DOP Rhett Morita csc Shoots High-Stakes Poker in Sudbury

Transcription

1 Canadian Society of Cinematographers $4 October DOP Rhett Morita csc Shoots High-Stakes Poker in Sudbury Philip Bloom John Bartley csc, asc John Toll asc

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3 A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) 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. The purpose of the CSC is to promote the art and craft of cinematography in Canada. And to provide tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and video professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography. We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation. CORPORATE SPONSORS All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. CinequipWhite Inc. Clairmont Camera Cooke Optics Ltd. Creative Post Inc. D.J. Woods Productions Inc. Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM Canada Inc. Image Media Farms Inc Kingsway Motion Picture Ltd. Kino Flo Kodak Canada Inc. Lee Filters Mole-Richardson Osram Sylvania Ltd./Ltée PS Production Services Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Precision Camera Rosco Canada Sim Video Sony of Canada Ltd. Technicolor 3D Camera Company Videoscope Ltd. William F. White International Inc. ZGC Inc. ZTV FEATURES volume 2, No. 5 October 2010 A Conversation with Lost DOP John Bartley csc, asc Interview by Bob Fisher 16 High Chicago: A Technicolor Truck and High-Stakes Poker Shot in Sudbury By Rhett Morita csc Philip Bloom: The Guru of HD-DSLR By Lance Carlson Columns & Departments 2 From the President 4 What s New: Panasonic s AG-3DA1 5 Cinematographers in Review: John Toll asc and The Thin Red Line 6 In the News 21 Camera Classified 22 CSC Members 24 Productions Notes / Calendar Cover: Colin Salmon in High Chicago, DOP Rhett Morita csc

4 Canadian Cinematographer October 2010 Vol. 2, No. 5 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR Wyndham Wise mfa editor@csc.ca ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House PROOFREADER Karen Longland INTERN Jonathan Thomas WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss gkondruss@rogers.com CSC OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: ; Fax: admin@csc.ca CSC Subscription Dept. PO Box Danforth Avenue Toronto, Canada M4K 1N2 editor@csc.ca Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication. Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $ for institutions. Payment by money order in Canadian funds. ISSN Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Danforth Ave. Toronto M4K 1N2 From The PRESIDENT This year the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television celebrates its 25th edition of the Gemini Awards. CSC members nominated include Ken Krawczyk csc for Hiccups, Marc Charlebois csc for 18 to Life and Paul Sarossy csc, bsc for Kids in the Hall Death Comes to Town in the category of best photography in a comedy program or series. Nominees for best photography in a documentary program or series include two for Jeremy Benning csc, Mason and The Great Sperm Race, and Matthew Phillips csc for Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland, and nominees for best photography in a dramatic program or series include James Jeffrey csc for Murdoch Mysteries, Glen MacPherson csc, asc for Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story, Stephen Reizes csc for Flashpoint and Michael Storey csc for The Republic of Doyle. Dylan Macleod csc is nominated in the category of best photography in a variety or performing arts program or series for Nureyev, and for best photography in an information program or series there is Henry Less csc for French Food at Home. Best direction nominees in a children s or youth program or series include Phil Earnshaw csc for Degrassi: The Next Generation and best direction in a dramatic series nominees include David Frazee csc for Flashpoint. We congratulated all the CSC nominees and wish them the best of luck on November 2 and 3 for the Industry Galas and November 13 for the Broadcast Gala. In this issue, veteran cinematographer John Bartley csc, asc talks about his career and experiences shooting two of the most popular television series of the past 15 years, The X-Files and Lost, Rhett Morita csc recounts his work on the low-budget feature High Chicago and Philip Bloom extols the virtues of the revolutionary HD-DSLR cameras. DOP Arthur Cooper csc hosted the first in a series of screenings entitled Great Cinematographers in Revue. First up was Terence Malick s Second World War drama The Thin Red Line, with the film s award-winning cinematographer John Toll asc piped in via Skype from Los Angeles to participate in the post-screening Q&A, hosted by Arthur Cooper csc. 2 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

5 A Supernatural Transition From Film to Digital I shot the first three seasons of Supernatural with a 35mm dream package from Clairmont Camera. Then, the studio wanted to make a move into the digital world. One thing I wanted to make sure of was a seamless transition from film to digital. Supernatural was coming of age and I didn't want to change the look we set with the 35mm tools. I was looking for an evolution not a new palette. I had set my mind on two D-21s for our A and B cameras and a Red One for Steadicam, 2nd unit and additional camera works. And what was most important to me was that Denny Clairmont and his team put their resources behind my choices through testing, setting my LUTs and establishing the work flow. On Supernatural we go to hell each week in our stories but one place I didn't want to go was production hell. You know what I'm talking about: weird things happening to your equipment, failure you don't expect, name it. But because of the nature of the preparation and the support of Clairmont Camera we never lost any production time due to the change of system, and whatever glitches we encountered were resolved in a swift fashion. It is well known to what extent the Clairmont family will go to service the camera crews, design and fabricate tools to fit particular demands but there is more. I found friendship, not the business bias type, but friendship based on complicity and dedication in research for the best. What am I talking about? Too good to be true? Maybe I found some kind of heaven on Earth and it's called Clairmont Camera Heaven for the DP! Serge Ladouceur CSC Hollywood Vancouver Toronto Albuquerque Montreal

6 WHAT S NEW Panasonic s AG-3DA1: Full-HD 3D Camera Recorder Panasonic s technological footprint will get a lot more depth this September, when the first shipment of pre-orders are sent out of the world s first integrated twin-lens Full-HD 3D Camera Recorder. Panasonic unveiled the AG-3DA1 last April as the focal point of a new 3D line that could revolutionize the way film and television is seen today. The AG-3DA1 will make 3D productions more accessible to a wider range of videographers because of its unique twin-lens design that makes shooting for 3D easier and more affordable. Current 3D systems are large-scale setups that require both time and patience to perfect. Two nearly identical cameras are fitted to a rig parallel to or vertically intersected across a half-mirror. The set-up time alone could set a production back several hours. Separate recorders are also required for each camera. The AG-3DA1 has the lenses, camera head and a dual memory card recorder integrated into a single, light-weight body (three kilograms). The simple, ready-to-shoot camera will get rid of all setup time and allow more time for creative ideas. The compact design will provide videographers with the flexibility to shoot with the AG-3DA1 in more challenging environments or in a handheld-style. Since setup and transportation is simplified, the AG-3DA1 is suitable for filming sports and documentaries. The camera is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920x mega-pixel 3-MOS imagers. The recording system uses AVCHD Pro high-image-quality PH mode. Full-HD left-eye and right-eye images are recorded in sync onto two SDHC memory cards. Dual 32GB SD cards can hold up to 180 minutes of footage. The AG-3DA1 has a professional interface that includes dual HD-SDI out, HDMI (version 1.4), two XLR connectors, built-in stereo microphone and twin-lens camera remotes. It also comes equipped with a 3.2-inch (16:9) side-mounted LCD monitor with a Lch/Rch/overlay switchable display. The twin-lens system gives the videographer the capability to adjust the convergence point for recording 3D images with natural-looking depth with the camera s interface. Adjusting the convergence point (point where the two lenses meet) changes what objects will appear on the surface of the screen. Any objects in front of the convergence point will appear to be off the screen and any objects past that point will appear to be in the distance. Changing the convergence point on a 3D rig would require the cameras to be physically moved. Because the lenses are fixed on the camera, the AG-3DA1 is unable to change the interaxial distance (space between the lenses) and the convergence point has a range of 2m 30m. Any discrepancies between two cameras iris, color imagery, zoom or if the two lenses aren t perfectly square to the camera will result in a faulty 3D image. Since all of the parts are manufactured at the same time and installed together, the AG-3DA1 avoids having any of these issues happen during recording. The AG-3DA1 camcorder ($21,000 US) is just one of several built-to-order products that are set to come out over the next year from Panasonic. The BT-3DL2550, a 3D LCD video monitor that works in conjunction with the AG-3DA1 shares a September shipping date with the camera. The monitor supports dual SDI inputs to display images directly from a 3D camera (AG-3DA1 or conventional 3D rig). The BT-3DL2550 uses Xpol polarized filters which allow the viewer to experience 3D as it s being shot if wearing a pair of polarized glasses (two supplied). AG-3DA1 and BT-3DL2550 take approximately 90 to 100 days to be built and shipped from the order date. All items are sold directly by Panasonic Canada Inc. For more information on Panasonic s Professional 3D Production line please visit: pro-av. panasonic.net/en/3d. Jonathan Thomas Panasonic s revolutionary AG-3DA1 will make 3D production more accessible to a wider range of videographers. 4 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

