Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine April 2019

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 April 2019 www.csc.ca

Craig Wrobleski csc on

The

Umbrella Academy Todd Duym csc: Dawn • VR on The Expanse

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 11, NO. 1 APRIL 2019 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.

We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry.

As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation.

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Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

The CSC provides tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and digital professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

All in the Family: Craig Wrobleski csc on The Umbrella Academy

By Trevor Hogg, Special to Canadian Cinematographer

The CSC is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteer board members of the society. Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support.

CORPORATE SPONSORS

Dawn: Todd Duym csc Crafts a Visual Poem By Fanen Chiahemen

20 Credit: Christopher Danelon

AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Limited Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. Codes Pro Media Cooke Optics Dazmo Camera Deluxe Toronto DMG Lumière FUJIFILM, North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division Fusion Cine Henry’s Camera HD Source Inspired Image Picture Company Keslow Camera Kino Flo Lee Filters Mole-Richardson MOSS LED Inc. Nikon Canada Inc. PRG Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada REDLABdigital RED Red Square Motion Rosco Canada S1 Group Sigma SIM SIMMOD LENS Sony of Canada Ltd. Technically Yours Inc. Technicolor The Source Shop Urban Post Production Vistek Walter Klassen FX William F. White International Inc. Zeiss ZGC Inc. ZTV

Virtual Space: VR on The Expanse By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 10 12 31 32 Cover

From the Editor-In-Chief From the President In the News On Set CSC Member Spotlight – André Pienaar csc Tech Column Production Notes/Calendar The Umbrella Academy Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

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Canadian Cinematographer April 2019 Vol. 11, No. 1 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, susans@csc.ca EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Patty Guyader ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, gkondruss@rogers.com CSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Serge Desrosiers csc Zoe Dirse csc Phil Earnshaw csc Carlos Esteves csc Joan Hutton csc Bruno Philip csc Joe Sunday PhD George Willis csc, sasc CSC EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc VICE PRESIDENTS Carlos Esteves csc Bruno Philip csc MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS Arthur Cooper csc Zoe Dirse csc EDUCATION CHAIRS Carlos Esteves csc George Willis csc, sasc AWARDS CHAIR Arthur Cooper csc DIGITAL PORTALS Carolyn Wong (Content Manager) RELATIONSHIPS Gaston Bernier OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3085 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.

ISSN 1918-8781 Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40013776 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto M1M 1P1 THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

2 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc

I

t had been rumoured ever since 2017, after it pledged a $500 million investment in Canadian films, that Netflix would be establishing a production complex somewhere in Canada. Last February, the rumours were put to rest, with the streaming giant announcing that Toronto would be the site of a large production hub. For those who may not realize the implications, it’s as if the EV car manufacturer Tesla was opening a significant Canadian production plant. A Netflix production hub is a tremendous development not only for Toronto, but for our film and television industry as a whole.

Netflix is no stranger to Canada, having shot individual productions across the country for the past few years. It also has a long-term lease with Martini Studios in Langley, British Columbia. However, this latest gambit

by Netflix kicks Canadian production into a whole new level. Consider these stats: Netflix will be leasing four studios, each with office and support space from Cinespace and Pinewood in Toronto’s Port Lands district for a total of nearly 250,000 square feet. Both Cinespace and Pinewood are building the additional studio space to accommodate Netflix. Just as importantly, Netflix says its Toronto production hub will create 1,850 industry jobs, a tangible in which we can all relate and revel. With Netflix showing confidence in Canada, it further cements our reputation and stature as a prestige destination for film and television production.

On the other side of the coin, this is also a big positive for Netflix. On top of a low dollar and some very attractive government incentives, Canada offers a well-established production infrastructure that was more than 50 years in the making since the late 1960s, with highly skilled crews that are considered among the best in the world. Simply ask Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro, who resides in Toronto and Los Angeles, about his shout-outs to Canadian crews. Interestingly, Guillermo’s horror anthology series, Guillermo del Toro Presents Ten After Midnight, will be one of the first shows shot through the Netflix Toronto production hub.

Besides providing much-needed original content to the streaming service, this arrangement has the potential to pump billions of dollars into our film and television industry. This is definitely a win-win situation for us and them.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

T

here’s a song that begin with the lyrics “We’ve only just begun,” and I believe that these words will be the inspiration for what the CSC is planning and indeed has already started to implement. But we realize that goals are sometimes difficult to realize, and it is only with the input of many that we can achieve success.

To achieve our goals, the Society is managed by a Board of Directors, however, I am not quite sure how many members of the Society know who they are and exactly what they do. So now might be a good time to formally introduce these members who give up so much of their time and expertise to help run the Society.

I have often alluded to the fact that the way the Society is managed is akin to a wagon wheel – a hub with many spokes, all held together by a rim. This might be a fairly simple description of what really is a very complex organization.

We begin with Chairman of the Board and Treasurer Joe Sunday PhD. He is a man of many talents, who guides us through the intricacies of the financial aspects of the Society. He makes sure that all the dollars and cents are accounted for and that we are in a good place, financially speaking. Joe is also responsible for the management and maintenance of the website, which is a huge amount of work.

Vice President Carlos Esteves csc – if you want to understand what the Brand means, just ask Carlos. He undertakes all that relates to the visual side of the Brand, from working with layouts and design to creating special materials for specific events. This is in addition to the heavy workload he undertakes regarding the various workshops that the CSC offers.

Vice President Bruno Philip csc – we are moving ahead with linking the provinces, and this is where the value of Bruno comes into play. He underscores the important function of the Society by maintaining the connection between Ontario and Quebec to unite the English and the French Canadians within the industry.

Serge Desrosiers csc is new to the Board and is Bruno’s counterpart with regard to the importance of the relationship between Ontario and Quebec. The passion that Serge has for the Society can be easily seen, and we look forward to his input and ideas as we move forward.

Phil Earnshaw csc has been a stalwart supporter and dedicated member of the Executive Committee (now the Board of Directors) for many years. Phil has managed the Membership Committee, keeping us aware of the various categories of membership within the Society, and he knows where everyone can be found. He has also been instrumental in organizing the accreditation process over the years when our members submit their work.

Zoe Dirse csc is also a recent addition to the Board, and she is co-chair of the Membership Committee. The many years that Zoe has been involved in the teaching of cinematography within the industry gives her, and us, a valuable perspective on the education process.

Joan Hutton csc is Past President and Advisor to the Board, and Editor-In-Chief of Canadian Cinematographer magazine.

Twenty-two years of experience as President can prove useful when it comes to understanding the history of the Society.

Executive Officer Susan Saranchuk and her Executive Assistant Patty Guyader are the go-to people for all things to do with the Society. They put into action the wishes of the Board of Directors and assist all the various committees in fulfilling their needs. They are always available to answer any and all questions, and their workload is enormous, especially at awards time.

And then there’s me. I have the honour of being a part of this group of hardworking volunteers. As President, all I do is try to initiate ideas that will help to promote the Society, and to remain positive and passionate about the role I play.

