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Get PDF - Canadian Society of Cinematographers
December 2008 Volume 28, No. 4 A Christmas Story Harald Ortenburger csc Remembers Shooting a Canadian Classic Shooting for the Best: An Interview with Andreas Poulsson csc In Memoriam: Patrick Spence-Thomas & David Lee C-Series Digital Cinema Lenses E-Series Digital Cinema Lenses FUJINON Super Cine E-Series rentals available at: Big Vision • Cinequipt • Clairmont Camera Dalsa Digital Cinema • Fletcher Chicago Koerner Camera • Panavision • Plus8 Digital • Sim Video FUJINON INC. 12-16715 Yonge St., Suite 203, Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, L3X 1X4 Phone: (905) 898-1382, FAX: (905) 898-3350 2621 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach, CA 90278-1604 Phone: (310) 536-0800, Fax: (310) 536-0022 FUJINON INC. 10 High Point Dr., Wayne, NJ 07470-7434 Phone: (973) 633-5600, Fax: (973) 633-5216 1-324 Uetake, Kita-Ku, Saitama City, Saitama 331-9624 Japan Phone: 81-48-668-2152 www.fujinon.com The Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) was founded in 1957 by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization. A Christmas Story The purpose of the CSC is to promote the art and craft of cinematography and to provide tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and video professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography. 8 The Champions We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry. As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation. CORPORATE SPONSORS All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Amplis Photo Inc. Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. CinequipWhite Inc. Clairmont Camera Cooke Optics Ltd. Creative Post Inc. D.J. Woods Productions Inc. Deluxe Toronto FUJIFILM Canada Inc. 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ZTV 4 CONTENTs 14 David Lee v o l u m e 2 8 , N o . 4 D ece m b e r 2 0 0 8 02 From the President 04 A Christmas Story, 25 Years and Still Going Strong: Harald Ortenburger csc Remembers Shooting a Canadian Classic By Don Angus 08 Shooting for the Best: An Interview with Andreas Poulsson csc By Wyndham Wise 14 Industry News In Memoriam: Patrick Spence-Thomas and David Lee 17 Classifieds 18 CSC Members 20 Production Notes and Calendar Cover image: Bob Clark’s A Christmas Story; DOP Reginald Morris csc, operator Harald Ortenburger csc Correction: Due to an error in transcription in the October issue of CSC News, on page nine, column two, line eight of the interview with Robert Saad csc, the text should have read: “He [Ivan Reitman] had hired a DP from England who was phased out and I shot the last two or three days of the film [Foxy Lady].” On page 10, the operator on the series “Wind at My Back” was Brian not Bruce Harper. CSC NEWS December 2008 Volume 28, No. 4 CSC EXECUTIVE President: Joan Hutton csc Vice-President: George Willis csc sasc Treasurer: Joseph Sunday phd Secretary: Antonin Lhotsky csc Membership: Philip Earnshaw csc Publicity: Nikos Evdemon csc Director Ex-officio: Dylan Macleod csc Director Ex-officio: D. Gregor Hagey csc Education: Ernie Kestler From The PRESIDENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF George Willis csc, sasc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Susan Saranchuk admin@csc.ca EDITOR Wyndham Wise mfa editor@csc.ca ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House I am very pleased to announce that the CSC is now offering sponsorships for our 2009 CSC Awards. There will be three levels: Platinum, Gold and Silver. Some of the benefits of sponsorship include complimentary tickets to the CSC Awards Gala, premium seating and sponsoring a category program. Award sponsorship packages have been sent to each of the CSC corporate sponsors, and we are pleased with the feedback to date. I would like to encourage all CSC members to attend meetings and events organized by your executive. Recently, we emailed invitations to members in the GTA to attend events held by Rosco at the Holiday Inn on King Street West, Toronto, Cooke Lenses at PS Production Services, and a screening of Emotional Arithmetic at Technicolor with Luc Montpellier csc in attendance. The turnout was low at all of these events. We are appreciative of the support that our corporate sponsors show to the CSC. Please do your best in joining us at future CSC events to help demonstrate appreciation. COPY EDITOR Donald Angus We re-sent the survey to the membership along with renewal invoices in November. We are hoping for a better and more complete response this time around. PROOFREADERS Karen Longland Paul Townend I invite you to visit our redesigned and revamped CSC website. Nikos Evdemon csc has been working on it for several months to give the CSC a fresh look online. We want to thank Nikos for all his hard work and long volunteer hours to make this possible. WEBSITE CONSULTANT Nikos Evdemon csc www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Donald Angus donangus@sympatico.ca CSC OFFICE 131–3007 Kingston Road Toronto, Ontario Canada M1M 1P1 MEMBERSHIP INQUIRES Tel: 416-266-0591 Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca CSC News is a publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. CSC News is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. Subscriptions are available for $35.00 for individuals and $70.00 for institutions. Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 478423 2 • CSC News - December 2008 You might have noticed subtle changes to the look of CSC News, and I am pleased to say we have had some feedback already. From John Walker csc, we received this email: “Congrats on the latest issue. I really liked the interview with Bob [Robert Saad], and I liked the photos and layout. Keep up the good work.” And from associate member and business representative, IATSE 667, Rick Perotto: “My congratulations to the CSC magazine, it’s very good. The CSC has come a long way, and you should be proud of it.” There will be more changes over the coming months leading up to the CSC Awards, Saturday, April 4 2009. In this issue of CSC News, Don Angus writes on A Christmas Story, which is considered to be the most-viewed Christmas movie ever made. Operator Harald Ortenburger csc talks about working with American-born director Bob Clark and British-born DOP Reginald Morris csc on this Canadian classic. Also in this issue Wyndham Wise interviews Andreas Poulsson csc. For 20 years Andreas was one of busiest cameramen working for the National Film Board of Canada. During his time with the Film Board, he shot films for some of Canada’s best and most innovative directors, including the late, great Donald Brittain, Michael Rubbo, Tony Ianzelo and Sturla Gunnarsson. This issue brings us to the end of 2008, and so on behalf of the entire CSC executive we wish you and yours the best during the holiday season, and a happy and rewarding 2009! A Christmas Story 25 Years and Still Going Strong: Harald Ortenburger csc Remembers Shooting a Canadian Classic By Don Angus H arald Ortenburger csc, tall and lean with greying hair and closely trimmed beard, smiled as he looked back on the shooting of A Christmas Story in Ohio and Ontario a quarter of a century ago. He was chatting over a coffee at Timothy’s on Danforth Avenue in east end Toronto. In 1983, he was camera operator for director of photography Reginald Morris csc. “There was [director] Bob Clark, morphing into a kid…he was just as old – or as young – as the kids,” Ortenburger recalled. “That was why he was a really great director. On Porky’s he was an adolescent. We had a lot of laughs on A Christmas Story, a lot of laughs.” The Canadian-produced feature – it took home statuettes for direction (shared with David Cronenberg for Videodrome) and screenplay at the 1984 Genie Awards, plus seven other nominations including best picture – is considered to be the most-viewed Christmas movie ever made. Since 1997, the film has been best known for traditionally airing in a 24-hour Christmas marathon on TBS. And last month, Warner Bros. released A Christmas Story: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray Disc. The Cleveland, Ohio, house where the picture was shot has been completely restored to its 1983 film look and is a tourist site, complete with a gift shop across the street. St. Catharines and Lindsay, Ontario, stood