IEC
GLEN MacPHERSON CSC/ASC
Born: 29 October 1957, Montréal, Québec, Canada, as Glen A. MacPherson.
Education: Riverdale High School, Pierrefonds, Québec [graduated in 1975]; CEGEP John Abbott College, Montréal; Algonquin College, Ottawa [for 1 year].
Career: My grandfather was an artist well known for his realistic seascapes and landscapes. He also made a living as a commercial artist and took photos of his subjects that he would later paint from. He had a large darkroom in his home, and I spent hours watching him develop negative and make prints. When I got my first still camera, I traveled by train every weekend to experiment in his darkroom until one day, recognizing my passion, he gave me all of his darkroom equipment. [...] I grew up in Montréal and they had a small film industry there. In Canada you go to high school until 11th grade and then you spend two years in CEGEP, which is like a prep school for college. I took their film/television course and played around there for a few years. After that I went to Algonquin College that had a great film program. I stayed for a year. At that point I was shooting third year students' projects and I thought it was time to move on. I heard that Robert Altman was shooting a movie ['Quintet' with ph Jean Boffety (1978)] in Montréal. So I went back home and located their production offices. I pretended to be a delivery man, walked right past the receptionist and into the office of the producer. I told the guy my name and that I was willing to do anything to work on a movie. They didn't throw me out; instead they gave me a job in catering. So from there I just worked my way up. I became friends with the camera guys and eventually got a job in the camera department. I was a focus puller and camera assistant for many years and I knew George Erschbamer. He was an effects guy but he got a chance to direct 'Snake Eater'. At that time Lorenzo Lamas wasn't in it, and they had $700,000 dollars to make the film. George knew I was trying to become a D.P. but I hadn't shot anything, just a couple of shorts. So I sent him some samples of my work and he liked them. I believe the producers signed off on my being hired only because they told George that if I didn't work out George would be fired too. So he took a chance on me and then Lorenzo Lamas signed on and the budget shot up to $1.2million dollars. That was my first gig. Which led to 'Snake Eater II', I thought I had learned a bunch of stuff on the first picture. I remember seeing it in the theater with George. We had shot some sequence 'day-for-night' of the houseboat going down the river. I didn't know anything about 'day-for-night' but I tried my best. There were some kids sitting in front of us saying, "What a piece of shit this movie is. What is it day or night? They can't make up their minds." George looks at me and says, "Let's take these kids outside and beat the shit out of them, first we'll agree with them. But we'll beat the shit out of them anyways." [From the moviemavericks.com website.]
Ph commercials and music videos.
Awards: 'Genie' Award nom [1998] for 'Regeneration'; 'Gemini' Award nom [1998] for 'Captains Courageous'; 'Gemini' Award [2010] for 'Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story'.
'Resident Evil: Afterlife' in 3-D [2009]: There was never any talk of converting to 3-D in post. I like to use 3-D on set as a creative tool. The volume of the 3-D should expand and contract in tune with the story. I like to have full control on set and see exactly what we are getting as we shoot. I don't like the idea of shooting it flat and handing it off to a 3-D post house, leaving those decisions to someone else. Plus, I don't think the technology is where it needs to be yet.
Today's 3-D films are generally shot digitally so we can monitor 3-D live on set. We worked with the PACE Fusion 3-D rigs with Sony F35 cameras and Master Primes. I worked with the PACE rigs on 'The Final Destination', and I like the fact the technology is basically dealt with all the way through post, so I can concentrate on just using it creatively. I have a few great guys on my team now who know the PACE system, can train crews new to it and understand 3-D: Vern Nobles, John Harper and Bruno Brunelle. Vern is my second-unit director of photography, and John is my 3-D systems tech who keeps the rigs tuned up and advises the convergence/IO [inter-ocular] guys on the settings for each shot so I just have to approve each before we roll. Bruno is our systems engineer and is responsible for the integrity of the stereo recording. We call him 'The Savant' because he can trace and fix any problem that pops up.
