Cinematography World issue 016

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EDITORIAL TEAM

Ron Prince has over three decades of experience in the film, TV, CGI and VFX industries, and has written about cinematography for 20 years. In 2014, he won the ARRI John Alcott Award from the BSC. He also runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR.

Birgit Heidsiek is an award-winning sustainability consultant, author, TEDx speaker and founder of the European Centre For Sustainability In The Media World (www.greenfilmshooting.net), which informs about eco-friendly film and media production.

Christine Gebhard & Gerd Voigt–Müller are founders and managing editors of the German-speaking publication film-tv-video.de. They are industry veterans with a deep knowledge of the film, TV and cine market.

“Count” Iain Blair is a British writer/musician who lives in LA and writes extensively about film/entertainment for outlets including LA Times, Variety and Reuters. He interviews movie stars, as well as Hollywood’s top filmmakers.

Darek Kuźma is a film and TV journalist, translator/interpreter, and a regular collaborator/programmer of the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival. He is an ardent cinephile who has a lifelong romance with the visual language of cinema.

Iain Hazlewood has three decades of experience in marketing and media, across music, TV/film and electronics. He writes extensively about the UK’s folk and roots music scene, and interviews DPs and manufacturers in the film world.

Kirsty Hazlewood has over two decades of editorial experience in print/online publications, and is a regular contributor to folk/roots music website Spiral Earth.

Natasha Block Hicks is an artist/designer/maker, who spent a decade as a freelance film and TV camera assistant, and indulges her love for cinema and cinematography through research and writing.

Oliver Webb is a freelance journalist based in the UK, and is the founder/ editor of CloselyObservedFrames. His interests include screenwriting, British New Wave cinema and the works of Ingmar Bergman.

Seth Emmons is an American writer and communications professional who has explored the intersection of art and technology through production tools and techniques for nearly two decades.

Cover Image: MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – DEAD RECKONING – PART ONE. © 2023 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Aim to achieve the highest level of cinematography

Cinematographer

Madhu Ambat ISC

DR.STRANGELOVE OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BOMB

Change is a constant, and you could easily be frightened to death about things that go on.

After J Robert Oppenheimer developed the world’s first atomic bomb, the world was gripped by the fear of total annihilation in an episode of mutually-assured destruction. Looking into the future, in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One, the anxiety resides around ‘The Entity’, a terrifying intelligent weapon that threatens all of humanity.

In today’s world, for those participating right here, right now, in the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, the existential threat comes from AI (artificial intelligence) being used to replace writers and actors.

Look a bit wider – at examples like The Galactic Menagerie, an AI-generated trailer for an imaginary Wes Anderson Star Wars film, The Frost, in which every shot is generated by a bot, and Jake Oleson’s Given Again, which uses neural radiance fields to transform 2D stills into 3D objects and environments – and you begin to wonder what impact AI will have on the camera department, and cinematographers in particular. Indeed, there’s a tweet I read recently about DPs getting new business cards calling themselves “Camera Placement Operatives.”

Of course, as with nuclear proliferation, the genie is out of the bottle when it comes to AI, and it’s perfectly understandable and sensible, that people are on picket lines demanding protection. Whether AI will actually distil the DP’s role down to the doomsday scenario of a bod fixing-up the cameras and lights to a pre-ordained spreadsheet… I’m not so sure. There are a lot of assumptions currently, without the benefit of actualities, time and consideration behind them.

A lot will rest on how AI is regulated with regard to how much it might affect your job in making moving images. Even if AI brings about tremendous change, it will also create tremendous opportunities too. So a lot will also rest in how you evolve, adapt and embrace the future. Forewarned is forearmed.

One has to believe there will always be a need for creative people with vision and imagination, who know their craft and how to use another new tool in the cinematic toolbox.

Stay safe and best wishes.

Ron Prince Editor in Chief

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Ron Prince photo by Joe Short www.joeshort.com

Official Media Partners

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The ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance lenses are designed to provide a unique look, no matter the sensor size. Capable of covering S35, Full Frame and beyond, you can be confident in developing a look all your own, no matter the camera you choose.

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54 MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE –

ONE

30 INDIANA JONES AND THE DIAL OF DESTINY

60 OPPENHEIMER

28 THE DEEPEST BREATH

64 ASTEROID CITY

EXPANDING HORIZONS

In the constantly-evolving landscape of our business, challenges are an inevitable part of the journey. We initially set-up operations in Belgium in 2021 as a direct response to the challenges of doing business in Europe after Brexit, the new facility allowing us to continue shipping to countries within the EU without charging VAT.

However, due to its immediate success and with an increasing demand for kit, it soon became apparent that a larger facility with wider stocking solutions and improved delivery times was required. As a result, from the beginning of February 2022, new premises and web capabilities were brought on stream.

Over close to four decades in business, our commitment to delivering first-class service has been at the core of our ethos. With continued investment in our Brentford Engineering and ProRepairs Service facility, development of

CVP is an advocate of sharing knowledge and promoting everything that we as a community do, highlighting and championing the amazing craft skills and talented individuals that we have working throughout the industry. We create opportunities to learn and share, such as the recent European Lens Summit where, over the course of a weekend in May, we hosted over 26 brands and delivered 32 free-to-attend training sessions and technical workshops. We have more events of this type planned across multiple locations too. We encourage customers to visit our versatile demo facility which can be configured to accommodate all varieties of events, workshops and tests to create bespoke solutions.

The team driving our European growth is led by René van der Reiden, who joined the company last August as the MD of CVP Belgium. He is supported by account managers Niels Lubbers (based in Netherlands) and Benoit Foucault (Belgium), plus internal sales support from Maarten Vanhove (Belgium) and the members of the ‘Care Team’, a dedicated unit that supports customers across the whole of the UK and EMEA region including offering local language assistance for phone and web enquiries.

Overall, the team brings extensive knowledge and experience of the whole supply chain and multiple industry sectors to the table, a range of insight that will benefit both us and our customers as we help shape the future of the media industry.

Service & Support

Run by engineering manager, Ismail Kalinbaldir, who has almost 20 years of experience as an authorised engineer to some of the largest brands in the industry, the team at CVP Belgium are authorised to perform ‘ free’ in-warranty repairs to any legitimately EUsourced product from approved manufacturers.

Reinventing Service in Europe

extensive warehousing infrastructure, central London showrooms and events spaces, as well as ongoing recruitment of highly skilled Technical Advisors and Sales Consultants, we are continually redefining the benchmark for customer service across the creative industries. And anyone that knows us will not be surprised that we are bringing that same focus and attention to detail to our European operation.

The cine business in Europe is vibrant and dynamic, and our facility in Vilvoorde, just outside Brussels matches that, comprising over 850sq/m of sales office, demo space, engineering and warehousing, dedicated to stocking the latest and most popular production equipment. The expanded operation not only enables us to tackle the challenge of availability with a large local stockholding, but also improves delivery times and affords access to our locally-based knowledgeable technical sales and support advisors.

Building & Supporting Communities

We design CVP spaces as a destination that celebrates all aspects of our community, providing free technical training, craft workshops, early access to the latest production equipment as well as socialising and networking events.

Our customers expect and deserve the best service. We are a trusted partner to the majority of the brands we sell, and are thus immensely proud of our manufacturer approved, state-of-the art Authorised Service Centres (ASCs). CVP is proud to be the only ASC in the world approved to service so many of the top manufacturers in the industry, including Sony, RED, Teradek, SmallHD, TV Logic, Ang é nieux, Cartoni, O’Connor, Sachtler, Vinten and Litepanels.

The new facility in Belgium includes a new Engineering Department which stocks the largest collection of spare parts in Europe. It is also home to a team of specialist technicians whose wealth of knowledge, expertise, and direct experience of production and testing enables them to turnaround repairs and services at scale and speed, ensuring that downtime on gear is minimised.

We have also built a dedicated Service Centre, expanding CVP ’s unparalleled and well-regarded Pro Repairs and Service Capabilities to the rest of Europe. We have crewed this with a team of best-in-class repair technicians responsible for setting up and configuring various diagnostic and calibration tools, providing quotations for repair work as required, and spot-checking new equipment.

We feel there has long been a gap in the European market for fast and reliable repairs and service. Responding to the challenges of doing business in Europe after Brexit gave us our initial bridgehead in Belgium, and we have built upon that progress since to the point where we now have a major new facility that can deliver first class service and repairs across Europe.

As we embark on this new chapter, we are excited about the opportunities Belgium presents and very much look forward to forging successful partnerships and growing our presence in the heart of Europe.

Jon Fry CVP CEO

We are excited about forging successful partnerships and growing our presence in the heart of Europe

SARA PUTT APPOINTED AS BAFTA’S NEW CHAIR

BAFTA has confirmed that Sara Putt has been appointed BAFTA’s new chair, taking over the role from Krishnendu Majumdar. Putt, who is the MD of UK talent agency Sara Putt Associates, served as BAFTA deputy chair for two years and has also been involved with BAFTAs Learning, Inclusion & Talent Committee, which she chaired from 2014-2020. In addition to being a BAFTA trustee, she is also a trustee of the Film & TV Charity, sits on the board of the British Film Commission, and has also

FILM LONDON LAUNCHES THE RENEWABLE ENERGY GRID PROJECT

Film London has launched the Grid Project, a pilot scheme supplying renewable energy to productions in the UK capital that will reduce CO2 emissions as well as air and noise pollution.

Led by Film London, the Grid Project introduces the supply of green energy via the mains network, installing an electrical feeder pillar at a key unit base in Victoria Park, London. Industry leaders across film, environment and policy have supported the pilot, with funding from the Mayor’s Good Growth Fund supported through the London Economic Action Partnership; NBCUniversal; Interreg Europe’s Green Screen and the British Film Commission.

The Victoria Park pilot has been co-delivered

produced a number of short films, including the BAFTA-nominated Tattoo.

The results of BAFTA’s Sector Committee and Council elections have also been confirmed, after 82 candidates stood for election this year. The newly-elected and re-elected Sector Committee candidates are: Film Committee –Anna Higgs, Anthony Andrews, Emily Stillman, Nainita Desai, David Proud and Julie La Bassiere; TV Committee – Sue Vertue, Claire Zolkwer, Christine Healy, Rajiv Nathwani, Adeel Amini and Furquan Akhtar; Games Committee

with Tower Hamlets Council and The Film Office, engineering consultant ARUP, UKPN, contractor Ingenious Power and bespoke power distribution pillar specialist Lucy Zodion. 100% renewable energy will be supplied by Ecotricity.

When filming on location, productions usually plug into diesel or petrol generators at unit bases for their energy supply. Detailed analysis completed by ARUP for Victoria Park estimated that during 2018, production generators consumed 64,082 litres of diesel and 1,656 litres of petrol. The estimated CO2 emitted by the generators was 169,556kg. The estimated annual particulate matter (based on 0.03g/ kWh) was 7.43kg. Estimated annual Nitrous Oxide produced from diesel and petrol was 2,393kg.

The installation of electrical feeder pillars that productions can plug into will reduce CO2 emissions and air pollutants from particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide by 100% at point of use, as well as significantly reducing noise pollution. The power cabinets are also available for use during events held in the park, reducing diesel generator usage in other industries.

As part of the industry’s efforts to reduce emissions, this follows the launch of The Fuel Project, a report funded by Interreg Europe’s Green Screen and delivered by Film London, in partnership with creative business consultants

ICG OFFERS FINANCIAL RELIEF FOR MEMBERS AFFECTED BY WGA STRIKE

The International Cinematographers Guild (ICG/IATSE Local 600) has announced a comprehensive series of financial relief policies for members affected by the 2023 Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike, including the creation of a Work Slowdown Hardship Fund.

“The guild’s board has the honour and responsibility to lead our members through this work slowdown, as we did during the pandemic,” said Baird B. Steptoe, national president of the ICG. “During a crisis, none of our members stand alone.”

During the guild’s recent national executive board meeting in Manhattan Beach, the board also approved two additional motions designed to provide economic relief to members affected

by entertainment industry labour disputes, including a dues opt-out option for the fourth quarter of 2023 and deferring the collection of initiation, delinquency and any other instalment plans through September 2023.

“Local 600 believes that all workers deserve a fair contract,” said Alex Tonisson, newlyappointed national executive director of ICG. “Providing financial relief during this strike is one way to help our members while supporting solidarity in our industry.”

The 2023 Work Slowdown Hardship Fund allocates $250,000 – with an option to increase to $500,000 – to provide grants of up

– Del Walker, Katherine Bidwell and James Brooksby; and Council – Sara Curran, James Dean and Michael Pritchett. The first committee meetings will begin in September, for the start of the new awards season.

Creative Zero. The report provides practical information, steps and support to film and TV production suppliers as they make the move toward new, low carbon technologies.

Attendees at the launch in Victoria Park, London, included: Rob Huber, MD UK & Ireland, Universal Pictures International; Shirley Rodrigues, London’s deputy mayor for environment and energy; Andy Harries, chief executive and co-founder of Left Bank Pictures; and Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of Film London.

“This is an innovative project in the UK, which we hope creates a template for future developments,” said Wootton. “We are fullycommitted to making our screen industries as sustainable as possible, and initiatives like the Grid Project are a brilliant way of guaranteeing lower levels of emissions and noise pollution.”

to $1,000 to individual Local 600 members in good standing who are in financial need due to work lost or delayed by any entertainment industry labour actions in 2023, including the ongoing WGA strike.

This fund is being administered through the Entertainment Community Fund, and criteria for eligibility are determined by the national executive officers in coordination with the. The ICG previously offered similar financial support to its membership at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 12K

Introducing the world’s most advanced digital film camera!

URSA Mini Pro 12K is a revolution in digital film with a 12,288 x 6480 Super 35 sensor built into the award winning URSA Mini body. The combination of 80 megapixels, new color science and the flexibility of Blackmagic RAW makes working with 12K a reality. URSA Mini Pro 12K features an interchangeable PL mount, built in ND filters, dual CFast and UHS-II SD card recorders, USB-C expansion port and more.

Digital Film in Extreme Resolution

URSA Mini Pro 12K gives you the benefits of shooting with film including amazing detail, wide dynamic range and rich, full RGB color. Incredible definition around objects makes it ideal for working with green screen and VFX including compositing live action and CGI. Super sampling at 12K means you get better color and resolution at 8K as well as smooth antialiased edges.

Cinematic 12K Super 35 Sensor

The URSA Mini Pro 12K sensor has a resolution of 12,288 x 6480, 14 stops of dynamic range and a native ISO of 800. Featuring equal amounts of red, green and blue pixels, the sensor is optimized for images at multiple resolutions. You can shoot 12K at 60 fps or use in-sensor scaling to allow 8K or 4K RAW at up to 120 fps without cropping or changing your field of view.

Record to Blackmagic RAW

Blackmagic RAW makes cinema quality 12-bit, 80 megapixel images at up to 60 frames a reality! Constant quality encoding options adapt compression to match the detail of the scene. Constant bitrate gives you the best possible images at a consistent file size. You can record to two cards simultaneously so you can shoot high frame rate 12K or 8K on CFast or UHS - II cards.

Fast and Flexible Post Production

Shooting RAW in 12K preserves the deepest control of detail, exposure and color during post. Best of all, Blackmagic RAW is designed to accelerate 12K for post production, so it’s as easy to work with as standard HD or Ultra HD files. Blackmagic RAW stores metadata, lens data, white balance, digital slate information and custom LUTs to ensure consistency of image on set and in post.

Blackmagic

URSA Mini Pro 12K

£5,179

EURO CINE EXPO 2024 DATES ANNOUNCED

Euro Cine Expo 2023 created quite an impact in Munich this year, with a mix of indoor and outdoor exhibition space featuring over 100 exhibitors, multiple seminar/technical spaces, running two full days of content, including a workshop with Harlon Haveland and Oscar and BAFTA winning DP James Friend ASC BSC talking about the lighting choices he made when framing All Quiet On The Western Front, plus a session with DP Armin Franzen and director Hans Steinbichler discussing the filming of their forthcoming feature A Whole Life

The organisers have already announced dates for 2024, with the event running from 27th - 29th June and including a full-day symposium hosted in a silent seminar format.

Rob Saunders, event director, said, “Euro Cine Expo 2023 was a great success – visitors and exhibitors enjoyed the unique setting of Motorworld,

Munich. We saw a big growth in local visitors, while also improving on our international audience. Next year, our plan is to deliver a stronger event, with two half days of Expo, one full day, and a full-day symposium, delivering multiple sessions at one time, in one location, via silent seminars, where audiences can listen to content using headsets and getting a higher quality of audio.

Euro Cine Expo 2023 brought industry together, business was done, new connections were made. We are really looking forward to 2024 and the opportunities it will deliver industry.”

TIFFEN LAUNCHES

NEW

BLUE STREAK AND ARRI LENS FILTERS

The Tiffen Company has added a new special effects filter to its line of optical filters. The Blue Streak filter is designed to render a blue light ray from a point light source, creating the classic look of an Anamorphic lens. Rotation of the filter allows the user to adjust the angle and direction of the of the light ray streak to suit the desired composition or effect.

Tiffen Blue Streak filters come in a choice of 2mm or 3mm streak spacing. They are each available in standard sizes (4×4, 6.6×6.6, 4×5.65, 138mm) as well as rounds to fit the IOP rear filter system on the Angénieux Optimo Prime Series. Special sizes are available upon request.

Also new, filmmakers who use ARRI Signature lenses can add their favourite Tiffen filters to the ARRI Magnetic Rear Filter Holder on each lens. Installation does not require any special tech or tools. Tiffen’s integral ring of 12, high-

power magnets on each filter ring align perfectly with those on each Signature lens, enabling more creative options when it comes to strengths and varieties of filtration. It also means less weight than having matte boxes and filter holders in front of the lens.

Cine professionals can choose from the large range of Tiffen diffusion filter types—including Black Fog, Night Fog, Black Pro-Mist, Antique Black Pearlescent, Antique Pearlescent, Antique Satin, Smoque, the array of Glimmerglass and many more. As with front-of-the-lens filters, Tiffen rear filters come in a choice of grades from 1/8 to 2.

SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH HITS THE SPOT WITH NEW DIOPTERS

Shortly after the launch of the Classic ND filter collection, SchneiderKreuznach has now introduces brand-new spot diopters.

With a plain, polished area of either 25mm or 50 mm in its centre, this special filter type provides sharp images in the middle and an out-of-focus zone towards the edges of the frame. This results in dreamy images with an in-focus centre that guides the eye of the viewer towards a designated area.

The effect is controllable and reaches from subtle to strong, depending on the diopter’s strength, the diameter of the plain area, and the used focal length. That is why Schneider-Kreuznach offers its spot diopters in six variants: Plain areas of 25 and 50 mm combined with diopter strengths of either +1/2, +1 or +2.

PIXIPIXEL CUTS 130 TONNES OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Pixipixel made significant strides in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the past year. By adopting Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) as a primary fuel source, the camera and lighting rental house has successfully slashed a staggering 130 tonnes of emissions.

Pixipixel upgraded its transport and generator fleets to run on vegetable oil in autumn 2021 to reduce its operations’ environmental impact. A year later, the business decided to look at the progress since the start of the initiative and now shares a comprehensive report on the impacts of its conversion to HVO fuel.

Authored by sustainability consultant Roxy Erickson and sustainable transport specialist Alex Lewis-Jones, both from Creative Zero, the report explores Pixipixel’s fuel procurement for the period 2021-2022 and

Given that they are produced as 138mm drop-in filter cells, the spot diopters are usable in compatible matte boxes. The filters are made in Germany and will be available from August 2023.

evaluates the climate impact from this diesel to HVO transition. The results show a remarkable 87% reduction in Pixipixel’s overall fuel-related carbon footprint from 2021 to 2022.

Through the adoption of HVO, Pixipixel has achieved rapid and impactful results.

More importantly, this transition has also benefited production companies using Pixipixel’s services by reducing the emissions of the fuel sent out in generators and by reducing the shared emissions of their transportation to set. When hiring-out generators as part of a lighting equipment rental package to film and television productions, Pixipixel sends them out with a full tank of HVO. Productions refuel as needed and, as part of the contract, clients are required to refuel only with HVO fuel.

COLOUR SCIENCE

With its innovative light engine, Panalux Sonara produces a broad, even spectrum of variable white light at a high CRI, TLCI, and SSI, from 1600K-20,000K. Render natural skin tones, tune across an array of pastel hues, and accurately emulate select LEE lighting gels.

CONTROL

Panalux Sonara provides the highest level of creative control with adjustable CCT, HSI, Gel, and x,y coordinate modes. Connect via DMX, LumenRadio CRMX, or EtherCON, or take command with the removable, ergonomic controller with custom UI.

Available in 4:4, 3:2, and 4:1 form factors, Panalux Sonara offers a low weight, slim profile, and integrated ballast. Refine the fixtures’ wraparound output via softbox, diffusion, or eggcrate, and rig how you like with comprehensive mounting options.

ROSCO AND SHOTDECK ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP FOR COLOUR INTEGRATION

Rosco has announced a new licensing agreement with ShotDeck, the world’s largest database of cinematic images, that will enable the integration of Rosco gel colour references into the ShotDeck library. The addition of the Rosco colour feature adds a new layer of search specificity for users of the site, which holds over 645,000 shots from films, television series, and music videos. Now, in addition to studying the compositions, sets, lighting, and camera angles from shots of iconic films, users will be able to identify specific Rosco colour references found within shots.

“We are thrilled to partner with ShotDeck to offer filmmakers a unique blend of technology and colourful inspiration,” said Mark Engel, CEO of Rosco. “By adding Rosco’s colour references to ShotDeck’s extensive visual reference platform, we are offering filmmakers another way to elevate their storytelling capabilities and unlock their full creative potential.”

DP Lawrence Sher ASC, founder of ShotDeck, expressed his

STC ANNOUNCES PROFESSIONAL FILTER SERIES FOR DJI MAVIC 3 AND MAVIC 3 CINE

Leading Taiwanese optics and photo/ video accessory manufacturer, STC, has revealed a brand-new series of specialist filters for professional and enthusiast aerial photographers and videographers with the STC Professional Optical Glass Filters for the DJI Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine.

The Hasselblad camera and colour science have been designed specifically for the Mavic 3 series, along with its M43 sensor camera and telephoto camera, which offer 10-bit colour, variable aperture, 4K/60fps, burst shooting and much more. All of this brings a new level of creative potential with composition and professional-level image capture from the

excitement about the collaboration, saying, “Rosco has long been synonymous with color and lighting in the film industry. By seamlessly integrating these iconic colours like R02 Bastard AmberTM and R29 Skelton Exotic Sangria into ShotDeck’s vast library of film images, we are providing filmmakers with another resource and layer of information that will fuel their creativity and enhance their storytelling.”

standard and Cine models.

In order to produce exceptional results from the DJI Mavic 3, STC has developed a series of dedicated optical glass filters that take aerial imagemaking to new heights.

Designed by professional aerial photographers and with more than 1,960 kilometres and 14,000 minutes during development, the new filter series has been founded on STC’s leading professional optical glass and manufactured with STC’s multi-layer nano-coating standards. Filters include CPL,

UV, ND8, ND16, ND32, ND64, and ND8PL. All are available individually or in collections to offer great value and convenience. The primary reason for using ND filters in aerial photography/videography is to achieve the correct exposure for the shot and to generate motion blur.

MATTHEWS INTROS ANTI-ROTATION TIP FOR INFINITY ARM

Matthews is offering a better way to level-up camera rigging with a new addition to its patented Infinity Arm system. The new interchangeable ARRIstyle Anti-Rotation Tip features locating pins, designed to save time and energy. This advance promotes safer rigging of cameras, monitors and accessories to 3/8’-16 antirotation receivers on popular cages with 3/8” threads (ARRI-style).

Accepted as an on-set standard that accomplishes a myriad of tasks, the versatile Infinity Arm system is a solution to help mount cameras, lights, monitors and other accessories. It features twin assemblies, each equipped with a 360-degree rotatable, interchangeable, and removable ball-in-socket assembly at its outer end.

The Infinity Arm is constructed from hardened tool steel insuring durability and strength. The two sections are joined at their common centre point by a radial rosette which locks the arms simultaneously into the optimal accessory placement position. A choice of quick-release tips facilitates the efficient addition/removal of accessories. Existing tips include: 1/4-20 (male

and female), and 3/8 (male and female), Mini Matthellini, 5/8 Baby Pin, 5/8 Baby Receiver, Vesa Mount, and Super Mafer Cheese Plate. The new Anti-Rotation Tip steps things up a notch by ensuring that mounted equipment and accessories will be completely secure, unable

to wiggle loose despite jarring moves which might occur in handheld mode, car work, or extreme conditions like a roller coaster. While a standard thread tip might be loosened by unforeseen vibrations, with the Anti-Rotation Tip, even whipping and jostling moves cannot cause counterclockwise rotation (loosening), thanks to the security of indexing locating pins.

Weighing 1.5lbs (.6kg), the Infinity Arm supports from 15-32lbs (6.8 to 14.5kg) depending on the configuration. The new AntiRotation Tip may be added to an existing Infinity Arm kit, available from Matthews’ dealers worldwide.

Photo Credit ASC Clubhouse

LEITZ ELSIE CHARAKTER BY DESIGN

BROMPTON LED PROCESSING BLURS VIRTUAL AND REAL WORLDS IN BBC DRAMA BETTER

From the producers of HBO’s awardwinning drama Chernobyl and This Is Going To Hurt, BBC’s new police thriller Better wrapped up its gripping first season in March 2023. To capture the crime series’ complex storyline of relationships of loyalty and family, the production team collaborated with Universal Pixels (UP), a video equipment supplier with a strong track record of providing playback for vehicle driving scenes. UP filmed multiple internal car scenes, utilising Brompton Technology’s cutting-edge 4K Tessera SX40 LED processors to seamlessly merge the virtual and real worlds on screen.

Providing a virtual production team and the necessary equipment to guide the production process seamlessly from start to finish, UP leveraged their extensive experience in the film

and TV industry to create an innovative VP setup tailored to the unique needs of the production.

“During our week-long shoot at Prime Studios in Leeds, we were given nine distinct plates that needed to be precisely positioned around the LED screen for playback,” said Dan Edmonds, UP’s ICVFX account manager.

“We used Roe Diamond LED panels to create three 6m walls and a Roe Onyx ceiling, with the processing expertly handled by three Tessera SX40 LED processors and six Tessera XD data distribution boxes. The playback was executed using disguise media servers, all fully genlocked.”

UP ensured that all their Roe panels were dynamically calibrated using Brompton’s Hydra advanced measurement system, making them Brompton HDR-ready. Additionally, the team utilised core features like Dark Magic, which they found vital during the project.

“As most of our shoots were carried out with

COOKE MACRO/I FF 60MM, 90MM & 150MM SPHERICAL MACRO LENSES NOW AVAILABLE

the LED processing running at a very low brightness level, particularly for the night scenes, Dark Magic proved to be instrumental in enhancing the details in the darker areas of the image, resulting in a significant improvement in the overall visual quality,” Edmonds explained.

The BBC crew were satisfied with the outcome. UP’s creation of multiple vehicle scenes was prominently featured in most episodes and played a crucial role in the series’ storyline

“When we saw the final production on TV, it was remarkable to see how seamlessly the LED volume had been integrated. It was almost impossible to tell which scenes were VP and which were on location shoot,” said Edmonds, highlighting the level of realism achieved through UP’s virtual production techniques and equipment.

MOLINARE FORMS

MOLINARE CREATIVE GROUP

In line with expansion and diversification into games and advertising, Soho-based post-production facility Molinare, has become Molinare Creative Group, designed to streamline the company’s business lines and bolster services to provide an end-to-end solution to the post-production industry.

Affiliated audio post production facility, Pip Studios, has been brought into the group, providing clients with localisation mixing, and services for the film, TV and Gaming communities.

Cooke Optics has announced that 60mm, 90mm and 150mm Macro/i FF 1:1 lenses are now available to order as a full set. The set of three spherical complimentary macro lenses are performance matched to the S8/i FF, Varotal/i FF, and S7/i FF and feature the iconic Cooke Look. Each lens has expanded focus scale marks for shooting as normal focus standard prime lens, with the ability to close focus down to 1:1 macro with a maximum aperture of T2.5. These unique macro lenses are equally at home for principal photography and table top product close-up shots.

At 1:1 macro, the close focus of the 60mm lens front measured from the sensor plane is 46 mm (1.8 in.). For the 90mm, the 1:1 close focus is 92mm (3.6 in.). For the 150mm, the 1:1 close focus is 162mm (6.4 in.).

With a small front diameter of 87mm, the new Macro/i FF lenses have been created for a wide variety of situations and today’s compact digital cinema cameras. Being compact, however, has not compromised strength, durability, or their exceptional image aesthetic.

As part of the new structure, Molinare Creative Group has acquired Digital Dailies and DIT company, Notorious DIT. Founded by Michael Pentney, Notorious DIT’s list of credits include The Gentlemen, Peaky Blinders and Heartstopper. Pentney will remain as the company’s MD and it will retain its branding. Operating as a separate division of the group, the investment signifies Molinare’s on-going commitment to providing a seamless service from shoot to final delivery.

In addition to the investment, Molinare has launched two brands, Sound Warriors and Voice Molinare, which provide external audio services for the games, advertising, TV and film communities.

Molinare TV & Film will continue to focus on delivering high quality post production services for the film, scripted/ unscripted TV community, including dedicated, offline facilities, picture and audio finishing, QC, mastering and delivery.