Well, there you have it. These are the members of the Board who keep the Society moving and who are always ready to step up to the plate, so to speak. Do not hesitate to contact any of these extremely approachable people and let them know how valued they really are.

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

In The News Credit: Clara George

Laszlo George c s c , h s c Wins Hungarian Lifetime Achievement Award The CSC congratulates Laszlo George csc, hsc for receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Hungarian Society of Cinematographers in Budapest in February for his work in television and films. George’s career spans decades, shooting in Budapest and London before relocating to Toronto in 1956, and then moving to Vancouver in 1984.

During his 70-year career, George has shot news, commercials, IMAX films, feature films and television projects all over the world.

Leica Camera in February released the Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition,” celebrating the 100th anniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers. Comprised of a Leica M10-P camera and a Leica Summicron-M 35 f/2 ASPH lens, the set offers two specially tailored Cine Look modes built into the camera’s software. The set also includes a Leica Visoflex electronic viewfinder and a Leica M-PL-Mount Adapter that allows the use of almost all PL mount cine lenses available on the market. Leica developed the new Cine Look feature in collaboration with some of the world’s most influential cinematographers and members of the ASC. The “ASC Cine Classic” mode simulates a classic, analog 35 mm motion-picture film look, while the “ASC Contemporary” mode delivers the current digital style of contemporary movies. Additionally, aspect ratios that are used in cinematography can also be selected from the camera’s menu. The combination of the included electronic viewfinder, M-PL-Mount Adapter, Cine Look pre-sets and aspect ratio options enables the use of the camera as a director’s viewfinder. This limited-edition release is a modern take on photographer Oskar Barnack’s original vision of the “Ur-Leica” prototype camera as an aid to cinematography. The Leica M10-P “ASC 100 Edition” will be available in autumn 2019.

Sim Announces Termination of Merger Agreement with Panavision, Saban Sim in February announced the termination of the merger agreement with Panavision and Saban Capital Acquisition Corp. announced last year. Sim said the volatile stock market conditions, combined with delays caused by the partial U.S. government shutdown in January and the resulting difficulty in getting everything completed before the March 31 deadline led to the decision to end the agreement. The merger aimed to create a premier global provider of end-to-end production and postproduction services to the entertainment industry.

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

IMAX Filmmaker Toni Myers Dies at 75 Toronto-born filmmaker Toni Myers, whose IMAX films made her a pioneer in the industry, died on February 18 at the age of 75 after a bout with cancer. Her most recent work was the 2016 documentary A Beautiful Planet, narrated by Oscarwinning actress Jennifer Lawrence. Her other projects include the 2010 Space Shuttle Atlantis documentary Hubble 3D, which Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio narrated; as well as 2009’s Under the Sea 3D, narrated by actor Jim Carrey. Her

Credit: Courtesy of the ASC

Leica Releases M10-P “ASC 100 Edition”

In The News 2002 documentary Space Station 3D (narrated by Tom Cruise) was the first IMAX 3D production filmed in space. After attending the Ontario College of Art, Myers started out in the industry as an editor on television dramas and music films. In the 1960s, she met Graeme Ferguson, who eventually co-founded IMAX. Myers and Ferguson worked together on the film Polar Life, which debuted at Montreal’s EXPO ’67. The two went on to work together on many high-profile documentaries for IMAX. At the 2013 CSC Awards, Myers presented the Bill Hilson Award to Ferguson (who was an honorary CSC member). Gov. Gen. Julie Payette awarded Myers the Order of Canada in February of this year.

Lowel-Light Founder, Gaffer Tape Inventor Dies Cinematographer and photographer Ross Lowell, who founded Lowel-Light and invented gaffer tape, died on February 15 at the age of 92. Born in New York City in 1926, Lowell studied film at University of California, Los Angeles before working as a photographer in the U.S. Navy.

He worked as a cinematographer in film and television during the 1950s, and his frustration over the lack of lighting options to shoot footage outside studios eventually led him to found Lowel-Light, and to design other portable lighting systems, including grip equipment and reflectors.

In 1980, he won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for “the development of compact lighting equipment for motion picture photography,” and was also nominated that same year in the Best Short Film, Live Action category for

the film Oh Brother, My Brother, which he wrote and co-directed.

In 1992, he published a book, Matters of Light and Depth: Creating Memorable Images for Video, Film and Stills Through Lighting.

Whites Adds Vancouver Studio Presence with Fourth Property William F. White in March announced the addition of a fourth purpose-renovated studio property under the Whites Studios banner – Whites Studios Copperwood in Vancouver.

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CSC AWARDS 2019

Presenting

THE 62nd ANNUAL CSC AWARD NOMINEES

DOCUDRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Ryan Knight Deadly Deception Ryan Knight Disasters at Sea Allan Leader csc The Dictator’s Playbook Bryce Zimmerman Ha Ling Peak DRAMATIC SHORT CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by REDLAB Olivier Gossot Fauve Kristofer Bonnell Stories We Tell Ourselves Byron Kopman QI (chè) Christopher Lew The Ballad Morgana McKenzie Wild

THEATRICAL FEATURE CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Deluxe Guy Godfree csc Giant Little Ones C. Kim Miles csc mysc Welcome to Marwen Ronald Plante csc La Bolduc Brendan Steacy csc Backstabbing for Beginners Brendan Steacy csc Stockholm

MUSIC VIDEO CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Dazmo Camera Matt Bendo Mind Games performed by Sickick Matt Bendo No Games performed by Sickick Jason George Just One Voice performed by Silent Rival Farhad Ghaderi To You Alone performed by Tom Rosenthal Cole Graham Places performed by Alaskan Tapes

TV SERIES CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Technicolor Pierre Jodoin csc Damnation “God’s Body” Jon Joffin asc Beyond “Two Zero One” Boris Mojsovski csc 12 Monkeys “Die Glocke” Luc Montpellier csc Counterpart “Birds of a Feather” Brendan Steacy csc Titans “Dick Grayson”

LIFESTYLE/REALITY CINEMATOGRAPHY Stephen Chung Mister Tachyon “Can Mother Nature Heal Us” Allan Leader csc Heroes

TV DRAMA CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Sim Serge Desrosiers csc The Queen of Sin Samy Inayeh csc Wynter Boris Mojsovski csc Titans “Pilot” Luc Montpellier csc Escaping the Madhouse: The Nellie Bly Story FRITZ SPIESS AWARD FOR COMMERCIAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Whites Camera Todd M. Duym csc Subaru “Skyline” André Pienaar csc Nissan “Lampton Legend” Bobby Shore csc Heritage Minute, Lucy Maude Montgomery Bobby Shore csc Ronald McDonald House Mark Zibert Right to Play “We Rise” BRANDED /CORPORATE/EDUCATIONAL CONTENT CINEMATOGRAPHY Jeremy Benning csc Autostore “Pioneers” Peter Hadfield Adidas Originals - Pharrell Williams x Hu Holi Jason Han dbrand-Grip & Prism: The Next Evolution Adam Madrzyk Dr. Scholl’s “Her Feet” Bobby Shore csc Random Identities YOUTH PROGRAMMING, COMEDY, MULTI-CAMERA SITCOM CINEMATOGRAPHY Neil Cervin csc Mech-X4 “Verses the End” David A. Makin csc CRAWFORD “I`m not Crazy I Love You” Cabot McNenly Little Dog “Round 3” Mitchell T. Ness csc Holly Hobbie ROBERT BROOKS AWARD FOR DOCUMENTARY CINEMATOGRAPHY Michael Dalton-Smith Volcanoes – The Fires of Creation Nicholas de Pencier csc Anthropocene: The Human Epoch Pawel Dwulit Enough - The Empowered Women of Korogocho Morgana McKenzie Lost Time Bobby Shore csc Still Storch

