Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine June 2012 by The CSC

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

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Q&A with

Jericca Cleland csc Animism and the Art of CG Cinematography

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Lighting Way Off Broadway • Art Director Patrick Banister

The Official Magazine of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

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Canadian Cinematographer is a glossy magazine devoted to the art and the craft of cinematography. It is published 10 times a year by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), a nonprofit organization established in 1957. Canadian Cinematographer covers the full spectrum of cinematography – film, television, HD and digital-production techniques. Each issue contains feature articles, interviews, industry news and latest equipment updates. For more information, visit us at www.csc.ca.

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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.

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 North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division Image Media Farm Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./Ltée PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada REDLABdigital Rosco Canada Sharp’s Broadcast Sim Video Sony of Canada Ltd. Technicolor The Source Shop Vistek Camera Ltd. William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV

FEATURES – volume 4, No. 3 June 2012

Animism and the Art of CG Cinematography By Fanen Chiahemen

Lights, Action, Broadway! By Bentley Miller

Behind the Scenes with Art Director Patrick Banister By Fanen Chiahemen

Columns & Departments

2 From the President

3 In the News

5 Camera Workshop

10 NAB 20 Tech Column

23 Camera Classified

24 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Animism: The Gods’ Lake

Image courtesy of Zeros2Heroes Media, Inc.

Canadian Cinematographer June 2012 Vol. 4, No. 3 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 Editorial Intern Kayla-Jane Barrie ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House 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 Email: subscription@csc.ca

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

From The PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc

s this year’s fabulous Toronto Hot Docs Festival came to an end, I couldn’t help but wonder if documentary filmmaking in Canada was about to become an endangered species. Although the recent federal government austerity measures have hit all the arts hard, these cutbacks seem to be more noticeable in our film and television industry, especially with funding for docs. I’m the first one to agree that we all need to have our financial houses in order because Canada needs to be fiscally sound to compete on every level of the world market. But the arts have never really been about money. They’re about cultivating the cultural soul of people. They are about how we view and interpret ourselves as a nation and to other human beings globally. The arts have always been and always will be in need of financial support from governing bodies. In a weird twist of symbolic irony, these exact sentiments are expressed in a quote by author Gabrielle Roy on the Canadian $20 bill. “Could we ever know each other in the slightest without the arts?” Yes, the quote is really on the 20. You might need a magnifying glass to read it, but it’s definitely there. Somebody in big government gets it. Somebody sees the correlation between support and the arts. That governmental somebody just needs to shovel a few truckloads of Roy’s quote back into our cultural industry. Canada almost single-handedly invented and defined the genre of documentary filmmaking. We are known throughout the world for our documentary skills and films. However, being a documentarian in Canada is definitely not the road to riches. For most documentary makers, it’s a meager existence that seems to run on vapours born out of a love of craft and storytelling. So, when the government cries poverty and orders cuts from Canadian institutions such as the National Film Board, Telefilm and the CBC, it’s the documentary arms that bleed first and heaviest from the fiscal knife. The recent slashing aside, the Canadian documentary industry has been ailing for years because of the lessened commitments to the genre by some private and public broadcasters, coupled with the termination of the Canadian Independent Film and Video Fund. Recent figures from the Documentary Organization of Canada send a chilling message: • Canadian indie documentary production has declined 30 per cent since 2008 • 1,500 documentary-related jobs have vanished in the last two years As a cinematographer who has shot numerous documentaries in her day, it pains me to see this great Canadian heritage and art form stunted. The federal government needs to seriously rethink its doc support before we begin losing what has taken filmmakers generations to build and nurture.

In The News Photo Courtesy of Item 7

Photo courtesy of Accent Entertainment

DOP Luc Montpellier csc

Still from Rebelle

Member News

ALEXA Advances Anamorphic Cinematography

ilms shot by CSC members made a splash at this year’s New York-based Tribeca Film Festival, which ran from April 18 to 29: Kim Nguyen’s Rebelle, which was shot by Nicolas Bolduc csc, won the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature; Director Nisha Pahuja’s The World Before Her, on which Derek Rogers csc was a cinematographer, won Best Documentary Feature; and Sarah Polley’s Take This Waltz, lensed by Luc Montpellier csc, had its US premiere. Meanwhile, Good God, a new series created by Ken Finkleman, and shot by Jason Tan csc, aired from April through June on HBO.

Sony Opens Training Centre Sony’s Professional Solutions of America group last month opened its Digital Motion Picture Center (DMPC) at Sony Pictures Studios. The Center will offer hands-on training for directors, cinematographers and other professionals in the film and television production industries on the use of Sony’s ground-breaking F65 CineAlta digital motion picture camera and the production workflows supporting this new, state-ofthe art digital acquisition system. Alec Shapiro, PSA senior vice president, will serve as president of the Sony DMPC. Curtis Clark ASC, chairman of the ASC Technology Committee, will play a critical role in directing the educational and training activities provided by the Center. In addition to the F65, the Center will offer training and education for film and television production on Sony’s range of Super 35 mm digital systems, including the PMW-F3 camcorder and others.

ARRI in April unveiled the ALEXA Plus 4:3, a new ALEXA model with similar functionality to the ALEXA Plus but featuring a 4:3 Super 35 sensor, the ability to switch from 16:9 sensor mode to 4:3 sensor mode and built-in licenses for high speed shooting, anamorphic de-squeeze and DNxHD. The ALEXA Plus 4:3 joins the ALEXA Studio and ALEXA M, which already have 4:3 sensors. Anamorphic lenses squeeze the image by a factor of two, thus projecting a 1.195:1 aspect ratio image onto the sensor. When using sensors that are natively 16:9 or even wider, it is necessary to crop the sides, resulting in a much smaller used sensor area and a different angle of view for the lens. With the ALEXA 4:3 cameras, the full area of the sensor is used which means more light per photosite, translating into greater sensitivity, less noise, more exposure latitude and sharper images.

FUJIFILM Introduces PL 19-90 Cabrio FUJIFILM at NAB 2012 introduced the PL 19-90 Cabrio (ZK4.7x19). The lens features a detachable servo drive unit, making it suitable for use as a standard PL lens or as an ENG-Style lens. It also has flange focal distance adjustment, macro function, is LDS (Lens Data System) and /i metadata compatible, and has the longest focal range available in a lightweight zoom. The digital servo on the PL 19-90 has 16-bit encoding, ensuring that all lens data output is accurate. The PL 19-90 covers 31.5 mm sensor size on a digital cinema style camera. While sensors on standard broadcast cameras are all the same size, sensors on digital cine

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 •

Photo courtesy of Blackmagic Design.

