Ron Prince has over three decades of experience in the film, TV, CGI and VFX industries, and has written about cinematography for 20 years. In 2014, he won the ARRI John Alcott Award from the BSC. He also runs the international content marketing and PR communications company Prince PR. “Count” Iain Blair is a British writer/musician who lives in LA and writes extensively about film/entertainment for outlets including LA Times, Variety and Reuters. He interviews movie stars, as well as Hollywood’s top filmmakers.
Darek Kuźma is a film and TV journalist, translator/interpreter, and a regular collaborator/programmer of the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival. He is an ardent cinephile who has a lifelong romance with the visual language of cinema.
David Wood is a freelance journalist covering film/TV technology and production He was a former technology editor at Televisual, and is a regular contributor to Worldscreen, TVB Europe and Broadcast Iain Hazlewood is a designer, writer and presenter specialising in the film & TV, music and electronics industries across digital and print publications.
John Keedwell GBCT/UAV Pilot is a documentary and commercials cameraman who has worked on productions worldwide. He has great knowledge of film, tape/file-based formats and lighting, and their uses in production.
Kirsty Hazlewood has over two decades of editorial experience in print/online publications, including the IBC and ISE Daily, and is a regular contributor to folk/roots music website Spiral Earth.
Michael Burns has covered film, broadcast, VFX, animation and interactive design, in print and online, for 20 years, for publications including IBC Daily, Digital Arts, TVB Europe and Broadcast Tech.
Natasha Block Hicks is an artist/designer/maker, who spent a decade as a freelance film and TV camera assistant, and indulges her love for cinema and cinematography through research and writing.
Cover Image: Cover Image: The Girl With The Needle, shot by DP Michał Dymek PSC, winner of the 2024 Camerimage Golden Frog. Photograph by Lukasz Bak.
I love film deeply and have a profound, vibrational connection with filmed images
DP
Isabelle Stachtchenko
AND THE WINNER IS…
Congratulations to our great friend Lol Crawley BSC on his Oscar, BAFTA and BSC wins during the 2025 awards season for his work on The Brutalist. We’re equally elated for Ed Lachman ASC, another great friend, and his ASC win for Maria.
What’s also truly-thrilling is the quiet triumph of KODAK, especially at this year’s Academy Awards. Along with Lol’s Best Cinematography gong for The Brutalist, Anora (DP Drew Daniels), the winner for Best Picture, I’m Still Here (Adrian Teijido ABC), which earned Best International Feature Film, and I’m Not a Robot (DP Martijn van Broekhuizen NSC), this year’s Best Live Action Short, were all variously captured on KODAK film – including 35mm VistaVision, 35mm, 16mm and Super8mm formats, plus analogue B&W.
Lest we forget, along with Maria, other awards-season contenders, such as Nosferatu, (DP Jarin Blaschke), Sing Sing (DP Pat Scola) and A Different Man (DP Wyatt Garfield), harnessed KODAK film as well.
Each of these visually-distinctive movies was produced on a small budget, which is testimony that shooting on film can be realised for less than you might think.
And who knows? With the right story, if you can be equally discerning, creative and daring in your aesthetic choices, you might be a future winner too!
Stay safe. See you again soon!
Ron Prince Editor in Chief
Ron Prince photo by Joe Short www.joeshort.com
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DEAR PRUDENCE
In my role as chief executive of the British Film Commission, I’ve had the privilege of representing and promoting the UK’s film and high-end television (HETV) industry internationally; to attract major international studios and streamers to base their productions in England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales; to loudly-bang the drum for the incredible strengths the UK collectively offers; and to liaise with UK Government to keep our policy environment film-friendly.
Part of that work includes demonstrating a strong return on investment from the film and HETV sector, in facts and figures. This February, the British Film Institute (BFI) published its Official Statistics for 2024, a much-anticipated summary of activity for film and TV production and box office spend in the UK over the preceding 12 months.
The headline news was encouraging. Film and HETV production spend in the UK reached £5.6bn in 2024. Of that, inward investment spend on film and HETV – the area the British Film Commission is responsible for - accounted for £4.7bn, representing 86% of the total spend. International feature film production spend in the UK delivered £1.9 billion, with high-end TV (HETV) inward investment spend delivering £2.8 billion. That’s an 83% increase on 2023’s figures for total US inward investment spend in the UK on feature films, with UK spend on HETV increasing by 25%.
Working on productions as varied as How To Train Your Dragon (Universal), The Running Man (Paramount) and Peaky Blinders: War (Netflix), to Slow Horses S5 and S6 (Apple TV+), Hamnet (Amblin), Project Hail Mary (Amazon MGM) and Bridgerton S4 (Netflix), the British Film Commission’s work to attract, and provide bespoke production support to those film and HETV projects and companies accounted for around 93% of the total projects’ spend in the UK.
Crucially, the BFI’s statistics charted, in numbers, a year many of us felt to be a game of two halves. A challenging first half, due to a slower than anticipated restart of production following the 2023 US writers’ and actors’ guild strikes. Then a more buoyant second half, reflecting the pick-up in inward investment film and HETV production activity we saw in the UK as 2024 gathered pace. So we see 2024 very much as a transitional year.
Looking forward, I am cautiously optimistic. In the UK, our creative sector already employs over 2.4 million people and is worth over the £120 billion to the economy. Film and TV is a significant portion of that contribution, and growing. Which is why our sector is such a central part of the UK Government’s vision for growth, with Government prioritising it as an industry.
We are very lucky to have strong support from successive UK Governments. Over the last 12 months, the Government has introduced the new
The UK remains well-placed to see a competitive share of global production spend
Audio-Visual Tax Credits model, replacing our previous tax reliefs with a new expenditure credit model that future-proofs us internationally. Vital for on-going global competitiveness.
They have also increased the rate of the VFX and animation tax credit on UK spend to 29.25%, with VFX credits exempt from the overall 80% cap on spending eligible for the AVEC. Again, reaffirming and bolstering the competitiveness of our already classleading VFX and animation sectors internationally.
The UK now offers an all-new, game-changing 40% tax credit for limited-budget films up to £23.5m – the Independent Film Tax Credit (IFTC). This last incentive is set to encourage a great deal more production, and co-production, activity on smaller budget films. We’ve already seen a number of productions that had previously stalled, now ‘greenlit’, with anecdotal evidence pointing to the new tax credit.
Returning recently from the Berlin Film Festival, that spirit of collaboration, of countries and producers keen to work with the UK, was the strongest I’ve personally seen for many years. The British Film Commission has, over the last three years, been building a strong network of partnerships with other European Film Commissions to ensure that at the industry level, our friendship and collaboration are as strong as possible. Those partner Film Commissions and producer colleagues, whether Spain, the Netherlands or Norway, are all incredibly keen to know how they can work more with us. The combination of the partnership agreements between the BFC and counterpart commissions, and the conversations around co-productions happening through us and via BFI channels, shows a really encouraging new industry-to-industry collaboration. I truly feel this will usher in a new era of co-productions with European and international territories.
Other policy announcements, including the recent studio business rates relief to help off-set high business rates, as well as support for studio and stage space development through British Film Commission work over the last four years, have added to the UK’s competitive position.
And this is in addition to our underlying strengths, notably a world-class, diverse skills base underpinned by a robust future strategy, and a UKwide offer of diverse locations and stage space boasting cutting edge facilities.
But we shouldn’t be complacent. It’s fair to say that we’re still waiting for the market to settle, to reach a ‘new normal’ – after the highs and lows of the recent years; after Covid created an artificial ‘boom’ in commissioning and production; after the US guild strikes brought the US and much of the UK’s production to a standstill for nine months. And, taking into account the broader market disruptions caused by streaming and other ‘new’ models of distribution and commissioning of content, we’ve still to see the market settle Until then, we remain cautious.
But… we remain cautious
But with the team here at the British Film Commission experiencing an increasingly-high level of inward investment production enquiries now, both studio and location-based, I feel the UK remains wellplaced to see a competitive share of global production spend, and all signs are that we’ll see strong growth in inward investment film and HETV in coming months.
Adrian Wootton OBE Chief Executive British Film Commission
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LOL CRAWLEY BSC & KODAK WIN BIG DURING 2025 AWARDS SEASON
The 2025 awards season proved a great one for both British DP Lol Crawley BSC and analogue film manufacturer KODAK.
Crawley won the coveted Oscar, BAFTA and BSC Awards for his work on The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbett, which the DP filmed on KODAK 35mm film, chiefly using the 8-perf VistaVision format for dramatic impact.
Whilst Crawley was also nominated for the ASC Award for The Brutalist, the prestigious trophy went to American DP Ed Lachman ASC for his work on director Pablo Larraín’s Maria, depicting the beautiful and tragic story of opera singer Maria Callas, realised on KODAK 35mm, 16mm and 8mm colour and 35mm B&W filmstocks.
At this year’s Oscars, Sean Baker’s Anora, filmed by American DP Drew Daniels on KODAK 35mm, earned five wins, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress for Mikey Madison. The film received wins for Best Editing (Sean Baker) and Best Original Screenplay (Sean Baker) as well.
BUN-G-RING LAUNCHED AT BSC EXPO 2025
The Bun-G-Ring, which debuted at the BSC Expo 2025, is a lightweight, durable and ultra-fast solution that mounts filters in a few short seconds, eliminating the need for tape
by using a bungee cord-based mounting system that holds filters securely in place.
Engineered for the demands of professional filmmaking, and crafted from glass fibrereinforced polyamide and stainless steel, it works with any filter size, stacks up to five filters and weighs in at just 61.7g / 2.17oz.
The Bun-G-Ring’s custom-engineered bungee cords are threaded with Dyneema, “the world’s strongest fibre”, widely-used in aerospace and extreme sports. This unique combination of flexibility and strength ensures filters stay secure in any shooting condition.
The Bun-G-Ring was born from first-hand set experience. Frustrated by the limitations of taping filters, a team of industry professionals –including camera assistant Stevie Vos and gaffer Erno Das – set out to create a better way. They
ARRI ANNOUNCES ALEXA 35 ENTRY MODEL
ARRI has expanded the Alexa 35 range with a new entry model, the Alexa 35 Base, offering core features and flexible licensing options. The Alexa 35 Premium remains available, with both models sharing hardware, except for a blue jog wheel on the Base for easy rental identification. Both offer the same Super 35 sensor, 17 stops of dynamic range, Reveal Colour Science and ARRI image quality.
The Alexa 35 Base supports ProRes recording up to 60fps in 4K 16:9, enhanced sensitivity modes up to EI6400, and three 10-bit monitoring outputs in SDR and HDR colour spaces.
ARRI’s licensing system allows users to unlock additional features as needed, ensuring long-term flexibility. Licenses can be activated for various durations, including seven days, 30 days, or permanently, and include options for higher frame rates, ARRIRAW imaging, full sensor use, buffered prerecording, and in-camera ARRI textures.
With all five licenses, the Base model offers the same features as the Premium. A cost-effective Premium License bundles these licenses together. The Alexa 35 Base is available in eight accessory bundles (Entry, Operator and Production Sets) to suit different production needs, from lightweight packages to high-end narrative work.
Alongside the Base model, Codex introduces the Compact Drive Express 1TB, offering the same performance as the standard 1TB drive but at 40% less cost, making it a perfect match for the Alexa 35 Base.
Along with The Brutalist and Anora, Walter Selles’ political drama, I’m Still Here/Ainda Estou Aqui, shot on KODAK 35mm and Super8mm film by Brazilian DP Adrian Teijido ABC, earned the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
recently partnered with Second Reef who will be the exclusive worldwide distributor.
Photo credit Pablo Larrain
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BRITISH FILM & HIGH-END TV SPEND REACHED £5.6 BILLION IN 2024
Official figures published by the BFI’s Research & Statistics Unit show that film and high-end TV production spend in the UK was £5.6 billion in 2024, a 31% increase on 2023 as parts of the sector regained momentum, generating billions to the UK economy.
The lion’s share of the total £5.6 billion production spend was contributed by HETV shows with £3.4 billion, or 62% of the total spend; with feature film production contributing £2.1 billion, or 38% of the total spend.
Inward investment and co-production films and HETV shows combined delivered £4.8 billion, or 86% of the combined production spend, continuing to demonstrate the UK’s global reputation as the world-leading centre for international film and TV production.
Inward investment films which contributed £1.04 billion included The Running Man, Bugonia, 28 Years Later, Hamnet, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery Inward investment HETV productions encompassed The Immortal Man: A Peaky Blinders Film, The Donovans, Young Sherlock, Man vs Baby and Art Detectives. Domestic HETV productions included Gavin & Stacey: The Finale, Inheritance, Transaction and Man Like Mobeen S5 Culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, said, “These figures show the
strength and resilience of our world-class film and TV industry, which continues to generate significant revenue and jobs across the UK despite recent challenges.”
Adrian Wootton OBE, chief executive of the British Film Commission, added, “Looking forward, we’re cautiously optimistic. The British Film Commission is experiencing the highest level of inward investment production enquiries for many years. The UK remains well-placed to see a competitive share of the global production spend and all signs are that we’ll see strong growth in film and HETV in coming months.”
SCI-TECH AWARDS GO TO ARRI TRINITY 2, STEADICAM VOLT & STABILEYE
The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences honoured 37 recipients for 14 scientific and technical achievements at its annual Scientific & Technical Awards. These awards recognise innovations that significantly enhance filmmaking.
Honourees include Curt Schaller for the concept, design and development of the ARRI Trinity 2 system, and Dr. Roman Foltyn for the software and hardware design of its motorised stabilised head. The Trinity 2 is a body-worn system that combines a traditional inertial camera stabilisation system with electronic
gimbal technology.
Steve Wagner was honoured for the concept and software, Garrett Brown for the design, and Jerry Holway and Robert Orf for the engineering of the Tiffen Steadicam Volt, a two-axis motorised camerastabilisation system that creates artificial inertia, simulated friction, and adjustable tactile feedback. Different modes allow the operator to alter the physical feel of the rig. The Volt empowers filmmakers to achieve dynamic shots with more complex camera movement while maintaining a stable roll axis.
Dave Freeth was honoured for the design, engineering and development of the handheld Stabileye three-axis motorised camera stabilisation system. The compact size and live adjustment of operating parameters of these devices facilitate subtle and dynamic camera moves closer to actors, and in tighter quarters than previously possible. Its low latency allows for instinctive operation whether controlled by a single operator or remotely.
APUTURE UNVEILS STORM XT52 POINT SOURCE
Aputure has unveiled the Storm XT52, the new flagship in its point source line of LED lights. The Storm XT52 is said to be the brightest COB light in the industry, with an unprecedented output rivalling some 9000w HMIs. It features Aputure’s new Blair light engine, offering a tunable white light colour spectrum, with an expansive CCT range, +/- Green adjustability, and X,Y coordinate tuneable colours.
Aputure’s advanced cooling and structural design achieves this performance in a lamp head that one person can lift and a briefcase-sized control box.
“We gave ourselves an immense challenge,” explained Ted Sim, president and co-founder of Aputure. “To produce the brightest LED light in the industry with the best spectrum and tunability, while making it small and lightweight enough for singleperson set up and operation on a crank stand.”
“Last year we launched the Storm lights with the Blair light engine. Customers around the world asked us to bring our Blair light engine to higher wattage fixtures. So we put that technology into a powerful fixture and designed new cooling and control systems to keep the size and weight manageable.”
DEDOLIGHT LIGHTSTREAM LITE: ONE LAMP FOR MULTIPLE SOURCES OF LIGHT
Using just one focussing Dedolight equipped with a Parallel Beam Intensifier, in combination with reflectors, it is possible to light a single scene. You can light in the traditional way of threepoint lighting - keylight, backlight and fill - at the same time, providing patterned light on the background with an additional lighting accent. All this is achieved using one single light source, in combination with reflectors.
This means a scene for one or two people can be lit effectively with incredibly low-power consumption. Even using a single battery for the single light source can provide over two hours of continuous power.
The example shown was lit with a single 8W Dedolight Ledzilla with a Parallel Beam Intensifier on the front. A set of Dedolight Lightstream LITE reflectors was used in combination with a single stand with the Dedolight Quintopus mounted. The Quintopus is a clamp with extendable arms which can hold up to
five reflectors that can be angled and positioned in any direction you choose. A Dedolight Eflect reflector was used to create the pattern on the background.
This way of lighting is scaleable. A similar set-up could be created using larger reflectors and a Dedolight focussing light with higher light output. This would enable the reflectors to be moved further back, away from the subject. The result of the larger reflectors will create a softer light, and the effects of the square law can be markedly reduced.
set-up all in a portable case, which is smaller than a handbag, delivering an incredibly small, powerefficient system producing first-class results.
Dedolight Lightstream LITE enables the cinematographer to create a simple and effective
Check out the movie demonstrating the process of lighting a single scene using the equipment described at https://vimeo.com/1061378368?share=copy.
SONY ADDS MORE FEATURES TO BURANO V2.0 UPDATE
Sony has announced new features and operational improvements to its upcoming Burano Version 2.0 firmware update, planned to be released in March 2025, including new recording formats, new 1.8x de-squeeze and monitoring improvements.
V2.0 will include new recording formats, including a new 3.8K Full Frame crop that leverages nearly the entire sensor and can shoot up to 120fps and a 1.9K mode that can shoot up to 240fps. These new recording modes allow filmmakers to prioritise faster sensor performance depending on the needs of their application. Other new recording formats include the addition of 24.00fps to X-OCN 16:9 imager modes.
Burano Version 2.0 will also add a 1.8x desqueeze setting as well as additional high frame
rate (S & Q) modes, including up to 66, 72, 75, 88, 90, 96, and 110fps. It will feature proxy recording for 24.00fps recording formats too.
In addition to the new recording formats, V2.0 offers various monitoring and metadata improvements, including standardised SDI video output for monitoring across X-OCN and XAVC. It adds breathing compensation and image stabilisation metadata in X-OCN, time code and clip name metadata to SDI output. commitment and ambition to continue to grow in this highly competitive market.”
SOC ANNOUNCES CAMERA OPERATOR OF THE YEAR WINNERS
The Society Of Camera Operators (SOC) recently announced the recipients of Camera Operator Of The Year in Film And Television at the 2025 SOC Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Loews Hollywood Hotel.
P. Scott Sakamoto SOC won Camera Operator Of The Year In Film for A Complete Unknown The Television award went to Scott Dropkin SOC for Yellowstone, S5 E14 “Life Is A Promise,” alongside Abby Linne SOC (B-camera) and Jed Seus (C-camera).
Other nominees in the film category included Bianca Butti for Challengers, Michael Fuchs SOC for Wolfs, Karsten Bloch Jacobsen DFF for Wicked, and David J. Thompson SOC for Civil War Television nominees featured Sam Ellison SOC for The Penguin, Michael Fuchs SOC for Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Chris Haarhoff SOC for Fallout, and Gary Malouf for The Bear
The event was attended by industry leaders and nominees. This year’s awards highlighted those making a difference following the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The Governors’ Award honoured the LA County Fire Department Air Operations
Section for their wildfire containment efforts. The President’s Award recognised James Ramos (KTLA) and John Schreiber (CBS Los Angeles) for their frontline coverage.
SOC president Matthew Moriarty congratulated the winners, saying, “Your artistry and dedication are truly inspiring. This year’s awards celebrate excellence while honouring first responders and visual storytellers documenting history.”
BOVINGDON AIRFIELD STUDIOS STARTS WORK ON
20,000SQ/FT STAGE A
Work on Bovingdon Airfield Studios’ permanent 20,000sq/ ft Stage A started in December 2024 and is now well underway, with completion expected by summer 2025. As the final sound stage for the North Hub, it will complete the site and complement the existing, in-demand stages B to D, which have proved popular over the last couple of years.
Work on Bovingdon Airfield Studios’ permanent 20,000sq/ft Stage A started in December 2024 and is now well underway, with completion expected by summer 2025. As the final sound stage for the North Hub, it will complete the site and complement the existing, in-demand stages B to D, which have proved popular over the last couple of years.
“We’ve designed all our sound stages to the highest-quality standard, partnering with industry experts to meet modern production needs,” said Bovingdon Airfield Studios’ managing director Harvey Mash.
“Stages B to D have earned excellent feedback from production and locations teams, and we look forward to A Stage being finished so that we can focus on the second phase of our Masterplan.”
The next phase of the plan is the construction of a Central Hub featuring office space, shared facilities and amenities such as a gym, canteen, multistorey car park, post-production and screening spaces.
EASTBROOK STUDIOS OPENS FOR PRODUCTION
Eastbrook Studios, London’s largest film and TV studio campus, has officially opened. Developed by MBS Group and Hackman Capital Partners, the 21.5-acre site features 12 state-ofthe-art soundstages, ranging from 16,000 to 32,000sq/ft, with up to 50-foot clear heights and interconnected spaces. The campus
includes workshops, offices, backlot areas and access to diverse filming locations.
The studios have transformed a previously redundant East London lot. The complex is situated on the London Underground District Line, and is 15 minutes from London City Airport. Eastbrook Studios is working with the London Borough Of Barking & Dagenham to create local job and education opportunities.
Eastbrook Studios’ managing director, Brantley Bissette, said, “Our modern and technologically advanced stages have the flexibility to welcome productions of every scale and type. We’re extremely proud to be delivering world-class infrastructure to both domestic and international productions.”
Scott Dropkin SOC operating on Yellowstone (Photo credit Cam McLeod.)
P. Scott Sakamoto SOC operating on A Complete Unknown
(Photo courtesy Searchlight Pictures)
PINEWOOD GROUP ANNOUNCES PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON DEVELOPMENT OPTIONS
Pinewood Group has announced a public consultation about the expansion of Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire. The expansion and investment would incorporate additional film stages and production facilities alongside the development of a data centre. This mixed-use development project provides a compelling blend of two of the Government’s focus industries as set out in its Modern Industrial Strategy –
digital technologies and the creative industries.
David Conway, CEO, Pinewood Group said, “We are a dynamic business in a fast-moving industry, and are committed to investing in the on-going expansion of Pinewood Studios. The reduction in global content production, combined with rising construction costs and business rates, triggered a review of our existing planning consent and we believe the revised proposals provide a credible alternative.”
A period of local public consultation commenced in late February to begin community dialogue about the development options for the site.
SHINFIELD STUDIOS APPOINTS BETH GALLAGHER IN LEADING SALES ROLE
Shinfield Studios has appointed Beth Gallagher as director of sales for UK and Europe. Gallagher was most recently at Amazon MGM Studios where she was integral in finding production space for Amazon’s projects and securing their long-term homes at Shepperton South and Bray Studios.
The news follows the recent promotion of Dean Horne to vice president of global studio operations at Shadowbox Studios (including Shinfield Studios), Charlene St Aubyn to financial controller, and Ruby Hornsey to studio operations manager for Shinfield Studios.
BOTTLE YARD & WEST COUNTRY SHOOTS
The new series of RTS and BAFTA-winning comedy thriller Am I Being Unreasonable? has begun on BBC One and iPlayer, after filming again at Bristol’s Bottle Yard Studios and various West Country locations.
The production team returned to the studios to shoot series two on purpose-built sets for Nic’s (Daisy May Cooper) family home and the caravan she shares with her best friend Jen (Selin Hizli).
Additional filming took place in Wookey village, Somerset, and Chavenage House, Gloucestershire.
Chrissie Broadway, head of production, Boffola Pictures, commented, “The region offers an incredible blend of creativity, logistical support and natural beauty that perfectly complements the tone of the show. The Bottle Yard’s facilities are second to none and the team there have always been incredibly supportive and adaptable.”
Laura Aviles, head of film, Bristol City Council added, “It was our pleasure to welcome Boffola Pictures and the whole team back to The Bottle Yard for a second series. Productions like this are hugely beneficial to our film sector, generating around £30m per year towards the local economy.”
Photo courtesy of Boffola Pictures/BBC.
POINT & SHOOT
Our regular round up of who is shooting what and where
SCREEN TALENT:
Pierluigi Malavasi is shooting Wife Stalker in Atlanta, based on Liv Constantine’s 2020 novel of the same name, directed by Elisabeth Rohm from a screenplay by Barbara Marshall.
MCKINNEY MACARTNEY MANAGEMENT:
Stuart Biddlecombe BSC is shooting Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale S6 in Toronto, with directors Elisabeth Moss and Natascha Leite. Ben Butler has been lensing ads. Sergio Delgado BSC is lighting Milligan’s Law for C5 with director Michael Samuels. Gavin Finney BSC is shooting a Good Omens special in Scotland for Amazon Prime, with Rachel Talalay directing. Jean Philippe Gossart AFC is filming Apple TV+’s Silo S3. Steve Lawes recently wrapped on NCIS Europe in Budapest. Sam McCurdy BSC ASC is filming the finale of Avatar: The Last Airbender S2 for Netflix. Andy McDonnell is shooting Murder Before Evensong for C5 with director David Moore. Richard Mott just wrapped on C4’s The Jury S2. Richard Stoddard is shooting Run Away for Netflix.
SARA PUTT ASSOCIATES:
After operating B-camera on the Warner Bros’ feature Panic Carefully, Aga Szeliga will move straight on to a series for Val, shooting in Malta. Akhilesh Patel operated Steadicam on spots and promos, working with Bold Studios and Heritage Music. Alastair Rae is A-camera/Steadicam on a Netflix feature with DP Alvin Küchler BSC. Andrei Austin did Steadicam dailies on Man Like Mobeen and Silent Witness Andrew Bainbridge has wrapped on The Assassin for Amazon, which was filmed in Greece. Ben Mankin has wrapped on The Sandman S2 where he operated B-camera with DP William Baldy. Chris Maxwell has been operating Steadicam dailies on Summerwater and Half Man with DP Carlos Catalan. Dan Evans has recently did Steadicam dailies on The Running Man alongside DP Fabio Calascibetta. Danny Bishop was A-camera on Rob Sorretti’s film Angels Of The Asylum Ed Clark wrapped on The Donovans and went on to a Lucasfilm project. Jack Mealing recently operated B-camera on the last block of The Witcher with DP Scott Winig. James Frater is confirmed for The Gentleman S2. James Leigh has wrapped on Mammoth Screen’s Toward Zero with DP Laura Bellingham. Julian Morson has been on location filming the Jack Ryan film, working with director Andrew Bernstein. Tanya Marar is B-camera on
the feature Better in Malta with DP Kit Fraser. Rick Woollard operated Steadicam for Service Now and operated AR on a McDonalds ad for Pretty Bird with DP Alex Barber. Tom Walden is operating A-camera/Steadicam on the Apple TV+ series Star City Vince McGahon continues on Apple TV+’s Slow Horses S6. Will Lyte recently wrapped on The Donovans before operating A-camera/ Steadicam on Paris Is Fallen S2. Zoe GoodwinStuart has wrapped on the Doctor Who spin-off The War Between Land And Sea, where she operated A-camera with DP Dale Elena McCready. Chris Dodds has been shooting TVCs with director’s Simon
Sorted and Richard Jung, and also completed the narrative short Shell with writer/director Samantha Brain. Giulio Biccari has completed Haven for Drama Republic, whilst Black Doves, which he shot last year, ranked in Netflix’s Top 10 list. Iikka Salminen recently shot I Need You To See Me with director Kristian Lever, a proof-of-concept for a horror feature, and then did a commercial for Primark. Jan Jonaeus is lighting Mike Walden’s In Flight with director Chris Baugh, a six-parter by Buccaneer Media for C4. Lorena Pagès has wrapped as main unit A-camera operator and second unit DP on the feature Under The Stars, starring Toni Collette.
This page: DP Richard Stoddard shooting Run Away; and DP Iikka Salminen on I Need You To See Me, with director Kristian Lever
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Mary Farbrother worked on the documentary feature Eno directed by Gary Hustwit, a generative production about artist Brian Eno, with 52 quintillion possible iterations, so that no viewing is the same twice, shortlisted for an Academy Award. Yinka Edward has finished as splinter unit DP on the Netflix feature Ladies First.
WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION AGENCY: Baz Irvine BSC ISC continues shooting The Donovans with director Lawrence Gough for Paramount+. PJ Dillon ISC ASC and Richard Donnelly ISC are prepping their respective blocks on HBO’s House Of The Dragon S3. Matt Windon ACS has joined the upcoming Warner Bros feature film Judy, directed by Alejandro González
Iñárritu, with DP Emmanuel Lubezki AMC ASC. Callan Green ACS NZCS has begun principal photography on Peacock’s Ponies in Budapest, working alongside director-showrunner Susanna Fogel. Anna Patarakina FSF wrapped Down Cemetery Road for 60Forty and Apple TV+ with director Samuel Donovan and joined Ponies to work alongside director Viet Nguyen. Jamie Cairney BSC has joined Down Cemetery Road for 60Forty and Apple TV+ to finish a block with director Börkur Sigthorsson. Arthur Mulhern ISC is shooting the Paramount Pictures’ comedy Preschool with director Josh Duhamel, who is also starring. Pedro Cardillo ABC continues shooting Sky’s new original thriller series Inheritance for Snowed-In Productions and director Storm Saulter.
This page: (running clockwise) DP Mary Farbrother (r) with Brian Eno and director Gary Hustwit (l); two shots of Andrew Bainbridge on The Assassin; Chris Dodds shooting for Shell; and Jack Mealing on The Witcher
Scott Winig has started principal photography on the next season of Netflix’s The Witcher, whilst Robert Binnall is in prep on block two working alongside director Christopher Clark Cowan. Bryan Gavigan is prepping on The Lady, TV’s new series from Left Bank Pictures and director Lee Haven Jones, whilst also grading his series Cold Water for Sister and ITV. Mattias Nyberg BSC has graded Amazon’s The Girlfriend with director Robin Wright. Jaime Ackroyd is prepping Ray Panthaki’s directorial debut with Archface Films. Lorenzo Senatore ASC is getting ready to shoot Scott Waugh’s new feature film Runner with Broken Road Productions and A Higher Standard. Nathalie Pitters graded the new Netflix/Hat Trick series How To Get to Heaven
From Belfast with director George Kane, and shot Edem Wornoo’s new short End Of Play for BBC Films. Narayan Van Maele ISC recently wrapped on the feature Three Quick Breaths with director Brendan Muldowney, and is prepping with director Chris Smith on his new feature Spider Island in Mauritius for Vertigo Films. Xavier Dolléans AFC is shooting in Cairo on the new limited series Debriefing The President for AR Content with director Krzysztof Skonieczny. Paul Morris shot on Blue Lights S3 for the BBC with director Jack Casey. Fabian Wagner ASC BSC has started principal photography on Masters Of The Universe, with Katie Swain joining to shoot second unit. Jake Polonsky BSC shot pick-ups on Netflix’s The Abandons with director Otto Bathurst. Adam Barnett lit the short Losing It with director Marvin Jay Alvarez for Uncommon Studio. Tony Slater Ling BSC has wrapped on C4’s The Undeclared War S2 with director Paul McGuigan. Ed Moore BSC has completed on Apple TV+’s Hijack S2 with director Jim Field Smith. Manoel Ferreira SASC travelled to Tenerife to prep for the new ITV series Frauds with director Brian O’Malley. Jake Gabbay travelled to Paris with Division and director Axel Morin for Louis Vuitton. Jamie D. Ramsay SASC is shooting with director Nicole Ackerman and Merman for Pepsi Thomas Tyson-Hole wrapped for Adidas with Fresh Base and director Chris Ranson, and then shot second unit for Jamie D. Ramsay SASC for Pepsi Matthew J. Smith shot for Remington with Chief and director Chloe Victoria Hughes. Nikita Kuzmenko lit an M&S ad with Tanu Muino and Riff Raff Films. Isaac Bauman was in Thailand to shoot Rich Brian’s latest promo with director Jared Hogan and MrMr Films. Matthew Fox lensed a Lidl spot with You Are Here and director Myles New. Joel Honeywell shot with Balancing Act for a Levi’s ad. Carl Burke shot a Pepsi spot with Copa90 and director Georgio Bruni. Benjamin Todd was in Lithuania with Aspekt and directing duo RBG6 for a Doordash campaign.
BERLIN ASSOCIATES:
Edward Ames has graded Waterloo Road S15 for Wall To Wall/Warner Brothers TV/BBC. Al Beech shot a block on the next series of Midsomer Murders Claudio Cadman has graded G’Wed and shot days on Horrible Science for Lion TV. Andy Clark is in Malta on The Good Ship Murder S3. Nick Cox is lighting BBC’s Father Brown with director Paul Riordan. Annemarie Lean-Vercoe lit a block on Silent Witness S29 with director Andy Hay.
Trevelyan Oliver is shooting Can You Keep A Secret for Big Talk Productions. Neil Oseman did a proof-of-concept for Half Sun Entertainment. Tom Pridham shot days on the documentary Inventing The Ripper, and is now lighting on Nutopia’s White House Benjamin Pritchard is working for the BBC on a three-part docu series with director Emma Frank. Pete Rowe is shooting the fourth series of Mandy for BBC Studios. Simon Rowling is lighting an Untitled feature. James Swift is preparing to shoot the third
Images: (running clockwise) Stephen Murphy lensing Heart Eyes; Simon Rowling testing testing Hawk V-lites on the Alexa 35, Red V Raptor and Ronin 4D; and Xavier Dolleans on-set of Debriefing The President
EURO PEAN LENS SUM MIT
Europe’s Premier Lens Technology Event Focusing on the Future of Optical Innovation
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
block on Silent Witness with director Martin Smith. Alistair Upcraft is lighting an Untitled project for Big Talk Studios with producer Gareth Edwards and director David Sant. Matt Wicks recently lensed and graded the short Donkey for BBC Studios. Phil Wood lit the opening block of Quay Street Productions’ After The Flood
INDEPENDENT TALENT GROUP:
Dan Atherton is prepping on Legends directed by Brady Hood. Chas Bain is shooting Trigger Point S3 with director Jamie Donoughue. Ole Birkeland is lighting Secret Service with James Marsh. Eben Bolter BSC ACS is lensing on the latest season of Slow Horses. Caroline Bridges is working second unit on Paris Has Fallen and has graded Famous Five. Jordan Buck continues to shoot spots with directors Roman Rutten and lit a music promo for OK Go with Aaron Duffy. Jermaine Canute Edwards was in Jamaica shooting a music video with Agile director
Yoni Lappin. Miguel Carmenes filmed ads with directors Sye Allen, Silence and Luke Brookner, ahead of prepping on the TV series Juice S2 with director Eros V. Chris Clarke has been filming ads with Rose Gaunt Mathieson and Luke Logan, and shot feature picks-ups on Falling with directors Colin and James Krisel. Oliver Curtis BSC has graded Nurses Come And Go But None For Me, artist Ed Atkins’ installation at Tate Britain, starring Toby Jones and Saskia Reeves. Ben Davis BSC is shooting Wild Horse 9 with Martin McDonagh. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC is lighting The Runner with Kevin McDonald. Toby Elwes is grading on Justin Chadwick’s latest film Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland. Sam Goldie was in Toronto shooting Sisters S2 with director Yael Staav. Michael Filocamo has wrapped on The Witness, directed by Alex Winckler. Arni Filippusson ÍKS is shooting on The Cage, directed by Al Mackay. Simon Finney prepping on Northanger Abbey, directed by David Alan Ruben. Rick Joaquim SASC has wrapped on Bad Influencers in South Africa, and his recent short-form narrative projects include working with directors Emma Moffat, Luke Sims, Raphaela Wagner and Ace Mahbaz, plus music videos with Eleanor Grace Hann and Kassandra Powell. Billy Kendall has been shooting commercials and music promos with directors Charlie Rees, Charlie Drinkwater, Charles Gall, Tracey Dee and Jordan Rossi. Eric Kress DFF is shooting on Silo S3 with director Amber Templemore. Suzie Lavelle ISC BSC lit spots with Traktor. John Mathieson BSC has been shooting commercials with directors Susanne Bier and Alex Witt in Colombia. Seamus McGarvey is shooting Narnia with Greta Gerwig. Bani Mendy has graded the latest series of Death In Paradise Andreas Neo has been shooting with director Jack Holden. Aadel Nodeh Farahani is grading Call The Midwife S14 with director Lisa Clarke. Mark Patten BSC is prepping for The Gentlemen S2 with Guy Ritchie. Stephan Pehrsson is shooting Ahsoka S2 for Lucasfilm. Tat Radcliffe lit a TVC with director Declan Lowney. Kate Reid BSC is prepping Miss Pirie And Miss Woods James Rhodes wrapped on James McAvoy’s California Schemin and shot a TVC with Ben Lankester. Martin Ruhe ASC is shooting on The Agency S2. Mark Waters is prepping for All Creatures Great And Small S6 after recently finishing on Grantchester directed by Rob Evans. Linda Wu has continued to shoot short films with directors Luke Grech, Sophia Jennings, Jake Davies and Youness. Maja Zamojda BSC is filming the feature Lioness directed by James Nunn.
LUX ARTISTS:
Rob Hardy BSC ASC has wrapped block one of Blade Runner 2099 and now is shooting Super Girl directed by Craig Gillespie. Pat Aldinger wrapped Altar directed by Egor Abramenko and shot Absolut, Coach and Alpine ads, all directed by Henry Scholfield.
Sebastian Blenkov lit an untitled feature directed by Anders Thomas Jensen. Nicolai Niermann lensed a Don Preignon spot directed by Camille Summers Valli and an Orient Express TVC directed by Jonas Lindstroem. Daniel Landin BSC shot a National Lottery commercial directed by Steve Rogers. Stuart Winecoff lensed an H&M ad with director Albert Moya. Natasha Braier ADF ASC is shooting I Love Boosters directed by Boots Riley. Monika Lenczewska PSC shot a Burberry spot directed by Dexter Navy. Patrick Golan lit a Beats ad with a director Elliott Power.
(running clockwise) Jonathan Ricquebourg on The
a trio of
Images:
Ice Tower;
images of Maceo Bishop shooting The Smashing Machine; Pete Rowe filming something for Christmas; Phil Wood at the camera; and Simon Rowling doing even more camera and lens tests
WHO, WHAT, WHEN & WHERE
Arseni Khachaturan is shooting The Drama by Kristoffer Borgli. Krzysztof Trojnar is prepping for block one of Netflix series Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, directed by Weronika Tofilska. Steve Annis lensed a Chase Sapphire ad with a director Georgia Hudson. Jakob Ihre FSF wrapped on Paramount+ series The Department directed by Martin Phillip and Joe Wright, and shot Ford and Hornbach spots both directed by Frederik Bond. Ben Carey shot a Skims TVC directed by Harmony Korine. Łukasz Żal PSC wrapped Hamnet directed by Chloe Zhao, and shot a Miele ad with a director Janicza Bravo. Arnau Valls Colomer AEC is shooting on the Jack Ryan franchise series directed by Andrew Bernstein. Tom Townend shot a Malibu spot with directors duo Tim & Eric. Jess Hall BSC ASC has wrapped on Fantastic Four directed by Matt Shakman. Ruben Impens SBC is shooting Alpha directed by Julia Ducournau. Jasper Wolf NSC has completed on A Family, directed by Mees Peijnenburg. Justin Brown shot a Puma ad directed by Seb Edwards and a Hugo Boss spot with director Karim Huu Do. Adam Scarth is shooting Under Salt Marsh directed by Claire Oakley. Ben Fordesman has finished lighting Avalyn directed by Ronan Day-Lewis. Oscar Faura has wrapped Moana directed by Thomas Kail. Crystel Fournier AFC is prepping for Bandi, a series directed by Jimmy Laporal-Tresor. Ula Pontikos BSC lit block two of Blade Runner 2099. André Chemetoff is shooting Coutures directed by Alice Winocour. Darius Khondji AFC ASC has wrapped Marty Supreme directed by Josh Safdie. Manuel Alberto Claro has wrapped The House Of The Spirits directed by Andres Wood. James Laxton ASC is lighting a second season of Lee Sung’s Beef Martijn Van Broekhuizen NSC is shooting a series directed by Hagai Levi. Alejandro Martinez continues shooting Man On Fire directed by Steven Caple Jr. Adam Newport-Berra has wrapped on Splitsville directed by Michael Covino. Julien Poupard AFC is shooting L’Ame Ideale directed by Alice Vial. Kasper Tuxen
wrapped Sentimental Value directed by Joachim Trier.
ECHO ARTISTS:
Stuart Bentley BSC has graded Hamlet directed by Aneil Karia. Nadim Carlsen DFF is prepping for the new series The Dream Lands, produced by Sister and directed by Myriam Raja and Erica Calmeyer. Carlos Catalan is lensing Richard Gadd’s new series Half Man, directed by Alexandra Brodski and Eshref Reybrouck, and starring Richard Gadd. Federico Cesca ASK is prepping for block one on Industry S4, directed by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. Rachel Clark BSC lensed the short Delivery which recently won Best Short Film at The British Short Film Awards. Andrew Commis ACS is prepping for Shiver in Antarctica. Nick Cooke wrapped on block 3 of Larkin and is now prepping for the new series Go Away, directed by Tom George and produced by Val TV. Ruben Woodin Dechamps has been shooting additional days for the documentary A Life Illuminated, directed by Ed Lovelace. David Gallego ADFC has graded The Fall Of Sir Douglas Weatherford, directed
by Sean Dunn, and also worked on Netflix’s Rebel Ridge which recently won the 2025 Critic’s Choice for Best Movie Made For Television. After recently wrapping on the feature Tiger, Jo Jo Lam was second unit on Bodyform’s campaign for Never Just A Period, shortlisted at the British Arrows. Patrick Meller shot a McDonald’s campaign directed by Billy Boyd Cape. Sean Price Williams recently lensed Clairo’s latest music video Terrapin directed by Ayo Edebiri. Korsshan Schlauer’s last feature Odyssey, directed by Gerard Johnson will premier at SXSW. He recently shot Dior and Kenzo ads directed by Frank Lebon. Noel Schoolderman recently shot a campaign for Breast Cancer Awareness, directed by Judith Veenendaal. Bartosz Swiniarski’s latest feature The Things You Kill written, directed and produced by Alireza Khatami, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Maria Von Hausswolff is lensing Brave New Love, a feature directed by Maria Bäck, and was recently nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2025 Girls On Film Awards. Felix Wiedmann BSC is shooting the new series Babies, directed by Stefan Golaszwski. Toby Leary recently lensed a campaign with Amazon Music
x Central Cee for the release of his latest album, and then co-directed and shot a music video for Icykof’s Pay Day
PRINCESTONE:
Of the agency’s camera/Steadicam operators… Junior Agyeman-Owusu ACO is shooting on Sky’s six-part drama Under Salt Marsh, with DP Adam Scarth. Michael Carstensen ACO wrapped on The Donovans with DP Stephan Pehrsson BSC and director Guy Ritchie for Paramount+, and will be shooting on the new season of House Of The Dragon Matt Fisher ACO is shooting on the next Good Omens with DP Gavin Finney BSC. Rob Hart ACO is A-camera/Steadicam on Quay St/ITV’s After The Flood S2 starring Sophie Rundle, with DP Phil Wood. Justin Hawkins ACO is B-camera, (alongside James Layton on A-camera) on the next series of Silo
This page: Arseni Khachaturan at the 35mm film camera shooting The Drama
with DPs Jean-Philippe Gossard and Ollie Downey. Tony Jackson ACO is prepping to work as B-camera on a feature with DP James Friend BSC ASC. James Layton Associate BSC ACO is A-camera/Steadicam on Silo 3 for DPs Jean-Philippe Gossard and Ollie Downey. Nic Milner ACO is shooting Wife & Dog, a feature directed by Guy Ritchie starring Rosamund Pike, Anthony Hopkins and Benedict Cumberbatch, with Ed Wild BSC the DP. Dan Nightingale ACO is shooting on Richard Gadd’s new BBC/HBO drama Half Man starring Jamie Bell, in Glasgow with DP Carlos Catalan BSC and director Alexandra Brodski. Joe Russell ACO is A-camera/Steadicam on Masters Of The Universe with DP Fabian Wagner BSC ASC and director Travis Knight. Fabrizio Sciarra ACO Associate BSC GBCT SOC is did dailies as Steadicam and camera operator on the final instalment of the Mission Impossible franchise.
UNITED AGENTS:
Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC has graded My Oxford Year with director Iain Morris for Netflix. Sonja Huttunen has been shooting music videos for this year’s Eurovision entries. Danny Cohen BSC has done the DI on Slow Horses. Matt Lewis is prepping on Philip Barantini’s latest film for Netflix Bet Rourich AEC has just wrapped on the Spanish feature Los Aitas. John Sorapure is second unit directing on several projects. Simon Tindall is prepping Clio Barnard’s I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. Ollie Downey BSC is shooting a block of Silo S3, directed by Ugla Hauksdóttir Sam Heasman recently shot a western horror short for Rob Savage. Álvaro Gutiérrez AEC is prepping Mckensie with New Pictures. Laurens De Geyter SBC has graded the feature Foley Man Si Bell BSC is lighting multiple blocks of Paramount+ series The Donovans for director Anthony Byrne. Sam
Chiplin is shooting block 2 of Netflix mini-series East Of Eden for director Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre. Bonnie Elliott ASC is prepping with director Christian Schwochow to shoot a 60Forty series for Apple TV+. James Friend BSC ASC is prepping to light J.J. Abram’s next feature. Ed Rutherford BSC is shooting block 2 of Under Salt Marsh with director Mary Nighy. Anton Mertens SBC is lighting the Belgian series Breendonk for director Filip Lenaerts. Milos Moore is shooting Angels In The Asylum, a feature for director Rob Sorrenti. David Raedeker BSC is prepping on Apple TV+ series 12 12 12, to be directed by Kari Skogland. Juan Sarmiento G is prepping to shoot director Simón Mesa Soto’s feature A Poet, and will then light director Kaouther Ben Hania’s feature You Shall Not Make An Image Anna Valdez Hanks BSC is lighting episode six of AMC Studios/ Apple TV+’s Silo S3 for director Alrick Riley. Ben Wheeler BSC is lighting for director Ben A. Williams on Criminal Record S2 for STV Productions/Apple TV+. Barry Ackroyd BSC recently shot Kathryn Bigelow’s new feature in the US. Alex Barber shot a McDonalds ad with director Joy Kilpatrick via MJZ in London. Simon Chaudoir lit a Britbox spot with director Nicos Livesey through BlinkInk, and a Coke Zero TVC in Bangkok, for director Joseph Mann at Hamlet. Florian Emmerich is shooting block 2 of upcoming Sky series Prisoner for director Pia Strietmann. Lasse Frank shot a Virgin Atlantic ad for director Nicoli Fuglsig in Bangkok and London, via MJZ. David Higgs BSC filmed a Sizewell C ad for director Theo Delaney via Island Pictures. Stephen Keith-Roach lensed a McDonalds ad for Eric Wareheim in Lisbon through Prettybird. Tim Maurice Jones BSC shot a Sky Vegas spot for director Sean Thompson via WhoWotWhy. Alex Melman lit a Fedex ad for directors Big Red Button, in Serbia for La Pac, Paris. Simon Richards framed a Tesco TVC
for Jonathan Gregson in London for Newland. David Rom shot a Pringles spot with director Oren Kaplan in Bangkok, for 116 Pictures. Chris Sabogal is filming the upcoming TV series Mint, with director Charlotte Reagan. Glynn Speeckaert ASC AFC filmed a Jose Cuervo ad for director Martin Werner. Haris Zambarloukos BSC GSC has wrapped on the feature Ladies First for director Thea Sharrock.
LOOP TALENT:
The agency recently signed DP Arthur Lok , whose work includes the Netflix documentaries Battle Of The Baddest and Undisputed. In addition to his experience in sports-focussed projects, he recently filmed a sports ad for Pulse Films with director Tom Day. DP Jon Muschamp recently won the BSC Award for Best Cinematography In A Short Film and featured on a fascinating panel at the BSC Expo. Ali Asad is shooting a horror feature in Manchester. Denson Baker ACS NZCS is prepping for a feature. Emma Dalesman has been shooting documentaries and short form. Matt North has finished the grade on a BBC Series. Lorenzo Levrini is grading a feature. Martyna Knitter is working in documentaries. Ryan Eddleston’s recent feature film Timestalker is available to stream on various platforms. Paul Mackay has graded a feature and is shooting spots. Marti Guiver was recently in Ibiza on a fashion spot for Matemade. Bertrand Rocourt prepping a feature, and shooting fashion ads in Europe. Nick Bennett has been lighting car and food ads. Chris O Driscoll lensed a TVC in the US. Tom Turley has been shooting fashion spots and documentaries. Dave Miller is filming food commercials. Olly Wiggins is shooting ads. Natalja Safronova is back in the UK and working in short form. Loop Talent Crew welcomes camera/Steadicam operator Ben Mitchell ACO and operator Laura Van De Hel to its Diary Service. James Anderson ACO is working in Belfast, and Ben Eeley ACO is back to the world of commercials. Michael Eshun-Mensah ACO recently wrapped a Band 3 project and is shooting TVCs. Sebastien Joly ACO is working in his native France on narrative and commercial projects. Grant Sandy-Phillips ACO is shooting on Dreaming Whilst Black S2 as camera/ Steadicam operator. Gary Kent, Laura Seears, Michael Vega, have been operating Steadicam on commercial projects. Camera operators Jack Smith and Alice Sephton have been shooting short form projects.
Opposite: (from top) Korsshan Schaluer shooting for Odyssey, Kenzo and Dior
LIKES A CHALLENGE
By Natasha Block Hicks
Filmography (so far):
Waffle’s After School Club (CBeebies TV Show, 2025); A Memory Owed (short 2024); Cursive (short 2023); and Girls Will Be Girls (short 2023)
Accolades:
Los Angeles Cinematography Awards 2023 finalist for Bump In The Night; European Cinematography Award winner for – Today Is A Good Day (2018); and best cinematography nominee at Fisheye Film Festival and Around International Film Festival for Knock At The Door (2018).
When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer?
I loved photography growing-up, particularly wildlife photography. As a teenager I took my first compact stills camera everywhere with me. My early aspiration was to work on natural history projects. Programmes like Planet Earth were so beautifully-shot and really fuelled my interest in what a camera could do. I loved the idea of travelling the world filming wild animals in their natural habitant. The more films I started to watch, the more I started to appreciate visual storytelling and the use of camera and lighting. That’s when I realised cinematography was a career that I wanted to pursue.
collective we’re good problem-solvers used to troubleshooting with time constraints.
How did you get your first break?
I’d say my current job is my biggest break yet as a DP. It’s my first TV show, starting a new series, shooting all 10 episodes and setting the look. I worked for the production company in 2011 as a camera trainee and again later as a loader. The DP of those projects is the person who recommended me for this job, which really goes to show that you never know what opportunity might lead where, and who may support you when you’re least expecting it.
What’s the worst knock-back/ rejection you ever had?
I’ve had my fair share of rejections and ‘Thanks, but no thanks’ throughout my career. For a long time, every door seemed to be shut, and every application I submitted was rejected – the classic case that you need experience to get experience, but how to find those willing to give you that first opportunity?
Challenges are often the most fun and rewarding days on-set
Where did you train?
I took film studies at GCSE and had an incredibly supportive film studies teacher who helped me plan my next steps. When I left school I took a short filmmaking course and started to film my own projects. Whilst there I made a friend who later got me my first job as a camera trainee on an independent film. From there I began reaching out to clapper loaders, focus pullers and DPs, which started my 12 years working as a camera assistant in film and TV.
Throughout that time I shot as much as I could on weekends and in-between projects. Making your own projects when you can is a great learning experience, but my professional training definitely came from being on-set. Being a crewmember really teaches you life skills that are useful for everyday. Being a camera assistant ingrains a ‘can-do’ attitude, and as a
What’s strangest place you’ve ever shot in?
I’d have to say filming in Canary Wharf tube station for Star Wars: Rogue One (2016, dir Gareth Edwards, DP Greig Fraser ACS ASC). Having stormtroopers walking around on a tube platform that I’ve used many times before was really surreal.
What was the biggest challenge on your latest production?
Challenges are often the most fun and rewarding days on-set. Prepping to shoot in the cramped interior of the Lancaster bomber on A Memory Owed was a challenge that we put a lot of thought into. We decided to shoot on the Sony Venice using the Rialto, with Zeiss superspeeds for their size and extra stop, without a mattebox to keep the camera as compact as possible. We were shooting the film’s opening action sequence, which in the story takes place thousands of feet up in the air during a night-time air raid. We had to find the balance of telling the story with the practicalities of filming, whilst lighting both interior and exterior with historical accuracy to build the drama within the scene.
It ended-up being one of the most rewarding shoot days I’ve had so far.
The challenge on my current job is less visual but more logistical/practical. To keep to our schedule. We don’t have much or any time for lighting tweaks. Also we need to be really organised going into the shoot and plan the lighting to fit to the schedule.
How do you like to “waste” your time?
I’m very good at binge watching TV shows, often the same on repeat!
What’s the best freebie you ever blagued?
I worked on a Cadbury’s Christmas commercial a few years ago and on wrap they had a lot of chocolate to get rid of. I managed to fill my floor bag. That was a good day.
In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love to have shot?
There’s so many films I could name, probably a lot of them a cliché answer! But a recent film I really loved the look-of was The Batman (2022, dir Matt Reeves, Greig Fraser ACS ASC). It had such a rich colour palette throughout and the creative choices with the camera really made that film stand out. I’ve watched it a number of times since, and it just gets better with every viewing.
What are best/worst things about being a DP?
Best: Collaboration. Working with the director and the other departments to create a project together. Recently we were racing against a sunset, whilst developing a big Steadicam shot for a pivotal moment in the film. As we were rehearsing there was a real concern that we would lose the perfect golden light we had. The feeling when we did get the shot, with that perfect golden sunset light, is what we strive for.
on different sets, with different challenges and being a part of team. However, I always knew that it was leading me to become a DP. I worked hard, shot as many short films as I could in my own time until I knew it was time to close that chapter as a camera assistant and focus 100% on cinematography. There’s never been a Plan B!
What advice would you give the ‘young you’, just starting out? Enjoy the journey. Trust the process, keep doing what you’re doing and don’t doubt yourself. I think it’s easy to feel deflated when you’re not seeing results immediately, but you’re laying the groundwork. Every project is a step forward and an opportunity to learn something new.
What are your aspirations for the future?
To keep shooting, keep building, keep learning. To keep enjoying the job and working with brilliant people that make the days fun. I’d like to work on the kind of projects I did when I was an assistant, now as a DP.
What advice do you have for other people who want to become cinematographers?
Making your own projects is a great learning experience
Worst: Not getting the moment you’d hoped for, like in the example above. I think as a DP you can be your own worst critic. It’s a good and bad trait to have as it means you’re always pushing forward, striving to be better and to learn more, but it’s hard when you are so critical of your own work. As a DP you can never escape pressure, whether it’s from yourself, the director, the producer or the demands of the project itself. It’s the nature of every job. Every day you have to be prepped, organised, ready for what curve ball that day may bring.
If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now? I honestly have no idea, I have only ever had a Plan-A! As a camera assistant, I really loved my job, showing up to work every day
Shoot as much as possible when you can. For me it was very important to spend the right amount of time as a camera assistant as I learnt so much from being on-set, understanding the dynamic of the camera team as well as working with other departments. Armed with that education, it really allowed me to build on my confidence and start to find my own vision with the camera. It is important to understand the part of the job of being a DP that you don’t ‘see’ – prepping, managing your teams and being an HoD are responsibilities. You want your crew to be happy working on the production, keeping to a schedule whilst not sacrificing the look. You need to be a good person to be around. The days are long, so enjoy them, enjoy the crew and the job.
What’s up next?
I’m about to start shooting Waffle’s After School Club, a new TV show for CBeebies with children and animals – exactly what they tell you not to do! It’s a really exciting challenge creatively and logistically, and a perfect show for me to really show what I can do. I’ve been fortunate to build a great team around me and I’m excited to start filming. By the time this article is published the project will have been shot, and who knows what’s next?
What is your URL/website address? www.amyhcwilson.com
EASY RIDER
By Natasha Block Hicks
It was while he was an art student, at the Hornsey College of Art (HCA), that Peter Cavaciuti ACO’s attention was first drawn to film.
“We had a Monday Night Film Club,” he recalls via Zoom, on a break from prepping for a currently untitled Jason Statham thriller with director Ric Roman Waugh.
“Mean Streets (1973, dir. Martin Scorsese, DP Kent Wakeford) really made up my mind. Those swirling shots of Harvey Keitel with a SnorriCam strapped to him; I thought, ‘I’ve got to get into filmmaking’.”
Cavaciuti shot a Super 8mm short called The Worker that was included in the ICA’s New Contemporaries Exhibition and screened at the London Film-makers’ Co-operative (LFMC). Then, shortly after leaving HCA, his ex-tutor Dante Leonelli suggested him as a camera trainee to Emma Hayter, a production administrator on Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1982-1984).
