TRUE GRIT - The British Society of Cinematographers

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
January 2011 ––– £7
British
Cinematographer 043
Covering International
Cinematography
OSCAR BAIT/
TRUE GRIT
A SPECIAL Q&A WITH ROGER DEAKINS BSC ASC
ABOUT THE MAKING OF TRUE GRIT
INSIDE
VILMOS ZSIGMOND ASC
ON BOLDEN! & LOUIS
PLUS CAMERIMAGE 2010 REVIEW
LIGHTING SPECIAL
CLAUDIO MIRANDA ASC &
DANNY COHEN BSC
ASC PRESIDENT MICHAEL GOI
POLLY MORGAN
THE LATEST NEWS FROM L.A.
PHIL MÉHEUX BSC
WOLFGANG SUSCHITZKY
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British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Credits
–––British Cinematographer
Magazine: Issue 43
Contents.
05
President’s Perspective.
John de Borman BSC says...
happy new year!
07
Production /
Post & Techno News.
All the latest worldwide
cinematography news.
11
Meet the New Wave.
Polly Morgan…
makes the world’s most
delicious fish pie!
12
To Live & Let DI.
Discover who’s dialling-in
the DI grades and more...
14
Who’s Shooting Who?
Your unique resource about
which DPs are currently
shooting what & where.
16
Camera Creative.
Q&A with Roger Deakins
BSC ASC on True Grit.
18
On The Job.
The legendery Vilmos
Zsigmond on Bolden!
21
Tools Of The Trade.
An illuminating look at the
latest lighting gear.
26
Close-Ups.
Danny Cohen BSC on
The King’s Speech, and
Claudio Miranda ASC on
TRON Legacy.
28
Special Feature.
The various goings-on
in Bydgoszcz at Plus
Camerimage 2010.
32
IMAGO News.
Nigel Walters BSC, president
of IMAGO, speaks from the
heart... of Europe.
34
In Conversation With...
Phil Méheux BSC.
36
All Time Greats.
The legendary
Wolfgang Suschitsky.
38
The latest from America.
Michael Goi ASC President
plus the latest from LA and
Singapore, SE Asia.
40
GBCT News.
The chairman’s statement
& all the latest new from
the Guild.
Cover Image: Image taken from True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges
& Matt Damon, lensed by Roger Deakins ASC BSC. A Paramount
Pictures production. Image courtesy of Paramount Pictures 2010.
Little Fockers
From little Fockers do bigger Fockers grow! Trudging
around the freezing, but rather good, Plus Camerimage
Festival 2010 in Bydgoszcz, it came as a pleasant
surprise to get more than a few pats on the back for our
magazine – for our content, design and persistence.
But it came as an even bigger surprise, a week later
at Pinewood, when Joe Dunton MBE BSC announced at
Operators’ Night that the 2010 ARRI John Allcott Award
was being given to Alan Lowne and Stuart Walters of
Laws Publishing for their development of this magazine.
It’s a great honour, an achievement to be proud of, and
it rounded off a dynamic year very nicely.
When we started British Cinematographer Magazine
in October 2002, we knew we were on to a rich seam.
The traditional film-based artistry of the cinematographer
was beginning to be sorely tested with the advance
new digital production technologies, and the worlds of
production and post were starting to fuse together. We
were then, and remain today, fuelled by enthusiasm for
the people who bring moving images to life. We were
also then focussed purely on the British industry.
Alan and Stuart are to be applauded for their
tenacity over the years in helping to broaden the scope
of this magazine, to become truly reflective of what’s
going on worldwide, whilst we still remain true to our
irreducible core.
Amongst those we need to thank for their guidance,
support, shrewd observation and inspiration are Harvey
Harrison, Mike Southon, Gavin Finney, Derek Suter, Joe
Dunton, Nigel Walters, Tony Spratling, John Daly, Sue
Gibson, Mike Fox, Simon Mills, Chris Seager, and the late
Tony Imi and Alex Thomson, who attended our many
advisory meetings.
However, we’d be nowhere without the long-term
support of our advertisers and readers, who have
helped us to sustain and expand our remit. And we’ll get
nowhere if we rest on our laurels.
Although we’ve published special reports before, this
year we’re making the bold step of creating supplements,
themed around the major issues and advances
concerning cinematographers. Stand by for specials
on 16mm, 3D stereo, the BSC Expo, Camerimage 2011,
and a comprehensive gear guide. There’s a list of events
across the calendar to report on too, including NAB, the
IMAGO and ICSC summits in May, Cine Gear, IBC, Manaki,
Camerimage, and much, much more in between.
We’re still small, and others have been around longer.
But we do what we do because we love it, and we know
that it’s all about the people.
As a new year begins, it’s heartening to see that
there are two British nominees for the ASC Awards in
February – Roger and Danny. Which bodes well for the
Oscars. Good luck guys, we’re there with you. Here’s to
passionate little Fockers everywhere!
Ron Prince
Editor, British Cinematographer
03
“The ASC, BSC and other cinematography
organisations have a responsibility to help
everyone understand that people working
together is what makes filmmaking an art.”
Phil Méheux BSC
The BSC John Allcott award
sponsored by ARRI.
British Cinematographer
Covering International
Cinematography
britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
British Cinematographer
Covering International
Cinematography.
Pinewood Studios
Iver Heath
Buckinghamshire SL0 0NH
United Kingdom
t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101
f/ +44 (0) 1753 650111
Publishers.
––– Alan Lowne
t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101
e/ alafilmuk@aol.com
––– Stuart Walters
t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300
e/ stuartwalters@
britishcinematographer.co.uk
Editor.
––– Ron Prince
e/ ronny@dircon.co.uk
Sales.
––– Alan Lowne
t/ +44 (0) 1753 650101
e/ alafilmuk@aol.com
––– Stuart Walters
t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300
e/ stuartwalters@
britishcinematographer.co.uk
Design & Creative Direction.
Open Box
Media & Communications
––– Lee Murphy
Senior Designer
t/ +44 (0) 121 608 2300
e/ studio@ob-mc.co.uk
The Publication Advisory
Committee comprises of Board
members from the BSC and
GBCT as well as the Publishers.
British Cinematographer
Covering International
Cinematography is part of
Laws Publishing Ltd.
Laws Publishing Ltd
Pinewood Studios
Iver Heath
Buckinghamshire
SL0 0NH
United Kingdom.
The publishers wish to
emphasise that the
opinions expressed in British
Cinematographer Covering
International Cinematography
are not representative of
Laws Publishing Ltd but the
responsibility of the individual
contributors.
Contributers.
Ron Prince ––– has many
years experience working
in the film, TV, CGI and
visual effects industries.
He is the editor of British
Cinematographer
magazine and runs the
international marketing
and communications
company Prince PR
(www.princepr.com).
Bob Fisher ––– has authored
3,000 magazine articles
about cinematographers
and filmmakers during the
past 35 plus years. He has
also moderated many
panel discussions for both
the American Society
of Cinematographers
and the International
Cinematographers Guild.
Carolyn Giardina ––– is a
freelance journalist based
in the US. She previously
served as the technology
reporter at Hollywood
Reporter, the editor of Film
& Video, and as senior
editor of post-production
at SHOOT. Her work has
also appeared in IBC Daily
News, Digital Cinema,
Post and Below The Line.
David A Ellis ––– started out
as a projectionist and then
moved on to work for BBC
Television in London as a
film assistant. He has written
numerous articles about
the industry including
many features about
cinematographers.
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
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
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Presidents Perspective
–––John de Borman BSC
President of the British Society
of Cinematographers
View from
the top
It was such a delight to be at Camerimage in Poland yet
again this year. The festival started off with the fabulous
Black Swan, photographed on 16mm by Matthew
Libatique. It was with great pleasure that I was able to
congratulate Matthew on his outstanding work.
What I always reflect on when I go there is how
diverse tastes are. When I was part of the Jury with Chris
Menges, a few years back, it was extraordinary to realise
that the basic premise of what is a beautiful image, which
I thought would be unanimous, was often put in dispute.
That I suppose is the wonderful thing about what we do,
we all do it differently and have different tastes. The thing
to look out for, I think, is one should not dislike something
because it’s not the way you would do it. One should see
the filmmakers’ intentions and then reflect on whether
they have achieved them. That’s what is important.
An extraordinary challenging film was Buried, shot
by Eduard Grau, where the premise of the film was set in
a coffin for 90 minutes. The actor lying down the whole
way through and lit with either his mobile phone or Zippo
lighter. Sounds unpromising, but turns out to be sometimes
funny, then sad and always thrilling and tense. What an
achievement! It is like trying to find the hardest situation
to make a film in and treating it like a challenge… and by
succeeding, turns it into a tour de force that Hitchcock
would be proud of. All shot in three weeks, well done. We
are going to ask Eduard to talk at one of our BSC Indie
events, as I feel this is a great example of achieving the
rudiments of good story telling.
I would like to thank the organisers of Camerimage
for, yet again, putting on a great festival. Especially this
year as they had to completely change locations from
Lodz to Bydgoszcz, and really pulled it out of the bag with
exemplary aptitude. It was so great to see so many DPs
from so many countries all in one place. You can feel the
enthusiastic energy of all the participants and onlookers
coupled with the dramatic snow blizzards which fuel
discussions and fun amongst us all. I took great pleasure
in personally congratulating Wally Pfister ASC, who shot
Inception so beautifully, and who has been made a
BSC member. This honour has rarely been bestowed to
an ASC member. I think only Billy Fraker before. So well
done Wally and I hope you will come to our numerous
events next year. I might even force you to do a Q&A.
Remember, during one of those vodka-infused evenings
in Poland… you promised!
05
British Society
of Cinematographers
Board Members.
John de Borman BSC
(President)
Joe Dunton MBE BSC
Chris Seager BSC
Sean Bobitt BSC
(Vice Presidents)
Sue Gibson BSC
Gavin Finney BSC
Nic Morris BSC
Haris Zambarloukos BSC
Robin Vidgeon BSC
John Daly BSC
David Odd BSC
Ashley Rowe BSC
Nigel Walters BSC
Derek Suter BSC
Harvey Harrison BSC
Phil Meheux BSC
David Higgs BSC
(Governors)
Our new BSC projects are going well and to plan.
We seem to be close to agreeing on a new website design
which has closer links to the look of the magazine which
is unanimously liked. Congratulations to Alan Lowne and
Stuart Walters for winning the ARRI John Alcott memorial
award for the creation of the magazine you are now
reading, which is so well deserved. It has great style, really
good articles and photographs and is a perfect reflection
on the quality of our society. Well done from all of us!
All our events are taking shape and I am looking
forward to getting the ball rolling in February. We are very
exited that our BSC Club is starting to get lots of members
rolling in, which reaffirms our belief that there are lots of
people out there who are interested and want to learn
about our business. To celebrate our new push in creating
an interactive film community we are had our first, pre-
Christmas Monday night get-together at our BSC Bar –
namely the Star Bar, 22 Great Chapel Street, in Soho. We
have been overwhelmed by people wanting to come,
which really bodes well for our other ventures.
I recently finished a two-day shoot on a pilot for a film
that has not quite got the money in place. It is a beautiful
epic love story set in Nigeria during the Nigerian/Biafran
war. It has a great cast attached and could be brilliant.
What has amazed me is that all my very experienced
crew, the camera and lighting companies, and editors,
were willing to do it for nothing, and supported the project
because they believed in it and the script. There are so
few good scripts around and, of course, if it goes, we all
do it. But it showed a true dedication and love for what
we do. Thank you to all of them and let’s hope it happens.
Well 2010 was up and down. Brilliant for some and
others not so good. Let’s hope the year ahead is a corker
for us all. Please come to our events during the coming
12 months, and let’s all share our experiences over a nice
glass of wine.
The BSC would like to wish every single one a very
prosperous New Year.
John de Borman BSC
President, British Society of Cinematographers

The Cinematographer
07
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
News
–––Production / Post
& Technology round-up
Deakins and Cohen get ASC nominations.
Roger Deakins BSC ASC and Danny Cohen BSC have been nominated
in the feature film category of the 25th Annual American Society
of Cinematographers’ (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards.
Cohen is nominated for The King’s Speech, whilst Deakins has been
tipped for his work on The Coen Brothers’ western True Grit, the ninth ASC
feature film nomination of his career. The other nominees this year are
Matthew Libatique ASC for Black Swan, Wally Pfister ASC for Inception,
and Jeff Cronenweth ASC for The Social Network.
Deakins won ASC awards for 1994’s The Shawshank Redemption
and 2001’s The Man Who Wasn’t There. Deakins, who last year also
served as visual consultant on the animated movie How To Train Your
Dragon, has received eight Oscar nominations for his cinematography,
including two in 2008 when he was nominated for both the Coens’
No Country for Old Men and The Assassination Of Jesse James By The
Coward Robert Ford. But he has yet to take home the Oscar itself.
In addition to his nomination True Grit, he is scheduled to be
honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 25th annual ASC
Outstanding Achievement Awards, which will be held Feb. 13 at the
Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.
Pfister’s nomination for Inception is his third ASC nomination. He
was also was nominated for two other films from director Christopher
Nolan: Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Cohen, Cronenweth and
Libatique are all first-time ASC nominees.
“These five people have set the standard for today’s
cinematography,” said awards committee chairman Richard Crudo
ASC. “Although they were nominated for a variety of films, they share
the common denominator of extraordinary talent and good taste. Just
their mere presence on set would elevate any production.
Fujifilm moves.
The Motion Picture division of Fujifilm UK has moved
to larger premises following a recent expansion
and fresh additions to its team. The new office is
at 17 Soho Square, London, W1D 3QJ, close by
Fujifilm’s previous Soho base in Poland Street.
These new premises mark a move into Europe
by Fujifilm UK, which sees London becoming the
head office for European operations. Dan Clark
has joined Fujifilm as the company’s European
sales manager and is joined by Mike Mimaki
as European technical manager. Film stocks will
continue to be available to purchase direct from
the office and contact numbers remain the same.
Deluxe acquires Ascent Media.
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. has finalised its acquisition of Ascent
Media Corporation’s Creative Services and Media Services businesses, including
the well-known brands of Company 3, Beast, Method, Rushes, Encore Hollywood
and Level 3 Post. Many of the acquired business units provide creative and media
services in television and commercials post-production that go beyond Deluxe’s
portfolio of services for the theatrical market.
“In the coming weeks and months, Deluxe will be advising customers on the
new service offerings,” said Cyril Drabinsky, president and CEO of Deluxe. “We look
forward to providing our customers with the best that the combined companies
and teams of talented employees have to offer.”
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc. It provides of a broad range of entertainment
industry services and technologies to major Hollywood Studios and an
international client base, including motion picture film processing, printing and
distribution, digital intermediates, feature and television post production and
subtitling services, titles design and digital VFX, DVD authoring, and digital cinema
services. It is understood that Ascent 142 and Soho Film Lab were part of this
worldwide deal, and have been renamed Deluxe142 and Deluxe Soho.
De Niro heads Cannes Jury.
With his latest film Little Fockers on general
release, actor Robert De Niro has been
announced as jury president of the 64th
Cannes Film Festival, renewing his longtime
relationship with the event. The actor has
attended Cannes for eight films, two of
which won the Palme d’Or, Martin Scorsese’s
Taxi Driver in 1976 and Roland Joffe’s The
Mission in 1986. The 64th edition runs from
May 11th – 22nd, 2011.
Alan Lowne, John De Borman
BSC, Ron Prince and Stuart
Walters with the ARRI John
Allcott award given to British
Cinematographer Magazine.
Two BSC members, Roger
Deakins BSC ASC and Danny
Cohen BSC, have made it as this
year’s ASC Award nominees.
British Cinematographer publishers
presented with John Alcott Award.
We were deeply honoured to receive the BSC ARRI John
Alcott Award at the BSC Operators Night in December.
There were so many people congratulating us
on receiving award on the night that we couldn’t get
around to thanking everyone personally but we would
like to thank the BSC Board for voting for us and for ARRI
for creating such an award!
The award was for enthusiasm and success
in the creation and development of the British
Cinematographer magazine but we have had some
amazing support along the way.
We started the magazine 7/8 years ago with
nothing but the idea but thanks to the BSC committee
and for Harvey Harrison and Simon Mills who got us
through the early days and help bring a united voice
for the magazine we have managed to create a
stunning magazine. The development of these links
and through our new partnership with IMAGO also
means the magazine has established itself as a leading
international publication.
We would also like to take the opportunity to thank
our brilliant team with Ron Prince as our editor and
a collection of leading international journalists, our
design team is led by Lee Murphy who has taken the
magazine to new levels of design and given us some
tremendous feedback.
It was so gratifying to here comments from
American and other international visitors at the recent
Camerimage festival complimenting us on our all
round quality in matching the AC magazine (who we
admire) on the world stage of cinematography!
Most of all we would like to thank ALL patrons /
advertisers for being so loyal and supporting us all the
way without you we could not have achieved what we
have done. Finally we hopefully will continue to serve
our industry as well as we can for some years to come
from thick and thin!
THANK YOU TO ALL OUR READERS AND ADVERTISERS
Stuart Walters & Alan Lowne
Publishers
Panavision plans Atlanta facility.
Panavision is set to open a new facility in Atlanta, Georgia in
February 2011. The 10,000-square-foot facility, located in west
midtown Atlanta, is designed to accommodate a full-service
camera rental office with a wide array of digital and film
cameras, including 35mm and 16mm, HD 35 and 2/3 inch.
The office will be managed locally by Ann Somogye DeGuire,
general manager of Panavision Atlanta. The new office will be
located at 1250 Menlo Drive, Suite A, Atlanta, GA, 30318.

