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ACS Short Ends E-News - January 2013 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| In This Issue
From the President
Greetings ACS colleagues and friends, I wish you all a very successful 2013 and hope that there is work a plenty, and progress for us as individuals and as an industry. We, as cinematographers will no doubt be called upon to defend our basic rights and I assure you well press on regardless of the numerous obstacles placed in front of us. In recent months the Society has observed an increase in the number of Australian taxpayer funded films being shot by overseas cinematographers. We have voiced our objections to this unnecessary practice, given the fact there are many Australian cinematographers more than capable and available to shoot these films. We have worked closely with Drew Macrae from the MEAA in an attempt to bring it to a halt, and let common sense prevail. We ask Screen Australia and all the funding bodies to make it clear that only Australian crew will be considered for these productions. The Society has had very positive discussions with Producer, Tim White who ultimately assigned ACS member Nigel Bluck, from New Zealand as DOP to the production Son of a Gun, after initially wanting to retain a French cinematographer. We thank Tim and Director, Julius Avery for their support, as it was a vexing decision for them to consider. With regard to David Michods The Rover, the decision to employ an overseas DP with what appears to be Screen Australia's endorsement is very disappointing and the Society feels an explanation from Screen Australia, along with their future policy about this particular matter is not an unreasonable request. The ACS is more than happy to advise, collaborate and cooperate with any Producers, Directors or Funding bodies in order to remove this methodology from our Australian industry. Congratulations to Dick Marks OAM, Heidi Tobin, Ted Rayment ACS and the entire AC Magazine team. What a fantastic issue we received in December. Just fantastic!! I attended an IMAGO extraordinary meeting in November in Poland and have included my report for your reading pleasure. Should you have any questions, please dont hesitate to contact me. Im due to be heading to Brussels in mid February for the actual vote to determine if we, as Associate members of IMAGO will be granted Full voting rights. This is quite a step and I believe it is time for IMAGO to welcome all of us Associate member countries as Full members. Ive also included a Camerimage report by NSW member Josh Freestone. See you in the New Year and good shooting. IMAGO 2012 Report Bygdoszcz, PolandI arrived in Bygdoszcz, Poland on a very overcast rainy day on Thursday, November 23, and it remained that way until the day I left, a week later. Primarily I was there to attend the Extraordinary Meeting of IMAGO, but took the opportunity to attend the 20th Anniversary of Camerimage a true visual feast!! Before I begin, its important to remember that the ACS became a part of IMAGO because of the lobbying and the work done by former President, Ted Rayment ACS. It was his foot in the door that has made it possible for me to continue and to build on the relationship we have with IMAGO and the member countries, of which there are 47 European countries and 15 Non-European countries. Ron's full IMAGO report can be downloaded at the link below.
ACS HQ ReportThis month has been fairly quiet for the ACS HQ due to the approach of Christmas. Firstly, the new curtains were installed in the theatre area and a new blackout roller blind for the boardroom. This enables a total blackout for screenings any time of the day and additional privacy for meetings. The NSW Branch provided the funds, for which we thank them, and they are a great addition to the HQ. Check them out next time you visit. fxphd, a NSW sponsor and National supporter, held a very informative night demonstrating their new Codex File Based Recording and Workflow system to the members and guests. Piet de Vries ACS required a medical procedure to his leg so his usual classes were limited but he is now ready to go again next year. Piet, along with Apple and the ACS, held a Masterclass day class for students. Each student, a year 11 or 12 studying media, was nominated by their school to attend. Piet shared his experiences as a cinematographer, writer and film maker. See the photos below.
The final ACS NSW Drop-in / Christmas party for the year was very well attended by a lot of different members, old and new, and a lot of interesting stories were told. As I always say, why spoil a good story with the truth? Jason Wingrove brought along his Red Epic camera with his radio linked video splits. The members were very impressed with its mobility and quality, especially when connected to the large Panasonic plasma television at the HQ. If you have something that you think would be of any interest to the members please get in touch with me. The Mac computer in the Archives has been used regularly by members for downloading cards, color editing and color grading projects and for finishing some of the testing that the ACS technical committee has undertaken. Any member can use this set up, so just contact Anna Howard or me, to make sure it is available when you wish to use it. Ron Stannett, Vice President of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC) paid a quick visit to the HQ while he is in Australia for a Queensland vacation. He was really impressed with everything at the HQ, enjoying our hospitality, and he will visit again later in January on his return trip home to Canada. Next year looks like it will be busy again, so dont hesitate to visit your ACS HQ and participate in ACS events. David Lewis ACS Anna Howard ACS 2013 Geoff Boyle ACS RAW Workshop Tour
Renowned cinematographer and CML founder Geoff Boyle will be returning to Australia in May for a special ACS - RAW Workshop tour. His first ACS workshop will be in Canberra on May 25, the day of our ACS National Awards. Geoff will then tour exclusive workshops for the ACS in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide between May 26 and June 9, 2013. Dates and venues are still being finalised so more information will be available in February. ACS members will be eligible for discount tickets. Watch this space! Cameraimage Observations - Josh Freestone, NSW MemberThanks to Velinda Wardell ACS, I had the opportunity to work as focus puller on a small feature film shot in Paris from early to mid November 2012. Upon completing my duties on "The Last Goodbye", the plan for the next two weeks was to head to the festival that celebrates Cinematography; "Plus Camerimage", held in Bydgoszcz, Poland. However, I had not yet booked any accommodation for the festival duration or a way to get from Paris to Bydgoszcz. Thankfully, numerous blessings flooded my way and two days before the festival started I was granted a "Homestay Programme" position by the Plus Camerimage management. This meant that I was invited and accepted into a family from Bydgoszcz for the duration of the Festival, who provided amazing friendship, meals, transport and Polish Vodka throughout a full week learning Cinematography and how to protect its future. The festival itself was inspiring, influential, and all round bloody good fun. From seminars celebrating the art and significance of Cinematography within the Film Industry, including Masterclasses with some of the best including Vittorio Storaro ASC AIC and Christopher Doyle HSC, to lighting and camera workshops led by Oliver Stapleton BSC, Paul Cameron ASC and Danny Cohen BSC with active participation from the audience and the chance to have meals and drinks with world renowned Cinematographers and Directors.
