Canadian Cinematographer Magazine December 2019

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 December 2019 www.csc.ca

Vincent de Paula

csc

The Two Worlds of

2 Hearts Gregory Bennett: A Song for Us The Industry Adapts to HDR

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 11, NO. 7 DECEMBER 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.

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.

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.

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.

Credit: Eric Milner

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The Two Worlds of 2 Hearts

By Vincent De Paula csc

CORPORATE SPONSORS

Credit: Gregory Bennett

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Memory Lane: Gregory Bennett Recreates Folk Era in A Song for Us

By Fanen Chiahemen

Credit: Courtesy of Technicolor

AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Limited Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. Cinetx Inc. Codes Pro Media Cooke Optics Deluxe Toronto DMG Lumière FUJIFILM, North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division Fusion Cine Grandé Camera Henry’s Camera HD Source Image Group Canada Ltd. Keslow Camera Kino Flo Lee Filters Mole-Richardson MOSS LED Inc. Nikon Canada Inc. PRG Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Quasar Science REDLABdigital RED Red Square Motion Rosco Canada S1 Group SHAPE 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

A Whole New World: The Industry Adapts to HDR

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 10 28 29 30 32

From the Editor-In-Chief From the President In the News CSC Member Spotlight – David Makin CSC Celebrates ASC Centennial Tech Column HD Source 5th Annual Open House Production Notes/Calendar

Cover Radha Mitchell as Leslie in 2 Hearts Credit: Cate Cameron

csc

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By Fanen Chiahemen

Canadian Cinematographer December 2019 Vol. 11, No. 7 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 PHOTO EDITOR Janek Lowe 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.

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc

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019 is on the cusp of being a banner year for film production in Alberta. Some estimates peg Alberta zooming past the $300 million mark to grab the number four spot for production business in the country, just ahead of Manitoba. Powerhouse British Columbia sits in the top spot, with more than $4 billion in production commerce, followed by powerhouses Ontario, with over $3 billion, and Quebec weighs in around $2 billion with its film industry. The latest figures available show that production in Alberta is responsible for creating nearly 5,400 direct and spinoff full-time jobs. In recent years, the province’s inviting film industry has been a shooting destination for A-list blockbuster films such as Jumanji: The Next Level, Interstellar, The Revenant, War for the Planet of the Apes and the upcoming Ghostbusters 2020 now in postproduction. Alberta is also the production home for acclaimed series such as Fargo, Heartland, Tin Star and Hell on Wheels. But best of all, and these are government numbers, Alberta’s screen industry returns $4.50 on every investment dollar spent. That’s an amazing 250 per cent profit margin that supports industry workers and ancillary businesses, all of whom pay taxes. So what’s wrong with this picture? Nothing really, except that the recent provincial budget will curb growth in Alberta’s film industry and ultimately destroy it.

In the new budget, grants are being phased out in favour of tax credits, which is a better incentive tool for investment consistency and stability.

However, the tax credit was cut back from an expected 30 per cent on eligible expenses to 22 per cent and capped at $10 million per production.

This places Alberta behind other regions such as Ontario and BC where the tax incentives are more attractive and there are no caps. I understand governments wanting to tackle deficits and balance budgets, but to put a noose around a vibrant industry that makes money for your tax base, is a real headscratcher.

Film and television production is a highly portable industry, where producers, both national and international, gravitate to the best fiscal inducements. Without an industry, skilled crew will also simply follow the money. One can only hope that the Alberta government sees the error of their ways before it’s too late.

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2019 •

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FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

A

s the saying goes, “It’s not over until the fat lady sings,” and although I never heard any singing, according to the calendar, it is indeed over. To be more specific, the CSC 2019 election is over. And now comes the question no doubt many of the members are asking: what comes next?

Before attempting to answer that, I would like to offer my sincere gratitude to the previous Board members for all your hard work. Because of your commitment, you have contributed, in no small measure, in helping to guide the Society over the last few years. As a result, the CSC has benefitted enormously, and we look forward to many new initiatives that will become an important part of the continued growth of the Society.

This election invited the entire CSC (voting) membership to consider and endorse the names of those potential eight candidates for election to the Board. The membership has spoken and now the next phase begins. I would also like to thank all the candidates who put their names forward for the election process, which has determined the Board of Directors for 2020. To those who have been successful in gaining admittance to the Board, congratulations – now your work begins.

For those who might not be aware of the various duties of Board members, now might be worth taking the time to briefly describe the requirements for being admitted to the Board. First, specific dates for Board meeting are agreed upon and all Board members are encouraged to attend, either in person (preferable) or via phone if necessary. This attendance is crucial to maintaining continuity and to keep everyone up to date on all the many undertakings that will be a part of the process.

Being an elected member of the Board of Directors also

CSC Annual General Meeting

offers a unique opportunity to give valuable service to the Society, and it is no secret that a lot of hard work and commitment is a part of that undertaking. Over the years, the CSC has benefitted from those who have the energy, commitment and passion to move the Society forward.

So, what comes next? If I were a gambler, I would no doubt lose any wager that I placed on the table. The reason is that no one knows the answers to the many questions that are being asked. This is quite normal in any situation where key personnel changes take place and where varied discussions ensue, coupled with the expected personal opinions.

The closest that I can come to providing a reasonable answer regarding what comes next would be to offer a few guidelines for all to consider. Those who have put their names forward and who have been successful in becoming members of the Board are offering their service to help build a better Society for all the members. Just as in a production, each person is responsible for the part that they play in the grand scheme of things.

Each member of the Board has the duty to continue to guide the CSC via the many opportunities that are available, in particular sitting on various committees, which are always in need of fresh ideas and the willingness to promote them. I remember a saying from a while back that I believe is still very relevant today, “If you want to be a lumberjack, you have to carry your end of the log.”

Simple but true.

So as we move into the next phase, whatever that might be, it will be up to each and every one of us to create a realistic approach and hopefully a successful outcome to whatever is planned when we ask the question, “What comes next?”

Monday, December 9, 2019 at 6:30 pm Technicolor Toronto. Boardroom No. 1 49 Ontario Street

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Following the meeting we will have a light dinner and refreshments, courtesy of the good folks at Technicolor. Great opportunity to meet and chat with your fellow cinematographers! Hope to see you there, CSC member!

In The News Nicholas de Pencier csc Among DGC Award Winners

Credit: Courtesy of Anthropocene Films Inc. © 2018

The CSC congratulates Nicholas de Pencier csc who – along with filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal and photographer Edward Burtynsky – was awarded the Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary by the Directors Guild of Canada during the 2019 DGC Awards in October for the documentary Anthropocene: The Human Epoch.

