Ron Stannett csc Shoots an MOW Thriller in 24p HD Footsteps

Transcription

1 A PUBLICATION OF THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No October 2003 Volume 23, No. 2 Ron Stannett csc Shoots an MOW Thriller in 24p HD Footsteps ALSO IN THIS ISSUE AWARDS: Gemini-Emmy Nominations IN FOCUS: Super 16 Better Option? ON CAMERA: Reviewing the DVX100 VIDEO FILE: Sim Video Celebrates New Site NEWS CLIPS: Colouring Canada s War PRESIDENT S REPORT: Judging Leni Riefenstahl

2 The Canadian Society of Cinematographers was founded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization. Our members now represent the film and video community in all ten provinces. Our aim continues to be to promote and foster the cause of cinematography and the interests of the Canadian film and video community. We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information, and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with nonpartisan groups in our industry, but have no political or union affiliation. CSC EXECUTIVE President: Joan Hutton csc Vice-President: Richard Stringer csc Treasurer: Joseph Sunday phd Secretary: Ernie Kestler Membership: Philip Earnshaw csc Education: Harry Lake csc Publicity: Robert Brooks csc Membership inquiries: President s Report - Judging Leni Riefenstahl Cover Story - Ron Stannett csc - Deals with the Coffin volume 23, No. 2 October 2003 Contents CORPORATE SPONSORS Alphacine Applied Electronics Arri Canada Ltd. CinequipWhite Inc. Clairmont Camera Creative Post David J. Woods Productions Inc. deluxe toronto Eyes Post Group Four Seasons Aviation Fuji Photo Film Canada Inc. Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. The Lab in Toronto Lee Filters Magnetic North Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./Ltée Otto Nemenz International PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Precision Camera Rosco Canada Sim Video Sony of Canada Ltd. Toybox Videoscope Ltd. Wescam William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc On Camera - Reviewing the DVX In Focus - Super 16 Going Strong 11 - Video File - Sim Video Launches New HQ 12 - News Clips 14 - Awards 16 - Action Production Notes - CSC Calendar 4 6 CSC OFFICE Canadian Society of Cinematographers Administrator: Susan Saranchuk 3007 Kingston Road Suite 131 Toronto, Ontario M1M 1P1 Tel Fax admin@csc.ca Editor: Donald Angus (416) editor@csc.ca Editor-in-Chief: Joan Hutton csc CSC NEWS is a publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. CSC NEWS is printed in Toronto and is published ten times a year. Subscriptions are available for $75.00 per year in Canada and $95.00 per year outside the country. Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No Visit: 11 COVER PHOTO courtesy of CBS: Bryan Brown menaces Candice Bergen in this scene from the TV thriller Footsteps, shot on HD video by Ron Stannett csc.

3 president s report Joan Hutton csc Judging Leni Riefenstahl Controversial filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl is dead. She died in her sleep at her Bavarian home last month, after a remarkable 101 years of a brilliant life stained by choices she made for herself and her camera. She was both respected and despised, a woman of deep convictions and puzzling contradictions. As a cinematographer, it is difficult for me to judge Leni Riefenstahl. I have always admired the almost hypnotic beauty of her black-andwhite propaganda films, particularly Triumph Of The Will in This spectacular portrayal of Adolf Hitler s Nuremberg rally, painted in steely grey contrasts of light and dark, was both uplifting and menacing. It was emotional, jingoistic melodrama that fired up the patriotic pulse of a depressed German nation in the turbulent 1930s, and it gave Hitler his ultimate grasp on absolute power. It was beautiful, and it did its job. What better definition of good cinematography can there be? Riefenstahl s heroic, although whitewashed, story of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Olympia, was more of the same stark, seductive propaganda. Triumph Of The Will and Olympia have a surrealistic, almost science-fiction look, rather like Austrian Fritz Lang s 1927 silent classic Metropolis a scary preview of a future time gone wrong. Looking at those stylized Riefenstahl films today, it is difficult to comprehend that they are actual images of history and a prelude to some of the greatest horrors in the chronology of mankind. Leni Riefenstahl never apologized for the masterful films she made for her friend Hitler and the Nazi party. She told her biographer she could not apologize because those works were the centrepieces of her career, and all my films won prizes. She was probably right not to apologize for her art, although I think she might have taken a less arrogant tack perhaps that the Nuremberg rally would have taken place whether she had filmed it or not. As a freedom-loving human being, cinematography aside, I don t like Leni Riefenstahl. She was a Nazi, she admired Adolf Hitler, she helped shape the rise of the Third Reich, and she knew of and sanctioned the rampant anti-semitism of Nazi Germany, even if, as she claimed, she did not know of the extermination camps. However, I like what Piers Handling, CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, told the Toronto Star: She was a truly great innovative filmmaker who should be remembered for that rather than for her politics. Triumph Of The Will and Olympia could be called propaganda, but they also happen to be two of the greatest films ever made. Leni Riefenstahl is dead, and she takes her many secrets with her. We are grateful for her film legacy, but what a price the world has paid for her gifts. Interviewed just before her 100th birthday, Riefenstahl said she has apologized for ever being born, but that she should not be criticized for her films. Perhaps her unbending arrogance derived from 19th-century philosopher Victor Cousin, who wrote that we need religion for religion s sake, morality for morality s sake and art for art s sake. History s final judgment of Leni Riefenstahl may be that her greatest art betrayed morality and forsook humanity. 2 CSC News / October 2003

