forsaken - csc · canadian society of cinematographers $4 march 2016 james klopko csc: sleeping...

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS $4 March 2016 www.csc.ca

James Klopko csc: Sleeping GiantSarah Thomas Moffat: Klondike Trappers

ForsakenRene Ohashi csc, asc

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From the PresidentIn the NewsCSC Member Spotlight - Luc Montpellier csc

Tech ColumnEnd of an Era11th Annual SIM Technology ShowcaseClassifiedsProductions Notes / Calendar

FEATURES – VOLUME 7, NO. 10 MARCH 2016

James Klopko csc Crafts Cruel Summer in Sleeping Giant By Fanen Chiahemen

Sarah Thomas Moffat Goes Off the Grid for Klondike Trappers By Fanen Chiahemen

8

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS

Rene Ohashi csc, asc Embraces the Western in Forsaken By Fanen Chiahemen

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Cover: Still from Forsaken Credit: Dan Power © Minds Eye Entertainment

2 • Canadian Cinematographer - March 2016

Canadian CinematographerMarch 2016 Vol. 7, No. 10

CSC BOARD MEMBERS

PRESIDENT

George Willis csc, sasc, [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR

Joan Hutton csc, [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENTS

Ron Stannett csc, [email protected]

Carlos Esteves csc, [email protected]

TREASURER

Joseph Sunday phd

[email protected]

SECRETARY

Antonin Lhotsky csc, [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP CHAIR

Phil Earnshaw csc, [email protected]

EDUCATION CO-CHAIRS

Alwyn Kumst csc, [email protected]

Luc Montpellier csc, [email protected]

PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAIR

Bruce Marshall, [email protected]

DIRECTORS EX-OFFICIO

Jeremy Benning csc, [email protected]

Dylan Macleod csc, [email protected]

Bruno Philip csc, [email protected]

Carolyn Wong, [email protected]

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc

EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus

EXECUTIVE OFFICER

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EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, [email protected]

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Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Ca-nadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.

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FROM THE PRESIDENTGeorge A. Willis csc, sasc

I studied Latin for a number of years while in school (I still question my intent) and have, on occasion, used a few Latin quotes for specific pur-poses.

Such was the case when I concluded my February column with the words carpe diem. While some might be well aware of the meaning of this (popu-lar) partial phrase, I am of the opinion that there might be some ambiguity or confusion regarding these words, which I would like to clarify.

The phrase is part of the longer carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero, which can be translated as “seize the day, put very little trust in tomorrow (the future).” The latter half of this sentence is what I wish to clarify be-cause I do not agree with it.

However, upon further analysis, it may be seen as follows: the future is un-foreseen and one should not leave to chance future happenings, but rather one should do all one can today to make one’s future better. This is more in line with my own reasoning and understanding, and for many reasons. One in particular is how this relates to the freelancer in the film industry.

We have to place our trust in tomorrow, and the film industry is probably one of the best cases that I can refer to regarding this belief. As a freelancer for almost my entire career in the industry, the future is what I had to be constantly aware of, primarily because of that infamous saying that always hung above my head like the proverbial Sword of Damocles: “You’re as good as your last job!”

What better way to escalate the positive aspects of the work ethic than to heed this sage warning? However, this is but one piece of an enormous puzzle that we attempt to construct in our filming careers. I see the puzzle possibly more as a formula that we each have to design for ourselves in order to achieve success, but even then, there is no guarantee of such. And while the procuring of the next job is of paramount financial importance, there are other important factors or pieces that are parts of the formula and that must be taken into account.

We have to plan for those times when work dries up and there is little money in the bank. Periodic downturns as well as recessions in the indus-try are well known, especially to the freelancer, therefore planning for the future is essential. But the biggest problem with this is the simple fact that we do not allow our thoughts to have voice even unto ourselves.

see President page 28

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Connect online with the CSC

@csc_CDNCanadian Cinematographer welcomes feedback, comments and questions about the magazine and its contents. Please send your letters to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

Write to Us www.csc.ca Instagram DP of the month: James Klopko@canadiancinematographer

CSC Members among Canadian Screen Award Nominees

CSC congratulates the members whose projects have been nominated for Canadian Screen Awards:◗Achievement in Cinematography: Yves Bélanger csc

(Brooklyn); Rene Ohashi csc, asc (Forsaken); Karim Hussain csc (Hyena Road)

◗Best Cinematography in a Feature-Length Documentary: Thomas Burstyn csc, nzcs (Some Kind Of Love); Daniel Grant csc (The Messenger)

◗Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series: Bruce Worrall csc (Strange Empire - The Dark Rider)

◗Best Photography in a News or Information Program, Se-ries or Segment: Kirk Neff (The Day the Wave Came)

◗Best Photography in a Variety or Sketch Comedy Program or Series: Douglas Koch csc (The Second City Project); D. Gregor Hagey csc (Sunnyside - Top Hat)

◗Best Photography in a Documentary Program or Factual Series: Kris Belchevski (Blind Spot; Moments Unseen); Milan Podsedly csc (Songs of Freedom); Norm Li csc (Tricks on the Dead: The Story of the Chinese Labour Corps in WWI)

◗Best Photography in a Comedy Program or Series: Gerald Packer csc (Schitt’s Creek – Honeymoon); Gavin Smith csc (Young Drunk Punk - The Pilot)

◗Best Direction in a Children’s or Youth Program or Series: Phil Earnshaw csc (Degrassi - Finally, Part 2)

◗Best Sports Feature Segment: Devon Burns (The Butterfly Child; Defector; Favela United; 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup Opening Tease)

Winners will be announced at a gala on March 13.

More CSC Member News Vic Sarin csc in January won the Accolade Global Film Competition’s Grand Prize Humanitarian Award for his documentary The Boy from Geita, which he also lensed. The prize is awarded to filmmakers who raise awareness for issues related to ecology, politics, social justice, health and wellness, wildlife or conservation. In other news, Philippe Falardeau’s My Internship in Canada, shot by Ronald Plante csc, was voted winner of the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival People’s Choice Award in January.Meanwhile, John Crowley’s Brooklyn, shot by Yves Bélanger csc, received an Oscar nomination in the Best Picture category. Also, associate CSC member Andrew Scholotiuk in late January won a Lumiere Award from the Advanced Imaging Society for 3D work on the feature film 40 Below and Falling. Scholotiuk shared the honour with the film’s director Dylan Pearce. It was Scholotiuk and Pearce’s first 3D feature film.

William F. White Announces New Full-Service Camera Department

William F. White International recently announced the launch of WHITES CAMERA, a new department at Whites Toronto dedicated to providing professional camera rental and related technical services. WHITES CAMERA, which will be overseen by Vice President/GM Toronto/Business Development Rick Perotto, will commence with a state-of-the-art range of professional camera inventory complete with lenses and accessories. The department is expected to be fully operational by mid-2016. Brandon Cooper will serve as director of client services and operations while Trevor Huys will serve as director of technical services and operations.

