ISSUE 57

YOUR NEW GUIDE TO INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING

HIT THE SPOT WITH James Bushe on

HORROR
why shooting a
gruesome movie is
the only way to go

q&a
Filmmaking professional
Emma Dark tackles
another crop of your
questions on kit and
much more...

kit to get started

SONY FS5 II PROMEDIAGEAR PANASONIC TS7 OLLOCLIP PNY MICROSDXC BMD CINEMA CAM

PLUS: DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS / LOCATION SHOOTS / PRODUCTION ADVICE

NEWS & LATEST KIT / STUDENT PERSPECTIVE / FILMMAKING TIPS & TRICKS
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Welcome to

ISSUE 57

Is horror the best genre to pick if you’re looking to make a film

for the first time? It’s easy to see why so many people do. With
a simple script, a few quid to cover production and some willing
cast and crew you could be shooting in no time. Even if you’re
a seasoned professional, a bit of death and destruction is often
the way to go if you’re looking to stir up a fuss about your film.
SELECT PUBLISHER SERVICES LTD
Yup, horror can be a cool option. The downside is that if you do PO Box 6337, Bournemouth,
Dorset, BH1 9EH
it badly then horror looks more than a little bit lame. And those Tel: +44 (0) 1202 586848

sniffy industry types look down their noses at you for having a CUSTOMER SERVICES
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go. Nevertheless, horror is more popular than ever and there would like to place an order, please contact our
are plenty who want to take on the genre and deliver their own back issues hotline on 01202 586848 or email
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unique take on this glorious blood and guts movement. I say MAGAZINE TEAM
movement because that’s another plus with making a horror Editor Rob Clymo
Email: robclymo@digpe.com
film – the fans. Get the horror fans on your side and you’re Twitter: @theclymobrief

going to be off to a great start as they are simply so supportive. CONTRIBUTORS

Philip Bloom and Emma Dark
That’s why our cover and the lead feature this issue is all about
SPECIAL THANKS TO
Cannibals & Carpet Fitters, a brand new horror romp from Everyone who pitched in!
James Bushe. Head on over to page 10 to see why he thinks COVER IMAGE
Sean Strong
horror is hard to beat when it comes to filmmaking; it’s a great
PRODUCTION & DISTRIBUTION
story. The next issue is out on the 12th of July, so see you then. Production Manager John Beare
Email: john@selectps.com
Tel: +44 (0) 1202 586848
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Rob Clymo
Email: tim@selectps.com

ADVERTISING SALES
Advertising Sales Manager Rob Clymo
Email: robclymo@digpe.com

DISTRIBUTED BY
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Digital FilmMaker 5
 Contents
ISSUE 57

10
Horror heaven
8. Digital FilmMaker news
The lowdown on the latest developments
from the world of digital video filmmaking
32. Getting wise 54. Ask the filmmaker
Corporate film outfit Wise Guys has taken on Professional filmmaker Emma Dark tackles
Panasonic’s latest cinema camera, the EVA1 another round of your kit and career questions

10. Horror heaven 36. Vertical smiles 60. Rich pickings

Director James Bushe and writer Richard Lee We take an inside look at Just Charlie, the Jack Leigh and his filmmaking collaborator Tim
O’Donnell talk about heir passion for horror debut feature by director Rebekah Fortune Baxter talk about their Rich is the Life project

18. Another dimension 44. Liquid vision 68. Over the moon
Paul Plett is a Canadian filmmaker currently Austin Arnold is a filmmaker who works closely We follow the making of a quirky documentary
planning an independent science-fiction movie with his twin brother to develop dark projects following three Michael Jackson tribute artists

24. Digital magician 48. Artistic licence 72. Hyper human

Director Hendrik Faller reckons the digital Producer Judith Laurini talks about the making Nguyen-Anh Nguyen’s filmmaking tools of
revolution has fuelled his filmmaking career of her impressive short film Incandescence choice have been Blackmagic Design products

36 44 48
Vertical smiles Liquid vision Artistic licence
6 Digital FilmMaker
 Subscribe and
save today!
Get Digital FilmMaker at
www.dfmmag.com
Turn to page
110

24
Digital magician

18 32
Another dimension Getting wise
78. Economy class 99. New kit 111. Hot 40 indie films
Filmmaker Christopher Flippo reveals his best We pick through a whole host of the latest We pick out 40 or so of the current most
secrets for great results with very little budget hardware from cameras through to gimbals talked about and anticipated new indie films

84. The student perspective 107. Next month

Tyler Scheerschmidt is a filmmaker from the Make sure you make a note of the date when
United States who has big plans for the future the next action-packed issue hits the stores

91. Hardware advice 108. Back issues

We take a look at all of the latest kit plus Complete your collection of Digital FilmMaker
people who keep the industry ticking over magazine with this overview of what’s available

92. Interview with a pro 110. Digital subscriptions

Philippe Reinaudo talks about the rapid rise of Get Digital FilmMaker the easy way. Take out
French digital colour laboratory FireFly Cinema a digital subscription and save money too

60 68 78
Rich pickings Over the moon Economy class
Digital FilmMaker 7
Digital FilmMaker
News
A quickfire round-up of the latest film and video kit happenings
BRIGHT RED
RED has made some changes to
its current model range, which
involves simplifying its product
offerings and reducing prices too.
Its Raven model has disappeared
altogether as an individual unit but
is currently offered as a £15,000
kit via Apple stores. Meanwhile,
there are now three cameras
in the range, with a 5K Gemini,
8K Monstro and the S35mm 8K
sensor options focused around
RED’s ‘brain’ in the shape of the
DSMC2. The Brain part of the
equation is interesting too as it’ll
be able to deliver up to 60 frames
per second at 8K, supports
300 Mbyte’s per second data
transfer and offers simultaneous
recording of Redcode Raw and
Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD/HR
capability. Visit www.red.com
FLASH ACTION
PrimeTime Lighting Systems
has introduced its newest high-
performance LED broadcast
studio light, the MSLED XB2 40.
It’s designed to provide top-quality
studio lighting for studios or rooms
with low ceilings. Find out more
from www.primetimelighting.com
8 Digital FilmMaker
MEMORY BANK
Samsung has introduced
the Samsung Pro Endurance
microSDHC/microSDXC card. It
delivers read speeds of up to 100
MB/s and provides FHD recording
and 4K support via write speeds
of up to 30 MB/s. The Samsung
Pro Endurance is built to withstand
harsh environments and features
Samsung’s 4-Proof protection,
making it water, temperature,
magnetic and x-ray-proof. In
times of emergencies, accidents
or crisis, the Pro Endurance is the
reliable solution to capture the
crucial moments without the risk of
compromised or lost data. Prices
start at £30.99 for
32GB, £58.99 for
64GB and £111.99
for 128GB. See
www.samsung.com
PRICED RIGHT
DJI has revealed the pricing and
availability of the Ronin-S, its first
single-handed stabilizer for DSLR
and mirrorless camera systems.
The Ronin-S will retail for $699
USD with pre-orders beginning
now with shipments starting in
late June. Featuring DJI’s powerful
three-axis gimbal technology,
the Ronin-S delivers smooth,
shake-free video and crisp
photos, adding a cinematic and
professional look to your work.
Powerful
high-torque
motors
accommodate
the most popular
camera and lens
combinations
including the Canon
1D and 5D, Panasonic
GH and Sony Alpha series.
See www.dji.com
JUNE 2018
FIRMWARE FUN
Owners of the Panasonic GH5,
GH5S and Lumix G9 are now
able to download a number of
firmware updates designed to
boost the usability of the three
cameras. Users will be able to
enjoy improved AF performance,
better image stabilization, and
boosted audio capability. There
are also a raft of new functions on
offer, including the likes of Focus
Ring Lock, E-Stabilization, Mic
Rec Level Disp., Live View Boost,
Night Mode and L.Monochrome
D, which can be assigned to the
Fn button that works in recording
mode. Head to the Panasonic site
to get a complete breakdown of
features and functions, which were
made available from May 30th.
Visit www.panasonic.com
VISION THING
Sigma has launched its $1,599
105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens
designed for full-frame cameras.
It has 17 optical elements in
12 groups, including three FLD
glass elements, two SLD glass
elements and one aspherical
lens element. Other highlights
include a carbon fibre reinforced
plastic hood and compatibility of
the Canon mount with the Lens
Aberration Correction function.
Learn more at www.sigma.com
PHONE FEVER
Olloclip has announced an
all-new mobile lens system
designed exclusively for iPhone
X. No less than Six olloclip
lenses are available for the
handset including Super-Wide:
Four-element lens with more
than 120° visibility, Ultra-Wide: A
155° action camera field-of-view,
Fisheye + Macro 15x: Unique
180° wide-angle spherical effect
+ 15x increased magnification,
Telephoto: 2x optical zoom to
get twice as close to the action,
Macro 14x + 7x: Get detail
oriented and see beyond the
naked eye and Macro 21x: Go
in for the ultimate close-up.
Individual lenses for iPhone X
are available for pre-order on
olloclip.com.
MONEY SAVING
Olympus currently has cashback
offers on OM-D cameras and
M.Zuiko lenses. All purchases
from the range of qualifying
products made up until the 31st
of July are entitled to a cashback
reward of up to £175 for each
purchase. The products are:
OM-D cameras E-M5 Mark II,
E-M10 Mark III and E-M10 Mark
II (all body only & kits), M.Zuiko
lenses ED 17mm F1.2 PRO, ED
25mm F1.2 PRO, ED 45mm F1.2
PRO, 25mm F1.8, ED 60mm
F2.8 Macro, ED 9-18mm F4.0-
5.6 and ED 75-300mm F4.8-
6.7 II. Participating countries,
dealers, registration and terms &
conditions at bonus.olympus.eu
WIN! WORTH
OVER
LEXAR £100!
MEMORY
CARDS

Professional media
Lexar has introduced the industry-leading 512GB
Professional 3500x CFast 2.0 Card. The doubled
capacity allows cinematographers, filmmakers
and content creators to capture highest-quality 4K
video and beyond.

Endless storage
To help celebrate the launch of this new card
Lexar is giving away a 64GB CF card or a 64GB
SD card, plus reader, for one reader each issue.

Key features of the new card

n 512GB Lexar Professional 3500x CFast
2.0 card provides read transfer speeds up to
525MB/s and write speeds up to 445MB/s.
n Captures highest-quality 4K video and beyond
with next-generation, cinema-grade video
cameras.
n Provides high-speed file transfer that
dramatically accelerates workflow.
n Also coming soon is the 512GB Lexar
Professional 3600x CFast 2.0 card optimised for
ARRI® cameras.

How to win! Find out more at

Simply email the editor - robclymo@digpe.com - www.lexar.com
with proof of purchase following your download of
this issue and we will pick one winner at random.
Competition closes on 6th of June, 2018.
 Horror
heaven Director James Bushe and writer Richard
Lee O’Donnell talk about why their love
for shooting all things horror makes the
perfect filmmaking formula

10 Digital FilmMaker

Cannibals & Carpet Fitters is
a classic horror romp about a
ragtag group of carpet fitters
who are sent on a job to an old
country house in the middle of
nowhere. However, they soon
discover it’s a trap set up by a
savage cannibalistic family. The
carpet fitters must fight for their
lives or risk ending up as the
evening’s dinner. Unfortunately,
they are not quite your typical
heroes… “This project is the first
feature film that James Bushe
and myself have produced,
building on our experiences in
short films,” so says its writer,
Richard Lee O’Donnell. “This is a
great example of proof of concept
being brought to life, as the
feature is based on our original
20-minute short film we shot back
in 2014.”
Perfect timing
“Wanting to create my own work,
I brought the concept to James
(over a beer) and he loved the
idea,” he adds. “After the success
of the short film on the festival
run (it won best horror short in
the Dead Shorts competition at
Leeds International Film Festival
and best short film at the London
Unrestricted View Horror Film
Festival), high praise from reviews
and overall love of the concept,
this ultimately gave us the
confidence to begin working on
the feature film.”
“For my debut feature I wanted to
create something that had high
production values and would
be a step up from my previous
short films,” agrees Cannibals &
Carpet Fitters director James. “I
was able to take everything I had
learned and use it on Cannibals.
“We had created
the short film to
start getting some
exposure on the
concept”
Due to the budget we actually
approached the film like a (very
long) short film. We split up the
shoot to spread over weekends
as well as the odd week. It was
a little stressful at times, as we
actually attempted something
rather ambitious for the money.
But we had an amazing cast
and crew who gave 100% and
we couldn’t be happier with the
finished film.”
Horror heaven
Learning curve
“As I mentioned, previously we
had created the short film to start
getting some exposure on the
concept,” Richard elaborates.
“Once that was completed I went
back to acting in various projects
on film and stage, whilst in the
background I started working
on the feature length script of
Cannibals & Carpet Fitters. I
had already actually created a
near complete draft of the film,
but after seeing the reaction to
our short, my ideas for a feature
changed and so I began a hefty
rewrite, which the film is so much
Digital FilmMaker 11

better for.”
“In between shooting the short
and feature of Cannibals, I wrote
and directed a short fan film
Called Predator Dark Ages, which
was based on one of my favourite
movies (Predator) and combined
it with one of my favourite eras
(the Middle ages),” notes James.
“It was a definite step up in
quality for me and my short films,
and helped to show I was ready
to take the leap to feature films.
It has been very well received,
going viral with over 5½ million
views on YouTube so far and also
went on to win best fan film at
the Tri-Cities International Film
Festival.”
Dedicated team
James and Richard ended
12 Digital FilmMaker
up co-producing the project,
with the former subsequently
directing and the latter writing
the screenplay. Richard also
played one of the Carpet Fitters,
Dean, in the film. “For our heads
of departments we had Gerard
Giorgi-Coll as our Director of
Photography, Jayne Hyman
handling the practical/make-up
FX, Oscar Potter as production
designer, Ty Hack as our 1st AD
and Mark Gurthrie as production
manager,” adds James. “On the
post-production side we had
Steve Askey on visual FX, Juan
Iglesias as our composer, Dean
Covill as supervising sound editor
and Gerard Giorgi-Coll as editor.
Everyone definitely upped their
game on this and we were so
proud of our team.”
Rigourous schedule
“Before the shoot, James and
myself worked through the
script and looked at how best
to implement our budget,” says
Richard of the way they tackled
things. “We did not intend to
be the sole producers working
on the film but it ended up that
way and we had to learn fast.
Though this possibly helped us
as we approached it how we
felt worked best for the film. We
brought in cast and crew from
our contacts that we had or
wanted to work with, looked at
what resources we had access
to and built the schedule around
what we needed to shoot, not
the other way round.”
“Leading up to the shoot I
worked with Richard on the
script to tweak certain scenes
to fit,” adds James. “Firstly, for
how I intended to approach the
film visually (mostly set pieces
and pacing). We then looked
at how to best work within our
limited budget and locations.
For example, we originally had
elaborate trap doors and hidden
lifts, but this would of required
us to build complicated sets
for several scenes (a luxury we
didn’t have). But once we had
secured our main location I
looked at the individual rooms
and layout of the house, and
we adapted the script a little to
better fit where we would be
shooting.”
Working words
“Being the writer and always
on set, I was able to work with
James to tweak the script on
the spot if we hit any problems,”
Richard points out. “Which
we did, from changing lines to
fit better, to rewriting parts of
scenes to match the sudden
change in weather or schedule.
I had been acting for several
years and am pretty good with
comedic delivery on screen
so I was able to work with the
other actors in helping them
understand their characters and
bring this side out in them. I was
also a carpet fitter in my teenage
years, so that was handy to have
on set when it came to show
how the team should approach
the job.”
“Once we started shooting
I left the producing part to
Richard,” adds James. “Which
added stress for him on the
his acting days, and our
production manager Mark so I
could focus on directing. This

involved talking and blocking
through the script with the actors,
and working with the heads of
departments on how best to
approach each scene within the
schedule. As mentioned, on post-
production I edited the film with
Gerard plus oversaw the relevant
sound and VFX work, giving (too
many) notes along the way – sorry
guys.”
Different career
As Richard mentioned, he was
originally a carpet fitter at around
17-years-old, so a lot of the
characters (minus the Cannibals)
came from his experiences and
the banter he would have at
work. “I am also a huge fan of
horror movies,” he underlines.
“Especially comedy/horror, and
after coming off the back of a
low-budget zombie movie I really
wanted to create my own work
in that genre. Dog Soldiers was
an early memory of how you can
take a horror concept and bite
back at it (no pun intended) with
sarcastic, British humour and I
loved that. It made you laugh but
you generally felt these soldiers
were in real trouble. I also loved
“As first time
feature producers
not a lot of people
wanted to give us a
chance”
the horror film Severance, there
was a great mix of characters
on that film, filled with different
personalities and you weren’t
always sure who would live or
die. Obviously, Shaun of the Dead
set the benchmark for comedy
horror and it’s difficult, even more
internationally not to be compared
to that. One thing myself and
James wanted to do was play
with people’s misconceptions in
the film and try not to follow the
usual horror tropes we see all the
time. From the feedback we have
received I think we have done
that successfully.”
New company
The duo developed the film under
their new label of Pretty Dead
Pictures and both pulled their
resources together. “It was a big
learning curve for us but a good
experience,” reckons James.
“Bringing in some cast and crew
that we had worked with before
on previous projects helped
in building that team mentality
quickly and having the short film
as a reference helped with anyone
new that was joining us. As the
schedule was pretty full-on we
Horror heaven
needed everyone involved to be
passionate about the film and be
willing to go that mile if needed.
Usually, micro-films would hold
off most action until the last 15
minutes and shoot fast, where our
action pretty much kicks off 15
minutes in and we wanted to not
let up until the end.”
“As first time feature producers
not a lot of people wanted to
give us a chance and we were
declined funding on a number
of occasions,” adds Richard.
“We even tried an ambitious
Kickstarter campaign that, even
though it got off to a strong start,
didn’t meet its target. However,
it did attract the attention of
two potential investors and we
relaunched a smaller (successful)
Kickstarter campaign.”
Helping hands
“We were also lucky enough
Digital FilmMaker 13
to get together a great group
of private investors,” says
Richard. “Who came on board
as executive producers (Brendan
Bushe, Tim Clayton, Paul
Andrews, Alice Alexander and
Rick Bector), which helped us
get to a budget we could work
with. We had to rework the
script a fair bit to compensate,
but I believe we did it in a way
that you would not notice what
has been changed. Worse case
scenario, we would of shot the
film in a found footage style (we
had a good angle to approach
it), but luckily we did not need to
go down that route, though the
opening is a nod to that idea.
Kit-wise, we had been looking
at several cameras for the film,
but in the end went with the best
camera/package deal for our
budget. We shot on the Cannon
C300 MK II and Zeiss compact
prime lenses. We incorporated
a Ronin a fair bit on the shoot to
help with giving movement to a
14 Digital FilmMaker
lot of shots (plus a Steadicam for
a couple of days too). We also
used a drone to shoot aerial shots
of the van and house, and a car
rig for the driving scene. Plus lots
of haze during interior scenes.”
Growing portfolio
As this is their first feature
under the label of Pretty Dead
Pictures, the pair are currently
in the script stages of a second
film, which is another comedy
horror that they hope to have in
production by early 2019. “Being
my first feature this definitely sits
at the top of my work to date,”
reckons James. “Saying that, it
is a horror/comedy, which is the
same genre mash-up as a couple
of my previous short films. I’ve
“The reception
has been better
than expected and
we’ve received
glowing reviews”
been visiting the Cannes Film
Festival to promote the film for
international sales. We hope that
the film will have a worldwide
release towards the end of the
year. Timed for Halloween would
be great.”
“We’ve currently teamed up
with Gilt Edge Media and Tribal
films,” adds Richard. “Who will
be handling the UK release of the
film. Currently it is looking like a
June DVD and VOD release.”
Finished product
“We are very happy with the film
and the response to it,” reckons
James. “It’s completed and just
had a successful festival run
globally, including Shriekfest in
LA, Night of Horror in Australia
and most recently the Brussels
Fantastic Film Festival. The
reception has been better than
expected and we’ve received
some glowing reviews from the
film that give us confidence the
project will also do very well
internationally. We picked up Best
International Feature film at this
year’s Nevermore Film Festival
in North Carolina and were
voted Best Feature at London’s
Unrestricted View Horror
Festival.”
“We are soon to be working
with a marketing agency in the
lead up to the UK release,” adds
Richard. “However, word of
mouth seems to be spreading as

we are emailed from all over the
world asking about the release of
the film, upcoming festivals or just
to say how much they loved it.
We don’t want to push Cannibals
& Carpet Fitters in everyone’s
face as we are well aware this
isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but
we’re hoping its the kind of film
that, even though it’s a bit gory at
times, could still make your Gran
laugh. With that attitude we hope
word spreads and the film grows
a cult status. So far the signs are
very promising.”
Staying busy
Momentum certainly seems to
be growing for the pair. With the
team currently working away
on that other horror/comedy
and shooting it next year if
things go to plan, they’re also in
development of several feature
ideas that have been floating
“You don’t have to
write the film as a
100% serious, but
find the comedy in
serious situations”
around for a while now. “A couple
are still horrors - another horror-
comedy based on my Blackout
short film and a straight-up
claustrophobic horror set on a
coach.” says James, “The others
differ in genres and what I want
to try next. One film is a sci-fi/
actioner, another a Medieval
monster movie and the last a dark
take on a nursery rhyme set in a
criminal underworld.”
“I’m a fan of any sub genre
really,” Richard adds. “Sci-fi
comedy/action comedy/horror
comedy. When you get the tone
right I think it works great. Edgar
Wright’s Cornetto Trilogy is a
great example of this. You don’t
have to write the film as a 100%
serious, but find the comedy
in the serious situations your
characters get themselves in.”
“Although my work to date seems
to be predominately in horror, my
favourite genre is actually action,”
furthers James. “For me, I love
seeing a film that has a well-
crafted set piece that instantly
makes you want to see it (and the
whole film) again. I’m not a fan
of the fast editing/shakey cam
approach to action. I appreciate
a well-choreographed, beautifully
staged scene that is not just
Horror heaven
created in the edit from multiple
cameras and no real focus. When
I look at all my favourite movies
the majority are action films
(Predator, Die Hard, Terminator,
etc.) and are a big influence
on my directing style. This is
probably why my horror films
have a fair bit of action of some
sort in them.”
Building blocks
One thing that the experience
gained on these projects is giving
the pair is the desire to keep
on expanding their projects in
the future. “I’d love to attempt
a drama, but something a long
the lines of Shane Meadows
work (This is England, Dead
Man Shoes, etc.),” says Richard.
“Meaningful characters, some
dark humour in there and
something that tugs at the heart
strings.”
“I look forward to shooting a
good action/sci-fi one day,”
adds James optimistically.
“Well written, touching on the
possibilities of a near future and
with some kick-ass action that
actually has a purpose to the
story, not just for the sake of
it. I would also love to shoot a
historical epic. Something set
during the Middle-ages or the
Napoleonic Wars. Sumptuous
costuming. Sweeping story.
Production value by the barrelful.
And spectacular battles!”
Digital FilmMaker 15
Varied background
The pair also have very different
bases geographically speaking,
which actually seems to help their
output. “I’m based in Rutland, the
smallest county in England where
we don’t even have a proper
cinema,” laughs Richard. “So the
filmmaking community is pretty
limited. However, it’s a beautiful
place to film, and we filmed some
16 Digital FilmMaker
of our aerial shots along Rutland
Water in the film. I’m not far
from Leicester and Nottingham,
which has a very tight filmmaker
community spirit. In fact, I’d say
50% or our crew were from the
East Midlands.”
“I live in Watford ,” adds James
by way of contrast. “Where
Warner Brothers Leavesden
Studios is based (of Harry Potter
fame). Though the smaller film
community is a lot quieter. They
have their first short film festival
taking place later this year. But
the studio definitely is bringing
more work to the area.”
Optimistic outlook
“We are hoping to have a run
of successful mix genre films
to place under the Pretty Dead
 Horror heaven

Pictures label,” says Richard

summing up their thoughts on
progress to date. “We are also
in talks with Tribal films about
our next few production ideas.
Hopefully it will also lead to other

“I hope Cannibals
will lead to my next
feature directing job.
And with increasing
budgets too”
roles in films so that I can come
on board just as an actor. That
would be nice.”
“I hope Cannibals will lead to
my next feature directing job,
and so on,” agrees James.
“Hopefully with each film being
more accomplished then the last.

