MA R C H 2 0 0 9

A
M
E
R
I
C
A
N

C
I
N
E
M
A
T
O
G
R
A
P
H
E
R

M
A
R
C
H

2
0
0
9

D
E
X
T
E
R
;

L
I
F
E

O
N

M
A
R
S
;

T
R
U
E

B
L
O
O
D
;

T
H
E

U
N
U
S
U
A
L
S
;

R
O
B
E
R
T

L
I
U
,

A
S
C
;

I
S
I
D
O
R
E

M
A
N
K
O
F
S
K
Y
,

A
S
C

V
O
L
.

9
0

N
O
.

3
$5.95 Canada $6.95
T
H
E

I
N
T
E
R
N
A
T
I
O
N
A
L

J
O
U
R
N
A
L

O
F

F
I
L
M

&

D
I
G
I
T
A
L

P
R
O
D
U
C
T
I
O
N

T
E
C
H
N
I
Q
U
E
S

S
I
N
C
E

1
9
2
0
2009 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.
Features and specications are subject to change without notice. Sony, HDNA and the HDNA logo are trademarks of Sony.
*Based on Sony receiving the Omega NorthFace Scoreboard Award
SM
for world class customer service.
click: sony.com/prohdna
We could tell you about the 3 am phone calls on switcher operations. About the red-eye ights
with replacement boards. About the fteen engineers we sent to support the Summer Games, just
in case. And about a service inventory that is second to none. But nothing is more persuasive than
all the people we put behind you, recognized by the industry for best-in-class service and support.
*

Its easy to be out in front with
great people behind you.
Ive been a Schneider fan for 50 years from my first
4x5 format lens to precision glass filters for HD and
35mm work, to Century Achromatic Diopters for DV.
There are effects that only filters can create.
For day exteriors, I rotate a Tru-Pol
TM
in my hands
and look through it to see how it affects the color
saturation of the sky, water, trees, and shiny objects
like cars or glossy paint.
On Baadasssss!, the Classic Soft

allowed me
to diminish distracting artifacts on an elderly Ossie
Davis face, without compromising the integrity or
power of his character.
I love the sense of surrealism the Black Frosts
TM
can
render. On a Night Stalker flashback, we
blew out the windows and added a Black
Frost. It created a sometimes subtle, sometimes
powerful image without compromising the sharpness
and deep blacks.
For the short film Cry of Ecstasy, I wanted to dynamically
portray an artists canvas. By adding the Century Achromatic
Diopter to the Panasonic DVX100, I got really dramatic
edge-to-edge sharp full-contrast
images without fringing.
From Achromatic
Diopters to filters, Schneider is an important
addition to this cinematographers toolbox.
P
h
o
t
o

o
f

R
o
b
e
r
t

P
r
i
m
e
s

b
y

J
o
e
l

L
i
p
t
o
n

e
x
c
l
u
s
i
v
e
l
y

f
o
r

S
c
h
n
e
i
d
e
r

O
p
t
i
c
s
Robert Primes, ASC, is known for his television work
on the groundbreaking series thirtysomething, Felicity
(2000 ASC nomination & 1999 Emmy

Award),
MDs (2002 ASC Award for HD), My Antonia
(1995 Emmy) and Harrison: Cry of the City
(Emmy nomination). Feature films include
Baadasssss!, Bird on a Wire, & Money Talks.
Tel: 818-766-3715 800-228-1254
www. schnei deropti cs. com NAB BOOTH # C5528
30 Cutting-Edge Camerawork
Cinematographers from the TV series
Dexter, Life on Mars, True Blood and The Unusuals
analyze their strategies
46 A Life Full of Miracles
Robert F. Liu, ASC receives the ASC Career
Achievement in Television Award
56 A Very Active Member
Isidore Mankofsky, ASC reflects on his
lifes work after receiving the Societys
Presidents Award
Departments
Features
Vi s i t us o nl i ne a t www. t he a s c . c o m
On Our Cover: Michael C. Hall portrays a justice-seeking serial killer in the television series Dexter,
shot by Romeo Tirone. (Photo by Jim Fiscus, courtesy of Showtime.)
8 Editors Note
10 Letters
12 Short Takes: Clap Your Brains Off
18 Production Slate: Gomorrah
Tokyo Sonata
64 Post Focus: Alien Trespass
68 Filmmakers Forum: Peter Sova, ASC
72 New Products & Services
80 International Marketplace
81 Classified Ads
82 Ad Index
83 Clubhouse News
84 ASC Close-Up: Peter Wunstorf
56
M A R C H 2 0 0 9 V O L . 9 0 N O . 3
The International Journal of Film & Digital Production Techniques
46
30
M a r c h 2 0 0 9 V o l . 9 0 , N o . 3
The International Journal of Film & Digital Production Techniques Since 1920
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 Davis, Bob Fisher, Simon Gray, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Jay Holben,
Noah Kadner, Ron Magid, Jean Oppenheimer, John Pavlus, Chris Pizzello, Jon Silberg,
Iain Stasukevich, Kenneth Sweeney, Patricia Thomson, David E. Williams

ART DEPARTMENT
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Gore
DESIGN ASSOCIATE Erik M. Gonzalez

ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann
323-936-3769 FAX 323-936-9188
e-mail: gollmann@pacbell.net
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce
323-908-3114 FAX 323-876-4973
e-mail: sanja@ascmag.com
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Burnell
323-936-0672 FAX 323-936-9188
e-mail: sburnell@earthlink.net
CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Nepomuceno
323-908-3124 FAX 323-876-4973
e-mail: diella@ascmag.com

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 PRESIDENTS ASSISTANT Kim Weston
ASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila Basely
ASC ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Corey Clark

American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 88th year of publication, is published
monthly in Hollywood 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/Mexico $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 should be made to McNeil Group at (800)
394-5157 ext. 26. Copyright 2007 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals
postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.

1. No matter how inhospitable the location,
the Cinesaddle is easy to use; to set it up
just put it down.
2. Small Compact Portable. Weighs less
than two pounds.
3. Get shots from angles not possible with
any other camera support.
4. Available in five different sizes. Works
with all film, video and still cameras.
5. Absorbs vibration. Use it on a car, bike,
boat, helicopter, anything. Mounting kit
is included with all professional models.
Cinekinetic USA
345 W. 85th Street
New York, NY 10024
Telephone: (212) 202-0675
Email: info@cinekinetic.com
Tripod Killer
USE IT ONCE AND YOU
CANT LIVE WITHOUT IT!
Everything you want to know about the
Cinesaddle including streamed video clips
can be seen on our website:
www.cinekinetic.com
4
coicaroLriois ci -ooa iew
sov ras cisAix