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5 cover story Dealing with the Coffin Ron Stannett csc Shoots Thriller Footsteps in 24p HD I shot with the idea in my mind that I was shooting film One thing Ron Stannett csc noticed on his first By Solange De Santis high-definition TV shoot was that he now had to deal with the coffin. Although the MOW he was filming, Footsteps, starring Candice Bergen and Bryan Brown, is a suspense thriller, the coffin had nothing to do with the plot. It s a large box on wheels, about 4 feet by 2 feet, that houses the monitor, paint box, waveform monitor, and a couple of other racks depending on how many cameras you are using a completely different animal than monitors for film shooting, but a necessary item for the DOP in HD shooting, Toronto-based Stannett explained. Footsteps, shot in Nova Scotia, was produced by Fox Television Studios for broadcast on the CBS television network. It wasn t Stannett s first video shoot he s shot in Beta before but it was his first experience with an HD format that currently has limited broadcast outlets. Although there are digital cable channels, Stannett noted that HD is still a finding-out process. He added that a lot of people are still nervous about it. Footsteps director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever, Stakeout, WarGames and other hit films) is always trying to interest producers in the format, but many say maybe next time, Stannett said. You hear that a lot of producers are wary of it. It is a new learning curve, and we all have to go through it. I am sure the jury is still out on the cost efficiency between film and HD production. Stannett, who has often worked with Badham, including the 2002 MOWs Obsessed and My Brother s Keeper, thought Footsteps was an excellent candidate for HDTV. When I got the script, I told him that if anything was tailor-made for HDTV, this one is. Much of the story, which concerns a writer isolated in a house by the ocean, takes place indoors. We were in the house for 16 days of the 18-day shoot, he said. A single interior was advantageous because you re not moving around a lot. The HD comes with tentacles of cables, the coffin and the paint boxes, he continued. Paint boxes are computer equipment that allow the DOP to make colour adjustments on set, but Stannett said he still prefers to get the look in preproduction. Some looks are programmed into the camera and off you go, he said. I shot with the idea in my mind that I was shooting film. I think it s quicker and better to do further adjustments in post-production than to do it on the set, where the hours tick away, he said. Adjusting colour on set also can create problems with editing. You don t know what shot is to be cut with what shot, and to match everything (on set) is very time consuming. It s better to adjust the colours in post-production, if you need to adjust at all. Footsteps, based on an unproduced stage play by author and playwright Ira Levin, was shot last February-March in Halifax and the nearby seaside town of Chester. We had a beautiful old mansion that was being sold and converted to condos, so they allowed us to put grids up in the ceiling, almost converting it to a mini-studio, he said. There was more freedom for the actors and cameras to move, since we kept lighting to a bare minimum on the floor. Of course, it was a huge place to tent, but most of the night scenes were done day-for-night. The exteriors included a fairly big crane shot to a closeup of Candice on a balcony, which we shot with available light, although we had a slight silk over the sun, said Stannett. There were also some travelling shots while Bergen was driving. One scene took place in a boathouse and underwater. Brown tries to kill Bergen in the boathouse and she had to dive into the water and swim around under a boat, he said. The filmmakers benefited from a bit of serendipity in the underwater scenes. John Badham is a certified diver and he was using a Sony DVCam. Well, when we saw it, it was a little on the overexposed side. But when I saw it all cut together, it looked so surreal, I said, Don t touch it, and we used it the way it was. 4 CSC News / October 2003

6 The camera crew used two Sony HDW-F900 24p camcorders and one Panasonic HDC27 variable-frame-rate camcorder, all supplied by Sim Video. Lenses included an Angenieux 12 x 9.7 T16 Optimo HD cine lens and a Canon 5.5 x 9 zoom lens. For a scene requiring a projection behind Bergen s character as she makes a speech, the DOP used a Sharp XG NV6XU liquid crystal display projector. We shot two cameras most of the time, Stannett said. The Angenieux we d tuck away and go for detail stuff of hands and even the close-ups. It s a good workhorse. We used the B camera most of the time. Having two cameras was very helpful. The Panasonic HD Cinema camera, or Varicam, was used for slow-motion and off-speed shooting. On most of Finding a post-production facility is easier on a video shoot, where tape merely has to be duplicated, not developed like film, for the rushes. We did the rushes at Salter Street Films (in Halifax). It saved shipping to Toronto (as would be the case with film). Brown and Bergen were real professionals and excellent to work with, said Stannett, who added that he and Brown, both expatriate Australians, had a couple of nostalgia nights. Nonetheless, the shooting schedule was extremely tight. It was a tough shoot. We could have used two extra days, he recalled. While Stannett may have used a coffin during the HDTV experience, he doesn t believe film is a dead medium. (Even the coffin is probably on the way out, he said, At the end of the day you know you have it in the can Badham s films that I have been associated with, Stannett explained, John likes to go off-speed. The norm, when shooting HD, has been to rent a variable-speed film camera, lens, matte boxes, etc. and 35mm film, with the usual question being, How much film do you want, and what stock? followed by What days will you need it? Really, who knows precisely when off-speed is going to be called for? I can suggest scenes in the script where offspeed would be good, which gives a general idea as to the need of the equipment. But then you get into the shoot, and you hear, Ronnie, lets do off-speed here! I hate saying, Sorry, we don t have the equipment until tomorrow! When the question of off-speed came up during the preproduction of Footsteps, Stannett was prepared. I had been to a Panasonic show in Vancouver and was impressed with the Varicam. I was able to carry this camera for the entire shoot on the truck, ready to go. We were able to shoot 60 frames progressive, equivalent to 60 fps in film, for our slowmotion effects and 6 fps and 12 fps with the end result looking like it was shot at those speeds on film. The 6 and 12 fps footage was transferred, at the same frame rate, through the Quantel IQ edit system, he said, resulting in the blurring effect you get when shooting and transferring at 6 and 12 fps on film. Stannett cautioned shooters to warn your post house ahead of time that you intend to use a Panasonic camera to shoot off-speed so they can make the necessary arrangements to transfer at offspeeds. It s a little like the early days of film transfer, where most of the telecines were set up for Kodak only. Most of the post houses are set up for Sony. There is a difference. In a comparison of film and video, the DOP said that since video, unlike film, doesn t have to be developed and can be viewed instantly, at the end of the day you know you have it in the can. There is that unknown with film. It does go out to other hands and come back to you, and as a DOP there is always that question (before developing), How does it look? since Sony is developing new, lightweight plasma screens.) HD gives you a very clean image; there s no grain in it at all, he said. But in the race between HD and film stocks, (film manufacturers) are coming out with emulsions that are just RON STANNETT csc sets up a location shot beautiful. It s at the point in Nova Scotia for the TV feature Footsteps. where if you want to get gritty, you ve got to do it in post-production. It all depends upon the project, he believes. I love film. It s here to stay. HD is another look. You have to ask, Does the project you are doing match up to shooting in HD or film? You have to ask, What is best for my project, for the look, for the money? For me, it s always the look. I enjoyed HD; I feel quite happy about what we did with it, and I look forward to the next project. Ron Stannett is the winner of two Gemini Awards in 1996 for Lonesome Dove The Series: Last Stand and in 1991 for Flying on Her Own: Rita MacNeil. (Solange De Santis is a freelance writer specializing in arts and entertainment.) CSC News / October

