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Dylan Macleod CSC

Dylan Macleod CSC

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I am glad to be able to finally share some information from this RED shoot (my first!) from last April. All the information is in the article I wrote for the Canadian Society of Cinematographers monthly publication. It was in last months issue which can be viewed at;

http://www.csc.ca/news/default.asp?aID=1354

The 24 min. piece will hopefully do the rounds at a Science Center near you. But to view it on DVD you can buy a copy at;

http://www.cat.com/cda/components/fullArticle?m=38462&x=7&id=1021026

The other great news is I've been nominated for a Canadian Society of Cinematographers award for best documentary Cinematography for this piece!

I want to take this opportunity to thank RED for this camera. It created some incredible images! It also stood up to some rigorous conditions and NEVER let us down.

Science North does IMAX films and this was a great opportunity to show them that digital formats are getting there. Can't wait for the new line!

Also thanks to my brilliant AC/data manager Brent J. Craig (aka crewpix) and Chris Parker from Bling Digital. Thanks also to the folks at SIM VIDEO for their support so early in the game!
 
I love going to Science North. I guess this is just another reason to go again!

Graeme
 
Hi Dylan:

Thanks for sharing. I have a question about something in the article though?

"Back at Sim Video, John De Boer and Rob Sim were very excited to tell me that they had just received a brand new set of Arri master primes. These lenses are works of art. I had heard that they are the only lenses that have the ability to resolve 4K."

Aren't there lots of lenses that can resolve 4K? Can you explain?

Also, did you really transport 30 cases?

"We would be toting equipment as extra baggage throughout our hectic schedule. Some creative packing and repacking had to be accomplished to get it all in 30 cases."

-shooter
 
Hey Dylan,

Whatever became of the Showscan 3D project shot for Science North back in the early nineties?
 
Dylan, you're a good guy, and I respect your work, but I can't let this piece of writing on the link go by without saying something:

"The other reality is that mining practices have changed. There is a new consciousness within the mining community, of making sure they are doing things in a sustainable and responsible way"

Unfortunately, this statement is just categorically and factually incorrect.
The 'greenwashing' of environmentally destructive and ultimately climate changing behaviour is part of a concerted campaign to continue with business as usual, by making companies appear to actually care about anything other than making money. Let's be clear. They don't.
The reality is that indigenous and locals that live around mine sites (usually owned by foreign conglomorates) are being harassed, assaulted, threatened, and even killed. The pollution ruins their health and the ground water around most mining sites is dead to all life and undrinkable. And don't say they should move. It's not an option for most.
One of the reasons why 60% of the world's mining companies are in Canada, is because our mining laws are so shit.
Have you read Amnesty International and Human Rights reports on these countries, and reports on the effects of mining on local communities? The governments and companies don't play nice, and the locals are always suffering as a result.


http://www.minewatchzambia.com/2007/12/chingola-residents-sue-kcm-over.html
www.miningwatch.ca
 
Hey Shooter

As I haven't done any comparative testing myself I will have to reinforce what I said in the article "I had heard".

My understanding is that the resolving power of the Master Primes exceed most other lenses out there. That we now have formats that are capable of recording and displaying extremely high resolution - this makes lens choice all the more important a factor. If you are concerned with "ultra sharp" images.
 
shooter said:
"Back at Sim Video, John De Boer and Rob Sim were very excited to tell me that they had just received a brand new set of Arri master primes. These lenses are works of art. I had heard that they are the only lenses that have the ability to resolve 4K."

Aren't there lots of lenses that can resolve 4K? Can you explain?
Click to expand...

No, they can't – at least not fully open. When I did my last workshop at Filmakademie Ludwigsburg (a very respected educational institution in Southern Germany) their camera specialist remarked something like "Holy shit, you can test lenses with this beast!" (loosely translated from German). Even at 3.2K physical resolution you can see differences when shooting test charts on the RED with different glass fully open.

