Thomas and Panavision

Thomas Vinterberg Carrying a Panavision movie camera whilst filming on Far From a Madding Crowd in Dorset U.K.

Black Sea – current project

                                

PRODUCTION BEGINS IN THE U.K. ON KEVIN MACDONALD’S

THRILLER BLACK SEA FOR FOCUS FEATURES AND FILM4;

JUDE LAW CAPTAINS CAST

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LONDON, August 8^th, 2013 – Two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law captains the cast of Black Sea, the suspenseful adventure thriller being directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September) and produced by Charles Steel for Cowboy Films. Black Sea, which will be released in 2014, is co-produced and co-financed by Focus and Film4. Focus CEO James Schamus and Focus co-CEO Andrew Karpen made the announcement today.  Focus holds worldwide rights – excluding U.K. free-TV rights, which are held by Film4 – to the movie. Focus executive vice president, international production Teresa Moneo is supervising Black Sea for president of production Jeb Brody. Filming has commenced in the U.K.  Black Sea is being produced by Mr. Macdonald alongside Mr. Steel, who reteam following Mr. Macdonald’s latest film as director, How I Live Now, starring Saoirse Ronan and George MacKay, which will be released this fall. Cowboy Films also produced Mr. Macdonald’s The Last King of Scotland, for which they shared a BAFTA Award and for which Forest Whitaker won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Film4 has made four previous movies with Mr. Macdonald, including Touching the Void, The Last King of Scotland, and the Roman epic adventure The Eagle, also with Focus. Dennis Kelly, creator of the cult television series Utopia, wrote the original screenplay for Black Sea. Black Sea centers on a rogue submarine captain (Mr. Law) who, after being laid off from a salvage company, pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival.

 

London becomes filmmaking hot spot

London has grown to become the third busiest city in the world for filmmaking after LA and New York. The news comes after the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, announced last week a new investment in London’s film, TV and animation industries to boost jobs, support home grown talent and attract high-end productions.

Johnson is expanding the remit of Film London, to bring in £200m worth of additional expenditure through TV and animation production and create 1000 industry jobs. He will invest £2m to broaden Film London’s reach, with £750,000 ear-marked to promote the development of these sectors.

“We are at the dawn of a new golden age of TV production in London,” Boris Johnson, Mayor of London said while visiting Ealing Studios. “We have an unprecedented opportunity to make London the city of choice for TV and animation production. It’s time for London to fulfil its potential as the world leader.”

Over the last four years Film London, already working to facilitate major motion pictures shot in the capital, generated £770m in investment and there are hopes that the agency’s scope will be expanded into high-end TV, such as dramas, mini-series, franchise shows, international co-productions and animations.

With additional funding, the city can now set its sights on new investment opportunities from markets such as US, India, China and South America.

Producer Gareth Neame, responsible for Downton Abbey, said: “We are fortunate to have one of the most vibrant TV production industries in the world here in the UK and much of that work has traditionally been located in the London area, which also boasts many of our most iconic locations.

“Britain is the second biggest exporter of TV content in the world and a tax incentive to boost local production and encourage incoming content is long overdue. As British producers we welcome this commitment by the government.”

Make an effort…. For your own sake…

I did a lecture the other day to a group, about 20 +, of media students, degree level so aged early 20’s . Over the last few years I have done a few now so I am fairly relaxed about my approach. I tend to make it up a bit as I go along with a collection of images, posters and stills on my computer displayed onto a screen that I keep up to date so relevant. This approach allows me the freedom to engage with the students and adapt it to their particular needs. Fortunately I have a large repertoire to draw on!!! From a media students point of view particularly as I can talk photography and I can talk film making, lots to talk about, lots of questions? Or so you would think? Working on the basis the talk had been billed as interactive an opportunity to meet and engage with a film industry insider there was plenty of time for them to do a little research. Hell its not hard to find me on the internet and lets face it in these days of youngsters face down into computers and mobile devices all day how hard can it be to find 5 mins to take an interest???? … Make a little effort … Obviously to tough as after 2 hours of wading through mud ….. few if any questions (other than from 3 people in the class)  I eventually asked the class how many had looked me up, looked at my work? Checked me out on the internet… the dismal and disappointing answer was NO hands up … Nil points . yes that’s right a hole class who are pinning their hopes on a career in media and  paying £6000 ($10,000) + plus in fees a year. They had not made one moments effort to find out more about a person who has  made a success in their own chosen area. What hope? NONE! So that’s it for me… No more lectures.. No more wasting my time preparing a lesson and driving across the UK to deliver it to a group of people that make no effort in return. The only benefit I gained was a reminder to myself as to  why I have got where I am today and all those in a similar position to me. We make an effort and continue to do so. We work at it and keep working at it to get on in this world with our chosen profession.

