British Cinematographer - Issue 23

ISSUE

23

SEPTEMBER 2007

I AM A CAMERA #22: CAMERA CREATIVE OLIVER CURTIS BSC TALKS ABOUT HIS WORK AS A PHOTOGRAPHER ON BEAUTY COMMERCIALS AND FILMS SUCH AS DEATH AT A FUNERAL

INSIDE ... #18: ON THE JOB – SEAMUS McGARVEY BSC REVEALS SOME OF THE TRICKS AND TECHNQUES HE USED TO CREATE THE LOOKS ON ATONEMENT

#29: CLOSE-UPS – HARVEY HARRISON BSC ON JOHN RAMBO, NIC MORRIS BSC ON ROBIN HOOD, AND JULES O'LOUGHLIN ON SEPTEMBER

#20: SHOOTING THE FUTURE – HIGH-SPEED PHOTOGRAPHY, HOW IT'S DONE, THE CAMERAS AND THE PERIPHERALS

#32: F-STOP DOWN-UNDER - THE PRODUCTION SCENE IN AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND

#24: GRAINS VS PIXELS: DI IN EUROPE – FACILITIES ACROSS EUROPE OFFERING GRADING SERVICES

RRP: £3.50

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Fax: +44 (0) 1753 650111 PUBLISHERS Alan Lowne Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300 EDITOR Ron Prince Email: ronny@dircon.co.uk SALES Alan Lowne Tel: +44 (0) 1753 650101 Email: alanlowne@britishcinematographer.co.uk Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300 Email: stuartwalters@britishcinematographer.co.uk DESIGN Paul Roebuck, Open Box Publishing Ltd, info@openboxpublishing.co.uk contact: Stuart Walters Tel: +44 (0) 121 608 2300 THE PUBLICATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE comprises of Board members from the BSC and GBCT as well as the Publishers BRITISH CINEMATROGRAPHER covering International Cinematography is part of Laws Publishing Ltd, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH, UK The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER are not representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.

>> C O N T E N T S UK P05 P07 P09 P12 P15 P20 P29 P34 P38

President's Perspective: Gavin Finney BSC asks if technology is making DPs lazy POV: Steve Shaw believes India and other countries will develop successful digital film resources Production/Post & Techno News: discover the latest news concerning DPs IBC Preview: pre-show news from Europe's biggest broadcasting convention Who's Shooting Who?: who's attached to which project this summer and autumn Shooting The Future: the technologies for high-speed shooting Close-Ups: up close and personal with DPs on John Rambo, Robin Hood and September GBCT News: the new chairman's statement, plus other news from the Guild Family Matters: The Spratlings - a productive family if ever there was

INTERNATIONAL P24 P30 P31 P32

Grains vs Pixels: a look at the facilities offering DI services across Europe Letter from America: Richard P. Crudo ASC extols the virtues of “giving back” F-Stop Hollywood: all the latest news from the epicentre of the filmmaking world F-Stop Down Under: find out what's happening on the other side of the planet

FEATURES Cover Photograph: Kate Moss in a Rimmel ad campaign, as photographed by Oliver Curtis BSC

>> Editorial Team Ron Prince: has many years experience working in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries. He is the editor of British Cinematographer magazine and runs an international communications company (www.princepr.com).

P18 P22 P37

On The Job: Seamus McGarvey BSC has predilection for stockings on Atonement Camera Creative: Oliver Curtis BSC - on shooting beauty and Death At A Funeral Innovation UK: enter the helium-filled world of balloon lighting that is Leelium

British Society of Cinematrographers – Board Members: President, Gavin Finney. Immediate Past President, Phil Méheux. Vice Presidents, Joe Dunton MBE, Alec Mills, Sue Gibson. Governors, John de Borman, Harvey Harrison, Chris Howard, Tony Imi, Nina Kellgren, Chris Seager, Tony Spratling, Mike Southon, Derek Suter, Alex Thomson, Robin Vidgeon, Nigel Walters. Secretary/Treasurer, Frances Russell.

Guild of British Camera Technicians – Board Members: Jamie Harcourt (Chairman), Trevor Coop (Immediate Past Chairman), Peter Hughes (Vice Chairman), Darren Miller (Vice Chairman - North), Tim Potter (Vice Chairman), Caroline Sax (Vice Chairman), Jacob Barrie, Steve Brooke-Smith, Jason Coop, John Keedwell, Rupert Lloyd Parry, Suzanne McGeachan, Keith Mead, Shirley Schumacher

Carolyn Giardina: is senior editor of post production at SHOOT newsweekly in the US; she previously served as editor of monthly Film & Video. Carolyn’s work has also appeared in The IBC Daily News, Digital Cinema, Post, Below The Line, and in the second edition of the book The Guide to Digital Television.

Transformers

John Keedwell: the GBCT’s Eyepiece Editor, is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on many productions over all the world’s continents. He crosses over in both film and tape productions and has great knowledge of the new formats and their methods of production.

Dear Readers…

Kevin Hilton: is a freelance journaist who writes about technology in film and broadcasting and contributes film reviews and interviews to a variety of publications.

Natasha Block is a freelance Clapper/Loader working in features and shorts. She started her career at a grassroots level – on the rental house camera floor as a technician.

Pauline Rogers has published over 1,200 articles on the technical side of the movie-making process. She is a staff writer for ICG Magazine, and freelances for various venues.

Rachael Turk is the editor of Inside Film – Australia's filmmaker magazine. Last year she won the Australian Writers Guild Award (AWGIE) for Best Short Film.

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BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

It's the end of the world as we know it. We'll that's the view of more and more people I speak to these days.

Traditions and the traditional ways of doing things are fundamentally changing, and as they do the bastions of the industry are having to adapt fast to avoid starvation, or even ruin. Or as one facility owner put it, “by the time you've stopped the tanker and turned it around, it's time to turn in a new direction again!”

Just looking at the contents of this magazine will tell you a lot about the changing landscape - although it very much depends on your circumstance as to whether it's the end of the world or not. In his President's Perspective, Gavin Finney BSC eloquently suggests that whilst 'gadgets' are now everywhere, they might just be denuding people of their craft skills. In the POV section, Steve Shaw highlights emerging production and post production markets - not just India, but Africa, China, Mexico, Malaysia, Korea.

Read F-Stop Down Under and you will discover how Australia and New Zealand are working harder than ever

to provide competitive financial incentives to encourage more production and post there.

Five years ago, we would not have considered doing a review on digital grading for film. But DI is so prolific now, that we had to cover the UK in the last edition, and DI in Europe in this.

Change. It isn't the first time, and won't be the last, that it's mentioned in these pages. The Red camera is imminent - dangling like the sword of Damocles for some, a tantalising spear of opportunity for others. More on this soon.

However, there some things remain constant and true, and they shine through in our interviews with Oliver Curtis BSC in Camera Creative, and Seamus McGarvey BSC in On The Job. Getting things done is as much about the people as anything else… talented people with complementary skills working together. As Richard P. Crudo ASC echoes in Letter from America, the culture of 'giving back' is allimportant for everybody's future.

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president’s perspective

Is technology making us lazy?

I admit it, I love gadgets. Working in the camera department is a wonderful place to be if you're a bit of a techno geek. We can buy or rent shiny new equipment for our work, but secretly we just want to play with it. The film set really can be a big train set. But are our days really more productive, more efficient, and more creative with all this gear? And if we were to suddenly lose all these gadgets we've come to rely on, how would we cope?

Dolly grips now routinely use lasers as a way of very accurately marking moves on a dance floor, or for precise crane positions. Focus pullers also now have an array of aids to their work.

Be honest, under the pressure o f t h e d a y, h o w o f t e n h a v e y o u seen something that bothers you a n d t h o u g h t , “O h I ' l l f i x t h a t i n post?”

Laser measuring tools for measuring distances to within millimetres without having to stretch out a tape, and ultrasonic distance readouts on the camera provide a live read out during the shot - both are very useful in these days of fast lenses, long zooms, a lack of rehearsal time and actors who are averse to finding their marks. But if these devices were suddenly denied, would having used these aids have blunted the focus puller's hard learnt ability to judge distance by eye?

The modern film or digital camera has grown a veritable Christmas tree of cine tapes, monitors, lens data read outs, work lights, etc., all requiring prodigious amounts of electricity, so the batteries have got bigger and more numerous as well, requiring their own space amongst the plethora of gear now weighing down the dolly. And, as with the modern motor car, if anything breaks down, it is extremely difficult to fix on set.

The power of the DI suite can be a tremendous creative tool, and also a time saver on set. You don't have to flag off a building at night, when it can be put right with a power window in post.

But as with the focus aids that can help one get through an increasingly tight schedule, are they also encouraging a sloppy, ill-thought-out approach to lighting, where one relies on the DI grade to sort it out? Be honest, under the pressure of the day, how often have you seen something that bothers you and thought, “Oh I'll fix that in post”. But what if you're not available to supervise the grade? That lack of correction on the day will bother you forever.

Video assist has now grown from a small fuzzy black and white image to a suite of 24” highdef, grade one monitors. It can take a very overworked video assist guy, anything up to 45mins to un-pack and cable-up the monitors and hard-drive video recorders, and many now come

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BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

Gavin Finney BSC President BSC

with professional edit suits loaded on their laptops so on-set editing can take place. The newest HD monitors even have an in-built computer. Using these, one can now apply a grade non -destructively on set as a Look Up Table, which can be shared with the editors and CGI people. This can save time and money on pre-grading the visual FX shots, but takes valuable time out of the shooting day. Add to this the waveform display that HD cameras require and the DP now has to run a mini digital lab on set as well as everything else.

Video assist has also banished the director from the set. The video village has become so large and hard to move that the director is rarely to be seen on the set when filming takes place.

Frustration builds as the director can't see what's happening between setups, and he is denied that connection with the actor's performance and the ability to see something that the camera hasn't, that the on-set director has always taken for granted. I truly believe that the best, most efficient, most creative place for a director to be is on the set, behind the camera. When was the last time you saw that?

Just as motor traffic is not alleviated, but actually increased, when additional lanes are added to a road, so all this technology seems to generate as much work and additional time as it is meant to save. The time wasted setting all this stuff up, changing dead batteries and fixing it when it breaks down could be spent properly rehearsing the actors and camera crew, lighting the set, and actually making the film.

One can direct a film (some might say better) without video assist, one can shoot HD without a load of big HD monitors, focus without digital tape measures, move a dolly without a laser marker, and light a set well enough not to require 'correcting' afterwards. Wouldn't it be refreshing to make a film without all the gadgets? I have a feeling it would be faster. Just a thought.

Gavin Finney BSC President, British Society of Cinematographers

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pov

Bollywood beckons Steve Shaw believes the raw talent and some amazing locations will help India become a global player in digital film. But the same applies to many other countries...

Over the past year or so there has been a lot of interest in the film industry surrounding India - Mumbai and Bollywood specifically, with Chennai and Hyderabad not far behind. This interest has been in two directions, with India looking out, and the rest of the world looking in.

There have been a number of Indian films shot outside of India, with London a key backdrop in many, as well as a number of international film projects going to India for part of their post-production work to be performed.

There has also been interest from India in starting post-production operations outside of India, or investing in existing operations, as well as UK and US companies looking to start-up or invest in Indian-based facilities.

A lot of this interest has come about because of the global growth in digital film - a term that is used to represent cinematography, post-production and distribution/projection.

For some of the UK's existing film companies there has been a cloud of gloom associated with this expansion of the global film industry, while others see the change as a necessary part of the democratisation of the now mature international film market; and I find myself amongst the second group.

I have been lucky enough to be invited to assist in a number of Bollywood based film operations, both in building up their digital film capabilities, as well as helping with specific film productions when in post-production/DI. What I have found is a country with a rich heritage in filmmaking, and a desire to provide the best creative and technical operations and services possible.

Obviously there is a learning curve for all concerned, but knowing this makes it all the more likely the necessary knowledge will be attained.

Talk of sending work back and forth for checking and approval really isn't realistic as only proxy resolution material can be transferred easily and inexpensively, due to the large size of digital film frames, and with the growth in 4K, the size continues to grow.

So the idea of any company setting up a shop-front operation in one country to gain work to be shipped back to their home base, where overheads and hourly rates are lower, is a real myth. Unless the whole production team wants to relocate too, the end result will be just too variable.

Can you imagine trying to perform a digital intermediate grading session remotely?

And as the post-production process for film becomes more and more DI based, the requirement for interaction between production, especially the DP/cinematographer, and post-production grows. This actually makes it more likely that post-production will need to stay local to the production operation, rather than moving further away chasing the lower $.

There have been a number of attempts to remote VFX work recently from the UK to other 'cheaper' locations, and from everything I have heard none have gone smoothly. This rarely is because the company performing the work lacks the skills; rather the supervision by the production operation is not interactive enough.

What has become obvious to me, though, is that although much of the work performed in India for international film projects has been 'sweat-shop' style matte work or similar, there is much more creative capability available within the country.

So, does Bollywood beckon? Yes, but not in the way most people seem to think. There is a very prolific film business in India, and like the rest of the world it is evolving into being digitally based.

And this is where some people seem to be losing the plot, especially some post-production companies who seem to see countries growing their own digital film capabilities, such as India, as a threat to their own business.

This means there is a need to grow capability and gain knowledge and experience, which does require some input from external sources, but it won't be long before Bollywood has its share of local digital film specialists.

The film industry has always been a global business, governed by global rules, and digital film is no different. While some projects will always chase the lowest $, the majority base their decisions on the best creative capabilities available, and the best location for the work required.

Combined with the raw talent available, and some amazing locations, India will become a global player in digital film, as will many other countries. I have been performing similar consultancy work in Africa and China for example, and have been approached by companies in Mexico, Malaysia, Korea...

It really isn't possible to do post-production remotely, in a different country to the production team, as it is an interactive process. It may be possible to farmout some non-interactive work, such as matte generation or wireremoval/restoration, where the end result doesn't require overseeing, but that's about all.

But what I really love about Bollywood is being there! The love for film, and the enthusiasm for the industry are hard to find in the more corporate worlds of the west.

Steve Shaw's business card refers to him as a 'digital film monkey'. As founder of Digital Praxis (www.digitalpraxis.net) he provides support for digital film - from camera to post-production to delivery, across the world. He is also a partner in Shepperton Studios-based Axis Post, part of Axis Films (www.axisfilms.co.uk).

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production news

UK film industry contributes £4.3b to economy The UK film industry contributed £4.3 billion to UK GDP in 2006, up from £3.1 billion in 2004 - a 39% increase in two years according to an independent report by Oxford Economics. This figure takes account of the widespread contribution made by the UK film industry to the economy, including revenues made through employment, production and servicing, through to profits from worldwide exploitation, exports, merchandising and UK tourism.

The UK film industry has grown significantly - from an average of 43 films per year made in the 1980s to 120 a year since 2000. The report also confirms that the Government's new film tax relief is working well, keeping the UK competitive and supporting the growth of a thriving film sector. The UK is expected to attract around 11% of global film production over the period to 2010, with inward investment rising to about £800 million by 2010.

The report - The Economic Impact of the UK film Industry - finds that film contributes to 'UK plc' in a number of ways. UK film industry employs 33,500 people directly (similar to book publishing and IT hardware) and supports 95,000 jobs in total. Employment has risen steadily since the mid-1990s, with a 70% increase in production sector jobs since 1996, creating an extra 7,700 full-time jobs. Films depicting the UK are responsible for attracting about 1 in 10 overseas tourists, spending around £1.8 billion a year. This is estimated to be worth around £900 million to UK GDP. Since 2000, fixed capital investment in infrastructure and new technology has totalled around £635 million. Total exports of the film industry were £967 million in 2005, with a net contribution of £163 million to UK balance of payments. Merchandising associated with UK films is thought to have supported about 6,500 jobs in 2006 with a £235 million contribution to GDP. For every ten jobs directly supported by the UK film industry, another ten are supported indirectly in the supply chain.

Casino Royale was the top performer in 2006 taking £55.5 million at UK cinemas.

Ivan Dunleavy, chief executive of Pinewood Shepperton plc said, "The UK is increasingly seen as a creative hub and one of the few worldwide centres of excellence. The Oxford Economics report demonstrates clear and irrefutable evidence of the tangible benefits that UK film and the creative industries as a whole bring to the economy."

Culturally, British films are important to UK audiences. A film shown in the UK can expect its box office to be up to 30% higher if it is indigenous. UK films boosted box office revenues by more than £50 million a year over the last decade. The film industry also benefits other creative industries for instance through R&D which drives technological innovation. For example, the investment made by visual effects company Framestore CFC in new CGI technology for the Harry Potter films was subsequently used by the BBC on Walking with Dinosaurs.

