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DECEMBER 2010

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MEMBER PORTRAIT Bruce Logan, ASC

wasn’t allowed to see a movie until I was 10 years old, and “I when I finally saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, the forbidden fruit was beyond delicious. I suppose watching Journey to the Center of the Earth, In Search of the Castaways and The Time Machine steered me down my own career path, which has included the 2001: A Space Odyssey, Tron, Star Wars and Airplane! “American was my window onto the souls of my fellow artists, because I never really had any contact with other directors of photography until I joined the ASC. I still look through that window today to see all the innovative ways my peers solve the same problems I am faced with. AC is an invaluable tool for staying current in my chosen profession.”

— Bruce Logan, ASC ©photo by , ASC

TO SUBSCRIBE BY PHONE: Call (800) 448-0145 (U.S. only) (323) 969-4333 or visit the ASC Web site

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          DECEMBER 2010 VOL. 91 NO. 12

The International Journal of Motion Imaging

On Our Cover: A ballerina (Natalie Portman) suffers a terrifying psychological breakdown in Black Swan, shot by , ASC. (Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Fox Searchlight.)

FEATURES 30 Danse Macabre Matthew Libatique, ASC attempts an audacious jeté with the unnerving drama BlackSwan 50 50 Up Against It , BSC, DFF and serve as co- on ’s 64 Romantic Chemistry Steven Fierberg, ASC brings soul mates together in Love and Other Drugs 76 A Big-City Dream 64 , ASC captures glitz and glamour for the musical extravaganza Burlesque DEPARTMENTS 8 Editor’s Note 10 President’s Desk 12 Short Takes: “Dot” 76 18 Production Slate: The King’s Speech • I Love You Phillip Morris 88 Post Focus: 3-D Workflow at Company 3 92 Tomorrow’s Technology 94 Filmmakers’ Forum: Michael Grady 96 New Products & Services 102 International Marketplace 104 Classified Ads 104 Ad Index 105 2010 AC Index 112 ASC Membership Roster 114 Clubhouse News 116 ASC Close-Up: Frank B. Byers

— VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM TO ENJOY THESE WEB EXCLUSIVES — Podcast: , ASC on Howl DVD Playback: The Exorcist • Breathless • Troll 2 December 2010 Vol. 91, No. 12 The International Journal ofMotion Imaging

Visit us online at www.theasc.com ———————————————————————————————————— PUBLISHER Martha Winterhalter ———————————————————————————————————— EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE EDITOR Stephen Pizzello SENIOR EDITOR Rachael K. Bosley ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jon D. Witmer TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Stephanie Argy, Benjamin B, Douglas Bankston, Robert S. Birchard, John Calhoun, Bob Fisher, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Jay Holben, Mark Hope-Jones, Noah Kadner, Jean Oppenheimer, John Pavlus, Chris Pizzello, Jon Silberg, Iain Stasukevich, Kenneth Sweeney, Patricia Thomson ———————————————————————————————————— ART DEPARTMENT CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Gore ———————————————————————————————————— ADVERTISING ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann 323-936-3769 FAX 323-936-9188 e-mail: [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce 323-952-2114 FAX 323-876-4973 e-mail: [email protected] ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Burnell 323-936-0672 FAX 323-936-9188 e-mail: [email protected] CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Nepomuceno 323-952-2124 FAX 323-876-4973 e-mail: [email protected] ———————————————————————————————————— CIRCULATION, BOOKS & PRODUCTS CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina CIRCULATION MANAGER Alex Lopez SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal ———————————————————————————————————— ASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett Grauman ASC EVENTS COORDINATOR Patricia Armacost ASC PRESIDENT’S ASSISTANT Kim Weston ASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila Basely ASC ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Corey Clark ———————————————————————————————————— American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 90th year of publication, is published monthly in by ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A., (800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344. Subscriptions: U.S. $50; Canada/ $70; all other foreign countries $95 a year (remit international Money Order or other exchange payable in U.S. $). Advertising: Rate card upon request from Hollywood office. Article Reprints: Requests for high-quality article reprints (or electronic reprints) should be made to Sheridan Reprints at (800) 635-7181 ext. 8065 or by e-mail [email protected]. Copyright 2010 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals postage paid at , CA and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078. 4 ———————————————————————————————————— 03AB17<3;/B=5@/>6G E/::G>47AB3@/A1

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E/@<3@0@=A  1=; American Society of Cine ma togra phers The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but an educational, cultural and pro fes sion al orga ni za tion. Membership is by invitation to those who are actively en gaged as di rec tors of photography and have demon strated out stand ing ability. ASC membership has be come one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a profes sional cin e ma tog ra pher — a mark of prestige and excellence.

OFFICERS - 2010/2011 Michael Goi President Richard Crudo Vice President Owen Roizman Vice President John C. Flinn III Vice President Matthew Leonetti Treasurer Rodney Taylor Secretary Ron Garcia Sergeant At Arms

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD John Bailey Stephen Burum Curtis Clark George Spiro Dibie John C. Flinn III Michael Goi Stephen Lighthill Isidore Mankofsky Daryn Okada Robert Primes Nancy Schreiber Kees Van Oostrum

ALTERNATES Fred Elmes Rodney Taylor Michael D. O’Shea Sol Negrin Michael B. Negrin

MUSEUM CURATOR Steve Gainer 6

Editor’s Note

I first met Matthew Libatique, ASC and at the 1998 Sundance Festival, shortly after their debut film, Pi, won the directing award in the Dramatic category. As they celebrated, I noticed their easy rapport — close friends who were excited to see the future opening up for them. We stayed in touch as they continued taking creative risks with and . Their latest effort, Black Swan, gener- ated immediate buzz after it opened this year’s Venice . The movie’s dark, experimental tone makes it a must-see for cinephiles who prefer material that tran- scends established genres — in this case, drama, dance and horror. As Libatique told me during our interview, “When I read the original script years ago, it seemed like a genre film, but on every project I’ve done with Darren, the script is just 25 percent of what the film’s eventually going to be.” You can read much more of his analysis in our Q&A (“Danse Macabre,” page 30), along with Aronofsky’s own reflections on the project (“Directing Black Swan,” page 34). Also testing themselves were Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF and Enrique “Quique” Chediak, who served as co-cinematographers on Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. The movie tells the true story of Aron Ralston, a young climber who was forced to amputate his arm after it became wedged between a dislodged boulder and a canyon wall. In addition to working as a duo, Dod Mantle and Chediak had to dramatize a unique dilemma. “With the film’s single character stuck in a canyon for most of the movie, Danny thought it would be interesting to add a bit of chaos by shooting through two sets of eyes, and that started to make sense to me,” Chediak tells Mark Hope-Jones (“Up Against It,” page 50). “It was a real challenge for Quique and me on every level, including operating, lighting and commu- nication,” Dod Mantle adds. “Our job was to help Danny find new ways of keeping the story alive in a very limited space.” Romantic comedy might seem like a conventional form, but Steven Fierberg, ASC and director Ed Zwick mixed things up on Love and Other Drugs, in which a randy pharma- ceuticals rep experiences the surprising urge to settle down with a free-spirited artist suffer- ing from Parkinson’s Disease. While the film offers romance and laughs, it also acknowledges the potentially tragic future of the characters’ relationship, so Fierberg took a path that balanced these elements. “We wanted to sculpt their faces in a way that made them appear their most attractive,the strongest version of themselves,” he explains to Michael Goldman (“Romantic Chemistry,” page 64). “That meant lighting faces from a precise angle and not putting much light anywhere else. There are a lot of dark areas in the frame. So even though the movie is largely a comedy, I’d say we lit for drama.” Whereas Black Swan takes a stripped-down approach to dance, Bojan Bazelli, ASC pulled out all the stops on Burlesque, the story of a small-town girl () trying to make it big in a Los Angeles cabaret show.“ Burlesque is the kind of movie every cine- matographer dreams about — it’s eye candy,” he tells Iain Stasukevich (“A Big-City Dream,” page 76).

Stephen Pizzello Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC. Executive Editor 8 4=@G=C@1=

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E/@<3@0@=A  1=; President’s Desk

Inspiration is difficult to quantify and impossible to predict. It happens at unexpected times and affects our lives and careers in unexpected ways. Yet it is the one element that drives us to do the things we do, regardless of reason, logic or common sense. Years from now, I’ll be able to say I was there when my 3-year-old son, Michael, got his first big jolt of inspiration. Sure, he’s always been happy mixing his food together after watching a cooking show, or marveling at the way a hummingbird flies, but this was different. Gina gave birth to our second son, Ryan, two weeks ago. Michael has been protectively supportive of his little brother, so we wanted to do something special for him. We decided to take him to Disneyland for the day. As we were preparing to leave the park in the evening, we stopped by the Nickelodeon Theater on Main Street, where they run six different black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons on six screens in a circular setup. The moment we walked into the dark room, I could see it hit him; Michael stopped in his tracks and slowly looked around the room at the six screens. He has certainly seen movies and cartoons before, and he has been to numerous theaters, but this was different. He stood in one spot for a good five minutes, taking in the surroundings, then sat on the floor in front of one screen and watched the six-minute cartoon (Traffic Troubles) twice. Then he shifted over and watched the next screen’s cartoon twice, and so on, all around the room. He is a talkative boy, but he never said a thing during the experience — not a laugh nor a question. I watched his face as he scanned the screen and the environment. I could see him thinking. When we had watched all the cartoons twice, he simply got up and walked out the door with us. It reminded me of the time I was 7 years old and went to a friend’s birthday party, where he was showing 8mm films of Frankenstein and Dracula on the wall with a projector. Watching the strip of film with little pictures disappear into the machine and seeing the moving pictures on the wall jogged something in my brain; suddenly, it was like random thoughts had focus, and I felt like I understood more. It also freed my mind to truly explore and fantasize. I see that change in Michael now. He’s still the same kid, but he’s different. I sense it in the way he speaks and the manner in which he plays. He’s looking at the world in a different way, and I can’t pretend to fully understand why. I don’t ask him about it because I don’t think he would be able to explain it, and I also don’t want to disrupt the thought process he’s going through by asking him to analyze it. But it’s there. Who can say how that moment of inspiration will affect the rest of his life? Inspiration is necessary for all of us to get through the day, let our lives. If we don’t find it, we somehow become hollow representations of ourselves, shadows of the people we really are. For a few years, I thought I had lost the ability to be inspired. Then, typically, I found it again in an unusual way. My wife snapped this photo of Michael and me on her phone. It’s out of focus, compositionally crooked, and you can’t see our faces, yet it is my favorite photo. It inspires me — to be a loving husband, a decent father, a dedicated teacher, a selfless mentor, a tireless artist and a compassionate leader. My wife jokingly says of Michael’s introspective observations, “Oh, boy, now he’s going to be just like his daddy. He’s going to want to save the world.” I hope for nothing less. Happy holidays, and best wishes for an inspiring new year.

Michael Goi, ASC President Portrait by Owen Roizman, ASC.

10 December 2010 American Cinematographer

Short Takes

Tiny puppets attached to thin wires star in “Dot,” a stop- motion Nokia spot created by Aardman Animations.

Aardman Animates With Nokia’s N8 their film. Manipulating a 9mm-tall puppet was out of the question, I By Iain Stasukevich so, in consultation with Aardman’s head modelmaker, Chris Entwhistle, they decided to do replacement animation: a resin-based University of -Berkeley professor Daniel Fletcher rapid prototyping machine would create a microscopic Dot model created the CellScope with the idea that a user could transform a for every frame of movement. cell-phone camera into a diagnostic-quality microscope by attaching “It’s worth noting that we actually planned to go a lot smaller a 5-50x lens with a custom mount that clamps onto the phone body. than we did,” says Patterson. The directors wanted the puppet to The goal was to enable medical professionals working in remote be 4mm tall, but the rapid prototype machine couldn’t physically locations to visualize, capture, organize and transmit images of print the character that small. Gardiner’s work on the modified biological samples for diagnosis. CellScope lens was already complete, so the lens angle was widened Creatives at Wieden+Kennedy advertising agency in to accommodate a 9mm character. decided to pair Fletcher’s creation with a high-end smartphone, the A total of 150 puppets — 50 poses, three puppets for each Nokia N8. The agency approached Aardman Animations with an pose — were attached to thin wire, painted and positioned in front open brief: create a microscopic film with the CellScope and an N8. of the camera lens while the meter-long background scrolled from Animation directors Ed Patterson and Will Studd, collectively known right to left on the base of an old Rostrum camera. The motion- as Sumo Science, and cinematographer Mark Chamberlain all controlled animation stand was programmed for a continuous 60- jumped at the opportunity. second shot, Chamberlain explains. “Lew modified the platform’s Early on, the filmmakers considered medical concepts, like stepper motors so we could work in increments of half a millimeter. animating blood cells, but scrapped them in favor of “Dot,” a side- That’s how precise we had to be.” scrolling adventure about a microscopic girl who falls into a Wonder- The Nokia N8 turned out to be an excellent animation land-like world constructed of textiles, loose change and pocket lint. camera, with its 12-megapixel 1⁄1.83" image sensor, 5.9mm Carl Chamberlain’s first task was to have Lew Gardiner, Aardman’s Zeiss lens and HDMI-out capabilities. (It also captures 720p HD senior mechnical engineer, construct a CellScope lens that would at 25 fps.) “The image has virtually no noise,” says Chamberlain. perceive depth — CellScopes are designed to focus on a single plane “For what we were doing, and the size at which we were doing it, of glass, and Chamberlain needed to know how much depth-of-field there was no margin of error when it came to getting the image as he could get. Gardiner consulted with optics professors at the Univer- clean as possible.” sity of Bristol to modify the lens design and brought the new A specially modified prototype N8 helped circumvent certain elements back to Aardman, where he built the final assembly. Mean- production-model issues, such as shifting color temperatures and an

while, Studd and Patterson got to work figuring out how to animate auto-shutdown function. Chamberlain looked at locking the expo- Photos courtesy of Aardman Animations and Wieden+Kennedy.

12 December 2010 American Cinematographer “THERE’S A TOUCH OF AGITATION IN ’S CAMERAWORK, ENOUGH TO LEND AN EDGE OF AUTHENTICITY TO THE PROCEEDINGS.” AMY BIANCOLLI, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE

BEST

ROBERT ELSWIT, ASC

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

E/@<3@0@=A  1=; moved in every frame, Chamberlain’s biggest concern was figuring out how to light the whole setup. “We mounted two lamps, an 650-watt key light bounced onto a 6-by-4-inch poly and an Arri 350- watt fill with F1 [Rosco 216] diffusion,on a goalpost lighting stand above the set,” he says. “We also had a 50-watt fiber-optic light attached to the top of the camera so that as we moved the set, it was consis- tently toplit. It worked brilliantly.” Studd and Patterson wanted to contextualize the film’s scale by setting it in a tiny Edwardian world of keys, pencil shav- ings and Liberty Fabrics. Dot must outrun a tidal wave of frayed edges as the patchwork landscape begins to unravel at her heels. Almost every effect onscreen was accom- plished in-camera as hand-manipulated animation, which kept the two animators busy for four weeks. In addition to the painstaking task of moving his leading lady with a pair of tweezers, Patterson had to remember to press three buttons every setup. He explains, “I had to take my frame in Stop Motion Pro, then the frame from the Nokia phone, and then move the set.” Although the set was motion-controlled, the image was so magnified — approxi- mately 15x with a modified field of view — that even the smallest shift in an object’s position was noticeable. “We were dealing with such fine increments,” says Chamber- lain. “If we’d been on a Milo motion- Top: Dot control system shooting 35mm, we could hitches a ride on a have gone back to any exact frame, but bumblebee. nothing has been engineered to work Middle: The under a microscope and repeat the moves portion of the small set used perfectly.” for the “It was a bit of an issue at first, bumblebee because we didn’t want to have to touch ride. Bottom: The puppets the phone every time we took a frame are laid out because we were afraid it would move,” with sketches adds Patterson. “So we connected an depicting their specific Apple wireless keyboard to the phone. movements. Hitting ‘return’ captured the image with the phone.” As the set unravels, Dot flees across sure manually, “but it turns out that you provided the team with a live HDMI feed so the edges of coins, through crystal caves can’t actually do that,” he says. “We did they could watch low-resolution live-view and even atop a fuzzy bumblebee. The set some tests and realized that by the time images overlaid onto the stored images in is a relief from which the elements rise you’ve lit the shot and animated the set and Stop Motion Pro. toward the camera; at one point, Dot runs the character, the camera’s sensor has Because the end of the CellScope behind one of the crystals, and the fore- settled to the point where every exposure is lens was never more than a couple of ground element is so close to the CellScope relatively constant.” The modified N8 also centimeters from the subject, and the set lens that the two almost scrape across each

14 December 2010 American Cinematographer

other. The densely layered crystals also caused depth-of-field concerns. “Even with Lew adjusting the arrangement of the lenses in the microscope attachment, we were pushing the edges of our focus,” notes Chamberlain. The unraveling effect that pursues Dot was accomplished in two ways: The boiling mass was made up of extra materi- als from each sequence in the film — fabrics, metal and scraps. Studd and Patter- son animated the threads to push the right- hand side of the screen, followed by a strip of white card to simulate a featureless void. “The other method was to rip the set apart as we went along, which was a scary thing to do,” says Studd. “It’s only when we got to the forest, in the last sequence, that we actually had to rip it up by hand.” “With this sort of animation, once you’ve committed to it, you have to go for it,” asserts Chamberlain. “You have to prep everything carefully, and if you knock it down, you have to build it back up before you can do it again. And you don’t have the time to do those two seconds over again because capturing them took an entire day!” Some visual effects were needed to complete the spot. Studd used Adobe AfterEffects to realign the background plates and remove Dot’s wires, and the bee called for a few touch-ups as well. (The animators used a dead bee, but used a computer to simulate its flapping wings.) “Animating on this scale hadn’t been done before, but we knew we could do it — we’re all experimenters,” says Patterson. They were also gunning for a world record, and they got it: Guinness confirms that “Dot” contains “the world’s smallest stop-motion character animation.” “I love the jobs where someone says it’s impossible to do, because I know I can find a way of doing it,” says Chamberlain. “Will, Ed and Lew have exactly the same spirit, and that’s why we could achieve what we did.” ●

Top: Dot scampers across the edge of a coin. Middle: A wider view of the coin set. Bottom: One of the puppets provides scale in this photo of the CellScope lens attached to a modified Nokia prototype.

16 December 2010 American Cinematographer FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY , ASC, AFC

E/@<3@0@=A  1=; Production Slate

In The King’s Speech, Albert Frederick Arthur George (Colin Firth, left), soon to become ’s King George VI, undergoes speech therapy with Lionel Logue ().

A Future King Finds His Voice director had a very clear vision of how he wanted the I By Jean Oppenheimer story told: hard light, wide lenses and short-sided framing. “Period films usually employ soft light, but Tom believes that to make history Thunderous applause erupted inside the Theater come alive, you must give it an emotional power that feels current,” after the Telluride Film Festival’s first screening of The King’sSpeech says Cohen, who also collaborated with Hooper on Longford and — and after the second screening, and the third. Two weeks later, John Adams. (On the latter, Cohen handled the European shoot the period drama about the unlikely friendship between a future while , ASC handled the U.S. shoot.) “Part of that is king of England (Colin Firth) and an eccentric Australian speech ther- making [events] look as if they could have happened two days ago. apist (Geoffrey Rush) won the Audience Award at the Toronto Inter- Hard light coming through windows gives the images a slightly more national Film Festival. And on top of everything, the story is true. contemporary feel.” Unlike Henry VIII or Elizabeth I and II, George VI doesn’t have Most of The King’s Speech was shot on location, including a high profile outside the . Christened Albert Fred- scenes set in Logue’s consulting room. The filmmakers originally erick Arthur George — and known as Bertie within the family — planned to build the room onstage at Elstree Studios, but changed George VI reluctantly ascended to the throne in 1936, when his their minds after Hooper and production designer Eve Stewart brother abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson. He had developed a found a beautifully preserved Georgian house that offered an ideal debilitating stutter in childhood, and that, coupled with his father’s space: a large back room that featured dark wood and a leaded- constant disparagement, stripped him of all confidence. Speaking in glass ceiling. “We built a scaffold on the roof and rigged 14 4K and public, part of his duties as Duke of York, was excruciating for him 6K Arri Lights,” recalls Cohen. “We added a few [Kino Flo] Wall- and his audience. It wasn’t until Bertie stumbled upon Lionel Logue, O-Lites and 2.5K [Arri HMI] Compacts, then covered the entire roof an Australian speech therapist, that he learned to control his stam- with a huge blackout tent. No matter when we were shooting, day mer. The two men became close friends, something unheard of or night, we were able to maintain consistent light.” between royalty and commoners. The King’s Speech begins shortly “To achieve the kind of light Tom wanted coming through photos by Laurie Sparham, courtesy of See-Saw Films. before the two men meet and ends with the king’s first wartime the windows, Danny tended to use bigger lights and soften them,” speech to the nation. says Paul McGeachan, Cohen’s longtime gaffer. “We used 18K HMI Director of photography Danny Cohen, BSC, whose recent and 6K MSR units with no-color straws or 1⁄8 CTOs, or put a 1⁄4, 1⁄2

credits include This isEngland and HBO’s John Adams, reports that or Full Spun on barn doors and either [directed the light through] a The King’s Speech

18 December 2010 American Cinematographer “ DAZZLING.’’ IS POWERED BY IMPECCABLE CRAFTSMANSHIP.” JOE MORGENSTERN,

“ THE MUTED TONES AND PROWLING CAMERA MAKE THE FILM A NEO-NOIR, STALKING .” RICHARD CORLISS,

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY , ASC

SonyPictures.com/Awards Right: The future king meets with Logue in the therapist’s consulting room. Below: Prepping a shot of Logue’s son (Dominic Applewhite) in the consulting room are (from left) boom operator Mike Reardon, focus puller Peter Byrne, camera operator Zac Nicholson and director of photography Danny Cohen, BSC.

floated off to one side. A mix of other units — 2.5K Compacts, 4K Mole Beams and 6K Pars, most gelled with 1⁄8 CTO — were scat- tered throughout the church. “Tom was very keen on using wider lenses, typically 14mm, 18mm, 21mm, 25mm and 27mm, and often with the camera very close to the actor,” notes Cohen. The slight distortion of the image serves to underscore Bertie’s intense anxiety and discomfort. “If you put a lens 6 inches from somebody’s face, you get more emotion than if you’re on a long lens 20 feet away,” observes Cohen. Early in the film, Bertie has to give a speech at Wembley Stadium. A- camera/ operator Zac Nicholson and focus puller Peter Byrne, both part of couple of frames of silk or bounced it into 4K Pars, aimed through 1⁄8 CTO and Lee Cohen’s regular crew, recall the scene: “The poly [through] a frame of silk.” 251 diffusion,on a balcony that ran along intention was to shoot Bertie’s walk up the At Lancaster House, which doubled one side of the nave. The fixtures, all wired stairs and out onto the stands, and then for Buckingham Palace, Cohen’s crew to dimmers, were aimed at the floor, where capture as much of the speech as one 400- rigged 30 4K HMI Pars outside the windows white sheets and unbleached muslin served foot mag would allow, in one Steadicam on scaffolding that a construction crew had as bounce. Most of the abbey scenes are set shot,” recounts Nicholson. “[That entailed] already erected. (The mansion was under- in the crossing, a large, octagonal space squeezing through a very narrow gap as we going renovation). This light was softened close to the center of the church. To light the came out into the stadium and onto the by Egyptian cotton, 300 meters in all. crossing, an Airstar 8.4K Hybrid Ellipse rostrum, [where Bertie steps] in front of the At Ely Cathedral, whose interior balloon light (holding four 1.2K MSR bulbs microphone, and then holding a static frame doubled for Westminster Abbey, the crew and four 1K tungsten bulbs) was floated for what felt like ages.” Byrne picks up the covered the windows and placed a row of overhead, and a 4K tungsten balloon was story: “The Steadicam was on a 21mm lens.

20 December 2010 American Cinematographer There’s a story beyond every still. Find yours. In Full HD video. The Canon EOS 5D Mark II. The only camera in the world* to combine a 21.1 Full-Frame CMOS sensor with 1080p Full HD video. Delivering a shallow depth-of-field, breathtaking resolution and an extensive choice of EF lenses that allow you to shoot anything from a movie to a commercial to a feature film. See the whole story at usa.canon.com/kiss. Inspired. By Canon.

