Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

“Night Lovell” - Junos “Rising” web series for director @averystedman_.

This was my first time shooting a web series and looking back we were given a rare opportunity. Director @averystedman_ and I got almost full creative control, and got a chance to highlight some amazing emerging artists, who were just about to make it big.

I remember being a fan of Lovell long before this project, listening to his music on sound cloud and having no idea he was from Ottawa.

Being an independently funded web series, and shooting a 14 minute episode in 2.5 days was no small feat. However, with projects like these - I’ve always found having a long standing friendship and work relationship with the director makes the world of a difference.

Avery and I had already worked together, and had a really great short hand. I knew what he liked, how he liked to operate on set, what he likely would need/use in the edit and the format of the web series already. Having that knowledge going in, made us that much more efficient.

To match Lovells music we wanted a gritty distorted look to the project, so we opted for the beautifully rehoused Kowa Cine Prominar 2x Anamorphic lenses, generously provided by OC (@ontariocamera ).

I love this set for how compact they are, how fast they are, and being roughly all the same size/weight. I learned early in my career when deciding on lens choice, to not only go for character, but also account for on set logistics.

For example, an older anamorphic set like Lomos or Todd AO’s often vary in size, weight, sometimes gear pitch, can stiff up in cold environments and in general often add additional time to manage on set. On a fast paced project like this, it would have eaten up so much of our schedule and really put us in a bind. Ultimately even if they look amazing, being cautious of your shooting pace is paramount and should be equally a factor in your lens decision process.

That was a big lesson on this one. Shooting handheld, ronin, car mount, steadicam all on one body, looking back - going with a compact set really gave us so much more to work with in the edit.

Shot on location in Ottawa, Ontario.

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

“GUION” Short Film - it only felt right to kick things off starting with this film.

This was my first time being recognized at an awards ceremony, taking home “Best Student Film” at the CSC Awards. I still look back on that night with such fondness. The room was warm and full of people genuinely rooting for one another.

My former team at @seslercompany believed in me from a very early age and that’s something I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life. Having a team who offered not only opportunity, but genuine guidance and trust, was valuable beyond measures. They saw something in me, took a chance and I’ll never take that for granted.

Those early wins did more than build a resume. They built character and confidence. That night was the first time I stood in a room I didn’t just look up to, but felt like I finally belonged in.

I first came across Guion’s story while putting together a thesis project. There was surprisingly little about him online, so I tracked down a phone number, which turned out to be his home line. He told me to call back in a week with a full pitch. So I sat down with director @sagikr, we co-wrote a complete script, and pitched it directly to Mr. Bluford himself. He gave us notes, and the rest is history.

Shot over seven cold winter days, this remains one of the most inspiring experiences of my career. The biggest cinematography challenge was capturing Guion’s launch into space. On a tight student budget, we found a flight simulator in Mississauga, swapped in higher wattage projectors, and used front screen projection to recreate those first moments of blasting off into space. Our director @sagikr assembled a two-minute launch sequence, doing several passes with our actors to get it right.

None of this would have been possible without Guion’s generous support, William F Whites, @the.paper.squirrel, and every single person who gave their time and energy to this project.

Films like this aren’t made in silos and student films are not easy, so I wanted acknowledge everyone who poured their hearts out to bringing this film to life (full credits below).

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

Hey CSC community!

Adam Madrzyk here, I’ll be hosting the CSC page over the next few weeks. I’ll be sharing some of my back story, how I got into film, some tips, some tricks and sharing some projects I’ve shot over the years.

Growing up first generation Canadian, to two Polish immigrant parents - I learned Polish as my first language. My parents moved to Canada with only a suitcase in hand, and instilled in me since as early as I could remember - to find my passion, to work hard and that nothing in life is promised.

Like many of us, my love for film first started through the skateboard/snowboarding world. When I was 10 years old my uncle noticed I had an eye for framing and composition after taking some family photos, and he pushed me to continue training my eye by letting me borrow his hi-8 video camera.

I quickly became obsessed with creating my own videos. I started with lego videos, then skateboarding videos with friends, then snowboarding videos and launched “mad productions” in the early years of Youtube, creating my first logo on Microsoft paint.

In grade 12, I was featured in the local news paper after having my first short film accepted at a few small film festivals. I remember this early acknowledgment was a pivotal point and giving me the confidence to pursue film as a career.

Watching some of these videos now 17 years later, bring back so many memories. I feel very fortunate to have found my path so early on and to have had the family support to push me in the right direction.

I feel blessed every day to be on set, and can’t wait to share some of my journey with all of you.

Thank you to @canadiancinematographer and @416cw for this opportunity!

@shadyhanna #ShadyHanna, #AssociateMemberCSC

“Birthday Count,” directed by @clementdirector @wearefromla and produced by @petrenkoo.maryna @merchant.hq , was a campaign marking the 100th anniversary of SickKids Hospital.

The goal was to make the kids feel strong without over stylizing them. Bold, but grounded.

The shoot was split in two. In studio, we created darker sequences that represented the hardships they were facing. Those scenes leaned more dramatic and controlled. The second half took place inside the hospital itself, where we focused on the kids in their real environment. There, I kept the lighting minimal and natural to contrast the studio work.

Working with the patients and their families was a different kind of experience. The energy on set felt focused and sincere. I wanted the images to stay honest to who these kids are.

@shadyhanna #ShadyHanna, #AssociateMemberCSC

Sleep Talking, directed by @ethan.godel and produced by @ryanbobkin , was special to me for many reasons, one of them being how much time we spent during prep.

Ethan built an animatic for the seven scene short. The coverage was meant to be limited and intentional, so that became our blueprint.

The story follows David, a tired twenty-something who drifts into an office space that represents his mind while he struggles to fall asleep.

With the lighting, we wanted it to feel like we were inside his head without making it overly stylized. The goal was to blur the line between dream and reality. We kept things controlled but slightly off. Familiar, but not quite right.

We leaned into long takes on the dolly with subtle zooms, letting the scenes play out and allowing small shifts in framing and light to carry the mood.

The film was shot on 16mm 500T @kodak_shootfilm and was masterfully graded by @clintonhomuth

@shadyhanna #ShadyHanna, #AssociateMemberCSC

For the Love of Denim, directed by @paulsamjohnston , was a fashion film that brought me back to my early days shooting on 16mm.

We had a tiny crew and an even smaller lighting package, which ended up being a plus. Staying lean let us move quickly and get a lot of setups in a single day. The approach was simple. Minimal lighting, straightforward coverage, and letting the format do some of the work.

Prep was straightforward. It was mostly Paul and I spending time at the location, shot listing and planning around the space. We were also working with a limited amount of film, which forced us to be intentional with each take. That is one of the reasons I still enjoy shooting film.

We shot on an @arri 416 with Arri Ultra 16 lenses on Kodak VISION3 500T @kodak_shootfilm