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30
NOVEMBER 2008
UNBREAKABLE BOND #16: CAMERA CREATIVE ROBERTO SCHAEFER ASC ON THE EXPLOSIVE ADVENTURES OF 007 IN QUANTUM OF SOLACE
ALSO INSIDE … #19: EUROPEAN FEATURES … PREVIEW OF THE UNMISSABLE PLUS CAMERIMAGE 2008 FESTIVAL, NEWS FROM IMAGO, CINEC 2008 ROUND-UP #24: CLOSE UPS – SUE GIBSON BSC ON 31 NORTH 62 EAST, TONY IMI BSC ON FOUR SEASONS, & GILES NUTTGENS BSC ON THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND #26: ON THE JOB – WALLY PFISTER ASC AND HIS WORK ON THE DARK KNIGHT #11: MEET THE NEXT WAVE – ANGUS HUDSON
RRP: £5.00
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Fax: +44 (0) 1753 650111 PUBLISHERS Alan Lowne Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300 EDITOR Ron Prince Email:
[email protected] SALES Alan Lowne Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Email:
[email protected] Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300 Email:
[email protected] DESIGN Paul Roebuck, Open Box Publishing Ltd,
[email protected] contact: Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300
>> C O N T E N T S UK P03 P05 P06/36 P12 P14 P24 P38
President's Perspective: Sue Gibson BSC bangs the drum for S16 and new members POV: British Film Commissioner Colin Brown looks at the industry's prospects Production / Post & Techno News: all the latest news that DPs need to know Who's Shooting Who?: find out which DPs are currently shooting To Live & Let DI: see who's delivering the DI grades right now Close-Ups: Sue Gibson BSC, Tony Imi BSC & Giles Nuttgens BSC GBCT News: the chairman's statement, plus other news from the Guild
THE PUBLICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE comprises of Board members from the BSC and GBCT as well as the Publishers BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER covering International Cinematography is part of Laws Publishing Ltd, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH, UK The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER are not representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.
INTERNATIONAL P19 P29 P32 P34
Plus Camerimage 2008 Preview: Alan Parker and Jeremy Thomas get top gongs at this year's festival of all-things cinematographic Shooting The Future: Cinec 2008: round-up from Europe's biennial film-kit trade fair in Munich IMAGO News: Nigel Walters BSC and the IMAGO team have been very busy F-Stop Hollywood: assessing the effect of the actors' strike
FEATURES Cover Photograph: Image from Quantum of Solace
P11 P16 P26
Meet The New Wave: Angus Hudson … has a tasty recipe for images and chocolate cake! Camera Creative: Roberto Schaefer ASC on 007 Quantum Of Solace On The Job: Wally Pfister ASC on Dark Knight, plus exclusive pictures
Quantum of Solace 2008, Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation and Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All rights reserved.
British Society of Cinematographers – Board Members: President, Sue Gibson. Immediate Past President, Gavin Finney. Vice Presidents, Joe Dunton MBE, Alec Mills, Chris Seager, Nigel Walters. Governors, Sean Bobitt, John de Borman, John Daly, Harvey Harrison, Tony Imi, Phil Meheux, Nic Morris, Tony Spratling, Mike Southon, Derek Suter, Robin Vidgeon. Secretary/Treasurer, Frances Russell.
>> Editorial Team
Guild of British Camera Technicians – Board Members: Jamie Harcourt (Chairman), Trevor Coop (Immediate Past Chairman), Caroline Sax (Vice Chairman), John Keedwell, Steve Brooke-Smith, Shirley Schumacher, Jane Jackson, Tim Potter (Vice Chairman), Keith Mead, Rupert Lloyd Parry, Jason Coop, Sam Goldie, Suzy McGeachan (Honorary Treasurer)
Ron Prince: has many years experience working in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer magazine and runs an international communications company (www.princepr.com).
Bob Fisher has authored 3,000 magazine articles about cinematographers and filmmakers during the past 35 plus years. He has also moderated many panel discussions for both the American Society of Cinematographers and the International Cinematographers Guild.
Carolyn Giardina: is the technology reporter at Hollywood Reporter in the US. She previously served as editor of Film & Video and as senior editor of postproduction at SHOOT. Her work has also appeared in IBC Daily News, Digital Cinema, Post and Below The Line.
Kevin Hilton: is a freelance journalist who writes about technology and personalities in film and broadcasting, and contributes film reviews and interviews to a variety of publications
John Keedwell: the GBCT's Eyepiece Editor, is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on many productions over all the world. He crosses over in both film and tape productions and has great knowledge of the new formats and their methods of production.
Annette Zoeh is a translator and commercial correspondent who has worked for many years in the film business as a freelance journalist and photographer for national newspapers and magazines in Germany.
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If… Dear Readers These are testing times for cinematographers, and the wider world of filmmaking, what with the credit crunch, recession and the SAG strike all taking larger or smaller bites into the motion picture production market. And the status quo is all reflected in this edition in items like… Sue Gibson BSC's president's perspective… the POV piece contributed by UK Film Council film commissioner Colin Brown, on the state of play and his team's efforts to stimulate the industry… the activities of IMAGO the federation of European cinematographers, led by Nigel Walters BSC, to bring DPs together and to uphold cinematographer's rights… our regular F-Stop Hollywood feature, which has the latest on the strike… and also within our news pages, which contain details on formation of The Image Forum, an association of trade associations and companies, aiming to
be a new guardian of the moving image in an age of hype and uncertainty. Tough times can either atomise or galvanise, and it's reassuring to see companies, organisation and individuals not resting on their laurels, but and actually getting out there and doing something about it. Fortitude in the face of adversity. A bit of the stiff upper lip and all that. By acting on hot or thorny topics now - such as incoming film production, technology, authorship rights – it will surely place cinematographers and filmmakers in a better position for when things do eventually recover. As always, we like to celebrate the art and craft of cinematography. So along with a piece on 007 Quantum of Solace (which broke box office records on its opening weekend in the UK, taking £15.5m in three days), we also reprise the making of The Dark Knight (which ranks as the second highest grossing
movie of all time with $525 million). British companies and talent were intimately involved in both productions. We're off to the Plus Camerimage festival of cinematography in Poland at the end of November. If you have never been, then surely our preview will whet you appetite for a trip to this amazing annual festival. Book a flight now, and remember to pack your thermals. We must not forget either the brief snapshots that cinematographers kindly give us into their work. In our Close-Ups section you can dip into recent work done by Giles Nuttgens BSC, Sue Gibson BSC and Tony Imi BSC. These show us something of the wide diversity of projects cinematographers are involved with, and the passion with which they throw themselves into their work. Same as it ever was. Now, what's that Rudyard Kipling poem…?
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president’s perspective
Sweet 16mm The BSC is gearing up for its next round of camera tests, which will be even more comprehensive than the last, and considerably more expensive. So the funding application is awaiting approval from Skillset and the technical committee is finalising plans. The previous film, HD and digital presentations we ran last year have started the industry in this country thinking as a whole about the future. I would like to think the BSC has been instrumental in encouraging people to come together and talk about what is happening to our industry, and I am heartened by the formation of “The Image Forum” At The Image Forum's inaugural meeting there were about 40 people from across the industry sitting around a very large table at Pinewood Studios, ostensibly to talk about the future of 16mm film. I mentioned in my last column that the BBC had issued a directive that 16mm film was no longer regarded as a source of HD acquisition, and this meeting was called to discuss what we should do collectively about that statement. As you can imagine, having so many people all wanting to discuss the ramifications of this dictate in their own area of expertise together required a chairperson, and this duty fell to Judith Petty of ARRI Media, who did an admirable job of keeping us all in order. The result of the three-hour meeting was to decide on a plan of action, choose a name for this group, and form a sub-committee of 19 people that will spearhead a plan for the Image Forum. I don't want to elaborate on their plans here, as you can read in the news pages of this magazine more detail about the forum's objectives. But, I am really pleased we have all come together. It's about time we discussed how we, the DPs, make our decisions I hope the Image when it comes to what tools we choose to use. HD is here to stay, Forum can help there's no doubt about that, but rattle a few cages. film has been the foundation upon which the production business has been built. Film manufacturers are continuing to improve their stocks, as they always have done, and it's time we tried to redress the balance in this charge of the HD brigade. There is absolutely nothing wrong with 16mm film. It has a place in both film and TV production, both for low budget films that can't afford to shoot on 35mm and for TV Productions. Despite the BBC's dictate about no 16mm film for HD acquisition, it is still being used on major productions. I recently sat on the interview panel for the new FT2 camera trainees, and every single applicant said they wanted to learn about, and be involved with, productions shooting on film. They had all had some experience, to a greater or lesser extent, of shooting digitally, but film really was the Holy Grail for them. Let's not disappoint the next generation of potential DPs by denying them access to film. Recently, Merlin, probably one of the biggest budget TV productions this year was shot on 16mm, as was Mistresses, which I believe was chosen for cost effectiveness and quality of the image. The leading ladies on Mistresses had expressed concern about being shot on the lower-end HD cameras, but the budget wouldn't stretch to the larger format cameras, so they decided to stick with 16mm. It seems there is no joined up thinking on this subject, so why not let productions, and primarily DPs choose for themselves? So often the production decides what camera they want to use before the DP gets anywhere near the project. Surely that's like telling a director who is in the cast, what shots to shoot and what colour the costumes are disregarding any creative input. We are generally very well informed on what new technology is available in our profession, and HD certainly isn't a mystery to most of us anymore.
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We a r e o n a d r i v e t o recruit new members… it's time we had some new blood in our ranks.
Robin Vidgeon called me the other day to say that he had been watching Only Fools and Horses on the HD channel, and that certainly wasn't acquired on HD, or even on one of the modern film stocks, so what is going on? We are being told one thing, but shown another. It's about time a little clarity was given to this subject and I hope the Image Forum can help rattle a few cages. Robin also complained that the trailers going out for the new series of Frost, that he had shot, had been shown with a blue cast across the image, not at all as he had graded it. Someone had taken it upon them selves to alter it without his knowledge. I wonder who? It was mooted at the last BSC AGM that we should have a representative from our associate members on the BSC Board. This we have duly done, and at our first postsummer board meeting the associates were ably represented by Andrei Austin and Rodrigo Gutierrez. There will probably be only one of them at subsequent meetings, but it was good to have their input, and they can now raise any issues our associates have at the BSC directly with the board. So please use them to air your opinions, our operators are very important to us. We are also on a drive to recruit new members. Having had a barren year, it's time we had some new blood in our ranks. The problem has been in getting the new applicants' work screened by enough of the board to make a proper judgement. After trying various methods of screening, it has been decided that decisions are only made if enough of us sit down together, so that is what we have done. It's difficult sometimes for everyone to find time in their busy schedules to commit to yet another BSC meeting, so thank you to those board members who participated, and watch this space for new names in the BSC directory. Sue Gibson BSC President British Society of Cinematographers
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Championing success We asked British Film Commissioner Colin Brown to give us an overview of how the UK is faring, and the UK Film Council's plans to boost production in these rather gloomy times… We are living and working in difficult times, and at the time of being asked to write this piece, world headlines are broadcasting one message, and that is we seem to be moving fast towards economic recession.
We also know that from the research we commissioned from Olsberg SPI on the comparative cost competitiveness of the UK, that the UK tax credit is working well. Producers have told us that they find it much simpler and more direct.
The level of economic turbulence on a global scale has more than shaken people and governments, but at this point I think the mood in the film industry is not one of panic, mainly because film production works on a relatively long timescale. Businesses are rightly concerned in the way they are in every other sector about the shorter and longer term picture, and I think we can be sure that tougher times are definitely ahead, particularly if credit is harder to come by.
We also know from the budget research, that the UK is highlycompetitive as an international production base for medium and higher budget ($20m and $100m) films. We compared the production costs in UK with nine other territories ranging from the established production centres of Los Angeles, Vancouver and Sydney to lower cost countries such as Czech Republic and South Africa. The key finding, I'm pleased to say, is that despite perceptions to the contrary, the UK is extremely competitive in attracting international production, and the research shows that it is one of the most generous incentives in the world.
The investment picture for the next year may well come to depend upon the studios continued ability to access private equity/hedge fund cash to underwrite their production slates. If they cannot get this money then the number of films the US makes in 2009 may reduce, and in turn the productions available to come to the UK shrinks accordingly. At the moment the studios seem fairly confident this won't happen. Even if times are tougher for financing production, the market for films is likely to stay strong, film being the classic 'affordable luxury'.
The UK is an ex t r e m e l y a t t r a c t i v e proposition for international productions… being 'lower risk' compared to many 'low cost' destinations If we look at the year so far, we can say we have weathered the ripple effect of the US writers' strike, but as this magazine went to press, the actors' strike is still unresolved and the UK has lost a couple of potential productions as a result. We can take a small comfort in the strengthening of the dollar against the pound, which means that the comparative competitiveness of the UK on cost for inward investment films from the US is weighing more in the UK's favour than for other countries. It is a small move and, as we know, exchange rates are transient, but nonetheless it is already bringing new enquiries on studio films which could come to the UK to my desk.
But the UK's offering is not all about cost. The findings highlight the quality and quantity of our international level acting and creative talent; first-class technicians and crew with flexible working practices; our capacity to handle a number of larger productions; our network of screen agencies across the UK offering practical production support and services; and our unique locations. So, when you add up our qualitative advantages, our experience and our shared language, our financial competitiveness including the generous tax incentives, the UK is an extremely attractive proposition for international productions, and seen as being a 'lower risk', compared to many 'low cost' destinations.
Brown: rolling out more ideas to promote "UK Film Industry" plc
We have presented this information to the US studios and major independents on both the US West and East coasts, and over the coming months my team will be continuing to get the marketing message out about our competitiveness. However, this is information I feel is really important to share with the production sector here in order to help companies develop their business, and I would encourage you to contact my office to access a copy of it online.
Looking even further ahead to the long-term, we're exploring new emerging markets for film, namely the Middle East with recce visits Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well as Qatar and Bahrain. We need to see the level of production infrastructure there, to understand their plans for developing their film industries and to connect with local filmmakers, and the US is already looking at the opportunities to work with those countries.
Over the coming months I also want to roll out more of the ideas that have been developed out of our infrastructure meetings to market the “UK Film Industry plc” internationally. We have already taken line producers to the US to show the studios and independents that we have a deeper pool of expertise ready to help them. We have been assisting with scouting and budgeting US productions, which has been appreciated by producers looking at the UK for their projects, and we have just supported a familiarisation visit to the UK of US executives.
I also want to look at opportunities for us to strengthen our links with directors, writers, agents and front-of-camera talent. Seeing Josh Hartnett take to the London stage this autumn is a good reminder of how much actors want to work in London.
On-the-ground support is invaluable, so I have also appointed Andy Weltman, a producer with experience of making films in the UK and the US, as our inward investment executive working out of the UK Film Council's US office in LA.
This has been a cracking year so far for British films and talent in winning 28 awards at the major ceremonies and festivals from the Oscars to the BAFTAs, Sundance, Cannes and Toronto. Championing that success may also just help us leverage longer-term value for the whole industry. Colin Brown British Film Commissioner UK Film Council
Letters … if your have a POV please write in to us at …
[email protected] ISSUE 30
BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER
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Image Forum sets out its stall The inaugural meeting of The Image Forum, an association of companies and trade organisations across the production industry, which aims to address issues relating to the image quality of feature and TV productions, took place at ARRI GB's Uxbridge headquarters on October 1st. It follows an initial meeting convened a month earlier at Pinewood Studios to canvass interest in such an association.
Director of photography, Sue Gibson BSC, president of the BSC, commented, “It will benefit us all to exchange information and to dispel the confusion and hype with which we all live. The cinematographer is not just a technician but is, to coin the old phrase, an artist 'painting with light'. Long may that continue, and with all the tools at our disposal.” Jeff Allen, MD of Panavision UK said, “With the myriad of camera types and the different ways they can be used, we see how confusing it can be for producers, directors, DPs and assistants. Having a central, neutral source of information can go some way to providing qualitative information without feeling pressured or facing a particular bias.”
Delegates from key trade associations including the BSC, IMAGO - The European Federation of Cinematographers, Production Guild and GBCT, along with representatives from ARRI, Panavision, Kodak, Fuji, Ascent Media, Pepper Post, iLab and Technicolor, are among the names on the membership roster, which currently totals around 40. The catalyst for The Image Forum, and its current focus, are questions of how and why different cameras and formats are selected for different productions. There exists a general concern that decisions about which formats to use for which projects are being made without full understanding and consideration of the issues involved. “Confusion is rife in today's film and television industry about the coexistence of digital and film technologies, and also about the plotting of clear and coherent workflows from the set to exhibition,” said Judith Petty, head of corporate marketing at ARRI, who chaired the initial meeting. “The members of the Image Forum represent a highly motivated team of industry professionals and will work together to give a clear, balanced, unbiased view.”
Huge investments in HD channels, and concerns about possible inconsistencies in the visual quality of HD output have prompted fears about acceptable acquisition tools, and culminated in such directives as the BBC's to cull 16mm as an acceptable production format. The Image Forum fears that such directives close the door on a vast array of cameras, lenses and film stocks that many cinematographers, directors and producers value highly.
The impact of technology and workflow is felt all the way through to postproduction, and Shane Warden, managing director of Pepper Post, said, “Post facilities strive to equip for every option, but with over 11 different acquisition formats, it is all too easy to decide to shoot on something that may ultimately create a stressful workflow which jeopardises the budget or compromises the value of the finished asset.”
The Image Forum aims to provide a source of reliable information that will help producers and broadcasters make informed decisions about cameras, formats and postproduction pipelines. It will also support companies and organisations undertaking comparative tests, such as the BSC, by making the results accessible and understandable to as wide an audience as possible.
Kodak's EAMER marketing director Thierry Perronnet, added, “In the face of all the changes and challenges producers and DPs have to deal with technologically, artistically and financially, it is really important that a group of film industry companies and professionals takes time to provide clear, balanced information”.
A SWOT Analysis undertaken by The Image Forum The extraordinary range of image acquisition and post-production formats available today, and the speed at which new developments come to market, are making it difficult for broadcasters, commissioners and producers to make informed choices about production tools. The Image Forum was established to address issues relating to the image quality of British (and international) film and television productions. Made up of professionals from all sides of the industry, the Forum's stated aim is to prevent “hyperbole and confusion” from influencing decisions about how productions are organised. In particular, recent decisions by British broadcasters to stop accepting material shot on Super 16mm have proven extremely controversial, and The Image Forum focussed its initial attention on this topic. The concern is that, by dismissing an entire shooting medium, it limits the creative choices available to film and programme makers, and turns
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a blind eye to the practical benefits that have made Super 16 such a widely accepted format for certain genres of production. A SWOT analysis (a structure for analysing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) of Super 16mm was conducted by the group. British Cinematographer magazine hopes that publishing this analysis will serve to inspire informed thought and debate, which is one of the Image Forum's principle objectives.
Strengths • • • •
Super 16mm can be enlarged for theatrical release Globally available Ease of use Optical viewfinders with multi-variable eyepiece positioning • Small, Light and without cables
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
True 2K format Unique subjective quality Cheaper option than 35mm Excellent medium for teaching Seamless interface with all post technology Resistance to obsolescence. Super 16 close to HD format (see 2K) Variety of stocks to shoot with High resolution Can use 16mm or 35mm lenses Proven convenient work flow Known and respected archival value High speed capabilities Good technology in the consumables DI and enhanced post services can eliminate or decrease grain without adversely affecting sharpness etc. • Excellent colour rendition eg: more natural skin tones • Industry continues to invest in the format cameras, stock etc.