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

WEBEO CINEMATOGRAPHY Kristofer Bonnell Cole Graham Goh Iromoto Ian Kerr Benjamin Lichty

Pro ses Run for Water “Ethiopia: A Visual Diary” The Wonder Churchill Damaged – Chapter 3

STUDENT CINEMATOGRAPHY Sponsored by Panavision Canada Colin Cameron Proximity, Ryerson University Sam Holling Morendo, York University Max Machado Amal, Concordia University Adam Madrzyk Guion, Ryerson University Ian W. Mrozewski I Will Keep Your Light, University of British Columbia THE MASTERS AWARD “For outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.”

Nicolas Bolduc csc THE BILL HILSON AWARD “For outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Canada.”

SideFX THE PRESIDENT’S AWARD “For outstanding service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.”

Ernie Kestler THE CAMERA ASSISTANT AWARD OF MERIT “For excellence and outstanding professionalism in the performance of the AC duties and responsibilities” Rudolf (Rudy) Mammitzsch

AWARDS CELEBRATION Saturday March 23, 2019 Reception: 5:30pm, Dinner & Awards: 7:00pm Arcadian Court, 401 Bay St. Simpson Tower, 8th Fl, Toronto

Credit: Christine Reid

Christian Bielz, associate member (cinematographer) Nowhere (feature), accepted (Canadian premiere): Canadian Film Fest, Toronto, March 22, 2019

Credit: Wassim Farah

Associate Member Tess Girard with director Ryan J Noth and shepherd Matt Fleguel on the set of Drifting Snow.

Norm Li csc (cinematographer) The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (feature), nominated: Generation 14Plus for Best Film, 2019 Berlinale International Film Festival, Berlin, February 9, 2019 Brad Rushing csc (director of photography) Pony (short), accepted: Nice Film Market, Nice, France, May 8 to10, 2019; (director of photography) Planet (short), accepted: Los Angeles Short Film Festival, March 9 to10, 2019; accepted: Pasadena International Film Festival, March 13 to 21, 2019

Associate Member Dennis Grishnin shooting Night Lovell’s “Bad Kid” music video with director Avery Stedman and producer Desiree Deleau in the background.

Credit: Gerry Kingsley

On Set

ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS /

Stanislav Shakhov, associate member (cameraman) Family Portrait in Black and White (feature documentary), Focus on Retrospective: 26th Hot Docs Film Festival, Toronto, April 25 to May 5, 2019 Iris Ng, associate member (director of photography) PUSH (documentary), accepted: CPH:DOX – Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark, March 23 and 25, 2019; (director of photography) Toxic Beauty (documentary), accepted: 26th Hot Docs Film Festival, Toronto, April 25 to May 5, 2019

Associate Member Christian Bielz shooting the CBC series Back in Time for Winter.

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

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The first films that made a deep impression on me were by Ingmar Bergman, followed by the French and German New Wave films. As a young DP, Paris, Texas really excited me and affirmed my strong desire to make films. Still photography is always an inspiration.

How did you get started in the business?

When I graduated from art school, one of my teachers said my design and photography work “would look good as films.”

A career in film hadn’t occurred to me but it made sense, so I enrolled in film school where everything snapped into place. My first job was as an assistant cameraman at the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation). I assisted a very tall documentary cameraman who let me do all his handheld work, which is where I first got noticed. I shot two art films in the ‘70s, which took on cult status in South Africa and helped establish me as a talent to follow. I then shot my first drama series for which I received the SASC Gold Award for drama cinematography.

Who have been your mentors or teachers?

My teachers at art school probably had the most fundamental impact on my film work. It’s where I developed my sense of design, composition and the critical thinking required as an artist. Since then, many cinematographers have generously shared their wisdom. I also acknowledge the many people in my life who have contributed to the person I am – my parents, authors, gurus, life coaches and yoga teachers. They have all given me something which shows in my work.

What cinematographers inspire you?

There are so many brilliant cinematographers who have inspired me. The first DP I was aware of was Sven Nykvist asc, then Robby Müller nsc, bvk, [Vittorio] Storaro [asc, aic], Philippe Rousselot afc, asc and Chris Menges bsc, asc.

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

André Pienaar csc, sasc I’ve also always been drawn to the immersiveness of handheld camera. Claude Lelouch’s vivacious handheld work in the ‘60s and ‘70s first inspired me to move the camera freely.

and world view. It also draws on experience, leadership, technical knowledge, an ability to inspire people, and skill in managing situations, time, the weather, tools and personalities.

Name some of your professional highlights.

What do you like least about what you do?

I’m fortunate to have had so many highlights. Operating my first big-budget feature in South Africa felt like the beginning of a wonderfully exciting career, and working on political documentaries in the Apartheid era was intensely exciting and gratifying.

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

As a cinematographer, I’ve found myself at so many phenomenal events in amazing places. One of my most memorable moments was filming an ANC protest rally in Soweto during a state of emergency. Swamped in a mass of 50,000 people chanting and doing the toyi-toyi, my assistant lifted me on his shoulders to get a view of the impassioned crowd.

What do you like best about what you do?

I love how what I do draws on so many personal resources – craftsmanship, artistry, intuition, empathy, compassion, gut reaction, restraint, respect, integrity, patience, flexibility, philosophy, culture

There’s not much I don’t like because every day presents challenges that inspire imagination and collaboration, and it’s a privilege to be working in film. Of course I have my gripes, but those are about things beyond my control.

What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)?

There have been so many developments that have given me creative and technical freedom. There were self-blimped film cameras, fast film emulsions, Steadicam, fluorescent lights, digital cameras, a proliferation of lens options, gimbals, and sophisticated colour grading. The latest great inventions important to me are RGB LEDs and small high-quality digital cameras. But no technical innovation can outshine ingenuity, heart and soul.

How can others follow your work?

A selection of my work is available on the Sesler website: sesler.com/cinematographers/andre-pienaar/commercial/

Credit: Chris Reardon

CSC Member Spotlight

What films or works of art have made the biggest impression on you?