A bright Future!

Published today, ‘UK screen based industries: Powering ahead’ offers a well-timed insight into the significant opportunities and challenges facing the UK’s creative industries.  The report, (which can be downloaded here) was commissioned by Pinewood Studios, produced by PwC and supported by Creative England, highlights the sector’s current dilemma:  whilst global demand is growing rapidly and offering avenues for significant growth, so are the numbers of nations actively beginning to expand their own creative economies.

Nikon NPS interview

Movie Star | Get the Big Picture | Focus on Imaging | Snap the online version

MOVIE STAR GET THE BIG PICTURE ZOOMS WITH A VIEW FOCUS ON IMAGING NPS MEMBERSHIP

Hi Alex 36.3 megapixel medium-format quality in a DSLR body – the game-changing D800 is here! Try it out at Focus on Imaging, along with our powerful new COOLPIX superzoom compacts. Plus, leading movie stills photographer Alex Bailey explains how his Nikon DSLRs give him the edge in this most demanding of fields. See you next month!

THIS MONTH’S QUESTION We’ve announced two revolutionary products to answer the needs of the modern image maker.. So we’d like to know what you think. Exceeds my needs Answers all my needs Partially answers my needs Unfortunately not suitable

MOVIE STAR Alex Bailey has photographed some of the most iconic film stills of the last 20 years – most recently, Meryl Streep as a remarkably believable Iron Lady. He explains how his high resolution Nikon DSLRs enable him to capture the images that count in this very demanding field.

 

Movie Photos book Comment

I received the email below via the Movie Photos web site, Boy. Oh Boy this kind of feedback makes it all worthwhile!!!!… To be honest Movie Photos was never a money making project and whilst we have recouped some of the investment of producing/designing and marketing the publication we are surely out of pocket….. But the fundamental idea behind it was to share information, considering the film biz and to some  extent the TV industry are both relatively impenetrable I wanted to break down some of the barriers to what can be an extremely rewarding both artistically and financially area of the photographic industry to work in. Why is it so impenetrable? Well! More than anything it is the physical nature of the Film Biz that makes it so hard to pin down… Film companies by their very nature establish and dissolve with each production, so do for that matter a lot of independent TV productions therefore making it almost impossible to as such find any body or thing to Apply too for a job or even for that matter a little information. Now some areas of the industry are a bit more tangible. For Example: say one was interested in Visual Effects…. Then one could Weddle out and pin down possible companies who specialize in this area to whom one could apply for say in the first instance ‘Work Experience”. The same can be said for several other areas of the film and TV industry: Special effects, Grip companies, Lighting companies. Even colleges do not offer courses or much if any info in Film stills photography, and yet there are tens if not hundreds of courses available in moving camera related topics and lighting, Script writing, Directing and no doubt many more film related areas. Alas working in the industry as a stills photographer there is little or know way of getting much info unless people like me share our experience and knowledge. Hence Movie Photos…. and this BLOG… The icing on the cake for me is feedback such as the text below that not only acknowledges an initial influx of fact but helps to encourage and support further development in the art of producing quality commercial viable stills photography on film and TV sets. Encouragement to me as I finalize the next chapter… Movie Photos Digital work flow… Soon to be available… Hi Alex

 

I received my copy of your book last week and have enjoyed it

tremendously – I am a stills photographer based in Scotland, with 10

years experience of shooting stills and I am not embarrassed to admit

that I have learned loads just from picking up your book.  I guess its

because its such a mysterious trade – and there is no one to ask

questions of…………so to finally have a book to refer to is

brilliant.  It is also inspiring – it is too easy for the the stills

photographer to get despondent……not enough time, can’t get fellow

crew to co-operate etc etc, but already I feel a new sense of vigour

in approaching a days work on set……… I am the stills

photographer & I will not take no for an answer!

thanks again ….. neil davidson http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0203446/

 

