Camera Operator 2002 Spring/Summer

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CAMER~MA

The Journal of the Society of Camera Operators

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Volume 11, Number 1 Spring/Summer 2002

The J ou rnal o f the Society Of ComeroOperotors

DEPARTMENTS

FEATURES

2 A Note from the President

by Georgia Packard SOC

4 From the Editor's Desk

by George BStephenson SOC

17 Banquet

by George BStephenson SOC It was a great event.

6 News & Notes

24 Lifetime Achievement Awards Biographies of the mvardees.

Product Demos /saia & Co, f L Fisher Co/Jlpany, Technovision USA , Chap/Jlan/Leonard, DoggicaiJl.

Letter from Childrens Hospital Thanks for your generosity.

Awards to SOC Members ASC Award for Garrett Brown; Tech Oscarfor Pete Ro/Jlano; N\' FiiiJl Festival fo r Laurie K Gilbert; WilliaiJl E Hines Scholarship information.

41 Don Morgan, ASC Speaks With the SOC

by Georgia Packard SOC Don Motgan ASC and his sitco/Jl crews.

Relationship betwew Director of Photography and Camera Operator: 11 til in the Series

25 John Bailey's Speech In accepting his award fro/Jl the SOC, Bailey pays tribute to camera operators.

31 Reality Bytes

by Georgia Packard SOC Vince Contarino and Fear Factor: filming lceEscapes vs fiiiJling Reba.

Relationship between Director of Photography and Ca /Jlera Operator: 9th in the Series

35 Gongs of New York

45 Bruno Delbonnel: Moster of Light

by Judy Jordan Th e genius behind Anu!lie.

Relationship between Director of Photography and Ca/Jlera Operator: J2th in the Series

53 Use of Anamorphic Lenses by 16mm and 8mm Filmmakers

by Rick Mitchell The Wide Screen Revolution (1952-1970): 1Jt" in the Series

by George BStephenson SOC Interviews with Andrew Rowlands SOC and Michael Balhaus ASC. Relationship between Director of Photography and Camera Operator: 1Oth in the Series

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63 Book Reviews DVCAM; SteadicaiJl "'

64 Roster of the Society Of ComeroOperotors

ANote From the President 11

Society Of CameraOperators

A Driving Force"

Officers

ach perso n has tl~ eir ow1: stre.ngths. We

Etry to develop skills reqmred m pursu-

ing our d reams- to create a successful career, loving fa mily and friends, and a place within our community. Hard work and persevera nce may bring us closer to fulfillment. Yet not without fear and challenges.

While climbing this ladder, we may fo rget what we can give, even who m we may to uch. Wh ether it's a special skill, fin ancial do nations, religious beliefs, time devoted within our community, or mento ring to help other reach our goals.

Change can derail us from our paths.

Whi le many may rise to the challenge, others get knocked to the ground .

Fin ancial crises, wo rk slowdowns, terrorists' ac ts, loss of fa ith , iiJness and death can in still an overwhelming fea r that stops our progress. The smallest change may provoke an outrage and defuse the energy needed to go on.

We must remain united, use each oth er to move fo rwa rd , together. For what may be one's fea r may drive another into a winning ac tion. O ur Union has continued to gain gro und in wo rk conditions, wages, and safety standards. The SOC is devoted to providing training and support in our always evolving business. New seminars with hands-on experience and networking have been offered every month .

Over th e past fo ur yea rs I have done my best to lead the SOC as a team , gathering togeth er a gro up of experienced international ca mera people with those who help to m ake our careers build. To keep our Society proud and strong. We have been fortunate to compound our

Promote the SOC: Share your magazine or better yet tell others they can subscribe too. tt!..~' Wear SOCWear with pride, and don't forget to use the SOC initials on your operator credits - our best publicity ol who we are!

2

pool of Corporate Affili ates, provide new technology training and expand our people resources. For if we don't contin ually cultiva te and nurture, how ca n we expect anything or anyo ne to blossom and grow?

What I ask is for each of us to continue to challenge one's self, one's fears.

Shoot fo r the bigger picture and stretch yo ur own limits. It may demand go ing beyo nd the call of duty. Sometimes it has nothing to do with "me" but with someone else. Be the vo ice for those that are silenced; mourn those who have been lost; and celebrate the survival of th ose who lived . "Be" yo ur future the best that yo u can. Ernie Reed, a dea r colleague, reminded me, "We don't have a ro undtrip ticket fo r this lifetime. It's only pun ched one way." Make th e ve ry most of it and extend yo urself so that others may do the sa me.

PRESIDENT Georgia Packard 1st VICE PRESIDENT & SECRETARY Bonnie Blake 2nd VICE PRESIDENT Ernie Reed y d VICE PRESIDENT Allan Lum Li T REASURER Gary Baum SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Howard Block MAGAZINE EDITOR George Stephenson W EBMASTER Mark Leins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Diana Penilla

Board of Governors Michael Chambliss David Diano Steve Essig Sean Fairburn Lance Fisher Tom Fraser Michael Frediani Michael Jones Douglas Knapp Michael San ty Philip Schwartz Bill Waldman Ben Wolf

V

ision, the essential ingredient that we as Camera Operators

use in our work, intrinsically bonds us

Changing of the Guard Fo r over eight years Bill Molina, SOC has dedi cated his time and energy fulfilling the demanding position of Treasurer for the SOC. He did an amazing job! Bill recently iii formed m e of his resignation with sincere regret.

He wiiJ remain a dedicated member of the SO C and will stay in touch, I'm sure.

At the same time we are delighted to have Ga ry Baum, SOC fill Bill's shoes.

Ga ry volunteered for the position at our last breakfas t meeting and we are extremely grateful.

- Georgia

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: A NOTE FROM THE PRESIDENT

to children with vision problems. Our organization contributes its fu ll support to the Eye Care Clinic of the Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles.

Contact the SO C online at

www.soc.org

The Operating Cameraman Magazine Spring/Summer 2002

Editor George Stephenson SOC

Post-Production Manager Douglas Knapp SOC

Design &Production Lynn Lanning, Double L Design, Glendale

Cover Design Mark Leins

Production Coordinators The Ingle Gro up, Brentwood

From the Editor's Desk:

Advertising Director

On location in Namibia

Dan Dodd

Contributors Jo hn Bailey ASC Michael Frediani SOC Laurie K Gilbert SOC Judy Jordan Rick M itchell Georgia Packard SOC George B Stephenson SOC

Photography Ga ry Baum SOC Bruno Calvo Do ug Dobransky Laurie K Gilbert SOC Tom Lappin Astor Morgan Georgia Packard SOC Copyright Š 2002 by the Society O f CameraOperators

The Operating Cameraman Magazine is published semiannually by the Society Of Camera O perators.

Subscription Rates USA $20/year O utside USA $28/year (U.S. Funds O nly)

For article submissions, please contact: SOC Attn Magazine PO Box 2006 Toluca Lake, CA 91610 Phone(8 18)382-7070

For display advertising information, contact: Dan Dodd (818) 508-4900 dandoddnow@aol.com

4

O

ur latest issue of the Opera ting Ca meraman magazi ne is rich with a va riety of subjects. I pa rticularly like th is issue because it co ntai ns the SOC Li fe time Achievement Awa rds. It's all abo ut who we are and what we do.

We usually include at least one DP/O perator article and this time we are excited to have not one but four, each with a different and enlightening approach! Cont ras t th e reliance of Michael Ballhaus, ASC (Gangs of New Yo rk) on the collaborative efforts of his operator with Bruno Delbonnel (AnuHie) who prefers to operate himself. Witness the unique methods of 'reality TV' (Fear Facto r) by Vince Contarino compared to the challenges of four camera episodic TV with Donald A Mo rgan, ASC (My \1\fije and Kids and Girlfr iends).

Rick Mitchell continues to entertain us with another installm ent of his

Widesc reen history series. I'm always amazed at how much more there is to lea rn about our own industry heritage.

Mitchell's research is extensive and im peccable as usual.

Lastly, I wa nt to exp ress our deepest appreciatio n to all of our adve rtise rs who have remained loyal to this magazine.

Being able to publish only two issues per yea r makes it d ifficult to entice advertisers to place ads. It is a constant struggle to solicit new adve rtisers and inevi tably we may lose a few along th e way. The SOC thanks all of our advertisers for the continued sup port yo u have shown us.

The encouraging response we've had from our readership inspires us to keep going.

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soc

WEAR

See the complete line of iackets, shirts, hats & belt buckle (not all items available in all siz es)

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

Write to: Soc iety Of Ca meraOperators P.O .Box 2006 To luca Lake, CA 9161 0 or order onl ine: www.soc .org

lsaia & Co Demonstration PHOTOS FOR NEWS & NOTES ARE BY GEORGIA PACKARD, SOC

S

ociety members experienced a remarkable maze of discovery at Isaia & Co in Nor th Hollywood on the brisk, sunn y Saturday, November Jrd, 2001. We were shown multiple roo ms filled with numerous camera system s and suppo rt equipment, new and used. The pickiest technicians' requests were quickly m et with

Matt lsaia displaying Carloni tilt head .

6

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: NEWS & NOTES

Roy lsaia with PeePod 1600 and PowerPod 2000.

several optio ns to choose from . Isaia has a combinatio n of all the greatest tools and gadgets, resulting in a good time had by all.

Roy Isa ia and his son Matt led their staff in showing the SOC the "Classic" and the "2000" Power Pod Range model which can be used in a dual axis format or adapted o ut with a tri-axis gearbox and motio n control interfacing. It was also the deb ut of their Pee Pod 1600 remote head for television and film with the 3rd axis. The Chapman LenCin pedestal was shown with the new OConnor 5200 head. This new head provides a wide range of tilt, even under the weight of a complete 35mm camera package.

Clairmont Cam eras offered up their new super telephoto ( 140-420 mm) zoom lens. The size of that lens was substantial, to say the least, but even more impressive was its sharpness when viewed at its full range. Great suppo rt and fu ll accessories complete the zoom's package. And the lens's reach is trul y fantastic.

Mehran Salamati from Hot Gears brought a complete set-up to show the latest updates of his equipment. Mehran is very dedicated to

!\

Denny Clairmont with new zoom lens (140-420mm) .

Mehran Salamati, SOC demon strating Hot Gears wi th Bonn ie Blake, SOC. Georgia Packard, developing a system that responds to the SOC operating production's needs and not just to an Clairmont Camera inventor's whims. equipment on Den nis McDonald of Isa ia & Co explained that they have a large inve ntory Carloni tilt head . of pre-ow ned 16mm and 35mm camera and support systems available. It really is a one-stop shopping experience ful l of camera equipmen t with all accessories available including lenses, matte boxes, underwate r housings, light meters and even director viewfinders! Their Expen dables Store offers a va riety of the latest tools yo u kn ow yo u can't be witho ut.

Grip eq uipment includes a control line of products such as the rolling high hat and the newest lin e of GFM cranes.

The GF 14 Modular crane extends to 47 feet (it debuted for us at Techno Vision ). Giraffe cra nes, Schneider Mini-Pod grip control, TransVideo ScubaCam and Underwa ter Moni tor, Oppenheim er Spi n Axis 360 head and Preston Cinema Systems are all there to greet yo u on yo ur shopping tour for fi ne equipmen t and tools.

The staff is helpful and courteous. Isa ia & Co is located at 4650 Lankershim Bo ulevard in North Hollywood. Yo u ca n visit their Website at www.isaia.com. The SOC is excited to welcom e Isa ia & Co as a new Corpo rate fit.~ Affiliate.

SOC Crane and Remote Head Seminar, Saturday June 1st, 2002 all day at CineGear on the Backlot of Universal.

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ASC Presidents Award goes to Garrett Brown Ga rrett Brown is the recipient of the 16th Annual ASC Presidents Award . "Garrett Brown is a true renaissance m an and the best friend of m any cinematographers," notes ASC president Steven Poster. "His inventions have changed the face of movies, and his great hmnor and i~tellect have given us much more. He is a brother to us all."

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: NEWS & NOTES

7

News

~

otes

T

wo complete catering trucks welcom ed the SO C and Grip Local 80 m embers to] L Fisher in Burbank the first Saturday in December 2001 . Eggs Benedict were a perfect way to start o ur tour of their expanded facilities with plenty of parking at 1000 Isabel. All Fisher dolli es are maintained and constructed on-site.

Need an extra little extension? Want a swiveling seat? Used the dolly on location at the beach? No problem ! All of the equipment is cleaned and a ny repairs made after each rental. Older m odels are completely overhauled before going back out to keep the suppl y at its peak. Track of a variety of configuration s and lengths, cribbing, grip suppo rt and ROCs are filled and ready to go. It is impressive

Digital setup on Vinten Pedestal.

JL Fisher Company

Arriflex 's Bill Russell explains the laser focusing system to Cary Clayton of OConnor.

Fisher Dolly Team .

8

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN NEWS & NOTES

Grip Peter Schlanser and Operating Cameraman editor George Stephenson , SOC check out the new studio ArriCam .

Our cheerful caterers at the J L Fisher demonstration . see ing all of their equipment displayed in o ne open space.

So und booms are in another room at Fisher. T hese beasts with their super mi crophone extensio ns squeeze in between 4 cam era dollies o n the set floo r.

Shooting on a new digi tal producti o n?

Several diffe rent pedestal pl atfo rms from Q uattro/Yecto r we re showcased helping ca mera o perators realize ano ther approach to multiple ca mera shows. T he Quatt ro with Vecto r 700 studio ve rsio n offers an inn ovative cable guard base jacking system with a full y skirted base.

Plus yo u can dip down to utilize its low height capabili ty of 17.80". Both film and di gital ca meras ca n be suppo rted by the Vector 700 head with its patented co unterbalance system.

Surprise! Arri flex bro ught with them no t o ne but two of their new ArriCa ms.

T he hand-held setup allows the updated m odular ca mera to fit snugly o n yo ur shoulde r w ith a lighter video tap and viewing system. Are yo u a left-eyed shoo ter o r wa nt to be furth er away fro m the ca mera? T he studio system allows yo u to quickl y slide the eyepiece away fro m the ca mera bod y. No m o re pinning yo ur face to the back of the ca mera. And the new laser foc using unit displays not o nl y the exact focus of your subject, but also the depth of field the lens dem ands at the t-sto p yo u selected .

Video assist, computer interfac ing, to p o r rea r m agazine loading and integrated frame rates are all o n boa rd fo r the ease of production .

Visit Fisher at th eir Website: www.jlfisher.com o r ca ll to reserve yo ur equipment at (8 18) 846-8366. We all we nt hom e with T-shirts and lo ts o f w ri tten material.

Be sure no t to miss our next event at J L Fisher Com pa ny. f\~~路

DP Chuck Schuman (SOC member) with new handheld ArriCam.

Singapore Film Maker Takes Top Craft Award at New York Film Festival

T

llrkish Sta rs - A Star Is Born, a 22 minute video entered officiall y from Singapo re by filmm aker Laurie K Gilbert SO C of L'Image Cinematography, received an awa rd for "Best Cinematography" at the New Yo rk Internatio nal Indep endent Film and Video Festival 2001. The judges of the event had nominated it for both "Best Cinem atography" and "Best Foreign Sho rt Film ."

Laurie K Gilbert SOC filming hand-held in the The New York International cockpit of a supersonic jet.

Independent Film and Video Festival 200 l is co nsidered to be one of the biggest and m ost an air cras h during the post production stage of the film. Laurie K Gilbert SOC, prestigio us festivals in the world .

In 2000, the event attracted 1,2 12 a Hollywood accredited Direc to r of entries from 38 countries in a quest Photography, had to train fo r eight to win o ne of the coveted "New York weeks in th e extreme "G" (gravity) con ditions that the pilots endure Festival Grand Awards," "World Medals" or "Finalist Certificates." during their high speed maneuvers and then operate his cam eras in-cockpit.

Gilbert's award w inning video (utilizing the Can on ZL-1 ) was m ade T he spectacular aerial content of the video was m ade witho ut any assistan ce entirely on location in central Turkey. of special effects.

It tells the story of a little Turkish boy Since its completion in June 200 1, with a fascination fo r flight who is the project has won awards for "Best introduced to the supersonic fl ying skills of the Tiirk Yildizlari Akrotim Cinem atography" at both the Asian Television Technical and Creative (The Turkish Ai r Force "Turkish Awards 2001 www.asiantvaward .com Stars" Aerobatic Team ) and who is and the AEGIS Awa rds in the USA. then invited to "fly" with them on a training missio n via m otion picture The a rticle by La urie K Gilbert abo ut his experiences m akin g this video was imagery on his computer. featured in the Fall-Winter 2001 issue The project was directed by Ahmet of The Operating Cameraman.