7 on camera Reviewing the Panasonic DVX100 Mini-DV Camera Some serious shortcomings but it does deliver an exceptionally nice image Irecently used the Panasonic AG- DVX100 progressive scan digital video camera on the Halifax production of the CBC teen music series Rock Camp. Although this widely acclaimed mini-dv camcorder delivers a significantly improved image over most other pro-sumer video cameras, there are, in my opinion, some serious shortcomings that make it less of a pro camera than has been reported. (After an extensive Canada-wide search among hundreds of applicants, CHRISTOPHER BALL csc using the Panasonic DVX100 with a home-made, remote viewfinder prototype. By Christopher Ball csc 18 aspiring young Canadian rock musicians, aged 14 to 18, were chosen by Collideascope Digital Productions Inc. to spend three weeks at Rock Camp, an exciting and edgy music documentary series, produced in association with the CBC, that was shot in Halifax in August. Rock Camp will broadcast in spring 2004.) The DVX100 provides the choice of operating in interlaced 30 fps, progressive 30 fps or progressive 24 fps. We were using the DVX at 30 fps progressive for this production. In all progressive modes, several functions of the camera are inexplicably shut down, including the colour bar generator, the gain control and the auto focus. There is some sort of automatic gain that kicks in, although as a result it means you never really know what your gain levels are. The disabled auto-focus would not normally be a problem, except for the fact that the worst design element of the camera is the focusing system. It has (as do many home/amateur cameras) a digital focusing system that is frustrating to use and would make it virtually impossible in a drama situation. There is no optical focus in the lens of this camera, so that the focusing is happening internally, perhaps at the pickup or electronically. Whatever the method, it is a failure, and they should abandon the concept and go back to the tried and true optical approach! (Electronic designers often forget the fact that there are over 100 years of design and development in optics and camera design that they are free to use, but they seem to want to change things.) The focus ring turns continuously and there are no markings on the barrel. The viewfinder has an arbitrary read-out from 00 to 99, which is supposed to indicate where you are on the focal range, but it does not correspond to feet and inches and it has very rough accuracy. If you focus at, say 67, re-focus somewhere else and come back to 67, the original object is no longer in focus. Essentially, you are 100-per-cent dependent on eye focus, but the internal viewfinder is of little help for this because it is an LCD rather than a CCD. (When viewed through the eyepiece lens, the thicker lines of an LCD are magnified and give soft edges, as opposed to a sharper CCD screen, which is essentially a miniature television). The internal viewfinder is also very dim and the brightness adjustment does little to improve it. The only way to judge focus is with the much higher quality flip-out viewfinder on the side, which is hard to see outdoors in bright conditions, and would be impractical in the winter (due to the tendency of LCD screens to freeze up in the cold). If the auto-focus could be enabled, at least you could rough in your focus marks with that. If you were to use this camera for a project that you intend to blow up to film, be prepared for a lot of soft shots! Aside from the focus, a significant oversight on these cameras is the fact that you cannot jam timecode. The camera does generate real, useable timecode, which is great except that there is no way to jam it with other cameras or with a DAT recorder. We did not use the internal timecode, but had to waste one of the sound channels to record external timecode and strap a heavy timecode generator to each camera. (Since we were recording live music, we needed to be in sync with several DAT and DA88 machines as well as with other cameras). Again, this leaves the internal timecode with little useful function, especially in a drama situation where you would be recording separate sound. The record roll-up time is frustratingly long (even from standby). Having just shot a documentary on film, where about one-quarter of a second is used in the roll-up, this camera was extremely annoying when it took anywhere from three to six seconds to engage the record head. Regular professional cameras, such as Betacams, have a standby 6 CSC News / October 2003

