www.britishcinematographer.co.

uk
Issue 73 -- January 2016

EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC ON

THE REVENANT
CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 73 / JANUARY 2016
BRITISH
CINEMATOGRAPHER
UNI T ING C INE M AT O GR A P HE R S A R O UND T HE W OR L D
Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
t. +44 (0) 1753 650101
Publisher and Managing Editor | ALAN LOWNE | +44 (0) 1753 650101 | alafilmuk@aol.com
Publisher and Digital Editor | STUART WALTERS | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | stuart.walters@ob-mc.co.uk
Editor | RON PRINCE | ronny@princepr.com
Sales | TRACY FINNERTY | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | tracy.finnerty@ob-mc.co.uk
Sales | ALAN LOWNE | +44 (0) 1753 650101 | alafilmuk@aol.com
Sales | STUART WALTERS | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | stuart.walters@ob-mc.co.uk
Design | MARK LAMSDALE | +44 (0) 121 200 7820 | mark.lamsdale@ob-mc.co.uk | www.ob-mc.co.uk
CONTRIBUTORS
RON PRINCE has many years of experience in the film, TV, CGI and visual effects industries.
He is the editor of British Cinematographer Magazine and runs the international content
marketing and PR communications company Prince PR (www.princepr.com).
ADRIAN PENNINGTON writes about the business and technology of film and TV for
publications including The Guardian, Screen International and Broadcast. He is managing editor of
The IBC Daily, editorial consultant for TVB Europe, a producer of the 3D Masters conference,
and co-author of Exploring 3D: The New Grammar Of Stereoscopic Filmmaking (Focal Press).
DAVID A ELLIS has written for a number of publications, including Cinema Technology
and Film International. He is also the author of the books Conversations With
Cinematographers and In Conversation With Cinematographers is out this year.
JOHN KEEDWELL, the GBCT News Editor, is a documentary and commercials
cameraman who has worked on many productions around the world. He crosses
over in both film and tape productions and has great knowledge of the new
file-based formats and their methods of production.
KEVIN HILTON is a freelance journalist who writes about technology and
personalities in film and broadcasting, and contributes film reviews and
interviews to a variety of publications in the UK and abroad.
British Cinematographer is part of LAWS Publishing.
Laws Publishing Ltd, Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
t. +44 (0) 1753 650101 | f. +44 (0) 1753 650111
The publishers wish to emphasise that the opinions expressed in British Cinematographer are not
representative of Laws Publishing Ltd but the responsibility of the individual contributors.
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I make it a point not to look
at any film that is about the
subject Im about to work on.
Its best to shut your eyes and
dream-up your own world.
- REMI ADEFARASIN OBE BSC
EDITORS LETTER
ITS A MAD, MAD,
MAD, MAD WORLD
A
belated, but heartfelt, Happy New Year to all of our
readers and supporters around the world. We hope all is
well as you move into 2016. Sometimes its hard to make
sense of the world and the events that happen around
us. Things can be bothersome, baffling or just plain mad.
Mad as in sad. Along with the unexpected, untimely passings
of David Bowie (who I, as a runner on my second paying job,
assisted on the music video for Absolute Beginners) and actor Alan
Rickman, for those in cinematographic circles the deaths of two
towering talents Haskell Wexler and our good friend Vilmos
Zsigmond came as solemn, sobering moments indeed. Our
thoughts are with their families and friends.
Things can be mad as in bad. Until the Oscars were
announced, it was entirely within the realms of possibility that Bob
Richardsons 65mm film shoot, dusting-down and polishing-up of
old lenses, not to mention the traditional photochemical finish, for
The Hateful Eight, would have been completely overlooked during
awards season. But what do we know?
They can be mad as in incredible too. Its a possibility that
Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki might win this years Oscar for The
Revenant, making it not only three consecutive statuettes in a row
for him an unparalleled achievement but also the first year
that a digital movie might, just might, scoop the award for best
picture. But who out there would like to choose between Chivo,
Roger Deakins for Sicario, John Seale for Mad Max: Fury Road, Ed
Lachman for Carol and Bob Richardson for The Hateful Eight? Well
just have to wait and see.
Or how about mad as in passionately enthusiastic? Leading
filmmakers including Tarantino, Spielberg, Nolan and JJ Abrams
have been going so wild for celluloid on their productions,
declaring nothing beats film, that Kodak reckons film is safe for
the foreseeable future. With the launch of a new Kodak Super 8
camera for 2016, plus initiatives backed by those same established
filmmakers to put Super 8 into the hands of a new generation of
filmmakers, theres likely to be even more life in the old girl yet.
And finally, mad as in our mutually assured destination?
The 2016 BSC Expo, with its new focal point in London, will bring
together the latest kit as well as the people at the heart of 21st
century imagemaking for large and small screens. Youd be stark
raving mad to miss it.
RON PRINCE
Editor | British Cinematographer Magazine
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 03
CONTENTS / BRITISH CINEMATOGRAPHER / ISSUE 73 / JANUARY 2016

IN THIS ISSUE...
07 57
76
On the cover...
Emmanuel Lubezki AMC
PRESIDENTS PERSPECTIVE ASC on The Revenant
Barry Ackroyd BSC Innovators...
John Venables

08
and John Buckley

PRODUCTION/POST
& TECHNO NEWS
The latest news concerning DPs,
plus a gallery of images from the
BSC Operators Night 2015

28 51
Making waves... Anthony
50
Close-Up...
Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC Christian Berger
WHOS SHOOTING WHO? on In The Heart Of The Sea AAC on By The Sea
Your definitive guide to which
DPs are shooting who and where

48 57 72
36 CLOSE-UPS
John Pardue on Stan Lees Lucky Man,
CAMERA CREATIVE LIVE & LET DI
MEET THE NEW WAVE Emmanuel Lubezki AMC ASC gets to Discover whos been dialling-in
Oona Manges enjoys Christian Berger AAC on By The Sea grips with hot technology in a cold the most recent DI grades
anything hands-on! climate on The Revenant

39
BSC EXPO 2016 PREVIEW
Preview of the 2016 BSC Expo,
featuring some of the latest kit
51
ON THE JOB
Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC
ASC takes to the waves for the epic
rendering of In The Heart Of The Sea
62 74
CLOSE-UPS
CLAPPERBOARD
Leading light ace cinematographer
Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC on Tony Pierce-Roberts BSC
Pride And Prejudice And Zombies,
Robert Richardson ASC on The Hateful Eight

47 56 76
POST-IT NOTES CLOSE-UP 66 INNOVATORS
John Buckley and John Venables
Adrian Bull of Cinelab makes the Neville Kidd on Childhoods End CAMERIMAGE 2016 DIARY at Movietech
financial case for shooting on film One mans journey through several days
of cinematographic mirth and mayhem

74 69 78
IMAGO NEWS
Clapperboard... LETTER FROM AMERICA Featuring a report from the recent Oslo
cinematographer Richard Crudo ASC finds Camerimage Digital Conference and a look at working
Tony Pierce- conditions in Portugal and Greece
Roberts BSC 2015 to be a bit of a revelation

70 80
SPOTLIGHT GBCT NEWS
A look at Rome-based lighting and Chairman Tim Potter reflects on the
kit provider Panalight influence of the late David Samuelson

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 05

PRESIDENTS PERSPECTIVE / BARRY ACKROYD BSC / BSC PRESIDENT
GREED ISNT GOOD
BRITISH SOCIETY
OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS
Board of Governors 2015
PRESIDENT:
Barry Ackroyd BSC
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT:
John de Borman BSC
VICE PRESIDENTS:
Sean Bobbitt BSC
Nigel Walters BSC
Haris Zambarloukos BSC
GOVERNORS:
Lol Crawley BSC
Oliver Curtis BSC
John Daly BSC
Joe Dunton MBE BSC (non DoP)
Mike Eley BSC
Gavin Finney BSC
Sue Gibson BSC
Rob Hardy BSC
David Higgs BSC
Nic Knowland BSC
Phil Meheux BSC
Nic Morris BSC
Dick Pope BSC
Derek Suter BSC
CO-OPTED ASSOCIATE
MEMBER REPRESENTATIVE:
Chris Plevin
SECRETARY/TREASURER:
Frances Russell
Those of you who know me, and the kind of films I like, should
also know I like to think of myself as a realist of sorts.
I
love realism. All kinds social, magic and even neo and along
with that comes a certain distrust of fantasy films. Thats just
me. So with the risk of sounding just a bit hypocritical I have to
say, and I know this will hurt some people, but Star Wars is not
my kind of film. This is not meant as an attack on the brilliant crew
and cast, nor the incredible cinematography, the brilliant production
and post-production values, not even the content. After all some
people obviously seem to like this kind of thing. What I object to is
the way that British cinema is being used by US corporate franchises
to distort our homegrown cinema.
It seems to me that there is a long running struggle between
fantasy and truth. We live in an age where we no longer expect
the truth. Its almost as if we have fallen out with reality and in love
with fantasy. We elect politicians who we know will lie. We rebuild
the crooked banks so that they can create new bubbles. We allow
corporations to openly shape the world in their own image. Were
told all will be fine, that its actually in our best interest. But is it?
There was once an Age Of Enlightenment. Now there seems
to be more an Age Of Illusion, and movies are no exception. This
last decade has seen a huge growth in British film. We have had
great success with brilliant cinematographers making great films.
But still the major producers and distributors of cinema in the
English language are undoubtedly the US studios. Universal, Sony,
Paramount, Fox, Disney, etc.. At one time they could genuinely
have be called studios, implying that they added creativity to the
art of cinema. But not now. They are more accurately described as
corporations and they have an agenda. Lets call it, Give me the tax
break and, while your at it, the best crews, in the coolest city. All this
and guaranteed profit. How do they do it?
Its simple. They come over to London, go into production
with a remake, or a comic book hero movie, take zero risk, just cut-
and-paste old ideas and, without a hint of irony, make the hero fight
injustice and the faceless bad guys. Oh yeah, we get it.
And this is my point: can someone please tell me how it is
possible to class Star Wars as a British film? How can accountants
classify culture by creating certain criteria, like how many local
people they employ? Yet, by these means, its possible to give Disney
corporation, for example, a lucrative, George Osborne-style 20%
tax break. This fiscal slight-of-hand allows US movies that are
already pre-funded by the franchising of merchandise deals, selling
everything from toys to make-up, and are guaranteed billion-dollar
returns at the box office to use a system that ought to benefit
genuine filmmakers. Why should they qualify for a little extra help?
Perhaps something for George Lucass pension fund?
Im no accountant, but giving free money to corporations
that then reap worldwide profits of billions of dollars, none of which
comes back to encourage or develop our own talent, none of whose
profits are shared with any of those who made the film, how can that
be right? Self-attribution fallacy gone mad.
I realise that Im sounding-off like Mr Angry of Hackney, and
I really dont want to sound jingoistic. But this is not some mythical
golden age of British cinema and although (according to the BFIs
latest release figures for British film production) 1.4 billion was spent
on all British film production in 2014, less than a third was spent on
genuine British films 80 of which had budgets of less the 500,000.
Another way to look at this is to say that our industry
accounts for less than 30% of production, and the vast majority of
the 1.4 billion is actually US production. I guess you can say that
at least the studios are full and people are working. But I have to
ask how will new filmmakers get a chance to shoot and distribute
original films? Where will the new cinematographers get the chance
to show their talents? Distribution, other than the festival circuit, is
practically out of the question. If and when these low-budget films
succeed, reach larger audiences, and sometimes win the big prizes,
then the talent gets drawn into the whirlpool of corporate movies.
My question to our industry is this: should we be seen to
hand money over more in tax breaks to US corporations than we see
being used to create our own films? At the moment we are seeing
precious little payback for below-the-line crew, no residual payments
and no backing for the future development of our filmmakers skills.
The trickle down economy is a myth. It wont support a long-
term industry and it wont train-up the new wave of filmmakers
necessary for future greatness. Greed is unsustainable. We need to
protect and provide for a new New Wave, for a New Free Cinema.
We have created a multi-skilled, British-based film industry. I dont
want to see that hidden under the shadow of giant myth-makers.
Lets keep it real. Understand what it is we do best, and
make it our own.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 07
 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

DEAKINS EARNS TOP

CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS
Deakins will
Sicario prove the
winning picture
this year?

NOMINATIONS ONCE AGAIN

B
ritish cinematographer Roger Deakins CBE BSC
ASC once again features in the nominations
across the Oscar, BAFTA and ASC cinematography
awards, this year for his work on Sicario. Deakins
is joined by Emmanuel Lubezki AMC ASC for The Revenant,
Ed Lachman ASC for Carol and John Seale ACS ASC for
Mad Max: Fury Road, who are each similarly nominated for
the trio of top awards. Robert Richardson ASC is Oscar-
nominated for The Hateful Eight, and Janusz Kaminski ASC
is BAFTA and ASC-nominated for Bridge Of Spies. Deakins is
also shortlisted for the special technical achievement award
for his cinematography on Sicario at the Evening Standard
British Film Awards, as is Michael McDonough who picked
up a nod for his work on Sunset Song.
Sicario is Deakins 13th Oscar, 14th ASC and 8th
BAFTA nomination. He previously won ASC awards for
Skyfall (2013), The Shawshank Redemption (1995) and The
Man Who Wasnt There (2002), and was also the recipient
of the organisations Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011.
He won the BSCs Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015,
and BSC Awards for Oh Brother Where Art Thou? (2000),
The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford
(2007), No Country For Old Men (2007) and True Grit (2010).
Lubezki has won the Oscar, BAFTA and ASC
cinematography awards in last two years for Gravity (2013)
and Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) an
unprecedented back-to-back trio of wins.
Lachman won the Camerimage 2015 Golden
Frog for Carol, and was previously Oscar-
nominated for Far From Heaven (2002).
Hounoured
Richardson is a triple Oscar-winner for JFK Sir Ridley gets
(1991), The Aviator (2004) and Hugo (2011), and earned a top honour
Academy Award nominations for Platoon (1986), Born On from the ASC
The Fourth Of July (19890, Snow Falling On Cedars (1999),
Inglourious Basterds (2009) and Django Unchained (2012).
Seale was Oscar-nominated for Witness (1985), Rain Man
(1988) and Cold Mountain (2003), winning the Oscar,
BAFTA and ASC gongs for The English Patient (1996).
Janusz Kaminski is a double Oscar winner for Schindlers
List (1993) and Saving Private Ryan (1998), winning the
BAFTA for Schindlers List. He was Oscar-nominated for
Amistad (1997), The Diving Bell And The Butterfly (2007),
War Horse (2011) and Lincoln (2012). The BAFTA and
ASC winners will be announced on February 14th, with
Oscar victor revealed on February 28th.
The ASC has also announced three nominees for The ASC will honour the extraordinary
its ASC Spotlight Award, which recognises outstanding achievements of director-producer Sir Ridley Scott in
cinematography in features and documentaries typically advancing the art and craft of filmmaking by bestowing
screened at film festivals, internationally or in limited him with the organisations annual Board of Governors
theatrical release. The nominees are Adam Arkapaw for Award. The presentation will be made during the 30th
Macbeth, Mtys Erdly HSC for Son Of Saul and Cary ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement on February
Joji Fukunaga for Beasts Of No Nation. 14, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza.

ALEXA 65 NOTCHES-UP AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF FEATURES

I
n the year since ARRI Rentals first public preview of the ASC), Doctor Strange (DP Ben Davis BSC), Passengers (DP Rodrigo
Alexa 65, at Camerimage 2014, the large format system has Prieto AMC ASC), Live By Night (DP Robert Richardson ASC), War
notched-up an impressive list of feature film credits. Key For The Planet Of The Apes (DP Michael Seresin BSC) and Planetarium
elements of the Alexa 65s success are its ability to seamlessly (DP George Lechaptois). The Great Wall (DP Stuart Dryburgh
mix with other Alexa cameras such as the Alexa XT and Alexa NZCS ASC) was the first feature to use the camera on main unit
Mini and the robust workflow from Codex. This has led to post throughout production.
production facilities, such as Pinewood Digital in the UK, putting Through its investment strategy, and previous experience
strategies in place to assist productions wanting to shoot with with Alexa XT and the ARRIRAW format, Pinewood Digital, based at
the system. Pinewood Studios, was able to handle Alexa 65 dailies and workflow
During 2015 ARRI Rental supported a total of 18 major for three major UK-based features simultaneously.
features worldwide with Alexa 65 cameras, Prime 65 lenses Pinewoods group director of technology Darren Woolfson
and Codex Vault Lab 65 workflow said, We took the decision to go back to the drawing board and
Large format systems, often in overhaul our entire dailies infrastructure and data pipeline for
both Snowden harsh environments, the Alexa 65, investing in networking, storage, 4K screening and
and Live By including: Mission: QC services. Weve recently been turning around peak daily data
Night have
Impossible Rogue payloads amounting to 40TB of Alexa 65 ARRIRAW, across three
used Alexa 65
Nation (DP Robert shows into graded dailies for editorial, verified LTO-6 tape backups,
Elswit ASC), The and then recycling 2TB capture drives for the camera back to set, all
Revenant (DP within 24 hours.
Emmanuel Lubezki The infrastructure investment has allowed us to deal with three
AMC ASC), Snowden times the image data from the Alexa 65 compared to the Alexa XT,
(DP Anthony Dod without passing anywhere near three times the cost back to production.
Mantle DFF BSC With real-time, uncompressed 4K playback and theatrical screening
ASC), Rogue One: A services in place at the John Barry Theatre at Pinewood Studios, and
Snowden Star Wars Story (DP the Adrian Biddle Theatre at Shepperton Studios, clients can see the
Greig Fraser ACS full beauty of their Alexa 65 images within 24 hours of capture.

08 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

Christmas cracker location

shot from the production of
And Then There Were None

AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

PROVES A CHRISTMAS TREAT
D
irector Craig Viveros had a clear vision for
the spiffingly watchable BBC1 flagship,
Christmas three-part thriller, And There Were
None, based on the Agatha Christie story of
the same name, which transmitted over three nights
from Boxing Day.
Craig wanted something very European, more
like European cinema than some of the current, highly-
graded looks in British TV drama, said the shows
cinematographer John Pardue. I felt that a naturalistic,
gentle type of photography would complement the
fabulous design done by Sophie Beecher. For inspiration,
we looked at Amour, directed by Michael Haneke and
shot by one of my all-time heroes Darius Khondji AFC
ASC. Although Amour was shot in the studio, the lighting
is very gentle and naturalistic.
For the production Pardue built a huge tent
around Harefield House in Rickmansworth, enabling
him to black out the windows and control night and day
whenever he wanted. It really paid off and I think the
cinematography came out really well, especially under
the usual TV drama constraints. We had complete
control over the light, which made set-ups fast, and we
could make something above the ordinary.
Other locations included Wrotham Park House
for the servants quarters, plus Mullions Cove, Kynance
and Trevose Head in Cornwall for the dramatic coastal
locations. Camera equipment, supplied by Panavision,
included two Alexa cameras, plus Primo zooms and
primes. Nick Beek Saunders was the A-camera operator
with Pardue on B-camera, along with Mike Parker.
Rupert Power and Roger Tooley both did Steadicam.
We wanted a shallow depth-of-field, says
Pardue. Craig and I felt that the Panavision Primos have
a beautiful bokeh when used with a wide-open aperture.
To shoot wide open we had to find a really good focus
puller and we got the amazing Chris Reynolds.
It is worth mentioning that because we
effectively turned Harefield House it into a studio,
we didnt need a huge number of lights. We used
New wave director Craig
Viveros with John Pardue
looking cheery on Kynance
Beach in Cornwall
Flowbanks and a handful of 4K fresnels with Chimeras
for most of the window lighting. We could go from
night to day without any major rigs or major pre-
lighting and obviously not have to shoot real night.
The location gave us huge corridors and a
much bigger and better set than we could have built
in a studio with our budget. We could fly greenscreen,
blacks and photo backdrops very quickly and everything
was rigged ready to go. John Couling at JC Rigging had
great enthusiasm for the idea. Best boy Rob Osborne
pre-lit the house with Flowbanks, and these, along with
practicals, pendants and wall lights were all channelled
back to a central DMX dimmer board. Designer Sophie
Beechers construction team covered the whole floor
and helped channel the cabling under the floors.
Everything was worked out for speed.

COOKE OPTICS SETS LENS RELEASE

ROADMAP AND APPOINTS CAREY DUFFY
C
ooke Optics theoretical measurement of all lenses
has set out a of a particular focal length, but of the
roadmap for the specific lens in-use.
delivery of its The company has also appointed
latest lenses, as well as an Carey Duffy to the role of director
update about /i3, the latest of sales Europe. Based in the UK,
MOVIETECH INTRODUCES version of its /i Technology
metadata system.
Duffy takes over the European
sales territory from director of sales,

NEW DUAL VIEWFINDER The 65mm Macro

and 135mm Anamorphic/i
Thomas Greiser, who takes on more
responsibility for North and South
lenses began shipping in America, as well as South Africa,
Movietech has launched the Dual Viewfinder, designed
November 2015, with Australia and New Zealand.
and precision-engineered by the companys in-house
the 180mm and 300mm Duffy brings over 35 years of
product development team. Featuring ARRI 435 ground-
following in January 2016. industry experience to his new role.
glass, housed in an anodised aluminium body with a PL
The first of two zoom lenses He joins from Tiffen International
mount, the unit is accurate, balanced, ergonomically
the wide 35-140mm will where he held the position of
styled and fully-compatible with both spherical and
begin delivery by NAB 2016. MPTV filter group consultant. Prior
Anamorphic lens systems. Supplied in its own flightcase
A longer zoom is scheduled to Tiffen Duffy rubbed shoulders
and exclusively available from Movietech, the Dual
for the end of 2016. with leading cinematographers
Viewfinder is aimed at cinematographers shooting all Cooke new
Cooke is also on UK sales leader at The London Filter Company
formats on any production type.
course for testing and Carey Duffy and South London Filter, which
The team have worked hard to ensure that each
delivery of /i3 (/i Cubed), he started with Dan Mindel BSC
one of our new Dual Viewfinders is a perfectly crafted
the major new version ASC, Ben Seresin BSC and Hugh
piece of Movietech engineering, said Movietech MD
of its /i Technology metadata system that provides Johnson. He also worked with his father, the acclaimed
John Buckley. Were delighted to now have them
detailed lens data to VFX and post-production teams. / photographer Brian Duffy, at 3DZ, a production company
available to customers to try out for themselves.
i3 firmware now provides distortion mapping not just a that produced TV spots, pop promos and corporate films.

10 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
IN MEMORY OF
HASKELL WEXLER AND
VILMOS ZSIGMOND
T
he mirth and merriment of the Christmas and
New Year season were considerably dulled with
news of the passing of two of the industrys most
accomplished cinematographers Haskell Wexler,
who died on 27 December 2015, aged 93, and Vilmos
Zsigmond, who passed on New Years Day 2016, aged 85.
Wexler was nominated five times for Academy
Awards, and won twice for Whos Afraid Of Virginia
Woolf? (1966) and Bound For Glory (1976).
During his long career, Wexler worked
equally on mainstream and independent
films, fiction and documentaries, in
monochrome and colour, creating a
relatively homogeneous filmography, and
never swerved from radical convictions
that were instilled into him from an early
age by his wealthy, liberal, Jewish family in
Chicago. Wexler joined the merchant navy
as a seaman in WWII, serving for four and
a half years, and was decorated for bravery
after in rescuing fellow crew members in
shark-infested waters off the coast of South
Africa when their vessel was torpedoed.
After the war, his father helped him to open
a studio in Des Plaines, Illinois, where he produced
a number of industrial films with an underlying
social message. After closing the studio in 1947, he
photographed documentaries by the educational
filmmaker John W Barnes, including The Living City
(1953), nominated for an Oscar for best documentary
short. The first feature Wexler shot was the low-
budget Stakeout On Dope Street (1958), directed by
Irvin Kershner. In the 1960s he shot mostly B&W
naturalistic dramas including Kershners The Hoodlum
Priest (1961) and A Face In The Rain (1963), for which
he is credited with inventing the handheld running
shot, by running with an actor along a narrow alley. His
penetrating cinematography in Mike Nicholss Whos
Afraid of Virginia Woolf? explored the faces of the two
megastars, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, in large,
unflattering close-ups as they squabbled bitterly. Wexler
then turned to shooting mainstream films in colour
directed by the veteran Norman Jewison, In The Heat Of
The Night (1967) and The Thomas Crown Affair (1968),
notable for its innovative splitscreen images and zooms.
A Wexler turned back to more radical material,
mostly documentaries, influenced by the civil rights
12 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
movement and protests against the Vietnam War. His
first fiction feature as director was Medium Cool (1969),
shot during the chaotic Democratic convention in
Chicago in 1968, about the politicisation of a TV news
cameraman. He also shot the 22-minute Oscar-winning
documentary Interviews With My Lai Veterans (1971).
Wexler was fired half-way through shooting One Flew
Over the Cuckoos Nest
(1975) because of
artistic differences
with the director
Milos Forman, and
replaced by Bill Butler.
They were jointly
nominated for the
best cinematography
Haskel an influe
nti
whose work often al cinematographer
bro
shot from Whos Afr ke the mold, with a
aid Of Virginia Wo
olf?
Oscar. Wexlers second fiction feature
as director, Latino (1985), had an underlying criticism
of American support of guerrilla forces attempting to
overthrow Nicaraguas Sandinista government, and
in his later years, he made films that gave voice to
the voiceless from The Sixth Sun: Mayan Uprising in
Chiapas (1995) to Four Days In Chicago (2013), when
Wexler returned to his hometown of Chicago to
document the Occupy Movements demonstrations
against the 2012 NATO Summit.
Vilmos a cinematographer
whose work changed the
movies, pictured with Jack
Nicholson on Five Easy Pieces
Vilmos Zsigmond, the Hungarian-born
cinematographer, proved a master of lenses and light
and, together with his lifelong cinematographer friend
Lszl Kovcs, was one of the leading photographic
lights of the Hollywood New Wave. Transforming the
look of feature films, Zsigmond was the man who
pre-fogged his stock for McCabe and Mrs Miller and
rehabilitated the often-despised zoom lens in The Long
Goodbye (both for Robert Altman). He was also the
pictorial author of Deliverance, and won an Oscar for
his work on Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
Kovcs and Zsigmond, aged 26 and 23
respectively, filmed the Russian invasion of Hungary
in 1956 and fled the country with 30 cans of raw
material three weeks after the clampdown. Deemed
persona non grata after giving their footage to CBS
News on arrival in New York, they understood
the effect of dramatic composition
and the art of storytelling through
images. The story of their flight was
told in No Subtitles Necessary: Lazslo
and Vilmos, a riveting documentary
by James Chressanthis.
After a stint of shooting
B-movie biker and exploitation
flicks, industrial documentaries and
TV spots, Zsigmonds first notable
cinematographic effort was The
Sadist (1963). He then shot Peter
Bogdanovichs debut Targets, and
Bogdanovichs subsequent productions
Whats Up, Doc?, and the shimmering
black-and-white Paper Moon (1973). He
also shot two movies for Bob Rafelson,
Five Easy Pieces and The King of Marvin
Gardens. For Altmans McCabe And Mrs
Miller, he took a technique (pioneered
in B&W by Freddie Young BSC on the
Sydney Lumet/John Le Carre movie The Deadly Affair)
of pre-fogging, or pre-flashing the raw stock with a little
light before exposing it fully on-set. He lit John Boormans
cult movie Deliverance (1972) and worked on Steven
Spielbergs early comedy-thriller The Sugarland Express.
Zsigmond loved working and kept going as long as he
could, shooting 24 episodes of The Mindy Project. In
recent times he was also co-founder, with Yuri Neyman,
of the Global Cinematography Institute in Los Angeles.
 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
KODAK SAYS
FILM BUSINESS
WILL RETURN
WITH A LITTLE
HELP FROM
ITS FRIENDS
T
hanks to directors including J.J. Abrams, Quentin
Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, Christopher Nolan,
Sam Mendes, Martin Scorsese, Todd Haynes and
Paul Greengrass, moviemakers do not have to
worry about film going away anymore, said Kodak CEO, Jeff
Clarke, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
J.J. Abrams Star Wars: The Force Awakens was
shot on celluloid, as were a string of high-profile movies
including The Hateful Eight from Quentin Tarantino
offered as a 70mm film Roadshow
Sam Mendes SPECTRE,
Todd Haynes Carol, Suicide Squad
David O. Russells Joy and
Steven Spielbergs Bridge
Of Spies. Clarke also said,
It is our understanding
that director Rian Johnson
and cinematographer Steve
Yedlin are planning to
shoot Star Wars: Episode VIII
on Kodak film. They are in
pre-production and we are
working with them to bring
their vision to the screen the
way they intend it.
Clarke estimates that, in total, 90 studio and
indie movies (in addition to television work) were shot
on film in 2015. Although that is a long way from the
numbers of productions using digital cinematography,
Kodak is bullish on keeping film alive as another option
for filmmakers. According to the chief executive, thanks
to its film push and restructuring efforts, Kodak went
from losing $100 million annually on its film business to
breaking even in the last three quarters, and he expects
the company to be profitable in 2016.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter as The Force
Awakens premiered, he called Abrams, an extraordinary
supporter of film. His advocacy was a key part of Kodaks
decision to keep making film when we were down by
96-percent.
The film manufacturer was considering pulling the
plug until roughly a year ago, when filmmakers including
Abrams, Tarantino and Nolan worked with all of the major
studios to see that they inked supplier deals with Kodak,
ensuring films existence for the foreseeable future.
We are no longer limited by these deals, Clarke
claimed, noting that Kodaks overall film business across
industries is up. We are building and investing in it to grow,
including supporting and building labs around the world.
Theres so much artistic interest, and renewed support from
studios. When artists spoke, it saved an art form.
Kodak efforts include expanding the availability
of lab capabilities in production hubs such as New
York, whose last motion picture lab closed last year.
Kodak has partnered with Alpha Grips to expand its
14 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
mobile lab programme, and is currently working with
cinematographer Ed Lachman ASC and other partners
to bring a lab presence to major cities such as New York.
Lachman photographed Carol on Super 16mm film.
Titles scheduled for release in 2016, with all or parts
shot on film, include Zack Snyders Batman v. Superman:
Dawn of Justice, The Coen brothers Hail, Caesar!, David
Ayers Suicide Squad, Damien Chazelles La La Land, Paul
Greengrass Bourne sequel, and Antoine
Fuquas The Magnificent Seven.
On the heels of celebrating 50
years of manufacturing Super 8 film,
Kodak recently launched an initiative
aimed at putting Super 8 cameras
into the hands of a new generation of
filmmakers. At the 2016 Consumer
Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas,
Kodak displayed an early prototype
of a new Kodak Super 8 camera that
combines the classic features of a
Super 8 with digital functionality.
Director and producer
Christopher Nolan, commented,
The news that Kodak is enabling
the next generation of filmmakers with access to an
upgraded and enhanced version of the same analogue
technology, that first made me fall in love with cinematic
storytelling, is unbelievably exciting.
CINEC 2016 FOCUSSES ON
DIGITAL CHALLENGE FOR THE
FEATURE FILM INDUSTRY
Cinec, the biennial international trade fair for cine equipment
and technology, will take place from 17-19 September, at
the MOC in Munich. Cinec provides a unique marketplace
as well as a forum for gathering information, networking,
and brainstorming to all professionals engaged in the moving
picture industry.
In the past few years, 3D stereo and 4K technologies
were in the spotlight. However, the focus of Cinec 2016
will be big data, plus cloud and mobile computing, as the
industry moves to meet the demand of modern audiences
to consume movies on home cinema equipment and mobile
devices, as well as at the cinema.
With the likes of Amazon, Netflix and Watchever
engaged in new funding, subscription and distribution
models, the keywords High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide
Colour Gamut (WDG), and High Frame Rate (HFR) are
being discussed as the basic components for digital cinema
and the forthcoming Ultra High Definition (UHD) TV and
standards need to be set. Registration for Cinec is now open.
Making a comeback movies
like Star Wars and Suicide
Squad have used film to a
greater or lesser degree
PANAVISION AND LIGHT
IRON UNVEIL JOINT
FACILITY IN NEW ORLEANS
Panavision has opened an expanded New Orleans
location. The new 30,500sq/ft space will also house
Light Irons first brick-and-mortar facility in Louisiana.
Panavision acquired Light Iron, a leader in digital
workflow solutions, last year.
The New Orleans location leverages the
strengths of both companies to offer turnkey
technology solutions from pre-production through
delivery. Paramounts Jack Reacher: Never Go Back was
the first project to utilise the capabilities of the new
Panavision location in New Orleans, followed by an
additional unit for Foxs Scream Queens.
Panavision has been committed to serving
filmmakers in Louisiana for more than a decade,
said Kim Snyder, CEO and president of Panavision.
During that time, the infrastructure and crew-base
have built-up significantly, and the number of projects
being shot has grown such that we needed to expand
our footprint to support the communitys needs.
Incorporating Light Iron into the new facility brings an
unprecedented level of service offerings under one
roof to the local filmmaking community.
Panavisions New Orleans houses a full
range of filmmaking equipment, with access to the
companys technicians and optics specialists. It also
features an expanded prep floor, a private prep room
for larger projects, and a 40x40ft room with an 18ft
ceiling for shooting test footage. The Light Iron space
houses a DI theatre which can facilitate remote
DI sessions with the companys LA and New York
facilities, and can also be used for reviewing camera
tests, setting looks and screening dailies.
 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP
WORK IS MY UNIVERSITY
CHRIS MENGES BOOK REVIEW
T
he life and times, through the films of one
of Britains greatest cinematographers, will
be the feature of an illustrated interview and
presentation at the Regent Street Cinema,
London, on March 7th, writes Nigel Walters BSC.
Chris Menges BSC ASC was awarded the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Camerimage
Festival Of Cinematography. To celebrate his life, the
festival published an astonishing book, in effect his
autobiography, written with honesty and simplicity by a
man respected as much for his humanitarianism as he
his for his imagery. Candid, and at times deeply moving,
this book is unlike any other published in the magnificent
series by Camerimage.
If Oscars could be awarded for documentary
cinematography, then Chris Menges would have won
many before gracing the interior of any film studio. And
this modest man was the winner of Academy Awards
for The Killing Fields (1985) and The Mission (1987),
with further nominations for Michael Collins (1997) and
The Reader (2009). He was also the cinematographer
responsible for such iconic gems as Kes (1968) and Local
Hero (1983).
The forthcoming presentation will illustrate his
extraordinary life from tales of his documentaries,
to his feature films directed by Ken Loach, Bill Forsyth,
Stephen Frears, Tony Scott, Franco Rosso, John
Mackenzie, Neil Jordan, Roland Joffe, Roy Battersby,
Andrei Konchalovsky, Jim Sheridan, Sean Penn, Tommy
Lee Jones, Richard Eyre Stephen Daldry and others.
As director on A World Apart (1988, winner of
Cannes Grand Jury Prize and NY Film Critics Circle) his
cinematographer was Peter Bizou. Later collaborators
were Ivan Strasburg, Ashley Rowe and Barry Ackroyd.
This review offers a fleeting glimpse of
Chris journey in his attempt to make sense of the
world through observation and cinematography.
His documentary experience from the age of 22 on
World In Action would appear to have influenced his
thinking, approach and philosophy on life. It certainly
resulted in enduring images on every film he has ever
photographed.
Director Jim Sheridan wrote after completing The
Boxer: Chris embodied the soul of the documentary
filmmaker who had been lost in the jungle for almost a
year and who persisted, but always looked under the
surface to find a deeper truth. He bathes the scene in
a glowing reality that you can touch. The idea of a man
seeking peace inside and out.
All that appears on the cover of the book is the
name Chris Menges and a simple B&W photograph.
16 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Directing
A World Apart
Nothing more is needed. The book is a must read for
filmmakers of all ages. It embraces the history of our time
through Chris documentary exploits in the jungles of
Burma, Vietnam and the Amazon, contact with the ANC
in South Africa, trouble in Congo, Cyprus and Algeria,
opium wars in Burma, freedom fighters in Tibet and
revolution in Zanzibar. It is the story of a unique journey
by a man of his time, as recorded for posterity, with
no holds barred.
While
shooting for The
Reader, after visiting
a concentration
camp he writes,
being there is
profoundly troubling.
Its hell on Earth. You
cannot help being
emotionally drawn
into this material. I
try to work only on
films that I can learn
doing
from. Work is my Down and under not by
university its about it by the rule book, flying is
educating myself. the seat of his pants, Chr in working for, a weekly
To understand Menges in New Zealand television programme to fight
the influences on the injustice with bravery.
life of Chris Menges Crossing the peaks of Nepal to film the ambush of
requires an appreciation of the enchantment of the land Chinese supply vehicles in Tibet in 1964 he writes, We
of his birth. He writes with passion in his poetic prose, zipped our bodies inside our lightweight sleeping bags.
the land of the Welsh Marches is the most amazing and We lay on a grassy slope covered in snow and cracking
interesting countryside. The magical, gentle green hills, frost. It was very, very, cold. Stars came and vanished as
brilliant trees and hedgerows are alive with birds and banks of cloud came across the sky.
mammals, and are dotted with sheep, cattle and farming The book is written with honesty and passion. It
folk. Come spring, it would be all blood and guts during is the latest addition to the historic series published by
lambing; later, the landscape turned soft and gentle Camerimage for which all cinematographers should be
during long summer days. The land would be forever grateful. To the list of Vittorio Storaro, Vilmos Zsigmond,
home, and remain in my heart. Laszlo Kovacs, Guiseppe Rotunno, Billy Williams, Owen
A farm in Wales was purchased for 2,500 in Roizman, William A Fraker, Freddie Francis, Tonino Delli
1971, with the help of a loan from Stephen Frears. It has Colli, Robby Muller, Stephen Golblatt, Pierre Lhomme,
remained the home he shares with his wife Judy. The Dante Spinotti. Michael Ballhaus, John Seale, Vadim Yusov,
hills and environment have been a haven to return to Slawomir Idziak and Caleb Deschanel, Camerimage has
and make sense of the world. now added with pride that of Chris Menges.
After arrest in Zanzibar during a revolution, It is expected the copies will be available
Michael Parkinson, describes Chris Menges: A through the BSC and sponsors, following a reprint
newcomer to World In Action, a quiet, seemingly shy being negotiated with the publishers. The following
young man with almost a diffident manner, yet a fearless are observations from other readers: This book is
operator. A year later in Nepal working on a film series so beautiful. It is a remarkable document. I loved it
on Buddhism, Chris quoted in his diary, selfishness is and I was very moved by it, Scott Rudin, and We are
the greatest evil and until egotism is eliminated demons inspired. This book will serve the young generation
will await with an open mouth. He felt immense pride well, Tenzin Phuntsog.
 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