Academy Announces New Board Chair and Vice Chair

T

he Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television recently announced the election of a new chair and vice chair following Martin Katz’s decision to step down. CEO of Boat Rocker Media and former Academy Vice Chair John Young will now serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors, with Anne Marie La Traverse, president of Pink Sky Entertainment, taking on the role of Vice Chair. Katz served as board Chair since 2011 and will now assume the position of Immediate Past Chair while continuing to serve on the Board of Directors. The Academy also announced the election to the board of former VP, Development at TIFF, Maxine Bailey, and Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Cineplex Thomas Santram, who was also elected Secretary. Both were elected to serve three-year terms.

Deluxe Receives Court Approval to Complete Comprehensive Refinancing In late October, Deluxe announced

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Nick de Pencier in Carrara, Italy, in 2016 filming Anthropocene: The Human Epoch.

that it has received court approval of its pre-packaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization and intends to complete the restructuring transactions and successfully emerge from Chapter 11. Following the implementation of the financial restructuring, Deluxe’s long-term debt will be reduced by well more than half, and the company will have access to $115 million of new financing to support its ongoing operations and investments. In early November, the company announced the appointment of former CFO Eric Cummins as the new CEO.

Toronto, Partners Launch Youth Production Assistant Training Program The City of Toronto, along with several partners, recently launched a program to train youth for work in the local screen industry. The five-week production assistant training program, which runs through this month, is part of the city’s xoTO Screen Industry Pathway initiatives in support of making the Toronto screen industry more inclusive and representative of the city’s racial and ethnic diversity. Created and operated

by POV, the program provides participants with technical training and an opportunity to develop a range of soft workplace skills. Participants also learn about the career and training pathways open to production assistants in film, television, digital media and commercial productions. Funding is being provided by the city’s Poverty Reduction Strategy in partnership with United Way Greater Toronto, POV and CEE Centre for Young Black Professionals. The curriculum was created in collaboration with the screen industry, including significant input from the Directors Guild of Canada-Ontario. The program includes set visits, placements and job opportunities on productions made in Toronto, including Canadian Film Centre productions, commercials, independent productions, and the upcoming HBO series Run and Clement Virgo’s feature film Brother. The city is also leading a Toronto Screen Industry Workforce Study, and the United Way of Greater Toronto and POV are leading a study that maps the barriers of entry into the screen production industry for diverse and under-represented communities.

The combined results and recommenda-

tions of these studies will inform future talent development in Toronto’s screen industry. Additional cohorts will be recruited for program delivery in 2020.

Stratagem Group, Canadore College to Expand Film, TV Production in Northern Ontario In October, the Stratagem Group, a collective of creative companies, and Canadore College of Applied Arts and Technology announced a multi-year collaboration to nurture the booming film and television industry in Northern Ontario. The partnership will see the Stratagem Group exclusively manage and operate the college’s postproduction complex, which includes a

Dolby ATMOS 4K theatre. The goal of this collaboration is to service local northern productions; attract substantial new screen activity and operate collaboratively with other local partners to bring business, employment access and support to North Bay and surrounding areas, including, but not limited to Timmins, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Kenora and Sault Ste. Marie. In the short term, the Stratagem Group intends to hire three to five full-time postproduction staff to live and work in North Bay. In the long term, the Stratagem Group and Canadore College will also collaborate on the design and development of other physical and postproduction facilities and services to broaden capacity for the film industry in Northern Ontario. Over the last several years, annual production spending by the industry in the region has almost tripled to $100 million.

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Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

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Credit: Logan Cerson

Credit: Courtesy of Anthony Sarracco

On Set

Associate Member Anthony Sarracco on the set of ESPN Boxing Stories (working title).

Credit: Olivier Léger

Credit: Dana Barnaby

Cinematographer Adam Madrzyk (associate member) on the set of the short film Guion.

Dana Barnaby, associate member and cinematographer high in the hills in the Wicklow Mountains, Ireland, shooting Forever in My Heart for Hallmark Studios. Irish crew members from left to right are Connor Lynch, Danny Kelly, Ciaran Tanham, Sonya Deegan, Eamon McGillicuddy, James Culloty, Dana Barnaby (cinematographer), Connor Hammond, Mick O’Rourke, Zia Pfeiffer, Sinead Lillis and James Mooney.

Credit: Courtesy of Jeff Wheaton

Credit: Daria Scoccimarro

DP Philippe Lavalette csc (left) with director Helen Doyle shooting the feature-length documentary Au lendemain de l'Odyssée in Sicily, Italy.

L-R: co-director Greg Olliver, DP Matt Irwin (associate member), B operator Robert Ko and co-director Mahala Gaylord.

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

L-R: gaffer Keith Mitchell, director Heather Young and cinematographer Jeff Wheaton (associate member) on the set of Murmur.

Credit: Alex Banovich Credit: Courtesy of Christopher Ball csc

Credit: Courtesy of Robert Mclachlan

John Banovich csc on the BC coast shooting a grizzly bear documentary with the Sony Venice in HFR using the newly released Sony 600mm G Master telephoto lens.

Robert McLachlan csc, asc on set of Lovecraft Country for HBO.

Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc with Dylan Evans, Dahlia Aljanabi, Owen Cant, Sara Doughty, James Johnson, Simon Hallows, Sam Smithard, David Morgan and Aaron Monkman on the set of Tin Star in Liverpool.

Credit: Rob Anthill

Credit: Stewart Svaasand

L-R: Craig Stewart (key grip), Christopher Ball csc (A operator), Dean Skerrett (dolly grip) and Preston Hudson (3rd AD) on the set of The Lighthouse.

Todd M. Duym, csc on the set of Interac with director Shaunoh.

Credit: Jonathan Mahoney

ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS Dmitry Lopatin, associate member (director of photography) Queen of the Morning Calm (feature film), accepted: Whistler Film Festival, December 4-8, 2019 Othello Ubalde, associate member (cinematographer) The Intern (short film), accepted: Female Eye Film Festival, Toronto, November, 9 2019.

Jeff Wheaton, associate member (director of photography) Murmur (feature film), winner: FIPRESCI Prize, Discovery Program, Toronto International Film Festival, September 2019; winner: Best Atlantic screenwriter, director, Cinematography, and Feature, Atlantic International Film Festival, September 2019.

Camera operator Chia-Yu Chen, costume designer Michelle Elizabeth and director/DP Brad Rushing csc on the set of a new Investigation Discovery recreation show.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

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CSC Member Spotlight

Credit: Courtesy of David Makin csc

being asked if I want to fly over or under the Manhattan Bridge (I went under of course). Receiving my first award (CSC Student Award) and having my father there. Kyle MacLachlan requesting that I light his publicity stills for our “Cary Grant” look. Liza Minnelli thanking me for how she looked in my lighting and appreciating it so much that she wanted me to come light her Las Vegas show!

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

I remember the first time I saw Days of Heaven and the way it opened my eyes to how the skills of a great cinematographer could greatly impact shooting exteriors.

J.M.W. Turner’s paintings still stay with me – the way his use of light, colour and atmospheric elements enhance the mood and emotion of his work.

How did you get started in the business?

