Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine February 2010

CINEMATOGRAPHER Canadian

Canadian Society of Cinematographers

$4 Februar y 2010 www.csc.ca

Adam Swica csc Shooting Zombies for George A. Romero

Crackie

DOP Stephen Reizes csc

A Cruel Wind Blows DOP Matthew Phillips csc

FEB 10 (V01 #09)

09

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56698 94903

9

A Brief Interview with Harris Savides asc

CINEMATOGRAPHER Canadian

A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) was founded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen.

Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization.

The purpose of the CSC is to promote the art and craft of cinematography in Canada. And to provide tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and video professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

FEATURES – volume 1, No. 9 FEBRUARY 2010

10

Stephen Reizes csc Lenses Sherry White’s Crackie By Tammy Stone

We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation.

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A Cruel Wind Blows: Shooting Relics of the Cold War in Kazakhstan

By Matthew R. Phillips csc

16

Adam Swica csc Gives Light and Life to George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead By Lance Carlson, csc associate member Columns & Departments

2 From the President

4 Built by Wendy: A Brief Interview with Harris Savides asc

6 In the News 21-24 Camera Classified; CSC Members; Production Notes / Calendar

Cover: Adam Swica csc. Photo by Joan Hutton csc

Canadian Cinematographer February 2010 Vol. 1, No. 9 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

From The PRESIDENT

Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR Wyndham Wise mfa editor@csc.ca ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House COPY EDITOR Paul Townend PROOFREADER

F

ebruary 5 to 8, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers sponsored an important 3D workshop for professional cinematographers, directors, producers and camera assistants led by the acclaimed U.K. cinematographer Geoff Boyle

(Dark Country 3D) at the Pinewood Toronto Studios. The course operated in two streams, one for cinematographers and one for camera assistants. Both streams came

Karen Longland

together on the final day to accomplish camera setups in a variety of configurations

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including Steadicam and crane, with a selection of different 3D rigs.

Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Donald Angus

The four-day course introduced the participants to the theories of stereography and how they relate to storytelling: Should you shoot parallel or converged? Is breaking the

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frame edge a problem? What about the 4th wall? What are interaxial and convergence

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and how do they affect the image? By reviewing the results in a 3D post-production

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suite, participants gained an important, in-depth knowledge into the art of storytelling

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in 3D. There will be a full report and wrap-up of the workshop in an upcoming issue of

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PO Box 181 283 Danforth Avenue

In this issue, Tammy Stone writes about Sherry White’s low-budget feature from the

Toronto, Canada M4K 1N2

Rock, Crackie, DOP Stephen Reizes csc. Crackie made its debut at TIFF 2009 and

Email: editor@csc.ca

was chosen as one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian features of 2009. White is a multi-

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.

talented writer, director and actress from St. John’s and Reizes is the in-demand DOP

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2 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

on the popular Flashpoint series produced out of Toronto. Matthew Phillips csc reports on his experiences filming A Cruel Wind Blows, a documentary about the near total radioactive contamination of a large swath of the nation of Kazakhstan during the Soviet Era when the locals were subjected to over 400 atomic bomb tests. It’s an unsettling report on an under-reported man-made ecological disaster.

Lance Carlson interviews Adam Swica csc about working with the master of the contemporary Zombie film, George A. Romero. Romero has moved his Dead franchise to Toronto, and Survival of the Dead, due for release in 2010, is the third Dead film he has produced in Canada. Canada has a 50-year history of making films in the horror genre, beginning with The Mask 3D in 1961, lensed by CSC co-founder Hebert Alpert csc, asc. In addition, this issue of Canadian Cinematographer highlights some of the more memorable Canadian horror films shot by CSC members.

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Canadian Cinematographer is a glossy magazine devoted to the art and the craft of cinematography. It is published 10 times a year by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), a nonprofit organization established in 1957.

Canadian Cinematographer covers the full spectrum of cinematography - film, television, HD and digital-production techniques. Each issue contains feature articles, interviews, industry news and latest equipment updates.

Built

by Wendy:

A Brief Interview with Harris Savides asc

By Matthew J. Lloyd, csc associate member

I

n the early summer of 2009, acclaimed New York fashion designer Built By Wendy commissioned a series of short films from notable young directors that would incorporate new pieces from their fall line. The only condition was to creatively include a particular Built By Wendy garment into the film. When my good friend, actor/director Kahlil Joseph, approached me with his idea for the project I was intrigued.

But when he told me that the film was going to feature Harris Savides asc (Whatever Works, Milk) I was completely blown away.

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

At the time Joseph was doing some work for Sophia Coppola on her new film Somewhere, which Savides was shooting. While on the set, Joseph developed a close friendship with Savides’s daughter Sophie, 14, who was home working as a camera PA on her summer break. Sophie is an incredibly sophisticated young lady with a magnetic personality. Over the course of the production she and Joseph became quite close and at some point it all just clicked and he said, “I am going to use them in this piece.”

Anyone who has spent any time around Savides and his

white because of our love for the look of the early cinéma-vérité films, such as Frederick Wiseman’s Salesman, but I wasn’t sold. I suggested that we shoot a colour stock and we could do two passes, one on colour stock and one on black and white and then decide. I dug up some old 320T Vision colour negative (7277) and off we went.

When Savides discovered what stock was in the camera, he was intrigued and proceeded to tell me how it used to be his favorite film stock and how sad he was that they didn’t make it anymore. When Joseph heard this totally spontaneous interaction, he decided to incorporate it. That’s how I became a voice-off character in the piece. Of course, we had to cut the stock number out of the final dialog because we ended up using the black and white take, but it still works.

I was trying to balance the light in the room and I was a little concerned about the relationship between the window light and our fill, so I tried to convince Joseph to move the couch a little closer to the window. But that compromised the blocking, so we had to keep it where it was. I was obviously concerned about the exposure and at some point Savides looks up at me from the couch and says, “how much are you reading over here,” and I timidly replied “1.4 1/2” (the lens, mind you, is a T2.0). He looks at me and says, “that’s plenty of light,” and with that we were done. We ran through the script a few times. I proceeded to shoot the best I could impersonating a documentary cameraman and also trying to remember to say my line.

It was all over rather quickly. Sophie was wonderful and got it every time. Savides had us laughing hysterically with some of his outtakes. All in all it was one of the most pleasurable days I have spent shooting. I think it is a real testament to their relationship as father and daughter that the film turned out so nicely, and I was so thankful for their openness and for giving us such an honest performance. daughter knows how beautiful their relationship is, so I had absolutely no doubt that it would translate well on film. The trick for Joseph was how to use them, and how to incorporate the Built By Wendy dress into a fluid concept. Playing off Savides’s notorious resistance to interviews, Joseph crafted an idea for “a failed interview with Harris Savides,” a plan intentionally doomed from the beginning because the script said so.

I say that because there is no doubt some people believe the “failed interview” is real; and some people really want it to be real.

But unfortunately it’s not. I will say, however, that at times reality trickled into the film.

I think that having a very natural environment with real people who already have a deep connection translates into a very truthful piece. We actually did shoot at Savides’s house in Los Angeles (the location used for Somewhere). We shot on 16-mm film, a choice that was dictated by the script as Savides says, “I can’t believe you guys are shooting this on film.”