7 Photo credit: Joan Huton csc John Toll asc and The Thin Red Line On the right, series programmer Alan Bacchus with cinematographer Arthur Cooper csc. On a hot, steamy afternoon in early August, approximately 100 people filled the historic Revue Cinema in west end Toronto for the first Great Cinematographers in Review screening and discussion. The critically acclaimed 1998 film The Thin Red Line was the focus and was followed by a question and answer session, via Skype, with the film s Academy Award-winning cinematographer, John Toll asc. Hosting the event was Toronto-based filmmaker and critic Alan Bacchus, who initiated and programmed the series. The Thin Red Line marked director Terrence Malick s return to filmmaking after a 20-year absence. Based on a James Jones novel and featuring an all-star ensemble cast, the film told the fictional story of a group of American soldiers involved in the Battle of Guadalcanal in the Second World War. Although not a box office success, the film received great critical praise and was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including best cinematography. And that s what drew many to the screening the chance to ask John Toll how he created the film s stunning and emotionally charged visuals. Certainly no stranger to sweeping epics and location shoots, Toll brought his unique eye for landscape and light to The Thin Red Line and rendered an unabashedly artistic portrait of war. That s where host Arthur Cooper csc began his conversation by asking Toll about his visual approach to the film. We filmed on location in Australia and the Solomon Islands and pretty much used just the available tropical light. We used no fill and no electric or chemical manipulation, he said. We overexposed in shadows where we could to make things look as realistic as possible and give the film a documentary feel. This visual style lent itself to the story in fact, we found our style as we made the film. The middle hour of the film involves a bloody attack on a Japanese-held hill, and Toll and Malick place the viewer directly into the action by using mostly hand-held cameras or steadicams. The camera stalks the soldiers through waist-high grass as they try to capture the Japanese bunker and then drifts from soldier to soldier, following the emotional thread of each scene. And surprisingly, Toll only used three cameras for the entire film. Only one was employed in the main sequences and two in action sequences. There is just one sequence where three cameras were needed, said Toll. But the single most valuable tool to Toll and his team was an Akela crane a massive mechanical arm that not only goes from ground level to six stories high in a single move, but enabled Toll to smoothly follow a subject over broken ground for approximately 48 metres with no track. The action sequences were shot mostly on uneven grassy hills, said Toll. Because of the terrain we had to use a platform for the crane. Erecting the platform and crane initially took a construction crew of 10 two days, although we got it down to one day by the end of the filming. This crew did nothing but move the crane. Every time we used the crane, we came up with something unique. Because it was so hard to move, we dreamed up new shots. Asked what kinds of film stock he used to capture such a wide array of shots in the almost three-hour film from underwater scenes to graphic, bloody battle in harsh sunlight to lush tropical paradise to below deck on a dismal troop ship. Toll replied he simply used low-speed daylight stock by Kodak Tungsten that they ve since discontinued, even though I complained bitterly. I really miss it. Asked if the same warm effects could be achieved with today s digital technology met with a resigned no from Toll. He then went on to debunk one common myth surrounding the movie, the popular rumour that the original director s cut was six hours long. Not so, he said. The first rough assembly of the best shots was probably that long, but that was before even the first preliminary edits had been made. In the end, a huge amount of the novel was represented in the film, especially John James s commentary on the impact of modern man and war on virginal paradise. This too was important to director Malick, and Toll translated written descriptions and interior psychological dialogues into dazzling images of animals, birds, landscape and the indigenous peoples who somehow manage to live in harmony outside modern, mechanized civilization. For me, in the end, said Toll, it s really all about the story. By Moira Potter Cinematographers in Review Canadian Cinematographer - October

8 In The News Deluxe Promotes Russ Robertson and William Baldwin Deluxe Entertainment Services Group has promoted two sales executives to newly created positions. Russ Robertson has been named senior vice-president sales, Canada and New York. Robertson will be responsible for all theatrical post-production sales activity for the Toronto, Vancouver and New York post facilities. Robertson had been vice-president sales for Deluxe New York since its inception in William Baldwin has transferred from Deluxe Vancouver to New York to assume the position of vice-president sales for Deluxe New York. Baldwin will collaborate with Robertson and will focus on building the television, media and New York regional business. Heartland Now Airs in the U.S. The popular Canadian series Heartland has been acquired by the CBS, Tribune, Sinclair, Hearst, Lin, Meredith, Nexstar and Belo station groups for broadcast in the U.S. The show is likely to air mostly in weekend primetime slots. The show has been syndicated internationally, and can be found in Australia, Brazil, Germany, the U.K. and even Senegal. Now filming its fourth season in Calgary with DOP Craig Wrobleski csc, the series airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on the CBC. Heartland is a heart-warming family drama, akin to a modernday Little House on the Prairie set in the Rocky Mountains. Starring Amber Marshall, Michelle Morgan and Shaun Johnson, Heartland is the struggle of a debt-ridden family of horse ranchers fighting to keep a dream alive against a backdrop of young love and intrigue. The series is produced by Seven24 Films of Calgary. Super Channel Feature Documentary Award The newly launched Super Channel Feature Documentary Award provides Canadian documentary filmmakers with an opportunity to make the leap from producing hour-long documentaries for broadcast to producing feature-length documentaries intended for theatrical release. Two winning projects will be selected, and each of the winners will receive the guidance of a senior documentary producer with experience in feature-length documentary with regard to developing treatments, marketing materials, searching out potential buyers and approaches to pitching. Each winner will receive 15-to-20 hours of their mentor s time and a budget of $3,000 to be used to create the maximum benefit to their project. Part of the budget must be allocated toward the cost of attending the Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF) at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, held annually in Toronto in the spring. The program will commence in late September, and the winners will work with their mentors to prepare their projects for pitching in time for the TDF in May The program concludes when the TDF is over. Telefilm Canada Launches Directory of Mentors and Scriptwriting Consultants Online Amber Marshall, one of the stars of the wildly popular CBC series Heartland. Telefilm Canada has unveiled its brand-new online directory of mentors and scriptwriting consultants, which includes the names of more than 100 experts and creators working in Canada s film industry that can be accessed via Telefilm s website. The new online directory of mentors and scriptwriting consultants will enable emerging writers and producers to make contact with industry mentors and veterans, offering them the possibility of developing their skills or finding specific expertise for a given project. All the producer/mentors and writers ncluded in the online directory were chosen by Telefilm following a call for candidates issued in May, and all have agreed to make themselves available to offer professional advice, coaching and know-how. The directory will also enable those participating in such programs as Écrire au long, Feature It! or Featuring Aboriginal Stories to seek out a mentor/consultant who will support them for the duration of their project. Others working in the industry seeking expertise in a variety of areas may also approach the consultants listed in the directory; it will be up to the two parties themselves to negotiate the terms of their agreement. 6 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

9 JUST GOT YOURSELF WITH The PMW-350K is the first Sony memory shoulder mount camcorder with the cutting edge imaging technology of three 2/3 Exmor full hd cmos sensors. Advanced features of this camcorder include: 1920 x 1080 effective pixel count, native recording, F 12 sensitivity, 59 db signal to noise ratio, low power consumption 18 watts, color lcd viewfinder and more. Demonstrations available. Toronto Halifax Precision Camera Inc. Canadian Cinematographer - October