AFC PRESIDENT EXTENDS A WELCOME

TO AFC MICRO SALON 2016
F
luctuat nec mergitur, the Latin phrase meaning Tossed
but not sunk, has been the motto of the city of Paris
since 1358, writes Nathalie Durand, president of the
AFC. Following the January 7th and November 13th
attacks in 2015, it could also be equally applied to the AFC.
Our society comprises 135 cinematographers and 64 associate
members. It is a large vessel which continues to progress
and maintains the privileged link between cinematographers
and the ocean of active partners inside the French
cinematographic industry. We continue to believe in a cinema
that is rich in diversity, nestled in the open community a
cinema that helps thinking and keeps entertaining.
Along with our activities at Camerimage and the
Cannes Film Festival, AFC Micro Salon is among our most
important enterprises. The 16th annual Micro Salon takes
place on 5-6 February at La Fmis, Paris, covering camera,
Elle presidente
lighting and grip equipment, plus picture and sound post- Nathalie Durand
production, for professional filmmakers. Over 60 associate current head of
member companies will exhibit at the event, and on the AFC
Saturday, 6 February, Iranian cinematographers of the IRSC
will have Carte Blanche to present their association. The
show will also pay tribute to Mahmoud Kalari, the renowned
Iranian cinematographer of Gabbeh (1996), A Separation
(2011) and The Past (2013), with screenings of his films and
a masterclass to discuss his art and techniques.
AFC Micro Salon
We want to showcase, to the entire world, the always pulls in a
excellence and the vitality of French technical industries good crowd
and French technicians, and you are invited.

Seen in a new
light ARRIs
BBS INTRODUCES REMOTE
John Colley says
the company is
DIMMER FOR AREA 48 known for in-house technical knowledge, personalised
service and close relationships with gaffers and
better placed BBS Lighting has introduced a new remote dimmer for production. Panalux intends, through the acquisition,
to support UK its Area 48 Soft LED light system. The new unit fits in to draw upon the teams talent and know-how to
lighting clients the users hand and allows single or multi-fixture 16-bit
using ARRI
bolster its position commercials.
dimming of Area 48 Soft
fixtures
fixtures smoothly

TWICKENHAM
from 100% to
blackout, as well
as On/Off.
Overriding
the settings of
FILM STUDIOS
the Area 48s on-
fixture controls,
ROLLS OUT
ARRI RENTAL UK RESTRUCTURES the compact
Area 48 remote
THE RED AND
LIGHTING BUSINESS FOR A dimmer uses a
rotary knob with
GREY CARPET
STRONGER FUTURE numerical settings,
to allow lighting technicians to
Royal-warranted carpet
manufacturer, Brintons,
As part of a wider ARRI group initiative to support lighting easily and precisely dial-in any desired has created a bespoke
clients in the UK, and to more tightly align rental, sales and light intensity. A single Remote Dimmer can control, attraction, in partnership
service, the lighting division of ARRI Rental UK has transitioned in unison, a virtually unlimited number of Area 48 with Barbarella Design, for
into a business-to-business operation. In this new form the Softs that are connected via DMX 5-pin cabling. With Twickenham Film Studios, where some of Britains
company will provide equipment rental, servicing and support multiple Area 48s, the Remote controls a master most iconic films have been created, including The
to other rental companies, rather than directly to end-users. fixture (with current BBSNet software) that overrides Beatles Help!, The Italian Job, and more recently The
The move is designed to create a strong base for the the on-fixture software settings of all the Area 48s in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Legend and The Martian. The
future success of ARRI Rentals UK-based lighting business the chain. custom Axminster carpet was specified for the heart
and will see the company provide new and established rental The remote dimmer works at any color and soul of the studios, The Sound Centre, which
companies with ARRIs latest lighting products, such as the temperature. Area 48 Soft Remote Phosphor LED required a new floor covering to elevate a long, dark
SkyPanel family of fully-tuneable LED soft lights, L-Series LED lights offer accurate colour rendering (98 TLCI) soft corridor into a more stimulating, creative space.
fixtures, and M-Series daylight lampheads. output, comparable to a 1200-Watt traditional soft
ARRI Rentals UK-based camera rental operation is light. Interchangeable phosphor panels offer quick
unaffected and internationally the group is growing, having change from Daylight to Tungsten, to Chroma-Green
opened new ARRI Rental offices in Atlanta and Louisiana in the or Chroma Blue.
past 12 months, plus expanded facilities in Prague and Munich.
Johnny Colley, general manager of ARRI Rental UKs
lighting business, commented, The business-to-business
model we have put in place strengthens our links with
PANALUX ACQUISITION
ARRIs sales operation. This allows us to move forward as
a more integrated business that is better placed to support
OF FOCUS TO BOLSTER
UK lighting clients looking towards ARRI fixtures. Under the
new structure our inventory will focus more on the latest
COMMERCIALS SERVICES
technology, which we will back with reliable service and Panalux has acquired Focus, the second largest
support for anyone who wants to use ARRI lighting products. lighting rental operation dedicated to commercials in
Step to it brightening
Recent productions serviced by the group include Carol, the UK. Focus was established in 2003 and operated
things up, the snazzy new
By The Sea, Downton Abbey, Hitman: Agent 47 and Game Of Thrones. as a provider of lighting rental equipment, exclusively carpet at Twickenham
servicing the UK commercials market, becoming

18 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

PANASONIC VARICAM
IN GOOD HEALTH AFTER
DR FOSTER DEBUT
T
hat the BBC has ordered a second series of
drama Doctor Foster is hardly a surprise. It drew
an average weekly audience of 8.2 million across
the series, and the finale was watched by 10.1
million, making it the highest-rating drama episode for
the BBC since Call The Midwife. Produced by Drama
Republic, and written by Laurence Olivier Award-winning
playwright Mike Bartlett, Doctor Foster stars Suranne
Jones as Gemma Foster, a doctor who suspects her
husband of having an affair and sets out to find the truth.
What may be a surprise is that the show was the
UK drama debut for the Panasonic VariCam 35, given the
natural history heritage of previous generations of the
camera. The third-generation VariCam 35 utilises a new,
Super 35mm MOS sensor for 4096 x 2160 (17:9) image
capture, with 14+ sensitivity stops of latitude and a base
ISO rating of 800. Unlike other cameras, however, it has
a second native base of 5000 ISO, opening up shots and
locations previously unobtainable whilst capturing high-
contrast, wide dynamic range imagery. At IBC 2015, Panasonic launched a 20m extension Weapon 6K, recently released Scarlet-W 5K, and
I did a side-by-side test with the Alexa, Red cable so that the recorder and camera head can be Raven 4.5K in REDs latest generation DSMC2 line
Dragon and the VariCam, followed by an identical grade, split apart, making the VariCam 35 suitable for use in of cameras, the Weapon 8K pushes the envelope of
said director of photography Jean Philippe Gossart. I helicopters, cranes and cars. The camera also supports modularity, image quality and form factor.
was looking for some texture, with a cinematic image ProRes 4444, allowing up to 60fps in HD. A new PreREC I cannot begin to express how proud I
suitable for the drama. The challenge with 4K is that function ensures that camera is rolling before an operator am that Marvel and everyone involved in the
it can be too sharp. I found that there was some noise selects record, particularly useful in wildlife production. production has decided to be the first to shoot on
in low light on the VariCam 35, but nothing that you Other upgrades include Codex V-RAW recorder and our Weapon 8K, said Jarred Land, president of RED
wouldnt expect and nothing that couldnt be taken away playback, Anamorphic lens support as well as image flip- Digital Cinema. Given the enormous success of
in the grade. flop functionality. the first movie, we know first-hand how critical
Joel Devlin, the DP on the last two episodes of their team was in selecting a camera for the
the show, used the 5000 ISO rating on some night shots second installment. We consider this a huge
on a beach, with very little ambient light. Aside from that
we used the native 800 ISO, because it was more natural
GUARDIANS OF affirmation that REDs investment in cutting-
edge technology continues to be justified.
in a drama situation, added Gossart.
Christine Healy, line producer on Doctor Foster,
THE GALAXY VOL.2 REDs 8K Weapon is the little big
camera, said Braham. It is perfectly
commented, We were working with a very new camera
and it was touch-and-go for a while as to whether the
TO SHOOT WITH counterintuitive. And perfect for Guardians
Of The Galaxy Vol.2.
VariCam would stay on set. Were very glad that we
persevered because, once a few small technical bugs
RED 8K WEAPON Weapon 8K captures 8K at 75fps, 6K at
100fps, or 4K at 150fps with REDCODE RAW.
were ironed out, the production team was very happy Marvels Guardians Of The Galaxy Its wide dynamic range produces cinema-quality
with the camera and proud of the result. The images are Vol. 2, DP Henry Braham BSC, will images with natural colour. Additionally, Weapon
perfect for drama. We were able to reproduce skin tones be the first production to shoot with REDs Weapon 8K features interchangeable lens mounts, an intelligent
faithfully and the colours are warm and pleasing. camera, featuring the 8K RED Dragon sensor. Joining the OLPF system, and in-camera 3D-LUT outputs.

CREDIT TO THE CREW ON ANOTHER MOTHERS SON

DP Sam Care visited Bath recently
during the shoot of WWII drama
Another Mothers Son, directed by
Christopher Menaul. Based on the true
story of Louisa Gould, who took in an
escaped Russian POW and hid him
over the wars course, the drama is set
on the Nazi-occupied island of Jersey,
although the production shot at West
Country locations. The production shot
using Alexa XT with Cooke S2 lenses
and Cooke zooms, using nets to soften
the image.
Heres a picture of the crew (l-
r), who endured a protracted shoot in
inclement weather: A-cam trainee Olly
Hallam, A-cam focus puller David Agha-
Rafai, A-cam loader Seb Marczewski,
A-cam operator Marc Covington, DP
Sam Care, B-cam focus puller Matt
Weather un-beaten a picture of the crew (l-r), who endured a protracted shoot in
Waving, B-cam trainee Tom Fears,
inclement weather on Another Mothers Son: A-cam trainee Olly Hallam, A-cam focus puller
B-cam loader Evelina Engberg Norgren, David Agha-Rafai, A-cam loader Seb Marczewski, A-cam operator Marc Covington, DP
grip Dan Rees, assistant grip Amos Sam Care, B-cam focus puller Matt Waving, B-cam trainee Tom Fears, B-cam loader Evelina
Bowler, and genny op Matt Grace. Engberg Norgren, grip Dan Rees, assistant grip Amos Bowler, and genny op Matt Grace.

20 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

Nuances DP Felix
Wiedemann felt
Cooke Anamorphics
were equally good on
sunlit and dark scenes

COOKES ANAMORPHIC ACTION ON STRATTON

C
inematographer Felix Wiedemann chose
Anamorphic/i lenses from Cooke Optics, to
shoot the action thriller Stratton. The production
was Wiedemanns first collaboration with
director Simon West.
Simon has been directing action films for 20
years (his credits include Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider
and The Expendables 2), so clearly he knows what hes
doing, but he is also open to new ideas, and it was a very
open and collaborative process, says Wiedemann.
The choice to shoot Anamorphic was partly for the
aspect ratio, but also because I like the look of Anamorphic
lenses and the way they render 3D space into a 2D image.
I tested Cooke Anamorphic/is and immediately liked what
I saw. They give a sharp image that holds contrast and
colour where others would go milky or youd lose a lot of
the image. Beyond the sharpness theyve got soul theres
something beyond the technical performance of the lens,
you get a warm feeling from them.
West and Wiedemann wanted a naturalistic,
atmospheric look to bring the audience closer to the lead
character, a British SBS commando.
If it looks real, the action is more impactful and
it feels more dangerous and immediate to the viewer,
Wiedemann says. I kept the lighting very natural
throughout the shoot, but with a clear sense of sources
and direction inspired by what the locations offered. We
had a wide range of shooting conditions, from bright
sunny beaches to dark scenes inside a water pipe, which
were mainly lit by torches flashing around and lights that
we prepared to look like coloured glowsticks. I was really
impressed with how the Cooke Anamorphic/is held the
colour and contrast equally well in each situation. They
brought out all the nuances within each shot.
Much of the production was shot with the 50mm
and 75mm focal lengths, but Wiedemann particularly
liked the 25mm lens. Its rare to find a good wide
Anamorphic lens that doesnt distort too much at the
edges. The 25mm handled it really well and we got
some epic wide shots, he says. Im looking forward to
using Cookes new 65mm macro Anamorphic lens. I love
close focus work and it will be perfect for that.
In addition to the Cooke Anamorphics,
Wiedemann also used a set of Kowa Anamorphics for
a few selected shots; rather than match them to the
Cooke lenses, he instead used the differences in look to
emphasise specific moments within a scene or the story.
Stratton was shot on ARRI Alexa and Alexa Mini. Currently
in post-production, the film is due for release in 2016.
NEW VP OF POST PRODUCTION
& DIGITAL SERVICES AT
TECHNICOLOR UK
Technicolor, whose recent UK credits include BBC1s
Capital and HBOs Veep has announced John Fleming as
its new VP of post production and digital services for the
UK. Fleming previously worked with Omnilab Media and
AAV Digital Pictures, where he oversaw VFX, animation,
sound and picture post-production activities for the
international and domestic feature, broadcast and
advertising clients, including Sony Pictures, Paramount
Pictures, Warner Bros., HBO and Roadshow Films.
CIRRO LITE LAUNCHES KINO FLOS
NEW LED PRODUCTS FOR 2016
Cirro Lite has launched
Kino Flos new Select range
of LEDs for 2016. The
product line draws on the
classic design of the original
Kino Flo, but incorporates the latest
advantages of LED technology.
The lightweight Select products
come with variable Bi-colour adjustment
and a smooth, flicker-free dimming range
allowing for fine adjustments. Key
features include: pre-set and tuneable
settings between 2700K - 6500K,
with no colour shift when dimming and
consistent light levels; green/magenta hue
control; out-of-the-box WDMX and Lumen
Radio compatibility; new louvre tray which eliminates light
spill, plus built-in barndoors; and a remote/detachable
controller with an 8m header cable. The ballast can now
be used on or off-board with the use of the header cable.
All these features are the result of a lot of
research and work, said Cirro Lite MD David Morphy.
However, one of the most gratifying aspect of these
fixtures, and a Kino Flo hallmark, is the user-friendly
design the fact that these lights have been built by
filmmakers is the real difference.
Kino Flo is premiering the first of the range the
Select 30, at the BSC 2016 Expo.

SL1 BY DMG LUMIRE NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH OCTICA AND CVP

French manufacturer DMG Lumire has announced
that its SL1 Switch, an LED fixture designed
specifically for cinematography, is now available in the
UK via cinema equipment specialists Octica and CVP.
The rectangular SL1 is notable for its size/
weight/power ratio and innovative design. At just
2cm thick around one-seventh the thickness of
a standard fluorescent fixture and a third of the
weight the SL1 produces 15% more light. The DMX-
controllable power box ranges from 3000 to 5600
degrees Kelvin and renders a clean quality of light.
CRI values are 96% for the SL1-5600, and 94% for the
SL1-3200. Without diffusion, the SL1-Switch offers
3000 lux at 1 metre.
DMG Lumiere is a family company comprising of
brothers Mathieu, a cinematographer, Nils and Jean de
Montgrand, plus European gaffer Nicolas Goerg. The
SL1 range was conceived from a wish-list of features
and capabilities they wanted from a new LED fixture.
The original idea was to take full advantage
of the potential of LEDs for feature productions,
instead of re-lamping or using fixtures designed for
architectural lighting or some other field, says Nils
de Montgrand. The result was the SL1, which has
been very successful in continental Europe and North
America since the introduction of the prototype in
2012. Were very excited to partner with Octica and
CVP and offer it to the UK market.
Thierry Arbogast AFC used the SL1 on a
feature directed by Luc Besson. I really like the
beam of the SL1, with the softness it has, he says.
I used it on car rigs in broad daylight, and it turned
out to be very useful for its weight and low power
consumption.
DMG Lumiere is due to launch the SL Mini,
which is half the size of the SL1, and eventually, a
larger version the SL Maxi. All will maintain the same
size/weight/power ratio of the SL1.

22 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

REMEMBERING
DAVID SAMUELSON
D
avid Samuelson passed away peacefully in
hospital on 28th August 2015 aged 91. Born
in London 1924, he was the eldest son of
British film pioneer Bertie Samuelson, and the
brother of Sydney, Anthony and Michael. He was not
only a great newsreel cameraman but also the inventor
in the Samuelson dynasty, whose name continues to be
held in high regard in the UK film industry.
David entered the film industry in 1941, at British
Movietone News, as a projectionist and cutting room
assistant, before becoming a film cameraman. He was
in his element as a cameraman, filming in more than
forty countries and often at the head of some of the
most spectacular events, such as Queen Elizabeths Measuring-up David
coronation, Churchills funeral, four Olympic Games and works out the depth-of-
two FIFA World Cups. field on-set with Bardot
and Eamon Andrews
He was an avid collector of camera related
literature and memorabilia, and built up a substantial
library and historic camera collection over a period of
Glory be David
thirty years, which included the collection of inventor Arthur Kingston. He Samuelson proudly
also lectured on the subject of motion picture technology in many countries clutches his Oscar
including Russia, China and Japan. He was the author of several manuals statuette
of cinematography, most notably Motion Picture Camera Data and Motion
Picture Camera and Lighting Equipment, which have been
published in several languages around the world.
His innate love of invention which included the
TRIBUTE TO BILL VINTEN
Samcine MKII Calculator, ruggedised aluminium equipment Vinten
an influencer
cases, and the dSam Depth Of Field Test Chart, amongst and innovator
many others led to his proudest moments when he received Bill Vinten, whose achievements shaped the
a SciTech Award in 1981 and an Academy Award Of Merit broadcast industry worldwide, passed away on
in 2005, for his part in creating the Louma Camera Crane. In Sunday, November 8, 2015. The son of founder
2006, he won a special award his innovative achievements William Vinten, Bill Vinten was one of the key
from the Camerimage Festival Of Cinematography. influencers for The Vitec Group and instrumental in
David was an active player in the industry holding what it is today. As a renowned cinematographer
posts with many different trade organisations. He was during WWII, he understood the needs of camera
president of the British Kinematograph Sound & TV Society operators, translating his knowledge into remarkable
(BKSTS) from 1970-72; chairman of the British Board products that transformed the industry. His
of Film Classification Ltd, 1971-89; governor of London achievements included the design of the first camera
International Film School, 1981-93; fellow of the Royal pedestal that allowed cameramen to track and jib
Photographic Society, BKSTS and SMPTE; and a governor of simultaneously without losing sight of the viewfinder,
the British Society of Cinematographers, 1980-87. along with the first pan and tilt head to meet the
Although cameras and anything to do with film were his BBCs specifications for manoeuvrability. With further
passion, he also followed Formula 1 motor racing and was also a enhancements throughout the years, these designs
keen and active skier. He leaves behind children, step-children, laid the groundwork for todays flagship products,
grandchildren and many hundreds of people whose lives he becoming internationally recognised by broadcasters
touched and who remember him with love and fondness. around the globe.

Funding appeal if
youd like your iPhone LUMU POWER
REQUESTS
to be a light meter then
send in your money

KICKSTARTER
SUPPORT FOR
IPHONE LIGHT
METER
Developer Lumulabs has been working on
Lumu Power, an all-in-one light, exposure,
flash and colour temperature meter for the
iPhone, for the last two years. It is claimed to
be the first device that combines all of these
functions. To bring the product to market,
the firm has launched a Kickstarter campaign
that it hopes will attract the attention of
cinematographic community.

24 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 NEWS / PRODUCTION / POST & TECHNOLOGY ROUND-UP

BSC OPERATORS NIGHT 2015

A record number of 272 guests - BSC members, patrons and friends - gathered at the
Langham Hotel, for the 64th annual BSC Operators Night, held on November 27th.

T
he Langham is one of the largest grand hotels Operators Night a master of ceremonies, Peter West,
in London and the exterior has featured in a was called on to introduce president Barry Ackroyd
number of movies including GoldenEye (1995) BSC, who opened the proceedings fresh from shooting
when it doubled as the St. Petersburg Grand in Berlin on the fifth Jason Bourne series. He presented
Hotel Europe with a night exterior lit for DP Phil membership certificates to newly-elected members
Mheux by gaffer, the late Terry Potter, and help from Balasz Bolygo, James Aspinall, Mike Spragg, Tony
AFM Lighting. Slater-Ling and George Richmond, and to associate
Members and their guests were welcomed with member Ben Wilson. Governor Derek Suter BSC gave
glasses of Prosecco and regaled with a video loop, the traditional toast to the operators and Tony Jackson
courtesy of Gwyn Evans, of clips from feature and Associate BSC gave the response.
television work done by the evenings awards nominees. After dinner, governor and past president, John
Amongst the honoured guests were visiting de Borman BSC took to the stage to list the nominees
cinematographers Don Burgess ASC, shooting for the BSC Award for Best Cinematography of a TV
Conjuring 2, accompanied by his son, camera operator, Drama, engraved by Bob Evans of Panavision. The
Michael Burgess, along with Steve Yedlin ASC, shooting winner was Gavin Finney BSC for Wolf Hall (Episode
Star Wars: Episode VIII, and Danish cinematographer 2 Entirely Beloved).
Stephan Pehrsson, who was nominated for BSC Best Governor and past president Phil Mheux BSC
Cinematography of a read the nominees for camera operating. The awards
Judith Evans of TV Drama. The BSC committee, comprising of members from the BSC, ACO
Arri and Robin also hosted operators and GBCT, was chaired by Mike Southon BSC, who
Vidgeon BSC
Tomasz Nowak from launched a new award for Television Drama Operators.
Poland, nominated for Barry Ackroyd read the nominations for ACO/
feature operating on BSC/GBCT Feature Operating Award, sponsored by
Ida, and Ciaran Barry Panavision. The winner was Chris Haarhoff for Birdman:
ACO, from Ireland, or (The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance). As Haarhoff
nominated for television was shooting in the US, the award was collected by
drama operating on Peter Cavacuiti Assoc BSC ACO.
Ripper Street. The ACO/BSC/GBCT TV Drama Operators
Amongst BSC Award, sponsored by Ronford Baker, was won by Sean
members, Robin Browne Savage Assoc BSC ACO GBCT, David Morgan ACO, Ben
BSC made his usual Wilson Assoc BSC ACO and David Worley Assoc BSC
trek from Michigan, ACO GBCT for Game Of Thrones (Series 5 Episodes 8
USA, with irrepressible & 9 Hardhome and The Dance Of Dragons).
honorary members President Barry Ackroyd wound up the evening
Wolfgang Suschitzky before Judith Evans of ARRI Rental and Robin Vidgeon
BSC, at age 103, and Sir BSC came on stage to oversee the raffle, which raised
Sydney Samuelson also 3,160.00 for the Great Ormond Street Hospital For
in attendance. Children and the Cinema And Television Benevolent
For the first time at Fund. Report by BSC governor Phil Mheux BSC.