The Cinematographer
08
The Cinematographer
09
Covering International Cinematography
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043 Issue 043
Plus Camerimage 2010 Winners.
Main Competition:
Golden Frog – DP Arthur Reinhart for Venice
Silver Frog – DP Mikhail Krichman for Silent Souls
Bronze Frog – DP Eduard Grau for Buried
Music Video Competition:
Best Music Video – Kora, “Zabawa w chowanego” (Game of Hide-and-Seek),
DP Marek, dir SanakBartłomiej Ignaciuk
Best Cinematography – DP Greig Fraser, How to Destroy Angels,
“The Space Between”, dir Rupert Sanders
Student Films Competition:
Bronze Tadpole – DP Johan Holmquist for Bekas
Silver Tadpole – DPs Phillip Haberlandt & Jens Hallman for St. Christophorus: Roadkill
Golden Tadpole – DP Jakub Giza for I Won’t Be Here Tomorrow
Short Documentary Films Competition:
Honorable Mention – Marek Septimus Wieser for Out Of Love.
Discovery Networks Central Europe Award – Jaro Valko for Arsy Versy.
Grand Prix Golden Frog Award – Piotr Stasik for The Last Day of Summer.
Documentary Feature Films Competition:
Honorable Mention – DP Pau Mirabet for Letters From The Desert
(Eulogy to Slowness)
Discovery Networks Central Europe Award – DP Andrew Thompson for
Mugabe And The White African
Grand Prix Golden Frog Award - DPs Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
for Restrepo
Directors’ Debuts Film Competition:
Award for the Director – David Michôd for Animal Kingdom
Cinematographers’ Debut Film Competition:
DP Adam Arkapaw for Animal Kingdom
Polish Films Competition:
Golden Frog – Little Rose, DP Piotr Wojtowicz dir Jan Kidawa-Blonski
Ultimate Arm reaches out.
The PFC Ultimate Arm from ACS France
been used on an array of production
recently, from car commercials, involving
the latest electric cars shown at the Paris
Car Show, to a couple of upcoming films.
The Ultimate Arm, which is built on to
a Mercedes ML55 AMG, proved a useful
asset when ACS was called in to assist on
Steven Spielberg’s latest film, War Horse. As
the title suggests, this involved a great deal
of filming horses. With its four-wheel drive
system, and the option of an off-road tire
package, ASC was able to get up to speed
quickly in the confines of the set, keeping
up with the galloping horses that sometimes
did not have riders.
ASC also supported Captain America,
chasing and leading motorbikes through
a forest with pyrotechnics. With the help
of the 2nd unit grips they were able to rig
another camera to the car – a wireless Libra
head, controlled from outside of the car –
enabling additional coverage on each shot
from another angle. Along with high-speed
tracking shots, ASC also assisted on dolly
shots and static crane moves.
Winner: Arthur Reinhart holds
his Golden Frog aloft, and a
still photo from his winning film
Venice.
Vrooom: The Ultimate Arm in
action!
What’s shooting on Kodak?
Features opting for Kodak stocks include the South African productions
of… Red Sun Africa, Do Production/DOR Film Vienna, DP Enzo Brandner;
and Mission Crane, Two Oceans Production/Goldkind Munich, DP Holly
Fink, dir Andreas Senn. Other features include… The Deep Blue Sea,
dir Terence Davies DP Florian Hoffmeister; Sherlock Holmes 2, dir Guy
Ritchie, DP Philippe Rousselot; Johnny English Reborn, dir Oliver Parker,
DP Danny Cohen BSC; The Woman In Black, dir James Watkins, DP
Tim Maurice-Jones; Someday, dir Saahil Prem, DP Uday Tiwari; X-Men
First Class, dir Matthew Vaughn, DP John Mathieson BSC; and In Love
With Alma Cogan, dir Tony Britten, DP Ole Birkeland. TV shows include
New Tricks, dir Julian Simpson, DP Sean Van Hales, and commercials
are… Morrisons (Park Village), DP Oliver Curtis BSC; Audi (Minds Eye),
DP Alex Barber; Adidas (Eponymous), DP Chemetoff; Sky Broadband
(76 Prods), DP Remi Adefarasin BSC; McDonalds (HLA), DP Martin Hill;
Rowntrees (Independent), DP Martin Tedin; Whiskas (Park Village), DP
Keith Goddard BSC; Narnia (Crossroads), DP Ed Wilde; BBC iPlayer (Red
Bee), DP David Luther; Vodafone (Tantrum), DP Adrian Wilde; Hovis
(2AM), DP Martin Hill; Ford Sky Idents (BSkyB), DP Gary Shaw; Samsung
3DTV (Rattling Stick), DP Ian Murray; New York Bagels (Itch), DP Pete
Ellmore; Camelot (Therapy), DP Theo Goddard; DFS (Ink Films), DP Mik
Allen; Tesco (Little Fish), DP Keith Goddard; Harrods (Itch), DP Pete Elmore;
Marks & Spencer (Thomas Thomas), DP Martin Hill; Aero (Mustard), DP
Ben Smithard; Weight Watchers (Spank), DP Vincent Warin; and Quorn
(RSA), DP Steve Annis.
New collecting society.
IMAGO president Nigel Walters BSC reports that a new British collecting society, provisionally called Screen Craft
Rights, is in the process of being established for cinematographers, editors and other crafts, entitled to residuals from
UK films shown in some European countries.
“Under EU legislation any citizen is entitled to join any collecting society, so Screen Craft Rights will benefit not only
cinematographers based in the UK, but also other European colleagues who have worked on British films,” said Walters.
Unlike Britain, European countries such as Germany recognise cinematographers and editors as creative
contributors to the films and TV productions on which they work. They are entitled to receive residual payments when
those films are sold and exhibited in their territories. However, UK Cinematographers can only benefit from these
arrangements by belonging to a recognised collecting society.
“You can, of course, join the German society, and the Finnish society, and the Swedish society, and so on, but that
would be cumbersome. Hence the proposal for a single British collecting society to act as a single collection and
distribution agency,” added Walters.
In Germany, a significant sum has already been collected from sales and exhibition of British films and TV
productions in 2008. This money is currently held in trust until the new UK society can be properly established.
However, the names of the potential beneficiaries, who have been contacted, are known.
Screen Craft Rights is being established through collaboration between the BSC, the Guild of British Film and TV
Editors, Guild of British Camera Technicians and BECTU.
“Our aim is that, in future, all members of Screen Craft Rights will have access to their share of European residuals.
One important early decision will concern the formula for distributing money that comes in. Other collecting
societies use a points-system combining factors such as genre (feature film, TV film, documentary, etc.), running time,
type of exhibition, such as which TV channel, the time of transmission, and so forth. Members of Screen Craft Rights
will have to decide what arrangement they think is best.
“However, first we have to get the new society established as a legal body. In order to meet start-up costs, we
are asking interested individuals, including those who stand to benefit from the money collected in Germany
in 2008, to make a one-off payment of £35,” said Walters. “This initiative will end years of confusion for the crafts
entitled to remuneration.”
ASC Summit in May.
Michael Goi ASC, president of the ASC, has invited cinematographic societies
worldwide to an International Cinematography Summit Conference (ICSC),
scheduled to take place from May 2nd to May 5th at the ASC Clubhouse in LA.
The purpose of the conference is to establish an atmosphere of open dialogue
between cinematographers worldwide, to share knowledge of emerging
technologies, and to discuss the future of the craft in the wake of developments
such as virtual production and 3D stereo.
“Being a global industry, now more than ever, it is vitally important that we are
all on the same page about the elements of our craft, and about the issues that
affect the preservation of our work,” said Goi.
The agenda for the four-day conference will include demonstrations and
discussions about a range of topics, including the role of the cinematographer in
virtual production and animation, archiving and the preservation of film and digital
elements, 3D stereo, the evolution and future of digital capture, and the future of
film as an origination and archival medium. Educating the next generation of
cinematographers, and ways that cinematography societies can develop a more
active exchange of information, will also be on the agenda.
The participation of a number of key industry leaders at the ICSC already
includes, The Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences’ Science And
Technology Council, and The Virtual Production Committee, an industry coalition
comprised of representatives from the ASC, the Producers Guild of America, the
Visual Effects Society and the Art Directors Guild. Pace Technologies’ founder Vince
Pace will elaborate on his innovative approach to 3D stereo on director James
Cameron’s newest project, and The Previsualization Society will demonstrate
modern previs techniques used on both high and low-budget productions
“This is an era of enormous and rapid change, and the work we do now will
help pave the way toward a more stable and creative future,” added Goi. “It is
an opportunity to focus and clarify objectives on an international level, and to
introduce programmes that will help stabilise the industry.”
What’s shooting on Fujifilm?
The following features and TV dramas selected Fuji film stocks… Tinker
Tailor Soldier Spy, DP Hoyte van Hoytema FSF NSC, dir Tomas Alfredson;
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, DP Ben Davis BSC, dir John Madden;
Hysteria, DP Sean Bobbitt BSC, dir Tania Wexler; Resistance, DP John
Pardue, dir Amit Gupta; Stolen, DP Rob Hardy BSC, dir Justin Chadwick;
Hot Potato, DP Ashley Rowe BSC, dir Tim Lewiston; The Royle Family
Christmas Special, DP Jeremy Hiles, dir Caroline Aherne; and Waking The
Dead - Series 9, DP Mike Spragg. Commercials and promos supplied via
Island Studios and Panavision include… Churchill Commercial (Coy!),
DP Denis Crossan; B&Q (RSA), DP Oliver Cariou; Morgana Ident (Channel
4), DP Luke Scott; Yell.com (Gorgeous), DP Patrick Duroux; Horlicks (Itch),
DP Peter Ellmore; Sky TV Ident (Sky), DP Ed Mash; Matalan (Spank), DP Jo
Willems; Converse Promo (Blink), DP Dan Bronx; Joe McElderry Promo
(Crossroads), DP Tom Townend; Olay Vegas (Production International),
DP Baz Irvine; X Factor Promo (Crossroads), DP Denzil Armour Brown;
H&M (HSI), DP Crille Forsberg; Rice Krispies (Production International), DP
John Lynch; Heinz Beans (Rogue Films), DP Tom Townend; Coronation
Street 50th Ident (ITV Creative), DP Dan Bronks; Plan B Promo (Somesuch
& Co), DP Lol Crawley; Taio Cruz & Kylie Minogue Promo (Between The
Eyes), DP Will Bex; Butlins (Epocj Films), DP Richard Mott; Olay (Production
International), DP Denis Crossan; Quaker (Blink), DP John Lynch;
Chemical Brothers Promo (RSA), DP Richard Mott; Toyota (Outsider), DP
Tom Townend; Shoes Promo (Somesuch & Co), DP Lol Crawley; Snowy
Owl Promo (Between The Eyes), DP Robbie Ryan BSC; Yakult (Rattling
Stick), DP Ross McLennan; and Bisto (Academy Films), DP Tom Townend.
Summit to think about: the ASC
Clubhouse will welcome DPs
worldwide in May.
Ride ‘em cowboy: before and
after grading using The Pixel
Farm’s free colour grading
Airgrade app.
The Pixel Farm releases
free colour-grading app.
VFX software developer The Pixel Farm has released
Airgrade, a free-of-charge, colour-grading engine that can
be remote-controlled from an iPhone. Airgrade emulates
professional film and TV grading tools, and combines a
powerful Mac-based grading engine, with a wireless remote
control on the iPhone. To grade an image, users can roll a
3D trackball and rotate a radial wheel on their iPhone to
adjust precise tonal ranges using Lift, Gamma, Gain controls,
with a Saturation control for overall colour intensity. The result
appears interactively on a Mac, and on any other connected
monitoring device, such as a digital projector.
Grading data is saved in the universally-recognised
ASC CDL format (.ccc file), allowing colour decisions to
be transferred between grading and finishing solutions for
professional use. The graded image is saved simultaneously
to the iPhone’s photo album.

The Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043 10
Sony expands large format
sensor camcorder line-up.
Sony Professional is developing a new type of
E-mount 35mm camcorder. Aimed at professional
cinematographers, and utilising a Super-35mm
large format CMOS sensor, this new camcorder will
become one of the new models in the “NXCAM”
line-up. Available early summer of 2011, it targets
the expanding entry-level digital cinematography
market.
Sony Professional is already an established
player in 35mm digital cinematography with the
Cinealta F35 and SRW-9000PL for high-end digital
cinema production. Sony has also just strengthened
its line-up in this category with the recent PMW-F3
camera, With this latest “NXCAM” HD camcorder,
Sony is aiming to further strengthen its position in the
entry-level segment, with an affordable yet highlycapable
professional solution for independent film,
pop promotions and corporate communications
all looking for a cinematic look to their content.
The “NXCAM” HD camcorder will be equipped
with a Super-35mm sensor, a widely-used stock size
in the film industry, designed for capturing motion
pictures. Sony claims it will deliver extraordinary
performance in terms of picture quality and
sensitivity, offer depth of field control and flexibility
with a wide range of lens options available.
The adoption of the E-mount interchangeable
lens system means that it is identical to the “α”
series lens system used on the NEX-5, 3 and NEX-
VG10. Current and future E-mount lenses will be
compatible with this new camcorder. The recording
format for will be AVCHD, widely supported by many
NLE software vendors and the same format as the
HXR-NX5E NXCAM camcorder. There is also a plan
to implement 1080p (50p / 25p) recording modes,
using MPEG4-AVC/H.264 compression.
Boxy but good: Sony’s new
Super 35mm “NXCAM”
camcorder.
Dimension 3
dates.
Dimension 3, the
international stereo
3D forum will take
place in Seine-Saint-
Denis, at the Pullman
Dock, from 24th to
26th May. For more
information visit
www.dimension3expo.com.
Lipsync finances Busby Babes drama United.
Investment and equity services company LipSync Productions, and Soho post-production facility LipSync Post,
are to provide their respective resources on the forthcoming BBC Two drama, United, about the aftermath of the
Munich Air Crash of 1958 that killed many of the Manchester United football squad known as the ‘Busby Babes’.
LipSync’s post-production division will provide full post on the drama, including the extensive VFX that will be
required to recreate the scene of the crash, as well as converting stadium shots into the correct historical period.
The drama, starring David Tennant and Dougray Scott, will be broadcast on BBC Two and released theatrically
around the world. It is written by Chris Chibnall (Law & Order: UK, Camelot) and directed by James Strong (Doctor
Who, Hustle). The film is produced by Julia Stannard and executive produced by World Productions’ Simon Heath
and Polly Hill for the BBC. United is funded by LipSync Productions, Northern Film & Media, World Productions,
Content Films, BBC North and the BBC.
Since 2006 LipSync Productions has provided investment and equity services for over 25 independent feature
films, including Toast, Jane Eyre, Coriolanus, We Need To Talk about Kevin, The Great Ghost Rescue, Dark Tide,
Made in Dagenham, Mr Nice, Nowhere Boy, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, A Bunch of Amateurs, How to Lose Friends
and Alienate People, The Red Riding Trilogy and Dean Spanley.
11
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Meet the New Wave
–––Polly Morgan
Cinematographer
Self
reflection
Filmography (so far):
I’m shooting my first feature in January 2011, The Sinker,
directed by Basel Owes.
When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer?
When I was 13. A film crew came to the farm I grew up on
to shoot a documentary about Edward Elgar, the famous
composer, who once used to roam amongst the fields.
They let me look through the eyepiece and ride in the
crane. I fell in love straight away.
Where did you train?
On set for nine years and then at the AFI
(The American Film Institute).
What are you favourite films?
Seven (DP Darius Khondji) – for its enthralling and
unanticipated narrative and dark tone. A modern Blade
Runner with its specific measure of atmosphere.
In The Mood For Love (cinematography by Christopher
Doyle, Pung-Leung Kwan and Pin Bing Lee) – for its poetry.
So tactile and emotive.
The Conformist (DP Vittorio Storaro) – for its visual
language. I never tire of Storaro’s work.
The Goonies (DP Nick McLean) – for its pure sense of fun
and entertainment. Timeless.
What’s the best advice you were ever given?
Anything is possible. Believe in yourself. And work hard.
From my mother.
Who are your industry heroes?
Haris Zambarloukos BSC, as he was the first DP to help me
with my dream of becoming a member of the camera
department. Wally Pfister ASC – I am lucky to call Wally my
mentor. He is my inspiration. Always willing to help me and
there when I have a question. Michael Goi ASC – I met
him at the Maine Media workshops He wrote me a great
reference that helped get a grant to pay for the AFI. He
has been a friend for five years and is always there to give
me advice. Roger Deakins BSCis a great British DP who
has a varied style that fits whatever story he is telling. I’m a
great fan of Roger’s work, and share with him a love of the
West Country, where I spent all my holidays as a child.
Have you won any awards?
ASC Rising Star. Royal Television Society Award for the
film Reflections
What’s you proudest moment?
Headlining the AFI Cinematography Showcase with my
35mm film Reflections, was great, but I think my proudest
moment was crossing the finish line at the London
Marathon!
What’s the worst knock-back/rejection you ever had?
Not receiving the Fulbright Fellowship first time around
which dashed my hopes of accepting my place at AFI.
It was a $40,000 grant, but I got it second time around!
Tell us your best and worst moments on set:
The best was operating for Wally Pfister ASC on a car
commercial. The worst as cracking a huge antique
window with a Maxi Brute and having to postpone
shooting for five hours till it was made safe.
Tell us your most hilarious faux pas?
I was working on my first feature as a 2nd Assistant
(clapper loader). When I went to mark the slate I caught
the actors nose in the sticks. Ouch!
Away from work, what are your greatest passions?
Travel, cooking, running and art.
What one piece of kit could you not live without?
My light meter, of course!
Which films are you most proud of to date?
Reflection, Fallen.
What’s the weirdest place you’ve ever shot in?
The abandoned Linda Vista Hospital in downtown Los
Angeles. It was very creepy and definitely haunted.
What’s the hardest shot/thing you’ve had to light/frame?
A rape scene in the short film Neighbours. It was very real
and harrowing.
Tell us your hidden talent/party trick?
My fish pie. It’s the best you’ll ever taste!
In the entire history of filmmaking, which film would you love
to have shot?
Anything by Stanley Kubrick.
What are your current top albums?
A Single Man – Soundtrack. The Ultimate Ray Charles
Collection. Girl Talk “All Day”.
Can you tell us your greatest extravagance?
Travelling.
What’s the best thing about being a DP?
The ability to be creative and imaginative, and to help
tell stories. To be part of a team and to work with inspiring,
artistic people. Having constant diversity, challenges, and
problem solving.
What’s the worst thing about being a DP?
Always fighting the clock!
Give us three adjectives that best describe you and your
approach to cinematography?
Passionate. Emotive. Experimental.
If you weren’t a DP, what job would you be doing now?
A chef or a photo-journalist.
What are your aspirations for the future?
To be the first woman to win the Oscar for
cinematography. To shoot absorbing and affecting stories.

British Cinematographer
12
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Live & Let DI
–––Who’s dialling-in
the DI grades
Colour
shifts
Animal Logic graded Legend
of the Guardians: The Owls
of Ga’Hoole, a Warner
Bros. Pictures production
in association with Village
Roadshow Pictures and Animal
Logic Productions.
Deluxe 142 ran live, ‘virtual’
grading sessions for
executives at Paramount and
production company Bad
Robot viewing the grade at
Company 3 in LA on Morning
Glory.
Molinare completed the DI
on Above Suspicion: Deadly
Intent, due for transmission in
the New Year.
TJTFilm: Frames from the indie
film Jacob, that got a low-cost
DI. Stills by Elliot Taylor.
Deluxe 142
Deluxe 142 completed the DI on Morning Glory, releasing
in the UK on January 21st, about a TV producer’s trials and
tribulations in resurrecting a morning TV show, starring
Rachel McAdams, Jeff Goldblum, Harrison Ford and
Patrick Wilson. The feature was shot in the US and the
negative scanned on the ARRI scanner at Company 3
in New York. The 2K files were then sent to Deluxe 142 via
Aspera and graded by DI Colourist Adam Glasman with
director Roger Michel and DP Alwin Kuchler BSC attending.
Deluxe also also ran live ‘virtual’ grading sessions with
executives from Paramount and Bad Robot viewing Adam
Glasman’s grade at Company 3 in LA. Emily Greenwood
was the digital conform and on-line editor and Marie
Fernandes was the producer in charge of the job. The
digital negatives were shot at Deluxe 142 on ARRILasers.
Technicolor UK
Technicolor UK has completed the full 2K Digital
Intermediate, film, video and digital cinema deliverables
on the following features: Chalet Girl, starring Bill Nighy,
Sophia Bush, Ed Westwick and Brook Shields, directed by
Phil Traill, with Ed Wild the DP and Paul Ensby dialling in the
grades. Ensby was also responsible for Focus Features’
action adventure Hanna, directed by Joe Wright, lensed
by Alwin Kuchler BSC, with Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett
and Eric Bana in the lead roles.
Max Horton, famous for his dapper choice in
neckware, worked on the Walt Disney distributed
Gnomeo & Juliet, directed by Kelly Asbury, and featuring
the vocal talents of James McAvoy, Emily Blunt and
Maggie Smith. Optimum Releasing and Warner Bros’
dramatic thriller Unknown, starring Liam Neeson and
directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, with Flavio Martinez
Labiano the DP, was given the DI treatment by Asa Shoul.
All films will release in the first quarter of 2011.
Molinare
Molinare’s Tim Waller, with Baselight at his fingertips, was
did the DI grade on Above Suspicion: Deadly Intent, on
screens in January. A La Plante Production, this 3 x 60min
show was directed by Gilles Mackinnon, produced by
Hugh Warren with Nigel Willoughby the DP. It stars Kelly
Reilly, Ciarán Hinds, Amanda Lawrence and Shaun
Dingwall. Producer Warren commented, “The overall
look for Above Suspicion was established by Nigel,
Gillies and Tim on the previous series, and both ITV and
La Plante Productions were very happy for us to keep
with that look. However, this year we had a story that was
largely revealed in a series of multiple flashbacks spread
throughout the three episodes, so getting the look of
these flashbacks right was critical, both to the clarity of
the storytelling, as well as creatively. Molinare, and Tim in
particular, were vital in finding a distinctive solution that
worked for everyone, and we had a pre-grade session
specifically to experiment with various options. In the
end we used a heavy de-saturation combined with the
subtle use of a sharpening tool to highlight pins of light,
especially in the eyes, to give the flashbacks a gritty feel.”
Speaking about his work Waller said, “True to Nigel’s
vast experience as a DP, the footage was a pleasure to
grade and the result is rewarding to watch. Nigel was
keen to stay away from the harsh contrast of the HD
format and we created a beautiful soft filmic feel.”
Narduzzo Too
Pinewood-based post production facility Narduzzo Too
used Nucoda Film Master to grade and finish the latest
series of BBC One’s popular eighteenth century legal
drama Garrow’s Law. The 4x60 minute series, which
recently aired on BBC One and BBC HD, was shot on RED
in 4K. The final Avid edit was delivered by post-production
workflow specialists Outpost, also based at Pinewood. “The
ability to auto conform the media directly from the Avid
edit into the Film Master with a tight deadline was crucial
to delivering this project”, said Nigel Gourley, MD, Outpost
Facilities. “Vince Narduzzo, one of Europe’s leading
colourists and the owner of Narduzzo Too, was then
able to access and grade the native RED RAW files. By
utilising this fully-integrated DI workflow every single detail
captured at acquisition could be adjusted throughout the
post production process safeguarding the creative vision
of the DP Gavin Struthers.”
This second series of Garrow’s Law, a new project
for Struthers, had a slightly different look and feel to
the first series with greater emphasis on subtle period
colour. Struthers said, “The first series had a very black
and white quality. In this series we wanted to inject some
basic colour to add more vigour to the costumes and to
separate the artists from the backgrounds.”
Narduzzo added, “At times we knocked the overall
density down from the original material. Because we
were working with the native RED 4K files we could go in,
select the shot and drop the ASA on the camera, which
was amazing. The Film Master’s tracking tool during this
project was particularly useful.”
Struthers agrees, “In the first episode, we shot an Old
Bailey scene that takes place over two days and on the
second day it’s raining. The auto tracking tool allowed us
to follow specific areas such as candles and gave us the
full flexibility to access the original base layers.”
British Cinematographer
13
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Animal Logic
Warner Bros released its animated 3D blockbuster Legend
of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, directed by
Zack Snyder, in cinemas across the US and the UK in the
autumn of last year. Developed and produced over three
years at Animal Logic’s studios in Sydney, producer and
CEO of the company Zareh Nalbandian amassed a team
of more than 500 artists and technicians and support staff
to design, develop and execute the production and post.
Every detail from the diverse range of owl species with
detailed feathers and expressive eyes to epic landscapes,
complex environments, visual effects and lighting were
carefully crafted to ensure the audience would be
transported to the world of Ga’Hoole.
Eric Whipp, Animal Logic’s head colourist (Happy
Feet) graded and finished the film using Film Masters’
stereoscopic toolset which enables grading and
synchronous workflow for left eye/right eye footage.
Whipp said, “When grading a 3D feature the first
process is to get it looking exactly right in 2D. Working in
3D all day can cause significant eye strain, so once we
were happy with the 2D grade we would copy grades
over to the right eye on a second Film Master system.
Because it’s an animated film, we split up all the layers
using the mattes for specific elements like the body,
the eyeballs, the mouth and the tongue. With each
shot there are a number of layers; it’s not as simple as
copying those grades over to the right eye, you have
to go through layer by layer and switch the mattes to
the right eye mattes. In some instances we would isolate
specific areas and track shapes to get a shine on half of
an eyeball, for instance, in those cases we would have to
track that shape on the right eye as well. We did as much
of this as we could before we switched to projecting 3D
mode to save time and reduce eye fatigue. Once that
was done we’d grab our glasses and fine tune all of the
windows, layers and mattes on a two projector set-up
and make sure it all looked correct in 3D. We then did a
brightness adjustment pass to compensate for the lower
light levels of 3D.”
Directors Cut
Directors Cut, the Soho-based, post-production facility has
installed a Film Master, as the heart of its DI grading suite.
The system is being used to grade all programmes that
come through the facility, with particular emphasis on
grading native RED files.
TJTFilm
A facility owner, who shall be unnamed, commented a
couple of years ago that, with the reduction of software
prices and increasing processing power of affordable
hardware, the DI market had yet to find its bottom. So lo
and behold, Jacob, an independent short film lensed
by Justin Brown, with a budget of £20,000 on Kodak
Vision 3 Super 16mm, that got a 2K DI to DCP by Toby
Tomkins, of TJTFilm.
After a friendly fire accident in Afghanistan, soldiers
fight amongst themselves in a military hospital close
to the front line. The film was shot in a back garden in
Wimbledon, as a substitute for Afghanistan, “but thanks
to Justin’s photography, and some solid art direction you
would never know,” said director Sam Hanna. “In the
grade the workflow was as it should be, invisible. Toby and
Justin could drill down to exactly the right coloring, and
the results are pretty incredible.”
Speaking about his set-up, Tomkins said, “I’m
a freelance colourist exploiting the exponential
performance increase in consumer desktop hardware to
provide real-time film 2K and RED grading, at a fraction
of the cost of a traditional DI.” TJTFilm uses Apple’s Color
siftware, and although never designed for real-time
playback, Tomkins says his custom-built system (an
Intel i7 Quad Core processor running at 4GHz, and an
Nvidia GTX 285 graphics card) is capable of real-time
2K playback during grading, even after several power
windows and secondary colour corrections are applied.
The same also applies to the software only DaVinci
Resolve on the same system.
Technicolor’s Matt Adams and Jay Coquillon assisted
with getting the scans for Jacob done on a Spirit 4K (at
2K) after which Tomkins conformed from an EDL in Color.
All grading and playback was from the 2K DPX files,
monitored on a Sony broadcast CRT, a calibrated Rec.
709, 10-bit, 1080p display from Dell, and a 42” Samsung
1080p LCD TV (also calibrated to Rec. 709) through a
Matrox MXO2 I/O box. He used a Tangent Wave control
panel to drive the Color software, and aDPX Log to Print
LUT, which simulated a film print image from the DPX LOG
image, within a Rec709 working space.
DP Justin Brown commented, “The Log to Print LUT
gave me an image which I was already very happy with.
The problem with the location we were using is that it was
green. Being able to select the green hue in the skin tone
through the secondary’s was a great help and something
I wouldn’t have been able to do with out a DI.”
Speaking about desktop DI, producer Jake Hume
said,“The crew I currently employ aren’t contracted
under any post houses. Instead, they operate consumer/
prosumer hardware enabling them to produce industryquality
results without the vast majority of the overheads
that come with operating as a larger post house. It has
saved me thousands of pounds in budget.”
Tomkins is now grading a feature titled Four, using
grain management to restore a film look to the new
RED MX 4.5K footage. “The results are very promising
indeed,” he said.

