From the Editor-In-Chief

The Cooke Look ®

The Original Since 1894

Photos: Golden Gate 3D

Cooke S7I Full Frame Plus T2.0 Primes

“ CUBA is focused on the beauty, spirit and character of this Caribbean country and its people. One of the primary stories in the film centers around a young ballerina. I was really looking forward to using the Cookes as we knew we would be shooting on stage with challenging theatrical stage lighting, and breaking that sort of giant screen IMAX norm of not having any close-ups. That’s exactly what we did — shot some close-ups of her face, which came out beautifully. I teamed the Cooke S7/i lenses with the ARRI ALEXA LF camera, which is a phenomenal combination. It gives me a very cinematic and dreamy look — very smooth and gentle, but still crisp and sharp. Cooke lenses have always been very flattering with faces and people, so for the portrait-oriented sections of the film this pairing was magical.” Peter Chang, Director, Cinematographer

“The lenses were very sharp, something extremely important at the resolutions and IMAX screens we are shooting for, while maintaining a creamy bokeh and very pleasant roll off. What I loved most about

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www.shotoncooke.com shooting the Cooke S7/i lenses is the familiarity that they gave me. I’ve shot on Cooke lenses for years, starting with the Speed Panchro, then the S4/i lenses and most recently a lot with the new Cooke Anamorphic/i SF (Special Flair). Cooke lenses have always been a go-to for me. On I had CUBA the pleasure to shoot on the ALEXA LF in full frame for the first time, and the fact that the Cooke S7/i lenses maintained the ‘Cooke Look’ that I have grown accustomed to over the years was great — but on this new full frame camera system, it was a real treat.”

Justin Henning, Cinematographer

British Optical Innovation and Quality Since 1894.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

George A. Willis csc, sasc

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of inspiration – the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. Trying to remain positive at a time when everything is in such turmoil is extremely difficult, unfortunately more so for some than others. As we spend every day in isolation, it is difficult to accept a situation completely unknown to us before. However, this can also be seen as a great opportunity and a learning curve. While this might sound strange, I am reminded of the saying, “necessity is the mother of invention,” and it is interesting to see so many creative posts on social media. Even in this time of adversity, it is so rewarding to find that so many people have a sense of humour. One of the Readers Digest articles that I always enjoyed was entitled, “Laughter is the best medicine” – so true! I think about the parents who have the task of retaining their sense of humour while attending to the myriad demands made by children who have little understanding of the predicament and the challenges their parents are facing on a daily basis. I also like to think that this situation will acknowledge the hard work that partners do in order to cope with the situation while their significant other is working in the film industry. Entertaining children has its own challenges and this is where inspiration finds its place in a family. Sometimes inspiration comes in a variety of forms, such as discovering a new hobby or taking a hobby in a different direction. Exploring one’s creative side (and I truly believe that we all have one) and discovering a talent that we never knew we had is most rewarding. The important part of this is being able to inspire the kids. But what about the many people in our industry who, like so many others, are cooped up and counting the days when some normalcy is returned after this devastating blow was dealt, forcing the industry to shut down? Nobody has any answer to this, and all we can do is wait until this event is best forgotten. But is that really what needs to be done, to forget something that we can actually learn from? I would suggest that we must use this as a learning curve so that we don’t continue to make negative choices. I refer of course to the unrealistically punishing hours that the film industry has been experiencing for so long. When it comes to the working conditions, we have to pay attention to what we believe might happen after this pandemic is all over. Maybe this last paragraph can put things in perspective – what can be more inspirational than listening to so many people banging pots and pans in recognition of all the incredible frontline workers? These are the folks who care for others while leaving themselves vulnerable. On a few occasions, I’ve leaned out of our condo window and done the same. And that is the result of inspiration.