CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS
$4 April 2016 www.csc.ca
Man Seeking Woman Samy Inayeh csc
He Hated Pigeons Dylan Macleod csc Dinner with Vilmos
A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers
FEATURES – VOLUME 8, NO. 1 APRIL 2016 Fostering cinematography in Canada since 1957. The Canadian Society of Cinematographers was founded by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization. Credit: Dylan Macleod csc
The CSC provides tangible recognition of
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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. We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and
He Hated Pigeons By Dylan Macleod csc
status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation.
CORPORATE SPONSORS
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Man Seeking Woman: Samy Inayeh csc Makes Modern Love Surreal By Fanen Chiahemen
Credit: D. Gregor Hagey csc
AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems 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 HangLoose Media Henry’s Camera HD Source Inspired Image Picture Company Kino Flo Lee Filters Miller Camera Support Equipment Mole-Richardson Nikon Canada Inc. PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada REDLABdigital Rosco Canada S1 Studios Toronto SIM Group Sony of Canada Ltd. Technically Yours Inc. Technicolor The Source Shop Vistek Camera Ltd. Walter Klassen FX William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV
Credit: © 2015-2016 FOX and its related entities. All rights reserved.
endeavor to advance the knowledge and
Dinner with Vilmos By Guido Kondruss
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COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 5 6 20 22 24 30 32
From the President In the News CSC Award Nominees CSC Member Spotlight - Eric Cayla csc CSC 4K Panel Tech Column Annual General Meeting Classifieds Production Notes/Calendar
Cover: Still from Man Seeking Woman Credit: © 2015-2016 FOX and its related entities. All rights reserved.
Canadian Cinematographer April 2016 Vol. 8, No. 1 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
FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc
Joseph Sunday phd JSunday1@CreativeAffinities.com SECRETARY Antonin Lhotsky csc, alhotsky@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Phil Earnshaw csc, philyn@sympatico.ca EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS Alwyn Kumst csc, alwynkumst@gmail.com Luc Montpellier csc, luc@lucmontpellier.com PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR Bruce Marshall, brucemarshall@sympatico.ca DIRECTORS EX-OFFICIO Jeremy Benning csc, jbenning@me.com Dylan Macleod csc, dmacleod@sympatico.ca Bruno Philip csc, bphilipcsc@gmail.com Carolyn Wong, CarolynWong50@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc 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 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.
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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016
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here has been much written lately about how a weak loonie has kicked the Canadian film and television production industry into overdrive. Well, that’s true but also not true. Whether there’s a production boom time or a bust in a province is very dependent on the lucrative nature of their tax incentives. A case in point is the contrast between Canada’s east coast and west coast. British Columbia, and in particular, Vancouver, has had a banner year in production, probably exceeding even their own expectations. A staggering 40 per cent surge in foreign productions, mostly from south of the border helped bring in an eye-popping $2 billion into the provincial economy, squarely putting Vancouver as one of the top three production centres on the continent. Vancouver is nipping at the heels of New York City, with Los Angeles in the number one spot. Interestingly, Los Angeles has only seen a 1.3 per cent growth in location filming despite offering $330 million in tax incentives over the past year. It makes one wonder how the North American production landscape would look today had L.A. not offered their generous tax enticement to keep productions at home. So far this year, B.C.’s 60 odd studios are working at capacity, while location permits in Vancouver during January of this year were up 30 per cent from the same month in 2015. The signs seem to be pointing towards 2017 being another stellar year for B.C., except for a possible fly in the ointment. The B.C. government wants to cap tax credit for the industry because they say it’s become too costly, almost doubling in the past year from $255 million to $493 million. Ironically, this is because of the low dollar and the swell of foreign productions. Yes, it’s a lot of taxpayer money, but so too is the $2 billion that pumps hundreds of millions into local economies and employs more than 20,000 skilled film workers. Upsetting a winning combination of tax credits could at the very least wipe the sheen off their booming industry and at worst throw it into a downward spiral, no matter how low our dollar sits. It doesn’t take much to drive away money-conscious producers to more welcoming economic climates. While Nova Scotia was never near the production powerhouse that B.C. has become, it did have a growing and vibrant film industry until their provincial government gutted their tax credit last year. Producers stopped knocking on their door, production houses pulled up stakes and suppliers left the province, decimating their industry. Ask any film worker left in Nova Scotia how tough it is to earn a living, and you’ll get an earful. Tax incentives do work for a portable industry such as film and television production. B.C. is at the top of its game with a winning combo of competitive tax incentives and a weak loonie. Why would anyone want to mess with that?
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IN THE NEWS
PS Production Services Honours Sari Friedland with Dales Industry Builder Award
Credit: Courtesy of the ASC
Independent producer Sari Friedland in February received the 2016 Douglas James Dales Industry Builder Award. Named for the late Doug Dales, founder of PS Production Services, the annual award is presented to a producer whose sustained, voluntary, selfless service, contribution and commitment has benefited the Canadian film and television production industry. The award was presented at the PS Dinner on the Hill, held in conjunction with the Canadian Media Production Association’s Prime Time Conference in Ottawa. Friedland’s career has spanned three decades, and she most recently served as supervising producer on the Afghanistan War drama Hyena Road, directed by Paul Gross and shot by Karim Hussain csc.
Pierre Gill csc Wins ASC Award
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he Society congratulates Pierre Gill csc, who took home the award for his work in Casanova (Amazon) in the Television Movie, Miniseries, or Pilot category at the 30th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards for Outstanding Achievement, held on February 14 in Los Angeles.
CSC Members Honoured with CSA Awards The CSC congratulates the following members for their 2016 Canadian Screen Award wins: • Achievement in Cinematography: Yves Bélanger csc (Brooklyn) • Best Photography in a Documentary Program or Factual Series: Norm Li csc (Tricks on the Dead: The Story of the Chinese Labour Corps in WWI) • Best Photography in a Comedy Program or Series: Gerald Packer csc (Schitt’s Creek – Honeymoon) • Best Photography in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series: D. Gregor Hagey csc (Sunnyside - Top Hat) • Best Direction in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series: Phil Earnshaw csc (Degrassi - Finally, Part 2) • Best Sports Feature Segment: Devon Burns (The Butterfly Child)
Write to Us
www.csc.ca Connect online with the CSC
Douglas Slocombe bsc, asc Dead at 103 The film world lost another cinematography giant this year with the death of Douglas Slocombe bsc, asc in February. The British-born Slocombe had a career that spanned five decades and was best known for his work on Steven Spielberg’s first Indiana Jones trilogy in the 1980s. His other credits include The Lavender Hill Mob, Kind Hearts and Coronets, The Young Ones, The L-Shaped Room, The Italian Job, The Servant, Julia, The Great Gatsby, Travels with My Aunt, and Nijinsky. Slocombe started out as a photojournalist for Life magazine and ParisMatch and then became a newsreel cameraman, shooting parts of the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939. During his career he garnered three Academy Award nominations and won three BAFTA Awards. A founder member of the British Society of Cinematographers, which was formed in 1949, he was awarded the BSC Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. Slocombe died February 22 in his birthplace of London at the age of 103 after complications from a recent fall.
Instagram DP of the month: Samy Inayeh csc@canadiancinematographer
Canadian Cinematographer welcomes feedback, comments and questions about the magazine and its contents. Please send your letters to editor@csc.ca. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.
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PRESENTING THE
ANNUAL CSC AWARD NOMINEES DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS THEATRICAL FEATURE CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Deluxe Daniel Grant csc Into the Forest Boris Mojsovski csc Kidnap Capital Rene Ohashi csc, asc Forsaken André Pienaar csc Len and Company Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc Remember TV SERIES CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Technicolor David Greene csc 12 Monkeys “Divine Move” Colin Hoult csc The Strain “By Any Means” Robert McLachlan csc, asc Game of Thrones “The Dance of Dragons” Gregory Middleton csc Game of Thrones “Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken” David Moxness csc, asc Minority Report “The Present” Craig Wrobleski csc Fargo “Fear and Trembling” TV DRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by: Sim Group Francois Dagenais csc The Lizzie Borden Chronicles Pierre Gill csc Ascension “Ep.1” Pierre Gill csc Casanova Glen Keenan csc Lucifer “Pilot” Boris Mojsovski csc Hello, It’s Me FRITZ SPIESS AWARD FOR COMMERCIAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by: Wm. F. White International Todd M. Duym Lexus “The Choices You Make” John Houtman Special Olympics “Anthem” Christopher Mably csc PanAm Games “Canadian Olympic Committee” Adam Marsden csc Dodge Ram “Driven” Simon Shohet csc CFL “What We’re Made Of ” BRANDED/CORPORATE/EDUCATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Kris Belchevski Jordan Brand “Carmelo Anthony” Guy Godfree csc Rockport Shoes “My Daily Adventure” Goh Iromoto Land Rover “Live Bravely” Justin Lovell Jason Day “Never Say Die” Bobby Shore csc DNS “Visions” MUSIC VIDEO CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by: Dazmo Camera Christophe Collette csc Monogrenade Le Fantome Samy Inayeh csc Dear Rouge Tongues Adam Marsden csc Drake Hotline Bling Bobby Shore csc Majid Jordan Something About You Bobby Shore csc Lawrence Rothman Oz Vs. Eden DRAMATIC SHORT CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by: REDLAB digital Kris Belchevski Dredger Stuart Campbell If Cabot McNenly O Negative Cabot McNenly The Rarebit Fiend Martin Wojtunik Fastball
ROBERT BROOKS AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY Devon Burns The Butterfly Child Van Royko csc Interrupt This Program “Port-au-Prince” Van Royko csc KONĒLINE: our land beautiful DOCUDRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Benjamin Lichty Dangerous Persuasions “Escape from Jonestown” Benjamin Lichty Fear Thy Neighbor “Landlord, Death Lord” CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARDS TV MAGAZINE CINEMATOGRAPHY Ryan Knight Under Fire 16x9 – Global News Allan Leader csc Wrecking Crew Discovery Channel – Daily Planet Allan Leader csc Fastest Woman on Ice Discovery Channel – Daily Planet LIFESTYLE/REALITY CINEMATOGRAPHY Greg Bartels Hand Crafted “The Surfboard Maker” Scott McClellan Hors Circuits “L’ile De Fer” Sarah Thomas Moffat Klondike Trappers “Dangerous Setbacks” WEBEO CINEMATOGRAPHY Goh Iromoto We Belong to It Robert Scarborough Sessions X Gowan “Strange Animal” STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARD Sponsored by: Panavision Canada Diego Guijarro Alvarez House of Glory Sheridan College, Media Arts Cameron Anderson Visitor Sheridan College, Adv.TV & Film Keenan Lynch Homefront Sheridan College, Media Arts THE CSC IS PLEASED TO PRESENT THE FOLLOWING SPECIAL HONOUREES FOR 2016 THE MASTERS AWARD Glen MacPherson csc, asc “For outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.” THE BILL HILSON AWARD Jeff Flowers, Panavision Canada “For outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Canada.” THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD Carlos Esteves csc “For outstanding service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.” THE CAMERA ASSISTANT AWARD OF MERIT Barrett Axford “For excellence and outstanding professionalism in the performance of the AC duties and responsibilities.”
