British Cinematographer issue 51 - Imago

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 051 ––– May 2012 10
Marvel’s The Avengers Employs
Codex/ARRIRAW Workflow
Director Joss Whedon and cinematographer Seamus
McGarvey BSC ASC employed ARRI Alexa cameras
in a Codex/ARRIRAW workflow to capture principal
photography for Marvel’s The Avengers. The movie is the
first digitally-captured production by McGarvey, whose
previous credits include The Soloist, Atonement and The
Hours. In order to become comfortable with the new
technology, the cinematographer conducted detailed
tests with the ARRI camera and the Codex workflow
technology during pre-production.
“Shooting ARRIRAW with the combination of ARRI
Alexa cameras and Codex Onboard Recorders made
the transition to digital easy,” he recalls. “Everything
worked flawlessly and the images look amazing.”
On set, production DIT Danny Hernandez managed
four Codex Onboard recorders on his cart. He recorded
CDL (Color Decision List) values to the Onboards along
with the media from the cameras. McGarvey supervised
colour applications on set and the looks he established
were communicated to post EFILM in LA, which handled
the dailies processing and final DI.
Editorial was located near-set, equipped with a Codex
Digital Lab. The editorial crew checked and fixed all the
metadata, and made back-up copies of the ARRIRAW files
to LTO-5 tape. The data-packs from the Codex recorders
were then sent to EFILM for dailies processing.
The new Panalight Nexos
wharehouse.
The setting from the Barrakka
gardents terrace.
Eight-gun salute over harbour.
David Jarratt ready to welcome
guests.
Guests enjoy hospitality.
Tonio Fenech minister of finance,
economy and investment of
Malta.
David Grech MD panalight
mediterranean.
More guests enjoy hospitality.
More guests arrive before
presentation/party.
New Panalight Nexos trucks and
entrance to new wharehouse.
Dr giuseppe basso MD cinecitta
studios announces 75th anny of
studio and welcome to malta
event.
Guests assemble before Lights On
Malta party.
Film commissioner of Malta Peter
Busuttil addresses guests.
Paul Hitchcock talks to Roberto
Jarratt.Marvel... Codex proved
a hit on The Avengers, lensed by
Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC.
Method... Kronos had to have a
human type of look and had to
be made out of lava in Wrath Of
The Titans.
Method creates monster
and environments for
Wrath Of The Titans
Method Studios’ London and LA branches joined forces
for the 3D visual effects for the second installment
Warner Bros.’ franchise Wrath Of The Titans. The main
sequence for Method Studios in LA involved creating
the awakening of the monstrous Kronos, father of Zeus.
This fully CG rock giant is brought to life with glowing
lava and causes the cataclysmic destruction of the
Underworld. During pre-production, Method Studios in
London created concept images for the production’s
art department, as well as the visual effects in the
establishment of the Underworld sequence.
The visual effects on the Kronos sequence included
114 shots featuring a fully-CG Kronos in an entirely CG
environment consisting of over 7,000 pieces. The action
takes place in a huge collapsing chamber, with Perseus
and Andromeda freeing Zeus as Kronos awakes. Digital
doubles of leading actors were created and composited
into scenes along with fire, smoke, explosions and flowing
lava. For the Underworld establishment sequence,
Method London’s challenge was to get across the
massive scale of the CG environment, which included
detailed matte paintings and the creation of a stone
pillar tower which Zeus is later bound to. In this VFX heavy
scene, Zeus, played by Liam Neeson, is drained of his
powers as fiery lava bleeds from his arms and flows into
the surrounding rocks to give Kronos strength.
Method’s sister company, Company 3, completed
the DI on the feature with colorist Adam Glasman in
London. Feature visual effects worked on across Method
locations include Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,
Cloud Atlas, Dark Shadows, Men in Black 3, J. Edgar and
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.
11
President Suh departs
Panavision as technology
advisors join the board
Panavision has begun the search for a new CEO, after
John Suh, its president and CEO, left the company.