Photo courtesy of FUJIFILM.

cameras vary greatly. This new zoom ensures the image captured will cover large sensors for optimal, full-frame resolution. The PL 19-90 can be controlled using cinema industry standard wireless controllers, as well as existing FUJINON wired and wireless units.

Blackmagic Design Announces Cinema Camera Blackmagic Design at NAB 2012 announced the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, a revolutionary digital cinema camera, whose features include super wide 13 stops of dynamic range, high resolution 2.5K sensor, built-in high bandwidth SSD recorder, open file format support, colour correction with full version of

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

DaVinci Resolve, and a built-in LCD with metadata entry, all for US$2,995.

Sim Goes Digital Sim Video recently announced it will now operate under the name SIM Digital, and it also revealed a new logo. The company reports its current growth and its plans to explore new markets as the key reasons for the change. The company merged with Bling Digital in 2009 with the intention to create a company that could provide the most comprehensive equipment and file-based workflow solutions in the industry. The Bling logo has also been revamped in order to more accurately represent the integration between SIM’s camera and Bling’s post services.

By François Aubry

Credit: Kevin Konnyu

A Workshop for Your Body and Camera

y work as a cinematographer has led me to incredible adventures in the most far-flung places in the world. Many of my projects have had me travelling through the most remote, exotic and unpredictable regions, cities and villages that one can see. From following Cajun natives through the bayous, walking the deep tunnels under the earth in the Noranda mines in northern Quebec, following chaplains through the Liberian countryside amidst the remains of a civil war, tracking real-life guerrilla soldiers through the Colombian jungle, to chasing Philippine secret police on the run for their lives – all the while with a camera hoisted overhead or discreetly clutched at my midsection. In 2008, while in Africa, I tore the ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) of my left knee and had to limp my way through more adventures in the Philippines and beyond. Having relentlessly followed my subjects on all terrains, I had to teach myself a new way of walking and learn a different way of holding my cameras. I built homemade rigs to help me balance the pressure of the equipment on my body. Of course I consulted doctors; a few went through MRI scans and the whole nine yards. Prognosis: nothing to be done. I would be condemned to use an external brace for the rest of my life. Or maybe they could operate, but the chances of success were slim because I’m no longer a 15-year-old growing boy. Not a good prognosis for a documentary filmmaker. Fortunately, I was not satisfied with the sentence. I’m the kind of shooter who just might want to grab his rollerblades and camera to get the shot. So I went to see an applied kinesiologist, who believed he could help me fire up the muscles around my ligaments, and helped me to rebuild a new and natural support for my knee. It worked. Four years later, I am now flying cameras on rollerblades again, skiing down mountains with big gear on my shoulders, and I have regained normal function of my knee. While I consider it nothing short of miraculous, I still found that after working 10 days in a row with HD cameras, with the added batteries, monitors, and all the extra attachments – a total of 29 pounds – I even under the best conditions, my body still needed a serious, clear and efficient new approach to keep it up.

François Aubry

So one day I showed up at the office of my applied kinesiologist, with a camera on my shoulders, and asked him to show me how to best handle the beast, and to devise for me a series of exercises to help me build, restructure and adjust the body for this kind of work. It became my goal to create a strengthening and more conscious physical approach to working with my cameras. A way to not only protect my body in the long run, but also to make my job easier and use my body in the most efficient way. And I filmed the whole demonstration. My idea was to make a small book and share my findings with my fellow cinematographers, gaffers, grips, and others in the industry. Chances are, if I was having this experience, there are many other cinematographers, cameramen, camerawomen, and shooters of all kinds who would benefit from all that I’ve learned on my journey to ease the load. The results were phenomenal. Recently I spent some time with fellow cinematographer Gregor Hagey csc at the last Masters POV in Los Angeles. After sharing my story, Gregor thought that this would be a valuable approach to pass on, and suggested developing this into a workshop for CSC members. I contacted my practitioner, Lester Ponce, MKin, NASM, and got him on board. Lester was very open to the idea of collaborating in a workshop format and teaching these exercises in person. So there you have it. In an upcoming issue of Canadian Cinematographer we will announce a special Body and Camera workshop with the aim of passing on to those who want to refine their physical approach to camerawork the fruits of this experience. The workshop will include hands-on demonstrations with equipment, a solid routine for preparation, methods of integrating effective body principles into your work, demonstrations on after-work adjustments for maintenance, an energizing routine based on a combination of practices (including the yogic tradition), networking breaks with food and drinks, and a demonstration of how applied kinesiology can work for you. For more information and to let us know if you’d like to participate please email admin@csc.ca.

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 •

Art Cinematography

and the

By Fanen Chiahemen

G cinematographer Jericca Cleland csc’s latest venture is Animism: The Gods’ Lake, an animated fantasy television series for teens. The graphic novel-style series centres on a young woman’s quest to restore order in a chaotic world using her special powers. Cleland got her start working at Pixar in 1996 as a developer in the game industry before crossing over into computer animation (3D animation). She went on to design camera and staging for Toy Story 2 (Golden Globe, Best Picture) and Finding Nemo (Academy Award, Best Animated Feature). One of Cleland’s most recent credits is as cinematographer on the 2011 animated comedy Arthur Christmas, which was a box office and critical success – the film garnered nominations and wins at various awards, including the Annie Awards, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes, to name just a few. Cleland talks to Canadian Cinematographer about her work on Animism and explains the process of cinematography in animation. Canadian Cinematographer: How did you approach the cinematography for Animism? Jericca Cleland: Well, it’s a small budget, but there’s a real opportunity to have a lot of creative freedom. Within the constraints of the project we can really exercise a great relationship between the production design, the cinematography, the staging and the editing. They’re all working really closely together to support the story through cinematic design. Our approach to it is very similar to the cinematic feel that you would have in live action, so we’re still designing it from a standpoint of space and lighting. You’re bringing the discipline of cinematography into a 2D medium, which is really interesting. CC: What was your process in pre-production? JC: In pre-production I developed a cinematic design, which

