VFX women on the rise, vampires on the loose and Dickens on location. This month we break the glass ceiling with our Women in VFX article; we look at the BBC’s and Netflix’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and The Personal History of David Copperfield, Armando Innucci’s latest dramedy. Our lighting special shows that the hardware battle is now a features war; we have reviews from Creamsource with their SpaceX light; GoPro Hero 8; DJI Ronin SC and Samsung’s new T7 portable SSD drive.
ENTERING THE LED FEATURES BATTLE
March 2020 £4.99
BLOOD WORK Production breakdown
of Dracula episodic SHOOTING THE FARCE The Personal History of David Copperfield
ALSO INSIDE SPACEX REVIEW | 8K THE AERONAUTS | SAMSUNG SSD T7 BIRDS OF PREY | GOPRO HERO8 REVIEW | CAMERA LISTINGS WONDER WOMEN MEET THE FEMALE POWER PLAYERS IN VFX
WELCOME
30
EDITORIAL Editor Julian Mitchell julianmitchell@bright-publishing.com Staff writer Chelsea Fearnley Contributors Adam Duckworth and Phil Rhodes Chief sub editor Beth Fletcher Senior sub editor Siobhan Godwood Sub editor Felicity Evans Junior sub editor Elisha Young ADVERTISING Group ad manager Sam Scott-Smith 01223 499457 samscott-smith@bright-publishing.com Sales manager Krishan Parmar 01223 499462 krishanparmar@bright-publishing.com Key accounts Helen Coston 01223 499461 helencoston@bright-publishing.com DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Designer Bruce Richardson Ad production Man-Wai Wong DIGITAL Head of digital content Daisy Dickinson PUBLISHING Managing directors Andy Brogden & Matt Pluck MEDIA PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS OF BRIGHT PUBLISHING LTD, BRIGHT HOUSE, 82 HIGH STREET, SAWSTON, CAMBRIDGESHIRE CB22 3HJ UK
The new Cineo Reflex liquid-cooled light
WELCOME
T here was some great technology at the recent BSC Expo – and some warmer places to eat lunch, so everyone was happy. Putting the new indoor eateries aside, highlights for me included the new NBCUniversal Cineo Reflex light and its liquid-cooled core, amazing tech that we will be featuring more of in our NAB Show issue. However, the most mesmerising sight was the new range of Zeiss Supreme Prime Radiance lenses – or the flares they were producing to be precise. We hope to be reporting on their use in Fargo Series 4 in a forthcoming issue. If you’ve tried these new lenses from Zeiss, do let us know. For this issue, we’re concentrating on the evolution of lighting with our report on the new products we saw at the BSC Expo. We’ve also gone big on BBC’s take on Dracula and The Personal History of David Copperfield, with production stories on both. As part of our series showcasing women in the industry, we have pointed our all-seeing eye on the VFX industry and have been inundated with stories from our female readers from this world. We could have included many more in our feature and are looking at including them in our digital issue, so keep your eyes peeled!
Instagram @definitionmags Twitter @definitionmags Facebook @definitionmagazine
JULIAN MITCHELL EDITOR
COVER IMAGE Wonder Woman 1984. Warner Bros.
Definition is published monthly by Bright Publishing Ltd, Bright House, 82 High Street, Sawston, Cambridge CB22 3HJ. No part of this magazine can be used without prior written permission of Bright Publishing Ltd. Definition is a registered trademark of Bright Publishing Ltd. The advertisements published in Definition that have been written, designed or produced by employees of Bright Publishing Ltd remain the copyright of Bright Publishing Ltd and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Prices quoted in sterling, euros and US dollars are street prices, without tax, where available or converted using the exchange rate on the day the magazine went to press.
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 03
CONTENTS 20
SET- UP 06 TITLE SEQUENCE
This month we’re witness to a nervous chat between stars and director in Birds of Prey .
