A PUBLICATION OF THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 478423

October 2005Volume 25, No. 2

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:VIDEO FILE: The Next Step (4:4:4 vs. 4:2:2)

ON CAMERA: Testing the Dalsa OriginCAMERA TRICKS: The Gong Show

PRESIDENT'S REPORT: Mega Studio, At Last!NEWS CLIPS: From Russia . . .

Jan Kiesser asc cscFilming Fido: Welcome to Wonderful Wacky Willard!

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The Canadian Society of Cinematographers wasfounded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montrealand Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization.

Our members now represent the film and video community in all ten provinces. Our aim continues to be to promote and foster the cause of cinematography and the interests of the Canadianfilm and video community.

We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information, and endeavor to advancethe knowledge and status of our members within theindustry. As an organization dedicated to furtheringtechnical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry, but have no politicalor union affiliation.

CSC EXECUTIVEPresident: Joan Hutton cscVice-President: Richard Stringer cscTreasurer: Joseph Sunday phdSecretary: Antonin LhotskyMembership: Philip Earnshaw cscPublicity: Nikos Evdemon cscEducation: Ernie KestlerDirector Ex-Officio: George Willis csc sascMembership inquiries: 416-266-0591

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CSC OFFICECanadian Society of CinematographersExecutive Director: Susan Saranchuk3007 Kingston Road Suite 131Toronto, Ontario M1M 1P1Tel 416-266-0591 Fax 416-266-3996email: admin@csc.caEditor: Donald Angus (416) 699-9149 email: editor@csc.caEditor-in-Chief: Joan Hutton csc

CSC NEWS is a publication of the Canadian Society ofCinematographers. CSC NEWS is printed in Toronto and is published ten times a year. Subscriptions areavailable for $75.00 per year in Canada and$95.00 per year outside the country. CanadianPublications Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 478423.

volume 25, No. 2October 2005

Contents

2 - President’s Report- About Time

4 - Cover Story- Here, Fido!

8 - Video File- The Next Step

12 - On Camera- The Dalsa Origin

16 - Camera Tricks- The Giant Gong

17 - News Clips - Awards and Stuff

20 - Action Production Notes- CSC Calendar

Visit: www.csc.ca

4

Cover Photo: Michael Courtney DOP Jan Kiesser asc csc linesup a shot for the upcoming horror comedy Fido

Put this news under the “It's-About-Time” column.

Finally, Toronto has landed a commitment to build a mega film studio, long considered vital to luringthe production of big-budget moviesto the city and area. In its deal with

the city, Toronto Film Studios, a subsidiary of the Rose Corp., says itwill build a studio large enough tohouse the Parthenon. Although I'venever seen the Parthenon in person,that sounds pretty big. Toronto FilmStudios beat other bidders for theright to lease 12 hectares of city-owned land in the port area - a vacantsite at Commissioners St. and DonRoadway -- for 99 years. The agree-ment requires construction to beginno later than next Aug. 31.

A port mega studio was firstannounced in 2002 by then-mayorMel Lastman but nothing materializeduntil last month. “This is for real,”says Toronto Film Studios presidentKen Ferguson. He promised his com-pany would begin to drive pilings forthe foundations next spring. Whilerival film studios have criticized ele-ments of the deal, most of the indus-try is excited.

It certainly will mean more workopportunities for Canadian cinematog-raphers. Yes, most American produc-tions bring their own directors of photography, but they usually hirelocal camera crews, including second-unit DOPs. And Canadian producershave been hungering for more and bet-ter studio space in Toronto, too. Thecity has lagged behind Montreal andVancouver in that respect.

In the project's first phase, thecompany plans to build 11,000 square

metres of sound stages - including a mega stage 54 metres wide by 75metres long - plus another 9,000square metres of office and supportspace.

The company, which currentlyoperates a film studio on Eastern Ave.,has option rights to lease an addition-al six hectares from the city, and hasplans to expand the studio facilities. Italso is looking at adding office space,restaurants, a conference centre andpossibly a hotel.

“This studio is going to helpToronto cement its place as one of the leading film centres in the world,”Mayor David Miller says, adding that30,000 people work in film and TV,and more than 150,000 people workdirectly and indirectly in “creativeindustries.”

•••In response to many requests, the

CSC is working with Darlene Choo toestablish a Society address and phonenumber in Vancouver to enhance ourcommunications with our West Coastmembers. Darlene is well known toBritish Columbia cinematographers,and with her active participation wehope to establish an agenda of CSC-sponsored meetings, courses andworkshops. The link with Darlene willgive B.C. members a 604-area codenumber to call for information on andconfirmation of events. We'll give youthe details in next month's issue. •

2 • CSC News / October 2005

MEGASTUDIO,AT LAST!

Joan Hutton csc

president’s report

In the lens of Jan Kiesser's camera, Willardappears to be the perfect small town, a 1950sutopia where white picket fences gleam on

tree-lined streets, mothers serve cool beverages on tea traysand all of father's pleats are ironed. But look more closely:Hoeing the garden is a domesticated zombie. Welcome tothe wonderfully peculiar world of Fido.

You might expect Fido to be the story of a boy and hisdog, but young Timmy's new best friend is a zombie, a lit-tle problem that keeps creeping up in a family that really

just wants to be . . . normal. An unconventionalstory with roots in the horror genre and a power-ful dose of comedy, Fido is the latest in the recent

revival of zombie movies, such as Land of the Dead, Dawn ofthe Dead and the spoof, Shaun of the Dead.

Based on his track record of delivering big box-officestyle, Jan Kiesser asc csc was chosen by director AndrewCurrie and producers at Vancouver's Anagram Pictures toshoot Fido this past summer in the Kelowna, B.C., area.

“The reason I was interested in this film was the complexity of the story,” Kiesser said. “There is a boy-and-his-dog story on the surface, in this case the dog being adomesticated zombie, such a simple concept on the surface,but when you begin to look at the complexity of the writ-ing it becomes really very, very interesting. The extremedepth of metaphor and how it can be related to on a sub-jective level was very compelling.”

Compelling, too, is Kiesser's cinematographic approach.Fido is shot in widescreen Super 35mm, providing a 2.35:1aspect ratio that makes picturesque use of the film's lush1950s period art direction. A subtle moving camera -- "A"camera operator and second-unit DOP was Randall Platt csc-- supports the story with shot design that brings characterstogether and emphasizes depth. But the cornerstone ofFido's look is a carefully controlled colour palette originat-ing in art direction and lighting, providing a definitive han-dle for stylized colour finishing in a digital intermediate.

Kiesser described the look: “The overall intent was tohave this heightened visual palette with simplicity ofcolour. We're using a limited colour palette in each of thescenes, not using a variety of colours, but only a few tend-ing to primaries. We plan on using the digital intermediatein colour timing to individually deal with colours in sceneswithout affecting the skin tones.”

Director Currie and DOP Kiesser drew upon several visu-al touchstones to create Fido's look, including the work ofdirector Douglas Sirk (Magnificent Obsession) from the early'50s. Sirk's visual style is known for lush mise en scene com-positions that employ architectural elements to influencecharacter. Sirk also had an affection for compositionalreflections that express duality and for the rich applicationof the distinctive Technicolor three-strip colour process.

"Many of Sirk's films had a very specific use of colour inthe production design, suggesting a world that was veryperfect and beautiful and very structured in a way, but with

4 • CSC News / October 2005

cover storyJan Kiesser asc csc

Here, Fido! A Boy's Best Friend Is . . . a Zombie“The overall intent was to have this heightened visual palette with simplicity of colour”

By John Walsh

In the upcoming horror comedy Fido, Carrie-Anne Moss (Chocolat) stars as the beautiful and conscientious mother of Timmy, played by K'Sun Ray. Billy Connolly (The Last Samurai) is the lovable zombie Fido.

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characters that were flawed and dealing with tremendousdysfunction. Overall, things looked really fine and good onthe surface, but underneath there's a deeper, troubledmeaning to it. That's the world of Fido. The city of Willardhas this veneer that is very deceiving to the dysfunction inthe world below.”

