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SPECIAL SCREENING ~ 23rd December 2014 ~ RSVP Now!!!
2014 John Leake OAM ACS NFSA/ACS Emerging Cinematographer Award recipient Thom Neal @ Camerimage
 Thom Neal |
Camerimage, dedicated to the art of cinematography, is a festival that is a must for any cinematographer. Held in a small city, Bydgoszcz, some three hours northwest of Polands capital Warsaw, the festival is host to some of the most celebrated cinematographers in cinema history. Although the weather was dark and dreary, the atmosphere was definitely not. There was a great buzz around the festival and its patrons, with so many screenings, workshops, seminars and demos, have enough to keep you busy from 9am until 1am. With so much diversity at the festival it was a young cinematographers dream. The screening list, whether it was in the Main Competition, Special Screenings, Debut, Polish Competition or Student work, had it all. It gave such a daily reminder that cinematography brings people from all sorts of backgrounds to the craft. Opening night saw the Opera Nova come to life with the films such as The Imitation Game and Birdman (or the unexpected virtue of ignorance). A packed house saw Alejandro Innaritus Birdman, which was an amazing spectacle that again pushes the conventions of cinema. From then on out it was a week of films, seminars and workshops. I tried to diversify what I was attending, so would change it up quite consistently on a daily basis. Some of the highlight screenings I was fortunate enough to see where Foxcatcher, lensed by Australian Greig Fraser. An amazing piece of cinema with a slow, brooding tension that was perfectly realised in its visuals. It really was a well-crafted piece of narrative. Other films included Leviathan, a northern Russia satirical drama that left me feeling very anxious to be honest and slightly grateful Im nowhere near Russia! Ha. Leviathan was the eventual Gold Frog, and it was shot very impressively. Winters Sleep, Omar, Trash, Wild, Desert Dancer were just some of the 30+ films I caught while at Camerimage, and with only two or three films that didnt sit well with me, I was very happy!
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I sat in on many a seminar, from newest in Color Grading technology through to the new release of Arri 65mm format camera. There is a wealth of information presented, I found myself leaning towards going to talks that involved cinematographers reflecting on their careers and processes. It gave a great insight into what each individual cinematographer does and again highlighted that there is no right way to do a film. Its all up to the creative process and what each narrative needs. Arri hosted a lighting workshop with Phedon Papamichael ASC that was interesting and was a great experience to see the process that he uses is simple and efficient, keeping the story at the heart of every decision he makes.
Camerimage really provides a great sense of community. Ive never been to a festival that has the air to that Camerimage provided. There are no statuses, just a lot of great material for everyone from all sorts of backgrounds to enjoy. It was fantastic to meet young cinematographers from Europe and America and learn their perspective and ideas about films, industry and work. I could go on forever about the festival, but I would never have had the opportunity to go unless it was for the John Leak OAM Emerging Cinematographer Award and the support that is given by both the Australian Cinematographers Society and the National Film and Sound Archive. I really am grateful for the chance to experience the best thing a young cinematographer can in Camerimage. Thom Neal
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