Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine March 2015 by The CSC

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 March 2015 www.csc.ca

Pierre Gill csc Elephant Song

10-MAR

Norayr Kasper csc Fall • Michael Wale csc iZombie 0

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A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) was founded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization.

FEATURES – VOLUME 6, NO. 10 MARCH 2015

Monster in a Room: Pierre Gill csc on Elephant Song By Fanen Chiahemen

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Norayr Kasper csc Charts Inner Descent in Fall By Fanen Chiahemen

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Michael Wale csc Lights the Undead in iZombie By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 5 16 24 26 27 28

From the President In the News Best & Worst Advice CSC Annual Reports Tech Column CSC Member Spotlight - David Moxness csc Classifieds Productions Notes / Calendar

Cover: Pierre Gill csc Elephant Song. Credit: Sébastien Raymond

Canadian Cinematographer March 2015 Vol. 6, No. 10 CSC BOARD MEMBERS PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc, gawillis@sympatico.ca PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc, joanhuttondesign@gmail.com VICE PRESIDENTS Ron Stannett csc, ronstannett@sympatico.ca Carlos Esteves csc, carlos@imagesound.ca TREASURER Joseph Sunday phd JSunday1@CreativeAffinities.com SECRETARY Antonin Lhotsky csc, alhotsky@gmail.com MEMBERSHIP CO-CHAIRS Phil Earnshaw csc, philyn@sympatico.ca Alwyn Kumst csc, alwynkumst@gmail.com EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS D. Gregor Hagey csc, gregor@dghagey.com Dylan Macleod csc, dmacleod@sympatico.ca PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR Bruce Marshall, brucemarshall@sympatico.ca DIRECTORS EX-OFFICIO Jeremy Benning csc, jbenning@me.com Kim Derko csc, kimderko@sympatico.ca John Holosco csc, holoskofilms@gmail.com Bruno Philip csc, bphilipcsc@gmail.com Brendan Steacy csc, brendansteacy@gmail.com Carolyn Wong, CarolynWong50@gmail.com EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, admin@csc.ca EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Karen Longland ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, gkondruss@rogers.com OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, subscription@csc.ca Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication. Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

or some strange reason, I have always remembered a line from a poem by Lewis Carroll entitled The Walrus and The Carpenter. The overall content is of little import, however, verse 11 begins as follows: “The time has come,” the walrus said, “To talk of many things.” I was standing at the entrance to the CSC Clubhouse at the time that William F. White’s February Freeze was taking place. We had some (purpose-built) specialty camera rigs on display, and I was pleased to see that many people stopped to ask questions and in some cases, try them out, which of course was the general idea. I was aware of quite a range in the ages and occupations within the industry of those who took the time to check out the rigs but what struck me most was the number of young people who showed interest. The conversations touched on many points, ranging from the reasons for designing and the methods used in constructing the various rigs as well as the overall creative approach. One of my favourite things is to engage in conversation with the up-and-coming younger generation of filmmakers, and in particular the students from various film schools. I love their energy and the intense interest that they display as they speak of the varied aspects of their learning. However, on too many occasions, this is tempered by what I perceive to be disappointment and frustration as they make their way through the learning process. Over many years, I have been fortunate to be able to teach lighting and camera courses, and all too often I have been privy to the comments, discussions, observations as well as concerns shared by students regarding their learning experiences. When conducting lighting workshops, I am constantly amazed, and indeed sometimes astounded, by the lack of knowledge in some of the basic areas of filmmaking, and I wonder why this is. There seems to be a lack of understanding and grasping of basic information and this is cause for concern. Personally when “teaching” I always have to be cognizant of my responsibility to ensure that whatever instruction or information I impart is completely understood until we move on to the next stage. I believe that we need to approach this topic in depth, but for obvious reasons, this column cannot be the forum. However, I feel that we owe it to the next generation of filmmakers to examine the methods of teaching, and, where necessary, correct any shortcomings. The CSC is very proud of its track record regarding the various workshops that we offer, and I applaud those who offer their knowledge and expertise to help further the cause of learning in the film industry. However, we have to be proactive, and all those who teach or impart knowledge should come together and explore new and up-to-date learning and teaching techniques. “The time has come,” the Walrus said…

CSCCSC AWARDS AWARDS GALA GALA

He’s back… He’s back…

RichardRichard Crouse Crouse Film critic, author Film and critic, author and TV personality, TVbrings personality, his brings his unique style and unique talent style and talent back to this year’s back to this year’s cinematography cinematography celebration. celebration.

Saturday, Saturday, March March 28, 28, 20152015 th th The Arcadian The Arcadian Court, 401 Court, Bay401 St, 8Bay Floor, St, 8Toronto Floor, Toronto For tickets: Forwww.csc.ca tickets: www.csc.ca

AwardsAwards Party in Party Vancouver in Vancouver Saturday, March Saturday, 28, March 2015. Hosted 28, 2015. byHosted IATSE 669 by IATSE Details669 to come Details to come Canadian Society Canadian of Cinematographers Society of Cinematographers

IN THE NEWS

Telefilm Canada Renews Micro-Budget Program

Credit: Caitlin Cronenberg

For a third year, Telefilm Canada has renewed its MicroBudget Production Program to support emerging feature film talent. The program seeks to stimulate the use of digital distribution platforms in order to increase audience access to the work of new Canadian talent. In its first two years, the Micro-Budget Production Program supported the production of 22 films, several of which have been exhibited at important festivals, including Cast No Shadow, shot by associate CSC Scott McClellan, and The Valley Below, shot by Mike McLaughlin, who is also an associate CSC member. This year, Telefilm Canada has added a third component to the program – The Official Language Minority Communities component. Telefilm Canada also announced recently that it is supporting the production of six English-language feature films from Atlantic, Ontario and Nunavut, and Western regions through the Canada Feature Film Fund, including Closet Monster (DP Bobby Shore csc); Beeba Boys (DP Karim Hussain csc); Born to Be Blue (DP Steve Cosens csc); Into the Forest (DP Daniel Grant csc); and Wait Till Helen Comes (DP Rene Ohashi csc, asc). The total amount of funding for the projects stands at more than $11 million. Meanwhile, the Directors Guild of Canada announced that former Telefilm executive Dave Forget would be joining DGC’s National Executive team as the new director of policy effective February 2. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Senator Corvis in Pompeii.

he historical drama Pompeii, shot by Glen MacPherson csc, asc, won the 2014 Cineplex Golden Screen Award for Feature Film, it was announced in February by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television. The Cineplex Golden Screen Award for Feature Film (previously called The Cineplex Golden Reel Award) is presented annually to the Canadian film that earns the highest domestic box office of its year. Pompeii grossed over $4 million in Canada in 2014. Meanwhile, the documentary How to Change the World, about the origins of Greenpeace and its founders and shot by associate CSC member Benjamin Lichty, won the World Cinema Documentary Editing Award and the Candescent Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. In other news, the feature film Les loups, shot by Philippe Lavalette csc and directed by Sophie Deraspe, was selected to open this year’s Rendez-vous du cinéma québécois, held from February 19 to 28 in Montreal. Also, the feature film Bang Bang Baby in February won the Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The award is given to a unique independent feature produced outside of mainstream Hollywood. The winner receives a Panavision camera package worth $60,000.

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RED Announces Authorized Dealer & Rental House Programs

RED recently unveiled new Authorized Dealer and Rental House programs, as its global markets have expanded. Authorized Dealers are able to provide support in a variety of genres, including stills, cinema, broadcast, in-flight videography, and television. The Authorized Rental House program includes over 80 worldwide locations spanning three continents. All locations have met the necessary requirements to become an Authorized Rental House, including a minimum inventory level of RED cameras as well as an in-house technical staff that has intimate knowledge and experience with RED product. Technicolor-PostWorks Acquires The Room

Postproduction services supplier Technicolor-PostWorks New York in January announced that it had acquired The Room, the high-performance finishing studio that has been hosted on its premises for the past three years. Under the terms of the agreement, The Room’s staff, equipment and dedicated 4K workflow will be integrated into the Technicolor-PostWorks facility. Additionally, Ben Murray, founder of The Room, will assume a new role as vice president, Creative Services for Technicolor-PostWorks.

Credit: Noelle Holloway

Advice comes in many different shades. When it’s good, it can become a career-making credo, and when it’s bad, well, we can only scratch our heads in bewilderment. Canadian Cinematographer asked full and associate members of the CSC the following question: “What was the best and the worst advice you ever received during your career?” This is part six in the series.

