Filming The Torah

A Blog for budding Cinematographers

[filmingthetorah]

Film Student on Set!

A guest Blog from a Budding Cinematographer

An opportunity for a University of Portsmouth film student to join D.O.P Ben Hodgson’s Camera Department on set for three weeks in Morocco was snapped up by budding Cinematographer Christian-Ionut Necula. It was great having him on set and here’s his account of how it went!

In January I had my first experience on a feature film set when I went out to Morocco for 3 weeks. I jumped on this opportunity back in October when we got emailed about it, saying they had a few openings for students on a film that Ben Hodgson was DoP on.

The role I applied for was Camera Assistant/Data Wrangler, and until we got to set I was still unsure what duties I would take on. I’ve worked on shorts and music videos as an AC before, but nothing of the scale and professionalism of a feature. This film was shot with two camera units: because Ben is the cinematographer he operated the A camera, and Mark Moreve the Second Unit DOP; and each of them had a pair of camera assistants (a Focus Puller and a Clapper-Loader each). With that being said, my place in the hierarchy would be at the bottom of the camera department, as a Trainee.

We flew out on Saturday 18th January, with a layover in Casablanca, arriving at the hotel in Ouarzazate around 2-3am. I was quite and disoriented as I didn’t know the schedule for the following day. Luckily, the following morning I met more of the crew and soon after I met the full camera team. While Ben went on a tech recce with the producers and the director, Mark and I, along with the Moroccan AC Zouhair Seffir, were tasked with testing the equipment: two Sony F55s with Zeiss Super Speed primes, kitted with Tilta Nucleus-M and Teradek wireless systems. In addition, we had some smaller cameras which could be used as ‘crash-cams’, or on rigs that couldn’t support as much weight: a Sony FS5 and a Sony A7SII which would go on the Ronin-MX, and a Z-Cam E2 which would go on a Ronin-S. The tests involved shooting colour charts with every combination of the A and B camera and the primes, setting up the additional cameras on gimbals and a cable cam.

What followed on the Monday was the start of three intense weeks (we only had Sundays off), with long days shooting from sunrise to sunset. In the beginning, the idea seemed a bit daunting, but I got used fairly quickly to waking up at 6am and returning to the hotel in the evening after 12h work days. Something I couldn’t have predicted, though, was how I would cope with the weather: Ben warned me the last time he shot in Morocco it snowed and I should get proper winter clothes, but I only found out from the locals that only happens once in 20 years there (bear in mind, Ouarzazate is at 1200m altitude, located between the High Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert). Wearing a ski jacket was appropriate for the mornings and the evenings when it was freezing cold, but anytime between 10am and 7pm was as hot as the UK gets in the summer (around 25°C). I found myself applying sunscreen a few times a day, because we were mostly working outside and there were never clouds in the sky.

On set my role was a bit clearer in terms of what responsibilities I had: helping the ACs switch lenses, filters, and batteries, prepping any rigs with the additional cameras on the gimbals, setting up video village and generally being quick to help the camera department with whatever was needed. As far as the data-wrangling side of the job went, that wasn’t as extensive as I had expected because the editor was on set as a DIT. Therefore, I only had to ‘assist’ him by delivering the media from the camera to him (so he could back up the footage as soon as possible) and by keeping reports with details on which lens was used on each camera, as well as what card he could find each shot/slate/take on. The most ‘demanding’ part in that sense was when they shot an establisher that was sectioned in camera to make it look like they had 4-5 times the amount of extras. For that, they filmed 6 different plates and I had to wrangle a card for each of them because the editor was compositing it already on set, to ensure it would work as planned.

Another highlight of this experience was seeing the great collaboration between departments and seeing exactly how Ben works as a cinematographer with help from the Gaffer and Key Grip Lahcen Herraf who have some incredible titles on their portfolio such as Spectre, Game of Thrones, Babel, Black Hawk Down.

It was really cool seeing how they lit day-for-night, how they used a 12K HMI as a moonlight and how they even created a sandstorm inside a building, and I particularly liked the use of volumetric light.