British Cinematographer
14
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Who’s Shooting Who?
–––Which cinematographers
are working on what...
In
focus
Karl Oskarsson has just shot
Sailcloth, starring John Hurt in St
Mawes, Cornwall, directed by
Elfar Adalsteinssson.
DP Olivier Cariou takes a bath
during filming a commercial
with David Lodge.
Mike Fox gets ready to shoot
Paul Merton for the BBC
documentory The Birth of
Hollywood. The camera in the
picture was allegedly used
by the legendary G W “Billy”
Bitzer, on Birth Of A Nation and
Orphans Of The Storm.
Mark Partridge on the set of
Lark Rise To Candleford, with
director, Patrick Lau holding
the lens.
Gavin Struthers on Jim
O’Hanlon’s new two-part drama
The Reckoning for ITV.
Graham Smith on the exciting
TT3D Project
Ekkehart Pollack operating
the camera in a helicopter
in CapeTown on a Mercedes
Benz spot.
DP Steve Chivers with a large
bottle of acid
DP Andy Horner clearly enjoys
his work.
Vince McGahon on Sherlock
Holmes 2.
Mike Southon BSC at work
on Spooky Buddies, with David
Bercovici ‘A’cam operator.
Photo by David Strongman.
John Pardue - on the set of
Resistance
Wizzo FEATURES… has welcomed Vladimir Subotic
to its roster. Vlad was 2nd Unit DP on director Roland
Emmerich’s $40M budget period feature Anonymous.
Shot in Berlin last summer, and starring Vanessa Redgrave,
the story concerns the mystery surrounding the identity
of William Shakespeare. Sam Care has also joined Wizzo
FEATURES just as his UK feature In Our Name, directed
by Brian Welsh, released through Artificial Eye. The
feature also launched Curzon On Demand, Curzon
Cinemas’ online viewing format. Sam is working on a
pilot for BBC Comedy Extra starring Jazzie Movement
and Ashley Walters, produced by Eleven Films, directed
by Nick Collett and produced by Kelly McGolpin.
Erik Wilson is prepping on The Imposter, a Film Four
feature documentary to be directed by Bart Layton
alongside producers of Man On Wire, and is also
shooting a pilot for Big Talk Productions called Baby
Love, directed by Catherine Moreshead and produced
by Lyndsay Robinson. Karl Oskarsson has shot a short
film titled Sailcloth starring John Hurt, with director Elfar
Adalsteinsson via Beserk Films.
Dinedor Management’s… Tom Townend is lighting
additional scenes for Big Talk’s Attack the Block. Peter
Field was operating for the action unit on Captain
America: The First Avenger before heading to Budapest
to operate for The Rite. Mattias Nyberg has lit 2nd Unit
on EZI Film’s Zero, and John Daly BSC has shot interviews
for fell running documentary feature Feet In The Clouds,
with Dominic West, whilst Eric Maddison FSF has wrapped
Ghost Vision in Alaska. Steve Buckland shot a block of
Holby City and Andrew Johnson finished his latest series
of MI High for Kudos. Ian Moss was eunited with Jason
Isaacs when he lit Case Histories for Ruby Films. Mike Fox
BSC returned from California with Paul Merton, having lit
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
the second installment of his documentary The Birth Of
Hollywood, and was then called in to do some additional
photography on Skins. Peter Thornton lit blocks at Waterloo
Road, and Martin Fuhrer BSC lensed an episode of Vera.
Hubert Taczanowski shot three short Christmas films for Sky
One by Little Sprout. Ben Filby, Steve Annis, Tom Townend
and Tony Brown are all busy shooting commercials. Garry
Turnbull has shown the V&A what corporates can look like
when you employ a cinematographer, and Steve Annis,
Steve Buckland and Mattias Nyberg have all been on
music videos.
Casarotto Marsh’s… Remi Adefarasin BSC has shot the
feature The Cold Light Of Day in Spain with director
Mabrouk el Mechri. In Luxembourg and London, Sean
Bobbitt BSC has lit Tanya Wexler’s next feature Hysteria, a
Victorian comedy/romance starring Maggie Gyllenhaal
and Hugh Dancy. Julian Court worked on the Game Of
Thrones series, shooting additional scenes with the 2nd
unit. Reggae Legend Bob Marley is the subject of director
Kevin Macdonald’s documentary, which Mike Eley BSC is
shooting in Jamaica. Matt Gray is in Manchester shooting
Exile for Red, with director John Alexander, starring Jim
Broadbent and John Simm. Also in Manchester, Rob
Hardy is shooting the harrowing tale of child trafficking
with Justin Chadwick. Rob recently won a D&AD award
for outstanding achievement on the Alan Carr: Chatty
Man idents. David Katznelson recently wrapped Sarah
Waters’ adaptation The Nightwatch with director Richard
Laxton, a tale of interweaving relationships set again
the backdrop of the Blitz, is being shot in Bristol for the
BBC. Tim Palmer lensed the ghost thriller Bedlam for Red
Productions and director Alrick Riley. Lukas Strebel just
warpped Room At The Top with director Aisling Walsh and
will go on to shoot Michael Mann’s new series for HBO,
Luck in LA. Wojciech Szepel was the DP on Any Human
Heart shown on Channel Four before Christmas.
Creative Media Management’s… Mike Southon BSC has
completed the feature Spooky Buddies, Robert Vince’s
latest addition to the long running series, shot on ARRI D21
in Vancouver. Gavin Struthers recently shot Jim O’Hanlon’s
two-part drama The Reckoning for ITV. Starring Ashley
Jensen and Max Beesley, shot on ARRI Alexa. James
Friend has started on St George’s Day, Frank Harper’s new
feature, starring Craig Fairbrass and Neil Maskell.
McKinney Macartney Management’s… Balazs Bolygo
worked with director Julian Simpson on Dr Who, and even
the sonic screwdriver could not get rid of the snow. Ben
Butler, Mick Coulter BSC, Denis Crossan BSC, John de
Borman BSC, Katie Swain, Michael Wood and Clive Tickner
BSC have all been busy bees on commercials. Seamus
Deasy has wrapped Neverland for Nick Willing through
Parallel Films, Dublin. Gavin Finney BSC has just graded
two episodes of Little Crackers: Satan’s Hoof for writer/
director Julian Barratt and The Kiss written and directed by
Julia Davies, produced by Silver River Productions. Richard
Greatrex BSC is grading Moby Dick for Mike Barker. John
Lynch just completed filming Method Actor a short film
for director, Justin Stokes and starring John Shrapnel. John
Pardue has completing filming Resistance for director Amit
Gupta on location in Wales. Mark Partridge is grading Lark
Rise To Candleford for directors Sue Tully and Patrick Lau,
for BBC TV. Chris Seager BSC is shooting The Hour for Kudos
Film and Television, working with directors Coky Giedroyc,
Harry Bradbeer and Jamie Payne. Mike Spragg continues
on Monroe for directors Paul McGuigan and David Moore,
being produced by Jennie Scanlong for Mammoth
Screen. He then jets off to South Africa to work with
director Bill Eagles and producer Trevor Hopkins on Strike
Back 2 for Leftbank Pictures. David Tattersall continues on
The Mysterious Island, the sequel to Journey To The Centre
Of The Earth, for director, Brad Peyton and producers Beau
Flynn, Charlotte Huggins and Tripp Vinson, for New Line
Cinema. Darran Tiernan has just finished shooting 2nd unit
on Camelot in Ireland for RTE and Starz UK Network. Fabian
Wagner is shooting Scott And Bailey for Red Productions
in Manchester, working with directors Sarah Anderson,
Syd Macartney and Ben Caron with producer Yvonne
Francas. Felix Wiedemann will shortly start Sket, his second
film for producers, Nick Taussig and Daniel Tolland at
Gunslinger Films for director Nirpal Bhogal.
The news from United Agents is… Barry Ackroyd BSC is
prepping Contraband in the US with director Baltasar
Kormakur. Robert Alazraki AFC is shooting La Vérité Si Je
Mens 3 in France, with director Thomas Gilou, produced
by Vertigo. Brendan Galvin has wrapped Tarsem Singh’s
film Immortals in Montreal. Alwin Kuchler BSC graded
Joe Wright’s Hanna, Paul Sarossy BSC CSC has finished
shooting The Borgias in Hungary, and Eduardo Serra ASC
AFC is lensing Belle De Seigneur in Luxembourg and Italy.
Tony Slater-Ling shot The Giddy Kipper, a short directed by
Victoria Wood for Sky, following straight on from Eric And
Ernie. Haris Zambarloukos BSC has completed extensive
pick-ups for Thor, whilst Danny Cohen BSC has shot Johnny
English II, directed by Oliver Parker. John Conroy is on
Stuart Orme’s Jack Taylor in Dublin, and David Higgs BSC is
busy on Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes sequel as 2nd unit
DP. Carlos Catalan is in India on the final leg of Running
With The Bulls for Indian director Zoya Akhtar, and remains
attached to two features going in the New Year. Jonathan
Harvey recently finished work on 70s-set horror feature
Speak No Evil for director Pat Holden. David Raedeker lit
an episode of Sky’s Little Crackers season of Christmas
shorts. Niels Reedtz Johansen is in South Africa as camera
A operator and 2nd unit DOP for Anthony Dodd Mantle
DFF BSC on Dredd, with director Pete Travis. Zac Nicholson
has finished camera operating on Johnny English Il for
Danny Cohen BSC. Neus Olle shot supernatural horror
The Dark Half for director Alastair Siddons and producer
Margaret Matheson at Bard Entertainments, an iFeature
film, shot in Bristol, with Lyndsey Marshal (Garrow’s Law)
and Jessica Barden (Tamara Drew) amongst the cast.
Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who wrapped on Hunky
Dory for Marc Evans last summer and was nominated
for her work on Thomas Vinterburg’s Submarino at
Cameraimage, will light Vinterburg’s next feature. Alex
Barber, Stephen Blackman, Philipp Blaubach, Daniel
Bronks, Simon Chaudoir, Tim Maurice-Jones, Benjamin
Kracun, Alex Melman, Tat Radcliffe and Brendan Galvin
have all been lensing commercials.
Sara Putt Associates’… Chris Openshaw lit a three-parter
called Indigenous Art with Modern TV for the BBC. Dirk
Nel is in South Africa lighting a new drama series for Kindle
Entertainment called Young Leonardo. Graham Smith is
on a 3D featuredoc on the Isle of Man recounting the
TT’s legendary rivalries and the Isle of Man’s unique road
racing history. Julian Morson is operating on Woman In
Black, starring Daniel Radcliffe for Hammer Films. David
Marsh is confirmed on the much-anticipated 2nd series
15
of Rev for Big Talk Productions. Alan Stewart is lighting 2nd
Unit on Woman In Black, having also done some VFX unit
work on Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes 2. Mike Brewster
lit the main unit of Harry Potter during its last few weeks.
Peter Wignall operated on Matthew Vaughn’s XMen – First
Class. Phil Sindall operated on Lewis, as well as doing
dailies on Sherlock Holmes 2 and Game Of Thrones.
Carlin Crew’s… Mary Farbrother lit the Carol Morley film
Dreams Of A Life through Cannon Morley Productions
for Film4. Doug Hartington has been in Paris, Italy and
Switzerland for National Geographic. Gareth Hughes
operated on The Borgias in Hungary, a drama
chronicling the saga of a crime family in 1400’s Italy. Joe
Russell is operating on Dr Who in Cardiff until Spring 2011.
Fabrizio Sciara has been busy operating on a Bollywood
Film shooting in India and the UK, as well as doing dailies
for Lewis. Vince McGahon is operating on Sherlock
Holmes sequel.
Digital Garage’s… Pete Hayns is in L.A shooting
Superhumans 2 for Off The Fence. Andrew Kemp is filming
a documentary about Impressionism for ZCZ films in
Munich and Zurich. Nigel Kinnings has been in the Ukraine
shooting an adventure travelogue for Globetrekkers.
Chris Openshaw was in Ghana, West Africa, shooting a
documentary on Tribal Art for Modern TV, before jetting
off to the US for a documentary in New York for Silver River
Productions. Bruno Sorrentino has been working on a short
in Venice. And Si Wagen went totThe Middle East to shoot
Top Gear’s Christmas Special. He now on another BBC
project called Generation Earth.
Inndependent… is delighted to announce that Chas Bain
has joined its ranks. Ben Davis BSC recently wrappd on
John Madden’s new comedy The Best Exotic Marigold
Hotel and is now prepping Warner Bros’ Wrath of the
Titans, starring Liam Neeson, Sam Worthington and
Gemma Arterton. Anthony Dod Mantle BSC DFF is lensing
the new 3D live action feature version of Judge Dredd
at the recently opened Cape Town Film Studios. Eduard
Grau has wrapped Marçel Forés Animals starring Martin
Freeman and picked up the Bronze Frog at Camerimage
for Buried. Martin Kenzie is lighting and directing 2nd
unit for Oliver Parker on Working Title’s Johnny English 2.
Darius Khondji ASC AFC is set to shoot Michael Haneke’s
new feature. Sam McCurdy BSC shot Nick Moore’s 3D
live-action feature version of Horrid Henry, based on the
children’s literary, TV and stage phenomenon. Seamus
McGarvey BSC is shooting Marvel’s The Avengers, starring
Robert Downey Jnr and Scarlett Johansson. Dick Pope
BSC recently finished Richard Linklater’s dark comedy,
Bernie, starring Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine and Matthew
McConaughey. Chris Ross BSC is shooting James Strong’s
United, based on the story of the 1958 Munich Air Crash, in
which eight of the Manchester United football team were
killed. Ashley Rowe BSC recently finished shooting Tim
Lewiston’s period caper movie The Hot Potato, starring
Ray Winstone and Jack Huston. Martin Ruhe is prepping
David Hare’s political thriller Page Eight, shooting in
London with Bill Nighy and Rachel Weisz. Bjorn Bratberg,
Jess Hall BSC, Dan Landin and Mark Patten have all been
lensing commercials.
My Management’s… Roger Bonnici shot the feature
Mercenaries starring Billy Zane, Kirsty Mitchell and Vas
Blackwood, directed by Paris Leonti, produced by John
Adams, about an ex british SAS serviceman turned
mercenary. Short film The Foundling, directed by Barney
Cokeliss at RSA Films and shot by Nicolaj Bruel had its
3D screening at Framestore recently. Along with filming
Alisha Dixon’s new music video with director Alex Herron
in LA, Anders Flatland has been shooting commercials as
has Andy Horner. Jallo Faber shot 2nd unit on Tinker Tailor
Soldier Spy in Mill Hill London, starring Tom Hardy, Gary
Oldman, Colin Firth and Mark Strong. The film is directed
by Tomas Alfredson and shot by DP Hoyte Van Hoytema,
2nd unit is being directed by Mikael Marcimain who Jallo
worked with on Wallander. Robbie Ryan BSC lit the short
Pitch Black Heist with director John Maclean, shot on
35mm with Michael Fassbender and Liam Cunningham.
Robbie also shot videos for Noah & The Whales with
director Sophie Muller, and Coldplay with director Matt
Whitecross. Olivier Cariou, Manel Ruiz, Steve Chivers,
Ray Coates, John Perez, Tim Spence, Jo Willems, Vincent
Warin, Simon Archer BSC and Will Humphris have been
occupied by commercials. Ben Moulden’s film Sector
Zero, directed by Susie Halewood, has been pushed
back to February. Richard Stewart shot with director Marc
Klasfeld for James Blunt’s latest video, and with Sophie
Muller on the new Cheryl Cole and Ellie Golding videos.

