Canadian Cinematographer Magazine October 2020

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 October 2018 www.csc.ca

Sharp Objects Reflections with Yves Bélanger csc and Ronald Plante csc Van Royko csc The Fall of the American Empire

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 10, NO. 5 OCTOBER 2018

The CSC provides tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and digital professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

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

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

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The Weekend

Fostering cinematography in Canada since 1957.

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

CSC @ TIFF

Anne Marie Fox/ Courtesy of HBO

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

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Sharp Objects: Reflections with Yves Bélanger csc and Ronald Plante csc

By Fanen Chiahemen

22

Van Royko csc: The Fall of the American Empire with the King of Quebec Cinema By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 8 10 31 34 36

From the Editor-In-Chief From the President In the News On Set CSC Member Spotlight –François Dagenais csc Tech Column Masters Awards Production Notes/Calendar

Cover

Amy Adams in Sharp Objects. Credit: Anne Marie Fox/ Courtesy of HBO

Canadian Cinematographer October 2018 Vol. 10, No. 5 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, admin@csc.ca EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Patty Guyader ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, gkondruss@rogers.com EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBER Bruce Marshall, brucemarshall@sympatico.ca CSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Phil Earnshaw csc Carlos Esteves csc Joan Hutton csc Antonin Lhotsky csc Bruno Philip csc Joseph Sunday PhD George Willis csc, sasc CSC EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc VICE PRESIDENTS Carlos Esteves csc, Toronto Bruno Philip csc, Montreal MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS Arthur Cooper csc Zoe Dirse csc EDUCATION CHAIRS Carlos Esteves csc George Willis csc, sasc AWARDS CHAIRS Andre Pienaar csc, sasc Samy Inayeh csc PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR Bruce Marshall OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, subscription@csc.ca

Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year.

One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds.

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

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

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FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc

Y

eah! We’re number one! According to FilmL.A.’s annual analysis, 20 of the top 100 grossing films at the U.S. box office were shot in Canada last year, more than any other jurisdiction in the world.

British Columbia headed the Canadian contingent with 11 films, followed

by Ontario with seven films, with the remaining two films divided between Quebec and Manitoba.

In production spending last year, an incredible $3.4 billion bolstered the B.C. economy, while in Ontario the most recent numbers come from Toronto, which are down slightly, slipping to $1.8 billion in 2017 from $2 billion the previous year. It’s all heady stuff for our film and television industry, but one has to wonder if we could not have done better.

Canada has the expert crews, the creative, state-of-the-art post facilities, but the industry always seems to be hindered by a lack of purpose-built studio space. B.C. is better with studio space than anywhere else in the country.

It’s invested in five major studios that can accommodate major Hollywoodtype productions and TV series. For instance, last year, the Martini Studios complex opened in Langley, B.C., sporting 150,000 square feet with eight sound stages.

Toronto, on the other hand, has one major complex, Pinewood Studios in the Port Lands area, with 11 sound stages totalling over 207,000 square feet.

In the past year, Toronto waved goodbye to an estimated $260 million in production because of a studio space shortage. Ouch!

But relief is on the way for Ontario, with Pinewood expanding its facility, and with a recent announcement north of Toronto. Plans have been unveiled that the city of Markham will be home to First Studio City, which is boasting that it’s building a mega 70,000-square-foot sound stage that will be the largest in North America. In all, the $100 million complex will house 20 purpose-built studios totalling a whopping 400,000 square feet and is slated to be open for business by late 2020.

The 270,000-square-foot studio complex announced in 2015 for Pickering, Ontario, bordering on the east side of Toronto, is still very much on the books as part of a larger entertainment development called D-Live, which will include a casino, a hotel and a waterpark. After passing the last regulatory hurdles, shovels are expected to be in the ground in 2019.

While these initiatives are much needed, Canada still needs even more studio space for our industry to keep growing and to keep it competing on a global level.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

I

am always impressed with the architecture when travelling in Europe, in particular the historical buildings, which in some cases have been modified or built upon over time. But the interesting part is that the original structures for the most part have provided a solid foundation.

This has never ceased to amaze me because the logic is indeed sound. In reality, why would a solid structure be destroyed when the obvious plan would be to modify or alter it, thereby saving an enormous amount of time and, of course, money?

This simple rationale and metaphor made me think about the CSC. Sixty-one years ago, the Society was founded by a group of like-minded cinematographers. Since then it has evolved into the Society as we know it, with approximately 500 members across the country. An enormous amount of work is involved in the day-to-day running of the Society, as well as producing the various educational workshops. The annual awards gala has evolved tremendously over the last decade and is without question the highlight of the year.

Notwithstanding the growth of the Society over the years, I believe we are now at a crossroads, or to put it another way, a fork in the road. This means that we have to make choices and decisions about the long-term future of the Society, but I hasten to add that I do not see this as a negative but rather as a challenge and opportunity for growth.

I have never been an advocate of the status quo for I believe that this leads to mediocrity, and that is not what the CSC is about. This year will see the beginning of much change in the Society, and we have many exciting initiatives that we will be launching in the very near future. Without a doubt, we have now clearly established our Brand and now is the time to build upon that Brand. While we will always acknowledge our founders and their efforts, we are now prepared to bring about some much-needed change if we are to move forward in a meaningful way.

Recently a questionnaire was sent out to all members of the CSC who were requested to complete it for a very important purpose – the Society needs input so that we can give the best service and make every effort to address any concerns, observations and suggestions that may arise.

While we are ready to meet the many new challenges, we also need help from our members. We, the Board of Directors, cannot do this alone and so we are asking any member who is willing to assist to kindly contact us so that we can build a team to address the many new issues and see them through to success.

Starting soon, we will begin to implement some of the various new endeavours that we have been planning, and more will follow. This will be a very exciting time for all of us and we look forward to having you as a part of our team.

As we build upon the foundation of the Society, any changes that we make will be for very specific reasons and not simply for change’s sake. It is time that the CSC is afforded the respect and recognition that it richly deserves. The Society is part of the international filming community and we have many world-class cinematographers. We owe it to them to be in the company of other world-class societies and cinematographers. You can help us achieve that and we would welcome your input.

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

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anada was the top production centre for the 100 highest-performing U.S. feature films in 2017, according to an annual study from Los Angeles-based film office FilmL.A. The study, released this summer, found that Canada hosted a record 20 films, and the top provinces were British Columbia (11 films), Ontario (seven), Quebec (one) and Manitoba (one). The

report also found that postproduction can easily capture 50 per cent of a film’s credited jobs should the production budget exceed U.S. $100 million. This is significant as major production centres like Canada have invested heavily in the attraction of postproduction work, including visual effects, with dedicated incentives and infrastructure. VFX work is also performed globally, with sig-

nificant international presence in Canada and the United Kingdom, plus the United States, New Zealand, Australia, Germany and France, the report said. Animated films also had significant success at the box office in 2017, and a total of 14 animated films were included in FilmL.A.’s study, with Canada, led by British Columbia, eclipsing the U.S. in 2017 by hosting six animated films.

