Kommer Kleijn SBC, who chaired the IMAGO Technical committe for a decade, became IMAGO honorary member at the IMAGO International Awards of Cinematography held in Belgrade on March 16th, 2019 where he received the IMAGO International Honorary Member Award.
Kommer Kleijn SBC was born in The Netherlands and is a Director of Photography, a digital imaging pioneer, a Visual Effects and motion control specialist and a Stereographer, who is also active in technology development and consults for equipment manufacturers. Kommer has always been at the forefront of the digital evolution. In 1996 he was the first to shoot digital cinematography in more than 2K, the first to shoot digitally for a large format movie, shot the first digitally captured clay animation short, and pioneered the single chip large sensor digital cinematography technique, on an experimental camera system he co-developed with two friends.
Apart from his amazing technical knowledge, Kommer Kleijn SBC is a cinematographer of some note. His screen credits include the stereography for “Lord of the Dance 3D”, the live 8 camera 3D capture of the “3Dimensies” concert by Marco Borsato in the Gelredome, the Netherlands and the Dutch/Belgian full length HFR 3D feature “Above Us All” which led him to receive the Best Feature award at the 3D Image festival in Lodz Poland, 2014
He collaborated with the development of two specialty camera systems (one Digital Cinematography, one 3D), a stereo processor for 3D live broadcast and designed a motion control rig: The Animoko. He pioneered stereography for the first 3DTV direct live transmissions in Belgium, France, Italy, and supervised the first direct 3D Eurovision show. He was given the 2017 Lumiere Award – Europe, Best European Stereography by the Advanced Imaging Society, UP3D and ‘Stereopsia’ for his 20 years of dedication to stereography.
Kommer became involved in IMAGO in 2003 when he took on the role to manage Internet technology for IMAGO and also to represent IMAGO within international Digital Cinema organizations.
In 2004 he started the ‘Higher Frame Rates’ initiative in IMAGO and EDCF for an enhanced image quality and he wound up chairing Frame Rate related Working Groups in the SMPTE from 2006 up to today. With the support of IMAGO, EDCF and many others, this resulted in the addition of the frame rates of 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps to the International Standard for Digital Cinema distribution and Projection.
In 2007 the IMAGO Technical Committee was created and Kommer was elected as it’s first president and remained so for a decade. Kommer has closely followed and participated in the development of digital cinema and as such provided assistance to Paul-René Roestad in setting up the immensely valuable Oslo Digital Cinema conferences.
He is a regular speaker on international image technology and 3D events and was awarded the “Bert Easey Technical Achievement Award” by the BSC for his achievement in implementing the 60 frame rate proposal as an addition to the International Standard for Digital Cinema projection.
Despite ill health, Kommer Kleijn remains an SMPTE chairman, a member of the board of SBC and he will participate in the upcoming IMAGO educational conference in April, talking about, well you guessed it, cinema frame rates….
Complete BIO
Kommer Kleijn SBC (1959)studied in Belgium with Ghislain Cloquet ASC and Charlie Vandamme AFC. He is a Director of Photography, a digital imaging pioneer, a Visual Effects and motion control specialist and a Stereographer, and is also active in perception research, technology development and standardization, and consults for equipment manufacturers. While he learned the trade with analogue film he has always been at the forefront of the digital evolution. In 1996 he was the first to shoot digital cinematography in more than 2K. He was the first to shoot digitally for a large format movie, shot the first digitally captured clay animation short, and pioneered the single chip large sensor digital cinematography technique, on an experimental camera system he co-developed with two friends. He presented this technology publicly at the VFX 2000 International conference in London, and it has now become mainstream throughout the industry, putting the previously used three chip method on the side. In 2004 he initiated the Additional Frame Rates work in Digital Cinema Projection Standardization, leading to the addition of the frame rates of 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps to the International standard of Digital Cinema distribution and Projection (DCP) in 2009. In 2011 he worked on the first theatrical feature that actually used a short exposure time per frame (1/100th sec). He collaborated with the development of two specialty camera systems (one Digital Cinematogrphy, one 3D), a stereo processor for 3D live broadcast and designed a motion control rig: The Animoko. He has worked on visual effects for commercials, special venue movies and large format movies and he has also photographed many of those. Among them are numerous stereoscopic productions, including IMAX 3D. He has been practising stereography professionally since 1998 and as a stereographer has been involved with many kinds of 3D productions including theatrical features, commercials and stereoscopic multi camera live captures for sports and music. He pioneered stereography for the first 3DTV direct live transmissions in Belgium, France, Italy, and supervised the first direct 3D Eurovision show. He was given the 2017 Lumiere Award – Europe, Best European Stereography by the Advanced Imaging Society, UP3D and ‘Stereopsia’ for his 20 years of dedication to stereography.