10 In The News New applications for mentors and consultants are now being accepted on an ongoing basis and the directory will be updated regularly. The online directory of mentors and script writing consultants and the application form for those wishing to be included in it are available at the following address: telefilm. gc.ca/en/clients/directory-mentors-consultants. TIFF s Bell Lightbox Opens to the Public After being a coming attraction for nearly eight years, TIFF s brand new corporate headquarters, the Bell Lightbox, finally opened on the first weekend of the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. TIFF s long-awaited new home at the corner of King Street West and John Street, in the heart of what is now Toronto s entertainment district which endured some difficult birth pangs and much hand ringing gives TIFF a year-round presence. Designed by architect Bruce Kuwabara, the Lightbox has five screening auditoriums, galleries for exhibitions, an enhanced Film Reference Library and educational facilities as well as restaurants and bars suitable for social events. In 2003, TIFF announced a partnership with filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his two sisters, whose family had for years owned the site (a former parking lot and onetime car wash) and the Daniels Group, a developer specializing in condos. TIFF s five-level podium is part of a complex that also includes a 46-storey residential tower. Reaching its fundraising target of almost $200 million (including $129 million for the building itself plus money for operating costs and endowment) proved to be much more problematic than anticipated. The Lightbox opened with special guests and events such as special commissions by Guy Maddin (Hauntings I and II) and An artist rendition of the Bell Lightbox, the new home for TIFF, which officially opened for business September 12. Atom Egoyan (8 1/2 Screens) and TIFF s Essential 100 films introduced by the likes of David Cronenberg, Michael Snow, Isabella Rossellini, John Waters, Molly Haskell and Peter Bogdanovich. Future events will include an exhibition of the art and films of Tim Burton and restored films with a discussion by Academy Film Archive Director Michael Pogorzelski, as well as special Halloween and Nuit Blanche programming. More information is available on the Lightbox website, tiff.net/ tiffbelllightbox. Playback Cancels Its Print Edition Playback magazine, which has covered Canada s film, television, digital production and broadcasting industries for the past 24 years, announced that it ceased publishing its bi-weekly print edition this past summer. It will continue to publish content on its enhanced website. While the transition may appear sudden, executive publisher Russell Goldstein stated in a press release, this decision was made from a position of strength. He added that they had been preparing for the transition to a Web-only publication since converting to a paid-access site in In addition to canceling Playback s print editions, the parent company Brunico Communications completely shutdown Boards magazine (which reported on the international commercial production industry), resulting in a total of 18 full-time positions being cut. It s all a numbers game Goldstein explained. Playback has 10,000 paid subscribers to its Web edition, while there was only 7,000 to 8,000 who subscribed to the print version. Goldstein said that Brunico will continue to publish its yearly ultimate guide. Playback was launched in 1986 in direct competition to the long-running monthly magazine Cinema Canada. Cinema Canada, which was launched in Toronto s infamous Rochdale College in 1972 and from 1975 published out of Montreal, was a mixture of industry news, reviews, interviews and lengthy articles. Playback focused on the advertising the industry news section attracted and throughout its publishing history shied away from reviews and in-depth articles. Cinema Canada came to an end in 1989, and it wasn t until the launch of Take One in 1992 that there was again a national publication devoted to the art of Canadian cinema. As a matter of editorial policy Playback served as an enthusiastic booster for the industry, rarely offering any sort of criticism. However, it was the only publication of its kind and a worthy successor to Canadian trade publications such as Ray Lewis s Canadian Moving Picture Digest ( ) and Nat Taylor and Hye Bosin s Canadian Film Weekly ( ). 8 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

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12 Interview by Bob Fisher Introduction and filmography by Wyndham Wise New Zealand-born John Bartley csc, asc spent his early career in theatre there and in Australia. He immigrated to Canada in the mid-1970s and after a brief time spent in Toronto found work as a gaffer in the thriving Vancouver film scene. The IMDB lists his first credit as a rigging gaffer on Philip Borsos s impressive short Spartree, which won the Canadian Film Award for best theatrical short and best non-feature cinematography in His credits during this time also include lighting consultant on First Blood (1982), the first of the Rambo films starring Sylvester Stallone, gaffer on Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone 3D (1983, DOP Frank Tidy bsc) and electrician on Carroll Ballard s Never Cry Wolf (1983, DOP Hiro Narita asc, who won the National Society of Film Critics Award for best cinematography in 1984). He was promoted to DOP on the sci-fi drama Beyond the Stars (1989) starring Martin Sheen and Sharon Stone and quickly moved into episodic television, including eight episodes of 21 Jump Street, 39 episodes on The Commish, 71 episodes on The X-Files and 51 episodes of Lost, including the final one, simply called The End. He was the 2nd-unit DOP on The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008). Bartley won an Emmy Award for his evocative, moody cinematography on The X-Files in 1996 and was nominated in He was nominated three times by the ASC for The X-Files for outstanding achievement in cinematography in a regular series, and in 2001 he received the Kodak New Century Award at the CSC Awards Gala. In 2008 he received another Emmy Award nomination for Lost. The wildly popular series went off the air earlier this year after a six-year run. The following interview is reprinted with permission from Kodak and originally appeared on its online publication InCamera. It appears in Canadian Cinematographer for the first time in print. Photo credit: Douglas Kirkland, courtesy of Kodak. 10 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

13 BF: Where were you born and raised? JB: I was born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. It s a city located on the southern tip of the north island. There is a channel between the two islands, and the wind can be extreme. We call it Windy Wellington. BF: What did your family do for a living? JB: My father was a career army officer. After he retired from the army, he was the manager of an automobile parts shop and also worked for a local newspaper. My dad died at the early age of 53 when I was only 12 years old. My mother was the cashier at a local theater since she was 17 years old. They featured everything from stage plays to rock n roll concerts. My brother and I were with her in the back of the ticket booth until she went home at night. BF: Did that experience influence your thinking about a career? JB: I loved watching theater and saw many shows. During the week, we only got to stay until nine o clock at night and then we would go home. But, on Saturdays mom would let us stay and see the whole musical or play. My first job in the theater was helping the actors with their wardrobes. That lasted about two weeks. To tell the truth, I didn t know what to do with my life when I finished school. One of my uncles had an electrical contracting business. I worked with him as an apprentice electrician for four years and eight months, including backstage work at theaters. BF: What was the next step that you took in your career and life? JB: I learned about the outside world by listening the BBC and other programs on short wave radio. After I finished my apprenticeship, I decided to move to Sydney, Australia. I stayed with some friends from New Zealand who worked for a theater company. They gave me a ticket to a stage production. After the play, I thanked the manager of the theater and told him that I thought the play was great. He introduced me to the lighting director who offered me a job. BF: What was your job? JB: My first job was operating a rear screen projector during a stage play called The Flintstones. When it got to the end of a reel, I stopped the projector and loaded the next clip. After doing that for a while, I sent resumes to the three television stations in Sydney. I was hired as lighting director for Channel 7 in Sydney. BF: What did you do as lighting director for a television station? JB: I was responsible for lighting everything from variety shows to news broadcasts. I was really lucky. I didn t know anything about television, but there were two lighting technicians at the station who taught me what I needed to know. BF: Did you learn things that helped you later in your career? JB: Everything you do in life helps you later on. Television was black and white in those days. I learned how to use light to accentuate black-and-white tones and colors, so they helped tell stories on television screens.t BF: What was the next step in your life and career? JB: I decided to explore a different part of the world by Top: Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny in The X-Files. Bottom: Yunjin Kim, Evangeline Lilly and Daniel Dae Kim in Lost. Canadian Cinematographer - October