08 NEWS
New Xeen cine lenses, and Video Europe starts Stateside rental supplier business. DRAMA We break down the BBC/Netflix production of Dracula . DRAMEDY Armando Ianucci’s comic re-imagining of Dicken’s semi-autobiographical novel. DRAMA How 8K cinematography was essential for this tale of Victorian aerial pioneers. SPECI AL Fresh from the 2020 BSC Expo, we look at the new lights and perhaps more importantly, the new features. FEATURE
12 BLOOD WORK PART 1
20 THE PERSONAL HISTORY OF DAVID COPPERFIELD
12
28 THE AERONAUTS
30 LIGHT SHOW
42 WOMEN IN VFX
New for our series of articles about women in our industry.
28
30
GEAR TESTS 52 SPACEX USER REVIEW Finnish gaffer Jani Lehtinen evaluates Creamsource’s new high-powered light.
54 GOPRO 8
42
Is the action camera giant still as innovative as it was?
55 DJI RONIN SC
DJI’s attempt at stabilising mirrorless cameras.
58 CAMERA LISTINGS
Our unique camera listings now offer kit essentials and recommended accessories.
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 05
DRACULA | DRAMA
BLOOD WORK Lighting vampires, painted backdrops and shooting morphs. We speak to DOP Tony Slater Ling about how he filmed an old-school Dracula for a modern audience
WORDS CHELSEA FEARNLEY / PICTURES BBC / NETFLIX
B ram Stoker’s Dracula has seen countless movie dramatisations, none of which have been a completely faithful translation of the novel. But it seems every other filmmaker is motivated to add their own flavour to it. It’s an almost century-old custom that began with F WMurnau’s Nosferatu (1922). In his film, it is Germany, not England, where the strange, fanged creature aspires to live, and his name is Count Orlok instead of Count Dracula. Surprisingly – for what is now an acknowledged silent classic – Nosferatu was a pirate production, so these cosmetic alterations weren’t so much inspired as they were imposed. Nonetheless, it’s what inspired the dozens of other Dracula movies that succeeded it, and, alongside the verminous and utterly malevolent Orlok, we’ve seen caped seducers in the manner of Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi. As well as comedic, cringe-worthy performances of the famed vampire… but we don’t need to talk about those. “The tradition is that you go your own way with it,” says Tony Slater Ling, who was the DOP on episode 1 and 3 of the most recent adaptation, co-produced by the BBC and Netflix. “And that’s what we’ve done.” Claes Bang plays a debonair and viciously funny version of Dracula in the new TV series. The story starts in the same was as the book, from Jonathan Harker arriving at Castle Dracula at the hands of a red-eyed coachman, to escaping and finding his way to Hungary. Episode 2 takes place on the ship Demeter and is a 90-minute expansion on Stoker’s four-page account of Dracula’s journey aboard the ship, so some pretty obvious changes had to happen there. But the furthest departure occurs in episode 3, when Dracula is catapulted into our present day, which clearly didn’t happen in the 1897 novel.