Yves Bélanger cscKarim Hussain csc Thomas Burstyn csc, nzcs Kirk Neff Phil Earnshaw csc

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2016 • 5

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What films or other works of art have made the biggest impression on you?The works of Stanley Kubrick have in-fluenced me a great deal over the years. From his early work as a photographer to the uniqueness of all his films, he has taught me that every film demands its own visual style in support of the story. The still photographs of Brassaï and Sally Mann have also been an influence on my work. I love how their images are beautiful yet haunting. Each one of their frames tells a narrative that en-gages the viewer, and challenges them to find their own interpretation.How did you get started in the business?It all started when I was accepted into the Ryerson Film Program in Toronto in the early ‘90s. I was one of only two cinematographers in the whole class so there were lots of student filmmak-ers willing to let me shoot their films. It was a great opportunity to try things out and make mistakes! Music videos

were also huge in the ‘90s, so this became a perfect training ground for me. It gave me a taste for experimentation and taught me that film could take any form.Who have been your mentors or teachers? I was very influenced at a young age by Arthur Quesnel, my high school English teacher. His pas-sion for literature and tremendous respect for classic literary works got me excited to pursue a career in storytelling. I also had a professor at Ryerson named Elvino Sauro that had an impact on my filmic future. He was my film technology teacher, and he taught me the precision with

which a cinematographer must work to achieve a desired result. He also taught me that learning and respecting film technology is the key to unleashing the creative side of cinematography.What cinematographers inspire you?There is so much beautiful cinematog-raphy in the world; it’s hard to pick my favourites! I’ve always respected the work of Roger Deakins asc, bsc and Christopher Doyle. I appreciate how their work is natural yet poetic at the same time.Name some of your professional highlights.There are many, but one that stands out is when I first had the opportunity to work with Sarah Polley on her first feature film. I had worked with Sarah on one of her shorts, but joining her on Away from Her was truly memorable for me. It was the start of a collaboration I continue to cherish and hope to have part of my creative life for a very long time.

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?I will always remember watching the wonderful cast of Take This Waltz deliver some of the best performances I’ve ever seen. I had set out to be as un-obtrusive as possible with my lighting on the film and it was very satisfying to see them feel comfortable with their re-ality. They seemed to forget they were being filmed, and lived completely in the moment. I remember shooting a close-up reaction shot of Seth Rogen as he was being dumped by his wife; the take ended up being over two hours long!What do you like best about what you do?I love collaborating with great human beings. There’s no better feeling than when you work with a director and crew that share the same sensibilities. It’s how I do my best work. What do you like least about what you do?I very much dislike dealing with people that disrespect the creative process.What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)?LED technology has singlehandedly transformed how I light a set. The low-heat, high-output nature of these light-ing fixtures has enabled us to move quickly and to put light in places where it was previously impossible. The new-er sensor technology found in modern DSLRs has also impressed me a great deal. The advanced, low-light sensors on some of these cameras has trans-formed how we are able to capture im-ages, and in doing so has created a new look we haven’t seen before in cinema. How can others follow your work?People can follow my work at lucmontpellier.com for updates on my newest projects.Twitter: @lucmontpellierInstagram: lucmontpellierFacebook

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E


mmy Award-winning director Jon Cassar may be best known for this television work – his credits include 24, Nikita and The Kennedys – but he has

made occasional forays into feature film territory, and his lat-est is the old-fashioned Western saga Forsaken. The film stars 24 lead Kiefer Sutherland as John Henry Clayton, a Civil War veteran who returns to his small Wyoming town where he has a reputation as a skilled gunfighter. Clayton has renounced violence and is more interested in righting the wrongs of his past –his long absence has eroded his relationship with his reverend father (played by Kiefer’s real-life dad Donald Sutherland), and he has lost his former flame (Demi Moore) to another man. While estranged father and son make fitful attempts to reconcile, a ruthless developer has begun using violent tactics to force local farmers to sell their land in or-der to make way for a railroad, opening up the possibility that Clayton must take up arms once more to defend the

community. Unabashedly embracing Western conventions, Forsaken is shot against the landscapes of Alberta and features the trademark barroom brawls, as well as a final shootout.

Many film commentators have invoked Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven in their discussions of Forsaken, and director of photography Rene Ohashi csc, asc says he and Cassar were in fact inspired by Eastwood’s 1992 Western to shoot For-saken with a 2:40:1 aspect ratio, which Ohashi says “is con-ducive to landscape photography, and gives a sense of place and period in every shot. When you do a medium shot of a person using this wide aspect ratio there is frame space that will emphasize the background. Even in interior locations, you always have a sense of place.”

Cassar’s directorial intentions and ideas, meanwhile, pro-vided Ohashi, whose work on the film earned him a Cana-dian Screen Award nomination, with the guidance he need-ed to approach the visual aesthetics. “For me the aesthetics

Photos by DAN POWER © minds eye entertainmentBy FANEN CHIAHEMEN

Rene Ohashi csc, asc Embraces the Western in Forsaken

The crew shoots Forsaken on location in Alberta.

Canadian Cinematographer - March 2016 • 9

come out of the script, and Forsaken was a very traditional classic Western story, and so we wanted the film to have a very naturalistic look, to tell the story in a realistic fashion,” the DP says, adding that he achieved a “heightened reality through lighting for dramatic effect. And with the photog-raphy being very realistic, two things are accomplished. It makes it very believable for the audience and it doesn’t seem forced, artificial or contrived.”

Having shot features on film for most of his career, Ohashi chose to shoot Forsaken with the ARRI ALEXA, which Pan-avision Vancouver provided. “I always find that this digital camera addresses how colour is captured, and I find it’s very filmic compared to the other cameras. And also this cam-era’s user interface is very intuitive and not menu-driven like most,” he says.

However, Ohashi says he finds digital images too sharp and not very forgiving, so to give his Forsaken images a filmic look, the DP used two or three levels of diffusion on the cam-era, rating it at 800 ISO in interiors and 200 for exteriors.

For the most part, Forsaken used a two-camera setup, which allowed Ohashi and his crew to shoot two angles at the same time. “What I do ideally in interiors is I try to place the cam-eras on the negative side or the shadow side of the lighting so then I can actually place the cameras almost 90 degrees to each other,” he explains. “We would shoot the scenes mul-

tiple times with different frames sizes and the two different camera angles, and that way we were able to get a fair bit of in-teresting coverage. That was very useful in the saloon shoot-out scene towards the end of the film, for example, where we needed a lot of angles and shots of different sizes to cover the action,” he says.

With the advent of digital capture, Ohashi says he also finds that prime lenses produce too sharp of an image, so on

Forsaken he used mostly zooms, which allowed him to shoot quickly and also provided the option of altering a shot framing within a take.

He explains, “Sometimes in certain angles the takes only work for so long, and that’s why I don’t like the primes. You’ll have a nice two-shot or three-shot grouping and then the people move from that position and now the three-shot you had becomes too wide, so I just have the operator do a reframe within the take, so you’re able to get another shot without having to go back and shoot another take. So it just allows you that flexibility. It comes a little bit out of TV cov-erage, but if you have creative operators you can accomplish that as well as get alternate coverage that wasn’t planned.”

Ohashi’s crew included his frequent gaffer David Breeze, who he brought from Toronto, as well as camera operator Michael Carella with whom Cassar had worked with on The Kennedys.