14 moving to Toronto. It took about five months for me to get a work visa. After I got to Toronto, I found out that I couldn t work at a television station because I wasn t in the union. I got a job with an equipment rental company. I initially worked in the maintenance department repairing and maintaining lighting and grip equipment. After a while, they sent me out on non-union jobs as a lamp operator on electrical crews. BF: Let s turn the page to the next chapter. JB: After about a year, they asked me to run their office in Vancouver. I remember thinking that they were going to pay me to see the country. The first job I did after arriving in Vancouver was changing a flat tire on the camera van. BF: When and how did you become a gaffer? JB: That happened in 1976 on a film called Who ll Save Our Children? The cinematographer was Don Wilder. For some reason, he decided to give me a chance. George Schaefer was the director and Shirley Jones and Len Cariou were in the cast. After that I worked as a gaffer on everything from commercials to television programs and movies with Sven Nykvist asc, Hiro Norita asc, Tak Fujimoto asc, Frank Tidy bsc, Bob Stevens asc and other amazing cinematographers. There is no school like that. BF: This question could apply to all of them, but tell us what it was like working with Sven Nykvist? JB: He was a wonderful human being. Sven just used a spot meter. I remember being too intimidated to bring my light meter out, so I learned to trust my eye. Sven was a brilliant filmmaker and warm human being. He showed me how to create looks by keeping the light level low and very subtly bringing it up to reveal things to the audience. BF: When and how did you begin working as a cinematographer? JB: Around 1986, I began shooting film on weekends. Originally, it was trailers for movies and music videos that we often shot with short ends. Most of the time, they weren t paying jobs. I did a lot of favours usually for young, aspiring directors. BF: When and how did you earn your first cinematography credit? JB: It was in I got a phone call from David Saperstein, the director who also wrote the script for Beyond the Stars. He told me about his film, and asked if I was interested in shooting it. It was a science fiction movie with an absolutely great cast, including Martin Sheen, Sharon Stone and F. Murray Abraham. After I said yes, he asked if I could bring my reel to the hotel where he was staying. I didn t have a reel, so I brought a bunch of three-quarter-inch videotapes of music videos and other things I had shot and my three-quarter-inch videotape machine to his hotel. He watched them over the weekend and called me Monday morning and asked me to shoot his film. BF: Did that first film push your career as a cinematographer into high gear? JB: I thought my career would really take off, but absolutely nothing happened. I went back to mainly shooting commercials. I didn t know what to think. BF: What kept you going in pursuit of your dream? JB: It takes perseverance, but at times that is easier to say than do. A few years later, I shot a few low budget movies and began a two-season run on a television series called The Commish, which was produced in Vancouver. Michael Chiklis was in the leading role as a police commissioner. There were a lot of great scripts. BF: You shot a few movies after two years of The Commish. In 1993, you began working on a classic television series, The X-Files. Tell us about that experience. JB: I had worked with Bob Goodwin, the producer, on other projects. He called and said he was starting a new series that I might like. Bob asked me to meet with him, Charlie Goldstein from 20th Century Fox and Chris Carter, who created, co-produced, scripted and occasionally directed episodes. Tom Del Ruth asc had shot the pilot. During that first meeting, they discussed their ideas for making a program with a science fiction theme that looked and felt believable. They were planning to produce 12 episodes that first season. After our conversation, I went back home and thinking that I really wanted to do that show. I tried to contact Bob at the hotel at about 4 p.m., but he had already checked out. I called him at home, but his wife didn t know where he was. He called me at about five p.m., and jokingly said that he tried really hard to convince them I wouldn t want to shoot The X-Files, but they still wanted me. We filmed The X-Files in Vancouver from 1993 through BF: The X-Files was about two main characters who investigate stories about aliens on Earth. How would you describe the look or visual style that evolved? JB: The look was dictated by the stories. I still remember shooting episode six that was directed by David Nutter. It was called Ice. I think that episode took the series to the next level. David pushed the envelope and challenged me to make every shot better. We blended light and darkness. The audience saw some things, and they weren t sure whether they saw other things. That added to the aura of mystery. BF: The use of darkness on television was a bit revolutionary at that time. JB: A still photographer came up to me one day and said, I figured you out. You light the walls, but you don t light the actors. I told him sometimes that s true. You light walls and let the actors find their light at the right moments. But, other times, we lit the actors and let everything in the backgrounds go dark, maybe with little highlights here and there. We didn t reveal what s in the darkness. BF: You earned more than a little recognition for your artful cinematography on The X-Files. There were three consecutive nominations for outstanding achievement from your peers in the American Society of Cinematographers in 1995, 1996 and You were also nominated for an Emmy in 1995 and you won that award in We were wondering how those nominations by peers affected your career. JB: I met a lot of people, and some said they would send me scripts someday, but I shot The X-Files through That didn t leave a lot of room for other projects. 12 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

15 Philip Borsos s award-winning Spartree, one which John Bartly csc, asc worked as a rigging gaffer. BF: Did The X-Files affect your thinking about what you wanted to do? JB: Not really. I enjoyed shooting the series. There were challenges everyday, and instantaneous decisions had to be made to keep pace with the schedule. I think shooting a television series is even more challenging today. Directors and producers have higher expectations. They want more shots and more alternatives without compromising. We used to do a wide shot and a couple of close-ups and move on to the next scene. Now, it s more like 10- to-12 shots a scene. On Lost, we average 50 and 80 setups a day. BF: Why did you leave The X-Files in the wake of all that success? JB: I loved working with the people on The X-Files, but I wanted to experience working in different places on different types of films. I went to Chicago, where I shot three episodes of a television series called Early Edition. That led to an opportunity to shoot the first few episodes of The Visitor. Randy Zisk was the director. He and I have been friends ever since. That was the show which got me the hours I needed to become a member of the International Cinematographers Guild in the United States. That opened doors for me to work on other films produced in the United States. BF: That is a bit of an understatement. You have earned more than 20 credits during the past 10 years for movies made for television and episodic television. There are many notable achievements on that list. We are going to repeat an earlier question, and ask what you learned from working on those different projects. JB: Every film and each director is a different experience. BF: How do you see television changing? JB: I could take a month to answer that question. Things are always changing, and they are also staying the same. We shot The X-Files in Super 35 format and framed for 4:3. We protected for 16:9, because we knew it was coming. We also do that on Lost. BF: Let s talk about your experiences on Lost. JB: I came onto Lost about mid-way through the first season. [Editor s note: For more on Bartley s experiences working on the series, see CSC News, April 2006, which can be found on the CSC website, I was working on a television movie in New Orleans when my agent called and asked if I was interested in shooting alternate episodes of Lost. I had never been to Hawaii. They sent me some DVDs of episodes, and then I went to Hawaii and watched them shoot an episode for a day or so. Michael Bonvillian was the cinematographer, and there was a great crew. BF: How would you describe the look or visual style of Lost? JB: As a lot of Lost takes place on a tropical island, the greens are saturated, skin tones are warm, and the hand-held camera is fast moving with four different sides of coverage. At night, a bluegreen moonlight contrasts with saturated fire and torch light. Flashbacks and flash-forwards do not have a different look. It s up to the audience to figure out forward or back. BF: Do you generally work with one or multiple cameras? JB: In the beginning, it was mainly a one camera show. I liked that because it gave us more flexibility for lighting, and Paul Edwards, the operator, was always in the right place at the right time with the right composition. We are now mainly shooting with two cameras to get more coverage, but we are not compromising. BF: Cinematographers choose films to shoot with like artists choose paints for their palettes. What negatives are you currently using on Lost? JB: We have mainly been using (Kodak Vision2 500T) BF: That s interesting, because there are a lot of daylight exteriors. JB: It is true that there are a fair number of daylight scenes on the island, but there are also flash forwards and flashbacks weaved into each episode. Many times, we are manipulating images while we shoot as well as in postproduction. There are also a lot of interior scenes that are filmed on sets on stages. Canadian Cinematographer - October

16 BF: Do you expose or process film for flash forward and flashback scenes? JB: No. It s in the performances, editing and the sound plays a huge role in Lost. Peter Strauss and Molly Ringwald in Lamont Johnson s Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone 3D. BF: There are two of you shooting alternative episodes of Lost. How much prep time does that give you to get ready to shoot your episodes? JB: We usually end up with four to five days of prep time after I read the script and talk with the director. Mainly, we use that time to scout locations. The gaffer and rigging gaffer have to see where we are shooting and what lighting I plan, so the cables and everything else are ready when we are. You have to plan, but you also have to be flexible when the directors or actors do something spontaneous. BF: Do you have different directors all the time? JB: We have two producer/directors most of the time. Occasionally, they bring in other directors for specific episodes when that s what the schedule requires. BF: What other negatives are used? JB: The other negative is (Kodak Vision2 250D) It is supposed to be a day light negative, but I have used it for scenes filmed in firelight and bright moonlight, usually when we want a contrast between very warm firelight and a cold night sky. There are no rules for making these types of decisions. You have to trust your instincts. BF: You were nominated for an Emmy in Tell us about that episode. JB: The Constant was the final episode of the season. It was the most lineal episode I shot all year. There were flash forward and flashback scenes, but they aren t confusing for the audience. They always know where we are in time. We don t want those scenes to be noticeably different to the eye. It is more like the audience innately knows they are watching things happening at different times and places. BF: Tell us more about The Constant episode. JB: There is a new character named Desmond who arrives on the island in a yacht. He joins the people who are survivors of the plane crash. One of the survivors is a woman whom he is in love with, but her father is a business man who doesn t think much of Desmond, because he s an army officer who doesn t have any money. That makes him a poor prospect as his daughter s husband in the father s mind. BF: This is a totally unfair question. Telling stories with moving images is a relatively new form of expression. What affect do you think that television and movies have on how we think and perceive the world we live in? JB: I think movies and television have a great affect on society, because so many people get their ideas about past, current and future history that way. BF: Do you think filmmaking is a form of literature? JB: Some films are obviously better than others, but I am always amazed when the Television Academy sends members DVDs of the different series and movies at Emmy time. Some incredible work is being done. BF: How do you answer when film students and other young people who want to be cinematographers ask for advice? JB: I don t think they come to me for advice. I think they just want to talk. Back in early 1995, a schoolgirl sent me an from Australia. She was interested in cinematography, but lived in some country town that wasn t anywhere near a film school. We exchanged s from time to time. She would tell me what she was doing, and was always interested in hearing about what I was working on. We haven t met, but I still get s from her. She began working in the film industry in Australia as a video assist technician and is now pulling focus on some big movies. I still get s from her about how hard it was to make certain shots and what she did. She always asks what I am working on and how it is going. The best advice I can give anyone it that there is nothing easy about working in this industry. You have to love it, because it is tough on family life Selected Filmography Spartree 1977 (rigging gaffer) Who ll Save Our Children? 1978 (TV, gaffer) Bear Island 1979 (gaffer) Mr. Patman 1980 (gaffer) First Blood 1982 (lighting consultant) Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone 3D 1983 (gaffer) Never Cry Wolf 1983 (electrician) The Journey of Natty Gann 1985 (gaffer) Backfire 1988 (gaffer) Beyond the Stars 1989 (DOP) 21 Jump Street (DOP) Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus 1991 (TV, DOP) The Commish (DOP) Another Stakeout 1993 (DOP, 2nd unit) The X-Files (DOP) Early Edition 1996 (DOP, three episodes) The Visitor 1997 (DOP, three episodes) Disturbing Behaviour 1998 (DOP) Roswell 1999 (DOP, four episodes) The Matthew Shepard Story 2002 (TV, DOP) Glory Days 2002 (DOP, nine episodes) Eight Legged Freaks 2002 (DOP) Wrong Turn 2003 (DOP) The Chronicles of Riddick 2004 (DOP, 2nd unit) Lost (DOP) Gray Matters 2006 (DOP) The Prince of Motor City 2008 (TV, DOP) The X-Files: I Want to Believe 2008 (DOP, 2nd unit) Allure 2009 (DOP, short) 14 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