“That was the biggest challenge – and people really got upset about us moving the story to the present day – but we wanted to create our own version of this well-trodden tale that’s been reproduced many times,” explains Slater Ling. LOVE LETTER TO THE CLASSICS Still, the third episode takes place in Whitby, with the Yorkshire seaside town starring as itself in the TV series. “The writers felt strongly about using the real location as a way to stay faithful to the book, so I shot all of the exteriors in and around Whitby,” says Slater Ling. Whitby Abbey, which is popular with fans of the macabre thanks to its inclusion in the novel, also features in several shots, as it’s where the Harker Institute [a
clandestine organisation that was set up by Mina Murray, Harker’s fiancée, for the sole purpose of capturing Dracula] is located. But the writers weren’t just keen to gesture back to the book. Slater Ling divulges that Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss are classic horror film fans and, throughout the TV series, there are several nods to their love of the genre. The first episode takes place at Castle Dracula, with Slovakia standing in for Transylvania, and its exterior shots use Orava Castle, which is the same castle as the one that appeared in Nosferatu . Orava was difficult to get any light into, however, so its interiors were shot in the less-than-mysterious Bray Studios, in Berkshire, which was also not making its first appearance in the long series
But we wanted to create our own version of this well-trodden tale
IMAGES Claes Bang plays Dracula in the 2020 production, co-produced by Netflix and the BBC
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 13
COMEDY | THE PERSONAL H I STORY OF DAV I D COPPERF I ELD
20 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
DOP Zac Nicholson explains how to shoot period comedy on a location-heavy new movie from director Armando Iannucci FILMING THE FARCE S urely, Armando Iannucci’s brand of comedy couldn’t live anywhere other than television. His shtick is to revel in nonsense and absurdity but couch and which are contained in a 90-minute block of content called a movie. For WORDS JULI AN M ITCHELL / PICTURES LIONSGATE / ZAC N ICHOLSON
THE PERSONAL H I STORY OF DAV I D COPPERF I ELD | COMEDY
KEEPING FAITH WITH IANNUCCI “Armando is watching very, very closely and he’s logging in his mind all the things that he needs from the scene,” says Nicholson. “While you’re operating you’re concentrating on the framing and trying to catch the dialogue so you have to put your faith in him when he says that he’s got what he wants. He’s not interested in being rigorously methodical about shooting every single line on the correct eyeline for instance. He wants to ‘feel it’, wants the camera to have lots of energy and he’s logging what he’s got and what he hasn’t got.” Where Avenue 5 was shot on the largest stages at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden,
instance, Iannucci’s Avenue 5 is an eight- episode HBO show and his current movie, The Personal History of David Copperfield, is one two-hour film. Both are shot by BSC member rated cinematographers and filmed as cinematically as possible. In fact, Avenue 5 ’s DOP Eben Bolter wouldn’t have done the show if it didn’t have that aesthetic attached to it. Where Avenue 5 was Bolter’s first experience of working with Iannucci, BSC member Zac Nicholson had already shot The Death of Stalin, so was used to multicamera shoots and not getting in the way of the ensemble.
it in scenarios so serious and vanilla that they supercharge the dialogue’s babble. Apart from maybe his Alan Partridge shows, all his work is based on ensemble pieces; The Death of Stalin , In the Loop , Veep and more recently Avenue 5 . You could compare the Iannucci banter with, say, Quentin Tarantino (especially in Reservoir Dogs ) but where he uses babble as a precursor to violence, Armando insists on improvisation to glory in the farce. It works brilliantly. But what is a film and what is a TV series in 2020? Those who watched Netflix’s The Irishman over three and a half hours were even advised where to press pause by film fan sites taking on the managing role of the broadcaster. This avoidance of a serial was probably an edict from Scorsese who famously railed against the idea of anyone watching his films on a phone, but ironically could only find Netflix as a financial backer for the movie. It would be interesting to know who decides which screenplays become series
IMAGES Dev Patel as David Copperfield and Peter Capaldi as Mr Micawber with Armando Iannucci
Armando really likes the handheld camera. He doesn’t like it when cameras get too fixed
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 21
ADVERTI SEMENT FEATURE | G -TECHNOLOGY
PORTABLE SSD TECHNOLOGY UNLOCKS CHINA
French filmmaker Stéphane Couchoud has followed up his film Paradex 1, set in Bora Bora, with a second part filmed in China. G-Technology portable drives were the perfect form factor and recording solution for the trip
From your Instagram feed, you can see how passionate you are about your art; where did your love of film and creativity come from? Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved cameras. When I saw that you could capture something from the present, and watch it whenever, I knew there were unbelievable things I could do, like telling a story, or showing how I perceive the world.
The goal of Paradex is to show the greatest paradises on the planet.