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• Equipment more robust / versatile / logistics i.e.: cables • Handled in post production in many countries world-wide • Grain* (* can also be perceived to be a weakness) • Some actors dislike small digital cameras as they seem less significant • Some actors prefer the effect when being shot on film- dislike issue with wrinkles etc. • Film perceived as more creative format during the image capture. • Anamorphic lens compatibility • Ongoing commitment to the format by the film stock companies.
Weaknesses • Requires processing no instant playback results from master • Film more expensive than tape or solid state (total cost film, processing, tele-cine) • Affected by compression artefacts as a result of random grain structure for HD TV transmission • Not as cost effective as some lower end HD camera systems • Original equipment cost higher than HD - more owner/operators • Cannot attain premium pricing for new purchases (commodity pricing) • Perceived by production to be more expensive • Grain* (*can also be perceived to be a strength - for the appropriate project) • Running time - magazine re-load more often than tape • Cost versus HD (perceived)
Opportunities • Recent UK & US examples of features shot Super 16 and blown up for cinema release using DI process • Anamorphic for stylised look • Advances in modern film stocks • High quality high speed filming • Ensure that film students obtain as much experience in film to ensure that they continue to be fans of the format. • Rental companies / film stock companies and post production companies to provide cost-effective packaging to productions. • Educate production in cost-effective packages • Continuing improving de-grain processes • Industry initiative to ensure continuity of choice • Methods to educate and inform key influencers • Industry group marketing “one voice” • Market to talent and craft unions • Image Forum -members “pool” knowledge and experience to strengthen the message of the forum.
Threats • 4K acquisition at 16mm prices • Non film or tape based capture to enable fast multi-format broadcasting & web-casting of content • Narrowing of laboratories handling 16mm negative development • BBC deliverables policy • Increased compression especially of MPEG 4 to fit more channels in restricted bandwidth • Growing number of filmmakers growing up with video only • Increased competition from non-film based companies as HD prices fall and access to high end HD grows
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Skillset offers bursaries Skillset, the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the creative media industry, is offering Screen Bursaries of up to £800, from its Film Skills Fund, to individuals and freelancers working across all sectors of the UK film industry, to help them attend vocational training in priority areas. Skillset manages a range of centrally-collected training funds contributed to by industry and public sources. The main aim of these funds is to help ensure that the UK audiovisual industries have a workforce with the right level and range of skills. The funds are designed to broaden access to training opportunities and career development, support company development and also cover health and safety. Coming from a £7m fund, Skillset's Screen Bursaries provide freelancers up to a It could be you: Skillset's Marmot says bursaries of up to maximum of £800 to spend £800 are available for people with experience on training, and a maximum of £500 for permanent Filmmakers can apply for a Skillset bursary to go employees. Grants are available for a wide range on training schemes that help them learn new of courses, include for business skills, technical skills that will help them develop professionally, and craft skills, health and safety, as well as NVQs and remain competitive in this global marketplace. for grip, crane, technician, stagehand and animal handlers.” “When I first started at Skillset two years ago, I “One of Skillset's main objectives is to help people couldn't believe that Skillset has this pot of money working in the film industry progress their to give away as bursaries to filmmakers to help careers,” said Janine Marmot, Skillset's director of with the cost of training. I kept asking 'what's the film. “With such a rapid pace of change in the catch?' But there genuinely is no catch. Anyone industry at the moment, especially in terms of with a few years of experience working in the new technologies, it has never been more industry can apply for a bursary. So please important for filmmakers in all departments to do apply!” understand and be able to use new equipment.
Aimimage captures Ice Film The Aimimage Camera Company of Camden has acquired the assets of ICE Film, which went into liquidation recently, with the intention of forming a new hire company to be known as ICE. ICE Film had for many years held a strong position in the UK professional cinematography market, particularly in Super 16mm and more recently in 35mm. It was the sole UK agent for Aaton cameras, as well as agents for Canon, Angenieux and Optar film lenses, Panamic booms, Ambient timecode equipment and Transvideo monitors. ICE, with former owner Peter Bryant, will retain substantially the same professional team, continuing its tradition of tailored, personal service to productions. Aimimage plans to combine ICE’s reputation for high-quality service with its own experience in the broadcast sector and in High-Definition camera hire, whilst increasing the equipment range to support new ventures in drama and feature productions. Sue Gibson BSC, president of the BSC, "It's good news that ICE is back in business, albeit under another name. I hope Peter can make it work as he's always had a devoted following, and is one of the industry's good guys."
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Technicolor on schedule at Pinewood As part of its European entertainment industry growth strategy, Thomson is set to complete the relocation of Technicolor Theatrical Services, from its West Drayton location of more than 70 years, to a brand new film post-production facility of around 40,000sq/ft within the Pinewood Studios complex. The opening will be marked by a special launch event at the end of January 2009, a year to the day that the relocation was confirmed at a special ‘groundbreaking' ceremony. In addition, Technicolor Creative Services (TCS) will complete the relocation of its West Drayton-based digital intermediate (DI) and other digital post-production services to a new, stateof-the-art facility in Soho before Christmas. TCS has leased a
seven-story building on Lexington Street, close to sister visual effects business Moving Picture Company. The new Soho facility combines Technicolor's digital post-production operations, formerly at West Drayton, and select DI operations from MPC. Technicolor's new Pinewood location will offer integrated film and front-end services, telecine, release printing and digital cinema distribution services. Technicolor hosted a groundbreaking ceremony at Pinewood on January 29th 2008, lead by Joe Berchtold, president of Thomson's Technicolor Theatrical Services, Pino Filardi, COO of Thomson's Technicolor Theatrical Services Europe, and Ivan Dunleavy, chief executive, Pinewood Shepperton plc.
“For more than 70 years Technicolor has been an important cornerstone in the history of UK filmmaking,” Berchtold said. “By relocating to Pinewood Studios, Technicolor will provide customers with the best possible on-location service, while also taking a key step in our development strategy to extend Technicolor's role in the UK and worldwide as a leader in endto-end film and digital media services." Dunleavy commented, “The presence of Technicolor sends a strong signal to the creative community that London, and Pinewood in particular, continues to be among the world's top destinations for quality filmmaking.”
Panavision expands in South Africa and Prague Two of South Africa's most successful equipment rental companies have joined forces to offer their combined equipment inventories and technical expertise to international features, commercials, dramas, documentaries and live shows. One8Six and Panacam Africa, which have served the South African film industry with equipment and technical support over many
years, have been amalgamated into Panavision South Africa, now trading as Panavision Cape Town and Panavision Johannesburg. One8Six is a well-known supplier of camera equipment to the South African commercials industry, and its core managerial and technical staff will carry their specialist experience with them to the new Panavision South Africa operation. Panacam Africa has
What's shooting on Fuji? Feature films being shot on Fujifilm include… Green Zone, DP Barry Ackroyd BSC, dir Paul Greengrass; Wild Target, DP David Johnson BSC, dir Jonathan Lynn; Ondine, DP Christopher Doyle HKSC, dir Neil Jordan; Jasim, DP Ed Wild; The Scouting Book For Boys, DP Robbie Ryan, dir Tom Harper; The Damned United, DP Ben Smithard, dir Tom Hooper, The Unloved, DP Daniel Bronks, dir Samantha Morton; London Dreams, DP Sejal Shah, dir Vipul Amrutlal Shah; The Reeds, DP Dennis Madden, dir Nick Cohen; and Come On Eileen, DP Candida Richardson, dir Finola Geraghty. TV dramas on Fujifilm include… Waking The Dead - Series VIII, DP Mike Spragg; Red Riding 1974, DP Rob Hardy, dir Julian Jarrold; Red Riding 1980, DP Igor Martinovic, dir James Marsh; Collision, DP Chris Ross, dir Marc Evans; Occupation, DP David Odd BSC, dir Nick Murphy; The 39 Steps, DP James Aspinall, dir James Hawes; Albert's Memorial, DP Tony Coldwell, dir David Richards; An Englishman in New York, DP's Yaron Orbach (USA), Sean Bobbitt BSC (UK), dir Richard Laxton. Fujifilm has launched a brand new short film competition with up to £4,000 worth of Fujifilm Motion Picture film stock as the main prize. There is one open brief and two prizes; Best Film and Best Cinematography. Closing date for entries is 30th January 2009. For more information, visit www.fujifilmshorts.com
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been the sole external agent and supplier in South Africa of Panavision equipment to many of the biggest feature films shot in southern Africa, such as Blood Diamond and Lord of War. Combining these businesses is designed to offer producers the region's widest range of equipment, backed by an experienced technical team. Panavision Cape Town and Panavision Johannesburg will trade out of customdesigned premises at Gold Island Studios in Johannesburg and Cape Island Studios in Cape Town. Both businesses are within close proximity to Panalux premises, giving producers the ability to purchase comprehensive camera, grip and lighting packages. Tony Eddy, managing director of Panavision South Africa, commented, “We are confident that the industry will see this merger as a constructive growth offering production companies a better choice of equipment and better service than ever before.” Equipment being offered at Panavision South Africa includes all Panavision and Arriflex film cameras; Primo spherical and anamorphic lensing; Zeiss, Cooke and Angeniuex lensing; Panavision Genesis, F900Rs, F23s, HD750s, Varicam HD cameras as well as the Red One system. High-speed kit includes Photosonics 35 and 16mm film systems as well as the
Phantom HD and BrightDrive HD workflow systems. Extensive upgrading of the grips departments is underway, with the inclusion of a diverse range of grip equipment including Techno Cranes, Giraffe Cranes and a selection of remote heads. Panavision has also opened new lighting, camera rental and grip facilities on the lot at Barrandov Studios in Prague. Working in conjunction with Barrandov Studios, Panavision has relocated to custom-built premises on site. It has merged the assets of One8Six (which it acquired during the takeover of AFM) with the existing on-site equipment provider, previously owned by Barrandov, to form separate Panalux and Panavision operations, and becomes the only such service provider directly on the lot. “If you look back historically you see that Barrandov is second only to Pinewood in terms of large-scale films being made there,” said Jeff Allen, managing director of Panavsion Europe. “Panavision has been in Prague for over ten years, and it made sense to make our new and improved camera and lighting operations available in the most convenient way to filmmakers.” Features serviced by Panavision Prague include The Bourne Identity, Van Helsing, Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist, and Casino Royale, with G.I. Joe now in production.
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production news
Tories promises extra Lottery cash for film
Tory top up: shadow cultural secretary Jeremy Hunt would give 10% extra to industry A Conservative government would increase National Lottery-funded spending on film by 10%, shadow cultural secretary Jeremy Hunt told Screen International's UK Film Finance Summit recently. Hunt said the opposition, currently leading the government in opinion polls, was committed to the creative sector. “We recognise that the film industry is extremely important," he said, adding that his party recognised that the free market alone could not support a diverse film industry and supported the existing incentives for production. A Conservative government would not alter the country's tax credit system, but would look at increasing National Lottery contributions to film. This commitment to additional expenditure came from the party's already expressed commitment to return National Lottery funding to its core purpose of supporting the arts heritage, grass-roots sports and charities. “That would mean 10% more money going into film from the National Lottery,” he said. Hunt also said he understood the key role of supporting distribution of film to maximise audiences. "The challenge is as much about the flow of production as the volume of production.”
What's shooting on Kodak? Kodak film stocks are being used on the following TV productions… Ashes To Ashes, DP Simon Archer, Kudos Film & TV for BBC; Lewis III, DPs Paul Bond and David Marsh, Granada for ITV; Mistresses 2, DP James Welland, Ecosse Films for BBC; Midsomer Murders XII, DP Colin Munn, Bentley Productions for ITV; Merlin, DPs Geoffrey Wharton and Dale McCready, Shine Productions for BBC1; Primeval III, DPs Mike Spragg and Shane Daly, Impossible Pictures for ITV1; Taggart, DP Grant Cameron, SMG for ITV; and Survivors, DPs Tony Miller, Graham Frake and Nigel Willoughby, for BBC. Features using Kodak 35mm include… Creation, DP Jess Hall, dir Jon Amiel, Kick Ass, DP Ben Davis BSC, dir Matthew Vaughn; Alice in Wonderland, DP Dariusz Wolski, dir Tim Burton; Sherlock Holmes, DP Philippe Rousselot, dir Guy Ritchie; Nine, DP Dion Beebe, dir Rob Marshall; and From Time to Time, DP Roger Pratt, dir Julian Fellowes. Kodak 16mm is being used on A Boy Called Dad, DP David Katznelson, dir Director: Brian Percival.
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production news
Red opens service centre at Pinewood Camera manufacturer Red Digital Cinema has sprouted its first operation outside the US at Pinewood Studios. RED Europe Ltd's primary objective is to provide support, upgrades, repairs, and service to Red customers across Europe. For the main part, cameras will be “called in” for upgrades at Pinewood whenever they are due, although Red Europe Ltd will also offer support in the field. The new company is headed by Carl Ward, former chairman and CEO of Oakley Europe, with Alan Piper,
formerly group operations director at Lee Lighting Ltd, overseeing day-to-day operations. "Outside of the US, Europe is Red's largest market and, in an effort to support that customer base, we felt that there was no better place to headquarter the facility than at Pinewood,” said Piper. “Our coverage will not be strictly limited to Europe, but more to the time zone north and south - South Africa to Iceland and as far East as Turkey.” Red Europe may also support camera users in India.
Red Europe opened at the beginning of November from premises within Pinewood's East Side Complex. Several studio tenants are offering Red compatible technologies and services. These include Apple reseller 1080 Pro, which offers Final Cut Pro-based workstations, Sequence Post a facility entirely dedicated to Red-acquired rushes, and the Sheppertonbased Axis Films one of the first UK companies to purchase a Red One camera system.
Red: Alan Piper outside East Side Complex at Pinewood Studios
Smith chairs Edinburgh Film Festival Leading producer Iain Smith OBE recently took up the role of chair of the Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF). Smith, who was recently honoured with an OBE for his services to the UK film industry, is a highly acclaimed producer, with blockbuster films such as Cold Mountain, Children of Men, The Fifth Element and Seven Years in Tibet among his film credits. He has been a director of the EIFF since November 2007, and replaces John McCormick who has held the role for 12 years.
Chairs: producer Smith is now in key positions
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Smith is also a board member of the Scottish Screen/Scottish Arts Council joint board and is currently Chair of the Film Skills Strategy Committee, Deputy Chairman of the British Film Advisory Group and a director of the Children's Film and Television Foundation. He has also previously served on the board of the UK Film Council, the Scottish Film Council, the Scottish Film Production Fund, the Scottish Film Training Trust and as a Governor of the National Film and Television School.
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FEATURE
meet the new wave
Meet the New Wave Taking advice from trusted sources, we've identified a new wave of cinematographers who… have a decent slew of films under their belts… are not upstarts, but not quite of “a certain age” either… are not yet members of the BSC, but who have the potential to become the next Roger, Roger or Remi. Angus Hudson We spoke to a happy Angus the day he won best cinematography gong at the prestigious Sitges Catalonian International Film Festival for The Broken, the film he lit for director Sean Ellis. (The last British DP to win at Sitges, by the way, was Nick Knowland BSC for Institute Benjamenta in 1995.) Angus has recently been shooting commercials around the world for fashion and fragrance brands, and Christian Aid, and is up for several large features, so watch this space. Agent is Wizzo & Co (www.wizzofeatures.co.uk), or visit www.angushudson.net. Filmography (so far): The Broken (2008), Cashback (2006), Hari Om (2004) When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer? I was 17 years old, had failed all my O Levels for the second time, and had a summer job at a commercials company that had its own studio and equipment. Here I am 26 years later, still with no O Levels, still doing that summer job - although I don't make so many cups of tea these days. Where did you train? On the job. What are you favourite films? I have many “favourite” films, however Apocalypse Now, shot by Vittorio Storaro, is always in my list. It's the first film I saw that really made my jaw drop, which I never tire of seeing and that I can mouth the lines as the actors speak them. A more recent “favourite” list could include The Lives Of Others (DP Hagen Bogdanski), No Country For Old Men (DP Roger Deakins BSC ASC) and This Is England (DP Danny Cohen) - they all tell a good story.
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What's the best advice you've had? “We are not saving lives here”… and… “Be nice to the young ones when they are on the way up, and they'll be nice to you on your way down.” Who are your DP/industry heroes? Roger Deakins and John Mathieson. They were nice to me on my way up, and are great leaders. They shoot a good-looking film, and do it in an inspiring way. What's you proudest moment? Managing to get and stay married, raise children and work in film - all at the same time. What's the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had? The funniest, rather than worst, was being told…“We want someone who can do something more colourful” after showing a director/producer a film I had shot that was somewhat desaturated. What's been your best/worst moment on set? Looking through the camera and photographing the most perfect moment were everything comes together in a symphony of movement, light, emotion and timing - and then the director says… “One more take please”.
What one piece of kit could you not live without? Good sharp kitchen knives and a spot meter. What's the hardest shot/thing you've had to light/frame? Lighting a large area of a street, which couldn't be locked off, in the middle of London, to a stop of T64 (with not enough money), to look like daylight for a car crash sequence we were shooting on seven cameras running speeds between 150fps and 1,000fps. Tell us your hidden talent/party trick? I make a good gluten-free chocolate cake. In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot? Apocalypse Now. What's your greatest extravagance? Living and driving in Central London. What's the best thing about being a DP? Creating visuals for a good script. Working with a small army of people to make it all happen. Working with brilliant, creative and talented people. Travelling all over the world. Caterers. Time off between jobs.
Tell us your most hilarious faux pas? Putting the board on as a clapper loader, whist holding a small pair of scissors, and accidentally stabbing an actor in the face.
What's the worst thing about being a DP? Creating visuals for a bad script. Working with a small army of people to make it all happen. Working with “brilliant”, “creative” and “talented” people. Travelling all over the world. Caterers. Time off between jobs
Away from work, what are your greatest passions? Cooking and home.
If you weren't a DP what job would you be doing now? Still trying to pass my O Levels.
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UK
who’s shooting who
Who’s Shooting Who? Eye eye: Roger Pratt watches director Oliver Parker eyeing up a shot on the set of Dorian Gray Simon Hume focus and Sam Renton, Lewis Hume 'A' loader, Sacha Jones 'B' loader, and Tim Phillips central loader. On Dorian Gray Julian Morson has been operating, Sam Renton focus, Tim Phillips loading. What a great thing to see this company making films on a regular basis. We've been working very hard, but it such a good project. Alf Tremontin was with us almost permanently and always got a call on all the other productions mentioned above."