Fido's story takes place in a post-World War II fantasyworld (in which “the war” was against zombies), and,Kiesser explained, “though our period is not literally the'50s, we certainly use it as a reference. We stay around '51and '52 because the shape of the cars is rounder, the fabricdesigns are more interesting. It provides us the style andlook which is part of our overall visual concept.”

Tipping his hat to Currie, the DOP commented: “Veryseldom do you find directors who are so visually orientedand have such a dense concept of how they want a pictureto look. Andrew in his overall density of concept on a visu-al level was very compelling to me.” Prepared with com-plete storyboards, diagrams and shot lists for every day ofshooting, the camera team was well armed to creativelydeliver a big box-office look on the limited budget of a 35-day shooting schedule.

Kiesser said that although Fido has a decent budget, itpales in comparison to the big U.S. productions. “A gooduse of funds is key to success. It is very difficult to get thevisual impact and quality of what we are attempting on thisfilm for the amount of money we have. Mary AnneWaterhouse and the other producers are very, very thought-ful and intentional about making sure that the money isspent well and that every dollar is seen on the screen. Asbudgets get tighter, it is increasingly important to makewise decisions.”

Case in point: “We had hoped to use the Arricam cam-eras, which I've used in the past and found to be just terrif-ic cameras, but because of budget we ended up going withthe (Arriflex) 535B as our primary camera.” The B camerawas also a 535B, with an Arri 435 for off-speed and under-water work, an Arri SR2 for stylized documentary segments,and a Canon GL2 DVCam for surveillance video inserts.

For Kiesser, the creative trade-off was clear. He gave upthe more advanced camera body to garner resources for anextended set of Cooke S4 primes. “One of the things thatwas key for me in the visual concept was what equipment Ihad to get. I truly love the quality of the Cooke lenses, andI felt they were absolutely right for this picture. Theirinherent image quality is very, very special. Their ability tophotograph highlights without flair. Their overall contrastlevel. For the visual sensibility of this film they were thebest lenses out there.”

Fido was shot on Kodak Vision2 250D 5205 and Vision2500T 5218. Kiesser said he chose Vision2 because of itsgrain structure and its compatibility between exterior andinterior stock, daylight and tungsten. “I like to use daylightstock. I just like the look and feel of it. Those two stocks cuttogether seamlessly. They are so well colour balanced it isreally great. And the overall colour space, with the inten-tionality of our visual concept, the Vision2 stocks support-ed that much more than any of the other stocks.”

To offset the cost of the Vision2 stock, Kiesser requested

a three-perf camera movement that provided a 25-per-centsavings in footage. And this decision fit nicely with the producer's commitment to digital intermediate. Thoughexpensive, one advantage of digital intermediate is its ability to freely accept a variety of acquisition formats,inter-cut them digitally, and output the final to film or HDwith equal ease. This permitted the easy combination offootage from Fido's three-perf 535B, its four-perf 435, the16mm SR2 and the digital video footage.

But more important to Kiesser was the digital interme-diate's elimination of the additional generation and opticaldegradation inherent in the traditional optical/photochem-ical blowup and squeeze from Super 35 to anamorphicrelease print. And, of course, the increased colour control.

Digital intermediate, Kiesser mused, “is really interest-ing. It's a very complex thing and I've learned a lot about it,but I still feel like I'm just scratching the surface. Samplingrates, colour space, artifacting -- there are just so many waysto go in a digital intermediate now. It's really a hot-rodindustry, and unless you run tests you don't know whatyou're going to be getting. We tested several processes sideby side and found there was quite a difference. Digital inter-mediates are truly lacking standardization. This is one of

• see page 6

CSC News / October 2005 • 5

DOP Jan Kiesser asc csc on the set of Fido.

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• from page 5the things the ASC is presently address-ing. They are trying to bring the play-ers into a common understanding toenable structure and standardization.”

With exteriors having been shot inextremely changeable weather, thecinematographer said that digital tim-ing “will be quite helpful.” On loca-tion in Kelowna, he explained, “weoften had to deal with harsh middayoverhead sun, very unflattering. Thisnecessitated the use of overhead but-terflies to soften the harsh light. Wefound ourselves in a time of unusualweather for the Okanagan region ofB.C. It was one of the rainiest springson record, resulting in a tremendousamount of cloud movement. Since themajority of this story is exterior, thecloud movement became a recurringproblem as clouds passed between thesun and our subjects. This caused meto spend more time riding the apertureto maintain exposure than I have hadto do in my entire career.”

Production designer Robert Graycreated the town of Willard in Kelowna.Kiesser enjoyed working with Gray,describing their collaboration as a “syn-ergy,” an excellent example of the way aDOP and a production designer canwork together to support a director.After helping determine the limitedcolour palette fundamental to the pro-ject's look, Gray honed those colours forhis use and applied them creatively inhis sets. Kiesser also credited Gray for anexcellent use of architectural space, andfor planting an abundance of practicallights that provided him a host of set-

based lighting options. "Rob Gray and I talked quite a bit

about the sets,” Kiesser recalled. “Oneof the things he accomplished reallywell is being able to have depth in theinterior shots, so you can see fromroom to room in an easy way. I findthat much more inviting visually thanshooting against walls and not havingthe layers. He built the house interiorsonly slightly larger, but we were ableto shoot without having to wild outwalls too much, which was a big timesaver.”

Asked about the Canadian indepen-dent scene, Kiesser replied: “My careeras a cinematographer started in LosAngeles. I had the opportunity to shoota number of features there and cherishthat experience. But since returning tomy native Canada, I've realized that theindependent Canadian films I havebeen blessed with here are more mean-ingful to me. So many of the films I'vephotographed here -- Such a LongJourney, Rare Birds, Beowulf & Grendel --are adaptations from literature. This isone of Canada's greatest assets for filmproduction. We are a literary nation.We have a huge number of readers andgreat writers. Just as Canadian musi-cians have had a profound impact onworld music, I believe Canadian film-makers, from that literary strength,have the opportunity to make a lastingimpression on world cinema. It was thewriting of Fido that hooked me on thispicture from the beginning.”

Fido is slated to open next summer.Jan Kiesser was born in Winnipeg,

but moved with his family to Los

Angeles when he was five. He attendedUCLA and was inducted into the U.S.Army in 1967, serving in Heidelberg,Germany, where his interest in photog-raphy germinated. Returning to LosAngeles, he entered the motion pictureindustry as an animation cameramanin 1970. He worked his way throughthe positions of assistant cameramanand operator, learning from a numberof mentors who included VilmosZsigmond, Owen Roizman, GordonWillis, Haskel Wexler and Conrad Hall.

His early friendship with AlanRudolph, which involved the makingof Super 8 films, developed into a col-laboration with Rudolph as directorand Kiesser as DOP on many films,Choose Me, Made in Heaven and Mrs.Parker and the Vicious Circle amongthem. Other features he shot in LA,while also working on commercials,included Clean and Sober, Dad andSome Kind of Wonderful.

In 1994, Kiesser and his young fam-ily moved back to Canada to reside inVancouver. There, the opportunity toteam with director Sturla Gunnersonarose and resulted in Kiesser's Genienominations for cinematography onSuch a Long Journey and Rare Birds. Healso had the opportunity to work withRobert Altman again (producer of Mrs.Parker and the Vicious Circle) this timewith Altman directing Dr. T and theWomen.

More recently, the DOP was rec-ognized with an Emmy nominationfor best cinematography for the tele-vision movie Door to Door. He alsorecently completed Reefer Madness forShowTime and Beowulf and Grendelwith Gunnerson.

(About the author: John Walsh isan IATSE 669 cinematographer basedin Vancouver. Trained in Los Angelesin the 1980s, he received a Master ofFilm Arts degree from USC and beganfreelancing as a cameraman. As astaff DOP at Turner/Time Warner inthe '90s, John worked on severalEmmy Award-winning productions.Now at home on Vancouver's NorthShore, he takes supporting cameradepartment roles on 669 features,like Fido, while growing his experi-ence and reputation as an indepen-dent film DOP.) •

6 • CSC News / October 2005

The camera rolls as Carrie-Anne Moss walks down a street in small-town Willard, a 1950s utopiawhere zombies are domesticated.

