Canadian Society of Cinematographers
Craig Wrobleski csc: Capturing
$4 September 2013 www.csc.ca
New series
Mohawk
Girls Cooke
Lens Test
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Blu-ray: The War That Everyone Lost
A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers
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. Clairmont Camera Codes Pro Media Cooke Optics Ltd. Dazmo Camera Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division HD Source Image Media Farm Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Miller Camera Support Equipment Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./LtĂŠe PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada REDLABdigital Rosco Canada SIM Digital Sony of Canada Ltd. Technicolor The Source Shop Vistek Camera Ltd. Whites Digital Sales & Service William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV
Still from Rufus
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Craig Wrobleski csc: Capturing Rufus By Fanen Chiahemen
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Still from Mohawk Girls
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.
FEATURES – volume 5, No. 4 September 2013
Mohawk Girls: On the Res with Alfonso Maiorana By Fanen Chiahemen
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Credit: RDJB
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.
Coated vs. Uncoated: The Cooke Lens Test Columns & Departments 2 3 4 18 19 20 21 22 24
From the President In the News In Memoriam ProFusion Announcements Tech Column Camera Classified CSC Members Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Still from Rufus.
Canadian Cinematographer September 2013 Vol. 5, No. 4 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 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
2 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
From The PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc
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t is somewhat fitting that the unsavoury side of unpaid internships found its catharsis in our industry over the summer. Two unpaid interns who worked on the 2010 U.S. film Black Swan found it a less than stellar experience and sued the producers for wages. The two said they performed the same work as paid employees, provided value to the company and performed menial tasks that did not relate to their specialized training. A federal New York judge agreed with them, citing that producers violated state labour laws. The internship summer of discontent is not limited to Americans or to our industry. In Europe, students by the thousands demonstrated against the unfair nature of internships. In Canada, numerous lawsuits have recently sprung up against corporations over their internship practices. Ideally, interns do meaningful work alongside mentors, gaining valuable experience that translates into stellar, productive careers. This does happen, but for every success story there seems to be far more negative reports of interns running for coffee or answering telephones. Even worse, many unpaid interns are supplanting paid industry workers by misguided companies who equate internship with free labour. Now, this is all very anecdotal since there are no statistics. There are, though, plenty of news reports and harrowing personal accounts of “internships from hell” posted on Internet discussion groups. There has even been ink posted on the CSC Facebook page over a major Canadian company advertising for novice corporate cinematographers/videographers to work for free as interns in their management development program. It’s listed on the Internet as an actual job that requires nights, weekends and a car, but no compensation! When I started in the business so long ago, it was difficult even then to break in, and those first jobs didn’t pay well. But you were paid for your labour, and you learned while you earned. Today’s system of utilizing our youth for financial gain under the guise of internship experience is exploitive. When it displaces paid workers, it’s reprehensible. It’s estimated that at any given time in Canada there are between 100,000 to 300,000 unpaid interns working under what’s a grey area of our labour codes. In an effort to bring clarity, a private member’s bill is on the docket for parliament’s fall session. If adopted, it would force the feds to hammer out an equitable solution with the provinces for unpaid internships across Canada. British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec already have rules on the books stipulating that internships must be a form of training. I’m of the opinion that people, at great financial cost, go to colleges and universities for their training. Companies, on the other hand, are for employment, where one gets paid for their labour, even while gaining experience and learning on the job. Black Swan grossed over $300 million. The interns who worked on it were paid $0, until they decided to bite back.
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ssociate CSC member Yorgos Giannelis gsc, along with French cocinematographer Laurent Fénart, earned a best cinematography award for the documentary Mustafa’s Sweet Dreams at the 2013 South East European Film Festival, held in Los Angeles in May.
Meanwhile, Indiecan Entertainment picked up the Canadian distribution rights for the drama Random Acts of Romance, shot by Brendan Uegama csc. In other news, Michael Wale csc in July began shooting J.J. Abrams’ new series Almost Human in Vancouver, while associate member Scott McClellan was scheduled to begin shooting the feature film Crawlspace in Newfoundland this September. The film was written by Newfoundland author Joel Hines and is being directed by Christian Sparkes.
In The News
Member News
est driver of film manufacturing volume for Kodak into the future.
American Society of Cinematographers Elects New President, Officers
Also, CSC’s Facebook page had 1,000 users by July 2013.
Yorgos Giannelis gsc
Also in May, at Alberta’s Rosie Awards, Craig Wrobleski csc walked away with the award for best cinematographer for a drama over 30 minutes for the independent film Rufus.
IMAX Corporation – which Graeme Ferguson csc co-founded – announced in July that it had signed an agreement with Pathé, operator of the biggest cinema chain in Switzerland, France and the Netherlands, to install an IMAX theatre at Pathé’s multiplex in Geneva. The deal marks the first commercial IMAX theatre in Switzerland and brings Pathé’s total IMAX commitment to 12 theatres in Europe.
Credit: Suzanne E. Rushton
Kodak Reaches Motion Picture Film Deal with 20th Century Fox
Brendan Uegama csc
Kodak has concluded a new agreement with 20th Century Fox to supply motion picture film to its movie and television studios. With the signing of this agreement, Kodak has now completed new contracts with six major Hollywood studios in the last year. The company previously announced agreements with Walt Disney Co., Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., NBC Universal Inc., Paramount Pictures Corp. and Sony Pictures. Kodak continues to manufacture billions of linear feet of film every year, and the Entertainment Imaging division continues to be the larg-
Credit: Douglas Kirkland
Credit: Pierre Letarte csc
IMAX Inks Deal With Pathé to Open Theatre in Switzerland
Richard Crudo csc, asc
The American Society of Cinematographers in May appointed Richard Crudo csc, asc as its new president. Crudo has shot a wide range of feature, television and commercial productions. Among his feature credits are Federal Hill, American Buffalo, American Pie, Music From Another Room, Outside Providence, Down To Earth, Out Cold, Grind, Brooklyn Rules, and My Sexiest Year. He currently shares cinematography duties with Francis Kenny ASC on the popular FX Channel series Justified. Crudo is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, serving as an Academy Governor and chairman of the Cinematographers Branch. In addition, he has chaired and co-chaired the ASC Awards for several years throughout the past decade. He previously served three terms as ASC president from 2003 through 2005. The Board of Governors also appointed its new slate of officers during the ASC’s annual election. Owen Roizman, Kees Van Oostrum and Lowell Peterson will serve as vice presidents. Victor J. Kemper was appointed Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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treasurer; Fred Goodich was named secretary; and Isidore Mankofsky was appointed sergeant-at-arms.
WFW Purchases Telescopic Camera Cranes, Partners with FlyCam Canada
Technocranes in the country, which is also one of the largest in the world. In June, WFW announced it had entered into an exclusive partnership agreement with FlyCam Canada, a national film and television support company that provides innovative, proprietary technology enabling cost-effective aerial photography for live broadcast, music, live event, commercial, feature and episodic television productions. Meanwhile, CinequipWhite was renamed as Whites Digital Sales & Service to reflect the company’s emphasis on expanded digital offerings. In other news, WFW Chairman/CEO Paul Bronfman was among a handful of Canadians selected to join the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, best known for handing out the Oscar Awards every year. Bronfman was selected under the category of associates.
Tiffen Introduces New Filters Courtesy of FlyCam Canada.
