A LIFE IN MONOCHROME Samuel Beckett, a towering figure in 20th-century literature, is the subject of the biopic Dance First. Cinematographer Antonio Paladino sheds light on the choice of black-and-white cinematography and the equipment deployed to bring the director’s vision to the big screen. Numerous films, stage productions and other adaptations have masterfully captured Samuel … Read more
PERFECT MATCH The ultimate accessories for the new Burano: take your pick from Sony’s range of lenses and audio solutions. SONY LENSES Ideal for your documentary shooting with Burano. SELP28135G – 28-135mm Power Zoom Full Frame A powered zoom that delivers the precision and quality that top formats demand, with minimum breathing and image shift. … Read more
NET GAINS Marinette tells the life story of the first woman French football player to sign a professional contract. DOP Xavier Dolléans AFC explains how his Sony VENICE scored on and off the pitch. In the diverse history of films delving into the lives of female footballers, ranging from captivating documentaries to light-hearted comedies, the dramatic … Read more
SONY OPENS UK VIRTUAL PRODUCTION SPACE Sony has marked ten years of its Digital Media Production Centre (DMPC) in Europe at Pinewood Studios with a first UK virtual production unit using Sony Crystal-LED technology. The state-of-the-art space has become part of the DMPC in Europe, one of the world’s leading destinations for makers of film, television, and … Read more
THINKING GREEN Sustainability is no compromise, it is the doorway to creative possibility, says Gildas Pelliet, Head of Pan European Imaging Products & Solutions for Sony Europe. Cinema and TV screens show us a beautiful spectrum of colours, however the film and TV industries definitely prefer green. Finding more environmentally-friendly ways to film has shot … Read more
IN THE DRIVING SEAT Rialto brings many degrees of freedom to Gran Turismo. Gran Turismo director of photography Jacques Jouffret ASC is no stranger to action. With a DP credit list that includes Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Purge series, and Mile 22, as well as several films operating Steadicam and camera for Michael Bay, … Read more
CRYSTAL CLEAR Sony adds the VERONA to its Crystal LED range of displays, offering deep blacks, low reflectance, and modular flexibility for volume shooting. First announced in January 2021, Sony’s Crystal range of LED displays has been aimed at various large-scale display applications including live events. Now the corporation has announced VERONA, an evolution of … Read more
SINGLE OPERATORS SOAR WITH SONY BURANO Sony has announced a new digital cinema camera, the BURANO. With an 8.6K full-frame sensor, internal 16-bit X-OCN LT recording and both PL and E-mount support, the BURANO is aimed at small crews and single operators. At a Pinewood Studios rendered eerily quiet by the strikes, British Cinematographer joined … Read more
LIGHT OF THE PARTY Production name: The Afterparty S2 Production type: Television series Cinematographer: Ross Riege Gaffer/chief lighting technician: Cameron Smith Director: Various Overview of The Afterparty and your approach to lighting: The series is a ‘Rashomon’-style murder mystery, retelling the same sequence of events from a different character’s perspective on an episode-by-episode basis. Each episode has a specific … Read more
VOYAGE OF ADVENTURE Production name: One Piece Production type: TV series Cinematographer: Nicole Hirsch Whitaker ASC (episodes one and two) Gaffer: Wiseman Dinizulu Director: Marc Jobst Overview of the production and what was the visual approach you adopted in terms of lighting: Marc and I met on a previous Netflix show, Jupiter’s Legacy, where we found a really similar … Read more
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL Production name: Dope Queens Production type: Narrative feature Cinematographer: Madeline Leach Chief lighting technician (CLT): Mina Stollery Director: Grafton Doyle Overview of Dope Queens and your approach to lighting: Dope Queens follows three friends over the course of one wild night on the famously gritty streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. Madeline and I agreed that … Read more
Light Source Film is a beacon of transformation that has evolved far beyond its humble beginnings just over a decade ago. The brainchild of lighting technician Aaron Keating, Light Source Film was originally set up as a portal to help qualified and sometimes overlooked sparks to showcase their talents. In other words, it aimed to … Read more
Newly formed lighting society ICLS has some definite ideas of how its industry represents itself and is using its status to push reform. The recent pandemic affected everyone in different ways. One positive outcome was the formation of the International Cinema Lighting Society (ICLS), which provided a platform for international lighting professionals to connect and … Read more
A close-up look at the latest lighting trends. The first thing that gaffer Julian White brings up is that, despite the fanfare still surrounding new releases, LED lights are no longer a new technology. “The first time I used an LED battery light was probably at least 13 years ago. The Asteras were one thing, … Read more
The question of whether a virtual production stage’s videowall counts as a lighting device is still vexed, even as the technique in general becomes a comfortable part of the mainstream. One of the people who is perhaps best placed to address the issue of lighting for virtual production is Markus Förderer ASC BVK, cinematographer on … Read more
DP Hamish Doyne-Ditmas reflects on the fixtures of yore and how filmmakers can pair classic techniques with modern technology. Film and television is an unusual art form in that much of the most respected work has been done with tools which are now only in use when people make a special effort. That’s a factor … Read more
Beautiful but fleeting, natural light often presents DPs and gaffers with their greatest challenges. “Natural light is interesting because you can’t really control it,” states Roger Simonsz BSC. “You have to remain very flexible.” Simonsz prefers not to use artificial lighting for day exteriors. “I’ve always tried to work with reflectors and diffusers… for the … Read more
Sustainability must be factored into all aspects of a production from the outset, from environmentally friendly ways to light a show through to finding greener ways to travel. Some of the things a film or television production can do to improve its sustainability are popular with the production office. Less diesel burned means both less … Read more
There’s a certain subset of lighting techniques that film schools can’t teach. Cinematographer Owen McPolin ISC sheds some light on the creative thinking and resulting methods used when illuminating spaces. Even the highest-end shows will eventually present a camera team with problems which require a solution nobody has ever used before. Owen McPolin ISC has … Read more
From RGBW LEDs to traditional tungsten, from wireless consoles to simple textiles, the tools of the lighting department are many and varied. A range of working gaffers share their must-haves and go-to items with us. “Keep it simple,” is Julian White’s advice. “Less is more, because if there are less things to work with there … Read more