CINEGEAR VP PARTY & AWARDS

The highlight of Friday night at CINEGEAR was the VIP reception sponsored by Fujifilm and hosted by Ross Matthews from The Tonight Show, where the Life Time Achievement, Anniversary and Film Competition Awards were handed out to their deserving recipients namely, Ed Phillips, President and CEO of Matthews Studio Equipment, Band Pro, Yellow Jacket, Society of Camera Operators (SOC) and the winning filmmakers of the competition.

Riffing on the blues, awards, gourmet delicacies and choice of
spirits kept all guests entertained. Karl Kresser and Juliane Grosso,
CINEGEAR organizers, making sure that all is up to par.

Daryn Okada, ASC (Ghost of Girlfriend's Past)
and Jeffrey Okun, VES Chair.(Last Samurai)

Shane Hurlbut, ASC (Terminator Salvation) and
Rodney Taylor, ASC (That Evening Sun)

Richard Crudo, ASC (My Sexiest Year) and
Kramer Morgantheau, ASC (Life on Mars)

Nancy Scheiber, ASC (Every Day) and a guest.

David Malhmann, SOC Events Chairman, Dan Kneece,
SOC President and Warren Yeager, SOC Treasurer,
celebrating the Fujifilm Award.

Victoria Adams and David Grober, producers of the award winning
Perfect Horizon, Motion Picture Marine mingling with friends.

THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123 AT CINEGEAR

The activities started early on Saturday the 6th with several seminars, master classes, and presentations by key members of the industry. The vendor exhibit areas were crowded by the attending public inquiring about products and services. The site looked like a tribute to the choreography of a Busby Berkeley film with so much in-sync movement and functionality together under one roof. Sky high zooming towering cranes, moving dollies, up and down jibs, steadicams flying about, floating lighting balloons, camera cars, tingling lighting pattens and hundreds of people moving about sharing a common bond for motion picture production.

Two of the many outstanding seminars at CINEGEAR, I could attend were The Taking of Pelham 123, and A Dialogue with the BSC and ASC Cinematographers.

The Taking of Pelham 123 was moderated by Bob Fisher and presented a dissection of the anatomy of the remake of the original film and shooting styles of two directors of photography, the veteran master Owen Roizman, ASC and the younger and talented, Tobias Schliesser, ASC. Owen Roizman was the cinematographer of the original film directed by Joseph Sargent and Tobias Schliesser was the cinematographer of the remake helmed of Tony Scott.


I still remember the day when I saw the original film in a cramped Times Square theater, I was taken by the dynamic directorial pace, the motley crew cast of characters and the fluid cinematography that took place in such confining location. The action scenes inside New York City subway cars and tunnels of my neighborhood prompted to investigate how such action movies where made.

Tobias Schliesser ASC, Bob Fisher and Owen Roizman, ASC.

"It was a single Panavision camera shoot on Kodak 100 ASA negative stock on top of a dolly and I used anamorphic lenses. No storyboards, no special effects and I relied only on the available electrical power offered by the MTA (Manhattan Transit Authority). The film was pre-flashed at 20% with an optical printer and processed photochemically and I approved the dailies at the lab every day before coming to the underground set".

"I used the train overhead fluorescents and the tunnel tungsten illumination to my advantage coupled it with several inkys, tweenis, babys, juniors and 500 watts photofloods. Due to budget and insurance constraints, our electrical power was provided by the city and our lighting package was basic. For example, I used the car electrical out lets to fire our rigged 1oo watts inky fixtures bounced into dentist mirrors and the car available fluorescent overheads for the close ups and eye lighting".


In contrast, Tobias Schliesser ASC, lit the set for Tony Scott using the latest technology in fluorescent and tungsten lighting. The camera setup was a multi-camera setup or EFP style using Kodak 500T film stock on Panavision cameras tethered to a video village, covering every aspect of the performance while Tony Scott commanded the framing and moves via headset. Another big difference in the shooting style of the two films was the choice of lenses. Tobias Schliesser used Super 35 aspect ratio on faster Primo zooms and high speed primes lenses from his arsenal to capture the distinctive look that matches the fast pace of the edited storyline.

"I was there to make sure that the highly storyboarded and choreographed set was properly illuminated. We discussed every single move and lighting scheme prior our working day. Tony sketches very detailed storyboards and follow them as much as possible but I never stayed on the video village while the shooting, but in the middle of the action, close to the camera operators making constant lighting adjustments for such complicated coverage". The processing of the resulting exposed film was photochemical and scanned to a digital workflow for DI colorizing and other pertinent adjustments.