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High-definition formats anddigital image acquisition con-tinue to change for cine-

matographers. New tools, such as thePanavision Genesis, Dalsa Origin andArri D20 cameras are now rentablerealities for your next project, whilethe Sony F950 and the Thomson Vipercontinue to push digital further along.

However, the new recording tech-nologies attendant to such cameras are often underplayed when consider-ing what tool is the best fit for a job.Having had the opportunity to workwith Thomas Burstyn csc and JohnBartley csc asc on their latest digital

projects, one major ques-tion became a commontheme: What is the qualita-tive visual difference between a record-ing in 4:2:2 high definition versus thesame in 4:4:4, when this recording is to be printed to film? To find theanswer, I conducted a technical test ofthe recording media and spoke withBurstyn regarding our tests for hisrecent feature film, Population 436, thefirst 4:4:4 HD feature shot in Canada.

In late August, Burstyn told me thatafter the tests, it was “hard to say” whatthe difference was. “Definitely I thought4:4:4 printed to film looked pretty good

and I was very pleased,” hesaid. “However, we wererushed due to time con-

straints and so naturally we did a veryneutral pass and did not really push tosee where we could go with the addedcolour information. Furthermore, our4:4:4 prints to film were more gearedtowards comparing the Sony F950 to theThomson Viper, in which case I pre-ferred the Viper. Nonetheless, to me theViper in 4:2:2 unprocessed mode repre-sents high-end television, whereas in4:4:4 I would refer to the Viper as high-end film production.”

Basing my own tests on Burstyn'swork, I set out to determine the practi-cal difference between 4:4:4 and 4:2:2technical definitions when such digitalmaterial was printed to film. Using aThomson Viper camera with a ZeissDigiZoom 7mm-24mm lens and SonySRW-1 recorder, both units capable of4:4:4 and 4:2:2 image output andimage recording respectively, I beganshooting three items: a DSC Labs 24+4Chroma DuMonde chart with framingand resolution trumpets for colorime-try; a DSC Multiburst chart for resolu-tion; and a wide shot in bright dayexterior with a stand-in for exposureand aesthetic impressions of colour.(The technical specifications of the testare reproduced in the table.).

Plus 8 Digital in Burbank, Calif.,graciously supplied me the camera,lens and recording equipment free ofcharge, while E-Film in Hollywood

8 • CSC News / October 2005

video file The Next Step: 4:4:4 High Definition Versus 4:2:2

A Technical OverviewIn last month's CSC News, CSC Affiliate Joshua Gollish, a digital image technician (DIT) based in Vancouver

and Los Angeles, talked with DOPs Thomas Burstyn csc and John Bartley csc asc about their experiencesin shooting in high-definition digital video, Burstyn in 4:4:4 with a Panavision package of Sony HDW-F950

cameras with SRW-1 recorders, and Bartley with the Thomson Viper. This month, Gollish reports on tests byhimself and Burstyn on comparisons between shooting in 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 for output to film.

By Joshua Gollish

Thomas Burstyn csc, on the set of the pilot for a new series called Sex, Love, and Secrets on the UPN network.

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printed my digital material to film, alsoat no cost. Sincere thanks to MarkerKarahadian of Plus 8 Digital and DavidHayes of E-Film.

The only true variable in my digital-to-film test was the recording format,4:4:4 or 4:2:2. Everything else may beconsidered control constants. Printstock, laser printing, focal length, aper-ture, and output mode of the Viper(unprocessed 4:4:4 compared withunprocessed 4:2:2), to name a few,were kept exactly the same throughoutthe test. This ensured the most preci-sion when examining the differencebetween 4:4:4 and 4:2:2 recordings.

The results of the 4:4:4 versus 4:2:2film print tests fall into three categories:exposure, resolution and colour gradua-tion. In terms of exposure, what seemedto be true was that 4:2:2 monitoring ofa 4:4:4 signal was a practical measure ofintensity in the imager, for on-set pur-poses. Hence, if one monitors the vari-ous colour channels from a 4:2:2 down-conversion, the proper exposure in a4:4:4 camera mode may be determined

by a 4:2:2 monitoring schema -- wave-form displays and CRTs. As a corollary,if the 4:2:2 signal is overexposed, onemay expect this to hold true in the 4:4:4signal and final film print; the conversealso holds. Similarly, the exposure lati-tude was by no means greater; neither

the day exterior or the charts showedthat, with the same aperture, moredetail was present in overexposed areas.

In terms of resolution, the 4:4:4recording and ability to print lines ofresolution appeared to be superior to

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CSC News / October 2005 • 9

4:4:4 4:2:2

Chart DSC Labs Chroma DuMonde 24+4, DSC Labs Multi-Burst

Lighting 3200K Charts Interior, 5600K Exterior Mid-Day Sun

Camera Thomson Viper FilmStream Camera

Mode Tested RGB 10-Bit Log and RGB 10-bit Linear YCbCr 10-bit Log and YCbCr 10-bit Linear

Recorder Sony SRW-1 (4:4:4 SQ Mode 23.98 PsF) Sony SRW-1 (4:2:2 Mode 23.98 PsF)

Monitor Sony BVM-F24 (4:4:4 RGB Mode) Sony BVM-F24 (4:2:2 YCbCr Mode)

Scope Leader LV5700 (4:2:2 YCbCr- Not 4:4:4 RBG capable) Waveform, Vectorscope

Lens Zeiss DigiZoom 6-24mm

Focal Length 20mm

Aperture T4

Printer ARRILASER Film Recorder

Negative Stock Kodak Estar 2242

Laboratory Deluxe

Print Stock Kodak Vision Estar 2383

SMPTE Spec. 372M-2002 292M-1998

Spatial Resolution 10-Bit RGB = 30 bit pixel (10x3=30, Green, Blue, Red) 10-Bit YUV = 20 bit pixel (10x2=20 G, R or G, B)

Picture Area 1920 x 1080 (30-bit pixel: Green, Blue, Red) 1920 x1080 (20-bit pixel: Green, Blue or Green, Red)

Lines of Resolution (1080, 1080, 1080) Green, Blue, Red (1080, 540, 540) Green, Blue, Red

Color Space Def.- The Color Matrix where the nature of the image format is defined (IE: Classically Film = RGB, TV = YUV, Print = CMYK)

RGB YUV

Color Sampling Green, Blue, Red all equal Green sampled twice as much as red or blue

4:4:4 Vs. 4:2:2 Digital To Film Print Notes

Digital image technician Joshua Gollish on set.

• from page 9the 4:2:2 recording by 250 +/-50 linesof resolution. These results came fromlooking at both resolution trumpets onthe colour chart as well as throughcareful examination of the Multiburstchart that deals specifically with reso-lution. In this way, an observation ofimproved resolution in 4:4:4 as opposedto 4:2:2 resulted in the presence andabsence of chrominance information,or rather a perceived improvement.

To confirm some of these resultsand to foreground others, I contactedMark Read, a systems architect, film-maker, producer and, most important-ly, one of the consultants for the entireThomson Digital Cinema product line,including the Viper FilmStream cam-era. Read owns two Vipers, a set ofZeiss DigiPrimes, an Ultimatte-HD anda fully mobile, universal productionand post-production environment thatcan handle 4:4:4 uncompressed direct-to-disk capture, editing, colour correc-tion, and finishing.

Speaking with Read was enlighten-ing. He told me: “I would equate theway you have approached the 4:4:4and 4:2:2 recordings to how a cine-matographer thinks about film stocks.Unfortunately, making specific con-clusions and broad statements regard-ing the two formats is difficult asthere are variables present in oneformat that are not present in theother, factors beyond the scope ofthis discussion.

“Nonetheless, you should be ableto realize much higher colour resolu-tion differences, 540 lines more inthe chrominance information to beexact with a 4:4:4 recording as com-pared to the same 4:2:2 image.However, the luminance resolutionis similar when comparing 4:4:4 to4:2:2. This means that images withhigh luminance detail and lowchrominance detail (sand, evergreentrees, hair) will not suffer from theuse of 4:2:2 as much as images withhigh chrominance detail and lowluminance detail (wildflowers, mar-bles, computer graphics).