©2010 Canon U.S.A., Inc. Canon and EOS are registered trademarks of Canon Inc. in the . IMAGEANYWARE is a trademark of Canon. All rights reserved. *As of April 2010 with fantastic ceilings, so we wanted to see as much of them as possible,” notes the cinematographer. The picture was finished with a digi- tal intermediate at Molinare, where Cohen worked with colorist Gareth Spensley. The negative was scanned at 4K on a North- light, and the color correction and Arrilaser filmout were done at 2K. “It wasn’t a partic- ularly complicated grade — our biggest task was removing modern cars from wide shots,” Cohen recalls. “We also had to add some soot to the buildings. Once London passed the Clean Air Act, people stopped burning coal at home.” In fact, creating smog and fog on the set “was a fun thing to try and do,” he continues. For a scene showing Bertie’s wife Above: riding in a car in dense fog, “massive smoke Nicholson, machines were positioned up and down Byrne and Reardon follow Harley Street, much to the neighborhood’s Firth and Rush annoyance. There was so much smoke it set for a key walk- off the fire alarms in a nearby hospital, so and-talk in foggy Regents we had to move down the street.” In Park. Below: The another scene, Bertie and Logue walk crew prepares a through a foggy Regents Park, and as the scene in which Bertie, scene progresses, the skies clear and the accompanied by sun emerges. “We were incredibly lucky his wife (Helena that day,” recalls Cohen. “It was the end of Bonham Carter), delivers a the day, and as they walk, they’re backlit by disastrous the sun, which is very low in the sky at that speech. time of day in late November/early Decem- ber. They argue, and then Bertie walks away, and Lionel turns and walks back in Danny gave me a stop pull to incorporate finally listens to a recording that Logue the direction he came from. He’s now between T1.4 and T2 as we were tracking made of him speaking — at Logue’s insis- frontlit by the sun, which, due to its angle, backwards up the steps. At times, Colin gets tence, Bertie had worn headphones that gives him an unusually long shadow. A very close to the lens, [which was at] prevented him from hearing his own voice, horseman trots by in the opposite direction, absolute minimum focus. We shot without and he didn’t stutter. Upon hearing the casting an equally eye-catching shadow.” the matte box because it would have recording, Bertie breaks into sobs, and his Cohen was delighted by the enthu- thrown a shadow on his face.” wife, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter), siastic response The King’s Speech received Hooper’s third stylistic imperative approaches from a doorway behind him. in Telluride and Toronto. “The story is 80 involved some unusual framing. “If some- The scene is bathed in a warm light that years old,” he muses, “but it hasn’t lost its body is looking off-screen to the right, you’d Cohen reserved for scenes in which Bertie is impact.” normally put them in the left of frame, leav- alone with his wife. The Chinese lanterns, ing space on the right — that’s what is 650-watt Fresnels and 150-watt Peppers TECHNICAL SPECS generally conceived as a comfortable that illuminate the scene were all dimmed image,” explains Cohen. “But if you put down to a golden glow. Super 1.85:1 that same face very close to the right-hand Cohen shot The King’s Speech in 3-perf Super 35mm side of the frame, it feels kind of jagged. It’s 3-perf Super 35mm for a final aspect Arricam Lite not an easy watch, and putting people in ratio of 1.85:1, using two Arricam Lites Arri lenses uncomfortable positions worked for this and Arri Master Primes (provided by Take Fujifilm Eterna Vivid 500 8547, 160 8543 story.” Two in London). “You get a bit more height A turning point in the film comes in the frame with 1.85, and we were Printed on Vision 2383 when a thoroughly demoralized Bertie filming in these old, beautiful buildings ➣

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cookeoptics.com Panchro Colorful con man Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) finds true love in prison with Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) in the comedy I Love You Phillip Morris, shot by Xavier Pérez Grobet, ASC, AMC.

two people who will do almost anything to be together,” says Grobet. The visual style, which he describes as “free, open and unre- strained,” often dictated a handheld camera. (Grobet usually operated the A camera, while Brian Nordheim was on the B camera.) A handheld camera was also well suited to Carrey’s improvisational style, which kept the camera crew on their toes. Grobet recalls, “Jim usually did two or three takes along the lines of what he’d discussed with the directors, but then he would do as many as 10 takes going off in completely different directions, and we had to be prepared to capture all that.” The filmmakers’ spontaneous approach was a key factor in their decision to shoot on film. “Glenn was initially inter- A Daring Romance element of I Love You Phillip Morris, a ested in shooting digital, and we tested I By David Heuring comedy based on the true story of Steven some high-end digital cameras, but with the Russell (Jim Carrey), a closeted homosexual style we had in mind, I knew I would want I Love You Phillip Morris marks the whose life is changed by a car accident. the camera to become an extension of my directing debut of writing team Glenn After coming out of the closet and leaving body,” explains Grobet. “We had a tight Ficarra and John Requa, and cinematogra- his wife (Leslie Mann), he becomes a con schedule, and I was afraid of spending a lot photosby Patti Perret and Glen Watson, courtesy of Roadside Attractions. pher Xavier Pérez Grobet, ASC, AMC recalls man and lands in prison, where he falls in of time with cables and in tents — all the that when he asked them why they wanted love with a fellow inmate, Phillip Morris stuff that comes with digital. This film had a to direct, they said, “We’ve repeatedly (Ewan McGregor). Once Morris is released, lot of scenes that required mobility and free- watched other directors destroy our vision. Russell escapes from prison four times in dom. Now it’s our turn to destroy our vision.” order to be with him. “I also felt that the texture of film

Sharp humor is an important “This is essentially a love story about was better suited to the emotion in the I Love You Phillip Morris

24 December 2010 American Cinematographer ©Kodak. 2010. Kodak and Vision are trademarks. Right: After coming out of the closet and leaving his wife, Russell takes up with Jimmy (Rodrigo Santoro) and lives large in Miami Beach. Below: Russell is apprehended by the authorities for his latest scam.

wouldn’t look too old, either.” Working with two directors did not complicate the filmmaking process, accord- ing to Grobet. “It always felt like working with one person,” he says. “There was a slight division of labor that made their rela- tionship very complementary — John was focused on taking care of the actors, whereas Glenn is a bit more technically inclined, so he paid more attention to those details. But they were both involved in everything.” Most of the movie was shot on loca- tion in and around New Orleans, with addi- tional work in South Beach, Fla. In a ware- house on the outskirts of New Orleans, sets were built for a prison cell and hallway that play an important role in the action. “Our story, and would allow for a more organic lens, they have a bit of distortion, and approach to the lighting was naturalistic,” approach to lighting,” he adds. “So I they’re not as precise at the frame, so they says Grobet. “We tried to stay in tune with pushed to shoot on film, and I’m glad I did.” helped make the movie feel a little more the fact that the film is based on a true Grobet shot most of the picture on Kodak loose. I could subtly use the zoom capability story, so we tried to work with the light that Vision2 500T 5218; he used another Vision2 within scenes, and that was very helpful at existed at our locations. In some situations, negative, Expression 500T 5229, for some times.” To give the flashbacks a different the fixtures were very old, and in other situ- flashback scenes to achieve a lower-contrast feel, he shot those scenes with an Optica ations, we weren’t allowed to make alter- look. Elite 25-80mm zoom lens and Kowa ations, so we had to accept things and An Angenieux Optimo 15-40mm or 25mm, 32mm and 50mm prime lenses. make them part of our look. When we got 28-76mm zoom was usually on the camera, “With Panavision’s help, I chose those to our jail-cell set, I lit with fluorescent a Panaflex XL. “Those lenses lenses because they created great flares,” sources and kept the greenish look for the were the right choice for this project,” he notes. “We wanted a slightly different sake of consistency. The grittiness and observes Grobet. “Compared to a prime look that wouldn’t feel sharp and new, but mixed color temperatures look great. In the

26 December 2010 American Cinematographer

handling the different color temperatures. In keeping with the arc of the story, I lit with softer contrast in the beginning and gradu- ally increased it. After Jim’s character comes out, we made things more colorful and joyful, and further along, as things become tense and frantic, we heightened the contrast and color saturation through the choice of and in the digital inter- mediate.” Sunny, slightly blown-out highlights are another aspect of the look. “We created that with a combination of lighting on set and DI tools,” says Grobet. “I like highlights to pop a little because it makes the images more vibrant and realistic. With today’s film stocks and DI technology, you can stretch it a long way, and they will hold.” Grobet (left, with light meter) fine-tunes a setup on location in Louisiana. The production’s negative was processed at Miami’s Cineworks Digital old days, we would have corrected every- a range of sizes and configurations. “The Studios, which also provided high-defini- thing, but I think it’s fun to play with those Rifas are a great soft source, easy to set up tion-video . The final 2K scan and elements and integrate them into the over- and control,” he says. “In the Kinos, we color-correction were done at LaserPacific in all image.” used the type of bulbs you’d typically find in Hollywood, where colorist Mike Sowa did For night interiors, Grobet often used settings such as prisons or supermarkets. the timing. Release prints were made at Kino Flo Image 80s and Lowel Rifa lights in For the romantic scenes, I was gentler in FotoKem in Burbank.

28 “This movie was released around the world to positive response after it premiered ASC to Honor Deakins, Seale, tain, The Perfect Storm and . at Sundance in 2009, but it struggled to find O’Shea, Kirkland O’Shea won an Emmy Award for a distributor in the United States, even CSI: Miami and also earned Emmy nomina- though it has two major movie stars,” The 25th Annual ASC Awards for tions for the series Doogie Howser, M.D. muses Grobet. “I suspect it’s because of the Outstanding Achievement in Cinematogra- and Relativity and the telefilms The ’60s and homosexual subject matter, and I find that phy will include four honorary awards for To Love, Honor and Deceive. depressing and difficult to understand. visual artistry: , ASC, BSC will Kirkland, an associate member of Thanks to Roadside Attractions, American receive the Lifetime Achievement Award; the ASC, has worked as a special photogra- audiences can now see and appreciate the , ASC, ACS, the International pher on numerous film productions, includ- film for what it is: a romance with dramatic Award; Michael D. O’Shea, ASC, the Career ing 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Sound of and comedic elements. I hope audiences Achievement in Award; and stills Music, Titanic and Moulin Rouge! here will connect with it the way others photographer Douglas Kirkland, the Presi- At press time, the ASC had not have.” dents Award. announced the recipient of its Board of Deakins won ASC Awards for The Governors Award, which is presented to an TECHNICAL SPECS Man Who Wasn’t There and The Shaw- individual who has made significant contri- shank Redemption, and was also nomi- butions to advancing the art of filmmaking. 1.85:1 nated by the Society for The Reader (a The ASC Awards will be held Feb. 13 35mm shared credit with , ASC, at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Panaflex Millennium XL BSC), Revolutionary Road, The Assassina- Los Angeles. For ticket information, call Angenieux, Optica Elite and Kowa lenses tion of Jesse James by the Coward Robert (323) 969-4333. Kodak Vision2 500T 5218, Ford, No Country for Old Men, Kundun, Expression 500T 5229 Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou? Digital Intermediate Seale won ASC and Academy Printed on Fuji Eterna-CP 3513DI awards for The English Patient, and he also ● earned ASC nominations for Cold Moun-

“PURE PLEASURE. By the end of this funny, touching and acutely observed film, shot in Georgia by the gifted cinematographer David Boyd, Felix Bush reveals his secret heart.” -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY David Boyd, A.S.C.

29 Danse Macabre

Matthew Libatique, ASC and Darren Aronofsky renew their collaboration with the darkballet drama Black Swan.

By Stephen Pizzello

•|•

30 December 2010 American Cinematographer Opposite: Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina under heavy stress, begins experiencing bizarre hallucinations in Black Swan. This page, top and middle: Nina commands the spotlight as the White Swan in a daring interpretation of Swan Lake. Bottom: The ballet’s artistic director, Thomas (Vincent Cassel), initially feels that Nina is too repressed to play the darker role of the Black Swan.

lack Swan focuses its lens on Nina (Natalie Portman), a ballerina vying for the lead role in a postmodern interpretation Bof Swan Lake helmed by demanding artistic director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel). Having dismissed his previous prima ballerina, Beth MacIntyre (Winona Ryder), Leroy seeks a lead dancer who can embody the innocence and grace of the White Swan and the eroticism and cunning of the Black Swan. Though impressed with Nina’s moves as the White Swan, Leroy feels she is too guileless and repressed to capture the nuances of the darker part, and his eye falls on a new dancer, Lily (Mila Kunis), whose overt sensuality makes her Nina’s main competition. Strangely drawn to her rival, Nina forms a risky friendship that agitates her neurotic mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballerina. Nina’s stress causes her to experience terrifying hallucinations that send her into a psychological tailspin. To realize this dark story, direc- tor/writer Darren Aronofsky reteamed with Matthew Libatique, ASC, his

Photos by Niko Tavernise and Ray Lewis, courtesy of Fox Searchlight. Frame grabs collaborator on Pi (AC April ’98),

www.theasc.com December 2010 31 ◗ Danse Macabre

Requiem for a Dream (AC Oct. ’00) and The Fountain (AC Nov. ’06). Libatique recently met with AC in Los Angeles to discuss Black Swan. American Cinematographer: When did you and Darren begin discussing this project, and how did it evolve? Matthew Libatique, ASC: This property was around for awhile. It was originally called The Understudy, and it was set in the theater world. Someone approached Darren about it after Requiem for a Dream, but at the time, it didn’t seem as exciting to me as some of the other projects he was being offered. It wound up on the back burner, but it stayed in his mind, and when he started to get interested in ballet, he thought he could resuscitate the project and set it in that world. How has your relationship with Darren progressed? Libatique: I think we respect each other a lot more now. We used to abuse each other a little bit because we knew each other from film school. When we’re shooting, our relationship is a professional one, not a friendship, and it should be. Luckily we’ve always been able to draw on similar references, which helps to focus us in the same place. Did it feel strange to move from Top left: Nina’s main rival for the starring role, Lily (Mila Kunis), gives free rein to her big Hollywood projects like the Iron sensual side. Top right: Nina endures angst-filled solitude while awaiting Man films back to an indie? the director’s casting decisions. Bottom: Mirrors are used throughout the story to convey the fractures in Nina’s psyche. Libatique: That was probably the best part of the process. I liked that

32 December 2010 American Cinematographer Left: Nina’s mother (Barbara Hershey), a former ballerina, exhibits an unhealthy obsession with her daughter, over whom she exerts suffocating emotional control. Below: A combination of small fixtures and practical sources light the apartment Nina shares with her mother, a real location next to Prospect Park. “We moved the camera in as though we were documenting real people’s lives,” Libatique says. “We made it a point to travel from kitchen to hallway to foyer to bedroom to bathroom, but the space really dictated the kinds of moves we could make.”

I could come off something as big and chaotic as to do something like Black Swan, which was a 40-day shoot. You can take some of the tech- niques you’d apply on a bigger film and simplify them. On Black Swan, I knew we’d be dealing with small spaces, and that I’d probably have to provide 360 degrees of coverage. A beautiful thing about working with Darren is that he has a visual style in mind, and he’s very clear about what he’s trying to do — there’s no coverage ambiguity. In fact, I wouldn’t even call what he does cover- age. His style is more like the European style: you only have a few bites of the apple, so you make them all count. What were some of the influ- ences on the film’s look? Libatique: One of our early movie’s black-white chiaroscuro. by director Donya Feuer called reference images came from our collab- Polanski’s Repulsion was also a Dansaren (The Dancer), which has a lot oration with Rodarte, the fashion reference, but Darren and I have talked of the long-lens, ‘camera in the corner’- designers who created the movie’s about that film many times, so it’s style camerawork we wanted to employ. costumes. The image was a cube that always been an influence. We talked At the beginning of Black Swan, there’s was pristine on the outside, but had all about The Red Shoes, of course. I looked a scene that shows Nina scuffing up her of these spikes within it. That provided at a lot of Kieslowski in terms of the shoes, and that image came straight out the central metaphor for the movie: a atmosphere and tone, mostly the Three of The Dancer. beautiful ballerina who’s holding this Colors trilogy [Blue, White and Red]. What was your primary focus pain inside her. There was a yin-yang to We also looked at a lot of dance films. during prep? the concept that’s reflected in the Darren sent me a foreign documentary Libatique: The most substantial

www.theasc.com December 2010 33 •|• Directing Black Swan •|•

ven before this project came around, year of training before we started, she inventions of the 20th century; it allows E I was very interested in doing a could never have done it. an audience to sit in a dark room and movie set in the ballet world. My sister I used Super 16mm on The stare into the eyes of a person who’s was a dancer when we were kids, so I Wrestler [AC Jan. ’09] because I wanted emoting without being self-conscious. grew up with it in the house. I’ve always to use a cinema vérité feel to tell a story I’m always about getting close to the been interested in unique, interesting about a pro wrestler, and I really enjoyed actors and feeling their emotions and worlds, and the ballet world definitely their presence. felt different. Few filmmakers have Mirrors are omnipresent in the dealt with it in a serious way, so I film, as they are in the landscape of the started looking into it. At the same dancer. When dancers are training, time, I was working on a film version they’re constantly observing them- of Dostoevsky’s The Double, about a selves in mirrors, so I knew that would man who wakes up to discover that be a big visual motif. People have used his doppelgänger is taking over his mirror gags in all kinds of movies, so life. Then I went to see Swan Lake, we tried to figure out creepy and weird which involves a black swan and a ways to use them in new ways. white swan played by the same dancer, Sometimes those shots involved visual and that’s when everything came effects; there are almost 300 effects together in my head. shots in the movie. The visual-effects The original ballet of Swan supervisor, Dan Schrecker at Look Lake is a very Gothic tale, as it’s about Effects, has worked on a bunch of my a woman who actually transforms into films. We were actually college room- a swan — by night she’s half-swan, mates, and we used to run an effects half-human. So very early on, I knew company, Amoeba Proteus. Now I this would be a type of werewolf collaborate with him through Look movie. That concept motivated all the Effects, and it’s worked out really well. Gothic overtones we eventually incor- I don’t think my relationship with porated into the look. We weren’t Matty has changed that much over the really paying homage to anything years. We’ve both become so busy that specific, but Matty and I definitely there’s less time to just hang out, but drew on a lot of our influences: our work relationship is very similar to ’s Repulsion and The the way it’s always been. We clicked in Tenant, , the the long, sweeping takes that were film school; we were among the Dardennes for the camera style, and, of possible when we just had a man with a youngest kids in the school and came course, The Red Shoes. camera following the actors. I thought it from similar backgrounds, so we had a We wanted to update Swan Lake would be interesting to bring that very easy rapport, and that’s continued and make it more modern, and we were approach to the ballet world because it through all of our films together. We working with choreographer Benjamin would really capture the energy onstage. now have more experiences together to Millepied of the New York City Ballet. We wanted to bring the camera right draw upon, so we can say, ‘Let’s try to do I would explain to him what I wanted, onto the stage and make it dance along what we did with that other thing,’ or especially in terms of the emotions I was with the dancers. We were very nervous ‘Let’s not screw this up like we screwed trying to draw out of the actors, and he about mixing a vérité approach with that up.’ We have a lot of common refer- would turn those emotions into move- the horror aspects of the film, because ences. ment. Natalie Portman danced till she we thought the documentary feel might I think both of us have found that was 13, which was actually pretty destroy the suspense of those scenes. as you become more experienced, you important, because early training allows We tried to find other films that had get more relaxed, and that allows you to your body to sort of get back to it. A lot taken a similar approach, but we accomplish more. There’s less adrena- of professional dancers have been doing couldn’t, so we just decided to roll the line, and you’re more present. it since they were 5 years old, and their dice. — Darren Aronofsky bodies actually transform. If Natalie We used a lot of close-ups. For hadn’t had that background, and then a me, the close-up is one of the great

34 December 2010 American Cinematographer Toplight aimed through overhead diffusion illuminates the dancers’ rehearsal space. All of the movie’s ballet scenes were filmed at State University of New York Purchase College. “It had everything we needed, including dressing rooms, cinderblock corridors and the large rehearsal space,” says cinematographer Matthew Libatique, ASC. He adds that the rehearsal space was the setting for Joe Gideon’s work I did in prep was to spend time death scenes in All That Jazz. planning out the dance sequences with “That movie was [choreographer] Benjamin Millepied, a big influence Natalie and some other dancers. I shot on Requiem for a all of that rehearsal footage with the Dream, so the place had good Canon 5D Mark II, which gave me mojo. The only references for the shots we wanted to problem was make. I also figured out a lot of the that we were mirror shots during prep,because we living in Manhattan and were rehearsing in a room with a three- driving 45 sided mirror. We worked out how to minutes to transition from Vincent to Natalie, or Westchester how to do a Texas switch with Natalie County every day.” — we’d shoot her double from far away and then come around Vincent’s face to reveal Natalie, or we’d have Vincent in focus in the foreground watching Natalie’s double, who was in soft focus dancing in the distance, and then we’d transition over to a closer reflection of Natalie dancing. It’s called a Texas switch because in old Westerns,they’d have a stuntman do a stunt and then pop John Wayne into the frame. Where did you shoot the dance sequences? Libatique: All of the ballet performances were done at State

www.theasc.com December 2010 35 ◗ Danse Macabre

Mirrors show the progression of Nina’s anxieties as she prepares for the role of her life (top), examines a strange rash on her back (middle) and sees her reflection take on a life of its own (bottom).

University of New York Purchase College, which had everything we needed, including dressing rooms, cinderblock corridors and the large rehearsal space. We didn’t have the abil- ity to use moving lights there, so we basically used what they had: spot- lights, cyc strips, Source Fours [Lekos] and Par cans. Mo Flam was the first gaffer on the show, but he had to leave to do another movie, so John Velez took over. How did Super 16mm fit your creative agenda? Libatique: Darren likes 16mm because it’s small, he can do handheld, and he doesn’t have to wait around for camera setups. We were using real loca- tions, so it helped in that regard, too. The apartmentNina shares with her mother was right next to Prospect Park, and we moved the camera in as though we were documenting real people’s lives. We made it a point to travel from kitchen to hallway to foyer to bedroom to bathroom, but the space really dictated the kinds of moves we could make.I think 16mm creates interesting texture, especially if you expose it correctly. [ASC] is probably the master of it; he’s always

36 December 2010 American Cinematographer ALREADY T HE CAMERA OF CHOICE

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www.arridigital.com ◗ Danse Macabre

Right: Lily urges Nina to relax and have more fun during dinner and a night on the town. Below: Libatique reflects on his approach to one of the film’s many mirror shots.

for this one because of the costume colors and our overall palette, which included green, pink, white and black. It was a single-camera shoot except for maybe one day, and our main camera was an Arri 416, which we used with Arri Ultra Prime 16 lenses. We used a Canon 7D or 1D Mark IV for all the subway scenes; I could just carry a 7D and shoot on the subway all day with a very small crew. I did some tests with my wife beforehand to figure out my ASA, my stop, and how I was going to deal with the focus. I didn’t use any rigs with it because I wasn’t trying to shoot in the traditional way. I tested a bunch of different exposures and then brought the footage to Charlie Hertzfeld at Technicolor, who put it in the system so I could look at the high- pushing the negative so you can see it in Fuji Eterna Vivid 500 [8647] and 160 lights, the moiré and the resolution. a perfect way. One of my goals was to [8643]. I liked how both stocks looked Then I went back to the drawing board show the grain in a way that was crafts- at their box rating in terms of grain and to do more tests. The 7D has more manlike. I didn’t want it to look under- color separation. I had used Fuji on My than the 5D, but I ;I wanted it to look like it was Own Love Song, and I liked its color needed that because I didn’t have a a choice, and I think that comes across. properties, so it was really my first follow-focus unit and needed to work I considered shooting on Kodak choice, but I just had to find out what it really fast. I shot everything documen- [Vision2 200T] 7217with a rating of would look like in 16mm. Every movie tary-style. I did all the focus pulls by 400, but after tests I opted to go with is different, and Fuji just worked better hand, and we’d just look at it on the

38 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ Danse Macabre camera’s monitor. I ended up shooting on a Canon 24mm lens at 1,600 ASA to get as much depth of field as possi- ble at a stop of T81⁄2. What was your lens range on the show? Libatique: Darren wanted to shoot everything on a 12mm lens,like he did on The Wrestler [AC Jan. ’09], but I didn’t think we could do every- thing on that lens. When we started testing, we looked at a 12mm, a 16mm and a 25mm. We wound up using all three, but mostly the 16mm. We used the 12mm for some of our traveling shots to take the bumpiness out and show more of the surroundings. How did your lighting philoso- phy take shape? Libatique: The beautiful thing about Black Swan was that I could apply what I’d learned on independent films and what I’d learned on studio films. From a craft perspective, this is probably the most satisfying movie I’ve ever done, because it had some big- movie situations, like the ballet, but in real settings. Before we started the movie, Darren and I went to some stage plays in New York to see how theatrical-lighting designers dealt with live performance. In one off-Broadway play starring Scott Glenn, there was a scene where he walked up to a doorway and this fluorescent glow came on; I was struck by how simple and effective the lighting was, and I tried to apply that kind of approach to this movie. The main lesson I took away was that it doesn’t really matter whether you see the source— the audience will get an idea of where the light’s coming from. Because this movie had a theatrical edge, I decided I could take more liberty with the lighting. I took a natu- ralistic approach, but didn’t try to justify every source. Most of our fixtures were practical globes, China balls and covered wagons [batten strips with diffusion wrapped around them]. The Top and middle: Nina lets herself go on the dance floor while tripping on a hit of Ecstasy provided units we used contained 75-watt EDTs by Lily. Bottom: The nightclub scene was shot at Santos Party House, where the crew set up and sometimes clear globes. Practical three walls made of Mylar mirror. Illumination was provided by green Kino Flos and Paparazzis globes have become really prevalent in fitted with magenta gels. “We just mixed up the rhythm,” Libatique says. cinematography. You can work in a

40 December 2010 American Cinematographer small space and let the light play practi- scenes in All That Jazz. Luckily,it had all kinds of options in the other dance cally without using Fresnels. I hardly balconies, so we just put four spots on scenes. I had nowhere else to go! ever use Fresnels any more. four corners. We rehearsed the dance Mirrors are a big visual motif. How much interaction did you with the spot operators, and I would Did you avoid camera reflections prac- have with the production designer, cue them on the walkie. The direct tically or digitally? Thérèse DePrez? reference for that scene was a 1957 Libatique: We did as much as we Libatique: In prep, our offices Soviet film version of Swan Lake. For a could practically, but we knew there were right next to each other, so we had long time,I thought it was too simple would be moments when we wanted to a lot of conversations, and she’d always an approach to the scene, but we actu- create seemingly unachievable shots, show me samples of what she had in ally shot that toward the end of and for those we just removed the mind. Darren likes a designer to pitch production, and I’d already exhausted reflections digitally with the help of an idea for a limited palette, and then we all agree on different colors. We assigned some symbolism to the various colors: black represents the darker side www.sylvania.com/entertainment

“I wanted the film to have a balletic quality but still be as naturalistic as possible.”

of Nina’s character, white is her inno- cent side, pink represents her child- hood, and green conveys envy and ambition. For example, the pink bedroom with all the stuffed animals shows that her mother never let her

grow up, and the apartment’s green Image Source / Getty Images OSRAM and KREIOS are registered trademarks of GmbH Photo Credit: © 2010 OSRAM SYLVANIA walls underscore the competitive nature ® of their relationship. Darren makes bold KREIOS LED lighting shows true color. choices, and I ask myself if it’s too much OSRAM KREIOS lighting solutions render true color and skin tones on sometimes, but I trust his instincts. fi lm and video—exactly how the eye sees them. And with precise color The film’s first scene is very strik- temperature matching, OSRAM KREIOS LEDs seamlessly integrate with ing, with Nina dancing in a limbo-like existing traditional lighting. The fact that you can’t tell them apart is space that’s illuminated by a single spotlight. what sets them apart. For more information on OSRAM KREIOS LED Libatique: The goal was to make lighting system solutions, please email [email protected] it look like one spotlight, but we actually or call 1-888-677-2627. had four operators choreographing four spotlights. We would switch from a backlight to a frontlight, and so on. It was a square room, all black — it’s the space they used for Joe Gideon’s death ◗ Danse Macabre

Top: Libatique used strategically positioned lighting units to create hard shadows of the dancers on various theatrical backgrounds. Middle: Handheld camerawork places viewers amid the dancers. Bottom: The cinematographer positions Portman for a soft-lit overhead angle.

