As Bluck would have it

Good Bluck: Richard Bluck was DoP on Second-Hand Wedding, and operated the Thomson Viper camera as well.

What formats (both film and video) are you most familiar with? Any preferences?
I have worked with both film and video from the beginning of my career. I started as a studio cameraman at Avalon and then went freelance as a film camera assistant, doing a mixture of feature films and commercials. I have owned an Ikegami HL95 video camera and an Arri 16SR at various times and have shot with all formats.
I love film but the digital medium is catching up really quickly and is providing a look that is as relevant as film. I think both mediums are important and the decision to shoot on one or the other format can be a creative decision as much as a practical decision.

What was the clincher in terms of the decision to use a Thomson Viper on Second-hand Wedding?
We used the Viper because we were shooting a no-budget movie and we could build a relationship with Rubber Monkey, which owned the camera that made it viable. It provided a digital format that allowed us to achieve a quality result without a huge up-front financial outlay. My main experience with the digital medium as compared to video prior to the shoot had been with the RED camera, which I had used with Peter Jackson on a shoot for the NAB conference last year.

What do you see as the particular strengths of the Viper format?
The camera records in Filmstream mode, which is a raw file similar to a film negative which gives you latitude in post for grading. I treated the experience as though I was shooting film, first understanding the medium I was shooting and the latitude the camera/negative was capable of achieving. I used my meter to help me expose the image.
We shot in the 2.37 mode, which means the sub-pixels are reorganised to allow an increase in vertical resolution. There is also an increase of a 1/3 of a stop in sensitivity to 400 ASA.

Any weaknesses you think the format has?
The camera has a 2/3rds inch 3 CCD chip and the CCDs have different sensitivities. This means that the latitude is governed by only one of the CCDs. The raw file shows a green cast. With the use of filters you can colour balance the CCDs at a loss of exposure. We filtered when we had very hot areas in frame.
Although there is a Viper magazine that can be fitted to the camera, we used it with the S.two Take 2 recorder, which is cabled to the camera. We were able to do everything we wanted with the set-up but I feel a film camera like the Arri LT or 435 is more flexible.

How does the Viper compare to the other digital formats you’ve used in the past?
The Viper is a little like a cross between film and video, while the RED camera, which was still in development when I used it, is more film-based in its approach. I recently shot 2nd Unit on Avatar with Pace’s 3D Sony 950’s and that is another world in its self. They are all relevant and the production team, including the director and the DoP should weigh up the results they want to achieve with the pros and cons of the formats. It’s important to follow through the whole process, from pre-production and production through to post and final release, as this is a new world with new pathways and lots of little surprises.

How long was the Second-hand Wedding shoot, and how did the amount of time (or lack of it) have on the way you approached things?
We shot for 24 days, or four six-day weeks. It was reasonably fast but Paul Murphy, the director, was very organised and knew what he wanted and needed to achieve, and we had a dedicated crew who were focused on achieving that. I operated and DoPed, with great support and back-up from the focus puller Sean Kelly, gaffer Gerald Morse and key grip Matt Andrews.

What did you most enjoy about the shoot?
Because Paul had a plan and we had a great cast, everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and felt that they were contributing to the final outcome. We felt included in the process and that made for a happy shoot. I feel that has translated through into the film.

What did you find most challenging?
The skies – the West Coast of the North Island and Kapiti where we shot have volatile skies. I shot Black Sheep about 30km down the road and it was the same thing. It is always changing, always challenging the drama in the foreground. The question was always how to fit God into the camera/negatives latitude.

How was the post process for you, and what did it involve? Given, for example, that Nigel Stanford also commented that “colour balancing can be done later in post with powerful tools rather than in camera”, I imagine the post process might be pretty intensive for you?
We did a full grade at Park Road Post Production in the DI suite. It is a great set-up, using the Pablo grading system. Adam Scott, the head of digital intermediate, provides excellent support and Dave Hollingsworth did the grade. I like the fact that the DI grade, the film output through Weta Digital and the lab at Park Road Post Production are related. They have worked hard to establish a system that allows what one sees in the grading room to be what one sees in the theatre on film. I have watched that process evolve over a couple of projects and they have perfected the system.
The raw files were green, as explained above, and there was a standard LUT (look up table) we put on as a starting point, which dealt with the green cast. I felt we had enough scope to take the material where we wanted to take it, which was a very simple look that’s reasonably realistic as the story is about a New Zealand family and deals with relationships and important moments in their lives. I didn’t want the audience to move away from the experience by making it feel like we were in a fantasy world. The audience should be sympathetic to the story and be able to relate it to their own experiences.