Nigel Bennett, CEO, Molinare commented, “The introduction of Molinare Creative Group reflects years of on-going work to develop, grow, and restructure the well-regarded Molinare brand. The new structure allows us to be clearer with what services we provide, the creatives who will be working on them, and where they are rolled out.”

Michael Pentney, MD, Notorious DIT added, “Since starting Notorious, we’ve had the privilege to work on some of the biggest dramas, films and factuals in the world. As we continue to grow, partnering with Molinare will enable us to realise our ambition. It was integral for any partner of ours to have the same ethos as us – fearlesslyindependent and willing to take risks to provide the most efficient solution for beautiful results.”

Bovingdon Airfield Studios: Independently-owned film and TV production complex, Bovingdon Airfield Studios, has presented a masterplan for the further development of its studios, building upon a 20-year history as a blank canvas for film shoots.

The site owners plan to rebuild the iconic WW2 control tower within the next few years, to be surrounded by an office accommodation hub for productions to base themselves from.

“Within our masterplan vision we would like to evolve the site to become a complex with a total of 240,000sq/ft of sound stages, 200,000sq/ft of production offices, 100,000sq/ft of workshops and 60-acres of multi-surface backlots,” says Bovingdon Airfield Studios managing director Harvey Mash.

“Our site has been designed with sustainability and user-friendliness being at the centre of our design brief.”

Bovingdon Airfield Studios currently comprises three permanent sound stages, three temporary stages, production workshops and extensive multisurface backlots.

The studio has been home to multiple production companies with past credits including Bohemian Rhapsody, Star Wars Rogue One and Sam Mendes’ multi-Academy, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning WW1 drama 1917. Other recent productions include See How They Run, plus the soon-to-be-released Masters Of The Air and spy thriller Argyle

Since 2017, Bovingdon Airfield Studios has also been home to ITV’s largest UK sound stage – the home of the hit production Dancing On Ice, and an ever-expanding list of primetime entertainment series.

Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden (WBSL):

Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden has some exciting releases this summer. The Flash (WB) was filmed extensively at WBSL on several stages, as well as the studio backlot, which was transformed into the DC fictional city Central City. The production used WBSL’s on-site dailies facility and all set lighting and rigging was serviced by Warner Bros. Set Lighting & Rigging, including some iconic UK locations such as Hatfield House, Knebworth House and St Paul’s Cathedral.

Barbie (WB) was also filmed at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, where the iconic Barbie dreamhouse was created on its stages, as well

Ealing Studios:

The UK’s renowned Ealing Studios has received planning permission from Ealing council for a new expansion that will add over 50,000sq/ft of facilities.

This includes a 14,000sq/ft stage, 10,000sq/ft of new workshops and 35,000sq/ft of additional offices. The expansion includes £20m of local investment and qualifies under the Net Zero Carbon Scheme.

Ealing Studios is dubbed the world’s oldest film studio and celebrates its 120 th anniversary this year. Recent films to shoot at the studio include

as several other sets, turning the studios suitably pink. Again, production lighting and rigging was provided by the teams at Warner Bros. Set Lighting & Rigging.

In other news, two more apprenticeship schemes have been launched as part of the WBSL Reach Apprenticeship programme, Warner’s dedicated studio apprenticeship opportunity. Applications are currently open for a facilities apprentice and a marketing apprentice, both brand new roles at WBSL. Offering a start in the world of film and TV, the scheme aims to provide a route into the industry without needing a specialised degree while gaining invaluable experience among experts in the field.

Darkest Hour, Downton Abbey and One Night In Soho.

Shinfield Studios:

The British Film Institute (BFI) has awarded £600,000 over three years to a Berkshire-based Skills Cluster to make the industry more accessible and help train and develop film and TV production crew. Slough-based Resource Productions CIC, Shinfield Studios and the University of Reading have recently partnered to create the cluster, which led to the successful bid for funding.

All groups within the cluster will work closely together to help identify skills shortages and coordinate training opportunities for production crew in the local area. The aim is to build a larger local skills base and help people find viable routes into the screen industry, whilst also providing

The Bottle Yard Studios, Bristol:

The Bottle Yard Studios has been awarded the 2023 Global Production Award for Best Sustainability Initiative, at a prestigious ceremony that took place during the 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

The award was made in recognition of the 1MWp community-owned rooftop solar array that powers TBY2, the Bristol studios’ new £12m expansion facility, which opened last Autumn. The array consists of more than 2,300 PV panels and is believed to be the largest community-owned rooftop array in the UK, and the biggest rooftop PV system in the UK studios sector.

Councillor Kye Dudd, Bristol City Council cabinet member for climate, ecology, waste and

MBS Group:

A recent break in production schedules provided The Wharf Studios, London, with an opportunity to host a weekend of Illumination Training. Facilitated by studio operator The MBS Group, as part of its work to create opportunity within the film and TV industry, the Illumination Training programme provides individuals from traditionally underrepresented communities with hands-on, industry-specific tuition.

The latest cohort, which included students from Ghetto Film School London and Barking & Dagenham College, were given an expert introduction to a range of film lighting and grip

effective career development support. The scheme will create opportunities for new entrants to the workforce from underrepresented backgrounds, as well as individuals up-skilling and over-50s jobseekers returning to work.

Recent developments include the on-going construction of Shinfield Studios. On completion, this brand-new, state-of-the-art production facility is set to become the fourth largest of its kind in the UK. With part of the site already open, it has started to attract some of the world’s most famous film and TV production franchises.

Nick Smith, joint managing director, Shinfield Studios, says, “Shinfield Studios will be a significant new facility in the UK and we’re mindful that we

have a part to play in helping to encourage the next generation of production talent.”

endorsement for The Bottle Yard Studio’s new TBY2 facility – which will create 1,000 jobs for our city – and it further positions Bristol as a world-leader in sustainability, setting new industry standards and benchmarks.”

energy, said, “The Global Production Awards recognise the very best around the world working in the film and TV industry. Receiving the Sustainable Initiative Award is a major

equipment, by gaffer Ian Barwick and lighting tech/board operator Dan Walters, delivered in The Wharf’s ‘real world’ studio environment.

A run of Illumination Training sessions has also been taking place at a selection of MBS Group operated studios in North America, including the iconic Radford Studio Center in Studio City, Los Angeles, plus Silvercup and Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York. The highlysuccessful programme continues to introduce a new generation of technicians to a broad range of film production equipment and techniques.

Radford Studio Center, which has been home to generations of landmark television

Indie Zero:

Indie-Zero film studios has announced that planning permission has been granted by the Royal Borough Of Greenwich for repurposing its current three-acre site to create a zero-emission, state-of-the-art film studio hub. The 4,000sq/ ft Studio E is already complete and available for dry hire, and comprises 56Db sound proofing, 20,000Kg grid at 27ft min height, 85ft x 45ft clear studio space, drive-on access, green room, production offices, on-site art department and set construction services provided by Helix, as well as 80 parking spaces.

Indie-Zero founder and CEO, Brian Dowling

says, “With the current skills shortage and the need for sound stage studio space, Indie-Zero’s plans tackle both of these issues simultaneously.

“I want Indie-Zero to be a globally-significant

The Global Production Award follows TBY2’s recent success in receiving the second-highest score out of 12 studios in the first cohort of BAFTA Albert’s new Studio Sustainability Standard. It was one of five studios that received a ‘Very Good’ rating, the highest grade achieved in the group. Launched in 2022, the global, voluntary scheme was designed by BAFTA Albert alongside global engineering and consulting firm Arup, to help studios measure and reduce the environmental impact of their facilities.

shows, including Gunsmoke, Gilligan’s Island and Seinfeld, is set for a $1billion makeover, to expand its facilities with a raft of major upgrades across the lot that will deliver a significantly-enhanced stage footprint and captalise on digital opportunities.

In partnership with major studio infrastructure creator, Hackman Capital Partners, The MBS Group, is also preparing to launch the brand-new Eastbrook Studios London. Due to open its doors at the beginning of 2024, Eastbrook is London’s largest studio campus, with 12 stages totalling over 250,000sq/ft, plus a wealth of supporting production infrastructure.

but community-focussed screen industries production hub that provides future generations with a career kickstart. Our aim is to establish a world-class, one-stop shop here in SE28 which is now 20 minutes from Soho via the new Elizabeth Line, as well as other burgeoning creative hubs to the east of London.”

Screen-based businesses that have already signed up for space at Indie-Zero include film production and editing companies, a creative production agency and a film medical services outfit and the site can still accommodate another dozen companies prior to full expansion.

PICTURE FRAMERS

Our regular round up of who is shooting what and where

ECHO ARTISTS:

Stuart Bentley BSC is prepping Aneil Karia’s feature adaptation of Hamlet. Nadim Carlsen DFF is lensing Locust, with director Keff Carlos Catalan is shooting episodes of the upcoming Disney+ series Rivals Federico Cesca ASK is shooting the first and third block of HBO/BBC/Bad Wolf’s Industry S3, directed by Isabella Eklöf. Rachel Clark has wrapped on Disney+ series Queenie, working alongside director Joelle Mae David. Nick Cooke has graded Christopher Andrews’ feature Bring Them Down Edgar Dubrovskiy is shooting and directing, alongside Kevin Macdonald, the documentary At War With The Klitschkos, produced by Docsville Studios. Jo Jo Lam recently shot Brian Logvinsky’s short film Catharsis Evelin van Rei NSC has wrapped on episodes of ITV/Sister Pictures’ series Passenger Michael Paleodimos has wrapped on the second block of Industry S3. Korsshan Schlauer is lensing BBC3 series Boarders, directed by Ethosheia Hylton. Bartosz Swiniarski is lensing the feature Things That You Kill, produced by Lava Films. Felix Wiedemann BSC recently lit Michael Kofler’s feature Second Country Sean Price Williams is shooting Athina Rachel Tsangari’s feature Harvest Nicolas Canniccioni, David Chizallet AFC, Andrew Commis ACS, Ruben Woodin

Dechamps, Bonnie Elliott ACS, David Gallego

ADFC, Charlie Herranz, MacGregor, Anders

Malmberg, Patrick Meller, Lachlan Milne ASC

ACS NZCS, Will Pugh, Noël Schoolderman, Niels Thastum DFF, Chloe Thomson BSC and Maria von Hausswolff have all been shooting commercials.

WIZZO & CO:

Congratulations to Chas Apetti who won the BAFTA TV Craft Award for his first long form narrative on Amazon’s Jungle, directed by Junior Okoli. Congratulations also to Nicola Daley BSC ACS who was invited to be a member of the BSC, and to Molly Manning-Walker whose directorial debut film, How To Have Sex, won at Cannes in the prestigious Un Certain Regard category.

Sverre Sørdal FNF has graded the feature Sister Midnight Charlie Goodger has done the DI on Big Boys S2, directed by Jim Archer. Ryan Kernaghan graded the feature Kneecap, directed by Rich Peppiatt, and is now shooting Wreck S2, directed by Chris Baugh. Gary Shaw has graded on The Burning Girls Jan Richter-Friis DFF is shooting second unit on The Leopard in Italy. Nick Dance BSC has done the DI

grade Sky’s Joy To The World, as well as his episode of Dr Who Adam Gillham continues shooting on A Gentleman In Moscow alongside director Sam Miller. Ben Magahy has graded Smothered, directed by George Belfield for Sky. Susanne Salavati completed grading on The Lazarus Project S2, and is now shooting the final block of Clerkenwell’s True Love alongside director Carl Tibbetts. Tim Sidell BSC is shooting an Apple drama. Murren Tullett shot the short Light Hearted, directed by Sye Allen. Dymtro Nedria has graded the Netflix Original For Your Eyes Only Oli Russell continues to shoot Red Eye,

Sheridan. Ashley Barron ACS shot an embargoed documentary project for director Margot Bowman. Steven Ferguson has graded his episodes of The Woman In The Wall Hamish Anderson continues to shoot documentary projects and also shot with Gosh Damn. Carmen Pellon Brussosa shot with Jonny and Will, Fede Alfonzo with Frank Todaro. David Procter BSC shot with Joe Connor, Will Bex with Guy Shelmerdine, Joe Douglas with Watts and Theo Garland with Chris Balmond. Henry Gill shot with Meeks and Frost, and Arran Green with KC Locke.

directed by Kieron Hawkes. Aaron Reid is lighting an embargoed drama for Moonage alongside director Tim Kirkby. Matthias Pilz shot an episode of Grace S4 for director Dan Zeff. Antonio Paladino has graded the feature Dance First directed by James Marsh. Christophe Nuyens SBC is shooting an embargoed project for Disney+. Franklin Dow shot an embargoed project for Violet Films. Luke Bryant has graded his episodes of Extraordinary S2, directed by Jennifer

This page: Ashley Barron ACS on Dangerous Liaisons; DP Gary Shaw (r) with Dan Lemon (l) holding Condom-cam, using an inflated condom, on The Burning Girls; Hamish Anderson on Look At Me Now with Leon Edwards x 2; DP Tim Sidell BSC on Sinkholes for Karen Russo, photo by Itay Moragv; and Antonio Paladino shooting with headcams.

M I S S I O N S O F O N E S T O P M I S S I O N S O F O N E S T O P

T o d i s t r i b u t e K 5 6 0 0 p r o d u c t s a s w e l l a s s e l e c t e d p r o d u c t s f o r t h e i r i n n o v a t i o n a n d u n i q u e n e s s .

M a k e K 5 6 0 0 a n d o t h e r p r o d u c t s a v a i l a b l e t h r o u g h a s u b - r e n t a l s e r v i c e e x c l u s i v e l y t o r e n t a l c o m p a n i e s , w i t h t h e g o a l o f d e v e l o p i n g p a r t n e r s h i p s v i a t h e s e a v e n u e s .

T o c r e a t e n e w t o o l s i n c o l l a b o r a t i o n w i t h t h e b e s t s p e c i a l i s t s i n o r d e r t o p r o d u c e i n t h e

K 5 6 0 0 w o r k s h o p s l i m i t e d q u a n t i t i e s o f t o o l s

a v a i l a b l e f o r r e n t a l o n l y . E x c e p t i o n a l t o o l s f o r

e x c e p t i o n a l s h o o t s .

UNITED AGENTS:

Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC is prepping for his next project. Søren Bay DFF filmed additional material on The Tattooist of Auschwitz Philippe Kress DFF has wrapped on Domino Day with director Eva Sigurdardottir for Dancing Ledge/BBC3.

project, shooting in Budapest and Malta. Donna Wade shot episode 2 of the next series of Vera in Newcastle. Danny Cohen BSC has concluded on Spook Street for Apple TV. Damian Paul Daniel is filming various documentaries whilst Fearless is on the festival circuit. Martin Fuhrer BSC is meeting for various project, as is David Higgs BSC Matt Lewis is in prep on Steve Knight’s A Thousand Blows for Disney Plus. Kieran McGuigan BSC is in post on Domino Day Laurie Rose BSC has finished on Apples Never Fall. Bet Rourich AEC is in post on Isabel Coixet’s latest film, Un Amor John Sorapure is in South America working on Paddington S3. Simon Tindall is filming on the opening block Sherwood S2 Ollie Downey BSC is shooting two episodes of Wool for Apple TV+/AMC Laurens De Geyter SBC is shooting The Couple Next Door, directed by Dries Vos David Rom has graded the opening block of Amazon’s The Devil’s Hour S2 Álvaro Gutiérrez recently concluded the opening block of Extraordinary S2 Si Bell BSC is lighting the feature Snowasis for director Chris Foggin. Sam Chiplin is shooting commercials, and in the autumn will be prepping director Justin Kurzel’s next series The Narrow Road To The Deep North Charlotte Bruus Christensen ASC is shooting commercials. James Friend BSC ASC has finished shooting a block on Star Wars franchise The Acolyte for Lucasfilm and is attached to director Ed Berger’s next production. Anton Mertens SBC is shooting Kidnapped, a BBC3 series with Al Mackay directing. Milos Moore is lighting the second block of A Thousand Blows for Disney+ with director Ashley Walters. Neus Ollé AEC BSC, Kate Reid BSC and Juan Sarmiento G. are reading and meeting. David Raedeker BSC is lighting Say Nothing, a new series for FX with lead director Michael Lennox. Niels Reedtz Johansen is prepping a series in Denmark. Ed Rutherford is shooting on The Serpent Queen S2 in France with director Kate Dennis. Anna Valdez Hanks is under offer for a feature which we can’t disclose. Ben Wheeler BSC is prepping the final

This page: Carmen Pellon Brussosa at work x 2; Joe Douglas on Vico for Bandits director Josh Cohen in Lisbon, and on O2 Roaming for Flipt director Tiny Bullet, also in Lisbon; Darius Shu on The Lime Green Shirt directed by Kaushik Ray; and Barry Ackroyd BSC at the Pierre Angenieux tribute in Cannes.

Opposite: Richard Stoddard shooting The Red King; Stephen Murphy with crew on The Tourist, and Dale Elena McCready on Belgravia for Carnival Films.

block The Tourist S2 with director Kate Dolan. Barry Ackroyd BSC became the 10 th cinematographer to receive the prestigious Pierre Angénieux award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and recently shot a commercial for director Brian Lee Hughes via Iconoclast in Bucharest. Alex Barber shot a Muller ad with directors Traktor at Stink, and a US commercial for director Andrew Douglas in Vancouver. Laurent Bares has been grading upcoming series Platform 7. Hatti Beanland lit a Whatsapp TVC in London for director Kate Cox at They Gather, London. Alfie Biddle has wrapped on Trigger Point S2 with director Audrey Cooke. Philipp Blaubach BSC is shooting The Diplomat S2 in London. Daniel Bronks was in Dubrovnik shooting a Fred Olsen spot for director Kit Lynch Robinson via Flipt, London. Simon Chaudoir recently shot a Depeche Mode music promo in Bulgaria for directors The Sacred Egg, and

Mark Nutkins is shooting Rivals with Happy Prince for Disney+. John Lee BSC is prepping for his next

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a L’Oreal ad with Dean Alexander directing in Paris. Sara Deane is shooting the feature film The Tower in Arkansas. Lasse Frank shot a commercial in Ljubljana for director Adam Hashemi via Czar, Berlin, and has been away in New Zealand on a US commercial for director Andreas Nilsson. Brendan Galvin ISC is shooting the feature Guns Up in New Jersey, for director Edward Drake. Stephen Keith Roach lit a music video for The Chemical Brothers with directors Dom & Nic in London at Outsider. Alwin Kuchler BSC is shooting The Palace for director Stephen Frears. Tim Maurice Jones is shooting the feature The Guests for director James Watkins in the UK. Alex Melman shit a Gigaclear commercial with director Jack Cole through Brave Spark, London. James Oldham shot an Omaze ad for director Adam Lambert at Transmission, and short film Maggie won Best Cinematography at the MANIFF Awards. Diana Olifirova was in Serbia, shooting a Bio-Kult spot for director Bethan Seller at Rogue Films. Tristan Oliver BSC recently shot I Am Your Mother for director Magda Osinska on Disney+. Jake Polonsky BSC is shooting TV series Surface S2 in London with director Ed Lilly. Chris Sabogal recently shot an Ocado commercial for directors 32 in London with Anonymous Content. Glynn Speeckaert ASC AFC worked with director Martin Werner on a Fiat ad in the US and then in Italy for Movie Magic. Alfred Thirolle shot a British Library TVC for director Gretchen Shoring through Citizen Films. Laust Trier Mork was in Vilnius on a Cetelem job for directors Terri Timely at Big Productions, Paris. Joost Van Gelder shot in Brazil with director Adam Berg, and most recently with director Nicolai Fuglsig on a Vodafone ad for MJZ in Ljubljana. Daniel Vilar has wrapped on the TV series Welcome To Derry in Toronto. Haris Zambarloukos BSC is shooting Beetlejuice 2 with director Tim Burton.

MCKINNEY MACARTNEY MANAGEMENT LTD: Stuart Biddlecombe has finished filming The Veil for FX. Ben Butler and Alessandra Scherillo have been shooting commercials. Denis Crossan BSC is shooting on The Rig S2 for Amazon. Sergio Delgado wrapped on A Gentleman In Moscow for Showtime/ Paramount+, and is prepping for Surface S2 for Apple TV+. Jean Philippe Gossart AFC shot on Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power S2 and is prepping on Wheel Of Time for Amazon. Steve Lawes has begun on Partygate for C4, with Joe Bullman directing. Dale Elena McCready BSC NZCS has finished filming on Belgravia for ITV. Sam McCurdy ASC BSC now shooting Firebug for Apple TV+, directed by Kari Skogland. Andy McDonnell is on Domino Day for Dancing Ledge Productions/BBC3. Richard Mott is shooting The Gathering for World Productions, directed by Gareth Bryn. John Pardue BSC has finished shooting Breathtaking for ITV. Richard Stoddard is filming The Red King for ITV. Robin Whenary has just started shooting Nightsleeper for Euston Films, directed by Jamie Stone

LOOP TALENT:

The agency welcomes DP Natalja Safronova, whose credits include How To Be A Person, which recently won a BAFTA for Best Mini Series. Ali Asad is on a European feature shooting this summer. Lorenzo Levrini is in pre-production for a UK feature. Paul MacKay is prepping for a feature. Matt North has wrapped on Silent Witness Rik Burnell is shooting a TV series. Chris Fergussson lit short form and is

now on Bad Education for the BBC. Jerry AmadiPradon is shooting a French HETV series. Emma Dalesman has been lighting various art projects. Bertrand Rocourt is shooting a documentary. Matt Gillan, Kyle Macfadzean, Nicholas Bennett, Jon Muschamp, Ali Little, Martyna Knitter, Olly Wiggins, Tom Turley, Tom Watts, Chris O’Driscoll and Aman K Sahota have been shooting short form. Camera Operator Jem Rayner GBCT ACO operated dailies on The Gentlemen James Anderson ACO has been operating dailies on Boat Story Jack Smith and Alice Sephton have been operating on commercials. Grant Sandy-Phillips has shot pick-ups on Midtown and The Kitchen Michael Eshun-Mensah operated dailies on Queenie, Joan and Mr Bates vs The Post Office Sebastien Joly ACO, Laura Seears, Michael Vega & Gary Kent have been operating Steadicam on short form projects.

for Wildgaze Films. Joel Devlin BSC is shooting on The Sandman S2 with director Rachel Leiterman for Netflix. Anna Patarakina FSF has started prep on the new six-part series Insomnia with director Börkur Sigthorsson for Left Bank Pictures and Paramount+. PJ Dillon ISC ASC continues principal photography on House Of The Dragon S2 with director Alan Taylor for HBO. Stephen Murphy ISC BSC continues principal photography The Tourist S2 with director Lisa Mulcahy for HBO Max and BBC1. Baz Irvine ISC BSC is still shooting on Silo S2 with director Michael Dinner for Apple TV+. Ed Moore BSC also continues principal photography on Silo S2 with director Amber Finlayson (Bert) for Apple TV+. Tibor Dingelstad NSC has graded The Doll Factory with director Sacha Polak for Paramount+ and Buccaneer Media. Mattias Nyberg BSC did reshoots on the upcoming Netflix series The Decameron with director Michael Uppendahl

WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION AGENCY:

Tony Slater Ling BSC wrapped principal photography on Cold Storage with StudioCanal and director Jonny Campbell in Italy, and is now shooting on Bad Sisters S2 with director Dearbhla Walsh for Apple TV+. Ruairí O’Brien ISC BSC has completed on We Were The Lucky Ones with directors Thomas Kail and Neasa Hardiman for Hulu in Romania, and is prepping on the new series Small Town, Big Story with writer/director Chris O’Dowd for Playground Entertainment and Sky. Jamie Cairney BSC wraps principal photography on Doctor Who with director Ben Chessell for BBC. Jamie then starts prep on the feature film Joy with director Ben Taylor

in Rome. Kanamé Onoyama AFC continues principal photography on Say Nothing with director Mary Nighy for FX. Arthur Mulhern ISC has wrapped on Nightsleeper with directors Jamie Stone and John Hays for Fremantle’s Euston Films and the BBC in Scotland. Mattias Troelstrup DFF continues on Sleepover with director Eva Husson for Quay Street Productions Star and Disney+. Nathalie Pitters is shooting on Queenie with director Makalla McPherson for Channel 4 and Lionsgate TV. Pedro Cardillo ABC is lensing on Joan with director Richard Laxton for ITVx. Callan Green ACS NZCS has wrapped principal photography on The Gentlemen with directors Eran Creevy and David Caffrey for Netflix. Paul Morris shot on Time S2 with director Andrea Harkin for

WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE

BBC, and is now working on Blue Lights S2 with directors Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn for BBC. Vanessa Whyte has wrapped principal photography on Horseface with director George Kane for Apple TV+, and graded her work on Ted Lasso S3 for Apple TV+ Bryan Gavigan worked on Passenger with director Lee Haven Jones for Sister Pictures and ITVx.

Shane F. Kelly is shooting Grace S4 with director Billie Eltringham for ITV. Matt Windon was on 2nd unit on the feature The Gorge for Apple TV+ with director Scott Derrickson. Joel Honeywell lit the short film Booty with director Cole Edwards. Adam Barnett lensed the short He Cried Wolf with director Halle Skye. Marcus Autelli shot a Barclays commercial with Caviar and Keith Schofield. Carl Burke travelled to Denver with NM Productions and director Giorgio Bruni to shoot Adidas’ latest campaign. Marcus Domelo shot with directing duo Big Red Button and Blink for Fisher Investments, and lit a spot for We Buy Any Car with Chief director Kyle Shepard. Matthew Fox filmed a spot for Lidl with Knucklehead and The Dempseys.

Jake Gabbay lit an ad with director Sophie Ray and Academy Films for Nike, and then shot a promo for Ama Lou with Partizan director Jackson Forsythe. JP Garcia ABC lit an Aston Martin commercial with Caviar director Sergi Castellà. Edward Gibbs shot with director Harleymoon Kemp and Prodigious on a Garnier campaign. Jaime Ackroyd lit a commercial for Lufthansa with Radical Media Berlin director Mollie Mills. Pieter Snyman is shooting with The Gate Films and director James Clancy for Very

INDEPENDENT TALENT GROUP:

Dan Atherton is shooting a new TV series Trinity, directed by Brady Hood. Chas Bain is prepping a special for Dr Who S14 with regular collaborator and director Jamie Donoughue. Eben Bolter BSC shot a McDonald’s job with Partizan director Michael Gracey. Balazs Bolygo BSC is in prep for 22/7, shooting in September. Darran Bragg lensed in block 3 of The Lazarus Project with director Sean Spencer. Bjorn Bratberg has wrapped on Shetland S8 with director Andy Newbery. Jordan Buck shot with directors Tim Brown and Nolan Goff. Miguel Carmenes lit a short for McLaren telling the story and celebrating their triple crown glory, and also shot with Matt Posner for Quickbooks and continued collaborations with regular directors Oliver Jennings, Silence and Amy Becker Burnett. Chris Clarke collaborated with photographer Nicolai Von Bismarck on a short piece for Dunhill, featuring Harris Dickinson and James McAvoy, and lit a William Hill ad with Familia director Will Smith. Ben Davis BSC is shooting director Ilya Naishuller’s Heads Of State Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC has been busy shooting back-to-back for Jacobs Coffee with Jamie Rafn and for Amazon with Eoin Glaister. Adam Etherington has been shooting Paris Has Fallen directed by Oded Ruskin. Arni Filippusson has just finished lighting Boat Story, directed by Jack and Harry Williams. Cinders Forshaw BSC has returned for Vera S13. Sam Goldie lit a commercial with regular

director Amanda Blue. Katie Goldschmidt is shooting the second season of House Of The Dragon Stuart Howell is on Interview With A Vampire S2. Rick Joaquim is shooting on Take Cover, directed by Scott Adkins and Nick McKinless. Suzie Lavelle ISC BSC has finished shooting on Severance S2 in New York, and is prepping for Mad About The Boy John Mathieson BSC is shooting Gladiator 2 with director Sir Ridley Scott. Bani Mendy is prepping in Guadaloupe with director Steve Brett on Death In Paradise S13. Andreas Neo has been lighting commercials, the most recent being at the virtual production studio Cube. Aadel Nodeh Farahani has graded a short film he recently shot in Scotland with director Nick Tree, starring Kate Dickie. Stephan Pehrsson BSC is shooting Surface S2. Dick Pope BSC – has just finished lighting Mike Leigh’s latest feature. James lit for TFL with director Christian Bevilacqua and a promo with Untold director Balen Evans. George Richmond BSC is shooting Deadpool 3 for director Sean Levy. Chris Ross BSC is on The Day Of The Jackal Ashley Rowe BSC is shooting Belgravia with director John Alexander. Martin Ruhe ASC is lighting The Amateur with James Hawes. Alan Stewart BSC is prepping The Stuntman with Damein Walters. Mark Waters is nearing the end of his stint on All Creatures Great And Small Erik Wilson BSC is prepping Paddington 3 with Dougal Wilson. Mark Wolf recently finished Everything’s Going To Be Great and is prepping for Mandrake

CASAROTTO RAMSAY & ASSOCIATES:

Sturla Brandth Grøvlen DFF has just commenced on The Summer Book with director Charlie McDowell. Greg Duffield has wrapped on the Apple comedy Trying S4. Matt Gray BSC has concluded on ITV’s Mr Bates Vs The Post Office, directed by James Strong. Hélène Louvart AFC is working again with director Karim Ainouz, on Motel Destino, shooting in Brazil. Tim Palmer BSC is shooting on Netflix’s Geek Girl, based on the best-selling books by Holly Smale. Tudor Panduru RSC is shooting Leonora In The Morning Light with director Thorsten Klein. Tristan Chenais, Ed Hubert, Beatriz Delgado Mena, Ebba Hult, Kate McCullough ISC, David Pimm, Fernando Ruiz and Annika Summerson BSC are all shooting commercials. Alfredo De Juan is prepping two documentaries, shooting later this summer.

