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In the News
to offer people more choice and greater access to TV content. The company built a substantial radio and television broadcasting group that was eventually spun out as a separate public company, Corus Entertainment. For more than 50 years, Shaw established himself as a network builder, growing Shaw Communications Inc. into one of Canada’s leading connectivity providers, serving upwards of 7 million subscribers with cable, Internet, voice, satellite and wireless services. He stepped down as CEO of Shaw Communications in 1998 when his eldest son, the late Jim Shaw, took over. Current CEO Brad Shaw began in the role in 2010. JR Shaw, remained active in the company he built, serving as executive chairman. In accordance with the company’s succession plan, Brad Shaw will assume the role of executive chair on an interim basis in addition to his role as CEO.
In early March, Corus Entertainment unveiled its new Global TV App, an all-in-one streaming experience allowing Canadians to access the country’s top networks, news and shows live and on demand. The App features full seasons and live streams from Food Network Canada, HGTV Canada, W Network, HISTORY, Showcase, and Slice, and launches in Canada as the first streaming product to provide Canadians with free, 24/7 access to local and national news feeds from Global News.
Councillors Approve $40-million Loan for Ottawa Studio
Courtesy of the Ottawa Film Office.
In March, the City of Ottawa’s Finance and Economic Development Committee approved a $40 million loan to the Ottawa Film Office to build a new sound stage campus and creative hub. The facility, which will be run by Toronto’s TriBro Studios, is expected to create an additional 500 jobs in Ottawa’s screen-based industries, as well as 500 construction jobs, in the first few years. The facility will feature four 20,000-squarefoot sound stages, 25,000 square feet of carpentry and art department space, 25,000 square feet of production office space, and between 100,000 and 200,000 square feet of long-term tenant office space.
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Credit: Courtesy of Philippe Lavalette csc
Philippe Lavalette
csc
Quels films ou quelles œuvres ont suscité chez vous une forte impression?
Très spontanément, je dirais «Uccellacci e uccellini» («Des oiseaux petits et gros») de Pasolini. Un vrai choc émotif comme on peut en vivre à l’adolescence. Et la conviction soudaine que je voulais faire ce métier. Par ailleurs, j’ai toujours eu un véritable intérêt pour la cinématographie des pays de l’est (Hongrie et Pologne en particulier) où le langage filmique se distingue des normes établies par Hollywood.
What films or other works of art have made the biggest impression on you?
It wasn’t a spark, it was a flash of lightning that hit me when, as an adolescent, I saw Pasolini’s Uccellacci e uccellini (The Hawks and the Sparrows). It was a revelation that set the stage for the inevitability of my future career in filmmaking, but not any filmmaking. Since early times, I favoured the film language of Eastern European cinema –Hungarian and Polish in particular – and stayed away from the standards established by Hollywood productions.
Comment avez-vous commencé dans ce métier?
Quelle est la clé pour accéder à ce métier quand vous ne connaissez personne? C’est l’école « Louis Lumière » à Paris qui m’a mis le pied à l’étrier. Ça a été l’occasion formidable de rencontrer des professionnels. À la sortie de l’école – qui dure trois ans - les professeurs vous mettent en lien avec des professionnels, d’anciens élèves, avec qui vous partagez des affinités… Et c’est parti!
How did you get started in the business?
When you come from nowhere, it’s hard to integrate the filmmaking family. So, for me, the solution was school, more specifically Paris’ Ecole nationale supérieure Louis-Lumière; it got my foot in the door and was a formidable occasion to meet professionals. At the conclusion of the three-year school term, teachers put me in touch with previous students who had succeeded in the film industry, and the rest is history.
Qui ont été vos mentors ou vos professeurs?
En abordant ce métier, on cherche un modèle. Je me suis rapproché de cinéastes plutôt marginaux et avantgardistes, pas nécessairement conformes à l’idée du cinéma standard. Citons Ulysse Laugier et Patrick Bokanowski.
Who were your mentors or teachers?
At first, as a greener than green filmmaker, I searched for a mentor, a model. Instinctively, I was attracted by the work of such cinematographers as Ulysse Laugier and Patrick Bokanowski, marginal and bold filmmakers who did not really abide by the rules of standard cinematography.
Quels directeurs photo vous inspirent?
Très spontanément, pour son inventivité et sa liberté de création, Sławomir Idziakqui a signé par exemple «Tu ne tueras point» et «La double vie de Véronique» de Krzysztof Kieślowski. Pour la splendeur des Noirs et Blancs : Henri Alekan. Pour la finesse des ambiances lumineuses: Philippe Rousselot AFC, ASC. Et, bien sûr, Michel Brault, incontournable.
What cinematographers inspire you?
