On Screen

I was a member of the jury for the Directors’ Debuts Competition, which features first and second films, at Camerimage this year, alongside Rob Epstein (Jury President), director, screenwriter, and producer, and Jan Roelfs, production designer, who received the Camerimage Award for Production Designer With Unique Visual Sensitivity this year.

On 13 November, at 11:15 a.m., Screening Room 6 of Torun’s Cinema City was full with expectant faces and latecomers continued to quickly make their way past the stage well after the event had begun, to be sure not to miss the talk by Julie Grünebaum, Éric Guichard, and Julien Poupard. Julie was slotted to speak about Chant d’hiver and Dzma, Eric about Saisons and Donne-moi des ailes, and Julien about Misérables.

The Filmlight seminars are always a big hit, and the length of the queue to enter the auditorium makes one fear the worst! Philippe Ros, AFC, on behalf of Imago’s Technological Committee, introduced the seminar by reminding the audience of the Federation’s work on textures, which is available on Imago’s website. The famous FilmLight seminar duo was at the controls: Daniele Sirugusano, Color Scientist, and Andreas Minuth, Colorist.

Ian Lowe, Senior Sales Manager for Dolby Laboratories, presents what HDR is in Dolby’s view, how to create a program that can be released in SDR and HDR, followed by a discussion with Alex Gascoigne, colourist with Technicolor, and Tina Eckman, of Dolby.

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière and La Fémis attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Camille Aubriot, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, discusses the image bank created by cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC, whose project moved her because in it, she found a response to some of her desires and unanswered questions.

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière and La Fémis attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. After relaying his general impressions of the festival, Hovig Hagopian, of La Fémis, goes more into depth on two selected short documentary films which left a mark on him, since this is the topic of his final project for his degree.

With her first film, entitled Swallos, director Carlo Mirabella-Davis portrays a young woman suffering from a compulsive eating disorder. But this is also the story of a young woman searching for freedom and truth in a very artificial world. American cnematographer Katelin Arizmendi invites us backstage…

Because students from the ENS Louis-Lumière attended Camerimage this year, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Simon Gouffault and Olivier Ludot, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, have written a thoughtful piece on cinematography based on the screening of two television series, asking how far it’s possible to go.

After he had worked for Jean-Claude Larrieu as his assistant operator, Larrieu encouraged Romain Alary to work on a project as a cinematographer. Since the early 2010s, he has worked on the cinematography of several advertisements and clips for brands such as Hermès, Cartier, Fendi, Renault and Honda. "Give it Up", by San Zhi, is his first music video, created in partnership with his cousin Antoine Lévi. A very personal project entirely shot with a small crew. (FR)

Our lens tests were finally screened at Camerimage, which is where cinematographers from across the globe meet. Even in French, I use the English word “cinematographers” at this event because it’s so precise and convenient, and we are so happy to experience this moment together.

As students from the ENS Louis-Lumière attended Camerimage, the AFC offered them the opportunity of contributing in one way or another to the articles that are published on our website and broadcast via our newsletters. Inaugurating the column dedicated to them is Margot Cavret, of the ENS Louis-Lumière, who was the first to answer our call with a personal reflection on the work that Eric Guichard, AFC, and his crew did on Seasons.

Since the opening of Camerimage 2019, in Toruń (Poland), on November 9^th, we have published every day written or filmed interviews with directors of photography about their work on a film selected in one or other of the sections of the Festival, in both French and English. Here are the links to read or watch each of them in English.

The great Italian cinematographer discusses examples of films from throughout his extremely prestigious and varied career from the perspective of his relationship with their production designers. Amongst the films discussed: Michael Apted’s Nell, Sam Raimi’s The Quick and the Dead, and Michael Mann’s Insider and Manhunter.

The partner of directors such as Peter Greenaway (Murder by Numbers, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover), Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, S1m0ne), and Oliver Stone (Alexander, World Trade Center), Dutch production designer Jan Roelfs is at Camerimage 2019 to receive the special annual prize for Unique Visual Sensitivity. He tells us about his perspective on working with cinematographers on projects and shares a few memories from the shooting of his greatest films…

Tristan Chenais works in both France and the UK, where he studied at the National Film and TV School. It is there that he met director Richard Hall, with whom he has been working ever since on advertisements and music videos. "New Start", for singer Moss Kena, is one of them, produced by Riff Raff Films, one of the most prestigious advertising and music video firms in London.

By beginning his film with a very funny story (Pope Francis tries to make an airplane reservation himself, but the travel agent hangs up on him when he says his name), Fernando Meireiles gives his story a humourous tone. This is also a film that describes the intimacy of papal life with a great deal of realism, which gives way to moments of great warmth on screen between Anthony Hopkins (Joseph Ratzinger) and Jonathan Price (Jorge Mario Bergoglio). Cesar Charlone, the Brazilian filmmaker’s faithful collaborator, is at Camerimage to present this Netflix film.

After their first success with a film whose meticulous recreation of a 17^th-century community caused a sensation (The Witch, 2015), the duo composed of Robert Egger (director) and Jarin Blaschke (cinematographer) has taken on another, even more concentrated historical fantasy project. Namely, the meeting between two men (Robert Pattinson and Wilhelm Dafoe) alone on an island where they are the caretakers of a lighthouse in the early 19^th century. The film was shot in Nova Scotia and has very dense visuals evocative both of silent film and period fantastic engravings. The film was presented in the Directors’ Debuts competition at Camerimage 2019.

During his visit to Camerimage to present the second film adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel (It: Chapter 2), Peruvian cinematographer Checco Varese, ASC, discussed with us his unique way of approaching the shooting of this film. In no particular order, he discussed his passion for doing things directly on set as well as his vision of the profession in the age of special effects. With his calm and clever smile, welcome to the chef’s kitchen!