8 mode that reduces that roll-up period to about one second. The DVX has two choices, the very slow-to-roll standby mode or a shutdown mode, where the camera just shuts off after a few minutes. What it needs is a real standby mode. For a documentary project, this is a huge setback as it was impossible to catch those sudden spontaneous moments. You can imagine how agonizing it was to watch a great moment go by while the REC light is flashing standby. The iris control on the camera is placed in a spot where it often gets bumped inadvertently when operating the camera hand-held. It is also very difficult to locate if you want to do an unexpected iris pull within the shot. Although the iris control works well, the iris ring should be a thumb wheel located behind the hand-holding strap or in the good old-fashioned spot on a lens ring! Some smaller annoyances include the motorized zoom control that is a bit dodgy (sudden start and stop), so I just used it on manual mode; the long end of the lens was not very long so a telephoto adapter of some sort might be necessary for some projects; and the end search never worked, so I always cued up manually. On the plus side, the camera is pretty comfortable to operate and, as you will see on Rock Camp, it does deliver an exceptionally nice image once you get past the frustrations of operating it. The menu system is easy to navigate and there are a lot of options within the menus, such as good control of colour temp, gamma, master ped level, etc. If Panasonic were to add a real optical focus (interchangeable lenses might be an idea, too), allow full functionality in the progressive mode, add a CCD viewfinder, add a timecode port, and improve the roll-up time, they could deliver a high-end pro camera for the next version. (Editor s note: For an earlier evaluation of the DVX100, by Richard Stringer csc, see the March, 2003, issue of the CSC News, available on line at Christopher Ball csc is an awardwinning cinematographer based in Halifax. CSC News / October Focused. Advanced. Reliable. As a premium dealer for the Sony Communication Systems Network Group, we have a full line of cameras and all necessary ancillary products to ensure the success of your project. All products are available for sale or rent, from an extensive inventory geared toward professional video capture and production. Videoscope TORONTO LONDON TOLL-FREE SCOPE Production Rentals Service Leasing Hardware Sales Magnetic Media Event Staging Systems Integration Bringing Equipment Rental Choice to Canada for 30 Years Lighting Grip Generators Camera VANCOUVER PRAIRIES T O R O N T O ATLANTIC

9 in focus Kodak Seminar Focuses on Super16 Better Option Than HD for Low-Budget Productions? SUPER 16 PANEL: (from left) Thom Best csc; Luc Montpellier csc; Gerald Packer csc; Peter Armstrong, operations director at post house Magnetic North; Michael S. Smith, vice-president of technical services at Film Opticals. and moderator Bob Fisher. FILMMAKERS PANEL: (from left) Chad Malbon, digital film producer at Toybox; Douglas Koch csc; freelance post supervisor Gregor Hutchison; Robert Primes asc; Beverly J. Wood, executive vice-president of technical services/client relations for Deluxe Laboratories; and Daryn Okada asc. Given the recent advances in film technology, is the Super 16mm format an attractive option to HD video for low-budget productions? The question was put to a panel of three CSC cinematographers and a pair of post-production specialists at a Toronto eatery on Sept. 8 in conjunction with the ReelWorld Festival and Foundation indie film lounge. It was a loaded question, of course, in that the seminar was sponsored by Kodak Entertainment Imaging to promote its new Kodak Vision2 500T 16mm colour negative stock (7218) and the other heavyweight contender in the film versus video debate was not invited. The thrust of the event was to demonstrate how the convergence of advances in film and digital post-production technologies are providing new creative and financial flexibility for Photo: Don Angus Photo: Doug Maguire filmmakers. Kim Snyder, the new vice-president of Kodak Canada Entertainment Imaging, said in her introductory notes that most people are amazed when they see the image quality of... stories produced in Super 16 format with our new generation of film. She explained that 7218 is a high-speed emulsion with a fine grain structure, and that combination gives cinematographers the ability to work in the most challenging lowkey lighting without making creative compromises. The 500- speed film is optimized for efficient conversion to video files in telecine suites and also during scanning for digital film mastering application. There was enthusiastic agreement from the panelists: Thom Best csc; Luc Montpellier csc; Gerald Packer csc; Peter Armstrong, operations director at post house Magnetic North; and Michael S. Smith (winner of the CSC s Kodak New Century Award in 1988), vice-president of technical services at Film Opticals. Bob Fisher, an American journalist who has written hundreds of articles about filmmakers, moderated. Here is a sampling of the discussion on Super 16 film, which Smith noted has been around and widely used for many, many years: Best, who shot the 7218 sequences for a Kodak promotional film shown at the start of the seminar, said that he has not shot enough HD video to make a fair comparison with film, but he prefers the look of Super 16. He has shot a lot of Super 16, he said, adding that in addition to the new, improved film By Don Angus stocks, developments in post-production technology have enhanced the end results of 16mm footage. As a cinematographer, he stated, I care about the artistry of what we do, and I think as cinematographers our quest is to create memorable, maybe even iconic images. And I guess I care about the longevity of those images; I d like to know that those images will survive past my lifetime. Montpellier said he shot the Guy Maddin feature The Saddest Music in the World, a hit at this year s Toronto International Film Festival, on Super 16, and the choice for the Winnipegmade film was an entirely creative decision. On the many music videos and series he has shot, he added, Super 16 has been the preference, and he will continue to use it both for creative and budgetary reasons. The bigger negative area of Super 16, he continued, is advantageous for framing, since the 16:9 aspect ratio is close to the standard theatrical framing of To be able to frame two actors in a close-up is a plus creatively. In comparing 16mm film with a digital video format, Montpellier said, Film seems to have a lot more range, a lot more latitude as far as exposures go. With digital video there is a plateau that you reach when it comes to overexposure. Also the colour rendition of film is softer. A lot of producers are returning to 16mm from digital video because the transfers are so good now. Just like film stock, post-production has evolved as well. Packer said he recently shot a Toronto feature for Jacob Tierney called Twist, which was blown up from Super 16, and pretty much 80 per cent of what I ve shot since the late 1980s has been on regular or Super 16 except for a few 35mm features. see page 10 8 CSC News / October 2003

10 GREGORY MIDDLETON csc The images in a movie are comparable to the text in a novel. The descriptive prose works with the story and plot to create an overall impression. Although linked with the story, prose is also a kind of craft on its own. What draws me to filmmaking is the collaborative aspect and the visual interpretation of stories. In a way, I become a different cinematographer with a different director, depending on their needs and methods. Cinematography is especially important now, when we're inundated with images to an unprecedented extent. Cinematographers often reference other, older forms of visual art, like paintings by Rembrandt and Vermeer. That's because these images have stood the test of time. As a cinematographer, you want to try to make images that are worth thinking about images that will last. ONFILM Gregory Middleton, csc studied filmmaking at the University of British Columbia. He photographed music videos and industrial films and operated for several years before shooting the feature film Kissed, for which he received the first of three Genie nominations. Since then his work has appeared in television projects like The Snow Queen and After the Harvest, and in feature films including Falling Angels (2003), Between Strangers, Punch, After the Storm, Suspicious River, Better than Chocolate and Mr Rice's Secret. Middleton also photographed The Five Senses, which was nominated for nine Genie awards including Best Cinematography. To read the full transcript of Gregory s interview visit us online at To order KODAK Motion Picture Film, call (800) 621-film (3456). Kodak Canada Inc., 2003.