John Woodward, chief executive of the UK Film Council said, “Thanks to our world class film facilities and phenomenal skills and talent, backed by Government and industry investment, the British film industry is strong and primed for further growth.”

What's shooting on Kodak?

Features being shot on Kodak film stocks include: Brideshead Revisited, DP Jess Hall; Dreamscape, DP Matt Aeberhard; How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, DP Oliver Stapleton, BSC; and Made Of Honor, with DP Tony Pierce-Roberts BSC. Television productions include: Doc Martin (series 3), DP Chris Howard BSC; Half Broken Things, DP David Odd BSC; Primevil (series 2), DP Adam Suschitsky; Honest, DP Jim O'Donnell; and Waking The Dead (series 5), by DP Mike Spragg.

New president for CTBF David Murrell, founder and chairman/chief executive of KPMG's global media and entertainment practice from 1984 to 1999, has been elected president of the Cinema & Television Benevolent Fund (CTBF). He joined the CTBF Council in 2000 and was appointed vice president of the Fund last year. His election comes at a time when the CTBF, the trade charity of the UK film and television industries, is responding to a dramatic increase in applications for support from younger people. Earlier this year the CTBF introduced the John Brabourne Awards, which seek to help disadvantaged young people pursue a career in film or television.

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production news

Axis grades Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead doc Colourist Wozy, from the Post division of Axis Films, recently completed the online editing, restoration and grading on Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead, a documentary film by two-time British Academy award winning director Stuart Urban.

The film recently won the Lancia award, the top prize at the 3rd Biografilm Festival in Bologna, Italy.

Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead is based around Garri Urban and his survival of the Holocaust and Gulag. It includes footage taken from video diaries made over a 14-year quest into Urban's KGB records and the fate of his family in the Holocaust, plus extensive 16mm Kodachrome home movies from the 1950s onwards.

“We had to merge together different footage spanning 80 years including archived footage, super 8, Beta SP, 16mm, Mini DV and even DVCAM footage,” said Wozy. “This was achieved using our in-house Avid DS Nitris package.”

Director/producer, Stuart Urban commented: “Quite a lot of restoration took place on the archived footage so it could be playable in either HD or 35mm for cinematic use. This enabled us to achieve a uniform look and natural colour balance to all of the different video formats. In its final product, the film looked very good on the large screen. Two to three years ago, this project couldn't be achieved without a major feature-film budget.”

Axis Films has installed a Projection Design Cineo3+ 1080 projector in its digital grading theatre. It is integrated with Quantel's 4K Pablo DI system, which outputs dual link HD 4:4:4 resolution to the projector via a Doremi HD/DVI converter for DI grading and post.

Image of Garri Urban, from Tovarisch, I Am Not Dead, a documentary film by two-time British Academy award winning director Stuart Urban.

Who's Shooting On Fujifilm?

Fujifilm has released details of DPs shooting on to its various film stocks. They include Andrew Dunn BSC who has been filming Good in Hungary, and Chris Seager BSC currently filming Wild Child in various locations around the country. Now in post-production, Mike Leigh's Untitled feature film, was shot on Fuji by Dick Pope BSC. Eden Lake, lit by Chris Ross, is using a combination of Eterna 500T 8573, 250D 8563 and Vivid 160T stocks, whilst DP Matt Gray has just started shooting Oliver Twist for the BBC. Ashes To Ashes, the much-anticipated follow-up to Life On Mars, is being lit by DP Julian Court. Sean Bobbitt BSC is lensing Sense and Sensibility using Fuji. TV trailers for Gordon Ramsey and Trinny & Susannah, plus commercials for Bisto, Lynx, Weight Watchers, and music videos for Ultrabeat and Groove Armada (featuring Mutya Buena) were all shot on combinations of Eterna and Vivid daylight and tungsten stocks.

BBC and Skillset collaborate on skills The BBC and Skillset have signed a “memorandum of understanding” (MOU) to promote education and learning, and to stimulate creativity and cultural excellence, across the audio visual industry.

The MOU evolved from the BBC's Charter and Agreement, which came into effect on 1st January this year, and Skillset's Television Skills Strategy, announced in July 2006. The Charter outlines the BBC's training responsibilities to the wider industry, and the need to develop strategic partnerships to implement these objectives. The framework outlined in the MOU enables Skillset, as the sector skills council, to support the BBC in developing skills at every level across the UK, to ensure that the industry remains creative, productive and globallycompetitive.

The two continue to develop and work on film training initiatives developed by Skillset in partnership with the UK Film Council and in support of the BBC's MOUs with the UK Film Council.

Mark Thompson, BBC director-general commented “We need to make sure that we have a skilled workforce fit for the digital on-demand future. Working in partnership with outside organisations such as Skillset is vital to ensure we deliver effective support for the UK's creative economy.”

Camerimage competitions still open Camerimage, the International film festival of the art of cinematography, celebrates its 15th anniversary, from 24th Nov - 1st Dec 2007, in Lodz, Poland. Along with competitive screenings, the programme will include special premieres, a student panorama, and this year's Laureate of Lifetime Achievement Award will be to Stephen Goldblatt ASC BSC. The organisers are still taking submissions for the main, student and Polish Films Fogged film: In spite of the inclement competitions. weather, film people poured into Lodz Deadlines and all other information can last year for Camerimage. be found at www.camerimage.pl.

Register now for BSC HD Day The BSC is urging professionals with an interest in feature and TV production to register now for its Film, Digital & HD Day. The free event takes place at the National Film Theatre 1, BFI Southbank, London SE1, on Friday 21st September between 11am and 4pm, and is billed as “a comprehensive, unbiased guide from budget to post-production.” A specialist panel will explore, educate and demonstrate the ever-evolving world of high-definition production. Visit the BSC site at www.bscine.com to register.

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production news

Méheux award for Casino Royale At the BSC Summer Lunch, held at Pinewood Studios on Sunday 15th July, honorary member Billy Williams BSC announced, to rapturous applause, that the BSC Golden Camera award was presented to Phil Méheux BSC for his photography of Casino Royale. Méheux spoke via phone link from Mexico, where was filming, and said he was “overwhelmed to be chosen from amongst such a glorious selection of films and DPs”. He gave thanks to his crew, technicians and the facility houses that had supported him during 120 days and nights of shooting. He also recognised the continuous work and support the Bond franchise had given to UK technicians during the last 45 years.

Gavin Finney BSC President, Billy Williams BSC present certificate to Haris Zambarloukos BSC

Earlier on, Gavin Finney BSC, president, announced that the luncheon was dedicated to the memory of two great, recently deceased, BSC cinematographers Freddie Francis BSC and Alex Thomson BSC. He welcomed their families, Pam and Gareth Francis and Diana and Chyna Thomson, along with Society guests David Gritten from The Daily Telegraph and critic James Cameron Wilson.

Harris Zambarloukos BSC, father Michael Zambarloukos, Lena Zambarloukos and Alan Lowne

Williams welcomed and presented certificates to new BSC Friend Martin Hammond, and new Full BSC members Michael Fox BSC and Haris Zambarloukos BSC, witnessed by his parents Michael and Lena who had flown in from Cyprus especially for the occasion. He also presented a BSC Best Cinematography nomination certificate to José Luis Alcaine AEC for his cinematography of Volver. Alcaine travelled from Spain for the event. Other nominees included, Dion Beebe ASC, ACS for Memoirs of a Geisha, Emmanuel Lubezki ASC for Children of Men, Guillermo Navarro ASC AMC for Pan's Labryinth and Wally Pfister ASC for The Prestige.

Tony Spratling BSC and Diana Thomson

Photographs from the Lunch: Richard Blanshard

John Lee and Dougie Slocombe BSC

007 is back as Pinewood turns 70 Pinewood Studios, which boasts the largest sound stage in Europe, the newly rebuilt 007 Stage, recently announced is will play host to the 22nd James Bond adventure.

Daniel Craig will reprise the role of James Bond 007, following the success of Casino Royale, the highest-grossing title so far in the most successful franchise in motion picture history.

Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Stranger Than Fiction and The Kite Runner) will direct the as-yetuntitled film, with his long-time DP Roberto Schaeffer as cinematographer. Forster also directed the award-winning and critically acclaimed film Finding Neverland, which was shot at Shepperton and Pinewood Studios and was nominated for seven Academy Awards including Best Picture.

“I'm delighted to be working at the studios again, particularly in the company of one of its favourite sons, James Bond 007,” commented Forster.

This summer, Pinewood Studios threw open its gates to mark seven decades of moviemaking, with a garden party and the launch of a new book celebrating the studios' history. The Studios' birthday was marked by an introductory presentation from CEO Ivan Dunleavy, and the cutting of a special cake by the movie veteran Leslie Phillips, many of whose most popular hits were filmed at Pinewood. Other film veterans joining the celebrations were cinematographer Jack Cardiff BSC, director John Glen, producer Peter Rogers, actors Saeed Jaffrey and Christopher Cazenove, Supermarionation supremo Gerry Anderson and Oscar-winning animator Nick Park.

The day was attended by more than 2,000 guests, and to celebrate its legacy, Carroll & Brown published a volume, written by Morris Bright and with a foreword by Dame Judi Dench and introduction by Tim Burton. Containing over 500 photographs accompanied by a vivid commentary and special features, it showcases Pinewood Studios' seven decades of filmmaking.

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IBC Preview

IBC Preview I B C , E u r o p e ' s a n s w e r t o N A B , c o m e s b u t o n c e a y e a r. I n a l p h a b e t i c o r d e r, R o n Pr i n c e p r e v i e w s s o m e o f t h e c o m p a n i e s w a n t i n g t o s h o w y o u t h e i r w a r e s a t t h e annual techno-fest.

World champion Greg Gasson and the 235 show how the world looks when falling from the sky

Christopher Pottier shooting with the ARRI Lightweight Zoom on board an extreme weather rescue boat (Photo: Vincent Blasco)

ARRI (11.621)

SpeedGrade DDS to show a digital dailies workflow. A highlight from ARRI Lighting will be its LED-based back-lighting system, and the MaxMover FP, a fully programmable DMX512 automated stirrup for the ArriMax HMI.

Expect quite a buzz around the ARRI stand during IBC, as the company celebrates 90 years in the business of film production. Cameras, DI systems and lighting equipment will all be showcased too. The Arriflex D-20 will be shown recording at 60fps, and with a new fibre-optic link allowing the use with a cable length of at least 500m (1,600) feet. ARRI's 235, winner of this year's Academy Sci-Tech award, will be presented with a 75fps speed upgrade. News lenses on show include the Lightweight Zoom LWZ-1, which covers Super 35 from 15.5 - 45 mm, T2.6, plus two high-speed master primes - 14mm and150mm. In DI, the ArriLaser, ArriScan and ArriCube systems all have upgrades, and ARRI is partnering with Iridas and

Assimilate (7.909): DI developer Assimilate is majoring on how its Scratch system was deployed by 3ality Digital to post produce U2 3D, the 3D stereoscopic musical feature which rocked this year's Cannes Film Festival. 3ality Digital, which produced and post produced the film using Scratch, will screen a special three-song segment of U2 3D, hosted by Steve Schklair, founder and CEO of 3ality, at the main auditorium at the RAI Convention Centre, on Sept 9th at around 7pm.

Boing! Bono and the boys leap out in U2 3D, screened by 3ality Digital and Assimilate

Chrosziel (11.548) Chrosziel manufactures high-end matte boxes, sunshades, follow-focus, fluid zoom drives, QuickLock tripod adaptors and camera supports. The latest versions of its wireless remote controls, DigiFox and Aladin, will be shown transmitting digital data packages that can work undistorted in any environment for adjusting focus, zoom, aperture and camera on/off. Also on view will be Chrosziel's lens testing instruments, the Autoreflex collimator, CamCollimator and the LTP-MK5 projector system, as well as a lightweight outdoor LCD monitor, the Sunbird, for Steadicam and cranes. New products at IBC include DV Balancer, a patented shoulder brace for DV and HDV compact camcorders; VariLock DV Studio Rig, a patented focus control with variable and settable rotation angle, and the QuickLock support for Sony's new F23 camera.

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IBC Preview

Portable: Codex Digital's new recorder is as small as a toaster

studio screens, and a new affordable HD server. Doremi's Cinema DCP-2000 was the first server capable of playing DCI conforming JPEG2000 digital movies at up to 250Mbs. New features include 4K and 3D playback, CineLink II strong link encryption, Thomson's NexGuard and Philips' CineFence Forensic Watermarking designed to make the DCP-2000 the most secure server on the market. Doremi Cinema is also proposing a complete mastering suite for D-Cinema in line with the DCI specification. This is comprised of Cocoon, pre-processing software, which performs digital zooming and colour space conversion, together with a hardware-based mastering station which performs JPEG2000 compression, MXF packaging, encryption and key generation (KDMs). Doremi's Mastering station has been adopted by over 25 customers worldwide, including major post production companies. A vast majority of Hollywood productions in digital have been mastered on Doremi equipment.

Filmgear Europe (11.228)

Cintel (7.118) A leading name for many years in telecine, and now in film scanning, Cintel will unveil several products at its. Top of the list is a brand-new Digital Servo System for the dataMill 4K scanner and Millennium 4K data-cine, which adjusts the speed, velocity and tension of the film transport mechanism to help increase stability and improve throughput speed during scans.

Cintel says it will be the only manufacturer showing a Kodak-calibrated scanner at IBC, as result of a collaboration which saw it offer Kodak factory-calibration on all new diTTo 2K/4K scanners from June. diTTo now optionally ships with built-in Kodak Display Manager technology, allowing users to pre-visualise precisely what scanned film will look like when printed on Kodak stock.

The diTTo scanner will be shown running in its brand-new 16mm configuration, and on the Pandora International stand (6.101), where it will be demonstrating workflow integration with Pandora's Revolution software-based image processor.

Filmgear Lighting says it will be showing a selection its, now rather extensive, film and TV lighting products. The Chinese manufacturer's array of lighting equipment includes daylight Fresnels, daylight pars, tungsten Fresnels including studio, junior and pole operated, spacelights, fluorescents and ballasts.

Fujinon (11.310) Today, Fujinon is a major manufacturer and distributor of optics and lens assemblies for the broadcast, digital cinematography and industrial markets. The company is exhibiting its range of HD ENG and studio lenses. These include the cost-effective X-series, with 13x and 17x magnification, designed for HD broadcast news and field production applications captured in 16:9 image format. Fujinon is showing the XA88x8.8BESM telephoto lens, which offers 88x magnification with the widest focal length of 8.8mm. This lens is made for the new generation of HD broadcasting cameras, and includes an exclusive Precision Focus Assist (PFA) system to help improve the quality of HDTV image capture. Fujinon's high definition Cine lenses have been used on productions including Star Wars, Sin City, Spy Kids, Ghost of the Abyss are also being shown.

Codex Digital: (11.238) With its stand looking like a woodland glade, and featuring an array of stuffed animals, portability and data workflow from-set-to-post are the key themes from Codex Digital. New products include the European launch of the company's high-resolution portable HD 2K 4K recorder. Codex will also show how its data workflows allow broadcast and cinema productions to move smoothly from shooting to post-production - with no intermediate steps - on-set or worldwide. In conjunction with Sohonet, Codex also will demonstrate how pictures, sound and metadata can be delivered anywhere, anytime, in any format.

Cooke Optics (11.400) British lens legend Cooke, will showcase its /i dataLink metadata capture device and S4/i series on Prime lenses. Equipped with Cooke's /i technology, these lenses are fast, light and enable film and digital cameras to automatically record key lens and camera data for every film frame shot and provide it to post-production teams digitally. Amongst the companies now supporting /i is Red, whose Crossing The Line promotional film - shot by cinematographer Richard Bluck, and directed by Peter Jackson and Jim Jannard - used Cooke S4s prime lenses and an Angenieux zoom.

Digital Vision (7.731) This IBC is a big one for Digital Vision, which will launch new finishing and restoration products addressing volume re-mastering and tapeless finishing for multi-format deliverables. The new software-based restoration tool will join the company's line of image enhancement products, including DVNR and DVO. It leverages inexpensive computing power, sophisticated software and a simplified UI to automatically fix common problems in video and film restoration quickly and cost-effectively. The new tapeless grading/finishing system is designed and priced for companies who grade and finish content for broadcast television, as well as multi-format deliverable such as HD DVD, Blu-ray, broadband VOD, and mobile.

