darrel-Kirk Lambert
Cinematography
Personal Portfolio
Taking the piss
pre production
Statement of intent
For my personal portfolio unit I decided to take on the role of cinematographer as part of a team of
three. Within this team I took on the responsibility of lighting. This role meant I had to analyse the
script and breakdown what lights were to be used. Having read the script it was clear from the onset
that the film would rely heavily on available light. This meant researching cameras and presenting
the best camera options that would perform excellently in low-light conditions to the Camera
Department.
The use of available light required research into colour temperature, filters and lenses. Aside from
that it required conducting case studies on films that could prove as inspirations for what I in-
tended to create visually, by focussing on the works of a cinematographer.
Visual approach
When I was first signed to the Cinematography Department the aim was to use the knowledge gained
from the tutors, and try to develop my own personal style. This was to be created by experimenting
and a process of mixing and matching and trial and error. In doing so I had to be bold in pushing the
boundaries of the normal standard procedures of a cinematographer.
For camera work I wanted to incorporate a lot of smooth camera pans with wide lenses in order to
establish the geography of the location. Within these camera movements I had to have long takes in
order to capture every single moment. Furthermore I wanted to shoot a lot of Close Ups in order to
capture the natural human form in the light. I also tried to be experimental and try a wide variety
of shots, and camera positions to see if I could develop my own stylistic approach to camera work.
for the lighting aspesct of the film again I wanted to be experimental with the colour tones of the
image, the film is set around the scotish winter when the weather is generally quite overcast and
harsh. therefore i knew the image must be constructed to match that type of weather. the colour
temperarture settings would have to be adjusted several times in order to get the image, that i be-
lieved matched the story telling purporses.
mood board
These images are what I feel best represents the ‘brit-grit’ genre, they provided a basis of what re-
search I needed to conduct for this project, These images also helped visualise the ideas of what i
beleive taking the piss should look like.
mood board: why i needed one
the reason I constructed a mood board was to gain inspiration into how films focused on the story-
telling of British social issues that were portrayed on screen. I wanted to visualise how the actors
were going to be framed within the context of the landscape. furthermore, I wanted to gain an un-
derstanding into how the character interacted with that environment.
furthermore the use of the mood board was to act as a visual map of the ideas I hoped to construct
on screen, these were my idea of what films represented the ‘brit-grit’ genre. the films often used
available light as much a possible, what I took from this is that the Cinematographers wanted to
construct an image that was as natural as possible, and capture the landscape in its true essence.
this further strengthened my claim for shooting the film in as much natural light a possible,
through the aid of filters and colour temperature settings on the camera.
Cinematographer: inspired by
robbie ryan
I chose to use robbie ryan as an inspiration and a template to try to construct the image for tak-
ing the piss as it seemed he shot quite a range of films that represented the ‘brit-grit’. this meant
I had to gather a list of his films, watch his films and select the ones that provided the best ref-
erence of ideas I wanted to utilise for taking the piss. these were fish tank, wurthering heights
and the angel share.
I watched all three films and took out pieces of information that I hoped to illustrate. This in-
formation was collated into case studies of each film, this information included what camera the
film was shot on and the kind of lenses used. This was done in order to inform the decisions the
camera crew had to make of which camera and lenses would be best to shoot in natural light. As I
was responsible for the majority of the lighting aspects, i took this into consideration.
After watching these films I believe that wurthering heights was the best key reference I hoped to
use, in order to create the look for the film, it proved the best material to source ideas from. The
other two films Fish Tank and the angel share I still kept on hand as secondary inspirations, for
shot composition and camera movement.
key cinematographer; robbie ryan
fish tank
angels share
wurthering heights
case study: Wuthering heights
wuthering heights: technical specs
Director of photography: robbie ryan
Camera
Arriflex 35 IIC, Panavision Primo Lenses
Bell & Howell Eyemo, Canon Lenses
Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL, Panavision Primo Lenses
Film negative format
35 mm Kodak Vision3 500T 5219, Fuji Eterna Vivid 160T 8543, Eterna 250D 8563
Cinematographic process
Digital Intermediate 2K master format
Spherical source format
Printed film format
35 mm
D-Cinema
Aspect ratio
1.33 : 1
wurthering heights: why it inspired me
wurthering heights was film shot by director of photography robbie ryan in 2011, the reASON I
FOLLOWED THIS AS A TEMPLATE FOR INSPIRATION WHEN CREATING THE LOOK FOR THIS FILM, WAS the use
available light. robbie ryan was able to shoot this film with very minimal light source creating
stark images,
robbie ryan was able to capture the bleakness of the surrounding landscape. this was very
Successful and i wanted to emulate this throughout taking the piss. when conducting research for
this film ryan stated that he wanted set apart his cinematography for this film from any other by
focusing on shooting the landscape. This can be backed up by a quote by robbie ryan stating ‘The
only influence could have been how they shot the landscape’. A lot of other films have not been so
specific about the landscape’.