And with increasing budgets too.

Fingers crossed. It also takes a
long time to get a feature off the
ground, so we really hope that
having our first feature completed
and released will open doors and
that, in turn, will make securing
finance for future projects a little
easier.” n

Digital FilmMaker 17
ANOTHER
DIMENSION
Paul Plett is a filmmaker who heads up a Canadian
production company which is currently planning an
independent science-fiction movie

18 Digital FilmMaker

“We’re a small production
company from Winnipeg,
Canada, and we’re trying
to make a big movie,” so
says Paul Plett of his latest
filmmaking venture. “This is
definitely an underdog story
of a production. I think that
emerging filmmakers will relate
to the struggle that’s involved
with getting any project off the
ground, particularly one of this
scale and magnitude. Beyond
that, I think the movie itself is a
unique one. It’s a story about
a girl infected with a deadly
virus who has to cross a post-
apocalyptic landscape in order
to find the cure. So there are all
sorts of opportunities for the cast
and crew to really sink their teeth
into this production creatively.
For me, this project involves all
the parts of filmmaking that I love.
A great story, characters, and
room to explore my imagination.
I’m interested, so I hope others
will be as well.”
Constant theme
The team have already shot
two films that take place in the
same universe as latest film
Rama. “Scab tells the story
about how Lex (the infected girl)
meets one of her companions,”
Paul elaborates. “And Pisces
introduces another character, as
well as a spaceship that plays a
big role in Rama. Both of these
films provided their own set
of challenges. Scab was shot
almost entirely on location in
the Pembina Valley in Manitoba,
Canada. This is a remote location
in the middle of nowhere, with
beautiful vistas, and no buildings
for as far as the eye can see. So,
it was a perfect backdrop for
our movie, but it was incredibly
challenging when it came to rain,
wind, and cold weather. Our crew
“We’re a small
production
company and
we’re trying to
make a big movie”
was resilient, and we got what
we needed. But it was definitely
a challenge to film in such a
remote location. Pisces provided
a completely different challenge,
as we shot the entire film on
Another dimension
set at a studio in Winnipeg.
The challenge here involved us
building a believable, lived-in
looking spaceship set, which
could exist in this world. So the
months of set construction was
a real challenge. That being said,
the experience that we gained as
a crew by making these two short
films has prepared us greatly to
make Rama, and we’re excited to
face any more challenges head
on!”
Shared duties
Paul was the writer, director and
producer of the film but is quick
to point out that his team helped
make everything roll along nicely.
“We have an incredibly talented
group of actors led by Meredith
Rose, who plays Lex, the infected
girl,” he says. “Corey Rademaker
plays Cal, one of Lex’s
companions. And Walker Rambo
plays Reese, the mechanic of the
spaceship Pisces. Beyond that,
we’re hoping to cast the rest of
the film here in Winnipeg in the
next couple of months. On the
crew end, our cinematographer is
Andrew Luczenczyn, who’s best
known for his work on the film
H&G. Our production designer is
Erik Fjeldsted, make-up artist is
Emily Wilson, and our composer
is Joseph Madden. This is an
all-star group of people who
I’ve worked with for the past
number of years, and I couldn’t
be more excited to work with
them on Rama. In order to get
these two short films made,
I’ve really had to wear multiple
Digital FilmMaker 19

hats. These are low-budget
films, so I end up taking on a lot
of the editing and VFX on my
shoulders as well. That means
that I’m really stretched as a
writer/director/producer/editor/
VFX artist. But it also means
that I get to learn more about
each of those departments, and
how they relate to telling these
stories. As a writer, I really know
these characters and this story
intimately. As a producer, I have
a vast knowledge of how we
20 Digital FilmMaker
Gripping tale
As for the storyline of Rama
then it revolves around a girl
named Lex who is infected
with a deadly virus, and must
assemble a ragtag group of
strangers to help her cross a
post-apocalyptic landscape in
order to find the cure. And, all
along, they are being chased by a
ruthless warlord and her guerilla
fighters who want the cure for
themselves, and any secrets it
“There is a real
beauty in diversity,
and I always strive
to show that in new
can practically and affordably
get this movie made. And as an
and unique ways”
editor/VFX artist, I know what
shots I need, and how to film
the elements necessary to get
them. And, that all comes into
play when I’m directing. For me,
I’m a director first and foremost.
So, having such an in-depth,
three-dimensional picture of
how to make this film, I’m better
equipped to direct, and tell the
story that I’m so passionate
about.”
may hold. “So the film follows
Lex and this group of strangers
as they kind of stumble into a
perilous situation,” reckons Paul.
“And they have to get along with
each other in order to survive.
This forces all kinds of issues to
come bubbling to the surface
throughout the course of the
movie... prejudice, fear, hatred,
trust… and at the centre of it all
is Lex, this girl who’s changing
and mutating as the virus takes
over her body. It was inspired
mainly by current events, and
watching how people around me
deal with change, and people
that are different from them.
One of the main themes in this
film is the ‘other’, whether that
be someone who is a different
culture from you, speaks a
different language, or a creature
that has a completely different
genetic make-up than you.
Every character in the film deals
with this idea of the ‘other’ in a
different way, and I really wanted
to explore that. You know, there
is a real beauty in diversity, and
I always strive to show that in
new and unique ways in all of my
films.”

Sharing workload
“With a crew so small, everyone
really does their part in pulling it
all together,” adds Paul. “We’ve
got a great team, and we’re all
so excited about the project, and
passionate to get it made but
that’s also why we’ve launched
a Kickstarter campaign. We’re
trying to raise the money to get
this project off the ground, and
every little bit helps. We want
to really build a community
around this film, a community of
people who want to help get it
made, and see the finished film!
So we’re going to be vlogging,
blogging, and spreading the word
as far and wide as we can. If our
Kickstarter is successful, we’ll
be releasing regular videos and
posts to keep people in the loop
as this film takes shape. So, if
people want to join us, check out
our Kickstarter! If you don’t have
any money, no worries. Feel free
to spread the word, and let’s get
this movie made! As for kit then
“It will give me a
chance to sink my
teeth into themes
I’ve only been able
to touch on”
we shot both of our short films on
the Sony FS5 with Nikon zooms.
It’s a great camera for what we’ve
needed. It’s light and durable,
and has really suited our needs.
For Scab, everything was natural
or practical lighting, and Pisces
was lit mostly with Litegear
Litemats and Sourcemaker tubes.
For Rama, we may be looking at
something bigger, but the verdict
isn’t in quite yet. We’d love the
chance to shoot on the Alexa
Mini, or even the RED. But if all
else fails, we’ll be filming Rama
on the Sony FS5 with Nikon
zooms again.”
Building profile
Rama, reckons Paul, will definitely
be the biggest film he’s ever
made. “It’s certainly an ambitious
work, and although I’ve made
feature length films in the past,
I’ve never made anything of
Another dimension
this scope or magnitude. Also,
thematically it will give me a
chance to really sink my teeth
into themes I’ve only been able
to touch on in my short films.
Scab circles around the theme of
prejudice, and Pisces explores
death and faith, but with the
added length, Rama will really
delve into these topics in a way
I haven’t had a chance to yet.
And that gets me excited but
we’re right at the beginning. We
have a script, we have a team,
and we have a plan. So we’re
just trying to raise the money
to see if we can set it all into
motion. The feedback so far has
been incredibly positive, and
that’s worth its weight in gold. It
sounds like there is an audience
who are excited to see a film
Digital FilmMaker 21

like this, so hopefully we can
raise the funds and make it. It’s
always humbling to see people
you’ve never met embrace your
idea, and to embrace an idea
that is in such an early stage is
really encouraging. We feel like
we’re really onto something here,
and we don’t want to let our
supporters down.”
Audience energy
Paul is very confident that he and
his team have plenty of people
who will want to the see the end
product. It’s what keeps him
going. “Well, if we can raise the
money to get this project off the
ground, we’ll already have a built
in audience for this film,” he says.
“And then all we need to do is
grow that audience as we move
forward. By vlogging throughout
the entire process, we want to
take people along for the ride and
give them a behind the scenes
look at how to make an indie sci-
fi movie. And, by keeping various
blogs and podcasts appraised
22 Digital FilmMaker
of our progress, hopefully we
can grow our audience as well.
So when we finally release
the film, we’ll have a group of
people who feel as though they
have real ownership over the
project, and want to see it and
help us share it with the world! I
make documentaries as well as
fictional films, so in addition to
the other two films we’ve shot
in the same universe as Rama
“Between the docs
and fictional films I
get to really explore
all aspects of my
creativity”
(Scab and Pisces), I’ve also just
released a documentary titled
Seven Points on Earth, which
explores the lives and history of
7 Mennonite Farmers around the
world. Also, I’m currently editing
a documentary I just shot with
my dad called Memoirs of My
Father’s Africa, which is a travel
vlog/doc about me and my dad
taking a journey around East
Africa. All this stuff keeps me
pretty busy.”
Varied approach
“The docs that I make are really
different from the fictional films,”
adds Paul. “In that I don’t have as
much control over what happens.
Often, I show up somewhere,
have a plan, but then have to be
flexible as to what reality throws
my way. I really use these skills
when I’m filming a fictional piece,
and weather or time constraints
come my way. Basically, the
docs help me hone my skills to
get a good shot no matter what
the conditions. But they also
give me a great break from the
controlled conditions of a film
shot in a studio. Between the
docs and fictional films, I get
to really explore all aspects of
my creativity, and that’s really
fulfilling. My favourite genre is
probably sci-fi or fantasy though.
I just love films that explore things
that don’t exist in our world. I love
the escapism of a great sci-fi or
fantasy film, but then I also love
how these fantastical elements
exist within a completely realized
world, with its own rules and
limitations. It makes me feel as
though I could travel there, and
be in that world. That was always
the most fun thing for me to do
as a kid, watch a great movie,
and then go outside and play
as though I was in that movie. I

guess my desire has always been
that maybe I could one day create
that kind of a world that kids
today would want to imagine they
could travel to, explore, and play
in.”
Boom times
Things are also going great guns
when it comes to the ongoing
filmmaking front across the
pond. “Here in Winnipeg, things
are great,” says Paul. “There’s
actually been a big boom in the
Winnipeg film industry over the
last few years, which is exciting
for someone like me who’s trying
to break into the industry. As an
independent filmmaker in Canada,
it’s easier to get funding for docs
than it is for narrative fiction. But
there’s a great community of
artists and creators in Winnipeg
who are always looking for
exciting projects to collaborate
on, so I’ve still been able to make
“I love to tell stories
and explore my
imagination. I’d love
to take that further in
the future too”
fictional films without needing
a huge budget. Filmmaking in
Winnipeg has been really great
for me over the past few years. I
pay the bills mostly with the docs
that I make, as well as through
promotional videos for various
organizations. If we’re able to
make Rama, and sell it at the end,
it would be a great step forward
for me, earning some money
through works of narrative fiction,
Another dimension
which is really my passion. The
unfortunate thing is that there
is such a small market for short
films, and it’s tough to break
into. With a feature-length sci-fi,
there’s really a big market, and
we’d love to be able to sell Rama
once it’s finished.”
Fine future
“Honestly, I love to tell stories
and explore my imagination,”
adds Paul sounding decidedly
optimistic about the future. “And,
I’d love that to take me further
abroad in the future. I’ve already
shot a number of docs and short
films around the world, but I’d
love the chance to make feature
length films internationally.
Winnipeg is a great base, and I
can see myself making films here
for the long term, but it would
be awesome if I could use this
city as a springboard to make
films anywhere and everywhere.
I love meeting new people,
learning what makes them tick,
and helping share their stories
and perspectives. So I really
think following that will lead me
to wherever I’m heading in the
future.” n
Digital FilmMaker 23
 DIGITAL
MAGICIAN Director Hendrik Faller reckons the
digital revolution has given him a
much better chance of making it as a
professional filmmaker

24 Digital FilmMaker

“As a filmmaker I am very
much indebted to the digital
revolution,” says Hendrik Faller
about his burgeoning career
making movies. “I started film
school around 10 years ago, and
I remember we were watching
digital slowly push its way into the
marketplace. We started shooting
on mini-DV and then DSLRs
showed up and changed the
whole game. Suddenly we could
use photography lenses and get
this new look. That was around
the time digital really took off in
Hollywood and started becoming
a serious alternative to film. After
“When they saw
the script for my
feature they offered
to shoot it for me
and help fund it”
graduating I moved to London
and started freelancing in branded
content and documentary. On
every project I kept an eye on the
kit. I kept thinking ‘what is the
cheapest kit I can shoot a feature
with?’ I think that means I have
something in common with most
of your readers.”
Building blocks
Prior to Fever, his new project,
Hendrik had made many short
films. “A lot were made at the Arts
Digital magician
Institute of Bournemouth where
I studied film production,” he
explains. “And, as I said, when I
graduated I moved to London and
freelanced as an assistant editor.
I wasn’t rich, but it gave me the
time to write and direct things.
Plus you learn a lot in the editing
room. Then in 2013 I made a
thriller called Threshold. I basically
wrote a script that allowed me to
practice all the things I wanted to
do in my feature. It had an action
scene, a sex scene and it featured
very little dialogue so it had to be
told in images. We shot with nice
lenses and on the RED MX, and
post production went smoothly.
The film was a little controversial,
but I got to hone my craft
nonetheless. After that I decided
why spend one year on a short if
you can make a feature in three.”
Total control
The new project took shape when
Hendrik was writing the first drafts
of the script while working for that
small production company as an
editor. “When they saw the script
for my feature they offered to
shoot it for me and help fund it,”
he explains. “That’s when Michael
Lebor the DP came in. I loved his
cinematography and had survived
some really tough shoots with him,
and so I said yes. After gathering
a little more private funding, the
film had the green light. Back then
I was on a shoot in Scotland with
Digital FilmMaker 25
 Mike, and we met this talented
make-up artist named Sarah
Miles. We knew make-up was
going to be really important, as
the film features a virus and quite
a few stab wounds. Sarah liked
the script and was on board way
in advance. This meant we knew
we could make the virus and the
effects work way before we made
the film. Then I got Tom Miller on
board. He’s a wonderful British
actor I’ve been working with since
university, and I knew I could trust
him to carry the film in the lead
role. We also cast Anya Korzun
in the female lead. Anya was
working as a model at the time,
but you could tell she was an
actress the moment she walked
into the audition.”
Special ingredient
“For our villain we went looking for
a wild card,” adds the filmmaker.
“As we were going to shoot in the
French Alps we auditioned the
local theatre society. There we
found Julien Caplan, a towering
Frenchman who worked on a
“When it comes
to performances,
both Anya and
Tom are very
dedicated actors”
construction site as an explosives
expert during the day, and walked
the local theatre planks at night.
He was a natural. Another hidden
gem was a 17-year-old woman
named Mélie Perrin. She was
26 Digital FilmMaker
studying theatre in France and
came on our shoot to work as
an assistant, but ended up rising
through the ranks to become one
of our producers.”
New challenges
Hendrik says that Michael Lebor
was a documentary DP who had
never shot fiction before but that
didn’t scare them. “A lot of the
film is set in the French Alps,
and Michael’s documentary
experience meant he shot
fantastic vistas,” he notes.
“Michael was also operating
the camera, and because of
his time as a one-man-band on
documentaries, he could basically
be used like a human Steadicam.
When it came to lighting the
house we shot in, Michael used
the natural light of the situations
as his motivation. As there is no
electricity in the world of the film,
a lot of our light sources were
candlelight or the sun coming
in through barricaded windows.
In some sense I think Mike was
just enhancing what he saw as a
documentarian.”
Methodical work
“When it came to the
performances, both Anya and
Tom are very dedicated and
analytical actors,” reckons
Hendrik. “They ask a lot of
questions and they improvise and
adapt. They never relinquished
or took the easy way out. An
example of this was when we
were shooting a key scene and
something wasn’t working. We
were rewriting on set for two
nights! During one
of the last takes
at like 6 a.m. in
the morning Anya
began to cry. These
were real tears of
exhaustion, but she
stayed in character
and let us capture
it. It made the final
film and I think it’s a
powerful moment.
And, finally, there
was Melie, the
17-year-old
assistant. She
 Digital magician

knew the village and its inhabitants village. Ill-equipped to survive

inside-out, so every day we
gave her a bit more to do. She
handled everything from having
a horse trot down a public street
to finding last-minute mountain
cabins. By the time the film was in
the can she was acting as one of
our producers, plain and simple.
I am not ashamed to say that a
17-year-old played a massive role
in getting Fever made.”
Plentiful plot
Fever is a survivalist-thriller that
follows Jack, a hapless young Brit
as he takes refuge from a deadly
pandemic in a snowy Alpine
the harsh winter, things only get
worse when renegade Kara breaks
into his house and commandeers
his dwindling food supplies.
His inept plan to get rid of her
disintegrates when outsiders also
invade, turning his captor into his
only ally. As a siege ensues Jack
must choose a side if he hopes to
survive. “It’s a film about a man
completely out of his depth and
explores human nature in extreme
situations,” says Hendrik. “What
inspired me to write the script
was the location. I knew we could
shoot in this bizarre house in the also knew that the Alps in winter also always liked apocalyptic
French Alps for very cheap, and I can be quite eerie and isolating. films, like The Road, and wanted
So I started writing a script with to go in that direction and really
these elements in mind.” explore human behaviour when
it is completely stripped of all

“We flew the comfort and pushed into crisis. I

didn’t want to do zombies and I
whole crew over didn’t have the budget to do The
to France and had Road, so I looked for real world

some fun toys to examples. I started researching

play with”
Perfect partners
“To add to that, I knew that Tom
Miller would say yes if I offered
him a feature, and so I wrote it for
him and never considered anyone
else,” adds the filmmaker. “I’ve
the Spanish Influenza, which is
estimated to have killed about 5%
of the human population toward
the end of World War 1. This fatal
pandemic was a flu virus but the
symptoms were so atrocious that
it was at first mistaken as the
plague. The longer it was around
the worse it got, to the point that

Digital FilmMaker 27
people died within 24 hours of
being infected. Some experts think
it stopped because it ended up
killing infected people so fast they
didn’t have time to transmit the
virus.”
Fear factor
Hendrik says that he imagined the
horrific scenario if that happened
today, and all the quarantine
procedures just failed to prevent
the spread. “What if the world
was in this lawless limbo, where
nothing worked and fatalities
were high?” he questions. “That’s
the setting I then used to play
out a siege thriller. However, the
budget was very modest. We flew
the whole crew over to France
and had some fun toys to play
with. One of my bibles is Robert
Rodriguez’s book about the
making of El Mariachi. He really
teaches you how to push every
penny as far as possible. One of
the ways he does this is by not
letting money be the first solution
to every problem. Filmmakers
are great problem solvers. When
you have a dozen expert problem
solvers standing on set there is
often a creative way to get around
something without spending more
money. Doing that also helps you
refine the script and make it better.
28 Digital FilmMaker
If money is the first port of call for
every problem it will get in the way
of creativity.”
Money management
“Of course, we had a lot more
budget than Rodriguez on his first
film,” furthers Hendrik. “But I do
think no matter the size of your
budget, you need to make your
film look more expensive than it
is. That’s the way it’s going these
days, people are doing more with
less. Jordan Peele’s Get Out was
“I ended up
editing the whole Quality camera we knew we were making. I ended
film on an iMac “We shot the film on the Sony up editing the whole film on an
FS700,” says Hendrik. “It was a iMac and eventually a MacBook
and eventually a very popular documentary camera Pro, and as the film had gathered
MacBook Pro” a few years back. I am not sure less than 2 TB of footage, I could
if anyone has ever shot a feature basically edit anywhere I wanted.
made for 4 million dollars. I think on it. Anyway, both the DP and I The only mistake we made in
that’s the Blumhouse model. That knew the camera inside out and post was to use FCP X. That
means you need to be an expert were very comfortable with the was difficult. From now on I use
at making your film look more images it created. We used fast Premiere Pro and it makes editing
expensive than it is, even when 1970s Nikon Nikkor glass with easy in my opinion.”
you have Blumhouse backing you. a Metabones Speed Booster,
I think it’s also the way to move up meaning we could shoot in Changes afoot
the ladder. The guy who directed relatively low light. The small file However, on the next film Hendrik
Spiderman: Home-coming; watch sizes the internal AVCHD codec is working on he says they will
his previous film Cop Car. This is produced meant we didn’t need be shooting on an Alexa Mini.
a guy who got the big job because much storage space. It did mean “The image will be great and the
he knew how to push every penny we didn’t have much range in the grade will have a lot of leeway,
making a simple film.” grade, but it was a compromise but of course that means post-

production costs will rise. I am
thinking of shooting on 35mm film
to instill a little discipline for the
shooting ratio. I think digital, for all
its pro’s, has made us frivolous.
The generation just before us
had to shoot for the edit using
16mm and I think it does create
a discipline that digital lacks, not
to be a downer. Meanwhile, Fever
draws on a lot of my experiences.
I especially love working with large
landscapes and adverse exterior
conditions and that is something
I learned from documentary
filmmaking. Recently, I have made
several short documentaries and
so Fever might feel a little odd
next to films about refugee camps
or Antarctic divers, but in my
opinion the craft involved is not so
different. Of course, the markets
are different. But for me the craft
of filmmaking always boils down
to understanding people and using
images to tell stories.”
Finished article
As of now, the film is complete
and has distribution, which
naturally makes Hendrik sound
very pleased indeed. “You can
Digital magician
“The first thing we
did was to organise
a local screening in
the Alps where we
shot the film”
get it on DVD in the UK at all
the major supermarkets and it’s
available on iTunes,” he enthuses.
“In the US we’ve also signed a
deal that should have the film
released under its FrightFest
title Mountain Fever. For all
other territories we have a sales
agent who has sold it to several
territories and will be plugging Promotion edge who studied criminology and
it at the Cannes film market this “In our case the game changer terrorism… she’s extremely smart
year. I have to say I think it’s really was getting into FrightFest 2017,” and just found a way to fit me in.
important for indie filmmakers to reckons Hendrik. “That was our She ran our marketing campaign.
think about how the hell a film world premiere. 300 seats in the I mean our goal was never to
even gets out there. I say this iconic Prince Charles Cinema in self-distribute. Our goal was
because I was driven by this blind Leicester Square, strong press always to learn how to build an
desire to make a feature and coverage and the FrightFest audience and be in good shape for
spent little time thinking about stamp of approval, let alone their distributors and sales agents.”
distribution. Now that I’ve actually genre hungry audiences. That’s
gone through this, I am a different when speaking with distributors Local touch
filmmaker. I’m thinking about how and sales agents started to show “The first thing we did was to
my next film is going to get seen results. I’ve also been working organise a local screening in the
and make money from the very with this wonderful woman called Alps where we shot,” adds the
first draft.” Katrina Scott. She’s a data expert filmmaker. “The local council
Digital FilmMaker 29

