Toronto-based cinematographer Nikolay Michaylov, an Associate Member of the CSC (Canadian Society of Cinematographers), is known for his standout work on Matt and Mara (Berlinale 2024) and Measures for a Funeral (TIFF 2024). In this case study, he discusses collaborating with director Sofia Bohdanowicz on filming Measures for a Funeral and how TLS rehoused Cooke Speed Panchro S2 lenses helped craft the film's haunting, transitional atmosphere.

Could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

I am a Bulgarian-born cinematographer working in Toronto. My most recent credits are Matt and Mara (which premiered in the Encounters Competition at the 2024 Berlinale) and Measures For a Funeral (which just premiered at TIFF 2024 and won the National Grand Prix at the Festival du nouveau cinéma de Montréal) of which I will be talking about today 🙂

In 2023, I was selected to participate in the Berlinale Talents Camera Studio. In addition to my narrative works, I have shot award winning music videos and commercials with various brands. 

Before filmmaking, I was an avid skateboarder and coder. Most of my experiences with image-making started with skateboarding. While I wasn’t the dedicated filmer amongst my friends, I certainly had a curiosity around the technology. My studies in university were related to computer science but I quickly realized my curiosities were becoming passions and so I decided to enroll in the film program at Toronto Metropolitan University. After I graduated, I worked in various technician roles within the Camera and Grip & Lighting departments and balanced my time with my own cinematography work. Eventually, the scales tipped and I was able to dedicate my full time to my own image-making.

Can you share some details about the Measures for a Funeral production?

Measures for a Funeral is a haunting epic of a woman in transition between the past and the future. Audrey Benac (Deragh Campbell) confronts her family history and destiny as she dives into the life of forgotten Canadian violinist Kathleen Parlow. Leaving behind her dying mother, herself a failed violinist, Audrey is haunted by her mother’s unfulfilled dreams. She begins her journey through archives and memories, from Toronto to London to Oslo. Audrey attempts to bring Parlow’s music back to life but she is also on a quest for closure and understanding. Ultimately she seeks peace with her mother’s legacy through the echoes of a lost concerto dedicated to Parlow entitled ‘Opus 28’. 

This was director Sofia Bohdanowicz’s first feature collaborating with a cinematographer. Her past works were all lensed by herself and so this film was a big leap in terms of production size and scope. Being a big fan of her previous work, I was thrilled to jump into the cinematographer seat to bring her story to life. 

The film employs a lot of static imagery and a celebration of archive mixed with transitionary haunting moments with the use of steadicam. Our character Audrey is haunted by the past of Kathleen Parlow but also the imminent death of her mother. We attempted to make a movie where photography echoed these sentiments.

What led you to choose the Cooke Speed Panchro S2 – TLS Rehoused lenses for this project, and what did you enjoy most about working with them?

One of the very first decisions I make with a director is to decide which lenses we would like to shoot the film. I believe it is also one of the very first fixed creative decisions you make for the film. When we looked at our references (Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Blue and Otto Preminger’s Bunny Lake is Missing) we noticed that most were shot on celluloid but paired with distinctly sharp glass.

I tested many different lenses but the ones Sofia and I were drawn to the most were the Panchro S2s. Cooke Panchro S2 lenses are famous for their distinctive, warm, and organic image quality. I love the qualities that the "Cooke Look" offers: slightly soft contrast that enhances skin tones and provides a natural, inviting image. The lenses often create a sense of depth and dimensionality that is hard to replicate with modern, clinical lenses. They also have a smooth, gradual falloff in the focus area, particularly around the edges of the image. This creates a pleasing, cinematic bokeh that is creamy, rounded, and aesthetically soft, rather than harsh or distracting.

The Panchros offered a perfect combination of character and fidelity that the other lenses we tested couldn’t produce while paired with a digital sensor. This was important for us because the focus of this film is Audrey, who is often framed in the centre, but the world around her seems to be in complete chaos. These lenses really brought out this feeling. 

I’ve shot with these lenses with original housing in the past and they were in pretty bad shape which sometimes scared me away despite really loving the look. 

The TLS design of these lenses offered my camera assistant beautiful housing that was consistently reliable from focal length to focal length. The lightweight was optimal for our steadicam work. The rehousing also optimized close focus capabilities.

 Rarely did I need a diopter for certain probing shots.

Do you have any upcoming projects where you’ll be using TLS lenses that you would like to share?

I am shooting a short film titled It Was You directed by Joy Webster. We are opting to shoot with TLS rehoused Canon K35’s. Similar to my previous experiences with vintage lensing, having shot with original housing makes it difficult for focus pullers to work with because the gears stick or alignment is constantly shifting. On top of this, old housing can be quite noisy and ruin on-set recording of sound. The set we are using are beautifully rehoused and will eliminate any of these problems. I am excited to use K35’s because of their beautiful contrast, flaring and sharpness. We wanted to shoot this film with extremely shallow depth of field and so being able to use vintage lenses that can open up to a T/1.3 - T/1.5 is a dream.

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You can find out more about Nikolay Michaylov on his website (https://www.nikolaymichaylov.com/) or instagram page: @nikolaymichaylov

Learn how TLS can help you preserve and enhance your cinema lenses. Contact us on +44 (0) 1455 848 411 or Sales@truelens.co.uk