Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine April 2014 by The CSC

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

$4 April 2014 www.csc.ca

Killing Lincoln

Jeremy Benning csc V02 #01

56698 94903

Nicholas de Pencier csc Watermark Maya Bankovic My Prairie Home

Congratulations to all the nominees for the 57th Annual CSC Awards

A full list of nominees can be seen on pages 6 & 7

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.

FEATURES – volume 6, No. 1 APRIL 2014

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 digital professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

CORPORATE SPONSORS AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. Clairmont Camera Codes Pro Media Dazmo Camera Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division Fusion Cine HD Source Image Media Farm Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Miller Camera Support Equipment Mole-Richardson 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

Mike Reid

Watermark: Nicholas de Pencier csc’s Epic Journey By Fanen Chiahemen

Maya Bankovic

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.

Maya Bankovic Revisits My Prairie Home By Fanen Chiahemen

Jeremy Benning csc Delivers Historical Hit with Killing Lincoln By Fanen Chiahemen

Columns & Departments 2 3 6 22 25 27 28

From the President In the News CSC Award Nomniees SIRT Tests Tech Column Camera Classified Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Still from National Geographic Channel’s Killing Lincoln.

Canadian Cinematographer April 2014 Vol. 6, 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 ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss

From The PRESIDENT Joan Hutton csc

ho should have said no? Sarah Jones, the DOP, the director, the AD, the grip or perhaps all of them?

My heart sank when I read about Sarah Jones, a 27-year-old second camera assistant killed in a horrific train accident in Georgia while crewing a pre-shoot for the Duane Allman biopic Midnight Rider. A hospital bed had been placed on the tracks of a trestle bridge to shoot a dream sequence in the film. When a train approached all too quickly, the crew could not remove the bed and clear the bridge in time. The locomotive shattered the prop and a piece hit Jones, knocking her onto the track ahead of the train. Seven other crew members were injured in the mishap.

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In our end of this industry there is an inherent amount of risk in what we do. We shoot in all sorts of questionable locations, pointing cameras from speeding cars, boats, helicopters and trains too. We’re geared by the nature of our craft to go the extra mile and push the boundaries to get that one incredible shot. But when a set-up looks and feels dangerous, then it’s probably dangerous and should not be attempted. We’re creative and can always figure out another – safer – way of getting that shot. The making of a movie should not cost a life.

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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.

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

What transpired to prompt this Georgia crew to set up on an active rail line without seemingly adequate safety precautions is still not known at this writing. While the production company had permission to shoot on adjacent property, the railroad company says they were not authorized to set up on their tracks. The local police are treating the accident as a homicide investigation. In essence, everyone is responsible for their own safety. On location, the entire crew should be looking out for each other where safety is concerned. Any one of the Georgia crew members could have spoken up and said no and perhaps prevented this tragedy. Unfortunately, this type of individual activism runs headlong into a negative belief that permeates our industry, whether here in Canada or south of the border. Many fear that by speaking up they’ll be branded as troublemakers and difficult, blacklisting them for any future work. This is a sad comment on the darker side of our industry that needs to change through open dialogue and tougher safety regulations. By not doing anything, we’ll guarantee another Sarah Jones-type tragedy and we’ll be asking once again why people didn’t say no. I didn’t know Sarah Jones, but I was deeply affected by her death. I’ve learned that she was a delightful person with a bright smile and demeanour. She was a talented and conscientious worker who was a boon to any production. This heartbreaking tragedy should never have happened.

In The News Philippe Bossé

Patrice Lapointe

Cinematographer Doug Koch csc

Member News

he Don McKellar comedy The Grand Sedution, shot by Douglas Koch csc, has been picked up by Entertainment One Films U.S. for U.S. distribution. eOne also has the distribution rights to the film in Canada and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Mohawk Girls, the series shot by associate CSC

DP Alfonso Maiorana

member Alfonso Maiorana and which premiered earlier this year, has been renewed for a second season by the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and Rogers’ OMNI Television

Calgary Film Studio to Open in 2015 Southern Alberta will soon have a new film studio and its first permanent sound stage. The studio will be developed by

Courtesy of Calgary Economic Development Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Calgary Economic Development. CED was selected through an open competition process to receive $5 million in onetime funding from the Government of Alberta towards the development of a film studio for the Calgary region.

John Zaritsky to Receive Focus on Retrospective at Hot Docs 2014

PS Honours Sandra Cunningham with Douglas James Dales Industry Builder Award

Photo courtesy of PS Production Services Ltd.

This year, Hot Docs will pay tribute to John Zaritsky with a Focus On retrospective, an annual program showcasing the work of a mid-career Canadian filmmaker, during the 21st annual Festival, April 24 to May 4. As part of the retrospective, Hot Docs will screen Zaritsky’s 1994 film Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo, in partnership with Toronto Public Library’s One Book program. Zaritsky has been making documentary films for almost 40 years. His films have been honoured with more than 30 major awards, been broadcast in 35 countries and have screened at more than 40 film festivals around the world. Notable awards include an Academy Award for Just Another Missing Kid (1982); seven Geminis; the Hot Docs Special Jury Prize - Canadian Feature for Leave Them Laughing (2010); and Emmy Award nominations for Broken Promises (1989), Born In Africa (1990), and Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo.

Sandra Cunningham, Industry Builder Award winner, poses with Rob Sim.

Rob Sim, president and CEO of the SIM Group of Companies, in February announced that Sandra Cunningham, founding partner at Union Pictures and president of Strada Films in Toronto, is the recipient of the 2014 Douglas James Dales Industry Builder Award. The award was presented to Sandra at the annual PS Dinner on the Hill, held during the Canadian Media Production Association Prime Time Conference in Ottawa. Cunningham has nurtured the careers of many filmmakers and has always had a passionate voice for

independent production in Canada. Among the many Canadian feature films she has helped bring to the big screen are Mary Harron’s Moth Diaries, John L’Ecuyer’s Curtis’s Charm, Robert Lepage’s Possible Worlds, as well as a series of high profile international co-productions with Robert Lantos’ Serendipity Point Films, such as Atom Egoyan’s Ararat and Where the Truth Lies, Norman Jewison’s The Statement, Istvan Szabo’s Being Julia and Jeremy Podeswa’s Fugitive Pieces. The Douglas James Dales Industry Builder Award is presented annually by PS in recognition of a producer’s sustained contributions and commitment to strengthening the Canadian film and television industry.

CSC Members Win at Canadian Screen Awards

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4 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

CSC congratulates the following members for being honoured with 2014 Canadian Screen Awards: H Achievement in Cinematography: Nicolas Bolduc csc (Enemy) H Best Photography in a Documentary Program or HALIFAX Series: Jeremy Benning csc (We Were Children) 902-404-3630 HALIFAX 902-404-3630

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Annual CSC AWARDS GALA SPECIAL HONOUREES THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD Antonin Lhotsky csc “For outstanding service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.”

THE BILL HILSON AWARD Cyril Drabinsky, Deluxe “For outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Canada.”

THE KODAK NEW CENTURY AWARD Eric Cayla csc “For outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.”