We lose a full stop of light through the mirror on the 3-D rig, so I worked with the Master Primes because of the speed and sharpness I get from them. The guys were very fast at lens changes. I liked the sensitivity of the F35 cameras and the full size sensor. A lot of people will tell you you need depth of field when shooting 3-D, but I like the look of shallow depth when I want to use it in the story. I think we were the first to use long lenses like the 100mm and 150mm Master Prime on a 3-D mirror rig. A lot of rigs have mirrors that have trouble resolving anything over 50mm, but PACE has an 'organic' mirror that allowed us to use the longer lenses. There are several great shots in 'Resident Evil: Afterlife' made with the 150mm. I don't think it is any faster to use zooms on a 3-D shoot, and they come with their own set of alignment issues with which I would rather not deal.
[...] The footprint of the equipment package is certainly much larger than on a 2-D shoot. It is a challenge for the locations department to make sure we have the space. The camera rigs are a little larger, and each comes with a convergence/IO cart and a recording tower. We usually have three full rigs on set, and a lot of the time, they are remotely operated. We used a Super Technocrane everyday because it allowed us to get the camera anywhere we wanted without having to power down and re-rig it. In addition to all that, there are the director's 3 x 46-inch 3-D monitors, video assist and my monitors for lighting, exposure and keeping an eye out for offsets in focus, image size, etc.
You cannot just grab a camera and run up the hill to shoot the sunset, of course, but we never felt limited with what we could do with the rigs. On 'Resident Evil: Afterlife', we put the cameras on descender rigs and hauled them 200 feet into the air pointing straight down. We shot hand-held; we shot underwater; we shot a shower scene with water flying everywhere at 200fps. We also put the rigs in cable-cam systems and in a helicopter in Alaska, with no problem. It takes some planning and team work, but it can all be done.
We did not use Steadicam on the show, but good 3-D Steadicam rigs do exist. [We are using the PACE Steadicam rig on the movie - 'The Three Musketeers' - I am shooting now with 2 ARRI ALEXA cameras on it.] [From interview with Jim Hemphill in 'American Cinematographer', December 2010.]
NOTE: The PACE FUSION 3-D camera and workflow system meets the needs of any creative team through highly advanced dynamic systems fusing the right and left images in the same manner as human vision. The system is comprised of a filmmaker's choice of cameras and lenses coupled with a FUSION 3D advanced stereoscopic acquisition system.
| FILMS | |
|---|---|
|
1988 |
Snake Eater/Soldier [George Erschbamer] c |
|
1989 |
Stunt People [Lois Siegel] 16mm/c; doc/48m; cph: Peter Benison, Daniel Villeneuve, Andrew Nevard & Ron Hallis |
|
1989 |
The Scorpio Factor [Michel Wachniuc] c; cph: Bruno Philip |
|
1989 |
Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster/Snake Eater's Revenge [George Erschbamer] c |
|
198? |
Lip Gloss [Lois Siegel] 16mm/c; doc/75m; cph: Jean-Yves Dion, Stephen Reizes, a.o.; released 1993 |
|
1990 |
Pancake on a Hot Tin Roof [Lois Siegel] 16mm/c; short/26m |
|
1992 |
Cadillac Girls [Nicholas Kendall] c |
|
1993 |