Kayacik who tragically lost his life in tl!;.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : NEWS & NOTES

9

News

~Notes

The TechnoCrane at TechnoVi sion .

TechnoVision USA Demonstration The first Saturday in October 200 I, SOC I m embers were greeted by the Esp resso Ca rt and a table fu ll of breakfast goodies to help us start our day. It was the first

gathering for m any after September 11th, so people trickled in a bit slower than usual. Yet the sun ca me o ut fro m behind the clouds and Techno Vision USA

Richard Marks and Philip Schwartz, SOC operating TechnoCrane.

10

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: NEWS & NOTES

welcomed us with open arms.

One of the remarkable n ew setups at TechnoVision is the way their trucks can be fitted with both a TechnoCrane and a SuperTechnoCrane.

How many times have we been on location, after careful scouting and conversations about the coverage only to have the shot expand momen ts before they call for camera to roll? Can't yo u just make it go a little further?

Higher? Like this?

Well, TechnoVision is paying attention a nd making it easier.

We ventured outside and maneuvered the crane aro und o ne of their trucks with the help of a few great technicians.

It is standard practice to have two technicians on the SuperTechnoCrane to keep its movements sm ooth and safe.

Headsets for communicating between the operator and crane techs enable directions and corrections to be made effectively.

T he Operating Cameraman has reported on several cinematographers who utilize the TechnoCrane and the SOC was fortun ate to have a few speak at o ur Camera Operators Workshops last yea r, includ ing Ueli Steiger ASC, and Bob Primes ASC. Here we practiced outdoors to be able to get a broader swoop and extension. Using fellow operators as stand-ins honed our eyehand coordi nation and crea ted som e challenging m oves behind the lens.

Inside Simon ]a yes demonstrated the brand new GFI4 Mod ular crane with remote head. The modular pieces are commo n on stage applications and ca n be built to 47 feet, ve rtical or ho rizon tal.

All cabling is directly attached to the modular units and an upgrade is being manufactured to reset the rail actually beneath the surface to better insure its protection while being transported.

We used the system for o ur mock-up cooki ng show, repositioning the cam era

GF 14 Modular Crane debut at Techno Vision USA.

effortlessly overhead witho ut using a ladder or lift. Built vertically the system works like a charm fo r concert stages with lo ng climbs/drops within a very co nfined space.

Go ing thro ugh a lo ng hallway? Mo unting a rail aro und a tow ca r? Table top and m odel wo rk?

Fashio n runways and billi ards competitio ns? T he list goes o n and on .

W ith o ne more stop at the Es presso Ca rt, we each had o ur very own TechnoVision insulated coffee mug passed out to all of the participants, along with T-shirts and the required spec sheets fo r the equi pm ent. Each of us fill ed o ut a ca rd and participated in a drawing where a full day rental of Techno-Crane was the gra nd prize! H om e m ov ie, an yone? What a great added bo nus to a fun day o n the wheels.

Be sure to sto p by and check o ut the equipment set-up: 76 18 Woodman Ave nue, Unit # 1, Va n N uys, Califo rnia 91402 o r call them at (8 18) Simon Jayes, SOC , TechnoVision USA with Georgia 782-9051 to book yourself a crane n ow. j(~~, Packard, SOC.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: NEWS & NOTES

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Arricam .

For the Digital Age of Film.

...4111 rricam

is a new image acquisition system for the changing .AI world of Cinematography. It integrates the unquestionable imaging superiority of film into the efficient and creative world of digital post. In addition, Arricam provides the user with exclusive features, allowing for in-camera effects previously not possible.

Arricam combines proven features such as excellent, bright optical viewfinders, rock steady pin registered film transports, and rugged environmentally stable construction with many new operational features. User addressable, bi-directional camera data, including camera speed and shutter angle, frame count, all lens parameters and script related scene information are 路available for programming complex shots or to facilitate post production.

The Arricam system consists of two basic camera bodies, the "Studio" and the "Lite" optimized for applications in today's demanding and cost sensitive production environment.

A full range of widely interchangeable accessories completes this most capable 35mm Film Camera System, designed and built

by ARRI especially for the Digital Age of Film. www.arri.com

ARRIQD Technology In motion.

News

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otes

Chapman/Leonard demo hapman/ Leonard Studio Equipment hosted two days of demonstrations for their camera cranes, pedestals and dollies, February and March 3rd at the Grip 80 Local in Burbank. Wh at a wonderful time to take adva ntage of the support from o ur grip brothers and sisters! The SOC ga rnered yet a nother opportunity to try out m any fa miliar dollies as well as the new Rap-Tor with an auto leveling system o n a Pro Gator Chassis. Perfect for those sa nd-l ade n shoots at the beach or on rocky terrain. The Lenny II arm ca n be mounted for manned or remo te use.

Another "fi nd " is the Stinger Jib Arm that allows o ne to slide the camera away from the center post from an inve rted or above ca m era Mitchell mount, offering several extra feet of additional extensio n beyond the jib's swing. Clairmo nt Camera provided several camera packages allowing SOC members to fully utilize the co mplete co mpliment of equipment.

Lencin II pedestal aLlows lens placement very close to the floor in its lowest of 4 rem ovabl e telescoping stage positio ns.

Two favo rite hydraulic lift dollies shown we re the Hybrid and th e PeeWee, with step-a ro und boa rds to facilitate operator pos itio ning. T he PeeWee can ac hieve 55" in full height while the Hybrid 's reach is over 6 1".The Uni versa l Head Mo unt wi th XOX Leveling System lets the o perator reach in to those tight spots o ne often

C

finds oneself in and makes for quick leveling adjustm ents on the fly.

The Power Pod remote camera system was decked o ut with a Preston system o n Clairmont's MovieCam. Continuo us 360 degree pan and tilt can be performed with lenses up to a 10:1 and all fUm magazines up to 1000 feet in size. It wo rks with all types of arms and with m ost fum and digital cam eras.

Thank yo u to the people of Chapman/ Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc and all of the folks with Grip Local 80 for your help. The SOC appreciates your ongoing enthusias m and support to keep o ur work safe and professio nal. f{j;.'

Clockwise from top: Christine Chapman makes sure everything is working right with their XOX Leveling System . Cranes and trucks stand ready. Ben Wolf ready at the camera. Georgia Packard and Bonnie Blake try out the underslung camera on the Lenny II arm .

Crane tru ck loaded in front of Grip Local #80- note the logo on the wall.

14

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : NEWS & NOTES

Thanks, ASC &Local 80 SOC welcomes the ongoing support of the ASC and Local 80 for our 2002 Crane & Remote Head Event at CineGear, Saturday, June 1st on the backlot of Universal Studios.

Grip Local #80 's logo.

Doggicam

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Take 15% off these titles when you mention this ad or Focal order online Press The Camera Assistant's Manual Third Edition David E. Elkins,

soc A nuts and bolts guide with information on all aspects of this un ique position within the film industry - from cinematography basics to interviewing for the job.

Kent Jorgen sen (left) of Grip Local 80 stands with Doggicam , Inc. President Gary Thieltges in front of Doggicam 's camera truck loaded with their imaginative Sparrow head (a remote w ireless head you can mount on a car, motorcycle or even a bicycle), ARRI IIC camera equipment with High or Low mod e operation ability, Robodog (motorized version of Doggicam which allows full tilt control) a variety of lenses, Obie lights, viewing monitors, etc.

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Uva's Basic Grip Book Michael and Sabrina Uva Caters to the beginning professional Comprehensive guide on the basics of grip work Heavily illustrated reference to equipment used on a daily basis 192pp * $24 .99

Doggicam 's Bodycam is demonstrated here by Santiago Yniguez, rigged to keep the camera at a fi xed distance regardless of his movements, and Dave Colitre w ho holds the optional remote control unit that is available w ith the system. jlj_.~,

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Uva's Guide To Cranes, Dollies, and Remote Heads Michael and Sabrina Uva

Provides the more experienced professional with a streamlined reference to the equipment-what it is, how to use it and where to find it.

For more information go to ferraflexminicam.com or email Mike at ferrafl ex @aol.com

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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : NEWS & NOTES

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Enter offer code FS14

News

~Notes

Technical Achievement Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to Pete Romano ... . . . for the design and development of the Remote AquaCam速, an underwater camera housing system for use in motion pictures.

The Remote AquaCam速 brings to Pete Romano the industry an underwater camera housing specifically designed for remote and high-speed operation. Its hydrodynamic shape facilitates ease of operation for surface hand-held filming, and its remote capabilities allow it to film in confined areas or in situations where an operator cannot be near the camera. ;(:;..

The William EHines, SOC Scholarship Fund

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s one of the founding members of the SOC Bill Hines was a driving force who helped to steer us and shape us into the respected and world-renowned organization that we are today. Everybody who knew Bill on the set or within the SOC liked him, respected him, revered him and his dedication. And now, over h-vo years since Bill's passing his spirit lives on in his bequest to children of Active Members in good standing.

The purpose of the William E Hines, SOC Scholarship Fund is to recognize and educate talented young people who are dedicated to the art and craft of cinematography. Each year a $1,000 scholarship is to be used to help defray tuitional expenses of selected and deserving dependent children pursuing camera training/education .

A notice was sent in February to all members that applications are now being taken for the William E Hines, SOC Scholarship Fund to be awarded to any dependent child of a member in good standing who meets the qualifications.

The applicant should send a brief letter telling his/her education, experience, interest in cinematography and personal goals. The closing date for accepting applications is extended to May 31, 2002. Send submissions to the SOC, PO Box 2006, Toluca Lake, CA 9160.

The scholarship committee will review all submissions and upon concluding by majority who should be awarded the scholarship we will announce the winner to our membership. We will follow up on our winners in years to come and report their progress in The Operating Cameraman magazine.

For further information, please contact Georgia Packard, SOC President, or Diana at the SOC answering service, (818) 382-7070. ;\#;..

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Foundation

''One of the best tools is the R.O. It keeps the weight of the camera over the arm. That is especially inportant when you have 200+ pounds of operator on the seat.

It helps me keep the eyes even when the dolly can't configure close enough due to a wall."

-operator Ed Neilson II

"Walk last; think about what you have to do. Never run on the set. You could trip and fall. Not only does it make Camera look disorganized, but it could result in damage." -James Wong Howe

16

January 3, 2002

Ms Georgia Packard, President Society of Operating Cameramen Post Office Box 2006 Toluca Lake, CA 91601 Dear Ms. Packard: Thank you very much for your thoughtful gift of $3,000 to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. As per your request your gift will be designated to the Eye Clinic at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

It is kind of you to want to join with us in providing state-of-the-art healthcare for critically ill and injured children of our community. Your generosity is especially important during this time of recovery from our national tragedy, and as we focus on the importance of providing health care for the children close to home.

Childrens Hospital Los Angeles is very much a part of what makes our community and our nation extraordinary, and your contribution and friendship are deeply appreciated.

Sincerely, Claudia A Looney, FAHP Senior Vice President, Development cc:

Ellen R Matsumoto, OD Terence Green, Vice President, Special Gifts

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : NEWS & NOTES

2001 soc Lifetime Achievement Awards at the

Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel

by George

Gary Baum (right) schmoozes w ith Charlie Chaplin in the hotel lobby.

B Stephenson, SOC

CANDID PHOTOS BY GARY BAUM, SOC PORTRAITS BY DOUG DOBRANSKY

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ovember 4 1h, 2001 m arked a m om ento us occasio n: the Society Of Cam eraO perato rs' Li fe time Achievement Awa rds (postponed fro m September 23rd) . T his yea r the Awards we re held in tl1e newly ren ova ted ballroo m of the histo ric Ho llywood Roosevelt Hotel. Histo ric fo r o ne impo rtant reason: the Holly"vood Roosevelt Ho tel hosted the very first Academy Awa rds ceremo ny in 1929.

It was a star studded evenin g with celebrity presenters fro m SAG, th e DGA and the ASC. Arnold Schwa rtze negger made a special appea rance via video to present the Ca mera O perato r awa rd to Michael St Hilaire, SOC. Each of the ho no rees was introduced by a beautifully edited screen

Presenter John Singleton talking with Chuck Mills

Michael St Hilaire, recipient of the Camera Operator Award , and his w ife Beverly.

presentatio n of their wo rk. M ichael Fredia ni , SOC created all of these impressive m o ntages. He relu ctantl y re-edited the Histo ri cal Shot (awa rded to Leo nard So uth, ASC) fro m Vertigo d ue to time restraints, but I think even Hitchcock wo uld have been pro ud.

Frediani also photographed and edited a heartrending video o n the Eye Ca re Cli nic, Ch ildrens Hospital of Los Angeles. T here was hardly a dry eye in the ho use when the lights cam e up after this deeply m oving presentatio n . T he Society Of Ca meraO perato rs is dedi ca ted to the visually challenged children treated at C hildrens Hospital. T he SOC meets this chall enge with proceeds from the Lifetime Achievem ent Awa rds Ba nquet Gala.

Perhaps the most po ignant recipient's speech was

by Jo hn Bailey, ASC, President's Awa rd . Although he was being ho nored, he ho no red the SOC and th e

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : SOC AWARDS BANQUET

17

Camera Operator with his deep respect and appreciation. (See Bailey's speech on page 25 in this issue.)

The food was excellent, the wine flowed and the music (Zoot Suit) was lively and voluminous. T he warm art deco ballroom in terior was conducive to preceremonial conversation and camaraderie, unlike the relatively cold indifferent atmosphere of the Ritz Ca rlton, MdR. We thin k we'll continue to have the Awards ceremony here if they'll have us back.

The honorees for 2001 are: Sydney Poitier, Governor's Awa rd; John Bailey, ASC, President's Award; M ichael StHilaire SOC, Ca mera Operator; Robert A Torres, Cam era Technician; Gemma LaMana, SMPSP, Still Photographer; Elizabeth Ziegler SOC, Mobile Platform Camera Operator; Leonard J So uth ASC, Historical Shot Vertigo. The Technical Achievement Award went to Mehran Salamati, inventor of"Hot Gears."

A special thanks goes to our wonderfully generous and gracious presenters: Barbara Babcock, Miguel Ferrer, William Fraker ASC, John Singleton and Arnold Schwartzenegger. And last but not least, we thank Lynn Lanning, managing ed itor fo r the ma rvelous Tribute Booklet. It's worth keeping.

If yo u we re unable to at tend yo u should beg, borrow or stea l o ne from (OC an attendee. O r better yet, plan to attend next year!

"Jii'4

Enjoying the banquet. THIS PAGE : Top row: John Bailey and Barbara Barry. Second row: Andy Sydney and SOC 151 VP Bonnie Blake ; Nicole Frediani and her father Michael Fredian i, past president of the SOC ; Miguel Ferrer presenting awards . Bottom row : SOC President Georgia Packard emceeing the evening; Andy Romanoff (center of group) enjoying a chat with Nancy Schreiber, ASC and Michael Santy, SOC. FACING PAGE , Top row: Ricci and George Stephenson with Barbara Babcock; Miguel Ferrer and Georgia Packard share a hug . Second row : Robert Torres (second from left) with his family; SOC pa st president Stan McClain and Philip Schwartz. Third row : Howa rd Block; Lynn Lanning ; the Cammy. Bottom row : Frank Kay and Susan Campbell ; David Diano and hi s wife Gemma La Mana chat with Mr and Mrs William Fraker.

18

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: SOC AWARDS BANQUET

Heard at the banquet: "Making a movie can be thrilling , fun , and exhausting . Sometimes all at the same time . So working with people you enjoy can really make a difference. " -Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his video presentation to Michael St Hilaire of the Camera Operator Award

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN

SOC

AWARDS BANQUET

19

CAMERAS BY

Best wishes to the distinguished nmninees for the 16th Annual ASC Awards.

Congratulations to the Winners!

Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC The Man lf/ fzo fVasn't There ASC Outstanding AchieYement Awa rd in the Feature Film Category

Steven Fierberg Attila ASC Outstanding AchieYement Awa rd in the MOW / Miniseries / Pil ot Basic or Pay TeleYision Category

Diego Quemada-Diez A Table Is A Table ASC Robert Surtees Heritage Award for Outstandin g Cinematog raphy (Student Film )

Thank you for choosing ca1nera packages from Otto N emenz.