William F. White in May announced it would be purchasing Telescopic Camera Cranes. Based in Vancouver, Telescopic Camera Cranes houses the largest fleet of
The Tiffen Company, which manufactures accessories for the still imaging, video, motion picture and broadcast markets, has begun shipping the new Tiffen Satin and Tiffen Black Satin MPTV Filters in 4 x 4, 4 x 5.65 and 6.6 x 6.6
sizes. Tiffen’s new Satin and Black Satin filters suppress facial blemishes and wrinkles and offer subtle softening to fine details, with minimal signs of filtration. The combination of mild halation and delicate optical softening elements adds a gentle glow to highlights and moderates contrast. Satins produce a cleaner, muted diffusion compared to Black Satins, which produce a warmer, grainier feel. Also, both filter types have been designed to offer fine control over images by maintaining an apparent clear, in-focus image.
Gavin Barclay Appointed VP of SIM’s Bling Digital Unit SIM Digital has appointed veteran television producer Gavin Barclay as vice president of its Bling Digital unit. Barclay, whose television credits include such shows as Suits, Covert Affairs, Nip/Tuck and Knight Rider, will oversee the expansion of Bling’s on-set and near-set postproduction services, which include solutions for dailies processing, colour grading, offline Avid rentals, online editorial and other operations. He will have both operational and client services responsibilities.
In Memoriam BRIAN DUGAN
1956-2013
Brian Dugan, a long-time William F. White electrical department employee, died on May 19, 2013. The company released the following statement in honour of Dugan. A valued employee of William F. White International for almost 15 years, Brian was a larger-than-life personality who was well-known for his unbridled enthusiasm along with a contagious appetite for knowledge. Brian was extremely kind and generous to all of his friends, family and colleagues and was a great source of guidance and advice to those that needed it. He was the type of person that wanted to make you feel at home and comfortable no matter what the situation and would go out of his way to do so. In the field, Brian taught generations of production professionals how to be better at their craft while teaching all of us how to be better at our jobs. “Brian was a father, a friend, and a mentor to everyone that had the privilege of getting to know him,” said Paul Bronfman, WFW Chairman/CEO. “We will always cherish his memory as a respected friend and colleague who was a champion of both our company and our industry.”
4 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
Craig Wrobleski csc capturing
Shooting an interior on the set of Rufus. Opposite page: DOP Craig Wrobleski csc, left, confers with actor Kim Coates. Photos by Kiel Harvey, Lonely Boy Productions Inc.
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n the indie film Rufus, by Calgary director Dave Schultz, an isolated small town is stirred by the arrival of a mysterious boy who happens to have a taste for blood. But Rufus is not exactly a vampire movie. On the festival circuit, Schultz says, the film has been described as “everything from a horror drama to a coming-of-age film,” and its non-specific genre kept director of photography Craig Wrobleski csc on his toes during shooting. “It has attributes of a police procedural and murder mystery, as well as attributes of a comedy, family drama and a love story,” Wrobleski says. “That makes it challenging to shoot because you don’t want it to feel like five different movies in one. So to determine the tone, I asked Dave, ‘What’s the central theme in the movie?’ And he said, ‘Secrets. Everybody has secrets. And so does Rufus.’ So I realized what was going to make this film unified visually is if it has this constant sense of menace, a weight on top of it. Photographically, that’s where I went with it.”
of David Fincher because “they have a unified mood and sense of place,” beginning with The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, a film set in the winter like Rufus is, and he chose the RED EPIC to capture the stark, snowy prairies of Saskatchewan where Rufus was shot. “I think the camera really works well for the look we were going for, which is a very clean look,” the cinematographer explains. “I wanted the film to be kind of a study in mid-tones, and the camera really shines in that range. I gave the film a mood by virtue of that.” Wrobleski says he is a big believer that “what goes in front of the camera is as important as the lighting, because what’s in front of the camera drives the lighting.” With that in mind, he approached the lighting holistically, working closely with production designer Hugh Shankland and costume designer Jennifer Haffenden. “All the lighting in the world can’t improve upon production design and wardrobe that isn’t tonally cor-
He has an exceptionally good ability to interpret story and understand what the movie’s about. Wrobleski’s understanding of the story is one of the reasons Schultz put his trust in the DOP. “There’s a sense he has that the picture becomes his as well,” the director says. “It’s not just about composing a shot or getting something to look a certain way. He has an exceptionally good ability to interpret story and understand what the movie’s about.” For reference, Wrobleski looked at the films
rect to begin with,” Wrobleski says. “One of the early decisions we talked about was the fact that since this was a winter movie in Saskatchewan we would have snow, so white was going to be part of our palette whether we liked it or not. “That goes against the notion of the dark vampire movie,” Wrobleski continues. “But when Dave mentioned secrets, one of the
By Fanen Chiahemen Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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Credit: Photo by Kiel Harvey, Lonely Boy Productions Inc.
things that came up is if you live in a small town you can’t hide. Everybody in a small town knows everybody’s business. You can’t get away with anything.” Wrobleski and Shankland extended the white palette into much of the film’s interiors. “I thought the idea of having white in the rooms made it harder to create those dark shadows which supported the notion of nowhere to hide,” Wrobleski says. “It was a fun concept to play with. It keeps the audience on their toes a little bit and keeps them more engaged instead of spoon-feeding them what they would expect.” Wrobleski also chose the RED because of its sensitivity, given that he would be shooting a lot of night exteriors, including large swaths of Saskatchewan prairie. For that, gaffer Andrew Gordon came up with a budget-saving idea. “Instead of using one big light on a condor lift, which is the conventional thing to do, he had the idea of building an array of 1K par cans. They are some of the cheapest lights available, but they have a lot of output because of the type of bulb,” Wrobleski explains. “His idea was building a grid of these. We had 32 of them, so essentially that made it a 32,000-Watt light, and we built it on a condor lift, and it gave us the ability to light a huge area by using individual lights to light specific portions of the landscape. We could
8 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
essentially light about 130 degrees off of the lift by panning these lights around and having different types of bulbs in them, which created more texture rather than one huge wash of light. We could paint a little more with it.” The effective rig cost no more than one big light, Wrobleski estimates, and it allowed for greater flexibility because he could split gels, enabling half of the light to be one colour and the other half another. Playing on the vampire theme, Wrobleski infused the night scenes with more colour – and thereby more life – than day scenes, which he shot with the camera set to around 4,000 degrees Kelvin, giving day scenes a steely blue cast, “which sort of pulls some of the life out of the days,” he says. Meanwhile, the sodium vapour street lights of the town endowed the nights with a warmer look, counter to traditional night scenes seen on film. “Movie night is blue and cold,” Wrobleski observes. “We went the opposite with it because it supported that notion of the night having more life than day.” Trying to capture the inevitable blood at night was complicated, though. Schultz stipulated that the blood in Rufus be “real and not cartoony or hyper-coloured,” Wrobleski recalls. “Well, real blood is quite dark, which made shooting blood at night really challenging because the blood just looks black. Ultimately, we decided to use vein blood which, on certain pieces of wardrobe, actually looked quite light. And it had a lot of density and just felt real.” For the most part, the blood is downplayed, although there are some exceptions in the film. “There’s one scene where Rufus takes a victim, and we made the blood quite graphic for that because it was seeing another side to his character,” Wrobleski says. “And there’s another scene where after he takes his victim, he’s soaked in blood, and we wanted it to be quite graphic there as well, and to augment it I warmed up the lighting to bring out some of the red in the blood. Because the blood is so understated throughout the movie, when we do draw attention to it, it has more impact.”
Credit: Photo by Kiel Harvey, Lonely Boy Productions Inc.
Blood is not the only striking image in Rufus. The film was shot over 22 days in the dead of winter in Dundurn, Saskatchewan. “It’s strange because you’re driving through the prairies, and it’s just bald, and then you get to this oasis of trees, and that’s Dundurn,” Wrobleski says. “In the winter when the trees lose their leaves they just become like these black skeletons.”
Credit: Photo by Kiel Harvey, Lonely Boy Productions Inc.