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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CSC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
What cinematographers inspire you? Gregg Toland asc, Conrad L. Hall asc, Jordan Cronenweth, Gordon Willis asc, Vittorio Storaro asc, aic, Sven Nykvist, Henri Alekan, Roger Deakins asc, bsc. What is one of your most memorable moments on set?
Credit: John Narvali
In 1978 while shooting a documentary in Thailand, we went to a makeshift refugee camp by the Cambodian border. The war in Cambodia was coming to an end; we could hear the bombs of the ongoing battles while bus loads of injured and famished Khmer Rouge were being dropped in a very tiny camp full of mud and no shelter. By the end of the week there were up to 100,000 individuals. We stopped shooting to help; it was a very strong human experience that has stayed with me ever since! What do you like best about what you do?
Eric Cayla
csc
What films or other works of art have made the biggest impression on you?
Many films had big impressions – The Godfather, Manhattan (Woody Allen), Fanny and Alexander, The Seventh Seal (Ingmar Bergman), Citizen Kane, Blow Up, La Nuit Américaine, and Blade Runner to name a few. Caravaggio’s paintings, and Ansel Adams and Minor White’s black-andwhite photography. How did you get started in the business? In my teens I got interested in filmmaking and made numerous Super 8 films. While never considering it a business, I was shooting documentaries on 16 mm
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in my early twenties. After one year in cinematography at the American Film Institute, I was shooting short dramas, music videos and local series for television. In my early thirties I shot my first feature as a cinematographer for a director I collaborated with on short dramas. The film (Cap Tourmente) from Michel Langlois confirmed my position as cinematographer. From then on I was offered many more. Who have been your mentors or teachers? In college, university and at the American Film Institute I had great teachers, and in the Quebec film community I followed the work of Michel Brault, Pierre Mignot and Guy Dufaux.
Creating visual atmospheres through composition, camera moves and lighting, and then seeing the performances of the actors unfold. It’s just magical and awesome! What do you like least about what you do? When the shooting hours are not civilized! What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)? The amazing choices of optics we have today and the digital colour timing. How can others follow your work? Right now on Netflix, Shadowhunters, a show I shot in 2015.
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A Chilean Odyssey with Ingrid Veninger
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By DYLAN MACLEOD csc
n the fall of 2014, indie filmmaker Ingrid Veninger contacted me to discuss her fifth feature film project. At that time the film was untitled and experimental in nature. Even Veninger herself only had a loose idea of the storyline. But she did know it would shoot in Chile in about three months and that the lead would be Pedro Fontaine, an actor she met while attending a retrospective of her own work in Chile earlier that year. All of her films are self funded. My normal reaction to such a loose sounding shoot would have been to politely decline and wish her well on her crazy journey! But this was Ingrid Veninger, indie film maven. If you have ever worked with Ingrid, you know the force she exudes. She trusts the people she works with. She is incredibly sensitive to everyone’s needs. And she will work tirelessly to see her vision through to the end. She is a dynamo. I have known Ingrid for years and we have collaborated on a variety of projects but this was my first time shooting for her.
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The biggest decision for me was whether I thought I could handle a shoot on this level. Having seen her previous four feature films, I knew how she worked. I would be a one-man camera/lighting grip crew. There would be a sound recordist. And there would be an actor, plus Ingrid directing. She also suggested we would essentially have to travel as tourists with an incredibly compact camera package. That implied DSLR. I have never really been a fan of DSLRs for “professional” filmmaking, but I totally understood the need for simplicity and compactness for this kind of shoot. The big question was did I really have it in me to do this? After shuffling some dates and schedules, I took a deep breath and said, “Yes!” As we all know – or will discover one day – it is important to move outside your comfort zone in order to grow. I embraced the challenge and wanted to find ways to make this film feel more cinematic than her previous work. That ever-elusive term that means many different
Credit: Dylan Macleod csc
HE HATED PIGEONS
Photo credit (for this page): Esteban Sandoval and Daniel Díaz
things to many different people. But this had to be balanced against Ingrid’s own aesthetic. For her, it is all about honesty, authenticity and – in a part – staying out of the way. New to the DSLR world, I began to explore what cameras were available and what new technologies I might be able to use to our advantage. After much research, I landed on the Sony A7s. I was blown away by the low light ability and the prospect of being able to shoot under the light of just the full moon. After showing tests to Ingrid, she was inspired as well and began to mold some of these ideas into the story. A significant event in the film takes place on the night of a full moon. And that is woven into the voiceover. I was excited about her improvisational approach because it would also let us take advantage of the intense natural beauty that we would discover throughout Chile. As the story started to come together, the visual style elements started to present themselves to us. We talked about some of the visual language we would explore to help tell the story. We opted for wider static framings at the beginning of the film that would show our main character Elias (Pedro Fontaine) as being a somewhat insignificant speck in his environment. At the beginning of the film he is emotionally disconnected from his surroundings and to the people in it. So we shot very shallow focus for driving shots to help support this idea of him not being aware of the environment around him. As the film progresses and Elias starts to engage with the world again, we increased the depth of field. By the time the film concludes, our shots show both actor and background in deep focus, which helped support the notion of Elias becoming more aware and connected with the beauty of the world and people around him. Generally speaking, we chose to use a mostly static camera and fixed focus for present-day scenes. For the memory sequences we had a looser, shallow focus feel that helped establish the time jumping that happens throughout the film. I had a few technical challenges. Our main character’s journey is in a pickup truck that we drove more than 2000 km to the south. Much of the shooting would take place in a moving vehicle. So I had to surmount the basic challenge of how to operate the camera inside a car from various positions for various lengths of time. After a bit of experimentation, I relied on a rig that I learned to fashion from my longtime key grip Chris Atkinson. You basically wrap a ratchet strap around the roof of the vehicle, threading it through the inside and then close the doors. This gave me a taut cord from which I suspended the camera. This absorbed most of the shock and allowed me to float in various positions for extended periods of time. The other challenge for the driving material was the A7s’ horrible rolling shutter that occurs when shooting the full-frame sensor. This was overcome by shooting any heavy camera movement with the camera in “crop” mode. This drastically reduced the rolling shutter effects. I did some
Previous page from left: Elias (Pedro Fontaine) on the ferry heading south. In the Atacama desert. Atacama desert. In Conguillio. In Chaitén, Chile. This page clockwise from top: 1. Sound recordist Braden Sauder, director Ingrid Veninger and DP Dylan Macleod csc. 2. Veninger, Macleod and production assistant Esteban Sandoval (in background). 3. Macleod 4. Macleod with Sauder, recording wind sounds in the Atacama Desert. 5. Macleod with Veninger, checking the framing. 6. Macleod, Veninger and actor Pedro Fontaine wait for a ride. 7. Macleod shooting title cards in the Atacama Desert. Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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Credit: Dylan Macleod csc
Credit: Esteban Sandoval Credit: Dylan Macleod csc
Top left: Dylan Macleod csc. Top right: Elias (Pedro Fontaine) in Los Vilos, Chile. Bottom: Elias (Pedro Fontaine) in Chaitén, Chile.