THE CAMERA ASSISTANT AWARD OF MERIT Mark Giles

CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARDS THE ROY TASH AWARD FOR SPOT NEWS CINEMATOGRAPHY Jon Castell Argentina’s Pope The National – CBC Andrew Lawson Faces CTV News John Mees Tacloban: A City in Ruin CTV News

THE STAN CLINTON FOR NEWS ESSAY CINEMATOGRAPHY Allan Leader csc Nutshellz Discovery Channel Allan Leader csc Crystal Skullz Discovery Channel Peter Szperling Hat Maker CTV Ottawa, “Regional Contact”

NEWS MAGAZINE CINEMATOGRAPHY Jon Castell The National – CBC “Faith in the Favelas” Kirk Neff 16:9 Global TV/Shaw Media “Bus Rape Outrage” Kirk Neff 16:9 Global TV/Shaw Media “Stolen Faces”

“For excellence and outstanding professionalism in the performance of the AC duties and responsibilities

CORPORATE/EDUCATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY

STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD

Gregory Bennett, Kokuho New Crop Jeremy Benning csc, Saudi Airlines Saudia Sarorn Ron Sim csc, Dow Chemical Company The Elemental Messenger

Sponsored by Panavision Canada Christopher Lew Walk the Moon Sheridan College Henrique Wallau Aveline’s Window Vancouver Film School Derek Wayne I Love Rhonda Humber College

LIFESTYLE/REALITY CINEMATOGRAPHY Allan Leader csc The Nature of Things “Survival of the Fabulous” Kristoff Rochon Tessa & Scott “Life at the Arctic Edge”

WEBISODE CINEMATOGRAPHY Benjamin Lichty Saving Hope: Last Call “No Heat, No Feelings” Scott McIntyre How Not 2 Guide 2 Getting Clean & Sober “Eddie Gets Triggered” Jon Simonassi It Can Wait

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

2014 CSC Awards Nominees DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS DOCUDRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Benjamin Lichty Brainwashed “Covenant of Hate” Cabot McNenly Murder in Paradise “Brazilian Knockout”

ROBERT BROOKS AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Vistek James Klopko Kaha:wi : The Cycle of Life Allan Leader csc Unclaimed Sama Waham Ramp

MUSIC VIDEO CINEMATOGRAPHY Pasha Patriki csc, Mariana’s Trench By Now Bobby Shore csc, Majical Cloudz Childhood’s End Brett Van Dyke csc, Lindi Ortega Tin Star

PERFORMANCE CINEMATOGRAPHY Jeremy Benning csc Lost in Motion II Sarah Thomas Moffat Glorious Craig Wrobleski csc Synthesis

FRITZ SPIESS AWARD FOR COMMERCIAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Dazmo Digital Kris Belchevski, Gears Bike Shop Pedal Dylan Macleod csc, Nike Last Team Standing Robert Scarborough, 18 Waits Shore Leave

TV DRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Sim Digital Jeremy Benning csc Killing Lincoln Samy Inayeh csc Alive Jon Joffin Ring of Fire

TV SERIES CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Technicolor Toronto Pierre Gill csc Copper “Aileen Aroon” Gregory Middleton csc The Killing “Try” Ousama Rawi csc, bsc Dracula “A Whiff of Sulfur”

THEATRICAL FEATURE CINEMATOGRAPHY

DRAMATIC SHORT CINEMATOGRAPHY

Sponsored by REDLAB digital

Pierre Gill csc The Colony Pierre Gill csc Upside Down Jon Joffin Haunter

Guy Godfree The Archivist Daniel Grant csc Wakening Daniel Grant csc A Common Experience

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Waterm Nicholas de Pencier csc’s Epic Journey

n 2007, while shooting gold mines in drought-hit Australia, photographer Edward Burtynsky heard a story about a photojournalist in Adelaide who had once been exhorted by a bartender to finish the glass of water he had ordered with his beer. The anecdote prompted Burtynsky’s musings about water as a subject for his work, and those musings culminated in a three-part project comprised of a book, Burtynsky: Water; a photographic exhibition; and the documentary Watermark. Watermark examines diverse stories from around the globe about human interaction with water, how we use it, waste it or revere it. Created by the team that produced the 2006 documentary Manufactured Landscapes – including director Jennifer Baichwal and director of photography Nicholas de Pencier csc – Watermark won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s 2013 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award earlier this year and was among the feature selections for TIFF’s 13th annual Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival. The film journeys to 10 countries, weaving 20 story threads, from the construction site of the Xiluodu Dam in China to the dried up Colorado River. With its non-narrative structure, much of Watermark’s heavy-lifting is borne by the stunning visuals, and striking the right tone was an important part of the film’s conceptualization, de Pencier says. “We knew that it was a hubristic undertaking to have water as the subject, something as broad and vague as to be so completely arbitrary,” the cinematographer explains. “And we also knew we didn’t want to make any kind of didactic or polemic environmental rant or agenda-driven movie; we wanted it to be a much more visceral and experiential representation of the subject.” The moving images were captured over a three-year period and sometimes involved an army of people, as well as an arsenal of tools. “In a way it was the ideal way that you’d like to work because we’d have time between each shoot, and because we could learn from previous shoots, we could design each one so the production matched exactly the dictates of the shoot as much as we could predict them,” de Pencier contends. “We could go to Copenhagen, film the ice core lab with just me and Jen. But then when we were in China on the fish farms and the rice paddies and the

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

mark By Fanen Chiahemen

“We didn’t want to make any kind of didactic or polemic environmental rant or agenda-driven movie; we wanted it to be a much more visceral and experiential representation of the subject,” DP Nicholas de Pencier says.

Xiluodu Dam, we knew between the language barrier and the scale of the landscape we needed a crew of 15. We had remote control helicopters for the cameras, we had translators and producers, and it was like the circus coming to town. But we needed all those resources in those locations in order to be able to cover them. It would have been a poor approximation to try and handle that with a much smaller crew.” The arsenal of equipment included more than a dozen different cameras, with the RED EPIC (in 5K format) serving as de Pencier’s main camera and the Canon C300 as a B camera for vérité shots. “I could put [the Canon] in my knapsack and go out in the morning, having no idea what the day was going to bring and not have to worry about media and batteries and all the things I do have to worry about on the EPIC,” he reports. Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Mike Reid.

Remote-controlled helicopter filming on location in Fujian Province, China.

De Pencier says the RED EPIC was “the most ambitious technology” he used because it was so new at the time that he used a hand-assembled prototype sent from California. “I had spent the previous 15 years with ENG style cameras,” he remarks. “That whole process of working was completely transparent to me; I didn’t have to think about it at all. To go to the EPIC, which is basically a drama camera, was a huge learning curve and a huge challenge, especially to use it as a vérité camera. If you need to drop in an ND filter, if you’re going from outside to inside, let’s say, and want to follow the action, on an ENG camera you just flip the filter wheel. On the EPIC you stop and may have to change a lens. Certainly then you’re dealing with a filter tray and choosing a filter from your pack. And that’s really why I got the C300, for when I needed to be following action. But it takes such beautiful pictures, the EPIC, so whenever I could I would schlep it to the top of a mountain when it was appropriate and doable.” He also added a few DSLRs, some GoPros, and, during the Bangladesh leg of the shoot – where they were document-

ing the water-intensive leather tanneries of Dhaka – he even got some footage from local journalists’ EX1s. The production also relied on the Cineflex camera system, which has a built-in Sony 1500 camera, for aerial shoots from helicopters. Other aerial shots came about through a collaboration with Freefly, which manufactures a handheld three-axis, digitally-stabilized camera gimbal called the MoVI M10 (see “The Gadget Roundup,” Tech Column, December 2013). “Our collaboration with Freefly was especially fruitful as their engineering for remote controlled helicopters with gyro-stabilized controllable gimbals let us release the camera from the laws of gravity and explore some of our locations from soaring, aerial perspectives,” de Pencier says. “The folks at Freefly are amazing engineers but also young guys who love adventure. So we had the designers of the system as our helicopter operators, which was just gold because it can be very finicky and if things go wrong we were far from home. So it was good to have the guys who invented it fix things on the spot. They’re responsible for a lot of the privileged aerial views that we never would have gotten otherwise.”