in for many scenes in the fictional northern Indiana town of Hohman, and studio work was shot at Magder Studios in Toronto. The film, set in 1940, is a shamelessly funny look at bespectacled youngster Ralphie Parker and his typical American family, warts and all, celebrating, or trying to cope with, an untypical Christmas season. Nine-year-old Ralphie wants only one thing for Christmas – an official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot range model BB gun with a compass in the stock. His dream runs afoul of a cautious mother, an exasperated teacher and a surly Santa, who all warn: “You’ll shoot your eye out.” Everything is seen through the eyes of the narrator, the offscreen voice of the adult Ralphie (provided by Jean Sheppard, the 4 • CSC News - December 2008 author of In God We Trust, All Others Pay Cash, on which the film is based). So, Ortenburger explained, everything is exaggerated by time recollected. The photography of Morris, now deceased, is virtually flawless, the operator acknowledged. The DP was nominated for the cinematography Genie for A Christmas Story. “Reggie Morris was a brilliant DP,” Ortenburger said. “He was unflappable. He had no nerves. If Reggie hired you to operate, that meant you had a stamp of approval because he was very critical.” Did the camera crew have any troubles with a cast of mainly nine- and 10-year-olds? “The lead kid, Peter Billingsley, was an adult as far as intelligence and his demeanour [was concerned]. He was amazing. You’d ask him to hit his mark, and he did. We had no difficulties with the kids; they were all terrific. It was like coming upon a gang of kids, and we just happened to have a camera. The brilliant casting of all these kids was done by Marcia Shulman, who today is executive vice-president at Fox Network.” Billingsley was recently seen as William Ginter Riva in this year’s Iron Man. Morris, born and trained in England, was “from the British system,” Ortenburger said, meaning “he let me work with Bob [Clark] and he did the lighting. Bob was extremely prepared. So there were never any surprises for the camera, for Reggie or for me. It was always very much laid down – this is what we’re going to do – and Bob had a system which he worked out with his AD, Kenny Goch, with whom he had worked for a long time. He storyboarded all the scenes…and it worked because they had very good knowledge of the logistics. He would never design a shot that was impossible to light. He drew the frame of a scene and all the characters were circles with numbers on them and then their movement was laid out with dots and an arrow for the camera. The moment you saw that, you knew what the shot was going to be. You were set. There was not much guesswork.” But, Ortenburger added, Clark could be flexible and improvise when he needed to. “If there was a better suggestion or some logistic crept up that wasn’t there before, he knew how and he wasn’t afraid to improvise.” The director and Morris had worked Above: Behind the camera is Harald Ortenburger. In front, from the left, are Jay Kohne, 2nd assistant camera, Gordon Langevin, 1st assistant camera, and DOP Reginald Morris. Right: Ortenburger with director Bob Clark. together on three movies before Porky’s and Porky’s II – Black Christmas, Tribute and Murder by Decree – “so they didn’t have to talk. They were like a well-oiled machine.” A Christmas Story was shot with Panaflex cameras on Eastman 5247 colour negative stock. DP Morris and operator Ortenburger collaborated on six movies altogether, including A Christmas Story, Porky’s and Porky’s II: The Next Day. Ortenburger was DP on three projects in the early to late 1990s, earning full membership in the CSC, but his heart was in operating. Ortenburger started his career at Arriflex in Munich when he was 16, apprenticing as a precision mechanics and optics technician. He completed his apprenticeship in 1963 and was transferred to New York City, where he got an education on everything Arriflex made. Two years later, he came to Toronto to work for Arri, then moved to Cinequip. “Nobody predicted that it was going to be such a classic, but we certainly knew it was special when we made it.” Harald Ortenburger csc “Commercial DP Bill Gimmi [csc] got me into the union, which was very difficult at that time – I was one of three in two years. I worked with Bert Dunk [csc, asc] as an assistant, and he gave me some pointers and ideas, some of which were totally frightening because I didn’t know what he was talking about. But he guided me through it.” CSC News - December 2008 • 5 Peter Billingsley He got his big break from Laszlo George csc, hsc – who got a picture and told Harald to practice on the geared head. The feature was Nothing Personal in 1979, with Donald Sutherland and Suzanne Somers. “I was A-cam operator and at that point I had never operated a camera. I don’t know why he chose me; I’d probably be still doing what I was doing if it wasn’t for him.” He said Porky’s did a lot to get him rolling. “It got me my visa to go to the States because it was such a high-profile picture, and then DP Fred Schuler [asc] asked me to operate on a Rodney Dangerfield comedy called Easy Money.” His career has since taken Ortenburger to the sets of major motion pictures created by hall-of-fame directors and DPs. Besides Clark, for whom he did four pictures, one of his favourite directors was Richard Benjamin – Mermaids, Maid in America, Milk Money and Mrs. Winterbourne – and, yes, it’s strictly coincidence that all four films start with an ‘M.’ He operated on two films by Sidney Lumet, Critical Care and Gloria, and, he said, “I was in awe. Am I really working with this guy? He was fantastic. Extremely organized; the night before, you already had the morning shot. The day is completely planned, every shot – where he starts it, where he ends it.” He said Clark, who was killed in a car accident in 2007, was the only other director he worked with who was as prepared as Lumet. Ortenburger has operated for A-list DPs such as George, Morris, Dunk, John Bartley csc, asc, Ernest Day bsc, Conrad Hall asc, Haskell Wexler asc, Vilmos Zsigmond asc, Dante Spinotti asc, aic (on the 2008 release Flash of Genius) and many more. But his favourite cinematographer was Englishman David Watkin bsc, whom he first met when Watkin lit Moonstruck for Norman Jewison in 1986. They worked on four other features together over the next 10 years, Used People, Milk Money, Critical Care and Gloria. A Christmas Story Watkin, who passed away early this year at 82, “totally let me work the English system,” Ortenburger remembered. “His body of work is staggering. To me, he was always the greatest. When I was scouting a location for David, he would always say, ‘Make sure it’s backlit.’” Before starting principal photography on Moonstruck, Watkin told his operator in a brief meeting: “Whatever you and Norman can come up with I can light. All I’m asking is that if you see something you don’t like, come and get me.” That was it. “Not lighting, of course. I mean, no one would have told David Watkin how to light,” Ortenburger added. What does Ortenburger consider his strength as one of Canada’s premier operators? “Even though my composition is a strength,” he answered, “I would say the reason I got to work with the likes of David Watkin is because I am able to interpret what the director has in mind and set up the shots.” He said he chose to operate because he wanted to stay primarily in Toronto. “For me to have been a DP on the pictures that I operated for, that would have been a long shot. I have been lucky enough to touch film history.” 