Wrobleski speaks nostalgically about shooting in the town because Rufus was one of the last dramatic features to be shot in Saskatchewan before the elimination of the film tax credit. “The film, from my standpoint, couldn’t have been shot anywhere else. Saskatchewan played a huge role in terms of the landscape, the quality of the people there and their energy and just the spirit of filmmaking where they just want to get it done right,” he says. After the cut, “it felt like those people were just abandoned; I really felt for them.” Schultz laments the loss of the tax credit more graphically. “It took 20-something years to build the Saskatchewan film industry, and it took one stroke of a pen to destroy it,” he says.
Previous page top: DOP Craig Wrobleski csc Bottom: Still from Rufus. Top: Shooting in the snow on Rufus. Middle: Still from Rufus. Bottom: Getting the blood to look just right was a big part of the Rufus shoot.
Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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Credit: Philippe BossĂŠ
Mohawk Girls
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On the Res with
Alfonso Maiorana
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By Fanen Chiahemen
rowing up on the Kahnawake reserve on the south shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from Montreal, Tracey Deer felt that the mass media perception of her community did not match her experience. For Deer, life on the res could be “vibrant, dynamic and hilarious,” but outsiders, she felt, only saw what she describes as “gloom and doom.” The young filmmaker long harboured a desire to tell a more authentic version of her story and that of her peers, and she is doing so now with a new series produced by Rezolution Pictures. Mohawk Girls, airing next year on APTN and OMNI, is a slick, sexy comedy drama that goes into the heart of Kahnawake to follow a group of young aboriginal women trying to find their place in the world. “One of our catchphrases is that it’s Sex and the City but on the res,” Deer, who is creator and director of the series, tells Canadian Cinematographer. “I really wanted it to look mainstream, like any other show on the big networks. I want it to be familiar to viewers and not a completely different, alienating experience.” So she tapped Montreal cinematographer Alfonso Maiorana – whom she describes as “a meticulous perfectionist” – to bring the show to life in a very classic way, playing up the comedy aspects of the show with warm tones and bright colours. “She spoke about how important it was to express the colourful individuality and free-spirited mindset that is in this community,” Maiorana says. “For me that was exciting as a cinematographer to have this challenge of creating a vision that is free-spirited.” The series was shot mostly on the reserve, and during scouting Maiorana was struck by the local colour he saw there in the most literal sense. “Kahnawake is a colourful place to be,” he recalls. “Everywhere we went you felt there’s life here and there’s colour. We didn’t want to desaturate all that. I wanted to craft the narrative by using colours, shadows and contrast.” He also wanted to capture the true essence of the physical spaces on the reserve. “When you enter each home there’s something warm and soft and intimate, and you feel that. So we didn’t want to lose that environment. We didn’t want anything fabricated in terms of lighting or in terms of camera work and composition. In many ways, I felt a genuine responsibility to create an aesthetic vision worthy of the subtleties in Kahnawake that Tracey could see page 12 relate to and imagine.” Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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evolved,” he says. “That’s the advantage and the flexibility we focused on in terms of my lighting package.”
Maiorana also found that same inspiration in the reserve’s school. He recalls one classroom’s wall had warm orange earth tones. “You feel a real intimacy in the architecture. The natural light coming through the large windows on each floor enhanced our shot making,” he says. Again, he used natural light as a fill for ambient light and added HMI 6Ks through the window for his side key light. Sometimes he employed a Kino Flow Vistabeam 600 and a Celeb 200 which allows for colour control and light balance to create a warm tungsten fill. “Every day I would try to make every scene look a little different as the story
“Or sometimes Tracey would say, ‘In this night scene I have them sitting in the living room with a computer, and the windows are in the back, but it’s day, so how do we approach this?’” Maiorana continues. “So I would speak to my grip and lighting crew about using gold-tinted gels and Kino Flos on the sheers to build a night lighting outside in the distance. You create an atmosphere that looks real but doesn’t distract you from the real subject, which is the character.”
Credit: Jeremy Wookie
Knowing he and his gaffer Eames Gagnon could not be heavy-handed with their tools when creating the warm, colourful interiors, Maiorana would study the ambient lighting in each home and simply enhance it using a one directional lighting scheme. “Normally, for my daylight interiors, I employed a variation of HMIs, 6Ks, 4Ks, and 1.2Ks through a light diffusion to create my backlight or key light depending on the number of existing windows and the mise en scène,” he says. “From there, I would gently mould everything else. I added some soft sources to provide edge light or fill, usually using Celeb 200 DMX LED panels or a bounce board with an unbleached muslin. Eames would hide small Litepanels LEDs behind furniture to help me sculpt some details in the shadows. I didn’t want to overpower anything; I wanted to keep it directional but at the same time soft and real.”
On the set of Mohawk Girls.
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Maiorana worked closely with the art department and art director Donna Noonan to help him stay faithful to the colours and ambience of Kahnawake. “With numerous locations, our biggest challenge remained our interior day-for-night shoots,” he says. “Donna and I always discussed floor plans and lighting to accommodate our shooting. Once I established our key light, we found ways to build depth with sheers and practicals. The art department would say, ‘What if we put a little curtain here? Would that work?’ I would say, ‘What colour are you going to use? Does it have some shape or is it flat?’ And then we would add a few practicals in the foreground or background for subtle highlights.
All the action on the 24-day shoot was captured with just one camera, the AL-
EXA (rented from MTL Video), which Maiorana favoured for its latitude and dynamic range. “The image doesn’t feel digital but cinematic,” he says. “It allows the shadows and contrasts to exist, and you can build a more vivid palette.” For lenses, he selected the miniS4 Cooke lenses, ranging from 18 mm to 135 mm. “We were at T4 a lot for day interiors and more like T5.6-8 for day exteriors. More importantly, working between T2.8 and T4, especially on night scenes, offers me the richness and latitude to get the most out of lighting. The lenses are lightweight, and the camera’s 800 ASA allows you to be flexible but also real in terms of a cinematic look.” With the typical constraints of time and space, Maiorana often employed a silent cat camera slider as a dolly, which allowed him to be closer to the action but less intrusive for the actors. “As a DOP, with your lighting and tools you have to be flexible and find ways to not stagnate your creativity,” he says. “Sometimes I’d have a 20-foot dolly set up, and at the same time my slider would be ready. And if I wanted to keep continuity of movement I’d just hop onto my slider.” Maiorana explains how having a single camera and being frequently pressed for time, typically considered limiting, actually stimulated the shooting for him. “If we started wide, we’d have a dolly that would end in a medium shot. We never started by doing a wide and then stopping to do a medium, then a close-up. I always lit the scene thinking that our first shot would start a little wider but end closer so that I could have a colour palette or lighting scheme that we could expose as we went along. I didn’t want to be trapped, didn’t want the actors to be trapped, and I didn’t want my lighting to be trapped. And then sometimes I would just pop a lens and go from a 32 mm to a 75 mm and do that same movement, and that was a way that gave me time but did not compromise the lighting or the performance. Of course, I would not be able to achieve this approach without the talent of my long-time friend and focus puller Patrick Beaulac who kept a close eye on the drama.” Deer’s affinity for whimsical narrative
In another creative challenge that Maiorana embraced, Deer wanted mirrors placed throughout most of the interiors to reflect the girls’ grappling with their image of themselves and their identity. Maiorana would direct strategically placed 575 Lekos into the mirrors, which would then reflect light onto the characters regarding themselves. But it admittedly was far easier to do in the low-light context of a night scene. “You don’t need to light the whole room, and you can really focus on the person who’s looking at the mirror and whoever is in reflection,” Maiorana explains.