17 PDW-F800 Your One-Stop Shop for Sony Professional HD Cameras Sony PDW-F800 This CineAlta camcorder is the new Gold Standard in HD Production and disk-based workflow. Call for a demo at Videoscope For details: videoscope.com The XDCAM HD and Sony Dealer logos are the property of the Sony Corporation of Japan. All rights reserved. NEW ON-SET SERVICES State of the art colour grade and conform tools On-set asset verification and backup Faster than real time data back up to multiple locations SD, DVD, HD, BluRay, iphone or web dailies on demand Technicolor Toronto Grace Carnale-Davis Director of Sales grace.carnale-davis@technicolor.com Canadian Cinematographer - October

18 High Chicago A Technicolor Truck and High-Stakes Poker Shot in Sudbury By Rhett Morita csc C ontrol. Control. Control. It can be the ultimate wish of any DOP working on any film or television project. out All the elements one has to accept that are the of our control makes the issue of control all artismore valuable in an effort to achieve both ct, tic and an increasingly more important aspe a budgetary satisfaction. When approaching t in low-budget indie film like High Chicago (sho ted 21 days), which was shot in a relatively isola ents location such as Sudbury, Ontario, the elem and need to combine smoothly, efficiently ess, succ ideally aesthetically in order to achieve d. at least as far as the production is concerne 16 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

19 When the director/producer Alfons Adetuyi, of the four-brother Toronto-based company Inner City Films, first asked me to shoot his film, we discussed the possibility of Super 16. However, I knew in my heart that the Red camera would come into the equation because of its relative cheapness and ease of image capture/transfer compared to film even 16 mm. After a few years of de-bugging and much experience dealing with Red workflow, this seems to be the camera system of choice for indie producers and smaller-budget television dramas. Soon it became apparent that the Red was the obvious choice, and as technology continues to improve at an amazing speed, so do new image-capturing, or should I say data-capturing systems, especially the new, even cheaper alternatives like the Canon 5d HDSLR. Sadly, I can quickly foresee the day when I will not even be given the option to shoot film. It s been over four years since I have shot film (Super 35 mm), and unless it s a bigbudget project, I doubt I will see it again, at least not 35 mm film. What sold the Red for me was the inclusion of a Technicolor (formerly Redi-To-Roll) truck with our package. This totally selfsufficient, base-light primary-colour transfer/edit suite on wheels is a great way to thoroughly enjoy the Red shooting experience on location with near-instant access to basic colour correction for viewing and even out-putting the dailies. It s like a screening room with a 42-inch plasma monitor and a little but comfortable motorhome bench-type couch. Previous to High Chicago, I had only produced and shot a short film on Red and I was fortunate enough to have Mike Forsay offer the services of the truck as an introduction to the system. On the shoot I had the cheerful and keen Josh Jinchereau who was my daily man. I decided on a slightly de-saturated look, adding some tobaccoish warmth to the overall feel, in order to achieve a dirty 1970s kind of feel, aided by mostly hard lighting and the use of an atmospheric Hazer. Josh and I established that look early in the first two days of rushes, and twice daily we would do our little timing thing in the truck. And for a while, after the wrap, we would look at and/or tweak the dailies. Sometimes we would skip through to later scenes to view and adjust worrisome scenes or shots. It was great to be able to see the shots so soon after shooting. On one occasion I wanted to check the overexposure of particular fine-mesh window sheer. I was able to shoot a test on a CF card and have it run to the truck, which was usually parked near our unit. Josh loaded it into the system, which has plenty of redundancies built into its 16 terabytes of RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) storage, and could show me the integrity of the image in question. Theoretically, if there was a problem with the Red cameras I would know during the day, even while shooting, as my second assistant Mike Reid was always running full drives to the truck to upload. Thankfully we did not have any problems as we were four-and-a-half hours away from any Toronto help, although we did have a back-up camera body that doubled as a second camera for our two-camera days. Canadian Cinematographer - October

20 So I had the security of knowing that Josh was watching my back, which was crucial because due to budgetary constraints, I had to operate as well as light. It meant that while shooting I was forced to operate watching a passable but not very accurate seven-inch on-board LCD monitor or the mediocre Red viewfinder, which is fuzzy and basically impossible to judge sharp focus with, and especially not useful for colour or lighting assessments. As far as the actual recording was concerned, I was operating kind of blind, trusting that the look and set up during rehearsals was the same and nothing had changed. Shooting exteriors I rode the aperture using the histogram in the viewfinder to adjust to the Sudbury dance of sun and clouds, which strangely would not have been possible with a 35-mm film camera, so kudos for that feature. Ultimately, when I got to the truck, I was re-seeing the shot as it was recorded. Unlike shows on which I was only lighting and had an operator, the Technicolor truck was my reassurance at the end of each day that all was well. Speaking of reassurance, the truck has not one but two portable generators as well as an AC temporary back-up battery to keep the system up and running if the power should fail. Another comforting feature in the heat of summer is that it s air conditioned to keep the electronics cool and running efficiently, and it was a welcome relief to slip into the truck to escape the blazing midday sun or the sweltering, humid poker set, where about 50 per cent of the film takes place. The film is a period piece taking place in 1975, in an imaginary mining town called Copper Cliff, Michigan, following Sam the Dreamer who is trying to gamble his way into a new life. Poker is his game, and High Chicago is his game of choice. (High Chicago is a variation of seven-card stud poker.) We shot in a training mine set in the side of huge hill at ground level, a huge old metal foundry that looked like a set from a Terminator-meetsBlade Runner film, and in various quirky and uniquely Sudbury-ian homes, offices and bars in greater and not-so-greater Sudbury. All in all, the experience was a good one. The lead, Colin Salmon (the British actor seen in three James Bond films and Predator vs Alien), was an enthusiastic, dedicated and charismatic friend to all, and he led a great cast to make what is a moving little drama. I was blessed with a super energetic and almost overly enthusiastic crew with Martin Wojtniuk as gaffer, Rhys Brisbin as key grip and the solid and serious giant Michael Bailey as first assistant. The equipment was supplied by PS, and they gave us a good deal, which we needed. I would also give thanks to the hard work on Josh s part, and the reliability and convenience of the Technicolor truck. I would shoot again with this set-up in a heartbeat. Yes, you can bet on that. Top card: DOP Rhett Morita csc; on the bottom, British actor and lead in High Chicago, Colin Salmon. 18 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010 Look for High Chicago in a film festival near you next year.