BTW, even if it has some mechanical flaws, the 18-50mm from RED is resolving better than some older ARRI (Zeiss) primes at the same stop and focal length, which were considered very good glass in their time.
 
Thanks for sharing that link / article. Great write up! It sounds like quite the adventure, and the stills look amazing- I can't wait to see the footage. :)

In the article you mentioned that you tried not to re-use CF cards- so how many did you end up bringing with you? Also, what kind of drives were you backing up to in the field- anything special, or just external 3.5" drives?
 
Evolve said:
Unfortunately, this statement is just categorically and factually incorrect.
The 'greenwashing' of environmentally destructive and ultimately climate changing behaviour is part of a concerted campaign to continue with business as usual, by making companies appear to actually care about anything other than making money. Let's be clear. They don't.
The reality is that indigenous and locals that live around mine sites (usually owned by foreign conglomorates) are being harassed, assaulted, threatened, and even killed. The pollution ruins their health and the ground water around most mining sites is dead to all life and undrinkable. And don't say they should move. It's not an option for most.
One of the reasons why 60% of the world's mining companies are in Canada, is because our mining laws are so shit.
Have you read Amnesty International and Human Rights reports on these countries, and reports on the effects of mining on local communities? The governments and companies don't play nice, and the locals are always suffering as a result.


http://www.minewatchzambia.com/2007/12/chingola-residents-sue-kcm-over.html
www.miningwatch.ca
Click to expand...

Okay. I thought this might turn political.

Nobody can deny that there are mining companies that continue to use the tactics you describe.

Obviously the mining companies that were chosen for this documentary were models of the story we were looking to convey. Xstrata's river diversion was incredible. A team was dedicated to reconstructing the river ecosystem to exactly match the former. A large containment berm was built in case there was an overflow in the mine. This would protect the river from being contaminated. These practices ARE occurring. I saw them first hand.

In Africa, we visited families that had been given new farmland and money to live off of until their crops matured. We then went to visit schools built by the mining company that are teaching the community skills they would otherwise not have access to - skills they will be able to use long after the mine is gone - masonry, carpentry, etc.

Evolve, do you drive a car? Do live in a house or apartment? Do you use pots and pans? What about sunscreen? Toothpaste?

I am sorry to say that you are a financial supporter of the mining industry.

So unless you live in a cave - you are part of this.

That there as an increased accountability in the mining industry is a good thing. Sure, there are still some bad apples. I am not defending them.

In any case, if you care to continue the political debate, I'd be happy to discuss it in a PM.

Lets keep this discussion to what goes on behind the lens.
 
Ryan E. Walters said:
Thanks for sharing that link / article. Great write up! It sounds like quite the adventure, and the stills look amazing- I can't wait to see the footage. :)

In the article you mentioned that you tried not to re-use CF cards- so how many did you end up bringing with you? Also, what kind of drives were you backing up to in the field- anything special, or just external 3.5" drives?
Click to expand...

Thanks Ryan

We would not reuse CF cards in the course of a shooting day. Until we did our back ups and visually verified them.

One of the back ups was a 3.5" drive that would get couriered home. The other two back ups were Lacies (I believe?)

I should point out that the stills in the article are 4K tiffs from the actual footage. Although they look like crap on the website :-(
 
Dylan Macleod said:
Thanks Ryan

We would not reuse CF cards in the course of a shooting day. Until we did our back ups and visually verified them.

One of the back ups was a 3.5" drive that would get couriered home. The other two back ups were Lacies (I believe?)

I should point out that the stills in the article are 4K tiffs from the actual footage. Although they look like crap on the website :-(
Click to expand...

That makes sense- I was thinking what an expense that must have been if you were shooting only once to each card for the entire 45 days! Roughly how many cards did you bring with you, and how many did you use in a "typical" day?

I was thinking those stills were all from Brent J. Craig. Good to know that they were from the actually footage- to bad they got degraded so much in the process down to the web site...
 