Fi,路e out of Six winning proj ects chose Arritl ex and Movi eca m ca mera s.

www.ottonemenz.com 323.469.277 4

The SOC Lifetime Achievement Award Recipients

Still Photographer Gemma La Mana, SMPSP w ith presenter William A Fraker, ASC.

John Bailey, ASC , recipient of the President's Award .

Not shown: Governors Award recipient Sidney Poitier, and Leonard South , whose work on Vertigo earned him the Hi storical Shot Award.

Tech Aw ard w inner Mehran Salamati , inventor of Hot Gears, w ith presenter Barbara Babcock.

Camera Technician Robert A Torres w ith presenter John Singleton.

Nelson Tyler with hi s wife, Mobile Platform Camera Operator Elizabeth A Ziegler, SOC.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : SOC AWARDS BANQUET

21

Clairmont "Squishy" Lens

Clairmont "Image Shaker" Lens

Clairmont High Speed Strobe

Clairmont "Swing Shift" Lens

Clairmont "Over/Under" Rig

Highly skilled technicians With heartfelt thanks to the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences •.• Terry Clairmont, CEO Emmy is a reg istered trademark of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences

HOLLYWOOD 818-761-4440 TORONTO 416-467-1700 VANCOUVER 604-984-4563 www.clairmont.com

Denny Clairmont, President

JOHN BAILEY, ASC PRESIDENT'S AWARD

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s a student in Vienna in the m id - 1960s, jo hn Bailey decided to spend his li fe in filmm akin g. H e was pa rt o f a "Golden Era" at U SC .with Geo rge Lucas, Jo hn M ilius, Wa lter M urch, Randall Kleiser, Hal Ba rwood , Ma tt Robbins, and Caleb Deschanel ASC. Fascinatio n with bo th technical and aesthetic as pects of ca mera and lighting drew Bailey to cinematography.

In 1969 he jo ined the H o ll ywood ca mera guild and began a ten yea r app renticeship as camera assistant (Two Lnue Blacktop), cam era operato r (Days of Heaven, Three Wo nren) , and ci nem atog rapher in 1978.

In an eclectic career, Ba iley has pho tographed

Ordinary People, Th e Accidental Tou rist, As Good As it Gets, Tough Guys Don't Da nce, Tha t Championship Seaso n, Swinuning to Ca 111bodia a nd A Brief History of Ti111e. H e directed and pho tographed the fum of Lily To mlin's To ny Award winning Broadway play, Th e Search for Signs of In telligent Life in the Un iverse. It was critica ll y praised for expanding a o ne-wo m an perfo rma nce piece into a true cinemati c experience. The fi lm go t two Emmy no m inatio ns and Bailey received an

ACE no min atio n as best director.

O ther credits include Ma riette in Ecstacy, Via Dolorosa and the IMAX concert film 'N SYNC: Bigger Than Live.

A highlight o f Bailey's ca reer is the special Ar tistic Achievement Awa rd he shared with Philip Glass and Eiko Ishioka from th e Cannes Film Festi val in 1985 for hi s wo rk on Paul Sch rad er's Mishi111a, A Life in Fou r Chapters.

Anniversary Party was his fi rst "film" photographed in digital video. He recently com pleted principal pho tography o n Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood fo r w riterdirecto r Callie Kho uri .

Bailey has written essays and film articles fo r such pu blicatio ns as the New Yo rk Ti111es, A111erican Cinelllatographer Magazine, ICG Magazine and the DGA Magazine.

He has served o n the juries of th e Ve nice Film Festival and Cam erlmage and has conducted wo rkshops and seminars in m any European co un tries. He res ides in Los An geles with his wife, acclaimed film ed itor Ca rol Littleto n, ACE with who m he has collabo rated o n many p rojects.

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talented , pass io nate acto r, Sidney Po irier's pio /"\n eerin g screen wo rk in the 1950s and 1960s paved the way fo r co untless o ther blac k perfo rmers.

Bo rn in M iami , raised in poverty in the Bahamas w ith little fo rmal edu cati o n, Po itier wo rked at menial jo bs in Mia mi befo re his Army service. Afterward, he jo ined the Am eri ca n Negro T hea ter, eventually appearin g o n Broadway in Anna Lucasta, 1948.

His first majo r film ro les we re No Way Out, 1950; Cry, the Beloved Coun try, 1951; Blackboard jungle, 1955; Edge of the City, 1957. ln 1958 his first Osca r no minatio n, fo r The Defia nt Ones, also mad e him Ho llywood 's first black leading man and star. His strin g of hits included Porgy nud Bess, 1959; All the Yo ung Men, 1960; A Raisin in the Sun and Paris Blues, bo th 196 1; Pressure Poin t, 1962; and Lilies of the Field, 1963. Lilies bro ught him his Best Acto r Osca r.

Poi tier served as a symbol o f black prog ress d ur ing the civil ri ghts era. In 1967, his peak yea r, he beca me a top box-office attrac tio n, starrin g in three boxoffice smas hes: Guess Who's Corning to Dinner, To Sir With

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : UFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Love a nd In the Heat of the Night. Night's success spaw ned two sequels.

The pace changed. H e wro te and starred in a blac k ro ma ntic comed y, Fo r Love of Ivy, 1968; mad e his directing d ebut with Buck a11d the Preacher, 1972; starred in a nd directed a tri o of broad and extrem ely popular all blac k com edies, Up town Saturday Night, 1974; Let's Do It Again, 1975; a nd A Piece of the Action, 1977.

In the 1980s he concentrated on d irecting: Stir Crazy, 1980; Hanky Panky, 1982; Fast Fo rward, 1985 ; Shoot to Kill and Little Nikita, 1988. His best ro le in yea rs was as fu ture Suprem e Co urt Justice Thurgood Marshall in the mad e-fo rTV movie Separate but Equal, 199 1. In 1992 he received the Ameri can Film Institute Life Ac hievem en t Awa rd, and was back o nscreen in Sneakers. Po itier's autobiography, Th is Life, was published in 1980 and mo re recently The Measu re of a Ma n: A Spiritual Autobiography, 2000.

T hough bo rn in t he USA, Poit ier beca me a citize n of the Bahamas in April , 1977 and served as their ambassado r to Japan. In 2002 the Acad em y of Mo tio n Pictu re Arts & Sciences also gave him a Life time Achievement Award . f(:;.

ASC SPEAKS TO OF CAMERA0PERATORS

JOHN BAILEY, THE SOCIETY

C

ertain moments in our filmmaking career are indelible and in retrospect may even assume the status of a Joycean epiphany. For me, that moment came as I was sitting on the turret of a Titan camera crane in mid-summer 1976 in Southern Alberta, Canada. I was there as camera operator for the late and beloved cinematographer Nestor Almendros. The film was Days of Heaven. The scene was the arrival of a convoy of workers and immigrants at Sam Shepard's ranch to harvest the summer wheat. Nestor was standing next to me at eye level as the assistant director cued the extras and vehicles to move along the dirt road. The camera framed the weathered gate, beyond which the road dropped down to an open prairie and in the distance, atop a rise, sat in splendid isolation the very Hopperesque main house. Nothing but the gate was visible from camera level.

As the convoy snaked through the gate and down the rise, the camera rose in one of those ethereal, arcing lifts that, while dramatic on the cinema screen takes your breath away if you are the person sitting behind the camera, eye in the tube, feeling the majestic sweep of the crane arm in the very core of your being. How many of you know what I'm talking about? Yes. That's the point. It's an unforgettable sensation.

After Terence Malick called "cut" and the camera came back down to the ground, he and Nestor assailed me. "How was it?" This of course was before video assist became standard -before anyone staring at a IS-inch monitor in video village thought he knew what the camera operator was doing. I said something pretty lame like "You can do it again, but it was fine." What I felt, my heart still pounding, was 'Til never have this moment again, but it's there on fdm forever."

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he point of this personal anecdote is simple. We are very privileged artists. Not only is our work seen by millions of people (hopefully) but it is captured and fixed in time; it can be re-played over and over. At the tightly compressed center of all the planning and work that goes into constructing every shot of every movie is the Camera Operator. He or she is the first person to see it, to feel it, to judge it. The visceral connection the Camera Operator has with the unfolding shot cannot be duplicated by anyone

standing next to the camera or by anyone sitting fifty feet away at a monitor.

I think this is why certain of my cinematographer colleagues insist on operating the camera themselves.

Is it any surprise, then, that the inevitable next step has been for the director to take the camera away from the cinematographer and operate it himself.

Lately this has become not just the prerogative of Dogma filmmakers- it has permeated even the Hollywood mainstream. I want to tell you that while I can understand it- I don't like it. It's true I would defend the right of any cinematographer or of any director to operate the camera when there is a compelling reason. But that does not happen often.

I

was a Camera Operator for more than four years.

While not a career like many of you, the time I spent behind the wheels has given me a healthy respect for the position. It has also given me a reality check on how demanding of my concentration the job is. Very simply put, here is what I feel. The degree to which a cinematographer or a director becomes a Camera Operator, is exactly the degree to which he or she is reduced as the controlling artist of the film.

There are plenty of us in this business who aspire to be one-man bands. It seems to me that those egos are better fulfilled in the more solitary music-recording studio than on the movie soundstage. There's just too much happening simultaneously on a film set. It's pretty ridiculous to see the cinematographer reduced to ferreting out bumps on a dolly track- but you know that it happens. The work that you the Camera Operator performs on a movie is crucial, the very definition of grace under pressure. You know it. Your cinematographer knows it. So does your director. It is a supreme irony that not many of them will tell you often enough. God knows I am guilty as well. In the hurry to always move on to the next setup, I'm off and running as soon as the director calls cut. So while I have here tonight a captive audience let me sing out a plaintive "mea culpa." I want to tell you something now- loud and clear. I salute all of you and I thank all of yo u for your dedication, for seeing it first and reporting back from the front, for being our second eyes and for even (swallowing our pride) all too often, saving our bacon. Thank you for this honor.

-John Bailey, ASC

ELIZABETH ZIEGLER, SOC MOBILE PLATFORM CAMERA OPERATOR

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li zabeth Ziegler, SOC graduated from college with a degree in Sti ll Photography. She soon established her own portrait studio in Hollywood, California.

Portrait business was slow, so for extra income she landed a job at George Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic in Van Nuys, Ca lifornia. There she worked on the first Star Wars film as an apprentice in the design department. Ziegler spent the next four years honing her skills as a machinist/designer, working out of her own shop. She performed maintenance on the robotic figures R2-D2 and C3PO as they went on a world tour in the wake of Star Wars' phenomenal success.

About that time, Ziegler received a great offer to work at Walt Disney, running the prototype machine shop for the Epcot Specia l Effects Department. She spent the next four years there during the push to build Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida.

In 1984, a camera assistant friend, Michael Gershman (now DP), talked her into goi ng to a workshop on the relatively new equipment known as Steadicam"~". Liz

ROBERT

used her two week vacation time to take the class and got hooked! It was the perfect marriage of everything she loved- the photographic and the mechanical.

"I knew it was for me! " exclaimed Ziegler, "so with the financial assistance of my parents, I took out a loan for the equipment, practiced like crazy, and have spent over twenty years as a Steadicam Operator in the motion picture industry."

Camera Gyro Stabilization was a natural extension of her camera skills, combining the design of a specialty vest to better support her own feminine physique and developing LizCam, Inc. Film credits include Town & Country, Eyes Wide Shut, Lolita, Magnolia, Little Giants, Charlie's Angels and Dave.

Her television credits range from Bette to The Elian Gonzales Story. Ziegler has numerous music videos including such artists as Macy Gray.

Liz Ziegler resides with her husband Nelson Tyler, the owner of Tyler Camera Systems and inventor of the f(~~.

Tyler Camera Mounts, in Van Nuys, California.

A TORRES

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orn in l.os Angeles, California, Robert A Torres attended Mount Carmel High School where he took college prep courses. After graduating high school, Torres served three years in the U.S. Army as a still photographer. He performed aerial reconnaissance photography in the Republic of South Vietnam, I 966- I 967, achieving the rank of Specialist 5th Class.

After his military service, Torres attended Columbia College, followed by the University of Southern California Film School.

While he was attending USC, Torres received a phone ca ll from Clarence Schweibert, head of the camera department at Warner Brothers Studios, inviting him to come in for an interview as a film loader. The interview had lasted no more than five minutes when Schweibert offered Torres the job. He became the first Latino to have a permanent position in the Warner Brothers camera department. Torres was most proud of his position there.

After severa l years spent load ing thousands of Mitchell magazines, Torres became the on ly negative cutter in his department at Warner Bros. The process

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : UFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

used at that time was known as "PTX" (Print Take Extraction).

Torres' first big break as a camera assistant came from then first camera assistant Gary Graham who was working on Swashbuckler at Universal. That experience resulted in a 12 year relationship with Director of Photography Phil Lathrop, ASC. Lathrop became Torres' mento r as well as a close friend . "He treated me like a son," Torres remembers.

"Why have I been chosen for this great honor today?"

Torres asks. "I know that it's because of those people who were not afraid of sharing their knowledge with me.

Great cinematographers such as Phil Lathrop ASC, Robert Surtees ASC, Charles Mills, Robert Grigg, Robert McBride, Tony Askins ASC, Mike Meinard us, David Walsh ASC, Duke Callahan and Paul Cameron." Torres credits directors John Singleton and Barbra Streisand, and camerama n Charles Correll as major influences on his career. Among Torres' substantial credits are: Boyz N the Hood, Summer of'42, Baby Boy, Black Rain, and most recently Rush Hour II and Training Days. Torres resides f(:;. in Los Angeles with his wife Aide.

LEONARD

J SOUTH, ASC

HISTORICAL SHOT:

VERTIGO

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lfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (Universal, 1958) was adapted from the Pierre Boileau novel about a San Francisco detective (James Stewart) and his psychological tro ubles with fear of heights and with a wo man, played in two roles by Kim Novak. The fa mo us tagline from the film's release stated : "Alfred Hitchcock engulfs yo u in a wh irlpool of terror and tension! " For our 2001 Historical Shot Sequence Awa rd, the SOC is recog nizing the camera operating work Leonard J South, ASC for his cont ribution to the gro undbreaking sequen ce ftlmed on the California Mission's stairway. Included in that sequence is the in fa mo us shot where Scotty (James Stewa rt) looks down the stairway only to be swept away by vertigo.

Numerous riggings fa iled to bring the camera through the stairway quickly and safely, and the crew found it was impossible to shoot in a traditional way. A model was built and then placed on its side to allow the camera movement to be smooth and in control at all times.

Their method of moving the camera toward the stair-

well while zoom ing back from it at the sa me ti me was a unique visual effect. (This technique is often called a "Spielberg shot" but it was obviously devised long before jaws). The newly created zoom lens changed the language of fi lmmaking forever.

Sout h wo rked with the formidable tea m of Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Burks, ASC as a camera assistant on Rear Window, 1954. He operated ca mera on Vertigo, 1958; Mamie, 1964; and To rn Curtain, 1966; and then became H itchcock's Director of Photography for Frenzy, 1972 , and Fa mily Plot, 1976. Other fea ture films as DP include Hang 'em High, 1974; I Sailed To Ta hiti With An All-Girl Crew, 1968; Herbie Goes to Mo nte Carlo, 1977; The Ghosts of Buxley Ha ll, 1980; and Amy, 1981. TV series: The Rockford Files, Designing Wo men, and Coach; and TV movies: Hom e fo r the Holidays and The Chill Factor. Lenny is kn own for his bea utiful photographic wo rk, his crew's quick pace and professional attitude on the set, and his remarkable talent as a kind and generous human being. f~'

GEMMA LA MANA, SMPSP STILL PHOTOGRAPHER

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emma La Mana's fasc ination with photography began as a child when she would go into the "spooky dark room" with her father and watch him make magic as an image appea red from blank paper.

The fascination remained with her through ad ulthood and blossom ed into a means of self expression. She received some formal training at the Art Center College of Design but was mainly self taught, believing "If yo u want to be a photographer, you have to take pictures."