liked the idea so gave us a venue
and supported us with wine,
advertising and cheese. This way
we could get 300 people to come
watch the film. The people wanted
to see their little town represented
and the reception was great. That
gave us a lot of email addresses
and people who wanted to learn
about our progress. As we moved
forward we launched a small
crowdfunding campaign to fund
further festival costs and poster
30 Digital FilmMaker
development. To support this we
edited a short series of making of
videos, giving our audiences an
insight of how the film was made.
Offering original artwork that I
had commissioned throughout
the post process, we were able
to complete our crowdfunding
campaign very quickly.”
Major players
“I want to add that we didn’t just
get funded by friends and family. A
lot of funds came from interested
strangers, such as new audience
members. We even added an
executive producer from Australia.
It’s amazing to reach out like
that. Kickstarter is a great tool
and gets used in diverse ways.
For example, it got us attention
from Viacom, who liked our trailer
and wanted to buy the film. The
deal eventually fell apart, but it
“Everyone knew
us because of our
poster. Then the
reviews started
coming out”
taught us a lot, and of course
when new offers came we could
use that experience to navigate
the deals. We could also use it to
gauge a reaction from the genre
audiences. We changed our title to
reach them easier, and also kept
changing our artwork. By the time
FrightFest accepted us we had a
fantastic poster.”
Power tool
“I know our poster worked
because for FrightFest standards
we were a small film,” adds
Hendrik. “But everyone knew us
because of our poster. That’s a
first step toward developing a form
of brand recognition. And then
the reviews started coming out
and they were great. This perfect
storm of a great festival with good
artwork and decent press meant
that our phone calls were suddenly
being returned. We had gathered
selling points. We obtained our
goal when we got distribution and
representation. Now we’ve used
the avenues we have developed to
help push the iTunes release in the
UK. So, if you want to help a fellow
indie filmmaker, you know what to
do. Currently I am now developing
a Mars-simulation horror set in
the Scottish Highlands called
Planet X. It’s a wacky idea and a
real mindfuck. It’s like Robinson
Crusoe meets Saw in simulated
 Digital magician

space. I can’t wait to bring
astronauts to the highlands.”
Different strokes
For that project Hendrik reckons
the settings are very different
and the scale is way bigger. “We
also have to build a small space
habitat,” he chuckles. “For Fever
we used only existing locations.
But there are similarities in that
the biggest threat will be human
nature under pressure, and
or what. That’s so powerful. If
you find a way of surprising your
audience even though they know
something is coming, you’ve got
them hooked. I do love a good
fight scene too and hope to
“I’m moving to the
point where I get to
work on projects
I care about and
your head down and chipping
away at it. I can’t imagine doing
anything else anyway. In the last
few years it has paid the bills,
which is great. I’m moving to
the point where I get to work on
projects I care about and really
practise my craft day in and day
out. Now, with Fever out on DVD,
it’s great to see the project has
recouped its budget and money
is starting to filter back. I’ve got a
few features in my head, so I will
just work on that. I spend every
day working towards directing
smaller projects, stuff I am proud
of and can pay the bills but not
take forever. Half the time it works
out. We shall see. I feel like my
life is at a cusp. Either I find a few
enablers, people who want the
same thing as I do and we move
forward together, or else I float
around London a bit longer.” n

the landscape will again be a practise my craft”

tremendous source for horror.
This one also differs because we
have more support from the start.
Making Fever has really helped
set up a network, which I can now
work with. And, of course, I know
so much more now than I did
when I shot Fever. I also really like
thrillers and psychological horror
and just love playing with the
idea of something lurking around
a corner… or behind the psyche
of a character. I like this idea that
the audience knows something is
going to go wrong, but not when
incorporate more action in every
film I make. So one day I’d love
to do an action film, plus I love
documentaries and hope to make
a few.”
Inspiring place
“London is a great place for a
filmmaker,” adds Hendrik on his
current working location. “Despite
Brexit fear it still feels like there is
always something on the go here.
I feel like I meet people every day
and it’s just a matter of keeping

Digital FilmMaker 31
GETTING
WISE Corporate film company Wise
Guys has taken on the EVA1,
Panasonic’s latest compact
cinema camera, to streamline
its production process…

32 Digital FilmMaker

Having won multiple local and
national awards for its corporate
videos, Wise Guys specialises in
creative and original promotional
work. Right from the early
scripting stage, it has worked with
the likes of Audi, Yamaha and
The Open University, to come
up with concepts that grab the
audiences attention. Jack-of-all-
trades, the two-man company,
run by Charlie Ray and Sam Gott,
offer advertisement, short film
production, corporate videos and
much more, tapping into the spirit
and emotion of its customers to
help better tell their story, using
concepts that give clients a
competitive edge.
Different options
Working with both big and small
brands, Wise Guys were looking for
a camera that was suitable for both
filming applications. Previously
relying on mirrorless cameras for its
smaller jobs, Wise Guys resorted
to renting in cinema cameras for
the bigger and more technically
demanding projects. “We’ve been
using it for six months or so, and
we haven’t got any complaints at
Getting wise
all,” they say. Filling the gap for a
variety of filmmaking applications,
sitting between Panasonic’s
GH5 and the VariCam LT, the
EVA1 boasts the light weight of a
mirrorless camera, yet contains a
5.7K Super 35mm-sized sensor,
which is ideal for capturing true
cinematic images.
Solid performer
Charlie Ray, Company Director
at Wise Guys said, “We wanted
something that felt like it has the
quality of a cinematic camera, but
also has the portability and light
Digital FilmMaker 33
weight of a mirrorless camera.
Now we have the EVA1, we have
one camera for everything, which
is great! We were looking for
something in the sub £10K price
range and were originally looking
at Sony - in particular their FS5
and Canon’s C200 camera, but
were keeping our options open.
We then heard about the EVA last
spring.”
Power packed
Celebrating the colourimetry of
the VariCam line, the EVA1 is
ideal for indie filmmakers keen to
create a cinematic look. “We’re
really big fans of all the VariCam
footage, and we always look
out for it, so when the EVA1
was announced, we were very
excited,” says Charlie. “So really
we went into it because we loved
what the VariCam is capable
of, and we wanted to make our
footage similar. The colours
you get from this camera and
the dynamic range – it really is
just like having a baby VariCam,
which you can take around with
you wherever you go.”
Rich tapestry
The ability to capture accurate
colours and rich skin tones is a
must for any filmmaker. Much like
the VariCam line-up of cinema
camera, the EVA1 contains
V-Log/V-Gamut colour science,
and is able to capture and deliver
both high dynamic range and a
broad colour pallet. “We actually
used the VariCam ACES workflow
for the EVA footage individually,
34 Digital FilmMaker
and it worked perfectly, it looks
amazing - the colour science is
exactly the same, and I think that
goes a long way to show how
similar they really are.”
Dual native
One of the key features of the
VariCam line-up, which has been
implemented into the EVA1, is
the dual native ISO. Utilising a
process that allows the sensor
to be read in a fundamentally
different way, the dual native ISO
extracts more information from
the sensor without degrading
the image. This has resulted in
a camera that has the capability
of switching from standard
sensitivity to high sensitivity
without an increase in noise, or
other artifacts. “We pre-ordered
the camera, which I know was
a bit of a gamble, but we were
pretty confident in its ability
and didn’t want to miss out,”
comments Charlie.
Seamless workflow
Purchased in October 2017, Wise
Guys went on to explore the
capabilities of the EVA camera. It
was this research and testing that
resulted in the creation of a short
video, which fronted its social
media channels. What started off
as a mindless post on ‘Panasonic
EVA1 Professionals’ Facebook
group – a group independent
of Panasonic, where industry
professionals come together to
share their experience with the
EVA, created significant interest
with people wanting to know how

Wise Guys made such a unique
and captivating short video.
Charlie explains, “It was part
of something we were doing
ourselves, where we were looking
at creating a mini showreel,
and wanted to try and include
something that was a little
different, not just shots from films
we’ve made in the past. So we
did some research, and found
that if we put acrylic ink into
water, then it can create
some quite nice effects.”
Getting wise
Clever thinking
“We have a 100mm macro, and
thought let’s stick that on, find
ourselves a cheap fish tank and
did a quick test with it, and it
just went way better than we
thought it was going to.” Charlie
continues, “All it really was, was
a fish tank, a bit of string and
some ink, so it wasn’t anything
too crazy, but the effects it gave
were really cool, so we put it up
on the Facebook group and our
Instagram, and everyone really
loved it. We were very surprised
– it had gone way better than
we thought it would. We’re
really big fans of all the VariCam
footage, so when the EVA1
was announced, we were very
excited.”
Proven record
“We watched some of the
reviews, and a lot of them don’t
show actually how good the
camera is, because it takes a
little while to get used to it. We
think it’s great, and I think that
because they’re trying to put
reviews out instantly, they’re
not actually using the camera
to its full capability - especially
when they’re just wandering
around London, they’re not really
putting it through lots of different
environments, and different tests.
Now that we’ve been using it for
six months or so, we haven’t got
any complaints at all.”
Added value
A Firmware upgrade, available
from the end of March 2018, has
enabled the EVA1 to offer ALL
Intra compression for in camera
recording and 5.7K Raw output
to third party recorders. “We are
really excited for the firmware
upgrade, and the prospect of
shooting in Raw. I don’t think
we’ll shoot everything in Raw, as
it is just a little less manageable
and a little bit more effort, but I
think because we are starting to
work on more short films now,
that is where shooting in Raw
really will come into its own.”
Find out more about the EVA 1 at
info.business.panasonic.eu n
Digital FilmMaker 35
36 Digital FilmMaker
 Vertical smiles

Vertical
smiles
We take an inside look at Just Charlie,
the debut feature by director Rebekah
Fortune, producer Karen Newman and
writer Peter Machen
Just Charlie is, says its team of
creators, a testament to how
strong teamwork, determination
and passion can overcome a
lack of finance, opportunity
and, allegedly, an audience to
create a multi award-winning
film with worldwide distribution.
“This is our very first feature and,
for a low-budget film, is doing
exceptionally well,” says producer
Karen Newman. “We have all
learned a lot throughout the
process - when you do something
for the first time there is a beautiful
ignorance that can make you
very brave. Making a low-budget
independent film is always going
to come with challenges, but you
need to look at these challenges
and turn them into opportunities.
I often refer to the making of Just
Charlie and the process we went
through as the vertical learning
curve. It was tough, it was blood

Digital FilmMaker 37
sweat and tears almost literally
at times, but it was also magical,
creative and life changing and
actually, when I think about it, I
wouldn’t change a minute of it.”

Earlier work
“Rebekah and I had collaborated
on a short film earlier on in the
year,” furthers Karen on how
it came together. “Which was
actually my second short film
as a producer having recently
made the move from acting into
producing. I was tired of the
insecurity that came with acting,
but still loved the industry, plus
I had an events management
background so producing seemed
like the logical step for me. We
got on so well and it was clearly
going to be a strong partnership,
so shortly after that short I joined
Seahorse Films and we started
developing an interesting slate
of projects as a team with a few

“I had actually incredibly talented cast.”

previously worked Careful construction

as a theatre director “We spent a lot of time on the road as searching

alongside writer
Peter Machen”
corporate films here and there to
bring in the cash. We actually had
a meeting at Lionsgate about one
of the projects and they advised
us to go and make that one
passion project, as cheaply as we
had to, and that is exactly what
we did.”
Building blocks
“I had previously worked as a
theatre director alongside writer
Peter Machen and we made our
first short film together in 2011,”
chips in director Rebekah with her
side of the story. “Something Blue
was a short that has gone on to
be Just Charlie, which was shot in
my back garden. The film did very
well and was selected for Channel
4’s shooting gallery. It was making
this short that I realised directing
films was where I was truly happy,
every day was just exciting and
I couldn’t wait to get up at 5am!
I have since made a couple
for the perfect Charlie and Ben was instrumental in
making that happen,” adds Karen. “Our make-up
designer, Evlynn Bakewell was actually fresh out of
college, she had an incredible portfolio but really
only wanted to assist in the department. We had
some last minute dropouts, so she was encouraged
to step up and she did an outstanding job. Seeing
people step up into a more senior position and
really flying was a very gratifying experience. We
more shorts, one of which was with my now best also had a lot of support from Kellie Maloney
friend and producer Karen Newman and is about (former boxing promoter, Frank Maloney) and
Asperger’s Syndrome.” she played an instrumental part in our fundraising
campaign and has been a great friend to the film.”
Perfect team
The partnership made an ideal basis for creating Editing magic
the film it seems… “I produced, Rebekah directed, “Our editor was the wonderful Erline O Donovan,”
Peter wrote it and we collaborated with an amazing notes Rebekah. “Who I have worked with on nearly
team,” agrees Karen. “Karl Clarke was our DOP
and he came with such energy and creativity and
was a joy to work with. So much so, that we will be
collaborating again in the very near future. Erline
O’Donovan edited and we had her on set the whole
time too. She was an absolute godsend in every
way. From keeping us all on our toes and making
sure we got adequate coverage to answering all of
my silly naive questions regarding post-production
with such patience and grace. When you find
people like this to work with you want to keep hold
of them. We worked with a very talented casting
director, Ben Cogan, who pulled together the most

38 Digital FilmMaker

all my shorts. Erline has worked
on films such as Ex Machina and
Tarzan and the cinematographer
was Karl Clarke whose previous
work includes The Carrier, a post-
apocalyptic film set on a 747 and
Rest Stop, which is an award-
winning comedy short directed
by Kate Herron. Both are quite
different from each other, but
have a cinematic quality and were
shot digitally. I have fantastic
relationships with both of them,
they just seem to understand
what I want and vice versa. We
storyboard together as a team
so as to avoid missing anything
and to ensure we all have the
same end goal in mind. This
is particularly useful on a very
low-budget film. I worked closely
with our production manager
Stephen Smith to source as
many locations and supporting
cast as I could, calling on lots
of favours. People in the area
were very helpful and donated
everything from their houses to
pubs, churches, wedding dresses
and cars.”
Other side
“I have never been to film
school,” says Karen of her own
formal filmmaking background.
“I trained as an actor, so I came
from a completely different side
of the business. This film became
my film school; the things I learnt
producing Just Charlie you would
never acquire from a classroom or
a book and I do strongly believe
that the best way of learning
is by doing. That would be my
main advice, go out and do it. Of
course, there is value to be had
by doing courses but you do need
to put things into practice. If you
don’t then you won’t start to get
a sense of the type of producer
you are. There is also strength
and courage behind ignorance,
you will never know everything
so you can make mistakes and
you learn. I line produced Just
Charlie as well and that was a
very interesting process as I was
basically self-taught. In bigger
productions the line producer is a
separate and very crucial role, but
in this instance I doubled up. I am
not naturally a numbers person
but I had to learn to be and fast.
Excel is now my friend, so it is
true, people can change!”
Good call
“I think alongside my directing
skills I am a good motivator
and when I set my heart on
something I make it happen,”
agrees Rebekah. “I am a very
collaborative director so I like to
work closely with all departments
and think my ability to adapt to
different people is one of my
“Every character
in this piece has
to challenge
themselves and
deal with it”
biggest skills. Karen is a great
producer as she tends to deal
with all the behind the scenes
stuff, and leaves me to be
creative and tell my stories in the
way I want to tell them.”
Vertical smiles
Meanwhile, the film’s subject
matter presented them with
additional challenges. “It’s
essentially about the journey
of a transgender teenager, but
it covers so much more than
that,” Rebekah explains. “Every
character in this piece has to
challenge themselves, their
fundamental beliefs and deal with
the emotional consequences. It
is as much their transformation
as the central characters, and we
hope the audience’s as well. This
is a story about identity; who we
think we are and who we really
are. About being true to ones self
in the face of terrible adversity.”
Tough time
“Can you remember being a
teenager and hitting puberty?”
adds the director. “A lot of us will
look back and cringe, and whilst
we may wish ourselves younger,
none of us wish to return to that
age of uncertainty. Now imagine
you hit puberty and realise you
are in the wrong body, with the
wrong hormones, nothing feels
Digital FilmMaker 39
safe and you are all alone. Just
Charlie is a thought-provoking,
heart-warming, coming-of-age
drama that seeks to tackle a
difficult subject whilst being
accessible to all. No one should
feel alone and persecuted in
this world just because they are
viewed as different.”
Starting out
“Just Charlie began its life as
a stage play twenty years ago,
inspired by a daytime television
programme,” says Rebekah.
“Peter Machen, who wrote the
screenplay and I, were fascinated
by the idea that someone could
be born and feel completely
disassociated from what they
saw in the mirror and how those
around them identified them.
40 Digital FilmMaker
No one was talking about the
issue at the time, but the more
we explored the issue the more
we began to feel angry about the
treatment of the Trans community
“We felt very
compelled to
explore what the
reality is for a young
person in the UK”
and the injustices they were
suffering. Skip forward twenty
years and, although some things
have changed and there are more
high-profile figures in the Trans
community, there is still a great
deal of work to be done to try and
make people understand. Many
of the films and TV shows have
dealt with trans adults, but we felt
compelled to explore what the
reality is like for a young person
in the UK, how with the right help
and support they don’t need
to suffer all their lives, but also
explore the ripple effect this very
brave decision has on the world
around them.”
Big issue
“For me, Just Charlie really
highlights something we all
go through and are constantly
challenged on,” adds the
producer. “Who we are, or rather,
who are we? In modern times we
have been encouraged to express
ourselves, to be who we want
to be, to go out in to the world
and say, ‘This is me!’ However, if
that does not conform with what
people believe you should be,
well you are just plain weird and
there is something ‘wrong’ with
you.”
Working together
“We all helped to pull it together,”
says Karen looking back over the
progress they have made. “You
don’t make a film in isolation; it’s
a true team effort. As a producer,
you have to have the entire
project in your sights at all time
and you need to learn to put your
ego aside. There are many egos
on set already and you cannot,
under any circumstances, add
to that. I learned very early on
that whilst something might not
have been my fault it was always
going to be my responsibility and,

once you establish that, you allow
people to relax and get on with it.
Filmmaking is collaboration and
teamwork, people need to feel
safe and appreciated and you
cannot micro manage everyone.
We relied on the expertise of our
team and together we got through
a tight 22-day shoot. It helped
that Rebekah and I also have a
close friendship, so we could rely
on each other for support and
advice.”
Short change
Not bad - considering that,
relatively speaking, the project
was completed for pennies rather
than pounds. “We made the film
on a micro-budget but somehow
made it stretch,” Rebekah
chuckles. “With an indie film
there is never going to be enough
money and you do have to make
very creative and bold choices in
order to tell your story. A bigger
budget would have allowed us
the option to solve problems with
money, but what is important with
a film like this is the story, the
reality of the lives being portrayed
on the screen, not how clever
we were with our crane shots.
“The Alexa has a
wonderul way of
capturing colour
and skin tone in
particular”
And that is what we did, we told
a beautiful story. There was a
lot of in-kind help given to us in
the way of locations and props,
which really helped to keep us
on track budget-wise, and our
post team worked in their own
time in between other jobs. So,
everything took longer, but we
managed it on a relatively low-
budget. I am very grateful to all of
our investors for taking a chance
on us; we had incredible support
from them all along the way.
Interestingly, most of them are not
from the film industry and they all
had very individual reasons for
investing, which made everything
so much more personal. We had
a real obligation to make this film
the best it could be.”
Camera options
“On the camera front we had an
Alexa Plus with a set of Zeiss Mk3
Superspeeds (18, 25, 35, 50, 85
and 135mm),” says Karen of their
kit choices. “This combination
really gave us the balance
we needed. The Alexa has a
wonderful way of capturing colour
and skin tone in particular, which
is then easy to handle for post.
Similarly with the Superspeeds,
they gave us a fast lens with the
texture and softness we wanted.
Vertical smiles
We shot the majority of the film
on the wider lenses, and even
with the close-ups we rarely went
past the 35mm. It means you
give context to the performance
and it gives you more options
in composition when you can
see what is going on in the
background. It was the same with
the lighting, we really wanted
to give the actors the space to
perform so we had very few lights
on the floor. Instead, we tended
to either put light through the
windows or stick to practicals. It
meant we could achieve the busy
schedule too; we just didn’t have
the time to relight constantly. We
could just concentrate on getting
the shots and performances we
wanted.”
Sterling work
“I am incredibly proud of this film
and of everyone one who was
involved,” adds Karen. “It stands
Digital FilmMaker 41

us in good stead as a company,
but also as individuals. Making a
film that carries such an important
message came with a lot of
responsibility and we have been
told countless times that it could
save lives. I think as a filmmaker
you want to change the world,
but if we change the world of one
person we will have achieved
something incredible.”
42 Digital FilmMaker
“I think all my films deal with
identity in some way, people who
are outside the main stream and
don’t quite fit in,” says Rebekah.
“I have always struggled with my
own identity, never really feeling I
fit in. I think its one of the biggest
challenges young people face
and one that can affect you for
the rest of your life. Not really
knowing who you are, or not
being accepted for who you are
creates scars that I am not sure
ever heal. Much of the work I
have done, both in theatre and
film, deals with groups whose
“We have had a
fantastic festival
run as well and
picked up a fair
amount of awards”
stories I don’t feel are always
told. We have made work on
domestic violence, but where
the female is the perpetrator;
Asperger’s, Genderdysphoria
to name but a few. We also
like films that have prominent
female characters or are driven
by women. We definitely don’t
make feminist films, just films
that give important, well-rounded
and dynamic roles for women
and where we have 50/50
representation both on and off the
screen.”
Flying high
So far Karen says the film is really
flying, having been picked up by
international sales agent Media
Luna. “We have distribution
across Europe, in the USA and
Canada and now the UK,” she
explains. “Wolfe Releasing picked
the film up in North America and
it’s available on Amazon, and we
sold to Sky Cinema in the UK.
We have had a fantastic festival
run as well and picked up a fair
amount of awards including the
prestigious Audience Award at
the Edinburgh International Film
Festival last year. Our lead actor,
Harry Gilby was shortlisted for
a BIFA and is going onto some
great things, so we are all very
proud of him and what he has
achieved.”
“The response to Just Charlie
has been a little overwhelming,”
Rebekah agrees. “I don’t think
we ever expected a film made

