www.SHOOTonline.com February 2016 $7.00 VES Award Backstories Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures 24 DGA Awards Preview 20 Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox. Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. From top left, clockwise: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant; Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron in Mad Max: Fury Road; and (l-r) Rachel McAdams, Mark Part 13 Ruffalo, Matt Carroll, Michael Keaton and John Slattery in Spotlight. Super Bowl Ads 22 The Road To Oscar Behind-The-Scenes Insights Into Mad Max: Fury Photo courtesy of Open Road Films. Road, Spotlight, The Revenant, Carol and Amy. 4 Creative/Production Survey 14 Copy To Come Here 18 Sundance: ASC Awards Returning Directors Preview 12 26 How Do Talented S I New Directors N C E E E 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 Take Their Careers 2 To The Next Level? They enter SHOOT’s Annual NEW DIRECTORS SEARCH Visit EnterNDS.SHOOTonline.com to enter. See page 31 for details. F65 F55 F5 FS7 α7R II FS5 α7S II With you every step of the way At Sony, we’re committed to providing every level of production with the best possible creative tools. That’s why all these cameras deliver the phenomenal exposure latitude and color gamut of Sony’s proprietary image sensors. Plus the power of our image processors, the efficiency of our codecs, clever ergonomics and a choice of Sony’s lenses optimized for moving pictures. From the full-frame 4K of theα 7S II to the 8K capability of the F65, we bring the science. You bring the art. Meet them all at sony.com/4Kandbeyond. Beyond Definition © 2015 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specifications are subject to change without notice. Sony and the Sony logo are trademarks of Sony. Perspectives The Leading Publication For Commercial, Branded Content & Entertainment Production February 2016 By Robert Goldrich Volume 57 • Number 1 spot.com.mentary www.SHOOTonline.com EDITORIAL Publisher & Editorial Director Haskell Wexler Roberta Griefer 203.227.1699 ext. 13 [email protected] Editor Cinematographer What I remember most, though, said, asking, “Are our priorities human or Robert Goldrich 323.445.6818 [email protected] Haskell Wexler, ASC— comes from the last time I saw Wexler but to feed the bottom line?” who passed away in did not get a chance to speak with him. Later during the awards ceremony, pre- ADVERTISING Digital & Print Rates & Information December at the age of It was in March 2014 when Billy Crystal senter/producer Harry Bring said he met [email protected] 93—will be remembered on many fronts. presented Wexler with the Humanitarian Wexler for the first time during the Inter- 203.227.1699 ext. 13 www.shootonline.com/go/advertise For his lensing of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Award at the first annual Location Man- national Cinematographers Guild’s me- Advertising Production Woolf, the last film to receive an Oscar for agers Guild of America Awards. Crystal morial earlier that month for 27-year-old Gerald Giannone [email protected] black-and-white cinematography. For his recalled directing the HBO film 61*, Sarah Jones, the assistant camerawoman 203.227.1699 ext. 12 Oscar-winning cinematography of Bound which was shot by Wexler. Crystal said who was killed when a train crashed into OFFICES For Glory. For direct- Main Office 256 Post Road East #206 ing and earning a In accepting the award, Wexler, a crew safety advocate, called Westport, CT 06880 USA DGA Award nomina- 203.227.1699 Fax: 203.227.2787 for “more human conditions in the way we work.” tion for the seminal West 323.445.6818 hybrid drama/documentary Medium Cool. that Wexler implored him to make sure a production team while shooting the Circulation I first met him in the context of his that the production of 61* was “really film Midnight Rider in Georgia. 203.227.1699 ext 12 [email protected] commercial directing exploits. In the safe,” without any crazy long hours. Bring said he first hired Jones as an Editorial Production Manager/Custom Reprints Michael Morgera mid-1970s he teamed with another lumi- This concern about safety was a focus intern and that her death has had a pro- 203.227.1699 ext. 11 [email protected] nary cinematographer, Conrad L. Hall, to of the Wexler-directed documentary Who found impact and will prove to be a lasting SHOOT Publicity Wire 203.227.1699 ext12 [email protected] form spot production company Wexler- Needs Sleep? which showed the tragic influence on the industry, leading to safe- Hall. Wexler later partnered with the consequences of sleep-deprived crew ty being the priority it needs to be. This © 2016 DCA Business Media LLC. All rights reserved. lauded DP Vilmos Zsigmond on another members. In accepting the Humanitarian vital cause is also part of Wexler’s legacy SHOOT and SHOOTonline are registered U.S. trademarks. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any commercial production house, Cinematic Award, Wexler called for “more human as he was an articulate, caring advocate retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, Directions. (Zsigmond died just a week conditions in the way we work.” Concerns for the wellbeing of people throughout electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. after Wexler’s passing.) for crew safety should be paramount he our industry and society at large. Print Issues Subscription Service [email protected] POV By Sal Malfitano SHOOT (ISSN# 1055-9825) printed edition is published bimonthly for $75.00 per year by DCA Business Media LLC, 256 Post Road East, #206, Westport, CT 06880. Printed periodicals postage paid at Westport, CT and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SHOOT, P.O. Box 184, Lowell, MA 01853 Composing The Color of Lovesong USPS (06-234) SHOOT ePubs As a colorist you al- way, and we wanted to make sure that the sence of footage itself to serve as the start- The SHOOT >e.dition weekly ePub is published on ways hope that every color acted in service of that narrative. ing point. We were only ever referring to Friday. The SHOOT Dailies are published daily Mon.-Fri. Brand New[s] weekly ePub is published Wednesdays. film you work on will The film inherently looked and felt dif- the beautiful footage that So, Kat and SHOOT Screenwork published Mondays. www.shootonline.com/subscribe have the opportunity ferent just based on the styles and sensi- Guy had captured as the basis for where to be recognized as an excellent piece of bilities Guy and Kat individually brought the look of the film would go. SHOOTmobile filmmaking. It makes the hard work and to the two halves of the film. Cinematog- We started grading this film very early Get the latest. Anytime. Anywhere. Any Location. Get SHOOT & SPW News texts on your Smart- creative decisions that went into the film raphy and color grade are utilized along in the post process, basically as soon as phone by texting follow SHOOTonline to 40404 all the more rewarding. That’s how I felt with the art direction to illustrate a pas- we had a rough cut that well represented in U.S. when I learned from director So Yong sage of time. the core of the film. This gave us the op- SHOOT is printed in the U.S.A. Kim that Lovesong would be in competi- Kat’s first half was warm, less contrasty portunity to reflect on, and feel confident tion at Sundance this year. and had an inviting and colorful feel. In about, each creative decision. By the time Before the first rough cut of Lovesong the second half, shot by Guy, more cool the final cut was locked, most of the deci- was done, I started discussing the ap- tones come into play, with a bit more sions for color had been made, and it was SHOOT is a member of: proach for color with the director and her contrast. The warm tones are from more really just a matter of fine-tuning. cinematographers, Guy Godfree and Kat artificial sources at this point and these The end result is a look that feels as Westergaard. Starting this early was ideal, convey how the characters have matured honest and real as the film itself. I’m real- as it allowed us ample time to maximize and how their relationship has evolved. ly looking forward to the rest of the world our effort to find the look that best served What I loved about our process for getting to see what these artists crafted at Find SHOOT online at: www.SHOOTonline.com the story. Lovesong was that the filmmakers didn’t Sundance and subsequent festivals. or at: The film is about love that develops come in with any color references. On Sal Malfitano is a colorist at Nice Shoes, between its two main characters, Sarah many projects, creatives will come in with New York. He has held a constant curiosity (Riley Keough) and Mindy (Jena Malone). existing films or still frames as looks that about the aesthetic trends in color imagery Their story unfolds in a subtle and natural they want to reference. We wanted the es- and the process and science behind it all. February 2016 SHOOT 3 ROAD TO OSCAR Creating Different Worlds The artistry reflected in Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, Courtesy Photo of Open Road Spotlight, Carol, Bros. Warner courtesyPhoto of and Amy Photo courtesy Twenthieth Century of Fox By Robert Goldrich, Road To Oscar Series, Part 13 Photo courtesy of The Weinstein Company Weinstein The courtesyPhoto of Photo courtesyPhoto of A24 It’s been reported that John Seale, ASC, second in the Academy Award nomina- fines of the cab of a truck.