Doremi Technologies (10.400) You might not have heard of Doremi before, but this French company makes digital cinema products including mastering stations, and is the biggest supplier of DCI cinema players worldwide. Products include high-performance MPEG-2 and JPEG 2000 codecs as well as converters for DVI and SD/HD video. New products at IBC include 2K and 4K special venue players, a universal media playback solution for museums, renting, stages/events, broadcast,

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IBC Preview

Quantel (7.120) Quantel will be out in force exhibiting its full range of systems for the DI, post and broadcast businesses. One of big hits at NAB this April, the company's Genetic Engineering introduces a new “open” team-working infrastructure for post and DI to increase efficiency, speed workflow and encourage creativity. It has also made Quantel truly “open”. And just to prove it, Digital Imagineers Company, Australia's newest dedicated HDTV/multimedia full service production post and deliverables company, is to become the first facility in Australia to install Genetic Engineering technology. With stereoscopic 3D taking off in Hollywood, Quantel will also be showing both iQ and Pablo running real-time, interactive, full quality stereo streams. The company's Pablo, non-linear colour correction, and its iQ and eQ multi-resolution editing/ effects/ grading/ deliverables systems will also be aired. Frankfurt's C.3 Produktionshaus, and renowned Milanese post production boutique Gruppo Anteprima, have both just installed a Quantel eQ systems.

Matthews Studio Equipment (11.729)

mounting system, and can be mounted to any Matthews 4-wheel steering doorway dolly, including the new Round D Round. A range of Matthews industry specialised hardware products and lighting control products will also be available for evaluation.

Panther (11.619) This year Panther is focussing on the potential its equipment has to offer. New horizontal and vertical brakes prevent the Pixy Crane from any undesired movement. A new brake for the Roller Plate prevents the dolly moving around while in transport. The tripod line is now complete and Panther boasts a 2-day delivery after receipt of order. Its latest product is the new alloy spreader SD 100/150 which also provides a tripod going on tracks or ground via rollers. IBC will also see the 3-axis remote head Trixy, which carries up to 15 kg / 33lbs. Slip rings allow unlimited movements in all three axis.

Nice little mover: Panther will be showingTrixy, its new threeaxis remote head Matthews: Quick Corners

Matthews: Blue/Green screens

Known as innovators in grip equipment across the international motion picture, television and photographic industries, Matthews will introduce three new products. Quik Corners is a lightweight overhead and butterfly frame system, designed for fast set-up and break down, machined from aircraft-quality aluminum. Its new reversible Blue/Green screens are designed to reduce the amount of screen required for production - with Chromakey or Digital Blue on one side, and Green on the reverse. Matthew's Bazooka is based on the industry-standard Elemac

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Dalsa (11.351) 4K is the new black. Dalsa will show The Trident, a short film directed by Anurag Mehta and lensed by cinematographer David Stump ASC. The film was shot in 4K on Dalsa’s Origin camera and will be projected in 4K at this year’s D-Cinema session on Saturday 8th at 11am. Stump will be at the presentation. After the screening, Dalsa will show some of its other recent footage and offer a Q&A session for all attendees.

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who’s shooting who?

Who’s Shooting Who? OK, so summer may have been bit of a damp squib, but not for the game DPs who turn out rain or shine for craft they love.

Mckinney Macartney Managtment's… Balazs Bolygo is working on the new BBC period drama Lark Rise To Candleford for director Charlie Palmer with an adaptation of Flora Palmer's series of semi-autobiographical accounts of life in the early 20th Century in the English countryside. Ben Butler has been working on commercials for directors, Susie Roberson, Chris Sainsbury, JJ Keith, Jim Weedon and Tim Canty. Mick Coulter BSC has been busy working with Gerard de Thame on commercials. Denis Crossan BSC is shooting The Pink Panther 2 with director Harald Zwart at the helm, taking Inspector Clouseau's hilarious bumbling adventures across Europe.

John de Borman BSC will be working with director Joel Hopkins on the romantic comedy Last Chance Harvey which has an aged American actor coming over to London for his estranged daughter's wedding, and the complications that come of meeting a younger woman who may be a chance for happiness. Gavin Finney is shooting The Colour of Magic on D20 at Pinewood, the follow-up to the Mob Film Company's hugely successful Terry Pratchett adaptation of The Hogfather, and this is the 2nd novel directed by Vadim Jean set in the magical Discworld series. Graham Frake is working on the second series of ITV's Primeval with director Andrew Gunn, where a group of scientists explore mysterious holes in time and encounter dinosaurs, monsters and other bizarre phenomenon.

Sue Gibson BSC is set to light Jon Baird's film Cass which tells the amazing true story of a Jamaican orphaned baby who was adopted by an elderly white couple and brought up in an all-white area of London. Richard Greatrex BSC will be working on 3 and Out for director Jonathan Gershfield, telling the story of a down on his luck tube driver who learns of a policy where if you hit three people in a month, you get a fat payout. Nina Kellgren BSC has been working on two projects for artists Daria Martin and Zarina Bhimji. John Lynch just returned from Vancouver where he was filming an Acura commercial for Daniel Barber at Knucklehead. Hong Manley has been busy working on various commercials with director, Patricia Murphy. Phil Meheux BSC is in Mexico with director Raja Gosnell shooting South of the Border, a liveaction family film about a lost spoilt chihuahua trying to get

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Donal Gilligan on the set of Time Of The Comet shooting now in Macedonia. The film is based on the Man Booker prize winning novel of the same name. out of Mexico and back to her Beverley Hills home. Phil was also awarded the 2007 BSC Award for Best Cinematography for his work on Casino Royale. John Pardue has been working on commercials with directors, Rory Rooney, Victoria Pile, Rod Butcher, Didier Canaux and Dan Nathan. Jake Polonsky recently shot Justin Timberlake's live concert promo with Chris Stifel for Good Films/HBO. Chris Seager BSC is working with director Nick Moore on Wild Child as they try and keep up with the antics of a young American schoolgirl as she raises havoc in the English boarding school she's been forced to attend.

Katie Swain has been working with Betsan Morris Evans on commercials through Bare Films. David Tattersall BSC's Speed Racer is looking to be one of the major blockbusters of 2008 as he and the Wachowski Brothers in the live-action version of the popular Japanese cartoon about futuristic car racing. Clive Tickner BSC has been working with Nick Jones on a BBC Comedy promo for Red Bee and just completed a Tesco commercial with Georgia Glynn Smith through Weilands. Darran Tiernan will be working with director Anthony Byrne on the second series of the drama Single Handed, following the career of a young Irish policeman who moves back to his rural home and has to deal with the secrets of the people he once lived and grew up with. Brian Tufano BSC is set to shoot Adulthood, the follow-up to the teenage drama Kidulthood with writer/actor Noel Clarke directing. Michael Wood is currently shooting a Ferrero Rocher commercial for Ross Neil through HSI. He also recently completed a short film The Devil's Wedding for Director Dan Cadan through HSI London.

Casarotto's… Remi Adefarasin BSC is currently in Australia prepping the WW2 Pacific Project for HBO and Playtone. Filming started on 13th August. Remi last collaborated with HBO and Playtone on the award-winning

Band of Brothers series. Matt Gray has recently begun shooting Oliver Twist for Coky Giedroyc and the BBC. Seamus McGarvey BSC (see the feature on Atonement in this edition) is currently in South Africa shooting Anthony Minghella's No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, whilst Wojciech Szepel is working with director Hettie MacDonald on the Abi Morgan Project for Tiger Aspect.

According to the ladies at Sara Putt Associates… Nick Dance is currently shooting Skins, Series II for Company Pictures, and Pete Edwards is leansing Tittybangbang for Pett TV. Peter Greenhalgh is on Ballet Shoes for ITV, whilst Chris Howard has just finished on Buffalo Pictures' Doc Martin. David Marsh is lighting Summerhill for Tiger Aspect, Graham Smith is prepping on The Palace for Company Pictures, and Oliver Cheesman has begun lighting the BBC3 pilot Raging.

The news from Creative Media Management… is that Mike Southon BSC is currently in Budapest lensing Nutcracker: The Untold Story with director, Andrei Konchalovsky. Following the successful sale of Timber Falls at Cannes, Toby Moore will be lighting Stag Night, his second feature for producer Arnold Rifkin. Stag Night will be directed

by Flightplan scribe Peter Dowling in Romania. Toby also lit a block on Series Two of popular BBC sci-fi drama Torchwood last month. Colin Munn is working on Series 11 of the successful ITV series Midsomer Murders for Bentley Productions, whilst John Rhodes has begun work on series two of family drama Roman Mysteries for the BBC. Following the successful sale of action horror Outpost to Sony Pictures at Cannes, Gavin Struthers returned to popular C4 series Shameless, lighting the first block of series five for Company Pictures. Duncan Telford has remained active in commercials and is now lighting the BBC's Inside The Medieval Mind for director Dominic Sutherland.

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who’s shooting who?

Wizzo's… Donal Gilligan is currently lighting the feature film Time of the Comet, based on the Man Booker Prize winning novel of the same name; directed by Fatmir Koci through LARA Enterprises in Dusseldorf, shooting on location in Macedonia and Albania. New signing to Wizzo Drama is Per Tingleff, who, as well as having just finished the 2nd series of Jack Dee's Lead Balloon for BBC, will be working on the new series Not Going Out for Avalon, and then he will light the new series of Space Hopper just commissioned by the BBC. Recent signing Philipp Blaubach is just about to shoot a feature for Warp Films called 'Hush It's a dark slasher chiller thriller with an edge, directed by Mark Tonderai. Shane Daly has just finished The Street for director Terry McDonaugh for ITV and the series has just won a BAFTA for best drama 2007.

Now Shane is shooting an independent feature film called The Rainbow Tribe for Australian director Chris Watson and producer Phil Waley, which is shooting on location in LA. Rob Hardy has completed shooting and grading a one-off drama for Channel 4 called Boy A for film director John Crowley (his debut feature was Intermission). Angus Hudson has now finished lighting Sean Ellis' second feature with the working title of The Broken through Ugly Duckling Films and is just about to start grading on that. Ben Cole has now completed shooting the feature biopic documentary The Future is Unwritten about Joe Strummer directed by Julien Temple through C4.

Over at ICM… Ulf Brantas has started shooting on Company Pictures'/HBO's drama about the invasion of Iraq Generation Kill as 2nd Unit Director/DP in South Africa. Andrea Calderwood produces. After completing shooting on Ecosse's My Boy Jack in mid August, David Odd BSC is now lensing their three-part drama for ITV, He Kills Coppers. David Boulter is producing, with Adrian Shergold directing. Barry Ackroyd BSC is working on Kathryn Bigelow's Hurt Locker. Set in Iraq, it is the story of an elite army bomb disposal unit and the troubles they face. Ben Davis BSC just finished shooting Sharon Macguire's Incendiary, the story of a woman who loses her husband and young baby when Al Qu'eda bombs the Arsenal stadium. Since finishing Ben has been working on commercials all over the world.

Brideshead Revisited a film remake of the classic TV series.

Martin Kenzie is lighting 2nd unit on Nick Moore's Wild Child, the story of a precocious American teenager whose parents send her to an English boarding school. Darius Khondji ASC, AFC out in Australia shooting The Ruins for Dreamworks, directed by Carter Smith. Dan Landin is on Dreamworks' A Tale of Two Sisters shooting in Vancouver. The directors are Tom and Charlie Guard.

Meanwhile, Sam McCurdy has just started work on a Wire in the Blood special in Texas, which Declan O'Dwyer will direct. Dick Pope BSC has finished shooting Mike Leigh's latest project and is about to start work on Gurinder Chadha's Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging, an adaptation of the book of the same name, publicised as a teenage Bridget Jones. Christopher Ross is working on James Watkins' Eaden Lake (formerly known as Little Terrors), a horror/thriller about a city couple terrorized by feral children. Ashley Rowe BSC recently completed John Irvin's Garden of Eden, an adaptation of Ernest Hemingway book of the same name.

Oliver Stapleton BSC is on How to lose Friends and Alienate People directed by Robert Weide. It's a comedy of humiliation

based on the book by Toby Young about his own experiences as a journalist in New York at Vanity Fair. Nigel Willoughby has completed on Box TV's Last Enemy in Romania, directed

by Iain B. Macdonald. It's a five-part political thriller set in the immediate future looking at the effect that increased security measures have on our civil liberties. Simon Coull just finished a huge Renault shoot in Prague with Daniel Askill through Radical Media. He shot both the film and the stills and is currently back with Olivier Venturini at Tempo Media shooting a Diadermine job in Munich having before that been away working in the US for most of June. Oliver Curtis BSC (read all about him in this edition!) shot the E-ON commercial that's currently showing on TV with Andy Lambert through HSI London, followed by a Pantene shoot in Argentina with Marco Pelisi, and another Pantene job with photographer Karina Taira in Prague. Mattias Montero has been in Beijing for Adidas with NEO at Stink before going onto straight from a Bacardi shoot with Pleix at Blink. After finishing on Flashbacks Of A Fool with Baillie Walsh, John Mathieson BSC has just got back from Prague where he's been shooting a Russian Standard (vodka) job with Michael Hausman. David Ungaro

Copyright Peace One Day Limited

Anthony Dod Mantle BSC is just about to start work on Danny Boyle's latest project Slum Dog Millionaires, which will shoot in India. Jess Hall is currently shooting Julian Jarrold's

DoP Charlotte Bruus Christensen at work on set of short film Romans.

Daniel Trapp, camera operator, with director Jeremy Gilley, filming in Afghanistan for Peace One Day

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who’s shooting who?

recently shot a Lynx commercial in London with Harmony Karine at 2am Films.

The news fom ARRI Crew is that… Steve Lawes is currently shooting two episodes of the BAFTA award-winning drama The Street in Manchester. Back with the director David Blair The Street is a Granada Television Production for the BBC, shooting on location on 16mm. Ian Foster remains busy in the commercial market shooting with Bikini Films, Tomboy and more recently completing another commercial for Bacardi with RSA and director Alex Rutterford. Kit Fraser has kept himself very busy with music videos. Maintaining his relationship with Dub Plate Drama, Kit was asked to shoot the promo for Shystie, one of the lead artists in the for mentioned series. More recently he has just completed a video for Fight Star. Zubin Mistry is back from the States where he shot a

spot for AT&T with director Jorn Haagen from Believe Media.

Zubin continues to collaborate with Neil Gorringe at C4 most recently on the Friday Night Project promo. Sarah BartlesSmith is currently in Cardiff shooting Young Dracula with director Josh Agnew and producer Mia Jupp, filming on location for the BBC. Ole Bratt Birkeland is currently shooting the feature film The Calling on the D20, starring Brenda Blethyn and Emily Beecham, in Ramsgate. Daniel Trapp is currently shooting the latter stages of the second Peace One Day film due for release in Spring 2008. He has been involved with Peace One Day for over six years and has travelled to Israel, Palestine, Argentina, and more recently Afghanistan, Congo (DRC) and Spain with producer / director Jeremy Gilley raising awareness for Peace Day on September 21st. www.peaceoneday.org. The director insists on shooting predominantly on S16mm and Daniel prefers to use his own Aaton A-Minima - "It is an absolute pleasure to use as it is so small and versatile. It eliminates the constant feeling on documentaries of should I get that? If I see the shot I just shoot it ... No messing around which leaves me totally free to find the best angle and build up the shots..."

DP Pat O'Shea, and Dan Mulligan, camera operator and owner of Rogue Element Films are working on the 2007 series of Last of The Summer Wine to be broadcast in 2008.

Copyright Peace One Day Limited

And what a Summer it turned out to be at PFD… Danny Cohen wrapped principle photography on the HBO drama John Adams for director Tom Hooper in Hungary and is taking a well-deserved break. Alan Almond BSC recently finished on the IWC drama A Room With A View for director Nick Renton. Charlotte Bruus Christensen headed an impressive lighting team for the shoot of Romans. The short film was written by BAFTA-winner Geoff Thompson and directed by Therapy Films' Paul and Ludwig Shammasian.

