Blog | Luca Ciuti – Director of Photography

April 5, 2013 · Filmmaking, News, Video

THE ROLLING STONES, BACK ON TOUR!

I had to shoot this last week for the band itself!

Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time due to the very quick turnaround to go around the world to shoot Mick and Keith so we had to send local crews to cover them. Director Giorgio Testi and I had to spend a lovely day in the company of the other two legends Charlie and Ronnie. They were the nicest gentlemen ever and I am grateful to have been given the chance to meet them. I’m also very excited by they’re upcoming, now officially confirmed tour. Their live shows are great and not to be missed.

Mick and Keith were shot on Red Epic with Leica and Canon Primes.

I shot Charlie and Ronnie on ARRI Alexa with Zeiss Ultraprimes.

Directed by Giorgio Testi, produced by Pulse Films.

You can watch it HD changing the resolution via the drop down menu on the cogwheel (bottom right on the youtube window).

This is something else I shot for them earlier to promote the first five dates of their 50 & Counting tour. Shot live on RED Epic, Canon C300, Canon 7D, GoProHD with Canon EF Zoom and Prime Lenses and directed by Giorgio Testi too:

March 23, 2013 · Art, Filmmaking

LET’S TALK ABOUT ART: JANNIS KOUNELLIS & BIZHAN BASSIRI

Instagram snapshot I took with my phone of the empty library moments before the artists and the crew arrived.

A couple of weeks ago I flew to Rome to shoot the promo for a feature documentary about world famous contemporary artist.

It was a fantastic experience and I proud to having been part of it. The project was conceived and directed by my old friend from the Roman days Marco Guelfi, a talented editor whose credits include “I Primi della Lista” a successful comedy feature film directed by Roan Johnson, amongst others. Marco was drawn to the project by one of Italy’s most renowned curator Prof. Bruno Corà, that has recently started a new art magazine named “Mozart”.

To promote Mozart’s first issue an installation by Jannis Kounellis and Bizhan Bassiri was set up inside the breathtaking Biblioteca Angelica, a XVI century library set in the heart of Rome, right along side S. Agostino church (that contains the Madonna die Pellegrini by Caravaggio), a scarce hundred meters away from Piazza Navona.

http://arteventi.wordpress.com/2013/03/09/jannis-kounellis-e-bizhan-bassiri-alla-biblioteca-angelica/

http://www.rivistamozart.it/eventi-mozart/

The project involved documenting the set up of the artists’ installations and then shooting a few crane shots of the artists themselves by their work.

We had full access of the premises and we used a 12 meter jib arm on some 8 meters trucks using a 2 axis remote head, all provided by ArtMotion in Rome, the rest of the camera kit was provided by Soulmovie that will also look after the post.

The next few days we shot Rome vistas as well interviews with Kounellis, Bassiri and Corà in their respective homes. Spending time with those two artist was fun and most of all inspiring.

Jannis Kounellis (b.1936) requires no introduction. One of the founders of Arte Povera at the end of the Sixties he has been a groundbreaking artist ever since. His works always reflecting a progression on his need of experimentation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jannis_Kounellis

Bizhan Bassiri (b.1954) leading figure of the Magmatic Thought, is a plastic sculptor whose art spawns by very interesting thoughts that compare the artistic process to those of meteorites.

http://www.italia.it/en/news/detail/bizhan-bassiri-la-caduta-delle-meteoriti-2.html

Frame grab from the actual promo footage showing Jannis Kounellis sitting in between the library desks on which he had placed his “Sacks of Bread”.

Frame grab from the actual promo footage showing Bizhan Bassiri underneath his sculpture “The Sun”. In front of him, on the desk, are his “Fortune Dice”.

Frame grab from the actual promo footage showing the entire view of the Biblioteca Angelica with the art works installed.

January 21, 2013 · Filmmaking

3D Workshop

In January 2011 I attended a 3D workshop in Gothenburg, Sweden. The Workshop was tutored by cinematographer Geoff Boyle, FBKS, with Thomas Harbers from Greenpost in charge of the post-production side of it.

I decided to attend it after I was invited by the Gothenburg Film Studios guys to DoP on one of their open set short films during the Gothenburg Film Festival. You can see “Bad Room” on my “works” page, which in fact turned out to be shot on 3D thanks to my having been part of the workshop (shot with 2 Arri Alexa with Zeiss Ultraprimes on a Stereotec rig mostly set on a Panther dolly with jib arm).