Flinch/Flinch - A Killing Phantom [George Erschbamer] c/V |
|
1994 |
First Degree [Jeff Woolnough] c/V |
|
1996 |
Regeneration/Behind the Lines [Gillies MacKinnon] c; 114m & 96m (USA) |
|
1997 |
The Real Howard Spitz [Vadim Jean] c; addph: Gavin Finney |
|
1997 |
Wrongfully Accused [Pat Proft] c; 2uc: Rexford Metz |
|
1998 |
Camouflage [James Keach] c; addph: Paul Birkett |
|
1999 |
Romeo Must Die [Andrzej Bartkowiak] s35/c; 2uc: Danny Nowak; aph: Dwayne McClintock |
|
2000 |
Exit Wounds [Andrzej Bartkowiak] s35/c; 2uc: Sandi Sissel & John Holosko |
|
2001 |
All About the Benjamins [Kevin Bray] s35/c; 2uc: Artie Malesci & Marty Mullin |
|
2001 |
Friday After Next [Marcus Raboy] c; 2uc: Julian Chojnacki; sequel to 'Friday' (1994, F. Gary Gray; ph: Gerry Lively) and 'Next Friday' (1999, Steve Carr; ph: Christopher Baffa) |
|
2002 |
My Baby's Daddy [Cheryl Dunye] c |
|
2003 |
Walking Tall [Kevin Bray] s35/c; 2uc: David Franco; remake of film (1972, Phil Karlson; ph: Jack A. Marta) |
|
2003 |
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood [Vadim Jean] c; co-ph Toronto; ph: Mike J. Fox |
|
2004 |
Rebound [Steve Carr] c; 2uc: Vern Nobles |
|
2005 |
16 Blocks [Richard Donner] s35/c; 2uc: Vern Nobles; aph New York: Hans Bjerno |
|
2006 |
One Missed Call [Eric Valette] 35mm (+ D-Cinema)/c; 2uc: Mark Simon; ph Los Angeles (reshoots): Shelly Johnson; remake of 'Chakushin ari' (2003, Takashi Miike; ph: Hideo Yamamoto) |
|
2006 |
Trick 'r Treat [Michael Dougherty] s35/c; filmed 2006-07 |
|
2007 |
Rambo/Rambo IV [Sylvester Stallone] s35 (+ D-Cinema)/c; addph: Vern Nobles; miniature ph: Bill Taylor |
|
2008 |
The Final Destination/Final Destination 4: Death Trip 3D [David R. Ellis] HD (Sony F35 & F950)-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc: Vern Nobles; opening titles ph: Gonzalo Amat; + stereographer |
[Right] with Paul W.S. Anderson - "Resident Evil: Afterlife"
|
2009 |
Resident Evil: Afterlife [Paul W.S. Anderson] HD (Phantom HD + Sony F35)-to-35mm scope (+ IMAX-70bu & D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc: Igor Meglic & David Franco; vfx ph + ph Alaska: Vern Nobles; add aph (Japan): Jitsu Toyoda; see above |
|
2010 |
The Three Musketeers [Paul W.S. Anderson] HD (ARRI ALEXA + Weisscam HS-2)+ RED-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc: Vern Nobles; aph: Jeremy Braben |
|
2011 |
Glee: The 3D Concert Movie [Kevin Tancharoen] (7x PACE Fusion 3-D rigs with a variety of cameras including ARRI ALEXA + RED Epic)/c; concert film + dram seq + doc seq (dir by Jennifer Arnold)/84m; addph: Jason Miller |
|
2011 |
Resident Evil: Retribution [Paul W.S. Anderson] RED Epic-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc (+ splinter unit ph/uwph): Vern Nobles; Moscow ph: Mehran Salamati; insert unit ph: Michael Galbraith |
|
2013 |
Pompeii [Paul W.S. Anderson] RED Epic-to-35mm scope (+ D-Cinema [also 3-D version])/c; 2uc (+ 3-D cons 2u): Vern Nobles; insert unit ph (+ gaffer 2u): Michael Galbraith; aph: Jeremy Braben |
|
2014 |
Momentum [Stephen S. Campanelli] HD (scope)-to-digital/c; 2uc: Vern Nobles |
|
2015 |
Resident Evil: The Final Chapter [Paul W.S. Anderson] RED Epic Dragon (scope)-to-digital/c; 2uc: Vern Nobles |
|
2016 |
Monster Hunter [Paul W.S. Anderson] announced |
| TELEVISION | |
|---|---|
|
1988 |
Betrayal of Silence [Jeffrey Woolnough] tvm |