Eduardo Serra, AFC, ASC is in Lithuania prepping Ed Zwick's Defiance for Warner Bros. Tony Slater-Ling is prepping Summer to be directed by Kenny Glenaan for Sixteen Films. Haris Zambarloukos BSC spent a chunk August in Greece shooting Mamma Mia. Marcel Zyskind has just returned home from Italy where he has been shooting Genova for Michael Winterbottom. He is then taking a break before going back to Lukas Moodyson's Mammoth, shooting in the autumn. Daniel Bronks has been lighting Tony Hickox's feature Knife Edge in the UK, and Tat Radcliffe is shooting Belle De Jour with director Yann Demange. On commercials, Alwin Kuchler BSC recently shot a Heineken commercial with Danny Kleinman at Rattlingstick and has just worked on a JC Penny commercial with Dougal Wilson at Blink Productions. Mik Allen completed a Typhoo Tea commercial

in India with David Lodge at Outsider, whilst Brendan Galvin also found himself in India shooting an HSBC spot for Prasoon Pandey through Independent Films. Peter Suschitzky BSC has also been very busy with commercials, working on San Miguel with Jake Nava in Seville through Independent Films.

Meanwhile Alex Barber recently shot a new Sony ad with Pleix through Blink Productions and a Fosters commercial in Palma with Nick Livesey at RSA London. Simon Chaudoir recently worked again with directors Dom and Nic at Outsider for a DVLA spot, and then with director Sam Brown at Rogue for an Amplafon commercial shooting in Spain. Meanwhile, Simon Richards was also in Spain lighting for Kirk Jones on a new Mulina Bianco spot through Tomboy Films / BRW Milan.

Daniel Trapp, camera operator, with director Jeremy Gilley, filming in Afghanistan for Peace One Day

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FEATURE

on the job

McGarvey worked closely with director Joe Wright, production designer Sarah Greenwood and costume designer Jacqueline Durran

Atonement Stay at home? Sure, Seamus McGarvey BSC's family would love to have him do that, writes Pauline Rogers.

The problem is, this much-in-demand cinematographer goes where the projects that fascinate him shoot.

Several years ago, he brought the strike against America to the screen for Oliver Stone's World Trade Center. At the moment, he's deep in the jungles of Botswana, shooting The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, directed by Anthony Minghella, who, ironically, played a small part in the recently-released UK based period drama, Atonement.

The screenplay, adapted from Ian McEwan's lavish novel of the same name, is as producer Paul Webster says, “One of those 'if only I'd have turned right instead of left my life would have been entirely different,' stories.”

It opens in England, 1935. Briony Tallis and her family live a life of wealth and privilege in an enormous Gothic mansion. The

We t e s t e d m a n y stocks and filters but the one we ended up choosing was putting a 10Denier Christian Dior stocking on the back element of the lens. They give such a wonderful glow to the picture..

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family gathers in the oppressive heat and under the looming shadow of World War II. Briony, a fledgling writer with a vivid imagination ignites a series of catastrophic misunderstandings that destroy young love, and dramatically alter the course of many lives.

McGarvey worked closely with director Joe Wright, production designer Sarah Greenwood and costume designer Jacqueline Durran, to take this rich story through three separate timescales. “This prompted us to explore how we could use the shifts in setting and era to create evolving visual chapters,” McGarvey explains.

McGarvey's first location was the 1935 Tallis House. “If this is 'Middle England', I'm happy to embrace it,” he says enthusiastically. “Location manager Adam Richards found the perfect house, Stokesay Court. It worked beautifully for us, because we were able to dart in and out if the weather was with us or against us.

Lighting up: the early parts of Atonement get a nostalgic, lustrous texture “Joe and I debated about whether they made the look too strident, but felt that it was perfect to describe the heat and innocence of the period.

With stockings on “The difficulty, photographically, was that this first part of the film takes place during the hottest day of the year,” he explains. “One hot day is hard to maintain over the mercurial English summer but the location, and first AD Josh Robertson's understanding, allowed us to use the heat and sun which were crucial elements in the story.”

In early prep, McGarvey and team decided that the first part of the picture needed to have a nostalgic, lustrous texture.

“We tested many stocks and filters but the one we ended up choosing was putting a 10 Denier Christian Dior stocking on the back element of the lens,” he explains. “I bought a few pairs of these stockings some years ago from focus puller Ros Naylor. They stopped making them in the 1970s and I think she has the last packs! They give such a wonderful glow to the picture.

“When the stockings proved a little problematic, like shooting actors against bright over-exposed windows, I went with a Schneider Classic Soft filter to maintain the sense of diffusion without the filtration overtaking the shot.”

The film moves into another time period. “Sarah Greenwood and her team built wonderful sets for us,” McGarvey says.

“The Wartime Hospital set was on such a big scale, it occupied one of the biggest stages at Shepperton Studios.

“We decided not to have a floating ceiling, but to light through the windows,” he adds. “Gaffer Perry Evans and his team prerigged the set, so we were able to launch into shooting as soon as we arrived.

“Because St.Thomas's is beside The Thames, we made a pool of water outside the window filled with broken mirrors into which I aimed a series of 10ks. We disturbed the water during

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FEATURE

on the job

“The best light for the shot was late afternoon/evening, which left us time for, at most, five takes. In the end, it was take three that was the best. The shot astounds people when they watch the film.”

Without any stockings at all The final part of the picture is set in a television studio where Vanessa Redgrave, as a celebrated writer, is being interviewed. The interviewer is Anthony Minghella. “We decided to shoot this section clean,” says McGarvey. “No filtration or process. It had to have a type of clarity and simplicity, like evidence.

“There are few actresses in the world that could take, or would accept, this stark approach. Vanessa looked amazing. It was Joe's idea to echo the interview scene, where the young Briony attests to what she has seen. The contrast over the years is very moving and the film ends with a heartbreaking finale.”

To DI for: Seamus always shoots a beautiful negative the take and framed the shots so that we saw the glaze, thus filling them with a rippling effect, reminding us of the river.”

McGarvey used Black Promists, giving the sequence a different quality of diffusion while still preserving contrast.

“Joe and I wanted to go more ascetic here,” he adds. “We wanted a pared-down, austere look. I had planned to shoot the Dunkirk section with a very low contrast, wan palette. This was to reflect the subjective, dreamscape of the section.

“Through testing I realized that the night scenes and low key element simply wouldn't have looked good this way. The darkness would have looked too milky. We decided to introduce more contrast and in the timing I reduced the saturation a little bit. In this section, I used the Hylen lens, where James McAvoy's character, Robbie, has a vision of his mother in the ruins of a building in Dunkirk.

“Defocusing a part of the image selectively was a great way of making a two-shot of him and his mother appear oddly subjective,” McGarvey explains. “The key shot in this section is a long Steadicam sequence operated by A-camera Peter Robertson and focus puller Carlos de Carvahlo, which lasts over five minutes. The idea was to use the unbroken and carefully choreographed shot to describe Robbie's personal headspace.

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McGarvey shot Atonement with two Panaflex XL cameras and an ARRI 435. He chose Primo Prime lenses ranging from a 14.5mm to a 150mm and twoPrimo zooms (4-1 and 11-1). He used three Kodak stocks, 5212 (ASA 100), 5217 (ASA 200) and 5218 (ASA 500).

The picture was posted at Capital FX in London. “The colourist was Adam Inglis and producer Adam Alexander. I often feel that the paradigm of possibilities offered by the DI process can lead to a meandering approach to the grade,” McGarvey says. “I think you must approach it with the same discipline you apply to the photography.

“Adam really understood that what we were attempting to achieve was something in line with a classic photochemical timing, but with some of the enhancements that this process offers. It was a restrained grade with intervention where it was required. Adam did some beautiful grading, particularly in the big Steadicam shot.

“Conventional lab grading doesn't allow for sophisticated dynamic grading during a shot, so this is one of the greatest advantages of the process.”

Main Camera Crew Cinematographer A-Camera Operator B-Camera Operator A-Camera First A-Camera Second B-Camera First B-Camera Second Grip

Seamus McGarvey BSC Peter Robertson Seamus McGarvey BSC Carlos De Carvalho Jennie Paddon Rawdon Hayne Iain Mackay Gary Hutchings

Atonement gets a DI at Deluxe Atonement was graded in two weeks at Deluxe's new DI facility in Dering Street, London. Colourist Adam Inglis and in-house producer Marcus Alexander worked with DP Seamus McGarvey BSC and director Joe Wright. Inglis and Alexander had worked with McGarvey previously on the action-adventure movie Sahara and the approach to the grade was similar.

company Efilm LA. “Accurate colour management is one of Efilm's strong points” says Inglis. “They provided us with some of the best Look-Up Tables I've ever seen, and being linked to Deluxe labs helped immensely, since we could carefully control the neg and print processes - we could be very accurate in the grade and ensure that we got the same thing back on print.”

“Seamus always shoots an absolutely beautiful negative, with much of the look set in-camera, and it was important to retain the integrity of that,” explains Inglis. “He wanted a very classical, subtle and natural feel, so it was really a case of fine-tuning and polishing from the outset. I actually feel this is harder to do as a colourist, since the emphasis is on a very high level of precision rather than creating some wacky look. You have to hit that sweet spot of perfection, such as, 'Does this shot need half a point red or half a point magenta, maybe its even a quarter of a point?'”

To create the feel of old newsreel footage, new Arrilaser film recorder technology enabled the team to record out sections of the movie onto camera negative which were then rescanned. As Inglis explains, “We tried similar things to this on previous movies, but we always had to use intermediate stock which doesn't have the same texture.

It's a subtle effect, but it works really nicely in certain situations”.

Deluxe's grading suite is equipped with colour management and grading software provided by sister

Further technological improvements were employed with a bespoke infrared dustbusting process, which eliminated the need for manual clean-up and produced spotless images.

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UK

shooting the future

High Speed I n h i s d a y j o b , J o h n Ke e d w e l l G B C T is in charge of the cameras at Thatcham, the motor insurance repair research centre. So who better to look at high- speed p h o t o g r a p h y, t h e c o m p a n i e s making the cameras and the peripherals?

Many commercials, cinema releases and documentaries often now require the use of high-speed cameras for the dramatic shots they can add to the story. Until recently the only realistic option for shooting at extremely high speed was with specialist 35mm or 16mm film cameras. There have been a few film cameras that have been the workhorses of commercials films for many years. There is the Photo-Sonics 35mm-4E that can shoot up to 360 fps with pin-registered transport mechanism. The Super 16 Actionmaster is a pinregistered camera with a 360fps top speed too, and this camera is mainly used for wildlife and extreme sports photography.

At that time, the cinematographer didn't have many options when it came to high quality, high-speed digital cameras.

There were cameras available, but they were lacking in many areas that a cinematographer required.

However, in recent years both sensitivity and resolutions of digital high-speed cameras have been growing extremely rapidly, with cameras such as the Vision Research Phantom V9 producing 1,000fps at 1632 x 1200 pixel resolution in 2006. As the cameras were originally designed primarily for scientific research, they do not have an eyepiece or other camera controls. Camera control is normally via a remote computer, as the cameras are often in hazardous places.

However, there is the possibility of adding bars, matte box, focus and lens controls, plus LCD display to enable live operation with an operator on a tripod. Some high-speed specialist companies, such as Green Door films, use Vision Research cameras and have modified the way the camera is configured for commercial use.

There are small drawbacks in using these cameras, one is the run-up time to get the camera and film up to full speed, producing wasted film. The turnaround time for each shot can also be quite lengthy, due to the nature of the intricate mechanisms involved. They are also rather noisy. However, for many years these cameras were (and still are) delivering extremely high-quality, high-speed images for commercials, special effect shots and documentaries.

Only a few years ago, the only digital high-speed cameras were relatively low resolution and used primarily for scientific purposes, such as automotive research. Colour fidelity, resolution and dynamic range were not regarded so important as light sensitivity and high frame rates. Up to 150,000 fps+ is possible with some digital HS cameras at reduced resolution. A good resolution in some high-speed cameras only a few years ago was only 512 x 384 pixels, which is OK for image analysis, yet is hardly startling compared to what 16mm and 35mm film can produce. Most mobile telephones have higher resolution cameras built into them now.

exactly what your shot looks like, which is great for commercials and fast moving documentary or drama productions.

New developments

The advantages of using digital HS cameras are numerous, including instant camera speed with no run-up time, silent operation, and instant playback - so you immediately know

Photosonics

Vision Research Phantom 65

A few years ago ARRI Media entered the high speed arena with the introduction of the ARRI Tornado. ARRI combined the Weisscam HS-1 digital high-speed Memrecam fx K4 camera from NAC Image Technology, with the eQ from Quantel. By expanding the capabilities of the camera with eQ the system becomes a workstation that takes care of file down-loading, necessary image processing and camera control. This camera is now mainly known for the great images of Wimbledon tennis, cricket and other sporting events. Resolution is 1280 x 1024 at 950fps The Weisscam HS-1 was designed by DP Stefan Weiss, and is a camera that looks somewhat like a film camera, and can be fitted with a regular matte box, follow focus units and other items required by the DP. This camera can achieve frame rates up to 950 fps at 1280 x 720P. The CMOS imager is 15 x 12mm in size.

ARRI Tornado

Another digital high-speed camera that is also gaining a following in commercials is the Weinberger Cine SpeedCam that has a resolution of 1536 x 1024 with a 17mm x 11mm CMOS imager. The Cine SpeedCam includes a compact Weinberger progressive-scan HD camera that accepts PL mount 35mm or Nikon B-mount lenses. The film-style camera

Editorial from the GBCT supplied by John Keedwell GBCT page

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shooting the future

As the world's first 65mm digital cinema camera, the Phantom 65 is capable of taking up to 120 fps at resolutions up to 4096 x 2440 equivalent in size to 65mm film. The Phantom 65 has allocated formats for standard 70mm 2.21:1 (4096x1860 pixels), HD (1920x1080), UHD (3840x2160), and 35mm 1.85:1 using an active pixel area of 25.6mm x 13.85mm (2048x1108 pixels) making this camera fully compatible with all 35mm equipment.

Green Door films is fully compatible with a mattebox, follow-focus, Zoom controls, and top-mounted monitor/finder.

Latest developments Vision Research raised the bar in 2007 with the introduction of the Phantom HD, and later the Phantom 65. These are both cameras specifically designed to address the demanding needs of the digital cinematographer.

With its 2,048 x 2,048 active pixel CMOS sensor, the Phantom HD camera is capable of taking 1,000 fps at an HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. When used in 2K applications (2048 x 1556, for example) the camera can record up to 700fps. The digital sensor is equivalent in size to a 35mm film gate, giving cinematographers true 35mm depth-of-field, while the PL lens mount provides access to a wide range of professional cine lenses and accessories.

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Memory and capture All digital cameras capture to an internal flash memory, and then the images are downloaded to a computer that translates them into a video sequence. There are now also the hot-swappable, non-volatile, solid state recorders in the form of the Phantom CineMags. These low profile modules (available since early 2007) mount to the top of the Phantom camera body and store 128, 256 or 512 Gigabytes each.

When one of these storage magazines is filled the CineDock station allows downloading of the images to a PC running the Phantom application.

Whether commercial table tops, music promos, action sports, documentaries, or scientific studies, there are now cameras available that will record the action in high definition, and immediately play back the images straight away to show you that you have the shot. But don't forget there are also the film cameras mentioned above, which might prove the right tool for your production.

ARRI Tornado

High Speed Links!

Vision Research Weisscam Weinberger ARRI Tornado NAC Photo-Sonics Green Door Films

www.visionresearch.com www.weisscam.com www.cine-speedcam.com www.arri.com http://nacinc.com www.photosonics.com www.greendoorfilms.co.uk

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FEATURE

camera creative

Wizard: Oliver Curtis BSC with director Frank Oz, who suggested to Curtis that should not be afriad to get "dark"

I am a camera T h e y [ Po w e l l a n d Pr e s s b u r g e r productions] were the most ex t r a o r d i n a r y things I'd ever s e e n . I t ' s l i ke being in someone's dreams‌ there was something magical about the camera.

Oliver Curtis, BSC member and among the current crop of highly-regarded British directors of photography, is unusual in the business by being active in capturing both moving and still images. Kevin Hilton discovers more.

previously encountered," he comments, "and it's something that cannot be done part-time." His decision was made after he attended a summer course at the Film and Photographic Workshops in Rockford, Maine, where British cinema and BSC great Jack Cardiff was teaching.

Curtis work takes in feature films, television dramas, shorts and commercials, many of them for beauty and cosmetics products, creating a crossover with stills photography.

"He's my hero," Curtis says. "The tales he spun during the workshops were inspiring and because of Jack I made the decision to focus on photography." And much of Curtis' passion for film comes from watching Cardiff's work on Powell and Pressburger productions: "They were the most

"I am a photographer," he says, "and if something interests me, I do it." He calls cinematography "perhaps the most demanding" of the skills he practices, and any fear that he could abandon it for stills photography should be allayed by his professed "passion for film".