Workin' it: DP Alessandra Scherillo undertook a 35day shoot for Lotus Superstar Roger Pratt BSC has been working with director Oliver Parker out of Ealing Studios on a new version of Dorian Gray. We'll have a full report on how this widely admired DP went about lensing a period drama for a contemporary audience in our next edition. But before all that, here are some special mentions for some of Roger's crews down the years... "In 2004 I had a first class team for Wolfgang Peterson on Troy. Peter Taylor was on the 'A' camera with Simon Hume on focus and Sam Renton loading. With Trevor Coop on the B camera, Graham Martyr was focus and Sacha Jones loading. 'C' camera, which operated in Mexico only was headed by Paul Bond, with Guy Froston focus. Lewis Hume was the central loader and we had Chris Mason and Tim Phillips as trainees. Ted Deason joined us too in Mexico. On Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire was 2004-5, we all worked under the wonderful production design of Stuart Craig. The 'A' Camera crew were again headed by Peter Taylor as Operator and Simon Hume focus, Sam Renton was loader, and latterly Sacha Jones took over. Trevor Coop operated the 'B' camera, and Gary Spratling, Graham Martyr were focus, with Lewis Hume loading. On the 'C' cameral Robert Palmer was focus, and Tim Phillips was the loader. Spring of 2006 Richard Attenborough asked me again to work for him on Closing The Ring. It was a co-production with Canada and Northern Ireland so my English choices for crew were minimal, but I had Simon Hume focussing for me and Sacha Jones as 2nd Loader in Northern Ireland. In 2006 we started Iain Softley's Inkheart. We had wonderful locations on the Italian Riviera with loving help from the Italian film community, and we finally returned to not so sunny Blighty to complete in the usual Bourne Wood, etc., locations before settling into Shepperton for the final weeks. I had Pete Taylor operating, Pete Cavalciuti second operator and steadicam,
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We love it when DPs step forward and make themselves and their work better known to us… Alessandra Scherillo recently finished shooting a wacky Romanian Telecom ad with Charlie Watson from Made, through Abis Studio in Bucharest, next door to the Cold Mountain sets. This year she also undertook a 35-day shoot with director Terence Stevens-Prior for Lotus moving between locations in Vietnam, the island of Langkawi off the Malaysian coast and Dubai - all through Filmworks Dubai. Alex told us her crew was the first to be allowed to fly over Vietnam since the war. The DP news from Sara Putt Associates is… Nick Dance continues on Skins III for Company Pictures, Pete Edwards is lighting the second series of the eponymously titled Omid Djalili - full of razor sharp observational humour from the top British stand-up comedian and actor, - for the BBC. Peter Greenhalgh is working on Marple for Granada, and Toby Moore is doing the Holby City Xmas Special for BBC. Will Pugh is currently filming Islands of Britain for ITV Productions
Graham Smith on Human Journey
Gareth Hughes on the set of Robin Hood in Hungary and Buffalo Pictures, and Graham Smith has just finished in Namibia on Human Journey a documentary for BBC. Of Sara Putt's operators… Peter Wignall is currently in Toronto on Matthew Vaughan's Kick-Ass for Plan B, Des Whelan and Vince McGahon are both operating on Sherlock Holmes for Warner Brothers. Gareth Hughes continues on Robin Hood for Tiger Aspect Amongst Independent's DP clients… Oliver Curtis BSC is working on Claire Kilner's new feature Virgin on Bourbon Street, over in the States. Ben Davis BSC is shooting Matthew Vaughn's Kick-Ass. Anthony Dod Mantle BSC, DFF just finished lighting Lars Von Trier's new film Antichrist in Germany. Jess Hall is lighting Jon Amiel's new feature Creation, starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. The story focuses on Darwin's struggle to find a balance between his revolutionary theories and his relationship with his religious wife. Sam McCurdy is on Anthony Di Blasi's Dread, based on a short story from Clive Barker's horror anthology Books of Blood. Christopher Ross is working on ITV's new drama, Collision, directed by Marc Evans. Oliver Stapleton BSC is now work on Gregor Jordan's psychological thriller Unthinkable, over in the US. Ben Seresin is also in the US shooting Michael Bay's Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen. Dinedor Management's… Mike Fox BSC is back from Ethiopia where he was shooting the documentary Human Planet for BBC Bristol. He has also completed a documentary on Blythe Spirit for French company La Clemenssane, and has gone on to docu-feature Angola Three, for director Vadim Jean at The Mob Film Company. Ian Moss, fresh off series II of Moving Wallpaper for Kudos and ITV, has gone on to
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who’s shooting who
photographer: LUCIE JANSCH
UK
Peter Wignall on the set of Kick-Ass in Toronto
Will Pugh on a cliff on the island of Sark for Islands of Britain
Window dresser: Karl Óskarsson shooting Three Seasons In Hell
Christmas ghost story Crooked House for Tiger Aspect. Steve Buckland continues on Carnival's Hotel Babylon. Peter Butler has finished the return of Minder for Talkback Thames and Channel Five and is now on Silent Witness for the BBC. Grant Cameron remains on Taggart for ITV in Scotland. Peter Thornton has started on a second block of Robin Hood for Tiger Aspect and BBC, and Peter Field recently lit a Nurofen commercial before going on to 2nd unit on Skellig both for Feel Films. Florian Hoffmeister is on the South African leg of The Prisoner for Granada and AMC. Andrew Johnson has finished series III of M.I. High for Kudos and the BBC, and Andrew Speller is shooting 2nd unit for David Jason vehicle Albert's Memorial for ITV. Trevor Forrest has finished on the feature Tormented for Forward Films, BBC Films and Pathé, and has moved on to kids' television series Bookaboo for Happy films and CITV. Following dailies for Hustle, Survivors and Skins, Steven Hall went on to operate on Silent Witness for the BBC, and from there to Ashes To Ashes for Kudos. Tom Townend continues his busy year shooting commercials for COI, Nicorette, Department of Transport, Sky Movies and Mazda, along with promos for Natty, Sugarbabes, Victoria and Keane. Ed Mash is back from Prague shooting for Tesco, and has also shot Think Big, Think Bigger for Disney, as well as trails for Britain's Worst Learners, and Danny Dyer's Dangerous Men for Virgin. Eric Maddison FSF is back from Norway shooting promos for Basehunter, as well as a Leon Jackson promo for Bikini, and a Gilbert and Sullivan Revival promo for Davey Inc. Hubert Taczanowski lit the opening titles for the FA Cup for Hat Trick and Plum films. Garry Turnbull is back from Egypt shooting a commercial for Talaat Mustafa Holdings for Magic Arm Productions. Pete Ellmore finishes on Lynx and goes on to more commercials for Aldi and Flora. Ben Filby is in Rome for Peroni, and has also shot corporates for Butlins, TUI travel and the Royal Mail. Matt Cooke just shot a viral for Walls Sausages and a corporate for DIUS. Franklin Dow has been shooting music promos for Towers of London and Evile, and corporates for Woman's Institute, Spearmark and Sony Ericsson. Damian Daniel has shot a music video for Arisca, and corporates for Sony Ericsson and The IET. Steadicam Operator Dion M Casey was on a trailer for Eastenders and a corporate for Creative Direction. Matt Fox has been lighting corporates for Reckeitt Benkiser and also a Thomas the Tank Engine factual programme for HIT Entertainment.
the Danish feature At The End of the World, written and directed by the award-winning Anders Ronnow Klarlund. Karl Oskarsson is near the end of shooting Three Seasons In Hell, a Czech feature shooting in Prague, directed by Tomas Masin and produced by Monika Krystl through Dawson Productions. Wizzo Features' new signing is David Rom who lit the recent film about the contentious subject of honour killings called Land Gold Women, directed by Avantika Hari. The film is to be released next year. Magni Agustsson is set to light a new comedy series entitled Free Agents, a black comedy written by Chris Neil set in and around a talent agency, to be directed by successful commercials director James Griffiths. It is produced by Nira Park through Big Talk Productions for C4 and stars Stephen Mangan (Green Wing) and Sharon Horgan (Pulling). Donal Gilligan is about to start shooting a block of the C4 hit Shameless for director Tony Slater-Ling, and Erik Wilson is shooting the final few weeks of the thriller/horror series Trinity for ITV through Rough Cut Productions. And, finally, Stuart Bentley recently wrapped on an online drama for Nokia directed by the collective Big Balls through Academy Films, and is currently shooting another online drama for the same directors.
also recently shot promos for Amy Studt directed by Paul Minor and Richard Ashcroft, also directed by Richard Ashcroft. Katie Swain has been working with directors, Oz, Alan Friel and Sam Miller. David Tattersall BSC is working with Michael Lembeck on bringing a fairytale to life, in the modern children's fantasy film Tooth Fairy. Darran Tiernan is shooting the feature film Pelican Blood for director Carl Golden - it's an ornithological murder mystery. And Michael Wood has been on commercials with directors, David Bakksh, Ross Neill, Martin Delamere and Rowland Jobson. Looks like it's busy at United Agents where… Eduardo Serra AFC ASC recently completed Claude Chabrol's latest movie The Girl Cut In Two. Paul Sarossy BSC CSC had a wonderful time in Croatia shooting The Duel, with director Dover Koshashvili. Alwin Kuchler BSC is in New York shooting Solitary Man, starring Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon, directed by Brian Koppelman. Marcel Zyskind has just completed grading on Mammoth, directed by Lukas Moodysson. Barry Ackroyd BSC should be working on reshoots for The Green Zone, directed by Paul Greengrass. Haris Zambarloukos BSC has completed Richard Eyre's The Other Man. Alan Almond BSC is busy shooting From Time To Time for Julian Fellowes. Andrew Dunn BSC is in New York, grading Push which is due to be released early in '09 whilst his feature Good opened in Toronto to very positive reviews. Lukas Strebel is also grading, Andrew Davies' BBC1 adaptation of Little Dorritt, directed by Dearbhla Walsh. Steve Lawes is filming Skellig for Annabel Jankel in Cardiff and Danny Cohen is prepping Stephen Poliakoff's 1939 when he is not grading Richard Curtis' The Boat That Rocked. Daniel Bronks has been busy with commercials and is about to start on a feature The Unloved with Samantha Morton directing. Tat Radcliffe is shooting Double Hour a feature in Turin with Giuseppe Capotondi directing.
At Wizzo Features… Jan Richter-Friis is currently lighting
Pyramid scheme: Garry Turnbull on a commercial in Egypt with his local crew
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Meanwhile, over at McKinney Macartney… Balazs Bolygo has been grading Consuming Passions which he shot for director Dan Zeff, a saucy forthcoming show about famed literotica Mills and Boon novels for the BBC. Ben Butler has been shooting commercials for Niall Downing through 2AM, Simon Cheek through Tomboy and Jim Weedon through Bare Films, and Mick Coulter BSC has been shooting commercials for Gerard de Thame including Travelers, Volvo and Sharpe. Denis Crossan has shots spots for Anthea Benton and Neil Harris. Shane Daly recently finished working with director Richard Curzon Smith on the third series of the hit ITV show Primeval. John de Borman BSC has been grading on his last two projects An Education and Last Chance Harvey. He also recently returned from Ireland where he was filming a commercial for Chris and Rankin, and has just completed filming Morrisons' Christmas campaign for Park Village. Gavin Finney BSC recently shot Marple with director Nick Renton, solving mysteries with Britain's favourite OAP. He has also been shooting commercials for Betsan Morris Evans. Nina Kellgren BSC is currently in Ireland with director, Kevin Thomas filming a Tourism Ireland campaign. John Lynch has been busy shooting commercials including Waitrose for Daniel Barber and Phillips (in Montreal) for Dominic Murphy. He was most recently in Prague shooting two commercials - Eristoff Vodka for Luke Scott and Foxy Bingo for Matt Carter. Phil Meheux BSC is shooting Edge Of Darkness, a thriller for his frequent collaborator Martin Campbell, as a policeman investigates his daughter's death. John Pardue has been lensing spots for Martin Wedderburn through MTP, Marek Losey through Park Village, Gus Filgate through 2AM and Dominic Brigstocke through Bare Films. Mark Partridge is continuing his work on Lark Rise To Candleford for the BBC with directors Maurice Phillips and Julian Holmes. Jake Polonsky recently returned from filming an Eircom commercial in Prague for Rory Kelleher, and has
Simon Chaudoir recently shot an Eno project with Sam Taylor-Wood, a Lindex commercial with Hanna Elin, c/o We Are Group in Sweden and is about to go off to Tokyo on a high end fashion shoot. Brendan Galvin has finished a Morocco Tourism commercial with Lawrence Dunmore through Gang Films Paris whilst Crille Forsberg has been working with Fredrik Bond at Sonny again on Stella Artois. Alex Melman is shooting commercials including a huge Nike spot with James Brown at Stink in Shanghai and a new Alicia Dixon music promo with Michael Gracey at Partizan. Neus Olle has wrapped on Catalonian feature film Three Days With The Family in Spain and is currently filming documentary feature Mercedes Pinto on location in Uruguay, Mexico, Cuba and Madrid. Her film Birdsong by Catalonian auteur Albert Serra was shown at the London Film Festival. Carlos Catalan is filming the final musical scene spectacular for Bollywood film Lucky By Chance. He also photographed Mal Dia Para Pescar in Montevideo for director Alvaro Brechner. Charlotte Bruus Christensen is in pre-production with Thomas Vinterberg for his upcoming feature Submarino which shoots in Denmark January '09. She has also been doing extensive second unit for Hustle and M.I. High. Niels Reedtz Johansen is currently shooting a Danish road movie, Vagn, for Helmer Nikolaj Steen.
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live and let DI
To Live and Let DI As Quantum of Solace rolls out at cinemas across the world you may be interested to learn details about the editorial and DI. Editorial HQ for the movie was at Ascent 142's Dean Street office in London. The film was shot in the UK, Germany and Central and Latin America (including Chile and México). The negatives were processed by Deluxe Labs, and all the HD dailies were handled by Ascent 142 in London and LA. When the film was shooting in Central America the HD dailies were created at Encore Hollywood (part of the Ascent group) in LA. The rushes were then fed back electronically to the London editorial team. The HD dailies operations in London and LA were mirrored between the Ascent 142 facilities to maintain continuity. Once filming was finished DP Roberto Schaefer ASC started work in London with Ascent 142 colourist Rob Pizzey. When the picture was locked, the negative got an ARRI scan and grading began on da Vinci 2K Resolve. Schaefer then returned to Company 3 in LA and worked with US colourist Stephan Nakamura. The 2K data was copied to Company 3 with the Resolve settings applied there, which allowed Nakamura to continue working on the material graded in the UK. After the necessary grading had taken place in LA, the files were returned to the UK electronically. Executive producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson visited Ascent 142 in London to approve the final process. Ascent then shot the negatives for theatrical release. Ascent 142 also carried out the post production on the BBC's screen adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles, shot by DP Wojciech Szepel. This included rushes, picture post, grading, online and audio post production. Tess was shot under the new 35mm film deal offered by Ascent 142, which allows productions to shoot on film and still deliver HD to the BBC. An Education, directed by Lone Scherfig, screenplay by Nick Hornby and lit by John de Borman BSC, got the DI treatment at Deluxe Digital. The film is based on the memoirs of the
Deluxe Digital: gave the colours a special twist on Lyn Barber's teenage biopic An Education Observer journalist Lyn Barber, and is a coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy twice her age. DI grading was by John Claude, using a Baselight 8 and a Barco DP100 2K projector. De Borman wanted to create a '60s look using a pastel like quality. Shooting Kodak 500 and 200 35mm 3-perf he started to set the look at the dailies stage. In DI, an ARRI 2K scan gave plenty of latitude to fine tune the period look, notably by subduing the highlights and enhancing the pastel colours inherent in the production design. Clive Noakes' work at the lab made the transition from digital to the photochemical world seamless and stressless. This year, Deluxe Digital has also graded Hellboy 2 (DP Guillermo Navarro), Ma Cheri (DP Darius Khondji), Brideshead Revisited (DP Jess Hall) and Happy-Go-Lucky (DP Dick Pope BSC) all helping to boost the company’s profile for feature film post and DI. Feature film production is a notoriously precarious investment opportunity. While it's a glamorous thing to be a 'producer', it's very hard to predict whether a film will make money. London post-production company LipSync Post is making a success of investing in the films for which it also provides postproduction services - and what started as a one-off is now becoming a key part of its business. We'll report on this phenomenon in due course. To date LipSync Post has made equity investments in 14 films, including full post and DI on How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, lensed by Oliver Stapleton BSC, the biggest independent British film this year starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst and Jeff Bridges. LipSync Post also made the DI grades on A Bunch of Amateurs, ably lit by DP Ashley Rowe BSC,
LipSync Post: did a full post and DI on How To Lose Friends And Alienate People
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directed by Andy Cardiff, with David Parfitt producing and Steve Christian as executive producer. The Richard Jobson directed New Town Killers, produced by Luke Roeg, and shot by Simon Dennis, saw the DP and colourist Stuart Fyvie swapping Photoshop reference frames during a Quantel Pablo grade. Fyvie also worked with DP Mike Eley to deliver a naturalistic grade for 1234, directed by Giles Borg. Located in Wellington, New Zealand, Park Road Post Production was developed by Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson as a one-stop shop facility. It has a sound facility, a Kodak IMAGECARE accredited laboratory, and the largest Quantel DI infrastructure in Australasia. The DI department has a massive 132 terabytes of online data storage. Park Road was the first post facility in the world to work with data from the Red camera, working on Peter Jackson's short film Crossing the Line, and has since developed a proprietary Red workflow. Alex Proyas' Knowing, starring Nicholas Cage, was shot entirely on Red and will be going through Park Road's DI department at the end of 2008. Over the next 12 months Park Road is booked to work on three full feature Red projects, but details are under wraps for the time being. Other projects getting DI'd at Park Road post include the film version of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson, lensed by Andrew Lesnie, and starring Mark Whalberg, Rachel Weisz and Susan Sarandon, and The Vintner's Luck, a decidedly unorthodox love story, directed by Niki Caro, with Denis Lenoir delivering the cinematography. Specialist digital film consultancy, Digital Praxis, provided DI supervision services for India's latest blockbuster, Drona, through FutureWorks, in Mumbai, India. As part of an agreement with Eros and Rose Movies, Digital Praxis CEO, Steve Shaw, acted as DI supervisor on the project, as well as
Park Road Post: booked to work on three full-feature Red projects next year
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live and let DI
Digital Praxis: supervision services for Indian blockbuster Drona
HoverlorD: has pulled out the stops on several films including La Chanteuse De Tango and Cannes-winner Johnny Mad Dog (R)
being the lead colourist for the film, setting the film's look with director Goldie Behl and cinematographer Sameer Arya, in conjunction with the film's post-production and VFX supervisor, David Bush. The entire post-production was performed at 4K using a Quantel pipeline, making Drona one of a handful of films to have been posted at this resolution in the world, and a real first for India. "Although number of films have been scanned at 4K, the logistical issues associated with handling 4K throughout the entire post-production pipeline means most projects are down sampled to 2K for the actual post-production and DI. This was not so with Drona,” said Bush.
award-winning projects this year. Les Bureaux de Dieu, a 122min Franco/Belgian co-production, directed by Claire Simon, and lensed by Philippe Van Leeuw, won the SACD Prize at La Quinzaine de Réalisateurs during the 2008 Cannes Festival. It's a movie about a family planning service, where women come to explain problems about their sex lives. It was shot in native Scope on Viper 4:4:4 coupled to a Venom recorder. Colour grading was done on Baselight 4 by Paul Englebert, made tricky as there are lots of long running shots, needing animated masks and shapes.