6 • CSC News - December 2008 We make the movies “Intelligent” Products, Saving Time and Money Production through Post Cooke Close Thurmaston, Leicester, UK T: +44 (0)116 264 0700 F: +44 (0)116 264 0707 E: lenses@cookeoptics.com www.cookeoptics.com A TRULY OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHER EXPERIENCE... TORONTO MONTREAL VANCOUVER (416) 585-9995 (514) 939-5060 (604) 689-1090 www.technicolor.com CSC News - December 2008 • 7 Shooting for the Best: An Interview with Andreas Poulsson csc By Wyndham Wise F or 20 years (1967–1986), Andreas Poulsson csc was a staff cameraman at the National Film Board of Canada. During that time, he worked with some of the best and most innovative directors ever to make films at the NFB, including the late, great Donald Brittain, Michael Rubbo, Tony Ianzelo, Sturla Gunnarsson, John N. Smith, Peter Raymont and Cynthia Scott. His impressive list of credits includes the Oscarnominated After the Axe, Genie-nominated Canada’s Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks, and the Emmy Award-winning Henry Ford’s America and Vincent and Me. CSC News spoke to Andreas at his home in Vancouver in October. the Foreign Service, but that didn’t work out because I hadn’t been a citizen for five years. I attended the film society at UBC, Cinema 16, and they used to have regular screenings of mostly foreign films, but also documentaries. That’s where I first saw documentaries made by the National Film Board. There was one called 60 Cycles [1965] that really turned me on. It was about a Tour de France type of bicycle race in Quebec shot by JeanClaude Labrecque, an NFB cameraman who also directed. The movie had no commentary, with beautiful shots cut to music. I still think it’s a great film. As a piece of filmmaking – editing, pace, music, photography – it all came together. WW: When and where were you born? WW: What led you to the Film Board, apart from watching 60 Cycles? AP: I was born November 11 1944 in Oslo, Norway. My father was Norwegian and my mother was Danish. When I was two years old, my family moved to Copenhagen and I grew up in Denmark. My father died when I was 12, and my mother married a Canadian. WW: As a child in Copenhagen, were you watching films? AP: Yes, I loved the movies. We had a local theatre, and you could get in for 15 cents and sit in the first row. I used to watch Westerns. I loved Rio Bravo [1959], but I was older then. There was another one I really liked, The Flame and the Arrow [1950]. I’ve never seen it since, but it made a deep impression when I was a little guy. Danes loved Westerns and films about jazz. It was very exotic American stuff. My aunt was a professional photographer, and she was a very good one. She used to do the family photos, and I admired all her cameras. She had a darkroom, and when I was about nine or 10 I remember being in her dark room and watching her make prints and seeing the pictures appear. I was really struck by that. I thought it was completely magical. That really got me interested, and ultimately it was photography that led me to cinematography. For my twelfth birthday my uncle gave me a camera. It was a Kodak Brownie box camera, and I have done still photography ever since. I still have pictures I took with that Brownie. WW: Where did you go to school? AP: I went from grade one to nine in Denmark. It was after grade nine that we moved to Vancouver, in 1961. I went to the University of British Columbia, but I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. I toyed around with becoming an architect, then 8 • CSC News - December 2008 AP: After seeing the Film Board documentaries, I did some research and thought it would be a wonderful place to work. I discovered that there was an NFB producer stationed in Vancouver at the time. I did manage to get an interview with him, which led to another interview a few months later. At that second interview there was a Film Board director, John Howe. I knew about photography, but apart from watching movies, I knew very little about film. He asked me, “What area would be of interest to you?” I didn’t really have any clear idea about the various disciplines and the tasks involved in making a movie. I just blurted out that I liked documentaries. Then he asked, “But what part of making documentaries are you interested in?” I told him I was interested in photography, so he suggested I should be in the camera department. The Film Board at that time would hire trainees, people with virtually no experience, and train them in various disciplines. I did get the job, but I was planning on going to Europe for the summer. Then I got a phone call a few weeks before I was about to leave and told if I really wanted the job I’d better show up in Montreal now or forget it. I jumped on the train, and on May 16 1967 I started as a trainee in the camera department at the NFB. WW: One of your first credits is Goodbye Sousa, a film about a community orchestra that loved playing the music of John Philip Sousa, which was directed by Tony Ianzelo. It won the Canadian Film Award for Theatrical Short in 1973. AP: Actually I didn’t shoot that one. Tony directed and shot it. My credit should be assistant cameraman, not cameraman. It was a wonderful little movie. Tony was an extremely talented “Shooting drama with a good script and a good, talented director, for me that is the best.” Andreas Poulsson csc filmmaker who started out as a cameraman then branched out to directing his own films. He had a gift for making films in small towns and getting people to trust him. It was fun to work on. WW: You have worked quite a lot with Michael Rubbo over the years, and the first one you did together was something called I Am an Old Tree (1975). AP: Rubbo was down in Cuba for a month shooting a movie that involved [former Newfoundland Premier] Joey Smallwood called Waiting for Fidel [1974]. The idea was that Rubbo would follow Smallwood around, who was trying to get a private audience with Fidel Castro, which never happened. They sat around waiting for the meeting, and Michael filmed the whole frustrating process. Eventually there was a reception, where I think they met Fidel for a few moments. Anyway, Michael became very interested in Cuba and wanted to make another film. But Douglas Kiefer [csc], who was his cameraman on the Fidel film, had to return to Canada because his wife was about to give birth. So I was sent down to replace him. I didn’t really know Michael, I had met him before, but suddenly I was plunged right into a film about Cuba. I spent a month with Michael making this documentary that ended up being called I Am an Old Tree. I had admired Michael’s movies especially the one he had made in Vietnam called The Sad Song of Yellow Skin [1970], which I thought was terrific. Michael very much had his own style. He put himself into his own movies. I have always thought if Michael had been in a different time period, like today, he would be our own Michael Moore. Documentaries have a much higher profile these days. Back then the best we could hope for was festival screenings and television. A lot of people thought that Rubbo was being selfindulgent, but his theory was that if you put yourself in the film, then the subject is talking to you and not just into the camera. They would forget about the camera. And I thought Michael had a great presence on camera. It worked very well for him. WW: When did you move up to the rank of cameraman? AP: I was an assistant cameraman for six years, from 1967 to 1973. Then in ’73 I got an opportunity to shoot a documentary up in Labrador with Roger Hart, and that was my first experience as a cameraman. It was called Labrador North. It was supposed to be about a Royal Commission conducted by Don Snowdon CSC News - December 2008 • 9 on the conditions in Labrador, but when we started shooting, Snowdon decided he didn’t want us to film the proceedings. So we made a documentary about life on the Labrador coast instead. It was my first film, and a really beautiful place to shoot, very harsh. After that film, I was no longer an assistant cameraman. WW: In 1975, you shot another film for Rubbo called I Hate to Lose. I have not seen the film, but it is listed in The NFB Film Guide as a docudrama. Would you tell me something about that one? AP: It’s not a docudrama in the sense of combining drama with documentary techniques. It really was a documentary about Nick Auf der Maur, a Montreal journalist who founded his own political party, which I believe was called the Democratic Alliance. He formed it in time for the 1976 provincial election, the one that was won by the Parti Quebecois. He only ran with six or seven candidates. He saw it as an alternative to the PQ and the Liberals. Ideologically, he was closer to the NDP. Nick Auf der Maur was an engaging and very interesting guy. Stuart McLean [future CBC Radio personality and author] was his campaign manager. Michael was intrigued with the idea of starting your own political party, and Nick was up against George Springate in the Montreal riding of Westmount. Of course, Nick lost and Springate won for the Liberals. The film was part