Practically everything, from language, culture, food and heat, to
This time, I wanted to break all the rules and regulations I had made with Paradex 1 . Choosing China as a location meant it was much more complicated for a French person, especially when it came to language and transport! I also found that lots of people have a bad impression of the country, which however for me remains one of the most beautiful I’ve ever visited.
kilometres travelled and arranging permits for accommodation and transport. Also, obviously enough, trying to take as little as possible in our baggage. What were some of your favourite locations during the trip? I did a lot of detailed recon for the trip before heading over and for me, the five most impressive locations were the Great Wall of China, Shanghai, the Zhangjiajie National Park (the Avatar Mountains), Guilin and the Longsheng Rice Terrace.
After the incredible Paradex 1 in Bora Bora, you based the stunning
What were some of the biggest challenges you found yourself
follow-up Paradex 2 in China. What inspired you to choose this location?
facing on the project?
26 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
G -TECHNOLOGY | ADVERTI SEMENT FEATURE
IMAGES The G-DRIVE mobile SSD became an essential part of the team on the Paradex II shoot
has been flying for quite a long time now and has reached a pretty amazing level while I had only been training intensively for about four months at the time. I have to admit that I had great teachers from the start as well as good contacts who made it easier to progress very quickly. I trained on a simulator for up to ten hours per day at times and exhausted about 30 drone batteries a day in training. It’s worth noting that I’ve been flying drones for about ten years, but FPV was something new for me, but at least I came to it with some pretty solid fundamentals. How did you plan your overall storage workflow for the trip to ensure you had a painless offload and secure backup? Each of our team had two G-DRIVE mobile SSD drives as well as two high- capacity ArmorATD drives as secondary backups and two G-DRIVE ev RaW as extra security backups.
“Every time the drone landed, we could transfer the footage without needing a laptop”
What was your choice of camera for the project and what resolution
For offloading the drone footage, I relied completely on the Western
did you shoot in?
Digital My Passport Wireless SSD 2TB so every time the drone landed, we could easily transfer the footage without needing a laptop. I wasn’t taking the risk of taking off again without offloading the images first as with the risk of drones crashing, at least I’d have the footage from the last flight!
The main camera was the Sony FS5 with the Atomos Shogun (4K, 60fps
or 4K Raw, 120fps), with a secondary Sony A7R III (4K video and Raw photos). For the drone work, I chose the DJI Mavic 2 Pro and Mavic 2 Zoom (4K, 30fps) and all of the FPV shots were made using the GoPro Hero6 at 4K, 30fps. You use a lot of drone footage in the film. Can you describe your storage workflow for backing up your drone content?
The drone footage is exceptional; how long did it take to achieve that
Do you use an SSD as a part of your overall storage mix and has it
level of expertise?
accelerated your workflow?
There were two of us involved in the FPV (first person view) drone footage, Josselin Cornil (J-True) and myself. Josselin
In fact, the entire Paradex 2 project was completed using the G-DRIVE
mobile SSD connected via USB! People that know me, know that I’m very fussy about workflow and I’ve absolutely no latency issues working with SSD. If only video editing software was as reliable.
MORE INFORMATION: g-technology.com
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 27
FEATURE | L IGHT I NG SPEC I AL
LIGHT SHOW NEW LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY WAS IN ABUNDANCE AT THE RECENT BSC EXPO, CONCENTRATING ON MATURING THE ALREADY ESTABLISHED FEATURES
WORDS PH I L RHODES / PICTURES VARIOUS
L ED lighting has been a mainstream force for about a decade. For most of that decade, it’s been clear what the direction of progress should be: more power, better colour quality and recently, finer control with radio links, smartphones and lighting desks. Some of those things are likely to remain a big deal for some time, but if there’s an overriding theme in 2020 it’s of maturity. It’s increasingly the finer and finer details of designs that encourage people to specify one light over another.
