Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine June 2014 by The CSC

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

$4 June 2014 www.csc.ca

Nicolas Bolduc csc

Enemy

Aesthetics of Darkness V02 #03

56698 94903

Norm Li csc Afflicted Gabriel Medina Bind

WIDE FOCAL LENGTH: 17-120MM

ZOOM: 7X

R E M O VA B L E D R I V E U N I T

T-NUMBER: 2.95

11 APERTURE BLADES

AVA I L A B L E I N P L A N D E F M O U N T S

Introducing Canon’s new CINE-SERVO lens, fusing our 4K Cinema Lens imaging performance with the operational control precision of our Broadcast Zoom lenses. With a 7:1 zoom range you have the superb 17mm wide angle setting and a 120mm telephoto in one lens – with 4K optical performance across that range. The 180 degree rotation angle for Focus ensures efficient manual cinematography – and when the removable servo drive is attached, the 16-bit precision servos provide full TV production operability. Rugged and compatible with large-format cameras, this high performance lens is lightweight and compact, making it ideal for documentary, commercial and broadcast productions.

For more information email: cinemaeos@canada.canon.com

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 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; volume 6, No. 3 June 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

Enemy: Aesthetics of Darkness By Nicolas Bolduc csc

Norm Li csc Finds Footage in Afflicted

6 10

By Fanen Chiahemen

Jorge Posada

S:13.25â&#x20AC;?

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.

Gabriel Medina Shoots Indie Horror Film Bind By Katja de Bock, Special to Canadian Cinematographer

Columns & Departments 2 3 17 20 23 24

From the President In the News 4K Raw on a Budget Tech Column Camera Classified Productions Notes / Calendar

Cover: Nicolas Bolduc csc (left) with director Denis Villeneuve on the set of Enemy Photo: Caitlin Cronenberg.

Canadian Cinematographer June 2014 Vol. 6, No. 3 CSC Board Members President George Willis csc, sasc, gawillis@sympatico.ca Past President, Advisor Joan Hutton csc, joanhuttondesign@gmail.com Vice Presidents Ron Stannett csc, ronstannett@sympatico.ca Carlos Esteves csc, carlos@imagesound.ca Treasurer Joseph Sunday phd JSunday1@CreativeAffinities.com Secretary Antonin Lhotsky csc, alhotsky@gmail.com Membership Co-Chairs Phil Earnshaw csc, philyn@sympatico.ca Alwyn Kumst csc, alwynkumst@gmail.com Education Co-Chairs D. Gregor Hagey csc, gregor@dghagey.com

From The PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

lmost 57 years ago, a journey began when a few like-minded cinematographers got together to form the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. That journey continues today, and I would like to pay tribute to our former president Joan Hutton csc for the part that she has played in that journey.

Dylan Macleod csc, dmacleod@sympatico.ca Directors Ex-officio Jeremy Benning csc, jbenning@me.com Kim Derko csc, kimderko@sympatico.ca John Holosco csc, holoskofilms@gmail.com John Lindsay, johnlindsay62@gmail.com

Out of the 57 years that the CSC has been active, Joan has served as president for 22 of those years. This is a remarkable accomplishment and one that comes with dedication, commitment, and, in Joan’s own words, passion.

Bruno Philip csc, bphilipcsc@gmail.com Brendan Steacy, brendansteacy@gmail.com Carolyn Wong, CarolynWong50@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER 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 OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / Subscriptions 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1

Over the years, Joan has formed alliances with the many sponsors who so magnanimously contribute to help fund the CSC and who are an integral part of our society. Maintaining this relationship is no mean feat and is one that requires special recognition, for we as a society would not be able to accomplish all that we have without our sponsor’s continued generosity. I am pleased to say that Joan will still be a part of the CSC Executive committee in the role of past president, and I place great value in the fact that I will be able to seek her advice and counsel when necessary. The CSC Executive, together with the society’s membership, wishes Joan all the very best for the future and we all acknowledge and thank her for her enormous contribution to this society.

Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, 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 - June 2014

The Annual General Meeting on March 31 was a turning point in my career and with each turning point in one’s life questions arise, so I ask myself, “Where to from here?” In my mind there is only one answer: onward and upward! We will continue with the momentum that we have seen increase exponentially over the recent years and in so doing will open doors through many proposed new incentives. We will focus our energies in many directions, such as boosting our membership roster, continued involvement in the educational field with workshops that have become very well known within the industry, and pursuing companies and organizations who might wish to align themselves with the CSC and become sponsors of this prestigious society. see bottom of page 3

he Jason Priestly comedy Cas & Dylan, shot by Gerald Packer csc, was recently selected as the Film Circuit People’s Choice Award winner for 2013. Now in their 10th year, the annual Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards are decided by audiences across the country who vote for their favourite films screening through Film Circuit. Meanwhile, Atom Egoyan’s feature film The Captive, shot by Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc was one of three Canadian films in competition at the 67th Festival de Cannes, held from May 14 to 25. The other two Canadian films in competition are Xavier Dolan’s Mommy and David Cronenberg’s Maps to the Stars.

Equipment Rental House Opens in East End Toronto The Canuck Camera Corporation (CCC Rental House) is the newest equipment supply company to hang out its shingle in the GTA. Located in the Scarborough area of Toronto, CCC offers an array of cameras from Canon to RED for rent-

al, plus lenses, image stabilization systems, the newly developed Air Xposure drone and a large green screen studio space.

Postproduction House 902 Post Opens New Digital Facility in Atlantic Canada Halifax-based postproduction boutique 902 Post Inc. earlier this year announced it was bringing its film picture finishing technology to Atlantic Canada with 902 Post Digital Theatre One, a new custom-designed digital screening theatre equipped with a Christie Digital DCI compliant digital projector. The facility is the first of its kind in the region, enabling producers to colour correct and screen their work in an industry-standard environment rather than travelling elsewhere to do so, Playback reports. The facility also boasts a Dolby Digital Cinema Sound Processor and a high-tech colour management system.

Industrial Light and Magic Opens Permanent Studio in Vancouver Lucasfilm’s Industrial Light and Magic in March officially opened its 30,000-square-foot studio in Vancouver. Some see page 4

From The PRESIDENT, continued We also have a duty to forge ahead and embrace the new talent and the younger generation as they emerge in the film and television industry. This and more will be driven by our mandate “to foster and promote the art of cinematography.” The membership of the CSC is what makes up the society. We rely on you and ask for your continued support and assistance in helping us to achieve all that we have planned for the future. This is a very exciting time for the CSC, and over the next while we will be announcing plans that we know will take us to greater heights. It is our intention to elevate the status of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers and to create an awareness never seen before. At this time, I would like to acknowledge the confidence and trust that you, the membership, have placed in me. I am extremely honoured, and together with the Executive, I will do everything possible to continue in the same spirit and with the same energy, commitment and passion as my predecessors. I look forward to this new challenge. Thank you. George Willis csc, sasc Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

In The News

Member News

Ryan Ruskay

Inside Deluxe’s new facility in West Toronto.