SANDY THOMSON You might say that CSC associate member Sandy Thomson is a man of motion and mechanics, all the while keeping his bearings straight. A cinematographer and a producer, Thomson is the owner of Cinema16, which specializes in producing films that are technical and mechanical in nature. He is also the CEO of Thordon Bearings Inc. and the head of Marsh Brothers Aviation. Best Advice It was in the late 1960s, and I was in my late 20s. I shot a film called Manitoba about a steam-powered lake freighter making her last voyage before making her way to Spain and her death. In fact, this was my first real production. I sailed aboard her, filming everything with my 16 mm Bolex. For lights, I used a primitive photographic light set-up, and for audio I used FX and music. Manitoba was a very dramatic story, so I fittingly used the dramatic prelude from Wagner’s Der Meistersinger. I showed the film to a group of steam traction engine aficionados one night, and one came up to me afterwards. He was a high school principal, known for inspiring kids and he said to me, “You have a real talent for capturing the beauty of machinery and mixing it with nostalgia. You should quit what you are doing as an engineer and do this full time!” I was shocked, stunned and trembling as I packed up the projector. I was inspired beyond words! It was the best advice I ever got, and I didn’t follow it, at least not for a while! I had a manufacturing company to run first. I never forgot those words and have always wondered how my life would

have evolved had I jumped into production full time at that moment of my life. Worst Advice My worst advice came in 2002 from Cinematography.com. I was ramping up my production company and I went to the site for advice on what camera I should buy. HD was evolving at the time and Super16 was enjoying a bit of a reprieve back then. I got a lot of advice from cinematographers posting on the site, and generally I was told that HD digital still had a long way to go. So I stuck with film and bought a used Arriflex SRII HS with gear for around $40,000. I only shot two projects with it before joining the digital crowd. That was expensive advice. I love that camera, but these days it’s not getting much love back from me as it sits quietly in its case waiting and hoping I won’t sell her. THOMAS BURSTYN CSC, FRSA, NZCS

A cinematographer and a director, Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs has 30 years under his belt as a filmmaker. His work has garnered many accolades, including CSC and Genie awards, an Emmy nomination, and his documentary Some Kind of Love was short-listed for an Academy Award. His latest feature, Descendants, is in postproduction. Burstyn is based out of Aotearoa, New Zealand. Best Advice It was on my first television movie ever, working with director Jud Taylor. I was young and precocious, and Jud, ever the gentleman, gave me my first break into mainstream television production. I am still amazed that he gave me the chance. What was he thinking? On set, I was surprised at Jud’s unimaginative approach to the visuals and was very candid in my criticism. By the end of production, I began to understand that Jud was being see Thomas page 28 Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

BEST & WORST

THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE DOWNRIGHT UGLY

Monster in a Room

Pierre Gill csc

By FANEN CHIAHEMEN Photos by SÉBASTIEN RAYMOND AND PIERRE GILL CSC

he setting for Charles Binamé’s latest drama Elephant Song, adapted from playwright Nicolas Billion’s stage play, is a mental institution in the mid-1960s where a top psychiatrist has gone missing. Staff believe that one of the doctor’s patients, Michael, knows something about the doctor’s disappearance, and the hospital’s director, Dr. Green (Bruce Greenwood) is tasked with interviewing the notorious patient. Trouble is Michael (Xavier Dolan) is a calculating, manipulative young man with an agenda of his own and he is more preoccupied with engaging Dr. Green in a series of mind games. What ensues is an intense battle of wills as Michael nimbly dodges Dr. Green’s questions, while meting out the odd red herring to lead the doctor astray. About two-thirds of the drama plays out in the psychiatrist’s office, a set-up that is well-suited for Elephant Song’s original medium, but it would be a mistake to think that a story with one main setting, essentially a huis clos, makes for an easy screen adaptation, as cinematographer Pierre Gill csc learned. “You have to find a way to approach it that will

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

be interesting and not boring,” Gill says. In fact, shooting a film like Elephant Song often requires greater resources – and resourcefulness – than its heftier counterparts, Gill adds. “And this is where it gets tough,” he says. “It was strange because we thought it would be cheap to shoot, but we struggled with the budget a lot. Even the producers thought it was going to be cheap to make because it’s mostly in an office, but shooting in an office means one very big problem: every day you have to make it look the same. You have to control the environment completely, so this means definitely studio. It’s a very controlled film to shoot technically.” After locking down an empty floor of Montreal’s Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine Hospital, the crew found a room that would serve as the doctor’s office, blacked out the windows and built an artificial wall a few feet in front of the windows. They then built windows into the fake wall so that they could light through them and control the lighting. Even in the corridor outside the office, they built an artificial wall a few feet in front of the real wall and put some windows in it, again blacking out the real windows. But Gill’s lighting would not only have to be

consistent, it also had to be unobtrusive for the actors because the film is so dialogue-heavy and performance-based. “My goal was to try to find a way that the actors could be free in the room and just walk anywhere. So my lighting had to be a big compromise in a way,” the cinematographer says. Gill and Binamé decided that the camera had to be able to see 360 degrees and that many scenes would be shot in one take. “For the actors, it was important to be able to perform and be in character as long as possible,” he says. “For every scene, we did one take at one angle and then we would change the angle and shoot the whole scene again. So we spent a lot of time blocking and talking. It was like on a film back in the days when the director could spend two, three hours with actors talking about the scene because the technical aspect of it was very well prepared. We ended up with a very free environment.” That freedom was achieved partly because Gill mounted an ARRI ALEXA on a Talon remote head and operated the camera from outside the room. “The camera was just filming the actors freely. There was no operator sitting on the dolly, so no human movement and no noise. David Dinel, the key dolly pusher, was doing all the rehearsed moves alone and was guided by me, linked with a headset. The only other crew members in the office were the sound boom operator and focus puller, Boris Roy, just in a

corner with his remote focus. It was fantastic. And the director was with me next to my monitor,” Gill recalls. Because the camera was so silent, Binamé and Gill could adjust the shots without disturbing the actors. “It was very strange for them at first because it was like a robot was filming them,” Gill says. “But after a few days, it became very precious for them because they were able to play with each other as actors without anything around them.” Gill fitted the ALEXA with Hawk V-Plus anamorphic lenses, despite their heaviness and cost, because “you can be closer to the actor but get the feel of a longer lens,” he says. “On a movie like this, where they are sitting at a desk a lot, you cannot be in a wide shot for a long time because you’re always in profile. So I knew we’d end up with a lot of single shots and close-ups. And the thing is when you use anamorphic lenses, and for example, you use a 65 mm lens, it’s like using a 32 mm lens in normal spherical filmmaking, so you’re very close to the actor. You have more dimension, the face is rounder, you can feel the skin, you can see what they are thinking in their eyes. You feel every detail of the actor’s face.” What this translates into is a sense of unease as Dolan’s Michael wields his mental powers to manipulate Dr. Green. “These shots were important to give drama to the film. Like I said, it’s very hard to make a movie inside one room; it can get very boring very fast,” Gill emphasizes.

The Elephant Song crew travelled to South Africa to capture a crucial scene with an elephant.

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

The period look of Elephant Song, which is currently playing in theatres, adds another visual dimension, and because Gill was shooting 360 degrees he worked closely with production designer Danielle Labrie to make sure the sets looked appealing from every angle. “The production designer was really good. She came up with a very interesting look for the hospital,” Gill says. The cinematographer also did plenty of colour tests with the hair and makeup department to make sure that “everything would blend together. I knew I would be doing some colour correction tweaks and it would shift the colours. So we tested all the wardrobe and colours on set.” As he has been doing for the last couple of years, Gill did all his colour correction on set with LiveGrade, using a system that can link the colour data captured on set through to postproduction. “Vision Global was able to make the film screen and the monitor talk to each other in different colour environments so they are exactly the same – the same black, same white, same green, same magenta,” Gill says. “So when I do colour in post I know it’s going to look the same at the end and be precisely what I did on set. It’s less frustrating than starting all over again, takes a lot less time and it looks better.” Gill drew his colour palette from the winter season when the movie takes place, and he decided on a soft but cold light in the office that was not too flat and that could highlight the greens and browns in the room. His lighting consisted mostly of Tiva lights, which “are a bit like Kino Flos but different,” he says. “They are more powerful, they use T-5 corrected bulbs, and they give off more light. I can diffuse them a lot and still have some good level of light. My gaffer, René Guillard, builds them in Montreal. We came up with this concept after shooting Upside Down together.” In addition to lighting through the fake windows in the office set, Gill also rigged a small but extendable grid in the centre of the room so that he could add some light. “I didn’t want to have too much backlight on the actors, so I was okay with not having to deal too much with the ceiling, but sometimes we added some very small light sources in the ceiling. And the ALEXA is nice because it provides great shadow details,” he says. Only when capturing the few scenes set in Dr. Green’s home did Gill use regular HMIs, which he shone from outside the windows of the real house where the crew shot. “I was lighting through the windows most of the time with a lot of diffusion, and I was bouncing big lights, so the light was very soft and could look more like soft winter light coming into the house,” he says. “The house was more the standard way of shooting.” But lest anyone think that making a film adapted from a stage play means an adventure-free shoot, Gill recounts a story that is surely one of his best on-set tales: the time he was almost gored by an elephant to get a shot. The incident took place at Elephant Whispers, an elephant reserve outside

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

Kruger National Park in northeastern South Africa, where the crew went to film a pivotal flashback scene in which Michael, as a child, sees an elephant get shot and killed. The reserve was the only place where they could find a moderately trained elephant that could play dead. “Trained is a big word,” Gill stresses. “Basically, the trainer was able to tell the elephant to sit and lie on the ground like he was sleeping.” It was when the elephant was on the ground that Gill had to get a close-up of its eye. “It was very interesting and overwhelming and scary at the same time because this 35-year-old elephant is huge. It was also very emotional to be close to such a beautiful animal, unbelievable,” Gill recalls. “I was shooting handheld, trying to zoom and focus, so to keep my balance, at one point I was holding onto his tusk and I could feel him breathing on my legs. And the trainer was behind me, saying, ‘If he decides to get up, you’re done.’ I was literally 3 feet from [the elephant’s] eye, and at the same time one of the guards was feeding him peanuts, and he was trying to eat his peanuts but my leg was in the way, so he was grabbing my legs. “Anyway, we could only get the elephant to do the scene once, so we were happy we spent all that money and got the shot,” he says.