Most of Forsaken was shot on an existing

town set just outside of Calgary. DP Rene Ohashi csc, asc

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In keeping with the naturalistic aesthetic, Ohashi lit day in-teriors with a combination of hard source light and bounced light through windows, using large units such as 18K HMIs and 6Ks, supplied by William F. White Calgary. He would utilize smaller units “for edges or a little bit of backlight for subtle accents,” he adds.

“I would try to light through windows with a northern exposure and flag off the natural daylight from other areas where I couldn’t control the light. That’s why I like lighting through the northern exposure so I can control the light all day,” he says. “This was especially important for the shoot-out scene, which took place over two and half days, where we needed control of the lighting to maintain the look from early morning to evening.”

Forsaken was primarily a daytime shoot, but for the few night interiors, Ohashi would use source lighting, relying mostly on lighting from kerosene lanterns to maintain a period realism. “From those lanterns placed in the back-ground, I would create a directional top glow, trying to keep the intensity naturalistic so it looks like lighting from those sources,” he says. “Alternatively a lantern placed in the fore-ground on either side of the frame could be used to push the key light from that direction towards the actors. It reinforces the illusion.”

Ohashi observes, “One thing digital does quite well is it sees radical colour temperature shifts quite naturally. In the case with kerosene lanterns, you can achieve sparkle and colour warmth, so I mixed and contrasted cool daylight balanced light from the HMIs with warm practical kerosene lamps in a lot of day interior shots. And as well, I have the poten-tial to accent that warm light source with three-quarter back edge light.”

Where it became most complicated for Ohashi was trying to control the light for day exteriors. “What I used was an 80-foot Condor almost full time on day exteriors, and I would put a 20x20 grid cloth diffusion or sometimes even black to control the light depending on what I was trying to achieve. I would use that as a lighting control tool so I could do wide shots using just natural daylight. But in closer shots, I could control the light with a combination of negative lighting and diffusing the natural light, using the Condor and differing

levels of grid cloth on the 20 x20 frame.”

Because virtually the entire film was shot on an existing town set just outside of Cal-gary, during pre-production Ohashi was able to go through the script with assistant direc-tor Lee Cleary and select ideal times to shoot each scene. “So once Jon decided where he

wanted to shoot we would go through the schedule and try to accomplish the scenes, placing it in my ideal timeframe dur-ing the day. So everything was placed in a schedule to suit the sun direction,” Ohashi says.

Forsaken was an autumn shoot, and Ohashi says because “weather issues always come into play when shooting exte-riors, I always have a big enough lighting package that I have the ability to light my way out of potential light inconsisten-cies whether it’s cheating close-ups, back light, fill light or whatever. I prefer to do a master shot with existing lighting as you really can’t fight nature on a wide shot.”

Shooting digital meant that Ohashi could grade the film live using Live Grade. “Basically I grade scene to scene but also sometimes shot to shot. And because I quite often place cam-eras 90 degrees to each other, I’m able to adjust both cameras simultaneously with different settings,” he says. “For exam-ple, I would use smoke in some scenes, and so if one camera is directly towards the windows to the backlight, the lighting is quite different from the main angle, which would be paral-lel to window light. So I would basically have different grades for the two angles at the same time, and that’s why I like to be able to control all of that live. I would create LUTs for virtu-ally every shot in the film so that I was able to demonstrate exactly my intent in the dailies.”

Ohashi oversaw the DI at Deluxe and says “that was another advantage because the whole Deluxe Efilm solution has a lot of post tools I was able to employ after the fact. So I didn’t have to finesse the on-set lighting knowing that I had those tools in post. The whole digital inter-negative process is inte-gral and indispensable.”

For Ohashi, who says he grew up watching Westerns as a child after school and on Saturday mornings, shooting Forsaken was a welcome opportunity to explore this iconic genre. “Forsaken is a modern take on the classic Western drama that required it to be portrayed and illustrated in a convincing manner,” he says. “When I was young, lighting for Westerns used to be primarily theatrical and somewhat artificial in effect. By contrast, on Forsaken, using modern lighting technologies and design, I was able to shoot a Western creating a naturalistic look with an elegant, minimalist aesthetic.”

Still from Forsaken.


P R E S E N T S

WATCH THE GALA ON LINE AT CSC.CA

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James Klopko csc

Still from Sleeping Giant.


In the independent feature Sleeping Giant, sensitive teenager Adam is spending the summer with his parents at their holiday cottage on Lake Superior where he

befriends two local cousins, Nate and Riley. The three adolescent boys pass their time playing video games, egging houses, jumping off cliffs, stealing beer and getting into other mischief. Their differing personalities cause minor friction that intensifies when a girl enters the picture and Adam uncovers a painful truth about his family. The feature explores the dynamic between the teenage boys – loaded with jealousy, betrayal and peer pressure – as they assert their masculinity and enter adulthood.

The film’s title refers to the Sibley Peninsula formation that protrudes onto Lake Superior, forming the body of water that is Thunder Bay, which serves as the scenic backdrop for the cinematography crafted by James Klopko csc.

First-time feature director Andrew Cividino had made a short version of the film that was shot with DSLRs in a loose, raw manner that both he and producer Karen Harnisch favoured for the feature-length version of the film.

“It was important that we be nimble because we were working with young actors and we were looking to catch authentic moments with them, so we needed to be able to respond to things they might do that we hadn’t planned for,” Cividino says.

The director also wanted the shooting style to reflect the boys’ experience. “I wanted to be caught up in the moment with our characters and to be rolling along on this journey with them, both for the fun, high-riding adventure of it and the callous cruelty of it,” he says.

Sleeping Giant

Crafts Cruel Summer in

By FANEN CHIAHEMEN


“We were trying to make it visceral, and a lot of that was through handheld work,” Klopko explains. For example, in a dinner scene featuring Riley, Nate and their grandmother, Klopko says he employed a “follow-the-puck” style of shoot-ing, mirroring the rhythm of the rapid dialogue between the characters. “In this situation, Andrew and I felt like creat-ing this sense of reality with the loose camera, following the scene, panning left and right and racking between characters. It’s a very raw camera aesthetic that really made the charac-ters feel real and honest,” he says.

But Cividino also wanted to maintain a cinematic feel when appropriate rather than solely employing a purely fly-on-the wall aesthetic. In another scene, Adam eats dinner on the pa-tio with his parents, having recently discovered that his fa-ther has been unfaithful to his mother. “It’s a very locked-off scene with the camera drifting left and right. We didn’t use any handheld, and we shot slow motion to enhance the fact that we’re in Adam’s point of view and he’s coming to the real-ization of his parents’ situation and the fragility of his family,” Klopko says.

Sleeping Giant was shot on the RED EPIC DRAGON main-ly because of the camera’s mobility, and its ability to get into tight spaces and to shoot beyond 120 fps if needed, Klopko says. “This film was mostly shot with natural light, and the camera’s dynamic range was perfect for this film,” he says. He adds that he was “all over the place” when it came to the cam-era’s ISO. While generally he rated it at 800, he sometimes went down to 200 and up to 2500.

