Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine March 2020

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 March 2020 www.csc.ca

Going to Bat for Anamorphic

Robert McLachlan csc, asc

Chris Oben: Crimson Point CSC and Keslow: WFF Cinematography Panel

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 11, NO. 10 MARCH 2020 Fostering cinematography in Canada since 1957.

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers was founded by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization.

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

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

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Credit: Jeffery Garland

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.

Going to Bat for Anamorphic: Robert McLachlan

csc, asc

By Trevor Hogg, Special to Canadian Cinematographer

on Batwoman

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

CORPORATE SPONSORS

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Credit: Matt Kelly Films

Breaking the Rules: Chris M. Oben Talks Crimson Point

By Fanen Chiahemen

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Credit: Kurt A. Long

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 Inspired Image 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 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

CSC and Keslow: Whistler Film Festival Cinematography Panel

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 8 10 26 28

From the Editor-In-Chief From the President In the News CSC Member Spotlight – Alan Poon On Set Tech Column Production Notes/Calendar

csc

Cover Actress Ruby Rose from Batwoman.

Credit: Elizabeth Morris

Canadian Cinematographer March 2020 Vol. 11, No. 10 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 Jeremy Benning csc Carlos Esteves csc Joan Hutton csc Kristin Fieldhouse Guy Godfree csc George Willis csc, sasc CSC EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc VICE PRESIDENTS Carlos Esteves csc Bruno Philip csc MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS Arthur Cooper csc Zoe Dirse csc EDUCATION CHAIRS Carlos Esteves csc George Willis csc, sasc AWARDS CHAIR Arthur Cooper csc DIGITAL PORTALS Carolyn Wong (Content Manager) RELATIONSHIPS Gaston Bernier OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, subscription@csc.ca Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds.

International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.

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

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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc

I

’m always astonished by the longevity of the annual CSC Awards Gala. This year’s cinematography celebration, on April 4, will be its 63rd year and still going strong since its beginning in 1957. As CSC folklore has it, the awards actually started before then as a backyard BBQ by a few fun-minded cinematographers in Toronto who handed out homemade gag awards. I attended my first CSC Awards, too many decades ago I’m afraid to say, when it was still being held at the Old Mill restaurant in the city’s west end. While always very exciting, the gala back then has little comparison to what our awards show has become today – a wonderfully elegant affair attended by 350 industry insiders and of course lots of cinematographers.

Each Awards Gala through the years has its own rhythm, an ebb and flow of uniqueness. However, next month’s Gala has a distinctiveness that has never happened before. For the first time in any category, an award is being bestowed posthumously, and quite rightly so. This year’s recipient of the much-coveted Masters Award is Jean-Claude Labrecque csc, who regrettably passed away last spring. Unfortunately, I never had the occasion to meet Jean-Claude, but I certainly knew of him through his reputation and his films. Jean-Claude was the consummate filmmaker, who was not only an extraordinary cinematographer but also an exceptional director, writer and editor. He was the real deal whose mission was to record history, and so he did in his home province of Quebec through his documentaries and dramatic features. When asked in an interview what profession he would have pursued had he not become a filmmaker, Jean-Claude simply replied, “an archivist.” He had the innate cinematic ability to tear away an event’s façade for its truth or to peer beyond a person’s veneer and into the depths of their soul. During his career, JeanClaude received many accolades for his work in Quebec cinema, which in turn garnered much interest internationally for Canadian films. Jean-Claude Labrecque was the rarest of talents in our industry. I applaud awards committee chair Arthur Cooper csc and the awards committee for their brilliant choice. It’s never too late to acknowledge a master cinematographer and pay tribute where tribute is due.

FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

T

he CSC workshops.

As far back as I can remember, I have always had an affinity for workshops. Not the kind of workshops associated with the CSC learning initiatives, however. My earliest recollection is being exposed to a learning curve around the tender age of six. Although it could never be classified as an apprenticeship, the tutor was my father and the informal method of learning was as simple as being in his presence and paying close attention to everything he did. I could never have known that then, but I certainly can relate to it now.

This analogy of learning in my father’s workshop is no different than spending time with a director of photography or in the presence of someone qualified to teach cinematography in the various workshops the CSC offers. Workshops in general are an important part of the learning curve because of the access to information. One can of course obtain information from a variety of sources, however, in my opinion, there is nothing quite like being in the company of someone who can relate to one’s requirements and aspirations. While this might be considered a broad statement, it is, in reality, very true.

Take for example one of the three lighting workshops that the Society offers. It begins with an overview of lighting via a specially and specifically designed PowerPoint presentation. While too lengthy to do a comprehensive commentary within this article, it is fair to say that it covers a very broad spectrum. This approach is regarded as a key to the manner in which the workshop is approached because it allows the participants to apply the information that is shared when the practical, hands-on segment of the workshop is introduced.

We know that a creative process works in tandem with technology, and we have found that the symbiotic relationship between the two allows a participant to maximize on the workshop experience.

We also appreciate the fact that participants are there to learn and we are available to guide them through any creative thoughts and endeavours they bring to the table. Individuality is extremely important, and we encourage each participant to find the creative means to express this. We are always impressed with their eagerness to experiment and to think outside the box, for this is a valuable tool that we encourage simply because we believe that creativity knows no bounds.

When the practical segment of the workshop is introduced, a large array of state-of-the-art camera equipment is made available, as well as a very comprehensive selection of lighting and grip equipment and accessories. All of this equipment is of the type used on a daily basis on current features, series, television commercials and documentaries. The purpose of this is to ensure familiarity when a participant transitions into the “real” world of filmmaking. However, some of the participants are already familiar with much of the equipment, and this serves to encourage their comfort level from a technical standpoint. Each participant receives a certificate of completion at the end of the workshop. We also encourage them to avail themselves of the opportunity to participate in the other two workshops in the lighting series.

