Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine December 2016

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CANADIAN  SOCIETY  OF  CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 December 2016 www.csc.ca

David Geddes csc, asc

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW

Two Lovers and a Bear: Nicolas Bolduc csc IMAGO 2016



A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 8, NO. 7 DECEMBER 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. 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.

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Credit: Max Films

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.

Two Lovers and a Bear: Nicolas Bolduc csc Explores Love in a Cold Climate By Fanen Chiahemen

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Legends of Tomorrow: David Geddes csc, asc Takes on Epic Superheroes By Fanen Chiahemen

Credit: George Willis csc, sasc

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By George Willis csc, sasc

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 8 10 16 26 28

From the Editor-In-Chief In the News HD Source 2nd Annual Open House Spotlight: Craig Wrobleski csc ProFusion 2016 WFW Filmmaker Open Hosue Tech Column Production Notes/Calendar

Cover: Arrow and The Flash from Legends of Tomorrow. Credit: © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc


Canadian Cinematographer December 2016 Vol. 8, No. 7 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, admin@csc.ca

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Karen Longland ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca

Joan Hutton csc

ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, gkondruss@rogers.com EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER Bruce Marshall, brucemarshall@sympatico.ca CSC BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc, gawillis@sympatico.ca PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc, joanhuttondesign@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENTS Ron Stannett csc, ronstannett@sympatico.ca Carlos Esteves csc, carlos@imagesound.ca TREASURER Joseph Sunday phd JSunday1@CreativeAffinities.com SECRETARY Antonin Lhotsky csc, alhotsky@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP CHAIR Arthur Cooper csc, artfilm@sympatico.ca 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 NON-DIRECTOR BOARD MANAGERS Jeremy Benning csc, jbenning@me.com Dylan Macleod csc, dmacleod@sympatico.ca Bruno Philip csc, bphilipcsc@gmail.com Carolyn Wong, CarolynWong50@gmail.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 - December 2016

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here is a battle brewing, the outcome of which will have farreaching consequences for our industry and for Canadians. It’s about Internet neutrality and the unimpeded flow of data. There are those who want to control it, manipulate and charge exorbitant amounts of money to use it. Then there others, such as myself, who believe it should be open and, if not free, at least affordable for everyone. With more and more productions gravitating to streaming and the downloading of their content, who controls the Internet access gates is supremely important. Keeping the net neutral is a multi-faceted struggle with many complicated aspects. One neutrality skirmish, however, recently took place in Gatineau, Quebec. The Canadian Radio and Television Commission held hearings to gather views on a practice called “Zero Rating.” This is where an Internet service provider (ISP), home and wireless, exempts targeted services from a user’s monthly data cap. They can sell this favoured status, promote their own services or concoct any combination they choose. This is not the practice in Canada, at least not yet. ISPs and wireless carriers such as Bell and Telus are very much in favour of zero rating, saying it makes their services cheaper to use, when popular services such as Netflix are not counted against a data cap. This has a certain amount of appeal in Canada, where the ceiling for caps are low compared to the rest of the world. There are unlimited usage plans, but they are costly and could be things of the past should zero rating take hold in Canada. However, beyond economics, zero rating has a darker sinister side. It allows ISPs to shape usage to their benefit or for whatever means by picking what wins or loses on the Internet. While this is a big-picture issue, zero rating can have a macro effect on production crews, including cinematographers. For instance, consider Internet series, which are becoming more prominent in our industry and increasingly a staple for many crews. In a zero rating world, unless a producer can pay or secure a no-cap designation, any production is on the downside of a weighted playing field that pushes eyeballs towards ISP sanction productions. This is a barrier that can make or break a production’s viability. Control of the Internet by ISPs is regressive approach that has consequences that reach far beyond entertainment content, to stifling innovation, free speech or political dialogue to name a few. Hopefully, the CRTC will see zero rating for what it is – a bad idea.


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IN THE NEWS

Member News

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aul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc and director Atom Egoyan received the CinematographerDirector Duo Award, recognizing directorcinematographer collaboration, at the Camerimage cinematography film festival in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The filmmaking duo started working together with 1989’s Speaking Parts, and their last film was 2015’s Remember. During more than three decades of their collaboration, they have shot 12 features and several other projects. The event ran from November 12 to 19. The short film Portal to Hell!, shot by associate member D. Gregor Hagey csc, won the award for Best Short Film at the 15th Annual Director’s Guild of Canada Awards in October. The DGC handed out 17 awards in Toronto honouring the best work created by its members this past year. A complete list of winners is available at the DGC website dgc.ca.

Atom Egoyan

Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc

Umedia Launches New VFX and Finishing House in Vancouver Umedia recently announced the opening of its first Canadian visual effects and finishing studio in Vancouver. Umedia Vancouver is the fifth office for Umedia, whose activities span film and television development, production and financing in London, Los Angeles, Brussels and Paris. Umedia Vancouver’s 10,000-square-foot facility is equipped to house more than 70 artists and includes a 4K screening theatre with a 26.5-foot screen, Dolby 3D and Dolby Surround 7.1. The space also features a full digital intermediate suite, AVID edit suites and production offices. The facility is managed by Peter

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Meyers, a multi-award-winning Oscar nominee. The Umedia VFX team’s recent credits include What Happened to Monday?, Grace of Monaco, The Exception and Netflix’s Marseille. Production is set to commence on I Kill Giants, starring Zoe Saldana.

CFC, NFB, JustFilms Launch VR Doc Lab The National Film Board of Canada, the Canadian Film Centre’s Media Lab (CFC Media Lab) and JustFilms Ford Foundation announced in October that they have joined forces to present an innovative, experimental creative documentary lab for diverse creators from Canada and the U.S. Launched on

www.csc.ca Connect online with the CSC

October 11, OPEN IMMERSION: A Virtual Reality Creative Doc Lab brings together six Indigenous Canadian artists and six artists from the American South in CFC and NFB spaces in Toronto. Together, they will explore the possibilities of Virtual Reality as a new storytelling platform. OPEN IMMERSION has been designed to immerse the participants in both the theory and practice of creating immersive, interactive media and to push the creative storytelling process. The talent and project lab will engage the 12 storytellers in an inspiring and rigorous hands-on creative development process comprised of keynote presentations, case study critiques, group sessions and peer collaboration.