26 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 Barry Ackroyd BSC
with Master of
Ceremonies
Peter West

Wolfgang
Suschitzky BSC

Langham Hotel

Tony Jackson Assoc BSC

and Derek Suter BSC
giving the traditional toast

Peter Cavaciuti
associate BSC
accepts feature
operating award
on behalf of Chris
Haarhoff (Birdman)

Gavin Finney BSC accepts

Best Cinematography on
TV Drama award from
John De Boreman BSC

The Game Of Thrones team accept ACO/

BSC/GBCT Drama operating award from
Barry Ackroyd BSC and Phil Mehuex BSC
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 27
 WHOS SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP
Its curtains
Gabi Norlan
tests out the d
S
creen Talent: Davey Gilder has joined the agency
and completed music promos for Vanessa White
and Flux Pavilion. Hes currently prepping the short
Sliding with director Lucy Campbell for Creative
England. Simon Rowling shot the shorts Predator: Dark
Ages, directed by James Bushem via by Sweet Potato
Productions, and I Am Henry, directed by Jan Hendrik
Verstraten for Flying Dutchman Films, plus a Glenfiddich
ad, directed by Joshua Antoniades through Gravity
Thinking. Bart Sienkiewicz shot a Barclays Premier Banking
commercial, directed by Schuman Hoque, music videos
for Espa ft Giggs (Swan Song) and Never The Saint (Bleed)
directed by Omid Nooshin, and the short Sleep, helmed by
Robin Frazer. Adam Sliwinski is shooting Signed, Sealed,
Delivered with director Lynn Stopkewytch
Intrinsic: Peter Field operated second unit on
Checkmate and Nightingale. Gareth Hughes is operating
on How To Talk To Girls At Parties, Jun Keung Chung is
lighting the Anglo Chinese co-production with a working
title Secret Suicides, and Rasmus Arrildt DFF is prepping
Mesteren in Denmark. Ruairi OBrien
28 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
ISC completed his first stint on The A Word for
Tiger Aspect. Chris Preston is on daytime drama
light
Doctors for the BBC and is joined by Andy Clark
and Andrew Johnson to light more blocks of
Holby City. Jorge Luengas operated and lit second
unit on Foxs The Bastard Executioner. Rasmus Arrildt has
done his time on New Blood, and Martin Ahlgren worked
on Netflixs Daredevil. Suzanne Smith operated on Made
In Chelsea. Ed Lindsley followed David Beckham playing
Seven Games for Big Earths documentary, and Martin
Roach shot in Japan for an unnamed food and music
doc for Edition Worldwide. Arturo Vasquez SVC, Andy
Clark, Chris ODriscoll, Dave Miller, Gabi Norland, Lynda
Hall, Mark Nutkins, Martin Roach, Martyna Knitter, Pau
Castejon, Sam Brown, and Stephen Murphy all delivered
commercials, corporate films and music promos.
Berlin Associates: Owen McPolin, shot Vikings for
MGM TV/History Channel, and was recently awarded a
BAFTA Cymru gong for his work on Da Vincis Demons.
Suzie Lavelle is shooting The Living Dead with director Sam
Donovan, and was nominated for The Jules Wright Prize
for Female Creative Technician. The Sherlock Christmas
Special, called The Abominable Bride, also shot by Suzie,
aired on New Years Day. Andy Hollis lit Midsomer Murders
with director Renny Rye and has
started Mount Pleasant with director
er
Dermot Boyd. Ollie Downey
Quick-stepp
Suzann e Sm ith worked on Scott & Bailey for Red
operating the Prods with director Alex Kalymnios,
Steadicam on a
ce
and is now on Good Vibrations with
dance seq uen
director Jill Robertson.
Casarotto: welcomes
Sturla Brandth Grvlen to its
roster. Sturla received the Silver
Frog at Camerimage 2015 for his
work on the acclaimed Icelandic
film Rams, directed by Grmur
Hkornason. Sean Bobbitt BSC
has graded Queen Of Katwe for
director Mira Nair and is preparing
Codes Of Conduct with long-time
You dont have to be
quackers to work here
Andrew Kelly and Jallo
Faber (r) on a commercial
collaborator Steve McQueen, shooting in New York in
the upcoming months. Lukas Strebel recently wrapped
Gotthard with director Urs Egger. Pau Esteve Birba is
in Colombia on shooting Orbita 9 with director Hatem
Kraiche. Sam Care has wrapped on Christopher Menaul
Another Mothers Son. Matt Gray BSC lit The Living And
The Dead and is now working with director Jess Hobbs
on the Kudos series Apple Tree Yeard. Tim Palmer BSC
is preparing Good Vibrations with director Marek Losey.
David Katznelson BSC is in Norway and then Colombia
on Handle With Care with director Arlid Andreasen. Julian
Court has graded BBC Films Swallows And Amazons for
director Phillipa Lowthorpe. Rainier Klaussmann SCS is
on Tschick for Largo Film with director Faith Akin. David
Pimm shot various days on Macbeth for Globe. PJ Dillon
has wrapped season six of Game Of Thrones for HBO and
is shooting the History Channels Vikings. Zac Nicholson
lit The Sound Of Music Live for ITV. Wojciech Szepel is
series two of Fortitude with director Hettie MacDonald.
Mark Wolf recently finished a documentary for Lightbox
Entertainment called Trauma with director Ben Anthony.
Annika Summerson has wrapped on the feature Further
Instructions as well as Nothing Ever Really Ends with director
Jakob Rrvik. Mark Wolf, Annika Summerson, Brian
Fawcett, Percy Dean and Marcus Autelli have worked on
commercial projects and promos.
Princestone: of the agencys DPs Laura
Bellingham lit an array of music promos, five short
comedies for Currys/PC Worlds Christmas campaign and
a fashion film on 16mm for Dazed Media, directed by
Isaac Lock. Gary Clarke is on Barbarians Rising, a seven-
part drama doco for October Films and History Channel,
starring Tom Hooper and Ian Beattie, directed by Declan
ODwyer, Mo Sweeney and Simon George. Gary also shot
Web Of Lies for Blast Films. Luca Ciuti has lensed concerts
for various artists including PJ Harvey The Hallow Of The
Hand at the Royal Festival Hall for Universal, directed by
Tim Van Someren. The production used minimal lighting
on a blacked-out stage, with 12 Red Dragon cameras
fitted with Panavision Primo Prime and zoom lenses. Luca
is now on The Truck To Berlin, directed by Laura Borgio,
 tyna
yarn Mar
Tells a goodon location near
Knitter sider
n with Out
Cape Tow

Lifes a beach Arturo

Vasquez SVC shooting
down by the sea

Strapped-in
Mark Nutkins
does Mad Max

shot on Alexa with Cooke Anamorphic Xtal Xpress lenses directed by Charles Martin, starring Anna Friel as the Doyle and Galavant, with DPs Chris Seager BSC and John
in London, Budapest and Istanbul. Gerry Vasbenter eponymous crime detective, with Ula Pontikos BSC the Pardue. Tony Kay has been shooting commercials and did
ACO graded sci-fi thriller Worm, provided additional DP. Cosmo Campbell shot additional material for season dailies on New Blood and The A Word, all shot on Alexa, with
photography on London Spy, and shot second unit on six of Game Of Thrones, plus sequences in Portugal for The A Word also using the Alexa Mini.
Bridget Joness Baby. He recently won Best Cinematography the new Top Gear motoring show on Amazon Prime. Wizzo Features: Erik Wilson is shootingaround
Award at Monaco Film Festival for quirky crime comedy Thomas English has worked on promotional spots London for directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard on Neil
Taking Stock, directed by Maeve Murphy. Of the agencys and commercials as well as music videos for Dougal Gaimans Likely Stories.Richard Stoddard is shooting period
camera/steadicam operators Peter Robertson Assoc BSC Wilson and Kylie Minogue. Dion Casey did dailies on feature Bees Make Honey, directed by Jack Eve, andstarring
ACO worked on war drama The Yellow Birds in Morocco, several productions including The Crown, New Blood Alice Eve and Trevor Eve. Nick Dance BSC is prepping
directed by David Lowery, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Outlander. Mark Milsome ACO was in Belfast on the film B+B, directed by Jo Ahearne.Eben Bolter lit the
Tye Sheridan and Will Poulter, with Dan Landin the DP. Game Of Thrones, shooting Alexa with Cooke Primes feature Mums List for directorNiall Johnson,starring Rafe
Peter is now doing principle photography on action thriller and Angenieux zooms. Nic Milner ACO shot dailies on Spall and Emilia Fox, based on the best selling novel by St. >>
The Foreigner with DP Peter Tattersall, starring Jackie Chan TV series The Crown,
and Pierce Brosnan, directed by Martin Campbell. Sean about the British
Savage Assoc BSC ACO was in Belfast shooting season royal family created
six of Game Of Thrones, with Jonathan Freeman and Fabian by Peter Morgan for Spooky
Bar
Wagner BSC among the series DPs. Sean and his team Netflix, directed by Sienkiewic t
won the be z
recently won the BSC Operators Award for the show. Joe Stephen Daldry. Dan cinematog st
raphy
Russell worked on the opening three episodes of Victoria, Nightingale worked gong at th
e
Mammoth Screens series chronicling the life of Queen on BBC drama British H
Film Festi orror
Victoria, with Tom Vaughan directing, Jenna Coleman series 13, with val for
The Herd
playing the young Queen, and John Lee the DP, shooting directors Vanessa
on dual Amiras, with an Alexa Mini as a third body, and a Caswill and China
full set of Panavision Primos. Simon Baker ACO worked on Moo-Young, and
the feature Their Finest Hour And A Half, with director Lone DPs David Rom
Scherfig and cinematographer Sebastian Blenkov, in Wales, and Simon Archer, They went that-a
-w
plus action adventure Assassins Creed Time Out Of Mind and did dailies Owen McPolin (r) ay
at
starring Michael Fassbender, Marion on Houdini And work on The Viking
s
Cotillard and Jeremy Irons, directed
by Justin Kurzel, with Adam Arkapaw
the DP. James Layton ACO worked
alongside Danish cinematographer
Rasmus Arrildt DFF on Anthony
Horowitzs investigative drama New
Blood, directed by Anthony Phillipson,
produced for the BBC by Eleventh
Hour Films. Xandy Sahla ACO shot
B-camera/ steadicam on Marcella, music
Facing the a pop
er on
the eight-part, multi-stranded, Davey Gild Pavillion
Flux
Nordic-style crime series produced promo for
by Buccaneer Media for ITV, Gogglebox Adam Sliwinski
glued to the monitor on Signed,
Sealed, Delivered movie four with
director Lynn Stopkewytch British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 29
 WHOS SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

Landscape painter David

Katznelson BSC on location
in Bogota, Columbia, on the
feature Handle With Care

>> John Greene, and is prepping on the feature iBoy, directed Chas Bain lit Let This Be Our Secret, a three-part thriller for on Tom Fords Nocturnal Animals. ITG welcomes Tat
by Adam Randall.Mattias Nyberg shot a pilot feature Hat Trick/ITV, starring James Nesbitt, in Northern Ireland, Radcliffe, well-known for his work with Yann Demange on
documentary, Ghost Wives, for award-winning director Eve with director Nick Murphy. Darran Bragg shot the short Still the award-winning 71 and Top Boy, and Matthew Warchus
Weber.New signing Sverre Srdal is shooting anuntitled There with Rattling Sticks Austin Humphries, and a Royal Pride. The agency has also signed-up Aadel Nodeh
documentary in North Korea with director Matthew Bank Of Scotland ad with Stephen Cowburn at Lightweight Farahani, who shot the Land Rover idents for Rugby World
Halsall. Matthias Pilz shot the feature The Miner in Slovenia Media. Henry Braham BSC is in the US shooting Cup 2015 with Partizan director
with director Hanna Slak.Tim Sidell has wrapped onthe Guardians Of The Tom Barbor Might, and lured Chris
feature Modern Life Is Rubbish for director Daniel Jerome Galaxy Vol. 2 Soos, well-known for his work with
Gill.Dale McCready is prepping the new thriller series for director Jake Scott. Mark Patten is shooting
Him, directed by Andy de Emmony.Jamie Cairney is James Gunn, Taboo, with Kristoffer
shooting comedy series Flowers directed by WillSharpe, starring Chris Nyholm
starring Olivia Coleman. Maja Zamojda shot ITVs period Pratt and Zoe directing this
drama Jericho, and did days in Mumbai for a special intro Saldana. Bjorn eight one-
sequence on New Blood, with director Anthony Philipson. Bratberg shot hour mini
Damian Bromley is prepping the first block of DCI Banks the crime series starring
with director Craig Pickles.Sergio Delgado is shooting on series 35 Tom Hardy.
Poldark with director Charles Palmer.Dan Stafford-Clark Days in South Set In 1813,
lit the short Candy Floss, directed by Jed Hart.David Rom Wales for S4C, it follows
has graded the first block of BBC drama Thirteen, directed with director James Keziah
by Vanessa Caswill, and Baz Irvine has done the DI on Lee Haven Delaney,
Endeavour, directed by Olly Blackburn. Jones. Oliver a rogue
Independent Talent: Balazs Bolygo has graded Curtis BSC adventurer
e?
Love Nina with long-time collaborator SJ Clarkson. Ulf shot various Looking at an eclips tt job who returns
cke
Luca Ciuti on a Ha
Brantus is with director Jonathan Teplitzky on the crime commercials from Africa
thriller Marcella. Eigil Bryld is busy with commercials in New including a with 14
York. Simon Dennis lit the feature Limehouse Golem with Palmolive ad Barnyard fun ill-gotten
director Juan Carlos Medina. Adam Etherington has graded with regular director Patricio Schmidt. Ben Davis wearing an easy rig Matt Gray (r) diamonds to
for The Living
his work with Will McGregor on One Of Us, the Williams BSC is shooting Marvels Dr Strange for director And The Dead wit seek vengeance
Martin Payne holdin h focus puller
Brothers new drama for BBC One. Cinders Forshaw has Scott Derrickson, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. g an Alexa Mini after the
wrapped on her episodes of the second series of Poldark Benoit Delhomme AFC was in South Africa on an death of his
in Bristol and Cornwall. John Mathieson BSC is shooting epic three-week project for Chanel with photographer Jacob father. Stephan
with director Saul Dibb for the feature In Sand And Blood. Sutton, via Psycho. Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC is Pehrsson is shooting three episodes of the second series
Ben Smithard BSC has prepped the opening episodes in Cambodia shooting First They Killed My Father for director of Inside No. 9 for BBC. Dick Pope BSC has been shooting
of the eagerly-anticipated Cold Feet revival with Terry Angelina Jolie. Ian Foster shot in London for Jaguar with commercials with Gorgeous director Vince Squibb for
McDonough. Mark Waters has graded his lighting on the Tom Hooper and in New Zealand with Iconoclast director NatWest and with Smith & Jones Ulf Johansson for
Sky series Agatha Raisin that he worked on with Markus Walter. Sam Goldie worked with Another Film Co. Mountain Dew. George Richmond BSC is prepping
director Roberto Bangura. director Steve Reeves for Autotrader. Jess Hall BSC lit Ghost Matthew Vaughns Kingsman 2. Christopher Ross BSC
In The Shell, directed by Rupert Sanders and starring Scarlett was with Black Sheep director Tom Green on an exciting
Johansson. Darius Khondji AFC ASC lensed YouTube Generation web series for KFC, visiting
James Grays The Lost City underground music scenes across Europe. Ashley Rowe
Of Z and is prepping Okja BSC lit the second season of Galavant for ABC. Martin
Merry and for director Boon Joon Ruhe lensed American Pastoral in the US, with
bright
>>
Laura Bel
up a Curry lingham lights Ho. Seamus McGarvey Ewan McGregor
s Christm
as ad BSC ASC has wrapped

Behind bars the South African

camera crew of Roots: (l-r) Arno van
der Laan A-cam/2nd AC; Diogo
Domingoes B-cam/1st AC; Siyabulela
Dumo central loader; Peter Cavaciuti
A-cam/Steadicam op; Michael
Carstenson B-cam/Steadicam op;
Evan Maclachlan A-cam/1st AC; Craig
Griffin B-cam/2nd AC; and Leon Lotz
central loader. Central front and free
is cinematographer Shrone Meir!
30 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
 WHOS SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

Say cheese Tony

Kay (r) up the ladder
with an Alexa Mini

>> directing and starring. Ben Seresin was in NZ shooting from director Noel Clarke called Brotherhood. Olivier Richard Stewart was in Lisbon with Jake Nava and Cherry
with Sonnys Fredrik Bond for Phillips, before heading Cariou lensed a music video for Florrie with director Films on Apollo Tyres, and has shot moving content
back to London to finalise prep on The Mummy. Daniel Emil Nava and London Alley, plus spots for Arla with for Nordstrom with photographer Roe Ethridge. Will
Trapp worked with Surrender Monkeys, better known as Bare Films director Marcus Lundin and Liptons with Humphris has shot the short film Pauline with director
Thierry Albert and Faustin Claverie, at Bold on a Format Lucy Blakstad through Another Film Co. Paul Mackay Fred Rowson and a Ford spot alongside Tupaq Felber
B promo, with Rupert Sansom on an Audi A4 launch, shot ads for Drambuie and Mothercare with Feed Films, and Imagination. Tim Spence lit spots for Vanish, Lego
Danone with long-time collaborator Caswell Coggins, and Text Santa and Idents with ITV, Ninjago and Becel in Cape Town all
in Italy with Amanda Blue at Filmmaster. Ed Wild BSC working with Great Coat films with The Mill.
Coldplay actually
shot with Mustards Sam Miller for the Childrens Society, and Somesuch. Dennis Madden its Joe Russell Ekkehart
with Paul Weiland for Fever Tree and with 1st Avenue shot Tesco spots for Park wrapped up against Pollack shot in Vienna
Machine for Stella Artois. the cold on Victoria for Toyota with director
My Management: Jallo Hideyuki Tanaka, in
Faber FSF attended the London Finland on Mercedes
premiere of SPECTRE, on which r son with Ali Bach and in
On your shoulde an
es
he was second unit DP, has Ed Lindsley hir gster Athens on Eurowings
un
collaborated with Bart Timmer enthusiastic yo vid with Claas Ortmann.
Da
on the recent ll
on a job in Oslo for Tine and with Beckham foot ba Tuomo Virtanen,
Love
Robert Jitzmark on Qatar Airways documentary Anders Flatland FNF,
in Barcelona. Jallo was also in Of The Game Jo Willems ASC SBC,
Johannesburg with Smuggler Vincent Warin, Gerry
director Barry Bangs on a King Floyd, Roger Bonnici,
Games project and worked with Marcelo Durst, Mel
Mega force /riff raff in Cape Town. Griffith, Petra Korner
Dominic Bartels lit spots for Pepe and Pedro Castro have
Jeans, MAC and Kiko Cosmetics all been working on
through Spring Studios, and was personal projects.
in Amsterdam with Black Sheep United Agents: Barry
Studios and director Ollie Murray Ackroyd BSC was recently
on a Humira project. in Las Vegas shooting the
Nicolaj Bruel has next Bourne movie. Andrew
been shooting in Dunn BSC has wrapped on
Munich and Madrid ac h out Bridget Jones Baby. John Lee
tin Ro
for Mercedes with e Mar a is continuing on Victoria for
In silhouett out with the camer
Czar Films and and ab Mammoth Screen. Gavin
director Martin Struthers and David Luther
Werner, in Italy with are both back in Cape Town for the fourth
director Matteo series of Black Sails. Tony Slater Ling BSC is in Belfast with
Garrone and village and director director Adrian Shergold on My Mother And Other Strangers.
Archimede Films, Richard Young. Haris Zambarloukos BSC is shooting Denial, directed by
and in Ireland Tomas Tomasson Mick Jackson. Alan Almond BSC graded Dickensian for the
on a Cambria has been on the BBC and Danny Cohen BSC shot pick-ups for Stephen
commercial. documentary Little Frears feature Florence Foster Jenkins. Martin Fuhrer BSC
Robbie Ryan Moscow directed by is prepping the first block of The Collection, directed by
BSC has Grmur Hkonarson, Dearbhla Walsh for BBC/Amazon, and David Higgs BSC
Moody blue
wrapped on I with Alexe s Nicolaj Bruel a commercial for has finished on Aliens for Clerkenwell Films. Ian Moss work
i
Am Daniel Blake atmospher Tylewich on an The Voice in Iceland, can be seen on ITV Encores The Frankenstein Chronicles,
ic-looking
with director set and a JapaneseMeiji directed by Ben Ross. Tony Miller BSC has graded Peter
Ken Loach and commercial at the Pan, directed by Diarmuid Lawrence, and Kieran McGuigan
been teaching in Mexico Glacierlagoon in BSC has finished series two of Grantchester. Laurie Rose is
while fitting in a music video for director Shynola Iceland with Truenorth shooting series three of Peaky Blinders and Simon Tindall is
and RSA/Blackdog. David Lanzenberg has lensed spots for Production. Simon shooting A-camera on a 20th Century Fox feature. Charlotte
Garnier, Atkins, Glade and Kohls. Sy Turnbull was in Tokyo, Rowles teamed up with director Mark Henderson for Bruus Christensen DFF is in the US on the feature The Girl
Seoul and Taiwan shooting with directing duo Monatomi LOral through The Outfit as well as Leo McCrea and On The Train for DreamWorks until February. James Friend
and Great Guns for beauty brand SK-11. Steve Chivers Studio Lambert on The Fear. John Perez lensed a music BSC has wrapped on The Musketeers for Udayan Prasad and
has been shooting all around the Caribbean for MSC video in Morocco and a Crest commercial featuring is attached to Craig Viveiross Rillington Place. Neus Olle and
Cruises with director Daniel Barber and the Knucklehead Shakira in Barcelona. Lester De Havilland has teamed up Niels Reedtz Johansen are busy with commercials.David
gang. Aaron Reid shot in West London on the latest film with Blue Print and director Gavin Knight on a brand film. Raedeker continues to light Tutankhamun in South Africa >>
32 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
 WHOS SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP
Birds eye view
Jackson Hunt got a
head for heights on a
recent TV commercial
Front se
driver D at
Hiele take
on a rather
cramped sh
Taking direction
Stuart Bentley (r) with
Shane Meadows on
This Is England 90
Fist pump
Diego Garcia
on Cemetery
Of Splendour
34 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
anny
s
ot
>> for director Peter Webber. Kate Reid has
finished on BBC taster The Break for director Zam
Salim. Ed Rutherford is lighting The Last Hotel for
Enda Walsh and Sky Arts. Anna Valdez Hanks was
named one of 2015s BAFTA Breakthrough Brits. Ben
Wheeler has wrapped on Mum for Big Talk and director
Richard Laxton, starring Peter Mullan and Lesley Manville.
Magni Agustsson shot a commercial for Fever Tree with
Paul Weiland. Alex Barber lit a Department Of Transport
commercial for Guy Shelmerdine at Smuggler and worked
with Sam Brown at Rogue on a Lloyds campaign. John
Barr shot a Ballantines spot for director Will Williamson
in Oakland and LA for Archers Mark, and a Canderel spot
for Barry Bangs through Smuggler. Philipp Blaubach has
wrapped on TV drama Houdini & Doyle, directed by Stephen
Hopkins. John de Borman BSC shot a spot for director Ulf
Johansen through Smith & Jones. Daniel Bronks was in
Venice on a Diesel film for Tom Beard at Partizan. Simon
Chaudoirs commercials include Desigual for Oliver Hadlee
Pearch through Bandits, and a LOreal campaign for Laurent
Chanez. Stephen Keith-Roach recently won the Fellowship
Award at The British Arrows Craft Awards. Tim Maurice-
Jones BSC shot a Sainsburys campaign for Zach Math and
Spain via Bold. Alex Melman lit a Subway spot for Sam
Hibbard at Somesuch. Jake Polonsky BSC has completed
US project Billions. Simon Richards lensed an IKEA ad for
Tom Kingsley at Blink. Christopher Sabogal lit a Churchill
spot for Joe Mann at Blink, The Jump for Keith McCarthy at
C4 and Arla, again for Keith McCarthy, via Stink. Joost Van
Gelder was in Italy/New Zealand shooting a Booking.com
commercial for Matthijs Van Heijningen at MJZ.
McKinney Macartney Management:
Stuart Biddlecombeis prepping series three
of Hinterland in Wales. Gavin Finney
BSCrecently completed principal
photography onThe
Secret Agent for World
Productions, with
Charles McDougall
directing. Jean
Philippe Gossartis
with the second
unit on Warner
Bros Fantastic
Beasts And
Lone ranger Fabian
Wagner BSC on Game
Of Thrones series six
Where To Find Them,with second unit director Stephen
Woolfenden and David Yates at the helm. Sam McCurdy
BSCshot Amma Asantes new feature, A United Kingdom
and is prepping new drama, Hooten And The Lady, in Cape
Town for Red Planet Pictures/Sky.Andy McDonnelllit
Dickensian for Red Planet Pictures and is shooting Happy
Valley II for Red Productions/BBC in Manchester and Leeds.
Ben Butler, Sebastian Milaszewski, Arthur
Mulhern, Alessandra Scherilloand Clive Ticknerhave
been shooting commercials. Polly Morgan isprepping
new Tiger Aspectseries,The A Word, in Manchesterwith
Dominic le Clerc directing. John Parduerecently
completed principal photography on Quacks with director
Andy de Emmony for BBC/NBC. Chris Seager BSClensed
BBC political thriller Undercover with director James Hawes
in London and Baton Rouge. Mike Spraggis prepping New
Blood, with director Bill Eagles for Eleventh Hour Films.
Felix Wiedemann BSClit BBC drama Murdered By My
Father, with director Bruce Goodison and is now shooting
the feature Romans with Ludwig and Paul Shammasian
directing. Robin Whenary is shooting the feature The
Ghost Writer, with Paul Wilkins at the helm.
Lux Artists: congratulates Matyas Erdely HSC
on winning the Bronze Frog at the 2015 Camerimage
Festival for his work on Son Of Saul, also nominated for a
Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film. Xavi Gimnez shot
Penny Dreadful: Night Work, which won the Best TV Pilot
award at Camerimage. Ole Birkeland has finished on
the Netflix original series The Crown and is now shooting
Marc Mundens National Treasure. Natasha Braier ADF
has graded Neon Demon. Lol Crawley BSC is working on
Plan B and Netflixs television series AO for director Zal
Batmanglij. Kasper Tuxen lit The Underworld, directed
by Fenar Ahmad. Stuart Bentley is shooting the five-
part drama SS-GB for BBC One. Hagen Bogdanski shot
Berlin Station, directed by Michael Roskam, produced
by Paramount TV. Nicolas Bolduc is shooting Mr & Mrs
Adelman for Nicolas Bedos. Andre Chemetoff has prepped
Joanne Chemlas Si Tu Voyais Son Coeur.
Daniel Landin BSC lensed Alexander
Moors The Yellow Birds. Nominated
for an ASC award, Fabian Wagner
In the firing line
Nanu Segal gets
her sights set on a
recent production
WHOS SHOOTING WHO? / CINEMATOGRAPHERS ROUND-UP

What a caper er (r) on

Derek Walk
Lukas Strebe Great apes poid in Prague with
(with spectacles l thro
) the set of An tant grip Hynek Jecha.
shooting TV Czech assis urtesy of Sean Ellis.
series Gotthard Photo co
with director We are sailing
Urs Egger and director Da Steve Chivers (l)
MSC Cruises adniel Barber on an
in the Caribbe
an

In the news Robert Shacklady (r)

lensing
an ad for The Times with gaffer Matt
Hicken

dard on the
In the frame Richard StodMake Honey,
s
set of period feature Bee
Daylight saving Erik Sohlstrom ring his sister
on the shoot of Midnight Sun, a directed by Jack Eve, star Trevor Eve
er
co-pro from Atlantique Production Alice Eve and their fath
s
(France) & Nice Drama (Sweden), for
Action man Canal+ and SVT (Swedish Television)
Olly Loncraine
on location in
the UAE At cross purposes
Sverre Srdal on the
set of an untitled
North Korea feature
documentary, directed
by Matthew Halsall

Machine and was second

unit DP on the untitled
thriller directed by Martin
Campbell, starring Jackie
Chan. Robert Shacklady
shot autumn, winter and
BSC has wrapped on Game Of Thrones series six. Michael Jakob Ihre FSF, Chayse Christmas campaigns for
McDonough BSC ASC is shooting series two of HBOs Irvin CSC, Magnus fashion house Boohoo,
Fear Of The Walking Dead. Ula Pontikos BSC is shooting Joenck, Niklas Johansson plus ads forBMWs new
Marcella, directed by Charles Martin, starring Anna Friel. FSF, John Lynch ISC, Ben M2, M4 GTS and 7 Series
Luke Jacobs has wrapped on Will Kerleys The Mad Axeman. Moulden, Arnaud Potier, le Ales sandra models, SiS sports drinks
Pure spe ctac
Ruben Impens lit the feature Grave, directed by Julia Manel Ruiz, Jake Scott, Scherillo (r) with focus pull
er and The Times, and went
itch
Ducournau. Belgica, directed by Felix Van Groeningen, also Adam Scarth, Nanu Segal, Kate Eccarius on a uSw to Bulgaria for the eight-
com mer cial for Velvet
shot by Ruben, is nominated at Sundance 2016. Sundance Tom Townend, Martijn part docudrama Barbarians
will also host screenings of The Lobster, directed by Yorgos Van Broekhuizen NSC, Rising. Jeremy Hiles did 20
Lanthimos, shot by Thimios Bakatakis; Ali And Nino, Sebastian Wintero, Alexis weeks on BBC Undercover
directed by Asif Kapadia, lit by Gkhan Tiryaki; Manchester Zabe and Rik Zang. with directors James Hawes and Jim OHanlon, for DPs
By The Sea, directed by Kenneth Lonergan, lensed by Jody ARRI Crew: Paul Edwards ACO did Steadicam on Chris Seager BSC and Stephan Pehrsson. Pete Cavaciuti
Lee Lipes; Eddie Alcazars short film, Fuckkkyouuu, shot commercials and some day-playing on the films Assasins shot a reboot of acclaimed 70s miniseries Roots, where
by Danny Hiele and Cemetery Of Splendour, directed by Creed and A United Kingdom, plus TV dramas Agatha he was banged-up in the Castle Of Good Hope South
Apichatpong Weerasethakul, lensed by Diego Garcia. Raisin and Dallas With Balls. After shooting WWII feature Africas oldest building with a marvellous South African
Meanwhile busy shooting commercials are: Steve Annis, Anthropoid in Prague, Derek Walker ACO GBCT went crew. He worked on the London section of The Conjuring 2:
Sebastian Blenkov, Justin Brown, Mauro Chiarello, on Game Of Thrones, Dickensian and Fantastic Beasts And The Enfield Poltergeist with DP Don Burgess. tooJason
Manuel Alberto Claro, Arnau Valls Colomer AEC, Axel Where to Find Them, and then second unit of Dr Strange. Ewart did dailies on Assassins Creed and second unit on
Cosnefroy, Rob Hardy BSC, Danny Hiele, Jackson Hunt, Oliver Loncraine worked on the UAE section of War Fantastic Beasts And Where to Find Them.

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 35

 MEET THE NEW WAVE / OONA MENGES / CINEMATOGRAPHER
NEW WAVE
Filmography (so far):
Social Suicide (2015), plus shorts Rubicon (2016),
Looking For Albert (2014), MOTH (Man Of The House)
(2014)
When did you discover you wanted to be a DoP?
I was bitten by the film bug at the age of 18, working
on my first-ever feature as clapper/loader with DP
Sandi Sissel in LA. But it wasnt until I was a little older,
and had lived more chapters in my life, that I felt I had
something to contribute artistically.
Where did you train? I told the entire table of top DPs, and ARRI management,
On-set and with stills. My Dad trained me how to set
the stop and focus by eye, hold the camera down by
my hip and then whip it up when the moment was
right learning the decisive moment.
What are your favourite films, and why?
It changes as I change and grow, but off the top of my
head Id say:
Once Were Warriors (1994, dir. Lee Tamahori, DP Stuart
Dryburgh) because of the story.
Local Hero (1983, dir. Bill Forsyth, DP Chris Menges)
because of the story.
Blade Runner (1982, dir. Ridley Scott, DP Jordan
Cronanweth ASC) the story and chance to play with light
Chungking Express (1994, dir. Wong Kar Wai, DPs
Christopher Doyle & Wai-Keung Lau) its how I see.
Whats the best advice you were ever given?
I have a few, but every wrist-slap or kick-in-the-ass
whilst an assistant all of it is invaluable training.
Truth not reality Chris Menges; Remember the
white spot Oliver Stapleton BSC; Just get on with
it Rodrigo Guttierez ACO and Ivan Strasburg BSC.
Who are your DP/industry heroes?
Robby Mller his passion comes through the lens
and is true to the story. Hes a true cameraman no
fancy stuff.
Vittorio Storarro AIC ASC for his understanding of
simplicity and attention to detail, and his delicate but
deliberate touch.
Christopher Doyle for his sure, free and spontaneous
connection from his inner-vision to celluloid.
Chris Menges - hes God.
Whats you proudest moment?
When three ARRI trucks steamed around the corner
and parked up at the location of my very first shoot
all for me!
Whats the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had?
Two films I was due to shoot last summer were
postponed with funding issues and another big, second
unit opportunity passed on me. Three-in-one I was
bitterly disappointed until new opportunities arose.
36 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
What have been your best/worst moments on set?
Best: arriving on-set and realising Mother Nature had
lit the scene exactly as I had planned to light it myself,
complete with the right colours and shadows. It was a
surreal experience.
Worst: Witnessing a young man die after being
crushed by a Tulip crane on a film in Argentina at the
end of a gruelling night shoot.
Tell us your most hilarious faux pas?
I asked ARRI management about their F65 when, of
course, I meant the Alexa 65. At an ARRI dinner recently
that size matters. I once asked Peter Gabriel his name
after chatting with him at his own concert.
Away from work, what are your greatest passions?
My family, friends, painting, reading, art exhibitions,
films, travel, fires on the beach, canoing, water,
running with my hell-hound, nature, animals, cooking,
gardening, chopping wood, building, my chain-saw,
anything hands-on. Laughing, laughing and laughing.
What one piece of kit could you not live without?
A piece of 216 and a camera.
Which films are you most proud of to date?
Looking For Albert.
Whats weirdest place youve ever shot in?
A sewer. And also a harem.
Bedside light taking care to illuminate
an intimate scene on Social Suicide
Lady on the van
Oona pictured with
focus puller 1st AC
Leo Winslow
Whats the hardest shot/thing youve had to light/frame?
A suicide scene in a magnolia-painted concrete room,
with no windows and negligible set dressing.
Tell us your hidden talent/party trick?
Making people laugh at my faux pas!
In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would
you love to have shot?
Chungking Express
What are your current top albums?
Rudimental, Ottmar Liebert, Jimmy Cliff ,Wilco,
Manu Dibango.
Can you tell us your greatest extravagance?
An Alpaca stud they are more expensive than you
might think.
Whats the best thing about being a DP?
The chance to study humanity through visual
storytelling, and to work with teams of wonderful and
interesting people along the way. The opportunity to
achieve excellence through self-expression and the
journey there.
Whats the worst thing about being a DP?
Being told No and to have restrictions applied when
great things are within your grasp.
Give us three adjectives that best describe you and
your approach to cinematography?
Vivid. Passionate. Humanitarian.
If you werent a DP, what job would you be doing now?
Id be AWOL somewhere round the world. Sailing or
living in a jungle. Somewhere wild.
What are your aspirations for the future?
To work with a strong visual director on an amazing
story, and to realise my internal vision.
PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

With the UK studios full to overflowing, the BSCs annual kit-fest is trying
out a new London venue. Taking place for the first time at Battersea
Evolution, the BSC Expo 2016 (January 29-30) is the premier showcase
for new products and services available to the feature and TV production
industry. Along with innovative kit, informative panel discussions and

>>
technical presentations, this highly-sociable event is a great opportunity to
meet with friends and colleagues. And, admission is absolutely free of charge!
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 39
PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