for little more than 50p and a bag
of chips was going to have the
impact it has. Myself and other
members of the cast and team
have been mobbed at festivals
by people thanking us for making
such an important film. On several
occasions members of the
audience who have identified as
Trans or parents of trans children
have stood up and openly wept
“Having a
sales agent has
definitely helped
us get ahead of
the game ”
during Q and A sessions. I think,
however, the most wonderful
responses have been from young
people who have been so open,
receptive and accepting of the
film; angry at the way Charlie
is treated and keen to make a
difference. I have always had
faith in young people but their
response internationally to Just
Charlie has given me great hope
for the future. 500 teenagers
Cheering and giving the film a
standing ovation is not something
I will forget anytime soon.”
Viewing figures
It’s all looking very promising
and we are desperate for people
to see it now,” adds Rebekah
hopefully. “One of the main
reasons we chose Sky was the
outreach possibilities it gave us.
A theatrical release would have
been great, but with a small
independent film it would have
only been a very small release.
When a film has such a powerful
message you really want as many
people to see it as possible and
that will happen with Sky.”
“It is definitely competitive,”
Karen admits. “You only have
to visit a film festival or market
to see the amount of films that
are being made. We shot the
film entirely in the Midlands, so
it has a special niche that has
got us some attention and we
have good links with the press up
there. Having a sales agent has
definitely helped us get ahead of
the game and the press campaign
in the USA was very well put
together. A lot of our publicity
is through word of mouth and
creating our own following, so
we have had a couple of private
screenings, which has helped
spread the word and we are
working hard at the moment as
we head to our UK release.”
Determined streak
So where will all this take them
in the future one wonders?
“Onwards and upwards with
more features under our belts,”
reckons Karen. “Rebekah has an
agent now, so I think there will be
some TV on the horizon, but her
heart lies in filmmaking so we will
continue to grow as a team. We
have started to collaborate with
Vertical smiles
other companies and on the back
of Just Charlie. We have options
opening up to us individually and
as a company, which is great. I
learn something new every day,
especially that everything stops
with the producer and that can be
quite a scary position to be in. All
of the responsibility is yours, but
sadly not much of the accolade.
So you need to learn to love the
business for what it is and not for
the glory. That said; I still get a
flutter when I see my name on the
screen, on my film because I am
proud of what everyone did to get
us there and because I used to be
an actor, so forgive me!”
“I just want to keep making films,”
chuckles Rebekah. “We joke
about my Oscar film, but ultimately
I just love telling stories and, as
long as I can keep doing that, and
people keep watching I will be
happy. I have recently secured an
agent, so it looks like TV is on the
cards, but I never want to stop
making films.” n
Digital FilmMaker 43
Liquid
Austin Arnold is a filmmaker who
works closely with his twin brother
to develop projects that have a
decidedly dark edge

vision

44 Digital FilmMaker
 Liquid vision

Austin Arnold’s latest movie all LA-based actors primarily

Papua is a dark comedy.
Very dark. It is, he says, much
in the vein of a Paul Thomas
Anderson film. “All the jokes
are incredibly deadpan,
and the comedy is based in
gritty reality,” reckons the
American filmmaker. “So our
main goal with this film was
to make it look as cinematic
as possible. Everyone loves
an underdog story, and the
readers of Digital FilmMaker
love an underdog story that
looks cinematic as hell. We
want it to look like Boogie
Nights. But, of course, we are
independent filmmakers, so
we had to make do with the
small budget we had. I think
our story will really resonate
with independent filmmakers
all over the world who have
this vision, this need to create,
but don’t necessarily have the
budget they want.”
and, prior to this film, they
we were all coming off earlier
projects. “Myself and my twin
brother, Aaron Arnold, had just
come off filming this feature in
Connecticut,” he elaborates.
“A twin-thriller called Splitting
Image starring ourselves
and the very talented Anna
Hutchison. Johnny Rey
Diaz (Queen’s of the South,
NCIS) had just come from
doing a guest-star on CBS’s
Scorpion. And Brian Shakti
had just finished filming an
independent feature called
Savage. That was a really
intense movie. The point is,
as soon as we knew we had
some free time we knew we
had to get Papua going!” local Starbucks and half of it on revenge and finding the comedy
a plane back to LA from Boston. through it all. Twin brothers,
Work together Aaron, along with myself and along with their childhood best
So Johnny directed the film. Johnny, produced it. He also was friend, say goodbye to their
“He has a great vision for heavily involved in punching up dying father. Through their last
comedies based in real, gritty moments together, secrets are

Varied palette
Austin and his cohorts are
reality, so he was perfect,”
reckons Austin, who wrote the
film. “Half of it was done in a
“My brother and
I are twins, so we
know how to pick
up the slack when
the other is busy”
the script. The rest of the jobs
we called in favours. We have
worked with a lot of great crew
in the past, so we knew who the
quality make-up, camera, sound,
lighting guys/gals were. And we
wouldn’t take no for an answer
until they signed on.”
unveiled that will change their
lives forever. It is a dark comedy.
Paul Thomas Anderson is a big
influence of ours. In his movies,
like Boogie Nights and Magnolia,
the comedy is based on very real
terms. It is based on the gritty
reality of the characters situation.
And that is what we wanted
Papua to be.”
Different angle
The team produced the film and
pulled it all together, which was
something of a contrast to normal

Special bond
“My brother and I are twins,
so we know how to pick up
the slack when the other gets
too busy or involved with other
things,” furthers Austin. “We are
so close we often finish each
others work. Johnny is one of
the hardest workers we know
and we have worked with him
forever, so between the three of
us, we knew we were all on the
same page with the same vision.
We only hired cast/crew that
we had worked with before, so
we knew they would bring their
A-game. Papua is about loss and

Digital FilmMaker 45
 duties. “We are all primarily
actors, so producing isn’t our
strongest forte,” Austin admits.
“But luckily we know storytelling.
And we learned as we went,
and we were able to hire some
great people who knew what we
were doing. All of our make-up
department, lighting, sound, and

“We do commercial
work, so we tend to
use those earnings
to fund our own
projects”
the DP were friends of ours that
we had met on past projects, or
had come recommended to us.
I especially want to give a shout
out to our cinematographer, Dan
Rink. He is a total professional
and is going to go really far!
This was entirely self-funded
too, which is a double-edged

46 Digital FilmMaker

sword. We get complete creative
control, but we had to call in a lot
of favours. My brother and I do a
fair amount of commercial work
and Johnny does a lot in TV, so
we use those earnings to fund our
own projects. We definitely want
to try crowdsourcing for the next
one.”
Promo push
The guys have just begun the
festival circuit with Papua and
so far things are progressing
nicely. “We won best comedy at
the Chandler International Film
that brings. We aren’t making any
quick decisions just yet though.
In my opinion, this is one of the
most fun parts. Showing the film
to people.”
Helping hand
“These festivals have been a
blessing,” reckons Austin. “We
have made so many quality
contacts that it has given me
faith in the festival circuit again.
Also, we aren’t afraid to pick up
the phone and call a production
company or a content provider
and set up a meeting. The
important thing is to listen. We
never learned anything by talking.
Everybody is looking for content.
We want to find a place for Papua
that benefits all parties. Also, on
a semi-side note, Aaron just ran
into Todd Phillips at a popular
Italian restaurant in Beverly Hills.
We have never met Todd, we are
just huge fans, but at the end of
the interaction we gave him a
private link to Papua and told him
what an influence his movies had
on us.”
Moving on
Meanwhile, the guys are
producing a 10 episode series
similar to Netflix’s Black Mirror
Festival, won the Platinum award
at the Nevada International Film
Festival, and we were official
selections at the Pasadena Int
Film Festival, Hollywood Comedy
Shorts Film Festival, North
Hollywood Cinefest, Portland
Comedy Film Festival, Diseases
International Film Festival, and
Wular Lake International Film
Festival. We are still hoping to
get it into some other ones and
we had our first offer to sell it at
the Pasadena International Film
Festival. For now we will continue
the festival circuit and see what
Liquid vision
or HBO’s Room 104. “It’s similar
in the sense that is has a central
theme, but the episodes aren’t
necessarily serialized,” notes the
filmmaker. “We hooked up with
these producers at the Chandler
International Film Festival and
are creating this together. We
are deep into pre-production
with writing the episodes and
organizing a crowdfunding
campaign to offset some of the
costs. Production is on schedule
to start this summer! The project
“The really
important thing is
to listen. We never
learned anything by
simply talking.”
differs in the fact that this one
is episodic, and Papua was a
movie. Papua was a dark comedy
and the cool thing about this
series is that, since all of the
episodes don’t have to follow the
previous episodes story, we are
able to create a different genre
for each one. It was so much fun
to write and I really can’t wait
for everyone to see the finished
product!” n
Digital FilmMaker 47
ARTISTIC
LICENCE
Producer Judith Laurini talks
about the making of her short
film Incandescence and how
sheer determination got it over
the finishing line

48 Digital FilmMaker

“Our film is a small personal
project, but it is a passion
project,” reckons producer
Judith Laurini. “I’m sure lots of
your readers are facing similar
issues we were facing when we
decided to make this short film.
We didn’t have a budget, but we
really wanted to make it happen.
The literary material was just
hyper-attractive. After we
read Marina Palei’s – the
screenwriter’s – text, we
understood right away, that we
had a basis for a very artistic,
existential, poetic and at the
same time very modern picture.
So we were simply too excited
not to shoot it right away. This
meant we had to use our own
equipment - not the most up-to-
“When I moved
to Berlin, I started
connecting more
with the local
filmmaker scene”
date and not the most advanced
in terms of visual possibilities,
but good enough to produce
professional and touching visual
content when used in good
hands.”
Artistic licence
Varied palette
Judith’s short movie
Incandescence is her debut as
an independent film
Producer and is something of
a departure from where she
started out. “I studied law at
Ludwig-Maximilians-University
in Munich and trained in banking
and corporate law for several
years,” she chuckles. “But I
always desired a more creative
expression of my management
skills. When I moved to Berlin, I
started connecting more with the
local filmmaker scene. Presented
with the idea of Incandescence, I
immediately had a clear gut and
heart feeling that Incandescence
was the story I had been striving
to tell. The chemistry was really
Digital FilmMaker 49

feeling just right.”
Unusual cocktail
Her partner in crime, Ivan Doan,
is a Ukrainian Vietnamese
actor and director also living in
Berlin. “Having studied acting
in Kiev, he has worked as an
actor in a number of films and
TV productions in Russia,
Ukraine and Europe,” Judith
elaborates. “Since 2010 he has
directed several short films, a
sci-fi web series and a 73-minute
martial-arts indie fantasy called
Overturn: Awakening of the
Warrior. In 2016 he made a short
film entitled Pilgrims, based
on a poem of the same name
by the Russian-American poet
50 Digital FilmMaker
Joseph Brodsky. The film played
at a number of film festivals
around the world – mostly
poetry-oriented because of its
form – and had some thoughtful
and positive reviews, which
especially noted its atmospheric
cinematography.”
Quality control
Judith says her main objective
was quality during the
production of Incandescence.
“I communicated with our
audience and other stakeholders
to manage our project
milestones and also handled
the marketing and distribution
of Incandescence,” she says.
“As we are a small team we
“Pilgrims Creative
group is the working
title for our Berlin-
based collaboration
of artists”
have a hands-on and ownership
approach. This sharing of
competence reflects in an
effective, focused and joyful
atmosphere of working together
on and off set. Throughout pre-
production and the shooting
process Ivan and I were closely
collaborating. We
spent countless
early morning
and late evening
sessions discussing,
brainstorming,
strategizing and assembling the
team of Pilgrims Creative group,
which is the working title for
our Berlin-based collaboration
of international artists. We
really wanted make sure that
Incandescence captured

that very Berlin vibe and find
its unique artistic language
– which is what I believe we
succeeded in doing. Ivan has
directed the film as well as
played the lead role of Him. He
has also been editing the film
by himself. Marina Palei is the
screenwriter and author of the
short novels Ring and Flight,
on which the film is based. She
is a Russian-born writer living
and working in the Netherlands
and is actually the initiator of
the project. After seeing Ivan’s
other works as an actor and
director, she suggested for us to
make a project based on these
existential texts. The project
has attracted other interesting
collaborators. For example,
we have just gotten on board
Vienna-based Turkish colourist
Fatih Öger, who has done great
work color grading the teaser
and will grade the film as soon
as we have the final cut.”
Social statement
Incandescence is an
experimental, narrative short
film about the struggle of the
post-wall generation for finding
their place in society. “Even if
these days the remains of the
Berlin wall are mostly a popular
“We’re often asked
why we called our
film Incandescence.
It translates as ‘to
glow’”
sight for international tourists
taking selfies, the walls that were
built in people’s minds have
not yet all been torn down,”
says Judith. “Our film portrays
a society in which the young
generation has been promised a
Artistic licence
better life, more self-expression
and freedom. But, instead the
generation feels limited, sold
out, alienated by the rules of a
capitalist society that have been
established by an old generation
driven by fear, the need for tight
structures and fake security. A
system that beyond the surface
still lacks humanity and where
individual life has no value.
Incandescence is an avant-
garde, poetic portrait of a young
man who fights in the ring of
the social matrix. We were often
asked why we called our movie
Incandescence: incandescence
translates as ‘to glow’. Within
the fight of our protagonist for
freedom, incandescence is the
highest point of tension; it’s the
state of mind when you are so
disappointed with the social
system that you are ready to
start making your own choices.”
Carefully crafted
Incandescence is based on parts
of the existential novels The Ring
and Flight by Marina Palei. “Her
works are precisely mirroring
Digital FilmMaker 51

the struggles of a person who
perceives life in more shades
than only in a functional way,”
adds the producer. “When
Marina relocated from Russia
to the Netherlands she herself
was thrown into the dark and
cold corners of society. Deeply
touched by her life story,
we felt that her texts were
more than representative of
today’s urban realities. While
we developed the script for
Incandescence, she described
her own experience as follows:
‘When I was writing about
the total pervasive planetary
52 Digital FilmMaker
“We will require
financial resources
for the post-
production in order
to get higher quality”
destruction of culture (Novel «
Lunch », 1999), my stomach was
empty. I would quietly enter a
supermarket where you were
allowed to have a free coffee. I
was envious of dogs and cats.
In the Netherlands there are no
homeless dogs and cats. But a
person can become homeless
quite easily. I was homeless.’ The
search for a home in society and
the many ways of homelessness
within a so-called civilized
society resonated with our
perception and our observations
and Berlin felt like the natural
setup for the story.”
Candid approach
“Our project is in line with the
famous quote by the former
Major of Berlin, Klaus Wowereit:
‘We are poor, but sexy’,” says
Judith with a laugh. “But, jokes
aside, Incandescence started
as a no-budget film and has
therefore been shot with our
bare hands, own money and
a lot of heart. Our main driver
was the passion for finding a
high quality artistic language
for presenting the topic. With
our short film we are aiming to
bring more public awareness to
socially relevant topics of urban
life such as homelessness, social
alienation, unemployment and
discrimination of minorities.
Though we will require
financial resources for the
post-production in order to
bring our movie to its highest
quality before distribution and
application to major film festivals.

Therefore, we will launch a
crowdfunding campaign on
Indiegogo. We’re hoping for a
strong base of supporters and
to quickly reach our funding goal
in order to complete the final cut
and to show Incandescence the
broad audience it deserves.”
Shooting time
As far as equipment went,
the team used a Canon 600D
as their primary camera. “It
worked great for us, because
of it being very light,” reckons
Judith. “We could comfortably
“Our work with
Incandescence
has always been to
raise awareness of
homelessness”
use it to capture many of the
‘dirty’ documentary-style street
shots, shots in the underground
and so on. Nevertheless, this
camera still produces decent
quality footage. We found that
telling our story with quick zoom
transitions works well, so mostly
we used Canon EF-S 18-55mm
and Canon EF 24–105mm
lenses. Some shots – especially
in locations where we needed
to film with a hidden camera –
we used GoPro Hero 5 Black
and sometimes an iPhone 5S.
We mounted the camera on the
Neewer Aluminum Film Movie
Kit System Rig. For interior shots
we used the Westcott 3-Light D5
Daylight Softbox kit. For sound
recording we used Rode VMPR
VideoMic Pro R.”
Shaping up
The crew shot Incandescence
in early spring in Berlin and are
now in the middle of editing and
assembling their final post-
production team. “All in all, we
are planning to have a final cut
ready in summer 2018,” adds
a hopeful Judith. “And will then
apply for all major film festivals.
I think it’s looking fantastic.
We have shot some really
good and interesting footage
in incredible locations. Seeing
it taking shape in editing every
day makes me very happy. But
hey, you can’t get a feel for
a movie without having seen
it. So, get a sneak preview by
watching our teaser and follow
through until the premiere of
Incandescence. In my opinion
Incandescence sets itself
apart through the high social
relevance and its sensitive and
unusual artistic language along
with its fresh spirit created by
our team as a collaboration of
young creative minds. It has a
unique feel: sometimes raw and
naked, other times symbolic
and dreamlike. I am convinced
it will pull the audience in.”
Artistic licence
Perfect location
The city of Berlin is, says
producer Judith, a vibrant and
creative hub for filmmaking,
both in Germany and on
an international level. “The
cultural scene comes with an
interesting mix of subculture,
established artists and a good
stream of young talents that
creates tension, discourse and
leads to interesting forms of
artistic expression. The contrast
of its richness in history on
one side and on the end its
modern international vibe
and edgy ‘un-Germanness’
makes Berlin an ideal place
for finding innovative forms of
filmmaking. However, as for
our work with Incandescence
the intention has always been
to raise awareness among our
audience of homelessness and
the dark sides of the urban
social society. The general
economics of short films are not
cut out for financial satisfaction.
It’s a well-known curse and
artistic luxury of independent
filmmaking. Though any
funds we might generate
through participation in film
festivals will be donated to the
charity organizations Berliner
Obdachlosenhilfe and Berliner
Tafel in equal proportions in
order to help homeless people
in Berlin. We would feel well-
rewarded seeing Incandescence
screening at international
festivals and enabling Pilgrims
Creative group to initiate future
film projects on larger financial
scales.” n
Digital FilmMaker 53
ASK THE
FILMMAKER

Emma Dark is an
award-winning
filmmaker who faces
challenges every day Smooth operator of the need to keep be conscious of with
I’ve been into filmmaking things smooth as I film, filming on a mobile or
of her career. Here for a while now and am but could do with a bit do you thing the rest of
she takes some time keen to start exploring of guidance on a good the basics are the same?
out to answer a few of the potential of using gimbal suggestion for Maybe there is the
your questions… my smartphone to make the iPhone. Is there need for an additional
movies. I’m well aware anything else I need to standalone microphone

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54 Digital FilmMaker

The more gruesome the better
if you’re looking to get some
traction online I’d say given
current trends for horror films
and, if so, do you have
any ideas on that front
too?
Mike Delaney, Hatfield
ED: Hmm, tricky one Mike, it’s
not something I’ve experimented
with before. I know a lot of
friends and peers of mine tend
to use Osmo gimbals and have
absolutely loved them, so I’d
say check out some reviews
and product comparisons
and see what you think will fit
your needs best. Yes, I would
definitely use an external mic for
improved sound quality. Again,
you should be able to find some
recommendations on the web.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help
on this one!
New thing
We’d love to turn
my screenplay of an
80s-based idea into a
real-life short film but
the first stumbling block
we’ve hit in the process
is the area of costumes.
While my parents are able
to give plenty of advice on
the fashions of that time
we’re wondering if there
is a place that might be
able to lend us the use of
some 80s fashion items.
The film is only a short, so
we wouldn’t need them
for long, but presumably
there is a cost for this,
even if clothing of that
time is actually available.
What do you think?
Nicole Ainsley, Watford
ED: My best advice would be
to find boutique designers online
who specialise in vintage looking
clothes, or alternatively vintage
resellers and ask if they would be
happy to loan you some clothes
in exchange for credit and
publicity via your film. Perhaps
you could even get the designer
or reseller on board as an advisor
or costume designer. It’s also
worth approaching your local
college or university to see if they
offer fashion design courses as
you may find a budding designer
there who can help. Failing
that, I’d scour charity shops for
bargains, you’d be surprised
what you can find if you have a
good look around.
Going around
I love seeing your latest
filmmaking projects
come to fruition and, as
someone who is very
knowledgeable on that
front, I have a question.
Have you ever dipped
your toes into the world of
360-video? I recently saw
this camera technology
showcased on TV and
loved the potential of
it, even though it does
seem to have a few
Ask the filmmaker
downsides, which I guess
ED: I haven’t personally,
is always the way with although I know people who have,
anything that’s still quite
new and developing. Do
including Philip Bloom and some
other peers of mine. I recently
you think there is any
merit in 360-video and
had a discussion on 360-video
with other filmmakers asking the
is it something you see same questions. We agreed it
yourself working with in was a great concept and great
the future? for virtual reality experiences,
Neil Harris, Swansea but limited in terms of narrative
Gruesome twosome
We are a couple of horror fans who see that there is
real potential for having an online hit with a gruesome
short film, with a few twists and turns thrown in
along the way. As someone who is well-versed in
the ways of horror, we were wondering if you have
any suggestions when it comes to effects suppliers.
We’d like to get ourselves armed with the likes of
false horrible-looking teeth, the odd prosthetic or two
and, obviously, some fake blood. Any ideas where
to get these items? They need to be convincing but,
hopefully, cheap too.
Dave Elliott, Totnes
ED: Yes, the more gruesome the better if you want
to get a bit of traction online I would say Dave, given
current trends. I work directly with SFX artists for my
films, and I’d suggest contacting them for a quote
as a first port of call as you’ll get the best quality. I’ll
paste a couple of links at the bottom of my answer.
Failing that I’ve used redcarpetfx.com before for
bits and pieces. Steve Bosworth, Hobby FX at www.
hobbyfx.com and Mike Peel, Rogue Creations SFX at
www.roguecreationssfx.com.
Digital FilmMaker 55
 filmmaking. I think for brand
messages and short pieces it’s
worth experimenting with. For
a narrative short film I think it’s
possible, but there would have to
be a lot going on and you’d have
to find a way of easily directing
a viewer to the important action.
Then it becomes more of an
experience again though, so
perhaps try it out for an art piece.
I’d say it’s worth experimenting
with, see how far you can take it;
you’ve got nothing to lose. Good
luck!

Noise maker
We recently shot our
very own short film and
Editing sweet the resulting footage
I always tend to shoot too much footage when I am doesn’t look bad at all.
producing my little short documentaries that focus We’re currently in the
on travel. As a result, when it comes to editing I am throes of tidying it up in
always overwhelmed with the volume of content I
have that then needs to be edited into a manageable
timeframe. Would you be able to advise if you think
I am doing this wrong? Do you think, perhaps, that I
would be better off shooting smaller, more concise
chunks of footage so that there is less to edit down
come post-production time? I guess the difference
with what I’m doing is that it is documentary-based,
rather than a film with a script, so much of it is done
on-the-fly. Any tips or ideas gratefully received.
Mark Andrews, Dundee

ED: This issue has come up a few times before. Are

you leaving the camera rolling when you don’t need
to? I would always say have more than you need
rather than not enough, but don’t leave the camera
rolling when you don’t need to. I just go through
everything that’s been shot afterwards before I edit
and create a log sheet of each clip and the footage
within each clip, finally making notes on what I want
to use or not. So, rather than try to remember what
each clip contains I have notes I can easily scan over
or search. I hope that helps!