The rigs were very interesting, too, especially for how quickly they were able to build a dolly, but I was especially impressed by the combination of the jib and dolly, and how much movement and flexibility that offered. Obviously, these seem like intricate and heavy builds, but nothing stopped the grips from taking them up the rocky hills/mountains where we were shooting. And speaking of bulky equipment, the cameras also came with an Angenieux Optimo 24-290mm T2.8 zoom, an amazing lens, which you could, in all honesty, shoot an entire film with that range without needing other glass.

Some days were more difficult than others, for instance when we had to shoot at night or when I went separately with the 2nd Unit for pick-ups. It was never fun being in a car on unpaved roads, but when we actually had to climb over hills carrying the equipment, it was on another level. However, about half of the shoots took place at the Atlas Studios, so it wasn’t always that bad. It was quite impressive seeing all the built sets, how real they seemed, and finding out what films had actually used them before including The Mummy, Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven.

I definitely learned a lot being on set, especially in such tough environments and weather, even when I was just shadowing the ACs and offering them a hand whenever possible taught me quite a bit about set etiquette, too. The fact that it was a multi-cam shoot was also new for me, so taking part in it and observing the different workflow was very valuable. There were also a few times when Ben was kind enough to let me operate the A camera for a few rehearsals while he was behind the monitor watching the feed with the Director.

It was a great experience overall that taught me a lot, opened my eyes about what the industry is like, and further convinced me that I want to pursue filmmaking as a career.

Ben Hodgson DOP writes: “I love taking Film Students onto a professional set. They get to see how all the Departments work together, to experience the sheer pace of professional filmmaking and are thrown in at the deep end being expected to use their initiative and keep their work ethic as well as their sense of humour right from the off. Often it’s not easy, especially with very long days in a harsh environment. Christian really pitched in and I’m looking forward to him instilling more professionalism into his fellow students when he gets back to Film School - thanks Christian!” - Ben Hodgson DOP

If you are interested in following in Christian’s footsteps in June 2020 contact [email protected]

[filmingthetorah]

Camera Motivation

Defining the camera’s style Before filming starts, and even before cameras and lenses are selected, it’s important for the Director of Photography and Director to establish and agree upon the film’s visual style and what rationale lies behind the camera’s motivation. Here’s a short context and summary of many long and detailed discussions.

Narrative Context: Set in The Middle East, The Torah is a dramatic, visceral filmic account of events as witnessed by a documentary crew six thousand years ago. In many ways it is a modern day story of a displaced people whose continued existence is repeatedly under threat. Despite their common cause of survival in extreme circumstances, the people are beset with internal feuding and betrayal, yet survive as each generation produces a strong but flawed hero who cajoles the squabbling ‘tribe’ through each unfolding disaster.

Visual Feel: Dust and grit is everywhere and has even penetrated the cameras and film’s emulsion. The colours are dry, washed through and rinsed out by the wind. The texture of the landscape, costume and faces seems like papyrus - sandy, grainy, worn. The look resembles a black and white image placed over a colour image with reduced saturation and exposure, along with increased contrast and graininess, edging toward monochromatic. The colour palette is muted and chalky, although blue and/or red hues sing through and find emblematic status within the film.

Camera Motivations:

The Lean Approach: Each new scene may require initial exposition and establishing. Exposition via the commentary and visually establishing via the lens. These moments may also serve as dramatic beat, pause or moment for the viewer to resettle after the previous scene, so they can afford to be extended shots which gently unfold there own narrative development. Typically this may be a jib shot establisher, long track, or choreographed gimbal shot which serves to introduce the new location and provide ample time for commentary. These are moments when the epic nature of the landscape can used to emphasise the epic nature of the story. Think David Lean. This motivational style may often bookend the scene and so incorporating the end, or aftermath of the scene as well as the introduction is recommended as and when possible in a single set up.