SARA PUTT ASSOCIATES:

Emily Almond Barr will light the new series of Grantchester Giulio Biccari has just wrapped on Rebus for Eleventh Hour. Jan Jonaeus is shooting in the Balearic’s on The Mallorca Files S3. Aga Szeliga ACO has started on the Venom 3 Al Rae ACO is on location across the UK working on Stephen Frears’ The Palace, starring Kate Winslet. Andrei Austin ACO SOC is A-camera/Steadicam on Joan for Snowed In Productions. Andrew Bainbridge ACO is operating on Horseface for Big Talk/Apple TV. Chris Maxwell Assoc ACO is operating B-cam/Steadicam/Trinity on six episodes of BBC1’s Nightsleeper Dan Evans

This page: Pedro Cardillo on Joan; Callan Green with daughter Autumn, and also pictured with director Eran Creevy and producer Laura Jackson on The Gentlemen; Vanessa Whyte working on Ted Lasso x 3.

Opposite: Acolyte crew with Danny Bishop and Zoe Goodwin Stuart; Chris Summers (focus), Peter Wignall (crane op), Johnny Donne (grip) and Adrian McCarthy (grip) with Pink Floyd’s pig; Tony Kaye on Black Mirror Mazey Day in Spain with dolly grip Martin Twine (l) and DP David Luther (r), and on the road having fun!

Assoc ACO has just started on the new series of Mallory Towers Danny Bishop ACO is working on the Sam Mendes pilot The Franchiseas A-camera/ Steadicam operator. Ed Clark ACO has wrapped on Your Christmas Of Mine 2 George Amos has wrapped on Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, which was directed by Guy Ritchie. Ilana Garrard ACO is operating on a feature called O’Dessa, shooting on location in Croatia. James Frater ACO SOC is A-camera/Steadicam operator on The Gorge for Skydance and Apple TV+. James Leigh ACO is in Scotland working on Mammoth Screen’s Murder Is Easy Julian Morson ACO is working on Heads Of State with DP Ben Davis BSC. Rick Woollard ACO has been busy on commercials for Somesuch (Bank of Ireland), Riff Raff (BT), Rogue Films (McDonald’s) as well as doing dailies on Mary And George. Tanya Marar ACO is in Italy working on The Decameron for Netflix. Tom Walden ACO has wrapped on The Tattooist Of Auschwitz, the eight-part drama is based on the book by the same name for Sky. Vince McGahon ACO continues on the new series of Apple TV/See Saw films’ Slow Horses Will Lyte ACO has just started on Urban Myth’s Paris Has Fallen, shooting in Wales and Paris. Zoe Goodwin-Stuart ACO is working on Neal Street/HBO’s The Franchise as B-camera operator.

PRINCESTONE:

Of the agency’s DPs… Diego Rodriguez is filming a

feature film for Astronaut Films about Jamaican women’s soccer team The Reggae Girlz, with director Sharmeen Obaid Shinoy. He is also filming Poised, a feature length documentary about Steven France, ex-MMA champion, directed by Toby Robson for Two Yanks And A Brit UK, and is also involved in Project Compass, for Empress Films, three-part documentary directed by Marcus Plowright. Of the agency’s camera/Steadicam operators Simon Baker ACO has wrapped on the final series of The Crown with directors Christian Schwochow, Alex Gabassi and Stephen Daldry and DPs Adriano Goldman ASC BSC ABC and Sophia Olsson for Left Bank Pictures/Netflix, filmed in Majorca, Barcelona, Paris, England and Scotland. Michael Carstensen ACO is shooting on House Of The Dragon S2 staring Matt Smith, Graham McTavish and Eve Best. Rob Hart ACO has started on the thriller Sleepover for Quay Street/ITV. Tony Jackson ACO has been filming Bucharest and Spain on 20th Television’s mini-series for Hulu We Were The Lucky Ones with director Thomas Kail and DPs Tim Ives and David Pimm, starring Joey King, Logan Lerman and Robin Weigert. Tony Kay ACO has been shooting dailies on the BBC TV drama Domino Day with DP Philippe Kress, the new series of Rebus, and Mary And George, a series for Hera Pictures with Oliver Hermanus directing and Alexander Dynan as the DP, and starring Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine. Nic Milner ACO was in Turkey, where he was shooting The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, with director Guy Ritchie and DP Ed Wild BSC, starring Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson and Eiza Gonzalez. Dan Nightingale ACO is shooting on the new series of Sherwood with DP Simon Tindall, directed by Clio Barnard, starring David Morrissey, Lesley Manville, David Harewood and Robert Lindsay. Peter Robertson Associate BSC ACO has finished filming on M. Son of the Century, a Mussolini biopic, at

Cinecitta Studios in Rome, with director Joe Wright and DP Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC, for Sky Studios. Joe Russell ACO was in Spain filming on Andor S2 with DPs Christophe Nuyens SBC, Mark Patten BSC and Damia n Garcia, and directors Ariel Kleiman, Janus Metz and Alonso Ruizpalacios. Sean Savage Associate BSC ACO SOC is filming with the Fire Unit House of the Dragon S2 for HBO, starring Matt Smith and Graham McTavish, working with directors Alan Taylor and Andrej Pakereh and DP Alejandro Martinez. Fabrizio Sciarra SOC Associate BSC GBCT ACO has been shooting dailies on the feature film We Live In Time with Florence Pugh as the lead, directed by Andrew Garfield, with Stuart Bentley the DP. He also recently worked on the feature Speak No Evil with James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis for director James Watkins and DP Tim Maurice-Jones

BSC. Peter Wignall

ACO has finished shooting in London and Turkey on The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly

Warfare, Guy Ritchie’s new World War II drama feature for Jerry Bruckheimer Films, with DP Ed Wild BSC. Most recently Peter returned from Prague, where he was crane operator for the live concert of Roger Walters with DP Brett Turnbull, great fun with a cohort of wonderful operators!

AUSSIE RULES

By Natasha Block Hicks

We live like vagabonds,” muses Jason Ellson SOC as he contemplates the nomadic lifestyle that has become a feature of his career as a top Hollywood camera operator. For half a year, he has been half a planet away from the place he now calls home.

I’m speaking to him in New Zealand via Zoom the day after wrapping on Apple mini-series Chief Of War. Within one week, he and his gear must be in his native Australia, ready to start shooting on Mortal Kombat 2. It’s going to be a while before he can fly back to his family in Los Angeles.

Ellson grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. His father, a professional photographer, TV cameraman and early colleague of Oscar-winning Australian cinematographer Dean Semler AM ACS ASC, was an inspiring figure to the youngster. Ellson’s high school supported this passion with a strong photography course and darkroom, allowing him to “dive deep” into image composition and utilising the

Connections are how this business works

camera as a tool for conveying narrative.

Ellson describes early-90s Adelaide as being “a small market” when it came to movie production, but he gained a position at the local TV news station and would borrow the camera during his lunchbreaks to shoot little shorts in the park. He says he “fell in love” with narrative filmmaking during brief internships on visiting productions such as The New Adventures Of Black Beauty (1992-1993, DP David Foreman

ACS). Knowing that Semler had come from a similar background as himself steeled Ellson to pursue his ambition of a career in cinema regardless of the limited opportunities locally.

Ellson travelled to Singapore and developed his skills in long-form news and documentaries working for a production company that handled Southeast Asian contracts for worldwide corporations such as the BBC and NBC. A direct conduit to the USA opened when the company boss invested in a Steadicam rig, and sent Ellson to Rockport, Maine to undertake the Paul Taylor Steadicam Workshop. At the turn of the new century, as an accredited Steadicam operator, Ellson moved permanently to Los Angeles.

Operator Andrew Rowlands SOC was an influential early mentor for Ellson. “Andrew was so helpful technically,” recalls Ellson, “he also helped me navigate the business side of the industry.”

On one Ellson’s first jobs – a commercial shot by Bill Pope ASC, passed over to him by Rowlands – Ellson describes himself as “a hot mess”. Auspiciously, despite being a 5’5” rookie operator being required to track a giant through a carnival scene, all went well. Shortly afterwards, through his Semler connection, Ellson was introduced to second unit director Simon Crane, who would become his first collaborator of note in the narrative field.

“We just clicked,” Ellson reveals. Crane took Ellson on to the second units of Salt (2010, dir. Phillip Noyce, DP Robert Elswit ASC), then World War Z (2013, dir. Marc Forster, DP Ben Seresin BSC ASC). When he helmed a US Marines commercial, Crane bought Ellson along to operate under cinematographer Barry Peterson. Any concerns Ellson may have had that he was ‘forced’ on Peterson were allayed when the Canadian

DP offered him a job soon afterwards.

“Those connections are how this business works,” Ellson comments candidly. Ellson went on to operate B-camera and Steadicam for Peterson on numerous projects, including 21 Jump Street (2012, dirs. Phil Lord & Christopher Miller), We’re The Millers (2013, dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber) and the pilot episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013, dirs. Lord & Miller). Peterson’s regular A-camera operator, Daniel C. Gold SOC, became another important mentor to Ellson.

“I was just like a sponge,” Ellson enthuses, “Danny taught me everything about becoming an A-camera operator. His craft, his demeanour on-set: he just encapsulated the role on so many levels.”

Speaking from his own experiences, Ellson says, “As an A-camera operator, you are constantly trying to solve problems by being as creative as you can. You’re channelling the director and DP’s vision, so you want to know that script intimately. If you feel strongly about something, you bring it up. It might not be the right thing, but it may trigger something else and send you all down this amazing, creative path.”

Although Ellson flew into the industry on the Steadicam magic carpet, he advocates “choosing the right tool to execute the shot. That could be handheld, it could be Steadicam, crane, dolly or static. I love the freedom and physicality of Steadicam. It’s a great tool to tell a story. But there are top operators who don’t do Steadicam. It’s more important to bring a well-rounded set of tools with you and be somebody that people want to hang out with for 16 hours a day!”

Ellson is careful to point out that one of a camera operator’s “greatest assets” is not a piece of kit at all.

“The operators’ execution of a shot is intimately married to the dolly grip,” he elucidates, “it’s a team process. A dolly grip needs to be empowered to create and improvise. They are the unsung heroes.”

Around the point that Ellson’s career really started to gather steam, he teamed-up with fellow Australian, DP Mandy Walker AM ACS ASC, on the ABC period pilot Gilded Lilys (2013, dir. Brian Kirk). Their subsequent multi-picture collaboration became like a hardy vine, weaving through Ellson’s resumé to the present day.

“Mandy is a really inspirational person to work for,” enthuses Ellson, “I feel honoured for the freedom she affords me as an operator to workshop ideas and create with her and the director.”

Walker and Ellson returned to their motherland on their second project, Tracks (2013, dir. John Curran), the outback-set youth wanderlust chronicle of writer Robyn Davidson starring Mia Wasikowska.

“Tracks was hard, but it was beautiful,” remembers Ellson. “We had some pretty crazy weather and were schlepping ourselves and our

gear around sand dunes, but that’s what made it so good in my view. Sometimes the smaller jobs with smaller budgets can be more rewarding than the massive ones!”

Walker and Ellson’s fourth film Hidden Figures (2016, dir. Theodore Melfi), the true story of three female African-American mathematicians and their vital contribution to the USA’s 1960’s space programme, left a lasting impression on him.

“That was an amazing project to be involved with,” describes Ellson humbly. “We made a conscious decision early-on in the film to shoot the ladies with the lens slightly higher than usual, looking down on them. As the story progressed and

they became more empowered, we subtly lowered the camera.”

Ellson’s professional relationship with Walker has benefits that are felt both ways. “We have an unspoken dialogue,” Ellson illustrates, “Mandy is involved with everything, but often she will give me the creative freedom to figure-out certain aspects

Images: BTS photos courtesy of Charlie Schneider, Hopper Stone, John Curran, Kimberly French, Matthew Chuang ACS, Warwick Page and Marvel Studios.

of the shot with the director, such as the blocking or how to move the camera. When you have that background with a DP you get to understand how they like to do things. Mandy is very supportive and open to my ideas.”

By the time Ellson took on Black Panther (2018, dir. Ryan Coogler, DP Rachel Morrison ASC), he was in-demand as an operator. He graduated to A-camera for Peterson on The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018, dir. Susanna Fogel) and teamed-up with Walker for their sixth feature together Mulan (2020, dir. Niki Caro), shot in New Zealand, which earned him a nomination for the 2021 SOC Camera Operator Of The Year Award.

DP Eric Steelberg ASC bought Ellson up to Canada for two weeks of prep before shooting

began on Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021, dir. Jason Reitman), something Ellson says “doesn’t happen very often. When operators are bought in during prep, we can sometimes flag things beforehand that can save a

We live like vagabonds

lot of time on the day. It’s really valuable.”

Ellson visited Australia again with Walker to shoot Elvis (2022, dir. Baz Luhrmann), which earned him a second SOC Camera Operator Of The Year Award nomination.

“Elvis was definitely a career highlight for me,” says Ellson. “Baz loves to move the camera; it’s like being in an orchestra where he is the conductor, often conducting camera and actors during the take.”

From the lonely outback to the buzz of LA, from shooting the marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird on the Emmy Award-winning documentary One Life (2011) to the purpose-built lake village sets and huge exterior blue screens of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022, dir. Ryan Coogler, DP Autumn Durald Arkapaw ASC), Ellson has been there and done that. But, there is no place like home.

“My wife and kids are just amazing,” Ellson beams, “they afford me to go out and do what I love. The most important thing I can do when I’m not working is be present with them.”

WATERWORLD

By Darek Kuźma

Films about restless individuals pushing the limits of their bodies and minds, going against every possible current to chase the dreams that would consume them if they were left unfulfilled, tend to be pretty inspirational affairs. Even if they glimpse at the inevitable dark side of finding gratification at any cost, they focus primarily on exploring stories of mental fortitude, physical courage and beating the odds.

The Deepest Breath documentary does not shy away from walking down this familiar path, but, because it delves into the yearnings of those who dive the oceanic depths on a single breath, without any scuba gear, it also inescapably has to deal with the heartbreaks and life-threatening situations of living on the edge of what is humanly possible.

McGann represents the freediving community via interweaved stories of Italian champion Alessia Zecchini and her soulmate, Irish safety-diver Stephen Keenan, but never loses sight of the big picture of what it actually means to pursue such an extreme sport.

When McGann invited cinematographer Tim Cragg to explore this alluring and perilous world with her, the DP did not hesitate to get involved.

“It was back in 2020 and although the project had all the extra hassle of shooting mid-pandemic, we had something like six months of prep to discuss what we wanted and to plan ahead,” Cragg recalls. “What I love about documentaries, as opposed to scripted projects that have to be more concise, is their ad hoc nature, and the time you get to shape and be shaped by the story you’re telling.”

A long prep and an unhurried shooting period proved invaluable for a project that was so ambitious location-wise. McGann and the producers were adamant to shoot in real freediving spots and places that felt essential to Zecchini’s and Keenan’s stories. Such as Dahab, Egypt, where the latter established his freediving school and the former attempted the treacherous passage through the infamous Blue Hole and its 85-foot-long tunnel beneath tons of rock.

“The project had a lot of travel to it, Egypt, Italy, the Bahamas, Mexico, France, Ireland, the Czech Republic and the US,” says Cragg. “We used footage shot by divers and had to tweak it with cinematic POVs and other imagery. Going to all of these places was a must. We started in Dahab in the summer of 2020 and wrapped in September 2021.”

It is no wonder then that Cragg lists location work as the project’s greatest challenge.

“Starting from Dahab, which was extremely hot, full of road blocks and Covid restrictions, and which didn’t have any film support, we found problems basically everywhere we went. Especially during the interviews with members of the freediving community and friends and relatives of Alessia and Stephen,” he remarks.

“Early-on, we spoke about shooting everyone in situ, on beaches or in striking locations, but as these conversations usually lasted for five or six hours, even longer with Alessia, we needed controllable environments. So we used Airbnb places, but even then there were surprises in store. In the Bahamas, for example, we had lengthy power cuts and had to run all the lights off batteries, etc.”

upset as their stories are told,” he says.

Even if it is about Alessia and Stephen’s blooming romance, as well as the elations and pitfalls of people testing their limits amid the precarious serenity of the big blue, the film is also driven by a tragic accident that shook the freediving world to the core. As we are served bits and pieces of information, initially not even knowing who had actually died, The Deepest Breath plays like a suspenseful thriller.

“We wanted to capture the intimacy, the regret, the emotional weight of what happened and how it changed the people who we interviewed. In documentaries, you often have to put the craft aside and learn to let it go, to stop worrying about a flickering lamp or light coming badly through a window, and understand the importance of what you’re getting.”

Knowing all of this and recognising some of the challenges lying ahead, Cragg decided to use two 5K Red Geminis equipped with a set of Cooke 2x Anamorphics (32, 40, 50, 75 and 100mm).

“I’m currently shooting all of my documentaries using ARRI Alexa LF, but that camera hadn’t been launched back then. I wanted a true 4K camera that was flexible enough to shoot in various surroundings, and went with the Red.”

Whilst the camera is important, Cragg reveals that he perceives lenses as being even more-so.

It did not help that Cragg also had to contend with having a minimal crew.

“It was a small team. Myself, first AC Keir Byatt, sound recordist Adam Prescod and a second AC, whom we picked locally wherever we went to cover the second camera. Once you see the film, you might imagine there was a big team behind it, but one time we flew in a small private jet, and literally had to sit on top of the boxes containing the minimal amount of lights that we could fit into the plane,” Cragg muses.

Yet, having a small crew was sometimes it was a blessing in disguise.

“On a project like this your involvement isn’t just about the craft of cinematography. You’re very much part of the journey. You’re living with the director and the crew. You form close relationships with the people you shoot. You make sure they feel safe enough to bare their souls, and you often get

“I wanted something of a vintage feeling to the images, but not so vintage that it would feel like a pastiche. I love the Cookes and their softness, especially on skin tones. As we were shooting some of the interviews almost like visual exclamation marks, we wanted solid lenses that could handle big close-ups well, so that the audience could feel every muscle and every bit of tension.”

Because he was travelling with a small crew, Cragg did the lighting by himself and decided to rely on a kit consisting essentially of remotelycontrolled Aputure lamps.

“I had about 15 lights. It’s not a big package but fairly big considering the logistical and technical restrictions we were facing. I made the Aputure LS 600d my key lamp, and supplemented it with a number of Aputure 300s to cut up light in different surroundings,” he reminisces.

“As this is a story about dreamers living their dreams, even if that is at a certain cost, Laura wanted to fill the entire film with bright light and a

We made an intense, honest and enjoyable work that is rooted in the human experience

Cinematographer Tim Cragg reminisces about the ebb and flow of conceiving director/writer Laura McGann’s poignant and captivating freediving documentary, The Deepest Breath, now on Netflix.

sense of hope that acted like there was a bright window in the background, either in frame or offframe. Most of my work is sombre and dark, so this was quite a pleasant change of pace.”

Although the cinematographer tried to stay within the Aputure family to depict the joy, pride and melancholy that is deeply-embedded in the freediving world, there were times when he had to pick a different light source.

“I had a couple of Astera Helios Tubes to put behind in the locations where I had to tent-out, because I didn’t have bright enough lamps to compete with the real daylight. In Marseille and Prague I had an HMI to cover a bigger space, and I often used 12x12 negative fill, but only to the extent that it didn’t alter the way the characters are presented. This was basically it, all LEDs, all RGB and bi-colours, no filters or gels.”

London-based Big Eye Rentals provided the camera and lens package as well as the entire lighting kit and necessary grip gear, like sliders.

Yet another challenge was to make The Deepest Breath’s two visually-distinct segments – the bright, hopeful land scenes and the dark, enigmatic underwater sequences – complement one another.

“We wanted everything on land to feel cinematic, so we went for the Anamorphic 2.40:1 aspect ratio to create an impression of a visual expanse. The underwater stuff – consisting of the real footage and our shots mimicking or extending what was already shot – were intense and claustrophobic, but also sort of balletic and otherworldly,” he offers. “We thought about shooting in a tank but decided to film the real thing. When people swim or float underwater we open up to this sort of bliss of emptiness. It’s unreal, a sensation that mirrors what most freedivers are addicted to.”

To make the underwater scenes poetic and memorable, Cragg was assisted by cinematographer Julie Gautier and camera operator Florian Fischer.

“Julie is well known for her spatial imagery and was perfect for the job. Everything that goes on

beneath the water level was shot on Canon C500s with spherical lenses to enhance the visual tension with what is happening up in a different world above. We later had to downgrade much of our

material, add grain or deep resolution to match the archival footage. The grade, done at Molinare in London with colourist Vicki Matich, was mostly about fixing or smoothing-out what we couldn’t control during the shoot. I must say that we really used quite a lot of tricks to make The Deepest Breath look perfectly natural.”

All-in-all, as challenging and volatile as the project was production-wise, Cragg is happy with how the film turned out and hopes the viewers will

more than just a film about freediving, it is a cinematic experience that is well-worth your time.

recognise The Deepest Breath ’s emotional and visual bravado when they watch it on Netflix.

“Every single interview was draining. Every underwater scene was exhilarating and timeconsuming. But we all resonated with these people who pursue their dreams no matter how risky and surreal they may seem.

“I believe we made an intense, honest, enjoyable work that is rooted in the human experience and makes you look at the world with a different kind of appreciation.”

It is hard to disagree, as The Deepest Breath is

Images: Courtesy of Netflix.

BTS photos by Claudio Marinaro and Keir Byatt.

This is a story about dreamers living their dreams

LAST CRUSADE

By Iain Blair

When writer-director James Mangold was entrusted with helming Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, the long-awaited final chapter in the beloved saga which stars Harrison Ford reprising his iconic role as the whip-smart archaeologist one last time, he quickly reteamed with his regular, go-to cinematographer Phedon Papamichael ASC GSC.

I saw three birthdays, from prep to the final colour correction, on this movie

The film marks the Papamichael’s sixth film with Mangold – their previous collaborations include Identity (2003), Walk The Line (2005), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), Knight And Day (2010) and Ford v Ferrari (2019) – and the DP, twice Oscar-nominated for The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2020) and Nebraska (2013), brought decades of experience to shooting this new globe-trotting adventure, which was filmed on location in Morocco, Sicily, Scotland and England, in addition to stages at Pinewood Studios. Here, Papamichael talks about the challenges of making the ambitious movie, and his approach to the cinematography and lighting.

What were the big challenges facing you when you took this on?

The enormous scope of it all, plus the responsibility of shooting the final film in the franchise. It was quite daunting but we embraced it.

How did you and James approach it and find the right look? What were your reference points?

We’ve always considered ourselves as classic filmmakers, so in that sense this wasn’t a huge stretch for us.

A movie like Ford v Ferrari is in a similar vein, an action film but very much character-based. So once again, with this film the camera’s constantly moving, people are on the run, they’re in trains, planes, boats and underwater, and you have to capture all that as well as the quieter emotional moments and the humour.

It’s a huge technical challenge, so you need to really plan out all the shots. And we do use a lot of Spielbergian shots in our films. We love that style and wide angles and being close to actors. We still very much try to cover single camera and stay close to the lead actors with wide lenses – not as extreme as in The Revenant, but have them come in for close-ups, turn around and do a little shift, and then an overthe-shoulder and a tight profile.

So the approach was the same as for other dramatic stories we’ve done, and as a cinematographer, I loved the huge variety of all the different visual environments we were working in, from Scotland to Morocco, all with their very own specific lighting and palettes. And, of course, we went back to look at the other Indiana Jones films for reference.

I heard that you and James also wanted to pay homage to the work of Oscarwinning British cinematographer Douglas Slocombe BSC, who shot the first three Indiana Jones films?

That’s true. We wanted to stay in the same spirit and, as you know from all my past work, I’m very much into natural light and a logical approach to lighting. But this definitely leans a bit heavier into the stylisation of the franchise and plays with shadows and the classic Indiana Jones images. The colour palette is very vivid and really embraces the well-established visual language that’s been handed down from film-to-film in the Indiana Jones franchise, and that was a fun challenge for me, to lean more into that and explore it and have fun with it.

What camera and lens package did you use?

It was basically the same package I used on Ford v Ferrari – the ARRI Alexa Mini LF in combination with Panavision Anamorphics. On the Anamorphics were prototypes, as they needed to be expanded by Panavision’s lens guru Dan Sasaki in order to cover the larger sensor. But, by a couple of years later, they’d expanded quite a few of their Anamorphic sets as a lot of people loved the look. I chose to lean more heavily into the T-series as they have a slightly closer focus, and we liked to be really close on Indy and the villains.

Talk about the lighting. What was your approach?

As everyone’s constantly on the move, when we shot on location it was very important to note the conditions in the real world and reproduce that when we had to do coverage back at Pinewood.

So, for the opening sequence on the train, we were on a huge stage and I relied a lot on my bigger LEDs,

like ARRI S360 SkyPanels and Creamsource Vortex units, which had a little more punch. I also discovered a new tool, a DMX-IT, a small wireless 12-channel lighting controller, which I could walk around with through the set and adjust the light levels myself by eye.

Also, I could make constant level adjustments from the DIT tent off the OLED monitors during the scene and control kinetic lighting cues manually, adjusting to the actors’ timing, versus pre-programing everything and tying-in the actors to our preset cues.

So I’d ask my gaffer, David Sinfield, to give me a row of 100 Vortexes on the left of the train on channel 1, and another 100 on the right on channel 6, plus individual lights on other channels. For harder lights I’d use Maxi Brutes and also dim them, like in the whole plane sequence. We also used Tungsten sources, also on dimmers and swinging on cranes, and I’d control all that too, like a sound mixer.

Another good example is the tuktuk chase through the streets and alleys of Tangier, shot by second unit director Patrick Loungway. Later, on stage, we did a lot of coverage and closeups of the actors. I’d already have the location coverage which was previz’ed and already assembled, and I’d watch that play back on my monitor in the DIT tent as I was shooting close-ups and so on, and try to match the location lighting. So the lighting was always very kinetic and also constantly moving.

Besides the train and tuk tuk sequences there are some huge set-pieces, including the horseback chase through the New York ticker tape parade that ends up in the subway, and the underwater dive in Greece. What was the toughest to deal with?

The parade sequence was a huge challenge. We shot Glasgow for New York, with over 1,000 extras, plus cars and the horse. We had to prep it all for a month and then we shot for two weeks in perfect, bright sunny weather, which was ironic as later we had rainy overcast weather for Sicily and did a lot of the boat coverage back in England.

But Glasgow was great and like the tuk tuk sequence, we had it assembled by the editors while we were in production, so when we did pick-ups and coverage of Harrison we had all that as a reference. Our production designer Adam Stockhausen actually built a full-scale replica of a subway station on the 007 Stage at Pinewood, and for that I went with a grittier look to the lighting.

I assume you did a lot of previz on all those action sequences?

Yes, you have to, especially when you have so many extras, cars and elements to coordinate and schedule. But often we end-up using it more as an editorial guide to understand the pace and length of a shot. Typically James and I don’t rely heavily on previz, especially for dramatic scenes. We prefer seeing the actors rehearse and how they block it, and then we create a shot list on the spot.

Integrating all the VFX with visual effects supervisor Andrew Whitehurst must have been crucial?

Yes, and he was a key person for me and I insisted he was in the DIT tent with me and Ben Appleton, my DIT. I don’t like to isolate myself in the DIT tent and I always make sure we’re set up next to the director’s monitors with an open wall, so I’m really connected to James and what he’s saying.

All of the VFX had to be carefully planned and we needed to consult a lot with Andrew, as often the backgrounds would have to be augmented and skies replaced, and we’d talk about the lighting and what he’d need later.

It’s a delicate balance as you’re committing to what the lighting will look like, but you need constant feedback

from the VFX department to approve what you’re doing and make sure you’re not painting them into a corner later. There are a lot of VFX shots but it’s not like a Marvel movie. As a fan you could visit every location, and while we added a ton of things to each place, it’s still really a location picture.

Tell us about the DI grade?

We did it with Skip Kimball, our regular colorist at

variety of looks and locations, in the end it felt like doing four movies.

How would you sum up the experience of making this film?

Before I started, I spoke with my good friend Janusz Kaminski who shot the last one, Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull, for Spielberg back in 2008, to get some insight from him. Janusz said, ‘That was the hardest movie I ever did.’ And I can confirm that it was the same for me. I’ve shot some very big movies, but this was definitely the biggest, and with the longest schedule, I’ve ever had. I saw three birthdays, from prep to the final colour correction, on this movie, so it was a real marathon, but I’m so proud of what we

Company 3 here in LA, and we spent about four weeks doing a lot of detailed work and dealing with all the VFX shots which took a while to come in. Because of all the

managed to do.

Images: Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved. BTS photos of DP Phedon Papamichael, variously pictured with director James Mangold and production designer Adam Stockhausen, by Jonathan Olley.

The colour palette is vivid and embraces the visual language handeddown from film-to-film in the franchise

WHAT LIES BENEATH

By Darek Kuźma

Seasoned cinematographer Mark Patten BSC brought texture, range and visual panache to Silo, the thinking-person’s science fiction offering, now on Apple TV+.

