As our Sundance 2023 cinematography cover continues, this time we interviewed the DP behind the film festival selection, ‘Plan C’—cinematographer Derek Howard. Let’s hear and learn what Howard has to say about the intricate filmmaking process, and why he chose the Canon C500 Mark II camera and Cooke Panchro/i Classic lenses to tell the story.
‘Plan C’: Sundance 2023 selection – Shot by Derek Howard
‘Plan C’ is one of the Sundance 2023 selections. The film tells the story of a secret grassroots organization that persistently fought to expand access to abortion pills across the USA keeping hope alive during a global pandemic and the fall of Roe v. Wade. ‘Plan C’ was shot by DP Derek Howard on the Canon C500 Mark II, paired with Cooke Panchro/i Classic Primes. We interviewed Howard so he could elaborate and educate others on the complex process of filmmaking.
I see a lot of extremely well-shot films each time I’m at Sundance, and the ones that stick out the most are those that allow their form to be an active part of the storytelling.
Playing around with cameras from childhood
YMCinema: Please let us know about yourself – a short bio focusing on your filmmaking career.
Howard: I started playing around with cameras early and continued my fascination with moving images throughout high school and university. I studied in Vancouver, Canada, and after a few years in IATSE working on big studio sci-fi shows, I decided to move to Berlin, Germany to pursue more artistic projects. Right away I met Victor Kossakovsky and became his assistant in shooting, directing, and editing over a 10-year period. I immersed myself in making creative documentaries and gained a lot of experience filming in extreme conditions like hurricanes, artic sailing expeditions, and shooting from horseback. My time in Berlin also brought me into contact with a vibrant visual arts scene, giving me the opportunity to work with many established artists, exhibiting works in The Pompidou, The Tate Modern, and MOMA PS1. I participated in the IDFA Summer School, IDFA Academy, Reykjavik Trans Atlantic Talent Lab, Berlinale Talents program, and the Filming in the Amazon residency led by Apichatpong Weserthat. Most recently, I shot award-winning filmmaker Emelie Mahdavian’s debut feature “Bitterbrush (Telluride 2021), celebrated visual artist Alison O’Daniel’s debut feature “The Tube Thieves” (Sundance 2023), and award-winning filmmaker Tracy Tragos’ “Plan C” (Sundance 2023).
I immersed myself in making creative documentaries and gained a lot of experience filming in extreme conditions like in hurricanes, artic sailing expeditions, and shooting from horseback.
Choosing the Canon C500 Mark II
YMCinema: What are the cameras used to shoot Plac C, and why did you choose them for this specific project?
Howard: I shot Plan C on a Canon C500 Mark II. The director had purchased this camera package so it was the natural choice to go forward with. It was great for long rolling takes and long hours of hand-held due to its compact size. We filmed a lot of lengthy hand-held interviews and verité moments, so having a camera that was lite and flexible was really important. I used my own Mavic Pro drone for the few aerial shots we needed.
We filmed a lot of lengthy hand-held interviews and verité moments, so having a camera that was lite and flexible was really important.
The ‘Cooke Look’
YMCinema: What are the lenses used to shoot the film and why did you choose them for this specific project?
Howard: We used a full set of Cooke Panchro/i Classic Primes. These vintage primes have a beautiful translation that softens the digital sharpness and has gorgeous flares and bokeh. They are fast, compact, and relatively light, so great for hand-held and low-light conditions. Because we worked with mostly available lighting, having a lens that could open to a T2.0 was important for me. The director happened to own these primes so it was the clear choice from the beginning of production.
These (Cooke Panchro/i) vintage primes have a beautiful translation that softens the digital sharpness and has gorgeous flares and bokeh.
Shooting RAW with Canon
YMCinema: Please elaborate on the chosen codecs (Canon’s codecs).
Howard: I shot in 4K, Super35 mm, crop sensor mode to avoid vignetting on the full-frame sensor. I used C-Log, Cine Gamut, and Raw-Lite to get the most latitude out of the sensor and maximize what we can do in post. I monitored with a rec.709 LUT.
I used C-Log, Cine Gamut, and Raw-Lite to get the most latitude out of the sensor.
Technical challenges
YMCinema: What were the main technical challenges of shooting the film?
Howard: The biggest challenge while shooting “Plan C” was to find creative solutions for filming subjects who needed to remain anonymous for security reasons. Certain subjects we would return to several times throughout the film needed to have their identities protected, so I had to explore how to film an interview with them and capture their presence and vibe without showing any full faces. Long lenses like 75 or 100mm were used to film abstract details such as hands, feet, the edge of a face, or a silhouette. Over the course of a long interview, it gets difficult to find new angles and compositions, so searching for fresh ways to convey a subject’s presence without actually seeing them clearly, was a big obstacle that was overcome mostly through experimentation and abstraction, which made possible in large part due to the prime selection we were lucky to have available to us.
Long lenses like 75 or 100mm were used to film abstract details such as hands, feet, the edge of a face, or a silhouette.
Paying attention to the filmed subjects
YMCinema: We (cinematographers) learn something new in every project. What did you take from this project to be implemented in future projects (takeaways)?
Howard: Doc cinematographers are constantly in situations where you are filming extremely vulnerable people going through intense emotions. Throughout filming Plan C, I was reminded how important it is to pay attention to the comfort levels of those you are filming. There is a tendency to feel a little detached when looking through a camera’s lens. Still, it’s crucial it is to stay present and empathetic to your subjects and never let technical considerations spoil a moment or create distance. Content is king in these types of scenarios, so just being really aware of how your presence in the space is affecting others is something I like to keep at the top of my mind.
There is a tendency to feel a little detached when looking through a camera’s lens, but it’s crucial it is to stay present and empathetic to your subjects and never let technical considerations spoil a moment or create distance.
Tips & tricks
YMCinema: Grant us some tips and tricks for cinematographers eager to be selected for Sundance. What can make your film be chosen from more than 10,000 projects?
Howard: I see a lot of extremely well-shot films each time I’m at Sundance, and the ones that stick out the most are those that allow their form to be an active part of the storytelling. The style of the camera work is like a film language that can help you read the film’s different layers of meaning. Cinematography that helps you get inside a character’s head or convey different emotional states in ways words cannot is always exciting to experience. Striking the balance between invisible camera work, and moments that call attention to themselves for a specific effect is always something I look out for in the films I admire.
Product List
Here’re the products mentioned in the article, and the links to purchase them from authorized dealers.
- Canon EOS C500 Mark II 5.9K Full-Frame Cinema Camera
- Cooke Panchro/i lenses
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