Stills from Elephant Song.

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2015 •

Norayr Kasper csc

FALL Charts Inner Descent in

10 â&#x20AC;˘ Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

By FANEN CHIAHEMEN Photos by MELISSA CONNORS, COURTESY OF MONGREL MEDIA.

ilmmaker Terrance Odette spent half his life as a practicing Catholic – he was an altar boy, a choir director and he married in the faith – and even though his affiliation with the church is now

no more than “cultural,” he says his background still naturally influences his life and work today. The Hamilton-based writer-director has in fact drawn on his roots to craft his fourth feature, Fall, the introspective tale of Father Sam, a well-respected and aging Niagara Falls Catholic priest, whose content and tranquil life descends into turmoil after he receives a letter from a former parishioner named Christopher, seeking clarity about an incident that occurred between the two of them 40 years prior. There is a suggestion of a sexual transgression with the then 14-year-old Christopher on the part of the priest, whose memory does not seem reliable. As Father Sam returns to his old parish in Sault Ste. Marie to try to uncover the truth, he is forced to confront the uncertainties in his life and in the lives of those around him.

Filmed on location in Niagara Falls and Sault Ste. Marie, Fall is an internal story that offers few concrete answers and leaves viewers to interpret the inscrutable landscape of Father Sam’s mien through a subtle performance by Michael Murphy (Manhattan, Batman Returns, Magnolia). For cinematographer Norayr Kasper csc, Fall was an interesting project to tackle because it observes a man’s quiet descent without much use of words. “I liked it because I had to come up with ways to visually narrate a silent priest who is reflecting upon his past and contemplating decisions, rather than just having a camera frozen on his portrait,” Kasper offers.

“Cinematography can layer that, as opposed to just being a frozen witness to it.” Having secured Odette’s trust, the visual language that Kasper devised for the film played with the concept of verticality, with Niagara Falls, as well as the high-rise buildings, and even the sheer curtains in the priest’s office, mined for symbolism. For instance, when Father Sam is in his Niagara Falls parish, Kasper filmed the lead actor “from lower angles, looking up,” he says. “Because you’re looking at a man who is standing out proudly, in a sort of power position in his community.” As the priest makes his journey towards the source of the letter, his old parish in Sault Ste. Marie, he goes into a more horizontal landscape. “It’s a landscape that has no high buildings,” Kasper notes. “There are villages, there are smaller towns. It’s a place where he has few solid memories, there are

DP Norayr Kasper csc

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

few tangible things. So it was mostly about going back to the horizon, where there are frozen memories. Unlike the Niagara scenes, here I filmed the horizon when the skies were grey, blending into the snowy landscape. The flowing and more chromatic nature of water fades into a frozen monochromatic bareness, as the priest is at a loss with his past and searching for answers that will never be clear enough.” Fall was an ARRI ALEXA shoot because the camera’s 4:3 sensor could accommodate old Hawk anamorphic lenses, and although the lenses had very pronounced aberrations, the cinematographer embraced them. “I thought, ‘Why not?’ It’s just part of a texture that one would pay to have sometimes,” he says. In fact, the combination of the age of the lenses, their aberrations and flaring would sometimes create a glow that was appropriate given the film’s themes, for instance in a scene in which the priest dutifully visits his mother and sister. Part of Kasper’s visual grammar was to also use composition to convey Father Sam’s circumstances. In one scene, on his way to his old parish, the priest is observed driving to a motel, parking and entering the building, while the camera remains trained on his car. The priest is then heard entering a motel room, and when he

Above: Michael Murphy as Father Sam with Annabelle McGregor in Fall, right.

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

turns the lights on, he is seen only in the reflection of a window, talking on the phone to his sister with the neon lights from the motel’s signage flickering in the background. “It was filmed in one long static shot, weaving a layered visual narrative. I chose that because of the visual language,” Kasper says. “It shows his alienation, he’s out of the box and his comfort zone, and the lights play on his discomfort.” Meanwhile, when the priest is observed at his home, which was actually a built set in Sault Ste. Marie, the scenes are lit warmly and dressed with lamps and fireplaces. “I went more with yellow when he’s in his place,” Kasper says. “There is a sense of warmth, even though it is a dark warmth. It is a sense of warm memory, warm yearning and the sense of who he has been, of established comforts.” To create texture, Kasper would use small tungsten sources inside and shine HMIs through the windows from outside. “When I light sets, besides what the production designer does, I try to age the sets and texture them with lighting,” the cinematographer explains. “And I give a natural feel to it. I try to avoid as much as possible making the sets look built or fresh, so I texturize my lighting.” He does so using plenty of contrast, diffusion and directional light,

“One of biggest challenges remains adapting the visuals to the story and not the story to the visuals. I do anything I can to maintain the sense of the narrative all the way to the end,” – DP Norayr Kasper csc

Suzanne Clément in Fall.

“trying to bend light in certain ways,” he says. “I play a lot with the way the light ends up falling on the actor and on the sets. It has often been texturized by the time it arrives there. I like seeing natural light refractions in a set.” Church scenes feature prominently in Fall, but finding a church that worked visually – and in which the crew would be granted permission to shoot – proved difficult. Moreover, Odette and Kasper, who was also raised Catholic and who lives in Venice, soon discovered that their references did not always align. “Norayr grew up with a bit more of the grandeur of the Catholic Church,” Odette observes. “I grew up more in the North American era of modern churches that were not as ornate and had much simpler designs, and I wanted to bring that in. I didn’t want a gothic church or a big opulent place.” In the end they found a de-sanctified church in Sault Ste. Marie they could work in and achieve the look Odette wanted. “What it provided Norayr with was a big, huge room to light. It was a challenge to light it so that it looked interesting for him, and I think he did a great job,” Odette says. “I tried to bring out and enhance the elements of the architecture and

darken the white walls as much as possible,” Kasper recalls. “Because it’s very hard to light against white walls; it makes it very bland. You can’t mould it, can’t create contrast, can’t make it dramatic enough. So with our limited budget, we enhanced the windows and darkened everything else as much as possible. Then we put lights in key places and underexposed everything, so the highlights stood out, and the windows stood out, basically the architecture stood out.” Pumping light through the stained glass windows and overexposing it slightly created a sense of depth, as well as the sense of mysticism that the ritual of a mass requires, Kasper adds. To film inside the church’s confessional booth, Kasper put thick muslin cloth in front of it, and pumped 4K light into it. “The cloths were so extremely thick that the lights fell off and gave this feeling of almost being submerged. Sort of like when you are sleeping in the morning with the covers over your head and the sun’s rays come through the covers, and there is a nice minimal light that infiltrates. You almost feel as if you’re underwater,” he says. Meanwhile, exteriors in Niagara Falls were shot with natural light, although

Kasper had to be specific about the way he captured the falls. He didn’t want to “shoot from the same vantage point that everyone shoots from,” he says. “It was important to convey that Niagara Falls is not a tourist spot but a real parish for Father Sam. It’s a real place where he lives.” Kasper found that he could achieve the look he desired by using plenty of close-ups, defocusing and shooting day for night. “Lighting the water at night is very difficult in Niagara,” he says. “I didn’t want it to be artificial-looking. It can be very artificial at night, and during the day, just by underexposing, you get this beautiful sense of it. I just knew the specific time of day when I would get those nice highlights.” The cinematographer’s intuition went a long way in maintaining the visual blueprint he crafted throughout the film. “One of the biggest challenges remains adapting the visuals to the story and not the story to the visuals,” he says. “Sometimes you come up against places that for convenience or budgetary reasons don’t allow you to maintain the visuals, and you have to find ways to make it work. I do anything I can to maintain the sense of the narrative all the way to the end.” Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