Credit: George Pimentel Photography

Credit: Telefilm Photo

Christa Dickenson Credit : Courtesy of TIFF

In The News

Canada Top Production Destination for Highest-Grossing Films

Telefilm Canada Welcomes Christa Dickenson As New Executive Director Telefilm Canada this summer welcomed Christa Dickenson as its new executive director for a five-year term. Dickenson has worked for more than 20 years as a marketing executive in the broadcast, technology, and telecommunications sectors. As well as attending the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Dickenson has an MFA in Film and Video Production from York University, is fully bilingual and speaks Spanish fluently. The recruitment process was initiated in December 2017 with the participation of Telefilm Canada’s Board of Directors. The committee’s objective was to identify a strong, bilingual manager with the leadership skills and innovative spirit required to lead Telefilm through this period of change within Canada’s audiovisual industry.

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

Joana Vicente

Michèle Maheux

Joana Vicente Named TIFF’s New Executive Director; Co-Head Michèle Maheux Retires The Toronto International Film Festival in late August announced the appointment of Joana Vicente as the new executive director & co-head of TIFF, effective November 1, 2018. Vicente, who speaks five languages, is a prominent figure in the New York film industry, having produced more than 40 films and founded three production companies, including the first U.S. digital production company as well as the first HD production/international distribution studio in the U.S. She previously served as executive director of the Independent Filmmaker Project. Earlier in the month, TIFF announced that Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Michèle Maheux, who has been with TIFF for 30 years and has been an integral part of the realization, launch and operations of TIFF Bell Lightbox, will retire from the organization in summer 2019. A veteran communicator and strategic planner, Maheux has mentored and inspired thousands of staff and volunteers over the years who have helped to shape the organization into one of the most respected cultural institutions in the world. Maheux will continue in her current role until November 1, 2018, at which point she will focus on organizational effectiveness and transition, reporting directly to the Board until summer 2019.

City Rentals New Operator of Former Showline Studios Complex CreateTO, the City of Toronto’s new real estate agency, in August announced that film studio company Studio City Rentals has been selected as the new operator of the former Showline Studios complex through a competitive Request for Proposals process. The 77,000-square-foot complex, which includes 32,000 square feet of studio space, has hosted international productions such as X-Men and My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and more recently was a studio location for the Academy Award Best Picture winner Spotlight and for CBC’s Kim’s Convenience.

Saban Capital Acquisition Corp. Enters into Merger Agreement with Panavision and Sim Saban Capital Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, Panavision and Sim Video International Inc. announced in September that the companies have entered into a definitive business combination agreement to create a premier global provider of end-toend production and postproduction services to the entertainment industry. Under the terms of the business

combination agreement, Panavision and Sim will become wholly-owned subsidiaries of Saban Capital Acquisition Corp. Immediately following the proposed transactions, Saban Capital Acquisition Corp. intends to change its name to Panavision Holdings Inc. and is expected to continue to trade on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Upon the closing of the proposed transaction, Kim Snyder, president and chief executive officer of Panavision will serve as chairman and chief executive officer, and Bill Roberts, chief financial officer of Panavision, will serve in that role for the combined company.

Credit: Making Movie History: A Portrait in 61 Parts

NFB Atlantic Founder Rex Tasker Dies at 85

Rex Tasker

Filmmaker, producer and founder of the National Film Board’s first Atlantic office Rex Tasker died on July 24 at his home in Musquodoboit Harbour, Nova Scotia. Tasker headed the NFB’s Halifax-based Atlantic production studio when it opened its doors in 1973, serving as executive producer of the centre until his retirement in 1992. He’d been a passionate advocate for Atlantic filmmaking within the NFB prior to the opening of the stu-

dio, which today lives on as the Quebec Atlantic Studio in Halifax, with a production office in St. John’s. Born in England in 1933, Tasker studied film at the London Film School and was an advocate for the Free Cinema movement, which saw film as a stimulus for social change. An admirer of the works of the National Film Board, he moved to Canada in 1958 with a desire to work at the NFB. Prior to opening the Atlantic studio, Tasker

worked at the NFB in Montreal for 12 years as an editor, researcher, writer, director and producer. He produced and executive produced approximately 100 films during his tenure as head of the Atlantic studio, including such classics as 12,000 Men; Death in the Spring; Miller Brittain and Hunters and Bombers. Tasker received the John Grierson Genie Award in 1980 and the Atlantic Festival CBC Pioneer award in 1987.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

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Credit: Reuben Denty

Credit: Kevin Sawicki

Credit: Eric Myre

Credit: Stephen Mcloughlin

On Set Credit: Giuliana Guarino

Clockwise from top left: Associate member Christina Ienna (DP) on the set of the web series Blackout. • (From left to right) Actor Antoine Desrochers, key grip Guillame “Guig” Cara, DP Marc Gadoury csc and grip Martin Vaillancourt on the set of the TV series L’Échappée III.• Associate member Reuben Denty (DP) taking off in 1944 AT-6 used to shoot air-to-air visuals of a fully restored WWII 1944 Grumman F4F Wildcat during the production of History in the Making (Season One). • Josh Allen csc lines up a shot with Chris Barry playing the U.S. president in the political satire short film The Moon. Also pictured 1st AC Samantha Kelly and 2nd AC Kalea Calloway. • Vincent De Paula csc filming 2 Hearts in Vancouver and Hawaii.

ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS / James Klopko csc, (DP) An Audience of Chairs (feature), screening at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival, September 14, 2018, Halifax Brad Rushing csc, (DP) Beautiful Dead Things (narrative short), Official Selection, Raindance, September 26 - October 6, 2018, London; (DP) Planet

(narrative short), Official Selection, 14th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival, August 9-18, 2018, Hollywood; Official Selection, Crested Butte Film Festival, September 27 - 30, 2018, Crested Butte, CO; Official Selection, Catalina Film Festival, September 26-30, 2018, Catalina Island, CA

CSC AT TIFF 2018 CSC congratulates the following members whose films were selected for the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival GALA PRESENTATIONS Alar Kivilo csc, asc, The Land of Steady Habits (dir. Nicole Holofcener)

Douglas Koch csc, Through Black Spruce (dir. Don McKellar) CONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA Catherine Lutes csc, Mouthpiece (dir. Patricia Rozema) Ray Dumas csc, Falls Around Her (dir. Darlene Naponse) Van Royko csc, The Fall of the American Empire Luc Montpellier csc, Splinters (dir. Thom Fitzgerald) (dir. Denys Arcand)

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Kris Belchevski, The Weekend (dir. Stella Meghie) Nicolas Bolduc csc, The Hummingbird Project (dir. Kim Nguyen)

Nicholas de Pencier csc, Anthropocene

DISCOVERY Stirling Bancroft csc, Freaks (dir. Zach Lipovsky, Adam Stein) Catherine Lutes csc, Firecrackers (dir. Jasmin Mozaffari)

Guy Godfree csc, Giant Little Ones (dir. Keith Behrman) James Klopko csc (2nd unit DP), The Grizzlies

TIFF DOCS Maya Bankovic, What is Democracy? (dir. Astra Taylor) John Minh Tran csc, (et al) Carmine Street Guitars

(dir. Miranda de Pencier)

(dir. Ron Mann)

(dir. Jennifer Baichwal)

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

SHORT CUTS Nicolas Bolduc csc, Paseo (dir. Matthew Hannam) Catherine Lutes csc, Exit (dir. Claire Edmondson) SPECIAL EVENTS Goh Iromoto, (et al) Sharkwater Extinction (dir. Rob Stewart)

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Canadian Cinematographer - March 2018 •

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Credit: Kyle Riefsnyder

CSC Member Spotlight

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

When I was 13, my mother rented for me the French movie Diva (shot by Philippe Rousselot afc, asc). It was the first time I noticed the beauty of images in a movie. At 17 years old, I saw a very visual play by Robert Lepage – Vinci. I had never seen anything like that before. I’ve followed his work ever since. At 19 years old, I saw a retrospective of the Magnum agency in New York. It had a lasting impression on me and I continue to follow photographers from Magnum.