“But,” he continued, “I wouldagree that you should not see animprovement in exposure latitude;there is nothing in the SMPTE (Societyof Motion Picture and Television

Engineers) spec allowing for addition-al latitude. In terms of colour gradua-tion, the difference of 4:4:4 and 4:2:2becomes larger than the scope of sucha test in that there are colour space dif-ferences to address.”

The colour graduation of 4:4:4seemed superior to the 4:2:2 recordingand, due to the qualitative nature ofcolour, quantifying the result is diffi-cult. But, by looking at the colour chartalone we could not immediately differ-entiate the 4:2:2 or 4:4:4 recording -- 24graduations of colour are not enough todifferentiate 4:2:2 from 4:4:4 in a filmprint. Then again, looking at the moreaesthetic wide-angle shot in day exteri-or, the 4:4:4 recording made evident thegraduations in colour and difference ofa 4:2:2 and 4:4:4 recording, especially inthe background. The wide shot clearlyemployed the added chrominance reso-lution of 4:4:4 and, perhaps by simplyappearing sharper, the resolution ofcolour was perceived differently. In thisway, the out-of-focus leaves seemed tohave more subtle and noticeable varia-tion in the green, and skin tonesappeared to have more realistic repre-sentation, less blotchy.

The technical test made clear thefact that cinematography choices areaesthetic, not scientific, and althoughqualitative results may be desirable todiscuss a tool, more practical tests areimmediately more accessible and bene-ficial to cinematographers like TomBurstyn.

“When we talk about 4:4:4 record-ing, there is the way it looks and theway it works,” Burstyn said. “Havingshot 4:4:4, there is no doubt that effi-ciency is compromised, so I could notpropose shooting this format withoutmentioning that to producers. One ishigh-end television (4:2:2) and theother is high-end film production(4:4:4).”

Similarly, Mark Read commented:“My uses for 4:4:4 are mostly foreffects shots where I am keying orcompositing elements. The addedchrominance resolution is the realbenefit for a guy like me who reallyneeds the information for post-pro-duction work. However, a properlyconstructed 4:2:2 production chainfrom camera to final print can be quitegood and will probably be the route

many take for reasons of cost and prac-ticality. Technically, the FilmStreammode of the Viper (4:4:4, 10-bit RGBLOG) is the single most important factor for producing high-qualityimages. Yet, I do not see people using itall the time because it is complicated.However, if your production has aqualified digital image technician(DIT), who understands FilmStreamand a producer who is willing to sup-port the needs of FilmStream, then youwill have the best end result.”

With practicality in mind, someclosing remarks about 4:4:4 image cap-ture as opposed to 4:2:2 that are impor-tant realities for cinematographers.First, 4:4:4 image capture places moredemands on the post-production chainand, depending on the camera mode,unprocessed or processed, there maybe additional, hidden, costs for simpleitems like dailies.

Second, 4:4:4 image capture requiresadditional labour on set, in the sensethat two cables now replace one in thelinking of camera to recorder. This mayseem simple, but it greatens the poten-tial for cable-related problems and canreduce efficiency. While recordingtechnologies continue to advance,newer equipment such as the VenomFlashPak, or digital magazine, is expen-sive to rent and not readily available.

Third, while 4:2:2 high definitionwas once new and a learning curveensued, the same is true of 4:4:4 inthat producers, directors, and post-production are not always clear onhow the system relates to them --though 4:4:4 HD is similar to 4:2:2.While such a portrait of 4:4:4 HD mayseem unappealing, as a tool for cine-matographers it brings hope to thedigital toolbox. Time would appear tobe the only limiting factor in howlong it takes 4:4:4 recording to becomemore prevalent, simpler and lessexpensive, much like how 4:2:2 HDhas progressed.

Contributors:E-Film -- Hollywoodhttp://www.efilm.comPlus 8 Digital -- Burbank CAhttp://www.plus8digital.com Mark Read, CEO, Hypercube Inc.http://www.hypercube.com •

10 • CSC News / October 2005

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Back in 2003, having agreed toorganize a professional work-shop on digital cameras for

the Festival International NouveauCinéma Nouveaux Médias de Montréal,I was looking for a local counterpoint tobalance the Thomson Viper tests ourFrench colleagues from the AFC hadalready agreed to premiere in Montreal.I came upon a document talking about acompany called Dalsa Corp. in WaterlooOnt., which was working on a prototype

ultra high-definition 4Kcamera called the Origin.

I contacted the com-pany, a world leader in digital imagingcomponents and specialized semicon-ductor manufacturing, and arranged tomeet in Waterloo with John Coghill,manager of the digital cinema depart-ment at Dalsa. I was shown imagesshot with the Origin prototype andwas incredibly surprised by what I saw.Coghill and Lucian Ion, designer of thecamera, agreed to come to Montreal topresent the camera and some testimages that had been shot by students.

At the Montreal festival workshop,the French Viper tests were fascinatingand showed us the immense possibilitiesof a high-end digital camera. Then it wasDalsa's turn. With more than 200 filmand video professionals from all sectorsof the business, including many DOPs,in the screening room, the images shotwith the prototype Origin camera wereshown. A moment of awed silence fellover the audience. Never had any digitalimages been seen with such dynamicrange and resolution.

Everyone present felt the impact thistechnology could have on our future, soI persuaded my new friends at Dalsa tolet me and some collaborators field testthe Origin the way the French had test-ed the Viper.

My plan evolved into shooting ascripted short film, with actors and all, ina normal production context -- not onlyto test the camera but also to have a pre-sentable document at the end of theprocess. My friends, producer FrançoisLeclerc of Zicatela Films, Kim Nguyen,the director I worked with on theacclaimed Quebec feature Le Marais, andRené Villeneuve, a post-production wiz-ard, agreed enthusiastically to embarkwith me on this adventure.

SODEC (Société de développementdes entreprises culturelles), TelefilmCanada, and both sectors (film andvideo) of the Quebec union AQTIS sup-ported our project from the start, andthe pertinence of the research work we

did helped secure thepartners we needed toproduce our 7 1/2-minute

film, called Le Gant/The Glove. The ideato have a short film shot simultaneous-ly on 35mm film and in digital 4Kimages was “catchy.” It seemed an idealtesting board for a lot of people work-ing at designing new production as well as post-production tools, and whowere looking for a “light” vehicle (com-pared with a feature film, for instance)to try their toys on. It was in this way,at a meeting at Discreet Logic (nowAutodesk) in Montreal, that our friendsfrom Éclair Laboratories in Paris foundout about the project and got involved,to our great satisfaction. In fact, we hadbeen looking for a post house inMontreal (and elsewhere in NorthAmerica) that could handle the wholepost chain in the quite new “dataheavy” 4K technology. TechnicolorMontreal and Studios Meteor, whowere involved in different aspects ofthe project, could not assure us theycould complete the work. Éclair'sinvolvement really took a weight offour shoulders.

The shoot took place in February,2004, under a variety of situations (inte-grated in the script), and really put thecamera to the test. We had hoped to usea newer version of the Origin with afaster chip, but unforeseen delays atDalsa forced us to shoot with the proto-type they had. So we were handed a not-so-good-looking camera, employing35mm lenses, with an optical reflexviewfinder. The single CCD chip wasslightly larger than a regular 35mmframe, but the existing electronics didnot permit real-time screening of the 4Kimages.

The prototype also had a slightlyunstable mechanical shutter that causedflickering with HMIs. There was notime-code generator and the sensitivityof the CCD was much slower than wehad hoped for (around 64 ISO with ablue filter for tungsten shooting becausethe sensor was daylight balanced).

12 • CSC News / October 2005

on camera

By Daniel Vincelette csc

Testing the Dalsa OriginDigital images with dynamic range and resolution lead to the “catchy” ideaof making a short film shot simultaneously on 35mm film and in digital 4K

DOP Daniel Vincelette csc, listening to his director, isat the helm of the two-camera rig used for shootingthe Dalsa Origin test film Le Gant/The Glove.

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Lead actor Silvio Orvieto and DOP Eric Cayla csc.