21 Philip Bloom The Guru of HD-DSLR By Lance Carlson Philip Bloom was interviewed by CSC associate member Lance Carlson for Canadian Cinematographer during the ProFusion trade show, which was held in Toronto in the spring of The following is a mission statement from his website: For the past 20 years I have been following my passion as a career and it has taken me around the world to places I have felt privileged to have seen. I have filmed, directed and edited short films, documentaries and much more from Clapham, England, to Cambodia, and in 2005 I was short listed for a BAFTA craft award for my series of short films for Sky News, If I Were Prime Minister. I consider myself as one of the new breed of cinematographers. Over the past three years I have embraced the 35-mm film adaptor market, shooting on HD video but making it look close to 35-mm film. I also have recently embraced the video DSLR cameras, in particular the Canon 5D Mark II and the Canon 7D. I have used these DSLRs on all sorts of projects, including recently being the DSLR second-unit DOP on a new movie from Lucasfilm, Red Tails. LC: Were you a still photographer before you got into video? PB: Only as a teenager and only as a hobby. I had a Pentax SLR that my dad gave me, but I began to focus on video and my interest in stills sort of died away. It wasn t until a couple of years ago that I started to take photography seriously again, when I bought my first digital SLR, a Nikon D300. LC: Did you have formal training in photography or cinematography? PB: I didn t go to film school. I got a job when I was 18 with Skye TV and I worked my way up from a general gopher to sound recordist and then news cameraman. I stayed there for 17 years. It was great hands-on training with no chance to muck up. LC: Did the HD-DSLR find you or did you find it? PB: I found it. For most of my career it was 2/3-inch cameras and tape, Betacam etc. I never really knew too much about anything else until I went freelance. I started to investigate my options and I was fascinated by HD. However, the small-chip HDV cameras frustrated me enormously because the look I always go for is to throw the background out of focus for interviews. Even if you move back it doesn t work. I investigated the 35-mm lens DOF adapters such as the Redrock Micro or Letus for HDV and DV- Cam, which were popular a few years ago, and loved the concept. Then I heard about the Nikon D90, and it re-invigorated my interest in the 35-mm look, which I love. It was eye opening and sparked my passion for filming again. I was so excited that I ordered a D90 from B&H in New York so I could have it three days before its U.K. launch. I wanted to play with it and see what it could do. But I was immensely disappointed with its lack of manual exposure controls and the bad jello effect. I used it twice Philip Bloom at ProFusion 2010 and put it away. Then I saw Vincent Leforet s Reverie [Editor s note: It is the first 1080p video widely released, which was shot with the Canon 5D Mark II, 2008], and I thought wow, the 5D Mark II looks great, but I didn t have any Canon lenses and it only does 30P, which is useless in England and Europe. The thing that really put me off was the lack of manual controls. I didn t bother with it until April of 2009 when Zacuto in Chicago lent me a 5D because it wanted my opinion on its rigs. I played around with it and fell in love straight away. I found that if you put Nikon lenses on it with an adapter, you have manual controls and you can lock things in. I realized that I could use this for American jobs and jobs for the Web. 30P is always going to be a problem, but I bought one immediately and it was love at first sight. Photo credit: Lance Carlson Canadian Cinematographer - October

22 LC: Now you are touring the world as a guru? PB: Yes, I m touring the world as a guru, I guess. There are a few of us out there. What I love doing is sharing my knowledge with people and showing them that it s a viable tool. It has flaws, and in my workshops I show people that there are ways around these flaws. All of the DSLR cameras have issues, such as rolling shutter, artifacting, H.264 [compression], line-skipping, but on the plus side is its low-light capabilities and its size. If you are aware of what the limitations are, you can work around them and achieve amazing images. LC: Are you still shooting news or documentary vide, or has the guru business taken over your life? PB: No, I probably shoot 90 per cent of the time and teach 10 per cent. If I didn t shoot I think I would go mad. Shooting is the most important thing because it keeps you relevant and gives you something to show people. As soon as you stop shooting and become a full-time teacher, I don t think you are relevant any more. Do I use the DSLRs all of the time? No, I probably use them 60 per cent of the time. I still use full-sized cameras. I shoot Betacam, Varicam, HD even DVCam in the U.K. There s still a lot of standard def work. LC: Are there any other applications where you use the HDSLRs? PB: I use them to shoot commercials and sections of documentaries. I am currently in discussions with the BBC, trying to get the 5D The Cooke Look One Look. All Speeds accepted for a series that we want to do. It isn t even in HD. It s for BBC 2, so we have to get past some of the engineering issues. The key is always going to be, don t look at charts look at images. For me a camera test is not about charts, but going out shooting. The most important thing for me is to see what the images look like. The BBC probably has the highest standard and it wants to be the best. LC: Is the HDSLR going to democratize filmmaking or are we just going to see a lot of bad films? PB: Absolutely, we are going to see an enormous amount of bad films, but we are also going to see people who have not had access to this kind of equipment do some good stuff. Stills guys, for example, who have not had a chance to shoot video but have a passion for it. It s freed everything up. You could almost call the Rebel T2i or 550D, as it s called in Europe, the people s camera because it s so affordable. It s $800 or $900, so that means that even if you can t afford it, you can get together with some friends and make films. There will always be a lot of people out there making trash, but there will also be people doing some great things who haven t had the opportunity. LC: Is it all too good to be true or is it here to stay? PB: The way that I picture the market for HDSLR low-budget filmmakers, enthusiasts and students will be around for a long time. Will the likes of Lucasfilm, whom I worked with recently, and others stay with the DSLRs when Canon or Sony or Panasonic bring out similar style of chips in relatively small bodies? They d be silly not to take them on. Sony is bringing out a camera with an APS-sized chip. Panasonic is bringing out a micro 4/3- chip camera and Canon will be silly not to expand on what they have. So as soon as they increase the data storage capability and can record to ProRes for more efficient post-workflow, it s going to be a whole new game. T1.4 T2.0 5/ S4/ LC: Can you comment briefly on what you did for Lucasfilm? PB: Yes, we did a large number of pickups on its new movie called Red Tails, which is a Second World War drama about the Tuskegee Airmen [starring Cuba Gooding Jr.]. The principal photography was shot on two F-35s, and I was there as secondunit DSLR DOP. It was kind of like a little independent unit working along side Carl Miller the DOP, and my job was to get the shots that weren t necessarily storyboarded but were extra shots that could used. It was done as an experiment, but we are going to get quite a number of these shots in the movie, from the 5D, the 7D and the new Mark IV. cookeoptics.com T2.8 Panchro/ CookeOpticsLimited British Optical Innovation and Quality Since T: +44 (0) Canada, South America, USA: T: LC: What about Canon, which is a very conservative company. Are they going to continue to respond or maybe even kick it up a notch? PB: They have to. Canon could have left the 5D Mark II as is, but it s responded to the demands from the users for more frame rates, to give us manual controls, etc., which is great. I think we re going to see some exciting new cameras come out in the next year or so with better features. It has to because it s become a money maker for them. Not just the cameras but loads of lenses. It s not just photographers. Practically every filmmaker I know has shot with one or owns one and is stocking up on lenses. 20 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