After the fantastic conversation with these three masters of their craft, I am looking forward again to sit in a dark theater to revisit the emotion I felt once for 90 minutes and watch the remake this classic New York City thriller.

Cinematography by Owen Roizman, ASC

Cinematography by Tobias Schliesser,ASC

Read the Taking of Pelham 123. Then and Nowby Bob Fisher featured in MovieMaker Magazine

A DIALOGUE WITH THE BSC AND ASC CINEMATOGRAPHERS

The most significant seminar was A Dialogue with the BSC and ASC Cinematographers, given the importance of the two associations. The British cinematographers were visiting Hollywood and celebrating their 6oth years of service. Their motto is "Preserving the Vision" and once again they are in the task of rewriting a new set of guidelines for the fast evolving concept of digital cinematography.

Moreover, they already have successfully accomplished the preservation of many cinema masterpieces, making them available for future generations to come and witness the glorious past of outstanding film making. For many years, I have been a fan of British film making and their production techniques. Their ability to create a rich visual language that always has been distinctive and spectacular has made me a follower of every aspect of British cinema, including television production.

The event was hosted by the ASC, who was also celebrating 90 years of continuous service preserving the ethics and excellence of the craft of American cinematography and it was held at the massive Stage 12. It started with an exquisite edited video presentation of clips by the masters and artisans that integrate both associations. George Spiro Dibie ASC, and BSC President Sue Gibson, co-moderated the panel and introduced the topic for discussion, opening the floor for a series of questions and answers.

The panel was integrated by Owen Roizman ASC, John Daly BSC, ASC President Michael Goi, Daryn Okada ASC, Richard Crudo ASC, Oliver Curtis BSC, Dick Pope BSC, Allen Daviau ASC, Joe Dunton BSC, Phil Meheux BSC, Nancy Schreiber ASC, and Nic Morris, BSC. The event culminated with a traditional double birthday cake celebration provided by the CINEGEAR Expo organizers, Karl Kresser and Juliane Grosso. The general public mingled with the cinematographers who responded to candid questions and posed for photo opportunities.

Double click for enlargement and detail

ASC President, Michael Goi and BSC President, Sue Gibson cutting

their respective 90th anniversary and 60th anniversary cakeNancy Schreiber, ASC and John Daly, BSC

Phil Meheux BSC, Michael Goi ASC, Owen Roizman ASC,
John Daly, BSC and George Spiro Dibie , ASC

Guillermo Navarro, ASC AMC
(Pan's Labyrinth) Academy award nominated,
Dick Pope, BSC (The Illusionist)
& Phil Meheux, BSC (Casino Royale)
enjoying the anniversary cake

Award winner and Academy nominated, Allen Daviau, ASC

Nic Morris BSC, George Spiro Dibie ASC,
Sue Gibson BSC & George Leon

PHANTOM 35HD/HD HIGH SPEED CAMERA

The Phantom 35/HD with Primo® prime lens

KEY FEATURES

Up to 1052 fps at 1920 x 1080P resolution. Up to 555 fps at full 2048 x 2048 resolution uncompressed RAW data recording. Panavision lens mount - fits all Panavision 35mm spherical and anamorphic lenses. Hot-swappable Phantom CineMag 512GB memory magazines. Untethered shooting Real-time playback. 12.1 lbs / 5.5 kg. Panavision accessories.

DIGITAL HIGH SPEED WITH 35MM FILM SIZED IMAGER

The Phantom 35/HD CMOS sensor is 25.6mm square, or about the size of 35mm full aperture, and has a Panavision mount, so you can use any of our Panavision lenses. A 35mm sized sensor also means the familiar 35mm depth of field, for creative control of focus.

The CMOS sensor’s 14-bit depth provides wide dynamic range and color. High speed images are recorded to the internal 16GB memory buffer. At 1920 x 1080 resolution, the buffer holds 4385 frames, which is almost 4 1/2 seconds at 1000 fps. Once the buffer is full, the clip can be trimmed and then transferred to the CineMag. At speeds below 450 fps, images can be recorded directly to the CineMag, for longer takes. With 2 CineMags the camera is always ready to shoot, as one can be on the camera while the other is being downloaded to a hard drive.

Unlike many previous digital high-speed cameras, this is fully hand-holdable without the need to be connected to a computer. The on-board memory can operate as a circular buffer for end-of-shot triggering, so you’ll never miss the key moment. The system records in Phantom RAW cine format, and also can be output as TIFF stacks, uncompressed Quicktime, DPX, DNG, AVI, and others.