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13

All in the Family

Craig Wrobleski csc on

The Umbrella Academy A

dysfunctional family of super- By Trevor Hogg heroes conceived by graphic - Special to Canadian Cinematographer novel writer Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá becomes a Netflix-produced series courtesy of executive producer and showrunner Steve Blackman (Altered Carbon). The debut season of The Umbrella Academy consists of 10 episodes shot in Toronto at Cinespace Film Studios. Sharing cinematography duties were Neville Kidd asc (Sherlock) and Craig Wrobleski csc (Fargo). “We shot in two-episode blocks,” Wrobleski explains. “Neville shot six of the episodes [including the pilot], and I shot four of them. We had a close collaboration. It was amazing to walk into the world that he and Steve had created [when I came in for Episode Four] and to have a great idea of what they were already up to because Neville had been so communicative and inclusive.”

Described as being mind-bending, offbeat, imaginative and quirky, The Umbrella Academy is a hybrid of different storytelling sensibilities. In the series, a billionaire industrialist named Sir Reginald Hargreeves adopts seven children and uses them to create the Umbrella Academy, an agency that aims to save the world.

As the children grow up, the family gradually fractures. When Hargreeves mysteriously dies, his now-adult children reunite to solve the mystery of his death.

“When I spoke to Steve Blackman, he said it was Wes Anderson [The Grand Budapest Hotel] meets the X-Men,” Wrobleski states. “The Umbrella Academy is an amazing show in that there is nothing else like it on TV because it spans so many genres and styles. It has something for everyone.” Adding to the distinctiveness is the diversity of the cast in terms of ethnicity, personality and size. “Ellen Page is

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

David Castañeda as Diego Hargreeves.

“The Umbrella Academy is an amazing show in that there is nothing else like it on TV because it spans so many genres and styles. It has something for everyone.”

Photos courtesy of Netflix

a diminutive actress, while Tom Hopper, who plays the Luther character, is 6’4”. It pushes me to shoot things in a way that I’ve never done before because there are such unique opportunities in front of the camera, as well as incredible sets built for the show that are like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

Each episode required 13 to 14 days of principal photography. “If Neville was shooting for three and a half weeks or four weeks, I’d be prepping for those three and a half or four weeks,” Wrobleski says. “We had a lot of prep time but needed every minute of it because this show was complicated. The schedule was such that we would build second unit days into the tail end of our main unit shoot days so that Neville and I could shoot our own second unit. It didn’t always work out that way, so we had other people come in and help out when required.”

Shooting a project that will be streamed on large televisions to smartphones did not significantly impact the choice of aspect ratio. “We shot 2:1, which is not a widescreen but gives us more room to work,” Wrobleski says. “The reality is people’s relationship with the screen, regardless of what they’re watching it on, remains similar. We would rather this show be watched on the biggest monitor that they have because it’s very cinematic. We have to be mindful of it, but ultimately, it’s about telling the story in the best way possible.”

The vast majority of the world was created on the scripted page. “Neville and Steve had worked together closely on the first episode to create a visual language that was a nod to the graphic novel,” Wrobleski remarks. “However, graphic novels have a specific visual style that is difficult to replicate in motion pictures.

A large part of that look came from shooting on the ALEXA 65, which Neville had worked on with Altered Carbon with Steve.

Just the dimensionality of that camera, and sheer sense of scope and scale that it gives to the images went a long way towards creating those graphic frames but still retain a cinematic quality to them. The ALEXA 65 is essentially three Super 35 ALEXA sensors stitched together to create a massive one. You are able to use every inch of that big frame and stretch it.”

Canon Cinema Primes were used for the short focal lengths, while Cooke S4s looked after the longer focal lengths. “We shot most of the show on wide lenses, with our favourites being 18 mm, 24 mm, 28 mm and 35 mm. Those lenses are gorgeous, and on the ALEXA 65 you get the wide lens field of view without the warping and bending,” Wrobleski observes.

ARRI supplied two ALEXA 65 cameras with the footage captured ARRIRAW in 5K mode. “Probably 70 per cent of the show was single camera by virtue of our lenses. When you’re shooting close-ups on a 28 mm or 18 mm, there is not a lot of room to fit another camera in. However, we tried to fit another camera in whenever the opportunity arose because it helped the story. We stayed on the ALEXA 65 as much as humanly possible; the camera has such a distinctive look that when you start putting other things into the mix, they didn’t hold up. We carried an ALEXA Mini as our C camera. The ALEXA 65 is such a large camera that sometimes the only option was to put the Mini in a tighter space to get the shot,” Wrobleski says, adding that Sim provided the lighting and grip equipment. “The sets were pre-rigged with

Craig Wrobleski csc on set.

Actors Colm Feore and Jordan Claire Robbins.

Mary J. Blige and Cameron Britton.

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019 •

15

L to R: Neville Kidd asc, gaffer Terry Banting and DIT Gautam Pinto.

a lot of LEDs. We built SkyPanels into some soft boxes above the sets and had two skylights. One of the critical tools for the look was using Molebeams, which were pushed through the windows of the sets to get crisp sunlight beams coming through.

We would change lighting schemes in order to give a sense of time of day and to keep the years placed within the chronology of the story,” he reveals.

Eight show LUTs were developed for The Umbrella Academy.

“Neville and DIT Gautam Pinto did a lot of work in preproduction to get a LUT together,” Wrobleski explains. “I generally worked within two or three LUTs. I tend to prefer to use a LUT like a film stock and light for it as opposed to shooting on a lot of different LUTs. There were some flashback elements and specific sequences where we did custom LUTs to give things a distinctive look. Most of those looks held throughout the grading process, but there are always some variations and fluctuations once you get all of the story together that require modulation.”

Beautiful tones were built into the sets that were both unified and distinct. “We didn’t want the audience to feel like they were watching something occurring in any specific time or place, so it became challenging to find locations that didn’t place us in a

specific world and also matched the aesthetic of our sets. Reginald Hargreeves [Colm Feore], the character who started the Umbrella Academy, was a world traveller and Renaissance man so his house and the Umbrella Academy have influences from all over the world,” he says.

“Generally, we were on stage for 50 to 70 per cent of the episode and then on the road for the rest of it,” Wrobleski states.

“There was a library set that we needed to find, and the reality is that they’re all more similar than different. But we found a beautiful library in downtown Toronto that had a unique architectural feature inside that we exploited and echoed later in the series.” The “anytime anywhere” philosophy was adopted for the props. “It was about being specific with our choices and being mindful of what to include in the frame. The vehicle choices that they made were interesting. It was never what you would expect.

We did a traffic jam sequence, for example, and had cars from every era. You couldn’t look at one of those cars and go, ‘That looks like this era.’ We had to keep the audience guessing as to where and when this was happening,” he says, adding that the object mentioned in the title of the show makes an appearance.

“We didn’t lean into the umbrella thing too much. It plays a role in the opening sequences of the series, but it was just something that was there. We wanted to nod to it here and there. It was fun to place Easter eggs and little mnemonics for the audience,” he reveals.

Any scene that involved a lot of action and visual effects was storyboarded so the specific information could be shared amongst all of the departments. “Our visual effects team, led

by Everett Burrell [A Good Day to Die Hard], also worked with Steve on Altered Carbon, and their work on that show speaks for itself,” Wrobleski remarks. “They were proactive in doing previs and rough composites whenever possible to give us an idea of how all of these elements were going to fit together.” Weta Digital, renown for creating the photo-realistic primates for the

By Trevor Hogg

Another Dimesion

B

ringing a dysfunctional superhero family to the small screen has been quite a unique experience for Neville Kidd asc, a native of Glasgow, who has lensed Sherlock, Outlander and Altered Carbon.

