Born: 12 September 1943, Quebec City, Canada.

Education: University of Montréal.

Career: Started in 1963 as c.asst with the National Film Board of Canada. Became freelance doph in 1973. Ph commercials.

Awards: 'Genie' Award nom [1987] for 'Les fous de Bassan'; 'Gemini' Award nom [1992] for 'Le dortoir'; 'Genie' Award [1993] for 'Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould'; 'Genie' Award nom [1996] for 'Le confessionnal'; 'Genie' Award [1998] & 'Jutra' Award [1999] for 'Le violon rouge'; 'Gemini' Award nom [2001] for 'Nuremberg' [Part 1]; 'Jutra' Award nom [2002] for '15 février 1839'; 'Genie' Award nom [2007] & 'Jutra' Award [2008] for 'Silk'.

'Silk' marks the fourth collaboration between Alain Dostie and François Girard. "We know each other so well, it's like family," says the DOP.

The film's disparate shooting locations - Sermoneta, a village just outside of Rome, which doubled for the south of France, and Matsumoto, Japan - made the three and a half months of pre-production especially tough. "There were two production offices, so François was traveling back and forth," says Dostie, who initially made two trips to Italy and Japan to conduct shooting tests before returning to Montreal to prep.

Filming commenced in wintry Japan on February 25, on a set built entirely in the snow. "I've never seen so much snow in my life," remarks Dostie. "We don't know what snow is in Quebec."

The veteran cinematographer, who never studied film but can't remember ever doing anything else, says he "thought a lot" about how to achieve a different look for 'Silk'. "When we started shooting in Japan, I realized that I didn't have to do anything special - just shoot what was in front of the camera," says the lenser. "I didn't have to think about it as different because it was different."

Japan's grey and brownish winter landscape provided a sharp contrast to Italy. The cameraman notes it felt more like "a vacation" when the 15-member Canuck crew, including 'The Red Violin' production designer François Séguin, proceeded to springtime Italy in April for the remainder of the 55-day shoot. "It was a lot easier," he adds. A second unit covered scenery and travel shots in Africa and Siberia.

In addition to battling treacherous weather conditions in a remote area of Japan, the shoot was further complicated by the cultural and language barriers that existed between the Canadian filmmakers and Japanese crew. "We used signs and interpreters to communicate," recalls Dostie, who says he was captivated by the Japanese culture. "To me, it's one of the last exotic places on earth."

The DOP, who tried to light "as simple and as Zen as possible," says there were no crowds or big setups for the shoot, which featured only a few actors at a time, with the exception of a market scene. "It's a lot more difficult to shoot a scene with two actors doing the Japanese tea ceremony because there's not much there, and yet it has to be magic," Dostie explains. "There are no words, but everything is happening... [the main character] is falling in love."

Dostie used exterior fixtures only slightly - "just to improve the shadows" - because he wanted to imbue a documentary quality in the scenes. "I fought to avoid the period-film traps of using oil lamps and candles," he says. "I wanted it to look more real."

'Silk' was shot in the Super 35 format with a Panaflex camera, which mostly sat on a dolly. "François cannot do a shot without moving the camera, but not in an obtrusive way," Dostie notes.

The camera was manned by Sylvaine Dufaux, who worked as an assistant operator on 'The Red Violin'. "If you operate yourself, you're doing two jobs, which leaves you no time to talk with the director," says Dostie.

The DOP was very happy with his decision to use only one film stock - Kodak's Vision2 500T 5218 - for the entire film. "I've been thinking about [doing] it for years, and I was always chicken at the last moment," he says. "But it's a lot simpler because you set your eyes at 500 ASA and you never change."

CG work on 'Silk' wrapped at Ex-Centris in Montreal, with post-production otherwise done at Vision Globale/CitéLab. Dostie is currently doing digital intermediate work on the film for the first time in his career, but says he feels "very confident" with the process. [From article by Marise Strauss in PLAYBACK Magazine, 2006.]