Klopko had an à la carte lighting package consisting of basic Kino Flos, Fresnels and China balls, but for the most part he used natural light augmented with some HMIs or Kinos in the interiors. He also relied on plenty of practical lights like lamps inside homes. “What we did is we used the practicals

and I would have Kinos rigged into the ceiling with scissor clamps or armed out to simulate light from the practicals. Anytime there were practicals, I’d use a short 2x2 Kino dif-fused or gelled to match and supplement the light from the practical,” he says.

For exteriors, Klopko mostly used natural light and bounce, bringing in HMIs for close-ups when the sun would disap-pear unexpectedly. But he did use lighting for night scenes. One scene in particular comes to mind in which the residents of Adam’s neighbourhood get together for a summer barbe-cue and fireworks, a scene that was shot over three days. “We faked fireworks on the boys for their close-ups,” the cinema-tographer reveals. “Just using a set of Fresnel tungsten lights with different coloured gels on dimmers, and we’d just dim them up to simulate fireworks on the day.

“Generally, the RED performed well in low light even when we thought shadows would be too noisy. When we got it into colour correct it was actually holding perfectly and the im-ages looked great,” he says.

RED PRO Prime lenses also worked well for the film, Klop-ko maintains. “Overall they are pretty sharp; the lens flaring at times is not so desirable, but at certain apertures it tends to look really good. Like when the boys are wrestling on the beach and the sun is setting, there are lots of lens flares in that scene, and on that occasion it looks really good,” he recalls.

The crew got the opportunity to do a unique lighting se-quence in a scene when the teenagers visit an arcade and play laser tag. “That was an interesting scene to shoot because we were literally in a maze trying to find each other, and the crew would get lost in this dark black room that was very smoky,” Klopko recalls. “We used a lot of black light because often times laser tag is primarily lit that way, so the production de-signer, Erika Lobko, played a lot more fluorescent highlights within the location and we happened to have tons of black light tubes that we could hook into Kino fixtures to light the scene. The black light was cool but it did not seem that in-teresting, so we had some of our electrics hold flashlights by hand, moving light across the lens or the scene at regular in-tervals to create a more dynamic lighting setup. It did the job and brought life to what is essentially just a large black room. The arcade was also great because it had lots of neon lighting in it, and I would just augment that lighting with Kinos and match it with a similar coloured gel.”

From the start of production, the crew decided they wanted the colour palette to be bright and vibrant, which was reflect-ed in the clothes the boys wore, in the production design, as well as in the landscape which was “very beautiful and has vibrant greens and blues,” Klopko recalls.

He and Cividino also discussed how to capture the gran-deur of Thunder Bay, “to set the scene and the stage, but An-drew also wanted to get into the micro details of textures, of wood and leaves and moss, and just go from the macro to C

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micro throughout the movie, so there are a lot of large, wide shots mixed in with very detailed close-ups of the environ-ment,” Klopko says.

The setting was also an ideal playground for improvising, the crew discovered. For example, in one scene the boys find a dead seagull on one of the islands and start throwing rocks at it for sport, and Klopko says the scene was not scripted

but came about when the crew was scouting the island. “We saw this dead seagull hanging from the tree and we were like, ‘This is our opener; let’s just start shooting and we’ll just take the boys towards the seagull.’ We didn’t know what they were going to do, but we just got them there. And we ended up going from this violent visceral moment where the boys throw rocks to this confrontational moment between Nate and Adam.”

The most complicated scenes to shoot were the scenes by the water, Klopko recalls. “Shooting on Lake Superior was quite challenging,” he says. “A lot of locations were remote is-lands that were a 30-minute to an hour’s boat ride away. And our gear was very limited when going to the islands. So we just had to pare down our camera package. We would leave the Primes behind because the Primes case was too heavy for the boats, and we had to shoot on zooms when on the island. We just had some fabrics that we could use to create negative fill or bounce for certain scenes. It was a very bare-bones skel-eton crew on the islands. And very nerve-racking because the Lake Superior weather can change on a dime and it could be risky for us to go back. So we always had to keep an eye on the water because if you shoot past a certain amount of time and the water gets too choppy, it can be dangerous to get back so we were frequently prepared to camp on the island if we had to.

“And working around water is always nerve-racking,” he continues. “We did a lot of shooting on boats, and sometimes the water cooperated and other times it didn’t, and we’d have to reschedule our scenes or shoot around water conditions. Like with the scene on Todd’s Cliff, we wanted to shoot the sequence at the bottom of the cliff, but the water was too choppy so we had to reschedule, and unfortunately the day we rescheduled the shoot for, the water was too difficult to maneuver and too dangerous at the bottom of the cliff so we ended up shooting on the other side of the island where the water was calmer, and we had to do our best to make sure our shots still matched and we didn’t have any landmarks that would mismatch in the edit.”

Klopko says nevertheless the tight-knit crew, along with the setting, often gave the shoot a summer camp feel. “We were living about 20 minutes outside of Thunder Bay, so we were living and breathing the film and we bonded a lot. It was just a great crew in the sense that everyone was passionate about the film and taking the time to do every scene properly,” he says.

Sleeping Giant won the City of Toronto Award for Best Ca-nadian First Feature Film at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and was runner-up for the Toronto Film Crit-ics Association’s 2015 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award. The feature also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival for its La Semaine de la Critique program in 2015 as one of seven films selected internationally.

Previous page: James Klopko csc Above: Director Andrew

Cividino with Reece Moffett, who plays Riley. Middle: Klopko

with sound mixer Adam Parsons and director Andrew Cividino.

Bottom: Nick Serino, who plays Nate, shoots a scene.


Sarah Thomas Moffat

Sarah Thomas Moffat


Klondike Trappers, a History Channel survival documentary series (airing as Great Wild North in the United States), follows a group of men and women pursuing the ancient practice of fur

trapping as a way of life in the frozen wilderness of Alaska and the Yukon. Produced by Paperny Entertainment, the adventure series chronicles the daily lives of the families who live and thrive in the dead of the wild Yukon winter.

Series DP and associate CSC Sarah Thomas Moffat spent roughly three months living off the grid in the Yukon where temperatures were regularly 40 below and daylight rarely lasted longer than six hours. Although Moffat has shot off the grid in many parts of the world, the parameters of the environment for Klondike Trappers were quite different “due to the extreme frozen temperatures and massive unforgiving landscape,” she says. “You must be physically fit.”

Moffat says she has been an outdoors person since child-hood, is athletic and has participated in a lot of extreme sports. “That has definitely carried over into my career and the type of cinematography I do a lot of right now,” she says. “Having that natural athleticism and stamina and a passion for the great outdoors has definitely helped make it a more enjoyable experience while working in these environments. When camera assistants ask me for advice because they want to try this kind of work, one of the first things I say is, ‘Get a gym membership.’”

Moffat and her team had just a couple of weeks of prepro-duction on Klondike Trappers, and during that time, as the series DP, Moffat established the look of the show, how it was going to be shot, as well as how the team was going to man-age consistency in all locations.

