The last time Boards profiled star DP Chris Soos (in March, 2001, to be exact), he espoused the virtues of spontaneity on a shoot, his love of pushing film stock, his disdain for fixing it in post and his "subversive attitude". Even though the art of making spots has undergone some radical tweaks over the last five years, the Canadian-born, LA-based Soos remains as committed to experimentation (he's currently dabbling with HD prosumer cameras "just for fun") and subverting the norm as ever.

"If everybody shoots [with a] Viper, I'll shoot 35; if everybody's shooting 35 then I'll shoot Super 16," he says via email while shooting in Vancouver. "Essentially what excites [me] is shooting on a format that's not typical of a current [visual] market trend."

While advances in post, particularly faster render times and photoreal CG, have played much more of a role in some of his recent work, Soos says relying on them can invariably lead to decision by committee. But the results can be worth it - "like any project, it always takes a little magic in the air to pull off one's original intentions". He cites the "wonderful flavor" of the recent Sears "Arboretum" spot helmed by MJZ's Rupert Sanders as an example of in-camera expertise and CG wizardry integrating seamlessly.

Soos also points to the close relationships he's developed with directors he's worked with recently - Floria Sigismondi, Jake Scott, Dante Ariola and Sanders - as proof that good work comes from a combination of "synergy and mind reading".

Repped by Radiant Artists in the US and Suneeva in Canada as a director/DP, Soos says he's eager to work on longer projects. "I love working with actors now, [but I] didn't really 10 years ago." Still, the commercial realm continues to provide him with plenty of room to indulge in experimentation - he mentions a recent job with Happy where he pulled out old-school Baltar lenses, Mitchell diffusion and VariCon filters.

"I also loved a Coke spot I did with Dante," he says, referring to "Parade" in which the camera, mounted on an Ultimate Arm crane in a Porsche Cayenne, follows a kid on a bike through a series of parades. Again, subversion plays a role - "[it was] an unconventional use of the camera rig but it worked. I highly recommend the Ultimate Arm. Plus it keeps you dry in the rain!"

Radiant Artists http://www.radiantartists.com
Suneeva http://www.suneeva.com