200 employees are expected to be working there by this summer, an expansion on the 100-plus employees already working at a temporary satellite office, according to media reports. The Vancouver studio is expected to take on features such as the Star Wars trilogy, Warcraft, Jurassic World, and Tomorrowland, and has already worked on projects like The Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim.

it to a total of seven focal lengths. The MA135/T1.9 rounds off this portfolio of anamorphic cine lenses jointly developed by ARRI and ZEISS. The three-lens sets (35, 50 and 75 mm) available since September 2013 are already in use on a wide range of projects. Delivery of the MA 135/T1.9 begins in July 2014. The lenses show hardly any image breathing and low distortion. The issue of anamorphic mumps – when

Deluxe Toronto Relocates to City’s West End After 25 years, Deluxe Toronto has relocated its postproduction, media services and content protection operations to a 62,000-square-foot facility at 901 King Street West, occupying the top three floors of an eight-storey building. All services will be fully data based, from processing to delivery and storage, and engineers have constructed a 10 GB fully networked facility, offering improved connectivity to the outside world via Deluxe’s Express Network to Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Atlanta, London, Sydney and most points in between.

MA 135/T1.9 Completes Master Anamorphic Family from ZEISS and ARRI ARRI and ZEISS presented the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic MA135/T1.9 at this year’s NAB Show in Las Vegas. This lens completes the Master Anamorphic family, bringing

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

faces shot at close range appear wider – is balanced out automatically. This is achieved by positioning the cylindrical lens elements at strategically important points in the lens. The almost telecentric optical design reduces colour errors (chromatic aberrations) and shading in the corners of the image. The lenses also produce an anamorphic bokeh that is free from artifacts. A newly developed iris diaphragm with 15 aperture blades has been integrated into the ARRI/ZEISS Master Anamorphic lenses to create a bokeh that is oval and evenly illuminated.

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2014 â&#x20AC;˘

Enemy

Aesthetics of Darkness By Nicolas Bolduc csc

6 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

enis Villeneuve and I shot a short film together in 2008 called Next Floor [Editor’s note: 2010 Winner of the CSC Award for Dramatic Short Cinematography.] It is a weird and wonderful allegory, a sort of dark ode to excessive human consumption, of our increasing love of immoderation. There was a linear story, as abstract as it was, but the interpretation was open. Denis had this kind of feeling in mind for Enemy, zooms and weirdness included.

Caitlin Cronenberg

Enemy is basically the story of man seeing his doppelganger in a film and becoming obsessed with meeting him. The story originally came from a dark place in author José Saramago’s mind, and Javier Gullon’s script felt like Lynch had bitten Cronenberg and then punched Grandrieux in the face. My first reaction was, “I really don’t understand it all. But I really, really want to see this movie!” Denis reassured me, “I don’t understand it all either, but isn’t that fantastic? Let’s explore.” I had never seen a film like the one we were going to do, so I absolutely wanted to shoot it.

Actor Jake Gyllenhaal playing against a tennis ball as a stand-in for his character’s doppelganger.

POINT OF VIEW The first thing for me was to try and grasp something visual out of the script that I could make my own and use it as a sort of point of view to tell the story. Point of view discussions actually became quite frequent between Denis, Matt Hannam (the editor) and me, mainly because of the nature of the story and its various levels of reading. But also because we all had our own interpretations of what the story was really about. How to approach it as a cinematic piece was pretty much all we talked about during prep.

What Denis was interested in as a director was telling the story of a man who was trying to leave his mistress to return to his wife. The story about identity, about self-annihilation, is one level of reading it. For me, to create an approach that could be grounded visually, I felt I had to film the story in a way that told the story of two completely independent characters with two clear linear narratives. My obsession was making these two men as real as I could, and I thought that if we believed in the camera that this story was about two separate individuals, it would make the unsettling sensation even stronger. To achieve this, the main character and his doppelganger, Adam and Anthony (both played by Jake Gyllenhaal), had to intervene in one another’s lives physically, or else, in my mind, we would never believe that they were both real, and it would feel like some sort of sleight of hand from the filmmakers. VISUAL PARANOIA Denis was thrilled to tell me that we had a whole new playground to shoot in: Toronto. Neither of us had shot there previously, and the challenge was nothing unnerving because the city is incredibly photogenic. But the idea was to make something different out of it, something that was more inspired by an interpretation of the book from José Saramago than anything we would have seen previously of Toronto. Denis wanted to create a São Paulo-meets-Toronto city, hot and polluted, a vast metropolis so big that anyone living in it would feel claustrophobic. We watched a couple of films in prep: Vertigo, for the obvious duplicity theme; Polanski’s The Tenant; Antonioni’s Red Desert; Kubrick’s 2001. I also showed Denis some ‘70s paranoia films that I found fitting like Pakula’s Klute and The Parallax View. I really felt inspired by their strange suspense and Gordon Willis’ bold and dark photography that just doesn’t get old. From a photographic standpoint, Denis showed me two stills that became the actual inspiration of the film. They were strange photographs that he had taken at completely different moments, and they weren’t good photographs, but they had strange moods, and I understood at once what to do with them because I was engrossed by their strangeness. One was a picture of a yellowish smoky sand storm in Jordan taken through a hotel window, and the other was an underexposed reddish face of one of his kids in darkness at home. I loved the pollution of one and the muddy darkness of the other. The idea to start my conception of the film with something so abstract and completely untied to the script was an interesting challenge. I thought these images were more Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