How did you get started in the business?

I did a TV show for Radio-Canada called La Course AmériqueAfrique. I travelled alone and did 23 short films throughout the U.S. and Africa for six months!

Who have been your mentors or teachers?

I’ve had many mentors and I’m

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

very grateful for that. Eric Cayla csc was the first one to show me what a cinematographer does.

Stephen Reizes csc really helped me at the beginning of my career.

I had an amazing teacher at Concordia, Peter Rist, who really introduced me to cinematography styles throughout history. At AFI we had many guests, but everyone still talks about the class that Conrad Hall asc gave. I also did a mentorship 10 years ago with Magnum photographer Alex Webb. It really made me think of framing and composition in a new way.

What cinematographers inspire you?

Philippe Rousselot afc, asc, Darius Khondji asc afc, Paul Cameron, Harris Savides.

Name some of your professional highlights.

At the beginning of my career, I was selected for the cinematography festival Camerimage. I spent 10 days with other cinematographers.

It was an incredible experience and gave me a lot of confidence.

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

Listening to love stories of Holocaust survivors on the documentary Undying Love.

What do you like best about what you do?

Spending my days with very creative people.

What do you like least about what you do?

Being a freelancer.

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

Power windows. It’s incredible how they can allow you to shape images in post.

How can others follow your work? francoisdagenaisdp.com

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CSC Accreditations

The CSC congratulates the following members on receiving CSC accreditation

Peter Simonite csc

Credit: Arev Manoukian

Credit: Bruno Barrière

Amy Belling csc

Tobie Marier Robitaille csc

Credit: Chantal Des Ruisseaux

Alan Poon csc

Fraser Brown csc Claudine Sauvé csc

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

Not pictured: Tico Poulakakis csc

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Canadian Cinematographer - September 2018 •

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Reflections with Yves Bélanger csc and Ronald Plante csc

By Fanen Chiahemen

Photos: Anne Marie Fox/ Courtesy of HBO

T

he HBO series Sharp Objects, based on the book of the same name by The New York Times bestselling author Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl, Dark Places), tells the story of reporter Camille Preaker (Amy Adams), who returns to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. Attempting to reconstruct a psychological puzzle from her past, the reporter finds herself identifying with the young victims a little too closely. Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins and Matt Craven co-star in the eight-episode series, which aired this summer and is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée, whose credits include the HBO series Big Little Lies, as well as the features Dallas Buyers Club, Wild and Demolition. On Sharp Objects,

Vallée and his long-time collaborator, DP Yves Bélanger csc, brought their trademark minimalist style, which involves shooting a lot of footage using handheld photography, virtually no movie lights and a small crew. As Bélanger was only available for part of the Sharp Objects shoot, he enlisted fellow Quebecer Ronald Plante csc – who would be working with Vallée for the first time – to share DP duties. Plante says Vallée was the “most demanding director I’ve ever worked with,” not even allowing a bounce on the single-camera shoot, which took place in Los Angeles and Atlanta last year. “Every light had to be on location, no lighting could come from outside, no rehearsals, shooting 360 degrees all the time, handheld, it was total Dogma,” Plante says. Plante and Bélanger shared their reflections on the experience with Canadian Cinematographer.

“Like Jean-Marc Vallée says, it’s about letting go, embracing the imperfect and accepting the flaws as a part of a bigger creative process. It’s a quest for freedom, basically for the actors and then for us too.”

– Ronald Plante csc

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

On the Rules of the Look Yves Bélanger csc: Jean-Marc doesn’t discuss a lot; he just tries things the first day during the test. I did some make-up tests and he started asking me to underexpose. He just had this feeling: “I think the show should be underexposed.” So that was maybe the only concept that was different from the other shows. Plus, he became obsessed with the idea that inside some rooms at night would have the effect of car headlights passing. First we used real cars, but sometimes it was impossible, so I had some guys with small lights on a dolly and tracks to make the effect of the passing of car headlights. So those were his two obsessions: underexposed and cars.

Ronald Plante csc: He told me he wanted people watching the show to have to fight to see actors in the dark areas. And like Jean-Marc Vallée says, it’s about letting go, embracing the imperfect and accepting the flaws as a part of a bigger creative process. It’s a quest for freedom, basically for the actors and then for us too. It gives a lot of spontaneity to everyone.

Bélanger: Yeah, he wants people to call their TV repairman or something when they watch it. “Hey, there’s something wrong with my TV.” Plante: It’s like shooting Dogma style because we weren’t allowed to put up a bounce or anything.

Eliza Scanlen as Amma Crellin in Sharp Objects.

Bélanger: When you put a bounce, you have this little white square reflecting in the eyes of the actors. It looks absurd. Even in movies where I can light instead of putting a bounce, I overCanadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

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24 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2018

expose what the actor sees in front of him so in his eyes I can see the set or the landscape instead of the white card or shit like that. But Jean-Marc has common sense. If we have to re-create something, he knows we have to add lights, but still the lights have to come from the ceiling or from the windows. We can’t have a light in the middle of the room on a stand. Because he wants to be able to shoot 360. He really believes that it changes everything – it not only changes us, but it also changes the acting when the actors don’t have their safety net. You know, a nice, big diffused light is like a safety net for the actors, but without all that shit the actor becomes a lot more free. They try things. They forget about us. So it’s very interesting. It becomes almost like a play. Sometimes we shoot for 20 minutes, we do one slate and then at the end everyone’s running around and we’re like kids.

So it’s good for everybody. It’s frustrating sometimes because sometimes you’re like, “I wish I could see her face.”

Plante: [ John] Cassavetes used to shoot like that as well. And now it’s like mainstream. TV shows, like big HBO shows, are shot like an indie movie. And it’s even cheaper. This method of shooting comes from a small budget and no time to do things.

But now with the technology and the cameras, it is possible to work in a very light way. And what used to be independent and low-budget filming methods are in big-budget series, and it gives very interesting results and looks.