“In daylight you have a lot of light coming through, so it’s a little more of a challenge.” Still, for Maiorana trying to solve these creative puzzles was less like work and more “like eating your favourite chocolate,” he says laughing. “You don’t even find that often in a one-hour show, and so to have this aesthetic look in a 24-min-
DOP Alfonso Maiorana
ute show without taking anything away from the story was a challenge but an exciting one.”
Credit: Eric Myre
devices – like imagination sequences that depict the characters’ hidden desires and motivations – also allowed Maiorana to play. “We used an 8 mm fisheye lens to shoot a one-angle shot of some of the girls’ imagination sequences that deal with either fears or dreams,” Maiorana says. “Or we used baby lenses for some of the dream sequences that deal with secret sexual fantasies. With a baby lens you can go in and out of focus, distort the image, stretch the image out vertically or horizontally. They’re usually used more in vampire or horror shows. But they were good for the fantasies because the character who has that dream, it’s something she fears as a character and is unsure about. So it was a great way to show that struggle.”
Credit: Philippe Bossé
“As a DOP, with your lighting and tools you have to be flexible and find ways to not stagnate your creativity.”
The show is like Sex and the City but on the res, Mohawk Girls creator Tracey Deer says.
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Coated
vs
Uncoated
T h e C o o ke L e n s T est Photos: Ray Dumas csc
Matching pairs of 18 mm and 50 mm Cooke miniS4s with and without coated elements.
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arlier this year, cinematographers Ray Dumas csc and Jeremy Benning csc decided to test their matched sets of the Cooke miniS4/i lenses, comparing the regular coated lenses versus the new uncoated front/rear elements that Cooke now makes for the miniS4s. Here is what Dumas and Benning – referred to collectively as RDJB – shared with Canadian Cinematographer about the test. Canadian Cinematographer: What is the purpose and history behind the coating of lenses? RDJB: Cooke first patented the coating of optical lenses in 1905, but the practice of coating lenses did not come into wide use until about 1947 due to secret military technology that became mainstream after the Second World War. The primary reason for coating lenses was to reduce light loss caused by reflection – about 5 per cent of the light per lens surface is lost through a lens element that is uncoated, so considering there are 10 or so pieces of glass in a typical prime lens, there can easily be an entire stop lost to reflected light. With modern lens coatings, this light loss factor drops to about .001 per cent per glass surface.
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CC: Why the interest in uncoated elements? RDJB: Aside from improved light transmission, modern coatings do a tremendous job reducing flares caused by specular lighting such as the sun or open-faced light sources. Oftentimes, however, such flares are desirable when wanting a vintage or dramatic look for a particular project. To achieve this, DOPs are forced to search out older lenses with inferior coatings and glass to achieve “artful” flaring and low contrast. The problem there is that these older lenses do not provide the same sharpness and resolution as modern ones. Some projects are even turning to post to create digital flares after the fact, which effectively takes the DOP out of the loop. CC: What is the origin of these new uncoated lens elements for the miniS4s and what prompted you to undertake the test? RDJB: We have been Cooke fans for many years, and in 2009 we both decided to invest in our own sets of miniS4/i lenses. We worked with Les Zellan at ZGC to make us a 3D matched
pair. During this testing and feedback process, we developed a relationship with Les and the U.K.-based factory. When Les told us recently that they were developing uncoated front and rear elements for the minis, we asked if we could do a test, with the intention to own this set of uncoated elements. We then planned a test that would show the characteristics of uncoated versus coated and also to experiment with them. CC: Can you describe the parameters of the test and the results? RDJB: Lens tech Michael Nadas at SIM Digital, who has Cooke factory training, swapped out the front and rear elements of one of our 50 mm and 18 mm lenses. Due to the unique way the lenses are designed, they do not require re-calibration after swapping. As we have a matched pair, we then were able to easily swap between uncoated and coated versions of the same focal length. We began our test at SIM, using an ALEXA, shooting simple flare comparison tests using a small pepper and the “flashlight” on an iPhone. We then took a new Sony F55 home to shoot some table top and night exterior tests. CC: What are the limitations and potential applications of using the uncoated elements? RDJB: It was immediately clear to us that flaring is extremely prominent. Flares are strongly defined circles. Blacks are softer with the uncoated elements, but no visible change in sharpness, saturation or tint. Basically the same “Cooke look” but more flare and softer contrast. So in a daylight environment, the image is less contrasty in a sort of softer, period, vintage way. If you are going for that kind of look and not pronounced flares, then you would have to be careful to keep the lens protected from hard or broad light hits. Also, when the lens is at any T-stop other than wide open, the iris blades are prominently seen in the shape of the flares, making them octagonal instead of perfect circles. This could be cool or it could be distracting. The beauty of the minis4s is that Cooke modified them for us to have a perfectly round aperture at T2.8. This allows for the prettiest bokeh while maintaining a workable depth of field. These hard flares would be great for creating a vibe that is gritty, sci-fi, thriller or hi-tech. You can see this in the test which is posted on the Cooke Optics Vimeo page (vimeo.com/61903188). In a darker setting, the contrast lift is less obvious, and flares really jump out. Something we didn’t test was just swapping out the front or rear element instead of both. We imagine that you could tune the effect more subtly by trying this. For examples of real world applications, you can check out a couple of projects we both recently shot using the uncoated glass: St. John Providence Hospital Spots shot by Jeremy Benning csc: vimeo.com/71165495 Monster Truck’s “Sweet Mountain River” shot by Ray Dumas csc: vimeo.com/66880502
Top: Head lens tech Mike Nadas from SIM Digital prepares to install the uncoated element. Middle: Original coated element is carefully removed. Bottom: The new uncoated element is ready to install.
Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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CSC Pub Night Photo Gallery: Montréal and Toronto CSC Pub Nights are open to members and non-members alike. Please check our website at csc.ca for announcements on upcoming Pub Nights.
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1. Toronto CSC members and friends gathered at Toronto’s Imperial Pub. 2. Montréal Left to right, Bruno Philip csc, Michel Golizinsky and Serge Desrosiers csc. 3. Toronto Joshua Wang. 4. Montréal (From left) George Jardon, René Daigle and Pierre Jodoin csc. 5. Montréal Bruno Philip csc, left, with Pierre Letarte csc. 6. Montréal Left to right, Anne Kmetyko, Carlos Hidalgo, Philippe Lavalette csc and Yorgos Giannelis gsc. 7. Toronto Kelly Fyffe Marshall. 8. Toronto CSC President Joan Hutton csc, talks with CSC Co-Vice President Ron Stanett csc. Montréal Venue: Le Cheval blanc Date: June 3. Toronto Venue: Imperial Pub Date: June 25
16 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
Montréal photos by: Pierre Letarte csc Toronto photos by: Christos Tsirbas
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ProFusion 2013
By Guido Kondruss
“It’s beautiful,” I quipped to the fellow beside me. “I can’t take my eyes off it,” he shot back. “Amazing, isn’t it?” “Yep,” I answered. The CSC also made footprints, with three of its members conducting seminars at ProFusion 2013. Hot on the heels of publishing his memoirs Adventures in Filmmaking, CSC Award winner Peter Rowe csc conducted a seminar on extreme adventure cinematography. To bring adventure home to his audience, Rowe remotely piloted his AR Drone above the tradeshow.
A prospective CSC member stops by the booth.