of a series of films the Film Board made about the political process. Later I shot another film about small-town politics in Smith Falls, Ontario [Welcome to Smith Falls, 1978]. WW: And you shot The Champions with Donald Brittain in 1978, which was about the long-running political rivalry between Pierre Trudeau and René Lévesque. But before that, you shot Henry Ford’s America (1977). Was that your first film with Brittain? AP: Yes. Here I was lucky. Doug Kiefer had been Don Brittain’s regular cameraman, but Doug was not able to do that one, and he recommended me. Of course, I knew about Don and had seen his films and admired him. He was quite a big presence at the Film Board during the 1970s. He had made Memorandum [1965] and Never a Backward Step [1966], about Lord Thomson of Fleet, and he, for me, was the superlative documentary filmmaker, writer and narrator. I got the chance to make a film with him, and I was a little bit nervous, but he was the kind of guy who could put you at ease. He was a wonderful, charming, interesting man. I got to love the guy. WW: He also had the reputation as a heavy drinker. AP: He certainly did, and on Henry Ford’s America he drank a lot, but at the same time he was completely functional. He would have shots throughout the day, but he was never drunk or incapacitated. I think it was his fuel. He needed it. Later on he had to quit. It did get to him eventually. The general idea was that the film was going to be about the development of the car, the history and the role it had come to play in society. Through Don’s research, he decided to focus on the Ford Motor Company. Henry Ford II, the grandson of the founder, figures prominently in the film. We went to Dearborn to shoot all sorts of things, car 10 • CSC News - December 2008 shows, dealerships, and we did get permission to shoot in the corporate headquarters, various meetings, etc. Our big request was to interview Henry Ford himself, and this became rather like Waiting for Fidel. We kept on trying, and weeks would go by as we shot other things. We ended up going to California to shoot the car culture there. Then suddenly we got word that we could film Henry Ford on such and such a day at such and such a time, so we went charging back to Detroit to film the interview with Ford in a boardroom. He was charming and interesting, and the two of them got along quite well together. Before we went into the interview, Don whispered in my ear and told me not to take the camera off him for a second. Later on we filmed him in a stockholders meeting. The film won an International Emmy Award. WW: Soon after the Ford film, you shot The Champions (parts I and II, 1978) with Brittain, which is about the Trudeau-Lévesque political feud. AP: We used a lot of archival footage in that one. Don had the film in his head for quite a while. Each one was very interesting in their own way, with opposing views of the country. This eventually became three one-hours, which was not the original intention. WW: You revisited them again in 1986, with a third installment. AP: The first two were made up to the point Trudeau quit as leader of the Liberals the first time. Then he returned to head the party when the Clark government was defeated and of course he repatriated the Constitution. So it was decided to do a third part to finish the story. Originally, it was just going to be one documentary about the two men but we had so much material, it was decided to make it into two parts. Part one dealt with their history, early education, etc, and part two was their political careers. Part three dealt with their final years and opened with Trudeau’s famous “walk in the snow.” Because of our meager resources, I got to play the part of Trudeau with my wife’s fur coat and a hat. We scrambled to shoot it one afternoon when it started snowing. Don called me up and told me to get to the park right away. When I look at it now, I’m embarrassed because I walk far too fast for a man contemplating leaving the highest office in the land, and I can’t understand why Don didn’t ask me to walk slower. I was badly directed [he laughs]. Actually, we never got to interview Trudeau, and had to use archival footage, but we did succeed in getting into Lévesque’s office and got to shoot him at work, at a meeting with his riding association and going to the legislature. WW: A few years later you shot a film for Sturla Gunnarsson, After the Axe (1982), which was a docudrama that received an Oscar nomination. AP: It was an early Sturla Gunnarsson film. He and his writer Steve Lucas came to the Film Board, and I was assigned to it. I was very impressed by them. After the Axe is about a guy being fired from a corporation due to a change in management. It was a fictional story and the person being fired was played by an actor, but real people played the job counselors, psychologists and such. At first the guy hopes to get the same type of job he originally had, but soon realizes to find work he is going to have to re-invent himself. James Douglas, who played the part of the guy fired, was a veteran Canadian actor and he did a great job of playing it tough but you could sense his vulnerability behind the façade. Sturla is an extremely talented director, and I was very pleased to have a chance to work with him. I’m sorry I’ve not had chance to do so again. When the film got the Oscar nomination, it was a thrill for all of us. It was a tough and challenging shoot, but certainly interesting, stimulating. WW: You returned to working with Rubbo again in 1984 on a film about the noted author Margaret Atwood, Once in August. I understand she was a difficult subject and initially would not co-operate. Top: Andreas Poulsson, right, with Donald Brittain on the set of Canada’s Sweetheart. Above: Poulsson with Helen Shaver, left, and James Earl Jones on the set of Summer’s End. AP: The way I heard it from Michael, it was very difficult to talk to her to set up the shoot, but he finally did. The argument he used to convince her was this: He told her there are going to be a lot of people who are going to want a make a movie about you, so why don’t you let me do it now and get it over with so you can say you’ve done that. And somehow it worked. Michael asked me to shoot it, and we went to her summer cottage on an island up in Northern Ontario near Temiscaming. It was quite remote. Michael was planning on a cinéma-vérité type of shoot, with the cameras rolling all the time. But when we were arrived on the boat, approaching the dock, Margaret came down to greet us and immediately told us to stop shooting, “Oh no you don’t. You shut that thing off right now or you go away.” She was having none of it. So we had this big meeting, and we were told what we could shoot and what we could not shoot. Actually, it went very well and she was very nice to us. Michael wanted to get behind the façade of Margaret Atwood to find out what made her tick and what kind of person she really was. But she was resistant to this, understandably. One day, Michael, in a fairly typically move, said to her, why do you take the camera and sound equipment and lights, and you make a movie about yourselves, and we won’t be there or be any part of it. Her parents were at the cottage along with her husband and daughter. I showed them how to work the camera and set up some lights, although I don’t recall how much of that footage is actually in the movie. CSC News - December 2008 • 11 Tales for All Above: Poulsson, behind the camera, shooting Vincent and Me in Amsterdam; on the right: the poster for Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller WW: Which brings us to 1985 and perhaps your most famous film, Donald Brittain’s Canada’s Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks, starring Maury Chaykin, for which you received a Genie Award nomination for best photography. Banks was a notorious corrupt labour leader brought up from the States to weed out the so-called communists in the Canadian shipping unions. AP: Chaykin was fantastic in the part. He even looked like Banks, and we were extremely lucky to get him. It’s another subject that Don had researched for quite a while. I remember reading the outline of his script, and I knew a bit about Hal Banks, and I thought why would anyone want to make a film about this incredibly ugly individual. Don’s response was that it was a very