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DOPs and collaborators gather round Lucian Ion,head of development at Dalsa Corp., on the firstday of shooting Le Gant. Left to right: DOPDaniel Vincelette csc, DOP John Berrie csc, DOPPierre Mignot, director Kim Nguyen, DOP SergeDesrosiers csc, and post-production supervisorRené Villeneuve (with glasses and scarf).

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Nevertheless, it was still exhilarating tobe the first production ever to shoot afilm in 4K.

We all knew about the problems,which have since been resolved withthe final released production unit ofthe Origin, but decided that the experi-ment was well worth trying anyway. AsI hope you will soon be able to see foryourself, the pictorial quality of thesedigital images is breathtaking; we areon the eve of a revolution of the waywe consider digital. When you see ourfilms, you will also note that negativehas not had its last word either. There isa magnificent richness to the imagesshot in 35mm and transferred at 4K, atexture rarely shown by conventionallaboratory techniques.

As for the DOPs who joined us forthe shoot, most of them had seen thefirst Origin images we had presented ear-lier at FCMM, and all of them were eagerto have a chance to “practise” this newmedium. John Berrie csc, Eric Cayla csc,Serge Desrosiers csc and Pierre Mignotteamed with me to shoot Le Gant, eachone of us being responsible for one ofthe five days. The only drawback for allof us was the slowness of the sensor,especially for night shoots, but everyonesaid they would be more than happy totry out the new and faster camera.

The biggest challenge was in post-production. It was the first time that thebest of 35mm (the then-new 100 ISOKodak Vision2 5212 in an Arriflex 435)was compared face to face with the firstdigital camera able to capture a similarresolution and dynamic range.

As Philippe Soeiro, our incrediblyable collaborator from Éclair, said, it wasa very “high-end” project, as neverbefore had the camera negative beenused as a measure of quality. In the pho-tochemical chain, where the negative isthe highest possible quality but is neverscreened for obvious reasons, all previ-ous comparisons were made betweenthe digital image and a third-generationpositive print. It is only in this contextthat the electronic image could rival sil-ver-halide based media up to now.Because Le Gant was a real film with dif-ferent “ambiances” and some specialeffects, it was the whole post-productionprocess that would be put to the test ofvery high resolution.

The negative was scanned at 4K,

retaining most, if not all, of its originalqualities, and run through the chainside by side with the 4K images generat-ed by the Origin. Last year's state-of-the-art technology could handle 2K quiteeasily, but 4K was a different matter andproved to be a real technological chal-lenge. So our friends at Éclair, helped by the software creators from Discreet,developed and tested beta versions ofsoftware to store and process all thisdata. The effects were created onDiscreet's Inferno and the timing on

Discreet's Lustre through proxies. Thefinal result was later rendered, and fromthis we generated a digital 4K original(down-converted to 2K for presenta-tion). A 4K-originated internegative wasthen produced through an Arri Laser tomake prints for projection. The wholeprocess took more than a year.

Le Gant has been screened threetimes for cinematographers in Montreal,in Paris during an event hosted by theCST (Commission supérieure technique

• see page 14

CSC News / October 2005 • 13

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• from page 13de l'image et du son), in Cannes duringthe International Digital Film Forum(IDIFF 2005), and at the ASC in LosAngeles through Dalsa Corp.

The quality of the images? TheOrigin material surprised us with itspotential as it can effectively withstandcomparison with 35mm. As I have said,the problems with the prototype versionof the camera have been solved now, as Iwitnessed first hand in April when theyreleased the production version of theOrigin, and the designers are still work-ing to make it better. It is the closestthing to a digital negative we can get.The film-based positive images resultingfrom a 4K-scanned negative are equallysurprising and of a different texture; filmretains a physical structure that digitalimages do not have.

The whole experience tells me that4K seems to be the way of the future,whatever medium you originate from.Although it is not readily accessibledue to the lack of availability ofaffordable storage networks and fastenough pipelines to handle it, 4Koffers incredible quality that shouldplease all of us who will finally get achance to visualize our work the waywe intended it to be (as long as thescreens we present it on can cope withit); 2K and later 4K digital projectionare the keys to achieving this.

We DOPs now have a new tool inthe digital world than can at last reallycompare with the results we are used togetting from 35mm film, even thoughit has its own nature. I am trying hardto get the chance to shoot a completefeature film with the new Origin. I lovechallenges.

Useful information on the Origin used on Le Gant:Sensor: single chip CCD, 8.2 million pixelsResolution: 4096 (H) x 2048 (V) in RGBSensitivity: 100 ISOFormat: 2 x 1Optical finder: P+S TechnikLens mount: PL 35mmLenses: Zeiss VP vari-primes Camera/encoder link: 0.6mm fiber opticof a maximum length of 300 metresOn set encoder: 16 hard drives (1.5 terabytes), storage capacity of 50 minutes or 6 terabytes. •

14 • CSC News / October 2005

FOR SALE: Canon XL1, mic, two 4-hr. bat-teries & custom mount, Light Wave shot-gun mount, Micro Lux camera light.$1,500 or best offer. Ivar at 416-410-7636or ivar@mnsi.net

FOR SALE: Steadicam - Hollywood Lite,excellent condition, configured forAaton; Bauer batteries, high-resolutionLCD display. Supports 4 to 16 lb camera,comes with carrying case, $3500. IDXDelta 4 NP1 charger - charges four NP1batteries at a time. Great condition. OneNP1 Battery - still holds a good charge,$100. Pictures available by email:hd24p@johnbanovich.net 604-726-5646

FOR SALE: Paillard Bolex H16 Reflex,excellent condition, recently checked;comes with Pizar 1:1,5 -F+25mm carryingcase, instruction book, cable release.$1,400 obo. Contact Marc Strange, 416-405-8583 or e-mail roark@rogers.com

FOR SALE: Cameraman's own MoviecamSuperamerica 35mm camera body w/shortviewfinder, PL mount (1.85/TV groundglass); mount & body covers; transportcase. Panavision Moviecam long magnifi-cation viewfinder MCLE-807. Panavisionviewfinder levelling device EPLUK-805.Panavision Moviecam video assist acces-sory MSTC-0144; Panavision black &white monitor M?3BE-803. PanavisionMoviespeed control box MSSC-0132 (6-36fwd / 12-32 rev). Panavision MoviecamSuperamerica Synco-box MSSB-0141w/60Hz-24fps stick-in module; NorthAmerican 3-pin female to English 3-pinmale adapter cable; 50Hz-25fps stick-inmodule; transport case. Panavision on/offpistol grip MCRHG-821; 42” power cable;48” power cable. Moviecam 500' / 150mmagazine MCSM5-50280 (w/loop protec-tor) & transport case. Moviecam 500' /150m magazine MCSM5-50315 (w/loopprotector) & transport case. Moviecam1000' / 300m magazine MCSM10-10160(w/loop protector) & transport case.Panavision top mount magazine adapterMCSAMA-803. Panavision bridge plate BP-3ABT-853; sliding base plate CH88N7; set

of 12” / 30cm bracing rods. Moviecambridge plate w/tripod adapter (black); set ofshort (9 _”/ 24cm) bracing rods. Moviecambridge plate w/slot for bracing rods (forhand-held work); Shoulder rest (for hand-held work). Moviecam Super users guide.Moviecam Combitool. 3 - Moviecam sparecircuit boards; Pelican carrying case.Contact Barry Lank csc (204) 452-9422 orbarry@lankbeach.com

FOR SALE: Back-mount Steadicam vest forsale. Swiss-made ACTIONCAM: Fully sizeadjustable - no fitting required; reversibleand height adjustable arm mounting brack-et; tool-less adjustable socket-block(Steadicam); lightweight (8 lbs.); mountsand dismounts quickly with two ratchetingbuckles; 9 months old - used less than adozen shooting days (excellent condition).Allows for easier weight distribution - youcan put all the rig weight on your hips, forexample. I found it much easier to breatheand move than with my IIIa vest. Alsomakes “push-away” moves much easier tohold than with a standard vest. Can also berigged for “body-cam” actor-mount applica-tions. C$3500. Contact Ian Kerr 604-307-4198, ian@stormfilms.com

FOR SALE: Arri 35/Super35 35BL Evolutioncamera package. Original camera beforethe Evolution upgrade was a BL4 with a BL3finder. Camera is easily switched to regular35mm from super 35mm in just minutes.Package includes Evolution optics, exten-sion eyepiece, super wide angle eyepiece,video tap with Sony XC-999 camera,4x1000' mags, 2x400' mags, Media LogicDigitach, base and bridgeplate and manyother extras. Also included is a Steadycamlow mode bracket for use with the35Evolution system. All items come inheavy-duty Clydesdale cases. The camerais in excellent working order. It has beenprivately owned since new and has beenserviced regularly by Arri Canada. Askingprice is $45,000. Details on the Evolutionsystem are available at www.pstechnik.de/Questions or requests for photos can besent to photosonic@sympatico.ca or (416)604-4696.