This led him to take a film course at the London College of Printing, where he faced a minor dilemma over whether to direct or be a DP. For a while he balanced the two, directing a number of documentaries for the BBC and Channel 4, including Trotsky's Home Movies and Pontecorvo, but realised he would eventually have to make a choice.

"I found the challenges as a DP were greater than I'd

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Gorgeous: Kate Moss in a Rimmel campaign, photographed by Curtis

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FEATURE

camera creative

extraordinary things I'd ever seen. It's like being in someone's dreams and there was something magical about the camera.

Seeing that work in my late teens, early twenties I immediately appreciated the composition of the shots."

Composition is key for Curtis and it is usually what he finds most impressive about the work of cinematographers he admires. For him the prime exponents of this style are Gordon Willis and Dante Spinotti. "Spinotti picked up on the composition used by people like Willis and like them he dares to hold shots for longer," Curtis observes. "You can see that in films like Heat, which has crash bang editing but the composition is there as well. Shots are held for a long time, but the scenes do not become tableaux. When I started shooting I brought a strong sense of composition to what I was doing" This was evident in Curtis' first feature as DP, Madagascar Skin, directed by Chris Newby. Curtis' credits are a mixture of the commercial and the less mainstream, with cinema advertisements representing the most commercial manifestation of the art. He has also shot a number of short films, but does not see his working on big budget projects purely as a way to be able to work on less financially backed productions. "I want to be able to do interesting stuff," he says, "and although one does finance the other that's not the motivation. Working on different projects keeps me fresh."

Beauty He likes the heterogeneous aspect of what he does and now tries to shoot one feature a year, with commercials around that, plus stills photography, which has now extended to included portraiture. Cinema purists may consider commercials a debasement of the cinematographer's art; the man in the street would simply envy Curtis spending his days with the likes of Kate Moss.

Curtis sees beauty work as an extension of what he does in film and TV, in some ways being more of a technical challenge. "You have to think about light quality and the angle of incidence," he explains, "and what camera speed you'll need for a one and a half second shot. In some ways I'm dissecting the image and I have to be patient and work closely with the stylist and wardrobe department. And taking the stills gives a synergy with the moving images."

Moving images have not lost their magic for Curtis, who also enjoys working with actors. He has made three films featuring John Hurt, who he now knows well. "John taught me a lot about camera placement," he says, giving the example of Owning Mahowny, directed by Richard Kwietniowski, who directed Love And Death On Long Island, also starring Hurt.

Co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman missed his mark in one scene, filmed over his shoulder, and blocked Hurt. "John is a great technician and could see he wasn't in shot and just shifted position," Curtis recalls.

On Broadway: Curtis lensed the TV ads and billboards for a Dr Scholl's campaign

Death Curtis' most recent feature is Death at a Funeral, a black comedy directed by Frank Oz. Although a comedy, Oz instructed Curtis not to make it high key: "He told me not to be afraid to get dark on occasions." And while he had a good relationship with Oz, he did have to ask the director to move away from the dolly on a couple of occasions for standing behind the camera and laughing at the action. This was even more disconcerting for Curtis as he was operating the camera himself, which he likes to do when he can. "I like the intimacy of seeing through the lens but I also work with an operator on some films. Being your own operator does mean you're on set all the time and don't always get the breaks you would if someone else was looking after the camera.�

Cinematography ex i s t s a t t h e c r o s s r o a d s of technology and c r e a t i v i t y.

Death At A Funeral was Curtis' first experience of digital intermediate and while he says the script and performance always drive a film, not the technology, DI was quite liberating for dealing with some traditional banes of a DP's life. "The story takes place during a single day, but we shot it over several weeks, so in post I could work with Brian Krijgsman [colourist] to have a uniform look if some days were more overcast than others."

Uncle Adolf was memorable for Curtis on a number of counts; working with director Nick Renton and Ken Stott - "a great actor" - and shooting in Lithuania, where his ancestors are from. In one scene Stott, as Hitler, hears his niece has committed suicide and walks out of a room. Curtis closed in on Stott's eyes, changing the camera speed from 25 to 50fps and capturing the man's torment.

Whatever the medium, Oliver Curtis sees an opportunity to bring technology and equipment together to produce the best photography. Like many cinematographers he is not obsessed with equipment, using what is right for the job, although he does admit to owning around 12 stills cameras.

"Cinematography exists at the crossroads of technology and creativity," he concludes. That might sound a little too film school for some but the results count, something both John Hurt and Kate Moss no doubt appreciate.

Oliver Curtis BSC filmography Death At A Funeral 2006 Unrelated 2006 The Wedding Date 2005 Owning Mahowny 2003 The Final Curtain 2002 Saltwater 2002 The Wisdom of Crocodiles 1998 Love and Death on Long Island 1997 (Winner of Pierrot Award at Cannes) Madagascar Skin 1995

Vanity The third element of Curtis' work is television and although it appears late in the discussion that does not reflect his attitude towards the medium. "Shooting for television is as important as shooting for cinema." This, he says, is because there is great creativity within the TV industry, which can reach a large audience at the same time.

Carrying weight: a shot from Half Ton Hospital

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Curtis is particularly proud of the BBC production of Vanity Fair, for which he was nominated for a BAFTA, and the more recent Uncle Adolf. For the Thackeray adaptation director Marc Munden was clear he did not want the usual "chocolate box" period drama look, so Curtis worked within him to create something dark that exploited a number of elaborate camera moves to good effect.

Television drama Uncle Adolf 2005 Bait 2002 Vanity Fair 1998 (BAFTA nomination) Our Boy 1997 Bodyguards 1996 Flames of Passion 1990 (Highly commended cinematography, Chicago Film Festival)

Selected commercials Eon, Herbal Essences, Head & Shoulders, Dr Scholl, Wella, Phillips, Tiger Beer, Rimmel, Pantene, Guinness, Virgin.

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grains vs pixels

Your Indispensible Guide to DI in Europe Kevin Hilton takes a tour around Europe looking at the facility companies offering Digital Intermediate, the kit they use and offers some snapshots for some current projects.

Digital Intermediate (DI) has a huge potential market in Europe. Since British Cinematographer's last survey of DI on the continent several countries in the central and eastern regions have become members of the EU, gaining greater trading freedom for their studios and facilities. Budapest, Prague and Warsaw, which were already established as centres of production for film and television are all doing good business with the west.

Po s t- p r o d u c t i o n w i t h o u t a D I o r HD workflow is unimaginable now Pieter Lys, ACE in Belgium American and British film and TV producers have long been shooting in central Europe, but apart from perhaps using a local lab for early grading the post work would be done in back home.

That is changing and DI is part of the shift. UPP in Prague has been nominated for an Emmy for its effects work on an episode of Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King and is currently posting Francis Ford Coppolla's Youth Without Youth (DP Mihai Malaimare Junior), which was shot in Bulgaria and Romania. UPP's head of production Petr Komrzy observes that DI is growing in central Europe in general and Prague in particular.

The Czech Republic has a concentration of DI facilities, although the technology is spreading across central Europe. WFDif in Warsaw has invested in Autodesk's Lustre and Smoke, while Polish Television has two DI suites; one using a Quantel eQ Pablo for film agency work, the other engaged on the mammoth task of transferring the country's film archive to digital, with an iQ Pablo, Cintel telecine and a da Vinci grading workstation with Revival software.

Cabbage Productions in Budapest is a Quantel house, and the UK manufacturer's Mark Horton also reports "interesting meetings" with facilities in Serbia and Ukraine. In the Georgian capital Tbilisi, the state-funded Gruzia Film Studios is using Lustre, while the demand for DI in Russia is illustrated by production services facility CineLab building a post-production arm, featuring Lustre Incinerator for grading, supported by SGI storage. CineLab's managing director, Denis Glinsky, explained: "We hope to attract both old and new customers as more and more films are made using DI." In the Nordic countries a few powerful facilities groups dominate the DI scene. The Chimney Pot chain has grown beyond Scandinavia, with a site in Poland, and is due to open a new facility in Gothenburg, Sweden later this year. It has also installed Digital Vision DVNR SD/HD imageprocessing systems in Poland and Sweden and in Norway has replaced Lustres with two Nicoda FilmMaster grading workstations.

The chief executive of Chimney Pot, Henric Larsson, says that while DI is growing, prices are "competitive", particularly in Sweden, and overall the market for the technology is growing, but at a slower rate than before. Swedish Television (SVT) has invested in DI, using a Nucoda FilmMaster system for its long-form drama productions. Senior colourist Fred Arne Högberg commented that the system would give a "new, artistic look at a higher technical level".

In northern Europe existing facilities are continuing to grow and new sites are opening. ACE Digital House in Brussels uses a range of proprietary equipment, and has developed its own grading system, COLORIS. The company's Pieter Lys estimates that 85 percent of ACE's work is DI and that, like other facilities in Flanders, it is aided by the Tax Shelter system. "Postproduction without a DI or HD workflow is unimaginable now," he says.

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The German and Dutch markets continue to grow and, as in Belgium, D-cinema is a driving force. The head of ARRI Digital Film, Henning Rädlein, says the company's workload is 50 percent features, 25 percent commercials and 25 percent TV drama and that while Munich remains ARRI's DI centre in Germany its subsidiary in Berlin is having a digital grading room installed, and so there might be a "slow shift" to there.

A Berlin facility that is already seeing an influx of work is Cine Plus Media Services, which recently installed a Baselight HD software grading system. "We can now offer the entire technical service for digital cinematography from a single source," explained Helge Neubronner, head of operations and technology.

Valkieser Capital Images in Amsterdam recently upgraded its Cintel Millennium telecine by adding the dataMill film-scanning device. Senior visual effects supervisor Hans Loosman observes that all features posted at Valkieser, between eight and nine a year, are in DI, with 80 percent being domestic productions. Loosman comments that the facility's future is very much connected to DI. France has also shown commitment to DI, with most French films going through the process.

Among the big facility names is Éclair Laboratories in Paris, currently in its centenary year, which recently upgraded its 100TB SGI InfiniteStorage CXFS area network with a new workflow system. "We wanted to do the special effects and the digital colour calibration on a film at the same time, without saturating the network," explains Philippe Mouton, IT director of Éclair's digital department.

Another major European film centre is Italy, but yet again money is proving hard to come by there. However, Quantel's Mark Horton comments that the facilities that should be doing HD in the country are doing it. These include Cinecittà Digital, a division of the famous film studios, Proxima, run by Fabrizio Storaro, son of the famed DP Vittorio, Lumiq and Fotocinema.

We w a n t t o b e a b l e t o o f f e r m o r e t o the DPs and push the creative aspects of the grade Jim Duggan, Screen Scene in Dublin In Spain, Apuntolapospo in Barcelona has moved further into DI by installing a second FilmMaster and four Nucoda Data Conform workstations. This is to meet a demand for 2 and 4K DI conforming and grading, with work including commercials for Estrella Damm and Chrysler, TV series and feature films.

At the old gateway between Europe and the Middle East, Istanbul, Sinefekt in is experiencing a yearly rise in the number of features being DI'ed, which company director Mert Baydur says is now around 40 percent of total work. Most of these are local productions as, says Baydur, other Middle Eastern countries are slower in the move to DI. Jumping to the extreme western edge of Europe Screen Scene in Dublin has installed a FilmMaster for high-end TV drama. This has included Northanger Abbey and Mansfield Park, as part of ITV's Jane Austen season, and Baker Street Irregulars for the BBC. The managing director of Screen Scene, Jim Duggan, commented, "We want to be able to offer more to the DPs and push the creative aspects of the grade."

As more facilities recognise that need, as well as the financial and commercial imperatives, DI will continue to grow and develop in Europe.

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Duckling Post Production, Copenhagen, Denmark A seven-year-old facility that works mainly on commercials, with a few features in between, Duckling has found DI provides a useful way of working on commercials, enabling visual effects to be done first, after an initial grading test, and then a "fine tune" grade afterwards. This, says co-founder and visual effects supervisor Jonas Drehn, allows effects to be fully integrated into the look of a production. Duckling uses Austodesk Lustre Incinerator for the grade, with Flame and Maya for effects, as on a commercial for Chevrolet Arabia, advertising the Lumina SS

sports car. The work came to Copenhagen because the ad was directed and shot by Danes, Christian Lyngbye (director) and Nicolaj BrĂźel (DP), for production company Filmworks Dubai. Shot on 35mm, footage was transferred in 2K on a Spirit at another facility in Copenhagen, Digital Film Lab, and then printed back to film using Arrilaser at ARRI in Munich, as Duckling has neither a telecine nor a film printer. Material is scanned once at 2K and transferred over fibre to Duckling for grading and effects. The finished material is then sent to ARRI using a FTP site.

Avion Post Production, Prague, Czech Republic Located next to the Gallery of Modern Art, Avion offers editing, effects, animation and audio dubbing for films, commercials, TV and the music business. The company's most recent DI job was on a Slovenian feature film, L... Like Love, which was post-produced in the Czech Republic as director Janja Glogovac studied at the Prague Film Academy and she and producer Radovan Misic wanted to use a Czech facility, DP and editor.

The DP was 65-year-old Igor Luther, a veteran of Czech and European films. Post production took approximately 20 days, with material autoconformed from scanned 2k DPX log data and graded by Oskar Lehar, working with Luther, on a Quantel iQ, which was also used for dustbusting and titles sequences. Avion's president, Martin Hrebacka, comments that DI was a new experience for Igor Luther. "He liked all the possibilities of DI," says Hrebacka, "but in the future he - and all of us as well - would prefer to work at 4k resolution."

Kincine Post Production Digital, Valencia, Spain Founders Oscar and JĂŠsus Martinez made their names post-producing independent feature films, building on that reputation to work on more mainstream productions, commercials, documentaries and, now, an increasing number of HD projects. In looking for a digital workflow with good data management, a choice of resolution (2k film, HD, SD, digital film) and a good set of tools, they selected Scratch from American developer Assimilate. The system has lent itself particularly well to

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Kincine's growing list of clients working in HD. "We capture, conform, and assemble on-line in Scratch," Oscar Martinez explains. "In some cases we use a tapeto-film workflow, for others tape-totape." The Bluefish444 HD|LUST card is used for both SD and HD projects and on commercials it replicates the tape-totape method of input and output used in telecine suites. "This allows us to take sequences of DPX from the tape, do the colour correction within Scratch, and then put it back to tape," says Martinez.

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INTERNATIONAL

grains vs pixels

Who's Doing DI in Europe?

France Éclair Laboratories, Paris +33 1 490 5900 info@eclairlab.com Kit: Autodesk Lustre (x3), Thomson Spectre, SGI SAN Credits: Alexander, A Long Engagement, Taxi 2, Taxi 3, Taxi 4 Mikros Image, Paris +33 1 55 63 1100 info@mikrosimage.fr Kit: Spirit and Millennium telecines, Lustre, Flame, Smoke, Inferno, Henry Credits: Les Poupées Russes, Le Promeneur du Champ de Mars, Badoit 'Rouge' Buf Compagnie, Paris/Pantin +33 1 42 68 1828 contact_buf@ Kit: Flame Credits: Spiderman 3, Arthur and the Minimoys, Nos Amis les Terriens, Coca Cola BlaK commercial

Nordic region Nordisk, Stockholm, Sweden +45 35 877867 www.nordiskfilm.com Kit: ARRI scanning and recording Short Cut, Copenhagen, Denmark +45 35 877777 shortcut@nordiskfilm.com Kit: Spirit, da Vinci 2k Plus, Digital Vision Nordisk, Oslo, Norway +47 928 98100 Chimney Post, Oslo, Norway +47 22 13 5170 info@chimney.no Credits: Apotek 1 (commercial), Kvasir (feature), 5 Løgner (feature) Chimney Pot, Stockholm, Sweden +46 8 587 50500 info@chimney.se Kit: Digital Vision FilmMaster (applies to other branches as well) Credits: Commercials, film and TV

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Duckling, Copenhagen, Denmark +45 33 47 01 00 www.duckling.dk Kit: Austodesk Lustre Incinerator, Flame, Maya, Credits: various commercials, some features DFF, Helsinki, Finland +358 9 68 77000 info@df.fi Kit: Spirit Datacine, daVinci 2K, Inferno, Celco Nitro Extreme film recorder Credits: Tali-Ihantala 1944, Colorado Avenue, Miehen työ, Suden Vuosi

Central Europe WFDif, Warsaw, Poland +22 840 003 039 labfilm@wfdif.com.pl Kit: Smoke, Arriscan, Arrilaser, Lustre, Trulight, Avid Adrenaline HD, Shadow, Pandora Revolution, da Vinci Revival, MTI Corrector Credits: Features and restoration of the National Film Archive Studio Mirage, Prague, Czech Republic +420 724 493 355 www.mirage.cz Kit: Lustre, Maya Credits: Cesky sen (feature), Iné svety (feature), O2 Snowboard (commercial), Figaro Sweet Passion (commercial) PH Studio, Prague, Czech Republic +420 272 919 976 phstudio@phstudio.cz Kit: Quantel eQ Tobogang, Prague, Czech Republic +420 234 462 066 www.tobogang.com Credits: Professor No (animated feature), Pilsner Urquell (commercial) UPP (Universal Production Partners) www.upp.cz Kit: FilmLight Northlight scanner, Baselight, Lustre, Arrilaser Credits: Youth Without Youth (feature), The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (feature), The Red Baron (feature)

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

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grains vs pixels

Who's Doing DI in Europe?