One of my fellow student on the workshop was Benjamin Bergery, the European correspondent for the American Cinematographer Magazine. Benjamin is a very knowledgeable guy with a deep interest in all things cinematography and wrote a fantastic report about the workshop that was printed on the November 2011 Issue of the AC Magazine, that also featured a picture of myself amongst others.

Another very extensive report of the 3D workshop with extra videos taken from the actual footage that we took during those days and copies of the graphs and drawings used to explain the various concepts regarding Stereo 3D capture was published by Benjamin on his blog “The Filmbook” on the ASC website. There are also useful links at the bottom of the blog page.

Here are the links:

3D Workshop Report 1

3D Workshop Report 2

Gothenburg Film Studios

GOKINEMA

Here are a couple of pictures of myself on the Bad Room open set:

: On the Panther Dolly with the Alexa on the Stereotec rig

: view from the bleachers

: with Thomas Harbers

January 18, 2013 · Filmmaking

The Cook Look Explained

I’m a big fan of FDTimes and a big fan of Cooke Lenses. This article has great insights about the famous Cook Look, by one of the company’s engineers Jon Maxwell. Very interesting.

Click on the title above to go to the article.

January 18, 2013 · Filmmaking

The Hobbit and the 3D HDR argument, an article that finally makes sense

I found myself recently thinking over the direction filmmaking is taking thanks to and despite technology. The subject matter has become more and more popular with the recent release of The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey. The very first film to be released in 3D HFR (High Frame Rate). I personally enjoyed the film, but I found this article written by photographer Vincent Laforet, one of the most interesting opinion pieces about the technology used in the film. I agree with most of his considerations and think it’s great that this type of considerations are being done at all. It is so important for the future of filmmaking to analyse its technical evolution with a detached eye, capable to spot its merits and its flaws. Of course there are points of view that vary from a person to another, I have my own as Laforet has his, although in this case they’re almost totally coinciding. In recent years however I’ve been reading and talking to people taking stands set in stone for this or that technology, which I found always very questionable since technology is an ever evolving beast that should be tamed and controlled but not worshipped, in my humble opinion. The most important thing is always the story and the vision behind every project and we have to use technology to achieve it and not technology dictate it.

Click on the title above to go to the article.

January 12, 2013 · News, Video

The Killers – I feel it my bones

This year I was involved in shooting The Killers’ music video for the Christmas song “I feel it in my bones”, although as in the 2nd Unit DoP’s guise only.

Giorgio Testi (2nd Unit Director) and I shot all the band’s footage behind the bleachers of the Manchester Arena in Manchester the day after the band’s cancelled show, just before they travelled to Blackpool for other engagements.

I have to say I had a blast shooting them, they were incredibly nice and it was a cool informal set. I was asked to deliver a Ninety-eighties look. I believe I have achieved it, but judge it for yourself. The kit was minimal, we were only a crew of two, the director and myself. Production was co-ordinated by Pulse in London.

Change the stream quality on the drop-down menu to watch it HD!

Main Unit Director: Roboshobo; Main Unit DoP: Sing Howe Yam

2nd Unit Director: Giorgio Testi; 2nd Unit Dop: Luca Ciuti

2nd Unit Footage Shot on a Canon 7D with Canon 16-35mm and 70-200mm EF Zoom Lenses.

November 30, 2012 · Video

Rolling Stones Live at the O2!

Well, this has been a real surprise when I was told I was going to film the Rolling Stones at the O2, it felt unreal being there – I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming!

The content has been done as a promo for their new 50years tour, specifically for their official website and app. In the clip here I have to give credit to Dave Miller DoPing on the day, while I was one of the camera operators (www.davemillercinematography.com).

One more promo clip is coming soon on the their app and website too; on which I DoPed yesterday night during their second and last (really amazing) gig at the O2 Arena. What a night and what sound… they truly are the greatest rock and roll band of all time!

Directed by Giorgio Testi

Produced by Pulse Films

We shot on Red Epic, Canon C300 and Canon 5D with Canon EF Zoom and Prime Lenses.