The first name that comes to mind is Sławomir Idziak for his inventiveness and his freedom of creation as brilliantly demonstrated in A Short Film About Killing (1988) and Krzysztof Kieślowski’s The Double Life of Veronique (1991). Other distinctive names I might highlight are Henri Alekan, for the sheer splendour of his black-and-white work; Philippe Rousselot AFC, ASC, for the finesse of his luminous atmospheres; and, of course, Michel Brault, the inescapable artist of the image.
Citez quelques moment clés de votre parcours :
«L’Ange» de Patrick Bokanowski (caméra d’or Cannes, 1982), «Inch’Allah» de Anaïs BarbeauLavalette, «De mémoire de chats, les ruelles» de Manon Barbeau, «Visionnaires» de Carlos Ferrand.
Name some of your professional highlights.
I’m particularly fond of my work on Patrick Bokanowski’s L’Ange (Caméra d’or Cannes, 1982), Carlos Ferrand’s Visionnaires (1988), Manon Barbeau’s De mémoire de chats - Les ruelles (2004), and Anaïs BarbeauLavalette’s Inch’Allah (2012).
Quel est votre souvenir le plus mémorable sur un plateau?
Je pense au dernier film d’Anna Karina, icône absolue de la Nouvelle vague. Elle vient tourner son deuxième film au Québec. Et chaque jour, elle raconte avec gourmandise une nouvelle anecdote. Par exemple, comment Jean-Luc Godard a réussi à convaincre Brigitte Bardot à jouer dans son prochain film. Et Anna raconte : Bardot et Godard sont ensemble à une table ronde à une télévision de grande écoute. Godard lui propose un rôle : Si je fais le tour de cette table, les pieds en l’air, ma cigarette au bec, accepterez-vous? Éclat de rire : comment un intellectuel fluet comme lui pourraitil faire une chose pareille? Brigitte Bardot accepte le pari. Godard s’exécute… et réussit. Bardot ignorait qu’il était aussi athlète. Bonne perdante, elle jouera le premier rôle dans «le Mépris »!
What is one of your most memorable moments on set?
Anna Karina’s latest film comes to mind. When she came to shoot in Quebec for the second time, she was a New Wave icon who loved to tell anecdotes, and she did so with gusto. I’ll always remember her story of Jean-Luc Godard and Brigitte Bardot who, in the early 1960s, were guests of a TV show. Taking advantage of the stage, Godard made a bet with the incomparable French star. If he could walk on his hands around the table, feet in the air, cigarette in his mouth, would she accept the first role in his next movie? The bet actually resulted in Bardot being the star of Contempt, released in 1963. The consummate actress had not known that Godard had been an athlete, lost her bet, and won a major role.
Que préférez-vous dans votre métier?
Avant le tournage, le découpage me passionne. J’adore discuter du sens profond d’un mouvement de caméra par exemple. J’adore aussi parler de lumière, même s’il est parfois difficile de trouver les mots justes. On m’a déjà demandé de créer une lumière « humide » (!) en évoquant, non pas le ruissellement des gouttes mais plutôt la sensation de moiteur crée par l’humidité. Ça m’a beaucoup orienté…
What do you like best about what you do?
Before filming, technical editing and storyboarding fascinates to no end. I love to discuss the merits and the true meaning of a specific camera movement. I love to exchange ideas about lighting, which is a difficult subject to carry in words. I’ve been asked once to “create humid lighting,” not by showing the runoff of drops, but by creating the feeling of dampness caused by humidity. Sometimes light requirements can be a little arcane.
Et qu’est-ce que vous aimez le moins?
Tourner un plan en extérieur à 3 heures du matin, au mois de janvier, quand c’est nuit noire et qu’il fait moins 30 degrés.
What do you like least about what you do?
Well, happiness is definitely not having to shoot at three in the morning outside in minus 30 temperature, with a blizzard wildly blizzarding.
Quelle a été selon vous l’invention la plus marquante dans ce métier?
Depuis 1895, les inventions se succèdent et modifient notre métier. Mais c’est du côté de l’éclairage que tout a basculé en moins d’une génération. Quand on pense qu’il fallait – dans les années 70 – trois à quatre machinistes pour un seul arc! En ce sens, la souplesse des LED est merveilleuse.
What do you think has been the greatest invention in your craft?
Since 1895, inventions kept rolling madly, and deeply changed the way we work. Mostly, I’d say that in less than a generation, lighting has experienced nothing less than a revolution. In the 1970s, three, even four machinists were required to operate a single electric arc, while now, LEDs make the job magnificently simple and adaptable.
Comment peut-on suivre votre parcours?
Mon site web : philippelavalette.com
How can others follow your work?
Consult my website at philippelavalette.com
Credit: Charmaine Kachibaia
Associate member Issah Shah shooting an IDRF Ramadan Campaign in Istanbul, Turkey.
Credit: Andrew Stretch
Credit: Grace Pan C camera operator J.P. Locherer csc (right) on the set of Star Trek: Discovery Season 3.