important story to tell, and of course he was right. It was made for the CBC as a co-production with the NFB, and Don found the conventions of drama difficult to deal with – the discipline of a script, actors learning their lines and the rehearsals. And I think the actors found it difficult, because the script as such was just an outline. Don would write the dialogue for the scenes on the back of napkins at lunchtime. Some of the actors found this difficult to cope with. Maury was fine with it. But Don was able to charm the actors, and everyone liked him. WW: After Canada’s Sweetheart, you shot the third installment of The Champions and the low-budget feature Sitting in Limbo for John N. Smith, but your time with the Film Board seems to have come to an end. What made you decide to leave? AP: After I had done the Hal Banks film, I really became interested in doing drama. I wanted to go beyond documentaries and shot dramas as a director of photography. The possibilities of drama at the Film Board were limited, but then the people at Atlantis Films – Michael MacMillan, Janice Platt and Seaton McLean – approached the Board with a proposal of a co-production of 18 half-hour dramas based on Canadian short stories. I had actually gone to Winnipeg for three years, and worked in the NFB office as a producer, which was not all that successful. Eventually I managed to get back to Montreal about the same time as the Atlantis people came to the Film Board. I got along very well with Seaton and Janice, and they were wonderfully enterprising. I ended up shooting 14 of the half-hours. 12 • CSC News - December 2008 From that I developed a strong relationship with Atlantis, and through that process I began to think that if I had the opportunity, I would leave the Film Board and become a freelancer. But of course I had a certain nervousness about this, because my whole working life had been with the Film Board where you are protected and get a pay cheque every two weeks. To step out, I would need a big project to step on to. And that came to me through Atlantis. Seaton and Janice offered me the opportunity to shoot a series called “Airwaves.” This was 12 episodes, which meant six months of work, and I thought this is it, it’s now or never. So I gave my notice to the Film Board, and that was in September of 1986. Unfortunately, it was not such a great series, and it was not renewed for broadcast and suddenly I was at loose ends. It was at that time that Michael Rubbo came back into my life. He had also left the Film Board and was now making feature films for Rock Demers’s Tales for All. He had directed The Peanut Butter Solution [1985], and was slated to make another, Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, and he asked me to shoot it. That was a great opportunity for me, exactly what I was looking to do. WW: Tell me a bit about shooting Tommy Tricker (1988), because it was one of the most successful of the Tales for All and a huge hit in France when it was released over there. AP: It’s about some kids who find a magic stamp, which allows them to mail themselves anywhere. A boy was going to mail himself to Australia, but the letter get misdirected and he ends up in China for a while. I had always made documentaries with Michael, but with Tommy Tricker, it was his idea and he had written the script. But like with Don, he had trouble with the tyranny of the dramatic form, and all its conventions. As much as possible, he wanted to introduce an easy-going and fluid style to the making of the movie. But it’s difficult with kids, who really want instruction. They like to know their lines and the marks to hit. So it was made in a more traditional manner, and for the most part the kids did a great job. WW: And then you did a couple of made-for-television movies for Helen Shaver, Summer’s End (1999) and Due East (2002). AP: Due East was shot in Vancouver and Summer’s End was shot in Muskoka, in Ontario. I had met Helen on the series “Poltergeist,” which was shot in Vancouver. She directed several of those and acted in them. It went four seasons, and I shot the third and fourth seasons. I got to know Helen quite well, so when she was offered the chance to direct Summer’s End for Showtime, she asked me if I would like to shoot it. However, because there was Ontario government money involved, there was some issue about using Ontario crews and I was based in Vancouver. Initially I couldn’t do it, but the cameraman they had hired didn’t work out, so the producer called me and I was on a plane the next day. That turned out to be a very good shoot. It was Helen’s first feature-length movie and the great American actor James Earl Jones was in it. I thought it turned out really well, and Helen was wonderful with actors. WW: Of all the movies, shorts and documentaries you have shot over the years, which one is your favourite or the one you are most proud of? AP: That’s really hard to say. I’m really proud of the ones I made with Don Brittain and I’m proud of After the Axe. Really, it’s not so such the films but the people I have had a chance to work with, like Don and Michael Rubbo. WW: What is the best piece of professional advice you received? And of all the genres, which is you favourite? AP: I remember Michael Rubbo told me when I first met him down in Cuba: “When you shoot documentaries, I would like to see the camera have its own sense of built-in curiosity.” And those words stuck with me. When you are shooting hand-held and candid situations, you have to remember the camera is the observer and make it curious so that it shows people what is interesting about the scene. I love shooting drama. I think the discipline of working scenes with actors and lighting it and proper camera movements and see it all come alive – that always excites me. But maybe it has something to do with age. When you are young and can run around with the camera all day long, that was great. But now, I can sit in a chair and watch it all happen from a monitor. It’s easier on the back. Shooting drama with a good script and a good, talented director, for me, that is the best. WW: When did you join the CSC and who recommended you? AP: I joined the CSC the year I left the Film Board, which was in 1986, and it was Tony Ianzelo who recommended me. I learned quite a lot from Doug Kiefer while at the Film Board, as his assistant. He was quick and decisive, which is why he worked with Don Brittain a lot. I learnt from him, and there was another cameraman at the Board, Pierre Letarte, who I think is also a CSC member. I worked with him as his assistant as well. He was in the French camera department, then he switched to the English department. I ended up working with him on several documentaries. Pierre was really quick, and I liked his style. I probably copied a lot from him. Selected filmography Goodbye Sousa, 1973 (ph with Tony Ianzelo, Canadian Film Award for Theatrical Short); I Am an Old Tree, 1975; Log House, 1976 (also directed with Michael Rubbo); I Hate to Lose, 1977; Henry Ford’s America, 1977 (International Emmy Award, Best Non-Fiction Television Film, TV); Tigers and Teddy Bears, 1978; The Champions Parts I and II, 1978 (Canadian Film Award for Feature Documentary, TV); Solzhenitsyn’s Children…Are Making a Lot of Noise in Paris, 1979 (TV); Co Hoedeman: Animator, 1980; Challenger: An Industrial Romance, 1980; For the Love of Dance, 1981 (co-ph); After the Axe, 1982 (Academy Award nomination for Short Documentary, TV); Margaret Atwood: Once in August, 1984 (ph with Zöe Dirse csc, TV); The Children’s Crusade, 1984 (co-ph, TV); The Sight, 1985 (TV); Canada’s Sweetheart: The Saga of Hal C. Banks, 1985 (Genie Award nomination for Best Cinematography, TV); The Champions Part III: The Final Battle, 1986 (TV); Sitting in Limbo, 1986 (co-ph); Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, 1988; Vincent and Me, 1990 (Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Children’s Special); Summer’s End, 1999 (TV); We All Fall Down 2000; Due East, 2002 (TV); The Bone Snatchers, 2003; Chestnut, 2004 Episodic television “Airwaves,” “Twlight Zone,” “Mom P.I.,” “Poltergeist: The Legacy,” “The Outer Limits,” “Night Visions” CSC News - December 2008 • 13 INDUSTRY NEWS invited to play at this year’s Small Town Film Festival in Chatham, Ontario, his hometown, and the Mitten Movie Project’s Zombie Night in Royal Oak, Michigan. When