cusns
2
5
1984-2009
Years
Many Directors and Directors of
Photography like the benets of
High Denition cameras but also
want to use the same 35mm cine
lenses theyve grown to trust. With
its large sensor, the new Sony F35
camera directly accepts PL-mounted lenses so these
artists get the look & feel of 35mm cine they desire.
In addition, the F35 has great latitude for under
and over exposure. And the system provides for the
industry-standard SRW1 Recorder to be mounted
on the top or the rear of the camera, or remote with
cables or ber. Whats more, the F35s 4:4:4
capabilities are excellent for green screen and CGI.
We are very happy with the results.
BURBANK 818-841-9655
MUNICH +498994548490
TEL AVIV + 972 3 562 1631
NEW YORK 212-227-8577
WWW.BANDPRO.COM
osv ciinuox
Co-founder Clairmont Camera
WWW.CLAIRMONT.COM
!1,.zzzz1 !,z.z,
OFFICERS - 2008/2009
Daryn Okada
President
Michael Goi
Vice President
Richard Crudo
Vice President
Owen Roizman
Vice President
Victor J. Kemper
Treasurer
Isidore Mankofsky
Secretary
John Hora
Sergeant At Arms
MEMBERS OF THE BOARD
Curtis Clark
Richard Crudo
Caleb Deschanel
John C. Flinn III
William A. Fraker
Michael Goi
John Hora
Victor J. Kemper
Stephen Lighthill
Daryn Okada
Robert Primes
Owen Roizman
Nancy Schreiber
Dante Spinotti
Kees Van Oostrum
ALTERNATES
Matthew Leonetti
Steven Fierberg
James Chressanthis
Michael D. OShea
Sol Negrin
MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
American Society of Cine ma tog ra phers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and pro fes sion al
or ga ni za tion. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively en gaged as
di rec tors of photography and have
dem on strated out stand ing ability. ASC
membership has be come one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
pro fes sional cin e ma tog ra pher a mark
of prestige and excellence.
Cooke Close
Thurmaston, Leicester, UK
T: +44 (0)116 264 0700
F: +44 (0)116 264 0707
E: lenses@cookeoptics.com
www.cookeoptics.com
We make the movies
Intelligent Products,
Saving Time and Money
Production through Post
6
when it counts
the perfect red for less green.
2009 Panasonic Broadcast
Now, color matching doesnt have to be a guessing game. The new,
affordable, 25.5-inch, native 1920 x 1200 BT-LH2550 LCD production
monitor greatly expands the range of colors you can view onscreen beyond
the NTSC standard. The LH2550 delivers vivid, true-to-life color accuracy
for a wide range of projects from print to digital graphics to HD video. It
displays exquisite detail and offers six color space settings SMPTE, EBU,
ITU-R BT.709, Adobe 2.2, Adobe 1.8 and D-Cinema for project-specic
color matching. Invaluable production tools include waveform monitor and
vectorscope functions. The LH2550 ensures you have perfect color every time
for far less than premium-priced reference monitors.
For more information, visit us at: www.panasonic.com/productiontough
0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
EBU
Adobe
D-Cinema
BT-LH2550
wider color gamut
S
erial killers are not generally known for their charm, but the
protagonist of the Showtime drama Dexter (played by
Michael C. Hall) could give even charismatic ladykiller Ted
Bundy a run for his money. To illustrate the dual nature of the
shows homicidal vigilante, cinematographer Romeo Tirone
takes a different approach to the two worlds Dexter occupies.
By day, hes kind of a nerdy lab tech, and by night, when hes on
the prowl or in the kill room, hes a powerful, sinister figure,
notes Tirone (Cutting-Edge Camerawork, page 30). I use light-
ing to differentiate the two [looks]. When hes in the everyday
world, we use a lot more front light and see pretty much his entire face. When hes on the
prowl, we toplight him.
Our special focus on television production also includes an overview of ABCs Life
on Mars, a series whose look has been crafted by three accomplished ASC members:
Kramer Morgenthau, who shot the pilot, and Frank Prinzi and Craig Di Bona, who alternate
shooting regular episodes. Although the show concerns Sam Tyler (Jason OMara), a detec-
tive who time-travels back to the 1970s, Morgenthau didnt attempt to mimic the look of
Seventies cinematography while setting the visual template: We couldve gotten away
with snap zooms, fog filters and so on, but we didnt do any of that .... The camerawork has
more to do with what Sam is feeling because hes in a completely alien world.
Sexy, sweaty and saturated are a few of the adjectives that best describe
the look of True Blood, HBOs Southern-Gothic vampire series. Checco Varese, AMC lent an
abundance of atmosphere to the show before passing the camera to first-season cine-
matographers Matt Jensen, John B. Aronson and Amy Vincent, ASC. For the upcoming
second season, Jensen will share the load with Tirone, who knows a thing or two about
bloodletting after his stint on Dexter. So much of the first season of a show is trying to
figure out what works and what doesnt, Jensen observes. We try to continue to refine
the look to keep it fresh for us and the audience.
The Unusuals, a new show premiering in April on ABC, has also evolved since its
pilot was shot on film by Peter Levy, ASC, ACS. Regular weekly episodes are now captured
on high-definition video by Roy Wagner, ASC, who employs Sonys F23 and EX3 cameras.
The EX3 can be managed and manipulated with the same paintbox technology the F23
uses, Wagner says. However, were not painting on the set at all; all image manipulation
is done in front of the sensor. This is not unlike old-school film cinematography. Manipula-
tion is created through exposure, lighting and filtration.
Two other masters of classic techniques are profiled this month: Robert F. Liu,
ASC, who received the Societys Career Achievement in Television Award at last months
ASC Awards ceremony (A Life Full of Miracles, page 46) and Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, who
accepted the Presidents Award for his contributions to both the big and small screens (A
Very Active Member, page 56). Both men are devoted Society stalwarts whose participa-
tion enriches us all.
Those of you seeking further enlightenment are encouraged to visit your local art-
house cinema to catch Gomorrah and Tokyo Sonata, two fine foreign films featured in this
months Production Slate section (page 18), and read this months Filmmakers Forum by
Peter Sova, ASC (Shooting Push in Hong Kong, page 68).
Stephen Pizzello
Executive Editor
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

D
o
u
g
l
a
s

K
i
r
k
l
a
n
d
.
Editors Note
8
Schaefer Joins Grumpy List
Regarding the letters youve
published by John Toll, ASC, and Jim
Stinson about the recent Filmmakers
Forum by John Bailey, ASC [The DI
Dilemma, or: Why I Still Love Celluloid,
AC June 08], I have this to add: I, too,
am a grumpy cinematographer, and I
have some additional reasons to be
grumpy. I agree with Mr. Bailey and Mr.
Toll about the eroding control we have
over the quality and integrity of our
images. I agree when Mr. Toll takes on
Mr. Stinson for being so cavalier when
he writes, the cinematographers
level of control depends on his contrac-
tual and personal relations within the
production. So get control, already.
Possibly Mr. Stinson was just trying to
be provocative when he wrote that, but I
find it annoying and insulting, as well as
simplistic and nave.
A case in point is my work on
Quantum of Solace [AC Nov. 08]. Ive
shot every film Marc Forster has made
so far; we have an unusual and wonder-
ful working relationship, and on his
films, my responsibilities include
controlling the framing and grading of
the film. I am expected to follow through
all of the post to make sure the images
correspond to what we discussed and I
set out to achieve in production. I am
expected to make sure the visual-effects
work conforms to my original photogra-
phy in color, contrast and tenor. I am
expected to do a grade for HD previews
as well as the final DI corrections and
the grades for the home deliverables
(i.e., pan-and-scan, DVD, Blu-ray, cable
and airline versions).
The problem is that although the
director, editors and visual-effects
supervisors remain on the payroll
throughout post, the director of photog-
raphy does not. The studios and produc-
ers have commended me for doing such
a wonderful job of delivering a great
film, yet they wont reach into their pock-
ets to compensate me for my time,
which was considerable. They say they
refuse to set precedent. Some cine-
matographers have been paid for their
DI work, but most have not. When I go
off the productions payroll, I need to
find another job, and that usually means
I wont be available to do what my
director expects me to do and I also
want to do. With the tools available in
the digital realm, it is too easy for
anyone in post to change the images in
terms of framing, color, frame rate, etc.
Now, with the specter of large-
format digital acquisition looming on
the horizon, there is talk of capturing
images in formats comparable to Imax
and then just finding the desired
image within the larger frame. We now
use large-format imaging for visual-
effects work, to capture plates that can
be repositioned later for specific needs,
but considering that as a way to do prin-
cipal photography is frightening to me.
If Mr. Stinson could include me in
his mailing list when he explains how to
get control, already, I would be grate-
ful. I also think that the ASC and the IA
Local 600 should take proactive roles in
trying to set agreements with the
studios and producers to protect the
cinematographers role. This truly feels
like a Wham-bam-thank-you-maam
way of being involved in the creative
process.
Roberto Schaefer, ASC
Venice, Calif.
Letters to the editor can be
sent to: Letters, American Cine-
matographer, 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Los Angeles, CA, 90028. Letters
must include your full name,
address and telephone number. AC
reserves the right to edit submis-
sions for length and clarity.
Letters
10
U
nless youre an animator, its easy
to forget that a single motion
picture is made up of hundreds of
thousands of individual pictures. In
1878, Eadweard Muybridge needed 12
still cameras to capture the entire
stride of a galloping horse, and today,
there are many directors and cine-
matographers who are still experi-
menting with the same creative
tactics. Frank Beltrn and Khristian
Olivares are two such filmmakers, and
their video for Mexican party band
NSM PSMs Clap Your Brains Off
finds its inspiration in a number of
unique visual works.
First, a bit of back story: Beltrn
had been working steadily as an assis-
tant director in the Mexican advertis-
ing industry while the members of
NSM PSM built up a strong fan base
with their lively mash-ups. Theyd all
met previously at parties and through
mutual acquaintances, so when the
time came for NSM PSM to make a
video for the first single off their first
album, Beltrn was a natural first
choice. I didnt have all the ideas on
hand, Beltrn recalls, speaking by
phone from Mexico City. The video
started to transform as we shot it, and
the band liked each idea I presented.
The concept behind the video is
that there are DJ gods who are mixing
an album with different records. Every
time they pull a record off the shelf,
we get pulled into the cover, seam-
lessly segueing into a musical number
featuring the band. Each scene is a
different take on a circular, repeating
pattern. I wanted to style several key
scenes after Sebastian Perez Duartes
pictures, says Beltrn. Hes a
photographer I found on Flickr.com
who employs the Droste effect,
inspired by M.C. Eschers Print Gallery,
in some of his pictures. I learned how
to apply the complex mathematical
equation he used to get the effect
through Josh Sommers tutorials,
which I also found on Flickr.
Sommers had released the
equation to the public as a plug-in for
Gimp, an open-source photo editor.
Beltrn explains the steps involved:
First, you had to take the pictures in a
certain way, then you had to center
them, cut them and crop them. Then
you had to write down the math
Creating Clap Your Brains Off With Canons Mark III
by Iain Stasukevich
Short Takes
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