As staged as everything is, there is a moment in the final cut that happened on the day of the shoot. During one of the rehearsals, Savides asked me what stock we were using. Earlier Joseph and I had discussed colour vs. black and white. My feeling was black and

Since its release I have been amazed by the response. The love and interest that people have shown is unbelievable. I would like to think that it has something to do with the film but to be honest it is all father and daughter. Their presence together on film is so charming and heart-warming that you can’t help but respond well to the film. I know Joseph is getting emails from people who want to see the rest of the interview. People love and respect Savides and his work so much that there is a really genuine desire to hear from him in anyway possible. Also, I think the use of the documentary form in this piece has a lot of people convinced that it must be genuine. I had a friend send me a bunch of postings that were up on The Cinematography Mailing List (www.cinamatrography.net) with people arguing back and forth if it could be real or not.

In the end, it’s just rewarding to have helped make something that’s challenging in some way; that makes people aware of the vocabulary of the moving image. As filmmakers we must reinterpret visual language to evolve, in the future the lines between documentary and fiction will be completely re-drawn, if they haven’t been already. To view “A Brief Interview with Harris Savides,” visit: builtbywendy.com/films.

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

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In The News

experts and research scientists around the world as well as rare HD footage of breathtaking landscapes and Antarctic wildlife.

Tom Selleck in Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, DOP Rene Ohashi csc, asc

The ASC Announces Its 2010 TV Nominees

T

he American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) has announced its nominees in the two television categories of the 24th Annual ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards competition. The winners will be named during the awards celebration on February 27, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. Nominees vying for top honors in the television movie/miniseries category are Alar Kivilo csc, asc for Taking Chance (HBO), Rene Ohashi csc, asc for Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (CBS) and Jerzy Zielinski asc for The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (CBS). Nominees in the episodic/pilot television category are Eagle Egilsson for TNT’s Dark Blue (“Venice Kings”); Jeffrey Jur asc for ABC’s FlashForward (“The Gift”); Michael Price for ABC’s Ugly Betty (“There’s No Place Like Mode”); Christian Sebaldt asc for CBS’s CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (“Family Affair”); and Glen Winter csc for the CW’s Smallville (“Savior”).

Jur, Ohashi and Winter have previously earned ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards. Jur won for the telefilm Last Call in 2003 and for the episodic series Carnivale in 2004. He earned another nomination for Carnivale in 2006. Ohashi took home the prize in the television movie category for The Crossing in 2001, and was nominated again in 2002 for Don Giovanni Unmasked as well as Jesse Stone: Sea Change in 2008. Winter claimed top honors in the episodic competition for Smallville in 2008, and earned two other nominations for the series in 2006 and 2009. Egilsson has earned two ASC nominations for episodes of CSI: Miami in 2007 and 2008. Kivilo received previous nominations in the television movie/miniseries category for The Invaders in 1996 and Gotti in 1997.

The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning, DOP Damir I. Chytil csc Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth did a lot to raise the international awareness of the environmental issue of climate change. Mark Terry’s The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning is a one-hour Canadian documentary from Toronto-based Polar Cap Productions and the United Nations Environment Programme that goes to the source of the crisis – Antarctica. The documentary features interviews from polar

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

The DOP on The Antarctica Challenge was Damir I. Chytil csc, a HD camera expert and Gemini Award-winning cinematographer (for Forensic Factor) with 20 years of experience with documentaries specializing in science and nature. Most recently Chytil completed HD work on a documentary focusing on the CCGS Henry Larsen, a Canadian icebreaker based in St. John’s, and the first vessel to traverse the Northwest Passage in a single season. Chytil’s documentaries have aired around the world and frequently on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic Television. Some of his most popular science and nature films include Polar Passage, Earth’s Natural Wonders, Mysteries of Sacred Sites, Ghosts of the Rainforest, Dog of the Midnight Sun and The New Quest for Space. The Antarctica Challenge: A Global Warning screened at the world conference on climate change that was held in Copenhagen in November.

Canwest-Hot Docs Funds Hot Docs International Documentary Festival and Canwest announced the 11 projects chosen to receive a total of $279,500 in grants and no-interest loans from the Canwest-Hot Docs Fund in its fourth disbursement in December 2009. The next deadline for the Fund is in May. Applications will be available mid-April at www.hotdocs.ca.

The five documentary films going into production in 2010 thanks to the Fund are Annette Mangaard’s Behind the Scenes at Kinngait Studios (producers David Craig and Katherine Knight for Site Media). Set in the Canadian Arctic, the film weaves together many voices in a first-hand account of how the remote settlement of Cape Dorset, Nunavut, has become the capital of the Inuit art world. Matt Gallagher’s Grinder (producers Cornelia Principe and Matt Gallagher for Border City Productions) is the director’s journey into the unconventional – and often bizarre – underground world of those who play poker for a living.

Peter Findlay’s Raw Opium (producer Robert Lang for Kensington Communications) travels the world to offer an intimate and broad-ranging exploration of a commodity that has gone from being a “gift of the gods” to a scourge on society. Min Sook Lee’s The Real M.A.S.H. (producer Ed Barreveld for Storyline Entertainment) traces the original stories and the people behind them that inspired the fictional television series and feature film about the Korean War. Guided by botanist Dr. Adam Brown, a man with a keen sense of curiosity and a taste for adventure, Mark Johnston and Mark Ellam’s A Strange Brew: The End of Addiction (producers Amanda Handy and Robin McKenna for Nomad Films) takes us on a fascinating journey in an effort to unlock the secrets of plants that could play an important role in our common future.

The Committee also awarded six no-interest development loans totaling $57,500 to the following projects: Clement Virgo’s 9.79: The Rise and Fall of Ben Johnson, Laura Bari’s Ariel, Kim Harris’s

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

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Green to the End, Michael Maclear’s Invisible War: Secrets of the Ho Chi Minh Trail, James Wood’s Operation Soap and Wendy Champagne’s Taxi School.

Dylan Macleod csc Shoots 1,000fps In October, Dylan Macleod csc was asked to shoot a two-minute film for Body in Motion, one of 16 digital shorts that have been made for the 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad. The Cultural Olympiad will start on January 22, 2010 and run throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, concluding March 21.

These games will introduce CODE — the Cultural Olympiad’s Digital Edition. The use of digital media and platforms to create a national cultural celebration is a first for an Olympic Games – and for Canada. It’s a suite of programs developed to engage and showcase a range of creativity and talent in Canada through the innovative use of digital platforms and media.

Producer Mark Hamilton of Inuit Communications responded to a national call for proposals from CODE with the idea to capture the high kick, a unique event with a long tradition in Inuit culture. In the high kick, a target (such as a bone or a piece of fur) is suspended at a given height. The athlete begins in a standing position and jumps up to kick the hanging target with one foot, landing on the same foot that kicked the target. To complete the event, the athlete must maintain his or her balance on landing. “We chose to film the high kick in super slow motion because of its dramatic possibilities,” Hamilton told Canadian Cinematographer.

Dylan was hired by Hamilton to film Johnny Issaluk. Originally from a small Arctic hamlet on the coast of Hudson’s Bay in Nunavut called Igluligaarjuk (known as Chesterfield Inlet), Issaluk has been successfully competing in Arctic sports since the age of 16. He has won countless medals over the last Champion Inuit High Kicker Johnny Issaluk.

decade at both the regional and the national level. “We were using the Phantom high-speed camera and shooting many shots at 1,000fps,” Dylan told me when I was invited onto the set during the taping at Pie-in-the-Sky, a small studio in east end Toronto.