side-by-side tests comparing the crop mode to full frame, and the quality difference was negligible so it was a worthy compromise. The first scenes we shot were some of the most difficult. We were set to shoot in the Atacama Desert at night and had shifted our schedule to shoot under the light of the full moon. That region of the world is known by astronomers for its clear skies, and some areas have never experienced rainfall. So I was confident we would have no weather issues. Being an indie shoot with the most basic crew, we didn’t have the luxury of location scouts and were relying on advice from locals to help us find the locations. When we arrived at the destination suggested to us – just a few hours before darkness was about to fall – we were met with a spectacular coastal topography. Only problem was that being coastal also meant there was a thick marine layer
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of clouds. We had no choice but to let it get dark and see what this camera could really do. The result was worrisome at first. I shot at about 25,000 ISO. We were stumbling around in the dark barely able to see, yet the camera was able to record an image, albeit a very noisy one. We went with it. Much later in postproduction we explored various noise reduction filters. But in the end we decided that the texture provided by the noise actually suited this memory sequence really well. And being that we would cut back and forth to this event throughout the film, it actually suited the story perfectly. It creates a sort of discomfort. At times the noise almost looks like heat shimmer. Combined with the sound effects of wind, you could almost see the dust blowing across the desert. So the resulting images are by no means a good example of how the camera handles low light, but a perfect example of what it can record in no light! If we had any other camera we would not have been able to shoot and there would have been major story re-writes going on. Aside from that, I generally rated the camera at 100 ISO in the daytime and no higher than 3200 at night. Although the Sony A7s has the ability to shoot S-Log, which expands the dynamic range, it comes with the limitation of your lowest ISO being 3200. I did some tests with Deluxe and colourist Ryan Ruskay to see what would look better for the daytime outdoor sequences – 3200 ISO (with a ton of ND) in S-Log, or one of the other camera profiles shot at 100 ISO. I determined that the Cine Gamma 2 setting provided the best compromise. It allowed me the ability to shoot at 100 ISO where needed, and Ryan felt there was still a lot of information to work within that colour space. So the choice really came down to more dynamic range or cleaner image quality. I chose cleaner image quality for the day scenes. I think the juxtaposition of the noisy full moon “memory” footage cut back to back with ultra clean and beautiful landscape imagery is very powerful when viewed on the big screen and contributes greatly to helping tell the story. I used two lenses for this shoot, a Canon 24-70 L-series
zoom lens and a Sigma Art 35 mm 1.4 prime. I used Metabones adapters to make them work with the Sony E-mount and employed a Metabones “Speedbooster” for the extreme low-light shooting. The Speedbooster is an interesting tool. When going into crop mode (or the APS-C setting), my 2470 would become tighter because it is meant to be used on full-frame sensors. By using the Speedbooster, you focus the full-frame image that the lens is capturing onto the smaller APS-C sensor area, thus getting the full range of 24-70 in crop mode. In the process, it magnifies the light and you gain one stop of exposure. It does have an optical element which can introduce problems like edge softness, but it was a very useful tool. We shot with all available light, day and night. I had a small LED light that I used on two occasions. As a light in a tent at night and to replace an off-camera light fixture in a bathroom. But beyond that it was quite liberating to throw off the “machine” of a crew and see what would happen. But I certainly don’t want to contribute to the suggestion that you don’t need lights or a crew to make a film with these sensitive cameras. This is a misguided notion that does a huge disservice to the art of cinematography. I used a Glimmerglass 1 diffusion filter. It was especially helpful for the night scenes. It tends to “bloom” highlights slightly which has the advantage of making any light sources in the frame bigger and also creates a
slight “low con” effect. It is a very subtle filter but I think it took the edge off nicely without drawing attention to itself. The biggest thing I missed on this shoot was a focus puller. The limited movement actors can make in relation to the camera is something that Ingrid has grown accustomed to. She likes limitations and will work around them. But I would have really liked the ability to allow more freedom in how we blocked things. Both for Ingrid, the actor and for visual variety. In general, I focused by eye, using a loupe on the camera’s display. I also relied heavily on the focus peaking. I used a SmallHD monitor which enlarged the image and made focusing a little easier. This also acted as the director’s monitor. Final colour correction was done at Deluxe. And Ryan Ruskay really helped mold the look for the DCP. The film was screened for cast, crew and Indiegogo supporters in Toronto in October 2015. Ingrid had always conceived of the film to be played with a live and improvised music score emphasizing the theme of impermanence. It was incredible to see the film projected on a big screen captured from a camera that I could fit in my breast pocket. He Hated Pigeons went on to win the cinematography prize at the Whistler Film Festival in December 2015. Festival screenings continue around the world in 2016. Podcasts of interviews with Dylan Macleod csc on He Hated Pigeons are available at csc.ca/knowledge
Canadian Cinematographer - March 2016 •
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Samy Inayeh csc
MAN SEEKING WOMAN
Samy Inayeh csc MAKES MODERN LOVE SURREAL
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By FANEN CHIAHEMEN
any television shows use modern urban dating as their backdrop, but the comedy series Man Seeking Woman, airing on FXX, does so with a twist. The show – based on a book of short stories by Simon Rich, who is also the series creator, executive producer and showrunner – follows single guy Josh Greenberg (played by Jay Baruchel), navigating his way through the familiar but torturous world of hookups and breakups, but his exploits are portrayed in surreal, often fantastical, scenarios. In last year’s series premiere, for instance, Greenberg ended up on a blind date with a troll – an actual troll – named Gorbachaka. Later, he discovered his ex-girlfriend was dating Adolf Hitler (who was over 100 years old and in a wheelchair). So while almost every episode of Man Seeking Woman is based on a familiar dating premise, the show’s trademark is to exaggerate or depict literally the often uncomfortable fallout, and the result is many impressionistic scenes that were a treat for Season 2 DP Samy Inayeh csc to shoot. “One of the great things about the show is its surreal nature and how the style is very playful. Within every episode we get to mix in different looks and feels and styles and even directly reference specific films,” Inayeh says. Inayeh, who came on board to shoot Season 2 after Bobby Shore csc shot Season 1, says that from the beginning, producers wanted Man Seeking Woman to look cinematic. “Even though there are aspects that can almost seem like sketch comedy, part of the charm is keeping it almost filmic,” Inayeh says. “Some of the humour is so surreal and out there
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and pushing boundaries, so the feeling is that the more filmic we keep it, the more you almost feel like you’re watching a movie rather than sketch comedy, and the jokes land harder and play better. “I thought Bobby did a wonderful job with the first season and I think that some of his choices were very bold for what is at its heart a very funny comedy,” the DP continues. “And I think he took an approach I really liked and appreciated, so for me coming in it was trying to honour the integrity of the first season, but no two cinematographers are alike, and I was encouraged and allowed to bring my own personality and stamp to it.” Inayeh was particularly drawn to the different visual styles the producers wanted to apply within the series, sometimes even from scene to scene, in many cases paying homage to specific films. “We’d always pull out of the world of the show and go and do something dramatically different and then come back to the real look of the show, which is a fun thing to be able to do,” he says. He recalls one scene in which Greenberg is about to send a late-night text message to a girl he has a crush on but that he knows has a boyfriend. It may be a common modernday dating faux pas, but in the hyper-real world of Man Seeking Woman, it’s a crisis worthy of intervention from law enforcement. “We start with a hard-boiled cop lying in bed with his wife, receiving the call, and then suddenly we’re plunked down in
Still from Man Seeking Woman.
the middle of an urban scene that you’ve seen in a million ac- be handheld and I just tend to like using smaller cameras,” tion movies with fire trucks, sirens, police officers with guns he says. The show was also particularly location heavy, with drawn, SWAT teams and negotiators, swarming the scene to the production sometimes shooting in four locations a day, try to talk him down from sending this text message to the he adds, so the camera work needed to be kept as simple as possible. girl,” Inayeh explains. “It was the cold open of the episode, and we just completely “I think initially the producers were a bit surprised that I departed from the look of the show,” he says. “We shot in true was asking to shoot with two Minis because they were so anamorphic 2:40 with ARRI Zeiss Master anamorphics and new, but I’d tested them and had used them already, so I was we had a Steadicam moving around them very much like a very comfortable using them on the show and I just liked the big-budget Hollywood action thriller. One of our main refer- size and being able to shoot in small locations,” Inayeh says. “And it’s funny because you take a small camera body that ences for that sequence was Die Hard. Obviously, we knew it would be a bigger expense to shoot anamorphic, but I had weighs less than 5 pounds, and by the time the focus pullthe idea that if we’re going to go for it, we should go for it ers and assistants built them up and got them ready for procompletely, and we even have the aspect ratio change on the duction, they looked almost as big as any other camera out TV screen. And the network loved the idea and were com- there,” he says. “So I spent a couple of days with them in prep pletely behind it. So SIM Digital got us a set of master ana- just taking the cameras apart, making them smaller, taking all morphics, and we just went for it and shot a little two-minute unnecessary stuff off of them, and sometimes we’d just have Die Hard-style action sequence. It was really exciting and so the power supply in a backpack and just have the lens and the motor and we’d take the filter off and you’d have a cammuch fun.” When it’s not surreal, Inayeh describes the general look of era so light you could swing it around anywhere, you could Man Seeking Woman as “cinematic realism,” a look that was run with it, you could start with the camera practically on the established in the first season. “We would use two cameras floor and bring it up to eye level. You could just do really creative, amazing things with handheld and the cameras this tiny camera. And if you would move fairly freely were shooting in a studio almost in a documentary INSTAGRAM DP OF THE MONTH and had a giant 35 mm lens style, letting the characters Samy Inayeh csc@canadiancinematographer on it, you could build it up lead us around. We tried not just fine and it would work to do anything too overly polished and slick. And we tried to use wider lenses closer just as good as if we were shooting with a big bulky camera.” The production also did a fair amount of work on the DJI to the actors. So not a lot of stuff where we’re on dollies and Ronin gimbal, Inayeh says. “So being able to have a camera long lenses and moving around a lot,” he says. Season 2 of Man Seeking Woman was shot primarily on two that could also use EF lenses and go on a gimbal easily was ARRI ALEXA Minis from SIM Digital, Inayeh says. “Using very nice,” he says. Inayeh supplemented the Minis with the Sony a7RII with Minis was something I was really interested in and excited about doing. I knew the majority of the show was going to a Metabones adapter. “It’s like a small old Leica and will Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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All images: © 2015-2016 FOX and its related entities. All rights reserved.