I was about 10 when I started making 8 mm movies with my brother. Around the same time, my dad – Harry Makin csc – brought home a Worrall Head from work. With a flashlight taped to the head, I practiced figure eights on the wall.

It was all just fun and games until one day while watching my father at work, I had the epiphany that I could keep doing what I had a passion for as a living. I studied film at Ryerson and then AFI, all the while continuing to shoot whatever I could. At the same time, I worked my way up the ranks from PA, 2nd and 1st AC, operator to DP.

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

Who have been your mentors or teachers?

My father, of course. He had a handsoff approach and only critiqued our films once they were completed. He let us make our own mistakes to learn what worked and didn’t. While at AFI, I was fortunate enough to have legendary people like Billy Wilder, David Lean and many more come in to talk with us one on one.

What cinematographers inspire you?

A few of many: Conrad Hall asc for his ability to beautifully enhance story through cinematography without letting the visual overpower the narrative.

Robert Richardson asc for his “overexposure.” Gordon Willis asc for his “under.” Vittorio Storaro asc, aic for being Storaro. Néstor Almendros asc for Days of Heaven. Roger Deakins asc, bsc for continuing to inspire the art of cinematography.

Name some of your professional highlights.

Being picked up in Central Park by helicopter to shoot footage of Manhattan, and while flying over the East River,

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

The best moment for me is when action is called, and I am witness to a performance that I get truly lost in. I am always honoured and proud to be a part of that.

Even recently, while shooting the final season of Schitt’s Creek, there were scenes and performances that one had to stop, watch and appreciate.

What do you like best about what you do?

Collaboration with talented people.

Achieving the image I had in my mind for that particular scene/shot, despite the challenges of budget, time, weather.

Wondering what’s next.

What do you like least about what you do?

The hours, and time away from family.

Wondering what’s next.

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

In a very short time, digital technology has revolutionized our craft. From sensitive digital sensors to LED/wireless lighting, it has changed how we achieve what we want in a shorter time. Digital post is amazing. I can be quicker on set knowing I can achieve something later in a room with two people in two minutes than the 20 minutes on set with 50 people waiting on me.

How can others follow your work?

davidamakin.com and, when I can find the time to post, @damakpic on Instagram.

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The Two Worlds of

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

2 Hearts L

ast year, I received the script for 2 Hearts, a feature based on the book All My Tomorrows, written by Eric Gregory and based on the true story of Chris Gregory.

This was a period story, and so emotional and powerful that I fell completely in love with it and requested an interview with director Lance Hool.

I had followed Lance’s career as a director and producer, and this would be his fourth feature film directing. One Man’s Hero, Steel Dawn and Missing in Action II were his previous directorial credits, and he is well known as a producer, collaborating with the likes of Tony Scott on such titles as Man on Fire, and also producing popular films like Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles, The Air Up There and Flipper, to name a few.

Adan Canto (Jorge) and Radha Michell (Leslie) during the setup of a Techno 50 crane.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

Credit: Eric Milner

By Vincent De Paula csc

13

O

nce we met, it became pretty clear to both of us that we had to collaborate together on this feature film. We were speaking the same film language, referencing the same films, and even our body language on the interview was mirroring each other.

We shot 2 Hearts in Vancouver and Hawaii over 32 days of filming. I initially pitched the idea of shooting on both 16 mm and 35 mm, but rapidly this idea evaporated, even though Lance and I have extensive experience shooting on film negative, and in fact, I still generally prefer it.

But our tight schedule and shooting in two countries made this a bit more challenging than it would have been a few years ago.

We ended up shooting on anamorphic lenses with ALEXA cameras, provided by Panavision in Vancouver and Woodland Hills in Los Angeles. We shot 2.8K Open Gate and had Panavision E, C and G series on the shoot. The C series are definitely my favourite Panavision anamorphic glass, but they are so popular right now and always in use, so the majority of my lenses were the E series, and some C and G. Shooting for a wide aspect ratio of 2.39:1 and using anamorphic lenses was perfect for this film. I love this aspect ratio and I am a strong believer that anamorphic is such an intimate format.

There has always been the general idea that this ratio is mainly just a landscape format. But you can shoot two actors in a medium close-up in the same frame; no other format can really do that. In the 2.39:1 frame you can let things play, so there is not so much need for cutting, and it allows the camera to move in a way that doesn’t force you into as much cutting coverage.

2 Hearts, a wonderful true story of organ donation, follows two characters: Loyola University student Chris Gregory (played by Jacob Elordi) – who we follow from 2006 to 2009 – and Jorge Bolivar (played by Adam Canto), who we follow from Massachusetts in the ‘50s to Cuba in the ‘60s to Miami in the ‘70s, and all the way to the 2000s. Two characters living completely different lives, in different parts of the world, different backgrounds and at different times. I immediately had the idea of two different styles for both characters, as well as different looks for the different time periods in the film.

Chris’ character symbolizes life, which we depicted through the creative use of lighting with warmer tones and hot sunlight coming in through windows as a metaphor for life and hope.

There also seems to be an energy always present with Chris, therefore his framing and compositions would be looser and more dynamic, contrasting that of Jorge’s character.

For Jorge, everything has been pretty much set up for him – he is well off and works for the family business, but he is very ill. His style is therefore more controlled and anticipated, more stylized with more symmetrical framing and composition. Also, his colour palette is more neutral than that of Chris.

One of the tools that I use a lot as a cinematographer is rear nets. I worked closely with Panavision to set up a set of magnetic rings that I could place inside the ALEXA cameras right at the back of the lenses. I became a cinematographer in London, U.K., and while there I had purchased a lot of this Fogal

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

Setting up one of the ALEXA cameras before a night shoot.

Noir 110 stockings, and I just happened to have my last set that I could use on the film. So I set these up at the back of the anamorphic lenses in all of Jorge’s period story from the ‘50s to the ‘90s. Though my initial intention was to just use them for the period scenes, I decided to leave them on for all of Jorge’s storyline, therefore also becoming a style for this character. Chris’ story had a much less filtrated look, and for him I only used Glimmerglass or Black Satin filtration, normally 1/8 or 1/4.

Period stories are absolutely my favourite to photograph. With this film, I had a great opportunity to have different looks de-

Credit:Vincent De Paula csc

pending on the time and location we were showing. For the 1950s scenes in Massachusetts and Cuba, I played a Technicolor/Kodachrome look, with rich colours – very blue skies and rich oranges, reds, yellows and browns.

For the late ‘60s/early ‘70s Puerto Rico and Miami scenes, Jorge meets the love of his life, Leslie, played by the incredibly talented Radha Mitchell. These are generally happy times for this period, and in fact, I allowed them to play a bit warmer, especially the scenes we shot with them in Hawaii.

After Jorge and Leslie marry, in the mid-1970s, blacks would flatten out a bit so you can see into them as much as possible.

“Chris’ character symbolizes life, which we depicted through the creative use of lighting with warmer tones and hot sunlight coming in through windows as a metaphor for life and hope.”

