. “They had this boxy truck, like the mailmen drove. The logos on the sides were painted over, but you could still see them. The insides

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

By Guido Kondruss had been ripped out and shelves installed that were loaded with lights and cabling, like a grip truck. The Centre didn’t have much then and made do with what equipment they could get. It didn’t pay a dime, but I was fed, I got to take the truck home, and I learned a lot about the business,” Zajaczkiwsky says.

What followed for Zajaczkiwsky were stints at the CBC working on shows such as Mr. Dressup, Street Legal, and The Kids in the Hall. He also worked City-TV’s Much Music before gravitating to equipment houses where he acquired his taste for the rental business. “I was also freelancing for all these different staging companies, making contacts. I saw where it was all going and thought, ‘I’m going to buy myself one of these cameras. I can do this,’” he recalls.

Right from the beginning, ZTV carved its niche in the video rental business, servicing the live staging industry with cameras, camera gear and camera crews. Whether for television or the huge screens at a rock concert rolling through Canada, there’s a good chance that ZTV will be there. In fact, they provided the cameras for U.S. comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s tour this past summer.

Another area of ZTV that is growing exponentially is production rentals to cinematographers, right from videographers through to production DOPs. Helping facilitate ZTV’s rapid growth is the newly appointed sales and marketing whiz Ted Mitchener and his expertise in cameras. With decades of industry experience under his belt, Mitchener spent 17 years at Precision Camera

honing his skills before calling ZTV home. “With Ted coming on board,” says Zajaczkiwsky, “it took ZTV to another level.

We’re bigger, better, and the sky’s the limit.”

Specializing mostly in Sony, ZTV also has Panasonic products and can put together Hi-Def or Standard Def, single camera or multi-camera packages depending on a customer’s needs. “There is a market for everything,” says Mitchener. “Technologically we can supply gear from the 1990s to present. We’ve got Betacams and DVCAM, but we’re definitely into HD with the Sony PMW F-3 and their EX1 and EX3. We’ve just acquired the new Sony Digi Trax HD/SD Multi-Format Camera System. Plus, we have Panasonic, such as the AG-AF 100AVCCAM and their AG-HDX900.” However, Mitchener warns, one can’t stand still when it comes to the rental game. “In this business you need to buy it before you need it,” he says.

Zajaczkiwsky agrees, saying you’ve always got to keep an eye trained on future trends, anticipate your clientele’s needs, and continuously add to your inventory. “I’d like to have a couple of Sony 800s in the next six months. We’re going to be buying a wireless HD system probably in the next few weeks. Our acquisition wish list is endless.”

It could be said that ZTV is the house that trust built. This is trust from clients underpinned by ZTV’s knowledge, experience, service and quality equipment. Zajaczkiwsky says trust doesn’t happen overnight, that it took years of nurturing to cultivate

relationships of this type. Judging by the volume of returning customers, ZTV has a winning formula. “People have choices, they can go many places. It’s all about who they trust. This is a personal business built on relationships. I think if you have good service and people trust you, you will do well,” Zajaczkiwsky says.

And providing good service is a 24/7 commitment when people rent from ZTV, according to Zajaczkiwsky, especially if there is a problem that needs solving. “I’ve got this old-school pager. It’s no wonder doctors have these, because they work in underground parking lots, they work in Sudbury, they work everywhere, while BlackBerrys and iPhones, well, you know, they are limited. If a client can’t reach us then what good are we to them?”

The dedication to excellence and customer care permeates throughout ZTV and is mirrored by its staff. For longtime employee Henry Pinnock, in charge of rentals and technical support, it’s all in a day’s work going that extra mile for customers.

“If there is a problem we’ll solve it, we’ll make it work even if it’s in the middle of the night. That’s what we do,” he says.

ZTV may have been the little company that could at one time…

Well, it did do it and is now a robust shiny express train with no expectation of slowing down. For Steve “Zee” it’s about what’s important and being all that one can be. “It matters to me what people think, so if you are going to do something, do it well,” he says.

For more on ZTV, please visit their website: ztvbroadcast.com

ZTVBROADCAST SERVICES INC. PROFESSIONAL VIDEO EQUIPMENT RENTALS

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

7

DOP NOTeS

By Brendan Uegama 8 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

i

n 2008 I lived in Toronto where I first met director John Geddes, who is one of three Foresight Features producers.

Geddes and I always talked about making a film together, but before long, I moved back to Vancouver. Luckily, when the time came, Foresight called me back to Ontario to be the director of photography on two films, Monster Brawl and Exit Humanity.

Filming for Monster Brawl began in August of 2010 in Collingwood, Ontario, north of Toronto, and I spent a month in prep with director Jesse Cook. He and I approached the film with an “anything goes” mentality. After all, we were making a movie about monsters fighting in a graveyard! The main set is an old graveyard and was constructed in a warehouse by production designer Jason Brown. In the middle of the set is a wrestling ring surrounded by tombstones, two large crypts, an announcers’ booth and a few hundred trees surrounding the perimeter, plus a few dump trucks of mulch on the ground. Behind the trees, we hung about 25 20x20 solids to keep the background dark and infinite.