Still from Man Seeking Woman.
record 4K UHD internally, so a lot of the times I would use it just for quick rigs; I could rig it on the side of a wall or car, or if we were doing a stunt I could quickly grab it and put it on a sandbag. It was a really wonderful tool to have, and as we grew more confident with it, we started using it as a C camera, when we’d have second units come in and pick up establishing shots or inserts for us, or even shoot elements for special effects and composites in front of a green screen. It actually saved us a lot of money in terms of not having to rent a full extra camera package. And we had a great DIT, Rany Ly, who really understood the footage and really understood how to match the cameras.” When it came to lighting, Inayeh, favoured the natural style of the lighting employed by Shore in Season 1, relying mostly on practical lighting and existing light sources. “The more realistic the lighting feels, the funnier the show is,” Inayeh contends. “One of the things I really like about using digital cameras is that as the latitude becomes better, it holds up more in terms of overall light sensitivity and where you can go with cameras,” he continues. “After five or six years of working with the ALEXA and understanding it very well, what I really wanted to do on this show was not have a giant lighting package. It’s not a low-budget show, we did have some money, and a lot of that money went into special effects, digital effects, makeup effects and lots of location moving and cast, so at the outset we knew that even though the show had a pretty comfortable budget, each episode is incredibly ambitious. So because we knew we would be moving around a lot and that the locations are expensive, the goal was to keep the lighting package very lean. “We had the ARRI M series and I think only up to an M90, and for the most part I found I wasn’t even using big sources through windows unless we were in the odd situation where we actually had to put lights through windows because we
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were losing daylight and we just had to keep shooting and recreate the light that was there when we started shooting,” he says. “Another thing I used a lot was LiteGear’s LiteRibbons and LED LiteMats, which are these wonderful little controllable RGBAW colour temperature switchable sources with a dimmer on them,” he adds. “You can get them in different sizes, but they’re like small soft boxes and they weigh so little. You can literally tie them into a ceiling with a sash if you’re in a rush. Basically I’d say that over the last year, it’s become my primary tool for lighting almost any environment and any situation, so I sort of continued with it on this show. I would start with a very simple soft, toppy source and then just augment and fill in from there. It’s a huge timesaver when you’re trying to achieve light that looks naturalistic and allows the actors to move around without having to hit various marks and always be in a keylight. And also the crew is able to put up bigger sources without having to go in and pre-rig the day before,” he says. “So I found we ended up lighting 65 to 70 per cent of the show with basically just my small personal collection of LEDs, and a lot of other lights we were just using for backgrounds.” Working with production designer Tony Ianni and his team was “a wonderful experience,” Inayeh says. “I made them aware of how much I liked working with natural light sources and practical lighting. I think sets always come to life more and look better when the light is coming from something real that’s in the shot you can see. They understood and supported me on that. I would tell them I would happily have a smaller lighting package and give that money to them, rather than me having to start from scratch in most of our locations, and it worked really wonderfully and was the other reason why we were able to move as quickly as we did on the show.” Each episode required about four and a half shooting days and 12 camera hours per day, Inayeh says, adding that only occasionally did they go over schedule. “It was really nice for the crew and actors,” he says. “It was reasonable and civilized, which is not something you hear a lot about in TV production. We had a very happy set. I think that comes from the top – people like Simon Rich, [co-executive producer] Ian Maxtone-Graham and [producer] Hartley Gorenstein. They created a vibe on the set where people appreciated not being overworked and felt motivated to not waste time and get things done in an efficient manner. It’s the first big-budget American network TV series I’ve ever done, and I think I might have been spoiled by how pleasant an experience it was overall.”
JEREMY BENNING csc
JOANNE ROURKE
Cinematographer
Colourist
SyFy’s ambitious space-centric drama, “The Expanse,” features a dark, sometimes harsh aesthetic that DP Jeremy Benning csc, achieved partially through coloured ambient LED lighting on set with enhancements made in post by Deluxe Toronto Colourist Joanne Rourke. Benning shared, “Joanne took initial looks from our LiveGrade settings and balanced them against intercutting scenes, a benefit of working with an excellent colourist like Joanne, who uses the context of an overall timeline and edits to interpret looks I’ve set for each scene on set.” “Jeremy had a clear vision from the start, which was important as the show is VFX heavy,” explained Rourke. “My job was to maintain the breathtaking visuals by matching scenes shot to shot to help make it flow, integrate the VFX and add nuance to make sure the mood was appropriate for each scene.“ Posted at Deluxe Toronto’s new start-of-the-art King Street West studio, Benning and Rourke included showrunner Naren Shankar and writers Ty Franck and Mark Fergus in review sessions remotely via Streambox. “It gave us the confidence that we are all seeing the same thing and able to judge minute tweaks collectively,” said Benning. Added Rourke, “Everyone was on the same page and invested in the look.” “The Expanse” is now streaming on SyFy’s website following the wrap of its network run. Benning is currently prepping for production on the show’s second season, which is tentatively slated for 2017.
bydeluxetoronto.com Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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Zsigmond and Willis.
By GUIDO KONDRUSS
Photos by D. GREGOR HAGEY csc
O
n New Year’s Day this year, cinematography lost one of its greatest talents. The legendary Vilmos Zsigmond asc, hsc had passed away at age 85. Renowned for what he called “poetic realism,” Zsigmond would make use of natural light and a subdued palette to create dramatic images that would push forward a film’s narrative. His style of cinematography was one of the hallmarks that helped define American New Wave Cinema in the 1960s and ‘70s. Zsigmond believed that cinematography was more than simply creating pictures and that, “Creating the mood is more important than making everything look beautiful.” He took great pride that no two films from the
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more than 70 features he shot looked alike. Born on June 16, 1930, in Szeged, Hungary, Zsigmond was encouraged at an early age by his father to pursue his interest in film. As a young adult, Zsigmond attended and graduated from the Budapest Film School. He and fellow cinematographer László Kovács were swept up in the 1955 Hungarian uprising, but instead of rifles, they picked up a camera to document the armed resistance to the invading Soviet force. With the revolution quashed, Zsigmond and Kovács bolted across the border to Austria with 30,000 feet of film hidden in potato sacks. A year later, the two had made their way to Los Angeles, where in the early years Zsigmond worked as a lab techni-
cian and as a cinematographer on educational films and low-budget exploitation features in the hopes of breaking into the closed Hollywood film community. Zsigmond rose to prominence and established his artistry when he was hired for Robert Altman’s Western McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971). For the film, he employed a technique known as “flashing.” By exposing the negative to a small amount of light before shooting, the colours became muted, giving the film a moody, period look. Zsigmond’s cinematography won him many accolades, including an Academy Award for his stellar work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977). Interestingly, producers of the science fiction film tried to replace Zsigmond several times during the production because
he and director Steven Spielberg clashed. However, they could never find another cinematographer willing to take over the job. Despite Zsigmond winning the Oscar, he and Spielberg never worked together again. In subsequent years, Zsigmond garnered three more Oscar nominations for cinematography for The Deer Hunter (1978), The River (1984) and The Black Dahlia (2006). He was also the recipient of Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Society of
George Willis csc, sasc CSC President had never imagined that I would be sitting next to the great Vilmos Zsigmond over dinner, a man whose work I have admired so much over the years and whose cinematography has been inspirational to so many DPs. It was certainly a great honour to be in the company of this legend and one of my cinematographic heroes. Vilmos was a very quietly spoken gentleman, but his words seemed to speak volumes. We touched on many topics and about some of the iconic movies that he photographed such as The Deer Hunter, which is his
I
Cinematographers (1999), The Manaki Brothers Film Festival (2010) and the Cannes Film Festival (2014). A 2003 survey conducted by the International Cinematographers Guild ranked Zsigmond among the 10 most influential cinematographers of all time. The Canadian Society of Cinematographers has a small but special connection with Zsigmond. On August 7, 2014, he was the guest of honour at a question and answer session sponsored by the Toronto International Film Fes-
personal favourite. Aside from the technical aspects of his talents and technique, what left an impression on me was his philosophical approach to his work. Vilmos was very adamant about not being just a hired cameraman to simply shoot what’s in front of you. But, more importantly, a cinematographer needs to analyze the “why” in what they are shooting. They need to get into the head of the director to interpret their vision as well as developing an understanding of each actor and how they approach their characters. Only then can a cinematographer use their technical craft effectively to create a cinematic dialogue that moves the story along and helps
tival at the Bell Lightbox. Well over 200 people attended the event, including many CSC members, with Zsigmond fielding questions from the moderator and the audience. At the end, Zsigmond was honoured with a hearty standing ovation. Later that evening, the CSC hosted a dinner party for Zsigmond at a downtown Toronto hotel. The CSC members who attended had never met Zsigmond before, and what follows are their thoughts and recollections of dinner with Vilmos.
develop the characters. That meant being involved with a film from the beginning, talking with everyone and attending all rehearsals to cultivate his approach. He talked expansively about The Deer Hunter wedding reception scene. It was shot in an extreme wide angle to capture the excitement and the chaos of the celebration. Vilmos was very intense with his explanation in his use of different camera angles and close-ups to establish the main characters and their personalities during that scene. He felt it was essential to create these indelible images that would remain with the audience throughout the film. It’s an understatement to say
that the evening was fascinating conversation. I would’ve required a dozen like this one to scratch the surface of Vilmos Zsigmond, one of the greatest cinematographers of our time. His passing is a great loss. Carlos Esteves csc CSC Co-Vice President I sat next to Vilmos, and if you didn’t know who he was, it would be very hard for you to figure that he was this great cinematography talent. He was extremely unpretentious and friendly. We didn’t talk too much about cinematography per se; it was more about history, about his time in Hungary and fleeing to the United States.