“Basically the short is an exploration of Johnny Issaluk performing a kick,” Macleod continued, “which normally would take five-to-10 seconds, but the film was meant to be two-minutes long. In the original treatment, Mark planned to use the Phantom for high speed and the Red for normal speed. I suggested that we should shoot the whole project on the Phantom – which can also shoot normal frame rates – and save money by not renting a Red in order to free up money to put towards lighting. We shot the action from a variety of different angles at frame rates ranging from 300fps – 1,000fps.

“By watching the playback at 1,000fps, we started to see things that you couldn’t really see at normal speed, such as the flexing of a calf muscle. We would then reframe for the calf and have him do the jump again. It’s really incredible to see certain parts of the human body being exerted at 1,000fps. It helped to achieve what the short film was meant to convey – the incredible ability of an Olympic class athlete under the microscope of high-speed photography.

“Mark and director Alethea Arnaquq - Baril had originally conceived of shooting the piece against a white cyc. I suggested that we consider shooting it against black instead. Lighting for 1,000fps requires a tremendous amount of light. A black background would mean that we would only have to light Johnny.

Mark and Alethea agreed that the black background would also provide a much more graphic representation, which would help Johnny really standout on the screen. I lit him with four10K Fresnels as well as six 5Ks through a diffusion frame for a soft ‘key light.’ Even with all of that, I was wide open on Zeiss high-speed lenses (T1.3) and had the Phantom’s shutter set to 360 degrees in order to get a decent exposure.” – Wyndham Wise

New Hope for AV Trust In the last issue of Canadian Cinematographer, “In the News” reported that the Ottawa-based Audio-Visual Preservation Trust had closed its operations after working since 1996 to preserve, restore and enhance awareness of iconic treasures in our cinematic past. Federal funding cuts spelled the end of the Trust as a viable organization, although reports of its demise now seem exaggerated.

Photo Credit: Mark Hamilton

The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television is looking to pick up where the Trust left off, although there is some doubt whether the Academy has the necessary money to continue the Trust’s film restoration work. However, Playback reported that Astral Television Networks would continue to support the Trust’s work, regardless of any new management. At the time of its dissolution in November 2009, the Trust was working to restore two titles, Ted Kotcheff ’s Oscar-nominated The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) and Jean Pierre Lefebvre’s award-winning Les Fleurs sauvages (1982).

8 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

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Woody Harrelson in Defendor, DOP David Greene csc

Defendor Wins at Whistler Woody Harrelson added some Hollywood glamour to the 2009 Whistler Film Festival when he was named best actor for his performance in Peter Stebbings’s Defendor, DOP David Greene csc, about an ordinary man who tries to battle a drug and weapons dealer by taking on the superhero persona of The Defendor. The film debuted at TIFF 2009 and made it onto TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian films of 2009. It’s set for theatrical release in 2010 by Alliance Films in Canada and Sony internationally. Sophie Deraspe’s Les Signes vitaux was named the winner of the $15,000 Borsos Competition for best new Canadian feature film.

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Big time Hollywood producer/director Ivan Reitman was feted with a lifetime achievement award and he was also president of the Borsos jury. The competition is named in honour of the late West Coast director Phillip Borsos (The Grey Fox). Two films shared the $2,500 Best Documentary Award, the Canada/France co-production Denis Delestrac’s Pax Americana: The Weaponization of Space and Lixin Fan’s Last Train Home. Fan, a Chinese-Canadian filmmaker from Montreal, is riding a high critical wave since the film won the prestigious IDFA Award for best feature-length documentary at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam in November and was invited to screen at Sundance 2010.

Indie Spirit Awards Nominations Two Canadian features have been nominated for this year’s American Indie Spirit Awards, to be held March 5 in Los Angeles, two days prior to the grown-up awards, the Oscars. A Canada/US/ Kuwait minority co-production, Cherian Dabis’s Amreeka is set in small-town Illinois, outside of Chicago, but shot in Manitoba, outside of Winnipeg, and co-produced by Winnipeg’s Buffalo Gal Productions. It’s nominated for best feature, first screenplay and female lead (Nisreen Kaour). Kari Skogland’s Canada/UK coproduction about the Irish Troubles, 50 Dead Men Walking, has been nominated for best supporting female (Natalie Press).

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

9

Stephen Reizes csc Lenses Sherry White’s

Crackie

By Tammy Stone

T

here are some images that instantly impact. They are potent not only in and of themselves, but as distinct reminders of why cinema is a prime medium for expression and the evocation of sentiments that often precede cognition. These images, archetypal and monumental, nostalgic yet powerfully of the now, enfold a community of filmgoers into an experience that transcends subjectivity and invites a collective will to engage in the sadness and joys of the human condition.

Crackie, the debut feature by acclaimed Newfoundland filmmaker/ writer/actress Sherry White, is filled with such images. The film perhaps pivots on a startling scene in which a dog, Sparky, bolts from his owner, who follows him through a forest and finally

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

Photo credit: Justin Hall

Stephen Reizes csc: “The house was a find. It was a cinematographer’s dream, in that it was dark with small windows and had amazing tones and shading.”

catches up to him. He’s broken through the thicket and stares out at a wide landscape as beguiling as it is forbidding. We see the two of them from behind, sitting quietly, not together but not apart, sharing this space in an uneasy communion.

Sparky belongs to Mitsy (the endlessly captivating newcomer Meghan Greeley), a teenager who was abandoned as a little girl by her substance-abusing mother and left to be raised by Bride, her grandmother (a somber Mary Walsh in a dramatic role, which she infuses with her characteristic buoyant charisma). They live in what’s little more than a crumbling shack on the Rock and make a feeble living scavenging off other people’s garbage in search of items for resale. Mitsy just received a modest student loan and has enrolled in a hairdressing program, but ends up spending the money – to Bride’s anger and dismay – on the upkeep of Sparky, a small misfit mutt who will be killed, she has been told, if no one steps up to care for him.

From the start, Mitsy’s fervent need to save Sparky and adopt him is a heartbreaking reflection of loneliness; a loneliness

that emanates from her and permeates throughout the film as multiple dysfunctional relationships move toward mostly tragic denouements within an alienating geographical environment. “I saw these characters as creatures who were born beautiful and perfect,” says White, “but were neglected, abused, or forgotten and abandoned – much like the house, the objects at the dump, the broken fences and rundown landscape. The loneliness and isolation of the community was very much a further extension of the characters. If things are neglected and forgotten, they become worn down and broken – but that doesn’t mean the beauty isn’t still hiding underneath.”

Indeed, it is often the more desolating imagery that engenders the film’s striking beauty and hints of hope. A commonality of vision between director/writer White and DOP Stephen Reizes csc (Flashpoint, Cold Squad) was essential in shaping the film’s atmospheric visual look. “Stephen had worked with me on my previous two shorts [Diamonds in the Bucket, 2007, and Spoiled, 2008], and in many ways we had been talking about, and exploring, our preferred visual styles with Crackie in mind. I felt

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

11

Images courtesy of Mongrel Media. Photo credit: Justin Hall

Mary Walsh and Meghan Creeley in Sherry White’s Crackie. “As a director, Sherry has a pretty clear idea what she wants to see. She has great eye for the very wide exterior shot.” Stephen Reizes csc

like we had been having the dialogue for a number of years, and Stephen and I discussed tone a lot. And I think the cast was chosen with the tone in mind – there is a fine line the film walks between heightened reality and authentic reality. The casting, the setting, the cinematography were all chosen to be naturally larger than life.”

