Camera Operator Spring 2015

SOC.ORG 路 SPRING 2015

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS

House of Cards CAMERA OPERATOR 路 SPRING 2015

Fast andFurious Furious77 SOC SOCAwards AwardsReview Review 1

CONGRATULATIONS Distinguished Service Award Recipient

Gale Anne Hurd EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

Society of Camera Operators (SOC) Awards Nominee

Stephen Campbell, SOC 漏 2015 AMC Networks Entertainment LLC. All rights reserved.

SOC CAMERA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR - TELEVISION

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS 路 SOC.ORG

CONTENTS 14

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

4 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT 6 NEWS & NOTES

14 HOUSE OF CARDS

A report on this year’s activities at NAB; new SOC office; and meet new editor, Kate McCallum

10 ESTABLISHING SHOT Daniel Gold, SOC 2015 SOC Camera Operator Lifetime Achievement Award

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20 FURIOUS 7 Geoffrey Haley, SOC, “Sizes Up the Ultimate Road Trip”

26 SOC AWARDS REVIEW

38 SMOOTH OPERATOR Tips and Tricks from SOC Members I Wish I’d Known that Earlier!

– Part One, David Emmerichs, SOC

40 HI DEF WITH JEFF Report on AJA Cion the newest entry into the 4K Camera Market

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Gary Jay, SOC, “On the Set with the President” Nominee 2015 SOC Camera Operator of the Year Television

45 SOC ROSTER 47 AD INDEX 48 SHOOTING THE BREEZE

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Society of Camera Operators Board of Governors OFFICERS President Mark August 1st Vice President Michael Scott 2nd Vice President Mitch Dubin 3rd Vice President Lisa Stacilauskas Recording Secretary Chris Taylor Treasurer Bill McClelland Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Frediani

Publication Chair Michael Frediani Managing Editor Kate McCallum Layout & Production Stephanie Cameron Director of Advertising Matt Price

BOARD MEMBERS

CONTRIBUTORS

Rochelle Brown Dan Coplan Rich Davis Twojay Dhillon David Emmerichs Eric Fletcher Tammy Fouts-Sandoval David Frederick Brad Greenspan John Hankammer Casey Hotchkiss Frank Kay Hugh Litfin Kenji Luster Tyler Phillips Chris Tufty Dan Turrett

PHOTOGRAPHY

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Awards Mark August Awards (Co-Chair) Bill McClelland Charities Chair Lisa Stacilauskas Communications Twojay Dhillon Constitution & By-Laws Stephen Silberkraus Corporate Liaison Bill McClelland COY Awards Rochelle Brown East Coast SOC Rep Bruce MacCallum Education and Mentor Hugh Litfin Historical Michael Frediani Historical (Co-Chair) Tammy Fouts Sandoval Membership Casey Hotchkiss Merchandising & Promo.

(Co-Chair) Brad Greenspan Merchandising & Promo.

(Co-Chair) Rochelle Brown Public Relations/Publicity Rich Davis Public Relations/Publicity (Co-Chair) Tammy Fouts Sandoval Publications Michael Frediani South Coast SOC Rep Heather Page Technical Standards David Emmerichs

STAFF AND CONSULTANTS SOC Operations Manager Heather Ritcheson Bookkeeper Michelle Cole Webmaster Rick Gerard Calligrapher Carrie Imai Business Consultant Kristin Petrovich Kennedy and Createasphere

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CAMERA OPERATOR MAGAZINE

Jeff Cree, SOC David Emmerichs, SOC Michael Frediani, SOC Daniel Gold, SOC Geoffrey Haley, SOC Gary Jay, SOC

Murray Close Jeff Cree, SOC Mark Fellman Michael Frediani, SOC Scott Garfield Melinda Sue Gordon David Giesbrecht Billy O’Drobinak Albert Ortega Merie Weismiller Wallace Robert Zuckerman

TO SUBSCRIBE

or for Subscription information questions: SOC.org or 818-382-7070

FOR ADVERTISING INFORMATION

Matt Price, Director of Advertising mattprice@soc.org 310-428-8071 For digital editions and back issues: SOC.org Camera Operator is a quarterly publication, published by the

Society of Camera Operators.

Is a registered trademark.

All rights reserved.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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Letter from President Dear SOC Community, The year is off to a strong start with a very busy and productive spring planned.

Many of you either attended or watched the live stream of the Society of Camera Operators Lifetime Achievement Awards that took place at Paramount Studios on February 8. I would like to personally congratulate the Nominees, Honorees and Awardees. Your expertise, creativity and vision are inspirational. Congratulations!

Additionally, I would like to personally thank all the volunteers who gave their time and energy to insure that we had such a successful awards show. We could not have done it without you, and in the end The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the SOC’s chosen charity, is the benefactor of our success.

We’re featuring a detailed Awards editorial section in this edition of Camera Operator, and you can find a comprehensive Awards Show photo gallery online at SOCAwards.com.

The spring is filled with back-to-back events and opportunities for you to engage with other SOC community members and hone your skills. March kicked off with Panasonic hosting a Varicam 4K event followed by the general membership meeting, hosted by Arri, that will take place at the end of March.

April leads us to NAB this year. The SOC will be hosting and presenting two panels, HOW’D YOU GET THAT SHOT?!, on Monday April 13 and Tuesday April 14, both from 5-6:30pm at the Las Vegas Convention Center in Room N259. The panels are open to all NAB attendees. Additionally, for the first time the SOC is an official Media Sponsor of NAB and the Camera Operator magazine will be available at the NAB digital magazine kiosks throughout the convention halls.

Also in the works are various SOC events that will take place outside of Los Angeles, the soon-to-be-announced election details, and many other events that are planned to take place throughout the year locally. Stay up to the moment with the SOC’s calendar of activities, which is updated regularly and posted on SOC.org.

The Board of Governors and I are working diligently to continue to bring value to you as members.

Mark August, SOC SOC President

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News & Notes New Offices

New Editor

•

April 13 – 14 SOC members “meet and greet” tour with manufacturers at NAB. For further information and to join tour email: Kristin@createapehre.com

•

April 19 – 25 Tiffen’s Stedicam Legendary “Queen Mary” Western Classic Workshop – for further information: http://bit.ly/1B9xquJ April 28 10am General Membership meeting at ARRI Burbank

The SOC now has a new office courtesy of Tiffen. We have more room then ever with three spacious work areas; a private conference room, a soon to be lounge area, and an office reception area. Not to mention our own entrance and exterior signage. Thank you to Steve Tiffen and the Tiffen team for your generous contribution. The offices are located 2815 Winona Ave. Burbank, CA 91504.

Events at NAB SOC’s has prepared a nice lineup of activities at the NAB Show 2015 - Panels, Mixers and Meet and Greets.

A panel, HOW’D YOU GET THAT SHOT?! will take place on Monday, April 13 and Tuesday, April 14 in Theater N259 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The panels are open to all NAB Attendees.

SOC will also be hosting a mixer on Tuesday, April 14 from 7 – 8pm. Additional SOC NAB activities include booth “meet and greets” whereby pre-arranged booth tours will be coordinated with key manufactures so that members get a chance to meet the manufacturer’s staff and get a private look at what’s new. If you’re interested in joining the “meet and greets” please email Kristin@createasphere.com and we will send you the schedule.

The special SOC NAB discount code is Exhibits-only: DF120 & $100 Conference Discount: DF144 We are also proud that Camera Operator magazine spring edition will be distributed at NAB through their digital kiosks. This is a first and we look forward to expanding our subscription base for the magazine.

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Kate McCallum, PGA The SOC is pleased to announce the appointment of Kate McCallum to the role of managing editor of Camera Operator. Kate is a longtime industry professional, is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and she serves on the National Board of the PGA and is a board delegate for the PGA New Media Council.

She spent 20 years at Universal and Paramount Studios working in television and feature film development and production, and has worked with Createasphere as a producer, writer, event designer, and programmer. Kate recently served as a producer and writer of the SOC Awards Show.

Upcoming Events

MAY •

May 9 Pedestal Workshop – location and time TBD

•

May 16 JL Fisher BBQ, 9am – 4pm • SOC Moving Camera Seminar 10:30am – 12pm • Support the Children’s Vision Center Raffle 2:15pm May 25 Summer Camera Operator magazine mailed

as of 3/19/15

APRIL •

•

April 13 – 14 NAB SOC Panel: HOW’D YOU GET THAT SHOT?!

Monday & Tuesday, 5 – 6:30pm. Las Vegas Convention Center, Theater N259. Open to all NAB attendees.

SOC Mixer at NAB, date and location TBD. Open to all SOC members.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR 路 SPRING 2015

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News & Notes Events continued...

•

• •

JULY

•

May 31 Board of Governors meeting May 31 Chapman Leonard Event, 10am – 4pm – registration for free: http://bit.ly/18EtjjC May 2016 Awards Committee first meeting – details TBD

JUNE • • • • •

June 4 – 7 Cine Gear SOC booth and panel – details TBD June 17 eNewsletter sent June 19 2015 Student COY Submissions deadline June 28 Board of Governors meeting June Garrett Brown “Movement” Seminar. Date and location TBD

• • •

June Aerial Operator Workshop. Date and location TBD

July 9 – 12 Comicon panel – details TBD July 16 2015 Student COY Awards at Abel Cine Tech Burbank. 6 – 9pm, Screening start promptly at 7:30pm July 26 Board of Governors meeting

AUGUST • •

August 8 eNewsletter sent August 30 Board of Governors meeting

September 27 Board of Governors meeting

OCTOBER • •

October 12 Camera Operator magazine mailed October 25 General Membership meeting

NOVEMBER • •

November 18 eNewsletter sent November Board of Governors meeting TBD

DECEMBER

SEPTEMBER

• •

•

September 2 eNewsletter sent September 12 – 13 Underwater Workshop TBD location and times

• •

December Holiday party details TBD December Board of Governors meeting TBD

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by Daniel Gold, SOC 2015 SOC Lifetime Achievement Award Camera Operator

Establishing Shot the set of Pennies From Heaven there was Steve Martin singing, Christopher Walken dancing on a billiard table and Gordon Willis lighting the scene. But all I was interested in was the guy sitting on the dolly, Craig Denault. He was the quintessential camera operator. Goodlooking, well-dressed, in control and looking through the camera. I wanted to be that guy.

Dan Gold, SOC shooting a USC Film School project. Photo courtesy of Dan Gold.

I’ve been fascinated by photography my whole life. The power of the visual image as it magically appears in the developing tray or leaps onto the screen in a darkened movie theater always gets me. When I was a kid in New Jersey my dad and I built a darkroom in the basement. I spent countless hours shooting photos and enlarging images. My twin brother Michael and I made 8mm movies and charged the neighborhood kids to watch them. Our most successful production, a science fiction thriller entitled The Atomic Burp, grossed over $15 the first week in our basement. When my folks took us to see 2001: A Space Odyssey at Radio City in New York, I was hooked on movies.

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At Wesleyan University I majored in Biology and in Film Production. After teaching junior high school science for a few of years I left the East Coast for Graduate School at USC in the film department. After USC I was accepted into the Assistant Cameraman Training Program. I moved from one studio camera department to the next learning to load film magazines, keep darkroom paperwork, and becoming familiar with the cameras and equipment that passed through the loading rooms at Warner Bros., Universal, CBS Radford, and Paramount Studios. As a trainee I was then assigned to various production crews and began to get experience on the set of a different TV show, feature film or commercial every three or four weeks. When I walked onto

Craig was a natural. He made operating the camera look so easy and he always looked great doing it. His hair was always perfectly coiffed. In fact he had kind of a reputation for this. One day on the set our friends at Panavision sent Craig a special piece of equipment. It came in the typical iconic Panavision case and the label was engraved Craig Denault,“Pana Blow.” Inside nestled in the carefully cut out foam padding was a blow dryer large enough to handle Craig’s big head of hair. After all, this was the ‘80s.