R
o
g
e
r

G

m
e
z
,

A
d
r
i
a
n

L
e
j
a
r
a
z
u

a
n
d

F
r
a
n
k

B
e
l
t
r

n
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

B
e
l
t
r

n
.
The DJ gods,
portrayed by
NSM PSM band
members Pato
(in green) and
Kay Watson,
scan their vinyl
collection to
craft an
appropriate
mash-up for the
music video
Clap Your
Brains Off,
directed by
Frank Beltrn
and
photographed
by Khristian
Olivares. In the
video, the
album covers
come to life and
break into the
Droste effect, as
inspired by M.C.
Eschers Print
Gallery.
12 March 2009
achieve the effect he wanted, Beltrn
had to figure out how to actually shoot
the video. He decided to use Canons
D1-EOS Mark III, which is capable of
capturing 10 fps for up to 110 continu-
ous shots. That way, he could capture
a 10-megapixel image, use 35mm
lenses, and have the ability to adjust
the ISO from 50 to 6400. Canon gave
me an EF 28-200mm zoom lens as
sponsorship and loaned us an EF 16-
35mm lens, says Beltrn, adding that
most of the video was shot with the
latter. A Canon EF 35mm USM wide-
angle lens was used for some shots.
Beltrn wasnt comfortable
taking on the photography himself, so
he turned to a friend, cinematographer
Khristian Olivares. The two had met on
a commercial shoot in Mexico City,
when Olivares was a camera assis-
tant. By the time Clap Your Brains
Off came along, Olivares had shot
several commercials and music videos.
I needed a real cinematographer in
order to get things right, says Beltrn.
Some of the Droste scenes
were photographed on a soundstage
at the Universidad Intercontinental,
Beltrns alma mater. For this work,
Olivares rigged the Mark III to the
lighting grid and shot straight down at
the floor as actors danced around the
14 March 2009
formula in a program called MathMap
that runs through Gimp. To make
matters worse, it took up to 15-20
minutes for each image to process!
He did the math: If NTSC video runs at
almost 30 fps, and each frame took at
least 15 minutes to process, then he
was looking at 450 minutes to process
1 second of footage.
Beltrns research led him to
Bill Horne, another member of the
Eschers Droste Print Gallery group
on Flickr. Horne had written a Droste
code in the Java programming
language that takes 11 seconds to
process an image instead of 15
minutes. [Bill] became the main
reason I decided we could do it, says
Beltrn. The director turned to a
programmer friend, Jos Manuel Silva
Vela, to rewrite the code for automa-
tion and on-the-fly effects, such as
rotation and zoom increments.
Once he knew hed be able to
Above: The
filmmakers
prepare a shot
with a crane
specially built by
industrial
designer Javier
Romero. Below:
Inspired by French
photographer
Denis Darzacqs
Hyper photo
series, Beltrn
staged a group of
break-dancers
against a
checkerboard
floor and had
them perform a
series of identical
moves in front of
the locked-off
camera.
When I saw the Nila light
I was pretty impressed that
LEDs could be as powerful
as these. I thought the Nila lights
would be a really good thing to use on
the moving vehicles in Quantum of Solace
because of their durability, robustness, size
and punch. We took a chance and looked
at them. I am glad we did.
I used the Nila lights mostly for car shots but
I also used them at times in place of an HMI
or tungsten light on stage and on location.
So I was mixing it with other sources and
it worked quite well. I found them very
controllable with the interchangeable lenses.
I really liked that the lenses were so
customizable for shots.
I was also pleased with their size, the fact that
you can put them anywhere; they are the size
of a small bookshelf speaker. The built-in
electronic dimmer is also a nice plus. For
Quantum of Solace I had brackets made
that allowed me to put them together like
a Nine-Light.
The companys commitment to the green
aspect is commendable. They recycle all
parts of the light, however with their
rugged construction, I doubt they will
need to be recycled very often.
Roberto Schaefer, ASC | Director of Photography
Schaefers work includes Quantum of Solace, Finding
Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, The Kite Runner,
Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show and For Your
Consideration. He was nominated for a BAFTA
for his work on Finding Neverland.
2009 magnus stark/photography

The Nila Lighting System provides quality illumination
without compromising the quality of our environment.
Exclusively distributed for both sales and rentals
by PRG worldwide.
www.prg.com
(818) 252-2628
Environmentally
Sustainable
Lighting
www.nila.tv
(818) 392-8370















to S ober RRo



, ASC | chaefer r,



When I saw
etty I was pr
LEDs could
as these. I t
ld b
hotogr ector of P ir D



y impr
raphy
ll d
thought the
be as pow
essed
w the Nila












would be a
the moving
because of
and punch.
at them. I a
I used the N
I also used t
or tungsten



r
, r y,
e took a chance and W
m glad we did.
Nila lights mostly for c
them at times in place
n light on stage and on
their durability obust
vehicles in
eally good



d looked
ar shots but
e of an HMI
n location
tness, size









or tungsten
So I was mix
it worked q
ollable contr
eally liked I r
customizab
I was also p
you can put



n light on stage and on
xing it with other sour
quite well. I found them
change e with the inter
e d that the lenses wer
le for shots.
pleased with their size,
e; they t them anywher



n location.
ces and r
m very
able lenses.
so
, the fact that
e the size y ar






2009 k/



you can put
of a small b
onic d electr
Quantum o
that allowed
a Nine-Ligh
The compan
aspect is co
h h



e; they t them anywher
. The bookshelf speaker
dimmer is also a nice p
of Solace I had brackets
d me to put them toge
ht.
s commitment to th ny
ec ommendable. They r



e the size y ar
e built-in
plus. For
s made
ether like
een he gr
cycle all



s w Schaefer
Neverland
n i t i a WWa
Cons



work includes Quantum of Sola
d, Stranger Than Fiction, K e h TTh
n a m ffm fff u G r o F g n , w o h S n I t s e B an
sideration. He was nominated fo
for his work on Finding
2009 magnus stark/p



p
parts of the
rugged con
need to be
ce, Finding
r, e n n u R e t i Ki , r
nd our For Y Yo
A or a BAFT TA
Neverland.
photography



y
e light, however with t
nstruction, I doubt they
ecycled very often. r



y
heir
y will



n E
u S
g i L
.nila.tv www
(818) 392-8370



The Nila Light
without comp
Exclusively di
by PRG world
y l l a t n e m n o r i v n
e l b a n i a t s u
g n i t h g



ovides qu ting System pr
omising the quality of pr
stributed for both sales
dwide.



