From the Pres
Please note that Accreditation submissions open July 1 and close July 31 so if you are contemplating applying please contact Ernie asap. There are plenty of details regarding applying for Accreditation on the ACS website. Click on the link below to check out Accreditation. The prestigious 2018 ACS National Awards for Cinematography will be held at the Brisbane Customs House in Queensland on Saturday May 5 at 6pm. The Guest of Honour is the legendary Australian Actor Ms Noni Hazlehurst AM. The Gold Award winners from the 2017 State & Territory Awards for Cinematography will be competing for Gold Tripods in most categories except for the CineKids and Student categories where Gold Plaques are awarded. The highly respected Milli Award for the Australian Cinematographer of the Year will be selected from the National Gold Tripod winners. Tickets are $150 each. Dress code: Formal In conjunction with the Awards several other events will be held in Brisbane including: NATIONAL SPONSOR "IMPRESSIONS" EXPO All are welcome to experience this hands on event with the latest camera technology currently available. Friday, 4th May 10am to 5pm Griffith Film School Studio 472 Stanley St, South Brisbane EXPO DISCUSSION SESSIONS Griffith Film School Theatre Friday, 4th May from 11am Speakers and topics TBA CHAT, CHEESE & WINE Presented by ACS Major National sponsor FUJINON FUJIFILM @ Griffith Film School Studio Balcony Friday, 4th May from 2:30pm to 6:00pm ACS AWARDS SCREENING / Q&A Presented by Griffith Film School @ Griffith Film School Theatre Friday, 4th May 6:30pm ACS MEET THE NOMINEES / Q&A Session @ Griffith Film School Theatre Saturday, 5th May 10:30am to 12.30pm Moderator: Kim Batterham ACS Enjoy a Q&A with some of our Nominated Cinematographers and see some of their award winning work Congratulations go to our own Maxx Corkindale who won the National Awards early-bird booking prize of return flight to Brisbane and back to Adelaide thanks to National sponsors Stage & Screen Travel. It pays to get in early sometimes!
Profile Adam Camporeale
Adam "undercover" on a CFS shoot. |
Gidday Adam, tell us a bit about yourself, what made you want to get into film? Despite a love of cinema and photography growing up, I had a long and varied path before I decided to get into film, and particularly cinematography. I went to a high school that specialised in media and I studied it through until Year 12, but it never felt like a real career path, it was more of a pipe dream idea, but not something you could actually do for a living. A combination of timing and circumstance led me to start thinking about film as a career differently. A close friend, Stephen Packer, started studying film at uni, and the 5D Mark II had just launched. I helped Steve out on a few of his uni projects and began playing around with shooting videos on DSLRs. We landed a small corporate job early on and quickly I realised that this was a career that I was really excited about pursuing! It was something I was genuinely passionate about and the idea of waking up for a sunrise shoot was less daunting than waking up for a 9am office job. Which cinematographers inspire you? Im a huge fan of technically proficient cinematographers, in the classic sense of the phrase. Cinematographers who can use the full gamut of cinematic language to bring a script to life and execute it to the highest level. Im particularly fond of dramatic lighting, strong composition and intentional camera movement. For that reason, Roger Deakins always stands out in my mind. His work just continues to blow me away and serve as a masterclass in the craft. However, theres a huge list of working cinematographers who are all doing amazing work and are really inspiring, Bradford Young, Linus Sandgren, Mandy Walker and Janusz Kiminski just to name a few!
Adam gets a tracking shot from a wheelchair on an Adelaide Airport corporate shoot |
Whats your favourite film or TV show? I have a really varied taste in movies and TV. Its so mood dependent! This past year I really enjoyed The Shape of Water and Get Out. On a rainy day Ill always be happy to throw on any classic Spielberg film, Star Wars, or something like Donnie Darko or Manhattan. And I love the offbeat comedy and drama of Whit Stillmans films, particularly Last Days of Disco. As for TV, I love to watch a huge range of series, from some modern masterpieces like Breaking Bad or American Gods, through to some teen trash like The OC! And Ill definitely throw in a few sitcoms for good measure (somehow Seinfeld always seems to be in rotation). Cinematography can take you to some interesting places, what are some of your highlights? Ive been incredibly lucky to have worked on a wide range of projects around the country and around the world over the past 6 or 7 years. Its taken me to some amazing places and being able to capture some incredible vistas and inspiring people has been a highlight of my career thus far. Particularly the time we were able to spend in India filming for a local non-profit organisation was incredible. From the intensely populated cities to the breathtaking scenery of the Himalayas, it was a vibrant trip that isnt something youll likely experience in many other industries.
Behind the scenes on Tanks of Dust |
What type of projects excite you as a DP? While day to day I primarily work on commercial and corporate work, Ive had some great experiences on narratives and music videos as well. I think each type of project offers a unique set of challenges and rewards when shooting. The ability to plan, storyboard and pre-light on narratives and commercials mean youre often able to achieve more structured and thought out work, and I love what that can mean for the end product. However, the more run and gun work can be just as exciting. When you arrive at a location and your brain instantly starts ticking over about lighting and compositions available, and when you manage to pull off a shot or scene in that environment to a level that sits alongside your best commercial work, its extremely gratifying. How do you feel about the control a DP should have over the final images in post on a project? With the power of modern colour grading, it can often feel like the final result of an image can be taken out of your hands. I tend to enjoy executing the colour grading process myself and love to be able to tinker with my images in post-production if possible, or simply just sit in on the grade. Obviously this is rarely an option on bigger projects, so youve just got to hope that you and the director were on the same page about the look of the film while shooting. With good pre-production and an open conversation about lighting and colour as you shoot, it hopefully leaves the images in good hands when it reaches the grading suite!
Adam frames up a low angle on a Balfours TVC |
Adam whats next for you? Ill continue to work on projects with director Stephen Packer and others, whether it be corporate and commercial work through Passel Media, or short films, features and music videos as part of Drive-Thru Pictures. This year is a big year for us as a lot of narrative projects that have been in the works for the past 12-18 months are beginning their festival runs and will finally see the light of day which is very exciting! Sounds great Adam, all the best on the Festival Circuit.
Upcoming dates
April 3 Committee Meeting May 5 2018 National Awards for Cinematography in Brisbane @ Customs House May 6 National AGM May 7 Committee Meeting May 30 Send Membership Invoices & send Sponsorship Proposals. June 1 Get your Accreditation Application ready June 4 Committee Meeting June 30 Membership fees due July 1 Accreditation Application window opens July 2 Committee Meeting July 31 Accreditation Applications closed August 1 to 18 38th SA & WA Annual Awards for Cinematography entry window August 13 SA branch AGM August 31 to September 2 SA & WA Annual Awards judgings September 1 to 30 ACS Accreditation Application window September 3 Committee Meeting October 1 Committee Meeting October 27 38th SA & WA Annual Awards for Cinematography November 5 Committee Meeting December 3 Committee Meeting December 10 SA Branch Xmas Drinks
Why not visit your National HQ
If you're in Sydney why not drop into our ACS HQ @ Level 2, 26 Ridge Street, North Sydney. The NSW committee will do their best to open up for you, just contact David Lewis ACS dlewis@cinematographer.net.au or 0408 273 702
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