Follow us on Instagram to see featured full members' work @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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@csc_CDN


Image courtesy of the National Film Board of Canada 2012.

Stories We Tell director of photography Iris Ng, left, with director Sarah Polley

TIFF Selects 150 Essential Works in Canadian Cinema History The Toronto International Film Festival in October unveiled plans for Canada on Screen for Canada’s sesquicentennial in 2017. Beginning in January and running throughout the year, the free programme will present moving-image installations, special events, special guests, an extensive online catalogue, screenings across the country, as well as a list of the 150 essential moving-image works from Canada’s history, based on a national poll of industry professionals. The Canada on Screen list includes Canada’s significant contributions to the cinematic landscape in nine categories: animation, commercials, music videos, shorts, features, moving image installations, experimental films and video, documentaries, and television shows – among them the documentaries Stories We Tell (2012), shot by associate member Iris Ng, and Not a Love Story: A Film About Pornography (1981), shot by Pierre Letarte csc; and Drake’s music video “Hotline Bling,” shot by Adam Marsden csc. Screenings will be held in cities across Canada in coordination with partner organizations.

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ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS Michael Savoie csc (DP and co-director) Mr. Zaritsky on TV (documentary), selected for the Whistler Film Festival, November 30 to December 4, 2016 Brian Stewart, Associate Member (Producer, co-director, Cinematographer, Camera Operator and Location Audio Recordist) Capture, Kill, Release (feature), won Grand Jury prize for best horror feature film, Shriekfest, the Los Angeles International Film Festival, October 6 - 9, 2016

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CSC at HD Source 2nd Annual Open House September 29, 2016, Toronto Terry Crack (right) of Dedolight talking to guests.

Nico Marchand of Shape WLB

Martin Lindsay of Sony. left: Ken Thasan of HD Source and Steve Megassin of Rosco

Canon's Rob Roy talks to Guido Kondruss.

HD Source President Steve Zajaczkiwsky

Executive Director Susan Saranchuk (right) with DP Suresh Rohin

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Justin Auld, area sales manager at Sennheiser Canada (right), talks to a guest.


SOMETIMES FEELING SMALL MEANS LOSING YOURSELF IN THE BIG PICTURE.


In terms of a film that first made me realize the power of cinema, it would be E.T. I remember watching that film as a kid and wishing something like that would happen to me and my friends. Another formative experience was seeing the 1977 re-release of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was transfixed by those images. Kubrick has been a big influence ever since. Seeing Caravaggio’s The Calling of St Matthew in the Contarelli Chapel in Rome was a life-altering experience, and watching the crush of people at the Louvre trying to get a glimpse of the Mona Lisa made clear the enormous power of art. How did you get started in the business?

I went into broadcasting at Mount Royal University in Calgary with the aim of a career as a radio DJ. Once I learned that you didn’t get to play whatever music you wanted, radio lost its allure. The second year of the program was TV so I decided to give that a try. The moment I touched a camera it just felt right, and has ever since. After graduating in 1986, I worked at a TV station in Calgary for a year and decided to try my hand at freelancing. I spent years doing every job imaginable on set to gain experience and shooting at every possible opportunity. Corporate, sports and documentary work led to short films and music videos, which led to commercials and then segued into longform dramatic storytelling. Who have been your mentors or teachers?

Having a bit of an independent streak, I didn’t have any formal mentors as such, but the late Tim Hollings was a great friend and generous supporter in the early days. He gave me my first opportunity to shoot for a paying client, and that led to other opportunities and slowly built into a career. Doug Munro csc was

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

also very supportive when I was finding my way. I consider anyone I have had the opportunity to work with a teacher, as I have learned from all of them. What cinematographers inspire you?

Vittorio Storaro [asc, aic] was a great influence early on, particularly his use of colour on The Last Emperor. The Coen brothers’ films introduced me to Roger Deakins [asc, bsc], whose work I have admired ever since. So many others – Gordon Willis asc, Caleb Deschanel asc, Ed Lachman asc, Bruno Delbonnel asc, afc, Emmanuel Lubezki asc, amc, the late Harris Savides, and the list goes on. There are also many young cinematographers that some would consider “inexperienced,” but I see them doing pure and brave work that comes from their heart. That is always inspiring. Name some of your professional highlights.

It is always a highlight when all the elements of light, shadow, lensing, camera movement, production design, wardrobe, hair/make-up, sound and performance coalesce perfectly and we are able to capture that lightning in a bottle. Then it exists forever. I have been very fortunate to experience many such highlights over the years and start every day looking to create the next one. What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

Being a long-time fan of the Coen brothers, being asked to join the team for Fargo Season 2 was a dream come true. Walking onto set on my first day and seeing that the camera team had covered my name on my chair with “The Big Wrobleski” was a warm welcome and the beginning of an extraordinary creative experience. What do you like best about what you do?

At the end of every day, when I drive

away from set, I am thankful that we have been given the opportunity to create indelible images that didn’t exist when we drove to work that morning. That is a rare privilege and honour. The fact that we get to collaborate every day with so many talented, fascinating and energetic people is so inspiring, and watching that collective energy be funneled into the lens of the camera is remarkable. What do you like least about what you do?

The long hours, days, weeks and months away from home, family and friends. Balance is so important. What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)?

The beauty and variety of optics have always astounded me. I love getting to know the personality of lenses and there are always new ones to meet. Arri SkyPanel and L-series lighting has been a revelation on my current project and have opened up creative opportunities I couldn’t have imagined a few short years ago. I can’t wait to see what comes next. How can others follow your work? craigwrobleski.com and I’m on Insta-

gram as cwrobleski

Credit: Photo by Kiel Harvey, Lonely Boy Productions Inc.

Craig Wrobleski csc

CSC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

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


Canadian Cinematographer - November 2016 •

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CSC at ProFusion 2016 October 5 and 6, Toronto Vistek is the Platinum Sponsor of ProFusion Expo 2016

Sarorn Sim csc

CSC Executive Director Susan Saranchuk and CSC Executive Assistant Karen Longland Associate member Martin Wojtunik

A guest chats with Carlos Esteves csc CSC Treasurer Joe Sunday

Many new products were on display at the ProFusion Expo 2016 where Sarorn Sim csc (top photo) led a seminar on "Achieving a Distinctive Cinematic Style," while Executive Officer Susan Saranchuk and Executive Assistant Karen Longland manned the CSC booth.