lthough Nicholas de Pencier csc is known for travelling the globe shooting critically acclaimed documentaries, his work in recent years has entered the realm of the YouTube sensation. In December 2011 de Pencier collaborated with childhood friend Dr. Mike Evans

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

and illustrator Liisa Sorsa to direct and produce the short animated health video 23 ½ Hours which instantly went viral and has garnered more than eight million hits. According to the Toronto Star, the video so far has been viewed more than 3.7 million times around the world and translated

Rice paddies in Sichuan Province, China

De Pencier explains that the device allowed them to shoot from such places as moving boats or other locations where they had a clear line of sight. “You can’t fly around the corner, and as you get further away it gets harder to judge distance. You also can’t fly very close to something because it’s hard to see at 500 metres or so what exactly the relationship in space is,” he says. He adds that despite the built-in technology for stabilization they would often shoot at 96 frames just to have extra information they could stabilize in postproduction. The literal heights de Pencier sometimes had to attain in order to achieve some shots – like scaling a 100-foot construction above the Xiluodu Dam – became such a natural part of the process that the cinematographer almost brushes it off. “The truth is you’re always climbing up in ridiculous places,” he says nonchalantly. “On the Xiluodu Dam they built it so quickly there’s no permanent access structure. It takes almost an hour to walk out, so you’re carrying all your gear out over these very makeshift often bamboo scaffold structures that are suspended 100 feet above the abyss on the side of the into eight languages, including Arabic to Gaelic. The team has since produced more than a dozen subsequent health videos for the web. The simple videos consist of cartoon-like dry erase marker drawings on whiteboards overlaid with Evans’ narration. Still, de Pencier pulls out the big guns

dam. I had a safety harness, but it may not always save you; there’s nothing to tie off to that’s going to hold if I fall, so why bother?” More at the forefront of de Pencier’s mind was making sure none of the cameras ended up in the water, like when he was handholding a camera while balancing on an unstable 6-inch mud berm in the Yunnan rice paddies. “You’re always hovering above a medium that’s ready to trash your camera as soon as you drop it. And if I lose the camera we’re a long way from home to replace it,” he says. “There were a few times when I fell into the water, but I was always able to save the camera either by passing it to someone or placing it on some dry perch.” The shoot at the construction site of the Xiluodu Dam, the biggest arch dam in the world, proved particularly perilous, de Pencier says. “It was very hard and stressful to rig a gimbal rig onto one of the cement buckets over the dam. Mostly because they weren’t going to stop construction for

to shoot them. “I use whatever camera I’m not using on other things, so I use the EX1 and most often the C300. But sometimes if my C300 is busy on something else, I’ve even shot it on the EPIC, which is hilarious because they’re all destined for the web and I have these images that could

be IMAX that are just going to go on little highly compressed web videos,” he says. “I approach it from a very documentary point of view. And it’s important that you know it’s a human who’s making creative decisions in the moment, and I think that’s part of the wonderful tension.”

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

us; they were prepared to pause, but they weren’t going to give us our own gantry crane, and it was quite fiddly to rig,” he recalls. “It was two hours of trying to rig that under pressure because it was a matter of taking a rig from Freefly’s 6-foot helicopter and figuring out a way to mount it to this cement bucket in a way that it wouldn’t fall off and we’d lose the camera and in a way that would work and give us the angle we wanted. So we had the engineers from the dam freaking out because we had a bucket full of concrete that was going to set and they were going to lose that bucket if we didn’t get ready and get our shot in a certain amount of time. But it’s a good shot and it’s the only way you’re going to get that shot over the dam.” De Pencier says the most satisfying shoot for him was of the Sacred Headwaters of Northern British Columbia, capturing a pristine landscape which still holds water untouched by humans. “It was an amazing life experience and a very powerful moment in the film. Not a lot of people get to see it,” he says. “It’s very dangerous to fly the Stikine River Canyon in a helicopter. At many points there’s only about10 feet on either side, but we had a great pilot who was used to flying in these conditions. Chris Chanda, the Cineflex camera operator, who’s one of the best, had to rig this helicopter, and they had to cut a hole in the fuselage and put all the mounting brackets on and get it approved by Transport Canada. So it was a lot of work and great expense, but it was the only way to get that absolutely magical transparent feeling of flying in a place and moving through it in a way you can only achieve in your dreams otherwise.”

The documentary took de Pencier and the team all over the world from Copenhagen to Dhaka to Las Vegas.

Some Watermark Facts: Countries: Bangladesh Canada China

Denmark Germany Greenland

Iceland India Mexico United States

Camera formats: RED (4 formats - 5K, 4K, 2K and 2K widescreen) C300 HDCam & HDCamSR & NANO XDCam (5 formats - 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 25pfs & 23.98fps variations) 5D & 7D FS100 GoPro (2 formats) Other (stills, time-lapse stills, archive, etc.)

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

Another memorable image in Watermark depicts the roughly 30 million pilgrims gathering for a sacred bath in the Ganges on the holiest day as part of an ancient spiritual belief in the cleansing power of water. The light in the scene is captivating, but the circumstances offered no opportunity for manipulating light, so it was all natural, de Pencier says. “The amount of artifice that would be necessary to create a whole lighting world in those kinds of locations is too much,” he offers. “It’s much more about choosing your moment and lots of very early mornings. That’s the magic of these new sensors that are so sensitive. I can shoot at night under the mercury vapour lights with fire light and a little bit of fill from a little battery-operated light of mine. “And I take a cue from Ed as well,” de Pencier continues. “He’ll spend a whole day waiting for just the right light for his photograph. I don’t often have that luxury, but we’ll go and do more vérité work, following people inside their houses or doing interviews when the light’s not interesting, and then you’re always watching for the moment that the universe gives you and you have to be ready and capture that.”

Truck Stop musical number: The camera follows Spoon in a one-take tracking shot as they make their way around the diner singing.