Also working on the demanding, 20-hour-a-day colour correction process were FutureWorks colourists Ashish Nanajkar, Rahul Purva and Ranjit Patil. Quantel supported the process with one of its own training operators, Meetal Gokul, who provided on-site assistance. Drona was one of India's most complex ever, with over 1,400 VFX shots. Belgian DI house HoverlorD has delivered grades on some
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Along with La Chanteuse de Tango, and Pour Un Fils HoverlorD also pulled out the stops on Johnny Mad Dog, the Franco/Belgian feature that won the won the Prix de l'Espoir award in the Un Certain Regard compy at this year's Cannes Festival. Directed by Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire and lensed by Marc Koninckx the production employed a cast of real child soldiers to depict a violent civil war in an unnamed African country. The production was shot on HDCAM and graded by Franck
Ravel on Lustre 2.6, with a 35mm filmout done at Éclair Labs in Paris. DP Benoît Delhomme brought in Framestore for the DI on The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, an adaptation of John Boyne's award-winning novel, written for the screen and directed by Mark Herman, produced by David Heyman (the Harry Potter films, I Am Legend). It is a fictional story of Bruno, the son of a Nazi commandant, and Shmuel, a Jewish boy held captive in a concentration camp, who form a forbidden friendship. Delhomme and colourist Adam Glasman worked together for a three week period with director Herman attending review sessions. The looks of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas move through three distinct phases. The first reel takes place around the family home in Berlin and has a somewhat 'golden' look. It then moves to the environs of Auschwitz and has a much less vibrant look. Finally, the scenes in the heart of the concentration camp at the end of the film are really drained of colour and are very 'contrasty'.
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Hot pursuit: Daniel Craig is James Bond 007 on trail of an MI6 traitor, shot at Pinewood Studios
Unbreakable Bond Quantum of Solace is the 22nd feature film about the adventures of James Bond since Dr. No in 1962 - and it's non-stop action throughout, writes Bob Fisher. Additional reporting by Ron Prince. The public discovered Bond, also known as Agent 007, in a series of popular spy books authored by Ian Fleming during the dawn of the Cold War. This latest chapter in the saga takes
the audience on a journey with Bond as he hunts for the villain who blackmailed and murdered Vesper Lynd, who was the love of his life. The tension builds when 007 discovers that the villain is plotting to grab control of a vital natural resource - the water that quenches the thirst of the people of South America. Much of the story unfolds in the United Kingdom, but the
I have vivid memories of seeing Fr o m R u s s i a W i t h Love when I was 13. It made a deep impression on me.
breathtaking chase takes Bond to locations in Italy, Austria, Chile, Mexico and Panama. Quantum of Solace marks the eighth collaboration for director Marc Forster and Roberto Schaefer ASC. Forster is a native of Germany who studied filmmaking at New York University and moved to Los Angeles in 1993. Schaefer is a New Yorker who began his career working as a stringer for European TV news programmes. He went to Italy in 1982 to work on an independent film, and stayed there for ten years shooting documentaries, independent films and music videos. Schaefer moved to Los Angeles in 1992.
Director Marc Forster (centre top) with cinematographer Roberto Schaefer, ASC (centre bottom) and crew on the set of Quantum of Solace.
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The two filmmakers were introduced by a production designer whom Schaefer met while shooting film for a video game. Their first co-venture was Loungers, a 16mm film produced in ten days in 1995. Schaefer and Forster subsequently collaborated on the production of Everything Put Together, Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stay, Stranger Than Fiction and The Kite Runner.
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We a l s o u s e d a lot of dollying crane shots, combined w i t h l i g h t i n g, designed to create a retro-modern look. running through the burning set and crashing through a door just before an explosion. We want the audience to hold its collective breath until they see 007 in a fiery room on the other side.”
Crew and kit Greene (Mathieu Amalric) introduces Camille (Olga Kurylenko (R) to General Modrano (Joaquin Cosio (L), the man who murdered her family “A few months after we finished shooting The Kite Runner, Marc asked if I was interested in working with him on a James Bond film,” Schaefer recalls. “I literally jumped up and down and said that of course I was interested. I'm a fan. I have vivid memories of seeing From Russia With Love when I was 13. It made a deep impression on me.”
duo's original preference. “You use 40 percent more of the frame than you do when you compose for 2.4:1 with spherical lenses,” Schaefer explains. “There are also subtle but important differences in focus shifts and depth-of-field, which the audience feels on a subliminal level.”
Forster got a similarly enthusiastic reaction from Matt Chesse, an editor who has worked on his last seven films.
During the 11th hour, visual effects supervisor Kevin Haug convinced Forster and Schaefer to produce Quantum of Solace in Super 35 format coupled with digital intermediate timing, which would enable them to quickly and seamlessly integrate visual effects and live-action shots. That was important because Quantum of Solace was scheduled for preview screenings only two months after wrapping production.
“My first reaction was that I wasn't interested in directing a James Bond movie,” Forster says, “but the night after I spoke with Roberto and Matt, I read an old interview with Orson Welles in which he said his biggest regret was turning down an opportunity to direct a movie because he thought it was too commercial.” The producers gave Schaefer a set of DVDs of all of the previous James Bond movies as visual references. He and his wife Caroline watched them together and discussed how images were used to tell stories that evoked emotional responses.
Production design
Super 35 Schaefer and Forster agreed during their first discussions about Quantum of Solace that they didn't want to produce a traditional action-adventure film. “We wanted Quantum of Solace to feel real in a very tactile and visceral way,” Schaefer says. “When a punch is thrown, we want the audience to feel it.” Schaefer and Forster discussed the pros and cons of producing Quantum of Solace in digital format, but after shooting comparison tests, they decided that film would render the visceral look they envisioned. There was also a serious discussion about film formats. All of the previous Bond movies were produced in 35mm anamorphic, with the exception of Casino Royale. Anamorphic was the filmmaking
From L to R: director Marc Forster on set with the main cast – Mathieu Amalric (Dominic Greene), Olga Kurylenco (Camille) and Daniel Craig (James Bond)
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Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench were cast in encore performances as Bond and Agent M. He made his first outing as Bond in Casino Royale, and she played Agent M in around a half a dozen previous films. The rest of the ensemble cast portrayed new characters.
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Schaefer and Forster had a close collaboration with production designer Dennis Gassner, planning sets at Pinewood Studios and at practical locations. “While Marc and I read the script together, he described the blocking that he envisioned,” Schaefer says. “I used his descriptions to make diagrams indicating camera positions and angles. We gave them to the AD who organised the schedule.” Schaefer and Forster also scouted and chose locations in Italy, Austria, Chile, Panama and Mexico with Gassner, and planned to film scenes at those remote locations. “Marc believes in shooting at practical locations whenever possible because it looks and feels more realistic,” Schaefer says. “The actors respond to being in the real world, whether it is the Atacama Desert in Chile or the slums of Colon in Panama. The art department could have built convincing sets, but what is missing is the life and smells that are all around you at practical locations. Both the actors and crew respond to that.” One of the notable exceptions was a scene in a hotel that is on fire and explodes. They shot live-action and background plates in Chile to establish the location. Then Gassner designed and built sets for the exterior of the hotel and interiors at Pinewood Studios. “There were both stunt people and actors in this scene, including Daniel (Craig),” Schaefer says. “We had six cameras carefully placed to cover the fire and explosions, because there wasn't going to be a second take. We filmed Daniel
Schaefer assembled a veteran crew including camera operators George Richmond and Mark Milsome, first assistants Jonathan Richmond and Harry Bowers, second assistants Wil Humphris and Sebastian Barraclough, and film loader Tom Taylor. Director Dan Bradley and cinematographer Shaun O'Dell filmed scenes relegated to the second unit on the European continent. Simon Crane was at the helm and cinematographer Josh Bleibtreu did additional second unit work for a boat chase sequence that was filmed in Panama. Aerial cinematography from a helicopter and a fixed-wing aircraft was used to establish locations in Mexico. That cinematography was done by David Nowell. ARRI Media in London provided most of the camera package, including ARRICAM, ARRI 435 and ARRI 235 bodies with a complete set of prime lenses and Angenieux Optimo 15:40, 28:76 and 24:290 mm zooms, and a custom lightweight Nikkor 80:200 mm zoom lens. ARRI CSC in New York and Florida and Clairmont Camera in Hollywood provided additional gear used in Panama. After shooting tests comparing Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 colour negative film to VISION2 5218, Schaefer decided to use 5219 for interior and night scenes. “It has more reach in both highlight and shadow areas, and much more range,” he says. “I decided to use it as a 320speed film and routinely overexposed the negative by two thirds of a stop. I used (Kodak Vision2 200T) 5217 for daylight exteriors and rated it at (E.I.) 120 for scenes shot in bright sunlight in Chile and Panama.” Schaefer trusted his instincts and took a painterly approach to rendering images on film. He exposed for shadow areas and printed for highlights except when he wanted a shot to go black. “When you overexpose, you get a thicker negative with more details,” Schaefer explains. “I was confident that we would record details in shadow areas that I could pull out in the DI, if necessary, and still keep details in highlights.” Schaefer stresses the importance of Forster being on the set with the actors and camera crew rather than in a video village. “Marc was usually on the set where he could feel the environment, look the actors in the eye, and hear what they were saying,” Schaefer says. “He had amazing rapport with them and with everyone on the crew. He was always open to suggestions.”
Moving the camera Schaefer and Forster communicated with words and nonverbal shorthand about nuances in visual grammar. There was always a PeeWee dolly and crane with an Alpha jib arm and several remote heads on hand, including the new Geo SL Pod, and either a Technocrane or a Scorpio crane. In Chile, they rented a Panther crane.
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“There are a lot of controlled, handheld shots combined with occasional, more frenetic camera movement,” Schaefer says. “We also used a lot of dollying crane shots combined with lighting designed to create a retro-modern look.” Schaefer cites his close collaboration with gaffer Eddie Knight and key grip David Appleby. “Everyone contributed to making this film a dream come true,” he says. Front-end lab work for scenes filmed in England, Central and South America was done at Deluxe labs in London and Los Angeles, and ARRI Lab in Munich processed the negative for scenes filmed in Austria and Italy. Schaefer timed the DI with senior colourist Stephen Nakamura at Company 3, a subsidiary of Ascent Media, including pre-grading the plates for the fire-andexplosion scene at the hotel to make certain they were a seamless match with Schaefer's liveaction footage. He describes the DI sessions with Nakamura as an extension of cinematography where he could fine tune looks, but cautions that you can't “fix” what's not on the negative.
VFX goes into freefall
Spectacular: eight Codex Recorders capture from eight DALSA 4K cameras for the Boyflight sequence posted by Double Negative in London David Stump ASC, who has earned some 40 credits for visual effects cinematography, was brought onboard Quantum of Solace to shoot a breathtaking scene in which Bond and Camille (played by Olga Kurylenko) are in free-fall after jumping out of a DC-3 aeroplane. She has a parachute. He doesn't. During their freefall descent they enter a giant sinkhole in the ground. Stump is chairman of the American Society of Cinematographers' camera subcommittee that evaluates camera technology. The production crew felt that traditional methods could not produce a sequence that would convince a modern audience, and sought a more sophisticated combination of live action and CG that would deliver a much more visually realistic sequence, known as the Bodyflight sequence named after the Bedford-based facility used for the shoot. “The traditional way to simulate a free-fall shot like this is to film the actors in front of a bluescreen, and to do a separate shot blowing air from below into their faces,” Stump says. “But Marc, Roberto and Kevin wanted the faces, hair and wardrobe to look more convincingly like the characters were in free-fall. So we shot the scene in realtime with the actors in a vertical wind tunnel at Bodyflight, about an hour's drive from London. “Kevin Haug, the visual effects supervisor, wanted us to shoot with an array of digital cameras in a half-circle arc, so they could create computer generated images of the actors from various perspectives. He asked me to find out how many of the highest resolution cameras were available. We rented eight Dalsa 4K cameras and eight Codex recorders. I arranged them in a semi-circle array and filled the spaces between them with eight Sony F900 digital cameras. We also used a handheld ARRI 435 camera to film close-ups of faces. “The inside of the wind tunnel, which was 5m in diameter, was painted white, because Craig and Camille were dressed in black. We pumped a lot of light into the wind tunnel, which was a relatively small space. Roberto and his rigging crew were a gigantic help.” Stump and his crew shot a number of takes throughout a full day and recorded 4K uncompressed data with the Dalsa cameras and 10-bit 4:2:2 compressed data with the Sony cameras. The shoot resulted in over 40Tb of data being recorded in a single day on the Codex recorders alone. Then the Codex diskpacks were delivered to Sohonet in London for back-up, after which the RAW 4K files were delivered to Double Negative in Soho for rendering and final VFX compositing. During its work Double Negative applied ingenious proprietary software and techniques to create digital doubles of the actors, creating realistic hair, cloth, facial and body movements, and giving the production team the ability to reconstruct any digital move they wished. The result is one of the most spectacular action scenes ever in a Bond adventure. “The folks from Double Negative couldn't believe the amount of data we amassed, which gave them some flexibility to create a 3D synthesis of the characters in freefall. Kevin, my English crew, and my DIT Joe di Gennaro were all supportive, cheerful and helpful,” says Stump.
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Camerimage preview
Lodz: a winter wonderland awaits visitors to Plus Camerimage 2008
Lifetime achiever: Sir Alan Parker, pictured with Mickey Rourke, gets this year's gong for unique visual sensitivity
For Brits heading to the 16th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, more commonly known as Plus Camerimage, the big news is that major awards will be bestowed to director Sir Alan Parker and producer Jeremy Thomas. And, if the chance to rub shoulders with such senior filmmakers doesn't whet your appetite for a trip to Lodz, Poland, between November 29th to December 6th, then this year's programme promises a wide variety of riveting film themes, competitions, workshops, seminars, film equipment and technology presentations, not to mention a stellar list of cinematographers in the form of Pierre Lhomme, Dante Spinotti, Roger Deakins, is sure to keep you entertained. Preview report edited by Ron Prince. Here's your guide to the highlights of Plus Camerimage 2008: Lifetime Achievement Award to the Director with Unique Visual Sensitivity - Sir Alan Parker: This honorary award will be presented to Sir Alan Parker, director of such films as the Oscar-winning Mississippi Burning (DP Peter Biziou), Midnight Express (DP Michael Seresin), and Birdy (DP Michael Seresin), which received the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1985 he was a founding member of the Directors' Guild of Great Britain, and
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has won multiple award from BAFTA including the prestigious Michael Balcon Award for outstanding contribution to British cinema. In 1998 he accepted the chair of the British Film Institute, and in 1999 he was handed the first chairmanship of the British Film Council, giving him the opportunity to steer the country's film policy. Sir Alan Parker has also lectured at film schools around the world. His most renowned achievements will be presented at the Festival in a review of his films, an exhibition of the stills from his movies, plus photos from the set taken by different photographers. An album on his life and work will be specially published by the organisers.
Alan Parker was born into a working class family on 14th February 1944 in Islington, North London. He began his film career as a director of TV commercials, first working for advertising agencies and before starting his own company with producer Alan Marshall. He found the shooting of commercials limiting, and he went into directing short films and then a TV film for the BBC called The Evacuees written by Jack Rosenthal which won Parker his first BAFTA award and a US Emmy. His first theatrical feature Bugsy Malone, photographed by Michael Seresin and Peter Biziou, starring young Jodie Foster, was a fusion of two genres - the musical and the gangster film, with a cast entirely of children. It's a cinematic pastiche with echoes and references to Astaire, Raft, Kelly, Cagney, Brando and Welles. This daring and creative film went on to some success, winning a BAFTA Award for best screenplay and earning Golden Palm nomination at Cannes as well as several Golden Globes nominations. Parker's next film, Midnight Express (cinematography by Michael Seresin, written by Oliver Stone) tells the story of a man who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and sentenced to 30 years in a Turkish prison. The shocking drama was a breakthrough in Parker's career and subsequently went on to win six Golden Globes and many Oscar nominations, winning best screenplay and best music. The raw energy and voice of the film, its uncompromising visceral power, remains very fresh and the film is still very modern today, belying its thirty years.
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Natural lighter: a shot from L' Armée Des Ombres (Army in the Shadows) which Lhomme shot in 1969
Special Award to the Producer - Jeremy Thomas: This year sees the introduction of a special award to the producer whose film achievements and visual sensitivity has earned them a significant place in the history of cinema. The award will be granted to Jeremy Thomas, the British producer who, during his long career collaborated many times with director Bernardo Bertolucci, and their fruitful cooperation was crowned with the 1988 Oscar for Best Film - The Last Emperor, lensed by Vittorio Storaro. Thomas also produced the remarkable works of David Cronenberg - Naked Lunch and Crash both lit by Peter Suschitzky BSC. Moreover, he funded the films of Stephen Frears, Karel Reisz, Volker Schlondorff, Bob Rafelson, Jerzy Skolimowski and Jonathan Glazer. While filming Nagisa Oshima's Taboo and Takeshi Kitano's magnificent Brother (DP
Katsumi Yanagishima), he had the opportunity to work with Japanese filmmakers. In 1996 the European Film Academy granted him the European Film Award for his contribution to world cinema. Lifetime Achievement Award - Pierre Lhomme AFC: The festival will revisit selected works of this year's Lifetime Achievement Award-winner Pierre Lhomme AFC, the cinematographer on such films as Le Divorce, Cyrano de Bergerac, Camille Claudel, Four Nights of a Dreamer. Lhomme received seven nominations for a César Award and was granted this French award twice. He was also a laureate of the technical grand prize at the Cannes Film Festival (1990), a BSC Award, the BAFTA Award for Cyrano De Bergerac, and the Premio Gianni di Venanzo in 2005. He is Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters and Chevalier of the Legion of
Honour and also honorary president of the AFC (French Association of Cinematographers). Within the retrospective of his movies the organisers plan to present among others Cyrano de Bergerac starring Gerard Depardieu. There will be an album on his life and professional work published for the occasion. Main Competition - Golden Frog: the selection committee will choose 15 feature films produced in 2007 and 2008 that will take part in the main competition. During the festival the chosen movies will be screened and judged by an international jury, which will select the winner of the Golden Frog. The jury will consist of world-acclaimed directors, cinematographers, film critics and other representatives of the film industry. Last year's winner was Janusz Kaminski for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Student Etude Competition: this competition of etudes is selected from submissions sent by film schools from all over the world. Films that don't make it into the competition but still possess high visual values will be presented in the Student Etude Panorama. The author of the best student cinematography will be granted the Laszlo Kovacs Student Award - Golden Tadpole. The winner last year was Tomasz Wozniczka for Beyond the Horizon. Polish Film Competition (sponsored by Plus): naturally, a significant part of Plus Camerimage is given over to Polish filmmaking, and this eight Polish films produced in 2008 will be screened. There are always gems to be found. Documentary Film Competition “Image Of The World - World Of Images”: Documentary films compete for the first time this year in a competition sponsored by Discovery Networks Central Europe. The aim is to recognise documentary film as a creative interpretation of reality, with emphasis on the visual and aesthetic aspects of a work. Along with screenings there will also be workshops led by professionals in this field including producers who have made programmes for the Discovery portfolio.