Craig inspired me. He became a good friend and mentor. He was one of the most influential people in helping me along the path to becoming a camera operator.

After a year in the training program I joined Local 659 as a second assistant cameraman.

I spent three years as a second during which time I was lucky enough to work with some of the best people in Hollywood including; Laszlo Kovacs, Sven Nykvist, Tak Fujimoto, Owen Roizman, and their crews. Moving up to become a first assistant my good fortune continued as I had the pleasure of pulling focus for Caleb Deschanel, Robbie Greenbergg, and Don Thorin, Sr., among others.

I had been an assistant cameraman for 13 years and Laszlo Kovacs knew I was getting ready to move up to camera operator very soon. So on The Next Karate Kid, even though I was his first assistant cameraman, Laszlo let me operate the camera on all the rehearsals.

Craig was also the operator, so he schooled

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR 路 SPRING 2015

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distance. Donnie was a real stickler about nailing the exact right end frame. Both my hands were shaking on the wheels of the gear head when they called “roll camera.” All I could think was “This shot will be completely unusable.” But I got through it and the next day in dailies it looked pretty good—and I was a camera operator. Now I’ve got the best job on the set. I get to see the movie before anyone else, right through the viewfinder on the camera. And yes, I still look through the viewfinder As a camera operator I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to operate the “A” camera for Directors of Photography Michael Ballhaus, John Seale, Fred Elmes, Michael Chapman, Jeffrey Kimball, Larry Sher, Barry Peterson, and many others. For more than 20 years I’ve been able to contribute my talents as camera operator to some terrific projects. Spider-Man, Air Force One, Primary Colors, The Perfect Storm, The Hangover, and 21 Jump Street were all amazing experiences. I’ve gotten to work with interesting and creative directors, actors, and cinematographers. People like Mike Nichols, Harrison Ford, Wolfgang Peterson, Barry Sonnenfeld, Ang Lee, and Gordon Willis are my heroes.

And somehow while all this was going on I managed to stay happily married to my amazing wife Nancy while we raised three wonderful girls, Allie, Rickie, and Jessie.

Top: Dan Gold, SOC with Kevin Kline (left) and Kenneth Branagh (right) on “Wild Wild West.” Photo

by Murray Close. Below: Dan Gold, SOC with dolly grip Tim Christie shooting “Due Date” at Grand Canyon. Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon.

me on every shot and taught me all his tricks.

I remember operating the first rehearsal on the Titan crane. I got to pan the whole crane turret around, taking with it the camera, the head, Craig and me up and over a train station in Boston. It was like flying. Laszlo and Craig gave me an amazing opportunity to get experience before I made the move to camera operator. By the time we finished the movie, at least I no longer had to think about which way to turn the wheels on the gear head to pan right or left, and tilt up or down.

Director of Photography Don Thorin, Sr. helped me complete the leap. Donnie is old

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school. He is a little gruff, some might say crusty, but he is very loyal to his crew. I was Don’s first assistant for many years and he always promised to move me up some day. Over 20 years ago, in Minneapolis on Little Big League he made me the B camera operator. I’ll never forget the first shot I had to operate. I was hoping for some big wide static frame of a baseball stadium or something. Instead it was a pretty involved shot that started on a couple of kids fishing off of a bridge. The camera is supposed to tilt down and follow their fishing lines to the river then pan with rushing water downstream and eventually tilt back up to a very specific composition of the forest in the

SOC Camera Operator Lifetime Achievement Award, Daniel Gold, SOC. Photo by Albert Ortega.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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House of Cards On the Set with the President Gary Jay, SOC

Kevin Spacey on the set of Netflix’s “House of Cards” Season 3. Photo by David Giesbrecht for Netflix.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

I had worked with David Fincher for three weeks on reshoots for Girl with the Dragon Tattoo prior to being called for House of Cards. After the first two episodes of House of Cards that David directed, Eigil Bryld, the director of photography determined he needed another operator and I was called for what I thought could only be a three-week stay, but it turned into three years. I immediately fell in love with the integrity and look of the series and started discovering, with Eigil, the style that David Fincher created. We had both had an operator-director relationship with David for about an equal amount of time by that point, so we understood to a certain extent the conventions and constraints David sought from the camera.

STYLE MECHANICS Working out the mechanics of the moves is when I focus on keeping David’s style that he established for House of Cards. I try to help integrate the current director and director of photography’s vision for the particular scene within the framework of that style. During the first season, Eigil and I had a lot of fun working through this process. After rehearsals with the director we’d find every composition within a shot before any other work was done on the set. This gave everyone the exact parameters to work from. This is a method we have tried to maintain throughout the past three seasons because it has proven to be an effective way for the camera to work collaboratively with the other departments and speaks to the importance

the camera has to the show’s image. I was happy to discover the Digital Video Information Network website article written by Art Adams (www.dvinfo.net/narrative-theory/ house-of-cards.html) that reviewed the first season and brilliantly captured the essence of David’s and Eigil’s extraordinary work on House of Cards. I highly recommend reading Art’s commentary.

The rehearsals have evolved into a small group of us consisting of the director, actors, director of photography, script, props, operators and Beau Willimon, the writer. It’s here where I get inside glimpses of the origins and relevance of scenes and the story. It’s also here in these early rehearsals that we work out the blocking with the actors and then the rest of the crew comes in for a marking rehearsal.

Ludovic Littee B camera operator, Director of Photography Igor Martinovic, Gary Jay A camera operator, and Mark Catania A camera dolly grip on the set of Netflix’s “House of Cards” Season 2. Photo credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

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Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright in season 2 of Netflix’s “House of Cards.” Photo credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix.

It’s during camera blocking where David Fincher’s influence affects what I do. We approach each shot with the tilt locked if possible, and any height or headroom adjustments are executed by the dolly. We extend this into the horizontal moves through which we also try to maintain a locked camera to keep the sets square and the look linear. Of course this doesn’t always fit the shot, but this is the guiding approach we try to refine the shot into. In the last issue of Camera Operator, the article on Gone Girl by Peter Rosenfeld, SOC, (www.soc.org/main/02_soc. php?recordID=125), aptly describes this signature David Fincher look executed in House of Cards as well.

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Each season has employed a different director of photography with Igor Martinovic shooting season two, and Martin Ahlgren shooting season three. With all three DPs, our working relationship has been similar to the British style of preparation where the operator sets up the compositions and mechanics while the director of photography focuses on lighting. This style seems to work for the latest system of filming. The DPs are focused on their monitors at video village allowing me to facilitate what’s happening on the set within and around the frame. This provides me the opportunity to be more involved with the director in structuring the scene.

Every director of photography has had their own lighting techniques, but they’ve all ar-

rived with the intent of adhering to David’s doctrine of camera restraint.

Most of the crew is local in Baltimore or based on the East Coast and their experience and professionalism is outstanding. What I most appreciate is the lack of egos, and how everyone pulls together to create this show. Our family of crew remains consistent through the season as various directors integrate into this family. Having primarily worked on feature projects with one director, it’s been a shift for me to get accustomed to changing directors. We’ve had the good fortune of working with many creative directors who put their own fingerprint on their episode while complementing the feel of

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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Camera Operator Gary Jay (left), Director of Photography Igor Martinovic (center), Michael Kelly (right, center), and Sakina Jaffrey (right) on the set of Netflix’s “House of Cards” Season 2. Photo credit: Nathaniel Bell for Netflix.

the series. Robin Wright has directed three episodes, and I’ve been fortunate to be with her since her directorial debut of one episode in season two and two episodes in season three. The close relationships and trust I’ve developed with the actors has allowed me to enjoy the opportunity of helping Robin develop a better understanding of camera blocking. This confidence frees her to have more time to focus on her intuitive gift for directing the actors.

EQUIPMENT OF CHOICE David is meticulously involved with all aspects of his shows. He chose the camera, lenses, dollies, remote heads, and even requested the dimensions of each, along with the sound equipment, to make sure every-

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thing would fit into a Sprinter van that he wanted used as the camera and sound truck.

We shoot everything between a 1.4 and a 2.8 to keep the depth of field shallow, which comes from David, and I feel it helps soften the digital image. Of course, this makes it demanding for the first assistants, Erin Henning and Ian Axelrod, but they’ve more than proven to be up to the task.

I rely heavily on our skilled “A” camera dolly grip, Mark Catania, who has been with me all three seasons. The precision of the camera moves fall into his hands most of the time. The linear restrained look of our show is accomplished through coordination of the camera moves with the dolly and it takes extremely accomplished dolly grips to achieve this.

Through each season we have upgraded the Red to its latest version and we ended this last season using the Red Dragon with Zeiss Master Primes. We photograph 6K but our frame only uses 5K. Much like Peter Rosenfeld, SOC, described in his Gone Girl article (www. soc.org/main/02_soc.php?recordID=125), this excess captured area around the frame lines is mainly used for recomposing and stabilization. We do not correct frames once the camera has landed, so if the framing is incorrect it can be readjusted in post. We also use PeeWee dollies, which David prefers for their size, but they aren’t always the smoothest dolly. I once asked David how much was stabilized and he told me everything, they even stabilize the lock offs since today it’s just a matter of pushing a few buttons to do so.

David set the show up with an aspect ratio of

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

2:1. It’s a format I have never seen used, but it’s one that I’ve grown quite fond of, pretty much midway between 16:9 and 2.35. It still gives me the CinemaScope feel but no one seems to notice the slight cropping in their 16:9 monitors.

BREAKING THE FOURTH WALL The first time Kevin Spacey, who plays President Francis Underwood, gave a direct address to the camera it felt a little disconcerting having the actor look into the lens, and I remember during that initial season everyone’s concern over whether the audience would like it or not. We all enjoyed him breaking the fourth wall but we wondered, would this take us out of the story in a good way? It has proven to be compelling to feel you’re privy to President Underwood’s inside thoughts and I always look forward to Kevin’s delivery when shooting.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

Something else about the show that my son actually pointed out is that by releasing all the episodes at once, House of Cards became the discovery of instant gratification for binge watchers. For me, this aspect of the show accentuates that we’re working in a new and different medium.

TELEVISION VS. FEATURES After working pretty much solely on features until three years ago, what’s been wonderful about House of Cards is how I never foresaw enjoying a television series for this length of time. This speaks to the quality of writing, production, and talent of the crew. I can’t speak highly enough about the incredible actors and the precision they use to work within the exacting camera moves. I’m looking forward to continuing our work into season four.

Gary Jay, SOC, started his career in the 1970’s working on documentaries overseas then transitioned to theatricals upon returning to the States.

While working as a first assistant on Last of the Mohicans, he met Dante Spinotti and went on to work as Dante’s operator on many films including Heat, The Insider, and L.A. Confidential. He’s had a long and fortunate career working on projects with some of the most talented people in our industry. Photo by David Giesbrecht

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Furious 7 Sizing Up the Ultimate “Road Trip”

by Geoff Haley, SOC

Geoff Haley rehearsing a fight sequence with Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham’s stunt double. Photo by Scott Garfield /Universal Pictures.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

“I’m not really a ‘car’ guy.” That’s what I usually tell people. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I hate cars, I can certainly appreciate their utility. They’re good at getting people from place to place, and they offer a venue for ornery youngsters to awkwardly foray into romantic misadventures, but beyond that, cars haven’t been of much interest to me. And if asked, I certainly couldn’t tell you the difference between a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport and a Chevy Sonic (I think maybe the Sonic has two more cup holders?). That’s why I think it’s a bit funny, if not ironic, that I’ve spent such a significant amount of time over the past few years working on the Fast and Furious car franchise (I was the A camera operator on Fast 5, a small portion of Fast 6, and now the most recent installment Furious 7).