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016


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Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •


Two Lovers and a Bear

Nicolas Bolduc csc

Explores Love in a Cold Climate By FANEN CHIAHEMEN

T

wo Lovers and a Bear, the latest feature from director Kim Nguyen (Rebelle, Truffe, La cité), centres on the ill-fated romance of Lucy (Tatiana Maslany) and Roman (Dane DeHaan), a young couple living in a remote Nunavut town. Both have trouble letting go of their violent pasts and they hatch a plan to escape their tiny community, where painful childhood memories linger, and overcome their demons. At its heart, Two Lovers and a Bear is a love story set against the backdrop of a stark, almost lunar, Arctic environment that enhances the characters’ inner torment, with elements of magical realism, thriller and road movie woven into the narrative. The film, which was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in May 2016 and was a Special Presentation at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, was shot in Iqaluit, as well as in Timmins and Ottawa. “There was something very odd and ambitious about creating an epic love story in an environment that is so cold and so hostile,” cinematographer and frequent Nguyen collaborator Nicolas Bolduc csc offers. “I think one of the most interesting things is that paradox, that contrast between how people live up there and deal with the environment. They are like anybody else on the rest of the planet – they fall in love, they want children or perhaps not, and they have ambitions, but the elements are so powerful around them it creates stories that are always in conflict.” Because Nguyen wanted to create heightened tension and almost shoot the film like a thriller, “We didn’t want it to look

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sweet and nice even if there are, in some ways, classic elements of a love story,” Bolduc says. So they focused on “shooting very dark and gritty and making important decisions on camera moves and the way we zoom into the characters, the distance between them.” Nguyen explains, “I had the idea of this film being eclectic and not tying itself down to one particular genre, and so I do think there is a fluidity to the film. We wanted to delve into a kind of representation of their inner torments, by presenting a world that uses references of thriller films and horror films as well.” Bolduc got a sense of just what sort of conditions they would be shooting in when the crew went up north to scout. “When we went up there the first time it was the beginning of February, and we spent one full day outside at minus 40, and with the wind factor on the snowmobiles it was probably minus 55,” he recalls. “I even got some frostbite on my nose that still shows today, two years later. You’re working in a dangerous environment; at every instance you have to cover up, never exposing flesh more than 30 seconds at a time. Even changing the lens was complicated. When you put your hands back in your gloves, it takes 10 minutes to warm them again. It’s so cold you have to think about different ways to approach everything. It was very complicated to work like that. I knew we’d have to watch how long we stayed outside and how long takes were going to be and what kind of equipment we could actually use there because we couldn’t always put tracks down; everything was going to freeze up.”


All photos credit: Max Films

Nguyen and Bolduc set out to create an epic love story in a cold and hostile environment.

Tatiana Maslany plays Lucy.

Bolduc, who almost always does his own camera operating, chose to shoot with the ARRI ALEXA (provided by Vidéo MTL) because he knew it was best suited to the environment. “One thing about the cold is that it doesn’t like film cameras because they’re mechanical, and at some point film breaks and the cameras freeze. The ALEXA is electronic, and an electronic camera is like a small heater,” he says. “It was such a good choice, the gear never froze up and we almost never needed to protect it most of the time even at minus 40 on a rig travelling at 70 kilometres per hour. It was super.” His lens of choice was the 2:10 anamorphic Hawk V-Lights from Vantage, with the greases in the lenses changed “because when you shoot in those cold conditions you need a special grease that’s not going to freeze up the lens gears,” he says. “I like going for the shorter lenses because you can get closer to the actors and the action. The point for me is not to tell a nicely lit story but to shoot a good story that the audience can get involved in with the characters. Our lenses of choice were often a 65 mm and a 80 mm.” Shooting the part of the narrative that involves the couple heading south on land posed a challenge because “there are no roads on Baffin Island; the only way to travel is by snowmobile during the winter or by boat during the summer. And as the characters were travelling, we needed to be with them, we needed to shoot them in those harsh conditions, off the beaten track on frozen ice and over rocks,” Bolduc says. “We needed something that would adapt to that environ-

ment, so the key grip, David Dinel, designed an adapted snowmobile that he could drive and that I could also ride to operate a stabilized head rigged on the back of it,” the cinematographer says. “With that vehicle, we had lots of speed and were versatile and quick. We could go through any kind of terrain and we could use that snowmobile even with a stationary camera. So we used it as a dolly, as a tracking device, as a means to tell a good road trip story over chaotic terrain.” Having shot Nguyen’s La cité in the Tunisian desert environment, Bolduc suggests the parallels of shooting in a northern environment took him by surprise. “It’s funny because when you get up to Baffin Island you realize that it is actually a desert, it has a desert feeling. It’s dry; there are no trees, not even any bushes, just snow over rolling hills. You never have any obstructions. It’s just rocks or snow and sky,” he says. “And since there’s nothing blocking the wind, the wind becomes the most beautiful thing, a character almost. It picks up the snow and blows particles in the air and the light changes and everything becomes very silvery. And 50 per cent of what you have in front of you is always sky or snow and you treat it the same way as a desert of sand. The way I approached the lighting was very natural, bouncing or creating negative fill, because either the sun or the sky was going to bounce the sun on the ground anyways. It’s basically just trying to control the intensity of the light and being there at the right time.” In fact, Bolduc says virtually the only time he used movie lighting was when the crew had to shoot in the centre of Apex, Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •

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"One of the most interesting things is that paradox, that contrast between how people live up there and deal with the environment. They are like anybody else on the rest of the planet, but the elements are so powerful around them it creates stories that are always in conflict," Bolduc says.