11 Get it to The Lab 16/35mm colour negative processing Set up Academy leader Cleaning Ready for transfer Quotes for Video Post in conjunction with Deluxe Toronto EYES Post Group Magnetic North CONTACT: Ed Higginson Al Lindsay Tel: (416) Fax: (416) Toll free: Carlaw Avenue Toronto, Ontario M4M 2S1 The One Swatchbook that has it all... ROSCO CANADA 1241 Denison St., #44, Markham, Ont., L3R 4B Toll Free: Fax: w w w. r o s c o - c a. c o m Photo: Don Angus PRIZE WINNER: CSC Associate Branimir Ruzic (right) was the draw prize winner at the Kodaksponsored Super 16 seminar, and is presented with a certificate for three 100-foot reels of 7218 film by David Butler, communications director at Kodak Canada Entertainment Imaging. I never wanted to shoot 16mm 500 because it was too grainy, until 7218 came along. It allows you to use a lot fewer lights. We didn t have a lot of lights on Twist so I was glad to try the Resolution was better and it was a lot sharper. Packer also credits the new generation of lenses, such as the Cooke S4s, for improving the sharpness of Super 16 images. One of his beefs with shooting video, he said, is that the operator doesn t have as much control over the subtleties of focus as they do with a film camera, where focus can be used as a creative tool. Armstrong said that about 60 per cent or greater of what we re transferring at Magnetic North these days is Super 16. I see some really good 16mm or Super 16 footage. We just wrapped the dailies on an MOW for Fox Television, called Redemption, and when we were transferring the dailies we had people walk into the telecine suite and say they weren t sure whether they were watching Super 16 or 35mm. When it s well exposed it looks really good. Kodak also sponsored a second panel discussion at the same downtown location on Sept. 9, which CSC News was unable to cover. Freelance post supervisor Gregor Hutchison, prominent cinematographers Douglas Koch csc, Robert Primes asc, Daryn Okada asc and Beverly J. Wood, executive vice-president of technical services/client relations for Deluxe Laboratories, focused on their roles in creating images and seeing the process through post-production, including timing of release prints. Again, Bob Fisher moderated. 10 CSC News / October 2003

12 video file OPTICAL TOPICAL: Ted Michener of Precision Camera Inc. (centre) talks about the new Sony optical disc camcorder with (from left) Ron Stannett csc, John Hodgson and Branimir Ruzic during the Aug. 22 Sim Video open house. DANCE WITH A DOLLY: The Granary Blues Band was shot on three Sony HD cameras and projected on a large screen at the party. There was food, drink, toe-tapping live music, and tons of state-of-the-art video technology at the grand opening of Sim Video Productions new Toronto office on Aug. 22. Sony of Canada Ltd. and Precision Camera Inc. (PCI) produced a showcase of the latest in video acquisition, recording, post-production and presentation equipment, complementing the new Sim Video facilities at One Atlantic Ave. President Rob Sim and his staff now enjoy nearly three times as much space as the broadcast rental company had at its old headquarters on Wellington Street. The new 32,000- square-foot facility merges camera rentals and post-production services, previously in separate locations. Sony and Panasonic HD cameras are available to rent, including the Sony HDW-F900 24p CineAlta and the Panasonic HDC27 Varicam, with a selection of new HD cine lenses such as Angenieux, Fujinon and Zeiss DigiPrimes. Sim Video, in business for over 21 years, has 26 editing systems and eight suites featuring the latest Avid Photo: Don Angus Photo: Don Angus Sony/PCI Showcase Launches Sim Video s New Toronto Site equipment and 24-hour Avidcertified technical support. Plans include an HD screening theatre. Among the impressive array of electronic gear displayed by Sony and PCI, one of the stars was Sony s new professional optical disc camcorder. The newest toy on the block, the lightweight and relatively inexpensive ($50,000) ODC is expected to bring a revolutionary change to the world of broadcast news (ENG) and electronic field production (EFP). With the optical camcorder, shooters will be able to mark their good shots, identify them from a picture-stamp storyboard displayed on the camcorder s LCD monitor and play them back seamlessly (see CSC News, June/2003). The main feature of the evening entertainment at the August open house was The Granary Blues Band, which was shot live on three Sony HD cameras hand-held, on a dolly, and on a remote arm and projected on a large screen at the party. Photo: Don Angus AT HOME: Rob Sim at Sim Video s new Toronto headquarters. FOR YOUR LABORATORY & POST-PRODUCTION SERVICES 35 MM LABORATORY SERVICES SOUND RE-RECORDING TELECINE SERVICES EDITORIAL SERVICES FOR YOUR MOTION PICTURE OR TELEVISION PRODUCTION S REQUIREMENTS PLEASE CONTACT: PAUL NORRIS V.P. Sales (416) OR STAN FORD V.P. Service (416) JULIE WEINSTEIN Sales Executive (416) RUSS ROBERTSON Sales (416) LABORATORY SERVICES 350 EVANS AVENUE, ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO M8Z 1K5 (416) FAX (416) POST PRODUCTION SERVICES 424 ADELAIDE ST. EAST, TORONTO, ONTARIO M5A 1N4 (416) FAX (416) CSC News / October

