IN FOCUS December 2011 Issue 116 Major Sponsorship for GTC 40th Anniversary Event he GTC is pleased to THE Tannounce that Vitec Group PLC's Videocom AWARDS Division, whose brands WEEKEND include Vinten and Sachtler, will be prime RETURNS sponsors of the Zerb by Events Organiser John Tarby Awards 2012. fter ten years the GTC AAGM and Awards are Vitec's generous contribution once again united in an annual guarantees a superb occasion social weekend event. and enables the weekend to be the flagship event of the BACK TO OUR ROOTS GTC's 40th year celebrations. The GTC Awards returns to The event has combined the its origins. In May 1972 a on Friday 11 and Saturday Bring your own camera and GTC's social weekend and few cameramen gathered in 12 May, 2012. Austin Court is check out its performance the annual awards. a room in Central Television based around a distinguished and update your lighting skills Birmingham for the inaugural group of Georgian buildings, under the watchful eye of our Nadene Sayer, Vitec meeting of what was to grouped around a beautifully most respected tutors. become the Guild of Television landscaped courtyard. Videocom Head of Marketing The March edition of GTC Cameramen. In May 2012 Services commented: In Focus will contain full cameramen will be once It’s the 40th Anniversary of "Vitec Videocom is pleased details of this weekend again meeting in a room in the GTC and it is planned to to be associated with this and all the other events Birmingham - but this time to celebrate the occasion for the prestigious event in the associated with the 40th celebrate excellence, enjoy whole year - not just a single cameraman's year and look anniversary celebrations. comradeship, exchange day. However this weekend will forward to celebrating the In the meantime, up to knowledge and of course be the keynote event of the GTC’s 40th year with them" date information can be appreciate endurance. year and one not to be missed. obtained by looking at It is also hoped that further our website www.gtc.org. THE TIME THE PLACE The event team has sponsors will come on board uk or byncontacting the The weekend is being held at incorporated two masterclasses in the near future. GTC events organiser John the prestigious IET Austin Court from the GTC workshop Tarby. [email protected] in Brindley Place, Birmingham programme into the schedule. THE MANUFACTURERS APPOINTED VIDEO SERVICE COMPANY Sony Broadcast & Professional Appointed Service Company HD/SD Video Specialists & Radio Mic's. Meticulous Estimating. Rapid Response Turnaround. Trading as an ASC since 1990. The Instigators of “Service Only Company” Agreements with Professional Equipment Manufacturers. Our personnel each have over 35 Years experience on servicing the products. USE THE ORIGINAL APPOINTED SERVICE COMPANY, WE HAVE THE TRAINING, THE LONG TERM MANUFACTURER AGREEMENTS, EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS – AND A STRONG ADHERANCE TO OUR OWN HIGH STANDARDS Telephone 01525 841999 Thear Technology Limited Facsimile 01525 841009 TTL House, Lidlington, Bedfordshire, MK43 0SF e-mail [email protected] www.ThearTechnology.co.uk GTC NEWS IN FOCUS RTS Lifetime A PUBLICATION OF THE GUILD OF TELEVISION CAMERAMEN Achievement Award EDITOR ADVERTISING GTC IN FOCUS MANAGER for GTC Member Roger Richards James French PRESS DATES The press dates for theMarch 2012 edition of GTC In Focus Briar Cottage 3 Alexander Avenue are: Martin Hawkins Holyhead Road Droitwich Spa Llanfairpwll Worcestershire Editorial Copy: February 15, 2012 Gwynedd, LL61 5YX WR9 8NH Advertising Copy: March 1, 2012 ARCHIVE Tel: 01248 713535 Tel: 01905 796910 Mailout: March 15, 2012 07831 615691 07855 743 845 [email protected] [email protected] A GTC Project John Hoare, GTC Vice Chairman, writes: COUNCIL Readers may remember my resources to other interested THE GTC WELCOMES recent article in this magazine parties for research/publicity NOMINATIONS about GTC plans to set up etc. Those owning outright and/ NEW MEMBERS a digital archive of (mainly) or in possession of past GTC photographs and video magazines and newsletters*, 2012 is a GTC Election Year material relating to our Guild photographs and/or video Matthew Ford Gethin Roberts over the years. I am delighted (either in hard copy or data Freelance Camera Operator Trainee Cameraman Nominations are now being sought for all Council that Simon Curtis of Feature file) depicting Cameramen at London Llanrug, Gwynedd Positions for 2012 to 2014. A nomination form is Films (www.featurefilms.co.uk) work, or relating to past GTC Andrew Rodger enclosed with this magazine. Should you wish to has come up with ideas about activities, and who would be Richard Gooderick Senior TV Cameraman nominate a member for election, please remember what we could do, and perhaps willing for the GTC to hold a Freelance Film Maker Leigton Buzzard, Bucks to ask the person you are nominating if they are more importantly