Bélanger: Yes, the filmmakers always tried to narrow down and to take out what I call “the fat” on film sets. Even [Frank] Capra in the ‘30s and ‘40s tried to have the set only for him, and he would kick everybody out and would shoot for an hour without make-up, without the hairdresser and things like that. Even the French in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a lot of movies were shot like that.

But I think Jean-Marc is doing it at a good time because technically now the cameras can do it, they can handle it and make it look even nicer than when you light.

Plante: Yes, thanks to the ALEXA Mini and the Master Primes.

And we are changing the T-stop all the time. It is our only weapon left to be able to not light. We pull and push the iris non-stop during takes, from T22 to T1.4. I’ve asked ARRI if they could somehow have a variable ISO on the ALEXA. I would use it as well for a better depth of field control.

“It was my first time working with Jean-Marc, and it was very hard because he doesn’t take no for an answer. And sometimes I had to tell him technical facts that he doesn’t like to hear, but then after he would take your suggestion, he understands. But the thing is I learned so much. It was hard, but I grew a lot.”

– Ronald Plante csc

Chris Messina as Detective Richard Willis.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

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14 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2018

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Canadian Cinematographer - June 2018 •

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On Pre-Production and On Set Bélanger: In pre-production we just saw the locations and we had boring meetings.

Plante: On my side, there were some locations I didn’t even see before shooting. There was no scouting, no nothing, we just arrived and boom, we shoot. And it turned out beautifully. The director is with us; it’s his concept, so he’s always going to cover our ass. He has a great eye, so he would never put us in an impossible situation. He knows what’s good. So even though there’s no scouting, he always finds the right place. So it’s not an economical criteria, it’s a freedom criteria. It comes from the director; it doesn’t come from the producers. Since it comes from JeanMarc, we know that we’re okay.

Bélanger: On set a lot of work went into practical lighting, and it was done with the production designer. It’s a bit like on Big

Little Lies, there’s a couple of big studio sets that look very natural that we had to work with as an actual location. Everything has to come from outside and everything has to come from inside. We had an electrician build things, even outside, install a light bulb in some way as to be available to the camera. Everything we put in has to be able to be shot, so never cinema lights or anything. The toughest part with those shows is the camera.

The camera, the camera operator, the DP, the focus puller. It’s all wide open, no rehearsal, but we had a great first AC, Patrick Blanchet.

On Vallée’s Method Bélanger: Because it was Jean-Marc’s second show with HBO, he made it very clear with them at the beginning. HBO is quite director/producer-oriented in the way they just give you money, make things clear and after that they let you go. You just have to remain very clear on what you’re doing.

Clockwise from top left: Amy Adams plays Camille Preaker. DP Yves Bélanger csc shoots with minimal light. Amy Adams with Patricia Clarkson, who plays Adora Crellin. DP Ronald Plante csc (left) with skating instructor Trey Knight, who coached the roller skating scenes shot with an electric car.

“The filmmakers always tried to narrow down and to take out what I call ‘the fat’ on film sets. Even Capra in the ‘30s and ‘40s tried to have the set only for him, and he would kick everybody out and would shoot for an hour without make-up, without the hairdresser. Even the French in the ‘50s and ‘60s, a lot of movies were shot like that. But I think Jean-Marc is doing it at a good time because technically now the cameras can do it, they can handle it and make it look even nicer than when you light.”

– Yves Bélanger csc

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

Yves Bélanger csc.

Plante: Jean-Marc’s working method is to have all the camera crew speak French. Even our first AC, Patrick Blanchet, lives in L.A., but he’s from Quebec. And the camera operator, Orlando Duguay, speaks French. All the people near the camera where Jean-Marc is. Because otherwise if he says, “Get closer,” sometimes the cameraman will say, “You mean me or the actor?” But if he says it in French – “Rapproche-toi! Rapproche-toi!” – well, everybody knows he’s speaking to the camera crew. So it’s like a secret language for communication, which is an amazing tool.

Bélanger: Yes, because he speaks during takes to the actors and to the cameraman, so before it was a big problem. Everybody thought they had to get closer when he said, “Get closer,” so now it’s English actors, French crew.

Plante: And it’s even Quebecois French. It was my first time working with Jean-Marc, and it was very hard because he doesn’t take no for an answer. And sometimes I had to tell him technical facts that he doesn’t like to hear, but then after he would take your suggestion, he understands. But the thing is I learned so much. It was hard, but I grew a lot.

On the Role of the DP Bélanger: There’s a lot of DPs who still think their job is to light the actors, the set and everything, and it’s an old habit from the studio system, old habits from the fact that the food chain of film was very complex, so it was to fix the weaknesses of the film. That was at the beginning when movies were silent; the lighting was the language, but for me the light is there to tell the story. And as the DP, you help the director to tell the story with the framing and with the lighting. With Jean-Marc we do the same thing, but it’s where the camera should be. It’s all story. A lot of DPs think their job is to make a nice picture, but it’s not; it’s to tell the story.

Plante: And to work without light is to understand lighting like

Ronald Plante csc.

no one else. It is lighting in its essence. It’s very well thought of, and I’ve seen the setups that I did without lighting that had so many beautiful mistakes. A DP’s brain cannot imagine that, it’s just natural. It takes a lot of knowledge to work this way, and it’s a lot of hours of shooting and years of shooting to be able to achieve that level of quality and truthfulness. Because if you don’t have enough experience, you’re dead. This method of shooting cannot be a producer’s request or an economical request because then everything falls apart and it’s going to be ugly. So a DP who says anyone can do this, no, it’s not true. You have to be very good at what you do and so knowledgeable.

For me, [Steven] Soderbergh is the best example to look at.

Soderbergh is a great DP, and he doesn’t light anything. He started doing DP work on Traffic because he wanted to be free.

That’s a good example of no lighting, and it looks pretty good all the time. It’s a good-looking film, but there’s no lighting. It’s an artistic process. It takes time to happen, it doesn’t just happen like that.

Bélanger: Yes, it’s control. Instead of playing with a 1000-watt Fresnel in the studio with high flags, we work with the sun, with the curtains, we work with the practicals that we move a little bit, we put smoke here and there. At the end it’s more controlled. It’s just freer; everybody is more free and it’s more organic.

Plante: It really grows on you. I’m afraid I’ll be not using light anymore ever.

Bélanger: I like to use light to point out a place to look at, but not for the actors. With a lot of DPs, it’s automatic, they come into a place and say, “Okay, we have to have a fill light and a back light.” For me now it’s more like, “Is it something that I need to tell the story? Okay, the sink there is important, so I’m just going to blast a light on the sink that’s in the back.” So, yeah, it’s very different. Although sometimes the actors are wondering why we’re not lighting them but lighting the set.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

21

Van Royko

csc

The Fall of the

T

with the King of Quebec Cin

he Fall of the American Empire is the latest feature from cinema legend Denys Arcand and is linked thematically to his Oscar-nominated The Decline of the American Empire (1986) as well as, The Barbarian Invasions, which won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2004. The Fall charts the journey of Pierre-Paul Daoust, a 36-year-old intellectual with a PhD in philosophy struggling to make a living as a deliveryman. A routine delivery brings him into contact with a botched hold-up that leaves two dead and millions of dollars up for grabs. Pierre-Paul must decide whether to turn in the money or claim it for himself.