Actor Johnny Issaluk.

a small community a few kilometres away from Iqaluit, which served as the Northern community where the couple lives. “Iqaluit had too much of a big-city feeling so we found Apex, just on the outskirts, that looks like a small remote village. We wanted to create the effect of a tiny village lost up there with maybe 200 souls max, so we had to find ways to create that effect of loneliness and isolation, and one of things Kim said when he did his scouting was, ‘It’s really beautiful, but I don’t like that at night there are these sodium-based lights.” So, the director came up with the idea to ask the city to turn off street lights. “They have these very standard classic city lamp posts, so at night it just looks like any regular community from anywhere in the world. With those lights closed, I could then light the village very neutrally and not make it look like a normal town from the South,” Bolduc says. Nguyen further explains, “More recently, with the advent of really high ASA cameras, it’s always complicated to balance exterior lights, and when you look at the spectrogram of vapour lights on Photoshop you have certain zones that completely drop to zero, whereas you’ll have a lot of yellow and then some of the blues because there’s no signal, so it’s not like an organic analogue source of lighting. So over the years I realized that brings up a lot of issues in colour correction, and if you use it as it is and you liked what you captured on set, that’s fine, but as soon as you try to tweak it in colour correction for the big screen it becomes hell and terrible to work with. And there’s that orange look that you kind of get that’s starting to

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be overused a little bit. So I kind of missed the idea of when we took the time to just replace all of the lights and have that kind of gritty quality of night lighting, and I wanted to get back to that for this film.” So the crew undertook the complicated process of asking the city to turn off the streetlights during the shoot so that the production could light the streets themselves with white light “and have this single palette throughout the whole film,” Bolduc says, adding that it took a couple months of negotiation to turn off about 20 lights, a process that even got some press coverage. “But you have to understand the reasons,” he stresses. “There were a lot of concerns about security at night, and they just wanted to make sure we would still light the town when we turned off their lights. So we had our own lights lighting the whole town for a couple of nights just to make sure they felt secure. I put up some classic cinema lights. I didn’t want anything too big, so I just put up about 20 Par Cans that we spotted here and there.” The most challenging scene to shoot, Bolduc says, was a scene in which Roman falls into a crevice through the ice while driving a snowmobile. “We had to shoot it in two different environments to make sure things would work: on an exterior stage, as well as on the ice in the North. It was very complex because Emmanuel Fréchette, the production designer, had to create a huge tower for the crevice that was 10 metres deep, so we could shoot from the bottom looking up,


“Kim has an amazing imagination," Bolduc says. "To go from Truffe to La cité, which is in the desert, and then to the Congo for Rebelle and then to the snow – every film has a strong palette, and I think in his writing there’s a very strong sense of space."

Bolduc suggests the parallels of shooting in the desert and in a northern environment took him by surprise.

with a overhanging snowmobile,” the cinematographer says. “It was challenging because we had to find ways to keep the drama in that crevice and at same time make it fun and entertaining and also stressful to watch. And we had to do it with real snow – we’re Canadian, it makes absolutely no sense to do it any another way. So we found this guy that builds all these ice hotels around the world, and he built us a huge snow structure that he sculpted that we shot in for a couple of days. It was a beautiful sight to see this huge ice block sculpted in snow, towering over us.” Another highlight of shooting the film was working with a real polar bear on set (Dene deals with his emotional struggles by talking to an imaginary bear, voiced by Gordon Pinsent). “Her name was Aggie and she was born and raised in Vancouver, so she hasn't seen snow very often,” Bolduc recalls. “Kim really wanted a real polar bear and we didn’t have the money to do a CG bear, so we knew that our time shooting a real bear was limited, and complicated. The first night we used her was absolutely absurd because we were shooting in Timmins – we couldn’t travel a polar bear to Iqaluit because the polar bears in a 100-kilometre radius could smell her – at night, in minus 42 degrees and she didn’t want to get out of the trailer because it was so cold. When she finally did come out, there was an electric cable around her for safety, so I used a Technocrane to go over the cable so we could get the camera close to her quickly and get as many angles as possible. Aggie didn’t last more than 45 minutes in that cold, and then slowly returned

to her quarters for snacks and never come back out. She’s a star for the warmer weather.” When Nguyen and Bolduc embarked on making films so many years ago, they committed to the idea of exploring different environments, Bolduc says, and having shot four films with Nguyen, Bolduc is ready for anything the director might throw at him. “Kim has an amazing imagination,” Bolduc says. “To go from Truffe to La cité, which is in the desert, and then to the Congo for Rebelle and then to the snow – every film has a strong palette, and I think in his writing there’s a very strong sense of space. So for us as a team, it’s pretty easy to discuss the way we want to shoot things. Kim is a very intelligent guy but also he has a good way of putting images and environments in your head that resonate. And when you a have a director that inspires you with amazing ideas then as a cinematographer, you can start creating and proposing things that push the story in the right direction, and perhaps try to elevate the visuals farther than the writing.” Meanwhile, Nguyen says his success with Bolduc is twofold: “I think at a certain point you want to work with people that kind of can read your mind and you don’t need to talk as much. Then you can get more work done in a filmic day. But in the end, what I really like about Nicolas is that he really films with his balls – he’s gutsy and he’s fearless and he just follows his gut instinct. He doesn’t use the technology to try to hide whatever flaws he could have; he’s just really raw and true.” Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •

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William F. White Filmmaker Open House October 1, 2016, Toronto

From left, Jon Riera, Stephanie Hooker and Connor Illsley of COMBO BRAVO. George Willis csc, sasc

Derek Reneau (right) of William F. White talks to participants.

Jerry Andrews (left) of William F. White with participants

Mike Harwood (centre) of William F. White with participants Participant Jerome Lightbody

Derek Reneau giving a tour.

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

Carlos Esteves csc

Participants watch a demonstration.


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Legends of Tomorrow

David Geddes csc, asc TAKES ON EPIC SUPERHEROES By FANEN CHIAHEMEN

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All photos credit: © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc

T

he CW channel’s action-adventure series Legends of Tomorrow probably exceeds the scale and scope of virtually anything on television. The show is a spin-off from the action-crime series Arrow and the superhero series The Flash, existing in the same universe and combining characters from both shows, as well as new characters from the world of DC Comics. The central character is Rip Hunter, a time traveller living in the future. After losing his family to the immortal villain Vandal Savage, who is hell-bent on destroying the world, Hunter travels back in time to what is the present day to assemble a group of heroes and villains who can take on the evil dictator. The cast includes Victor Garber (Dr. Martin Stein), Brandon Routh (Ray Palmer/The Atom), Arthur Darvill (Rip Hunter), Caity Lotz (Sara Lance/White Canary),