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Camera Creative
–––Roger Deakins BSC ASC
True Grit
Q&A with
a true Brit
His other collaborations with the Coen brothers were
Barton Fink in 1991, The Hudsucker Proxy in 1994, The
Big Lebowski in 1998, Intolerable Cruelty in 2003, The
Ladykillers in 2004 and A Serious Man in 2009.
The script for True Grit is an adaptation of a novel
written by Charles Portis. The story takes place on the
American frontier during the 1860s. A 14-year-old girl
named Mattie Ross rides into town and convinces US
Marshall Reuben Cogburn and a Texas Ranger named
La Boeuf to help her track down Tom Chaney, a ranch
hand who murdered her father. The film was produced
by Paramount Pictures. The cast features Jeff Bridges as
Cogburn, Josh Brolin as the ranch hand, Matt Damon as
La Boeuf and Hailee Steinfeld as Mattie.
Q: When did the Coen brothers tell you about True Grit?
RD: It was around the time we were working on A Serious Man.
I read the book while they were still working on the script.
Q: How did you prepare to shoot a Western film on the
American frontier?
RD: I studied many Western films when I was preparing
to shoot The Assassination Of Jesse James. I also had
the experience of shooting that film. Most of our
preproduction discussions about True Grit happened
while I was scouting locations with Joel and Ethan.
Q: What were the discussions about format, and whether
there should be a DI?
RD: There’s no real discussion about whether to do a DI,
because we’ve done that ever since O Brother Where Art
Thou. That was one of the first DIs. There was also no real
discussion about whether or not it should be widescreen.
True Grit was produced in Super 35 format (in 2.4:1 aspect
ratio). The big exterior locations are an important part of
the story. We wanted the audience to see and feel that
scope. Actually, I was surprised while I was timing the DI just
how much of the final cut is interior or exterior night work
set in the town of Fort Smith. There are not as many day
exteriors as you might imagine in a traditional Western.
Q: How did you motivate light for night scenes?
RD: We motivated light for night exteriors with campfires
and the moon and interiors with fireplaces and lanterns.
The first reel is entirely set in Fort Smith where Mattie is
searching for somebody to help her avenge the killing of
her father. There, many day and night interiors with the
night scenes in a boarding house are lit by gas lamps and
an undertaker’s place is lit by hanging oil lamps. A day
interior of a courtroom is lit by a combination of shafts of
sunlight and oil lamps.
There are a couple of night exteriors on the trail with
no obvious source of light other than the moon. That is
sort of a cinematographer’s nightmare in my mind. I used
some pretty big rigs. One large night scene takes place
around a cabin near a big canyon that was maybe a
quarter or half a mile wide. The scene begins with people
approaching the cabin on horseback. It was quite a
big area. We had long lines of lights on the hillside and
created a soft moonlight light effect.
Q: What kind of lights were you using for those scenes?
RD: I had a total of 55 18Ks and 12K HMIs. I never had all
55 of them burning on any one setup. There were three
separate parts to an extended sequence that takes
place outside of the cabin. Each section had a different
eyeline with the camera on a different axis. To facilitate
this, we had to light from three different angles and each
rig had to be in place beforehand, so as to allow us to
very quickly change from one to another.
16
True Grit is the 11th
collaboration for Roger
Deakins BSC ASC with
filmmakers Joel and
Ethan Coen. Deakins
earned four of his eight
Oscar nominations for
their co-ventures on
Fargo (1996), O Brother,
Where Art Thou (2000),
The Man Who Wasn’t
There (2001) and No
Country For Old Men
(2007), with the latter
two also gleaning BAFTA
Awards. He received an
additional BAFTA and
Oscar nomination for
The Reader (shared with
Chris Menges BSC ASC),
writes Bob Fisher.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Q: What was your camera package?
RD: My camera package was provided by Otto Nemenz.
I used an ARRI 535 B and an ARRILite camera with ARRI
Master Primes lenses. We covered a couple of scenes
with two cameras, but it was really a single camera show.
The ARRI 535 B was my main camera. I used the ARRILite
for handheld shots and as a backup.
Q: Would you describe the cinematography as objective
or subjective? In other words, do the audience feel like
participants or spectators when they watch this film?
RD: A lot of the story is seen from the girl’s point of view. We
want the audience to experience the world as she sees
it. A lot of that feeling comes from using fairly wide angle
lenses that puts the audience very close to the action.
Q: What do you consider a fairly wide angle lens?
RD: We mainly used 27, 32, 35 and 40mm lenses, and
sometimes a 50mm for close-ups. I occasionally used
longer lenses for point-of-view shots, but for dialogue
scenes I was generally using a 32 or a 40mm lens or
something in that range.
Q: Was True Grit produced mainly at practical locations?
RD: There were a few small sets, but it was mainly
locations. We shot the interior of a cabin and a cave on
stage. Also, because there were limits to the hours she
could work, we did some close shots of Hailee for our
night time exterior scenes on stage.
Q: What were some of the practical locations?
RD: We had a courthouse in a town called Blanco, which
is south of Austin, Texas. We dressed it to look like the
1860s. We temporarily took over Granger, a turn-of-thecentury
town outside of Austin. Jess Gonchor (production
designer) made it into an 1860’s town. There are also
boarding house scenes that we filmed in an old house
and various other practical locations.
Q: How long did you have to shoot True Grit?
RD: The schedule was around 55 days. That was a very
tight schedule considering the night work and so much
action with horses.
Matt Damon on set.
Jeff Bridges (l) and Hailee
Steinfeld (r) in True Grit.
Roger Deakins, ASC BSC setting
up a shot on the set.
Dempsey Chapito (l) and Jeff
Bridges (r) in True Grit.
Photos by Lorey Sebastian,
©Paramount Pictures 2010.
17
Q: Where were Joel and Ethan Coen while you were
shooting? Were they in a video village or were they with
you near the camera?
RD: Joel and Ethan often watched rehearsals on a
monitor. They were usually somewhere near the camera
while we were shooting. Every scene was storyboarded.
That’s the way Joel and Ethan approach all their films
regardless of the complexity of the material.
Q: Were there surprises while you were shooting?
RD: The biggest surprise occurred on the first day of
production. We arrived on location and discovered two
feet of snow on the ground. That scene didn’t call for snow.
We loaded the camera and lighting gear on a flat bed
truck and drove 150 miles with the actors and shot another
scene at another location. That’s the kind of film it was.
Q: Does your documentary experience help on a movie
like True Grit?
RD: I do think it helps me. The experience I gained
shooting documentaries helps me with placement and
the way I move the camera. It has also affected the way
I treat lighting. I also think my documentary background
helps me work fast.
Q: What film stocks were you using?
RD: I was using (Kodak Vision3 200T) 5217 for most day
exteriors and (Kodak Vision3 500T) 5219 for night and
interior scenes.
Q: Were you using them as recommended or pushing or
pulling exposures?
RD: I very rarely push or pull film, as I see no need for it.
Q: Does knowing you are going to do a DI affect how
you shoot?
RD: A little bit but not a great deal. I never use filters these
days because it gives me a little more flexibility in the DI.
Q: Which lab did you work with on this film?
RD: Deluxe in Los Angeles.
Q:: How about dailies?
RD: I got digital dailies from EFILM (in Los Angeles). Rick
Brown was our dailies timer and Yvan Lucas oversaw the
work. Rick sent me a drive, which I then downloaded
into their calibrated eVue monitoring system. I also had
the lab print a setup from each sequence to check the
negative, which I then viewed on a LOCPRO projector.
Q: How old is Hailee Steinfield?
RD: She was 12, I think, at the time of our shoot. That
limited the length of time she could work each day, and
Hailee is in a large part of the film. We had a very good
double, whom we worked with for over-the-shoulder
shots and some riding scenes. But Hailee is a very good
rider, so we did a lot of those scenes with her. We just
had to structure the days around her schedule. Her age
impacted us the most on night work, because we didn’t
have her after a certain hour. We did all we could with
her first and also shot some campfire scenes on stage.
Q: Did it take any particular sensitivity in dealing with
someone that young?
RD: Not with Hailee. She was wonderful on the set, both
as an actress and a person, and her performances were
brilliant. Hailee is very adult for her age, and everyone in
the cast and crew were very supportive of her.
Q: How do two people direct a film? Are they always on
the same page?
RD: They both work on a project from the beginning and
so they are very much in sync.
Q: Did you do a 2K or a 4K scan for the DI?
RD: The film was scanned at 4K resolution and the filmout
was done at 4K. There is a very significant quality
advantage with a 4K scan.
Q: Give us some examples of things you did in DI.
RD: Mainly, it was about balancing. We were on a very
tight schedule, so on many of our day exteriors we
didn’t have the luxury of waiting for perfect light and at
times not even good light. One of the advantages of
storyboarding is that you can structure the day for the
way the sun travels across the sky, but you still have no
control over the weather. Even with good weather, it’s not
always possible to predict when the day will cloud over
or vice versa. Consequently, we sometimes had to shoot
different parts of the same scene in cloudy weather and
in sunlight. The DI timing didn’t solve this problem, but it
did allow me some way of softening the mismatches. At
other times, I would simply change the overall saturation
of the images, or take down the contrast a little. We had
one sequence that we shot in Texas, where the trees were
very green and I took down the saturation so that the
scene looked a little more like winter.
Q: Who was the DI colorist?
RD: Mitch Paulson. It’s the first time I worked with him as
he is quite new to the DI process, but he is very good and
also very quick!

British Cinematographer
18
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
On the Job
–––Vilmos Zsigmond ASC
Bolden! & Louis
Louis
Louis
Vilmos Zsigmond ASC has become
a legend in his own lifetime. He
won an Oscar for Close Encounters
Of The Third Kind and other
nominations for The Deer Hunter,
The River and The Black Dalhia.
Zsigmond also won a BAFTA
cinematography award for The Deer
Hunter and other nominations for
McCabe And Mrs. Miller and for
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,
Deliverance and Images. He was the
recipient of Lifetime Achievement
Awards by Camerimage in 1997
and the American Society of
Cinematographers in 1999.
So what does he do for an encore? Well, Zsigmond
began working simultaneously on two films, Bolden!
and Louis, on the 50th anniversary of arriving in the
United States in 1957 as a political from Hungary. Both
are set in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century.
Both films have jazz music themes and actors portraying
characters who pioneered that genre.
Bolden! is the story of Buddy Bolden who was the
father of rag-time jazz and blues music at the turn of
the 20th century. Louis is the story of Louis Armstrong,
beginning with his childhood in New Orleans and the
evolution of his career as the legendary “Satchmo”.
There is no dialogue in Louis. The images tell the story
augmented with music played by Wynton Marsalis and his
band. The film earned rave reviews and played to sell-out
crowds at initial one-night screenings in five major US cities
last year. The music was live, like it was in the days of silent
movies. Marsalis subsequently recorded a music track.
The version of Louis, with a music track, premiered in
front of an enthusiastic audience of cinematographers
from around the world at the 2010 Plus Camerimage
Festival. Bolden! and Louis are independent films. The
concepts were conceived by first-time director Dan
Pritzker, who also co-authored both scripts. It was a work
of passion for him.
Buddy Bolden was born in 1877. He played a leading
role in the birth of jazz music in New Orleans from 1900
until 1907.
“Most of what is known about Buddy Bolden is oral
history, which was passed from one generation to the
next one,” Pritzker says. “His unique brand of music was
improvised from African American Baptist churches.
He and his band drew large and enthusiastic crowds in
New Orleans from 1900 to 1907. Bolden was an acute
alchoholic who was diagnosed as schizophrenic when
he was 30 years old. He was buried in a pauper’s grave
in 1931.”
Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans in 1906. He
witnessed jazz bands performing on the streets of the city
and taught himself to play a clarinet. Armstrong went on
to become an iconic jazz musician who was known as
Sachmo to his fans.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
1, 3 & 4: Zsigmond calls Louis a
B&W film with splashes of light
blue and red to make it look like
old tinted colour.
Judge Perry (Jackie Earle
Haley), Pat McMurphy (Michael
Rooker), and the Hungarian
Photographer (Vilmos
Zsigmond) discuss the new
campaign poster.
The Evil Judge Perry
(Jackie Earle Haley)
Images courtesy of Joss Baratt
© Sixteen Films
“I wanted a cinematographer with a classical
background, who ideally had shot black and white
films,” Pritzker says. “Jon Cornick (producer) spoke with
Patty Mack, a top agent. She recommended Vilmos and
introduced us to him. I didn’t have to be convinced. I’ve
seen Deliverance, Close Encounters, and McCabe And
Mrs. Miller. ”
Pritzker and Zsigmond had their first meeting in
September, 2006. “ I loved the idea when I first heard
about this project,” Zsigmond says. “I remember how
impressed I was the first time I met Dan. He is a musician
who has had a number of records in the best-selling
charts. I could tell he was passionate about the subject
and that he is a lover of the arts. Dan told me that
Wynton Marsalis, a wonderfully talented jazz musician,
was already on the project. He was going to write
perform music for both films with his band.
“I had never heard about Buddy Bolden before this
project. Louis Armstrong wrote in his memoirs that he
learned a lot from Bolden and his music. The sad thing is
that there is nothing left of Buddy Bolden’s music today,
because there were no records or other recording
devices at the time. Wynton Marselles interpreted what
Bolden’s music sounded like.”
During their first meetings, Pritzker showed Zsigmond
B&W photographs that were taken in New Orleans during
the turn of the 20th century. They included pictures of
musicians performing on the streets of the city at a time
when the South was segregated. Zsigmond and Pritzker
discussed the director’s research and his feelings about
They decided to shoot on colour film instead, and make it
look and feel B&W by desaturating colours and creating
a slightly grainy look to visually accent the period.
They scouted locations in New Orleans in late
November and early December 2006. New Orleans is a
different city than it was 100 years ago, so they decided
to augment practical locations with period sets built on
a stage in Wilmington, North Carolina. Pritzker embraced
Zsigmond’s suggestion that they produce both films in
Super 35 film format, because the backgrounds are
integral parts of both stories.
Panavision provided the camera package
including Panaflex Platinum, XL and Gold bodies, and
a Panavised ARRI 435 for high-speed shots, along with a
range of Primo lenses. They spent about a week filming
at practical locations in New Orleans in March, 2007 and
moved on to North Carolina where they spent six months
shooting on sets.
“We were shooting films that took place around
100 years ago, so we manipulated the images during
DI timing to make them grainer and less colourful,”
Zsigmond says. “It was the same affect that I got by
under-exposing and pushing the film to create a feeling
of time and place when I shot McCabe And Mrs. Miller
and Deliverance.”
19
All photos property of Dipperflicks, LLc. All rights reserved.
Images were recorded on Kodak Vision 2 5218 500T
film. Zsigmond also used Kodak infrared film with a red 25
filter on the camera lens for some flashback scenes. Peter
Sorel, a long-time friend and collaborator with Zsigmond
was the still photographer. He took digital stills, which
Zsigmond manipulated with a personal computer before
sending the desaturated images to Bruce Goodman, the
dailies timer at LaserPacific, in Los Angeles. Goodman
provided dailies in HD format. The dailies were projected
on a large screen where Pritzker, Zsigmond and other
members of the crew watched them together.
Zsigmond describes Louis as, “A 90 to 95% B&W film
with splashes of light blue and red. It looks like the old days
when they were tinting some colors. Occasionally, there
is a little colour on faces for skin tones. We also did things
like undercranking all scenes at 16, 18 and 20fps,” he says.
“I originally wanted to use a handcranked camera, but
decided against that because there were times when
we were shooting with two or three cameras. You can
do it automatically with the Panaflex camera. We had a
playback system that let us see the difference between
16, 18 and 20fps. It a big and interesting difference.”
Pritzker took Zsigmond’s advice and directed from
next to the camera, which kept him in intimate contact
with the actors.
“Dan is a musician which influenced his ability for
pacing the flow of images in ways that are right for
moments in the story,” Zsigmond says. “Anthony Coleman
who played Louie as a boy is seven or eight years old. I
was amazed by how well he performed. We mostly did
three or four takes, and sometimes five or six. We tried to
make it like a game for him. We basically shot in a film noir
style, playing with light and shadows, and thinking in B&W
as I previsualised what we were getting on film. His bright
face was full of expression.”
Bolden! was shot on colour filmstocks, but Zsigmond
says that he lit it as though he was shooting a blacB&W
movie, using light and shadows rather than colours to
visually punctuate the story. Anthony Mackie portrays the
young Buddy Bolden in both pictures. Dick Gregory plays
him in Bolden! as an aging man who has been living in
the insane asylum for years.
Additional scenes for Bolden! were filmed in
Wilmington in August, 2010. Zsigmond shot those on
Kodak Vision 3 5219 500T film, which intercut seamlessly
with 5218.
The early part of Bolden! takes place at a time before
there were electric lights. Light is motivated by candles,
kerosene lamps and a fireplace.
“I grew up in Hungary in a village where there was
no electricity,” Zsigmond says. “It was easy for me to
remember that look and create flickering light.” Gaffer
Robert Jason created that effect by using a row of lights
and a flicker generator.
“There are scenes where Bolden is in the insane
asylum fantasising about his past. A five-minute
Steadicam shot takes the audience on a tour through
his house and introduces the audience to members of
his family. Dan decided that his fantasies should be more
about music. When he remembers ladies in his life, they
are dancing to his music.”
There are scenes in the insane asylum where Bolden
is having flashback visions that seem to be projected
on the walls of his room. Zsigmond shot those scenes by
circling half of the room with a greenscreen lit with Kino
Flos from above and a row of lights below.
Near the end of the film there is a Steadicam shot
that follows a nurse walking through a hallway. She
notices water flowing under Bolden’s door. The nurse
opens the door revealing that he is sitting on the floor
holding a broken piece of rusted pipe. Water is spewing
everywhere. That scene transitions to a flashback of
Bolden in his prime playing the cornet. Louis and Bolden!
are both slated for release in 2011.

British Cinematographer
20
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Event
–––BSC Operators’ Night
awards dinner 2010
Images courtesy of Richard Blanshard, honorary friend of the BSC.
BSC Operator’s
Night 2010
BSC Operator’s Night 2010
The Ballroom at Pinewood was the venue for the annual
British Society of Cinematographers’ Operators’ Night
2010. Over 170 guests attended the dinner with visiting
cinematographers Shelly Johnson ASC and Newton
Thomas Sigal ASC, along with Paul Sarossy CSC BSC, also
attending with their crews.
New full members were announced as Mike
Eley BSC and David Katznelson BSC, along with new
associate members Julian Morson and Xandy Sahla.
All were awarded their membership certificates by BSC
president John de Borman BSC and guest of honour,
director Nigel Cole.
Members and guests enjoy
dinner in the ballroom at
Pinewood studios at BSC
Operators night.
Phil Meheux BSC, Billy Williams
BSC and Nigel Walters BSC at
Operators night.
Renos Louka of ARRI presented Alan Lowne and
Stuart Walters with the BSC ARRI John Alcott Award, for
their enthusiasm, dedication and success in the creation
and development of British Cinematographer Magazine.
Panavision provided the wine, ARRI the corkage.
Deluxe, Fuji, Kodak, Lee Filters and Tiffen all provided
raffle prizes, which raised a total of £1,950 for the Cinema
and Television Benevolent Fund and Great Ormond
Street Hospital.
Joe Dunton MBS BSC,
Alan Lowne (hon friend of
BSC) publisher of British
Cinematographer, Stuart
Walters publisher of British
Cinematographer, Ron
prince editor of British
Cinematographer Renos Louka
MD of ARRI UK
Sir Sydney Samuelson CBE BSC,
Paul Collard Ascent Media and
Bob Crowdey BSC friend.
President John de Bormann BSC
welcomes new BSC members
and associate members after
presenting their certificates.
Bob Crowdey ex Technicolor
and now friend of BSC with Peter
Hannan BSC.
The Cinematographer
21
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Tools of the Trade
–––Lighting special
Shine
a light
An ARRIMAX 18/12 on an ARRI
MaxMover.
Cirro Lite supplies Kino Flo
lights, like the Image 80s used
on Mission Impossible seen
lighting a large green screen.
An ARRISUN 120 brightens up the
proceedings.
Just look at the scale of light
that can be achieved from the
Panaura 7, available through
CirroLite.
It’s been cold, hasn’t
it? So we’re here to
perk-up your spirits,
and brighten up the
New Year, with a look
at the manufacturers
and service companies
offering the latest
lighting fixtures.
Written by Ron Prince.
ARRI.
ARRI was making film lights before it manufactured its
first camera – the company’s expertise in designing and
supplying lighting fixtures for motion pictures dates back
some nine decades. At IBC last year ARRI launched its
latest salvo of lighting innovations with the release of a
new LED Fresnel concept, which couples the advantages
of LED illumination with the versatility of conventional
Fresnel fixtures. Since then LED Fresnel concept has been
on an international field-testing tour.
“Feedback has been fabulous, with high praise
for the quality and controllability of the light field,” says
Ryan Fletcher, ARRI’s product manager for LED lighting.
“Customers are excited about finally seeing an LED
lighting fixture where barndoors cut the light exactly as
they should; flood-to-spot focusability yields a smooth,
even beam at every position; shadows are rendered with
clarity and definition; and skin tones appear completely
natural. The low power consumption is also very popular:
broadcast studios are thrilled to have an LED fixture that
can act as a one-for-one replacement for regular Fresnels,
drastically reducing studio installation and operation
costs while preserving the original lighting design.”
ARRI has two new lighting fixtures that represent the
next generation of its ARRILITE range. The ARRILITE 750
Plus and 2000 Plus have been completely redesigned,
offering improved functionality and simplified
maintenance. As well as being a manufacturer of
lighting kit, ARRI Lighting Solutions specialises in project
work, offering design, 3D visualisation, consultancy,
installation, delivery, training and after-sales service
to facilities, events and studios looking to expand or
improve their lighting setup. Recent features to have
deployed ARRI lighting include The King’s Speech; Tinker,
Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and Steven Spielberg’s Warhorse,
which made use of ARRIMAX 18K.
www.arri.com/lighting
Cirro Lite.
Cirro Lite is offering a number of new products from Kino
Flo and Dedolight, and says the main focus of all its
equipment is to enhance the creative ability of a crew,
along with efficiency.
Kino Flo has provided energy efficient systems for
over twenty years, and was awarded an Academy
Award in 1995 before there was a “green” agenda.
New lights include the Imara S10 and S6 fixtures that
have the characteristics of the Image series, but offer
a more concentrated and even spread of light along
both horizontal and vertical axis. The all-in-one Imara
DMX features new levels of control by combining lamp
switching and lamp dimming. The Imara 10 offers similar
light output to the Vista 600, but with a beam closer to
the Image range. The fixture takes all Kino Flo Truematch
lamps that display a full range of high colour, including a
new 55w compact 3200k bulb.
The KF3200 compact for HD cinematography is
formulated by Kino Flo to match the spectral sensitivity
curves of HD and digital film imaging equipment. It
displays a unique quality of softlight, and works well
beside traditional Tungsten sources without filtration and
draws one tenth the power per lumen.
Although the Dedolight is predominantly an optical
fixture, that uses traditional Tungsten/Halogen and
HMI sources, it is worth a mention due to the efficiency
of the optical system. An interesting example is the
recent installation at the BBC’s London News studio
that introduced a 150w/24v Dedo system. The resulting
efficiency in comparison to the previous set up, with
standard 650w/1K Fresnel’s, was a drop in consumption
from 12kw to 2kw, meaning the whole lighting rig could
be run off a domestic 13amp socket.
Dedolight’s dual aspheric lens system provides
smooth light and colour distribution. There’s no stray light
outside the defined beam, meaning long reach without
extra unwanted shadows. Dedolight’s DLH1000T fixture can
be run with a choice of G22 halogen bulbs, available in
1kW, 750W, 650W and 500W. The PANAURA 7’ Octodome
comes with two bulb options – 2 x 575 (also a Tungsten HMI
bulb available for optimum efficiency) or 2 x 1000w. The
light output is double in comparison to a softbox in front
of a studio Fresnel light, because the actual light sources
are placed in the focal point of the reflector. The Hi SPEED
400D 1000khz is now is available with a highspeed ballast
of 1000khz and has recently been tested up to 2000fps with
the Photron and Phantom cameras.
www.cirrolite.com