With a 21-day schedule and a fair number of cast members to accommodate, I knew we needed as many of our lights in the sky as possible and to have it all run to a board. I hired Oliver Glaser as my gaffer/key grip and he did a great job organizing the board and lighting the film for me. We had lighting setups designed for each direction we were looking, and we could quickly adjust for new setups by flipping a few switches. Above the ring, we hung a bunch of 2Ks through a 12x12 Black Silk to create a slightly dawn-ish colour in that area. Around the rest of the set, I placed some 4Ks and blonds to highlight certain areas of the trees and other set pieces. We did not use many lights on stands, which made it easy for us to move around and for the actors to be free when fighting.

The Monster Brawl graveyard set was constructed in a warehouse by production designer Jason Brown.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

9

Brendan Uegama (centre) with first AC Duncan Vogel (left) and director John Geddes on location filming Exit Humanity.

Photo Credit: Devin Lund

Bottom The real fire gives warmth and texture to this scene in Exit Humanity.

Another main set is the announcers’ booth where commentators Dave Foley and Art Hindle sat. Since we were shooting a movie about monsters fighting in a graveyard, I felt the announcers’ booth should have a more sinister look than a sporting event on television. I put a few 300-watt Fresnels with snoots for backlight and allowed them to be in shot. For key light, I decided to give it a menacing feeling of warm up-light. I hung three 650-watt Fresnels directly over top of the announcers’ booth and spotted them on the table in front of the actors. We gave Dave and Art pieces of white paper to use as their “notes” and had them scatted on the table top, which in turn bounced the 650s back into their faces. The key light became a nice up-lit bounce, and the colour we gave this scene is a reddish-amber that feels like an evil glow from below.

In the film, before each fighter comes out to the ring, the announcers give a breakdown on each monster, leading into a fiveminute backstory. To shoot those, we spent six days away from our main set, all at various locations around the Collingwood area. It’s amazing how diverse that area of Ontario is. We shot in a

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

swamp, the woods, a castle and more, all within a 20-minute drive from our home base. Each one of the backstories has a different look from the fight. It was almost like making a short film on each character, and we had different approaches to each backstory.

Much of the movie is dark and set at night, and we employed RED One digital cameras with the MX sensor upgrade to photograph the film. The MX chip in that camera is fantastic. We rated the RED at 800 ISO for all the scenes, including the few day exteriors, and our shadows and blacks looked great. For the majority of the film, we used one camera, operated by Devin Lund. For the days that we used a second camera gaffer, Oliver Glaser -- who is also a DOP -- stepped in to operate, and I occasionally operated as well. I generally operate on all the films I shoot, but decided not to for this, partially because of the tight schedule. I wanted to have Devin Lund on board because he is one of the best documentary cameramen I know and he relies heavily on his instincts.

During our final fight between Frankenstein and Werewolf, there

is a lighting gag where suddenly the graveyard looses power, including all the lights, transitioning into a moonlit scene, followed by lightning. Naturally, we wanted to have lightning strikes, but because of the rolling shutter on the RED MX, it was proving to be too risky. So instead we went back to the basics and used shutters in front of our HMIs. The main problem with shutters was finding them in Toronto since they are so infrequently used today. We got all of our equipment from William F. White who had a couple left. We set our moonlight at a good base, and then overexposed our lighting by a few stops. It worked great, especially at the end of the film during the big monster showdown. It’s the highest point of intensity in the film, so we really used the lightning to heighten the effect.

We finished the film at Optics in Toronto. Our colourist was David Hedley, and he and I spent six days colouring the film. It was a tricky film to colour, mostly because of the wrestling ring and the consistency of the atmosphere that was in every shot in the graveyard. David did a great job, and I enjoyed working with him and the guys at Optics.

Monster Brawl was chosen as the opening night film at many festivals, including Fantasia and Toronto After Dark. It won the Audience Award at Fantasia and has also been picked up by Anchor Bay for distribution.

We started filming Exit Humanity in October 2010 just outside of Kimberly, Ontario, a small town three hours north of Toronto.

Principal photography ran just 25 days. The production rented a farm with some acreage that had fields, a small stream and a variety of forests, and most of the film was shot on the farm, with our main sets constructed on site. The weather was harsh and the land was covered with inches of mud, so we used ATVs to get around.

Exit Humanity and Monster Brawl were very different films, and we approached them very differently. With Exit we kept the film in reality and shot it as a drama, rather than a typical horror.

When it came to the lighting and camera work, everything had to be motivated, unlike Monster Brawl. Director John Geddes and I kept telling our crew that the film is a drama with horrific events, so our filmmaking must cater to the dramatic side and allow the horror to unfold naturally.

Since the story is set in the 1870s, we took a minimalist approach to the lighting. All the day exteriors were shot without any lights or bounce, and we only used negative fill occasionally. Geddes and I really wanted the film to be bleak and grey since we were telling such a dark story. We fought the sun as much as possible, and luckily the clouds were on our side most of the time. If the sun was out, we tried to move inside or find a shady location to do the scene, yet every now and then, we had to embrace it.

