Page 21 - Fujifilm Exposure_46 Glorious 39_ok

NTAINNO CHALLENGE IS TOO GREAT FOR NON-STOP FILMMAKER OLIVIER KAEMPFER
route; however, these problems merely whet Kaempfer’s appetite for film production.
“I had already been in discus- sion with director Alex Winckler about producing Ralph, prior to going off to shoot A Road Apart in the spring,” enthuses Kaempfer.
Ralph is the eponymous story of an English boy, who travels alone to Marseilles to declare his love for his best friend Clare. Winckler had discovered lead actor Ralph Laurila whilst casting for a previous short, Tagging. Liam Iandoli joined the team to take care of the cinematography.
“Liam had an already well established relationship with Fujifilm through his previous work,” says Kaempfer, “and Liam, Alex and I felt the edgier cinematic look of super 16mm would be ideal for
capturing the look of the streets of Marseilles. The ETERNA Vivid 160T 8643 had just come out,” states andoli, “and I wanted something rich with a fine grain for Ralph. I thought about the F-64D 8622, but had to consider that the stock I chose should be able to handle bright sunlight and also be able to see into the shadows, because we were largely going to be shooting with available light.”
The collaboration proved successful, and with completion funding from the UK Film Council boosting their kudos, Ralph debuted at the 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival, with a deserved BAFTA nomination soon to follow.
2009 brought a fresh project, channelled from the Mercury Music Group via producer Glynis Murray of Tomboy Films (Shooting Fish, Waking Ned). The London indie-pop group Noah and the Whale, famous for radio regular song Five Years Time, wanted to make a 50-minute film to accompany, uninterrupted, their latest album The First Days of Spring. Murray, a fan of Ralph, had singled out Kaempfer to produce this ambitious project.
“I was of course very flattered to be approached and thought the idea sounded extremely interesting,” muses Kaempfer. “It was a very good audiovisual project in the true sense of the word.”
Kaempfer met with Charlie Fink, Noah and the Whale’s lead vocalist, and on finding their visions for the project complementary they decided
to collaborate, with Kaempfer producing and Fink directing. Steve Annis, drafted in to lens the project, selected the ETERNA 500T 8673.
“We would go from shooting a scene in low light with a 45° shutter to running at 150fps,” reveals Annis. “Because much of the film used available light and the shooting style was very fast paced it had to be the 500T. I simply kept an 85 filter in the whole time and added ND filters when appropriate.”
As ever, Kaempfer is busy with the next project. Thomas, a short he is producing for Alex Winckler, will team his own production company Parkville Pictures with Tomboy Films and Glynis Murray. He is producing another short, Ailema, for Parkville colleague Cecilia Frugiuele and has been penning a further script for himself. Features are not far away, and shooting on celluloid continues to be an option for Kaempfer.
“On a personal note, I hope that film remains an integral part of the industry,” says Kaempfer. “I love the actual process of shooting on film, it has a unique beauty that will always be associated with cinema.”
NATASHA BLOCK
A Road Apart and Ralph, both nominated for Fujfilm Shorts 2009, were originated on 16mm Fujicolor ETERNA Vivid 160T 8643; The First Days Of Spring was originated on 16mm Fujicolor ETERNA 500T 8673
“I’VE ALWAYS FOUND FUJIFILM TO BE HUGELY HELPFUL WITH FILM STUDENTS.”
SHORTS FEATURE
FUJIFILM MOTION PICTURE • THE MAGAZINE • EXPOSURE • 19
Photo main: Scene from Ralph;
Above: Olivier Kaempfer; below left to right: Crews and some cast on locations during
A Road Apart, Ralph and The First Days Of Spring