CAMERA CLASSIFIEDS

Camera Classifieds is a FREE service to CSC members. If you have items you’d like to buy or sell, please e-mail your list to editor@csc.ca

CSC News / October 2005 • 15

CSC FULL AND LIFE MEMBERS

CSC FULL MEMBERS

Nicholas Allen-Woolfe cscJim Aquila cscEduardo Arregui cscMichael Balfry cscChristopher Ball cscJohn Banovich cscJohn Bartley csc ascStan Barua cscYves Bélanger cscPeter Benison cscDean Bennett cscJohn Berrie cscThom Best cscMichel Bisson cscCyrus Block cscRobert Bocking cscMichael Boland cscRaymond Brounstein cscThomas Burstyn cscBarry Casson cscEric Cayla cscHenry Chan cscMarc Charlebois cscRodney Charters csc ascBruce Chun cscDamir Chytil cscRichard Ciupka cscArthur Cooper cscWalter Corbett cscBernard Couture cscRichard Crudo csc ascDean Cundey csc ascFrancois Dagenais cscSteve Danyluk cscLouis de Ernsted cscDavid De Volpi cscKamal Derkaoui cscKim Derko cscJacques Desharnais cscSerge Desrosiers cscJean-Yves Dion cscZoe Dirse cscMark Dobrescu cscWes Doyle cscGuy Dufaux cscAlbert Dunk csc ascPhilip Earnshaw cscIan Elkin cscMichael Ellis cscCarlos Esteves cscNikos Evdemon cscDavid Frazee cscMarc Gadoury cscJames Gardner cscDavid Geddes cscIvan Gekoff cscLaszlo George cscLen Gilday cscPierre Gill cscJohn Goldi csc

Russ Goozee cscSteve Gordon cscBarry Gravelle cscDavid Greene cscJohn Griffin cscMichael Grippo cscManfred Guthe cscThomas Harting cscPeter Hartmann cscPauline Heaton cscBrian Hebb cscDavid Herrington cscKenneth Hewlett cscEdward Higginson cscRobbi Hinds cscRobert Holmes cscJohn Holosko cscGeorge Hosek cscColin Hoult cscDonald Hunter cscJoan Hutton cscTom Ingle cscMark Irwin csc ascMaris Jansons cscJames Jeffrey cscSilvio Jesenkovic cscDaniel Jobin cscPierre Jodoin cscMartin Julian cscNorayr Kasper cscGlen Keenan cscIan Kerr cscJan Kiesser csc ascAlar Kivilo csc ascDouglas Koch cscCharles Konowal cscRudi Kovanic cscJim Kozmik cscKen Krawczyk cscLes Krizsan cscAlwyn Kumst cscJean-Claude Labrecque cscSerge Ladouceur cscGeorge Lajtai cscMarc Laliberte Else cscBarry Lank csc

Henry Lebo cscJohn Lesavage cscHenry Less cscPierre Letarte cscPhilip Linzey cscWalt Lloyd cscJ.P. Locherer cscPeter Luxford cscLarry Lynn cscDuncan MacFarlane cscDylan Macleod cscBernie MacNeil cscGlen MacPherson cscHarry Makin cscDonald McCuaig cscRobert McLachlan csc ascRyan McMaster cscMichael McMurray cscStephen McNutt cscGraeme Mears cscSimon Mestel cscAlastair Meux cscGregory Middleton cscGordon Miller cscRobin Miller cscPaul Mitchnick cscLuc Montpellier cscGeorge Morita cscRhett Morita cscDavid Moxness cscCraig Mullins cscDouglas Munro cscStefan Nitoslawski cscDan Nowak cscRene Ohashi csc ascRon Orieux cscHarald Ortenburger cscGerald Packer cscRod Parkhurst cscBarry Parrell cscBrian Pearson cscDavid Perrault cscBarry Peterson cscBruno Philip cscMatthew Phillips cscAndré Pienaar csc

Edward Pietrzkiewicz cscRonald Plante cscRandal Platt cscMilan Podsedly cscHang Poon cscSteven Poster asc cscAndreas Poulsson cscPascal Provost cscDon Purser cscJoel Ransom cscOusama Rawi csc bscWilliam Reeve cscStephen Reizes cscDerek Rogers cscBrad Rushing cscBranimir Ruzic cscRobert Saad cscVictor Sarin cscPaul Sarossy csc bscGavin Smith cscChristopher Soos cscJohn Spooner cscRonald Stannett cscBarry Stone cscMichael Storey cscRichard Stringer cscMichael Sweeney cscAdam Swica cscAttila Szalay cscChristopher Tammaro cscJason Tan cscGabor Tarko cscJohn Tarver cscBrian Thomson cscPaul Tolton cscBert Tougas cscChris Triffo cscSean Valentini cscPaul van der Linden cscDerek Vanlint cscGordon Verheul cscRoger Vernon cscSteve Vernon cscDaniel Villeneuve cscDaniel Vincelette cscMichael Wale csc

John Walker cscJames Wallace cscTony Wannamaker cscPeter Warren cscAndrew Watt cscJim Westenbrink cscTony Westman cscKit Whitmore cscBrian Whittred cscRon Williams cscGeorge Willis cscRichard Wincenty cscGlen Winter cscPeter Woeste cscBill Wong cscBruce Worrall cscCraig Wrobleski cscYuri Yakubiw cscEllie Yonova csc

FULL LIFE MEMBERS

Herbert Alpert csc ascDavid Carr cscChristopher Chapman cscRobert Crone cscKenneth Davey cscKelly Duncan csc dgcDan Gibson cscKenneth Gregg cscBrian Holmes cscMaurice Jackson-Samuels cscDouglas Kiefer cscNaohiko Kurita cscHarry Lake cscDouglas Lehman cscDonald McMillan cscJim Mercer cscRoger Moride cscDean Peterson cscRoger Racine cscRobert Rouveroy cscIvan Sarossy cscJosef Sekeresh cscWalter Wasik cscRon Wegoda csc

GiantGongDOP George Hosek csc had a

challenge. Shooting a commer-cial for the California Lottery

this past summer in the desert near LosAngeles, he had to film a scene inwhich a half dozen or so brawny menhoisted a gigantic gong up into a mam-moth log frame.

In reality, however, the men wereabout the same size as the gong.

Hosek knew what to do; he justhad to decide what to do it with. Heconsidered the Revolution lens sys-tem from Clairmont Camera, withwhich he was familiar, but he final-ly chose the Frazier system fromPanavision. “The reason we wentwith Frazier,” he said, “was because

when shooting in a very dusty envi-ronment it is better to use a biggerlens (like the Frazier) than thesmaller lenses on the Revolution.”

The Panavision/Frazier lens systemhas been around for over a decade. Ithas been considered one of the mostadvanced pieces of camera equipmentby Hollywood moviemakers becauseof its supposedly cutting-edge abilityto keep objects both far and near infocus at the same time. Its inventor,Australian documentary cinematogra-pher Jim Frazier, won an Oscar for sci-entific and technical achievement in1997 for designing the system.

It is basically a periscope-type lenswith two axes and built-in rotation.

Hosek's Frazier came with Nikon lenses.“On a sunny California day,” Hosek

recounted, “we used Kodak Vision2250D to achieve a high f-stop toaccommodate the depth of field need-ed to optimize the shot. A six-footminiature of the gong structure wasplaced at a distance of a foot or two infront of the camera to obtain a giantlook with people behind pulling thegong upwards.