In retrospect, I think there are two reasons I’ve cherished my involvement with these “car” movies. The first, and I hope the readership of Camera Operator magazine will agree with me, is that at some stage in a career it becomes a little less important WHAT project you are working on and more important WHO you are working with. The Fast and Furious family is really that—a family. A tightly knit group of extraordinary people who care about each other and are really good at what they do. And to me, that begins with Steve Windon, the director of photograph. I’ve collaborated with Steve four times now, and would shoot literally anything for him, including his neighbor’s bar mitzvah if he asked. He’s got that rare combination of talent, quiet self-confidence, and a nurturing personality that brings out the best in everyone he works with. The rest of the 1st unit camera crew on Furious 7 was rounded out by Billy O’Drobinak, SOC (B camera operator), Julie Donovan and Derek Smith (A and B camera 1sts respectively), 2nd ACs Jerry Patton and Hugh Braselton, and Chris Cavanaugh, DIT. All of these folks I’ve worked with for years and treasure, not just as trusted co-workers, but also close friends.

The second reason I enjoy working on these “car” movies is that they aren’t just “car” mov-

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

ies any more. To say that this franchise over the span of seven films may have “jumped the shark” is a bit of an understatement, and while we haven’t jumped any actual sharks, we’ve pretty much jumped over and out of everything else including; trains, planes, buildings, lakes, tunnels, tanks, as well as logic holes the size of some third world countries (whose budgets this movie surpassed). But that’s why we like watching these films, and why I love working on them—leave your brain at the door and strap in for a wild ride. In this universe you can emerge from the most dire of action-packed predicaments with nothing but a ruffled tank top and a pithy one-liner.

New to the Furious 7 family was Director James Wan. The franchise had been deftly helmed by Justin Lin for the four prior installments with a clearly defined shooting and editing grammar, as well as the dogma that everything that could be shot practically would be, no matter how much easier bringing certain elements into the CG universe might be. In principle, anything that is created in a computer doesn’t completely look “of this world,” so consequently on the Fast movies I have found myself shooting in some pretty hairy situations, using pretty strange rigs, and placing my safety in the hands of some incredible stunt, effects, and construction people. On Furious 7 James Wan maintained the legacy of in-camera action, but he also introduced his own filmic style in the process, including shooting with a lot of ultra-wide lenses and designing more uninterrupted single shot sequences, which from an execution standpoint, proved to be challenging to say the least. To James’ credit, coming from the smaller budget horror world, he adapted to the new scope amazingly quickly, but he was saddled with an unfamiliar camera department. One of my primary goals initially was to make James feel like his vision and approach to shot design were being executed faithfully, and that he wasn’t just inheriting a camera department that would fall back to the status quo of prior Fast and Furious methodology. Once James knew that

I was on his side, I felt a bit more confident in contributing suggestions to help marry his shooting style with ways to make sequences as dynamic as possible.

As every operator knows, a surefire way to make action, effects, fight or even lame dialougue sequences more compelling is to slap on a tight lens, go hand-held and shake the camera around like Joe Cocker (RIP) in a mosh pit (my apologies to younger readers who are confused by that reference). Some people might call the long lens / handheld solution a bit lazy (I count myself among that group), but sometimes it’s the only way to overcome the problem of a sequence that, for some reason or another, just doesn’t quite work otherwise. James Wan’s penchant for ultra-wide lenses and uninterrupted oners often took that tool from our toolbox which made my job as the operator especially challenging. In a fight sequence where I had to spiral around two actors with my Steadicam on a 12mm lens. The timing of my move had to be precise enough to make every punch and kick seem like a direct hit, even though the actors for safety reasons, were missing each other by four inches at least. Camera misalignment of even one degree might result in a “miss” of one of the punches, forcing us to throw out the rest of the sequence and start again. Fortunately for me, we had actors who were wellversed in screen fighting including; Dwayne Johnson, Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Tony Jaa, and Jason Statham. Even so, because of the wide lenses and uninterrupted takes, we often had to do dozens of takes to get it right while one handheld take on a 75mm lens in quick cuts might have done the trick. Take a look the Bourne movies for proof. If they had shot on a wide lens those fight sequences would look like a skit out of Monty Python’s Flying Circus. I really respect James for not taking the easy way out.

A particularly nerve-wracking one-shot sequence James had designed came at the beginning of the film in which Jason Statham’s character was to deliver a monologue at the

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hospital bedside of his younger brother, then fight his way through the wreckage-strewn remnants of the building, climb into his Maserati, and drive away.

The five minute Steadicam shot involved precision timing, numerous pyrotechnic elements, a crane step-on, stunt performances, and construction effects, including a near miss partial building collapse. It was certainly the most technically elaborate one-shot take I had ever done, and it came with the added pressure of an extremely lengthy reset if we didn’t nail it the first time around. Amazingly, take one went flawlessly, and I remember my heart pounding with delight as Jason and I made it through the gauntlet of the booby trapped building – stunts, explosions and effects timed impeccably. With ten seconds to go in the shot, I stepped onto the crane as Jason climbed into the Maserati. The crane lifted me into the air...then my heart sank into

my stomach—Jason’s car, which was supposed to speed off into the sunset, just stayed there, stupidly, depressingly...as Jason tried in vain to shift the car into gear. It turns out that he had not closed his door firmly enough, which activated a safety mechanism preventing the car from shifting into drive. Did I mention I’m not a huge fan of cars?

We shot Furious 7 primarily on Alexa XT’s using Zeiss Master Primes and the usual cadre of zoom lenses everyone seems to be using these days. We switched to 35mm film for one particular sequence which involved a lot of fire effects, because Steve preferred the way fire held up on film over the Alexa sensor. I spent about thirty percent of the film carrying the Steadicam, another thirty percent on the Technocrane, and the remaining thirty percent spread evenly between dolly and handheld work. The luxurious budget of the film allowed us to have access to both

a thirty and fifty foot Technocrane almost every day of the 125-day shoot. On a few occasions we added the seventy-four foot Chapman Hydroscope into the mix.

Even the Movi rig got some play in the third act of the film. I had used the Movi a few times on a film a year before so I suggested we use it when James asked me to do a series of shots that I knew would be tricky with Steadicam. Having been in the Steadicam community now for over 18 years, I find it weirdly amusing to observe the amount of nervous hand-wringing among my fellow Steadicam operators who debate the question of whether the Movi is or is not the “Steadicam killer” it proclaims itself to be. As a Steadicam operator, I’m not afraid of the Movi. I embrace it as a tool to be able to accomplish certain things that a Steadicam has never done well, like extreme low-mode high-speed running, or multi-operator hand-offs, or remote opera-

Geoff Haley and 1st AC Julie Donovan preparing to shoot a car stunt. Photo by Scott Garfield /Universal Pictures.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

tion. But the Movi, and other rigs of its kind, will never be able to replace the Steadicam for many of the day-to-day tasks a modern-day Steadicam operator is asked to perform. Try whip panning between two actors on a 75mm lens using a Movi. If you can pull that off I’ll buy you steak dinner.

collection of technicians and camera rigs used

Lest I give the impression that Furious 7 was shot entirely by one unit, it bears noting that the film had a robust 2nd (action) unit whose schedule rivaled the 1st unit’s. The breakdown was as follows: 1st unit shot most everything in which actors were involved, including all dialog sequences and fight scenes, as well as some portions of the action work, especially tighter shots where we could see the actors’ faces. The 2nd unit shot much of the action work including wide shots and sequences that were able to employ stunt doubles. Spiro Razatos can conjure an exhilarating car chase like few others in the business, and that unit’s

tation, compositing, rotoscoping, and the

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to create their sequences is a mesmerizing topic for another discussion. Needless to say, I’m in awe of their work.

As much as we tried to shoot things practically when possible, Furious 7 still involved a decent amount of visual effects augmenlike. Some of the demands that the movie made of its characters and their vehicles defy the laws of Newtonian physics, to which the only solution is a large blue screen and a good CG department.

Often, I would compose shots with only partly built sets in the frame or even other cameras or movie equipment in the middle of my shot. Photographing other cameras became so routine at one point that I stopped mentioning it when I saw them. As camera operators we are taught to protect our frames from

anything that might spoil the illusion for the audience. C-stands, cables, boom mics, marks, crew vans—we have become experts at spotting anything that doesn’t belong in the world of the movie—it’s a point of pride for us—we are the guardians of the image. But by the end of Furious 7 I was so used to photographing movie equipment, which the visual effects department was pre-tasked to erase, that I had all but lost my talent for keeping the frame clean. And, I didn’t realize the severity of my problem until I was working on my next movie and I was shooting a walk and talk in which two actors crossed the street and entered a restaurant. After the director called cut, the DP chuckled and asked me if I wanted to go again. I pondered and said, “If you want, but I thought it was pretty good.”

The DP stared at me, incredulous, waiting for me to signal that I was joking, but I wasn’t.

It was only when he had me watch playback of the shot that I saw it—I had panned com-

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pletely through the B camera and a twelveby bleached muslin frame without noticing.

Furious 7 had made me completely blind to movie equipment in my shot, and I realized then I would have to retrain my brain immediately if I wanted to continue a career in the motion picture industry.

Furious 7 was full of emotional ups and downs. The loss of Paul Walker was devastating to us all in different ways—some of us knew him better than others, but his passing certainly brought the Fast and Furious family closer together, and finishing the film properly became paramount to honoring his legacy.

A film of this scope can be a double-edged sword—on the one hand, you have a seemingly endless budget with which to overcome any logistical challenge with equipment, time and manpower, but that can also make the process a very slow moving one. There is something very freeing about seeing a call sheet in the morning with only one eighth of a page of

work scheduled for the day – and something demoralizing about leaving the set that evening not having been able to complete the work on that call sheet.

I truly wish the best for Furious 7. I hope that it is seen and appreciated by millions, and that it makes gobs of money at the box office. Not because it’s an important piece of cinema that will improve the human condition or ensure world peace, we all know it won’t—but because if it does well, then maybe I’ll be able to reunite with my family again on Totally Faster and Way More Furious 8: Electric Boogaloo. I may not be a “car guy,” but I am awaiting delivery of my Tesla X all-electric SUV, which should be arriving in my garage within three months of this publication. And to those who would accuse me of being a tree-hugging environmentalist hippie, the Tesla goes from zero to sixty in 4.1 seconds. So—you can go squeeze into your Bugatti Veyron and eat my dust!

Geoffrey Haley, SOC is a Los Angelesbased A camera / Steadicam operator whose credits include Fast 5, The Fighter, Six Feet Under, American Hustle, The Hangover 1 & 3, and the upcoming Steve Jobs.

Photo by Billy O’Drobinak

The camera team in an oversized C-130 set rehearsing a circular dolly shot around one of the film’s iconic muscle cars.

Photo by Scott Garfield /Universal Pictures.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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SOC AWARDS 2015 Lifetime Achievement Awards SOC Celebrates 35 Years

by Michael Frediani, SOC

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS 路 SOC.ORG

The Society of Camera Operators held our annual Lifetime Achievement Awards at the historic Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California on a beautiful temperate evening, February 8. The star-studded Awards Show celebrated honorees, nominees and recipients for their outstanding efforts in our industry at-large. Of course, the evening wouldn’t be complete without our continuing recognition of The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Representives from Veterans in Film and Television. Photo by Albert Ortega.

This year the SOC chose a special theme for the Awards by honoring the military and its veterans for their service to the United States, both at home and abroad. Ribbons were offered at the welcome table in a variety of colors that signified different relationships attendees had or have to the military. SOC President Mark August, a former military combat photographer, honored and acknowledged representatives of the military in attendance including United States Navy Captain Demetri Capetanopoulos and Harry Humphries, United States Navy SEAL (RET) who serves as a Military Advisor on feature films, and is currently working on the television series The Last Ship. United States Marine Corp Corporal Juan Dominguez and representatives from Veterans in Film and Television were also in attendance.

entertaining and informative clips for each of the honorees. Dave Frederick, SOC, served as director of photography for the interviews. August then thanked the many sponsors, volunteers and supporters for their contributions to the Awards show.

