Chris Britton - DoP
This young cameraman's foray into the world of feature-length filmmaking posed a considerable challenge. You only get one chance to shoot your debut film.

Chris has shot many shorter projects for Craig Griffith and other fellow film school graduates, but after repeated disenchantment with both the film and advertising industry, Craig and he decided that there had to be another way to get that first feature in the bag. After working at LEE Lighting, Chris spent 5 years as a camera assistant, working initially as a camera trainee and graduating to Clapper/Loader on 16mm television dramas, earning his wings with the prolific DoP, Peter Middleton BSC.

After 2 years of assisting Peter, Chris joined a DIARY (Delusive, Ineffective, Agent Robs You) service, was admitted into the GBCT, and was given the golden opportunity to work on several movies abroad; from East-coast America, across most of E & W Europe and even as far as Russia, working for both American and European DoP's on such films as 'Celebrity' (Woody Allen) and 'Equilibrium' (starring Christian Bale). Chris was impressed by the achievement of the very young DoP, Dione Beebe, who was responsible for lighting the latter movie and who subsequently went onto lens such films as 'Charlotte Gray' and 'Chicago'.

There still exists a great tradition of apprenticeship within the film industry and Chris feels that his years served as an assistant have been immensely valuable. Being a cameraman means winning the respect of a skilled crew and requires a great deal of technical expertise as well as the equally important ability to tell the story in a visually arresting and innovative manner.

Chris was trained exclusively in film production, as opposed to video/digital and so experienced a very sharp learning curve in the preparation and shooting of this film. He still holds his love and respect for celluloid but is excited by the opportunities that the new digital medium can offer young filmmakers such as himself and Craig.

When you have limited resources and so are unable to rent the latest toys, you are forced to be innovative. Just look at such gems of cinema as 'Taxi Driver', and, 'Raging Bull', and compare them films made decades later such as 'Space Jam' and 'Six days, Seven Nights'. Same cameraman. Scary shit.

Chris is happy to go on record by saying that his greatest wish is to achieve the level of craftsmanship and integrity that Sven Nykvist ASC showed in his life's work. Chris spent a short time with Sven, but walked away with a lifetime's source of inspiration.

After working on such commercials as a 30 sec. Mercedes spot in Munich '2000, taking thirteen consecutive days to film and exposing more emulsion than most British feature films shoot, Chris was not surprised to see the inevitable decline in advertising revenues - the clients woke up. He believes that the industry as a whole must embrace this digital revolution or die. Film is still far superior to any other format but digital technology promises a most exciting time - a time to let people with limited means have their voice and learn their craft.

Vivre La Revolution!