Gemma wo rked in graphic art before getting a "lucky break" at the ripe age of twenty shooting sit coms, spo rting events and rock concerts for ABC. After deciding to shoo t stills for movies, she was faced with the disappointment and difficulties of breaking into the mai nstream industry. ''I'm not one to cry discriminatio n," remarks La Mana, "but at that tim e it was a male dominated profess ion." Gemma's sister was married to an ac to r wo rki ng o n a Clint Eastwood ftlm . "We spent a good deal of time wit h Clin t. He was very supportive of helping people he believed were talented," discovered Gemma. Eastwood became instrumental in her entrance into the fi lm industry, thereby making her one

of the first wo men in the IATSE camera local.

Am ong her many credits, Gemma has shot production stills for Th e Buddy Holly Story, Mr. Holland's Opus, an d Every Which Way But Loose. She has wo rked wi th some of the greatest directors from John Huston (Prizzi's Honor) to Lawrence Kasdan (I Love Yo u to Death, Gmnd Canyon, and Mumford), as well as great cinematographers like Laszlo Kovacs ASC (Frances, Ghostb usters, The Mask), and William Fraker ASC (Chances Are and Honeymoon in Vegas). "Great cameramen truly make all the d iffe rence in a still photographer's wo rld;' concludes La Mana.

Gemma is a member of the Society of Motion Pictu re Still Photographers. She states: "We are not competitors but partners joined in a common goal of developing an awareness of still photography as an art and to promoting archival preservation fo r historical and cultural importance. We share information and exchange ideas as well as sympathize and lend support."

La Mana resides in the Los Angeles area with her so n Sean and husband David Diano, camera operator and .

SO C member. ~~~'

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : UFmME ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

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MICHAEL STHILAIRE, SOC CAMERA OPERATOR

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ichael StHilaire (nicknamed "SAINT" on the set) was born and raised right here in Los Angeles, California, a "movie industry brat" by birth. His father, Alfred, better known on the set as "sock-in -the-box" and a previous recipient of the SOC Lifetime Achievement Award, was a still photographer who got his start with the fa mous Geo rge Hurrell. Michael's mother, Dorothy, wo rked as a retoucher at the MGM still lab. At 14, young Michael had his first paying job on a movie set, assisting his father on the Dea n Martin/Tony Curtis film Who Was Th at Lady?

As a young man taking numerous camping and fi shing trips with his family to the High Sierras, Mi chael drea med of being a fi sh and game biologist. But after high schoo l graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marines Co rps, and lost sight of that drea m.

After his tour of duty in the Marines, StHilaire return ed to Los Angeles and went to work for Producer's Photo Lab in Hollywood. The ability to subtract light from areas and add light to other areas to achieve an overall balance was one of the most important lessons he learned fo r his later ca reer as a ca meraman. A co-worker arranged an interview for St Hilaire with Bill Wade, the head of the ca mera department at Universal Studios. In the ea rly morn ing hours before going to wo rk at Produ cer's Lab, StHilaire would head ove r to Universa l's camera department to learn camera maintenance as well as film loading. This dedication soo n led to a job as a second camera assistant on The Appaloosa, with Marlon Bran do. Jobs on Streets of Laredo and other notable film productions fo ll owed. StHil aire moved on to Disney, wo rking on both features and television productions. One memorable shoot involved fl ying all over Euro pe and the Middle East in a Mitchell B-25 bomber with nin e ca meras, shooting the circle-v ision StHilaire shots for Disney World in filming Orlando, Fl orida. Still at Disney, Windtalkers. cin ematographer Frank Phillips moved him up to ca mera operator on the televi sion movie Hog Wild. Sh ortly afterwards he went to Hawa ii to work with Andrew Jackso n on Paniola. Robert Hauser later took Michael on as an operator, and so a very close

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : UFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

friendship and working relationship was born , lasting the remainder of"Bobby's" life.

Throughout StHilaire's operating ca reer he is proud to have worked on numerou s film s with many grea t ci nematographers including Ma tt Leonetti, ASC (Red Heat, fagged Edge, Co111mando, Action jackson, Dragnet 87), and most recently with john Leonetti (Sco 1pion King); Adam Greenberg, ASC ( Ter111inator II, Erase1; Turner & Hooch); Russell Ca rpenter, ASC (Tm e Lies, Hard Target, Charlie's Angels) ; Lajos Koltai, ASC (Wrestling Ernest He111ingway, When a Ma n Lol'es a \1Vo111an); Jeffrey Kimball, ASC (Stig111ata, Mission I111possi!Jie II, and due out this summer, Windtalkers) . StHilaire fondly re members working on Fast Fo rward, di rected by another SOC awa rd recipient, Sidney Poitier.

St Hilaire is a founding member of the Society Of Ca meraO perators, where he has served as a member of the Board of Governors. He has served many years on the Executive Boa rd of the Los Angeles chapter of the International Cinematographer's Guild , and more recently on the National Executive Boa rd of the Guild.

While filmin g a mov ie in Tennessee, Michael met Beverly, his wife for over 24 yea rs. They were married in Hawa ii while Michael was ca mera operator on the next to the last seaso n of Hawaii Five-0. They have a da ugh ter, Stephanie, and a so n, Christopher, with whom they enj oy spending time at th eir second home in june Lake in th e High Sierras, snow skiing in winter and fi shing in summer.

In recent years St Hilaire has shot fo ur independent fi lms as Director of Photography. Out of those, one was accepted into the Sundance Film Festival in 1998 , and one into the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. Michael fee ls that working with yo ung, crea tive and aspirin g film makers has given him new enthusiasm and insp iration fo r the motion picture industry as a whole! f{~~

HoT GEARS REMOTE MEHRAN SALAMATI, INVENTOR

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ccasionally, time and circumstances have a way of turning one from the ass umed path.

T his is certai nly the case with Mehran Salamati.

With the usual progression from camera operator to director of photography, Salamati developed an affinity for special effects photography.

Whether it was studio or location, underwater or ae rial work, if it was unusual or difficult, he was there. His JetCams installed in a modified L-39 jet fighter is but o ne example of his ingenious app lication of invention in o rder to accomplish an innovative shot.

The concept of Hot Gears was also an item on his lengthen ing "wish list." He had lo ng held the idea that there had to be a way to remotely control an existing geared head used by the industry

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on a daily basis. It was during a particularly difficu lt shoot in late 1998 that the idea for the Hot Gears remote system finally began to crystallize.

Salam ati and his crew were shooting a national commercial campaign in eastern Washington.

They stru ggled shooti ng a 180° whip pan with a t\¥enty foot boom up. Salamati's thought was that there had to be an easier, better way.

Within the next few months, after putting ideas o n paper, Salamati built his own portable remote systemthe first Hot Gears Prototype.

Bill Meurer of Birns & Sawyer saw a demonstration of the prototype a nd purchased the first production

model from Salamati in 1999. Salamati credits Meurer with providing the name "Hot Gears."

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Technical Info: Hot Gears is a new 2 and 3 axis microprocessor remote camera controller that can be easily attached to ARRIHEAD I & II, PANAVISION's PANAHEAD and SUPER PANAHEAD. It is designed to allow the Cinematographer and Camera Operator to utilize the ARRI and PANA head as a very cost effective remote system.

Utilizing its microprocessor, Hot Gears will selfcal ibrate and contin uously match the exact position of the wheels and the motors to yield a repeatable position as the operator turns the remote wheels.

The system automatically ensures that the camera comes to a safe, soft stop before the geared head runs into its mechanical end.

Hot Gears has the capability of real time record/ playback and PC- Link to store multiple moves. ~

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

29

Partial List of Exhibitors: AEROCRANE AMPHIBICO BACKSTAGE EQUIPMENT, INC BRAINS & PICTURES VIENNA (CAMCAT) CAMERA ESSENTIALS CANON USA CHAPMAN/ LEONARD STUDIO EQUIPT. COOKE OPTICS/ ZGC COOL-LUX LIGHTING CRASHCAM INDUSTRIES DOGGICAM FUJI PHOTO FILM GEO FILM GROUP GEORGE PADDOCK, INC. HYDROFLEX, INC. INNOVISION OPTICS OTIO NEMENZ INTERNATIONAL, INC. PRESTON CINEMA SYSTEMS, INC SCHULZ CAMERASUPPORT SOCIETY OF OPERATING CAMERAMEN THALES ANGENIEUX WARNER BROS. STUDIOS FACILITIES WEST COAST THEATRICAL WOLFE AIR AVIATION , LTD .

Media Partners: AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER CREATIVE INDUSTRY HANDBOOK ICG MAGAZINE IN-SYNC PUBLICATIONS

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

& CAMERA OPERATOR 9th in the Series

Director of Photography Vincent F Contarino, currently on Fear Factor and Reba .

Reality Bytes

by Georgia Packard, SOC

V

incent F Contarino is the current Director of Photography for the realtty show Fenr Factor.

On this locatio n visit down at the airport in Long Beach, California, Vince's crew had just completed movi ng 12,000 pounds of ri g into a large wate r tank for the episode "IceEscapes" which aired at half-time during the Super Bowl game. Three levels of Plexiglas with a variety of portholes allow

PHOTOS BY GEORGIA PACKARD, SOC

DP Vince Contarino with gaffer Brink Brydon.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN REAUTY BYTES

31

the Playmates to dive between the different levels to retrieve glow-sticks befo re they surface for this timed event. Smoke effects will lay down a layer to help make the nighttime arena appear to be made of ice. Add some colored gels, multiple cameras above the water along with a jib and underwater cameras and the coverage looks stupendous.

Fear Factor presents a challenge to the cinematographer as each episode is so different and usually must be lit the same day as the stunt takes place. Contarino and the production team must "find out where the reality is going to be" and then shoot it.

"Often we use a variety of camera platforms, lifts and jibs for the really high shots, utilizing lights with back crosses and specific spots to be highlighted. The anticipated shots are lined up during a rehearsal with stand-ins - as of course the contestants don't see the environment until they actually do the stunt.

Everyone is on radio contact, including the Talent Person who then helps us tweak the talent's positions depending on where we have placed our cameras.

(The rules are explained off-camera where they also ask all of their questions on how the ga me is played.) All lights are put up on dimmers to help us make quick adj ustments without interfering with the stunt. This show is the closest thing I've shot to live-television:' sta tes Vince. "Nothing can interfere with the game or their sa fety. Every day starts out witl1 a safety meeting and each stunt is addressed individually."

There is a physical "/\' stunt leading to a "B" stunt. Usually the "B" stunt includes a disgusting, gory task such as insects' assault or eating a culinary oddity like cow brai ns to possibly red uce the number of co ntestants. The final "C" stunt is the larger physical act where the TOP: Vincenzo Pace of Pace Technology, SOC member, leads underwater camera team.

CENTER: DP Vince Contarino on top of "lceEscapes" 12,000 lb rig . Producer tests out the stun t wh ile divers relate any trouble areas .

BOTIOM: Another angle of the rig , with fog tubing standing by for the nightfall shoot. Located at Long Beach airport.

32

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: REAUTY BYTES

final contestants compete in points and time. The rules must change to specifically fit each show/stunt presented. Often one producer "tests" the challenge level of each task to heighten the interaction by the viewers and the contestants. To this interviewer, it proved that the stunt could actually be completed safely with the tools available.

"IceEscapes" adds another factor as it is to be completed underwa ter: the underwater cam era crew are there to show the action in full immediacy with stunt d ivers standing by in case anyone needs air or emergency assistance.

Because Playmates are the contestants, the event is to be played out in bikinis on a cold winter night. The "IceEscapes" episode employs 4 safety divers and a team of 4 underwater cameras led by Vincent Pace of Pace Technology. Putting cameras in the tank with the contestants

explained and is then handed over to Contarino's team to "bring it to light."

"I am able to personally enhance the look and present my interpretation of the show. My crew responds very quickly, making any necessary fixes and moving on to the next physical challenge. We constantly use a small pool of tech nicians so that everyone on my crew understands well in advance what is expected. This raises the work level with high output so we consistently deliver a good product within our time and budget restrai nts. After all, that is one of the key challenges a crew has on shooting television - to make it look bigger and better than what we really have time for. My crew is constantly asked to Playmates lauren Hill, Stacy Sanches, Pri scilla Taylor and pull the rabbit out of the Angel Boris ready for their lceEscapes . hat. Without letting the audience see the strings holding it just relying on a formula to get us engages the aud ience to connect with the all together. through the production. I think my challenges and fears of the participants.

"I am currently the Director of crew wo uld agree that this approach "To see what it is like to maneuver all Photography on the sitcom Reba which helps us to keep the productions lively three levels underwater makes for a very is also shot electron ically. The studio and entertaining as we work. And I feel exciting show!" adds Contarino. setting makes my approach there more everyone is happy with the results.

The crew gets excellent support from mechanical. I use standard back crosses "I was very fortunate to work with production. The vision of the show is and try to find little things where I can wonderful Directors of Photography in be m ore creative. There the show my career. I gaffed on Moonlighting for is shot week after week on the Gerald Finnerman, ASC and worked for quite a while with Dean Cund y, ASC. I same sets with only a few swing sets or locations. The worry later moved up as Dean moved on to becomes more about boom directing. One of the secrets is to have a shadows and moving multiple happy and hard working crew, to be able cameras to shoot coverage in fro nt to put every penny of production up there on the screen, even if it is the small of a studio audience. However, the show allows me a chance to go one. Each of my show's crews work well together and meet their own challenges home and see my wife and kids head-on week after week. So right now I throughout the week." have the best of both worlds having the Contarino concludes, "O ften I stability of Reba m ixed with the immedidraw from my feature experience acy of live television for Fear Factor. It is and modify techniques to apply to Reba and Fear Factor. It becomes a very exciting!" grab-bag of using whatever tools Video assist from underwater photography work best for the situation and not shows the DP camera angle and lighting .

One of the secrets is to have a happy and hard working crew, to be able to put every penny of production up there on the screen, even if it is the small one.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: REAUTY BYTES

33

Turning Heads Our Way

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Los Angeles 818-845-6480 New York City 212-947-9797 Vancouver 604-988-7181 www.plusBvideo.com

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

& CAMERA OPERATOR 1oth in the Series

Andrew Rowlands, SOC and Michael Ballhaus, ASC on the set of Gangs of New York, filmed at Cinecitta, Rome.

1

Making Gangs of New York'

by George B Stephenson PHOTOS BY TOM LAPPIN

Interview with Andrew Rowlands, SOC

Interview with Michael Ballhaus, ASC

At the time of this interview, Andrew Rowlands, SOC was

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hard at work on Matrix II & III in Sydney, Australia. He was fortunate in being able to have his family join him during this lengthy location shoot. Between the demands of family and work, he was gracious enough to take time out of his busy schedule to conduct this long distance telephone interview.

Operating Cameraman Magazine (OC): Let's start with a few background questions. I know you're from Australia, but where were you born?

Andrew Rowlands (AR): I was born in Liverpool, England and my family moved to Australia when I was only three years old.

OC: What was your principal inspiration for entering the film business in general and camera in particular?

AR: As a kid in Australia, I used to go to the movies every chance I got. I would go to the matinees and watch them over and over. We had TV but it was only in black and white in those days and I loved watching American series dramas and movies. My older brother was attending film school in

arly in December 2001 I had the pleasure of interviewing the distinguished cinematographer, Michael BaUhaus, ASC via telephone while he was at home in Berlin. He had recently completed principal photography on Gangs of New York in Rome. Ballhaus first worked with Andrew Rowlands, SOC on ltVhat Planet Are You From? and later on The Legend of Bagger Vance.

OperatingCa.mera.manMagazine (OC): How would you describe your working relationship with your camera operator?

Michael BaUhaus (MB): I describe what I want and how I want the shot to be designed. Then I let the operator fulfill his vision of the shot. I love working with Andrew. Not only is he an excellent Steadicamn.o operator but he is a brilliant "X' Camera Operator as well. I work with the best crew members I can find and then I give them the freedom to do their best work.

OC: Relationship with First Camera Assistant?

MB: We shot approximately 147 days and Tom Lappin, my

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : GANGS OF NEW YORK

35

First Assistant Cameraman, never missed a single shot. His focus was impeccable! We shot a lot of night scenes with low light levels and wide stops and he never missed. Quite remarkable!"

OC: Your relationship with Martin Scorsese?

MB: Marty and I first worked together on After Hours, then Color of Money, Good Fellows, six projects in all, including

Gangs of New York.

We work so closely together having developed a long term relationship and so we have our own way of communicating with each other. He will give me a shot list with various notes in the margin and I will interpret them visually. Essentially, I will translate his notes into reality. Scorsese has a fantastic mind and creates terrific visual fantasies which he allows me to interpret on film . It's a wonderful way to work!"