“Intermittent wind blowing thesand gave my assistant a headachebecause he had to clean the lens beforeeach camera roll. This was my firstexperience with the system and I wasamazed at how realistic a look can beobtained.” •

16 • CSC News / October 2005

camera tricksGeorge Hosek csc and the Giant Gong

In this sequence of photos, (1) DOP George Hosek csc supervises a Los Angeles shoot for the California Lottery, (2) filming a man-sized gong with (3) theFrazier lens system to create (4) this scene of a gigantic gong being hoisted into place.

1

3

2

4

ASC AWARDS SLATED FOR FEB. 26Society Issues Call for TV Entries

The 20th annual American Societyof Cinematographers Awards for Out-standing Achievement in Cinemato-graphy will be held on Feb. 26 at theCentury Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.Nominees for feature films released in2005 will be announced on Jan. 11, andfor the narrative television competitionon Jan. 18. The two television awardsare for an episode of a series, and TVmovies/mini-series/pilots that aired onnetwork and pay-per-view/cable chan-nels in 2005.

The ASC will also present Lifetimeand International Achievement awardsto cinematographers whose distin-guished bodies of work have earnedthe respect of their peers. Board ofGovernors and Presidents Awards willbe presented to individuals who havemade exceptional contributions toadvancing the art of filmmaking, and aHeritage Award to a deserving student.

The ASC has issued a call forentries in the two television cate-gories. For eligibility, programs mustair for the first time in 2005. Thedeadline for submissions is Jan. 3 bynoon. For more information regard-ing rules and/or to download anentry form, visit the ASC website atwww.theasc.com, or call 323-969-4333.

NEW FROM PANASONIC CANADAStudio Quality 17 Widescreen LCD Monitor

Panasonic Canada has introducedthe BT-LH1700W, a broadcast-quality,high-definition/standard-definitionLCD monitor for studio and field appli-cations. Displaying brilliant, highlycolour saturated images, the 17” space-saving, widescreen monitor producesexceptional colour reproduction andgradation, while allowing the user todisplay widescreen high definitionimages in their natural resolution.

The multi-format BT-LH1700 offersa 1280 x 768 pixel WXGA-resolution,an amazingly fast response time of10ms, and faithfully reproduces up to16.7 million colours. The 17” flat panelmonitor offers a wide viewing angle of

176 degrees vertical and horizontal.Thin and lightweight, the rack-

mountable BT-LH1700W is designedto simplify demanding high-defini-tion and standard-definition produc-tion tasks. The monitor is equippedwith intuitive, easy-to-use manualcontrols needed for video productionand broadcast applications, as well asindependent control knobs for bright-ness, contrast, chroma and phase. Italso incorporates a RG tally display.

The monitor displays 1080/24PsF,1080i, 720P and 480i video formatinputs. It offers an array of input/out-puts including SDI, Y/Pb/Pr, RGB,composite and S-video, as well as anaudio input. The unit, which alsoincludes a built-in stereo speaker and aVESA mount, is available at a list priceof $4,200.

DALSA BUYS NEW FUJINON LENSHAe 10x10 HD Zoom Added to Rental Inventory

Dalsa Digital Cinema's camera rentalfacility in Woodland Hills, Calif., ownedby parent Dalsa Corp. of Waterloo,Ont., recently purchased a new FujinonHAe10x10 HD zoom lens, one ofFujinon's “Cine Super E” Series lensesfor digital cinematography. Dalsa DigitalCinema has added the HAe10x10 HDzoom to its inventory of Fujinon lensesthat accompany rentals of SD and HDcameras, from mini-DV to HD formats,for television and film productions.

The HAe10x10 lens has alreadybeen used on a Sony F900 24p HD cam-corder for shooting For Heaven's Sake,an independent feature film producedby Olliewood Films. The lens was alsoused to shoot episodes of Noah's Ark, anew television series for LOGO,Viacom's new basic cable network.

KODAK NEWS¥ Look Manager System Upgrades

Kodak has announced that the company will bring version 2.0 of theKodak Look Manager System to themarketplace in December. The systemenables cinematographers to pre-visual-ize, create, communicate and managesubtle nuances in film looks from pre-production through post-production.

The software-based system utilizescalibrated hardware devices that enablecinematographers to experiment withdifferent looks during pre-production.They can simulate multiple combina-tions of Kodak films, in-camera effects,lighting techniques, gels, filters, andpost-production processes. After thecinematographer locks into a designedlook, an exportable file is used to com-municate their intentions to other sys-tem users on multiple display devices.

Look Manager 2.0 includes a user-friendly interface, with an enhancedproject-oriented approach. Cinemato-graphers can now import and organizeimages on a per-scene basis, assign

• see page 18

CSC News / October 2005 • 17

news clips

Toronto cinematographer Zoe Dirse csc (right), who recentlyreturned from a documentary shoot in Russia, is shown inSt. Petersburg with director Margus Kolga (left) and transla-tor Zinaida Uspenskaya. Dirse is working on a doc called TheSinking, about the sinking of the vessel Wilhelm Gustloff inthe Baltic Sea in January, 1945. It was the largest marinedisaster in history, in which 9,500 German refugees, mostlywomen and children, perished when a Russian torpedo struckthe former German officers' cruise ship. “We went withthree survivors to Gydinia, Poland, from where the shipdeparted, and they recalled their ordeal,” she said. “Laterwe went to St. Petersburg to get the Russian side of thestory. We also plan to go to Germany to interview GunterGrass, who wrote a book on the disaster, Crab Walk. TheSinking will air in February on Omni television.

• from page 17metadata and basic looks, which canthen be further colour-corrected, viewedand compared on calibrated monitorswith other system users. This assists inthe communication of the entire visionof a project with collaborators.

Additionally, for the first time, 3-Dlook-up tables (LUTs) can be applied toimages and exported, giving post facil-ities a scientific reference and commu-nications component for eliminatingguesswork involved with recreatingvisuals as intended by the creatorthroughout the workflow. The new ver-sion also features more intuitive func-tions, including multi-level undo/redoand set/reset utilities, and extendeddrag and drop capabilities. Otherenhancements include quicker runspeeds and a “recipe” summary of thelooks in a tool tip or on a photograph-ic print.

¥ Kodak Highlights Hybrid WorkflowKodak showcased an array of advanced

film and post-production technologies atthe annual International BroadcastersConference (IBC) in Amsterdam lastmonth. The company is demonstrated theKodak Vision2 HD System, a package offilm and hybrid technologies designed toextend creative flexibility and improveefficiency in television production. Kodakalso introduced a prototype of the KodakLook Manager System version 2.0 (seeabove).

The Vision2 HD System includes aspecially designed, scan-only filmthat is optimized for use with today'sbest telecine transfer technology. Thenew stock also features an extendeddynamic range and latitude, alongwith grain and sharpness comparablewith Vision2 500T 5218/7218 colournegative film. The film can be ratedfor an exposure index (E.I.) of either320 or 500. It is available in Super 16mm, and by special order in 35 mm.

The HD System also includes theVision2 HD Digital Processor, whichpost-production houses use to applythe tones and colour characteristics ofmany current Kodak colour negativefilms as designated by the cinematog-rapher. The digital processor utilizesproprietary colour science technologyto adjust the scanned images for thedesignated film speed, colour tempera-

18 • CSC News / October 2005

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tures, as well as compensating forover- and under-exposure.

The Kodak exhibit at IBC also pre-viewed images recorded with the newVision2 50D 5201/7201 colour nega-tive film, which is available as of thismonth. The new negative is designedto give cinematographers more cre-ative latitude while filming high-con-trast exterior scenes in bright daylightas well as shots in mixed colour tem-peratures. The film is also optimized asa recorder output film.

The new emulsion is the sixthmember of the Vision2 family of films,which was introduced in November,2002. The others are 500T 5218/7218,100T 5212/7212, 200T 5217/7217,250D 5205/7205, and 500T Expression5229/7229.

