ROUCH CUT by Robert Rouveroy C. S. C. Am very flattered by quite a few First Cut You see, the true news cameraman letters concerning my observations is a breed all by itself. True, many on ENG. A nice letter from Steven All this became rather embarrass­ of us have started out in news, quick­ Smith of Williams-port, PA, who has ingly apparent at a combined SMPTE ly passed on into documentaries when recently gone ENG, spent around /CSC meeting the other day at Ryer- we had a chance, finally ending up $45,000 getting equipped (RCA TK-76 son in Toronto. Ed Digiulio, the pres­ with our pie in the sky, commercials and JVC 4400) and claims 25 rental ident of Cinema Products, the maker or features, if we could make it. I'm days within the first 100 days at of the CP-16, was our speaker. He guilty of taking this course, as most started forthwith on a violent dia­ about $400-600 a day. This, for the of the cameramen I know are. It is tribe, a sort of open letter, to the TV bad winter months, is quite remark­ rare to meet the occasional DOP who industry. The gist of all this was that able, and he'll stand a chance to has never shot 16mm and who regards portable electronic camera gear was amortize his gear within the first it as so much spaghetti, or Mickey cumbersome (qualified true), fragile Mouse. I feel they've missed a great year. This is as it should be because (we don't know that yet), expensive nobody yet knows how the stuff will (very true), and incapable of getting deal of experience and exitement that stand up to the rough and tumble of as good a picture as 16mm (utterly usually shows up in their calcified free-lancing. false, as any inspection of the major approach to cinematographic prob­ To date I don't know of anybody in networks newscasts or ABC WWS lems. Canada who has gone ENG on a free­ will show you), But there is a true breed of news- lance basis, but it will come. cameramen who can't conceive of The most logical place for ENG is Frankly, that last observation was doing anything else, and who bring to of course Sports. There is a very rather idiotic. He points out the oc- their news stories an expertise, an interesting article by Robert Riger, casiofJal glitches, drop-outs and skews excitement that clearly shows up in a director of ABC Wide World of on a few news items, totally forgetting their work. I sometimes think I can Sports, in the April 1977 issue of the miles of over and underexposed, recognise their work when I spin the the American Cinematographer that lightstruck, pushed-beyond grain- dial on my TV set. They leave an I highly recommend to interested structure, ruined by labs 16mm film imprint, a personal signature. readers. It seems that the States has that any newscameraman has to con­ whole-heartedly jumped feet-first tend with and that we, mercifully, never into electronic cameras. see. Prime Cut Pity that the Canadian networks are He claimed that tape itself was more Well, these people are sadly missing somewhat conservative. One of the expensive than film because directors in the ENG field. For whatever rea­ Networks here (the Chief Engineer don't want the risk of ending up with son, they have been side-stepped in in fact) told me that the quality of damaged or drop-out tape and there­ the networks'headlong rush into ENG. Vi" tape was too poor for his net­ fore won't re-use it. Even there he was And it shows. While the image quali­ work and that it would take several not correct as a few minutes with your ty is infinitely clearer and "live", years before he would allow it on calculator will show. In Canada, %" the story quality often deteriorated his network. So be it. tape sells for siround $21. for twenty in stand-up, talking head, 1960 feel­ It is true that current electronic minutes. But 22 minutes (2x400') of ing, badly composed, utterly blah shit... gear is still in the 1930 stage Auricon ordinary newsfilm, say 7242, will cost And there is the rub. It is the Nut single system style. Editing is still you around $90, never mind the pro­ behind the camera that matters, not cumbersome and elaborate, and the cessing which adds another $60. at the nuts in it. gear itself not nearly as portable least. So there you are looking at as the one-man-band CP-16. But around $150. as against $20. You could everything must have its start, right? afford to shoot your brains out! Final Cut In 1962 all we had in Edmonton was Poor Mr. Digiulio. The restive au­ The only point he didn't bring out an Auricon Pro-600 but with the help dience at his talk was clearly annoyed. was the comparative quality of the news of a body-brace and a 40-pound power- Many points he made were quite valid, item. The ENG revolution came so pack we went portable anyway. It but in the end it became rather em- quickly to the States that the film- must be axiomatic that engineers and barassingly clear that ENG was cut­ cameramen got caught with their pants cameramen too, for that matter, have ting sharply into his sales figures and down. to be hauled bodily, screaming, into will continue to do so until news, at the Twentieth Century... It seems that the operation of elec­ least, will be lOO'^o electronic. Now tronic equipment falls outside the don't get me wrong! I'm sorry about jurisdiction of the cameramen's union, that too, because I'm first and fore­ in this case the lATSE. The NABET most a film cameraman. To date, no gleefully stepped in and manned the electronic camera can do what I can Toronto's "gimmick man", Robert Rouve­ cameras with their people. Now this do with a Panaflex, thank the Great roy C.S.C., is president of Robert Rouve­ has the States all in a flap because Gaffer in the Sky, but I can see that roy Films Ltd. and shares ownership in Ci- very quickly a few basic problems it won't be long, another decade or nimage. became apparent. so, and I will have to change over Summer 1977 / 61 ROUGH CUT too! And those of us who do, and Look at the Steadicam for instance. keep up with the ever changing tech­ It must truly be classified as the most nological revolution, will keep their innovative accessory to come out m daily bread buttered somewhat. Now a long time. Anybody who has ever what did I hear about this Thompson- been involved in an intricate dolly CSF 5 lb Microcam? Jezus, my lens shot knows what I mean. Dollies are weighs heavier than that! expensive, time-consuming and very limited. They are a sonofabitch to Mix set up on uneven ground, practically impossible on stairs and very hard Ed Digiulio then came forward with to conceal on retreating shots. Some what we really had come to see. The of these shots take a week to execute Steadicam, a contraption of harness, properly. With the Steadicam they are springs and levers that absolutely a relative snap. So what happens? magically smooths out camera move­ Look again at the April 77 issue of the ments. Good by dolly shots! a de­ American Cinematographer. Panavi­ monstration film showed the absolute­ sion has come out with the Panaglide, ly superb tracking shots in films a similar contraption to the Steadicam, such as "The Marathon Man, Rocky, but using gas and hydro-pneumatic Bound For Glory" and others. Just leverage instead of more simple really unbelievable. I went like a shot springs. Given the Panavision track for the first try-out. Now those of Steadicam record of building superlative quality you who know me are aware that I in their gear, I'm sure it will be a am rather "big". I prefer to call little bit better or more versatile. For myself that, instead of some less instance, both systems use TV moni­ flattering description. tors for framing the shot. Now, when really a production tool, and anybody tracking backward, with the camera The harness drops easily around who rushes out to buy one (at around pointing to the rear over the shoulder, me and is strapped very tightly in­ $18,000 each, as far as I could as­ it becomes very hard to keep framing deed, causing some shortness of certain, from Alex L. Clarke Ltd.) properly as all the movements are breath. The countersprung arm fastens to shoot news or documentaries with reversed. If you don't believe me, to my hip and the camera, balancing it will be sadly disappointed. The try it with an Arri SR or the old on a swivel joint, magically straight­ slightest bump causes the camera to Bolex Pro, or some types of Eclair. ens itself out. Moving around, the swing wildly. The shot has to be pre­ "feel" is superb. One is constantly planned and rehearsed carefully, as Well, Panaglide solved this problem aware of the possibilities in moving, it is very hard to come to a full stop panning, running, getting that totally very simply. They reversed the TV without the camera wiggling. It is, scan on the monitor. impossible shot. But it is much more therefore, totally useless in a crowd difficult than I imagined.