To photograph his latest feature, Arcand enlisted Montreal native Van Royko csc with whom the director had previously shot two art installations. Royko’s body of work includes the award-winning documentaries Monsoon and Koneline: Our Land Beautiful, but The Fall of the American Empire would be his first feature film, and he felt particularly privileged to be making it with Arcand, whose other prominent films include Jesus of Montreal (1989), Love and Human Remains (1993) and Days of Darkness (2007).

“He’s almost the king of Quebec cinema. Jesus of Montreal is one of the top Canadian classics,” Royko says of the director. “His films have a lot of ideas going on in them. They’re always pretty deep and intellectual films, and they’re very emblematic of the cultural landscape of Quebec over the years. For me, it’s kind of fascinating and weird to be able to participate in some of that.”

Upon reading the script for The Fall, Royko recognized a slight departure from Arcand’s previous features, which informed the way the DP approached the cinematography. “It was much more of a popular film than I thought it was going to be,” he says. “I realized that although it was philosophical like his other films, it was

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

By Fanen Chiahemen an entertaining film, there’s police chases, there’s a heist, there’s also a very comedic aspect to it. There was a sort of balancing act to do between it being funny and also being dark at certain times. I decided to tailor my work to a wider audience in a sense. Denys is really a filmmaker that comes from the script, he comes from the words. It was never my intention to make a film where every single shot would become a work in itself. The cinematography in the film really had to work hand in glove with the story.

“So a lot of the time, I lit things more from a popularized approach,” he says. “It was important that everybody was well seen in the film because it basically has almost every big actor in Quebec. And the film at its core is a fun and heartwarming story and I felt that this above all needed to be expressed in the cinematography.”

Royko’s general philosophy was to craft naturalistically beautiful scenes. “I rode a fine line between using enough light and to make it shine while trying to keep it feeling natural and motivated. I wanted the actors and Montreal to sparkle but in the most subtle way possible,” he explains. “It was really just lighting and making shots from the position of a naturalistic tendency and restraint, which was kind of weird for my first-time feature, but I think it worked well. I think it tempered any kind of too much excitement I might have had.”

The film was shot on location in Montreal in 45 days with a few additional days of second unit shooting. “We shot in so many different places, it was pretty extraordinary,” Royko recalls. “We shot at the Oratoire, the Musée des beaux-arts, which is very difficult to get access to.

We shot in almost every corner of the city. It was amazing. I feel like now when I drive through this town it’s definitely made Montreal even more my home just because I’ve looked at it from every which way. Like, ‘Okay,

ema

DP Van Royko csc with 1st AC Martin Brouillard.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

23

Credit: Bertrand Calmeau

e ir p m E n a ic r e m A

‘

Credit: Bertrand Calmeau

“He’s almost the king of Quebec cinema. Jesus of Montreal is one of the top Canadian classics. His films have a lot of ideas going on in them. They’re always pretty deep and intellectual films, and they’re very emblematic of the cultural landscape of Quebec over the years. For me, it’s kind of fascinating and weird to be able to participate in some of that.”

Above: Actors Patrick Abellard and Alain Goulem. Right: Van Royko csc sitting on his PeeWee.

Alexandre Landry, who plays Pierre-Paul Daoust, with Maripier Morin in a still from the film

24 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

Credit Maripier Morin

I’ve shot there; I know what’s behind that.’ It’s really fun to be able to shoot that many days in your home town and to be able to frame your home town like that.”

It was difficult shooting on the city’s Mount Royal, though, the DP recalls. “We had a shoot up on the mountain, a night shoot,” he says. “We had to cover some really big areas, and we chose a fairly small setup. I chose to do it with some LED lights to kind of make some streetlamps at night, and we had a couple of 4K and 6K HMIs, just to put some depth in and open up some trees. Afterwards, my whole team was like, ‘Wow, I can’t believe we managed those wide shots with such a small number of lights.’ Because I guess usually people take up a lot of cranes and a lot of 18K HMIs in those situations. But I just figured we could do it with a little bit less.

“I was always trying my best to do as much as possible with as little as possible,” he continues. “I just really believe in a motivated single-source feeling to light whenever possible. And just because it’s a motivated single-source aesthetic doesn’t mean you don’t have 12 lights and 54 flags around.

It’s just how it happens, especially when you’re on location. The idea was to always make the light look like it was coming from somewhere and had a reason for being there.”

For other night scenes, he and his team built several streetlamps lit with small 20watt LED panels. “We’d fill it up with a China ball, so we’d have a China ball on a boom that would just kind of go with us for these walking scenes, and that worked really nicely,” he says. “There is one romantic scene where the two principal characters are spending their first moment together and they’re in front of a cityscape, and it’s the one shot that’s a little bit unrealistic in terms of light because there’s a very

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

25

Credit: Eduardo Urrutia Credit: Bertrand Calmeau

‘

Top: Maxime Roy and Louis Morissette. Bottom: Alex Landry and Rémy Girard, with Royko operating a gimbal during the walking shot.

“There was a sort of balancing act to do between it being funny and also being dark at certain times. I decided to tailor my work to a wider audience in a sense. Denys is really a filmmaker that comes from the script, he comes from the words. It was never my intention to make a film where every single shot would become a work in itself. The cinematography in the film really had to work hand in glove with the story.”

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

soft backlight that falls on them and it could kind of be the moon, but it’s too strong to be the moon, but at the same time it creates this very romantic almost surreal feeling at that moment.

And the lens is wide open, and the city lights are almost like fire on the close-up, and I think it was the right moment to kind of make things a little hyperreal.”

A heist scene was shot over three days, half in a parking lot and half inside an abandoned strip mall, Royko recalls. “We were having to do lighting continuity from, like, 8 o’clock in the morning to 8 o’clock at night, so we had two big 18Ks on cranes, which was not a lot for that kind of situation, and actually it was just enough to make certain things work at the end of the day and the beginning of the day,” he says. “We cheated a lot with our angles in order to keep the light pretty continuous, and I worked a lot in colour correction on those scenes.

I really think colour correction is amazing; we’re really blessed to have it these days. It can really help you out with your continuity and contrast and stuff like that.”

For his camera and lens package, he chose the ARRI ALEXA Mini with Master Anamorphics, partly because he wanted to do his own gimbal work.

“Because I’d done a lot of my own gimbal work in documentaries, I knew I could have a gimbal standing by and if me or Denys got inspired to do a camera movement, we could do it without having to book a Steadicam in advance,” he says. “It let us have the ability to do Steadicamlike shooting anytime we chose, but because of the inherent weight limits of most gimbals it wouldn’t have been possible with anything but a camera like the ALEXA Mini.”

The action scenes were among his favourite to shoot because Arcand would have him shoot handheld, which Royko enjoys from documentary shooting. “Every time people were running or shooting was the time to make the camera more dynamic,” the DP says. “It’s pretty intuitive for me to break down a scene with handheld. The difference in fiction is you get the chance to rehearse and practice it, so I would just run through it with the actors once or twice, and then we’d set it all up and time it all. It was a luxury you don’t have in documentary to rehearse something and re-shoot it and re-shoot it again, so that was a lot of fun.”

