Explosive Material Philipp Blaubach / Gunpowder Explosive Material Philipp Blaubach / Gunpowder BY: Kevin Hilton The image of Guy Fawkes in the cellars under the Palace of Westminster, surrounded by barrels of explosives, is among the best known in English history. There is much more to the story than the failed attempt to blow up … Read more
British Style Letter from America / Roy H Wagner ASC British Style Letter from America / Roy H Wagner ASC Born and raised in a tiny village of 10,000 in the middle of America. Flat farm lands as far as the eye could see. The cinema was our only hope to believe our dreams fulfilled. … Read more
Shining a light on… Gaffers ‘R’ Us / Brandon Evans Shining a light on… Gaffers ‘R’ Us / Brandon Evans Fact file: Age: 50 Born: Hammersmith Lives: Hertfordshire Hobbies: Gardening – I’ve just bought a house with a lovely size garden. I still have a passion for cars. I love to tinker around with them. … Read more
Positive Vibes on Film Negative Fabian Wagner BSC ASC / Justice League Positive Vibes on Film Negative Fabian Wagner BSC ASC / Justice League BY: Ron Prince Filmed on Kodak 35mm film, and directed by Zack Snyder, Justice League is Warner Bros. Pictures’ latest superhero feature, and the fifth instalment of the DC Comics Extended … Read more
One DP… Three Distinct Looks Danny Cohen BSC / Victoria and Abdul, Final Portrait and Disobedience One DP… Three Distinct Looks Danny Cohen BSC / Victoria and Abdul , Final Portrait and Disobedience Cinematographer Danny Cohen BSC exhibits versatility in crafting stories for different directors, and those skills were brought to task when shooting three … Read more
Amazing Things Clapperboard / Tony Spratling BSC Amazing Things Clapperboard / Tony Spratling BSC BY: David A. Ellis During his lengthy career, notable cinematographer Tony Spratling BSC was involved in all aspects of the camera department on many well-known films. They include: The Dirty Dozen (1967, DP Edward Scaife) as the second unit operator; Alfred … Read more
The Burning of Los Angeles Across the Pond / Mark London Williams The Burning of Los Angeles Across the Pond / Mark London Williams In what is still the greatest of Hollywood novels, Nathanael West’s Day of the Locust, the story ends with conflagration – quite literally “the burning of Los Angeles,” as both metaphor … Read more
Game, Set & Mismatch Linus Sandgren FSF / Battle of the Sexes Game, Set & Mismatch Linus Sandgren FSF / Battle of the Sexes BY: Ron Prince Battle Of The Sexes , directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Simon Beaufoy, is based on the infamous 1973 tennis match between World No.1 … Read more
Brotherly Love Dan Laustsen DFF / The Shape of Water Brotherly Love Dan Laustsen DFF / The Shape of Water BY: Trevor Hogg Mexican filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth ) collaborated with Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen DFF (Brotherhood of the Wolf ) on his English language debut Mimic in 1997 where genetically enhanced cockroaches … Read more
More Human Than Human Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC / Blade Runner 2049 More Human Than Human Roger Deakins CBE BSC ASC / Blade Runner 2049 BY: Ron Prince Three decades after the events of the first film, a new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential … Read more
Come Together President’s Perspective / Mike Eley BSC Come Together President’s Perspective / Mike Eley BSC This being my first President’s Perspective, it seems only right to kick-off with a huge thank you to our immediate past president, Barry Ackroyd BSC. I’ve known Barry for nearly 30 years and I guess you could say that, … Read more
The Right Amount Of Grain Across the Pond / Mark London Williams The Right Amount Of Grain Across the Pond / Mark London Williams In a lively period where the very deadlines for this column were strained nearly to capacity, we bracketed our month with visits to the former Eastman Kodak Building, now occupied by … Read more
Most Illuminating Spotlight / Koto Electric Most Illuminating Spotlight / Koto Electric Koto Electric has a 70-year history of manufacturing electronic devices and lamps. Founded in 1947, the company started out as a manufacturer of large, incandescent lamps used for film shoots in Japan. By 1974, taking advantage of its considerable know-how in lamp manufacturing, … Read more
Is Vertical A New Format? GBCT News / John Keedwell Is Vertical A New Format? GBCT News / John Keedwell Cinema and television pictures have always been displayed in a horizontal (or landscape) format. Yes, there have been 4:3 aspect ratios that seem almost square to us now, and there have been various “flavours” of … Read more
What value a cinematographer? GBCT News / Tim Potter What value a cinematographer? GBCT News / Tim Potter It would seem to be one of those things we take to be self-evident, that the person who creates the image for a visual medium should be the one member of the crew to be of higher … Read more
Rolls With It Meet the New Wave / Suzanne Smith Rolls With It Meet the New Wave / Suzanne Smith Filmography (so far): Samsara (2017, in post), Guardians (2017, in post), Sunset Rose (2015), Corinthian (2014) When did you discover you wanted to be a cinematographer? My granddad had an incredible collection of cameras, which … Read more
As You Like It John de Borman BSC / Will As You Like It John de Borman BSC / Will BY: Kevin Hilton Episodic TV drama usually follows a template for directorial style, camera technique and overall look that is laid down in the pilot. But there are always exceptions. The TNT production Will was … Read more
Technical Master Clapperboard / Alec Mills BSC Technical Master Clapperboard / Alec Mills BSC BY: David A. Ellis Notable cinematographer Alec Mills BSC has been responsible for the look of many well-known movies, which include The McKenzie Break (1970), Death On The Nile (1978), Return Of The Jedi (1983), Christopher Columbus (1992), and worked on … Read more
The Dark Side David Tattersall BSC / Death Note The Dark Side David Tattersall BSC / Death Note “It’s a bit different for sure,” says cinematographer David Tattersall BSC about Netflix’s Death Note. “An R-rated, wish-fulfilment, teen-horror with a detective-thriller twist and plenty of blood and guts – the kids are going to love it.” … Read more
Safety Is No Accident Letter from America / Steven Poster ASC Safety Is No Accident Letter from America / Steven Poster ASC Steven Poster ASC, president of the International Cinematographers Guild, Local 600, says well-being of the crew, both on and off-set, is of paramount importance, and shares details of ICG’s free Safety App. We … Read more