FILMS

1966        La semaine dernière pas loin du pont [Guy Bergeron] b&w; short/11m

1967        Jeux de Québec 1967 [Jacques Bobet] c; doc/10m; cph: Thomas Vámos, Réo Grégoire & Guy Dufaux

1967        Better Housing for British Columbia/La Colombie-Britannique et l'habitation [Marcel Carrière] 16mm/c; doc/16m

1967        9 minutes [Jacques Bobet & Thomas Vámos] c; doc/9m; cph: Thomas Vámos, Réo Grégoire & Guy Dufaux

1967        Avec tambours et trompettes/With Drums and Trumpets [Marcel Carrière] c; doc/28m; cph: Bernard Gosselin

1967        Épisode [Marcel Carrière] 16mm/c; doc/59m

1967        FLQ [Jean-Pierre Masse] 16mm/b&w; doc/20m

1968        Au-delà des murs [Arthur Lamothe] 16mm/c; doc/29m

1968        Swing la baquaise [Jean-Pierre Masse] 16mm/b&w; doc/25m

1968        Taire des hommes [Pascal Gélinas & Pierre Harel] b&w; doc/32m; cph: Louis Potier

1968        In a Sugar Shack/À la cabane à sucre [Michel Moreau] c; short/3m; cph: Roger Rochat

1968        In the Park/Dans un parc public [Michel Moreau] c; short/3m; cph: Roger Rochat

1968        About Pellan/Voir Pellan [Louis Portugais] 16mm/c; doc/19m; also short version (6m) 'Alfred Pellan, peintre'

1968        Les acadiens de la dispersion [Léonard Forest] b&w; doc/118m; cph: Michel Thomas-d'Hoste, Thomas Vámos, Gilles

                    Gascon & Jack Long

1968        On est au coton/Cotton Mill, Treadmill [Denys Arcand] 16mm/b&w; doc/159m (censored version) & 173m (original

                    version); cph: Pierre Mignot; filmed 1968-71; released in 1976

1968        Notes sur la contestation [Louis Portugais] 16mm/b&w; doc/56m; cph: Michel Thomas-d'Hoste

1969        Cap d'espoir [Jacques Leduc] 16mm/c; doc/57m; cph: Claude Larue; released 1975

1969        Éloge du chiac [Michel Brault] 16mm/b&w; doc/27m; cph: M. Brault

1969        Ainsi soient-ils [Yvan Patry] 16mm/b&w; cph: Michel Thomas-d'Hoste

1970        Le Martien de Noël/The Christmas Martian [Bernard Gosselin] c; 66m

1970        Hôtel-Château [Marcel Carrière] 16mm/b&w; doc/59m; cph: Réo Grégoire

1970        10 milles - heure/10 Miles - Hour [Marcel Carrière] 16mm/c; doc/17m; cph: Pierre Mignot

1970        Québec: Duplessis et après.../Québec: Duplessis and After… [Denys Arcand] 16mm-35bu/b&w; doc/115m; cph:

                    Pierre Mignot, Pierre Letarte & Réo Grégoire

1970        On est loin du soleil/Frère André [Jacques Leduc] b&w-c

1971        Je chante à cheval avec Willie Lamothe [Lucien Ménard & Jacques Leduc] c; doc/57m

1971        La maudite galette/Dirty Money [Denys Arcand] p/c

1971        Le reel du pendu [André Gladu] 16mm/c; doc/57m; cph: Thomas Vámos

1972        Tendresse ordinaire/Ordinary Tenderness [Jacques Leduc] 16mm/b&w

1972        Why I Sing/Je chante pour... [John Howe] c; doc/57m (French version: 56m); cph: Pierre Letarte, Laval Fortier, André