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

15

Photo credit: Eric Milner

Credit: Cate Cameron

Credit: Cate Cameron

Above: Radha Mitchell (Leslie) and Adan Canto (Jorge) with operator Sean Harding.

Above right: A cam operator John Clothier framing up Jacob Elordi (Chris) and Tiera Skovbye (Sam).

Right: From left to Right: Cinematographer Vincent De Paula csc setting up a shot with director Lance Hool, A cam Operator John Clothier and dolly grip David Reilly

“Generally, I had a very naturalistic approach to the film, which is my general style, and enhanced what I called the poetic realism for the story.”

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

Blacks that are milky lend to a ‘70s period feel with a slightly more pastel-like look. The palette would shift to a cooler tone. Life is not so happy now for Jorge and Leslie; his illness is worsening rapidly. I also switched at this time to longer lenses to get more into their minds.

For the ‘70s look, I always use as a reference the photography of Stephen Shore and William Eggleston, as well as Saul Leiter and Jamel Shabazz.

The film follows these two characters in a parallel storyline, so it is always so interesting to have both stories contrasted with the different styles and looks. The only period our characters would ever share is 2009. That is the year Jorge wakes up after having surgery, and Chris has just passed away, donating his lungs to Jorge. Jorge’s palette now becomes that of Chris. I liked the idea of Chris being present once he passed away and his lungs were in Jorge. Earlier on, I discussed these possibilities with Lance, as well as creating transitions throughout the different periods and when cutting between characters.

Photo credit: Eric Milner

Vincent De Paula csc setting up a shot.

Generally, I had a very naturalistic approach to the film, which is my general style, and enhanced what I called the poetic realism for the story. I also tried to use older lighting fixtures for the earlier scenes in the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, but for the majority of the film I tried to bring light from outside the windows and fill when needed from inside.

We had a funeral scene in a location in North Vancouver that featured a real tree that resembled the shape of two lungs, which is very appropriate for the story. On that day, the gods (or the real Chris Gregory from up above) were looking after us because we really needed some cloudy and slightly rainy weather for those scenes, which we had from the moment we called action until we wrapped that scene when all of a sudden, the sun came out. It definitely felt like someone up there was looking after us, and Lance and I admitted we had goose bumps that day.

Our production moved to Hawaii for the last couple of weeks of the schedule, and we had a range of weather conditions, as is normal in

“Period stories are absolutely my favourite to photograph.

With this film, I had a great opportunity to have different looks depending on the time and location we were showing.”

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

17

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18 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

Credit: Mario Perez

FILM STUDENTS Adan Canto (Jorge) and Radha Mitchell (Leslie) recreating their time in the 1970s in Hawaii.

that part of the world, with sun, clouds and rain pretty much every day. So we were mainly dealing with controlling what was out there when we were filming exteriors.

I had the most amazing crew, with operators John Clothier (A cam) and Sean Harding (B cam), and our 1st ACs Larry Portmann and Richard Sinclair keeping everything sharp, as well as our 2nd ACs Curtis Nicholls, Jared Krenz and Kelly Simpson doing an amazing job and taking care of the stretching of our rear nets on a daily basis. Mark Allan did a fantastic job as our DIT, and I am one of those cinematographers who prefers to light with one LUT and make all adjustments in camera with the right use of gels in the lights and filtration.

I had a great time with my gaffer James Jackson, and Tony Whiteside – with whom I have worked several times in the past – served as key grip. I usually prefer to keep my regular crew throughout the duration of a film, but when we moved to Hawaii, I couldn’t bring all of my crew, so we switched to local crew in Hawaii, with some coming from L.A., who were also great, helmed by A cam operator Paul Atkins asc, Mark ‘Kiwi” Kalaugher as gaffer and Les Tomita as our amazing key grip.

Our colour correction took place at Encore Vancouver and Los Angeles. With the look for the film pretty much established in camera, we focused on working on small adjustments rather than setting any look at all in the DI. Claudio Sepulveda, our senior colourist, was a great collaborator and I had a great time working with him again.

2 Hearts is an incredible story that has touched the hearts of audiences at screenings in Canada and the U.S. I am currently working on another period piece, a Netflix original TV series based on the novel Firefly Lane and set in the Pacific Northwest where we follow our characters from the ‘70s all the way to the early 2000s.

Canadian Cinematographer - November 2019 •

19

GREGORY BENNETT Recreates Folk Era in

A Song For Us

By Fanen Chiahemen

A young Alice (Haley Midgette) and Tom (Tyson Coady) part ways in 1970s Yorkville.

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

A

Song for Us follows the path of Alice (Lisa Kovack), a Toronto-based British woman in her 60s who reconnects with an old flame after seeing his image in her daughter’s documentary film. Her former lover Tom (Keith McKie) is now lost and broken, just a shadow of the brilliant folk singer that she partnered with as a young singing duo in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Alice feels compelled to help Tom, and in doing so, she uncovers a lifechanging revelation. The film takes place in two time periods – the present day and 1960s Yorkville – and was shot on location in Toronto, with some scenes shot on Ward’s Island.

The feature was written, produced and directed by Peter Hitchcock, a British filmmaker who arrived in what was then called Yorkville Village in 1967, where he had a photo studio above the Penny Farthing coffee house and met his wife. “Peter has a real romantic attachment to that period, which comes out in the film,” DP and associate member Gregory Bennett observes.

When Bennett first read the script, he had a strong visual idea for how to capture the two time periods. “Peter was telling me his stories of the past, and I was thinking about how when people talk about memories from a long time ago, they’re often filtered through time, maybe romanticized to a degree, and I think for

Credit: Gregory Bennett

Memory Lane

lighting for all the scenes set in the past “because LED lighting didn’t exist back then. I was trying to be really true to that time. There’s a character to tungsten lighting that I really love, just a warmth and quality to it that we thought was appropriate for all the past stuff. So a lot of the lighting in the Penny Farthing was homemade lighting. My gaffer and I created some lighting together,” he says.

“One was a strip light that was made up of six bulbs that were in sockets and the whole thing had two dimmers on it, so you could control the dimming of the two sets of three bulbs. You could either tune it up or tune it down, so I was often dimming it down just to create warmth,” he explains. “Another light was made with nine household sockets and just regular bulbs like tungsten bulbs that I could just sort of rig anywhere, and then we used China lanterns as well and everything on dimmers.” For the main spotlight on the stage he used an ARRI Fresnel light.

The location for the Penny Farthing was discovered by chance. “We happened to

the base at 2500, I actually shot it at 1600 for the past stuff and for all the interior stuff.” The18-35 mm Sigma Cine zoom lenses also helped craft the look. “The lens is sharp but not clinically sharp,” Bennett says. “It’s got a bit of softness to it, and I used filtration almost throughout the whole film as well.”

He made the decision to use tungsten

go to a place in Kensington Market that’s a modern place, and there’s a bar that opens up onto a patio,” Bennett recalls.