The Cinematographer
22
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Gekko’s kezia 200 E LED light.
Dedo’s LEDZilla a mighty little
light.
Conan the Barbarian on
Stage in Bulgaria. 4 x Alpha 4K
pointing straight down.
Briese’s 180s in use on the set.
K5600’s Softube comes with all
sorts of accessories.
Dedolight have some lovely
new lamps.
Dedo Weigert.
Dedo Weigert has introduced the Felloni LED Panel, the
latest LED fixture from its Techpro range. The company
says this fixture offers the best light output and efficiency
currently available for this type of popular LED fixture.
The fixture itself is built in a lightweight, tough-moulded
casing that is water resistant and will withstand the rigours
of life on location. It has Techpro-specified LEDs inside,
which produce twice the light of comparable lights,
achieved at half the current draw of similar units. It can
be dimmed from 0% to 100%. Also included (built in) are
a diffuser to soften light, plus Sony NP battery and V-Loc
battery sockets, and external 5.8v – 16.8v inputs, making
for flexible power options. It will run for 1.5 hours off an
NP-F970 at full power.
www.dedoweigertfilm.de
Direct Lighting.
Direct says it ‘lives and breathes lighting’, supplying
stills photography, events, commercials, music videos,
broadcast television and feature films. Keeping up to
date with the latest changes in technology and current
lighting trends the company is offering a range of lights
from Briese, Litepanels, Dedolight and K5600.
Of its Briese products, Direct says these distinctive,
high-quality large parabolic reflectors are fast becoming
the thing to use. These ‘super lights’ are available as 2.5 or
4kw HMIs, in a range of sizes from 77cm to a giant 3.3m
diameter, and give a crisp, even light.
Direct’s Litepanels inventory includes the little 1x1
Bi-Colour panels, which are just over 30cm square, but
deliver a soft variable, high output light with colour
controls allowing the user to make instant adjustments to
the colour temperature at the turn of a dial.
And talking of small-but-fantastic bits of kit, Dedolight’s
LEDZilla has proven a real winner with photographers
and filmmakers, as it provides a fully-portable, lightweight,
directional LED source that’s battery powered allowing
hours of freedom whilst on the move. It features a flood
and spot system creating smooth light distribution. The
lamp head fits directly onto the hot shoe fitting of an
HD DSLR camera or directly to a stand. It converts from
Daylight to Tungsten via a drop-down dichroic filter.
Last, but not least, is K5600’s 800w Joker Bug System,
a Daylight-balanced HMI, that will produce as much
output as a 4,000 Watt quartz fixture, but with the power
draw of only 12.5 amps. It can be used as an open light
source or with the new Soft Tube accessory to obtain a
very soft source.
www.directlighting.co.uk
Gekko.
Gekko Technology, an innovative UK-based LED lighting
manufacturer for film and video applications, reported
a successful 2010, with expanding sales worldwide. “We
took large orders from the US, where our distribution
partner PRG made great progress in establishing a
nationwide dealer network,” says Gekko’s business
development manager, Ian Muir.
Dealers in the US now include Barbizon, Abel Cine
Tech and Band Pro who join established outlets such as
Hotcam. Closer to home, large orders were received
from the likes of Broadcast & Production Services (BPS)
for 200 Gekko dual colour temperature (Tungsten and
Daylight white) karesslite 6012 luminaires. Sky News’
choose of Gekko lighting for its newsroom at The
Gherkin, in the City of London, in the form of kezia hard
sources powered by Gekko’s kleer colour LED multi-chip
array, which received an IABM Award for Excellence in
Design & Innovation at IBC 2010.
Gekko’s karesslite 6006 and karesslite 6012 Dual
(Daylight/Tungsten switchable version) were introduced
last year. Based on the 6 x 12 emitter 600 x 300 mm
karesslite 6012, the karesslite 6006 incorporates a
reduced format of 6 x 6 LEDs and measures 300 x 300
mm. Power consumption is correspondingly halved to
45 watts, allowing more than three hours of continuous
operation. As with the entire karesslite range, the 6006
can be used as a single soft light or as a harder source in
conjunction with one of the egg crate accessory options.
All karesslites have on-board dimming and DMX built in
as standard. The new karesslite 6006-DD high-brightness
soft light has twice the number of emitters and hence
twice the brightness of the standard karesslite 6006. It
incorporates a 6 x 12 emitter format in a 300 x 300 mm
panel with a front-to-back depth of 165 mm and a weight
of 4.8 kg including diffuser. The 6006-DD is as compact
and portable as the 6006, yet delivers the same 2600 lux
at 1 metre brightness as the 600 x 300 mm karess 6012.
It can be used as a key light (with louvre) or fill, with
consistent colour through the dimming range. Power
consumption is 85 watts, allowing more than 90 minutes
of continuous operation.
Gekko’s kezia 50E and 200E full-colour and tunablewhite
LED luminaires have interchangeable lenses
allowing them to be operated in fixed-focus mode, with
20, 60 or 80 degree beam angles. Both use Gekko’s
colour-feedback system to ensures consistent colour
temperature even as the light is dimmed. The kezia 200F
gives lighting designers dynamic control of colour output
to match traditional sources if required. Its integral colourfeedback
system ensures colour temperature remains
constant when the light is dimmed, as ambient conditions
change or as the unit ages. Output intensity is 8300 lux at 1
metre, 1900 lux at 2 metres and 900 lux and 3 metres.
www.gekkotechnology.com
K5600.
Since1992, K5600 Lighting has dedicated itself to
providing versatile products for today’s production
challenges. The increasing need for moving images
in different formats has generated new production
standards. Today’s shoots have tightening budgets,
meaning less time, limited crews and smaller vehicles.
With this in mind, K5600 has created products which are
versatile, lightweight, compact, robust and high quality.
Its policy is to create a limited number of fixtures allowing
cinematographers to have the same quality tools to
express their vision.
Consequently, after 18 years, the company has just
six units, but a large variety of accessories. The popular
Joker Bug system has benefited from various accessories
such as the Bug A Beam, to turn a Source 4 into a 400
or 800 W Daylight unit), the Softube, which is extensively
used on features and TV shows, plus the recently released
Big Eye, which turns any Joker-Bug system into a 24”
focusable Fresnel beauty light, but without the associated
weight nor fragility, as the lens is polymer-made.
K5600’s Alpha range of Fresnel units allow day-long
use pointing straight down (4K and 18K alike), and they’re
30% lighter and more compact, without heat issues. As
versatility remains a priority, the Alphas can be used
with or without the Fresnel lens for an even, extra-wide,
single shadow beam. The addition of the new compact
Spacebeam turns the Alpha 4K into a Spacelight or a
Beam projector.
www.k5600lighting.com
The Cinematographer
23
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043

The Cinematographer
24
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Top & bottom: Licht Technik’s
Bag-o-Light in action on a
commercial.
LEDZ’s small but mighty Brute 3.
LCA’s Briese 180 (as a 2.5kw HMI)
in action at Camerimage. Also
in shot Curtis Jones of Fujifilm
USA talking to Tom Stern ASC,
and Massy Tadjedin, writer/
producer/director Last night,
being interviewed for Polish TV.
Cool: Litepanels’ new Solas
draw 90% less power than
conventional Tungstens, with
very little heat.
LCA.
Lights Camera Action now has fixtures from five different
brands: Filmgear, Briese, Lite Panels, Rosco Lite Pad and
Big Softie. Filmgear’s new LED-FLO is available in either 2ft
or 4ft tubes, Daylight or Tungsten, as 4-bank units, or as a
neat little kit with two tubes (one Daylight, one Tungsten)
with mounting plates, wiring harnesses with the in-line
dimmer and a flight case. These have a CRI index of
90+, and are dimmable down to zero, with no significant
colour shift and, of course, no ballast required.
LCA stocks Briese’s complete range of reflectors,
which can be used with either Tungsten (2 or 5k) or
HMI 1.2/2.5 or the all-new 4kw. Reflector sizes are 77cm,
100cm, 140cm, 180cm, 220cm and the mighty 330cm.
Each can be used with silks and a honeycomb grid
allowing you to control your softlight. Briese has also
launched three Chinese lanterns 60cm, 90cm and 150cm
which can accept either the Tungsten or Daylight heads.
Lite Panels recently had the launch of the Sola ENG,
an onboard camera light, and the Sola 6, the first LED
using a 75w LED Cluster and a 6 inch Fresnel. Features
include built-in DMX and a neat touchscreen control
to adjust the dimmer and the focus. Manual focus and
dimming are also built into the head.
LCA is also offering Rosco’s brand new Lite Pad
HO+ and Lite Pad Axiom. The HO+ has a removable
power cord, so there is no wire exiting the Lite Pads, and
the 3x6, 3x12, 6x6 and 6x12 sizes now have LEDs on all
four sides, significantly increasing light output. The Lite
Pad Axiom is the same as the HO+ but comes with a
metal housing. Rosco has now launched a medium
spot and full spot lens, about the thickness of a piece
of gel, which neatly drops into the front of the Lite Pads
significantly increasing the output of LitePad HO+. Both
are available in Daylight or Tungsten.
The Big Softie has become a popular choice for closeup
beauty work. The 24-inch circular ringlight, with a hole in
the middle, can be grip-head mounted or attached to on
camera support bars. It comes complete with a perspex
disc and pre-cut filters ready to be sandwiched to the
Big Softie, a flight case, power supply, dimmer and all the
brackets needed for camera/grip mounting.
www.lcauk.com
LEDZ.
The Brute 3 from LEDZ packs a mighty punch in a small
package. The company claims this luminaire uses just
three powerful diodes to output more than twice the
light as its nearest rival, and the most complete colour
spectrum of any production LED fixture on the market. It
is handcrafted in Burbank, California, using high-quality
aluminum and powerful LED technologies to create an
accurate 5500 degree colour temperature and CRI of 95.
The Brute 3 has a snap-on filter frame and an on-board
dimmer that is smooth from 0-100. Lighting technician
Scott Young, currently on TNT’s The Closer, comments “I
use the Brute 3 as an eye light on almost every shot. The
lights are cool on talent, energy efficient, and useful in just
about any situation, indoors or outdoors.” LEDZ products
have been used on many shows such as Private Practice,
Desperate Housewives, NASCAR and the NFL, and films
like Bride Wars and Iron Man 2.
www.led-z.com
Licht Technik.
The latest fixtures from leading German manufacturer
Light Technik include the
LT-SkyLight, ideal in helping to create artificial skies
for car shoots. The shown size is 12.6 m x 5.1 m, although
other sizes are available on request. It’s low 0.5m height,
enables it to be rigged immediately below a studio
roof. The lamp consists of 40 light modules, with 6 T5
KinoFlo tubes each. The total number of 240 tubes (each
80W) have a total power of 19.2 kW. Every module is
DMX-dimmable, using an ordinary DMX controller, or
simple PC software from Licht Technik. The modules are
dimmable from 10% to 100 %. With four roof-motors the
system can be tilted too.
The company’s Bag-o-Light is an innovative lightdiffuser,
making the light very soft and shadow-free, again
well-suited for car shoots or as a fill light on a film set. An
air-filled white bag is mounted in front of a regular PARheadlight.
When it is blown up it keeps the air for several
hours. The light shines into the bag, with a mirror on the
front so that the light is reflected. It is noise-free and the
colour temperature is not affected. The Bag-o-Light works
with regular PAR lights and spot lenses. When a dimmer
shutter is mounted the light is also dimmable. The Bag-o-
Light is available at Panalux GB.
www.licht-technik.com
Litepanels.
Litepanels Sola ENG LED Fresnel model is now shipping.
Offering beam control of 10° to 70°, the new Daylightbalanced
Solas provide the controllability and singleshadow
properties inherent in a Fresnel light, but use just a
fraction of the power of conventional fixtures. Employing
a proprietary 7.62cm (3”) lens, it draws just 30 watts yet
produces light output equivalent to a 250W tungsten. Like
all Litepanels, Sola ENG Fresnels feature instant dimming
from 100% to 0 with no noticeable colour shift. The Sola
ENG provides manual focus and dimming control via
camera lens style ergonomic controls. Output is flicker
free, and remains consistent even as the battery voltage
goes down. Designed for both on-camera and off-camera
mounting, it is 102mm x 102mm x 127mm (4” x 4” x 5”),
weighs .28kg (10 ounces), and runs on 10-20VDC sources
such as camera batteries. The ever-growing range of
Litepanels products includes: compact MicroPro and
MiniPlus on-camera lights, slimline, flat-profile 1x1 fixtures in
standard, Bi-Color, or Bi-Focus, Super-Spot, and Low-Profile
versions, and LED Ringlites. They’re used at The White House
and Pentagon Briefing Rooms and were employed by
cinematographer Alan Caso ASC (Lie to Me, Big Love,
Trauma) chose Litepanels for his new series, The Defenders.
The CBS one-hour drama centres on the personal and
professional lives of two very different Las Vegas Lawyers.
www.litepanels.com
Panalux.
As one of the world’s largest providers of lighting
equipment and associated facilities, for Panalux it’s the
investment in quality, as well as quantity, that remains of
paramount importance.
Operating on the world stage, there are few suppliers
that can attempt to handle the volume and diversity of
projects that Panalux tackles on a daily basis – from multimillion
dollar blockbusters to student films. Introduced
as a specialist division of Panalux, catering to lighting
designers working primarily in disciplines outside of
feature films, Panalux Broadcast and Event has emerged
as a well-regarded service in the television and live event
market. With the increasing crossover of interests from
‘movie’ cinematographers looking to create individual,
ground breaking lighting concepts and Panulux
Broadcast and Event often designs bespoke solutions that
challenge the limitations of traditional lighting.
One example the Vizilink System, a fully-integrated
suite of bespoke products and software applications.
Delivering real-time control of live effects and lighting
sequences, over entire lighting installations, Vizilink
stores performances in an internal memory allowing
instant set-up and playback for multiple takes or reshoots.
Operating via a family of remote UHF controllers
to deliver instant, live access to channels, Vizilink is a
complete production solution for cameramen, lighting
directors, gaffers and operators.
Further developments at Palanlux include LED and
low-energy technologies. In particular, the Panalux
HighLight 220 and 440 fittings are versatile, powerful
lampheads that use low-energy fluorescent light
sources, for use in studio environments to illuminate
large backgrounds where an even, balanced light
source is required. The operating temperatures of these
lampheads are considerably lower that their tungsten
counterparts whilst the low-energy consumption can
result in reduced running costs of up to 90%.
www.panalux.biz
Photon Beard.
The professional lighting industry continues to use wired
data links to carry the universal DMX512 control standard.
This is acceptable for conventional incandescent lighting,
but many of the new generation of highly-efficient, lowheat
fixtures work best with a direct control connection.
Lighting specialists Photon Beard has introduced wireless
lighting control with its “Wi-Light” system, which offers a
number of advantages including eliminating the need
for control wiring; no requirement to terminate the last
light on the DMX control line; and flexibility in changing
lighting positions. The Wi-Light was primarily designed as
an add-on to Photon Beard’s popular DMX-controlled
series of Highlight fluorescents, but can also be used
to control a mixture of fluorescent and incandescent
lighting. It consists of two basic components, a master
transmit/receive module, which can be located at studio
floor level, and individual receive modules or “dongles”
added to each light source or dimmer. This approach
reduces, and in some cases eliminates, the need for
traditional wired DMX-controlled systems. Transmitter
range can vary, but is generally 1-300 feet, adequate in
most installations and can be extended using repeaters.
www.photonbeard.com
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
25

British Cinematographer
26
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Close Up
–––Danny Cohen BSC
The King’s Speech
Close Ups were researched and written by Kevin Hilton and Carolyn Giardina.
Period films are a standard entry on the filmographies
of most cinematographers these days but few have
spanned the centuries like Danny Cohen BSC. From
Revolutionary America through the austere years of
Britain in the 1940s and ‘50s to the present day, Cohen has
worked on a wide range of styles and subjects, including
historical biography, comedy and horror.
His latest is The King’s Speech. Hotly tipped for Oscar
success after winning in four categories at the British
Independent Film Awards, including Best Film, it tells how
the Duke of York reluctantly became King George VI after
the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII, and overcame
a severe stammer to deliver many broadcasts.
The King’s Speech reunites Cohen with director Tom
Hooper. The two previously worked together on the HBO
mini-series John Adams (2008), about the revolutionary
leader and second president of the USA, and Channel 4
film Longford (2006), telling the story of the eccentric peer’s
attempts to win parole for Moors Murderer Myra Hindley.
Cohen says Hooper wants his period productions
to be as authentic as possible, not just creating a
resemblance to the era concerned but giving a sense of
how life was at the time.
“Tom’s not into making historical drama that is pristine
and clean looking,” he explains. “I shot the episodes of
John Adams, produced in Hungary, and Tom was keen
to show that America and England of the 18th century
would have had crap everywhere - he’s into giving a
sense of reality.”
Britain in 1936 was more sanitary, but Cohen and
Hooper approached The King’s Speech with the same
mentality, attempting to convey the griminess of London
back then, when choking pea-souper fogs were common.
“From a cinematographer’s point of view I want to
give texture and depth to a shot,” Cohen says, “ so there
would be soot on the walls and layers of dirt. If you do
things in shorthand you don’t go to those lengths, but we
had a great production designer [Eve Stewart] and she
and I worked together on the look.”
Cohen used the BBC documentary series The Thirties
In Colour and Bill Brandt’s photography as references, but
concedes that all these can give is an impression of the
times: “They were good pointers, but you can’t take them
as gospel, particularly the films, because there is a degree
of degradation on the images.”
A big part of cinematography, Cohen says, is to get
the shoot done and make it believable for the audience,
who are watching any period piece from the perspective
of today. The majority of The King’s Speech was shot on
locations late in 2009, with only a few studio set sequences.
Because of the time of year getting enough light for
long enough was a constant problem, Despite starting
at 8am every day. “We lit the interiors mostly through the
windows to give a natural feel and make everything look
as authentic as possible,” Cohen says.
An example of how Cohen got the large amount of
light he needed is the shoot at Lancaster House, which
doubled for Buckingham Palace. At the time the building
was encased in scaffolding, a fortunate coincidence
because Cohen was able to arrange 20 4k HMI lights on
the exterior platforms to shine in through the windows.
“We put cotton on the outside to give a consistent
look of daylight for the whole day,” he says. “I don’t think
we used any lights on the floor at all for that.”
The visual style of The King’s Speech has also been
defined by the new 3-perf 35mm ETERNA Vivid 500
tungsten Fujifilm stock, which Cohen used in conjunction
with Vivid 600T.
“It just offered something different over what I had
been using before,” he comments. “What I got was the
right form of contrasty images - it also gives a slightly
skewed feel to the action, a kind of heightened reality.”
Cohen says the new stock, combined with the DI
grade by Gareth Spensley at Molinare, helped produce
the appearance he and Hooper had in mind, although
the images did not need to be changed too much in post.
This was a two-camera shoot, using Arricam LTs with
Arri Master Prime lenses. Cohen says using an A and B
arrangement gives “a lot more coverage”, particularly
on a short schedule. “There is a balance you have
to do, though,” he admits. “You can’t get the same
specific angles for both cameras as you would with a
single camera and you won’t necessarily have the ideal
light for the second, but this way of working gives more
options for the editor.”
Cohen used “all sorts of rigs”, with sequences
involving handheld cameras, Steadicams, cranes and
dollies. “We weren’t too prescriptive with that, we mixed
it all up,” he says. A sequence for which Cohen says
it “made sense to use a Steadicam” was of George,
played by Colin Firth, walking in Regents Park on a foggy
afternoon with Lionel Logue, the speech therapist who
helped him (Geoffrey Rush). “It gave the movement we
needed and worked really nicely,” Cohen explains.
Cohen has now made three films with Tom Hooper.
Other directors he has worked with regularly are Stephen
Poliakoff (Joe’s Palace and Capturing Mary, 2007),
Dominic Savage (Born Equal, 2006, and Dive, 2010) and
Shane Meadows (This Is England, 2006, and This is England
‘86, 2010). The cinematographer sees forming regular
working relationships with directors making sense, not just
from a practical work perspective but also creatively:
“You get to know how the other person ticks and they
know your strengths and weaknesses. In both situations
we’re able to push each other and produce interesting
stuff. If that doesn’t happen you can just stagnate.”
Danny Cohen’s next film could be regarded as a
shift from the sublime to the ridiculous: Johnny English
Reborn, the sequel to the 2003 film about the eponymous
bumbling secret agent, played by Rowan Atkinson.
Cohen does not see this as a major change in pace. “Not
all films are the same, but in a weird way there is a similarly
because there are the same problems. We’ll have big
sets on this one and a bigger budget, but my job is still to
make everything work effectively. The material is different,
but it’s exactly the same process.”
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Close Up
–––Claudio Miranda ASC
Tron Legacy
Disney’s 1981 sci-fi adventure Tron secured its place in
film history as a pioneering visual effects undertaking,
widely recognised as one of the first films produced with
extensive use of computer graphics. It was reportedly
made for $17 million, and grossed $33 million.
Now, this seminal property has been given a
stereoscopic reboot from Disney, and has emerged
as one of the most anticipated movies of the late. The
new Tron Legacy marks the directorial debut of Joseph
Kosinski. Steven Lisberger, director of the 1981 film, is a
producer this time around. Jeff Bridges returns as Kevin
Flynn and Bruce Boxleitner reprises his role as Alan Bradley.
New cast members include Garrett Hedlund, who plays
Flynn’s now adult son, Sam, along with Olivia Wilde,
Michael Sheen and John Hurt.
The film begins years after the original story took
place. Kevin Flynn’s son, Sam, is searching for his father,
who has vanished. At the deserted Flynn’s Arcade, Sam is
pulled into a digital universe where the adventure begins.
Claudio Miranda ASC served as director of
photography, and the lead visual effects house was
Digital Domain in Venice, California, reteaming Miranda
and Digital Domain after their successful collaboration
on David Fincher’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Fincher’s Button earned three Oscar, including one
for visual effects, and secured Miranda his first Oscar
nomination in cinematography.
The live action for the VFX-laden adventure was shot
in Vancouver, with the digital world lensed on a stage
where the sets were built. The production also involved
motion capture and some facial capture. Adding to the
complexity, it was lensed in stereoscopic 3D.
“For Tron Legacy, 3D totally makes sense,” Miranda
said. “It is a world that you need to be immersed in.”
The team decided to shoot in 3D, using Sony F35
cameras with Pace rigs, which were used on Avatar
and were co-developed by James Cameron and Vince
Pace. Images were recorded to a Codex recorder in
uncompressed 4:4:4. The Pace production truck was on
site, which included a theatre where Miranda could view
dailies in 3D.
“The Pace system, for us, was the best way to shoot
this,” Miranda said. “We looked at converting to 3D later,
but I was just never happy with the result I saw. It didn’t
feel like they were truly converting the image properly
from 2D to 3D. We had so much work to do, I just thought
capturing the 3D for real on the day would be the best.
And everyone was on board with that.
27
“It was pretty much a learning curve for everyone
involved,” he added. “Vince Pace was with us for the first
couple of weeks and he was instrumental in helping us out.”
The creative agenda was to create an immersive
environment. “It is not a heavy-handed 3D experience,”
the DP explained. “It is a good experience; it is a rich
world. But we don’t have spears coming out at the
audience; it’s not like that.”
Miranda’s aim was to create two distinct looks in the
movie: the real world, which was warmer; and the digital
world, which gets a cooler look.
In the digital world, lighting was very much driven
by the costumes that the actors wear, which contained
battery operated electro-luminescent panels. “We
wanted them to have a glow, and when people got
close to them, we wanted people to light each other. So
it was really important to us to get as much light to the
camera sensor as possible,” Miranda said, explaining that
he shot these scenes at very low light levels, pretty much
always at a 1.3 stop with ARRI Master Primes.
As an example of the result, he cited a sequence
where the characters Cora (Wilde) and Sam (Hedlund)
meet in a hallway. “In that scene, you can actually see
them giving light off to each other,” he said.
While shooting the scenes that take place in the
digital world, Miranda used some unconventional lighting
to create the look. “To hit the suits with a conventional
light would have been odd, so that really created the
new look of Tron.
“We didn’t use any of the standard 1ks and 2ks,” he
explained. “It was cool fluorescents and a lot LED lighting,
LED lighting everywhere. Everything had a different feel,
even the streetlights in these scenes. I found some LED
off-road lights and I used those as streetlights to light the
backlot. There are even a lot of film LED lights coming out
now, and we used those styles of lights.
“This was a big approach to the movie, not looking
at your standard fare of lightbulbs to light the set.” he
added. “We had a really long prep to figure out all these
lighting situations.”
To create big camera moves, Miranda said that,
for example, the team used a sort of inverted motion
control rig that allowed the camera to move almost
anywhere on the set.
“At the time the 3D camera systems were a little too
heavy for Steadicam to move around, and we wanted
to move freely around the End of Line Club (a setting the
digital world),” he explained.
As for the 3D, Miranda learned that sometimes rules
are made to be broken. “I did a lot of things on the movie
that you shouldn’t do with 3D,” he said. “But you also have
to know the rules. Some things may be very inappropriate
for one thing, but very appropriate for another.
“There were times that I did flare the lens in 3D, which
is a perceived as a no-no,” Miranda related. “For the
most part you shouldn’t be doing flares in 3D. Sometimes
the lines of the flares may be different in one eye than
another. And when something is different in one eye then
the other, it affects the parallax.
“The great thing is we got to see the effect live, as
we were monitoring 3D live on our set. So we could see if
it was a problem. I thought it would be a problem, but it
looked great.”

