ABOUT MICHAEL COULTER

Oscar nominated DOP Mick Coulter was born in Scotland in 1952. He was introduced to the local film business by his director brother-in-law, the late Charles Gormley. He started as a gopher for local production companies making 'industrial films', before moving on to load the b&w stock into camera magazines at football matches. He went freelance in 1975 and soon became acquainted with writer/director Bill Forsyth and, having recently purchased a 16mm camera, was invited to use it as the DOP on Forsyth's first feature 'That Sinking Feeling'. During 1982-83 Coulter operated for Chris Menges on Forsyth's next pictures, 'Local Hero' and 'Comfort and Joy', which Coulter describes as 'unmissable opportunities to work with a man I admired tremendously.' During the early '80s he also worked on many documentaries.

After working as an assistant in France, for cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn, he returned to the UK where he truly flourished. He got a head start as DOP in 'No Surrender', when the original DOP had to pull out. It was all uphill from there on and today Mick Coulter is well recognized for his range: he does comedy, period and action with ease. He worked in films comedies like “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “Love Actually”, “Notting Hill”; in the period piece “Sense and Senbility” (starring Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet, which earned him an Oscar nomination); and in the action-packed “The Bank Job”, starring Jason Statham.

He also works in commercials regularly, earning accolades for his work for brands such as British Airlines, Burberry, Mercedez, The New York Times, Dupont, among many others.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

The workshop will focus on a diversity of topics of the art of cinematography, you will have the chance of not only receive this knowledge from Mick Coulter, but also interact in a very strong way, as the group will have up to 25 participants, making it extremely practical and interactive. You will also have the opportunity to assess the issues you encountered on your films, and receiving the feedback to unblock situations in the future.

The over all theme of the workshop will be: How Mick Coulter applies 30 years of shooting on film to shooting in the digital age, and what cinematographers can gain by ‘thinking film, shooting digital’

The workshop will also cover the following structure:

ESSENCE OF THE CRAFT
Auteur versus Industry – the realities of the business.
DIY - low budget approaches
Understanding your abilities
Overview and “Case Study” clips of my work

GETTING THERE
Hollywood versus Europe
Agents/managers/lawyers

PREPPING
Script break down
Aesthetic overview – the look and the story - Stylistic Approach
Crewing up
Location hunting
Rehearsing before the shoot
Storyboard
How to work with:
Art department
Costume
Camera
Planning for Digital VFX
Camera systems,
Lens selection
Grip equipment
Originating materials (film stock/tape)
Relationship between the DP and the director
Tradicional Vs. Digital
How to properly tech scout a location
How I design master shots and coverage

SHOOTING
Planning your day
Blocking the scene
Shotlists
Storyboards on set
Shooting strategy
Camera - Movement - How / When / Why
laboratory procedures
Exposure - Zone System of Exposure - Film and Video

LIGHT
light meters
Lighting Setup - Mood
natural light
location lighting
studio lighting
Night and day
Lighting to suit actors

WORKSHOP LOCATION
London UK

PROFILE OF PARTICIPANT
The workshop designed for Cinematographers, Camera Operators, Directors, Film Students, or anyone serious about a career in the Film Business on the area of cinematography.


Duration: 2 days
Dates: 28-29 January 2017
Location: LONDON UK
Price: 449GBP (337GBP with 25% Discount Until 17th January)
Maximum number of participants: 25
By registering to the workshop you agree with FFL terms and Conditions