Franz Drameh ( Jay Jackson/Firestorm), Dominic Purcell (Mick Rory/Heatwave), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Amaya Jiwe/Vixen), and Nick Zano (Nathan Heywood/Citizen Steel). Unsurprisingly, Legends of Tomorrow features plenty of time travel, fight sequences, stunts and special effects. Shooting nine days per episode at least 12 hours a day, cinematographer David Geddes csc, ASC alternates DP duties with Todd Williams. “The advantage of alternating is that we have seven days to prep each episode; the scope of the show makes it impossible as a DP to simply walk onto a location without prep and efficiently start shooting,” Geddes says. “My collaborators on tech scouts are the key grip, gaffer, rigging grip and rigging gaffer. The scouts are intense; I use every tool possible – especially iPad and iPhone apps such as Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •

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David Geddes csc, asc and lamp operator Gareth Harrison.

sunrise/sunset apps, tide charts, Skitch, drawing apps, etc. – to visualize how the scenes will play out and to plan the lighting and equipment we anticipate needing. That way, when I arrive at the location with the main unit, we are set up and ready to go. “Having said that, I have also learned – sometimes the hard way – to incorporate options when I prep a location. Not all scenes evolve as imagined and conditions can be unpredictable, so when things change, I have the ability to say, ‘Let’s use option two.’” The main set for the series is the Waverider, a time travelling machine. “During prep of the pilot, we realized that the expansive gray walls in the bridge of the Waverider could become visually boring,” he says. “So in addition to LED strips built into the floor and ceiling, we added LED units horizontally on the walls at about the 5-foot level – about head height – so when we shoot with the cast, there is always something visual happening behind them. Bright strips of light with dark shadows make the image more interesting and reinforce the concept of travel through time and space. We use the WRGB LEDs and run everything back to a dimmer board so we have complete control of the intensity and colour; we can instantly make changes and concentrate on lighting the cast,” Geddes says. For that purpose, he favours working with more traditional lamps such as 2K Blondes through Chimeras.

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Geddes says they have so many different types of LED units, he can’t keep track of brands, and some don’t even exist anymore. He warns that when selecting LED lights, “you have to be very careful to buy quality lights. In trying to save money, you may end up with problematic LED lights. Flicker can be a real problem. We did camera tests of a number of brands, running them through a dimmer board, before selecting lights we could trust.” Geddes says he doesn’t use lighting grids on set, since part of Legends of Tomorrow’s style is always to keep low and to see the ceiling. The use of low angles enhances the illusion that the scenes are shot on a practical location, not a studio set, and also makes the heroes read as more heroic. Out of the studio, Geddes loves introducing as much practical lighting as possible and lets the location influence the lighting style. “If you have a huge warehouse with windows down one side, you ideally use them to light your daylight scenes.” He adds, “But if your start time runs late and daylight turns to dusk, you call in option two.” Because the characters travel to different eras, locations are selected whenever possible for their period look, which production design builds on. Geddes augments the look after researching each period and the tone of the episode. “For the ‘40s, we did an episode that took place during World War II, so I made everything dull and cold with no bright colours and with great contrast, which was mirrored in the wardrobe


Victor Garber as Dr. Martin Stein.

choices. Civilians were in bland clothes and soldiers in khakis. But I would take out some of the saturation to make it feel a little cold by adding some blue. For the ‘70s, we worked with a bit more saturation to make the era’s colours pop. And in the ‘80s Everglades, it was all pastels and whites – think Miami Vice.” One of the few constants on the show is active camera movement, a style that was determined from the pilot, Geddes says, to build on the dynamic image. “It has become our mantra: keep the camera moving,” he says. “It rarely settles down through an episode. Even in the most subtle scenes, there is always slight camera movement, and most of the time we use an overkeeper on the dolly so we can combine overkeeper/dolly movement. With bigger moves, we use a Steadicam or cranes. One of the wonderful things with Legends of Tomorrow is that we can have a lot of crane time; we often use the 50’ Technocrane on location.” Because of all the action on the show, as well as the large cast – there are eight principal cast members – Geddes says he carries four ALEXA bodies all the time. “Even if we have a huge master shot that we are shooting on a 10 mm, I find a spot for the B cam to shoot a submaster with maybe a 27mm. That gives the editor an option for another piece to cut to. The third camera body lives on the Steadicam, and the fourth is for C camera shots.” While they spend time in different eras and settings, the cast

All photos credit: © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc

Franz Drameh and Victor Garber.

Legends of Tomorrow features a particularly large cast.

always re-convenes in the Waverider, and for those scenes the production brings in additional crew and shoots with three cameras. “It’s not unusual for us to do 75 to 80 setups on a day like that because we shoot eight or nine pages of dialogue with eight cast members,” Geddes says. For lenses, he relies heavily on the Panavision Primo Primes. “They have been around since the ‘80s, and I have always loved their colour rendition and contrast. Being old glass, they don’t have true hi-def resolution,” he says. “That gives you a more rounded image and takes the edge off the HD digital image. When using other lens sets in the past, I found myself layering filters in front just to try to minimize the harshness. They were fabulous lenses, but a little too harsh for the digital images of the shows I was shooting. One day I tested the Primos and said, ‘This is awesome.’” The most challenging thing about shooting Legends of Tomorrow is that, “It’s epic,” Geddes says. “Everything has to be epic. We approach everything on a bold, broad scale. In every episode there is some ginormous lighting setup. And it’s great, intense, but a lot of fun. “The most complicated setup goes back to the pilot, where we shot a battle scene in downtown Vancouver. It was an apocalyptic scene where the bad-guy troops were gunning down the innocent public, who were trying to fight back. It was set in the future, and would eventually include floating spaceships shooting laser guns from the sky. We placed mulCanadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •

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The most challenging thing about shooting Legends of

Franz Drameh plays Jay Jackson/Firestorm.

Caity Lotz (centre) plays Sara Lance/White Canary.

tiple Condors everywhere, rigged with both Xenon lights to use as searchlights and with massive strobe light arrays that we had to trip at exactly the right time to accent explosions and gunfire,” he explains. “We also needed to see the city burning in the background. So we parked generators a few blocks away and used truckloads of Par lights to light the sides of buildings, all of them on flicker effects to make it look like the buildings were burning. We were running separate electric crews throughout the city to make everything happen as planned. And of course special effects had things blowing up. I think that was one of the most complicated setups,” he says. Alternating DP duties definitely helps manage the scope of the series, and it has also given Geddes a chance to direct several episodes. “I have been a DP for decades and love it, but directing gives me the opportunity to work more intimately with the story and drama of the episode, which I find fascinating. I love

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

Ciara Renée and Falk Hentschel.

that aspect,” he says. “To sit down with the cast and script to determine what’s happening at a particular point in the story, and what would you do or not do. Fortunately, we have the writers with us every episode, which really helps, because there are storylines that begin in one episode in a very minor way but become pivotal three episodes down the line. “The great part of being able to direct an episode of a show you DP is that you know the look and feel of the show and the strength of your team (my team being amazing). You are already friends with everyone, so it is a supportive and collaborative atmosphere,” Geddes continues. “In the same way, having experienced the role of director also makes me more perceptive in my DP role. I find myself subconsciously more aware of the dialogue of each scene and more in tune with performances, which strengthens my ability to craft the images that the story demands. I am privileged to say that every day brings a new challenge.”