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

outlined the use of filming style, composition, shape, language, colour, light, and staging to support the story. This involved reading the story and determining, “Okay, so there are three major storylines, and I want each of them to have an identity in terms of cinematic feel while still having unity in overall style.” One storyline is designed to be rectilinear and highly symmetrical with deep space shot with wider lenses, and a cool, predominantly blue colour palette. The second storyline is meant to feel like it was shot on longer lenses with soft shapes and compositions that are more organic, less symmetrical, and more planar. It’s designed to be warmer, with more of a sense of a glowing light and reds in the palette. The third storyline is more asymmetrical, more dynamic, unexpected. Given what this cinematic design implies in terms of colour, shape, and architecture, the set design and the character design all need to support what we want in the filming. So preproduction was about storyboarding out that vision and working through the overall production design in support of the visual storytelling. The challenge in 2D is understanding the visual choices well enough to communicate the desired space, perspective, lenses, depth of field, and lighting despite working in flat paintings. CC: How are the images created? JC: So we start out drawing digital storyboards which represent the general shot design and staging. Based on this and on further scene planning, we determine our camera setups and master shots in each location. The background paintings are done digitally in Photoshop, which allows us to also easily relight locations for different times of day and moods. Once we have the master shot paintings done, we derive all of the other backgrounds needed for each scene. Then we paint the characters and props in proper perspective for each shot based on the staging and action required. Once the art assets are all created, we can put them

Animism:The Gods’ Lake images courtesy of Zeros2Heroes Media, Inc.

into shot production. So let’s say we have a character and a car, a diner and a street. For these things to feel like they’re positioned in space, the Photoshop file will have layers which are taken to [Adobe] After Effects. Then we position the character, the car, the diner, the street or whatever in space the way we need to in order for the CG camera to frame and move through them as intended. Everything is done digitally with two-dimensional elements on flats using a computer camera to simulate the kind of movement that we want to create. The effect of the lens we want is largely achieved through controlling perspective, relative scale of objects, and depth of field. CC: How does the camera come into play? JC: The camera is in After Effects, so it’s a computer camera with a computer camera lens. In some cases the camera’s not moving, it’s just static, and the relationship between the foreground and the background is a spatial one that you just set up based on the eye, saying, “I want this to feel like a 35 mm lens.” But in the case where we have camera movement happening, we do have a lens, and the camera physically moves through space, with 2D elements placed on cards in space to replicate how it would feel in reality. CC: So you work with actual lenses? JC: I do work with a lens palette, but because we’re in 2D on this show, they’re somewhat theoretical. But we still want that sense of discipline over the lenses. I typically use a broader palette of

lenses in CG, but on this show, the reduced set will approximate 24 mm, 35, 50, and 80 with some additional special cases. It’s really been interesting for me because I’ve never worked in 2D before in flat paintings, so it’s been a very interesting transition of taking CG cinematography with its high correlation to live action in terms of lenses and movement, and bringing that aesthetic into something that is painted. I think we’re pushing the medium quite far, because you don’t usually see this kind of cinematic discipline in animation. CC: How would you characterize the main difference between the role of a CG cinematographer in animation versus live action? JC: Cinematography has got a different lifespan in CG than it does in live action where you might come on to a show three weeks before the shoot, shoot it and then step off. Animation is different, you work it in stages, starting rough and progressively refining. The role that we consider a cinematographer starts earlier and goes longer in animation. And the decisions happen a little bit more spread out. In live action, most of the visuals in terms of camera and lighting come together the moment that you go to camera. But in CG cinematography, I have to make the lens decision at an early stage, and I have to think about how the lighting is going to affect the composition, or depth of field is going to direct the eye even though they’re not fully executed at that stage. So it’s being able to break down the component visual decisions along the production stages and imagining them together in your mind, seeing from the early rough versions through to the end result in support of the intended final vision. Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 •

CC: Can you talk about the differences between CG cinematography on a 2D animation project versus a 3D animation project like Arthur Christmas? JC: When you’re working in 3D animation you have a certain amount of physicality and space, it’s very similar to live action. When you move into 2D, the camera becomes hypothetical in a sense, although in a 2D/3D blend like Animism, there are some cases of a camera with a lens on it. On a show like Arthur Christmas the difference between working in animation and live action is very small. Characters are real size, cameras move through real time and space with real lenses. Working in 2D there’s a little bit more of a leap of having to hold in your mind very firmly what you’re trying to create and then problem-solving on the screen to get what you want. We’re bringing the same discipline that you use in cinematography in live action in terms of considering lens, perspective, depth of field, relationship between foreground and background, atmosphere, lighting and all of those aspects, and bringing that into the paintings. Basically, it takes the same eye of the cinematographer and the same considerations for staging, lighting, camera and movement, and adapting them into 2D. CC: What are some of the pitfalls of shooting a 2D show like Animism? JC: In 3D computer animation, you have real space that exists within the virtual world created in the computer. If something needs to be 10 feet away, you put it 10 feet away. When you’re working in 2D you don’t have the same real space that you have in a CG animated film. If you were shooting something like Ratatouille and you want an over-the-shoulder of the rat on the chef or something like that, you set them a real, physical distance apart on a given lens and your camera works the same way a live action camera works—you get correct perspective and scale for free. But in 2D those relationships are theoretical; you want them to feel the same as they would if you were shooting it for real. So it comes down to having a very strong sense of what those things should look like and staying disciplined and clear about the composition choices, the spatial choices, and keeping an eye out that the lenses feel real. CC: How do you work with your crew when doing this type of cinematography? JC: Regardless of medium, I work very tightly with the production designer because the sets need to support the intended filming and staging, to make sure that the goals of the production design and the goals of the cinematography are aligned. If we want a sense of deep space and symmetry, the sets have to have the appropriate scale and depth and architecture that will support the kind of composition that we want and the kinds of lenses that we want to use. By the same token, I work very closely with the editor because you don’t want to shoot a bunch of stuff that won’t work in the cut. I want to make sure the way that we’re planning on shooting is going to work in terms of the cut so that we are all trying to tell the same story. And the value of the image is up on the screen and not on the cutting room floor.