about a state of mind, a feeling, than an actual reference, but it made sense for the film we were doing. The toxic yellowish dust storm became the proposal to create an overcast polluted Toronto that felt like São Paulo, and the reddish face was the underexposed and intimate dark space for the sex scenes and pretty much all of Adam’s apartment where all the eerie stuff happens. Since I wanted everything in the film to feel muddy – and I wanted it all to be done in-camera – I tested on the ALEXA my favorite filter-sandwich, the Straw and Chocolate, to create a yellow cigarette-stain feeling for the day scenes. They turned out great with the skin tones of all three actors, as well as the sets and the muted costumes. I’m allergic to those blue nights for city scenes, so gaffer Terry Banting doubled MT2 orange gels on tungsten lights for the night scenes. It was over-the-top perfectly yellow. Trying to give a yellowish tone just in post is close to suicide, and you just end up dialling in a ridiculous amount of green and magenta in the skin tones. I normally like to go really dark on films, but Denis was actually pushing me to go even darker than I was used to. We knew there was no way of making the shots brighter in post and we took that chance: it was total commitment. Sometimes people would arrive on set and trip on cables and equipment because it was so dark on the stage. Of course Charlotte Mazzinghi the colour timer – who was appropriately named the Mud Djinni – kept it elegantly dark and murky all along the Enemy path. ZOOMS Denis and I had used zooms extensively on Next Floor and we wanted to use them again, but differently. On this feature I didn’t want the lenses to overpower the image and make it feel like a huge aesthetic statement from the ‘70s. So I proposed 1.3 Hawk anamorphics from Vantage, and we used an Optimo adapted with an anamorphic back. I used the zooms mostly “invisibly,” or sometimes to slowly enhance a dramatic moment. Also, it’s quite exciting as an operator to use zooms when everyone thinks there are none. One example: there’s a moment when Jake runs back to his car after going to Anthony’s agency. I’m around 90 mm on him and I just zoom out as he’s running towards me and finish in a 30 mm. He enters the car and then I zoom back on his face. Nobody knows there’s a zoom because it’s hidden in Jake’s movement. CREEPY HOVERING Enemy is quite a claustrophobic film so it needed to breathe. Wide aerial shots were the best way to give some form of release to the viewer. Denis really wanted to make the city

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

look almost like a never-ending metropolis but where a giant spider could be even taller than the buildings. Toronto is expanding at a crazy rate and the view from a helicopter is quite vast, so no CGI was needed. We looked for the uneven, un-glossy Toronto that is never really shown: unfinished buildings, cranes, construction, traffic, etc. We flew for several hours on the last day of shooting with the small Optimo zoom on the Stab-C head, and I was able to improvise some creepy travelling-in/zoom-outs with the chopper over the buildings in the St. James area. The buildings looked as though they were breathing. THE AMERICAN SPECIAL FX Denis called Jake his American Special FX because this film is more about mood and acting than it is a technical showdown. To feel the madness of the story, of its environment, it had to be felt mainly through the actors. Not getting entangled in any of the technical issues was our main concern, but the script created challenges: the duplicity of Jake, the spider, a car accident and all the apartment scenes that were to be shot on stage for different reasons. Since our references were films from the paranoia period in Hollywood and the ‘60s, we wanted to make everything feel “in-camera.” Patrice Vermette, the set designer, wanted to build sets that could be shot like real locations, so we agreed to bolt in the ceilings and floors, and I would use most of the actual practical lighting as main night lighting on set. I wanted to avoid the green screen also, which is hell to use with the window reflections and the green spill it creates in very low light. Pat had the brilliant idea to make 15 meter Translights for the exterior. They were very well done, and we even used the Translights for exterior shots on a balcony as actual reflections in the windows! All this “realism” made everything feel so much less like a constructed film set and more like a real location. We knew early on that the violence of the car accident had to be done as a surprise and with such force that it would be impossible to imagine any of the passengers surviving. Also, making it in one single shot was so much more in the style of the film. We shot the car swerving live at the top of the shot on a camera car with a crane and a zoom, and there was a flipped car at the end of the shot. Rodeo FX made the amazing tumbling in-between. I kept it really dark, but I wanted the ending with the real vehicle to be in all these construction lights to make it feel still organic. THE TWO JAKES We approached the shooting of the visual effects for the duplicity scenes in the same fashion. We didn’t want to use the Milo because it’s a bulky and noisy machine and it was giving

HOVERING We didn’t have a storyboard or even a shot list while shooting, except for the duplicity scenes. Never having any storyboards made us quite keen on listening to each other, to propose things that rang true to the tone of the film and that were also economical for the time we had and the tight budget. We wanted to give a feeling of tension through the frame by letting the actors live through it, so in the schedule there was a lot of time dedicated to the blockings, to the construction of the tone of the scenes, trying to avoid the obvious traps the script laid out for us. Then when we were all on the same page as to where we were going in the scene, we would shoot very little shots, but sometimes up to 30 takes to make it just right. Denis would give Jake and his fellow actors Mélanie Laurent and Sarah Gadon the freedom to try things, to improvise, and I would capture them quite simply, often with as minimal lighting as possible.

Caitlin Cronenberg

Director Denis Villeneuve consults with actor Jake Gyllenhaal on the set of Enemy.

Caitlin Cronenberg

us possibilities that we didn’t want. The best small device was the Moses, from Whites, that was operated with remote wheels and that has a light gripoperated dolly-track system. So the first recorded pass of one Jake – where two characters would be integrated in later-on – felt like a real simple cinema shot, nothing fancy and no intended technical showing off. The Moses would just repeat the moves over and over for the other character Jake had to play against himself. Jake was playing against a tennis ball for the sake of the eye lines that were moving. In both scenes where he meets his double, I had poked a tennis ball at the end of a C-Stand, and with the help of a small hand-held monitor that showed me the first pass cross-faded with the one we were doing I would give Jake his eye line, floating the tennis ball around like a puppeteer.

There was no reason to make things look glossy or impressive, and in the end the longer the shots were, the better. I would often put the camera on an Aerocrane and just float and zoom slowly to get to wherever the scene was going. Eric Bensoussan, the focus puller, admitted that it was the hardest film he has ever done because everything was unstable, floating and improvised. I admit that I thought that running after kids, handheld in a jungle on Rebelle [Editor’s note: see “Rebelle: A Congolese Tale in Incredible Colour,” Canadian Cinematographer, March 2012] was worse, but apparently not! Still from Denis Villeneuve’s Enemy. Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

Norm Li csc

Finds Footage for

Afflicted By Fanen Chiahemen Photos by Trevor Addie

he independent feature Afflicted follows two friends – Derek and Clif – embarking on a year-long backpacking trip around the world after Derek is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition. Clif, being an aspiring filmmaker, brings along a camera to document the entire journey and keeps it rolling when Derek starts to develop some bizarre symptoms following an encounter with a mysterious woman in Paris. As Derek manifests a violent sun and food allergy, superhuman strength and speed, and a thirst for blood, he unleashes mayhem that culminates in some budget-defying action-packed sequences, some involving French SWAT teams, leaps between buildings and a fight scene with a vampire. Spanning a range of genres – including horror, found footage, super hero, and vampire – Afflicted was shot in France, Italy, and Spain over a two-year period on Canon 5D MK2s and a GoPro camera, with co-directors Derek Lee and Clif Prowse in the lead roles as fictionalized versions of themselves. For cinematographer Norm Li csc, shooting in the found-footage subgenre was a new experience, often calling on him to assume the role of the protagonists, who purportedly are capturing the events. Li tells Canadian Cinematographer about shooting the film, which premiered at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and opened nationwide this spring.