As is the standard in Quebec, Royko operated the camera, evenly employing a dolly and gimbal, as well as handheld

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shooting. “The PeeWee dolly was great. It was just a revelation for me to be able to have such precise and quick control all the time in terms of framing, and especially moving the camera up and down,” he says. “Fiddling with tripods is time-consuming and is often frustrating on a documentary.”

While Royko is used to shooting a lot of coverage in documentaries, he was surprised to find that over-shooting was not Arcand’s style. “He’s very specific; he won’t shoot a whole master of a scene because he knows he won’t use it and it’s just a waste of time and energy,” the DP says. “Denys chooses the two or three shots he knows that he needs for a scene. Sometimes it was only one. Often I would turn to him and be like, ‘Are you sure you don’t want another piece of coverage?’ And he was always very confident – ‘No, I’ve got it. I’m sure I’ve got it,’ and it worked out. He’s a very efficient filmmaker.”

Royko suggests some of Arcand’s style may have origins in the director’s own background in documentary filmmaking.

“Denys started on docs as well, and I think that’s why we both have a real no B.S. approach to things in terms of we just look for what works, and there’s very little pretention,” Royko says.

“He knows how to make decisions quickly, and I know how to make decisions quickly with a high degree of confidence. I just feel it allowed us to work very fluidly.

“He’s very calm, cool and collected, and he’s a super magnanimous person,” Royko adds. “He’s just so happy and generous to everyone around him. And he doesn’t worry about it either. I would say to him sometimes, ‘Are you sure this is going to work?’ And he would crack a smile and say, ‘Well, we’ll find out.’ He’s very confident in his work and he instills that same calm and confidence in his crew. He doesn’t download any stress. In fact, he raises the people up around him so that it raises the work in general. So for me as a first-time DP, there was no drama, there was no stress, there was nothing ever that came from him that made me lose any confidence or my ability to do my job. I don’t know if that’s the norm, but I just know that going forward, as I work on bigger projects and work with my own teams and do different kinds of things

‘

“We shot at the Oratoire, the Musée des beaux-arts, which is very difficult to get access to. We shot in almost every corner of the city. It was amazing. I feel like now when I drive through this town it’s definitely made Montreal even more my home just because I’ve looked at it from every which way. Like, ‘Okay, I’ve shot there; I know what’s behind that.’ It’s really fun to be able to shoot that many days in your home town and to be able to frame your home town like that.”

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

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32 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

Credit: Bertrand Calmeau

that require more direction from me, I will really take that kind of cool, calm and collected approach. Because I think if you can, that’s the way to go for everybody to enjoy themselves and to bring each other up all the time. To do my first film under these conditions made me feel blessed. It was like winning the lottery.”

Reflecting on the differences between documentary and feature film shooting, he says, “It’s a different pace. In documentary you make fast decisions and you do things very quickly. In fiction there’s a lot of waiting. You’re much more of a director of photography in fiction because you’re directing a lot more people. I might have one assistant in a documentary, but in fiction you’ve got 12 people working for you and all these moving parts, and you really have to trust your guys and you really just Maxim Roy and Maripier Morin. have to hone your communication skills away from documentary. I think I would miss something. The and try to be as clear as possible.

“It was definitely really enjoyable, and I’d definitely do it again,” privilege of a documentary filmmaker is really something that he continues. “There’s so much more to explore, and I hope to doesn’t exist anywhere else. You just get to pop into people’s work with other directors and see different visions and ways worlds and witness new stories happening in front of you all the of working. I don’t know if it would ever take me 100 per cent time, and it’s just a real rush.”

F

systems that did feel like 16 mm haven’t currently released anything above 2K resolution.

So consider this – shoot on an affordable 8/16 mm camera, gain the dynamic range/colour of film not limited to codecs or compression. Then have it scanned in 4K in a virtually lossless codec. Edit and grade directly from the original scan (or

Credit: Justin Lovell

ilm has always held a special place in my heart. For many reasons: the gentle purr of the camera, intuitive ergonomics and simplicity of an analog medium, to name a few. The depth of field and grain characteristics that make up the image has a beauty unto itself.

Kodak has improved their stocks, re-

sulting in smaller-format Super 8 Vision 3 50D looking as slick as older 500T 16 mm. I’ve recently been developing Super 8 50D, pushing the exposure 3 stops during processing and getting sharp, fine grained images. I prefer the results from this processing approach to the look of 500T processed normally.

On the digital side, engineers have acceptably emulated the 35/70 mm look. Post FX plugins have been created to emulate the 8 mm look (though often poorly).

However, the same attention has not been paid to recreate the 16 mm look in camera, setting this format apart. The few camera

Cinematographer Adam Crosby inspecting 35 mm film he hand scratched before scanning.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

31

Tech Column

Current Digital Tech Changes the Film Debate

Tech Column 30 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2018

34 • Canadian Cinematographer - September 2018

Power up with

make temporary low-res editorial files).

This minimizes any generation loss (which in the film days was unavoidable due to necessary multiple generations), and in fact, DI allows for generation improvements through well-engineered plugins.

With all these advancements, there is a caveat: what post house has kept current and upgraded their antiquated scanners (if they haven’t already been trashed while evolving with the digital revolution)? By no fault of theirs, if the volume of film scans isn’t providing a good return on investment, money can be better spent/made elsewhere.

So then comes a company like Lasergraphics, who make the Scanstation.

Year after year, they made great strides to stay at the bleeding edge of technology. They continually work to maximize what is possible to pull out of negative and reversal film.

Recently, Lasergraphics added optional functionality to perform 2-pass HDR (high dynamic range) to their Scanstation, one flash of exposure for the shadows and one for the highlights. The two images are then combined. This in turn has proven to significantly minimize the amount of sensor noise, resulting in cleaner highlights and shadows than was previously possible. Along with the 2-pass, they’ve increased the scanning speed. As a result, it allows lower-budget filmmakers high-quality scans at attainable rates. I’ve done a number of restorations/re-scans of older films for CSC

members and cinematographers now that they understand what’s possible to gain from the tech improvements today.

It is important to note that not all scanners are equal. Not all 2K scans are of the same quality. It’s like saying that a 4K iPhone image is the same as a 4K ALEXA image – different sensors, different technology.

I’ve seen a big resurgence at Frame Discreet (the company I started in 2004 out of necessity when I couldn’t afford high-quality scans). Younger cinematographers who didn’t grow up shooting film are embracing the opportunity to explore film, challenging themselves, creating images that stand apart from the slick digital resolution race.

Our Super 8 production cameras are going out weekly on music videos, behind-the-scenes for movies, and recently wrapped a feature film. Netflix has taken the test at shooting Super 8 scanned to 4K (rather then shooting 4K digital and faking it in post). They were thrilled with the ease of workflow and results we gave them, and it is considered true 4K. As funny as it may seem, now is a great time to be shooting film. Especially with the latest digital engineering advancements, you have the ability to create some incredible analog images.