Michael Wale csc Lights the Undead in

By FANEN CHIAHEMEN

ombies may never go out of fashion, but with so many sci-fi-themed shows populating television screens, how do you distinguish your zombie show from the rest of the creature features on the market? You bring together the creators of the popular detective drama Veronica Mars with a popular comic book series, and you end up with the first zombie detective procedural with a female lead. If online indicators are anything to go by, genre fans are chomping at the bit for the new show iZombie, set to premiere this spring on the CW Network, perhaps in part because of the prospect of a new heroine in a new predicament. When ordinary medical student Liv Moore (played by Rose McIver) gets bitten by a zombie, she of course becomes one too, unbeknownst to those around her. So that she doesn’t have to kill to stay alive, Liv takes a job at a morgue where she feeds on the brains of the dead, only to discover that she can inherit the memories – as well as the traits – of the consumed cadavers and in turn help solve murder cases. But iZombie has another twist that ASC Award-nominated series cinematographer Michael Wale csc found particularly attractive when he signed on to shoot the show: it’s also a comedy. “For me, it was the opportunity to do something different. Unlike typical zombie shows, it’s a blend of comedy and horror,” according to Wale, whose other TV credits include Almost Human, Continuum and Fringe. “Rob Thomas, the creator, was hoping to catch people off guard as the pendulum shifts between comedy and horror. So it’s quite unique; I hadn’t shot anything that bridges those two genres.” Although Wale had shot many episodes of the popular series Smallville, which also had its comedic elements, iZombie required a much different look, he says. “I’d say that Smallville was very stylized, and iZombie is more natural. In Smallville, I would have used a broader range of colours – different blues and reds and oranges and ambers. Whereas in iZombie I try to keep it more in a natural colour palette,” Wale explains. “The bottom line being that I want the lighting to look natural and not lit.”

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Wale and the iZombie creators decided on three distinct looks for the show: ‘The everyday look, generally lit with big, single, soft, warm sources – lots of apartment interiors, where Liv resides with her roommate. It’s a comfortable, warm and safe environment,” Wale explains. The “zombie look” is the backdrop for horror sequences, such as zombie attacks, the cinematographer continues. “That’s more traditional, dramatic, horror lighting, with a contrasting, cool, dark look,” he says. “And the third look, which is unique to this show, is the look we call ‘Liv vision,’ which is a first-person perspective flashback experienced by the main character after she eats the brains of the corpses at the morgue. Sometimes an event will happen where it triggers a flashback from a brain she’s eaten.” For that third look, Wale uses special Panavision portrait lenses – Panavision ultra-speed lenses with a reversed rear element, first suggested by Panavision’s Jeff Flowers. “When you put it on the camera you have this effect where the centre is in focus and the outside blurs out. It creates an interesting dreamy washout effect,” Wale says. The lenses were inspired by photographer George Hurrell’s classic black-and-white portraits of Hollywood film stars of the ‘30s and ‘40s such as Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo. “I really like having this organic in-camera effect as opposed to a visual effect that you lay on top of the image. The thing I like about it is that you get these happy accidents, where highlights will reflect in a certain way or you get these blurs or flares that we could not have predicted,” Wale says. During prep, on a suggestion by fellow Vancouver-based DP and friend Jon Joffin ASC, Wale also experimented with a modified Russian Helios lens by inverting the rear element before arriving at a look he liked with the portrait lens. As he did on Almost Human and Fringe, Wale shoots iZombie on the ARRI ALEXA, as he likes the look of it in low light. He thinks not having to add too much light to a scene, even at night, due to the ALEXA’s sensitivity, helps foster the natural look he’s trying to create on the show. If the camera is too cumbersome to fit into a particular

space, Wale employs a Canon 7D with a PV mount on which he can mount the 50 mm Panavision portrait lenses for “Liv vision” scenes. “I’m quite happy with this option because the chip size of the 7D, the sensor, is close to the sensor size of the ALEXA, and with the PV [lens] mount I’m able to use the same piece of glass, the same portrait lens, and put it onto the Canon and continue the same look. And with that 7D we have a body mount so we can mount it on someone’s chest,” Wale says. He uses a standard lighting package – large soft sources, condor lifts at night with a 20x20 ultra bounce and T12 tungsten lights, rounded out with some 1x1 LED light panels that come in handy in tight situations. “They are battery powered, so you can run them to a corner or tuck them behind a shelving unit or high in the ceiling,” he notes. More recently Wale has been using a Cineo TruColor light on set. It is a compact yet powerful light that employs Remote Phosphor Technology. “My gaffer, Todd Lapp, introduced it to me later in the series. It has been a fantastic tool on set – small, versatile and packs a powerful punch. We jokingly call it the Cyndi Lauper,” he says.

ing John work, it was in a very similar vein – he used single sources, and he would light a little darker. I remember watching the gaffer light the set and then John walking through and turning off lights. The more things he turned off, the better it got. It’s a reference I still use today. The first thing I will do with my gaffer, Todd, is turn off all the lights, start with a clean slate.” Another key influence for Wale on iZombie is the hair and makeup department with whom he did extensive tests in pre-production. “Certainly I’m working very closely with hair and makeup to check how natural the zombie wig looks on camera and to check the degree of whiteness of the lead actress’s face. If you go too white she could look like a clown, and if it’s not white enough you lose the effect. So it’s that fine line of creating just enough whiteness and enough sheen and soft, single source lighting helps that look as well,” Wale says. “And we have to work together on little things like just keeping that blend between the skin and the edge of the wig. Shooting HD means every loose strand of hair is visible. It’s not forgiving, but hair and makeup are doing an excellent job. Lisa Leonard does the hair, and we have an excellent

The “everyday look,” lit with big, single, soft, warm sources was used for locations like Liv’s apartment interiors, DP Michael Wale csc says.

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

The idea of using single soft sources – “when you place one light very well as opposed to lots of light spread across the set” – is something Wale says he learned from working with the likes of Academy Award-winning cinematographers Robert Richardson ASC, Russell Carpenter ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, as well as Joffin. “Every light needs a flag or a stand, and it just becomes a bigger and bigger process,” Wale says. “But if you can start with a simple source, it’s more efficient. And it has a certain grace to it as well, a natural beauty, and it keeps it soft. Wale also praises John Bartley csc, ASC, who shot the iZombie pilot, for the knowledge he imparted. “John Bartley was one of the first DPs I met out of film school. I came back to Vancouver from Toronto and was in the trainee programme, and that’s when I joined the first season of X Files, [which Bartley was shooting at the time],” Wale recalls. “And watch-

makeup artist, Amber Trudeau, who is responsible for the zombie look.” That leads the cinematographer to muse about what he likes about shooting the sci-fi genre: “It gives you a chance to create your own world, but you don’t do it by yourself. I get the chance to work with some really amazing production designers, like Matthew Budgeon, on this show,” he says. “For me one of the greatest thrills is to arrive on a brand-new set where the production design is amazing. It just inspires you to do great work. You’re so excited to see the set, you really just want to bring it alive and complement it with lighting. So I’ve been very fortunate that these people have been able to provide me with beautiful, inspiring sets that make my work that much better. Any success that I may enjoy has certainly been achieved with the support and hard work of those around me, and for that I am always appreciative.” Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

CSC Reports from the

Annual General Meeting 2015 for the year 2014

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

s the new president of the CSC, I do like change for the better with an eye always trained on the future. However, there are some customs that should never change because they give our society meaning, such as remembering our colleagues that have passed during the last year. Sadly, in 2014 we lost an extraordinary cinematographer and director who was a pioneer of our film and television industry. Roger Racine turned professional in 1942 at the age of 20 when he was hired at the NFB by the late great John Grierson, who said he saw talent in the young man. Roger was the cinematographer on some 30 films during his time at the NFB before turning his attention to directing and shooting independent features, where he is credited for giving William Shatner his first film role. Not satisfied with only features, Roger decided to conquer a new invention that had arrived in Canada – television, and he was hired as a director by the fledgling CBC. However, the lure of being an independent loomed large, and in 1964 Roger went out on his own once again and founded Cinéfilms & Vidéo, which became an important Quebec service and production house. In recognition of his career and influence on our industry, Roger was the 2008 CSC Bill Hilson Award recipient. Just last June, a few months before his death, Roger was honoured with a tribute evening in Montreal, co-sponsored by the CSC, and he still gave a