He's the man: Pierre Lhomme AFC is this year's laureate for cinematography
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Oscar's Docs: part of the new documentary section, Oscar's Docs has been organised in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and will feature a selection
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of short and feature documentary films that won Oscars between 1941 and 1997. Amongst the films being screened are: The Fighting Lady (1944), shot by combat cameramen on board ships and in the air, showing navy and marine pilots, officers, and crewmen up close and personal; The True Glory (1945), a monumental documentary on the liberation of occupied Europe, from the D-Day invasion to the fall of Berlin; and Ama Girls from 1958, a special focus on those healthy young maidens who dive up to 60 feet beneath the waves in search of choice sea weed] to sell. Milestones of Polish Artistic Documentary Film: Polish artistic documentary film dates back to the post-war period and in the ensuing 50 years it has revealed many superlative filmmakers and their works. The films being presented include Kazimierz Karabasz's much awarded The Musicians, Krzysztof Kieslowski's Talking Heads, Marcel Lozinski's Oscar nominee 89mm from Europe and Jacek Blawut's The Abnormal, a film hailed at the 1990 Gdynia Polish Feature Film Festival as the biggest artistic event. The doyen of Polish documentary film, Kazimierz Karabasz, will receive the special award for outstanding achievement in documentary filmmaking. Nokia Mobile Movie Competition: The Plus Camerimage attaches great importance to the support and the development of young filmmakers, and the Nokia Mobile Movie Competition will give them another opportunity to present their work. Based on materials submitted in the run up to the festival, ten finalists will be chosen festival director Marek Zydowicz, and given Nokia N96 multimedia computers to make their short films (between 50-150 secs), with this year's topic being Chasing the Dreams. All movies will be presented at the Grand Theatre and at www.nokia.pl/filmy website. Lifetime Achievement Award to the Polish Director with Unique Visual Sensitivity: This year's award, given last year to Roman Polanski, will be presented to Andrzej Zulawski, one of Poland's most remarkable and controversial directors. Zulawski, who produced most of his films abroad, has made 12 feature films altogether, the best part of which has been critically acknowledged as brilliant, and published 20 books. Zulawski is an eminent figure in contemporary cinema, with such films as The Third Part of the Night, Diabel and Possession. The remaining recipients of Plus Camerimage 2008 awards such as Krzysztof Kieslowski Award, Duo Award: Cinematographer - Director will also be announced at a later date. Romanian, Portuguese and Slovak Film Review: This year the festival will present several of the most interesting film productions from Romania, Portugal and Slovakia made in recent years. Much of the Slovak film review will be devoted to the ouvre of Dusan Hanák, one of the most original European documentarians, whose films are layered with provocation, satire and peculiar poetics that combines documentary and feature genres. The Festival will show Pictures of the Old World, a film that had been put on the shelf for 17 years and after its 1991 premiere garnered an Oscar nomination and won several awards at international festivals, I Love, You Love, which was also withheld from release for almost eight years and afterwards collected the Silver Bear at the Berlin Festival, and Paper Heads (1995) - a feature-length documentary that records a happening organised during the first May Day celebrations after the fall of communism. The Romanian screenings include this year's Oscar candidate for Best Foreign Language Film, The Rest Is Silence directed by Nae Caranfil and photographed by Marius Panduru. The
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Oscars Docs: Academy Award-winning documentaries being screened include... Czechoslovakia (1968) films and photos covering Czech history from 1918 to 1968; Le Ciel Et La Boue (Sky Above and Mud Below) (1961), close encounters with headhunters and cannibals perilous in New Guinea; and With The Marines at Tarawa (1944), up-close and brutal in the Pacific killing fields
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Torn From The Flag : Soviet tank dumps into Budapest toilet-1956 Archive Photo
Torn From The Flag: '56 photo-Budapest's Corvin Circle, site of major battle of uprising
Festival will be attended by cinematographer Tudor Lacaciu who will present his two latest films, Boogie (2008) and The Paper Will Be Blue (2006). The Portuguese Film Review will be dedicated to Manoel de Oliveira one of the most remarkable exponents of Iberian cinema, who celebrates his 100th birthday this December. The Festival will revisit nine of his films including Magic Mirror, Belle toujours (a continuation of Luis Buñuel's 1967 Belle de jour set nearly 40 years after the events of the original film), Abraham Valley, an updated Portuguese version of Madame Bovary, and I'm Going Home. Animation Review: Launched last year, the animation review will present films that have won in competition at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. Workshops and seminars: These events always provide great opportunities for direct contact with world-acclaimed cinematographers, directors, editors and other professionals of the film industry. During the history of the festival workshops and seminars have been led by such leaders as Laszlo Kovacs, Billy Williams, Chris Doyle, Michael Tronick, Manoel de Oliveira, Andrzej Kulawski, Oliver Stapleton, Krzysztof Zanussi, Dick Pope, Phedon Papamichael, Slawomir Idziak, Margarethe von Trotta and Franz Rath. Panavision and
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ARRI regularly put on fascinating workshops and masterclasses. Panavision is sponsoring a film/digital camera and lighting technique workshop, to be hosted by leading Italian cinematographer Dante Spinotti, along with masterclass Q&A sessions from French DPs Pierre Lhomme, this year’s lifetime laureate, and Bruno Delbonnel. These will include a look at the new G series anamorphic lenses. The initial G-Series set of anamorphic primes includes 35mm, 40mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm, and 100mm, with more focal lengths to be added in the near future. ARRI is also sponsoring camera and lighting technique workshops, and will host a D21 panel discussion with DPs recalling their experiences of shooting with the digital filmstyle camera technology. Showcased equipment will include the ARRICAM featuring 2-perf, the new ARRIFLEX 416 High Speed and ARRIFLEX 235, plus the D21 and Mscope. Lighting fixtures from the new True Blue range and the latest ARRI LED technology will also be on show. Technicololor and UK post production facility Framestore are also expected to give presentations this year. Image Forum at Camerimage: The newly formed Image Forum will host a panel discussion on film formats, and the importance in choosing the right format for the right project. With representatives from a broad range companies and associations across the film and television industry, the panel will endeavour to give a high degree of clarity on various technical subjects. The Market: the presentation of film equipment, in the Festival Centre at the Grand Theatre in Lódz, was successfully opened up to the general public, as well as festival goers, two
years ago. This year expect you can spend time looking at technology from such companies as Panavision, Vantage, ARRI, Sachtler, LCA, Movie Intercom. K5600, Oscram, Panasonic, Sony, Technocrane, Nokia, J.L. Fisher and FinnLight.
Last year’s festival we paid a tribute to the late Laszlo Kovacs, an inspiration to many film school students at several editions of Camerimage, by naming the student award after him. As a continuation of its tribute to Laszlo Kovacs, Plus Camerimage will present screening of No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos and Torn From The Flag. The former is a feature documentary tracking the 50-year journey of Laszlo Kovacs ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, beginning with their arrival in the United States as political refugees from Hungary in February 1957. It is an intimate portrait of the two giants of modern imagemaking and their deep bond of friendship and brotherhood. The latter uses footage shot by Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It is a 95-minute documentary thriller about the fall of communism and the significant global effects of the Revolution and Freedom Fight, one of the most remarkable events in modern history. In 1956, Hungary, a nation of 10 million people, defeated the tyranny of the Soviet Union, a nation of 200 million, for 13 days. This Revolution was the first significant indicator of and catalyst for the future downfall of communism. It initiated a process that culminated three decades later with the fall of the Berlin Wall and the demise of the Soviet Union.
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Sue Gibson BSC
31 North 62 East How do you shoot a political thriller set in the UK and Afghanistan on a very restricted budget, almost entirely in West Sussex, and with only a fortnight's prep? That was the teaser facing BSC President Sue Gibson BSC who recently completed filming Fact Not Fiction Films' debut feature 31 North 62 East. Gibson was enlisted at short notice, and informed that the crew, locations, and camera package, were already in place. “All that was required of me was to do a recce, turn up and shoot,” she says.
The film, a psychological political thriller, is about a British Prime Minister who reveals the location of an SAS unit in Afghanistan to seal an arms deal worth £80 billion and assure his re-election. The SAS unit is thought to have perished, until a female captain, returns to the UK to investigate matters. Principle photography started in July in the UK followed by filming in Jordan, which was completed at the end of September. The camera was a Viper, recording to an SRW1 Sony tape deck, fitted with Zeiss Digi-Primes from Rogue Films at Pinewood. A Venom flashmag was used for steadicam and hand held work. To comply with the minimal budget of £2m, Gibson was restricted in terms of lenses, and had to “fill in the gaps” with a 1.4 extender. ARRI Lighting helped with the lighting package. Director Tristan Loraine, who was also the producer, and his partner Susan Michaellis, the production manager, had produced documentaries through their production company in Horsham, West Sussex. However, this feature film was their first step into the world of fiction. “It was a big step too,” says Gibson. “They mortgaged their house, used friends and neighbours to provide locations, unit base, catering, and even a light aircraft as
Tony Imi BSC
Four Seasons
an action prop - and all mainly within a ten mile radius of Horsham.” The crew was comprised of college graduates, family and local enthusiasts, with a young but professional camera crew, with the hugely experienced Gibson behind the camera. The film had a cast of nearly 50 which includes John Rhys-Davies, Marina Sirtis, Heather Peace and Craig Fairbrass. “Obviously I had my doubts that we could pull it off with such an inexperienced crew, but we
did” said Gibson. “It's still a mystery to me how we managed to afford to shoot aerial footage, air-to-air, air-to-ground, and use the Castle Air helicopter for a scene with our SAS commandos all in one afternoon, but that's what we did. “31 North 62 East is a small budget film with big ambitions and a big heart. The locations in the UK and Jordan will transform this film and give the subject the realism it deserves. Top marks for tenacity, and as they say 'ignorance is bliss,'” Gibson concluded.
Giles Foster, (with whom Imi worked in 2007 on Robin Pilcher's Starting Over) it is a romantic drama containing dysfunctional family intrigue aplenty delivered by an all-star cast that includes Michael York, Juliet Mills, Franco Nero, Perdita Weeks, Senta Berger, Frank Finlay and Tom Conti. As the title suggests, Four Seasons is divided into four two-hour episodes. We caught up with Tony Imi having just wrapped Summer and Autumn, which were shot in and around Bath, Longleat, Padstow in Cornwall and London, declaring, “Despite unpredictable weather, it was very enjoyable, and I am sorry that it has ended. But we will start up again in March 2009 when we begin Winter and Spring.” Imi has framed Four Seasons on S16mm Kodak Vision2 200 and Vision3 500 stocks, using ARRI 16SR cameras rented as part of a camera and grip package from Movietech at Pinewood. Imi has used his own set of classic diffusers, which he says have been especially handy for close-ups. Panalux in Bristol provided the lights, with processing and DVD dailies done at Todd AO. “Each episode has its own distinctive look according to the seasons,” says Imi, “but overall there's a heightened reality, a lush, saturated fantasy sort of England - which is how the audience likes it. If anything, the look has developed from the amazing sets and locations we were lucky enough to shoot at, such as the Baronial Hall at Longleat. Martyn John, the production designer, has a great eye for this look, and gave me magic to work with.” Imi is also full of praise for director Giles Foster, whom he describes as being, “very well prepared, and a great communicator with cast a crew”, and for the Bristol-based crew which included gaffer Eddie Armstrong, operator Roger Pearce and focus puller Matt Poynter.
Rosamunde Pilcher OBE, the British author of romance novels and mainstream women's fiction, enjoyed and long a successful career, before retiring in 2000. Her books are especially popular in Germany, due to the fact that the national TV station ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen) has produced more than 70 of her stories to date. These TV films are some of the most popular programmes on ZDF. One of her most famous books, The Shell Seekers, sold old more than five million copies worldwide, and was lensed for the TV screen by Tony Imi BSC in 2006. The televisation of Pilcher's oeuvre is such that she and ZDF programme director Dr. Claus Beling were awarded the British Tourism Award in 2002 for the positive effect the books and the TV versions had on tourism. It's with this background that Imi embarked on another Pilcher outing, Four Seasons. Directed by
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Given the subject and the audience, Imi went for classical camera moves and compositions, with plenty of tracking shots on dollies, and no handheld work and no cranes. Often, Imi operated on a second camera, which he says, “saved a lot of time and was very good for dialogue scenes, as I could sneak in and get cutaways.” Imi is currently grading the first two episodes of Four Seasons at Ascent 142 in London. “During the shoot we had to be particularly careful with matching - not just interiors and exteriors, but also between seasons,” he says. “Quite often we had to shoot different seasons back-to-back on the same day. This meant careful coordination with the lab, and to a degree, we also shot with post production in mind. We knew that we could, for example, deepen shadows and augment the amber tones in a scene to enhance the autumnal feeling of something that was actually shot during the height of summer.”
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close ups
Giles Nuttgens BSC
The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond One of the greatest challenges faced by Giles Nuttgens BSC when planning The Loss Of A Teardrop Diamond was taking a script written almost half a century ago, by a writer better-known as a playright, and making it into something that would work for a contemporary audience. “The photographic approach to any piece of cinema should stem completely from the words on the page and the emotional state of the characters in the story,” he says of the long-forgotten screenplay by Tennessee Williams, which presented an interesting dilemma to both him and Jodie Markell, the director. The film tells the story of Fisher Willow (Bryce Howard) who does everything in her power to pass off Jimmy (Chris Evans), the son of an alcoholic father and an insane mother, as a wealthy suitor so that she can appease her family, especially her aunt (Ann-Margret), who controls their fortune. Nuttgens looked back over the films that director Elia Kazan had made from Williams' scripts, such as A Streetcar Named Desire. “There is an energy delivered from both the performances as well as the thought-out choreography to make the actors tighten into camera at key moments much more than the camera moving to them. As we were going to be shooting in real locations, predominantly at night, the trick was to give the actors that freedom, and to manouevre the camera into position, driven by their movements, ending up in the right place at the points of emotional contact between the protagonists. We were constantly reforming the overshoulder shots with different characters, as the thread of the scene would swap repeatedly as Jimmy, the 'Brando' character, is thrown between the attentions of the heroine Fisher Willow and his other potential suitor Vinnie. Within the studio structure that Kazan had to play with, you realise that you are watching a piece of theatre converted to cinema. But we hoped that along with the use of real houses in Louisiana, shooting on anamorphic, paying attention to the natural sources of the lighting, and the accuracy of the set design, that we could pull away from the piece's theatrical origins.” Nuttgens wanted to retain lighting that was as true as could be to the practical sources, but, allowing that, had to light to a stop of T4 at a minimum as he was using E-series Panavision anamorphics, and all to an extremely tight schedule - 28 days for a 130 page script set in the 1920s with a party scene that lasts for half the film to be shot at night with around 60 people in period costume.
Tense from Tennessee: Bryce Howard plays Fisher Willow All the interiors and night exteriors were shot on Kodak 5219 and, as the film was shot for a film-to-film finish Nuttgens maintained reasonably healthy printer lights around 32 across, even for the lower exposure night exteriors. As the film was re-edited an eventual decision was to go to a DI which Nuttgens wasn't able to supervise as he was shooting Heaven on Earth in India long time collaborator Deepa Mehta. So he worked off JPEGs sent by e-mail. “That got us into a general area, but it is still no substitute for the DP being there when it is happening,” he says. The DI was done by Goldcrest in NYC, 3K in, 2K out, by John Dowdell supervised by the director Jodie Markell. Last year Nuttgens won best cinematography awards for Hallam Foe at the Dinard and Copenhagen International Film Festivals, that the Daily Telegraph described as “sighinducingly evocative.”
“One of the great advantages of shooting at these stops is that the background falls off so rapidly. Using soft, but directional, sources gave the picture a classicism that respected the script and helped the period authenticity without resorting to the hard backlights and over-filled faces that came along with the studio lighting of all those decades ago,” he says.
Artisan: Giles Nuttgens BSC with director Jodie Markell at the camera
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FEATURE
on the job
Batman comes back to Britain The Dark Knight broke through the $525 million barrier and had topped the global box office for four weekends when this article was being written. That has made it the second highest-grossing film in history. It’s on pace to catch and pass Titanic, the alltime leader, which earned $601 million in box office revenues, writes Bob Fisher. The Dark Knight is the fifth cinema film about Batman, who started life as a comic book character. Ask any friend or stranger about the masked crusader. Chances are they were introduced to Batman in comic books, comic strips, radio and television programmes before Warner Bros. produced the first movie in 1989. The Dark Knight is the fifth collaboration for Chris Nolan and Wally Pfister ASC. They met by chance, or maybe it was destiny calling. Nolan wrote, directed and shot a 16mm black-and-white film after graduating from University College in London. Following premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 1999. While he was at the festival in Park City, Utah, Nolan saw The Hi-Line, an independent feature that premiered at Sundance. Pfister was the cinematographer. The one-time TV news photographer was at the dawn of his narrative filmmaking career. After finishing his second script a year later, Nolan tracked Pfister down in Alabama, where he was shooting another low-budget feature. Nolan introduced himself during a phone call. He sent Pfister a script and they arranged a meeting. “I decided during our first conversation that I wanted to work with Wally,” Nolan says. “There is a synergy that affects our ability to translate ideas into images. It's the sum of those images that make a lasting impression rather than individual shots.” Their first film was Memento, followed by Insomnia, Batman Begins and The Prestige. Pfister earned his first and second Oscar nominations for the latter two films.
The Joker (Heath Ledger) (front) gets a lesson in crime from Batman (Christian Bale) (back) in The Dark Knight. (Photo by Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros/™ & © DC Comics).
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“While we were shooting The Prestige, Chris told me people at Warner Bros. were speaking with him about a script that he and his brother Jonah wrote for another Batman movie,” Pfister says. “He had intriguing ideas about doing things differently.”
Selecting IMAX One of Nolan's ideas was to shoot the opening sixminute prologue in IMAX format as a prelude for a 35mm anamorphic movie composed in 2.4:1 aspect ratio. An IMAX frame is 65mm wide and 15 perforations long. The image area is ten times larger than a 35mm anamorphic frame. The studio was planning to augment the traditional cinema release in IMAX format on more than 100 screens. Basically, that involves scanning the conformed negative to create a digital master file, and using the proprietary IMAX DMR process to render it onto large format film.
I had a fantastic English crew Neither Nolan nor Pfister had ever worked with an IMAX camera before. They turned to David Keighley, president of DKP 70MM Inc., an IMAX subsidiary in Santa Monica, California, for advice and for practical support in obtaining a camera to shoot tests. The tests were filmed with an IMAX MSM camera in the backyard and garage at Nolan's house in Los Angeles. Pfister wanted to get a feeling for how the camera handled. He also experimented with composition and exposing the negative in different ways. That evening he and Nolan put the camera on a tripod in the back of a pickup truck and shot a test in natural light while driving down Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. “When we projected a print made from the processed negative, there were truly rich black tones with extraordinary contrast and no visible grain,” Pfister recalls. “We could also see every detail in the darkest shadows just like the human eye does.” After seeing those results, Nolan decided to produce all action, car chase, aerial and physical effects scenes in IMAX format and all dialogue scenes in 35mm anamorphic. IMAX footage accounts for about 30 minutes of the final cut. The story is set in the fictional city of Gotham about a year after the events that occurred in Batman Begins. Bruce Wayne and his alter ego
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FEATURE
on the job
Actor Christian Bale zips through the streets on the set of The Dark Knight. (Photo by Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros/™ & © DC Comics). Batman (portrayed by Christian Bale) now live in a penthouse apartment with faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine). Morgan Freeman encores in the role of Lucius Fox. Batman, police lieutenant James Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the new district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are succeeding in sweeping criminals off the streets of Gotham. There is a dramatic turn when The Joker (Heath Ledger), a diabolically evil and sadistically clever villain, enters the scene. There are also threads of romance weaved into the fabric of the story involving Dent and Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal).
The darkness “Batman movies have always been dark,” Pfister says. “There are a lot of daylight and other scenes filmed in bright interiors with fluorescent lamps or rays of sunshine streaming through windows in The Dark Knight. Chris felt the drama would have more impact if we saved the darkest imagery for the end.”