Actor-director Derek Lee wears the strap-on camera rig devised by Sean Arden.

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

Canadian Cinematographer: How did you and the directors approach the visual language for a film of this genre? Norm Li csc: The only film we looked at really was REC, a Spanish found footage film. But we didn’t go into too much detail because we didn’t want to get any pre-conceived ideas of how to shoot it. We wanted to come up with our own visual language. In terms of the language, we knew we couldn’t incorporate any traditional cinema tools such as dollies, Steadicam, or cranes. It had to be static, handheld, or body mounted. It was critical that it felt realistic. For many scenes, we didn’t want it to look like there were many cuts. Long continuous takes were very important to this film. We actually had to make a lot of scenes look like they’re one long take when they are not. CC: How did you stitch together shots to look like one continuous take?

Li: I operated the camera for a lot of the film, but a large portion of the film was also shot by the co-directors themselves in certain circumstances if we felt that having them shoot it would add something unique. There were times when we needed to see, for example, Derek or Clif ’s feet or arms in the shot, where they would reach for something. I would hold the camera and they would be to my right or left sticking in their arms or feet. But sometimes we were in awkward positions where we couldn’t do that, and I found that it was better to just have them do it. Sometimes it was also just better for the performance if they held the camera. Say one character’s having an argument with the character who is shooting, he can’t be arguing with me; it wouldn’t help the performance. The other camera operator was one of our main stunt performers for most of the wire work, Brian Ho. He wore the camera for all the scenes where Derek’s character was suspended on wires, jumping between buildings, or any dangerous stunt work. CC: Clif and Derek sometimes wore a “strap-on” camera rig to shoot some scenes, mounted on their torsos like a vest, with the camera attached to it. Can you talk about devising the rig?

Li: I believe there are over 150 of these stitched-together shots in this film. Sometimes we even stitched scenes we filmed in different countries! Basically we did that through moving matte lines and whip pans. This was achieved by using any kind of vertical line, where for example there is a wall that the editor can match and move to the next location by matching the same vertical line, going from left to right or right to left. Another method was using the whip pan where you whip from left to right or right to left, whatever direction we need, and then continue the same motion in another scene or shot. Within the whip we could transition or do a slight dissolve to help us get to the next shot pretty much seamlessly. Another method was flaring the camera or dropping the camera, where the impact of the camera would allow us to transition from one shot to another.

Li: The strap-on camera rig was designed to be a part of the film since both characters wore it to document segments of their trip. It was fabricated by a very talented guy by the name of Sean Arden. It was a close collaboration as Sean executed the ideas, while we made suggestions on its design and functionality. It was important that it could endure the extreme situations such as skydiving, jumping between buildings, wire rigs and fight scenes. We had to make sure we could adjust the angle and height of the camera for different scenarios, as well as design special pockets to hide remote focuses, transmitters, batteries and cables.

CC: How did you work out the camera operation with the two actor-directors?

CC: How did you simulate shooting as the characters in the film? Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

Li: I had to put myself in the mindset of Clif or Derek when operating the camera – would they turn it off in certain situations? Would they drop it? In the film, Clif is an amateur filmmaker and Derek has no idea about cameras, so for Derek’s character I would hold the camera as if I was not even framing. I would almost try to disregard what I was looking at, but also try to frame it at the same time This is the first found footage film I’ve done. It was difficult because you can’t be too perfect, you can’t frame or light traditionally either. You have to do things like be off skew, cut off one side of the frame, and over or underexpose. That was the difficult thing – to not make it seem contrived, but make it really feel authentic. I also had to adapt to each character’s situation and emotional mindset and translate that into the camera operation as much as possible. I would have to really think about what these characters were going through. For example, if they were scared of what’s around the corner or excited to be on a road trip, how would they hold the camera and how would I feel in that given situation?

make it look like there was only a back light or side light or fill light or no light. We just needed to make it look as real as possible without looking lit so we could still see them. Luckily with the Canon 5Ds we can get away with increasing the ISO a lot higher than we normally do. The cameras allowed us to shoot at 1000-1600 ISO safely. Fortunately, additional video noise while using higher ISOs was acceptable since it was the found footage genre. Some night scenes were lit only by a high-powered military Eagletac LED flashlight, other scenes we augmented using a series of Rosco LitePads and LitePanels, some were lit with work lights and fluorescents, while others were lit by everything from 150W to 1K Fresnels. I even lit some shots with my iPhone! For the fight scene at the end between Derek and Audrey, the vampire, the location we acquired was fantastic, but we had to black out all the windows and light the scene accordingly to make it look dark, gritty, and realistic. I lit the whole scene using several fluorescents and LEDs.

DP Norm Li csc (right) with co-director and actor Clif Prowse.

CC: The film offers lots of opportunities for practical lighting – did you ever enhance the lighting or did you just rely on the cameras? Li: One of the other main challenges of the film was to light it to make it look as realistic as possible, as if it was not lit at all artificially. If we were filming night exteriors, I would follow the same or similar colour temperatures of any given city we were filming in. Italy had a lot of orange sodium vapour street lighting, and Paris had a lot of cyan mercury vapour street lighting. So in Paris I would mainly use the Rosco LitePanels to match; they have a sickly feel to them. And then in Italy, which has a lot more sodium vapour-style orangey lights, I would gel my lights with either half or full CTO to just kind of match that, and place it somewhere to

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

CC: What was the most challenging shot to capture? Li: There were so many challenging shots! However, one of most challenging series of shots to capture was from the police chase scene where we had Brian rigged and ratcheted off of two 150’ cranes, allowing him to be catapulted from one rooftop to another at high speed, and which also allowed him to jump from ground level to the top level of a six-storey building. One of the shots required me to literally hang horizontally off the edge of the building from my knees to get a shot of a French policeman dropping to his death as Derek loses his grip. The stunt coordinator Lauro Chartrand did an amazing job for this film and we were very fortunate to have him on board.

Afflicted includes some budget-defying action sequences shot by the crew on location in France, Italy and Spain.