Even though, as a literary genre, science fiction offers endless possibilities for inventive worldbuilding, loaded with a myriad of emotions, dramas and reflections, there is still a frustrating scarcity of smart and captivating sci-fi shows that are not just about cool gadgetry and levels of visual extravaganza.

Silo is a creative adaptation of Hugh Howey’s novels about a post-apocalyptic society living for many generations in a self-sustaining, multi-storied underground compound, believing that what lies above is endlessly lethal. And it’s an exceptional case of cinematic sci-fi done right. With each episode we immerse ourselves in a multi-layered realm, exploring its hierarchy of power, warped class system, bizarre mythology, weird rituals and severe laws.

As we get to know this peculiar society and digest its arbitrary rules – that deem it a capital offence to even wonder what is outside – we sense that something is bubbling beneath the surface. Silo explores exactly what that is, taking viewers on an intense sci-fi journey.

Having shot second unit on The Martian (2015, DP Dariusz Wolski ASC) and leading several episodes of sci-fi shows like Raised By Wolves (2022), Patten was no stranger to the genre, yet he became lead DP on Silo through a twist of fate.

“I had just come off a project in Cape Town when I heard that Morten Tyldum was looking for a cinematographer as his original DP got pushed to another project. I read the scripts, talked with Morten via Zoom and flew straight into the project. It was a fantastic job, but little did I know that it would last for a year,” says Patten.

Silo’s debut season consists of ten episodes. Patten shot the first three (directed by Tyldum) and the last three (directed by Adam Bernstein), and also assisted DPs Laurie Rose and David Luther on the episodes in-between. The job occupied Patten for almost 140 shooting days between July 2021 and July 2022.

“Because of the pandemic, I pretty much shot with all the different directors on Silo. After finishing the first three, I began prepping the last ones, so when other DPs got sick, I was there to cover for them,” he recalls. “The challenging thing with these big streaming shows is to maintain visual continuity and coherent vision. You need a strong collaboration to create a strong backbone for everyone to work with. So I think getting a DP to bookend a series gives such ambitious projects a good structure.”

Patten laid the groundwork together with production designer Gavin Bocquet and Tyldum, who was adamant that because the viewers were going to spend ten hours of their lives in the silo, the arcane construction should become a character on its own.

“We had only one exterior location – a lone hill outside that people inside watched on a screen –and shot it on day one. The rest had to be built on stage. We created different zones within this milelong space. It’s almost like the train in Snowpiercer (2013, DP Hong Kyung-pyo), but instead of the X-axis the train was going through, we also worked on a Y-axis, to contend with,” he muses.

“We textured distinct environments to engage the audience and explore various layers of humanity in the silo, with the ruling elite living at the top and the proletariat working class at the bottom.”

Yet the structure of the underground warren could not overshadow the human characters, who either struggle to expose the truth or engage in a power struggle to control the future of its 10,000 inhabitants.

“The explosion of content being made in the UK meant there was no studio space to accommodate what we needed. So we commissioned a pack of old KFC warehouses in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire. My gaffer, Brandon Evans, and his rigging team converted them into working studios whilst Morten, Gavin, VFX supervisor Daniel Rauchwerger and

myself focussed on designing the look,” he says.

“The viewer is taken to these separate levels and it feels like a giant spaceship travelling slowly through time. Each zone has its own colour palette, top floors are cooler and brighter, and everything at the bottom is very muted, desaturated, mechanical, supplemented with strong yellows and reds.”

Patten knew that a multi-camera show like Silo would present a number of challenges and went on a search for the best camera and lenses.

“With as many as eight cameras running at the

I used the CRLS lighting system for the whole show

same time, it’s always a question of how you get the volume and continuity of glass. Morten wanted to shoot Anamorphic to depict the silo’s scope, and ARRI helped us immensely in getting a new set of Caldwell Chameleons. I matched them onto the ARRI LF sensor and knew I don’t have to look any further,” he recalls.

“The producers didn’t want to go to 2.39:1,

so we framed at 2:1. Although I was losing all of the look of the Anamorphic edges, the Caldwells have a very nice fall-off from the subject to the background, and made the compositions rich and vibrant.”

Still, Patten did not want to be too obvious with Silo’s visuals. “A set of Caldwells is only six lenses – 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm and 100mm. I pretty much played between the 40mm and the 50mm. We didn’t go super-long and went the old-school way – no zooms, all primes. I think you can see there is this nice symmetry to the way the show looks. By having that ‘problem’ of not having many focal lengths to choose from, you work around it and it becomes a part of the visual language.”

The same applied to the way Patten came at the shooting process. “I like to put a stamp on a look and don’t rely too much on the post. I had a basic LUT and worked with DIT Richard Newton and dailies colourist Louis Reggiardo to have a strong vision and push it through the whole year.”

The team went out of their way to make the sets as physical as possible. “Set decorator Amanda Bernstein knew about these huge merchant ships that are disassembled in Pakistan and brought massive chunks of them over to the UK to be rewired and sent to us. We only really had two levels of the main shaft constructed, anything up and down was VFX, so having this tangible industrial quality on the set was amazing.”

Sometimes, however, using VFX was the only way to go. “We’d shoot one level and the art department would then turn it into a different one, whilst we set-up and shot somewhere else. It was often hard to schedule, so I commissioned a blue level with a part of the shaft surrounded by a 360-degree bluescreen. Whenever the art department was running behind, we went there to shoot.”

The most tricky aspect of designing the massive subterranean city was the spiral staircase that connects all of its 144 levels with one long conduit.

“It had to be built first to rig all the lighting before doing the rest. Moving the camera was a kind of a nightmare – we used everything from a 45-foot crane to gimbals to handheld. Finally, we found that the smoothest way was to send our grips flying with a Ronin off a piece of scaffold to run up and down the stairwell. Key grip Tony Fabian, A-camera operator James Layton and B-camera operator Justin Hawkins did a great job,” he says. “Contrary to what we did with the colour palettes and light levels you encounter as you go down into

different zones, we didn’t have rules for camera movement.”

One of the most impressive things about the way the subterranean city was designed 140 years before by a group of unknown people, is a monumental set of mirrors at the very top that sends light all the way down to help illuminate the different zones. Getting this ceiling of mirrors to look right was fundamental to Silo’s success.

“It’s a gigantic underground construction beneath the Earth’s surface, shaped like a heliotrope, that serves as the silo’s ceiling and source of light. It was an exercise in how to shape soft light throughout, especially as using hard light in the zones at the bottom was a no-no. I used the CRLS system, developed by a good friend of mine, Jakob Ballinger from Lightbridge, which is basically a series of high-precision reflective boards with which you can mimic, control and bounce soft light. Using it on Silo was the best decision. I used CRLS for the whole show, in a variety of situations, and it always helped me to create the mood I needed.”

“We had a 100 x 100ft softbox above our physical set and filled it with ARRI SkyPanels and other LED lights going back to a dimmer board. I bounced the light with CRLS reflectors to all kinds of surfaces. As I mastered the process, I realised you can have small units on the floor or bounce Dedolights into the lighting on the floor. With bigger units, I was putting Orbiters into reflective boards outside and then pushing those through the windows,” he adds.

“One episode sees the generator that powers the silo shut down for a while, and there is neartotal darkness. I took the key light from the ceiling, running at about 2%, to give the scene a night

feel. Then I pushed several SkyPanel S60-Cs into two reflectors and modulated that light enough to get the edges of the characters. I must say, understanding the physics of reflected light was an enjoyable learning experience.”

Patten admits that the CRLS made a big impression on him and he intends to explore the system further in the near future.

“One of its most interesting features, something that I explored more in the later episodes, is the ability to push soft sources through reflectors. There are five levels of diffusion on a given reflector, so you can make a hard source softer with bigger diffusion but also push a soft source into the harder reflector and – unbelievably – be able to control the soft light. It was a brilliant thing to play with in a show with many levels of darkness.”

Apart from the CRLS system, Panalux provided the overall lighting package. The show’s look was polished in the DI, first by colourist Greg Fisher at Company 3 and then by Bill Ferwerda at Company 3 in Toronto.

In a nutshell, Silo is a nuanced, sharp, elegant

sci-fi show filled with memorable characters, captivating scenes (just wait until you experience the sequence of repairing the silo’s generator), compelling symbolism and thought-provoking plot twists. Patten acknowledges that, despite the fact it was a long and arduous project to complete, he is satisfied with the work.

“I’m proud of the show’s look and getting a seamless balance between the physical sets and the VFX extensions so you don’t see where one ends and the other begins.”

Silo is one of the best-rated shows of 2023 and the second season is already under way. The foundations Patten laid may just make it one of the defining sci-fi works of the decade.

Images: Courtesy of Apple.

BTS photos by Rekha Garton.

The Caldwell Chameleon lenses have very nice fall-off from subject to background and made the compositions rich and vibrant

COURT ON CAMERA

By Ron Prince

Saint Omer, the first narrative feature from documentary-maker Alice Diop, is a profoundly-affecting, cinematicallyinventive and ultimately spellbinding courtroom procedural about Laurence, a French-Senegalese mother on-trial for infanticide.

Laurence stands accused of leaving her helpless child to drown on a beach near Calais, and readily admits her guilt. Rama, an author and university professor, witnesses the court proceedings, hoping it will help her with a novel she is planning. The film is based on the real-life 2016 French case, which Diop

attended as an observer, of Fabienne Kabou, who was convicted of the same crime.

Shot by French cinematographer Claire Mathon AFC – whose visually-distinctive credits include Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019), Atlantique (2019), Spencer (2021) and Petite Maman (2021) – Saint Omer has been noted for the way in which the camera both moves and lingers, and how faces stand-out, to relate the story and heighten the intensity in what might otherwise have been a run-of-the-mill drama in a mundane, wood-panelled, provincial courtroom.

Examining the mystery of motives, as well as themes around cultural, familial and racial intolerance, the film won the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize at the 2022 Venice Film festival.

When did you first meet Alice Diop?

I first met Alice for Saint Omer almost two years before we actually shot the film. I was familiar with her work, in particular La Mort De Danton (2011, DP Blaise Harrison). Alice’s ideas, her vision and desire to recreate the trial she had attended, giving it an almost mythological dimension, made me want to make this film. I liked the importance given to the spoken word in the screenplay, which, for me, posed real questions about representation, and was I interested in her documentary-style approach towards the fiction.

What were your first discussions with Alice about the look for the

film?

Alice wanted to put faces in the light, portraits with a pictorial dimension. Very early on she showed me paintings and portraits that stayed in my mind throughout production on the film. One of the paintings, La Belle Ferronnière by Leonardo da Vinci, which I was lucky-enough to see at the Louvre Museum, became a framing reference.

I also looked at black models painted by Cézanne, and studied how artists treated dark skins against backgrounds in paintings like Aïcha by Felix Vallotton and Grape Wine by Andrew Wyeth. The way in which the face of the Cape Verdean heroine

stands-out from the dark, whilst sublimating her too, in Pedro Costa’s film Vitalina Varela (2019), was a strong touchstone for Alice.

Alice also wanted a heightened reality, to discretely concentrate on the presence of the actresses, to give complexity to their characters, to connect the stories of Laurence and Rama and highlight the tragedy that comes when we reveal something of ourselves. We reviewed The Trial Of Joan Of Arc (1962, DP Léonce-Henri Burel) by Robert Bresson for its work on repetition and a certain purity. And, amongst all these references and conversations, we also considered the colour palette of the film – ochre, wood, brown, rust, bronze – especially with the costume designer Annie Melza Tiburce.

But, two months before the shoot, we went to the wood-panelled court in Saint Omer, where the case took place, and were convinced it was right this film. That day we spotted another room in the courthouse, much smaller, brighter, but with white walls that could be easily transformed into the actual court. Wooden panels seemed to us to be a crucial element for the film and this smaller space could help us bring the protagonists closer together, both physically and emotionally, especially when the glass box, that separates the accused, was removed.

Did you do much testing of different cameras and lenses?

I long-questioned the feeling of the light that the film needed, and spent time looking for the right tools, feeling that there was a balance to be found between the rhythm of the capture and a strong pictorial desire, while keeping the feeling of a documentary.

I did a short comparison test between Red Monstro with Primo lenses and Red Gemini with Leitz M 0.8 lenses, but this was more to confirm my intuition about the texture, definition and rendering of Laurence and Rama’s skins. These tests allowed me to really specify the colour palette and the contrast of the overall look.

What aspect ratio, cameras and lenses did you choose?

Tell us about the locations?

Meeting remotely during the Covid period, Alice and I discussed the decor, the space and lighting of the courtroom, and questioned whether we should shoot in the same place where the real-world trial had taken place, or recreate it elsewhere.

We considered the historic courtrooms on the Île de la Cité, in Paris – which have now moved to modern premises – for their splendour and for what they tell about the institution of the French Republic. You can see them in Raymond Depardon’s film The 10th District Court: Moments Of Trials (2004).

We went 1.85:1, for the simplicity of the relationship between a character framed in medium close-up and the background. I shot with a Red Gemini, full frame at 5K, and Leitz M 0.8 lenses, using the 50mm a lot, with a Schneider HD Classic Soft 1/16 filter. The camera package came from Panavision.

Did you create any LUTs (Look-UpTables) for the film?

I worked on LUTs with colourist Yov Moor, but for planning reasons I was not able to do the final colour with him. I remember the difficulty of not losing details in extreme highlights, while keeping a bright image. And

The axes and compositions of the shots were very deliberate choices

I did not want the assertion of our colour palette to deplete other colours. For example, I found that the greens often suffered in our attempts to accentuate the wooden and brown values in the image.

What was your approach to moving the camera for storytelling purposes?

It was a single camera

CLAIRE MATHON AFC•SAINT OMER

shoot, and I operated. You might imagine that two cameras would have been the appropriate configuration to cover the trial scenes, but the shots we wanted, the axes and compositions, were very deliberate choices that we determined upstream from the script. It was not a question of capturing everything, on the contrary it was about making choices. One of our desires was to hold long static shots and that any movements were imperceptible.

We also did long tracking shots to accompany Rama – for example, from her hotel to the courthouse – which were done in a single movement, but without us feeling the camera.

And what was your approach to the lighting?

I had a very small inventory of LED lights, provided by Panalux – ARRI Skypanels, LightStar Luxed-9s, LiteGear Litemat Plus 3s, Astera tubes and ROSCO DMG SL1s.

We wanted to put the faces in the light, so I tried to channel as much light as possible into the courtroom, whilst adjusting for the relationship between the face and the background. One idea was to make the decor disappear a little as we went along, to abstract it and to focus on the portraiture and thereby find these painted figures. So I basically directed the light, cutting it and diffusing it for the very precise light we were seeking.

But, I also wanted to keep the light alive during the takes, which were often very long. So I decided to work mostly with natural light indoors during the day, accepting and working with natural swings in the light outside. I liked the idea of dealing with the vagaries of cloudy periods and the way light evolves and varies during the day.

With my hand on the diaphragm ring, I remained attentive and alive, capturing the scenes, the tension, the emotion, as if something unexpected was going to happen with each take.

For the night scenes, I looked for a warm, golden

light that stayed in our wood, bronze and brown palette. This heat had to be able to come from the lights of the city, the lights of the bulbs. I didn’t want it to be particularly realistic, I didn’t want it to be red or green or acidic, but was looking for more warmth in Rama’s skin.

Tell us about your crew?

I wanted to offer this film to a relatively young camera, grip and lighting team, and looked for sensitive people who would know how to live with the project as a whole and sometimes enjoy doing very little.

My first AC was Sarah Dubien, with Noémie Commissaire working as second AC, and François Diard the key grip. The gaffer was Benoît Bouthors. I had already worked with them on short projects and I was very happy with these collaborations. They supported the technical and creative choices on this film with intelligence.

I completed the final grade with colourist Mathilde Delacroix at M141 in Paris. We mainly worked on preserving the life and specificity of each skin tone maintaining visual unity throughout the film.

What were the biggest challenges on this film for you?

To relive the intimate experience that Alice had during the original trial, to keep the complexity of her vision, to translate her sensitivity to the framing and lighting, and to give value to all of this humanity in the story. It’s a film that gave me great freedom, which really engaged my gaze.

ALL BAR NONE

By Oliver Webb

AQueer fantasy-retelling of Boston’s oldest gay bar, Playland Café, Playland is a stylistically ethereal and moving piece from director Georden West. Hauntingly captured in bold and vibrant hues by DP Jo Jo Lam, Playland pays tribute to times past.

“I first met Georden West online,” says Lam. “It was on Zoom during the very first few months of the pandemic. They found my work on this platform called ‘Free The Work’, a discovery platform for underrepresented filmmakers. Georden wrote me this quite elaborate email about what Playland would be about and included an incredible reference/ research book that was around 20-pages long in that email. Once I received that I thought we have to have a chat.”

West and Lam prepped via Zoom for around six months, before meeting in person.

“It was advantageous because we had a lot of time to send references back-and-forth,” says Lam. “ When Georden first sent me the script, they had originally wanted to shoot it in one shot – which I was equally terrified and excited about. The concept behind it was a forever floating camera, haunting the different spaces in Playland Café. Once we were able to meet in-person, we jumped straight into shot-listing and talked endlessly about the visual approach, grammar and edit. We also stuck to the approach of shooting in very wide tableaux-like shots, where all our characters slid back-and-forth between different time and spaces.

In terms of references, Lam and West discussed Jenny Livingston’s 1990 documentary, Paris Is Burning “Queer / LGBTQ bar and club spaces are historically under-documented and represented, and Paris Is Burning was something we talked about right at the beginning,” notes Lam. “We also spoke about movies by directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Roy Andersson and Tarkovsky, and Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together (1997, DP

Christopher Doyle). Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant (1972, DP Michael Ballhaus ASC) was another one.

“Shooting 4:3 is quite a specific choice in terms of how you depict interactions and conversations, and how you block is so completely different too, and I thought The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant was so helpful to watch, as the characters are mostly in one bedroom, smoking and talking. How they made that feel very dynamic, was very helpful. The work of Robbie Müller was also another big influence. I don’t think we spoke about The American Friend (1997, Dir. Wim Wenders, DP Robbie Müller) in relation to this film, but I definitely took the spirit of these bars and shot them with sickly fluorescent green.”

When it came to their initial conversations about the look of Playland, Lam notes that the film has a very precise colour palette, costumes and make-up.

“ We had weekly meetings about colour and

stuff would play into it, but they mostly revolved around how we would create this ethereal world, that is a little bit of a haunted space that never quite dies. We spoke about books, music and paintings. Georden mentioned Irving Penn’s photographs from Vogue magazines, in terms of this very muted colour palette, all in grotesque greens and pinks and how can we marry those things together.”

Lam and West entertained the idea of shooting on film, though ultimately landed on the ARRI Alexa Mini LF, with BeCine providing the camera equipment.

design with respective department heads. We mostly had conversations about blocking and where to place the camera because of how wide most of our shots are. Once we figured that out, we could have a more creative conversation about lighting and how the world would feel,” explains Lam.

“There were also discussions about the history of Playland Café, as it was a real bar and some archive

“One of the things I thought early-on was to have a camera and lenses testing day with the director and cast member, Aidan Dick. If you can do this at your location that’s best, but considering this was a low-budget production, at least we could bring a couple of these elements into the camera house and test how they mesh together,” details Lam.

Lam and West opted for Canon FDs lenses from the 1970s, with Old Fast Glass providing the lenses.

“The great thing about the Canon FDs is that they have creamy, slightly cool, skin tone rendering

I’m grateful for the collaboration with Georden and to have been pushed out of my comfort zone

and they are full frame. Some distortions, but not too much. We were ultimately looking for lenses that had some textures and characteristics without too much distortion. We tested 16mm with sharper lenses because 16mm tends to be soft with more grain. Then we tested regular ARRI Alexa Mini with vintage lenses and then the Alexa Mini LF, also with vintage lenses, but shaper ones. Once Georden saw what the 16mm looked like, they thought it would be too definitive on the time period, almost like putting nostalgia on nostalgia, and I felt the same way.”

Lam operated on the film, alongside Steadicam operator Dae Hyun Kim and 1st AC Adam Lee. Discussing the sequence with the kitchen door swinging back-and-forth and revealing a new scene each time, Lam remembers being struck by its simplicity.

“We had conversations about making those spaces as timeless as possible,” says Lam. “The reason why the director wanted to do it in one shot is to feel like this never-ending dream/nightmare, where the space is there and its completely decrepit and doesn’t exist anymore, but the characters, who are these workers, are stuck there forever. I felt that scene was a very simple and elegant way to portray that, of how these dimensions and characters come together. We did it very simply. It was a stationary camera and then we did old-school practical effects,

film look. Ultimately, I went with the standard one and I lit to that. In the post pipeline we just watched that the entire time throughout the edit. By the time we actually went into the DI, even though we still broke everything down, it was a good base point of knowing where everything was.”

The production schedule was extremely tight, with only eight shooting days. James Arterberry served as key and dolly grip on the film and Lam also asked gaffer, Dave Wilwayco to hop on board the project.

“Dave and I have worked together in the past and have a good rapport,” says Lam. “ The director is also a perfectionist and we didn’t have much time to get it wrong. We quickly determined that rigging everything on DMX was going to be very helpful, because it would give us control over changing looks and cues, with the very helpful board operator, Kai Magee.

essentially having someone pulling the door from behind and then switching out the characters and costumes. That was a very simple and efficient way to get something like that across.

“The film doesn’t really have coverage, so it’s really about how can we sustain one shot for as long as possible and have the blocking and lighting and everything to tell the story. Since everything was going to be built on a sound stage, I chatted with the production designer about the space and dimensionality. I had the feeling that large format would help us with making the bar feel a little bit bigger. We shot in New England Studios in Boston. They had very little time to build the set, only around one to two weeks. The set that we built was quite big. We were lucky that the studio had large Tungsten units, like 20ks, which we could also power being on a stage.”

Andrea Chlebak served as colourist on the film and the team used the DI facility at Harbor Picture Company.

“I’d worked with Andrea before on short films and Andrea jumped on this feature with me,” notes Lam. “It would have been great to have had someone help us do daily colouring, but since our budget was so limited that wasn’t an option. I brought in my footage from the camera test and all the references I had with the director and made a LUT beforehand to help us understand where we would take the look in terms of the more muted colour palettes and the insane pink neon that would take over the entire room, while trying to get a film look as much as we could.

“We ended-up with a couple of different LUTs – one that was going to be more creative and expressive, where the shadows would get even bluer, and a standard one that was just a basic 5219

“Since the film spans time periods we decided to break down the script. This was written in the scene headings, although you are not meant to notice them. It’s meant to be reflected in lighting, costume, make-up, or some of the acting, but you aren’t really meant to make a specific time out of it. We knew which period was meant to be the 30s, 40s, or 90s. We broke down this type of map, so when it was an earlier period, we would only use specific lights that would only have existed back then, so more Tungstens, for example. Then from the 80s onwards more colours are introduced, more greens and blues.”

Although time and budgetary constraints proved to be particularly challenging for Lam and the crew, the experience overall was rewarding.

“Georden had very earlyon talked about how they felt like Playland would feel like a ‘sunken ship’ which really stuck with me. I interpreted that as some sort of ghostly presence always haunted this bar. I think the most challenging aspect of the production was going through all those different looks within one space, but it was also extremely freeing as it was ultimately conjuring a mood, time and place.

“I still look at some scenes now and think we could’ve done better given a little more time and personnel. But, ultimately, it was a very rewarding experience. I’m extremely grateful for the collaboration with Georden and to have been

pushed out of my comfort zone, where the most interesting work happens. I’m also very thankful to the cast and crew, who went that extra mile, and the camera and lens rental houses, plus Harbor Picture Company, who support independent projects and without whom we wouldn’t have been able to pull this off,” concludes Lam.

Our early discussions revolved around creating this ethereal world… a haunted space that never quite dies

SHOWSTOPPERS. . .

Your A-to-Z of the latest and best in camera, lens, grip, lighting, power, colour and post products as shown at Euro Cine Expo 2023

After a successful premiere in 2022, Euro Cine Expo returned to Munich for its second edition, on June 30 and July 1, 2023. Taking place at different locations around the Motorworld complex, 140 exhibitors displayed their products at

ANTON BAUER

“We’re a battery manufacturer and we look to support everyone in the industry,” said representatives from Anton Bauer, who were showing their updated VCLX NM2 block battery. Described as “a big generational leap”, the VCLX NM2 has increased capacity, an IP65 rating to partner with all-weather

APUTURE

The Amaran 150c and 300c are the first fullcolour 150W and 300W LED spots from Aputure that combine full-colour RGBWW control, the versatility of optical and softlight Bowens mounts, integrated controls and, most importantly, high-quality lighting performance.

Also new to Aputure are the Electro Storm XT26 and CS15. The XT26 is a powerful point-source LED fixture with 2,600W, whose light output is equivalent to that of 4kW HMIs. Thanks to the motorised bracket, the spotlight can be remotely controlled (pan and tilt). It offers common control options, including Sidus Link

ASTERA

The German manufacturer has been producing battery-powered, remote-controlled LED lights since 2005. Its design philosophy of, “products by the industry for the industry”, led to the development of 100% wireless LED lighting technologies: the AX9 light, the Titan Tube, and the HydraPanel.

Astera’s most recent product releases are new Fresnel lights in two sizes. The Pluto Fresnel with 80W LED, which is equivalent to 300W Tungsten, has a two-hour maximum running time. The Leo Fresnel with 250W, equivalent to 1K Tungsten, maintains maximum

ATOMOS

Atomos combined some of its most popular products into one impressive set-up, including the Sumo 19-inch monitor, which offers live quad-channel HD switching/recording. The monitor was placed on top of a production wagon with the Ninja V+ mounted on top, allowing connectivity and streaming with virtually any camera, with smooth workflows.

Paul Latterman, marketing manager for Atomos distributor Riwit GmbH, explained how HDMI users can now connect to Frame.io through the Atomos Cloud experience, which opens the Frame.io Camerato-Cloud workflow to a world of professional video creators using a vast array of cameras.

Also on show was the Atomos Shinobi monitor placed on top of a Sony FX6 camera as well as the new Atomos Shogun Connect, combining portable monitoring and professional RAW

the well-attended show, and no fewer than 29 free lectures complemented the exhibition – including a headline seminar from James Friend BSC ASC about his work on All Quiet On The Western Front, for which he won the Best Cinematography Oscar. German DP Armin

lighting fixtures, a rapid recharge of 3.5hrs and 48v output. These improvements have been made in response to user feedback, with the aim of delivering power across the board and in any location.

www.antonbauer.com

www.videndum.com

app control, LumenRadio CRX, Art-net and sACN. The CS15 is a 1,500W point-source LED, with output equivalent to a 1.8kW HMI. The CS15 features an IP65 dustproof and waterproof construction. Delivery of both lights is scheduled for late 2023.

Also in the Electro Storm range, is the new F14 Fresnel. This is an electronic Fresnel modifier with an Aputure mount. Having a large, 14-inch (350mm) diameter lens and a motorised spot/flood beam angle range, that is adjustable from 18° to 45°, the F14 Fresnel complements the new Electro Storm CS15 and Electro Storm XT26.

www.aputure.com

brightness for three hours when its built-in battery is fully-charged. Both Fresnels come with the Titan LED engine, which can deliver precise colour temperatures, RGB values, and colours defined by X and Y coordinates from the AsteraApp colour picker. The AsteraApp is designed for fast, efficient temporary lighting setups. “It’s a huge time-saver when setting-up, monitoring or controlling lights”, said Thor Andre of Astera’s after sales technical support team. www.astera-led.com

Franzen also participated in a discussion about his work on the forthcoming movie A Whole Life Euro Cine Expo will return next year between 27th & 29th June 2024. Here are some of the highlights from the 2023 edition. See Shooting Gallery for Euro Cine Expo 2023 extras!

recording, with support for integrated and cloudbased workflows, and Atomos Edit, a cloud-based software for video editing. www.atomos.com

Reporting and photos by Christine Gebhard, Gerd Voigt–Müller, Birgit Heidsiek, Kirsty Hazlewood and Iain Hazlewood.

Reporting and photos by Christine Gebhard, Gerd Voigt–Müller, Birgit Heidsiek, Kirsty Hazlewood and Iain Hazlewood.

BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

The renowned Australian manufacturer exhibited for the first time at Euro Cine Expo – until now, its products in Germany have been generally shown exclusively by partners – and the focus was on its cameras and post-production gear.

The latest version of the Ursa Mini Pro 12K OLPF camera features a new, high-performance optical low-pass filter (OLPF) that optimises the camera’s 12K S35 sensor. The OLPF reduces distracting artifacts such as moiré effects and aliasing, whilst maximising the preservation of colour and important image details. This improvement to the Ursa Mini Pro 12K especially enhances its suitability in LED volumes, where it has become very popular.

Also on display was the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 6K G2. It features a customisable touchscreen for more convenient framing, a larger battery for longer shooting times, and supports

BVB – BUNDESVERBAND BELEUCHTUNG & KAMERABÜHNE E.V.

The BVB, the national association for set electricians, gaffers and grips in Germany is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and takes the position that the life-work balance of freelancers in the film industry needs to be improved. This includes: training and educational programmes that should be financed by both employers and the state; working hours that should enable a normal family life; fees that should be adjusted to living expenses; and job security.

BVK – GERMAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Dr Michael Neubauer from the BVK remarked on how the industry is returning to a kind of normality post pandemic and appreciated the attractive and interesting location for Euro Cine Expo, saying that “feedback from exhibitors has been very positive.”