Wally Pfister, ASC and the IMAX camera on top of the IFC 1 building in Hong Kong, which is one of the tallest buildings in the world
The cast and crew spent 53 of the 128-day production schedule at locations and on sets in the United Kingdom, where much of Batman Begins was filmed. With the exception of a week in Hong Kong, the rest of The Dark Knight was filmed in Chicago. “There were 30 to 40 people on our crews. Every one of them played an important role in making this dream come true. Bob Gorelick had experience operating a large format Iwerks camera during the filming of an 'N Sync concert tour,” Pfister says “He was the Steadicam/A camera operator at all locations, and Bob Hall, one of our focus pullers visited IMAX in Toronto, for a week of training. I also had a fantastic English crew, including focus puller Brad Larner, second assistant David Mackie, clapper/loader Ben Perry and our Scottish IMAX technician Stewart MacFarland.” Pfister typically carried one IMAX MKIII and four MSM cameras, which he used extensively to cover physical effects and big crowd scenes from different angles. There are no computer-generated images. All of the action unfolds in front of the camera lenses. Finishing touches were put on the look with traditional optical timing at Technicolor. Nolan and Pfister felt that rendered a more organic look. “Hugh Whittaker (at Panavision in London) was a great help,” Pfister says. “Our 35mm package included two Panaflex Millennium XLs and a Platinum camera along with a range of C and E series prime and zoom lenses.”
Colour palatte and timing The colour palette designed for Gotham in Batman Begins had a rusty copper tone. Pfister and Nolan took a more organic approach to the use of colors in The Dark Knight. “We played with blue, green and white tones that contrasted with black and rusty hues used at some locations,” Pfister says. He chose a modest palette of films consisting of Kodak Vision2 500T 5218 and 250D 5205 color negatives in both IMAX and 35mm formats. It was an encore performance for Technicolor dailies timer John Ensby in London, who worked on Batman Begins. Pfister emphasized that they were in “total synch.” Actor Christian Bale and his alter ego, the Batman suit, behind him in a scene from The Dark Knight. (Photo by Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros/™ & © DC Comics).
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“John understood exactly what I meant when I said, 'make this scene a little darker, lighter, bluer, or let's see a touch of more contrast,'” he says.
Nolan was always around the camera close to the actors rather than in a video village. He trusted Pfister and his crew to capture his vision on film. Pfister helped the audience make a subconscious connection between Batman and Bruce Wayne by unobtrusively using light to draw attention to their eyes. That was a challenge because Batman is a creature of the night. There was some sheen on the cowl which covered his face and on the rest of his costume except for his matte black cape. “It was like lighting a piece of Duvateen,” Pfister says. “We used eyelight to bring the person behind the mask to life. We had a Kino Flo Kamio ring light on an armature attached to the camera. If that light was too bright, we used an ND 6 gel and a CTS filter to warm it up. It didn't create shadows because it's a soft light, but it was hard enough to put a ding in his eyes. It was like looking into his soul.” Locations in England included Battersea Power Station in central London and Cardington in Bedfordshire. The latter was built as a hangar for the Royal Air Force in 1917, and is 800feet long, 500-feet wide and 180-feet tall. One of the sets was an eight story building, where the final, breathtaking confrontation between Batman, the Joker and the police takes place. It was filmed entirely in IMAX format. There was no practical way to hide traditional lights inside the building, because of the size of the IMAX frame. Gaffer Perry Evans and Pfister devised a plan for using very small lights, which could be quickly rigged to temporary support posts around the sets. “They looked like lights you would expect to see on a construction site,” Pfister says. “They created little flares on lenses that felt right for the time, place and mood. Sometimes we augmented that light with a Xenon lamp on a Condor cherry picker.” Pfister has played the guitar since he was a teenager. His closing words were, “When I look at a shot through a lens, I hear music in my mind. Films, like music, need a sense of rhythm that affects everything from composition to editing … I use the same part of my brain to play a melody that I use to make decisions about how to pan or tilt the camera … It's about creating a beat or a rhythm.”
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INTERNATIONAL
Arri D21 digital film-style camera
shooting the future
Cinec 2008 award winner Vantage for HAWK lens V-Lite series
JL Fisher with cinec 2008 award winning articulated skater wheels
Trendsetting technology for creative cinematography For the seventh time, Cinec, the internationally renowned film equipment event opened its doors from this September at the Munich MOC, to showcase the latest innovations in film and digital cameras, 3D kit, lens, grip and lighting development as well as post production technologies, writes Annette Zoeh. Thanks to the skills of the Cinec organizers Albrecht GmbH, this year's exhibition again successfully combined a mustattend trade fair with a high-level ancillary programme. In answer to the industry's constantly changing and ever more sophisticated demands, the three three-day event provided not only demonstrations of new products such as the Arriflex 416 Plus HS andD21 cameras, the new Hawk Anamorphics VLite series lenses, but also seminars with in-depth information on data storage and archiving. Further speeches and panel discussions included debates on digital cinematography, digital projection, workflows in postproduction, new lighting tools for digital high-speed photography, and 3D technologies. This year was bigger than ever - covering two exhibition halls of 6,250m/sq, with 157 international and domestic exhibitors, a special dedicated area for UK companies including EF Moy, Lee Filters and Ronford-Baker - attracting visitors from 58 countries. New market trends include the increase of anamorphic filming, combined with the demand for lighter filming equipment and fewer, but bigger lights, as DP John Fauer ASC, predicted in the show`s opening speech. During a highly informative slideshow, he reflected on the development of lighting scenes and filming, from past to present, and forecast
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two major topics for the future: the essence of data storage and challenge of data recovery. With an expanding stereoscopic market and an increased number of 3D ready screens, well-known equipment manufacturers demonstrated further innovations for 3 D. In addition, the Cameraimage Film Festival presented the “City of Lodz” project, which will see Poland's second largest city become even more film-oriented than ever.
mount, an optical reflex viewfinder and spinning, electronically adjustable reflex mirror shutter. Mscope allows the use of any 35mm anamorphic lens and records the images on an HD recorder, such as the HDCAM SR SRW-1. The D 21 Mscope is available in HD or data mode (ARRIraw ). Frame rates are 10-60fps in HD 4:2:2 Mode (16:9), 10 to 30fps in HD4:4:4. In Mscope HD 4:2:2 the rates are 1-25 fps, in data mode (ARRIRAW, 16:9) 1-30 fps, or (ARRIRAW, 4:3) 1-25 fps.
In cooperation with the German Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits, CinePostproduction, Audio Video Technologies, Iridas, Digital Media Systems and the Institute for Broadcast IRTs' special project “tools for media production” offered another opportunity during the show to gain insight and knowledge about cross-media format standards and technology workflows.
Further hightlights from ARRI included included the upgraded of Moviecam SL Mark 2 film camer, with a new viewfinder and electronics and 3-perfmovement. A further cool tool was ARRI's WCU-3 with back lighted TFT display; a new wireless compact unit that provides ] remote control for camera, focus and iris. New intelligent accessories include the wireless zoom extension, the WZE-3, and the universal motor controller UMC-3A.
Camera technology In the field of film camera technology, ARRI demonstrated stunning products such as the quiet, bright and light ARRIflex 416 PLUS camera. Highlight features of this beautifully, ergonomically designed film camera include high-speed for slow-motion effects with built-in accessory electronics, its lightweight of 5.8 kg, low sound level of less than 20db(A), in HS version 29db(A), improved image quality of the video assist and adjustable image enhancement. With the launch of the ARRIflex D 21 M-Scope, ARRI won Cinec 2008's award in camera technology. A detailed introduction, with ashowreel on the D21 and details of the English production Love Hate provided an in-depth look at the new camera details. The D 21 employs a 54mm PL lens
P&S Technik`s innovative and outstanding product range included the Weisscam HS-2 for high speed shooting, the SI2K digital cinema camera system with touchscreen interface, monitor and electronical/optical viewfinder. Further demonstrated highlights were a 3D stereo rig and steady frame universal scanner, together with MINI 35 image converters and clever filmlook adapter PRO 35, the latter being awarded a soecial award by the British Guild of TV Cameramen, GTC, this October. Also shown was the Emmy Engineering Award-winning Skater product family.
Lighting The perfect tool for film, video and still photography that won this year`s Cinec 2008 award was introduced by Rosco. The
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Happy winners, the boys from Vantage collect their Cinec 2008 award Rosco Litepad HO (high output) is a slim and economical light source that generates almost no heat. Operating temperature is 30C to +85C with a lamp duration of 100,000 hours, colour temperature of 6,000°Kelvin. Beside Arri`s True Blue lamphead range and the awesome ARRImax, a new dynamic background LED illumination that won another of this year`s Cinec award was the company`s LED Pack Shot Kit. This modular softlight LED panel, with light control functions and film-appropriate colour rendition, has a detachable backpack battery , plus soft and spot optics. Innovative and must-have in the field is Bebob`s Cinec award-winning Lux LED camera Light, offering maximum light output with constant brightness and reduced energy consumption. The pole-operated tungsten light head DLH650PO is supplied by Dedo Weigert, along with the softlight DLH1x150S.
shooting the future
Making light work: Peter Daffarn (L) MD of Photon Beard with Mike Perry, has just sold 200 fluorescent softlights, via Strand Lighting, to Phoenix TV in Hong Kong.
FinnLight introduced the softer, faster, less power-consuming toplight, called the “space” light . For quick set-ups like news coverage, K 5600 lighting offered the Jokerbug series 200/400/800, the Joker news range 200/400, together with Joker video 200 and bug video 200/400.Mole Richardson demonstrated its luminaire type 6741 5,000W tungsten par and new type 6751 12K tungsten par, including unique features such as interchangeable lenses to vary beam spread from narrow to super wide, 240V operation for higher efficiency and lower connector temperatures. A patented highlight tool with a threedimensional dismountable framework aluminium system was shown by California Sunbounce. Capacity and speed marked the MA Lighting product line, with grandMA multi-user and grandMA. Other exhibitors such as Licht-Technik, Bogen Imaging, Barbizon and DeSisti also showed their ranges of lighting equipment.
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Hands on: Jeff Lawrence, MD of Ronford Baker, with the new Atlas 7 head, developed with financial assistance from the East of England development agency.
Optics Outstanding optical image quality was shown in the form of the Arri / Zeiss Lightweight Zoom LWZ-1, that has a zoom range of 15.5 to 45mm, T2.6. Its light, yet compact form makes it ideal for Steadicam and handheld shooting. It also features the T* XP anti-reflex coating that ensures a sharp, high resolution image. Two further new lenses complete the high speed MP lens range: the 14 mm and 150mm T1.3 master primes. New HAWK anamorphic lens series was introduced by Vantage who celebrated their 15th anniversary. The new HAWK V-Lite series and V-Lite anamorphics 1.3x squeeze received this year`s Cinec award in the lens category. The HAWK V-Lite series for analog and digital includes focal lengths from 28mm, 35mm, 45mm, 55mm, 80mm at T2.2 and 110mm at T3, a new PL mount and focus scale. The 1.3x squeeze factor allows use of the entire sensor area of a 16:9 digital camera to achieve widescreen 1:2.40 release format. Furthermore, the new set of lenses allow shooting with 4:3 negative/sensor area and stretch it to 1:78 for 16:9 HDTV; with the D21, the full sensor can be used for 16:9 shooting . Further optical highlights were shown at IB/E optics, with Bavarian developer Wolfgang Weigel demonstrating the HD scope designed for 2/3” Hi-Def. Video. With its fast 4.0 T-stop, the HD scope surpasses past Borescope/snorkel lens systems. Also shown were an HD 1:1.8/6mm high resolution lens, for use on high-end single chip 2K 16mm HD cameras w/c-mount, and the HD 1.8/14mm high speed lens which has been beautifully designed with the new striking feature of a telecentric ray path on the image side. New ergonomically designed director`s viewfinder with -4 to +4 and OIC16 for -5 to +5 came from Denz , and Fujinon showed its c-and e- series cine lenses. Cooke`s latest achievement is the new Cooke Red Set comprising four red-engraved PL-mounted S4/I lenses in focal lengths of 50, 75, 100mm and the 15-40mm CXX zoom. Unique and another Cinec award-winning highlight was the RoscoView system. It comprises two components: the RoscoVIEW film for the window and RoscoVIEW filter for the camera. The system allows instant control of 100 % of exterior brightness. Lee Filters introduced beautiful new colours from bram brown to
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dirty ice, and perfect lavender to AS golden amber. The new colours were created by renowned Danish lighting designer Peter Fisker and international theatre and stage designer Paule Constable.
Grip, rig and dolly 25 years of dolly technology mark Panther`s worldwide success. The company demonstrated a comfortable handgrip operation for its remote head system. Another success is the internationally renowned Sachtler which looked back on 50 years of company history, and showed its modular tripod system Soom, FSB fluid heads and FSB Cell with 7.2 V for mini DV and HDV cameras, and the new combi Ped 1-40, a controllable, portable lightweight pedestal. Available is a carbon-upgrade for Artemis ACT2 springarm and artemis ACT2 vest. Speedy, Olympic proven and a Cinec 2008 award winner was trackrunner ENT by RTS Rail & Track systems that runs at a max. speed of 4.5m/s, with hanging & sitting option, a cable management system and lengths of 40m plus. Stunning yeta another Cinec award winning product were the fully articulated, friction free skateboard wheels by J.L.Fisher. They allow mounting on standard 24.5 inch tracks and all 32 wheels maintain contact with the track for improved control and stability. Matthews showed its versatile Red Dolly, whose design allows positioning of each wheel in any of eight different positions for tight 360 ° repeatable full circles (crabbing) and quick dolly reverse shots. The Grip Factory Munich came along with the GFQuad dolly that has three quick-change operating modes and a new switch lever. Highlights at Movietech were the Movie-Jib with variable extension range, counterweights for balancing and self-lock crank mechanism, the sprinter dolly lift extension with electronically controlled lifting mechanism, new remote head concept w/3 axis, G-force vest specially for small sizes, and the Pelé remote head with new operating features. Ronford-Baker technology products ate known for their high-quality engineering and reliability, typified by the Ronford-Baker CNCmachined, high-tensile aluminium Slider that features soft stop adjustable buffers, 360 ° lockable rotation and Tritium spirit level, available in 7 different sizes. The “Supazuuka” billet bazooka provides stable build platform, modular design and high payload capacity.
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shooting the future
The Atlas is a completely new design head with patented counterbalance system, available as a Balanced fluid head for camera packages up to 50kg, or Atlas 30 Balanced Fluid head for packages up to 30 kg. Smart accessories, such as the ULB-3 ULB-1 and PAP-3 Panasonic and Sony adaptor plates complete the product range. Even more versatile tools could be spotted at MO-SYS with the Lambda system, in association with Cartoni. The remote and motion control head for large camera packages includes features such as high resolution drive for smooth operation, quick and easy plug and play set-up, touchscreen control and 360 ° tilt with additional roll axis module and gyro stabilisation. Other innovative products were the MK-V flagship revolution system for steadicam, the MK-V Nexus system and MK-V evolution base; Cineparts' nodal camera head; Mark Roberts Motion Control Ulti-Head and modular motion control rig. MAT Presented the telescopic jib and Super Scorpio crane, Alpha Grip introduced its versatile and time efficient A-jib. More accessories were provided by Chrosziel with clamp-on matte
boxes the CMB-R10 and CMB-R20, and the new family of full size matte boxes - the MB450-R2, MB450-R3, MB450-R2DSW and MB450-R3DSW.
Film stock, video, sync & sound and power Kodak focussed in its Vision3 500T colour negative film 5129/7219. Durability and safety were the major points for AVC products, as demonstrated with its battery belts, big and multi packs and AVC's on board batteries. Silent power supplies were offered by Cineparts. Among the product array of sound sync modules, Ambient Recording showcased Clockit and ACL 203 HD lockit together with the Quickpole series QX light and OP standard. With its cdisplay II, Austrian developers Cmotion received this year`s Cinec award. The display functions include: bigger screen (4.3”), internal antenna, live video image direct on TFT screen, “overlay” lens and camera data display on video image, video and lens data storing and replay functions and image shifting by 90 °.
Licht-Technik
Innovation and constant product development are the hallmarks of the product range from lighting designer and gaffer Uwe Hagenbach (R) and Bernhard Grill`s Licht Technik. The company provides rental and field services of lighting gear for a wide range film and TV productions, exhibitions and events, as well as being the successful manufacturer of a range of products including colour changers, dimmer shutters, motorised yokes, and the well-known Plan-O-Light, Bag-O-Light and Click & Move Systems. The business started in 1983 in Munich supplying lighting gear to film, TV, opera and theatre facilities. Today, the successful enterprise, which is still run by company owners Hagenbach and Grill, who are also members of the Cinec committee, continues to provide equipment for events, major feature films and commercials. Their recent credits include Les Miserables, Smilla and The House of Spirits, 3D stereo films for T-Com, Bosch, Spacepark Bremen and car commericals for BMW, Alfa, Bugatti and Mercedes. The company’s list of Cinec awards demonstrate Licht-Technik’s continual success: the 1996 Cinec Award for the modular motorized yoke system; a 2000 Cinec Award for its patented Bag-o-Light, Air 2000; a 2004 Cinec Award for the LT-Pilot wireless control; and a 2006 Cinec Award for the LT Click & Move System. At this year’s show, Licht-Technik showed the PS50-04 power supply, a cost-effective iris dimmer technology in the form of the Shutter BladeFader and BlackBeam products, and a new version of wireless LT pilot, which is splashproof and more lightweight.
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imago
The First Eight Months flamboyant Zoran Hochstätter ZFS, joined me. The Festival concluded with a memorable piano accompaniment to a showing of Vertov's 1929 Man With A Movie Camera, which should be compulsory viewing for students of cinematography.