Ryan E. Walters said:
That makes sense- I was thinking what an expense that must have been if you were shooting only once to each card for the entire 45 days! Roughly how many cards did you bring with you, and how many did you use in a "typical" day?

I was thinking those stills were all from Brent J. Craig. Good to know that they were from the actually footage- to bad they got degraded so much in the process down to the web site...
Click to expand...

I'll post some images soon.

We brought 12x8GB cards and one drive. Shot mostly cards.

Not a whole lot of dialogue, so it worked out pretty well.
 
Evolve said:
"The other reality is that mining practices have changed. There is a new consciousness within the mining community, of making sure they are doing things in a sustainable and responsible way"
Click to expand...

I will try to keep this thread on track as requested, but I feel the need to back up what Dylan has said.

Evolve, I approached this project expecting to see environmental and social devastation. I truly had mixed feelings about what might happen if we were asked to whitewash the truth by not showing certain things. I suspect we all thought that way. If you know Science North, they are a well-respected research and educational institution so their reputation was also on the line.

I am happy and proud to say that my attitudes changed with each mine we went to. We were allowed to shoot whatever and wherever we wanted. There was no editorial control from mines or sponsors.

We, without exception, saw businesses being run with the community and the environment in mind - being placed much higher than profits. Employee and public safety was the number one priority at each site, to the point that we were frustrated by not being allowed to do things we normally do on film shoots such as film out of pickup trucks.

Each mine had built a community around it for the workers and their families. In some of the poorest countries in the world we saw happy people with hospitals and schools and a quality of life they simply could never have had if the mine hadn't been built.

We saw company leaders meeting with tribal elders and chiefs. We saw company cafeterias serving traditional tribal foods alongside 'normal' dishes. We saw a giant sign at a mine's private airport written by the local tribe's "Keeper of the Dreamtime Stories" welcoming us to their land and reminding us of sacred areas to avoid.

We saw operations that, before a single shovel touched the ground, were designed and engineered to move 150 feet of overburden rock and soil, take out the vein of ore, and replace/replant/landscape the original land exactly the way it was before. The reclaimed areas were breathtaking and made us feel good about how these mines operate.

Evolve, I don't know if you have considered how many things in your daily life would not be possible without mined materials. Do you use electricity, computers, Red cameras, bikes, shoes, floors, subways, buses?

Going in we had thought that mines were a necessary evil and we would do our best to shoot what we were hired to. I'm pleased to say that after 6 weeks touring mines around the world we actually felt good about what they were doing. If all businesses operated with the compassion and concern that these ones did the world would be a much better place.

Order the DVD and see for yourself. I think they actually send it out for free.
 
I remember us having 25 cards, because I labelled them A to Y.

We had a small yellow Pelican case for fresh cards, and a red one for exposed.

We not only tried not to reuse cards within a shoot day, we actually tried not to reuse cards on a given leg of our trip.

I would make 2 copies of each card at night on 2 Lacie drives, and then we would make a 3rd copy that would couriered home before we left each country. The 2 master drives were always hand-carried on our flights while the shipping copy we considered to be "out of our hands and probably lost" until we got confirmation from the editor. By not reusing cards we always had 3 known-safe copies of our footage - one of which was solid-state and not susceptible to shock or magnets.
 
Dylan Macleod said:
...and shooter - yes 30 cases of gear - as extra baggage.
Click to expand...

We had 30 cases of 30 Kg each. There were flights where we paid over $6000 in excess baggage fees.

Even though we were always at the airport very very early, some airlines would only open their check-ins 45 minutes before a flight. I remember one flight where even though we were first in line we were still checking in when the plane was supposed to leave. Behind us were about 200 angry people and screaming babies.

Why didn't we ship stuff or use cargo? Our shooting schedule was very much at the mercy of all of our locations. There were 10,000km international moves with less than 48 hours between shoot days. We used cargo once to ship gear home during a down week, and it took 8 days.
 
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