Moffat approached the cinematography as picture manage-ment for the particular environment as Paperny has tradi-tionally shot their factual content on Sony F800s and F700s, ENG-style, off-the-shoulder, run-and-gun newsgathering cameras, using standard ENG styled HD zoom lenses. The F700 shoots solid state, and the F800 shoots on disks, but both cameras have small sensors, and Moffat says this was her first challenge going into a high-contrast situation.

She therefore programmed two scene files into the cameras that would allow for her and the operators in the field to have a low-light option and a standard daylight option for shoot-ing. “Inspired Image Picture Company in British Columbia facilitated the space for me to bring the cameras in and hook them up to a waveform monitor and a vector scope to work in the highlights and low lights,” she explains. “From there I did a field test and tweaked. Once I was set, I personally

By FANEN CHIAHEMENGoes Off the Grid for

Klondike Trappers


programmed all cameras going out. When on location I cre-ated a backup card with the stored files which stayed in the production house in Dawson City, Yukon. All additional re-placement bodies were then instructed to be programmed from this card. Maintaining consistency in picture was one of my top priorities.

“It was a huge technical challenge to manage the high-contrast environment,” she continues. “During the daylight hours, the sun only reached an approximate 45-degree an-gle to the earth, which created an overly intense skip off the snow. The bounce effect, as a result of a white hot sun and white hot snow meeting at the horizon at all hours, made for high risks on over-exposing shots. In contrast, our subjects were also moving through dense forests, along river edges. In the same frame at any given time I knew we could be dealing with hot sun and snow and deep shade all in a small-sensor camera not designed to handle those lighting conditions.”

To manage this, Moffat says she instructed the crew “to do absolutely religious programming of the specific scene files and programming of correct white balances, consistently throughout the day and throughout the dark light to make sure everyone’s shots were in relative consistency on expo-sure, lighting, look and colour.” She also stressed the impor-tance of using composition and framing to overcome the en-vironmental challenges.

For the most part, Klondike Trappers was lit with natural and practical light sources, but Moffat also needed an efficient light kit for the master interviews with the trappers through-out the show. So she asked for each unit to have a Fiilex K301 Lighting Kit, which is a three-lamp LED kit. “These lamps are very weather proof and run off battery power,” she says. “It was a good option given the locations we were in, and how we were travelling there.”

The master interviews were filmed in the trappers’ rustic cabins, and it was there that Moffat could bring creativity to the lighting. “I referred to a Rembrandt painting called ‘Old Man with Beard.’ It’s a very simple yet beautifully painted portrait of an old man with a beard. The painting is very soft in light, very perfect in how the light falls around the man’s face and off into the shadow, creating a natural vignette in the room. You can imagine how that relates to the trappers and the way they look,” she says. “I actually showed the group the painting and said, ‘This is how we’re going to make these guys look in their cabins.’ It became part of the production bible.”

At night and during lower light hours, the team used other sources such as fire, flashlights or headlamp lights to see the action. “I had the crew use those lights in the shot as practi-cal sources of light to help illuminate the activity instead of trying to gain up the camera, which would introduce noise into the camera,” Moffat explains. “So the teams would flip to the low-light scene file, which was designed to bring up dark areas and shadows. And then put those practical lights in the

Klondike Trappers was shot in an environment of extreme

frozen temperatures and massive unforgiving landscape,

Moffat says.

Despite the physical challenges of the locations the Aurora

Borealis was a remarkable sight to behold, Moffat says.

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shot – put headlamps on while subjects were talking to each other, or put a fire in the shot, or headlights from skidoos, or get the subjects to shine a flashlight around. We never let any-one go outside without some sort of practical light. Simple, logical ideas that made a big difference for the cameras we were shooting the reality action on.”

Sometimes the team would also use Fiilex LED lights as a fake moonlight source. “I told them, ‘If you have to, add fill from behind the camera at any given time, put a battery on one of those lights and hold it up high, just illuminate a little bit of the forest as a bit of spill to fake moonlight,’” she says.

The crew also had secondary cameras as back-up cameras, but also to shoot beauty shots, some low-light shots and

Above: Moffat with trapper Cor Guimond. Left: The crew’s

daily challenges included dealing with the nuisances that

shooting in extreme cold posed to the equipment.


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night-time astrophotography. The secondary cameras were Sony A7s, with a Metabones adapter for Canon EF mount lenses. “The reason we went with the A7s is that it has a very high ISO range with a low grain structure; it’s a very sen-sitive camera and performs well in low light,” Moffat says. “We also used a few GoPros mounted on skidoos, and were lucky if they didn’t freeze. For the hero shots, we used a Sony FS700 to get the high speeds done, along with the A7s on sliders. Some localized aerials were achieved with Phan-tom drones, though main aerials were done with myself and the V14 Cineflex system with operator John Trapman and pilot Scott DeWindt from Fireweed Helicopters.”

However, no amount of planning could completely prevent the nuisances that shooting in extreme cold posed to the equipment. For one thing, operating the cameras became challenging with all the layers of clothing the team wore. Then frost would also build up inside the viewfinder. “The only way to keep clearing it was to scrape it off with your fingernail,” Moffat says. “Cameras would freeze, cables would snap in seconds of exposure, lenses would collect snow and frost, basically everything was frozen almost all of the time.”

The team also had to deal with the physical challenges of shooting in that environment – some of the crew members developed frost bite and Moffat suffered snow blindness, a burning of the cornea caused by UV rays reflected off ice and snow. Protective eyewear was difficult to use because it would freeze and frost over and get in the way of looking in the viewfinder. Moffat says, “Most of the time we were all operating in 3 to 5 feet of snow. Driving skidoos for hours or days at a time to locations was also part of the challenge. Each crew member drove their own skidoo, towing a skiff with up to 600 lbs of gear, food and gas.”

Hypothermia was the biggest threat, however, according to Moffat. “It was essential to try and not work up a sweat under 20 lbs of clothing and outerwear because as soon as you stopped moving, despite the layers you wore, the mois-ture turned cold and could cause some of the clothing to freeze up as well, and that was a recipe for hypothermia. It was a true exercise of mind over matter, and a fine balance of personal survival,” she says.

“Dealing with extreme temperatures, making the equip-ment function, and getting your shots while maintaining your core temperature and keeping your head on your shoulders was an exercise in extreme focus,” she says. “We had safety guides with us, but no matter how much safety is in place, you’re out there and anything can happen.

Moffat also gives credit to producer David Freeman for having her back on the show. “Knowing you can trust your producer anytime is essential, but on a show like this it made all the difference knowing I wasn’t alone out there,” she says.

http://www.panavision.com


TEC

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Good things do come in small packages, and the Sony a7R II and a7S II are prime examples.

The line has advanced quickly in a short time frame: the a7 and a7R were announced in fall 2013, quickly fol-lowed by the a7S six months later. The a7 II was announced in fall 2014, fol-lowed by the a7R II in June 2014, and then, just to confuse things, the a7S II in September 2015.

In either of the latest two formats, it’s a mirrorless camera with a magnesium alloy body, though the 7R II has a mas-sive 42.4 MP CMOS sensor, while the 7S II has a 12.1 Mp sensor.

And while Sony has long partnered with Carl Zeiss and has a great range of superb lenses, the genius of this little box (127 x 96 x 60 mm and 582 grams) is that it will take pretty well any lens you want with the right adaptor.