At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants are requested to complete a brief questionnaire relating their experiences. This is no more than to ensure that each person has benefitted from the experience, and it is also to allow us to evaluate our own performance, which is very important. We look forward to seeing you at our workshops.

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In The News Presenting the CSC 2020 Board of Directors after the first board meeting, February 2, 2020

Credit: Patty Guyader

(Left to right) Chair & Vice-President Carlos Esteves csc; Zoe Dirse csc; Serge Desrosiers csc; President George Willis csc, sasc; Guy Godfree csc; Jeremy Benning csc; Kristin Fieldhouse; and Joan Hutton csc.

Nicholas de Pencier csc Nominated for IMAGO International Cinematography Award The CSC congratulates Nicholas de Pencier csc on his nomination for an IMAGO International Cinematography Award in the Best Cinematography in Documentary category for his work on Anthropocene: The Human Epoch. De Pencier was nominated alongside Virginie Surdej sbc (By the Name of Tania), Roy van Egmond nsc (Sidik and the Leopard) and Fejmi Daut msc and Samir msc (Honeyland). The awards will be presented on March 14 in Brussels, Belgium.

Courtesy of A&E

Credit: Courtesy of the ASC

C. Kim Miles csc, mysc Wins ASC Award

Screen shots from Project Blue Book and C. Kim Miles csc, mysc with wife Joanna Miles.

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The Society congratulates C. Kim Miles csc, mysc, who took home the award for his work in Project Blue Book, “The Flatwoods Monster”) in the Episode of a Series for Commercial Television category at the 34th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards for Outstanding Achievement, held on January 25 in Los Angeles. Also, Panavision President and CEO Kim Snyder was given the ASC Bud Stone Award of Distinction, presented to an ASC associate member who has demonstrated extraordinary service to the society and/or made a significant contribution to the motion picture industry.

CMF and CACE Launch New Export Program In early January, the Canada Media Fund (CMF) and the Canadian Association of Content Exporters (CACE) announced a new program to fund the predevelopment of export-focused Canadian content. The CMF-Distributor Pilot Predevelopment Matching Program will help support Canadian television projects intended for international export by encouraging early collaboration between qualified distribution companies, writers and producers. With a budget set at $1.5 million, the program will support both English and French-language projects, on a two-thirds, one-third split. Eligible project budgets may range from a minimum of $40K to a maximum of $150K.

American Society of Cinematographers Appoints Terry McCarthy as CEO The ASC announced in January it has named Terry McCarthy as CEO of the organization. In this newly created role, McCarthy is responsible for all business matters relating to the Society, including events, educational efforts and publishing. With more than 30 years of experience in journalism, McCarthy is a four-time Emmy winner and recipient of an Edward R. Murrow Award. He previously served as president of the American Academy in Berlin, and prior to that as president and CEO of the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

HSC Co-Founds Cinematography Award in Honour of László Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond The Hungarian Society of Cinematographers (HSC) recently founded the László Kovács & Vilmos Zsigmond Cinematography Award in honour of the two legendary cinematographers, who both fled their hometown of Budapest in the late 1950s, according to the society. Sparks Camera and Lamp Rental company co-founded the award, along with the Hungarian Cinematographers’ School.

FILM STUDENTS Are you graduating from a film or cinematography course and love the idea of becoming a professional cinematographer?

JOIN OUR MENTOR PROGRAM

ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS

CSC Members among Canadian Screen Award Nominees CSC congratulates the members who have been nominated for Canadian Screen Awards: Achievement in Cinematography: Catherine Lutes csc (Disappearance at Clifton Hill); Greg Middleton csc (American Woman); Brendan Steacy csc (Lucky Day) Best Photography, Drama: Thom Best csc (Burden of Truth – “Salesman, Cheats and Liars”); Christian Bielz (Nowhere To Be Found); Catherine Lutes csc (Anne with an E – “A Hope of Meeting You in Another World”); Daniel Villeneuve csc (Mean Queen); Yuri Yakubiw csc (Murdoch Mysteries – “Darkness Before the Dawn - Part 1”) Best Photography, Documentary or Factual: Maya Bankovic csc (In the Making – “Rebecca Belmore”) Best Photography, News or Information: John Badcock csc (The Fifth Estate – “Murder in the Jungle”) Best Photography, Comedy: Maya Bankovic csc (Workin’ Moms – “Girl's Trip”); Cabot McNenly (Cavendish - "Charlottetown Nights"); Gerald Packer csc (Schitt’s Creek – “Life Is A Cabaret”); Robert Scarborough (Baroness von Sketch Show - "Humanity is in an Awkward Stage"); Jim Westenbrink csc (Letterkenny – “The City”) Winners will be announced at a gala on March 29.

Tobie Marier Robitaille csc (cinematographer) Les nôtres (feature) opening film: Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma, Montreal, February 26, 2020

Join the Canadian Society of Cinematographers as a STUDENT MEMBER

And we will enrol you in our MENTOR PROGRAM. Check us out on at www.csc.ca or call the office at 416-266-0591 for more information

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

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CSC Member Spotlight

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

Credit: Sébastian Rist

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

Who have been your mentors or teachers?

I was in New York City, shooting (and directing) my first U.S. job for the Tribeca Film Festival. We were still shooting commercials on film at that time, and my east coast, west coast and Midwest agents were all there, as well as the ad agency, client and crew, all of them standing along the side of a busy sidewalk in downtown Manhattan. I was so nervous. The first shot was of a film reel bouncing down the steps of a Greyhound bus. I wanted to do as much in-camera as possible, and in tests it was determined that plastic reels rolled the best. We sent the first reel down, and SMASH! It shattered into what felt like a million pieces.

“No problem,” said the art director.

“We have two backups on hand.” We sent the second reel down, CRACK! It also broke apart. Now it was time to problem-solve. We ended up putting some monofilament around the third reel to help take some of the weight.

We sent our last reel down the steps, fingers crossed, and it worked out beautifully!