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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Vilmos Zsigmond asc, hsc
That’s what resonated with me because of my history of having to escape a repressive regime in Portugal as a young teenager in the 1960s. Of course, Vilmos’ experience was much more intense being in the middle of a revolution with bullets flying over his head, all while filming images of the invasion of Hungary by the Soviet army. Then smuggling that film out of the country to show the world what was happening to his country took great conviction at the risk of his own life. Growing up and living in an oppressed society where the government controls freedom of expression and day-to-day life makes an imprint on a person. That, together with making a decision to leave your country of birth with the possibility of never seeing it again, has an impact on one’s perspective of life. It can manifest itself as negative, but that was not the case with Vilmos. I found him to be very positive and honest about the experiences that shaped his life and his vision of the world. Beneath that calm and unassuming exterior, I found a very complex and confident person. It was very clear to me why Vilmos became one of the most influential cinematographers of our era. He will be missed. Ron Stannett csc CSC Co-Vice President It was an honour to share the same table with the celebrated Vilmos Zsigmond. I do con-
fess, however, that I was a little nervous to be in the company of someone who had achieved as much as he had during his career. At the pre-dinner cocktails we had the chance to sit beside each other, and it was then that I found out that he was just one of the boys! We laughed and joked and bonded. But still, the whole time, I had this gut feeling he was going to ask me something I couldn’t answer and it did happen, sort of, when Vilmos wanted to know what I had worked on. Yikes! Had I shot anything that came anywhere near what he had achieved? I blurted out Lonesome Dove, and he graciously said that he had heard of it. However, deep down I thought it was more likely he had heard of the miniseries that was produced and shot in America and not the Canadianproduced TV series of the same name on which I was the DP. One story Vilmos told that made me smirk is of him turning up at a location that had been organized and scouted by the producers, and no one had thought to order lights. Vilmos was asked by one of the producers if he needed any lights. “Well, of course I need lights,” he replied in his Hungarian accent. “It’s what I do.” I thought, “Good, it even happens to the big guys!” Vilmos is truly a great icon that has left us. However, the few fleeting hours I sat and rubbed shoulders with him is something I will always remember. D. Gregor Hagey csc CSC Education Co-chair When I read the email, I couldn’t believe that I was being invited to have dinner with Vilmos Zsigmond. I excitedly told my wife about our new plans for the next night. A year earlier, I had studied every detail of his work on Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I had examined that film in order to devise different lighting tricks for a show I was shooting then, similarly called Close Encounters. Thanks in part to my inspiration from Vilmos’ work, I was fortunate enough to win a CSC
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Award in 2015 for this project. I rather expected to sit and watch Vilmos hold court all night, but instead he showed a genuine interest in talking to all of us. He asked about what we were doing and compared notes with our struggles on set. He specifically asked me what the CSC’s membership was like and whether we’re growing. Vilmos showed as much curiosity about us as we had of him. I found him to be a highly
intelligent, engaging and a very down-to-earth person, who seemed to be as much at ease with himself as he was with others. It’s one thing to appreciate someone’s work from afar, but then to actually meet that person who’s created this stellar body of work and realize that they actually have a stellar personality, too, is simply wonderful. This dinner with Vilmos was an evening that I will fondly remember.
Top: Zsigmond with Ron Stannett csc Bottom: (From front) George Willis csc, sasc, Vilmos Zsigmond asc, hsc, Irene Sweeney, Ron Stannett csc and Hilary Coleman.
Canadian Cinematographer - March 2016 •
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William F. Whites February
A
The 4K Panel
panel on 4K discussion at William F. White’s February Freeze event came away with the consensus that storytelling doesn’t depend on technology to capture an audience. That said, there was also a strong case to be made that Ultra High Definition, more than 4K, will be a game changer in the broadcast arena. The panel was moderated by Arthur Cooper csc and included Samy Inayeh csc; Dylan Macleod csc; associate CSC Martin Wojtunik; Nick Iannelli, senior
and consumers have been flooded with options to upgrade to 4K screens, it’s probably UHD that is going to make inroads faster and set the standard for the foreseeable future. It all comes down to perception. DCI 4K is 4096 by 2160 pixels, four times that of HD, which is 1920 by 1080. Broadcasting all that data becomes an issue, so the standard for television currently is settling at UHD-1, also known as 2160p, which in 16:9 comes out at 3840 by 2160 pixels. “The difference
Credit for this photo is: Zoe Alexopoulos of Flofoto
Storytelling Must Drive the Medium, Not Technology vice-president, postproduction, Deluxe Toronto; Peter Slisarenko, director, PSA Sales Canada, Sony Professional Solutions Americas Sony; Les Zellan, chairman and owner, Cooke Optics; and Matthew Bush, president and partner, Triangle Post. It’s the real deal, Bush said, noting that while 3D was falsely promoted as the next big thing, it flopped when consumers rejected it as a novelty. UHD, however, is different. While distributors and producers are demanding 4K as a minimum standard,
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between 1080 and UHD on a screen is noticeable but the difference between UHD and 4K is not that much to the average person,” Iannelli said. The frustration from a shooter’s perspective is not really being able to choose the camera system you think would work best for a specific problem. “I shoot what I’m told,” Inayeh said, noting that companies like Netflix have set hard lines on what they will and won’t accept and it has been 4K or nothing. The ALEXA, for example, shoots UHD but not true 4K and thus isn’t acceptable
for some jobs where strict 4K is specified. “The ALEXA makes beautiful images but it’s not acceptable,” Inayeh said. The data generated by pure 4K is also an issue, and with 8K, 16K and even 32K on the horizon, the logistics start to get ever more complex, more so because producers and distributors want to “future proof ” today’s work for relevance years down the road. Cameras are also evolving. Zellan said the emergence of the Canon’s four million pixel ME20F-SH, which shoots 1080p, suggest manufacturers are creating cameras for specific jobs and moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach. Also, the industry seems to be moving to oversampling as a standard approach with cameras netting 6K, which can be drawn down to 4K or whatever resolution is required in post. Still, the lament is that no matter how much resolution digital brings to the table, it’s still clinical and cold, which has also driven renewed interest in vintage lenses to bring some personality back into the shot. Ultimately, however, it’s about the story and how it’s told. It’s about the lighting, the frame, the movement and the colour: “It’s what we learned in film school.”
Credit: Zoe Alexopoulos of Flofoto
By IAN HARVEY
Photos by Martin Wojtunik
Freeze
Executive VP/CFO Munir Noorbhai; Vice President, Business Development & General Manager Toronto Rick Perotto; Chairman/CEO Paul Bronfman; and Director, Technical Services & Operations Trevor Huys.
Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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TECH COLUMN
Kodak Goes Back To the Future of
Super 8 Film
W
hat was it Marshall McLuhan said about the Four Laws of Media and obsolescence? Here’s your assignment: Google them and place them into the frame while considering Eastman Kodak’s new Super 8 camera and infrastructure announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January. Yep, Super 8 film. Old school. Film in plastic cassettes. Buy, shoot, ship them back to Kodak and you get a link to a digital copy and the processed film ready to edit on screen or on an analogue editing console. Cut, print, project. Kodak calls it the Super 8 Revival Initiative, sub-texting it as the “analogue renaissance,” and it is nostalgic. What was obsolete is now reborn again, though Super 8 has always been available along with 16 mm, 35 mm and 70 mm, as, all those Oscar nominees will attest. It just hasn’t been this accessible. Talk about irony. If there was ever a digital revolution case study, it’s Kodak Eastman where in 1975 engineer Steve Sasson presented his invention of a digital camera to his bosses and was told to stop wasting his time. “Kodak is a film company,” he was told, and we know the rest. Like so many
titans of the industry, it was brought to its knees by the digital age. George Eastman may have founded his empire on film in 1888, but the magic wasn’t in the celluloid, it was in the infrastructure. Eastman sold cheap cameras to the masses and raked it in when they bought the proprietary film and other consumables to develop their footage. Kodak later pioneered the concept of film in cassettes to make them
light, safe and easy to handle, introducing the Instamatic point-and-shoot and in 1965 the S8 camera. They all followed the formula: cheap, affordable cameras for families and mail-in processing. Of course, you’d need to buy all the accessories, the projector, the screen, maybe an editing console. Kodak targeted the booming middle classes looking for a hobby just as George Eastman did initially.
Dianne Ouell R
egina-based independent filmmaker Dianne Ouellette doesn’t need to get reacquainted with the magic of Super 8 movies, she’s still shooting. Ouelette landed an impressive third place out of 530 entries in the Super 8 Filmmaking Challenge at the Slamdance Film Festival at Park City, Utah,
in January where the final 15 films were screened. She picked up a Kodak PixPro SP360 Action Camera, three Pro8mm Super 8 film kits, and a KODAK t-shirt. Her film, a three-minute single take, one-spool S8 look at her dying mother entitled Red is Dead, isn’t a happy film, she said, but was something she wanted to
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make. “I’ve been shooting with Super 8, even 16 mm and even a Barbie VHS,” laughed Ouelette who works at the University of Regina in the Media, Arts Performance program in a support role. “I get my stuff from garage sales. You’re drooling over a Super 8 camera and someone just says, ‘Take it, take it.’ With Red is Dead, I shot straight
into the camera with a shot list, no retakes, nothing. Just straight. I even shot animals and it worked out!” She shot on colour reversal from old stock, since Kodak only sells negative these days, and sent the cartridge off as an entry, sight unseen. The soundtrack was pieced together later. Entries came from around the
By 1973 they introduced a version with sound-on-film but phased it out in 1997, claiming the process to bind the oxide to the celluloid was environmentally toxic. And here we are in 2016. What’s old is new again and Eastman’s marketing formula is back. While S8 stock never disappeared, there have been no new cameras, though in 2014 Danish manufacturer Logmar launched an S8 camera to enthusiasts’ delight. Kodak must have noticed because CEO Jeff Clarke was pitching the Kodak S8 camera and film system at CES, saying it is aimed at students, experimental cinematographers and pros who want film at a lower and hasslefree entry point than 16 mm. “It is an ecosystem for film,” Clarke said in several interviews at CES. The camera is still in beta form, but it’s nothing like your granddad’s Super 8, blending digital technology like a 3.5-inch LCD viewfinder with a formfollows-function, clean white box. Industrial designer Yves Béhar, founder of Fuseproject, is on board to create the cohesive look through the lineup. It also records from a plug-in microphone to an SD card in an onboard slot. For glass there is a C-mount, fixed 6 mm, 1:1.2 Ricoh lens with manual iris and focus control. An optional 6 – 48 mm zoom is planned. Inside the camera spools 50ft Kodak Super 8 cartridges at 9, 12, 18, 24, 25 fps – at 24
lette world – narrative, music videos, experimental, classic surf and skate, documentaries, archival, fashion, and home movies. She also got a hands-on with the new S8 camera and gives it a thumbs-up. “I would liked to have seen a viewfinder (instead of an LCD screen), but it has a pistol grip and seems pretty good so I’m looking forward to seeing it for sale,” she said.
