CVP | ADVERTI SEMENT FEATURE
THREE PROBLEMS, ONE SOLUTION
With the support of CVP, first AC Phil Smith unscrambled the numerous challenges he faced on a trio of epic productions
WITH AWHOPPING 54 credits to his name, Philip Smith has worked across many illustrious projects. Born in Wellington, New Zealand, he began his career on a 2001 film that needs no introduction. With an estimated one out of every 160 New Zealanders taking part in The Lord of the Rings , we can only assume the role of second assistant camera was preferable to an orc. Smith continued to provide his camera skills to productions like The Last Samurai , Avatar , The Hobbit an d Mad Max: Fury Road , before moving to the UK in 2014. He progressed to first AC, and is credited on big blockbuster films like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Dune . Of course, no production is ever a walk in the park, and being on fresh soil meant he needed all the help he could get. Smith breaks down two of the aforementioned productions, as well as the recently wrapped The Batman , looking at the technical challenges, as well as the advice and kit CVP provided to help resolve problems. “Aaron at CVP has become the only person I reach out to when I need to find a piece of equipment,” Smith says. “His experience as a technician and in a rental house means he has a knowledge and appreciation of the equipment filmmakers need and when we need it.” SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY “Solo: A Star Wars Story was the first big feature film I worked on when I arrived in the UK. I operated the B camera as first AC and was lucky enough to be teamed up with Jake Marcuson,
ABOVE Smith’s arrival in the UK started with a bang, working on the high-profile Solo: A Star Wars Story as first assistant on B camera
AUGUST 202 1 | DEF I N I T ION 45
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