Dan Schrecker, our visual-effects supervisor at Look Effects. A good example of Look’s work is the scene where Nina is rehearsing in front of a mirror, the lights go out,and her reflec- tion starts moving independently; the camera was right where you see the reflection, but Darren wanted to get tight eyelines, so we had to paint ourselves out in post. For other scenes, it was easier to just hide the camera or shoot from angles where you couldn’t see it. We also used one-way mirrors to get a shot where we created an ‘infinity reflection’ of Nina sitting in front of a dressing-room mirror. We positioned Natalie between two one-way mirrors and just shot from behind them. We wanted the film’s horror beats to be a bit more stylistic. Did you depart from the docu- mentary approach and relight for close-ups? Libatique: Not that much. If we were doing a wide shot in Nina’s bedroom, we might have a practical light hitting the bed, and when it was time to do Natalie’s close-up, the light would be motivated by the practical in the wide shot, but I’d just add a bit of diffusion. It was usually that simple. I wanted the film to have a balletic qual-

42 December 2010 American Cinematographer ity but still be as naturalistic as possible. mixed up the rhythm. I would keep the Did you bring in any outside That’s why I kept looking at green really down and we’d add flashes experts to help with the ballet Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy. In of magenta, or turn the green off alto- sequences? those movies, everything’s lit, but gether. It was fun. Libatique: We didn’t have any things still look naturalistic. It’s sort of Technicolor’s Sam Daley pre- consultants for our theatrical lighting a stylized reality. pared DVD dailies for us, but digital because I didn’t really have enough The restaurant and nightclub dailies don’t really tell me where I am lights to justify it! I also didn’t have scenes involving Nina and Lily were a with my exposures. To check the expo- enough time to collaborate with some- bit more glamorous-looking. sures, Joey Violante, the head timer at body else; I didn’t want to get into a Libatique: In working within a Technicolor New York, would put the situation that would involve a lot of color palette, I naturally play a lot of footage up on an analyzer for me. back-and-forth. When we got to those color contrast. I might combine white light with a background color from our overall palette. In the restaurant, I lit the actresses with a table lamp and carefully positioned China balls, but

“Every performance was covered in long master shots, and we just augmented with other moves as necessary.”

there’s a lot of green/cyan in the back- ground provided by compact fluores- cent tubes that Mo Flam hid here and there. In any space, if I know I’m going to neutralize the actors’ faces, I’m going to put a color in the background. I didn’t do a lot of filtration, so it was all based on color temperature. That’s harder to do these days, because a lot of the film stocks are designed to balance everything out for the digital interme- diate. The nightclub scene was shot in Santos Party House in Chinatown. It was a big space, and inside we basically set up three walls made of Mylar mirror and then crammed in all of our dancing extras. I surrounded the set with green Kinos and four Paparazzis with magenta gels on them, and we just ◗ Danse Macabre scenes, I’d literally be shooting some- thing in the dressing rooms with the actors, and then, between takes,I’d run up to the stage area, look at what the crew had put together, and start changing a few of the colors and cues. Top: One of the show’s camera For the dancing, in addition operators to our choreographer, Benjamin captures a shot Millepied, we had the Pennsylvania of Portman Ballet come in to work with us — they performing in a spotlight. were between seasons at the time, and Middle: Nina we were fortunate that their hiatus prepares to make worked for our time frame. They did her big entrance. all the choreography for us onstage Bottom: As the performance while I was playing around with the approaches its lighting. While we were shooting all climax, an the scenes surrounding the Swan Lake ominous figure performances in the third act, looms up behind the White Swan. Benjamin and the Penn Ballet were rehearsing the performances in detail with the idea that Natalie would be inserted into the performance. As our crew pre-rigged around rehearsals, we kept a constant eye on the ballet they were creating so that we’d have a place to begin when I was ready to start setting lighting cues. I wish I could say we did that efficiently, but we did not; in typical fashion, the lighting was created and finalized on the day of [shooting], but a great deal of prepara- tion was done to lay the groundwork for meto be able to work with the guys creatively. Because I was shooting and there was no money for prelighting, I decided I wasn’t going to chase what the ballet company was doing; instead, I listened to the music for cues. The main lighting source was the cyc strips above the dancers’ heads; we had about eight rows of 1K cinema globes running 60 feet across the stage. We just used different gels and put the lights on different channels; we’d go from a green gel to white to magenta, and we also started to mix them, which was nice. It was less compli- cated than using moving lights.For one sequence, we combined a moon backdrop with a rain effect that we created by filling a pool of water with broken glass and placing it at the base of the background. We just powered Source Fours into the pool and modu-

44 December 2010 American Cinematographer lated the water movement with fans. In the climactic dance routine with the black swan, we had a big sun piece as our backdrop, and we used 2K nook lights in the footlights on the stage. Those came in handy for an earlier scene that shows the dancers rehearsing the number; we didn’t have the set completely built at that point, so I used the nook lights to create nice, hard shadows of the dancers on the back wall. I knew we’d lose those shad- ows in the full-costume performance of that routine, so I decided to back-

“It was important to Darren to capture Nina’s internal struggle, and Natalie definitely nails those emotions.”

light Natalie to make her a silhouette in the middle of the sun, and let all the other dancers have the frontlight. I MARK II kept her in the shadow of two light sources to create that symbolic element of light and darkness. The work of the artist Olafur Eliasson also influenced the look of our ballet scenes. He did an installation at the Tate Modern in London called The Weather Project that was a great inspira- tion in terms of our stage design; we were impressed by his use of reflection Available with For all 35 mm lenses incl. and scale. PL54-mount Optimo Rouge DP PANA-mount The handheld camerawork BNCR-mount really takes the viewer inside the danc- ing onstage. Libatique: Every performance was covered in long master shots, Representative in U.S.: which we just augmented with other camadeus Film Technologies North Hollywood, CA 91605 Tel. +1-818-764-1234 We accept www.denz-deniz.com ◗ Danse Macabre shape, performance-wise, as long as we could see her face and arms. For wider shots, we could just use her dance double. Darren wanted Natalie doing as much of the performance as possible, so he would often stay on her face or torso instead of going to those wider shots. It was important to him to capture Nina’s internal struggle, and Natalie definitely nails those emotions. We did almost everything handheld. The only Steadicam shot is at the climax of the final dance number. Who were your camera opera- tors? Libatique: At the beginning of the film,I had Joey Cicio, whom I’d met on the Iron Man movies. We were looking for somebody who was close to Libatique uses a small handheld light to illuminate a subway reflection captured with the Canon 7D. my height and Natalie’s height, because we knew we wanted to be subjective moves as necessary. To Natalie’s credit, months beforehand, and she did a with the camera without looking down we rarely did more takes for her; if we phenomenal job. We knew we’d be at her. Steve Constantino, whom I’d required additional takes, it was usually shooting her from the chest up most of worked with on projects, for us. She trained for three or four the time, but we knew we’d be in great finished the more dramatic sections of

46 the film— the apartment scenes and I did two sessions with Tim at TECHNICAL SPECS so forth. I did some of the operating Technicolor’s facility in L.A. while he myself, but very little. Sometimes I’d and Darren were in a Technicolor New 2.40:1 shoot the rehearsals just to show every- York suite.They were able to patch the one how we wanted the shots to play. image into the L.A. suite so we could all Super 16mm and What were your goals in the DI? look at the same image in real time, and Digital Capture Libatique: I worked with Tim I was able to give Tim my corrections Stipan at Technicolor New York, and over the phone. It was probably the best Arri 416; Canon EOS 7D, we spent most of our time finessing DI experience I’ve ever had. ● 1D Mark IV specific colors. It was hard to get some of the colors just right. For example, we Arri Ultra Prime 16 and really worked on the red for the Canon EF prime lenses sequence in Act 2 when Nina is onstage by herself with the moon Fujifilm Eterna Vivid 500 8647, behind her. We also did a lot of Vivid 160 8643 cosmetic fixes here and there. One of my main goals was to get on the same Digital Intermediate page with Tim to determine the contrast levels for the entire film. I Printed on Fujifilm 3513DI didn’t want the image to be too contrasty, and if the cinematographer doesn’t sit in on those sessions, most colorists will give the images more contrast because it looks sharper. I was actually in L.A. during that process, but .LQR)OR $/D&DUWH

® ZZZNLQRIORFRP 1RUWK+ROO\ZRRG:D\%XUEDQN&$86$YRLFH            www.technicolor.com Co-cinematographers Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF and Enrique Chediak capture an incredible true story for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours.

By Mark Hope-Jones

•|•

ne of the key challenges in making 127 Hours was that the story builds up to and is centered on a single, shock- ing act, and most viewers already know what it is. Danny Boyle’s new film tells the true story of Aron Ralston O(James Franco), a young mountain climber who amputated Up his right forearm with a blunt knife after spending five days trapped between a dislodged boulder and the wall of Utah’s Blue John Canyon in 2003. Boyle first became interested in bringing the harrowing story to the screen when he read Ralston’s book, Between a Against Rock and a Hard Place, in 2006. The success of (AC Dec. ’08) gave Boyle and his team the free- dom to tackle what they readily admit was a difficult pitch. “In all seriousness, it’s one of the most impossible ideas to It market,” observes cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, 50 December 2010 American Cinematographer BSC, DFF, who won ASC and , along with a bevy of other accolades, for his work on Slumdog Millionaire. Although 127 Hours marks Dod Mantle’s sixth collaboration with Boyle, it was a first in the sense that he shared the cinematography duties equally with another director of photography, Enrique Chediak (28 Weeks Later; AC May ’07). The reasons for this were multifarious and evolved during the shoot. Boyle explains, “We decided to make the film without a break, so we built in this idea that we could just keep shooting by using two crews, and that led us to two cinematographers. It must have been very odd for both of them to Opposite page: Aron Ralston (James Franco) calls for help in vain after becoming trapped in a narrow pass in Utah’s Blue John Canyon. This page: Ralston’s adventure in the canyon starts enter into it —Anthony because I’d with a pleasant encounter with two fellow hikers (Kate Mara, left, and Amber Tamblyn), previously had a solo relationship with after which he sets out on his own. him, and Enrique because he somehow had to fit into that. But I told them two directors of photography might started to appreciate the value of a little what I had in mind and that it would be bring to the production. “With the bit of chaos!” absolutely equal in every conceivable film’s single character stuck in a canyon The two-unit, seven-day-a-week way, and, God bless them, they went for most of the movie, Danny thought it shooting schedule suited Boyle’s restless along with it.” would be interesting to add a bit of zeal — Dod Mantle describes him as After receiving this assurance at chaos by shooting through two sets of someone who “just cannot gas down” — his first meeting with Boyle, Chediak eyes, and that started to make sense to but its primary function was to invest (known to everyone as “Quique”) talked me,” recalls Chediak. “Danny said that the film with unabated energy. “You

Unit photography by Chuck Zlotnick, courtesy of Fox Searchlight. Additional photos and sketch Anthony Dod Mantle. further with the director about what after working in India [on Slumdog], he could make this film in a European art-

www.theasc.com December 2010 51 ◗ Up Against It

During prep, co-cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF sketched a trajectory for the film’s visuals, a diagram he likens to sheet music. Also pictured are some of the low-res stills he shot for inspiration.

house way, emphasizing how long it length. “Every crack and curve was as the confines of the set were also the key takes for the time to pass, but I thought close to the real thing as you could determining factors in choosing camera that would be unwatchable,” says Boyle. possibly get,” says Dod Mantle. “The systems and formats. Having shot “So we drove everybody mad, and the sets were actually physically harder to portions of Slumdog with a highly scheduling was a nightmare. There was work in than the real canyon because mobile configuration of Silicon almost no time off for the key people.” they were slightly smaller and were just Imaging’s SI-2K Mini, Dod Mantle This intensity was vital to the director’s as inaccessible.” began prepping 127 Hours by investi- overall approach, which was to make the The logic behind Boyle’s refusal gating how far compact digital systems film as experiential as possible. “We to cheat the sets or make them easier to had advanced since then. Though wanted to stay trapped with Aron for work in was twofold, he continues. briefly intrigued by some even smaller the whole time, so that when we finally “Danny felt that if the set walls split digital cameras, he ultimately decided to get to the decisive act, you will be able to open and James could get in and out too use SI-2Ks as his primary cameras. tolerate it,” says Boyle. “You’re not going easily, then that would be reflected in (These were supplied by HD Camera to love it, but you will at least appreciate his performance. When you’re shut into Rentals, which also assisted with the that it has to be done. That’s the whole that set with the cold and the silence, preliminary digital-camera build.) He deal: it’s a first-person film.” you really believe you’re in the canyon. also brought in Stefan Ciupek, a long- Some filming took place at the It would have been nice to slip out for a time collaborator and digital-imaging real location in eastern Utah, but practi- cup of tea now and then, but when I expert, to act as the digital-camera cal considerations made it impossible to look at the film now, I’m pretty sure supervisor. Together, they chose digital- shoot the bulk of the film there. Instead, Danny was right; the content is intense imaging technician Chris Cavanaugh to Blue John Canyon was LIDAR- because James, Quique and I were work with Chediak’s crew,while scanned by the design department (led locked in there, and it was really quite Ciupek worked with Dod Mantle’s. by production designer Suttirat Anne difficult. “During prep for this movie, Larlarb) and re-created as two sets in an “It was a real challenge for there was an evolution going on with old granite factory in Salt Lake City, Quique and me on every level, includ- the SI-2K,” says Ciupek. “We commu- where the production was based. One ing operating, lighting and communi- nicated a lot with Ari Presler [at Silicon set was built for vertical shots looking cation,” he continues. “Our job was to Imaging] to get some improvements either down into or up from within the help Danny find new ways of keeping made to the camera, including latitude canyon, and the other was optimized for the story alive in a very limited space.” and, even more important, sensitivity. lateral shots looking along its horizontal Boyle’s experiential approach and On Slumdog, we found that night shoots

52 December 2010 American Cinematographer were very difficult because the camera keep warm. “There’s an extraordinary that would help us explore the space at was only about 200 ASA. For 127 intimacy to these smaller cameras,” hand.” Hours, we changed our whole setup to notes Dod Mantle. “We could get right The Canon cameras, a mix of record uncompressed instead of using inside that rope bag with James, close EOS-1D Mark IV, 5D and 7D models, the Cineform compression. We enough to see the dirt on his fingers. It’s were often used in a burst mode, recorded 12-bit raw data and gained very hard to do anything like that with capturing high-resolution still images at about half a stop, which isn’t a lot, but it normal gear. a rate of around 11 fps. Chediak helped. We also had the software “I always shot with the Mini explains, “We used them for specific customized to allow us to shoot with a either on gyros or on a bungee-cord rig, moments, such as the moment when 360-degree shutter when we needed a as I’ve learned on many different Aron carves his name on the rock where bigger exposure range. That gave us projects that the camera’s innate vibra- he’s trapped, and they formed part of another stop.” tion is always noticeable on the big the language of the movie. We also used Each unit carried several SI-2K screen when you shoot handheld with- them to shoot a big sequence where we Minis, covering two slightly different out them,” he adds. follow all the routes he took to get into handheld gyrostabilized configurations. Film cameras were never used the canyon.” The first configuration, used when inside the canyon sets, though both For Boyle, the mix of cameras space allowed, incorporated a PL- units carried a Moviecam Compact made perfect sense. “I think that mount and was used with Zeiss Ultra MKII (from Clairmont Camera) as language is really appropriate to a world Primes at the wide end and lighter backup and took advantage of the reso- where just about everybody is carrying Cooke Speed Panchros at longer focal lution and sensitivity of 35mm film for around cameras and phones that shoot lengths. The second configuration, landscapes and plate shots. Further video,” he observes. “It’s also a language designed for the tightest shooting adding to the eclectic mix of camera that has developed through YouTube. conditions, utilized a C-mount that systems, Dod Mantle and Chediak both Rather than being locked into the liquid accepted very small Schneider carried a selection of Canon DSLRs. beauty and smoothness of celluloid, Kreuznach and Fujinon lenses, allowing “Canon and I help each other develop people are prepared to see an image the cinematographers to position the technology,” notes Dod Mantle, “but I fractured by a mix of formats. I love front element within 1½"of Franco’s don’t choose lots of cameras for the sake that, because it’s very dynamic to work face. This was especially helpful for of having an orgy of formats. The phys- with.” scenes that took place under a rope bag ical restrictions of this shoot meant we Chediak had never shot a digital that Ralston covered himself with to had to find methods of image capture feature, so he spent the first three weeks

www.theasc.com December 2010 53 ◗ Up Against It of prep getting a crash course from Dod Mantle. “I felt like Anthony’s younger brother until about week three in preproduction, when there was a very healthy little rupture between us and I somehow left the younger-brother role to become the co-cinematographer,” recalls Chediak. “I learned what I Dod Mantle needed to learn, and then we came to a and co- point where we just needed to be cinematographer Enrique Chediak ourselves. It was a break, but a very were able to find beautiful and necessary one.” Dod a variety of Mantle adds, “Quique had to adapt to angles in the narrow set with a shooting digital in record short time, mix of small and this wasn’t conventional digital- cameras, mainly camera technology by any means, but Silicon Imaging’s SI-2K Mini and the freshness of his appreciation was Canon stills undoubtedly a force in his work once he cameras. and his crew began to feel comfortable with the rather unusual cameras we’d built for the production. [This aspect of the shoot] was the biggest hurdle for us to cross over together, and succeeding in that is the main reason the material cuts seamlessly, technically speaking.” Indeed, Boyle initially thought each cinematographer might bring his

54 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ Up Against It

own look to the material, but he now believes “you can’t differentiate Anthony’s and Quique’s work; the film developed its own language. I first thought that with so much focus on one character, two cinematographers with Top left: Dod contrasting styles would provide the Mantle (front), variation we lose by the lack of other Boyle (middle) and Babak characters. But, of course, none of that Mansouri eyeball panned out. There’s a fluency that the canyon set. enforces this idea of it being first-person Mansouri assisted the and of going through the experience team with some with Aron.” preliminary The ferocious momentum of the builds for the Mini. Top right: shoot meant that changes were Chediak constant, with scenes frequently being (wearing purple) rescheduled. “The schedule was always and 1st AC Nino Neuboeck prep going to change incessantly because of an underwater practical reasons having to do with shot with gaffer James’ fragile turnaround time,” notes Justin Andrews. Right: Ralston Dod Mantle. “I knew that James’ turn- rejoices in around and Danny’s intuition would a sudden stipulate which scene went to which rainstorm, unaware that a cinematographer, and I refused to allow flash flood will myself to focus on who was shooting soon follow. what. What I insisted on was avoiding competition of any kind; that would have been fatal.” Chediak recalls, “Some scenes I was to shoot ended up going to Anthony, and vice-versa. For example, I was initially scheduled to shoot Aron cutting off his arm, and in the end, Anthony did that. I always had a very

56 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ Up Against It

Right: Climber and additional camera operator Mike Call preps a high-angle shot of Ralston’s rappel point on location in Utah. Below: Dod Mantle fine-tunes the lighting in the canyon set.

particular idea for the separation scene, and when I learned that Anthony was going to shoot it, I told him how I had envisioned it, and I think he respected that. Then, when I had to do the shot when Aron emerges from the canyon into the sunlight, Anthony told me how he was thinking of shooting it, and, of course, I reacted to that. We were communicating very well at key moments. I saw the collaboration as something like a rock band with two guitar players; it worked beautifully.” Ralston had a camcorder with him in the canyon and began recording farewell messages to his family when he realized that his chances of survival were slim. Ralston showed this footage to Franco, Boyle and both cinematogra- phers, and it informed their creative approaches. Ralston had secured the camera in front of his face and addressed it periodically as he struggled to free himself. This introduced ideas such as locked-off camera angles and breaking the fourth wall, which the filmmakers explored for dramatic effect. “We used this camera that Aron had with him as a tool,” says Dod Mantle. “It’s a lock-in, a stylistic change, and you really feel like you’re there with him. Over and above that, we locked other cameras in place to give Danny punctuation points for the acting. As hard as it was to hide cameras in a space

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“Danny wanted to put us in the same situation as Aron and push us to work The canyon sets with those constraints, to find the were built in an old granite factory angles within that confinement. A lot in Salt Lake City. of the time, I was breathing right in “Every crack and James’ ear; it was really very intimate. If curve were as close to the real he moved even a little bit, then the thing as you could camera had to move as well. It puts the get,” recalls Dod audience right in there with him.” Mantle. Right: Dod Mantle and Having created such a restrictive Chediak confer environment, Boyle could not direct the during the shoot. action in any conventional sense. “We were in this hole with this little speaker through which you could sometimes hear Danny very close, like the voice of the size of a public lavatory, it was also a with something like a rodent, but Aron God!” recalls Dod Mantle. Often, great advantage; the cameras were so develops that relationship with the however, neither actor nor cinematog- small that we could shoot simultane- camera. Sometimes I would tell James rapher could actually hear Boyle’s ously with three or four of them without to look directly at our cameras, not instructions, and they instead had to getting them in shot or interfering with because he was directly addressing rely on instinct through takes that could the lighting.” them, but because it just felt right. We’re last up to 20 minutes. “Just as being Directing from behind monitors watching him, and it feels like he can locked in that space influenced James’ outside the set, Boyle became acutely look at us. The cameras became his performance, it influenced us,” says aware of Franco’s relationship with the companions.” Dod Mantle. “Eventually, we began to cameras around him. “The cameras As an extension of Franco’s rela- do things instinctively, even irrationally, become like creatures with him,” says tionship with the cameras, his relation- because the camera was emotionally the director. “In most movies, a trapped ship with Chediak and Dod Mantle was involved.” character might develop a relationship extremely close. Chediak explains, Though much of the camera-

60 December 2010 American Cinematographer work was instinctive, it had to work canyon, Thomas Neivelt, Dod Mantle’s Ralston was in shadow or darkness, within the overall structure of the film’s long-time gaffer, set up a 4K lamp on a which presented a considerable chal- emotional journey: a gradual descent to moving head. “We built a track all the lenge to the two cinematographers. the point where both Ralston and the way along the top of the canyon set,” he “Lighting that godforsaken hole was audience can confront the amputation. says. “The head was pulled manually, actually harder than operating in it!” The film was largely shot in sequence, but the light was moving at the same says Dod Mantle. Justifiable natural which helped, but Dod Mantle also time in a programmed pattern. Of light had to come from above, so 100 drew and referred to diagrams that he course, we sped up the movement of the Kino Flo Image 80s were rigged above likens to sheet music, visually scoring sun to make it a bit more visually each set and diffused with silks to create the film. (See diagram on pp. 52-53.) dramatic.” a large, even toplight. “We also created He explains, “The slow disintegration of Aside from these brief moments, some background highlights with small this young man was the guiding line for whether, how and why we moved the camera. I found it useful to draw Aron’s descent, with the angles, critical points, ups and downs, like a piece of music. As we follow that descent, Danny throws out tangents, brief cerebral exits from the canyon that show what Aron’s thinking about. These dreams and visions are related to stories Aron told Danny, and our job was to visualize them in a way we thought appropriate for the film.” To link the physical reality of Ralston’s situation with his memories and hallucinations, Boyle suggested occasionally splitting the frame into a triptych, an idea Dod Mantle embraced. “I saw an exhibition of Bill Viola’s work in London years ago and never forgot it,” says the cinematographer. “It was an extraordinary video triptych showing his grandmother dying, a child being born and, between them, a man floating in fluid. You could look at death, at life or at the limbo in the middle. When Danny and I had our very first meeting about 127 Hours, we talked about using triptychs for key emotional moments; I thought the storytelling potential would be enormous if we could get it right. When I could, I would tilt the camera over on its side for [those] shots to get as much resolution as possible.” Water is a strong theme in the story, as it was dehydration that would have killed Ralston had he not taken action, but he felt the lack of light almost as acutely. On each of the five days of his entrapment, he was exposed to direct sunlight for only 15 minutes, and only on part of one leg. To achieve the effect of the sun moving through the ◗ Up Against It Neivelt recalls that for night scenes, “We stopped down and used a similar approach, but switched off some of the overhead lamps. Then we worked with 1st AD David the headlight James was wearing, Ticotin (left), bouncing it back at him and continuing Boyle and to use the LitePads.” Dod Mantle check the Since there was not enough room frame as for recording devices in the sets, the other crew Minis were tethered to Cinedecks posi- look on. tioned near the video village. “We were after small, mobile, high-performance recording units, and the Cinedecks had been announced but not released,” says Ciupek. “We probably had the four or five Cinedecks available at that time. Pars, such as 200-, 400- and 800-watt quite close to the edge of the frame.” They’re good because they have a touch- Joker-Bugs,” says Neivelt. “Inside the Scenes under the rope bag were screen and work quickly and intuitively canyon, we used Rosco LED LitePads, even more difficult. Chediak, who with the new Silicon DVR software. At which we either rigged or handheld worked with gaffer Justin Andrews, the same time, they were fast enough for very close to James. Often I was sitting notes, “I was operating the camera with us to record uncompressed. I also used almost between his legs, reaching up my right hand and holding the LED them to create different look-up tables and trying to get a little bit of light into with my left hand so I could regulate it and pre-grades with Anthony.” his eyes. I’m very familiar with myself. I also had a bit of backlight The first portion of the post Anthony’s operating, so I could work outside the bag to give it some texture.” workflow was handled by Color Mill in