56 Digital FilmMaker
 Ask the filmmaker

I’ve worked with sound designers have before, but you’re absolutely
on both of my dialogue shorts and right - if you can create them
they’ve created the Foley. You can yourself you won’t have that ah-
use off-the-shelf sound effects, I ha moment where the audience

Bright ideas
I’m really short of money and want to make a film
so am having to be a little bit inventive in order to
get the job done. What I really need, seeing as my
film is going to be shot mainly in the dark, is a way
of illuminating my scenes. However, I don’t have
the cash to run to buying lights, or even hiring them
for that matter. In which case, have you ever come
up with a way of making a professional lighting
system that will be perfectly adequate and won’t
look really obvious in the final film. As I say, the film
is based in a nighttime period, so the lighting would
need to illuminate the subject but still be fairly
subdued.
Derek Wilson, Edgebaston

ED: Tough call Derek; it depends how far you need

I’ve used cheap portable LED to illuminate your scene. I’ve used cheap portable
lighting before. If you have some LED lighting before alongside other available light
sources – e.g. street lighting. If you have some
work lights you could try rigging work lights you could try rigging them up outside,
them up outside to try that out but it really depends what effect you’re going for.
Standard halogen bulb work lights might be quite
post-production, using harsh. I guess you could use them to light your
iMovie. As a package that scene and then use some diffused LED fill light
seems okay and there for close-ups. You’ll have to experiment with this,
are quite a lot of built-in especially if you are mixing lighting sources of
features that will let us
different temperatures because the last thing you
want is to spent hours colour matching in post. If
you really have zero cash then try experimenting
with whatever portable lighting you have at home
and see what you can reasonably achieve.

add extra touches to the

final footage. However,
we reckon that there are a
few points in the film that
would benefit from some
sound effects, or Foley.
We were wondering what
your preferred approach
to this is? Do you come
up with your own Foley or
add off-the-shelf sounds
to your audio? We’re
guessing a do-it-yourself
approach is better as it is
totally unique, right?
Martin Shelley, Bromsgrove

ED: Ah, Foley and sound design

is a black art I’m not familiar with
beyond some absolute basics.

Digital FilmMaker 57
 hears the same cheap off-the- including something I worked on. Optic advice
shelf sound effect again and So I’d say hire a sound designer I’ve recently bought a
again in multiple productions. (I can recommend Chris Collier Sony camera that has
There’s a werewolf howl effect at 24footsquare.com), or try it for the capacity for being
that I’ve heard countless times yourself and follow some online paired up with all sorts
now in multiple films and media, tutorials. Good luck! of lenses. That was part
of the reason I bought it,
but being rather strapped
for cash I’m wondering
what you’d advise on
what I can get away with
while I am starting out. Is
there a decent sort of do-
it-all lens that would be
ideal for shooting every
segment of a short film?
Or will this limit the final
look of my footage? If
so, another option would
be to pick up a couple of
secondhand lenses, so
what’s the best buying
advice going down that ED: Great, as you know I have
route? a Sony A7S II and it’s excellent.
Nancy Stefanos, London I use a 50mm prime lens for
multipurpose use, which is great.
Star turn It’s difficult for capturing wide
I’d like to finish off my short film with some slick- shots though, so maybe you
could pick up a 24mm prime lens
looking titles but currently am pondering over how
for that. If you can get a Canon
best to do this. What do you generally do when EF mount adaptor for your Sony
you’re creating a film? Do you use a standalone then even better as you can grab
program and then import the titles into your some secondhand bargains. I’ve
movie project, or do you do everything within one picked up secondhand lenses
software suite? I’d love a few pointers on how best from eBay before, but it’s a pick
and mix in terms of quality, so
to do this, and also if there is one font that you
maybe pop down to your local
think works best for end credits – or is this basically camera shop and pay a little
an industry-standard thing so there is only one more for piece of mind. That will
format. Sorry to sound so green, but I’d like to try probably start you off, then see
and make my project look 100% professional. how you get on from there.
Steven Ellis, Crewe

ED: There are a couple of ways I would go about

this Steven. If I’m doing it myself I just keep it
simple and use the title designer in Premiere Pro,
nothing flashy, just typography over footage. If
you want something more ‘glamorous’ then I can
recommend using Adobe After Effects. If you’re
feeling brave you can follow some online tutorials
and see how far you can take things yourself, or
you can purchase some off the shelf titles from
stock video websites and customise them in
After Effects. If none of those options are going
to suit, or are beyond your capability then I would
recommend speaking to a VFX artist and hiring
them. I bought Davy Simmons VFX onboard for my
last two shorts and he was great - www.facebook.
com/DavySimmonsVFX.

58 Digital FilmMaker

I have a Sony A7S II and it’s
excellent. I use a 50mm prime
lense for multipurpose use, which
is actually really great for the job
In the bag
As a lone videographer
who is gradually building
up a business I am always
on the lookout for new
things that’ll help me get
the job done. However, as
I build up my kit arsenal
I’m finding that getting
everything from A to B
is proving increasing
stressful. Quite often
I have to use public
transport too because
living in London means
I’m not really in need of a
car. So I was wondering
if you have any ideas or
suggestions for moving
everything around. Do
you tend to use a bag, or
bags, or do you think
some kind of portable
trolley might work?
Alice Long, Barking
ED: I can appreciate your pain
Alice! I have a standard camera
bag and a big duffle-style gear
bag for lighting, tripods and
all the rest of it. It’s not that
convenient to be honest, not
for walking or travelling long
distances. There are portable
suitcase-style bags you can buy
for sure, and a sensible person
would probably buy one of those!
I can’t recommend a model or
brand unfortunately, but you can
probably look for reviews on the
web and find something that
suits, or head down to your local
camera shop and see and test
something in real life. n
Keep up with Emma and her work at
www.emmadark.com
Ask the filmmaker
Learning ropes
I’m keen to follow your lead and become an actor,
but I am a little confused where to start. Do you
think there is any value in getting a qualification or is
this just something you ‘become’ by moving in the
right circles and establishing yourself by appearing
in things? I appreciate it’s not a lucrative move but
I’m more really into the thought of appearing in front
of the camera and being part of productions. Do
you basically just volunteer your services and gain
experience that way. What’s the best way to get
myself on the road to the acting profession?
Lucy Dracks, Norwich
ED: That’s right Lucy, I don’t think it’s that lucrative
these days, unless you are lucky enough to get a big
break. I wouldn’t really class myself as an actor as
such, I have no training and the projects I’ve been
involved in have been by luck and chance rather
than auditions. So it depends what you want to do.
If your heart is truly in it and that’s your main focus
I’d say getting some training can only help, whether
that’s a course or one-on-one tuition. Make sure any
training you undertake is for the screen, not stage
of course. But yes, certainly volunteer your services,
build up your skill set and experience and see where
your strengths lie. Further down the line you can try
to get an agent, who should help you get paid work.
Digital FilmMaker 59
 RICH
PICKINGS Jack Leigh and his fellow
filmmaking collaborator Tim Baxter
talk about the production of their
latest project Rich is the Life

60 Digital FilmMaker

Despite them both living in
Manchester, Tim Baxter and
Jack Leigh first got to know
each other three years ago on a
Kenyan military base. They had
both been hired to create a series
of documentaries and training
films for the UK’s Department of
Foreign Development, Jack as
a writer/assistant producer and
Tim as director of photography.
Prior to this meeting both Tim
and Jack had enjoyed varied
careers; Tim began his working
life as a very early practitioner of
theatre video design at the Royal
Shakespeare Company, which
“We also feel that
the other members
of the team are just
as significant to the
finished product”
included designing the video for
the multi-award winning Matilda
The Musical, as well as countless
other productions. He was also
a pioneer of cinematic theatre
trailers.
Growing profile
After six successful years at the
Royal Shakespeare Company,
Tim followed his true passion and
transitioned into broadcast media.
His most notable work from this
time was producing, filming and
Rich pickings
editing the multi-award winning
BBC drama, Black Roses: The
Killing of Sophie Lancaster for
BBC2, written by Simon Armitage,
which won Best Drama at the
Royal Television Society Awards.
Meanwhile, Jack Leigh’s career
began working as a production
assistant/third assistant director
on various British film and
television shows, including Fast
and Furious 6, 71’, Peaky Blinders,
Get Santa and X+Y. Before
discovering his true passion lay in
documentary filmmaking, he spent
two years working as an assistant
producer, as well as working
on various documentary feature
films - most notably Assistant
Producing Shankly: Natures Fire
with Riverhorse TV and the BBC.
Working together
Since meeting, Tim and Jack
have worked together regularly
including acting as video
designers on Warhorse in
Concert at the Royal Albert Hall
and animation directors on BBC
Radio Four’s video adaptations of
Quake. Most recently Tim acted as
director of photography/producer
and Jack as first assistant
director on the poetic drama
Men Who Sleep in Cars for BBC
4, starring Maxine Peake. They
are currently working on a series
of short documentaries entitled
Human Nature Documentaries,
the idea being to combine
Digital FilmMaker 61
 Jack’s background in journalism
and storytelling with Tim’s
strong visual eye and make a
documentary about a person, shot
with the visual flare of a nature
documentary.

Filming flag
Rich is the Life is their flagpole
project. It follows Marko Lauronen
who, following a 20-year career
at Nokia mobile phones, was
diagnosed with crippling manic
depression. Over the space
of a year the realisation slowly
dawned on him that he could no
longer function in mainstream
society. When faced with the
heartbreaking choice of a big
life change, or the possibility of
not being able to continue living,
Marko chose to leave his family
and lifestyle behind to rekindle
his boyhood passion for gold
prospecting. Rich is the Life is a

“Coincidence means
our strengths and
weaknesses actually
compliment each
other”
cinematic documentary, which
follows Marko on his quest to
find some of the purest gold on
earth, hidden deep within the
heart of the arctic circle. Marko
takes us on a journey through the
frozen tundra of Lapland as he
intimately explores his own gold
fever and its complex relationship
with his depression, alongside his
passion for the world he inhabits.
Through Marko’s story, the film
aims to provide a rare insight into
a lifestyle, one which is quickly
becoming extinct.

Equal prominence
Their other film in the series is
entitled Getting the Miles in the
Legs, which follows Stephen
Pearson, a 60-year-old Boltonian
whose youthful hobby of running
up mountains for 24 hours at
a time was cut short by severe
arthritis. For almost three years
Steve could barely walk, never
mind run, until a double hip

62 Digital FilmMaker

replacement gave him back
the use of his legs. Despite his
doctor’s warnings, what started
as walks in the countryside
developed into a chance to
rediscover his love of fell running.
Getting the Miles in the Legs
is a cinematic documentary
following Steve on one of his runs
through the beautiful Lancastrian
countryside as he discusses his
passion for this historic sport and
how it has allowed him to create a
life-long emotional connection with
British nature that the modern age
sometimes overlooks.
Taking control
Despite both working
professionally in the film industry
neither have managed to step into
“Getting the Miles in
the Legs provided
us with a great
opportunity to test
our concept”
the directors chair on anything that
allows them the creative freedom
to make the projects they want
me make. After working together
for three years the pair decided
to cut out the middlemen and
make some films for the love of
filmmaking. Instead of reinvesting
Rich pickings
in kit at the end of the year, as
they usually would, the twosome
invested in themselves with the
aim of making some films that
proved they could produce top
quality content on a budget.
They also wanted to structure
their relationship differently to the
traditional hierarchy. Instead of
one being a director and the other
a producer they wanted to split the
work evenly and call it ‘a film by
Tim and Jack’.
Solid start
“Getting the Miles in the Legs
provided us with a great
opportunity to test our concept
and predict any issues that may
occur in the arctic,” says Tim.
“This was particularly useful for
testing our kit as we wanted to try
some experimental equipment.
And, we like to think that we both
Digital FilmMaker 63
feed into each of our skillsets, but
if we had to put labels on what we
bring to the table then Jack takes
a lead on the story telling duties
and I specialise in the visuals. As
we mentioned earlier, we like to
consider ourselves collaborators.
Through lucky coincidence
our strength and weaknesses
compliment each other - Jack is
very good at almost all aspects of
filmmaking, writing, socialising and
is generally a top all-round bloke,
but sometimes forgets to wash his
mug at the end of the day, which
is where my key strength comes
into play - pedantry…”
Working well
“We also feel the other members
of the team are just as significant
to the finished product,” adds
Jack. “One thing we thought
crucial was for the music to be
considered from the outset and
not look like an after thought.
With this in mind we actually
brought Spesh Maloney, our
composer, out to the arctic with
us. This worked so well that
Spesh actually composed the
score in the arctic whilst we
filmed, which made it feel very
authentic to the experience.
Meaning that we didn’t have to
have that awkward conversation
64 Digital FilmMaker
full of misunderstanding as we
try to explain how we wanted the
music to feel - Spesh understood
exactly how it should feel. We also
brought Phil Brooke, our editor out
with us. Phil was great at cutting
the story as we went; it meant that
every night we could watch edited
dailies and know if we had missed
anything. It would have been a
long flight back to get any pick
ups we needed!
Careful planning
The pair planned the project from
the beginning knowing that they
wanted to make a film where
the visuals would become part
of the story. For both films they
picked locations with sweeping
“Jack had the
idea to make a
film about gold
prospecting in the
arctic a while ago”
exterior vistas where their
protagonist moves around the
landscape. “We knew that this
would give us the best shot at
creating something with a bold
visual presence,” reckons Jack.
“We also didn’t want to include
‘head and shoulders’ interviews
for two reasons. Firstly, Tim feels
his career has been plagued
with shooting interviews and
that, no matter how creatively
you approach them, they look
stale. Secondly, I have a deep
passion for the intimacy that radio
documentaries provide. I listen to
podcasts almost non-stop. We
felt that a small mic is much less
obtrusive than a big camera and
light set up and that this minimal
kit would allow our subjects to
relax, forgetting that they are being
recorded and open up about their
stories.”
Writing style
“Jack had had the idea to make
a film about gold prospecting
in the arctic a while ago but, as
these things often do, it got put
on a list and left on a hard drive
until we started discussing the
Human Nature Documentary
concept,” furthers Tim. “After
reading through several of these
lists we found Rich is the Life and
decided it fit our categories of a
human story and with a strong
visual presence. We both took on
different aspects of the production
process. I used my contacts to get
us great deals on kit and expert
advice on the technical aspects
of filming in the arctic, whereas
Jack spent over a year nurturing
a relationship with Marko. It was
a huge gamble making the film
with Marko as our limited budget
meant we couldn’t fly out to meet

him prior to the shoot - he could
have been the world’s most boring
man for all we knew! Thankfully he
ended up being a truly interesting
guy and we are all friends to this
day.”
Funding issue
However, in amongst all this
there were the inevitable money
worries… “After being worn down
by the almost complete lack of
available film funds in the North of
England, a topic we can discuss
at length, we decided to do it
for ourselves,” says Jack. “We
got lucky and managed to pick
up some well paid work filming
multi-camera live performances
for various theatres in the West
End and, by the end of the year,
we had about £5,000 spare, which
we spread across both projects.
For the love of the craft, everyone
involved agreed to work for free
and our local kit hire company
gave us a great deal, so we
managed to make it work for a tiny
budget.”
Quality gear
The combo also make the best
use they can of their kit, which
as you’d expect, is a solid and
dependable collection of goodies.
“For our day-to-day work we
use an FS7,” says Jack of their
kit arsenal. “But for Rich is the
“The Ronin we
brought with us
did not fair as well,
dying the second
we used it”
Life we decided to go all out
and get an Alexa Mini. Tim is a
huge fan of Richard Gale Optics
Lenses (previously known as
Dog Schidt Lenses), which are
rehoused 1960s Russian lenses,
which give footage a really unique
feel - or ‘flaretastic’ look as Tim
puts it. On top of this, we used
a Letus Anamorphic Adapter to
give us a true 2.35 aspect radio
as opposed to Go Faster Stripes.
This gives an amazing image, but
due to the complicated focus set
up we think it would have been
difficult to use on a more tradition
documentary. We also brought
a DJI 4 Pro out with us, which
performed staggeringly well even
though we were well under the
recommended temperature usage
and, surprisingly, matched really
well with the Alexa in post. The
Ronin we brought with us did
not fair as well, dying the second
we attempted to use it and not
coming back to life until we got
it back to England - lightweight!
It was a balancing act between
having the best kit for the job and
being able to carry it from location
to location without breaking our
backs.”
Rich pickings
Well satisfied
Looking back then, the pair
seem more than happy with
the experience as a whole. “We
have worked a lot with poetic
films, both Black Roses and Men
Who Sleep in Cars are based
around poetry and we both have
experience making traditional
documentaries,” reckons Jack.
“This was the first attempt at a
‘cinematic documentary’ however.
We utilised the skills we have
developed in the drama sphere
as the film takes a more directed
approach than a traditional ‘fly on
Digital FilmMaker 65

the wall’ documentary. We knew
the story we wanted to tell before
we arrived and directed Marko
in most of the action - although,
its worth saying, for the sake
of journalistic integrity we did
not direct any of the interviews.
Getting the Miles in the Legs is
freely available online and has
screened at some local festivals.
Rich is the Life has recently won
best short documentary at the
London Independant Film Awards
and will have screened at the
Manchester Lift Off Festival by the
time of print (and hopefully won
66 Digital FilmMaker
something!). It will continue to
screen around the world and be
released online at the end of the
year. We’ve been really pleased
with the feedback we’ve received
thus far and we’ve been accepted
into some great festivals. We
did get worried when we were
rejected from one festival until
we realised Tim had accidentally
submitted in to a French language
festival without the French subs…”
Gaining momentum
“We’ve managed to get some
local press coverage around
Manchester,” adds Jack on their
promotional activities. “Although
to Tim’s annoyance they did use
the headline ‘Manchester Film
Festival slot for Jack Leigh’s
Human Nature series’. It was in
the Bolton News and Jack is a
Boltonian. We’re hoping to get
some coverage in the Colchester
“After that we
would like to use
these films as
calling cards to
raise money”
Gazette so Tim can have his
revenge. Creative England has
also given us some support
and the guys behind the Lift
Off Network have been very
supportive. Currently, we’re
looking into a third in the Human
Nature documentary series -
possibly in the Scottish Highlands.
We would love to do more with
the series (if anyone from National
Geographic reads this then
please get in touch!). After that
we would like to use these films
as calling cards to raise money
for a bigger project, hopefully a
feature. If we step up to a feature
we understand that the style
would need to be adapted to suit
a longer form. We have discussed
a few historical projects as we
have some ideas we think we
could bring to life. We both have a
love of nature documentaries, as
we’ve mentioned the inspiration
for this series comes from this
joint passion. We also have a
constant argument about the best

era for films - Tim believes that
the 80s holds the crown whereas
I give credit to the 70s. We’ve
come to realise it stems from a
fundamental disagreement of what
a good film means; I like it for the
art and Tim for the escapism.”
Northern appeal
The pair are also very happy with
the filmmaking scene up North,
with plenty of networking activities
on the cards at every turn of the
corner. “Despite an abject lack of
funding, there is a unique artistic
culture in the red brick streets
of Manchester,” chuckles Jack.
“Everyone we know has some
kind of creative dream and we
like to support one another. We
tend to go for a drink at least
once a month with a group of
fellow filmmakers and in-between
Rich pickings
arguments about nerdy stuff projects - but if nobody will we love. It’s a difficult climate at
somebody usually shows us give us the money, we’ll do the the moment and sometimes you
something incredible that they’ve same again and work our arses have to take the rough with the
made that month. It’s really off until Tim can pay for it all. smooth. I think so long as we can
refreshing to have a supportive In all seriousness, we both feel make enough money to live and
community around the city. incredibly privileged to be able to make films that creatively satisfy
Indirectly we’re making money earn a living doing something that us we’ll be happy.” n
too; we have made the films for
the love of film making and have
no intention of ever charging
people to see them, but as a
showcase we have used it as
a demonstration of our skills to
cooperate with commercial clients
and won work off the back of
it. We would like to expand the
company - currently we work
out of Tim’s kitchen, although
plans are afoot to expand to his
garage… We still believe that
you get ahead in this industry by
working hard and we do hope
to raise some money for more
Digital FilmMaker 67
 OVER THE MOON
BAFTA-winning team present
Moonwalkers, a documentary
following three Michael Jackson
tribute artists as they search
for fame and fortune

68 Digital FilmMaker

In the run up to the 35th
anniversary of Michael
Jackson’s signature Moonwalk
move, two London filmmakers
have launched a Kickstarter
campaign to shoot the
final footage for a feature
documentary, the story of three
fans so dedicated to their hero
they have become a Michael
Jackson tribute act. Director
Tom Goudsmit has followed the
highs and lows of The Three
Generations of MJ for four
years and is very close
to completing the film;
‘“When I first met them
I was stuck by their
energy, enthusiasm
and love for MJ, after talking to
them I knew we would go on a
journey together.”
Soul searching
“I’ve always been a Michael
Jackson fan,” said BAFTA-winning
Producer Tristan Anderson, “and
I was instantly spellbound by the
extremes that these guys go to. In
some ways Chavail, Quintin and
Malachi are everyone who has
ever attempted to follow a dream,
and that’s what Kickstarter is all
about.” The project has been self-
financed by the team and filmed in
San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Funds raised through Kickstarter
will fund one final shoot and
Over the moon
post-production complete the
film before the anniversary of the
Moonwalk later this year.
“I was instantly
spellbound by the
extremes that these
guys go to following
their dream”
Digital dream
For Michael Jackson fans
rewards include a copy of the
film, a make-up tutorial or a
digital dance lesson from one
of the Michaels and a chance to
appear in the credits of the film.
Digital FilmMaker 69

For London filmmakers, there’s
also a documentary filmmaking
masterclass from the award-
winning filmmakers behind the
project plus a chance to attend
the red carpet premiere in London
and executive producer credits.
Picked by Kickstarter as a ‘Project
We Love’, Moonwalkers was 25%
70 Digital FilmMaker
funded in less than a week.
Powerful story
Moonwalkers follows three
Michael Jackson tribute artists
- Quintin, Malachi and Chavail
- from their homes in Northern
California as they embark on a
road trip to Hollywood to realise
their dreams of becoming full- award-winning documentary
time performers. Throughout the filmmaker whose credits include
journey we are reminded of their BAFTA-winning documentaries.
resilience as they stop at nothing He combines working as a
cinematographer on feature
“Throughout the documentaries with a regular slate
of Guardian films. His work has
journey we are
reminded of their
resilience as they
stop at nothing”
to find success, supporting each
other along the way. We see
them face the harsh reality of
trying to make it in Hollywood,
experiencing high and lows which
force them to look within and
examine their motivations.
The team
Director Tom Goudsmit is an

appeared on BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Hollywood. Really it’s a look at
Channel 5 and Sky. Tom’s
passion is to engage audience
through visual storytelling that
is both visceral and compelling.
“We have been working on the
film for the last four years,” he
explains. “So far we have self-
funded the documentary and have
now turned to Kickstarter to help
us complete the film. “I’m the
director and cameraman, while
Tom O’Keefe handles additional
camera and Tristan Anderson is
the producer of the film. Shooting
with a second camera and myself
doing sound gave me the freedom
to dictate the action without being
“I like to show the
simple pleasures
of people, but in an
honest bare-it-all
kind of way”
too busy. It allowed us to have a
second angle on events that were
happening out of our control.
We’d describe Moonwalkers as
a feature documentary following
the lives of these three Michael
Jackson Tribute artists on their
quest for fame and fortune in
fame, the Los Angeles scene,
delusion and the American
dream…”
Own direction
“So far we have self-funded and
used all of our own equipment,”
adds Tom. “As our contributors
in the film are performers and
have a desire to be famous we
tried to emulate how the guys
saw themselves in the world.
We wanted a music video feel
for any dance sequences. So we
brought a Ronin gimbal out with
us. Pairing it either with a C100
or A7s. We started off using a
Canon C100 for the main shoot
then a Sony FS7 for the final
filming stages. It allowed us to do
some slo-mo sequences. As we
had a second camera, and as the
director, I wanted to be light and
nimble. I had the Sony a7s with
11-16 Tokina lens. With an XLR
extension, so I could carry two
radio mics and monitor sound. To
show the scale of the journey we
also had the Phantom 3. I think
the film follows a theme. Certainly
Statesmen, a short documentary
I made a few years ago, followed
three American’s who from the
outset seem on a lonely path
in unenviable situations, but as
the complete story unravels you
realise how happy and content
they are. I like to show the simple
pleasures of people, but in an
honest bare-it-all way.”
Finishing up
So where are they with the
project right now? “The film
is 90% shot, the story is all
there, we just need to complete
one more filming section for
landscape, shots, GV’s, follow
up interviews and filming with the
main contributors,” reckons Tom.
“The Kickstarter is to help fund
this and post-production, editing,
grading, and so on. I particularly
love documentary because it
allows you to gather the stories of
Over the moon
real people, almost as a reporter,
and then share them with a
broader audience. However, as a
filmmaker, you have the ability to
shape and tell the story in the best
way possible. I think I will always
work within the documentary area
although there is limited support
for the development of feature
documentaries in the UK. So you
pretty much hava to start most
projects with your own resources
and willpower! We hope to get
the film into film festivals and sell
it to an online platform like Hulu,
Amazon Prime, Netflicks and so
on. I really hope that the film will
allow us to share the story of the
three Mj’s. After that, we want to
tell more stories to inspire and
inform others.” n
Digital FilmMaker 71
HYPER
HUMAN
Nguyen-Anh Nguyen’s filmmaking tools of
choice have been a raft of Blackmagic Design
products that have allowed him to capture a
variety of out-of-this-world moments

Photos: Jean Sébastien Francoeur & Blackmagic Design

72 Digital FilmMaker
 Hyper human

Creating a Sci-Fi short film with a heart

was Nguyen-Anh Nguyen’s next stop on
his filmmaking journey. Following success
with previous projects Temple - a dystopian
sci-fi short, and the crowdfunded Akira Project
- a fan trailer of the renowned manga-turned-
anime film from the late 1980s, Hyperlight has
been Nguyen-Anh’s most recent focus. Taking a
step away from the dystopian side of sci-fi, Anh was
keen to create a short that would lend itself to the
more human perspective of the genre. The film - which
has already collected over 30,000 views on Vimeo -
follows two elite astronauts who wake up in the abyss of
space. On returning to their stranded ship, they discover
the surprising reason behind their mission’s catastrophic
failure.

