From the President

Canadian Cinematographer

April 2013 Vol. 5, No.1

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

Editoria l Intern

Kayla-Jane Barrie

ART DIRECTION

Berkeley Stat House

WEBSITE CONSULTANT

Michael Jari Davidson 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

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

From The

PRE SIDENT

Joan Hutton csc

The 56 th CSC Annual Awards Gala has come and gone with a bang. It was a tremendous evening with over 300 people in attendance. I would like to congratulate all the winners for their outstanding achievement. It is an honour well deserved for work that exemplifies excellence in cinematography. The winner’s names can be viewed at the CSC website, csc.ca. A full account of the gala will be published in the May issue of Canadian Cinematographer.

There is a new specialty television channel being floated, which could be a much-needed cultural shot in the arm for Canada. A CRTC application has been filed for Starlight, a channel devoted entirely to Canadian content, with a major emphasis on theatrical release features. The channel will also show Canadian made made-for-TV movies, documentaries and TV series.

Canadian features have become somewhat the orphans of our industry. They’re produced, but are mostly unnoticed by Canadians in general. Often, they have short theatre runs and then they’re gone. It’s not because we make bad movies, but quite the contrary. The production muscle backing Starlight attests to that. All are esteemed filmmakers, internationally recognized artists with armfuls of awards. Its list of backers reads like a who’s who of Canadian filmdom; Robert Lantos, David Cronenberg, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, Denys Arcand, Paul Gross, Patricia Rozema, Denis Villeneuve and Niv Fichman to name a few. The channel will be run by Norm Bolen, former Alliance Atlantis content VP.

Canadian broadcasters, at one time, included Canadian features in their schedules as part of their Canadian content obligations, but, that seems to have fallen by the wayside, with them opting for the American series format. Even when they did show Canadian features, it was spotty at best. This is not a complaint because our industry has done exceedingly well in the made-for-television department. It’s just not so good for Canadian made features.

A channel such as Starlight is a terrific idea and long overdue on our television landscape. It provides new life for our features and the chance for Canadian viewers to be touched by Canadian culture. In its proposal, Starlight is asking that the channel be included on basic cable to guarantee its revenue stream. The channel would add about $10 yearly to subscriber’s bills, a small price for defining Canadian identity. Significantly, Starlight will plow $23 million of its revenue back into our industry to produce 10 to 12 movies a year.

Starlight’s proposal is scheduled to be heard by the CRTC on the 23 rd of this month. I do hope the CRTC sees the importance and value of Starlight because this is a triple win situation, for our film & television industry, for our culture and for Canadian viewers.