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 â&#x20AC;˘

Gabriel Medina Shoots Indie Horror Film

Bind By Katja De Bock Special to Canadian Cinematographer

tanding in a location the size of a closet, trying to capture a scary night scene with a child actor and only one oil lamp as a light source, director of photography and CSC associate member Gabriel Medina feels on top of the world. Fully in sync with his director’s creative vision, and in control of his own camera gear, he enjoys the concentration of getting yet another challenging scene in the can, as he did on the set of Bind, shot in Langley, B.C. Bind, directed by Dan Walton and Dan Zachary, tells the story of a family moving into an abandoned orphanage, only to find that their charming home has a disturbing history that will come back to haunt them. The family’s young daughter, Sarah – played by Sierra Pitkin (Juno) – sets the mystery in motion when she discovers the ghost of a woman who used to live in the house. For the low-budget indie production (under $1million) the directors-producers needed a DP who would bring his own gear and be willing to operate the camera. Growing up in Mexico as the son of well-known actor Alejandro Vega, Medina had the opportunity to learn all about the local film industry from scratch. As early as age eight, Medina performed in numerous commercials, films and television series and went on to focus on the technical side of film production. “I worked with him [Medina] previously on a short film called Prophet. He knows what I like, and he is the only one that I can see eye to eye with,” Walton says. “He has lots of

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

film gear at his disposal. He can get a lot accomplished with a modest budget.” For Bind, Walton wanted an old-school vibe, a dark and gritty ‘70s, ‘80s look, blended with a modern flair. To achieve that look, Medina used a combination of both long and wide lenses, including 9.8 mm Kinoptiks for the establishing shot, 14 mm Century Optics, and 18 mm lenses, to give the main location – an abandoned Hydro building – a large, foreboding look. Sometimes, to add tension in a scene, he would use longer lenses, 85 mm, 100 mm or 400 mm Canon Century Optics, to compress the action on screen. “I believe we were successful on all fronts,” Walton says. “I think there is a nice balance. You get breathing room when you need it and when the suspense comes the look is tighter, compressed.” “I like to paint with light,” says Medina, who used principally HMI lights that are daylight colour temperature (5600K) in combination with tungsten lights (3200K). “I love to do day for night for this kind of horror film. If I would be shooting a romantic comedy, my lighting would be mainly tungsten and definitely not day for night. I really love the tone that is created by using day for night in this horror movie.” Medina also says he loves working with 1.2 HMIs. “They are exactly what I need for small locations through windows or French doors. The look that is created is almost identical to

Jorge Posada

DP and CSC associate member Gabriel Medina.

that of moonlight. I also really enjoy creating my looks with ARRI tungsten lights, but when locations are small, I use LED panel lights,” he says. Walton is specifically pleased with a scene in the film where Ben, played by Darren Matheson, gets drunk and finds a horrific surprise in the shower. “We are most proud of that scene because it is very cinematic. Lots of slow dolly moves and wide lenses. The scene has great tension and suspense,” Walton says. Medina says the scene was challenging, primarily since the location was just a small bathroom, which had to include two actors, the camera operator, the sound person and a 1st AC, as well as an over keeper (a slider). “However, I had so much fun creating this scene, using also a haze machine,” says Medina, who made use of two LED flat panels inside and an ARRI M18 outside of the window for moon light. “Mostly 14 mm, 50 mm and 85 mm lenses play in this scene, as well as a one-tube Kino Flo light.”

the EPIC if they want to create a film look. That’s why I call it magic. Don’t get me wrong, I love my EPIC X and obviously it is a superior camera, but RED ONE was what I would consider the beginning of a new era of cinematography.” A few second unit shots were achieved with a BLACKMAGIC camera. “Those shots are really quick, so in the final project they will be hard to see beside those of the RED,” Medina says. “BLACKMAGIC is another camera that shoots 2.7 K. It is not quite 4K, but still you can use clips from it. It was mainly used for inserts and one scene that takes place in a forest where a girl is running.” He also used a set of RED Pro Primes, a 1.8, a Canon PL Mount 2.8 telephoto and a 9.8 Kinoptic. “This last one just for one establishing shot,” he says. “I needed the aperture of 1.8 and also the sharpness that is already known in this set.”

With the exception of an establishing shot, Medina shot Bind on his own RED ONE MYSTERIUM-X camera. “The RED MX has some kind of magic that I like,” Medina says, with a spark in his eye. “The RED MX was the first camera in the market for 4K. So many movies have been made with that camera. It’s the camera that put all the film cameras out of business.

In some scenes, Medina used practical lights that already existed in the location. “I did not use the practical to light the character, but showed the practical in the frame to have a motivation where the light was supposed to come from,” he says. “For example, we have a scene in a barn and you can see a bulb light hanging off the celling behind the actor sitting in a chair. I used this bulb for two purposes: first, to create a depth from the actor to the background, and second, as the motivation for my backlight, an off-camera ARRI 350w with a dimmer,” he explains.

“A lot of people say it has a different texture, even though it is the same sensor; it’s something that looks more like film than the EPIC,” he continues. “It shouldn’t, because it’s the same sensor, but still a lot of people like the RED ONE better than

In some scenes Medina occasionally used LED panels, which meant a new learning experience. “Every project is different, and every situation comes with a new learning experience, like in this case, working in small places with LED Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

Jorge Posada

In Bind, Medina used a few handheld shots, as well as a few sliding shots. “Every moment in the movie is used to tell a story with different emotions,” he says. “The vision of Dan Walton was to create a feeling with every shot. Sometimes we had a shot that needed to terrify the audience. For example, when the ghost Hester is outside of the door, we used a slider and made a nice slow sliding movement towards her and back again. That would totally make me turn on the light in my house if I were watching this movie by myself!” As usual, Medina operated the camera himself. “Ninetynine per cent of my shows I like to operate my own camera. I feel that I have more control of how I want to tell the story. In this show I operated 100 per cent on main unit, and Dan Zachary was the operator and DP on second unit,” he says.

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

Stills from Bind.

Jorge Posada

lights. This is not an easy task, as the LEDs don’t have the colour temperature right, so you have to play a lot,” he says. “They don’t have the punch that I like, but in tiny locations they are useful. They don’t evoke heat, so with so many people in a tiny space I don’t really want to have a tungsten light, it would be a really hot place after some time.” He adds that some LED panels are not exactly colour balanced, so they have some green resembling fluorescent lights, so he used gels to minimize the green.

“Sometimes, with 35mm, I want to concentrate on the lighting, because with film, it’s a bit more tricky.” Medina greatly appreciated his gaffer, Clyde Harrelson, who is originally from Montana. “This is the second project that we worked together on, and I really think that we understand each other well. And that is really important for me.” Bind is scheduled to premiere this summer and is produced by GroundDead Productions.