                    Gagnon & Jean-Pierre Lachapelle

1972        Hard Rider/L'as du rodéo [Josef Reeve] c; doc/58m; cph: Eugene Boyko

1972        Formation en administration des affaires: techniques nouvelles d'animation [Thérèse Dumesnil] ?; doc/29m;

                    cph: Laval Fortier & Alain-Jean Rouger

1972        Sous le vent [Pierre Mignot] ?; doc/56m; cph: Daniel Fournier & Bernard Gosselin

1972        Réjeanne Padovani [Denys Arcand] c

1973        Images de Chine/Glimpses of China [Marcel Carrière] 16mm-35bu/c; doc/69m

1973        Ping-pong [Marcel Carrière] 16mm/c; doc/13m

1974        Gina/Stone Cold Revenge [Denys Arcand] c; + co-scrpl

1974        Pour le meilleur et pour le pire/For Better or Worse [Claude Jutra] c

1974        Les vautours/The Vultures [Jean-Claude Labrecque] b&w-c

1975        La lutte des travailleurs d'hôpitaux [Denys Arcand] 16mm/b&w; doc/28m; cph: Ronald Brault

1975        Le soleil se lève en retard/The Late Blossom [André Brassard] c

1976        On s'pratique... c'est pour les Olympiques [Jean-Claude Labrecque] ?; doc/59m; cph: André Gagnon & Jean-Pierre

                    Lachapelle

1976        Jornaleros/Travailleurs agricoles [Eduardo Maldonaldo] 16mm/c; doc/84m; cph: Henner Hofmann

1976        Santa Gertrudis, la première question sur le bonheur/Première question sur le bonheur/Primera pregunta

                    sobre la felicidad [Gilles Groulx] 16mm/c; doc/101m; cph: Pierre Mignot

1979        Les voleurs de Job/Where Dollars Grow on Trees [Tahani Rached] 16mm/c; doc/68m

1979        Métier: Boxeur [André Gagnon] 16mm/c; doc/90m; cph: Michel Caron, A. Gagnon & François Gill

1979        Manger avec sa tête [Monique Crouillère] ?; doc/57m; released 1981

1979        Final Assignment/Moscow Chronicle [Paul Almond] c; 2uc; ph: John Coquillon

1980        Le confort et l'indifférence/Comfort and Indifference/Québec et après... [Denys Arcand] 16mm/c; doc/109m;

                    cph: Jacques Godbout, Bernard Gosselin, Tahani Rached, a.o.

1980        Au pays de Zom [Gilles Groulx] b&w-c; opera/77m

1981        Au-delà des mots... La loi sur les langues officielles [Jacques Méthé] ?; doc/15m

1981        Elvis Gratton: Le King des Kings [Pierre Falardeau & Julien Poulin] 16mm/c; comp of 3 shorts: 'Elvis Gratton' (1981;

                    30m), 'Les vacances d'Elvis Gratton' (1983; 28m) & 'Pas encore Elvis Gratton' (1985); released 1985