“But the owner took us down a hallway, and he stuck a key in this old wooden door – it was like something out of a movie, it just creaked open – and it was like walking back into 1970. The whole room was as if they had just shut the door,

“ There’s a character to tungsten lighting that I really love, just a warmth and quality to it that we thought was appropriate for all the past stuff. ”

Credit: Austin Hitchcock

me the visual connection was the way you would look at old faded photographs,” he says. “So that was something I really thought would be a visual key for the film; I really wanted to create this kind of faded feeling, a softer feeling of these memories to distinguish the two periods.”

Bennett was inspired by the album cover for Carole King’s Tapestry, depicting King sitting at a window. “There’s something about that picture I just felt was really evocative and had this quality that I wanted to get in the cinematography,” the DP says.

He opted to shoot on the Panasonic EVA1 and capture in ProResRAW 5.7K to an Atomos Shogun monitor/recorder, finding the camera’s dual ISO settings of 800 and 2500 ideal for the film. “When working at lower light levels with smaller lighting kits and at night, I found there was a texture to it I really liked, and for the stuff I was doing in the past, I really liked the different texture of the 2500 ISO as opposed to the 800 ISO for all the present day stuff,” he says. “Although I set

Bennett captures a performance in the Penny Farthing set.

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

21

Haze was also used throughout the film to create atmosphere, texture and depth, the DP adds. “The haze is justified because people were either smoking or they were burning in-

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

cense everywhere, so it wasn’t just gratuitous, it was what it would have been like,” he says.

Many scenes in A Song for Us take place in apartments that are sumptuously decorated with period décor, which, along with the period costumes, create a rich and warm colour palette. “We looked at a lot of references, and we created an online gallery that we could all log on to and refer to, and we were all uploading things to that, so we were looking at samples of the colours and clothes from the era in Yorkville,” Bennett says. “I was just grabbing frames from films that I liked, some of them set in that period. As much as possible, I’m always trying to create stuff in camera, not relying on doing it all in colour grading, and either I’m using gels or I’m playing with the colour balance on the camera.”

The many period lighting fixtures and lamps in the film were selected by production designer Jenn McGouran. “She’d just show up with a whole assortment, and I’d say, ‘Yeah, I really like that one,’” Bennett recalls. “I really am a fan of having practicals in shots. A lot of the times, the lighting would be the practicals and I would just be supplementing that.”

Whenever candles were used as lighting in a scene, Bennett would supplement them by lighting through a large 8 by 8 unbleached muslin.

Bennett was grateful to have his gaffer Nikita Brusnitsyn – whom he met years ago on a short film and has worked with on most projects ever since – on his crew. “I really relied on him because he would build lights and was just really dedicated. In terms of my camera crew, he was the main guy,” the DP says. “And the focus puller Andrew Gerhold, who I’ve worked with on a lot of stuff, is amazing. So I never had to worry about that stuff.”

One of the most memorable moments during the 21-day shoot came from the director himself. “We were doing the campfire scene at the end where they’re singing,” Bennett recalls. “They’re now in their 60s and singing a song they wrote in their 20s. I looked over at Peter, and he was standing looking at the monitor and he had this look on his face – it was so sweet, he was really just so absorbed in it, like he was having this real moment. I felt like I really did something that resonated with him; he was almost in tears. I think it was one of the most gratifying moments.”

Credit: Gregory Bennett

and they were just using it to store things in.

All the lamps in there, all the fixtures, the bar was from that era. We had to go through some of the wiring on some of the lights, but they were all original fixtures. We lucked out; the location was just perfect.”

His biggest light was an M18 HMI, which was used for creating sunlight through windows. “We had one scene where they go into a head shop; it was a little variety store and it just has all these rows and rows of knickknacks in the window, and I just thought we could really use this place if you just pull some stuff out and set dec it a little bit,” he says. “We were lighting through the window and I wanted to have the feeling of sunlight coming through, so we just had our HMI light coming through. Then the main fuse to the café we had plugged it into blew so they had to shut down for the day, and it was like, ‘Well, now what do we do?’ The front of the place was facing north, and the sun was on the other side, so we had a big Ultrabounce that we set up and we just kind of reflected back the sunlight that was coming over the top of the building, and we just created that soft light coming through the window.

And it worked really well; it does look like sun coming through, but it’s all totally bounced light.”

Meanwhile, available light was used for exteriors. “On this kind of film, you can’t really battle what’s already happening, it’s really just supplementing what’s there, shaping it, using negative fill and taking light away,” he says.

“ When people talk about memories from a long time ago, they’re often filtered through time.

So I really wanted to create this kind of faded feeling, a softer feeling of these memories to distinguish the two periods. ”

Top photo: Chuck (Sean Meldrum) and Alice (Haley Midgette) express concern over Tom after a drug trip.

Bottom: Alice (Lisa Kovack) recalls Yorkville to her daughter Corrina (Karen Scobie).

Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

23

A Whole New

World

The Industry Adapts

to

HDR

By Fanen Chiahemen

H

igh Dynamic Range – or HDR – a familiar concept in the world of still photography, has in recent years made major advancements into the world of motion picture capture, and is in fact now heralded as the future of digital entertainment. Some in the industry see HDR as one of the biggest transformations to imaging technology since the introduction of colour photography.

Put simply, HDR allows for a wider range of colour and contrast than traditional imaging systems, such as standard dynamic range (SDR). For example, the HDR viewing format can display contrast, colour and luminance capable of producing an overall highlight brightness level of at least 1,000 nits, compared to the 100 nits SDR can produce. The result is higher luminance levels, enhanced shadow details, blacker blacks, brighter whites, as well as greater colour definition. In other words, HDR aims to create more realistic images that are comparable to those seen by the human eye.

HDR images can therefore be strikingly different from what many content creators are used to. Filmmaker Nicholas de Pencier csc recalls sitting in on an HDR grade of the 2018 documentary Anthropocene: The Human Epoch (Canadian Cinematographer, September 2018) with Technicolor colourist Mark Kueper. With almost no prior experience

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

with HDR, “it was very much a kind of theoretical concept to me,” de Pencier says. “So I went in quite unprepared but wanting obviously to oversee any iteration of the grade that goes out in the world. I ended up being completely blown away by the quality and the experience, and it was one of those ‘holy shit’ moments where you just say, ‘This is the future,’ in a way that I never had with 3D or some of the things that have come and gone. It was on a monitor that was about the size of my computer monitor on my desk that we were grading to, and yet I felt like I was falling into it.”

One scene in particular underscores the power of HDR for him. “The scene in the Carrara marble quarry in Italy where the walls are white, and the Italian sun is just burning – we shot on the EPIC and the AMIRA with modern chips. When the sun is reflecting off those white marble walls you need sunglasses or you’ll get snow blindness or the equivalent it’s so bright,” he says.

As Kueper puts it, “When you first see your material in HDR, it is 10 times as bright as a regular television.”