All photos credit: © Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc

Tomorrow is that, “Everything has to be epic," Geddes says.


Rocking in Macedonia: IAGA 2016

IAGA delegates.

By GEORGE WILLIS csc, sasc

T

with GUIDO KONDRUSS

he earth moved, buildings wobbled and bricks came crashing to the ground, and I slept through all of it. I was putting to rest my jetlag in a Skopje (Macedonia) hotel room when the city was shaken by not one but three notable seismic tremors. When I did finally awake and rejoin the world, the 5.3-magnitude earthquake was on everyone’s lips. It had caused minor damage and 30 people had been injured, but generally there was a sense of relief that the shaker had not been worse. I didn’t know whether to thank jetlag for keeping me blissfully unaware of my rocking surroundings or curse it for keeping me comatose inside a building during an earthquake. Skopje was a short, but eventful layover before making my way to the small city of Bitola as the Canadian Society of Cinematographers’ delegate to the 2016 IMAGO Annual General Assembly (IAGA). IMAGO is an umbrella organization that represents more than 50 cinematography societies from around the world. Nestled in the picturesque south west part of Macedonia, Bitola is also the home of the famed Manaki Brothers Cinematographers’ International Film Festival, which consequently was the backdrop for this year’s IAGA, hosted by the Macedonian Film Professionals Association. The Manaki Brothers Festival made its debut 37 years ago in 1979 and has been a fixture in the international film festival scene ever since. While it doesn’t have the glitz or raw star power of Cannes or TIFF, it does pack a wallop with its doz-

ens of films, seminars and exhibitions. With cinematography always the focus, this year’s festival marquee slogan was aptly penned “Feel the Light.” I can’t think of a better setting for 55 cinematographer delegates, representing 47 cinematography societies from around the world, to gather and talk shop. One of the significant developments at this year’s IAGA 2016 is the ratification of the IMAGO International Cinematographers’ Awards that will be mounted for the first time ever next year in Helsinki, Finland, on October 28 in conjunction with the 2017 IAGA. This is a closed competition that is only open to cinematography societies that are members of IMAGO, which includes the CSC. Each society will be allowed to submit films for best cinematography in the following three categories: features, TV dramas and documentaries. Three nominees will be chosen by a jury of international cinematographers and the winners will be announced the night of the awards. All nominees will be invited to Helsinki for the celebration. The CSC will be submitting the winners from our own 60th Awards Gala this spring to the IMAGO competition. This session of IAGA also created a new committee to deal with gender and diversity in our profession. While the global population is almost evenly split between women and men, women represent only between 5 per cent and 10 per cent of the international cinematography community. The IMAGO Gender and Diversity Committee will study and identify ways to encourage and inspire more women to choose cinematography as a profession. The committee will be headed Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016 •

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24 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

Photos: George Willis csc, sasc

by IMAGO Vice President Elen Lotman esc and Nina recent email, a CSC member complained of driving five Kellgren bsc. Achieving as close to gender parity as pos- hours to the set, shooting non-stop for eight or nine hours sible only makes sense in advancing and strength- and then driving home again for another five hours. On the ening our profession. The CSC unequivo- sixth straight day of this grueling pace, an exhausted crew member rolled their car. Luckily they walked away with only cally supports this initiative. The IMAGO Education Com- cuts and bruises. The IMAGO committee wants to highlight mittee, of which I am a mem- working abuses that occur in the world in hopes of keeping ber, is taking a hard look at this issue in the forefront to invoke some work sanity where its master class program, none exists. As much as we all love our profession and induswhich is proving to be try, it is not worth anyone’s health or death. IMAGO remains committed in supporting authorship too costly to run. Instead, the committee rights for cinematographers. This is a concept similar to is studying the CSC still photographers who retain the rights to the images they model of workshops shoot. Europe is much further ahead with this notion than that targets mid- the rest of the world. In fact, many European countries give career cinematogra- cinematographers legal standing over the images they create. phers with advanced Authorship rights for cinematographers is virtually unheard courses and beginner of in North America, unless a cinematographer is a film’s procourses for newly minted ducer too. Not surprisingly, this is a concept that causes procinematographers to help build their skills from the ground ducers to have meltdowns since it hits a film’s bottom line by up. Digitization has made equipment and the process of film- bringing into play residuals for cinematographers. IMAGO´s making, once prohibitively expensive in the film era, much Authorship Committee is a who’s who of cinematography, cheaper and readily accessible to more people than ever. chaired by Luciano Tovoli aic asc, with Vittorio Storaro However, simply picking up a camera and shooting does not aic asc, Nigel Walters bsc and interestingly, Jost Vacano make someone a professional DP. CSC workshops provide bvk asc as senior advisors. Vocano was the DP on the iconic the expertise that has helped many cinematographers devel- World War II submarine feature Das Boot and was nominated for an Academy Award for his outstanding work on the film. op the skills to move forward with their careers. I had the honour this IAGA session of being asked to also While being paid for shooting the film in 1981 and the Das be a part of the IMAGO Working Conditions Commit- Boot series, Vocano was not given a share in future earnings. tee. This is an undertaking that particularly resonates with A 2002 change in Bavarian copyright law allowed Vocano to me. I have attended too many funerals and seen too many sue the producers, arguing that he had made a unique and accidents on set the due to negligence and brutally long hours. The Working Conditions Committee feels that while efforts of the late Haskell Wexler ASC and his acclaimed documentary film Who Needs Sleep? did much to focus attention on exceptionally long working hours and the effect of sleep deprivation on film crews, little has changed. In fact, the situation has become worse for crews around the world. Even here in Canada, ungodly long hours seem to rule the set. “Fraterday,” where Friday melds into Saturday to meet overly ambitious shooting schedules, seems to be Manaki Brothers Cinematographers’ International Film Festival in Macedonia was the becoming commonplace. In a backdrop for this year’s IAGA.