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speech at 90 years of age. Roger was a committed and devoted member of the CSC and for many years was the Society’s lone voice in Quebec. Following our call for nominations this past year for elected positions on our Board of Directors with Office, no names were put forward, negating the need for an election. 2014 saw a seismic shift in the composition of our executive board. After a remarkable 22 years, Joan Hutton csc left the office of president of the CSC. During her tenure, Joan shepherded the CSC through some of the most turbulent times that changed the course of our industry and our profession. As president, she modernized the CSC administration, opened new revenue sources, championed education, turned the awards dinner into a gala, and upgraded the CSC Newsletter into today’s Canadian Cinematographer magazine, to name just a few of her accomplishments. Joan, the CSC owes you a great debt of gratitude and thanks you for your many years of deep commitment to our organization. Luckily, Joan still has a seat on the Board of Directors as Past President Advisor. Other notable changes in our board of directors last year: Carlos Esteves csc moved into the Co-Vice President’s chair, while Alwyn Kumst csc became the new Membership Co-chair. D. Gergor Hagey csc took over as Co-Education chair, while Bruce Marshall, a new member with our organization, is now the Public Relations Chair. The following were

appointed as Directors Ex-officio: John Holosko csc, Carolyn Wong, Jeremy Benning csc, Brendan Stacey csc and Kim Derko csc. I wish all the best to our new board members and thank the entire board of directors for their time and commitment to the betterment of the CSC. I mentioned earlier, that the CSC co-sponsored the Roger Racine csc tribute evening in Montreal last June. The event was mounted in conjunction with Cinémathèque québécoise, Cinépool and Cinéfilms & Vidéo. On behalf of the CSC, I would like to thank them for their contributions in making this a very successful evening. I would like to single out Board Director Ex-officio Bruno Philip csc for producing the tribute. It was a job exceptionally well done, thank you. A year and a half ago, the Education Co-chair, Dylan Macleod csc, initiated the CSC Facebook page and became its first member. Since then, the site’s membership has mushroomed to over 2,600 individuals and shows no sign of slowing down, with an average of six people joining every day. The page was started as a social forum to stimulate the exchange of ideas and knowledge for cinematographers and like-minded people. And it’s worked very well. While the postings and topics vary widely, the central theme always hovers over cinematography and the CSC. If you have not joined yet, please do, it’s a very worthwhile site to be a part of. Keeping with social media – and this is brand spanking new – the CSC has

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just set up a Twitter account, thanks to the efforts of Sydney Kondruss and our Treasurer Joe Sunday. It’s another opportunity for people to stay in contact with the CSC on a daily basis. So, if you are on Twitter please become a CSC follower. In this digital age, advertising for our magazine, Canadian Cinematographer, continues to be a challenge. Regardless, revenues are holding steady, the magazine is breaking even and the content continues to be meaningful and engaging. I would like to thank Canadian Cinematographer’s editorial board for their hard work and guidance. I would also like to thank all those who have contributed articles and photos to the magazine in the past year, as well as contributors to the very popular “Best and Worst Advice” column. Your initiative and commitment is appreciated as always. Canadian Cinematographer has also become a powerful and popular calling card at events, such as the ProFusion tradeshow, where hundreds of copies are distributed to attendees. The CSC Annual Awards Gala is singularly the most important event of the year for our Society. Not only do we honour the best in our craft and what is good about cinematography, it is also a crucial reflection to the rest of the world who we are as a Canadian profession and society. I am proud and pleased to say that the 57th Gala was a fabulous success. I would like to thank the awards committee, the jury volunteers, and all the other volunteers who devoted their time and hard work into producing an exciting and marvelous show. It was a terrific evening. I would also like to touch on learning at the CSC and thank Education Co-Chairs Dylan Macleod csc and Gregor Hagey csc for kicking the CSC workshops into high gear during 2014. The month of November literally saw a learning module each weekend. Plus, the new Acting with Cameras workshop was added

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to the roster and the Camera Assistants course was modernized. I would also like to thank the course instructors, organizers and the myriad people who all came together to make our education program work. It goes without saying that without our sponsors, the CSC would be greatly diminished as an organization. Their generosity, insight and support make much of what we do possible, such as education and the awards gala. We see our sponsors as partners in our initiatives to keeping cinematography and our industry strong and energetic. The CSC thanks all of our sponsors for being at our side. In 2014, CSC members continued making cinematic inroads throughout Canada and around the world. For instance, here at home, Nicholas Bolduc csc received top honours from the Canadian Screen Awards for his Best Achievement in Cinematography for his talented work on the feature Enemy. Further afield, Yves Bélanger csc was the DP on the feature Dallas Buyer’s Club, which was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards last year. To all the CSC members who were nominees and award winners at film festivals and competitions last year – and there are far too many to be mentioned here – a sincere and heartfelt congratulations for your extraordinary work. You bring pride and esteem to our organization. While the overall volume of film and television production across Canada was down slightly for 2013, it still hovers near our 10-year high of $5.9 billion recorded in 2012 according to the numbers in an economic report released last year by the Canadian Media Production Association. Generally, our film and television industry is healthy and vibrant, and so is the CSC. I would like to express the CSC’s appreciation to our Executive Officer Susan Saranchuk and her assistant Karen Longland, who keep the CSC

running smoothly and effectively each and every day through their creative solutions and efficiency. The CSC continues to adapt to the changing demands of our industry and continues to be the organization of record for cinematography in Canada. We have remained relevant and we will continue to do so as our mandate to foster and promote the art of cinematography dictates. George Willis csc, sasc President VICE PRESIDENT’S REPORT There were 16 events attended by CSC members that were either at sponsor locations or supported by our sponsors. There were also a total of four pub nights in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. The following list shows these events by order of date: William F. White/SIRT/Ontario Centres of Excellence - High Speed Image Testing; Vistek Toronto – Launch and Presentation of Movi M10; SIM Toronto – Technology Showcase; Whites Digital. – February Freeze; Dazmo Camera – Pre CSC Award Celebration & Open House; William F. White/SIRT/Ontario Centres of Excellence - High Speed Image Test Results; SIM Digital and PS Production Services - Rae Thurston Retirement Event; Clairmont Camera - Spring Open House; CSC & Cinémathèque québécoise - Hommage à Roger Racine csc; Technically Yours Inc. - Silver Anniversary Open House; TIFF Higher Learning Event – Master Class with Vilmos Zsigmond asc; Vistek Sony Product Launch and “Meet & Greet” BBQ; SMPTE Toronto, Drones and UAVs; Vistek - Profusion – Trade Show and seminars; William F. White, Student & Filmmaker Open House; Expanded Cinematography Master Class with Vilmos Zsigmond asc, hsc. Ron Stannett csc, Vice President Carlos Esteves csc, Vice President

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2015 â&#x20AC;˘

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TREASURER’S REPORT For the CSC’s fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, the Society failed to meet our financial objective, suffering from an annual deficit for the first time in four years. The magnitude of this deficit was $ 6,708.04, eclipsing the modest surplus from last year, placing our finances at no better than they were two years ago. To reduce the possibility of ongoing deficits, we should understand some causes for the 2014 disappointment. We have all witnessed major shifts in the technologies and services that form the tools for cinematography. This has produced similar shifts in how previously-major sponsors allocate their marketing funds, as well a consolidation of several sponsor companies. Recognizing these circumstances, Susan Saranchuk and her team took the initiative to have an open dialogue with individual sponsors and to develop customized packages that would meet their particular objectives. The net results were better than expected, offsetting an immediate drop-off in print advertising. At the same time, the ongoing shift did reduce the overall revenue from corporate sponsors by at least $ 10,000. This situation will require the CSC team to be innovative and proactive if our current activities are to continue. A large expansion in the CSC’s education offerings was developed and implemented throughout 2014. Unfortunately, many of the planned events did not attract sufficient paying attendees so they were cancelled, leaving the CSC with substantial organizing payroll and expenses but no income. One contributing factor to this lack of attendees is the strong approach from many colleges throughout Canada which are asserting claims to provide media education, regardless of the difference in

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expertise between their offerings and the CSC’s. Consequently, the CSC’s education plans for 2015 are being coordinated with marketing strategies intended to produce positive results. There was also a significant increase in the CSC’s payroll this past year, some due to the above attempts at under-subscribed workshops, but also due to increasingly assigning tasks to staff that were often handled by member volunteers in the past. Our staff is exceptional, and I have nothing but praise and thanks for Susan Saranchuk and her team. They are often able to achieve results that the volunteer executive and committees would find daunting. But our financial resources are limited, so we must deliberately expand the volunteered participation of members for specific ongoing tasks. We continue to support and value the expanded activities in active regions like Montreal and Vancouver, and thank the CSC executives who spend the time and effort to make those events happen. One non-financial item that I have coordinated over the last year is transitioning the CSC website to increase its value to digital users. The first component of this is the digitization of CSC publications back to 2000, syntaxed in the searchable PDF format preferred by major search engines; this initiative will be expanded during 2015, to bring at least another decade of publications online. The second component is a “search the CSC website” function that is already being used extensively. As well, special pages for selected “distinguished” members have been tested with some past presidents like Fritz Spiess csc, Bob Brooks csc, and Bob Bocking csc; we hope to expand this feature gradually to many others in CSC history, with your assistance, if you are requested to gather content

for your own distinguished page. Finally, a regional search for members will be implemented early in 2015, and we hope it will be useful for producers wanting to hire our members. In autumn 2014, the CSC was required to comply with Canada’s “Not For Profit Corporations Act,” and members did participate in the online vote for necessary revisions to our Bylaws (the current edition of which is always available on the CSC website). We will adhere to this legal status, but I prefer to do it consciously, rather than being a marginal non-profit organization trying to remain viable. To this end, there are some structural fee changes proposed in the motions, as suggested by the executive board. I am convinced that the CSC will still remain the best value for any similar professional society. CSC members may request detailed financial information via email to treasurer@csc.ca. Joseph Sunday, Treasurer MEMBERSHIP REPORT The membership committee met twice in 2014 to review submissions of seven applicants who wished to become full members. Using the standards laid out in our bylaws and regulations three new full members were approved by a two-thirds majority vote. In terms of a percentage, 43 per cent of the seven applicants were successful. Congratulations to: Ed Middleton csc, Simon Shohet csc and Ian Toews csc. Thank you to those (all full members as per the bylaws) who volunteered to help with the membership committee last year: Peter Benison csc, John Berrie csc, Bert Dunk csc asc, Phil Earnshaw csc, Carlos