Plus Camerimage was a fantastic foundation to continue my love for film and celebrating images created from the combination of light hitting emulsion, and the person behind the camera who makes it all work.
Thankfully, I was given two opportunities to work one-on-one through a scenario with a provided set, action and with active discussion between both Paul Cameron ASC, known for Tony Scott's Man On Fire, De Ja Vu and most recently Total Recall, and Danny Cohen BSC, known for The King's Speech and the soon to be released Les Miserables respectively, I was able to go through each step involved in lighting a set, lighting an actor within that environment, setting the shot, filming the shot and grading the result. Although this may sound pretty basic and standard, watching and talking with these guys was an experience that I will definitely never forget and always hold close, as I was able to chat with two of the worlds best about a certain lighting problem I was having and they would give me a piece of gold in return. So there was a lot to remember and take on board in relation to setting a light's position, angle, intensity or changing the quality of the light to aid in the storytelling required for that certain situation, as well as, the appropriateness of camera position and movement to aid the story. Finally it was a great opportunity to get to be on set with these guys and understand a slither more of the very large pie that is Cinematography.
Succinctly, the combination of the Polish hospitality from Justyna and Piotr's family (my hosts) and the amount of Cinematography information that was provided to us during the festival, leads me to wrap up by saying; that Plus Camerimage 2012, was by far the most well-rounded film festival experience I have had and I encourage any young or not so young Director of Photography, Gaffer, Operator, Camera Assistant, or Student of Cinematography to attend and learn from these festivals; it was truly epic and I will be attending many more! 2013 National Awards for Cinematography - CanberraCanberra will be celebrating its Centenary in 2013 and there will be no bigger night than May 25th, when Gold award-winning cinematographers meet to celebrate their night of nights in our Nation's Capital! Everyone is warmly welcome to come to Canberra for a weekend of festivities. More details soon, just save the date now so you don't miss out, as the ACT Branch, under the leadership of Robb Shaw Velzen, will no doubt have some surprises in store. Throughout the Year, Buy Local!
The ACS has a very staunch group of supporters - our National and State Sponsors. Why not return that support to them and BUY LOCAL? Resist the temptation to purchase elsewhere and look to our own backyard. As I said, BUY LOCAL. Somehow it just seems right. ACS Mentor Attachment SchemeOur ACS Mentor Attachment Scheme had great success during 2012. ACS member Toby Oliver ACS has been working with Thom Neal in a mentor role, and has generously taken Thom onto Wolf Creek 2 as an Attachment. Thanks not only to Toby but the Producers of Wolf Creek 2 for their support. The ACS will be continuing the scheme in 2013, and will resume accepting requests at the end of February. ACS Website Looking for Great Member ImagesThe National Website Committee are looking for images to refresh the website banners. If you have a great crew or location shot, please send it to us in January! Please email your image to the web committee directly.
Completing the American Cinematographer Magazine Library Collection - Can You Help?The ACS HQ Bruce Hillyard ACS Library has an almost complete collection of American Cinematographer magazines from 1938 to December 2012. There are some missing issues from the war years, 1940 to 1945, and a few from the early fifties. This is probably one of, if not the most, comprehensive collections of American Cinematographer in this country. We would love your help to complete the collection and help us find and acquire the missing editions. The issues we are missing to make the collection complete are: 1938 - Jan to August To help, or for more information, please contact the ACS Archivist Ted Rayment.
Upcoming Short Courses at AFTRS OpenJust programmed for February and March are Peter James: Anamorphic Lens Masterclass, iPhone & iPad Journalism, and Data Wrangling On Set: File Based Cameras. Plus there are still spots in Advanced Lighting Skills and TV Studio Camera Techniques. Discounts of 10% apply to all ACS members. Peter James ACS ASC: Anamorphic Lens Masterclass | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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