Continued ACE, Prague, Czech Repbulic +420 271 071111 ace@ace-prague.cz Kit: Quantel, Discreet Credits: commercials, TV Avion Post Production, Prague +420 2 33380013 www.prograf.cz Kit: Quantel iQ Credits: L... Like Love (feature) Cabbage Productions, Budapest, Hungary +36 620 5349491 cabbage@axelero.hu Kit: eQ

Spain Fotofilm, Madrid +34 91 725 3607 www.fotofilmdeluxe.com Technicolor, Madrid/Barcelona 34 91 748 95 00 www.technicolor.com Kit: Lustre, Arrilaser, Solitaire Cine III FLX film recorder Apuntolapospo, Barcelona +34 935 202 190 www.lapospo.com Kit: Nucoda FilmMaster, Data Conform Credits: commercials, some features Kincine, Valencia +34 96351 5930 info@kincine.com Kit: Assimilate Scratch

Italy

Proxima, Rome +39 06 41222319 www.proximasfx.com Kit: Quantel Credits: Natale a New York (feature), Le Rose del Deserto (feature), Lezioni di volo (feature)

Russia Netherlands Valkieser Capital Images, Amsterdam +31 20 4604604 www.valkieser.com Kit: Nucoda FilmMaster, Quantel iQ, Shake, Inferno, Flame, Millennium telecine Credits: commercials, features, TV drama Ultimate Video, Amsterdam/Hilversum +31 35 623 3277 Kit: Lustre Ciris, Amsterdam/Hilversum +31 20 665 09 08 +31 35 677 94 44 info@ciris.nl Kit: Ursa Diamond telecine, Pandora Phoenix, PixiColor

Belgium ACE Digital House, Brussels +32 2 735 6020 www.ace-postproduction.com Kit: Spirit datacine with HD board, Flame/Smoke, Quantel eQ and iQ, in-house COLORIS grading system Credits: The Alzheimer Case (feature) The new Asterix film, commercials, TV drama

ARRI Film & TV Serives, Munich + 49 89 3809 1970 www.arri.de Kit: Lustre (x3), Nucoda (x3), Baselight, ADIC SANs, Barco projectors, Arriscans, proprietary colour mangement, Pogle Pixi (HD), Inferno, Flame, Flint, Maya Credits: 50% feature films, 25% commercials, 25% TV drama

CinecittĂƒ Digital, Rome +39 06 7229 3626 www.cinecittastudios.it Kit: Quantel, da Vinci

Cine Plus Media Service, Berlin +49 30 26480 100 info@cine-plus.de Kit: Baselight HD, da Vinci

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Mosfilm, Moscow +495 143 9700 www.mosfilm.ru Kit: Lustre Credits: various features Gorky Film, Moscow www.gorkyfilm.ru Cinemateka, Moscow +7 495 291 2999 contacts@cinemateka.ru

Turkey Sinefekt, Istanbul +90-212-2757234 www.sinefekt.com Kit: Lustre, Sony 4K projector, Inferno (x3), Flame, Smoke (x2), Cintel DSX telecine, Imagica scanner, Spirit 4K scanner, Cintel Rascal telecine, Pogle colour corrector, da Vinci 2K

Republic of Ireland Screen Scene, Dublin +353 1 661 1501 www.screenscene.ie Kit: Nucoda FilmMaster, HD scanner, HD Pogle Credits: Mansfield Park, Northanger Abbey, Kitchen, Rough Diamond, Baker Street Irregulars

Germany

Lumiq Studios, Turin (Virtual Reality Media Park, Piedmont) +39 011 5697300 www.lumiq.com Kit: da Vinci Credits: The Stone Merchant (feature), Le notte eterna del coniglio (feature)

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Acht, Frankfurt +49 69 25788625 info@acht-frankfurt.de Kit: Assimilate Scratch Credits: commercials, TV design

Switzerland Swiss Effects, Zurich +41 44 307 10 10 info@swisseffects.ch Kit:Quantel eQ, Cineon scanner, Arrilaser

ISSUE 23

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

UK

close ups

DP Harvey Harrison BSC

John Rambo In 1924, with the blessing of the King of Thailand, Henry McRay produced the first ever Thai-American co-production for Universal, Miss Suwan, filming on Thai soil. Eighty-three years on and Harvey Harrison BSC, directing and photographing the second unit of John Rambo on ARRI 235s and 435s with Kodak 250D/500T stock, explains what it is like to be one of the twenty-something strong international productions per year that take advantage of what the Thailand Film Office calls 'a film friendly country'.

“The Thai crew were so willing. Without question it helps their industry because we teach them so much. Before I even started shooting I took every department aside and explained to them exactly how it should work. One of the Thai operators, Gob, really came good at the end,” says Harrison.

“We tried to keep it as close as we could to Chang Mai. Most of the rainforest we shot was actually a national park because that hasn't been spoilt. We used to ring the whole place with a smoke tube and it just looked fantastic, with the shafts of light coming down through the jungle. I had a fire truck with me all the time and sprayed the entire area with water

whenever we were shooting. It lives and breathes then, all the leaves and plants and flora become alive.”

So, did any disgruntled wildlife make objection to the regular baths?

“We came across a lot of snakes that was for sure, but I don't have a problem with snakes, we used to pick them up with a forked stick and put them somewhere else.”

Crew: Director: Cinematographer: 2nd Unit Dir/DP: Ist AD: Camera Operators: 1st ACs:

DP Nic Morris BSC

Jules O'Loughlin

Robin Hood

September

Did the BBC/Tiger Aspect's desire to bring the ancient tale of Robin Hood to a “sophisticated contemporary audience” fuel the decision to take the Panavised Panasonic HDX900 on its virgin outing for a major TV drama?

Having premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August, September releases in Australia on October 25 through Hopscotch Films, by Rachael Turk.

“The BBC were keen to use it, it gives them an alternative [to Sony]”, explains Nic Morris BSC, who teamed up with director Ciaran Donnelly for episodes 1-3. On being charged with 'setting the look' for the whole second series he says, “One has to be a little bit conservative, because others down the line are going to inherit what you do. But ideally that house style is taken by the next person and expanded.

that's still working within the camera's capabilities.”

The Robin Hood title sequence was shot by Morris on the Panavision Genesis. Director of photography Paul Bond took over for episode four.

“I recce-ed the forest in Hungary where we were to shoot when there were no leaves on the trees and thought, 'Oh this is fine, nice and bright', but I couldn't believe how dark it got when there was a full summer canopy overhead. So even though you're on a 'day' situation you're still working in pretty low light levels, and how the camera reacts to those levels is really critical. Whatever system you are using you have to make a decision as to how far you are going to let yourself go with the gain, a choice I'd rather make rationally in testing. That's when you have to finalise a good moody night-time look

Crew: Exec producers Foz Allan, Dominic Minghella (Tiger Aspect), Sarah Brandist (BBC) Producer: Richard Burrell Writers: Dominic Minghella Episodes 1-3 Director: DP: Gaffer: Camera Operator: 1st AC: 2nd AC: 1st Ac on Genesis Title Shoot:

Ciaran Donnelly Nic Morris BSC József Szucsik László Bille Attila Nagy "Tiger" Rácz Peter Bateson

September, the first project out of Australia's inaugural Tropfest Feature Program and second feature film for Australian DOP O'Loughlin (Kokoda), sees the DOP pull out all the stops on an innovative technique shooting 16mm but framing 2:35 for Widescreen.

On a limited budget of $1m (eventually $2.4m, or £1m, with additional funding), HD was originally thought the obvious format of choice. However, the creative aspects of the film - period setting and epic wheatfield locations - called for a different treatment.

'Because the film is set in 1968, I thought there would be a barrier to the audience if it was shot on HD,' O'Loughline says. 'And if you are working in a country environment going into summer, the latitude of film will be more forgiving in that harsh light.'

Still, he concedes that they chose the technique against all recommendation.

Shooting 16mm for theatrical release meant they were really pushing the grain.

Using the Arri SR-III with Kodak Vison 2 stock (50D 7201 for day; 250D 7205 for night),

Sylvester Stallone Glen MacPherson Harvey Harrison BSC Muck (Thai crew) Gary Spratling, Gob (Thai crew) Pui (Thai crew) Kenny Groom, Lucky (Thai Crew)

O'Loughlin says, 'We decided that if it was a little grainy, that was organic and it would work for the period; we preferred that to the “realism” of HD. But it's also a matter of resolution - shooting 2:35 you're losing vertical resolution, therefore pushing the neg even more' [shooting 2:35 uses a lot less negative area than shooting 1:85].

He overcame this by choosing a slower stock (the 50D), and sharp lenses (ultra-Prime 35mm lenses, which he'd used on Kokoda), using 16mm mattes on the front to compensate for the area at the front of the lens not being used. The latter had a drawback of its own: 'With bright skies or windows, this can “flash” the film [lowering contrast]. Rushes coming back were inherently low-contrast, which I hadn't discovered in tests. We overcame that by increasing contrast in the D.I.'.

'We wanted to create a real sense of space around our characters - 2:35 gave us that sense of space,' says O'Loughlin.

O'Loughlin's schedule, meanwhile, leaves little room to breathe: having just finished shooting 35mm feature How to Change in Nine Weeks starring Guy Pearce, Miranda Otto and Sam Neill he is now on a month long trip in a 4WD around Central Australia.

Close-ups were researched and written by Natasha Block, Rachael Turk and Pauline Rogers.

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INTERNATIONAL

letter from america

Giving back to the future Passion and commitment, says Richard P. Crudo ASC are vital for would-be cinematographers, but the practice of “giving back to the future” should be mandatory for everyone.

Freddie Francis, BSC...Alex Thomson, BSC...Laszlo Kovacs, ASC...Ingmar Bergman... Michelangelo Antonioni... What a year it's been. I shudder to think what other losses might be visited upon us before this column hits the streets.

In addition to the sadness brought on by the recent deaths of these great artists, the informed Our industry has cinematographer should also have lost the notion of a felt at least a twinge of sorrow at the ongoing loss of their rigorous decent approach to filmmaking. Only a step apprenticeship, one or two removed from the generation that invented the art form, their that actually growth as both technicians and prepares an artists was the result of diligent application and gradual discovery. individual for a job They were adults who made movies for other adults (what a concept!) before they're and they weren't the least bit stodgy allowed to assume in the way they went about their business. To the contrary, it's the responsibilities precisely their type of hard-earned mastery that freed them to be so original in their work. Without that discipline - which at its best is always invisible - nothing of any lasting value can be created. Somehow, our industry has lost the notion of a decent apprenticeship, one that actually prepares an individual for a job before they're allowed to assume the responsibilities. Unfortunately, that's not the only thing that's gone missing, nor is it the only thing stacked against those currently trying to make it up the ranks.

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have led us this far astray in so many ways, but I'm afraid it would only be depressing. I had no advice for my young friend except for telling him to hang in. Then I bought him a stiff drink.

On the flip side, I see tremendous passion and commitment among the many aspiring cinematographers I meet through the ASC. All of us in the organization do our best to “give back to the future,” as we say, by contributing our time and making available our vast repository of knowledge and experience.

The students we come in contact with are touching in their eagerness to learn. They're open to new experiences - as they must be - and their desire for direct contact with working professionals is endless. They're also not afraid to put in the long, hard hours necessary to become proficient. What I find most encouraging though, is the irony they all seem to carry so We p a y t r i b u t e t o lightly into the those who went Clubhouse. Despite having been conbefore by passing ceived and nurtured along the best in the digital age, virtually every one of of what they them would give a moving body part for professed the chance to shoot on film.

I recently heard from a young cinematographer whose latest lowbudget assignment involved shooting a feature for an arrogant, thoroughly non-collaborative director. They ran three cameras on every set up - one on the moving dolly, another on an indiscriminately bobbing jib-arm and the last either on Steadicam or hand-held. Scant attention was paid to lighting, continuity or any of the traditional (old- fashioned?) crafts and conceits that hold a narrative together. In the absence of any structure to what they did or how they did it, there was only a move-ahead-at-any-cost momentum that didn't so much create a movie as amass miles and miles of material. “This is my vision...” was the director's justification, but judging from the rest of my friend's testimony, this person was clearly not qualified to make that call. When pressed further, the director's self-delusion became even more shockingly profound. “At the end of the day, no one's opinion really matters but my own.”

Don't worry. I'm not going down that hoary old road of pitting one technology against another. That was a moot issue even before it was an issue. But I can't help raising one point. Companies such as Arriflex and Panavision - longtime providers of our primary tools - continue their dedicated service to cinematographers while others, like JVC, Panasonic and Sony, can't seem to settle on what they want to do for us. The question begs: how can we expect anything more from them when our interests represent a mere hangnail on a global giant's hunchback?

You'd better watch out when ego mates with ignorance on such a grand scale. I often kid myself by thinking it would be interesting to hear some doctoral student deconstruct the cultural forces that

If we could only get the suits to embrace this ethic, maybe we'd start to see some better movies.

Richard P. Crudo ASC

Welcome to our world, friends. I'm glad I started in the business when I did, which I'm sure is exactly what everyone says - and what those students will be saying in twenty years. Through that journey, it would do them well to remember that we pay tribute to those who went before by passing along the best of what they professed.

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INTERNATIONAL

f-stop hollywood

Cine Gear Expo negative film developed to offer high color Quite a number of new products were exhibited during Cine Gear. Among them, saturation and high contrast with enhanced The /i dataLink… is a huge step Cooke Optics' newly-released Cooke /i sharpness; and Kodak, which in addition to in bringing production and post dataLink, which records camera data for use in highlighting its Vision2 colour negative films, postproduction. This is a small box that mounts hosted in its stand LaserPacific Media Corp., a together to any camera and records the focus, zoom Hollywood-based post facility and Kodak company. and iris settings of each take from Cooke's S4/i Devon Dickson LaserPacific presented its accurateIMAGE (aIM) lenses or any /i-enabled lens, all synced to time colour-calibrated workflow system. This is code. The data is recorded on a Secure Digital designed to ensure the consistency of the creative dolly operator's hands leaving the steering handle. The (SD) card, storing settings as metadata and passed along to intent of filmmakers from production through distribution and company explained that this transmission has the ability to be post. The /idataLink workflow has been developed in includes the use of a modified Kodak digital cinema server. adjusted to provide appropriate steering geometry when conjunction with UK company The Pixel Farm, whose tracking reconfiguring the chassis to its various leg positions. software, PFTrack 4.0, supports the /idataLink technology.

ARRI was on hand with the Arriflex 416 and a range of When used in conjunction with PFTrack, the design would cameras, lenses and production tools. The company is New products were also presented by Mole Richardson, allow artists to synch lens data to the 3D camera data. readying for its upcoming 90th year anniversary celebration. celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, which showed its Additional coverage of the Cine Gear exhibition appeared in new 12/18k DayLite Par, the newest addition to its HMI line, UK cinematographer Devon Dickson has been working with the previous issue of British Cinematographer magazine. along with its sister fixture the 10k Tungsten Par. Finnlight Cooke and the Pixel Farm to test the use of the /i dataLink and debuted its Space Bag accessory for the TopLight, which PF Track software. He recently shot a test using an Arriflex Cine Gear Expo wrapped on June 24, but not before honouring allows soft light to project from the sides and bottom of the 435 camera with a Cooke S4/i 15-40mm, T2.0, CXX zoom the winners of its debut film competition, which received light in a lantern like manner. Matthews showed a telescoping lens, capturing lens data with the /i dataLink. submissions from the major schools in the US and quite a few Bazooka system, designed to be light in weight and easily from Great Britain, Japan and India. Cine Gear organizers said mounted to any Matthews Doorway Dolly. It adjusts from Dickson said: “Automatically recording vital information such they were pleased with quality of entries.