Many scenes depict the main character, Edward Young, hiking in fields, valleys and hilltops, and the few times we had the sun, it turned out to work well as it helped show the passage of time.

During that time period, the only source of light at night for the average person was from candles, fireplaces or torches, so that’s

how we lit those scenes, except for moonlight, which we created using HMIs. Again I brought back Oliver Glaser as my gaffer, and he made a few flame bars that we used on almost every night setup. The flame bars we used were great because they came with long 5-foot copper pipes that had holes running halfway up. The copper pipes could be bent in any possible way and we could put them wherever we needed. Generally speaking, we had 250 or 216 diffusion in front of the flame bars at a safe distance, which gave a very beautiful quality that I felt could never be achieved with movie lights. The flicker of fire is so unpredictable that early in prep I knew using real fire was the only solution for this picture.

In the film, Edward journeys across the state of Tennessee by horse and foot. One of the main sets he comes across is an underground tunnel system left over from the civil war and now occupied by General Williams (Bill Moseley) and his team. Production designer Jason Brown constructed a bunch of tunnels made from wood, mud and hay. When shooting there, we generally lit the scenes with the torches the actors were holding. Often, to create a bit of separation, we would have our flame bar lit around a corner so we could capture a glow coming from somewhere else. In one scene, where the medic (Stephen McHattie) is doing tests on a victim, we lit the small set with our flame bars as our key light, and we had our lamp ops holding torches off camera to keep the firelight approach. The warmth and texture that the real fire gave the scene is so perfect, I don’t know how I’ll ever go back to lighting fire scenes with lights!

Another main set is the “witch’s hut,” where the character Eve, played by Dee Wallace, lives. We built this set in the forest and put large wild walls in the home to not only put the cameras through, but to also control the daylight coming in to avoid the use of HMIs during the day. The witch’s hut was small but had a large fireplace that always had a fire burning. That worked well for the scenes, but also for the crew as it was close to freezing many of the nights.

Exit Humanity was entirely a one-camera shoot, shot on a RED One with the MX sensor. I generally prefer working with only one camera because I feel when watching a finished film, the audience will only ever see one camera’s POV at a time, and all our attention as filmmakers should be placed into that. Once again I brought back camera operator Devin Lund, who did a great job.

He and I share such a similar eye for composition I rarely had to ask him to frame something differently. We had a couple days of steadicam, and Oliver Glaser, who owns a steadicam, operated.

One of the things we tried to do on Exit was to always move the camera. There is rarely a static image, and when there is, it’s for a reason.

John Geddes is a passionate director, and working with the Foresight team proved to be a unique experience filled with hard work, difficult filming locations and a large amount of satisfaction. Shooting Exit Humanity reminded me of what is possible with a small amount of light. We let the actors do what they needed and relied on the basic principles of photography to create a natural look that worked perfectly for this picture.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

11

In Global Hotspots with

JOHN HOLOSKO csc

By Fanen Chiahemen

J

ohn Holosko csc doesn’t choose to shoot a lot of documentaries. But when director Giacomo Moncada, a friend of 20 years, asked Holosko to go overseas with him to shoot documentary footage for the Gideon Society, Holosko knew he had to accept, even though it would mean three weeks of travelling in the most remote parts of Cambodia, Ethiopia, India and South Sudan. The Gideon Society may be best known for distributing bibles in hotels, but it also partners with other organizations around the world that teach Bible classes and use the Bible to teach English. So, Holosko and Moncada, along with camera operator Lloyd Surdi, set off this past summer to document such

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2010

work for videos that the society will post online or distribute throughout churches.

Their quest to capture that footage turned out to be a feat that could make a documentary in itself. For one thing, most of the locations were so remote that infrastructure was virtually nonexistent. “Let’s say we landed in South Sudan,” Holosko says.

“Then we’d take a small plane an hour or two and land in a field.

Then we’d get in four-by-four vehicles and drive till there were no more roads, and then sometimes we would walk after that.”

Resources were also often scarce. A lot of the time, Holosko says,

so that we could work with available lighting, and then I could accent and sculpt it if need be.” After the interviews, with the locals’ attention focused on the interview camera, “that’s when we could clandestinely sneak around and get the shots we truly wanted,” Holosko says.