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Justin Lovell is an associate member. @justin_lovell @frame_discreet framediscreet.com Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

33

The Visual Technology People

31

| MISSISSAUGA TORONTO Canadian Cinematographer - June| OTTAWA 2018 • CALGARY | EDMONTON

VISTEK.CA

The Masters “In recognition of those who have made an outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.”

This past year was not only the CSC’s 60th anniversary, it also marks the 30 years of recognizing extraordinary excellence through the CSC’s Masters Award. This special honour is conferred upon cinematographers who have transcended from practicing their craft into leaders of their craft by influencing the cinematic art form thorough their exceptional creativity, technical skills and ingenuity. Originally called the Kodak New Century Award, it was renamed the Masters Award in 2014 to reflect industry changes brought about by the digital age.

This is part nine in a continuing series highlighting the exceptional cinematographers who have received the Masters Award.

By Guido Kondruss

34 • Canadian Cinematographer - September October 2018 2018

George Willis csc, sasc 2011

B

orn in a suburb of Johannesburg, South Africa, on November 5, 1946, George Willis was the only child of Ruth and Henry Willis, a cabinet maker. Willis learned carpentry and life skills working alongside his dad in the family workshop during his formative years. Willis considers his father his greatest teacher and mentor. Besides woodworking, young Willis also had a penchant for art and drawing as a teenager, which eventually led him to art school at Cape Technical College in Cape Town. It was here that Willis indulged his artistic passions and studied the paintings of the great masters. It was also here, in his final year at the college, that Willis took an introductory photography course, sparking his interest in camera images.

As a recent college graduate at age 22, Willis landed his first job as artist with the Cape Town advertising agency Farquhar and Amis and built the company’s first photographic department. Through his advertising job, Willis also came into contact with English film crews shooting commercials.

From the first moment he stepped on set, Willis saw his future and began learning the film business. Working his way through the ranks, Willis became one of Africa’s top directors of photography. He was also much in demand internationally not only for his exquisite camera technique and precise lighting skills, but as a commercial director as well. By 1986, Willis was calling Canada home, having been invited to join Schulz Productions, the legendary Toronto commercial house.

Willis has shot more than 2,000 commercials and over 40 documentary and narrative films. A technical innovator with the eye of an artist, Willis has collected a mantle full of awards such as the Clio, Bessie, Mobius, and Loerie awards, as well as accolades from Cannes and the New York Film Festival.

Willis continues to be based in Toronto and is the current president of the CSC.

Ousama Rawi csc, bsc 2012

Ron Stannett csc 2013

E

R

ven as seven-year-old watching movies at local cinemas in Baghdad, Ousama Rawi already felt the passion for his future career. He yearned to create those wonderful images that danced before his eyes on the screen. Born on March 3, 1939, in the Iraqi capital, Rawi was the son of a politician and a diplomat. By age 10, he was enrolled at the Edinburgh Academy in Scotland where his love of images became engrained through photography. As a young adult in 1959, Rawi landed his first industry job as a production assistant at the high-end commercial production house Francis Montagu in London. It was here that he observed cinematographers such as Oswald Morris bsc at work and was mentored by the likes of Freddie Francis bsc. Eventually, Rawi became a much sought after commercial cinematographer, and by 1970 he was shooting features in the British film industry.

In 1977, Rawi landed in Toronto under contract to shoot commercials. In the ensuing years, he partnered and established some of Canada’s most iconic commercial production houses. However, Rawi still kept one foot firmly planted in shooting long format films, where his best was yet to be realized. Rawi was the director of photography for all four seasons of the critically acclaimed historical drama TV series The Tudors (2007-2010). With his filmic sensibilities and creative eye, Rawi pushed digital capturing systems of the day to their limit. Using available light sources together with camera movement and depth composition, Rawi created lush, captivating images reflective of 16th century England. His work on The Tudors set a new standard for television production and is considered one of the reasons behind the series’ success. For his work on The Tudors, Rawi has received a Primetime Emmy, three CSC Awards, two Geminis and an American Society of Cinematographers nomination.

Rawi divides his time between Toronto and Los Angeles.

on Stannett csc was born March 21, 1944, in the coastal community of Townsville in northeast Australia. His father was a carpenter and his mother was a homemaker who was highly creative and provided her son with grounding in the arts.

By age seven, Stannett was acting in community theatre, landing principal roles in productions such as The King and I. As a youth, Stannett entertained becoming an actor, but by the time he left school at age 17, he found himself employed by a company making electrical motors. While this satisfied Stannett’s technical side, his creativity craved an outlet. He found it in local television in Townsville, where Stannett multi-tasked, working numerous jobs, including stints as a morning show host and sportscaster. But it was the motion picture camera that stirred Stannett’s keenest interest. When offered the job of news cameraman, he leapt at the opportunity. Stannett’s new profession eventually led him to Sydney, shooting news before wanderlust took hold and he immigrated to Canada in 1969.

Settling in Toronto, Stannnet quickly branched into commercials and documentaries, where in 1975 he won the CSC cinematography award for his work on the documentary Creative Spirit. A collaboration with legendary producer/ director Robin Spry culminated with Stannett’s first steps into scripted long format filmmaking to shoot two of Spry’s early features. As Stannett’s reputation flourished as a highly creative director of photography with exceptional technical ability, so did the demand for his talent. Stannett has worked with numerous top directors such as Don Shebib and John Badham, and is the visual force behind dozens of movies of the week and television series such as Lonesome Dove (19945), which garnered him a Gemini and a CSC Award for his cinematography. Stannett is also the DP of choice for the many Hallmark films shot in Canada.

Stannett is based out of Vancouver.

Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018 •

35

Production Notes Calendar

ANOTHER LIFE (series)

DP Ryan McMaster csc Camera Operator David BercoviciArtieda

to November 20

Langley

ARROW (series)

DP Gordon Verheul csc (odd) & Neil Cervin csc (even)

to April 27, 2019

Vancouver

BLOOD AND TREASURE (TV series)

Camera Operator Alfonso Maiorana 2nd Unit DP Claudine Sauvé csc

to December 15

Montreal

CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, THE (series)

DP Stephen Maier (alternating episodes)

to December 5

Langley

CORONER (series)

DP Samy Inayeh csc

to November 7

Etobicoke

DC’S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW IV (series)

DP David Geddes csc, asc (alternating episodes)

to January 24, 2019

Burnaby

DIGGSTOWN (series)

Operator Forbes MacDonald Jr

to October 15

Dartmouth

EXPANSE, THE IV (series)

DP Jeremy Benning csc B Operator/Steadicam Yoann Malnati

to December

Toronto

FLASH V (series)

DP Brenton Spencer csc & Alwyn J. Kumst csc (alternating episodes)

to April 19, 2019

Vancouver

GOOD WITCH, THE V (series)

DP John Berrie csc B Camera Operator Paula Tymchuk

to December 13

Toronto

GREEN HARVEST II (series)