fps that’s about 2.5 minutes of capture. Kodak’s Nick Rangel notes things are still being worked out, so details are sketchy, but the camera will shoot the same S8 mm Kodak has made since 1965 and will be compatible with any existing accessories, so start digging around your parents’ basements. “We are in the early stages of setting up a worldwide procedure with different service levels, where every customer can choose their desired workflow,” he said. “Depending on the customer, the range will be from film processing only, up to a full service, where the customer will get the film processed, printed, digitized and sent back. Depending on the level of service, the price per cartridge will vary.” At some point, Kodak also plans to produce, package and sell developing chemicals for those hardcore enthusiasts who want to soup their own footage. Initial pricing is projected at between US$400 to US$750, according to the Wall Street Journal, with the first units arriving this fall. A cheaper consumer version is expected for 2017. Kodak’s current S8 film stock – before processing – runs at about US$30 for 50 feet and comes in four flavours, 50D/7203, 200T/7213, 500T/7219, all colour negative and Tri-X, a blackand-white reversal. All have benefited from advances in film with fine grain and sensitivity. There are other makers of S8 who cut down 35 mm stock and re-perforate as well, and any S8 stock will work on the camera and accessories but you’ll be on your own for digitizing. With pricing, the new line will cost about US$50 to US$75 for a 50-foot cartridge. For those who believe in the romanticism of film and the unique look it brings to storytelling, this could be a whole new chapter in cinematography. Ian Harvey is a Toronto-based journalist who writes for a variety of publications and covers the technology sector. He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca
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CSC Reports from the
Annual General Meeting 2016 for the year 2015 PRESIDENT’S REPORT SOCIAL MEDIA Monitoring of Facebook, Instagram and Twitter: these various social media applications within the framework of the CSC are progressing well and have become very effective vehicles for promoting the CSC workshops as well as other initiatives. Many members of the Executive Committee have been instrumental in setting up and managing this undertaking. CSC MAGAZINE The CSC magazine, Canadian Cinematographer, continues to be very useful and informative to its readers. We are no longer a newsletter and the magazine has a much bigger reach than just our membership. However, to sustain and build upon this we need to have continued support by way of obtaining more featured articles as well as other interesting material for inclusion in the magazine, and we encourage our members to participate in contributing such. The magazine is a very effective calling card for the society and reaches many special events where
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dozens of copies are made available to those attending at these venues. A huge thank you to Guido Kondruss is also in order to acknowledge the fine job that he does of promoting and managing the advertising sales for the magazine. This is one of those very important tasks that tends to be unrecognized. THE CSC ANNUAL AWARDS GALA I am extremely pleased to report that the 58th Annual Awards Gala was such a great success. So much so that we’re going to do it again this year. Seriously, it was without doubt one of the best, if not the finest, gala that the CSC has ever produced. Our thanks go to Susan Saranchuk and her wonderful team who made this the highlight of the year. The bar has now been raised significantly and so the pressure is on, as the huge task of mounting the next gala swings into full gear. Those of us who have attended a CSC Awards Gala know of the enormous amount of planning, organization and producing that goes into such an undertaking. We would welcome any and all who might be willing to offer any assistance in order to help in ensuring the
continued success of this premier event. IMAGO For the first time, IMAGO (The European Federation of Cinematographers) arranged for their IAGA (International Annual General Assembly) to be held outside of Europe. The conference was held in Jerusalem, Israel, and I was pleased to attend as the representative of the CSC. The event took place during the month of October and a full report on the three-day symposium will be available on the CSC website while a brief summary was featured in the February 2016 issue of Canadian Cinematographer. EDUCATION I wish to acknowledge the superb work that the Education Committee has done with regard to initiating and promoting the various workshops that the CSC offers. These many and varied workshops offered during the year have been well received, although circumstances regrettably necessitated some cancellations. I would like to stress that the CSC Education Committee is a vital component of the society. As well,
it is an extremely important part of what the CSC does for two reasons: the first is that education is a part of our mandate, and the second is that the workshops are one of the CSC’s main revenue streams, the other being derived from the membership fees and our sponsors. When attending the IAGA conference, I was approached to join the Education Committee within IMAGO. I was honoured to accept their invitation for I believe that it is important for the CSC to be a part of IMAGO’s initiatives. In this regard, I have already penned a document, which is a proposal that relates to a certain specific educational structure within the framework of the industry. I have started to implement it in the way that I teach cinematography and am pleased to report that this proposal has been favourably received by IMAGO. I have been corresponding with the president of IMAGO as well as the chairman of IMAGO’s Education Committee and its members, and based upon their positive feedback and confidence with the report, I will be pursuing this initiative further in due course. While speaking of initiatives, during the month of May 2015 I met with CSC Executive Committee member, Director Ex Officio Bruno Philip csc in Montreal. After a Pub Night, we had meetings with various suppliers with a specific view to mounting a Lighting Workshop in Montreal at the beginning of 2016. I am pleased to say that Bruno has taken the initiative, and based upon his feedback, we hope to have this realized and in progress around April or May of this year. This is a pilot program, as we wish to take some of our CSC workshops across the country so that other CSC members (and non-members) may avail themselves of the learning opportunities the CSC offers. Our intention is to launch this program by the initial offering of the CSC Lighting Workshop. The plan calls for Carlos and myself to travel to Montreal to assist Bruno in setting up, as well as conducting the workshop. This would allow him to observe our methodology and the way in which we have been successfully conducting the workshops over the years. At the completion of the workshop, Bruno would then be in a position to conduct further workshops under his own auspices, together with a team that he would assemble. Apart from the obvious benefits for learning, this would result in adding to the CSC’s revenue stream by way of Montreal’s participation in this endeavor and, it is hoped, future workshops. This will also increase, as well as firmly establish the awareness of the CSC brand. Based upon the learning curve that we experience (and there will be one), a similar program is envisaged for Sudbury, Halifax and then extending out to Vancouver. In this way, the CSC would further establish its intention of linking the provinces more effectively and becoming more cohesive within its branding.
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Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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Annual General Meeting 2016 PREPARATIONS FOR THE CSC 60th ANNIVERSARY Preliminary preparations have begun and are now in the works as we move towards celebrating yet another milestone in the evolution of the society:the CSC’s 60th anniversary. A logo has been specifically designed to celebrate this historic event. The design is close to being finalized, with artwork in progress and will shortly be available for the various creative applications that will reflect this important part of the CSC heritage and its brand. More information will be made available as we proceed with the plans to celebrate this special occasion. SPONSORS The final word in this report concerns the CSC’s sponsors, who are a vital part of the equation and our society, and whose participation is greatly valued. Without them, we would exist in name only, therefore I would like to acknowledge and thank each of them for their generosity and commitment, as well as their ongoing and unflagging support of the CSC. CONCLUSION I wish to thank Susan, Karen and their team, as well as the entire Executive Committee for their diligence and their hard work in the running and maintenance of this society. The CSC would not be able to function without their continued commitment. INITIATIVES FOR 2016 It is one thing to make plans, it is
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quite another to carry the thought process through and then see those plans come to life, for therein lies the reward. For 2016, we would like to give life to a few of our new challenges and initiatives, and some of these are: extend our marketing and social media platforms; expand the CSC Executive Committees (where applicable) to meet the needs and requirements of its membership; request the membership to offer their services as volunteers to assist us with workshops, etc; to create a roster of those willing to assist us, either with regard to organizing or as instructors for various workshops; embark upon a path to continue to grow the CSC magazine via membership contributions and articles of interest; and finally, looking to the future, still one of our goals and ambitions is to continue the drive to build on acquiring old, redundant and historical (cameras and allied) equipment via donations for inclusion in the CSC Museum. We will gratefully acknowledge any individual/s or company responsible for any donation, and that person or organization will have their name attached to the donated items when we are able to formally place them on display. George Willis csc, sasc, President VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT During 2015, members of the Executive attended 23 meetings and events. Besides these meetings and events, I attended two sales meetings. One led by Guido Kondruss and the other by Susan Saranchuk. Because of the efforts of Susan and Guido, two new companies, S1
Studios and Henry’s, were brought on board as corporate sponsors. THE CSC FORUM A new initiative that was brought to the Executive during 2015 was a concept with a working title “The CSC Forum.” The CSC Forum is intended to be a short (15-20 minute) discussion panel regarding current events taking place in our industry and the people involved in those events. Its purpose is to create useful information for our members and media followers, as well as increasing our brand awareness and possible further corporate sponsorship. These interviews would be videotaped in a traditional interview style and moderated by a CSC member. At times, a guest co-moderator would join in, depending on the subject matter. The mandate of the CSC Forum would be to carry on a dialogue with a vast range of members within the industry. These would include DPs, directors, actors, producers, editors, gaffers, key grips, sound recordists, makeup artists, etc. Besides the immediate availability of a traditional interview discussion, information via other media and podcast would also be made available. THE CSC BRAND When it comes to the reproduction of the CSC brand, I’m pleased to report that the CSC brand is faithfully and consistently being reproduced. This may sound uneventful, but there were many times that the CSC brand (logo, fonts, colours, placement, etc) has not been faithfully reproduced,
creating a misunderstanding of our brand amongst our sponsors. Moreover, the CSC brand and how it is perceived is also open to public interpretation and potential misconception, especially in today’s socially driven communication platforms. More than ever, it is important to maintain consistency in the brands placement, position, style, colour, font and language. Therefore a brand book was produced to communicate the brand’s how-to guidelines to all who are involved in the graphical reproduction, implementation and the use of the CSC brand. However, the CSC brand goes beyond our logo. The brand or branding is about our values. A brand needs constant investment, monitoring and caring, for it is our identity – who we are and what we stand for. It is our core values as well as our philosophy. Carlos Esteves csc, Vice President TREASURER’S REPORT For the CSC’s fiscal year ending 31 December 2015, the Society overcame the deficit it incurred in 2014, achieving a modest surplus of $7,219.16 and re-establishing the financial health of our organization. Since this surplus can only be considered modest, we will continue to be vigilant in all of our initiatives, programs and events. We continue to support and value the expanded activities in active regions like Montreal and Vancouver, and thank the CSC executives who spend the time and effort to make those events happen.