Fortunately for Holosko, he had the creative license, from both Moncada and the Gideon Society, to document whatever he Attempting to look less like filmmakers and more like backpack- found compelling. “They weren’t looking for accolades. They ers seeking a particularly didn’t tell me, ‘Shoot kids off-the-beaten-path brand with flies in their mouths,’ of adventure, the trio careven though that was there ried equipment that could and it would tear your fit into three backpacks diheart out,” Holosko says. vided among them. They “It was just to document took the Sony EX3 and the people.” The juxtaposiEX1, as well as the Canon tion of breathtaking beauty 7D, not only because it can and grinding poverty propass for a tourist camera, vided plenty of visuals for but also because, as HolosHolosko. “We were rolling ko explains, “I like the imall the time. Anywhere we ages I get due to the size of went, I’d stick a GoPro on the sensor and it would cut the hood, on the roof, at in with the way we decidthe rear of the vehicles, on ed we were going to treat a bicycle through the rice the footage after we shot paddies,” says Holosko, it.” In addition, he took who sometimes went to two HD GoPros, wearextreme lengths to capture able and gear-mountable local colour. “In India I digital cameras designed for adventure or sports photography. “I stood in front of this very famous temple, put my camera on knew power would be scarce or non-existent, and weight was an the ground and shot a sunset right in the middle of an intersecissue. Realizing that we would be in vehicles at times for hours a tion, with cars six inches from me and motorcycles going by to day, I brought power bars and inverters, and as a result, we never do a time-lapse shot,” he says. Where life moves at a fast pace, missed a valuable moment, high-speed shooting is cruknowing we would probcial because nothing can ably never come back to be orchestrated or staged, these remote locations,” he so most of the footage was says. captured at 60 fps. “We liked the high-speed shootHaving several cameras faing because it gets us mocilitated the two-fold task ments that are magical. of shooting interviews and Giacomo and I have used capturing local colour and high-speed shooting in scenery, often covertly. “Gimost of our projects over acomo and I have a unique the years and have develcreative relationship and oped a high sensitivity and always carefully discuss our respect for the imagery we approach in great detail for capture. We wanted to get every project regardless of shots, for example, of chilits subject matter,” Hodren turning their heads losko says. For interviews, while running in the field.

Holosko would mount flex Top: An interviewee in Cambodia. Bottom: John Holosko csc shows his camera to If we saw the opportunity, fills and battery-run LED a child in Cambodia. one of us would run out lights, and he occasionally and capture it,” he says. used his lighting kit. “And very carefully [Moncada] and I would choose a location that would be photographically appropriate, Visually, the landscape also served up plenty for Holosko to make the people comfortable and capture the emotion of the work with. “Photographically, it was amazing, the light, the landscape,” Holosko says. “He would allow me to study the area colour temperature and the atmosphere,” he recalls. “Each place Canadian Cinematographer - November 2010 •

13

Photo Credit Top: Lloyd Surdi. Bottom John Holosko csc

“there was no running water, no electricity, no restaurants, no cell phone, no nothing.” But one of the biggest obstacles was trying to avoid the radar of the authorities, who were reluctant to have certain aspects of their societies -- such as poverty and child prostitution -- captured on film, according to Holosko. “They never told us that, but they do not want the rest of the world to document it. They don’t want the world to see this reality,” he says.

Photo Credit: John Holosko csc

had its own look and colour. I could just build creative images and have fun and capture, for example, the dust off someone’s foot walking through a barren landscape, or a cloud formation over a beautiful Hindu temple.” But the beauty could also be captured in the simplest things. Holosko gives an example of an image that is one of his most memorable. “I had a shot of barbed wire in the foreground with a flower in a pool of water, this floating lily pad-type flower in it, and you pull to the background of the flower and you lose the barbed wire. That was just one of those shots I think that’s worth a million dollars as far as saying what exists there,” he says.

Photo Credit: John Holosko csc

Photo Credit: Lloyd Surdi

Women in India study the Bible in classes organized by the Gideon Society.

“Anywhere we went, I’d stick a GoPro on the hood, on the roof, at the rear of the vehicles.”

- John Holosko csc

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

Filming the locals often called for an adjustment of tactics. According to Holosko, many of the people they met had “never experienced any type of technology, even TV, so they don’t know what to make of the camera, so they’re not in fear of it.” On the other hand, he says, “a lot of the Muslim women you couldn’t really point the camera at them, so we had to be very clandestine, very quick. That’s when I would grab the Canon 7D and use longer focal length lenses.”

Navigating cultural differences and the logistics of filming in resource-poor environments was one thing, but the team also had to keep their wits about them to safeguard their wellbeing. They survived on beef jerky, pepperoni sticks, peanuts and crackers, watched for cobras and scorpions, and often slept in places that had no walls or ceilings. “I remember in one place we stayed in I went out in the middle of the night just to take a look at the moon to see if I wanted to do a time-lapse shot, and I heard a growl. I bolted back in there and shut my door. I’m sure it was a lion or a cougar or something,” Holosko says. Still, he says he never felt his life was in any real danger.

“I’ve been all over the world, I’ve been in crazy places most people never go, from the Arctic to Cape Town and back, but I’ve always felt that I would know if I was going to not come back.” Also, Holosko says he feels the risks were worth it. “A lot of the world thinks, ‘The Gideons just put bibles into hotels,’ but there’s other work they do. They just really wanted to document what they do,” he says. “I have had the opportunity to travel all over the world, and this particular trip has left me with some of the most powerful images of abuse and poverty I have ever been exposed to. The world has to become a better place, and I will continue to do what I can.”