My Prairie Home By Fanen Chiahemen

14 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

Maya Bankovic

Maya Bankovic Revisits

he documentary My Prairie Home opens with a long take of the horizon, only earth and sky are reversed. A wheat-coloured band runs across the top of the screen, seemingly held up by the wide prairie blue. The reverse shot is a tip-off to the viewer about the journey ahead, associate CSC member Maya Bankovic, tells Canadian Cinematographer. “It lets you know this isn’t going to be a straightforward story about growing up in the Canadian prairies. It’s a beautiful place, but there’s something off about it,” she says. My Prairie Home, which was the only Canadian feature film in competition at this year’s Sundance film festival, is a meditative musical journey through the life of indie singersongwriter Rae Spoon. Spoon – who happens to be transgendered and goes by the gender-neutral pronoun “they” – tells of growing up different in Alberta under the roof of a strict Pentecostal schizophrenic father before finding an alternative form of salvation in music. Released in conjunction with their latest album of the same name, the film is part road movie, following Spoon on tour between Calgary and Winnipeg, and just like a musical it is interwoven with song numbers that expand on the themes and stories Spoon recounts. Bankovic, who shared director of photography duties with cinematographer Derek Howard, knew when she signed on to shoot the National Film Board documentary that it would be unconventional, having worked with director Chelsea McMullan before. “I’ve been lucky to collaborate with her on several projects,” Bankovic says. “She has a very distinctive visual tone which really appealed to my aesthetic, and I know what kind of imagery she’s looking for in terms of coverage – or sometimes lack thereof.”

to properly experience it with them instead of getting some snippet or representation of it. We had to live it.” So the cinematographers came up with a division of labour that involved Bankovic putting in long bus rides across vast distances to capture life on the tour bus while Howard would follow in a minivan, gathering morsels of symbolism and imagery in the landscape around them. “So for example, I would be shooting Rae’s performance on a glacier while Derek roamed around grabbing beautiful shots of the Calgary mountains or keeping an eye out for the rainbow that just happened to show up,” Bankovic says. Travelling on the road with Spoon provided opportunities to gather stories from the musician – about haunting childhood memories, including the death of an infant brother, witnessing their father’s declining mental health, attending evangelical church events and falling for a girl at school – that would be woven into the narrative. “When we weren’t shooting on the Greyhound we packed all of the camera gear and instruments into a minivan and drove thousands of kilometers across the prairies, Chelsea doing the driving and Rae filling the silences with stories and music. I was mostly in the back seat with the camera poised on Rae, keeping the lav microphone on Rae for weeks at a time,” Bankovic recalls. Shooting this way demanded a lot of precision from the small documentary unit, which included McMullan, the cinematographers, production designer Leanne MacKay and NFB producer Lea Marin. “Keeping up with a musician’s touring schedule was actually incredibly challenging for us because it meant we had to keep batteries on charge in our minivan all the time and offloading on hard drives on the bus before making it to Rae’s next show. This meant taking any opportunity to use power and available space to set up our data management systems,” Bankovic says. “Sometimes we would resort to charging batteries on 10-hour car rides off of inverters plugged into the car lighter. Hotel room outlets were always maxed out. You take what you can get when you’re on the road.”

Maya Bankovic

Some of the footage in My Prairie Home came from a shoot in 2010, when with a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, Bankovic, McMullan and another cinematographer, Alejandro Coronado, went on tour with Spoon and produced a short film. That experience became a “dress rehearsal” for the feature documentary, with some of the footage ending up in the final project, Bankovic says. When the team went on tour with Spoon again in 2012 – this time with Howard as a co-cinematographer – they employed the same shooting methods they had used two For the straight-to-camera effect we used years earlier. the Eye Direct, which is basically a system of two-way mirrors that allowed Rae to

“Touring with Rae means enormous amounts of time on a Greyhound bus,” Bankovic says. “In order to capture the feeling of that isolation, we needed

see Chelsea’s face reflected in front of the lens. I could then shoot through the reflective glass and not pick up Chelsea’s reflection in the recorded image.

The crew would reconvene every night at the venues where Spoon was performing. “It wasn’t just about shooting the show. It would be shooting before and after the show, often there would be small scenes that would come out of Rae interacting with fans or club promoters and the ins and outs of the business of being an indie musician,” Bankovic says. “We’d have to really be on our toes until basically Rae went to bed.” Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

They also had to be on their toes to capture unexpected dramatic moments that could occur during shows, as Bankovic recounts did transpire when a man who may or may not have been Spoon’s estranged father showed up for a show in Regina. The team half expected Spoon’s father to make an appearance – against the singer’s wishes – and Bankovic kept her eye on the door while trying to get multiple angles of Spoon in concert. “It was Chelsea who spotted someone in the doorway, and she whispered my name and nodded towards the entrance. I was stunned to see someone who fit the description of Rae’s father appear as if from nowhere,” Bankovic recalls. “He was lurking in the shadows, and my instinct as a cinematographer was that I wanted to see his face. I wanted to read his emotions through his expressions, and I wanted the visual confirmation of who he was. I bumped the ISO to unspeakable levels in this situation, because it was precisely the type of documentary scenario in which content trumps all else, but I quickly knocked it back down when I realized that not only were we never going to get a clear shot of his face under the murky lighting in the venue anyway, but that the vague uncertainty coupled with the menacing quality of a figure dancing to the music in silhouette would be far more interesting. “Conceptually speaking, this was indeed how Rae envisioned their father: as a looming figure in the shadows. Now you see him, now you don’t. So what difference would it make to the audience to see what the man looks like?” Bankovic continues. “These thoughts ran through my mind within a span of seconds, and I knocked the ISO back down and slid a couple of meters over to get a shot of the man in the doorway against light, further accentuating him as a simple silhouette, all the while trying my best to remain invisible.” Despite the production requiring two cinematographers, their images remained congruent because the DPs were both well-versed in McMullan’s visual language. “The fact that both Derek and I have such a strong understanding of Chelsea’s aesthetic framework means we are able match our styles to one another’s very intuitively, with little to no discussion,” Bankovic offers. “I think our dedication to adhering to these aesthetic parameters is what gave My Prairie Home a visual consistency despite the fact that three cinematographers contributed to it over the years.” Bankovic also praises Redlab Toronto’s Walt Biljan for the way he married the footage from the two tours. “He did such amazing things working with that older footage,” she says. “Because you could feel the difference in the texture with that footage versus our new footage because the older footage was 720. He worked really hard to finesse it to a point where it didn’t feel archival. It felt like it existed in the same time.”

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

Throughout the tour Bankovic and Howard employed two NFB-provided Sony EX3s, supplemented with some blackand-white Kodak Super 8 film. Having a zoom lens rather than a set of primes, the EX3 was the perfect camera to tour with, according to Bankovic. “It was important just to be able to hop out, grab an extreme close-up of something and then get an extreme wide of that same thing on the side of the highway and then just continue on our way,” she reports. “We really wanted a no-frills approach, and especially being on the Greyhound, where we’re so confined in our space. We wanted to make sure we could maximize the amount of coverage we could get.” A focal point in preproduction was deciding how to integrate the musical numbers seamlessly into the narrative, Bankovic recalls, saying the numbers still needed to evoke a traditional music video aesthetic so they felt a bit surreal. “There was a conversation about whether they would be shot on the same format or on the RED or on film – how to incorporate them in a way that makes them special but not completely dissimilar,” Bankovic says. “In the end it was case by case. Most numbers we ended up shooting on the Sony EX3 format.” Like the first musical number, which was shot in a truck stop diner. Spoon starts off sitting at the counter then breaks into song. The camera follows them in a one-take tracking shot as they make their way around the diner singing, while real patrons carry on about their business. For the musical number “Love is a Hunter,” which became the climax of the film, it felt right to shoot on the RED ONE MX – provided by SIM Digital and fitted with Cooke miniS4/i lenses – “and treat it like a proper industry standard style music video that would be a bit glossier and would have choreography and costumes and Steadicam,” Bankovic says. “We knew it would stand out, but knowing where it would be situated in the film it felt right to do that one that way.” Throughout the film Spoon also gives on-camera interviews, with the help of an EyeDirect, a photographic device that enables the subject to look into the lens thus guaranteeing eye contact with the viewer. “It’s a box that sits in front of the camera, and it has a two-way mirror and so Chelsea’s reflection would be in front of the lens. She would be sitting beside the camera but her face would be reflected right in front of the lens,” Bankovic explains. “It gives a more immediate effect to that interaction between the subject and the audience. You feel like Rae’s telling you the story. I think it’s actually quite subliminal and I don’t see a lot of films where the subject is looking directly into the camera, outside of the PSA commercial documentary realm. Bankovic would light those motel-room interviews with

Leanne MacKay

Maya Bankovic

Above left: “We found a way into an old car impound lot in Drum-

heller, Alberta, where Rae knew we could get an excellent shot Nadia Tan

of a 30’ Jesus statue that overlooks the town,” Bankovic says. Below left: Co-cinematographer Derek Howard. Above: The crew

on location capturing images of the Rockies.