asked how he became involved with Still Here, his answer seems typical of today’s technology. “I saw a posting on Facebook,” he said. “The director, Gavin Michael Booth [of Windsor-based Mimetic Productions], was looking for a cameraman and I applied.” In keeping with this contemporary approach to doing business, a trailer of Still Here can be found on YouTube, and Michael has his own well-developed website – michaeljaridavidson.com – where you can find out more about this talented and ambitious member of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers. In Memoriam October saw the passing of two of Canada’s finest soundmen, post-sound expert and founder of Spence-Thomas Productions, Patrick Spence-Thomas, and Oscar-winning mixer and recordist David Lee. Michael Jari Davidson. Photo by Brian White A CSC Upgrade for Michael Jari Davidson Michael Jari Davidson, a 2008 graduate of the University of Western Ontario/ Fanshawe College’s four-year Media Theory and Production program, was upgraded from CSC Affiliate Member to Associate Member in October. It caps an exciting and busy year for Michael. He has just come off his first feature shoot, the low-budget relationship drama Still Here, which was shot in and around Windsor, Ontario, in August. “It was an ambitious shoot,” he told CSC News. “We only had 21 days and massive scenes such as a funeral with 300 extras, and a football game with over 300 people in the stands.” To make things easier on himself, Michael 14 • CSC News - December 2008 used his own Panasonic HD HVX200 camera package with a Brevis 35 adaptor and Nikon primes, and used a crew that had participated with him in camera assistant workshops at Sheridan College. “Paul Steves was my first, Ben Leigh my second, the gaffer was Josh Kish,” he said, “and they were all great to work with.” Still Here will be released theatrically in January with the hopes of a screening at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival. Michael is passionate about the craft of cinematography and joined the CSC during his first year of school. “I shot as many shorts and music videos as possible in school in order to gain experience.” In the winter of 2007, during one of the biggest blizzards to hit the province in 10 years, he shot and directed a 10-minute zombie short called Run Like Hell. Technicolor in Toronto did the post. In October it was Patrick Spence-Thomas (1933–2008) began his distinguished career in 1962 with the legendary Budge Crawley, Canada’s first movie mogul. But after only two short years at Crawley Films, he set out on his own as a freelance soundman with a Nagra III recorder purchased with a small amount of money borrowed from his father. Working for CBC’s groundbreaking news magazine program “This Hour Has Seven Days,” Patrick travelled the world covering historical events such as Martin Luther King’s trip to Oslo to receive his Nobel Peace Prize, the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi and the Vietnam War. In 1967, he purchased some used sound dubbers, cobbled together a homemade mixing desk, and opened for business in Toronto as Spence-Thomas Productions; although, he continued to work as a sound recordist with credits that include Don Shebib’s Good Times Bad Times (1969), Ivan Reitman’s Foxy Lady (1970), Paul Almond’s Journey (1971), Don Haldane’s The Reincarnate (1971), Peter Pearson’s Only God Knows (1973) and Gerald Potterton’s The Rainbow Boys (1973). In 1988, the Canadian Society of Cinematographers honoured him with the Bill Hilson Award “for outstanding service contributing to the development of the motion picture industry in Canada.” Today, Spence-Thomas Productions has two locations in downtown Toronto with four studios and is one of busiest sound post houses in the business. His son, Richard, has been in charge for the past 10 years. “Patrick embodied film sound in Toronto for many years,” he told CSC News. alike. Throughout our industries’ formative years Patrick was a driving force and a father figure to many young creative talents. His energy, wisdom and sense of humanity persisted to his last days, and I am very proud to have worked so closely with him for the last 25 years and to be his son.” A celebration of his life was held at the Academy of Spherical Arts, Toronto, November 2. work as sound mixer on the Toronto-shot hit musical Chicago (2003) and he received a BAFTA (British Oscars) for the same film. He was also involved in the development of the Dolby SR system for sound recordists. He won an Emmy Award for the television movie Unnatural Causes (1986) and was nominated for Gotti (1996). In addition, he won a Canadian Film Award for The Silent Partner (1978), was nominated for four Genies – Tribute (1980), Crash (1996), Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004) and Tideland (2005) – and he received a Gemini Award nomination for Harrison Bergeron (1995). His extensive list of credits date back to the early 1970s and include Cannibal Girls, Who Has Seen the Wind, Strange Brew, Police Academy, Mrs. Soffel, X-Men and Silent Hill. His youngest son, the film editor Allan Lee (A Winter Tan, Skinwalkers), said of his father, “Quite simply, my father was the most charismatic man I ever knew. Our house growing up was always ‘the cool house’ where our friends were always welcome. “What I loved most about my dad was his unique, mischievous, wicked sense of David Lee (1938–2008) passed away humor and his ability to treat all as at his home in Panama City of a blood equals, never talking down to people. infection. Born in to Scotland, was My best memories are the vacations we system was designed deliver Lee a high “His commitment, enthusiasm and veteran ofdigital the Canadian movie industry performance cine camera with the took together. We never returned home never-ending charm was a source quality of andofwon an Academy 35mm film. Award (with Michael without having met new friends.” A inspiration to producers and crafts people Minkler and Dominick Tavella) for his celebration of David’s life was held for The RED One Digital Camera CSC News - December 2008 • 15 02 Final The Robert Saad Filmography There were several errors in Robert Saad’s filmography in CSC News, October 2008, page 11. The follow is a corrected selection of his credits as listed on the International Movie Database, www.imdb.com. The Rainbow Boys (dp, 1973), Cannibal Girls (dp, 1973), The Hard Part Begins (dp, 1973), Shivers (dp, 1975), Death Weekend (dp, 1976), Torn between Two Lovers (op, 1979), Utilities (op, 1981), Ticket to Heaven (op, 1981), The Amateur (underwater op, 1981), Class of 1984 (op, 2nd unit, 1982), Strange Brew (op, 1983), Martin’s Day (op, 1984), Police Academy (additional photo, 1984), Mrs. Soffel (2nd op, 1984), One Magic Christmas (op, 1985), Police Academy 3: Back in Training (dp, 1986), Bluffing It (op, 1987, TV), Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (dp, 1987), Speed Zone! (dp, 1989), Millennium (op, 1989), Perfect Witness (op, 1989, TV), Beautiful Dreamers (2nd assist. cameraman, 1990), The Last Best Years (op, 1990, TV), The Photographer’s Wife (dp, 1991), F/X 2 (dp, 2nd unit, 1991), Love & Murder (op, 2nd unit, 1991), A Little Piece of Heaven (op, 2nd unit, 1991, TV), Last Wish (op, 1991, TV), Double, Double, Toil and Trouble (op, 1991, TV), Under the Piano (dp, 1995, TV), “Road to Avonlea” (dp, 1996) The Morrison Murders: Based on a True Story (dp, 1996, TV), “Fast Track” (dp, 1997), “Wind at My Back” (dp, 1996–97), Sleeping Dogs Lie (dp, 1998), Happy Christmas, Miss King (dp, 1998, TV), Don’t Think Twice (dp, 1999), Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story (dp, 2000, TV), Oh, Baby (dp, 2001, TV), The Piano Man’s Daughter (dp, 2003, TV), Solar Strike (dp, 2005, TV), Trip (dp, 2006, TV) C a n y o n D e s i g n G ro u p : 8 . 1 5 . 