The BVK works a little differently to other societies and focusses on servicing its members with advice about such things as insurance, contracts and pensions. The society currently has around 530 members and hosted a reception during the show as part of a drive to expand its footprint internationally.

The industry is facing new challenges such as

CINEO LIGHTING

Cineo Lighting, which has been an NBC Universal company since 2019, was started by a small team of lighting professionals who focussed on changing the way LED technology could be applied to production lighting. Cineo has proven that its patented, liquid-cooled system can provide hard LED lighting technology. The Reflex R15 creates a single high-quality shadow at any beam angle, with a flat exposure level across the beam.

Cineo’s patented technology also includes digital beam shaping in hard lighting, and the Quantum series of high-power soft lighting. Cineo has taken

CREAMSOURCE

New from Creamsource are various frames for the Vortex8 RGBW LED lights. For the Vortex light itself, a firmware update is now available that allows imagebased lighting, and this is exclusively software-based – a laptop is all that is needed. The update makes it possible to select an image area in a video signal to be used as the basis for image-based lighting. Very cool!

mounting of an optional electronic viewfinder. The camera features Blackmagic’s latest, fifth-generation, colour science. Like its predecessor, it also features the popular cinematic Super 35 image sensor for HDR and a dynamic range of 13 stops, dual native ISO sensitivities and an EF lens mount.

Those interested in post-production were able to take a look at DaVinci Resolve on iPad. Here, the software is optimised for MultiTouch technology and the Apple Pencil, and currently supports Resolve’s editing and colour workspaces.

The manufacturer also showed the latest 18.5 version of the desktop variant of DaVinci Resolve. It features AI-based tools for Resolve FX, text-based editing and speech-to-text transcriptions. Also new is a Resolve FX Relight tool for adding virtual light sources. Three new Timelines menus on the Cut page make editing even faster and more flexible.

www.blackmagicdesign.com

Germany requires a certified worker to operate a camera crane. This skill, as well as others, can be learned in workshops that the BVB is organising.

“We’re also looking at eco-friendly solutions that we can apply to everyday tasks,” says Warwick Hempleman, a BVB board member. Environmentallyfriendly technologies were introduced to the BVB by gaffer Niels Maier, also the CEO of rental house Maier Brothers Niels Maier, who died tragically and unexpectedly in June 2023 when a small aircraft he was piloting crashed because of a technical malfunction.

www.bvb-verband.de

artificial intelligence, with many fears accompanying the penetration of AI into moving image production. Currently, there are discussions everywhere about what this means for our industry. The BVK is working to make sure its members are protected financially and legally, and colourist Felix Huesken BVK hosted a workshop discussing the phenomenon of AI and its applications in film.

Workshops hosted by the BVK were well attended, with one offering thoughtful insights on the current situation in the German rental market and ways to improve opportunities and margins for rental companies.

www.kinematografie.org

the Quantum series to the next level with the new Quantum Ladder, which offers 100,000 Lumens of output and touchscreen control. Cineo’s StageLynx software, which is available as a free online app, is capable of programimng over 64K presets and effects.

“This level of customisation makes it possible to create looks and effects that in the past would have involved a lighting console and hours of programming”, says Sean Hise, western regional sales account manager, Cineo Lighting. www.cineolighting.com

www.creamsource.com

DEDO WEIGERT FILM

Founded in 1965, initially as a film production company, Dedo Weigert Film now develops equipment that opens fresh and innovative lighting approaches for professionals. Over the course of more than half a century, this Munich-based company has created a vast array of kit. The company has registered more than 80 international patents, ranging from film transport systems to optical devices. The famous Dedolight, which operates on the optical principle of the dual lens concept, earned founder Dedo Weigert a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

“We’re very proud of our capable and

DE SISTI LIGHTING

The Italian company De Sisti, which has been making professional lighting systems since 1982, says it continually invests in upgrading and developing its products to take advantage of the latest technological advances. For the past decade it has focussed on the evolution of energy-efficient LED technology, and launched its Vari-White series of LED lighting as it officially discontinued manufacture of all its earlier Tungsten/HMI equipment.

“With an internationally patented optical system, De Sisti lighting equipment has the most efficient LED Fresnel lights available on the market”, said company

DOPCHOICE

The Fat-Rabbit, an eight-foot version of a nearlyround Double-Hex Snapbag that folds into its own carrying bag, is the new big brother in the DoPchoice universe. Stefan Karle, a former DP, founded the Munich-based company in 2008, which creates and builds lighting tools to meet the needs of gaffers.

Like the other members of the Snapbag family, the Fat-Rabbit has a highly-reflective interior to evenout illumination as it maximises output. Thanks to its lightweight design, these light refining accessories are easy-to-use and fast to set-up on a wide variety of LED panels.

FILM COMMISSION BAYERN

Whether film productions are looking for abandoned industrial sites, compelling landscapes, or ancient castles, Film Commission Bayern can help them find the best filming locations in Bavaria.

As an information hub for national and international production companies, Film Commission Bayern acts provides the interface between film productions and authorities that issue location permits. Over many years, the commission has developed an extensive Bavarian network with partners that support film productions on-site, opening all regions in Bavaria to film production. This network gets a boost from the

FUJINON

Fujinon had products in three halls, and product manager Luke Cartwright said the show had been positive, seeing both UK and European customers. The Fujinon lens range was demonstrated across a range of camera systems, with zoom optics including the Premista 19-45, the ZK series, and the super-affordable MK series, such as the 18-55. In fact, the Premista’s were used on All Quiet On The Western Front for certain specific shots, with DP James Friend BSC ASC BSC discussing the film at the show making a neat connection. The other flagship exhibit was the HZK25-1000 Cine Box PL Lens, which brings a cinematic look-and-feel to the

experienced R&D team, who, in today’s professional lighting industry, may be one of the very best worldwide for mechanical, optical and electronic design”, said Dedo Weigert.

Notable among recent product releases is the Dedolight Neo Color, which can be synchronised with an LED screen for mixed reality productions, and can also be integrated into the Dedolight Lighstream system. Thanks to a proprietary app, a smart phone functions as a colour picker. If you need a fire effect on the LED screen, the Dedolight Neo flickers in real-time with the same colour. Sehr schön! www.dedoweigertfilm.de

CEO, Fabio De Sisti.

The stars in De Sisti Lighting’s range are the Muses Of Light, innovative LED lighting products developed in close collaboration with Academy Award-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro IAC ASC and lighting designer Francesca Storaro. Inspired by the nine muses of ancient Greek mythology, this series of high-power Vari-White LED lights replaces traditional Tungsten/HMI lighting equipment. For its 41st anniversary, De Sisti launched v4.1 firmware for VW+C lights that offers improved performance, bug fixes and new features. www.desisti.it

DoPchoice’s proprietary Snap technology make a gaffer’s life easier when grids are used in a softbox. The Rabbit-Ears make it possible to mount soft boxes in less than three minutes. The soft box fastening system replaces the heavy speed ring standard used for mounting DoPchoice’s Snapbag soft boxes on a light. Available for octagonal, square, and omni-directional soft boxes, Rabbit-Ears are so versatile that a single unit can be mounted on many different brands of LED lighting.

www.dopchoice.com

location initiative Filmkulisse Bayern, which aims for a closer collaboration between the film and tourism industry.

“We support filmmakers throughout Bavaria in all phases of production”, says Film Commissioner Anja Metzger. “This support includes location scouting and tours, as well as logistical services such as searching for accommodation. Moreover, the Film Commission offers an online database with a broad variety of locations that feature different styles, states and eras.”

www.fff-bayern.de

broadcast zoom lens and caused quite a stir at the show. Hooked-up to a full frame camera the results are stunning!

www.fujifilm.com

15-18

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ROUND-UP•EURO CINE EXPO 2023

GAFFERS CONTROL BY SPOTS UNLIMITED

Founded in 1999 by a group of four gaffers, Spots Unlimited creates tools that make life easier on a film set. With the development of Gaffers Control, they addressed various challenges in the changing industry. LED lighting offers more options, so small crews need a simple control device because more departments are using wi-fi networks on-set.

“We developed this tool because it saves gaffers time and labour”, said Bert Reyskens, Owner of Spots Unlimited.

GRIP FACTORY MUNICH

Grip Factory Munich premiered its brand-new dolly base, the GF-Primo Ultra, with an all-new and improved base for the centre columns, a perfect steering geometry, and a new steering selector, allowing enhanced manoeuvrability.

COO Henning Magee commented, “The reception to the GF-Primo Ultra here at Euro Cine Expo has been fabulous. We knew people had been waiting for it and they like it a lot. It gives operators perfect steering on the centre column, and we envisage it will be super-popular on all productions including in studios and on feature

IB/E Optics

IB/E Optics has provided high-quality lenses to the industry since 1992, including designing and producing the Tribe 7 lenses, as used by Oscar-winning DP James Friend BSC ASC on All Quiet On The Western Front – all night work was shot on the Tribe7 Blackwing7 T-Tuned lenses, due to their speed.

Based just outside Munich, IB/E showcased its Raptor range of macro cine lenses that include 60mm, 100mm, 150mm and 180mm

K5600

French company, K5600, began supplying the film industry with professional lighting equipment in 1992, and is internationally-recognised for its Joker HMI fixture, featuring a parabolic reflector with a set of lenses. In 2018, K5600 addressed advances in technology by introducing the popular Joker 300, which is colour temperature tunable from 2700K to 6500K and accurately dimmable from 1–100%.

Marc Galerne, co-founder of K5600, is going to hand over the management of the company to his son Kenny Galerne, who will carry the family business into its third generation.

KINO FLO

The company presented Mimik, an image-based lighting system with extended spectral bandwidth that can mirror video content, optimised for virtual production in LED volumes.

Mimik consists of a newly-developed light panel that combines five LEDs per pixel. In combination with the Helios processor, the Mimik light panel solves several technical challenges when setting light in virtual production with LED volumes. At the same time, the system also enables more creative and more realistic light placement in an LED volume.

Looking first at the Mimik panel, it consists of a newly-developed light panel with a carbon fibre frame. The panel has an area of 120 x 60cm and can produce very natural light because of the underlying technology. Individual panels can be combined to form larger clusters. The Helios processor that controls

Gaffers Control is a one-size-fits-all solution –comprising of a cable-free DMX control device that is stored in a compact hardshell case. The DMX settings can be made either via touchscreen or encoder knobs, if precise values are required. All different kinds of lights can be integrated in the DMX library so that they can be called-up as needed. For every light, multiple options are available to control set dimming, colour temperature, RGB and filters – this is how a green or magenta filter can be precisely defined via DMX.

www.gafferscontrol.com

films. We have loved the mood here at Euro Cine Expo, very professional yet relaxed with many international visitors in the great venue of Motorworld.”

www.gripfactory.com

focal lengths. The company’s whole range of lenses, precision crafted filters and measurement equipment was also available to view on its stand and CEO Klaus Eckerl said he was pleased to be soaking-up the atmosphere of the “local show”. www.ibe-optics.com

K5600 Lighting Europe announced the launch of One Stop, a sales and a subrental company of K5600 products, as well as kit from other manufacturers. “It’s more than a simple subrental. We want to develop a partnership with these outlets,” said Marc Galerne. “It will now be possible to request our equipment from your local rental companies, which will also be able to order equipment directly from us at competitive prices if they don’t have the items in stock to fulfill your request.”

www.k5600.eu

www.onestopcine.com

the panels can control up to 2,100 panels, and this can be done in such a way that the processor dynamically detects either the moving image content of the LED volume, i.e. its background image, or any other image signal and transfers it to the lighting mood of the panels.

As a result, you can create an absolutely realistic lighting situation in an LED volume, ultimately creating a much more natural overall image. But, not only can you mirror the video content of the LED volume with Mimik, you can also intervene very creatively in the lighting design, just as you would with a very powerful lighting mixer.

The Mimik panels can display a wide colour spectrum dynamically and with high precision. In addition, the panels are fully-synchronisable (at up to 30Hz) and also support advanced VR technologies. They thus ensure that no flickering or other

synchronisation problems can occur between Mimik and the LED wall, even in multi-frame systems. www.kinoflo.com

LCA (LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION) EUROPE

LCA, which is headquartered in the UK and now has offices in Berlin, Germany, and Aubervilliers, France, showed various popular products from Creamsource, DoPChoice, Gaffers Control, LiteGear

LEITZ

The company presented high-quality lenses from its Hugo and Elsie series, both with an eye-catching gold finish. The Hugo full-frame lenses are among the most compact and fastest optics for cinematography. Ernst Leitz Wetzlar considers and describes the Hugo series as a contemporary interpretation of the Leica M lenses that are highly-valued by many users. But, the Hugo optics are full-frame precision lenses that have a modern, production-ready body, with extended focus and aperture scales, an LPL mount, and a continuous T1.5 aperture – with the option of an additional 50 mm T1.0 lens. The character-rich, centre-weighted

LICHT-TECHNIK

Customer requests often inspire Licht-Technik’s award-winning product developments. Located in Feldkirchen near Munich, the company has a 40-year track record of innovation. This includes the Bag-oLight, which provides soft and shadow-free light for shooting automobiles. The light diffusor is constructed from a white, air-filled bag, which is mounted in front of a PAR (parabolic aluminised reflector) lamphead. Another solution designed for automobile shoots is the Sky Light, which consists of DMX-dimmable light modules that have a total power output ranging from 4.32 to 43.2kW.

and Rosco/DMG. See separate entries for these companies. www.lcaeurope.com

image is reminiscent of older optics, but with modern coatings and greater reliability, the manufacturer explains.

Leitz also showed the Elsie full-frame lenses. They cover a focal length range of 15mm to 150mm and feature T2.1 almost throughout. The lenses are available with LPL mount. These premium cine lenses feature a noticeable but gradual drop in resolution and speed in the image corners. This creates a more vivid impression that gently draws the viewer’s eye to the centre of the image which many users find creatively and visually appealing. www.leitz-cine.com

The Click & Move system provides a fast way to motorise a lamphead to pan, tilt and focus. Studios and theatres throughout the world are using motoryokes to move lampheads, displays and beamers, which can be controlled wirelessly by the LT-Pilot.

Gaffers Uwe Hagenbach and Bernhard Grill, managing directors of Licht-Technik, always incorporate ideas developed from their hands-on work in their devices. One of their latest developments is the LT-rain cover, which is available for the Cineo Standard 410 as well as for the ARRI SkyPanel S60 and S360. www.licht-technik.com

LIGHT BRIDGE

Light Bridge has reflectors and diffusers in its range that can be used to create very special lighting situations on-set. A central product is the C-100 reflector, which can now be assembled into a grid system thanks to new accessories. Its special feature is that the reflectors can be moved and locked in-place, and, according to the manufacturer, it is very easy

LITEGEAR

LiteGear’s LiteMat Spectrum 8 complements the Spectrum family of LED fixtures. Full colour-changing capabilities make LiteMat Spectrum 8 the most powerful and versatile LiteMat to date. Also new are the LiteDimmer Spectrum AC/DC 200 & 400, which feature improved housing and integrated

NANLITE

Nanlite, was launched in 2019 as a new brand by Nanguang, a leading manufacturer in the LED lighting industry. Whilst the China-based parent company Nanguang, which was founded in 1992, concentrates on lighting design and development, Nanlite, along with its Nanlux and Nanlink spin-off companies, is a new player that diversifies content creation by providing more possibilities for video and lighting control. Michael Fischer and Andreas Härlin from Kaiser Fototechnik are the German distributors of Nanlite products.

Nanlite offers a broad, versatile range of LED lights and accessories designed to help image-makers

P+S TECHNIK

For more than 30 years, Munich-based P+S Technik has been developing and manufacturing innovative products inspired by the specific needs of the camera team. The invention of the Skater Mini Dolly earned engineer/company founder, Alfred Piffl, an Academy Award for Technical Achievement. His inventions also included the single-chip SI-2K camera that enabled Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC to shoot Slumdog Millionaire (2008), for which the DP won the Best Cinematography Oscar. Alfred also designed a modern version of the Technovision

1.5X Anamorphic lens system that covers the larger

POWER GEMS

Designing and manufacturing electronic power supplies for HMI and LED Lighting, with 25 years of experience in the field Power Gems, with their highspeed ballasts for film location lighting, TV production and studio filming, have built up an enviable

to slide the yoke off the C100 and also mount the reflectors on trusses or cranes.

A proprietary grip mounts on the profiles on the reflector, and grid clamps, pins or a yoke, can be mounted to the frame. Also new from Light Bridge is a flight case for four reflectors, including accessories. www.thelightbridge.com

antenna. Custom-designed hardware with AC/DC power options, integrated power supply, advanced processing power, Ethernet switch, expanded memory, and a faster processor all enable easy operation and state-of-the-art software features. An integrated USB-A port allows for easy updates. www.litegear.com

realise their vision. Among its recent releases is the Nanlite Forza 60C, a professional, palm-size LED light with a 60W output for film production and still photography, whether in the studio or on location. Its lightweight lamphead weighs just 1.08kg, but outputs a high illuminance level when paired with its reflector. The Forza 60C adopts the advanced RGBLAC six-colour mixing technology by integrating additional Lime/Amber/Cyan LED beads into the RGB light source. The Forza 60C also offers flexible professional options with HSI / RGBW / XY modes for colour calibration. On-board, App and DMX controls dial-in the desired colours.

www.nglbg.com

sensors of cameras, namely, the Sony Venice, the Red Monstro, and the ARRI Alexa LF.

In 2017, the P+S Technik chief handed-over management of the company to his daughter, Anna Piffl, who keeps Anamorphic vintage lenses up-todate with modern re-housings that stand-up to today’s rugged conditions on-set. Built on the success of the legendary front Anamorphic Kowas, the Evolution 2X is the smallest, most set of lenses compact cine Anamorphics on the market that perform with S35 cameras as well as from 75mm on up to Full Format (36 x 24mm). Süss!

www.pstechnik.de

reputation supplying to major lighting companies around the world. Patrick McGuane, head of sales, expressed his satisfaction at the quality of leads from the show, if not the quantity.

www.powergems.com

QUASAR SCIENCE

Quasar Science was located on the Teltec stand, and focussed on virtual production, where the whole workflow was demonstrated using a video wall with images generated by Unreal Engine. The lighting rig above the wall was controlled via Unreal Engine to light realistically through various scene changes and camera parallax movements in real-time. Just six months ago this wouldn’t have been achievable, but now the fixtures themselves have the capacity to ingest data generated by Unreal Engine via streaming

ACN, using DMX as a control structure across an ethernet network, with each lighting element having its own IP address. Sehr cool.

www.quasarscience.com

www.videndum.com

RED

Equipment distributor Teltec, had several Red cameras on display, including the recently introduced Komodo-X, a new version of the Komodo camera series. It is slightly longer than the original Komodo and the biggest new feature of the Komodo-X is the sensor. According to the manufacturer, it offers 6,144 x 3,240 effective pixels with an active image window of 27.03 x 14.26 mm. The Komodo-X enables recording in 6K at up to 80 fps, and in 4K it manages up to 120fps. Komodo-X is equipped with an RF mount with locking mechanism. The camera can also be used with PL-mount lenses via an optional mount adapter.

ROSCO/DMG

The company showed a prototype DMG Lion, a 13-inch Fresnel luminaire. A special feature of the Lion is that it is available with two LED engines, which can also be changed/replaced separately if necessary, and later upgraded if and when new engines are developed.

Currently, there is a bi-colour RGB engine (2,700 to 6,500K) and an RGBLAW engine (Lime, Amber, White) for full colour flexibility (1,700 to 10,000K). The power supply unit is integrated into the lamp in the Lion, and the power consumption is 1.5kW.

SONY

Products on display at Sony’s stand included the Venice Extension System 2, often referred to as Rialto 2 in the industry. Rialto is an extension system that allows the sensor block to be detached from the rest of the camera. For this purpose, a stable and robust, yet comparatively soft and flexible fiber optic cable, is available, which has a length of 12-meters.

Unlike its predecessor, Rialto 2 does not require a repeater, which greatly simplifies handling.

Rialto was already available for the original Venice. The most important difference with Rialto 2 is that it supports the new 8.6K of sensor of the Sony

SUMOLIGHT

The company spotlighted the SumoMax at the show. This powerful LED light has 19 hexagonal pixels and passive cooling (no fan). The modular and versatile light can be used as a keylight, hardlight, punchlight, spacelight or softlight, and also is suitable for use in virtual productions because it offers pixel mapping.

Special features of this RGBWW light, which is built in Berlin with predominantly regional suppliers, are its power output of 650W (1,350W in burst mode), and 20° beam angle, which can be extended to up to 12° with magnetically-mountable attachment lenses.

The hexagonal LED light can be combined in

ZEISS

Zeiss exhibited its various lens series at the show. The focus was on the Zeiss Supreme 15mm. At T1.8, it is fast and completes the series, whose individual lenses are known for their versatile looks and light physical weight. Zeiss highlighted the cinematic image look of the lens family, which is characterised by a subtle and harmonious focus gradient, as well as a warm and soft bokeh.

Interested visitors could also take a look at CinCraft Mapper. This is a digital service from Zeiss that provides quick-and-easy, frame-accurate lens distortion and vignetting data for the VFX industry. This data simplifies and accelerates post workflows

Red Digital Cinema lists 16.5+ F-stops as the dynamic range for Komodo-X. For recording, the camera offers Redcode HQ, MQ, LQ and ELQ at 6K and 17:9 at up to 80fps. Built-in interfaces include 12G-SDI, USB-C, and there are also lockable audio interfaces with phantom power. Also integrated are wi-fi remote control and cloud upload functionality. Also on display at the Teltec booth was the Red V-Raptor XL 8K VV, which was new at Euro Cine Expo a year ago and created a lot of buzz.

www.red.com

www.teltec.com

The Lion’s Fresnel lens is adjustable by motor, with a range of 15° to 70° possible. Thanks to the M18 Mount, appropriate accessories can be used with the lamp. Wireless control via DMX or Rosco app is also possible. There are additional control ports on the back of the lamp, Lumen Radio is possible too. The fixture is liquid-cooled and weighs about 27kg. It is expected to go on-sale in early 2024 and should be in the €8,000 price range.

www.rosco.com

Venice 2, and offers additional functions and control buttons. However, Rialto 2 can also use the 6K image sensor block of the original Sony Venice, which can be used alternatively on the Venice 2.

Another key attraction at Sony’s stand was the Creator’s Cloud. This is a platform designed to support efficient content production, sharing and delivery. The whole thing is a further development of the cloud technology and services that Sony has established in previous products.

www.sonycine.com

frames using a quick-coupling system. Then it is possible to control the LEDs individually or as a package. The power supply of the lamp is integrated, and there are touchscreen or DMX/Lumenradio controls.

The manufacturer showed an special IP65 version of the SumoMax, which can not only get wet, but can also actually be immersed in water, as Sumolight impressively demonstrated at the booth. With SumoLaser, the manufacturer also announced another future product in which a laser allows an extremely narrow beam of light (6,000K) with a beam angle of 3°degrees and with enormous range.

www.sumolight.com

for digital compositing and match-moving – you can use the individually determined data from Zeiss to achieve a realistic and precise compositing result much faster. Usually, lens grids have to be recorded and processed to obtain such data. CinCraft Mapper instead provides this data directly based on the metadata (lens type, focus distance, aperture) of the respective shot.

Compositing and match-moving artists can thus significantly speed up their work process. Zeiss offers this service online for a fee.

www.zeiss.com

www.videndum.com

DEFINITELY MAYBE

Whenever an aspiring cinematographer inquires as to how I got to where I am today, I always find myself a bit flummoxed. To say ‘I did this...’ or ‘I did that...’ would relate only a small part of what’s important. Most of the time I spit-up the obvious: work and study hard, shoot everything you can, establish and nurture connections, take advantage of every opportunity. I also emphasize that they should run their own race and not concern themselves with what anyone else is doing.

While none of this approaches the Holy Grail, I’m eager to help and sympathetic to their cause; not long ago (to me, at least!) I was in their position, too. Simply telling someone where I put a light or how I photographed a certain scene would be meaningless. But if they can find a parallel between the way I’ve done some of the less common things and their own development, I consider it mission accomplished.

Another question I occasionally hear comes from members of my own crew who want to know about transitioning to the next slot within their department. This has led to some interesting exchanges regarding the ways in which people pay their dues and grow into their jobs.

My first assignment came about in late 1978 when I worked as a production assistant on a commercial in New York City. Rather than marking the start of a dream-come-true, I recall it more as something I stumbled into. Yet, luck was with me; the camera beckoned and I soon knew I had found my calling.

As I proceeded to put one foot in front of the other and the work rolled-in, I thought I was the luckiest guy in the world. I was also ambitious and right away had my eyes on a higher prize, but things were quite regimented back then and there were specific protocols to be followed as you moved along.

The most important were to stay in your lane and zip your lip. If, God forbid, you had any desire to advance, it was best kept to yourself, especially if you wanted to continue getting work in your present rating. Up-and-comers of my generation lived on the promise of tomorrow. If the time came and the planets lined-up in just the right way, maybe you’d get a chance for a promotion. But just, maybe. There were no guarantees.

same madness. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to help that individual advance. Each time I felt ready to move up – from loader to 2nd AC, then to 1st AC, operator and finally DP - I stopped taking jobs in the previous category. Did I get any flak from my colleagues? Yes, a load of it, which I duly ignored. Was it scary? Sure, it was, at least in the beginning! Of course, prior to making the move I prepared for a dry spell by saving enough money to live on for a good long period. But that’s all it took. To my surprise, I always found that the process of establishing things anew was much the same across the board. I was merely forcing everyone to see me in a different way and approaching a new list of prospective employers.

For better and worse, the landscape has changed. The system that existed since the beginning - of grinding away, putting in time and moving up incrementally – doesn’t hold anymore. We’re now living in the Wild West and for the most part, anything goes. Just declare yourself whatever it is you want to be! Young people hand me their business cards all the time: “John/ Jane Doe: Key Grip, Editor, Props, Producer, Director, Cinematographer.” (No matter the jumble, it’s funny how ‘cinematographer’ is always last!) Their sense of entitlement astounds me, but I identify with their impatience. While loading mags and pulling focus in the 1980s, I had no doubt about the direction in which I was heading, and I was willing to do most anything to get there. I had no expectation of shooting a feature or TV show in my twenties – or ever, perhaps – but I was certain I’d rather die than not give the effort my all.

And that’s precisely why I respond so strongly when I meet someone who’s possessed of the

I suppose that if I was 25 today and fresh out of film school, I’d want to jump right in at the head of the line too. But eagerness is no equal to experience, and in the end that’s the only thing that counts. This is why I still encourage young people to pursue some sort of practical apprenticeship if they’re truly serious about their future in the trade.

The cinematographer’s responsibilities have increased exponentially since the switch to digital workflows, and I can’t imagine any other way to become truly qualified for what they’ll eventually be facing. Some film schools lay a decent foundation with the basics, but as we know, there’s so much more to it than three-point lighting and the Rule Of Thirds. Applying those principles while managing an ever-shifting balance of time, people, politics and resources, can be learned only by doing it, or at least by closely observing a professional for a considerable period of time.

As with so many aspects of cinematography, there is no one-size-fits-all answers to this challenge. Fortunately, the path I chose was a perfect fit. I don’t know if it would be right for anyone else, but it certainly worked out well for me!

Eagerness is no equal to experience

NATURALLY SO…

Filmography (so far): Greatest Days (2nd unit DP) (feature, 2023, dir. Coky Giedroyc); Tótem Loba (short, 2022, dir. Verónica Echegui); Groom (short, 2022, dir. Leyla Coll-O’Reilly); Ned & Me (short, 2020, dir. Lorna Nickson Brown); music videos for Harry Styles’ Harry’s House (album promo) (dir. Joe Connor), Måneskin’s Mamma Mia (dir. Rei Nadal) and Dodie’s Hot Mess (Live From The Attic) (dir. Tash Tung); commercials for Hermès, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Miu Miu, Google, The North Face and LiuJo.

Accolades: Tótem Loba – Goya Award for Best Fiction Short Film 2022; Groom – Official Selection at BFI London Film Festival 2022, BAFTA Scotland Nominee 2022, and Best Cinematography, International Competition at Berlin Interfilm Festival 2022; Ned & Me – Official Selection at Clermont-Ferrand 2021; and My Hero (short, 2019, dir. Mac Montero) – Best Cinematography at Catfish Shorts Festival 2020.

When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer?

At the age of 19, during my college years in Spain. After participating in a film workshop, I fell madly in love with the art of cinema. I saved enough money working that summer to buy the camera with which I would shoot my first shorts and music videos. I fondly remember those projects, which I directed, photographed and edited myself.

I immediately realised that what I enjoyed the most about the whole process were the moments spent behind the lens, making the decisions regarding language, light and framing that allowed me to create the emotions I was looking for. Then I discovered the role of the cinematographer and I instantly knew what I wanted to be.

Where did you train?

After media studies in Spain, I moved to London with the idea to do a masters in cinematography. I was aware that I needed to build-up my narrative reel, so I started working as a camera trainee to get experience on-set, whilst shooting as much as I could on the side.

I learnt so much on-set that it basically became my film school. I was so hungry to learn. I was always taking notes of the lighting set-ups, asking questions to the cinematographers and gaffers. I have been lucky enough to encounter great professionals who have

always given me great advice and have supported me along the way.

Whilst working on my personal projects, I learnt by trial and error. Shooting as much as I could. Even if that meant not having a day off. I am very grateful for those years, and even though it was hard work it definitely was worth it.

How did you get your first break?