British Cinematographer
28
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Event
–––Plus Camerimage
2010 review
Cold but good,
with a chance
of sprouts
Monday, November 29th:
Never been to Essex before. Never been on Ryanair. Never
been to Bydgoszcz. Wondering what Camerimage 2010
will be like, now that it’s been displaced from Lodz? Well
the motorway drive to Stanstead is uneventful. Ryanair is
everything one might fear, where only breathing appears
to be free-of-charge. And Bydgoszcz is a bitterly cold, and
utterly new experience. Silver birches, standing in several
inches of snow outside the tiny terminal in this NW region
of Poland, are our greeting.
The misery of the flight, and the instant freeze, are
offset by the very new and modern room at the Holiday
Inn. Walk-in shower. Smashing. Blizzards and deep deep
cold on the taxi ride to Lite Panels’ bash with Frances
Russell and Rob Saunders, who confirms that the
backlot near U Stage at Pinewood will be the venue for
the September 2011 BSC Expo. Either our taxi driver is
Bydgoszcz’s answer to Colin McRae, or he’s got winter
tyres, as he’s not at all phased by slipping and sliding
around on the snowpacked roads. Lite Panels’ bash at the
Sloneczny Mlyn Hotel turns out to be a wonderful evening.
Lovely venue, lovely food (the pork curry is delicious),
and the guests are superlative – Christian Berger, Wally
Pfister, Vilmos Zsigmond, Matthew Libatique, Phil Méheux,
Ed Lachman, Peter Biziou, Stephen Goldblatt, Michael
Chapman, Dick Pope, Dion Beebe and John de Borman
amongst the stellar line-up. Amongst the many chats,
Michael reflects on the formidable on-set presence of
Gordon Willis, and Wally tells us he’ll be back in the UK
with Chris Nolan on the next Batman project this coming
May. Back at the Holiday Inn, enduring the blooming
freezing cold again, Panalux’s Ian Sherborn reprises
a Billy Connolly line, that it’s not the weather, it’s your
clothing that’s incorrect. A quick Apple Pie in the bar with
Ralph, Eddie and Adam from Lee filters, and then up the
windy to Bedfordshire.
The Opera Nova on a very chilly
evening Bydgoszcz.
It’s parky... (l-r) Michael
Chapman, Phil Méheux and
Edu Grau arrive at Panavision’s
woskshop.
Stellar line-up... (l-r) Andrzej
Bartkowiak, Vilmos Zsigmond,
Wally Pfister, Christian Berger,
Matthew Libatique, Phil Méheux
and Roberto Schaefer.
Cheers... (l-r) Nancy Schreiber,
Wally Pfister and Ken Fisher of
Lite Panels.
Did you hear the one about... (ir)
Peter Biziou with Panavision’s
Hugh Whittaker.
Keanu Reeves in town...
Tuesday November 30th:
Breakfast with Nigel Walters, who’s extolling the virtues
of short film The Corridor, shot by an intrepid David
Proctor. Snowy Bydgoszsz looks good in the frozen
sunlight, as does the Opera Nova, the focal point of
the festival. Registration is a breeze. Panalux’s morning
workshop is on Lighting Tools And Techniques, at the
the gymnasium of the University of Economy. Panellists
for Panavision’s crowded afternoon session about The
Cinematograopher’s Choices, include Matthew Libatique,
Eduard Grau, Phil Méheux and Michael Chapman.
Discussing pre-production, Matthew, who’s here with
his S16mm Black Swan, says that whilst everything stems
from the script, it’s finding “the spark” that’s the hardest
thing for a DP. Which means fundamentally immersing
oneself in the words, the metaphors, the raisons d’etre
of the protagonist and the antagonist, the actors
themselves, from which comes the look. All the panellists
agree that when it comes to format, it’s “the mechanics
of moviemaking that determine the aesthetics, not the
other way around.”
Michael Chapman quips that every DP should have
this mantra tattooed on their forearm. He explains how
the low-budget Taxi Driver was pretty much shot with one
light and one camera out of the back of a van, and how
New York City effectively lit itself. “Those aesthetics were
dictated by physical facts, and that turned out to be the
right thing”, he says. Phil talks about the need for precision
storyboarding on VFX-laden films like 007 Casino Royale.
But other usage of storyboards get quickly poo-poo’d as
Matthew posits, “it’s crazy to get trapped by storyboards,
as they take the piss out of the cinematographic process.”
Michael feels the same, that the storyboard “just sucks
the energy out of the film.” When asked about Buried, in
which no two shots are the same, Edu says he’s never
storyboarded before. Written by Ron Prince.
British Cinematographer
29
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Short, snowy trudge back to the Opera Nova with
a weary Judit Romwalter of Sparks in Budapast, who’s
had a 22-hour trip to Bydgoszcz – a horror story of
planes, trains and automobiles, each fighting against
the weather. The layout for the exhibitors, in a semicircular
sweep on the first floor around the auditorium
looks perfect. ARRI, Panavision, Vantage (Hawk), Sony,
Panasonic, Zeiss, LCA, K5600, J.L. Fisher, DoP Choice, BSC,
British Cinematographer Magazine, GBTC, Association Of
Camera Operators, Skillset, TVN, Lite Panels, Film Pro, Kino,
PWSFTViT, Onet and Ha! Art are all there.
Martin Hammond has helped to organise a
Parkinson-style interview with Phil Méheux, sponsored by
Image Forum, with John de Borman as Parky, eliciting
details on Phil’s features such as The Mask Of Zorro, Casino
Royale and Edge of Darkness.
The ARRI party in the evening is at the Dolce Vita, which
looks more like the house of Hansel and Gretel, made of
bread, cake and sugar. Paul Collard and Neil Mockler
of Ascent talk about the Deluxe acquisition, but it’s early
days and no-one really knows what the upshot will be.
Blimey, there’s Anthony Dod Mantle, whose made a huge
effort to get to Camerimage from South Africa, where he’s
lensing Dredd in 3D. It’s soon apparent why Anthony has
made the trip. The hubbub of conversation becomes a
hullaballoo, as Marek Zydowicz and Kazik Suwala storm
onto the stairs overlooking the restaurant, and start doling
out statuattes and bottles of whisky to this year’s Golden
Frog nominees. How cool is this? Come on down… Wally
Pfister (Inception), Matthew Libatique (Black Swan), Edu
Grau (Buried), Alexander du Prel (Swansong: Story of
Occi Byrne), Bayram Fazli (Mandoo), Ravi K. Chandran
(My Name Is Khan), Vilmos Zsigmond (Louis), Dick Pope
(Another Year)… and Anthony (with Enrique Chediak, 127
Hours). Anthony is also collecting his 2008 Golden Frog
for Slumdog Millionaire. He says, “I won many awards for
that film, but this one means the most guys, it really does,”
and the place goes ballistic. We later help Anthony stuff
his nomination gong back into its protective bag, whilst
he stuffs the Golden Frog into his jeans pocket, before he
heads back to the airpor. Share a taxi back to the Holiday
Inn with Roberto Schaefer and his wife Caroline, and
discover the disco on lower ground floor is throbbing with
Euro-cheese. As the winter warming vodka flows, the cold
outside thightens its grip on Northern Europe.

British Cinematographer
30
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Wednesday, December 1st:
It’s f-f-f-f-f-f-freezing outside, with a fresh dump of snow. The
NE city of Bialystock plummeted to -26C, overnight and
eight homeless people died of exposure around Poland.
Breakfast with Vilmos, and we talk about his latest film
Louis, the succesful expansion of IMAGO, and ways that
the ASC and IMAGO could join forces. Closer cooperation
would be a great thing in a globalised world. Michael
Chapman is in the hotel lobby dabbling on his iPad. Edu’s
screening of Buried is packed to the rafters. He’s very
emotional on stage before the film and says how coming
to the festival three year’s ago film changed his life, giving
him the desire to shoot features. And low and behold,
this is his second film in as many years, following A Single
Man last year. Take some cheeky snaps at the LCA stand,
and meet the Chemical Wedding guys who’ve just
arrived from LA – three Brits developing cinematographic
apps for iPhone and iPads, the latest being the ASC’s
Toland Digital Assistant. There’s excitement about The
King’s Speech, lensed by Danny Cohen BSC, with Colin
Firth in action as the severely stammering George VI,
and an awesome Geoffrey Rush as his speech therapist.
With its wonderful locations, plus some stylish framing
from Cohen, this film has got to do well at the box office,
especially in the US. Surely Mr Firth is going to get an
Oscar nod. It takes ages to get out from the auditorium, as
there’s a huge number of people anticipating the arrival
of Keanu Reeves, who’s making a film about filmmaking,
and promoting Henry’s Crime, which he produced and
starred in. Bill & Ted, the bald and beefy security guards
we’ve come to know and fear from Camerimage’s of the
past chaperone Keanu in.
As per normal, Panavision’s party is the hottest ticket
in town, with star turns in the forms of Joel Schumacher,
the recipient of this year’s Special Award To The Director,
and Keanu! There’s quite a queue for photos with Keanu.
Chat with Philippe Ros, one of the 18 DPs on Oceans,
which we covered a few editions ago, about the vital
software tweaks and LUTs created for shooting at different
underwater depths. And very nice chat with Noski Deville,
senior lecturer from the University of Creative Arts in
Farnham. One of her alumni, Bjorn Bratberg, who we
also covered recently, is just over there, but he gets lost
in the crowd before I can get over. Meet Massy Tadjenin,
charming writer and director of Last Night, starring Keira,
screening tomorrow.
Back at the Holiday Inn, Peter Biziou and John de
Borman have a late night chat about the artistry of the
cinematographer. Interesntingly, Peter is adamant that he
does not see himself as an artist, rather a collaborative
artisan, assembling the crew and equipment as
appropriate what he wants to shoot.
Thursday, December 2nd:
People are getting jumpy about how they might get
home, including the Panavision crew who are busily
checking out. Over at the Gym, Oliver Stapleton is hosting
a marathon six-hour ARRI lighting masterclass exploring
the complex relationship between the light, the face,
colour and framing, as well as horror, drama and film
noir genre lighting. As Bill Lovell points an Alexa at the
sets, Oliver shows some fascinating examples taken from
several of his films including Unthinkable, The Water Horse,
and The Proposal, where we discover how Sandra Bullock
has the perfect anamorphic face.
Hurrah, we find our first sprouts at Fujifilm’s convivial
late lunch, and talk about how long film might have
left as an acquisition format. After much debate, the
concensus is that there’s life in the old girl yet, and the
smart money is on celluloid being around for at least
another five years. Over at the Opera Nova, Kodak is
hosting its regular seminar showing 35mm 2/3/4 perf and
S16mm comparisons along with its latest Vision3 offerings
for production and post. Screening of Massy’s intriguing
romance Last Night, ably lensed by Peter Deming. Keira’s
got a great face for anamorphic too!
Friday, December 3rd:
Last day in Bydgoszcz. Michael Goi ASC presdident
reveals the first details about a major conflab in May at
the ASC, aimed a bringing the world of cinematographers
together. Go to morning screening of Submarino, a
wonderfully bleak film by Thomas Vinterberg, about the
effects of alcoholism across three generations. It’s lensed
by Charlotte Bruus Christensen, who says it’s a story about
hope in the preamble. She shot it with one lamp and
one camera, on a budget around the £1m mark. Well,
full marks to her, it’s great. She’s succeeded in making a
bleak and tragic tale look engagingly bleak and tragic.
Pizza lunch with the Fujifilm team and Keith Faulkner of
Technicolor, Nick Shapley of LCA, Kate from Wizzo FEATURES,
plus DPs Angus Hudson and Dan Trapp. The talk is about
Bydgoszcz vs Lodz. Will the orgainsers switch back to Lodz
at the drop of a hat, despite locking into Bydgoszcz for
three years? Bydgoszcz has beeen well-received, despite
the weather. From an attendees POV, it’s been easy to
get around the screenings and workshops, the layout for
exhibitors is all on one level, and the city is very pleasant.
The volume of A-list cinematographers has been
impressive. Whether the lack of swarms of students is an
issue for the various sponsors is another question entirely. A
change has been as good as a rest.
But oh no… if we come back next year, hoping the
orange and grey liveried airline will have supplanted the
yellow and blue.
The Chemical Wedding boys in
the Opera Nova.
Oliver Stapleton BSC talks about
lighting at an ARRI workshop.
Phil Méheux and John de
Borman in conversation.
El President... Nigel
Walters thanks Lite Panels for the
delicious evening.
Where’s the vodka... (l-r) Daniel
Pearl, Martin Coppen, David
Proctor, Matthew Libatique.
The Camerimage main jury
braving the chill outside the
Opera Nova... (i-r) Jost Vocano,
Roberto Schaefer, Stephen
Goldblatt, Andrzej Kołodyński,
Dion Beebe and Peter Biziou.
Tom Stern was also a judge.
In conversation... (l-r) Dion
Beebe, Stephen Goldblatt and
Ed Lachman.
Stephen Goldblatt (l) and Peter
Biziou in discussion prior to the
screening of Last Night.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
31