“a simple Kino Flo Diva set-up,” she says. “We also carried ARRI 1K Fresnels and a couple of Source Fours with us to supplement the lighting at concerts if we needed to.”

bolism of their father’s mustache plays over shots of a giant statue of a cowboy in the middle of a field, with close-ups of the cowboy’s hat, hands and boots.

While the prairies feature prominently in the documentary they are not merely beauty shots; they also capture a sense of isolation and loneliness. “The Canadian landscape is so stunning, so beautiful,” Bankovic says. “But we had to approach it with the same ambivalence that Rae feels towards that geographical area – it’s a visually beautiful place, but it’s also the site of a lot of pain and hardship. If there was a beautiful sunset it was important to capture it, but I knew it might be used in a melancholic way. And movement was important too because it’s a road movie and it’s about touring and about getting out of there.”

“Chelsea has this term she refers to as hosing the scene down,” Bankovic explains. “She’ll often tell me, ‘We’re going to go in here to get the scene so just hose it down,’ which means, ‘Just give me every single option.’ We get wides, we get mediums, we get all the details and we experiment with some off kilter composition. And then she basically uses that as raw material to work these visual elements into the concept. That’s why we love shooting on the EX3 where you just have the power of that zoom, and you’re able to get such a variety of shots in such a small amount of time.”

That opening shot of the upside-down horizon, Bankovic reveals, was captured “guerilla style” by just driving on the highway with the minivan door open and shooting out of it. “That was such a silly indie thing to do,” the cinematographer confesses. “But we had to do it that way because it was the only thing we could do on a shoestring at that time.” The DPs had to be much more diligent about the way they captured the various emblems of that part of the country – relics of the old west juxtaposed with the modern suburban realities. In one sequence, Spoon’s meditation on the sym-

Bankovic says what was challenging about the documentary was also what she appreciated the most about the process: setting the creative parameters and sticking to them. “Because in documentary there is often this impulse to just keep the camera rolling, pop it off a tripod, go handheld, just do what you have to do to get the scene, and then a lot of those aesthetic elements fall by the wayside,” she muses. “So I think fighting the impulse to go about it as a 100 per cent vérité documentary was a challenge that I didn’t begrudge. I really hope to take that level of discipline with me in everything that I do. That’s one of the reasons why I love documentaries, not just capturing reality but giving it a shape that’s artful.” Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Jeremy Benning csc Delivers Historical Hit with

Killing Lincoln By Fanen Chiahemen

18 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

his past February the American Society of Cinematographers honoured Jeremy Benning csc with an award in the TV movie/miniseries category for his work in National Geographic Channel’s drama Killing Lincoln, which, as the title suggests, recounts the events surrounding Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. Helmed by Scott Free Productions – a company founded by British director Ridley Scott and his late brother Tony Scott and Herzog & Company – Killing Lincoln was directed by Adrian Moat, and reportedly set a viewership record for National Geographic Channel, drawing 3.4 million viewers. Benning spoke to Canadian Cinematographer about shooting the period drama on location in the American South. Canadian Cinematographer: Killing Lincoln was National Geographic Channel’s first scripted drama. How did the channel want you to approach the project visually? Jeremy Benning csc: I’ve worked with National Geographic before, doing docudramas, and they always have a strict mandate for accuracy. Whatever the story we’re telling, usually it’s all fact-based, and their fact-checking department is extremely stringent. So they really want to make sure all the costumes are as real or as close to the real thing as possible, down to the smallest props – the colour of a glove, and the wallpaper in the room that Lincoln died in. It was to the point where our production designer Richard Blankenship had wallpaper custom made. So we wanted to take that approach and philosophy and be as real as we could with the look. Knowing the period – 1865 – there’s no electricity, obviously. They had gas lamps or oil lamps, so generally speaking it’s a pretty dark period. I wanted to make sure that what we were doing looked like gas lamps. So I did as much reading as I could on the history of gas light, and I wanted to know what exactly the current state of technology was that exact year. What did the gas lamps look like? What kind of light did they give off? We had a big scene in the theatre where Lincoln gets shot. I wanted to know how they lit a theatre in 1865. The only thing we knew is they would light with gas light. So then you have to think, “What would a theatre look like that’s lit with gas light?” Limelight was also coming in at the time. Just before electricity came along there was limelight, which is basically like a chemical or heat reaction that creates a really bright light, and they were used in spotlights at the time. I needed to know if they used a limelight so I could have a spotlight on the stage because I thought that would give an extra bit of punch. But only if it existed; I didn’t want to have something that was technically impossible for the time. So I spoke to our historical advisers, and they said it was possible limelight existed in

Ford’s Theatre, so we went with it and introduced a spotlight. CC: So how did you achieve that period light? JB: A good portion of the film is actually practical candlelight, daylight, gaslight, torchlight or firelight. In rural locations, say in the farm houses, where we knew they didn’t have gas, we used oil lamps and candles. In the theatre, we used a SourceMaker 8K tungsten helium balloon floating in the ceiling. For the limelight effect, from the research I did I knew the light was slightly yellowish/green in its colour tone so we used a traditional theatrical stage spotlight and we added a yellow gel to soften it. That gave us a soft pool of light. It looked like a primitive spotlight; it took the edge off the intensity of a modern-day spotlight and just looked a little softer. Then in interiors where we knew it was gas we used very small soft sources, like small Chimera pancake lanterns, as well as small Chimera strip lights powered by the FEVA fixture, which is basically five FEV 100-watt bulbs that can be individually turned on and off. We shot with Cooke S5/i lenses, which are T1.4. We had that ability to shoot wide open with 800 ISO. So some scenes we shot 80 per cent with candlelight in more contained environments. In some of the night exteriors we used torchlight, so we’d have kerosene rags wrapped around a stick with a good flame on it. It’s the least amount of light I’ve ever shot with. CC: What was your camera and lighting package? JB: Because of our budget we shot with the RED EPIC and the SCARLET, supplied by a local company in Richmond, Virginia, called Gearhead. You could argue that the blacks would be slightly cleaner with an ALEXA, but the RED did a great job in the dark scenes. So many scenes are in darkness, we pushed the camera to the very edge of exposure. I think it did pretty well in those conditions. We brought in some helium balloons for night exteriors to give ambience and backlight when it was supposed to be a moonless night in 1865. You have to light from somewhere, but as soon as you get an HMI or a big film light on a crane it’s going to look lit and modern. We felt the most subtle way to give realistic ambience at night was with a balloon – not to mention how easy to position they are. We went handheld for some scenes and used a dolly occasionally. In this time period everything would have been very static. The early photographers at the time had their cameras on tripods. Really it was very minimal, and the biggest advantage was using fast lenses and shooting in minimal light. The lenses and the cameras with their higher ISOs really made it possible for us to shoot with very little light. Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Kent Eanes

Jeremy Benning csc (with camera) on location.