substantial contribution to Das Boot’s visuals and the film’s success. What he started was a long legal battle that was complicated and risky at best. As the case wound its way through the courts, it depleted Vocano’s finances and impacted his health. Ultimately, in a landmark decision, the German Supreme Court this year agreed with Vocano. The 82-year-old cinematographer was awarded nearly $730,00CDN and 2.25 per cent in future Das Boot earnings. While cinematographer authorship may fall on many deaf ears, it’s shouting loud and clear from some parts of the world. There was so much to do and so little time to do it, but I did manage to make one event at the Manaki Film Festival that proved to be the highlight of my time in Bitola. I was a captivated observer in the John Seale acs, asc Master Class. Seale, along with another groundbreaking cinematographer, Robby Müller bkv, nsc, were honoured by the festival this year, receiving its Lifetime Achievement Award Golden Camera 300. It was a visual presentation by Seale that took everyone in the room on a fantastic journey from his beginnings as a news cameraman in Australia to becoming one of the top DPs of his generation. Think Mad Max: Fury Road, The Tourist, Rain Man, The Talented Mr. Ripley and The English Patient, for which Seale won an Oscar, to name a handful of his amazing films. Seale has been criticized for using multiple cameras and shooting exclusively with zoom lenses. Seale agrees that some production values, such as lighting, are slightly compromised, but this allows his instinctive style to flourish and bring an immediacy to the visual stories of his films. I would say this has worked very well for him. This IAGA also admitted two new societies to IMAGO as associate members. My congratulations and welcome to the Chilean Society of Cinematographers (ACC) and the Malaysian Society of Cinematographers (MySC). This now brings IMAGO’s membership to 50 cinematography societies from around the world, representing more than 4,000 cinematographers. There is strength in numbers to protect and promote our profession. At the end of the IAGA, my travel back to Canada was decidedly quite uneventful. No earthquakes, not even the slightest tremor, which was very much to my liking.

O MOSS

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2016 •

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Credit: Courtesy of Cinefade

TECH COLUMN

Software and Hardware Combine in New Cinematic Tool

Oliver Janesh Christiansen controlling depth of field

W

e’ve all seen rack focus and pull focus used as a storytelling tool, but there’s a new wrinkle on the screen: Cinefade. It’s a tool which will hopefully soon be available in Canada and uses a combination of a physical device and software to vary the depth of field in real time, incamera. It works both ways – to open the iris or to close up the iris, to either bring the subject into context or to isolate the subject to underline a dramatic moment. This gizmo is the work of Oliver Janesh Christiansen, a 25-year-old half German, half Indian filmmaker based in London, U.K. He’s a graduate of Staffordshire University’s Media (Film) Production program and works as a camera operator and assistant – that is, when he’s not promoting or even handbuilding Cinefade units. He patented the idea in 2015 and partnered with Cmotion GmbH – which is headquartered in Vienna – and designs, develops and sells wireless and cabled lens and camera-control solutions to the film and broadcast market. The system is built around a Cmotion lens control system which changes the iris setting, which in turn changes the depth of field. There’s a pair of polarizing filters that also rotate and act as a neutral density filter. This is mounted inside a matte box and keeps the ex-

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

posure constant by synchronizing the filter drive motor to the iris motor. The speed of the shift can also be adjusted. “It will work with any digital or film camera and almost all cine lenses,” Christiansen said. “It really is easy to set up on the camera and to operate. The range is up to five T-stops with no loss of image quality. You just set your start and finish points and then it’s automatic from there.” It’s billed as a powerful cinematic storytelling device and one that breaks free from the standard choice of shallow or deep depth of fields and can be seen online at cinefade.com. While some will point out variable neutral density is already being built in production cameras like the FS5, there’s nothing similar for larger format cameras like ARRIs and REDs. The system is currently available as a rental-only in London and is about to debut in Los Angeles. Christiansen also says he’s in talks with rental houses in Canada to bring a unit here. The big hold-up is that he’s building the physical assemblies by hand, himself. “It’s been really popular,” said Christiansen, who has been promoting the system in Europe. “DPs especially love it because it gives them control in the camera and not having to go to post. They can see it on the monitor. In fact, everyone huddles around monitors to see it working

on set when they first encounter it.” He said the US$750-a-day rental includes a technician who comes to the set to set up and instruct DPs and operators in its use. “But within an hour they’re very comfortable using it,” he said. The unit has been used most recently at Pinewood Studios in England on the principal photography of The Commuter, an action thriller starring Liam Neeson as a businessman whose daily commute sees him caught up in a criminal conspiracy. The screenplay is by Philip de Blasi and Byron Willinger with Jaume Collet-Serra directing and Paul Cameron asc as the DP. “There’s a moment in the story where Neeson’s character is on the phone and realizes his predicament and the threat to his family and the shot changes from a deep focus to a short focus depth of field which really brings his character into the focus of the shot in parallel with the moment of the story,” he said. “It is really a pivotal moment.” Like an effect, it shouldn’t be overused but there’s some interest from Cameron on two or three more shots in the film, said Christiansen. 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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PRODUCTION NOTES

12 MONKEYS III (series) 19-TWO IV (series) AMOUR COUGAR: AU-DELÀ DU MYTHE (documentary) ANNE (miniseries) ARROW V (series) BATES MOTEL V (series) BEAUTIFUL VOICE (feature) BELLEVUE (series) BYE BYE 2016 (TV special) CHEVAL-SERPENT (series) LA CHUTE DE SPARTE (feature) CLUBHOUSE AKA LEGION (series) CONVICTION (series) DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW II (series) DEATH WISH (feature) DESIGNATED SURVIVOR (series) DISTRICT 31 (series) THE FLASH III (series) FOOD MARKET (series) FORT JAMES II (series) FREQUENCY (series) DP Kamal Derkaoui csc FRIEND OF BILL (feature) THE GOOD WITCH III (series) GREEN HARVEST (series) HEARTLAND X (series) HOCHELAGA, TERRE DES ÂMES (feature) IMAGINARY MARY (series) INCIDENT IN A GHOSTLAND (feature) INDIAN HORSE (feature) iZOMBIE III (series) LOVE LOCKS (MOW) MECH-X4 aka MTX (series) MURDOCH MYSTERIES X (series) NO TOMORROW (series) ONCE UPON A TIME VI (series) PRIVATE EYES II (series) PUBLIC SCHOOLED (feature) REIGN IV (series) SHADOWHUNTERS II (series) SUPERNATURAL XII (series) TIN STAR (series) TREASURE HOUND (feature) TRENCH 11 (feature) WHEN CALLS THE HEART IV (series)

