When Gabriel Beristain, ASC, BSC, shot his second feature film after film school: Derek Jarman’s masterpiece “Caravaggio” he understood that Lighting was beyond a narrative tool for the filmmaker. Lighting was an art on its own, able to go beyond the narrative barriers and the frontiers of technology.

In the Workshop, “Hell in Paradise” Gabriel will confront the notion that digital technology transcends lighting. Using specific recreations from his most recent experiences shooting in Hawaii and Miami Gabriel will walk the attendees through the magical process of lighting a scene, which may justify that digital technology can do without elaborated lighting or debunk the myth that lighting, along with film, is dead.

In the Seminar, Gabriel will introduce some of the newest LED lighting fixtures in the market, will also show what was  probably the last formal test made for a photochemical film stock… and discuss the evolution of digital technology in its recent furious drive to finally produce images that can equal FILM.

Mark Sawicki is a Clio-award winning cameraman, visual effects artist, and actor. He won an Emmy Certificate for his contribution to Star Trek (TV series), and contributed to such pictures as PREMONITION, THE BLACK DAHLIA, 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

In the workshop “Forced Perspective” Mark Sawicki will demonstrate the creation of a hole in the stage floor with the audience in the background including forced perspective considerations, Lighting for FX and Comparison of models to CGI.

“Twilight Cameraman” gives a rare glimpse into the remarkable craft of optical printing which was of great importance in the field of visual effects. It demonstrates the step-by-step procedures used to shoot film opticals.

Before his transition into digital, Visual Effects cameraman Mark Sawicki documented the old style craftsmanship of the traditional optical cameraman. This program pays homage to an exciting craft that was handed down from one camera person to another in the last age of apprenticeship.

Mark Sawicki began as an actor and clay animator in Michigan. He attended the USC film school and entered the film industry as a lab technician at Cinema Research Corp. where he worked on the first SUPERMAN film. He later began working as a cameraman for Roger Corman’s New World Studios on low budget sci-fi pictures such as ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK.  From there, he went on to shooting effects and creating award-winning animation for commercials, rock videos and 3D features including JAWS 3D and FRIDAY THE 13TH PART 3.

In the workshop “Stop Motion” Mark Sawicki will demonstrate the cinematography considerations for two stop motion commercials including Green screen set up and exposure, creating synthetic shadows, front light back light and crowd replication.

Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, Bvk, has photographed a variety of features from summer blockbuster movies to small, intimate dramas and romantic comedies, known for such pictures as INDEPENDENCE DAY, CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, and STARGATE. He has a lot of experience with complex effects heavy movies and commercials, that he will share with you in his workshop and seminar.

In his workshop “Lighting on Stage for Day and Night”, Karl Walter Lindenlaub will demonstrate how to create different looks for an apartment set. These tools give the cinematographer ways to support a dramatic story by bringing a set on stage to life. Different ways to create sun light, soft day light, as well as Dusk and Night light will be discussed, and as time permits, demonstrated.

Karl Walter Lindenlaub will show examples of  previs/storyboards for complex effects sequences that were used for the production of “Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian,” and how they were used to create the finished scenes. The seminar will show how big action sequences were prepped and what it took to shoot them.

Robbie Greenberg, ASC won consecutive Emmy Awards is the Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or TV Movie category for shooting Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999) and Winchell (1998). Greenberg also earned ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards for both films. In 2002, Greenberg was again nominated for an Emmy in the same category for his work on James Dean.
Greenberg’s feature credits include A Guy Thing, Save the Last Dance, The Milagro Beanfield War, Sweet Dreams, Free Willy, Fools Rush In and Snowy Day.

In his seminar: “The Genesis of a Project: Even Money” Robbie Greenberg shares his experiences of how a project endures the challenges of becoming.

From being approached by the director prior to shooting Even Money, a story taking place in Atlantic City Robbie Greenberg discusses how the process went through two years of development and moved from being produced in New Jersey to Louisiana and ultimately shot in Los Angeles on a low budget of 10 million dollars.

Related topics will range from framing, composition and lighting scenes with elements of different locations and eras and cover defining characters with their own “signature” lighting complementary to their personality, shortcomings and destructive behavior.
While screening scenes from Greenberg´s work discussion continues on camera placement and actor blocking, production design as complementary to cinematography and the relationship between cinematographer and director. The screening will be followed by Q & A session with the audience.

Allen Daviau, ASC began his career shooting commercials and music promos in Los Angeles, and subsequently television movies. He had three independent feature credits when Steven Spielberg noticed one of his TV movies. Daviau shot his first mainstream feature for Spielberg,E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial. It earned the first of five Oscar nominations for Daviau. The others were for The Color Purple, Avalon, Empire of the Sun and Bugsy. He won ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards for the latter two films and the British Academy Award for Empire. His body of narrative film-work includes The Falcon and the Snowman, Defending Your Life, Fearless and the Astronaut’s Wife.



In his seminar “The Future of the Art and Craft of Cinematography”, Allen Daviau will explore various topics such as the values of understanding Mood, Visual Narrative and Grammar in every story, the dynamics between the Director and Cinematographer and defining the values of the collaborative communication between the Narrative Visionary and the Visual Artist as well as the importance of Film Preservation and Archiving for protecting the artist´s rights with the evolution of digital technology.

A Panel Discussions and Q&A session wraps the Masters POV Master Class with all of our speakers and instructors. 
 
Participants:
Gabriel Beristain, ASC, BSC Cinematographer

Allen Daviau, ASC Cinematographer
Robbie Greenberg, ASC, Cinematographer
Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC/BVK, Cinematographer
Mark Sawicki, Cinematographer and VFX Artist



Moderator: Ed Gutentag, Editor of Movie Times Magazine