The lovely Ms. Cammy, Lauren Shaw, assisted the presenters with our coveted Cammy Award along with three marquee Awards to outstanding principals in the industry. Director and Producer Jay Roach got the ball rolling by presenting David Eubank with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Camera Technician. Roach revealed that in film school he worked as a camera assistant and aspired to be a camera operator. “The best job on the set is not necessarily the director.

Not necessarily the actor. The best job is the camera operator. The assistants have all your gear ready…you put your eye up to the eyepiece and vroom, an entire dream of great performances, amazing sets and beautiful lighting just comes into your eyeball. You get to dance-performance-art it with the actors and you feel like it’s the top of the world…contrast that with the camera assistant job. That’s a stressful gig. I always relate to the assistant. There’s nobody on the set as scared as me except the camera assistant. There are so many things that can go wrong,” Roach stated. “If Mike Meyers is doing the most amazing improv one-time-only take at the end of the day and he’s on roller skates as Goldmember with Beyoncé…well anything can go wrong. David Eubank figured this out and invented all sorts of coping mechanisms, probably after years of therapy.” Jay went on to describe Eubank’s many accomplishments to the delight of the crowd. Before presenting his work on screen Jay said, “David gets it sharp. Very few rehearsals in comedy, very few marks—the actors usually miss them anyway—this man nails it. He is a true MVP.”

After moving beyond the bustling red carpet, celebrities and guests were treated to a lovely reception of sumptuous hors d’oeuvres and wine on the theater plaza replete with dramatic lighting and live music against the backdrop of Adolph Zukor’s famous studio. As a treat to members and others who could not attend we live-streamed the show internationally.

Look for the highlight reel at www.soc.org The always-reliable emcee Bruce Carse and voice-over artist Joyce Kurtz introduced our near-capacity audience to SOC President Mark August who welcomed the audience to the event, setting the stage for an emotionally powerful evening—it commenced with a wonderful retrospective video created by editor Bob Joyce. Bob and his team also created

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

David Eubank, CAMERA TECHNICIAN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. Photos by Albert Ortega.

David Eubank, with his signature flowing, silver hair thanked Jay Roach and, “The SOC for this wonderful honor, it’s truly a grateful

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moment to be recognized by my peers…thanks to my dad if he is up there smiling down. To my mom who is in Florida watching the stream if she can get it to work” he said with a grin. In closing David said, “Thanks everyone I will truly treasure this award.”

Mark August and Lisa Stacilauskas, SOC, our charities chair introduced and presented a check to Dr. Thomas C. Lee of CHLA. The Vision Center remains the SOC’s charity of choice and our organization supports the Center by creating videos and dedicating funds from the Awards show and other sources to the Center annually. The Society is extremely proud to announce that our donations to date exceeds $182,000.

Lisa adroitly stated, “The gift of sight is one no camera operator takes for granted. This is why the SOC membership is compelled to donate not just money, but also our time and services to The Vision Center at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.”

In accepting this year’s check Dr. Lee offered his gratitude to the SOC saying, “Each year I come up in front of this audience and each year I’m humbled by the type of work you do. It’s amazing the talent and passion that camera operators have.” Dr. Lee added, “The reason this relationship is so important is in part its longevity, and the fact that we’ve been together now for almost 35 years. And over those years you’ve been the most loyal, committed partner in our fight against childhood blindness and for that we are deeply grateful.” The audience was justly moved by the presentation video and the eloquent words of Dr. Lee. Sergeant-at-Arms and past president Michael Frediani, SOC, presented our Governors Award for outstanding career and contributions.

and further the cause of democracy and human rights in South Africa.

As camera operators it is our great gift to experience through our viewfinders the genius of a script coming to life through the talents of the world’s greatest actors. Let’s look at clips of this rare jewel that is Ms. Alfre Woodard.” Our behind-the-scenes crew kept the clips coming.

An amazing compilation of her career to-date was shown on the theater-sized screen for all to enjoy. As the lights came up Ms. Woodard was escorted to the podium to great adulation.

Looking movie star beautiful, she captivated the audience with a lovely speech thanking the many camera operators over the years who have helped her feel confident in front of the camera. As she shared her history and details about how she had refined her craft Ms. Woodard said “My work took on a creative intelligence, and specificity when I embraced the possibilities of engaging with the camera. An awareness, not of the camera, but an awareness with the camera. It expanded my range and thereby my language as an actor. My focus went from what not to be with the camera, but how to be with the camera. And I discovered you there, the operator—as much my scene partner as any actor I would stand with. The deft hand that you bring is an integral part of my process.” Yet another touching moment among many at our annual crown jewel event.

With much more ahead the audience was glued to their quite comfortable seats. Next up, the Distinguished Service Award was presented to the prolific producer Gale Anne Hurd for her tremendous service to the industry. Hurd’s numerous credits include the feature films; Terminator, Alien, Dante’s Peak, Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, and the AMC hit television series Walking Dead—undoubtedly more great productions on her horizon.

The talented actor Scott Wilson was her adept presenter. On stage and before showing clips of her career Wilson said in part, “…combined with her love of fantasy and the futuristic worlds of sci-fi, that is what propelled Gale Anne through the perilous terrain of movie making with movies that have captured the world and set standards for future generations of filmmakers, leaving an indelible imprint on film history. Her films have taken us through fantastic landscapes of the imagination that thrill, terrify and inspire with wonder. Before I invite my friend Gale Anne up to accept this award let’s see a bit of her amazing career here on the big screen.”

Alfre Woodard, GOVERNORS AWARD and Gale Anne Hurd, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD. Photo by Albert Ortega.

This year’s recipient ranked as one of our finest choices, Alfre Woodard.

Frediani detailed only part of her contributions by stating, “In 2009 President Obama appointed her to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. Ms. Woodard co-founded Artists for a New South Africa, a non-profit working to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

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After some very compelling clips onscreen Ms. Hurd joined Wilson onstage as he handed her the SOC’s Distinguished Service Award. Ms. Hurd’s acceptance speech provided memorable moments when she compared the producer’s role to that of the camera operator saying, “I am truly grateful to the SOC and very appreciative to be standing here before you this evening.

You know, when you think about it, producers and camera operators have a great deal in common. We do a lot of the heavy lifting on a show, but for some strange reason, most of the credit seems to go

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

to someone else. If producers and operators do their jobs well, our contributions are almost invisible in the finished film. In a darkened theater if the viewer notices a particular shot, it might be because it’s out of focus or framed awkwardly.

If I do my job right the director and the studio will never know how close we might have come to losing a key location or the times I’ve had to intervene when an actor stalked off set and refused to come out of their trailer. You are able to capture the most powerful performances without being too obtrusive or missing the shot, even when an actor can’t hit their mark. When we are doing our jobs right all of the drama is where it rightly belongs, on screen!” Ms. Hurd completed her speech by dedicating her award to Sarah Jones followed by a new PSA from the Sarah Jones Foundation about safety on the set which was screened for the audience. It was a sobering film, yet moving as well. In 2014 the SOC’s Awards took place soon after the filming tragedy that took the young camera assistant’s life. At that event a tribute film was produced by the SOC and Sarah’s parents joined us onstage. http://bit.ly/1CpEzyd Mark August bounded back onstage to present his 2015 President’s Award to Dan Perry, Director NAO Production Manager/Director DMPC of Sony Electronics. August stated, “During Dan’s 18-year career at Sony, he’s been instrumental in creating widespread acceptance for landmark technologies in the motion picture and television industries, including F-Series cameras, Sony’s XDCAM system and the HDCAM SR format for episodic television and motion pictures.” With that Mr. Perry joined Mark onstage and shared this observation, “To be honored by the SOC is truly an honor. It’s something that I take seriously – the job to give your feedback to the factory to make the tools that you need to make a very difficult job, hopefully, a little easier.”

Actors Erin Gray, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and Esme Bianco, Game of Thrones presented the Historical Shot Cammy to Boogie Nights camera operator Andy Shuttleworth. The beautiful and talented Ms. Gray said, “Andy knows how to go with the flow and stay in the sweet spot. When you can repeatedly get the kind of uncut shots that court all the dangers and the rules, and it works, you are indeed plucking order from chaos! That’s a beautiful and amazing thing.” To warm applause Andy was visibly humbled by his honor and then preceded to regale the crowd and our live-streaming audience with the pitfalls take-by-take of executing such an exacting and creative shot that was the opening of Boogie Nights. To see this award winning Steadicam™ shot you will find it here: https://vimeo.com/75149064

Alan “Moose” Shultz, SOC MOBILE PLATFORM CAMERA OPERATOR. Photos by Albert Ortega.

As our star-studded evening of those both in front of and behind the camera continued the golden Cammy was bestowed upon four Lifetime Achievement awardees. Camera Operator Daniel Gold, SOC, Camera Technician David Eubank, Mobile Camera Platform Operator Alan “Moose” Shultz and Still Photographer Suzanne Hanover/SMPSP. Film clips were shown profiling their amazing accomplishments over the years before they came onstage to accept their well-deserved award. (For a full biography list of awardees and nominees visit our Tribute Book website: http://bit.ly/1GfXJUT).

To honor Alan “Moose” Shultz, key grip Les Tomita took to the podium. “The relationship between a dolly grip, camera operator and focus puller is a very special one. Becoming a graceful artist on any operating platform requires extreme skill and a true understanding of camera movement. Collaborating, designing and choreographing a ballet between the actors and the camera can happen only when Suzanne Hanover/SMPSP, LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT STILL PHOTOGRAPHER. Photos by Albert Ortega.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

everyone becomes one. Alan Schultz, ‘Moose,’ as we all know him is one of those rare finds.”

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Cammy-winner Shulz came up after his video highlights reel and said in part, “I’d like to extend my thanks to the operators and the SOC. Because without them, when you’re first learning how to be a dolly grip—without their support and sharing their knowledge about what is supposed to happen, and not only what is supposed to happen but WHY it’s supposed to happen, which is equally important, maybe even more important, because it gives you an understanding of why you are doing things and helps you become better at your craft. Without their support, sharing their knowledge and inspiring you to do better work because they’re passionate about their job—without that you just won’t get better at your craft.” Moose added, “So a huge amount of respect and admiration for camera operators for the weight they carry on the set. I would like to thank the SOC for this award from the bottom of my heart. There’s nothing greater than being recognized for your work by the people you work with. Thank you so much! I look forward to many more years working with you guys.”

Emcee Bruce Carse kept the show flowing as he set the stage for the Still Photographer Award. “Capturing a still of the ‘perfect frame’ that expresses the essence of the cinematic story is the goal of every on-set still photographer. Yet, they also have to position themselves and stay invisible – and be at the right place at the right time in order to get those perfect shots. It’s serious business.” Bruce then introduced the quite prolific Judd Apatow who, with his requisite humor and high praise of Suzanne Hanover, SMPSP, said: “I am so excited to get to be a part of this award presentation to Susie Hanover who’s done so many movies with us. She did The 40 Year-Old-Virgin, Talladega Nights, This Is 40, Bridesmaids, Year One. She’s one of our favorite people. She’s fun and hilarious to have on the set. We never say ‘Get out of my eye line.’ We want her to be in our eye line. That’s how awesome she is.” With that, Apatow brought Suzanne Hanover onstage. “I’d like to thank the SOC and everyone here who made this award possible. Thank you members of the SOC for sharing three feet of space for 12 hours a day for 35 years of my career. I have never worked with a more talented group of people. I want to thank the SMPSP, that group of photographers that propels me to do better, everyday.” Suzanne continued, “To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson: ‘The reward of a thing well done is to have done it. Any recognition is just the icing on the cake, not to be expected but definitely to be enjoyed.’ Thank you for this cupcake, SOC.” SOC member Eric Fletcher was on hand to give the Technical Achievement Award to Teradek, LLC CEO Nicol Verheem for Teradek’s work designing and manufacturing their Bolt line of products. Eric said in part, “So as we do in our industry, we create solutions to our problems.