Camera Revolution: has

stabilised remote heads for
every occasion. On show are
the sealed, compact Libra
workhorse, and Libra Mini for
wire and car rigs, and pretty
much anything else that moves.
Watch out for the high-end
Oculus long lens and Maxima
hand-operated remotes. Also
on the stand are a selection
of dry-hire products including
Aaton Digital. Alexa Mini Splashbags, new
CantarX3
24-track digital Teradek Sidekicks, and
audio recorder Cobham compact video
Camera Revolution
transmitter packages. remote head in acti
on
Aaton Digital/Transvideo: CEO Jacques Delacoux and Cineo Lighting: showing on LCAs stand,
sales director Karine Fouque will be on hand to present the new Cineo HS2 is the next generation lamphead
the latest must-see products, including Aaton Digitals featuring a single piece design for increased ruggedness,
CantarX3 24-track digital audio recorder for professional as well as an improved safety switch for greater
sound recordists on motion pictures, location shoots and reliability. 80/20 mounting slots on the sides and back DMG Lumiere: the French LED manufacturer is back
orchestral recordings. (Also see Transvideo) of the fixture make attaching yokes and accessories easy. again with the SL1 Switch, a super-thin & lightweight
Two distinct mixing chambers LED fixture. The company is also showing for the first
allow custom CCT mixing via Cineo Lighting time in the UK its Mini Switch, which is exactly half the
Transvideo Transvideo DMX. The output is identical to new Cineo HS2 size/weight of the SL1. Lightsfrom DMG stand out
StarliteRF HD monitor next-generation
the legacy HS fixture, lamphead with their outstanding power/size/weight ratio and top-
but the new power supply, of-the-range CRI, and have enjoyed success in
the RDM450,is smaller continental Europe and North America.
and lighter in weight. Also Chat with brothers Nils, Mathieu
showing is the Cineo and Jean, founders of this young and
Matchbox, the latest in innovative company from Lyon.
versatile, portable remote
phosphor lighting. Matchbox Iride: is presenting a brand-new
is 3 x 5 x 1, and outputs approach to basic, overhead lighting,
a stunning amount of high- with 26kw and 40kw lights, with
quality light at a variety of the power unit encased in a
accurate colour temperatures. geodetic structure, that can
be attached to the bottom
Cirro Lite: year Kino Flo of a cherry picker, or other
is premiering the Select, a on- and near-set devices and
A.C. Entertainment Technologies: the companys completely new line of LED structures. Weighing in at
specialist film and TV division is showcasing a range of products. These fixtures are based 180kg, the lights are designed
innovative lighting fixtures, control and grip equipment, on the classic Kino Flo design and are to withstand wind up to
plus ancillary consumable supplies. On display and coupled with the latest in LED technology, 40mph. Sections can be separated
available for demonstration are lighting fixtures from including new colour control features and built- with different bulbs such as Par
Chroma-Q, Fiilex, Mole-Richardson and Spotlight. The in Lumen Radio. From Dedolight there is the new 64, flood, medium flood, spot to
latest lighting control from Jands, as well as lighting Panaura 7 with a new 2.5Kw fixture doubling the output accommodate the specific needs of
support and grip equipment from Manfrotto and Avenger, from this very popular line of fixtures. From Matthews the shoot with a broad variety of
are also highlights. The company is touting its capacity to there are a number of new camera mount systems diffusions and colour temperatures.
manufacture cable in-house for data (including DMX) to adding to the companys growing line of problem-solving The lights can travel ready-assembled and can be
high-capacity power (including BAC, Powerlock, CEE-17, camera grip products. mounted quickly, directly from their tough flight cases.
19-pin) and holds a large range of lamps, gels and other
consumables. Codex: the manufacturer of powerhouse workflows
motion picture and broadcast productions, Codex is
ARRI: is showcasing its latest technologies, including the showing Codex Production Suite, supporting ARRI,
Alexa SXT, Alexa Mini and Amira cameras, all of which Panasonic, RED, Sony and Canon cameras, which now
offer 4K recording options and unsurpassed dynamic also runs on Mac OSX as well as Codex Vault S and
range, making them inherently HDR-ready. Mounted XL Series. Production Suite is a complete, production-
to the cameras will be ARRI professional cine lenses, proven toolset for colour management, dailies and
such as the ground-breaking Master Anamorphics with archiving, featuring Vault Platform, Vault Review and
their accompanying creative Flare Sets, Codex Live. From camera into
as well as the Ultra Wide Zoom and its post and beyond, the company
anamorphic sibling, the AUWZ. Lighting credit list speaks for itself.
fixtures from the daylight M-Series Plus Codex is showing Codex
and the LED Fresnel L-Series will Backbone an integrated, end-
be on display too, alongside the to-end information pipeline that
revolutionary new SkyPanel LED simplifies processes such as VFX
soft light, available in two sizes pulls, returns control to production
with an impressive range of and saves time and money.
Iride brand-new
versatile accessories. overhead lighting
Cooke Optics: is presenting the with the power
first-ever showing of the new 135mm unit encased
in a geodetic
Anamorphic/i lens at BSC Expo 2016, structure
together with the 65mm Macro
Anamorphic/i prime
lens, which was
Transvideo launched at
Transvideo
Starlite on an IBC 2015.
Alexa Mini Alongside
this, Cooke
is also
hosting on its
stand the 5/i,
Anamorphic/i,
S4/i and miniS4/i
lens ranges. The latest Cooke Anamorphics
have a T2.3 aperture, linear iris, are colour
matched with all other Cooke prime lenses
and equipped with intelligent /i Technology.
PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

Codex new
Production
Suite on Mac

K5600 Lighting: showing on LCAs stand, K5600

has always believed in being close to end-users and
participating in exhibitions to understand the constraints LiteGear: has been working on expanding its LiteDimmer
and pressures of todays production environment. The range and created a selection of straightforward, yet
Joker Bug range and new Alpha powerful new products. LiteDimmer Micro Single is a Matrix Modules: is introducing high-end LED colour
800W were born from this simple, budget-friendly, lightweight, one-channel LED modules for film, TV and broadcast. Dimmable, flicker-
approach. Thanks to the new dimmer that is flicker-free and capable of four amps free and with the option to be controlled wirelessly via
90 socket adapter on of LiteRibbon or a LiteMat 1 fixture. It provides a Lumen Radio chip, the Matrix LED Module allows you
the Alpha 800, the bulb smooth dimming action and includes a to create any shape, size or length. The matrix Module
moves from vertical, unique fade ON/OFF feature for is available in: a five-colour module of red, green,
for Fresnel and open- sensitive set-ups. LiteDimmer blue, warm white, cool white; two bi-colour
eye functionality, to Micro Single EFX Fire and module; and a spacer module with no LEDs
horizontal, where it Paparazzi are two of but with a power-through option. The
becomes a Par or a lens- LiteGears handheld LED white lights have been TLCI tested and
less focusable unit. No effects dimmers. The ultra scored 92-97. Each module weighs
tools are necessary; the lightweight, mains or battery- only 126g, measures 160mm x 40mm,
change between 3200K powered LED LiteMat is suitable and has a power consumption of
or 5600K discharge to light almost any area on-set or 2.5w per colour and 12W per module.
lamps is done with a location. Available in Daylight, Tungsten Showing on LCAs stand.
twist. Coming soon, or Hybrid, the LiteMat
comes in four sizes (1x2, LiteGear has created a Miller Camera Support: is
the Alpha 800+ will selection of straightforward,
be followed by new 2x2, 1x4, 4x2), is fully- yet powerful dimmer products showcasing the Cineline 2090
1600, 4K and 9K lamps. dimmable and is available with Tripod System and Arrow Series
three different diffusers. There will also be an of fluid heads. With these products Miller aims to
LCA Lights, opportunity to check out the popular LiteRibbon provide a solution for a variety of applications from
Camera, Action: is a with 24 different variations on display. Showing on documentary to major features. The Cineline 2090 is
renowned supplier of LCAs stand. a complete tripod system that includes
film/TV lighting and an HD Mitchell
grip kit, and its capacity LSC Lighting: has Base 1-Stage
to provide a variety of designed the Mantra, Miller John Alloy Tripod and
products from traditional an affordable, Colthorpe HD Alloy Ground
entry-level, lighting shotoing with a Spreader to
fresnels to the latest in LED Miller tripod
lighting continues to grow. console that takes complement the
New and exciting innovations away the learning robust Cineline
include the Cineo HS2, new curve required to 70 Fluid Head.
dimmers from LiteGear, the Matrix LED Module, K5600s operate complex This system
Alpha 800, MantraLite from LSC Lighting, LiteMats from lighting fixtures. provides cinema-
LiteGear, Cineos Matchbox and Maverick, and the bi- Mantra can control tographers
colour Versatile. virtually any type with must-have
of fixture including stability, plus
LEE Filters: is exhibiting its new range of Zircon lighting LEDs and moving smooth and
filters. These new longer-life filters are designed lights. The majority consistent pans
specifically for LED lighting and are available in a range of the templates and tilts, whilst
of warm-ups, diffusions and minus greens. Also on show of branded fixtures offering additional
are the extensive range of LEE lighting filters, including are all accessible portability all
colour effects, technical and diffusion filters. Drop by from the on- at an aggressive
the stand to pick up the latest copy of LEEs famous board library. You price point. The
yellow swatch book, or the popular cinematographer can even create Arrow Series
swatch book, which contain all the technical filters most your own on the was designed
frequently used in moviemaking. console quickly specifically to
and easily with the support a variety
built-in Fixture of location film
Template Wizard. applications as well
The Mantra has a as several different
custom-designed, camera models, from
App-driven, smaller camcorders
user-interface all the way up to
that offers a more involved
colourful, simple documentary
and intuitive >>
-style rigs.
programming
experience.
Showing on
LEE Filters showing its new range of Zircon LED lighting filters LCAs stand.
 PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

Mo-Sys Engineering: the London-based Mo-Sys G50 three-

manufacturer of high-precision camera
support systems has sold over 20 systems
in Hollywood, used on blockbusters such as
Gravity, Life Of Pi and Birdman. The company
is bringing to the show its new-generation,
two-axis L40 remote head for high-end
cinematography applications, that can
handle big lenses, such as the Optimo 12:1,
with zero backlash, lag-free operation and
a payload of up to 40kg. Its already proven
popular in the USA, Canada and France.
Watch out too for the G50 three-axis,
gyro-stabilised, remote head
for telescopic cranes, as
used on the opening scenes
of SPECTRE, featuring a
crisp and sharp response
on payloads of up to 50kg.
Motion Impossible: makes
remote camera platforms
for TV, features and VR
applications. BuggyCam is its
modular platform that takes
professional gimbals, including
DJI Ronin and Freefly MoVI.
It moves smoothly like a dolly
and can also drive at up to speeds
of 30mph. BuggyCam comes with a
vertical axis stabiliser, called the V-Con, which
smoothes out movement on uneven terrain. You can
remove the V-Con to attach other accessories, such as
the adjustable Hi-Riser, allowing you to lift the camera
up to eye level, or the new V-Con XL, which gives you
stability at an adjustable height.
and SMA connectors let you choose the antenna that
best suits your location. Four inputs let you record with
up to four (2K) cameras simultaneously or link up to 128
cameras for super single shots, whilst 12 SDI outputs
with small displays tell you what every output
is.Smart Assist 4 is equipped with hot-swap,
and an internal UPS system that will let
you run the system for two minutes
without any power source
axis, gyro-stabilised,
remote head
camcorder, with integrated zoom lens, that
includes many top-end features, and is aimed
at independent filmmakers, documentary
production and event videography. Alongside
the flagship professional camcorders, new
updates to production tools and future
innovations in product development will
demonstrate Panasonics ability to support the film
and TV production industry.
Polecam Systems: Polecams attraction has
always been a combination of portability,
the speed of rig/derig and the addition of
production value without hassle. Polecam
achieves crane shots where no other rig can
go and gets the viewer right in the action.
Showing on the Panasonic stand is the latest
Long Head Polecam rig, fitted with the new
Panasonic VariCam HS, demonstrated by Polecams
creator Steffan Hewitt. The modular
design of the Long Head Polecam
allows the camera to be split from
the recorder, via the use of the
5m extension cable, so that the
camera head can be
mounted at the top
of the rig and the
recorder at the rear.
Polecam.. Panasonics
new VariCam HS will be
mounted on a Polecam
at the show

PAG: this global provider of

portable power solutions for Powergems: the company manufactures a complete
digital cinematography and video range of high-speed 1,000Hz HMI ballasts for
production, will show its new L90 location lighting, with all units designed and built at
Slim battery, designed for use with the its headquarters in Manchester. The modular design
ARRI Alexa Mini and similar cameras. The lightweight, is said to offer the end-user greater reliability and
low-profile battery is especially suited to performance than traditional ballasts. DMX
gimbal or drone-mounted applications. The remote control, 300Hz and 1,000Hz
L90 Slim has the highest frequency modes, combined with
energy density of any multi-wattage outputs
90Wh V-Mount Li- for each ballast
Motion Impossible Ion battery brought
modular BuggyCam unit, have made
remote camera platform to market. Visitors these products
can also see the the ballast-of-
PAGlink system of choice for many
high-power, intelligent- lighting rental
linking batteries, available companies and
Movietech: the Pinewood-based camera, lens and grip in V-Mount and Gold studios around
specialist is in residence at this years show to introduce Mount formats. the world.
a selection of exciting additions to its product range. The PAGlink
Among the exhibits are the Leica Summilux-C super-fast system allows PAG L90 Slim battery Preston Cinema
lenses with their highly-accurate images and unmatched battery linking in is designed for use with Systems: the
flat field illumination. Also on show is Movietechs series or parallel the ARRI Alexa Mini and Light Ranger 2
similar cameras
range of ultra HD, 4K Fujinon cine lenses, designed to provide extra is a key feature at
to deliver optimum optical performance and provide power for cameras the Preston stand. The
cinematographers with the best-possible image capture and 30V lighting. LR2 meets the critical
experience. The companys in- focus demands of the
house product development Panasonic: on show at this highest-performance lenses
team will be presenting the years expo is the VariCam 35. and cameras. Its exclusive technology provides focus
brand new Movietech Dual Recently used to capture the information simultaneously in 16
Viewfinder, built to work popular Doctor Foster series zones across the
with both spherical and for the BBC, the VariCam 35 is frame. In manual
Preston Light
Anamorphic lens systems. designed to create emotion via mode, the Ranger 2 meets
Members of the rental, its 14+ stops of dynamic range, graphics overlay the critical
technical and engineering renowned colour reproduction displays both focus demands
departments will be on-hand of high-
and 4K resolution, supporting the amount and performance
throughout the show. the well-known Varicam look. direction of focus lenses and
Panasonic is also displaying the pull required to cameras
Ovide: the new Smart Assist Varicam HS the additional bring the subject
4 lets you work with four modular front-end that comes within the depth-
2K cameras, or with one with a 2/3 3MOS sensor and of-field for each
4K camera. The capacitive bayonet lens mount, whilst of the 16 zones.
touchscreen now comes in Ovide the new also enabling continuous 240fps recording, in-camera Shots from cranes,
Smart Assist 4 lets
matte, to avoid reflections, you work with up colour grading and dual-codec recording. Check out the camera cars,
was well as sunlight-viewable, to four 2K cameras AG-DVX200 the worlds first 4/3 large format 4K Steadicam rigs all

42 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

Panasonic VariCam 35, as

used on BBC Doctor Foster.
Photo by Liam Daniel/
copyright Drama Republic Ltd.

Tiffen is show
its best Steadicaing-off
ever the new m rig
M-1

make special demands on focus, and the LR2 autofocus Tiffen International: Terry Carey, Robin Thwaites,
mode makes impossible focus pulls routine. Danny Hallett, Eren Ibraham and Kevan Parker
will all be on duty. See the new, top-of-the-range
Prokit: despite moving the business from Chiswick to Steadicam M-1, with outstanding modular design
larger premises in Kendal Avenue, Acton, the weekend and quick-and-easy set-up. Released a few months
before this years Expo, ago, 35 M-1s have been sold so far,
Prokit, has made it to with pro users reported
the showfloor. A proud to be loving them. See
patron of the BSC, the M-1 rigged with
and being a major the G-70x arm and
Canon Pro Partner, Exovest, an unbeatable
it is showing-off the combination for motion
much-acclaimed C300 pictures, studio, drama,
MkII. Remote phosphor location and sports work.
lighting specialist BB&S Tiffen filter products on
is displaying its new show include three new
Pipeline range, as well as diffusion filters Blk
the popular Area 48 and SFX, Blk Glimmer Glass,
Flyer. Also distributed Blk Pearlescent
by Prokit are Schneider- plus the new Multi Rota Tray,
Kreuznach Cine Xenar and a new range of IRND
III primes, Lowel, combos. See Lowels new Pro Versatile: LCA is representing the bi-colour Versatile.
Chimera, Kobold, Orca Power LED for run-and-gun This edge-lit, LED light tile produces an extremely soft
Bags, Wally Dolly, Prokit showing location lighting, offering light, and has a flicker-free dimming arc. The light is
Canon C300 MkII
Zylight, Nila and Defy camera plus BB&S powerful output from a 600x600mm and just 17mm thick, can easily replace
gimbals. Pipeline lights wide focus fresnel lens, and ceiling tiles on location, and has numerous mounting
enabling lighting from greater options including barrel clamps, spigot bracket and
distance. Lowels new Prime corner hanging points. With a light output of 1500 lux
Sony: The F65 rendered everything the Location, with high CRI at 1 metre, the Versatile shows no shift in CCT when
way my eye saw it. The images had soul, Daylight or Tungsten output, dimmed, and it has a fast response to allow flicker or
says Rob Hardy BSC, cinematographer on is the companys most rugged LED system lighting effects. A four-way mains controller can operate
Ex Machina. DPs will have the opportunity to experience yet, with an all-metal construction and IP-65 weather rating. the Versatile with local and DMX control or by single
the acclaimed CineAlta Digital Motion Picture Cameras mains battery controller.
for themselves, including v7 firmware for the Sony Transvideo/Aaton Digital: the Transvideo StarliteRF is a
F55. Explore the latest developments in 4K and High 5 3G-SDI OLED wireless monitor/recorder with in-built Visual Impact: as a leading supplier of broadcast
Dynamic Range (HDR), and the courses at Sonys Digital wireless receiver. The lightweight unit offers low-loss, equipment to the production community, offering a
Motion Picture Centre, in Pinewood. CineAlta cameras wireless video connectivity with no delay and a 200m comprehensive range of
are a popular choice for features, such as the Cannes range, making it perfect for directors, assistant directors, the latest 4K cameras,
Palme dOr 2015 winner Dheepan and Woody Allens focus pullers, DPs and drone monitoring. It can record lenses and accessories
latest movie, plus Netflix and Amazon, with TV dramas dailies in H264 too. The Transvideo StargateFHD for sale or rental. To
including Marco Polo, Blacklist, Sense 8 and the recent is a new-generation, high-end monitor/ demonstrate its
Golden Globe winner Mozart In The Jungle. recorder, with 3G, HD/SD, 1920 x 1080 full diverse product
HD display and bright screen luminance, offering it is
plus 4K compatibility. showing a
Fast path-processing selection of
with immediate display fully-rigged
means there is no latency. equipment
Transvideo CineMultiTrack including: Sony
is the new focus pullers PMW-F55
assistant, providing precise with Canon CN7x17
and instantaneous measurements lens; ARRI ALEXA Mini with
to the operator, including information Canon CN20x50 lens; and Sony
on up to three targets, adjustable PXW-FS5 with DJI Ronin rig. Visual Impact has supplied
transitions, and communications with LCS a number of TV shows including The Great British Bake
CineTape interface for in-front of camera Off and Strictly Come Dancing. If you want to discuss your
measuring. (See also under Aaton Digital) next production, go to their stand for a chat.
Sony Woody Allen
with Vittorio Storaro
and mighty F65 camera British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 43
 PREVIEW / BSC EXPO 2016

BSC EXPO 2016 FLOOR PLAN

For a full programme and panel lists please check www.bscexpo.com

44 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 45
POST-IT NOTES / CINELAB LONDON
AFFORDABLE FILM
Adrian Bull, founder
and MD of Cinelab
London, reveals
how shooting on
celluloid can easily
stack-up favourably
versus digital
on a producers
spreadsheet.
W
hen we established Cinelab London back
in June 2013, it certainly wasnt with the
expectation that we would reverse the
trend of what seemed like an inevitable
transition of filmmaking from celluloid to digital. Indeed,
we believed that there were, at most, two years left of
film acquisition and even less for print distribution.
So, our short term plan was to provide an all-
encompassing facility for those filmmakers who were
continuing to shoot film, whilst at the same time
developing a compelling solution for archiving with
the intention that this would then become the long term
focus of the business.
What has come as a complete surprise (and
delight) to me is that, two and half years down the line,
we continue to service an ever-growing number of new
film projects, and actually expect to process more film
in 2016 than we did in 2015. This is largely attributable
to an increasing number of clients becoming aware of:
a) the existence, and b) the reputation of Cinelab not
just in the UK, but internationally too, as labs across
the globe continue to close. As a result, in the last six
months of 2015 we processed film from as far afield as
Indonesia, Ukraine, South Africa, Nigeria, Canada, France,
Spain, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Additionally, UK-
based projects recently shooting in India, Malta, Belfast
and Colombia have been reliably air-freighting their film
into Heathrow on a daily basis for us to process (we
regularly receive film within an hour of a flight landing).
This level of international work was certainly not
something we anticipated. In the local market, time and
time again, we hear that cost is the big challenge for
reel filmmakers. In 2014 we suffered repeatedly from
projects that started out wanting to shoot film but ended
up having to switch to digital due to budget constraints.
So, for productions to shoot on film internationally and
then to send the rushes back to the UK for processing is
somewhat unexpected, as many would imagine the cost
of this to be prohibitive.
And yet, for the large part, these films are not big
budget features. What they all have in common however,
is a disciplined, committed and passionate production
team with the experience to ensure their desired result.
Essentially, it all comes down to efficient planning and tight
control on shooting ratios the key to shooting on film.
A case in point and a perfect example of
successful budget filmmaking is a film shot earlier in
the year by Rob Tregenza, a North American director/
cinematographer. When Rob first got in touch with
us, he wanted a quote for 24,000ft of processing and
telecine for his feature, Gavagai, which he was shooting
Cost-effective movies such as The
Hand Of The Creator and Gavagai
reveal how the finances for celluloid
can become highly-attractive
in Norway. Our immediate response to his enquiry was As film cameras are much cheaper to rent than digital,
to question his calculations! But clearly you can shoot particularly when adding in the cost of DITs and data
a full-length feature, 35mm-4perf anamorphic with a management, then film actually becomes a financially-
little over 2:1 shooting ratio, in just three weeks, as Rob attractive and viable alternative (our recent comparisons
subsequently proved, using just 22,000 ft. With takes show that a two-camera 35mm, 3-perf project shooting
typically lasting between five and ten minutes, there 12:1 compares favourably to a 2K Alexa budget).
was without doubt an incredible amount of very careful Yet perhaps the most significant change in interest in
planning and rehearsal, and in most cases there really was shooting film has come from the requirement for 4K delivery.
only one take. Every inch of film mattered. The whole Even 50-year-old archive negatives can
process: getting film to Norway; shooting; air-freighting demonstrate inherent 4K resolution, so 35mm film as an
the rushes back to the UK; processing and telecine, all acquisition format is an easy and cost-effective choice.
needed to be flawless and it was. Once the off-line The post production workflow remains simple, with the
was complete, we scanned a little over 20 shots using only additional cost being the final stage of a 4K scan,
the ARRIscan at 4K. The final conform and grade then conform and grade. When compared with the complexity
took place back at Storyline in Norway. The results were of shooting digital 4K whilst trying to retain and
visually stunning the highest quality production values manage the high volume of data throughout a production
attainable on a budget. By no means the outcome of film is actually pretty straightforward.
bargain basement deals nor cutting corners, but rather a Of course, it would be unwise to make further
culmination of good planning and very careful control of predictions on how long film will continue as an acquisition
the shooting ratio. format. However, I can say with confidence that film will
Take also the example of Brazilian writer/director always be an aspirational format and that, for those that
Odilon Rochas The Hand Of The Creator currently continue to use it, film will provide them with the comfort
in production shooting on S16mm black and white. of knowing that the legacy of their high-resolution images
This is a film within a film: a collage of diverse genres will remain for hundreds of years to come.
(melodrama, satire, suspense) brought together under
the impressionistic light offilm noir. It tells the story of a
powerful producer who contracts an unknown actress to Gavagai
seduce and inspire a troubled film director.
Rocha says, If I were a painter, my medium would
be oil paint, not acrylic. Similarly, as a filmmaker, my choice
has always been celluloid. I will alwaysbe in love with the
magical grain that Super 16mm delivers; my work is pure
fiction, the characters and their stories only exist on the
screen, and theblack and whitestock used for The Hand
of the Creator isresponsible for a classical look.
Clare Cahill, the films producer, initially dismissed
the option for film, believing they couldnt make it work
within the modest budget.
However, during our
discussions, it became clear
that film could be possible
as long as the production
could keep to a strict
shooting ratio. Being able
to offer stock, processing,
telecine, scanning made it
easier for us to guarantee
the price and quality of
a film solution, providing
the director and DP could
control the shooting ratio.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 47
 CLOSE-UP / JOHN PARDUE / STAN LEES LUCKY MAN
Bonnet mount on a speed boat with
just enough light from the smallest LEDs
on the actor, with rim light provided by
the ambience of local street lights
Cinematographer John Pardue wrote
in with details of how he used the new
Sony A7s camera to capture an exciting
nighttime action sequence as part of his
work on the first two episodes of Stan
Lees Lucky Man for Sky One.
D
irector Andy De Emmony and myself were
tasked with creating a strong, visually striking
look for the new crime thriller series. Lucky
Man is the story of DI Harry Clayton (James
Nesbitt) who is given a bracelet by a mysterious woman
(Sienna Guillory) that allows him to control luck. This gift
comes at a price, but Harry seizes the opportunity to pay
off a huge gambling debt to an underworld crime boss.
The chance to do large-scale action on British TV
appealed enormously to Andy, and one of the biggest
challenges was a nighttime boat chase along The
Thames. Unlike 007 James Bond SPECTRE, we
didnt have a huge budget to light up the river;
plus we only had four nights and one tank
day to shoot the whole sequence.
The sequence went like this: our hero,
Harry (the Lucky Man) jumps into a speedboat
to chase an armed assailant. After a one-sided
dog-fight along The Thames, he finally corners
his quarry in a tributary. However, the other boat
charges forcing Harry to take evasive action.
Harrys boat hits a jetty and launches
skywards. Luckily, Harry is thrown free
from the boat, although his colleague
is dragged down to the river bottom.
Shooting this sequence at
night on a very tight budget was
going to be a challenge. There is
good ambient night-light west of
Tower Bridge, but we only had a
permit to shoot on the east, which
is much darker. Andy remembered
seeing a test of the Sony A7s
shooting in natural moonlight and
suggested we try it.
The sensor is incredibly
fast, shooting up to 500,000 ISO,
Under the influence
Wong Kai Wais In the
Mood for Love was a
48 | British Cinematographer | January 2016 key reference
and in the end the A7s gave us shots that I thought were
impossible to achieve. We photographed, with relatively
noise-free detail, shots at night that appear to the eye
completely black. It is hard to imagine how fantastic this
looks until you see it.
We also used the Sony A7S camera test on The
Thames as a starting point for establishing the overall look
of the show, which was mostly shot using the Alexa XT.
The colour space of the Sony A7s is interesting, with some
colours coming out stronger than others. At times it
seems like the missing colour hues give it a strange
reversal film-stock feel. The slightly skewed colours
moved the look of the show into something a
little tougher. Some of the night blues emanating
from fluorescents have a cyan quality, and the
warm streetlights have a tobacco colour as
opposed to the normal heavy orange.
We built on this colour range and
tried to carry it through with the Alexa material
where we could. The look of Lucky Mans
London ended up on the cool side as the Sony
night tests looked more interesting with
a cooler colour temperature. Other
environments, such as the Casino
and Chinatown interiors, we aimed
to look more like Wong Kar Wais In
The Mood For Love. All this blended
together creating a great look
for the show. The final grade was
completed by Sonny Sheridan at the
Farm, and much of the look created
in these early tests were carried over
by him as a starting point for the final
finished product. An overall style
LUT was created by Mission Digitals
DIT, Tom Rogers. We used this for
visual continuity on-set
Drone shot.. in almost pitc
again using the new Son h black,
y camera
We tested the Sony A7S alongside the Alexa.
As the bulk of the show was shot on the latter, we had
to try and work out a good ISO for the Sony A7s boat
sequence material. We then took the test down to
colourist Asa Shoul at Molinare and see if we could find
enough common ground between the cameras so it felt
like a single style. Marine coordinator Chris Livett took
us to dark areas around Deptford Creek where much
of the chase was to take place. It was here that we did
most of the comparisons between the Alexa and Sony
A7s. We compared the Sony and the Alexa at 3200
ISO on both cameras (the maximum ISO for the Alexa).
Even at that rating, the Sony sees more in the dark with
less noise. We would eventually shoot all The Thames
chase footage with the Sony at a staggering 32,000 ISO
and only use the Alexa and Amira as back-up cameras.
Exposing for the Sony A7s was a case of over-exposing
a couple of stops to get rid of all the noise at the high
ISOs: using the internal light meter along with trial and
error seemed the best way to do it.
Our tests on The Thames also involved trying
out ways of fixing the camera to the front of the boat
for the shots looking back at James Nesbitt when in
hot pursuit of the assailants boat. Grip Luke Stone and
operator Roger Tooley worked on various stabilised rigs,
but in the end it was a case of a simple car rig. We were
worried that the Sony would not be robust enough to
take the hits of a full speed chase along the Thames.
We also tested ways of lighting the actors so they
would standout a bit on the boats. We lit the actors
faces with gaffer Gary Chaistys smallest LEDs from
his NesLed kit. The lights were dimmed so low they
appeared to be turned off but at 32,000 ISO we enter
a world of exposure that is completely off the scale.
We used an Atmos Shogun 4K recorder bolted
onto the top of the Sony, which was essential in getting
the Sony to match the quality of the Alexa, even if the