an offer to copy of this within the Digital Middlesex willing to stand and also that they realise the set up the archive. Archive are asked, in the first Emiel Spoelder commitments they will undertake. instance, to contact the Digital Stewart Hadfield Freelance Lighting Our next step is to find out Curator with quantities and Camera & Video Editor Cameraman Complete the form including your name and what is out there. So far, format to evaluate costs and Middlesex Netherlands membership number. Any member of the GTC although we have asked you practicality. may nominate another member. There is no limit to let us know what you have, response has been frankly Kate Harvest Shaun Wilton to the number of nominations a member may Simon Curtis, make. dismal. We know that there Digital Curator Freelance Camera Operator Shooting Partners GTC member DoP Martin Hawkins has been awarded the top is plenty of material, and [email protected] Greater Manchester Surrey award at this year's Royal Television Society Craft and Design Nominations may only be made by post to the when we raised the idea at a (or leave a message with Roger recent AGM there was huge Awards: the Lifetime Achievement Award. He collected the award Matt Hill GTC Admin Address and must be received by 12 Richards, our Administration support, but we need a bit on Monday 21 November at the Savoy Hotel in London, during a Student (Ravensbourne) noon on March 27, 2012. Officer) more than that if we are to ceremony hosted by Myleene Klass. Kent If more than 20 nominations are received an put in the necessary effort and * We have unearthed enough The RTS introduced the presentation with the following words: Election will be called and voting papers will be expenditure. copies of ‘Zerb’ from the year Chris Hollier “The recipient of this special award made his mark in the sent out, along with the AGM Agenda, in due 2000 on, and ‘GTC In Focus’ Freelance Lighting MEMBERSHIP th late 1980s, running across fields chasing a young woman in course. Next year is our 40 from issue 85, February 2004, Cameraman ADMINISTRATION ‘Challenge Anneka’. This is where he perfected his hand-held Anniversary, and a shiny new but for the earlier ones the Worcester Roger Richards camera technique as well as getting extremely fit. The GTC AGM will form part of the 40th archive would be a fitting situation is much more variable. [email protected] Anniversary Awards Event on May 11, 2012. accompaniment, so please Some are missing completely, Nick McLachlan “Very soon he would make an even bigger impression on many support Simon. Here is his and in other cases we have Freelance Cameraman of the top comedy series of the last 20 years, such as ‘Drop If you wish to make more than one nomination request: one library copy but need Chertsey, Surrey Tel: 0300 111 4123 the Dead Donkey’, ‘Birds of a Feather’, ‘Harry Enfield’, ‘Vicar photocopies of the form are acceptable, or please another because the best and of Dibley’, ‘Little Britain’, Peter Kay's ‘Live Shows’, ‘French and contact the administration office for further copies. ‘The Guild is looking to cheapest way to digitise the Saunders’, ‘Outnumbered’, ‘Armstrong and Miller’ and ‘The IT develop a digital media pages involves breaking up the Crowd’, to name but a few. database for existing and magazine. CONTENTS ongoing material relating “His sense of humour and infectious laughter, combined with 2 GTC News 6 SIZE Matters : A quest for the ideal compact camera 10 Workshop: The Salford Quays to the work of the Television his skill at lighting and capturing the story, have made him the Cameraman. This database first choice for many producers and directors. He is a joy to 12 BVE Goes North 14 Kit News 16 Polishing to Perfection: The technology behind the ideal lens cloth could be made available work with. Martin has gone on to work especially well with to GTC members where writers/performers/directors such as Richard Ayoade on Garth 20 Review: The ideal crew transport? The VW Transporter 23 The Golden Age of Television 24 Insurance Matters appropriate and, subject to Marenghi's ‘Darkplace’, and more recently with Ricky Gervais copyright, could also provide and Stephen Merchant on ‘Extras’ and ‘Life's Too Short’.” 2 3 9827 BVE12 In Focus 210x297:Layout 2 12/2/11 3:16 PM Page 1 GTC member Michael Brennan wins award at New Printer Meets Golden Eye Festival Cameramen Michael Brennan has won in the ‘Best Risk Shot’ ZERB Deadline category at the Golden Eye 2011 International Festival of Movie and TV Cameramen, held in Batumi, Georgia by Zerb Managing Editor Alison Chapman t the beginning of July inevitable part of the process actually witnessed this before he award was made for an this year we received while everyone gets used to despite being involved with Tincredible low-angle slow- A motion shot of a large building the totally unexpected and each others’ way of working a scary 36 issues of Zerb).