Deep vision
The story stems from Anh’s scientific background (being a
trained dentist), and his dreams to make a space movie. He also
wanted to combine this with a step away from action towards an
investment in characters. “I had already proved myself in terms
of being an action director and a visual director,” he comments.
“It was my script writer, Nicola Billon, who suggested I focus

Digital FilmMaker 73

on a relationship between two
characters instead. So, I took
that on board, and developed
an emotive plot based around
the two central characters,
based within the confines of a
spaceship.”
Pace change
Anh found focusing more on
characterisation, as opposed
to action scenes, effective in
keeping the viewer engaged
with the story. “I really wanted
74 Digital FilmMaker
to throw the viewer off in terms
of what the story was,” he
says. “The film starts with an
epic action space sequence,
however, it’s only going into the
second half of the film that you
realise that the real focus is the
relationship between the two
characters; it’s not an action
film, it’s not an alien film, it’s a
multiverse drama.”
Special effects
Creating the spacecraft where
the story and the characters of
Hyperlight unfold was production
designer, Laura Nhem, who
has worked with Anh on all of
his projects. With limited studio
time of just one week, Laura had
a real challenge on her hands
to get a set built in time for the
shoot. “It was very demanding,”
Anh comments. “We had a studio
for about a week, but we only
had five shooting days. Laura
basically had to build a set whilst
we were shooting on other sets,
and wrap the set as we were
“We broke the story
down to the core
concepts and tried
to come up with a
way to tell it”
finishing. She’d then go on to
build yet another one. The whole
crew pulled together to keep to
our schedule.”
Vintage shooting
With limited time and space, DP
Simran Dewan found that the
ergonomics and form factor of
the Ursa Mini Pro and Ursa Mini
4.6K ideal for Hyperlight, due to
how lightweight and easy to use
they were. “Anh and I share a lot
of the same ideas in sci-fi, so we
already knew what references
would become important to us.
With those in mind, we broke
the story down to the core
concepts and tried to come up
with a simple and straightforward
way to tell it through extensive
storyboarding in various Montreal

coffee shops,” Simran explains.
Clever thinking
“We knew from the start that
we would be limited in time and
budget due to this being an indie
shoot. Ultimately we used the
Ursa Mini rigged for a Chapman
Hybrid dolly and a Ronford-Baker
Atlas tripod head, which allowed
us to readily switch between a
variety of different setups on a
quick release plate. This ensured
we could keep up with Laura’s
set-building to make the most
of every second. Not only that,
because the Ursa Mini and
Mini Pro are also pretty small,
we could manoeuvre into tight
corners to create unique angles
perfect for a ship interior.”
Optical magic
The short was lensed using a set
of vintage Kiowa anamorphics
and recorded in CinemaDNG
Raw. “You end up with a much
thicker digital negative, with
more latitude and information
for post-production,” Simran
continues. “Treating the Ursa
Mini as I would any other film
stock, I rated it at 800 ISO but
metered for 500. I’ve always
imagined film in this format, and
the lens perfectly complemented
the colour fidelity of the 4.6K
sensor.” Anh has shot with these
lenses for the last four years - he
adds: “I just can’t produce the
look I want on anything else.”
Warm feeling
The look of the short is
something that was extremely
important to Anh during filming
and post. Unlike the cooler,
blue look of sci-fi films, Anh was
keen to use Hyperlight to once
again subtly show his personal
stylistic aesthetic. “The one thing
I wanted to do with the look of
the film was to avoid doing the
stereotypical. Laura and I went
through a bunch of sci-fi films
to try and find something that
had never been done before
visually, and I really liked the idea
of creating a warm look,” Anh
explains. “I really like the fact
that sci-fi is typically cold, yet
Hyperlight mainly focuses on the
human aspect and is as much a
love story as it is a sci-fi story,
and what you would do for the
love of your life. So, I wanted to
Hyper human
use warmer tones in the film to
portray the humanistic elements
that underpin the story.”
Grade magic
Completing the colour grade
for this project was Simon
Boissonneaux, who worked
closely with Anh and Simran.
Simon used DaVinci Resolve to
follow the brief from Anh, which
referenced life and warmth,
veering away from the more
typical cold looks. A particular
scene within the film where the
whole set is bathed in golden
light, was a true collaboration
between production and post-
“The lighting on
set gave us a good
starting point for
the overall look
and feel”
production. “The lighting on set
gave us a good starting point
for the overall look and feel,”
begins Simon. “And so in post, it
was more about applying subtle
corrections to make it fit with the
Digital FilmMaker 75
76 Digital FilmMaker

colour of the sun.”
Multiple effects
Simon was challenged with grading
a very visual effects-heavy project
and used specific colours to ensure
consistency between VFX and non-VFX
shots. “For the first scene, I used the
blue of the planets to keep a consistent
look,” he comments. “Heavy green is
also recurrent throughout the film. This
helped to create tension within some
scenes - overall the goal was to create
depth in the image in the foreground,
whilst darkening some parts of the
orange spaceship for tension.”
Big data
Simon adds: “With the Raw files, I
had a lot of information so I could do
some good keying. I also used Power
Windows in Resolve to control the
eyes of the spectators and to hide
some imperfections in the miniature
spacecraft. The mid-tone details
enabled me to create the texture on
the spaceship.” Resolve was used
throughout the whole post process,
allowing the team to go from the
final editing timeline to the grading
environment and back at anytime during
the making of the film. The team was
Hyper human
also able to adjust to newly imported
VFX shots in minutes without ever
needing to reconform the project.
Expand experience
Not only has Hyperlight expanded
Anh’s experience as a director, but
the short film also aims to expand the
audience’s experience. The immersive
experience really appealed to Anh,
and he saw the opportunity to have
this as part of character development;
he is currently working on an extra
VR sequence to allow the viewer to
see things from the perspective of the
character. “It’s looking like we’re going
to have a full two and a half minutes,
where the viewer gets to experience
Hyperlight through the character’s eyes.
That will provide some atmospheric VR
sequences, which involves them being
in space and trying to frantically dock
back into their ship,” he explains.
Solid team
Supporting his vision is a crew that Anh
has found to enhance the experience
and end product. “It does feel great to
have a good team and I think that’s one
of the biggest challenges of filmmaking
- finding people that you can work with
and have fun with,” he says. “At the
end of the day, you’re spending 18-20
hours on set, so you need to enjoy the
company of the people around you. And
the beer at the end of the day tastes
better if it’s with friends! It’s a great way
to make films and I hope that I get to
do more of this as we grow into bigger
projects.” n
Digital FilmMaker 77
 ECONOMY
CLASS Filmmaker Christopher Flippo reveals
just how good a result you can get for
your project, even if you’ve got little in
the way of budget to work with

78 Digital FilmMaker

Enterprising filmmaker
Christopher Flippo reckons
that you can do anything and
everything if you set your mind
to it. And that includes shooting
a proper film for next to nothing.
“I believe that Down and Yonder
shows what can be done on a
smaller budget and what may
seem like constraints are actually
opportunities,” he says of his
latest movie project. “There were
many times where we were faced
with challenges and limitations,
but I believe that we overcame
them through teamwork and
creativity. We didn’t have a very
long schedule to shoot this film
- just 12 days, really - but with
planning and preparation, we
were able to do it.”
Game plan
Before the feature, Christopher
and his filmmaking cohorts had
really only done a few shorts;
Economy class
“Our actors were
able to live in this
world for a time
before we shot the
film proper”
small projects on weekends to
flex their creative muscles. “One
of which, The Future West, had
themes and characters that
eventually turned into Down and
Yonder,” he explains. “Our actors
were able to live in this world
for a time before we shot the
film proper, and I think that gave
everyone a little jolt of confidence
as we headed towards the
bigger project. I don’t think we
could’ve done it had we not been
as confident creatively as we
were. Us being first-time feature
filmmakers meant there were
Digital FilmMaker 79

plenty of other things to not be
confident about, but thankfully
our story and our actors were not
among them.”
Team effort
Christopher wrote, directed,
and edited the film, Geoff
James played Sugar Baby
and produced while Benson
Greene served as producer and
director of photography. It’s an
arrangement that Christopher
thinks has worked well. “Jamie
80 Digital FilmMaker
baton and run with it at different
times. If the making of Down
and Yonder was a giant puzzle,
we were lucky in that each of
us had our own unique piece
to contribute. It’s sort of funny
that way. We mostly all grew up
together and developed different
interests that were somehow
Multiple roles in tandem with one another. I
“We were very lucky in that we was always interested in writing
all were blessed with different and literature. Geoff had an
skill sets,” furthers the filmmaker. interest in acting and theatre,
“That allowed us to pick up the and Benson had an interest in
shooting and editing videos.
“Looking back, Looking back, it really seems
that an eventual collaboration
it seems that was only a matter of time. I
an eventual knew we had the passion and
Davenport served as our line
producer and assistant director,”
collaboration was a determination, but over the last
five years, developments in
he adds, not wanting to leave matter of time” affordable equipment as well
anyone out. “I cannot say as crowdsourcing made it a
enough nice things about with possibility.”
whom we chose to collaborate.
Marty Simpson and Serena Tough storyline
Reichenbaugh were brilliant with Down and Yonder is a story
the sound. Richard Malstrom about growing up in the south of
composed music that was simply the US and a tricky time where
transformative. If you’re looking it’s time to start adulthood
for collaborators, just look at our but you just can’t. The film
credits. Any one of them would examines those themes through
be a tremendous asset to a film.” one friendship that we see

throughout the years. When one
character decides to move about
from their small hometown, the
two friends begin examining
their lives, their relationships,
and their futures. “It’s a comedy,
and there are plenty of laughs in
the film,” reckons Christopher.
“But I think it’s about something
very real and is, hopefully, very
honest. I wrote it over a period of
about seven years. Now, that’s
seven years off-and-on, with
plenty of stops and starts as
“The four of us
produced it but
it was really the
community that
pulled it together”
other projects and just life took
precedence. But Wally and Sugar
Baby were always there in the
back of my head, somewhere.
No one event really inspired
it, and it’s not necessarily
autobiographical. It’s a sort of
composite of a lot of different
life experiences; some that were
mine and some weren’t. One
idea is never enough. Really,
it’s a series of ideas over time
and making weird connections
between them that can really
generate story.”
Clever thinking
Christopher says that Geoff
James, Benson Greene, Jamie
Economy class
Davenport and, of course,
himself worked together
to produce and planned it
methodically. “With a few extra
assists, of course,” he says with
a grin. “Geoff and Benson are
brilliant in bringing people onto
a project and so skilled about
connecting with the community.
Down and Yonder would not
exist without the generous
outpouring of support from
the Rossville, Chickamauga,
Flintstone and Dalton, Georgia
areas. They opened their doors
for us (literally and figuratively).
The four of us may have
produced it, but I think it’s really
that community that pulled the
project together. We built a
mighty fine car, but I think that
community put a motor in it. We
didn’t have a lot of money to play
with either.”
Digital FilmMaker 81
 environment swallow up the 16mm version of the film is creatively satisfying. Our gaffer,
characters a bit?” circulating,” jokes Christopher Kevin Terrell, lit the scenes
with a hint of wishful thinking beautifully and gave us images
Shooting kit “But we didn’t want anything that were more striking than
The team ending up using a overly slick. The story and the anything we could’ve imagined.
Canon C100 with a few prime characters didn’t demand it, and We believe Down and Yonder
lenses saying they were always I think we found something that sits somewhere toward the top
going to shoot digital. “Though was affordable of our portfolio. Every project
there is some alternate universe but is really just an attempt to be
somewhere where a magnificent better than we were previously.
Our best film is still out there,
waiting to get made. We are
“Every project going to keep making these
Small sums is really just as damn things until we see where
Not a lot, as in pretty minimal
considering the way it turned
attempt to be we ultimately land. Right now,
we’re brainstorming ways to top
out? “We had a good amount better than we what we’ve done, and I think
from a really solid Indiegogo were previously” we’re close to figuring our where
campaign and then we pulled we can go from here. Right now,
the rest of the money together
ourselves making our overall
budget for the entire film
production $30,000,” adds
Christopher. “We could only
afford nine initial days and then
three additional, about eight
months later (the story features
a time jump). I mean, there’s
always a way to have more
money and time. If anything,
the feature taught me to always
bring a surplus of ideas, but to
also know which of those ideas
you need and which ones you
want. And, of course, maybe
consolidation is a good thing
and can open your eyes to a
new creative possibility. Why
need four shots when you can
grab it in a master and let the

82 Digital FilmMaker

we are submitting to festivals.
We have done five as well as
a few sold out shows in the
Chattanooga area.”
Growing concept
“The film has just sort of begun
its life, and we are working on
trying to get it seen by as many
people as possible, which can
be sort of easier said than done,”
adds Christopher hopefully. “As a
microbudget indie, we don’t have
a lot in the ways of marketing.
However, I strongly believe in
the film we’ve made, and I think
we can win over anybody we
can get it in front of. Indie films
live and die by word-of-mouth,
and I think that’s going to play a
crucial role in the film’s life going
forward. Currently, we are also
finishing up a short called Get
The Van Running. If Down and
“We are also
working on another
script that’s set
in the Down and
Yonder world”
Yonder is dialogue-driven, then
Van is driven by the editing and
the music. It’s fun and funny in
much the same way as Down
Economy class
and Yonder is, but the film has
its own weird, kinetic energy. It’s
definitely the most fun I’ve had
editing in a long time. Richard
Malstrom is again creating some
music for it, and it’s almost the
complete opposite of what he’s
done for us from before (but
he’s as brilliant as ever). We are
also working on a script that’s
set in the Down and Yonder
world. If the first feature is about
looking outward to the world,
the second one will be about
looking inside one’s own home.
Down and Yonder was very
exterior. The new one will be
very claustrophobic. It will be a
pressure cooker.” n
Digital FilmMaker 83
84 Digital FilmMaker
 The student perspective

The student
perspective
Tyler Scheerschmidt is a young filmmaker from
the United States who has big plans for the
future once his education is complete

Digital FilmMaker 85
I’m a 21-year-old filmmaker was fortunate enough to film a school-themed music video for famous Christmas lights-alphabet
based in Richmond, Virginia, music video inside the famous another acapella group called set from Stranger Things.
and am currently in my final Luray Caverns for a talented Note-oriety. I’ve even filmed an
semester of film school at acapella group known as The 80s-themed music video for a Power projects
Virginia Commonwealth Madison Project. Before that, guitarist known as Beyond the With that same artist, I’ve created
University. I am majoring in I filmed a nostalgic 90s high Guitar, in which I recreated the a series of Star Wars-themed
cinema with two minors in
philosophy and psychology.
In addition, I was chosen by
my department’s head faculty
members to direct one of our final
and largest short film projects
of the year. As a result, I will
be heading a crew of nearly 50
students, and the project will be
shot on 35mm film with a release
at Richmond’s famous Byrd
Theater this fall.

External influence
As a college student, my vast
majority of growth as a filmmaker
has come from my endeavors
outside of school. Whenever I’m
not hitting the books, I am filming
a large array of projects, including
music videos, commercials, and
narrative films. Just recently, I

86 Digital FilmMaker

music videos, one of which
reached 3.5 million views in
under a week. I have also been
an active part of the independent
filmmaking community in
Richmond. I found work on my
first ever feature film, Last Call, as
a swing grip/2nd AC. I’ve worked
on numerous short films, web
series, and promotional content
with established production
companies in the city. I’ve quickly
been climbing my way up the
ladder, and I now work as a
camera operator and editor with
these companies.
Big achievement
But my greatest accomplishment
as a filmmaker came last month,
when, for the first time, I was
the director of photography
and associate producer on a
full-scale independent short
film production. This was unlike
any other project I have tackled
before. In my personal projects
I have, like many college film
The student perspective
students, typically worked with their field, aid me in executing 85! It was also my first film that
extremely limited skeleton crews my vision, while also teaching dealt with a substantial budget,
(5 or less members) and little to me important lessons along the as we had to raise money to pay
no budget. But this short film, in way. It was a courageous and for actors, food, the location,
particular, was very different, as extremely difficult feat, as we professional crewmembers, and
the production matched the size had to shoot an entire 12-minute more. I can proudly say that we
and hierarchy of a professional short film in 3 days, with hard did it all, and without any help
12-hour deadlines. Not only that, from our professors or from
“We had to shoot but we had to wrangle and feed
over 15 extras, from ages 13 to
financial aid. It was the greatest
learning experience of my life,
an entire 12-minute
short film in 3 days,
with hard 12-hour
deadlines”
independent film set. There were
roughly 40 individuals in total, and
never before was I in charge of
such a large team of talented and
passionate grips, electricians, and
cameramen. Many of them were
nearly a decade older than me!
Experience counts
I was extremely humbled to have
professional filmmakers, with
a vast amount of experience in
Digital FilmMaker 87
and it’s not over yet. I am also the
editor of this project, and we plan
on submitting the film to festivals
around the country upon its
completion.
Grand motivation
People always tend to ask how I
got into filmmaking. Well, when
asked this question I’ve heard a
lot of people say that there was
that one movie that they saw as
a kid that made them want to be
a filmmaker. That was not the
case for me. What got me into
filmmaking was, well, filmmaking!
88 Digital FilmMaker
“Eventually I had
created over
80 videos. We
became known in
the community”
In middle school, I simply picked
up my father’s video camera and
starting filming silly sketches
with my friends. The movies we
made were, of course, terrible.
But, it quickly became a non-
stop hobby. I was making new
movies every weekend, and
with each new film came new
lessons on the filmmaking craft.
Over the years, I eventually had
created over 80 videos with my
friends, and we became known
throughout our community
because of it. I should also
mention that one of those friends
is pursuing acting at James
Madison University, and was the
star of the short film mentioned
above. We both reminisced on
that set about how far we had
come, from making backyard
home movies to the real thing.

“Just like old times,” we joked.
Hiring time
It wasn’t until I was hired for
my first ever wedding gig, as a
sophomore in high school, that I
realized that I could make a living
off of something that I loved to
do. It was then when I knew that
I was going to make my career
as a professional filmmaker, and
I didn’t wait to make it a reality.
The student perspective
I’ve never had a regular job at
a restaurant or a grocery store;
I’ve worked my entire life as a
freelancer. The first time I ever
“My ultimate goal
is to be a full-time
cinematographer,
editor, and director
on music videos”
worked under someone was
the summer before my senior
year in high school. It was for a
professional documentary film
production company in DC called Charting progress company will initially be based
The Biscuit Factory. I worked as After completing my college in Richmond for about a year,
an assistant editor and graphical degree this summer, I am we plan on expanding to Atlanta
effects artist. Before I even went launching my own film production by the spring of 2019. My
to college, I had a legitimate, company with a fellow colleague ultimate goal is to be a full-time
professional resume under of mine, a company that has cinematographer, editor, and
my belt, and I had worked on already been signed into an director on big-budget music
projects that had actually aired on LLC last month. We will be videos and narrative projects,
TV, including The Real Mad Men specializing in music videos, where I can continually push
of Advertising (The Smithsonian creative commercials, and my creative capabilities as a
Channel). narrative content. While the filmmaker. n
Digital FilmMaker 89
HARDWARE ADVICE
The DFM team offers up essential
advice on getting started and takes a 92 Interview
with a pro
look at some of the best kit currently
available for filmmaking
99 New kit

Digital FilmMaker 91
 with a Pro
Interview
This issue we talk to Philippe Reinaudo, co-
founder of the rapidly expanding digital colour
laboratory FireFly Cinema

92 Digital FilmMaker
 Interview with a pro: Philippe Reinaudo

I’m the co-founder of FireFly Cinema and created the

business with Luc Guenard some 7 years ago, after working
in the film industry for more than 25 years. Between 2000 and
2010 I was the CTO of Eclair Laboratoires, which is a big film lab
in France. Whilst I was there it was my mission to transform what
was a traditional film lab into a fully digital setup. That’s when
we installed, for the very first time in Europe, a system which
was called Lustre, and between 2002 and 2003 we became one
of the first and the biggest digital film labs in the world. I am in
the film industry because I am passionate about cinema and
especially colours. I actually decided to work in this field when
I saw a film called One From The Heart, which was directed by
Francis Ford Coppola. What was really interesting in that movie
was the work done by Vittorio Storaro, who was to me ‘the’
colour master for films at that time.

Big influence
I would say that he is a very important person for me as he
influenced me greatly, but I would also like to name another
Director of Photography, Pierre Lhomme, who did some great
movies in the 70s such as L’armée Des Ombres, and I was
lucky enough to work with Pierre on the digital restoration
of this film. He did a great job during the 80s and 90s,
especially on a film called Mortelle Randonnée,
where you can see how he masters control of the
light and how he understands the use of colour
when making feature films. That’s definitely
one of the reasons why I am working in this
industry today, although unfortunately I
am not an artist myself. But, I know that
what I do counts as part of the process of
filmmaking. I participate by putting my
technical skills and passion in to help
the artists create beautiful pictures.