Early on, I was influenced by films like Days of Heaven, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Annie Hall, and these films really opened up the world of film to me. Now I mostly look to photography, paintings and installations for inspiration.

In particular, artists that have made a big impression on me include Hiroshi Sugimoto, Janet Cardiff and Christian Boltanski.

Torben Johnke asc was my first mentor and teacher. He taught Advanced Cinematography at Ryerson University, and even though I wasn’t enrolled in Film Studies, I was fortunate enough to be able to take his class. I went on to become his teaching assistant for several terms afterwards and fondly look back at our time together every week dragging equipment from the film cage in the basement up the rickety service elevator to the Image Arts third-floor studio where Torben would teach.

How did you get started in the business?

What cinematographers inspire you?

What do you like least about what you do?

Name some of your professional highlights.

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

I started by working at William F. White in Toronto soon after finishing university. Greg Williams was running the HD/Video department at the time and the Sony F900 CineAlta camera was making waves. While I loved shooting on film, I knew digital cinema was coming in fast and if I were to become a cinematographer, I had better learn it and know it well. Before getting hired, I would volunteer on film shoots, and every time I was at Whites, I would see Greg and jokingly ask him when he was going to hire me. One day he called me back and said there was a spot for me.

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Haskell Wexler asc; Hoyte van Hoytema asc, fsf, nsc; Roger Deakins asc, bsc; Greig Fraser asc, acs to name a few.

Filming my first feature film in Copenhagen with director Mark Raso was a really memorable experience.

Being named by Variety Magazine as one of the 10 Cinematographers to Watch in 2018 and participating in the talk and awards show that coincided was quite an honour. As well, working with Ed Harris on Kodachrome was a dream come true.

What do you like best about what you do?

Camaraderie, teamwork and the ability to help shape a story through lighting and camerawork.

Navigating the politics and personality differences on set.

Despite the popularity of gimbals these days, I think Steadicam is still one of the most useful and powerful tools in cinematography today.

How can others follow your work?

Website: alanpoon.com. Instagram: @alpook

CSC SPECIALTY AWARDS 2020 The 2020 Masters Award Winner

Jean-Claude Labrecque csc (posthumously) “For outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.”

Courtesy of the Labrecque family.

Jean-Claude Labrecque csc is considered one of Canada’s and Quebec’s most influential filmmakers of the 20th century. His technical and visual deftness as a cinematographer is legendary. Labrecque’s 1965 award-winning film 60 Cycles, which he shot and directed, is an anthology of cinematic technique and still considered a must-see by contemporary cinematography students. As a filmmaker, Labrecque turned news into history with his documentaries, such as the incredible La visite du général de Gaulle au Québec, where he captures the General’s infamous “Vive le Québec libre!” that stoked the province’s separatist fires. Labrecque’s documentary technique was also reflected in his critically acclaimed theatrical dramas that mostly embodied recent history. Labrecque’s career spanned more than 60 years in which he directed or was the DP on 120 films, receiving many accolades for his vast body of work, including the Wendy Michener Award, two Jutras – including the Prix Hommage – the prix Albert-Tessier, the National Order of Quebec, and the Order of Canada.

The 2020 President’s Award Winner

Carolyn Wong

“For extraordinary service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.”

The 2020 Bill Hilson Award Winner

Walter Klassen

Courtesy of the CSC

“For outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry.”

In 1988, mechanical engineer Walter Klassen founded his self-named company to build props and special effects of the film industry. Since then, Walter Klassen FX has become synonymous with ingenuity and vision. Through the use of modern technology, together with traditional artisan crafts, Klassen has long been lauded for its inventive touch in creating stunning costuming, original specialty props and one-of-a-kind

Credit: Stephen Reizes csc

Carolyn Wong’s fingerprints can be found throughout the CSC. A member since 1990, Wong has shown a tireless diligence in helping the Society achieve its many goals. For years, Wong served on the CSC’s executive committee in several capacities, including co-Vice President. Currently she is the Society’s Digital Portals Manager in charge of social media. Wong was instrumental in establishing the CSC presence on Instagram through a unique cinematographer’s program, where a CSC director of photography had carte blanche to post whatever they desired for a two-week period. This proved wildly popular and is credited for attracting an astonishing 42,000 followers. Wong has also worked her magic with the highly regarded CSC Facebook page, which boasts nearly 8,000 members and is considered a top-notch go-to site for cinematography knowledge and discussion. Wong also contributes her time and talents to CSC Podcasts, interviewing fellow cinematographers about their careers and lives. An award-winning documentary film maker and director of photography based in Toronto. set pieces for productions such as The Expanse and the Oscar-winning The Shape of Water. Not satisfied with his creations being in front of the lens, Walter Klassen turned his talents to behind the camera, developing unique camera stabilizing equipment and accessories that have opened new artistic vistas for cinematographers. Most notable is the Walter Klassen SlingShot Rig, which transfers gimbal weight from the arms, allowing cinematographers to shoot smoothly, over a vastly increased range of motion, for remarkably longer time periods.

Walter Klassen FX is a Toronto institution servicing the film industry worldwide.

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

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Credit: Ramón Vasconcelos

Credit: Sébastien Raymond

On Set

Credit: Robin Cymbaly

Associate member Maksym Putintsev discussing a shot with the director Joffre Silva on a dramatic short film titled Being Brave.

Marie-Julie Besse (1st AC), Jocelyn Spronken-Forget (best boy grip), Claudine Sauvé csc (DP), Nicolas Mignot (key grip) and Lina Roessler (director) on the set of Best Sellers (a feature film starring Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza).

(L to R) Director Don Shebib, gaffer Nikita Brusnitsyn and DP/operator Gregory Bennett (associate member) on the set of Nightalk.

Credit: Aditi Loveridge

Credit: Courtesy of Liam Higgins

DP/operator Doug Koch csc with dolly grip Chelsea Barrie on the set of Deepa Mehta’s new film Funny Boy shooting in Sri Lanka.