November 19, 2012 · Art

Let’s talk about art: Barbara Nati

Futuristic Revivals – Jupiter 6th August 1945

Barbara Nati is a visual artist that makes incredible images that haunt you for a long time since you first saw them.

The worlds she creates come entirely from her imagination, using thousands of images to make a new one of a world that doesn’t exist, but could. The depth of Barbara images’ meaning and the multiple subtexts that layer them give the viewer a daunting task: to think. This is the foundation of Barbara’s art: to look under the surface, not to stop at the beauty and awe of the image but to dig deeper to its utmost meaning. The first step, the incredible entertaining impact of her images is what makes them so enjoyable and makes her art stand out nowadays.

Futuristic Revivals – Pluto 11th June 1963

If the viewer wants can stop by the first layer, by the beauty and technic or go further and ask those questions that the artist has put there for him to ask himself. Often she tackles subjects that are not comforting and reassuring but thought provoking and disturbing and this, I think, is part of the job of a good artist. I certainly wish that more contemporary art had this same duality, taking into account what is nothing other than the two most main human characteristics: body and thought, pleasure for the eyes and awareness for the mind. Like the old time greats that with a perfect picture used to describe an imperfect world….

Check her website for more:

http://www.b-n.it/

The following are thee images from Barbara Nati latest series: No farewell only endless goodbyes

November 19, 2012 · News, Video

New video released for Hogan

“Interactive Lives” the art film/commercial by artist/director Yi Zhou for the Italian luxury brand Hogan is now officially being released on their website.

http://www.hogan.com/en/interactive-lives.html

On the brand’s website you can find a seriers of other very nice extras about the project. If you fancy a look at the back stage you can check out the video, also posted on the brand’s page together within the extras I mentioned. If you look closely you can see me briefly operating the camera. 🙂

Yi Zhou is very talented chinese artist director with whom I had the pleasure to work with on the aforementioned project last October. Her other works are amazing, if you fancy to have a look at what she does check out her website:

http://www.yi-yo.net/

October 31, 2012 · News

Unbearable unveiled

Waiting for the response from the 50Kisses judges, Unbearable has been unveiled and is now available to see on Vimeo – therefore I added a link to that same video from my ‘works’ page.

We shot over a period of two days between Finsbury Park and Wimbledon in London. I had a basic Alexa kit with me with Cooke S4 Primes and a Zeiss Arri Media 60mm macro lens as well as a set of diopters to keep the background well out of focus in most shots. The interior location where we shot was very tiny and every movement was like playing Tetris. The traveling shots were achieved using a simple 3 foot slider. I rated the Alexa 800ASA as I usually like to do and used a combination of IRNDs, NDs, POLA and Hard Grad NDs to cut the light down to my preferred T-stop that ranged from T2 to T3.5, although I tried to keep it consistent at T2.8 for most shots. We were very lucky with the weather so I was able to use natural light only with a little bounce from a poly or shiny board during the shop and car scene. We used the steadicam for once shot only, the one following the hand approaching the shop window. Our bears were generally very calm and patient.

Shooting Unbearable was a fantastic experience and the whole process from pre to post production was incredible, everything fell into place as if this was meant to be. All the HODs have done an amazing job with the bare minimum and no time at their disposal. Nick Luddington, our writer director is a joy to work with as well as our beloved producer Emma Sturgis. Clare Porrit our production designer couldn’t have found better looking bears and made those sets come to life. Riccardo Servini edited it with class and Josephine Stephenson our composer couldn’t have written a better score for it. We tried our best to cut Paddy Ferrante and Katie Sheridan out of frame or to make them blurry but they still manage to deliver a great performance. I also want to praise the work of my crew that have been invaluable in making this little gem happen: Ayoub Lamrani, gaffer; Iain Mackay, camera operator; Leo Winslow, focus puller; Jack Bentley and Chris Alexander, assistants camera. A final thanks goes to Dean De Beger at Arri Media for his technical support as well as to Matthew Osbourne at MPC for the fantastic grade. Let’s hope we make it to the final selection and end up in the cinemas next Valentine’s day. A few backstage pictures below (thanks to Nick Hardie for the fantastic reportage).

Me and director Nick Luddington eying a shot.

Our clapper board.

Me and camera operator Iain Mackay on location in Wimbledon.

Setting up a shot.

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