“The Umbrella Academy is quite a different animal because you want to reference the comic book but put it across in a television format,” he says. “We wanted to use the ALEXA 65 because the camera is such a large format and has a distinctive look. It’s got a way of seeing that is so pleasing to look at. It feels like it’s your eyes. When the ALEXA 65 moves down the corridor, you feel as if you’re part of the camera.”

Shooting at 5K rather than 6.5K allowed for the use of faster lenses. “We discovered on Altered Carbon that when fully open on the Canon Cine Primes, they matched the depth of field of the 6.5K at T2.8,” Kidd says, noting that the 24 mm and 35 mm

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

were favoured and that the narrow focus of the ALEXA 65 allowed little margin for error. “The wide lenses with the shallow depth of field gave us a lovely softness that separated the characters from their reality, which worked for The Umbrella Academy.”

Kidd, who had input into how the sets were being built, says: “What’s great working with Steve Blackman is he is appreciative of world building at an early stage. We were involved in helping to light the sets with the production designers and would ask, ‘Can you put a window or skylight here?’ It adds an extra polish to the final product that shows on camera. We’re not fighting simple things. I used every light in the world! I was quite keen for the world inside the Umbrella Academy to be tungsten and slightly retro, while with the other worlds we could break all of the rules. We used a lot of SkyPanels, LEDs and Molebeams for the big house to

give a harder light, as well as a soft wash.

In the front room set, we had 10 Molebeams coming through. The great advantage now for us is LED lighting where we can have lights up top in our rigs through the skylights that can change colour. Five to 10 years ago, you would be putting gels on them.”

Gilles Corbeil, who handled the A camera and Steadicam, modified some equipment. “Gilles adapted a few of his rigs to get the cameras as low as possible.

Some of our characters are so much taller than other cast members and because the sets were 360 degrees, we could film up into the ceilings a lot,” Kidd says.

Noting that various LUTs were created early on to ensure continuity throughout the show, Kidd explains, “I told Jill Bogdanowicz at Deluxe that the colour palette should feel like you’re watching your favourite movie on Christmas Day back in the 1970s. I wanted

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17

Shooting a scene with Emmy Raver-Lampman and Ellen Page.

Planet of the Apes prequel trilogy, produced a CG monkey for the series. “There was a fair amount of greenscreen work done, but it is always my hope that the audience doesn’t know where we employed greenscreen.”

A remarkable camera and lighting crew was assembled for The Umbrella Academy. “Our gaffer Terry Banting was invaluable in keeping up with the sheer logistical realities of lighting these enormous sets, and we always had new ones popping up,” Wrobleski notes. “Terry and his rigging team were able to create fresh looks and keep it all moving. Key grip Richard Tiadorchek was always ahead of the curve and supporting our creative vision. Great dolly grip Patrick King kept the sense of flow and dimension that the ALEXA 65 offered. Gilles Corbeil, who was the camera operator on The Shape of Water, was our A camera operator and understood how to use these wide lenses and how to create frames. Peter Sweeney, our B camera operator, was the same way. I should give a special mention to focus pullers Mark Cyre and David Nardi. The ALEXA 65 had a razor thin depth of field, and the two of them did an incredible job keeping focus

“From an early stage, I included Craig on all of the research that we were doing. It was rewarding for the both of us. You can only get benefit from 100 per cent collaboration. I’m a big believer of giving everybody all of the facts that you have and then they can add to it.” it to have the film quality of going back to another time but feel rich and natural. Jill did a great job creating the show LUTs.” The final grading went smoothly, he adds, saying, “It was the quickest DI that I’ve ever done because we spent so much time creating the look. Gautam Pinto did a great job keeping it constant, and with Craig’s and my lighting, we flew through the grading.”

Kidd notes that he enjoyed the collaboration with Wrobleski. “It was the first time that I’ve

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

when the depth of field was a matter of inches, if not centimetres. In terms of grading, we were lucky to have Gautam Pinto, who did an amazing job on set of managing the look and matching the footage. Then in post, Jill Bogdanowicz at Deluxe did the final grades, and she has a resume that speaks for itself.”

In addition to Page, Hopper and Feore, The Umbrella Academy stars Emmy Raver-Lampman, David Castañeda, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, Mary J. Blige, Cameron Britton, Adam Godley and John Magaro. “It’s amazing when you’re surrounded by a big cast like that and the creative energy they brought to the show. They really did support each other in a family way,” Wrobleski states, adding that Steve Blackman sets a high standard. “The challenge working with Steve is always rising to the material because his scripts are so incredible and inventive.

Then there’s the challenge of maintaining that visually and not having anything become ordinary.” Blackman, executive producer Jeff King, and producer Kevin Lafferty were supportive of the cast and crew. “I’m excited to see how the audience responds to the teasers because they were carefully made so that the audience will want to follow the story for the rest of the episode,” Wrobleski says.

worked with him,” Kidd says. “From an early stage, I included Craig on all of the research that we were doing. I would send him drawings and the looks we were going for. It was rewarding for the both of us. You can only get benefit from 100 per cent collaboration. I’m a big believer of giving everybody all of the facts that you have and then they can add to it.”

The Umbrella Academy takes place in an analogue rather than digital environment, which left an impression on Kidd. “We wanted to get away from the present day and do it in a slightly left field way,” he maintains. “In the comic books, American President John

Kennedy Jr. is never killed. Mobile phones don’t exist. The Internet was never invented.

The distractions of modern-day life don’t exist in our world. It adds to the style. We have so much connectivity, it’s nice to watch something on television that has none of that. The characters have to talk to each other and find out things together, which is quite refreshing.

“My favourite shot is when Ellen Page enters the Umbrella Academy for the first time since she was a kid,” the DP reveals. “For one of our flashback Steadicam sequences, Gilles did a phenomenal job. It goes through the children and shows their individual stories. We did it as one take. I said to Mark Cyre at the time, ‘That’s the best focus pull I’ve ever seen in my life.’ The ALEXA 65 is moving, there’s minimal depth of focus and he nailed it.” •

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Todd M. Duym csc Crafts a Visual Poem

By Fanen Chiahemen

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

Credit: Justin Dawson

Lining up the shot for the 100’ dolly shot. Director Jörn Threlfall (left) and Todd M. Duym csc.

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inematographer Todd M. Duym csc and his longtime collaborator, BAFTA-nominated director Jörn Threlfall, had been shooting commercials for several years when they decided it was time to make a narrative film. But they wanted the film to come about organically, so they spent a good year or so talking about current events, the future of the world and the art that inspired them.

It wasn’t like he had an idea and wrote it down. It was an evolution for Jörn. We were talking about what kind of film we wanted to make, and then the subject matter presented itself,” Duym reveals. “The film was a result of us chatting about ideas and what inspired us as people and as filmmakers, and Jörn ultimately wanted to create a quiet, unassuming film that actually had a lasting impression on the viewer.”