Esteves csc, George Hosek csc, Joan Hutton csc, Alwyn Kumst csc, Antonin Lhotsky csc, J.P. Locherer csc and Jim Mercer csc. All full members are encouraged and welcome to come sit on the membership committee to give their input and to help choose our new full members. We had 29 new members in 2014, however, our overall membership decreased somewhat by cancelling the membership of 35 people whose fees were in arrears. We now have 515 members spread out across the country in every province except PEI and the territories, and in 11 countries other than Canada. Still a healthy number. We also have 31 sponsors. Thanks to the executive, with whom it is a privilege to serve. Many thanks to Susan Saranchuk, Karen Longland (who prepared this report this year) and Sydney Kondruss

for organizing and coordinating all the submissions and the meetings and for fielding all of the questions and queries of the applicants. Philip Earnshaw csc and Alwyn Kumst csc, Membership Co-Chairs PUBLIC RELATION REPORTS The CSC PR chair had remained vacant after the 2014 executive was appointed. I volunteered to take on the task probably more than halfway through the year. It’s a task I would like to continue, as I feel I’ve only just gotten started. Carlos Esteves’ brand image project is an important benchmark for the CSC. That project is about the image the CSC expresses to the outside. My role, in my view, is similar.

However, the PR chair role is more about the brand position. It is about the space the CSC represents in the imaginations of those within the film and TV production industry and, indeed, even to the general public. Thus, in a short time, it has been my mission to get the CSC looking outward more. The biggest manifestation of what we’ve accomplished this far is a working relationship with ACTRA. ACTRA is encouraging their members to consider creating their own productions and projects at a time when work may be lean. CSC can assist ACTRA members in this with our professional development skills workshops. Indeed, CSC’s Acting With Cameras workshop has now run once, with good participation from ACTRA members. CSC will also be doing a knocked-

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

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down, two-hour version of Acting With Cameras at one of ACTRA’s twice annual member workshops later this month. CSC has also committed to a relationship with ACTRA to provide lighting and camera for future ACTRA workshops, so that aspect of their workshops is more polished and professional. And also so that CSC has active, ongoing contact with ACTRA members to enhance our brand position in their community. Moving forward, I would like to see us have journalists – ideally film and TV critics – attend some of our workshops so that they better understand the role of DPs and cinematographers, and also with a view to having them do pieces for print or broadcast. We are also hoping to have articles from Canadian Cinematographer, which may have application in other areas of film and TV production, re-produced in magazines targeted at other film and TV production industry professions. We look, of course, from the point of view of my chair, to do more outward looking and to project and position the CSC in other constituencies within film and TV production and the public generally. Should any CSC member have any suggestions or ideas on how we can continue to look outward and better position our brand in various outside constituencies, please be in touch. Bruce Marshall, Public Relations Chair EDUCATION REPORT The CSC held six workshops in 2014 at various sponsors’ locations. This year we enacted a change to the Camera Assistant’s course that broke it up into smaller modules to be offered throughout the calendar year. This was met with success and we will continue to present the

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Camera Assistant’s course in this way. The 2014 workshops were: April 5-6, Lighting Workshop at WFW Instructors: Alwyn Kumst csc, George Willis csc, sasc, Carlos Esteves csc, Ernie Kestler Participants: 8 (3 members) September 20, Sony F55 Camera Module for ACs at Dazmo Camera Instructors: Jeremy Bernatchez Participants: 6 (1 member) September 21, Sony F55 Camera Module for DPs at Dazmo Camera Instructors: Chris Mably csc, Nigel Akam Participants: 6 (4 members) November 1, Acting With Cameras at WFW Instructors: Alwyn Kumst csc, Phil Earnshaw csc, John Holosko csc Participants: 7 November 6, Lens Testing Module at Panavision Instructors: Lem Ristsoo Participants: 10 (5 members) November 15-16, Camera Assistants Workshop Module at SIM Digital Instructors: John Lindsay, Lem Ristsoo, Ernie Kestler Participants: 8 (1 member) November 29-30, Lighting Workshop at WFW Instructors: George Willis csc, sasc, Carlos Esteves csc, John Holosko csc, Ernie Kestler Participants: 12 (3 members) A special thanks to everyone who helped with the 2014 workshops: WFW, SIM Digital, Panavision, Dazmo Camera, HD Source, Vistek, Brandon Moran, Bruce Dale, Brandon Cooper, David Lei, Tyler Dowey, Michel Losier, Bill Long, Jason Kennedy, James Piper, Jeremy Benning csc, Francis Luta, Sydney Kondruss, Karen Longland and Susan Saranchuk. The CSC Education Committee met four times in 2014: on April

30, September 18, November 8 and December 12. The Committee is comprised of Dylan Macleod csc, Gregor Hagey csc, Joan Hutton csc, Carlos Esteves csc, John Holosko csc, Ernie Kestler, Bruce Marshall, Sydney Kondruss and Susan Saranchuk. The Committee designs and evaluates educational courses, workshops and activities for the CSC. It reports back to the CSC Executive. We plan to offer these workshops again in 2015 and six more: a Lighting for Tabletop workshop, a RED EPIC & DRAGON camera module, a High-Speed Camera module, a DSLR workshop, a Camera Movement workshop and a Post Workflow workshop. CSC members are encouraged to attend our meetings and submit ideas for educational workshops. D. Gregor Hagey csc and Dylan Macleod csc, Education Co-Chairs AWARDS REPORT The 57th CSC Awards Night was held Saturday, March 22, 2014, in the Frontenac Ballroom at the Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre in Toronto. The gala was attended by 218 members, sponsors and friends. The evening commenced with an introduction by President Joan Hutton csc, who introduced the host, film critic, Richard Crouse. CSC members presented the awards. For the third year, the gala was streamed on the Internet. The decisions regarding the awards are made by the Awards Committee. There were 181 entries in 2014. The juries were held in Toronto at the CSC Clubhouse and SIRT. The juries were chaired by Alwyn Kumst csc. Susan Saranchuk and Alwyn Kumst csc produced and edited the Awards Gala show tape with David Oliver at Soho Post and Graphics.

igital disruption comes in many guises, and sometimes it’s not a revolutionary advance but merely an evolutionary change. Affordable, high-performance digital cameras, for example, burst onto the market about a decade ago and changed the marketplace. The upshot is that there’s a now a wider selection of camera bodies to meet every taste, need and budget. It’s not just cameras. Everywhere, the trend to smaller, more mobile, more powerful technology that allows for more things to be done faster and more simply than ever continues unabated. In some cases, it’s a new part of the workflow in digital that didn’t exist in film. The great thing about digital, of course, is that there’s no need to rush it over to the lab to get it processed to see if the day’s work hit the mark. And that’s where the digital imaging technician (DIT) comes in, taking the SD cards as the takes are done, duplicating them for backup and sending a copy to postproduction. It’s also the first pair of eyes on the capture and can often pick up things the cinematographer or director missed looking into the viewfinder or at the set itself. In the last couple of years, doing some pre-post work on set or location has also become more common, and it’s been enabled by the technology itself, which is getting ever more portable and powerful enough to meet demands. That’s where ThunderPack’s “digital

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

film lab in a box” comes in. It’s a turnkey set-up for on-set image management with 40Tbs of storage, 534Wh Li-ion battery power with up to nine hours of standalone power, a solar charger, integrated work surfaces, even a sun-blocking tent. And it’s all packed into a Pelican case and totally mobile. Light Iron has its own versions – their mobile processing lab, OUTPOST, and their onset creative suite, LILY PAD – or you could just build your own like Grad3rs founder Kent McCormick. Based in Burlington, just west of Toronto, he’s been working in the movie industry for 20 years, starting as a colourist and more recently branching out to be a DIT and digital imaging manager (DIM) over the last few years. His role has evolved along with the technology to the point where he’s built his own mobile studio lab into a Sprinter van. He has a 2000watt generator, which is plenty for his small set-up, but usually there is power on the set. Packed in Pelicans, his set-up wheels to the set where he pops up a work station complete with PC, monitors and card readers, ready to dupe and mirror capture as needed. He uses a Rubbermaid wheeled utility cart to carry the equipment to his spot and then uses the flat surface as his desktop. “I started out with just a data dumping station and then built it out, and within six months I was fully capable on set,” he says. “I’m 100 per cent freelance now, doing mostly commercials.” His role now involves a little pre-post

Photos courtesy of www.motionfx.eu

TECH COLUMN

Good Things Coming in Smaller Packages

work on set, giving the DP and director a chance to eyeball their dailies before it heads off to the post shop. “I do all the back-up copies and then make other copies if there is need,” he says. The next challenge is already here in the form of 4K. “Everything has to be 4K ready,” McCormick says. “But right now the technology isn’t as mobile. No one is pushing for native resolution, but I do like to see everything in native because on set all they see is in HD.” And looking further ahead, of course, will be 6K and higher and perhaps onset postproduction work becoming more common. It’s not happening in Toronto, he says, but it is in the larger productions in the United States. Ian Harvey is a Toronto-based journalist who writes for a variety of publications and covers the technology sector. He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca.