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CC: When you talk about the sets, you’re obviously talking about drawings on a computer. JC: When I shoot live action and when I shoot in 2D, for me the spaces are still real. They live in my head in a very real way, so when I think about, say an exterior of a small town, I’m thinking about it as a real set. We want the relationships between where that car is parked or where that building is or where the fence is or which part of town is leading out of town and which part of town is leading in – these things, although we’re representing them essentially on paper, they still need to work spatially. So I treat them and we talk about them like they’re real, and we think about the staging as if it’s physical, and then we represent what we need to in the actual image. CC: Is there a large pool of CG cinematographers in Canada? JC: In Canada, there’s a very, very small number of CG cinematographers. There’s a difference between head of layout, who runs the camera crew and oversees that stage of production, and a CG cinematographer. It’s similar to the difference between your head camera operator and your DP. There’s been a lot of confusion over what it means to be a director of photography in CG. As in live action, there are some DPs that are very focused on lighting and others that are very much focused on camera. When I work on a show it’s very important to me that I design the camera, staging and lighting together so that everything works in synergy. There’s a growing awareness in the industry that this medium has tremendous potential for cinematography. I’m hoping to see more commitment to it and more of a discipline in the art form as well as giving people who have been working in this craft that title and recognizing that role. CC: So how do you identify within the industry? JC: I really strongly identify myself as a cinematographer. Even though in animation the role is a little bit more expanded because you start earlier and you go longer – sometimes two or three years on a show – I feel like it’s a very similar relationship in terms of what the director relies on the cinematographer to do and the role the DP technically has in guarding the entire image. I find that when I approach CG cinematography, I always go back to what I’ve done in live action in the way that I think about it in terms of space and motion. It doesn’t matter what medium you’re working in, the role of the cinematographer still exists and the overall function of bringing a story to the screen through camera, staging and lighting is relevant no matter what you’re doing. The cinematographer’s eye, sense of space, lens, light, movement and all of those things that we bring to live action translates to animation. It’s really the same thing. That set of visual storytelling skills is what we as cinematographers bring to a film and it’s a vital role in any medium. Animism: The Gods’ Lake will air on the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network starting this fall.

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 â&#x20AC;˘

4K ACQUISITION at NAB 2012: EVOLUTION BROADENS

Photos Courtesy of Canon

By Joe Sunday

t the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) annual technology exhibition – held from April 14 to19 in Las Vegas this year— manufacturers typically demonstrate their concepts that will soon be released into the market. Digital acquisition in 4K resolution (or more) was definitely prevalent with many traditional video brands, and seems to be the format base for future evolution. Certainly, ARRI ALEXA and RED One/Epic/Scarlet maintained their dominance in RAW professional systems for cinematographers. The ARRI presentations of significant ALEXA projects were conducted in the open, and were so popular that aisles around their exhibit were always crowded, even when the rest of the huge exhibit halls seemed empty. RED continued its populist approach, with a regular lineup of “millennial” enthusiasts waiting to come inside their private theatre for a demonstration/discussion of advanced RED technology for costsensitive productions. The use of these two systems on high-profile productions has evidently come to the attention of traditionally video manufacturers, who also highlighted 4K digital platforms at NAB. In addition to its existing F65 system (with RAW), Sony introduced an affordable 1080p camera (the NEX-FS700), teasing that it is 4K-ready with an intended firmware update. Panasonic displayed its 4K Varicam Cinema concept camera, apparently gathering user feedback on its prototype while staying in the game.

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

Broad excitement over a new imaging system was centred on Canon, for its introduction of the Cinema EOS C500 platforms (one for EF lenses and one for PL), to be released later this year at attractive prices. The camera is intended for advanced cinematographic applications, so it is a non-obsoleting system distinct from last November’s release of the C300 for HD. Full workflows have already been designed and integrated in consultation with major Hollywood rental and post facilities. Canon’s Cinema EOS C500 will support 4K-resolution capture with a new 8.8-megapixel CMOS sensor (approximately Super 35 mm-equivalent), and also outputs it as a 10-bit uncompressed RAW data stream with no de-Bayering. Additional versatility allows output of quad full-HD (3840 x 2160), 2K (2048 x 1080), full HD (1920 x 1080), and other imaging options, fully conforming to established SMPTE production standards. All 4K formats can be selected to operate from one to 60 frames per second. A 50Mbps HD proxy is simultaneously recorded in camera to a CF card that is immediately available to support offline editing. The prevalence of all these 4K offerings indicate that manufacturers find value in the quality demanded by professional cinematographers, and that their technology has evolved to catch up with our demands. Joe Sunday has pioneered advanced imaging technologies with prestigious cinematographers for more than two decades. He currently consults for major media companies throughout North America.

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 â&#x20AC;˘

, s t h g i L , n ! o i y t a Ac w d

Photo Credits: Bentley Miller

a o r B

Dorothy and Glinda the Good Witch in The Wizard of Oz.

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

Working hand-in-hand with director of photography Antonin Lhotsky csc, associate CSC member Bentley Miller helped design the lighting on the first season of Bravo! Canada’s performance-based reality series Way Off Broadway. The 13-episode series involved five cameras shot by cinematographer Tony Edgar, and camera operators Ian MacMillan, Duraid Munajim, Peter Kyne and Donny Rose. Here Miller shares the ins and outs of designing the lighting for the rehearsal space and the show’s finale.

By Bentley Miller

The Story

assistance form production assistants); and meet the budgetary requirements of the show.

Way Off Broadway follows 21 strangers who face their fears to live their dream in theatre director Sarina Condello’s production of the Wizard of Oz. Their dream? Singing, dancing and acting in front of a live audience of 1,100. Their fear? Singing out of tune, stumbling, and missing their cues. They’ve only got eight weeks to transform from total amateurs to polished stars. Most of them haven’t been in a musical production since grade school, and some have never been on stage at all. But it’s all for a good cause. Proceeds from the performance go to Condello’s charity, The Big Little Caravan of Joy, which brings performing arts to underprivileged children in Africa. Way Off Broadway follows the casts’ journey as they experience the transformative powers of participating in a live theatre production. I came to this project via a longtime colleague, director Joel Goldberg, who had asked me if I could lend my talents to this small-budget production that was big on heart and needed a boost to get it over the top. I was involved in the design of the lighting for the rehearsal space and the finale.

The Venue

Series DOP Antonin Lhotsky csc.

The challenge for the production and for me was the venue. The rehearsal space was the Eastminster United Church in the east end of Toronto. A church, vocal performances – a natural fit, you would say. But the rehearsal space was not the church itself but a basketball court in the facility that is used during the week. This court is unique in that it is actually sunken, like the sunken living room you would have found in houses contemporary with the 1950s. This presented its own brand of unique visual challenges. This sunken court meant that the background for most of the shots would be yellow-toned brick offset by the orangey-yellow tones of the court floor. Since the basketball court was still active, this imposed other restrictions on us. We could not leave our lights set up for shooting as they would likely get damaged by basketball players. As you can appreciate, with budget always a consideration, set-up time is always limited.