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043 32
IMAGO
–––Nigel Walters BSC
President of IMAGO
Confidence
IMAGO enters the second decade
of this century with confidence
2010 was a year of progress for our federation as we
prepare to welcome five new members in Tallinn in
March. Positive applications have been received from
Ireland, Serbia, South Africa, Colombia and Iran.
The Iranian Society application mentions, “our
profession being prior to any social or political situation”.
It continues to précis eloquently one of the main reasons
for the existence of IMAGO, “to share and exchange
knowledge in cinematography with no barriers.” The
message was received during the recent Budapest
Conference and welcomed to warm applause from all
the delegates.
So much happened in 2010 that is difficult to
know where to begin this summary. The year came
to a sad conclusion for the 30% of Kodak staff who
were made redundant in Europe. Good friends of all
cinematographers, they will be missed for their devotion
to their company and their dedicated service to film.
Kodak has been in the vanguard as a company which
has generously sponsored so many educational and
other events around the world. Cinematographers
are especially grateful for the inspiring lead of Kodak’s
European marketing director, Thierry Peronnet, in
promoting “film, no compromise”, for being such a loyal
friend of the Image Forum and all those interested in
giving film a fair hearing. Speaking at the Clermond-
Ferrand Film Festival earlier in 2010 Thierry voiced the
opinion that, “film is the only medium providing an
uncompromising combination of image quality, full HD
compatibility, cost effectiveness and archivability.” We
hope to see him back amongst us in the near future. Au
revoir, see you again soon, we hope!
The push for Authors Rights for cinematographers
received a boost in December by the formation of
an organisation called Creators Voice. This is being
established through the EUXXL in Vienna, directed by the
dynamic Mercedes Esherer, who impressed delegates
at the Budapest Conference by outlining the positive
gains for creative men and women by lobbying the EU
on a level of collective solidarity. It is hoped this new
organisation will attract umbrella federations such as
IMAGO, FERA, FSE, ECSA, FFACE, ECA, EVA, and PEARLE.
Creators Voice is a result of many years of the EUXXL
organising forums for creative people, which have
analysed the professional pressures of the changing
world. This year the spotlight at the Forum Vienna fell
on the working lives of cinematographers. A consensus
resolution was passed, which has resulted in the formation
of Creative Voice. A modus operandus has been
established for the new organisation, and IMAGO’s
involvement is being overseen by our lawyer, Dr Cristina
Busch with the help of the Austrian AAC.
The new platform will legitimise democratically the
power of the EUXXL Film Forum to represent European
cultural associations at important political conferences
and meetings, especially in Brussels, but also elsewhere
in Europe. It is intended to regularly inform in good time
about consultation processes of the Commission as well
as political decisions of the European Union concerning
the work of filmmakers on such issues as author’s rights
and working conditions. It is also well-placed to disclose
funding possibilities.
Creators Voice had pledged to collect opinions of
the European umbrella associations in order to formulate
demands to influence European policy. IMAGO sees
great advantage in supporting this platform in the trusted
hands of Mercedes Escherer and Fritz Neimann of the
EUXXL Film Forum. In the past European film workers have
failed to take advantage of EU opportunities, designed to
further our professions to promote cultural advancement.
There is nothing to lose by showing solidarity and
everything to gain. IMAGO at the crossroads of its
development will take a positive step forward by
supporting Creative Voice.
2010 was a hard financial year for film workers, our
societies and our sponsors. IMAGO is grateful for the
many sponsors who had faith in us, and the new sponsors
who are supporting us. Despite economic pressures
due to the withdrawal of funding, the Hungarian HSC
pressed ahead with the first Budapest Conference of
cinematographers. This included delegates from the ASC,
Peter James ASC ACS, Vilmos Zsigmond ASC, Lajos Koltai
HSC ASC and Yuri Neyman ASC which entitles this to be
named the first World Conference of cinematographers.
A resolution was passed from the HSC recommending
implementation of the IMAGO Model Contract guidelines
to be implemented in Hungary, including a maximum
length of working day, a minimum break time and eleven
hours rest between duties.
A full day conference is planned on March 4th
prior to the IAGA in Tallinn on March 5th to discuss the
problems some of our Societies have with Working
Conditions in Europe. The Portuguese self-employed film
worker appears to have no rights whatsoever.
IMAGO welcomes the ASC initiative in calling an
International Cinematographers Summit Conference
in Los Angeles between May 2nd and 5th. The purpose
of the four-day meeting is to establish open dialogue
between cinematographers to share knowledge of
emerging technologies and to discuss the future of
our craft in the wake of developments such as virtual
production and 3D. The agenda has been well planned
and this will prove an enlightened forum. The Australian
ACS is well into formalising opinions on the virtual
production issue and is expected to make a valuable
contribution to this summit.
The third IMAGO European Digital Cinema
Conference is scheduled for May 13, 14, and 15 in Oslo.
Its reputation has grown and once again its organisation
is in the competent hands of Paul-Rene Roestad and the
Norwegian Society FNF. An event not to be missed covering
all aspects of digital image capture and projection.
IMAGO has continued to support the Manaki Brothers
Festival in Macedonia, the eDIT Festival in Frankfurt and
Plus Camerimage (see separate report). In 2011 the
Russian RGC has been invited to contribute to the eDIT
Frankfurt Festival between October 30th and November
1st 2011. We await developments shortly.
Both the technical and masterclass committees
are active. The latter has assisted the Norwegians,
Macedonians and Romanians successfully organise
educational events.
Finally, thanks must go to those members of the 40
plus societies around the world who give their time and
effort freely for the benefit of their societies. Especial
thanks are owing to those administrators and secretaries
for their diligent work, which made possible so many
successful IMAGO events in 2010.
33
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Taken during the Budapest
Conference at the new Raleigh
Studios, IMAGO President Nigel
Walters BSC, with Dr Cristina
Busch, IMAGO’s legal advisor
and Louis-Philippe Capelle SBC,
IMAGO General Secretary.
David Hilton with Ravi K
Chandran ISC.
Funny faces in the form of Phil
Meheux BSC and Nick Shapley
of LCA.
Hugh Whittaker of Panavision
phones for instructions while
Rob Garvie looks on.
Iranian Cinematographer
Bayram Fazli, Nigel Walters
BSC and director of Mandoo,
Ebrahim Saeedi.
Ravi K Chandran ISC
Cinematographer on My Name
Is Khan.
Warwick Hempleman of Fisher
and Ken Fisher of Lite Panels in
action.
Alive And Kicking In Bydgoszcz
Many superlatives have been used to describe the
organisation of the Plus Camerimage Festival of
Cinematography over the last eighteen years. But none is
more deserved than the praise associated with the Polish
triumph of determination-over-adversity which resulted in
their first and highly-successful visit to Bydgoszcz in 2010.
Perhaps we should not be surprised; this is, after all, a
nation used to surviving against all the odds.
This festival is the envy of all the crafts associated with
filmmaking. It is unique to the world and has become
the spiritual home of cinematography, a phrase used by
IMAGO in appealing to the Polish Minister of Culture in
the earlier, darker days of the year when the festival was
fighting for its survival.
So stand up with pride, Marek Zydowicz and all your
team and accept the thanks of cinematographers
for a job superbly accomplished. Our thanks also to
the sponsors for their faith in Camerimage, and the
cinematographers from all ends of the globe who made
the journey to show solidarity with the organisers who
have given so much pleasure across all the crafts.
This spirit of comradeship was epitomised by a certain
former Gold Frog winner, Anthony Dod Mantle, who to
the displeasure of his producer finished work at seven
in the evening in Cape Town, hopped on a plane to
Europe, arrived in Bydgoszcz for a few hours only to return
to South Africa to resume his shoot the following day.
From the European viewpoint the Main Competition
results were a refreshing surprise. The Gold Frog was
awarded to Arthur Reinhart for his skill on Jan Jakub Kolski’s
Venice. A former Lodz student and thrice winner of the
Polish Film Festival Best Cinematographer Award, and a
previous recipient of a Golf Frog in Torun 1994, Reinhart’s
work was described by the jury as “impressionistic, endowed
with atmosphere and extremely skilfully executed.” The
budget for the film was under 2 million Euros.
The Silver Frog was awarded to Mikhail Krichman
RGC for his cinematography on the Russian film Silent
Souls described as an “elegiac, simple and moving film”.
A prize-winner in Venice for best film cinematography,
Krichman learnt his cinematography by reading
American Cinematographer. Krichman was a previous
nominee at Camerimage for The Return in 2003, a film for
which he received the Russian Film Critics Award for Best
Cinematography.
The ever-popular Eduard Grau AEC was rewarded
for being Buried in a coffin, by winning the Bronze Frog.
The jury’s verdict on the talented Spaniard not yet 30
years of age was: “ingenious and surprising solutions to a
desperate situation”.
The coveted Lifetime Achievement was awarded
as previously announced to the distinguished German
cinematographer Michael Ballhaus. A live link to Martin
Scorsese from London paying tribute was followed by
a prolonged standing ovation. Scorsese has written
in the magnificent book, once again produced by
Cameimage for each Laureate, that when working
with Michael Ballhaus “filmmaking became a joy again,
finding this joy again – in what I do and what I am – is
what Michael gave me.”
Poland was also triumphant in the Student Etudes
Competition with the Golden Tadpole being awarded
to Jakub Giza for his cinematography on I Won’t
Be Here Tomorrow. The Silver Tadpole went to Phillip
Haberlandt and Jens Hollman for the German film St
Christophorus: Roadkill, while Karzan Kader’s Kurdish film
was photographed by Johan Holmquist for which he was
awarded the Bronze Tadpole.
There were enthusiastic attendances at the seminars
and masterclasses (as reported by Hugh Whittaker of
Panavision). The Director Duo Award was awarded to
Mathew Libatique ASC and Darren Aronofsky probably the
youngest combined age to ever receive this award. Special
honours, as previously announced, were given to Joel
Schumacher, Liam Neeson, Chris Lebenzon, Stuart Craig
and the new friend of the festival who we are delighted to
report is Michael Neubauer of the BvK and IMAGO.
As the eighth day of festivities were coming to an
end the familiar figure of Lone Star appeared on stage to
announce the surprise showing of Flamenco, Flamenco,
directed by Carlos Saura and cinematographer Vittorio
Storaro AIC ASC. Hence the successful excursion to
Bydgoszcz ended with a cinematographic bang of
majestic proportions. The ultimate film on any dance art
brought to the screen by two consummate magicians
of the art of storytelling, with the same love and passion
for the art of filmmaking, which had been so apparent
throughout this extraordinary festival.
Camerimage is such a special event wherever it is
held, but appreciation is also owed to the authorities and
friendly people of the charming city of Bydgoszcz for their
part in bringing a much-deserved happy ending to the
year 2010 for Marek and his team of unsung heroes.
International Directory
of Cinematographers
As promised in Rome at the IAGA in May, the first
International Directory of Cinematographers has been
sent to every one of the 42 societies who were able
to participate in time to meet the deadline. Originally
scheduled to mark the Budapest World Conference,
the launch at Camerimage was further delayed due to
adverse road conditions between the printers and the
distribution centre in Birmingham UK.
The intention is for a copy to be given to each of the
cinematographers named in the directory. The distribution
has been overseen by the publisher Stuart Walters of Laws
Publishing Ltd and should have already arrived at the
addresses of the national secretaries of each society for
individual distribution to members.
This directory marks the first attempt to bring together
the names of cinematographers in one international
volume. It is, “a symbol of our solidarity as a profession of
women and men passionate about their craft and proud
of their individuality as creators, generously united in a
spirit of cooperation.”
Apart from the dedicated time given to this project
by the publishers and Tony Costa AIP, the cost of this
achievement has been solely met by the publishers and the
sponsors. To all, IMAGO would like to express its gratitude.
Along with interesting histories of the societies and the
IMAGO Model Contract for guidance to those who feel
they may need it, the directory has been published not
only as a symbol of friendship but also as a useful vehicle
for cinematographers the world over to communicate
with one another when the desire so moves.
We look forward to receiving the many corrections
and updates in a future revised edition, which will include
cinematographers from Colombia, Iran and others
including the Chinese and Koreans.
Nigel Walters BSC
IMAGO President

British Cinematographer
34
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Interview
–––Phil Méheux BSC
in conversation
Chatting... Phil talks to John de
Borman at Camerimage 2010.
It’s up to you
Phil Méheux, BSC taught himself to take still photographs during his early teens.
He took pictures of anything and everything, ranging from the countryside to people
on the street and objects in his parent’s home. The youngster processed the negative
and made his own prints, writes Bob Fisher.
“That’s when I learned what happens if you under or over-expose film and change
the development process,” he remembers. “I also learned about resolution, grain, how to
compose images and find the right light for different photographs. I remember waiting for
the sun to set for over an hour just above a line of trees to get the perfect shot.”
Méheux was around 16 years old when he got a job with the sales department for
MGM in England. A film fanatic since his childhood, he became friends with another
like-minded teenager at the company. He knew two twins similarly inclined and
the four of them rented, watched and then discussed 16mm prints of feature films
screened at one of their houses.
That experience motivated them to try their hand at creating their own stories
on film. They called themselves Studio 16. One of the twins wrote a script about a girl
who came to London looking for fame and fortune. The twin who wrote the script
wanted to direct the film and his brother wanted to be the editor. Méheux was
the cinematographer by default. He shot the film with a second hand 16mm Bolex
camera that was purchased with a loan from a local photographic shop. That was the
beginning of a lifelong journey.
“I learned so much about composition, camera angles, double exposures and
other tricks of the trade by making amateur films for Studio 16,” he says. “We had no
access to sound equipment, so we learned to tell stories with pictures.”
Méheux’s second job was as a projectionist at an advertising agency when he was
18. The agency had a screening room and editing equipment. After everyone went
home each evening, Méheux and his friends used the screening room to watch other
people’s films and collaborate on the production of four of their own short films. He began
his career in the camera department as a trainee on camera crews shooting for BBC
Television. That led to opportunities for him to shoot BBC documentaries on 16 mm film.
“The great thing about documentaries is that they teach you to be ready for
anything,” he says. “I learned to compose shots on the fly. I knew the editor was going
to want cutaways and reverse shots. It was up to me to get them by being at the right
places at the right times.”
Méheux spent twelve years at the BBC, mainly working on documentaries. His first
narrative projects were BBC plays recorded on film following the invention of the Éclair
noiseless camera. That led to an opportunity to shoot his first feature.
“In our first conversation, the director told me that it wasn’t a normal feature,” he recalls.
“He wanted somebody who could unobtrusively do handheld camerawork in available
light both skills I was conversant with.”
Maybe it was destiny calling. The line producer was Martin Campbell, who has
subsequently directed nine films that Méheux shot as both of their careers evolved.
“Beyond Borders (2003) was the last film I shot with photo-chemical processing
rather than a DI,” he says. “I miss it, because I believe its important to get it right while
you are shooting instead of saying, I’ll fix it later. They made a lot of great films that way.
The Red Shoes, Lawrence Of Arabia and Black Narcissus are good examples of films
that did wonderful jobs of telling stories with images that evoke emotional responses.”
Campbell was at the helm when Méheux shot Edge Of Darkness last year. Mel
Gibson was cast in a leading role as a homicide detective investigating the murder of
his daughter. The practical locations were like characters in the story.
“There was talk of shooting with a digital camera that was all the rage, but the shadow
details were restricted in tests we shot, and the flesh tones recorded on film were more
natural looking,” he says. “There is more emotional impact when you can pull audiences
deeper into dramas by making the characters and places look and feel more realistic.”
A short list of Méheux’s formidable narrative credits, includes the television movie Max
Headroom and the cinema features The Long Good Friday, GoldenEye, The Mask Of Zorro,
Around The World In 80 Days, The Legend of Zorro, Casino Royale and Edge of Darkness.
Méheux explored new territory last year when he filmed The Smurfs, which couples live
action and animated characters. The film is slated for release in both 2-D and 3-D formats.
“We think of books, paintings, sculptures and things like that, which are created by
one person as art,” Méheux says. “Filmmaking is an art with writers, directors, actors, music
composers, cinematographers and other people collaborating. There is no formula.
There are successful films with and without music, but I think the two go hand in hand.
“There are wonderful sequences in movies where there is no dialog, only music and
imagery. In Lawrence of Arabia, there is a desert sequence where 20 minutes go by
without a line of dialogue and barely any music, but the scene is incredibly emotional. Most
people would never see the depth of the desert in real life. Freddie Young BSC captured
those images brilliantly on film. I believe that the ASC, BSC and other cinematography
organisations have a responsibility to help everyone understand that people working
together is what makes filmmaking an art. We should be making the decisions about how to
produce our films not being led by economics and the latest invention.”
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
35

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043 36
All Time Greats
–––Wolfgang Suschitzky
Cinematographer
Hungry like
the Wolf
Legendary photographer and cinematographer
Wolfgang Suschitzky, known as Wolf or Su, was born in
Vienna in August 1912. His father Wilhelm and his uncle
Philipp opened the first socialist bookshop in Vienna.
Later, the pair set up the publishing house Anzengruber,
specialising in social criticism and pacifist themes.
Suschitzky trained as a photographer at the Hohere
Graphische Bundes – Lehr und Versuchsanstalt in Vienna
for three years.
From an early age Suschitzky was taken to the
cinema. He is quoted as saying, “I wasn’t fourteen yet,
but an older cousin of mine smuggled me in to see the
1926 horror film The Phantom Of The Opera.”
In 1934 after studying photography with Rudolph
Koppitz he left Vienna and went to Amsterdam,
photographing the city’s poor Jewish areas. He came to
England in 1935 where he established himself with photo
reportages for magazines including Illustrated Picture Post
and Animal & Zoo magazine. He said he used Rolleiflex
and several single lens reflex cameras before settling on a
top of the range Hasselblad.
In 1937-1938 he took photographs for the Charing
Cross Road series. Those photographs have become
classics of modern black and white photography.
Suschitzky says it was those pictures that led him to
work with Paul Rotha, one of the people involved in
the documentary movement. Rotha was a producer
with Strand Film, based in London’s Oxford Street, later
moving to Soho. Suschitzky said: “I was just lucky to get
an introduction to Paul Rotha. It was the tail end of the
documentary movement. I thought the movement was
very good because they wanted to make films useful to
society, and as a socialist that appealed to me.
“We usually shot documentaries silent, shooting with
clockwork Newman Sinclair cameras. They had to be
wound for each shot because they didn’t pull more than
a hundred feet of film.”
He first worked for Rotha as an unpaid assistant
cameraman, shooting films at the zoo with a young
director/ cameraman called Paul Burnford.
After Strand, Rotha ran Paul Rotha Productions until
1944. Rotha then became involved in The Documentary
Technicians Alliance (DATA). Suschitzky was among the
co-founders. It was the first film cooperative in Britain.
Suschitzky said: “I belonged to Paul Rotha Productions.
Later we formed the first cooperative film unit in Britain
and I worked for them for twelve years. They gave me
time off if somebody else offered me an interesting job.
During that time I went to NBC New York to shoot the
Wisdom series.”
Suschitzky shot his first feature No Resting Place
in 1951, directed by Paul Rotha. “We shot it like a
documentary and it was photographed entirely on
location, which was rather rare in those days because
most feature films were made in the studio,” he said.
“In features I went straight in as a cameraman, DP, bypassing
the focus puller and operator stages. I called
myself a cameraman; I always thought director of
photography was rather pompous.”
Asked if he had a favourite film he had shot, he
replied, “It’s difficult to say, there were several I enjoyed
very much. One of the first was The Bespoke Overcoat
(1955). It was shot in a converted chapel on the Euston
Road, London. Jack Clayton was the director. It was his first
film as a director. He had produced, but never directed.
Romulus gave him six thousand pounds to make a short
film. It won an Oscar for best short film. It also won a BAFTA
special award and a prize at the Venice Film Festival”
Suschitzky shot most of his films on location and Fuji
and Eastmancolor were two of the stocks favoured. “I
shot most of my films on location, but there were a few
done in the studio, The Small World of Sammy Lee (1962)
for instance. It was on Sammy Lee that Tony Newly said I
don’t know how to light a star.”
Which films did he enjoy working on? “I liked very much
working on Ulysses (1967), Get Carter (1971), which was
shot entirely on location, Theatre of Blood (1973), which
starred Vincent Price, The Bespoke Overcoat with Alfie Bass,
Entertaining Mr Sloan (1969) and Ring of Bright Water (1969).
Michael Caine was very professional in Get Carter. He was
always there when he was needed and always knew his
lines. He was very pleasant to work with. I quite often had
lunch with him and the director Mike Hodges. Vincent Price
was also very sociable. On the first day of the shoot he
shook hands with everybody in the studio.”
37
A colour snap of Wolfgang,
provided by Robin Vidgeon.
Wolf pictured with his son Peter.
With Joseph Strick looking at a
test on Ulysses.
Wolf working on Ulysses in
Dublin. Pics courtesy of Wolf
Suschitzky.
On the set of Small World of
Sammy Lee with Tony Newley.
Provided by Robin Vidgeon.
Lensing a commercial for Irish
Spring. Provided by Robin
Vidgeon.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Ulysses, directed by Joseph Strick is regarded by
some as an outstanding example of Suschitzky’s B&W
cinematography. Asked if he preferred working in colour
or black and white, he said: “I didn’t mind really. I never
worked on the three-strip Technicolor camera. I began to
work with colour when single colour film came out. It was
almost easier to work in colour than in black and white.
With monochrome you have to light much more carefully
and get some modulation on the actors faces.”
When asked which was his most difficult film he
commented: “Well, none of them were easy, every set
up is a new problem, that makes our work so interesting.
I was very lucky to have worked with decent people.
Directors and producers always treated me well and
I got on with my crew. I had some very good camera
operators and focus pullers.”
Did he have a favourite camera? “I didn’t have a
favourite, but the Panavision camera was very good to
work with.”
As for what advice he would give to a budding
cinematographer he replied, “I would advise a new
cinematographer to spend a month or two in the cutting
room. I regret that I never spent time in it, I never had the
chance. I had to learn from directors how they analysed
a scene.”
Suschitzky said that he didn’t usually stick to the same
crew. He says he had been fortunate to have good
crews and says that the operators and focus pullers
contributed and helped him a lot.
Suschitzky’s son Peter, and grandson Adam, have
also become cinematographers. “Peter got an interest
from watching me. For a short time he went to a film
school in Paris. His first film was shot voluntarily for film
historian Kevin Brownlow called It Happened Here, which
was filmed on a shoestring. Peter is currently working with
David Cronenberg on a film about Sigmund Freud called
A Dangerous Method. He likes to do his own operating.
My grandson Adam went to Beaconsfield film school.”
What does he think of cinematography today? “It is
wonderful, you never see a badly photographed film. I
haven’t seen one and I see quite a lot being a member
of BAFTA.”
Talking about digital he said: “Digital is a tool, I am
not against it. It all depends on the cameraman/woman
and director and what they want to do with it. Any tool,
even a pencil can create a work of art. If you have a tool
that is more flexible and easier to work with, it should be
used, but it is more important to have a good story and
actors. There are a number of films that are resting their
reputation on special effects.”
Apart from features, television and documentaries,
which include a number of Mining Reviews from 1948-56, he
shot a good many commercials. TV work included an early
episode of The Invisible Man. He finally shot The Vanishing
Costumes (1993), a video about customer service.