One of the benefits of HDR is it can allow more flexibility for DPs in post, according to Technicolor’s Technical Operations Manager Brian Reid.

“When people see the results in HDR, we’ve had a couple of DPs saying things like, ‘Oh, my goodness, I would like to

have relit this scene differently had I known I had this extra range. I wouldn’t have needed to ND down the exterior windows of the house this much,’ or ‘I would have taken the curtains away there because I’m going to actually see the sky as opposed to just a white hole,’” Reid says. “DPs have always had to compromise. Well, they won’t have to compromise nearly as much now if they’re producing something for HDR.” Despite the new possibilities, Reid says many content creators are still wary of HDR and are not making full use of HDR grades. “For decades now, we’ve

Credit: photo: © Edward Burtynsky, courtesy Nicholas Metivier Gallery, Toronto

Still of the Carrara marble quarry in Italy from the documentary Anthropocene: The Human Epoch.

been used to working in SDR, and it is unnerving to some producers that all of a sudden their images look quite dramatically different. Because you can go wild and have it look crazy bright, but that may not be what is intended,” he says.

“In the early days of HDR, we would say, ‘Oh, look, we can get so much more dynamic range out of it,’ but the truth is most filmmakers want to see their intention in terms of what they’ve lit, in terms of their lighting and their contrast ratios and what was done on the day to be truthfully translated,” Kueper offers. “It’s really about still

maintaining the intention of the story inside of a medium, so to speak.”

Urban Post Picture Operations Manager Bruce Rees says currently their grades are being driven by a project’s end delivery plan. “What we’ll see is a TV show will come along, or a film will come along, and they’ll know they have a distribution deal with Netflix, so we’ll know before they even start shooting that there’s a need for HDR,” he says.

“We’ll consult with the production company, we’ll have discussions with the DP and the creatives and the producers, and we’ll say, ‘If you’re planning

“When you first see your material in HDR, it is 10 times as bright as a regular television.”

– Mark Kueper Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019 •

25

– Brian Reid on doing HDR delivery there are things you want to watch out for on the front end. Traditionally you want to make sure you’re shooting with a camera that can shoot true UHD or 4K because almost any broadcaster asking for HDR is also asking for 4K.” Reid predicts that DPs will start requesting both SDR and HDR monitors on set.

But introducing an HDR system onto a set has so far been complex. “Every camera out there is shooting LOG or RAW and they all have a rec 709 output. So you’re going to need to have the capability on set to monitor both – and not every show has that budget. DITs will have to convert a log signal to SDR and a second set of monitors and lookup tables that are dealing with it in HDR,” he explains. “And still, dailies will be created in SDR. So for the DP, it’s more time on set. In post, you need to do an HDR grade, and then an SDR grade so it takes more time there, as well.”

Some companies are rolling out workflow systems to streamline the process, such as Panavision/Light Iron’s LINK HDR system, which facilitates HDR content viewing throughout the imaging chain (see Tech Column). “We started way back in 2015 when HDR started to become prevalent in the distribution space,” former SVP of Innovation at Panavision Michael Cioni, who was behind the design and launch of this

product, says. “Light Iron, which is Panavision’s post branch, was the first company to be working on an HDR show, and that show was called Transparent for Amazon, which was the first show to ever be an HDR transmission to the public over broadband. So when we started seeing HDR evolve for the home exhibition, we realized we would eventually need a solution for the set.” The company launched the system in June of 2019, and it’s designed to be compatible with productions and sets of all sizes.

“You can have big and small versions, so it’s very configurable,” Cioni says.

HDR grading in postproduction is configurable too, of course. For example, at Urban Post, a certified Dolby Vision house, “you can grade in your optimum HDR, but then you do an alternate trim pass where you grade for your lower denomination of regular 709 standard dynamic range, and the TVs at home will have some sort of capability to fall within that range of the optimum HDR and regular 709 SDR,” Rees says. “So basically we sort of create a top and a bottom, and the TV at home says, ‘I can do the middle,’ and it basically selects from what we’ve done, a bit of the high and a bit of the low to figure out exactly what the TV can do to get the best image.”

For now, just a few broadcasters are requesting HDR capture on a regular basis, including Amazon, Apple, Lionsgate, and most of all Netflix, with the company stat-

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

ing on its website that “HDR is about delivering a better image to our customers.”

Director of Creative Technologies and Infrastructure at Netflix Jimmy Fusil explains: “Our goal is to enable imagemakers to create within a framework that supports more latitude, a wider gamut, and greater fidelity. We’re not looking for brighter, more colourful images; we want to facilitate creative intent, which HDR does well. If creators don’t master in HDR, it’s likely that the TV will convert their SDR images into HDR with little concern for their intent.”

With Canada – and particularly Toronto – serving as a major hub for Netflix productions, more DPs, filmmakers and content creators are having to get more comfortable with HDR, and post houses like Technicolor and Urban Post have a role to play in that. “Education is a huge part of it,” Reid says. “We have had projects where the mention of HDR makes producers nervous and they are hesitant to embrace the technology.”

Technicolor has held HDR seminars at its various locations that are open to anyone in the industry, from DPs to producers to post supervisors. “I think as an industry it’s really important to have everyone on a level playing field,” Kueper says. “Clients will embrace any new technology if it provides more creative control and they understand the impact that it might have on their story. HDR can provide that.”

Credit: Courtesy of Technicolor

“DPs have always had to compromise. Well, they won’t have to compromise nearly as much now if they’re producing something for HDR.”

Technicolor colourist Mark Kueper with filmmakers Nicholas de Pencier csc and Jennifer Baichwal at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival Industry panel on Anthropocene: The Human Epoch.

gimbal shot VFX scene streaming series environment department documentary shot sitcom production phase build monitoring setup commercial production music video great idea movie department documentary monitoring setup shot hand held scene wireless fiz crane project steadicam setup camera assistant genre cinematographer market workflow operator ecosystem ideal for every shooting situation director shot post pipeline production phase build hand held scene department streaming series www.panavision.com aerial shot Canadian Cinematographer - October 2019 • 23 budget

+

Truly

CSC Celebrates ASC Centennial On September 28, 2019, Chair for the Board of Directors Joseph Sunday phd travelled to Los Angeles to present a special award from the CSC to the American Society of Cinematographers in recognition of the U.S. organization’s 100th anniversary. Sunday’s remarks and photos from the celebration are shared here with the membership.

Credit: Carlos Esteves csc

I

Chair for the Board of Directors Joseph Sunday phd at the ASC.

Credits: Willie Toledo aka Willie T

Sunday with President Kees van Oostrum ASC, who accepted the award on behalf of the Society.

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

am here representing the Canadian Society of Cinematographers as the Chair for their Board of Directors to celebrate the monumental 100th anniversary of the ASC. It’s not easy to be a professional organization of cinematographers, even more astounding to progress over a century. It took the rest of us several more decades just to create one suited to our own country and members. The next in time seem to have been Britain’s BSC in 1949, Italy’s AIC in 1950, Canada’s CSC in 1957, and Australia’s ACS in 1958.