CC: What was your process in pre-production? JB: [Director] Adrian [Moat] and I spent a lot of time looking at all the locations together with a still camera, the Canon 5D MKII. We took pictures of everything and all the angles we wanted to use. We did our own little storyboards in all the locations because so much of it is location-based. Even at night we’d go to locations and photograph them to see what they look like at night and figure out the best way to light them. We also did a lot of testing with candles and gaslight. I worked with prop master Mark Hughes closely. Both Adrian and I said to him, “You’re going to become part of the lighting department. Your props are going to be lighting some of the scenes.” So we had a day of testing where Mark brought us all his double wick candles, gaslights and oil lamps, and we shot tests to see how much light we could get out of these things. Based on the tests we knew some scenes we could shoot entirely with these props as long as we had the right ones. For instance, we had candles with two wicks so they’re twice as bright, or oil lamps that had really big flames and we could use them as light sources.

suspense and eeriness of some of the scenes. We used a lot of provocative camera angles. For instance, the camera was often lower. Every time we’d light up a shot we’d go, “Let’s put the camera lower.” Once you get it below eye level everything takes on a menacing tone. I also attended the final grade in LA with colourist Peter Berg at Herzog. Adrian and I were striving for a cleaner, less typical period look than the expected sepia vibe, more modern and contrasty. Given that we rear-netted all the lenses, we built in a soft, painterly look that didn’t need to be pushed into sepia. CC: What was the most resourceful thing you did on the shoot? JB: I lit a shot partly with my iPhone. We didn’t have a lot of time and we had to get a close-up of John Wilkes Booth’s hand opening a padlock to the barn where he gets his horse before he assassinates Lincoln. The whole scene was lit, and we had several shots to get still, and I had my phone in my pocket. So I just gave his hand a bit of a backlight with my phone because it was a really close-up shot of his hand. It worked, and I don’t think anyone’s going to question it.

CC: What were the different moods you created in Killing Lincoln?

CC: Were there any restrictions in the locations you were shooting in?

JB: We talked about it as being a modem film noir. We went on the side of darkness, and I think for a television movie it’s fairly bold how dark we went. It was all about playing up the

JB: We used some of the sets from the series John Adams because it was in the same area. Also, Steven Spielberg had shot his Lincoln a few months before us, so we were in a lot of the

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

same locations where he had shot. One of the places we shot in was the real White House of the Confederacy. The limitations with period locations is the sensitivity of their artifacts. They’re tight and like museums. They very seldom even allow filming in there. The fact they let us into that place was a huge privilege. Of course they’re worried about their artifacts getting damaged, so you can’t really move anything, you can’t attach lights to anything. You’re very limited in what you can bring in and you have to bring in the bare minimum of equipment. Everyone’s on edge because they’re worried about breaking or burning something. Not only do you not want to damage anything, but you also don’t want to ruin it for future film crews. If we do anything bad they may not let anyone come in there ever again, and places like that are great resources for films.

Also, the lighting crew had to always work ahead. Because there was so much night work, almost every day we had to shoot some night stuff in real night exteriors. Day for night wouldn’t work in those situations, so the crew was often working ahead of me. We’d be working during the day with a plan we’d come up with for the night, they’d go ahead and be cabling and getting things ready for the night scenes. We’d come back from dinner, do some tweaking in twilight and then turn some lights on and it’s pre-set. You’ve got to have a good crew to be able to do that because they have to be able to understand the plan and be able to work quickly. CC: What did your ASC win mean to you? JB: All the nominees in that category (David Luther for The

Benning with the RED camera.

White Queen, and Ashley Rowe bsc for Dancing on the Edge) were really strong and great company to be in. For me it was a validation of my aesthetic and everyone that I’ve worked with for the last 15, 18 years at home in Toronto where I cut my teeth. I am the product of my collective experience – all the people I’ve collaborated with, the colourists, the production designers and my crew back home. We’re a solid team. So for me this project and winning that award represented recognition of that experience and those creative instincts. From cinematographers in Hollywood to me as an outsider, it’s like that market is saying, “You guys do good work up there.” It’s incredibly humbling.

Jeremy Benning csc

JB: The crew, who were mostly from Georgia and Virginia, had an ability to work under pressure and quickly. My first AC Liz Heslep was a focus rock star at T1.4. We had a great B camera operator, a guy named Jim Contner, who came out of semi-retirement to work on the show. He was an operator back in the ‘80s (On Golden Pond, The Wiz, Superman), and he became a DP for Miami Vice and a lot of big American TV shows. He also became a director (Star Trek, X-Files). He moved back to Virginia from LA to take it easy. He was suggested as our B cam operator and was an amazing asset to have on set with us, with his level of experience. Also, a lot of the crew had worked on Spielberg’s Lincoln, so they knew the period things we were after. My gaffer, Robert Spencer, had a rig we used in one of our period street sets. He’d taken out all the sodium vapour bulbs (from the period street lamps) and put in little peanut bulbs to make them look like gas lamps. He’d done it for Spielberg so he already had that stuff in his kit.

Kent Eanes

CC: How was the local crew an asset?

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

SIRT Tests Viability of

High-Speed

Support Technology Story and photos by Ian Harvey

22 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

week-long series of tests at the Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT) put 10 cameras and four light packages under the microscope to check their compatibility shooting at ultra high speed. Driving the five-day affair was William F. White Toronto’s operation which wanted to know if they could confidently tell clients they could shoot high-speed footage without problems using their High-Speed Truck, said WFW’s Vice President Dan St. Amour. SIRT’s Bert Dunk csc, asc – who oversaw the tests with George Willis csc, sasc, as director of photography – said there’s still a lot of work to be done in reviewing both the data and the footage on a big screen, but the initial results are clear: “There is no flicker we can see. The machines can see it at the microscopic end, but we can’t see it.” The devices used were photodiodes, some connected to a PC-based oscilloscope and handheld, which measured spot light levels of ambient light, the others plugged directly into the video signal from the cameras. The oscilloscopes can be adjusted for sensitivity and allows measurement and detection of flicker and light level variations over a wide range of frequencies, up to about 1,000 Hz. The cameras tested include the PCO at 10,000 fps; the Weisscam HS2 at 2000 fps; Phantom Flex at 1,200 fps; the Phantom Gold at 1000 fps; RED EPIC at 300 fps; Sony FS700 at 240 fps; the ARRI ALEXA at 120 fps; Sony F65 at 120 fps; Sony F5/55 at 60 fps; and the Canon C300 at 59.94 fps. There were several set-ups over the three days of filming, from a simple grayscale test with digital monitoring of the signal to check for flicker at the microscopic level through to silk scarves being pulled off objects at high frame rates to capture slow motion footage of a dancer in coloured scarves, a billiard ball being dropped into a tank of water from a height and hands thrusting into water and pulling up a cascade of liquid. All that footage, shot at varying high speeds, will be reviewed for the slightest hint of flicker caused by power fluctuations in the lighting. The fear was that high-speed capture would pick up on the almost imperceptible flicker inherent in lighting under some conditions. But it turns out the key to filtering out the flicker resides in an electronic ballast developed by Power Gems of Manchester, England, which WFW has been buying and renting for the last year or so. Power Gems makes 18 different ballast units for film and television ranging up to 24,000 watts. “There’s still a fair bit of work yet,” Dunk said. “But the ballast works and it works for all cameras right up to 10,000 fps.”