OC: Do you have any future projects planned with Scorsese?

MB: Yes, he may be doing an epic film on Alexander the Great and if so, he would choose to work with me again. He has tried to work with me on each of his films since After Hours but our schedules have not always made it possible.

OC: Why did you choose to shoot Gangs of New York at Cinecitta Studios?

MB: Primarily because Dante Ferretti, the marvelous Production Designer, was most familiar with the studio, its production crews and facilities. There were many items that could only be procured in Italy and he knew all the sources of materials unique to this genre of ftlm. In addition, of course, there was the cost consideration and constructi11g the elaborate period sets as well as shooting in Cinecitta, Rome proved less costly.

OC: What challenges did you encounter that were different

Andrew Rowlands SOC, Michael Ballhaus ASC and Martin Scorsese taping a rehearsal with Mini-DV.

Perth, Australia. He would bring home camera equipment from time to time and I would mess around with it. I guess that was my first exposure to professional camera equipment.

Later my brother became a TV journalist at a local station and he introduced me to a documentary cameraman. I apprenticed under him and was exposed to every kind of camera in1aginable. I was hooked from then on!

Eventually I made a trip to the United States on a tourist visa and

Rather than hanging out on the truck during scenes where my camera was not being used, I stayed on the set and observed the lighting setups.

Ballhaus liked that. was fortunate enough to "win" a green card in an immigration lottery.

Making a long story short, I met George Paddock who was manufacturing Steadicam'" rigs. Around the same time I met Colin Anderson, also

36

~

Michael Ba ll haus ASC, 1st AC Tom Lappin and Andrew Rowlands SOC.

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: GANGS OF NEW YORK

from any project you had worked on previously?

MB: There were a large number of night scenes and in order to replicate the only source of light being gas lights in the streets and moonlight from above we had to come up with a unique way of lighting. My gaffer, Jim Tynes with whom I've worked on at least 15 projects came up with a wonderful idea.

Along with Pat Daly, key grip, they created a

I rely on my crew 100% and treat them like family.

l st AC Tom Lappin and Technocra ne

fro m Australia, and we both bought Steadicam rigs and became fully immersed in the technology.

OC: How long have you been associated with Michael Ballhaus, ASC? AR: My first assignment with Michael was on The Legend of

What I enjoy about the way Michael works is that he invites comments and input from the operator and dolly grip in order to improve the shot.

Bagger Vance. I started as the 'B' Camera/Steadicam operator.

Rather than hanging out on the truck during scenes where my camera was not being used, I stayed on the set and observed the lighting setups. Ballhaus liked that.

When Florian Ballhaus (Michael's son) went off to shoot the 2nd Unit, I took over the"/\' Camera.

OC: How does BaUhaus senior like to work in regard to DP/Op relationship?

AR: Michael will lay out a shot by setting the opening and end frame compositions and then letting the operator fill in the blanks, sort of connecting the dots, if you will. He relies heavily on the dolly grip and operator to make the shots smooth and continuous. What I enjoy about the way Michael works is that he invites comments and input from the operator and dolly grip in order to improve the shot. You feel an integral part of the filmmaking process as opposed to being a robotic participant.

He works out the scene concept with the director (Martin Scorsese) and then relays the result to the operator and crew.

Michael loves to use a Sony Mini-DV camera to shoot the scene as conceptualized by Marty (Sc01路sese) and then he'll

light box that was 30'x40' in size and 80 K in intensity. They suspended it from a giant construction crane over the entire street scene and we used it as ambient moonlight.

Having it suspended from the crane gave us complete mobility. It was a terrific device and saved a great deal of time. Conventional balloon lights would not have provided nearly enough power or scope. We used actual gas lights for practicals and augmented them where necessary.

OC: Can you talk a little about crew loyalty?

MB: I like to stick with the same crew as much as possible.

I shot 15 films with Jim Tynes and 10 with Pat Daly. I rely on my crew 100% and treat them like family. I rely on their input and encourage their input and collaboration. Together we have developed a strong working relationship and I shall continue to work with them in the future.

OC: Any language barrier on Gmzgs of New York?

MB: Mostly English was spoken as my principal crew members were American. The Italians tried to speak English as much as possible so our crew wasn't able to learn Italian or practice what little they knew. There really weren't any continued on poge 39 language barriers to speak of.

Michael 's 360掳

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: GANGS OF NEW YORK

37

play it back for us. This way the crew members directly responsible for executing the shot are in perfect sync with him and tl1e director, ultimately saving a lot of time and confusion.

OC: What was BaUhaus' relationship with Scorsese like and where did you fit in with this relationship?

AR: Ballliaus and Scorsese have had a long standing relationship having worked on numerous projects together. Scorsese is performance oriented and thus leaves the cinematic details up to BaUhaus. Michael would encourage Marty to sit or stand close to the camera position during the shot as opposed Andrew, Michael and Steadicam . to being fixated on the video monitor. Working in the "old style;' in other words. That key phrases and the Italians knowing some English, we all got way, Marty could be more intimately attuned to an actor's along fine. One factor that helped immensely was the effort I made to learn the names of each and every crew member. performance.

That simple personal touch was greatly appreciated by the As far as my relationship with Scorsese, I must say I was Italian crew members and helped to make for a smooth quite honored to be personally invited by Marty to go to running and pleasant working environment. The grip and electric crew melded well together and the work got done.

OC: Were there any difficult situations relating to working in a foreign country?

AR: Certain types of equipment were difficult to procure.

Camera accessories or specialized grip and electric equipment which we are accustomed to having at a moment's notice just wasn't available. We would get it eventually, but it just wasn't "at tl1e ready."

OC: Can you talk a little about your relationship with your First Camera Assistant?

New York and view some of the edited scenes of Gangs of AR: Tom Lappin was my l st AC and he is excellent. He'd New York with him and the editor. Unfortunately, I had to worked with Michael on several projects before me and is decline due to family and work obligations.

OC: Describe the shooting conditions on the location in very solid. His set presence is just what Michael expects: quiet, efficient, attentive, precise and accurate. He knows Rome. how to perform his duties in an unobtrusive and anticipatory AR: The duration of the shoot was one hundred and thirty manner. The rest of the camera crew were Italian, other than days. We filmed prin1arily at the Cinecitta Studios in Rome.

Florian, Michael's son who operated and DP'd second unit.

The set was an authentic replication of New York City, circa OC: In terms of loyalty, does Ballhaus tend to utilize the 1860s. I had an apartment on the outskirts of Rome and was same crew members whenever possible? able to have my family with me for the major portion of the AR: Definitely. The gaffer (CLT) was Jim Tynes with whom shoot. Taking a subway to work was very civilized and effiMichael has worked for over ten years. Pat Daly, his key grip cient. We adhered to a 55 hour week as prescribed by the has also worked with Michael for many years on all tl1e major Italian labor union; no late Friday nights! The Italians are projects. Jim and Pat make a great team. I think Michael likes more interested in maintaining a well balanced lifestyle, to keep the same people together as much as possible, not allowing ample time for rest and relaxation. only out of loyalty but because it just makes sense. Once you OC: Did you encounter any language problems? establish a dialog and a methodology amongst your crew it AR: It was predominately an Italian crew witl1 the makes for an efficient way of working. exception of Michael, myself, Florian, and Tom Lappin, Michael is very adamant about hiring expert crew members. my assistant. The language barrier (I don't speak Italian) He has no time for "learners."

IJ;. was a little difficult at first but between my learning some

We adhered to a 55 hour week as prescribed by the Italian labor union... The Italians are more interested in maintaining a well balanced lifestyle, allowing ample time lor rest and relaxation.

38

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: GANGS OF NEW YORK

Synopsis of Gangs of New York Based on historical evidence, the story of Gangs of New York takes place between 1842 and 1865, up to and duri ng the Civil War. The Union Army made a practice of drafting Irish and other immigrants right off the boats under the auspices of offering immediate citizenship. They were then forcibly separated from their families and transported to army training camps to fight in the Civil War. This caused great strife and confusion and precipitated the Draft Riots of New York.

With this situation as a backdrop, rival Irish immigrant gangs, the Native Americans and the Dead Rabbits are constantly feuding in the streets of New York.

Top : Technocrane and Giant Bounce Light. Above : Big Night.

The principal characters are played by Leonardo diCaprio who portrays "Amsterdam Vallon;' of the Dead OC: Between films, what activities are you involved with?

Rabbits and Daniel Day-Lewis who plays "Bill the Butcher," MB: Relaxing at home in Berlin through the holidays, I'm teaching filmmaking courses at two film schools in Berlin. leader of the Native Americans. As a yo ung boy Amsterdam Then in February, I'll be returning to LA to perform the color witnesses the murder of his father (Liam Neeson) by Bill the Butcher. Amsterdam is whisked away to an orphanage till the timing on Gangs of New York.

A#; age of 18 when he returns to avenge the death of his fat her. He tracks down Bill the Butcher who doesn't recognize Amsterdam as the son of the man he Now available in 2- and (Bill) murdered years before. Over a 3-axis; working with both period of time the two men gain ARRI and Panavision geared heads respect for each other as Amsterdam infiltrates the Native Americans gang.

• A cost-effective digital remote system • Easy to set-up, attaches to existing geared head in Amsterdam falls in love with a young 5 minutes streetwise waif (Cameron Diaz) who • Real time record/playback with three simple buttons was raised by Bill the Butcher. The • PC-Link allows user to save or recall multiple moves relationships between all the principal • 3rd axis to control roll or focus characters become very complex and • Joy stick and pan bar capable often compromised. ~ Salamati Productions • 16644 Roscoe Blvd. #34 • Van Nuys, CA 91406 Tel : (818) 780-2708 • Fax: (818) 989-5408 www.hotgears.com

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: GANGS OF NEW YORK

39

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6087 Stmset Blvd.

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Creative Services

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The crew of My Wife and Kids.

Back row: Camera Technicians Cory Shiozaki, John Weiss, Missy Toy Ozeas and Nicholas Nizich.

Middle row: Film Loader Damian della Santino, Operators Vito Giambalvo SOC and Randy Boer.

Seated in Front row: Operator Georgia Packard SOC,

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ASC, Operator Tina Levesque, and 2nd Assistant Camera AI Myers.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

& CAMERA OPERATOR 11th in the Series

Donald A Morgan, ASC speaks with the SOC "Now I am in a position to pick my camera crews;' says Don Morgan, ASC. "A lot of the time they are picked for you. In my earlier days at ABC with this type of sitcom, I was really only lighting the show." Today Morgan is the Director of Photography on two 35mm film sitcoms: My Wife and Kids at Disney and Girlfriends at Paramount.

"Being on a ftlm show, the director of photography is expected to know his/her own operators. Many times they are good at multiple positions so yo u choose a team that will work well together. I let the operator select their assistant and dolly grip in most cases. If the operator is newer, then I match them up with a qualified assistant to make for a smoother

camera team. Randy Baer, Mike Culp and Bettina Levesque are well versed operators who had the talent and just needed the break to cross over from video into ftlm.

"Vito Giambalvo, SOC and I go way back to the first time he and I were on a fum lot. When I left the Networks and went to Universal as a Director of Photography, it was assumed that I knew what a DP did. Since I did not come up through the ranks starting as a loader and moving up to an operator before becoming a DP, I had a different approach to my cinematography. I was on staff for the Norman Lear shows where Tommy Schamp was a Director of Photography. I was given the order to report to a back-lot location at 7 AM to 'take over' for Ken Lamkin, ASC. It was nerve-racking but I had Vito covering my back. There was a whole new protocol and terminology I needed to learn by the end of that first day. As Tommy Schamp told me when I arrived that day: 'Do what yo u need to do and do it the best you can.' It was quite a learning experience and I think about that every day since.

"I like to choose operators who are good and can perform well. I suppose that would make me a 'manager.' For my job here (on a sitcom), because there are so many shots in a short period of time, it is best to let the director have one-on-one communication with the operator. I am responsible for the exposure, the filmstock, post-production and I look at screen direction -especially challenging when you go around a table top. An operator may come to me to check on their coverage or with a lighting note. I then work to find something that can make their picture as pleasing as possible.

"The camera coordinator works with the director. I suppose they could be seen as a DP but they really work with everything that is happening with each of the four cameras. Each camera has specific coverage for'/\ pass and 'B' pass or their alternate coverage, to give as many options to the editor as possible. A ro ugh cut is assembled pretty much right in front of the audience. But you want to make sure you have as much coverage as possible.

"Last week on Damon Wayans' show,

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: DON MORGAN, ASC

41

Operator Tina Levesque w ith Camera Technician Missy Toy Ozea s on My Wife & Kids location .

we shot 89 pages in three days. Many people don't understand the techniques yo u have to use to make it all work

I don't like to dictate but to 'pose a question.' together. You can't just throw all this light up and walk away. I fine tune and balance my gaffer's wo rk (Harvey Schulman at Disney and William Bryant at Param ount). That gives them a chance to be collaborative in their work and bring their best to the production. I don't like to dictate but to 'pose a question,' to get

back better inforChapman Crane lets mation and work backlot of Disney for from the blend.

You have to be careful not to stop the process while the meter is running. A lot of money is involved and we have to get it done quickly. I don't generically light a set but there is a formula: keep the light off the walls to create better depth. I give an ample T-stop to help my assistants who are pulling focus, usually a T-4 stop.

"I have also done single camera shows.

When I do a single camera setup, I take m ore of a hands-on approach. I love m ovement so I try to sneak in a move or something more interesting. They can often be cut out on a sitcom to accommodate another commercial. Many moves at the top of a shot without dialogue get lost on the cutting room floor (or in the Avid m em ory bank). " I do

Vito Giambalvo, SOC gets support from Camera Technician John Weiss, Dolly grip Paul Shea and 2nd Assistant AI Myers.

42

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: DON MORGAN, ASC

Vito Giambalvo, SOC get high on the

My Wife & Kids. two 35mm shows with dollies, and I am fortunate to have two separate crews, employing as many people as possible.

Because of the Hi-Def situation, I have told them to learn those systems with pedestals because there will be a lot of those types of shows coming up. There will be a change where these shows go back to pedestals instead of dollies with fewer crew members and a lower salary.

The shows can cost from $25,000 to a million dollars an episode. The Studio being able to recoup this money is one of their main focuses. So that puts the crew in a precarious situation. You can't fight it.

"Dollies give yo u m ovements that yo u cannot do on a pedestal, no matter how good an operator you are. Depth of field issues put another strain on the ped operator as they are responsible for a lot of tasks during the show. The dolly comes fro m a single camera mode, from point '/\ to point 'B' and can get you in a great position as the operator.

We often don't get to rehearse with the actors, having to set up the cameras using the stand-ins. You want to create an atmosphere where your actors can be more spontaneous. All of this means we are maki ng a lot of on-the-fly changes while ftlming. On side cameras, the pedestal is easier due to getting your

crosses with less movement, but the operator has to carry focus himself/herself.

"It is amazing how quickly the four camera crews pull it all together. We blow through rehearsals really fast. It is really different with 2nd team. They are not doing precisely what the actors will do.

On a pedestal you control foc us, zoom and camera movement. Here a dolly grip can unstack and open yo u up by moving the dolly. There are usually 330 shots per show that I am responsible for. They all must look good or we have to make a change on the crew. That means everyone must be in tune, making all changes seamlessly as we go along.

I have to get the best people to make the best show.

"Each studio right now has a different Hi-Def frame. Paramount uses 'common' Gary Stark, Lighting Board Operator. sides 35mm,

blowing up the frame for Hi-Def and losing a quarter off of the bottom. At Disney we use a 'common' top and bottom with the differences on yo ur sides. It creates a hell for the operator, especially if you go back and forth between lots.

And there is another issue that I don't like. I feel as if I am the only one who knows what it will look like when we shoot on film. But in Hi-Def we all see it together, and everyone has an opinion.

"On Home Improvement we would use 5 cameras. It was poetry, based on the jib and that movement with the other cameras moving around it, using smooth movements with dolljes, jib or Steadicam""'. Stability with a 35mm camera isn't quite there on the jib, but it's getting better. There is just too much play in the head system unless you use a lightweight camera. We only have 12 to 15 foot camera aisles which we have to

What the c:rew says: "Don creates an extremely calm and pleasant atmosphere to work in. I enjoy watching him manipulate the lighting instruments to achieve a clear, simple, and rich look for Girlfriends.