62 Salt Lake City. “We actually did the first and ‘dry pictures,’ but we had to find a hope, that it isn’t the cinematographer QC on set,” recalls Ciupek. “When we way of drying images with sharpening who owns the film, but rather the film were shooting onstage, we had a wran- tools and contrast ratios. To visualize a and its story that own the cinematogra- gler copying the data at 1 Beyond dehydrated feeling, you’ve got to desat- pher. The rest is all down to manage- Wrangler Dude work stations. We kept urate, which is not my favorite occupa- ment!” Chediak concurs, “I couldn’t put the original camera data on set and sent tion, and you’ve also got to lift the it any better than that.” ● shuttle drives to Color Mill, where more whites and mid-tones, which is not any copies were made. When we got a QC cinematographer’s favorite occupation.” report back and a green light from the Despite this counterintuitive TECHNICAL SPECS post house, we reformatted the SSD work in the grade and the challenges of drives and brought them back on set to the shoot, Dod Mantle believes the 1.85:1 be reused.” result captures the spirit of Ralston’s Digital Capture and For the digital grade at story. “I look at the material now, analyt- 3-perf Super 35mm Technicolor London, Dod Mantle, ically, and I can feel the imprisonment,” Chediak and colorist Jean-Clement he says. “There’s a stubborn ruggedness Silicon Imaging SI-2K Mini; Soret utilized sharpening tools to to the way Quique and I were able to Redlake Y5;Canon EOS-1D improve the SI-2K image, and to light and access James’ face in different Mark IV, 5D, 7D; Moviecam Compact Mark II create a feeling of dryness that increases moods and impossible situations.” as Ralston’s condition deteriorates. As for the project’s groundbreak- Zeiss, Cooke, Angenieux, “Normally in the grade you’re talking ing collaboration between two directors Schneider Kreuznach and about color, effervescence and satura- of photography, Dod Mantle concludes, Fujinon lenses tion, but on this film we were talking “It challenged and diffused somewhat Kodak Vision3 500T 5219, about dryness and wetness,” says Dod the ego element that is very evident in 250D 5207;Vision2 50D 5201 Mantle. “It was the first time I ever sat some director/cinematographer rela- in a grade and talked about ‘wet pictures’ tionships, and it reminded us both, I Digital Intermediate

63 Romantic Chemistry Steven Fierberg, ASC helps ove and Other Drugs is a romantic tale about a relationship between a free spirit, Maggie (Anne Hathaway),and a Ed Zwick visualize Love and Other Pfizer pharmaceuticals salesman, Jamie (). Drugs, the story of a pharmeceuticals With its close focus on an intimate story, it’s a far cry from Lthe movies director/writer Ed Zwick has made in recent years, salesman who finds his soul mate. including Defiance (AC Jan. ’09), Blood Diamond and (AC Jan. ’04), but he maintains the he has “always been interested in relationships in my movies, even in the more By Michael Goldman muscular ones.” Producer Pieter Jan Brugge recommended Zwick meet with Steven Fierberg, ASC about Love and Other Drugs, and •|• the director and cinematographer quickly discovered they

64 December 2010 American Cinematographer Opposite: In Love and Other Drugs, pharmaceuticals sales rep Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) falls hard for Maggie Murdock (Anne Hathaway), a young artist with Parkinson’s Disease. This page, top: Jamie implores a reluctant doctor to write prescriptions for Pfizer products. Below: Cinematographer Steven Fierberg, ASC (left) and director Ed Zwick frame an angle.

shared many of the same beliefs about meant lighting faces from a precise angle how to realize a romantic-comedy and not putting much light anywhere aesthetic. Fierberg describes the else. There are a lot of dark areas in the approach as “heightened realism,” frame. So even though the movie is noting, “That’s how Ed’s partner, largely a comedy, I’d say we lit for Marshall Herskovitz, described it, and I drama.”Zwick calls this approach think it fits. This script has tremendous “beautiful but not overly romantic. dialogue, some of the best I’ve ever read. There’s one school that says comic films With great writing and characters,you have to be overlit and frontlit, but want to shoot in a way that allows view- [ASC] and ers to perceive what they’re seeing as real pretty much smashed that idea long ago. and organic to the drama, so the lighting So we knew we wouldn’t be going in that has to have some connection to reality particular direction.” and not be completely abstract.” “For direct light on Anne or Jake, The visual approach also had to we’d usually key with a nine-light Fay, a work within the production’s lean 49- 5K or a 10K through 6-by-6 or 8-by-8 day shoot, which took place in Full Grid with Lighttools [Soft Egg Pittsburgh, Pa. “My crew and I strive to Crates], sometimes with an intermediate be nimble so that changes can happen [Lee] 250 or Half Grid frame as well,” quickly and fluidly,” says Fierberg. “It explains Fierberg. “When the space and was important to be able to give Ed the the distance to the background were time he needed with the actors, and to more appropriate, the grip department matographer shot most of the picture facilitate any spontaneous ideas he might carried standard rags, loose pieces of with zoom lenses, the Angenieux have.” bleached muslin and even white bed Optimo 15-40mm and 28-76mm and At the same time, lighting the two sheets, which we used to bounce a the Panavision Primo 11:1 24-275mm, leads “like old-time movie stars” was key, Blonde or Source Four [Leko].” and he chose “to light for the A camera continues the cinematographer. “We Fierberg also has a specific philos- as if there was no B camera,” he says. wanted to sculpt their faces in a way that ophy about lighting for two cameras, “I’m not one to light in a general way; I made them appear their most attractive, which was important to Zwick on such light very specifically for the A camera,

Unit photography by David James, SMPSP, courtesy of 20th Century Fox. Additional photos Steven Fierberg. the strongest version of themselves. That acharacter-driven piece. The cine- but in a way that leaves room for the B

www.theasc.com December 2010 65 ◗ Romantic Chemistry

Right: A fan of the “proscenium” strategy favored by fellow ASC member Gordon Willis, Fierberg used an archway to frame a family- dinner scene. Below: While lounging in the Pfizer lobby, the oversexed Jamie and a fellow salesman, Bruce (Oliver Platt), ogle an attractive blonde rep.

because it afforded the B camera more creative freedom than is customary. He recalls, “On the first day, after the first team had rehearsed and A camera was setting up their shot, I asked Steve if it would work for his lighting if we found a tighter shot. He said, ‘Just find me a cool shot.’ He just wanted something interesting. So with my focus puller,Jeff Graham,and dolly grip,Brian Buzzelli, I was able to do just that. I’d say we worked that way about 90 percent of the time on this show, just looking for little moments in scenes to accentuate what the A camera was doing.” All these considerations, plus the project’s short shooting schedule, led the filmmakers to extensively test not only film stocks and lights, but also all sorts camera to get something really good if “When setting up, I picked stand- of minute details. Zwick recalls, “We that opportunity is there. [A-camera ins who closely resembled Anne and spent hours looking at photographs of operator] Chris Hayes, assisted by Jake in terms of facial structure and then, Jake and Anne and analyzing specifi- Patrick McArdle, would capture the using big soft sources, worked to make cally how to utilize them best. It’s a perfect shot for the main melody of the the center of the light falling on them process of working to capture intimacy drama, usually with the 28-76mm come from a specific angle,” he contin- that I associate more with European Optimo on our Panaflex Platinum, and ues. “When Jake and Anne came in, I’d films than American films.”In fact, the then [B-camera operator] Rick make any necessary adjustments. If the team spent a great deal of time choosing Davidson, with the longer reach of the angle of the key is correct, it doesn’t wall colors, photographing stand-ins 11:1 Primo and our Millennium XL, require much fill.” Davidson notes that and the actors in front of some 30 differ- would capture the ‘jazz,’ so to speak. he found this approach refreshing ent colors to determine which would

66 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ Romantic Chemistry

look the most flattering in tandem with the chosen film stocks, Kodak Vision2 5217 and Vision3 500T 5219. Formal and informal tests continued during production,whenever there was an opportunity. Much of the movie was shot on sets built at various locations around Pittsburgh. Some of these, including Maggie’s large loft apartment (built inside a former factory), were fairly large and required extensive pre-lighting. Gaffer Steve Mathis recalls that after finishing the day’s shooting, he and Fierberg often went to various sets that would be used in the near future and “turned lights on and looked at it for ourselves. We’d take the key grip, Bart Flaherty, and meet [rigging gaffer] Kevin Tiesiera and a small rigging crew, and we’d study the wall colors and try different ideas. Then, we’d give the riggers our notes and come back another night,after the changes were made. That way we could try things when there weren’t a hundred people standing around waiting for us.” From the outset, Zwick man- dated that Love and Other Drugs would be shot on 35mm. “I felt we could get a kind of luminosity on film that was just Top and middle: Fierberg lent a splashy look to a song-and-dance extravaganza Pfizer right for this material,” he explains. stages for new sales recruits. Christie LX120 projectors were used to create sexy, backlit images After a wide range of tests, Fierberg on the screens. Bottom: Colorful interior and exterior lighting creates enticing ambience for opted for 5217 and 5219 largely because an orgiastic pajama party Jamie attends with his brother. he felt they would render a romantically lush image. He notes, “Anne has perfect

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porcelain skin, but we also needed her hair, which was darkened for this movie, to lushly frame her face. “When I shot a test with both Anne and Jake, the Kodak stocks made them look perfect next to each other,” he continues. “With some other stocks, we could get one actor or the other to look great, but not both of them. So, when we had enough light, I shot 5217, which made the actors’ skin tones look especially radiant, and when we were in low light, we went with 5219. In release printing, we found that Kodak Vision [2383] was best able to capture Anne’s skin and the deep brown tones in her hair.” Of all the movie’s lighting chal- lenges, Maggie’s loft apartment, where much of the story takes place, was the most complex, according to the filmmak- ers. A large, open space that featured huge windows, the apartment required a constant stream of natural light. Fierberg worked with his crew to design areas that would look a bit too bright or a bit too dark. “I wanted to create an image that would mimic what you encounter when you’re filming on a real location,” he says. “If you balance all the values too well, it One of the film’s key settings is screams ‘stage.’ We let areas outside the Maggie’s loft windows burn out, and allowed other apartment, areas to go too dark, to sell that we were which was in a real location.” created on stage. This Zwick and Fierberg analyzed the sequence of script to strategically plot changes in light photos shows and camera angles in order to enliven the set at certain loft sequences. These departures various points during prep. The included shots from outside the windows, still at the upper and perspectives that showcased a right shows a skylight during weather that included cardboard model snow and rain. One key sequence in the of the set. loft occurs when Jamie brings Maggie dinner in the afternoon and then stays

70 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ Romantic Chemistry

Fierberg strove to create a variety of different “natural light” looks to reflect the passage of time in the loft set, a challenge that required his crew to devise a lighting rig that would allow maximum flexibility. “On location, it would have been hellish to try to control the moving sunlight,” he notes.

behind that were 100'x40' TransLites showing a view of . (The production used two TransLites, one for day and one for dusk/night.) To partially obscure some of the view from inside the loft, several windowpanes were covered with colored gels or painted with translucent paint. For ambient skylight, Mathis’ crew rigged space lights (six 1K globes in silk bags) on 10' centers outside the windows, and for sunlight, they rigged 20Ks and MoleBeams gelled with ¼ CTS or Lee 152 Pale Gold on a truss. “They were rigged on rollers so we could easily slide lights along the truss to move the sun as needed from shot to shot,” notes Mathis. Skypans with 2K globes softened with Full Grid backlit the TransLite. “For night, we came up with a few different looks,” says Mathis. through the next morning. This required ing angles to create the various times of “Sometimes we’d turn off exterior lights lighting that would move from early day.” on buildings outside the set, tape off afternoon into dusk and then night, and The story takes place over several windows seen through the TransLite, or then into overcast dawn. “On location, it months, with certain times of day add streaks across walls to vary the look.” would have been hellish to try to control presented in different seasons, so the In small areas and corners of the the moving sunlight and also elicit sensi- lighting rig for the apartment had to loft, soft toplight was created with 3'x6' tive performances in dusk and the facilitate maximum flexibility. Built custom-built softboxes holding 250- middle of the night. Shooting on a set outside the windows was a practical watt PhotoFloods. In more open areas allowed us to film the entire sequence rooftop set that included air-condition- of the set, the toplight was created with during the day and use color and light- ing ducts, stairs and brick structures, and 6K space lights (without silks) hung

72 December 2010 American Cinematographer above 8'x8'and 12'x12'frames of Half Grid, with Lighttools Soft Egg Crates and blacked-in sides controlling the spill. “In retrospect, we could have gone with 2K space lights, as we only used one or two globes in each,” adds Mathis. Another lighting challenge in- volved an extravagant song-and-dance performance at a special event for new recruits at Pfizer. The sequence is set in Chicago’s United Center, but it was shot at Pittsburgh’s Mellon Arena, which the production could only shoot in for a single day. In the sequence, an announcer starts speaking in darkness as backlit images projected by four Christie LX120 projectors hit big screens skinned Motion Picture Arts with what Mathis calls “shower for high school filmmakers curtains,” hanging from a truss. A song starts, dancers take the stage, and a dance number ensues. Collaborate, learn, and focus your talents The filmmakers’ original plan was Summer Arts Camp • Fine Arts Boarding School to rig the arena on a Sunday in time to rehearse lighting for the dance number, but that didn’t work out. So on Monday, www.interlochen.org after shooting in a different location all day, Mathis and board operator Kevin Hogan worked into the night to finish the arena lighting. Theatrical-lighting rigs provided by Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Entertainment were central to making the whole thing work.“Luckily, Steve Mathis was well suited for this challenge — after all, he lit Moulin Rouge [for Don McAlpine, ASC, ACS],” says Fierberg. “He brought enormous creativity and skill to the scene. In order to make it work, he had to delegate gaffing the end of Monday’s work to his best boy, Chris Milani, so he could spend some of that time at the arena preparing the lighting. I then joined him after we wrapped, and we continued to work until about 3 a.m. I’d suggested that we use Daniel Ezralow to choreograph the dance, and our thinking evolved from having the dancers silhouetted in front of simple, colored, backlit panels to also having the dancers silhouetted within rotating,custom-made gobos in the shape of medication pills. The gobos could be flipped in by our Vari-Lite backlights, colored, rotated, zoomed, and then flipped out for later parts of the ◗ Romantic Chemistry split. We placed lights high overhead, directed back at the audience, to provide details in the foreground, which was 2 stops down. We did that mostly with Juniors and 5Ks. The key was to use as few trusses as possible— for cost and time reasons— and get maximum value out of each position. Again, program- ming Vari-Lites for several different positions gave us maximum flexibility with fewer instruments. We had a 12- by-12 Ultrabounce rigged on a Condor just outside the arena ready to roll in when it came time to light the audience and Jake at the end of the day. We hit the 12-by with a 20K from the floor to wrap the lighting around the actors.” Mathis credits Hogan, who Two cameras capture a scene in which Jamie is sucker-punched by a rival sales rep (Gabriel Macht). helped him program live lighting cues through a High End Systems dance scene. I could get, because we were concerned Wholehog 3 console as the sequence “Once we chose colors, we care- with maintaining detail in the fireworks progressed. “There was no time to fully set levels to maintain saturation and part of the show. In my dreams, we rehearse any of the cues before the scene a beautiful tonal range,” continues would have achieved an f4, but the arena was shot — there was barely enough Fierberg. “I went for as deep an f-stop as was huge, so we settled for an f2.8/4 time just to think of them!” says Mathis.

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74 He also has high praise for Three Rivers color in the film” was fully executed. She the black level, the highlight level, and Entertainment’s director of lighting, explains, “As Jamie and Maggie get then adjust mid-tones generally for Wade Shaner, for helping to execute the closer, there’s a warmth that increases. lightness and darkness, continually lighting on a rigorous timeline. Three Scene to scene, as the two characters manipulating contrast. At EFilm, it’s Rivers supervised the truss, took care of spend more time together, the warmth more like conventional printing. They overhead rigging, and provided a mix of develops, until it plateaus and stops in a make sure the photography is left as it Vari-Lite 3000 and 3500 spots, Coemar certain scene. Then the image takes on a was intended, unless they are specifically iWash Halos and Coemar Parlite LED crisp coolness because of the distance asked to change it.” ● truss warmers, among other instru- between them. Steven did all this ments. (The balance of the lighting and in-camera, but I was able to enhance it grip equipment came from Cinelease in at certain points.”Fierberg adds, TECHNICAL SPECS North Carolina and Intergalactic “Throughout the shoot, we used CTS, Super 1.85:1 Illumination in Los Angeles.) “To do Lee 152 and dimming lights to warm that all in one daywas pretty impres- them as techniques to control the 3-perf Super 35mm sive,” says Mathis. “When you’re work- amount of warmth in the image.” ing on location, finding skilled local The cinematographer notes that Panaflex Platinum, people is so important to your success, EFilm’s proprietary EWorks color- Millennium XL and Pittsburgh is filled with talented correction systemis designed to mimic Angenieux and crewmembers.” the traditional photochemical-timing Panavision lenses Fierberg’s work in the digital- process. “Their first goal is to maintain intermediate suite at EFilm was subtle. the contrast curve of the film, like Kodak Vision2 200T 5217, In particular, colorist Natasha Leonnet normal [photochemical]film timing, to Vision3 500T 5219 focused on smoothing out skin tones make uniform color changes,” he says. Digital Intermediate and balancing the two leads. She also “Then, they adjust as they need to. In my made sure that the “progressive arc of years of , they would usually set Printed on Kodak Vision 2383

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www.gekkotechnology.com 75 A Big-City Dream urlesque is the kind of movie every cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, ASC lends a dreams about — it’s eye candy,” says Bojan Bazelli, glamorous look to the musical ASC. Directed by Steven Antin, the movie tells the extravaganza Burlesque. story of Alice (Christina Aguilera), a small-town girl who“B moves to Los Angeles to become a singer. Her first gig is a waitressing job at the imperiled Burlesque Lounge, an By Iain Stasukevich old cabaret run and headlined by Tess (). Alice quickly becomes infatuated with the glitz and glamour of the stage, and makes it her dream to sing from it one day. •|• The subject matter presented the filmmakers with

76 December 2010 American Cinematographer Opposite: Alice (Christina Aguilera) realizes her dreams and takes center stage in Burlesque, directed by Steven Antin and photographed by Bojan Bazelli, ASC.This page, top: Tess (Cher) serves as the Burlesque Lounge’s proprietress and headliner. Middle: Nikki (Kristen Bell) competes with more than a few stylistic options, and in Alice for the top prep, they watched films that took spot in the club’s lineup. Bottom: different approaches to presenting A-camera dance onstage. “Ultimately, ’s operator Patrick Cabaret and ’s Barry Loungway (top left), key grip Lyndon, together with the chiaroscuro- Joseph Dianda style lighting found in Caravaggio’s (bottom left) paintings, were our top inspirations,” and Bazelli frame a scene. says Bazelli. “Steven and I wanted all that, but with a modern feel. The idea was to update Cabaret’slook to suit our storyline.” Very early in the show’s 15-week

Unit photography by Stephen Vaughan, courtesy of Screen Gems, Inc. Lighting diagram courtesy of Anthony Nakonechnyj. prep, the creative team, which included

www.theasc.com December 2010 77 ◗ A Big-City Dream choreographers Denise Faye and Joey Pizzi, realized that a Cabaret-sized stage would not be large enough to accommodate all their dancers and very complex musical numbers, so production designer Jon Gary Steele designed a set for the Burlesque Lounge that was about the size of a small hockey rink. “It’s bigger than it would be in real life, but the extra size, and Gary’s attention to the smallest detail, helped us photograph all those numbers in a fresh and non-repetitive way,” says Bazelli. The Burlesque Lounge was built in its entirety — two floors that included the stage, backstage area, bar, dressing rooms and offices — on Stage 23 at Sony Studios in Culver City. “When you walked in, you could believe you were walking into a real club, except for the hundreds of lights on the grid above,” continues the cine- matographer. “Gary, Steven and I had long talks about the types of fabrics, wallpaper, lampshades and sconces we’d use. We also chose the colors and Top (left to right): degrees of sheen and aging for the Aguilera, walls and mirrors. We used materials Chelsea Traille that would bounce light rather than and Paula Van Oppen strike a absorb it; all surface paints were 35-to- pose during 65-percent reflective.” the song Before the first flat went up, “Tough Lover.” Middle: B- gaffer Anthony “Nako” Nakonechnyj camera dolly and rigging key grip Chris Leidholdt grip Dwayne built a speed-rail truss that ran the Barr (far right) guides length of the set. When fully rigged, Steadicam the overhead lamps were operated via a operator Colin dimmer board. Nako’s crew installed Hudson through the hundreds of practical lamps and musical accents in addition to the 200 film number. lights on the truss, and the theatrical- Bottom: The crew prepares lighting crew added roughly 200 another setup moving lights to the stage area. with the Beauty lighting for the film’s two cameras on dollies. leads was essential. Cher had not been in a feature film since 2003 (Stuck on You), and Bazelli “wanted her to be comfortable in front of the camera and know that she’d look great on film,” he says. “Gaining Cher’s trust was my goal, and it was my pleasure to light her.” Her scenes, including her musical numbers, were rehearsed and blocked

78 December 2010 American Cinematographer to accommodate a classic portrait- lighting arrangement. The key, usually a 5K or 10K tungsten unit, or the spot- light onstage, was positioned above and behind the camera, pointing down at the actress at a 45-degree angle. A snoot with Lee 250 diffusion softly illuminated the front of her face while everything around her fell into dark- ness. “Tess represents the club, and the club’s dominant color is red, so we decided to give red a theatrical presence in all of Tess’s scenes, even when she’s not performing,” adds Bazelli. Aguilera always had to look beautiful but also natural. “Alice has many looks throughout the movie,” says the cinematographer. “At the beginning, the direction of light is less flat to camera; she’s more sidelit, presented in dramatic lighting that was often created with a 3-Lite or 6-Lite Barger Lite.When she becomes a dancer at the club, her lighting becomes softer and more glamorous. It all comes together beautifully in Alice’s solo (“Bound to You”), where she’s backlit, standing against a pale-blue backdrop, wearing an acid-green dress. This ballad has a great visual impact.” For the wide shots and dialogue scenes, keylight was provided by large softboxes Nako had originally designed for The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (AC Aug. ’10). Each box contained JT 1000 1,000-watt quartz halogen globes in 4x8 (eight globes), 4x4 and 2x4 (four globes), and 1x2 (one globe) arrange- ments, diffused by Half Grid or bleached muslin, as well as black/white Rosco Cinebounce. Bazelli wanted to soften the image without using heavy diffusion in front of the lens. “We loved the soft, painterly feeling of Barry Lyndon,” he notes. After much testing, the film- makers decided that the set should be filled with smoke for the run of the 65- day shoot. “Smoke is a great tool,” says Bazelli. “It’s an element between the lens and the actor, and it’s very organic Top: The Burlesque Lounge was built in its entirety onstage at Sony Studios and fitted with hundreds of and friendly to the eye. As a slight practical lamps in addition to 200 film lights on an overhead truss and 200 moving theatrical fixtures diffuser, it makes every light around the around the stage.Bottom: Georgia (Julianne Hough, center)takes the lead role in “Diamond”;Bazelli set softer, and the tonalities smoother. and company lent the song a silvery blue palette.

www.theasc.com December 2010 79 ◗ A Big-City Dream

Left, top and bottom: Alice breaks into the song “I’m a Good Girl.” Above (front to back): C-camera 1st AC Justin Chefe, C-camera operator Paul Sanchez, Loungway, B-camera 1st AC John Szajner and Hudson capture the glamour.

your meter is 1⁄3 of a stop. If you stretch it less, you lose more light and the image becomes more diffused.” Shooting Burlesque on film was never in question. “It would be very hard to shoot this movie with anything but film,” asserts Bazelli. “When beauty is of the essence and you have strong It also carries the ambient light into the light that comes onto the lens is scat- lights tearing through the smoke and a shadows, so the blacks are more trans- tered by the filter, decreasing its capa- wide contrast between light and parent, more like a painting. And it bility to handle the flare.” shadow, I think a digital camera would looked great with the moving lights we Bazelli prefers to use a thin net or totally freeze.” The filmmakers initially used as part of the stage lighting.” stocking on the back of the lens to considered shooting scenes set in the The cinematographer shot close- knock down the sharpness of the Burlesque Lounge on one film stock ups with 75mm or 100mm Cooke image. “We tried many nets until we and the rest of the picture on a different Panchro lenses, “an older, smokier found the ones we liked. I like Fogal, a film stock, but Bazelli ultimately glass,” and he decided to do without French stocking that’s very smooth and decided to use one negative, Kodak filtration on the lens, apart from ND not so thick.” Many effects are possible, Vision3 250D 5207, and change the filters. “We could stack five Double Fog from chromatic aberrations in colors to color and tonality of his lighting to filters in front of the camera and the geometric artifacts in lens flares. “How achieve the different looks. “The deci- faces would look amazingly soft, but it you stretch it on the lens, how tight or sion to use a daylight-balanced film wouldn’t look real or be appropriate for loose it is, and how dark the material is stock had to do with the flesh tones, a modern story,” says Bazelli. “If you will affect your image. If it’s very light and all the moving lights are daylight- put diffusion in front of the lens, the and you stretch it all the way, the loss by balanced,” he says. “5207 has a softer