Video transmitters started to show up — crude devices at first that were as good at heating up your coffee as they were at transmitting a viewable signal. Early transmitters didn’t exactly inspire confidence in what the frame actually looked like.” After further detailing the evolution of video transmitters Eric concluded with, “Thank you Nicol Verheem and your team for building the Bolt line of products. Thank you for

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listening to our needs. And thank you for supporting your product so well.” Nicol came onstage and was self-effacing with his humor, and deflected all of the credit aimed at himself towards his team, “There are 70 incredibly hardworking and amazingly talented individuals grinding every day to ensure we continue to be the future of wireless video…

Thank you again for your support, and thank you to the SOC for creating this platform to recognize the ‘propeller heads’ behind the products and tools you use. We look forward to helping you guys make great movies and captivating shows for many, many years to come.”

The evening was now approaching its closing minutes. It was a tightly run production supervised from start to finish by Kristin Petrovich Kennedy, Mark August and Bill McClelland at the reins during the planning phases and the implementation—kudos are certainly deserved by the many support staff who are named in our tribute book.

This year we reached into our photo archives to include snapshots of our members and events from years past.

Christopher T.J. McGuire, SOC, CAMERA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR TELEVISION True Detective. Photos by Albert Ortega.

Suspense was palpable prior to announcing the winners of the two previously unannounced award winners for Camera Operator of the Year (COY) in both television and film. Actors Bellamy Young of Scandal, Michael Kelly of House of Cards, and Matthew Rauch of Banshee presented the television award to Christopher “T..J.” McGuire, SOC, who won for his visually gripping and impeccable Steadicam operating on the television series True Detective. It is an awesome shot that you can view here: www.socawards.com/chris-t-j-mcguire-soc McGuire stated with genuine modesty his gratitude exclaiming, “Wow, blimey, thank you so much. Ever since I came to this country nine years ago every one of you in the SOC has made me feel very welcome.” To the chagrin of the audience Chris said, “When I’m doing big shots,

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

presentation of the final Lifetime Achievement Award to Dan Gold, SOC. His presenter, actor Nate Corddry recalled, “Dan’s presence on set

was a calming presence, a passionate advocate for the right angle and the right dolly move, but he also knew when to allow others to shape a scene. He was always there for me, as an actor, and this is something they don’t teach you in acting school. An actor’s greatest friend and ally on a set is the operator. It can be a wonderfully rich, creative relationship, one not being able to do their best work without the support and trust of the other and when you develop the kind of trust Dan and I developed you both succeed.”

As Dan took the stage to enthusiastic applause he was warm and gracious in his comments to those who helped him achieve an enviable Christopher Haarhoff, SOC, CAMERA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR FEATURE FILM Birdman. Photos by Albert Ortega.

and there are a lot of Steadicam operators that will do twenty minute takes, and then the director will call for coverage—then we know that twenty minute take was a twenty minute shot of coverage.” That statement really resonated with the camera operators in the audience! Chris continued, “Once in a while you do a really great shot. We all aspire to doing a great shot. I look at Andy Shuttleworth’s shot, beautiful, Boogie Nights shot. Growing up I always wanted to do a shot like that myself. Having the opportunity to do a shot on True Detective like that is fabulous.” There was a lot of buzz in the camera community when we viewed on TV that unbroken shot that really wowed us all. Congrats to Chris “T.J.” McGuire.

As McGuire left the stage with Cammy in hand actors Kim Coates of Sons of Anarchy, Charles Rahi Chun of The Interview, and Doug Jones from Silver Surfer arrived onstage to announce the 2015 Camera Operator of the Year Award for feature films. As with the television Cammy nominees, this category was replete with deserved nominees. And the Cammy goes to...Chris Haarhoff, SOC, for his extraordinarily flawless and seamless camera operating on Birdman. There is no doubt that Chris was a vital contributor that led to the Academy Award Oscar™ for Outstanding Cinematography.

career. “When I got the call from the SOC telling me I was being honored with this award, I had mixed emotions about it. Of course I was very grateful for being acknowledged for my work by such a worthwhile organization as the Society of Camera Operators. But the title of Lifetime Achievement gave me pause. ‘Lifetime Achievement.’ Whoa!

That sounds so final. Is it time to hang up the wheels I wondered? No, I’m not done yet.” To the relaxing laughter of the crowd, Dan continued with generous acknowledgement of his mentors through the years, then added wryly, “I thank the SOC for this ‘Lifetime In Progress So Far So Good Award.’ And for their unwavering love and support that have made my achievements possible, I hereby present the real Lifetime Achievement Award to my incredible wife Nancy and our three girls, Allie, Rickie and Jessie. I couldn’t do this without them.”

As the evening drew to a close the comments were unanimous — a splendid time was had by all. As an entertained audience filed out to the reception area they were pleased to be offered a dessert, wine and champagne reception in the lobby and the plaza area. We hope to see even more SOC members in 2016 where we will again honor those above and below-the-line crème de la crème of our fantastic industry.

For more information and a photo gallery visit: www.socawards.com

We watched as some of Chris’ surefooted and balanced work was screened for us. “Awesome” is just one adjective that was heard from the crowd. In accepting his Cammy he stated, “This has been an unusual experience to share the excitement of this film and a lot of people have said some very kind things to me. Alot of you are sitting here in this auditorium tonight and I just want to say thank you to all of you. To even be considered for this award by the SOC and the work done on this film is a highlight of my life and I cherish the opportunity to be included in this particular list of nominees. For a moment we appear as if we are competitors but really we’re all friends. Thank you so much.”

The excitement of the evening moved to another high level with the

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

SOC members on the red carpet. Photos by Albert Ortega.

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A little more about the Honorees...

Governors Lifetime Achievement Award

advocate for the arts in education, largely through her work on the Committee’s “Turnaround Arts” initiative, which was launched in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education and the White House Domestic Policy Council to narrow the achievement gap and increase student engagement through the arts.

Alfre Woodard She directed and produced, “Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales,” which won the 2010 Audiobook of the Year, and garnered a 2010 Grammy Award nomination for “Best Children’s Spoken Word Album.”

The audiobook hosts a collaboration of talent both broad and diverse, featuring: Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Helen Mirren, Alan Rickman, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Distinguished Service Award Gale Anne Hurd Courtesy of Alfre Woodard

Alfre Woodard’s work as an actor has earned her an Oscar nomination, four Emmy Awards and seventeen Emmy nominations, three SAG Awards and a Golden Globe. Woodard’s illustrious body of work includes her Oscar nominated performance in Martin Ritt’s Cross Creek; HBO’s Mandela; Lawrence Kasdan’s Grand Canyon; John Sayles’ Passion Fish; Joseph Sargent’s Miss Ever’s Boys, for which she won an Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe Award; Spike Lee’s Crooklyn; Gina Prince-Bythewood’s Love and Basketball; Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys; and Maya Angelou’s Down In the Delta. She has played numerous television roles including Betty Applewhite on the ABC drama Desperate Housewives and Ruby Jean Reynolds, mother to Lafayette Reynolds, on HBO’s True Blood. Woodard co-starred in Lifetime’s hit remake of Steel Magnolias, in which she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild and Emmy Award and won a NAACP Image Award for her performance as Ouiser. She appeared in the critically acclaimed 12 Years a Slave, directed by Steve McQueen, which won an Oscar for Best Picture. Most recently she was seen in New Line’s Annabelle and has a recurring role on TNT’s The Last Ship. She currently stars as Potus in the NBC drama series, State of Affairs.

In addition to her acting career, Woodard is a longtime activist. She co-founded Artists for a New South Africa, a nonprofit working to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS and further the cause of democracy and human rights in South Africa. In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed her to the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities. As part of her work on the Committee, Woodard has adopted several high-poverty and under-performing public schools around the country, including ReNew Cultural Arts Academy in New Orleans and Noel Community Arts School in Denver. She is an active

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Photo courtesy of Gale Anne Hurd

Gale Anne Hurd, known as the “First Lady of Sci-Fi,” is a producer of Academy Award-winning films and Emmy-winning programs that shatter box office and ratings records.

After climbing the ladder from executive assistant at Roger Corman’s New World Pictures to head marketing for the company, Hurd’s career as a Producer was launched when she produced and co-wrote The Terminator. The film received critical and commercial acclaim, including TIME Magazine’s “10 Best List.” It was recently recognized by the Library of Congress, which chose The Terminator to be included in its highly esteemed National Film Registry.

This success was quickly followed by Aliens, which received seven nominations and two Academy Awards, and the Academy Award winning films The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, and The Ghost and the Darkness. Hurd’s additional feature credits include the Academy Award nominated Armageddon, The Incredible Hulk, Tremors, Dante’s Peak, Æon Flux, The Punisher, Dick, and The Waterdance, which won

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Science of the Beautiful

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the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, and both the Audience and Screenplay Awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

When Hurd decided to enter the television business, she did so with a bang as executive producer of The Walking Dead, which currently reigns as the most-watched scripted drama, beating all broadcast and cable series among adults 18-49. With 17.3 million viewers tuning in to the Season 5 premiere, the show will return for a sixth season.

The American Film Institute honored the show in both 2010 and 2012 as a “Top 10” TV program. The series has also garnered two Emmy wins and was nominated by the Television Critics Association for “Program of the Year” in 2012. In 2014 The Walking Dead nabbed the People’s Choice awards for “Favorite Cable TV Drama” and “Favorite TV Anti-Hero.” Hurd is also a consulting producer on AMC’s top-rated spinoff talk show, Talking Dead, which recently logged 5.9 million viewers, a new series high.

Hurd’s company, Valhalla Motion Pictures, has an overall deal with Universal Cable Productions to develop new television and digital programs. 1n 2015, Hurd will serve as an executive producer for AMC’s exciting new television pilot, a companion series to the hit show The Walking Dead, as well as Hunters, a straight to series order based on the Whitley Strieber novel “Alien Hunter” for the SyFy network. Natalie Chaidez (In Plain Sight and Heroes) is attached as the showrunner. In addition she is actively developing a number of standalone projects, including an adaptation of Annie Jacobsen’s non-fiction best seller “Area 51: An Uncensored History of America’s Top Secret Military Base” with showrunner Chris Carter (X-Files).

President’s Award Dan Perry, Director NAO Production Manager/Director DMPC of Sony Electronics

Cameras, Sony’s XDCAM system and the HDCAM SR format for episodic television and motion pictures. He has worked over the years to ensure that the requests of the production community are better understood by Sony engineers, to deliver products more suited for their needs. His relationships with key organizations, such as the SOC, have allowed him to provide valuable feedback necessary to refine and develop new products.

The DMPC provides a unique creative environment for shooting and evaluating images of the highest-quality, and provides detailed hands on training to thousands of industry professionals on camera operation and post 4K workflows.

Perry works closely with industry specialists to define the DMPC’s long-term vision for this one-of-a-kind facility, using his extensive experience in bringing new technologies to Hollywood’s brightest creative minds. Perry has held a variety of sales and marketing roles, including his recent position as production manager for Sony’s National Accounts Organization. He began his career in operations and progressed through multiple roles including: western regional sales manager for direct and reseller channel sales, managing studio and production accounts to drive sales of Sony products; and senior account manager, handling major production, post production and broadcast accounts in the greater Los Angeles area.