SPECIFICATIONS and FEATURES
Up to 1052 fps at 1920 x 1080 resolution. Up to 793 fps at 1712 x 1432 resolution [full anamorphic image area] using Panavision anamorphic lenses EI 320. Hot-swappable 512 GB CineMags. Wide selection of Panavision lenses. Compact and lightweight. File-based workflow, simple download process .Panavision lens mount and accessories. 14 bit uncompressed RAW recording. 4:2:2 HD-SDI real-time playback and monitoring output. Easy to fly on steadicam rig or remote.

CAR RIGGING & GRIP SEMINAR. GRIP, GRAB & GROG

"When you want to set any fixture high of the ground, you should have a sure footing.The three points of contact or legs of your C-stand or grip assembly must be spread accordingly to hold the weight safely at all times”, said Mike Rogers to a crowd of motion picture professionals at the Car Rigging & Grip Equipment Techniques Seminar, Wednesday night in Burbank, California.

Demonstrating a wall spreader with a piece of lumber to hang clamps, fixtures and other light control devices

Rigging a trapeze requires attention to detail and knot making ability

The proper way to set a diffuser or gel frame into a large hot fixture

Mike Rogers is a seasoned veteran of the motion picture industry and is currently the Lighting/Grip General Manager of Birns & Sawyer, the premiere rental and sales firm of motion picture equipment located in Hollywood. Birns and Sawyer, Inc. has been an industry standard for quality and dependability for the last fifty years and continues to assist the needs of filmmakers and progress with new technology. No better said and demonstrated that with this hands-on seminar covering every detail regarding the selection of the right grip tool for your next job. Jesse Hurtado and John Ploucher, both employees of the company, assisted the evening seminar. Marty Meyer, Head of Marketing, introduced the Seminar and invited the attendees to savor a variety of appetizers, wine and drinks.

Mike started the seminar chronicling the origins and utilization of clamps, mounting equipment and lighting and grip stands for different uses. The clamps were separated in three groups: Clamps fitted to use on a speed rail or a hanging pipe and clamps fitted to hang from/to a piece of lumber, light poles, cables, branches or other unexpected mounting surface and car mounted grip equipment.

Also, safety in handling C-stands, Hi rollers and Low rollers were explained at detail including storage, spread, and correct tightening of the different sizes of grip heads.

Emphasizing safety when hanging fixtures. Always use a safety chain or safety cord after setting the fixture into place.

Some items on display at hand were, Cardellini clamps, Speed rail C-clamps, Bar, Studded, Scissor, Quaker, T-bones, Trapeze, Furniture clamps, Mafer clamps, Chain vise grip, Putty knife, the Tree branch holder, the Wall spreader with a piece of lumber, Pigeons, the Condor mount, Locking pliers, among others. Also, on display were Century stands, High rollers, Low rollers, Risers, gobo arms, grip heads (gags/double gags), the ubiquitous Lollipop, spuds, plugs, flags, fingers, scrims, butterfly frames and others. Between descriptions, Mike revealed past experiences and well kept secrets of the trade when combining all these tools for a shoot, delivering the correct piece of grip equipment and solving a possible lighting control problem. “Get to know the location or situation, stay alert and troubleshoot safely any possible problem” “ Per instance, if on location and your DP requests a wall wash with a PAR fixture, you could use a pigeon plate instead an unsightly light stand. Screw the pigeon plate into a ½” plywood board and securely sandbag it into place and hide it out of sight in the bushes or hedges" “Grip rigging is all about versatility”, he added.

Stabilizing a boom arm in a C stand in irregular terrain using an apple box.

The instruction given on the technique was comprehensive and put into action immediately showing to the attendees the correct mounting and positioning of the rigs and other tricks-of-the trade.

Birns & Sawyer maintains a continuous schedule of different outstanding one-evening seminars. I attended several months ago, the seminar “Lighting for Motion Picture” and I was happily surprised by the knowledge and experience displayed by the presenters in tackling any lighting situation on location or studio. Other recent past seminar were, “HMI Lighting” and “Audio for Emerging Filmmakers” Next one to come is “Lighting and Techniques for Green/Blue Screen”. For more information, check Birns & Sawyer website or call 818.766.2525

The last portion of the seminar included a detailed demonstration in how to rig a speed bar hood mount and a side door mount in a car, followed by different moving and stationary techniques and safety tips.

Explaining the correct way to adjust the speed bar mount into a car hood

Side door car mount

Suction/pump cup head plate with a 300 watts fixture

Speed bar assembly for car hood mounting The head plate slides to accommodate camera position The four way leveling head allows easy camera positioning and framing

Articulated grip assembly with pump cups for rigging lighting control devices

George, Jonathan, Greg and Mike.