80 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ A Big-City Dream rendering of flesh tones, which helps “Alice has many looks throughout with beauty shots.” the movie,” notes Though he was shooting a Bazelli. “At the daylight-balanced negative, Bazelli lit beginning [top], she’s more sidelit, with mostly tungsten sources and presented in corrected for the difference in the dramatic lighting. dailies, which were handled by colorist When she becomes a dancer at the club Willie Lawton at FotoKem. [middle], her lighting “Whenever you do that much correc- becomes softer and tion on a film stock, certain lights will more glamorous. It all comes together come out very blue and shift toward beautifully in green,” notes Nako. “We anticipated [“Bound to You,” that shift with gels on the lights.” bottom], where she’s backlit, standing Each of the film’s 15 dance against a pale-blue numbers is two to four minutes long, backdrop, wearing and they were all photographed in an acid-green dress.” complete takes. Routines were divided into four sections: wide shots, medium shots, close-ups and specialty setups; the wide and medium shots captured the whole performance, whereas close-ups and specialty setups were planned in advance. In this fashion, a single musical number took one to three days to complete, depending on its complexity. Each number has its own point of view and was designed to convey a certain emotional idea. Bazelli calls it “positioning ourselves dramatically.” The first number, “Welcome to Burlesque,” is an elaborate, sensual come-hither that emphasizes Alice’s point of view. “When Alice sees Tess performing this number, she is instantly seduced by the beauty of it,” says Bazelli. “With that, we set the tone for these glamorous and colorful performances. It’s a strong introduction to the style of the movie.” The main camera crew com- prised A-camera operator Patrick Loungway, B-camera/Steadicam opera- tor Colin Hudson, A-camera 1st AC John Holmes and B-camera 1st AC John Szajner. For musical numbers, “we used four cameras,” says Bazelli. “Typically, the A, B and C cameras would be on dollies, and the D camera would be on the 30-foot or 50-foot Technocrane with a Libra head. I think we shot about 10 percent of the film with the Steadicam, and maybe 5 percent handheld.” Arricam Lites were used for dolly,

82 December 2010 American Cinematographer Michael Condon, SOC Andree Martin VP Digital Division VP Technical Services

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www.clairmont.com Hollywood Vancouver Toronto Albuquerque Montreal 818-761-4440 604-984-4563 416-467-1700 505-227-2525 514-525-6556 ◗ A Big-City Dream crane and Steadicam work, and Arri 235s were used for handheld work. “The camera is always moving, and we’re always expressing someone’s point of view by doing that,” he says. “We didn’t want to take your attention away from the performance, so the moves aren’t radical or disturbing, but you can feel the change of the shot.” His main lenses were Cooke S4 primes ranging from 12mm to 150mm. “S4 lenses are wonderful,” he observes. “They handle strong lights and backlit smoke beauti- fully, and I knew I was going to have a lot of strong lights pointed at the camera.” The process for lighting dance numbers “was both creative and chal- lenging,” he continues. Onstage, Antin, Bazelli and theatrical-lighting designer Peggy Eisenhauer worked with the choreographed dancers to adjust their blocking to the stage lighting, which could change dramatically with each number. Some routines were so complex that they had to be programmed in sections from different parts of the stage in order for Eisenhauer and console operator Harry Sangmeister to see what they were doing. One example is “Express,” which starts in a conventional way before the scenery blasts apart. “It becomes a wild lighting situation, almost a departure from theatrical — it actually goes into concert lighting,” says Eisenhauer, whose motion-picture credits include Dreamgirls (AC Dec. ’06). Her crew deployed Martin Atomic strobes that Top: The filmmakers fired on the beat and then went full- employed an insert blast with an arsenal of robotic 1.2K car and trailer for a Vari-Lite VL3000 and VL3500 spots scene in which Marcus Gerber (Eric and washes controlled through a Dane) drives Alice to Virtuoso console. a party at his home. “We usually shot a number in Middle: A crane captures a shot one or two days, and then moved to looking inside another scene to give the art depart- Marcus’ house. ment some time to redress and Peggy’s Bottom (from left): A- camera 1st AC John crew time to set the theatrical lighting,” Holmes, Loungway says Bazelli. “We’d tech-rehearse and and Bazelli prepare a finalize lighting over the weekend. shot of Aguilera inside the location. Nako and I would walk through the number step-by-step, adjusting the cues and exposure and tweaking the lights

84 December 2010 American Cinematographer

◗ A Big-City Dream quality of light that can be translated correctly to film color space,” cautions Bazelli. “Each number was designed and lit with a specific color palette in mind. We wanted red to be especially Despite Tess’ strong and vibrant. cold shoulder, “We know that print stocks can’t Alice is handle some colors at all,” he adds. “For determined to prove herself at instance, a certain shade of purple does- the Burlesque n’t exist on color positive because [the Lounge. stock] has been designed to replicate flesh tones in the most accurate way, subduing other colors.” “There are colors you can get in Rec709 that you can’t get on print, and vice-versa,” confirms colorist Trent Johnson, who worked with Bazelli on Burlesque’s final digital grade at Sony for the camera positions. That included challenge because we want to work with ColorWorks. “You can only get true the follow spots, Super Troupers, whose brightness,” Eisenhauer remarks. turquoise on print stock. On video, it’s operators had to do very complex and “When we squeeze the brightness going to swing either green or blue.” challenging work. They were amazing down into the middle range, it becomes Bazelli emphasizes the impor- — some numbers had more than 150 harder to tell the differences between tance of maintaining good communica- cues.” changes.” tion with the lab. The cinematographer “Restraining the palette is our big “It’s important to generate the was in constant contact with Lawton

86 and Mark Van Horne, FotoKem’s direc- The smoke and the netting can be with your creativity and decision- tor of production services, throughout served their purpose in the end, in that making during preproduction and principal photography; the trio often the actors required minimal polishing. shooting, the better off you’ll be in post, met in the pre-dawn hours to review the The detail work was in shading the because then you’re sweetening some- previous day’s work. “Bojan is very frame and maintaining an authentic thing that’s already good.” ● involved,” notes Van Horne. “We’d talk color palette. Working on a Baselight, four or five times a day, and he was Bazelli and Johnson were careful to always shooting tests and coming to preserve detail in the blacks with a great double-check his work.” deal of transparency in the shadows. At Sony ColorWorks, the nega- “We used windows to darken or lighten tive was scanned at 4K on a Scanity film areas of the frame, giving the image scanner, and for the color correction, depth,” says Johnson. “Bojan wanted Johnson used the dailies for reference, the club to be dark and moody but alive TECHNICAL SPECS viewing them as an Avid output of the with texture, whereas when the girls are locked sequences on a calibrated moni- onstage, it’s an explosion of color and 2.40:1 tor in the digital-intermediate theater. light. In the routines, Bojan’s lights are 3-perf Super 35mm He spent the first few weeks evening so strong and colorful the image was out the exposure from shot to shot, a bulletproof.” (Kodak Vision3 5254 Arricam Lite, Arri 235 process affected by the varying levels of intermediate stock was used for the 4K smoke in each take. “Too much smoke filmout.) Cooke lenses diffuses the light and increases the The ability to create “bullet- general exposure,” notes Johnson. proof” images stems from extensive Kodak Vision3 250D 5207 “Adjusting the exposure pretty much preparation and, in turn, the ability to Digital Intermediate solves the issue. It’s like reaching out adapt to the situation at hand, according and adjusting the f-stop on the lens.” to Bazelli. “The more disciplined you Printed on Kodak Vision 2383

87 Post Focus

On Fright Night, cinematographer , AEC (background) collaborated on set with Company 3 colorist Alex Bickel (foreground) to color-correct the 3-D footage shot with Red One cameras.

Company 3 Brings 3-D Post to Set comfortably from cut to cut,” says Carter. “The size of the screen is I By Simon Wakelin an important factor in setting the correct convergence. Since the Pirates stereographer was watching 3-D dailies projected at 2K, he Company 3, a member of Ascent Media’s creative services could continually calibrate and refine the look on set the next day.” group, recently found itself reinventing its dailies pipeline to accom- Plasma screens were also used on the Pirates set to give the modate three very different 3-D productions, Pirates of the team an idea of how depth effects will play on smaller screens when Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Fright Night and Transformers: The the film is eventually released on home video. “Moving from an Dark of the Moon. On all three, the filmmakers used the company’s image 50 feet across to inches across can require some tweaking,” services on-set to gauge how their final 3-D images would appear. observes Anthony Davis, Ascent Media’s director of on-location Jackie Lee, vice president of feature sales at Ascent Media, notes, services. “We’re now seeing post workflows being integrated directly on set. Throughout the Pirates, Fright Night and Transformers The expectation is to have final sequences ready for delivery as shoots, Company 3 was delivering “both flat and 3-D dailies to the quickly as possible.” editing houses so they could cut in 2-D and review in 3-D,” says For example, on the visual-effects-heavy fourth Pirates film, Carter. “Most of the time, they’re not editing while wearing 3-D “the visual-effects team needed to see sequences as soon as possi- glasses; they’re cutting 2-D, and then checking to make sure it ble, and in context, so they could begin their work immediately,” works in 3-D.” Fright Night on-set colorist Alex Bickel elaborates, says Dylan Carter, Company 3’s director of visual workflow. To help “They’re editing with a single stream of Avid 125 DNX 1080 media streamline the transition from set to post, Pirates’ camera crew that has left and right eye, side by side. They typically scale the image included a stereographer who adjusted convergence, or the focal to look at only the left eye while cutting, but remove the scale and point in relation to the screen plane, either toward or away from the screen it almost exclusively in 3-D.” audience to minimize eye strain across edits and guide the eye to The Transformers film mixed 35mm with digital capture specific parts of the frame. “Each shot has a certain amount of (courtesy of the Sony F35 and Arri Alexa), but both the Pirates film

depth, and the position of the characters and props also need to roll and Fright Night were shot digitally with Red One cameras. Through Photo courtesy of Company 3.

88 December 2010 American Cinematographer

its work on the latter films, Company 3 helped Red develop a new color space that Red is, at press time, about to release publicly, according to Carter. Cinematographer Javier Aguirre- sarobe, AEC signed on to Fright Night after meeting director and warm- ing to his energy and enthusiasm. Although the project was not Aguirresarobe’s first vampire film — he previously shot the Twilight films New Moon and Eclipse — Fright Night marked his first venture into digital and 3-D cinematography. “I was apprehensive at first, but soon felt very comfortable going through the Red work- flow at Company 3,” says Aguirresarobe. The video for School Gyrls’ “Something Like a Party” was color-corrected at Digital Jungle’s “The 3-D in the movie is not about fancy recently launched Digital Jungle Music Video division. effects; the story called for something that was more real and less spectacular. I really Facility News company’s three business groups: Features, wanted to see how dark I could shoot Commercials and Digital. everything while still maintaining detail.” Digital Jungle Creates The re-launch establishes Gravity as Fright Night follows Charley Brew- Music-Video Division a generator of high-end visual effects, ster (Anton Yelchin) in his quest to destroy Following the success of several creative content, motion graphics, anima- the vampire next door. Aguirresarobe music videos finished at Digital Jungle, the tion and digital strategy capable of living on framed for 1.85:1, shooting with Arri post house recently announced a new divi- any media outlet. The company has offices Master Primes and rating the Red at 640 sion focused solely on music-video post: in New York, Los Angeles and Tel Aviv. ASA in dark, smoky environments. This Digital Jungle Music Video. “We’ve learned For additional information, visit allowed Bickel to lift the blacks without through extensive experience how different www.gravityworld.com. revealing the noise floor, thereby creating the needs are between music videos [and] milky blacks and a soft, low-contrast look. film or TV projects,” says Dennis Ho, Origami Digital Expands in He worked with Assimilate’s Scratch, one of company president. “In music videos, the New Location a few DI solutions that enable 3-D screen- is a central key to holding the Visual-effects company Origami ing capabilities from Red files without addi- audience’s attention, whereas with film and Digital has moved into an 8,000-square- tional processing. “One of the challenges TV projects, color is more supplemental to foot facility near Los Angeles’ Hawthorne was choosing the platform that would the narrative.” Airport. The space includes an expanded grade and output two streams of Red in Color grading for DJMV takes place performance-capture stage, a large studio real time,” says Bickel. “We built a full- in Digital Jungle’s screening room, which is and a state-of-the-art infrastructure. fledged Scratch DI at a central location near powered by a Quantel Pablo system “We’ve always had a full-service the soundstages using a 50-inch 3-D Pana- projected from a Barco 2K Digital Projector approach to our work, and in this new sonic plasma screen with active glasses to onto a 21'x8' screen. Colorist John Scheer space we can offer our whole range of monitor images in 3-D, and a Sony BVM handles the coloring process. services more efficiently,” says Oliver Hotz, Series reference monitor and Black Magic For additional information, visit Origami Digital’s founder and visual-effects Ultra Scope for color-critical tasks.” www.digijungle.com. supervisor. “We have invested a great deal Before matching the left- and right- in the development of our mo-cap pipeline, eye streams, Bickel first graded in mono. Rhino Re-Launches as Gravity and we now have a dedicated 50-by-50 “With Scratch, you first color in 2-D and Visual-effects company Rhino has mo-cap volume so we can really put the then translate that grade to 3-D space,” he rebranded itself as Gravity, an international system to work.” says. “We colored everything with the right creative, content and brand-communica- The visual-effects pipeline is based eye and then matched the left. Having the tions company. Gravity’s expertise is in pair- on a suite of in-house tools for project dailies color suite on location was very ing creativity with technological innovation tracking and asset management, which productive for us. Javier and Craig were to achieve engaging experiences for brands; enable the facility to handle large projects able to work directly with a colorist and see the company has made a significant invest- with a minimum of internal bureaucracy. exactly how the image looked before going ment in management talent for its commer- Artists have access to all assets for their back to the set.” Aguirresarobe adds, “It cial, digital and technology offerings, which shots, and they can easily evaluate their

gave me the freedom to take more risks.” are now fully integrated across the work in the context of the edit. The work- Frame grab courtesy of Digital Jungle.

90 December 2010 American Cinematographer Origami Digital’s new 8,000-square-foot facility.

flow allows artists to work more indepen- dently. “Our flat hierarchy allows us to complete a lot of work in a short time,” explains Matt Rubin, a producer at the company. “The primary benefit for our clients is the freedom it gives them to explore ideas. We can offer this because of our fast turnaround.” Loco, a technology developed at Origami, serves as a development platform for a number of the facility’s in-house tools, including the proprietary motion-capture system Loco MoCap, which uses Phase- Space cameras and an active optical system. Each marker in Loco MoCap has a unique ID, which enables artists to quickly repair any occlusion errors. “The accuracy of the system is within 1⁄10 of a millimeter, which means it is virtually noiseless,” says Hotz. “As long as we can see the marker, there’s no cleanup required and no need to smooth the data. That allows us to work faster.” Loco MoCap’s active optical system also allows it to work outdoors in daylight using the infrared spectrum. Another system developed on the Loco platform, Loco DVR, records the video-assist feeds from all of the cameras on set along with notes from the visual- effects supervisor, giving artists access to the cameras’ video taps during post. Loco DVR can also be used to stream live from the video-assist feed over the Internet, enabling two production units to coordi- nate their work, or allowing the director and cinematographer to remotely keep in touch with a . Origami Digital, 3349 Jack Northrop Ave., Hawthorne, Calif., 90250. For addi- tional information, visit www.origamidigi tal.com. ● Tomorrow’s Technology

3-D, New Camera Assessments on generation higher-resolution digital motion-picture camera. 35mm Technology Committee’s Agenda film will again be used as the basis for comparison. “Discovering I By Simon Wakelin what various digital motion-picture cameras are capable of captur- ing will open up huge possibilities for cinematographers, who will The industry has seen rapid developments in digital-capture be able to more confidently manage a project’s look,” says Stump. technologies and digital-intermediate workflow practices since the “Variances in film development are trivial compared to what needs ASC Technology Committee was founded in 2003, and the to be known about digital media.” committee continues to monitor the industry’s shift from analog to CAS II is expected to be finished in a 4K IIF workflow, and digital with the fundamental objective of understanding how these will include the ASC CDL to allow interchange and interoperation developments affect the cinematographer’s craft. “The ASC Tech- of basic primary color corrections. Stump notes that the Camera nology Committee continues to focus on the hybrid digital/film Subcommittee also plans to explore a similar evaluation of 3-D motion-picture imaging chain because it’s becoming increasingly image-capture devices. complex to manage as each new technology is introduced,” says Another area of change has been the increased use of post Curtis Clark, ASC, chair of the committee. processes during production, which has led to more display tech- “We are in the midst of a radical transformation that is nologies being used on set. The Digital Display Subcommittee affecting workflow standards,” he continues. “Digital tools are continues to look at new displays as they are introduced, specifically evolving rapidly, and the committee’s job is to recommend the best analyzing how such devices are calibrated. “The careful manage- practices for cinematographers to better manage new workflows ment and due process required to capture the image during and achieve consistent results. We’re recalibrating our focus and production needs to keep its integrity through the entire process,” analyzing an array of specific workflow issues, but with a clearer ‘big says Clark. “With so many display devices in use, discrepancies can picture’ vision of where we’re headed with our work, which be so extreme in contrast, color and brightness that the image no includes the implementation of the Academy’s Image Interchange longer possesses its original characteristics. It’s an awareness issue Framework and Academy Color Encoding Specification.” as much as , and it’s one of the biggest challenges we IIF-ACES was developed by the Academy of Motion Picture currently face.” Arts and Sciences with members of the ASC Technology Commit- The recent increase in 3-D production is also an area of tee and other industry collaborators.“Our interaction with the scrutiny. “The Technology Committee’s Stereoscopic Subcommittee Academy was fruitful this year,” says David Stump, ASC, who chairs has been integrated into our Camera Subcommittee and will the Society’s Camera Subcommittee. “We’re well down the road in address issues related to production, post and exhibition by coordi- understanding metadata, workflow and color management. We’re nating closely with our Digital Intermediate and Digital Display also examining next-generation workflows for the DI that will ulti- subcommittees,” says Clark. “3-D has accelerated the expansion of mately resolve many challenges and difficulties, such as transforms digital projection, and it’s reaching critical mass. One discerning between log and linear. In essence, we’re finding a way to effec- issue that isn’t widely understood is the impact of silver screens tively standardize the process.” installed in theaters. They can be a curse if regular 2-D films are Past ASC Technology Committee initiatives and achieve- shown on them, displaying an image with high gain and hot spots. ments have included working closely with Digital Cinema Initiatives, 3-D is suddenly mainstream, and we need to adapt the same imag- LLC, to produce the ASC-DCI Standard Evaluation Material, which ing standards we’re establishing in the 2-D world to the 3-D world, is now used to evaluate the performance of digital projectors and which poses additional challenges. digital-cinema systems. In 2009, the committee partnered with the “I fully expect our work to become more complex and Producers Guild of America on the Camera-Assessment Series, care- challenging in the coming years,” he concludes. “However, we fully comparing images captured by seven leading digital-motion- will continue to implement a new foundation for cinematographers picture cameras to images captured on 35mm( AC June ’09 and to get a consistent handle on digital processes. At the end of Sept. ’09). And the ASC Color Decision List has been embraced by the day, we want to maximize the creative potential of all these most major color-correction systems. technologies.” ● Another camera-assessment series is in the works for 2011, says Clark, and among the new cameras that will be tested using the IIF workflow will be Arri’s Alexa, Red’s Epic, and Sony’s next-

92 December 2010 American Cinematographer Never Stop Learning. Never Stop Networking. Get Exposure, Find Crew, or Join a Production using the Filmmakers Social Networking Site at http://networking.studentfilmmakers.com Post Your Questions and Find Answers in the Interactive Forums Moderated by Experts at www.studentfilmmakers.com/bb/ Attend Motion Picture Production Workshops at http://www.studentfilmmakers.com/workshops/  Reach Over 45,000 Film and Video Makers of All Levels Every Month (Z^VYRPUNWYVMLZZPVUHSZPU[OLÄST[LSL]PZPVUHUKTV[PVUWPJ[\YLPUK\Z[Y`^LUL]LYZ[VWSLHYU- PUNPUV\YJHYLLYZ>P[OHSS[OLUL^[LJOUVSVNPLZHUKUL^[LJOUPX\LZ^L»YLHSSSPMLSVUNZ[\KLU[Z *VU[PU\L[VSLHYUJ\[[PUNLKNL[LJOUPX\LZHUKILZ[WYHJ[PJLZJV]LYPUNWYLWYVK\J[PVUWYVK\J[PVU WVZ[WYVK\J[PVUKPZ[YPI\[PVUÄST]PKLVWYVK\J[PVUJVTTLU[HYPLZHUKTVYL Studentfilmmakers.com 1123 Broadway, Suite #307, New York, NY 10010 (T) 212.255.5454 Filmmakers’ Forum

The Rubber Hits the Road on Faster For lenses, I like all the Panavision Primo primes and zooms. I By Michael Grady To recall that ’70s style, we did a lot of zooms. We created the skip-bleach look in the digital grade, going Faster, my latest collaboration with director George Tillman for heavy blacks and warm tones. I did the color correction at Jr., stars Dwayne Johnson as Driver, an ex-con who steps out of Company 3 with colorist Siggy Ferstl, an incredible talent. We’d prison ready to avenge the murder of his brother. Over the course of done some tests beforehand to establish our visual concept, and the film, Driver is pursued by a cop who’s ready for retirement (Billy Siggy and his team did a great job managing our dailies, keeping Bob Thornton) and a young hit man (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). It’s a our concept in mind and letting us know what we needed to do on modern-day noir that recalls some set in order to be able to go so of Charles Bronson’s great 1970s harsh with the color correction on films. the back side. With a title like Faster, you It’s rare for a first unit to get know there will be a lot of high- the opportunity to shoot a lot of speed car chases to go along with the stunts — the fun stuff. Most of the guns. Our principal cars the time, this work goes to the included Driver’s 1970 Super Sport second unit. For Faster, first unit Chevelle, a muscle car with an covered a tremendous number of upgraded engine and nitro booster, the stunts on a tight schedule; we and the hit man’s car, a silver Ferrari only did eight or 10 second-unit GT. Because of the amount of days. It was probably the only action and smash-ups, there were chance I’ll ever get to play with so four Chevelles and three Ferraris on many toys! set. Stunts and stuntmen always From the beginning, George amaze me. Their work is controlled wanted to avoid a lot of CGI. He chaos. Stunt coordinator Darrin preferred the realism of “old Prescott is the best, with a huge school” car chases, and wanted to credit list that includes Public use practical methods to bring the Enemies and The Hangover. He audience closer to near misses and made sure we never got stupid. collisions as much as possible. He Putting the camera in dangerous also wanted each character to be places needs to be thought out very shot using a certain style and well beforehand. George had palette. It’s a mostly rural story, and pretty specific ideas for the action, for Driver, who grew up in a remote desert location, the look is and Darrin’s team would tweak them based upon their expertise almost sepia, with a harsh, skip-bleach feel and deep blacks. For the and knowledge. hit man, we used cleaner light and colder tones, and a lot of reflec- For many driving scenes, we used traditional process trailers, tive surfaces. The cop’s look shifts between the harsh desert and the which were pulled behind a vehicle to give us enough of a platform harsher city, which has almost no color. for lights and dollies. We used these for close-up work with Dwayne Shooting with two Panaflex Millennium XLs, two Arri 435s or Billy Bob. We also used ATVs outfitted with arms. But for the and an Arri 235, we used Fujifilm Eterna Vivid 500 8547 and Vivid sequences that were fast or that had to feel fast, we used the 160 8543 and Kodak Vision 500T 5218. We used 5218 mostly for a Biscuit, a super-fast version of a process trailer, like a race car, with climactic scene in which the three central characters meet, to show everybody strapped in and wearing helmets. The Biscuit’s driving the nature of collision and explosion in their different worlds, and for platform can be moved to any space— in front of, behind or to the a night sequence set on a fairly isolated stretch of road involving side of the prop car. For instance, there are several shots of Driver stunts with a tractor-trailer. For the night sequence, we pushed 5218 speeding in reverse during a chase following a bank robbery. An one stop and used very minimal lighting, augmenting the existing empty Chevelle chassis, including a full interior, was fastened onto streetlight with Kino Flos, LitePanels and LED lights rigged on and in the Biscuit. The driver of the Biscuit was facing forward, while it the vehicles. appears Dwayne is driving in reverse. The Biscuit gave us whatever

94 December2010 American Cinematographer angle we wanted. It careened around corners or pulled 360s. It also has a very low profile. For other shots, we used Allan Padelford’s Moto Arm, which extends out of a Cadillac Escalade about 14'-20'to posi- tion the camera using a 4:1 zoom mounted on a stabilized head. The arm can be oper- ated completely from within the Escalade. Allan drives the Escalade, and for us he hit speeds of up to 75 mph. His partner oper- ates the Moto Arm. George and I were also in the Escalade, watching the monitors, along with my first AC, Brian Morena. Our vehicle stayed right on the bumper of the Chevelle, with the Moto Arm closely follow- ing Dwayne’s driving stunt double, Tanoai Reed. At the right moment, Allan would slam on the brakes while his operator retracted the arm, allowing us to capture many near misses. The stunt drivers were great. They know their speeds, and they were always calm, sometimes even joking around. Only once did I see Allan flinch, and he quietly said, “Oh, that was close.” The rest of the time, it was like, “When’s lunch?” Brian is an incredible focus puller, and I pushed him with longer lenses. We’ve literally made it a game over the years. I’ll go longer, thinking he can’t possibly get it all, but even if he gets half of it in focus, there’ll be some really cool moments on super long lenses. So I always challenge him. For lighting in daylight shots, we used battery-operated Nila LEDs, which my gaffer, Michael Karasick, recommended. It was a good call. The only drawback was that on some big stunts, or if we hit a curve really hard in one of the stunt vehicles, the batteries failed. But batteries and battery- powered lights perform far better than onboard gas generators with HMIs. Faster taught me a great deal about what you can and cannot do with cars. One of the great aspects of working repeatedly with the same people is the knowledge you share. Michael Karasick and my grip, Husar, have worked with me for 10 years, but they have also worked with other cinematographers, and they bring all that experience with them. When you work with good people, you do better work, because it’s much more collaborative. ● • SUBMISSION INFORMATION • Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to: [email protected] and include full contact information and product images. Photos must be New Products & Services TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.