We asked a couple of Toronto DPs, James Klopko csc and CSC associate Scott McClellan, both of whom have worked with the a7S II and a7R II re-spectively to offer their insights.

Klopko (jamesklopko.com) bought the a7S II, noting it’s more video friend-ly: “Still shooters go for the big sensor, but at 12.1 MP there’s less noise in the A7S II, which is what I want.”

The a7R IIc locks in with a base ISO of 100 to 12,800 but can expand to 102,400 from 50, while the a7S II has a 100 to 102,000 ISO, which can expand to 409,600 from 50.

“It really is beautifully sensitive,” Klop-ko said, noting he used that feature to shoot a documentary segment at night, adding Sony’s tweaking tool, Zebra, which overlays stripes to indicate fine

exposure levels that was a decided plus. “We also did a time lapse and down-

loaded the app, which did a great job for us,” he said. “You boot into it, set the intervals, exposure, and then it does the rest. It even produces a 1080p video file, which saves you having to stitch it all together in post. I think it cost $10 or something like that.”

Having already invested in Canon mount glass for his Canon 5D Mark III, it was also a relief to be able to buy an adapter which allowed a seamless switch. “The good adapters work with the exposure and focus so it’s really helpful,” said Klopko, whose most re-cent notable works include the multi award-winning Sleeping Giant (City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film, TIFF 2015).

DSLR form factors aren’t just about stills anymore and the video capture features don’t skimp, which is why both Klopko and McClellan (aascottmcclel-lan.com), who won Best Cinematogra-phy at the 2014 Atlantic Film festival with his debut feature Cast No Shadow, are warming to the intimacy it allows.

“I have a Sony FS-7, and what I like about the a7R II is that the colour lutz match up easily,” McClellan said. “So whether I’m working on a reality show or a documentary or an interview, I can use both cameras and they’ll work to-gether. The menu on the a7R II isn’t the same, but the Sony logic is there so it’s intuitive.”

The small form factor is both a plus and a negative, Klopko adds: “There are so many buttons it’s hard not to touch on one when setting up a rig. But you get used to them and they are

programmable, so we used that feature with the rig when shooting. The small size, however, means people don’t no-tice it as much, which is good.”

As for the specs, video capture is up to 4K with MPEG-4, AVCHD (28 Mbits/s) and XAVC (50 Mbit/s) on board at 3840 x 2160p and 30 or 24 fps with XAVC S format up to 100 Mbps using the Super 35 crop mode. HD 1920 x 1080p runs up to 60 fps and HD 1280 x 720p up to 120 fps.

There’s the option of an external moni-tor, of course, or you can view through the 0.5” 2.36M-dot XGA OLED elec-tronic viewfinder or more comfortably with the 3” 1,228.8k-dot tilting LCD monitor.

There’s also on-board WiFi connec-tivity with NFC and on-board S-Log2 Gamma and S-Gamut settings with fully customizable picture profiles.

Finally, there’s a five-axis stabiliza-tion system built in, which McClellan says he also found to be a useful fea-ture. “I was shooting a commercial and it involved following a hockey player around and we were in a dressing room scene and there were a lot of people around and space was tight, so I used the a7R II without a gimbal and just shot,” he said. “That was a big plus over having to take my FS-7 in there. It was really unobtrusive and people aren’t as intimidated by the camera because they can relate more to it because of the size. The tilts screen monitor was good too.”

The only thing missing, he can see, is an HD SDI in and out connection, but overall he’s impressed with the unit. Ian Harvey is a Toronto-based journalist who writes for a variety of publications

Small is the New Big

and covers the technology sector. He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits ideas at [email protected]

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2016 • 25

http://simgroup.com


It’s always hard to say goodbye to old friends, but sometimes it’s neces-sary. The CSC Awards Committee

has made the tough decision to retire two of its signature awards: the Roy

Tash Award for Spot News Cine-matography and the Stan Clinton Award for News Essay Cinematog-raphy. Because of changes within the broadcast industry wrought by the Internet, slashed newsroom budgets and shifting attitudes to-wards the news cameraman craft, interest in the two awards waned appreciably in recent years. The number of submissions steadily declined to the point where it was felt that the awards were no longer competitive and representative of today’s television industry. Al-though the categories will no lon-ger be offered as part of the Annu-al CSC Awards, they will remain as a lasting tribute and testament to the exceptional skill and crafts-manship of more than 200 nomi-nees and winners during a period that lasted nearly five decades.The Roy Tash Award was first

presented in 1970 for outstanding cinematography in television news by a camera person. The award is named after Canadian film pioneer Roy Tash csc, who spent most of his 50-year career as a newsreel cinematographer – first for Pathé News and then Associated Screen News – documenting events across the country and around the world. Tash shot film of everything from prime ministers and royalty to ath-letes and babies and everything in between. His biggest scoop was being the first to film the Dionne quintuplets during Christmas in 1934. It was often said that no event was complete without Roy Tash and his camera. An inductee into the Canadian News Hall of

Fame, Tash was also the recipient of the Bill Hilson Award “for outstanding ser-vice contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Can-

ada.” Tash was also a lifetime member of the CSC and served as the society’s treasurer for many years. The original Roy Tash Award features a gold-plat-ed 35 mm Bell and Howell Eyemo, one of Tash’s cameras he filmed with throughout his career. Tash personally presented the award, which bears his name, each year at the CSC Gala until his death in 1988 at age 90.

The Stan Clinton Award was present-ed for the best news essay where cine-matographic distinction was the prime consideration. It was first awarded in 1989 in memory of cinematographer Stan Clinton csc. Trained in the British system of filmmaking, Clinton worked for years in London shooting features, documentaries, and training and ad-vertising films. He brought his English cinematography sensibilities to Cana-da, joining the CBC in 1952, where he worked for the next 22 years. During his tenure at the CBC, Clinton built a reputation for his superb shooting skills and was legendary for always pro-ducing top-notch work no matter how compromising and difficult the assign-ment. He is credited with upping the quality of film work at the CBC from primarily newsreel work to a level that produced award-winning dramas and documentaries. Clinton was also very generous with his time and knowledge, training many camera assistants, some of whom went on to become directors of photography. Clinton was one of the original full members that formed the Canadian Society of Cinematographers in 1957 and served later as the society’s president for three years.

While the Roy Tash Award and the Stan Clinton Award are now withdrawn from competition, they will not be for-gotten. Both awards will be on perma-nent display in the CSC Clubhouse as a legacy and tribute to their respective recipients through the years.