The Lighting It fell upon me to come up with a lighting design that suited everyone’s needs. The lighting had to provide sufficient light for a healthy exposure, typically f4.0; create images that had snap and texture, not the flat images that we have sadly become used to from so many shows with five camera angles; be easy to set up in minimal time by a small crew (gaffer and dolly grip with some

The architecture of the sunken court actually afforded us a unique opportunity. As we were located in the basement, the support pillars that underpin the church sanctuary above provided us with lighting positions. There were four pillars on the north side and two pillars on the south side. These five fixtures were combined with the fixtures at both ends of the court mounted on the backboards. I used the basketball backboards as lighting platforms that were out of shot but provided the necessary lighting from off-axis angles to light our performers. Our instrument of choice was the 4x4’ Kino Flo fixture with switchable ballast. We mixed the tubes in the fixture, combining one tungsten tube with three daylight tubes. This gives you the daylight punch that you need and adds a little warmth to the light so that it is not too cold-looking. To keep the lighting from being flat, I used a technique that I have used on large outdoor concerts to give performers an edge from all camera positions. Simply put, you use a hard-edged source – in this case we used four 36-degree Source 4 fixtures, one at each of the four corners of the basketball court. Focused in an X pattern they provided edge light for the performers, regardless of where the five cameras were in the shooting area. Early on in the process, Antonin Lhotsky, who was the series cinematographer, and I made the decision to shoot daylight with Sony EX3. These cameras were the workhorses for this project. Five EX3 cameras captured the bulk of the footage. This was augmented by a Sony F3 on a slider for process and behind-the-scenes shots. Lighting with daylight made sense as we had to shoot in mixed lighting conditions where daylight was the predominant light source. This decision would also carry over into the concert phase of the production at the Danforth Music Hall. Antonin and I decided on an F stop of 4.0 or higher for the theatre show. This decision was made to assist the camera operators with focus. There was no time for marks, and the action was going to be fast and furious. So we thought more light would be best. Using the equipment package that we had afforded us plenty of headroom as far as light intensity was concerned. Even the most saturated colours gave the operators enough light to focus with. As with so many productions, time, and of course money, were key factors in the decision-making process. Since we had very little set-up time for the finale in the theatre, I decided on a lighting complement comprised of Mac 700 spot and wash fixtures Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 •

The cast performs The Wizard of Oz.

augmented with Chroma-Q Studioforce and Colorforce fixtures and ColorKinetics Colorblaze 72 fixtures. These fixtures were chosen for their versatility, light output, effects engine, and colour changing capabilities. We needed to create a number of theatrical looks and build lighting cues for the show with very little rehearsal time. Moving lights and LED sources were the only way to go. This lighting complement afforded us ease of set-up, a quick focus and lots of look options. Using movers and LEDs also meant that there were no dimmers, so we did not have to contend with the infrastructure that entails. These fixtures all have a native daylight colour temperature. This fulfilled our design mandate to work in daylight. An added bonus was the vast reduction in power consumption versus conventional tungsten light sources. This is definitely the wave of the future as production seeks “green” production techniques designed to reduce the carbon footprint of shows.

The Dream Team At this point I think it is important that I mention that I was just one element, the lead element in the lighting team. It is essential on a show with such tight timelines that you have personnel with the skill sets and personality to work under pressure without cracking. This show was a one-shot deal. There would be no retakes or pick-ups. Over the years I have put together my dream team that supports me on shows like this. There are many key personnel, but perhaps the most key is the console operator, Eric Bartnes. Eric transfers my vision into reality. He is not just a button pusher, he is a true collaborator. We work hand-in-glove to create seamless effects and a lighting design that supports the

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

production. Eric stores the lighting cues in the lighting console. He executes the cues based on script call from stage manager (not on this show though, there was not enough rehearsal time). Eric and I had a game plan before we got to the theatre. He would operate the main console –a Compulite Orange controlling all of the effects and set lighting – and my job was to control the exposure on the faces using a sub-wing of the main console. Eric and I always sit side by side so that we can communicate without intercom. We have developed our own visual shorthand that only occasionally requires verbal communication. Eric and I are supported by our crew chief Mike Nolan. Among his main duties, Mike breaks down the lighting plot and verifies the equipment list. He then works with the crew to ensure that the rig is built according to the lighting design. If he runs into snags during the build or needs to make changes, he keeps me abreast of the situation. During this phase of the set-up, my job is to keep a watchful eye and make any last-minute changes that were not anticipated prior to the build. Although they don’t have a high profile, these team members are essential to building on a tight time frame. Since we were setting up this show in a working theatre and not a sound stage, there is a protocol to be followed. Key to that protocol is the flyman. The flyman is responsible for all rigging, installing points for lighting trusses. He brings in the line sets and properly balances the counterweights once lighting instruments are added, then flies the line sets out. The flyman also operates the main curtain and any backdrops for the production.

To execute the lighting plan for Way Off Broadway I used my tried and tested method that I have developed over the years working on shows like this: • Location scout – discover all details about the venue, including all building anomalies • Determine what the client/producer wants • Meet with production manager to determine budget and timelines • Meet with director and the director of photography to determine the look of the show • Devise a simple but suitable approach • Measure the venue – I usually use a laser as this allows me to work independently, rather than relying on others The cast confers with theatre director Sarina Condello in the rehearsal space.

• Plot the venue • Draft a lighting plot • Liaise with the venue theatre director; determine scheduling and impact on neighbours • Establish a working relationship with your equipment supplier • Converse regularly with the customer service rep for your equipment supplier – this relationship is crucial to your success • Liaise with director on the shooting schedule for rehearsal and show block camera angles to maximize lighting for all camera angles

Camera operator Duraid Munajim (left) and key grip Katie Yealland.

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012 •

The cast of Way Off Broadway takes a bow after a performance of The Wizard of Oz.

The spot operator uses an intercom and works under the direction of the lighting designer using a cue list. The spot operator also highlights key performers during the show. On a show with only one spot, this person is crucial and must be at the top of their game. In an amateur show like this one, sometimes the spot operator has to anticipate cues that might come before or after the time that they were seen in rehearsal.

was put on by amateurs but it did not look amateurish. For that I am grateful. Way Off Broadway debuted March 2 on Bravo! Canada. The show was produced by Montreal’s Apartment 11 Productions.