top photo: Bert Dunk

csc, asc

checks the details during

the testing. Middle: The PCO is set up for its 10,000 fps test shot. Bottom: Every detail is checked, including the light colour

and intensity. Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

“It cost a lot of money to do all this,” St. Amour said as WFW crews worked with camera operators and SIRT personnel to set up the series of shots at the waterfront location space. “We got a grant from the Ontario Centre of Excellence but we’ve also invested.” With SIRT’s Dunk and the prototype WFW truck parked outside, the team ran tests at 60 to 10,000 fps on just about every camera used in the industry. “We’ve been getting inquiries from clients who want high-speed set-ups and we told them that we were fairly sure what we had would work, but we wanted to be certain,” St. Amour said. St. Amour explained that the WFW High-Speed Truck comes with everything a client needs for an HFR shoot and the lighting package includes, two 18K HMIs, two Arrisun M90s, four Arrisun M40s and two Arrisun M18s. Fully loaded, WFW has invested about a million dollars in the 10ton truck with a 30-foot trailer and a 1,000-amp generator, which first launched last summer. It’s complete with cables, grips and everything needed, he said, like a “mobile warehouse.”

George Willis csc,sasc checks the meter while setting up a high

“We rolled it out because the camera technology has improved so much that it’s easy to shoot high speed now and clients are asking about it,” he said. “We had heard about these ballasts, and Power Gems was already a supplier so we started bringing them in. We’re really excited about the tests because it looks like we can now sell this truck and say, ‘Here are the results, have fun.’” He added that the SIRT project will create a White Paper, which will be of interest to the film industry worldwide.

frame rate shot of a billiard ball dropping into a tank of water.

Up to this point, no one had tested the combination of cameras at ultra high speed under a variety of lights, St. Amour said, and such was the novelty of the idea that Power Gems’ two co-owners Patrick McGuane and Dr. Phil Ellams trekked to the frigid back lot in the depth of the January freeze to offer support and see for themselves. “The electronic ballast is in three stages,” Dr. Ellams explained. “The first stage is a power compensator; the second stage is the ballast (acting like a condenser to smooth out the fluctuations in power), which converts the sine wave (rounded crests of the signal at peak and valley) to a square wave (where the rounded crests and valleys are flattened symmetrically). The third stage inverts the power back to AC from DC so it can be used.” Square waves rapidly transition from one state to the next and are used in electronics for things like clock signals.

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

It has also opened the door to more HFR possibilities. “We’ve already had some interest from a special effects shop which wants to create a catalogue of high-speed effects,” St. Amour said. “It’s good for everyone. It highlights Toronto and SIRT as a research and training facility and it’s good for the city.” The takeaway and learning is the important thing, he added. “Not only did we prove the concept, we also got some additional information, suspected but not confirmed technically.” While the ballasts will handle up to 1,000 Hz with the bigger lights, at that level they start “singing” and exhibit arc wander. The solution is to use smaller lights at 1,000 Hz where those issues don’t occur, according to St. Amour. “Power Gems knew this but it really hadn’t tested it,” he said. “We actually found out new stuff. Now when a DP is using a bigger light for high speed, the gaffer will know not to go above 300 Hz because you may have issues on set.”

Forget building that better mousetrap; the real race is to make a more affordable, reliable, rechargeable battery. So when a Montreal rental house develops and produces a line of batteries with cutting-edge technology to solve issues such as premature discharge, charge failure and charging cycles, it’s news. The added bonus is they’re not prone to overheating and bursting into flames. Even more interestingly, the technology, first developed back in the 1970s has just won the electrical engineering equivalent of an Oscar. First, to Montreal where Andrew Lapierre, president and owner of Dazmo Batteries, knows the bad battery syndrome all too well from his experience running Video Montreal, a rental house with offices in Montreal and Toronto. “It’s an issue for all rental houses,” he said. “You spend money every year just to replace batteries because they end up losing their charge.” Instead of complaining, however, he decided to fix the problem and his path led to Hydro Québec’s IREQ – the Institut de Recherche Québec – which is a $100 million a year research centre with 500 people. It’s an overnight success decades in the making. Hydro Québec has been working with the University of Texas under license since 1996 to create lithium iron phosphate batteries.

much faster than a standard Anton Bauer,” he said. “With an Anton Bauer quad charge four batteries will take 10 hours; we can charge in three hours or 55 minutes with just one battery. It’s a big advantage.” For the rental house business it means happier clients and less replacement of inventory, and he’s at the point where he’s got production at high enough levels to start retailing them to a wider audience as it becomes more common in the marketplace. “For example, the Sony F5/55 battery pack uses lithium iron,” he said, pointing to the BP-FL75 olivinelithium-iron battery and Sony’s BC-L90 quick charger, which accommodates two batteries and recharges in 60 minutes. And while the story of how the batteries came to production is cool, so is the backstory about the scientist who first patented and created the base technology. Dr. John B. Goodenough (insert Johnny B. Goode guitar riff here), an American professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the University of Texas, Austin, was awarded a Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering with three others, Yoshio Nishi, Rachid Yazami and Akira Yoshino in January this year for their work in developing the lithium ion battery which led to the lithium iron phosphate battery.

In conjunction with the Université de Montréal, Lapierre used their science to create the CLifePO4 which has up to three times’ lower operating costs than traditional lithiumion batteries, is rated for 1,000 charge/discharge cycles (and will probably go to at least 2,000, Lapierre said), has a 45-minute recharge cycle, no memory and an easy-to-read power meter. It also has a longer shelf life and is a sudden death battery, meaning it doesn’t wind down slowly but gives close to full power right up to the last gasp. The batteries are based on the similar technologies but differ in that lithium-ion uses cobalt oxide with a graphic sandwich while the newer CLifePO4 uses iron phosphate. More on that in a bit. Lapierre sourced the construction and design of the batteries, the carbon powder at the heart of the technology and the plastic cases from around the globe and has been building and selling them for two years. “The charge cycle is really so

Courtesy of Dazmo Batteries

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 •

Tech Column

New Battery Technology Sparks Interest in Film Sector

Goodenough is quite a guy. His early work in the 1950s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology led to randomaccess memory (RAM) chips and he went on to Oxford University in England where he developed a technology using lithium cobalt oxide as the cathode of a lithium-ion rechargeable battery, which created a much higher density of stored energy in 1979. The $500,000 Draper prize is considered “engineering’s highest honour” and ranks up there with the Nobel Prize, notes Dr. Linda Nazar at the University of Faculty of Science and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology, who is also looking at new approaches to materials and chemical components to create more powerful and longer-lasting batteries for hybrid electric or electric cars – or even cameras. Dr. Nazar’s research is similarly looking at the next generation beyond Dr. Goodenough’s lithium ion breakthrough and is also working with a series of partners, including HydroQuébec and BASF. “He did all of the work on the plus side and then it sat there until others did the work on the minus side of the battery and another group developed electrolyte, the stuff in the middle you put the ions around,” she said, noting the original was based on a lithium cobalt-oxide.