Cinematographer and associate member Liam Higgins on set with Toronto Raptor Serge Ibaka for the NBA Champions’ recent fashion campaign with Nobis Outerwear.

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(L to R) Sound recordist Alisa Erlikh, DP Morgana McKenzie (associate member) and director/producer Idalina Leandro on set in Canmore, Alberta, during production of the feature documentary An Open Conversation.

The Cooke Look

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Photo: Fredi Devas

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“I’ve used Cooke lenses before and always loved them.

I filmed elephant seals fighting for the Antarctica episode. I wanted to try and make the sequences feel and look different to others I’d seen shot, but they are a challenge to film — huge behemoths up to 18ft long and 8000lbs. Thousands of them turn up in mating season and the males prepare to fight for their right to breed. The miniS4/i’s were great as the size and weight of them allowed me to use them hand-held on a MōVI Pro gimbal to get among them, capture the feel of the combat and creatively control the visual scene. But it’s no easy job moving around these monsters. I was frequently having to jump out of the way as one animal charged another, while others charge past you to escape. It’s one of the most amazing places I’ve ever been.

Outside of the flora and fauna, it’s the huge amounts of time we have to invest and of course the extreme demands we place on the kit, due to the environments we subject them to. I am happy to say that the miniS4/i’s performed flawlessly in every situation.”

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2020 •

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Ruby Rose as Batwoman

Going to Bat for Anamorphic

Robert McLachlan csc, asc

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

By Trevor Hogg, Special to Canadian Cinematographer

A

s the original show that began the Arrowverse comes to a conclusion, a new superhero has emerged from the imagination of executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow) and Caroline Dries (The Vampire Dairies). Ruby Rose portrays Kate Kane, who takes on the mantle of Batwoman in an effort to fill the void caused by the mysterious disappearance of her cousin Bruce Wayne and his Caped Crusader alter ego. Shooting the pilot episode was the responsibility of cinematographer Robert McLachlan CSC, ASC (Ray Donovan) and filmmaker Marcos Siega (Dexter).

In November of 2018, co-executive producer Jae Marchant (The 100) called McLachlan about Batwoman with the prime directorial candidate being David Nutter, who had helmed the pilots for Arrow, The Flash and Supernatural. “I had worked with David on Millennium in the mid-1990s and did some iconic Game of Thrones episodes with him,” McLachlan says.

“We were already talking about what it might look like. But early on in prep his wife was diagnosed with cancer and David had to withdraw from the project. I hadn’t worked with Marcos Siega before, and he inherited the crew that David and I had assembled. Marcos and I realized quickly that we were on the same page. Neither of us, with Caroline Dries’ blessing and encouragement, wanted Batwoman to look anything like the Arrowverse shows, which are highly saturated and feel very CW Network. That’s not a bad thing because it’s a nod to their comic book heritage. However, we wanted to go as dark as possible. One of the first things that Marcos said to me was, ‘I’m not going to be shooting a master on a 25 mm and trying to pick up a closeup on a 110 mm from across the room.’ That was absolute music to my ears.”

“ Credit: Liane Hentscher

We looked at the comics for the tone, but you can’t slavishly follow that stuff.

You have to roll with what every location gives you and mould it from there.”

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

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Credit: Kimberley French/Warner Bros Entertainment Inc.

G

otham City has previously appeared in the Arrowverse, though none of the DC Universe television shows were set there. “They used Chicago for their exteriors and the rest of the shows are shot in Vancouver,” McLachlan states. “In the Elseworlds crossover episode [where all of the superheroes meet up], the Carbide & Carbon Building [an Art Deco structure] was used as Wayne Tower. It looks beautiful in the daytime, but at night it sucks light up and is not lit with any architectural lighting. Marcos and I pushed hard to get to use the Chicago Board of Trade, which is Wayne Tower in the Batman movies.

It’s a lot more recognizable and impressive. Also, you can get great vistas of it down Michigan Avenue where we did a lot of that nice driving stuff with Batwoman on her motorcycle as she re-enters Gotham.”

Cinematically, dealing with the darkness meant having it built into the production design and the imagery. “You can’t go into a supermarket and turn all of the lights off,” McLachlan notes.

“Luckily, we had a terrific production designer named Lisa Soper [Awakening the Zodiac] and she is a big Batwoman fan. You cannot impose a look on something that isn’t inherently dark.

Choosing your locations is critical.”

Part of the mandate of not looking like other Arrowverse shows meant that the images were heavily desaturated. “It was fun for me because I hadn’t done anything like that for a long time,” McLachlan says. “One of the other things that Marcos and I did was to bring in two sets of Hawk V-Series lenses [25 mm, 30 mm, 35 mm, 40 mm, 50 mm, 60 mm, 75 mm, 100 mm to 135 mm, with most of the footage being shot in 35 mm to 60 mm range]. Shooting in anamorphic is hard. You have to

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“

Marcos and I realized quickly that we were on the same page. Neither of us wanted Batwoman to look anything like the Arrowverse shows, which are highly saturated and feel very CW Network. That’s not a bad thing because it’s a nod to their comic book heritage.

However, we wanted to go as dark as possible.” frame so that the part that is sharp is centred in the shot or where you want the eye to go. The big victory was that we got the CW Network to sign off on presenting Batwoman in the 2:1 ratio [rather than 16:9] with a slight letterbox top and bottom.

Subconsciously, a viewer watching something in 2:1 with the optical anomalies around the edges of the frame that you get with anamorphic tells them that they’re watching a big movie.”

A month was spent in preproduction and two weeks were devoted to principal photography. “We looked at the comics for

Credit: Robert Falconer

Credit: Kimberley French

Left: Robert McLachlan csc asc preparing a scene on set with (L-R) Ruby Rose, Camrus Johnson and director Marcos Siega.

Right: Ruby Rose in action.

Below: Rachel Skarsten as Alice.

the tone, but you can’t slavishly follow that stuff,” McLachlan notes. “You have to roll with what every location gives you and mould it from there.”

