The art of filmmaking is a complex and diverse procedure and no more so than from the
cinematographer’s point of view. A while back it was simply a choice between 35mm or
16mm film cameras but the introduction of high quality video cameras and more
recently, cameras using CMOS and CCD technology, have left the DOP with a wide
variety of choice.
Recent feature and episodic productions shot on South African shores are testimony to
the variety of equipment being used and reveal the reasoning behind the choices. We
asked three top cinematographers to share their pick of camera formats.
Peter Zeitlinger is an accomplished filmmaker whose career encompasses
cinematography, directing, writing and editing. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now
Czech Republic) Zeitlinger was in South Africa recently as the DOP on a first German TV
Network ARD Degeto production, A Chance in Africa, which wrapped on 7 May.
“On this shoot we worked with two Super16mm Cameras,’ says Zeitlinger. “The main
focus of the production is on wild animals interacting with the actors. We used a lot of
blue screen and other visual effects.’
Zeitlinger has also shot three feature films on the Red ONE for theatrical release.
“Digital camerawork needs much more precision than film if it is to be correct,’ he notes.
“You can achieve mediocre results very quickly, but to compete with film you need more
lights to balance contrasts. The “guerrilla’ style of filmmaking works better on film
cameras. It is possible to shoot an entire movie without lights on film. You can’t do that
with digital cameras.’
He is complimentary about the quality of South African crews: “They are highly
motivated and experienced. Our crew was very flexible in adapting to the “guerrilla’
requirements that were necessary to make this film as we had only a month in which to
shoot everything. We had to do more than 35 setups a day including action and visual
effects.’
Young Leonardo
Dirk Nel is a DOP who has a passion for storytelling and the use of light whether it’s for
a feature film, drama or documentary. He has been twice nominated for Primetime Emmy
Awards for outstanding cinematography – in 2010 for the docu-drama America The
Story of Us and in 2006 for the BBC film Children of Beslan. He also won the Rory Peck
Award for Cinematography on the BBC film Killer’s Paradise shot in Guatemala.
“I was the DOP on Young Leonardo which is a multi-episodic drama series for the BBC
produced by Kindle Entertainment and serviced in South Africa by Out of Africa
Entertainment,’ says Nel. “We started our shoot late last year and filmed for six
weeks.’
Nel originally wanted to use the Arri Alexa but as it wasn’t yet available in South Africa
he opted for an Arri D-21 package supplied by Media Film Service in Johannesburg
“I went with the Zeiss ultra prime lenses but dropped the zoom for budget reasons,’ he
says. “My research in terms of the best avenue to pursue for post-production led me to
the Cinedeck as a data workflow option along with the P2 system. But this would have
been more expensive for us at the back end in post-production because of the required
conform process. So we shot on HDCAM SR which has far higher quality and helped our
VFX process.
“To further save money we recorded a DVCAM copy alongside the HDCAM SR for the
offline edit. This proved a little challenging in terms of time code and applying a LUT
which was done through a FIG box using a software package called Tomato.’
Nel finds huge differences between digital and film. “Shooting on digital requires a lot of
micro management all the way through from communicating with production regarding
the workflow pipeline to taming highlights and lowlights when lighting. Digital also
requires one to be much more involved in the post-production process in terms of
codecs and end results. It is much slower than film as well. I would often let highlights
go using film, knowing it would either burn or hold but digital requires much more
finessing. On a more positive note digital offers a lot more freedom to the director in not
being restricted by film stock costs.’
Skoonheid
Jamie Ramsay, known as the DOP on the South African films Shirley Adams and Triomf,
also worked on Skoonheid, which was selected for this year’s Cannes Film Festival’s Un
Certain Regard competition.
“I shot Skoonheid on the new Red Mysterium X camera,’ he says, “which has a higher
latitude and is more sensitive in the blacks. However, this didn’t really affect the lighting
package size. We still needed a “film’ size package so we employed the use of LED light
panels which proved to be very useful in tight spots as well as car shots. These very flat
lights are as thin as a piece of cardboard and can give as much illumination as Kino Flow.
“We are in a world of computer apps and this applies to DOPs as well as a number of
iPhone apps that assist us to plot the tracking movement of the sun and judge focal
ratios. Apps like pCAM can be downloaded for as little as a dollar. I’d say the most
useful tool for a DOP at the moment is the iPhone.’
Again the question of film vs digital came up as it so often does. “I believe that digital in
the hands of a master can be as effective as film,’ says Ramsay. “However, it’s like
comparing digital and analogue in the world of sound. They are just different. There are
some huge pros to shooting on a high end system like the Red or the Arri Alexa, such
as the ability to pre-set your grade and the look of the movie and have it with you on
set to reference the end result. Your workflow speed is a lot faster than film. I would sit
with my director Oliver Hermanus and watch the rushes at the end of each day.
“Film still has that organic beauty. No matter how many filters you throw in front of an
HD camera you can still only achieve that with film – so the battle continues!’
Ramsay believes that South Africans shooting low budget films should consider the
Canon 5D. “It gives you good production quality, minimises the size of your crew and
your lighting packages and simplifies your location choices.’
It is unlikely that any two productions will use the same complement of equipment given
the wide variety of choice. At the end of the day budgets may well be the deciding
factor, although the creative aspirations of the cinematographer and his desire to
accomplish the best results often dictate the final choice.