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he two of us were mesmerized by the images jumping out at us from the 65” screen of a Sony XBR 4K Ultra HD TV. If plain old HD makes you swoon, this 4K baby – with four times the clarity of HD – will make you positively giddy. And this was only one of the hundreds of new cine imaging and photographic products that could be seen, touched and listened to at ProFusion 2013, held in June at the Toronto Congress Centre. Capitalizing on the success of previous years, ProFusion, which is produced by Vistek, added another 50,000 square feet of showroom space to accommodate more than 100 vendors, many displaying cutting-edge gear never seen before in Canada. What better magnets to attract the crowds. “ProFusion’s key demographic is the professional image maker, an individual who is earning a living in the photo and video marketplace,” Vistek Creative Director Christopher Huchensk said. More than 4,000 people walked through the doors of ProFusion 2013, many of them stopping at the CSC booth, manned by CSC Co-education Chair Ernie Kestler, CSC Executive Director Susan Saranchuk, Executive Assistant Karen Longland and yours truly, when I could be dragged away from the fascinating gadgetry at everyone else’s booth. “This is a very important and successful event for us,” Saranchuk said. “Not only do we get to mingle with our sponsors and potential sponsors of the CSC, but we can actively recruit for our membership, education programs and many other CSC initiatives.”
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It was CSC associate member Sarah Moffat’s third year as a workshop leader and presenter at ProFusion. Her seminar, titled “Cinematography Choices for Indie Projects,” navigated the ins and outs of shooting indie and included a walkabout on the show floor to introduce participants to some of the tools talked about in her workshop. According to Moffat, there is an aspect of ProFusion that is often overlooked. “It’s a great networking opportunity,” she said. “To meet people on the show floor, in the seminars. It’s a chance to get industry connected. “ For CSC associate member Bentley Miller, it was his first time on stage at ProFusion. His seminar, “LEDs in the REEL World,” showed that LEDs can light an entire production or work in concert with traditional lighting sources. Miller feels that ProFusion hits the right balance between seminars and the show floor merchandizing. “Whether you are just kicking the tires or you are seeking serious information to help you make decisions on your next production, the information is there for the asking,” Miller said. As the imaging industries continue to change and converge at lightning speed, it’s obvious that professionals need to be riding the technological curve to survive. A trade show like ProFusion could be the right vehicle for many to climb aboard. So what’s ahead next year? Hmm, too soon for an 8K TV? CSC associate member Sarah Moffat giving a seminar on “Cinematography Choices for Indie Projects.” Credit: Laura Marie Camozzi
Credit: Ernie Kestler
“I call it a camera disguised as a helicopter. I flew it up above the audience and the floor. That got the attention of everybody,” Rowe said. “I was showing off its internal camera, the image it was creating and sending to an iPad.”
The CSC welcomes new sponsor Codes Pro Media, one of Canada’s largest media suppliers.
New Full CSC Members
Joshua Allen csc
Sarorn Ron Sim csc
Congratulations to these members on receiving full membership.
CSC congratulates the following members whose films were selected as part of the Gala Presentations and Special Presentations programmes for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival:
Gala Presentations Douglas Koch csc, The Grand Seduction (dir. Don McKellar) Luc Montpellier csc, The Right Kind of Wrong (dir. Jeremiah Chechik) Adam Swica csc, The Art of the Steal (dir. Jonathan Sobol)
Special Presentations
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Yves Bélanger csc, Dallas Buyers Club (dir. Jean-Marc Vallée) Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc, Devil’s Knot (dir. Atom Egoyan) A complete list will be published in the October issue of Canadian Cinematographer after all the films have been announced.
Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
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Announcements
New CSC Sponsor
Tech Column
The War That Everyone Lost
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istory says Sony’s Blu-ray won the format war, but five years later look around. See any stores renting Blurays? Better yet, see any video rental stores? So who really won? Consumers voted with their butts on their couches to stream movies from Netflix, Apple TV, their cable providers and (shh!) bootlegging copies online. They’ve traded quality for convenience. Just maybe, however, the quality vacuum left by the orphaning of Blu-ray and the bottleneck of bandwidth might buy some time for theatre owners to invest in upgrades to get those butts back into their seats. The race for bigger and better quality is on, and it’s moving at pace as home theatres upgrade to 4K screens. The weakest link, however, remains the disk. The proof is on the street: Blockbuster Video has gone, Rogers withdrew, and Redbox – the kiosk movie rental business – hasn’t established itself everywhere. Certainly there are many consumers who want to buy movies, but for most, movies are consumed à la minute and consigned to memory. The numbers, generally, are trending down. According to research company NPD Group’s Video Watch VOD report on the U.S. trend in 2012, “rentals of physical disks, while dominant, are becoming less so; in fact, year-over-year disk rentals from all sources declined by 17 per cent, as digital movie rentals (streaming) increased by five per cent.” There’s further wiggle room for theatre owners to capitalize on the quality gap in that those who stream run into the wall erected by Internet Service Providers, which cap bandwidth and penalize large file downloaders to make 1080p downloads uneconomical. The ISPs say it’s to prevent clogging the network with massive data packets, but in reality it’s to protect their own sales of online content and to block their own customers from opting for Netflix or Apple TV. Meanwhile, things are evolving on the capture side: data is getting bigger as 4K RAW emerges as a standard —next up 5K, 6K, and in Japan NHK is piloting 8K. Ironically, it’s a little frustrating because there are so few places to experience the splendor of this cutting-edge technology, and if it just gets squished to 720p for streaming, what’s the point? Don’t sweat it, says Bert Dunk csc, asc, technology supervisor at the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) in Toronto, compression standards are also about to morph again. The new MPEG standard will create files half the size of MPEG4, making delivery of higher resolutions online more feasible, he says, and there are other developments in the works.
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As CSC Treasurer Joseph Sunday notes, the future is gaming where consoles put out 4K already, and 4K TVs are already dropping in price, as he saw at NAB in April. With HDMI 1.4 and higher end Blu-ray players which will upscale to 4K, things are changing there too, Dunk points out. Of course, he’s a hardcore Blu-ray consumer, loading his Amazon cart with titles by the dozen and waiting until the price cycles down and buying. Meanwhile, the quality of output and display resolution continue to advance. “They’re also working on a new HDMI standard because Hi-Vision is coming,” he says, though ironically in Japan, where Hi-Vision was invented and introduced 30 years ago, they’re pushing on to Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV), which seeks to push the TV resolution to 8K and was approved last fall. At the top end, it’s 16 times more pixels than 1080p. All of which brings us back to theatres, where technology is the trump card to get bums off couches and into seats: more resolution, better sound and a more immersive experience, though, as always, good stories, well told. “One of the real questions seems to be scan rates and appreciation of high frame rates,” Dunk says. “I’ve got an F65 camera in the studio we’re going to be testing. For that to be fully appreciated properly (at 4K) it’s got to be running at 60 frames a second because the temporal resolution needs to increase on that. Visual technologies company Christie is going to come up with a projector which will allow me to do that, and we’re talking 2D not even 3D. “Part of what this high frame rate is trying to do is bring people back into the theatre,” he says. “They’re also looking at surround sound systems with 22 speakers.” Digital projector chips are also getting bigger, while laser projectors are moving from the test bench to testing. Finally, back on the home front, Sunday says what caught his eye at NAB was Sony’s demonstration of a 4K-download device with robust copy-protection built-in. “Sony recognizes 4K will not be distributed by broadcast,” he says. “And the colour and shape of this device does lend us to nickname it the ‘4K hockey puck.’ I’d give it the media Stanley Cup this year.” Ian Harvey is a veteran Toronto-based journalist who writes for a variety of publications and covers the technology sector. He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits subject matter ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca.