the use of silhouettes in the film was done very well and aided in the story telling of the
film. the use of natural or available light ensured that the image had a strong contrasting tone.
case study: fish tank
technical specs: fish tank
Camera
Arriflex 35 IIC, Panavision Primo Lenses
Panavision Panaflex Millennium XL, Panavision Primo Lenses
Film negative format
35 mm Fuji Eterna Vivid 160T 8543, Eterna 400T 8583, Reala 500D 8592
Cinematographic process
Digital Intermediate master format
Spherical source format
Printed film format
35 mm
Aspect ratio
1.33 : 1
fish tank: mood board
stills from fish tank
fish tank: mood board
case study: the angel share
technical specs
Camera
Arricam LT, Zeiss Master Prime Lenses
Film negative format
35 mm
Cinematographic process
Digital Intermediate 2K master format
Super 35 source format
Printed film format
DCP
Aspect ratio
1.85 : 1
the angel share: mood board
stills from the angel share
the angel share: mood board
stills from the angel share
case study conclusion
when concluding my research i found that robbie ryan shot these three films primarily on the 35mm
film using a varied range of lenses. the budget earmarked for the cinematography department meant
that we couldn’t afford to shoot on film. the next step forward was to put together a kit package
that would allow the team to capture a cinematic image close to academy 35mm film.
the first step was to outline three camera options, and discuss with the camera team my recommen-
dations of what we should use. the camera had to be able to perform well at capturing images in
available light, not only that, the lenses had to be a key factor in deciding what camera to use. the
use of artificial light was also taken into consideration as part of the discussion with the team.
most of the film would rely on natural light, so i also compiled a list of equipment that i thought
would help supplement the depth and texture of the final image.
the selection of lenses was a key topic discussed. robbie ryan mainly used prime lenses for these
films, so it was essential that we tried to hire these lenses out, alongside some strong filters.
camera choices
canon c300 red mx
sony fs700
sony fs 100
canon c300
technical specifications
Camera type: Professional video
Sensor size: Super 35
Sensor type: CMOS
Effective pixels: 8.29 megapixels
Supported media: Compact Flash CF Type I, CompactFlash CF Type II, SD, SDHC, SDXC
Multiple card slots: Yes
Minimum ISO: 320
Maximum ISO: 20000
Fastest shutter speed: 2000 seconds
Slowest shutter speed: 24 seconds
Video capture: Yes
Max. resolution: 1080p
Standard framerates: 25, 50, 59.94, 29.97, 23.98
Slow motion framerate: 59.94 FPS
Continuous AF: Yes
recording : NTSC, PAL
nterchangeable lens: Yes
Supported mounts: Canon EF, PL Mount
Video out:Yes
Connections: HDMI, 3.5mm stereo audio, XLR, BNC, Timecode in out
red mx
technical specifications
SENSOR 14 MEGAPIXEL MYSTERIUM-X
PIXEL ARRAY 5120 x 2700
SN RATIO 66db
DYNAMIC RANGE 13+ stops
MAX IMAGE AREA 4480 x 2304
LENS COVERAGE 24.2 mm x 12.5mm x 27.3 mm
DEPTH OF FIELD Equivalent to S35mm Motion lens
Equivalent to 16mm Motion lens in 2K RAW
ACQUISITION FORMATS 4.5K RAW 2.4:1
4K RAW 16:9, HD, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1
3K RAW 16:9, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1
2K RAW 16:9, 2:1, and Anamorphic 2:1
PROJECT FRAME RATES 23.98, 24, 25, 29.97 fps 4.5K, 4K
plus 50, 59.94fps 3K, 2K
DELIVERY FORMATS 4K : DPX, TIFF, OpenEXR RED RAY via optional encoder
2K : DPX, TIFF, OpenEXR rED RAY via optional encoder
1080p RGB or 4:2:2, 720p 4:2:2 : Quicktime, JPEG
Avid AAF, MXF. 1080p 4.2.0, 720p 4:2:0 : H.264, .MP4
red mxtechnical specs
MONITOR OUTPUTS HD-SDI and HDMI with Frame Guides and Look Around
720p RGB or 4:2:2
SMPTE Timecode, HANC Metadata, 24-bit 48Khz Audio
DIGITAL MEDIA REDFLASH CF Module : 16GB Media
RED SSD 64GB, 128GB, 256GB Capacity
REDCODE 12-bit RAW : RC28, 36, 42 Quality Levels
1-30 fps 4.5K, 4K
1-60 fps 3K
1-120 fps 2K
AUDIO 4 channel, uncompressed, 24 bit, 48KHz.