Like most pilots, a lot of it was captured on location. “If you try to work against the location photographically, you always fail. The only thing that we built was the former office of Bruce Wayne and a couple of other minor sets,” he says, adding that some of the scenes took place on logistically difficult rooftop settings. “We were in the old Vancouver Block situated in downtown Vancouver that other shows shoot on a fair bit. Then we went to Chicago for a day and a night to get all of our establishing shots. A Russian Arm followed Batwoman on a motorcycle

through the streets of Chicago. We also worked at City Hall and the Board of Trade building.” Weather was not a problem, he adds. “Vancouver in the spring is wet a lot, which looks great.”

Storyboards were created for action sequences and shots requiring visual effects elements. “Most of the visual effects involved putting Gotham in the background of Vancouver locations,” McLachlan remarks. “The exteriors were carefully shot so as to minimize the visual effects as the budget was limited.”

Opening the pilot is Kate Kane trapped under ice and trying to break her way through. “Anything in the water is tough. We built a huge tank in a horse barn on the outskirts of Vancouver. Braden Haggerty is one of the best underwater camera Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

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Credit: Kimberley French

Ruby Rose (left) and director Marcos Siega (right) on the set of Batwoman.

operators I’ve ever worked with. It was the most storyboarded sequence.” The special effects team led by Wayne Szybunka (Flash Gordon) controlled the level of murkiness. “When she breaks through onto the surface of the ice, we had to put the Arctic in the background; that was a greenscreen scene. Lighting it for day exterior, you try to make as big a sky that the budget will allow.”

Locations were scouted ahead of time to determine where the eyelines were going to go, which influenced the lighting setups.

“A good director like Marcos can roll with whatever you need to do photographically,” McLachlan says. The show allowed for a reunion with certain crew members after a decade’s absence from film and television productions in Vancouver. “My gaffer Richard Buckmaster I’ve known since we were in our 20s, and my key grip Ron MacLeay worked with me on the original MacGyver in the late 1980s. Both of them brought their own crews. Robin A. Smith was the A camera/Steadicam operator.

First AC Dáire Mac An TSaoir was a focus puller I had worked with on Game of Thrones in Ireland and he moved to Vancouver.”

Dean Friss was the B camera operator, first AC for B camera was Adrien Cote and Chris Bolton at served as the DIT. Footage was captured by ARRI ALEXA Mini cameras on SxS Pro+ memory cards in 2K. “There’s a big sequence in the square that involved a lot of extras, and I had a third camera for that, but most of the time it was two cameras because of greenscreen,” McLachlan states. A useful device was a three-axis electronic stabilized gimbal called the ARRI Maxima. “I used the Maxima on a Black Arm, which is a movement dampener,” he says.

“The Maxima is a lightweight remote head that one person can carry and another person can operate remotely. You can put a Black Arm mount on a dolly, mount the Maxima to that, and roll the dolly anywhere over rough ground and still get a perfectly smooth shot. It’s a fantastic tool.” A classical approach was adopted for the camera style. “Marcos and I didn’t want to draw attention to the fact that there was a cameraman in the room.

Handheld was kept for action and fight sequences.

“The stuff on the rooftop was greenscreen because we’re

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

dangling people off of the roof,” the DP notes. “That was in a former garbage warehouse in South Vancouver called the Transfer Station, which is also where the Batcave is located.” The shot that everyone wanted to see was the introduction of the Batcave.

“I lit it like we did our subterranean locations in Game of Thrones with a giant soft box overhead that has a light grid in it. The soft box was positioned as close to the ceiling as possible, and with SkyPanels you could vary the colour temperature and brightness remotely. It would give you this ‘no light’ light feeling. The producers were not happy about how much it cost to do that with the amount of rigging involved, but when you do that it means that you’re basically lit. You can shoot 360 degrees because it’s all overhead. The first day that Caroline Dries walked into the Batcave and saw what it looked like on the monitor when we applied the LUT, she was absolutely giddy.

“I used a ton of Astera tubes, which are incredibly handy,” he continues. “You can clip them up anywhere and they are a remote-controllable LED. If a director decides to have an actor walk over to a dark corner in a room you can tuck one behind a door or Velcro it to a wall. They also make little spotlights that are self-contained. I was introduced to them by the gaffer in Chicago named Terry Dee. We were out on the streets in Chicago, it started to get dark, and had this big vista down Michigan Avenue. I asked Terry, ‘Where are the architectural lights?’ He just plunked them on the sidewalk and there was no cabling, which was fantastic. In the Wayne Towers scenes, I still hung some big 10Ks because nothing looks as good. But for architectural lighting in the background this stuff is okay. My all-time favourite light to light closeups is the Dedolight PanAura Octodome. There are five and seven-foot versions. It’s like a big umbrella light but has a shallow footprint. You can tuck one in a corner and get a big soft light out of it. Because it’s burning a tungsten bulb, which has a complete spectrum within it, actors always look way better with that.”

McLachlan explains that he treats the DIT station as his darkroom. “I don’t put one LUT on the whole scene. I do it shot by shot,” he says. “What that means is if I can’t be in the final colour timing, which I rarely can because I’m usually onto something else, all they have to do is match what we did on set and take off the rough edges where they bump up against each other. There will be a 100 LUTs in a day depending on how many setups we do. My final colourist was Philip Azenzer [at Encore Hollywood], who I have worked with since Millennium. I knew that I was in good hands with him and that Marcos would be involved with the final grading as well.”

McLachlan has seen some of the subsequent episodes. “I thought they were handsome. What really surprised me was that CW was so happy with how the pilot looked that they agreed to shoot the series with anamorphic lenses and broadcast it in 2:1,” he says. “Initially, we had wanted to go 2.39:1, which is a classic anamorphic format. The network agreed instead to 2:1 because of well-spread information from Netflix in terms of their standards. Research has told them that 40 per cent of their customers watch the show on iPhones and 2.39:1 is too small while 2:1 looks good.”