uality illumination
onment. our envir
entals and r w
(8



.prg.com www
818) 252-2628
16 March 2009
surface of a large record album.
Another scene was shot at a swim-
ming pool, where Olivares placed a
homemade camera crane on the edge
of the diving board to get an overhead
shot of some synchronized swimmers.
In both cases, he was able to operate
the camera and monitor the picture by
running long remote-control and video
cables from the camera to a video
village.
Another source of inspiration
was the photo series by Denis Darzacq
called Hyper, wherein break-dancers
were photographed mid-break at high
shutter speeds. Without the telling
motion blur, the resultant image
depicts the dancers magically frozen in
air. Beltrn was amazed by the photos
and wanted to add the element of
motion, and also stop-motion, to them.
A group of break-dancers was
asked to perform a series of identical
moves in front of the locked-down
camera. In a riff on the Muybridge
experiments, Olivares photographed
each dancers performance three
times, and then the frames from the
best takes were essentially shuffled in
postproduction. After one dancer
begins a move, every few frames, the
footage from another dancer perform-
ing the same move is cut in. It was a
difficult effect to achieve, given the
complex nature of the dance moves. To
assist the dancers, Beltrn staged the
action on a checkerboard floor. They
knew which square they had to put
their hands on, recalls Olivares. They
had a lot of problems getting the
moves just right with all the spinning
around.
One of the album-cover scenes
takes place on a carousel with the
members of NSM PSM. For this scene,
Beltrn and Olivares used a special
lens adapter normally used to create
virtual-reality Quicktimes for real-
estate presentations. The adapter,
manufactured by 0-360.com, requires
that the taking camera be placed on its
back, shooting up into a cone-shaped
mirror mounted in the center of the
lens field of view. A special plug-in is
needed to unwrap the image, which in
the video can be seen as the ultra-
widescreen shots of the band on the
carousel. Its a true panoramic image
if the left and right side of the
screens were connected in a loop, one
would have a complete 360-degree
view of the playground.
Clap Your Brains Off was
photographed in JPEG format to allow
for the highest resolution and an
extended continuous shooting capabil-
ity. Fix Comunicacin in Mexico City
turned Beltrns 3456x2304 and
3888x2592 processed stills into
720x480 QuickTime image sequences
at 29.97 fps (played back at 10 fps).
The video was edited on Final Cut
Studio, and Red Rentals Mexico did a
2K online for the HD master.
The final product is decidedly
lo-fi, just as the filmmakers intended.
I didnt want the video to look stylish
or have the usual color-correction,
says Beltrn. I wanted a video that
would look like wed just grabbed a
camera and started shooting. Olivares
agrees, adding, These kinds of
projects should look different than
anything youve seen before. I loved
working with the still camera, and Im
really happy with the results. I
Along for the
ride, Beltrn
aims the Canon
Mark III dSLR at
two band
members seated
on a carousel.
The camera
recorded
3456x2304 JPEG
images at 10 fps.
18 March 2009
Demythologizing the Mafia
by Patricia Thomson
When most people hear Mafia,
they think of Sicilys Casa Nostra, but far
more powerful is the Camorra in Naples.
Responsible for 4,000 deaths, the
Camorra network reaches deep into the
European economy, earning $200 billion
through illegal activity and profiting from
legitimate enterprises such as construc-
tion, fashion and tourism. But it wasnt
until Neapolitan writer Roberto Saviano
wrote the expos Gomorrah, in 2006, that
the public took notice. More than a million
copies of the book were sold in Italy, and
it has since been translated into 33
languages. Thrust into this unwelcome
spotlight, the Camorra responded with a
death threat against Saviano, who now
lives under full-time protection.
When Italian director and
cameraman Matteo Garrone read
Gomorrah, he saw it as an important,
powerful book [that was] full of strong
images, he says. Im a visual director; I
used to be a painter. So when I read the
book, I thought there was the possibility
of making a Mafia movie different from
those Id seen before.
Shot in the periphery of Naples,
the movie makes use of practical loca-
tions, non-professional actors, reality-
based storylines and a spare cinematic
language that Garrone devised with
cinematographer Marco Onorato, AIC, a
frequent collaborator. Onorato earned
David di Donatello Award nominations
for his work on Garrones The Embalmer
(2002) and First Love (2004), and he has
shot seven of the directors eight fictional
features. (The exception was Roman
Summer. I was occupied with another
project, Onorato says. Im sorry about
that, because its a film I love.)
As it happens, Onorato is
Garrones stepfather. When Garrone
started out in the film business, Onorato
hired him as camera assistant. When
Garrone began directing, he, in turn,
hired Onorato as director of photogra-
phy. We work well together, says
Garrone. Hes a great director of
photography, and we share the same
ideas about cinema.
On Garrones films, the duo
discuss all aspects of cinematography
but divide the work; Onorato handles
lighting and Garrone operates the
camera, which is typically handheld.
Onorato observes, I think a cameraman
is an executor, whereas a director who
also operates camera is a creator. So its
Italian Crime and Japanese Face
Production Slate
G
o
m
o
r
r
a
h