Threlfall, who is based in London, U.K., spent a year in Santa Fe, New Mexico, surrounded by the desert, which became the inspiration for the short film Dawn, a 14-minute meditation on the 1945 nuclear test that was conducted around the Los Alamos region.

Once the director had found his story, Duym flew out to Santa Fe and the two of them spent time driving around in a pickup truck surveying the landscapes to come up with the visual language for the film. “There was a special quality and clarity of the light due to the altitude. It’s dry, it’s hot, it’s vast. We wanted to capture that,” Duym offers.

Although they shot the film in just six days, they spent a month in preproduction finding locations, shooting stills of the environments and making photo boards. Because they wanted to remain as natural as possible, Duym captured the sun paths at all the locations, so he would know when the sun was coming up, when it was going to be high noon and when the sun was going down.

They decided to shoot the film with the anamorphic aspect ratio to best capture the striking landscapes and to keep the subjects small in the frame. “There’s something lonely about the anamorphic aspect ratio,” Duym Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019 •

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Behind-the-scenes photos: Credit Justin Dawson

“We were talking about what kind of film we wanted to make, and then the subject matter presented itself.

The film was a result of us chatting about ideas and what inspired us as people and as filmmakers, and Jörn ultimately wanted to create a quiet, unassuming film that actually had a lasting impression on the viewer.”

Credit: Justin Dawson

Chasing the stunt double on 100’ of dolly with key grip Miguel Benavides.

says. “So I went back to L.A., and I cropped all of the images that we shot in the anamorphic aspect ratio. I worked to get the colours where we wanted them to be, I shared all of my sun paths in each one of the locations and then Jörn took all of that stuff and built storyboards based off of the shot list, the sun paths and the photographs.”

They shot the first two days with a crew, the third and fourth with just essential crew members, and on the last two days, Duym and Threlfall just drove around capturing dawn and dusk shots, the cinematographer says.

“We’d wake up at 4 in the morning, we would shoot from when the sun would come up, different locations, two or three spots at that magic hour, and then we would wait till the end of the day, and we would do that again. We did that multiple times to get all those landscapes. It was a real jigsaw puzzle to be able to have enough time to do what we needed to do,” Duym explains. “We never felt rushed in this project.

“Dawn is a perfect example of We never felt like we had what is possible when you allow to settle and move on just because we had to get out people to do their best. Jörn surof the location, or we had rounded himself with likeminded to get somewhere else. We always had enough time to people and trusted their instincts. settle into It was a very special project and the environment I’m grateful for the experience.” and be present.

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

“There were a couple of times I had to put up lights, but not much,” he continues. “For night stuff, obviously I had to put up lights, but any of the day exteriors I would try to minimize using bounces or negative whenever possible. I tried to have the least amount of influence on those images because the light was so incredible. Balanced and considered composition played the biggest role when photographing this film.”

The scenes with the farmer in the adobe hut were captured at high noon when the sun was highest in the sky, using reflector boards, mirror boards and bounces to push the sunlight into the hut, Duym explains. “This location required a lot of gripping as I had some form of grip gear outside each window, as well as inside the hut. Luckily, Miguel Benavides was my key grip,” he says. “My gaffer, Lamarr Gray, was brilliant and understood that subtlety was key. We used an ARRI SkyPanel S60-C, a LiteMat 4, a LiteMat 2 and a LiteMat 1 to create separation when needed. We used a lot of negative over the windows to avoid direct sunlight.”

All of this was captured on the ALEXA Mini with a set of Hawk C‑Series anamorphic lenses, “which for me is the perfect marriage between new and old,” Duym says. “They come together in a beautiful complementary way. I just absolutely adore those lenses, and I also did something much different than I do normally – I shot with deep stops. I was shooting between a 5.6 and an 11 stop for most of the film. There’s this real trend now to always be shooting wide open, but because we were shooting these vast landscapes, I really was inspired

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Fostering Cinematography

BE A FOR A NEW CSC STUDENT MEMBER CAN YOU STEP UP? Remember what it was like once you decided to pursue a career as a cinematographer?

The future unknown. What to do? Where to turn?

The CSC provides a community for fostering cinematographers across the country, so we need your help. We want to welcome as many of the budding cinematographers as possible who are graduating from the over 30 cinematography courses in institutions of higher learning across Canada. That’s potentially a lot of people.

Our new mentorship program promises to hook up every new student member with one of us for a mentor relationship. What does that mean? It’s up to the mentor volunteer. A cup of coffee? Answering questions? Set visits? Looking at dailies? Timing sessions? Helping on your docs? Whatever seems do-able.

Whatever you are comfortable with. Whatever time you can afford.

IT’S A GREAT WAY TO GIVE BACK. In order for this to work, all we need is you to decide that you want to help. Allow us to give an applying student your contact information so they can reach out to you.

Simply reply to pattyg@csc.ca and write “put me in the mentor pool” in the subject line and we will do just that and hook you up with one of our fabulous new student members.

DON’T WAIT. DO IT NOW! admin@csc.ca

416-266-0591

Credit: Justin Dawson

by classic cinematography that you would see in films like Lawrence of Arabia, where everything is in focus, and it’s just incredibly sharp, beautiful and expansive.”

For the shot where the atomic bomb goes off, Duym created the illusion of an explosion using a pyramid of PAR cans. “I took a bunch of warm PAR cans, had a bottom row, then a middle row that was slightly smaller, and then a third row that was a little bit smaller. So when the explosion happened, it would happen as though it starts at the bottom and rises up,” he explains. “That was all controlled on a dimmer board. And then when the camera pulls back and looks through the window where you see that bright red sky, that was one of the sky plates that we had shot on the last two days. The director and I were just looking for a deep red sky. We found Duym waiting for the sun to disappear behind the horizon. this incredible sky that we ultimately enhanced a little bit in post, but it wasn’t far off from what we captured in camera, and then we put that on the other side of the window.” board inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky Polaroids. “[Kyriacou] has a brilliant eye for colour and understood what we wanted Although he had a small crew, he says they were “all top to accomplish, so we gave him the opportunity to explore the notch. Everyone that came out to help was amazing and image and elevate it to the fullest potential,” Duym notes. worked hard. So we were lucky. They were some of the best “Dawn is a perfect example of what is possible when you alpeople I’ve ever worked with.” He also praises Keslow Camera low people to do their best,” he says. “Jörn surrounded himself in Los Angeles for supplying the camera and lenses. “They’ve with likeminded people and trusted their instincts. It was a always been supportive of my career, so I’m grateful,” he says. very special project and I’m grateful for the experience.”

Postproduction took place at MPC in London under the guidance of colourist George Kyriacou, working off a mood

FebruaryFREEZE 18th Annual

William F. White, February 5 and 6, Toronto

Photos by Carolyn Wong & Carlos Esteves csc

Active stabilized remote head and arm by OperTec.

Mark Skinner, associate member Matt Irwin, Martin Wojtunik, George Willis csc, sasc and John Tarver csc.

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

Wojtunik with Guy Godfree csc.