addition of the Shogun made the Sony system a little
cumbersome. HDMI cable length was an issue and the
Shogun was unhappy with long HDMI cables, and so it
had to be mounted on or next to the Sony camera. The
screen is 1920 x 1200 to allow for onscreen information
and touch control. It has 4K HDMI and 12G-SDI inputs
and can record UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.98, 24,
25, 29.97, and 30p, as well as gull HD (1920 x 1080) up
to 120 fps. (It is worth mentioning that Sony has since
brought out the Sony A7sII which records 4K internally:
amazing for such a small camera.)
The A7s package was initially supplied by Shoot
Blue who were very helpful when we did the tests. The
Alexa package for the shoot came from Take 2 and they
decided to buy a couple of Sony A7s cameras for the job
and add these to the package for the whole shoot.
ACs Peter Skip Howard GBCT and Gabriel
Hyman GBCT spent quite a while building the camera
into a workable package. Unsurprisingly it was clear that
PL lenses dont all cover the A7ss sensor, which is larger
than S35, but for ease of use an Optimo 15-40 gave us
flexibility of framing on the boat.
Using the whole rig on a bonnet mount on the
choppy water of The Thames did subject the whole lot to
a physical workout and the battery was prone to falling
out if not secured. To its credit, Sony has well and truly
Sea legs DP John Pardue
brandishes an Alexa for the
exctiting boat chase sequence
eloped
Cool new look devMan by
ky
for Stan Lees Luc
John Pardue
moved away from the menus of old and information is
clear, although spread about. It is all too easy to bump
the sensitive manual settings dials so we learned to
keep a constant watch over camera settings.
The Sony A7s is a good example of how
technology designed for non-professional use has
moved ahead of that of professional in terms of
performance, and there were resulting drawbacks. The
camera is a DSLR and is clearly a stills camera at heart
as the settings for video are integrated within the larger
scope of the stills shooting menus. Shooting a flat
response curve required knowledge of Picture Profile
(PP7) to use Sonys S-Log2 curve.
When we came to the actual shoot, we doubled
up the whole Thames shoot with the Sony and the
Alexa as a belt and braces exercise. The Alexa was
set at its maximum 3200 ISO and considerable noise
reduction was used later in any shots that we used. The
Sonys clean capture at the higher rating of 32,000 ISO
displayed the magic of The Thames at night like no one
had seen it before. Roger Tooley shot everything on the
Sony A7s as an A-camera and everything was covered
lens for lens on the Alexa as a back up B-camera. We
had a whole section of the river to mess about in, and
for me, standing on the front of a rib boat with an Alexa
on the shoulder going flat out at 35 knots chasing a
boat firing blanks at us in the
middle of The Thames at night was a lot of fun.
The Sony seemed to clip or cap the highlights,
whilst allowing the context of the light to be visible.
Rather than rows of pin lights in the darkness, we could
see the surfaces illuminated by these lights: the building,
skyline and the water all came alive. It gave an almost
perpetual dusk feel, all night.
Such is the speed that new technology is taken
up, the Sony A7s and A7sII are now being used on many
other productions. Although it enable amazing night
photography there is also the problem of there being
too much light. In a city, light pollution can affect some
scenarios: it becomes a problem trying to shoot a dark
street and a brightly lit shop; the shop is completely
blown out.
On The Thames, it worked well as there is a lot of
inherent contrast: the smaller lights in the distance blow
out while the darker reflections of the water are much
brighter, and so the natural contrast of The Thames
creates a fabulous look.The sky lights up so much at
night it would be great to try and create permanent
twilight with this camera which would look surreal with
all the stars popping through the blue sky. Im sure
someone is already doing this.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 49
 CLOSE-UP / CHRISTIAN BERGER AAC / BY THE SEA / BY ADRIAN PENNINGTON
MAKING
LIGHT WORK
C
hristian Berger AAC, the ASC Award-winner and
Academy and BSC nominee for The White Ribbon
(2009), is renowned for his use of natural light,
although the acclaimed cinematographer wants to
correct this slight misconception.
I dont use natural light, he says. I create a light
which looks very natural because, for me, there is no light
more beautiful and richer in atmospheres than natural light
in all its variations. But its a nice compliment if people think
there was no other lighting used. I think I do just the same
as what all the famous painters did in the past. I observe
very, very precisely the quality and the behaviour of natural
light and use it to realise my artistic visions.
By The Sea will further cement the Austrians
reputation. This third directorial work from Angelina Pitt-
Jolie, in which the actor stars alongside Brad Pitt, is inspired
by European cinema and theatre of the 1960s and 1970s
in both its style and treatment of themes of the human
experience. Set in France during the mid-1970s, Vanessa, a
former dancer, and her husband Roland, an American writer,
travel the country together. They seem to be growing apart,
but when they linger in one quiet, seaside town they begin
to draw close to some of its more vibrant inhabitants, such
as a local bar/caf-keeper and a hotel owner.
Pitt-Jolie actively sought-out Berger for the movie
because of his cinematographic philosophy.
When I asked them why me?, Brad said that theyd
found an interview with me on YouTube (A River Of Light) in
which I discuss my views on lighting for film, says Berger.
It made them curious because I mention how important it
is for me to have a different working method on-set one
which favours actors and gives directors more freedom by
minimising technical restrictions.
Bergers Cine Reflect Lighting System (CRLS), first
employed on Michael Hanekes The Piano Teacher (2001),
changes the working method by offering a set uncluttered
with cables, stands or filters. Pitt-Jolie was attracted to the
freedom this would give her to tell the intimate story of a
married couples fragmenting relationship.
Christian Berger AAC
50 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Perhaps Bergers European heritage also inspired
the directors intention to capture the spirit of the period in
the south of France. Reproducing the feel of that time was
essential, which is how we came to reference the Nouvelle
Vague and directors Jean-Luc Godard, Ingmar Bergman and
Roberto Rossellini, says Berger. This was a general reference
not related to a specific film but one intended to capture
a mix of humour and melancholia or tristesse.
From first contact with the filmmakers in April 2014,
Berger went to LA to discuss visual ideas and block scenes.
Art director Tom Brown and Jon Hutman scouted locations
in Greece, Croatia, Italy and Turkey before alighting on the
Maltese island of Gozo. Principal photography
began mid-August until November 2014 in
an empty bay where production designer Jon
Hutman had built a hotel and a caf. This mix
of studio and on-location conditions resulted
in many challenging light situations.
It was very important in the
production design to be connected to nature
so that from any window or balcony in the
hotel or caf you can see the sea and rocks,
Berger explains. I loved the horizontal
structure in the nature that surrounded us,
like the sea horizon or the coast structure,
which was one of the reasons for shooting
in Cinemascope.
It was not only hot in Malta, but most
of the time the production had to work with
quite harsh sunlight too. Gaffer Jakob Ballinger created
a unique rig for the CRLS mounted on the hotel roof that
allowed Berger to quickly change and stabilise the required
atmospheres from day-to-night and from night-to-day. The
CRLS uses a 1200W HMI lamp with parallel light beams
and very high output, calibrated as near as possible to the
quality of daylight, and a set of high-tech CRLS reflectors to
modulate and direct the light. The smaller units are typically
400W HMI or halogen Dedolights but adapted for the CRLS.
Even on a rainy day, we could keep
the sun stable or could change very fast from
early morning to late afternoon or to any desired
atmosphere, explains Berger. And we could
always maintain a free view of the sea or the
rocky hills through the windows of the set.
The most challenging situations were when we
had to make night shots over the whole bay
including the hotel and caf.
Other scenes included landscapes and
scenes of a beach, one scene on a sailing boat,
which required some dextrous work with a
Russian Arm from a working boat.
For an artist with such a clear affinity
with the treatment of light, Bergers choice of
digital is intriguing. He says, though, that he is
not ideologically aligned to any media.
For me its never fundamentally a question of grain
or pixel. I am not swayed either way. My first experience
with video (on Cach/ Hidden, 2005) was not a good one,
but in the last three films working with ARRI Alexa it has
been good. Angelina gave me the freedom to choose and
I chose the Alexa XT Plus, rated at 800 ASA. A sensitivity
which is more than enough for me and you can really use
the 13-stops of dynamic range.
Accompanying the Alexa, Berger selected ARRI/Zeiss
Master Primes and a 45-250mm Fujinon Alura zoom.
I really have to compliment not only my crew, but
also the production crew I had on By The Sea because they
were so good and efficient,
adds Berger, who credits camera operator,
Gerald Helf; second camera and steadicam operator, Robert
Stopfer; focus puller, Dieter Knestel; and dolly/key grip,
Emmanuel Aubry. Berger oversaw the grade at EFilm in LA
with experienced colourist Mitch Paulson.
Jolie-Pitt, he says, didnt require a lot of coverage; most
scenes were shot single with occasional two cameras. Her
direction on this movie was concentrated more on shots to
vary the acting, says Berger. Pitt has been quoted saying that
he felt comfortable expressing the scenes this way because of
a set unencumbered by distracting technical paraphernalia.
Brad loved to make variations so hed play a whole
scene more aggressively, or more tenderly or with more or less
distance, says Berger. It was great to see how they responded
to the liberation of a free set. We probably shot enough that
in the edit you could create two to three different films.
Of the finished picture Berger says, I always like
to make any film better if I see it for the first time in the
cinema, but my hope is that I could serve the style of the
picture which the director wanted and at the same time
keep my own signature.
Of note: Jakob Ballinger has launched a website
for directors of photography and gaffers to educate and
involve them with the further development of the CRLS
www.thelightbridge.com.
ON THE JOB / ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC / IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

GONE
FISHIN
In 1820, the crewmen of New England
whaling ship Essex faced a harrowing battle
for survival when a whale of titanic size and
strength attacked with force, sinking their
vessel and leaving them adrift on the ocean
thousands of miles from dry land. Pushed
to their limits and facing ferocious storms,
starvation, panic and despair, the wretched
survivors resorted to the unthinkable act
of cannibalism in their bid to stay alive.

T
heir incredible tale proved the catalyst for author Herman
Melville to write the outstanding work of the American
Renaissance, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale (1851), and was also
the inspiration for Ron Howards $100m production In The
Heart Of The Sea. Based around Nathaniel Philbricks 2000
non-fiction book of the same name, and written by Charles
Leavitt, the motion picture stars Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin
Walker, Cillian Murphy and Tom Holland as the crew of the Essex, with Ben
Whishaw cast as Melville and Brendan Gleeson playing Thomas Nickerson
the last survivor of the haunting story, who was a callow youth at the time of
the fateful voyage.
In charge of shooting the movie was cinematographer Anthony Dod
Mantle DFF BSC ASC, who teamed-up again with Howard following their
successful, collaborative outing on F1 racing drama Rush (2013). Dod Mantles
work on In The Heart Of The Sea has been widely lauded, with critics variously
>>
praising his gorgeous painterly visuals and dramatic Turner-esque palette.

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 51

 ON THE JOB / ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC / IN THE HEART OF THE SEA
>> Along with the getting chance to work with Howard
again, Dod Mantle says he was attracted by the
opportunity to author images for a new version of Moby
Dick for the 21st century, and by the allegorical parallels
to Howards Apollo 13 (1995).
I feel a brotherly love for Ron, says Dod Mantle.
Considering his status in Hollywoods firmament, hes a
lovely man, so grounded, with a charming disposition and
a joy to work with. Whilst John Hustons original Moby Dick
(1956) movie has wonderfully theatrical and epic moments,
it is somewhat dated now. Ron wanted authenticity, but
didnt want to approach it as a classic. He wanted to
approach it as though a modern group was somehow
transported back and able to capture what went on.
Its a story of exploration and survival, and
amongst all the action and adventure, its also an
allegory about man venturing away from his natural
domain, into a habitat belonging to something other than
mankind, and what can happen when humans are no
longer in control of the situation. For me the aesthetic of
the sea and the whales habitat were crucially important
to the texture and soul of the production.
Principal photography on In The Heart Of The
Sea began in September 2013 in London and on
multiple stages at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in
Hertfordshire, wrapping mid-November. The production
then switched to the island of La Gomera, in the Canary
Islands, for seven weeks of off-shore boat-to-boat work,
and some location shooting in Lanzarote.
At Leavesden some scenes were planned around
built sets, such as Nantucket harbour, with others
mounted on stages within interior tanks surrounded by
giant bluescreens. A model of the Essex was built and
mounted on a gimbal to mimic the pitch of the ship in
both placid and cataclysmic weather conditions. To get
the right effect for the storm scenes up to 500 gallons of
icy water would be dumped from cannons, deluging not
just the cast but the cinematographer too.
52 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
To tell the story we knew we would need
Technocranes on the boats, a massive underwater unit,
plus a flying unit to relate the visual dialogue between
the Essex, the rowing boats and the whale from above,
he says. Shooting, controlling and matching scenes shot
day and night, in exterior and interior tanks, as well as on
the real sea with changing light and weather conditions
across first, second and third units is a big ask for
any cinematographer, and even more so when youre
operating. Which is probably why many ocean-bound
movies end-up being done entirely in the studio, and
also end-up looking overly crisp and pictorial. But we
didnt want to do it that way.
Given the complexity of production, and to
help mitigate the variables in footage coming form
the various marine, flying and underwater units, Dod
Mantle participated from very early-on in methodology
meetings. Here, the director and key heads of
department, would literally move cardboard boats
around on charts for hours-on-end. We would consider
the tides, the height of the sun, and work out how and
when to shoot, thoroughly planning the production in
blocks in advance. This was especially pragmatic for the
sea-borne shoots as I prefer to light from the side, and
never like to shoot with the light on my neck.
Attempting to hook a visual starting point for the
look of In The Heart Of The Sea, Dod Mantlesays he and
Howard spoke about all manner of movies that inspired
a fear of the ocean during an on-going conversation in
cars, taxis, aeroplanes, at mealtimes and even on the
golf course on La Gomera as they travelled, lived and
relaxed together during the three month recce and prep
period. Ang Lees Life Of Pi (2012, DP Claudio Miranda),
Peter Weirs Master And Commander (2003, DP Russell
Boyd), old-fashioned pirate movies, and more modern
ones, such as Paul Greengrass Captain Phillips (2013, DP
Barry Ackroyd BSC), were all considered in some fashion,
as was JC Chandors survival movie All Is Lost (2013,
DP Frank G. DeMarco/underwater DP Peter Zuccarini).
However, Dod Mantle says none were how he wanted to
present the ocean for this movie.
Along with paintings by Delacroix and Turner,
he says the most inspirational visuals came in the form
of the Discovery seriesDeadliest Catch and the 2012
fishing documentaryLeviathan, shot by anthropologists
Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Verena Paravel.
I found Leviathan in particular to be remarkable
and thought-provoking, filmed on a fishing trawler off
the New England coast in the same seas that inspired
Moby Dick, he remarks. Its a remarkable cinematic
experience, a visceral portrait of fishing, with incredible
swells where the boats disappear between the waves
and the cameras are soaked in brine and blood and guts.
It reminded me of how I embedded cameras into the F1
racing cars and Niki Laudas helmet in Rush and I decide
to run with this.
You must trust your instincts with an idea, hold
it and be consistent about what you do as an artist. We
must protect the artform as well as making good movies.
For In The Heart Of The Sea I wanted to take the audience
into the body, the skeleton of the Essex to the blast of
rapidly uncoiling anchor chains, hands on ropes and the
ships wheel to feel in tune with the crew, the boat and
the seas. Often on-deck theres not a lot of room, and
shooting with bigger cameras can be more complicated
and erratic, so there was a pragmatic and creative
element to having embedded cameras.
YOU MUST TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS WITH
AN IDEA, HOLD IT AND BE CONSISTENT
ABOUT WHAT YOU DO AS AN ARTIST.
ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC The Essex mo
de
gimbal at Leav l on
es
Nantucket ma den -
in set

From this instinctive starting point,

and bearing in mind the complicated nature of the
production from the methodology sessions, Dod Mantle
had to expand his vision for the movie and select the main
production format.
I actually had the choice of shooting film or
digital, which is quite a luxury. And I did think seriously
about shooting on film, he admits. However I felt
digital, shooting RAW, would give me a better chance to
capture magical moments in uncontrollable situations.
Shooting RAW I know I can contain all the horrendous
contrast ratios that are presented to cinematographers
in all seasons of the year. When I get home, I can
provide a graded daily that will get the editor in the
right place. Then I can get pretty heavy in the grade, and
finally get it the way I want.
With the approval of the director, producers and
studio executives, Dod Mantle opted for ARRI Alexa XT
cameras, with Codex recording media and workflow,
capturing images in ARRIRAW. Howard and Dod Mantle
settled on a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, as the extra height of
the frame would minimise vertical tilt and allow the
audience to retain visual contact between the sea the
sky in the most ferocious storm sequences. I also felt it
would look slightly more like an historical document than
a modern movie, he adds.
The lenses used included Panavision close-focus
primes and Primo zooms, with the zooms often on the
crane-mounted cameras. I love the lenses in the high
20mm range as they have more fall off in the background,
and I wanted to see the sea effects across the frame
whilst hovering around a face, he explains. Along with >>

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 53

 ON THE JOB / ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC / IN THE HEART OF THE SEA

FOR ME THE AESTHETIC OF

THE SEA AND THE WHALES
HABITAT WERE CRUCIALLY
IMPORTANT TO THE
TEXTURE AND SOUL
OF THE PRODUCTION.
ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DFF BSC ASC

>> being practical to use on the different sets and at sea, Having the himself, says
the zooms also helped me shoot coverage for Ron. wrong colours is like Carling. Out
When a smaller, lighter camera was needed because having the actors on the ocean,
of ergonomics, physical space limitations, or the kind of speaking in the wrong we had the
shot envisioned Dod Mantle sometimes used a Canon language, he remarks. ability to receive
C300, smaller video cameras, such as the 2K global I worked closely all the video
shutter IndieCAM, and even a Canon 1DC DSLR. with the production feeds from the
We wanted the camera to be physical and move designer Mark cameras, quite
around, to capture epic moments as well as moments Tildesley, and costume often up to
of calm and peace too, says Dod Mantle. Depending designer Julian Day, Splish splash seven even
on the situation, the cameras were mounted on to eradicate colours Peter Zuccarini and an underwater
crew in the open
Technocranes, handheld on the deck, or mounted on and create a historical sea at La Gomera camera at
dollies. After spending two days operating myself, on the richness and vicious the same time.
Essex gimbal, with thousands of gallons of water being texture that would embody the In addition to
dumped on me and Chris (Hemsworth), I know how manliness of the situation and the perils of life at sea. the video village
Turner must have felt when his strapped himself to the Youll notice the colour arc change across the and the director, we transmitted these images back to
mast. I never threw up, but had a vertiginous, fluid-filled movie. As the crew leave the cold Nantucket coast, Anthonys handheld monitor. This was crucial in order for
feeling in my ears and head for a few days afterwards. old fashioned lavender blues give way to more grungy, him to quickly set camera positions whilst out at sea.
When it came to controlling the light and the brutal blues and yellows in the stormy whaling fields. As Dod Mantle speaks highly of his crew on the
aesthetics of the sea scenes, Dod Mantle describes they move into the Pacific, and particularly during their movie, remarking, theyre all bloody-good, of old-school
is approach as, pretty fascistic. I hate the clear, crisp plight for survival, the images become hotter and drier, movie-standing. It was my first teaming with Sarah
distinction between pale blue sky and deep blue sea you with acrid yellow and rustiness playing-up the Bradshaw (executive producer) and Simone Goodridge
get in many movies its too pictorial, romantic and not weather-beaten skin and rotting boats. (unit production manager), who do a lot of American-
psychologically evocative. To present the world of the financed movies in the UK, and it was good to get to
I worked with the art direction and VFX whale, Dod Mantle encouraged know them. My gaffer was Thomas Neivelt, who I take
teams on how we could make the skies and sea Howard to adopt an underwater almost everywhere, and who sees me more than my wife
meet, and even referred them to Delacroix perspective as well as the does, as does Telfer Barnes my first AC. John Watters
and Turner. Carey Duffy at Tiffen found standard aerial approach. proved very able as second AC, and Alastair Rae shot
some ancient graduation filters, that He recruited underwater great B-camera and Steadicam. We were blessed with
are no longer made, that would pull cinematographer Peter the talents of aristocratic key grip Rupert Lloyd-Parry,
down the sky by 5 or 8 stops, and Zuccarini, calling him the and had a lovely set of sparks led by David Sinfield, with
are much softer than modern best in the world, who Ian Sinfield the best boy. The underwater gaffer Aaron
filters. Adding an ND3 or gave me all the angles Keating worked very hard for us, and Michael Wood,
ND6 on top, I could get and vignettes I wanted. second unit DP, who did a lot of the underwater set
to 12 stops down, and The crew also sinking scenes, is getting better all the time.
then redeem a face included DIT Dan Dod Mantle conducted the DI at Technicolor with
from the background Carling, a trusted Jean Clement. Although I forged the look of the movie
with some direct digital collaborator on-set, you have to be an idiot not to appreciate the
illumination, that I on many movies, privilege and beauty of the DI. As a cinematic artist you
knew I could also who devised a have the ability to cure, maintain and improve your look, and
enhance later in system whereby Dod show the director how their film can get even better. Along
the grade. Mantle could maintain with the grading, I must have done 350 around digital
Defining control despite the moves, especially on the embedded cameras, to bring life
and executing thorny logistics. to those images too.
the colour palette Anthony Looking back, I have to say that In The Heart Of
for each movie wanted the ability The Sea is one of my favourite films to have worked
he works on is to see all the live on, he concludes. The 15-minute sequence as the
always a vital camera feeds, so Essex gradually goes down, at a terrible angle in a sea
consideration for he could give of fire and brimstone, shot across different tanks and at
Dod Mantle, and direction where different times, is an orgy of capabilities and capacities.
In The Heart Of appropriate, Its one of my favourite scenes to have shot.
The Sea was no whilst operating
exception. A-camera Interview and article by Ron Prince

54 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 CLOSE-UP / NEVILLE KIDD / CHILDHOODS END
SPACE
ODYSSEY
T
he rich city of Melbourne and its surrounding
landscapes provide the backdrop for Childhoods
End, a cautionary science fiction mini-series
on the Syfy Universal channel. The three-part
show is set in the near future, when mankind finally has
the resources and technology to fly to and inhabit other
planets. Soon, aliens arrive to contain them. The way the
human race has managed its world with war and famine
and various other atrocities is not tolerated by other
races. In huge spacecrafts, an alien race towers over the
Earth in an attempt to prevent its inhabitants from leaving.
Based on Arthur C. Clarkes 1950s novel of the
same name, Syfy Universal enlisted a top-notch team
to create the series. The line-up included director Nick
Hurran and cinematographer Neville Kidd, whose previous
collaborations include Doctor Who and Sherlock.
Ive always been fascinated by the sci-fi genre,
Kidd says. One of my favourite films is Alien as it has a
very specific look. Any world I create, I try to make as real
as possible, he asserts, while
commenting on the realism of
Alien and his desire to channel
that into Childhoods End.
This visual aesthetic
became evident during Kidds
early days as a cinematographer.
After graduating from Napiers
Film School in Edinburgh in
1989, Kidd landed a job with
BBC Scotland. He shot news
pieces and documentaries before
gradually moving to commercials,
short films and eventually long-
form drama.
In approaching Childhoods
End, Kidd and Hurran went
through the script together in
detail before talking about the
look and the feel they wanted. For the duo, they wanted
everything to feel as if it really could happen.
And thats a challenge, Kidd says. The story
involves alien invasion and 12-foot devils. Its quite way-
out-there. I think we were trying to break down the grand
scale of the story and make it more believable.
One of the many ways Kidd went about achieving the
look was to give the production a kind of hand-held feel.
Though the camerawork is kept quite loose, often hand-held
or shot on Steadicam, the challenge for Kidd was to make
the camera work invisible. It was an exercise in subtlety.
One of the main things I wanted to put across in
Childhoods End was the composition, Kidd says. In the
series, theres fear and paranoia as the aliens sit above
the human race. I wanted to make that paranoia about
the aliens come through via the composition. So I made
everything quite toppy leaving a lot of empty space
in the upper part of the screen which makes it quite
uncomfortable to look at. My main direction to the camera
operators was to explore the oddness of the framing.
56 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Kidd says the seamless integration of studio-shot
sequences and real locations proved to be the most
challenging. A farm setting just outside Melbourne is
where most of the action takes place at the start of the
story, whilst most of the spacecraft action was shot in the
studio. The integration of these locations was essential
to keep in with Hurran and Kidds vision of the audience
needing to believe this could actually be taking place.
He describes the sequence where characters in
the farmhouse travel through the space pod to the main
spacecraft. What I tried to do was make it feel like one
shot but its not. The world in the main space craft is
quite different to the pod. This section of the series has
an almost retro look.
He achieved these sequences though live lighting
changes to highlight each environment, which proved a
meticulous challenge for both himself and the operators.
When youre using a lot of moving lights, Kidd reflects,
you can be
one degree off
making it look realistic
and really fail.
All the cues Neville Kidd
needed to be bang-on
with attention paid
to the workings of the various moving
lights being used. The HMIs with LEDs and fluorescent
lights all had a bit of lag when turning on, which needed to
be taken into account. It took several attempts to line up
all the cues so they were correct.
Its a good challenge for all departments, Kidd
says. Im quite proud of the final sequences. When
nobody notices youre in a studio and then you go outside
into the real world and then you go into a spaceship, its
a blast. All these connections and all these worlds joining
togetherand it never jumps, youre not popping out of
the story. When its seamless, thats the most satisfying
thing for me as cinematographer.
Childhoods End was shot on two Alexa XT Plus
cameras and an ARRI Amira documentary-style camera.
The main quality for me is colour. Which camera shows
real colour, and which camera shows the best cinematic
latitude, are the most important factors when choosing a
camera, he says.
Kidd found the Alexa to be just what he was
after, and the Amira being smaller worked well on the
Steadicam. Of course, the great film vs. digital debate
was brought up. Having not shot on film since his days
spent lensing commercials, Kidds choice to shoot on film
or digital came down to cost and budget. Digital does
everything you need. The quality of the Alexa is so good,
youre merely achieving what film achieves.
Since much of the look of Childhoods End is from
the perspective of spacecrafts looking down on Earth, Kidd
employed drones for aerial POV shots. He spent a long time
on the drone work, deciding to interview all the different
drone companies and to check them out for the series.
Drone companies are bit like the Wild West;
theres so many of them, he jokes. The drones were
sourced from a company in Tasmania and Kidd was
impressed by the quality of their work. The
results look fantastic. They really
add to the film in a big way.
Kidd also discussed working
Down Under with an local crew.
Youre always kind of wary coming
into any country you dont know
the crews and working practices
it might take longer to build a
relationship. But my Australian crew
was fantastic, he says. I simply
loved filming in Australia.
Kidd says it didnt take long for
him to settle in, and he worked closely
with gaffer Adam Hunter and key grip
Luke Stone. He was impressed with
their input as they came up with ideas
and moved things along.
The big thing is time, Kidd
says. Time was always against us. Id
say to Luke Im aware we dont have
time get a crane in. Luke would say, I
can do it. Well bring it in, well get the
shot done in 10 minutes. Id tell him I
dont want to put that kind of pressure
on you and he would do it every time. I was blown away
with how they pushed themselves to help the production.
Kidds cinematographic mind couldnt help but
muse on one particular aspect of Australia, The quality
of the light there is amazing. The minute I arrived in
Melbourne, theres a very sharp light that you can see
forever. It was fascinating from my point of view to take
on that quality of light. Its significantly different to what
its like in the U.K. Australian light really bites. And that
really worked for Childhoods End.
Article by Jeremy Span, with editing by Ron Prince, and
is courtesy of Australian Cinematographer Magazine.
CAMERA CREATIVE / EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC /THE REVENANT

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British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 57

 CAMERA CREATIVE / EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC /THE REVENANT
>> Ron Prince caught up with Chivo to discover more
about the movie described by the critics as the
consummate cinematic experience, where painful cold
of the survivalist ordeal has catapulted The Revenant as
one of the hottest contenders during Awards season.
How and why did you get involved with the
production of The Revenant?
EL: I was invited to shoot the movie by Alejandro,
before we did Birdman together, in 2013. His DP
Rodrigo Prieto AMC ASC was not available, and so I
got the call. I am a great admirer of their work, and was
hugely excited. I liked it that Alejandro had made the
story so much more complex than a straight revenge
movie, and that its also a story about survival. I had
never done this type of adventure movie before, and
I like very much productions that follow the journey
of a character, such as Werner Herzogs Aguirre, Wrath
Of God (1972, DP Thomas Mauch). Also, as I am
approaching middle age, I thought this might be my last
chance to shoot out in the wild, facing the challenges
of nature and the elements with a cast and crew.
The Revenant images courtesy
Twentieth Century Fox.
Behind the scenes images
by Kimberley French.
58 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki AMC ASC
What were your very first creative discussions with
Alejandro the director?
EL: The Revenant is a story about trappers, pioneers
in a huge, harsh landscape. We both wanted to make
it in the wild, with no stages or bluescreen, no Burbank
methodology. We wanted a strong, visceral, immersive
and naturalistic experience for the audience not just to
follow the journey of the central character, but to make
it feel as if it was actually happening in front of their
eyes. We wanted the audience to feel the sheer cold,
to see the breath of the actors on the lens,
and experience the powerful emotions in
the story. We were also determined
to shoot the movie in order of the
story, which we did.
What creative references
did you research?
EL: For the last five
or six productions I
have shot, I have
not watched
any movies as
references. I
find that if
you want to create an original look and feel, you need to get
deep into the world of your own movie and keep focused
on that. So, rather than research, we did a lot of scouting
and walking. Watching the light, the weather conditions and
the moods at our locations was far more important than
watching other movies. Actually, music was a much more
important reference and way for us to communicate.
Cinematographers sometime cite music as an inspiration.
Tell us about its effects and influence on you?
EL: During prep and pre-production Alejandro and I used
music to imagine the visual atmospheres and
emotional tempos of the movie we wanted to
create. We listened to all sorts classical,
pop, jazz, Mexican and Cuban music Bach,
John Coltrane, Tom Waits, Pink Floyd, Led
Zeppelin but the most important music
that prevailed was that of the American
composer John Luther Adams. His work
is inspired by nature, especially the
landscapes of places such as Alaska.
It is very atmospheric, like going
on a journey, and is very close the
spirit we wanted to express in our
visuals. We listened a lot to his
music during the hours, days
and weeks that we were on
recces in the cold.
WE WANTED A STRONG, VISCERAL, IMMERSIVE AND NATURALISTIC
EXPERIENCE FOR THE AUDIENCE NOT JUST TO FOLLOW THE JOURNEY OF
THE CENTRAL CHARACTER, BUT TO MAKE IT FEEL AS IF IT WAS ACTUALLY
HAPPENING IN FRONT OF THEIR EYES. EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC
How did you decide on shooting between film vs digital?
EL: Alejandro loves film as I do, and were comfortable
with filmic tools and processes. Film has a greater dynamic
range than digital that can capture the brightest of
highlights, such as the sun, and details in deep shadows
all in the same frame. The thing that I dont like about
film, and have never liked, is grain. Some people call it
texture, but for me, when you start seeing grain the movie
becomes a representation. Its almost like putting a veil
between you and the subject. I expect to be criticised
by other cinematographers, but thats my view. What I
like about good digital cameras is that they have decent
dynamic range and do not have noise theres no grain.
After shooting lots of tests in California, we
decided to shoot film for the daytime sequences and
digital at dusk and a night. But when we moved in
October 2014 to Canada, which is much further north,
where the sun is closer to the horizon, and there are
longer periods of dark, the film was not looking the way
we wanted at all. The digital cameras ARRI Alexa M and
XTs were outperforming the film cameras by a wide
margin. With the digital cameras, we discovered there was
a mystery and intrigue, in tone and mood, to images shot
at different times of day, that just did not appear on film.
The grain was a big, big issue too. So it was with some
pain and regret that we sent all of the film equipment back
to Los Angeles and went completely digital.
However, at the same time, ARRI called me to tell
me that the Alexa 65 was ready. From the very moment
I got it, I was sure I wanted only to use digital cameras,
and to use the Alexa 65 as much as possible on the
movie. The images had the immersive and experiential
qualities we had imagined at the very start. Not a
representation of the story, but reality as if you are
there, looking through a clean window.
How much did you use the Alexa 65 and for which shots?
EL: I dont know the precise proportions, but I would
estimate that we used the Alexa 65 about 40% of
the time. We mainly shot with a 24mm lens. At the
beginning I imagined that I would only use it for
landscapes. It is much heavier than the Alexa M so
it was not suitable for handheld. In low light I had to
switch to the Alexa XT. But little-by-little, every time I
was able to use it on a crane, dolly or a stand, I made
sure I did. We did some Steadicam with it too. The
reason is that the Alexa 65 is first time I have felt a
camera and lens could capture what I was seeing, what
I was feeling. Before the Alexa 65 there was always
some compromise that were only shooting part of
what you wanted but this gives you everything. >>
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 59
 CAMERA CREATIVE / EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC /THE REVENANT

>> How did you decide on the movies aspect ratio and lenses?
EL: Alejandro loves to rehearse, especially the most
complex parts. Instead of storyboards and previs, he
likes to bring together props, extras, stunt people,
horses and wardrobe and we work on the visual
language of the movie while testing lenses and
cameras and format. We ended up choosing 2.40:1
with wide spherical lenses, as it was the most immersive
format. We tried Anamorphic lenses, but they have less
depth-of-field, and you cannot get that close to the
characters. I did not want to have blurred backgrounds.
Shooting spherical allowed me to frame the characters
in their context but you can still make out the rest of
the environment. We shot at a minimum of T5.6 so the light and what happening. Alejandro likes the camera
images have lots of depth-of-field, and are composed to look slightly accidental, as if you have maybe missed
with lines of perspective giving a dynamic look. We got something, or your arrive slightly late it gives the
extremely close-up. I sometimes was no more that a

WITH THE DIGITAL CAMERAS, WE

few inches from Leo with the camera, with my hands
resting on his shoulders.
We shot with Master Primes, mainly 12, 14 and

DISCOVERED THERE WAS A MYSTERY

18mm, and also with the Leica Summilux 14, 16 and
18mms, as they are much lighter and great for handheld.
Dan Sasaki at Panavision in LA made a 14.5mm Primo

AND INTRIGUE, IN TONE AND MOOD,

specially for the production that I used on a bunch of
shots. I didnt use diffusion, and have not used it for
years, as I just do not like it. I prefer to capture as clean

TO IMAGES SHOT AT DIFFERENT

and crisp as possible on the day and then make change
afterwards in the DI.
You can shoot in the snow but not feel the real
cold of the climate. The combination of these lenses

TIMES OF DAY, THAT JUST DID NOT

on the ARRI Alexa cameras, and the proximity were
ware able to achieve to the actors helped to give the
experience of piercing cold you can see frozen hands,

APPEAR ON FILM. EMMANUEL LUBEZKI AMC ASC

and the condensation of the breath.