Camera Operator Lifetime Achievement Award Daniel Gold, SOC

Photo by Merie Weismiller Wallace Courtesy of Dan Perry

Dan Perry is Director of Sony’s Digital Motion Picture Center (DMPC), located on Stage 7 at Sony Pictures Entertainment. During his 18-year career at Sony, Perry has been instrumental in creating widespread acceptance for landmark technologies in the motion picture and television industries, including F-Series

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Daniel Gold says, “I’ve been fascinated by photography my whole life.

The power of the visual image as it magically appears in the developing tray or leaps onto the screen in a darkened movie theater always gets me.

When I was a kid in New Jersey my dad and I built a darkroom in the basement. I spent countless hours shooting photos and enlarging images. My twin brother Michael and I made 8mm movies and charged the

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

CAMERA OPERATOR 路 SPRING 2015

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neighborhood kids to watch them. Our most successful production, a science fiction thriller entitled The Atomic Burp, grossed over $15 the first week in our basement. When my folks took us to see 2001 A Space Odyssey at Radio City in New York, I was hooked on movies.

At Wesleyan University I majored in Biology and in Film Production.

After teaching junior high school science for a few of years I left the east coast for Graduate School at USC in the film department. After USC, I was accepted into the Assistant Cameraman Training Program. I moved from one studio camera department to the next, learning to load film magazines, keep darkroom paperwork, and I became familiar with the cameras and equipment that passed through the loading rooms at Warner Brothers, Universal, CBS Radford, and Paramount Studios. As a trainee, I was then assigned to various production crews and began to get experience on the set of a different TV show, feature film or commercial every three or four weeks. When I found myself as the trainee on the set of Pennies From Heaven I couldn’t believe I was working with

the likes of first assistant Alan Disler, camera operator Craig Denault and director of photography Gordon Willis. After a year, I joined the union, Local 659 of the IATSE as a second assistant cameraman.

I spent three years as a second during which time I was lucky enough to work with some of the best people in Hollywood including; Laszlo Kovacs, Sven Nykvist, Tag Fujimoto, Owen Roizman and their crews.

Moving up to become a first assistant, my good fortune continued as I had the pleasure of pulling focus for Caleb Deschanel, Robbie Greenberg and Don Thorin, Sr., among others. After 10 years as a first assistant cameraman, Don Thorin, Sr. moved me up to camera operator.

Now I’ve got the best job on the set. I get to see the movie before anyone else, right through the viewfinder on the camera.

From left, clockwise: Michael Kelly, Bellamy Young, and Matthew Rauch present COY TELEVISION; TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FOR THE BOLT PRODUCTS Nicol Verheen, CEO & Founder, Teradeck LLC; Charles Rahi Chun, Kim Coates and Doug Jones present COY FEATURE FILM; Andy Shuttleworth, HISTORICAL SHOT BOOGIE NIGHTS;. Photos by Albert Ortega.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Congratulations to Our Honorees and Nominees SOC Camera Operator Lifetime Achievement Award Daniel Gold, SOC SOC Mobile Camera Platform Operator Lifetime Achievement Award Alan “Moose” Schulz SOC Still Photographer Lifetime Achievement Award Suzanne Hanover/SMPSP SOC Camera Technician Lifetime Achievement Award David Eubank SOC Historical Shot Lifetime Achievement Award Boogie Nights, Andy Shuttleworth SOC Technical Achievement Award Teradek LLC, Nicol Verheen for the advancement of HD transmission and the Bolt line of products SOC President’s Award Dan Perry Director NAO Production Manager/Director DMPC of Sony Electronics Nominees SOC Camera Operator of the Year Feature Film Chris Haarhoff, SOC — Winner Birdman Peter Rosenfeld, SOC Gone Girl Peter Rosenfeld, SOC Into The Storm Stephen Campanelli, SOC The Maze Runner Dave Chameides, SOC St. Vincent CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

Television Chris T.J. McGuire, SOC — Winner True Detective Stephen Fracol, SOC Scandal Bud Kremp, SOC Banshee Stephen Campbell, SOC The Walking Dead Gary Jay, SOC House of Cards 37

Smooth Operator

Tips and Tricks from SOC Members

I Wish I’d Known that Earlier! – Part One David Emmerichs, SOC

Running from Transformers. Photo by Robert Zuckerman.

The way camera operators learn our craft is interesting. We don’t go to school for it, and there’s very little out there in the way of useful instructional literature. You may spend time on set as a 1st or 2nd AC watching the camera operator go about their job, or you might not. Even if you’re working alongside an accomplished operator it’s difficult to concentrate on what they’re doing and why they’re doing it when you have your own job to do.

“How hard can it be to pan and tilt to fol-

LEARNING ON THE JOB

were happy to teach me, as well as from peo-

So often, the first time you get a chance to operate a camera is when you’re bumped up to do a shot when an extra camera is pulled out; and chances are you will be nervous and have almost no clue what’s expected of you.

But you’re excited and up for the challenge;

know them already and made that apparent

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low someone around?” you’ll think to yourself. What you don’t know at the beginning of your career, is just how much you don’t know about the camera operator’s job.

So for the beginning operator, I thought I’d discuss a few things I wish I’d been taught earlier in my career. I learned them in the classic “learn while you earn” manner that is common in our industry from people who ple who were really pissed off that I didn’t in front of the whole crew in a very loud voice. I learned them by the occasional happy accidental discovery, and I learned them by unhappy accident: blowing the shot and realizing I had more to learn.

Much of what we do as operators relies on skills that are honed through experience. You will get better at predicting an actor’s moves the more you work. You’ll be able to help a less experienced DP or director with staging suggestions after you’ve watched experts block hundreds of scenes. You’ll have a better idea of where to place the Technocrane after you’ve used one for a few years. There are some things that only come with experience, but hopefully the advice I offer here can make it easier to gain that experience.

MOST IMPORTANT TIP At this point I realize this column could run to dozens of pages, so I’ve honed it down to a two-part article and what I think is the most important tip I can offer the relatively inexperienced operator.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

So here it goes, and I can’t stress this enough—PAY ATTENTION! Yes, I shouted that, because if you don’t pay attention you will be shouted at on set, which is no fun. It will eventually happen, but there’s no need for you to exacerbate the situation by sitting behind the camera texting and checking your Facebook page.

So where do we start? How about at the beginning of a scene? Pay attention to the blocking. You are expected to know where every actor is supposed to be at any time during the shot. Work with the stand-ins and 2nd ACs to ensure the actors have been accurately marked.

Go through the move with a finder and make sure the staging and the camera move haven’t combined to place you in a position where you’re shooting off the set. Give accurate shot boundaries to the people that need them, and be aware that the edge of frame is the closest anyone can put all the equipment that goes in front of the lamps, not where the

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

lamps themselves can go. Negotiations with the gaffer and key grip are often a challenge!

Pay attention to how the DP is lighting the scene. When you start operating the second camera it is very tempting to constantly suggest new shots, but there are few ways to earn the disapproval of your boss more quickly than to constantly propose shots that don’t work with the DP’s lighting plan.

Especially if you sell the director on it before the DP has had a chance to look at what you’re talking about. Don’t offer shots that will flatten out the light. Don’t set up long lens close-ups when the DP is lit for the wide shot. If you pay attention to how the DP is lighting, and watch the A camera shots so you learn the DP’s style, you will learn what shots are appropriate to suggest.

In the next issue of Camera Operator I continue with my article and share additional tips that have helped me succeed in my career. Until then…happy shooting!

David Emmerichs, SOC, has been operating long enough that he has T-shirts and bandanas older than some of the people reading this. Despite this fact, he is still enthusiastic about the best job on set. Some of his films credits include: Avatar, Transformers, The Green Mile, Armageddon, and Seven.

Photo by Mark Fellman

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Jeff Cree, SOC

Hi Def with Jeff

AJA Cion the newest entry into the 4K Camera Market AJA is one of the newest entries into the production camera market with their new 4K Cion camcorder. Utilizing their background in video processing and recording AJA has moved away from the direction of other recent entries in the market with simplified RAW cameras by producing a camera with full image processing. While AJA is better known for their Mini-converters and KiPro recorders it was not a big surprise to see AJA enter the camera market. Due to their background in video processing, distribution and recording the design team at AJA had all the elements required except for the image sensor itself to design a camera. Access to image sensor technology has always limited the players in the camera market but the availability of open market CMOS imagers has made this and many of the other entries into the camera market possible.

What the AJA design team developed is a new lightweight, ergonomic 4K/UHD and 2K/HD production camera that they have called the Cion. While most other camera manufacturers have moved to Log based or RAW only output cameras AJA with their background and

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knowledge of video processing have developed a camera that produces vivid and vibrant color at any of its possible resolutions with a more traditional burned-in look. This has been accomplished with easy to implement in-camera color settings. On camera control is simple and intuitive making it fast to achieve the desired look for the camera.

The image produced by the Cion is very cinematic in nature when the proper profile has been selected but can be changed with little effort by a very simple menu selection. Recording is performed using the technology of the popular KiPro Quad recording in Apple ProRes 4:4:4:4 at resolutions up to 4K and 30fps, ProRes 4:2:2 up to 4K and 60P or output AJA Raw at 4K and up to 120fps.

AJA engineers have made considerable effort to provide a pleasing color palate for Cion. They have provided custom gamma selections, white balance presets and preset color settings that can be mixed and matched to provide the desired look for the camera. You must be aware that not all of these settings are available in the various EI settings of the camera.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS 路 SOC.ORG

IMAGE SENSOR The image sensor of the Cion is a 4K APS-C sized with dimensions of 22.5mm x 11.9mm (25.5mm Diagonal). This sensor provides an electronic global shutter to prevent the skewing and jello effect caused by traditional rolling shutter designs. The sensor provides a published 12 stop dynamic range but initial tests indicate that we might get more under certain setup parameters. Where this image sensor falls short is in the base ISO, is 250 this makes it one of the slowest cameras on the market. Utilizing noise reduction techniques and quantizing of the least significant bits this can be moved up to ISO 800 or 1000 with minimal effect on the noise level.

PHYSICAL DESIGN The Cion was designed to fit within weight and form factor of the 16mm film camera. Weighing in at 7.4 lbs. complete with the handle they have achieved this by using gravity molded magnesium. Using magnesium reduces the weight considerably while providing a much more ridged chassis than if you used aluminum. But magnesium can be brittle so AJA has used aluminum for the replaceable cheese plates that are on the top and bottom of the camera to provide plenty of attachment point for accessories. The rosettes on the front sides of the camera utilize industry standard pitch and screw sizes making it very easy to use aftermarket accessories to customize your camera system.

The chassis incorporates an over the shoulder design positioned to balance the weight when rigged with a traditional prime lens and a battery attached.

One thing missing from this system is any form of viewfinder. Those that purchase the camera will have to look at third party vendors to find an acceptable Electronic Viewfinder. The market has many available that will accept the HD-SDI or HDMI feeds available at the front of the camera along with the necessary power tap to provide power for the device. Utilizing this method may provide a bit more delay than we normally find in cameras with dedicated viewfinder ports as you must deal with the video processing delay of the camera as well as the processing delay of the viewfinder. The delay varies greatly depending on the quality of these third party EVF devices.

You also have to find a bracket to mount the system. The supplied handle provides many ways to attach the necessary hardware to support the viewfinder.

The standard lens mount is a removable PL (positive lock) which allows the use of high quality primes and zooms. This mount is simple mechanical mount that does not incorporate any form of lens data or power to the lens. Since this is a removable mount other third party companies such as Metabones and MTF are providing EF, Nikon F and G mounts, as well as B4 mounts for the Cion. The lens mount system includes a mechanical back focus adjustment to allow easy precise adjustment of the distance from the lens flange to the sensor. This integrated system greatly improves the accuracy

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

of this spacing adjustment compared to traditional shims and their predetermined thicknesses.