THE MOVING CAMERA OPERATION SEMINAR WAS A HIT!

Hands-on demonstration of a Panavision Genesis on a geared Panahead and a Fisher 10 dolly on skate wheels

Last Saturday 17, J.L Fisher hosted their 4th Annual Outdoor Mixer & BBQ Lunch in association with the Society of Camera Operators SOC, the International Cinematographers Guild ICG, and the American Society of Cinematographers ASC, under a cloudless blue ski and a fantastic weather. The event is held in the outdoor and indoor facilities of JL Fisher, the legendary manufacturer of motion picture and television equipment located in Burbank, California. The event consists in the participation of outdoor exhibitors presenting the latest in motion picture equipment and the anticipated panel “The Moving Camera Operation Seminar” hosted by the ASC , SOC, IGC & IATSE Local 80.

David Mahlman, SOC, (left) introduced the Panel discussion to the inquisitive audience. The focus was the working relationship between the Cinematographer, Camera Operator, 1st AC, Key Grip and Dolly Grip when using dollies and jib arms. George Spiro Dibie, ASC (center) moderated the panel addressing the questions to the guest speakers. Among the speakers were (left to right) David Frederick SOC, Buddy Fries SOC, Michael Scott SOC, Bob Gorelick SOC, Bob Hall SOC, Bill Bennett ASC, Lloyd Moriarty IATSE 80, Don M. Morgan ASC, Daniel Pearl ASC, Michael Goi ASC, Michael Negrin ASC, Richard Crudo ASC, Kees Van Oostrum ASC, Russell Nordstedt and Donald Hubbell IATSE Local 8o.

JL Fisher is the perfect venue to host such event not only because of the enormous size of their facilities and the hands-on demonstration of their dollies, boom arms and jibs, but also for the eye-to-detail displayed by their employees while explaining to the visitors the different types of camera and sound movement equipment. From their famous “Fisher 10” to the door crawler “Spyder” to their massive “Quattro” Pedestal for EFP Television production to their brand new Pipe Tracks and Articulated Skate Wheels, JL Fisher dollies allow the Dolly Grip to push or pull the camera from the starting mark to the ending mark effortlessly.

David Mahlmann, SOC and George Spiro Dibbie, ASC

Another decisive factor for the proven success of the annual gathering is the copious amounts of gourmet food and drinks JL Fisher cater through the day. Upon my arrival, I darted to the catering truck and food tent for a hefty breakfast of orange juice, spinach and ham omelet with all the trimmings prepared by a “above the line” short order cook. After I had satisfied my obsession for a good Saturday’s brunch, I went around visiting and talking with some of the many exhibitors and vendors in the already packed parking lot. Among them were, BandPro (J.Cree, SOC), Arri, Birns & Sawyer (Mike Rogers), Panavision (Richard Amadril), Innovision Optics, (Mark Centowsky) Doggy Cam (Gary Thieltges), JVC (with the new GY-HM700UXT, Greg Gorman), Filmtools and others.

Larry Parker, Tarin & Richard Crudo, ASC Don M. Morgan, ASC and C. Lamb

The show was a pack house and by noontime was filled with all kinds of folks from the motion picture industry or not. From my count, I spoke with a couple of feature film producers, several directors, a sizable number of working camera operators and cinematographers (DoP), focus pullers, grips, sound operators, a couple script supervisors, several equipment buyers and also many film students getting educated with the impressive hands-on array of professional cameras, lenses, moving dollies, many sizes of cranes, motion control equipment, HMI, tungsten, fluorescent and LED lighting equipment, grip accessories and all kind of expendables for sale at discounted prices.

When I come here, I feel like a kid at the county fair or toy store and my adrenaline rushes up while tinkering with these “movie making toys” on display in this gigantic sandbox. After I stop daydreaming, I eyeball every piece of outstanding piece of equipment on display to index it in my brain using my mental photographic prowess for future use or field reference. Usually, I cannot afford any of this stuff, even if is on sale, so window shopping is my only option.

David Mahlmann, SOC Event Chairman and Georgia Packard, SOC

Michael Negrin, ASC aswering questions

Bill Bennett, ASC and a guest

After visiting old friends and making new ones for the video portion of this article, I found myself in the food line again. By this time is lunchtime and I devour a juicy rib eye steak with all the trimmings, washing it down with a couple of chilled St. Pauli Girl beers. Pretty good, eh.. Then, it suddenly occured to me, it pays in one way or another to work behind the camera.

Mike Scott, SOC making a point Loyd Moriarty, IATSE Local 800 and Darryl Humber Dan Kneece, SOC President and guests