|
1989 |
The Hitchhiker [ep #56 'Coach' dir by Eric Till & #58 'Hit & Run' dir by Randy Bradshaw] 85-part series, 1983-91; 4th season, 1989 |
|
1989 |
Rookies [Paul Shapiro] tvm/60m; ep 'CBC's Magic Hour' |
|
1990 |
Clarence [Eric Till] tvm |
|
1990 |
Deadly Betrayal: The Bruce Curtis Story/Journey Into Darkness: The Bruce Curtis Story [Graeme Campbell] tvm |
|
1990 |
Conspiracy of Silence [Francis Mankiewicz] 2-part tvm |
|
1991 |
Deadly Surveillance [Paul Ziller] tvm |
|
1991 |
Miles from Nowhere/The Long Walk Home [Buzz Kulik] tvm |
|
1992 |
The Sea Wolf [Michael Anderson] tvm |
|
1992 |
Miracle on Interstate 880 [Robert Iscove] tvm |
|
1992 |
Sirens [pilot 'P.M. Turn' dir by Robert Butler] 35-part series, 1993-95; 1st season, 1993 |
|
1992 |
[Beyond Control:] The Amy Fisher Story [Andy Tennant] tvm |
|
1993 |
For the Love of Aaron [John Kent Harrison] tvm |
|
1993 |
The Substitute [Martin Donovan] tvm |
|
1993 |
Dying to Remember [Arthur Allan Seidelman] tvm |
|
1993 |
Whose Child Is This? The War for Baby Jessica [John Kent Harrison] tvm |
|
1994 |
Voices from Within/Silhouette [Eric Till] tvm |
|
1994 |
Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story [Jeff Bleckner] tvm |
|
1994 |
Sliders [pilot dir by Andy Tennant] 88-part series, 1995-2000; 1st season, 1995 |
|
1994 |
Johnny's Girl [John Kent Harrison] tvm; ep 'The ABC Family Movie'-series |
|
1995 |
Shock Treatment [Michael Schultz] pilot; for CBS-tv |
|
1995 |
Bye Bye Birdie [Gene Saks] tvm |
|
1995 |
Captains Courageous [Michael Anderson] tvm |
|
1996 |
Doctor Who [: The Movie] [Geoffrey Sax] tvm |
|
1996 |
Calm at Sunset [, Calm at Dawn] [Daniel Petrie] tvm; ep #295 of 'Hallmark Hall of Fame'-series |
|
1996 |
Toe Tags [Daniel Petrie Jr.] pilot; for ABC-tv |
|
1998 |
Max Q [: Emergency Landing] [Michael Shapiro] tvm; 2uc: Pat Williams |
|
2000 |
The Division [pilot dir by Robert Butler] 88-part series, 2001-04; 1st season, 2001 |
|
2003 |
Platinum/Empire [pilot 'Flow' dir by Kevin Bray] 6-part series/HD, 2003; other ph: David Greene; for UPN |
|
2003 |
Alaska [: The Satchel Boy]/The Circle: My Three Sons [Kim Manners] pilot; for ABC-tv |
|
2004 |
Silver Lake [Kevin Bray] pilot; for UPN |
|
2009 |
Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story [Jeff Woolnough] 2-part tvm |
| MISCELLANEOUS | |
|---|---|
|
1980 |
Gas [Les Rose] co-focus puller 2u; ph: René Verzier |
|
1980 |
Hard Feelings/Sneakers [Daryl Duke] 2nd c.asst; ph: Harry Makin; filmed 1980-81 |
[Left] with dir Lois Siegel and ph Peter Benison
"A 20th Century Chocolate Cake"
|
1981 |
A 20th Century Chocolate Cake [Lois Siegel; dram doc/70m] co-c.asst; ph: Peter Benison; filmed 1978-81 |
|
1982 |
Ups & Downs/Prep School [Paul Almond] 2nd c.asst; ph: Peter Benison |
|
1982 |
Of Unknown Origin [George P. Cosmatos] co-focus puller; ph: René Verzier |
|
1983 |
The Hotel New Hampshire [Tony Richardson] co-c.asst 2nd cam; 2nd cam: Peter Benison; ph: David Watkin |
|
1985 |
Hold-Up [Alexandre Arcady] focus puller; ph: Richard Ciupka |
|
1985 |
The Vindicator [Jean-Claude Lord] co-1st c.asst; ph: René Verzier |
|
1986 |
Street Smart [Jerry Schatzberg] 1st c.asst (Canada); ph: Adam Holender |
|
1986 |
Fight for Life [Elliot Silverstein; tvm] 1st c.asst; ph: Albert J. Dunk |
|
1987 |
Criminal Law [Martin Campbell] 1st c.asst (+ co-c.op 2u); ph: Philip Méheux |