IDA BESTOWS NEW HONOURAnnounces Inaugural Award for Cinematography

Joan Churchill, ASC will receive theInternational Documentary AssociationAward for Outstanding DocumentaryCinematography at the annual IDADistinguished Documentary Achieve-ment Awards in Los Angeles on Dec. 9.

“Joan Churchill is an extraordinaryvisual storyteller who is in the processof creating an important body ofwork,” said IDA executive directorSandra Ruch. "She is being recognizedfor her unique achievements as anauthor of compelling images that havetold some of the important stories ofour times.”

Ruch said the IDA board of direc-tors decided to create an award recog-nizing cinematographers because crit-ics and the public generally overlooktheir contributions to the collabora-tive process of storytelling.

Churchill has compiled some 50cinematography credits since the early1970s, including such award-winningfilms for cinema and television screensas Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer,Soldier Girls, Asylum and Lily Tomlin, forwhich she received directing credits aswell. Her recent projects includeBearing Witness, a feature-length docu-mentary about female journalists work-ing in combat zones in Iraq, and Homeof the Brave, about the death of ViolaLiuzzo, the only white woman killed inthe U.S. civil rights movement. •

CSC News / October 2005 • 19

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20 • CSC News / October 2005

British Columbia, PrairiesBATTLESTAR GALACTICA (series); DOP: Stephen McNutt csc; to Dec. 8, Vancouver (HDTV).COLLECTOR (series); DOP: Henry Chan csc; to Oct. 4, Burnaby (HDTV).DAUGHTERS OF JOY (mini-series); Op/SC: Carey Toner; 2nd-unit DOP/Op:Roger Vernon csc; to Oct. 25, Calgary.DA VINCI'S CITY HALL (series); DOP: David Frazee csc; to Dec. 22, Vancouver.DUNGEON SIEGE (feature); 2nd-unit DOP: Danny Nowak csc; to Oct. 15, Vancouver.EVIDENCE (series); DOP: David Geddes csc; Oct. 6-March 15, Burnaby.FINAL DAYS OF THE PLANET EARTH (mini-series); DOP: Thomas Burstyncsc; B-Op/SC: Junichi Hosoi; to Nov. 6, Burnaby (HDTV).GODIVAS (series); DOP: Bruce Worrall csc; to Dec. 16, Burnaby.KILLER INSTINCT (series); DOP: Philip Linzey csc; to Dec. 23, Vancouver.MASTERS OF HORRORS (series); DOPs: Attila Szalay csc and BrianPearson csc; Op: Brad Creasser; to Nov. 7, Burnaby.MOCCASIN FLAT (series); DOP: Matthew Phillips csc; to Oct. 12, Regina.REUNION (series); DOP: David Moxness csc; Op: Chris Tammaro csc; to Dec. 20, North Vancouver.THE RON CLARK STORY (MOW); 2nd-unit Op: Wes Doyle csc; to Oct. 5, Calgary.SMALLVILLE (series); DOP: Glen Winter csc; to April 29, Burnaby.STARGATE ATLANTIS (series); B-1st: Grizz Salzl; to Oct. 5, Burnaby (HDTV).STARGATE SG-1 (series); DOP: Peter Woeste csc (with Jim Menard); to Oct. 5, Burnaby (HDTV).SUPERNATURAL (series); DOP: Serge Ladouceur csc; Op: James Wallace csc; to Dec. 2, Burnaby.

Ontario, Quebec, AtlanticBILLABLE HOURS (series); DOP: Thom Best csc; Oct. 17-Nov. 29, Toronto (HDTV).BLACK EYED DOG (long metrage-video); DOP: Daniel Vincelette csc; 3 octobre au 5 novembre, Dieppe, N.B.BLACK WIDOWER (MOW); DOP: Jim Westenbrink csc; Oct. 1, Ottawa (HDTV).BON COP/BAD COP (long metrage-film); DOP: Bruce Chun csc; au 7 octobre, Montreal.LES BOUGONS - C'EST AUSSI CA LA VIE (serie-film); DOP: Yves Belanger csc; au 5 octobre, Montreal.CHEZ SCHWARTZ'S (serie documentaire); DOP: Marc Gadoury csc; au 23 decembre, Montreal.CITIZEN DUANE (feature); DOP: Adam Swica csc; to Oct. 17, Toronto.COMME EN APPART' (tele-roman); DOP: Daniel Villeneuve csc (pilote); au 31 janvier, Montreal.THE COVENANT (long metrage-film); DOP: Pierre Gill csc; 3 octobre au 3 decembre, Montreal.DAIRY GIRLS (MOW); DOP: Tony Westman csc; to Oct. 23, Toronto.

DARCY'S WILD LIFE 2 (series); DOP: Mike McMurray csc; to Oct. 19, Toronto (HDTV).DARK ORACLE 2 (series); DOP: Kim Derko csc; Oct. 3-Nov. 23, Toronto.DEGRASSI: THE NEXT GENERATION (series); DOP: Gavin Smith csc; to Nov. 22, Toronto.DOOMSTOWN (MOW); DOP: Rhett Morita csc; Op: Cudah Andarawewa;to Oct. 7, Toronto.DUO (long metrage-film); DOP: Bernard Couture csc; au 25 octobre,Montreal.FILTHY GORGEOUS (pilot); Op/SC: Keith Murphy; to Oct. 13, Toronto (HDTV).G-SPOT (series); DOP: Arthur Cooper csc; 1st: Paula Tymchuk; to Oct. 14, Toronto.HEYDAY (MOW); DOP: Francois Dagenais csc; to Oct. 14, St. John's Nfld.HOTEL METROPOITAN (series); DOP: Luc Montpellier csc; to Nov. 10, Toronto.INSTANT STAR (series); DOP: John Berrie csc; to Dec. 2, Toronto.IT'S A BOY GIRL THING (feature); DOP: Steve Danyluk csc; Oct. 1-Nov. 11, Toronto.JEFF LTD. (series); DOP/B-Op: David Perrault csc; to Oct. 13, Toronto.MISSING CYCLE (series); DOP: Yuri Yakubiw csc; Op: Michael Fylyshtan;1st: Philippe Champion; to Nov. 4, Toronto (HDTV).MONSTER WARRIORS (series); 1st: Demetri Portelli; to Nov. 14, Barrie, Ont.MURDER IN MY HOUSE (MOW); DOP: Bert Tougas csc; to Oct. 3, Ottawa.NATURALLY SADIE (series); DOP: Mitchell Ness; to Feb, 1, Toronto (HDTV).NIGHT OF TERROR (MOW); DOP: Barry Gravelle csc; Op: John Lindsay;1st: Kevin Stewart; 2nd: Pierre Branconnier; to Oct. 13, Toronto.OCTOBER 1970 (MOW); DOP: Marc Charlebois csc; Op: Christopher Ball csc; Oct. 19-Feb. 6, Halifax.PEN PALS (feature); DOP/B-Op: G.R. Goozee csc; to Oct. 5, Toronto.RECIPE FOR A PERFECT CHRISTMAS (MOW); Bert Dunk csc asc; Op: Rod Crombie; to Oct. 14, Toronto (HDTV).REGENESIS (series); DOP: Michael Storey csc; Op: Andris Matiss; to Dec. 13, Mississauga, Ont.REXXX THE FIREHOUSE WONDERDOG (feature); 1st: Chirayouth JimSaysana; to Dec. 8, Toronto.SKINWALKERS (feature); Op: Brian Gedge; B-Op: Kit Whitmore csc; to Nov. 11, Toronto.STEPPING UP (cable feature); Op: Harald Ortenburger csc; to Oct. 22, Toronto.THIS IS WONDERLAND (series); DOP: Gerald Packer csc; Op: Kim Derko csc; to Dec. 20, Toronto.UNTITLED HISTORY PROJECT (mini-series); DOP: Joel Ransom csc; B-Op/SC: Iain Baird; B-1st: Peter Battistone; to Oct. 30, Toronto.YOUNG TRIFFIE'S BEEN MADE AWAY WITH (long metrage-film); DOP: Eric Cayla; 3 octobre au 8 novembre, Terre-Neuve.

Schedule of Meetings and Events of Interest to CSC Members

ACTION PRODUCTION NOTES & CSC CALENDAR

Check www.csc.ca for the latest information

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