Short-Term Accommodation for Rent Visiting Vancouver for a shoot? One-bedroom condo in Kitsilano on English Bay with secure underground parking, $350 per week. Contact: Peter Benison at 604-229-0861, 604-229-0861or peter@peterbenison.com. Liberty Village Office Space Approximately 1,250 sq ft of fully furnished, turn-key office space in prime Liberty Village location available to established television or new media production company in shared office setting. Features include glassed boardroom, 2 closed door offices, internet access, alarm system and shared kitchen. Please reply by email to john@hlp.tv or call John at 647.891.4027 Equipment for Sale Canon Wide angle Lens J11A X 4.5 B4 IRSD and Canon Servo Zoom Control ZSD-300 Value 27 000$ Asking only 3 500$ Sony Camera XDCAM EX1, 2 Sony Battery BP-U60, 1 Sony Battery BP-U30, 1 Sony Wide Conversion Lens X 0,8 VCL-EX0877, Sony AC Adaptor / Charger BC-U1, 2 Sony SxS 8Gb, 4 E-Film MxR, Porta Brace Camera Case PB2700IC All in very good condition Value 10 700$ Asking only 3 200$ Porta Brace Rain Slicker RSEX1, Like new: 125$, Porta Brace Lens Cover LC-M, Chroziel Matt Boxe S1001, Chroziel Sunshade S1001FF, Chroziel Adaptator S1001158SR, Chroziel Step-down Ring 80mm S100180, Tiffen Filtre 3X3, FX#1, FX#2, Polariser, Grad ND9 Value 1 545$ Asking only 400$, Sony Camera Handycam HDR-HC7, 2 Sony Batteries NP-FH100, Sony Wireless Mic ECM-HW1, Tiffen Filter 37mm UV, Century-Precision ,55 WA ADAPTER 55WA37, KATA Rain Cover KARC18 Value 2100$ Asking only 350$, Elmo Suv-Cam SD ELSC5C and accessories New Value 1 200$ Asking only 200$, Anton Bauer UltraLight & Ul Soft Box Asking only 150$, Frezzi HMI Sun Gun & Frezzi Soft Box Value 1 700$ Asking only 400$, Gitzo Tripod carbon finer legs GI 1380/38/7kit Value 1 200$ Asking only 500$, Porta Brace Rain Slicker for Pro Camcorder RS-55 like New Asking only 150$, Script Boy Wireless T.C. System needs minor repair Asking only 200$, 3 x ETC Par Source Four Light with GP TVMP Light Stand Adaptor Asking only 175$, Eartec TD-904 Pro intercom EATD904 Value 1 050$ Asking only 300$, Shure Mixer FP33 & Porta Brace audio mixer case Asking only 450$, Minolta Lightmetre + Adap.5° 4F Asking only 250$ , Beachteck passive dual XLR adaptor DXA-5Da like new Value 369$ Asking only 150$, Sony Monitor SD PVM-14N1U new Asking only 75$, 2 Camera Canon Dig Rebel 10Mp XTi, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 Super C-AF, 4 Canon Batteries and accessories Asking only 850$, Porta Brace monitor Case for Panasonic BT-LH910 like new Asking only 100$ andrepaul@me.com or call 514 831-8347 Asahi Pentax spotmeter(just serviced) 425.00 • Minolta Colormeter III F 750.00 • Spectra Professional IV 250.00 • Spectra Professional IV A 300.00 • Minolta Spotmeter F(need repair) 100.00 • Bernard Couture: p.bc@sympatico.ca; 514-486-2749 Professional U/W housing from renowned world leader Amphibico. 2006 Sony HVR-A1U camera with 0.7x wide adapter and all accesories. 2006 Amphibico EVO-Pro housing with .55x wide conversion and flat port. Rare model built in small quantity. Most camera functions accessible. About 60-70 dives. Complete overhaul and pressure tested by factory in 2010. 3.5’’ LCD Monitor, rebuilt in 2010. 2 compact Discovery 10W HID lamps by Amphibico with batteries and chargers. Spare o-ring for all. Soft and hard carry cases. All in good condition. E-mail or call for photos and more information. 514-941-2555, daniel@dvdp.ca FOR SALE 4X4 Petroff Mattebox, barely used. Can be used with 15mm rod support or clip-on. INCLUDES: Single stage (option to add two more stages); 1X 4X4 tray + 1X 4X5.65 tray; Petroff Eyebrow; Zacuto lens donut; 15 mm rod support bracket; 85 mm ring adapter. Bought originally for $650 CDN asking $450 (firm). GREG BISKUP p. 647 405-8644. Email: greg@biskupcine.com 2 Arrilite 2k’s like new very little use with 4 way barn doors, 5 scrims, 4 2k bulbs, 3 1k bulbs and Arri case in very good condition $1100 Call 416 712-1125 or mfp123@rogers.com Duncan MacFarlane 2- Transvideo Titan HD Transmitter and Receiver kits. $3000ea. 2 for $5500. Similar in style and operation to the Boxx Meridian. 1- Angenieux 25-250 T3.9 Arri PL mount, std film gears on focus, zoom, and iris (32 pitchmod 0.8), lens support and collar, shipping case included $2900 1- Tamron 300mm F2.8 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gear on focus (32 pitchmod 0.8), 42mm filters: clear, 2 x 85, shipping case included $900 1- O’Conner 50 fluid head with Mitchell, Mini-Mitchell, 150mm ball bases and tie-downs, 2 quick release plates extra hardware (pan module needs fluid) $400Contact: stephen.reizes@gmail.com AATON XTR SUPER 16. Camera package includes body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5mm-60mm 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 Separately: - Nikon 50mm-300mm F4-5E.D. lens with support – $1000 - Kinoptik 9-8mm35mm format lens comes with sunshade – $1,400 Contact: stringercam@shaw.ca 1) Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG-3DA1) The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD card media. The AG3DA1 will democratize 3D production by giving professional videographers a more affordable, flexible, reliable and easier-to-use tool for capturing immersive content as well as providing a training tool for educators. At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920 x 1080 2.07 megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. Camera is very new. Includes Kata Carrying case, 4 batteries. To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010. Asking price: $17,500 (includes tax). Will ship out of province. 2) Proline 17 inch Teleprompter Included is both PC AND Mac versions for our industry leading Flip-Q teleprompter software. Flip-Q automatically “Flips” the secondary output on your laptop so both the operator and talent will see perfect reading left-right text. The ProLine 17 standard LCD panels are the lightest weight, lowest profile designs in their class. In addition, they offer both VGA and composite video inputs adaptable with any computer output or application. They also offer flexible power options including 100-240V AC or external 12v DC input. Price includes Tripod attachments and Pelican carrying case. Complete tool-less set-up. To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010. Asking Price: $2,000 (includes tax).