ARRI A good example of this is Arri’s Briklok system, which was stacked like a giant, glowing Tetris piece at the front of the company’s BSC Expo exhibit. A single unit is a foot-square LED panel at around 70W, which might seem to put it in the same class as – well – a lot of other LED panels. There are two unusual things: first, it’s waterproof, which is not something we find often (Velvet’s lighting products are among the few others); second, the trick
with Briklok is that a sturdy clamping mechanism allows the panels to be assembled into arrays. Apparently the intended default is four feet square, implying sixteen panels and a total power of just over a kilowatt. Given enough rigging, the sky’s the limit. Perhaps what’s most interesting is that Arri (actually Arri Rental, for Briklok is to be a rental-only device) seems to have designed Briklok as almost a contrast to Skypanel. The latching arrangements are one thing, but unlike the
IMAGES The new Panalux Sonara 4:4
30 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
L IGHT I NG SPEC I AL | FEATURE
diffuse surface of a Skypanel, Briklok is an array of tiny collimators like a Litepanels Astra or Creamsource Doppio. The sheer optical gain of that arrangement is huge, albeit at the risk of a little bit of shadow segmentation. PANALUX Rental outfit Panalux is also no stranger to high-power lights, and has introduced an LED soft light, the 1500W Sonara 4:4. At 38kg, it’ll be a crew-served weapon in much the same way as most upscale rental-only gear. Sonara covers a huge range of colour temperature from 1750 to 20,000K and while there is no saturated colour capability, it can produce what Panalux describes as “a wide array of pastel hues”, which is the sort of thing a big wash light might be asked to do on, say, a night exterior. Competing directly with the likes of Sonara is Chroma-Q’s Space Force twobyfour. It’s big – yes, around two by four feet – and heavy at 32kg, and rated at around 825W. That’s a lot of light in a space that size, and the company is pitching it not
only at the higher end of single-camera filmmaking, but also at broadcast studios. Chroma-Q has put together a number of high-power LED options in recent years, racking up arrays of Studio Force II battens to create the Brute Force, which it promotes, ambitiously, as a Wendy Light alternative. It’s increasingly the finer and finer details of designs that encourage people to specify one light over another
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 31
FEATURE | WOMEN I N VFX
AS PART OF OUR SERIES PROFILING THE WOMEN IN FILM AND TELEVISION , WE HIGHLIGHT THE FEMALES WITHIN THE FIELD OF VISUAL EFFECTS. WE TALK TO THEM ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE IN THEIR ROLES, AS WELL AS THE CREATION OF THEIR FAVOURITE ASSETS
WORDS & RESEARCH CHELSEA FEARNLEY / PICTURES VARIOUS
KIM PHELAN Job title: visual effects producer
design changes initially, but when we did settle on a design, it was wonderful to bring this creature to life. Getting it to move like an insect with canine behaviour, the battle between the roach hound and Yennefer, defining its speed and how it interacts with its master, maintaining its violent nature, yet also making viewers feel sorry for it… these were all fantastic challenges.” She adds: “My advice to women wanting to get into VFX is that you need to be passionate. You need to believe in yourself, be versatile and be willing to pursue various avenues. Use your contacts, offer your services to people whenever you can and get in touch with different relevant companies. Remember your passion, keep learning, keep persevering and do not be put off by rejection.” Remember your passion, keep learning, keep persevering and do not be put off by rejection
After graduating, Kim Phelan worked as a temp for various media companies while trying to pursue a career in film. “I had no contacts or links in the industry, but I was passionate about film; I loved it and I was willing to do any job to get a foot in the door. I got an offer to work on Captain Scarlet , a fully CG kids’ TV series, as a production coordinator. I had no previous experience working as a production coordinator or in VFX. It was a complete crash course into the industry; the most intense learning curve I could imagine, but still one of best experiences and projects I have ever worked on.” From children’s programmes to the mainstream, Phelan now has a large roster of prestigious projects on her résumé, including Angels & Demons , Edge of Tomorrow , The Crown , Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and The Witcher . “Out of these productions, the sequence I found most interesting and enjoyable to work on was the roach hound sequence on The Witcher , in episode 4. It was fantastic to be involved in creature development and concepting so early on, and I loved the creative challenges we were presented with. We went through a few
42 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
WOMEN I N VFX | FEATURE
LUCY KILLICK Job title: managing director
shots and a clear description of the digital components to put into those shots. The challenge of designing the sequence made it a much more creative experience for the team involved, and ultimately our crew rank it as one of the most enjoyable projects they worked on in 2019.” “My advice to women wanting to get into VFX is: the sky’s the limit. We have several examples at Framestore of people starting out as entry-level runners and working their way into senior management or senior creative positions. If you work hard and have the right attitude, you can go far in this industry.”