MONITORING OPTIONS: RED LCD 5” Flat Panel Display
RED PRO LCD 7” Flat Panel Display
BOMB EVF High Definition Viewfinder
REMOTE CONTROL: USB-2, GPI Trigger
WEIGHT10lbs. Body
CONSTRUCTION Aluminum Alloy
sony fs100technical specifications
Filter Diameter 67mm EL18200 kit lens
Imaging Device Exmor Super35 CMOS Sensor
LCD Screen 3.5 inch-type, XtraFine LCD, approx. 921,600 dots 920 x 480 16:9 aspect
Microphone ECM-XM1 Shotgun type monoaural mic.
Optics Lens Lens Type Sony E-Mount, interchangeable lens system
Video Signal NTSC color, EIA standards HDTV 1080:60i, 1080:60p, 720:60p specification.
PAL color, CCIR standards HDTV 1080:50i, 1080:50p, 720:50p specification
Recording Frame Rate PAL Mode
1080 progressive HD PS 28Mbps 1920x1080 50p,
HD FX 24Mbps 1920x1080 25p
HD FH 17Mbps ,1920x1080 25p
-
1080 interlaced
HD FX 24Mbps 1920x1080 50i,
HD FH 17Mbps 1920x1080 50i,
HD HQ 9Mbps 1440x1080 50i,
HD LP 5Mbps 1440x1080 50i,
-
720 Progressive
HD FX 24Mbps, 1280x720 50p
HD FH 17Mbps, 1280x720 50p
-
Satandard Definition PAL
SD HQ 9Mbps 720x576 50i 25p Scan
SD HQ 9Mbps, 720x576 50i 25p Scan
sony fs100technical specifications
35mm Equivalent 27mm to 300mm
Aperature F3.5-6.3
Filter Diameter 67mm SEL18200 kit lens
Focal Length 18 to 200mm
Focus Manual & Auto
Image Stabilizer Optical SteadyShot
Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode
Iris six blade
Lens Type SEL18200 E-Mount zoom lens
Maximum Relative Aperture F 3.5 to 5.6
Optical Zoom 11.1x
Zoom Ratio Selectable 11.1x
sony fs700 echnical specifications
Filter Diameter 67mm EL18200 kit lens
Imaging Device Exmor Super35 CMOS Sensor
LCD Screen 3.5 inch-type, XtraFine LCD, approx. 921,600 dots 920 x 480 16:9 aspect
Microphone ECM-XM1 Shotgun type monoaural mic.
Optics Lens Lens Type Sony E-Mount, interchangeable lens system
Video Signal NTSC color, EIA standards HDTV 1080:60i, 1080:60p, 720:60p specification.
PAL color, CCIR standards HDTV 1080:50i, 1080:50p, 720:50p specification
Recording Frame Rate PAL Mode
1080 progressive HD PS 28Mbps 1920x1080 50p,
HD FX 24Mbps 1920x1080 25p
HD FH 17Mbps ,1920x1080 25p
-
1080 interlaced
HD FX 24Mbps 1920x1080 50i,
HD FH 17Mbps 1920x1080 50i,
HD HQ 9Mbps 1440x1080 50i,
HD LP 5Mbps 1440x1080 50i,
-
720 Progressive
HD FX 24Mbps, 1280x720 50p
HD FH 17Mbps, 1280x720 50p
-
Satandard Definition PAL
SD HQ 9Mbps 720x576 50i 25p Scan
SD HQ 9Mbps, 720x576 50i 25p Scan
sony fs700technical specifications
35mm Equivalent 27mm to 300mm
Aperature F3.5-6.3
Filter Diameter 67mm SEL18200 kit lens
Focal Length 18 to 200mm
Focus Manual & Auto
Image Stabilizer Optical SteadyShot
Optical SteadyShot with Active Mode
Iris six blade
Lens Type SEL18200 E-Mount zoom lens
Maximum Relative Aperture F 3.5 to 5.6
Optical Zoom 11.1x
Zoom Ratio Selectable 11.1x
final choice: red mx reasons for choosing red mx
1. superior cinematic image shooting in 4k image
2. superior form of capturing 35mm video images
3. allowed shooting anamorphic images
4. high iso rating, meaning excellent natural light recording options
5. more options in fps manipulation
6. dynamic colour temperature options
lenses choices
zeiss super speeds arri ultra prime lenses zeiss cooke lenses
final choice
zeiss super speeds prime
12mm
18mm
25mm
35mm
50mm
85mm
lighting equipment
2 x 1.2 HMI Lights
4 x Arri Lighting Kits
1 x KINOFLO
1 x DEDO Lights
1x Gold Reflector
1 x Silver Reflector
2x Flag Kits
Sand Bags
2 x Gel Kits
Polyboards + Holder
Lite Panel 1x1
Extension Cables
darrel-kirk lambert
taking the piss
production stills