CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS $4 February 2020 www.csc.ca Samy Inayeh CSC Brings CORONER to Life Jim Westenbrink CSC: Letterkenny Jeff Wheaton: Murmur A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers FEATURES – VOLUME 11, NO. 9 FEBRUARY 2020 Fostering cinematography in Canada since 1957. The Canadian Society of Cinematographers was founded by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization. The CSC provides tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and digital professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography. 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 Dead Men’s Tales: Samy Inayeh csc Brings Coroner to Life By Fanen Chiahemen with non-partisan groups in our industry 12 but have no political or union affiliation. The CSC is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteer board members of the society. Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support. CORPORATE SPONSORS AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Limited Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. Cinetx Inc. Codes Pro Media Cooke Optics Deluxe Toronto Credit: Amanda Matlovich Credit: DMG Lumière FUJIFILM, North America Corporation Letterkenny: Small-Town Life Goes Big with Jim Westenbrink CSC FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division 18 By Fanen Chiahemen Fusion Cine Grandé Camera Henry’s Camera HD Source Inspired Image Keslow Camera Kino Flo Lee Filters Mole-Richardson MOSS LED Inc. Nikon Canada Inc. PRG Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada Quasar Science Animal Instincts: Jeff Wheaton Lenses Murmur REDLABdigital By Fanen Chiahemen 24 RED Red Square Motion Rosco Canada S1 Group COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS Sigma 2 From the Editor-In-Chief SIM SIMMOD LENS 4 From the President Sony of Canada Ltd. 6 In the News Technically Yours Inc. 8 CSC Member Spotlight – Eric Oh CSC, MYCS Technicolor The Source Shop 10 On Set Urban Post Production 27 Tech Column Vistek Walter Klassen FX 28 Production Notes/Calendar William F. White International Inc. Zeiss Cover Actress Serinda Swan as Jenny Cooper from Coroner. ZGC Inc. Credit: Steve Wilkie ZTV FROM Canadian Cinematographer THE February 2020 Vol. 11, No. 9 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton CSC EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, [email protected] EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, [email protected] Joan Hutton CSC COPY EDITOR Patty Guyader PHOTO EDITOR Janek Lowe ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, [email protected] CSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS he last time I went to the movies, I walked away with a Serge Desrosiers CSC possible concussion. Zoe Dirse CSC Jeremy Benning CSC In our digital age, visual effects (VFX) have made the Carlos Esteves CSC Timpossible possible on screen. Fantastical worlds with even Joan Hutton CSC wilder adventures have made modern cinema an amazing Kristin Fieldhouse Guy Godfree CSC experience. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality have George Willis CSC, SASC long been heralded as cinema’s new immersive frontier, where CSC EXECUTIVE the viewer becomes a participant in the created world. While PRESIDENT both technologies have made substantial gains in the gaming George Willis CSC, SASC PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR portion of our industry and other applications, they have yet to Joan Hutton CSC break into mainstream cinema in a meaningful way. VICE PRESIDENTS I understand the need to enhance the movie experience. It’s Carlos Esteves CSC Bruno Philip CSC novel; it can be stimulating and mesmerizing, but mainly it has MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS the potential of filling theatre seats. Sometimes the enhancements Arthur Cooper CSC are good and sometimes not so good. Zoe Dirse CSC EDUCATION CHAIRS As for my concussion, I had recently seen the new Terminator: Carlos Esteves CSC Dark Fate movie in a 4DX theatre, which is a dynamic motion George Willis CSC, SASC system developed in Korea. The plush seating is anchored to a AWARDS CHAIR Arthur Cooper CSC platform that can roll, pitch, heave and vibrate. The system can DIGITAL PORTALS simulate an array of sensory stimulus from rain, wind and scents, Carolyn Wong (Content Manager) to flying, all programmed to coincide with the action on the RELATIONSHIPS Gaston Bernier screen. The seats are also fitted with pistons, so that whenever OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS there is gunfire, rockets or a car rollover, one’s back gets a vigorous 131–3085 Kingston Road pummeling. Being a height-challenged person and fully involved Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 with the movie, I slouched down in my seat, and that’s when it Email: [email protected], [email protected] became difficult. Gunplay erupted on the screen, the pistons sprang to life, but instead of pummeling my back, they were now Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held concentrating on the sides of my head. Concussion is a bit of an responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. exaggeration on my part, because I was not injured, not even a The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The headache. Actually, it was all quite comical. What the pounding opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian did do was rip my attention away from the screen as I gripped Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer the armrests to keep from being tossed about while making a is printed by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for mental note never to slouch in 4DX seating. Luckily, Terminator’s $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. plot was not complicated because keeping focused on the movie In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 through these seat gymnastics was challenging. for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca. While cinema enhancements are basically good, they’re not a ISSN 1918-8781 Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40013776 panacea for audience retention. The best films are a combination Return undeliverable Canadian addresses of outstanding script, a visionary director, stellar cinematography 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto M1M 1P1 and solid acting. That’s what attracts audiences repeatedly, not THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION. cinematic gimmicks. 2 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2020 VERSATILITY MEETS AGILITY C A P T U R E T OMORR O W From fast-moving action to rich 4K HDR video, the new Nikon D780 helps your vision take flight. Its unique combination of autofocus systems oers the best of two dierent worlds. Optical viewfinder shooting gives you fast and accurate AF, with innovations including an algorithm adapted from the flagship D5. Meanwhile, live view shooting brings all the advantages of hybrid AF using focal-plane phase-detection AF technology, including eye-detection AF and wide 273-point coverage. Combined with shutter speeds from 1/8000 s to 900 s, and advanced video and time-lapse features, the D780 embodies true versatility. 24.5 MP | ISO 100-51200 | 51-point AF | 273-point hybrid AF | 4K UHD, HDR (HLG) video www.nikon.ca FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis CSC, SASC e welcome the new year and, as expected, the quips are starting to come in – “Hindsight is always 2020” – and the optometrist advertising slogan will probably read, “Everyone should have 2020 vision,” etc. Amusing to be sure and something that one can actually Wrelate to. Hindsight is indeed 2020 and often much can be learned if we think about what that really means. The CSC election process has come and gone, and now with the new Board of Directors we begin to plan further for the future of the Society. Plans that are hatched with all good intentions are sometimes put on the back burner and we only realize too late that we now have to acknowledge yet another saying – “should have, could have, would have” – hence the hindsight factor. However, this is by no means meant to be a negative. On the contrary, it is the realization of not only what we have to do but more importantly, how to accomplish all that we have planned. I do believe that part of the answer lies in the consolidation of intent, as well as the implementation of cohesive thinking. The Society is fortunate to have a Board of Directors made up of members who are committed to continuing the work accomplished over the years. Each year brings new thoughts, ideas and new challenges. The most important factor that relates to this is the fact that as filmmakers we understand the relevance of the word “challenge,” for that is what we face on a regular basis, and we know how to respond. The question that will probably be asked by many is what this all means; what will the challenges be? What do we need to accomplish? What will our approach be, and the most important question of all: who is going to do this? I believe the latter part of this thought process lies in the realization of another saying, “Many hands make light work.” This is not a glib statement.