As we move toward the sensor we find the integrated Optical Low Pass Filter and IR Cut Filter. This filter is designed to the pitch of the imager to prevent aliasing and unwanted moiré effects. In addition the Infra-red cut filter blocks unwanted infiltration of IR contamination that could affect the high quality color reproduction characteristics of the Cion. Many of the new camera manufacturers have forgone this element and have developed IR contamination issues that affect the quality of the color. AJA has done it right by using the filter to form the response in the reds with the IR cut of the filter.

The I/O of the camera utilizes all industry standard power, audio and video connectors. Multiple 3G-SDI and HDMI interfaces allow the addition of viewfinders and monitors. A special group of dedicated connectors are upfront on the camera for use as your primary monitoring source. Using AJA’s high quality scaling technology these outputs are active no matter what format the camera is operating. Four main 3G-SDI/SDI video outputs are provided in addition to the two 3G-SDI monitoring outputs. HDMI is provided for monitoring as well as a v1.4 connector for HD or UHD output at the rear of the camera. Audio inputs are provided by two XLR connectors and they have Line, Mic and Phantom power operating positions. Timecode and reference in allows for locking the camera to an external source.

LAN interface is provided by a standard RJ45 connector.

CAMERA CONTROL The camera is controlled using the rotary encoder and the group of buttons that surround the menu and picture display on the operator’s side of the camera. This provides easy single user functionality.

The menu structure itself is very simple and lacks the sub-menus of other cameras. Key menu access is provided but a series of dedicated buttons for direct access to vital settings of the camera. Device status

Cion Control Interface. Photo by Jeff Cree.

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IMAGE QUALITY The engineers at AJA are very proud of the color accuracy they have achieved with Cion. Due to the superior 12-bit 4:4:4 recording capability even at 4k resolution the Cion produces wide dynamic range images with plenty of latitude for post-production finishing. The wide variety of gamma curves, the control of the EI value, the selection of color correction settings and control of white balance provide the camera operator the tools to mold the image. The control interface makes this simple and intuitive with the on camera controls. This in-camera control gives the camera operator the ability to provide a quality image while limiting time in post-production.

Cion equipped with aftermarket viewfinder. Photo courtesy of AJA.

(Status), configuration (Config), media management (Media), format and frame rate (P), exposure index (EI), and white balance (WB) are all available at a push of a button. The same is so with the controls for the transport, fast forward, rewind and stop are on direct access buttons on the top of the display.

Via the LAN connector at the back of the camera the Cion can be fully configured and operated via a simple browser interface. This simple remote provides image monitoring, status and full control over the camera on cranes, jibs and remote heads using any standard web browser. Group control of multiple cameras only requires the addition of a simple Ethernet switch.

Audio is controlled using the two dedicated VU meters and controls on the operator’s side of the camera. Monitoring is provided by a headphone jack with dedicated control knob for level control.

Rear I/O Panel. Photo by Jeff Cree.

RECORDING The recorder for the Cion is basically a reconfigured KiPro Quad. The Cion use AJA PAK media identical to the KiPro Quad which historically has been durable and dependable in field operation. Unlike many SSD drive systems using off the shelf drives the PAK features a multi-insertion connector for long reliable operation. Downloading of the data uses the external PAK Dock which connects via Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 for easy fast transfers.

The internal recorder records Apple ProRes 422 or 444 and supports resolutions from 4K (4096x2160), Ultra HD (3840x2160), 2K (2048x1080) and HD (1920x1080) at frame rates from 23.98 to 60. 4:2:2 color sampling can be achieved at up to 60 fps while 4:4:4 sampling is limited to 30 fps. All are recorded at 10-bit but 12-bit is an option when in 4:4:4. ProRes utilizes all I-Frame recording along with variable bit rate which allows more bits to be allocated to the more complex frames which limits artifacts in the image.

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Front monitoring outputs. Photo by Jeff Cree.

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

Photo by: Michael Frediani, SOC

The camera does take some experimentation to best learn how each of the settings affects the image. I have had the opportunity to run the camera through a series of tests and have found that the color reproduction is excellent. The blacks are superior both in shading and noise to most of the new entries in the camera market. I have also found that the camera may provide additional dynamic range in some settings than the published 12 stops. The menu is easy to learn once you figure out the activation sequence with the buttons and rotary encoder. The numerous outputs allow many choices on how to monitor the image in HD, 2K and 4K with both 3G-SDI and HDMI outputs available. While the camera does require more light than its competitors due to the relatively slow base 250 ISO it still produces quality images. Due to low noise floor the base setting can be pushed two stops if needed. Setup with a prime lens and an onboard battery you have an easy to handle hand-held camera.

Given this is AJA’s first venture in to cameras they have produced a quality product that is easy to use while providing quality images.

Jeffrey Cree, SOC, Vice President Technical Services, Band Pro Film and Digital Inc. Jeffrey Cree is a multiple Emmy Award-winning Video Recordist/Cameraman with 17 years experience at ABC Television Network as a member of the engineering unit prior to moving to Sony Electronics. Jeff worked primarily with the product marketing and management groups of Sony with his focus being Acquisition Systems. Since joining Band Pro Jeff has continued to provide input to the product development groups at Sony and other manufactures on current and upcoming products.

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

A great way to connect with the legacy or share the spirit of the SOC. Browse our online store to see the inventory of T-shirts, hats, pins, and more...

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OUR SINCEREST THANKS

Academy TO THE

F O R T H I S G R E AT H O N O R

On February 7th, 2015, Steven Tiffen, Jeff Cohen and Michael Fecik were honored with the Academy’s Scientific and Technical Achievement Award for the development of Tiffen’s IRND Filter Technology. We would like to thank the Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards Committee for recognizing and awarding our contribution to this great industry.

The Tiffen Company 90 Oser Avenue, Hauppauge, NY 11788 Visit us at tiffen.com

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©2015 The Tiffen Company. All trademarks or registered trademarks are property of their respective owners. ©A.M.P.A.S. All rights reserved.

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

SOC ROSTER CHARTER MEMBER Lou Barlia Parker Bartlett Paul Basta Michael Benson Stephanie Benson Rupert Benson Jr. Bob Bergdahl Howard Block Donald R. Burch Jerry G. Callaway David Calloway Philip Caplan Mike Chevalier Bill Clark Dick Colean Steve Conant Jim Connell Rick Cosko Jack Courtland Elliot Davis Sam Drummy Joe Epperson Michael Ferra Ron Francis William Jay Gahret Jim Glennon Ray Gonzales Jerry Good Jack Green, ASC Gil Haimson Peter Hapke Lutz Hapke Bill Hines Jim Hoover Bill Howard John Huneck Wayne Kennan, ASC Bob Keys Gary Kibbe David Kurland Norm Langley Thomas Laughridge Steve Lydecker Brice Mack III Joe Marquette Jr. Owen Marsh Bob Marta Bob McBride Ed Morey Tom Munshower Fred Murphy Al Myers Lee Nakahara Jay Nefcy Rik Nervik Leigh Nicholson King Nicholson John G. Nogle Dan Norris Skip Norton David B. Nowell, ASC Wayne Orr Richard Price Ernie Reed Arnold Rich Randall Robinson

Parker Roe Sam Rosen Peter Salim Lou Schwartz Chris Schwiebert Michael Scott Bob Seaman Hal Shiffman Roger Smith Fred Smith Michael St. Hilaire Ray Stella Joe Steuben John C. Stevens Carol Sunflower Bill Swearingen Joseph F. Valentine Ron Vidor Sven Walnum

ACTIVE MEMBER

Peter Abraham Michael R. Alba Derek M. Allen Bret Allen Jack Anderson Colin Anderson Kevin W. Andrews Francois Archambault Joseph Arena Will Arnot Ted Ashton Jr. Mark August Grayson Grant Austin Daniel Ayers Paul Babin Christopher Baffa Lonn Bailey James Baldanza Jerry Banales Christopher Banting Jeff Barklage Angel Barroeta Gary H. Baum John James Beattie Jonathan Beattie Guy Norman Bee Tim Bellen Nils Benson George M. Bianchini George Billinger Howard H. Bingham Bonnie S. Blake Jason Blount Bob C. Boccaccio John Boyd Katie Boyum Kevin D. Braband Gerard Brigante Hilaire Brosio Kenny Brown Garrett Brown Scott Browner Stephen Buckingham Robin Buerki Gary Bush Stephen S. Campanelli

CAMERA OPERATOR · SPRING 2015

Susan A. Campbell Stephen Campbell J. Christopher Campbell Jose A. Cardenas Peter Cavaciuti Dave Chameides Lou Chanatry Joe Chess Jr. Anthony Cobbs Craig Cockerill Steven Cohen Marcis Cole Kris A. Conde Andrew Glenn Conder Michael Condon Brown Cooper Dan Coplan Luke Cormack Javier A. Costa Richard J. Cottrell Jeff Cree Rod Crombie Richard Crow Jeff L. Crumbley Richard A. Cullis Joseph C. D’Alessandro Nicholas Davidoff Markus Davids Richard W. Davis Mark G. Dawson Michael S. Dean Andrew A. Dean Kris Andrew Denton Joel Deutsch Don Devine Kenny Dezendorf Twojay Dhillon David E. Diano Troy Dick Alfeo Dixon Matthew I. Doll Rick Drapkin Scott C. Dropkin Mitch Dubin Simon Duggan, ACS Louis R. Duskin Allen D. Easton William Eichler Jason Ellson David Emmerichs Kevin J. Emmons Steve Essig Brant S. Fagan Diane L. Farrell Jesse Michael Feldman Michael Ferris George Feucht James Anthony Firios Dick Fisher Lance Fisher Aaron Fitzgerald Eric Fletcher Michael Flueck Houman Forough Felix Forrest Ian Forsyth Steve G. Fracol Keith Francis Nick Franco

Tom “Frisby” Fraser David J. Frederick Michael Frediani Michael A. Freeman Brian Freesh Steven French Mick Froehlich Jeff Fry Paul M. Gardner David Gasperik Rusty Geller Michael Germond William Gierhart Laurie K. Gilbert Harvey Glen Mark Goellnicht Daniel Gold David Enrique Goldman Allen Gonzales Robert Gorelick Afton M. Grant Bruce Alan Greene Chad Griepentrog David Allen Grove Robert Guernsey John C. Gunselman Chris C. Haarhoff Jess Haas Geoffrey K. Haley John Hankammer Tim Harland Joshua Harrison Kent Harvey Chris Hayes David Haylock Nikk Hearn-Sutton Dawn J. Henry Alan Hereford Steven F. Heuer Kevin Hewitt Jamie Hitchcock Abe Holtz Jerry Holway Paul Horn Casey Hotchkiss Colin Hudson Frederick Iannone Dave Isern Christopher Ivins Eugene W. Jackson III Jerry M. Jacob Francis G. James Alec Jarnagin Gary Jay Simon Jayes Christopher D. Jones Steven Jones Jacques Jouffret John H. Joyce David Judy Mark Jungjohann David C. Kanehann Mark Karavite Adam T. Keith David Kimelman Douglas H. Knapp Dan Kneece Rory Robert Knepp David T. Knox

Robert Kositchek Bud Kremp Kris Krosskove Per Larsson Jeff Latonero Eric Leach Sergio Leandro Silva Richard Leible Sarah Levy Jimmy W. Lindsey Abigail Linne Hugh C. Litfin Patrick Longman George Loomis Jessica L. Lopez David Luckenbach Greg Lundsgaard Kenji Luster Bruce MacCallum Rob Macey Vincent C. Mack Paul S. Magee David Mahlmann Giuseppe Malpasso Kim Marks Jared G. Marshall Johnny Martin Cedric Martin Philip J. Martinez Parris Mayhew William McClelland David B. McGill Michael P. McGowan Christopher T.J. McGuire Aaron Medick Alan Mehlbrech Hilda Mercado Olivier Merckx Jack Messitt Mike Mickens Duane Mieliwocki Marc A. Miller Andrew Mitchell William Molina Raphy Molinary Machado Lawrence P. Moody Mark Emery Moore Josh Morton Manolo Rojas Moscopulos Jeff Muhlstock Michael James Mulvey Scott T. Mumford Sean Murray Dale Myrand Leo J. Napolitano Robert Newcomb Julye Newlin William R. Nielsen, Jr. Randy Nolen Kurt Nolen Austin Nordell William O’Drobinak Mark D. O’Kane Michael D. Off James Olcovich Andrew William Oliver John Orland Rafael Ortiz-Guzman