What was you strategy for moving the camera?

EL: It very much depended on the scene and the
emotion of what was happening at that moment. We
generally knew what we wanted to do during our testing
and rehearsal phase, but there was still an element of
improvisation. We wanted to be in-tune with
the characters and the
audience a feeling of the suddenness of events. Its very camera, move freely and get close to the actors. Scott
different to the style in a Terry Malick movie, where the Sakamoto used the Alexa XT on the Steadicam.
camera is more lyrical, conscious and descriptive. To
outline what I wanted and the reasoning How about you lighting strategy and colour palette?
on The Revenant EL: We used natural light for vast majority of the movie, and
I moved camera the colour palette was determined by the time of day at each
handheld for location. At 1pm in bright sunshine there would not be anything
almost every shot of any interest in terms of atmosphere, but at 4.30pm, when
then we went from the sun disappeared behind a mountain, the same location
there perhaps a would then look mysterious the light was bluer and colder,
third of the movie the leaves would lose their colour, moss would turn from
was Steadicam/ yellow to green, the trees would become darkened, and
handheld, and the whole environment had a sense of terror or fear.
rest on a As we were using natural light, it was important to
crane or dolly. have wardrobe that was homogenic and not lighter in tone
This movie than an actors face, and working with Jacqui West, the
was shot before the costume designer, was of vital importance.
invention of the Alexa Regarding the lighting, there were two incidents that
Mini. As I operate and I have never encountered before. We were shoot around a
do so much handheld, campfire at night and I wanted to use the natural flicker of
the best camera for me the firelight as illumination. However, the wind was so strong
at the time was the a that the light became too distracting. So I created a cushion
Alexa M. I could hold of constant light on a dimmer and then let the fire flicker as
the lighter part of the normal in the wind. The second was more bizarre. Again we

60 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

 Director Alejandro
Leonardo DiCapr G. Irritu with
io and Chivo

The Dolby Laser is one of the most beautiful things I have

ever seen, and its the first time that DPs can project black.
Until now most projection systems have rendered dark and
black as a mushy guacamole of greys, but now you have
ten more tones to work with and its beautiful. If this system
proliferates, I expect well see a big change in the way DPs
light and shoot.

What thoughts do you want to share about your crew?

EL: Because of the journey involved in the making of this
movie, the strong connections that you need with your
crew were more important than any other production I have
ever shot. I was very lucky to have not just technicians, but
incredible artistic collaborators at the top of their game
around me. I valued the sincere feedback of my key grip
Ray Garcia, especially on long takes about the tempo
of my camera moves. My camera assistant John
Conner was miraculous in pulling focus with no
marks, and in having the innate rhythm to pull
focus with actors and crew often moving
wildly around. Same thing with Scott
Sakamoto on Steadicam with his rhythm,
composition and understanding of what
I wanted to achieve. One of the best
keep secrets is Ryan Monro, the dolly grip
who can operate the telescopic crane arm
and the crane move in balletic style all by
were shooting at night around a campfire, but a strange was a complex DI in that respect, but I himself, where normally it would take
light kept appearing on the actors faces and destroying the love this collaborative part of the two people. I also want to give a
shots. I asked over the intercom for the offending light to be cinematographic process. special shout out to our DIT
switched off completely, only to realise it was the full moon We had to create Arthur To, whos ability
coming out from behind the clouds, and the digital cameras four different deliverables to operate the iris, was
were picking up on the effect. We had to build a 40ft x 30ft a normal DCP, a indispensible in the ever-
wall behind the camera to block out the moonlight. DCP for Dolby Laser changing natural lighting
As we were in a place without urban light Projection, normal conditions we faced.
contamination, sometimes we used the silvery light of IMAX and IMAX A lot of the time
the moon, and you will see stars in the movie. One night, Laser and the cinematographer
we also captured the green shaft of light of an aurora I spent takes the credits, but
borealis. It its one of the most mysterious, moving and around without any of these
beautiful things I have ever shot. eight guys, and their teams,
weeks as collaborators, The
What can you tell us about the DI? doing Revenant would not
EL: I did the DI with Steve Scott at Technicolor. I have these be the same, or
worked with him over many years on many different different nearly as good as
projects such as Children Of Men (2006) and Gravity DIs. it has turned out
(2013). The great thing about Steve is his background in to be, and I am
art. He has a unique knowledge of light as, before moving hugely thankful
into composting then the grading, he was a very great to them.
painter. Because we shot with natural light and had little
control on-set, I knew exactly what I wanted to do in the
DI to darken backgrounds, lighten a face, change a sky. It

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 61

 CLOSE-UP / REMI ADEFARASIN OBE BSC / PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES

MONSTER MASH

Pride And Prejudice And

A
mysterious plague blights 19th century What appealed to you aboutPride And Prejudice
England, and the land is overrun with And Zombies?
Zombies is Lionsgates troublesome undead. The feisty heroine
Elizabeth Bennet, played by Lily James, is a
RA: I havent made a version of Jane Austens Pride And
Prejudice and would worry about doing the 1813 novel
hotly-anticipated master of martial arts and weaponry. Uniting with Mr
Darcy, played by Sam Riley, they aim to rid the English
one more time. This film holds tightly to her story and
stays period, yet the characters are living in an England
romantic-comedy- countryside of the deadly nuisance, and in doing so just
might discover true love. Ron Prince caught up with
that has been infested with the undead for a very long
time. There are obviously twists and turns that reveal the
horror movie, based on cinematographer Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC to discover
more about the production and his creative work.
freshness of the classic novel.

Seth Grahame-Smiths How did you get involved with the production ofPride
When you first discussed the look ofthe movie with
the director, how did you envisage the film?
2009 novel of the same And Prejudice And Zombies?
RA: Sue Baden-Powell, the executive producer, who I
RA: Burr knew straight away that it shouldnt be a
spoof. Characters would never nod to the audience. For
name, but written worked with previously on Cemetery Junction (2010),
was looking for a collaborative cinematographer who
the characters it was really happening. When we got
together in pre-production we both agreed we didnt
for the screen and could work with the director Burr Steers. Its always
best to meet in person if at all possible, but Burr was
want a bland look, yet we didnt want to push it too far
either. We wanted to create a world you could believe
directed by Burr Steers. in LA. So Sue set up a Skype call and we got on very
well. Burr, who also wrote the script, preferred to
in, yet push the imagery just that little bit further. We
agreed that it shouldnt have a faux desaturated look, and
The story mashes-up leave decisions about how to shoot scenes to the
cinematographer. Anthony Minghella was the same
we didnt want to heighten the saturation either.

Jane Austens classic when we did Truly Madly Deeply (1990). I very much
prefer this to directors who like to prove that they
1813 novel Pride And know everything and can lead the unit up a blind alley.
What research did you do? What creative references
did you look at?
RA: I make it a point not to look at any film that is about

Prejudice with elements

Burr concentrated on the story and the performances. the subject Im about to work on. So, I didnt look at any
versions of Pride And Prejudice, nor any zombie movies. Its

of zombie fiction.
all too easy to watch DVDs around the subject and
you end up with a film that is a copy
of someone elses vision, often itself
borrowed from an older source. Its
best to shut your eyes and dream-
Remi takes a
light reading

62 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

TO FOCUS ON THE LOOK FOR THIS MOVIE I CENTRED ON THE WORK OF PAINTER JOHN
WHITE ALEXANDER. HIS USE OF LIGHT IS BOTH NATURAL YET MAGICAL. REMI ADEFARASIN OBE BSC
up your own world. To focus on the look for this movie I
centred on the work of painter John White Alexander. His
use of light is both natural yet magical. I was also inspired
by John Atkinson Grimshaw, another amazing painter.
Was there a film vs digital debate? How did you decide
on the origination format?
RA: Because of the amount of VFX work, with around 420
VFX shots, and the overnight production of VFX show-
and-tell temps, it was clearly favourite to shoot digital. I
love film as it is so flexible and always looks good. With
digital mediums you have to work harder to give the film
an interesting look. Often digital movies are ruined by
going too far with the look. With digital work I feel that the
backlight has to be minimal, same with accent lighting. I
also have this method of using a very, very fine dark brown
net that I stretch over the lens (with an ARRI-made holder).
I shape a custom hole in this fabric and the effect is to
cause a softening and diffusion to the edges of the image.
Tell us your creative and practical reasoning behind
your choice of cameras, lenses, lights and grip?
RA: We decided the best aspect ratio would be 2.39:1
and to shoot open gate on ARRI Alexa cameras. Alexas
are friendly and reliable with an impeccable sensor. We
used Cooke S4 primes with Optimo 24-290mm zooms.
We also had two Alura Zooms, 15.5-48mm and 30-80mm.
We shot 2.39:1, open gate, to get a larger image area and
also more height top and bottom to allow VFX to steal bits
of tree/wall etc. Sometimes they need to clone a bit of an
image to cover up mechanical aids to the settings. Also,
although we didnt need it, they could use the extra frame
area to stabilise the image. Ive had a very long relationship
with ARRI Rentals and asked to use them as supplier. They
keenly support every requirement and are happy to make
adjustments or customise equipment if needed.
My gaffer, Jimmy Wilson, has a good relationship
with Panalux. We used conventional heads, but made
great use of LED technology, which is leaping ahead.
My philosophy is that fewer lamps can produce a
greater image not under lighting but not getting
multiple shadows by having too many heads with
conflicting angles. It can so easily look fake, even
on a zombie movie.
What was your approach to the camera movement?
RA: We used a more classic approach to the
cinematography regular dolly moves and some
Steadicam shots. My
A-camera operator Julian
Morson is also a fluent
Steadicam operator.
We didnt use much
handheld, but when
we did it was for a
reason and we didnt
give it the extra
twitch, which drives
me mad when done
without reason.
And was your approach to the lighting?
And what lights did you use?
RA: Heightened realism was the intention. Neither
bland flat light nor downward pointing pars. I aimed for
images that were striking yet believable. This wasnt a red
and green gel film in the Hammer style. We used LEDs
more than normal to bury lights in unusual positions to
add just a sheen or a glimmer in hard-to-get-at places.
For example, in the crypt of the church there were
many zombies. Since this was a real location it was
tricky to light, so the LEDs small profile allowed them
to be buried amongst the actors. Some larger interiors
benefitted from small LED kicks. I have to admit that the
colour reproduction of LEDs is always slightly skewed,
so I avoid them on shots of leading actors faces. There
have been a few space movies recently that use LEDs
extensively in the spacecraft, and I often think the skin-
tones of the cast could look a lot better.
How much time did you have for prep/pre-production?
Where were the locations?
RA: My first Skype call with Burr was on 23rd July 2014.
I met with my A-camera operator on 1st August, and the
shoot began on 24th October. I had twenty days prep,
but these were non-consecutive, so it was a lot longer
really. I had a good rapport with designer David Warren
and was able to travel to help select our locations. We
shot five-day weeks on continuous days and could have
stayed at that pace for many more months. The shoot
was only 43 days, which was tight considering the scale
of the film. We always had two cameras and I operated
the B-camera.
We only used a studio on the final day for a
few hours. The whole film was shot on locations that
were very precious including West Wycombe House,
Hatfield House, Syon House and Basildon Park so
all teams had to take extra care not to damage
priceless objects. The rigging of lights was very
limited in most locations.
What were your main concerns
during the shoot?
RA: My main concern was that each day
we had a bit too much to shoot, yet we
hoped for a high standard and didnt
want to let ourselves down.
We were shooting at
the end of the year
when the light
was beautiful
but didnt
hang around
for long.
Who were your crew?
RA: The camera crew were brilliant. Julian Morson was
my A-camera and Steadicam operator, and Alan Stewart
the second unit DP. Jimmy Wilson was my gaffer, with
John Arnold our key grip, who was ably supported by
Charlie Wall. My B-camera first and second assistants
were Leigh Gold and James Perry. Our camera trainee
was Katy Ruffy. The DIT was Joshua Callis Smith. My son,
Ren, was 1st AC, with my other son Ben the 2nd AC.
Ren first worked with me on The Hollow Reed (1995)
after studying filmmaking. John followed, and then Ben.
Its a good relationship and, like the rest of our team, few
words are needed in either direction to convey thoughts.
What part does risk-taking play in your work, if any?
RA: With beautiful film, every shot is a little risk. With
experience you know pretty much what you will get
when printed. To get bolder, braver images you have to
trust your experience, your eye and your meter. In the
digital world the result is shoved right under your nose.
Is that too bright? Should we be tighter? Is that too
dark? The imagemaker can become part of a committee
and not the leader. Sometimes more energy is spent
defending the vision than creating it. If we had all the
time we would like, there would only be one camera.
Coverage would be limited and we would never take
extra shots just in case they might be needed. In the real
world you often find you have to use two cameras, just
to get the day done! I like operating the B-camera as the
A-camera gets the main vital shot and the B picks up
more dangerous bonus images. If I operate the B-camera
I know how far I dare go without spoiling the film.
Were there any happy accidents,
unexpected things that worked
out well?
RA: The cast were mostly
very young and came with a
fresh talent and knowledge of
filmmaking. They all worked very
hard and without fuss or complaint.
How did this movie challenge
you/push your skills?
RA: With a tight schedule
and limited daylight
hours during the
winter shoot, you had
to know where you
were heading. There
just wasnt time to
change your mind.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 63
 CLOSE-UP / ROBERT RICHARDSON ASC / THE HATEFUL EIGHT
T
he Hateful Eight is the taut and talkative
American Western mystery movie, written
and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The $44m,
Weinstein Company production, stars Samuel
L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton
Goggins, Demin Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and
Bruce Dern as eight strangers who seek
shelter from a blizzard in a stagecoach
stopover some time after the American
Civil War. With a score composed by
Ennio Morricone, the absorbing action,
in typical Tarantino fashion, packs in
plenty of twists and turns, writes Ron
Prince. In charge of lensing the movie
was Robert Richardson ASC, Tarantinos
preferred cinematographer since Kill
Bill: Vol.1 (2003). The duo teamed up
for Kill Bill: Vol.2 (2004), Django Unchained
(2009) and Inglourious Basterds (2012).
However, their creative collaboration reached
new heights on The Hateful Eight, as Tarantino
insisted the movie was shot in super-wide Ultra
Panavision 70, released in extended 70mm Roadshow
print versions as well as the standard multiplex format,
with a traditional, photochemically colour-timed finish on
the Roadshow versions thrown in for good measure.
Historically, Ultra Panavision 70 movie releases
have included Ben-Hur (1959, DP Robert Surtees ASC),
Mutiny On The Bounty (1962, DP Robert Surtees), Its A
Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963, DP Ernest Laszlo), The
Fall Of The Roman Empire (1964, DP Robert Kasker BSC),
The Greatest Story Ever Told (1964, DPs Loyal Griggs/
William C Mellor) and The Battle of the Bulge (1965 DP
Jack Hildyard BSC), with Khartoum (1966, DP Edward
Scaife) being the last time the lenses saw the light of day.
Quentin called and asked me to join him for
dinner at his house to discuss his upcoming film, recalls
Richardson. I joined him in the early evening and Quentin
64 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
immediately launched into his desire not only to shoot
The Hateful Eight, but also to shoot it in 65mm. There
was no digital debate at all. It was to be shot in 65mm
and released on 70mm. Period.He wanted to present
The Hateful Eight as a Roadshow that would bring the
audience into an experience unlike anything they would
have had in many a year. Then he handed me the script,
took me to his office where he said, Read it and when you
finish we will talk. With that he closed the door.
Richardson notes: Everything about the script
appealed to me. Quentin is a unique voice in the history of
cinema and his writing skills were on full display. However,
he had given me a script that did not have the ending. So I
was left in suspense. He told me that when we got closer
to production he would provide the final pages. With that
we sat down to a steak dinner and a shot of tequila.
In terms of creative references, Richardson says
the primary film that Tarantino included in his thinking was
John Carpenters The Thing (1982, DP Dean Cundey ASC).
The similarities are essentially the setting, with a group
of individuals trapped in a building during a storm, says
Richardson. Beyond that we did not speak of specific
references. The Hateful Eight is its own movie. I try not to dive
back into other films for inspiration. I believe each to be its
own canvas and I hope to make an original investigation.
Having digested the script, and imbibed Tarantinos
suggestions, Richardson says the scale, power, clarity and
logistics of 65mm became the chief considerations.
I had shot on 65mm once prior, for Shutter Island
(2010, dir. Martin Scorsese), although it had proven
difficult, due to the extreme cold weather affecting the
performance of the cameras, Richardson remarks. For
The Hateful Eight, landscapes on their own were necessary,
but we discussed primarily the interiors the cabin, barn
and stagecoach and how we would capture the human
face as a landscape? How to keep the audience engaged
while trapped? And, for Quentin, the importance of the
storm as a character that builds in intensity was vital.
 Knowing that hed be using the Ultra Panavision
70 camera system and associated lenses, the aspect ratio
of 2.76:1 was a given. The entire accident of finding
the Ultra Panavision lenses was a blessing of good
fortune. They date back to Ben Hur and are astoundingly
gorgeous in my opinion, he says. 2.76:1 is the widest
aspect ratio I have ever photographed a film with. The
primary issue of shooting a frame so wide was that
interiors were vastly more difficult to light since a large
portion of the room was visible particularly true when
movement was added to a shot.
Filming began on December 8,
2014 on the 900-acre, high-mesa Schmid
Ranch near Telluride, Colorado, where
approximately half of the film was shot,
before the production moved to Red
Studios in Hollywood. Richardson had ten
consecutive weeks of pre-production, and
says the average shooting day was close
to 14 hours, but these proved extremely
rigorous during the location shoots due to
the cold working conditions.
The Hateful Eight was shot using
65mm Kodak Vision3 50D 5203, 250D
5207, 200T 5213 and 500T 5219 stocks.
Richardson pushed the film in most
cases by half a stop, and this increased
to one-stop on the odd occasion to aid
focus. Fotokem did the film processing
and printing of all
dailies. Dailies were
shown on 70mm
to the director and
crew each night
when possible.
Getting the
lenses ready for
the production
saw Richardson
collaborate with
Panavisions lens
guru, Dan Sasaki.
Panavision as a
company were
phenomenal in their
dedication to the
project, and Dan
Sasaki is brilliant,
Richardson says. He
allowed us to take
lenses that had not
seen light in nearly 50
years and use them on
challenging locations in Telluride. He worked very closely
with Gregor Tavenner, my first assistant, in bringing
these beautiful vintage lenses up to the present day.
We had a fair range of lenses from 35mm to 200mm.
My favourites were a 57mm and a 102mm, both prism
lenses. Dan continually tuned the lenses some to allow
closer focus, some to give greater clarity to landscapes
and infinity.
Although the Ultra Panavision 70 camera and lens
combination is a sizeable, heavyweight lump, Richardson
says in no way did it limit or govern his camera movement
choices, which were achieved either on a dolly or crane.
He says the bigger issues he faced were the cold weather
and lighting the super wide frame.
We were using lenses that had not been in
circulation for decades. So we were learning as we went
along what the issues within the lenses were whether
it was sharpness, or the type of flares that became
evident in certain conditions. The 65mm cameras were
prepared for extreme cold by Gregor and the team of
professionals at Panavision. In the end we had very few
issues with the cameras and the lenses proved to be
stunning. When we saw Sam Jackson, or anyone, in a
close-up, the lenses aided the skin. Its remarkable. We
never used diffusion. The only filters we ever did were
outside and the results were stunning.
Robert Richardson ASC
THERE WAS NO DIGITAL DEBATE AT ALL. IT WAS TO
BE SHOT IN 65MM AND RELEASED ON 70MM. PERIOD.
HE WANTED TO PRESENT THE HATEFUL EIGHT AS A
ROADSHOW THAT WOULD BRING THE AUDIENCE
INTO AN EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANYTHING THEY WOULD
HAVE HAD IN MANY A YEAR. ROBERT RICHARDSON ASC
The other chief difficulties were in where to place the
lighting. Walls could not be removed. So our lighting had
to work from above or, when the shots allowed, had to
sit on the floor. The average lens aperture was T4. I had
an incredible crew with Ian Kincaid on lighting and Herb
Ault, my key grip. They were instrumental in allowing us
to capture what you see on film. Our lights were quite
varied. We had mini-brutes. We had LEDs. We used light
bulbs as well as Par cans.
Describing how he works on-set with Tarantino,
Richardson says, There is no video village on a Quentin
film. There is no video at all beyond a small
monitor placed on the camera.
He rarely leaves the set,
even between set-ups, and
is always beside the camera
when directing. He is on fire
as a director and tremendously
devoted to his art. Working
beside Quentin is a gift. I am
most proud of capturing the
performances by this incredible
cast of actors. And perhaps I am
happiest when the work I
did pleased Quentin. I love
this collaboration and am deeply
proud of what Quentin created.
The Roadshow releases
for The Hateful Eight, projected
in around 100 cinemas across
the US, were processed through
Fotokem, with the DI for
D-Cinema done via The Shed in
Santa Monica with Yvan Lucas.
The DI was not
instrumental in the released
70mm Roadshow in any way,
Richardson stresses. Quentin
demanded that we work in a completely old-school
chemical manner. To go back in time, prior to the
common use of the DI, was the greatest challenge
for me. I continually worked through my daily fears
of whether I was achieving a strong-enough
exposure with quality.
He notes: The DI that produced the DCP is
close to an exact duplicate of the released 70mm film.
That was a request from Quentin which I honoured.
As Yvan had also assisted in the grading of the final
film, it allowed the DI to be achieved very rapidly.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 65
F-STOP POLAND / CAMERIMAGE 2015 DIARY / BY RON PRINCE

ITS A KIND OF
MAGIC
CAMERIMAGE 2015
Monday 16th November:
Were taking the early flight, at some ungodly hour, from
Stansted to Bydgoszcz for our tenth Camerimage. The
airports cavernous duty free area, with its irrevocable
IKEA-style path that brazenly snakes between gaudy
The cat in the hat Ed Lachman ASC makes his
acceptance speech for the 2015 Golden Frog,
as (l-r) John Toll ASC, Chris Menges, Ellen Kuras
ASC and John de Borman BSC listen intently.
Photo by Pawel Skraba.

from K5600, Panaluxs Amber Skinner-Jozefson, plus Ben

and Piers at Codex. Adrian Bull of Cinelabs is here with
John Mahtani, Aarti Mahtani and Roger Harlow, to extol
the virtues of shooting on film. They make a compelling
financial case, based around the careful management of
MAIN COMPETITION WINNERS displays offering overly-sweet perfumes and over-sized
bags of chocolates, has overtaken Ryanair in the annual
shooting ratios, for celluloid to stack-up extremely cost
effectively versus the binary alternative. All this, and its
torment stakes. Morning chinwags with Oona Menges, barely 11am!
Katie Swain, the good ladies of the BSC Frances, Audra Word has it that Son Of Saul is a top contender
Golden Frog: Carol and Pippa - LEE filters, plus Brian Gaffney, now of Codex for the Golden Frog. Hugh Whittaker is fulsome in his
DP Ed Lachman fame, perk-up the proceedings. The melancholic morning excitement that Danny Cohen BSC has not one, but four
dir. Todd Haynes mist, draped like a mothers apron over the forests that movies being variously screened this year The Danish
encircle our destination, is like an old friend. The mood Girl, London Road, The Program and Room. The Suffragette
brightens further when Ed Lachman ASC invites me screen is full and Edu Grau looks both modest and
Silver Frog: Rams to breakfast with him after we check-in at the Holiday nervous as he takes to the stage before the screening,
DP Sturla Brandt Grvlen Inn. Over a most civilised platter of bacon and eggs, Ed with his gaffer Jim Plannette, and presenters Lone Star
dir. Grmur Hkonarson regales me with a humorous story about getting both
lost and locked-in on the set of Jungle Book at Leavesden,
and Justyna Sieniawska.
I first came here as a student in 2004, and
tells me theres a new film lab opening in NYC, and asks dreamed of having a movie to show at the best festival
Bronze Frog: Son Of Saul about a special screening for Carol in London. I hazard in the world, says Edu, which goes down well with the
DP Mtys Erdly to suggest that with Carol in competition here, that its audience. I had the honour of sitting next to Edu in
Lodz, when they screened A Single Man, and its terrific
his year for a Golden
dir. Lszl Nemes Frog. Ed kindly gives that hes back again.
Alan and me a lift After a quick cup of herbata, I try to get back
to the Opera Nova, into the auditorium for the screening of Rams with the
in a spanking new good ladies of the BSC. But a very silly rule enforced by
BMW X6, so we a throng of teenage ushers means that press are only
can register and allocated seats in the gods, or to the wide-angled sides.
get this busmans After a long day, Im tired, emotional, and so f*****d off
holiday kicked-off in that I decide to make a one-man protest and, a) boycott
earnest. the movie, b) make a note of the distasteful moment in my
We bump into diary, and c) complain bitterly to the authorities.
Richard Crudo ASC, Supper out with team LEE Ralph and Adam
enjoying his first- Young, and John Cuff plus a Sex In The Hay cocktail,
ever Camerimage, soon elevate the spirits. The late night bar at the hotel is
who attests to in cordial chaos, and theres plenty of conversation to be
feeling virginal and had with Kim Snyder, CEO and president of Panavision,
like a rock star. and then Michael Kowalczyk, Matty Libatiques DIT
As we rock up to about the changing roll of the DIT, before I wind my way
the bar, we soak up to Bedfordshire.
up all manner of
handshakes, hugs Tuesday 17th November:
and flesh-pressing Whoever said, Go to work on an egg? Owsianka
from Nigel (pronounced off-shanker) with prunes, now thats the
Walters BSC, breakfast of champions. I have found a way to bypass
team Panavision, the moronic seating rules at the Opera Nova and get a
Silver and bronze
frog winners Sturla Jacques Delacoux great position for the 10am screening of Sicario, shot by
Brandt Grvlen and at Transvideo, Roger Deakins. Two hours later I am blown away by the
Mtys Erdly clutch movie and Rogers masterful cinematography. Pure gold.
their precious new
Marc Gallerne
awards. Photos by
Ewelina Kaminska. Mtys Erdly
F-STOP POLAND / CAMERIMAGE 2015 DIARY / BY RON PRINCE Please take your seats
the ever-so-chic Katie
Swain and ever-so-suave
Angus Hudson BSC

Threes company Ron Prince with

Ed Lachman ASC and Alan Lowne

So is Fritz Heinzle of Otto Nemenz, who supplied Roger
with Alexa XTs and Master Primes for the movie. Along
with evoking vulnerability by shooting many backs of
heads, theres one sequence in particular, of silhouetted
soldiers against an azure sky, who gradually disappear
into the black, that is just magical.
In the bar, I make myself known to Roman Osin BSC,
who is having tea and cake with German editor/director
Karin Pelte. Chat with Thomas English and Ben Todd about
appreciation, or lack of it, for the art of the focus puller,
especially in the light of the current trend to shoot with
fully-open lenses. Richard Crudo has been trudging around
the mean streets of Bydgoszcz in the rain, snapping with a
Leica M camera/lens combo. I ask if hell snap the balloons
of mistletoe that so beguile me every year?
The unmissable highlight today is Dan Sasaki, and
Panavisions masterclass on The Artistry Of Anamorphic
And Large Format Lenses at the MCK. Its a joy to
walk over in the company of first AC John Bailie, who is
emigrating back to Canada soon. Our loss. With Edu as
the foil, Dans masterclass is masterful, another seam of
pure gold. He says this is the era of large sensors and
even longer diagonals at the cinema, oh, and 65mm film
too with The Hateful Eight. We learn about the unique
and pleasing visual characteristics of old and new glass, of
bokehs and breathing, flares and fall-off, depth cues and
dappled light, chiaroscuro and stereopsis, perspective and
Panavision Ultra 70. He even takes time to explain the
term rectilinear to a member of the audience. Edu chimes
in that whilst its great that DPs have such an amazing
choice of sensors and lenses, what really counts is making
the most beautiful image for the story. I always ask,
Would my mum care about this image? he confides.
Back to the Opera Nova, and Eben Bolter buys
me a cup of tea. How very U. Pixars presentation about
the cinematography on Disney Pixars Inside Out is
Pelte
n Osin BSC with Karin
Teatime... Roma
packed to the rafters with a very youthful audience.
One wonders if this might also be a recruitment
drive. The Pixar people are very happy and charming
people. Their insight into the detailed digital layout and
lighting design, story beats and emotional pathways,
camera structure, lens mapping, focus pulling, motion
capture, scale-progression, handheld camera and follow
focus techniques on Inside Out is most absorbing.
I get a jockey seat in the auditorium, haha, to see
an excellent Polish short entitled Ameryka, reflecting
the chaos of fractured teenage lives. In the company
of DP Kate Reid, we watch a screening of The 33, the
real-life story of Chilean miners trapped underground for Cheese please
69 days, shot by Checco Varese. Its a wonderful story, Hugh Whittaker
and Kim Snyder at
although I am not it quite sure it makes it across the Dan Sasakis lens
language barrier. workshop
Last up today, the ARRI party. Judith will be
pleased. Theres team Menges Chris, Judy and Oona
looking relaxed and fabulous. As we feast on deliciously-
laced chocolate rum babas, I promise well review the sunlight. Bewitched by
book hes penned, which the organisers have printed in the camera, but bothered
honour of his Lifetime Achievement Award. Later, Seth and bewildered by the
Emmons from Sonderoptic, lets me run around the party gales, I catch a cab to the
with his Leica M, and have fun taking snaps of Ellen Multikino with John de
Kuras, Ed, Reed Morano, Oliver Stapleton and Kate from Borman for Chris Menges
Wizzo. Seth promises to let me borrow his camera on Q&A screening of The
the morrow. Mission (1986). He won First time
our good
the second of his two friend Richard
Wednesday 18th November: Oscars for the movie, and Crudo ASC
Off-shanker, prosher. I discuss the narrative vs. its great to see names like with his trusty
rangefinder
experiential applications of VR with Steven Poster ASC. Robin Vidgeon, Peter Bloor
Its Pippas birthday, and Ralph Youngs Mrs too. Alan and Eddie Knight, plus
proffers a copy of the magazine to Vittorio Storaro who Stuart Craig, on the credits.
is here, with Mrs Storaro, for tonights screening of In his documentary days, Chris had been trapped in the
Muhammad: The Messenger Of God. I try to take Seths Burmese jungle for 18 months, so its little wonder to
Leica for a spin, but he weather is foul, and theres no find the cinematography so sympatico with nature. >>