p
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

M
a
r
i
o

S
p
a
d
a
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

I
F
C

F
i
l
m
s
.
Two young
gangsters in
Gomorrah, Ciro
(Ciro Petrone)
and Marco
(Marco Macor),
try to emulate
Scarfaces Tony
Montana in all
that they do.
critical to put him in a position where he
can feel free. [On Gomorrah], Matteo
and I sought to find the right locations
and create the right atmosphere so he
could be free to move with the camera
according to how he felt.
Garrone says his decisions about
camera moves are intuitive. When I
shoot, its important for me to be on
camera because I invent. Also, the actor
doesnt always make the same move, so
every shot is different. But on Gomor-
rah, Garrone was careful to ensure that
camera moves and other visual
elements never upstaged the story. The
raw material was so visually power-
ful that I merely filmed it in as straight-
forward a way as possible, as if I were a
passerby who happened to find myself
there by chance, he wrote in the press
notes.
We wanted to shoot the movie
like a reportage of war, like a documen-
tary, Garrone tells AC. We think thats
close to the soul of the book, which is a
kind of reportage and denouncement.
We wanted to give the audience the
feeling of being inside, seeing and
smelling, so it was important to be very
simple when shooting, to be invisible.
When you try to show how good you are
at moving the camera or framing, the
audience immediately comes out of the
movie. That, for me, was sometimes
very difficult because my strong point is
making the frame.
One touchstone was Roberto
Rossellinis Pais, shot in 1946 in vari-
ous parts of Italy. The lesson from
Rossellini was very important, says
Garrone. Through those characters, he
showed the situation of the country, but
without judging. That, for me, was the
most important thing: without judging.
In Gomorrah, I leave the viewer the
freedom to have his own opinion. The
material is so strong it doesnt need any
comment; every time I tried to comment
on what I was shooting, it became
banal.
Like Pais, Gomorrah follows
multiple storylines. Focusing on five
characters from the book, Garrone and
his team of screenwriters (including
Saviano) show various low-level drones
who depend on the Camorra for their
livelihoods: Don Ciro, who delivers
money to families of imprisoned clan
members; 13-year-old Tot, who
Left: Two
characters
maneuver
through the
notorious
Scampia housing
project, where
most of the film
was shot. Below:
A tailor
(Salvatore
Cantalupo)
works with his
Chinese
associates.
American Cinematographer 19
20 March 2009
desperately wants to join the local clan;
Marco and Ciro, two loose cannons
who worship Scarfaces Tony Montana;
Roberto, a college graduate who takes
an apprenticeship in waste-manage-
ment and discovers its illegal underpin-
nings; and Pasquale, a tailor who works
under the table for the clan in high fash-
ion but secretly trains Chinese competi-
tors.
Gomorrah was shot in Super
35mm with a single Arricam Lite. The
filmmakers considered shooting Super
16mm and finishing with a digital inter-
mediate as a cost-saving measure, but
they were dissatisfied with the test
results. They shot Kodak Vision3 500T
5219 and had the ENR process applied
to release prints at Technicolor in Rome.
We did a 90-percent application of the
ENR process on Kodak [Vision] Premier,
says Onorato.
Shooting widescreen was
important because there were some
frames that needed widescreen, such
as the scene at the beginning of the film
that shows the children in a swimming
pool, Garrone notes. The camera starts
tight on the children playing in a plastic
pool, and as the shot moves wider, it
reveals the pools location on the roof of
a vast, squalid housing project in
Scampia, where most of the film was
shot. Its one of the most famous
places in Europe for drug dealers, so its
a kind of symbol, says Garrone. He also
singles out a shot of a dump where
hundreds of barrels of toxic waste are
being illegally buried in a quarry. The
scene begins with truck drivers walking
off the job because of an accident, and
the project manager recruits children to
drive the eight-wheelers instead. From
atop the quarry, a wide shot reveals the
scope of the ecological nightmare and
the line of trucks snaking down a
switchback, their barely-adolescent
drivers already in the clans employ.
Locations are very important
because they tell something more about
the story and characters, says Garrone.
For instance, the two boys who
pretend to be Tony Montana are anar-
chists, so theyre surrounded by open
space. Thats completely different from
the story of Tot, who wants to go
inside the clan. Thats like going into the
army or prison, so it was important that
[his environment] be claustrophobic.
Garrone and Onorato prefer to
use prime lenses, in this case Zeiss
Ultra Primes, and avoid zoom lenses.
The only filters I usually use are NDs
and polarizers, adds Onorato. They
favored the 20mm, 32mm and 40mm
primes. We didnt use wide angles
very much because, again, we wanted
to be invisible, says Garrone. I was
often very close to the [actor] and
pushed the background out of focus.
We worked a lot on staying close to the
actor.
Many shots in the film run long
and without cuts, and the camera
moves are always motivated by the
characters actions. We worked a lot
[of the details] out on location, says
Garrone. But then we shot like it was
something happening in that moment.
A PeeWee dolly, a 13' Robin
crane and a 36' Sky King crane with
Panther remote head were used, but
infrequently. Theyd stick out, so we
used them only when we thought it was
very necessary, says Garrone. For
example, the PeeWees hydraulic lift
allowed Garrone to follow Tot as he
climbed up a wall to fetch a gun, and a
crane provided a key overhead perspec-
tive after a clan massacre. It was
important to be above to see all the
bodies the character is walking
between, says Garrone.
The housing project the produc-
tion used was slated for demolition, so
most of the residents had vacated. It
was like an empty studio perfect for
Left:
Cinematographer
Marco Onorato,
AIC, who shot
the picture with
director/
cinematographer
Matteo Garrone.
Right: Franco
(Tony Servillo) is
the intimidating
manager of a
toxic dump.
Hollywood
818-761-4440
Vancouver
604-984-4563
Toronto
416-467-1700
Albuquerque
505-227-2525
Montreal
514-525-6556
Simply, we love what we do. We are committed to providing you with
the very best equipment and service. We offer you experience that
began with my father, a cinematographer, and continues through to
this day. Growing up in the industry and learning our craft, my late
brother Terry and I started the company over 30 years ago with a
passion and a mind set to give our customers the absolute best.
Motion picture camera technology constantly advances through the
years and we have participated in many important developments.
Our company has grown to acquire a vast inventory of film and digital
cameras which are serviced by the best technicians in the world.
Our well-trained and very loyal staff is here to serve you and treat you
like Number One. It doesn't matter if youre a first-time or a long-time
customer. We want to help you make the most of your shoot.
Whether it's meeting your budget or the challenge of a custom
solution, we are there for you. Once youve used us, youll want to
come back again and again.
Feel free to call me personally at any time.
Sincerely, Denny Clairmont
Why Choose Us?
www.clairmont.com
shooting, says Garrone. When lighting
this and other interiors, Onorato strove
for naturalism. If you observe light, you
realize every environment exists natu-
rally by itself; consequently, in a film
where you should be invisible, you try to
make the most of the natural light
sources and intervene to reinforce them
when necessary, but always with
discretion, he says.
Many interior scenes take place
in the housing complex, a labyrinth of
walkways, stairways and apartments. I
took advantage of the windows, at
times reinforcing the light with some
Kino Flos positioned outside, and we
eventually used the practicals inside as
well, says Onorato. Most of the time,
the crew teased me about how I
covered the set. They said, Marco
doesnt place light; he takes it away.
He typically relied on small units, often
Kino Flos and neon lamps. A couple of
times, I projected a 4K HMI to create a
moon effect, but I dont believe I ever
used more than a 10K. It just wasnt
necessary.
For night exteriors, I asked the
production designer to re-establish
some of the neon lights that used to be
part of the housing complex, then I cut
into that with warm light coming from
the apartment windows facing the corri-
dor, adds Onorato. Overall, it was very
stimulating. Bellissimo.
Since its premiere at the 2008
Cannes Film Festival, Gomorrah has
won many honors, including the Euro-
pean Film Award for Best Cinematogra-
phy. The picture was Italys submission
for this years Academy Award for
Foreign-Language Film.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Super 35mm
Arricam Lite
Zeiss Ultra Primes
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219
ENR Process by
Technicolor Rome
Printed on Kodak Vision
Premier 2393
The Sorrows of a Salaryman
by Chris Pizzello
Few directors can conjure an
atmosphere of supernatural menace like
Japans Kiyoshi Kurosawa, the film-
maker behind such uniquely disturbing,
existential horror films as Cure and
Pulse. With his new film, Tokyo Sonata,
the director lends subtler terror to a
more commonplace drama: the unravel-
ing of an ordinary family whose compla-
cent existence implodes when the patri-
arch, Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa),
is downsized out of a job.
Mortified by his loss of face
and paralyzed at the prospect of inform-
ing his wife (Kyoko Koizumi) and sons
(Yu Koyanagi and Kai Inowaki) about
this development, Ryuhei decides to
avoid the issue by pretending nothing
has happened he leaves home each
morning in a suit and tie and spends his
daytime hours searching fruitlessly for
work and killing time in public parks
with an old friend who has also lost his
job. But the ruse eventually catches up
with Ryuhei, as the strain of preserving
his secret tests the fraying bonds within
his family.
A film with a familial theme was
a new challenge for Kurosawa, and he
called on cinematographer Akiko
Ashizawa, JSC, who had also shot his
films Loft and Retribution, to help imbue
the seemingly commonplace milieu
with a fresh visual aesthetic. Born in
Tokyo, Ashizawa is one of the few
female cinematographers in Japan.
When I was a student, I had no inter-
est in film, but that all changed when I
saw Jean-Luc Godards Pierrot le fou,
she recalls via e-mail. I started working
as an assistant in independent film
productions as a student, and then
began working professionally as an
assistant director of photography in TV
commercials. A female assistant direc-
tor of photography was an anomaly, but
because it was a relatively new field,
there was less sexism there than in
other sectors of the film industry.
However, there were times when I
made mistakes, and someone would
comment that it was because Im a
woman. That, of course, bothered me.
Kurosawa contacted Ashizawa
after seeing her work in Kunitoshi
Mandas Unloved, and the two have
since enjoyed a harmonious collabora-
tion over three films. I think Kurosawa
and I both believe in the catharsis of
perfection, says the cinematographer.
There are numerous parts involved in a
shot, from writing to art direction to
camera operation, and if each
crewmember made perfection the
single goal, it would not necessarily be
beneficial to the project as a whole. If
perfection is 100 percent, then wed
22 March 2009
Ryuhei Sasaki (Teruyuki Kagawa) languishes in a long unemployment line after losing
his job.
T
o
k
y
o