ASC, Chemical Wedding Release Toland App Dolby Unveils LCD Reference Monitor Chemical Wedding, in partnership with the ASC, has intro- Dolby Laboratories, Inc., has released the PRM-4200 Profes- duced the Toland ASC Digital Assistant for the iPhone and iPod sional Reference Monitor. The LCD-based display accurately reveals Touch. The app takes portions of the American Cinematographer true black levels with exceptional dark detail and higher contrast Manual and provides instant solutions to technical concerns. Inte- across the entire color gamut. grated features include a comprehensive database of cameras and The PRM-4200’s back- lenses; an exposure calculator covering light consists of 1,500 RGB LED camera speed, shutter angle and filter factor; triads, with the light from each a running time and footage calculator; a R, G and B element indepen- flicker-free warning indicator; a depth-of-field dently controlled frame-by- calculator with focus marks; an angle-of-view frame to create a full-color indicator; and full camera data logging, which backlight image on the 42" can be exported and e-mailed. LCD flat-panel display in real The Toland ASC Digital Assistant is time. The combined LED backlight and LCD screen produce a final named after the late , ASC, image with true blacks, exceptional dark detail, high dynamic range whose innovative lighting and camerawork and a wide, accurate color gamut. Additionally, the monitor goes on such films as made him a beyond 10 bits with support for emerging 12-bit formats. Other legend among cinematographers. ASC Presi- features include 1920x1080 pixel resolution with a 120 Hz refresh dent Michael Goi notes, “It is entirely appro- rate and a spacious, wide-angle viewing area of plus or minus 45 priate to name this application in honor of degrees. Gregg Toland, one of cinema’s most ground- The PRM-4200 features DCI/P3 color-gamut support, breaking artists. enabling color-critical grading without the use of a digital cinema “While researching the right tech company to partner with on projector. Support for 3-D LUTs allows the PRM-4200 to be cali- this project, Chemical Wedding’s intelligent design of Helios and brated to perfectly match digital screening environments and to Artemis resonated with our members as having the kind of quality emulate the response of film print stocks during the DI color-correc- and craft people have come to associate with the ASC,” Goi contin- tion process; on the set, the PRM-4200 displays color looks and ues. “With this venture, we are expanding the ASC’s outreach by previsualization with 1-D and 3-D LUTs. The monitor’s ability to creating tools that reflect how we work today.” emulate any other display device allows all content preparation and Fred Elmes, ASC played an important role in testing the quality evaluation to be done on one monitor. Toland app and providing feedback to its developers. He notes, An included external remote controller handles all of the “Toland puts the AC Manual into your pocket. When a shot gets PRM-4200’s functions, so no onscreen displays interfere with the complicated and you need to make a quick change, it’s wonderful to image on the monitor. The remote gives users immediate, intuitive pull out Toland and be certain you’re doing the right thing. Other access to all features, functions and parameters via simple, easy-to- programs do similar things, but Toland does it best because it’s all use menus, and it can be rack-mounted or used on a desktop. under one roof.” For additional information, visit www.dolby.com. “Rather than having to enter specific data to answer ques- tions, Toland is designed to track your choices as you make them,” explains cinematographer Nic Sadler, the lead product designer for Zeiss Adds Lightweight Zoom Chemical Wedding. “As you change the camera speed, you will Optics specialist Carl Zeiss has introduced the Lightweight instantly get feedback on how this affects running time and expo- Zoom LWZ.2, which features interchangeable mounts — PL, EF and sure. When you change lenses, you will see the depth-of-field and F — that allow the lens to be used with a wide range of cameras, field-of-view update in real time. Toland then allows you to log all this from traditional cine cameras to HDSLR systems. The LWZ.2 covers information to build comprehensive camera reports.” the ANSI Super 35 image area. The Toland ASC Digital Assistant is available worldwide Weighing approximately 4½ pounds, the LWZ.2 is especially through iTunes. For more information, visit www.theasc.com and well suited to handheld and Steadicam work. The lens features radi- www.chemicalwedding.tv. cally shaped spherical glass surfaces with a very strong curvature, guaranteeing high optical performance. Large-diameter aspherical

96 December 2010 American Cinematographer lens elements keep the ISee3D Offers Stereo View lens light while reducing in One Lens spherical aberrations and ISee3D, Inc., has released its single- keeping the image free of lens 3-D technology. The system removes distortion. Additionally, the cumbersome equipment, calibration Zeiss’ multi-layer anti- issues and complex post workflows reflex coating reduces presented by traditional two-lens 3-D flare and internal reflec- systems, allowing users to capture 3-D digi- tions, resulting in pleasing tal motion pictures through one lens. The and gentle colors, high technology can scale across device sizes, contrasts and deep blacks. meaning the optical switch can work within For additional information, visit any device, including digital cameras and www.zeiss.com/cine. even cell phones. “Most 3-D approaches have focused Cartoni Introduces 3-D Lambda on improving existing post techniques,” Cartoni has released the Lambda says Dwight Romanica, CEO of ISee3D. Twin 3D Head, a professional, nodal pan- “We’re bringing the advancement to the and-tilt support for both parallel and beam- camera, not the computer. Our single-lens splitter stereoscopic rigs. process streamlines the entire process and Designed to support full-size digital- provides the most effective way to bring camera rigs weighing up to 200 pounds, real-time 3-D to the present.” the Lambda Twin 3D Head features a “U” The company’s single-lens system captures stereoscopic images by occluding in sequence the left and right portions of the lens, essentially moving the center of the lens. This shifting center then allows the capture of different perspectives through a single lens, and the separate perspectives can be fused together to create a stereo- scopic image. Because both images are coming through one lens, the image pairs are always perfectly matched; vertical, hori- zontal or rotational misalignment are non- issues, and focus and zoom operations are no different than in 2-D shooting. For additional information, visit www.isee3d.com. shaped swinging platform and a sliding base. The head can be fitted to a range of Vinten Bridges Vector, supports, including heavy-duty tripods, Vision Ranges dollies, cranes and camera cars. Addition- Vinten, a Vitec Group brand, has ally, the Lambda Twin 3D can be inverted in introduced the Vector 430 pan-and-tilt an under-slung position for low-angle shots head. Developed in collaboration with that position the 3-D rig at nearly ground customers, the Vector 430 bridges the gap level. between Vinten’s Vision and Vector ranges, The Lambda Twin 3D employs a and is ideal for the growing number of patented Cartoni fluid-drag control system, applications that use both compact box micro-metric sliding vertical plates and posi- lenses and large EFP barrel lenses. tive locks on all movements. Several The lightweight Vector 430 incorpo- rosettes and 3⁄8" threads are easily accessi- rates Vinten’s Perfect Balance Technology ble in multiple locations on the head for and smooth TF drag technology, and boasts attaching the pan bar, counterweights and an extremely large capacity range of 22- other accessories. 94.8 pounds, making it a perfect choice For additional information, visit whether shooting in the studio or in the www.cartoni.com. field. The head’s compact design also makes camera, only one clamping needs to be opened, and the camera can be swiveled in each direction via the 80mm Euromount Straight tube without any waste of time. Addition- Shoot’r ally, a new software package lets users Goes Mini quickly and easily store limit positions, and a Straight Shoot’r new column measuring system with a Cranes, Inc. has introduced magnetic switch replaces the rotary encoder the Mini-Me three-axis jib and offers maximum reliability. arm. The one-piece Mini-Me is a The Tristar Dolly builds on Panther’s 7' version of the company’s 10' Straight decades of experience in designing and Shoot’r. manufacturing electromechanical dolly Like the classic Straight Shoot’r systems. At the heart of the Tristar Dolly is a three-axis jib, the Mini-Me offers cine- three-stage column, which gives the dolly a matographers a unique Z-axis “slider” glid- very low starting position, enabling camera ing camera mount in combination with a it simple to rig and transport. movements that frame an actor at eye level rock-solid jib arm with smooth three-axis The Vector 430 controls were from a seated to a standing position with- camera movement capabilities. Unlike the ergonomically designed to ensure ease of out any further conversion of the dolly; the classic jib arm, though, the Mini-Me can be use in any situation, whether in the studio column boasts a magnetic-switch measur- used in tighter locations. or during an outside broadcast. The controls “I’m in constant touch with the include a retractable counterbalance cinematographers who use my equipment, adjuster, backlit drag knobs and an illumi- and one of the most frequent [notes] they nated LCD display for low-light situations. had was that they found the classic Straight The base of the Vector 430 includes an inte- Shoot’r to be too large at times,” says Andy gral Quickfix groove for fast and secure Coradeschi, president of Straight Shoot’r attachment. All of these features, combined Cranes. “I manufactured several smaller with a Quickfit wedge adaptor, make the prototypes, and the 7-foot model was the Vector 430 the perfect choice for busy one that cinematographers agreed best multi-camera productions. enabled them to benefit from the creative The Vector 430 is also available in a freedom and production efficiencies the 430i configuration, featuring a high quality, Straight Shoot’r system offers, even while highly accurate encoder output to meet shooting in cramped quarters.” demand for virtual- and augmented-reality Straight Shoot’r three-axis jib arms applications in outside broadcast and studio are available for rent through the environments. The 430i incorporates an company’s headquarters in Los Angeles and Intelligence Module to provide precise, real- selected grip-rental houses across the time digital electronic positioning of pan United States, Canada, Europe and Japan. and tilt, enabling graphics to be placed ing system for maximum reliability. Also, as For more information, visit www.straight perfectly onto the live environment. The with the Classic Dolly, the Tristar features a shootr.com. 430i also includes a unique optional incli- High-Low Turnstile, an electronic drive train nometer feature developed to solve the and wheel system, and a software package Illumination Dynamics Opens challenge of platform movement. for storing limit positions. North Carolina Camera Division For additional information, visit The Tristar’s platform system makes it Illumination Dynamics has estab- www.vinten.com. possible to mount the platform at standard lished a camera division at its North height or in low-mode position by simply Carolina rental facility. The camera division Panther Expands Dolly Line turning it around. Three different steering will complement Illumination Dynamics’ Camera-support company Panther modes — crab, steer front and steer rear — rental of lighting, grip, generators and has introduced an updated Panther Classic make it easy to maneuver the dolly; a single power distribution to the entertainment, Dolly and an all-new Tristar Dolly. knob on the wheel arm adjusts the steering live-broadcast and special-event industries. The new Panther Classic Dolly boasts mode. Batteries and most of the accessories The new department will be fully supported a patent-pending High-Low Turnstile; this introduced for previous Panther dolly by parent company Arri CSC, and will start innovative camera support gives users the systems can be used with the Tristar. with an inventory that includes Arricam Lite freedom to employ low camera positions For additional information, visit and Arriflex 435, 235 and D-21 packages. while maximizing the ergonomics for the www.panther.tv. “This expansion is part of our operator. When changing the height of the continued commitment and support to the

98 December 2010 American Cinematographer film community in North Carolina and the surrounding region,” says Jeff Pentek, Illu- mination Dynamics’ chief operating officer. Additionally, Rory Holder has joined Illumi- nation Dynamics’ staff to provide both camera rental and prep-tech services. Holder has worked as a camera operator and has received extensive training from Arri CSC. For additional information, visit www.illuminationdynamics.com.

AJA Shrinks Ki Pro AJA Video Systems has introduced the Ki Pro Mini, a smaller, lighter version of the company’s Ki Pro portable tapeless recorder, which captures to the Apple ProRes 422 codec directly from camera. The highly portable Ki Pro Mini flash-disk recorder mounts easily to digital cameras and accessories, enabling it to fit unobtru- sively in small spaces for on-set capture of 10-bit 4:2:2 files that are immediately ready for editing. Supporting SD/HD SDI and HDMI I/O connectivity, the Ki Pro Mini offers full-raster recording to Compact Flash cards in Apple ProRes 422 SD and HD formats, including HQ, LT and Proxy; the native QuickTime files require no log and capture for editing in Final Cut Pro. Flexible control options include familiar front-panel and Web- browser interfaces, and optional Ki Pro Mini Mounting Plates attach to hot shoes, battery plates and virtually any other acces- sory bracket. Other features include two channels of balanced XLR audio with

switch-selectable line/mic levels and eight channels of embedded digital audio over SDI and HDMI. “Anywhere a camera can go, Ki Pro Mini can follow,” says AJA President Nick Rashby. “It’s smaller than some battery packs and mounts to virtually everything. We designed Ki Pro Mini for any sized production that needs seamless 10-bit file- nine color ranges, which offer an intuitive, Windows users, Color Finesse 3.0 is based acquisition — it’s about extreme visual method of adjusting individual colors. compatible with Windows XP, Vista 32/64 portability and going from lens to post in a Additionally, a keyer allows users to adjust and Windows 7 32/64. Color Finesse 3.0 flash.” the individual color or ranges of colors; intu- supports Adobe After Effects 7.0 and CS3 Constructed from aircraft-grade itively create color keys with a direct through CS5, Premiere Pro CS3 through aluminum, the lightweight, rugged Ki Pro sampling interface; and soften, choke or CS5, Final Cut Pro 6 and 7, and Motion 4.0. Mini sells for a recommended price of invert the matte, and use it in conjunction The plug-in is available for $575; upgrades $1,995. For more information, visit with Power Masks for ultimate control. from prior versions of Color Finesse are www.aja.com. Colorista II is available for $299; available for $149. current Colorista users can upgrade for For additional information, visit Red Giant Upgrades Colorista $99. For additional information, visit www.synthetic-ap.com. Red Giant Software has introduced www.redgiantsoftware.com. Magic Bullet Colorista II color-correction CoreMelt Locks, Loads software, which brings the professional Synthetic Aperture Editing Plug-in power of high-end color systems directly to Finesses Colors CoreMelt has released the Lock & the desktop. Colorista II’s easy-to-use inter- Synthetic Aperture has introduced Load Express plug-in for videographers face is equally good for making quick Color Finesse 3.0, the latest version of the using DSLR cameras and working with adjustments on a deadline or finessing company’s color-correction plug-in for Apple’s Final Cut Express. footage without limitations, all from within Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Lock & Load Express harnesses much the user’s favorite editing applications. Pro. of the key functionality found in CoreMelt’s “When I created Colorista three Color Finesse 3.0 adds a 64-bit plug- Lock & Load X software application — years ago, there was no such thing as in to support Adobe’s CS5 64-bit applica- including image stabilization and rolling- professional color correction on the desk- tions, in addition to supporting the 32-bit shutter reduction — but in a simplified top,” says Stu Maschwitz, creative director version; migrating to 64 bit significantly version. Roger Bolton, CoreMelt’s founder, reduces the possibility of out-of-memory errors occurring during effects rendering. Version 3.0 also adds a native FxPlug-style plug-in to support Apple Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion; the plug-in enhances overall performance and reduces pixel format conversions. Other new features include Auto Color and Auto Exposure buttons, which provide one-click access for beginning a creative color grade; Vibrance control, notes, “Lock & Load Express addresses the at Red Giant Software. “Since then, some which refines control over image saturation; everyday challenges facing videographers amazing color tools have become widely HSL curves, which let users control image — especially event videographers that shoot available. The problem is that they require saturation and lightness based on hue; a on DSLR cameras — to give handheld you to change your workflow, learn a new Highlight Recovery tool for recovering over- footage a [steady] quality instantly without application and draw a firm line between bright areas of the image; the ability to the need to set tracking points. Using the the editorial and finishing phases of your export color-correction settings as a 3-D LUT rolling shutter reduction functionality … production. With Colorista II, my goal was in a variety of formats, including Autodesk helps lessen image distortions and lets digi- simple: put every ounce of professional Lustre and Smoke, Academy LUT, Assimilate tal content creators get on with the business color-correction power right in your editing Scratch, Pogle, Truelight, Cine-tal and of creating and meeting tight deadlines.” application of choice, so you don’t have to LUTher; preview displays, which automati- The intuitive and easy-to-use Lock & change a thing about your workflow to cally adjust to footage pixel aspect ratio, Load Express boasts tremendous speed, a start using it.” giving users a correctly formatted preview streamlined workflow and even back- Colorista II features three-way color when working with anamorphic footage; ground tracking, allowing users to work on wheels for easy adjustment of shadows, an enhanced Vectorscope with zoom capa- their project while the software tracks. The midtones and highlights; a Pop control for bility, making it easier to see detail when plug-in runs on Mac OS X 10.5.4 or later in adding or reducing visual clarity; two white- and black-balancing; and support for Final Cut Express 4.0 or later; it is available animate-able Power Masks; highlight recov- the Tangent Wave control surface. now for $79. ery, which intelligently rebuilds blown-out Color Finesse 3.0 is compatible with For additional information, visit highlight detail; and eight channels of Hue, both Intel- and PowerPC-based Mac www.lockandloadexpress.com. ● Saturation and Luminance control across systems running Mac OS X 10.5 or later. For

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RATES 16x9, Inc. 102 Eastman Kodak 25, C4 Rosco Laboratories, Inc. 63 All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words set in bold face or Abel Cine Tech 55 Film Gear 45 Schneider Optics 2 all capitals are $5.00 per word. First word of ad and advertiser’s AC 1, 111 Filmtools 91 Shelton Communications name can be set in capitals without extra charge. No agency Aja Video Systems, Inc. C3 Five Towns College 91 102 commission or discounts on clas si fied advertising.PAYMENTMUST ACCOM PA NYORDER . VISA, Mastercard, AmEx and Discover card are Alan Gordon Enterprises 102 FTC West 103 Sony Pictures Classics 29 ac cept ed. Send ad toClas si fied Ad ver tis ing, Amer i can Cin e - Arri 37 Fujji Motion Picture Sony Pictures Entertainment ma tog ra pher, P.O. Box 2230, Hol ly wood, CA 90078.Or FAX AZGrip 102 32a-d 19 (323) 876-4973. Dead line for payment and copy must be in the Backstage Equipment, Inc. Gekko Technologies 75 Stanton Video Services 95 office by 15th of second month preceding pub li ca tion. Sub ject mat - Super16 Inc. 103 ter is lim it ed to items and ser vic es per tain ing to film mak ing and vid - 6 Gemini 3D Camera, LLC 4 eo pro duc tion. Words used are sub ject to mag a zine style Band Pro Film & Digital Glidecam Industries 27 Sylvania 41, 43 ab bre vi a tion. Min i mum amount per ad: $45 103 Hollywood Post Alliance 99 Technicolor 48-49 Bron Imaging Group - US 28 Technocrane 6 CLASSIFIEDS ON-LINE Innoventive Software 95 Burrell Enterprises 102 VF Gadgets, Inc. 102 Ads may now also be placed in the on-line Classifieds Interlochen Center for Camera Essentials 103 the Arts 73 Visual Products 73 at the ASC web site. Canon USA 21 Vitec Group, The 6 Internet ads are seen around the world at the same JMR Electronics Inc., 69 Cavision Enterprises 71 Warner Bros. Pictures great rate as in print, or for slightly more you can Chapman/Leonard Studio appear both online and in print. K5600 67 5, 9, 13, 17 For more information please visit Equipment Inc. 85 Kino Flo 47 Welch Integrated 93 www.theasc.com/advertiser, or e-mail: Chapman University 97 Kobold 28 Willy’s Widgets 102 [email protected]. Chemical Wedding 89, 101 Laffoux Solutions, Inc. 102 www.theasc.com 86, 99, Cinematography 111 Electronics 91 Movie Tech AG 103 EQUIPMENT FOR SALE Cinekinetic 102 M. M. Mukhi and Sons 103 Zacuto Films 103 Cinerover 103 SONY PMW-EX1 Camcorder XDCAMX Complete Package, New York Film Academy 81 used less than 20 hours. MustSell. 305-302-1057 Cinevate 57 Clairmont Film & Digital 83 O’Connor 6 USED EQUIPMENT. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT Codex Digital Ltd., 39 Oppenheimer Camera Prod. COMPANY. (972) 869-9990. Cooke Optics 23, 59 102 Arri 435ES very complete package plus 18-100 Zoom lens, Arri Varicon. Excellent prices Contact [email protected] Deluxe C2 P + S Technik 59 Denecke 103 Panther Gmbh 46 USED EQUIPMENT. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT Duclos Lenses 97 Paramount Studios COMPANY. (888) 869-9998, [email protected]. www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com. 7, 11, 15 PC&E 62 11,000 USED ITEMS. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT. PED Denz 45, 103 (972 ) 869-9990. Pelican Products, Inc 87 World’s SUPERMARKET of USED MOTION PICTURE Photon Beard 102 EQUIPMENT! Buy, Sell, Trade. CAMERAS, LENSES, Pille Film Gmbh 103 SUPPORT, AKS & MORE! Visual Products, Inc. www.visu alproducts.com Call 440.647.4999 Pro8mm 102 Production Resource Group BUY-SELL-CONSIGN-TRADE. 47 YEARS EXPERIENCE. 61, 74 CALL BILL REITER. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT COMPANY. (972) 869-9990.

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104 December 2010 American Cinematographer American Cinematographer 2010 Index Compiled by Christopher Probst

Indexed by Author, Cinematographer, Format, Subject and Title

2-PERF Prophet, A, March p. 18 , “Telephone,” Adams, Marshall, March p. 46 Carlos, Nov. p. 42 Shutter Island, March July p. 12 Adefarasin, BSC, Remi, March 3-D p. 30 Pacific, The, March p. 46 p. 46 “3-D on a Shoestring,” Wall Street: Money 35MM — SUPER 35MM (1.85:1) Alice in Wonderland, April Oct. p. 24 Never Sleeps, Oct. 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 p. 32 Alice in Wonderland, p. 42 Alice in Wonderland, Amélie, Aug. p. 16 April p. 32 White Ribbon, The, Jan. April p. 32 American Beauty, Aug. “Assimilate, Telairity p. 18 Love and Other Drugs, p. 20 Collaborate for 8-PERF (VISTAVISION) Dec. p. 64 Animal Kingdom, Oct. p. 66 Remote 3-D Post,” Inception, July p. 36 Scott Pilgrim vs. the Arkapaw, Adam, Oct. p. 66 Oct. p. 75 Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Aug. p. 42 ASC CLOSE-UP Avatar, Jan. p. 32 World, Aug. p. 42 Wolfman, The, Feb. p. 32 Byers, Frank B., Dec. p. 116 Cane Toads: The 16MM — SUPER 16MM 35MM — SUPER 35MM (2.40:1) Cameron, Paul, Feb. p. 96 Conquest 3-D, Black Swan, Dec. p. 30 Animal Kingdom, Oct. Del Ruth, Thomas A., July April p. 83 Enter the Void, Oct. p. 18 p. 66 p. 88 “Company 3 Brings 3-D Girl With the Dragon Brooklyn’s Finest, April Denault, Jim, Oct. p. 92 Post to Set,” Tattoo, The, May p. 26 Dickson, Billy, Jan. p. 104 Dec. p. 88 p. 56 Burlesque, Dec. p. 76 Elmes, Fred, May p. 88 “Digital Jungle Creates His & Hers, April p. 77 Carlos, Nov. p. 43 Georgevich, Dejan, Sept. Music-Video Lebanon, April p. 20 Centurion, Sept. p. 74 p. 112 Division,” Dec. p. 88 Life on Earth, May p. 12 Enter the Void, Oct. p. 18 Minsky, Charles, Aug. p. 96 “Fairburn Aligns 3-D Rig,” White Stripes Under Expendables, The, Sept. Ohashi, Rene, April p. 104 Nov. p. 86 Great White Northern p. 50 Papamichael, Phedon, Nov. Hubble 3-D, April p. 60 Lights, The, June Girl With the Dragon p. 100 “Origami Digital Expands p. 64 Tattoo, The, May Schwartzman, John, June in New Location,” 35MM — 1.33:1 p. 56 p. 100 Dec. p. 88 Fish Tank, Feb. p. 18 Green Zone, April p. 48 Totino, Salvatore, March “Rhino Re-Launches as 35MM — 1.85:1 Inception, July p. 26 p. 96 Gravity,” Dec. p. 88 Eat, Pray, Love, Sept. Iron Man 2, May p. 24 Avatar, Jan. p. 32 “Visual Data Debuts 3-D p. 18 Killer Inside Me, The, Baffa, ASC, Christopher, Workflow,” Oct. p. 74 I Am Love, July p. 50 July p. 22 March p. 46 3-PERF I Love You Phillip Morris, Last Airbender, The, July Bakshi, Benji, May p. 12 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 Dec. p. 24 p. 40 Barratt, Will, June p. 72 Animal Kingdom, Kids Are All Right, The, Lovely Bones, The, Jan. Bazelli, ASC, Bojan, Aug. Oct. p. 66 Aug. p. 22 p. 48 p. 56, Dec. p. 76 , Land and Bread, June Micmacs, June p. 52 Bejach, Giora, April p. 20 Sept. p. 34 p. 12 Oceans, May p. 40 Berger, AAC, Christian, Jan. Brooklyn’s Finest, Milk of Sorrow, The, of Persia: The p. 18 April p. 26 Sept. p. 28 Sands of Time, June BLACK-AND-WHITE Burlesque, Dec. p. 76 35MM — ANAMORPHIC 2.40:1 p. 42 White Ribbon, The, Jan. Centurion, Sept. p. 74 Brooklyn’s Finest, April Robin Hood, June p. 30 p. 18 Expendables, The, p. 26 Salt, Aug. p. 28 Black Swan, Dec. pp. 30, 34 Sept. p. 50 Get Low, Aug. p. 68 Secretariat, Nov. p. 30 Black Tulip, Sept. p. 90 Girl With the Dragon Hereafter, Nov. p. 54 Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Boardwalk Empire, Sept. Tattoo, The, History of Aviation, The, The, Aug. p. 56 p. 34 May p. 56 April p. 14 Shutter Island, March Bowman, Chase, June p. 78 Glee, March p. 52 Inception, July p. 26 p. 30 Boyd, ASC, David, Aug. p. 68 Green Zone, April p. 48 Let Me In, Oct. p. 54 Wall Street 2: Money Braier, Natasha, Sept. p. 28 Imaginarium of Doctor Nowhere Boy, Sept. p. 64 Never Sleeps, Oct. Brooklyn’s Finest, April p. 26 Parnassus, The, NY Export: Opus Jazz, p. 42 Brooks, Alice, Nov. p. 18 Jan. p. 24 March p. 24 65MM Bryan, Chris, Aug. p. 12 Killer Inside Me, The, Suspiria, Feb. p. 68 Hubble 3-D (Imax), April Burlesque, Dec. p. 76 July p. 22 35MM — SUPER 35MM (1.78:1) p. 60 Byers, ASC, Frank B., Dec. King’s Speech, The, Boardwalk Empire, Sept. Inception, July p. 26 p. 116 Dec. p. 18 p. 34 Shutter Island, March Cady, Patrick, Sept. p. 86 Love and Other Drugs, Glee, March p. 52 p. 30 Cameron, ASC, Paul, Feb. Dec. p. 64 Hyundai Sonata, Jan. 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 p. 96 Micmacs, June p. 52 p. 12 Ackroyd, BSC, Barry, April Cane Toads: The Conquest Oceans, May p. 40 p. 48 3-D, April p. 83