61cm to 100cm and provides a platform for cameras up to as focal length can alleviate hours of time consuming guess 45Kg. Matthews also displayed its new blue/green screens work when it comes to combining 2D and 3D images in post.

Gandhi at the Bat, directed and produced by Stephanie Argy that reduce the amount of light required for production with … This is a huge step in bringing production and post and Alec Boehm, and photographed by Boehm, took first prize their laminated, reversible Chroma Key fabric. together.” in the Indy short film competition. Second prize was awarded to Slice, which was produced by Sebastian Milito, directed by Among the key exhibitors at Cine Gear were JL Fisher, Chapman Leonard's arsenal of equipment at Cine Gear Carmen Milito and lensed by Bruce McCleery. And, Canta (The included the Super Pee Wee IV, a hydraulic lift camera dolly showing its range of camera dollies, jib arms, cross arms, and Briefcase) produced by Sarah Wetherbee, helmed by Emre featuring conventional, crab and round steering that can be other tools and accessories; Fuji Film USA, which featured its Sahin and photographed by Clint Lealos, was recognized with shifted while the dolly is moving or stationary, without the latest Eterna Vivid 160, a tungsten motion picture color third place honours.

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INTERNATIONAL

f-stop hollywood

Lamenting Laszlo

Laszlo Kovacs on Paper Moon (photo by Ron Vidor)

Kovacs/Zsigmond at ASC (2002) - photo by Chris Pizzello

The American Society of Cinematographers hosted a memorial for internationally acclaimed cinematographer Laszlo Kovacs, ASC, at its historic Hollywood clubhouse on Aug. 11, writes Carolyn Giardina. Kovacs died on July 22 in Beverly Hills.

He was 74.

Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC; Roger Deakins, BSC, ASC; Woody Omens, ASC; Daryn Okada, ASC; Peter Bogdanovich; Richard Donner; and hundreds more colleagues and friends, as well as family members and film students attended.

its historic significance, and then the pair fled the city, carrying 30,000 feet of film across the border into Austria. They entered the U.S. as political refugees in 1957.

In 1968, Kovacs shot Targets for Peter Bogdanovich; then Easy Rider for Dennis Hopper. He went on to photograph films such as Robert Altman's That Cold Day in the Park and Bob Rafelson's Five Easy Pieces. During this time, he and Zsigmond became part of what became known as the American New Wave.

“He was my soul mate. We were inseparable,” Zsigmond said during the memorial. He remembered that they each had T-shirt reading “I'm Not Laszlo” and “I'm Not Vilmos”, as one was sometimes confused with the other. He chuckled: “Occasionally we would switch shirts to confuse everybody.”

H e w a s m y s o u l m a t e . We were inseparable.

Vilmos Zsigmond ASC Kovacs is best known for the classic Easy Rider, and a career during which he compiled more than 70 credits including Five Easy Pieces, Shampoo, Paper Moon, What's Up, Doc? and Ghost Busters. His more recent films included My Best Friend's Wedding and Miss Congeniality.

Speakers recalled Kovacs' exceptional work as a cinematographer, and also spoke of his humanity. “(Kovacs was) so brilliant and could read your mind,” said Donner. Michael Haley added: “He didn't just bring out the professionalism in me; he brought out the person in me.”

Kovacs was an active member of the ASC and in 2002 received the ASC Lifetime Achievement Award. He served on the society's board of directors and chaired its Education Committee, the organizations' link to schools and universities. During the memorial service, many colleagues, as well as students, spoke of his commitment to education and mentoring.

Laszlo legend

“His heart was gigantic,” said ASC president Daryn Okada. “He will continue to have that affect on us and the whole world.”

Kovacs was born to Imre and Julianna Kovacs and raised in Hungary. As his legendary story goes, Kovacs was in his final year of school in Budapest when a revolt against the communist regime started on the city streets. He and Vilmos Zsigmond decided to film the occurrence for

A memorial education fund has been set up in Kovacs' honour. Donations may be made to the Kovacs Memorial Fund through the ASC. Kovacs is survived by his wife, Audrey; two daughters, Julianna and Nadia; and a granddaughter, Mia.

f-stop down under

Advance Australia fair Reflecting the international nature of filmmaking, here's the first in a regulat look at the production business in Autralia and New Zealand, from our girl down-under Rachael Turk.

Rebate restructure extends to post Production levels in Australia are set to rise following the announcement in May of a radical overhaul of Australian film

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funding and production incentives. The major changes include an amalgamation of the industry's main film agencies - the Film Finance Corporation, Australian Film Commission and documentary arm Film Australia - into a newly titled Australian Screen Authority; a refundable Film Tax Offset of 40% for feature films (20% for television drama and documentaries); and the introduction of a local producer's rebate.

Overseas-originated productions will be eligible to apply for

the Australian Screen Production Incentive - Location Rebate, with key points being a 15% (up from 12.5%) rebate on qualifying Australian expenditure by offshore productions that spend more than $15m in Australia (including shooting in Australia), with Australian spends of $15-$50m representing 70% of the project's total production expenditure.

Another significant inclusion was an acknowledgement of Australia's post-production and digital visual effects (PDV)

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BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

INTERNATIONAL

f-stop down under

We w a n t t o f o c u s on the medium- to higher-budget genre f i l m - a c t i o n , h o r r o r, thrillers, and the model of the future is going to be to do more films in Australia Gary Hamilton, A r c l i g h t Fi l m s Grand theft autocrat: Lionsgate feature The Bank Job, based on the Baker Street robbery. sector, through a 15% rebate on qualifying Australian post/digital/VFX (PDV) spend of more than $5m, regardless of where the project was shot. Australian VFX received world acclaim at this year's Academy Awards and Visual Effects Awards through Blood Diamond (Rising Sun Pictures), Charlotte's Web (Digital Pictures, Rising Sun, Fuel), Superman Returns (Cutting Edge, Rising Sun) and Happy Feet (Animal Logic). Animal Logic has since announced a formal, nonexclusive production partnership with Warner Bros. to coproduce a slate of animated feature films.

Paramount flags new funds Paramount Pictures Australia has announced its first local acquisition - the $1.6m (£0.7m) HD Varicam feature The Final Winter, which released in Australia on August 30. The launch of the regional office by Paramount Pictures International on February 21 came as part of a recent influx of international studio monies with an investment eye on local Australian talent. In August last year, Hugh Jackman launched the Foxbacked production company Seed, cashed up to fund four features in Australia each with a budget of up to AU$10m (£4.2m) and this July Working Title Australia released its first film Gone, with British first-time feature director Ringan Ledwidge.

While the UK is still the biggest territory for Paramount this year, the company has established offices in Brazil, France, Mexico and Ireland as well as in Australia. And while the 'pot of money' assigned by Paramount to develop projects in the region has not been specified, managing director (Australia)

Jason Statham in Omnilab-backed The Bank Job.

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and regional supervisor (Australasia), Mike Selwyn told British Cinematographer that, “We have been given a very clear directive that Paramount is aggressively interested in being involved in production around the world. In terms of Australian production, there are very few films in the AU$10-13m (£4.25.5m), range being made. I would love to see if we can pull things together in that kind of range.”

Finally, following its debut film Storm Warning (dir. Jamie Blanks), Arclight Films has expanded its operations in Melbourne to create a full-scale production office with a view to producing two to three films in Australia per year. Heading up the new production division is Nigel Odell, previously a founding partner of Melbourne based Instinct Entertainment (Till Human Voices Wake Us, Strange Bedfellows,Torn).

Product will be developed out of Australia for each of the company's three labels: Arclight Films for main stream theatrical product, Darclight Films for high-end genre films and Easternlight Films for Asian product. “We want to focus on the medium- to higher-budget genre film - action, horror, thrillers,” Arclight MD Gary Hamilton told British Cinematographer at Cannes, “and the model of the future is going to be to do more films in Australia”.

Post majors make digital moves As the Australian Film Commission has launched its Regional Digital Screen Network (RDSN), and films such as The Queen have been rolled out in eight regional Australian cinemas simultaneous to their metropolitan release, local postproduction majors are clamouring to establish themselves along the vertically integrated digital chain.

With a longstanding reputation in traditional film laboratory services, The Atlab Group has forged a direct relationship with distributors by upgrading the projection infrastructure of four Hoyts cinemas with Christie CP2000 DLP projectors for the playback of 3D digital content, as well as overseeing Hi-gain Harkness Spectral 240 screen surfaces and projection ports.

The skills tranfer was consolidated with the employment of Hoyts chairman Paul Johnson on November 24, to champion digital cinema infrastructure. Atlab's Dominic Case told British Cinematographer: “There used to be a clear value flow from raw stock through to printed stock through to getting it on to a screen. Now we find companies like Atlab and Kodak reaching into the business of projection,” [Kodak Digital Cinema introduced its Theatre Management System to the exhibition community of Australasia at CineAsia late last year]. 'Companies that were in a customer/supplier relationship are now working in the same patch'. Atlab is expected to launch a new, dedicated digital division shortly.

In March, Omnilab - Australia's largest, privately owned, vertically-integrated content development and media service business - acquired New Zealand VFX house Oktober, as part of the group's expansion strategy across the Asia Pacific region. This strategy has been consolidated over a number of years with acquisitions in concept, design, visual effects, satellite and broadcast services. The chain will self-service Omnilab's increased involvement in content creation, as confirmed by the group's February announcement of its investment in Lionsgate thriller The Bank Job - starring Jason Statham and Saffron Burrows, with cinematography by Michael Coulter BSC (Love, Actually, Notting Hill), inspired by the 1971 robbery in Baker Street, London - and commencement of shoot on July 3 of How To Change in Nine Weeks, starring Guy Pearce, Sam Neill and Miranda Otto.

Omnilab Media Group managing director Christopher Mapp said, “Our strategy is to continue to invest in Australian and international films and television programmes building a major slate of projects and wherever possible bring some of the key creative services involved back to Australia.”

With principal photography completed in the UK in March (on HDCamSR ARRI D20), The Bank Job has undergone visual effects work at Omnilab's Melbourne post divisions Digital Pictures and Iloura. An HD promo was featured at Cannes in May.

Road to recovery for NZ artifact New Zealand post-production leader Park Road Post has launched the remastered the 1969 film This is New Zealand.

The original film, directed by Hugh Macdonald, was made in a three-screen format which had made screening prohibitive for three decades. This is New Zealand won a Bronze World Medal at the New York Festivals Film and Video Competition and was one of three nominations for the Best Archive Restoration or Preservation Project Award at this year's FOCAL International Awards in London.

Epic talent: Spielberg, Luhrmann Steven Spielberg has set up camp in Australia for the production of HBO series The Pacific. Filmed across the states of Victoria (Melbourne Central City Studios) and Queensland, this is a significant production that will bolster opportunities for both crews and the post-production sector until 2008.

Also with an eye on the big picture, Australia's own Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge) commenced shooting in April on his own outback epic Australia. Staring Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman, and understood to be the biggest film yet made in the country, Australia is set during the bombing of Darwin during the Second World War.

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UK

gbct – the chairman speaks

Jamie Harcourt GBCT

And the beat goes on . . .

Well, for some curious reason the board of the GBCT, or at least eight of them, have seen fit to nominate me as the new chairman. I have to be honest, and to say that when the subject was initially broached I said I wasn't interested.

But when you are subsequently told that eight people have put your name forward, well, gosh gee fellows, etc. etc. and I fell for it!

So here I am at 10pm, a few hours before the deadline, desperately trying to say something meaningful and vaguely intelligent. Perhaps I should stop now while I am ahead. But no, I'll blunder on.

Firstly perhaps I should put in writing the thanks of the entire membership of the Guild to Trevor Coop who was chairman for four years. I have just done four weeks, and I know already there's more to it than meets the eye. Thank you Trevor for the many, many hours that you have spent helping to keep the Guild moving forward, often in difficult circumstances, and often whilst working either abroad or on a busy schedule nearer home. We are all extremely grateful. Trevor now assumes the position of immediate past chairman, and has generously said he will be around to advise and guide me when necessary.

At a time when standards are being publicly dragged down… we have a duty to ensure that the standards of c a m e r a w o r k i n t h i s c o u n t r y, j u s t l y regarded as world class, are not eroded by a bunch of greedy cowboys.

viewing public, and when Michael Grade the head of ITV talks of, "The casual contempt" of TV towards the viewer, we have to be concerned and alert to the danger of becoming drawn into this culture of dumbing-down. Badly photographed, dodgy and wobbly camera work, iffy focus and neglect of continuity, are all a part of this dumbing-down.

As a Guild of camera technicians, we have a duty to ensure that the standards of camera work that have helped the film and television industry in this country justly be regarded as world class, are not eroded by a bunch of greedy cowboys. One of our most important functions must be to uphold those standards, and the best way to do so is by setting a good example of professional standards to all our new members, and by helping to provide as much training, both in the workplace and with special courses, as is feasibly possible.

One course that has been suggested to me, by one of this country's most experienced Steadicam operators, is a course for producers and directors to understand how to best utilise the abilities and limitations of Steadicam. One of the recent aspects that has concerned me is that of Steadicam being looked on by some producers as a solution to bashing out a few more pages a day. Good Steadicam is good. Bad Steadicam usage is not only detrimental to our profession; it is also dangerous physically to the operator who is expected to use the thing endlessly throughout the day. And that brings me to Health and Safety, and so it goes on…and that's why we need a Guild, so that all these things can be aired and hopefully acted on.

I think we should actively co-operate with the other Cine Guilds and especially with the BSC. And I strongly feel that we all need to do all we can to preserve the reputation of the British camera department as being one of the best, if not THE best in the world.

Here endeth the lesson. Good luck all. I hope the phone keeps ringing.

Jamie Harcourt GBCT Chairman, GBCT

In an introductory piece to the Guild membership I have already stated that we, the board, need to be very mindful of the fact that many people wonder what the point of the Guild is, and whether it's worth being a member. At a time when standards are being publicly dragged down, when television executives are being fired for failing the

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BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

UK

gbct

Back focus – What is it?

For camera crews coming from a predominantly film background into the digital production arena there is one question that is often asked. “Why does the back focus of the lens need to be checked on location, or on the set, when I am used to it being set on a bench in the rental house?” I will now attempt to demystify this area, and explain the slightly different language for essentially a very similar process.

Back focus on a digital camera system is actually very similar to flange focal distance on a film camera system. The biggest difference is that flange focal distance and depth on a film camera are adjusted on a bench before it leaves the camera rental company, and once it has been set there, is very accurate and should not have to be changed again unless something significant changes with either the camera or the lens.

The crucial part of the understanding here is to realise that motion picture film is essentially flat with effectively only one plane of focus (albeit with the thickness of the different film emulsion layers). Most conventional digital cameras normally have three sensors with beam splitters and prisms to split the light into component colours, to be combined later in the process. Yes, there are certainly recent advances in other excellent CMOS sensors with effectively one plane of focus and are very similar to film when it comes to focussing the light onto them, so for this explanation we will look at the CCD type of camera with image beam splitters.

The difference between film and digital On a film camera, the lens and camera mount are made of rugged stainless steel, which is designed to be very precise and strongly made. There is very little expansion or contraction of the metal as the ambient temperature changes; additionally they are also made of complementary metals so that when they do change under dramatic environmental conditions they alter together.

The lens mount on a typical High Definition camera and lens are made of non-complimentary metals, so the geometry of the lens and camera mount can radically alter with extremes in temperature or even relatively some small physical shocks.

Some lens and camera combinations have been known to drift in focus throughout the day in the same location and same ambient temperatures as the circuitry inside of the camera warms up. This can result in minute altering of some elements in the camera, causing a mismatch in the lens markings to what they are in reality. The result, if not checked can be a soft focus shot, and the 1st AC gets the blame. It is therefore vital to get this right, and we will show you how later.

When the final production is designed for the relatively low resolution of standard definition television, small errors are often barely visible and therefore are not generally noticed.

However, now Digital Cinematography is a reality and where HD cameras are used in productions where images are shown projected on massive projection screens, any errors are magnified and will become a serious problem. With the HD television sets being bought in their thousands, and the

“video” camera now often being used as a high quality motion picture camera, it is more and more important to make sure the back focus is set correctly, accurately and quickly. A welltrained camera crew should know when to check and verify that the camera is registering the image pin sharp on whatever sensing device is chosen. As a general rule of thumb check back focus for the reasons below.