0 8 Bleed: 5.625 x 8.125” Trim: 5.5625 x 7.8125” Live: 7.875 x 10.4737” Elizabeth Radshaw has been named the The CSC News — J1626 Client: Deluxe Hot Docs Canadian International Docu- mentary Festival hasPMannounced 626_CSC_2F.qxd 8/15/08 4:02 Page 1 that development, polishing presentations and readying budgets for pitching to commissioning editors in the international market. She also planned marketing strategies for programs and was active in promotions at key international markets. Additionally, Elizabeth Radshaw has also been associated with the NFB and various film festivals in Canada and the U.S. She is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal. Issue Date: xx/xx/xx Ad Size: 1/2 Page Island Hot Docs Names Elizabeth Radshaw New Director of the Toronto Documentary Forum new director of the Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF), the Festival’s international market event. “We are delighted to welcome Elizabeth to the team,” said Hot Docs executive director Chris McDonald. Radshaw comes to Hot Docs from TVF International Television Distribution in London, a U.K.-based independent specialist factual distributor, where she was head of acquisitions. She acted as a consultant to producers with projects in Deluxe his friends and all those who loved him November 9 at Sim Video in Toronto. 16 • CSC News - December 2008 CAMERA CLASSIFIEDS Equipment for Rent Viper-Filmstream Camera Full-Package for Canada, U.S. and Asia. Package includes Carl Zeiss Digi-Prime full set, tripods and mattbox, Waveform monitor, 8inch onboard and 24inch TV logic monitor, etc. The equipment has two years and is well maintained. Along with the above, we can add “Shinki” or “S-Two” recording system (un-compressed hard-disk based) with two digital engineers, also a D.I service is offered. Camera is owned by an equipment firm based in Seoul, Korea. For more details, contact: ‘Clemens Chang’ 82-11-9271-9081; clemens27@ empal.com. Equipment for Sale Factory-sealed Fuji film stock. Three x 400ft., 35-mm 500ASA, 250ASA and 160ASA. Regular price, $500 per roll. On sale for $340 per roll. Also can sew various types of heavy-duty material. Repairs and zipper replacement on equipment and ditty bags. Lori Longstaff: 416-4529247; llong@rogers.com. Sony DSR-130 Mini DV/DVCAM Camera. ENG rig in excellent condition, comes with soft-shell carrier. Includes DXC-D30 head, DSR-1 DVCAM VTR, Canon YJ 18x9 KRS internalfocus 1x/2x lens (servo/manual), DXF-701WS ENG viewfinder, condenser mic and Anton Bauer battery. DSR-1 hours: A:233; B:133; C:327. Recent factory servicing, reports and pictures available. $8,500 obo. Justin Guimond: 604-568-8023, justin.guimond@gmail.com. Two Complete Video Villages for Sale $2,000. At this price, these units will pay for themselves in less than five weeks on a normal television series. Cost to create new would be over $5,000. Plus these very sharp, robust AC/ DC monitors are no longer available! Includes four x 9inch Sony AC/DC monitors, four 12V batteries and chargers, four A&J hard cases, remote controls and antenna signal boosters, spare power cords, connectors, etc. BNC cables in winder, two stands, dolly carts and doorway boxes with storage drawers. Contact :Robert McLachlan : office: 604-926-5253; cell: 604-761-4041; rmclachlan@mac.com. Elmo TransVideo TRV16 16-mm film-to-video converter color CCD. Converts mag or optical film frame, color, iris, focus adjustments. Excellent working order. Best offer accepted. Contact: Bea: feldab@rogers.com. Betacam SP D30 camera, PVV3 Recorder Back, Fujinon 16X, 9-144 zoom lens, six batteries, charger, power supply and case, Sony PVM 80Q 7 1/2inch monitor and case. $3,500. Contact: Joan Hutton: 416-693-9776. Sony DVW700 Digital Betacam camera. Excellent condition. One Sony viewfinder, one Sony battery case, one Sony tripod adaptor, and one 8x160-mm Canon zoom lens. $19,900 plus taxes. Call 613-2553200. Padded Barney for Arri SR. Bright Red. Look cool while keeping your camera hot. $100 obo. Contact: Peter: 416-698-4482; 604-730-0860; peter@peterbenison.com. Aaton XTR Super 16 package including body, video-relay optics, extension eyepiece, three magazines, Cooke 10.5 mm – 60 mm S-16 zoom lens, Zeiss 9.5 prime lens, 4x4 matte box, 4x4 filters (85,85N6, polarizer,ND6, clear), follow focus & cases, $22,000. Nikon 50-300 mm F4-5 E.D. lens w/ support, $1,000. Zeiss 35-mm prime lens set (Arri std. Mount) 16 mm, 24 mm, 32 mm, 50 17 Cinematographer’s personal Betacam camera and film sound equipment. Neumann mics, Micron wirelesses, etc. Sony BVW400 camera, tripod, lights, and grip. Full list at saltwater.ca/equipment. Sony DSR-500WSL DV CAM. Camcorder hours: A:1,435; B:776; C:1,810. English and French manuals, $4,400. Canon YJ1 8x9 BRS zoom lens, $2,200. Canon YJ 12x6.5 B4 zoom lens, $4,000. Sony UVW-100 Betacam SP camcorder, Fujinon S 16x6.7 BRM-18 zoom lens, and Porta Brace soft carrying case, $1,250. Contact: Nick de Pencier, Mercury Films: 416 516-2661; mercfilm@istar.ca. Camera Classifieds: HDV � XDCAM � HDCAM Videoscope is your One-Stop Shop For Sony Professional HD Cameras � � � � Betacam SP Camera package. BVP550 Betacam SP camera with BVV5 recorder, complete with Fuijinon 15x8 broadcast zoom lens, “Red Eye” wide-angle adapter, 6 IDX Li-Ion batteries, IDX quick charger with AC adapter, flight case, soft carry case, Sony monitor and 10 fresh Beta SP tapes ($140 value). $2,500. Call Christian: 416-459-4895. CSC News - December 2008 • Field and Post-Production Equipment A FREE service to CSC members. If you have items you’d like to buy or sell, please e-mail to 1editor@csc.ca 1474.VideoscopeCSC-Oct08 9/19/08 3:11your PM list Page DVW700WS Digital Betacam with viewfinder and two widescreen zoom lenses. Canon J1 5x8 B4WRS SX12 and Fujinon 5.5-47. Very low hours on new heads. $20,000, plus taxes. Contact: Michael Ellis: 416-233-6378. HDW-F900R Experienced Sales Reps and Camera Specialists Recording Media for all Sony platforms in stock Sony-trained technicians in our Service Department Support from our Rental Division For demos and consultations: 416-449-3030 Larry Au lau@videoscope.com Gord Haas ghaas@videoscope.com Joe Freitas jfreitas@videoscope.com Photo by Roger LaFleur Clear rain cover for Arri III with carry bag (very little use), $100. Delta-4 NP-1 four-battery charger, $50. One Petroff 3x3 filter tray, $30. Two Sony ECM-50 lav mics with wind covers, clips and steel cases, $100. O’Connor 50 Head – Mitchell mount – with Foba collapsible legs, $800. Two Arturto (Quartz Color) 3KW soft lights. Both have egg crates and yokes, first never used, second has gel holders, feet, standard spud and $200 worth of new bulbs. Excellent condition, $400 for both. Contact: John Banovich: 604-726-5646; director@JohnBanovich.net. mm, 85 mm, $4,500. Kinoptik 9-8 mm 35-mm format lens c/w sunshade, $1,400. Cooke 25-250 T3 9 35-mm zoom lens c/w PL adapter & optex 2 x extender, ridgidized case, $5,200. Arri 35-mm IIC camera w/ turret for Arri standard, Arri bayonet & Nikon mounts, level seven variable speed motor, 3 x 400’ magazines w/ loop protectors, periscope viewfinder, matte box (takes 3x3 filters) IIC hi hat, package including transport cases, $3,500. Ronford 2004 Fluid Head (150-mm bowl) with Sachtler tall & baby legs, $5,000. Please email stringercam@shaw.ca or mike@imagegearinc.com. PDW-700 PMW-EX3 www.videoscope.com/cameras Sony logos are the property of Sony Corporation of Japan. All rights reserved. CSC MEMBERS CSC FULL MEMBERS Jim Aquila csc Eduardo Arregui csc John Badcock csc Michael Balfry csc Christopher Ball csc John Banovich csc John Stanley Bartley csc, asc Stan Barua csc Yves Bèlanger csc Peter Benison csc John Berrie csc Thom Best csc Michel Bisson csc Michael Boland csc Raymond A. 