DP Glen Keenan csc (odd) & Tico Poulakakis csc (even) B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc

to November 22

Toronto

HEARTLAND XII (series)

DP Jarrett Craig

to October 1

Calgary

HOT ZONE (miniseries)

DP François Dagenais csc

to November 16

Toronto

iZOMBIE V (series)

DP Michael Wale csc

to January 21, 2019

North Vancouver

KASLAN PROJECT, THE (feature)

DP Brendan Uegama csc

to November 2

Burnaby

LOST IN SPACE II (series)

DP C. Kim Miles csc (alternating episodes) B Camera Operator Ken Krawczyk csc

to February 12, 2019

Burnaby

MAGICIANS IV (series)

DP Corey Robson (alternating episodes)

to November 9

Vancouver

MEMORIES OF CHRISTMAS (MOW)

DP Paul Mitchnick csc

to October 5

Vancouver

MONKEY BEACH (MOW)

DP Stirling Bancroft csc

to October 13

Vancouver

MURDERS, THE (series)

DP Kamal Derkaoui csc

to December 20

Burnaby

MURDOCH MYSTERIES XII (series)

DP Yuri Yakubiw csc 1st Assistant Kevin Michael Leblanc

to November 6

Toronto

OCTOBER FACTION, THE (series)

Data Management Technician Marc Forand B Camera Operator Perry Hoffman

to December 17

Toronto

PERCY VS. MONSANTO (feature)

DP Luc Montpellier csc Camera Operator Richard Wilmot 1st Assistant Pierre Branconnier

to October 5

Winnipeg

PUPPY PREP ACADEMY (series)

DP/Operator Mark Irwin csc, asc

to December 14

Victoria

RIVERDALE III (series)

DP Brendan Uegama csc

to March 30, 2019

Langley

SEE (series)

B Cam Operator Ian Seabrook csc

to March 30

2019 B.C.

SNOWPIERCER I (series)

DP Thomas Burstyn csc, nzcs (alternating episodes)

to December 2

Langley

STAGE MOTHER (feature)

DP/Operator Tom Harting csc

to October 20

Halifax

SUITS VIII (series)

Camera Operator/Steadicam Michael Soos

to November 20

Toronto

SUPERGIRL IV (series)

DP Michael Storey (alternating episodes)

to May 15, 2019

Langley

SUPERNATURAL XIV (series)

DP Serge Ladouceur csc Camera Operator Brad Creasser

to March 26, 2019

Burnaby

TWILIGHT ZONE (series)

DP Craig Wrobleski csc

to March 8, 2019

North Vancouver

WHEN CALLS THE HEART VI (series)

DP Michael Balfry csc

to October 31

Burnaby

WORKIN’ MOMS III (series)

DP Maya Bankovic Camera Operator Brad Hruboska soc B Camera Operator Robert J. Barnett

to October 17

Toronto

WU ASSASSINS (series)

DP John Bartley csc, asc

to November 15

Vancouver

OCTOBER 1-3, Drone World Expo, Las Vegas, expouav.com/incorporating-droneworldexpo/ 6-7, Cine Gear Expo Atlanta, cinegearexpo.com/atlanta-expo 11: HD Source Open House, Toronto, hdsource.ca 17-18, NAB Show New York, nabshowny.com 20: DGC Awards, Toronto, dgc.ca 20-21, CSC Lighting Faces Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca

36 • Canadian Cinematographer - October 2018

NOVEMBER 10-17, Camerimage International Film Festival, Bydgoszcz, Poland, camerimage.pl/en 13-14, ProFusion, Toronto, profusionexpo.com 16, CSC Lens Testing Module, Toronto, csc.ca 17-18, CSC Camera Assistant Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca

Classifieds EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Canon CN-E Prime Lenses 24mm T1.5, 35mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 In excellent condition. EF mount, covers S35 and full frame. Asking $3400 each.

Contact info@johnker.com.

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

• Excellent condition • 4x5.6 and 138mm. clears included Today’s value in U.S. dollars $13,705 U.S. Selling price $9,500 CDN PLEASE CONTACT: Bert Tougas H: 514-634-2374 C: 514-913-2376 I have 15 - 3x3 Tiffen filters for sale - fogs, Promists Grads, 812's etc. all with cases $185.00 - contact Barry Casson csc - 250-7212113 or e-mail bcasson@speakfilm.com TIFFEN ULTRA STEADICAM , HD Ultrabrite color monitor ,HDMI Decimator 2,Iso-elastic arm, 4-24 volt batteries, 1-Pag battery charger 24v,1Lentequip battery charger 12/24v,Klassen vest and carrying bag, 1 Preston F1+Z transmitter 1 Preston MDR-1 receiver,1 Preston control, 2 motors, 2 batteries, charger, numerous Hill motor mount brackets rossette brackets and rods, 1 long dovetail plate,1 short dovetail plate, 1 docking bracket,1 fgs wheel chair/ dolly adaptor,rain cover, too many cables, hard cases and accessories to list.This rig was well maintained looks new,all it needs is a few upgrades. $ 35000.00 can 416 817 3938 or acadian@ rogers.com Rick Kearney Preston FIZ 2 kit - $5,000 2 x Arri MB-20 studio matte box - $8,000 Arri LMB-15 Clip-on matte box - $1,200 Power-Pod Classic - $5,000 Please contact Michael Balfry csc @: michaelbalfry@gmail.com for a complete list of items.

Looking for a set of old, no longer used, standard legs with Mitchell base. Or any type of disused heavy camera support.

This is to be used to mount a Mitchell BNCR camera in order to place it on display. Anyone with access to such a tripod or with information about one, please contact me: rawi@earthlink.net 416-691-6865

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.

@canadiancinematographer @csc_CDN

Canadian Cinematographer welcomes feedback, comments and questions about the magazine and its contents. Please send your letters to editor@csc. ca. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

SkyPanel: At your command.

Advanced Control. Simple Design.

SkyPanel Firmware updates are all about adding versatility and control - harnessing the awesome power of the SkyPanel and putting that potential into the hands of the gaffer, lighting designer, or programmer.

SkyPanel Firmware 4 takes this ability to new heights with features such as Extended Color Control, light engine DMX control, additional lighting effects, Stage Mode, SkyPanel Web Portal, and much more.

Download SkyPanel Firmware 4: www.arri.com/skypanelfirmware4 SkyPanelÂŽ is a registered trademark of Arnold & Richter Cine Technik GmbH & Co. Betriebs KG.

SOFT LIGHTING | REDEFINED

VENICE Where you want to be VENICE comes equipped with a 36x24mm full-frame 6K sensor, dual ISO, enhanced colour science, and the ability to capture images in almost any format or aspect ratio, as well as the ability to use virtually any lens.

As a filmmaker, Sony’s VENICE puts you in a position to capture breathtaking images with stunning lens flare, bokeh and emotional impact. Exactly where you like to be.

COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS GROUP • Direct: 416-644-8010 • CommercialVideo@vistek.ca PHOTO | VIDEO | DIGITAL | SALES | RENTALS | SERVICE

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