My first opportunity came thanks to Tobias Schliessler ASC. I was his personal assistant on The Good Liar (2019), starring Ian McKellen and Hellen Mirren. After watching my reel, he was struck by the quality of my work

stories with a strong sense of language have always struck with me. Again, this is a film where you can sense the poetry of each image. I absolutely love the composition and sensibility.

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019, dir. Celine Sciamma, DP Claire Mathon AFC) – this one has become one of my favourite films of all time. I love the sensibility to this period love story between two women. Celine Sciamma and DP Claire Mathon AFC did a beautiful job making sure each frame looks like a painting. I love how the light seems to come out of the characters. I absolutely love Mathon’s approach to it, big sources with loads of diffusion to create softness and texture.

Who are your DP/industry role models?

Sven Nykvist – his use of natural light and the way he always framed each characters’ emotions has always struck with me. I am constantly inspired by his close-ups.

Claire Mathon AFC – I adore her work with director Celine Sciamma, especially in Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, also in Spencer (2021, dir. Pablo Larraín). I relate to her sensitivity and the soft quality of her images.

and my passion, and immediately offered me to operate camera and shoot additional photography on the film. After that great opportunity I felt ready to follow my own path as a cinematographer. I started working in commercials, although I never left aside my real passion: shooting narrative.

What are your favourite films, and why?

Three Colours: Blue (1993, dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski, DP Sławomir Idziak) – I absolutely fell in love with visual language after watching this film as a student. It really inspired me to become a cinematographer. I was in awe of what Kieślowski and his cinematographer Sławomir Idziak did using images to express each emotion of Juliette Binoche’s character. It’s a masterpiece that still inspires me today.

In The Mood For Love (2000, dir. Wong Kar-Wai, DPs Christopher Doyle/Mark Lee Ping-Bing) –

Edu Grau ASC – he’s chameleonic and I am like that too. I’ve always been inspired by his career and his courage to take big projects from such a young age. I love his work in films such as A Single Man (2009, dir. Tom Ford) and Quien Te Cantará (2018, dir. Carlos Vermut).

What quote / mantra do you live by?

In cinematography, “Less is always more”.

What advice would you give the ‘young you’, just starting out?

Enjoy the process and be patient. Your time will come.

Where do you get your visual inspirations? From various sources. Art and nature mostly. I love going to an art gallery and getting inspired by the use of light, composition, textures and colours. Photographers like Saul Leiter or Gregory Crewdson have inspired me for years.

Most recently I have found myself coming back constantly to nature. I love observing the quality of the

Shoot, shoot, shoot. Learn, learn, learn. Your mistakes will teach you the way

This page: Lorena Pagès, main photo by Carmen Pellon, pictured on-set by Catherine Hulme.

light at different times of the day. I feel inspired by the elements and the different textures. In those moments of absolute presence is where images and ideas easily come to me.

What have been your best/worst moments?

Best: I love those moments when “magically”, everything comes together. I remember one particular scene in a short film, where the main character had to make eye contact with an owl. We didn’t have much time left and everybody was getting nervous. Suddenly the energy of the entire crew changed,

Yes, this is definitely a very demanding industry. Over the years I’ve learnt to take good care of my whole wellbeing. I don’t do drugs of any kind, I eat healthily and spend as much time in nature as I possibly can.

In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot?

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire

What’s the best thing about being a DP? It’s impossible to choose just one thing. I love to create the visual language of the film with the director,

I managed to shoot a music video on 35mm film in Italy with little to no prep, a non-English-speaking crew and extremely long days. It was a tough one, but I couldn’t be happier with the result.

What is the most important lesson your working life has taught you?

everything went quiet, and the owl looked at the actor as if he knew exactly what we asked him to do. It was such an emotional moment. We all felt it and it was beautifully captured.

Worst: (but a funny one to remember) was shooting a hair commercial on a very windy rooftop. The producer was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Tell us your hidden talent/party trick?

My party trick is not going to the party, but making people laugh and smile everyday.

What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Outside my job, I don’t spend much time at all on screens or technology.

Away from work, what are your greatest passions?

Nature, cinema, and playing guitar.

How do you like to “waste” your time? Switching-off my phone and spending hours lost in nature.

What is the top thing on your bucket list? Collaborating with Celine Sciamma.

It can be tough being a DP, how do you keep yourself match-fit?

Being on-set became my film school

translating words into images and emotions. I love travelling the world telling stories, and I absolutely love that everyday is different from the others.

What’s the worst thing about being a DP? The long working hours.

Give us three adjectives that best describe you and your approach to cinematography? Passionate. Sensitive. Warm.

If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now?

I would probably be an interior designer.

What is your aspiration for the future?

To tell stories with a positive message and impact in this world that is so in need of hope, reality and beauty.

What do you consider your greatest achievement, so far?

As much as I love my job, at the end it’s just a wonderful profession that allows us to pass beautiful messages. But, the most important things in life are the relationships we develop with others and how much we share. We are not saving lives and there is life outside of it.

What advice do you have for other people who want to become cinematographers? Shoot, shoot, shoot. Learn, learn, learn. Your mistakes will teach you the way.

For you, what are the burning issues in the world of cinematography, filmmaking and cinema, that need to be addressed? There is an increasing tendency to make horror and violent movies that only encourage people to detach themselves even more from reality. I would like to see more of innocent, hopeful and profound films being made.

What’s up next for you?

Many exciting things: commercials in Europe, a feature in Spain, another in Canada, and soon my first work in USA.

Who is your agent?

I’m represented by DDA Talent in the US and Vision Artists in UK and Europe.

What is your URL/website address? https://lorenapages.net/

This page: Stills from Tótem Loba, Dog Run, Dodie Hot Mess and Harry Styles promos, and Walls Like Windows.

VIVA EL LENTE

By Natasha Block Hicks

(LONG LIVE THE LENS)

50km outside Havana – the colourful capital of Cuba – a hub of creativity simmers in the balmy countryside of San Antonio de Los Baños. Founded in 1986 by Colombian journalist and author Gabriel García Márquez, Cuban theoreticians and filmmakers

Julio García Espinosa and Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, and Argentine poet and filmmaker Fernando Birri, the Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV (EICTV) is a film school that cultivates, protects and promotes the techniques, culture and aesthetics of Latin American cinema.

Past ‘Eictvians’ – as students at the school are known – include Spanish director/writer/producer Jaime Rosales, recipient of the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes 2003 for feature Las Horas Del Día (2003, DP Óscar Durán AEC); Bolivian DP Daniela Cajías AEC, winner of the 2021 Goya Award for Best Cinematography for her lighting of feature film Las Niñas/Schoolgirls (2020, dir. Pilar Palomero); and Brazilian documentary director/DP Eryk Rocha, who was recognised with the Golden Eye Award at Cannes 2016 for the feature montage documentary Cinema Novo (2016).

York Neudal, a German DP, documentary filmmaker and film festival organiser, who is himself an alumnus of EICTV, heads-up the Cinematography

Department. He talked to us via Google Meet, as on-going US sanctions block Cuban access to Zoom, a reminder of the tension that continues to bristle between the two countries.

“I only intended to do an exchange programme, so I came to Cuba for six months,” Neudal relates of his own studies at EICTV, “but I liked it so much that I decided to stay.”

Although short and online courses are also offered, the ‘central column’ of the school is the Regular Course: a three-year, undergraduate-level diploma culminating, for cinematography students, in a 20-minute thesis fiction film and a 30-minute documentary.

Students of the Regular Course undertake a foundation in filmmaking across all disciplines in the first year, then break away into their chosen specialisations in year two. Part of the student DPs’ early education involves honing a sense of the body’s relationship to the camera.

“They dance with the camera,” illustrates Neudal, “to develop that feeling.”

The cinematography track encompasses both the practise and theory of the field.

“Student DPs learn about optics, physics and mathematics,” explains Neudal, “and they also cover operating and documentary cinematography: how to react quickly when circumstances develop suddenly in front of the camera.”

Eictvians team-up across the disciplines at the end of the second year on a pre-thesis fiction short, a precursor to the longer thesis films which occupy their third year. These final, crossdepartment projects are the culmination of everything students have absorbed during their time at the school.

The majority of teaching is delivered as workshops and masterclasses by industry professionals from around the

world, with tutors changing every two weeks.

“It is very interesting for students,” explains Neudal, “because although there might be some repetition on the topics, you always have it from a different point-of-view.”

We teach students how to ‘think cinematography’ and how to improvise

Professionals delivering the third year ‘Masters Of Light’ workshop, for instance, have included US-based DP Roberto Schaefer ASC AIC, known for The Kite Runner (2007, dir. Marc Forster), French cinematographer Agnès Godard AFC, highlyrespected for her collaboration with director Claire Denis on films such as Beau Travail (1999), and the late Michael Chapman ASC, famous for his lighting of Taxi Driver (1976, dir. Martin Scorsese). Acclaimed British DP Oliver Stapleton BSC, co-head of cinematography at the NFTS, has visited EICTV in 2023 to deliver a second-year lighting workshop, as has DP Franz Pagot OMRI AIC.

These international names may be dazzling, but EICTV is careful in upholding its mission to be a vanguard of South American filmmaking ideas and technique.

“We always invite filmmakers who can show students how Latin American cinema works,” states Neudal, referring not just to home-grown DPs such as Mauro Herce, winner of Best Cinematography at the 2020 Goya Awards for O Que Arde/ Fire Will Come (2019, dir. Óliver Laxe), and the aforementioned alumna Daniela Cajías, but also filmmakers such as German DP Hans Burmann, whose CV is awash with Spanish-language films including projects shot in Uruguay, Argentina and Chile, such as Amnesia (1994, dir. Gonzalo Justiniano).

“The main aim is to build a Latin American language in cinematography,” clarifies Neudal.

This principle is at play in the selection of EICTV’s student body. Students hail from both South/Central America and much further afield, but the selection process focusses on their suitability to fit in at EICTV and engage with the artistry and temperament of Latin American filmmaking in general.

“Our students are very heterogeneous, but there is a certain way of thinking – a ‘spirit’ – that they all share together,” explains Neudal.

“This is what I consider when looking at applications. They have to be intelligent, they have to be critical, and it’s very important for us that our students are not just soldiers in industrial cinematography; they also have to have their own mind.”

Potential applicants are expected to have undertaken two years of higher education studies, in any subject area, before applying for the Regular Course. The EICTV entrance examination takes place inside the relevant embassy for the student’s country of origin (listed on EICTV’s website) followed by an online interview. Five new students are chosen

every year for each of the eight disciplines which make up the Regular Course: Directing Fiction, Directing Documentary, Production, Screenwriting, Television and New Media, Cinematography, Sound and Editing.

Students entering EICTV can expect to “inhale the art of cinema” during their time at the school. On a rural campus, away from the distractions of urban life, Eictvians begin their studies at 9am and are in classes or workshops until 5pm. After an hour’s meal-break they attend one of the school’s two cinemas, of 100 and 40 seats respectively, to watch and dissect movies through the evening with the visiting tutors. Everything is catered for on-site, with single en-suite rooms, meals, access to an Olympicsized swimming pool, a gym and playing fields all

Locarno International Film Festival for its director and star Wara. Experimental short Terranova (2021) took awards at both the 2022 Camden and 2021 Rotterdam International Film Festivals for its directors Alejandro Pérez Serrano and Alejandro Alonso. Columbian director/DP Manuel Mateo Gómez’s documentary Ánima (2022) was recognised with the award for Best Latin American Short Film at Argentina’s 37th Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 2022. Relationships and networks built at EICTV extend far beyond graduation, with students continuing to work together as they enter the industry at large, and visiting tutors remembering the diligence and inventiveness nurtured by the school.

“One aim of EICTV is to have a network here in Latin America,” says Neudal, “but connections develop anywhere there is a more independent style of filmmaking. For instance, there is a huge community of our ex-students in Spain where there is more money to make films.

included in the €6000/annum course fees.

Although modest by Western standards, this fee may still be prohibitive to some students, particularly South American candidates which EICTV wishes to attract. To support these students, various national scholarships are available, including one offered by Ibermedia –the development programme whose objective is to strengthen the Ibero-American audiovisual market –which covers up to 50% of the cost.

Students learn their craft on ARRI Alexa Classic, Blackmagic Ursa, Sony FS5 and Panasonic 4K AG-DVX200 cameras, plus the school owns a number of 35mm and 16mm cameras like ARRI SRII and Aaton, including one example once used by Akira Kurosawa. Students can process and experiment with 35/16mm film onsite in the EICTV laboratory.

“We also have optics of every kind,” adds Neudal, “lots of tripods, a doorway dolly, mini jib and lamps from 4K HMI downwards.”

There is a TV studio with a multi-camera system and mixing room, six sound postproduction stations with Pro Tools, ten editing rooms, plus two colour grading rooms with Assimilate Scratch and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. Neudal hints that the economic conditions in Cuba mean that EICTV’s cameras may be older models and school facilities are maintained on a shoestring, however he stresses that it is what students do with the equipment they have that really matters.

“We teach them how to ‘think cinematography’ and how to improvise,” he explains. “The visiting professors are astonished when they see what’s going on here.”

The proof is in the pudding. Eictvians hold their own in international film festival competitions, with student film Soberane/Sovereign (2022, DPs Emmanuel Guerrero & Camilla Lapa) scooping the Golden Leopards Of Tomorrow prize at the 2022

“But I think our graduates would have perfect chances in the industry anywhere, even in Hollywood,” he concludes, “because they’re quick and they’re good.”

Students learn how to react quickly when circumstances develop suddenly in front of the camera

Students have to be intelligent, critical and have to have their own mind

ACTION MAN

By Ron Prince

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One has some of the most exhilarating cinematography you’re ever likely to witness, with imagery that makes you feel you’re right in the thick of the nailbiting action with Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson, Esai Morales and other members of the cast, as they seek to track down a terrifying new weapon – a rogue AI known as ‘The Entity’ – that threatens all of humanity if it falls into the wrong hands. Indeed, one critic said he nearly hyper-ventilated whilst watching the breath-taking romp.

I was absolutely thrilled to lead a film of this scale and magnitude

The Paramount Pictures film, directed by Christopher McQuarrie (aka McQ) from a screenplay he co-wrote with Erik Jendresen, is the seventh instalment in the Mission: Impossible film series, which will conclude with Dead Reckoning – Part Two in 2024.

In less than a week after its release, Dead Reckoning – Part One made a mighty debut at the box office, grossing $253 million worldwide, delivering a new record for the franchise and proving itself to be a healthy lure for people wanting the big-screen experience.

Indeed, as McQ stated after an early showcase premiere’s, “We’re fighting to keep the industry alive, fighting to keep people employed, fighting for the studio, and fighting for cinemas.”

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One was the first major Hollywood film to resume production during the pandemic in 2020, and took almost four years to complete.

The task of shooting it fell to cinematographer Fraser Taggart, who says, “As a kid growing-up, I loved it when movies took me to different places around the world, and adored the sense of escapism they provided. I very much wanted this movie to make the audience feel the same way.

“Each film in the Mission: Impossible series is typified by cinematic evolution and I relished the challenge of stamping it with an array of looks across the different locations we visited. Initially, I knew very little about the plot, except for McQ’s desire to crash a train and Tom’s ambition to perform a death-defying motorbike stunt off a 4,000ft mountain side.”

Principle photography on Dead Reckoning – Part One commenced in July, 2019, and wrapped some three-and-a-half years later on February the 19th, 2023, mainly due to lengthy stops and lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The initial port of call for the production was Norway, doubling for Switzerland in the final film, where Cruise’s mountaintop motorcycle stunt was filmed first – six backto-back takes in one morning – followed by exterior action scenes on top of the speeding train.

The production relocated to Abu Dhabi and then moved on to Venice, where several locations were rigged and ready-to-go, before the city and the country moved into lockdown.

After a hiatus lasting several months, production resumed in Venice before switching to Rome and then to London. Production also took place on multiple sets at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden and Longcross Studios, Chertsey, where practical train carriages were built on powerful hydraulic jacks that could lift the carriages 80ft upwards or slam them downwards, for the climactic end sequence. The train crash sequence itself was filmed at Darlton Quarry, Stoney Middleton in Derbyshire.

Now, before we go much further, you are probably wondering exactly who Fraser

Taggart is, and how he landed a plum job on one of Hollywood’s biggest franchises. The answer is vast experience combined with a little pluckiness, as we’re about to discover.

ASC), Rogue One (2016, dir. Gareth Edwards, DP Greig Fraser ACS ASC), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018, Christopher McQuarrie, DP Rob Hardy BSC ASC), Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw (2019, dir. David Leitch, DP Jonathan Sela ASC) and The King’s Man (2021, dir. Matthew Vaughn, DP Ben Davis BSC) – and I sort of got pigeonholed as the guy who does all the action stuff.

“However, I remember standing on a runway in New Zealand with producer Jake Myers, when I was working on one of Tom’s stunts for Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and told him how much I appreciated shooting second unit work, but asked ‘Why can’t I shoot a main unit sometime?’. He said something along the lines of, ‘It’s not as easy as that… politics!’

“I’m an action-oriented cinematographer, and Tom and McQ knew me from previous projects,” says Taggert. “I came through the grades, starting as a trainee, before being a loader for six years – I worked on 1984 (1984, dir. Michael Radford, DP Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC). I then moved on to camera assisting, focus pulling and then cinematography, working on lots of rock ‘n’ roll music videos and glamorous, glitzy commercials over many years. I was lucky at the time because the projects were so good and people experimented – top directors like Gerard De Thame and Adrian Moat and Nick Livesey. Every couple of weeks I’d be off to shoot a car commercial in some amazing location, and I learnt a great deal.

“I also started to DP second units and action units on films like Vertical Limit (2000, dir. Martin Campbell, DP David Tattersall BSC), Troy (2004. dir. Wolfgang Petersen, DP Roger Pratt BSC), The Da Vinci Code (2006, dir. Ron Howard, DP Salvatore Totino AIC ASC) and Stardust (2007, dir. Matthew Vaughn, DP Ben Davis).

“Work of that calibre, including some significant reshoots, continued through many years on even bigger budget movies like Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015, dir. Christopher McQuarrie, DP Robert Elswit

“But Jake must have put my proposition to McQ and Tom at some stage, as I got the call about Dead Reckoning – Part One. I really didn’t think I would get it, as I was up against some seriously big hitters. But, my proximity to McQ and Tom the other Mission: Impossible films I had worked on, and an earlier experience with Tom on Edge Of Tomorrow (2014, dir. Doug Liman, DP Dion Beebe ACS ASC), must have swung it my way, and I got the job.

“I was absolutely thrilled to lead a film of this scale and magnitude, but one of the things about Tom’s movies and the Mission: Impossible franchise in particular, is that he and the main actors were always there on the second units I’d shot, but they felt like more like main units really” Fraser says Buster Keaton’s classic actionadventure comedy, The General (1926, dirs. Clyde Bruckman/Buster Keaton, DPs Bert Haines/Devereaux Jennings), was an inspiration for McQuarrie and Cruise in their visual reckoning for the film, as were the train wreck sequences in director David Lean’s Bridge On The River Kwai (1957, DP Jack Hildyard BSC) and Lawrence Of Arabia (1962, DP Freddie Young BSC). Nuanced moments in Ford vs Ferrari (2019, dir. James Mangold, DP Phedon Papamichael ASC GSC), plus the Dutch camera angles and story beats from early movies in the Mission: Impossible franchise were more contemporary references.

I’m an action-oriented cinematographer, and Tom and McQ knew me from previous projects

Images: Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One. © 2023 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Mission: Impossible films have typically been originated on analogue film, and this was the original intention for Dead Reckoning – Part One

“McQ and Tom share a great passion for film, and I’d happily shoot on film all day long given the chance,” says Taggart. “However, the more we discussed various sequences – like the fight on top of the train – the more we realised how impractical it would become having to stop and reload the film cameras every few minutes on protracted scenes.

“We also had a heady mix of extreme action sequences, like the car-chase in Rome, to think about. When McQ said he wanted to film the Abu Dhabi shotout in a sandstorm, that was game over for film, as I knew reloading, and checking the cameras for dust and sand, would create long resets and turnarounds between takes. With digital we could just keep rolling along.”

Thankfully, Taggart had previously tested film versus an array of large format digital cameras, which, along with filming the cast, also included a salient stint in Venice.

“Beyond The Grand Canal, the labyrinth of water and alleyways in Venice have little or no illumination at all,” he says. “You get little bit of light on the ground floor, but the rest of the city is just dark, there’s nothing there. When I assessed the camera tests, it was the Sony Venice, with its two native ISOs of 500 and 2500, that registered things best. I wondered if 2500 ISO setting might prove a bit noisy at on the dark end of the scale, but it looked absolutely amazing. Out of all of the other digital cameras, the sensor was also the most forgiving on faces and skin tones too.

“The other attraction for me in choosing the Sony Venice as our principal camera, was the Rialto extension system, which allows the removal of the front image block of the Sony Venice camera for mounting with different housings and supports. When I paired the Rialto system with Steadicam, and especially the StabilEye gimbal, I knew it would allow us to get right into the action and

bringing a controlled kinetic energy to the camera moves for the fight and other

Panavision London on the camera package for the film, Taggart went with C-series Anamorphic lenses, supplemented with a D40mm backroom, which had been used on the very first movie in the franchise, (1996, dir. Brian De

“Widescreen 2.40:1 Anamorphic is the traditional format for Mission: Impossible movies, and I wanted the oldest lenses I could find,” Taggart remarks. “I initially tried to track down some old, Russian-made Anamorphics that I’d used couple of times on film jobs before, although I couldn’t find them anywhere. But the C-series are wonderful, so beautifully imperfect, soft and organic. They are forgiving on faces, especially when you consider the harshness of the digital sensor, and they help get you somewhere close to a filmic-look. Tom especially loved the connection of the D40mm Anamorphic having been used on the original film.”

To put the audience in the very thick of the action scenes, especially the car chase around Rome, Taggart went with diminutive Z-cam E2-F6 Pro cameras, which can shoot 6K up to 60fps and 4K up to 120fps, fitted with Zeiss CP.3 spherical lenses.

“The Z-cams have full-frame sensors, 15-stops of dynamic range, the same sort of dual native ISO settings as the Sony Venice,” says Taggart. “Although the colour

rendition is slightly different to the Sony Venice, they gave a real personality to those scenes where Tom and Hayley variously drive the little Fiat 500. We rigged four cameras on the car and framed so the audience would part of the journey, really tight, up-close and personal with our leads. There’s lots of personal dialogue, little nuanced reactions and exchanges between them in those scenes, and I think the overall result worked incredibly well for that part of the storytelling.”

When it came to devising LUTs, Taggart says preproduction was too-early a stage to define precise looks for the film. Working with colourist Asa Shoul, at Warner Bros. De Lane Lea, who also did the final DI grade, he created a set of basic Rec.709 day/night LUTs. These delivered slight desaturation and raised contrast to the images, and Taggart adjusted the looks near-set during production in collaboration with DITs Ben Appleton and Stephan Bookers. References were then dispatched to the dailies colourist at Warner Bros. De Lane Lea.

“Working this way, live-grading as we went along, gave us a pretty good guidebook of looks that I wanted to imprint across the production during the final grade –such as a richer colour palette with slightly higher contrast in Rome, and a slightly cooler aesthetic for Switzerland, where the action-packed climax takes place.”

During production Jonathan ‘Chunky’ Richmond operated A-camera/ Steadicam, with Fabrizio Sciarra, Peter Wignall and Charlie Rizek similarly wielding the camera as required. Gary Pocock led the grip team. The gaffer was Martin Smith ICLS, with Dan Walters working as light desk operator/ programmer.

“Working on a production for so long demands a crew that feels like a family – because you spend more time with them than your actual family,” Taggart declares. “I have to say, my core camera and lighting team, together with local crews who came on-board at each of our locations, all

Working on a production for so long demands a crew that feels like a family

helped to make for a lovely atmosphere and a productive environment under what could sometimes be extreme pressure in hellish situations. I also have to thank Wade Eastwood, and the stunt co-ordination team, for making sure the cast, crew, stunt artists and camera equipment, all remained safe with wires and shackles.”

Whilst Dead Reckoning – Part One has several dramatically-lit scenarios – such as the square of the Doge’s Palace and a long candle-lit colonnade in Venice – Taggart freely admits that that hardest thing facing the DP and their gaffer is the recreation of natural light from a location inside a studio environment, especially when it came to filming final train interior sequences.

“Martin and his lighting team built an external lighting rig for those scenes, which we shot on a soundstage at Longcross, which perfectly simulated the shifting daylight as the train moves along the tracks or tilted vertically over oblivion, so that whatever direction the camera was facing, there was a perfect logic to where light was coming from.

“We looked at using LED walls as background plates, but there was something about the way the foreground and backgrounds slid around that didn’t look quite right, so we decided to go greenscreen in the end. Thanks to Martin the end-result looked brilliant, as did the rest of the film, including the beauty lighting on our stars.”

Looking back on the experience of leading the cinematography on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One, Taggart concludes, “There were plenty of head-scratching moments, when we had to figure-out how were going to film certain sequences, but that’s part and parcel of the job. There was danger and exhilaration in equal measure too. I am delighted to have been part of that, and to bring a thrill ride to the cinema.”

There will be more, because Taggart is currently filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two. Hang on to your hats!

The most detailed lens coverage and camera comparison tool on the web.

cvp.com/cameralens

OPPENHEIMER•HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA NSC FSF ASC

THE BIG BANG

“

P“It’s an intimate, emotional and immersive psychological drama, as well as spectacular event cinema. I am superproud about the result and know it will provoke a lot of interesting discussion and debate,” he adds. In addition to standard cinemas worldwide, Oppenheimer is released in various analogue film formats, including Kodak 70mm screened in IMAX (30 prints), standard 70mm (113 prints)

and 35mm (around 80 prints).

Directed, written and co-produced by Nolan, the $100m Universal Pictures’ production transports viewers back in time to one of the most significant events in world history, as theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer led the development of the world’s first nuclear weapons in WWII’s topsecret ‘Manhattan Project’.

Nothing beats the resolution, depth, colour and roundness of the analogue image

With a running time of just under three hours, the film depicts Oppenheimer’s life and delivers a powerful exploration of the moral complexities, dilemmas and consequences of scientific advances faced by him and his fellow scientists.

Indeed, following the detonation of the first nuclear weapon – codenamed Trinity – at 05.28am on July 26th, 1945, in the Jornada Del Muerto desert, New Mexico, Oppenheimer uttered the words, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds” – a verse from the holy Hindu Bhagavad Gita scripture – to express his deepheld qualms about the destructive power he had unleashed upon the world.

The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography, American Prometheus: The Triumph And Tragedy Of J. Robert Oppenheimer, by Kai Bird and Martin J Sherwin. It stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer, with a supporting cast including Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Florence Pugh, plus Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Conti, Benny Safdie, Casey Affleck and Gary Oldman.

Oppenheimer is Van Hoytema’s fourth collaboration with Nolan, following Interstellar (2014), Dunkirk (2017) and Tenet (2020), all of which were variously shot using KODAK 65mm film in IMAX (15-perf) format in combination with 65mm (8-perf) or 35mm (4-perf) analogue film formats. Van Hoytema is also known for his collaborations with Sam Mendes on 007 James Bond Spectre (2015), James Gray on Ad Astra (2019) and Jordan Peele on Nope (2020), all also shot on analogue film.

“It’s always a surprise when you realise how little you actually know about an historical figure, and I knew very little about Oppenheimer himself, other than he was the father of the atomic bomb,” admits Van Hoytema. “Chris wanted me to read his script before I started digging into any other existing historical material about Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project. I discovered that he had boiled-down the story into a dramaturgical structure that was very personal, intimate and thrilling. In our previous films the emphasis was on the action, but for this film he wanted a very simple, unadorned style to the photography, especially on faces to support the unfolding psychological drama.

“As with our previous films, I also knew early-on that he wanted to shoot as much as possible in-camera, utilising practical effects and miniatures, as much as possible, keeping CGI, bluescreen and VFX to an absolute minimum.

“When I then read the biography, American Prometheus, and absorbed references from other departments on the production, I was flabbergasted as to the enormous scale of the Manhattan Project itself –the same magnitude as NASA Apollo mission – and it re-iterated to me how unbelievably important it was in defining the geo-political structure of our world since.”

Van Hoytema adds, “As we all dug deeper into researching the period and the events, I was particularly interested to learn more about Oppenheimer and the scientists themselves, and to investigate things like the side-development of extremely high-speed, ultra lightsensitive and split-field cameras, plus very long lenses, that were specially-made to record the Trinity explosion. In this respect, Peter Kuran’s book, How To Photograph An Atomic Bomb proved quite astonishing.

“I was also fascinated by the personal descriptions of the bomb going off. Some described the mushroom cloud like an optical illusion, others how the morning sky was suddenly lit by searing bright white before turning golden yellow, then red to beautiful purple and violet. Whilst a lot of this was subjective, I found it really compelling as I sought to get to the essence of what those people experienced during that period and on that particular day.”

Pre-production on the film got underway in January 2022, with principal photography starting at the end of February, before wrapping some four months/80-shooting-days later, in May.

An interesting aspect of Oppenheimer lies in the choice of locations. Through attention to detail and dedication to historical authenticity, most of the film’s settings are accurate to places in Oppenheimer’s life, providing a window into his extraordinary experience and the events that shaped his life. They also enabled the cast and crew to immerse themselves into the atmosphere that Oppenheimer experienced personally.

was a professor between 1929 to 1943, and University of California, UCLA where he taught physics. After WWII, Oppenheimer’s journey took him to the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, where he became a school director.