He is very effective in making the women look really beautiful in a multicamera enviro1m1ent."

- Operator Gene Jackson "Working with Don, there is no pressure from the top. He lets everyone do their job with ease and comfort.

Small problems never grow. They are small problems that can be fixed."

-Assistant Camera AI Myers "I love the opportunity to work with a very diversified crew. People often are seeing this for the first time and remark on how wonderfully we work together. It comes from the top; the cinematographer sets the tone for the crew." - Operator Georgia Packard

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my disposal. The operator was encouraged to offer suggestions. On a fo ur camera show, often the only m obility you have is the dolly. Crane vs a remote head decisions depend on where we are shooting.

"Exteriors give the option to put a man on a crane.

Interiors, yo u have to go smaller and more compact.

It also comes down to the budget. Yo u must be as creative as possible within those parameters.

G eorg ia Packard , SOC and Randy Boer on camera s.

"Filming a sitcom is like share with the boom operators, as well as shooting in a shoe box on its side with one side open. Yo u have to be as creative sharing with those who are floss ing thei r as yo u can. I consult with the writers as teeth while watching and the network execs, agents and someone's cousin watch- well as directors to keep the process innoing the show at 'show time.' Fortunately vative and interactive. That keeps the juices flowing. I love going on location. your Stage Ma nager or Assistant Director O ur rear-screen projection show was helps to control the traffic. Recently I was able to shoot a single camera show: Bernie tough to co-ordinate because we ended up shooting multiple angles. Production Mac in Hi-Def. T here I had m ore tools at

told us that we were going to shoot only one side of the car at a time. Yet when we got on set, all four cameras were immediately put into play.

"We pull it off, over and over again.

The miracles we do with four cameras keep the actors' time on the set to a minim um. And time is money. Excuse me just a second ... Did we put a double in there?

OK, bring it to 70% on the Board. Sorry

It also comes clown to the budget. You must be as creative as possible within those parameters. for the interruption. I am creating a con centration of light here where she can wall< through to a more sculpted key for her single. The DP has to keep the wo men looki ng beautiful!"

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Above: Audrey Tautou in Amelie, a Mira max Zoe film Š2 00 1. Right: Bruno Delbonnel.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY

& CAMERA OPERATOR -

12th in the Series

Bruno Delbonnel: Amelie's

Magician of Light

by Judy Jordan PRODUCTION STILLS BY BRUNO CALVO PORTRAITS OF DELBONNEL BY ASTOR MORGAN

elightfully open, am iable, and perfectionistic: Oscar nominee cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel is exactly the artist yo u expect to encounter after savoring the magical tour de force Amelie. What's unexpected about Delbon nel is his humility.

Thirty seconds late for the interview, a genuinely chagrined Delbonnel apologizes in his tobacco scorched, wine-cellar-y voice.

"I am so sorry to make you wait." (If his film career went south he co uld always do vo iceovers.) His Parisian-accented English is excellent, yet he's self-disparaging in his occasional search for the perfect word.

Scrutinizing Polaroids during the portrait photo shoot, the 5'8" Delbonnel makes jokes with photographer Astor Mo rgan

D

about his height: "I like this shot-it makes me look tall;' he laughs. Sophisticated, generous, unpretentious: these are characteristics which best describe Delbonnel.

In the safe haven of his sun drenched room at the Beverly Hilton , Bruno Delbonnel blissfully chain smokes, narrating his unique career jou rney and the eight month naissance d'Amelie. He seems mildly embarrassed to be at the vortex of this attention, yet enjoying it in his low key manner.

En route to LA fo r the ASC screening and pre- 'Globes' buzz, Bruno's luggage was lost in Paris. It contained his entire collection of Paul Smith shirts, his only real extravagance. Bruno gri ns: "So I had

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: AMEUE'S BRUNO DELBONNEL

45

the ftlm school Lumiere; gladdened the hearts of a it's like a caste system! grieving America. Typically Truffaut never went to allergic to subtitled foreign school! He was a critic ftlms, American audiences first. If you prove you can embraced Amelie and do it, you should be able its message: pre-Oscar to work." Six ftlms, nomination, in limited umpteen commercials release, its US Box Office and fifteen years later, hit the 25 Mil mark.

Delbonnel's up for a Adorable Audrey Tautou 'golden boy' ... Pas mal! was praised for her Born into a working enchanting performance class family, Bruno's and uniquely French parents' lofty traditional beauty. Director Jennet goals for him went unrewas lauded for crafting alized. "My father was a a quirky world where peosoldier in the army. Later ple crave contact and love, he worked as a salesman. but don't quite know how He had dreams for me; he to go about getting it. wanted me to go to those Lovingly photographed by high level schools. I said, Delbonnel: "I like this Delbonnel with Kodak 'I don't want to be a busishot-it makes me look Vision 5277 (Tungsten nessman; I don't trust it at tall."

Daylight Balance 5246), all!' My parents asked, Tautou worked her magic 'Don't you want to be a lawyer?' It's very in every frame. For two golden hours funny because my brother is an architect. you are transported to the world of At first I wanted to be a painter. My father Montmartre, and the glow endures said 'No-no-I don't want yo u to follow beyond. It's beautifully shot, written, your brother into a school of art!' So I designed, acted and edited. Enchanting never painted, but I discovSFX created at Dubois Colour perfectly ered cinema." enhance the unique style of the ftlm, Hopefully, the Delbonnels achieving a rare balance of melancholic are now gratified by their son's overwhelming artistic recognition.

Besides his Oscar and ASC cinematography nominations, Amelie has already won a panier of Best Film awards.

Highlighting a few: The European Film Award, The Goya, The Goldbagge, The Crystal Globe, Toronto Film Festival People's Award, humor and irony. Budgeted at 10 milEdinburgh Film Festival, lion, it's a 'small' ftlm by US standards, Chicago International Film but it's aU up on the screen: Amelie looks Festival, Broadcast Film expensive; the result of hand in glove Critics Association, Florida artistic teamwork and ingenuity in place Film Critics, Canberra Interof prodigality. This was exemplified by national Film Festival, Online Bruno brilliantly operating his own Film Critics ... Amelie is Cesar, camera. "We have only four or six camOscar, BAFTA and Spirit era operators in France; very few, because Award nominated. all the DPs operate tl1emselves. Even The irresistible story of the Roger Deakins operates the camera himlonely gamine with a secret self! The crew was quite big, when we mission to bring joy into shot in Paris, we were 60." They also built Audrey Tautou with director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. and shot interiors in Koln, Germany in the stagnant lives of others an excuse to go shopping at Paul Smith.

I love the quality, the colors." Color and quality are big themes for Delbonnel.

That, and his passionate love of diffused light, which he uses to create a mood that speaks for AnuHie's 'minimalist' script.

"Amelie was originally written with English actress Emily Watson in mind; Jean-Pierre (Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet) kept the script short because she would have to speak French." At the last minute Watson backed out. "She didn't want to spend five months in Paris." Et voila: Jean-Pierre cast Audrey Tautou; the 'abridged' script remained; a star was born. "In total, Audrey has only two pages of dialogue in Amelie." Two pages of dialogue sounds a bit 'creative' but it probably isn't far from the truth.

Unquestionably, Bruno is creative. He invented himself as an artist outside of the traditional French 'system.' Unable to crack into the elitist Institut Lumiere, the French film school, he did it his way.

"I started to work as an assistant cameraman-in fact I lied a lot, just to get the chance. When I started, 95% of the students that got hired were out of

I work on the frame with the Steadicam operator.

I don't let him do what he wants. If I say to finish here, I want it here, not there.

46

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : AMEUE'S BRUNO DELBONNEL

anticipation of German funds, which didn't fully materialize. They ended up sending over French key personnel to get the perfection Jennet and Delbonnel required.

But they on ly used one camera.

"Jean-Pierre agrees with me that when yo u light fo r one camera, the other one is wrong. Jean-Pierre loves wide angle lenses; our longest lens was 2Smm. There was only one shot of 8Smm, and we were not happy abo ut it. Our T-Stop was almost always between a T4 and TS .6." Delbonnel did everything except Steadicamn ', but he was hands-on there as well.

"I always interfere. We were really lucky to be working with two of the best Steadicam operators in Europe, }urge Widmer and Patrick de Renter. I

In France nobody wants to pay two people to do one job. work on the frame with the Steadicam operator. I don't let him do what he wants. If I say to fi nish here, I want it here, not there. The rest he does himself. I use the Arri S3S ca mera. And I always have a gear head on hand. I use an Arri gear head and I use an OConnor fluid head as well; it depends on the shot. If I have to do something very quickly, I use the fluid head. I always have a fluid head in my truck.

Now with digital process, you can shoot 100 frames per second and ramp it. If you want to go back to 2S frames it's easy if you're shooting at 100-you just take out all the picture you don't want. What's very interesting with the ramping like that-it ca n start at 100 fra mes per second and slowly move to 2S or m ove very fast to 32 and then finish at 2S o r 24 frames. You can make a ramp like that (he makes a gesture like a swoop) a wave,

Matthieu Kassovitz and Audrey Tautou in the cafe, just before she dissolves into water.

yo u can smooth it-for example we use this ramping on a tracking shot when Amelie was a child, in the scene with the fish (the camera swoops up for a reaction shot) that would be impossible with a Fisher lO dolly, which is stable but very heavy. It's dangerous for the actors, if the grip loses control. It's difficult for the focus as well. It was ten meters on the tracking shot. We decided to ramp it, to shoot it at SO frames per second and to

bring it back at 2S in post. So it means if you are shooting at SO frames per second yo u can go slowly on the tracking shot, and it's not dangerous, it's easiest for the grip. We reshot the scene at t\¥elve frames per second as a back up."

That's a lot of shooting for a cinematographer as involved as he is in every aspect of visual production. He shrugs: "In France nobody wants to pay two people to do one job."

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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : AMEUE'S BRUNO DELBONNEL

47

They also save on film. "Jean-Pierre's very fast. He gets it in three takes, m aybe fo ur. We did between thirteen to fifteen set ups a day. We shot 50,000 meters of film . In post we spent five weeks digitizing. At first it was planned to be only three but we had tremendous problems at the begin ning; it took one week to fix the machine; the first week was spent testing. In twenty minutes there are m aybe a hund red shots, there are shots that are only tw·elve fra m es. So it was very long to time the first roll. After we succeeded with the timing and the chemical transition it got faster. The last week we timed two rolls in fo ur days. It can be an easy p rocess but none of us knew how In the cafe w ith its gold-green lighting, Nino regard s Amelie.

It's never really been about money for Delbonnel, personally. It's about art, beauty, and creativity!

Amelie was an eight month labor of love for Bruno; three m onths prep, twenty weeks shooting. They took their time. It paid off. Delbonnel is quick to point out that the French style of working is radically different to the US. There are no unions. No overtime. They work eight hour days. Bruno says, "We have a private li fe. At the end of the day, we go

~

Am elie makes plans.

it really worked. How can I say it? There are billions of possibilities with d igital timing; yo u can change the colors, yo u can turn it into black and white, you can change the density, yo u can have

It's never really been about money for De/bonne/, personally. It's about art, beauty, and creativity! power windows and work in different windows- you can play for hours with it. Yo u really have to kn ow what yo u want to do, because otherwise yo u are totally lost. We kn ew what we wanted but the tools were too new. We had to understand how it works in order to work efficiently, because it's so expensive."

48

I

~

home to our fa milies, have dinner, see our children." And unlil<e Hollywood, where the cinem atographer and di rector are usually joined at the hip, leaving the other keys to ruminate among themselves, the French collaborate. Delbonnel worked hand in glove, testi ng everyth ing with Production Designer Aline Bonnet, Costume Designer Madeline Fontaine; and Key Make-up Nathalie Tissier, to achieve the unique fa iry tale quality that permeates every frame. Says Bru no: "I

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THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : AMEUE'S BRUNO DELBONNEL

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Amelie ponders her next move.

Amelie, backed by the garden gnome, looks through the book of photo pieces .

ca nn ot wo rk alone, I cannot. It's imposs ible! You have to be aware of costume design, production design, make up. For me those are the three most important people on my crew, more than my gaffer.

If the costume is wro ng it kills everything; if the makeup is bad, I can not light a face. We tested wa rd robe co lors for five

days." Bruno employs every trick in the lighting book plus creating a few of his own (some that might be considered taboo by our strictl y regulated fire department standards).

He's a passionate believer in diffusion: " I even diffuse the diffused light. I use a lot of soft light, generall y using a big

source like a 20 K, but I diffuse it through brickglass or white diffusion Every ki nd of diffusion! I use a lot of Kino flos ... Blanket light to Single or Mini fl os. I like Chinese balls-the paper o nes. Not tissue or silk. The kind you can buy in any shop fo r $20. I'm quite sure yo u can't use it in the US because-it

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: AMEUE'S BRUNO DELBONNEL

49

burns," Bruno laughs. "But in France we use it a lotif it burns, you smell it and you extinguish it," he jokes again. "I use them from the small ones to the size of a giant beach ball. I also use a lot of dimmers. I even diffuse the Chinese balls, which is already a diffused light. I use white diffusion in front of it aga in.

Sometimes it's very close on the actors."

Amelie was abo ut color.

The fi lm has a very unusuColor is extremely important in Amelie. al look, a gold greenish cast. "Gett ing the green gold looks yo u stay in the frame. It was still difficult. I had to leave out the blues to achieve the wo n't light a fabric on a costume specifiyellow look, as yellow is the complimenta- cally, because it means I have to light a separate area which is impossible in fac t, ry color of blue. If yo u use m ore yellow, you have less blue. We wanted to get the so we decided the main thing was to have blue back, so we had to find the special blue in the props. We had a lot of vases blue. We made a lot of tests on the and glass things which we could light to pop the blues; glass vases we re lined with costu mes just to see wh ich blue wo uld

aluminum foil to catch the light." This accounts for the sharp spots of clear blue in otherwise deep red rooms.

They even changed the lighting in the Paris subway, replacing it with their own. "I asked for a green fluorescent tube and increased it with a green gel which is a half plus on the tubes. I think on the print we went too far. We spent days testing the right fabric on a wall . We lined up fifteen shades of blue, then the red. It was very, very long, but it's ve ry important. All the right detailsthat's what makes a film look rich."

Delbonnel saved on post SFX by executing as much in camera FX as possible. Shari ng the secret behind that fantastic shot where Amelie turns to wa ter, Delbonnel described it this

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the stories happen in Pa ris and he knows Paris almost better than we do. His composition was like cin emasco pe! We wa nted som ething very pure."

Bruno's passion is contagious. He runs to get the th ick bible of his storyboards and Polaroids. "For us it's not a job, it's som ething we believe in; my grip and gaffer are really included in what's happening. They both went to art school; Delbonne l needed to have blue in the props in hi s red world . A lot of vases and glass thin gs were their approach is totally lit to pop the blues. So me were lined w ith alum inum foil to ca tch the light. different."

With such standards who would he most like to wo rk with? "Paul post. The effect is a literal translation of a Thomas Anderson, Scm路sese, Ta rentino, French saying 'je m e liquifier'- translatDavid Lynch, Coppola. And Sea n Pen ned: 'I was liquified.' We all know the feelI think he's a great di rector. ing but how m any of us can translate way: "We panned on Audrey, then on the that into such an effect? Inspiration ? water pouring fro m a balloo n, then Comic books! The fam ous French o ne, aga inst a wall; they cut it together in Tardif The framing is wo nderful. Most of

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The Wide Screen Revolution (1952-1970):

Use of Anamorphic Lenses by 16mm and 8mm Filmmakers

by Rick Mitchell though there had been no professional or amateur interest in anamorphic lenses for original photography when attempts were made to market them in the early 1930s, things were different in 1953 following the publicity blitz for Cinerama and especially CinemaScope. However, due to the projection problems described in the previous installment and difficulties in doing original photography with the lenses, difficulties that paralleled those on the earliest 35mm productions, "small gauge" anamorphic photography ultimately became as much of a cult endeavor as 3-D. As previously noted, once CinemaScope and the principles behind it had been announced, industrial film producer Carl Dudley had Simpson Optical in Chicago make a line of comparable lenses for him, which he called Vistarama. He shot test footage in both 35mm and 16mm and announced plans to do industrial films in both formats, though the author could find no evidence of any such films being made. Dudley's lenses were marketed to industrial filmmakers, not the general public (they would be used to photograph Warners' The Command [1954], advertised as a CinemaScope picture) . Robert Gottschalk had formed Panavision with the idea of making anamorphic lenses that could be used by both amateurs and professionals for underwater photography. As a result of the high quality of the lenses he and

his associates developed, the company concentrated on professional lens design and manufacture, though in 1955 they did introduce a lens that could be used for both 16mm and 8mm photography and projection called the Superama. (This should not be confused with the variant of Superscope/Super 35 introduced by American International in 1958.)