I’m sure that every Society of cinematographers is very proud when one of our members has been invited to join the ASC, the ultimate acknowledgement of accomplishment and stature. The CSC now counts 17 active members who are both CSC and ASC. Several will be here tonight, including John Bartley csc, asc and Rodney Charters csc, asc, as is Ousama Rawi csc, bsc, who is here as my guest.

This year, we wanted to contribute meaningfully as part of the ASC anniversary, to go beyond the obvious commemoration of age.

We wanted a tangible tribute to remain with the ASC, proclaiming our belief that the ASC has the distinction of being the principal organization upholding the interests of professional cinematographers, not just in the United States but across this continent and globally.

Over the years, we’ve eagerly awaited each issue of American Cinematographer to keep us in the know.

Significant enhancements in cinematography have usually been a collaboration involving the ASC Motion Imaging Technology Council and its predecessors, in conjunction with many technology partners and groups.

We have also applauded pioneering initiatives, such as the ASC Vision Committee, for taking a proactive approach to broaden fulfilling opportunities.

This is not just cinematography as an occupation.

This is leadership, and it affects us all, right around the world.

For this, I am pleased to present this distinctive Indigenous sculpture as our special CSC Board of Directors’ Award, to the American Society of Cinematographers on the occasion of their 100th anniversary in recognition of their global leadership.

Tech Column

Cranking Up the Workflow Throughput as HDR Makes Its Mark Credit: Courtesy of Panavision

T

he bigger the image, the more data flows from it and the bigger the pipe has to be to handle the throughput, along with all the assorted components.

As digital continues to evolve in cinematography, so too do workflows, and Panavision last summer rolled out its LINK HDR cart system designed to give DPs and directors real-time monitoring in HDR and SDR simultaneously.

The idea is to give them a what-you-seeis-what-they-see vision of the work in progress, anticipating what the consumer will see on their screen in terms of colour, dynamic range and resolution.

It’s a soup to nuts solution, former SVP of Innovation at Panavision Michael Cioni says, with dialled-in LUTs created through working closely with cinematographers to achieve what they are looking for.

LINK consists of a modular cart packed with monitors; Light Iron LINK HDR Dailies; software that creates HDR and SDR images simultaneously, allowing editors to cut, toggle between and export in either format; and Light Iron LINK HDR Finish – linking on-set creative decisions to the HDR mastering process.

Cioni says Panavision and Light Iron created LINK because they saw a burgeoning need in the industry. “As an innovator, I’m not a visionary as much as I pay attention to what’s going on,” he says. “The market gives you hints, and if you pay attention, you can learn what the market is asking for.

It never comes directly in a nice package with a bow.”

It’s an idea whose time has clearly arrived, as Brian Reid, technical operations manager at Technicolor Toronto, notes, though there was some pushback on HDR initially, but that was mostly because the technology got ahead of hardware development.

“We are on that leading edge, and we are providing HDR support in the field,” Reid says. “The challenge is the availability and cost of 1,000-nit HDR monitors.”

With the resolution of camera sensors growing almost exponentially, the challenge now is for on-set carts to continue to evolve to handle the torrent of data being generated, while maintaining quality control at all times. “We’re averaging 100 terabytes a week on productions,” Reid says.

The difference between Panavision LINK and the Technicolor Toronto On-Set DIT Kit is minimal. Both have LUTs support for all cameras and for Dolby Vision. The biggest difference is probably the monitors. The Panavision LINK offers a 1,000nits, 31-inch Sony X310 monitor with a 17-inch SDR at 600-nits, while the Technicolor version has a 600-nits screen for HDR and a 100-nit for SDR, which it says is more cost effective and consistent with what the consumer will finally see.

With on-set carts, the DIT is fast becoming one of the most important jobs on set, though it’s still not a great solution if you’re shooting in the field in harsh weather and tough terrain, since lugging gear and setting it up in the middle of nowhere is no one’s idea of fun.

Admittedly, it’s early days yet for HDR, but from one transmission in 2014 it has exploded to more than 500 last year, Cioni says.

It’s still somewhat controversial in that there isn’t a tipping point of HDR-compatible (or 4K) TVs installed, but almost all mid-range and up TVs are now HDRcapable if not 4K as well. Sales of HDR/4K are ramping up dramatically.

But that’s just one part of the equation. It also obviously requires an HDR signal either from a content provider like Netflix or

through Ultra Blu-ray disc, the latter pretty hard to source with the demise of video stores in Canada.

Regardless, as Cioni points out, Panavision’s role is simply to provide a solution for those who opt to shoot in HDR and to ensure their solution evolves with demand.

“It’s really exciting to see this kind of progress,” he says. “It’s happening really fast, and that’s stressing a lot of people because it’s rapid change and people aren’t comfortable, so there’s some resistance.”

The reaction on set when LINK is first deployed is fascinating, he says. “There’s a series of stages which happen,” according to Cioni. “The first is skepticism, then they are looking at the SDR monitor and the HDR monitor, and they start gravitating to the HDR. Then they start saying there’s ‘something wrong’ with the SDR monitor because it is just so different.

Next, they aren’t sure which one to trust, and that’s when they make a personal decision – which we can’t tell them what to do – which monitor do they go with.”

HDR wins people over because it delivers colour, dynamic range and resolution – not just more pixels, as some technology writers have observed, but better pixels.

LINK also allows the workflow to be delivered in either format – SDR or HDR – and provides data from the set all the way to post and colourization.

“And it’s all plug and play,” Cioni says proudly.

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 - December 2019 •

29

HD Source 5th Annual Open House

October 10, 2019, Toronto. Photos by Carlos Esteves csc

30 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

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Production Notes & Calendar

Classifieds

100, THE VII (series)

DP Gerald Packer csc

to March 19, 2020

Langley

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

BONZO AKA TWILIGHT ZONE II (series)

DP Craig Wrobleski csc

to March 17, 2020

Vancouver

BLOOD & TREASURE II (series)

DP Ronald Plante csc Camera Operator Alfonso Maiorana

to January 22, 2020

Montreal

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, THE II (series)

DP Stephen Maier (alternating episodes)

to February 19, 2020

Langley

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW V (series)

DP David Geddes csc, asc (alternating episodes)

to January 29, 2020

Burnaby

EXPANSE, THE V (series)

DP Jeremy Benning csc & Ray Dumas csc (alternating episodes)

to February 26, 2020

Toronto

FIREFLY LANE (series)

DP Vincent De Paula csc

to January 21, 2020

Burnaby

FLASH, THE VI (series)

DP Brenton Spencer csc (odd) & Alwyn J. Kumst csc (even)

to April 17, 2020

Vancouver

GINNY & GEORGIA (series)

DP Gavin Smith csc B Camera Operator/Steadicam Brent Robinson soc

to December 10

Toronto

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ARRI 300 with barn doors and bulb. Good condition. $350.