D

escribing his job duties takes more than a few sentences for digital imaging technician Jasper Vrakking because he rarely does the same thing twice. “The position on the set changes depending on what the show is,” he explains. His role, however, he can describe more succinctly: “I work for the director of photography and I try to help him make sure his vision and decisions show up in post exactly as he had hoped,” he says. Translating the DOP’s images into reality can involve recording to camera, colour work, data management and copy, setting up look-up tables, adjusting camera settings, and monitoring exposure. It all depends on the chosen camera and workflow of any particular project.

Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer

Jasper Vrakking (left) with cinematographer Brian Gedge on the set of Saw 3D 3D.

Behind the Scenes with

To determine his responsibilities on a set, Vrakking first has to develop a workflow with the director, producers and DOP. “I have to hammer out all the ramifications of how data gets from our cameras recording on set into the post house. What the process is going to be, how it’s going to get into post, where the colour is going to be done, how the dailies are going to be generated,” he says, adding that some workflows are more established than others. “If you take for instance an F900 show, everybody knows how that’s going to run,” he explains. “But if you take an ALEXA uncompressed-whilerecorded show, pretty much nobody knows how that all is going to work, how it’s going to affect the day-to-day.” In addition to designing the parameters and compiling the necessary gear, Vrakking also has to maintain the workflow so that everything works as the DOP would like, ensuring the proper operation of all the technical aspects of the cameras. “Somebody needs to have read all those manuals and know what those settings are,” he says.

Indeed, a major feature of Vrakking’s work is reading manuals. He started out in the business before the age of digital image capture, working for a rental house, mostly fixing cables and cleaning gear, and it was then that he got into reading manuals. He learned how to work all the gear that was current at the time and figured out “when things went wrong, what they looked like when they went wrong, because diagnosing things quickly” is part of the job, he says. “You have to delve into it to see exactly what it won’t do as well as what the glossy brochure tells you it will do.”

DIGITAL IMAGING TECHNICIAN

By Fanen Chiahemen 16 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

Vrakking sees his position as a cooperative effort between his contrast to colour work and the DOP’s lighting that ensures the DOP peace of mind at the end of the day. “There was a time when the cinematographer would shoot all day but couldn’t go home happy because he hadn’t actually seen anything he’d shot. It wouldn’t be until the next day that he gets the dailies coming back or neg reports coming in that there was nothing wrong with the film,” Vrakking says.

“With digital and being able to review on the set, everything started being more comfortable. Now with having the colour work already done on set, the colour in dailies looks exactly as they watched the previous day, things start getting a lot more comfortable. The director of photography gets to go home and have the assumption that everything that goes off to New York or LA, that goes to the executive producer, it all looks exactly like what they saw and approved the day before. So that’s how I let the director of photography go home and sleep well.”

As HD shooting has expanded, the demand for Vrakking’s skills have increased, and he has helped many DOPs transition to digital shooting. During the late ‘90s when he was starting out in this role, “a director of photography was coming into digital from having shot a lot of film. It was a learning process for the director of photography, and there was a certain amount of risk involved and a certain amount of adventure in the whole process,” he says.

creativity on my side to try and bring out what they’re describing to me.” In addition, he sees putting together the disparate elements of the workflow and data flow packages as “an electronic edifice” that he builds, and “there’s got to be a certain amount of creativity to that,” he says.

The ever-advancing technology is what both challenges Vrakking and keeps him interested in the work. “Cameras are evolving constantly, and when the cameras aren’t evolving, there’s something else in the process that’s changing. There’s new monitors, new recording devices, new ideas about how the same camera should work the next time, different ways that people would like to do colour or speed,” he says. “If I ever get to do two shows exactly the same way, I’ll be pretty surprised.”

According to Vrakking, who has worked on everything from commercials to big-budget films like Cosmopolis and Total Recall, his job is rarely impacted by a production’s budget. “It’s more a matter of getting all the tools you need. Once you have that, it doesn’t make any difference whether you’re working on a $260 million movie or a $6 million movie, it doesn’t affect the work very much,” he says. “It’s when you try to skimp on various tools and various aspects of what it is that you’re trying to do, that’s what can invite disaster or cause problems. That’s the joy of having a workflow that functions properly.”

Digital imaging also calls for a large measure of creativity. “Especially on the colour, although there’s a certain amount of guidance from the director of photography or the directors, sometimes I get to come up with the basic grade myself,” Vrakking says. “Plus at a deeper level it is a collaboration. Let’s say as we shoot a historical piece, if you move further back in time, the colours can change a certain way so that it’s a visual cue to what time period we’re in, or if we enter into a flashback or something like that.

There’s always things that a director or a director of photography have in their head, how they want something to look. And I’m the person sitting at the controls so there’s an awful lot of

Vrakking says that even as cameras become more sophisticated and no longer require technical support, opportunities in his line of work will continue to flourish as cameras become obsolete. “I see a waterfall effect of the cameras: as they get older and more people become familiar with the controls and the workflow, those cameras fall back to the types of productions that don’t require the technical support. Those cameras stop being used on the more current, cutting-edge shows, because there will be some better camera or a newer idea. There will always be more manuals for me to read. It’s never going to stagnate to good enough,” he says.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

17

Teradek Cube

By Sarah Moffat

I

n late October I met with Brian Young, Product Manager Video and Production Technology at Vistek, to review and test the new Teradek Cube, which provides options in HD and SD. Here is what I learned: The Teradek makes a great tool for wired or wireless camera monitoring, streaming, proxy recording, or even remote camera connection (backhaul). You just need to adjust the setup of the Cube to optimize it for whatever application you wish to use it in.