A 360 monitor image from a 360-degree camera at the Fusion Cine stall.

Penny Waitier and associate member Dale Sood.

Nicole Sanidas, Cudah Andarawewa, James Stewart and Arthur Cooper csc.

Alan Lennox checks out a Steadicam rig.

Willis, Anton Van Rooyen and associate member Michael J. Davidson.

Stephen Chandler Whitehead, Samy Inayeh csc, D. Gregor Hagey csc and Matt Irwin.

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019 •

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VIRTUAL SPACE: VR

THE EXPANSE

ON

By Fanen Chiahemen All screen grabs, Credit: Courtesy Alcon Entertainment

T

VR screen grab of the Razorback set from Season Three of The Expanse.

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

he science fiction series The Expanse, now entering its fourth season, is one of the biggest television series ever to shoot in Toronto (Canadian Cinematographer, December 2015). Based on the novels of the same name by James S. A. Corey, its futuristic, space-based storyline requires large sets with multiple levels, many of them shot 360 degrees. During production of Season Three, a virtual reality workflow was introduced in order to make previsualizing the sets more efficient, Jeremy Benning csc tells Canadian Cinematographer.

“It allows us to preview sets that haven’t been built yet so that we can get a sense of the space. It’s particularly useful for sets that are fully 360 or that are two or three storeys high. It really helps you move around that space, to look from different angles and see what a human-scale figure looks like within that space, and also how you’re going to light it as far as where should lights go and where the action’s going to take place,” Benning, who has shot the show since the first season, says.

The VR process began with set designer Karl Crosby, who had been putting his sets into virtual reality to aid his design process since Season One of The Expanse, first assistant art director Christopher Danelon explains. By the third season, Crosby introduced the idea of using VR in the art department to production designer Anthony Ianni.

Danelon then took over because the system required someone working with it full time. “He basically handed me the tools to do it and I ran with it,” Danelon says. “I took the core principle that Karl set up and progressed it further.”

Credit: Christopher Danelon

Using a combination of software engines that include the gaming software Unity (the core engine), the modelling software Maya, the 3D painting software Substance Painter, the 3D modelling computer program SketchUp, as well as a variety of other programs, Danelon built on the system, which allows the user to essentially “teleport” into a virtual set and explore it. “For us, mainly it’s useful for sets that are in very preliminary stages of construction,” Benning explains.

“I’ll go in there and look around at the environment, and then basically see where maybe the dimensions aren’t quite right for the shot, or maybe a door’s in the wrong place, or some physical part of the layout would be better if it was changed. And you really are aware of it once you’re actually standing in there.

You can really tell where things should be. Of course, it also allows me to give notes to the lighting team to start to figure out how we’re going to light it, which sometimes means I have to tell the art department we need to open up a ceiling in this area so I can put a light here. That happens every time I’ve gone in there.

And it tells my rigging team how they have to rig the lights inside the sets.”

The program allows the user to view the sets from any angle and at any height by lifting them up as though in an elevator, with the ability to pan left and right. “I was able to essentially program drone shots,” Danelon says.

“So a director can say, ‘I am imagining this scene, and I want it to be done with the drone shot, can you lift me up?’ So I’d press a key, lift the director up and then be able to manipulate their movement from there, similar to what you would have on a drone.”

“It allows you to put yourself in places you couldn’t do in the actual set unless you had a ladder or a lift or something to get you up to the ceiling,” Benning adds.

“It’s a good way to preview challenging camera positions that you physically can’t get to when you’re scouting.”

Danelon also developed a way to link the VR sets to members of the production in Los Angeles. “We built a computer and sent it over to L.A., so you can have two people on two different locations on the same set

Jeremy Benning csc explores a virtual set using the hand controller to snap images with the director’s finder.

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019 •

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30 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019

Credit: Courtesy Alcon Entertainment

Clockwise from top: VR screen grab of the Rocinante Ops Deck set from Season Three of The Expanse.

Christopher Danelon using the hand controllers to navigate a VR set. Christopher Danelon runs the VR system.

VIVE VR headset and hand controller.

Credit above and left: Jeremy Benning csc

at the same time and have almost like a Skype call together,” he says.

Another useful feature is the ability to switch lens views and take frame grabs in the viewer. “That was developed by a company based out of Toronto called Cinema Suite,” Danelon says.

“They create assets for Unity, and they create camera lens effects. Karl commissioned them to create a feature in the VR camera that switches lenses.”

The effect is like having a virtual director’s viewfinder, Benning explains.

“So you’re standing in the virtual set looking through the VR goggles, and you can hold up the controller and you’ll see a virtual frame floating as if you’re holding a viewfinder, and you can see the set through a 14 mm or 18 mm lens or all the lenses that we have.”

The feature is particularly helpful with storyboarding. “So we know that’s exactly what this set will look like from this position with that lens,” Benning says. “We’ll walk through the set with the director and we’ll talk about how this scene is going to play out. Like if it’s an action scene or something that’s really technical with zero gravity or something, we can literally walk around the set and take pictures with the director’s finder, and those pictures can be exported as jpegs or as prints, and we’ll hand those to the storyboard artist and say, ‘These are all the angles of this set that we want to shoot this scene from.’ And then their job is to then draw the actors into those sets, and they’ve got the exact framing of where we can put the camera and how much of this set we’re going to see. All they have to do is add the people. So that’s super helpful because then your storyboards are extremely accurate.

It’s really changed the way we all think about how we design sequences and how we light and how we build sets.

“Every department has used it to get a sense of what they have to deal with and what the specific challenges there are going to be with that set,” he says. “It means that everyone is able to work faster, and when we show up on the day, the set is much closer to what we need it to be than if we hadn’t had that ability to see it in advance.”

Credit: Ian Harvey

Mag-Z marketing GM David Daniloff and CEO Ryan Wang with the Atom Cinebot.

T

he arms race is escalating. That’s arms, as in robotic motion arms, the cool devices that give DPs a range of options in capturing a scene. And it’s where Toronto entrepreneur Ryan Wang saw opportunity. He’d been working as a director and DP in China and was frustrated at the length of time each motion control setup took. There had to be a faster, simpler way, he thought. The result is the Atom Cinebot, designed and built

by Mag-Z, the centrepiece of Wang’s new Toronto-based studio and production service.

Mag-Z bills it as the “most affordable full-size motion control rig available.”

In full extension, the arm swings up to 11 metres per second with a maximum height of 3.1m. It also has a 10-metre track where the unit moves up to 4m per second.

Wang says the only similar arm is in Vancouver, and they’re hoping to offer productions from Toronto through to the eastern Canada. “I had used a motion control arm on some shoots, and they were not that easy to operate, and they

were expensive,” Wang says. So he and his partner in China mapped out some ideas to create a production model that was more affordable and more flexible to program and operate than existing solutions.

The difference, Wang says, is that with the Atom the shot starts with a plan, allowing the DP to sit down with the script and creatively figure out the best shot, not the most time-efficient setup but the best creatively possible solution.