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CSC MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

David Moxness

csc, asc

What films or other works of art have made the biggest impression on you? 2001: A Space Odyssey was definitely the first film I saw that made me go, “Wow!” Taking into consideration the resources and techniques of the time, I don’t think any film has touched it in some regards. I have also always been captivated by and inspired by the art of Caravaggio. How did you get started in the business? After a year of university and subsequently running out of money, I started knocking on the doors of production companies in Toronto. I was fortunate to get a job as a production assistant at the commercial house Schultz Productions. After working there for about 18 months, I got a trainee position, through ACFC (Association of Canadian Film Craftspeople), as a grip/electric on the television show The Edison Twins. It’s sad that trainee programs do not exist as they did back then. We as an industry, as a film community, need to keep properly teaching and training our up-and-coming technicians and filmmakers to ensure our profession stays strong and, most importantly, safe. Who have been your mentors or teachers? Without question Rene Ohashi csc, asc has been both a mentor and teacher for me. My training stint on The Edison Twins led to a job on a project Rene was shooting. His work

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

absolutely captivated me, and he was very kind to show me his approach and answer my questions. Some years later I was privileged to work as Rene’s gaffer for many years and don’t think it would be possible to get a better education in preparing me to one day shoot. What cinematographers inspire you? Rene Ohashi, obviously. Also Roger Deakins asc, bsc, cbe for his seemingly natural, unobtrusive style, Seamus McGarvey asc, bsc for the sophistication of his work, and the late Harris Savides for his precise yet elegant cinematography. Name some of your professional highlights. I suppose an obvious answer might be the nominations and awards I have been so fortunate to receive, although recognition from my peers with acceptance into membership to the CSC and ASC are top in my mind. I am also very proud to have stayed actively working in this business for 30 years and support my family doing so. What is one of your most memorable moments on set? I remember being shaken to shivers while working (as the gaffer) on Alexander Graham Bell: The Sound and the Silence on the Bell estate in Cape Breton, recreating scenes that had actually taken place right there in the same room some 75 years prior. Similarly, while I was shooting the miniseries The Kennedys, to impose my images on scenes recreating actual events of our modern history was pretty darn cool. What do you like best about what you do? As an artist, the opportunity and freedom to express myself creatively. To visually tell stories through the images I create with the camera. What do you like least about what you do? What is there not to like? I have been very fortunate to work with many wonderful people, travel to many parts of the globe and provide for my family doing what I really like to do. I guess if I was to complain it would be about the pace at which we are expected to work and the amount of material we are charged with delivering each day. What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)? The camera! Regardless of the changes in technologies with the camera, lighting and grip gear, the camera is the device that allows us to capture and tell stories through the images it enables us to create. As well, the camera is still the best tool we have to visually record history. To lose a reference of history would lead to a loss of forward direction for all humanity. How can others follow your work? Online resources such as IMDB etc., and hopefully on a TV screen or in a theatre near you. Soon and often, I hope! Selected credits: Smallville, Fringe, The Kennedys, Alien Trespass, Graceland, Forever

Edmonton Film Cooperative wants your unused Arri 35 mm camera. Do you have film cameras languishing on a shelf? Give it a new life, give it to a film coop and we will give you a healthy tax credit. Have a 35BL, a 235, a 435 gathering dust because everyone is Red cam nuts? Have other great camera accessories? Let us know, let’s make a deal. Contact Andy @rentals@fava.ca and work a great deal.

Asahi Pentax spotmeter(just serviced) 425.00 Minolta Colormeter III F 750.00 Spectra Professional IV 250.00 Spectra Professional IV A 300.00 Minolta SpotmeterF(need repair) 100.00 Bernard Couture: p.bc@sympatico.ca; 514-486-2749

EQUIPMENT FOR SALE

Professional U/W housing from renowned world leader Amphibico. 2006 Sony HVR-A1U camera with 0.7x wide adapter and all accesories. 2006 AmphibicoEVO-Pro housing with .55x wide conversion and flat port. Rare model built in small quantity. Most camera functions accessible.About 60-70 dives. Complete overhaul and pressure tested by factory in 2010. 3.5’’ LCD Monitor, rebuilt in 2010. 2 compact Discovery 10W HID lamps by Amphibico with batteries and chargers. Spare o-ring for all. Soft and hard carry cases. All in good condition. E-mail or call for photos and more information. 514-941-2555, daniel@dvdp.ca

FOR SALE : Preston FI+Z (RF) remote follow focus package. Includes: MDR1, 2X DM1 motors(Jerry Hill style), Microforce zoom control, Iris controller, hand unit, speed booster (12v-24v)+ fast charger. Panavison, RED, Arri power cables/run cables. + brackets/ various lens gears/marking discs. ASKING $9,000 for more info and a detailed spec list please contact: Greg Biskup (647) 405-8644, greg@ biskupcine.com

Transvideo Titan HD Transmitter and Re¬ceiver kits. $3000ea. 2 for $5500. Similar in style and operation to the Boxx Meridian. 1- Angenieux 25-250 T3.9 Arri PL mount, std film gears on focus, zoom, and iris (32 pitch-mod 0.8), lens support and collar, shipping case included $2900 1Tamron 300mm F2.8 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gear on focus (32 pitch-mod 0.8), 42mm filters: clear, 2 x 85, shipping case included $900 Contact: stephen.reizes@gmail.com

DEDO KIT FOR SALE 3 X 24 Volt, 150 watt heads Multi voltage input Power supply with North American and European power cords 3 – 3 pin supply cables 3 – 3 pin extension cords 3 – light stands 1 – light stand extension Contained in a rugged Pelican 1600 case. All in full working order. Selling for $2500 or best offer. This kit new sells for $3500. If you’ve worked with these lamps you know what they can do- nothing like ‘em. The kit is owned by a retired documentary DP based in Vancouver and photos of the kit are available. Please contact me if you’d like to purchase or for more information and I’ll put you in touch. Ian Kerr csc tel 604 307 4198

Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG-3DA1) The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fullyintegrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD card media. The AG-3DA1 will democratize 3D production by giving professional videographers a more affordable, flexible, reliable and easier-to-use tool for capturing immersive content as well as providing a training tool for educators. At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920 x 1080 2.07 megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. Camera is very new. Includes Kata Carrying case, 4 batteries. Asking price: $17,500 (includes tax). Will ship out of province. To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010.

SHORT-TERM ACCOMMODATION FOR RENT Visiting Vancouver for a shoot? One-bedroom condo in Kitsilano on English Bay with secure underground parking, $350 per week. Contact: Peter Benison at 604-229-0861, 604-229-0861 or peter@peterbenison.com.

Cooke Speed Panchro 18mm 1.7/T2. “C” Mount, Nice condition. From United Kingdom #572079, asking $1,800.00 Barry Casson csc Office: 250-721-2113 bcasson@speakfilm.com Canon Wide angle Lens J11A X 4.5 B4 IRSD and Canon Servo Zoom Control ZSD-300 Value 27 000$ Asking only 3 000$ Elmo Suv-Cam SD ELSC5C and accessories New Value 1 200$ Asking only 100$, Anton Bauer UltraLight & Ul Soft Box Asking only 150$, Frezzi HMI Sun Gun & Frezzi Soft Box Value 1 700$ Asking only 400$, Porta Brace Rain Slicker for Pro Camcorder RS-55 like New Asking only 150$, Script Boy Wireless T.C. System needs minor repair Asking only 100$, Shure Mixer FP33 & Porta Brace audio mixer case Asking only 450$, Sony Monitor SD PVM-14N1U new Asking only 50$, 2 Camera Canon Dig Rebel 10Mp XTi, Sigma 70-300 F4-5.6 Super C-AF, 4 Canon Batteries and accessories Asking only 550$, Porta Brace monitor Case for Panasonic BT-LH910 like new Asking only 100$ andrepaul@me.com or call 514 831-8347 Panasonic AJ-HDX900P 290 drum hours, $7500.00 Canon KJ16ex7.7B IRSE lens, $5000.00 CanonJ11ex4.5B4 WRSD lens, $4500.00 Call Ian 416-725-5349 or idscott@rogers.com