Below: an establishing scene from David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia (filmed in Morocco) 

The Loach Approach: It’s time to forget David Lean, the camera transforms to being an intimate witness to events as they unfold in front of the scene’s main character. The camera is now over their shoulder, or on a matching reverse shot that brings the audience an extended portrait study which reveals how the character copes with, and is affected by, events as they unfold around them. These scenes are filmed ‘in the moment’ as if unrehearsed. The camera may often lose focus or occasionally be thrown by the action to give the footage a visceral, documentary feel. Think Ken Loach. Think Son of Saul. Because the filmmakers assume the audience comes to the films with a pre-established familiarity with Bible stories, they are freed from having to film literal representations of events (such as the parting of the Red Sea). Instead they rely on the audience’s own imagination to visualise the event as they would do with radio. The filmmakers hint at the surrounding events with soft focussed background action, layered sound design and by elements of the surrounding event invading the main character’s personal space (as defined by the frame). Accordingly the audience may never be shown the Red Sea literally parting, but will witness the character’s subjective journey through the event as the the wind, water, comrades and other elements of the scene intrude into their frame. This may include handheld camerawork or tripod/gimbal according to scene’s feel. The camera’s own movement will always be sympathetic to, and motivated by the kinetic energy contained within the scene.

Below: Scenes from Cathy Come Home & Son of Saul

That’s all (for now) Folks!

Ben Hodgson DOP

[filmingthetorah]

Film Colour, Texture & Mood

The Torah - LUT Creation Prize

Torah Cinematographer Ben Hodgson is working Neil Hunt and his University of Portsmouth Film Grading & Workflow students to develop a signature look (or LUT) for The Torah. If you’re not sure what a LUT is then check out this LUT Link. 

Win Cash and an on-screen Film Credit!

The UK Production Company is offering University of Portsmouth BAFP Grading & Workflow Module students the chance to have their name in lights (and a £50 cash prize) by way of an on-screen credit if their LUT is selected for the film. 

LUT Brief Here’s the initial Brief for the students along with a link to the moodboard.

LUT Context Set in The Middle East, The Torah is a dramatic, visceral filmic account of events as witnessed by a documentary crew six thousand years ago. In many ways it is a modern day story of a displaced people whose continued existence is repeatedly under threat. Despite their common cause of survival in extreme circumstances, the people are beset with internal feuding and betrayal, yet survive as each generation produces a strong but flawed hero who cajoles the squabbling ‘tribe’ through each unfolding disaster.

LUT Look Dust and grit is everywhere and has even penetrated the cameras and film’s emulsion. The colours are dry, washed through and rinsed out by the wind. The texture of the landscape, costume and faces seems like papyrus - sandy, grainy, worn. The look resembles a black and white image placed over a colour image with reduced saturation and exposure, along with increased contrast and graininess, edging toward monochromatic. The colour palette is muted and chalky, although blue and/or red hues sing through and find emblematic status within the film.

LUT Application The LUT will be created, developed and refined by the students with the film’s Cinematographer Ben Hodgson, DOP Mark Moreve and Post Production Lecturer Neil Hunt. We’ll then be testing it on rushes already filmed in Morocco which share the same natural lighting conditions and landscape environments as for The Torah.

Technical: Camera: Shooting on the Sony F55 XAVC 4K

Deadline: 15th January 2020

[filmingthetorah]

The Torah - Recce

Location, Location, Location

If you want to film The Red Sea, Garden of Eden, the barren desert of Sinai and lush banks of the Nile all side by side, then there’s really only one place to go: Morocco.

Here in the High Atlas, the landscapes are largely unblemished by the urban sprawl and infrastructural eyesores which preclude filming in the original locations. The clear light, earthy tones and spectacular scenery provide the perfect backdrop for many a great screen story. David Lean filmed Lawrence of Arabia here, Wes Craven The Hills Have Eyes and Ridley Scott Kingdom of Heaven. But big movies don’t come here for the location alone. They come knowing that Moroccan film technicians are second to none. Art Directors, Camera teams, Lighting, Grip, Make-up – you name it - they have the best.

Above: The perfect location may be just around the corner. But which one? Only one man knows - Hamid Herraf.

How to Find a Needle in a Haystack But with so many thousands of square miles of desert to search how do you find the hidden Oasis? The sunken Well? The Egyptian throne room? You can’t. Unless you tap into local expertise, and finding the right local Producer is critical to the success of a film. Fortunately we are working with the best and this we know from experience. One of benefits of working with H-Films, and Hamid Herraf in particular, is that he seems to know every crook and cranny of the land in which he was raised. I’ve lost count of the times he’s driven us down yet another indistinguishable desert track only to turn a corner and for Hamid to unassumingly offer “how about this?” as we gaze at yet another perfect setting that has materialised out of nowhere. I have no idea if he’s paid millions by the Moroccan Tourist Board, but if he isn’t; he should be.