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2020 •www.nikon.ca

Actor C. Thomas Howell as Frank Thorne.

Breaking the Rules

Chris M. Oben Talks

Crimson Point

By Fanen Chiahemen

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

A

Credit: Craig Minielly / CraigMinielly.com

“Raul basically has a confidence that allows those around him, myself included, to feel engaged and free to take chances.

We all felt like there was something special happening as a result.”

fter serving 20 years in prison for the murder of his daughter, Frank Thorne returns to his remote hometown where old wounds and rumours resurface and haunt him as he tries to find her true killer. Such is the premise of Crimson Point, the latest feature from writer-director Raul Sanchez Inglis (Transparency, The Falling) and producers Matt Kelly and Rob Weston, who secured C. Thomas Howell (The Outsiders, The Amazing Spider- Man) to play the role of Frank.

The film was shot in the Greater Vancouver Area over 15 days of principal shooting.

Before going to camera, Inglis and cinematographer Chris M. Oben looked at images from several films that the director felt closely conveyed the dark journeys he saw the characters of Crimson Point travelling. The Snowtown Murders, Irreversible, Jacob’s Ladder and Blue Velvet were all inspirations for the visual tone. “So when we talked about Snowtown, that was a

really austere sense of place. With Jacob’s Ladder that was a vibrancy, kinetic energy and intensity that we referenced through our handheld work. We used these looks to develop a very visceral, palpable, colour palette combining deep reds, blues and greens that we hoped would convey aspects of our characters,” Oben explains.

Preproduction on the independent feature came down to scouting the locations. “The locations informed so much of what became the film,” Oben offers. “One particular set I really liked that worked out well was the trailer that Frank and his daughter live in. As we were setting up a wide interior shot, I realized that the whole trailer was literally on unlevel ground.

If you level your camera so the slider stays balanced, the trailer and all the verticals in the set are off kilter, and that normally would be an issue you’d fix and maybe level the trailer out. But we decided we loved that effect; it gave Frank’s space this offkilter feel. Something’s just not right in that set, and that’s how it is with each of these characters – something’s just not right, and it really helped sell the tone for the characters.

“Sara’s country house is another location that I really liked that worked really well,” Oben continues. “My favourite parts are when we have C. Thomas Howell approaching the patio of the house, and we are able to see deep into the distance so it doesn’t feel contained like a small movie might; we got a sense of scale in that aspect that I really liked.”

The cinematographer and the director decided early on to challenge traditional filmmaking rules. “The first rule we broke was the idea of typical coverage,” Oben says. “Though we didn’t identify it at the time, we later recognized that we took a very Cassavetian approach – set up a scenario where the actors stick to scripted dialogue but are free to improvise performance. This style allowed us incredible spontaneity and realism that is often lost after multiple takes of traditional coverage.”

To achieve their vision, Oben wanted fast but inexpensive lenses. “I think the Sigma Cine Primes really find a nice balance of speed, clean character and reasonable cost. Lorne Lapham Sales & Rentals offered us a great deal, and we were able to get the Sigmas, which I’d used previously and was really happy with, for the run of the show. By using inexpensive glass, I was able to alCanadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

19

Credit: Craig Minielly / CraigMinielly.com

Director Raul Sanchez Inglis (white hat) looks on as Chris Oben operates a handheld shot of the burial of Frank, lit only with flashlights and atmosphere.

Clockwise from left: Bryan Demore, Inglis, Joshua Hinkson, Oben, Darcy Laurie and C. Thomas Howell.

“The first rule we broke was the idea of typical coverage. Though we didn’t identify it at the time, we later recognized that we took a very Cassavetian approach – set up a scenario where the actors stick to scripted dialogue but are free to improvise performance. This style allowed us incredible spontaneity and realism that is often lost after multiple takes of traditional coverage.”

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

locate more money towards grip and lighting,” he explains. The RED Epic-W HELIUM (shot at 8K, 7K and 6K) was his main camera, while the RED DRAGON (6K) served as a B camera, both of which he supplied himself. For lighting, the main workhorses were Arri SkyPanel S60s, two 1.2KW HMIs, a pair of Source Four Lekos and a number of battery-powered 2 by 1 foot bi-colour LEDs. “Those LEDs became the most practical tool we employed where you could, with batteries, quickly rig and set lights in all kinds of shots,” Oben says. “You’d think a 2 by 1 would not throw that much light, but they’re an incredible tool, especially paired with a directional crate.

“One of my favourite scenes was shot with just one of the 2 x 1 LEDs as a bit of side fill and car headlights. We tried to use practically motivated lighting whenever possible. In fact, there’s a burial scene that is just flashlights and smoke. So we basically gave the actors flashlights and let them light themselves. That gave us a real sense of intensity that would have been hard to do another way and allowed us to move quickly. I think we shot eight pages that day. It was reassuring to know that we were able to go to 1280 ISO with no noise issues and just light with flashlights and atmosphere.”

Building on their no-rules approach, they would often use the emotional tone of a scene to motivate a change in lighting or colour palette, Oben says, describing one scene in which two characters are lying in bed. “The scene starts in warm tones, lit as if a bedside table lamp were the only source. The actual working fixtures were a tungsten bulbed, 9” KinoFlo car kit with half CTO, as well as a 750W Leko bounced off a card for fill,” the

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Meet the Next Gen Cine Cam It’s not every day you get to witness the dawn The emotional intensity of a bedroom scene is amplified by a corresponding shift of colour and light quality achieved with dimmers on set. Emy Aneke as Sam Bradley and Natasha Wilson as Sarah Bradley.

cinematographer explains. “Slowly, as the intensity of the scene evolves, we dimmed out the lights motivated by the table lamp and simultaneously dimmed up another 9” KinoFlo gelled with full red. The red gradually pervades the scene as the intensity of the scene increases. It’s like a kettle boiling. You never notice the change until it boils over.