“I had an interview with Emma and Brookside’s creator, Phil Redmond,” Cavaciuti relates. “I’m not sure if they saw any of my work but I got the job and had a fantastic time in Liverpool for the twoand-a-half years I was on the show.”
Fortuitously, Redmond decided to buy a Steadicam rig for the production, and due to the week-on, week-off shooting schedule, Cavaciuti had plenty of opportunity to practise with it.
“I watched The Shining (1980, dir. Stanley Kubrick, DP John Alcott BSC) and saw what Steadicam could do,” Cavaciuti reports, “then John Ward gave us a couple of days’ tuition, as did John Jordan, a 1st AC who was at Joe Dunton Cameras (JDC) at the time in the Steadicam department.”
Via ‘80s indie dramedy Letter To Brezhnev (1985, dir. Chris Bernard, DP Bruce McGowan), Cavaciuti left Brookside and returned to London to set-up as one of only a handful of Steadicam operators working in the UK, and the youngest by a considerable margin.
“I was lucky. Things motored on very quickly,” he recalls.
Cavaciuti’s first promo was for Simon Townsend,
I’ve always had a passion for framing
and shortly thereafter he met Denis Crossan BSC and accompanied him to film some “clandestine” pick-ups for Highlander (1986, dir. Russell Mulcahy, DP Gerry Fisher BSC) in the ruins of Beckton Gasworks. Through promos, Cavaciuti met Nic Knowland BSC, who was part of a radical film co-operative based out of Camden Town called Tattooist International. With Knowland, he returned to Liverpool briefly to film monochrome Shostakovich biopic Testimony (1987, dir. Tony Palmer) starring Sir Ben Kingsley, then joined the Knowland/Palmer/Kingsley team again a few years later on The Children (1990).
“The Children had a lot of these long, developing Steadicam shots,” relates Cavaciuti who had, until this
point, been operating a hired rig.
“At the end of the shoot I went to see Nic and said, ‘I’d really like to buy a Steadicam, would your company be interested in going 50/50 with me?’ Tattooist International already had Aaton cameras and technicians, so they maintained the kit. I brought the work in and shared the profits with them; it was a symbiotic relationship.”
In 1985, Cavaciuti met Sir Roger Deakins ASC BSC CBE on a Godley & Creme-directed pop promo for Eric Clapton, entitled Forever Man
“Roger and I hit it off straight away,” remembers Cavaciuti, “it was an incredibly lucky meeting.” Deakins was soon to establish his career Stateside,
The ACO has really grown into a positive force to protect the craft of operating
but when he returned to the UK to shoot The Secret Garden (1993, dir. Agnieszka Holland), he called up Cavaciuti to take B-camera/Steadicam. Through Deakins, Cavaciuti would get to work with his hero from the Monday Night Film Club.
“Roger was asked to light Kundun (1997), Martin Scorsese’s film about the Dalai Lama,” relates Cavaciuti. “Landing that role was a highlight for me. It was an incredibly moving experience to spend six months in Morocco with all these passionate people, making a film about the occupation of their country.”
Ironically, at this time, Cavaciuti was also offered a role with another of his great heroes: Stanley Kubrick.
“I was asked if I was available for Eyes Wide Shut (1999, DP Larry Smith BSC), but I couldn’t do it because I was out in Morocco,” he recalls.
“I’d watched 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, dir. Stanley Kubrick, DP Geoffrey Unsworth BSC OBE) when I was 11, and it had a profound effect on me visually.”
Luckily for Cavaciuti, Kubrick’s last film would also go on to be the longest continuous film shoot in history – 400 days – and he was able to join Eyes Wide Shut after he’d wrapped on his next film Lost In Space
Burgess ASC).
(1998, dir. Stephen Hopkins, DP Peter Levy ASC ACS).
“I had an interview with Stanley one Friday, straight after shooting, and I was all scruffy and sweaty,” relates Cavaciuti, who also says he was supposed to catch only the last six weeks of shooting the film, but ended-up working on Eyes Wide Shut for another eight months. “It was remarkable to work with Stanley Kubrick – a dream come true.”
The gods of cinema hadn’t quite finished bestowing favour on Cavaciuti, as shortly after Eyes Wide Shut he would be called back to Morocco to operate on Rules Of Engagement (2000, DPs William Fraker ASC BSC and Nicola Pecorini) with director William Friedkin of The French Connection (1971, DP Owen Roizman ASC) and The Exorcist (1973, DP Owen Roizman ASC) fame.
“That was just incredible,” Cavaciuti marvels, “within the space of five years, I got to work with my three idols.”
Cavaciuti would go on to operate for Friedkin a second time on The Hunted (2003, DP Caleb Deschanel ASC).
In his second decade as a camera operator, Cavaciuti was making his mark on the industry.
“There was a sequence on Band Of Brothers S1E1 (2001, dir. Phil Alden Robinson, DP Joel Ransom CSC) that somebody reminded me about recently, following two actors into a room and then going backwards up these stairs,” Cavaciuti relates. “I watched it the other day and thought, ‘How on Earth did I manage that?’.”
He was recognised with an Operator’s Award at the 2005 BSC Operator’s Night – the penultimate year before the award took a four-year hiatus – for his work on TV mini-series Elizabeth I (2005, dir. Tom Hooper, DP Larry Smith BSC).
Then in 2009, alongside six fellow operators, Cavaciuti co-founded the Association Of Camera Operators (ACO), of which he served as president twice between 2014-2018, which helped raise the profile of operators and reinstate the Operator’s Award, which he would win again in 2017 for his work on Allied (2016, dir. Robert Zemeckis, DP Don
“The ACO has really grown into a positive force to protect the craft of operating,” Cavaciuti remarks.
Cavaciuti and Deakins reunited several times in the 2010s, to work on Skyfall (2012, dir. Sam Mendes), Blade Runner 2049 (2017, dir. Denis Villeneuve) and 1917 (2019, dir. Sam Mendes).
“2017 was meticulously planned by Roger and James Ellis Deakins, his co-cinematographic collaborator and digital workflow consultant on the movie,” recalls Cavaciuti, “and it was a huge challenge physically, technically and artistically. I started training six months before production started. I see a personal trainer, lift weights, run and practise Pilates. Learning Kung Fu as a kid also really helps with the movement and coordination required for Steadicam.”
This decade saw Cavaciuti strike up a professional relationship with John Mathieson BSC, with whom he worked on Robin Hood (2010, dir. Ridley Scott), Mary Queen Of Scots (2018, dir. Josie Rourke) and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu (2019, dir. Rob Letterman), before returning to Morocco again for Scott’s epic blockbuster Gladiator II (2024).
“Gladiator II was a completely different approach to filmmaking,” reveals Cavaciuti. “We were running seven cameras, so you have to suppress your normal sensibilities, as you inevitably end-up shooting each other, and they just paint it out in post. There was very little rehearsal, and we’d only get two or three takes. Ridley would give you a position and an idea, but it was up to you to give him more. So there was a lot of pressure on the operators, but it was spectacular and a lot of fun.”
Cavaciuti’s satisfaction with operating has never waned over his 30-year career.
“Because of my drawing, I’ve always had a passion for framing,” he considers, “and my liking for the moving camera is where Steadicam comes in. When I’m operating, I think of a moving still. I try and make every second of the shot interesting and well framed – that’s my drive.”
Though he has some regret for the attention his career has taken from his own art, Cavaciuti still loves visiting galleries, and besides, most of his free time is taken-up enjoying the fine art of motorcycle maintenance and enjoying the MotoGP with his son Guido, also a camera operator.
“I’ve still got the bike I bought when I was 18 in my garage downstairs,” Cavaciuti reveals, and he has the tattoo to prove it – a bold “BSA” inked across his right wrist.
“I’m a passionate rider and I do love the sound of an engine. Motorcycles are beautiful things.”
Images: Peter shooting on Skyfall, 1917, Blade Runner 2047, Brookside, Gladiator II and National Treasure
UNDER
The first hint that January 7th 2025 was going to be an interesting day came while I was driving to my home in Pacific Palisades after running some errands. The sight of smoke emanating from the Malibu hills is familiar to locals, and at first, I dismissed it as residue of the recently contained flare-ups.
Domiciled in a populated section somewhat removed from wooded areas, I had always been arrogant in the way I felt protected from such calamity. Even during the worst conflagrations of the twenty-odd years I’ve lived there, there had never been a significant threat of the flames cresting the forested hills bordering town. If they did, I reasoned, the entire city would be in danger (and of course, that could never happen!). The closest of them, maybe a mile away, stood as a reassuring bastion against the thickening smoke.
Awesome it was, but for all the wrong reasons
By 10:30am, when I turned into the driveway, things had escalated significantly. If my arrogance could have taken physical form, you would have seen it rising to blend with the sun-blotting billows advancing toward my block.
To say that a massive, super-heated, redyellow tsunami surging across the perimeter of the Palisades was an awesome sight would be a profound understatement. But awesome it was, for all the wrong reasons.
Neighbors filled the street. Prior to this, I had a nodding acquaintance with most of them. Suddenly, we were pals. A sincere, ‘Are you OK?’ bought entry to the support network, and we watched the blaze approach. Though it was still some distance away, the media hysterics urged immediate
evacuation. My new friends took them seriously, and as I began to notice the sound of packed car trunks slamming shut, no one said goodbye. Given the circumstances, this was easily forgiven. Even Jeff, my Great Dane, knew something was awry. From our first walk in the pre-dawn darkness, before it hit the fan, he was unusually skittish, and with good reason. A few hours later, the neighborhood would erupt with the discomfiting groan of a massive heatstorm. I wish he had such prescience about lottery numbers.
In the house, I couldn’t help thinking, ‘This isn’t real. How can this be happening?’. I have a record of not evacuating in similar situations, to no ill effect. So, once again, I denied the facts.
With the headphones on, during the second verse of The Kinks’ Back Where We Started, I became aware of a muffled banging on the door. Two police officers and a fireman in turn-out gear filled the entrance and read me in. Their expressions alone told the story: ‘Leave now!’. But I couldn’t help focusing behind them as the air became diffuse with swirling smoke. I thought of so many shows I’d photographed and how the effect defined the light in a similar way. Then, I accepted their invitation.
It amazes me how people in LA communities just beyond the stricken areas didn’t fathom the breadth of the catastrophe as it was unfolding. To someone living out-of-state, it may as well have been happening in Canada. For anyone overseas, it was a footprint on the moon. But I get it. TV and the web were incapable of conveying the speed of the fire’s progression and the unimaginable scale of its devastation.
While most Californians basked in the sun that everyone imagines we do, the Palisades broiled under a lid of biblically-dark clouds. Day-for-night, if you choose... in a vacuum of eerie quiet.
At 5pm, driving east on Sunset Boulevard with the headlights on, the randomness of destruction was confounding: whole streets incinerated, while a building here-and-there remained unscathed. Aerial tankers made precision drops of water and fire retardant, perilously close to the ground. Some middle-aged fool with a GoPro strapped to his
head whizzed toward the trouble on a skateboard.
My church, favorite restaurants, supermarket and other service outlets – consumed by flames. A friend’s home was gone, then another and another... and yet, another.
I couldn’t help drawing parallels to scenes in various movies I’ve photographed, but this one was set in hell. With an overnight bag and a giant-breed co-pilot for whom this was a snow day, we slowrolled through what had become a ghost town. Still, I was hopeful we’d be back by the weekend. You’ve no doubt seen the pictures. The ash and rubble we left behind proved how deluded I was.
Palisades broiled under a lid of biblicallydark clouds
Pacific Palisades was frequently and inaccurately referred to in the press as an exclusive enclave. That’s true only in small increments. The majority of it was middle-class. Many cinematographers and other movie artisans lived there and participated generously in the town’s life. Sad as I was to see the demise of a place I loved, I left with a clear conscience. For once, I’ll never feel that I missed anything more, or that I should’ve appreciated the gift of living there more, while I had it in hand.
Many will be sharing the same sentiment for a very, very long time.
Richard Crudo ASC Former ASC President
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LIGHTING THE WAY
DEI continues to receive a share of the spotlight, being rightly scrutinised and attracting comment, from many sectors of our industry. Here’s a look at how MBS Equipment Co champions Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
At MBS Equipment Co we view diversity, equity and inclusion as being integral to the success of our business. With bases in some of Europe’s most diverse and vibrant population centres, our drive to create local opportunities would be extremely challenging if we did not embrace the dynamic mix of cultures that enrich the communities in which we operate.
Diversity, in all forms, runs throughout our workforce and we actively strive to listen to, appreciate and celebrate the unique attributes our colleagues have to offer. Continuous feedback, staff engagement and removing barriers, all help to build a healthier workplace and create a culture which allows career progression and encourages retention.
Shaping Culture Through Leadership & Training
Over the past ten years, MBSE has strived to shape a culture of inclusivity, through leadership, training and engagement. For example, the number of women in management and supervisory positions has grown significantly; a valuable factor in helping us achieve a more balanced representation in key decision-making roles.
Our specific gender-balancing policies, increase awareness among managers, to accommodate issues such as childcare and menopause. Prompted by legislative changes, we recently held a Sexual Harassment Feedback Workshop to assess company culture and allow those affected or concerned, to raise issues, or indeed, to praise our workplace values.
We also provide a range of practical assistance, including mental health support, prayer rooms and unisex toilets with sanitary products. We celebrate the multi-cultural nature of our workforce, raising awareness and recognising the religious festivals and events which reflect the diversity of our staff, all of which helps foster a sense of inclusivity. We also provide extensive training and induction programmes which help establish our company culture and set out staff expectations from day one.
Physical Barriers to Entry
At MBSE, we recognise that the lighting industry has historically posed physical barriers to entry.
Traditional heavy equipment and demanding environments have made it challenging for some individuals to enter and thrive in the field. We have addressed these issues through a combination of adjustments made to warehouse layouts, risk assessments and ergonomic evaluations. Irrespective of gender or physicality, 400a mains cable is still heavy, however, the rise in technology and positive changes to working practices, means that, more than ever, working environments are more accessible and that far more varied roles are available in our industry.
Supporting Under-represented Talent in Film & TV
Inclusion within MBSE is just one part of the picture; we are equally committed to supporting under-represented groups looking to enter the film and television industry. Our partnerships with organisations such as Ghetto Film School, Women Behind The Camera, and Illuminatrix Rising, help widen access to the industry, particularly for women and aspiring cinematographers from all backgrounds.
We also work alongside major content creators, such as Disney and Netflix, to support their inclusion efforts and to expand pathways for new entrants, something which has resulted in direct conversions,
We are opening doors to new career
paths
from bootcamp participants, to MBSE employees. We actively participate in careers events for schools and young persons too, to convey the message that “Yes, you can” and that there’s a place for everyone in our industry.
We believe in fostering career progression through long-term, structured training. Our previous trainee schemes, delivered in conjunction with Netflix, and the new Screen Lighting Technician Apprenticeship, have already made an impact in pushing the boundaries of diversity. These programmes not only offer technical training, they provide pastoral support and a sense of community, ensuring that graduates continue to have the networks and guidance they need to progress in our industry.
Regional Impact and the Power of Local Engagement
With operations throughout the UK, Europe and Ireland, MBSE is uniquely positioned to recognise and adapt to regional cultural variations. Our investment in East London, where the MBS Group has built 18 world-class sound stages at Eastbrook Studios and The Wharf, and established a rental facility in a formerly deprived area, is a prime example of how we are working to successfully integrate and engage with the communities in which we operate.
Our first training programme at Eastbrook Studios was targeted at local cohorts, allowing access for individuals who may have never had the opportunity to step into a film studio or use professional production equipment. By providing hands-on experience under the guidance of industry experts, we are opening doors to new career paths and making the sector more accessible to historically under-represented groups. We have many more of these events planned for 2025.
Looking Forwards
Whilst MBS equipment Co has made significant strides in diversity and inclusion, there is always more that can be done. For example, we recognise the need to go even further in supporting colleagues with physical disabilities and improving visibility for our LGBTQ+ colleagues. Our commitment to equity means listening and learning, whilst assessing areas where there is still room for improvement and acting where it matters most.
At MBSE, we understand that the DEI journey is just as important as the destination. By fostering an inclusive workplace, addressing industry-wide challenges, and collaborating with key organisations, we continue to push the boundaries of what is possible. As we move forward, our goal remains the same: to ensure that our workforce, our industry, and our communities are places where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Toby Dare Director Of Sustainability & Risk Management
MBS Group UK/EU
O MOTHER , WHERE ART THOU?
By Darek Kuźma
Michał Dymek PSC’s 2024 Camerimage Golden Frog-winning cinematography on Magnus Von Horn’s Swedish-PolishDanish co-production The Girl With The Needle never ceases to amaze.
Imagine an intrinsically violent world in the aftermath of a calamitous event, wherein physically, mentally and spiritually-mutilated human beings’ actions feed the thriving social fragmentation. A world conceived visually of corrupted blacks, deceptive whites and dirty greys, where people hide their true nature behind the veneer of resourcefulness or sophistication. A world that is historically-authentic, yet expressed through the means of a sombre fairytale in which a soldier with a disfigured face has more inner beauty than an elegant aristocrat, while an underprivileged seamstress learns the hard way how to
love and be loved.
This is the world of The Girl With The Needle in a nutshell. Yet even though the story is set in a realistically captured post-World War I Copenhagen, and part of it is loosely-based on real events, the film is above all a nightmarish fable that exists in a league of its own. What ultimately binds together this amalgam of the real and the imagined is Dymek’s B&W cinematography.
“The screenplay offered deep emotions and morally-ambiguous characters in a richly-detailed and vivid world, in a way that made me feel the story should be told in B&W with countless shades of grey. It turned out that Magnus thought so too,” recalls Dymek who had already worked with Von Horn on the critically-praised Sweat (2020).
“We get exposed exponentially to this harsh world through our protagonist, young seamstress Karoline, so
we wanted to immerse the viewers in her perspective by clashing naturalistic depictions of the city with a kind of subjective visual sensuality. We know the 1910s and 1920s only from archival materials, primarily B&W photographs, and we felt that B&W would be a perfectly-organic tool to transport us into that world.”
That said, the DP and his director shot in colour to have the ability to tweak colour curves in the DI.
“We created several, differently-graded, B&W LUTs with colourist Emil Eriksson to have a better grasp of the colour palette on-set and give ourselves more options in post to darken/brighten each colour, or to selectively shape contrast. Though the final image was in B&W, the information captured in colour helped us a lot,” Dymek explains.
Following Karoline’s story demanded honesty and pain
“We analysed the work of photographers like Sergio Larrain and watched films like Persona (1966, dir. Ingmar Bergman, DP Sven In Cold Blood (1967, dir. Richard Brooks, DP Conrad Hall ASC) and Schindler’s List (1993, dir. Steven Spielberg, DP Janusz Kamiński) to train ourselves to think in B&W. Yet the only real reference was the script, it shaped our conversations and location scouting. That’s why 90% of this film was shot in Poland, in Bystrzyca Kłodzka, Kłodzko, Wrocław and Łódź. Denmark and Sweden are far too revitalised. Making them look dirty, rough and grim would have been a death-blow to our limited budget.”
The principal photography in Poland lasted from October to December 2023 with three out of 30 shooting days done in Sweden, and one additional day for re-shoots in January 2024.
Karoline’s already fragile world crumbles down when she becomes pregnant with a man whose family would never accept her as their own, which makes the girl resolve to desperate measures. On top of the choice of B&W cinematography, Dymek and Von Horn
decided to depict her ordeal in a 3:2 aspect ratio.
“The 3:2 space is severely constricted and the frames seem increasingly-oppressive, sort of like in German Expressionist films where what surrounded the characters harassed them. Here, the city dominates the girl, squashes her, there’s no sky, no air, no hope,” Dymek offers.
“And besides, 3:2 ratio has roots in photography and a 35mm format which matched perfectly with B&W compositions. We weren’t afraid of shallow depth-offield to create a certain kind of air-density resembling the old photographs, but without the added sentimentality.”
When you take the unwarranted nostalgia for the past out of the picture, what remains is a world true to the narrow-minded human terror that is often left aside from history books. So, the DP and director decided to shoot on a combo of ARRI Alexa Mini LF and Leica Hugo lenses to further obscure the line between naturalistic drama and psychological horror. The camera gear was provided by Non-Stop Film Service in Poland.
“The Alexa LF’s big sensor matched with the Hugo’s vintage glass and imperfections on the edges of the frame made the on-screen space pop-out, bringing it closer to stills photography,” he comments.
“With this particular glass, the sensor’s size makes us imagine we see more in the constricted 3:2 frame than we really do. With the Hugo T1.5 35mm lens I noticed that, when framing the actors from a distance of two metres, everything surrounding them faded beautifully into the background, creating this sort of enhanced naturalistic look that worked so well for our story.”
darkness of the background.”
Dymek adds that working on the disfigured character’s face was also one of the most demanding aspects of the post he did with VFX supervisor Peter Hjorth, whilst completing the DI with colourist Emil Eriksson in Sweden’s Can Film.
“It had to feel organic to the world we were creating, whilst we also had to make the world itself feel organic to the archival materials we analysed, yet be modern in a way, not sentimentalised. The DI was about adding contrast, grain and halation, as well as working
We weren’t afraid of shallow depth-of-field
with colour curves to bring out our naturalistic vision of the bygone world that never really existed.”
This approach resulted in one of the most emotionally-harrowing sequences of 2024. Karoline is taken aback when her missing husband returns from the war in a mask covering the remnants of his once-handsome face. She rejects him, making the severely disfigured man join the local circus as one of its ‘star freaks.’ After a while, she confronts him in front of live audience during a freakish performance only to feel the marital fire rekindled.
“We wanted to make this as dark and macabre as possible, something out of a twisted version of The Elephant Man (1980, dir. David Lynch, DP Freddie Francis BSC). The girl is desperate enough in her life to go to a ‘freak show’ just to feel better about herself, but then something bizarre happens. Both the lighting and the camerawork had to be realistic yet dark and emotional. There’s an aspect of madness to how the sequence escalates into a morbidly-romantic manifestation of tough love.”
While the 35mm Hugo became Dymek’s hero lens, he also often used the T1.5 50mm and the T1.5 75mm lengths. “With a good deal of night interiors lit principally by practicals like oil lamps, having these fast lenses was great, especially with the even-faster Leitz Hugo 50mm Noctilux T1.0. There’s one particular shot reverse shot where it gave fantastic results, such as when Karoline watches with disdain how her disfigured husband gives himself a morphine shot in a dimlylit room, while her face slowly fades away into the
When it seems Karoline is doomed with a child she actively despises, she is rescued by Dagmar, the owner of an underground adoption agency for rejected infants. She pays Dagmar the money she received from the affluent family of her would-be beau to give her newborn a happy family. Then she begins to work for Dagmar as a wet nurse only to realise the true extent of the horrors permeating the human world.
“We wanted to match Karoline’s growing feeling of terror with the way we depicted what surrounds her. That’s why we shot a particularly revealing night scene where the camera flies over the rooftops of the slightly disfigured city using a grand 1:25 miniature that production designer Jagna Dobesz built in the Opus Film Studio in Łódź. I’m proud of it as we were able to utilise a 50mm Macro lens to show the city’s physical ugliness in an analogue way, only slightly enhanced by CGI in post.”
Dymek also used InnoVision’s tubular lenses for close-up shots of the characters’ eyes and Angénieux Optimo 42-420mm zoom for some interiors.
The DP admits that shooting this kind of enhanced realism in B&W came with a steep learning curve, but was stimulating nonetheless.
“In B&W the imperative is the relation between a character, or an object, and a background on which you photograph them. We had to be accurate in terms of distance, framing, lighting and focal lengths, to have the darkness wash over the characters to reveal the state of their minds. I used a lot of hard light as it bringsout emotions from the blacks and white and greys. As a tool it’s equivalent to using an intense red colour in a scene to emphasise a point, or to focus or a specific spot. In colour cinematography hard light is a lot safer, in B&W it shows its true potential.”
Dymek says the most-used light sources, by himself and his gaffer Przemysław Sosnowski, were ARRI SkyPanel 360s and S60s, 10K Tungsten Fresnels,
I used a lot of hard light as it brings-out emotions
Dino lights and a variety of Aputure lamps, often with Fresnel attachments – all provided by Polishbased company Gaffer.
“In daytime interiors we mostly used negative fill, but for the scenes in the big factory that Karoline works in, we had to bring in big sources on lifts to cover the windows, with harsh light on the verge of being overexposed to have everything inside looking organic to the way we shot the smaller interiors.”
The Girl With The Needle received critical acclaim pretty-much everywhere it has been screened, and has earned Dymek awards for best cinematography at the Polish Film Festival in Gdynia and the Camerimage Film Festival in Toruń, plus an ASC Spotlight Award nomination. It was also nominated as a contender at the 2025 Golden Globe and Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. But for Dymek the most important thing is that has succeeded on artistic and emotional levels.
“Following Karoline’s story demanded honesty and pain; it had to be emotional and sensual. It had
to hurt, to make people realise how oppressive the world she lived in was, and to understand her decisions. In a certain way we were all scarred by this film.
“To make-up for our short shooting period and small budget and we all gave 200% of our passion and camaraderie to this film. It was stressful, it was harrowing, it was overwhelming, but it was a beautiful experience.”
GRIEF ENCOUNTER
By Iain Blair
Irish cinematographer Suzie Lavelle ISC BSC is well-known for her acclaimed collaborations with Irish director Lenny Abrahamson (Normal People, Conversations With Friends) as well as such diverse projects as His Dark Materials, Severance, One Hundred Mornings and Sherlock.
Working with such a great cast and crew was a very emotional experience
Images: Courtesy Of Universal Pictures
SUZIE LAVELLE ISC BSC•BRIDGET JONES: MAD ABOUT THE BOY
Her latest project is Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the sequel to Bridget Jones’s Baby (2016, DP Andrew Dunn BSC) and the fourth instalment in the Bridget Jones film series. Directed by Michael Morris, whose credits include To Leslie (2022, DP Larkin Seiple), the hit romcom reunites stars Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth and Emma Thompson who reprise their roles as Bridget Jones, Daniel Cleaver, Mark Darcy and Doctor Rawlings, respectively.
With a story set a few years after the last film, Bridget Jones is now a widowed single mother, navigating the challenges of parenthood, work and modern dating, with the support of her friends, family and former partner, Daniel. As she re-enters the dating world, she finds herself pursued by a younger man while also forming an unexpected connection with her son’s science teacher.
“I’d only seen the first Bridget Jones film when I started interviewing for this production, but I was a huge fan and it was a part of growing-up, as my whole family was obsessed with it,” Lavelle recalls.
“Before I even knew about this project, I’d seen To Leslie and was so impressed with the director that I looked him up and told my agent I wanted to work with him. Then shortly after, I got a call about Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, and it turned out to be the same director – Michael Morris. So that was very interesting. When I read the script, I thought it was hilarious, hit all the right notes, and Michael and I had a great meeting about it.”
In terms of their visual approach and establishing the overall aesthetic of the movie Lavelle reports that Morris, “Wanted a very grounded London look that we all know, and he was very interested in the same handheld approach I’d done on Conversations With Friends. I shot all that on the shoulder and it was a really big reference for this.
“As was Richard Curtis’ film About Time (2013, DP John Gulesarian), which is probably the most handheld, long-lens film of all his movies. So, the plan was to shoot it very naturalistically, with it not feeling lit, and with an immediate, energetic camera that was just very present with Bridget.”
Prep was originally scheduled for ten weeks, “But after just the first day we had to shut down because of the strikes,” Lavelle recalls, “so we ended-up having more time to do all the location scouting. And obviously I was also involved in the set build for Bridget’s house, which was on a stage at the new Sky Studios, Elstree, where we shot for about three weeks.
“That was a big one for us in terms of the
naturalistic lighting and the type of house she lived in – one of those skinny London terrace houses with windows at either end and not a lot in-between. That meant, we had to figure-out how this free camera could just follow Bridget around but still have enough light in the centre of the house to make everyone look good.”
Although the filmmakers flirted with the idea of shooting on film, “It wasn’t practical ultimately,” reports Lavelle, who shot the film on the ARRI Alexa 35 camera, with Canon K35 lenses.
“It was the first time I’d shot on the Alexa 35 and I chose it because it replicates skin tones so beautifully. And once you look into film emulation LUTs, it gives you the closest look to that filmic skin tone we wanted.”