www.theasc.com December 2010 105 Carlos, Nov. p. 43 Première, La, March Tudors, The, July Nowhere Boy, Sept. Centurion, Sept. p. 74 p. 12 p. 58 p. 64 Chamberlain, Mark, Dec. Social Network, The, What’s in the Box? Oceans, May p. 40 p. 12 Oct. p. 28 Feb. p. 12 Prince of Persia: The Charlone, ABC, César, Aug. Southern District, White Stripes Under Sands of Time, June p. 20 April p. 80 Great White p. 42 Chediak, Enrique, Dec. p. 50 Winter’s Bone, June Northern Lights, Prophet, A, March p. 18 , Aug. p. 16 p. 16 The, June p. 64 Robin Hood, June p. 30 Christensen, ASC, T.C., Dec. “Working With the DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE Salt, Aug. p. 28 p. 114 Red,” Feb. p. 56 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 Scott Pilgrim vs. the City of God, Aug. p. 20 DIGITAL VIDEO Alice in Wonderland, World, Aug. p. 42 Clark, ASC, Curtis, Jan. p. 12, Man Next Door, The, April p. 32 Secretariat, Nov. p. 30 Dec. p. 92 May p. 16 Animal Kingdom, Oct. Sherlock Holmes, Jan. Cohen, BSC, Danny, Dec. Oath, The, April p. 74 p. 66 p. 60 p. 18 DSLR Avatar, Jan. p. 32 Shutter Island, March Cohn, Mariano, May p. 16 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 Black Swan, Dec. p. 30 p. 30 COMMERCIALS Black Swan, Dec. Brooklyn’s Finest, April Social Network, the, Hyundai Sonata, Jan. p. 30 p. 26 Oct. p. 28 p. 12 House, M.D., July Burlesque, Dec. p. 76 Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Nokia N8, “Dot,” Dec. p. 72 Carlos, Nov. p. 43 The, Aug. p. 56 p. 12 “How Digital SLRs Centurion, Sept. p. 74 Southern District, April Quiksilver, Aug. p. 12 Can Change the Eat, Pray, Love, Sept. p. 80 Cronenweth, ASC, Jeff, Aug. Way We Make p. 18 Wall Street 2: Money p. 18, Oct. p. 28 Movies,” Jan. Enter the Void, Oct. p. 18 Never Sleeps, Oct. CSI: NY, March p. 46 p. 88 Expendables, The, Sept. p. 42 Dark Knight, The, Aug. p. 18 Lakairomania, Oct. p. 50 White Ribbon, The, Jan. De Lumen, Paul, April p. 80 p. 12 Fish Tank, Feb. p. 18 p. 18 Deakins, ASC, BSC, Roger, Nokia N8, “Dot,” Dec. Get Low, Aug. p. 68 Winter’s Bone, June Aug. p. 17 p. 12 Girl With the Dragon p. 16 Debie, AFC, Benoît, Oct. p. 18 Première, La, March Tattoo, The, May Wolfman, The, Feb. p. 32 Del Ruth, ASC, Thomas A., p. 12 p. 56 DIRECTOR INTERVIEWS July p. 88 Secretariat, Nov. Green Zone, April p. 48 Arnold, Andrea, Feb. Delbonnel, ASC, AFC, Bruno, p. 30 Harry Brown, June p. 24 p. 18 Aug. p. 16 HIGH-DEFINITION VIDEO Hereafter, Nov. p. 54 Aronofsky, Darren, Dec. Denault, ASC, Jim, Jan. “3-D on a Shoe- His & Hers, April p. 77 p. 34 p. 102, Oct. p. 92 string,” Oct. p. 24 History of Aviation, The, Audiard, Jacques, March Deschanel, ASC, Caleb, Jan. Alice in Wonderland, April p. 14 p. 18 p. 72 April p. 32 Hubble 3-D, April p. 60 Bell, Diane, April p. 72 Dickson, ASC, Billy, Jan. Arri Alexa Demo, I Love You Phillip Morris, Boyle, Danny, Dec. p. 50 p. 104 Sept. p. 12 Dec. p. 24 Burton, Tim, April p. 32 DIGITAL CINEMATOGRAPHY Avatar, Jan. p. 32 Imaginarium of Doctor Cassaday, John, Feb. 2K CAPTURE CSI: NY, March p. 46 Parnassus, The, Jan. p. 26 127 Hours, Dec. p. 50 Dollhouse, Feb. p. 24 p. 24 Chu, Jon M., Nov. p. 18 Cane Toads: The Harry Brown, June Inception, July p. 26 Cluzaud, Jacques, May Conquest 3-D, p. 24 Iron Man 2, May p. 24 p. 40 April p. 83 Hubble 3-D, April Kids Are All Right, The, Cohn, Mariano, May 4KC APTURE p. 60 Aug. p. 22 p. 16 Alice in Wonderland, Inception, July p. 26 Killer Inside Me, The, Duprat, Gaston, May April p. 32 Lie to Me, July p. 16 July p. 22 p. 16 Black Tulip, Sept. p. 90 Lovely Bones, The, King’s Speech, The, Dec. Edwards, Gareth, Nov. Deftones, The, Jan. p. 48 p. 18 p. 24 “Sextape,” Nov. Monsters, Nov. p. 24 Last Airbender, The, July Evans, Ty, Oct. p. 12 p. 12 Mother and Child, p. 40 Favreau, Jon, May p. 24 Hereafter, Nov. p. 54 May p. 50 Lebanon, April p. 20 Fincher, David, Oct. p. 28 Lakairomania, Oct. Oceans, May p. 40 Let Me In, Oct. p. 54 Forrest, Zak, Nov. p. 12 p. 12 Quiksilver commer- Lottery Ticket, Sept. p. 86 Gilliam, Terry, Jan. p. 24 Lebanon, April p. 20 cial, Aug. p. 12 Love and Other Drugs, Granik, Debra, June Legion of Extraordinary Scott Pilgrim vs. the Dec. p. 64 p. 16 Dancers, The, Nov. World, Aug. p. 42 Lovely Bones, The, Jan. Greengrass, Paul, April p. 18 Secretariat, Nov. p. 48 p. 48 Lovely Bones, The, p. 30 Man Next Door, The, Guadagnino, Luca, July Jan. p. 48 Sherlock Holmes, May p. 16 p. 50 Mother and Child, Jan. p. 60 Micmacs, June p. 52 Jackson, Peter, Jan. p. 48 May p. 50 Shutter Island, Mother and Child, May Jeunet, Jean-Pierre, June Obselidia, April p. 72 March p. 30 p. 50 p. 52

106 December 2010 American Cinematographer Kenyeres, Balint, April Dunning, Giles, June p. 64 Hall, ASC, Conrad L., Aug. Kress, DFF, Eric, May p. 56 p. 14 Duprat, Gaston, May p. 16 p. 20 Lakairomania, Oct. p. 12 Liebenguth, Chad, Nov. Eat, Pray, Love, Sept. p. 18 Harry Brown, June p. 24 Land and Bread, June p. 12 p. 12 Edwards, Gareth, Nov. p. 24 Hereafter, Nov. p. 54 Last Airbender, The, July Lipes, Jody Lee, March Ekberg, Par, July p. 12 Heuzey, René, May p. 40 p. 40 p. 24 Elmes, ASC, Fred, May p. 88 His & Hers, April p. 77 Lavelle, Michael, April p. 77 Lewis, Mark, April p. 83 Elswit, ASC, Robert, Aug. HISTORICALS Le Saux, Yorick, July p. 50, Malloy, Emmett, June pp. 17, 28 Suspiria, Feb. p. 68 Nov. p. 43 p. 64 Enter the Void, Oct. p. 18 History of Aviation, The, Lebanon, April p. 20 Maoz, Samuel, April Erdely, Matyas, April p. 14 April p. 14 Legion of Extraordinary p. 20 Expendables, The, Sept. Houghton, ASC, Tom, Feb. Dancers, The, Nov. p. 18 Morgan, Curt, Aug. p. 12 p. 50 p. 94, Nov. p. 98 Lenoir, ASC, AFC, Denis, Nov. Newell, Mike, June p. 42 Fairburn, Sean, Nov. p. 86 House, M.D., July p. 72 p. 43 Noé, Gaspar, Oct. p. 18 Faster, Dec. p. 94 Hubble 3-D, April pp. 60, 68 Lesnie, ASC, ACS, Andrew, Nolan, Christopher, July Fierberg, ASC, Steven, Aug. Hurlbut, ASC, Shane, Jan. Jan. p. 48, July p. 40 p. 26 p. 80, Dec. p. 64 p. 88 Let Me In, Oct. p. 54 Oplev, Niels Arden, May , Aug. p. 18 Hyundai Sonata commercial, Libatique, ASC, Matthew, p. 56 FILMMAKERS’ FORUM Jan. p. 12 May p. 24, Dec. p. 30 Patterson, Ed, Dec. p. 12 “Capturing an Episodic I Am Love, July p. 50 Lie to Me, July p. 16 Poitras, Laura, April p. 74 Drama With a DSLR,” I Love You Phillip Morris, Liebenguth, Chad, Nov. p. 12 Polanski, Roman, Nov. July p. 72 Dec. p. 24 Life on Earth, May p. 12 p. 74 “Consider ‘Red’ Another Imaginarium of Doctor LIGHTING DIAGRAMS Reeves, Matt, Oct. p. 54 Paint in Your Palette,” Parnassus, The, Jan. Avatar, Jan. p. 32 Regalbuto, Michael, Aug. p. 80 p. 24 Boardwalk Empire, Sept. March p. 12 “How Digital SLRs Can IMAX p. 34 Regalbuto, Nick, March Change the Way We Hubble 3-D, April p. 60 Burlesque, Dec. p. 76 p. 12 Make Movies,” Jan. In the Gravest Extreme, Inception, July p. 26 Ritchie, Guy, Jan. p. 60 p. 88 Oct. p. 24 Iron Man 2, May p. 24 Schneider, ASC, Aaron, “Shooting Black Tulip in Inception, July pp. 26, 30 Première, La, March p. 12 Aug. p. 68 Afghanistan,” Sept. IN MEMORIA Prince of Persia: The Shyamalan, M. Night, p. 90 Fraker, ASC, BSC, Sands of Time, June July p. 40 “Strengthening Crucial William A., Nov. p. 64 p. 42 Smit, Tim, Feb. p. 12 Ties With Collabora- Malkames, ASC, Karl, Social Network, The, Oct. Stallone, Sylvester, Sept. tors,” April p. 88 July p. 86 p. 28 p. 50 “The Rubber Hits the Martinelli, ASC, Vincent, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Stone, Oliver, Oct. p. 46 Road on Faster,” Dec. July p. 86 The, Aug. p. 56 Studd, Will, Dec. p. 12 p. 94 Reshovsky, ASC, Marc, Wolfman, The, Feb. p. 32 Valdivia, Juan Carlos, Fiore, ASC, Mauro, Jan. Feb. p. 92 Lipes, Jody Lee, March p. 24 April p. 80 p. 32 INSTRUCTIONAL Londono, Mateo, Nov. p. 82 Wallace, Randall, Nov. Fish Tank, Feb. p. 18 “Creating a Virtual New Lottery Ticket, Sept. p. 86 p. 30 Flinn, ASC, John C., March York for 24,” May Love and Other Drugs, Winterbottom, Michael, p. 62 p. 74 Dec. p. 64 July p. 22 Fontaine, AFC, Stéphane, “Fairburn Aligns 3-D Lovely Bones, The, Jan. Zwick, Ed, Dec. p. 64 March p. 18 Rig,” Nov. p. 86 p. 48 DOCUMENTARIES Forrest, Zak, Nov. p. 12 “Sebaldt Explains Coved Lubezki, ASC, AMC, Cane Toads: The Fraker, ASC, BSC, William A., Bounce,” Nov. p. 86 Emmanuel, Aug. p. 16 Conquest 3-D, April Nov. p. 64 “Using Red’s False Malkames, ASC, Karl, July p. 83 Fraser, Greig, Oct. p. 54 Color,” June p. 78 p. 86 His & Hers, April p. 77 Freeman, ASC, Jonathan, “Working With the Red,” Man Next Door, The, May Hubble 3-D, April p. 60 Sept. p. 34, Dec. p. 114 Feb. p. 56 p. 16 Oath, The, April p. 74 Frozen, June p. 72 Iron Man 2, May pp. 24, 32 Martinelli, ASC, Vincent, July Oceans, May p. 40 Gallagher, Joe, July p. 16 Jadue-Lillo, Igor, Aug. p. 22 p. 86 White Stripes Under Georgevich, ASC, Dejan, Johnson, ASC, Shelly, Feb. Mathieson, BSC, John, June Great White Northern Sept. p. 112 p. 32 p. 30 Lights, The, June Get Low, Aug. p. 68 Johnson, Kirsten, April p. 74 McCullough, Kate, April p. 77 p. 64 Girl With the Dragon Kaminski, Janusz, Aug. p. 17 McCurdy, BSC, Sam, Sept. Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF, Tattoo, The, May p. 56 Kids Are All Right, The, p. 74 Anthony, Dec. p. 50 Glee, March p. 46 Aug. p. 22 McDonough, Michael, June Dollhouse, Feb. pp. 24, 26 Goi, ASC, Michael, April Killer Inside Me, The, July p. 16 “Dot,” Nokia N8,Dec. p. 12 p. 88 p. 22 McFarland, David, Sept. p. 90 Drion,Luc, May p. 40 Grady, Michael, Dec. p. 94 Kimball, ASC, Jeffrey L., McGarvey, ASC, BSC, Dryburgh, ASC, Stuart, Sept. Green Zone, April p. 48 Sept. p. 50 Seamus, Sept. p. 64 p. 34 Grobet, ASC, AMC, Xavier King’s Speech, The, Dec. Medencevic, ASC, Suki, Du Pont, ASC, Lex, Feb. p. 94 Pérez, May p. 50, Dec. p. 18 May p. 87 p. 24 Klein, ASC, David, Feb. p. 94

www.theasc.com December 2010 107 Menges, ASC, BSC, Chris, No Country for Old Men, “New Hat Finishes Miss Secretariat, Nov. p. 30 Feb. p. 46 Aug. p. 17 Nobody,” Nov. p. 82 Semler, ASC, ACS, Dean, Micmacs, June p. 52 Nowhere Boy, Sept. p. 64 “Oasis Imagery Opens Nov. p. 30 Milk of Sorrow, The, Sept. NY Export: Opus Jazz, Hollywood Facility,“ “Sextape,” The Deftones, p. 28 March p. 24 Oct. p. 73 Nov. p. 12 Milliss, Kathryn, April p. 83 Oath, The, April p. 74 “Offhollywood’s Digital Shannon, Garrett, May p. 12 Minsky, ASC, Charles, Aug. Obselidia, April p. 72 Perspective,” Feb. Sherlock Holmes, Jan. p. 96 Oceans, May p. 40 p. 78 p. 60 Miranda, ASC, Claudio, July Ohashi, ASC, CSC, Rene, “Pro8mm Adds 4:4:4 Shulkind, Andrew, Oct. p. 24 p. 87 April p. 104 Workflows,” Aug. Shutter Island, March Miss Nobody, Nov. p. 82 Oliver, ACS, Toby, April p. 83 p. 78 pp. 30, 78 Monsters, Nov. p. 24 Pacific, The, March p. 46 “Restoring Fassbinder’s Sidell, Sidney, July p. 16 Morgenthau, ASC, Kramer, Papamichael, ASC, Phedon, ,” Smit, Tim, Feb. p. 12 Sept. p. 34 Nov. p. 100 July p. 68 Social Network, The, Oct. Mother and Child, May Parnell, Feliks, March p. 46 “True Blood Workflow p. 28 p. 50 Patterson, Chris, July p. 30 Becomes File-Based,” Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Mulligan, Zak, April p. 72 Pecorini, Nicola, Jan. p. 24 Aug. p. 76 The, Aug. p. 56 Murguia, AMC, Patrick, April Pfister, ASC, Wally, July “VCL Builds Home in Southern District, April p. 26 p. 26, Aug. p. 18 Hollywood,” March p. 80 MUSIC VIDEOS Poitras, Laura, April p. 74 p. 79 SPECIAL LAB PROCESSES Deftones, The, Pope, ASC, Bill, Aug. p. 42 “Visual Data Debuts 3-D Get Low, Aug. p. 68 “Sextape,” Nov. p. 12 POST FOCUS Workflow,” Oct. p. 74 Suspiria, Feb. p. 68 Lady Gaga, “Telephone,” “A Star is Born Restora- Prèmiere, La, March p. 12 SPECIALIZED CINEMATOGRAPHY July p. 12 tion Starts With 8K PRESERVATION/RESTORATION Avatar, Jan. p. 32 Nagata, AFC, Tetsuo, June Scan,” May p. 72 Star is Born, A, May Cane Toads: The p. 52 “Adding Chills to Frozen,” p. 72 Conquest 3-D, April Negrin, ASC, Sol, March June p. 72 World on a Wire, July p. 83 p. 72 “ADS Advances a Differ- p. 68 Hubble 3-D, April p. 60 Neihouse, James, April p. 60 ent Side of Post,” Prieto, ASC, AMC, Rodrigo, Star is Born, A, May p. 72 NEW ASC ASSOCIATES Oct. p. 72 Oct. p. 42 Stern, ASC, AFC, Tom, Bianco, Robert, March “Assimilate, Telairity Prince of Persia: The Nov. p. 54 p. 94 Collaborate for Sands of Time, June Stump, ASC, David, Dec. Condon, Michael, July Remote 3-D Post,” p. 42 p. 92 p. 87 Oct. p. 75 Probst, Christopher, Feb. Suspiria, Feb. p. 68 Karahadian, Marker, “Autodesk Unveils 2011 p. 56 Tattersall, Gale, July p. 72 March p. 94 Lineup,” June p. 74 Prophet, A, March p. 18 Taylor, ASC, Jonathan, May Kucinsky, Chuck, Oct. “Cinemascan Streamlines Quiksilver commercial, p. 32 p. 90 Shutter Island,” Aug. p. 12 ”Telephone,” Lady Gaga, Leighton, Doug, April March p. 78 Rawi, BSC, CSC, Ousama, July p. 12 p. 102 “Cinesite Expands with July p. 58 TELEVISION Lukk, Howard, Jan. p. 102 Nuke,” Aug. p. 78 Reshovsky, ASC, Marc, Feb. ASC Career Achievement McDonald, William, “Company 3 Brings 3-D p. 92 in TV Award, March March p. 94 Post to Set,” Dec. Richardson, ASC, Robert, p. 62 Snyder, Kim, Nov. p. 98 p. 88 March p. 30, Sept. p. 18 Boardwalk Empire, Sept. Tiffen, Steven, Dec. “Creating Summer Sizzle Ritzema, Marc, Oct. p. 12 p. 34 p. 114 for Lottery Ticket,” , Aug. CSI: NY, March p. 58 NEW ASC MEMBERS Sept. p. 86 p. 20 Dollhouse, Feb. p. 24 Christensen, T.C., Dec. “Electric Picture Solutions Robin Hood, June p. 30 Emmy Nominees, Nov. p. 114 Opens Santa Monica Ros, Philippe, May p. 40 p. 80 Denault, Jim, Jan. p. 102 Facility,” March p. 80 Rousselot, ASC, AFC, Glee, March p. 52 Du Pont, Lex, Feb. p. 94 “FilmLight Offers Low- Philippe, Jan. p. 60 Lie to Me, July p. 16 Freeman, Jonathan, Dec. Cost Baselight, Ruhe, Martin, June p. 24 NY Export: Opus Jazz, p. 114 Streamlines HDCam- Ryan, BSC, Robbie, Feb. March p. 24 Houghton, Tom, Feb. SR Workflow,” June p. 18 Pacific, The, March p. 46 p. 94 p. 76 Salt, Aug. p. 28 Tudors, The, July p. 58 Klein, David, Feb. p. 94 “HPA Honors Post Profes- Sarfati, Isi, June p. 12 , Aug. Medencevic, Suki, May sionals,” Jan. p. 86 , Aug. p. 17 p. 87 “Inside Technicolor’s New p. 17 Totino, ASC, Salvatore, Miranda, Claudio, July Hub,” Jan. p. 84 Schwartzman, ASC, John, March p. 96 p. 87 “LightIron Commits to June p. 100 Tovoli, ASC, AIC, Luciano, Parker, Larry (Honorary), File-Based Post,” Scott Pilgrim vs. the Feb. p. 68, May p. 40 April p. 102 March p. 78 World, Aug. p. 42 Tudors, The, July p. 58 Nichola, Paul, April p. 83 “MTI Film Automates Seale, ASC, ACS, John, VISUAL EFFECTS Nicholson, ASC, Sam, Sept. Hollywood Facility June p. 42 24, May p. 74 p. 12 with ContentAgent,” Sebaldt, ASC, Christian, Nov. Alice in Wonderland, Aug. p. 78 p. 86 April p. 32