13 news clips CANADA S WAR: THE LOST COLOUR ARCHIVES What s in Your Basement? The producers of the documentary series Canada s War: The Lost Colour Archives want to know, What s in your basement? Do you have colour home movie footage taken during the war years, either at home or abroad? Did you keep a diary or write a letter to a loved one overseas? Have you held on to letters and notes received during the war? Canada s War: The Lost Colour Archives is a three-part story of Canada during the Second World War, told through newly discovered colour footage of Canadians at war and at home. Much of the footage has been stored in archives across the country and around the world, largely unseen by the general public, and in the private home movie collections of ordinary Canadians across the country. The series, produced by YAP Films Inc. of Toronto, will be broadcast on the CBC in June, 2004, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of D-Day. Director Karen Shopsowitz and her team of researchers are looking for those films sitting in people s basements and attics, forgotten reels of 16mm or 8mm colour film, shot during the 1930s and 1940s. There s a lot more footage out there than people would expect. She is looking for footage shot overseas, because it wasn t unusual for some service people to take their cameras with them on their tour of duty, but she s also looking for home front footage. We re looking for footage that depicts what life was like here in the 1930s and 1940s, and that can be as simple as a birthday celebration during the war years, says Shopsowitz, director of the award-winning NFB doc My Father s Camera. (see CSC News, December/2002). Researcher Rebecca Ruddle says footage could be shots of ships in the harbour, a gas station with its gas pumps padlocked during rationing, training exercises, parades, sporting events during the war years between various military teams, Victory Gardens, holiday and birthday celebrations, street scenes and daily life... film that reflects this period of history, as long as it s shot in colour. The director and her team are also interested in letters, diaries and other materials, which may be used to form the narration for each of the three documentaries. For more information or to speak to Karen Shopsowitz directly, please call, toll free: , ext. 227, or e- mail her at: kshopsowitz@ yapfilms.com. CONSOLIDATION INCLUDES WFW Investment Creates Comweb Group Inc. Paul Bronfman, chairman and CEO of Comweb, one of Canada s largest partnerships of independent entertainment companies, has announced that he has formally consolidated his Toronto-based company into Comweb Group Inc. and has brought in Tricor Pacific Capital Inc. as an investor in the process. It is the first time that a Canadian private equity firm has ever invested directly in the Canadian production sector. The consolidation sees William F. White International Inc. (WFW), one of Canada s major providers of motion picture and television production equipment, Entertainment Partners Canada and Bulloch Film Capital Corporation (EPCanada/Bulloch), Canada s foremost providers of payroll, accounting and financial solutions, become 100-per-cent-owned subsidiaries of Comweb Group Inc. Vancouver-based Tricor Pacific Capital, with offices in Chicago, was attracted by the growth opportunities provided by Comweb s partnerships. We were courted by a number of investment partners, but we picked Tricor because its values were the best match with ours. It is the first time in our 15 years of operation that we have accepted an outside investor, says Bronfman, who controls and is the major shareholder of the new Comweb Group Inc. BIG TIFF DRAW: For the third year in a row, Osram Sylvania was the official lighting supplier for the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival. Osram XBO Xenon lamps projected over 28,340 minutes of film on 21 screens across the city during the world s largest film festival Sept To celebrate its involvement in the festival, Osram Sylvania held a draw in conjunction with product dealer CinequipWhite. For every purchase of Osram lamps, customers of CinequipWhite were eligible to enter a draw for a pair of VIP passes to 10 gala screenings at the festival. The winner of the contest was Stan Bioksic, a Toronto camera/steadicam operator. Shown drawing the contest winner are John Ferguson, vicepresident/operations at CinequipWhite (left), and Steve Duff, director, special lighting markets for Osram Sylvania. Bill White and Mark Prior, the respective presidents of WFW and EPCanada/Bulloch, retain these positions while adding the role of executive vice-president of Comweb Group Inc. They join Rick Nelson, who was appointed executive vice-president of Comweb in 2000, and remains based in Comweb s Los Angeles offices. HOT DOCS 2004 DATES Michael McMahon New Co-Chair The 11th annual edition of Hot Docs, North America's largest documentary festival, will take place April 23 to May 2, 2004, in Toronto. Documentary submissions for the festival's Canadian Spectrum, International Showcase, National Spotlight, Made In... and RealKids, RealTeens programs will be accepted on or before Dec. 15. A final selection of 100-plus documentaries will be presented to public audiences and international delegates from over 25 countries. Hot Docs has also announced the appointment of Michael McMahon as the new co-chair of its governing board of directors. McMahon, the founding partner of Primitive Entertainment, has served on the Hot Docs board for three years, including one year as chair of its programming committee. 12 CSC News / October 2003