Nigel Walters President
BSC,
IMAGO
Since my election as President of Imago in February there have been many pleasurable experiences to share, and I have learnt much learnt about this surprising Continent. For example, if you were to be asked to name the European nation whose passion for film is only matched by its passion for ice cream what would you reply? Even the late David Watkin BSC, who also had a passion for both, would have found difficulty in coming up with the answer, which is… Slovenia. One of Europe's smallest countries was responsible from January to July this year for Euroteka 2008, a project whose goal was to present the history of European Film. Its selection of films resulted from a chance visit to a bookstall at a Festival in Berlin by Bostjan Jambrek where he opened the Imago book Making Pictures: A Century of European Cinematography. The idea came to him to base a Festival in Ljubljana and to show the 100 films in the book. Astonishingly Bostjan, who is Euroteka's head of programming, and the team at Slovenian Cinematheque, under director Stas Ravter, managed to find and show 89 of the Imago selection in the 22 weeks of the festival, and featured a different country each week. This was achieved with the help of 27 film archives and other institutions. One of their important aims is to bring film history to a younger audience, as well as focus attention to the work of film archives, and their mission is to preserve and show. Since its foundation, in 1996, from the remnants of the old Film Museum, the Cinematheque has embarked on the important task of assembling a collection of fundamental works of the history of word cinema. To date it has collected more than 3,500 titles. My few days in this beautiful country included an invitation to address an assembly of predominantly young people at the Ljubljana Cinema, where the Festival had taken place. An awareness of the role of Imago had been already established because of the link with the Festival and Making Pictures. The discussion was lively particularly as the president of the Slovenian Society of Cinematographers, the
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Slovenia did not disappoint, and neither did the warmth of its people. As I was shown the site of the new Film Museum it was difficult not to reflect that this nation of two million could support a film museum when none exists in London. So many of the British historical film treasures languish unseen and forgotten in warehouses. What price culture? Making Pictures is a fine book. However, it has caused Imago much heartache. The Russians would like to publish a translated edition of 2,000 copies. Imago is working to overcome the complications, which may have arisen because of copyright clearance. At present it is doing the rounds with London publishers in the hope of finding one to take on the task of re-publishing. Unfortunately as President there is a problem of being in two different places at the same time. It was disappointing to be unable to accept an invitation to visit our youngest society of Romania. Since the formation of Imago much of the effort has been in encouraging the formation of societies as more countries have been welcomed into the European Union. Romania is producing fine films, and under its president Alex Sterian RSC and with the enthusiasm of Diana Apostol and the assistance of its sponsors, their Society will prosper. Recently we were approached by an Albanian cinematographer and he is receiving advice in forming a Society from our vice-president Ivan Tonev of the Bulgarian Society.
stop at Europe's' borders. The Japanese and Australians are particularly interested in Imago's declared aim to secure the rights of the cinematographer to be recognized as “author” of their work. Unfortunately, making progress in Europe requires funding. Imago is grateful for the assistance of Brussels-based lobbyists Interel, who have enabled us to make important initial contacts. Finances are in better shape than for many years. Louis-Philippe and I attended Cinec in Munich, and IBC in Amsterdam, and found interest from companies in sponsoring Imago. We hope this will be followed by positive offers to assist our funding of such ventures as the Copenhagen Masterclasses, which fortunately have been underwritten by the generous Danish Authorities This year marks Imago's inaugural partnership with the Filmmakers Festival, eDIT in Frankfurt. Imago was invited to widen the scope of this successful Festival by introducing items to illustrate the collaborative role of the cinematographer in filmmaking. At the Gala opening Imago's the first-ever public tribute was presented to Guiseppe Rotunno AIC by Imago's founding father Luciano Tovoli AIC. The Filmmakers Festival was a joyous occasion and Guiseppe Rotunno was visably moved by a standing ovation from the packed audience. Among the other cinematographers to feature at the Festival was Reinier van Brummelen NSC, who has recently been collaborating with Peter Greenaway on a photographic reconstruction of The Last Supper using holograms. Dr Cristina Busch gave an inspired repost on the issue of authors rights in Europe to Guido Hettinger
representing the legal standpoint of producers. Imago supports the established Festivals of the Manaki Brothers in Macedonia and Camerimage in Lodz. The eDIT Frankfurt Festival gives cinematographers the opportunity to bring our role in filmmaking to a wider audience. Prior to the Festival, and thanks to the generosity of our German hosts, an Imago board meeting was held at which Louis-Philippe Capelle and myself gave an account of a meeting we had the previous week with the BvK in Munich. That meeting was friendly and constructive, and a reply to Imago's invitation to the German Society to rejoin us is expected in November. It was also decided to pursue amn EU Media Mundi programme to secure funding for a World Conference of Cinematographers in 2010, and the Board agreed support the proposal for a Digital Cinema Forum in 2009. My final duty is to thank the Board for its support and wisdom during my tenure. The transition between presidents has gone smoothly, and I am indebted for the advice and encouragement of my predecessor Andreas Fischer-Hansen DFF, the indefatigable commitment of Tony Costa AIP, general secretary Louis-Philippe Capelle SBC, and PaulRene Roestad FNF. It was unanimously decided to invite Jan Weincke DFF to join the Board to replace Kurt Brazda AAC. We all wish Kurt good health after he was advised to cut down his workload. We look forward to Robert Alazraki AFC returning to give us the benefit of his experience and flying the French flag. As always the enthusiasm and advice of our lawyer Dr Cristina Busch is much appreciated along with the time she so generously gives us.
A visit to the opening of the Bradford Film Festival served to confirm the suitability of the town as an ideal location for the next Imago AGM on the weekend of February 13th 2009. Bradford is pitching to become the UNESCO City of Film, and the presence of 40 cinematographers using the National Museum may help them to achieve this ambition. There was also a genuine welcome at the EU XXL in Krems Austria. Contacts were made there for Imago developments in Brussels in advancing the Model Contract on Authors Rights and Working Conditions. Imago will soon debating the worldwide nature of our federation, particularly as Australia, New Zealand and Japan have joined as affiliates. The Canadian society has also recently given an encouraging response to our invitation. If they do so they will also join India, Brazil, Mexico Argentina and Cuba. Imago has to find a way for a more active participation of affiliates who have joined us with such enthusiasm and belief. The problems of the cinematographer do not
L-R Luciano Tovoli AIC, Andreas Fischer-Hansen DFF, Paul-Rene Roestad FNF Nigel Walters BSC and Louis-Philippe Capelle SBC with Guiseppe Rotunno AIC (seated)
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Manaki Brothers' Festival The Macedonian National Orchestra had expected to rehearse Beethoven in peace, but this was the Balkans. A conflict of bookings resulted in the Manaki Brothers Festival organisers showing the French film Julia to the irate accompaniment of his one of the maestro's symphonies resounding from the immaculately polished marble outside in the foyer of the Army Hall.
regarded it as a masterpiece, which should be seen by all cinematographers and students of the art. This is the best film about our profession ever made and was worth the visit to Macedonia in itself. Another fine film was the Belgian documentary Afghanistan, The Choice of the Women, magnificently photographed by Imago general secretary, Louis-Philippe Capelle SBC. The two most memorable films in the Festival were both documentaries.
Revenge was exacted the following day when the orchestra cunningly arrived earlier than planned and commandeered the auditorium and scuppered the showing of the Belgian Film, Lorna's Silence which had to be cancelled. Orchestras can play anywhere, film needs a projector (old Greek or Macedonian proverb). The chairman of the judges, Christian Berger AAC puffed philosophically on his distinguished pipe, Sue Gibson BSC threatened to write about it in this magazine, Menahem Golan had long since gone home to Israel, Ivan Fenyo the Hungarian actor was still in bed, and the remaining juror Stole Pope, the Macedonian director, was around but somewhere else.
A special award, the Golden Camera 300, was given to Karen Shaknazarov the Russian writer and director now working for Mosfilm. In his masterclass entitled Film as Art, Film as Industry, Karen had invited cinematographers from the Balkans, and other European countries, to bring their expertise to Russia in training and shooting to plug gaps in their film industry. This opportunity will be followed up by Imago in encouraging a closer dialogue with Mosfilm and the Russian authorities. Ivan Tonev BAC, the Imago vice president, had prepared a workshop on our model contract. This was extraordinarily well attended until we realised the audience were really in attendance for the students awards which were running late. The Student Grand Prix Award went to the Swiss film I Don't Dream In German, directed by Ivana Lalovich. The best director was shared between Mark Jewusiac for the Canadian film Emes and Frosina Naumouska for the Macedonian film Ace Slash. The respective cinematographers of these films were Ji Hwan Paer and Gjorgji Klincharou.
Welcome to the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia as I have been requested to name it by a recent Greek visitor to the Imago.org website. This was the 29th annual edition of the oldest film festival devoted exclusively to the art of cinematography, named after the legendary Manaki Brothers from the beautiful city of Bitola. The Festival was to reveal many surprises. My first, but hopefully not last, visit to this charming experience was leading me to the belief that I had discovered Eldorado - the home for many fellow cinematographers' favourite expression, “always expect the unexpected” had to be the FYR of Macedonia. Although, apparently, not many Macedonians go to the cinema, their enthusiasm for the festival and film is palpable. So much so that the closing ceremony in Skopje was enlivened by a bus full of demonstrators from Bitula protesting to their Prime Minister, and others dignitaries present, at the diminished role of their town in festival proceedings. At the airport the following morning I was introduced to the jovial Mayor of Bitula who threatened changes next year.
The Festival contained some gems and I believe should continue to be supported by Imago. The masterclass given by the Brazilian cinematographer Walter Carvalho ABC was simply masterful.It was entitled The Soul of the Enlightened, and complemented the showing the next day of a Brazilian film by Cristina Leal called Iluminados, containing six masterclasses by distinguished Brazilian cinematographers. The experienced film writers present
At the closing ceremony a special award for cinematography went to Gokhan Tiryaki for Three Monkeys, a strikingly photographed Turkish production. The bronze award went to the Russian cinematographer Yuri Klimenko for Captive, the silver to Jolanta Dylewska PSC for the Kazakhstan film Tulpan, and the gold to Rodrigo Pietro AMC ASC for the Chinese film Lust Caution. To end the festival, director Tomi Salkovski MSC thanked relatives of the Manaki Brothers for their presence. If their 30th Festival next year is as enjoyable it will be a good reason to put the dates in your diary.
What planet is the BBC on? Misinformation is an art practiced to perfection in the UK. Whether it is in the form of a C4 documentary crusading against the scientific reasons for climate change or false claims by the BBC about Planet Earth, some respected institutions behave in the most extraordinary fashion. During a recent debate about the future of film in Sydney the panel was asked by an eminent Australian wildlife cinematographer why this discussion was happening at all, because he had read on the BBC website that Planet Earth was originated totally on HD cameras. This he suggested surely heralded the final demise of film. Naturally, as he had read this on the BBC website it had to be true. My reply that a considerable percentage had been shot on film (including S16mm) therefore could not be true. The contrary was there for all to read on the BBC's own Voice Of The World, their website. So it had to be true.
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Thankfully for my sanity it was not true. Kodak who had supplied film for the series (one episode was shot entirely on 35mm) had also spotted this falsehood. The BBC withdrew the claim from its website soon afterwards. However, not before the damage had been done. In the case of C4 its distorting of the views of climate scientists resulted in a perceptible swing in public opinion towards a complacent approach to the dangers of global warming. In the case of the cinematographers who were misled by the BBC statement, there was no apology or public concern. The future use of film had been decided. It transpired that ten to 20% of Planet Earth originated on S16mm. And this had been miraculously transmitted on HD. It appears the BBC wanted no one to know. The production team that worked on Planet Earth was aware that film was used. So why did the BBC claim that this was their first HD
originated production? We will probably never know, but it was not true and not fair. It is two years since the BBC declared the demise of 16mm film as a capture medium. They little imagined that their challenge to the manufacturers to use 35mm film at the price of 16mm would be met. A campaign initiated by ARRI and supported by Imago and the wider industry, has resulted in the formation of The Image Forum, with the objective of promoting the positive virtues of film. Many top American productions are still originated on S16mm film and transmitted successfully on HD. If they can do it why can't we? In several European markets the use of 16mm film is increasing. The popularity of 16mm film in Italy is increasing. In the UK and France, Kodak report a decline in 16mm but an increase in 35mm film, primarily due to the proven values of 3 and 2perf as a capture medium. The 2-perf is 80%
greater picture area that conventional S16mm on the 15:9 shooting ratio. The BBC's recognition that 35mm 2-perf is acceptable as an HD transmission format is a step forward. These issues are of great concern to Imago members throughout the world because the BBC is hailed as the benchmark for quality production standards. The countries with lesser resources rely on the BBC expertise in research, which inevitably influences their future decisions. HD transmission is still confined to a minority of European countries. The present impasse deserves clear and impartial guidance from the BBC. While advances are still being made in solving the compression problem the BBC should adopt a more flexible approach.
Nigel Walters BSC IMAGO President
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f-stop hollywood
Collywobbles in Hollywood Unease continues to be felt in Hollywood, writes Carolyn Giardina. In addition to the impact of the global financial crisis, Hollywood's labour stalemate between the Screen Actors Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers continues. The latest: as British Cinematographer magazine went to press, the SAG national board voted to request that a federal mediator get involved. The 120,000 members of SAG have been working without a contract since June 30th. And the uncertainty has had ripple effects throughout the industry at a time when many in Hollywood are still feeling the lingering impact of the WGA strike that was settled earlier this year, as well as the effect of the current financial crisis. Meanwhile, at the meeting where the SAG national board voted to request the mediator, the board opted not to ask its members for a strike authorisation vote, which if passed, would have given negotiators the power to call a strike.
Oscar update In this climate, Oscar season is getting underway, with some surprises. In some of the latest news, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that a record 67 countries, including first-time entrant Jordan, have submitted films for consideration in the foreign language film category for the 81st Academy Awards. The UK submission is Hope Eternal, Karl Francis' drama surrounding a Madagascan nurse and Welsh doctor. The 2008 submissions include: Italy's Gomorra, DP Marco Onorato, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes, as well as Israel's Waltz With Bashir, the 'animated documentary' that looks at the 1982 Lebanon war. Meanwhile, a few key titles viewed as possible Oscar contenders were pushed to 2009 wide release, potentially shifting the competitive field. Among them: The Soloist, helmer Joe Wright's follow up to Atonement. The Soloist stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr., and was lensed by Seamus McGarvey, BSC, who received an Oscar nomination last year for Atonement. Paramount has moved the wide release of The Soloist to March.
Heartfelt: IMAGO founder Luciano Tovoli (centre) presents the Imago Tribute Award to Giuseppe Rotunno Festival in Frankfurt, Imago awarded its first Tribute Award to cinematographer Giuseppe Rotunno AIC, ASC. Imago founder and cinematographer Luciano Tovoli, AIC, ASC presented the award before a capacity crowd of 650 at the eDIT Festival's opening gala on September 29th.
Freddie Young). At the podium, Coates said with a smile: "Can you image a job where you get paid to look into the eyes of George Clooney and Peter O'Toole?"
The presentation included a clip reel of the director of photography's work, including some with longtime collaborator Federico Fellini.
Jack Green ASC will receive the ASC 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award at the 23rd annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards on February 15th. Additionally, Robert F. “Bobby” Liu ASC will receive the ASC Career Achievement in Television Award, and Isidore Mankofsky ASC will be presented the ASC Presidents Award. Additional special honorees will be announced soon.
"This is the most important award to me because it comes from cinematographers," Rotunno said with heartfelt thanks as he accepted the award. Also that evening eDIT presented its festival honors to Oscarwinning editor Anne V. Coates OBE, ACE, who is perhaps best known for editing David Lean's epic Lawrence Of Arabia (DP
ASC Awards.
Green, a Clint Eastwood collaborator, earned an Oscar nomination for Unforgiven. His credits with Clint Eastwood as
The documentary category is generating some particular interest from the cinematography community this year. The International Cinematographers Guild recently hosted a screening of No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo and Vilmos, director/producer James Chressanthis, ASC's tribute to legendary cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs ASC and Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, which received highly positive response. Zsigmond attended the screening. Chressanthis reported that the film had had some re-editing since its Cannes premiere, and it has had its Oscar-qualifying run. In related news, Torn From The Flag, a documentary thriller about the Hungarian Revolution and Freedom Fight, also recently had its Oscar qualifying run. Kovacs and Zsigmond served as executive producers, and the cinematography includes some of Kovacs' last work as director of photography.
IMAGO in Germany As part of a new relationship with the eDIT Filmmakers
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ASC winners: Jack Green ASC and Isidore Mankofsky ASC are getting achievementy awards
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Chuffed: Anne V. Coates OBE, ACE receives festival honours in Frankfurt director include The Bridges of Madison County, for which he earned an ASC Outstanding Achievement Award nomination; as well as Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil and Space Cowboys. Green began his cinematography career as an assistant cameraman on 16mm film projects, including industrial films and National Geographic specials. He was a stringer on ABC television network news crews, and his early work included covering the assassination of Robert Kennedy in 1968.
Can you image a job where you get paid to look into the eyes of G e o r g e C l o o n e y a n d Pe t e r O ' To o l e ? – Anne V. Coates OBE ACE Liu was born in Shanghai in 1926. His Hollywood career started on the camera crews of such TV classics as Gunsmoke. Later, as a cinematographer, Liu earned Emmy nominations for Lou Grant in 1982 and Family Ties in 1989. The career achievement in television award has been presented previously to George Spiro Dibie, ASC and Donald M. Morgan, ASC. Mankofsky began his career making documentaries and shooting newsfilm at a television station in Nevada. He went on to earn credits on over 100 films. Mankofsky earned three Emmy and three ASC Award nominations for his work on Polly, Afterburn, Davy Crockett: Rainbow In The Thunder, and Love, Lies And Murder. The latter won the ASC television mini-series competition in 1992. The Presidents Award has been given to individuals who have made significant contributions to the art of filmmaking, including Robert Duvall, Steadicam inventor Garret Brown; camera designers Tak Miyagishima and Albert Mayer, Jr.; and cinematographer Guy Green BSC. Meanwhile, ASC has dedicated the 2009 Heritage Award to the memory of industry veteran Burton “Bud” Stone, who was president of Deluxe Laboratories for 18 years. Said ASC president Daryn Okada: “He had an unwavering appreciation for the role that cinematographers play in the collaborative art of visual storytelling. He also made incomparable contributions to supporting cinematographers and raising their public profile.” Inaugurated in 1999, the ASC Heritage Award has been dedicated to the memory of a different cinematographer each year. This is the first year that the award will be dedicated to the memory of an individual in the film industry. Stone died April 18 in Los Angeles at the age of 80.
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post & techno
Aardman adds Smoke The UK's most famous animation studio, Aardman, has invested in an Autodesk Smoke editing and finishing system. The system has already been put to use on the first two episodes of Timmy, a 52 x 10-minute preschool show for CBeebies. It will also be used on the second series of Shaun The Sheep, which is currently in pre-production. “We were one of the first few companies in the world to create a workflow based on using stills cameras for HDTV,” said Ian Fleming head of production technology at Aardman. “We've changed a lot of our technology and it's been a steep learning curve, but we now have a pipeline for digital stills animation which can also be scaled up for feature films.” Aardman originally invested in Smoke to speed up editorial, but now uses it for grading, conforming and finishing as well. While Aardman has always done most of its post-production in-house, it used to outsource finishing work to other facilities. According to Fleming, “With Smoke, we retain control of the production from start to finish and we have the flexibility to allow for changes in deadlines.”
ARRI buys 50th SRW-1 Sony deck ARRI Rental Group recently purchased its 50th Sony SRW-1 video tape recorder, as part of an investment that represents over £2m over the last three and a half years. The HDCAM SR format recorders are being rented in conjunction with the D-21 film style digital camera and have been used by production companies worldwide for feature films, TV dramas and commercials, including two series of Silent Witness for the BBC, Hogfather and The Colour of Magic - both adaptations of Terry Prachett novels for Sky TV, as well as feature films including Guy Ritchie's Rocknrolla and Roger Donaldson's The Bank Job. In the US hit TV series' The Company, Andromeda Strain and Tin Man have been shot with D-20/21 cameras and SRW-1 recorders.
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F35 open day Around 120 people visited Pinewood to attend the recent F35 Open Day hosted by independent digital cinematography specialist Rogue Element Films. The event was supported by BandPro Munich as well as Cinetal, cmotion, Cooke lenses, Hawk Anamorphic Lenses, Iridas, Oxygen DCT and S.two. Attendees got the chance to look at the Hawk 1.3x anamorphic lens, Sony F35 camera, DPX data capture and SR motion systems, and to discuss digital cinematography and workflows. Dan Mulligan of Rogue Element discussed SR and LUTs on set, and Stephen Roach, CEO of Burbank-based S.two Corporation discussed uncompressed DPX data systems. Rogue Element Films aims to hold additional open days and workshops at Pinewood Studios covering Sony F35 cinematography and on-set grading. The company has also launched Rogue Element Lenses (www.rogueelementlenses.com) a dedicated TV production
Rogue: aims to hold additional open days website offering an inventory of 35mm film-based support equipment to the television industry. Rogue Element owns every Zeiss lens available including Zeiss DigiPrime and DigiZoom lenses, giving it a strong position to service TV-based B4 2/3-inch productions. Support equipment includes Ronford Atlas heads, ARRI MB20 and FF5 kits plus filtration and diopters.