“Raul wanted to make some really bold choices,” the cinematographer continues. “There’s another scene where Tommy [C. Thomas Howell] is talking to a policemen in a car, and everything is super aqua blue. Those shots were achieved with a combination of bi-colour LEDS set to 6300K and an Arri SkyPanel set to full blue saturation in RGB mode. Again, the mood of the scene dictated our choice of monotone blue.”

Oben handheld the camera for much

of the shoot, but he found the 3-foot slider on the PeeWee dolly particularly useful. “The Super PeeWee 3 is the best tool for these kind of independents,” he says. “It’s the most versatile; it can be super small and yet has quite a high reach.

It’s a little bit more stable than the smaller Fisher 11 dolly. So the most critical tool was the slider for sure because you could do those little push-ins, you can correct the overs and you don’t have to always put down dolly track to achieve a subtle move.”

The Ronin 2 was another useful tool, he says. “The Ronin just has the flexibility. So there’s a scene where Tommy’s coming back to confront his daughter’s friend who is sort of a bad guy, and we do that classic Werner Herzog shot where we enter a space clean and the actor sort of pivots and rolls into frame on a wide shot, and suddenly Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

23

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Credit: Craig Minielly / CraigMinielly.com

Credit all photos on left: Courtesy of Matt Kelly Films

Clockwise: Frank (C. Thomas Howell) confronts Sarah (Natasha Wilson).

Frank seeks revenge.

Frank and Gail (Anna Galvin) at odds in the diner.

Frank looks back at his younger self as flames rise.

they become the important part of the shot, so it’s kind of like stepping into your own POV. Well, the Ronin gives you that stability. I think it’s one of the best tools, the Ronin with the Ready Rig.” Although the budget could only allow for a small crew, they were a solid team, Oben says. “I was really blessed to have Agatha Lee and Dustin Chouinard as focus pullers,” Oben says.

Other crew members included gaffer John Heinekey, key grips Graham Harrington and Carson Foster, dolly grip Michael Heaton, second ACs Coenraad Been, Jen Caron and Katie Gobert, and lamp op Akira Sato. “The crew was really tight, so I was really happy with that. It’s always hard when you throw in different things very quickly, so their enthusiasm and energy was amazing.” He also highlights “the amazing skills of the key makeup artist Nicole Dreyer. A large percentage of the story takes place with C. Thomas Howell in a post-mortem state of bloodiness. Nicole’s work was truly realistic. She brought an

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

artistry to her work that helped take the character of Frank to another level.”

Oben cites his relationship with Inglis as being instrumental in making the small-scale production work. “Raul and I studied film together at Simon Fraser University in 1990,” the cinematographer says. “We had followed each other’s careers since then but hadn’t worked together professionally. When we finally began shooting Crimson Point, a trust developed quickly. So Raul would come in and say, ‘The next thing I’d like to do is…’ and before he’d finished the sentence, he’d realize we’d already made the adjustment or gone to that concept. Raul basically has a confidence that allows those around him, myself included, to feel engaged and free to take chances and not be criticized. And his energy and enthusiasm are infectious; at the end of every take he’d almost be shouting, ‘You guys! That was amazing!’ And he was sincere, and we all felt like there was something special happening as a result.”

MASTERCLASS

THE ART OF CINEMATOGRAPHY GUESTS:

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Credit: Kurt A. Long

Credit: Martin Wojtunik

Credit: Kurt A. Long

Maxime Alexandre, aic John Bartley csc, asc Catherine Lutes csc

(Standing, L-R): Executive Director of Marketing, Keslow Vancouver Lecily Corbett, Maxime Alexandre aic, Catherine Lutes csc, moderator Andrew Fish and John Bartley csc, asc.(Kneeling) Court Weeks, GM of Keslow Vancouver.

Left side: Lecily Corbett, producer Keli Moore, John Bartley csc, asc, Andrew Fish, Mitchell Baxter and Matt Bendo. Right side: Court Weeks, Catherine Lutes csc, Tony Mirza, Maxime Alexandre aic.

Sponsored by Keslow Camera, Vancouver Film Studios, ICG 669, Canadian Society of Cinematographers

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020 •

25

Tech Column

Credit: Courtesy of TRIBE7

TRIBE7’s Blackwing7 Takes Flight

W

hen William F. White hosted a demonstration of a new “tuneable” lens concept last September in Toronto, cinematographers started buzzing. This new technology seems to have it all going for it: a customizable lens at an accessible price and backed by one of the brightest stars in the cinematography universe. If Academy Award nominee Bradford Young ASC (Selma, When They See Us, A Most Violent Year, Arrival and Solo: A Star Wars Story) lent his name and was part of this new technology, it was worthy of not just a look, but in some cases, signing up to buy when they became available.

Young partnered with technologist Neil Fanthom to create TRIBE7, which in turn has designed tuneable lenses, hand-assembled in Germany to render a specific custom look according to the buyer’s desire.

They are offering three styles – S, T or X – in focal lengths of 27, 37, 47, 57, 77, 107 and 137 mm covering full-frame sensors.

Standard (S) lenses are based on a vintage look and draw from the classics like the 1936 Ektar 45 mm F2 with a medium focus roll-off and medium flare, while the Transient (T) configuration is softer with a heavy roll-off and medium flare. The Expressive (X) are described as a softer and more ethereal with edge distortion and spherical aberration to give the effect of enhanced depth of field with the heaviest

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

focus roll-off and high flare. Prices range from US$10,000 each to US$12,700 each.

So far, most orders are specifying the T tuned lens and that’s not a surprise. “I think cinematographers are risk averse and fairly conservative with investments,” Fanthom says, noting there’s a strong creative reason for going back to the future for the designs. “After the [Second World] War, all these scientists switched from lenses to spot a fly at 10,000 meters to something else, and, being perfectionists, they kept improving and taking out the flaws.

But those flaws are what gives the lens its character.”