COLORTRAN Nook light with bard doors and bulb. Includes long power cable and Quartzcolor 2K switch. $75.

LOWEL Blender with AC power adapter, battery adapter for Canon E6 batteries, 1 protective screen, 3 diffusion screens. Very Good condition. $250.

CHIMERA Triolet with 3 bulb adaptors, Chimera 9890 ring, glass diffusion dome and small Chimera pancake lantern (type 1864). $475.

CHIMERA Extra Small Video Pro Plus with 3 screens (type 8115, 16"x22"). New condition. $200.

CHIMERA Small Video Pro Plus Strip bank. (type 8155, 9"x 36").

Good condition. $250. gefilterfish@yahoo.com 416.587-4848

GOOD WITCH VI (series)

DP Ken Krawczyk csc

to December 13

Toronto

GRAVITY PRODUCTIONS AKA TWILIGHT ZONE (series)

DP Craig Wrobleski csc

March 16, 2020

Vancouver

GREEN HARVEST III (series)

DP Glen Keenan csc C Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc

to February 6, 2020

Toronto

HARDY BOYS, THE (series)

DP Fraser Brown csc B Camera Operator Robert J. Barnett

to January 22, 2020

Toronto

IN THE DARK II (series)

1st Assistant Pierre Branconnier

to January 31, 2020

Mississauga

JULIE AND THE PHANTOMS (series)

Camera Operator Peter Sweeney

to December 20

Burnaby

LETTERKENNY V (BLOCK B) (series)

DP Jim Westenbrink csc 1st Assistant Tony Lippa

to December 13

Garson

NANCY DREW, THE (series)

DP John Bartley csc, asc

to December 9

North Vancouver

NOW, THE (series)

Operator/Steadicam Greg Fox

to December 20

Burnaby

OMENS (series)

DP Bernard Couture csc

to February 29, 2020

Burnaby

RIVERDALE IV (series)

DP Ronald Richard (odd episodes)

to April 17, 2020

Langley

SEANCE (feature)

DP Karim Hussain csc

to December 20

Winnipeg

SISTER RISING III – (fka STREETS OF YESTERDAY) (series)

DP Marc Laliberté csc (even episodes) & DP Tico Poulakakis csc (odd episodes)

to February 28, 2020

Toronto

SNOWPIERCER II (series)

DP Thomas Burstyn csc, nczs (alternating episodes)

to March 20, 2020

Langley

SUPERGIRL V (series)

DP Michael Storey csc (even episodes) 2nd Unit B Cam Op Justin Beattie

to March 17, 2020

Langley

SUPERNATURAL XV (series)

DP Serge Ladouceur csc Camera Operator Brad Creasser

to April 3, 2020

Burnaby

TINY PRETTY THINGS (series)

DP Luc Montpellier csc

to December 2

North York

U.S. VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY (feature)

Camera Operator Yoann Malnati EPK/BTS Sound Andre Paul Therrien

to December 5

Montreal

WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS II (series)

1st Assistant Ciaran Copelin

to December 22

Toronto

WHEN CALLS THE HEART VI (feature)

DP Michael Balfry csc

to December 19

Burnaby Calgary

WINTER IN VAIL (MOW)

DP Neil Cervin csc

WOKE (series)

DP François Dagenais csc

to February 4

North Vancouver

ZEUS (feature)

B Operator/Steadicam Richard Wilmot

to December 4

Toronto

Correction: In the November 2019 issue, Christopher Ball csc was incorrectly listed in the Production Notes as B Camera Operator instead of 2nd Unit DP on the TV Movie Books of Blood.

MARCH 11-15, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston, ON, kingcanfilmfest 13-14, IMAGO_SBC CINE EXPO, Brussels, Belgium, imagoawards.org 14, IMAGO Awards, Brussels, Belgium, imagoawards.org 23-29, Canadian Screen Week, Toronto, academy.ca/awards

DECEMBER 3, WIFT Crystal Awards, Toronto, wift.com 9, CSC Annual General Meeting, Toronto, csc.ca JANUARY 23-Feb. 2, Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, sundance.org 24-30, Slamdance Film Festival, Park City, Utah, slamdance.com 30-February 1, BSC Expo, London, U.K., bscexpo.com 31, CSC Awards entry deadline, csc.ca

@canadiancinematographer @csc_CDN

Panasonic DVCPRO Digital Video Recorder D230H SONY BETACAM SP Recorder UVW-1800 JVC S-Video Cassette Recorder BR-S800U Panasonic H1350 Colour Monitor JVC 9" Colour Monitor JVC Hi Resolution Colour Monitor A VERY GOOD DEAL FOR SOMEONE Contact Robert Bocking csc for further information.

416 636-9587 or rvbocking@rogers.com 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.

Contact info@johnker.com.

35 4x5.6 Schneider filters: ND’s, color correction, diffusion, grads 2 138mm Tiffen Tobacco, Sunset grad 2 138mm Schneider Tru Pola, 85 Pola 2 138mm Schneider CU diopter #1, Cu Diopter • includes case and pouches for every filter.

• Excellent condition • 4x5.6 and 138mm. clears included Today’s value in U.S. dollars $13,705 U.S. Selling price $9,500 CDN PLEASE CONTACT: Bert Tougas H: 514-634-2374 C: 514-913-2376 I have 15 - 3x3 Tiffen filters for sale - fogs, Promists Grads, 812's etc. all with cases $185.00 - contact Barry Casson csc - 250-721-2113 or e-mail bcasson@speakfilm.com TIFFEN ULTRA STEADICAM , HD Ultrabrite color monitor ,HDMI Decimator 2,Iso-elastic arm, 4-24 volt batteries, 1-Pag battery charger 24v,1-Lentequip battery charger 12/24v,Klassen vest and carrying bag, 1 Preston F1+Z transmitter 1 Preston MDR-1 receiver,1 Preston control, 2 motors, 2 batteries, charger, numerous Hill motor mount brackets rossette brackets and rods, 1 long dovetail plate,1 short dovetail plate, 1 docking bracket,1 fgs wheel chair/dolly adaptor,rain cover, too many cables, hard cases and accessories to list.This rig was well maintained looks new,all it needs is a few upgrades. $3,5000.00 can 416 817 3938 or acadian@rogers.com Rick Kearney Preston FIZ 2 kit - $5,000 2 x Arri MB-20 studio matte box - $8,000 Arri LMB-15 Clip-on matte box - $1,200 Power-Pod Classic - $5,000 Please contact Michael Balfry csc @: michaelbalfry@ gmail.com for a complete list of items.

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

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.

32 • Canadian Cinematographer - December 2019

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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Dome

Let there be Sky. SkyPanel: Full colour control in multiple sizes The ARRI SkyPanel is a compact, ultra-bright and high-quality LED soft light that sets a new standard for the industry.

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