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McNutt csc Simon Mestel csc Alastair Meux csc Gregory D. Middleton csc C. Kim Miles csc Gordon Miller csc Robin S. Miller csc Paul Mitchnick csc Luc Montpellier csc George Morita csc Rhett Morita csc David Moxness csc Douglas Munro csc Kent Nason csc Robert C. New csc Stefan Nitoslawski csc Danny Nowak csc Rene Ohashi csc, asc Harald K. Ortenburger csc Gerald Packer csc Rod Parkhurst csc Barry Parrell csc Brian Pearson csc David Perrault csc Bruno Philip csc Matthew R. Phillips csc Andrè Pienaar csc, sasc Zbigniew (Ed) Pietrzkiewicz csc Randal G. Platt csc Milan Podsedly csc Hang Sang Poon csc Andreas Poulsson csc Don Purser csc Ousama Rawi csc, bsc William Walker Reeve csc Stephen Reizes csc Derek Rogers csc Brad Rushing csc Branimir Ruzic csc Robert G. Saad csc Victor Sarin csc Paul Sarossy csc, bsc Michael Patrick Savoie csc Gavin Smith csc Christopher Soos csc Michael Spicer csc John Spooner csc Ronald Edward Stannett csc Pieter Stathis csc Barry Ewart Stone csc Michael Storey csc Michael Sweeney csc Adam Swica csc Attila Szalay csc, hsc Christopher D. Tammaro csc Jason Tan csc John P. Tarver csc Paul Tolton csc Bert Tougas csc Chris Triffo csc Sean Valentini csc Gordon Verheul csc Roger Vernon csc Daniel Villeneuve csc Daniel Vincelette csc Michael Wale csc John Walker csc James Wallace csc Tony Wannamaker csc Peter Warren csc Andrew Watt csc Jim Westenbrink csc Tony Westman csc Kit Whitmore csc, soc Brian Whittred csc Ron Williams csc George A. Willis csc, sasc Glen Winter csc Peter Woeste csc Bill C.P. Wong csc Bruce Worrall csc Craig Wrobleski csc Yuri Yakubiw csc Ellie Yonova csc CSC ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Joshua Allen Don Armstrong John W. Bailey Douglas Baird Kenneth Walter Balys David Battistella Gregory Bennett Jeremy Benning Jonathan Bensimon Andrè Bèriault Roy Biafore Christian Bielz Francois M. Bisson Christophe Bonniere Scott Brown Richard Burman Lance Carlson Jon Castell Mark Caswell Maurice Chabot Stephen Chung David Collard Renè Jean Collins Jarrett B. Craig Rod Crombie Micha Dahan Nicholas de Pencier Gareth Dillistone Randy Dreager John E. Durst Jay Ferguson Andrew Forbes Richard Fox Tom Gatenby Brian Gedge Rion Gonzales Vladimir Gosaric John Hodgson Cliff Hokanson James D. Holloway Suave Hupa George Hupka David Johns Jorma Kantola Ernie Kestler Shannon Kohli Charles Lavack Jim Laverdiere Robin Lawless soc Byung-Ho Lee Philip Letourneau John V. Lindsay Dave Luxton Robert Macdonald Mario Anthony Madau Jeff Maher Roy Marques Kelly Mason Andris D. Matiss Paul McCool Patrick McLaughlin Tony Meerakker Gerry Mendoza Tony Merzetti Bill Metcalfe Bentley Miller Paul Mockler Helmfried Muller Brian Charles Murphy Keith Murphy Christopher M. Oben Eric Oh Ted Parkes Deborah Parks Pavel ìPashaî Patriki Rick Perotto Allan Piil Scott Plante Ryan A. Randall Dave Rendall Cathy Robertson Peter Rosenfeld Don Roussel Jèrùme Sabourin Christopher Sargent Ian Scott Neil Scott Neil Seale Wayne Sheldon Sarorn Ron Sim Barry E. Springgay Paul Steinberg Marc Stone Michael Strange Joseph G. Sunday phd Andrè Paul Therrien George (Sandy) Thomson Kirk Tougas John Minh Tran Y. Robert Tymstra Frank Vilaca John Walsh Lloyd Walton Glenn C. Warner Douglas H. Watson Roger Williams Richard Wilmot Peter Wayne Wiltshire Dave Woodside Peter Wunstorf asc Steven Zajaczkiwsky CSC Affiliate MEMBERS Christopher Alexander Dwayne Alexander Donald G. Angus Derek Archibald Garth Archibald Robin Bain Iain Alexander Baird P. J. Barnes P.Eng. Peter Battistone Jacques F. Bernier Mark A. Biggin Caroline Brandes Adam Braverman Gordon A. Burkell Stephen Campanelli Tim A. Campbell Arnold Caylakyan Jason Charbonneau VANCOUVER 604-291-7262 Chirayouth Jim Saysana Andrew W. Scholotiuk James Scott George Simeonidis Brad Smith Michael Soos Gillian Stokvis-Hauer Steven Tsushima Paula Tymchuk Anton van Rooyen Trevor J. Wiens Ryan Woon Bernard Chartouni Maggie Craig Brad Creasser Michael Jari Davidson Colin Davis Nicholas Deligeorgy Dominika Dittwald Micah L. Edelstein Tony Edgar Andreas Evdemon Randy French Richard Gira Aizick Grimman James D. Hardie Bruce William Harper John Richard Hergel BA CD Jeffrey Hicks Vincent Hilsenteger Kristy Hodgson Perry Hoffmann Brad Hruboska Marcel D. Janisse Michael Jasen Christine Jeoffroy Rick Kearney Boris Kurtzman Nathalie Lasselin Tony Lippa John Lipsz Matthew J. Lloyd Christopher G. Logan Lori P. Longstaff Robert H. Lynn Jill MacLauchlan Parks Yoann Malnati Sean Marjoram Julie McDowell Justin McIntosh Ian McLaren Andrew Medicky Alejandro MuÒoz Kar Wai Ng Brent OíHagan Ted Overton Andrew Oxley Gino Papineau Graeme Parcher Kalpesh Patel Borislav Penchev Greg Petrigo Gottfried C. Pflugbeil Douglas B. Pruss Manuel Alejandro Rios Ceron Lem Ristsoo Susan Saranchuk CALGARY 403-246-7267 CSC FULL LIFE MEMBERS Herbert Alpert csc, asc Robert Bocking csc David Carr csc Marc Champion csc Christopher Chapman csc, cfe Robert C. Crone csc, cfc, dg Kenneth R. Davey csc Kelly Duncan csc, dgc John C. Foster csc John Goldi csc Kenneth W. Gregg csc Edward Higginson csc Brian Holmes csc Douglas Kiefer csc Naohiko Kurita csc Harry Lake csc Douglas E. Lehman csc Duncan MacFarlane csc Douglas A. McKay csc Donald James McMillan csc Jim Mercer csc Roger Moride csc Ron Orieux csc Dean Peterson csc Roger Racine csc Robert Rouveroy csc Josef Sekeresh csc John Stoneman csc Derek VanLint csc Walter Wasik csc Ron Wegoda csc CSC HONOURARY MEMBERS Roberta Bondar Vi Crone Graeme Ferguson Wilson Markle TORONTO 416-444-7000 HALIFAX 902-404-3630 CSC News - December 2008 • 19 Production Notes All Saints Day (feature): DOP Miroslaw Baszak; OP Perry Hoffmann; October 20–December 5, Toronto Cats & Dogs 2: Tinkles’ Revenge (feature): DOP Steven Poser; OP Jim Van Dijk; DOP B cam visual effects Brian Pearson csc; September 8–December 17, Burnaby BC “Connor Undercover” (series): DOP Yuri Yakubiw csc; OP J.P. Locherer csc; to December 2, Toronto Defendor (feature); DOP David Greene csc; November 10–December 5, Toronto “Dino Dan” (series): DOP/OP George Lajtai csc; to July 2009, Toronto Farewell Atlantis (feature): DOP Dean Sernier; OP John Clothier; DOP B cam visual effects Donald M. McGuaig csc; OP Dean Heselden; July 28–December 9; Vancouver “Go Girl” (series): DOP Milan Podsedly csc; to April 2009, Toronto “Harper’s Island” (series): DOP Robert McLachlan csc, asc; OP Trig Singer; to January 2009; Vancouver Il était deux fois dans un jardin (documentary): DOP Marc Gadoury csc; to December 15, Montreal “The Listener” (series): DOP David Moxness csc; OP Andris Matiss; to January 22 2009, Toronto A Note of Love (TV movie); DOP Peter Benison csc; November 5–23, Toronto Opération Casablanca (feature): DOP Yves Bélanger csc; October 23–December 13, Montreal Pour toujours, les Canadiens! (feature): DOP Jérôme Sabourin csc; November 12–December 12, Montreal “Reaper” 2 (series): DOP Attila Szalay csc; OP Richard Wilson; to December 22, Burnaby BC “Smallville” 8 (series): DOP Glen Winter csc; OP Doug Craik; to April 2009, Burnaby BC The “Socalled” Movie (documentary); DOP Marc Gadoury csc; to July 2009, Montreal Suck (feature): DOP D. Gregor Hagey; November 24–December 19, Toronto “Supernatural” 4 (series): DOP Serge Ladouceur csc; OP Brad Creasser; to March 2009, Burnaby BC “The Wild Roses” (series): DOP Steve Cosens csc; OP Carey Toner; to December 17, Calgary Calendar of Events of Interest to CSC Members December 2008 Dec. 4–7, Whistler Film Festival, Whistler BC, 604-935-8035, whistlerfilmfest.com January 2009 Jan. 30–Feb. 1, Canada International Film Festival, Vancouver, 801-469-9952, canadafilmfestival.com Feb. 25–Mar. 1, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston ON, kingcanfilmfest.com February 2009 Feb. 13–22, CSC Camera Assistants Course, Toronto, register online at csc.ca or call the CSC office at 416-266-0591 Feb. 25–Mar. 1, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston ON, kingcanfilmfest.com 20 • CSC News - December 2008 ONFILM RENE OHASHI, CSC, ASC “During my childhood, I loved to draw and paint. My drawings were realistic in expression. That’s how I looked at the world. Shooting film for news magazine shows and documentaries sharpened my instincts for thinking on my feet and making quick decisions. It’s a different experience shooting dramatic films because I have to consider the script, the emotions to be evoked, and my interactions with the director and everyone else. The execution of this art form can be very complex, and yet the message can be eloquently simple. It’s a collaborative process of discovery. One of the things I love about this industry is that I can work on a children’s film one year, shoot a dramatic detective series the next, and then move on to something entirely different again. It is important to me that film is maintained as an archival medium. If I put my heart and soul into a project, I like to know it will be there for future audiences and not disappear from the face of the earth.” Rene Ohashi, CSC, ASC has earned 11 Gemini Awards plus two nominations, 10 CSC Awards and 10 nominations, as well as an ASC Award along with two nominations. His credits include Anne of Green Gables, The Arrow, The Crossing, They, Highwaymen, Saint Ralph, Kidnapped (five episodes), and Jesse Stone: Sea Change. [All these programs were shot on Kodak Motion Picture Film.] For an extended interview with Rene Ohashi, visit www.kodak.com/go/onfilm. To order Kodak motion picture film, call (800) 621 - FILM (3456). www.kodak.ca © Kodak Canada Inc., 2008. Photography: © 2008 Douglas Kirkland