Jacobson Blimp……. Good account from Martin ……

Hi Alex, love the blog finding it very useful and informative. Just thought id share the following..I also had been waiting for a new blimp to come out

however as luck would have it I just recently refurbished an old Jacobson ( made for the F4 ) and it fits the D700 like a dream. It was used by the

stills guy on set for Roger Corman when he had his studios here in the west of Ireland some years ago. It was about to be dumped as no one knew what

it was !!! I had to get a larger hole bored in the front to take the bigger tubes, I also re-did the wiring for the trigger. All this was done with

instructions from Mark Jacobson in LA who was amazing help. I got a new tube from him for my 70-200 and he also provided new foam. He also thinks

he made that very box 15 years ago, a lick of paint and some polish and its as good as new 🙂 used it on set for a Disney show last week and its

amazingly quiet. I have to say there is a certain pride felt when shooting on set with a Jacobson

keep up the good work

Martin

BFI Predicts Fertile Future… (…and Launches Skillset Academy)

In the week that the BFI takes over from the UKFC as the leading body for film, it has been doing its best to deliver nuggets of uplifting and forward-looking news. The best titbit is that the BFI’s UK production funding will rise from £15m to £18m, an increase which it says is evidence that savings are going back into film.

Also significant is the appointment of five new BFI governors (Josh Berger, Warner Bros; James Purnell, former cabinet minister; Beeban Kidron, filmmaker; Lisbeth Savill, media lawyer; and Matthew Justice, producer).

Commenting, BFI director Amanda Nevill, said: “Today heralds a new chapter for the BFI and a new era for film, which I believe will be one of the most fertile, exciting and successful times for British film. Building on the experience and expertise of both the BFI and the UKFC, we now have an historic opportunity to create a single voice and cohesive vision for film. The new era isn’t about an organisation, it’s about film, film makers and audiences, and that will be our focus.”

Reinforcing the point, this week also saw the BFI oversee the official launch of a new training academy that is designed to help develop the vital craft and technical skills needed on Britain’s film sets.

Called The Skillset Craft and Technical Skills Academy, the new venture is a collaboration between Skillset – the Sector Skills Council for Creative Media – and Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College. Working with studios and other film-based companies, the Academy is aiming to become a centre of excellence in film, providing apprenticeships and qualifications for people working in key departments such as camera, grips, lighting, sound, animation, editing, runners, hair & makeup and costume & wardrobe.

Launching the Academy, Chair of the Skillset Craft and Technical Skills Academy, Iain Smith said it has “an ambitious objective: to harness, support and develop British craft and technical talent at a time when the industry is undergoing enormous change. It will be at the cutting edge of technical excellence, supporting the continuation of what we most excel at in this country.”

The Academy says it will provide qualifications for both industry professionals and new entrants “to provide them with an advantage when competing for film work”.

Commenting, the BFI’s Amanda Nevill said it was important for the sector to look at ways to build a more sustainable British film industry. “For us to make films that people want to see, on both a domestic and international level, we have to ensure that the quality of our filmmaking remains world class – that we are keeping up with technology, harnessing new skills whilst building on the successes of recent years. The Academy will have an enormous impact on the success of the film industry, building the foundations of craft and technical skills for our current and next generation of filmmakers.”

Photo assistant….. Getting started…….

With a good cup of tea???? I know of at least one assistant who purposely made the most dreadful tea the first couple of times he was asked on the basis he would not be asked to make the tea ever again…… The outcome was they replaced him with a coffee machine!!!  The reality is that there is no substitute for starting at the bottom and learning the ropes from scratch and that means Tea Making and clearing up. Sweeping the studio etc…… However there are advantages to this.   To start with familiarity in ones surroundings does generate confidence. Being around the expensive and complicated computers, lights and camera equipment in the studio and out on location does lay down the foundation for a competent photographer. Being part of…… and listening in to the conversations between photographers and more experienced assistants definitely helps for learning the language of photography. These are some of the benefits of being an assistant entering the industry at grass roots. Inter personal skills are another key aspect of understanding how a photography practice works. So listening to the senior staff when they are dealing with clients is an education. Becoming confident on the phone is another key area. The first point of personal contact for most clients is on the phone; how that conversation is handled will have a direct result on their confidence in your company or you as an individual to handle their assignment. I have had an assistant in the past that was afraid of answering the phone. If was out on a job he would prefer if the phone did not ring…. Or so he told me…… Great…….. No phone calls no Business. So there’s the first tip be a rubbish tea maker but be brilliant on the phone……..