How far through the post process is the movie, and have there been any particularly interesting issues that have cropped up so far due to the particular format it was shot in?
The film is now completed, I believe, with the final mix finished around Easter. I have seen the film out and am very happy. The film fits the story and that is the important part of the process for me.

How do you feel the movie has turned out overall?
The film is about people and relationships, and I think it has a broad appeal. I hope people come and are entertained, feel sad and happy, laugh and ponder some issues but more than anything become involved in the story.

Having been in the position of DoP (as well as one of the operators) on the shoot of Crossing the Line and so given the RED camera prototypes a spin, have you had the opportunity to take any of the subsequently released REDs? If yes, how’s it shaping up and what specific improvements have been made since March last year?
I have seen a later version of the camera, which I helped test with Andrew Lesnie last July and since then I have only seen the camera, not used it. I have followed the progress through the RED website and other industry sources and I believe they are moving towards the gaol they were trying to achieve. Having met the people involved I have little doubt they will get there but, as with any new idea or radical approach, it all takes time. I am keen to try the latest version but the bottom line is that James Cowley and I shot Crossing the Line on the prototype, and now there are bells and whistles.

So do you have a preference for working with film or digital, or is really just a matter of horses for courses these days?
Horses for Courses. I am a working DoP – I love to shoot; I love to realise a vision, tell a story, and make interesting and powerful images.

So what led you to decide you wanted to work in the screen industry in the first place?
I saw a documentary about the New Zealand Rally by Pacific Films and that really made me think about getting into the industry. I tried Pacific Films, The National Film Unit and Television New Zealand and finally got a job in television, so I put my degree on hold (it still is) and went and joined the industry.
In addition, my grandfather had run a picture theatre in Nuhaka in the late 1920s and my father remembers hand cranking the projector. We had a family transport, and the bus appears in Broken Barrier, a Pacific Films feature made in 1952, so we had an association with cinema and I loved watching films.

How did you get your start in the industry? Was working as a DOP your aim from the outset?
I joined Television New Zealand in the mid-’70s and worked as a studio cameraman. It was an exciting time with the introduction of two channels, colour and the commissioning of the Avalon Television Centre.
I did want to be a DOP but it was a dream for sometime in the future. I chose to work my way to DoP through the levels of the camera department. I am still learning all the time – no project is the same.

Along with John Mahaffie, you were an early proponent of the Steadicam in New Zealand, and clearly remain one of the country’s experts. Do you think this particular craft is in good heart locally?
We have some very fine exponents of the art of the Steadicam. What is good is that it is now a tool to be used when needed and becomes part of the package of tools available, rather than being put on a pedestal as the answer to all problems.

What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Creating images that tell a story, satisfy my creativity and evoke an emotional response in the audience, however subliminal it may be.

What are the attributes of a good DoP?
I believe you have be able to interpret an idea into a visual context, communicate effectively to your team to realise the idea, think laterally to make that idea a reality in a way that benefits the film production, manage your team to achieve the best collective outcome, and be as creative as the circumstances allow you to be.

What are the attributes of a good camera operator?
The camera operator usually is the person who determines the rhythm of a set. If they are experienced, they will be the focus for everyone to talk to, to establish the boundaries of the frame and what needs to happen to make the shot work. This was a skill developed prior to video splits appearing on set, and when the crew works through the operator it makes for a very efficient and focused effort.

How about a focus puller?
A focus puller needs to be technical in their understanding of the technology and have really good management skills, but also have that understanding of space and the actors relationship to the camera within that space. A good focus puller will understand intuitively what is going on in the frame and how that relates to his focus split and the timing of movement. It is something that is seamless when good and is really an art form in its own right.

What are the specific attributes of a good Steadicam operator?
Stamina, plus you need to be a good operator. You need to establish with the director and the DoP what is going to enhance their shot by using Steadicam and what should be shot using conventional means (the dolly etc). It isn’t the answer to all problems.

What advice do you have for anyone wanting to forge a film career in NZ, particularly in the camera department?
Build relationships with people – directors, producers, etc – as the industry is about putting faith in someone to realise their dream. Watch films and learn from as many people as you can, while being very respectful of their knowledge.

What do you think are the particular challenges that face the New Zealand screen industry?
I believe the balance between the international productions and the New Zealand film stories is one of our continuing challenges. The international productions have helped build our infrastructure and this has benefited New Zealand films. We have gained new skills, but it is essential we continue to make films in our way as we have a unique and innovative approach to problems and working as team. Second-Hand Wedding , for example, had people who had learned their skills on Lord Of The Rings and King Kong and went on to work on Avatar, yet worked on a no-budget four-week production with as much professionalism and skill as they bring to the large productions.