S
o
n
a
t
a

p
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

R
e
g
e
n
t

R
e
l
e
a
s
i
n
g
;

A
s
h
i
z
a
w
a

p
h
o
t
o

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

F
l
a
v
o
r

o
f

H
a
p
p
i
n
e
s
s

F
i
l
m

P
a
r
t
n
e
r
s
.
K_\cfZXk`fej%K_\Zi\nj%K_\
`e]iXjkilZkli\%K_\]`cd$dXb`e^
kiX[`k`fe%K_\kXo`eZ\ek`m\j%8e[
fg\e`e^jffe#JkX^\('%I\cXo%
E:=@CDF==@:<%/--%+-/%)).*
prefer to go with a shot in which each
part achieves 80 percent. When Kuro-
sawa edits, he usually chooses the first
take because by the time we get to the
second take, it is too perfect, too
prepared; that makes the cast and crew
nervous, but he has a way of [making
the most of] that initial energy.
Kurosawa lauds Ashizawas
versatility as a cinematographer. The
high quality of her work can roughly be
broken down into two parts, he
observes via e-mail. She has a natural
talent when it comes to creating a
balanced composition; instead of just
going along with my taste, she counters
it by creating a fragile balance, and I find
that impressive. The second part is her
extraordinary sense of color. Im rela-
tively conservative about color, and I
think Ashizawa possesses a sense that
is possibly more radical. So I am always
excited to start shooting right between
her instinct for balance and her radical-
ism.
The filmmakers spent much of
their prep time searching for a house in
Tokyo that would suit the middle-class
Sasaki family. They finally settled on a
humble, two-story structure next to
some active railroad tracks. The old
neighborhood we chose is not in the
throes of modernization, but it is not
safe from it, either, says Ashizawa.
The placement of the house next to
train tracks, as well as the electrical
wires surrounding it, is not unusual in
Japan. Instead of treating the surround-
ings as an encumbrance, we saw them
as positive contributions and even
emphasized them. We used locations in
both eastern and western Tokyo and
combined them to create a surrealist
atmosphere that could exist anywhere,
but in actuality does not.
The house interior was created
on set, after the filmmakers carefully
considered design, color and texture;
these elements were exploited by
Ashizawa in her inventive framing. The
camera was placed where we could
peek at the family, she says. We
placed it on the very edges of window
frames, the dish cabinet, the handles of
the staircase, and even behind bars and
Top: The interior
of the familys
home was
created as a set,
and
cinematographer
Akiko Ashizawa,
JSC often chose
voyeuristic
angles impeded
by various
distractions
chairs, wooden
beams, window
frames and other
structural
elements
within the frame.
By including all
those intrusions,
we hoped to
portray the
family within the
society, as well
as the
individuals
within the family,
in new ways,
she says. Middle:
Sasaki reacts
badly when his
older son (Y
Koyanagi) seeks
his permission to
join the military,
forcing his wife
(Kyko Koizumi)
to play
peacekeeper.
Bottom: Sasaki is
eventually forced
to accept a
janitorial job
at a mall.
24 March 2009
26 March 2009
wooden beams places where one
would usually avoid placing the camera
because there are so many distractions
within the frame. By including all those
intrusions, we hoped to portray the
family within the society, as well as the
individuals within the family, in new
ways.
She strove to maintain a rela-
tively normal visual perspective within
the house (and through much of the film)
by employing a Zeiss 40mm lens on the
camera, an Arri 535B. Kurosawa notes,
I wanted to express narrowness, prox-
imity and a stifling closeness while
keeping enough distance from the
subjects to maintain a comfortable
objectivity.
Japanese productions feature a
lighting designer in addition to a cine-
matographer, and on Tokyo Sonata,
Ashizawa (who operated the camera)
consulted with Tokuju Ichikawa on the
lighting scheme in the Sasaki home. I
consider him my best work partner
because he exceeds all my expecta-
tions, says the cinematographer. In
regard to the lighting, we talk about
drastic matters freely, so our working
relationship is far more flexible than
what is traditionally seen in the Japan-
ese film industry.
The filmmakers mixed colored
lights inside the home to suggest the
clashing relationships within the family.
We lit the dining area with 3200K
lights, while the kitchen area and living
room featured cyan fluorescent lights,
says Ashizawa. For the area near the
front door, we mixed the exterior light
with a green-tinted light, and we shot
the night scenes with an 85C [color-
conversion] filter. The living-room area
closest to the TV was lit with a store-
bought tungsten fluorescent light called
an eco light, which created a subtle
texture. Green and cyan-blue tints are
usually avoided, but we chose to use
them instead; the mix of colors was a
crucial part of delineating the chemistry
of the family members, as well as the
particular circumstances in which the
family is placed.
This nuanced mixture of light
required careful handling of the nega-
tive. The team at Tokyo Laboratory,
headed by [color-timing supervisor]
Ryoichi Hirose, did brilliant work, says
Ashizawa. I shot the film on [Kodak
Vision2 500T] 5218 and [50D] 5201, and
all the footage was pushed one stop. For
example, the 5218 was processed at
1,000 ASA, but the exposure was
stopped at 640 and then printed darker
at the lab. We printed on Kodak Vision
Premier so the blacks would appear
deep and rich. I always aim to express a
rich shade of black and also make use of
the granularity of the film. I am still
emboldened by something Janusz
Kaminski said in American Cinematog-
rapher a few years ago: Raw films
today often lack granularity or are very
vague about it. If the image does not
incorporate the grain, it will [look] digi-
tized.
One of the subplots in Tokyo
Sonata concerns Ryuheis wife,
Megumi, who suppresses an indepen-
dent streak (hinted at by her red
sweater) in favor of her duties as wife
and mother. Her devotion to her family
lends poignancy to a grainy, unnerving
dream sequence in which she imagines
the unannounced return of her oldest
Right: After
attempting to rob
the family home,
a homeless
burglar (Koji
Yakusho) makes
an unexpected
connection with
Mrs. Sasaki.
Below: The
Sasakis
younger son (Kai
Inowaki), a
piano prodigy,
provides a ray of
hope for the
family with a
stunning recital.
Ashizawa
captured most of
the boys
performance
from a distant,
stationary
position that
lends the
sequence a
powerful
stillness.
28 March 2009
son, who has left home to assist U.S.
troops in Iraq and appears shell-shocked
by the experience. The dream
sequence was something Kurosawa and
I talked about a lot, especially concern-
ing to what extent we should convey
it as a dream, recalls Ashizawa. It
couldnt be too obvious, but it also
couldnt be so subtle that the audience
wouldnt register it as a dream. When
you underexpose shots but print [the
negative] to normal density, the black
appears hazy, and the image is blurred.
Its usually considered a mishap, but we
used it intentionally with the 5218.
In a bizarre plot twist, Megumi is
kidnapped from her home by a hapless
burglar (Koji Yakusho) and ends up will-
ingly spending the night with him in a
beach house by the ocean. She briefly
considers the possibility of running
away with him and starting a new life,
but as she walks along the shore the
next morning, she seems to have an
epiphany about her matriarchal role. The
subtle play of emotion on her face is
augmented by the rising sun. Initially,
we hoped to use only natural light as the
sun came up, but thats very difficult to
achieve, notes Ashizawa. In the end, it
was better to work toward the exact
look we wanted for the scene; [the final
look] has a surreal quality that I love. An
18K HMI and the camera were mounted
separately on pickup trucks, and we
waited until dawn. We needed to
capture the exact moment when the sky
turns bright, which occurs for just a
single moment. Kyoko understood that
very well and did a remarkable job in
just one take.
The Sasakis story culminates
some months later, in a wordless scene
in a music hall. The parents have each
accepted their lots in life, and Ryuhei
has relaxed his once-unyielding attitude
about his young sons desire to play
piano. The camera watches from a
stationary position in the distance as
the boys flawless performance of
Debussys Clair de Lune renders his
parents and the entire recital audience
speechless. It was important that the
final scene look entirely different from
the rest of the film, says Ashizawa.
The recital hall was formerly a bank
that was built in 1927. The ceiling was
very high, so we set up a few 10K HMIs
on the upstairs landing area, but we
focused the light on the floor and not
directly on the subject so the light
would be diffused around [the boy].
Between the lights, we used what
Ichikawa and I call seaweed, a parti-
tion that controls the light and renders a
subtle effect.
Kurosawa observes that the
films melancholy mood was
augmented by the winter season in
which it was filmed. The diagonal ray
of light in the winter gives the work a
wonderfully nuanced shade, says the
director. Maybe I feel that way
because I am Japanese. This may be a
bit strange, but I feel the light in Tokyo
Sonata is very European, and I feel that
the unexpected manifestation of Euro-
pean influences in a Japanese film
shows how this film was somehow
blessed with an ability of transcend
nationality.
I think the story of Tokyo Sonata
is particular to Japan, but even a strictly
localized story can be accepted by
everyone around the world as a global
expression once it is transformed into
film, he adds. That is probably an
inherent trait of cinema.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
35mm
Arri 535B
Zeiss Superspeed lenses
Kodak Vision2 50D 5201, 500T 5218
Printed on Kodak Vision
Premier 2393
I
Left: Ashizawa
lines up a shot.
Right: Director
Kiyoshi
Kurosawa runs
through a scene
with Kagawa.
ERRATA
One of the cutlines in our cover-
age of Quantum of Solace (Nov. 08)
contained an error. In the photo at the
top of page 30, Daniel Craig is walking
past the terminal at Englands Farnbor-
ough Airport, not a set built by the
production. Our production designer,
Dennis Gassner, is one of the most
talented designers Ive worked with,
but this was not one of his sets,
reports Roberto Schaefer, ASC, the
films director of photography. The
Farnborough terminal was chosen for
its stunning modern architecture.
In our coverage of Slumdog
Millionaire (Dec. 08), we incorrectly
reported that the Canon EOS-D1 Mark
III can shoot bursts of up to 30 RAW
frames per second. According to direc-
tor of photography Anthony Dod
Mantle, BSC, DFF, the camera could
only reach up to about 11-fps bursts.
This depended on the use of menus in
the camera as well as the size of the
files.
www.nabshow.com
Conferences: April 1823, 2009 / Exhibits: April 2023
Las Vegas Convention Center / Las Vegas, Nevada USA
F
R
E
E
E
x
h
i
b
i
t
s