Digital FilmMaker 93
Creating FireFly
In my previous experience as a
CTO, I had the feeling that with
the new digital cameras that were
coming out, such as those from
the likes of RED or the Arri Alexa,
we were going to have a new
workflow, and I really believed
that at that stage the industry
was going to be needing new
tools to be able to get things
done differently. So, when I
created FireFly Cinema together
with Luc, we decided to set our
goal as being able to provide
a complete set of tools to help
filmmakers with this new kind of
workflow from being on-set and
saying ‘action’ through to post-
production finishing. I should
94 Digital FilmMaker
mention here that Luc is a pure
colour scientist and that since
2010, along with his team, he has
developed all the software we
have created for our clients.
“Things are
obviously different
from one filmmaker
to another when it
comes to colours”
Taking charge
Meanwhile, I am mostly a product
designer and would say that I
stand in the middle of all things
happening at FireFly. On one
side we have our clients and I
take care of them by listening
to their needs. I need to be sure
that I understand how they are
using our tools on a daily basis,
and on the other side of the
fence we have the research and
development people, our technical
team as well as the software
development team. We have
invested a lot of time and money
in our product solutions over the
past few years so our challenge
today is to provide a very powerful
tool that is, at the same time, very
easy to use, with a simple and
clear interface. We aim to provide
a solution that doesn’t need hours
and hours of explaining on how to
get hands-on with using it. We’ve
always wanted to build something
obvious as well as being powerful
and user-friendly all at the same
time.
Software process
Things are obviously different
from one filmmaker to another
when it comes to their choice of
colours and the overall look and
feel of a project. This will change
a lot depending what they want
to tell in their story. Colour has
always been very important in the
way you tell a story, especially
when you are a cinematographer.
And, it’s actually even more
important now as pictures
are shot with digital cameras,
with a greater importance of
intermediate technologies such as
 Interview with a pro: Philippe Reinaudo

colour grading with software on-

set. Plus, you have to remember
that when we were shooting on
film we were only able to change
a few values such as Red, Green
or Blue, and even any saturation
or contrast in the picture, whereas
now it is possible to change
almost anything at any stage.

Changing fortunes
Of course, you can do even more
in post-production than ever
before. For example, in order
to finish the picture, and get a
greater looking film, you can
select specific part of the picture
and change the elements to do
a really precise job. When you
spend the right amount of time
on the colour grading stage of
your movie it ultimately turns out
that people feel that you’ve put
an effort into finalising the look of
it. Nowadays of course there are gone has gone into how it should Perfect workflow could build something a little
some really great tools available fit in the context of the picture. I think the perfect workflow is one more fluid based around all that,
to the Director of Photography where all the people involved in where everyone involved in the
and also for the film director. Varied palette the film have access and can use process of the production could
I’m thinking of Baselight and, You can even feel the difference the right tool at the right moment share the same database, the
of course, FirePost. Colours between different styles of and at the right time. This has same data and also the metadata.
and colour grading are part of images and the choice of colours always been our dream for the That will be the next big move for
the storytelling process, and a between films when they come business. For the past two years us as we are launching this new
very good example of this was from different countries. For or so we have been discussing web platform where it is possible
the movie O’Brother, Where Art example, most of the French films how to create a new tool to for team members involved in a
Thou?. That was made back don’t have a high saturation, it help film producers get closer project to view, share and work
in 2000 and was one of the is more often a low one. And, in to the ideal workflow because on a film as it is being made.
first to be done in DI (Digital another direction, one can notice we already had one software Therefore, we strongly believe
Intermediate). The film had Julius that many German movies have package for the DP, another FireVision.io will change the way
Friede as the colourist and I used one for DIT and then one for the people work both on-set and
to work with him. He is a great
guy, and, again, you can see in
“That will be the colourist too. So we imagined we during post-production. They’ll be

that film how the colour is really next big move

part of the storytelling process.
Working with Roger Deakins, the
Director of Photography on that
film, he used a palette of warm
colours so that you can really feel
the heat coming from the deep
south of the USA. Using this as
an example, I would say that most
of the time the colour is part of
the creative process right from
the start in any film production.
Working with the intention of
filming the movie with carefully
selected colours, this really helps
to amplify the story. There are
plenty of fantastic examples
where there has been a great
use of colour and a lot of thought
for us as we are
launching this new
web platform”
somehow a more greenish style.
In addition, I would say that in
general in the US, the market
there is more red, more magenta
and more saturated than in any
other countries. This kind of
general look into the colour usage
in movies can also be noticed
between many different types of
cinematographer, from one to
another, particularly if they are
used to the same kind of look
from one movie to the other.

Digital FilmMaker 95
able to work together much more
easily and we hope to improve
the existing workflow pattern as a
result. It doesn’t necessarily have
to be using the Cloud to transcode
material as this can be done
locally on set, but whatever the
way filmmakers use our platform
we really want to find a way to
help them save time and money.
Of course, we also want to make
96 Digital FilmMaker
“If I really have to
speculate on trends
then I’d say the next
thing is a kind of
hybrid technology”
sure it doesn’t end up affecting
the security and quality of the
work.
Looking forward
Things will probably change again
in the next five years. Remember,
it was only a few years ago that
we didn’t have Cloud at all and
now it is being used everywhere.
So, in that respect, imagine how
difficult it is to predict the future
of how films are going to be made
tomorrow. We have to keep in
mind that things are moving very
fast, and that in the film industry
as files are getting bigger and
bigger, it is now common for
an average film to shoot up to
a 100 terabits. In that respect
that amount of data is a very big
issue for the Cloud to process.
So things are not always moving
as fast or in the direction you
expect. If I have to speculate
on trends then I would say that
the next thing is a kind of hybrid
technology where hardware
and software are sharing the
weight and the workflow for
processing those big files. When
these have been taken from
the camera we’ll see a situation
where lighter versions of the
takes are immediately available to
anyone needing to have access
to material. In fact, that kind of
way of working, with a more
collaborative approach is not so
new, it’s more about if people are
feeling ready to try new ways of
working together.
Cloud power
We can already imagine that in the
future a Cloud-based production
system, or a Cloud hybrid solution,
like FireCloud will make sense to
most people. The collaborative
 Interview with a pro: Philippe Reinaudo

and on-the-go approach of generation of filmmakers, there

working together is more a matter
of tackling a learning curve on
how to change the way things
are done, rather than adopting a
new technology. I think people
are ready for this and I don’t think
technical issues are as much of
a problem anymore since we are
dealing with digital files. The issue
is most probably coming from
how people want to use the new
technology. To use an example,
in an other sector, not so long
will be new way of producing
movies.
Essential editing
Ultimately, it doesn’t really matter
if the files of the film are kept
on hard disks or in the Cloud.
What counts the most is who
has the power and control on
a project. From my experience,
sometimes the power can be
taken by someone who has
very specific set of skills. So, for
example, in the 80s I’ve seen

“So it’s not all about cameramen make themselves

essential to the rest of the team,
technology, it’s a lot and take on a lot of the power
about collaboration, by being the only member to differently they will play a greater it’s not all about technology, it’s

team efforts and know how to get certain things

communication”
ago people were sending text files
via emails whereas now people
use more and more collaborative
tools to edit their text directly
online, without having to move
the different versions of the files
around. Probably, with the new
done. In the process of the
creative choices involved with
filmmaking, they often made
some critical decisions instead
of the DP, not only because they
knew how to do it but probably
also because they wanted this
to happen. Today, in the case of
a DIT, maybe new technologies
offer an opportunity to do things
role in the production team, from
handling the files from the camera
to following up the artistic choices
during post-production. When
a DIT can modify the colours of
the picture directly on set, he
then plays an important part in
helping the rest of the team make
the right choices for the look of
a scene or, indeed, the entire
movie that’s being made. So
a lot about collaboration, team
efforts, communication and the
way knowledge is shared thanks
to this new technology. People
are going to have to get used
to working together differently.
They are already adapting to
more efficient way of working on
projects and that’s great! That’s
really what we’re building for them
with FireFly Cinema products. n

Digital FilmMaker 97
 Next issue

41

BMD POCKET
CINEMA CAMERA
Does this cool and compact 4K offering have
what it takes to challenge its rivals?
More than a few people cut
their teeth on the original
and less potent Blackmagic
Design Pocket Cinema
camera, which provided
decent performance for a
great value price. Now the
company has released an
exciting new version, which
can not only shoot 4K but
comes in at an unbeatable
price too. Granted, it’s a bit
of an unusual thing to look at,
with mixed reactions to that
styling, but inside it’s hard not
to like what’s on offer from this
top value compact shooter.
The Pocket Cinema camera is
wonderfully practical, offering
the ability to record directly
to external drives via USB-C,
which will be necessary with
that 4K capability, while the
full-size Micro Four Thirds
sensor delivers performance
plus footage that can be
captured in 10-bit ProRes or
12-bit RAW promises to live up
to expectations. There’s a neat
5-inch display around the
back too, while you can
also mate up any number
of lenses fro the likes of
Panasonic and Olympus,
which makes it all the
more appealing if you’re
keen to mix and match
what you might already have in
your kit collection.
VERDICT
Blackmagic Design’s new
Pocket Cinema camera is well
worth closer inspection and
manages to pack in a pretty
impressive specification inside
that interesting body style.
Of course, for the money
and physical size of the
camera there has had to be
compromises on just what the
model can do, but much like
its predecessor, the Pocket
Cinema camera opens up
filmmaking to anyone, especially
those on a tight budget. We’d
say give it a try if you can and
explore those easy-to-use
controls – Blackmagic Design
are great at getting that right
and here they’ve done a fine
job.
Price £1,170
Web www.blackmagicdesign.com
New Kit
New Kit Reviews
SONY FS5 II
It might look similar but Sony’s updated FS5
packs a different punch to its predecessor
On first impressions it’s simply don’t go far enough.
actually quite hard to spot
any differences between the VERDICT
original Sony FS5 and this In what could be good news or
new model. Body-wise it’s all bad news, depending on your
but identical. However, push outlook, Sony isn’t going to be
past that and start looking at discontinuing the original FS5
what’s inside this filmmaking and it’s actually cheaper now
powerhouse and you start to than it used to be. So if you’re
see some big improvements. looking for a camera similar to
Central to this is the way the this and are still trying to work
new edition handles colour out if the extra cash needed for
management, with no less the FS5 II is warranted then you
than nine new Picture Profiles may well be wise to seek out
being on offer. And, naturally, it the original incarnation and
offers 4K/60p and 50 Raw out settle for that. It’s got a slightly
to an external recorder along less impressive feature set but
with 4K/30p while there’s also for some the differences will be
4K internal recording along hard to spot.
with popular features like the
electronic Variable ND filter Price £5,135
with Auto ND functionality. Web www.pro.sony
Thankfully, you also benefit
from the lightweight design of
the FS5 II, which is just 0.8kg
body only. That slimline form
factor is a real bonus, although
many have been left scratching
their heads over Sony’s
decision to bill this as a full-on
second edition model, when
the improvements for some
Digital FilmMaker 99
 New Kit
DJI PHANTOM 4
PRO V2.0
Some neat new tweaks to the DJI Phantom 4
Pro make it a very appealing proposition
DJI have taken the best bits
of the original Phantom 4 Pro,
which made it a top seller,
and have managed to beef
it up even more thanks to
some clever tweaks to the
hardware that makes it even
more efficient than before.
Central to this is a brand new
transmission system, but there
are other improvements, most
notably in the propulsion area
that allows the new incarnation
to perform much better than
before. That said, to look at
this model is actually quite
hard to distinguish from the
earlier one, although the revised
propellers will perhaps be the
biggest tell-tale sign that you’re
flying V.2.0. These not only
work more efficiently but they
make less noise too – while
interestingly the pros are also
backwards compatible, working
on Pro and Advanced models
as well. Coming back to
the transmission
point and you
can expect
improvements
here thanks to
the OcuSync
system that connects
via 2.4GHz or 5.8GHz.
Elsewhere, you can expect
the usual solid delivery and
performance from the on-board
camera, which is as before, and
100 Digital FilmMaker
features like battery life and
obstacle sensing are very much
‘business as usual’.
VERDICT
DJI now has a number of
models that are ideal for any
type of user. In the case of
the Phantom 4 Pro there’s
more than enough built into
V2.0 to make it worthy of your
time and money, particularly
seeing as there’s basically
not much between it and it’s
predecessor. However, if
you’ve got the first iteration
and it’s performing fine then
the backwards compatibility of
those neat new props makes
the need for upgrading only
necessary if you’re got to have
the latest model on the block.
Price £1,589
Web www.dji.com
PANASONIC
LUMIX TS7
Panasonic has unveiled its latest tough camera
and it now adds in high quality 4K video
With higher end cameras appeal is the way the buttons
coming down in price and and functions can be easily
many people using their controlled, even if you’re
smartphones in place of wearing gloves.
the traditional compact it
would be easy to write off VERDICT
the new Panasonic LUMIX There are downsides to the
TS7 as being something of beefier performance and that
a unnecessary purchase. 4K capture, with battery life in
However, it’s also hard this edition not being quite as
not to like this little pocket hot as we would have liked,
powerhouse as it manages to while a lack of Raw capability
cram in all sorts of goodies, might disappoint some users
with 4K video and still capability too. Nevertheless, if you’re
at the top of the list. You also looking to have a spare
get an electronic viewfinder camera for any additional
and lots of manual controls, shooting where a bulkier
so it’s certainly a lot more model might not be practical,
than a simple point-and-shoot or if you’re going anywhere
offering. Of course, the other that delivers harsh climate
big selling point with the LUMIX conditions, then this neat
TS7 is its brawny construction, Panny might be worth popping
with a body that is capable of into your kit bag. Y’know, just
surviving down to 31metres. in case like. It’s quite a lot of
Then there are the other ‘tough’ camera for not much money.
credentials like the ability to
fend of knocks, drops and Price £399
extremes of temperatures. Web www.panasonic.co.uk
There’s a three-inch display
around the back, with
lacks touchscreen
functionality, but the
4K video up to 30
frames per second
potential makes this
model particularly
appealing to anyone
who needs to shoot
some video in tricky
situations. Adding to the
OLLOCLIP
Olloclip has introduced a fantastic all-new
mobile lens system for the Apple iPhone X
With more of us choosing to
shoot on our phones then
it’s little wonder a whole new
market has been created
for add-on lenses, which is
something that Olloclip has
seized upon brilliantly. Their
lenses have to be some of the
best there are for the iPhone
and things have just taken
a step up with this all-new
mobile lens system for the
Apple iPhone X. Alongside new
single lens systems announced
for the iPhone 8/7 and the 8/7
Plus, this crop of new glass for
the iPhone X is comprehensive
to say the least. The
interchangeable lens collection
includes Super-Wide, which is
a four-element lens with more
than 120° visibility. There’s
also the Ultra-Wide that
delivers a 155° action camera
field-of-view. On top of that
you get a Fisheye + Macro
15x, with its unique 180°
wide-angle spherical effect +
15x increased magnification.
Finally, there’s a Telephoto
with 2x optical zoom so you
can get twice as close to the
action plus a Macro 14x + 7x
that allows you to get detail
oriented and see beyond the
naked eye along with a Macro
21x, which allows you to go in
for the ultimate close-up.
VERDICT
Olloclip has done a great job
with this latest crop of lenses
and the good news is that there
are also several unique features
on the iPhone X system. This
includes an expanding lens
mount, there’s a pendant
stand that can be used for
shooting stabilized video on
your handset while the other
neat factor here is that you can
benefit from telephoto camera
capability because Olloclip has
been designed to allow you
to flip the individual Connect
lens, which in effect doubles its
capability. It’s all pretty clever
stuff.
Price £99.99
Web www.olloclip.com
New Kit
PNY MICROSDXC
ELITE 512GB
PNY releases another new media card that’s big
on the storage and performance fronts
PNY have been releasing ideal for anyone who has a
a steady stream of new small slot to fill but needs
products over the last few plenty of capacity. As the
years ranging from handy company says, this is going
peripherals through to beefy to be perfectly matched to
media storage. And, in the smartphones and tablets
case of the latter, their newest as well as action cams and
addition is this, the PNY drones, while the zippy
microSDXC ELITE 512GB. The performance makes it fast and
company is aiming this one efficient too. Granted, you’ll
firmly at the growing range of need to part with a fair chunk
smaller devices that are being of cash for the privilege, but
used to shoot video, such knowing you’re got 512GB
as smartphones and tablets of storage at your disposal
as well as drones, actions makes for a very good feeling
cameras and dash cams. This indeed.
512GB edition is currently
one of the highest capacity Price $349.99
cards you can buy and it can Web www.pny.com
hold up to 80 hours of Full HD
video content or over 100,000
photos. At the same time it
can also transfer data speedily
too, with its U1 rating offering
rates of up to 90MB/s. At the
time of writing we only had a
US price of $349.99 but the
card is due to hit UK shores in
the very near future. Based on
this sort of price tag then for
the capacity you’re getting this
seems like a pretty good price.
VERDICT
There’s no doubt that we’re
all in need of beefier storage
solutions as time goes by
and this microSDXC card is
Digital FilmMaker 101
 New Kit
PRIMETIME GUS 51
A new light that supplies plenty of illumination
but runs perfectly silent into the bargain
PrimeTime Lighting Systems
have been building up
quite a portfolio of lighting
solutions with something
to suit every budget.
The products are getting
increasingly innovative too
and that, in the case of the
GUS51 includes a design that
runs silent thanks to there
not being any built-in fan.
PrimeTime has developed its
own so-called ThermaDraw
heat dispersion technology,
which not only results in silent
operation but it’s also cool to
the touch too. The company
also cites other specification
highlights that set it apart from
the competition, including
advanced optics that produce
less than a 2.8% decrease in
brightness from the centre of
the light to the outer edge,
along with a soft edge light
wash. There’s a super-wide
focus range too, from a tight
11-degree beam angle at full
spot to a wide 80-degree field
angle at full flood. What’s
more, 95+ CRI results in
accurate colour rendition,
102 Digital FilmMaker
even with ultra high-def TV
production, it’s equivalent to
750-watt incandescent and is
available in either Daylight or
Tungsten colour temperature.
The unit has been well
designed and put together
too, with a construction that
is predominantly machined
aluminium.
VERDICT
This is just one of several new
lights from PrimeTime to hit
the market recently and, we
think, the GUS 51 certainly
has plenty going for it. We
like the way the company
has thought this through and
produced a light that not only
works efficiently but also
isn’t going to be intrusive in
the studio or on set either.
We also like the way its been
constructed with a good use
of materials that make it feel
like it’ll be good for a few
years service. Very impressive
stuff.
Price £POA
Web www.primetimelighting.com
PROMEDIAGEAR
BRACKET PLATES
Improve the functionality of your Sony camera
with these handy new plates from ProMediaGear
American accessory outfit
ProMediaGear have featured
in these pages a few times
now and have built up a solid
reputation for producing well
engineered and nicely put
together accessories. This
latest crop of bits and pieces
homes in on the Sony A73
and A9 models, with a range
of custom L-bracket plates
that are designed to improve
your workflow by adding on
extra functionality. They come
machined from high quality
aluminium and feature a
two-piece design that comes
complete with expansion rails.
There’s also built-in magnetic
wrench storage and they’re
Arca-Swiss compatible too. On
top of that you get a decent
5-year warranty and the prices
range from $129.95 through
to $149.95 depending on the
configuration that you choose.
You really need to head along
to their website to get a better
idea of just what you can
do with these accessories
however, mainly because
ProMediaGear has something
for everyone and individual
components can be mixed and
matched so that you end up
with a totally unique system
that suits your needs After
all, there’s no point buying kit
that is surplus to requirements
right?
VERDICT
ProMediaGear are really good
at making products that not
only help you get your setup
just as you want it but they
also have a website that
allows you to pick through
and choose just the bits
you need. When it comes
to accessories we all have
differing needs, so to be able
to assemble the kit setup that
suits you is an ideal scenario.
Head on over and take a look
at these latest accessories
as they’re really impressive.
Price from $129
Web www.promediagear.com
SEKONIC L-308X-U
FLASHMATE
Get your lighting levels spot-on with this handy
monitoring accessory from the Sekonic camp
Getting light just right is
always a challenge even
if you’re a professional
while the prospect of
hitting it right when you’re
a novice can be one of the
most daunting aspects of
filmmaking. So, while it might
be appealing to leave a light
meter to the pros and press
on regardless it really is worth
putting a few quid aside for
something like this. Sekonic
has only recently released the
L-308X-U Flashmate, but it’s
a nifty and highly compact
accessory for metering both
ambient and flash lighting
as well as working in video
with dedicated Cine and HD
Cine modes. Equipped with
a sliding lumisphere, it can
measure ambient light as well
as reflected light via a lens
with a 40° reception angle.
It also has a wide metering
range; from 0 to 19.9 EV at
ISO 100, and can work with
flash within a range of f/1.0
to f/90.9 at ISO 100. Repeat
accuracy is also important
when metering, which the
L-308X-U delivers with a
rating of <0.1 EV on repeat
exposures. The unit is a cinch
to get your head around and
the end result it secures for
you more than justifies its
asking price.
VERDICT
We love the compact design
of the Sekonic L-308X-U
Flashmate and it’s also a real
breeze to use. Admittedly, a
couple of hundred pounds
is a lot to add on to your kit
shopping list but if you can
run to that extra cost at least
you’ll be able to rest easy that
your light levels are going to
be right. After all, it could be a
lot more costly to have to go
back and shoot a scene again,
especially if you’re been
out and about on a paid-for
location day.
Price £215
Web www.sekonic.com
New Kit
SIGMA 70MM ART
This powerful new lens from Sigma is aimed
firmly at those who work with full-frame cameras
Sigma recently unveiled this, Lens Aberration Correction
the 105mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, function.
which is the ninth lens in the
F1.4 line-up designed for full- VERDICT
frame cameras. To combine Sigma has done another
outstanding wide-aperture, fine job with this new optic
mid-telephoto performance with and there’s plenty here to
F1.4 brightness at maximum recommend. Of course, the
aperture, this lens incorporates price tag is not the cheapest,
17 optical elements in 12 but you get an awful lot
groups, including three FLD of glass for the money. At
glass elements, two SLD glass the time of writing we only
elements and one aspherical had a US dollars figure,
lens element. This optical setup so presumably by the time
minimizes axial chromatic this issue is out you should
aberration to deliver ultra- start seeing it appear on
high resolution along with UK websites, but it’ll still be
ample peripheral light volume, over a grand. Nevertheless,
which minimizes vignetting. if you’re in the market for
As a result, the area in focus a full-frame compatible
is extremely sharp, while the optic then this is one to
out-of-focus area features a add to the shopping list.
beautiful bokeh effect with
highly natural colors, making Price $1,599
this a desired lens for portrait Web www.sigma.com
photography. The optical
design also minimizes sagittal
coma flare, making it an
excellent choice for capturing
starry skies. Featuring the
Sports line level dust- and
splash-proof design, this lens
can be used in varying weather
conditions. The high-speed,
high-accuracy autofocus helps
photographers react in an
instant to capture those special
moments. Other lens highlights
include carbon fibre reinforced
plastic hood for durability and
compatibility of the Canon
mount lens with the Canon
Digital FilmMaker 103
 New Kit
SONY SL-E SSD
Sony launches a nifty new external SSD series
for super fast and compact data storage
There’s a lot to be said for
upgrading your laptop innards
and adding a fast and efficient
solid state drive, or SSD, but
if you’re not into the idea of
pulling your machine apart to
do it then an external drive
option is tempting. And, what
better company to put your
trust in than Sony, which has
recently taken the wraps off its
new external SSD range. There
are three variants available,
with the starting point being a
respectably priced £149 option
that boasts 240GB of storage.
Next up, there is a £249 edition
and that comes with 480GB
of space. Topping things out
with a super sized 960GB is
the £429 model, which is big
enough to take on most jobs
and more besides. These SL-E
units are good on the eyes,
have been nicely assembled
and come with everything you’d
expect from a premium SSD.
104 Digital FilmMaker
That means you get compact
and reversible USB Type-C
ports for connection to all the
latest mobile technology, as
well as standard-A cables.
Having both ports ensures
usability with a wide range
of devices including Mac
and Windows PCs, Android
smartphones and tablets. The
USB 3.1 Gen 2 interface offers
a high capacity and ultrafast
connection to your PC, which
makes it the perfect partner
for high performance tethered
shooting with cameras like the
new Sony α7 III. Data transfer
speeds up to 540MB/s (read)
and 520MB/s (write) provide for
fast backups, quick checks and
retouching of images.
VERDICT
We love what Sony have done
with the new SL-E range of SSD
units. They not only look good
but they’re fast and efficient in
operation and the trio of storage
options means that there’s
something for everyone. Sure,
you can probably find something
cheaper, but if you’ve recently
splurged on a new Sony camera
then what better way to pamper
it than with a perfectly compatible
high-speed storage solution.
Price from £149
Web www.sony.co.uk
YONGNUO YN43
Turn your smartphone into a Micro Four Thirds
mirrorless camera for your next filmmaking project
We love the way enterprising be for everybody and you’re
companies are pushing the going to need a little bit of
boundaries and one area that practice to squeeze the best
is growing is that of add-on out of the accessory, but we
lenses for the smartphone like the look of the Yongnuo
world. The Yongnuo YN43 YN43. The setup looks to be
is one of the latest additions straightforward enough and
to this marketplace and the the kit has been nicely made,
idea appears to be a good so it should partner with your
one. It’s a Chinese company smartphone easily enough.
who’ve managed to engineer We didn’t have any details on
and accessory that effectively pricing at the time of writing,
transforms your smartphone into but if this gadget is reasonably
a Micro Four Thirds mirrorless cheap and cheerful then it could
camera. As you can see from be worth a try. Ten out of ten
the images here, the example for the concept if nothing else.
we’ve seen has a Canon EF
mount and the company says Price £TBC
that the YN43 will work with Web www.hkyongnuo.com
both EF and EF-S lenses too.
It’s a neat idea and the design
and build quality seems pretty
good, with enough attention to
detail shown so that when you
mate your prized smartphone to
the gadget you won’t mark or
scratch it. Once you’ve got the
kit attached to your phone you
can then use Wi-Fi to see what
you’re previewing via the screen
on the handset. All you need
to do is attach a lens of your
choice and you’re in business.
VERDICT
This sort of thing isn’t going to