Out of the Box: The inputs are HD-SDI/SD-SDI, or HDMI, one type per unit. The Cube is initially set for the monitoring application, using medium quality transmission in Ad-hoc Wi-Fi mode, one-to-one transmission between transmitter to receiver or to iPad/laptop. For this basic use it comes preconfigured to the 2.4MHz Wi-Fi band on channel 3. This allows for plug-in and HD wireless monitoring of camera signals up to approximately 100 feet. You may need to adjust the Cube if you are in an area that has a lot of Wi-Fi activity. To do so, adjust the Cube setup within the supplied application TeraCentral. The use of thirdparty freeware can help you to see other Wi-Fi activity in your area, simplifying set-up. Testing the Cube and all other wireless devices on the camera in as close to the actual environment you will be shooting in as possible is strongly recommended. For example, if you are using a wireless controlled Preston motor on set it might cause some image breakup because the Preston and the Cube might be set on the same channel.

Photo Credit: Sarah Moffat

TeCH COLUMN

Review

Typically, the Cube will produce an excellent image with about a one-third of a second image delay from camera to monitor via wireless in full 1080x1920 in Ad-Hoc mode. In the Teradek web interface, there is a slider bar on the desktop page. With Long Range at one end and Image Quality at the other, it is easy to slide between how much and less you want of one or the other.

Some of the tests I did at Vistek showed me everything from severe image freeze and poor resolution when trying to push too many devices at once -- looking a bit like Skype on a bad connection -- up to a very clean HD image with a very short and brief image delay of one-third of a second in a one-to-one Ad-Hoc setup to a monitor or laptop. I also varied the encoder Mbps rate, which contributes to the quality and affects latency too. This was done in one room with high wireless activity in the area, and it generally worked okay when optimized. So, test, test, test your range needs before you go on a real job, and get to know the web interface system.

TeraCentral: TeraCentral software, which comes with Cube, allows you to easily see what Cubes are running on your network via an on-set computer. In TeraCentral you can select “configure settings” to launch the online web interface for Teradek, where you sign into your account and then configure the Cube in use from there. From TeraCentral you can also “play video” to launch the bundled VLC player and see the image being transmitted.

It can be run via the USB stick that comes with the Cube or installed on your desktop.

Streams and Device Connections: Best quality can be achieved by sending one channel to one device (wirelessly) as there is a 5Mbps channel limit. However, you can configure the Cube so one medium quality HD stream, along with one SD quality stream or 3 SD quality stream, could be sent simultaneously. You can also set up a multi-cast to network player over a wired network with the addition of an optional multi-cast license.

Latency: Image delay versus image quality can be adjusted when using the Cube, but one must accept certain limits. If the desired choice is less latency, then anticipate image quality loss.

Infrastructure Mode: Using an Infrastructure Network means setting up a separate router as the middle-man. The laptop or Cube receiver and Cube transmitter then join that network

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

and the transmitted signal is able to go beyond the average 100 feet of a one-to-one set up. The router will get you to approximately 300 feet. A router with a larger antenna will get you even further! Like with any equipment, some time spent playing with it will make the user more aware of its programming requirements. IT/IP savvy minds and patience recommended.

Other Applications: Stream live wireless from your camera top to the Internet to “LiveStream” or embed the stream directly in your website.

New 4GLTE support is coming for using cellular networks to transmit streams. Use the Cube as a real-time encoder, playing

out selects from your camera or encoding a stream for the Internet from your timeline in editing. It is also possible to use the Cube to send a “feed” online to Master Control of a broadcaster. Master Control can then put the feed into a switcher and cut it live to air, much like a satellite truck for CBC, say. A Proxy Key option from Teradek allows your computer to record the proxies from RED or ALEXA automatically as the camera records/pauses, then share those files with the production team on your wireless network. The Teradek website provides plenty of helpful hints and videos, as well as an online forum for questions and answers, or you can go into Vistek and talk to some experts in person.

Tech Specs:

HD-SDI H.264 SYSTEM

HDMI H.264 SYSTEM

VIDEO CODEC

INPUTS HD-SDI, SD-SDI: BNC Supported Resolutions 1080i 50/59.94/60 1080p 23.98/24/25/30 1080PsF 23.98/24 720p 50/59.94/60 576i 50 480i 59.94/60

INPUTS HDMI In Supported Resolutions 1080i 50/59.94/60 1080p 23.98/24/25/30 720p 50/59.94/60 576p 50 480p 59.94/60

Compression Algorithm: High Profile H.264 (L4.1) Bit Rate: 250 Kbps to 10 Mbps

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

The Cooke Look

®

One Look. All Speeds

cookeoptics.com

CookeOpticsLimited British Optical Innovation and Quality Since 1893.