4KRAW

on a Budget

Photos: Tim Dashwood

Convergent Design’s Odyssey 7Q RAW and Sony’s FS700

n March I was very excited to hear that Convergent Design had finally released the highly-anticipated firmware update for the Odyssey7Q SSD recorder that enabled ProRes422 and FS700 4K RAW recording. I’ve been a proud owner of the FS700 for over a year and have loved shooting with the camera. It shares the exact same sensor as the F5, but unfortunately only processes internally, and outputs, 8-bit. The Sony-branded 4K RAW recording solution is very large, but the Odysssey7Q offers similar functionality in a more versatile, compact and affordable package. With the purchase of a license key, the Odyssey7Q is capable of recording a RAW stream from an ARRI ALEXA, Canon C500, or Sony FS700, as well as 4:2:2 1080p to ProRes422(HQ) and 4:4:4 signals to DPX. Some licenses can also be rented on a daily basis. The screen also looks great and with lots of mounting options can serve as a reliable on-camera monitor. My good friend John Tran helped me conduct my initial technical test. We had both updated our FS700s to v3.0 firmware last summer (required for 4K RAW output) and had been waiting for almost a year to actually record 4K RAW to the Odyssey7Q. Camera assistant Chris Goll kept us organized during the test. Our test of different recording formats (including the internal AVCHD) focused on these aspects: latitude/dynamic range of available gamma curves and recording formats, bit-depth, chroma-subsampling, and resolution/scaling.

DIY backlit Dynamic Range chart

The Odyssey7Q’s recording menu currently looks like this: w 4:2:2 -> PRORES HD (.MOV) w FS700 RAW -> RAW (.DNG) w Canon RAW -> RAW (.RMF) w ARRIRAW -> RAW (.ARI) w 4:2:2/4:4:4 -> 4:4:4 (.DPX) w MULTI-STREAM 4:2:2 w FS700 4K RAW -> PRORES HD (.MOV)

By Tim Dashwood

Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

The top mode, 4:2:2 -> ProRes HD, is actually ProRes422 (HQ), and is effectively the same 220bps recording function you would have in devices like the Samurai, Ninja, Hyperdeck or Pix240. The “HQ” flavour of ProRes422 is 10-bit, but since the HD-SDI output of the FS700 is only 8-bit (256 shades of grey per R,G,B channel) recording in this mode won’t help with gradients in your image. However, there will still be a decided advantage over recording lower bitrate 8-bit 4:2:0 to AVCHD internally. The FS700′s HD-SDI output is 4:2:2 so the chroma-subsampling is at least better than AVCHD. Recording frame rates of 23.98, 25 and 29.97 fps are available in this mode.

Latitude/ Dynamic Range Tests The first test we conducted was for latitude/dynamic range. Obviously 4K RAW will have the best results when it comes to available latitude, but I was curious how the Odyssey7Q’s debayer/downconvert to ProRes422(HQ) would compare. To conduct the test I cut 17 pieces of ND.3 gel, stacked and stapled them to a piece of foam core with a hole cut for backlighting by a Diva light. This effectively gave me a 17 stop chart. It may not be as photometrically accurate as DSC Labs’ Zyla, but more than enough to compare settings with the FS700′s sensor.

If you want 1080p from the FS700 in true 10-bit, then you will want to purchase the FS700 record key from Convergent Design and use the bottom recording mode FS700 4K RAW -> PRORES HD (.MOV). The 4K RAW setting requires you to change the REC setting in the FS700 to 4K RAW and use either the REC709 or SLOG2 gamma in your picture profile. The FS700 then sends a RAW bitstream to the Odyssey7Q, bypassing the camera’s internal 8-bit processing. The Odyssey7Q debayers the RAW data, crops it from 17×9 to 16×9 and downconverts it to 10-bit, 4:2:2 1920×1080 for recording to ProRes422 (HQ.) The only available frame rates in this mode are 23.98, 25 and 29.97 fps. The third available option is of course FS700 RAW -> RAW (.DNG), which allows you to record both 2K and 4K RAW streams from the FS700 in 12-bit CinemaDNG image sequences along with a 48KHz 16-bit wav files for sound. Frame rates of 23.98, 25, 29.97, 50 and 59.94 are available for both 2K and 4K resolutions. However, 2K RAW can also be recorded continuously at 100, 120, 200 and 240 fps. 2K RAW at 200 and 240 fps requires RAID0 spanned recording with two SSDs simultaneously, and then the clips need to be re-combined in post-production. Each 4K CinemaDNG frame is about 13.5MB, so each 512GB SSD at 24 fps will only last 26 minutes. RAW recording requires that the FS700 picture profile have either ITU709, ITU709 (800%) or Slog2 set as the gamma curve. When I started working with the Odyssey7Q I couldn’t figure out why a RAW recorder that takes a RAW data signal would care what gamma processing was set in the camera, except for embedded metadata purposes (a target reference for the debayer process.) I think the intent is to allow the option for the viewfinder and HDMI output to show a ITU709 reference even though many more stops of latitude are being recorded in RAW. The Odyssey7Q currently has an option to set a S-Log2 to REC709 display LUT. Convergent Design tells me this feature will be improved through firmware in the future.

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

Latitude/Dynamic Range Test: This diagram presents the same chart recorded to 8-bit AVCHD, 8-bit to Pro-Res422(HQ), RAW to 10-bit ProRes422(HQ), 2K RAW, and 4K RAW.

For comparison, I presented in a diagram the same chart recorded to 8-bit AVCHD, 8-bit to ProRes422(HQ), RAW to 10bit ProRes422(HQ), 2K RAW, and 4K RAW. Slog2 is the preferred gamma curve for the most latitude, but we also shot with REC709 for comparison, and a few of the other popular gamma curves (only available in 8-bit.) For direct comparison the exposure did not change between gamma curves and recording mediums. We set the farthest right white level to the clipping point in S-Log2 when the Odyssey7Q was in RAW record mode. The dynamic range advantage is obviously given to RAW CinemaDNG recordings at just over 12 stops, but the 4K RAW to 1080p ProRes S-Log2 only has around 1-stop less latitude retained than RAW (clips a stop from the top.) Of course, those shadow areas are well into the noise-floor so I would still say the “usable” latitude is 11 stops in RAW or ProRes. Another interesting discovery for those who haven’t upgraded their FS700 yet, is that the Cine4 curve still retains almost the same latitude as SLog2, but has a distinctive S-shape to the curve, which means less need for colour grading in post (adding back contrast), and less chance of having to dig deep into the shadows where 8-bit banding will cause an issue.

The other interesting thing to note about the FS700′s 8-bit processing, versus Odyssey7Q’s 10-bit, is that the 8-bit processing always has a lifted pedestal, whereas the Odyssey7Q uses every available bit. The practical advantage to this is likely to ensure the user is seeing all the detail available when recording, but also keeps the signal out of the lowest bit values where the toe will lend itself to banding. It also looks like the ITU709 (800%) curve would be very useful in low light scenarios, even in 8-bit AVCHD. I would rate it at 4000ISO at 0dB gain – and it still has 10 usable stops of latitude! Now if you really need to dig deep into the noise floor you can see (with the help of Photoshop’s CinemaDNG Camera Raw decoder and highlight recovery) that there are actually up to 15 defined stops recorded in the Raw file! Chroma Sub-Sampling Anyone who has ever tried to shoot and key green screen with a 4:2:0 camera knows all too well the shortcomings of extensive chroma subsampling. The internal AVCHD recording of the FS700 uses 4:2:0 chroma-subsampling, but the external outputs can provide 4:2:2 chroma-subsampling. A debayered RAW recording provides an effective 4:4:4 RGB image.