Toronto DP John Tarver csc worked with Wang on some product shots for a friend’s microbrewery to test drive the Atom. He’s also used it for a short film project he’s been chipping away at.

“Basically it was a turnkey. Ryan supplied the motion control arm and the operator for the shot,” Tarver says. “The other [project] is a sci-fi project and was shot against a chroma-key.”

His experience with Wang and the MagZ team took place as the company was just getting off the ground, he says, but he was impressed. “They’re as efficient as the team in Los Angeles where I have done motion control arm shots with General

Lift,” he says. “Though what we did in Toronto wasn’t as ambitious as what we did in L.A.” The Atom also features a manual input option, which can save a lot of setup time. “We use the controller to walk the arm through its path, then we just have to bring it back and press the run button, and it will fly through the programmed paths,” Wang says.

The controller operates on proprietary software rather than run from a computer because it’s faster that way. “Our setup is all about saving time on set,” he says.

“That also benefits the production, saving extra time on prep days. The point of our company is not just to rent this out but to create shots. We don’t only just operate it, we sit down and work with them to get the shot.”

The initial iteration of Atom is based on fast reaction and speed, and there are two new models on deck.

“We are building two new motion models,” Wang says. “The current Atom would be in the middle. The smaller would have a 1.78-metre reach from the ground at 11.9 metres per second on a single axis top speed. The payload is also smaller at 10kg.”

The smaller unit, on the other hand, is light enough for two people to lift and can be mounted on a car or on a table, he says.

The bigger unit is the Komodo, which can lift a human. It’s also finished in chroma green and disappears when shot against a chroma-key.

Also in development is a slider system that can be pre-programmed to pan and tilt as it travels at up to six metres a second. It will also move back to front and has an arm to rise up and down.

Ian Harvey is a journalist who has been writing about digital disruption for 20 years.

He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits subject matter ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca.

Canadian Cinematographer - April 2019 •

31

Tech Column

Toronto Startup Putting the Motion into Motion Pictures

Production Notes

ALTERED CARBON II (series)

DP Bernard Couture csc (alternating episodes)

to June 25

Surrey

Classifieds EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

ANNE WITH AN “E” III (series)

DP Catherine Lutes csc

to August 22

Toronto

ARROW VII (series)

DP Gordon Verheul csc (odd) & Neil Cervin csc (even)

to April 11

Vancouver

AURORA TEAGARDEN MYSTERY 12: A VERY FOUL (MOW)

DP Pieter Stathis csc

to April 5

Burnaby

BURDEN OF TRUTH III (series)

DP Thom Best csc

to October 24

Winnipeg

CARDINAL: UNTIL THE NIGHT – CYCLE 4 (series)

DP Steve Cosens csc Camera Operator Paula Tymchuk B Camera 1st Assistant Pierre Branconnier

to April 12

North Bay

CASTLE IN THE GROUND (feature)

DP Bobby Shore csc

to April 1

Garson

EXCHANGE, THE (feature)

DP Jean-Philippe Bernier

to May 10

Nepean

DP Brenton Spencer csc & Alwyn J. Kumst

to April 19

Vancouver

FLASH V (series)

Calendar

csc (alternating episodes)

FRANKENSTEIN (pilot)

DP David Moxness csc, asc

to April 5

Burnaby

HAUNTING OF NANCY DREW, THE (pilot)

DP John Bartley csc, asc

to April 9

North Vancouver

HEART OF TEXAS, THE (MOW)

DP Ron Stannett csc

to April 3

Burnaby

IMPULSE II (series)

DP David Greene csc, asc & Marc Laliberté B Camera Operator Robert J. Barnett

to June 14

Etobicoke

INK (series)

DP François Dagenais csc (alternating episodes) Camera Operator Jim Van Dijk

to April 12

Richmond

LET HIM GO (feature)

DP Guy Godfree csc

to May 17

Calgary

LOCKE & KEY (series)

DP Tico Poulakakis csc (eps 101/102) & and Colin Hoult csc (eps 103/104) B Camera Operator Peter Sweeney

to June 19

Toronto

LOST BOYS, THE (pilot)

DP Michael Wale csc

to April 2

North Vancouver

MAGIC HOUR (series)

DP François Dagenais csc

to April 12

Richmond

MAGNESIUM (series)

DP George Lajtai csc

to July 16

Toronto

NURSES (series)

DP Thom Best csc 1st Assistant Ciaran Copelin

to May 16

Mississauga

POCKET SQUARES VI (series)

DP David Makin csc

to June 28

Toronto

POSSESSOR (feature)

DP Karim Hussain csc Camera Operator Yoann Malnati

to May 12

Toronto

REX (series)

DP Stephen Reizes csc

to May 12

St. John’s

ROMANCE RETREAT (LBTV movie)

DP/Operator Paul Mitchnick csc

to April 1

Mississauga

SUGAR DADDY (feature)

DP/OP Kristin Fieldhouse

to April 4

Toronto

SPINNING OUT (series)

B Cam Operator Perry Hoffman

to May 1

Toronto

SUPERGIRL IV (series)

DP Michael Storey csc B Camera Operator Justin Beattie

to May 15

Langley

TITANS II (series)

DP Boris Mojsovski csc (odd episodes) & Brendan Steacy csc (even episodes)

to September 18

Toronto

UTOPIA FALLS (series)

DP Samy Inayeh csc

to June 25

Etobicoke

VAN HELSING IV (series)

DP Gerald Packer csc Camera Operator Christopher Oben

to June 21

Vancouver

APRIL 4-6, 3rd International Conference on Teaching & Researching Cinematography, Brussels, imago.org 6-11, NAB Show 2019, Las Vegas, nabshow.com 13: CSC Screening at TIFF of Jurassic Park with Dean Cundey csc, asc, Toronto, csc.ca 25-May 5, Hot Docs Festival, Toronto, hotdocs.ca

@canadiancinematographer @csc_CDN

32 • Canadian Cinematographer - April 2018

MAY 6, CSC Annual General Meeting, Technicolor Toronto 11, Stewart Aziz Memorial, South Pond Farms, Bethany, ON 31-June 1, Cine Gear Expo, Los Angeles, cinegearexpo.com JUNE 26-69, Cine Video Expo, Mexico, revistapantalla.com/expo JULY 28-August 1, Siggraph, Los Angeles, s2019.siggraph.org

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.

ALEXA ITEMS FOR SALE Arri Alura T2.9. 18-80mm (PL Mount, Feet) CAD$20,000 OBO Arri Eyepiece Leveler (EL-3) Brand New CAD$400 OBO Arri Viewfinder Cable Medium KC151S Brand New CAD$350 OBO Please email Ian Toews csc at: ian@291filmcompany.ca Canon CN-E Prime Lenses 24mm T1.5, 35mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 In excellent condition. EF mount, covers S35 and full frame. Asking $3400 each.

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Looking for a set of old, no longer used, standard legs with Mitchell base. Or any type of disused heavy camera support.

This is to be used to mount a Mitchell BNCR camera in order to place it on display. Anyone with access to such a tripod or with information about one, please contact me: rawi@earthlink.net 416-691-6865

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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