It’s a tribute to Crackie’s understated power that the landscape of its characters’ faces – often shot in intimate close-up – is as magisterial and multifarious as the larger open, bereft environments in which they are situated. The keen awareness of the role place plays in a person’s life, and the depiction of this relationship so vividly on screen forms a substantial portion of the film’s affect.

“I would like to think that [Sherry and I] shared some notion or vision of authenticity and a passion for films that feel true,” says Reizes. “There may be some common identification and interest in outsider characters as well. As a director, Sherry has a pretty clear idea what she wants to see. She has great eye for the very wide exterior shot and is not afraid to let a scene play on the relationship between a huge vista that dwarfs her characters visually but not acoustically. The interplay between their scale on the screen and their voices is wonderfully cinematic.”

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

In the tradition of some of Canada’s greatest cinematic and literary achievements, Crackie’s lonely vistas are posited as the Other, as grounding for psychological dramas that reveal people as alienated from each other and from nature in all the various meanings of the term. “Sherry knew going into the shoot,” says Reizes, “that there was a concern that the story could come across as too bleak. Although some people felt the script was too dark, it wasn’t Sherry’s intention to make a depressing film. At the end of prep, Sherry did a minor rewrite and made the ending more ambiguous and hopeful. Mitsy’s world is nonetheless a place with a positive feeling for nature, for animals, for walking, and for the joy that these simple pleasures bring.”

Mitsy’s reality continually cuts into her more idealistic moments, imploding her world and infusing the film with a shattering sadness that is constructed remarkably in and around the family home that contains – constricts, imprisons – Mitsy and Bride. “The house was a find,” says Reizes. “It was abandoned. The owners, who are farmers, had built a new house.

It had the most amazing tobacco stained lived-in patina. It was a cinematographer’s dream, in that it was dark with small windows and had amazing tones and shading. It was a nightmare since it was tiny, smaller by half than anything that would typically be rejected. Mitsy’s room was a shoebox; it couldn’t

have been more than five feet by 10 feet. Everything was real and it was a real challenge; just moving gear and bodies in and out that bedroom was incredibly time consuming and we shot in there for days.”

Reizes explains that exteriors were shot first while the weather permitted, often using available light, and that the interiors required more lighting set-up to achieve a cool blue light for day scenes and warm orange for night. “As in Diamonds in a Bucket, we shot with 35 mm. It was only with the generous support of Fujifilm Canada that we were able to go this route. The palette and grain of the 250T worked perfectly for the story. I shot tests prior to the shoot, comparing 2K digital intermediaries to a photochemical finish and found the traditional answer print to be superior.

After talking with Sherry, we decided on a neg-cut and a photochemical finish. The print is ‘old school’ with only the limited colour corrections available from traditional timing lights. Alfredo Frasson, our timer at Deluxe Toronto, did a superb job and I can’t say enough good things about how Deluxe supported this project. It wouldn’t have been possible without them.”

“The cinematographer has to try and get into the director’s head and see the film through their eyes,” says Reizes. “Sherry and I were in total agreement in using a Lensbaby and Fuji Vivid Colour 160 for the flashbacks. And we also decided to use wider, so-called, ‘normal’ focal lengths rather than telephoto lenses. There weren’t many instances where we used lenses longer than 50 mm. We used Zeiss T2.1s for the majority of the film.

They are older lenses that do not produce quite as much contrast or colour saturation as more recent generations of lenses, but I find them practical because they are light, compact and fit in one reasonable case rather than the two or three larger boxes.”

It’s one of the spectacular achievements of the film that the interior and exterior landscapes manifest in such different ways to mirror the film’s emotional and thematic foundations. Reizes says that the collaboration process with White, in which some of the scenes were pre-conceptualized and others were sorted out on set during the shoot (“What was interesting, working with Sherry, was that she has this faith that things will work out”), involved a sorting out of varying visions resulting in the best sort of compromise.

“I felt that having the camera on a head most of the time would help anchor the world,” says Reizes, “and it allows the audience to witness the story rather than be shaken through it. Sherry felt very strongly that some scenes should play out in a locked-off camera, and I argued that it could be alienating and that small moves effectively enhanced certain moments. I also feel that very small, subtle, moves help hold a wider audience’s interest and in a way make the images more three-dimensional. For the most part I think we found the right balance. Really, my approach is first and foremost what best supports the story and secondly what are the practical considerations.”

Crackie made its debut at TIFF 2009 and was chosen as one of TIFF’s Top Ten Canadian features of 2009. For more information on the film, contact Kickham East Productions in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Meghan Greeley

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

13

A CRuel Wind Blows:

Shooting Relics of the Cold WaR in Kazakhstan

By Matthew R. Phillips csc

T

o the unsuspecting eye, an endless landscape of beauty unfolds in all directions. The Steppe – as it’s known by the locals – is an 18,000 km prairie-like flatland, dotted with randomly occurring mountain ranges. Its history has been scarred by the detonations of 456 atomic bombs – 340 underground (borehole and tunnel shots) and 116 atmospheric (either air drop or tower shots) tests. The former Soviet Semipalatinsk Test Site, in northeast Kazakhstan, was the primary nuclear test site during the Cold War from 1949 through to 1989.

(Kazakhstan is a country of 16 million, which borders on the Caspian Sea to the west, Russia to the north and China to the east, and gained its independence from Soviet rule in 1991.)

In 1947, the head of the U.S.S.R. atomic bomb project, Commissariat for Internal Affairs chief Lavrentiy Beria, falsely claimed that the area was “uninhabited.” Today the site – also known as the Semipalatinsk Polygon and latterly the National Nuclear Center of Kazakhstan – is under study by various scientific groups who all agree that there are many areas that are not only contaminated but are still radioactive. The question is, how “hot” is it, and is the test site still a toxic source that is strong enough to be harmful to the residents who both live on or near it?

14 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

Producer Gerald Sperling of Regina-based 4 Square Productions learned of this place more than seven years ago and began research into the story, along with his team members, noted Canadian author Maggie Siggins and Carrie-May Siggins. They plunged deep into the Polygon to meet face to face with its victims. What they found wasn’t pretty. Birth defects, cancer, heart disease, anemia, schizophrenia and suicide were among some of the conditions that many of the victims had. The groundwater, the food chain and the air are all contaminated.

Although testing ended almost 20 years ago, there are many areas that remain “hot.” Such hot spots were craters created by the underground explosions just 18km northwest of the village of Sarjal. In the Degelen Mountain range, mountain tops destroyed by bombs that were placed deep inside them by way of tunnels that have since been backfilled. We also shot at ground zero, just 50 km west of Kurchatov where the first atomic bomb (Operation First Lightning) was exploded in 1949. This was an atmospheric explosion test site where more than 100 above-ground weapons tests took place. The site currently exhibits measurably high levels of radiation. Surprisingly there are no warning signs or fences to stop people or livestock from

Photo by Rob King.