1983        Les années de rêves/The Years of Dreams and Revolt [Jean-Claude Labrecque] c

1983        The Gunrunner [Nardo Castillo] c

1983        St. Louis Square [Nardo Castillo] unfinished feature

1985        Haïti (Québec) [Tahani Rached] c; doc/59m; cph: Jean-Pierre Lachapelle & Jacques Leduc

1986        Pellan [André Gladu] b&w-c; doc + dram seq/72m; cph: Pierre Mignot (doc ph) & Philippe Constantini

1986        Les fous de Bassan/In the Shadow of the Wind [Yves Simoneau] c

1986        La magie continue [Pierre Lacombe] c; 'Cirque du Soleil'-show/49m

1986        Kalamazoo [André Forcier] c

1987        Iron Eagle II [: The Battle Beyond the Flag] [Sidney J. Furie] c; aph: David B. Nowell

1988        Dans le ventre du dragon/In the Belly of the Dragon [Yves Simoneau] p/c

1988        The Gate II: Trespassers/Gate 2: The Trespassers/Gate II [: Return to the Nightmare] [Tibor Takács] c; 2uc;

                    ph: Bryan England

1989        Le Party [Pierre Falardeau] c

1989        Perfectly Normal [Yves Simoneau] c

1990        Le dortoir/The Dormitory [François Girard] c; short/53m

1992        Thirty-Two Short Films About Glenn Gould/Trente-deux films brefs sur Glenn Gould [François Girard] c; 2uc

                    Montreal: Sylvaine Dufaux

1993        Octobre/October [Pierre Falardeau] c

1994        L'arche de verre/The Glass Ark [Bernard Gosselin] v/c; doc/89m

1994        Le confessionnal [Robert Lepage] b&w-c; 2uc: Pierre Mignot

1995        The Biodome Adventure/L'aventure Biodôme [prod: Paul Lapointe] c; doc/52m; cph: Jean-Pierre Lachapelle

1995        La vengeance de la femme en noir [Roger Cantin] c; 3uc: Eric Cayla

1997        Le violon rouge/The Red Violin [François Girard] c; Oxford unit ph: Ernest Vincze

1997        The Assistant [Daniel Petrie] c; cph: Philip Earnshaw

1998        Elvis Gratton 2: Miracle à Memphis/Elvis Gratton II: Le film à voir avec ta tête, sti! [Pierre Falardeau & Julien

                    Poulin] c

2000        15 février 1839/February 15, 1839 [Pierre Falardeau] scope/c

2001        Cirque du Soleil: La magie continue [Pierre Lacombe] v/c; perf/50m

2004        Heaven and Earth/Barry [Marleen Gorris] announced; pre-production (2006)

2006        Silk/Soie [François Girard] s35/c; 2uc: Nathalie Moliavko-Visotzky

TELEVISION

1974        L'en premier [André Gladu & Michel Brault (MB)] doc/27m/16mm; ph seg 'Marjorique Duguay'; ph: MB; ep 27-part mus

                    doc series 'Le son des français d'Amérique' (1974-78)

1980        Sylvain [Jacques Méthé] doc/29m; ep series 'L'enfance de l'art'

1981        Empire, Inc. [Douglas Jackson (#1, 3 & 4) & Denys Arcand (ep #2, 5 & 6)] 6-part series/16mm

1991        Hosanna [Lorraine Pintal] tvm

1991        Les lettres de la religieuse portugaise [Denys Arcand] theatre perf/v

1992        Armen and Bullik [Alan Cooke] tvm

1994        The Planets [Barbara Willis Sweete] mus tvm/60m

1995        Yo-Yo Ma: Inspired by Bach [ep/55m 'Bach Cello Suite #2: The Sound of the Carceri' dir by François Girard] 6-part mus

                    perf series/s16, 1998; other ph: Mark Willis, André Pienaar, a.o.; filmed June 1994-July 1997

1995        Gai-jin [Yves Simoneau] miniseries cancelled by NBC-tv after 1 week of shooting

1996        The Best Bad Thing [Peter Rowe] tvm

1998        The Patty Duke Show: Still Rockin' in Brooklyn Heights [Christopher Leitch] tvm

1999        Nuremberg [Yves Simoneau] 2-part tvm; 2uc: Ervin Sanders

MISCELLANEOUS

1964        La corde au cou/Rope Around the Neck [Pierre Patry] co-c.asst; ph: Jean Roy

1964        Caïn/Les marcheurs de la nuit [Pierre Patry] 2nd c.asst; ph: Jean Roy; 1st version (76m) & 2nd version (70m)

1965        Poussière sur la ville [Arthur Lamothe] asst dir; ph: Guy-Laval Fortier

1965        Le beau plaisir/Beluga Days [Pierre Perrault, Michel Brault (MB) & Bernard Gosselin (BG); doc] co-c.asst; ph: MB & BG

1965        Le règne du jour/The Times That Are [Pierre Perrault; doc] c.asst + co-sound; ph: Jean-Claude Labrecque (add) &

                    Bernard Gosselin; filmed September/October 1965 & Winter 1966

1965        Les voitures d'eau/The River Schooners [Pierre Perrault; doc] c.asst; ph: Bernard Gosselin; filmed November

                    1965-July 1966

1967        Jean-Paul Sartre [Max Cacopardo; doc/58m] c.asst; ph: Michel Brault; ep series 'Dossiers'

1967        Chantal: en vrac [Jacques Leduc; dram doc] collab; ph: Thomas Vámos

1971        "C'est votre plus beau temps" [Alain Dostie; doc/b&w/100m/16mm] ph: Pierre Mignot