Above: arriving to recce The Kingdom of Heaven set

DOP Recce Kit So, apart from a packet of Immodium and a sense of adventure, what do I have in my Director of Photography recce toolkit? Certainly the script, marked up with my notes, queries and comments with which I can bombard Director David Batty during the flight. This is often the only time you’ll have the Director’s undivided attention – so make the most of it!

Viewfinder App: There are a few of these to choose from, costing from something to nothing. I’ve used Artemis in the past and Magic, but this time I’m trying out Cadrage which DOP Sarah Smither pointed me to recently. I’m running it on Android and although it’s been crashing enough to make me swear, I do like it. As usual you can programme in your camera (at the moment that’s likely to be Sony FX9, F55 or Alexa Mini) and lenses. A folder can be set up on your phone and a prefix filename given to any photographs you take through the App. This can be changed later and you can also add notes too. There is then a very simple Dropbox upload procedure so that you can share everything with the Production Team.

Above: a snap using Cadrage showing a possible location I’ll use from the Kingdom of Heaven set. Sun plot App: I’ve used a few of these too, Helios being one and Sunseeker another but on this trip I’m using Sun Position. Again being able to screenshot the image is vital, as well as setting the date you expect to be filming. Knowing precisely where and when the sun will rise and set and for how long you’ll be able to work a location before you lose the backlight is critical when it comes to scheduling requests. DOP’s want to avoid filming in a location at the ‘wrong’ time of day when the light is at its worst, not its glorious best.

Above: Knowing precisely where and when the sun will rise and set is critical 

Compass: If your app crashes then there’s nothing like a compass to help get your lighting bearings on a cloud covered day.

Laptop: I hate lugging the laptop around but it’s great for organizing your work or writing blogs if you have four hours to kill at the airport. I’ve also been creating Equipment Lists for the Camera, Lighting and Grip Departments.

Above: Share your location stills & location notes with Production via Dropbox

Script meeting: The last and one of the most important events of the recce is, if time allows, to have a script meeting where you can discuss how the suggested locations might impact on how the script is interpreted visually. For example one interior location with potentially complicated lighting solutions also struck me as having the potential to be lit dramatically only with torchlight - quick, easy and inexpensive - but can it be justified in the telling? These critical conversations might take hours or minutes, but they are well worth it.

That’s all (for now) folks!

Ben Hodgson DOP

[filmingthetorah]

Let There Be Light!

In The Beginning...

According to The Old Testament story of Creation (more on that to follow), the first created element was Light. Rightly so, because God knew how important it was going to be to keep Cinematographers happy. In fact, He was so pleased with His first lighting job that it was judged to be “Good”!

Two Cinematographers

Talking of good light, imagine how delighted (excuse the pun) Director of Photography Ben Hodgson DOP was to be invited to shoot The Torah in the glorious clean, high altitude light found in the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, where David Lean filmed Lawrence of Arabia (shot by DOP Freddie Young). The Torah is the working title of the film which will relate the first chapters of the Old Testament. So stand by for deceit, subterfuge, murder, lust, sex and much, much worse - and that’s just from the Camera department! At the time of writing, the Camera Dept comprises of Ben Hodgson and fellow DOP Mark Moreve with Focus Pullers, 1st A/C’s, 2nd A/C’s & Date Wranglers yet to be finalised. In fact we don’t even have any cameras or glass yet! Decisions, decisions - more blogs on this will follow.

Cinematographers Mark Moreve above (hard at work in the Studio) & Ben Hodgson top (hard at work in the Dead Sea)

Whatever next?

Being just a couple of weeks into preproduction means decision time for the Camera Dept. Which format, camera, lenses, lighting and grip equipment to use? Who to work with us in the Camera Dept? How to interpret the script visually and what impact will those decisions have on Art Dept, location scheduling, Costume and so on? 

In a few days we will set out on a location recce in Morocco (expect a location report) with Director David Batty, Producers an Hamid Heraf. The landscape offered in Morocco is a convincing match for biblical era Middle East and Egypt and the local film technicians are second to none, having vast experience servicing many Hollywood blockbusters.

That’s all folks!

Ben Hodgson DOP