End of an Era

By GUIDO KONDRUSS

Stan Clinton csc

Roy Tash csc

2015 Marc D’Amours, CTV News2014 Jon Castell, CBC2013 Liam Hyland. CTV News2012 Andrew Lawson, CTV News2011 Gord Edick, Global2010 Jim Lenton, CHBC News, Kelowna2009 Cheng-Hsian Chang, CTV News 2008 Brett Purdy, Global TV Winnipeg2007 Sergio Magro, Global BC2006 Giancarlo Desantis, Citytvl2005 Kirk Neff, Citytv2004 Keith Whelan, CBC2003 Shawn Foss, CTV Vancouver

2002 Phil Nolan, Global2001 Yehoram Pirotsky, Global2000 Greg Danilenko, CTV1999 Bill Purchase, CTV1998 Howard Cooper, CTV1997 Douglas Gamey, Global1996 Yehoram Pirotsky, Global1995 Dan Laffey, Global1994 Gord Edick, Global1993 Robert Cleator, CFRN Edmonton1992 Richard Games, CFCN Calgary1991 Dominic Scuillo, CITY-TV Toronto1990 Alan S. Watson, CFRN Edmonton1989 Dan Moynihan, CBC Regina1988 Frank Mahon, Globa1987 Doug Baird, CBC Vancouver1986 Patrick Bell, CBC Vancouver1985 Jim Moule, CFCN-TV1984 William Purchase, CFRN Edmonton1983 Tim Moses, Global1982 William Szczur, BCTV1980 John Grierson, CITY1979 Raymond Bournier, CBC Winnipeg1978 Peter Woeste, CKY-TV Winnipeg1976 Dan Laffey, Global1975 Walter Corbett, Global1974 Teri Culbert, CBC Toronto1972 Alphee Moreau, CHCH Hamilton1971 Phillip C. Pendry, CBC England1970 Teri Culbert, CFPL-TV London

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2014 Peter Szperling, CTV Ottawa2013 George Glen, Global, Calgary2012 Allan Leader csc, Discovery2011 Kirk Neff, 16:9, Global TV

2010 Kirk Neff,16:9, Global TV2009 Randy Maahs, CTV News2008 Doug Gamey, Global TV2007 Luke Smith, APTN Whitehorse2006 Paul Wing, CJOH Ottawa2005 Randy Maahs, CJOH Ottawa2004 Keith Eidse, A Channel2003 Randy Maahs, CJOH Ottawa2002 Paul Wing, CJOH Ottawa2001 Stephane Brisson, CTV2000 Paul Wing, CJOH Ottawa1999 Wendell Tenove, CTV1998 Paul Wing, CJOH Ottawa1997 Chris Gargus, CBC Toronto1996 Don Scott, CBC Calgary1995 Chris Gargus, CBC Toronto1994 Danny Cook, CBC Toronto1993 Paul Wing, CJOH Ottawa1992 Kevin MacDonald, ATV Halifax1991 Peter Warren, CJOH Ottawa1990 Kevin MacDonald, ATV Halifax1989 Peter Warren, CJOH Ottawa

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THE STAN CLINTON AWARD for News Essay Cinematography

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CSC at the 11th Annual SIM TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

January 28, Toronto

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Asahi Pentax spotmeter(just serviced) 425.00Minolta Colormeter III F 750.00Spectra Professional IV 250.00Spectra Professional IV A 300.00Minolta SpotmeterF(need repair) 100.00Bernard Couture: [email protected]; 514-486-2749

Professional U/W housing from renowned world leader Amphibico.2006 Sony HVR-A1U camera with 0.7x wide adapter and all accesories.2006 AmphibicoEVO-Pro housing with .55x wide conversion and flat port. Rare model built in small quantity. Most camera functions accessible.About 60-70 dives. Complete overhaul and pressure tested by factory in 2010. 3.5’’ LCD Monitor, rebuilt in 2010. 2 compact Discovery 10W HID lamps by Amphibico with batteries and chargers. Spare o-ring for all. Soft and hard carry cases. All in good condition. E-mail or call for photos and more information. 514-941-2555, [email protected]

Transvideo Titan HD Transmitter and Re¬ceiver kits. $3000ea. 2 for $5500. Similar in style and operation to the Boxx Meridian. 1- Angenieux 25-250 T3.9 Arri PL mount, std film gears on focus, zoom, and iris (32 pitch-mod 0.8), lens support and collar, shipping case included $2900 1- Tamron 300mm F2.8 Arri bayonet mount with PL adapter, std film gear on focus (32 pitch-mod 0.8), 42mm filters: clear, 2 x 85, shipping case included $900Contact: [email protected]

Panasonic 3D Professional Full HD Video Camera (AG-3DA1)The AG-3DA1 is the world’s first professional, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder that records to SD card media. The AG-3DA1 will democratize 3D production by giving professional videographers a more affordable, flexible, reliable and easier-to-use tool for capturing immersive content as well as providing a training tool for educators. At less than 6.6 pounds, the AG-3DA1 is equipped with dual lenses and two full 1920 x 1080 2.07 megapixel 3-MOS imagers to record 1080/60i, 50i, 30p, 25p and 24p (native) and 720/60p and 50p in AVCHD. Camera is very new. Includes Kata Carrying case, 4 batteries. Asking price: $17,500 (includes tax). Will ship out of province.To view photos/questions email [email protected] or call 416-916-9010.

Proline 17 inch TeleprompterIncluded is both PC AND Mac versions for our industry leading Flip-Q teleprompter software. Flip-Q automatically “Flips” the secondary output on your laptop so both the operator and talent will see perfect reading left-right text. The ProLine 17 standard LCD panels are the lightest weight, lowest profile designs in their class. In addition, they offer both VGA and composite video inputs adaptable with any computer output or application. They also offer flexible power options including 100-240V AC or external 12v DC input. Price includes Tripod attachments and Pelican carrying case. Complete tool-less set-up.Asking Price: $2,000 (includes tax)To view photos/questions email [email protected] or call 416-916-9010.

Sony PMW-F3 with S-log firmware. Low hours, Excellent condition. Kaiser top handle, 32GB high rate card. $3500.00. Gemini 4:4:4 Solid State recorder now PRORes capable, with eSata and Thunderbolt readers, lots of accessories, case, 512GB and 3x 256GB solid state drives/cards. Excellent condition. $3000.00 IBE-Optics HDx35 PL to B4 adapter comes with power cable and soft case. Used on F3 and Alexa for superb results. $3000.00. Willing to sell everything as a complete package for $8500.00Available for everything. Contact John Banovich 604-726-5646 or [email protected]

Nikkor AF-S VR 500mm F 4 IS ED Lens. Super rare and very hard to find!!! Serial # 204153 Perfect condition. Not a scratch on it!!! Only one year old. Included Hard Shell Case, Lens Hood, Lens Strap, Case strap. Come with Manfrotto Carbon Fiber tripod, Jobu head and Jobu Mounting Bracket. Asking price $9000.00 [email protected], 604.566.2235 (Residence), 604.889.9515 (Mobile)

Panasonic BT-S950P 16:9 / 4:3 SD Field Monitor for Sale (Excellent Condition) - $100.Portabrace included Please contact Christian at (416) 459-4895 or email [email protected]

SERVICES

DRONEBOY - We provide safe, reliable and spectacular drone-based aerial cinematography throughout Canada. We have Transport Canada SFOCs in place for all regions, and a large fleet of set-ready drones, and experienced crews for all your camera flying needs. We are flying everything from the new Sony A7S2 to Red Dragon and the new Arri Mini. www.DroneBoy.com | 1-866-783-7871

20% Off to all CSC members! Looking for a Green Screen Studio? Greensuite209 is owned and operated by a CSC member, and is now offering 20% off our regular studio and equipment rental rates for all CSC members! We are a 1750 sq. ft. green screen studio in South Etobicoke just south of William F Whites. We have a 11’ X 29’ X 14’ Digicomp sloping green screen. Check us out online at www.gs209.com and contact us for any further information! email: [email protected].