The plan was to shoot naturalistically, with an energetic camera that was present with Bridget
The DP used two Alexa 35s, “Although B-camera wasn’t shooting everything all the time. I love the K35s, which I also used on Normal People. They’re fast and very good for handheld – especially the 55mm which, at T1.3, is very fast and has a narrow depth-of-field that can be very beautiful for portraiture and close-ups. I know that lens so well, and it’s what drove the package. It was really about getting what romcoms are – the idea that you don’t notice the camera, and just see the characters in their world generally at their best.”
For lighting, Lavelle went with Tungsten, “As it’s the nicest and closest way to replicate daylight in a studio. I used a lot of Wendy lights and a set of big Fresnels,” she reports. “I didn’t use much small stuff or LEDs except for emergencies and one of the tricky locations in the north of England with barn owls. One of my lighting crew, Henriette Jacobsen, made us some custom lights with heavy diffusion for the closeup and beauty work.”
The DP worked on a LUT with colourist Toby
Tomkins from Harbor Post. “Because we had a change of post house very late in prep, and due to our already tight schedule, I didn’t have as much time as I wanted to develop a LUT. So I used one I already had and then got Toby to adapt it with me as we began shooting,” she explains.
“That worked-out well as Toby and I hadn’t worked together before, so it gave us a chance to get to know each other. He’s really a colour scientist, so when I told him I wanted a sort of film emulation in terms of rolling highlights, halation and soft, natural skin tones, he jumped right in and was brilliant at it.”
Lavelle and Morris only shot-listed and storyboarded a few scenes, “Like the swimming pool scene with the dog going in the water,” Lavelle reveals, “where we had to coordinate with other departments, such as VFX. But for all the work in the house, when we were alone with Bridget or doing two-handers, it’d just be me and Michael working-out the shots between us, with the idea that there would be space for the actors to improvise, and the blocking for all of that was very important.”
Photography on the film began at the start of May 2024, before wrapping 13 weeks later in early August. “Although the shoot itself was quite long, we had 40 locations, which meant there were a lot of moves and travel, plus we had to shoot according to the children’s timetable,” she notes.
“Also, shooting nights in residential areas of London in the summertime, when it doesn’t get dark till very late and you have time restrictions, was also challenging. So, we rehearsed it all during daylight and then really pushed to get all our coverage done in the short time window we had once it went dark. But I had a great crew, which really helped things.”
Lavelle’s camera and lighting team included A-camera 1st AC Tom Taylor, A-camera 2nd ACs Mahalia John and Phillip Barnes, B-camera operator Simon Finney, plus 1st AC Jonny Wright, Jake Whitehouse on Steadicam, and Will Gardner working as DIT. Aerial photography was provided by Helicopter Film Services/The Flying Camera Company. The gaffer was James Bridger, with Adrian Barry leading the grip team.
Lavelle says, “The most difficult scenes to shoot were daylight scenes that took a few days to accomplish, like the swimming pool scene or the up-the-tree scene, where you’re trying to match the different days and lighting conditions. The scenes at the TV station were fun but also difficult in terms of us having our own electrical crew while they also had one, and that was tricky to deal with.”
SUZIE LAVELLE ISC BSC•BRIDGET JONES:
I never thought I’d shoot a film like this
As for her favourite scene to shoot, “It’s hard to choose one as there are so many,” she adds, “but I just loved it when it was just us and Bridget in the house. Of course, we also shot in the Lake District. I’d never been there before, and it was amazingly beautiful.”
Lavelle attended the final grade with Tomkins at Harbor, London. “Because of the very tight schedule from the end of the shoot shooting to the official release, we only had about two weeks to do the theatrical grade, plus a bit more time for the HDR,” she reports.
“We had the film broken-down into six reels of
about 25 minutes each, and our mission in the first week was to do a rough grade on one reel each day. I talked to Toby about the general look, but as he had already graded some trailers it meant we’d already discussed it a lot. Also, we had a pre-day of talking about the big stuff, like halation and where the highlights and blacks were going to sit.
“So, we did a broad pass during the first week, going through everything but not getting into the nitty-gritty of windows and so on. Then Michael came in with all his notes, and we then did another day-per-reel, tweaking and finessing stuff. Finally,
we watched the whole film and did some tweaks, rewatched it and did more tweaks until everyone was completely happy.”
“I’m so happy with the way this film looks and the way it all turned out,” Lavelle sums-up, “especially as I never thought I’d shoot a film like this. Working with such a great cast and crew was actually a very emotional experience in the end, and I felt honoured to be on a set with Renée, Colin and Hugh and everyone. They’ve all been doing this for 25 years now, and it felt like being part of a very special Bridget Jones family.”
LIFE & SOUL
By Darek Kuźma
For his intricately-designed debut as a feature film director, acclaimed cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC joined forces with fellow DP Nico Aguilar AMC to bring Pedro Páramo to life.
Over the course of time Prieto has established himself as a cinematographer who excels at visualising challenging, multi-layered stories, as proven by his work with Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese and Ang Lee. It should come as no surprise then that his feature directorial debut, available on Netflix, was one of the most demanding films of 2024.
Pedro Páramo is a story of Juan who arrives in the early 1900s in the arid Mexican town of Comala to meet his biological father (titular Pedro), only to find a literal ghost town brimming with tales of his late padre’s decades of abuse. Confused and lost among eerie
folks sharing their stories of awful ordeals, he is forced to dive deep into Comala’s troubled past through various timelines bursting with dozens of characters whose relationship to each other he has to figure-out on his own to fully-grasp the town’s poignant saga.
The film is based on Pedro Páramo a novel published in 1955 by Mexican writer Juan Rulfo, which explores the roots on Mexican culture and its set of beliefs concerning the afterlife. It has served as the basis for several film adaptations and was a key influence on Gabriel García Márquez in writing One Hundred Years Of Solitude. As a result of the latter, it has been misrepresented ever since as a magical realist tale, whereas it is chiefly a surreal ghost story about Mexican culture, history and a particular brand of spirituality.
Prieto took the project over from Spanish
filmmaker Mateo Gil with the noble intention of using his experience and advanced technology to reveal the novel’s true audiovisual, narrative and allegorical potential. Nevertheless, he knew right away he would not be able to face the cinematography on his own and thus invited Nico Aguilar, his second unit DP from The Glorias (2020, dir. Julie Taymor) and Killers Of the Flower Moon (2023, dir. Martin Scorsese) to join the project.
“We share similar sensibilities and Nico simply seemed the right person to do the film with, but I don’t remember ever discussing how to divide the work
It was a challenge to find the right technological tools to tell this story
properly
between us. We kind of did everything together at the same time,” Prieto notes.
“During prep, there were days when I had to focus on rehearsing with the actors while Nico worked with the gaffer on pre-lighting. At the end of the day, I’d go and look at what they’d done, and discuss the next days’ work.”
Aguilar adds that it was an easy process once he understood Prieto’s vision.
“Rodrigo shot-listed the entire film and then we made an album of references with images of Mexican photographers like Flor Garduño, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and Juan Rulfo himself. It was the perfect bible for me to comprehend what we’re trying to accomplish. I studied it so hard that I could almost see the film as he did.”
do start to become increasingly
or strange,” Prieto recalls.
“The narrative suddenly jumps from one timeline to another but we decided not to separate them visually.
The only variation was in LUTs for Juan’s and Pedro’s times: both are regular film emulation LUTs, but the former had desaturated green and cyan to make the vegetation in the latter look lush. I wanted to make the
film a good companion to the novel and the decipheras-you-watch feeling is essential to the experience.”
Another element that makes the time-shifting even harder to grasp is the way the camera moves.
“For me, camera movement is emotional. Prieto says. “If the camera doesn’t need to move, I don’t want to move it. Yet in Pedro Páramo it moves to bring a certain energy to the transitions. For example, we see Juan as he talks to a person, the person walks out of the shot, the camera goes after that person, and suddenly we’re in the same space but 50 years before.
“It’s not just a stylistic choice but a concept shared by Mesoamerican cultures: time is non-linear, circular, overlapping. Life and death – and what happens after death – are cyclical. I wanted to make this notion a part of our visual language. I also wanted to find substitutions for Rulfo’s poetic imageries and amazing sound descriptions. The film may look naturalistic, but there are streaks of audiovisual poetry present throughout.”
Initially the timelines were supposed to have another visual distinction as they wanted to capture Juan’s section digitally and shoot Pedro’s section on 35mm film.
“We couldn’t make it work due to the lack of specialised laboratories in Mexico, and sending the material to another country seemed too time-consuming and expensive,” Aguilar reveals.
“So we had to figure-out a way to retain the idea with digital cameras and lenses. We did a lot of tests with various cameras to understand their colour, texture and low-light performance, and chose the ARRI Alexa 35 for its depth-of-field, latitude and highlights. To retain the filmic texture, we then did a lot of film-out tests and experimented with different grain plug-ins, always comparing it with the 35mm tests had done.
“We ended-up shooting the film with Panavision VA Primes, mostly 24mm and 35mm, and sometimes 40mm. They’re not too sharp but also not funky soft, just ideal for our humble filmic look. The rest was done through our LUTs.”
A third LUT was designed for day-for-night scenes through PPL software Prieto created along image scientist Philippe Panzini and colourist Yvan Lucas (the acronym PPL stands for Prieto, Panzini, Lucas).
“You’re able to control separately the channels of colour in terms of saturation, brightness, hue, etc. We used the PPL to make anything that’s blue and cyan much darker. Like the skies. So we didn’t need intense visual effects for day-for-night,” says Prieto.
Aguilar recalls how it saved a particularly challenging scene. “Pedro stands on a patio of his hacienda, lit by the house’s lamps, surrounded by
One of the key aspects of Prieto’s vision was to retain the novel’s feeling of utter confusion. At the outset, Juan does not know that some of the people he talks to are dead – even some of them are not aware of that –and the audience has to share his bewilderment.
“I wanted things to seem normal, no transparent
figures, no camera tricks, no special framing until things
surreal
Images: Photographer Juan Rosas. Images
mountains, looking onto the town far away. We shot the whole set-up with actors at night on a bluescreen, then captured the shot without the LUT but with the exact camera angle and height during daytime, and stitched both shots together.”
Pedro Páramo was shot on-location in Mexico’s San Luis Potosí, including exteriors in Bledos and Villa de Reyes, and in the region of Nayarit. The crew also spent three weeks in a studio in Mexico City. The principal photography lasted 50 days. Due to Prieto’s desire for a naturalistic look, they often didn’t use artificial light sources for day exteriors.
“We pre-visualised the film with Blender, a 3D programme that uses path tracing to predict what the photons would do,” Aguilar reports. “For day shots we scanned locations and recreated their topography in the software, then synced that with geographical data to know the orientation and path of the sun on a specific day of any time of year. We had projections of what the skylight would do based on the weather conditions. It was rough but enough to know how much time we have for a given angle in a given direction.”
Prieto adds, “We also used it for night scenes to determine how much equipment was needed. For instance, we projected how many Astera Tubes would be needed to light an entire street. For the stage work, we’d input the art department plans and test what happens with a 12x12 bounce outside this or that window.”
As the film is set roughly between 1870 and 1920, Prieto and Aguilar had to work extensively with candles.
“Candlelight was something the previous adaptations couldn’t do and we wanted to see the details of the environment even when the light goes off,” says Prieto. “We mostly shot in a range of 1280 to 2500 ISO. With Asteras and LiteMats we created an ambient top light with a sort of cyan colour so it that was darker than candlelight. It was quite tricky as we were at such low levels that the LEDs would start flickering, so we had to put heavy ND filters on them.”
Again, the aim was to retain a naturalistic-yetslightly-stylised look that would be interwoven throughout the film with dozens of more poetic or
expressionistic shots. One thing that was not supposed to be eye-catching was the moon.
“We didn’t want a typical Hollywood-esque moon backlight, as it would’ve called attention to the filmmaking aspect too much and we needed the audience to feel like they are in this same exact world that Juan is experiencing,” Aguilar notes.
Tubes in very specific formations and angles in order to have this endless, source-less moonlight that would still cut out the characters. It didn’t work for all scenes, obviously, so there were times we replicated it with ARRI SkyPanels with a custom cut, or big softboxes on construction cranes positioned in strategic places. But the result was great.”
All of those meticulously-crafted shots needed DI enhancement, with colourist Yvan Lucas at Company 3 helping to fully-leverage their potential.
“We used InviziGrain for the texture but realised it wasn’t enough to put grain on the image. Film is not pixels with a determined size but silver halide crystals in various sizes. The edges end-up bleeding into other edges, especially from the highlights to the shadows. It’s subtle but it does affect you when you watch such film as ours,” explains Aguilar.
“We recreated the image from a film grain pattern, frame-by-frame, then added grain on top of that and started getting a bit of the film overlap. We also added halation to soften some of the highlights where the light bounced back from the film plane to the plate and then back into motion. I think the result is great. Many people were convinced that we shot on film.”
Prieto concludes, “I think Pedro Páramo is a testament to how hard we worked in prep and during production to ensure the right elements were in the right place at the right time. It was a challenge for all of us, both in terms
of translating the novel’s particular language into a captivating audiovisual story and finding the right technological tools to tell this story properly.
“Some fans of Rulfo’s novel wonder if the world needed another film adaptation of Pedro Páramo, and my answer is ‘Yes.’ My version did not take anything away from the novel but became a
companion to it, doing things previous filmmakers could not do or show.
“What’s also wonderful is that this film created an interest in reading the novel, hopefully to an extent that it will be read by people who had never read it before. It makes me proud that it’s sold-out in Mexico and the US.”
DANCING QUEEN
By Iain Blair
Cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw ASC and director Gia Coppola go way back. Coppola hired the DP to shoot Palo Alto, the 2013 indiedrama and festival favourite, before they then reteamed on the love-triangle drama Mainstream (2020).
Their latest collaboration is The Last Showgirl, a poignant drama about an ageing Vegas dancer, Shelly (Pamela Anderson, in a revelatory performance), who suddenly finds herself out of a gig when her long-running show abruptly closes.
Arkapaw and Coppola’s long history together isn’t just a professional one, as Arkapaw explains.
“Gia is one of my best friends and like a sister to me. We’ve been working together since 2011, on fashion films, music videos, commercials and features. At this point we have an unspoken language, and I know exactly what she loves, likes and dislikes.
“She trusts me with the framing and lighting and gives me her favourite photography references before each project. I always operate the camera on our films and she likes to sit right next to the camera. That way every decision we make can be discussed right away and figured-out in the moment. This time around it was like hanging-out with your best friend for 18 days in Las Vegas, while also making a movie.”
In terms of the visual approach, the DP reports that her biggest references “are the photographs Gia sends me. She always shares a photo album and we both add to it during prep and the shoot. She likes to create a feeling through texture and mood, and we both appreciate a softer, dreamy palette. We wanted to shoot on 16mm film, so that was our strongest visual choice. It was important for us to have the nostalgia, saturation and density that analogue film provides.”
The DP and her AC did a lot of testing in prep. “I always work with Panavision and mostly shoot Anamorphic,” she says. “Unfortunately, there weren’t any lenses I loved for the 16mm format, so I worked with my rep Mike Carter and Dan Sasaki to create something special for this project.
“I am very particular with how my lenses perform and resolve, plus things like field-curvature, flares and fall-off. Dan, my focus puller Ethan McDonald, and I, work very hard to make sure the lens is exactly
live there. The characteristics of these lenses help push that idea forward.”
With such a tight shooting schedule, the DP didn’t want the lighting “to be cumbersome or get in the way of executing quickly. I also enjoy working with my gaffer Brian Bartolini and only using one light that is the hero source, which lights the scene beautifully, whether it’s a lamp, bulb or par can.
We don’t over-cover scenes and we shoot with one camera
what we want. Dan is a genius and he and I are insync after working together on my last four films. He knows my sensibilities and gets what I’m after.
“My team at Panavision and camera team are a huge part of my R&D process in prep, and I did two rounds of testing with Dan and watched the prints at Fotokem as well as a DCP at Panavision. Each round we made some modifications until we found the sweet spot.”
Arkapaw’s favourite part of prep is picking the lenses that will be, “the eye of the story. The lenses and the lighting are both characters in the films I shoot. Not many films are shot in Anamorphic on Super 16mm. It was important to use that format in this medium and have a 2.39:1 aspect ratio. Las Vegas can feel like a fishbowl when you visit and
“We didn’t have much budget and my crew was minimal. I brought all my crew with me to Las Vegas, and we wouldn’t have been able to execute the film in 18 days without them. We used a lot of practicals and existing sources in locations, as Las Vegas is great for providing that texture already. For me it’s always about what light you take away, not what light you add.”
Vegas may provide a glamorous backdrop and oceans of neon, but it also presents plenty of challenges, especially for a small indie film.
The biggest challenge was trying to execute some bigger ideas with minimal resources,” Arkapaw reports. “This film wouldn’t have happened in the way that it did without my wonderful crew, my vendors that helped us and our assistant director. I met our AD Jason Lombardo on commercials I shot and thought he would be a great fit for Gia.
“Everyone was on-board with our vision and helped us to execute it in 18 days. Gia and I are very economical when it comes to our shot list. We don’t over-cover scenes and we shoot with one camera.”
Arkapaw shot on Super 16mm, KODAK VISION3 500T 7219 pulled one stop, with an ARRI 416 camera and Panavision’s 16mm bespoke Auto Panatars.
“I only did one scout with Gia and my crew before we started shooting,” she states. “Ultimately that didn’t matter because the main location was changed by the producer at the last minute. So, we
AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW
scouted the locations again the week before we started shooting. Not an ideal situation but on a film of this size you always have to roll with the punches.”
Her dailies LUT was created by final colourist Kostas Theodosiou at Fotokem.
“My wonderful dailies colourist Jon Rocke and I were on the same page and I was very happy with how all my dailies came out,” she notes. “The final grade was very quick as we matched the dailies. When I shoot film I want the final DI image to be as close to the film print density and colour as possible.”
How tough was the shoot? “Every shoot is difficult whether you have two million dollars or 200 million,” she stresses. “It’s about the people making the film and how they all work together. I am fortunate, as I often choose to work with my friends. Filmmaking is not an easy process and often you are away from your family. It’s important that I work with people I like, admire and trust. That allows me to do my best work and in turn the work is more fulfilling.”
Ask her which scene was the most difficult for her to shoot, and she says “I don’t really look at things as difficult or not difficult. Everything can be difficult in filmmaking. I make the best out of everything in front of me, The approach really is how can I best tell this story while also making it visually captivating? The most difficult aspect of shooting small films is you don’t have as much time. Time is money. So that’s when you have to get creative and be more economical with your storytelling.”
The film co-stars Jamie Lee Curtis as Annette, an ex-showgirl who’s now reduced to being a waitress. Arkapaw reports that one of her favourite scenes is when Annette goes over to Shelly’s house after Shelly gets back from a date.
“Annette tells this story while the ladies are having a drink in her living room. I loved the lighting in the room and how Jamie was laying on the couch with her head right by the warm practical light, and Pam was at her feet sitting on the floor,” she explains. “It was a beautiful scene and it felt very genuine and layered. It’s always
It was important to have the nostalgia, saturation and density that analogue film provides
nice to see those scenes come together and it ends up just being a simple locked-off camera.”
Like the shoot, the grade at Fotokem was fast and efficient. “Kostas and I graded the film in
one day as he matched the dailies grades which I loved,” she notes. “I’m currently working with Kostas on my latest film Sinners which we shot on 65mm.”
The Sinners project reunited her with her Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) director Ryan Coogler and makes Arkapaw the first female cinematographer ever to shoot a feature in IMAX 65mm on 65mm large-format film.
“Shooting this film on 16mm right before Sinners on 65mm was so much fun,” she adds. “Although 16mm and 65mm are different formats, I approached them with the same attitude towards exposure. I want the film to sing and ring true to the negative when it comes time to final grade.
“The Last Showgirl will always be an important one to me, because it was made in exactly the way that we set out to make it,” she sums up. “Gia wanted to make a small film where we had full control to carry out our vision. We didn’t have any monitors on-set, there was no video village and we had minimal crew. We wanted to make another film that was similar to the way we made Palo Alto – something intimate and personal.
“I know Gia was very happy with the shoot and the outcome, which makes me happy. She’s like family, so if she’s happy, I’ve done my job well. It feels great to see audiences appreciating Pamela’s performance. She deserves all of the praise as well as the rest of our amazing cast. Creatively it’s very satisfying to make a beautiful little film with your friends.”
Photos: Brian Bartolini. Images courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
By Ron Prince
SThe relentless pace of six-dayweeks in the heat was intense
antosh , the slow-burning, hard-hitting crime drama set in rural India, stars Shahana Goswami as Santosh, a widow who inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable after he was killed in a riot.
Heartbroken and largely abandoned by her inlaws, she dons the khaki uniform, and is soon enlisted by Geeta Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), a prominent female police officer, to help investigate the rape and murder of a young Dalit women, the lowest in the caste hierarchy, which the authorities – mainly lazy and corruptible men – are not inclined to care about.
Horrified by what has happened, and concerned about the girl’s family, Santosh is determined to find out what’s going on, and searches for Saleem, a Muslim boy who becomes the prime murder suspect. The camera seldom leaves Santosh’s side as she moves through moments of introspection, incredulity and fury, to face the endemic rot in the system and realise her utter inability to help, or indeed create change.
Santosh, a Franco-British-German coproduction, was written/directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, making her feature debut with the movie, and was shot mainly handheld by Dutch DP Lennert Hillege NSC. The film premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and was named in the top five international films of 2024 by the National Board Of Review. It also won a Golden Frog in the Directors’ Debuts Competition at Camerimage 2024.
Along with awards, the film earned critical praise as a searing critique about ethics, police brutality, caste violence, social justice and misogyny in India, along with plaudits for Hillege’s coolly-observant cinematography.
“I asked my agent to find me something with adventure, something a little bit crazy that other DPs might not have on their radars,” says Hillege, a graduate of the Netherlands Film Academy, whose recent credits include Occupied City (2023, dir. Steve McQueen), The Forgotten Battle (2020, dir. Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.) and the TV drama series High Flyers (2020).
“Santosh was one of the scripts that popped-up, and it fitted the bill entirely for me. It was an important story, that I connected with immediately. Although Sandhya had made documentaries and shorts, this was her first feature, and was she looking for a DP who was enthusiastic about the project, and who could also protect things a little, in that she did not want production becoming too big or technicallycomplicated. That was definitely me, I like simplicity!”
“I went with the Alexa Mini LF – two bodies, one to shoot and one spare, just in case. I know the camera really well, I like the pictures it captures, and this was not the occasion to start experimenting with anything else. As it’s a small camera, I knew it would be OK in our many tight interiors and would survive the hot and humid conditions. It proved a good choice.
“As for the optics, I didn’t want to have romanticlooking lenses, and decided on the ARRI Signatures as they are clean and clear, good on skin tones and natural detail, plus the smooth bokeh helps give a kind of three-dimensional ‘pop’ to your subject. I shot with almost no diffusion, maybe some very light Tiffen Black Pro-Mist Promist or Schneider Classic Soft here and there.”
Prior to production, Hillege worked with freelance colourist Peter Bernaers on a basic Rec.709 LUT to avert “poppiness” in the image, by slightly desaturating the colour overall and increasing contrast by a small fraction. The final DI grade was done by senior colourist Gareth Bishop at Dirty Looks in London, with Hillege working remotely in a calibrated iPad.
Hillege estimates he had around four weeks of prep on the film – short by most standards – but says he was greatly-assisted in the task of assembling his crew by the local production partner.
“Santosh was produced in association with Suitable Pictures in India, and with their help I didn’t have to look too long or too hard to find a high-end, hard-working and creative crew – people who had great experience of with working foreigners, who were also connected to the storytelling. Every morning there was a blessing for the camera, which only took a couple of minutes, and I loved that.”
This was an important story that I connected with immediately
Hillege says shooting handheld was a deliberate creative choice to help tell the story. “I love operating, and on this film, which had a particular visual language, it felt essential I did so. Sandhya’s aim was to shoot in a very straightforward manner, blending professional actors with non-professionals, whilst maintaining a connection to the reality she was trying to convey.
Hillege says that visual references were sparse, and conversations with Suri were more about sifting through looks she did not want.
“Whilst this film might be put in the ‘crime’ genre, it was really far-removed from what you might expect. Sandhya really wanted to focus on the acting, especially Santosh’s verbal and nonverbal reactions to events, and to relieve the actors of technical pressures. Bollywood films have a lot of glamour and theatricality, but the intention was for this film to look real and true-to-life, more like a documentary – nothing romantic or heroic, just visual-honesty at all times.”
Typically working six-day weeks, largely in sweltering heat, principal photography took place over 45 days between August and October 2023, at rural and urban locations around Lucknow, the capital and the largest city of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hillege went with the ARRI Alexa Mini LF camera and ARRI Signature prime lenses for the shoot, supplied by Next Shot, based in Saint-Denis, France.
“My camera package was basic and simple for straightforward, documentary-style filming,” he says.
“The idea was that the camera would be with our lead character for most of the film, so that the audience would experience things from her point-of-view. So, I shot a lot of the film handheld, but with a variety of different intentions – it might be finding or following the tension in a scene, observing or anticipating Santosh’s reaction to an event, depicting her uncertainty or incredulity. Sometimes it was just about holding still and allowing a scene to unfold on its own.”
Assisted by Aurélie Blin as focus puller, plus key grip Edwin Anthony, Hillege duly operated during most of the shoot, until being stricken with stomach bug. This saw Nuthan Nagaraj taking-over the operating, but directed remotely by Hillege, who was able to watch a live camera feed and communicate via a walkie-talkie.
“I was pretty unwell, lost five kilos in just a few days, and looked like I’d been in prison,” he recalls. “That was one you couldn’t fight with pills and some electrolytes. Although I got better, Nuthan stayedon to the end, because there were some additional things to shoot and this allowed me to move around the set and focus on the logistics for those.”
This brief indisposition wasn’t the only challenge Hillege faced. He explains, “Many of the rural locations were sometimes a couple of hours away from our base in Lucknow, and the drive to them could
sometimes be fraught. The roads were busy, bumpy and one day we ran over and killed a dog. It was like having an adrenaline shot before we started shooting each day.
“If we had a day that was cooler than 37°C degrees, that was a unique moment. Almost every day was much hotter than your regular body temperature. The nights were stifling too, but felt quite refreshing by comparison.
“That said, in certain filming locations, especially at night, we often attracted crowds of curious onlookers, who clustered around the crew and our equipment. So, we devised a kind of cat-and-mouse game, where we set-up a scene at one location and left the lights in place, but actually moved a few streets away to film a different scene, so that the first crowd would disperse. This usually gave us about 20 minutes of filming untroubled.”
Working closely with gaffer Kamlesh Saadrani, Hillege says the philosophy behind the lighting was to keep the images looking natural and authentic in relation to the locations.
“In a real documentary you don’t have the time or luxury to control the light, but in features you have to maintain the look and avoid things from appearing chaotic. On our day exteriors a lot of our effort went into managing the available light for the sake of consistency, creating and maintaining an atmosphere, without the end-result looking theatrical.
“Things are also challenging when you shoot night scenes in India, especially in a city. There are so
many existing light sources around, and 90% of the time you’re just trying to control the light that’s coming into the lenses from the front, or the shadow cast by the camera and the operator. However, the level of the light meant that I didn’t really have to change
The intention was for this film to look real and true-to-life
the sensitivity on the camera, and we shot most night scenes at 800ISO.”
Hillege’s lighting package was comprised of a combination of the old and the new – traditional Tungsten and HMI lights through to modern ARRI Sky Panels and Creamsource Vortexes, plus Astera tubes and bulbs.
Among the film’s key moments is Santosh’s night-time pursuit of Saleem through a busy Muslim commercial district.
“The area was filled with butchers’ shops, and had a particularly unpleasant smell,” Hillege reveals. “As we followed Santosh through the streets and alley-ways, we shot using the available light, but
sometimes need to add a little extra illumination of our own, to help convey the idea of her feeling lost, vulnerable and in-danger, as if she were a foreigner in her own country.
“Later, in the same sequence, when she follows Saleem into the hotel – which was a real location and really did have cows living on the ground floor – we used the lighting that was available to us, but made a few minimal adjustments, such as changing bulbs in the existing fixtures.”
For perhaps the movie’s most momentous moment, Saleem’s police interrogation, Hillege combined atmospheric lighting, handheld imagery and offcamera sound, to evoke the idea of the savage brutality taking place, rather than depicting it.
