Bright Sparks Spotlight  / Licht Technik Bright Sparks Spotlight  / Licht Technik BY: David Wood In 1982 two German gaffers, Bernhard Grill and Uwe Hagenbach, met on the set of a small feature film. The two hit it off and began a partnership which, thirty years later, is still going strong in the shape of … Read more
Sharp Eyes Post it Notes  / Philippe Ros AFC Sharp Eyes Post it Notes  / Philippe Ros AFC The texture of the digital image, through the control of sharpness, is a real artistic issue, says Philippe Ros AFC.  The texture of the digital image is relatively virgin territory, and sharpness plays an important part … Read more
Lamp Lighter Meet the New Wave  / Darran Bragg Lamp Lighter Meet the New Wave  / Darran Bragg Filmography (so far): Invisible Eyes (2009), Recycling Lily (2013), Tomorrow (releasing 2015) and Anomalia (TV, in-production 2015)  When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer? I shot a two-minute short as part of a … Read more
Constant Gardener Ellen Kuras ASC / A Little Chaos Constant Gardener Ellen Kuras ASC / A Little Chaos Ever since Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004), cinematographer Ellen Kuras ASC and actress Kate Winslet have remained close. So when a period drama starring Winslet came across Kuras’ desk – never mind the fact that … Read more
That’s Life Danny Cohen BSC / X + Y That’s Life Danny Cohen BSC / X + Y Real life stories have long been the inspiration for films. The decision facing filmmakers is how to present the story, particularly if the subject is still alive. The biopic is an established form, as is the semi-documentary … Read more
Points of View Stijn Van der Veke ASC SBC / The Sum of Histories Points of View Stijn Van der Veke ASC SBC / The Sum of Histories What would you do if you discovered that you could alter the past? That’s the premise of Caviar Film’s €2million sci-fi thriller, The Sum Of Histories, the … Read more
Timeless Tales Haris Zambarloukos BSC / Cinderella Timeless Tales Haris Zambarloukos BSC / Cinderella BY: Ron Prince The $90m production of Cinderella is Disney’s 2015 live-action remake of its own classic 1950 animated cartoon. Directed by Kenneth Branagh, from a screenplay written by Chris Weitz, is was produced by David Barron, Simon Kinberg and Allison … Read more
Instinctive Eyes Clapperboard / Mike Proudfoot ACO, Associate BSC Instinctive Eyes Clapperboard / Mike Proudfoot ACO, Associate BSC BY: David A. Ellis Camera operator Mike Proudfoot continues to enjoy a successful career, working on top television series and Hollywood movies, acquiring many friends and admirers along the way, including Peter Hannan BSC and Roger Pratt … Read more
Pinewood lights up Spotlight / MBS Lighting Pinewood lights up Spotlight / MBS Lighting BY: Adrian Pennington From the start of the New Year Pinewood and Shepperton has had a new name on the lot, as well as a new partnership: Pinewood MBS Lighting. The new company will have exclusive rights to service productions on … Read more
Better is Best Clapperboard / Brian Tufano BSC Better is Best Clapperboard / Brian Tufano BSC BY: David A. Ellis Award-winning cinematographer Brian Tufano BSC, now the National Film & Television School’s (NFTS) head of cinematography, was born in Shepherd’s Bush, West London in 1939. As a child during the WWII he was evacuated to … Read more
Gotta Wear Shades Meet the New Wave / Tom Townend Gotta Wear Shades Meet the New Wave / Tom Townend Filmography (so far): The Unloved, dir. Samantha Morton (2008/2009), Attack The Block, dir. Joe Cornish (2010/2011), Turk & Caicos / Salting The Battlefield, dir. David Hare (2013/2014) – and Hidden, dirs. The Duffer Brothers (2012/2014).  … Read more
Sense & Sensibility Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC / Fifty Shades of Grey Sense & Sensibility Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC / Fifty Shades of Grey BY: Chiara O’Scura Fifty Shades Of Grey often gets raised eyebrows when mentioned, even among friends. Now, the steamy series, which spent more than a 100 weeks on the New York … Read more
Candle Light Gavin Finney BSC / Wolf Hall Candle Light Gavin Finney BSC / Wolf Hall Recreating an historical period for feature films and television drama is often a balance between authenticity and practicality. Wolf Hall, which starts in January on BBC Two, is rooted in early 16th century England by both its story of … Read more
Plot Thickens Dion Beebe ACS ASC / Into the Woods Plot Thickens Dion Beebe ACS ASC / Into the Woods Produced by Walt Disney Features and directed by Rob Marshall, Into The Woods is a musical that takes a dark look at fairy tales. Starring a list of well-known actors, including Meryl Streep, Tracey Ullman … Read more
Hope Springs Benoît Delhomme / The Theory of Everything Hope Springs Benoît Delhomme / The Theory of Everything Physicist Stephen Hawking has had a colourful life, one of triumph over adversity, romance and at times, the deepest isolation. Since meeting his first wife Jane at Cambridge University, being diagnosed with Motor Neurone disease, becoming a … Read more
Kinky Boots Nic Knowland BSC / The Duke of Burgundy Kinky Boots Nic Knowland BSC / The Duke of Burgundy The Duke Of Burgundy is the highly-stylised, erotic drama feature, written and directed by Peter Strickland and produced by Andy Strake. Starring Sidse Babett Knudsen as entomologist professor Cynthia and Chiara D’Anna as Evelyn her … Read more
Daggers Drawn Dirk Nel / Mapp and Lucia Daggers Drawn Dirk Nel / Mapp and Lucia The Mapp And Lucia stories are quintessentially English in their portrayal of small-town pretension and bitchiness. The original novels by EF Benson built up a loyal following during the 1920s and ‘30s and came to a wider audience through … Read more
Face Off Rob Hardy BSC / Ex Machina Face Off Rob Hardy BSC / Ex Machina BY: Ron Prince The extraordinary British sci-fi thriller Ex Machina is set in one central location and has just three speaking parts. Its premise is based on the central theme of what it is to be human – to … Read more
Vision ARRI Innovator / Franz Kraus Vision ARRI Innovator / Franz Kraus BY: Ron Prince Ron Prince met up for tea with Franz Kraus, managing director of ARRI, to learn more about the company’s current and future plans, including the new Alexa 65 large format camera.  Tell us about your background and journey through … Read more
Gallic Flare Spotlight / K5600 Gallic Flare Spotlight / K5600 BY: Adrian Pennington HMI lights remain the go-to source on everyone’s truck, but changing production demands press DPs, gaffers and best boys to request ever more practical tools that can deliver that same continuous flicker-free daylight output in lighter weight and more flexible form factors. … Read more