23 Equipment Wanted Used Leica Geo System Disto Laser Measurement Devices Attention crew technicians interested in selling used Leica Disto Laser Measurement devices for cash to upgrade to newer models. Contact: Alan J. Crimi, Panavision Canada Corp. at , shipping, receiving and client services at or Short-Term Accommodation for Rent Visiting Vancouver for a shoot? One-bedroom condo in Kitsilano on English Bay with secure underground parking, $350 per week. Contact: Peter Benison at , or peter@peterbenison.com. Equipment for Sale Portable Gel Bin great for studio or location use, holds 24 Rosco or Lee colour correction, diffusion, reflective, scrim, etc., rolls outer dimensions measure 17.5x24x 63 inches, not including wheels and sturdy wooden construction, painted black, bottom and back wheels, side handles hinged front & top, locks for added safety, handy reference chart, $300 obo; Darkroom Safety Lights popular Model D type, accepts 10x12 inches safelight filters (possibly included, depending which kind you re looking for), takes 7½-, 15- or 25-watt bulb, excellent condition, $50 each. Contact: Andrew at dp@andrewwatt.com mm Film Equipment for sale: Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment, here is a short list of items we have for sale: Densitometer McBeth Td903 for calculation of film density, $300. Split reel (16 and 35 mm) various sizes, Moviola Rewinds, 35-mm film synchroniser, Scan-0-scope converter lens system, Scope lens to squeeze and unsqueeze anamorphic, $3,500. Tilt Plate for heavy cameras, $800. And more. Contact: Erik at or erikgo@videotron.ca. Sony BVW-400a Betacam SP Camcorder camera used by professional cinematographer (one owner), never rented out. Comes complete with Fujinon A15x8BEVM-28 lens, Petroff matte box with 4x4 and 4x5.6 filter holders, remote zoom and focus control for lens, six Cadnica NP-1 batteries, Sony BC-1WD battery charger, Porta-Brace fitted cover with rain jacket (like new) and Sony factory hard shipping case and manuals. Lens and camera professionally maintained by factory technicians. Usage hours are: A 1,918 hours; B 1,489 hours; C 4,286 hours, $10, obo. Contact: Craig Wrobleski csc at Aaton XTR Super 16 package including body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5-mm 60-mm S-16 zoom lens, Zeiss 9.5 prime lens, 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,85N6, polarizer, ND6, clear), follow focus and cases $22,000. Nikon mm F4-5 E.D. lens with support, $1,000. Kinoptik 9 8-mm 35-mm format lens c/with sunshade. Contact: stringercam@ shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com Classifieds Panasonic AJ-HDX900 Camera package: One DOP owner, for sale or rent, regular Panasonic service. Includes viewfinder, microphone, portabrace and raincover, $13,900 obo. Canon 16eX7.7 HD lens, mint, $8,000. Canon HJ11x4.7Birse HD WA lens, regular Canon service, $15,000. Panasonic 8.5-inch HD monitor with portabrace, $3,000. Sony LMD inch HD field monitor with portabrace, $1,500. Panasonic 17-inch LCD monitor with portabrace and screen protector, $1,200. Sachtler video 18 with carbon legs and soft case, $5,000. Petroff 4x5 mattebox three stages, top and side flaps, tons of adapter rings, 4x4, 4x5.65, 4x6 filter trays, $1,500. Sennheiser evolution 100 wireless mic kit with wireless lav and wireless handheld mics and receiver, mint, $750. Transvideo multi-channel video transmitter, $1,150 Sold. Single chanal 30 video transmitter, $200. Camos portable wireless director s monitor with v-lock plate, $300 Sold. Lilliput wireless monitor with v-lock plate, $150. Contact: Dave Woodside at or davidwoodside@rogers.com. Briese 77 Light, full kit, including Tungsten and HMI flicker-free setup, two Eggcrates and Manfrotto Mega-Boom. Excellent condition, $22,000. Contact: pierredp1@gmail.com Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WSP/PVV3P, PAL, 262hours drum time, $ 2,500; Sony Beta SP DXC-D30WS/PVV3, NTSC, 251hours drum time, $2,500; Sony BetaCam SX DNW-7, NTSC, 257hours drum time, $5,000; and IKEGAMI DV-CAM HL-DV7- AW, NTSC, mint condition, as new, 61hours drum time, $7,000. All cameras with porta-brace covers. All owned by me and serviced by Sony Hong Kong. Sony Beta SP/SX player/recorders, DNW-A25P X2, PAL & NTSC, 500 & 644hours drum time, $6,000; Satchler 575 HMI, open-face, mint condition with spare bulb, $2,500 & case. The lot for $20,000. Contact: François Bisson at blitzvideo@mac.com. Oxberry Computer Controlled Animation Stand. This stand is in excellent working condition. Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment. The stand is computer controlled by the famous Kuyper Control software driving stepper motors connected to different axis of the stand. Here is a list of what is driven: camera zoom in and out; table north-south axis, east-west axis; rotation, 2 pegs (top and bottom); camera focus, take-up drive for mag and shutter. The camera comes with interchangeable gates and can be use for16 mm, super 16 or 35 mm. This kit comes also with 400ft 16-mm mag, 400ft 35-mm mag, 1,000ft 35-mm mag and 400ft bi-pack mag. The sidelights are 650 watts Red Heads with polarised filters. The lights are suspended on Manfrotto Pole Cats. The table s backlight is connected to a rheostat with a solar electric current regulator. This is a great stand for any independent filmmaker or small effect animation company. Sorry we cannot ship this item. It has to be picked up. Item is located close to Montreal. Price: $ 4, Contact: Erik at or erikgo@videotron.ca. New Video Camera Rain Covers. Custom rain covers for sale. New design that fits and protects most Sony PMW EX3, Canon XHHDV, Panasonic VX200 cameras with the viewfinder extending toward the rear of the camera, $200. Noiseless rain cover for the external camera microphone, $30. Onboard Monitor rain cover, camera assistants can see the focus during the shot. No more hassles in the rain, $60. Custom Red One camera covers available upon request. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Contact: Lori Longstaff at or llong@rogers.com. NEW PRICE DVW700WS Digital Betacam with viewfinder and two widescreen zoom lenses. Canon J1 5x8 B4WRS SX12 and Fujinon Very low hours on new heads, $8,000 plus tax. Contact: Michael Ellis at Betacam SP Camera package including BVP550 Betacam SP camera with BVV5 recorder, complete with Fuijinon 15x8 broadcast zoom lens, Red Eye wide-angle adapter, 6 IDX Li-Ion batteries, IDX quick charger with AC adapter, flight case, soft carry case, Sony monitor and 10 fresh Beta SP tapes ($140 value), $2,500. Contact: Christian at Fujinon XA17X7.6 BERM-M48 HD Lens in new condition, bought and mounted but never used. As new in box (camera is sold), $7,900. Panasonic Digital AV mixer WJ-MX50 (missing a few knobs from the lower right corner on the audio mixer), $400. JVC TN-9U 9-inich colour monitor, $60. Photos available for everything. Contact: johnbanovich@gamail.com or Betacam SP D30 camera, PVV3 Recorder Back, Fujinon 16X, zoom lens, six batteries, charger, power supply and case, Sony PVM 80Q 7 1/2inch monitor and case, $3,500. Contact: Joan Hutton at For Sale 28-Foot Black Camera Trailer with new brakes and tires, 20-foot awning, dark room, viewing lounge, two countertops with lots of storage space, heating and air conditioned, side windows and three access doors. Contact: jwestenbrink@rogers.com Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC s website, If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please your information to editor@csc.ca. Canadian Cinematographer - October

24 CSC Members CSC FULL MEMBERS Jim Aquila csc John Badcock csc Michael Balfry csc Christopher Ball csc John Banovich csc John Stanley Bartley csc, asc Stan Barua csc Yves Bélanger csc Peter Benison csc Jeremy Benning csc John Berrie csc Michel Bisson csc Michael Boland csc Nicolas Bolduc csc Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs Barry Casson csc Eric Cayla csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc, asc Damir I. Chytil csc Arthur E. Cooper csc Walter Corbett csc Steve Cosens csc Bernard Couture csc Richard P. Crudo csc, asc Dean Cundey csc, asc François Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc Kamal Derkaoui csc Kim Derko csc Serge Desrosiers csc Ricardo Diaz csc Jean-Yves Dion csc Zoe Dirse csc Mark Dobrescu csc Wes Doyle csc John Drake csc Guy Dufaux csc Ray Dumas csc Albert Dunk csc, asc Philip Earnshaw csc Michael Ellis csc Carlos A. Esteves csc Nikos Evdemon csc David Frazee csc Marc Gadoury csc Antonio Galloro csc James Gardner csc, sasc David A Geddes csc Ivan Gekoff csc Laszlo George csc, hsc Pierre Gill csc Russ Goozee csc Steve Gordon csc Barry R. Gravelle csc David Greene csc John B. Griffin csc Michael Grippo csc Manfred Guthe csc D. Gregor Hagey csc Thomas M. Harting csc Pauline R. Heaton csc Brian Hebb csc David Herrington csc Karl Herrmann csc Kenneth A. Hewlett csc Robert Holmes csc John Holosko csc George Hosek csc Colin Hoult csc Donald Hunter csc Joan Hutton csc Mark Irwin csc, asc James Jeffrey csc Pierre Jodoin csc Martin Julian csc Norayr Kasper csc Glen Keenan csc Ian Kerr csc Jan E. Kiesser csc, asc Alar Kivilo csc, asc Douglas Koch csc Charles D. Konowal csc Alwyn J. Kumst csc Jean-Claude Labrecque csc Serge Ladouceur csc George Lajtai csc Marc Laliberté Else csc Barry Lank csc Philippe Lavalette csc John Lesavage csc Henry Less csc Pierre Letarte csc Antonin Lhotsky csc Philip Linzey csc J.P. Locherer csc Peter C. Luxford csc Larry Lynn csc Dylan Macleod csc Bernie MacNeil csc Glen MacPherson csc, asc Shawn Maher csc David A. Makin csc Adam Marsden csc Donald M. McCuaig csc, asc Robert B. McLachlan csc, asc Ryan McMaster csc Michael McMurray csc Stephen F. McNutt csc, asc Simon Mestel csc Alastair Meux csc Gregory D. Middleton csc C. Kim Miles csc Gordon Miller csc Robin S. Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Luc Montpellier csc Rhett Morita csc David Moxness csc Douglas Munro csc Kent Nason csc Mitchell T. Ness csc Robert C. New csc Stefan Nitoslawski csc Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Barry F. Peterson csc Bruno Philip csc Matthew R. Phillips csc André Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Randal G. Platt csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Andreas Poulsson csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Peter Rowe csc Brad Rushing csc Branimir Ruzic csc Jérôme Sabourin csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc, bsc Michael Patrick Savoie csc Ian Seabrook csc Gavin Smith csc Christopher Soos csc Michael Spicer csc John Spooner csc Ronald Edward Stannett csc Pieter Stathis csc Brendan Steacy csc Barry Ewart Stone csc Michael Storey csc Michael Sweeney csc Adam Swica csc Attila Szalay csc, hsc Jason Tan csc John P. Tarver csc Paul Tolton csc Bert Tougas csc Chris Triffo csc Sean Valentini csc Brett Van Dyke csc Roger Vernon csc Frank Vilaca csc Daniel Villeneuve csc Daniel Vincelette csc Michael Wale csc John Walker csc James Wallace csc Tony Wannamaker csc Peter Warren csc Andrew Watt csc Jim Westenbrink csc Tony Westman csc Kit Whitmore csc, soc Brian Whittred csc Ron Williams csc George A. Willis csc, sasc Glen Winter csc Peter Woeste csc Bill C.P. Wong csc Kevin C.W. Wong csc Bruce Worrall csc Craig Wrobleski csc Yuri Yakubiw csc Ellie Yonova csc CSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Joshua Allen Don Armstrong John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys David Battistella Gregory Bennett Jonathan Benny Jonathan Bensimon André Bériault Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Thomas Billingsley Stan Bioksic Francois M. Bisson Christophe Bonniere Martin Brown Scott Brown Richard Burman Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Neil Cervin Maurice Chabot César Charlone Stephen Chung David Collard René Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie James Crowe Micha Dahan Michael Jari Davidson Nicholas de Pencier Randy Dreager Gamal El-Boushi Andreas Evdemon Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Joshua Fraiman Kevin A. Fraser Brian Gedge Rion Gonzales Dave Gordon Vladimir Gosaric Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley David M.J. Hodge John Hodgson 22 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

