David Odd BSC was recognised for his work in the television industry over the past 25 years, and given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2016 RTS Craft & Design Awards. Odd has worked non-stop across many genres and in many styles, from early Prime Suspects to Our Mutual Friend, White Teeth, Great Expectations, The … Read more
BFI chair Josh Berger and BFI CEO Amanda Nevill recently launched BFI2022, a five-year strategic plan for UK film. BFI2022 builds on the foundations laid by Film Forever, to create the conditions for a vibrant, national film culture in which independent film is widely enjoyed as part of a thriving and diverse UK film industry, … Read more
Whether it’s reducing space or budget, more studios are being asked to find creative ways to offer higher production values using less. This was the challenge that Los Angeles-based Fullscreen Studios faced when designing its new production facility. The company – a large, global network that supports hundreds of content creators and brands – needed … Read more
Mind games Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC / Nocturnal Animals Mind games Seamus McGarvey BSC ASC / Nocturnal Animals BY: Ron Prince Stand by. You are going to get weirded-out. Tom Ford’s psychological thriller Nocturnal Animals is coming to a screen near you soon. Amy Adams stars as Susan, an LA art gallery proprietor, who becomes … Read more
Poetry in motion Fred Elmes ASC / Paterson Poetry in motion Fred Elmes ASC / Paterson At the merest mention of his name, in casual conversations with other cinematographers prior to this interview, covetous sighs of “lucky you”, plus positive gasps of “ooh” and “ah”, were readily forthcoming. So it came with a heightened sense … Read more
Box clever Innovator / FilmFabriek Box clever Innovator / FilmFabriek BY: Adrian Pennington If Apple made film scanners, they might look a lot like this. FilmFabriek’s new HDS+ machine, on display at IBC 2016, exudes attention to detail – from the metallic powder coating of its laser-cut 1.5mm steel housing, to the light source which is tuned … Read more
Save the planet Ben Davis BSC / Doctor Strange Save the planet Ben Davis BSC / Doctor Strange More often than not, cinematographers can’t wait to get their hands on the very latest bits of kit. And never was this truer than when Ben Davis BSC signed to shoot Doctor Strange , Marvel Studios/Walt Disney … Read more
Shooting for the stars Spotlight / Filmscape Media Shooting for the stars Spotlight / Filmscape Media BY: Michael Burns Back in 2005 Kevin Harvey was the perfect rental firm customer. A theatre graduate of the BRIT School, holding a film degree from the University of Bedfordshire, he was just the sort of filmmaker who would … Read more
At the just-concluded 24th International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, Camerimage, in Bydgoszcz, Poland on Saturday 19th November, Greig Fraser’s cinematography on director Garth Davis’ Oscar-contender Lion won the top prize, the Golden Frog. Bradford Young’s photography on Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi film Arrival took home the Silver Frog, whilst Anthony Dod Mantle’s work on … Read more
Pinewood Digital spent two years supporting Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – from the initial camera tests through to the VFX and drama pull delivery. The project, shot entirely on the Alexa 65 by Greig Fraser ACS ASC, presented the team with the opportunity to rethink its entire approach to dailies. “We have certain … Read more
Doing the trick Clapperboard / Steve Begg Doing the trick Clapperboard / Steve Begg BY: Michael Burns One of the leading practitioners of the arts of special effects and VFX working today, Steve Begg was the visual effects supervisor on the recent clutch of 007 James Bond blockbusters, and has worked with directors from James … Read more
Splintered Martin Ruhe / American Pastoral Splintered Martin Ruhe / American Pastoral American Pastoral marks the directorial feature debut of actor Ewan McGregor, who also takes the lead role in the movie of Swede Levov, a hard-working businessman, whose homely middle-class life is literally blown apart by the sudden, radical action of his politically-motivated daughter. … Read more
London-based production company Pundersons Gardens has completed the first production in Europe using the Panasonic VariCam LT’s recently introduced RAW recording capability and Convergent Design integration, supported by rental provider VMI. The night shoot was a music promo for UK grime artist Trim, recently signed to James Blake’s 1-800 Dinosaur label, directed by Chris Read … Read more
Fresh blood Meet The New Wave / Christopher Sabogal Fresh blood Meet The New Wave / Christopher Sabogal Filmography (so far): Tame (2016), We Always Do What We Want (2015), Senka (2015), Dregs (2014), Into The Dust (2013), The Ellington Kid (2012), Painkiller (2012), Rachael (2012), Brides Of Desire (2010), Skateboards And Spandex (2010), Big … Read more
Robot wars Paul Cameron ASC / Westworld Robot wars Paul Cameron ASC / Westworld BY: Trevor Hogg Back in 1973, an adult-oriented theme park became the fearsome battleground between android hosts and human guests in the sci-fi thriller Westworld. Now that directorial debut of Michael Crichton, who also wrote the original screenplay, has had a … Read more
Close Encounter Bradford Young ASC / Arrival Close Encounter Bradford Young ASC / Arrival BY: Trevor Hogg For the cinematographer known for Ain’t Them Bodies Saints and Selma where the personal journeys of the characters define the storytelling, the science fiction genre which tends to be laden with visual effects seemed to be an unlikely … Read more
Tiffen has launched its new Variable Viewing Filter, incorporating Tiffen’s Variable ND filter and offering indexed 2-8 stops, with the ability to add any 49mm ring filter from the Tiffen range. Users can add neutral density filters to increase the stop-range, UV filters and polarisers, or even special FX and diffusion filters for pre-visualisation of … Read more
I am A-camera GBCT News / John Keedwell I am A-camera GBCT News / John Keedwell A first-time Q&A event collaboration between the ACO and the GBCT – proved a resounding success. Over 120 industry enthusiasts, from ACO and GBCT members through to film school students, filled the Tricycle Cinema in London recently for what … Read more
Tiffen International has announced a residential Steadicam Gold Workshop taking place in the interior and landscaped grounds of the Beaumont conference hotel in Windsor, Berkshire, near Windsor Castle. The five-and-a-half day course will run from the afternoon of Sunday, November 20th 2016. The Gold Workshop provides a total immersion experience for raw beginners to experienced … Read more
Let’s get together Letter from America / Kees van Oostrum ASC Let’s get together Letter from America / Kees van Oostrum ASC New ASC president, Kees van Oostrum ASC calls for international collaboration between cinematographers, with a view to regaining creative control over the role of imagemakers. Throughout the years, people have asked me how … Read more