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 67

 F-STOP POLAND / CAMERIMAGE 2015 DIARY / BY RON PRINCE
Whence Deakins has chosen the backs of
heads for Sicario, Chris focussed on feet to convey
the physicality of mans contact with the wild, natural
landscape. He ascends the cinema stairs and gets
in amongst the audience for the Q&A. One plucky
dad pipes up, and asks what advice Chris has for his
youngsters. Find a great story, that matters to you,
that your heart really loves, and make it. You will learn
everything you need to know, is the received wisdom.
Next up is the ARRIs Big Screen Experience.
Well, it would be, but I am told by the junior border
guards that I cannot enter the auditorium because I
am carrying my jacket! Enough of this nonsense, I go in
anyway. We get the update from Marc Shipman-Mueller
on the various hardware advances matte boxes,
electronic remotes, spherical and Anamorphic cine lenses
that ARRI has been working on. The highlight of the
presentation is the Alexa 65 update from Neil Fanthom,
who speaks about the pioneering work done by ARRI
and Codex to conquer ever-higher data rates, and who
talks through the impressive list of 18 movies and two
Bond girl Judith Evans
at the ARRI-sponsored
drone presentation
Double-ta
ke
Leonardo? is that
be Kazik? Or could it
68 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
For the kids Chris Menges after The Mission
screening with enthusiastic youngsters (l-r)
Gerda Hermanowicz, Dong Hyun Yang aka Ben,
Miron Hermanowicz and Minje Kim aka Robbie
commercials that have used the new large format system to calculate the binary breath of an Anamorphic focus
so far. The trailer for The Revenant, which saw Chivo pull. Perhaps they should visit Dan Sasaki?
using Alexa 65 for about 40% of production in bitter Wow, outside the sun really is shining. Vitamin
cold, looks amazing. D! And its brought out Alan Trow to capture Bydgoszcz
Next up is Garrett Brown, Steadicam inventor. in the sunlight with his iPhone. The Helicopter Girls are
Well it would be, but the conference room is full. giving a free-flying ARRI workshop outside the Opera
A cheeky beer at the Holiday Inn, and its off to Nova, covering the visual language of drones and the
Panavisions party. Chats with birthday girl Pippa about importance of the tech recce in advance of the shoot.
her marketing work at the BFI, Italian DP Andrea Locatelli The wind is whistling around our ears, and the drone
about home and architectural lighting, Joe Cook on pilot gamely gets the winged beast flying over the river.
being very, very tall, Alan Trow BSC about the Hay Film Were advised to watch out for prop wash. Festival
Festival and the pros and cons of running a local cinema. organiser Kazik Suwala appears, looking like Leonardo
I learn that the zealous patrolling of screenings is due to DiCaprio in The Revenant, and is clearly used to the cold
sensitivities around the screening of Vittorios movie. A in his smart whistle.
quick sip of Vodka with Judy and Oona, before making After a delicious lunch with Judith Evans at the
the walk to Bedfordshire. downstairs student caf, I try to persuade the ladies of
the Menges family to see Son Of Saul. But they have
Thursday 19th November: spent the morning being entertained by Local Hero and
Was that the morning sun peeping through the curtains? want to stay in their happy bubble.
Its Off-shanker again, as we breakfast with Hugh and Close-up shots around the back and side of the
Kimberly Snyder, who thinks she might have seen a head, with glimpses of an horrific Nazi extermination
ray of sunshine too. We chat about Panavision lenses factory in the background, are the features of the
and the trend for old glass, especially on large format harrowing Son Of Saul. The cinematography of Mtys
productions such as The Erdly is superlative and stifling, brilliant in fact, and
Hateful Eight, shot by highly likely to be a Frog contender. For light relief, I
Halo sailor Bob Richardson ASC decide to watch the music video competition. Again
our good on Panavision Ultra swatting-off the fanatical attendants to keep seats for
friend Steven
70. The Pixar people Katie Swain and Angus Husdon BSC, who have popped
Poster ASC
are still happy people, out to spend a couple of pennies, is irksome. This years
really enthused at music videos are mainly miserable takes of human
being here and happy existence, but my favourites are: Kendrick Lamars rap-
to talk more about tastic Alright, for the consummate handling of B&W and
the cinematographic camera work by cinematographer Rob Witt; the visceral
qualities imbuing their energy and rawness of Steven Annis on U2sEvery
work. However, it will Breaking Wave; and Hook N SlingBreak Yourself (feat.
still take a lot of maths Far East Movement) shot by cinematographer Nicholas
Wiesnet, because IMHO thats what
music videos ought to look like.
Theres just time to catch
the late night screening of Michael
Collins, for which Chris created a
special peacock blue/green filter
to colour the nighttime scenes.
Again, its another masterclass in
cinematographic storytelling. The
enthusiastic audience are eager to
question Chris, who again dispenses
sage sentiments. With time, anyone
can learn about the energy of light,
and how to use it, he says. Shine on!
Watch out for talented
cinematographer and very
lovely person Kate Reid
LETTER FROM AMERICA / RICHARD CRUDO ASC / PRESIDENT - AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS
CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION
Discover the 2015 Camerimage Festival of Cinematography, through
the first-time experiences of Richard Crudo ASC, president of the ASC.
I
f youre not aware of the Camerimage International
Film Festival, you ought to be. And if you havent
yet found a reason to attend, Im putting you on
warning: you must find a way to do so. Believe me,
this is no Hollywood-hype show, nor is it the chilly
preserve of Eastern European cinephiles eager to one-up
each other with sooty prints of obscure art films. No, my
friends, this is the bash youve all been waiting for.
By focusing its celebration purely on the art
and craft of cinematography, Camerimage exists as
the worlds best venue through which those who paint
with light are given their proper due. The fact that we
are generally kept below the radar (not to mention
below the line) across the industry is of no consequence
during this week-long rave up. Get this, producers,
directors and studio executives, the cinematographer
is the star here in every sense of the word! I
must admit, that proved to be somewhat
of a discomfiting feeling right off the
plane in Bydgoszcz, Poland, but
any and all misgivings dissipated
quickly in the warmth and
camaraderie provided by the
thousands of attending colleagues,
manufacturers, students and
cinematography fans.
This past November marked
the festivals 23rd consecutive
gathering; it also presented my
first opportunity to travel there
in person. Having been stymied by
work commitments at that time of the
year for as far back as I can remember,
I now kick myself for having missed
so much of Camerimages already
mythic-legendary history. Everything
relevant to the attendees
enjoyment was located
within close walking
distance of their
accommodations
and that led to
some very long
days and nights,
indeed. Which
is not to say
that every
minute was
not thoroughly
enjoyable! A
tremendous
excitement
filled the
air as I
approached
the festivals nerve center at the Opera Nova; once inside
I immediately understood why. This event was mounted
by people with a unique appreciation for what we do
and they were not shy in letting us know it. As the first
and most prestigious offering of its kind, Camerimage
deserves great praise and encouragement from everyone
associated with motion pictures.
The idea for Camerimage originated in 1992 with
festival director (and ASC Honorary Member) Marek
Zydowicz. His reasoning was that cinematographers
needed a forum through which to highlight their
contributions to world cinema and those contributions
alone. He has done a sensational job. The explosive
growth in attendance and recognition over the years
2015 saw more than 500 cinematographers and some
5,000 others in attendance is proof enough of his great
achievement. Along with his top lieutenants Kazik Suwala
and Marek Zebrowski, Zydowicz warrants high praise for
a job well done. Their effort is akin to pulling off a
moon launch while performing open heart surgery...
only what theyve done is harder.
In addition to the requisite whirl of seminars,
panels, roundtable discussions and masterclasses
that are taught by some of the professions
most elite practitioners, there were an endless
number of screenings chosen to showcase
the best of the best. Using an unconventional
yet wholly correct approach, distinguished
panels of cinematographers judged the
films in competition purely upon their visual
merits. According to Zydowicz, by structuring
Camerimage in this fashion, he hoped to not
only introduce new talents to the world
but to also refine and expand the scope
of our art by dissecting it in fresh,
ever more passionate
ways. After seeing
just a portion
of the work,
its clear
that he has
exceeded
his initial
expectations.
Camerimage
hands out a
huge variety
of honours
to students,
educators,
actors, directors
and other
industry figures
who have
demonstrated an
Richard Crudo ASC
appreciation for cinematography. The 2015 feature film
award the coveted Golden Frog went to Ed Lachman
ASC for his outstanding work on the feature film Carol,
which he shot on Super 16mm. The festival also draws
attention to the
collaborative
nature of our work
by bestowing
the unique
Duo Award.
This honour is
reserved for
cinematographer-
director
teams that, as
termed by the
organisers, have
shown a special
sensitivity to
the image. Past
winners have Carol
included some
of the greatest
combos in history. This
year, it went to director Majid Majidi and the legendary
Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC. For a complete listing of
winners and honorees, I refer you to the official festival
website: www.camerimage.pl. You will be astonished!
But I would be remiss if I didnt single out the
granddaddy of them all: the Lifetime Achievement
Award. Theres not much I can add that will make it seem
a bigger deal than it already is. Just consider, if you will,
a partial list of previous awardees: Sven Nykvist ASC;
Vittorio Storaro AIC ASC; Vilmos Zsigmond ASC; Laszlo
Kovacs ASC; Owen Roizman ASC; Freddie Francis BSC;
William A. Fraker ASC; Witold Sobocinski PSC; Haskell
Wexler ASC; Conrad Hall ASC; and Caleb Deschanel
ASC. This year, Chris Menges BSC ASC took the prize.
Chris is one of the all-time greats and I can tell you, he
deserves that much and more.
And did I mention the nightly string of parties that
redefine the meaning of fun? If youre a cinematographer,
you havent lived until youve been absorbed into the
generous bosom of so many people who truly love you
and what you do. Im not exaggerating when I compare
the feeling to something one of The Beatles mightve
experienced circa 1964.
Like I said, If you ever have an opportunity to
attend, I cannot urge you strongly enough to do so.
Poland is a beautiful country and is home to some of
the warmest, most welcoming people on earth. No one
else in the industry celebrates cinematographers in as
significant a way. Thanks to Marek and his crew for
providing a thriving platform for just such celebration.
We all should salute them for it!
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 69
 SPOTLIGHT / PANALIGHT ITALY / BY ADRIAN PENNINGTON
WHEN IN ROMA
I
n Roberto Jarratts varied career, spanning 60 years
in the industry, he has helped BBC Italy produce
documentaries, acted as consultant to Lord Sidney
Bernstein, founder of Granada TV, and been managing
director for revered lighting specialist Mole Richardson
Italia. Perhaps his most enduring achievement began
in the early 1990s, following from the realisation that
the Italian motion picture community faced a gap in the
market for a high quality, new-technology-focused rental
and service company.
With three young industry enthusiasts, Jarratt set
about creating a modern rental company for the motion
picture business. With himself as president, Panalight
was born with its three original partners still heading the
company: Carlo Loreti, managing director; Jarratts son
David as vice president and director of light & grip; and
Roberto Schettini, vice president and camera director.
The aim was to focus on the international market
which was just beginning to show renewed interest in
Italy at that time, explains David Jarratt. We were able
to lead the company to the top of the European market
by investment in technology research and development,
combined with technical expertise.
To establish an edge over other rental companies,
Panalight immediately invested in the most advanced
technology of the time the ARRI 535 and 435 35mm
cameras and the top-of-the-range film unit Moviecam
developed by Fritz Gabriel Bauer striking deals exclusive
to Italy. In the lighting sector, Panalight offered the De
Sisti and ARRI product range again aiming for the
top of the market providing the full range of filters
together with the Lee Colortran products. More recently,
Panalight has concentrated investment in ARRI products
strengthening collaboration with the German company.
From the beginning, Panalight had the chance
to supply important and large Italian-based productions
which demanded more and more technological
commitment, explains Jarratt. These included The
American (DP Martin Ruhe), The Passion (DP Luca Bigazzi),
La Vita Bella (Tonino Delli Colli), The English Patient (John
Seale ACS ASC), The Talented Mr Ripley (John Seale ACS
ASC), The Tourist (John Seale ACS ASC) and The Life Aquatic
With Steve Zissou (DP Robert D. Yeoman).
70 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Over its 25-year history Panalight has established a
strong relationship with Panavision. This stems back to the
1990s when, with Panavisions global chairman Bill Scott,
Roberto Jarratt helped develop Panavisions business in
Italy, Malta and Greece.
Roberto always envisaged the
importance of working jointly with
Panavision and thanks to his insight,
Panalight today can offer the very latest
Panavision products, says David Jarratt.
Headquartered a couple of miles
from Cinecitt Studios in Rome, where
they also have an office on the lot
(Cinecitt Panalight) which serves as the
studios official kit supplier, Panalight
maintains branches in Milan, serving
the north of Italy, at Panalight Sudtirol
in Bolzano and Panalight Apulia in Bari.
Since 2011, a Maltese division offers
full service to the island.
Last year was a record one
for the company, attributed to the
attractive tax incentives issued
by Cinecitt Studios and the
governments Ministry of Cultural
Heritage and Activities and Tourism.
The tax credits, which came into
force last April, were intended to
attract bigger budget Hollywood
movies and to benefit domestic film
and TV projects.
As a result, blockbuster productions such as
Baltasar Kormakurs Everest (DP Salvatore Totino AIC including vintage Anamorphics from Todd AO and Xtal to
ASC), The Man From UNCLE (DP John Mathieson the recent modern Zeiss Master and Cooke Anamorphics.
BSC), Ben Hur (DP Oliver Wood) directed by Timor Its lighting roster, features new LED lighting
Bekmambetov, Zoolander 2 (DP Dan Mindel ASC BSC) fixtures, like the Cineo and ARRI Skypanel, as well as the
and Giuseppe Tornatores La Corrispondenza (DP Fabio M series which grips to a special Technocrane and 3-axis
Zamarion) were all based in Italy and all serviced by stabilised remote head like the Flight Head V.
Panalight. The company further supplied equipment Significant investments in the last two years have
and services to Point Break (Ericson Core) and the Ron been made in a Scorpio Arm, a controlled motorised
Howard-directed Inferno (Salvatore Totino AIC ASC). arm for filming on a Mercedes driving up to 150kmh,
Last year, the company serviced Alice Rohrwachers Le and the Panaranger, for mounting on a Polaris Ranger
Meraviglie (DP Helene Louvart), which won the Grand Crew 800 jeep.
Prix du Jury at the Cannes Festival. These gyrostabilised pursuit systems and remote
Panalights proven ability heads are operated by PanaTeam, a crew of qualified
to win business is explained by its professionals who represent one of the few top teams in
continued investment and smart eye Europe able to produce first class results with this kind of
for the latest equipment. Weve system, says Jarratt.
grown the company to the same Sister company Cinetecnica provides gear for
technological level as any company transportation, from grip trucks and trailers to motor
in the US or UK, says Jarratt. But home and generators.
we have to keep vigilant. The market Despite adopting these latest technologies,
is increasingly competitive and Panalight has also taken another important step in
always demanding higher-end new traditional equipment when this year it become the Italian
technologies. seller for Kodak Film stock.
Aside from the full range of This is a prestigious commitment which will
traditional film cameras, Panalight ensure continued availability for unique shooting
offers digital units from Blackmagic choices, says Jarratt. It is the experience and passion of
Design to the ARRI Alexa XT and our staff that allows Panalight to meet any technical and
Red Dragon, supported with a creative requirements and to achieve the best possible
comprehensive lens inventory solution for every budget.
 LIVE & LET DI / WHOS DIALLING-IN THE DI GRADES
Company 3, London: working on James Bond
SPECTREwas one of the highlights for the company in
2015. Its dailies team processed over 1,200,000ft of 35mm,
plus 70 hours of digital footage, during the 12-month shoot
and post, whilst senior colourist Greg Fisher worked with
cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema to enhance the
looks of the variouslocations and deliver the final DI. The
team worked with colleagues in the US during the Mexico
shoot, that saw Deluxe Burbank developing and scanning
dailiesand sending 100-minutes of 2K scans everyday
across the company
network to grade
Company 3
lured Asif and deliver in
Kapadia for London.
the DI on Ali Other DI
And Nino
highlights in 2015
included:Legend
(DP Dick Pope
BSC), Everest (DP
Salvatore Totino
ASC AIC),The
Martian (Dariusz
Wolski ASC), The
Lady In The Van
(DP Andrew Dunn
BSC andMission:Impossible Rogue
Nation (DP Robert Elswit ASC). CO3 reports a strong slate
of projects this year, with colourists travelling the globe to
work with other leading DPs. Senior colourist Paul Ensby
is collaborating with filmmaker Asif Kapadia who returns
forAli And Ninofollowing their working partnership
onAmy The Amy Winehouse Story.Ali And Ninotells the and I spent time looking through still photography books
story of young love and its challenges across contrasting
cultures just as WWI breaks out.
Goldcrest: Lee Clappison graded Ronaldo, about the global
football superstar, for director Anthony Wonke and DPs
Mike Eley BSC and Neil Harvey, and the documentary
A Divorce Before Marriage, for Benjamin Lankester and
Matthew Hopkins, about life after the record deal ends
for indie-rockers I Like Trains. Adam Glasman teamed up
with Tom Hooper and DP Danny Cohen BSC to grade
The Danish Girl. He also graded Special Correspondence,
Goldcrests first full 4K start-to-finish feature directed by
Ricky Gervais, lit by Terry Stacey, plus Churchills Secret
with DP Fabian Wagner. He most recently put the finishing
touches to director Luke Scotts first feature Morgan, lit by
Mark Patten, produced by Sir Ridley.
Rob Pizzey collaborated with DP George Richmond
BSC on Dexter Fletchers feature Eddie The Eagle, the true
story of Britains greatest sporting underdog, and graded
the fast paced thriller Bastille Day with DP Tim Maurice-
Jones and director James Watkins. He recently completed
the final grade on Thea Sharrocks Me Before You with Remi
Adefarasin OBE BSC.
72 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
Goldcrest
completed the
grade on The
Danish Girl
Technicolor PostWorks, NY: When it came to grading The from the late 70s and early 80s. We discussed how
Americans, where the central characters lead double lives, shadow detail fell off in parts of the frame, and the amount
colourist John Crowley knew he would need to create some of saturation there was in skin tones. The main aim was to
distinctive looks. He used Baselight to grade series two create a rich image without it being overly saturated.
and three of the New York-shot, 1980s-set show, working Crowley started by adding film grain to the images
closely with DP Richard Rutkowski. shot on ARRI Alexa to enhance the period feel. The base
The show grades for regular scenes like the
recreates faithfully home and the KGB headquarters were
the cold war era of established in Baselight and exported as
30 years ago. The ARRI Look files, so the DP on-set got a
Jennings family appear sense of what the final result would be.
to be the perfect Crowley even ensured that the monitor
American family but on-set was calibrated to match the
both husband and wife monitor in the grading suite.
are actually Russian When a Look file is activated
KGB spies, living and in the camera, it automatically travels
working under cover. as metadata in the QuickTime
This show file, said Crowley. I was
has a plethora of presented with a locked cut
intriguing story lines that had a CDL from the
that ultimately result ARRI Look metadata, so
in a number of special all our looks lined up from
looks explained Crowley. While the Jennings home is production through to post.
warm and pleasant, the Rezidentura (KGB headquarters) and These pre-grades were
missions are generally mysterious and somewhat foreboding. a great starting point, so
The one constant goal was to make the images seem more I could spend most of my
filmic to convey the nostalgic look as one may expect from time shaping frames with
that time period. The Americans vignettes to darken walls,
As well as creating tension between the two sides using various gradients to
of the central characters double lives, Crowley also had to suggest lighting effects,
faithfully recreate the look and feel of the 1980s. Richard tracking faces for skin tones, de-saturating vibrant colours
and generally trying to replicate that 80s vibe, he added.
Halo Post: senior colourist Ross Baker used the digital
Halo Post achieved a toolsets in Nucoda Film Master to achieve a set of period
set of period looks for
The Honourable Rebel looks for director Mike Frasers acclaimed The Honourable
Rebel, lit by DP Peter Edwards. This film explores the
extraordinary life story of Elizabeth Montagu writer,
actress, musician, linguist, lover and secret agent from the
1920s, through WWII, to her death in 2001.
The Honourable Rebel was one of the those projects
that inspires you to get creative, and with the toolsets
available it was possible to establish unique styles for each
chapter of the story as it passed through the decades. For
the 1920s Baker turned the image into soft B&W with bluish
blacks and creamy highlights with a slight projector burble.
The 1930s were given a greenish tone to the lowlights and a
soft contrast with pink skin tones. The 1940s were set with
brown tones with a slight green and cream hint in the whites
while popping out the reds when they were available. The
1950s had a slightly off hue tone for the flesh tones and
muted all other colours apart from yellows and teals. The
latter part of the movie has a more contemporary look.
Sony Pictures Entertainment, LA: recently completed a 4K restoration of Cover Girl, director Charles Vidors 1944
Technicolor musical that marked one of the first starring roles for Rita Hayworth. The new restoration, completed
under the supervision of Grover Crisp, Sony Pictures EVP of Asset Management, Film Restoration & Digital Mastering,
premiered at The Museum of Modern Art as part of the 13th International Festival of Film Preservation.
Cover Girl was Columbia Pictures first big film shot in the Technicolor three-strip process. For the 4K
restoration, the team went back to the original 3-strip nitrate camera negatives. There was a preservation initiative
with this film in the 1990s that involved making some positive intermediate elements for video transfer, but our
current process dictates that we source the most original materials possible to come up with the best visual result for
our 4K workflow, recalled Crisp. The technical capabilities that we have now allow us to digitally recombine the three
separate B&W negatives to create a colour image that is virtually free of the fuzzy registration issues inherent in the
traditional analogue work, in addition to the usual removal of scratches and other physical flaws in the film.
We consider this new work to be our contribution to the 100th anniversary and celebration of Technicolor, noted
Crisp. Working with our colourist, Sheri Eisenberg, we strived to get the colours, with deep blacks and vibrant reds, right.

Technicolor, London: renowned colourist Peter Doyle
recently worked on Aleksandr Sokurovs Francofonia, lensed
by Bruno Delbonnel AFC ASC, and Joe Wrights Pan lensed
by Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC, whilst Jean-Clment
Soret completed the
grades on the Danny
Boyle-directed Steve Technicolor, London did
Jobs, lit by Alwin
Kchler BSC and Ron
Howards In The Heart
Of The Sea, shot by
cinematographer
Anthony Dod Mantle
DFF BSC ASC.
Cheat: has finished
its expansion and
is partnering with
First Light Audio, which has set up a 5.1 mixing
suite next door for sound post as well as new digital dailies
services. Joseph Bicknell is full-time at Cheat and heading-
up the second large da Vinci suite at the company. Come
February they hope to have VFX/online editorial up-and-
running too, with multiple workstations, and a client space.
Light Iron, NY: senior colourist Sean Dunckley used Quantel
Rio to process native ARRIRAW files, viewed with a Christie
4220 projector, to perform the DI on Pride & Prejudice &
Zombies, lensed by Remi Adefarasin OBE BSC. Remis
impeccable cinematography created two distinct worlds,
said Dunckley. I enhanced the countryside look with a foreboding environments, said Wear. We paid special
custom LUT to add warmth to the high-end, push some attention to characters skin tones, particularly those of
cyan into the shadows, and collapse colours to make richer the hero Bilal as we follow his life journey. Textured and
hues.This created a lush environment for the traditional colourful fabrics, warm red sands,
love story, with warm skin tones for the main characters. and clear blue skies
For the in-between world, from across the film offer
where the zombies attack, I moved the a fresh take on an
the grade for Aleksandr gamma point higher and crushed the ancient story.
Sokurovs Francofonia blacks a little more on the curve.I also Colourist Clare
desaturated the image from the top Burlinson dialled in
down, like a bleach bypass process, and the hues for Mahana,
pushed a fair amount of blue into the director Lee Tamahoris
shadows.Then I windowed and tracked sweeping epic of family
the heroes faces to blend the bleach look rivalry and reconciliation,
out by fifty per cent.The final result was set against the stunning
a post apocalyptic zombie world without backdrop of rural New
losing all the skin tone of the heroes. Zealand in the 1960s.
Shot by DP Ginny Loane Park Road Post
Park Road Post, Wellington: supervising in rural Auckland, the delivered a rich and
the
colourful result on l
Colourist Matthew Wear used SGO Mistika to grade colour palette of lush animated feature
Bila
Bilal, the animated feature directed by Khurram H. Alavi green farmlands and
and Ayman Jamal, produced by Barajoun Entertainment, mercurial nights supports
voiced by Ian McShane, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. a story of two dynamic families, creating a loving postcard
Set a thousand years ago, in the historic Middle East, Bilal to a period the director knew well. Mahana was shot on
is about a boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior. ARRI Alexa with Anamorphic lenses and was leveraging
He is abducted with his sister and taken to a far away land the full dynamic range of ARRIRAW in the grade.
where greed and injustice rule, but where Bilal finds the Burlinson worked hard to enhance classic, period scenes
courage make a change. such as golden shearing contests, dramatic landscapes
The films extensive and rich colour palette takes in and the volatile family rivalry. As with Bilal, Park Road
expansive deserts, exotic palaces, vibrant markets and dark mastered DCP and HD deliverables for global audiences.

Molinare: senior colourist Asa Shoul did a three-week Baselight grade on 20th Century
Foxs Victor Frankenstein, directed by Paul McGuigan, lensed by Fabian Wagner, starring
James McAvoy as Viktor Von Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor. Told from Igors
perspective, the movie follows the troubled assistants dark origins and his redemptive
friendship with the young medical student Frankenstein.
We worked closely with Fabian in the autumn of 2013, testing 35mm and
Alexa together with a range of spherical and Anamorphic lenses, said Shoul. The final
combination was spherical and Alexa. Paul and Fabian were concerned about being able
to control the flares with so much of the film being night interiors using candle light and
practical gas lamps. However, we ended up adding flares in the grade with our library of
real flares in the Baselight and also provided some from our Avid DS, which had been
created specifically for three scenes in the film.
In the grade I worked closely with Fabian to create a rich and colourful film that
reflected the period, being one of exciting new inventions. We added diffusion to the
candles and Anamorphic diffusion to the electric lights and lightning sparks. In the final
reel we key-framed the lighting every time lightning struck to make it bluer. There were
over a thousand dynamic grading changes for the lightning in the reel.
Meanwhile, DI grader Chris Rodgers was at the controls for Sky 1s Fungus The
Bogeyman, produced by The Imaginarium Studios, starring Timothy Spall, Marc Warren,
Victoria Wood and narrated by Andy Serkis. The three-part series comprised both live
action and animated elements to bring the well-loved Raymond Briggs book to life.
I worked with DP Dave Marsh to set the look and feel for the live action Up Top
and animated Bogeydom environments, said Rodgers. These two worlds are visually
very different, and we looked to emphasise the lighter,
more open, feel of Up Top and the more closed-in,
Victor Frankenstein flambo-lit caves that the bogeys inhabit. One of the
biggest challenges was hitting the correct bogey green.
Human skin tones are pivotal in any grade, so scenes that
only feature bogeymen didnt have that familiar point of
reference. In effect I had to re-learn how to grade green
skin tones, and we worked closely with VFX supervisor
Hayden Jones to make sure that we were being faithful
Molinare did the DIs on and consistent with their work. What they delivered to
Fungus The Bogeyman the grade was so incredibly consistent that we hardly
ever had to isolate or key any of the CG elements.

British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 73

 CLAPPERBOARD / TONY PIERCE-ROBERTS BSC
Affectionately known, far and wide, by the simple
diminutive TPR, British cinematographer Tony Pierce-
Roberts BSC has the best part of 50 motion picture
and TV narrative credits to his name, with landmark
productions featuring in a successful career path and
garnering the highest accolades along the way.
Puppy love TPR pictured
in Alaska on White Fang
74 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
P
ierce-Roberts was double Oscar, BAFTA, ASC
and BSC award-nominated for the Merchant
Ivory productions Howards End (1982) and A
Room With A View (1985), securing wins from
the BSC for Howards End, along with Evening Standard
British Film Awards and NYFilmCritics Circle awards
for A Room With A View. His gongs also include BAFTA
wins for BBC2 Playhouse (1981) and Tinker Tailor Soldier
Spy (1979). Some of his other notable credits include
Voyage Round My Father (1982), The Good Soldier (1983),
The Remains Of The Day (1993) and Underworld (2003),
to name just a few.
Shooting, especially movies, he says, is a job I
love, and I want tocontinuefor a long as I can.
Pierce-Roberts hails originally from Birkenhead,
Cheshire, but moved with his family to Southern
Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, at age of 11. His first
job, aged just 15, was with the Central African Film
Unit, which produced big game and wild animal
documentaries. After completing national service at 18,
he continued to work in films and television and, having
worked with film crews visiting from the UK, he had the
idea to return to the UK and successfully applied for a
job at the BBC in Ealing. It was the start of a 13-year
stint that saw him rise to the role of cameraman, and
to photograph notable BBC productions including Days
Of Hope (1975) and the seven-part series Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy (1979), for which he won a BAFTA.
Pierce-Roberts decided to leave the corporation
in 1980 with the aim of spreading his wings as
a freelancer and shooting more on 35mm. After
working briefly for Granada Television, and shooting
commercials, he moved into features, making his debut
with Moonlighting (1982), Jerzy Skolimowskis acclaimed
drama about a Polish contractor and his immigrant
workmen in grimy workaday London, starring Jeremy
Irons, which was nominated for the Cannes Palme DOr.
I was very pleased to be able to use the latest
Fuji 250ASA, medium speed, film on Moonlighting,
remarks Pierce-Roberts. Kodak at that time had only

one speed of filmstock, at 100ASA. Using the new Fuji
film meant we could shoot at lower light levels, in a
semi-documentary style, which I felt was appropriate
to the subject.
It was the start of a stellar rise. His work on
Handmade Films A Private Function (1984), directed
by Malcolm Mowbray and co-written by Alan Bennett,
attracted the attention of director James Ivory, and his
producing partner Ismail Merchant, and Pierce-Roberts
was quickly signed to photograph the period drama A
Room With A View as cinematographer.
Looking back on the production, Pierce-Roberts
recalls, James Ivory said, somewhat apologetically,
Do you know the most exciting thing to happen in
a Merchant Ivory movie is a tea party?, as though
to put me off. Shortly afterwards, however, I found
myself knee-deep in fake blood in the Piazza Signoria
in Florence, courtesy of an enthusiastic Italian first
assistant and some very keen extras.
Working within a tiny $3m budget, the
sumptuous compositions and rendering of idyllic
Tuscan locations he created for A Room With A View,
changed Pierce Roberts life completely getting him
recognised by American, and other producers, and
triggering an international career encompassing a broad
range of styles on UK and Hollywood productions, as
well as a further six Merchant Ivory productions.
For me, and Merchant Ivory, Tony was a
momentous discovery, said Ivory. In all he shot seven
of our features (as well as some of my commercials)
at the apex of our box-office success and critical
Line-up on The Client (l-r) Jeff Hand
- focus, Brian Osmand - loader, with
Tommy Lee Jones and TPR
A Room With A View
FOR ME, IN DECIDING ON A PROJECT,
THE MOST IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION
HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE QUALITY OF THE
ORIGINAL SCRIPT. TONY PIERCE-ROBERTS BSC
endorsement from A Room With A View through
to The Remains Of The Day (1993).With every film
his work became more ravishing. It would be the
greatest pleasure to team up with TPR once more.
For Merchant Ivorys Howards End (1992),
Pierce-Roberts effectively blended lush pastoral
landscapes with scenes of dingy urban confinement.
For Joel Schumachers Mafia thriller The Client (1994),
and Barry Levinsons powerful drama, Disclosure,
starring Demi Moore and Michael Douglas, Pierce-
Roberts gave both movies the big screen treatment
in Anamorphic, shooting both in the US.
Stylistically one of the things we tried to
achieve on Disclosure, was a sense of paranoia on
the part of Michael Douglass character, by utilising
Cast & crew on Delovely (l-r) Stephen Endelman -
musical director, Rob Cowan - producer, Kevin Kline,
Ashley Judd, Robbie Williams, Irwin Winkler and TPR
Moonlighting
Howards End
glass partitions in the set to put in shadowy, moving
reflections to isolate him, recalls Pierce-Roberts.
Other highlights of Pierce-Robertss varied
credits include: WW1 drama The Trench (1999),
featuring the now famous Daniel Craig; the ground-
breaking Dinotopia (2002) TV series, which garnered
both Primetime Emmy and VES Awards; Oliver Parkers
The Importance Of Being Earnest (2002), the first film to
come out of the newly-invigorated Ealing Studios; Len
Wisemans vampire warrior Underworld (2003), shot
in Budapest, which successfully kicked off the long-
running horror action franchise; Andrzej Bartkowiaks
sci-fi action adventure Doom (2005), starring The Rock
Dwayne Johnson; Irwin Winklers post Iraq soldiers
story Home Of the Brave (2006); and Paul Weilands
romcom Made Of Honor (2008). Most recently Pierce-
Roberts shot the teen horror flick Vampire Academy
(2014) for director Mark Waters.
For me, in deciding on a project, the most
important consideration has always been the quality
of the original script, says Pierce-Roberts, and I have
been lucky to have been able to work on projects with
wonderful writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Alan Bennett,
William Boyd, John le Carr, Barry Levinson, Ruth
Prawer Jhabvala and Stephen King.
One of the great things I learned early-on,
especially from Jim and Ismail on the Merchant Ivory
productions, was the value of working, where possible,
with the same collaborators. In England, I worked on
many films with my gaffer Tommy Finch, with either
Malcom Huse or Darren Quinn as my key grips, and
John Bailie or Rawdon Hayne as my focus pullers. In
US Ive always used Pat Murray as my gaffer and John
Janusek as key grip.
Peirce-Roberts lives in Norfolk, East Anglia,
dividing his time between there and London, where the
beauty of his images lives on. As he explains, I suppose
I am identified with A Room With A View more than any
other of my projects. I recently had the pleasure of
remastering it in 4K and think it looks better than ever.
We look forward to reporting on the next
magical frames that TPR conjures up for the
big screen. You can enjoy his new website at:
www.tonypierceroberts.com
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 75
 STILL
INNOVATORS / JOHN BUCKLEY & JOHN VENABLES / MOVIETECH / BY KEVIN HILTON

WORKIN
IT
Movietech is one of the UKs leading camera and accessories rental houses for
John Buckley

cinematographers shooting throughout all sectors of the production industry.