“The former Soviet Semipalatinsk Test Site was the primary nuclear test site during the Cold War from 1949 through to 1989,” Matthew R. Phillips csc.

“The groundwater, the food chain and the air are all contaminated.”

getting too close. In fact, sheep, cattle and horses can be found scattered around the Polygon grazing on the grasslands and drinking the water from the craters.

Our line producer/fixer, Mark Pitcher, had spent a lot of time exploring the Polygon and was invaluable in terms of guiding us to some pretty extreme locations. Equipped with a Geiger counter, we ventured into several hot spots. Time was of the essence in these locations as we did not want to become overexposed to unsafe levels of radiation. Mark also did his best securing accommodations for us all. In the villages there were no hotels, so we lived as guests with families in their homes. There were no beds, not much heat and no indoor plumbing. In the village of Kainar, the local doctor, who ran the hospital, cleared out the children’s wing and allowed us to set up camp, and again there were no amenities but at least we were out of the cold night winds.

To shoot A Cruel Wind Blows, which was produced in conjunction with HNK of Japan, we decided on the Sony F900R HDCAM in 1080i at 23.98, armed with 13x4.5 and 22x7.8 Fujinon servostyle zoom lenses. Additionally, we had a modest lighting and grip package, which was put together by Anthony Sacco and Roger Williams of Image Media Farms in Toronto. Upon arrival at our first location, it became immediately evident that adequate electricity to spark up my lights was going to be a challenge.

By the end of day one of 30, I was down to lighting with one light, and continued that way through to the end of day 30. The village homes that we shot in typically ran on screw-type glass fused

220V 30A supplies. I decided on maintaining as natural a look as possible in terms of lighting interviews. I really wanted the audience to get the feeling that they were in the room with these people. In front of the lens I chose a Tiffen Softfx for day interiors/exteriors and a 1/4 Black Pro Mist for night. Also I utilized a polarizer and ND grads as required. The Polygon is an arid desert-like region; for the most part the area is quite dusty. This contaminated dust presented a constant challenge to keep my filters and lenses clean, especially in windy conditions. But it also provided a natural diffusive effect. By design, and whenever possible, we made an effort to shoot on the Polygon with either morning or evening light to enhance the drama of this broken landscape.

Ruslan Getmanchuk of Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan, worked as our sound recordist and boom operator, and Jared Mercer of Regina was onboard as PA/camera assistant.

Carrie-May Siggins conducted all of the interviews, and Rob King of Regina directed. A shorter version of documentary under the title of Silent Bombs: A Cruel Wind Blows was shown on HNK in Japan in August 2009, and this version is now available on the Internet presented by the Al Jazeera English show Witness under the title Silent Bombs: All for the Motherland.

The film won best political documentary at the SMPIA Awards in Saskatchewan and was screened at the 2009 Telluride Film Festival. Producer Sperling is hoping for a Canadian broadcast date in 2010. For more information on the Semiplatinsk Test Site, visit www.dinarasagatova.com/ polygon.

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

15

Adam Swica csc Gives Light and Life to George A. Romero’s

urvival Sof

Dead

the

By Lance Carlson, csc associate member

H

ad I met Adam Swica csc 20-odd years ago and given him the advice I was handing out then, I might have been able to take credit for his choice in education and early professional experience. I used to tell students seeking education/career advice: “If you want to be a photographer, don’t go to photography school, go to art school.” But Adam figured that out for himself. He is a graduate of the Ontario College of Art and Design, and before that he attended the Etobicoke School for the Arts. He found that he loved lighting and began his working life in moviemaking as a gaffer/electric. He was, in fact, looking at things from an artistic perspective from an early age.

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Kenneth Welsh

Along with an eye for art, Swica also had a practical, technical side. During his early days as a gaffer, he worked alongside Frieder Hochheim (founder of Kino Flo) and recalls a lot of brainstorming, as well as hands-on sessions, dreaming up and building gadgets and solving problems involving lighting and related fixtures. From there he moved into shooting numerous films and music videos at the Canadian Film Centre to fine-tune his ability to translate a director’s ideas into expressive moving pictures.

What Adam probably would not have guessed in those early years was that those expressive moving pictures would eventually make him one of the DOP kings of Canadian horror flicks. His latest is George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead, the third film Swica has lensed for the American horror producer/director.

Previously he shot George A. Romero’s Diary of the Dead (2007) and the non-horror Bruiser (2000). Premiering at TIFF 2009, Survival of the Dead joins George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead (2005) and Dawn of the Dead (2004; directed by Zack Snyder) as the third Canadian Dead film in the long-running franchise, which began with the director’s seminal Night of the Living Dead (1968). The

story, briefly, can be summarized in a sentence. On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their undead relatives back to their human state.

There are an inordinate number of killing scenes in Survival of the Dead, yet they are all different. I got the impression that the filmmakers must have really stretched their minds or even maxed out the budget on all these different ways to bump people off. It’s not my type of film, but the cinematography was outstanding for a number of reasons. The foreboding apocalyptic look sets it a bit apart from the real world, perhaps some time in the future when the dead come back to menace the living, giving way to a deadly struggle for co-existence between two rival clans intercepted by a rogue soldier and his band of military dropouts … well, you get the idea. On one side are the O’Flynns, headed by a rather fierce Kenneth Welsh, the Canadian acting veteran; on the other side are the Muldoons (complete with Irish accents, suggesting a displaced clash of historic proportions, but that’s not really what the film’s about either). Survival of the Dead seems to be a metaphor for some of the challenges facing the world today (the

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

17

Canadian HorRor Films and the CSC ConNection

Canadian film culture has never happily embraced genre filmmaking. Our forte is art-house cinema – think Egoyan, Arcand and Maddin – and there is the faint whiff of snobbery when it comes to horror films. Indeed, there were no horror films out of Canada for a very long time. European countries, with their strong Gothic and folklore traditions, came quickly to the fore. As early as 1896, Georges Méliès filmed Le Manior du diable, the first horror film ever made. Thomas Edison produced the first version of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein in 1910.

Soon horror was pouring forth from the U.S., France, Denmark, Germany, Hungary and Japan, but not Canada, where the film industry was almost nonexistent due to the overwhelming control of American studios and distributors.

It’s perhaps only natural, then, that the first Canadian feature to be marketed and distributed in the U.S. (and later the world by Warner Bros.) was Julian Roffman’s 3D horror film The Mask, shot by a founding member of the CSC, Herbert Alpert csc, asc. The Mask also has the distinction of being Canada’s first ever horror film, the first Canadian feature to be shot in 3D and the first Canadian film to make its money back before it was even shown in the theatres in New York City, October 1961. Since then, horror has found a profitable if under-appreciated niche in the Canadian film canon. David Cronenberg’s early films were almost entirely in the genre, redefining

George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead.

U.S. in particular), and the look is stark and heavy with dread, a world no one would ever really want to enter except in the movies.

In planning the look, Swica and Romero tipped their hats thematically to William Wyler’s The Big Country. Swica’s challenge was to create a foreboding, otherworldly look without imitating a particular genre, yet be recognizably a Romero Dead film, as befitting a franchise that has had remarkable lasting power over 40 years. A plan was formulated to create an idealized reality for Survival, which would place viewers in the vicinity of Plum Island, off the coast of Delaware, a campfire tale of sorts in the form of a Western. Romero insisted that it not become an exercise in “forgery of an aesthetic” or a need to go “spooky,” hence some of the special effects edge on camp.