Van Hoytema says that shooing Oppenheimer on analogue film was a given from the get-go, and that the immersive quality of the IMAX 15-perf frame size was an irresistible lure.

“Large format photography gives clarity, and places the audience in the reality you are creating for them,” he says. “Of course, as the film has grand vistas and deals with the explosion of the world’s first atomic bomb, it had to be a blast, and there is nothing better than IMAX for creating that spectacular cinematic experience.

“That said, Oppenheimer is mainly a human drama and my biggest technical challenge on this film was how to carry three-hours of close-ups, keeping the faces interesting and appealing, and making the end-result feel intimate and psychologically-powerful.

“Through the years we have discovered that the sweet spots with IMAX are 50mm and 80mm. Anything beyond those focal lengths and you start to diminish the immersive quality of the image. If you go too long the image appears compressed and more graphic, as if you’re looking at a sort of flat screen. Anything too wide becomes more like a fishbowl, where the edges start to fall-off too fast. So the 50mm has become our wide lens, the 80mm our tighter lens. On close-ups they give you the right proximity and wideness, and everything around starts to function like the peripheral vision of your eyes.

“But, when shooting our close-ups, we didn’t want the camera to be six feet away from our subject. We wanted to be much tighter, so that you really feel the perspective and the intimacy. Also, I knew we would be filming in low-light situations and would need to shoot at T1.4 rather than aT4.”

Such close-focus lenses are not readily-available off-the-shelf, and Van Hoytema once again turned to the talents of Panavision’s lens guru, Dan Sasaki, to deliver a range of different optics – including Hasselblad, Panavision Sphero 65 and Panavision System 65 lenses – that would be used on the IMAX MKIV, IMAX MSM 9802 and Panavision Panaflex System 65 Studio cameras during production.

Oppenheimer was mainly filmed in the desert sandscapes around Los Alamos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where constructed sets, by production designer Ruth De Jong, included a 1940’s-style town, the Trinity test/detonation site, as well as the house in which Oppenheimer and his family resided during course of the Manhattan Project.

Filming also took place on the campuses of the University of California, Berkeley, where Oppenheimer

“Dan is an amazing lens artist, a magician, who met what I thought were impossible demands, as he tweaked existing lenses or re-engineered others from the ground-up,” says Van Hoytema. “He even built a special, waterproof snorkel lens for use with the IMAX cameras that didn’t exist before, so that we could get extreme macro shots on the miniatures and interesting views for some of the more imaginative scientific scenes in the film.”

Van Hoytema shot Oppenheimer on KODAK 65mm large format negative filmstocks, using KODAK VISION3 250D 5207 for exteriors and brighter day interiors, and KODAK VISION3 500T 5219 for low-light and night scenes. To support the distinction between

different storylines, he also shot using KODAK DOUBLE-X 5222, specially-created for the production by Kodak for use with the IMAX and Panavision System 65mm film cameras. Film processing was done at Fotokem in Los Angeles.

“Although I shoot a lot of commercials using digital, I still believe film is more engaging to watch and is much closer to the human visual experience,” remarks Van Hoytema. “The 250D and 500T are workhorse speeds that I knew would cover pretty much all of the lighting situations I would encounter, and even though the larger surface-area of the emulsion means the grain is finer – especially in IMAX –they still had enough texture for me. There’s still nothing that beats the resolution, depth, colour and roundness of the analogue image, nor in the feeling overall that film conveys.

When you watch an analogue print, especially in an IMAX theatre, the level of impact is freaking inspiring.”

To support the intricate structure of the script, Nolan with Van Hoytema’s support, pushed to use B&W to help draw a clear distinction between different events and points-of-view.

“It was a gutsy choice. One of my very first phone calls was to Kodak, enquiring if they had any 65mm large-format B&W filmstock,” the DP recalls. “But they had never made that before, and early-on it was uncertain as to whether they would or could make it for this production. But, they stepped-up to the plate and supplied a freshlymanufactured prototype KODAK DOUBLE-X 5222 65mm filmstock, delivered in cans with hand-written labels on the outside.

“However, as that filmstock had never existed before, had never been run though IMAX or System 65 cameras, and required the reconfiguration of a 65mm film processor at the lab, making the DOUBLE-X 5222 a feasible proposition involved a great deal of collaboration with KODAK, IMAX, Panavision and Fotokem. It became quite a complex engineering process – encompassing things like the thickness of the backing for the film emulsion, and making new gates and pressure plates in the cameras so as to avoid scratches.

“But wow, was it worth it!? When Chris and I saw

the first projected tests – portraits of Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. – we were blown away, and were like little kids with big smiles. We’d never seen anything like it – very special, very beautiful.

“Of course, there were several methods I could have used to create a B&W image, but you never get the same feeling as when using real B&W analogue film. And, shooting B&W also took me right back to my student days at the Polish National Film, Television & Theatre School in Łódź, where understanding the greyscale, using your spot and incident light meters, and making your own personal judgement were critical in making the final image.”

Motivating the camera during production involved cranes and dollies, but when it came to working handheld Van Hoytema literally shouldered the responsibility of operating the IMAX camera himself – not an inconsiderable feat when the cumbersome camera and lens package weighs-in at around 50lbs.

“Yes, it’s heavy, but it’s perfectly manageable,” he says. “We were not doing long takes, and I only had the IMAX camera on my shoulder in short bursts. Plus, I had a rock-solid crew with whom I have worked on many films before. My key grip, Kyle Carden, and dolly grip Ryan Monroe, were very sensitive and sensible towards my needs in wrangling the camera and making sure that I got it on-and-off my shoulder in good time. I must also mention

Keith Davis, my genius focus puller, in getting the cameras ready in the first place to do some run and gun work.”

As for lighting the movie, Van Hoytema says that whilst it involved some creative, interpretive work to enter the mind of a quantum physicist at the forefront of atomic science, the overall goal was to have honesty as to where light was coming from and to produce a naturalistic result. He was supported in this task by gaffer Adam Chambers ICLS, another regular crewmember from previous productions.

“I had a mix of everything during the shoot – oldfashioned Tungstens and workhorse 18K ARRIMAX HMIs for when I needed some punch, together with newer fixtures like ARRI Skypanels,” remarks Van Hoytema. “I have to say that LED lighting has come on dramatically in the last few years. The lighting is rich, the colour rendering indexes are way up there, and the controllability is great. Adam, together with his brothers Noah and Shane, have developed an extremely solid, no-latency, 100% wireless DMX control system. This meant our lights were instantly controllable from the board as soon as we put them up.

“For the scene in Room 2021, when there’s a long hearing with Oppenheimer, I didn’t use a single fixture inside that set, all the lights were outside the windows. We could tune to and follow the colour of the real daylight from the board, and know our light was perfectly matched to the ambient light. It’s such a fast and versatile way to work.

Reflecting on his experience of shooing Oppenheimer, Van Hoytema concludes, “Having shot three films with Chris before using KODAK 65mm film in IMAX – evolving, developing and perfecting the medium each time for our purposes – working with it felt very intuitive. But Chris always pushes the boundaries, and I like being part of the innovations he brings to each film we make together – in this case getting the camera in-close for the close-ups and encouraging Kodak to manufacture the B&W 65mm filmstock.

“Along with having a very good handle on the technology, Chris is a great advance-planner too. He knows exactly how long a magazine will last before reloading. He knows what he wants from every shot. And every single shot we make goes in the movie. There are never any reshoots, and we generally finish on time or ahead of schedule. It’s super-efficient filmmaking. Oppenheimer was great to make, and it will be a thought-provoking and intense experience, especially if you can see it on a large screen.”

My biggest challenge on this film was how to carry three hours of close-ups

SPACE CADETS

By Ron Prince

Shot on Kodak 35mm colour and B&W filmstocks by DP Robert Yeoman ASC, Wes Anderson’s wry sci-fi comedy, Asteroid City, earned a six-minute standing ovation after premiering in-competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, plus rapturous praise from film critics worldwide for its enthralling, eccentric narrative and exhilarating visual appeal. It goes on worldwide release in the summer of 2023.

Set during the mid-1950s, framed as a story-withina-stage-play in Anderson’s hallmark cinematic style, the plot follows earth-shattering events that occur at an annual Junior Stargazer convention in the hot, dusty desert town of Asteroid City, famous for a gigantic

meteor crater and nearby celestial observatory. Here, five award-winning students, accompanied by their parents, are gathered to display their scientific inventions, including a Death Ray, whilst mushroom clouds from atomic tests appear over yonder hills.

What starts as a celebration to honour the achievements of the Junior Stargazers turns into quite the opposite with the arrival of an unexpected visitor: an extra-terrestrial with important news about the universe. Asteroid City is locked down and whilst a fake cover story is concocted by the Army, the precocious geniuses have a plan to get word to the outside world.

However, in Anderson’s inimitable way, the story is more mind-boggling than that. Back east, the

Wes pushed me to embrace frontal and overhead sunlight… and I don’t think we ever used a silk in this film

characters of Asteroid City are on-stage, preparing a play called ‘Asteroid City’, and the storytelling ventures behind the curtains as the theatre actors polish their craft to become stars.

The film was directed and produced by Anderson, from a story he developed with director/screenwriter Roman Coppola. It features an extensive ensemble cast of Hollywood heavyweights, including Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Matt Dillon, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Norton, Margot Robbie and Jeff Goldblum.

Asteroid City represents Yeoman’s eleventh longform, live-action feature collaboration with Anderson, all shot on analogue film too. These include Bottle

Rocket (1996), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Moonrise Kingdom (2012) and The French Dispatch (2021). Yeoman was Oscar and BAFTA-nominated for his work on Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), and more recently shot The Wonderful Story Of Henry Sugar for the director on 16mm film, set for release at the end of 2023.

“Every film with Wes is a different experience, it’s like embarking on an amazing adventure,” says Yeoman.

“The cast and department heads often live in the same hotel, as was the case with Asteroid City. So we were a very tight-knit group going into this production, with a sense of togetherness, almost like a large family.

“As with all of the films I have shot for Wes, he assembled a library of DVDs and books that were visual references for what he wanted to achieve, and I immersed myself in these suggestions to see what had inspired him.

“On this film, Bad Day At Black Rock (1955, dir. John Sturges, DP William C. Mellor ASC) and Paris, Texas (2984, dir. Wim Wenders, DP Robby Müller NSC BVK) were two that I loved. They were not afraid to shoot in the harsh mid-day sun in the desert and actively used

that as an expressive element in their stories. We visited every location during prep when we talked extensively about the shots and how best to achieve them. I also discussed a lighting plan with Wes and made sure that he knew what to expect.”

Filming on Asteroid City took place in and around the town of Chinchon, Spain, over the course of 35 shooting days, commencing on August 30, 2021 and completing on October 15. Yeoman reveals that call times were generally at 8.30am with a daily wrap around 7pm each evening. Prior to the shoot, Yeoman had five weeks of prep, although several scenes featuring Jason Schwartzman, Matt Dillon and some of the younger cast, were filmed during this period due to availability.

Most of the sets were built on a large area of farmland leased by the production, where the art department built the entire town from scratch, including all of the rock formations and cacti. Other locations were buildings found in Chinchon itself, which were modified and dressed appropriately for the story.

Yeoman shot Asteroid City using an ARRICAM ST 35mm film camera, variously framing the action in 1.37:1 aspect ratio using Cooke S4 lenses and 2.40:1 with ARRI Master Anamorphics.

“We shot 1.37:1 for the B&W sequences and 2.40:1 for the colour, as wanted both of these worlds in the film to have clear and distinctly different looks so that the audience would immediately know which part of narrative they were in,” he says.

“I had used the Cooke S4s previously on The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch, as I like how these lenses render faces and was very pleased with the

overall look they gave. Wes often likes to use the full width of the frame in compositions with multiple actors, so I chose the ARRI Master Anamorphics for the colour sequences as they hold focus with minimal distortion on the edges of the frame. I would hate to have an amazing performance look soft because the actor was not solely centred in the frame.”

For the shoot, Yeoman utilised the same combination of 35mm films stocks he had deployed on The French Dispatch – namely KODAK VISION3 200T 5213 for the movie’s colour sequences and KODAK DOUBLE-X 5222 for the B&W scenes. Both stocks were used for interior/ exterior and day/night scenes. The 35mm rushes were processed normally, without any push or pull processing, at film lab Hiventy in Paris, which then delivered 4K scans

of the rushes to dailies colourist Doychin Margoevski at Company 3 in London. The final grade was done at the company by colourist Gareth Spensley.

“Wes prefers to shoot all of his live-action features on film,” Yeoman explains. “We both love the innate texture and colour of the filmed image, which can be hard, sometimes impossible, to achieve digitally. Film grain was an important element for this production, particularly for the B&W scenes. Wes and I fell in love with the look of the DOUBLE X B&W stock on The French Dispatch, as it has a superb scale of tonal contrast and grain. Also, on this film we were essentially shooting in a desert with the sun overhead and a lot of contrast. I was concerned about the highlights burning, but I knew that both filmstocks would hold detail in the image.

Yeoman says that whilst shooting on film gives Anderson the quality of the image he wants, the process of shooting is also much more to the director’s preference.

“There is nothing like hearing the purr of film running through the gate, and everyone on-set pays more attention to what they need to do when shooting film compared to digital,” Yeoman relates. “All energies are focussed on the shot and that gets magically translated onto the film negative. Also, Wes does not have a video

village and, with a very small crew on-set, that means we can move quickly between set-ups. Ultimately, shooting on film creates a more intimate atmosphere for the actors and there are a lot fewer distractions for them.”

Yeoman operated the camera during what was a single-camera shoot. Vincent Scotet pulled-focus as the 1st AC, supported by 2nd AC Felix Terreyre Saint-Cast and loader Truman Hanks. The key grip was Sanjay Sami, who Yeoman and Anderson originally met on The Darjeeling Limited, and who brought a repertoire of dolly rigs to this production. The gaffer was Greg Fromentin, who had previously worked on The French Dispatch “Wes’ films always push our technical and creative skills by constantly challenging us to find new ways to help him tell his story,” Yeoman notes. “For example, Wes often likes to hold focus on an actor very close to camera and someone very distant, so it is a little tricky to hold these splits, but Vincent did an amazing job on focus. In fact, my camera crew were fantastic.”

Regarding the motivation of the camera for storytelling purposes, Yeoman observes, “Wes makes an animatic of the entire movie before the shoot and we use this religiously as our guide. He is always specific about how the camera moves, and the timing of those moves is

crucial, often determined by the dialogue. We frequently had to move quickly, but Sanjay and his grip team pulled these moves off every time.

“Our grip equipment was fairly standard dolly and track that enabled the camera to move laterally and in-and-out within the same shot depending on the move Wes had designed.

“He also planned some long exterior dolly shots that included several of our actors. However, because they were not all available at the same time, we knew we would have to go back and recreate the same track at a later date, before having those separate shots combined together in post to make one seamless move.

“We carefully marked the track so that we could exactly duplicate the shots later, and planned our shots to match the sun angle as best as possible to help the blend. Unfortunately, we twice had major thunderstorms and the desert floor sank in several areas which meant we had to compensate for this change in the level of our shot. It was not an easy task!”

Yeoman says the lighting on Asteroid City was based around naturalism. “Greg and his lighting team were great. He knows how Wes likes to work and fits-in nicely. We often pre-rigged some of our sets and they were always done perfectly.

“We really wanted a natural look, and no stylised lighting. Wes pushed me to embrace frontal and overhead sunlight, and the town exteriors were all shot in natural light. In the past I have always preferred to back or side-light the actors, and if the light was overhead and harsh, would be inclined to silk it. But I don’t think we ever used a silk in this film. We were sometimes at the mercy

of the weather, but generally got clear, sunny days, which kept our lighting consistent throughout the day.

Yeoman adds, “When we built the town outside of Chinchon, we put skylights into all of the buildings

meant that the interior and exterior shots balanced perfectly. The dusk scenes were all natural with practicals in the background to give a ‘pop’ to the image.”

The B&W televised scenes in the film were, however, purposefully more stylised, and theatre lighting director Matt Daw was brought-in from London to create a different style of lighting. Yeoman says he worked closely with Daw to blend his theatre lighting to the needs of shooting film and getting the necessary exposure and lighting ratios.

“We generally hung a grid of hard lights above the set on an overhead grid, like it would have been done in a television studio at that time,” Yeoman relates, “and used a dimmer board to control them as the actors moved around the set. It is a different method of working from what I have been accustomed to, but I think in the end it worked out great.”

where we planned to shoot the day interiors and relied on natural light, with no traditional movie lights, when we shot those scenes. We covered the skylights with full grid to give a soft, even light, which allowed the actors to move around with no lighting adjustments. It also

Yeoman concludes, “It is not often that I get to work so closely with such an amazing cast and behind-thescenes collaborators, and I always enjoy the creative challenges that Wes presents. The look and aesthetic feel of film is unique, and I am very proud of the results we achieved on Asteroid City.”

The look and aesthetic feel of film is unique

Images: Courtesy of Pop. 87 Productions/Focus Features.

DOUBLE TAKE

By Seth Emmons

The Flash is the latest film from Warner Bros in the DC Extended Universe, which follows Barry Allen, played by Ezra Miller, on a timetravelling adventure to stop his mother’s murder, that ultimately sees him team-up with a younger version of himself to try and save the world.

One character playing opposite themselves is nothing new, even co-star Michael Keaton had a go at it in the 1996 film, Multiplicity (1996, dir. Harold Ramis, DP Lászlo Kovács). But, for The Flash, shot by DP Henry Braham BSC for director Andy Muschietti, the filmmakers came up with a new solution.

“For the scenes with two Barrys, Ezra played both parts,” says Braham. “We used some interesting technology that allowed us to continue shooting in a handheld, freestyle way, rather than being locked into static splitscreen shots or other methods used in the past. Audiences today are sophisticated and we were concerned the older methods would have been difficult for the audience to engage with, so we wanted to keep the camera fluid and engaging.”

Each scene was initially filmed with two actors. Miller performed the A-side as whichever Barry had the most lines, whilst stand-in Ed Wade acted opposite him as the other Barry with guidance from Miller. Wade wore a 360° camera above his head to capture the entire scene from his perspective. After the initial editing, Miller returned to create the B-side performance in a 360° volumetric capture set-up surrounded by screens showing B-side Barry’s point-of-view allowing Miller to act with all the lighting and eyeline cues around him, as well as opposite his own performance in real-time. Meanwhile, hundreds of cameras captured the performance for post to add into the original scene.

The style of camera movement and lensing that Braham has pioneered over the past few years is central to his core motivation in filmmaking, which is to create an

immersive cinematic experience that brings the audience into the movie, figuratively and literally.

“There’s all sorts of things in cinema that we try in order to make a movie and a story connect with an audience,” explains Braham. “I like to put the camera inside the scene, right in there with the characters. It makes the performances very present in a way that we’re not used to seeing. I think it is something different for moviegoers.”

To achieve this Braham utilised a compact set-up consisting of the Red Monstro 8K VV camera paired with the incredibly small Leitz M 0.8 full frame lenses, which he also used to great effect on Guardians Of The Galaxy

Massive environments and set-builds are a staple of Braham’s recent work and the Batcave that features in the film was no exception. The scale was huge and all built practically with the exception of the waterfall, which was a giant 60 x 100ft video screen. Although more and more productions are utilising LED volumes in place of large sets, Braham has avoided them so far.

“I’ve looked at volumes for three movies now and it’s just never been right for what we’re doing,” he says. “It is suited to longer lenses and you can run out of space quickly. For the scale we were after and the way we work it would have limited our shots dramatically.

– Vol.3 (2023). For The Flash, he occasionally used some rehoused Leica R macro lenses for close-ups and a Panavision Primo 70 14mm for extreme wides.

“Traditionally, in conventional formats, we’ve used longer lenses to pull faces away from the backgrounds,” Braham notes. “But, with the VistaVision format in close on a wide-ish lens, like the Leitz 24mm M 0.8, the bokeh drops-off so beautifully and gives all the separation you need for the audience to focus on the character, while still making them aware of the background. You can unfold the settings without having to drop back to show it. For The Flash we built these great big sets and could reveal them in a much more subtle way.”

And, especially in action sequences, you’re baking-in things that you might not be sure about until you get in the cutting room.”

For Braham, simply placing the camera closer to the actors isn’t enough. He utilises a proprietary handheld stabilising system he developed with UK manufacturer, Stabileye, to control the camera movement. This gimbal, plus camera, is light enough to be used in the hand without being the encumbrance of using an Easyrig or exosuit.

“The relationship between the camera and the actors is paramount and very precise,” Braham says. “With our system the camera follows instinctively with my operating, meaning I can hold very, very tight eyelines and carry the

I like to put the camera right in-there with the characters

subtlest of performances onto the screen.”

All the sets on The Flash utilised 360° lighting and 90% of the film was shot handheld in these fully-lit environments.

“Working like this gives the actors and the camera incredible freedom of movement and also increases our shooting speed. I can follow the performance anywhere, or move to a different set-up, or go again, incredibly fast. I want to give the director and actors as much time as possible.

“But honestly, everybody’s important to the filmmaking process. In the morning, the person driving the cast to work is the most important person. At the end of the day, the PA running dailies to the laboratory is the most important person. Everybody has a role, and that’s what I love about making movies.”

Despite the high level of technical filmmaking at work on The Flash, Braham says he approaches massive budget blockbusters in much the same way as smaller films.

“I tend to shoot three cameras most of the time. I operate the A-camera and put a second next to me to get complimentary shots when I can. A third camera captures other angles or picks-up someone as they move into a new space. This mobility and flexibility delivers three times more quality shooting than any other way I’ve worked in the past. It’s like opening a box of freedom.”

Operating this way requires a lot of stamina, partially from physical endurance and partially from high levels of concentration.

“My 1st AC, Dermot Hickey is pulling focus at the highest level every day because he has no idea what I’m going to do with the camera,” remarks Braham. “I’m responding 100% to the performance and he’s responding to me. Of course, we’ve worked together long enough that he’s got a great instinct for what might happen.”

The work of Stabileye tech Joe Marsden is also crucial to Braham’s style.

“Joe can tune our camera system like a musical instrument, which changes from scene-to-scene and often within a scene,” reveals Braham. “The level of concentration and commitment that these guys exhibit every day is really of the highest order. They’re very important to the process.

“The main thing on any movie is defining the visual idea and style, and baking it into the dailies. The only difference on bigger movies is the level of communication and the need for robust systems to carry the visual intent through the whole process so that everyone is clear, even if they are on the other side of the world.

“Working it all out takes a combination of the director, the production designer, the cinematographer, the VFX team and, for the big action sequences, the stunt coordinator. The VFX supervisor is pivotal in communicating the original visual intent to their huge team.”

of the movie and utilised an ACES workflow to carry it through from production to post.

“When Stefan comes back to finish the movie 8-12 months later, the ACES workflow means he should be picking-up something that matches our earlier discussions, so it’s only a question of adding layers of subtlety.”

Braham continues, “My method of filmmaking is about adopting technology in a way that works best for the director, me and the audience. If you think about early colour movies the filmstock was 25 ASA. That alone determined the style of movies that could be made. You had to shoot on a soundstage. You had a whacking great big light in the actor’s face, which meant make-up was a certain way, acting was a certain way. Obviously, the cameras were huge at that time so camera movement looked a certain way too.

“A lot of those movies are phenomenal. It’s a timeless style, but it wasn’t a choice. It was necessary to accommodate the equipment. The camera technology we have now is very, very different and frees us from a lot of those restrictions. I’m lucky to be of the generation where I’ve shot on analogue film and done most of the things that younger cinematographers are now wanting to try. And I get why they want to try them. But I don’t feel the need to look back. I feel the need to look forward.”

Images: BTS photos by Chiabella James.

Images © 2022 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

During the visual development stage of this movie Braham worked with Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3 in LA. Together they built what Braham calls the “filmstock”

I don’t look back… I feel the need to look forward

THE GOLDEN AGE

By Natasha Block Hicks

In the course of his career, Indian cinematographer Madhu Ambat ISC has shot over 250 feature films across nine languages and received the prestigious Indian National Film Award for Best Cinematography three times over.

“This year will be my 50th year of service as a director of photography,” he marvels, writing from his home in Chennai. To mark this milestone anniversary, Ambat reflects back with us on half a century of immersion in the moving image.

Ambat was born in 1950 in Ernakulam, Kerala. He was raised by his grandparents, although his father K. Bhagyanath – a freedom fighter and showman magician – was an influential figure in his life, as was his sister Vidhubala, who was a popular film actress prior to matrimony. However, when he was a toddler Ambat became unwell. Whether it was polio or pertussis is unknown, but he was left with a permanent stammer.

“It was a blessing in disguise,” Ambat comments candidly, explaining that the impediment turned him to books for solace. The writer Ravi Vilangan would later fine-tune Ambat’s interpretation of prose, taking his understanding to the next level.

“My reading habit made me what I am today,” Ambat explains, “even now I read daily for at least half an hour.”

Vidhubala’s dance teacher Mythili, who later became Bhagyanath’s principal assistant in his show, was a guiding figure for the young Ambat. “Mythili taught me about empathy and how to understand human beings,” he recalls.

With the help of these guardians, and his tutor, Palaniappan, Ambat navigated school, then achieved a higher education qualification in Physics. Upon graduation, he was offered places at both the Indian

Institute Of Technology (IIT) and the Film & Television Institute of India (FTII). His parents stood by his decision to choose FTII over the more prestigious IIT.

“They believed that ‘one can shine best who chooses a career he loves most’,” he remembers fondly.

earned Ambat his initial National Film Award for Best Cinematography in 1984.

Director K. S. Sethumadhavan was another influential presence in Ambat’s early career. “He was like a Godfather to me,” extols Ambat, who went on to collaborate four times with the respected Malayalamcentric auteur, on films such as Oppol (1981).

Mid-way through Ambat’s second decade as a DP, he shot Vaishali (1988, Malayalam, dir. Baharathan), a mythological drama depicting drought, ritual and saintly seduction. Production was tiring and occasionally risky; once the actress playing the titular heroine fainted during a fire sequence. But the themes allowed Ambat and Baharathan to get creative with their palette.

Post FTII, Ambat achieved industry-recognition as one half of the DP-duo ‘Madhu-Shaji’ with his fellow graduate Shaji N. Karun on Njaaval Pazhangal (1976, Malayalam, dir. Azeez). As a pair, they photographed three films together. After parting company with Karun, Ambat became busy as a sole cinematographer. Three of his early Malayalam films: Ashwathama (1978, dir. K.R. Mohanan), Yaro Oraal (1978, dir. V.K. Pavithran) and Sooryante Maranum (1980, dir. T. Rajeevnath), collectively earned the young DP the first of his four Kerala State Film Awards for Best Cinematography.

During this period, Ambat met G. V. Iyer, aka ‘The Barefoot Director’. Although Iyer was well established by the time he collaborated with Ambat on the drama Kudre Motte (1977, Kannada), he was to turn to Ambat for every feature film he directed thereafter, up to his last, Vivekananda (1998, Hindi).

Iyer’s experimental masterpiece Adi Shankaracharya (1983) – the first Indian film to be made in Sanskrit –

“We gave a tonal look of ‘Van Gogh yellow’ for the drought sequences,” explains Ambat, “the blues and greens we saved for when the girl chosen to seduce the saint reaches the forest.” The audience, visually tricked into a kind of emotional thirst for the first half-hour of the film, were known to give a standing ovation at this point, and the movie was a hit.

“Our combination worked well,” comments Ambat about his collaborative relationship with Baharathan, with whom he would ultimately wrok eight times.

Shortly afterwards, Ambat shot the Tamil-language drama Anjali (1990) with big-league director Mani Ratnam, the story of a special needs toddler and the way she heals her community.

“This was very stylised in its visual treatment,” illustrates Ambat. “We decided that the child should look angelic, so I used smoke and a lot of strong backlighting to create a heavenly feel.”

Anjali was shot on an external set, with the cast, a large proportion of them children, required to stand by until the smoke levels were just as Ambat desired. “They were very patient,” he remembers admiringly, “at times it

Observe how light creates emotions and try to go beyond that

could be very trying.”

In the early 1990s, Ambat lit Praying With Anger (1992) for M. Night Shyamalan, then a Tisch School Of The Arts graduate filmmaker, who Ambat found to be “very talented and hard working”. This was not to be Ambat’s only film shot in English, see also the UK production Provoked (2006, dir. Jag Mundhra), the true story of battered wife Kiranjit Ahluwalia’s fight for justice over the fatal burning of her abusive husband, and Hisss (2010), a snake goddess horror from Jennifer Lynch.

Ambat cruised through his third decade moving effortlessly between genres and languages. He shot the period piece Amodini (1994, Bengali) with a “realistic feel” for film critic-turned director Chidananda Dasgupta. He enjoyed creating the “romantic visuals” for Badri (2000, Telugu, dir. Puri Jagannadh) and was thankful to “dream director” Rajkumar Santoshi for giving him “the freedom to do any experimentation without having to worry about the budget” on Lajja (2001, Hindi), a satire on feminism and the plight of women in India.

He also wrote, directed and lit a ‘cinema eats itself’ art movie 1:1.6 An Ode To Lost Love (2005) in which a director gets caught in a love triangle while shooting his debut movie called 1:1.6 An Ode To Lost Love.

or temple. “Creating a period with lamp sources is something that I have always loved. The visuals were realistic, yet romantic.”