The company prides itself not only on the provision of quality equipment
solutions, but also on the creation of bespoke products, developed-specifically
for use in high-end production, many of which has gone on to become industry-
standards.Company founders John Buckley and John Venables learned their craft
at Samuelsons and JDC before striking out on their own. They talk to Kevin Hilton
about their innovations and how even now they are still working engineers.
How did the two of you meet? Samuelson and I got the job a week before my 16th
JB: We both started as young men at Samuelson Film birthday. I went straight into Samuelsons as an
Services. We were in the Vicarage under Bill Vickers, who apprentice in the camera department. At that time
was a great camera engineer. I joined in May 1967 as an cameras and lenses were two separate departments.
engineer and John [Venables] in November that year as a
camera engineering apprentice. Movietech is known as a camera supplier, but
it does have a particular reputation for lenses.
What were your backgrounds? When did your interest in optics begin?
JB: Before Samuelsons I was a five-year apprentice JB: We both joined Joe Dunton Cameras (JDC) in
doing my City & Guilds in mechanical engineering. 1976, me in March of that year and John after that.
Id been working as We helped develop an awful lot of stuff and were
an engineer for a big very involved in Anamorphic lenses. One of the
company at Park Royal big successes with that was Star Wars: Episode VI -
and then was lucky to Return Of The Jedi (1983, DP Alan Hume BSC).
get a job in the machine
shop at Samuelsons. I JV: For the first three years at JDC we were
had a fair bit to do with working with normal, spherical lenses, learning how
camera maintenance it to repair them and adapting them to what people
was interesting and I wanted. Then we were approached by someone in
got more involved in Japan about Anamorphic lenses. We produced a set
it after which I was based on Cooke Primes, which were used on two
offered a job. I was or three different movies, including Jedi. They were
taught a lot and gained the first set of Anamorphics at the time that looked
a lot of knowledge at really sharp because, until then, it had been a bit hit
Samuelsons. Sometimes and miss. Nobody knew how to adapt Anamorphic
it was a case of making lenses and alter them to make them sharp. Joe
mistakes and then not Dunton had the idea of going to Japan and it was
making them again. from there that we learned how to adjust the
lenses. We then produced a 3:1 Anamorphic zoom,
JV: When I left school my which was a move forward. After Return Of The Jedi
John Venables and John Buckley
father set up an interview we did lots of films with those lenses, including
for me with Sidney Legend (1985, DP Alex Thomson BSC).

76 | British Cinematographer | January 2016

JB: We learned how to fine-tune them and were
learning about optics every day. You can be tied
down to tolerances and at Samuelsons they had
been very wide, which we felt was not accurate
enough particularly with the new generation of
fast lenses which highlighted the problem. So we
tightened them down to seven tenths of a 1,000th,
which made a hell of a difference.
JV: What also changed was how the lens and camera
departments worked with each other. At one time they
had been separate, with the camera set-up to one
tolerance and the lenses to another. At JDC it was one
person doing the same thing, a procedure that others
followed afterwards.
Through JDC and then Panavision with Joe Dunton
still in charge, how much input did you have into the
developments being made?
JB: We were involved in everything in those days. We
were the practical guys in the background and Joe came
up with the ideas. He was the figurehead with other
people in the background making it work.
JV: We sorted out the details and made them work.
But we came up with ideas as well.
When did you finally decide to go out on your own?
JB: I left Panavision first, in 1991. I was managing director
at the time and Joe Dunton had gone on to other things.
JV: I took over as joint-MD of Panavision and joined
John in his new venture in 1998, after it had been
renamed Movietech in 1997.
What has been your approach with the services
Movietech offers?
JB: Wed made so many accessories stuff over the years
and had so many ideas. Film crews were asking for things
and thats something that has continued. Recently we
have done some major engineering work on the Sony
F65 with the viewfinder and the power supply, as well as
producing accessories that it didnt have before. When
we take delivery of a camera thats only the start. A lot of
companies dont listen to the film crew, but we do. We
can see the problems with cameras as soon as we take
delivery and can make improvements.
JV: Crews want accessories made up for them and we
can do that straight away, for example taking an idea and
making something that is better for focus pullers to use.
What is your particular area of interest right now?
JB: John has been working on a lot of specialised
lenses over the last two to three years. Weve been
Anamorphising macro lenses and have quite a big range
of unusual lenses and special requests now.
JV: We introduced the marco zoom six months ago
theres only one other available. There is also a 200mm
Anamorphic Cooke-based lens, which has full control
over the focus and is the only one in the world. We get
asked for longer lenses and its something weve decided
to do. What weve done is something that is simple and
compact with the ability to control focus with no focus
shift. The focus also goes down to two feet, which is
very close for that size.
Anamorphic lenses have come back into vogue
recently. Is it something youve been interested in
for some time, going back to your association with
Joe Dunton?
JV: The three of us Joe, John and myself have a
passion for that format of lens. Its harder to work with
Anamorphic and they do go through cycles. Now
theyre extremely
popular and there
are new companies
making them.
JB: Anamorphic
has really taken off.
Were developing a
new viewfinder for
Anamorphic, which
will be at the BSC
Expo. Its been done
from scratch and we
think it will be quite
good for crews.
Are both of you still hands-on in the design and
development of new products and systems?
JB: There are four of us on the engineering side of
Movietech. Im the MD and John is company director,
but were both working engineers and are both very
much involved in the engineering and design that the
company does, building things for practical shoots. Weve
two other guys working with us in a lovely little machine
shop at Pinewood doing maintenance and engineering. We
turn out a number of things making prototypes. If someone
needs something and it doesnt exist then we make it. But if
we need to knock out 50 of something well send that out
to another company. Theres often very little time to make
decisions, which is exhilarating.
Does being on the Pinewood lot mean that you can
work with people on the spot?
JB: If something goes down on-set then we can make
a replacement or new unit straight away. We also get
cinematographers, production managers and focus pullers
coming into the office all the time, up to half a dozen people
a day. Maybe its because we have free tea and coffee
on offer. Over the years weve worked with DPs such as
David Watkin, who would always try to use us, Jack Cardiff,
Pulling power
Movietech has
supported movies
such as Beauty And
The Beast, plus
popular TV series
including BBCs
Silent Witness
Gilbert Taylor and Alex Thomson;
e Beast
Beauty And Th more recently its been John de
Borman and Dick Pope, and many
up-and-coming young DPs.
Where is your main interest at the moment, lenses
or cameras?
JB: We are quite a capital-intensive company and in the
last few years weve concentrated on lenses. We find
the camera side quite volatile because the developments
happening so fast and often. From our point of view lenses
are timeless. Take a production like Mr Turner (2014, DP
Dick Pope BSC), shot on Cooke Speed Panchros, which are
40-year old lenses. A lens is expensive, but it is a long-term
investment. The problem with cameras at the moment is
that large format seems to be in vogue, but were not sure
about that, mainly because of the lack of lenses for the
format. You could easily spend an awful lot of money and
pick the wrong one, so well wait and see. We do have a
large inventory of cameras, though.
Where do you see the market and Movietech going in
the future?
JV: The market is changing all the time. Going forward, we
will adapt with the demand and we will be investing in new
technology and really good staff.
JB: Were remounting classic lenses, which give a unique
look, only in a modern housing. Its all on-going.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 77
 IMAGO NEWS / TONY COSTA AIP / IMAGO

OSLO DIGITAL
CINEMA
CONFERENCE
2015 Dick Pope BSC

Far from those hyper-days of 2006, when the Oslo Digital Cinema Conference
was held for the very first time, this fifth edition marked the total acceptance
and consolidation of the electronic image in the industry.

I
n contrast to 2006, when many cinematographers
were still resisting and struggling to understand
the electronic image, this year marked a definite
understanding and a desire to look forward to a
brighter future. The digital image is no longer a mystery for
cinematographers. The language of pixels, lines, bit-rates,
frame rates and compression poses few doubts today.
The aim now is to use the tools and the technology
at their utmost for creative and artistic images, but
the development in this digital age is so rapid that
cinematographers have a great need for updates and to
exchange their knowledge. This is where the Oslo Digital
Cinema Conference comes in. Cinematographers from
around the world can exchange experiences and discuss
developments with equipment manufacturers. Sony, ARRI,
Panasonic, Red and Canon were on-hand to present and
discuss their latest developments.
Technologies in Cinematography, gave us the state-of-the
art-on projection. Harald Brendel from ARRI, Per Bhler
and Henrik Moseid from Softlights/France discussed
colour science and the limitations of digital photography
and LED lighting.
The DIT (Digital imaging technician) is considered
a crucial part of the camera crew, especially for the
cinematographer on-set. With the aid of a DIT the
cinematographer can create and protect their images in a
good way. As always, the archiving of images was another
important matter discussed.
The first day ended with a screening of the highly-
acclaimed Mike Leigh film Mr. Turner, beautifully shot by
Dick Pope BSC. The movie couldnt be more appropriate
to show at the digital conference, as it was entirely shot
digitally. Dicks great cinematography won him many
awards, including the BSC award, along with a prestigious
The ODCC was again a great success organised
by Paul Ren Roestad, the new president of IMAGO,
and the Norwegian Society of Cinematographers (FNF),
in collaboration with IMAGO. It was supported by the
Norwegian Film Institute and the Nordisk Film and TV
Fund, with attendance of more than 200 cinematographers
from different countries around the world.
The Danish Society of Cinematographers (DFF)
every year supports 25 of its members in attending
the Oslo Conference paying their entrance fees,
accommodation and flights. The DFF has special funds that
are the result from secondary authors rights that Danish
cinematographers get from their collecting society, and
this fund is always used for educational purposes. Its an
example to be followed perhaps by other cinematographic
societies around the world.

DIFFICULT TIMES IN PORTUGAL

And this was how conference started, with a great
panel of speakers including cinematographers, colourists
and manufacturers discussing creative cinematography
and camera control. On the opening panel were Philippe
Ros AFC (France), Tom Crocker of Sony, Harald Brendel
of ARRI, Yvan Le Verge, Canon, Luc Bara of Panasonic,
Dave Stump ASC , Rolf Coulanges, BVK (Germany),
Kommer Kleijn SBC (Belgium),John Christian Rosenlund
FNF and colourist Cem Ozkillicci from Canada.
Many other speakers followed: Kommer Kleijn SBC,
chairman of IMAGOs Committee of Creative
78 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
nomination for an Academy Award. The morning section
of the second day, competently moderated by Rolv Haan
FNF, was a masterclass dedicated to Dicks career and the
way he works, with several clips screening from films he
has shot. The audience also learnt about the relationship
between the director Mike Leigh and his cinematographer
through their many years of close collaboration.
The afternoon provided the opportunity get close-
up with a range with drones and cranes, plus fresh news
from ARRI which presented a new Alexa, and also from
Panasonic which presented
the new Varicam 35, and
Canon with its new extreme
low light model.
The third and last
day there was a case study
of Norwegian feature
The Wave, shot by John
Christian Rosenlund
FNF. The film demanded
a great deal of VFX and
post-production. John
explained his involvement
with the project from
pre-production to colour
correction. In collaboration
with the colourist Cem
Ozlillicci he extensively
and successfully used
ACES, (the Academy Color
Encoding System) during
post production to get the
desired results. ACES was
also discussed thoroughly
by Dave Stump ASC.
Dave Stump ASC presented the
results of ACES and virtual reality.
Portugals neighbour Spain has gained considerable
international exposure and its cinema and is well known
worldwide. Names such as Pedro Almodovar and Luis Buuel
amongst others are immediately recognised. But Portuguese
cinema is regarded to be of minor importance internationally,
and Portuguese movies have so far had limited international
exposure, apart from at festival screenings.
Unlike the Spanish industry, that manages to
distribute productions internationally with great results,
Portugal has never had the capacity to succeed in the same
way. The Portuguese have never had a nomination for an
Oscar in any category ever.
These poor results, of course, derive from the lack of
investment in Portuguese cinema. Not only does it lack state
funding, but also private investment. Some tentative moves
have been made, but none has so far ended on solid ground.
This situation is also due the critically reduced number of
spectators going to watch movies: at the moment less than
one percent of the total Portuguese cinema audience. So
there is no business in the industry for distributors and
producers to be interested in investing in cinema.
The only source of film finance comes from the
National Film Institute, which supports eight films per year
to the tune of 600 000 Euros each. This is the maximum
for a major production, and is away too low to produce a
high quality feature. The majority of films are author genre
type productions, attracting only a very limited audience.
The mainstream audience therefore seems to have little
interest in Portuguese films.
There have been some exceptions recently from the
private sector. Digital has reduced the cost of production
considerably and there are some investments, mainly in

the comedy area to attract audiences, but this does
not move the Portuguese film industry forward. Even
though it is good that there is strong will from at least
a few to try to make cinema into a business.
The industry both reveals and reacts to the
lack of interest by the Portuguese public, who have
not got the habit of watching their own stories on
the big screen, but rather prefer watching foreign
films with subtitles. It seems that the audience have
gained aversion to listening and prefer to read. There
are some filmmakers who consider that Portugal has
made a mistake by adopting the subtitling instead
of dubbing. The Spaniards have chosen dubbing
and the result of that is that Spanish audiences are
used to listening instead of reading subtitles, unlike
the Portuguese. It is just a theory, but the truth is that
Spain has a real film industry with studios in Madrid,
Alicante and Barcelona.
The result of having better production is
that Spanish cinematographers have a much better
perspective over their careers. We can see by examples
such as Jose Luis Alcaine AEC, Javier Aguirresarobe AEC
and others, who have international careers, and we see that
none of the Portuguese has ever made it. Unless they have
emigrated, like Eduardo Serra who fled to France in the late
60s from the Portuguese dictatorship. Eduardo today is a
prominent member of AFC and has made a very interesting
international career, nominated twice for the Oscars.
However, the result of this success has had nothing to do
with the Portuguese cinema, but rather with the French.
These examples illustrate very clearly what is at stake
in the Portuguese industry for a cinematographers career,
and the difficulties caused by the irregular production of
feature films. TV series are just nonexistent. In the last
decade Portuguese TV has produced maybe ten TV films, an
average of one TV film per year. A one-hour show per year.
Of course, there is the commercials industry, which
gives cinematographers a means of living, and there are
maybe six cinematographers who make a living exclusively
as directors of photography in advertising. Most other
cinematographers survive by working in different occupations.
The cinematographer faces another major
problem in Portugal. The Portuguese cinematographer
is not regarded as an author of a feature production,
and within in this experiences a lack of respect for our
profession. A cinematographer in Spain, Italy or in any
other country is respected for their skill and knowledge.
In Portugal cinematographers are regarded as technicians.
This situation came about because Portugal never
had a tradition of filmmaking and when the first film
school appeared, in 1973, it was already very late. The
cinematographer was a craftsman working in the studio as
a technician and therefore did not have the opportunity
to develop the sense of artistry as others did abroad. The
history is the reason that the cinematographer has little
power to impose rights on to the producers.
It could all be changed if cinematographers could
understand that there is time to change: to claim moral rights
of the craft and to lay out the conditions of performing the
job. Some do it on certain productions, but it is not a norm.
If one or two, who are already better known in the industry,
can impose some artistic respect and therefore can get
better conditions to perform the job, it is just an exception.
The cinematographer is still seen as a technician, and
someone costly for the production if they request too much
lighting, additional camera assistants or focus pullers.
Some of the most prominent and active
cinematographers could themselves make the change to
benefit all cinematographers, whilst also improving the image
and the quality of work of cinematographers, but the situation
is difficult. In 2011 Portugal was financially rescued by the
IMF for a period of three years. The situation imposed a high
degree of austerity and a brutal raise on taxes, something
that was never seen before in the country. The film fund was
cut to zero in 2012. No film was funded that year and the
following year the number of films funded didnt increase.
The lack of work plus the brutal reduction on
salaries, due in part to the digital revolution, has made it
more difficult to make a living solely on cinematography
work, with the exception of those half a dozen DPs doing
commercials and the odd feature every two or three years.
There is little courage amongst cinematographers
to change the status quo in regard to the producer,
because everyone is afraid of retaliation. In the small
business as it is in Portugal, a bad reputation quickly
spreads. There is fear, a lot of fear about getting together
and implementing a change to the situation, and with
little or no growth, very little optimism either. So with
this backdrop, all one can do is to wait for better days.
WORKING
CONDITIONS
IN GREECE
I woke up today in my home in Athens and realised my
situation at age 61. In the morning I work as a DP on a TV series,
in the afternoon I videotape lectures and conferences, and at
the night I do colour grading, writes Yiannis Daskalothanasis GSC.
I work for more than 12 hours a day, to earn about
25% of what I was earning four years ago by doing
one job. Meanwhile 90% of young cinematographers
remain unemployed. Despite the guilt I feel, I am
obliged to take over jobs they would have taken as
novices, just to cover my running expenses.
From 1976, when I started working, until 1995,
there were three pillars regulating labour relationships
in film and television in Greece:
1. Compulsory insurance and pension benefits
Every person working in the audiovisual sector
had to be insured by the National Health System.
Each employer and employee was obliged to pay
contributions for health care and pension. The
employee had to contribute 13% of their salary
and the employer 34%.
2. Working licenses
For someone to be able
to work in cinema or
television, they had to be
licensed. The Ministry of
Culture was responsible
for issuing licenses for
each specialty after
On location Yiannis Daska
examining each persons ng in Greece and still enjoying his
shooti
educational degree and cinematography even in a wrecked
qualifications.
3. Collective labour contracts
Becoming a certified technician in cinema and
television, meant that one would automatically enter
the umbrella of legal, labour and trade union legislation
covering the audiovisual sector. The Technicians Union
(ETEKT) had signed a collective agreement with the
producers association which was mandatory to be
followed by all producers regardless of whether the
technicians were members of the union. However, in
the mid 90s the situation started changing. Several
private TV channels appeared and transmitted on a
national scale, having no license whatsoever. The state
imposed no sanctions and so the TV channels kept
working unperturbed. On top of this, many of these
private channels imposed their own labour terms, their
sole purpose being to maximise their profits.
The great demand for employees by these private
channels led to the creation of an army of unskilled
technicians, who would work with no license, outside
the norms of collective labour contracts, demanding
minimal or no health or pension contributions.
Unfortunately, the Greek state did nothing to regulate
this situation, which continued and thrived.
Little-by-little, the above deregulation in the
television sector extended to the cinema sector.
Producers started employing technicians who were
not certified by the Ministry of Culture as they ought
Yiannis Daskalothanasis GSC
to be. The Greek state did nothing but neither did the
Union. The situation was getting more and more out
of control. But so many productions were taking place
each year and so many people were happily employed
that nobody had time to worry.
From 2007 on, however, the situation started
changing drastically. The various private TV channels
started collapsing as they were indebted with millions
of euros. From 2007 till 2010, the private TV channels
drastically cut down their programming and their
budgets. Banks refused to give more loans and
production simply stopped. The economic crisis hit
Greek television and film productions hard, and 80%
of film technicians were suddenly unemployed.
In 2010 the Technicians Union attempted some
hectic efforts to bring back the three
pillars. Unfortunately it was too late.
In 2011, collective labour contracts
were officially abolished according to
European regulations. And in 2013,
the Ministry of Culture also officially
abolished working licenses, again
according to European regulations.
From then on, everyone could
work wherever and whenever they
lothan asis GSC wanted in cinema and television.
As a result of this, the various
vehicle
film schools became redundant
and it was quite hard for them to
attract students. Why would anyone decide to
spend money and time to get a degree in art direction, for
example, if they could work without it?
Today about 90% of certified technicians are
unemployed. In the few productions that take place
in Greece nowadays, the producers employ mostly
uncertified technicians, as they are cheaper and
more manageable. The reaction of the old and skillful
cinematographers was to get no salary and rely only on
back-end profits, which in 90% of the cases didnt come.
In 2014, under my suggestion, the Technicians
Union set up a cooperative to undertake Greek productions
or offer services to foreign productions shot in Greece.
The Technicians Union continues to fight for its
three pillars: insurance and pension benefits, working
licenses, and collective labour contracts. I am not sure
how successful this struggle could be, even with the
left-wing government we have now in Greece. I think
that this disease is going to spread from the Southern
countries to the rest of Europe very soon unless we do
something about it collectively.
Yiannis Daskalothanasis GSC is an award-winning
cinematographer working since 1976 in the Greek
and international film and television industry. For a
second term, he is president of the Greek Society of
Cinematographers. He is board member of the Greek
Film Centre and the collective rights management
organisation ISOCRATIS.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 79
 GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY TIM POTTER - CHAIR - GBCT

FOCUS PULLERS FRIEND

The sad passing of David Samuelson, honorary member of the
GBCT, on August 28th last year, cannot go without noting his
contribution to the work of the focus puller. I, like many, was
introduced to the technicalities of the world of the film
camera by his books, used his depth-of-field tables to
solve issues on-set, and have lived with his depth-of-field
calculator in my kit bag for all of my professional career.

T
he sad passing of David Samuelson, honorary member of the GBCT, on
August 28th last year, cannot go without noting his contribution to the work
of the focus puller. I, like many, was introduced to the technicalities of the
world of the film camera by his books, used his depth-of-field tables to solve
issues on-set, and have lived with his depth-of-field calculator in my kit bag for all of
my professional career. Davids work on making definitive calculations of depth-of-
field and turning them into many useful devices for the focus puller may not have
brought him the fame that his other work did (although it did bring an Academy
Technical Achievement Award at the 59th Oscars), but it did make a deep impression
on this young technician.
David was much fted for his work on developing the Louma Crane and by
those who worked with him as an exceptional documentary and news cameraman. The
cameramen who taught me in the 1980s had themselves assisted and learned from
David in the 1960s. However, it is his books (Motion Picture Camera Data and Motion
Picture Camera and Lighting Equipment) that camera assistants of my era will remember.
They were invaluable compendiums of knowledge about every aspect of the use
of every make and model of film camera, every kind of accessory and the technical
problems that a camera assistant will encounter. When first faced with an unfamiliar
camera, there was not a button, switch nor dial that was not fully-explained. It meant
that a very green, young loader could cover his lack of experience and do a good job
without being discovered!
One of my treasured possessions from those days is the Samuelson Group
Catalogue from 1985. This is not because it lists long-forgotten cameras and
accessories, but because at the back it has the Samuelson Manual Of Cinematography.
This rare imprint meant that all of us had a huge data resource in our kit bags. Davids
fingerprints were all over this volume. It had everything from the expected depth-of-
field tables, lacing patterns and HMI windows to things as esoteric as sun charts,
video plug wiring diagrams and even the symbols used by editors on rough cuts.
Davids work with Bill Pollard, co-creator of the Guild Kelly Calculator
(Davids Samcine Calculator was a rival to the Kelly, and which one you used was
a bit like the choice between Mac or PC, love or hate!), led to the development
of the first programme for calculating depth-of-field for use on hand-held
electronic devices (PDAs in those days). Those of you who now use apps to
do this work should give a thought to this pioneering work of 30 years ago.
They rightly won the 1986/7 Academy Technical Achievement Award for this
development that we now take for granted.
While everyone else is remembering David Samuelson for the many
things he did for the benefit of our industry, I will be remembering him as
the ultimate focus pullers friend.

DAVID WAS MUCH FTED FOR

HIS WORK ON DEVELOPING THE
LOUMA CRANE AND BY THOSE
WHO WORKED WITH HIM AS AN
EXCEPTIONAL DOCUMENTARY
AND NEWS CAMERAMAN.
80 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL
LOOKING AHEAD
Its that time of year again where we reflect on what has happened over the last year, and also
which direction we might be heading for this year and beyond. Even more than that, its worth
looking at some of the technology we have at our disposal now, and how improvements in
technology have been over the past few years.
W
hen RED gave the whole business a shake-
up a few years ago with the introduction
of the Red One, acquiring pictures in 4K,
there were many who dismissed this at
the time as fantasy, and pie in the sky. Now we have
seen the GoPro camera being used in a few major cinema
productions, perhaps most notably (and noticeably
becoming part of the plot ) in Ridley Scotts The Martian
(DP Dariusz Wolski ASC) released last year. This is a
camera costing only a few hundred pounds, yet is able to
be combined with main cameras to great effect, and can
even enhance the storytelling for the filmmakers.
The film Back To The Future (1985, DP Dean
Cundey ASC) was noticeable for the fact the original time
travel was to October 2015, and that was 30 years into
the future as it was then. Sadly we dont all go around
with hover boards, and with flux capacitors powering our
cars, yet a real hover board does exists, albeit in liquid
nitrogen-cooled and short-lived form, and there are many
hybrid and electric cars now on our roads, so it wasnt too
far off. It was interesting to see that 30 years was seen as
way into the future then, yet I guess most of us reading
this will remember it like it was almost yesterday. The
speed of technology change is truly immense.
It is only a few years ago that I was hearing
discussions with a friend of mine about the possibility of
putting motion picture cameras on small remote control
helicopters for motion picture use. If the technology
were possible at the time they would have been able to
provide shots no other camera system could. However,
at the time motion picture quality cameras were way too
big and heavy to be a viable possibility, and my friend
was ultimately discouraged enough to be diverted into
other areas of great success. Yet over time the weight
came down and then some systems developed a few
years on. Now we have the possibility of buying a
fully-working camera drone with a 4K sensor camera,
GPS navigation, gyro-stabilised, HD downlink and with
self-landing and take-off systems all included for around
the 2,000 mark. I know, I have just bought one from
Pro AV, and as I write this article I am in a hotel in Bali
planning some interesting quality visuals. But I digress.
The pace of change is immense, and with that come
great possibilities and also challenges.
After attending the IBC show last year, the thinking
for the future is on even higher resolutions than 4K.
(IBC is mainly focussed on TV, of course, not cinema, yet
the crossover is so close nowadays), Indeed, the BBC
dont even have a full service of HD broadcast yet, and
yet there is talk of 8K and even 16K was mentioned in
different discussions I witnessed. Where will this craving
for definition all end?
Yes, of course transmitting that amount of data to
audiences at home with conventional methods will always
be a technical challenge, but
for cinema it should not really
be an issue. The transmission
to audience is via screen and
projector based in a custom-
built auditorium, with sound
systems and other elements
joining together to bring an
emotional experience to the
audience.
At the camera end
there is simply a data rate
challenge to be solved, and
how quickly the data can
be accurately recorded
on the camera sensor
and stored conveniently
is always of vital
importance. Recording all
the information output
of a camera sensor is
desirable for later post production, as all the information
will be there to be manipulated. Yet in practice this is
often a compromise between data volumes and cost,
recording technology and simple logistics. Often a great
deal of information created by the sensor will be thrown
away in the name of compression. Note I said accurately,
as the various flavours of camera recording compression
will play a large part of the future of cinematography, and
also the role of people working in camera the camera
department. Data wrangling and systems are here to stay.
Largely gone are the days of tape around a film magazine
denoting whether a magazine had film in it or not, and if
it is exposed or not. It is now much easier to wipe data in
error, as the media cards are used many times over, unlike
movie film, where once its exposed thats it!
This is ultimately the point. Technology is a
fantastic tool to help the story unfold and this has been
embraced by some filmmakers to great effect think
Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and 127 Hours (2010), both
shot by Anthony Dod Mantle DFF BSC ASC, and along
with more recent films such as The Martian. This needs
a new thinking within all departments, but particularly in
the camera department.
Last year saw the latest in the Star Wars series
(DP Dan Mindel ASC BSC), the new James
Bond film SPECTRE
(Hoyte Van Hoytema
NSC FNF) and
Mission Impossible:
Rogue Nation (Robert
Elswit ASC) and many
more, all using the
technology to tell
exciting stories. With
this technology come
opportunities and new
thinking in terms of
training, and the GBCT
has a fine reputation
of advancing the
training and enabling
Drone with 4K crews to be the very
sensor camera
best in the world.
Yet the pace
of change is so fast
the training needs to be flexible, adaptable and on-set
training, with experienced crews helping others to learn
the craft. Long may this live in the GBCT tradition of the
training schemes offered. There is only a certain allocation
of trainees possible, and the criteria are suitably tough
and stringent, yet the trainee scheme is rightly seen as the
very best way of learning from experienced crews who
are able to pass the knowledge and on set-techniques
used for the future of the UK technicians being seen as
the very best in the business. Talk with the GBCT office if
you are looking to further your career in the movie making
technician role. There is no other business quite like it.
British Cinematographer | January 2016 | 81
 GBCT / NEWS FROM THE GUILD / BY JOHN KEEDWELL
ONLY THE BEST IS GOOD ENOUGH
On writing different articles and also books, I find myself
looking more closely at areas of the business most other
people may not notice. Its a bit like how you look at
things when you have a stills camera with you: there
is a closer attention to your surroundings as a picture
opportunity. The fact you have a camera focusses
attention on that area. Try it one day, and go out looking
for photographs to make, you could be amazed at the
detail and beauty around us each day that we never
normally notice.
This was very apparent when I was writing
my recent book, as I was looking at how the movie
business is structured compared to more conventional
businesses. There were many interesting areas for
discussion, yet the main factor I noticed was the
progression through the ranks to become the Head
Of Department. Without fail the most successful HODs
came through from sweeping the floor as a runner, then
worked through the various areas of the department to
rise to the top. Of course, not everyone who starts as a
runner will inevitably become a DP. It takes much more
than that. Being a respected DP requires dedication, hard
work, potentially taking huge risks and, most of all, it
means a respect gained by doing
the groundwork and learning
a craft from the ground up.
A traditional company
doesnt often do things like
this, and perhaps they should
learn a few lessons from how
the movie business runs. In
my experience of working full-
time for a few companies over
the years, there is definitely
a worker route, and a
manager route, and its often
extremely difficult to leap the
gap. You are either in one box
or the other, and changing over
is extremely difficult. It can be
done, of course, its just tricky.
Whats more the manager is
given many perks and incentives
to join, such as a company
car and huge pension, yet it is
often the people on the floor
82 | British Cinematographer | January 2016
who are creating the magic behind the success. Think of
the army of immensely talented plasterers, carpenters,
animatronics and prosthetics, costumers, hair and make-
up people in sheds, creating magnificent works of art to
be put in front of camera lenses and worked into a story
for the audience to enjoy.
The team of people making their very best efforts
seen on a screen is due to the fact their most recent work
is their CV, and their calling card. An employee in another
business doesnt often have this pressure and intensity,
so can often offer work that just gets it done, and can
often be mediocre, bland and safe. Thats one area the
movie business can never be accused of! Being bland and
mediocre, and a thatll do mentality is not a way to get
ahead in this business. If you settle for that you are left
behind. Dont ever Do second best. Give it everything. unplanned video footage, and the main interviews were
WHAT IS THE MOVIE BUSINESS?
On the long flight over to Bali (did I mention that?) I had
the opportunity to see a number of films that I had on
my radar, along with a few others I was not aware of.
There was a wide variety of films, including the 2013
film about Steve Jobs called
Jobs (DP Russell Carpenter),
seen alongside Hitman:
Agent 47 (2015, DP Ottar
Guonason) and a film called
Batkid Begins (2015, DP
Don Hardy Jnr), a touching
documentary about a child
with a life threatening
illness who wanted to be
Hitman: Agent 47
Batman. On the face of it these were hugely different
films: one about one of the most influential businessmen
of the last 50 years in Steve Jobs, another about a small
child who wanted to live his dream of being a superhero.
This latter story was fascinating for many reason I will
get to in a minute. It was taken up by the Make A Wish
charity, who decided to make it a special day, and then
the interest grew and grew until thousands of people
were involved, with the police department closing entire
blocks of streets, and even Barack Obama ended up
being involved in sending a personal video tweet.
Now, heres the thing. The big movies were all
planned out, with some great stunts, cinematography,
set design, make-up, acting and had great stories (true-
to-life in the Steve Jobs film) whilst the Batkid film was
mostly retrospective, looking at the reaction after the
day, as nobody had any idea it would be such a big story.
What swung the film in this case was the emotion. The
story was such a massive event it was hard to imagine
writing that as a script for a movie, many would probably
say it was too far-fetched.
However it was real, and because of that it moved
the audience (including myself). It had a raw energy and
reality and was all the more powerful because of that. The
point I hope to make is the story is the most important
aspect of any movie. This may seem to go against all I
have said above, about the very best cinematography and
all departments working together for a common goal. But
no. A good story combined with realistic effects, props,
cinematography and all the other elements can move an
audience to tears, laughter, being shocked and scared,
and can move them to a state outside of their normal
level. This is the tool we have as part of filmmaking. It is
a powerful tool when handled correctly, and can truly
change the world for the better.
Movies can entertain and inform at
the same time. Think of that when
you start 2016, and think of the film
business or movie as an extremely
effective communication to the
world, and one that can literally
influence the world. What a great
business! Is there any other like it? I
really dont think so. Lets hope 2016
is more peaceful and harmonious
throughout the world. Perhaps a
movie can change a few things to
make the world a better place.
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