DP David Greene csc, asc (odd) & Boris Mojsovksi csc (even) DP Ronald Plante csc Serge Desrosiers csc

to February 1, 2017 to December 14 to February 28, 2017

Toronto Montreal Montreal

DP Bobby Shore csc; Camera Operator Andreas Evdemon DP Gordon Verheul csc (odd) DP John Bartley csc, asc DP Thomas Harting csc DP Eric Cayla csc DP Geneviève Perron csc DP Jérôme Sabourin csc DP Daniel Villeneuve csc DP Craig Wrobleski csc (alternating episodes) DP Gavin Smith csc Camera Operator/Steadicam Keith Murphy DP David Geddes csc, asc Producer Glen Winter csc B Camera Operator Alfonso Maiorana 2nd Unit DP Bernard Couture csc 2nd Unit Camera Operator Marc Charlebois csc B Camera 1st Assistant Jim Chirayouth Saysana DP Marc Gadoury csc DP C. Kim Miles csc (odd) B Camera 1st Assistant Lem Ristsoo DP Glen Keenan csc Camera Operator Peter Sweeney Camera Operator Danny Nowak csc DP Luc Montpellier csc DP John Berrie csc B Camera Operator Paula Tymchuk Trainee Sean Marjoram to December 19 Toronto DP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes) DP Jarrett Craig DP Nicolas Bolduc csc B Camera Operator Pieter Stathis csc DP Danny Nowak csc DP Yves Bélanger csc DP Michael Wale csc DP Richard Cuipka csc DP Neil Cervin csc DP James E. Jeffrey csc & Yuri Yakubiw csc; Camera Operator Brian Gedge 1st Assistant Kevin Michael Leblanc DP Thomas Burstyn csc, nzsc DP Tony Mirza DP Christopher Ball csc & Pierre Jodoin csc (alternating episodes) DP Stirling Bancroft csc DP David Makin csc & Michael Storey csc DP David Herrington csc & Mike McMurray csc; Data Management Technician Marc Forand Co-Producer & DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser DP Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc DP Stirling Bancroft csc DP Dylan Macleod csc DP Michael Balfry csc

to February 3, 2017 to April 19, 2017 to January 24 to December 3 to December 9 to December 31 to February 17, 2017 to December 17 to December 16 to December 15 to January 10, 2017 to December 14

Vancouver Vancouver Burnaby Montreal Montreal Montreal Montreal Burnaby Toronto Burnaby Montreal

CALENDAR OF EVENTS DECEMBER Nov. 30-Dec. 4, Whistler Film Festival, Whistler, BC, whistlerfilmfestival.com 2-4, ASC Master Class, Toronto, theasc.com JANUARY 7, CSC Post Work Flow, Toronto, csc.ca 19-29, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, sundance.org 31, CSC Awards entry deadline, csc.ca FEBRUARY 6, CSC Annual General Meeting, Technicolor Toronto

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2016

to December 8 to March 17, 2017 to April 22, 2017 to December 19 to December 5 to December 13 to December 9

Toronto Montreal Vancouver Garson St. John’s Burnaby

to April 30, 2017 to December 6 to January 26, 2017 to December 6 to December 13 to December 22 to January 10, 2017 to December 18 to March 14, 2017 to December 2

Toronto Calgary Montreal Burnaby Winnipeg Sudbury North Vancouver Montreal Aldegrove Toronto

to December 21 to March 31, 2017 to May 19, 2017 to December 18 to December 15 to May 16, 2017

North Vancouver Burnaby Scarborough Toronto Mississauga

to April 26, 2017 to December 6 to December 20 to December 12

Calgary Vancouver Winnipeg Burnaby

3-12, Victoria Film Festival, Victoria BC, victoriafilmfestival.com 13-17, CSC Awards Juries 23-March 4, Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, Montreal, rvcq.com MARCH 1-12, Canadian Screen Awards, Toronto, academy.ca/Canadian-screenawards 2-5, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston, ON, kingcanfilmfest.com 23- April 2, International Film Festival on Art, Montreal, artfifa.com APRIL 1, CSC Awards, The Arcadian Court, Toronto, csc.ca April 27-May 7, Hot Docs, Toronto, hotdocs.ca


CREATIVITY BEYOND CAMERA STABILIZATION Trinity stands out from other systems by combining mechanical camera stabilization with 32 bit ARM-based gimbal technology. This enables uniquely fluid and precisely controlled movements for unrestricted operating and total creative freedom.

ARRI TRINITY. TRULY CINEMATIC.

www.arri.com/goto/trinity


More to love The original 4K Super35mm FS7 is a production camera many of you have grown to love. Which is why, with the addition of the new Sony FS7II, the bond is sure to grow stronger. New ergonomic and operational improvements make the FS7II simpler and easier for professionals to operate.

more, the FS7II sports a new and more robust E-mount lens locking mechanism that not only makes it quick and easy to swap lenses, it locks them in place with enough torque to support even the heaviest cinema lenses. All told, the FS7II makes a strong case for filmmakers contemplating a step up from the original FS7.

In addition, the new FS7II also features a bundle of impressive technical innovations, such as a new internal Variable ND filter system. What’s

OTHER NEW FS7II FEATURES YOU’RE GOING TO LOVE: • Now 10 assignable buttons make switching modes quick and simple • New BT 2020 colour space support • 4K/UHD/HD resolutions with longer record times with the new 256GB XQD card • Mic support attachment improvements • Arm grip position and adjustments • LCD VF hood and support rod • New easy eject XQD card slots for more efficient card swapping • Also available, an FS7II Kit, which includes the new E-mount parfocul servo zoom lens with an 18 to 110mm focal range

COMMERCIAL PRO VIDEO Direct: 416-644-8010 • Fax: 416-644-8031 • Toll-Free Direct: 1-866-661-5257 • CommercialVideo@vistek.ca

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