HD Source is well-known and respected for their excellent SERVICE department and truly skilled technicians. As an Authorized Sony Service Depot, HD Source professionally maintains, repairs, and performs crucial upgrades to a wide range of equipment, including HD and 4K. HD Source also proudly services Canon Cinema EOS products and Canon Broadcast lenses, and boasts an on-staff Canon-trained and experienced Lens Technician. HD Source understands how important each piece of equipment is, and will get it operating and back to you as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible. Call Alnoor at 905-890-6905, email him at [email protected], or drop by HD Source anytime at 1670 Enterprise Rd. (Dixie & 401).

HILL’S VIDEO PRODUCTIONS – BURLINGTONLooking for a unique shooting control room? Rent our 32 ft. 1981 Bus complete with control room and audio.HDSDI fiber boxes for long runs. Great for keeping warm on those multi camera shoots. www.hillsvideo.com Rob Hill – 905.335.1146

Do you travel between Toronto and Hamilton for production every day? Need a place to: screen dailies, host your production office that’s close to both? Hill’s Production Services www.hillsvideo.com. We are a full Service Production Company with cameras and edit bays for making EPKs. Some grip gear, if you find yourself in the field, short of one or two items. Hill’s also has office space and a mobile screening room. Located just off the QEW in Burlington.Check us out 905-335-1146 Ask for Rob Hill.

CAMERA CLASSIFIED IS A FREE SERVICE PROVIDED FOR CSC MEMBERS. For all others, there is a one-time $25 (plus GST) insertion fee. Your ad will appear here and on the CSC’s website, www.csc.ca. If you have items you would like to buy, sell or rent, please email your information to [email protected].

CSC at the 11th Annual SIM TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE

January 28, Toronto

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CALENDAR OF EVENTSMARCH10-20, International Film Festival on Art, Montreal, artfifa.com12, CSC Acting for the Camera Workshop, Toronto, csc.caAPRIL2, CSC Awards, The Arcadian Court, Toronto9-10, CSC Lighting Workshop, Montreal, csc.ca16-17, CSC Lighting Faces Workshop, Toronto, csc.caMAY7, CSC DSLR Workshop, Toronto, csc.ca

CORRECTIONIn the article Harry Lake csc: In Memoriam, published in the February 2016 issue, the band name the Fabulous Thunders should have read The Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Subscribe online at www.csc.ca

One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and

$90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions.

3O VIES (series); DP Marc Gadoury csc; to April 4, MontrealARROW IV (series); DP Gordon Verheul csc; to April 27, VancouverA SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (series); DP Bernard Couture csc; to August 10, VancouverBACKSTABBING FOR BEGINNERS (feature); DP Brendan Steacy csc; 1st Assistant Brent J. Craig; to April 13, TorontoBATES MOTEL IV (series); DP John Bartley csc, asc; to April 4, VancouverBETWEEN II (series); DP Boris Mojsovski csc; to March 11, TorontoBEYOND (series); DP Stephen McNutt csc, asc; B Camera Operator/2nd Unit DP Brian Whittred csc; to July 7, VancouverCARDINAL (series); Steve Cosens csc; to April 21, SudburyDARK MATTER II (series); B Camera 1st Assistant Marcel Janisse; to May 9, TorontoDEADLY DEPOTTED (TV movie); DP Peter Benison csc; Camera Operator Andreas Evdemon; B Camera Operator Rod Crombie; to March 11, North BayDOWNSIZING (feature); B Camera Operator & Second Unit DP François Dagenais csc; to July 11, TorontoTHE EXPANSE II (series); DP Jeremy Benning csc; TorontoTHE FLASH II (series); DP Kim C. Miles csc; to April 18, VancouverFRONTIER (series); David Herrington csc; to March 15, St. JohnsHIDDEN FORTRESS AKA APES 3 (feature); 2nd Unit DP Roger Vernon csc; to March 11, BurnabyIMPASTOR II (series); DP Neil Cervin csc; to May 27, North VancouverIZOMBIE II (series); DP Michael Wale csc; Operator/Steadicam Greg Fox; to March 11, North VancouverLEGENDS OF TOMORROW (series); DP David Geddes csc, asc; to April 1, BurnabyLET IT RIDE (series); DP Mitchell Ness csc; to March 25, EtobicokeMISS SLOANE (series); Camera Operator Perry Hoffman; to April 8, TorontoQUANTICO (series); 2nd Unit DP Robert Mattigetz csc; to April 21, MontrealSHIRT (feature); DP Matthew Lloyd csc; to May 27, BurnabyTHE STANLEY DYNAMIC II (series); DP Matt Phillips csc; to April 8, TorontoTHE STRAIN III (series); DP Colin Hoult csc (alternating episodes); B Camera Operator J.P. Locherer csc; to April 13, TorontoSUPERNATURAL XI (series); DP Serge Ladouceur csc; Camera Operator Brad Creasser; to April 20, BurnabyVAN HELSING (series); DP Brendan Uegama csc; to June 27, VancouverWOLFCOP 2 (feature); DP Adam Swica csc; Camera Operator Michael Jari Davidson; to March 4, Sudbury

AWARDS / FESTIVALS / NOMINATIONSReuben Denty, AssociAte csc (DP) Undercover High (series), International Emmy Award nomination, April 2016Karl Janisse, AssociAte csc (DP) Late Night Double Feature (feature), San Francisco IndieFest, February 20, 2016; The Hexecutioners (feature), Glasgow FrightFest, February 26, 2016Cabot McNenly, AssociAte csc (DP) O Negative (short), TIFF Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival shorts for 2015, at venues nationwide through May 2016

President from page 2

We hang on to the notion that while we are on a roll, that is all that really matters and to give thought to anything else is not acceptable because it is seen as a negative. I remember a radio program from my teenage days, and the introductory catch line of the show was, “Ignorance is bliss and ‘tis folly to be wise.” Little did I know just how much impact those words would have on my life!

I would like to pursue this reasoning in a future article

where sufficient space may be allotted to addressing the vari-ous vagaries of the freelancer, not from a negative standpoint but more from a vantage point where we can take an objec-tive view of the changing landscape within the industry and where not everything comes up smelling like roses.

If there are any readers out there who might have some in-put regarding the welfare, as well as the wellbeing, of those in the freelance world of filmmaking, I would be pleased if you would offer your thoughts for all to share. And don’t forget: carpe diem!

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The Visual Technology People

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The extraordinary features and capabilities of the EOS C300 Mark II are reason alone to cast Canon as your leading camera in your next project. For example, the C300 MKII has both Dual Pixel Auto Focus and Assisted Manual Focus along with face tracking – so no matter how you shoot, the C300 MKII makes it incredibly easy to get accurate focus on the subject, exactly in the area of the frame you want to be in focus. No other Pro Video camera has this level of focus control.

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forsaken - csc · canadian society of cinematographers $4 march 2016 james klopko csc: sleeping...

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