“To light that scene, we just used one batteryoperated LED light, that looked like the lantern you might see in an old Western. With the camera remaining on Santosh and the background blurred, the audience sees vigorous whip-pans and hears sound of the belt striking Saleem – implying the violence of this scene without explicitly showing it. That was very powerful.”
Looking back on his experience of shooting Santosh, Hillege remarks, “It was extremely tough, physically and mentally. Even though it wasn’t a particularly complicated film to shoot, the relentless pace of six-day-weeks in the heat was intense and pressurised. It was one of the hardest films I have ever shot, but the production team and my and crew kept things on-track, and I’m proud of the final result.”
2.5kWh Continuous Output.
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GREAT GEAR GUIDE•BSC EXPO 2025 ROUND-UP
HOT PICKS…
Your A-to-Z of super-cool cinematography kit, services and organisations, as exhibited at the 2025 BSC Expo.
Reporting and photos by John Keedwell GBCT, Michael Burns, Kirsty Hazlewood, Iain Hazlewood, Ron Prince and David Wood.
ACO – ASSOCIATION OF CAMERA OPERATORS
The ACO has made notable progress in supporting camera operators through training, networking and advocacy. A key change is the membership system, now requiring five years of experience in the camera department for full membership.
The ACO provides training, backed by industry leaders like ARRI and Panavision, covering everything from handheld work to cranes. Beyond education, it fosters a strong community through screenings, networking events and a dedicated
APUTURE
Aputure had a variety of interesting new fixtures and ideas about the science of mixing LED colours. The Blair-CG light engine is a new concept that delivers high-quality tuneable light colour and covers more than 90% of the Rec.2020 colour gamut. The Blair-CG light engine utilises Blue, Lime, Amber, Indigo and Red LED emitters.
This is quite different from RGBWW or RGBACL. Instead of having a green emitter, they’re utilising Indigo. The concept behind this is that Indigo is very similar to ultraviolet, so it can bring-out parts of the spectrum other lighting systems cannot deliver to the camera sensor. Indigo makes skin colours and whites
ARRI
This was the first showing in the UK of the ARRI Alexa 265, a new 65mm camera designed with user-feedback – filmmakers wanted 6.5K resolution with a higher dynamic range and improved low-light performance. It is only available from ARRI Rental.
WhatsApp group for members. Health and safety are central, with initiatives like the Mark Milsom Safety Passport gaining traction across productions.
As the organisation grows, its focus on education, support, and industry standards continues to bolster the future of camera operating. ACO member James Chesterton commented, “Safety is a key focus for the ACO. We recently ran a first aid course, and the Mark Milsom Safety Passport is gaining real momentum, with some productions now requiring it for all crew, and even covering the cost.”
www.theaco.net
become very natural-looking as this is how the eye sees the world.
The fixtures come in a variety of sizes from the Storm 80C with the smaller Mini ProLock Bowens locking mount. Then there are the Storm 1,000W fixture and the Storm 1,200W fixtures, all utilising the larger ProLock Bowens locking mount and same colour engine.
They all have a CCT range of 1,800K-20,000K. The locking mount holds modifiers and optics rigidly in place on the larger units, so even the heaviest modifiers stay secure and aligned.
The first impression is how small the body is, being one-third the size and weight of the Alexa 65. The camera is based on the Alexa 35, and although it contains a sensor three times larger, it is only 4mm longer and 11mm wider. The 265 has a revised 65mm sensor that improves from 14 to 15 stops, with sensitivity increased from 3200 to 6400
ARRI RENTAL
The show debut of the ARRI Alexa 265 gathered a lot of attention on the ARRI Rental stand. With a revised 65mm sensor, the camera is a compact and flexible version of the Alexa 65, suitable for use on drones, Steadicams and handheld rigs.
Also showcased was the Alexa 35 Monochrome, designed for B&W cinematography. Removing the Bayer filter provides true native monochrome imaging with enhanced sensitivity and a base ISO of 1600. According to Bryan Lockyer from ARRI Rental, it’s the ideal camera for B&W work.
ARRI also presented the Alexa 35 Live, a
EI (ISO/ASA), delivering much deeper blacks, greater contrast and a lower noise level floor.
The Alexa 265 body weighs
in at 3.3kg vs. the 10.5kg of the Alexa 65, a truly remarkable engineering achievement. This reduction means it can be used on drones and different camera stabilisers, and can be creatively positioned where space would have previously been impossible.
A new filter tray system encases ND filters and creative filters in a protective cartridge and slides in
multi-camera system for live production. Featuring a hybrid fibre-optic cable, it supports 4K video transmission over long distances, up to 2km. Product manager John Gilbert highlighted its flexibility for live broadcasts, with the ability to quickly switch from a base station to handheld use. www.arrirental.com
www.aputure.com
front of the sensor. The filter tray records which filter is used and the information is recorded in the camera metadata for use on-set and in post-production. The camera keeps the same LogC4 workflow and accessories as the Alexa 35.
Also on show were the ARRI Skypanel S60Pro and Skypanel X. The S60 Pro has 20% more lightoutput than the previous S60-C, with similar size and weight. The low-level dimming performance is improved and the form factor can be either blue/ silver or black, and is IP20-rated.
The Skypanel X is IP66-rated, making it useable on exterior locations where water ingress is a danger. It also brings a modular possibility with two or three units stacked together. Only one power cable is required to power all units.
www.arri.com
ASTERA
The LunaBulb gives filmmakers a practical light with the flexibility of LED output and DMX control by smart device or console. It has been engineered to look just like a Tungsten bulb and can be used as a practical. Unlike Tungsten light bulbs, the LunaBulb doesn’t change colour temperature when dimming-down and has flickerfree colour consistency for the whole dimming range.
There are many accessories that can be added to modify the light such as a diffuser, a lens, a snoot etc. It has an IP44-rating.
The PrepCase can be used with a built-in battery so you can prepare your colour temperature or brightness settings directly in the case without the need of AC sockets or app pairing. If you want to control via DMX, you can decide which DMX address you want to start with and all LunaBulbs in the case will receive the same or subsequent DMX addresses. The units will remember
BLACKMAGIC
Blackmagic debuted the Ursa 17K large format 65mm format camera. Unlike other 65mm options, typically rental-only, this camera offers owner-operators the chance to invest in largeformat filmmaking. Built on the same platform as the Ursa Cine 12K, both cameras focus on efficiency, particularly in post-production.
A key advantage is workflow: Blackmagic RAW remains consistent from acquisition to DaVinci
CAMERIMAGE
Camerimage 2024 boasted record attendance and a fantastic atmosphere, and preparations are underway for this year’s festival, from 15th to 22nd November. Film submissions will soon open, making this the perfect time to spread the word to filmmakers with eligible projects.
The festival will once again feature competitions
CINELAB FILM & DIGITAL
A never-ending stream of people attended the Cinelab stand, where the message very clearly was that analogue film is alive-and-kicking. Last year the company processed more than five million feet of film –
CINEO & NBC/UNIVERSAL
Resolve, eliminating the need for transcoding. The 12K model includes an 8TB removable media module, reducing storage costs and allowing direct file access without transfers. Additional features like 10Gb ethernet and wi-fi enable network file transfers and cloud-based proxy uploads, streamlining dailies and client review.
The cameras employ an RGBW colour pattern for improved fidelity, avoiding common tints seen in other systems. With a positive reception at the event,
across a variety of categories, including features (over 60 minutes), short and feature-length documentaries, TV series episodes, music videos and student etudes (narrative films up to 30 minutes).
Camerimage marketing manager, Dariusz Wyczółkowski, commented, “Looking ahead, there are no major changes planned – it’s more of an evolution rather than a revolution.
Over the past year, the team behind the Reflex 10 (R10) has been refining what they believe is a game-changing approach to lighting technology. The focus? Modularity and sustainability, with a product designed to evolve, rather than forcing users into costly annual upgrades.
A key innovation comes in the form of the new bi-colour Tower, a compact yet powerful light engine that surpasses previous prototypes in power
CINTEK
Cintek had an elegant-looking stand to coax attendees into experiencing the Caldwell Chameleon Anamorphic lenses, including a new Ultra-Wide Anamorphic.
The Chameleon Anamorphics combine a classic look with subtle character, whilst elevating visuals with unique flares, demonstrated on the stand using a torch. The lenses were designed with modern filmmaking processes in mind – for example, with reduced moiré patterning for use in virtual production workflows.
Caldwell lenses have been employed worldwide on productions such as The Umbrella Academy (S4), Renegade Nell, Silo and The Perfect
3,700,00ft of 35mm, 1,200,000ft of 16mm, 150,000ft of Super8mm, plus lots of exhibition prints. Also, the firm says it is experiencing unprecedented demand from filmmakers wanting to shoot on film.
The reclaimed silver from the many projects running through
Couple. Whether you’re crafting an epic adventure or an intimate drama, the Chameleons just might be right for your next shoot! www.cintek.co.uk
the settings to maximise speed and control. QuikSpot is a battery-driven, precise, zoomable Fresnel and a versatile, compact spotlight and up-light. The internal battery allows the unit to have a runtime of 4.5 hours with OutputGain activated. The QuikSpot lens system is designed for maximum brightness and has a beam angle from 13° to 60° by simply turning the barrel. The 8-way barndoor has a safety wire built-in and can rotate 360° while still connected to the integrated safety link. www.astera-led.com
Blackmagic’s approach to image quality and workflow efficiency positions these models as strong contenders in high-end cinematography. www.blackmagicdesign.com
An exciting development is the construction of a new film studio, which is progressing well, though it remains uncertain whether it will be ready for this year’s festival.”
www.camerimage.pl
the lab has been fashioned into all manner of jewelleries by From The Silver Screen. This included a bespoke broach, taking the form of a set of twinkling silver gnashers, made especially for DP Jarin Blashcke in celebration of his success with Nosfetatu, shot on KODAK 35mm film, for which Cinelab made 35mm prints.
www.cinelab.co.uk
density. Thanks to liquid cooling, the R10 now delivers 1,000 watts of fullcolour, tunable white LED power in a disc just 1.5 inches in size –
outshining even a 1200 HMI. The small aperture also creates crisp, hard shadows, offering DPs great creative flexibility.
According to Joe Mendoza, VP of sales, Cineo Lighting, “With multiple ways to shape and control light, the R10 isn’t just another fixture – it’s an adaptable platform designed for the long haul. It’s not just a light – it’s a light engine.” www.cineolighting.com
GREAT GEAR GUIDE•BSC EXPO 2025 ROUND-UP
CVP
CVP has been evolving, moving beyond simply showcasing kit to highlighting its broader expertise in technical solutions and post-sale support. A key focus is the Projects Team, which has been expanding its capabilities in studio installs, education and virtual production.
From greenscreens and motion capture to full-scale broadcast and podcast set-ups, the team is delivering tailored technical solutions across the industry. Notably, its work on the NGX Studio at the National Gallery last year showcased the company’s ability to integrate cutting-edge technology into creative spaces.
The European Lens Summit, set to take place in London this summer, will be a major event, bringing together DPs and optical technicians. As a preview,
DEDOLIGHT
Dedolight had a variety of new smaller items to control lighting, which were interesting and intriguing. The new DLR-MLock motorised devices can be used with the Eflect reflective panels to accurately-control the reflector angles using an app on your phone. This means ultimate control of shape when the reflectors are hard to reach.
There were two interesting hand-cranked ideas in the form of reflector devices called the Whoosh. They can give interesting effects and for now they
DE SISTI LIGHTING
De Sisti showed a wide variety of its awardwinning luminaires. The space light has a tuneable correlated colour temperature from 2,800 to 6600° Kelvin. It has a rugged and lightweight aluminium housing with a detachable driver. This is removable from the back of the unit and can control it up to 50m away.
In addition to this there was the Fresnel series, all with a COB LED array – the F4.7 (60W), F6 (120W), F7 (160W), F10 (180W), F14 (400 W) and F20 with 1,000-Watt COB LED array.
De Sisti uses a true Fresnel lens made of high-
DOPCHOICE (C/O LCA)
DoPchoice creates lightdiffusing boxes for a variety of fixtures and recently developed the Snapbox Airglow Booklight as 1x1 and a 1x2 units. These fit ARRI Skypanels, Creamsource, Litepanels Gemini, Velvet and more.
The new circular shaped Float comes in 4ft, 8ft and 12ft diameter versions. They’re designed for professional studio and location productions and are
CVP introduced a mini lens bar at the show, reinforcing its expertise in cine optics.
Beyond technical services, CVP continues to offer pro repairs, financing through Creative Vision Finance, and a used marketplace – where customers can test and buy pre-owned kit with full support. With no brand bias, CVP’s approach ensures clients get the best technical solutions tailored to their needs. www.cvp.com
are hand-operated, but could possibly be electronicallydriven. They have been used on commercials, and are really a test idea for now. Also on-show was the Dedocolor 800C, a full colour 800W fixture that is so new it has not been finalised yet, technically still in development! www.dedoweigertfilm.de
quality, shock-resistant borosilicate glass, and the units have internationallypatented optical systems that optimises the LED source. The reflective design in combination with the Fresnel lens gives high optical efficiency, and they are inuse in many news studios worldwide.
All units have self-stabilising, silent, active-cooling technology. The units all have universal PSUs too, so they are ready to use around the world with auto-sensing voltages between 90 and 250volts.
www.desisti.it
extremely lightweight, so can be hung from virtually any studio ceiling. The Floats have two inflatable
FUJIFILM
One to watch! Fujifilm showcased its new GFX Eterna large format cinema camera, with features to enhance production workflows. Jim Marks from Fujifilm’s Cinema division highlighted the camera’s versatility and connectivity including, SDI, HDMI, genlock, timecode, remote control and 10G Ethernet. The camera includes an electronic variable ND filter, which Marks suggested could be a first for
large format sensors.
rings forming the cylindrical frame inside the unit. Light tiles can be mounted vertically inside the unit, which is then inflated and put into position with three cables. There is a customisable Topper, meaning that no light comes out of the top of the unit, and skirts for all sizes between 300mm and 1,500mm.
They also have a tiltable adjustable depth so the lamp unit can be set at an angle and the skirt can be parallel to the ground, and can be used as a beautiful round bounce.
www.dopchoice.com
“It also features CFast Express Type-B cards and a built-in V Lock mount,” said Marks. “We have a duplication of the control panel and buttons on both
sides, for the operator on the left and the AC on the right; both are lockable.”
Fujifilm showed the camera with a new GF hybrid CineZoom 32-90, T3.5 lens with optical image stabilisation, but Marks also revealed a forthcoming GFXto-PL adapter which will offer power and data, with a lockable mount.
www.fujifilm.com
GECKO-CAM
Andy Mossman, technical manager at Sunbelt Rentals, drew our attentions to the forthcoming Ayana lenses, made by Munich-based film equipment and service company Gecko-Cam. Lily Petrovic, the company’s vice president, told us the Ayana optics have been made specifically for large format cameras, and showed the 35mm and 60mm focal lengths, the first in a range that
GBCT – GUILD OF BRITISH CAMERA TECHNICIANS
The GBCT continues to focus on its core mission – supporting and training camera professionals across the industry. With around 400 members, the organisation represents those working in features, TV dramas and commercials, offering education, networking opportunities, and key
GODOX
will run between 25mm and 150mm. The Ayanas only use spherical elements for an organic look and are especially good for skin tones.
The company began delivering its Opia optics last year – modern lenses, available as single, multi and un-coated, also offering organic looks and fall-off with pleasing bokeh for full-frame digital cameras with big sensors. www.gecko-cam.com
benefits such as automatic travel and personal accident insurance. Members also gain access to discounted industry consumables through GBCT’s patrons.
Entry into the Guild remains selective, requiring recommendations from four existing members, ensuring a high level of expertise.
Whilst the industry has faced challenges, particularly in 2024, there are signs of improvement, with TV drama production picking-up. However, uncertainty remains as streaming platforms hesitate to invest, watching to see how the market evolves. Despite these fluctuations, GBCT remains committed to advocating for and supporting camera professionals in an ever-changing landscape. www.gbct.org
Godox introduced the Knowled M1000R 1K RGB LED light, offering versatility with a Bowens S mount for both soft and hard lighting set-ups. The light features full DMX and Bluetooth control, allowing for adjustments including dimming, colour changes and effects via a mobile app. Compared to traditional HMIs, this LED eliminates the need for gels and reduces set-up time.
Also on show was the MG2400Bi bi-colour LED Par HMI equivalent, which runs on a standard 13-
GREEN VOLTAGE
Green Voltage has a variety of silent batterypowered systems available for hire, whatever your requirements and budget. The Instagrid is a 2kW unit with an AC single-phase output of 13A or 16A (3kW Max). It weighs 20kg and charges in three hours.
The VOLTstack 5K has a rated energy capacity of 5.6kWh. AC output single-phase 230V 32A and 16A (4kW max). Weight is 150kg and takes two hours to charge. The Wattman has a rated energy capacity of 10kWh. AC output single-phase 230V 32A and 16A (6kW max). Weight is 101kg and it takes five hours for a full charge.
The larger E-Gen range of 20kW, 60kWh,
GRIP FACTORY MUNICH
GFM showcased exciting developments, building on last year’s collaboration with Modulus X. The partnership continues to expand, with more accessories in development and a larger collaboration on the horizon.
A highlight was the GF-Dual Rotating Offset, offering two degrees of rotational freedom. It allows full repositioning without dismantling set-ups,
KINO FLO
The Mimik lighting system gained attention for its interactive lighting capabilities. The 10,000nits system uses RGB, warm white and cool white emitters like the company’s Freestyle Air panel, but is based on an LED wall architecture. By using a video processor, Mimik allows any video to be reflected in full spectrum, matching foreground lighting with background imagery. For greenscreen work or virtual production, the system can recalibrate input
amp socket. This removes the need for generators whilst maintaining high output. Unlike traditional HMIs, it does not require warm-up or cool-down periods, making it efficient on-set. The IP-rated panels are designed for outdoor use, capable of withstanding rain without additional protection.
Ryan Priestnall, Essential Photo and Video, said, “It’s a great all-
80kWh and 100kWh units are towed on a trailer. These can deliver either single-phase outputs of 63A, 32A and 16A or threephase with outputs of 63A, 32A CEE-Form. Max output 24kW. Max pass through 100Amps. Charging times are: 60k three hours; 80k four hours; and 100k five hours. The carbon offset is 160kg of CO2 for each ten hours of operation. A 15kW Hybrid is launching in March 2025. www.greenvoltage.co.uk
round light I’d take on any job. It works as both hard and soft light, has built-in effects, and can be controlled via DMX or Bluetooth. Instead of dealing with HMIs and gels, I now adjust everything from my phone – dimming, colour changes, even effects. That flexibility is a huge time-saver and invaluable. For me, it’s the most exciting light here, along with the larger models.”
www.godox.com
providing smooth, controlled movement with an optional friction setting for slow pans. Fully-compatible with existing GFM inserts –including Mitchell, Bowl, and Euro mounts – it integrates seamlessly
signals to provide true reflections on a subject’s face. It can also replicate real-world lighting conditions in real time.
Kino Flo also introduced new fixtures to the UK, the Icon 6 and Icon 12. These 600W and 1200W fixtures maintain full intensity across all colours, even when using gels. They also offer a broader spectral output for accurate skin tones and colour reproduction. Both models are IP65-rated, with segment control via DMX.
with current set-ups.
Also introduced was the GF Mini Tube Rig, a lightweight camera offset system using two tubes. Designed to adapt to the industry’s push for lighter rigs, it maintains full compatibility with GFM’s existing products. Interchangeable Mitchell plates ensure modularity, reinforcing GFM’s commitment to longterm usability over forced obsolescence.
www.gripfactory.com
www.kinoflo.com
GREAT GEAR GUIDE•BSC EXPO 2025 ROUND-UP
KODAK
Whilst Kodak is celebrating 60 years of Super8mm film this year, the team were particularly buoyant at the show, due to the preponderance of films that have been shot-on-film of late.
Analogue film-originated movies include Maria (DP Ed Lachman ASC), Anora (DP Drew Daniels), Bird (DP Robbie Ryan ISC BSC), Queer (Sayombhu
LCA – LIGHTS CAMERA ACTION
For those wanting get to grips with image-based lighting (IBL), LCA featured an impressive ‘poor man’s process’ set-up, configured by freelance desk-op/lighting technician Dan Walters.
Realistic, 360-degree CGI background content, of cars whizzing along streets and underpasses, in day/night scenarios, was provided by SimPlates, running on Assimilate LiveFX software and displayed via HDMI on a 3m x 3m Roe LED wall, powered by Brompton processing.
Mukdeeprom), Nosferatu (Jarin Blaschke), The Last Showgirl (Autumn Durald Arkapaw ASC), Sister Midnight (Sverre Sørdal FNF) and Janet Planet (DP Maria Von Hausswolff DFF) – to name just a few.
In front of the LED wall was a pink bumper car that visitors could sit in, illuminated by Creamsource Vortex 24s flanking
LEITZ
Leitz showcased its range of lenses, breaking them down into three distinct categories. The performance lenses, including Prime and Zoom, offer highquality, sharpness and a touch of character. The true character lenses, such as the Elsie and Summicron, provide more distinctive looks. The legacy lenses, such as Hugo, M.08 and Thalia, are designs from Leica’s
LIGHTBRIDGE (C/O LCA)
Lightbridge revolutionised its reflectors with the launch of new touch-proof models, designed to eliminate the issue of fingerprints that plagued previous generations. These upgraded reflectors are significantly more resilient, offering enhanced durability even in challenging conditions. For instance, a DP using the earlier generation in saltwater was able to
LITEGEAR (C/O LCA)
existing M and S series, which maintain their classic appeal.
The two newest additions to the line-up, Hugo and Elsie, have proven to be popular with both rental companies and DPs.
Kevan Parker, regional sales manager EMEA, Leitz, said, “Whilst the market is slow, there’s still plenty of activity with numerous features in
Just weeks after being acquired by Chauvet Lighting, LiteGear has joined Kino Flo under the Chauvet Cinema Group banner, focussing on film and episodic television. Head of sales Paul Royalty showcased its latest innovation, the IP65-rated LiteTile Spectrum.
“People have been asking for spectrum technology in a tile for a long time,” he said. “It turns out it’s difficult to get that technology into a textile that folds while maintaining the same fit and finish as the original LiteTile.”
LiteTile Spectrum 4 and LiteTile Spectrum 8, with four and eight light engines respectively, feature an RGBA CL mix, replacing the traditional Tungsten/ Daylight approach.
“By using cyan and lime, we can fill in the spectrum more completely and achieve a wider colour gamut,” Royalty explained. The unit is 25%
clean and maintain the reflectors daily, allowing them to continue shooting for months.
With the new touch-proof technology, maintaining the equipment is easier and more efficient, making it the ideal tool for
Of course, The Brutalist (DP Lol Crawley BSC) harnessed 8-perf 35mm VistaVision for dramatic impact, and scooped a multitude of awards in the 2025 awards season. The message is that you can shoot on film too. So give Kodak a call!
www.kodak.com/go/motion
Spectrum providing top light.
The scene – bumper car and live LED wall background – was captured using a Sony Venice camera and Cooke lens 30-95mm zoom, with the output displayed on a Flanders Scientific monitor. Assimilate’s Live FX was used for RGB mapping and control the lighting fixtures, along with playback of the background footage on the LED wall, including changing the view from the 360-degree material. And the results looked great!
Whilst LCA is not offering IBL as a service, the company is available to advise and help with best practices as this type of production process becomes more widespread.
www.lcauk.com
production and studio spaces booked for the year ahead. However, this doesn’t necessarily equate to increased budgets, as many rental companies are cautious about spending ahead of potential market shifts. Despite the challenges, Leitz lenses continue to receive positive feedback, and we remain optimistic about the future.”
www.leitz-cine.com
professionals. Lightbridge’s products are developed in close collaboration with industry experts, ensuring that they meet the real-world demands of photographers and cinematographers.
This focus on customer feedback has been key to the success of the company. The new product has already garnered positive feedback from early users and continues to push the boundaries of innovation in professional lighting solutions. www.thelightbridge.com
either side from above, with Vortex 8s left and right on the ground, plus LiteGear’s brand new LiteMat
MO-SYS
Mo-Sys showcased an impressive range of robotics and virtual production technology. The L40 head, renowned for its backlash-free motors, has been widely used in major films such as The Shape Of Water and Squid Game.
The new L20 head, designed for smaller camera packages, is ideal for confined spaces like cars and can carry
NANLUX
The Nanlux Evoke 5000B plus its attachments deliver the world’s first 5,000W storm-proof LED bi-colour spotlight. This is the only bi-colour light fixture at this power level that can adjust both colour temperature and green/ magenta values. It has as a colour temperature range of 2700 K to 6500 K with a ± 80 green /magenta adjustment. The output approaches that of a 9kW HMI or a 24 kW Tungsten light.
A key feature is the one cable in and it weighs only 46kg with the yoke. The unit has an IP66 rating, meaning it
NIKON
It’s been a massive year for Nikon, with the company making waves in the industry, especially following its takeover of Red Digital Cinema. As the buzz continues, one of the most exciting developments unveiled at this year’s Expo was the addition of the Z mount option to the Red system. This new feature offers increased adaptability
up to 20kg with impressive speed. The G30 head, popular for its ease of set-up and smooth adjustable speed, can carry up to 30kg and is used in both film and broadcast production.
On the virtual production side, Mo-Sys presented the StarTracker Max, a compact
Octica commanded one of the central areas of the show with a selection of well-established brands such as Velvet, Bebob, Cinelex, Fomex, Kelvin, True ND, Protech, Gaffers Control and Cartoni. Sometimes on documentaries or tight situations there is a need to secure filters onto a lens, and the only way to do it is with tape. You might need to use a filter that doesn’t fit in the filter tray. Sometimes this can end in the filter being knocked off and it shatters. Expensive. Camera assistant Stevie Vos and gaffer Erno Das wanted to create a better more secure way.
The Bun-G-Ring has a bungee-cord system that holds camera filters securely in place. The filter tray
ONE STOP / K5600
Kenny Galerne demonstrated the Force One Cable Roller, that does exactly what it says on the tin, and which no-one else appears to have thought of before! The machine enables anyone involved with cables, to neatly wind-up 125-Amp 45ft cables to 16-Amp extensions. Speed and pedal controls enable inspection and cleaning as the cables are rolledup. Rental houses and lighting crews are going to like this!
camera tracking system that has already garnered significant interest for its versatility, even on handheld rigs like Steadicams.
Finally, Mo-Sys demonstrated its MoCaptury system, which allows for real-time motion capture with face and finger tracking, without the need for suits or markers, opening-up new possibilities in blending real-world interaction with augmented reality.
www.mo-sys.com
and power transfer between camera and lens, reducing the need for external power for servo systems. Alongside this, Nikon has launched its new 28-135mm power zoom lens,
is clamped to the lens and can take up to five filters. The bungee cord goes over the corners of the filter to hold the filter in place. This makes it incredibly light and easy to take off and clean, and stops your filter falling off into the dust of the Sahara Desert when the glue warms-up and stops sticking! www.octica.tv
Also on show was the innovative C-Box system, an alternative to traditional apple boxes. Made from recycled plastic, and rather
can be used in extreme wet weather conditions.
Another highlight is the Disc Brake which provides more strength to prevent the fixture from accidentally tilting once the angle has been fixed. This ensures precise positioning and on-set safety. There is also an angle display on the yoke so it can be aligned accurately, as well as having a balance adjusting rail enabling balance position of the head. www.nanlux.com www.nanlite.com
marking the first of what it hopes will be many video lenses for the brand. The lens pairs perfectly with the Z mount’s gold accents, making for seamless integration to Red’s equipment. Nikon is showcased the Z8 and Z9 models, along with the new 35mm 1.2 lens. www.nikon.com
like Lego pieces, the components can be quickly joined together to form all manner of shapes, whilst
accessories such as spigots and camera plates can be to easily-mounted. Very flexible, good for awkward spaces and use in water.
A further highlight was the new aluminium-constructed K5600 Alpha Beta 30W bi-colour LED Fresnel, with a controller for three units offering DMX and CRMX. The Alpha Beta 30W can be used open-face, as a Fresnel and with leko attachments. Gaffers will want to take a look!
www.onestopcine.com / www.k5600.eu
OCTICA
GREAT GEAR GUIDE•BSC EXPO 2025 ROUND-UP
PANAVISION & PANALUX
The emphasis was more about having a meeting place to talk and clinch potential deals for camera and lighting, so the ever-popular Panavision bar was giving away beer and water on a regular basis. That kept the stand incredibly busy throughout the day.