The Mask 3D, DOP Herber Alpert csc, asc on the right pointing.

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

Much of the film is set during the night, and is lit in a very stylized manner, with multiple light sources without apparent motivation. Yet these scenes maintain a commonality in

Images courtesy of E1 Entertainment.

David Cronenberg’s Scanners

what was permissible in terms of sheer visceral horror and mutation. Mark Irwin csc shot many of these films – The Brood, Scanners, Videodrome, The Fly – and became known as “the prince of darkness” for his ability to shoot in low-light conditions and create a menacing atmosphere.

feeling with the day scenes, while remaining distinct from each other. Swica prefers to light in a classic style, supporting the vision of the creators and not leave viewers straining to decipher detail, an approach that I applaud. This collaborative approach enabled the director and DOP to plan a look and maintain it throughout the film.

I asked Swica about the numerous, yet uniquely different, ways of killing people in Survival, and he said that Romero is pretty definitive on what he calls for; working from a shot list and rarely using storyboards, except for SFX shots. He has a definite plan for each scene and it includes a deliberate decision to avoid “products shots” of gore. Romero would come up with a description of the scene and then design the shots as they proceeded. Not only the quantity but the set-up of each of the many death scenes were planned in his mind and the director was able to improvise on the fly to achieve a unique look to each scene.

Mark Irwin csc, asc

Two of the early Canadian horror classics were shot

by CSC members, Bob Clark’s Black Christmas, DOP Reginald Morris csc (1974), and Paul Lynch’s Prom Night, DOP Robert New csc (1980); and two of the best critically received horror films of the contemporary era were lensed by CSC members, Karen Walton’s Ginger Snaps, DOP Thom Best csc (2000), and Daniel Roby’s La Peau blanche, DOP Éric Cayla csc (2004). In fact, one of the top-grossing Canadian films of all time, Paul W.S. Anderson’s Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), a minority

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

19

Director George A. Romero Resident Evil: Apocalypse, DOPs Derek Rogers csc and Christian Sebaldt asc

co-production produced by Don Carmody, which took in $51 million at the box office in the U.S. and Canada, was lensed by Derek Rogers csc and Christian Sebaldt asc.

A fourth film in the franchise, Resident Evil: Afterlife, was shot recently in Toronto with DOP Glen MacPherson csc, asc and will be released in 2011.

Some notable Canadian horror films with CSC members behind the camera: The Mask 3D (1961), Herbert Alpert csc, asc; Cursed (1990), John Berrie csc; Ginger Snaps (2000), Thom Best csc; La Peau blanche (2004), Éric Cayla csc; The Dark Hours (2005), Steve Cosens csc; Pin: A Plastic Nightmare (1989), Guy Dufaux csc; Witchboard III: The Possession (1995), Barry Gravelle csc; Deadline (1981) and The Pit (1981), Manfred Guthe csc; Humongous (1982), Brian Hebb csc; The Brood (1979), Skullduggery (1979), Funeral Home (1980) Scanners (1981), Videodrome (1983), Spasms (1983) and The Fly (1986), Mark Irwin csc, asc; Fido (2006), Jan Kiesser csc, asc; Ginger Snaps II (2003), Henry Less csc and Gavin Smith csc; Trick ‘r Treat (2008) and Resident Evil: Afterlife (2011), Glen MacPherson csc, asc; Black Christmas (1974), Reginald Morris csc; Prom Night (1980), Robert New csc; Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Derek Rogers csc and Christian Sebaldt asc; Cannibal Girls (1973) and Shivers (1975), Robert Saad csc; Flick (1970), Maurice Jackson-Samuels csc; Revenge of the Radioactive Reporter (1991) and Blood & Donuts (1995), Paul Sarossy csc, bsc; The Dark (1993), Michael Storey csc; Zombie Beach Party (2003) and George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead (2010), Adam Swica csc; and Decoys (2004), Denis Villeneuve csc.

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

This attribute is also reflected in the fact that Romero does not do a lot of extraneous shots and has a very clear idea of what he expects from every scene without a lot of coverage. Swica feels comfortable being able to work quickly to accommodate this freewheeling approach and considers Romero a director’s director.

Survival of the Dead was also the first Romero/Swica film shot on the Red (Build 16 from PS Production Services; it’s the second Red feature for Swica), and the camera was generally a good experience for both. Early tests were less than stellar, looking somewhat “video-y,” but by the time shooting began, a plan was worked out. Some of the considerations were shooting 1/3 stop over (250 EI) and utilizing a Dichroic IR filter to keep the blacks from becoming polluted when going beyond a 3-stop ND filter. Swica feels that the Red is excellent at reaching into the shadows, but that you do need to watch for clipping. On set, he worked with the data technician to create “skin” vis-à-vis the gamma curve and colour balance, to ballpark the look of the scene, creating a sort of “one light” for the dailies going to editorial. Once the picture was locked, Swica went back to the original meta data and did the final grade himself in collaboration with colourist Drake Conrad at Deluxe Toronto to achieve the look he was after.

Selecting correct shutter speeds was critical for gun bursts – of which there were many – and in panning to limit stuttering. Swica tended not to use grads, as he would in film, but did use Promists for softening on the Zeiss Master Primes, which are extremely sharp.

While he’s still finding out what the Red can do, Swica considers it an exciting camera to work with, offering a range of capabilities and qualities quite adequate for film-out and theatrical presentation. Not surprisingly, though, he does prefer film for the colour space it offers.

As for trends, he sees more films being shot on digital cameras and this cannot help but impact on the use of film in the future. It seems pretty certain that the digital camera manufacturers are not going to ease up in their obsession to attempt to match the qualities of film any time soon.

Used Leica Geo System Disto Laser Measurement Devices Attention crew technicians interested in selling used Leica Disto Laser Measurement devices for cash to upgrade to newer models, please contact Alan J. Crimi, Panavision Canada Corp., cell 416-577-3058; shipping, receiving and client services 416-4447000; email: alan.crimi@panavision.com; www.panavision.com.

Equipment for Rent Vancouver-based 35-mm MOS camera package: Arri 35 III 3rd generation specs. 130fps motor, N35 4 perf movement, CE high-speed base and accessory box, PL mount, custom Jurgens optics with color tap and frameline generator; 2 x 400’ mags; FF2; 5x6 matte box; two dual 12v batteries and chargers. All gear ships in four cases. Well maintained former Clairmont package. Contact Adam Braverman: 604-418-0241; adam_braverman@hotmail.com.

Equipment for Sale Sony F900H CineAlta camera with HDVF 20A used by one owner and comes with Sony shotgun mic, tripod plate, Miranda MDC-902 HDSDI, Miranda MDC700 NTSC, PCI film handle & original handle, camera strap, rain cover & portabrace fitted cover w/ rain jacket, operations manuals small & large. Total hours drum new heads: 478. Total tape run new heads: 217. Photos available. $12,000.

Contact: Michel Bisson csc at 416-346-3912; michelbisson@me.com.

Oxberry Computer Controlled Animation Stand. This stand is in excellent working condition. Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment. The stand is computer controlled by the famous Kuyper Control software driving stepper motors connected to different axis of the stand.

