Cinematography in Canada Since 1957

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

Today’s recap is my 2nd feature film, “The Boy In The Woods” directed by the amazing @snowdocs.

I remember first reading the script and being profoundly moved. My grandmother at 16 was sent to a labour camp in Poland during WWII and with this film being based on the true story of Maxwell Smart, it felt like my calling to help bring this to life visually.

Rebecca, coming from docs, worked tirelessly on this film for 5+ years and truly wrote one of the most touching scripts I’ve ever read. Her guidance, talent and perseverance in bringing this story to life was incredible to witness and an honour to be a part of.

Filmed in North Bay Ontario and set as eastern Europe in the 40’s, this was a challenge that taught me that with creative framing, movie magic and teamwork, anything is possible.

Having my start in documentaries as well, we embraced that as an approach - being open to improvising and seeking natural moments on set. I asked my team to have a shoulder rig, easy rig and hip weighters ready at all times.

Even with leaning towards a doc approach, it still meant having a regimented plan. I created a full lighting mood board, lighting plans for each scene and we worked together on a detailed shot list as a guiding life line. We also went in open minded, open to improvising in moments where it felt right, to try to seek those natural moments on set. One of my favourite moments in the film, we caught in the last 10 minutes of our filming day - with just myself, Rebecca and our 1st AC exploring in the woods.

The lesson: don’t feel tied to the prep work, but use it as a guiding light. Things change on set, often for the better, and being able to pivot on a moments notice often creates some of the best images/storytelling.

I’m grateful to have worked with our incredible producing team, @robertbudreau, @joelreilly, @pdpatt, @planetofcraig, andrew_bronfman and am indebted to our cast @richardcarmitage, @jettklyne, @katherine_fog, @davidkohlsmith and my crew. Especially grateful for my keys @_adrian_anton_ and @spennicam.

The film premiered in the “Industry Selects” program at TIFF 2023.

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

In the spirit of celebrating movies and cinema with the Oscars lastnight, I wanted to throw it back with this piece from our Telefilm “Movie Memories” spot a few years back for director @leseanharris!

When @leseanharris originally approached me about this project, he already had the 1st person POV concept in mind. The idea was to start 1st person and then seamlessly transition to 3rd person at the end of the spot with our final reveal of @directorx.

We did a variety of tests to figure out which lens/focal length would match this perspective the best, be lightweight enough for our operator/photo double to wear all day, but also give us the right look that we were going for.

In the end we ended up modifying a custom helmet rig with the Sony Venice built in Rialto mode (early prototype rig seen in the last slide) with a combination of the Laowa 12mm zero D and K35 primes.

This one required a fair bit of testing to get the perspective right but that’s often one of my favourite parts of the process.

LeSean did an amazing job with visualizing this whole spot. Working through how we can best transition in camera between scenes/setups was definitely a highlight. I modified a special helmet cam rig to support a stripped down Sony Venice that was carefully operated by Fraser Collins (also doubling as young @directorx) who did an awesome job.

As always shout out to my crew and the whole team for having my back and working hard to pull off the vision.

Full credit list below!

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

Happy Oscars Sunday everyone!

Sharing my first feature film, titled “The Family” written, directed and produced by the brilliant @slaterverse.

I’m forever grateful for Dan and our producer, co-writer @_adam_booth_ for vouching for me to shoot this film. At the time I was in my early 20’s having never shot a feature and having only short film narrative experience but they believed in me anyway.

One of the biggest challenges as a cinematographer is landing the job you’ve never done before. It often feels like a catch-22: you can’t get the opportunity without the credit, and you can’t get the credit without the opportunity. Most of the time, someone has to take a leap of faith on you first and it’s so rare to find people who will.

Going into this film I had 2nd unit TV experience, short films, some notable commercials and music videos under my belt, but it still wasn’t enough on paper. What made the difference wasn’t my reel, it was people who advocated for me relentlessly. Find those people, work hard for them, show your appreciation, and show up for them every time you get the chance.

I remember having a conversation with my colourist, @clintonhomuth who was essential to building the look of this film. He not only guided me in my camera choice, going with the Sony Venice for its superior information in the green channel - but he also guided me with another major lesson. To not be afraid and to take your biggest creative swings on your first feature. On any project really.

We did extensive lens testing and landed on a beautifully rehoused set of Kowa Anamorphics from @sunbeltrentalsukifilmtv lenses that gave us the grit and texture I needed for this psychological thriller.

We shot 19 days, 1.5 hours outside the city, in the middle of fall during the first wave of the pandemic. We were one of the first productions to go back to shooting. Not only was it our first feature collectively, but we had to navigate the new landscape of what this all meant.

It was extremely hard, but it was a huge stepping stone all of us.