14 CSC FULL AND LIFE MEMBERS CSC FULL MEMBERS Nicholas Allen-Woolfe csc Jim Aquila csc Eduardo Arregui csc Michael Balfry csc Christopher Ball csc John Banovich csc John Bartley csc asc Stan Barua csc Yves Bélanger csc Peter Benison csc Dean Bennett csc Barry Bergthorson csc John Berrie csc Thom Best csc Cyrus Block csc Robert Bocking csc Ludek Bogner csc Michael Boland csc Robert Brooks csc Raymond Brounstein csc Thomas Burstyn csc Barry Casson csc Eric Cayla csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc Bruce Chun csc Damir Chytil csc Richard Ciupka csc Arthur Cooper csc Walter Corbett csc Bernard Couture csc Richard Crudo csc asc Dean Cundey csc asc Francois Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc Louis de Ernsted csc David De Volpi csc Kim Derko csc Jacques Desharnais csc Serge Desrosiers csc Jean-Yves Dion csc Mark Dobrescu csc Wes Doyle csc Guy Dufaux csc Albert Dunk csc asc Philip Earnshaw csc Ian Elkin csc Michael Ellis csc Carlos Esteves csc Nikos Evdemon csc Henri Fiks csc Daniel Fournier csc David Frazee csc Marc Gadoury csc James Gardner csc David Geddes csc Ivan Gekoff csc Laszlo George csc Len Gilday csc Pierre Gill csc John Goldi csc Russ Goozee csc Steve Gordon csc David Greene csc John Griffin csc Michael Grippo csc Manfred Guthe csc Thomas Harting csc Peter Hartmann csc Pauline Heaton csc Brian Hebb csc David Herrington csc Kenneth Hewlett csc Edward Higginson csc Robbi Hinds csc Robert Holmes csc John Holosko csc George Hosek csc Colin Hoult csc Donald Hunter csc Joan Hutton csc Tom Ingle csc Mark Irwin csc asc Maris Jansons csc James Jeffrey csc Silvio Jesenkovic csc Daniel Jobin csc Pierre Jodoin csc Martin Julian csc Norayr Kasper csc Glen Keenan csc Ian Kerr csc Douglas Kiefer csc Jan Kiesser csc asc Alar Kivilo csc Douglas Koch csc Charles Konowal csc Rudi Kovanic csc Jim Kozmik csc Ken Krawczyk csc Les Krizsan csc Alwyn Kumst csc Jean-Claude Labrecque csc Serge Ladouceur csc George Lajtai csc Harry Lake csc Barry Lank csc Henry Lebo csc Richard Leiterman csc Miklos Lente csc John Lesavage csc Henry Less csc Pierre Letarte csc Philip Linzey csc Walt Lloyd csc J.P. Locherer csc Peter Luxford csc Larry Lynn csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Dylan Macleod csc Bernie MacNeil csc Glen MacPherson csc Harry Makin csc Donald McCuaig csc Robert McLachlan csc Ryan McMaster csc Michael McMurray csc Stephen McNutt csc Graeme Mears csc Jim Mercer csc Simon Mestel csc Gregory Middleton csc Gordon Miller csc Robin Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Luc Montpellier csc George Morita csc David Moxness csc Craig Mullins csc Douglas Munro csc Dan Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc asc Ron Orieux csc Harald Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Rod Parkhurst csc Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Pelletier csc David Perrault csc Toronto Tel: (416) Barry Peterson csc Bruno Philip csc André Pienaar csc Edward Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Randal Platt csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Poon csc Steven Poster asc csc Andreas Poulsson csc Pascal Provost csc Don Purser csc Joel Ransom csc Ousama Rawi csc bsc William Reeve csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Brad Rushing csc Robert Saad csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc bsc Gavin Smith csc Christopher Soos csc John Spooner csc Ronald Stannett csc Barry Stone csc Michael Storey csc Richard Stringer csc Michael Sweeney csc Adam Swica csc Attila Szalay csc Christopher Tammaro csc Gabor Tarko csc John Tarver csc Brian Thomson csc Paul Tolton csc Bert Tougas csc Chris Triffo csc Sean Valentini csc Paul van der Linden csc Derek Vanlint csc Roger Vernon csc Steve Vernon csc Daniel Villeneuve csc Daniel Vincelette csc Michael Wale csc Vancouver Tel: (604) John Walker csc Tony Wannamaker csc Peter Warren csc Andrew Watt csc Jim Westenbrink csc Tony Westman csc Kit Whitmore csc Brian Whittred csc George Willis csc Richard Wincenty csc Peter Woeste csc Bill Wong csc Bruce Worrall csc Craig Wrobleski csc Yuri Yakubiw csc FULL LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc asc David Carr csc Christopher Chapman csc Robert Crone csc Kenneth Davey csc Edmond DeFay csc Kelly Duncan csc dgc Dan Gibson csc James Grattan csc Kenneth Gregg csc Brian Holmes csc Maurice Jackson-Samuels csc Myron Kupchuck csc Naohiko Kurita csc Douglas Lehman csc Donald McMillan csc Roger Moride csc Reginald Morris csc Dean Peterson csc Roger Racine csc Robert Rouveroy csc Ivan Sarossy csc Josef Sekeresh csc Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc Louis Wolfers csc CSC News / October