He has been a teacher in 3 film schools and worked internationally as an instructor for 3D workshops for professionals. He has chaired the IMAGO technical committee for a decade and he has served as an SBC, UP3D and EDCF board member. He is a member of the AES, chairs SMPTE 21DC Additional Frame Rates Groups since 2006 and was a co-chair of the SMPTE 21DC study group on High Frame Rates (HFR). He is a regular speaker on international image technology and 3D events and was awarded the “Bert Easey Technical Achievement Award” by the BSC in for his achievement in implementing the 60 frame rate proposal as an addition to the International Standard for Digital Cinema projection. He received an IMAGO Tribute for his contributions to IMAGO, the European Federation of Cinematographers, and he is an IMAGO depute board member.
His later works include the stereography for the Michael Flatley movie “Lord of the Dance 3D”, of the live 8 camera 3D capture of the “3Dimensies” concert by Marco Borsato in the Gelredome, the Netherlands and the Dutch/Belgian full length HFR 3D feature “Above Us All” by Eugenie Jansen, which led him to receive the ‘Best Feature’ award at the 3D Image festival, Lodz, Poland, 2014
His interests extend into research on human hearing and sound reproduction. He participates in a development team led by John Watkinson, which is creating a new kind of loudspeakers.
His web site is at http://www.kommer.com
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Achievements and awards
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1981 Completion of studies Cinematography at INSAS, Brussels
1982 Donut Brussels Young Filmmakers Festival – Best Cinematography Award
1983 Donut Brussels Young Filmmakers Festival – Best Cinematography Award
1996 First known digital cinematography capture on a large single chip (24x36mm), and with higher than HD resolution (3K)
1997 First known digital cinematography capture for a large format movie (1570/IMAX)
2007 A first 4K shoot before 4K cameras were released, using dual HDcamSR
2008 Release and presentation of the “ANIMOKO”, a 3D motion control rig for animation
2009 Publication by SMPTE of the addition of 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps to the Internatinal standard for DCP
2009 BSC Bert Easey Technical Achievement Award
2011 First theatrical HFR feature exposed with a short shutter time
2014 3D Image Festival Lodz, Poland, ‘Best 3D Feature’ award
2016 IMAGO Tribute
2017 Advanced Image Society ‘LUMIERE’ Award – Best European Stereography
About Kommer’s Involvement in IMAGO
Kommer got involved in IMAGO in 2003 when then SBC president André Goeffers asked Kommer to travel with him to the 2003 extraordinary Imago General Assembly in Paris. During that meeting Kommer wound up taking on to manage Internet technology for IMAGO and also to represent IMAGO in international Digital Cinema organizations (EDCF, SMPTE). He kept doing both for a dozen of years, and still does so today for the SMPTE. In 2004 he started the ‘Higher Frame Rates’ initiative in IMAGO and EDCF for an enhanced image quality and he wound up chairing Frame Rate related Working Groups in the SMPTE from 2006 up to today. With the support of IMAGO, EDCF and many others, this resulted in the addition of the frame rates of 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps to the International Standard for Digital Cinema distribution and Projection (DCP) of which Kommer can now call himself (among many others) a co-author. In 2007, The IMAGO Technical Committee was created and Kommer was elected as it’s first president. A task which he once again took on for a decade. Kommer has always closely followed and participated in the development of digital cinema and has tried to inform IMAGO through the technical committee of its evolutions and of the consequences for cinematographers and as such provided assistance to Paul-René Roestad in setting up the immensely valuable Oslo Digital Cinema conferences. Recent health decline has prompted Kommer to relay ITC Presidency to his esteemed colleagues Philippe and Mick, while Kommer is still a member of the commitee. He still is an IMAGO depute board member, an SMPTE chairman and a member of the board of SBC. And he will participate in the upcoming IMAGO educational conference in April, talking about, well you guessed it, cinema frame rates.