Following a transition period, Suh will join Deluxe
Entertainment Services Group as the company’s chief
administrative officer. In the interim, Bob Del Genio has
stepped in as acting CEO. He has worked as an advisor
to the company for three years and will continue to
drive the company’s goals and objectives, including the
development of next generation cameras.
As part of the reshuffle, two experienced technology
and business advisors, Joe Matza and Robert Solomon,
have been appointed to the company’s board of
directors.
Matza has focused his career on the relationship
between creativity and technology in creating
successful businesses. In 1972, he and his partners
teamed with Oscar-recipient Douglas Trumbull to create
Magicam, a real-time system that provided camera
movement while simultaneously photographing actors
in a miniature set, was sold to Paramount Pictures in
1974. In 1984, he co-founded Composite Image Systems
(CIS) specialising in visual effects for feature films,
television and advertising. Matza and his colleagues
founded EFILM in 1992, one of the world’s foremost
DI facilities. Panavision purchased EFILM in 2001 and
Deluxe Laboratories subsequently purchased EFILM from
Panavision in 2004. Matza served as EFILM’s President
and CEO until June 2010.
Solomon has over 20 years of media services industry
experience, serving in multiple senior executive roles
covering strategy, operations and finance in companies
including Ascent Media and Encore Video. He has
extensive expertise with entertainment and advertising
companies as they address the shift to file-based
content production, management and distribution.
“I am very excited to have the opportunity to work
with Panavision as they launch their next generation
camera system. Panavision is uniquely positioned
to deliver an integrated system designed from a
filmmaker’s perspective,” said Solomon.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 051 ––– May 2012
Top European film services
companies join forces in Malta
Malta has established itself as a leading film industry
location in the Mediterranean. Its strategic location,
climate and over 50 years of experience of servicing
film companies from the USA, UK, Europe and India, are
attracting top cine-services companies to share in this
market sector.
In August last year, three major enterprises, Panalight
Holdings, Cinecitta Studios and Nexos Lighting Malta,
established a joint venture in Malta with the help
and encouragement of the Malta Film Commission
(MFC). David Grech, a Maltese with several years of
international filmmaking experience, was appointed
managing director of the new Panalight Nexos
Mediterranean (PNM) enterprise. This is a one-stopshop
rental services depot, making all the necessary
equipment, including grip and cine-lighting, available to
filmmakers.
PNM recently invited other stakeholders, along with
several European film producers and camera rental
suppliers to a company launch event. These included
ARRI, represented by Dr Martin Prillmann, LEE Filters
and Panavision UK, represented by Hugh Whittaker.
International cinema trade-publications journalists were
also invited to cover the launch of the new joint venture.
The first in a series of international media events,
aimed at highlighting the importance of Malta as a
leading film-making location, guests were taken to
historical and natural locations, and invited to meet the
Mediterranean Film Studios, the Malta Film Commission,
location managers and other cinema industry
participants at a cocktail party set at the Upper Barrakka
Gardens overlooking the Grand Harbour in Valletta.
Investors attending the event included Roberto
Jarratt, chairman of Panalight Holdings, David Jarratt
who is responsible for European marketing, Giuseppe
Basso, general manager of Cinecitta Studios, and Silvio
Scerri of Nexos Malta.
“Nexos has been involved in every production that
has taken place in Malta for the past 15 years,” said
Scerri. “This new partnership, with international industry
powerhouses of the calibre of Panalight and Cinecitta,
will allow us to offer a complete service to the increased
number of productions being shot in Malta, and will also
attract more business to the island.”
Peter Busuttil, commissioner at the Malta Film
Commission, commented, “The setting-up of PNM
continues to further cement Malta’s role as a top
film-servicing destination and, more importantly, will
also give us the opportunity to train young Maltese
film technicians, allowing us to increase a number of
specialisations to our already large pool of experienced
film crews.”