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A Song For Us feature
I recently had the pleasure of shooting the feature 'A Song For Us' with writer/director Peter Hitchcock, partly set in 1960's Yorkville - the era of coffee houses and folk singers such as Joni Mitchell, Buffy Ste Marie and Gordon Lightfoot, and present day Toronto. Like any ambitious film project, and especially one with a low budget and limited resources, there were many challenges along the way. I feel blessed to have had such a great crew who worked together tirelessly to help Peter achieve his vision. We also had terrific actors/musicians playing characters from the past and present. Here's a few low-rez frame grabs from the film, including scenes shot in the location we used as the Penny Farthing, one of Yorkville's long lost venues. Shot on the Panasonic EVA1 in ProResRAW with Sigma Cine zoom lenses and an old Optima lens and a bunch of homemade lighting.
Recreating the Penny Farthing coffee house, circa 1967.
My plan for lighting was to use only tungsten fixtures for their warmth and quality.
Actress Haley Midgett plays Alice, newly arrived from England.
I used only tungsten lighting and practicals to create a feeling of warmth in the Penny Farthing, which was described as smoky and dim, by director Peter Hitchcock.
Actor Tyson Coady plays Tom, a folk singer in 1960`s Yorkville.
Tom and Alice visit Ward`s Island for the first time in 1967.