British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043 38
Letter From America
–––Michael Goi ASC
ASC President
Summit in
common
As of this writing, I have recently returned from the Plus
Camerimage Festival Of Cinematography in Poland.
Being able to directly interact with fellow members of our
craft from around the world is truly a privilege. It reinforces
the understanding that we all go through the same trials
and tribulations in the pursuit of satisfying our aesthetic
desires. In particular I must thank Phil Méheux BSC for his
companionship, and his uniquely humorous perspective
on mundane life occurrences. Phil, you made my brief
visit immensely enjoyable.
As my recent travels to India, South Korea and Poland
have made clear, the need for cinematographers to
communicate openly and globally about the issues
that affect our tools and techniques is becoming of
paramount importance. It is why I am asking all the
leaders or representatives of cinematography societies
to attend the International Cinematography Summit
Conference (ICSC 2011) in May at the ASC Clubhouse in
Hollywood. I believe that another article in this magazine
will be going into more detail about the objectives of this
gathering, so I will not repeat them here, except to say
that it is my hope that this initial workgroup will forge the
methodology by which we can address the concerns
that affect the artistry of our craft.
In an ever increasingly electronic-fuelled information
age, even our basic tools must conform to the
manner of use on today’s productions. The American
Cinematographer Manual has been an industry fixture
as an on-set resource instrument found in every camera
assistant’s ditty bag for decades. One and a half years
ago, we began work with Chemical Wedding, the
creators of Helios, to develop an iPhone app based on
the practical information in the manual’s charts and
graphs. The result is the Toland ASC Digital Assistant, the
most sophisticated field calculator on the market.
On another front, our subscription benefit, “Friends Of
The ASC,” is rapidly becoming a key component of the
ASC’s educational outreach. When I was in the midst of
screening my work during my ASC Membership meeting,
Ron Garcia ASC asked me how I achieved the lighting
for a 360 degree dolly shot he had seen a couple of
nights ago in a television movie I photographed. I was
impressed that he took notice of that shot to the point
of remembering the name of the cinematographer. He
remarked that he had done a similar shot recently and
wanted to know my solution to some of the problems
we both encountered in that situation. When I explained
what I had done, he said, “I’ll have to try that next time.”
39
Michael Goi ASC
says the need for
cinematographers
worldwide to
communicate
is becoming
of paramount
importance,
and urges you to
attend this May’s
Cinematography
Summit.
When you hang out in the ASC Clubhouse, you hear
conversations like this all the time. Casual bits of priceless
knowledge are talked about over a beer at the bar, and
the next thing you know, you’re seeing the results of it
on a movie theater screen sixty feet wide. It’s almost like
having a film school that never closes and never stops
providing new sources of creative inspiration. And no one
is worried about protecting “their” secrets – they are tools
in our toolbox that we’re happy to give to our friends.
That’s the spirit behind why “Friends Of The ASC” was
formed. It gives us a way to have others listen-in and learn
from the kinds of discussions we have at the Clubhouse.
And it allows us to do so with an audience from around
the world. What’s more, as our library of tutorial videos
and interviews grows, it is fast becoming a living archive
of cinematography techniques you could only previously
learn from attending seminars in major cities. And sections
like “Rising Stars”, which showcases young up-andcoming
talent, have peaked the interest of emerging
filmmakers as to the work of their contemporaries. Yes,
I know that the BSC’s associate membership structure
“Friends Of The BSC” has been a mainstay of the
organisation for many years, and that there may be some
minor confusion as to the very different purposes of the
two entities. All I can say is that we’re Americans; we exist
to confound and confuse.
And what about the next generation? Is there hope
for our cinematographic future when everybody seems
to be so obsessed with techno stuff above simple artistry?
I recently stumbled upon a student film-shoot on a street
in Los Angeles. They were filming a scene where a young
woman walks out of a restaurant and pauses to check
her lip makeup in the glass window while a young man
watches her from the inside. When they did the first
take, the sun hit the closing glass door in a way that sent
a brilliant flare through the window when the woman
paused to check her lips, and when the door closed
the flare subsided and revealed the man watching her.
The director said that take was useless because it got
flared out, and I was tempted to step forward and tell
him what a brilliant image they just got. But his student
cinematographer piped up and said “not only was that
an amazingly beautiful shot, but I’m going to take full
credit for creating it, and it’s going on my reel even if you
don’t use it in the film.” I had to smile as I walked away.
The future is in good hands.
Michael Goi ASC
President, American Society Of Cinematographers
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Way
out
West
& East
Singapore, a place with some
towering opportunities for
filmmaking.
F-Stop Hollywood
–––The latest news from
the West Coast
The Social Network
was selected as best
picture by several groups
including the Los Angeles
Film Critics Association,
New York Film Critics
Circle, and National
Board of Review, as British
Cinematographer went
to press, writes our roving
reporter Carolyn Giardina.
Meanwhile, James Franco and Anne Hathaway were
selected to co-host the 83rd Academy Awards. Oscar
telecast producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer said
the pair, “personify the next generation of Hollywood icons
– fresh, exciting and multi-talented.”
Franco is also considered a contender for best actor
on the strength of his performance in Danny Boyle’s 127
Hours; Hathaway recently starred in Love And Other Drugs.
HPA Hands Out Honours
The Hollywood Post Alliance held its 5th annual HPA
Awards, Nov. 11 in Los Angeles. The work of Company
3’s Stefan Sonnenfeld on Alice In Wonderland
earned the award for outstanding colour grading
in a feature film that went through a DI process. The
HPA Award for Outstanding Editing, sponsored by
Avid Technology, was awarded to Lee Smith ACE, for
editing Inception. A team at Wellington’s Park Road
Post earned the outstanding sound honour for District
9. In compositing, artists at WETA in Wellington, New
Zealand, were honoured in features for Avatar, and a
team from London’s Framestore topped the commercial
compositing category for Kia Soul “This Or That.”
Fox’s President of Post Production Ted Gagliano
received the Lifetime Achievement Award. The popular
exec has overseen post production on such films as
Avatar, Titanic, Moulin Rouge, Master & Commander, Walk
The Line, and both the X-Men and Ice Age franchises.
During the ceremony, Engineering Excellence Awards,
sponsored by NAB, were presented to ARRI for the Alexa,
Digital Vision for its Open EXR workflow, and Cine-tal for
its Davio Singal Processor. Texas Instruments received a
special recognition for its DLP Cinema Technology.
Roger Deakins BSC ASC meanwhile is among the
cinematographers who are putting the Alexa through
its paces. He is using the new camera system to shoot
Andrew Niccol’s Now. At press time his latest production,
the Coen Bros.’ True Grit, was soon to open.
HPA Lifetime Achievement
Award winner Ted Gagliano
and Avatar producer Jon
Landau. Photos by Ryan Miller,
Capture Imaging.
Double Negative’s Singapore
operations are situated at
Fusionopolis.
Stefan Sonnenfeld at the
microphone.
Glenn Kennel, president & CEO,
ARRI Inc, at the HPA Awards.
Panavision Sees In 3D
Three features were recently completed using cameras,
lenses and 3D rigs provided by Panavision, the company
reported. Shot in various parts of the world, those features
include A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas, shot by Michael
Barrett; The Darkest Hour, photographed by Scott Kevan;
and Bait, shot by Ross Emery.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, lensed
by Dariusz Wolski ASC was also shot using camera and
lens packages provided by Panavision, paired with rigs
provided by Pace on the 1st unit, and Element Technica
rigs for the 2nd unit in London. Panavision’s current
inventory of 3D camera rigs includes the Quasar, Pulsar
and Neutron, all from Element Technica.
Michael Barrett, the cinematographer on A Very
Harold & Kumar Christmas, related: “As a starting point, we
wanted a camera with which we were already familiar. To
date, we had used the Genesis camera on five films and
knew what it could do. I said to our camera team, ‘with
regards to production speed, I don’t want to know we are
shooting a 3D movie; let’s make the process as fast as 2D.’
We decided to use only zoom lenses. The amount of time
saved there was considerable as the Panavision lenses
tracked very well... The Element Technica rig is so solid it
can easily accommodate the Genesis cameras.”
The 3D productions reached various countries. The
Darkest Hour was shot on location in Moscow, while Bait
3D just finished shooting on Australia’s Gold Coast.
Pirates was shot in several locations, including
Hawaii, Los Angeles, Puerto Rico and London.
Panavision’s Dan Sasaki and Mike Hibarger worked
with the crew to match the lenses and the cameras.
“The lenses tracked really well, and it was seamless.
We had no lens issues. No camera issues,” Loomis said.
“Panavision customer service is unparalleled.”
Eye on Singapore
Last summer, Double Negative 2D supervisor Oliver Atherton
and 3D supervisor Sam Schwier took a break from their work
to watch a FIFA World Cup match at a local pub, where
a screen was set up for passionate fans. But they were not
in London. Instead, they were in Singapore, where they
helped to set up D-Neg’s young satellite facility.
British Cinematographer stopped by the facility
during a recent UK/US media visit, organised by Contact
Singapore, an alliance of the Singapore Economic
Development Board and Ministry Of Manpower.
Since moving to Singapore in 2009, D-Neg’s Southeast
Asia-based team has collaborated with its London
headquarters, working on films including Iron Man 2, Scott
Pilgrim vs. the World, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. The
Singapore office’s toolset mirrors its London base, and the
two sites are now connected via high speed links.
London-headquartered D-Neg had been looking
to expand. After considering locations including in India
and China, the business selected Singapore. Reps from
D-Neg cited a string of advantages, including political
and economic stability, English as the language of
business, and cultural similarities. Singapore, of course,
also offers financial incentives that have helped to attract
businesses to the region, but D-Neg cited confidentially
and declined to discuss its bespoke incentives plan.
Training is part of the initiative. Now, roughly 80% of
the Singapore team is from Singapore, while others come
from Asia Pacific countries including Australia, China,
Indonesia and Malaysia.
“We took a few Singaporeans over to our office in
London to train them for a year,” Atherton explained. D-Neg
expects to have 100 employees in Singapore by early 2011.
Local education is also part of Singapore’s training
initiatives. LaSalle College Of The Arts, for example, offers an
arts and animation curriculum. The UK’s Christopher Shaw is
programme leader for animation art at the College.
As to the bigger picture, Singapore is intent on
building digital media as a significant part of its future,
and it is investing heavily in attracting businesses,
building up a skilled workforce, and developing a hightech
infrastructure.
D-Neg’s Singapore operation is based in a modern
complex known as Fusionopolis, which also houses
such interactive and digital media businesses as game
developer Ubisoft. Lucasfilm Singapore plans to move into
a newly constructed building at Fusionopolis during 2012.
Meanwhile, plans are underway to open a media
centre dubbed Mediapolis, where phase one plans
include construction of an 18,000 soundstage that would
offer a greenscreen and support digital effects work.
According to Angeline Poh, director of infocomms
and media for Singapore’s Economic Development
Board, Singapore is looking at the benefits of “clustering,”
citing as an example what happened in Soho in London.

British Cinematographer
40
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
GBCT
–––Tim Potter
Chairman of the GBCT
Middle
ground
When the current financial crisis hit our industry two
years ago it wiped out the entire middle ground of film
production. ITV, the advertising-funded television channel,
was hit so badly that it stopped all in-house production
of high quality dramas. The only budgets that seemed
to survive the onslaught were over $100m or under
$2m. Blockbusters and sure-fire franchises were the only
productions that held the confidence of the money men.
The bottom end of the market survived (well, straggled
on) because it was too small a bet (with the off-chance
of very big returns) to matter in the scheme of things. In
its efforts to survive, this low budget market has turned
to using many and various ways to gather its financing,
some new and some old.
Many of the older ways of financing were just old
scams in new clothing. I even felt nostalgic seeing
some of them come round again! However, some of
the newer methods intrigued and dismayed in equal
measure. The common factor in most of these is the
push to pay the crew as little as half the normal rate.
Some production initiatives have sought to alleviate this
in a way which shows some sort of responsibility to the
future of a sustainable workforce. The likes of Warp X
have a provision to include the crew in the distribution of
the gross revenue stream to augment the low initial fee.
With proper supervision such schemes could be a viable
model for the sub-£1m production area but should not be
seen as a general method for financing what still amounts
to a fiscal risk for the crew. Productions working in this
budget area that do not include the crew in this way are
cynically exploiting people and should be encouraged to
use this fairer method of rewarding their crews’ loyalty.
Some more responsible productions have sought
to take the Government shilling to fill up inadequate
budgets. Many countries have good subsidy schemes
to choose from but cross-EU border projects can run
into problems with subsidy rules. The UK’s Film Tax Relief
scheme has been a positive benefit for inward investment
from the USA and for some indigenous production
but has been a barrier to EU co-productions. These
Co-productions had been the life-blood of the middle
ground for many years. Now that the responsibility for
the Film Tax Relief is moving from the UK Film Council to
Film London, it would be a good time to look again at
the rules and criteria for certifying the productions that
qualify. EU co-production should be encouraged and
the points system should be overhauled to put greater
weight on the employment of local talent in the ‘use and
consume’ provisions.
The bottom line for the near future of our industry
is that we need to create a financial climate that is
once again friendly to the middle ground productions.
Only a few of us can live off the rich pickings of major
productions - the rest of us will not survive on the thin
diet of a few low budget productions. For a sustainable
workforce there must be a thriving, adequately funded,
middle ground
Tim Potter GBCT
Guild of British
Camera Technicians
Board Members.
Tim Potter
(Chairman)
Jamie Harcourt
Jem Morton
John Keedwell
Steve Brooke Smith
Keith Mead
Louise Ben-Nathan
Shirley Schumacher
Trevor Coop
David Worley
Darren Miller
Sarah Hayward
Mary Kyte
(Honorary Treasurer)
The all new Dr. Who.
Your GBCT Chairman, Ian Potter
British Cinematographer
41
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
GBCT camera trainee scheme
In recent years the GBCT Trainee Scheme has been
extremely successful in helping many people who are
passionate about working in the camera department
achieve their aims. The scheme provides a structured path
into a notoriously difficult profession to break into, and it
gives the first practical experience for trainees to work on
TV and film productions. With guidance of working with
experienced camera crews on set, it gives a valuable first
insight into the world we work in. The GBCT is continually
working towards ensuring that this scheme stays the very
best camera trainee scheme available and adapts to
new methods and technology.
The trainee course has been designed by GBCT
members to make sure that all Guild trainees are full up to
speed and practiced with the different most commonly
used film and HD cameras used on productions these
days, understand set etiquette and a host of numerous
other important factors that cannot be taught in either
reading books or attending film schools.
Guild members’ interview, train, select and mentor
the trainees. There are currently 12 trainees on the GBCT
trainee scheme books. Some of them were previous
Guild trainees and stayed on to make sure they got
sufficient practical experience prior to moving on in the
camera department.
A number of our trainees have now moved up a
grade and are on the way up. They will now be replaced
by a new intake of trainees which the GBCT are currently
advertising for and will be selecting over the next few
months. If you reading this and want to apply for a GBCT
trainee scheme place, then read on..
GBCT trainee scheme
––– intake 2 for 2011-12
The GBCT’s new Camera Trainee scheme is fast gaining
a reputation for providing exceptionally capable and
talented young men and women who want to work in
the camera department. The primary aim of this trainee
scheme is to provide productions with Guild camera
trainees of varying knowledge, skill levels and experience
to help work on films and television programmes. We
want this to be the first port of call for all crew and
production personnel looking for good trainees.
Because the scheme is a relatively small one, it involves
a number of different Guild members who collaborate by:
1. Looking through applications to become trainees
2. Sit on interview panels and meet those selected
for interview
3. Being tutors for the training course
4. Testing and Assessing the potential trainees
5. Selecting the next group of GBCT Camera Trainees
6. Agreeing to mentor the different trainees
The Guild of British Camera Technicians is now happy to
announce the launch of its latest GBCT CAMERA TRAINEE
intake. We are now accepting applications and are
working to the following schedule.
APPLICATION DEADLINE
MONDAY 24th JANUARY 2011
(You can download the Trainee Application Form from
the GBCT website www.gbct.org)
INTERVIEWS
Between 14 & 25th FEBRUARY 2011
(The GBCT would write or email you as soon as possible
to let you know whether you have been selected for
interview or not)
TRAINING COURSE
MONDAY 21 to SATURDAY 26 MARCH
(If you get to this stage, you will be invited to attend a
6-day training course which will be taught and assessed by
Guild Members. Twelve people attend the training course
out of which six people are chosen. You are expected to
pay for this course and even if you are not selected to be
a GBCT Camera Trainee, you will be given an extraordinary
amount of information about camera work and be able to
learn/practice with film and HD cameras most commonly
used on features and television programmes.)
A decision will be made during the week of the 28th
March and you will be informed by the 31 March what
the decision of the selection panel is.
Being a GBCT camera trainee
––– the next 12-18 months
Once selected, there are no further fees that the trainee
has to pay and during the time they are GBCT Trainees,
the trainee is provided with all the benefits and discounts
that Guild members have.
The duration of the individual’s ‘trainee-ship’ depends
on existing experience and how lucky people are to get
work on different productions. (Because the more you
are able to practice, the quicker you learn.)
As a GBCT trainee, we aim:
• to ensure our trainees are provided with the best
tuition and practice using as many cameras as
possible and thoroughly learn what is involved in
being a good camera assistant
• to provide all trainees with paid work on a variety
of productions including feature films, television
productions and commercials
• to provide each trainee with a Guild mentor;
someone they can call for advice and guidance
Reports will be kept on each trainee and the work
placements they get. Trainees are also expected to find
their own work, provide the Guild office with regularly
updated CVs and generally let the office know how they
are getting on. Trainees will be informed of all Guild events
and are entitled to attend; this includes demonstrations
and explanations about any new camera.
Once their time as trainees has ended, an exit
meeting will be arranged at which there will be an
exchange of information about the trainee and their
time on the scheme and where they will receive further
guidance on their proposed careers.
If/when a Trainee moves up a grade. Provided
the trainee meets all the criteria required to be a Guild
member – including the provision of evidence that they
have been working in their chosen grade for sufficient time,
applications to become full Guild members are welcomed.
In recent years GBCT trainees have worked on
productions such as:
Pirates of the Caribbean; Sherlock Holmes; Johnny
English; Miss Marple, Poirrot, Robin Hood; Midsommer
Murders, Holby ,Casualty; Doctor Who; Garrow’s Law;
Swinging With The Finkels; Captain America (Frostbite);;
My Week with Marilyn; Lewis; Bo and the Spirit World; The
Amazing Mr. Fox; Waterloo Road; M.I. High; Warhorse; Being
Human; Merlin; Lark Rise to Candleford; Don’t Call Back;
Survivors Hereafter (Underwater Unit); Nanny McPhee & the
Big Bang; Criminal Justice; The Crimson Petal & The White;
The Awakening, and many others…so the scheme does
work extremely well, and many young people are forging
their careers in a business that they love.
A look back at 2010
and ahead to 2011
I thought as the year ends that a short look at what 2010
did for us, and what we may expect from 2011 and
beyond. Clearly the lack of money has had an effect,
yet still movies are being made, and we have to adapt
to new challenges and embrace the changes that will
ultimately happen in the next few years.
3D movies were certainly making great gains in public
acceptance, giving an extra element or dimension to
a story. Certainly that could have beneficial effects for
crews who are technically proficient and adapting to
new learning. The have been 3D workshops and seminars
that show the technical challenges and new thinking that
goes into planning a film in 3D, and they are certainly an
extra element that has to be considered at all stages of
production, and have the best camera cress working
the complex gear used. As a suggestion, make 2011
a year where you learn more about new systems and
techniques, and you could carve a niche for yourself.
Television manufacturers have had a battle on their
hands with different systems, and who will ultimately
reign supreme is up for grabs. More people need to
have 3D TV sets, of course, and that won’t happen if
there is not enough 3D content, so which tail is wagging
which dog? I cannot imagine a period drama being
enhanced by a 3D look, yet Avatar or Toy Story do add
to the user enjoyment and immerse the viewer into the
story more. How long this will last is anyone’s guess, yet I
think now it the time when the technology has caught
up and enhanced the experience, rather than give us a
headache with he anaglyph glasses in the past.
A closer relationship is now happening with movie
productions and the need for a Digital Imaging
Technician to be defined as a role. Until recently the
crews shooting electronically have had a mixture of
technical roles that could be classed as a DIT. Moves
are underway to clarify the grade and it looks like there
may be two distinct forms within the overall role. It is too
complex to go into everything here, but suffice it to say
there will be a role of a high level technician working in
several areas, with the colourist in post production houses
and the DoP on the set, even as an “on set colourist”,
and perhaps pre-visualise and work closely alongside
and advise the DoP on the set. Clearly this needs to be
clarified before too many noses get put out of joint! Then
there is a more camera crew style of working, handling
of the camera data, transmission and quality control and
handling of the “rushes”. Any manipulation of the data to
other formats file conversion or backing up would fall into
this category, which is clearly a more technician role as
par of the camera crew.
There is clearly a way to go, as some roles can cross
over to the roles of 2nd AC and others, and so the GBCT
is currently working with others on a solution where the
grade can be properly recognised and become part of
the camera crew team, and then the workflow on the set
to the post production can be defined more precisely.
Watch this space.
John Keedwell GBCT

British Cinematographer
42
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
Leonardo DiCaprio stars in
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and
Legendary Pictures’ sci-fi action
film Inception.
GBCT
2010 has been an interesting and also frustrating year
for many, with many changes. The GBCT is always here
putting the interests of camera technicians as highest
priority. It was with this in mind that I made a short list of
what do you get if you were to be accepted and join
as a GBCT member?
The list of advantages to membership is quite vast and
very far reaching, so I shall only put a few key points here.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is the work being done
behind the scenes by many as we try and steer various
organisations and push the advancement of continual
training and improvement in many areas of the business..
This business is notorious (due to its very nature) of being
fragmented and is often seen as a series of individuals
who sometimes come together for a collaborative
project, then can spread to the 4 winds again afterwards.
The GBCT gives a voice to those individuals, and gives a
central point of contact with many others. If you have an
idea that would enhance the business or a grievance we
give a voice to you as a technician.
On a more casual, albeit important level, the GBCT has a
series of schemes where we benefit.
1. 33% discount on Kelly Calculators (£19.64 inc VAT @
15% instead of £29.31)
2. Discounted Subscription to the British
Cinematographer magazine
3. Free one-year subscription to Moviescope magazine
(6 issues)
4. Free GBCT T-shirt! (Additional T-shirts will cost £10 + VAT
and P&P)
5. Quarterly Online Newsletter
6. Weekly Members’ Email (which also details events
that are being run in different parts of the country that
may be of interest if working away from home)
7. Accommodation List – held in the office. (If members
are looking for accommodation in different parts of
the country, the office will try and find them suitable
accommodation with Guild members or people
known to Guild members)
8. Monthly “Possible Work” list
9. Cotswold Outdoor Clothing discount and also Blacks
10. Free ‘Monday Night’ Films – seasonal – usually every
two weeks except during the summer months.
(Information on what film will be screened – and
where - is be emailed to all members as soon as the
title is known)
11. Comprehensive and cost effective Sickness and
Accident insurance scheme
12. Favourable Rates on financial services via the GBCT’s
accountants
13. Website entries (when website is updated and relaunched)
14. 25% discount at Panastore
15. Comprehensive training courses, seminars,
demonstrations etc to meet very specific and current
member needs – either free or at cost
16. Entry in the annual GBCT Crew Directory which is sent
to producers, line producers, production companies,
facilities companies, production managers, coordinators
and given out at trade shows
17. A trainee scheme which ensures that any GBCT
Trainees are properly trained and prepared to work
on productions to the highest standard
18. Regular social events arranged for networking
purposes
19. Regular screenings and Q&A sessions with the DP of
the film
Green shoots
The film business has never been an industry where
“green” issues have always been at the top of the
production priorities, and the impact on the environment
of a major movie can be quite staggering in its potential.
When the power consumption in a studio set can be
measured in tens of thousands of Watts of power, or
more, for example, it has now become an issue that
could have a negative effect should all the elements of
producing what is ultimately a form of entertainment be
added up and exposed.
It could potentially even have a negative effect on
the box office takings should the audience decide to
take a stand against the production. We have recently
seen student riots, perhaps a Green riot? Whilst this
scenario may appear a bit unlikely it could affect the
way films are made in the future, and already there
are moves being made by some to prove that movie
making is a Green business. With this at the forefront of
the executives mind, there are now large pressures being
put on productions to attempt a cleaner and greener
outlook on their future productions. Whilst this is being led
by the Dollar and potential to lose revenue rather than
any great sympathy for the issues involved, it is clear that
a movement is afoot to at least appear to make an effort
to reduce emissions and become a cleaner business.
It is perhaps now a good time to examine what
measures are now being taken and what potential for
savings of Carbon footprint this can have. For example
I have read that Leonardo DiCaprio’s film “Inception”
was made with the help of solar energy. The actor had
approached an executive at Warner Brothers studio
about the idea of using solar power to run the generators
used on the set. The generators used were from Pure
Power Distribution, a company that provides mobile
solar power systems for use by residences to large scale
productions like the Inception film set. Their S48T model
used on the set of Inception includes 36 200 watt solar
panels that use 600 amps to produce 72,000 watts of
mobile solar power.
The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony is also being
lit a great deal by LED lights that are way more energy
efficient, and give off less heat too for the people
illuminated by them.
British Cinematographer
Covering International Cinematography
www.britishcinematographer.co.uk
Issue 043
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