the other VFX work in the rest of the film, and our challenge was to create a sequence with stringent constraints on time and money. Added to that was the looseness of the brief! We quickly formed a strong collaboration with our clients, and they trusted us to design a sequence that was essentially briefed with a set of Post-it notes. “This made it an exciting project to work on; we had to come up with a lot of ideas and concepts from scratch with very little plate photography to base the sequence on. This was different to a traditional VFX project, where you are awarded a package of work with a list of
Lucy Killick started out as VFX coordinator in 1998, having previously worked for a live financial news television broadcaster. She fell in love with it and worked her way through the production ranks before finally becoming managing director of the film division at Framestore’s London office. Killick has worked her magic on many prestigious projects, including Avengers: Endgame , Spider-Man: Far From Home , Hobbs & Shaw , Lady and the Tramp , His Dark Materials and Wonder Woman 1984 . “For Spider-Man: Far From Home , we were awarded the illusion battle scene. It was a stand-alone section, quite different to
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 43
DEFINITION’S CAMERA LISTINGS
DOP Tony Slater Ling opted for Arri Master Primes on episode 3 of Dracula to exaggerate the new light information and colours of 2020. He switched between coated and uncoated lenses depending on the shot, because, although the coated lenses gave him a clean image, emphasising the modernity of the episode, they were “almost too clean at times” and he liked a bit of flare. Vintage lenses were used for episode 1, which was set in 1897. The Canon K35s aren’t quite that old, but helped Slater Ling achieve a period look. He enthuses: “They’re from the seventies and have a lovely fall-off about them, which worked really well against all the practicals.” The lenses were paired with the Sony Venice. Slater Ling used the large format camera on a previous production and was impressed with its dual ASA ability. “I shot at 2500 ASA, because I needed speed for the practicals. It gave me a clean image and, from the sensor itself, brilliant colour rendering. I was able to shoot at 6K for the first episode, but had to downsize to 4K for episode 3, since my favourite focal lengths on the Arri Master Primes didn’t cover the full 6K sensor size.” The Sony Venice was used with two different lenses to create contrasting looks for Dracula DRAMA SONY VENICE BASED ON:
SPECIFICATION
SENSOR – FORMAT AND SIZE
Full-frame 6K 6048x4032, 36x24mm CMOS
24fps 6K, 60fps 4K
FRAME RATES
PL, E
LENS MOUNT
4096x2160 XAVC, ProRes 422, 59.94p, MPEG-4 H.264/AVC
RECORDING OPTIONS
15+ stops
EXPOSURE LATITUDE
58 DEF I N I T ION | MARCH 2020
DRAMA K ITS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
RECOMMENDED KIT The kit recommended to accompany the Sony Venice from the experts at CVP
ARRI PRO SET FOR VENICE The Arri Pro Set for Sony Venice comprises the plate for Venice, bridge plate adapter, top plate,
camera centre handle, rod mounting bracket, 15mm support rods and the Arri quick-release plate.
TERADEK BOLT 3000 FOR SONY VENICE Bolt for Sony Venice is a wireless video module that attaches seamlessly to Sony Venice cameras and is the best option to keep camera clutter and weight off of your rig while providing real-time wireless monitoring. VENICE EXTENSION SYSTEM The Venice Extension System enables cabled separation of the Venice camera body and image sensor
block by up to 5.5m with no degradation in image quality. It also includes a HD-SDI output and 24v output for powering accessories.