P
a
s
s
p
o
r
t

U
s
e
c
o
d
e
A
5
0
1
w
h
e
n

r
e
g
is
te
r
in
g
o
n
lin
e
Capture:
Knowledge
Passion
Content
Ideas
Creativity
Insight
Experience
Innovation
Content Content
Regardless of the important role you play in the creation of content,
from conceptualization through production and post-production, the
NAB Show delivers the tools and techniques to give life to your next
award-winning vision. Experience a wealth of hands-on educational
opportunities designed to expand your know-how and abilities. See,
touch and test the advancements inuencing todays edgiest content,
from HD to 3D, editing, and the latest in animation, gaming, widgets,
social networking and more.
From big screen to small screen to no screen and beyond, the NAB
Show is the ultimate venue for exchanging solutions and strategies
for creating award-winning content to be viewed by local, national
and global audiences. Join the world-wide community of professionals
who share your passion for entertainment excellence. For more
information, visit www.nabshow.com.
30 March 2009
I
n an effort to survey the prime-
time scene, AC recently inter-
viewed the directors of
photography responsible for
crafting the looks of Showtimes
Dexter, ABCs Life on Mars, HBOs
True Blood and ABCs The Unusuals.
For Dexter, we spoke to recent
Emmy nominee Romeo Tirone,
who has shot the first three seasons
of the series; for Life on Mars,
we spoke to pilot cinematographer
and recent ASC Award nominee
Kramer Morgenthau, ASC, as well as
series cinematographers and ASC
members Frank Prinzi and Craig Di
Bona; for True Blood, we spoke to
Checco Varese and Matthew Jensen,
who together set the look of the
shows first season; and for The
Unusuals, we spoke to pilot cine-
matographer Peter Levy, ASC, ACS,
and series cinematographer Roy H.
Wagner, ASC.
The television series
Dexter, Life on Mars,
True Blood and The
Unusuals present their
cinematographers with
varied creative challenges.
by Jay Holben, Jean Oppenheimer, Iain
Stasukevich and Patricia Thomson
Cutting-Edge
Camerawork
American Cinematographer 31
Dexter
by Jean Oppenheimer
Dexter Morgan (Michael C.
Hall) has one of the more unusual
sidelines for a TV hero: hes a serial
killer. His job as a blood-spatter
analyst for the Miami Metropolitan
Police Dept. serves as a perfect cover
for his nighttime activities: eliminat-
ing killers who have somehow
slipped through the criminal-justice
system.
Romeo Tirone has been the
director of photography on
Showtimes Dexter since the series
made its debut, in 2006. He earned
an Emmy nomination last year for
his work on the show (for the
episode The British Invasion),
which is shot on high-definition
video. Shortly after he completed the
third season, he spoke to AC about
his approach to the Los Angeles-
based production.
On the first two seasons of
Dexter, we shot with a Panavised
Sony F900 and used an Arri 435 film
camera for ramping and slow-
motion work. For season three, we
switched to a Sony CineAlta F23, and
I was able to do speed changes in-
camera, which allowed us to elimi-
nate 35mm altogether. Thanks to its
four preset hyper-gamma settings,
the F23 is a vast improvement over
the F900, especially in terms of being
able to shoot outside and in high-
contrast situations. We also started
using a Sony EX1 last year; its one-
third the size of the F23 perfect
for confined quarters and has a
1
2-inch chip that cuts very well with
the F23s
2
3-inch chip. We could put
an operator in a car with the EX1
and have Michael drive around the
block and do a scene while were
setting up another shot with the
other cameras. The EX1 is also a
great third camera whenever we do
stunts because its easy to rig from
the ceiling, something that would
take far longer to do with the F23.
Sony gave me the EX1 to try out, and
we just never gave it back!
Weve used the same Primo
Digital Zooms all three seasons, a 6-
27mm, an 8-72mm and a 25-
112mm. Because of the speed at
which we have to move, we pretty
much live on the zooms, and except
for some of the kill scenes, we usually
shoot with two cameras. I have a
1
8
Tiffen Black Pro-Mist on the lens all
the time to take the edge off the HD
image. On the first two seasons, I
shot day exteriors with a straw filter
to get that warm Miami feel, but
when we switched to the F23, I
found I had more control over
warming up the image with the on-
set paintbox. I use the paintbox on
the set to control the iris, color satu-
ration, black levels and highlights,
essentially doing my first pass at
color-correction while the actors are
rehearsing, and sometimes we ride
these levels during the shot, which
allows me to move the camera
through different lighting situations
quickly. Our digital-imaging techni-
cian, Daniel Applegate, is a real
collaborator when it comes to the
look and how far we can stretch
these cameras.
I would describe Dexters
look as a graphic-novel style with a
Scorsese-Cronenberg-Kubrick influ-
ence. The main character operates in
two worlds; by day, hes kind of a
nerdy lab tech, and by night, when
hes on the prowl or in the kill room,
hes a powerful, sinister figure. I use
lighting to differentiate the two.
When hes in the everyday world, we
use a lot more front light and see
pretty much his entire face. When
hes on the prowl, we toplight him;
Michaels features play exceptionally
well in that style of light.
Red is a signature color,
although we try to use it sparingly,
primarily when Dexter is in his dark
passenger mode. My blue is a kind
of symbolic darkness; we can see
whats going on, but we feel like the
characters are in the dark. I like to
motivate the color with practicals,
such as neon signs or a cars tail-
lights.
I try to give each kill scene a
different feel by tinting them all
differently. In the first season, one of
Dexters first kills was a serial drunk
driver who was running people over
and then leaving town. Dexter
caught up with him, and we gave the
kill scene a really green tone, playing
to the graphic-novel sensibility.
For kill scenes, the room is
sealed with plastic sheeting, and
Dexters victim lies naked on a table
Opposite page:
Serial killer
Dexter Morgan
(Michael C. Hall)
dispatches a
carefully
prepared victim.
This page: Dexter
bids farewell to
another of his
targets in his
special killing
room. In this
set,
cinematographer
Romeo Tirone
used two Source
Four Pars to
create overhead
lighting that
bounced off the
cellophane-
wrapped victims.
D
e
x
t
e
r
u
n
i
t