Proline 17 inch Teleprompter Included is both PC AND Mac versions for our industry leading Flip-Q teleprompter software. Flip-Q automatically “Flips” the secondary output on your laptop so both the operator and talent will see perfect reading left-right text. The ProLine 17 standard LCD panels are the lightest weight, lowest profile designs in their class. In addition, they offer both VGA and composite video inputs adaptable with any computer output or application. They also offer flexible power options including 100-240V AC or external 12v DC input. Price includes Tripod attachments and Pelican carrying case. Complete tool-less set-up. Asking Price: $2,000 (includes tax) To view photos/questions email frank@tgtvinc.com or call 416-916-9010. Sony PMW-F3 with S-log firmware. Low hours, Excellent condition. Kaiser top handle, 32GB high rate card. $3500.00. Gemini 4:4:4 Solid State recorder now PRORes capable, with eSata and Thunderbolt readers, lots of accessories, case, 512GB and 3x 256GB solid state drives/ cards. Excellent condition. $3000.00 IBE-Optics HDx35 PL to B4 adapter comes with power cable and soft case. Used on

F3 and Alexa for superb results. $3000.00. Willing to sell everything as a complete package for $8500.00 Available for everything. Contact John Banovich 604-726-5646 or JohnBanovich@gmail.com Nikkor AF-S VR 500mm F 4 IS ED Lens. Super rare and very hard to find!!! Serial # 204153 Perfect condition. Not a scratch on it!!! Only one year old. Included Hard Shell Case, Lens Hood, Lens Strap, Case strap. Come with Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod, Jobu head and Jobu Mounting Bracket. Asking price $9000.00 gandalf-merlyn@shaw.ca, 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile) Panasonic BT-S950P 16:9 / 4:3 SD Field Monitor for Sale (Excellent Condition) - $100.Portabrace included Please contact Christian at (416) 459-4895 or email cbielz@gmail.com VIDEO & AUDIO GEAR FOR SALE: (2) HVX-200 Panasonic P2 Camcorders $1,500 each; (1) DSR-1500 Sony DVCAM recorder, $1,500; (1) Sony DSR-1 DVCAMdockablerecorder $1,000; (3) Sony PVV-3 Betacam recorders $500 each; (3) Mitsubishi XL25Uvideo projectors $500 each; (1) Mackie 1604VLZ audio mixer $500; (1) Glidecam PRO2000 camera stabilizer $200; (1) GlidecamDVPRO RIG camera stabilizer $300; (1) Yamaha P2075 amplifier 75W stereo/150W mono $500; (3) HVR-Z1U Sony HDVcamcorders $1,000 each; (1) Sony DSR-300 DVCAM camcorder $1,500; (1) For-A VPS-400D 8 input SDI switcher $2,700; (2) Sony WRT822/WRR861 wireless transmitter/receiver – no mic - $750 each; (2) Sony BRC-300 remote control P/T/Z cameras $1,990 each. Call Ted Mitchener at ZTV Broadcast Services 905-290-4430 or email ted@ztvbroadcast.com. SERVICES HILL’S VIDEO PRODUCTIONS – BURLINGTON Looking for a unique shooting control room? Rent our 32 ft. 1981 Bus complete with control room and audio. HDSDI fiber boxes for long runs. Great for keeping warm on those multi camera shoots. www.hillsvideo.com Rob Hill – 905.335.1146 Need your reel updated? Looking for an editor? I am a CSC associate member who is also an editor with my own FCP suite. I am willing to trade my edit suite time in exchange for rental of your gear, or shooting advice, or both. Please send email to miurabucho@gmail.com. Do you travel between Toronto and Hamilton for production every day? Need a place to: screen dailies, host your production office that’s close to both? Hill’s Production Services www.hillsvideo.com. We are a full Service Production Company with cameras and edit bays for making EPKs. Some grip gear, if you find yourself in the field, short of one or two items. Hill’s also has office space and a mobile screening room. Located just off the QEW in Burlington. Check us out 905-335-1146 Ask for Rob Hill.

CAMERA CLASSIFIED IS A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR CSC MEMBERS. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to editor@csc.ca.

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015 •

CLASSIFIEDS

EQUIPMENT WANTED

30 vies V (series); DP Marc Gadoury csc; to March 27, Montreal

PRODUCTION NOTES

Arrow III (series); DP Gordon Verheul csc (odd); to April 20, Vancouver Dark Matter (series); B camera operator Anton Von Rooyen; B camera 1st assistant Marcel Janisse; to May 15, Toronto Defiance III (series); DP Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs; to June 11, Toronto The Expanse (series); DP Jeremy Benning csc; to March 4, Toronto Fargo II (series); DP Craig Wrobleski csc; to May 20, Calgary Flash (series); DP C. Kim Miles csc (odd); to April 10, Vancouver The Good Witch (series); DP John Berrie csc; B camera operator Paula Tymchuk; to March 2, Toronto Impastor (series); DP Neil Cervin csc; B camera operator Jill MacLauchlan; to May 19, Burnaby La nouvelle vie de Paul Sneijder (feature); DP Ronald Plante csc; to April 27, Montreal Lise watier, une vie à entreprendre (documentary); DP Serge Desrosiers csc, Montreal Lizzie Borden Chronicles (series); DP François Dagenais csc; Halifax Make it Pop (series); DP Mitchell Ness csc; to March 20, Toronto Northpole II (MOW); DP Pierre Jodoin csc; to March 27, Montreal Pinkertons (series); DP Thom Best csc; to March 16, Winnipeg Proof (series); DP Bernard Couture csc; to April 27, Vancouver Reign II (series); DP Michael Storey csc (alternating episodes); B Operator/Steadicam Andris Matiss; to April 13, Toronto Rogue III (series); DP Steve Cosens csc; to September 11, Toronto Shut In (series); DP Yves Bélanger csc; to April 12, Montreal The Strain II (series); DP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes); B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc; to April 29, Toronto Supernatural X (series); DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser; to April 21, Burnaby Two Lovers and a Bear (feature); DP Nicolas Bolduc csc; to May 1, Montreal When Calls the Heart II (series); DP Michael Balfry csc; to March 5, Burnaby Supernatural X (series); DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser; to April 21, Burnaby When Calls the Heart II (series); DP Michael Balfry csc; to March 5, Burnaby Yamaska VII (series); DP Daniel Vincelette csc; to December 15, Montreal

CALENDAR OF EVENTS MARCH 19-29, International Film Festival on Art, Montreal, artfifa.com 28, CSC Awards, Arcadian Court, 401 Bay St, Simpsons Tower, Toronto, csc.ca

Thomas from page 5 pragmatic. He had signed off on a tight schedule. At that time, 25 days for a movie of the week with no stunts, VFX or car chases was tight. His choices were practical ones prioritizing the cast and drama, and so I apologised for my rude behaviour. Jud sat me down and explained the innermost workings of television production. He said I was a bright fellow and that perhaps I should consider looking towards independent cinema as the forum in which to exercise my talents. He warned me that TV was going to pay me well in exchange for my services and my soul. I should have heeded his sage advice. Worst Advice I interviewed with a director for a feature shooting in Kenya. Coming away from the meeting I thought the man was rude, vulgar and free of any imagination.

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2015

APRIL 10-19, Cinéfranco, Toronto, cinefranco.com 11, CSC Camera Module Workshop – RED EPIC & DRAGON – for ACs, Toronto, csc.ca 12, CSC Camera Module Workshop – RED EPIC & DRAGON – for DPs, Toronto, csc.ca 18-19, CSC Lighting Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca 23-May 5, Hot Docs, Toronto, hotdocs.ca

My agent suggested that I might like to sign on anyway, for the free trip to Africa. The director and I fought bitterly throughout the making of this film. He was frightened of open spaces. In Africa! Since the director had opted out of the location scouting during his prep, the producer nominated the production designer and me to decide where we were going to film. I like to think we did quite well. The director signed off on everything, but when the time came to shoot, he invariably would turn his back to the vistas and physical wonders of Kenya and want to shoot against a bush or cliff face! He had rules like the cast had to stop moving when speaking and when they talked, there had to be an arm’s length between them. No more, no less! Twocast blocking was a straight line. Threecast blocking formed an equilateral triangle. No shooting at sunset, as it made

everything red. By the end of the show, I was at my wit’s end. I had never been in a land of such visual opportunity and missed every one. Finally, something in me snapped. Those who know me know that I am a peaceful man, given to the occasional verbal quip, but this time I blew my stack. I won’t go into details, but this was the first and only time I attempted to commit an act of physical violence on anybody. Thankfully, the grips dragged me off him or I’d still be rotting in a Kenyan prison. We shot in one of the most beautiful corners of the world and the only mention I got was a memorable line in the Hollywood Reporter that went something like this: “Don’t know why they went all the way to Africa to shoot this film when they could have done it in Burbank.” I’d just like to add that this was the director’s first and last feature film.

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