OCONNOR ULTIMATE 2560 Perfectly suited to the adaptable, à la carte
ESSENTIAL KIT
configurations of accessorised digital cinematography, the 2560 design delivers cinema standard positioning of controls, including brakes and rosettes for easy and intuitive use.
Discover key components from the CVP camera kit, including an optical-low pass filter and a camera housing
SONY AXS-R7 The AXS-R7 External Recorder attaches seamlessly to the Sony Venice, expanding your recording options to include 6K and Raw/X-OCN formats.
SONY DVF-EL200 VIEWFINDER The DVF-EL200 is a high- quality Full HD viewfinder for the Sony Venice that offers easy focusing and framing with its 200 cd/m² bright OLED panel.
BUILD YOUR PERFECT KIT AT CVP NEWMAN STREET CVP’s flagship showroom is home to a full spectrum of production equipment ready to see, combine and evaluate. Visitors are supported by creative and technical staff who are committed to finding the right solution for every production need. To arrange a visit to the Newman Street showroom in London, call 020 8380 7400 or visit cvp.com
SIGMA CLASSIC FF PRIMES
Based on the Sigma Cine Primes, the Classic line features a new coating formula, which give the lenses unique characteristics such as low contrast, artistic flare and glow.
SEE MORE ON THIS MONTH’S KIT: cvp.com/definitionkit
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 59
DRAMA K ITS
SPECIALIST OPINION
WHY ARE FILMMAKERS PAIRING VINTAGE LENSES WITH MODERN CAMERAS; AND HOW DO THEY FIND THE RIGHT SET?
JAKE RATCLI FFE TECHN ICAL CONSULTANT
up to evoke the same character as vintage glass, as well as alterations to existing lenses. A good example of this is Sigma’s new Classic primes. They use the regular Cine Prime design, but have had the coatings changed to add aberrations, lower contrast and introduce more flaring. One issue people run into with vintage lenses is their mechanics. It’s quite rare to see lenses that were made over 40 years ago in fantastic shape. There are usually issues somewhere in their mechanics and they are incredibly hard and expensive to get serviced, which is why several lens rehousing companies have popped up. This gives people the option to have their favourite vintage lens rehoused into a much nicer housing with mechanics that will survive and thrive on a modern set. Buying vintage lenses can be a difficult process. The lenses tend to be a serious investment, with added risk if buying privately. At CVP we evaluate, service, buy and sell used lenses often. So, if you are looking to invest, please don’t hesitate to contact us to see what rare lenses we may have in!
Over the past few years, there has been a massive boom in the use of vintage lenses within the filmmaking community. With modern sensors and modern lenses getting better and cleaner, filmmakers are looking for new ways to make their work stand out; and finding unique lenses is a great way to do that. Some vintage lenses are clean and sharp, like the Zeiss Contax series, but when people are looking for vintage lenses, I think they envision the image and character of some of the more popular and well-known lenses. This could be the unique ‘onion-ring’ bokeh on the Canon K35s, the classic soft tones of the Zeiss Super Speeds or the buttery focus fall-off of the Cooke Speed Panchros. These three lens sets are some of the most popular on the vintage lens market and their prices have risen dramatically over the past years because of it. With the increasing price and rarity of vintage glass, manufacturers have created vintage-inspired lenses in modern housings that people can obtain without having to hunt. This includes lenses designed from the ground
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
MARCH 2020 | DEF I N I T ION 61
GUNS AKIMBO How to shoot adrenalised mayhem
NEW BROADCAST How HETV is changing the rules of gear choice for production
FLARE UP Why modern lens designers never tire of the flare aesthetic
ACCESSORISE 2020 We look at the latest accessories you need for your kit
ON SALE 26 MARCH 2020 ALSO AVAILABLE ON THE APP STORE
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