Panavision showcased its VA large-format spherical lenses and new camera Array rigs. “Our lenses on the array are so clean edge-toedge that we can achieve just a 5% overlap, whereas most companies work with 20%,” said Kate Priestman, technical marketing at Panavision.
Some plinths on the stand demonstrated Panavision’s heritage and displayed some classic Panavision film cameras. One had a clear sideopening showing the beautiful mechanism that defined Panavision cameras with the pull-down claw movement.
POWER GEMS
The company unveiled a range of LED controllers and power solutions. Its growing line-up now includes compact six-channel controllers for LED ribbon, alongside larger 40-channel units with built-in 3kW power supplies – a significant leap in LED capability.
Developed in response to specific customer demands, these innovations have already been put to the test on major productions, including Wicked at Sky Studios. The flexible voltage power supply unit is another highlight, offering selectable 12V, 24V, 36V,
RED DIGITAL CINEMA
Jeff Goodman, VP of product management, introduced the Z Cinema series, featuring the first in-house lens mount system since Nikon’s acquisition. “Having the entire image capture chain under one roof means better performance and refinement,” said Goodman.
The V-Raptor [X] Z Mount and Komodo-X Z Mount were on-display, with the Komodo-X paired with the new 28-135mm Nikkor power zoom lens.
“Z-mount is the shortest flange depth on modern cameras in our industry,” said Goodman,
SECOND REEF
Second Reef launched the Bun-G-Ring, a filter accessory that offers an alternative to taping filters when a matte box isn’t possible, and also showcased its Coral Anamorphic lenses, released last June, featuring a full-frame 1.5x squeeze option for a 2x Anamorphic look.
“We achieve that with a real oval iris – the only lens that actually opens and closes in an oval shape,”
SONY
Sony unveiled significant firmware updates to its Burano and Venice cameras.
“We’re showcasing Version 2 for the Burano, which adds new sensor modes, including fullframe and Anamorphic, plus increased frame rates,” said Sebastian Leske, head of cinema business development at Sony Europe. The update can enhance both cinematic and documentary workflows, ensuring the camera is versatile across applications.
Equally-significant is the upcoming Venice II
Panalux demonstrated its Sonara 3:2 panel, GLP JDC2 IP strobes, Ayrton Dominos, and inflatable Rod Lights. “They’re ultra-lightweight and really easy to rig –especially on location where you can’t tie into anything or drill holes,” said Dave Amphlett, Panalux, about the latter.
Panavision and Panalux joined forces to create
and 48V outputs in a sleek, user-friendly design.
Dr Phil Ellams, director of engineering commented, “BSC Expo remains a key event, with Power Gems getting strong interest from both European and US markets. As London solidifies its place as a global production hub, the company’s latest offerings promise greater efficiency and versatility for lighting professionals.” www.powergems.com
highlighting the Z-mount’s ability to also use Sony glass, EF and PL mounts. “We’ve also tweaked the entire focus system in the camera.”
Goodman demonstrated a new lens menu that introduces features like smooth iris control, making stills lenses behave
explained Philip Vischer, VP of sales & client Relations at Second Reef.
an eye-catching imagebased lighting/virtual production set-up, using an MRMC Bolt moco system and a full-size F1 car, surrounded by a back projection and coordinated lighting surrounding the car.
Racquet Studios provided the VP content, AED Group supplying the LED wall. This demonstrated the possibilities technology can bring regarding motion control being integrated with lighting. Watch this space.
www.panavision.com
www.panalux.biz
more cinematically. Focus parameters, including speed and sensitivity, now offer fine-tuned adjustments for more natural focus pulls.
The stand also showcased Nikon’s SR1 motion control system (from MRMC), which integrates seamlessly with Red cameras for remote PTZ operation. www.red.com
Designed for “artistic, organic imperfection”, the lenses offer close focus without diopters and are available in five focal lengths in a distinctive blue colour. Worth checking-out! www.second-reef.com
firmware update (V4), which introduces the EL zone system, devised by DP Ed Lachman ASC. This new feature allows for easier exposure control by measuring in stops instead of IRE percentages.
“The response to this has been incredible,” Leske noted. “People are thrilled to see it in action, especially for a system as established as the Venice.” Both cameras will also benefit from the integration of Sony’s C-mode remote
Sony also showed its latest Virtual Production Toolkit alongside a Verona LED wall, demonstrating its capabilities with robotic integration. “We want to educate people on being well-prepared when entering the VP stage,” Leske explained. www.sonycine.com
SUNBELT RENTALS
Sunbelt Rentals showcased its extensive range, featuring lighting, cameras, grip equipment and power solutions. A key highlight was the portable, battery-powered Scorpio crane running completely off Instagrid battery units, eliminating the need for external power and reinforcing the company’s commitment to sustainability.
Sunbelt also showed a diverse range of specialist optics, including the Pexa VLux lenses, which offer a controllable bokeh effect, and the UBC series, large format Fujinon lenses that have been rehoused in partnership with Ancient Optics and TLS.
TIFFEN
New filters took centre stage at Tiffen, giving cinematographers greater control over contrast and halation whilst preserving sharpness. The Black Fog and Night Fog filters soften contrast and add atmosphere, ideal for period pieces and interiors where fog machines aren’t allowed.
The expanded Glow range includes Soft Glow, Golden Glow and Black Soft Glow. These filters reduce contrast while keeping rich blacks – Golden Glow adds warmth, while Black Soft Glow deepens
VIVENDUM
On Videndum’s stand, Andrew Hutton, head of product/batteries/ mobile power for Anton/Bauer, introduced Eden, a new lithium-based portable power unit.
“It’s a 2.5kWh system that outputs 2.5kW at 230V for Europe or 120V for the US,” he said. “It’s IP65rated when used with its protective sleeves, meaning it’s fully-sealed and weatherproof.”
The Opia lenses, manufactured by GekkoCam in Munich, also generated interest. The vintage spherical lenses sport a single coating and give a bubble-like bokeh and a soft roll-off for portrait work.
Additionally, Sunbelt had prototype medium format lenses from IronGlass, intended to cover an Alexa 65-sized sensor. The rehoused Russian glass comes in two versions – one with standard coatings and another with an amber coating, which enhances flare characteristics.
blacks without reducing resolution. The new Dark Contrast filter retains shadow detail while lowering contrast.
Another highlight was the magnetic filter range, enabling quick, secure swaps. The latest addition, a variable ND filter with a graduated design, offers the widest range available without cross effects like X-pattern distortion. Available in 58mm and 77mm sizes with step rings, the system ensures a strong magnetic hold for fast adjustments. With
The unit charges in under four hours, supports simultaneous charging and discharging, and acts as a UPS with pure sine wave
ZEISS
On the ZEISS stand, Christophe Casenave, head of business unit cinematography, showed-off the new Supreme Zoom Radiance lenses, a range of cine zooms that include 1530mm, 28-80mm, and 70-200mm, all with a T2.9 aperture, full-frame coverage, and featuring the same T* blue lens coating as the Supreme Prime Radiances.
Casenave said the lenses deliver a clean, crisp image with gentle sharpness a pleasing bokeh, and the ability to produce distinctive blue flares when hit by strong light.
Also showcased were the Nano Primes, six T1.5 lenses designed for fullframe mirrorless cameras, offering similar optical characteristics to the Supreme
www.sunbeltrentals.co.uk/sectors/film-tv/
output. “No extra equipment is needed – just use the provided power cable,” Hutton said, noting strong preorders and two soldout production runs.
The stand also featured the Litepanels Astra IP range, an upgrade to the long-running Astra LED fixtures. “We’ve doubled the intensity, modernised the UI, made it tougher, and crucially, made it waterproof,” said
Primes but in more compact form. These lenses offer a high-end look at a lower price point.
Zeiss also introduced a flexible camera tracking system for VFX and live applications, designed to work with both static and natural targets. CinCraft Scenario is plug-and-play with Zeiss lenses, eliminating the need for complex calibration, which is generating considerable interest due to its ease-of-use and ability to work with both modern and vintage lenses. www.zeiss.com/cine
www.tiffen.com
Michael Herbert, product manager for lighting.
Available in three sizes – 63W, 125W, and 250W– the bi-colour fixtures
prioritise simplicity. “Many users don’t need the cost or complexity of full RGBWW,” Herbert said. www.videndum.com
TALKING SHOP
By David Wood
Held on Valentine’s Day, one of the highlights of the first day of this year’s BSC Expo Seminar programme, was a session dedicated to the art of shooting intimate scenes on film called Sex, Violence & Sensitive Scenes. How To Approach Them?
Cinematographer John de Borman BSC AFC reminded everybody how much the shooting of intimacy has changed since the 1970s, when the erotic drama Last Tango In Paris (1972, dir. Bernardo Bertolucci, DP Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC) provided a case study in how not to do it.
De Borman recalled that director Bernardo Bertolucci’s decision to shoot graphic sex scenes with 19-year-old Maria Schneider without her prior knowledge, let alone consent, was a hugelytraumatising experience for the young actress, affecting her mental health for the rest of her career and possibly contributing to her early death at the age of 58.
A lot has changed in the industry since then, particularly in the wake of the Weinstein sex-abuse scandal which rocked the industry in 2017, at least in part thanks to the increasing use of intimacy coordinators, such as co-panellist Ita O’Brien.
O’Brien has been one of the key movers-andshakers in this field, devising the industry’s intimacy
guidelines, and playing a key role in developing well-regarded sex scenes in dramas such as Normal People (2020, DPs Suzie Lavelle ISC BSC & Kate McCullough ISC) and I May Destroy You (2020, DP Adam Gillham).
Talking about the subject of how to shoot sex and violence successfully, O’Brien said that open communication and transparency are the fundamental building blocks of good intimacy scenes.
Discussing the subject with the other panellists, director Molly Manning Walker, cinematographer Alana Mejía González, O’Brien commented, “Actors are encouraged to tell us what they envisage, what they find suitable regarding sexual content, and what level of nudity is OK.”
When creating sexually-violent content, the presence of clear guidelines is even more important. O’Brien added, “It has to be done like a stunt which is choreographed. It’s a dance, carefully-planned so that the actors are clear about the shape of the scene and where they are going to be touched. It’s very important to have rehearsals, to put in place really clear techniques and a time-out.”
Another big talking point on Day 1 was the issue of preserving the creative vision of a film in the ever-more complex world of pre-visualisation, VFX and virtual production, in a seminar entitled,
The New Collaborations That Empower The Cinematographer’s Vision.
A line-up from the world of advertising and big budget features, including cinematographers David Procter BSC and Ashley Barron ACS, VFX supervisor Victor Perez VES, Mark Purvis of Mission Digital, and Tamás Papp, cinematographer/pre-viz specialist, discussed how new filmmaking technology has created opportunities and challenges.
Papp related how on Dune: Part Two (2024, dir. Denis Villeneuve, DP Greig Fraser ACS ASC) he used real-time 3D tool Unreal Engine to match sunlight between two very different locations – Abu Dhabi in November and Budapest in August – building a shadow system to match the two together.
“Using Unreal Engine was really useful, allowing constant communication between the cinematographer Greig Fraser and the VFX and stunt teams,” recalled Papp.
Mark Purvis described his company’s Origami platform, a suite of Cloud-based post production tools, as an attempt to break down the silos between different teams involved in filmmaking by making tasks that might traditionally have taken 48-hours into one seamless process, saving time and money.
“The aim is to make sure all metadata is
Documentary training… stands you in good stead
available when people need it, so time isn’t wasted searching for it in different locations,” Purvis noted. “The benefit is that if you have 1,000 VFX shots that take 10 days each to do, if you can make that processes more efficient it frees-up resources to be used elsewhere.”
An exploration of the Venice International Film Festival Grand Jury Prize-winner Vermiglio (2024, dir. Maura Delpero), with the movie’s cinematographer Mikhail Krichman RGC and colourist Veronica Tiron recalling their creative collaboration, was another seminar highlight, with FilmLight’s Daphne Polski leading the discussions in session called, The Look Behind AwardWinning Vermiglio.
Krichman and Tiron described how they used FilmLight technology to grade the work, revealing how colour was used to support the narrative, and the creative challenges they faced along the way to give it texture. The pastel-coloured feature looks like it might have been captured on 35mm film, but was in-fact shot using Sony Venice and Super Baltar lenses.
Next came the Blackmagic-sponsored session, Behind The Lens: Creating Dog, about a film at the other end of the scale in the shape of the short Dog. An intense and emotional narrative filmed in a remote farmhouse in the Yorkshire Dales, it was shot by DP Ben Saffer, using the URSA Cine 12 LF with Cooke S8i prime lenses, with a small cast of three child actors.
Saffer explained that all the technical and artistic choices came down to how best to catch the performances. “The whole film is on the three kid’s faces,” he explained.
This impacted how the film was shot and lit. Saffer recalled, “We wanted to create a quiet and chilled environment, with the ADs keeping the actors off set until we were ready to shoot. We made sure that C-stands and fixtures didn’t get in the way of their performances. We used small practicals such as Helios tubes, so that the kids were free to play in the space.”
According to Saffer all cameras are now so good at a technical level that it doesn’t really matter which one you pick, with cinematographer’s often basing their camera choices on the
additional features some cameras offer.
“The biggest thing for me is does it have an optical viewfinder? My message to manufacturers is build cameras with better viewfinders, it’s the only thing I really care about when I choose a camera these days.”
My message to manufacturers is… build cameras with better viewfinders
Behind High Concept Movies, with Stephan Pehrsson BSC, Benjamin Kračun BSC and VFX Erik Winquist, to discuss their approaches to movie visualisation.
Hardy gave an insight into the ‘world building’ of his next big film project, in which very different sets of lenses would need to be carefully matched.
“We are creating a flare library to show how specific characteristics of different lenses we use relates to the back-end, and what the VFX supervisor has to do to match the shot. The secret is to go quite deep into those characteristics during prep and that gives you the foundation for the shoot,” said Hardy.
The seminar programme ended with a starstudded bang, Reality Check: Documentary To Drama, which saw Nicola Daley ACS BSC, Sean Bobbitt BSC, Barry Ackroyd BSC and Catherine Goldschmidt BSC joining forces to explain how their careers benefitted from their early years making documentaries.
One of the best-attended sessions of Day 2 was Women In Cinematography’s Beyond The Page panel, exploring how DPs translate a script into visual language, adapting their approach across different budget levels, from pitching to prep to execution.
This involved cinematographer Vanessa Whyte BSC, as well as DPs Donna Wade, Natasha Duursma, Chas Appeti, Nicola Daley and Aaron Reid getting down to the nitty gritty of translating scripts into film.
Whilst everybody agreed that mood boards were a key part of communicating the vision of a film to anybody taking part, Reid pointed out that showing your mood board at an early stage of pitch meeting can be high risk.
“I’ve gone into many pitch meetings where I’ve not got the right tone. So, if you try to keep your mood board to the end, if you are a bit off-track you can pull different stuff out that might be more relevant, particularly if it’s a meeting on Zoom,” said Reid. “Showing two of three mood boards up-front that aren’t right might make the production quickly decide you are not the right person.”
DP Rob Hardy BSC ASC was on-hand during the next session, Developing The Visual Idea
Goldschmidt recalled, “I never felt that the documentary projects I was on were in some way sub-par, in contrast to the dramas I was offered at the beginning of my career!”
Ackroyd added that the skills he learned when shooting famous documentaries – such as the 1991 feature-doc The Leader, The Driver And The Driver’s Wife (dir. Nick Broomfield), about Afrikaner resistance movement leader Eugene Terre’Blanche – have stood the test of time.
“That’s where I learned it all. That film has exactly the same camera movements I use in features today.”
For Bobbitt documentary teaches filmmakers the discipline of editing films in your head on the fly. “Every documentarist has the same experience of constantly mentally editing and repeatedly asking yourself whether the story has changed and if the story structure needs to change,” he said.
“If you have that documentary training, when actors come in and do something totally unexpected in drama, it stands you in good stead. You are just there focussed, concentrating on the action as you always have been.”
The Leader, The Driver And The Driver’s Wife Vermiglio
Last Tango In Paris
GOING
By John Keedwell GBCT
The entertainment industry is under increasing pressure to adopt greener practices, particularly in filmmaking and television production. From energy consumption on-set to the materials used, sustainability is a core concern. The business has previously not been known for its green and eco-friendly credentials, and moves now being made go some way to reduce emissions and waste products ending-up in landfill for future generations to deal with.
It is apparent there is no free lunch or single silver bullet to solving all the challenges we face. Whilst the moves taken are seen as advances in a wasteful world, there are always positives and negatives.
Powering Film & TV Productions: The Generator Challenge
Film and TV productions have traditionally relied on diesel-powered generator trucks to supply electricity on-location. Whilst effective, these generators are notorious for their high carbon emissions and noise pollution, and have restrictions on morning start-up times in residential areas and the centre of cities.
A potentially more sustainable alternative is Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, a renewable diesel substitute derived from vegetable oils and animal fats. The production process involves adding hydrogen to vegetable oil to create a fuel
There is no single silver bullet
that is very similar to conventional diesel. HVO burns cleaner than traditional diesel, reducing CO2 emissions by up to 90% and particulate matter by 30%. Also, in terms of performance, HVO is virtually the same as diesel and no modifications are needed to the generators.
Whilst it doesn’t halt the other negatives such as start-up times and pollution, large generator trucks will still have a lifespan for the foreseeable future on large productions needing huge amounts of power, although there are already some quieter and cleaner alternatives being used daily.
The negatives of HVO
The downside on using HVO is the reliance on agricultural feedstock, which raises concerns about land-use and food-supply competition. If produced from palm oil or waste from palm oil production, HVO could contribute to deforestation and wildlife reduction. Whilst the carbon emissions are lower, NOx and particulates are not reduced. At the moment HVO is more expensive than diesel.
Possible solutions
Portable, rechargeable battery packs and portable electric generators offer viable alternatives. These battery systems provide silent, emission-free power on-set, making them ideal for both remote locations and urban shoots where pollution and noise restrictions apply. These are now available in a range of sizes and capacities. There is also a wide range of different viable technologies and
GREEN
chemistries, that I will examine shortly. The key challenges include the initial investment costs, and the potential limited runtime compared to traditional generators. Additionally, there is always going to be a refuelling time each day. Filling-up the genny with diesel fuel of HVO takes a few minutes, not hours to charge a battery with electricity, although the introduction of a fastercharging batteries will come in time.
Natural resources and humans
However, the environmental impact of battery production cannot be ignored. Most batteries contain rare metals like lithium and cobalt, which are often mined under poor labour conditions in regions like the Democratic Republic Of Congo. Child labour, unsafe working conditions, and significant ecological damage are among the key issues linked to the mining industry.
An alternative to rare metal dependency is the
use of sodium salt extracted from seawater. Some manufacturers are exploring ways to integrate this material into electrical systems, offering a more sustainable and ethical option. Whilst still in its early stages, and with a few operational drawbacks, this technology presents a potential promising future for greener lighting solutions in film and TV production.
Safety
Lithium fires from electric products are a well-
known issue, and there is a possibility of thermal runaway on most lithium-based batteries. Basically, a fault can develop if the battery is damaged or overcharged, causing the temperature to rise and a chemical reaction. This produces more heat, and the temperature is raised further. Hence the runaway fire. The fires can be very high temperatures and difficult to extinguish as the fire creates its own heat and fuel.
Batteries and chargers do have over-charging settings, so whilst an inferno is unlikely, it is still possible. Each
The challenge is for all stakeholders to prioritise sustainability and make green workingpractices the new industry-standard
chemistry has its own positive selling points as well as potential drawbacks, so nothing is perfect.
In practice
The charging of electric generators can be achieved now via many regular, EV charge points, solar power and by trickle-charge on-set, although a full charge can take eight to ten hours, typically overnight, which could be challenging at some locations. Local EV charging-point owners might
SPECIAL FEATURE•SUSTAINABLE SHOOTING
not appreciate a fleet of electric generators parked overnight on their forecourts!
Using multiple, smaller, more compact power units can mean a lower requirement for long distribution runs of expensive copper cables from a central generator point to distribution boxes. A smaller, portable unit could run the production base laptops and printers, whilst larger units are driven or wheeled into place for the shoot itself. That’s a small but significant shift in the way we work.
Companies have developed an extensive array of solutions, including renewable fuel HVO generators, various electrical batteries and generators, as well as systems for heating and cooling. Firms like NXTGEN BPS, Instagrid, Green Voltage, Panalux, Nestor Factory, On Bio, Sunbelt Rentals, Bebob and Anton Bauer have developed a wide range of cuttingedge solutions based on different chemistries and output characteristics.
Lighting: LEDs vs Traditional Options
Lighting is another critical area for sustainable improvements. LED lights have become the industrystandard due to their energy-efficiency and long lifespan. Compared to traditional Tungsten, HMI and fluorescent lights, LEDs consume significantly less power and generate less heat, potentially reducing the need for the larger generators and the use of airconditioning on-set. That said, not everyone wants to use LED lights in their creative work, and that poses an interesting conundrum for lighting rental houses,
Green Studios and Sustainable Equipment
Major film studios and equipment warehouses are also making strides in sustainability. Sunbelt Rentals, Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden,
MBS and Panalux have all invested in ecofriendly infrastructures, including solar panels, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and water recycling programmes. Green Kit is another initiative that provides sustainable production equipment, helping filmmakers reduce their environmental footprint.
Conflicts
Global conflicts, such as wars, often have unexpected consequences on industries far-removed from the battlefield. Supplies can be disrupted causing cost hikes. One positive outcome is a renewed focus on resource efficiency and recycling. Production teams are now more conscious of waste reduction, sourcing materials responsibly, and repurposing old equipment rather than discarding it.
Reclaiming Waste: Silver from Film Processing
Sustainability in filmmaking isn’t just about reducing emissions; it’s also about reclaiming waste. One fascinating initiative is From The Silver Screen, a company that works with silver that is extracted from traditional film-processing at Cinelab, and repurposes it into unique silver jewellery based on film history. This innovative approach gives a second life to a precious metal that would otherwise be discarded. These efforts not only reduce waste, but also add unique storytelling elements to repurposed products.
A more sustainable future for film and TV
The film and TV industry is undergoing a green revolution, with new technologies and ethical considerations shaping the way productions are powered, illuminated and managed. While challenges remain, innovations such as HVO fuel, rechargeable battery packs, LED advancements, and waste reclamation offer hope for a more sustainable future.
By embracing these changes, the industry can reduce its environmental impact whilst continuing to create the high-quality entertainment that audiences will love. The challenge now is for all stakeholders – studios, production companies and individual filmmakers – to prioritise sustainability and make green working practices the new industry-standard.
Albert
This article would not be complete without mentioning Albert – the UK organisation leading the charge in bringing the film and TV industries together to tackle environmental impact. Being an Albert-certified supplier focussed on sustainability, means a commitment to going the extra mile, and being green in everything possible, supporting content-makers to work towards net carbon zero. Albert is not only focused on raising environmental issues but also showing and normalising the actions that are needed for a more sustainable future.
Battery technology has evolved through various chemistries, but the Salt-E Dog by Anton Bauer takes a different approach –sodium power!
Sodium, the sixth most abundant element on Earth, is more sustainable and cost-effective than lithium or cobalt. Unlike these materials, it doesn’t require destructive mining and has a lower environmental impact. Sodium batteries are far less prone to overheating or fire, and can be transported at zero volts for added security. One potential drawback is the warm-up time required.
Using sodium-nickel technology, Salt-E Dog harnesses molten salt electrolytes and solid electrodes to deliver 9kWh of reliable, clean
power. Salt-E Dog outputs
6,000W of pure sine wave energy, offering a greener alternative to fossil fuel
Bebob has a pioneering technology study that produced the Green Cube. Offering a maximum load of 500W and a capacity of 446Wh, the Green Cube is well-suited for demanding 24V applications, powering cameras and lights. It weighs-in at approximately 8kg.
Bebob is also committed to sustainability in other areas. The company prioritises re-celling and repairable battery solutions, ensuring longer product lifespans. Instead of adhesives, Bebob uses screws to assemble battery housings, making repairs and recycling easier. Even their packaging utilises uncoloured recycled cardboard and biodegradable flakes instead of polystyrene or bubble wrap.
When a battery reaches end-of-life, Bebob ensures responsible disposal through CCR Rebat, a certified environmental and quality management company that professionally recycles the vast majority of old batteries. In addition, Bebob offers a free disposal service for old batteries, further reinforcing its dedication to sustainability. www.bebob.de
or lithium generators. Its nearsilent operation enhances on-set efficiency, eliminating ADR issues and allowing placement closer to lights and equipment. With an IP55 weatherproof rating, it withstands harsh conditions.
Salt-E Dog is also 100% recyclable, with a significantly lower global warming potential (GWP) than lithium-ion batteries – just 62.68kg CO₂ eq/ kWh. Plus, it’s emission-free, producing no CO2 or NOx, allowing for greater location flexibility. It recharges easily from grid power, solar PV or Level 2 EV charge points.
www.antonbauer.com
ANTON BAUER
BEBOB
GREEN KIT HIRE
Sustainability is at the heart of everything Green Kit does. Founded by Pat McEnallay –well-known amongst gaffers having worked at Lee Lighting and Panalux, and who saw a gap in the industry whilst researching his MBA at Brunel University – the company provides a range of high-performance, eco-friendly lighting solutions for filmmakers committed to greener productions.
Sustainability is built into the culture – new employees complete training and propose a green initiative as part of their appraisal. Every team member takes responsibility for areas like transport, energy use, waste reduction and recycling, with clear goals to cut emissions and drive real change.
GREEN VOLTAGE
Green Voltage delivers cutting-edge mobile power solutions for the film, television, broadcast and live event industries.
Designed to meet the growing demand for sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy alternatives, the innovative, clean and silent generators provide reliable power for productions of all sizes and types.
With rapid charge times, the range includes the world’s fastest-charging mobile power stations. Units are available in a variety of storage capacities, from 2kW and 5kW models to highperformance 20kW, 60kW, 80kW and 100kW variants, offering the flexibility to meet a huge range of a production’s energy needs.
As a founding member of the rental
industry’s sustainability group, the companycollaborates with others to share best practices. Beyond equipment hire, hands-on action has seen the business sponsoring two ponds at the
Welsh Harp Reservoir, a site of special scientific interest, and regularly sending teams to help with conservation efforts.
Traditionally used on sets, but impossible to recycle, poly-board has been a huge landfill contributor. However, Green Kit’s poly is made from 100% plant material, and is biodegradable, which is an industry first. www.greenkit.london
The Instagrid One Max is a compact 2kW portable unit weighing just 20kg, featuring a 13A fixed-socket with a 16A adaptor. It fully-recharges in just 2.5 hours. Its intuitive plug-and-play design allows easy linking for extended operation. The VOLTstack 2K – weighs 150kg, and off-sets 20kg of CO2e for
eight hours of operation. The VOLTstack 5K is a single-phase 230V @ 20A unit, also weighing 150kg.
The EGEN series are state-of-theart, emissions-free units with a proven track record in powering every aspect of production. The EGEN 20K, 60K, 80K and 100K units deliver instant, robust power, even in the most demanding environments. Ideal as a primary, back-up or UPS power source.
Featuring a rugged, IP54-rated design with no moving parts (except for small fans) and wireless monitoring capabilities, these units are built for reliability in any situation. www.greenvoltage.co.uk
INSTAGRID
Instagrid offers cutting-edge, sustainable solutions that cater to demanding energy requirements, no matter where you are, also enabling customers to work in a cleaner, safer and more efficient manner. The light-weight, batterybased units are portable, robust and easily transportable, making them highly-desirable for on-set production use as well as isolated locations where there are no power supplies.
Products include the Instagrid One, Instagrid Go and Instagrid Link, each designed to provide silent, fume-free and grid-like power in any environment.
Instagrid One and Instagrid Go deliver consistent energy for a variety of applications.
MBS EQUIPMENT CO
MBS Equipment Co continues to invest in sustainable solutions, installing a new 40,000-litre HVO tank and fuel management system at its European HQ in Colnbrook, West London. HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) is a low-carbon, fossil-free diesel alternative. With this, all MBSE trucks, vans and generators at Colnbrook will now run on HVO, cutting carbon emissions by 85% – a reduction of over 700 tonnes of CO2 (2023 figures).