108 December 2010 American Cinematographer Avatar, Jan. p. 32 “Aaton Introduces Pene- “Inside Technicolor’s Hope-Jones, Mark Frozen, June p. 72 lope-Delta,” June New Hub,” Jan. p. 84 “A Beatle’s Upbringing,” Hereafter, Nov. p. 54 p. 80 “Redesigning Doll- Sept. p. 64 Iron Man 2, May. p. 24 “Arri Unveils Alexa house,” Feb. p. 24 “An American’s Spiritual Monsters, Nov. p. 24 Prototype,” April “Romantic Chemistry,” Journey,” Sept. p. 18 Nokia N8, “Dot,” Dec. p. 92 Dec. p. 64 “Artistry and Conscience, p. 12 “’s Golden “True Blood Workflow Feb. p. 46 Salt, Aug. p. 28 Lebanon,” April p. 20 Becomes File-Based,” “England’s Dirty Harry,” Scott Pilgrim vs. the “Contemplating a Color- Aug. p. 76 June p. 24 World, Aug. p. 42 ful Afterlife,” Oct. “True Colors,” Aug. p. 68 “Slings and Arrows,” Sherlock Holmes, Jan. p. 18 “War Horses,” Sept. June p. 30 p. 60 “Super Sleuth,” Jan. p. 50 “Up Against It,” Dec. “Strengthening Crucial p. 60 “With Friends Like p. 50 Ties With Collabora- “The World’s Most These …,” Oct. p. 28 “Weapons of Decep- tors,” April p. 88 Wanted Man,” Nov. Gollish, Joshua tion,” April p. 48 What’s in the Box?Feb. p. 43 “Home-Screen Hits,” Hurlbut, ASC, Shane p. 12 “Very French Revenge,” March p. 46 “How Digital SLRs Can Wall Street: Money June p. 52 Grady, Michael Change the Way We Never Sleeps, Oct. “Wonders of the Sea,” “The Rubber Hits the Make Movies,” Jan. pp. 42, 46 May p. 40 Road on Faster,” Dec. p. 88 WEB PRODUCTIONS Birchard, Robert S. p. 94 Johnson, ASC, Shelly Nokia N8, “Dot,” Dec. “A Star is Born Restora- Gray, Simon “Bad Moon Rising,” Feb. p. 12 tion Starts with 8K “Elements of Power,” p. 32 Legion of Extraordinary Scan,” May p. 72 July p. 40 Kadner, Noah Dancers, The, Nov. Bosley, Rachael K. “Sundance 2010: “A Window into the p. 18 “AC Poll Names 10 Best- Expanded Palettes,” Soul,” May p. 16 What’s in the Box? Feb. Shot Films of 1998- April p. 80 “Brain Farm Makes p. 12 2008,” Aug. p. 16 “Watchful Spirit,” Jan. Waves with Quiksil- What’s in the Box? Feb. “Lost and Found Fami- p. 48 ver Campaign,” Aug. p. 12 lies,” May p. 50 “Welcome to the p. 12 White Ribbon, The, Jan. Calhoun, John Jungle,” Oct. p. 66 “Girl Trouble,” Aug. p. 42 p. 18 “The Return of Jerome Heuring, David Manders, Stanley White Stripes Under Robbins,” March “A Daring Romance,” “Terror in Technicolor,” Great White Northern p. 24 Dec. p. 24 Feb. p. 68 Lights, The, June p. 64 Clark, ASC, Curtis “A Magical Manhattan,” “Romans on the Run,” Wiegand, Lisa, Feb. p. 24 “Launching the 2011 Aug. p. 56 Sept. p. 74 Windon, ACS, Stephen, Hyundai Sonata,” “Bakshi, Shannon Win McFarland, David March p. 46 Jan. p. 12 ASC Richard Moore “Shooting Black Tulip in Winter’s Bone, June p. 16 Crudo, ASC, Richard P. Heritage Awards,” Afghanistan,” Sept. Wise, Matt, March p. 12 “A Personal Remem- May p. 12 p. 90 Wolfman, The, Feb. p. 32 brance,” Nov. p. 66 “Dream Thieves,” July Oppenheimer, Jean Wolski, ASC, Dariusz, April Frankel, David p. 26 “A Contemporary p. 32 “A Lawman Gone “Home-Screen Hits,” Comedy,” Aug. p. 22 Zyskind, Marcel, July p. 22 Wrong,” July p. 22 March p. 46 “An Emotional Transfor- Goi, ASC, Michael “Land and Bread Shines mation in Peru,” Index by Author President’s Desk: on the Festival Sept. p. 28 Argy, Stephanie Jan. p. 10, Feb. p. 10, Circuit,” June p. 12 “Dark Secrets,” May ”Strengthening Crucial March p. 10, April “Saluting an Industry p. 56 Ties With Collabora- p. 10, May p. 10, Stalwart,” March “A Future King Finds His tors,” April p. 88 June p. 10, July p. 72 Voice,” Dec. p. 18 Aronofsky, Darren p. 10, Aug. p. 10, “Skiing into the Action,” “Home-Screen Hits,” “Directing Black Swan,” Sept. p. 10, Oct. July p. 30 March p. 46 Dec. p. 34 p. 10, Nov. p. 10, Holben, Jay “Lethal Dance Moves,” Bankston, Douglas Dec. p. 10 “3-D on a Shoestring,” Nov. p. 18 “A Passion for His Craft,” Goldman, Michael Oct. p. 24 “Police Under Pressure,” March p. 62 “A Modern Romance,” “Academy Salutes Sci- April p. 26 “Creating a Virtual New Nov. p. 54 Tech Achievements,” “Rural Terrorism,” Jan. York for 24,” May “Adding Chills to May p. 20 p. 18 p. 74 Frozen,” June p. 72 “Conquering New “Telltale Tics,” July p. 16 “Fairburn Aligns 3-D “Crowning Achieve- Worlds,” Jan. p. 32 Pizzello, Stephen Rig,” Nov. p. 86 ments,” July p. 58 “Filmmakers in Orbit,” “Danse Macabre,” Dec. “Sebaldt Explains Coved “Desert Storm,” June April p. 68 p. 30 Bounce,” Nov. p. 86 p. 42 “The Final Frontier in 3 “King of Cool,” Nov. p. 64 Bergery, Benjamin “Down the Rabbit Hole,” Dimensions,” April Probst, Christopher “A Self-Made Man,” April p. 32 p. 60 “Working With the Red,” March p. 18 Feb. p. 56

www.theasc.com December 2010 109 Silberg, Jon Wakelin, Simon STATEMENTOF OWNERSHIP, “The Right Stuff,” Jan. “New Hat Finishes Miss MANAGEMENTAND CIRCULATION p. 72 Nobody,” Nov. p. 82 Stasukevich, Iain “Company 3 Brings 3-D Title of publication: “A Big-City Dream,” Dec. Post to Set,” Dec. AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER p. 76 p. 88 Publication no. 0002-7928 “A Blazing Skate Video,” “3-D, New Camera Oct. p. 12 Assessments on Date of filing: October 12, 2010 “Aardman Animates With Technology Commit- Frequency of issue: Monthly Nokia’s N8,” Dec. tee’s Agenda,” Dec. Annual subscription price: $50 p. 12 p. 92 Number of issues published annually: 12 “An Anamorphic History Walla, Claire of Aviation,” April “Offhollywood’s Digital Location of known office of publication: p. 14 Perspective,” Feb. 1782 N. Orange Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90028. “Bloody Valentine,” Oct. p. 78 Location of the headquarters or general business offices of the p. 54 “Using Red’s False publishers: Same as above. “Cat and Mouse,” Aug. Color,” June p. 78 Names and address of publisher: ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange p. 28 Witmer, Jon D. Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90028; Publisher, Martha Winterhalter, Executive “Crafting What’s in the “ADS Advances a Differ- Editor, Stephen Pizzello, 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028. Owner: Box?” Feb. p. 12 ent Side of Post,” ASC Holding Corp. “Creating an Underwater Oct. p. 72 Dreamscape for “Armor Wars,” May Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning ‘Sextape,’” Nov. p. 12 p. 24 or holding 1 per cent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or “Creating Summer Sizzle “Cassaday Imprints ‘The other securities: same as above. for Lottery Ticket,” Attic,’” Feb. p. 26 Extent and nature of circulation: Total numbers of copies printed (net Sept. p. 86 “Creature Feature,” Nov. press run): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 “Dramatizing Cinema p. 24 months, 34,833; actual number copies of single issue published nearest to History,” March p. 12 In Memoria: Feb. p. 92, filing date, 33,000. “Painting Towns White,” July p. 86 Paid and/or requested circulation: Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail June p. 64 “Primetime Artistry,” Subscriptions stated on Form 3541: average number of copies each issue “Restoring Fassbinder’s Nov. p. 80 during preceding 12 months, 24,110; actual number of copies of single issue World on a Wire,” “Sundance 2010: published nearest to filing date, 23,916. July p. 68 Expanded Palettes,” “Taking Arri’s Alexa to the April p. 77 Paid and/or requested circulation: Sales through dealers and carriers, World Cup,” Sept. “Taylor Leads 1st-Rate street vendors and counter sales, and other non-USPS paid distribution: p. 12 2nd Unit,” May p. 32 average number copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 8,099; “’Telephone’Generates “Through the Looking actual number of copies single issue published nearest to filing date, 6,890. ,” July Glass,” Jan. p. 24 Total paid and/or requested circulation: average number copies each p. 12 “Where Cinematography issue during preceding 12 months, 32,209; actual number copies of single Stone, Oliver Lives,” Sept. p. 82 issue published nearest to filing date, 30,806. “Reflecting on a Creative Free distribution by mail (samples, complimentary and other free Partnership,” Oct. copies): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, p. 46 2,029; actual number copies of single issue published nearest to filing date, Tattersall, Gale 1,500. “Capturing an Episodic Total free distributions: average number of copies each issue during Drama With a DSLR,” preceding 12 months, 2,029; actual number copies of single issue published July p. 72 nearest to filing date, 1,500. Thomson, Patricia “Hard Lessons,” Feb. Total distribution: average number of copies each issue during preceding p. 18 12 months, 34,238; actual number of copies of single issue published near- “Mind Games,” March est to filing date, 32,306. p. 30 Copies not distributed (office use, left over, unaccounted, spoiled “Cinemascan Streamlines after printing): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 Shutter Island,” months, 595; actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to March p. 78 filing date, 694. “Sundance 2010: Total: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months, Expanded Palettes,” 34,833; actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing April pp. 74, 80 date, 33,000. “An Odyssey in the Ozarks,” June p. 16 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: average number of copies “An Emotional Rebirth,” each issue during preceding 12 months, 94%; actual number of copies of July p. 50 single issue published nearest to filing date, 95%. “Mob Money,” Sept. p. 34 I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete. “Horse Power,” Nov. — Martha Winterhalter, Publisher p. 30

110

American Society of Cinematographers Roster

OFFICERS – 2009-’10 ACTIVE MEMBERS Roger Deakins Levie Isaacks Don McAlpine Michael Goi, Thomas Ackerman Jan DeBont Andrew Jackson Don McCuaig President Thomas Del Ruth Peter James Seamus McGarvey Lloyd Ahern II Johnny E. Jensen Robert McLachlan Richard Crudo, Herbert Alpert Torben Johnke Geary McLeod Vice President Russ Alsobrook Jim Denault Frank Johnson Greg McMurry Owen Roizman, Howard A. Anderson III Shelly Johnson Steve McNutt Vice President Howard A. Anderson Jr. Ron Dexter Jeffrey Jur Terry K. Meade James Anderson Craig Di Bona William K. Jurgensen Suki Medencevic John C. Flinn III, Peter Anderson George Spiro Dibie Adam Kane Chris Menges Vice President Tony Askins Stephen M. Katz Rexford Metz Matthew Leonetti, Charles Austin Billy Dickson Ken Kelsch Anastas Michos Treasurer Christopher Baffa Bill Dill Victor J. Kemper Douglas Milsome Rodney Taylor, James Bagdonas Wayne Kennan Secretary King Baggot Bert Dunk Francis Kenny Charles Minsky John Bailey Lex DuPont Glenn Kershaw Ron Garcia, George Mooradian Sergeant-at-Arms Andrzej Bartkowiak Richard Edlund Gary Kibbe Donald A. Morgan John Bartley Eagle Egilsson Jan Kiesser Donald M. Morgan MEMBERS Bojan Bazelli Jeffrey L. Kimball OF THE BOARD Frank Beascoechea Robert Elswit Adam Kimmel M. David Mullen John Bailey Affonso Beato Geoffrey Erb Alar Kivilo Stephen H. Burum Mat Beck David Klein Fred Murphy Curtis Clark Jon Fauer Richard Kline Don E. FauntLeRoy George Koblasa George Spiro Dibie Andres Berenguer Gerald Feil Fred J. Koenekamp Michael B. Negrin Richard Edlund Carl Berger Steven Fierberg Sol Negrin John C. Flinn III Gerald Perry Finnerman Pete Kozachik Bill Neil Michael Goi Steven Bernstein Neil Krepela Stephen Lighthill Ross Berryman John C. Flinn III Willy Kurant John Newby Isidore Mankofsky Michael Bonvillain Ron Fortunato Ellen M. Kuras Yuri Neyman Daryn Okada Richard Bowen Jonathan Freeman George La Fountaine Sam Nicholson Robert Primes David Boyd Tak Fujimoto Edward Lachman Crescenzo Notarile Alex Funke Ken Lamkin David B. Nowell Nancy Schreiber Jonathan Brown Steve Gainer Jacek Laskus Rene Ohashi Haskell Wexler Don Burgess Ron Garcia Andrew Laszlo Daryn Okada Kees Van Oostrum Stephen H. Burum Dejan Georgevich Denis Lenoir Thomas Olgeirsson Vilmos Zsigmond Bill Butler Michael Goi John R. Leonetti Woody Omens Frank B. Byers Matthew Leonetti Miroslav Ondricek ALTERNATES Bobby Byrne Paul Goldsmith Michael D. O’Shea Fred Elmes Antonio Calvache Frederic Goodich Peter Levy Anthony Palmieri Paul Cameron Victor Goss Matthew Libatique Rodney Taylor Russell P. Carpenter Jack Green Charlie Lieberman Daniel Pearl Michael D. O’Shea James L. Carter Adam Greenberg Stephen Lighthill Edward J. Pei Sol Negrin Alan Caso Robbie Greenberg Karl Walter Lindenlaub James Pergola Michael B. Negrin Michael Chapman Xavier Perez Grobet John Lindley Don Peterman Rodney Charters Alexander Gruszynski Robert F. Liu Lowell Peterson James A. Chressanthis Changwei Gu Walt Lloyd T.C. Christensen Rick Gunter Bruce Logan Gene Polito Joan Churchill Rob Hahn Gordon Lonsdale Curtis Clark Gerald Hirschfeld Steven Poster Peter L. Collister Henner Hofmann Julio G. Macat Tom Priestley Jr. Jack Cooperman Adam Holender Glen MacPherson Jack Couffer Ernie Holzman Constantine Makris Robert Primes Vincent G. Cox John C. Hora Denis Maloney Frank Prinzi Jeff Cronenweth Tom Houghton Isidore Mankofsky Richard Quinlan Richard Crudo Gil Hubbs Christopher Manley Dean R. Cundey Shane Hurlbut Michael D. Margulies Earl Rath Tom Hurwitz Barry Markowitz Richard Rawlings Jr. David Darby Judy Irola Steve Mason Frank Raymond Clark Mathis Tami Reiker

112 December 2010 American Cinematographer DECEMBER 2010

Robert Richardson Kees Van Oostrum Richard Di Bona Michael Morelli Michael Zacharia Anthony B. Richmond Ron Vargas Kevin Dillon Dash Morrison Bob Zahn Bill Roe Mark Vargo David Dodson Nolan Murdock Nazir Zaidi Owen Roizman Amelia Vincent Judith Doherty Dan Muscarella Michael Zakula Pete Romano William Wages Cyril Drabinsky Iain A. Neil Les Zellan Jr. Roy H. Wagner Jesse Dylan Otto Nemenz Ric Waite Jonathan Erland Ernst Nettmann HONORARY MEMBERS Michael Watkins John Farrand Tony Ngai Col. Edwin E. Al drin Jr. Juan Ruiz-Anchia Jonathan West Ray Feeney Mickel Niehenke Neil A. Armstrong Marvin Rush Haskell Wexler William Feightner Marty Oppenheimer Col. Michael Collins Paul Ryan Jack Whitman Phil Feiner Walt Ordway Bob Fisher Eric Saarinen Gordon Willis Jimmy Fisher Michael Parker David MacDonald Alik Sakharov Scott Fleischer Warren Parker Cpt. Bruce McCandless II Mikael Salomon Ralph Woolsey Thomas Fletcher Doug Pentek Larry Parker Harris Savides Peter Wunstorf Salvatore Giarratano Kristin Petrovich D. Brian Spruill Roberto Schaefer Richard B. Glickman Ed Phillips Tobias Schliessler John A. Gresch Nick Phillips Aaron Schneider Jerzy Zielinski Jim Hannafin Jerry Pierce Nancy Schreiber Vilmos Zsigmond William Hansard Joshua Pines Fred Schuler Kenneth Zunder Bill Hansard, Jr. Carl Porcello Richard Hart Howard Preston John Seale ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Robert Harvey David Pringle Christian Sebaldt Alan Albert Charles Herzfeld Phil Radin Richard Aschman Larry Hezzelwood Christopher Reyna Eduardo Serra Volker Bahnemann Frieder Hochheim Colin Ritchie Steven Shaw Kay Baker Bob Hoffman Eric G. Rodli Richard Shore Joseph J. Ball Vinny Hogan Andy Romanoff Amnon Band Cliff Hsui Daniel Rosen John Simmons Carly M. Barber Robert C. Hummel Dana Ross Sandi Sissel Roy Isaia Bill Russell Bradley B. Six Thomas M. Barron George Joblove Kish Sadhvani Dennis L. Smith Larry Barton Joel Johnson David Samuelson Roland “Ozzie” Smith Bob Beitcher John Johnston Peter K. Schnitzler Reed Smoot Mark Bender Marker Karahadian Walter Schonfeld Bing Sokolsky Bruce Berke Frank Kay Juergen Schwinzer Peter Sova Bob Bianco Debbie Kennard Ronald Scott John Bickford Milton Keslow Steven Scott Terry Stacey Steven A. Blakely Robert Keslow Don Shapiro Robert Steadman Mitchell Bogdanowicz Larry Kingen Milton R. Shefter Ueli Steiger Jack Bonura Douglas Kirkland Leon Silverman Peter Stein Michael Bravin Timothy J. Knapp Garrett Smith Robert M. Stevens William Brodersen Ron Koch Kimberly Snyder Tom Stern Garrett Brown Karl Kresser Stefan Sonnenfeld Rogier Stoffers Ronald D. Burdett Chet Kucinski John L. Sprung Reid Burns Doug Leighton Joseph N. Tawil Harry Stradling Jr. Vincent Carabello Lou Levinson Ira Tiffen David Stump Jim Carter Suzanne Lezotte Steve Tiffen Tim Suhrstedt Leonard Chapman Grant Loucks Arthur Tostado Mark Chiolis Howard Lukk Bill Turner Alfred Taylor Denny Clairmont Andy Maltz Stephan Ukas-Bradley Jonathan Taylor Adam Clark Steven E. Manios Mark Van Horne Rodney Taylor Cary Clayton Robert Mastronardi Richard Vetter William Taylor Michael Condon Joe Matza Joe Violante Don Thorin Sean Coughlin Albert Mayer, Jr. Dedo Weigert Robert B. Creamer Bill McDonald Franz Weiser Mario Tosi Grover Crisp Andy McIntyre Evans Wetmore Salvatore Totino Daniel Curry Stan Miller Beverly Wood Luciano Tovoli Ross Danielson Walter H. Mills Jan Yarbrough Jost Vacano Carlos D. DeMattos George Milton Theo Van de Sande Gary Demos Mike Mimaki Irwin M. Young Eric Van Haren Noman Mato Der Avannesian Rami Mina

www.theasc.com December 2010 113 Clubhouse News

Christensen, Freeman Tiffen Becomes Associate Join Society Steven Tiffen, chairman, president T.C. Christensen and Jonathan and CEO of The Tiffen Co., has joined the Freeman have joined the Society as active ASC as an associate member. After earning members. a bachelor’s degree in political science from Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, George Washington University, he joined T.C. Christensen, ASC credits a childhood the family business in 1982 with a focus on crush on actress for his desire to improving operations and manufacturing. get behind a camera. He started making He was named president and CEO of Tiffen films when he was 12, and despite a high- in 1987, and since then he has overseen a school aptitude test that declared he would host of product developments. During his make an excellent candy wrapper, Chris- tenure at Tiffen, the company’s technical tensen went on to attend the University of achievements have earned two Academy Utah and Brigham Young University, earn- Awards, an Emmy Award and an SOC ing a bachelor’s degree in communications award. with an emphasis on cinematography. Tiffen is a member of the board of Christensen has distinguished directors of the Photographic Manufactur- himself with shorts and features for screens ers & Distributors Association, and chair- large and small in a variety of formats, man of the Digital Imaging Division of the including Imax and 3-D. His large-format Consumer Electronics Association. credits include Sea Monsters, Roving Mars, Lewis & Clark and Olympic Glory. Other Lighthill, Romanoff, credits include The Jerk Theory, Forever Fisher Earn Honors Strong and The Work and the Glory. Addi- The International Cinematographers tionally, he has earned directing credits on Guild recently presented awards to such projects as Emma Smith: My Story (co- Stephen Lighthill, ASC; ASC associate directed with Gary Cook), The Penny member Andy Romanoff; and ASC Promise (co-directed with Timothy J. honorary member Bob Fisher. Lighthill Nelson) and Bug Off! received the Deluxe/Bud Stone Award for Born in Toronto, Ontario, Jonathan his educational contributions to the art and Freeman, ASC was introduced to the craft of cinematography; Romanoff powerful effects of light and shadow at an received the Kodak Award for mentoring early age by his mother, a painter. It was young cinematographers; and Fisher Star Wars that prompted Freeman to paint received the Technicolor/William A. Fraker with light and pursue a career behind the Award for his journalistic contributions to camera. He earned a bachelor’s degree in the field. film production from Concordia University in Montreal, and he cut his professional Couffer Tells All teeth on low-budget dramas and science- BearManor Media recently pub- From top: fiction pictures. lished Jack Couffer, ASC’s memoir, The T.C. Christensen, ASC; Jonathan Since then, he has earned credits on Lion and the Giraffe: A Naturalist’s Life in Freeman, ASC; such series as , Damages and Sons of the Movie Business. The book chronicles associate member Anarchy, and features such as The Prize the Oscar-nominated cinematographer’s Steven Tiffen; the cover of Winner of Defiance, Ohio; Hollywoodland, globe-spanning journey through the ardu- Jack Couffer, ASC’s and Remember Me. Freeman earned ASC ous terrain of the motion-picture industry, recently published Award nominations for his work on Prince with accounts of his experiences working memoir. Street, , Taken and Home- on Disney’s True Life Adventures and The land Security, winning for the latter. Wonderful World of Disney, as well as such

features as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Photo of ASC clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; LIghting Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

114 December 2010 American Cinematographer DV Expo, Pearl photos by Alex Lopez. w backs, alwaysinentertainingdetail. challenges, triumphs,conflictsandset- reveal eachproject’spersonalandartistic Jungle Out ofAfrica ASC, AMC the school’sdirector, Cinematográfica, wherehewasjoined by Expo; avisittotheCentrodeCapacitación ties includedapresentationat the Proa ing workshopatEFD’sfacility.Pearl’sactivi- days ofeventsthatculminatedwithalight- recently traveledtoMexicoCityforthree ment &FilmDesign, tips forusinglensfiltration. moderated thediscussion,whichincluded rapher andDCSPresidentJamesMathers by theDigitalCinemaSociety.Cinematog- matography,” apaneldiscussionpresented Optics for“CameraFiltrationCine- Tiffen Co.andBobZupcaofSchneider Mooradian on theset.” such rulesofthumbas“alwayssmellgood no formulaforlighting.”Dibieimparted from,” andMankofskystressed,“There’s from thesameplacemusiccomes lighting, Levyquipped,“Backlightcomes Answering aquestionaboutmotivating approaches tolightingandcamerawork. wide-ranging questionsabouttheir panelists eachscreenedfootageandfielded Neyman Mankofsky to learnfrom were filledtocapacitywithattendeeseager George SpiroDibie,ASC DV ExpoinPasadena,Calif.Moderatedby master classesinlightingduringtherecent ber2010/index.php. visit www.theasc.com/book_reviews/Octo Bill Bennett Darby . Coufferpullsbackthecurtainto , To read Sponsored byrentalhouseEquip- Pearl VisitsMexicoCity Metz andfellowSocietymembers ASC memberspresentedtwo ASC atDVExpo Mark Irwin and ; andthedemoatEFD. , , joined RobertOrlandoofThe Eagle Egilsson and AC James L.Carter Anthony Palmieri Rexford Metz ’s reviewofthebook, Sheena, Queenofthe , Henner Hoffmann, Peter Levy Daniel Pearl,ASC , bothclasses and , , , George Isidore David . The Yuri ● ww.theasc.com lighting atEFD. Design; Pearldiscusses Equipment &Film workshop at leads alighting ;Pearl Cinematográfica in de Capacitación students attheCentro ASC, AMCspeakto and HennerHoffmann, Daniel Pearl,ASC(left) Darby atDVExpo; Mankofsky andDavid Mark Irwin,Isidore George SpiroDibie, Levy, JamesL.Carter, ASC membersPeter From top:(Fromleft) December 2010 115 Close-up Frank B. Byers, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest What has been your most satisfying moment on a impression on you? project? I remember two. When I was very young, I saw the original Doing my first 35mm release print at Technicolor. Invaders from Mars (1953), which was powerfully frightening. And Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — Have you made any memorable such strong visuals, and in 65mm, blunders? no less. No.

Which cinematographers, past What is the best professional or present, do you most admire, advice you’ve ever received? and why? From my agent: ‘Be the happiest ASC members Haskell Wexler, guy on set.’ He was right. Gordon Willis and Owen Roizman. No two of their films seemed to What recent books, films or look alike, and they’re very story- artworks have inspired you? oriented cinematographers. The movie An Education, which was beautifully done in every way. What sparked your interest in photography? Do you have any favorite The photographic aspects of film, genres, or genres you would lighting and composition, seemed like to try? to attract me from the beginning. I I love gangster films, and I’d love to remember being 15 or 16 and do more comedies. wanting to know what duties the director of photography performed If you weren’t a cinematogra- for his job. pher, what might you be doing instead? Where did you train and/or I’d be a musician. study? The . Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for membership? Who were your early teachers or mentors? Gil Hubbs, Johnny Jensen and Alan Caso. George Folsey Sr., ASC, and Jan DeBont, ASC. How has ASC membership impacted your life and career? What are some of your key artistic influences? I realized after attending some functions at the ASC that many The films of Truffaut, Godard and Hitchcock. of the members shared experiences and questions I had about the business. It was invaluable to find that out. How did you get your first break in the business? ● I fell in with a documentary company in the Boston area. I started loading Éclair NPR mags, and within six months I was shooting second camera.

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Because it matters. ONFILM ROB BOWMAN

“Filmmaking like any art is subjective. But the more I study and practice the art of filmmaking, the more I realize that happiness, frustration, sadness, victory and defeat are universal themes that evoke similar emotions everywhere in the world. The camera is the tool I use to capture that. Every inch of the frame is important. With every shot, the director must think of where to draw the viewer’s eye, using composition, light, color and movement. And more often than not, I want the viewer’s eyes to be drawn to the character’s eyes, because in that connection the magic happens. Whatever is on the page, whatever is in my head, the only way to capture that emotional experience is to show the audience what the characters are thinking and feeling. For me, the physicality of film, the chemical process that mimics the human eye, has a depth and richness that is unlike any other medium to breathe life to those emotions. It’s a gamble every time you make a film, but that’s a really exciting part of being a filmmaker.”

Rob Bowman has produced and/or directed episodes of nearly 40 television series and telefilms, and movies for the cinema. He earned four consecutive Emmy nominations for The X-Files. A short list of his diverse credits includes the television series StarTrek: The Next Generation, Parker Lewis, The A-Team and , and the feature films Reign of Fire and The X-Files. For an extended interview with Rob Bowman, visit www.kodak.com/go/onfilm

To order Kodak motion picture film, call (800) 621-film. © Eastman Kodak Company, 2010. Photography: © Douglas Kirkland