Public opinion over recent years presumes that print publications will not be financially viable in the future. While Canadian Cinematographer does require support from member fees to augment its advertising revenue, its content, quality and value is widely recognized, not just by members who want it to continue, but also by the global readers who access it from the CSC website regularly. At this point, all issues from January 1990 to January 2016 are available online, possibly to the dismay of a few members who have been highlighted on the cover of an early edition. I want to thank Guido Kondruss for his great achievement this year, whereby many advertising sponsors became re-convinced that paid advertising in Canadian Cinematographer is very effective marketing. This past year was an ambitious expansion of the CSC’s educational offerings, admirably planned under the Education Committee’s Co-Chairs Dylan Macleod csc and D. Gregor Hagey csc. This pivotal program managed to attract $25,000 in revenue and generate a surplus of $5,800, suggesting there is a slight buffer that might be used for simplifying the complex administration of this very demanding activity. Jeremy Benning csc originated and coordinated the production of an excellent series of promotional videos for many of the workshops, which has been very effective in attracting participants. The CSC’s payroll has remained a comparatively large portion of our financial picture, primarily because the expanded initiatives/projects require extra time commitments that are often delegated to paid staff. Our administrative team is exceptional, and we owe particular thanks to the
extraordinary dedication of Susan Saranchuk and Karen Longland. There is a reasonability limit that we must impose on our own expectations, so that they are not overworked and the CSC’s funds are not compromised. As much as possible, our directors need to assemble volunteers on relevant committees to carry out the vast majority of any work required. There is a movement on the CSC’s official Board of Directors to document the responsibilities and requirements for each director position. This will clarify matters for existing and new directors. As well, a periodic review of such documents will help identify when new/specialized expertise is required or new directors/committees should be created. This will progress over the next year. Since advanced technology mechanisms have been implemented for the CSC website, this treasurer is looking for volunteer members to: • prioritize requests for new web features • coordinate the quantity of web updates that may be scheduled each month • pre-prep varied content in the format required for web use draft classic ASP code for web page functionality • manage integration of MS-SQL databases with the website • develop optimization techniques to maximize effective web traffic. Naturally, each item might be handled by a different person with relevant skills. I am convinced that the CSC will still remain the best value for any similar professional society. Joseph Sunday, Treasurer Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016 •
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Annual General Meeting 2016
MEMBERSHIP REPORT The membership committee met twice in 2015 to review submissions of 16 applicants who wished to upgrade to full membership. That is more than twice the number of applicants from last year’s number of eight. Using the standards laid out in our bylaws and regulations, seven new full members were approved by two-thirds majority vote. In terms of a percentage, 50 per cent of the 16 applicants were successful. Same ratio as last year. Congratulations to Stirling Bancroft csc, Christophe Collette csc, Micha Dahan csc, Guy Godfree csc, James Klopko csc, Van Royko csc csc, Paul Steinberg csc, and John Minh Tran csc. Typically, all full members are encouraged and welcome to come sit on the membership committee to give their input and to help choose our new full members. It is this committee that collectively sets the standards for full membership, so if you want input, come to the committee. Thank you to those who volunteered last year: Vince Arvidson csc, Christopher Ball csc, John Berrie csc, Thomas Burystyn csc, Zoe Dirse csc, D. Gregor Hagey csc, George Hosek csc, Alwyn Kumst csc, Allan Leader csc, Norm Li csc, Antonin Lhotsky csc, Jim Mercer csc, David Moxness csc, Pasha Patriki csc, André Pienaar csc, sasc, Simon Shohet csc, Ron Sim csc, Brenton Spencer csc, Ron Stannett csc, John Tarver csc and Brett Van Dyke csc. Notice how long this list of volunteers is. Twenty people. In the fall of
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2015, in order to make the process more inclusive and less Toronto-centric, we instituted a virtual committee meeting. The number of committee participatants has jumped considerably because, for the first time, full members from anywhere in the world could participate and contribute. Applicants sent Vimeo links, which we then sent out to committee members who had two weeks to look at all the material and to respond with their notes and votes. At the end of the process we held a virtual meeting on the big screen at Toronto Future Media Concepts and we had representation from across the country, the United States and as far away as New Zealand. It worked really well. Also, for the first time, in the interest of transparency and celebration we have posted links to the works of our new full members on our website. We had 43 new members in 2015, however our overall membership only increased by 11 because of people leaving and the cancelling of membership of people whose fees were in arrears. We now have 522 members spread out across the country in every province except PEI and the Territories, and in 11 countries other than Canada. Still a healthy number. We also have four new sponsors, bringing their number to 35. Thanks to the executive with whom it is a privilege to serve. Many, many, many thanks to Susan Saranchuk and Karen Longland for their daily help with membership issues and everything else they do for the CSC. Philip Earnshaw csc, Membership Chair
PUBLIC RELATIONS REPORT In 2015 I moved into my second year as PR chair for the CSC. We continue to move on exploring ways for the CSC to be better now and to look outwardly. We continue to solidify relationships with ACTRA, in particular with our Acting for the Camera Workshop, which is targeted mostly at actors who work in film. It’s been discovered that Hollywood actors seem to have a much more solid relationship with the camera departments they work with and they understand much of the why and how of what the camera department does to capture the action. Both ACTRA and the CSC would like to see this important on-set symbiotic relationship continue to work better together. Acting for the Camera is set to once again run in the CSC workshop schedule. We are hoping that during the 2016 run of “A4C” we’ll have a couple of auditors from the Casting Directors Society attend. Additionally, the CSC was asked once again to be present at the twice annual ACTRA Members Conference which ran in February. Our online initiatives have continued, thanks largely to the work of board member Jeremy Benning csc and Carolyn Wong. We are a presence on Twitter now, as well as on Instagram, where for the past few months an esteemed member of the CSC has been asked to take over the account on a monthly basis. Our Facebook group also continues to thrive.
My thanks to Jeremy and Carolyn for their work, and also to associate CSC Eric Oh, who has also recently stepped up to assist with social media and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Thanks also go to Michael Jari Davidson for producing several podcasts for the CSC of his own volition. We hope to expand these efforts, and hopefully the podcasts will eventually be as important to the CSC as the magazine is. The podcasts are up at csc.ca. Jeremy should also, along with Francis Luta, be thanked for several excellent promotional videos for various CSC Workshops that the duo have shot and produced. The promo videos are also linked at csc.ca. Going forward into 2016, I’m hoping to strike a formal committee to deal with public relations. I’d like to explore other ways to get our message out, hopefully to promote the CSC in some of the more traditional media, such as trade publications or with our industry sponsors and partners. As always, if you have any ideas on how we can further publicize the CSC image and brand, please be in touch. Bruce Marshall, PR Chair brucemarshall@sympatico.ca EDUCATION REPORT CSC workshops grew exponentially in 2015. There were a total of 10 workshops held throughout the year. In February of 2015, we put on an Acting for Camera work-
shop with ACTRA, followed by the AC workshop and a Lens Testing workshop. In April we held a Lighting workshop. In June there were two more new workshops put on, including Table Top and Camera movement. Then in July we put on another Acting for Camera workshop. In November we introduced a new Post Workflow workshop. And lastly, in December we did another round of AC and lens testing workshops. The education committee was comprised of Dylan Macleod csc, D. Gregor Hagey csc, George Willis csc, SASC, Ernie Kestler, Joan Hutton csc, Carlos Esteves csc, John Holosko csc, Sydney Kondruss and Susan Saranchuk. The committee meets to plan and design new courses. In addition, they evaluate and modify existing courses. Much more effort is being put into the promotion of the great offerings, including the creation of flyers to help outline and promote our workshops. In addition, we have produced promotional videos for many of the workshops, which are available going forward to generate even more interest in our educational curriculum. The committee met on January 9, April 22, May 21, September 17 and November 26. Special thanks to ARRI Canada, Lee Filters Canada, Rosco Canada, SIM Digital, Dazmo Digital, Vistek, Clairmont, Panavision, Bruce Dale – Manager, Education and Training at William F. White, Brendon Moran, Sam Wong, Ian McLaren and Sydney Kondruss. Extra special thanks to Susan Saranchuk and Karen Longland, who hold it all together! All CSC members are welcome to
attend our meetings and/or submit ideas for educational activities. We strongly encourage your involvement. As our offerings increase, so does the need for volunteers to help make it all happen. Please do not hesitate to contact any of us, and we can let you know how you can help. D. Gregor Hagey csc and Dylan Macleod csc, Education Co-Chairs AWARDS REPORT The 58th CSC Awards Night was held Saturday, March 28, 2015, at the Arcadian Court in Toronto. The gala event was attended by 270 members, sponsors and friends. The evening commenced with an introduction by President George Willis csc, sasc who introduced the host, film critic Richard Crouse. Brandon Cooper of Dazmo Camera gave a congratulatory speech to the nominees. For the 4th year, the gala was streamed on the Internet. The decisions regarding the awards are made by the Awards Committee. There were 236 entries in 2015, which was a 23 per cent increase from 2014. The juries were held in Toronto at the CSC Clubhouse and Technicolor. The juries were chaired by Alwyn Kumst csc. Susan Saranchuk and Joan Hutton csc produced and edited the Awards Gala show tape with David Oliver at Soho Post and Graphics.