The Finale For seven weeks the troupe rehearsed. As we neared the finale date, it was time for me to begin the last phase of my involvement in the production. One Sunday during rehearsal, the director and I spent an hour together breaking down the script with an eye to building the lighting cues for the finale. An hour was all we had. During our meeting we talked about the feel of the show. This allowed us to define the colour palettes for the show, scene by scene. Pulling together a show like this is all about building looks that support the text and the performers and fulfill the director’s vision. Since this production was supposed to be an amateur production it was incumbent upon me to make the show look polished without being slick. If it looked too slick it would not be in keeping with the amateur nature of the performance. Way Off Broadway turned out even better than I had hoped. The keys to our success were clear communication, a shared vision of what the show should be, and a sound plan to execute the shared vision. We delivered on two counts: we provided the performers with a stage to support their work, and we delivered a world-class show for the live audience of 1,100 people. The show

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

One of five cameras used to shoot Way Off Broadway.

ÂŠ Kodak, 2012. Kodak is a trademark.

Film Matters. Tell the world why at www.kodak.com/go/filmm atters Film. No Compromise.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Patrick

Art Director By Fanen Chiahemen

big-budget film like the futuristic action thriller Total Recall, due for release this summer, would no doubt provide plenty for an art director to sink his teeth into, but even veteran Patrick Banister, whose credits include Shoot ‘Em Up and SuckerPunch, was in for a few surprises when he realized just how much set building would be involved. “When we first went through the script, knowing the size of the film, you’d think that the more fantastic action sequences were going to be digital,” he says. “You’d think they’d all be done in green screen environments.” However, it turned out that director Len Wiseman was intent on practical shooting, and Total Recall required hundreds of sets, the construction of which Banister, as an art director – along with production designer Patrick Tatopoulos and supervising art director Brandt Gordon – was responsible for overseeing. “We ended up building a lot of things that we thought at the beginning we never would. We built up Pinewood Studios to the rafters,” Banister says. “There’s a lot of anti-gravity, there’s guys on wires. We ended up building some sets that rotated around our actors, so technically that was a big challenge.”

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

Banister

For example, in one scene lead actor Colin Farrell fights about a dozen assailants while the camera rotates around the action. “That rotating camera move was all done practically, there’s not a virtual camera flying around there, there’s no CG in that shot,” Banister says. “It was pre-vised and then it was a really complicated process to do it, with cameras on superslider rails flying through the set. And setups had to be rigged and de-rigged over three days to get all the different moves of these cameras. That was something we had to figure out with [director of photography] Paul Cameron how the hell are we going to do it.” Banister also turned to Cameron to help him meet some of the other particular demands of the futuristic film. In many of the scenes, interactive video screens pop up in front of the characters every now and then. “From the beginning, it was important for Len that these graphics that appear in front of people are not just floating in mid-air, they have to have a light source, and that was important in conversations with Paul Cameron,” Banister explains. “So there is a piece of material or an object that these things would come from, not just appear in mid-air and disappear as if by magic, everything had to have a reasoning behind it being there.”

Art directors and production designers begin their tasks in pre-production – analysing the script visually, designing and supervising all art work, preparing a schedule of set construction – and they often liaise with other departments, especially special effects, property and locations departments. However, an art director’s collaboration with the DOP is instrumental on any project. “You have to take lighting into consideration when designing sets; you can’t forget about lighting. Lighting makes the set,” Banister says. “There’s obviously practicals, the actual light sources you see on camera, and then there’s how you get light into the set if it’s being lit from off camera. “Sometimes the DP will say, ‘I want a really strong top light here,’ or, ‘I’m going to have a problem if you’re going to paint this set a certain tone because the light sources I’m using are going to flood out certain details,’ that kind of stuff,” he adds. Prepping with a DOP in advance saves time on the set and prevents clashes. “A lot of the time in camera tests we’ll chuck up wall textures and colour palettes and that kind of stuff. Not only for us to see with actors in front of it, but also to give the DP an idea of what he or she might be looking at on the day,” Banister continues. Such preparation was indispensable on Total Recall, and, according to Banister, involved a lot of camera tests with Cameron. “A lot of tests with different practical bulbs and fluorescents and Kino Flos, which was helpful not just to him, but really helpful to us in nailing down what Len had been talking about in terms of the look of the film,” he says. Banister adds that he particularly appreciated Cameron’s working method when it came to designing the more complex sets. “One of the big things when you’re designing sets is there’s always ceilings and how you’re going to bring light into sets which don’t necessarily have practical lights. So he was very helpful in developing this whole system in one of the sets where there’s a big rotating camera move around Colin Farrell as he’s battling these police guys,” Banister recalls. “And that was difficult because you saw a lot of the ceiling because it was a multi-level set, so the trick was to find some way to create something which fit in well with the set but was also practical from a production standpoint in terms of being able to remove or open up ceiling panels to be able to get lights in quickly. There was a lot to do on that scene and not a lot of time to do it. That was one of the elements he was really helpful on.

very aware that this is a world that at one time was the world we are living in now, even though we’re a hundred-odd years in the future.” To make the future world still recognizable, the art department opted for a setting that mixed today’s buildings with more surrealistic ones. “What we used as the basis for one of our sets was Habitat in Montreal which was built in ’67, so at the time it was very futuristic. And then there were other sets which were totally fantastic. We used much more organic shapes, curves and what seemed to be futuristic materials.” The art department needed to not just create this world, but communicate these ideas clearly to the DOP. “On my end I think it’s my responsibility to be as clear as possible about what is happening with the set, whether that involves having to build a model or build maquettes of sets,” Banister explains. “Some DPs like to see a model; it just helps them get their head around the space a bit better. It’s up to us in the art department to communicate what our vision is and then to listen to what they have to say about it. The earlier you can involve a director of photography, the sooner you’ll get them thinking about the set.” Of course, Banister relies on his drawing skills when trying to convey his vision to crew members, and he says, only halfjokingly, that his pencil is his most important instrument. “It’s the ability to draw, whether on the computer or by hand, to portray what the spaces are going to look like for the DP and the director and everybody else,” he says. Although an art director also has to manage the art department budget and schedule of work, Banister prefers to put the emphasis on the creative process. “You can’t always put budgetary constraints to the forefront; you won’t end up with a very good product,” he remarks. “And you also want to push the budget to the very limit to get the best out of the resources you have.” Reflecting on what his job means to him, Banister says, “It’s different every day. Some days I feel like I’m in the United Nations trying to solve a conflict between a grip department and a paint department and a set dec department. Other days you’re trying to figure out how to rotate a half ton spaceship, and other days you’re trying to figure out how big a nest of bones should be for a baby dragon to live in. It’s always different.”