“This marks another major step in our sustainability programme, bringing Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions close to net zero,” says Toby Dare, MBSE director of sustainability and risk management.
(16A), peak power output of 18kW (80A) an energy capacity of 2.1kWh, and weigh-in at 20kg and 21kgs respectively. Their user-friendly design and high durability make them a great choice for productions that require reliable power on-the-go.
Instagrid Link enhances scalability by allowing users to combine up to three units, thereby tripling useable capacity. This feature enables hot-swapping between units with no power loss, ensuring uninterrupted performance in critical situations.
www.instagrid.co
Beyond fuel, MBSE’s sustainability efforts include using 100% renewable electricity, extensive waste recycling, rewilding initiatives and operating the industry’s largest inventory of energy-efficient LED lighting. The company’s proprietary MBSi division develops low-energy
solutions such as the Aquabat LED Batten and Tilite flat panel system.
MBSE’s commitment to sustainable production is evident in real-world impact On a recent project, 1,400 LED lamp heads significantly cut energy use, while swapping 60 Spacelights for SkyPanels reduced power needs from 288kW to just 10.4kW. www.mbseco.eu
NESTOR FACTORY
Whilst the core business is equipment hire, Nestor Factory’s passion lies in creating innovative technical solutions that enhance on-set efficiency.
The Nomad 110.30 is a LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) mobile energy storage solution is designed to replace traditional generators in cinema, events and public works. Developed and assembled in France, the battery embodies a commitment to eco-friendly, ethical production. Local manufacturing ensures quality control, sustains jobs and minimises transportrelated emissions.
NXTGENBPS
NXTGENbps was launched as an innovative, sustainability-focused arm of Broadcast & Production Services (BPS) – a trusted name in the film, TV, and events industries for over 20 years – and now offers solutions that help productions transition away from diesel and HVO generators. Over the last three years, it has been researching and working with manufacturers worldwide to bring best-of-breed, zero-emission green power solutions to the market.
NXTGENbps generators offer power capacities ranging from 2.5kW to 50kW, delivering reliable, silent, and emission-free energy for productions. The product portfolio includes:
ONBIO
The Orb10 is a robust, all-weather power solution with built-in cooling and frost protection, it utilises second-life batteries and offers silent power for tech trucks, early-call/wrap work lights, and shoots in confined spaces. In a video village it offers enough power for monitors, DIT gear and sound, and is perfect for overnight charging of things like camera batteries and power tools.
The Orb300 is a game-changer in temporary power, reducing reliance on diesel generators. Built with 300kWh of second-life EV batteries, it features a powerful 88kVA three-phase inverter for demanding loads and ultra-fast charging. On 125A three-phase it fully-recharges in four hours; 63A three-phase it has a seven-hour charging
Panalux led the charge in offering hybrid generators for film and TV production, introducing its h40 generators into its rental fleet in 2020.
At the beginning and end of the production day, or during breaks and turnarounds, power is often only required for work lights, charging stations, refrigeration and occasionally a portion of the unit base or production hub. Keeping a traditional generator running for prolonged lowlevel loads causes unnecessarily high emissions of nitrogen oxides and particulates, noise pollution
Measuring 1.2m(l) × 1m(w) × 1.2(h), and weighing 990kg, the unit has a capacity of 100kWh and can deliver up to 30kW of continuous power. It offers 3,500 charging cycles, which at one full charge per day would give it a ten-year lifespan. The unit has two 90A sockets and two 50A Marechal sockets as well as four PC16 sockets, each with its own
• Swift – A compact 3.6kW / 2.2kWh battery, certified flight-safe with an IP67 rating.
• Goat – A 5kW / 4.8kWh Lithium Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, IP67-rated, with expansion capability via the Billy Goat.
• SHAPE Basecamp Emperor – A 15kW power unit with an IP53 rating, providing scalable energy when paired with its backup battery.
• Bear – A high-capacity trailer mounted 50kW / 25kWh battery, delivering sustainable power for largerscale operations.
NXTGENbps also works with leading manufacturers such as Anton Bauer and Instagrid to expand its sustainable power offerings. All generators can be recharged via standard UK mains plugs and the growing network of EV charging stations across the country.
time. It is also rechargeable via EV car chargers.
Delivering 88kVA three-phase or 29kVA single-phase power, the Orb300 offers multiple socket options and distro boxes for additional power needs. Towable by any 3.5T-rated pickup, it’s a high-performance solution for modern power demands.
On Bio also works in heating and cooling.
and also damages the generator.
Panalux specifically addressed this issue with the h40, which only switches to fossilfuelled power when required and runs silently in the background on battery power at all other times.
The Panalux i2 and i4 portable power units feature robust, compact design, IP55 ratings, integrated LCD displays, and rugged wheels for easy manoeuvrability.
With a capacity of 5kWh and a maximum load of 2kW, the i2 is suited to powering work lights, monitors, laptops, tablets and phones. The i4 offers a capacity of 10kWh and a maximum load of 4kW to handle more power-hungry devices like tea urns, media servers and film lights.
circuit breaker. It connects to all electric car terminals (Type 2 Combo CSS connector) giving a charge of 22kW to 100kW depending on the source. With a supercharger (>100kWh DC), you’ll be able to charge it from 10% to 90% in one hour. By acting as a power buffer, the Nomad 110.30 maximises the efficiency of limited power sources, continuously recharging while delivering high-performance output. Packaged in pallet format, it can be transported in a medium-sized van or even on the back of a pick-up. www.nestorfactory.com
They also integrate solar power capture for a fully sustainable energy solution.
The company has joined forces with a nationwide network of hire companies to make sustainable power solutions more accessible to productions. In addition, NXTGENbps has partnered with the Firestone Bridge Conservation Project, raising funds to support the restoration of a unique ecosystem in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. www.nxtgenbps.com
Clients are encouraged to run OnBio industrial heaters on B50 heating oil, reducing carbon emissions by 40%.
B50 meets the highest standard for industrial heating oil and is made by blending 50% ISCC certified sustainable HVO with 50% kerosene.
Cooling units can run on 16amp, 32amp, 63amp or 125amp 3 phase supplies, so there is a way of utilising more efficient local power supplies. www.onbio.co.uk
The Panalux new HQ has been designed with sustainable features including EV charging points and a roof-mounted photovoltaic array generating up to 240kW peak. This powers the site’s backbone infrastructure to significantly reduce Panalux’s carbon footprint.
A continual transition and significant investment in LED fixtures has seen a notable reduction in the use of fluorescent, Tungsten and HMI heads. www.panavision.com/lighting
PANALUX
SUNBELT RENTALS
Through its ‘Our Planet’ strategy, and as an Albert-accredited supplier of environmentallysustainable filmmaking gear, Sunbelt Rentals has invested £165million in electric and eco-friendly solutions, to offer a range of the very latest lowcarbon emitting technologies – such as Stage V generators, over 800 battery storage units, and the 100% electric E-Scorpion all-terrain vehicle, designed to carry Scorpio 45 or the Scorpio 38 cranes.
Available from dozens of depots around the country, Sunbelt Rentals operates the largest fleet of ultra-low emission or fullyelectric plant and power equipment. All plant equipment and generators are compatible with
WARNER BROS. STUDIOS LEAVESDEN (WBSL)
As one of the largest companies involved in studios, lighting and power generation, WBSL has taken a leading role in implementing large-scale green initiatives that few can match. Its lighting inventory includes a huge number of LED fixtures. Vast arrays of solar panels are being built onto multiple studio roofs. Power supplies also include a small fleet of 200kw generators that can run on HVO, plus a burgeoning arsenal of batteries.
Further afield, a recent collaboration with the local council resulted in the planting of 12,000 trees, shrubs and wildflower areas, creating a green park space for local residents to enjoy. In addition, in celebration of Earth Day last year, the Studio Café
fossil-free HVO fuel.
Sunbelt Rentals partnered with Marmalade Films Ltd to implement a sustainable energy solution for a major London film production. By integrating mains power with battery storage units, they reduced reliance on back-up generators. Over six months this is reckoned to have saved 104,756 litres fuel (around £220,000 on HVO at
hosted a meat-free day was to raise awareness amongst staff and crews of the positive environmental impacts that reducing meat intake can have.
However, balancing client demands with sustainability remains a challenge, and service providers like WBSL often need to navigate between delivering what clients request and promoting greener alternatives.
For instance, a request for traditional 20K Tungsten luminaires presents a significant power inefficiency compared to modern LED sources. Whilst companies like WBSL have a significant inventory of green power and lighting fixtures, and continually recommend more-efficient/sustainable options, ultimately, the decision to use them lies with the client.
Clearly, the pursuit of sustainability can sometimes
£2.10per litre), with a CO2 reduction of 33.7 tonnes, and an overall saving of £20,800 versus a traditional generator-only set-up
Hydrogen is widely-considered the most viable replacement for fossil fuels. Sunbelt Rentals has established the H2 Learning & Development Group, which brings together customers and manufacturers from multiple sectors, to share knowledge, discuss challenges and uncover hydrogen-based solutions. This has led to live UK-based trials with hydrogen fuel-cell generators developed by the company. www.sunbeltrentals.co.uk/sectors/ film-tv/
clash with artistic integrity, making education and guidance crucial in encouraging more eco-friendly choices. That’s why WBSL hosted the PGGB’s inaugural ‘Sustainability Behind The Lens’ event in 2023, an open-day for producers to meet and network with sustainable technology suppliers, that is now a regular fixture on the calendar.
Within the studio’s absolute control, recycling and waste management are handled with precision. Waste is carefully sorted, and the chosen waste management company is regularly reviewed to ensure it meets Warner Bros.’ stringent sustainability targets. By continuously assessing and refining its approach, the studio strives to balance operational efficiency with environmental responsibility. www.wbsl.com
solutions for your project
DMG
ABSURDLY ENTERTAINING
By Ron Prince
Shooting on KODAK 16mm film, upand-coming Canadian DP Isabelle Stachtchenko brought a stylish visual language to director Matthew Rankin’s absurdist comedy Universal Language. Spoken in Farsi and French, with English subtitles, the wintery film melds Winnipeg with Tehran, creating an unnamed cityscape for three intersecting stories: sisters Negin and Nazgol find a bank note frozen in the ice and try to find a way to get it out; Massoud leads a group of befuddled tourists on an increasinglybizarre walking tour of historic monuments and sites; and Matthew (played by the director himself) quits his job at the Quebec government and journeys home to visit his estranged mother.
With Iranian culture imbued into the settings, and the action distinctively-framed and filmed by Stachtchenko, the trio of narratives travel between brutalist neighbourhoods, named the Beige, Brown and Grey Districts, and the storylines become ever more fantastic, including: a fixation on turkeys (both as food and wild animals); an all-hours bingo ball with an array of colourful characters; and the strangely-elevated significance of Kleenex tissues in various social situations.
Made for $3mCAD ($2mUSD/£1.7mGBP), Universal Language won the Audience Award at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, and earned widespread praise as a magnificently-entertaining film, brimming with wisdom about identity, connection, inclusion and acceptance. It was selected as Canada’s entry for the 2025 Oscars, in the Best International Feature category, and Stachtchenko won a special jury prize for her cinematography at the Montclair Film Festival.
Rankin is a Canadian experimental filmmaker, whose shorts Mynarski Death Plummet (2014, DP Julien Fontaine) and The Tesla World Light (2017, DP Julien Fontaine), plus his Super16mm feature-debut The Twentieth Century (2019, DP Vincent Biron), all earned awards and critical acclaim. Originally from
Winnipeg, Rankin spent time studying filmmaking and cinema in Iran, and has described Universal Language as “an autobiographical hallucination”.
“I hadn’t worked with Matthew as a director before, but had filmed him as an actor when I was the DP on Cette Maison (2022, dir. Miryam Charles), says Stachtchenko, whose recent feature credits include L.A. Tea Time (2019, dir. Sophie Bédard Marcotte) and Jacques (2023, dir. Lysandre Leduc Boudreau).
“During that production we both admitted to being fans of one another’s work. After the production wrapped I wrote to him, so as to keep in touch, and he then invited me to interview for Universal Language.”
Stachtchenko studied filmmaking at NYU Tisch School Of The Arts and Concordia University in Montreal, and admits, “I think I was like every person at film school, in that I started-out wanting to be a
I needed to shoot this film… it spoke directly to my soul
director. But I quickly realised that everything I found interesting about being a director was actually the cinematographer’s job.
“I knew how to expose analogue film, as I started taking photos when I was in high school. Most of my peers at film school hadn’t ever touched film. So, when I was asked to shoot their student shorts, typically using a Bolex 16mm film camera, I had the confidence to step forward.”
Recalling Rankin’s invitation, Stachtchenko says, “When I read Matthew’s script, I said to myself that I needed to shoot this film. I wanted it. There was no
other person that could shoot it. Even though I didn’t know much about Iranian culture or Iranian cinema, and had never been to Winnipeg, it spoke directly to my soul.
“I loved Matthew’s earnest and authentic approach to the narrative. It made me laugh throughout and had a hopeful message. I’d been reading a lot of scripts that were really dark about the future. This one had so much light and life to it.”
When it came to creative references, Stachtchenko says these included Iranian cinema classics, such as Where Is The Friend’s House? (1987, DP Farhad Saba), for its visuallydistinct meditation on landscapes and people, and the minimalist Taste Of Cherry (1997, DP Homayun Payvar), both directed by Abbas Kiarostami. Visual influences also encompassed Jafar Panahi’s The White Balloon (1995, DP Farzad Jadat), which invites audiences to see familiar surroundings from the perspective of a child’s eyes, along with films by Jacques Tati and Aki Kaurismäki.
“It was clear in our early discussions that Matthew wanted a certain stylisation to the look of the film, such as having a meandering camera that did not necessarily look at the person speaking. As we discussed the film, and visited the locations, new ideas developed about the camerawork and the framing, and we did a lot of drawing and figuring-out what our frames would be. He’s a very good drawer, and open to ideas. It’s quite astounding how similar the final film is to what became our storyboards.”
Production on Universal Language took place between January to May 2023, at locations in Montreal that doubled for Winnipeg, followed by a week in Winnipeg. Most of the interiors were setbuilds in an abandoned Hydro-Québec corporation building. Stachtchenko reports that temperatures in Winnipeg sometimes reached -40°C, with Montreal not much warmer at 25°C below zero.
The DP knew from the outset that Universal Language was to be shot on film. “Matthew has a
big attachment to 16mm. He really likes the grain and the overall texture. As with my film school experience, so too now, film is my specialty. I love film deeply and have a profound, vibrational connection with filmed images. Sometimes I feel like one of those who harps on about how magical film is, but that’s how it is for me.”
For the shoot, Stachtchenko went with an ARRIFLEX 416 16mm camera, plus Zeiss Super Speed primes and a compact, light-weight Canon 11-165mm T2.5 zoom. To fulfil the director’s request for a small crew on certain occasions, she also selected a Bolex 16mm camera. The camera and lens package was supplied by Mels in Montreal, and Stachtchenko remarks that both cameras functioned perfectly-well in the freezing conditions.
The DP went with KODAK VISION3 500T 7219 for night interior/exterior scenes and KODAK VISION3 250D 7207 for day interiors/exteriors. Film processing and 2K scans were done at Mels.
“I know both filmstocks very well, they’re the ones that are the most granular, and I’m comfortable with them. You can push the 500T quite far into under-exposure and it’s still nice to look at,” she says. “Although I could have shot the whole movie, including the daylight interiors/exteriors on 500T, I prefer not having a bunch of NDs on the front of the camera, and find the 250D to be really lovely on the skin tones.
“One of the advantages of shooting on film, especially on 16mm, is that you have a small crew, and can move quickly between the set-ups.
Sometimes Matthew wanted the footprint to be even smaller – just me, an assistant and him – for shots of himself set against the brutalist architecture, and that’s when I went with the Bolex.”
Stachtchenko operated during the production, supported by Steven Turcotte as focus puller, Julien Apollon the key grip, and Hugo Ferland-Dionne working as the gaffer.
“During prep Matthew insisted that the verticals in the image needed to be straight and rectilinear. On locked-off shots, this meant positioning the camera,
The overall lighting style was bold, stark and nothing too-precious
sometimes on apple boxes, extended/elevated arms on the dolly and even tall scaffolds, in-front of a building to achieve the correct perspective.”
This pursuit of rectilinear perfection bled into the way the camera would move, and the visual language of the film contains many linear cameramoves from right-to-left, and vice versa. But the visual stylisation of the camerawork did not stop there.
The DP explains, “Matthew liked the idea of contrasting those types of linear shots, with long meandering takes, featuring long pans and
sweeping zooms, sometimes to transition between the different worlds in the story. I think that influence came from Kiarostami’s movies, where often the person listening is the one on-camera and the person talking is off-camera, and the camera doesn’t look at the action whatsoever.
“The way I thought about it was that the camera was a character in itself, kind of like a distracted kid who goes looking at something else. I thought it was incredibly fun to bring that element into the visual storytelling. Sometimes, those long takes were technically hard to accomplish, as I operated the camera on a normal tripod. I had to twist and turn my body through 180° whilst doing very specific movements and trying to land on a specific spot at a specific moment.”
As for lighting, Stachtchenko had a small lighting package and used the natural, available light as much as possible.
“The overall lighting style was bold, stark and nothing too-precious,” she says. “Apart from some negative fill, I went with whatever the weather gods gave us on the day exteriors. I lit most of the smaller interiors, that you would typically imagine to be illuminated by fluorescents, with Astera Titan tubes and other similar LEDs. For the bingo hall we fitted a lot of Astera Helios tubes into lighting recesses in the ceiling, and supplemented the light on the characters with Robert Juliat spotlights. On the bigger night exteriors, we used Creamsource Vortexes, as they packed a really good punch.”
Stachtchenko concludes, “I have spent my whole career making films I believe in. This one felt special as soon as I read the script, and the positive reaction it has received has surpassed my wildest dreams. It was of one of those shoots where every single person, right down to the production assistants and drivers, was really into what we were doing, and that created a lovely ambiance on the set.”
BARREL OF LAUGHS
By Natasha Block Hicks
When cinematographer Emma Paine ACS joined the team preparing to shoot the first season of Colin From Accounts (2022), the multi-award-winning Australian romantic dramedy created by and starring spousal co-leads Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall, she was relatively new to long-form TV series cinematography, with one credit under her belt.
“I was very nervous in the lead-up to my interview,” Paine admits from under the ceiling fan in her home on a sweltering day in Inner West Sydney.
“When I arrived, the producers were late, so the directors Trent O’Donnell and Matthew Moore, Patty, Harri and myself just spent twenty minutes chatting and making each other laugh. Luckily for me, it was an ‘Are you the kind of person that we want to spend time with on this team?’ type of interview. I got offered the job from there.”
Once her contract was agreed, Paine read through the complete S1 scripts, in which Dyer’s character Ashley, a student doctor, and Brammall’s micro-brewery owner Gordon, gradually bond over their accidental maiming and rehabilitation of the titular dog, Colin.
“The scripts were in a pretty good place when we first started,” she reports. “The scenarios were very charming, very funny. And, I already had an idea of the tone of Patty and Harri’s performances from their other comedy series work in Australia.”
Brammall and Dyer were key players in building the look and mood for the show alongside Paine, with their early discussions referencing film comedies such as Beginners (2010, dir. Mike Mills, DP Kasper Tuxen DFF), Appropriate Behaviour (2014, dir. Desiree Akhavan, DP Chris Teague) and Obvious Child (2014, dir. Gillian Robespierre, DP Chris Teague).
One of the biggest things has been to refrain from the high-key look that’s expected of comedy
The story’s Inner West Sydney location – Paine’s own home district – also played its part.
“There’s a grunginess to the area, which I really wanted reflected in the show,” Paine explains, “so I looked for a certain imperfection in the way we shot it. Claire Granville, the production designer who designed both series, was a huge part of creating that look too.”
Paine selected the ARRI Alexa Mini for S1, moving to Alexa Mini LF for S2, with Zeiss Super Speed prime lenses across both series, supplied by Panavision.
“The camera’s small form factor was really important, as the show was to be shot predominantly hand-held,” relates Paine. “The Super Speeds are also quite lightweight and were lenses that I felt comfortable using. They have a beautiful, vintage appeal which is something a bit different to the usual clean look of a lot of network television in Australia. That tied into that idea of having things on the show being a little bit imperfect.”
Due to time constraints, and the necessity to catch performances that had a high degree of ad-libbing, Paine ran two cameras for most shots, aiming for both to play as if they were A-cameras.
“It was tricky and definitely a challenge for the lighting,” she reports, “but it’s essential with this kind of comedy to feel like both cameras are getting the best possible version of those shots.”
Paine operated A-camera herself, with two previous collaborators from her operating days taking B-camera: Nicholas Owens on S1 and Michael Steel on S2.
“We knew each other’s work, which was a nice shorthand,” reflects Paine. “Operating as a DP is a lovely thing to do, as you’re in the space with the actors, responding to them and feeling like you’re a part of the scene.”
Going handheld on an Easyrig system helped give a sense of energy to what was a very performance-
EMMA PAINE ACS• COLIN FROM ACCOUNTS S1 &
led production, whilst easing the physical burden on the operators when the directors – O’Donnell in particular – let the scenes run-on, in the hope of catching ever funnier, improvised gags.
“We tried to keep it loose and fast,” explains Paine. “Patty and Harri have so much chemistry onscreen, so giving them freedom was really important. It was a fun space to be in and very collaborative, but I felt for our editors Danielle Boesenberg and Stafford Wales who had the painful job of going through the 20-minute takes and deciding which were the funniest jokes. They did an excellent job.”
Paine’s initial plan for the lighting in S1 was to keep things minimal, to give the actors more of the floor space. However, as shooting progressed she, and gaffer Max Gersbach, realised that using large soft sources made it easier for both cameras.
“We would have a wall of light at times, with large sails up and it could get a bit crazy,” she explains, “but with cameras shooting both ways it was a necessity for us to develop that style of lighting. One of the biggest things for me across the series has been to refrain from the high key bright look that’s expected of comedy. I try to get as much shape as I can and aim for the lighting to look grounded. As over-the-top as some of the characters can be, they’re quite relatable, so I think reflecting that in the lighting is important.”
Meeting for the first time on S1, Paine and Gersbach have now collaborated four times, including S2. It is customary in Australia for gaffers to come with their own truck of kit, Gersbach being no exception,
so Paine had her choice of his inventory of lighting, including ARRI SkyPanels, ARRI HMIs, Astera Titan Tubes and Astera Bulbs.
“We tended towards LEDs,” explains Paine, “with a lot of modifiers in front of them, a lot of textiles. Nothing’s ever a problem with Max,” she extols, “he’s quite happy to get creative.”
I was very nervous in the lead-up to my interview
Colin From Accounts S1 was handled in postproduction by Evolution Post, with colourist Jamie Hediger in the grade suite.
“My biggest collaborator in post is the colourist,” explains Paine. “Jamie did an excellent job creating the higher contrast, filmstock look of S1. I had Justin Tran on S2, which was graded at Blue Post, and he was brilliant at helping me polish the look of the series, whilst still honouring the look we’d established in S1.”
Paine lit the complete series – a total of 16 episodes – which is unusual in TV dramas following
the typical block system, but found occasionally in Australian episodic romcoms. The directors still swapped every few episodes, however, so Paine developed a set of “soft rules” to help keep consistency throughout the shoot.
“The biggest one was keeping it handheld and the coverage simple,” she details, “but we would also use slider moves exclusively in the brewery, to give it its own feel within the world. It was a very collaborative space however, so if someone came up with a good idea, we would lean into it, like in S2/episode five – when Ashley doesn’t turn up to dinner, and Gordon goes on a quest around Sydney to find her – we shot static frames of time passing, which is totally different to the rest of the season, but felt right for those scenes.”
With most scenes featuring Dyer and/or Brammall, plus a supporting cast of comedians, including Paine’s personal favourite, Helen Thomson, who played Ashley’s mother Lynelle, life on-set had its fair share of silliness.
“One day Patty announced he’d hidden $50 on the brewery set,” relates Paine. “No work got done that morning, everyone was just pulling things apart. By S2, it had become a tradition – $50 Fridays –which is funny because although it didn’t always feel like work, we were all getting paid.”
Through his connections, Brammall also organised Kevin Bacon to contribute a phone-video cameo on S2.
“Trent directed it over Zoom,” Paine recounts jokily, “I’m very sad they didn’t send me to New York to shoot that one.”
The laughs were fair compensation for the inevitable challenges: the time, or lack of, and physical exhaustion of handheld work.
“There was a particular tricky night scene in S2 where Ashley goes missing and Gordon’s looking for her,” details Paine.
“The whole crew had to board a real passenger train at Central Station out to Waterfall to be able to shoot on it, and it was a lot to cover on a very tight schedule.”
Over the course of shooting two seasons of Colin From Accounts, plus numerous other projects, Paine has developed from a long-form rookie DP to an assured cinematographer and became an accredited member of the Australian Cinematographer’s Society (ACS) in October 2023.
“By the time I came back for S2, I was a lot more confident in my own work,” she reports.
“I knew what it was going to look like, so I didn’t need to slave over finding images and references, I could just lean into it and go with the flow. It’s a nice place to be in your career.”
Images: BTS stills by Lisa Tomasetti, Joel Pratley & Emma Paine ACS. Image copyright Easy Tiger.
BEFORE YOUR EYES
By Darek Kuźma
We had to maintain a visual flow, to ensure the images remained fresh and engaging
DP Markus Förderer BVK ASC’s third feature film collaboration with director Tim Fehlbaum saw him recapture the bleak atmosphere of the infamous terrorist attack during the 1972 Summer Olympics, subsequently dubbed ‘The Munich Massacre’.
The Summer Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany, was supposed to be a harmonious and optimistic event, dedicated to sport and collaboration beyond national or ideological boundaries. Yet the whole world – 900 million people tuned-in for the live broadcast of the Games – watched in horror as the Palestinian militant organisation Black September broke into the Israeli team’s quarters inside the Olympic Village, killing two men and taking nine hostages. It was the first time an act of terrorism was televised across the
globe, and numerous filmmakers have analysed it since.
What differentiates September 5 from previous films on the subject is that it assumes the perspective of the ABC Sports News team that captured the live coverage of the incident. We rarely go outside the studio, we watch how the news team reacts and what they do – often glaringly unethically – to bring the news to the viewers.
Fehlbaum and Förderer, whose previous collaborations Hell (2011) and Tides (2021) were sci-fi stories, shot September 5 from March to May 2023, but started prepping three years prior.
“Tim and I have such a close relationship that we bounce around ideas for a long time. He always looks for something visually-evocative to make his films as engaging as possible. Here the challenge was to use the confined spaces of the ABC studio to capture the audience’s imagination whilst staying true to facts,” recalls Förderer.
the team members, before all hell breaks loose, whilst the viewers try to soak in everything that is going on.
“The real events took place over 22 hours, but we wanted this sensation of real-time feeling, so we compressed everything into 94 minutes. But we had great consultants, including Geoff Mason, played in the film by John Magaro, who helped us to be authentic and cinematic at the same time,” asserts Förderer.
With the exception of a few early shots as well as night scenes at the Fürstenfeldbruck airport shot at 6400 ISO with a miniature as a background, we only see or hear what the journalists in the studio can see or hear. And just like them, we have to make our own assumptions about the cacophony of information and speculation surrounding the events inside the Olympic village.
The film was shot over 27 days on a soundstage at Bavaria Studios in Munich, plus a few days’ work at Olympiapark Munich to recreate the archival footage.
“Every time we leave the control room and come back, the lighting slightly changes. We use different lenses to convey various emotional states of people watching the events unfold on small monitors. We combined original footage with footage that we shot out of respect to everyone who lost their life that day. All in the service of the story.”
The pace is unrelenting. The first ten minutes introduce
“We had to be careful where to point the camera at the Olympic heritage site, but we found the right angles. Our editor Hansjörg Weißbrich couldn’t tell what was recreated and what was original, it was quite a compliment,” discusses Förderer who researched the 1972 Olympics extensively.
“I knew it should be a period film that would make the audience believe in the period, whilst also having a modern feel to it. We shot on digital cameras with old
The camera remained active, always searching for the next piece of the puzzle
lenses, plus modern lenses re-tuned to look like ‘70’s glass. With colourist Florian Martin at Panoptimo, Munich, we created a LUT inspired by the 16mm footage shot on analogue cameras. Not overly-stylised but still unique, and it fitted the project’s DNA perfectly.”
Förderer decided to shoot on Red V-Raptor, with the recreations on 16mm, but conducted extensive tests in Los Angeles and Munich to find the right lenses.