Ambat’s third National Film Award came from his first digital film, Abu, Son of Adam/Adaminte Makan Abu (2011, Malayalam, dir. Salim Ahamed), shot in just 30 days using the ARRIFLEX D-21. The film was India’s official entry into the 2012 Academy Awards. The plot follows an aging Mappila Muslim couple’s desperate efforts to achieve Hajj, the mandatory pilgrimage to holy Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

“Finding a house with a big jackfruit tree which could be cut down for a key sequence in the film was very difficult,” explains Ambat, although they did eventually succeed. “The movie demanded realistic visuals; the ARRI D-21 gave me the clarity I needed.”

Ambat always seeks the best tool to tell the story.

In As The River Flows/Ekhon Nedekha Nodir Xhipare (2012, Assamese, dir. Bidyut Kotoky), a thriller about a missing social worker, he used Steadicam for the whole film “to create a feeling that someone is always stalking the protagonist”. He shot Fever/Pani (2019, Malayalam, dir. Santhosh Mandoor) handheld in its entirety, as he felt that the technique was the best way to relay the “gruesomeness” of the traditional Tamil practice of senicide by oil bath.

A veteran now, Ambat has sage advice for budding cinematographers. “Aim to achieve the highest level of cinematography,” he councils, referencing his five-tier philosophy, which starts with the basics of composition and lighting, followed by source lighting, then mood lighting, and peaking with mental landscape and the “metaphorical visual”.

Period drama Sringaram: Dance Of Love (2007, Tamil, dir. Sharada Ramanathan) earned Ambat his second National Film Award. “This movie was set in the age of the Devadasi,” Ambat illustrates, referring to the historical courtesans in life-service to a god

“Observation is the key to this,” he stresses of the last two stages, “observe how light creates emotions and try to go beyond that. Try to create mental landscapes and then try your hand at creating metaphorical images. Remember, even switching-off the houselights can be used as a metaphor.”

Entering his sixth decade of service, Ambat shows little sign of slowing down. He has two upcoming movies awaiting release and four self-penned scripts “ready to go into production”. He has also written two as-yet unpublished novels: Black Moon and Death Of Madhu Ambat. On non-shooting days he watches at least one film per day in his home theatre, both Indian and international “to keep up with modern trends”.

Throughout his busy career, his family of two married sons (one a budding DP) and his wife, Latha, have been the bedrock to which he has been anchored.

“Latha takes care of the day-to-day, which allows me to develop my creative talents,” Ambat relates warmly. “Ours was an arranged marriage and I feel lucky to have her. Living with a crazy person like me could be torturous yet she does it without any hassle. She is a great pillar in my life.”

Aim to achieve the highest level of cinematography

MAKING THE GRADE

Sara Buxton, Goldcrest Post Production, London: The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry (dir. Hettie Macdonald, DP Kate McCullough ISC)

“Kate, Hettie and Goldcrest colourist, Rob Pizzey, created a colour bible/lookbook before the main grade started. Due to post production being delayed, I got the opportunity to take over the project and used that as my reference. The film was graded and finished using

Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve. We graded P3, Rec.2020 and Rec.709. Final delivery included 4K theatrical DCPs with home entertainment UHD Dolby HDR/SDR versions too. The Goldcrest DI producer was Lily Morgan.

I found working with Kate and Hettie to be a very enjoyable and collaborative process. They wanted the grade to reflect the journey Harold makes, including the ever-changing weather and different seasons, whilst keeping the film visuallyfluid. The grade was a challenge because of those constant changes in ever-evolving landscapes as Harold moves through the length of England. Every few shots the location had moved and the look would have to be found again.

My favourite scenes are the flashback sequences. They had a slightly different look to the rest of the film, a candid, photographic composition

style with a bright light in the centre. I think the look established for the flashback sequences really helps to create a snapshot into the past.”

“This was the first Marvel movie I’ve coloured, and I was thrilled to work with James and Henry. Having previously collaborated with them on The Suicide Squad (2021) and individually on other projects, we already had a great working relationship, and this proved another collaborative and positive experience. I had also collaborated with VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti before. We all have similar sensibilities and that made for smooth workflow.

Before principal photography began, James, Henry and I worked together on creating a showLUT that would give them, and all department heads, a sense of where the look would ultimately end up.

We aimed for a different look-and-feel for Vol.3 that was unique from the previous

Guardians films, while still being true to the characters and recognisable as part of the series. The overall approach to colour was more subtle, with a little less of the bright and poppy feel that people associate with the previous movies. However, since there are so many different types of scenes – dramatic scenes, funny scenes, action scenes – and so many universes and locations, there’s still plenty of colour and contrast.

I always use Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve to colour and this project used an ACES pipeline. That was the production’s decision. Company 3

is happy to use ACES, or not, depending on our client’s preference, and the creative aspect of colour grading isn’t significantly affected by those choices. The Marvel team is always involved in the post-production process, and were enthusiastic about the look-dev and the DI, which made for a seamless, dynamic and fun collaboration.”

“I first met Chris and Kelly during the post production on First Cow (2019), when I was able to collaborate with Joe Gawler and the team at Harbor. We immediately hit it off, so much so that they invited me to grade their next collaboration, Showing Up

Showing Up was a success, thanks to our robust work-from-home capabilities. We graded the entire project remotely – with me in New York using DaVinci Resolve, and Chris and Kelly in Portland, Oregon.

We shipped a monitor from our LA office to Portland to ensure they were seeing the correct picture, and quickly settled into a successful workflow. In fact, when they later came to NYC to finish the sound, we had planned to adjust the picture after watching it on the big screen, but we didn’t touch a thing. Our in-house colour science experts had created LUTs that were so reliable that our Rec.709 work translated perfectly to P3 for projection.

The film has a subtle and understated look that was designed to not intrude on the tension of the

story. Grain was a key ingredient and we spent some time finding the right balance that would work throughout the whole film. I used real grain from our extensive selection of stocks, more specifically a 400T, but not quite at full opacity. This gave a pleasing film-like quality without calling too much attention to itself.

Chris is an amazing collaborator and a highlyskilled cinematographer, and working on Showing Up reminded me how much I enjoy the colouristcinematographer relationship. It’s a luxury to have two weeks to help tell a story, and it can be intoxicating. We had a lot of fun working remotely on this film, and the only bad day was when Chris and Kelly signed-off on the colour, and the job was over.”

Adrian Seery, Harbor, NYC: Showing Up (dir. Kelly Reichardt, DP Christopher Blauvelt)

Stefan Sonnenfeld, Company 3, LA: Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 (dir. James Gunn, DP Henry Braham BSC)

Roman Hankewycz, Harbor, NYC: Beau Is Afraid (dir. Ari Aster, DP Pawel Pogorzelski PSC)

“I feel extremely fortunate to have worked on several projects with Ari and Pawel before, and Pawel involved me in this project early in pre-production. The collaboration, when we were developing the show-LUT, was intense and took many weeks of collaboration between Pawel, me and our colour

scientists Matt Tomlinson and CJ Julian.

The overarching goal was to create something completely fresh. We had many discussions analysing photos and films that spoke to Pawel and tried to pickout the elements that he wanted to use from them.

Pawel shot a few test rounds for us to manipulate, and I posted images for him to evaluate on Frame IO. The look went through 21 revisions in total, but the development didn’t follow a linear path; there were a few times we decided to scrap a look, and we then

spent a few days pursuing a new one. The final look was completely hand-crafted and took a long time to get right.

When Pawel was happy with the show LUT, he committed to it completely. I know that the unique characteristics of the LUT required him to abandon some of his intuition and rely more heavily on the monitor, but the results were stunning. I remember the first time I watched the cut. I was completely entranced for the entire three hours. The lighting and story are so incredible, and the way the light breaks on faces still blows my mind.

Once Pawel, Ari and I were all in the room together for the DI using Baselight, the work centered around crafting the story through colour, ensuring the palette developed through the film, and devoting time to accentuate little details.

Colour is such a large part of the storytelling. Each chapter of Beau’s journey has a unique palette, so the viewer feels like they’re on a journey too. I think it’s incredibly fun to watch from that perspective.”

William Kjarval Løkken (freelance), Post Republic, Berlin:

War Sailor (dir. Gunnar Vikene, DP Sturla Brandth Grøvlen DFF)

“Long before principal photography began, I was contacted by Sturla, who had heard about a presentation I gave on film emulation. His objective was to craft an aesthetic that transports the audience back to the late 1930s and early ‘40s. To begin this process, I developed a specialised film-emulation LUT, that would enable him and the crew to preview the final look on-set and allow adjustments to the lighting and set design.

Then it was journey of a discovery. Sturla conducted tests using different filmstocks, lenses and exposures. After several rounds of tests, screenings and grading sessions we decided that the warmth of 250D stock was well-suited for the film. We also liked what printing to 2383 colour print did to the

colours and the spatial characteristics of the image.

We then put together a studio shoot and shot colour charts on both ARRI Alexa and film, in various lighting conditions and exposures, as well as some vivid colour patches on a bright display to capture the outer gamut. Cinelab provided scans and contact prints on 2383. All this resulted in 10,716 colour patches, which I used to interpolate a set of shooting LUTs for Sturla and Gunnar. We decided to build a slight pull into the LUTs, to help avoid underexposure.

Prior to commencing the colour sessions, we discussed ways we could improve the shooting LUTs. We wanted to reduce the contrast in order to see more into the shadows and highlights. Also, some of the colour traits from the print were a bit intense in some scenes. As with any film emulation, there is the issue of metameric failure: the more accurate your film emulation is to a specific target, the further you get away from the camera’s natural colour rendition.

Based on our conversations, I spent the initial days of the grading process, at The Post Republic in Berlin, reconstructing the colour model, using a handful of hero shots from the film for reference. The final show-LUT I rendered had a lot of the characteristics of 250D printed to 2383, with a reduction in contrast and saturation. I also went slightly back towards the Alexa’s natural colour reproduction, but maintained the warm whitepoint.

Fortunately, both Sturla and Gunnar approved of the new LUT.

Colour grading was done on DaVinci Resolve and I tried to work in a way that mimicked a photochemical workflow. A lot of the colouring was about finding the mood that felt right for each scene, working mostly with tone and density, and using tools somewhat similar to printer lights. I also spent time correcting lens inconsistencies (those Baltar lenses have some tint to them), and worked a bit on weather/time of year corrections.

We spent three weeks grading, including the final pass on VFX shots. VFX were done in ACES since the VFX company, Automatik, had better results with fire simulation. We received the VFX shots back as EXR image sequences in ACES AP0 linear, which we converted back to LogC. Overall, this was a fantastic collaboration with Sturla and Gunnar, we shared a similar vision and always wanted to go in the same direction.”

Sam Daley, Light Iron, NYC: Succession S4

The fourth and final season of the hit HBO drama Succession, all shot on 35mm Kodak celluloid film, brings to a close the internecine power struggles of the wealthy Roy family. Sam Daley, senior colourist at Light Iron, the post-production creative services division of Panavision, has been involved with the series since the pilot episode, when he worked with DP Andrij Parekh ASC to help establish the show’s flashed-film look.

Returning after the pilot to colour seasons two through to four, Daley has collaborated with series cinematographers Patrick Capone ASC, Christopher Norr ASC and Katelin Arizmendi.

“I’m very proud of our work on this show,” Daley says. “We always wanted to preserve what was

captured on film in the final grade. My goal has been to find the drama that’s inherent in the frame, never to force it artificially. If an image captured on celluloid is over-manipulated, it can lose its authenticity and endup feeling like a digital file.”

Based at Light Iron’s New York facility, Daley grades using DaVinci Resolve. “We use a proprietary film print emulation LUT in the grade to maintain the show’s analogue look, as if the negative is printed and then telecined for broadcast. Succession was the

only remaining episodic to shoot primarily on film. I hope it’s not the last.”

HOLLYWOOD IN BERKSHIRE

By Ron Prince

It’s a bit special” is the phrase that’s going around the industry grapevine about a new film and TV studio hub that is rapidly taking shape along the M4 motorway corridor.

So, on this sultry summer afternoon, I’m going to discover just what the buzz is all about by taking a tour around the emerging Shinfield Studios, sited just south of Reading in the county of Berkshire, UK.

I’m given a cordial welcome by the studio’s affable joint-MD, Nick Smith, and head of studio operations, Dean Horne, who offer a pair of size-9 toetectors, hard-hat and high-viz gilet. This is because, even though four sound stages were finished at the end of 2021, plus a further six opened in 2023 and have (according to the press) already earned a dollar or two hosting Netflix’s Bridgerton S3 and The Acolyte, Lucasfilm/Disney+’s eagerly-awaited Star Wars prequel, this place is still very much a site that is under-construction.

An army of similarly-clad workers, droves of excavators and lorries, plus mountains of building materials, are assembled together to finalise what will become, by early 2024, the fourth largest studio complex in the UK, costing some £300 million.

Shinfield Studios is owned and operated by US independent studio firm Shadowbox Studios –which is developing purpose-built studio campuses in Atlanta, Georgia and Los Angeles County, California – and is financially-backed by private equity investment companies Commonwealth Asset Management and Silver Lake. Shadowbox has taken a 199-year lease on the land for Shinfield Studios from the freeholder, the University of Reading, in an area called Thames Valley Science Park.

On completion, Shinfield Studios will deliver 18 state-of-the-art stages, providing in excess 1,000,000 sq/ft of production, workshop and contemporary office space, plus a vast backlot, all spread across 64-acres of land. A multi-storey parking structure can hold 750 cars, and there’s room for a further 1,250 vehicles around the lot.

In future development phases, there will be a 170-seat, Hollywood-style commissary serving food and beverages, sited inside a handsome,

Grade-II listed, tithe barn. Infrastructure and partners are essential to modern-day film studios, so there are also plans underway to build dailies screening theatres and editing suites, and develop a community of tenants offering the full range of filmmaking services.

Now, I’m reliably informed that a fleet of electric golf buggies have been recently been ordered to help ferry cast and crew around the site, so in the meantime we’ll have to clump around in our sturdy boots.

We make our way towards what looks like an industrial park-cum-fulfilment depot on steroids. The stages are tall and imposing, liveried in dark carbongrey cladding with simple yellow numerals, and topped with muscular aircon ducts. The stages are encircled by heavy-duty concrete aprons, ready for all of the vehicles and filmmaking kit that’s going to turn-up in the not toodistant future. Silver girders glimmer in the distance, along sweeps of freshly-tarmac’d boulevards, as more stages are being erected lickety-split.

global brand, including the launch of overseas facilities in Toronto, The Dominican Republic and Atlanta (now Trillith Studios). Horne also counts the best part of 16 years of handson operational experience at the Pinewood/ Shepperton Group.

“We knew that Berkshire had a lot to offer,” adds Smith. “The area has a strong transport infrastructure –not least its proximity to London, which is 30-minutes by train, and Heathrow Airport, just 30-minutes by car up the M4. It is also within easy reach by top UK-based crew, who live right along the Thames Valley. Although the current site occupies 64-acres, we actually have around 120-acres in total at our disposal, so we have plenty of additional space to expand into if needed.”

With finance and planning permissions in place, construction started on Stages 15, 16, 17 and 18 in March 2021, and Shinfield Studios welcomed its first productions in 2022, ensuring income from an early stage.

“We’ve had great support from the local Wokingham Council, who recognise that a film and TV production studio hub will bring a substantial and diverse range of employment opportunities to the local economy – around 4,000 from direct on-lot jobs and off-lot service providers nearby. And we’re in conversations with a variety of companies, large and small, about on-the-lot tenancies,” says Smith.

Large-scale earthworks – cut-and-fill ground stabilisation, the construction of roads, the installation of 1,500 linear metres of site drainage and more than 600 metres of retaining walls – were initially required to make the place a workable studio environment. The site is secured by discretely-spiked 7ft metal perimeter fencing and full-height industrial turnstiles.

“During 2018, we looked at all points of the compass around the M25 London orbital motorway and considered four sites before settling on this one in 2019,” recalls Smith who, previously worked for 16 years as executive commercial director at Pinewood/Shepperton Studios Group, and was intimately involved in growing the business into a

Smith and Horne are eager to show-off Stage 3, one of two identical pièces de resistance, which is a within a gnat’s whisker of completion and is soon to be occupied by another large-franchise production. It’s mirror twin, Stage 4, stands diagonally-opposite, and immediately adjacent to Stages 1,2 and 5.

With a solid, polished-concrete deck, offering some 40,750sq/ft floorspace and a working height of 50ft, Stage 3 is a volume of breath-taking proportion, a real whopper, that forces a “wow” and the temptation to yodel and see what comes back.

“Stage 3 and Stage 4 are the biggest, fullysoundproofed, air-conditioned stages in the UK,” enthuses Horne. “All of our stages are built to be

We have plenty of additional space to expand into if needed

large, flexible spaces, with the needs of film and TV productions in front of mind. The walls are a metre thick, for acoustic sound insulation, with large elephant doors giving easy access. They all have internet and wireless capabilities too.

“Each stage has excellent height, and you can hang a stupid amounts of lighting and other equipment from the full-length overhead gantries –one tonne per 6m-length of runway beam. They are all similarly laid-out too, so everyone knows where the toilets, showers, entry/exit doors are.”

reveal a record £6.27 billion film and high-end TV production spend in 2022. Shinfield Studios symbolises that success and is expected to make £600-million per year for the UK economy.

Whilst this growth – fuelled by Hollywood productions from Warner Bros., Paramount and Disney, and streamers such as Apple, Amazon and Netflix – has triggered an explosion in studio builds, it has also caused an estimated shortfall of 20,000 skilled staff in the industry.

To play its part in filling the skills gap, Shinfield Studios recently partnered with Resource Productions CIC and the University of Reading, in a venture backed by £600,000 of BFI funding over three years, to create a Berkshire-based ‘Skills Cluster’ that will make the industry more accessible and help to train and develop new and emerging film and TV production crew.

Our boots march us outside towards Workshop

A – actually of a line of seven spacious individual units to separately house things like set-construction, props and wardrobe – which runs around 200m in length beside Stages 1, 2 and 3, and backs on to the M4 motorway. But you can’t readily hear the hum of the non-stop traffic, because these workshops are soundproofed too.

Along with the voluminous Stages 3 and 4, the complex will comprise a further 4 x 30,00sq/ft plus stages with 50ft headroom, 12 x stages ranging between 17,250 and 20,750sq/ft with working heights of 40ft, as well as multiple conveniently-placed workshops and production offices. Smith reckons that’s enough capacity to host three or four large-scale productions at any one time.

“Anything you can imagine – lunar landscapes, fairytale castles, an evil villain’s lair – can be built here, in a secure and controlled environment,” he says.

The UK is the second-largest entertainment sector in the world after North America. In 2019 it overtook the UK car-making industry in size and helped to keep the country from tumbling into recession. Official statistics

“Our goal is to address the skills shortage in film production by offering pathways for local people to embark on careers in this rewarding sector,” says Smith. “We are going to need stagehands, prop masters, costumiers, carpenters, plasterers, camera and lighting technicians, hair/make-up artists and runners. There are job opportunities here that can change people’s lives.”

Before I know it two hours has gone by, talking and walking a good long distance around the backlot and back, in those unforgiving clodhoppers.

So what’s my takeaway? Well, those boots aren’t made for walkin’, bring-on those golf buggies. As for the studio itself, it’s not just a bit special. It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s patently clear that Smith and his team have poured a lot of knowledge and understanding into the planning and design of this impressive filmmaking centre, that will soon be crawling with A-list cast and crew.

Like the website proclaims, Shinfield Studios is a real “powerhouse”, although Smith modestly says, “We’re not re-inventing the wheel, just trying to make the studio experience better by a considerable margin.”

Hard-hats off for bringing Hollywood to Berkshire.

There are job opportunities here that can change people’s lives

SHINING A LIGHT ON...

Selected Filmography (as gaffer unless otherwise stated)

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part Two (2024)

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One (2023)

Top Gun: Maverick (additional photography) (2022)

The Witches (2020)

6 Underground (2019)

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018)

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (second unit) (2016)

Doctor Strange (second unit) (2016)

The Brothers Grimsby (second unit) (2016)

13 Hours (2016)

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (second unit) (2015)

The Wolfm an (2010) (electrician: second unit/action unit)

V For Vendetta (2005) (electrician)

Excitement about the International Cinema Lighting Society (ICLS)

The ICLS is an incredible resource for anyone working, or wanting a career, in film lighting. As a co-founder/director I’m keen to see the society grow globally, and hope it will encourage greater diversity, inclusion and equality to make for a better working environment in the lighting department.

But, first and foremost, I would like the ICLS to offer recognised, accredited pathways for aspiring lighting technicians to enter the industry – training and educational programmes that will give them a handle on all aspects of the job, including electrical qualifications, rigging and maintenance, set etiquette, lighting design, health and safety, labour and equipment budgeting, working alongside production, other HoDs and counterparts in different countries, and the logistics of moving equipment around the globe. It’s going to take time, and we’ll need the support of lighting companies, the streamers, Hollywood studios and maybe some unions, but that’s my goal.

Keeping up with new technology?

That’s a tough one, because it changes daily. I’m passionate, and keep an open mind, about new technology, and am very lucky to have great relationships with most lighting manufacturers and rental houses. I’m big on attending trade shows to see what’s new and getting valuable information shared by open-minded ICLS members on the Discord channels. We also have a lot of fabulous vendors willing to share technical information. I love reading gaffer interviews in magazines too.

However, the new technology for data networking, programming and control, is a whole world that you could spend a lifetime investigating. As I need to get on with lighting on-set, I happily delegate that all to my programmer/desk op, Daniel Waters, who’s nothing but the sharpest mind around.

MARTIN SMITH ICLS By Ron Prince

Age// Born// Training// Early career// Lives // Hobbies//

48

Brighton, Sussex

City & Guilds – Full Electrical Apprenticeship

Electrician at Sovereign Electrical Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex

Flying, diving and running

Current favourite pieces of lighting equipment

We’re fast moving into IP-65rated LED technology that offers better colour and luminance control, higher output and lower energy consumption. Products like the Creamsource Vortex are game changers in that you can use them as a very tight beam with no diffusion, or you can add diffusion layers for a softer spread of light. They played a big part in our Venice scenes in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, where we needed

as replacements for classical Tungsten Fresnels, and the Fiilex range of Q3, Q5, Q8 and Q10 lights seem to be amazing for that. A larger source with higher output, that I’m really excited about, is the new Rosco/DMG Lion 13-inch, all-weather Fresnel. It packs an almighty punch of beautiful, high-quality, colour-controlled light.

Currently, my go-to favourite around-camera lights are the LiteGear Litemat spectrum range, Hudson Spider and Hudson Mosquitos. My graband-go anywhere-and-everywhere light will always be the Rosco/DMG Dash. With soft attachments, it is truly an amazing little workhorse.

I’m also a big advocate of using LED robotic/ moving/automated lights on locations and sets. They can be rigged anywhere and used to pick out an area or feature in the background. In Venice we used over 60 of the IP rated Ayrton Perseo range. The TC range has the superior LED array with a CRI greater than 90, iris, four sharp shutters, an amazing output, and a 7° to 58° zoom. They’re IP-rated, so you can leave them out in the rain. They worked really well in Venice on Dead Reckoning – Part One

Some of my role models

There are many great gaffers who have been influential to me. One of them is Kevin Day, who worked with DP Adrian Biddle BSC for many years. Kevin knew how to light, had full control of the floor and everyone respected him. Adrian leant heavily on him, because Kevin knew what was needed. Even on the biggest set-ups, Adrian barely had to change a thing and could therefore concentrate on other aspects of the cinematography – the camera angles, positions, moves and image composition. I used to watch Kevin and think, “Wow, that’s the way that I’d like to operate in the future.”

low-power-consumption and wireless control, often working in damp conditions, around the maze of alleyways. The Creamsource Micro Colours, and battery Astera AX9s, proved great for lighting smaller background details and could be quickly rigged for architectural lighting.

There’s a lot of development in LED Fresnel lights

I’ve also always looked-up to Eddie Knight, Chuck Finch and John ‘Biggles’ Higgins for similar reasons. They were all supportive and kind when I was at the start of my career. It was inspiring to see the level of collaborative input and trust they had with their cinematographers, watching the way they cut, shaped or softened the light. And it was always wonderful to be around the family environment they created. They are amongst the greats for me.

Another role model has to be my mate Fraser

Reducing the carbon footprint must be top of the agenda for gaffers

Taggart, with whom I have been working on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Part Two. He’s a kind, good-natured, loving person, the most supportive, knowledgeable and collaborative DP I’ve ever worked with.

We’ve worked on many films together, our lighting has to be fast, but the collaborative result is beautifully-stunning and exciting. We plan everything together and always have each other’s backs! Luckily, Fraser also has the same stupid sense of humour as me which has carried us through some extremely tense and tough moments. When I growup and become a cinematographer, Fraser is the person I would aspire to be like.

Working on Mission: Impossible –Dead Reckoning – Part One

Dead Reckoning – Part One is the longest production – nearly four years – I’ve ever worked on. This was due in part to stops and starts caused by the Covid pandemic, which created a lot of logistical issues.

Take our Venice scenes for example. In 2019, I went on six or seven tech recces there during prep and pre-production, to work-out exactly where the lights would go on balconies, rooftops and windows, and to liaise with local lighting/rigging crew and service providers. We shipped-out 14 x 40-ft containers full of equipment, provided by Warner Bros Lighting Services, decanted it all into a store, and rigged two large locations ready to shoot.

But then the production was shut down, and we were flown home. The equipment stayed there and the Italian crew had to move it all to a secure warehouse where no-one could touch it. About 10 weeks after that, as the whole of Venice was still in lockdown, all of the kit was shipped back to the UK. That was a headache in itself.

When we got the greenlight to go again, we had changed to MBSE as the main lighting supplier.

All lists were resubmitted and painfully everything was reloaded and shipped back out to Venice, but into a different lighting store outside of the city. It was a mind-blowingly complex and rather stressful exercise to do it a second time.

At night, Venice itself is dark, especially above street level and on the rooftops, which involved rigging lights on historic buildings and from windows, rooftops and balconies in people’s homes. There were several vast locations, which the camera crew and cast were going to leapfrog between. We had to carefully coordinate a fleet of boats to ferry the kit into the city, and then get the locations rigged and ready. We had equipment sprawled around several districts.

on Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning – Part One, and have the same target, or better, for Dead Reckoning – Part Two

I’ve recently been working with Serious Stages and Sunbelt Rentals on a programme to fit solar panels across the whole roof space of one of our stages at Longcross Studios, the first of its kind, that will feed energy into the lighting distribution network and battery storage.

Of course, a lot of development is coming from lighting manufacturers who know how important greener moviemaking is with those replacement Tungsten lights. And, when it comes to battery power, there are some fabulous companies out there, like Green Voltage UK, gaffer Dave’s Sinfield’s company.

Advice for budding lighters

If you want to get into film lighting, get your electrical qualifications first. If you have those and are looking for your first job, it’s all about networking and putting your name out-there. Try to get a position within a lighting rental house or as a trainee on a movie. Working your way into the industry and the many stages of electrical lighting will put you in the best position later in your career.

My crew were absolutely fabulous. The local authorities were very helpful with permits and permissions, and private residents were really accommodating, especially with strangers wearing facemasks coming into their homes. Of course, generators are not allowed in the city, so we hooked-up to local substations where we could, and took a lot of battery power.

The importance of being environmentally-friendly

Reducing the carbon footprint must be top of the agenda for gaffers. We used 70% LED lighting, electrical tie-ins and many battery-powered options

When you get your first job, turn-up on time, show that you’re willing to learn, work hard and be helpful. Watch and listen to what’s going on around you. Ask questions. If you have a genuine passion for the job, it will be noticed and you will progress. But remember, becoming a gaffer is a marathon and not a sprint. To learn about rigging, maintenance, electrical distribution, networks, lighting options, etiquette, labour management, labour/equipment budgeting, lighting design and control, production negotiating, the logistics of working abroad and collaborative input, will take many years. Take it slowly!

@sparkymart / www.iclsociety.com

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Photos courtesy of Martin Smith ICLS

Becoming a gaffer is a marathon and not a sprint

Great industry personalities Franz Kraus with Bernie Grill of Licht Tecknik

Legends of the industry

Dedo Weigert with Alan Lowne

ICLS exec director Ediola Pashollari and director and board member

Nils De Montgrand – ROSCO/DMG

Good times at Zeiss

Chenlong Wang – SWIT

Lightbridge

Stefan Karle (DOP Choice) Thomas Merkur BVK (back to camera)

Sergey TartyshnikovGeschäftsführer

The Euro Cine Expo Team would like to say THANK YOU to everyone who supported the 2023 event

(r-l) Rob Saunders (ECE), Philippe Ros AFC, David Stump ASC, Aleksej Berkovic, all from Imago Technical Committee, plus Alan Lowne (CW), Claire Saunders ECE/CW), John Daly BSC and friend!

Derek Magee, Grip Factory Munich and Grandson

Felix Huesken presenting Artificial Intelligence for Cinematographers

Erin Nelligan with Joseph Mendoza (Cineo Lighting)

DP Armin Franzen and director Hans Stein-Bichler discussing the filming of their recent feature A Whole Life with Iain Hazlewood

Franz Kraus with Professor Slansky HFF

Gyro Motion GmbH

Maximilian Strommer –Cinetica GmbH

Jenny Thiele-Wu at P+S Technik GmbH Stephen Brand Driving Plates chats to James Friend ASC BSC

Claudia Baier from Schneider-Kreuznach

IMAGO Technical Committee / Artistic decisions: The Panel ‘How do we proceed?’