Only two anamorphic lenses were designed just for small gauge projection: the one specifically manufactured for Bell & Howell by Bausch & Lomb mentioned in the previous installment, and a 16mm version of Panavision's variable squeeze Panatar, both introduced in 1955. The latter lens varied between a l.Sx and 2x squeeze, unlike its 35mm version, for reasons to be discussed further on.

Bell & Howell announced what was apparently the first lens specifically designed for 16mm photography and projection in September 1953. The first three manufactured were made available to Walt Disney Productions. Two went to nature photographers and the third was reportedly used to shoot behind-thescenes footage on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; however no such footage exists in the Disney film library. According to current Disney film librarian Ben Hendricks, the only original16mm anamorphic material they have is some lava footage shot by and purchased from Claude Jendrush and Arthur Carter. This footage was blown up to 35mm and used in the True-Life Adventure feature Secrets

of Life (1956), the first such instance of this being done.

Bell & Howell then announced the commercial availability of the lens, now called the FilmoRama, which would cost $596. Over the next 15 years a number of other anamorphic lenses would be made available for 16mm projection such as Panavision's Superama and the Kowa Prominar. According to Paul Rayton, chief projectionist of the American Cinematheque in Hollywood, inquiries for the purchase of anamorphic lenses from 16mm film rental libraries often included an offer of brackets that would allow the lenses to be used on 16mm and 8mm cameras as well. Rayton purchased a Prominar and bracket for his Kodak Cine-Special in 1958 and used it frequently thereafter.

In the late 1960s former actor Jon Hall promoted a line oflenses for both 35mm and 16mm photography which he called FantaScope. (Not to be confused with the advertising tag appended to jack the Giant Killer [1962] as a ripoff of Ray Harryhausen's Dyn ation; the film was shot spherically.) Hall shot film footage, in both gauges, and slides with the lenses, and executive produced and photographed one 35mm feature with them, Five the Hard Way (1969). The late 1960s saw the importation of the Sankor lenses from Japan, which along with the improved Kowa Prominar were considered the best for both photography and projection. Many of these lenses can still

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN

53

be found in older camera stores or in classified ads in newspapers, photography m agazin es, and on Internet auction sites.

O ne of the first purchasers of Bell & Howell's FilmoRama was Continental Productions o f Chattanooga TN, which used it to make the 15 minute Backgrounds to Beauty (1954). The last sur viving print of this tllm, shown at the WideScreen Film Festi val in Long Beach CA in 1997 revealed it to be a travelogue abo ut the Chattanooga area, clearly

54

inspired by This Is Cinerama. It included point-of-view shots from a scenic railway and a car traveling a heavily curved roadway overlooking the city. Unfortunately the film had been shot on the contrasty Kodachrome Commercial of the time and the print was also on Kodachrome.

This further increased the contrast and reduced the sharpness, m aking it difficult to ascertain the resolution of the FilmoRama lens.

Backgrounds to Beauty is the only

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN

definite example the author could find of professional nontheatrical film makers' initially enthusiastic response to the dem onstrations of anamorp hics they'd begun seeing in the summer of 1953.

These lenses were considered perfect fo r enhancing promotional films commissioned by travel bu rea us as well as those of industries and businesses whose products were uniquely suited to wide screen presentation, such as railroads and auto insurance firm s (drivers education film s). That they could now be filmed in 16mm with equipment already owned m ade them additionally attractive to small regional production companies.

However, the demonstrations had been seen at gatherings such as the National Audio-Visual Convention on large screens in large auditoriums. In most actual situations, the film s wo uld end up being sm aller than spherical 16mm , reduced overall to fi t on shown on their standard 6'x6' screens, totally eliminating the benefi ts of wide screen presentation . Also most sponsored films were provided for free to schools, hospitals, libraries, and similar institutions and there wo uld have to be a significant number of them m ade to justify the cost to those venues of purchasing lenses and proper width screens. Of course they wo uld be useless for an increasingly popttlar purpose for them at the time: filler for local TV stations. By the summer of 1954, when lenses had fin ally become available, it quickly became clear that for many nontheatrical filmmakers, the p roblems of presenting 16mm nontheatrical anamorphic film s made them unworthy of surmounting th e difficulties of their prod uction.

Because of the small amount of work done in this area over the next half century, those problems and thei r resolution apply as much today as then. The following comments come as much from the experiences of the author and the few others he's talked to who've dabbled particularly in 16mm anamorphic cinematography as from the few ar ticles he's found on the subj ect.

The m ajor diffic ulty was m ounting the lens on the camera. Although the

combined prim e/anamorphic lenses introduced in 1954 could be used on the 16-3 5 Eclair CM3 and any 16mm cam eras which used or could be m odified to use 35mm Mitchell m ounts, the autho r has found no evidence of this being done in路 the 1950s.

Instead, the lenses used for 16mm anamorphic photography were separate elements fro m the prime lens. Their backs had threads which allowed them to be screwed into prime projectio n lenses, tho ugh sometimes adapter ri ngs were requi red to make up the difference in size between the rear of the anamorphic and the fro nt of the prime. A similar approach could be used for mounting the anamorphic on a camera lens. If this could not be

Filmmakers then hac/ the problem ol making certain the anamorphic was properly aligned vertically so the resultant images would not appear unnaturally slanted. do ne, there were brackets useful for holding the anam orphic in position in fro nt of the projection prime that could also be adapted to ca meras. This was especially useful for ca meras with several lenses mounted on a turret, though the necessity of having to rem ove the anamorphic when changing lenses slowed down a quick lens change.

Filmmakers then had the problem of making certain the anam orphic was properly aligned vertically so the resultant images wo uld not appea r unnaturally slanted. Most lenses had some kind of mark indicating the top that the cameraman could align with a chosen spot on the camera. In those pre- reflex days, one wo uld not know until seeing dailies if everything was on the straight up-and-up.

And then there were the problems of vignetting and foc us. Being primarily designed for projection, these anamorphic lenses were bui lt to work with the standard focal length lens fo r 16mm projecti on, the 50mm. With shorter focal length primes, the sides of the anamorphic's front element wo uld cut increasingly into the corners of the projected image; a 38 mm is the shortest projection prime the

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Combat photography: Previous accounts of World War II combat photography have described or shown , as in last year's Pearl Harbor, cameramen using either Bell & Howell Eyemos (35mm) or Filmos (16mm) . These cameras use daylight spools and there is never any mention of how they were reloaded under fire, except for a "comic" moment in Beach Red (1967). in which a cocky cameraman gets upset when his film can is shot away while he is reloading during a battle .

In some written accounts there have been references to cameramen carrying " magazines" in their packs and changing them during the fighting . This photo from Darryl F Zanuck's out-of-print Tunis Expedition answers this question .

The camera is a 16mm Eastman Kodak Cine-Special, in which daylight spools were preloaded into magazines that snapped on and off the camera as Eclairs would do later.

The magazine on th is camera appears to have been modified to take 200 ft spools rather than the standard 100 ft.

author has ever been able to use with an anamorphic without significant vignetting. Fortunately some C-mount l 6mm ca mera lenses are small enough that a 25mm ca n be used with minimal vignetting unless on e is stopped down to f/8 or beyo nd. It helps if the camera has some meth od of viewing through the lens, ideally one that over- rather th an under-shoo ts the image (as the Bolex does) to make certain the anamorphic is centered in relatio nship to the prime.

In the late 1970s, Paul Rayton of the Am erican Cinematheque purchased an ac tual Bausch & Lomb CinemaSco pe anamorphic elem ent for which he had a mount made allowing fo r use on his CineSpecial. He was then able to use his 25mm lens witho ut vignetting and even a l Smm which did, but gave such spectacular results that

he fo und it a mino r quibble. In the grand tradi tion of Fritz Lang's comment abo ut what Cinem aSco pe was only good for, Rayton used the rig to make a fum abo ut tra ins.

Zoom lenses posed another problem as their diameters are greater than those of most anamorphics. 60 mm is about as wide as one can zoom o ut with most small ga uge anamorphic lenses though a wider setting co uld theoretically be achieved with a supplemental anamorphic designed fo r professional 35 mm use, such as one of the old Ba usch & Lomb CinemaSco pes like Rayton used.

And then there's foc using. Technically the anamorphic is a diopter element, o ne which refocuses light rays that normally wo uld focus beyo nd the ca mera ape rture on its focal plan e. With prime lenses of 50mm or shorter, the anamorphic element is usually close enough to the noda l point (the point where the light rays cross and are foc used on the aperture) that it falls within the Circle of Confusion of the prime. (That's the near and far dista nces fo r which everything is in focus at a give n setting and f stop.) The subject ca n be fine focused with the anamorphic removed and the sa me distance setting used on the latter. Alterna tely

LENS COURTESY JAMES CHRISTOPHER , MPSE PHOTOS BY GRAPHICBLONDES.COM

Five views of the Dyali Scope lens. The 2nd and 5 1h show the 16mm version of the lens mounted on a 25mm C-mount Cooke prime.

56

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN

the anamo rphic can be set at an estimated cam era to subject hyper-focal distance and, particularly if using a reflex camera, fine-focusing done with the prime. For exampl e, if it is estimated that all the subj ects to be shot are likely to be 15 ft from the camera, that distance can be set on the anamorphic and any actual subject-to-camera distance changes between 10 and 20ft can be compensated for by only adjusting the focus distance on the prime. The necessity for doing this decreases as the aperture is stopped down, of course.

Telephotos and zooms pose a different problem. No t only does the longer barrel of these lenses place the anamorphic outside of the Circle of Confusion of the prime, but the much narrower Ci rcle of such lenses makes fine-focus extremely

Moving camera shots made with lenses longer than SOmm are rare in early CinemaScope features; even close shots m ade with 75mms + anamorphics seem to always have been locked off with the subjects staying in a given position. Som e European and low budget American

films we re stuck with using long lens shots that were soft because the actors moved slightly off their marks after the shot had been lined up.

It's possible that there has been greater use of professional16mm anamorphic cinematogra phy outside the United

Close shots made with 75mms + anamorphics seem to always have been locked off with the subjects staying in a given position. critical, a problem that increases as the prime lens gets longer. Setting the same distance for both lenses does not work here. Fine fo cusing with the prime and then putting on the anamorphic and focusing that to match doesn't always work either; it's so metimes necessa ry to refocus both lenses to get so mething that seems sharp. Even being stopped down to f/8 o r beyond doesn't always help. This was particularl y frustrating to small gauge cin ematograp hers who like to use lo ng lenses as well as those who were forced to use lenses longer than SOmm to prevent vignetting. Backgrounds to Beauty appears to have been shot entirely with a SOmm prime. Anyone Lived in a Pretty How Town, a 16mm anamo rphic ftlm made by Geo rge Lucas at USC in 1967 was shot with lenses in the telephoto range (possibly a zoom ) and though all of its images are ex'terio rs, many are on the slightly fu zzy side.

Focus problems with longer lenses and anam orphics also plagued ea rl y 35 mm filmmakers, especially when the anamorphic and prime were separate elements.

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Sta tes, tho ugh the author has found no articles on the subject. Shorts and commercials are part of the regular progra m in many of these cou ntries. Since 1954 many of them have been shot in 35mm anamorphic and even 65 mm; it's likely that som e such films as well as nontheatricals have been done in 16mm anamorphic.

In 1997, for the WideScreen Film Festival seminar that insp ired the last

three installments in this series of articles, the author attempted to track down examples of 16mm anamorphic filmm aking over the previous 44 yea rs.

Fortunately Continental was still in business, now being operated by James L Webster, the son of the filmmaker of Backgrounds to Beauty. Most other nontheatrical film companies had either gone out of busi ness or changed hands; new owners rarely knew of films m ade

in the 1950s and 1960s or of the whereabouts of production records or even negatives or reversal originals. A similar situation existed with the public relations departments of the firms that sponsored films, where the firms still existed.

The author had heard rumors of drivers education films that had been shot in 16mm anamorphic and was able to obtain a print of one made in the early 1970s. It appears to have been shot with either an Arriflex BL or Eclair NPR, cameras on which 12-120 zooms were the standard mounts; no shots in the film appear to have been made at wider lens settings than 60mm. Originally shot on ECO 7252 reversal, the images were generally quite sharp.

Anamorphics weren't particularly

Squeezed extractions from blowups were also incluclecl in 35mm anamorphic features, especially war films. popular at film schools in the 1950s and 1960s. Only two films other than Lucas' are known to have been made at USC. The author knew of only one UCLA film, Cold Sun, because it had been shown at a Los An geles theater in 1971.

He was unable to track down a print.

Inquiries to UCLA and other L.A. area film schools were either negative or met with no response. (Tim e did not permit inquiries to schools outside tlus area.)

Spherical 16mm footage, especially war material, had been blown up to 35mm both for documentaries and inclusion in features. Though uncorrected blowup footage had been used in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, beginning with To Hell and Back (1955) squeezed extractions from such blowups were also included in 35mm anam orphic features, especially wa r film s. The aforementioned material in Secrets of Life is the only definite example of 16mm anamorphic footage being blown up and used in a 35mm anamorphic film until the late 1980s. In 1970 stuntman Fred Wa ugh developed a helmet camera which could be worn by a stuntman to "literally" put the audience in the center of the action.

It used a smalll 6mm camera with a

58

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN: WIDESCREEN

wide angle lens and had a provision for using a Sankor or Kowa anamorphic to get footage to be blown up for use in an anamorphic film. The author could find no examples of such use, but the small anamorphics were often mounted on prime lenses on Eyemos to get footage requiring lightweight, and sometimes disposable, cameras for anamorphic films. Waugh later developed a 35mm version of his helmet camera which used these lenses for that purpose.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s there was a series of nature documentaries and semi-documentaries that were popular in small towns. Many of them were shot in 16mm and the author heard rumors that one had been shot in 16mm anamorphic but has never been able to confirm it.

Another proposed but apparently unexplored use for 16mm anamorphicto-35mm photography was in the area of rock documentaries that became popular in the 1970s. Because of the amount of raw footage exposed for such films, as well as the need for easy to hold cameras capable of running large amounts of negative without the need to reload, the

If a 2x squeeze lens was used, the printer would have to be realigned to blow the image up to the full height of the 35mm frame while losing picture information on both sides. use of 35mm was out of the question (though Elvis: That's the Way It Is was shot in 35mm Panavision by Lucien Ballard, ASC). Stereophonic sound was considered a necessity for these films, but if presented at 1.85:1, the curtains and masking in the theaters would muffle the left and right speakers. Films like Woodstock (1970 ) and Fillmore ( 1972) were mastered in Techniscope, often using multiple images to minimize the increase in grain and loss of resolution from the double blowup: 16 to 35 in the lab, then the center of that to 1.85:1 in the tl1eater.

A Whale of a Tale ... Ned Land (Kirk Douglas) accepts a kiss of affection from his pet sea l duri ng a song fest on board the sub mari ne Nautilus, in this scene from Walt Dis ney's Ci nemaScope-Technicolor production, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Some uncorrected spherical 16mm footage was blown up for use in this film .

Shooting in 16mm anamorphic would minimize this problem, if the focus problems of matching anamorphics to zooms were taken care of. There was another problem: matching aspect ratios.

Most blowup printers of the time were set to blow the full16mm frame to 35mm Academy aperture. If a 2x squeeze lens was used, the printer would have to be realigned to blow the image up to the full height of the 35mm frame while losing picture information on both sides, essentially the difference between 16mm with a 2x squeeze's 2.66:1 ratio and 35mm's 2.40:1. While it never got beyond the theoretical discussion stage in the early 1970s, Edmund DiGuilio of Cinema Products did propose a 16mm anamorphic to 35mm system in the 1980s using anamorphic lenses with a 1.5x squeeze. This would allow use of the full 16mm frame with the additional 5x squeeze accomplished during the blowup, though subsequent 16mm anamorphic prints would then have to be made from the 2x squeeze 35mm intermediates. DiGuilio's proposal was apparently never implimented for a full feature or a rock documentary as the latter went out of favor in the mid1980s; however, cinematographer Michael Watkins, ASC shot the opening

sequence in Point of No Return ( 1993) in Super 8 anamorphic with a 1.5x squeeze from Super 8 Sound, which was blown up to 2x squeeze 35mm by that method.