Here is a list of what is driven: camera zoom in and out; table – north-south axis, east-west axis; rotation, 2 pegs (top and bottom); camera – focus, take-up drive for mag and shutter. The camera comes with interchangeable gates and can be use for16 mm, super 16 or 35 mm. This kit comes also with 400ft –16-mm mag, 400ft – 35-mm mag, 1,000ft – 35-mm mag and 400ft bi-pack mag. The sidelights are 650 watts Red Heads with polarised filters. The lights are suspended on Manfrotto Pole Cats. The table’s backlight is connected to a rheostat with a solar electric current regulator. This is a great stand for any independent filmmaker or small effect animation company. Sorry we cannot ship this item. It has to be picked up. Item is located close to Montreal. Price: $ 4,800.00. Contact: Erik, Tel: 514 637-5077, Email: erikgo@videotron.ca.

16 – 35 mm Film Equipment for sale: Our animation studio is closing, and we are in the process of selling our equipment, here is a short list of items we have for sales: Densitometer McBeth Td903 for calculation of film density $300, Split reel (16 and 35 mm ) various sizes, Moviola Rewinds, 35mm Film synchroniser, Scan-0-scope converter lens system - Scope lens to “squeeze” and “unsqueeze” anamorphic $3,500, Tilt Plate for heavy cameras $800, and more. Contact: Erik for complete listing, Tel: 514 637-5077, Email: erikgo@videotron.ca.

Zylight LED sungun kit and Manfrotto fluid head tripod system, other equipment as well. Please inquire: David Collard, 416-920-7979

New Video Camera Rain Covers. Custom rain covers for sale. New design that fits and protects most Sony PMW EX3, Canon XHHDV, Panasonic VX200 cameras with the viewfinder extending toward the rear of the camera. Price: $200.00. Noiseless rain cover for the external camera microphone. Price: $30.00.

Onboard Monitor rain cover, camera assistants can see the focus during the shot.

No more hassles in the rain! $60.00. Custom Red One camera covers available upon request. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Lori Longstaff: 416-452-9247; llong@rogers.com.

NEW PRICE – DVW700WS Digital Betacam with viewfinder and two widescreen zoom lenses. Canon J1 5x8 B4WRS SX12 and Fujinon 5.5-47.

Very low hours on new heads. $16,000, plus taxes. Contact: Michael Ellis: 416-233-6378.

Betacam SP Camera package. BVP550 Betacam SP camera with BVV5 recorder, complete with Fuijinon 15x8 broadcast zoom lens, “Red Eye” wide-angle adapter, 6 IDX Li-Ion batteries, IDX quick charger with AC adapter, flight case, soft carry case, Sony monitor and 10 fresh Beta SP tapes ($140 value). $2,500. Call Christian: 416-459-4895.

Panasonic HPX500 (Canadian model with Canadian warranty) with the latest up dates. Low hours. Perfect condition. 2/3 CCD 1080/720 HD camera with 4 P2 card slots. Comes with Anton mount, all factory accessories (most have never been opened) & original box. Only camera body and EVF for sale – not lens, base plate or batteries. Photos available. 604-726-5646; JohnBanovich@gmail.com.

Betacam SP D30 camera, PVV3 Recorder Back, Fujinon 16X, 9-144 zoom lens, six batteries, charger, power supply and case, Sony PVM 80Q 7 1/2inch monitor and case. $3,500. Contact: Joan Hutton: 416-693-9776.

For Sale The Essential Guide to Canadian Film by Wyndham Wise . First published in 2001, this second edition of The Essential Guide to Canadian Film is now 1,500 entries, completely revised and updated, including 650 biographical notes with filmographies and 850 film reviews, with credits, of award-winning Canadian films. Also included are a complete list of winners at the Canadian Film Awards, Genies, Oscars, TIFF and Cannes, and a detailed chronology of Canadian film and television history. The Essential Guide to Canadian Film is an individually numbered, unique publication of encyclopedic proportions ; a handsome reference text for film and television professionals, students and fans of Canadian film.

Hardcover, 374 pages. $80.00 plus shipping via Canada Post Express. To order, email editor@csc.ca.

Camera Classified is a free service provided for CSC members. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to editor@csc.ca.

Sony BVW-400a Betacam SP Camcorder Camera used by professional cinematographer (one owner), never rented out. Comes complete with Fujinon A15x8BEVM-28 lens, Petroff matte box with 4x4 and 4x5.6 filter holders, remote zoom and focus control for lens, 6 Cadnica NP-1 batteries, Sony BC1WD battery charger, Porta-Brace fitted cover w/ rain jacket (like new) and Sony factory hard shipping case and manuals. Lens and camera professionally maintained by factory technicians. Usage hours are: A – 1,918 hours; B – 1,489 hours; C – 4,286 hours. $10,000.00 obo. Contact: Craig Wrobleski csc, 403-995-4202 Aaton XTR Super 16 pkg: including body, video relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5-mm–60-mm S-16 zoom lens, Zeiss 9.5 prime lens, 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,85N6, polarizer, ND6, clear), follow focus and cases $22,000; Nikon 50–300 -mm F4-5 E.D. lens w/support, $1,000; Kinoptik 9–8-mm 35-mm format lens c/w sunshade $1,400. Contact stringercam@shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

21

Classifieds

Equipment Wanted

CSC Members

CSC FULL MEMBERS Jim Aquila csc John Badcock csc Michael Balfry csc Christopher Ball csc John Banovich csc John Stanley Bartley csc, asc Stan Barua csc Yves Bélanger csc Peter Benison csc Jeremy Benning csc John Berrie csc Michel Bisson csc Michael Boland csc Nicolas Bolduc csc Thomas Burstyn csc, frsa, nzcs Barry Casson csc Eric Cayla csc Henry Chan csc Marc Charlebois csc Rodney Charters csc, asc Damir I. Chytil csc Arthur E. Cooper csc Walter Corbett csc Steve Cosens csc Bernard Couture csc Richard P. Crudo csc, asc Dean Cundey csc, asc François Dagenais csc Steve Danyluk csc David A. De Volpi csc Kamal Derkaoui csc Kim Derko csc Serge Desrosiers csc Jean-Yves Dion csc Zoe Dirse csc Mark Dobrescu csc Wes Doyle csc John Drake csc Guy Dufaux csc Ray Dumas csc Albert Dunk csc, asc Philip Earnshaw csc Michael Ellis csc Carlos A. Esteves csc Nikos Evdemon csc David Frazee csc Marc Gadoury csc Antonio Galloro csc James Gardner csc, sasc David A Geddes csc Ivan Gekoff csc Laszlo George csc, hsc Pierre Gill csc Russ Goozee csc Steve Gordon csc Barry R. Gravelle csc David Greene csc John B. Griffin csc Michael Grippo csc Manfred Guthe csc D. Gregor Hagey csc Thomas M. Harting csc Peter Hartmann csc Pauline R. Heaton csc