Sony PMW-F3 with S-Log Excellent conidition with low hours, Optional RGB S-Log upgrade installed, Kaiser top handle, Optional on-board mic, 32GB SXS card “A series” - 100mb/sec, All factory accessories and manual $11, 000.00 Shape Composite F3 Shoulder Mount - NEW NEW!! Never Used. Still in box. Can be used with Panasonic AF-100, Sony FS-100, FS-700, HDSLR, Canon 5D, 7D, 60D, Black Magic Cinema, Red MX, Red Scarlet, Red Epic $800.00 new plus shipping and taxes. Asking only $600.00 GoPro Hero2 camera - Outdoor package In excellent condition with minimal use 11MP HD HERO2 Camera, Waterproof Housing (197’ / 60m), HD Skeleton Backdoor, Rechargeable Li-ion Battery, USB Cable, Helmet/Chest Strap, Head Strap, unused Adhesive Mounts, Three-Way Pivot Arm, Manual/instructions, 4 GB SanDisk SD card, Original packaging $300. Photos available. Contact John Banovich 604-726-5646 or JohnBanovich@gmail.com Nikkor AF-S VR 500mm F 4 IS ED Lens. Super rare and very hard to find!!! Serial # 204153 Perfect condition. Not a scratch on it!!! Only one year old. Included Hard Shell Case, Lens Hood, Lens Strap, Case strap. Come with Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod, Jobu head and Jobu Mounting Bracket. Asking price $9000.00 gandalf-merlyn@shaw.ca, 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile) BL III Camera Kit $3750 Or Best Offer gandalf-merlyn@shaw.ca, 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile) ARRIFLEX BL3 BODY WITH PL MOUNT, 4 PERF MOVEMENT, VARIABLE SHUTTER, FULL 35MM GATE, VIDEO TAP ELBOW, 2 X ARRI 400’ BL MAGAZINES, 2 X POWER CABLE, CASES FOR CAMERA, MAGS. BL IV Camera Kit $8,950 Or Best Offer ARRIFLEX BL4 BODY WITH PL MOUNT, 4 PERF MOVEMENT, VARIABLE SHUTTER, FULL 35MM GATE, ARRIGLOW MODULE AND ARRIGLOW GROUNDGLASS IN RED, CEI COLOR 4 VIDEO TAP CAMERA AND ELBOW, CEI ELECTRONIC RETICLE GENERATOR, BL4 VIEWFINDER EXTENSION, WIDEANGLE EYPIECE WITH HEATED EYECUP, POWERCABLE FOR HEATED EYEPIECE, ARRIFLEX 4 x 5 SWINGAWAY MATTEBOX, ARRI FF2 FOLLOW FOCUS WITH EXTENSION, WHIP AND 2 GEARS, 15MM ARRI SLIDING BASEPLATE SET WITH 2 X 18” AND 2 X 12” STAINLESS STEEL 15MM RODS, 5 X ARRI 1000’ BL MAGAZINES, 2 X ARRI 400’ BL MAGAZINES, 3 X DOUBLE POWER 12 VOLT BATTERIES, 2 X 12 VOLT CHARGES, POWER CABLE, CASES FOR CAMERA, MAGS, MATTEBOX, ETC.,FILM TEST HAS BEEN SHOT. gandalf-merlyn@shaw.ca, 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile) JVC GY-DV300 Broadcast Quality camcorder. 4x3 or 9x16 switchable 750 horizontal lines with several extra batteries and carrying case. Plus and external Shure VP88 stereo microphone with Rycote bracket and wind screen with high wind cover and extra mic cables. Asking $ 1200.00. Contact Robert Bocking csc 416 636-9587 or rvbocking@rogers.com for more information. Equipment for sale!! All equipment in e xcellent shape!! Panasonic AJHDX900P High Definition Camera, Panasonic Stereo Microphone, Canon Zoom Lens 8x160 (J20a x 8B4 IRS), Dionic 90 Anton Bauer Batteries & charger, Anton Bauer mini fill light 12 V, Marshall 7” HD-SDI LCD Monitor & accessories, 2 x Porta Brace camera bags, Sony Digital Betacam (DVW700) and accessories, Sachtler fluid head VIDEO 20 III & Sachtler tripod legs fibre & fibre case. Call 613-255-3200, Total $ 25,000.PL mount prime lens set (Sony) 35mm, 50mm 85mm all T2.0. Mint condition. Used briefly for one shoot $5200.00 John Banovich, csc 604-726-5646 JohnBanovich@gmail.com 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 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. VIDEO & AUDIO GEAR FOR SALE: (2) HVX-200 Panasonic P2 Camcorders $1,500 each; (1) DSR1500 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 $200; (1) Glidecam DVPRO RIG camera stabilizer $300; (1) Yamaha P2075 amplifier 75W stereo/150W mono $500; (3) HVR-Z1U Sony HDV camcorders $1,000 each; (1) Sony DSR-300 DVCAM camcorder $1,500; (1) For-A VPS-400D 8 input SDI switcher $2,700; (2) Sony WRT822/WRR861 wireless transmitter/receiver – no mic - $750 each; (2) Sony BRC-300 remote control P/T/Z cameras $1,990 each. Call Ted Mitchener at ZTV Broadcast Services 905-290-4430 or email ted@ztvbroadcast.com. Services Flicker-Free HMI & Hi-Speed Cameras available with operator/gaffer (Toronto) Includes a new ARRI M18 1800W lensless HMI with Arri 1000Hz Flicker-Free Ballast, stand, and lots of head cable. It’s as bright (or brighter) than a T5 but runs on household AC 120V and draws less than 20Amps. We also have the Sony FS700 Super-35 CMOS sensor highspeed camcorders with PL, Nikon, Canon, or Pentax mounts. Great for overcranked product shots on a budget. 60fps, 120fps or 240fps @ 1080p and 480fps @ 720p. Other camera/ grip/electric & 3D support gear available as well. Contact Tim at 1-888-580-3274 ext.700 or tim@dashwood3d.com 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. Do you travel between Toronto and Hamilton for production every day? Need a place to: screen dailies, host your production office that’s close to both? Hill’s Production Services www.hillsvideo.com. We are a full Service Production Company with cameras and edit bays for making EPKs. Some grip gear, if you find yourself in the field, short of one or two items. Hill’s also has office space and a mobile screening room. Located just off the QEW in Burlington, check us out 905-335-1146 Ask for Rob Hill. Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a onetime $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 - September 2013 •
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Camera Classifieds
Equipment Wanted Edmonton Film Cooperative wants your unused Arri 35 mm camera. Do you have film cameras languishing on a shelf? Give it a new life, give it to a film coop and we will give you a healthy tax credit. Have a 35BL, a 235, a 435 gathering dust because everyone is Red cam nuts? Have other great camera accessories? Let us know, let’s make a deal. Contact Andy @ rentals@ fava.ca and work a great deal.
CSC MEMBERS
CSC FULL MEMBERS Johnny Abi Fares csc Joshua Allen 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 Eric Cayla csc Neil Cervin csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc, asc Bruce Chun csc Damir I. Chytil csc Jericca Cleland csc Jonathon Cliff csc Arthur E. Cooper csc Walter Corbett csc Steve Cosens csc Bernard Couture csc Richard P. Crudo csc, asc Dean Cundey csc, asc François Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc Nicholas de Pencier 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 Ray Dumas csc Albert Dunk csc, asc Philip Earnshaw csc Gamal El-Boushi csc, acs Michael Ellis csc Carlos Esteves csc Nikos Evdemon csc Mark Foerster csc David Frazee csc Marc Gadoury csc Antonio Galloro csc James Gardner csc, sasc David A Geddes csc, asc Ivan Gekoff csc Laszlo George csc, hsc Pierre Gill csc Russ Goozee csc Steve Gordon csc David Greene csc Michael Grippo 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 Karim Hussain csc Samy Inayeh 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 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 Antonin Lhotsky csc Norm Li csc Philip Linzey csc Matthew J. Lloyd csc J.P. Locherer csc Dylan Macleod csc Bernie MacNeil csc Glen MacPherson csc, asc Shawn Maher csc David A. Makin csc Adam Marsden csc Robert Mattigetz 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 Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Barry Parrell csc Pavel “Pasha” Patriki csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Barry F. Peterson csc Bruno Philip csc
22 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
Matthew R. Phillips csc André Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Ali Reggab csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Peter Rowe csc Brad Rushing csc Branimir Ruzic csc Jérôme Sabourin csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc, bsc, asc Michael Patrick Savoie csc Ian Seabrook csc Bobby Shore csc Sarorn Ron Sim 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 Brendan Uegama csc Sean Valentini csc Brett Van Dyke csc Gordon Verheul 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 Daniel Abboud Ilias Adamis Nigel J. Akam Don Armstrong Vince Arvidson John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Maya Bankovic Russell Bell Gregory Bennett Guy Bennett Jonathan Benny André Bériault Aaron Bernakevitch Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Thomas Billingsley Stan Bioksic François M. Bisson Martin Brown Scott Brown Richard Burman David J. Cain 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 Russ De Jong Vincent De Paula Reuben A. Denty Karan Dhillon Randy Dreager Tony Edgar Carl Elster Duane Empey Pouyan Fard Barry Fontaine Marc Forand Andrew Forbes Greg Fox Richard Fox Kevin A. Fraser Gleb Galkin Brian Gedge Jason Alexander George Yorgos Giannelis Rion Gonzales Jose Luis Gonzalez Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley Jean B. Héguy Josh Henderson Robert Hill Rory Hinds David M.J. Hodge John Hodgson James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka
David Johns Denise Jones Ali Kazimi Ernie Kestler Ryan Knight Douglas John Kropla David Lam Charles Lavack Robin Lawless soc Byung-Ho Lee Alan Lennox Philip Letourneau James Lewis John V. Lindsay Justin Lovell Robert Macdonald Ian Macmillan Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Alfonso Maiorana Yoann Malnati Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Scott McClellan Paul McCool Justin McIntosh Mike McLaughlin Gabriel Medina Tony Merzetti Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Sarah Moffat Duraid Munajim Keith Murphy Kirk Neff Iris Ng Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Ted Parkes Deborah Parks Rick Perotto Allan Piil Josh Power Evan Prosofsky Ryan A. Randall Kevin Rasmussen Tyler Richardson Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Lawrence Apu Rozario Albert Rudnicki James Sainthill Steve Sanguedolce Christopher Sargent Sarmen Sarmazian Robert Scarborough Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Stanislav Shakhov Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Rob Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney Aaron Szimanski Peter Szperling
Ethan Ta André Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson John Thronberg Ian Toews Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Martin Wojtunik Carolyn Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Xiao Chen Yu Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS JoAnne Alaric Ryan Alexander Rasha Amer Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Michael Baier Robin Bain Peter Battistone Jacques F. Bernier Greg Biskup Stuart Blair Marcio Bodnariuc Christine Buijs Tyson Burger Gordon A. Burkell Sean Carson Arnold Caylakyan Bernard Chartouni Julie Cheron Fanen Chiahemen Devon Chytil Suzy Cooper Brent J. Craig Brad Creasser Carmelina Crocco Dominika Dittwald Francis Ferland Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira Shaun Goldsmith James D. Hardie Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Nazir Kassam Rick Kearney Matthew Casey Kennedy John Ker Guido Kondruss Boris Kurtzman Ka Leung Tony Lau Kevin Michael Leblanc Charles Lenhoff Tony Lippa John Lipsz Alejandro Loera y Chavez Karen Longland Lori P. Longstaff Janek Lowe
Robert H. Lynn Megan MacDonald Jill MacLauchlan Parks Sean Marjoram Bruce Marshall Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Matthew Emil Muszalski Kar Wai Ng Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Sam Perrin Greg Petrigo Ivan Popov Douglas B. Pruss Lem Ristsoo J.J. Robertson David Rumley Alan Ruth Donna Santos Susan Saranchuk Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Brad Smith Michael Soos BJ Szabicot Dave Tse Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Sama Waham Trevor J. Wiens Stephen Gurie Woo CSC LIFE MEMBERS Jim Aquila csc Robert Bocking csc Raymond A. Brounstein csc David Carr csc Barry Casson csc Henry Chan 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 Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Barry R. Gravelle csc
VANCOUVER
CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle Philippe Ros afc
CALGARY
604-527-7262 403-246-7267 VANCOUVER CALGARY
604-527-7262
Kenneth W. Gregg csc John B. Griffin csc Manfred Guthe csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Brian Hosking Donald Hunter csc Joan Hutton csc Douglas Kiefer csc Rudolf Kovanic csc Les Krizsan csc Naohiko Kurita csc Jean-Claude Labrecque csc Harry Lake csc Pierre Letarte csc Larry Lynn csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Harry Makin csc Douglas A. McKay csc Donald James McMillan csc Tony Meerakker csc Jim Mercer csc Roger Moride csc George Morita csc Helmfried Muller Wilhelm E. Nassau Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roland K. Pirker Randal G. Platt csc Andreas Poulsson 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 Lloyd Walton Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc James A. Wright Keith Young
403-246-7267
TORONTO
416-444-7000 TORONTO
HALIFAX
HALIFAX
902-404-3630
416-444-7000
Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013 •
902-404-3630
23
CSC Member Production Notes Almost Human (series); DOP David Geddes csc & Michael Wale csc (alternating episodes); to December 1, Vancouver Arctic Air III (series); DOP Bruce Worrall csc (alternating episodes); to November 26, Aldergrove Bates Motel II (series) DOP John Bartley csc, asc, to November 8, Vancouver The Best Laid Plans (mini-series); DOP Gavin Smith csc; to October 22, Ottawa Covert Affairs IV (series); DOP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes); to October 3, Toronto Cracked (series): B Camera First Assistant Andrew Medicky; Trainee JJ Robertson; to September 13, Toronto Crawlspace (feature); DOP Scott McClellan; to October 1, St. John’s A Day Late and a Dollar Short (TV movie); David Greene csc; to September 10, Toronto Defiance II (series); DOP Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs; to December 23, Toronto Degrassi: The Next Generation XIII (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; to October 25, Toronto Haven IV (series); DOP Eric Cayla csc; OP Christopher Ball csc; to September 27, Chester Heartland VII (series); DOP Craig Wrobleski csc; B Cam Operator Jarrett Craig; to December 9, Calgary Helix (series); DOP Stephen McNutt, csc, asc; to December 9, Montreal Lost Girl IV (series); B Camera First Assistant Marcel Janisse; to October 21, Toronto Lucky 7 (series); DOP Luc Montpellier csc; B Camera Second Assistant Megan MacDonald; to December 2, Toronto Murdoch Mysteries VII (series); DOP James E. Jeffrey csc & Yuri Yakubiw csc (alternating); First Assistant Kevin Michael Leblanc; to Nov 15, Toronto The Next Step II (series) DOP Kim Derko csc & Brad Hruboska (alternating episodes); Pedestal Operator James Sainthill; to September 24, Scarborough Nikkita IV (series); DOP Glen Keenan csc; OP/Steadicam Keith Murphy; First Assistant Kar Wai Ng; to September 30, Toronto Played (series); DOP Thom Best csc; to September 25, Etobicoke Reign (series); DOP Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc; B Camera Operator Andris Matiss; to December 5, Toronto Republic of Doyle (series); DOP David Herrington csc; to December 3, St. John’s Saving Hope II (series); DOP David Perrault csc; to September 24, Mississauga Suits III (series); OP Michael Soos; B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc; October 31, Toronto Tomorrow People (series); DOP David Moxness csc (alternating episodes); to December 5, North Vancouver Toute la vérité IV (series); DOP Marc Charlebois csc; to September 15, Quebec Witches of East End (series); B Camera Operator Pieter Stathis csc; to October 22, BC Yamaska V (series); DOP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 6, Montreal
Calendar of Events Aug. 30-8, Vancouver Latin American Film Festival, vlaff.org
SEPT
28-29, CSC Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca
5-15, Toronto International Film Festival, tiff.net 9-20, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Montreal, nouveaucinema.ca
12-19, Atlantic Film Festival, Halifax, atlanticfilm.com 14-22, Cinéfest International Film Festival, Sudbury, ON, cinefest.com SEPT
18-22, Ottawa International Animation Festival, animationfestival.ca 19-29, Calgary International Film Festival, calgaryfilm.com 26-Oct. 11, Vancouver International Film Festival, viff.org 26-Oct. 5, Edmonton International Film Festival, edmontonfilmfest.com
18-3, Antimatter: Underground Film Festival, Victoria, B.C., antimatter.ws 19-20, CSC Faces Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca OCT
22-26, St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival, St. John’s, NL, womensfilmfestival.com 16-20, imagineNATIVE Film Festival, Toronto, imaginenative.org 17-25, Toronto After Dark Film Festival, torontoafterdark.com
24 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2013
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