T: +44 (0)116 264 0700 Canada, South America, USA: T: +1-973-335-4460

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

19

CSC Affiliate Member Colin Davis Retires

Photo courtesy of Technicolor.

C

SC Affiliate member and Technicolor Creative Services, Vice President – Film Services, Colin Davis has announced his retirement after more than 45 years in the entertainment industry. Davis was born in Guildford, England, and immigrated at the age of 20 to Toronto where he landed a position at what was then Pathé-Deluxe in October of 1966, followed

by Filmhouse and then Kodak in 1975. He worked in the industry his entire career, spending 27 years at Kodak, both in Canada and in the United States, in all capacities from Sales Executive to Vice-President & Business Manager Entertainment Imaging. In 2002, he joined Command Post &Transfer Corporation, and finally Technicolor in 2004.

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

Davis got his foot in the door by chance after hearing about an opportunity for a job in a laboratory from an acquaintance, but he quickly fell in love with the industry. “It just seemed to be the place to be,” he says. “It was an evolving industry, a fledgling industry in those days, so it had great potential and has grown to be an important part of the global business today.” He says one of the best features of his career has been the people he’s met, especially through industry associations like the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) and the CSC, relating to the science and technology aspect of his work. His time at Technicolor has been very enjoyable “from the standpoint of taking it to the next level. It was the first name in film, going back to 1916, so it’s been interesting to see how it has evolved and gone beyond that of an imaging company, albeit film or digital,” he says. Davis, who was awarded the 1996 CSC Bill Hilson award for outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Canada, has fond memories of the CSC and says he is honoured to have collaborated with such people as Fritz Spiess csc, Bob Brooks csc, Richard Leiterman csc, Bert Dunk csc, asc, Nicholas Allen-Woolfe csc, Harry Lake csc, David Herrington csc, Rene Ohashi csc, asc, André Pienaar csc, sasc, and John Holosko csc, to name but a few. Davis says he now wants to take some more time to focus on some home projects and spend time with his family. “After 45 years of giving so much to the industry and enjoying so much about the industry, it’s time for my family,” he says.

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 604-229-0861, 416-698-4482 or peter@peterbenison.com.

Looking for a home in the GTA area while shooting a project? Kelly Mason, cinematographer, is renting her fully-furnished home in Mississauga. It is modern, renovated, open concept, fireplaces (2), hardwood floors. Walking distance to all amenities, Go Train, restaurants, Metro, Starbucks, Homesense, Dollarama, and more. 2500/mth + utilities; 3 bedroom, 3 bath. 4-6 month lease starting January 5, 2012. No Smokers and no pets please. Contact Kelly at 647.993.6183; kelly@kellymason.com.

porta-brace covers. All owned by me and serviced by Sony Hong Kong. Sony Beta SP/SX player/recorders, DNW-A25P X2, PAL & NTSC, 500 & 644hours drum time, $6,000; Satchler 575 HMI, open-face, mint condition with spare bulb, $2,500 & case. The lot for $20,000.

Contact: François Bisson at blitzvideo@mac.com.

Sony BVW-400a Betacam SP Camcorder camera used by professional cinematographer (one owner), never rented out. Comes complete with Fujinon A15x8BEVM-28 lens, Petroff matte box with 4x4 and 4x5.6 filter holders, remote zoom and focus control for lens, six Cadnica NP-1 batteries, Sony BC-1WD battery charger, Porta-Brace fitted cover with rain jacket (like new) and Sony factory hard shipping case and manuals. Lens and camera professionally maintained by factory technicians. Usage hours are: A – 1,918 hours; B – 1,489 hours; C – 4,286 hours, $10,000.00 obo. Contact: Craig Wrobleski csc at 403-995-4202.

Aaton XTR Super 16 package including body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5-mm–60-mm S-16 zoom lens, Zeiss 9.5 prime lens, 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,85N6, polarizer, ND6, clear), follow focus and cases $12,000. Nikon 50–300-mm F4-5 E.D. lens with support, $1,000.

Kinoptik 9–8-mm 35-mm format lens c/with sunshade. Contact: stringercam@ shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com.

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Sony EX-3 Camera - SOLD JVC HD 100n Camera - SOLD Sachtler Video 20 111 Tripod - PRICE REDUCED - Excellent condition, aluminum legs, ground spreader,hard transport case (price new $11,000 plus tax) - $4000 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 WJMX70 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.

Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WSP/PVV3P, PAL, 262hours drum time, $ 2,500; Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WS/PVV3, NTSC, 251hours drum time, $2,500; Sony BetaCam SX DNW-7, NTSC, 257hours drum time, $5,000; and IKEGAMI DV-CAM HL-DV7AW, NTSC, mint condition, as new, 61hours drum time, $7,000. All cameras with

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.

Fujinon XA17X7.6 BERM-M48 HD Lens in new condition, bought and mounted but never used. As new in box (camera is sold), $7,900. Panasonic Digital AV mixer WJ-MX50 (missing a few knobs from the lower right corner on the audio mixer), $400. JVC TN-9U 9-inich colour monitor, $60. Photos available for everything. Contact: johnbanovich@gamail.com or 604-726-5646.