The only other official anamorphic blowups the author has been able to confirm also occurred in the late 1980s.

Cinematographer Brian Reynolds, ASC shot some toy commercials in 16mm anamorphic at that time; he wasn't certain of their ultimate use. For simulated newsreel and home movies in Born on the 41" of July ( 1989) and The Doors (1991) , director Oliver Stone and cinematographer Robert Richardson, ASC shot material in both 16mm and Super 8 anamorphic; the subsequent images were presented at 1.33:1 within the anamorphic frame.

1.5x squeeze lenses stem from efforts to market anamorphic lenses to amateurs in the mid-1950s. As noted in the previous installment, when 2x squeeze anamorphic images were reduced in projection, the 2.66:1 aspect ratio did look like an unnaturally long mail slot. Lens vendors realized that less squeeze would not only yield a sharper image, but the 2.0:1 ratio of a 1.5x squeeze would be closer to that seen in the theater, which generally varied from 2.35:1 to 2.0:1. (The approximation of the ratio stems from the

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN : WIDESCREEN

59

fact that aperture plates in 16mm and Regular and Super 8 cameras are not cut consistently from manufacturer to manufacturer.) Without really making the difference clear, l. 5x squeeze lenses began appearing in camera stores and in ads in photography magazines in 1956.

Since there was no official reduction footage to Regular or later Super 8 available, purchasers of lenses like the KinoScope were unaware of the squeeze differences unless they tried to project 16mm squeezed reduction prints through them .

The most consistent advertiser was the VistaScope Company, which had licensed the rights to the Delrama lenses used professionally for Technira ma.

Anamorphics designed lor 16mm could be used with the zoom lenses which were standard on Super 8 cameras.

These lenses used mirrors in a periscope arra ngement to squeeze the image.

VistaScope also had a 35mm version with a 2x squeeze, but the author could find no evi dence of its ever being used. (The VistaScope credit on Roger Connan's Atlas (196 1), The Last Woman on Earth (1962) , and The Terror (1963) were advertising gim m icks, a combination of Vista Vision and CinemaScope; only the Greece-made Atlas was actually shot with anamorphic lenses, probably a derivative of Ernst Abbe's Cinepano ra mic as were most anamorphic lenses being used in Europe at the time. The author would like to thank John Hora, ASC for getting

Two views of Sydney Pollack trying out a helmet camera for use in the marathon sequences in They Shoot Horses , Don 't They. The anamorphic on the camera looks like a Sankor or Kowa normally used for 16mm and 8mm .

this information fro m the source.)

8mm filmmakers had the same mounting and alignment problems as 16mm filmmakers and they were met the same way. Beca use the diameter of lenses for these cameras was small er than those for 16mm, those anamorphics designed for 16mm could be used with the zoom lenses which were standard on Super 8 cameras. In the early 1970s McGill University chose to use such lenses with Fuji Single 8 cameras for its filmmaking program.

Widespread interest in small gauge anamorphic photography seems to have diminished considerably in the United States after the mid-1950s (the author found o nly one article on this subject in the American Cinematographer or the home moviemaking sections of the amateur or professional photography magazines after 1957 that he was able to peruse). It seems to have had greater popularity overseas. In 1962 the Widescreen Association was founded in

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England for enthusiasts of both wide screen movies and slides. The latter included both those shot with anamorphic lenses with a 2x or l.5x squeeze, and those shot spherically and masked off with tape to achieve a wide image. The Association held annual competitions for films and slide shows in the various formats and its museum would ultimately get Prof Henri Chretien's surviving equipment and lenses.

In the mid-1960s, enterprising English wide screen enthusiast Tony Shapps opened the Widescreen Centre, a camera store specifically devoted to selling equipment for the photography and projection of wide screen films and slides. In the late 1970s he got the rights to sell a version of Chretien's original Hypergonar lens. Though the English Widescreen Association and an American counterpart ceased to exist in the early 1990s, an Australian version carries on, as does the Widescreen Centre.

The future of anamorphics for small gauge films is doubtful given the current obsession with Digital Video. Its principles: using the higher light gathering possibilities of the square frame by squeezing a wider image to fit within it then expanding it in presentation, are currently being used in video to create 16x9 displays and Digital Cinema projection of 1.85:1 and 2.40 images. While Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones and a few other projects shot on High Definition Video are being scanned out to film in the Super 35 format, only a friend of the author's has expressed any interest in doing 2.40: 1 or wider images in video

ly wi ll be able to celebrate with the presentation of a new print in true three-panel Cinerama at the restored Cinerama Dome.) It is therefore appropriate to end this series in the next issue with a summati on of the Revol ution, why it declined after 1970, and its future .

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using official anamo rphic lenses. Most co ntemporary videomakers seem to be satisfied with 16x9 for both video and fum presentation.

Some anamo rphic video was done in the 1980s. Early in the decade, Cinema Products adapted some of its Todd-AO 35 lenses for use on video cameras for teleconferencing; the images would be unsqueezed electronically for video projection. (For the record, Panavision has so far been unable to adapt its anamorphic lenses to the digital cameras it and Sony developed.) According to Tony Shapps, in the late 1980s some of his WideScreen Centre clients were adapting

1 .5 x squeeze anamorphic len ses mounted on a Sing le 8 Fuji ca mera , also for McGill University.

anamorphjc lenses fo r use on their home video cameras. T he resu lts again were unsqueezed electronically and letterboxed or projected thro ugh the sa me lenses using LCD projectors. No doubt just as in the 1950s when ambitious 16mm and 8mm fi lmmake rs overcame technical hurdles to wo rk in the anamorphic format, some wide thin king video maker will soo n be doing the sa me.

September 30, 2002 marks the 50th anniversary of the New York premiere of This Is Cinerama and the start of the Wide Screen Revolution. (Those of us who live in So uthern California hopeftli-

For specific contributions to this installment, the author wo uld like to thank James Christopher, MPSE; Herbert E Farmer, USC School of Cinema; Ben Hendricks and Scott MacQueen of the Walt Disney Company; John Hora, ASC; Steve Hubbert and gary j prebula of Cal State Long Beach and the WideScreen Film Festival; Steve Lee, Weddington Productions; Paul Rayton of the American Cinematheque; Brian J Reynolds, ASC; Tony Shapps of the WideScreen Centre; James L Webster, Continental Film Productions; and Douglas Knapp, SOC for giving him his first 2x squeeze lens, a MaikarScope, which proved better for photography than projection.

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Book Reviews

Steadicam: Techniques and Aesthetics

by Serena Ferrara published by Focol Press

S

erena Ferrera has written an important and dynamic book regarding the grace of the moving camera through the use of the "Noble Instrument," the SteadicamT".

The book is filled with history, technical diagrams, and insightful analysis of how the mechanism fits together. She has wonderful anecdotes (extremely informative and often eloquent) and interviews

including Garrett Brown, Vittorio Storaro, Nicola Pecorini and Larry McConkey. Brown wrote a fasc inating introduction that starts the book off with a bang!

The Steadicam dance is constructed between the operator, the director, the cinematographer and the actors.

Together they generate enticing visuals that can heighten and explore the film's storytelling. Here the Steadicam is seen partnered with the operator's aesthetics in support of the physical gyrations the operator is called upon to perform.

Ferrera's book brings together all of these ingredients for a winning recipe.

Semiotics are often an illusive aspect of cinema, left strictly for professors and artists. Yet operators can create emotional pictures which resonate the point of view or tone of the film. This book includes many interesting examples as to why move the camera and what this means to the audience, plus detailed maps from The Shining for easy following. Steadicam: Techniques and Aesthetics is complete while introducing thought provoking visual applications. This is a new resource manual for Steadicam operators and a great read for all creative filmmakers.

Index of Advertisers Arriflex . .. ... .. . . . . . . ... 12-1 3

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Birn s & Sawyer ... ... . . ... . . .. 51

Mr Time Lapse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

C hapman / Leonard ..... ... .... 57

Otto Nemenz .... . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Cinegear . .... .. ........ . .. . 30

Pace Technologies .... . .... . ... 49

Cinematography Electro ni cs ... .. . 61

Panavision ....... Inside Back Cover

Clairmont Camera .. ... .. .. . 22-23

Plus 8 Video .... . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Doggicam .

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Eastman Kodak Co .... 5, Back Cover

Schumacher Camera . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Ed-Venture Films/ Book . . . . . . . . . . 48

Showbiz Expo .. . .... . . . . .. .. 52

Ferra Camera Mounts ..... ... . . 15

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Focal Press . . .

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Technicolor ........ ....... .. 40

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Glidecam

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DVCAM: A Practical Guide to the Professional System

by Jon Fauer

published by Focol Press auer's DVCAM: A Practical Guide to the Professional System delivers the ultimate reference book for the digital age. This book discusses Sony equipment in depth with good photographs and complete diagrams. The reader will discover the technical information including speeds, formats, the difference between DVCam and DV, to be most informative. Included is a brief history of it all, final checks, computer transfers and avenues of possible applications.

"Don't. .. Because . .. " sections help the reader to understand why one should not handle the equipment/ tapes in certain ways and what the repercussions are.

Fauer's direct approach is very helpful in explaining what information one is capturing and a variety of options for post production in "Where Does It All Go" including Arri's Laser Digital Transfer to film and Cathode Ray Tube processes.

Of particular interest is the interview with Cinematographer John Bailey, ASC discussing the feature production of The Anniversary Party, which many feel is the current standard by which DVCam productions are currently being measured.

This is a complete guide with step-bystep procedures to take one comfortably through DVCam production.

F

THE OPERATING CAMERAMAN BOOK REVIEWS

63

']Wster of tfze Societg Of CameraOperators ACTIVE CHARTER Martin F Mullin Chris Wissinger Parker Bartlett Paul Basta Michael Benson Jerry Callaway Joseph Calloway Mike Chevalier Joe Epperson Bill Gahret Peter Hapke Norm Langley Ed Morey Lee Nakahara Jay Nefcy Leigh Nicholson Dan Norris Da vid Nowell Wayne Orr Ernie Reed Michael Scott Michael St Hilaire Ray Stella joseph F Valentine Edwa rd Ventura Ron Vidor

ACTIVE Bernie Abramson Art Adams Bret Allen Derek MAllen Lee Al lison Sail Aridi Ted Ashton lr Bill Asma n Dan Auerbach Daniel Ayers Paul Babin Christopher I Baffa Vincenl Baldino Gerard Banales jeff Barklage Lou Barlia• Ricardo Barreda Tom Barron Gary H Baum Guy Bee Tim Sellen Richard Benda )eb Bergh Bonnie Blake lason Blount Bob C Boccaccio Richard Bolter Deni se Brassard Scott M Browner Robin Buerki Gary Bu sh Stephen S Campanelli Susan A Campbell Capt jose A Cardenas Michael W Chambliss Louis Chanatry joe Chess )r Julian Chojnacki Gregory Paul Collier john A Connell Tom Connole Ivan Craig Caleb Crosby

64

Richard A Cullis Michael L Culp Joseph C D' Alessandro Richard W Davis

Mark T Davison Ray de Ia Motte Eric DeBiackmere Kris Andrew Denton David Diana Troy Dick Joseph Joe DiGennaro Jerry Dugan Simon Duggan, ACS

louis R Duskin

Douglas H Knapp

Dan Kneece Rory Robert Knepp Robert Kositchek Kris Krosskove Erwin Landau

George F Lang Robin Lawless joshua Lesser

Michael Levine Ken Libby Hugh C Litfin Michael Little Lynn Lockwood

David E Elkins

Thomas Loizea ux

David Emmerichs

George l oomis Allan Lum Li Kenji Luster Vincent C Mack Heather MacKenzie PaulS Magee

Steve Essig James Etheridge Brant S Fagan Tom Faigh Benjamin Sean Fairburn David B Fang Yuen Diane L Farrell Randal Feemster Michael Ferris Ken neth Ferro

Craig Fikse Lance Fisher Aa ron Fitzgerald Houman Forough lan Foster

Thomas Fraser Michael Frediani

Mike Freeman Michael Richard Frift Rusty Geller Michael Genne Wayne Getchell Vito Giambalvo William Gierhart Laurie K Gilbert Allen Gonzales

lee Grover john Gunselman Ane tte Haellmigk Dennis Hall Chris Hayes David Haylock Steven F Heuer

Sean Higgins Ronald High Charles M Hill, )r leffrey Hoffman Joachim Hoffmann

James Mann Stan McClain Donald M McCuaig Maurice K McGuire Martin Mclnally Robert L Mehnert

Anastas N Michos Andrew Mitchell William Molina

Lawrence P Moody Robert Moore Denis Moran Don Muirhead Marty Mullin

Sean Murray )on Myers Thomas W Myrdahl )ulye Newlin William R Nielsen, )r Randy Nolen Tamas P Nyerges William O'Drobinak Ru ssel l Ofria Andrew William Oliver Lucio Olivieri john Orland Rafael Ortiz·Guzman

Georgia Packard Charles Papert David Parrish

Philip Pastuhov Aaron Pazanti Mike Pierce

Philip Schwartz Alicia Craft Sehring Brad Shield Floris Sijbesma Osvaldo Silvera Jr Jamie Silverstein Philip Sindall Guy Skinner John Sosenko Mike Spodnik Sandy Spooner Edward B Springer Stephen St John George B Stephenson David Stump Brian Sweeney

James H Sweeney Gene Talvin Stephen Tate Richard Tiedemann john Toll, ASC Tsuneyuki Tometaka john Trapman Massimiliano Trevis jeffery) Tufano Pern ell Tyus Robert Ulland joseph Urbanczyk Paul D Varrieur Bill Waldman William Webb Aiken Weiss Kit Whitmore, CSC Brian Keith Wilcox Bill Wi lliams RL Wise Chri s Wissinger Jan D Woolston-Smith Noel Adrian Wyatt Warren Yeager Elizabeth Ziegler

ASSOCIATE David S Adelstein Leonard Lance GAllen Ill Samuel Ameen

Gary Armstrong Chuck Barbee Peter Bonilla David Boyd Chris Boyer Maja Broz Douglas Busby

Harvey Genkins Wayne Goldwyn AI Gonzalez Phil Gries Wynn Hammer James W Hart Robert Hayes John Hill

Shaun Wheeler Tony Yarlett Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC

Ken Hizmer

William A Fraker, ASC

Chris Hood Kent Hughes Carrie lmai

Gregory Irwin Chris Ishii John Chancellor Jennings Thomas Patrick Johnson Frank E Johnson, ASC Broderick Jones Douglas Kirkland Michael Klimchak Robert La Bonge George La Fountaine, ASC Thomas Lappin Stevan Larner, ASC Lee David Laska-Abbott Mark R Leins Alan) Levi

Mark levin llya lo Lie-Nielsen Stephen Lighthiii,ASC )ong Lin Roland ) Luna Richard Marks Dr Ellen Matsumoto Ray McCort Michael P McGowan Nick Mclean, Sr john McPherson, ASC Charles Minsky K Adriana Modlin Richard Mosier joshua S Narins Sol Negrin, ASC john Newby

LIFETIME William E Hines

RETIRED Eugene Ashbrook Rupert Benson )r Bob Berry AI Bettcher )ames Blanford Howard Block Vee Bodrero Don Burch Phil Caplan Bruce Catlin Cliff Concialdi jim Connell Don Cropper )ames A Dennett Sam Drummy Robert Feller Mike Ferra Gerald Perry Finnerman, ASC

Udo Ravenstein

Bruce Cardozo

Richard Rawlings )r, ASC Marcia Reed

Andy Romanoff

Levie C Isaacks

Abraham Romero

Rona ld Deveaux

Marvin Rush, ASC Mehran Salamati Carl Martin Schumacher, Sr

Michael )arocki Simon )ayes Michael A johnson

Peter Rosenfeld Andrea Vittorio Rossetto

David Dibble George Spiro Dibie, ASC

)an Sluchak

Michael S Roth

Kevin Downey

Don Spiro

Steven jones

Andrew Rowland s

jacques )ouffret john H joyce David judy

)ames Rush Tony Salgado

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