15 awards The 2003 Gemini Award Nominations for Photography Jan Kiesser csc asc Nominated for Emmy Award Eight CSC members are among nominees for 2003 Gemini Awards in the four Best Photography categories. The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television presents the 18th annual Gemini Awards for excellence in television production on Oct. 18, 19 and 20, with the final gala in Toronto to be broadcast on CBC-TV beginning at 8 p.m. ET. (Le 18e gala des Prix Gémeaux se tiendra le 23 novembre. La liste des finalistes sera dévoilée le 16 octobre. The Prix Gémeaux will be held Nov. 23. Nominations will be announced Oct. 16.) Meanwhile, Jan Kiesser csc asc was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie for his work on Door To Door. The winners were announced Sept. 13. Nominated for the Gemini for Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series are David Frazee csc for 100 Days In The Jungle; Luc Montpellier csc, Hemingway vs. Callaghan Night One ; Eric Cayla csc, Silent Night; Steve Cosens, The Eleventh Hour Not Without My Reefer ; and Marc Charlebois csc, The Last Chapter II: The War Continues Episode 1. Best Photography in an Information Program or Series: Al Calgary Opium ; Ross MacIntosh, Daily Planet Skate Blades ; Ihor Macijiwsky, Great Canadian Rivers The Klinaklini ; Jacques Desharnais csc, Russell Gienapp, Laurent Quesnel, Mystery Hunters, Macbeth & Salem Wiches ; Mark Foerster, Sex Files III Sex vs. Love. Best Photography in a Documentary Program or Series: Michael Grippo csc, A Child s Century of War; Wayne Abbott, Willie Lypko, Cold War Love: The Story of Mark & Yvette McKoy; Patrick McGowan, F2: Forensic Factor, The Profilers ; Maurice Chabot, The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II; Marc Gadoury csc, Water Marks. Best Photography in a Comedy, Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series: Jean Renaud, 2003 East Coast Music Awards; Normand Chassé, Charles Goldman, Amanda Marshall: Everybody s Got a Story; Dave Fairfield, Live at the Rehearsal Hall: Michael Schade; Michael Spicer, Horst Zeidler, Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen; Michael Spicer, Year of the Lion. All photography nominees receive Kodak Spectrum Awards. FOR SALE: Arri SRII Super 16 camera, PL mount, 3 mags, 3 batts, b&w video assist, 5x7 matt box w/various filters, Zeiss zoom T1.4, Nikon zoom T4, Sachtler 7+7 Studio head w/legs; many extras, original owner, great shape. Offers: Jim Jeffrey (905) or melville51@sympatico.ca FOR SALE: ft. camera trailer. This is a black Pace trailer with 20 by 20 ft. awning, dark room, viewing lounge, heating and air conditioning. Two counter tops with lots of storage space, three access doors. Great condition. Call Jim Westenbrink at or j.westenbrink@sympatico.ca FOR SALE: Steadicam equipment: Master Series film sled, case size 33"x22"x10" wt. 65 lbs.; Master Series film monitor; 4 Anton Bauer Pro Pack digital batteries; 12V-24V power converter; 12V-24V power converter with two batteries/lentequip; T- handle set (4 hex T-handle wrenches); modifications: quick release top stage; new bearing upgrade in arm; larger antenna in CAMERA CLASSIFIEDS top stage. Support: vest bag (duffel); C.P. Master Series operator s vest; case size 25"x21"x 9.5" wt. 30 lbs.; Master Series articulated support arm; quick release arm post clamp; 4 C.P. arm posts 4", 5", 8", 12"; C.P. "F" bracket. Accessories: case size 23"x15"x15" wt. 55 lbs.; PAG MC124 battery charger-quad; 1 power cables (chargers PAG); C.P. docking bracket; power cables: Panavision 24v, Arri 24v, Arri 12v, Moviecam 24v. Assorted: Preston MDR bracket na. Contact or george@georgicam.com FOR SALE: 16mm Arriflex SR camera, 3 x 400 ft. magazines, Arriflex extension eyepiece; Zeiss T-Star (T3.1) zoom with fluid dampener, Zeiss Superspeed T1.3 lenses (9.5, 12, 16, 25mm), Zeiss T2.4 8mm lens, 2 on-board batteries, belt battery, box battery, Arriflex 3 x 3 matte box/sunshade. 16mm Arriflex ST camera, 2 x 400 ft. magazines, Arri angle viewfinder, Angenieux zoom, Cooke Kinetal prime lenses (12.5, 25, 35, 50mm), variable and governed speed motors, sync pulse generator. Contact tingle@infinity.net FOR SALE: Master Series/Elite 26-volt battery upgrade, includes two on-board batteries, charge cable, adapter and QC.4X charger made by Lentequip. Never used. Paid $2,600, asking $1,600. Low mode cage with two sets of rodes, $400. Panavision power cable, $100. 1Arri four-pin power cable, $100. Sold rig, must sell! Call Rick at or rkearney@istar.ca FOR SALE: Aaton Super 16mm LTR 54 w/color video assist, 2 mags, 2 bat, ext eyepiece, 5x6 matte box, 6 filters- ND & polorizing filter, double fog, day for night, T1.8 Cooke 9-30 zoom lens, Transvideo 6" color LCD mon 4:3-16:9, cinema products remote focus unit -all of the above with cases. Paid $64,000 - asking new low price C$29,900. Also, Ronford F15 head - $3000, Ambient 201 timecode slate - $1700 w/cases, and other acc. Call for list, Alexander at cell (204) ; studio(204) , or Lexicon-pictures@shaw.ca Camera Classifieds is a FREE service to CSC members. If you have items you d like to buy or sell, please fax your list to (416) or editor@csc.ca 14 CSC News / October 2003

16 The Full Spectrum In recognition of outstanding achievement in cinematography, the Kodak Spectrum Award is presented annually to each Gemini Award nominee in the Best Photography category. The 2003 Gemini Nominees Best Photography in an Dramatic Program or Series David Frazee 100 Days In The Jungle Luc Montpellier Hemingway vs. Callaghan Night One Eric Cayla Silent Night Steve Cosens The Eleventh Hour Not Without My Reefer Marc Charlebois The Last Chapter II: The War Continues Episode 1 Best Photography in a Comedy, Variety or Performing Arts Program or Series Jean Renaud 2003 East Coast Music Awards Normand Chassé, Charles Goldman Amanda Marshall Everybody's Got a Story Dave Fairfield Live at the Rehearsal Hall Michael Schade Michael Spicer, Horst Zeidler Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen Michael Spicer Year of the Lion Best Photography in an Information Program or Series Al Calgary Opium Ross MacIntosh Daily Planet Skate Blades Ihor Macijiwsky Great Canadian Rivers The Klinaklini Jacques Desharnais, Russell Gienapp, Laurent Quesnel Mystery Hunters Macbeth & Salem Witches Mark Foerster Sex Files III Sex vs. Love Best Photography in a Documentary Program or Series Michael Grippo A Child's Century of War Wayne Abbott, Willie Lypko Cold War Love: The Story of Mark & Yvette McKoy Patrick McGowan F2: Forensic Factor The Profilers Maurice Chabot The Life and Times of Pope John Paul II Marc Gadoury Water Marks Congratulations to all of the nominees. Kodak is a proud sponsor of the 2003 Gemini Awards.