Eric Kress Lighting Workshop "Dual Close-Ups" by Benjamin B, edited by me

In 2012, I have had the pleasure to edit Eric Kress Lighting Workshop with Benjamin B. The workshop held by Gokinema and moderated by Benjamin B deals with dual close up. Eric Kress meticulously lights the two shots as well as go through with every decision he makes during the process. The footage recorded by Arri Alexa shows how every adjustment, touch, and choices made by the cinematographer affects the shots, the scene and the overall mise-en scene.

It took around 9 months to edit and finish this documentary as I and Benjamin were busy doing other projects. We collaborated online, sending each other our own edits, brainstorming and thinking for a clear and simple approach to document Eric Kress's approach to lighting. Needless to say, I am very proud of this collaboration.

To read more about the documentary as well as the event, please visit the article in American Cinematographer's website.

John Seale Masterclass sponsored by Panavision

I am really happy that I have been able to find myself in this panel as a cinematographer. Needless to say without the help and support of Benjamin B, this would have never happened.
Click here to see the post by Benjamin B at Panavision official website.

Camerimage 2011

This year's Camerimage had two significant value for me. First of all, I have had the pleasure to work as a cinematographer for Benjamin B to document his masterclasses. John Seale was one of the main guests during the festival and he had a long panel conducted by Benjamin B. The videos will be online soon in his website the filmbook.
Secondly, I had the opportunity to meet Todd Hayes. Haynes was, along with Ed Lachman, this year's director duo award guest. I had the chance to talk with him for a couple of minutes about Douglas Sirk and how Sirk influenced his filmmaking style.
For more information, visit Camerimage 2011' website.
The photographs above are taken by Kaan Arici.

Thank you Nigel Walters BSC

"An early morning hotel breakfast is not the usual time to encounter lively film students. The first to appear with the typical live - in look was Barbaros Gokdemir, the lone Turkish participant, who informed me that he had found the most useful aspect in the previous three days, had been the lectures. Lectures are harder to come by in developing countries such as Turkey. On the bus journey the magnificent Korda Studios the various advantages of this style of "hands on" Master Classes with lectures and analysis carefully choreographed were to be revealed to me by various scholars and participants."
Thank you Nigel Walters for mentioning about me in your article about the Budapest Cinematography Masterclass 2009. It has been quite a long time since the masterclass is over but I just found out about this article and I was very happy. The Masterclass provided me with an invaluable experience of the craft of cinematography, filmmaking, and collaboration. I was able to work with film students from different 16 nationality and a very strong mixture of film schools. To meet and work with film students from UCLA, Nfts, Taik, Lodz, Victorian College of Art, Westminster, FTII and many others put me on the right track in the sense of knowledge and experience and gave me a chance to enhance my skills on cinematography. I believe what I recieved from the masterclass is transferable and marketable in the field and it will help me reach my goals as a filmmaker.
Without the masterclass, I don't know if I would have the experience to work with Panavision cameras under the supervision of a great tutor Benjamin Bergery. Working on Korda Studios and understanding how a sound stage really works and how major productions are being done is very crucial. Having lectures and conversations with great cinematographers like Vilmos Zsigmond and Elemer Ragalyi and great tutors like Nik Powell, and having a chance to meet and hear his experiences on film industry from Anthony Dod Mantle was all a part of the masterclass.
I miss you Budapest and I am very happy to be a part of the masterclass.