Chroma Sub-Sampling Test: These samples were normalized in DaVinci Resolve before the screen grabs were taken.

Well there are no surprises here. Less chroma-subsampling results in a cleaner image. What is interesting is the detail level in the RAW originated ProRes 1080p 4:2:2 versus the signal recorded in ProRes from the HD-SDI 4:2:2. Once again, the strength of 4KRAW RGB to 10-bit ProRes422(HQ) over direct HD-SDI 8-bit 4:2:2 recording is evident. Resolution Obviously 4K resolution will be better than 1080p, but I was interested how the 2K RAW recorded from the FS700 and wondered if it would be better or worse than 1080p? We used a 35 mm Leica prime at F4, and an “HD” resolution chart. Unfortunately the obvious debayering/moire issues with 2K RAW are likely the result of the 4K optical low pass filter.

Results of the resolution test.

Sony’s solution to this on the F5/F55 was to create a userswappable 2K OLPF, but we don’t have that option on the FS700. Also, I’m not sure exactly what is going on with the file size, but the resolution of the 2K file is 2048 x 1072, not 1080? Where did those extra 8 lines go, or does it have something to do with pixel binning at 2K? All 2K issues aside, the obvious winners here are 4K RAW and ProRes422(HQ) downscaled from 4K RAW. Postproduction All of the ProRes422(HQ) files worked as expected in all the Mac apps I tested (Avid, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro 7/X, Quicktime Player 7/X and DaVinci Resolve). However, only DaVinci Resolve truly handled the RAW CinemaDNG files without any extra effort. Avid MC7 currently requires the use of Resolve to “round trip” proxies of the RAW files. The current version of Premiere Pro CC imported the DNG image sequence + wav properly, but presented the linear RGB with a completely purple haze. Final Cut Pro X 10.1 can’t seem to import the image sequence properly and instead requires an impractical work-around by creating separate compound clips with all the separately imported frames. FCP did, however, interpret the gamma correctly and I was able to easily convert the linear RGB to an SLog2 style curve with my Camera Gamma plugin. The Odyssey7Q base unit sells for $2295 USD and the Sony FS700 perpetual license is $795. More information is available at www.convergent-design.com CSC associate member Tim Dashwood is the founder of 11 Motion Pictures and its sister companies Dashwood Cinema Solutions and the Toronto-based stereoscopic 3D production company Stereo3D Unlimited Inc. Edited and reprinted from Dashwood Cinema Solutions. The original version of this article is available at: www.dashwood3d.com/blog/the-odyssey7q-and-sony-fs700/ Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014 •

Tech Column hey won’t be replacing those ARRIMAX M90s anytime soon, but LED lights are casting some bigger shadows on sets and studios. Ostensibly, they consume less energy, throw off less heat and have a longer lifecycle and are more robust than say, an HMI source, all of which combines to offset their initially higher costs. The devil, however, as always, is in the details.

through a diode in combination with a specific material. Light is the result of interaction at the atomic particle level in the form of photons. There’s no filament to heat up and burn and nothing to break. Until recently, LEDs were restricted as staging lighting for live shows – either for theatres or live concerts – because they couldn’t pump out the lumens like tungsten or HMI lights.

First, a little history. LED – Light Emitting Diodes – have been around for more than half a century, though it’s only in the last decade or so they’ve become practical. The root science of LEDs goes back to circa 1907, with the discovery of electroluminescence. Work continued over the years to find a use for this phenomenon, and by 1963 the first red LED was created at General Electric. It took a decade before yellow LED came about at Monsanto. Still more work was done by more scientists and more companies before the first bright blue LED emerged in 1979. Still, it took until about 10 years ago for the technology to really start to break out of the lab and into wider use.

Things are changing, and over the last couple of years, they’ve started to reach critical mass in niche settings on movie sets, in TV studios and in TV series production. Shows like Rookie Blue and Big Brother, along with CTV and other news shows in Toronto are using them for specific shots, and shows like Good Morning America, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon have switched or are switching to at least some LEDs.

Briefly, LEDs create light when an electric current passes

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

“They are also cutting their HVAC costs to cool down the studio,” notes Jean Francois Canuel, managing director at A.C. Lighting Inc. in Etobicoke, where the company has just moved into a 43,000-square-foot facility with

The Cooke Look

Â®

One Look. All Speeds

T1.4

T2.8

NEW

T2.0

CookeOpticsLimited

British Optical Innovation and Quality Since 1893.

cookeoptics.com

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

manufacturing, research and development, testing and administration under one roof. “In TV, for example, LED is also very welcome because those HD sensors are much more sensitive,” he says. “They used to shoot at 125 or 140 foot candles and can now shoot at 40. You can also do time of day lighting more easily because you can dial in what you want with RGBA fixtures.” A.C. Lighting UK has been around for some 40 years and bought Spectrum Manufacturing in Canada 14 years ago. The company moved into LEDs two years later. Around the corner at William F. White, National Director Technical Support and Development Mike Harwood also says interest is picking up. “The biggest thing is internal controls, so instead of having to change a light – tungsten to HMI – you just change the settings,” he says. “We also have some lights with special effects built in so you can simulate lightning or police strobes at a crime scene.” Dialling a little blue or red into the lighting mix sets up a mood elegantly and easily, he adds, and it’s one of the reasons LED is finding a niche.

maybe 100,” he says. “That’s about 80 or 90 lumens per watt, better than tungsten and about the same as fluorescent.” As to the future, he shrugs. There are literally hundreds of scientists and researchers working on new configurations to boost output and efficiencies, but he suspects they may have already reached the limits of the current configuration and will need a new technology to break through again as it did in the early 1990s. “There’s no Moore’s Law (named after the Intel founder who proclaimed integrated circuits would double in speed every 12 to 18 months and half in price) at play here,” he says. “I don’t see that 575 HMI disappearing soon.” 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.

Still, size does matter, Harwood adds: “Our LEDs put out about 2,000 watts, but they’re at the limit where heat is becoming an issue. So you either baffle them and they get really big or you use fans, and of course as soon as the sound guys see fans, they panic.” Looking ahead, some vendors have approached Whites with 6,000-watt space lighting for use overhead in sets, and he’s intrigued: “They say they’re equivalent to the 6K tungstens, though there are more fixtures. We’re doing some basic testing now.”