Brian Osmond Georgia Tornai Packard Heather Page Nick Paige Curtis E. Pair Victor J. Pancerev Andrew Parke Patrick J. Pask Christopher T Paul Paul C. Peddinghaus Douglas Pellegrino John Perry George Peters Matthew A. Petrosky Jonathan F. Phillips Alan Pierce Theo Pingarelli Jens Piotrowski Joseph Piscitelli Robert Presley Louis Puli Ryan Purcell Elizabeth Radley Yavir Ramawtar Juan M. Ramos James B. Reid George Richmond Ari Robbins Alicia Robbins Peter Robertson Brooks Robinson David Robman Eric Roizman Peter Rosenfeld Andrew Rowlands Dave Rutherford P. Scott Sakamoto Sanjay Sami David M. Sammons Joel San Juan Bry Thomas Sanders Martin Schaer Ron Schlaeger Mark Schlicher Mark Schmidt Vadim Schulz David Jean Schweitzer Fabrizio Sciarra Brian David Scott Brian Scott Benjamin Semanoff Barnaby Shapiro David Shawl Osvaldo Silvera Jr. Jamie Silverstein Teddy Smith Needham B. Smith III John Sosenko Mark Sparrough Benjamin Xavier Spek Sandy Spooner Lisa L. Stacilauskas Robert Starling Meagan Stockemer Thomas N Stork Michael R. Stumpf David L. Svenson Christopher Taylor Peter Taylor

45

Paige Thomas David James Thompson Richard Tiedemann John Toll, ASC David Roy Tondeur Remi Tournois Neil C. Toussaint Jamie Trent Bryan Trieb Michael Tsimperopoulos Chris Tufty Dan Turrett Brian Tweedt Joseph Urbanczyk Matt Valentine Dale Vance, Jr. Paul D. Varrieur Ron Veto Andrew Voegeli Stefan von Bjorn Rob Vuona Bill Waldman Michael J. Walker Timothy N. Walker Adam S. Ward Gareth Ward Gretchen Warthen Aiken Weiss Dale A West Mande Whitaker Robert Whitaker Kit Whitmore Ken Willinger Chad Wilson Dana D. Winseman R.L. Wise David A. Wolf Bill Woodbridge Ian D. Woolston-Smith Peter C. Xiques Santiago Yniguez Brian Young Chad Zellmer

ASSOCIATE MEMBER

Christine Adams John Addocks David S. Adelstein Brook Aitken Jamie Alac Ana M. Amortegui Philip Anderson Andrew B. Ansnick Jillian H. Arnold Scott Auerbach Jacob Avignone Ryan Vogel Baker Tyson Banks Josh Barrett Stephen Blanor Jeffrey D. Bollman Peter Bonilla Jean-Paul Bonneau Massimo Bordonaro David Boyd Rochelle Brown Donald Brownlow Clyde E. Bryan Neal Bryant Sasha D. Burdett Anthony Q. Caldwell Jordan Cantu

46

Bruce Cardozo Jack Carpenter Marc Casey Damian Church Gregory Paul Collier Mack Collins Gabriel Paul Copeland Gareth Paul Cox Richard P. Crudo, ASC Anthony Deemer Enrique Xavier Del Rio Galindo William B. Demeritt, III Ronald E. Deveaux Jorge Devotto Keith Dunkerley Brian James Dzyak Christopher Ekstein David T. Eubank Allen Farst Thomas Cole Fedak Nicholas A. Federoff Paul Ferrazzi Kristin Fieldhouse John C. Flinn III, ASC Mark Forman Tammy Fouts-Sandoval Bryan Fowler Jerry Franck Fred M. Frintrup Nicole Fuchs Hiroyuki Fukuda Hank Gifford Michael Goi, ASC Wayne Goldwyn Al Gonzalez John M. Goodner Nikki Gray Brad Greenspan David V. Gregory George Eric Griffith David E. Grober Robert Guthrie W. Adam Habib Bob Hall James Hammond Anthony Hardwick John Hart Anthony P. Hettinger John M. Hill, Jr. David Hirschmann Alex Hodge Scott Hoffman Chris Horvath Rachel A. Hudson Toshiyuki Imai Carrie Imai Andrew A. Irvine Gregory Irwin Quenell Jones Lacey Joy Henry Bourne Joy IV Brett Juskalian David Kane Timothy Kane Brandon Kapelow Frank Kay Alan Kelly Kevin N. Kemp Mark H. Killian Douglas Kirkland Adam Kirschhoffer Robert La Bonge Laurence Langton

Jose-Pablo Larrea Dr. Thomas Lee Aaron Leong Alan J Levi Mark Levin Howard Levine Justin Liang Adrian Licciardi Stuart T. Lillas Eamon Long Gordon Lonsdale Jasmine Lord Christopher Lymberis Dominik Mainl Jose del Carmen Martinez James Mathers Jim R. Matlosz Colin P. McDonald Marcus Allen McDougald Mike McEveety Jonathan Miller K. Adriana ModlinLiebrecht Matthew C. Mosher Jekaterina Most Navid John Namazi Natasha Narkiewicz Jimmy Negron Michael Nelson Micah Newman Russell C. Nordstedt Casey Burke Norton Crescenzo G.P. Notarile, ASC Bonnie Osborne Jarrod Oswald Paul Overacker Justin Painter Kim Palmer Larry Mole Parker Steven D. Parker Jeremy Parsons Michael J Perez Florencia Perez Cardenal Mark W. Petersen Jon Philion Tyler Phillips W. S. Pivetta Ted Polmanski Robert Primes, ASC Barnabas J. Prontnicki Joe Prudente Delia Quinonez Liz Radley Richard Rawlings Jr., ASC Marcia Reed Bill Reiter Elizabeth Reynolds Lawrence M. Ribeiro Andy Romero Tim Rook Peter J. Rooney Sam Rosenthal Jordi Ruiz Maso Kish Sadhvani Danny Salazar Steve Saxon Carl Martin Schumacher, Sr. Christian Sebaldt, ASC Christopher Seehase Stephen Silberkraus Charles A. Simons Michael Skor

Jan Sluchak Dan Smarg Robert F. Smith Dean Robert Smollar Brian Sowell Don Spiro Owen Stephens Aymae Sulick Jeremy Sultan Tara Summers Andy Sydney Tiffany Taira Ian S. Takahashi John Twesten Caitlin Rae Tyler Daniel Urbain Jose Val Bal Sandra Valde Thomas Valko Satya Vanii Benjamin Verhulst Breanna Villani W. Thomas Wall Justin Watson Alex White Tim Wu Tim Yoder Scot Zimmerman Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC

CORPORATE 3ality Technica Able Cine AJA Video Systems Inc. Arri, Inc. Band Pro Film & Video Bertone Visuals LLC Birns & Sawyer, Inc. Blackmagic Design Camadeus Film Technologies, Inc. Canon, USA Inc. Carl Zeiss Microimaging, Inc. Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment CINEVERSE Clairmont Camera Filmtools Inc Fujifilm/Fujinon Geo Film Group, Inc. GPI Pro Stabilizer Systems, Inc. History For Hire Hydroflex, Inc. JL Fisher Inc. Keslow Camera Mark Bender & Associates Matthews Studio Equipment Panavision Polecam Ltd. Schneider Optics Sony Corporation Teradek, LLC Thales Angenieux Tiffen

EDUCATOR Ralph Watkins

HONORARY John Bailey, ASC Tilman Buettner James Burrows Alexander Calzatti Trevor Coop Roger Corman Dean Cundey, ASC Bruce Doering Clint Eastwood Tom Hatten Ron Howard Ron Kelley Kathleen KennedyMarshall Jerry Lewis Larry McConkey A. Linn Murphree M.D. Diana Penilla Steven Spielberg Robert A. Torres George Toscas Roy H. Wagner, ASC Haskell Wexler, ASC

RETIRED MEMBER Aldo Antonelli Gary Olyn Armstrong Tom Barron Al Bettcher James Blanford Bruce Catlin Ivan Craig George Spiro Dibie, ASC Robert M. Feller Jerry Fuller Anthony Gaudioz Wynn Hammer Ken Hilmer Gary Holt Robert C. Horne Heather MacKenzie James Mann Stan McClain Michael McClary Ron McManus Mike Meinardus Emmanuel Metaxas Robert “Bob” Moore Sol Negrin, ASC David L. Parrish Aaron Pazanti Andy Romanoff Frank Ruttencutter Richard Salvatore Chuck Schuman Philip D. Schwartz Guy Skinner George B. Stephenson Joseph N. Tawil

Stewart Cantrell Richard Castaneda Quaid Cde Baca Nick Centera Petr Cikhart Pascal Combes-Knoke Grace Craig Sabrina Cullen Laura DiFiglio Annor Doeman Timothy James Dolan David Duesterberg Kyran Ford Michael A. Garcia Joshua Gary Jonathan Goldberg Christian T. Hall Kiyana Hancock Rita Hansen Tobias Winde Harbo Tyler Harmon-Townsend Donovan HennbergVerity Carolyn Scott Hunt Preston Lane Jeter Timothy Kang Crystal Kelley Jeff Kulig Zachary Leazer Ari Linn Amy Linsamouth Matt Maio Reginald I. Masingale Megan McCarthy Sophie Meneses Alexander L. Moeckler Jeff-Steven Arevalo Mojica Fabian Montes Moira Morel Benjamin Kirk Nielsen Dennis Noack George Ohan Lorenzo Pace Connor Pollard Karina Prieto Macias Jessida Putkaew Tiye Rose-Hood Emil Schonstrom Alexandra Schwartz Davin Swade Stanley Megaera Stephens Michael Street Jesse Vielleux Jenise Louise Whitehead Christina Wolf Anthony Worley Roana Alyssa Wullinger Dennis Zanatta Botai Zhong Roster current as of March 20, 2015.

STUDENT

Veronica Aberham Bandar Almutairi Nathan James Bachmann Ziryab Ben Brahem Jessie Estella Brickley Mary Brown Terrence Laron Burke

SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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3 Back Cover 42

CAMERA OPERATOR

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Edited by Michael Frediani, SOC

Shooting the Breeze

“ There’s only one way to

“

shoot this thing: two ways. ”

Light makes photography. Embrace light.

Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light.

Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography. ” — George Eastman

“ People will say, "There are a million ways to

“ The edges of the frame

— Barry Markowitz, ASC

shoot a scene", but I don't think so. I think there're two, maybe. And the other one is wrong. ” —David Fincher, director

“ The camera introduces us to unconscious optics as does psychoanalysis to unconscious impulses. ” — Walter Benjamin “ The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera. ” — Dorothea Lange

“ When I was a focus puller on a movie with Adrian Biddle, BSC, I told him I did not have focus marks, and he said, ‘Feel the Force.’ I use that advice all the time. ” —Dan Mindel “ The camera can photograph thought. It's better than a paragraph of sweet polemic. ” —Dirk Bogarde 48

are often more interesting than the center. ”

—Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC

Who said? “ One doesn’t stop seeing. One doesn’t stop framing. It doesn’t turn off and turn on. It’s on all the time. ” —Annie Leibovitz

“You have to give the impression you know what you’re doing even when you’re totally confused."

— Michael

Chapman, ASC SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS · SOC.ORG

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SOCIETY OF CAMERA OPERATORS 路 SOC.ORG