We went on to take home the 2022 Best-Non Theatrical Feature Film, an absolute dream come true!

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

Sharing another piece from the past, with a long time collaborator - the talented @leseanharris.

“Rebuild the World” was a doc we shot featuring Ekow Nimako (@ekownimako), shot for LEGO under the direction of Lesean Harris (@leseanharris).

For this project, I wanted to lean into natural light as much as possible.

Our primary location, Ekow’s home studio, was a real puzzle to solve. It was a basement room with a small window and a rain cover over the window well outside, which made for a less than ideal lighting environment. But that’s often the case for cinematographers. You don’t always get to choose your location, and learning to work with what you have is a huge part of the craft.

The approach: Knowing I wanted to rely primarily on windows and practicals, I placed a series of mirrors outside to redirect light through the window, giving me the quality and spread I was after. From there, we rigged a Litemat 4 above the table on an autopole and paired it with a practical on a dimmer, a combination that carried us through the majority of the shoot.

The lesson for emerging cinematographers: Constraints are creative tools. Tight spaces force simplicity, and simplicity often produces your most honest, intentional work. Before reaching for more gear, ask yourself what’s already available. Light from a window, a mirror, a practical lamp. Some of the most compelling images come from the least complicated setups.

It was a genuine privilege to hear Ekow’s story and help bring a piece of it to life visually. Blending Afrofuturism with LEGO bricks, Ekow Nimako is inspiring a new generation of artists and builders to imagine, create, and rebuild the world on their own terms.

Credits in comments below!

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

Amaal - Juno “Rising” web series for director @averystedman_ and @thejunoawards.

Nominated for a CSC award in 2021 for “Best Cinematography in Documentary Short”, this project was very special and one I still love looking back on.

Shot on the beautiful Hawk V-Plus 45-90mm zoom provided by the team at (formally William F whites) @sunbeltrentalsukifilmtv .

For this one, I wanted to experiment with shooting a project entirely on a compact zoom. I loved the Hawk V-Plus since it has great range for an anamorphic zoom, with a balanced contrast, minimal breathing, manageable edge distortion and chromatic aberrations, smooth focus fall off, and that classic Hawk anamorphic character.

On this project, I really wanted our skin tones to “sing” and pop on screen - so our lens choice was critical. The hawks natural rendering and gentle contrast were everything. I wanted to avoid crushing shadows, and just bring out a rich, dense negative, letting some of the colour pop naturally. I was also looking for a lens that has something different than the traditional horizontal anamorphic flare, and thought the rainbow circular flare worked so well for this piece. It felt different, fresh and complimented Amal’s story so well.

Patrick Samaniego at @darling_vfx then made our images really sing with a beautiful colour grade. We shot this 18 min doc in a single weekend, in a cold winter snowy day (similar to today). Watching this piece back, I’m quite proud of the look we were able achieve with the little time we had.

Big shout out to @amaalnuux for her time, dedication to the project and for inviting us to tell a part of her beautiful story.

Director: @averystedman_
Written by: Avery Stedman & @amaalnuux
Exec producer: @jillprimeau
Producer: Desiree Deleau
Cinematography by: @adammadrzyk
Gaffer: @sheldonstein
AC: @jbhellyea
2nd AC: @francispienaar
Key Grip: @brendanjessamine
Driver/ Swing: Josh Ellis
Sound Op & Mix: @danedanekelly
Set Photographer: @mikeayy
Editor: Avery Stedman
Title design/ PA: @kathleenmoyana
VFX: @sagikr
Color: @_patricksamaniego

@adammadrzyk #adammadrzyk #AssociateMemberCSC

“Space Cadet” — for artist @metroboomin ft. @gunna, directed by Zac Facts with my pal @jonahaber.

This was one of my first big music videos to be flown out for, and any time I’ve had the privilege to travel for work, it always feels like such a blessing.

Like most music videos, this one came together fast with about a one week turnaround. Having many music videos before, I knew the moment the job landed, it was time to lock in. I immediately started reaching out to crew and vendors, building a mood board, and dissecting Zac’s treatment to make sure I fully understood his vision and the scope of work. We built a shot list, and the moment we landed, we hit the ground running with location scouting.

The biggest lesson from this one: be ready to adapt at a moment’s notice.

We had built a set for an interrogation room that didn’t come together visually the way we wanted. It didn’t feel right to Zac, and the timeline was too tight to pivot. While the team was discussing alternatives, I quietly took a walk around the shooting location on my own and stumbled upon the lobby of the studio.

It reminded me of something from skateboarding, everything is an opportunity. At first glance it looked as generic as you could imagine. But with the right set dec, lighting, and props, anything is possible. In the end the location we found not only served the story better, but it worked better visually and logistically too.

Sometimes the magic is already there. You just have to find it.

@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).