Previous page: Chroma-Q Studio Force V Range features variable white LED models. Above: Compact Studio Force LED light.

Even with the advancing technology and growing acceptance, there are some roadblocks ahead, Canuel says. While LED fixtures might seem more expensive initially, they have come down in price and continue to fall, though there’s a wall to hit because the price of the components have firmed up. “If you do the math right it is even cheaper,” Canuel argues. “You can remove the dimmer, the copper to wire it up, the labour to wire it up, the extra HVAC, even maintenance. It’s competitive at the right level.” As it stands now though, light level itself is the major hurdle: “Theoretically you can hit 260 lumens per watt in the lab, but that’s under controlled conditions and in the real world,

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

The Chroma-Q Studio Force V Phosphor, a variable white fixture using LED technologies.

Photos courtesy of A.C. Lighting Inc.

On set the crew likes them because they’re fairly easy to work with, and the talent likes them too. “The talent likes them because the heat doesn’t come off the front,” Harwood notes. “But the heat does come off the back so you have to be careful where you put them.”

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. 1Angenieux 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, Mini-Mitchell, 150mm ball bases and tie-downs, 2 quick release plates extra hardware (pan module needs fluid) $400 Contact: 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. Low hours, Excellent condition. Kaiser top handle, 32GB high rate card. $6500.00. Gemini 4:4:4 Solid State recorder now PRORes capable, with eSata and Thunderbolt readers, lots of accessories, case, 512GB and 3x 256GB solid state drives/cards. Excellent condition. $3700.00 IBE-Optics HDx35 PL to B4 adapter comes with power cable and soft case. Used on F3 and Alexa for superb results. $3500.00 Photos available for everything. Contact John Banovich 604726-5646 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 - June 2014 •

Camera Classifieds

Equipment Wanted

CSC Member Production Notes Au secours de Béatrice (series); DP Richard Ciupka csc; to September 26, Montreal Backstorm (series); DP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; to October 9, North Vancouver Cedar Cove II (series); DP Kamal Derkaoui csc; to July 21, Burnaby Covert Affairs V (series); DP Mike McMurray csc & Colin Hoult csc; First Assistant Mark Giles; to September 19, Toronto Degrassi: The Next Generation XIV (series); DP Mitchell Ness csc; to October 17, Toronto The Greatest Christmas Party Ever (TV movie); DP/Operator Russ Goozee csc; to June 12, Hamilton Haven V (series); DP Eric Cayla csc; Christopher Ball csc; to December 19, Chester Heartland VIII (series); DP Craig Wrobleski csc; B Camera Operator Jarrett Craig; to December 8, Calgary Intruders (series); DP Philip Linzey csc; to June 6, Burnaby The Lottery (series); DP Bernard Couture csc; Montreal Lost Girl V (series); B Camera First Assistant Marcel Janisse; to August 25, Toronto Max and Shred (series); DP Bentley Miller; Pedestal Operator Matt Phillips csc; to October 15, Toronto Moblees (series); DP Alastair Meux csc; to July 22, Dartmouth Murdoch Mysteries VIII (series); DP James E. Jeffrey csc; Camera Operator Brian Gedge; First Assistant Kevin Michael Leblanc; to November 28, Scarborough Republic of Doyle VI (series); DP David Herrington csc; to October 2, St. John’s Rookie Blue V (series); DP David Perrault csc; to October 1, Toronto Schitt’s Creek (series); DP Gerald Packer csc; Camera Operator Peter Battistone; to June 26, Toronto The Stanley Dynamic (series); DP Matt Phillips csc; to August 25, Toronto Suits IV (series); Camera Operator/Steadicam Michael Soos; B Camera Operator Peter Sweeney; to November 7, Toronto Toute la vérité V (series); DP Marc Charlebois csc; to September 15, Montreal Yamasaka VI (series); DP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 12, Montreal

Calendar of Events JUNE

21-September 1, The Montreal World Film Festival,

5, Hommage à Roger Racine csc, Montreal, csc.ca

AUG

8-11, Banff World Media Festival,

SEPT

4-14, Toronto International Film Festival, tiff.net

banffmediafestival.com

OCT

15-16, ProFusion, profusionexpo.com

ffm-montreal.org

14-16, Toronto Animation Arts Festival International, taafi.com

www.csc.ca $4 Januar y 2014

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRA PHERS

Craig Wrobleski

SOCIETY $4 September 2013 CANADIAN www.csc.ca

OF CINEMATOG

Canadian SoCiety of CinematographerS

RAPHERS

ot Devil’s Kn

csc: Capturing

Pompeii talks

New series

Mohawk

GIRLS y csc, bsc, asc Paul Saross

Cooke

56698 94903

CSC_September_2013.

indd 1

hfR

ITS CLOSE-UP READY FOR IN PROGRESS? OR WORK

Lens Test

V02 #03

ness LE Id moX dAVTOMO RROW PEOP CSC

THE

Rms heLICAm PLATfo

Blu-ray: The war That everyone

Wine with

Peter Benison csc John Bartley csc, asc

10-MAR

Checks into the Bates Motel

TAKe off 0

$4 march 2014 www.csc.ca

56698 94903 17/12/2013

19:31

CSC_March_2014.indd 1

Lost

19/02/2014 18:06

4.indd 1

CSC_January_201

07/08/2013 17:20

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.

VANCOUVER

CALGARY

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

604-527-7262

403-246-7267

TORONTO

416-444-7000 TORONTO

416-444-7000

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - June 2014

HALIFAX

902-404-3630

Subscribe online at www.csc.ca

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

deFY tRaditional cameRa moVementS G5 shown with optional accessories (Holds camera and lens combinations up to 5 lbs.)

DEFY is a new way of moving a camera. And it’s a movement that’s quickly catching on with filmmakers eager to tell their stories in stunning new ways. DEFY handheld camera stabilization devices allow you to implement cinematic shots you’ve only ever dreamed of.

G12 Handheld Gimbal with optional pan/tilt controller (Holds camera and lens combinations up to 12 lbs.)

G2 Handheld Gimbal (Holds camera and lens

Defy conventional setups. The DEFY G2, G5 and G12 deliver incredibly stable footage in a mobile, affordable, lightweight design. Each model enables different modes of operation on 3-axis stabilization, and includes batteries, charger and a Pelican crushproof/waterproof case. See them on display at Vistek.

combinations up to 2 lbs.)

commeRcial PRo Video Direct: 416-644-8010 • Fax: 416-644-8031 • Toll-Free Direct: 1-866-661-5257 • CommercialVideo@vistek.ca

The Visual Technology People

vistek.ca

Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine June 2014

Articles inside

In the News

4K Raw on a Budget

Camera Classified

Productions Notes / Calendar

Tech Column