P+S Technik PRO35 wins GTC approval The P+S Technik PRO35 Image Converter recently received a Seal-of-Approval 2008 from the British Guild of Television Cameramen (GTC), which held its annual awards ceremony at the National Film Theatre recently. The P+S Pro35 35mm adapter was the first successful adapter that allowed cameramen shooting on 2/3” cameras to use 35mm film lenses, replicating a similar field-of-view and depth of field as 35mm film. GCT chairman Brian Rose commented “The Pro35 has allowed far more creativity for cameramen working on drama, commercials and documentaries, as well as for feature films shot on HDTV." Wolfgang Weigel, design engineer of the PRO35, and Anna Piffl, marketing manager at P+S Technik collected the award. Weigel said, “This is one of the most beautiful days in my life.
Winners: a beautiful day for P+S Technik's Piffl and Weigel At the start of the project I was not immediately convinced that this would revolutionise the industry, but with the determination of young cameramen, we pushed the development of the project forward".
Rosco's Engel becomes president Stan Miller recently marked his marked the 50th anniversary at the helm of Rosco by announcing the handover of his position as president and CEO to Mark Engel, who joined the company over 16 years ago and who had served as chief financial officer before advancing to chief operating officer. Engel is only the third president in Rosco's near-100-year history. The business was started in 1910 by Sidney Rosenstein, but in 1958 Stan Miller bought the company. It had
only four employees and its primary products were gel colour filters. Today Rosco employs hundreds of staff in eleven different countries around the world. It remains the world's largest manufacturer of colour filters, as well as many other products used in theatre, film and television production. Among its achievements are four technical Academy Awards, an Emmy and a variety of product awards. Miller will remain active as chairman of the board. Rosco's LitePad HO and RoscoView were the winners in the lighting engineering category at CINEC in Munich.
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Lee launches new filters Lighting filter specialists Lee Filters recently added eight new colours to its 700 series. The new products were created by some of the top designers in stage, screen and architectural lighting.
problems. Lee Filters provided the technical skills and facilities needed to turn these concepts into reality. Each designer created four new colours, and these have now been added to the Lee range.
Peter Fisker and Paule Constable are the latest lighting designers to be invited to the Lee Filters factory, working with the company's R&D team to create the new colours.
Peter Fisker's new colours include, Perfect Lavender, Cold Lavender, QFD Blue and AS Golden Amber. Paule Constable developed Egg Yolk Yellow, Bram Brown, Damp Squib, and Dirty Ice. “The chance to develop new colours was thrilling; a real meeting of art and science,” said Paule Constable. “Being able to discuss colour in that detail and for Lee to respond in such a positive way was a unique experience.”
Free from the constraints of using existing products, the designers were able to create exactly the mood or effect they wanted, or to produce solutions to specific lighting
Art meets science: lighting designers Peter Fisker (R) and Paule Constable were invited to tmake new filters for Lee
Budd blossoms at Panavision Jim Budd was recently promoted to the role of technical director at Panavision Europe, based at Greenford, with responsibilities for all film and digital camera systems. Budd has worked for Panavision for 23 years, and is well known by local and international cinematographers and camera crews. He has spent time on-location on several continents as a maintenance engineer, and has extensive knowledge of shooting with Panavision film and digital technologies, as well as the various other camera types offered by the company.
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“Jim’s outstanding knowledge of optics – both spherical and anamorphic – added to his significant camera knowledge, uniquely places him to assist cinematographers and their crews with their choices of equipment,” said Panavision Europe’s managing director Jeff Allen. “Jim fundamentally understands the complexities DPs and crew face. He has been instrumental in providing high levels of customer service, and has developed a team that has become multi-skilled and reactive to clients needs.”
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GBCT - The chairman speaks
Trends at IBC Be lucky Well, as usual I am writing this piece a week after the deadline, which is not a good state of affairs. My excuses are a computer that blew a motherboard, and on a far more serious note, ten days work standing in for camera operator Paul Donachie who was seriously injured as a result of an accident with a camera crane. I am pleased to say that after several days in the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, Paul was allowed home to recover from crushed ribs. It's not appropriate to go into any details of the accident, which is being investigated by the health and safety people, but suffice to say we all wish Paul and his family the very best for a speedy recovery. SI2K rig: a 2K optical block about the size of a cigarette pack I would like to also mention a huge vote of thanks to the fantastic service provided to Paul by the Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Service. They were at the accident site near Henley within minutes of the first 999 call, and after initial treatment with the invaluable assistance of the film unit's nurse, flew him to hospital in Oxford in eight minutes. A subsequent cast and crew collection raised almost £500 as a contribution to their endless need (£1.7 million per year) for funding. If, as a friend or colleague of Paul's, you would like to make a donation also, please send a cheque made out to “Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust”, send it to the GBCT office at Panavision, and we will gladly forward it to them. In the last edition I mentioned the need to be vigilant with regard to the new “managed migration” system being introduced by the government in relation to the employment of foreign workers. In the light of a couple of stories I have heard recently, I would ask you to read that “managed migration” piece again, and contact the Guild office if you have any relevant information or queries.
During my visit to this year's IBC show in Amsterdam it was clear that the business is currently in somewhat of a lull when it comes to truly innovative ideas, with only a few exceptions I will come to in a minute. Yes, there were new cameras, grip equipment and motion control rigs, lenses, lighting and post production tools, although most were variations on a theme of established ideas. Having said this, I would like to now say there were a few gems of genius and forward thinking that were extremely interesting, and needed further examination. This is not a comprehensive look at new gear, more of a look at trends. Looking at some of the seminars at IBC it was clear that 3D will be one of the most interesting resurrected delivery formats. 3D films have been made in the past with a certain level of success, yet 3D had limited growth potential due to hitting a buffer of technological boundaries at the time.
Does anyone agree with me that I am finding it extraordinary how late some production offices are leaving it o book up crews? If you agree with me, perhaps it is something we could begin to discuss via the Cine Guilds committee? I would like to thank Bill Lovell & his team at ARRI Media for hosting a D21 evening for the GBCT at the beginning of October. Hopefully we will be following this up with other instructional and training events, and if there are companies out there who would like to host their own such events, please contact the office who will be happy to assist in informing our membership. Good luck out there, and take care. Paul's accident was a salutary reminder of how dangerous filming can sometimes be. Jamie Harcourt GBCT Chairman GBCT
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3ality: mirror rigs are landing in the UK soon
In the early 1950s 3D films were projected dual-strip with Polaroid filters, and the viewer had corresponding Polaroid glasses to see the two different views to give the perception of a 3D image. Also the familiar disposable anaglyph glasses made of cardboard with different coloured lenses were introduced and were mainly used for a few shorts. However, even these shorts were available in the dual-strip Polaroid format. The “anaglyph” method of viewing movies started in 1953 and ended shortly afterwards. The 3D effect was produced by having two projectors simultaneously projecting two different images, but this was ultimately doomed to failure due to the amount of headaches that they created in the viewer. The first decline in the theatrical 3D craze started in the late summer of 1953 and ended in 1954. The factors causing this decline were many • Two prints had to be projected simultaneously. • The prints had to remain exactly alike after repair, or synchronization would be lost. • It sometimes required two projectionists to keep sync working properly. • When either prints or shutters became out of sync, the picture became virtually unwatchable and accounted for headaches and eyestrain. • The images were relatively dark due to losing light in the projection and viewing process. • The necessity to have a silver projection screen caused it to be very directional and caused sideline seating to be unusable with both 3-D and regular films due to the angular darkening of these screens. Later films that opened in wider-seated venues often premiered flat for that reason (such at Kiss Me Kate at the Radio City Music Hall Stereoscopic films then became mostly dormant for the first part of the 1960s and the releases were usually anaglyph exploitation films. However with some new technology a true second wave of 3D cinema was set into motion. Using a new technology called Space-Vision 3D, stereoscopic films were printed with two images, one above the other, in a single academy ratio frame, on a single strip, and needed only one projector fitted with a special lens. This so-called "over and
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of seeing in 3D space, and the fact that the there are 2 cameras means the difficulties are compounded.
Shocking: The Sterwardesses is making a come back in digital 3D
under" technique eliminated the need for dual projector setups, and produced widescreen, but darker, less vivid, polarized 3-D images. Unlike earlier dual system, it could stay in perfect sync, unless improperly spliced in repair Most films were of the horror, shock and spectacle variety, and perhaps the most famous of all these was The Creature from the Black Lagoon made in 1954. Dial M for Murder, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Ray Milland, Robert Cummings, and Grace Kelly, is considered by 3D aficionados to be one of the best examples of the 3D process. In 1970 Stereovision developed a different 35mm single-strip format that printed two images squeezed side-by-side and used an anamorphic lens to widen the pictures through Polaroid filters. Louis K. Sher (Sherpix) and Stereovision released the soft-core sex comedy The Stewardesses. The film cost $100,000 USD to produce, and ran for up to a year in several markets eventually earning $27 million in North America alone. In 2008 terms this is $114 million dollars. This became the most profitable 3D film to date, and in purely relative terms, one of the most profitable films ever. 3D legend Chris Condon, and director Ed Meyer, are apparently currently planning to remake The Stewardesses in Real D in 2009 A mere 36 films were made worldwide with Stereovision over 25 years, using either a widescreen (above-below), anamorphic (side by side) or 70mm 3D formats before the format was largely ignored.
New Digital Technology for 3D With all the multiple technical problems associated with twin projectors, the need to wear special glasses, synchronisation, limited reel length and giving the audience headaches it is little wonder the 3D cinema spectacle fizzled out. However, with some imagination and new technology in the form of digital cameras it has regained popularity with some areas.
Such factors as 1. Lenses and central zooming, interocular distance and spatial depth perception all need to be considered. The lenses need to be as near identical as possible, and no two lenses are identical even if made one after the other by the same process. Lenses zoom differently and if used without correction it will cause problems. The lenses need to be evaluated and subsequently adjusted with a mechanism 2. Keeping lenses and mirrors surfaces clean are always potentially going to be a problem with many surfaces. Good crew discipline is essential. 3. Lighting levels- due to losing a stop with the half silvered mirror, the lighting levels need to be higher, and lighting taken into consideration to be “3D friendly” 4. Recording - two channels simultaneously - HDCAM SR is a good method, as is the Codex Digital recording system, nowadays as two separate data channels can be recorded in synchronisation . 5. 3D needs special understanding of shooting and post production, and the crew need to be excellent technicians who are adaptable and knowledgeable The Red cameras were again being talked about, mainly due it being the first anniversary of the first Red One cameras being shipped. This camera has certainly opened doors to new potential filmmakers. As long as the discipline is there on the set, and the story fits the chosen camera and post production route then it can only be a good thing. As anyone in the business will tell you, making a film is one challenge, and then getting it seen is another bigger challenge to overcome. Distribution is paramount, and this is where the model potentially starts to falter. It is rumoured that a certain large corporation has banned the distribution of films if they were produced on a Red camera. I find this very shortsighted and will limit creativity for the sake of corporate profits. Distribution will always be hard for independent filmmakers, yet it is a film business, and it should be treated as such. One other noticeable trend was that of the abundance of LED lighting, with many new smaller firms trying to get a slice of the action. The business being so intense in recent years that some LED lighting manufacturers have been apparently trying to control the whole LED lighting market by using Patent laws in the USA as a weapon. This has limited some development of new lighting tools for the cinematographer, and ultimately ends up making the lawyers a great deal of money without helping the lighting manufacturers make new exciting new lights. This stifles creativity and ends up costing time and energy that could be better channelled in creating better lights and innovative tools for the DP.
Lighting-LED colour
Some new innovations at IBC were 3D televisions that use the properties of the interlaced television picture to enable a left and right image with the alternate picture lines, the images being filtered in each eye with a pair of interactive glasses. Another from Philips gave a 3D view without any glasses at all, the stereo vision for each eye provided by a lenticular screen over the monitor that splits the picture into two images that the eye and brain can interpolate as 3D.
Another line of thought in terms of the future of lighting has arrived in the form of the humble LED light. Again, LED lights have been around for quite some time, actually invented as far back as 1920, with the first white LED made in 1995. For film and TV use their potential has up until recently been very limited, however, as accurate colour rendition, light output and stability was until recently very limited. New production techniques and clever design of lamps has led to many manufacturers creating some interesting lights that can now be used.
With all this technology available, it is true that not every production will be a suitable subject for a 3D production, it is another format to convey a certain message or a story. Due to the reasons set out below the technology is fairly complex and prone to error if the rules are not adhered do. An error if made in 3D is not always able to be rescued from due to the nature
However LED lights do have many advantages over conventional lighting we use on a daily basis for cinematography. Low power input creates a large light output compared to many other sources, so an LED lamp is designed well can be extremely efficient in terms of its power input to light output.
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BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER
GBCT Training – Final Cut Pro Written by Caroline Sax, co-vice chair GBCT A few weeks ago I spent three days on the Guild Final Cut Pro training course held at Ealing Institute of Media (one of the Skillset Screen Academies), along with Ralph Ramsden, Simon Mills and Iain Struthers, organised by Deanne Edwards and tutored by the very able Stuart Fletcher who is fully accredited for training by Apple/FCP. My personal intention for taking this course was specific. I wanted to be able to cut a dynamic trailer on my MacBook Pro, from documentary material I had shot earlier in the year which involved twenty hours of footage using a Sony Z1, and another ten on a second HDV cam. It was a personal labour of love and, therefore, self-funded. In order to move forward I needed to raise completion finance for an editor but pitching it sounded somewhat lame: 'an in-depth look at an internship programme run by The Kings Head Theatre in Islington which trains ten promising new theatre directors each year, supported by workshops with Jonathan Miller, Nancy Meckler, Mike Bradwell, Jenny Topper and more.' See what I mean? Totally boring!. The only way I could conceive I would garner interest would be in the old-fashion adage: 'show don't tell'. The Final Cut Pro course was fascinating. It's amazing what you can learn in three days although it goes without saying that you only scratch the surface. The skills I personally brought to the table came from my script supervising background where, over many years, my knowledge of editing as both a creative concept to enhance the material, and a craft/skill to facilitate the drama, has been fine-tuned. This is a skill that all script supervisors of excellence offer a director, although sometimes it's not entirely welcomed. But most surprising, and I have now been sitting alongside editors for quite awhile watching them use Final Cut Pro to edit material I've directed, was how much it enhanced my existing understanding. Add to that the myriad choice of available sound, and the wondrous possibilities of grading using Final Cut Studio software, and you're in an exciting world. That's not to say I didn't already know these things. Intellectually, I did. But by doing it yourself. By marking the 'in' and 'out' points of a cut. By making a rough assembly. Watching the story unfold. Having the possibilities of change in your own hands. These things connect you to the material in a way that is fundamentally different. As editors used to say: there's nothing like actually touching the celluloid. Well, it replicates a slightly more distant version of that. All editors can now breathe a sigh of relief as I will not be rushing to take over your jobs. I see this as a tool to improve ones relationship to filmmaking, whatever your day job. As co vice-chair of the GBCT and a board member for some years, I feel that one of the most important opportunities we offer members, in addition to information on new technologies and workshops of same, is the potential to re-enforce and expand their skill base. We constantly try to increase training possibilities for existing camera technicians in addition to developing strategies to ensure excellence for trainees in all camera grades entering the industry. This is most recently demonstrated by the National Organisational Standards (NOS) which has already been implemented by the Grips, and which both Script Supervisors and Camera Assistants are in advanced stages of finalizing. But there are many other areas in which we could organise training and seminars in if we got enough interest. For example: screenwriting; or how to go about making a short film and releasing it on the festival circuit. But we don't want to do that alone. We want to hear your voice. Let the GBCT know how we can help you and we will do our very best to assist
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GBCT workshops – The Arri D21 One of the GBCT's chief missions comes in the form of ongoing training to make the technicians the most knowledgeable in the business. As part of that increasing knowledge an ARRI D21 seminar was recently organised at ARRI Media in Uxbridge. Bill Lovell took the helm in the evening to explain the updates to the ARRI D20 in the form of the new D21. The audience consisted of many eminent GBCT members, operators, 1st and 2nd ACs and DPs. Bill stated from the outset that his view, and that of ARRI, is that “film is definitely not dead”. He mentioned the fact that any 30-year -ld film camera can be “upgraded” when a new film stock is introduced, and it then effectively gives much better images than ever before. The camera hasn't changed at all, just the “imaging device”. The investment made in a film camera can then be offset over many years afterwards. Any electronic camera is rather different, of course, as an upgrade may involve a new sensor, electronics or signal processing. To illustrate that fact, the D21 has recently been upgraded from the D20, and there are no D20 cameras around now, as the camera body has stayed the same, just the electronic innards and signal processing have been improved. The history of the D20 goes back to about 2001, and it was first shown at the 2003 IBC show, with rentals starting in 2005. The D21 is a tool like any other to transfer ideas and story from a script to an audience in the best way possible. To make it as user friendly as possible, it has been designed along the lines of film cameras, with an optical eyepiece being the most obvious feature for operators used to film camera operation. Indeed the front end is actually a film camera without the claw mechanism. It is therefore by its very nature a quieter camera than a film camera, as the film mechanism is not making an additional noise. The D21 camera can be confidently used with a 10-stop latitude, and at this point Bill explained the difference in shooting on film. In low light we may change to a faster film stock, yet in an electronic camera it's the same sensor that is used. So if the camera is rated faster it will still be 10 stops latitude, we just push the shadow detail out or maybe the highlights can clip earlier. It is not necessarily the case that pushing the gain up on the camera processing will necessarily mean the same characteristics you had before, the latitude just moves further up the slope. So it safe to say that shooting in different lighting situations that testing before the shoot is definitely the way to go. Clearly a cooling fan is not an option on a camera designed for quiet operation, so passive cooling is the only way to go, with heat pipes taking the heat from the sensor, and heat sinks on top of the camera and openings to allow airflow through the body. This can make the body of the camera a touch warm, which is a bonus on cold evening shoots! One of the major upgrade features is automatic defect pixel correction (DPC). Flying in aircraft is well known to alter pixels in all electronic cameras, especially if flying over one of the earth's poles. Detecting defective pixels was always a challenge, and although it can be corrected to a degree in post, it needed to be detected, and that normally happened in
post production. The new system automatically does this each time the camera is running, and if a defect is found it samples pixels either side of the defective one and fills in the details. This is monitored by ARRI and when a certain level is reached the sensor is replaced. One of the innovations has been M-Scope, basically shooing scope with anamorphic lenses onto the 4:3 sensor then unsqueezing it later for production. There are several different options of shooting for different productions, basically logarithmic LOG C, LOG F or linear, and there are different options for recording onto different media. Twin data streams of 4:2:2 or alternatively 4:4:4. In M-Scope the separate streams record either the odd or the even lines and they are combined later in post. One of the innovations has been a flash mag recorder for on board use such as hand held or Steadicam use. Another is the fibre optic cable option, so there can be one small cable from the camera. This can be a run of several hundred metres away from the camera with no loss, and the cable is about the thickness of one BNC cable. This can be a two way stream of data to show the images back from the recorder as a confidence feature, to make sure it has got to the recorder and has then got back to the camera. Perhaps the most useful function has been the use of a LUT that has been pre-created by the DP to be able to be applied to make the “look” of the production travel down the post production chain. Whilst the Raw data is recorded as pristine with full dynamic range, this means final decisions can be made later, and not on the set. The advantage of this is that the production, director and editors get completely used to the final look whilst it is being editing, and that is what they all see. This halts the previous problems associated with a “flat” look being seen all through post production, and when everyone is used to seeing that, they don't like a change that was applied later, even if the look was intended from the outset. It stops arguments later on, which always has to be a good thing.
The GBCT section is written and compiled by John Keedwell GBCT page
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