25 James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka David Johns Jorma Kantola Ali Kazimi Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Douglas John Kropla Charles Lavack Jim Laverdiere Robin Lawless soc Allan Leader Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau James Lewis John V. Lindsay Matthew J. Lloyd Dave Luxton Robert Macdonald Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Alfonso Maiorana Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Tony Meerakker Tony Merzetti Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Sarah Moffat Robin Lee Morgan Helmfried Muller Brian Charles Murphy Keith Murphy Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Alexandre M. Oktan Ted Parkes Deborah Parks Pavel Pasha Patriki Rick Perotto Allan Piil Scott Plante Ryan A. Randall Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Don Roussel Christopher Sargent Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Neil Scott Neil Seale Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Rob Stewart Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney Aaron Szimanski Peter Szperling André Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson John Thronberg Ian Toews Kirk Tougas Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Kelly John Wolfert Carolyn Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Tyson Burger Gordon A. Burkell Joseph Calabrese Arnold Caylakyan Bernard Chartouni Johnny Yan Chen Brent J. Craig Maggie Craig Brad Creasser Ana Cunha Colin Davis Dominika Dittwald Tony Edgar Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira James D. Hardie Stephen Hargreaves Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Adam Christopher Hickman Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen Rick Kearney Matthew Casey Kennedy Guido Kondruss Boris Kurtzman Ryan Lalonde Charles Lenhoff Tony Lippa John Lipsz Lori P. Longstaff Robert H. Lynn Megan MacDonald Jill MacLauchlan Parks Yoann Malnati Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro Muñoz Kar Wai Ng Peter Osborne Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Greg Petrigo Craig Pew Douglas B. Pruss Lem Ristsoo Susan Saranchuk Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Alexey Sikorsky Brad Smith Kyryll Sobolev Michael Soos Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steve Thorpe Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Trevor J. Wiens Irene Sweeney Willis Ridvan Yavuz CSC LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc, asc Robert Bocking csc Raymond A. Brounstein csc David Carr csc Marc Champion csc Christopher Chapman csc, cfe Robert C. Crone csc, cfc, dg Kenneth R. Davey csc David A. De Volpi csc Kelly Duncan csc, dgc Glen Ferrier John C. Foster csc Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Brian Hosking Douglas Kiefer csc Rudolf Kovanic csc Ken Krawczyk csc Les Krizsan csc Naohiko Kurita csc Harry Lake csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Harry Makin csc Douglas A. McKay csc Donald James McMillan csc Jim Mercer csc Roger Moride csc George Morita csc Wilhelm E. Nassau Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roland K. Pirker Norman Quick csc Roger Racine csc Robert G. Saad csc Josef Seckeresh csc Michael S. Smith John Stoneman csc Y. Robert Tymstra Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc James A. Wright Keith Young CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle indicates demo reel online, VANCOUVER HALIFAX VER CALGARY TORONTO HALIF Canadian Cinematographer - October

26 PRODUCTIONS & CALENDAR Production Notes Being Human (series); DOP Pierre Jodoin csc; to December 6, Montreal Breakaway (feature): DOP Steve Danyluk csc; to November 1, Mississauga, ON Dan for Mayor II (series): DOP Milan Podsedly csc; OP Peter Battistone; to December 8, Toronto Degrassi: The Next Generation X (series); DOP Alwyn Kumst csc; OP Brad Vos; B Cam OP Paula Tymchuk; to November 4, Toronto Facing Kate (series); DOP Thomas Burstyn csc; OP Trig Singer; to October 6, Burnaby, BC Falling Stars (series); DOP Chris Faloona; OP Michael Soos; B Cam OP Brian Gedge; to November 5, Toronto Final Destination 5 (feature); DOP Brian Pearson csc; OP John Clothier; to December 14, Vancouver Fringe III (series); DOP Gregory Middleton csc & Thomas Yaksko (alternating episodes); OP Chris Tammaro; to April 1, 2011, Vancouver Haunting Hour (series); DOP Michael Balfry csc; OP Dale Jehraus; to December 28, Burnaby, BC Heartland IV (series); DOP Craig Wrobleski csc; OP Rudy Katkic; to December 17, Calgary Hellcats (series); DOP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; OP Kevin Hall; to November 18, Vancouver Hiccups II (series); DOP Ken Krawczyk csc; to December 1, Burnaby, BC Human Target II (series); DOP Robert McLachlan csc, asc; OP Junichi Hosoi; to January 14, 2011, North Vancouver How to Be an Indie II (series); DOP Yuri Yakubiw csc; OP Brian Harper; to December 21, Toronto King (series); DOP Luc Montpellier csc; to February 6, 2011, Toronto Living in Your Car II (series): DOP Stephen Reizes csc; OP Tony Guerin; to October 8, Toronto Marley & Me: The Puppy Years (direct to DVD); DOP Ron Stannett csc; OP Shannon Kohli; to October 28, Vancouver Murdoch Mysteries IV (series); DOP James Jeffrey csc; OP Mark Hroch; to November 1, Toronto Nikita (series); DOP Rene Ohashi csc, asc; OP Gilles Corbeil; B Cam OP J.P. Locherer csc; to December 10, Toronto Peur de l eau, La (feature): DOP Nicolas Bolduc csc; to October 25, Montreal Rookie Blue II (series); DOP David Perrault csc, OP Frank Polyak; to January 21, 2011, Toronto Skins (series); DOP Mitchell Ness csc; OP Andrew Cull; to Dec 15, T.O. Smallville X (series); DOP Glen Winter csc & Michael Wale csc (alternating episodes); OP John Davidson; to March 22, 2011, Burnaby, BC Supernatural VI (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 31, 2011, Burnaby, BC Tall Man, The (feature); DOP Kamal Derkaoui csc; to Nov 18, Nelson, BC Trauma II (series); DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to October 20, Montreal Wingin It (series): DOP Kim Derko csc; OP Antony Ellis; to Nov 15, Toronto XIII (series): DOP David Greene csc; OP Colin Hoult csc; to Feb 20, 2011, T.O. Calendar of Events October 4 8, MIPCOM, Cannes, France, mipworld.com 8 16, Antimatter: Underground Film Festival, Victoria, B.C., antimatter.ws 13 17, Planet in Focus: International Environmental Film & Video Festival, Toronto, planetinfocus.org 13 24, Festival du nouveau cinéma, Montreal, nouveaucinema.ca 26 30, St. John s International Women s Film Festival, St. John s, NL, womensfilmfestival.com November 4 7, Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Vancouver, vaff.org 9 15, Reel Asian International Film Festival, Toronto, reelasian.com 10 21, Rencontres internationales du documentaire du Montréal, Montreal, ridm.qc.ca 24 28, Winnipeg Aboriginal Film Festival, Winnipeg, aboriginalfilmfest.org 24 Canadian Cinematographer - October 2010

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