“These events were broadcast all over the world, covered in newspapers, captured in photographs. People were flooded with images and we wanted to capture that through switching between lenses,” he remembers.
“We wanted to shoot almost everything handheld and, given our tight schedule, needed lightweight, fast lenses with a good close focus. I chose vintage Voigtlander Zoomars as they were from those times and were the first successful zoom lenses. We adapted them to PL mount so they could be used on our Raptors. We mostly used 20-55mm and 50125mm zooms, and with Anamorphic primes opted for longer focal lengths – often 60mm and 100mm –to maintain an observational approach.”
Whenever the tension in the ABC control room increases, Förderer switched to Xelmus Apollo Anamorphics to heighten the visual aesthetic.
“Anamorphic lenses stretch the vertical bokeh and out-of-focus areas, which adds tension. The Apollos had a great close focus that superseded Anamorphic limitations of size and weight. With them, we knew we could go really close.”
Förderer also detuned them to replicate what he liked in the ‘70’s glass. ARRI Rental Munich provided both the camera gear and the lighting package.
“I added a layer of dust and fingerprints at the edges. Old vintage lenses always had dust particles in them. They acted as a sort of built-in diffusion, adding to their unique character. Today, manufacturers spend a lot of time to ensure their lenses are perfect, but for us it would have been too sterile,” he adds. “I had a problem to put the lenses back together but the guys from the optical
department at ARRI Rental Munich helped.”
Yet another element that needed a different approach was lighting, as the DP explains.
“My wife, Julie, is a lighting board operator. Literally just before September 5 we did another project and used weekends to pre-programme exact colours and flicker patterns for this one”, asserts Förderer.
“’70’s films used Tungsten lighting on filmstock and are usually warm, brown-toned, but we went with a cooler LED look, mimicking fluorescent light. My gaffer Uwe Greiner and I only used Tungsten in the TV studio set, the rest was LED. We considered using real fluorescents, but I knew Astera Titan Tubes would allow me to control lighting on the spot. We could dim them, programme individual pixels to flicker at the ends, and adjust colours instantly. Because our set was interconnected, we needed to light every room and corridor. We literally used hundreds of Astera Titan Tubes and HydraPanels.”
“Back then, fluorescent tubes never emitted perfect, consistent light. We wanted to recreate this flicker in a controlled studio environment and introduced imperfections to create a natural and immersive atmosphere, especially in the control room with a massive wall of TV monitors,” he continues.
“When filming analogue CRT monitors with a film camera, you get a flicker effect as it’s difficult to sync the frame rate perfectly. Many Hollywood productions go to great lengths to eliminate it, using modified TVs that run at 24Hz with sync boxes. We embraced the flicker and enhanced it. We installed a row of LED softlights above the TV wall, just out of the camera frame. From the first minutes of the film, we immerse the audiences in the feel of a live 1970’s broadcast.”
The lights were built into the set to have 360-degree environment for two cameras to operate simultaneously. This combined with shooting handheld obviously influenced the performances.
“It was a great ballet between us. I operated A-camera and made decisions on the fly, Stefan Sosna was on B-camera, sometimes even the director joined. In a traditional studio set-up you rely on lots of people and you lose momentum and energy. We had to maintain a visual flow, to ensure the images remained fresh and engaging.
“Whilst there were important compositions to consider, we made sure never to be overly-precious with framing. Rather than lingering on a perfectlycomposed shot, we’d hit the frame, hold it for a beat, then move on as a character entered the room. That movement lead to an insert of a person speaking into a walkie-talkie, or a whip pan to a monitor revealing the masked terrorist on the balcony, etc.”
“We let a character register for a moment, then immediately moved forward. Essentially, we shot the whole film as a series of oners, but with the intention of tightening it up in the editing. This gives the film a sense of urgency. Once the first gunshots are fired, it becomes non-stop flow of events: each moment revealing a new piece of information, each cut leading us closer to the next revelation. The camera remained active, always searching for the next piece of the puzzle,” claims Förderer.
“After doing a classic take, we’d often do what we called ‘wild style’ takes, where we’d tell the actors, ‘Whatever you’ve done in previous takes doesn’t matter – just do whatever you feel like. If you want to run out into the corridor, go to a different setpiece, or pick up the phone, do it.’ Really interesting magic moments happened out of this. The actors said they never experienced anything like it. They could forget about the cameras as we’d always adjust to what they were doing.”
September 5 was one of the most challenging films of his career. And one of the most creatively rewarding.
“We had such a tight-knit team of brilliant professionals, each of us brought everything they’ve learned before into this project. As it was an independent film, we had the freedom to experiment in ways we couldn’t on big Hollywood productions. I believe we used it to the fullest and gave the audience something they won’t easily forget.”
Captured on KODAK 35mm film by DP Sverre Sørdal FNF, director Karan Kandhari’s macabre comedy, Sister Midnight, presents an altogether different take on lower-caste life in modern urban India.
Part-funded by the British Film Institute and Film4, the action follows Uma, a listless wife trapped in both the confines of an arranged marriage, to her reluctant husband Gopal, and a suffocating one-room wooden shack that represents their home.
Uma is bored by her mundane existence and marital expectations, until she’s bitten by a bug at a wedding and then collapses during her job as a janitor. She soon finds herself preferring night to day and transforms into a ruthless feral force with bloodthirsty cravings.
The film, Kandhari’s feature debut, premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, during the Directors’ Fortnight section, and was lauded as ‘a feminist fable delivering a whole lot of bite’, and a ‘punk’ alternative to classic Bollywood fare.
“The story was certainly different, and I was excited about it from the beginning,” says Norwegian Sverre Sørdal FNF, who lives in London and whose credits include County Lines (2019, dir. Henry Blake) and the 35mm film-originated Unruly (2022, dir. Malou Reymann).
“This was the sort of script you hope to get as a cinematographer, one that it doesn’t follow a formula. It yelled expressionism, and the idea of it being a dark comedy really stirred something inside me. Also, it gave me the chance to shoot in India, where I had never worked before, and I relished the idea of shooting on 35mm film, which I absolutely love.
Sørdal reveals he first met British Indian director Kandhari in a London pub, where the pair spoke about the ardour they both share for cinema, especially American cinema in the 1970s.
“Karan told me he had storyboarded most of Sister Midnight, and wondered if I was OK with that. I could see that his work was more artistic than anything else, but the ideas about what he wanted –like the layout of the shack, and the position the bed and the cooking area in relation to the window light –were clearly there, and those storyboards were good conversation starters.
“We both agreed that the visual language of the film, particularly the lighting, needed an toned-down colour palette with an expressionistic presentation in order for the comedy, the darkness and the absurdity to work, and that’s essentially where my work became largely focussed.”
Sørdal says Sister Midnight was always going to be shot on 35mm film, and there was never a question about shooting it digitally.
“Initially, Karan told me we were going to film
widescreen in 4-perf Anamorphic, although this later changed to 3-perf spherical, cropped to widescreen format. Either way suited me, as I had just shot Unruly on 35mm film and was eager to continue the analogue experience. I love film and, in an ideal
This was the sort of script you hope to get as a cinematographer
world, I would prefer to only shoot on film. I knew it would enable us to tell this complex, intricate and emotional story in the way we envisaged it.”
References included the rough and gritty neo-noir crime thrillers The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie (1976, dir. John Cassavetes, DPs Mitchell Breit, Al Ruban and Frederick Elmes) and Le Samouraï (1967, dir. JeanPierre Melville, DP Henri Decaë).
Sørdal had seven weeks of prep on the film, before commencing 40 days of photography, often in
40ºC heat, between February and April 2023. Apart from the movie’s short Samurai warrior sequence that was shot in Scotland, filming took place entirely on-location in Mumbai, India. The street where the terrace of wooden shacks was constructed, was chosen to optimise the direction of the sunshine, and Uma and Gopal’s shanty was constructed with floating walls to help accommodate the camera and the crew.
The DP worked with Panavision in London to select his camera and lenses – comprising Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL2 cameras and Panavision Primos, including a 24-275mm zoom – before the package was shipped to Mumbai.
“Panavision cameras and lenses were a natural choice for both me and Karan,” says Sørdal. “They, and specifically Lee Mackey, have been of utmost support to me since the day I stepped into the industry. When we first arrived in Mumbai, word got round that there was a Panavision film camera in town, and many people made special pilgrimages to see it and take selfies with it. Along with being a special attraction, the Millennium XL2 proved an absolute workhorse during production, and it performed beautifully in the blazing heat.
“As for the lenses, the Primos, for me, scream classic cinema, and combined with 35mm film, were
the first of many hairs on the brush we needed to paint this film. They have a perfect balance between sharpness and warmer colour rendition, and at T2.0 they are quite fast, which meant I would be able to shoot our many night scenes without too much trouble.”
Sørdal went with Tungsten filmstocks for the shoot – KODAK VISION3 5219 500T for the night interior/ exterior scenes, and KODAK VISION3 200T 5213 for the day interior/exterior scenes. The Samurai sequence was filmed in B&W on KODAK DOUBLE-X 5222 35mm negative.
“From the very start, Karan and I were agreed that Sister Midnight should not look like most of the films that come from India, which are typically rich and warm with colour,” Sørdal explains. “For the beginning of the film, I push-processed all of the night interior and exterior scenes that we shot on the 500T by one stop, to raise the contrast, texture and colour saturation in the image, and thereby reflect Uma’s discomfort with the night.
“But after she collapses, whilst washing the office floor, and goes through her transformation, I stopped the push-process and had all the 500T negative processed normally. The image was a little less punchy and with smaller grain, to convey how she has become more comfortable and at-ease with the night.
“I shot the all of the day scenes using the 200T, but processed the interiors normally and pulled the exteriors by one stop. I did this as I wanted the colours of exteriors to be more pastel.”
Film processing was done at Film Lab Mumbai,
Film helped us to give this production a really distinctive look
with dailies scanned in Scanity at Prasad in Chennai. The files were then transferred to Cinelab in the UK, where the dailies were supervised by Paul Dean, before the graded rushes were made available for Sørdal’s review in Mumbai. The film had a final 4K ARRI scan at Cinelab.
“It was quite a complicated process, but well worth it, as it was clear to see how special and beautiful the end-result was going to look.”
Sørdal operated the camera throughout the film,
assisted by 1st AC Vlassis Skoulis and loader Leo Windslow. The key grip was Ravi Shah, with Kamlesh Prabhudas Saadrani the gaffer and Jigar Dawande as best boy.
“The hard, expressionistic lighting style we adopted for Sister Midnight is far-removed from most Bollywood and independent Indian films. It was all about white light and expressing the loneliness of the characters,” he says.
“I went with a traditional, old-school lighting package, pretty much all Tungstens and HMIs, although we did sometimes use a few Astera tubes to boost shadowy areas or create a coloured accent, like the rooftop elevator. In the shack we never lit from above, and just pushed light inside through the doorway and windows that Karan had put into the set design, and we went with the way the light fell from those.”
As for shooting in India, Sørdal says it was a different experience entirely from the norm. “Mumbai is a big, bustling city, with lots of people, noise and dust. It was incredibly hot too, especially when we shot the interiors of Uma and Gopal’s tiny shack, which we nicknamed ‘The Tandoori Oven’ as we felt we were being cooked most of the time. I even got scratched by a cat, and had to have rabies shots, just in case. I had a big crew, especially in the lighting department, and all of that felt a little overwhelming to me at the beginning.
“But India has an incredibly rich history in filmmaking and I soon came to realise just how good my team were. Although we had 40 days, and the script was less than a hundred pages, we actually had to shoot 350 scenes, and this meant lighting seven or eight scenes every single day.
“We could shoot not in story-order, and filmed the shack interiors first over the course of 19 days, before the madness of travelling around Mumbai to film then remainder of the scenes at over 100 different locations. I have to thank my crew for being so professional, positive, enthusiastic and willing, and it was down to them that we got through the demanding schedule.”
Looking back on the production overall, Sørdal says, “Although it was a physically-demanding shoot, I loved working in India with my crew. It’s hard to sum up in a few words how film helped us to tell this story. It’s absolutely beautiful how film deals with hard light and the different colours we created through normal, push and pull processing, as the story progresses. I might have gone a bit too far in places, but I would rather do that than to play it safe. Safe is boring and why would anyone want to be boring? A lot of the films and series you can watch on streaming platforms look so similar. Film helped us to give this production a really distinctive look.”
Images: BTS photos by Ben Millar, Palak Dubey, Sudhansu Purohit, Sverre Sørdal FNF and Vlassis Dkoulis. Images courtesy Protagonist Pictures/Magnet Releasing.
TICKING CLOCK
By Ron Prince
At 11:30pm on October 11th, 1975, a troupe of ferocious young comedians and writers changed television forever, when the first broadcast of satirical sketch show ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL) hit the airwaves from NBC’s Studio 8H at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
Shot on KODAK 16mm film by DP Eric Steelberg ASC, director Jason Reitman’s movie, entitled Saturday Night, transports audiences back in time and follows SNL’s ambitious 30-year-old showrunner, Lorne Michaels, as he deals with a tense and crazy melée of egos, expectations and general unreadiness in the 90-minutes before showtime. The film’s opening 3.5-minute single-shot sets the scene as the camera meanders through the studio space and dressing rooms, to reveal the characters and the chaos.
The film was applauded for its nostalgic celebration of one of showbiz’s most auspicious debuts, and the non-stop energy of Steelberg’s cinematographic efforts.
Steelberg and Reitman have enjoyed a lengthy collaboration and a personal friendship, stretching-back over more than two decades. Saturday Night is the ninth feature the pair have made together, starting with Juno (2007) and including Up In The Air (2009), plus The Front Runner (2018) –all shot on KODAK 35mm film.
“Jason and I have known each other since we were teenagers. We met on a friend’s short film when we were 15,” remarks the DP. “We stayed in touch and I then started shooting the short films he was directing. We eventually got into the advertising industry, and filming commercials together for many, many years before we then rolled separately into features –Jason with Thank You For Smoking (2005, DP James Whitaker), and me with Echo Park LA/Quinceañera (2006, dirs. Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland). The next film that came across his desk was Juno, which he sent to me and that was that.”
Returning to the subject of Saturday Night Steelberg says, “Jason first told me about the movie as he was writing it, shortly
after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Initially, he wanted to shoot the entire film in a single continuous take, with no stitches of any kind – one hour-and-a-half-long shot, like a play, on a specially-constructed set – with the idea of creating real-time tension as transmission time for the show approached.
“We talked a lot about how we could accomplish that technically, and it was fun to go down that road for a while during lockdown. However, over the course of time, he decided to take a more traditional approach, which included shooting on 16mm film, but even then, he still wanted it to retain that same tension in the visual storytelling by including a number of long takes. We thought that those would be a great way to take the audience beat-bybeat, minute-by-minute, through the craziness of the 90-minutes before the show went live.”
Although Steelberg shot The Front Runner on 35mm film, he recalls tests he shot for that production on 16mm film and
We quickly fell into operating like a welloiled machine
how those came to factor into the thinking for Saturday Night
“Looking back, Jason and I remembered the aesthetic look-and-feel that 16mm brought to the visual image – it’s softness, colour palette and the way it feels more alive with the grain. So, I did a bunch of comparative tests for Saturday Night, on 16mm and 35mm, and we just fell in love with 16mm all over again.
“It took some convincing of the studio executives, but Jason was insistent about 16mm film being an aesthetic choice, that 16mm film was the identity of the movie, and that only 16mm film would serve to define its period look and enhance the theatrical experience for the audience.”
Steelberg says that movies made in the 1970s, by filmmakers such as Robert Altman and Michael Ritchie, were creative touchstones for their use of a restless camera in depicting life on-the-fly, along with zooms, pans and a variety of angles. The DP and director also watched the inaugural episode of SNL and studied behindthe-scenes photography of the show’s early years, to understand the geography of NBC’s Studio 8H and how things were lit back then, both on-stage and behind-the-scenes.
Principal photography on Saturday Night
began in March 2024 at Trilith Studios in Atlanta, where a double-decker, two-storey setbuild of the original NBC studios eight and ninth floors was built. Exteriors for the film, were shot in New York, including the ice rink at Rockefeller Plaza, before the production wrapped some 34 shooting days later in May.
Steelberg went with ARRIFLEX 416 16mm cameras for the shoot, primarily using Canon 8-64mm T2.0 and Fujinon 18-85mm T2.0 Premier zoom lenses, along with ARRI Master Primes and ARRI Ultra 16 Primes.
“Modern zoom lenses are nicely-sharp and allow a certain versatility during production,” says Steelberg. “We purposely brought them into the visual storytelling, but also used them during whip pans to reframe where the image was going to land. Also, by not needing to do so many lens changes, zooms help to support a good pace to production.”
The DP elected to shoot Saturday Night using just one filmstock – KODAK VISION3 200T 7213. Film processing and 4K scanning were done at Kodak Film Lab in Atlanta. Dailies were supervised by dailies colourist Karli Windischmann at Company 3 in Atlanta, with the final grade completed by Stefan Sonnefeld in LA.
“Whilst Jason and I like texture in the image, we felt KODAK VISION3 500T 7219 would have proven a little too grainy for the different settings in this production. The 200T had just the right feeling of texture and contrast for us, and I knew I could expose appropriately for it by boosting the levels of light when needed.”
Steelberg says he enjoyed the challenge of shooting on 16mm. “When you shoot on film, you have got to use your light meter and trust your eyes. The cool thing about shooting with 16mm 200T at T2.8 on the kind of stage-settings we had, is that there was little or no spill light. Unless something was lit, it would not register on the negative. That meant that I had to make a conscious decision about lighting the things we wanted to see or express in the image.
“With this beautiful subtlety film becomes way more painterly than digital. As the DP, it’s really satisfying to know that you are in control of every single part of that frame – the intensity of a colour, how the light falls-off a face or an object in background, and the depth of a shadow.”
The DP also remarks that shooting on 16mm film, especially the long-takes, meant every member of the cast and crew necessarily had to be on their A-game.
“On the very first day of the shoot we filmed that long, looping opening shot where we meet all the characters, as the action moves from out of the
elevator, through the hallways and dressing rooms, and into the main studio.
“Jason’s thought was by doing that, it would set the tone for the rest of the production, and that everybody would know exactly the movie we were making right off the bat. Every single person in the entire film crew was involved in that shot in some way, focussed and paying attention, and we quickly fell into operating like a well-oiled machine.”
16mm film was the identity of the movie
Apart from a small number of Steadicam shots along certain hallways and up stairwells, most of the camerawork was done from the dolly with a remote head. During production, Matthew Moriarty operated A-camera/Steadicam, with Cale Finot on B-camera, supported respectively by Sebastian Vega and Pat Sokley as 1st ACs. Brandon Cundiff led the grip team, with Daniel Riffell ISCL working as the gaffer and Scott Barnes ICLS as the chief lighting programmer.
“During pre-production Jason and I photoboarded and blocked the entire movie, so we knew in-advance about the exact choreography of the camera with the actors,” Steelberg recounts. “During that period we also lit our Studio 8H soundstage –mainly using period practicals, plus incandescents and Tungsten fixtures on a lighting grid, with some LEDs overhead in the hallways – so that we could move anywhere at any time during production, and not have to spend time lighting any shots.
“Lighting the whole movie beforehand was definitely a new thing for me, and because the lighting was built-in and pre-determined, we often had to move the actors to where we wanted the camera to be or where the light was. The only filtration we had was diffusion, a Tiffen 1/8 Black Pearlescent on the whole movie, to get the right amount of bloom on the practicals, but without softening the image.”
Steelberg says, “My most enjoyable experiences have been when shooting on film. I love the discipline that comes with it, and the sense of accomplishing a well-shot film gives you so much satisfaction as an artist and a storyteller.
“This production was so different to anything that Jason and I had ever done before, and while everyday was stressful, we harnessed the stress and created something that we’re super-satisfied with.”
GAFFERS CAFÉ•KAMLESH PRABHUDAS SAADRANI
SHINING A LIGHT ON. . .
KAMLESH PRABHUDAS SAADRANI
By David Wood
electrician
Selected Filmography:
(as gaffer unless otherwise stated)
Santosh (2024)
Sister Midnight (2024)
Pippa (2023)
Bambai Meri Jaan (TV) (2023)
The Braid (2023)
Zakir Khan: Tathastu (2022)
Virata Parvam (2022)
And Tomorrow We Will be Dead (2021)
Fukrey 2 (2021)
Tenet (2020) (rigging gaffer)
Getting started:
I developed an interest in photography in school and my father, who was an electrician, taught me everything I needed to know about how electrical power works, including distribution and safety.
I helped out on-set as a genny operator in my early days, working on wedding videos (a big thing in India) which gave me a good grounding and opened-up my creative skills and understanding around filming and lighting. I built up from there.
In 1982-83 I started lighting in film and television. My first project was the series Bombay Blue (1996, DP Paul Gavin) as a camera assistant. And after that I have never looked back and just kept progressing.
Training:
I learned a lot about film lighting from my brotherlike friend Mulchand Dedhia and my elder brother Ramesh Saadrani, who I grew up playing with in the streets of Mumbai. I was fortunate to have learned a lot from Mulchand, who has become one of the bestknown gaffers in India.
I learned what lights to use in which situations, and how you can place light to achieve the effect you want. Mulchand also explained why we would draw-up plans for lighting schemes. I am very grateful for that trust and support which lead to us being able to build an amazing lighting empire together called Light &
Grips Equipment Hirers, based in Mumbai, India.
My first film as a gaffer was Monsoon Wedding (2001, DP Declan Quinn ASC), directed by Mira Nair, who did Salaam Bombay (1988, DP Sandi Sissell ASC), a film I also worked on as a generator op. Slowly I learned more and more. And I haven’t stopped learning since.
Key crew:
I am an associated gaffer with Light & Grips Equipment Hirers, and I also work as a freelancer. In the early days I worked with my nephew Hitesh Saadrani, who was best boy. He has now gone on to build his own successful career as a gaffer.
I now have two best boys – Jigar Dawande and Sameer Joshi. They are very important to me and play quite a vital role in my team because I know that I can rely on them totally to sort out lighting on location or on forward set-ups.
On-set when I have to go on a recce or have to work on a particular lighting solution, they instinctively know what I am looking for and can produce a plan for it – it gives me freedom to go off and do other things.
It’s important to be pure in heart and soul
The DP/gaffer relationship:
Most of the DPs I work with are friends rather than colleagues. We talk about a lot of things other than film lighting and work. I have a lot of creative freedom as a gaffer and like to design a light rig after a discussion with my DPs about what the look should be like.
I recently made an amazing friend, DP Lennert Hillege NSC, during the film Santosh. We had a hell of a lot of fun on-set. I also have good relationships with Carlos Catalan BSC, who I worked with on films such as Dil Dhadakne Do (Let The Heart Beat) (2015), Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC
who I worked with on The Glorias (2020) and Álvaro Gutiérrez AEC during the production of Gold (2018).
We don’t talk all the time about work, but about art, colour palettes, how the whole film industry has evolved – sharing knowledge with each other and our journey to where we are today.
I loved working with Hoyte Van Hoytema NSC FSF ASC on Tenet. He doesn’t talk too much, but he is always happy. All my DPs tell me about how the characters will move and what the whole scene is going to be, and I come up with the lighting ideas and plans to achieve that vision.
I have also been lighting a lot of commercials and challenging films in India working with Andre Menezes, Shankar Raman, Himman Dhamija, Yash Khanna and many more. They have played quite an important role, putting their trust in my work and my art of lighting.
On-set vibe:
My thing is that, first and foremost, it’s important to be pure in heart and soul, in life and the world. And this will impact your work. I’m pretty chilled outside work, but onset l like to have a strong sense of purpose and to create a good atmosphere with lots of laughter. It’s all about working hard, but making sure the on-set atmosphere is fun and that people are enjoying the time they spend there. Especially your team and the people around you.
Biggest challenge:
Shooting scenes from Dil Dhadakne Do was a challenge because 70-percent of the film was shot on a cruise ship. I spent two weeks pre-shoot with the ship’s captain and crew, ironing-out all the problems and restrictions of shooting on a cruise.
I can’t think of a more restrictive place to light and shoot. For instance, you can’t run cables through doorways at certain times because of safety rules. Also, the cruise-ship power supplies needed to be converted from DC power to 230V. Luckily we had a very good ship’s technician who helped us.
Also, the angle and direction of natural light is always changing, because you are constantly moving. I had to work very closely with the captain to build a
Most of the DPs I work with are friends rather than colleagues
shooting and lighting schedule starting from the ship’s planned route and timed to work to a very tight timescale. Often, I had to brief the camera team that we would only have one hour to shoot a scene, and these timescales were typical of that six week shoot on-board.
Shooting Santosh:
I love naturalistic lighting, which looks real and which viewers can connect to. Sometimes, however, we don’t have a huge lighting budget, so I need to find low-cost, low-power solutions to achieve this. This was the case on Santosh, so I adapted a lot of practical lights; props, lamps and other things that were around. Hats off to Lennert, who was adaptive, understanding, extremely creative and clear with what he was looking for. With both of us being of the same page the creative journey of making this film was unforgettable.
I like customising things for myself, doing my own R&D, or adapting existing lights. One of the main things is to remain flexible about how to solve film lighting
KAMLESH PRABHUDAS SAADRANI•
problems. I also get my own textiles customised and build customised lights and lighting boxes for specific jobs.
Favourite lights: I love traditional
Maxi Brutes, HMIs, Fresnels and lots of practicals. But with amazing upgrades in technology, I have started loving LEDs too, because they are easy to work with, offer different colours, spectrums and effects, and are low-power, lightweight and very handy. Some are even battery-operated.
In a word LEDs are flexible, which fits in well with filmmaking in India where everybody is in a hurry and wants to finish in 30 days. Lighting has to reflect that –and LEDs tick that box.
I also love the Lumen radio or wireless transmission systems for all the new-age LED lights. This means I do not have to send sparks on every light to change the settings and I can be right next to the DP and still have control of every light through the iPad. I’m also a fan of newer lights such as the Creamsource Vortexes, Nanlux Dynos and Evokes, Asteras, and many more.
Home life:
Well, nobody really enjoys watching films with me and my son, Krunal Saadrani, at home, because we always pause the action to examine the lighting solutions, discuss multiple ways things could be done, and talk about films we have been part of. Krunal is in the same field and is working his way up as an amazing gaffer in the UK. I have to proudly say that he is taking my legacy in the world of lighting and filmmaking.
As they say, there is a woman behind every successful man, so how can I forget my wife Sangeeta for being my strongest pillar of support since day one. She is the lady who gave-up on her career to be a homemaker and take care of our kids and my parents.
Making sacrifices:
Being away from family and kids during special
occasions or festivals, often for weeks and months, is not an easy thing to do. I am an extremely proud father of our two kids – Krunal and Meenal – and am very thankful to my beloved wife Sangeeta for being an integral part of my and our family’s success today. This year is even more special for me and my wife as we cannot wait to welcome our beautiful grandchildren.
Images: Kamlesh variously pictured with DPs, including Hoyte Van Hoytema NSC FSF ASC and Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC
Photos and words by Ron Prince.
Cinematography World’s advertising executive Alice Larner and digital editor Kirsty Hazlewood
Fujifilm’s technical product specialist Jim Marks & business development manager Marc Cattrall
DP Lol Crawley BSC & wife Annie with the BSC Best Cinematography Award for The Brutalist
Gaffer Tara Bisoen from The Netherlands Andrew Tiffen, president & COO of The Tiffen Company
Andy Cooper, now in business
Hugh Whittaker of Warner Bros lighting & Panavision Ireland’s John Higgins
Gaffer Carolina Schmidtholstein ICLS
DP Dave Alex Riddett BSC & daughter Charly
Rosco’s Christian Arroyo & gaffer Martin Smith ICLS
CineCertified team – Leo Winslow, Sandra Pennington & David McAnulty Gaffer Elena Armellini
Creamsource CEO Tama Berkeljon & global marketing director Katia Del Rosario
Camera operator Henry Kingsbury testing an MK-V V5 sled with the newly-released Level
Ronnie The Robot
DPs Mikhail Krichman RGC & Ali Cihan Yilmaz
Phil Oatley of Repro Stream with
Discover the latest in cinematography, cutting-edge technology, and game-changing gear, all under one roof. Engage with top industry experts, experience hands-on demos,
Whether you're a filmmaker, cinematographer, or production professional, this is your must-attend event of the year. Be part of THE production event in Europe.