SAMSUNG PRO
ENDURANCE
Samsung delivers even better performance with
the latest addition to its media card portfolio
It’s always tempting to take
a chance with media cards
because you can pick up a
high capacity number for
next to nothing from all
manner of outlets online.
However, having a memory
card fail on you is a real
nightmare, so going with a
‘brand’ makes a lot of sense.
Samsung have been doing
this sort of thing for a while
now and with their new PRO
Endurance range they think
you should reward your data
by giving it a much more
amenable home. Endurance
cards, they say, are perfect
for anyone shooting video
– as well as stills – and they
can quite happily support 4K
and FHD video. At the same
time, this range also boasts
the industry’s longest lasting
continuous recording capacity
thanks to high quality NAND
technology. As an example,
the 128GB capacity edition
can offer 43,800 hours of
continuous recording. The
card delivers read speeds of
up to 100 MB/s and provides
FHD recording and 4K
support via write speeds of
up to 30 MB/s. The Samsung
PRO Endurance is built to
withstand harsh environments
too and features Samsung’s
4-Proof protection, making it
water, temperature, magnetic
and x-ray-proof. In times of
emergencies, accidents or
crisis, the PRO Endurance is
the reliable solution to capture
the crucial moments without
the risk of compromised or
lost data.
VERDICT
We’ve given you a once over
of the 128GB variation on
this theme, but Samsung
has a selection of capacities
available. The PRO Endurance
memory cards start at £30.99
for the 32GB, £58.99 for a
64GB edition and £111.99 for
the mighty 128GB. There’s
plenty here to like with the
new Endurance range, and
the pricing seems pretty good
given that this is a brand that
knows what it’s doing. As we
said at the beginning – never
skimp on storage and, thanks
to that NAND technology, these
cards not only offer plenty
of space but you get solid
performance into the bargain.
Price £111.99
Web www.samsung.com
New Kit
SANDISK ARRI
EDITION
There’s a new Arri Edition memory card on the
block tailormade for Amira and Alexa Mini models
If you’re shooting with some
of the best kit in the business VERDICT
then it seems only fair that While the SanDisk Arri Edition
you should have media to CFast cards aren’t likely to be
match. Which is probably why bargain basement they should
this new Arri Edition memory provide the perfect compliment
card has been developed by to your Amira and Alexa Mini
SanDisk, because it has been cameras if you’re lucky enough
crafted specifically to work in to be shooting with them.
harmony with the Amira and You might need to search
Alexa Mini cameras. As a result them out too because it looks
you get a card that is not only like they’ll only be available
hot on the performance front, via specific Arri dealers and
but there’s also a huge amount those outlets selling Arri
of storage, with 512GB in products. Nevertheless, if you
this particular case. Arri says want the best then they’re
that this special edition CFast going to be well worth the
2.0 memory card has been extra effort finding them.
carefully developed specifically
to work with the popular pro Price £TBC
level cameras and they have Web www.sandisk.com
been subjected to stringent
testing and quality checks to
ensure that you get optimum
performance. And, thanks to
that beefy capacity, there’s
double the uninterrupted
recording time on CFast
2.0 media, allowing
approximately 50min
2.8K ARRIRAW,
30min 3.4K OG
ARRIRAW, or over
2hrs of 2K ProRes
4444 XQ at 24 fps.
Digital FilmMaker 105
 New Kit
SONY Z190
Sony adds to its current handheld camcorder
range with the really rather potent Z190 model
Somewhat surprisingly the
handheld camcorder market
still remains reasonably
buoyant, although we’re
obviously not talking about
those little handheld models
that you used to shoot your
holidays on. Nope, you get
an awful lot more shooting
capability from the likes of this
camcorder, the Z190. This
good-looking beauty comes
complete with an all-new
1/3-type 3CMOS with 4K
50p/60p recording capability,
25x zoom lens and advanced
Face Detection AF. Added to
that there’s also 4K 50p/60p
with a pretty capable 25x
zoom lens that Sony reckons
will deliver better capability
thanks to three independent
lens rings. These offer pin-
sharp 4K imaging for almost
any professional shooting
scenario. On top of that you
also get instant HDR, which
means you can secure high-
end results quickly without
the need for additional colour
grading. Meanwhile, a dual
MI Shoe allows
106 Digital FilmMaker
simultaneous use of wireless
audio and video lighting,
while advanced network
performance support is easily
enabled when required. The
camera supports a wide range
of formats including XAVC-
Long, DVCAM, MPEG HD422/
MPEG HD and Proxy 1080i.
Dual SD slots, 3G-SDI output
and Remote Terminal cover all
workflow bases too.
VERDICT
You can’t really complain
about the feature set that’s
on offer from the Z190 and,
for the money, this looks like
a hard act to follow. Sure, it
may not fit into everybody’s
shooting scenario, but the
fact that Sony’s design people
continue to create models
like this, which do have their
place, is reassuring. And,
when they come packed
with a specification like that
found on the Z190 it’s hard
not to resist its charms.
Price £3,748
Web www.pro.sony
SANDISK ULTRA
DUAL DRIVE USB
Sandisk’s handy new portable storage solution
is both compact and capacious
You can never have enough confident that you have a back-
storage and if you’re on up option at hand just in case
the go a lot then the more your hardware becomes full
portable this is the better. while you’re on the move.
And, with all of us amassing
endless amounts of footage, VERDICT
plus all the other data that goes What would we do without
with computer and smartphone the likes of the SanDisk Ultra
ownership, a neat and tidy Dual Drive USB Type-C? This
accessory like the SanDisk is a pretty inexpensive little
Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C accessory but it’s worth its
makes perfect sense. If you’re weight in gold knowing that you
one of the increasing number have a pretty sizeable storage
of people who shoots video option when you’re out in the
footage on your handset then field. The drive is so small that
this accessory is ideal as it you won’t notice you’ve got
has a storage capacity of up it – unlike many bulkier full-size
to 256GB, which might not be drives. However, the added
enough to keep an entire movie flexibility you get by owning
on for editing and suchlike, but one is priceless. In fact, having
it is enough to store quite a lot a handful of these on hand for
of content – at least until you those unforeseen emergencies
get back to base in order to seems like good sense to us.
move it to a production suite
or similar. Thanks to USB 3.1 Price £79.99
connectivity this unit is pretty Web www.sandisk.com
speedy when it comes to
transferring said data too, while
dual connectors in the shape
of type C and type A
means that it’ll work
across a variety of
devices. What’s
more, the drive
is so small that
you can
stick it in
a bag or
pocket
and at
least be
 Next issue

58
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What’s
hot?
The Nice Guys
Set against the backdrop of 1977 Los Angeles,
two private investigators are hired to uncover
Breaking a Monster
The team singles out current
and forthcoming indie movies
plus documentaries that are
creating a buzz!

This film tells the story of the unexpected and

astronomical success of a teenage rock band.
The Shallows
When a great white shark strays into shallow
waters off the shore of a secluded Australian
the truth behind the alleged suicide of a fading A success that transcends their childhood and beach, a young surfer fights for survival as she
adult film star. But puts them to the test as tries to make her way
hippies, strippers, drug they try to adapt to the safely back to dry land,
lords and a government new found success they which lies only 200 yards
conspiracy all try to have always dreamed away. Survival horror at
impede their mission. about. its best.

Director Shane Black Director Luke Meyer Directors Jaume Collet-Serra

UK Release June 2016 UK Release 2016 UK Release August 2016
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 116 minutes Duration 92 minutes Duration 90 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification TBC UK Certification PG-13

Turbo Kid Sing Street Take Me to The River

Set in an alternate 1997 where the world has
become a barren wasteland, a comic book
fanatic takes on the persona of his favourite
character and battles
an evil overlord in this
homage to the low
budget futuristic flicks of
the 1980s.
Set in Dublin in the 1985, Sing Street is the tale
of a young musician who suffers a troubled
home life, and in an attempt to escape this sad
existence, he begins
a rock and roll band,
attracting the attention
of an aspiring model in
the process.
A gay Californian teenager plans to come out
at his family reunion in Nebraska. His intentions
are put on hold when his attention is drawn to a
bloodstain on his young
cousin’s dress, which
leads him to unwittingly
suspect she is being
abused by the family.

Director François Simard Director John Carney Director Matt Sobel

UK Release 2016 UK Release May 2016 UK Release 2016
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 93 minutes Duration 106 minutes Duration 84 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification 12A UK Certification 15

Destined Swiss Army Man Buzzard

A story of two parallel worlds and one man A young man is shipwrecked, stranded in the A bored office employee by he name of Marty
who lives out two lives; one as a successful wilderness and desperate for help. Just as he sets out to steal from the bank he works for
business man, the other as a criminal of a attempts to take his own life, he befriends a by cashing dozens of refund cheques, whilst
drug-fuelled underworld. dead body with bizarre, living on the streets. But
Destined explores how grim powers. Together when his grand plans
one man’s future can they embark on a surreal begin to fail, his world
be changed by a single journey in an attempt to spirals into paranoia and
moment. get home. violence.

Director Qasim Basir Directors D.Kwan, D. Scheinert Director Joel Potrykus

UK Release 2016 UK Release 2016 UK Release 2016
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 95 minutes Duration 95 minutes Duration 97 minutes
UK Certification TBC UK Certification TBC UK Certification TBC

Digital FilmMaker 111

Dough
An old Jewish baker struggles to keep his
small business afloat when sales dramatically
begin to fall. But when his young apprentice
intentionally drops
cannabis into the dough
mix, business starts to
boom again in this fun
British comedy.
Director John Goldschmidt
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 94 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Creative Control
This film is based in a future version of
New York City, where a yuppy marketing
professional uses a new augmented reality
technology - enabling
people to immerse
themselves in alternative
realities - to pursue a
taboo relationship.
Director Benjamin Dickinson
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 97 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Green Room
An American punk rock band are witnesses
to a violent murder in a music venue run by
white supremacists. They are forced to fight for
their own lives, coming
face-to-face with the
murderers, who are
intent on covering up
their crime.
Director Jeremy Saulnier
UK Release May 2016
Language English
Duration 94 minutes
UK Certification 18
Hotel Dallas
This documentary begins in the late 1980s, when
the country of Romania was shown the TV series,
Dallas, for the first time. It was so popular in the
eastern bloc country, that
a Dallas-themed hotel was
built, where guests could
play out the fantasy of
living in 1980s America.
Director S.Huang, L.Ungur
UK Release 2016
Language Romanian, English
Duration 74 minutes
UK Certification TBC
112 Digital FilmMaker
Orthodox
A boy victimised in his neighbourhood for this
religious beliefs takes up boxing as a means
of self-defence. His involvement in unlicensed
fights alienates him
from his beloved Jewish
community, and the
criminal life that comes
with it lands him in jail.
Director David Leon
UK Release February 2016
Language English
Duration 98 minutes
UK Certification 18
Fraud
A found-footage-style film in which a family try
desperately to live the high life, but in truth, are
drowning in debt. Out of sheer desperation,
they turn crime to fund
their pretentious life. The
director initially claims to
have stumbled across
the footage on YouTube.
Director Dean Fleischer-Camp
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 52 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Pandemic
An unidentified disease that has swept across
the planet in the near future has claimed the
majority of the population. The film follows our
protagonist, Lauren,
who leads a party of
four doctors to unearth
the truth behind the
outbreak.
Director John Suits
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 91 minutes
UK Certification 18
Intruders
After her brother’s passing, Anna inherits all of
his money, but when word gets out, thugs enter
her home with the intention of stealing the cash.
Anna cannot flee because
of her acute agoraphobia.
But agoraphobia isn’t her
only psychosis. A thriller
with a twist.
Directors Adam Schindler
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 90 minutes
UK Certification 15
Short Stay
Daringly shot on 35mm film, Short Stay tells
the story of Mike, who seeks to change his
mundane life and heads to Philadelphia, where
friends, colleagues, and
potential love interests
prove that the grass isn’t
always greener on the
other side.
Director Ted Fendt
UK Release 2016
Language English
Duration 62 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Tale of Tales
An anthology of three twisted tales, all set in
the same macabre world. A world filled with
mythological beasts and tyrannical kings. From
a queen’s bitter quest, to
two sirens who seek the
passion of a king, to a
man’s obsession with a
giant flea.
Director Matteo Garrone
UK Release June 2016
Language English
Duration 133 minutes
UK Certification 15
High-Rise
A man moves into a newly designed, futuristic
building, home to only the wealthiest of society.
He soon finds that his new life is controlled by
a secret society from
the stories above. A
black comedy about the
absurdities of wealth and
social classification.
Director Ben Wheatley
UK Release March 2016
Language English
Duration 119 minutes
UK Certification 15
Backgammon
After a house party is broken up after an argument,
two remaining revellers find their feelings for
one another may be more than platonic. Soon
noises are heard from the
darkest corners of the
house. Could one of the
angered guests be hiding,
waiting to seek revenge?
Director Francisco Orvañanos
2016
UK Release
English
Language
89 minutes
Duration
UK Certification TBC
No Home Movie
An experimental documentary, No Home
Movie follows the life of the filmmaker’s aging
mother as she goes about her life in Belgium,
often frustrated and
only interacting with her
daughter via the internet
as she travels the world.
Directors Chantal Akerman
UK Release June 2016
Language English, French
Duration 115 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Knight of Cups
Knight of Cups tells the story of the slow
deterioration of Los Angeles womaniser, Rick,
who lives off the memories of a past care-free
life in Las Vegas - a life
that he still longs for
- whilst undertaking a
series of love affairs with
six different women.
Directors Terrence Malick
UK Release May 2016
Language English
Duration 118 minutes
UK Certification 15
Almost Holy
A documentary in which self proclaimed
superhero and maverick clergyman, Gennadiy
Mokhnenko, acts as father figure and lawman
to a drug and poverty-
stricken neighbourhood in
Ukraine. Helping as many
as he can, but using
controversial methods.
Director Steve Hoover
UK Release June 2016
Language English
Duration 100 minutes
UK Certification TBC
Soy Nero
Nero, a Mexican deported from the US,
returns to his spiritual home illegally in search
of his true identity. In an attempt to legally gain
US citizenship, he joins
the US Army as a Green
Card Soldier, but finds
himself fighting his own
battle in order to stay.
Director Rafi Pitts
UK Release 2016
Language English, Spanish
Duration 117 minutes
UK Certification TBC
No Men Beyond This Point Borealis
This comedy documentary-style film looks at Jonah, an addicted gambler, and a man who
an alternative world in which men have become has made a series of life-changing mistakes,
obsolete. In fact no male has been born since takes his teenage daughter on a dangerous
the 1970s. 37 year old road trip to Churchill in
Andrew Myers is now the Canada to show her the
youngest man on earth, Northern Lights before
in a battle to keep men a disease renders her
from going extinct. completely blind.
Directors Mark Sawers Director Sean Garrity
UK Release 2016 UK Release 2016
Language English Language English
Duration 80 minutes Duration 95 minutes
UK Certification TBC UK Certification TBC
Miles Ahead Demolition
A biographical feature about the life and music An investment banker struggles to cope on his
of jazz musician, Miles Davis, focusing on his own after he loses his wife in a sudden accident.
mission to retrieve a session tape stolen by As his situation worsens and his life spirals,
greedy music producers. he finds friendship and
The film’s finale is a solace in the unlikely form
reenactment of his final of a customer service
performance in 1991, rep of a vending machine
shortly before his death. company.
Director Don Cheadle Directors Jean-Marc Vallée
UK Release April 2016 UK Release April 2016
Language English Language English
Duration 100 minutes Duration 100 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification 15
Hello, My Name is Doris 3rd Street Blackout
Doris has been inspired by a recent self-help During a New York black-out, a couple
seminar. The 60-year-old Staten Island woman, are forced to concentrate on their flawed
in the wake of her mother’s death, pursues an relationship, rather than the technology around
unlikely courtship with her them that has always
much younger co-worker, been a constant
John. A bittersweet tale distraction. As they
of loneliness and the become closer, secrets
acceptance of aging. are revealed.
Director Michael Showalter Director N.Farsad, J.Redleaf
UK Release 2016 UK Release 2016
Language English Language English
Duration 95 minutes Duration 87 minutes
UK Certification TBC UK Certification TBC
Closet Monster Cemetery of Splendour
Set in the 1990s, this film follows Oscar, a A Thailand nurse cares for local soldiers who
young tortured genius, desperate to move have been struck down with a mysterious illness,
away from his small hometown and the awful bringing with it a coma-like state. Her long days
memories of the troubled are spent discussing
childhood he suffered. their ailments with other
An often psychedelic nurses, but the arrival of
coming-of-age film with an American soldier sees
a twist. a new relationship bloom.
Director Stephen Dunn Directors A.Weerasethakul
UK Release March 2016 UK Release June 2016
Language English Language Thai
Duration 90 minutes Duration 122 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification 12
Digital FilmMaker 113
best of
the rest...
Releases by inspirational
filmmakers that may have
passed you by

A Birder’s Guide... The Road Within Geography Club

Despite his father’s constant pleas, a bird-
watching obsessed teenager and his friends
steal a car and take to the open road in pursuit
of an extinct duck, the day
before his father weds the
nurse of his late mother.
After the death of his mother, young Vincent who
suffers with tourettes, is left with his estranged
father. But his right-wing father is running for
political office and doesn’t
want Vincent ruining his
chances on the campaign trail.
A group of teenagers with varying sexual
orientations join an after-school club to reveal
their most intimate secrets in confidence, but
will their stories be revealed
to the peers they are trying to
hide the truth from?

Director Rob Meyer Director Gren Wells Director Gary Entin

Year 2013 Year 2014 Year 2012
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 86 minutes Duration 100 minutes Duration 84 minutes
UK Certification 12 UK Certification 18 UK Certification 12

White Frog Don Jon Dear White People

A young man with Asperger’s syndrome,
struggles to cope with the death of his brother.
With his parents in denial and unable to deal
with the loss themselves, a
new group of friends come to
the rescue.
A sex addict becomes disillusioned with his
playboy lifestyle, preferring the false intimacy
he experiences whilst watching pornography.
But his attitude towards
sex changes when two very
different women enter his life.
A long-waging culture war comes to a
head between black and white students
at a predominantly white school when the
college radio station begins
a controversial debate
regarding cultural differences.

Director Quentin Lee Directors Joseph Gordon-Levitt Director Justin Simien

Year 2012 Year 2013 Year 2014
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 93 minutes Duration 90 minutes Duration 108 minutes
Certification 12 UK Certification 18 UK Certification 15

ATM Dark Horse Whiplash

After visiting an ATM cash machine in the
dead of night, three friends find themselves
in a desperate fight for their lives when they
become trapped in a
small kiosk by a potential
murderer.
An unlikely romance blossoms between an avid
thirty-something toy collector and black sheep
of his family, and a damaged, self-loathing
woman, still raw from her
recently failed long-term
relationship.
An ambitious young jazz drummer, desperate
for fame, suffers under the tutelage of his
ruthless new teacher. Known for his savage
methods, he pushes the
musician to the brink of his
ability and his sanity.

Director David Brooks Director Todd Solondz Director Damien Chazelle

Year 2012 Year 2011 Year 2015
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 90 minutes Duration 85 minutes Duration 107 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification 15 UK Certification 15

Keeping Rosy Listen Up Philip Hits

When Charlotte’s once-promising life A troubled author, reluctant to publicise his A talentless teenager from Upstate New York
disintegrates, and she fails to gain respect from latest book, is pushed out of his troublesome believes she has what it takes to succeed in
the media agency she once worked so hard neighbourhood and takes up residence at the music business, and with the help of her
to create, she sets out on a the home of his literary idol, loud-mouthed father, will do
journey of redemption and where finds peace and quiet almost anything to get on to a
danger. and time to reflect on his life. televised talent show.
Director Steve Reeves Director Alex Ross Perry Director David Cross
Year 2014 Year 2015 Year 2014
Language English Language English Language English
Duration 93 minutes Duration 108 minutes Duration 96 minutes
UK Certification 15 UK Certification 15 Certification R (Region 1 only)

114 Digital FilmMaker

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