“He was great to work with,” Banister adds. “He was really helpful and approachable.” When the sets were being built, Cameron and his gaffers were on hand to give feedback. “That’s important when you’re developing sets because you really try not to build more than you’re going to see. And Paul was pretty good at telling us, ‘I really don’t think I’m going to see past there,’” Banister says. Although Total Recall is famously futuristic, Wiseman and Tatopoulos wanted to “create a world which was set obviously in the VANCOUVER CALGARY 604-527-7262 403-246-7267 future, but not obviously futuristic,” according to Banister. “So we were 604-527-7262 403-246-7267

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By Sarah Moffat

It’s bulletproof. The face plate is actually made from bulletproof polycarbonate material so it won’t shatter if dropped, and the housing is aluminum, light but very strong. There is also no fan, hence it is silent. Need to change a bulb? The LEDs are in six panels, held on by four screws each, simply unscrew and replace. The rear digital display is easily navigated through spinning and pushing on the large red Rotolight button, and it shows colour temperature, dimmer, along with the rest of the system settings. There are even barn doors for the six-sided/edged light, and reflectors to mount onto the barn doors to turn them into an umbrella. Diffusion and additional Green Correction are suited up by a custom LEE Filter kit. It’s also weather resistant, and has a rain cover too.

Courtesy of Rotolight

Rotolight Anova

have been calling this the James Bond of lights. Not only is it sexy-looking and made in the United Kingdom, it is highly intelligent, powerful and efficient at its job. The Anova, by Rotolight, is a bi-colour LED floodlight. It has a super-wide 110 degree beam spread, with an extremely even soft light output that doesn’t give hard shadows or hotspots. It delivers a 1,000-watt equivalent output, while using 93 per cent less energy than a standard Tungsten bulb and produces almost no heat. It weighs just 7 lbs with the yoke, and uses regular 15 V DC, or a V-lock plate for battery power. Anova produces a full Kelvin temperature range, from 3150K to 6300K in precise 10 degree Kelvin steps. Rotolight invested in correcting the green spectrum on this LED as well, and the results are true.

It is a brilliant soft light, as one lamp covered a 10 by10-foot wall evenly, from a distance of approximately 7 to 10 feet. A subject walking through that space was evenly lit almost perfectly from end to end with no hotspots. Running off a full battery for nearly three hours, allowed me to James Bond this light into all kinds of odd places, hence it proves to be strong and light enough for tossand-tumble travel gigs, and efficient enough to want to take all that way. It’s also smart and sexy enough to light a car in studio. The Anova is available from Vistek and authorized dealers across Canada.

ARRISUN M18

Rod Aaron Gammons, president of Rotolight, sent over an optical spectrometer for me with the new Anova. This is a really cool device that is like a miniature kaleidoscope with prism inside. The prism breaks apart the entire spectrum of light as you look through it. Many lights, especially LEDs, produce a spiky spectrum or have large chunks of spectrum missing, but the Anova showed a nice smooth gradation through the whole visible light spectrum, which in turn means rich, beautiful and natural colour rendition in the subjects you are shooting. For those interested in stage lighting, the Anova is fully wired for DMX and also has a built-in Wi-Fi. Yes, a built in Wi-Fi and its very own app called Magic Eye. The app can be used with iPad or iPhone, and provides accurate control of brightness, colour temperature, and system settings. It is amazing; the app can also “sample” the ambient light and intensity in a room and send that to, say, master control on another continent. So that an Anova can match ambient colour temperature anywhere and interviews can then have a matched look. It also remembers; you can store looks. An Adhoc can also be made to control many Anovas with one device, as the lights can be mounted together to form an octagon like grid - very cool even for in-shot practicals! James Bond, I tell you, and there is more.

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

Photo Credit: Sarah Moffat

Tech Column

James Bond ECO Lights Anova and ARRISUN M18

From M1 to M18, I called up Mike Harwood, national rental service manager at William F. Whites to check out the new ARRISUN M18. It is being called the brightest HMI you can plug into a wall. The M18, or ARRISUN 1.8K, is a lensless, open face lighting fixture which combines the optics of a PAR and a Fresnel fixture. With a beam spread of 20 to 60 degrees and a wide usable field angle, the M18 is designed to be both intense and efficient. Though Harwood thinks “the real push behind this was to make a focusing light without lenses, it’s less that breaks, and less for

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me to replace.” It has a parabolic reflector designed by ARRIMAX, which allows for the light to be focused from the inside. The ribbed reflector (versus the traditional smooth reflector) acts as the lenses would if placed in front. Harwood also mentions that it is a medium to extra-wide beam spread typically sought on the predecessor ARRISUN AS1.2K, which is where the M18 steps in impressively providing 70 per cent higher light output in the same sized body, with no lenses. In my test, when flooded at full brightness, the spread is amazingly even. No shadows around the centre point, or hotspots. Once spotted, naturally there is a hotspot at centre, however the fall off from there is very natural, no hard edges on the centre spot. It is significantly brighter, by one and a third stop showing on my meter, compared to the ARRISUN AS1.2K and its lens.

M18 comes with a full set of scrims and barn doors. ARRI also has new ballast designs, though talk to Mike or his assistant, Brad Danilition at Whites, for their recommendations. Yes, the new ballast plugs into a regular wall socket too. Brad says it will work fine, but like any electrical source, check the electrical circuit’s specifications first.

CMY

This article may self-destruct after reading. Sarah Moffat’s camera experience includes motion picture and still photography. She has worked in narrative, documentary/factual and live broadcast.

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22 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

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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, $250 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.