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CLASSIFIEDS
EQUIPMENT WANTED Edmonton Film Cooperative wants your unused Arri 35 mm camera. Do you have film cameras languishing on a shelf? Give it a new life, give it to a film coop and we will give you a healthy tax credit. Have a 35BL, a 235, a 435 gathering dust because everyone is Red cam nuts? Have other great camera accessories? Let us know, let’s make a deal. Contact Andy @rentals@fava.ca and work a great deal. 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, 604-229-0861 or peter@peterbenison.com. EQUIPMENT FOR SALE CANON 7D package with zoom Canon 18-135mm T3.5, CANON ZOOM 75-300mm T4, CANON Battery Grip BG-E7, SMALL HD DP-4 DSLR Monitor, SHAPE Kirk Nef DSLR cage, SHAPE Hot Shoe SONY EVF Mount “L” Bracket, THINK Tank Camera Bag, VELLO intervalometer, HAMA card reader, SanDisk 16g card, 2x Canon E6 batteries + charger, Assorted cables. Hardly used. Asking $1950 OBO. Contact: jacbernier@sympatico.ca Spectra Digital Professional IV 150.00 Spectra Digital Professiomal IV “A” 200.00 Pentax Digital Spotmeter 100.00 Spectra Professional Cine 100.00 Mark IV 10/1 Directors Viewfinder 75.00 Cavision VMF Directors Viewfinder 100.00 Kino Flo Diva Lite 400 Model DIV-400 with stand and 10 tungsten spare bulbs and 4 daylight spare bulbs 350.00 12’x12’ white cotton bounce cloth 50.00 Whole package $1,000.00 Andreas Poulsson CSC apoulsson@hotmail.com 604 868 6292 Full Set of MINT Classic Soft Filters. 4x5.6 glass camera filters in all the densities- 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2. Perfect condition and all in pouches. Normally sells for $360+CDN each. All five for $ 1400 no tax/includes shipping within Canada. danny@spitfirefilms.net 604.505.1615 FOR SALE : Preston FI+Z (RF) remote follow focus package. Includes: MDR1, 2X DM1 motors(Jerry Hill style), Microforce zoom control, Iris controller, hand unit, speed booster (12v-24v)+ fast charger. Panavison, RED, Arri power cables/run cables. + brackets/ various lens gears/marking discs. ASKING $9,000 for more info and a detailed spec list please contact: Greg Biskup (647) 405-8644, greg@ biskupcine.com Canon Wide angle Lens J11A X 4.5 B4 IRSD and Canon Servo Zoom Control ZSD-300 Value 27 000$ Asking only 3 000$ Elmo Suv-Cam SD ELSC5C and accessories New Value 1 200$ Asking only 100$, Anton Bauer UltraLight & Ul Soft Box Asking only 150$, 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 100$, Shure Mixer FP33 & Porta Brace audio mixer case Asking only 450$, Sony Monitor SD PVM-14N1U new Asking only 50$, 2 Camera Canon Dig Rebel 10Mp XTi, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 Super C-AF, 4 Canon Batteries and accessories Asking only 550$, Porta Brace monitor Case for Panasonic BT-LH910 like new Asking only 100$ andrepaul@me.com or call 514 831-8347 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
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Asahi Pentax spotmeter(just serviced) 425.00 Minolta Colormeter III F 750.00 Spectra Professional IV 250.00 Spectra Professional IV A 300.00 Minolta SpotmeterF(need repair) 100.00 Bernard Couture: p.bc@sympatico.ca; 514-486-2749 Professional U/W housing from renowned world leader Amphibico.2006 Sony HVR-A1U camera with 0.7x wide adapter and all accesories. 2006 AmphibicoEVO-Pro housing with .55x wide conversion and flat port. Rare model built in small quantity. Most camera functions accessible.About 60-70 dives. Complete overhaul and pressure tested by factory in 2010. 3.5’’ LCD Monitor, rebuilt in 2010. 2 compact Discovery 10W HID lamps by Amphibico with batteries and chargers. Spare o-ring for all. Soft and hard carry cases. All in good condition. E-mail or call for photos and more information. 514-941-2555, daniel@dvdp.ca Transvideo Titan HD Transmitter and Re¬ceiver 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 1Tamron 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 Contact: stephen.reizes@gmail.com Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG-3DA1) The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fullyintegrated 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-to-use tool for capturing immersive content as well as providing a training tool for educators. At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920 x 1080 2.07 megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. Camera is very new. Includes Kata Carrying case, 4 batteries. Asking price: $17,500 (includes tax). Will ship out of province. To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010. Proline 17 inch Teleprompter Included is both PC AND Mac versions for our industry leading Flip-Q teleprompter software. Flip-Q automatically “Flips” the secondary output on your laptop so both the operator and talent will see perfect reading left-right text. The ProLine 17 standard LCD panels are the lightest weight, lowest profile designs in their class. In addition, they offer both VGA and composite video inputs adaptable with any computer output or application. They also offer flexible power options including 100-240V AC or external 12v DC input. Price includes Tripod attachments and Pelican carrying case. Complete tool-less set-up. Asking Price: $2,000 (includes tax) To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010. Sony PMW-F3 with S-log firmware. Low hours, Excellent condition. Kaiser top handle, 32GB high rate card. $3500.00. 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. $3000.00 IBE-Optics HDx35 PL to B4 adapter comes with power cable and soft case. Used on F3 and Alexa for superb results. $3000.00. Willing to sell everything as a complete package for $8500.00 Available for everything. 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) 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 DRONEBOY - We provide safe, reliable and spectacular drone-based aerial cinematography throughout Canada. We have Transport Canada SFOCs in place for all regions, and a large fleet of set-ready drones, and experienced crews for all your camera flying needs. We are flying everything from the new Sony A7S2 to Red Dragon and the new Arri Mini. www.DroneBoy.com | 1-866-783-7871 20% Off to all CSC members! Looking for a Green Screen Studio? Greensuite209 is owned and operated by a CSC member, and is now offering 20% off our regular studio and equipment rental rates for all CSC members! We are a 1750 sq. ft. green screen studio in South Etobicoke just south of William F Whites. We have a 11’ X 29’ X 14’ Digicomp sloping green screen. Check us out online at www.gs209.com and contact us for any further information! email: Booking@ GS209.com. HD Source is well-known and respected for their excellent SERVICE department and truly skilled technicians. As an Authorized Sony Service Depot, HD Source professionally maintains, repairs, and performs crucial upgrades to a wide range of equipment, including HD and 4K. HD Source also proudly services Canon Cinema EOS products and Canon Broadcast lenses, and boasts an on-staff Canon-trained and experienced Lens Technician. HD Source understands how important each piece of equipment is, and will get it operating and back to you as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. Call Alnoor at 905-890-6905, email him at alnoor. remtulla@hdsource.ca, or drop by HD Source anytime at 1670 Enterprise Rd. (Dixie & 401). 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 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.
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PRODUCTION NOTES
3O VIES IV (series); DP Marc Gadoury csc; to April 4, Montreal ARROW IV (series); DP Gordon Verheul csc; to April 27, Vancouver A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (series); DP Bernard Couture csc; to August 10, Vancouver BACKSTABBING FOR BEGINNERS (feature); DP Brendan Steacy csc; 1st Assistant Brent J. Craig; to April 13, Toronto BATES MOTEL IV (series); DP John Bartley csc, asc; to April 4, Vancouver BEYOND (series); DP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; B Camera Operator/2nd Unit DP Brian Whittred csc; to July 7, Vancouver C’EST LE COEUR QUI MEURT EN DERNIER (feature); DP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to April 12, Montreal ÇA SENT LA COUPE (feature); DP Ronald Plante csc; to May 11, Montreal CARDINAL (series); Steve Cosens csc; to April 21, Sudbury DEAD OF SUMMER (series); David Moxness csc, asc; to August 4, Burnaby DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (TV pilot); Camera Operator Keith Murphy; to October 21, Toronto DOWNSIZING (feature); B Camera Operator & Second Unit DP François Dagenais csc; to July 11, Toronto THE EXPANSE II (series); DP Jeremy Benning csc; to September 19, Toronto EYE ON JULIET (feature); DP Christophe Collette csc; to April 8, Montreal EYEWITNESS (series); DP David Greene csc; to August 5, Parry Sound THE FLASH II (series); DP Kim C. Miles csc; to April 18, Vancouver HATERS BACK OFF (series); DP Michael Balfry csc; to June 1, Vancouver IMPASTOR II (series); DP Neil Cervin csc; to May 27, North Vancouver LEGENDS OF TOMORROW (series); DP David Geddes csc, asc; to April 1, Burnaby LEGENDS OF THE HIDDEN TEMPLE (MOW); DP Thomas Harting csc; to April 1, North Vancouver MISS SLOANE (series); Camera Operator Perry Hoffman; to April 8, Toronto QUANTICO (series); 2nd Unit DP Robert Mattigetz csc; to April 21, Montreal ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (TV show); DP Luc Montpellier csc; Trainee Alan Ruth; to April 27, Toronto SHIRT (feature); DP Matthew Lloyd csc; to May 19, Burnaby THE STANLEY DYNAMIC II (series); DP Matt Phillips csc; to April 8, Toronto THE STRAIN III (series); DP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes); B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc; to April 13, Toronto SUPERNATURAL XI (series); DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser; to April 20, Burnaby VAN HELSING (series); DP Brendan Uegama csc; to June 27, Vancouver ZOO II (series); DP Craig Wrobleski csc; to July 8, North Vancouver
AWARDS / FESTIVALS / NOMINATIONS Maya Bankovic, associate csc (DP) Michael Shannon Michael Shannon John (documentary feature); (DP) The Prison in Twelve Landscapes (documentary feature), Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival, Toronto, April 28-May 8 Amy Belling, associate csc (DP/Producer/Camera Operator) Songs She Wrote About People She Knows (feature), Winner of Best Narrative, SF Independent Film Festival, San Francisco, February 2016, Jane Charles, affiliate csc (Producer) Sold (feature), International Theatrical Release, April 2016 Reuben Denty, affiliate csc (DP) Undercover High (series), International Emmy Award nomination, April 2016 D. Gregor Hagey csc (DP) How to Have an Orgy in a Small Town (feature), Opening Night film at the Canadian Film Festival, Toronto, March 30-April 2 Karl Janisse, associate csc (DP) Dead Rush (feature), Canadian Film Festival, Toronto, March 30-April 2
CALENDAR OF EVENTS APRIL 2, CSC Awards, The Arcadian Court, Toronto 9-10, CSC Lighting Workshop, Montreal, csc.ca 16-17, CSC Lighting Faces Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca MAY 7, CSC DSLR Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca JUNE 25-26, CSC Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca
32 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2016
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