FOR SALE 28-Foot Black Camera Trailer with new brakes and tires, 20-foot awning, dark room, viewing lounge, two countertops with lots of storage space, heating and air conditioned, side windows and three access doors. Contact: jwestenbrink@rogers.com.

Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to editor@csc.ca.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011 •

21

CAMeRA CLASSIFIeDS

EQUIPMENT WANTED 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 416444-7000 or alan.crimi@panavision.com. www.panavision.com.

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 Steve Danyluk csc Kamal Derkaoui csc Kim Derko csc Serge Desrosiers 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 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 Stefan Nitoslawski csc

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - November 2010

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 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 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 CSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Joshua Allen Don Armstrong Vince Arvidson François Aubry John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys Maya Bankovic 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 Stuart James Cameron Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Maurice Chabot 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 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

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 JoAnne Alaric Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird Abraham Bankole Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Greg Biskup Stuart Blair 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 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 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

VANCOUVER

604-527-7262

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

CALGARY

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

403-246-7267

CSC MeMBeRS

James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka David Johns Jorma Kantola Ali Kazimi Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Douglas John Kropla Charles Lavack Robin Lawless soc Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau James Lewis Justin Lovell 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 Ryan A. Randall Ali Reggab csc Michael Rita-Procter Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Albert Rudnicki Steve Sanguedolce Sarmen Sarmazian Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Stanislav Shakhov Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Rob Sim Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney

indicates demo reel online, www.csc.ca

TORONTO

416-444-7000 TORONTO

HALIFAX

HALIFAX

902-404-3630

416-444-7000

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2010 •

902-404-3630

23

PRODUCTIONS & CALeNDAR

Production Notes Antiviral (feature); DOP/OP Karim Hussain; to December 9, Toronto The Chronicles of Riddick (feature); DOP David Eggby; OP Francois Daignault; to January 26, 2012, Montreal The Firm (series); DOP Adam Swica csc; OP Russ Goozee csc; to April 18, 2012, Mississauga King II (series); DOP Rudolf Blahacek; OP Dino Laurenza; to March 15, 2012, Etobicoke The Listener (series); DOP Stephen Reizes csc; OP Cudah Andarawewa; to February 15, 2012, Mississauga Lost Girl II (series); DOP David Greene csc; OP Rod Crombie; to January 22, 2012, Toronto Mama (feature); DOP Antonio Riestra; OP Angelo Colavecchia; to December 9, Toronto Nikita (series); DOP Glen Keenan csc & Rene Ohashi asc, csc (alternating episodes); to Apr 10, 2012, Toronto Republic of Doyle III (series); DOP Malcolm Cross; OP Tony Guerin; to December 14, St. John's Resident Evil: Retribution (feature); DOP Glen MacPherson csc, asc; OP Robert Stecko; to December 23, Etobicoke Rookie Blue III (series); DOP David Perrault csc; OP Frank Polyak; to January 23, 2012, Mississauga Still Seas (feature); DOP Guillermo Navarro; OP Gilles Corbeil; to April 13, 2012, Toronto

Calendar of events – December Nov. 30-Dec. 4, Whistler Film Festival, Whistler, BC, whistlerfilmfestival.com January 19-29, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, sundance.org 31, CSC Awards entry deadline, csc.ca February 3-12, Victoria Film Festival, Victoria BC, victoriafilmfestival.com 16-26, Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, Montreal, rvcq.com March 1-4, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston, ON, kingcanfilmfest.com 15-25, International Film Festival on Art, Montreal, artfifa.com 23-Apr. 1, Cinéfranco, Toronto, cinefranco.com 31, CSC Awards, Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre, Toronto, csc.ca April 12-21, Images Festival of Independent Film & Video, Toronto, imagesfestival.com 26-May 6, Hot Docs, Toronto, hotdocs.ca Correction In the item “Sony Products Unveiled at CSC Meeting” published in the “In The News” section of the November 2011 issue, the Sony F65 4K digital camera should have been listed as the unveiled camera rather than the NXCAM FS100U. we apologize for the error.

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2011

A CLEAR PATH THROUGH POST Format

SxS cards

Direct to Edit workflow Tape-based workflow

Format

HD

Tape

Format

HD

On-board recorder

File-based workflow

On-board recorder

ARRIRAW workflow

Format

ALEXA gives you a choice of ultra fast workflows.

give you instant access to dailies and the freedom

Whichever of the ALEXA output options you go

to start an off-line edit immediately. If you choose

for, our Direct to Edit feature will speed up your

an HD workflow, the Apple ProRes codecs will

workflow. When recording uncompressed HD or

allow you to begin your on-line edit simply by

ARRIRAW, the Apple QuickTime proxy that is

removing the memory card from ALEXA and

simultaneously recorded to onboard SxS cards will

slotting it into a laptop: nothing could be easier.

More details on www.arridigital.com

© Kodak, 2011. Kodak and Vision are trademarks.

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

Learn more at kodak.com/go/200t