Canadian Cinematographer May 2021 Vol. 13, No. 2 EDITORIAL BOARD JOAN HUTTON csc, Editor-in-Chief FANEN CHIAHEMEN, Editor, editor@csc.ca JANEK LOWE, Photo Editor PATTY GUYADER, Copy Editor SIMON EVERS, Graphic Designer GUIDO KONDRUSS, Advertising Manager, gkondruss@rogers.com GEORGE WILLIS, csc sasc CLAUDINE SAUVÉ csc SUSAN SARANCHUK, susans@csc.ca CSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Zoe Dirse csc Jeremy Benning csc Rion Gonzales Joan Hutton csc Kristin Fieldhouse Guy Godfree csc Claudine Sauvé csc George Willis csc, sasc CSC EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc VICE PRESIDENTS Philip Lanyon csc Bruno Philip csc Penny Watier MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS Arthur Cooper csc Zoe Dirse csc EDUCATION CHAIRS George Willis csc, sasc Martin Wojtunik AWARDS CHAIR Arthur Cooper csc ONLINE CONTENT COMMITTEE Jeremy Benning csc – Co-Chair Christina Ienna – Co-Chair Carolyn Wong – Co-Chair DIVERSITY COMMITTEE CHAIR Rion Gonzales MENTORSHIP COMMITTEE Nyssa Glück – Co-Chair Iris Ng – Co-Chair RELATIONSHIPS Gaston Bernier OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, subscription@csc.ca Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.
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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - May 2021
FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc
For the second time in three years, the Academy Awards have honoured a black-and-white film for its cinematography. Erik Messerschmidt ASC took home the 2021 Oscar for his spellbinding work on Mank directed by the enigmatic David Fincher. Alfonso Cuarón topped the category in 2019 for his film Roma. Set in the 1930s and early ‘40s, Mank is a depiction of old Hollywood’s glamour and sleaze through the chronicling of boozy screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz (Gary Oldman) and his struggle to churn out the initial draft of Citizen Kane for Orson Welles. Mankiewicz was never given credit for his script. I first viewed Mank last December when the film debuted on Netflix. I was not sure what to expect given that it was about a filmmaking period that was defined by Gregg Toland ASC through his groundbreaking crisp deep focus imagery in Citizen Kane. Messerschmidt did not disappoint. What unfolded was a monochromatic delight, truly breathtakingly silvery images with rich tonal depth that echoed rather than copied a bygone era. Modern filmmaking technique at its retro best. Rather astonishingly, Mank is Messerschmidt’s first dramatic feature film as a director of photography. Photographed in high-dynamic-range (HDR), Messerschmidt employed the RED Ranger 8K camera with a HELIUM Monochrome sensor for Mank, which not only allowed the realization of a pure black-and-white image, but also speedier shooting and capture which aided his digital deep-focus innovation. For lenses Messerschmidt settled primarily on Leica Summilux-Cs with their apparent greater depth of field over other lenses. To accentuate depth of field even further, Messerschmidt incorporated a cmotion Cinefade into the cinematography. This is a cinematic device that has the ability to adjust the depth of field all the while maintaining the correct exposure level throughout the entirety of a single shot. The result was a tip-of-thehat from Messerschmidt to Toland for his pioneering work. However, more importantly, Messerschmidt’s dynamic deep-focus work created