Brian Hebb csc David Herrington csc Karl Herrmann csc Kenneth A. Hewlett csc Robert Holmes csc John Holosko csc George Hosek csc Colin Hoult csc Donald Hunter csc Joan Hutton csc Mark Irwin csc, asc James Jeffrey csc Pierre Jodoin csc Martin Julian csc Norayr Kasper csc Glen Keenan csc Ian Kerr csc Jan E. Kiesser csc, asc Alar Kivilo csc, asc Douglas Koch csc Charles D. Konowal csc Alwyn J. Kumst csc Jean-Claude Labrecque csc Serge Ladouceur csc George Lajtai csc Marc Laliberté Else csc Barry Lank csc Philippe Lavalette csc John Lesavage csc Henry Less csc Pierre Letarte csc Antonin Lhotsky csc Philip Linzey csc J.P. Locherer csc Peter C. Luxford csc Larry Lynn csc Dylan Macleod csc Bernie MacNeil csc Glen MacPherson csc, asc Shawn Maher csc David A. Makin csc Adam Marsden csc Donald M. McCuaig csc, asc Robert B. McLachlan csc, asc Ryan McMaster csc Michael McMurray csc Stephen F. McNutt csc, asc Simon Mestel csc Alastair Meux csc Gregory D. Middleton csc C. Kim Miles csc Gordon Miller csc Robin S. Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Luc Montpellier csc Rhett Morita csc David Moxness csc Douglas Munro csc Kent Nason csc Mitchell T. Ness csc Robert C. New csc Stefan Nitoslawski csc Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Bruno Philip csc Matthew R. Phillips csc André Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Ronald Plante csc Randal G. Platt csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Andreas Poulsson csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Peter Rowe csc Brad Rushing csc Branimir Ruzic csc Jérôme Sabourin csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc, bsc Michael Patrick Savoie csc Ian Seabrook csc Gavin Smith csc Christopher Soos csc Michael Spicer csc John Spooner csc Ronald Edward Stannett csc Pieter Stathis csc Brendan Steacy csc Barry Ewart Stone csc Michael Storey csc Michael Sweeney csc Adam Swica csc Attila Szalay csc, hsc Jason Tan csc John P. Tarver csc Paul Tolton csc Bert Tougas csc Chris Triffo csc Sean Valentini csc Brett Van Dyke csc Roger Vernon csc Frank Vilaca csc Daniel Villeneuve csc Daniel Vincelette csc Michael Wale csc John Walker csc James Wallace csc Tony Wannamaker csc Peter Warren csc Andrew Watt csc Jim Westenbrink csc Tony Westman csc Kit Whitmore csc, soc Brian Whittred csc Ron Williams csc George A. Willis csc, sasc Glen Winter csc Peter Woeste csc Bill C.P. Wong csc Kevin C.W. Wong csc Bruce Worrall csc Craig Wrobleski csc

Yuri Yakubiw csc Ellie Yonova csc CSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Joshua Allen Don Armstrong John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys David Battistella Gregory Bennett Jonathan Benny Jonathan Bensimon André Bériault Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Thomas Billingsley Stan Bioksic Francois M. Bisson Christophe Bonniere Martin Brown Scott Brown Richard Burman Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Maurice Chabot César Charlone Stephen Chung David Collard René Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie James Crowe Micha Dahan Michael Jari Davidson Nicholas de Pencier Ricardo Diaz Randy Dreager Gamal El-Boushi Andreas Evdemon Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Joshua Fraiman Kevin A. Fraser Tom Gatenby Brian Gedge Rion Gonzales Vladimir Gosaric Daniel Grant Jeffrey Hanley David M.J. Hodge John Hodgson Cliff Hokanson James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka David Johns Jorma Kantola Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Douglas John Kropla Charles Lavack Jim Laverdiere

Robin Lawless soc Allan Leader Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau James Lewis John V. Lindsay Matthew J. Lloyd Dave Luxton Robert Macdonald Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Tony Meerakker Tony Merzetti Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Sarah Moffat Robin Lee Morgan Helmfried Muller Brian Charles Murphy Keith Murphy Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Ted Parkes Deborah Parks Pavel “Pasha” Patriki Rick Perotto Allan Piil Scott Plante Ryan A. Randall Dave Rendall Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Don Roussel Christopher Sargent Andrew W. Scholotiuk Ian Scott Neil Scott Neil Seale Wayne Sheldon Simon Shohet Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Peter Sweeney André Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson Kirk Tougas John Walsh Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Kelly John Wolfert Carolyn Wong Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc

Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird Peter Battistone Russell Bell Jacques F. Bernier Mark A. Biggin Adam Braverman Gordon A. Burkell Joseph Calabrese Arnold Caylakyan Bernard Chartouni Johnny Yan Chen Brent J. Craig Maggie Craig Brad Creasser Ana Cunha Colin Davis Dominika Dittwald Micah L. Edelstein Tony Edgar Zachary Finkelstein Randy French Richard Gira Aizick Grimman James D. Hardie Stephen Hargreaves Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen Rick Kearney Matthew Casey Kennedy Guido Kondruss Boris Kurtzman Ryan Lalonde Charles Lenhoff Tony Lippa John Lipsz Lori P. Longstaff Robert H. Lynn Megan MacDonald Jill MacLauchlan Parks Yoann Malnati Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro Muñoz Kar Wai Ng Peter Osborne Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Greg Petrigo Douglas B. Pruss Elise Queneau Lem Ristsoo Susan Saranchuk

Chirayouth Jim Saysana James Scott Brad Smith Kyryll Sobolev Michael Soos Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Trevor J. Wiens Irene Sweeney Willis CSC FULL LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc, asc Robert Bocking csc Raymond A. Brounstein csc David Carr csc Marc Champion csc Christopher Chapman csc, cfe Robert C. Crone csc, cfc, dg Kenneth R. Davey csc Kelly Duncan csc, dgc John C. Foster csc Leonard Gilday csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Douglas Kiefer csc Rudolf Kovanic csc Ken Krawczyk csc

Les Krizsan csc Naohiko Kurita csc Harry Lake csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Harry Makin csc Douglas A. McKay csc Donald James McMillan csc Jim Mercer csc Roger Moride csc George Morita csc Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roger Racine csc Robert G. Saad csc Josef Seckeresh csc John Stoneman csc Derek VanLint csc Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle

indicates demo reel online, www.csc.ca

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010 •

23

Production Notes Angle mort (feature); DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; to March 6, Montreal Connor Undercover (feature); Yuri Yakubiw csc; OP J.P. Locherer csc; to April 19, Mississauga, ON Flashpoint III (series); DOP Stephen Reizes csc; OP Tony Guerin; to May 28, Toronto Fringe II (series); DOP David Moxness csc (even); DOP Thomas Yatsko (odd); OP Chris Tammaro csc; to March 22, Vancouver Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (feature); DOP Guy Dufaux csc; to February 19, Montreal Shattered (series); DOP David Frazee csc; OP Mark Chow; to April 23, Vancouver Smallville IX (series); DOP Glen Winter csc (odd); Barry Donlevy (even); OP Brian Whittred csc (odd); Neil Seale (even); to April 13, Burnaby, BC Supernatural V (series); DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 29, Burnaby, BC Upside Down (feature); DOP Pierre Gill csc; to June 30, Montreal La Vérité (feature); DOP Ivan Gekoff csc; to March 8, Montreal

Calendar of Events March 3–7, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston ON, kingcanfilmfest.com 26–Apr. 3, Cinéfranco, Toronto, cinefranco.com 27, CSC Awards dinner, Osgoode Ballroom, Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto, 5:30 p.m. reception, 7:00 dinner and awards. For ticket information 416-266-0591.

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24 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2010

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