InCinematographer - Issue 2 - September 2017 - 40

www.incinematographer.com | Issue 2 | September 2017

VariCam 35 Adds Color to Broken
DP Joel Devlin was looking for a visual celebration of the 'light and color of ordinary life,' as a counterpoint
in shooting the hard-hitting BBC six-part drama Broken...

A Production has used Panasonic's VariCam 35 to
exclusively shoot six-part BBC One drama Broken,
featuring Sean Bean and Anna Friel, in and around
the city of Liverpool, alongside the company's postproduction arm LA post.
Created by screenwriter Jimmy McGovern and shot
by LA Productions in Liverpool, Broken was first
broadcasted in May 2017. The six-part drama series,
shows the unflinching portrayals of modern British
life, highlighting the colors of Northern England
within a hard-hitting storyline.
Director
of
Photography
Joel Devlin whose credits on
VariCam include BBC's 2015
series Dr Foster, as well as
2017 Channel 4 drama Born
to Kill. "The color aesthetic
was one of the reasons I went
with the VariCam. I was lucky enough to have used
the camera on Dr Foster, so had confidence in its
abilities, which allowed me to spend less time testing
for Broken," he said.
For visual inspiration, Devlin looked at
photographers, in particular the work of American
William Egglestone, who was prolific in the 1970s and
80s and focused on America's so called 'Bible belt' in
the south and the mid-west.

BBC's Broken

Images: © LA Production Ltd.

"They're similar communities
to those covered in Broken,
they're impoverished, they're
feeling very distant from the
mechanisms of society, and yet
Egglestone photographed these
communities in a very bright
and colorful way," said Devlin. "He celebrated light
and color in ordinary life and I really wanted to use
that approach in Broken and stay away from the
'grim up north' palette."
Working closely with rental provider Panavision,
Devlin used vintage ultraspeed lenses on the
production. "There's a lot more drama out there,
but there's not necessarily a lot more money
around, so you're under a lot of pressure to shoot

something high-quality, fast. The technology allows
us to do that, but it still has to be tempered against
something that gives an artistically good look. From
a cinematography point of view I think it's very
important.
"Even though the low-light capability may be the
deciding factor on certain shoots, the VariCam also
has an advantage in that it's a 4K camera. There are
not a lot of cameras out there that will produce this
kind of picture and do it in 4K. Capturing deliverables
in 4K is also becoming more and more important.
"Like the old documentary VariCam from way back,
it offers not just one thing, it offers a range of things
that elevate it above its competitors and that's what
I like about it."
business.panasonic.co.uk/professional-camera

FUJIFILM / FUJINON is ACS'
Major National Sponsor
F

UJIFILM / FUJINON has signed on to be the
Australian Cinematographers Society's (ACS)
Major National sponsor for the tenth straight
consecutive year rounding off a decade of support for
the society.
Over the last ten years FUJIFILM's relationship
with the ACS has included initiatives that have
seen the establishment of the ACS National HQ in
North Sydney, the company being front and centre
in all Branch and National awards ceremonies
and providing support for top Australian and
international cinematographers.
ACS National President Ron Johanson OAM ACS
said: "The ACS is delighted that FUJIFILM have
reached this amazing milestone with a decade of
wonderful support for our society.
"The relationship between the ACS and FUJIFILM is
an incredibly solid and productive one and one built
on mutual respect, support and collaborative spirit.
On behalf of the entire ACS I would like to thank Marc
van Agten and the team at FUJIFILM and we all look
forward to another great year of working together."
The last few years has seen an explosion in the use
of Fujinon cine lenses by cinematographers around
the world, first with the Cabrio series and more
recently with the new MK series.

This is in part due to the rapid growth in popularity
of movies made by emerging cinematographers and
which has boosted demand for high-performance
cinema lenses that deliver high resolution and
advanced scene-depicting capability.
The first FUJINON MK50-135mm T2.9 (MK50135mm) telephoto zoom lens with the focal length
of 50-135mm was released in Australia earlier this
month.
Marc
Van
Agten
commented:
"FUJIFILM
have been synonymous
with cinematographers
and now the ACS for
many years. It's a great
partnership.
The
ACS
serves its members and the
entire industry very well and on
behalf of everyone at FUJIFILM I would like to thank
Ron and all the ACS Branch and National committees
and members for their continued support. We look
forward to furthering our partnership in the years
ahead."
www.fujifilmusa.com
The FUJINON MK50-135mm
telephoto zoom lens

http://www.incinematographer.com http://business.panasonic.co.uk/professional-camera/varicam-35-adds-colour-to-bbcs-broken http://business.panasonic.co.uk/professional-camera http://www.cinematographer.org.au/default.asp http://www.cinematographer.org.au/default.asp http://www.cinematographer.org.au/default.asp http://www.fujifilmusa.com http://www.cinematographer.org.au/default.asp

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of InCinematographer - Issue 2 - September 2017