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, 416698-4482 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. Equipment for Sale Sony PMW-F3 package. In excellent condition Director/DOP owned, never rented. Low, low hours (77 hours). Comes with the latest firmware installed, Kaiser top handle/cheese plate, RGB dual link upgrade and the Sony prime lens kit (35mm, 50mm, 85mm used once not a mark on them any were). Also included a heavy duty aluminum Dinosaur lens case, all the original factory accessories and even the box. Paid over $30K for everything. email for lots of photos $19,000. Contact: John Banovich, csc, 604-726-5646 JohnBanovich@gmail.com 1. Sony PMW-EX3 (Cinealta) Full HD Camcorder for Sale - $6,550 Cinematographer owned, gently used, well maintained, in perfect working condition (844 hrs) Includes • Camera body with interchangeable 14x Fujinon zoom lens (2/3” lens capability) • Wide angle converter lens (Century Precision 0.75) • UV protector (77mm Hoya)- 3 batteries: (1) BP-U30, (2) BP-U60 • SxS cards: (2) 8gb, (1) 32gb, (1) 16gb • Charger/AC adapter + cables (component & USB) • remote control Capabilities • 24/25/30p & 50/60i recording • over/under crank (1-60fps) • option to record 4:2:2 via HD-SDI to external recorder • Genlock, TC in/out (for multicam) • adjustable gamma curves & image profiles (Package value new: $14,800 + tx) 2. Panasonic BT-S950P 16:9 / 4:3 SD Field Monitor for Sale (Excellent Condition) - $100 • portabrace included Please contact Christian at (416) 459-4895 or email cbielz@gmail.com Three Tripods and a Mattebox Manfrotto 516 Head and Carbon Fiber 351 Legs plus Soft Case - $500. Manfrotto 542 ART Road Runner Carbon Fiber Quick-Release Legs. $600 Manfrotto 75 Aluminum Legs $150. Chrosziel 4 x 4 Mattebox 440-03 with 11 Flags and Filters $500 Call 905 891 9498 or peter@peterrowe.tv for Kijiji link to full descriptions and photos. OWN A PIECE OF CINEMA HISTORY: selling a vintage Bell & Howell 2709 camera with mags. THE film camera of the 1920s and ‘30s; assorted other goodies. Contact: dkoch198@ hotmail.com. Lighting Kit: 3 - 400/600W. ColorTran Mini Pros c/w stands, scrims, gels, dichroic filters, spare bulbs, case $225.00. ProSine 1000 inverter. Input: 12V, Output: 120 Vac - True 60 Cycle Sine Wave, will drive small HMI c/w shipping case $200.00. Monitor Shipping Case c/w Monitor tripod stand $ 60.00. Hard Shell Shipping Case $50.00. Nikon Still Camera D200 c/w 24-120 mm Zoom Lens. Extra charger & battery. Mint Condition $400.00. Contact Jim Mercer csc: jim.mercer@rogers.com (Cell) 416-930-3485 VIDEO & AUDIO GEAR FOR SALE: (2) HVX-200 Panasonic P2 Camcorders $1,500 each; (1) DSR-1500 Sony DVCAM recorder, $1,500; (1) Sony DSR-1 DVCAM dockable recorder $1,000; (3) Sony PVV-3 Betacam recorders $500 each; (3) Mitsubishi XL25U video projectors $500 each; (1) Mackie 1604VLZ audio mixer $500; (1) Glidecam PRO2000 camera stabilizer

Beta SP DXC-D30WSP/PVV3P, PAL, 262 hours drum time, $1,000; Sony Beta SP DXCD30WS/PVV3, NTSC, 251 hours drum time,$1,000; Sony BetaCam SX DNW-7, NTSC, 257 hours drum time, $1,000; and IKEGAMI DV-CAM HL-DV7-AW, NTSC, mint condition, as new, 61 hours drum time, $1,500. All cameras with porta-brace covers. All owned by me and serviced by Sony Hong Kong. Sony Beta SP/SX player/recorders, DNW-A25P X2, PAL & NTSC, 500 & 644 hours drum time, $1,500; Satchler 575 HMI, open-face, mint condition with spare bulb, $1,500 & case. The lot for $4,000. Contact: Francois 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 50–300mm F4-5 E.D. lens with support, $1,000. Kinoptik 9–8-mm 35-mm format lens c/with sunshade. Contact: stringercam@shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com. New Video Camera Rain Covers. Custom rain covers for sale. New design that fits and protects most Sony PMW EX3, Canon XHHDV, Panasonic VX200 cameras with the viewfinder extending toward the rear of the camera, $200. Noiseless rain cover for the external camera microphone, $30. Onboard Monitor rain cover, camera assistants can see the focus during the shot. No more hassles in the rain, $60. Custom Red One camera covers available upon request. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Contact: Lori Longstaff at 416-452-9247 or llong@rogers.com. 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 LiIon 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. Services Need your reel updated? Looking for an editor? I am a CSC associate member who is also an editor with my own FCP suite. I am willing to trade my edit suite time in exchange for rental of your gear, or shooting advice, or both. Please send email to miurabucho@gmail.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 - June 2012 •

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 416-444-7000 or alan.crimi@panavision.com. www. panavision.com.

PRODUCTIONS & CALENDAR

Production Notes Alphas II (series); DOP David Perrault csc; OP Frank Polyak; to August 3, Etobicoke An Enemy (feature); DOP Nicolas Bolduc csc; to July 13, Toronto Carrie (feature): DOP Steve Yedlin; to September 1, Toronto Copperhead (feature); DOP Kees Van Oostrum; to June 20, Prince William, Degrassi: The Next Generation XII (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; OP Jason Webber; to July 12, Toronto Flashpoint V (series); DOP Mathias Herndl & Stephen Reizes csc (alternating episodes); to June 27, Toronto Haven III (series); DOP Barry A. Donlevy; OP Christopher Ball csc; to September 6, Chester The LA Complex II (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Jeremy Lyall; to September 21, Toronto Lost Girl III (series); DOP David Greene csc; OP Dave Sheridan; to September 10, Toronto Saving Hope (series); DOP Steve Danyluk csc; OP Cudah Andarawewa; to July 12, Mississauga Smurfs II (feature); DOP Phil Meheux; OP Francois Daignault; to June 29, Montreal Suits II (series); DOP John Aronson; OP Michael Soos; to October 12, Toronto XIII II (series); DOP Eric Cayla csc; OP Andris Matiss; to July 18, Toronto

Calendar of Events June 5-10, CFC Worldwide Short Film Festival, Toronto, worldwideshortfilmfest.com 10-13, Banff World Media Festival, banffmediafestival.com July 6-8, Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, taafi.com

August 23-September 3, The Montreal World Film Festival, ffm-montreal.org September 6-16, Toronto International Film Festival, tiff.net

Subscribe to Canadian Cinematographer online www.csc.ca One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.

24 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - June 2012

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As DOP for Saturday Night Live, Alex shoots the show’s title sequence and the hilarious commercial parodies. He’s also an Oscar-nominated producer of short films. As a cinematographer he’s a fan of DSLRs and lectures their use in film.

GARY ADCOCK

A Production and Post Production specialist at Chicago-based Studio 37, Gary handles post production projects for Blue Chip clients such as Adobe, Apple, Sony, Panasonic, JVC, CNN, MSNBC, Discovery Networks, FOX Broadcasting, National Geographic, HBO, and NFL Films.

DOUGLAS SPOTTED EAGLE

A Grammy recipient and a producer in multiple Emmy winning productions. Douglas is the Managing Producer for Sundance Media Group. As an accomplished aerial photographer, he thrives in the adrenaline-filled world of fast-action video.

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