TRIBE7’s self-described mission is to look at image capture, colour, light and optics and how they can be re-imagined to better meet filmmakers’ needs. “The company’s approach…is both cerebral and scientific,” it states in its media release. “There are facets of audio science – frequency, distortion, intensity, harmonics – which also exist in the science of film making, and as such, a strong technical and emotional resonance between audio and imagery exists but has rarely been explored from a creative and commercial perspective.

TRIBE7 aims to provide artists the ability to tune (enhance) and de-tune (distort) elements of colour and light to bring a greater intentionality and visual authorization to their story.”

But there have been some hiccups. Things have been a bit overwhelming, Fanthom admits, but that is part of being a small company. “We haven’t spent a penny on marketing – except for the website – and we’ve put everything into R&D,” he said in a telephone interview from London, England. TRIBE7 is a company for creatives by creatives, he says. “We’re not out to there to compete with big lens makers or rental companies.”

In January they rolled out the last two focal lengths (27 and 137 mm) of their seven lenses and, armed with the feedback from the 10 sets of prototypes circulating,

they’ve made more tweaks and are ready to roll.

As Jeremy Benning csc notes, each lens (and camera and configuration) delivers a look that might be right for an entire movie, a segment of that movie, a short feature or for a special shot within a project, and the latter is what drove him to sign up for delivery. “I don’t think they would be for shooting an entire show, but either for a commercial or for a special look in a long-format during a flashback sequence,” he says. What he likes so far on first look are the features, such as the 14-blade iris, which creates a perfectly circular bokeh.

“The iris is uncoated, so there’s no reflection, and the lenses are polished with no swirls and are super clean,” he says.

With the Blackwing7 series entering the market, Fanthom and Young are mulling their next move. “It probably won’t be an anamorphic, though people have asked,” Fanthom says, adding they see no reason to reinvent the wheel and are reluctant to venture into anything where they can’t stay true to their emerging brand. “We want to be democratic, to create technology so young creatives can access it affordably.

There are a lot of anamorphic lenses and they’ve done a good job. We don’t want just another chicken to chase. It’s about large format capture.”

And that’s where it gets intriguing. What they’re thinking is another back-to-the-future scenario and VistaVision, Paramount’s answer to the anamorphic vision of CinemaScope in 1954, which faded from view by the mid-1960s. The transport has the 8-perf, 35 mm film stock lie down horizontally, a design that later evolved into the 70 mm IMAX and OMNIMAX systems.

What would be the result, he muses, if the analogue mechanism of a 35 mm film camera were designed in digital Computer Assisted Design? Would that change the outcome? Would it create something more accessible?

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.

Production Notes & Calendar

Classifieds

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DP Kamal Derkaoui csc

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CANON zoom lens - $500: 8mm. to 120mm. B4 Bayonet Lens mount.

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2 complete Kino Flo Diva Lite 401 Packages $500 Each. Both Lights are in Perfect Condition. Each Package Includes: 1 Diva Lite 401 fixture; Floziers; 4 x 3200 Degree Light Tubes; 4x 5600 Degree Light Tubes; Both have excellent Travel Cases Each Package Contact: 1michaelsavoie1@gmail.com

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Digital Technician Andrew Richardson

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GRAVITY PRODUCTIONS AKA TWILIGHT ZONE (series)

DP Craig Wrobleski csc

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HOME BEFORE DARK II (series)

DP C. Kim Miles csc & Bruce Worrall csc (alternating episodes) C Cam Operator Nathan McTague

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DP Maya Bankovic csc

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DP Thom Best csc 1st Assistant Ciaran Copelin

to June 11

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DP Bernard Couture csc

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DP Elie Smolkin csc (alternating episodes)

to March 23

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RIVERDALE IV (series)

DP Ronald Richard (odd episodes)

to April 17

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SEX/LIFE (series)

DP David Makin csc & Mike McMurray csc (alternating episodes)

to June 2

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SNOWPIERCER II (series)

DP Thomas Burstyn csc, nczs (alternating episodes)

to March 20

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SUPERGIRL V (series)

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

to March 17

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SUPERNATURAL XV (series)

DP Serge Ladouceur csc Camera Operator Brad Creasser

to April 3

Burnaby

UNTITLED HOME ALONE (feature)

2nd Unit C Operator Alfonso Maiorana

to April 17

Montreal

WYNONNA EARP IV (series) DP Gavin Smith csc

to May 15

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Y (series)

to July 28

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DP Catherine Lutes csc

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 25-29, International Film Festival of Ottawa, iffo.ca @canadiancinematographer @csc_CDN

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2020

APRIL 4, CSC Awards, Arcadian Court, Toronto, csc.ca 18-22, NAB Show, Las Vegas, nabshow.com 25, CSC Screening at TIFF, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with DP Ellen M. Kuras asc, csc.ca MAY 6, CSC Full Member Spring Selection Committee, csc.ca JUNE 4-7, Cine Gear Expo, Los Angeles, cinegearexpo.com

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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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

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A Cut Above

Photograph by Melissa Thompson Courtesy Sony Electronics

Building on the uncompromising quality of its popular FS7 series, Sony’s new PXW-FX9 XDCAM sets a dramatic new standard for image quality, performance and flexibility.

The newly designed 6K full-frame sensor oversamples and captures images superbly in both 4K (Ultra HD) and HD. You can also switch to Super35 mode, changing the lens crop factor, which allows you to easily push in on the action. There’s also Dual Base ISO, so you can quickly adapt to challenging low light conditions without affecting noise, plus an electronic variable ND filter – the world’s first for a full-frame sensor – giving you fluid control over your exposure. The new enhanced Fast Hybrid AF locks onto and tracks your subject with unprecedented precision, and a built-in gyro captures data, allowing you to process footage in post, so it can be made to look like it was shot using a gimbal.

Producing incredible images with 15 stops of dynamic range, you’ll also be shooting with the same cinematic colour science developed for Sony’s world leading VENICE cine camera.

We could go on, but we think you get the picture. Drop by your nearest Vistek to see for yourself.

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