1 At the beginning of each days shoot, and ideally again after lunch or other break 2 After changing locations, and ideally each lighting or studio set up, especially if the camera is moved into different temperatures.

3 A good guide is whenever the temperature changes enough that causes the crew to remove or add clothing to stay comfortable.

One common misunderstanding is that back focus causes focus errors when focusing by eye through the eyepiece. It does not cause errors except for infinity focus. There is merely an inaccuracy of the focus scale up to infinity and no ability to get any focus at infinity. If you zoom the lens it can also cause the focus to shift from one end of the zoom to the other. Of course, if you are using the traditional tape measure to measure the distance and then transfer this measurement to the lens focus ring and your back focus is not accurate then your focus will be inaccurate too. Be warned.

Carl Zeiss was one of the first to manufacture a precision back focus mechanism for their DigiPrimes. In combination with precision back focus mechanism with accurate index marks this should not be too much of a chore, and part of the routine checking of all aspects of the camera before the scene is captured. It can be frustrating however when everything is set and the back focus check is needed.

How to check the back focus We will now briefly examine the method of checking the back focus. With a video system, there are really only two ways to check back focus: a back focus chart or a handheld collimator such as the Zeiss SharpMax. When the lens is being altered for back focus all that is happening is the rear element group of the lens is taken further away or brought closer to the image plane.

Set up a back focus Siemens star chart, because the focus "pops" in and out as you check focus. Make sure the chart is not lit too brightly so that the lens can be used with a wide open aperture. It's also a good idea to view the output on a good studio monitor as the resolution is far better than the camera eyepiece.

1. Set up your camera 10ft from the chart and set the lens focus scale to 10ft. (or similar close range that has a definitive focus scale mark.

2. Open the lens aperture as wide as it goes.

3. urn down the peaking circuit in the viewfinder and make sure the viewfinder eyepiece is focused to the operators eyesight 4. Slightly loosen the thumbscrew on the rear of the lens.

Adjust the back focus by rocking the back focus knob forward and back, paying attention to sharpness in the centre of the chart.

5. If using a zoom, zoom the lens throughout the range and insure that focus stays sharp throughout the range.

6. Tighten the back focus mechanism firmly, and the lens should now have accurate focus scales as well as a calibrated infinity focus.

After you have done this several times it should take no more time than what one would use when checking and cleaning the gate in a film system. To reconfirm, check the focus against the scale reading at several distances to ensure proper calibration.

Hopefully that brief explanation will now demystify the back focus process somewhat.

One day I suppose it may become unnecessary, and as alien a concept as hand cranking the camera would be today. As cameras will most likely all have a single focus plane like film cameras already do now, but for the present time we need to know how to do this and it is essential to get right for everyone.

Editorial from the GBCT supplied by John Keedwell GBCT ISSUE 23

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

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gbct

Responsibilities of the Camera Operator

BSC Summer Lunch picture gallery

Whilst camera crews are often being reduced in size by some productions, one of the sacrifices can often come in the direction of sacrificing the role of the camera operator. Whilst some DP's undoubtedly actually like to light and also operate the camera as well, many are forced into the situation now against their wishes. This can be a false economy and the production can potentially take longer to shoot as a result, costing more than an operator would cost to employ. I will take a brief look at the role of the operator, and what great value they can actually bring to the film productions they can work on.

During pre-production the operator should ideally: 1 Read and know the script thoroughly, and discuss with both the Director and the Director of Photography all aspects of the script. The style of shooting should be looked at and some references sought 2 All locations should be recce'd, along with all set plans to determine technical details such as where tracks are to be laid for a crane or dolly.

3 Determine and specify the type of heads required: either: remote, fluid, geared or hand-held and tripods. If Steadicam is required a specialist operator needs to be employed. As the Operator is the member of the crew who looks through and operates the camera he or she must be fully conversant with any type of head and pick the appropriate tool accordingly 4 Determine the best tracking vehicle (if required) along with any new equipment available to do a shot 5 Discuss with the DP the choice of 1st AC, 2nd AC and Grips etc.

6 Liaise with the DP, Camera Crew and Grips on camera and grip equipment lists.

7 Shoot camera and lens tests, especially checking the ground glass ratios and format by shooting a leader.

8 Check projection in the rushes theatre for any discrepancies of framing.

Fuji girls: Millie Morrow and RAchel Baker

Guests enjoy pre lunch drinks

Location or studio shooting 1 The camera operator will be closely involved at all times with the setting up of shots with the Director and DP so the vision is transferred to the screen. A great deal of pressure can be taken off the DP by a good operator, as they can get things moving whilst other things happen, for examples see below 2 Directors often have very strong ideas on the photographic style, framing and lenses to be used, and impose these on the production. Alternatively, Director's are sometimes more concerned with their actors and performance and thus give the camera crew a freer hand in how the film looks.

3 Once the way a sequence to be filmed has been decided in the way of rehearsals, the Operator will be involved with the Director and DP on the choice of lenses and the way the camera may move.

4 The Operator will then supervise the 1st and 2nd AC's and the Grips to set up the shots while the DP is lighting the set and the rehearsal of actors are in progress.

5 The Operator will check with the Script Supervisor that directions and eye lines (lefts and rights) are correct - although for a good Operator that should be instinctive.

6 Liaise with the 1st AD of the extent of the shot so that extras and background action can be set, and not wasted in non-photographed areas.

7 Check for any irregularities with make-up, hair and costume that may not have been spotted by their departments.

8 Work with the art and props departments with the setting of any dressing on the set, either in the foreground or background and check for any off-set items that may have crept onto the set such as crew personal possessions etc 9 Rehearse the scene and fine tune all camera moves, always adding ideas to improve the shot and getting the feel for the scene. After each take the operator should be able to say whether or not the shot was good technically, and if it can be improved for whatever reason.

They need to be strong enough to say “lets go again, that can be better�

Gerry Fisher BSC and Dick Pope BSC

The expertise and hard work of every department is ultimately transferred into the images produced by the motion picture camera which is why the Operator is such a key member of the crew. Please insist on them in your crew. You know it makes sense...

Frances Russell holds up mobile top microphone for Phil Meheux acceptance speech

Editorial from the GBCT supplied by John Keedwell GBCT page

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ISSUE 23

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

FEATURE

innovation

Up, up and away Tu c ke d a w a y i n t h e c o r n e r of an unassuming industrial estate in Northolt, M i d d l e s ex , L e e l i u m B a l l o o n s is an Academy Awardwinning company with highflying ambitions, as Ron Pr i n c e d i s c o v e r e d .

There are many advances going on in lighting technologies for film and broadcast, but one that just might be going over more heads than it perhaps ought to is balloon lighting. Whilst some of the leading DPs in the UK - including Tony PierceRoberts BSC, John Mathieson BSC, Tony Imi BSC, Roger Pratt BSC, Henry Braham BSC and Michael Coulter BSC - have all deployed balloons, John Lee, the founder of Leelium Balloons, together with managing director Bobby Jeffs, are on a mission to broaden the adoption of their tube lights - via a campaign that aims to extol virtues, dispel misunderstandings and, quite soon, expose a new generation of products.

Although 'floating' lights have been around for donkey's years, Lee believes it was DP Stephen H. Burum's use of sphere balloons, to light the famous night scenes in Prague in Mission Impossible in 1995, that really highlighted their use. It gave Lee, an Academy Award winner in 1987 for the development of the flicker-free ballast, the impetus to open a new business specialising in dirigible lighting.

Consequently, Leelium Balloons opened the same year, starting with a small range of spheres and DC source ballasts.

However, it wasn't long before Lee and Jeffs got to work, introducing a raft of innovations, such as AC igniterless ballasts and new control systems. By 2003, the company's work was such that Jeffs won a Technical Achievement Award from AMPAS for designing lighting systems for balloons.

Since then Leelium's credit list has grown to include such recent film productions as The Golden Compass, The Queen, Fly Boys, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Black Dahlia, along with TV programmes including Silent Witness, Coronation Street, Dalziel and Pascoe, Spooks, Miss Marple and Footballer's Wives.

Leelium tube lights are available in the US courtesy of Fisher Light in L.A., and in Canada from William F, White in Toronto.

This year, the company expanded into the French market with Switch On, a new business led by Olivier Neveu, now servicing shoots in France and across Europe. Most recently Leelium's balloons were used to illuminate over 150 dancers performing on the platforms at the Gare du Nord in Paris on a French musical entitled Agathe Clery.

Innovators Business in the balloon market can be fiercely competitive, and Jeffs is keen to stress Leelium's differences and advantages. “We are the only people in the world with an igniterless ballast system. This means our balloons don't carry such a load of electronics on board. Ours weigh less, they use less helium, and have therefore have much lower running costs.”

ISSUE 23

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

Green: Leelium balloons at Shepperton Studios – 2 x 8kw Tungsten balloons, show how much more effective balloon lighting is compared to using multiples of 6kw Space lights One of the clever innovations is the cable technology that pipes both the power and the helium to the balloon. Jeffs explains, “The point about helium is that whilst it is inert, and therefore safe, it does leak slowly through most materials. So it has to be replenished. With our balloons the operator can keep them filled up from the ground, so there's no inconvenience on the shoot. We have also been working on the regulator valves. You can take our balloons anywhere in the world and know that you can connect with just about every different type of helium cylinder.”

Leelium has pioneered dual source options for its lights, switchable HMI/tungsten systems that DPs can mix as required. “They're good for making a transition to a moonlight scene,” remarks Lee. Over time, other practical refinements have included the addition of skirts, masking systems and gels, enabling DPs to have fair measure of control over where the light is cast, and what colour it is. Leelium has also patented a modular, suspended “basket” system, to enable gelling balloons internally, leaving equipment pre-rigged for fast installation.

Economical “When you analyse the comparative amperage/power consumption, rigging time, cabling and light output of space lights against balloons, it's quite shocking,” says Lee. As an example, two Leelium tube lights providing 8Kw tungsten lighting would require the equivalent of 24 space lights, drawing 7Kw each, totalling 168Kw. “Balloons will save you a fortune, and they are going to make space lights obsolete,” he adds. “It's all about trying to give value for money, with equipment that is flexible and reliable, delivered by a team of people with enormous experience. We know how to handle the kit and have been allowed into some very special places.”

The easy of handling and the low heat output of the balloons, mean that Leelium is the only company to have been allowed near the painted ceilings at Greenwich Maritime Museum on The Golden Compass. The same is true of many location set-

ups at landmark buildings such as the V&A Musean and York Minster.

Pegasus Interestingly, with all of this experience under their belts, Lee says that its only now that the company is ready to expand.

“In effect, we've been pacing ourselves. The first ten years have like a development programme. We have created lighting systems, solved snags and learnt a lot about how to get the best out of balloons. Now we are aiming to develop rapidly and to take the message to a much wider market around the world.”

Discreetly, over the last two years, Lee and Jeffs have advanced the development of electronic ballast systems, and the physical construction of the lights, to the point that the next generation of products, codenamed Pegasus, is about to get off the ground.

An initial batch ten balloons are being built. These will be put through their paces, and only when Lee and Jeffs are satisfied will they be released to the market. Neither of them could be drawn much about the Pegasus range, but you can expect to see smaller lights, new suspension systems, and a brand new construction technique which should make shipping and deployment easier. Pegasus products are likely to get their first outing at Exposé, a production show in Paris this October.

At the time of our visit, Leelium's Richard Buckley, an employee with 11-years of experience in delivering and rigging, was just about to ship out a lighting package to illuminate the knave of Westminster Abbey. It would barely fill the back of a small van.

“The great thing is it will only take three hours to light it to a very high level” says Jeffs. “People are always amazed at how fast and easy balloons can be.”

Lee adds, “Cameraman really like the type and quality of light they get from balloons - diffused, even illumination without hot spots, and they are virtually shadowless too. We want more producers to realise that when time and money become important factors, balloons come into their own.”

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family matters

There are many families, dynasties even, involved in the business of making films, where the ex p e r i e n c e o f dedicated people is handed down between generations. Ron Pr i n c e c a u g h t u p w i t h The Spratlings, a thoroughbred p r o d u c t i o n f a m i l y.

That's my boy: Tony Spratling pictured with son Gary, at home on a weekend break from Speed Racer Joe Dunton, which he describes as “the best training there was in the camera department”, until he was offered a chance to work in the camera department of The Keep, a film with Alex Thomson as the DP.

Meet . . .

The Spratlings If there was anyone who truly loved his time working in film production, it's Tony Spratling BSC. An active BSC board member, and an advisor to British Cinematographer magazine, you can often catch him at the BSC Clubhouse or the Pinewood Studios bar - more often then not entertaining a throng with his infectious charm and humorous stories from the set.

Tony started his long career in the film industry age 16, as a tea boy at Knightsbridge Films. He then worked at Gainsborough Studios as a 3rd assistant director, before joining the camera department as a clapper boy. In 1948 he served his National Service as an aircrew photographer, mainly in Malaysia.

Upon returning to civvy street, he joined The Gate Studios, working in the camera department, and in 1951 was invited to join Technicolor as a camera technician, where he worked as a focus puller on the 3-strip cameras on the studio floor. He was there for ten years, and met and formed an enduring friendship with late Alex Thomson BSC. When Technicolor closed its camera department, Tony joined the ranks of the freelance technicians, working as a focus puller. He went on to work with many of the leading directors of photography, including Ted Scaife, Chris Challis, Arthur Ibbottson and Nick Roeg. Tony graduated to become an operator, and his first film was to be on the second camera on Gordon of Khartoum. He operated on many feature films, including The Dirty Dozen, Pink Panther, Inspector Clouseau, and The Best house in London, and was delighted to be asked to operate Alfred The Great for Alex Thomson. Tony eventually

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became a DP himself, starting on a short called The Engagement, with David Warner in the starring role. He also shot over 2,000 commercials, picking up the Golden Spike in the US for directing and photographing the “Clunk Click” series of TV commercials.

In 1971, Tony was invited to become a member of the BSC, and was the Society's president in 1989/90. He still enjoys being a member of the committee, and keeps in touch with all his past and present friends through the BSC. Tony's wife Diana was also an active member of the film industry. Known in her own name of Diana Hayward, she entered the industry working at 20th Century Fox, as a producer's secretary in 1964. She then went on to be a production secretary, unit manager and dabble with continuity. She moved over to commercials, working with Hugh Hudson where she produced the short film Tortoise And The Hare, which won the Venice Short Film Award, and with Robert Brownjohn, and many others before, before opening her own film production company with Cliff Owen - Owen Hayward. After Cliff retired, Diana joined Bob Brooks' company as a senior producer, and her last post was running Barry Kinsman's company until she retired in 1999. She met Tony when he was the operator on a short film she was producing for High Hudson.

Not unlike his father, Gary Spratling, Tony's son, started in the industry with the Lee Brothers, as a runner for the studios at Wembley, whilst he waited for JDC to locate at the studios, where he had been offered a position in the camera department. Gary spent the best part of four years working for

He spent the next six years as a clapper/loader, working on a number of feature films including several Bonds, and Good Morning, Vietnam. He graduated to become a focus puller for the next nine years, working again on many feature projects, and for the last eight years he has been a camera operator, working with many of his peers, and particularly with Harvey Harrison BSC. Indeed Gary recently worked with Harvey on John Rambo, and at the time of writing they were together in Berlin on Speed Racer, the all-digital Wachowski Brothers' production for Warners (along with his brother-in-law Kenny Groom).

Tony's daughter Fiona spent many years at Panavision, and is married to focus puller Kenny Groom, most recently working on The Golden Compass. Tony and Diana have a son, James, who is a DJ and owner of a record label Infra Red.

Tony's credits as a director of photography, and on many large second unit shoots, include The Engagement, The Man Who Haunted Himself, The Persuaders! TV series, Fanny Hill, The Razor's Edge, Bad Timing, Edge of Insanity, The Rachel Papers, The Krays, Alien III, Swing Kids, Neighbours, Black Beauty, Muppet Treasure Island, The Saint and A Perfect Murder.

Gary's credits as a camera operator include: Speed Racer, John Rambo, Eragon, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Basic Instinct 2, V for Vendetta, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sahara , Troy, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Die Another Day, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chica de Río, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and The World Is Not Enough; and as a focus puller on The Little Vampire, The Borrowers, The Saint, The Muppet Christmas Carol. He was camera assistant on Yellow Pages and Good Morning, Vietnam and clapper loader on Clockwise, Lace II, and Lassiter.

ISSUE 23

BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER

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