Ions are the charged particles that move between the two poles of a battery. She said to think of ions as cars moving into and out of a parking garage as they charge and discharge. “Charging removes the lithium ion and moves into the other electrode, and you take an electron away from the iron and you change its oxidization state.” Discharging reverses the process. Others have developed similar lithium iron batteries but not always successfully, she said, pointing to A123, which received hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. grants and made batteries for power tools and electric cars but went bust in 2012. The future of batteries in sectors like the video industry is now based on the concept of horses for courses. “Not all devices need the same batteries,” Dr. Nazar said, and so electric vehicles will use batteries with different charging and discharging characteristics than video camera and cell phones. “Some can be heavier, some can be inexpensive.” 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.

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26 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

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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. 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 Cooke Speed Panchro 18mm 1.7/T2. “C” Mount, Nice condition From United Kingdom #572079, asking $1,800.00 Barry Casson csc Office: 250-721-2113 bcasson@speakfilm.com Canon Wide angle Lens J11A X 4.5 B4 IRSD and Canon Servo Zoom Control ZSD-300 Value 27 000$ Asking only 3 500$ Sony Camera 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$, Porta Brace Rain Slicker for Pro Camcorder RS-55 like New Asking only 150$, Script Boy Wireless T.C. System needs minor repair Asking only 200$, Shure Mixer FP33 & Porta Brace audio mixer case Asking only 450$, 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 800$, Porta Brace monitor Case for Panasonic BT-LH910 like new Asking only 100$ andrepaul@me.com or call 514 831-8437 Panasonic AJ-HDX900P 290 drum hours, $7500.00 Canon KJ16ex7.7B IRSE lens, $5000.00 CanonJ11ex4.5B4 WRSD lens, $4500.00 Call Ian 416-725-5349 or idscott@rogers.com 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 pitch-mod 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 pitch-mod 0.8), 42mm filters: clear, 2 x 85, shipping case included $900 1- O’Conner 50 fluid head with Mitchell, MiniMitchell, 150mm ball bases and tie-downs, 2 quick release plates extra hardware (pan module needs fluid) $400Contact: stephen. reizes@gmail.com

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 BPU30, 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$, Elmo SuvCam SD ELSC5C and accessories New Value 1 200$ 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

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)

1) Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG3DA1) The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD card media. The AG-3DA1 will democratize 3D production by giving professional videographers a more affordable, flexible, reliable and easier-touse 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. FlipQ 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).

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 $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.

Sony PMW-F3 with S-Log firmware. Excellent condition low hours. Kaiser top handle. Screen Protector. 32GB SxS “A series” high speed card $7900.00 Photos available Gemini 4:4:4 solid state recorder (uncompressed) with eSata and ThunderBolt, accessories, cables, drive readers and case. Includes 512GB and 3x 256GB solid state drives. Excellent condition $ Photos available $4400.00. 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.

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 excellent 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. 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

Services HILL’S VIDEO PRODUCTIONS – BURLINGTON Looking for a unique shooting control room? Rent our 32 ft. 1981 Bus complete with control room and audio. HDSDI fiber boxes for long runs. Great for keeping warm on those multi camera shoots. www.hillsvideo.com Rob Hill – 905.335.1146 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 high-speed 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 1-888580-3274 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 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 - April 2014 •

Camera Classifieds

Equipment Wanted

CSC Member Production Notes 30 Vies IV (series); DP Marc Gadoury csc; to April 4, Montreal Arrow II (series); DP Glen Winter csc & Gordon Verheul csc (alternating episodes); to April 17,Vancouver Beauty and the Beast II (series); DP David Makin csc (alternating episodes); to April 22, Toronto Cedar Cove II (series); DP Kamal Derkaoui csc; to July 15, Burnaby Continuum III (series); DP Michael Wale csc; Operator/Steadicam Greg Fox; to April 11, North Vancouver Covert Affairs V (series); DP Mike McMurray csc &Colin Hoult csc; to September 19, Toronto A Cowboy for Christmas (TV movie); DP Russ Goozee csc; to April 7, Hamilton The Divide (series); Digital Technician Marc Forand; to April 10, Toronto The Fall (feature); DP Norayr Kasper csc; to April 4, Ste Saint Marie Hannibal II (series); Camera Operator Peter Sweeney; to April 4, Mississauga Haunting Hour IV (series); DP Michael Balfry csc; to May 21, Maple Ridge Intruders (series); DP Philip Linzey csc; to June 6, Burnaby iZombie (pilot); DP John Bartley csc, asc; to April 8, Langley Killing IV (series); DP Gregory Middleton csc; to May 3, Burnaby Northpole (MOW); DP Pierre Jodoin csc; to April 2, Montreal Reign (series); DP Paul Sarossy csc, bsc, asc; Camera Operator Perry Hoffman; B Operator/Steadicam Andris Matiss; to April 10, Toronto Rookie Blue V (series); DP David Perrault csc; to to October 1, Toronto The Strain (series); B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc; to April 30, Toronto Supernatural IX (series); DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser; to April 20, Burnaby The Tomorrow People (series); DP Brian Pearson csc & Glen Keenan (alternating episodes); to April 7, North Vancouver Yamasaka XI (series); DP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 12, Montreal www.csc.ca $4 Januar y 2014

CANADIAN

Calendar of Events

CINEMATOGRAP SOCIETY OF

Canadian SoCiety of CinematographerS

HERS

Pompeii

Knot vil’s De ssy Paul Saro csc, bsc, asc

talks

hfR

P ITS CLOSE-U READY FOR IN PROGRESS? OR WORK

ess CSC dAVId moXn PEOPLE

Checks into the Bates Motel

s TAKe off heLICAm PLATfoRm 0

5-6, CSC Professional Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca APR

10-19, Images Festival of Independent Film & Vieo, Toronto, imagesfestival.com 24-May 4, Hot Docs, Toronto, hotdocs.ca JUNE

8-11, Banff World Media Festival, banffmediafestival.com

Wine with

Peter Benison csc John Bartley csc, asc

10-MAR

ROW THE TOMOR

March 28-April 8, Cinéfranco, Toronto, cinefranco.com

$4 march 2014 www.csc.ca

56698 94903 17/12/2013

19:31

CSC_March_2014.indd 1 19/02/2014 18:06

CSC_January_2014.indd

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Subscribe online at www.csc.ca

CORRECTION The article “The Adventures of a Serial Inventor” (February 2014) misspelled the name of Lowel President Marvin Seligman. It also misrepresented Mr. Seligman as having a Brooklyn accent when in fact Mr. Seligman is from the Bronx.

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014

CUT. SHAPE. FOCUS. TUNE. ARRI introduces the first LED-based lights to truly match the versatility and homogeneity of conventional tungsten Fresnels: a new generation of focusable, tuneable lights that offers complete control, combining breakthrough performance with incredible efficiency.

www.arri.com/l-series

MoVI MAGIC

Not only is it a new word. The new Mo-VI hand-held, three-axis, gyroscopic stabilization rigs are a whole new way of shooting. And a new way for filmmakers to turn dreams into silky smooth reality. Introduce big budget camera moves into your next shoot. See the full range of Mo-VI stabilization devices, including the M5 and M10, available exclusively at Vistek.

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