p
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
y

b
y

P
e
t
e
r

I
o
v
i
n
o

a
n
d

C
l
i
f
f

L
i
p
s
o
n
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

S
h
o
w
t
i
m
e
.
Left: Dexter
uses a
mannequin to
test the blood-
spattering
properties of a
rather blunt
weapon. Right:
Tirone captures
the grisly scene
with his
camera under
wraps.
32 March 2009
in the center of the room, bound
with strips of plastic. Two Source
Four Pars shine down from above on
the plastic-wrapped victim, and that
light bounces around the room. Ill
let the exposure blow out a little to
obscure any nudity. Theres no sepa-
rate light on Dexter; when he leans in
close to the victims face, hes lit by
the light bouncing off the plastic
encasing his prey. When he stands
up, hes in the toplight that gives him
that sinister look.
We use two hardware-store
clip lights as practicals in the room.
One is on the display Dexter wants
his victim to see usually photos of
the people that person has harmed
and the other is shining on
Dexters tools. When he picks up a
knife, hes lit by the light reflecting off
the blade.
Because HD really reads into
the darkness, I can light large spaces
like the kill room with small units.
And because the plastic sheeting
obscures whatever is behind it, I can
scatter practical lights around, which
enhances the depth of the set. We
typically shoot kill scenes with one
camera and go handheld, which, in
conjunction with the overhead light-
ing, allows us to do 360-degree
moves.
The police station is one of
our permanent sets, and before they
started building it, I was able to give
the art department my specs for the
floor. I wanted it to be smooth
enough to dolly on without having
to lay dolly tracks or put down a
dance floor. Sometimes well shoot
three different scenes in one long,
rolling master; depending on how far
around were going, well use either a
Steadicam or a dolly. We might start
on a wide shot, then move into the
over of one scene, and then maybe a
character will start walking away and
well push back and reveal the master
of the next conversation. Well push
into the over of that and then follow
an extra walking in the background,
then pan right and find someone else
at his desk. Then we go back and pick
up the other side of all the conversa-
tions. We have to get through seven
to nine pages a day, and this strategy
saves us a lot of time.
A 60-foot-wide day/night
TransLite appears in most of the
shots in the police station. For day
scenes, the backing is lit from the
front by Skypans and cyc strips, and
for night scenes, its lit from behind
with Skypans and Source Four Lekos
that we gel with different colors to
give the buildings more of a Miami
flavor whole buildings are hot
pink or neon purple. To add to the
realism, we poke small, single LED
lights through the backdrop to
suggest flashing lights on top of
buildings and construction cranes.
Were always adding to the backdrop.
Weve even added rope lights
programmed in a chase sequence to
suggest traffic on a causeway off in
the distance.
The house where Dexters
girlfriend, Rita, lives, is also a perma-
nent set. We put 10Ks through the
windows and supplement with
Source Four Pars on stands to inten-
sify the feel of sunlight bouncing
around the room. We also have 2K
and 5K soft boxes above the set
using either Lee 129 or light grid
cloth and both of them give a
really beautiful, soft light.
Additionally, well tape pieces of
unbleached muslin to the floor and
bounce lights off them.
Most of the sets have floating
ceiling pieces that can come and go;
Jason Hodges, my key grip, devised
the system that has all the ceiling
pieces hanging from the perms.
Depending on what well see in the
shot, well bring down half a ceiling
or even something as small as a trian-
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
Top: After being
transported
back to the year
1973, time-
traveling
detective Sam
Tyler (Jason
OMara)
attempts to
defuse a volatile
hostage
situation.
Bottom: Tyler
(far right) tries
to make sense
of his
predicament
during a surreal
briefing set in
the present day.
gle-shaped piece for the corner. That
gives us the ability to light from
above and still shoot from low angles.
As with the kill scenes, we go
for a surreal look for Dexters flash-
backs. We want them to feel like frag-
ments of memory subjective, with
tight close-ups against an indistinct
background. You dont see all the
details of the environment. When
Dexter recalls his mothers murder,
for example, we tighten the shutter
angle from 45 degrees to 11.5
degrees, depending on the intensity
of the memory.
Dexter was my first intensive
experience with HD. To be honest, I
came onto the show a bit of a film
snob, and now Im a champion of
HD for what it is. You can create
beautiful images with it, but you have
to understand its limitations. The
biggest limitation is probably the
viewfinder, which is the worst place
to see whats going on in the frame
the operators cant use the viewfinder
to determine whether their shots are
in focus. Weve worked out a remote-
focus system in which both of our 1st
ACs, Steve Hurson and Brad Richard,
are off set, watching a monitor. As the
actors move, the 2nd ACs, Warren
Feldman and Paul Tilden, whisper
into a radio, giving the 1st ACs the
marks. We have remote stations that
can be wheeled around from set to
set, and that really enhances our
speed. Making the day is everything
in TV.
I owe everything to my crew,
which also includes [gaffer] Earl
C. Williman, [A-camera operator]
Martin J. Layton and [B-camera/
Steadicam operator] Eric Fletcher.
You may have the vision in your
head, but you need a good crew to
realize it.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
High-Definition Video
Sony F23, PMW-EX1
Panavision Primo lenses
Life on Mars
by Iain Stasukevich
ABCs Life on Mars is the story
of Sam Tyler (Jason OMara), a
modern-day police detective in New
York City who is struck by a vehicle
while on duty and wakes up in 1973
its The Wizard of Oz as police
procedural. Adapted from a BBC
series that was a hit in the United
Kingdom in 2006, the ABC series
changes few details apart from the
city and the actors. Harvey Keitel,
Michael Imperioli and Jonathan
Murphy portray the hard-boiled offi-
cers in the fictional 125th Precinct,
and Gretchen Mol, the staff psychol-
ogist, plays Tylers closest confidant.
The pilot, titled Out Here in
the Fields, was directed by Gary
Fleder and shot by Kramer
Morgenthau, ASC, who notched an
ASC Award nomination for the
project. They studied Adam
Suschitzkys cinematography in the
British series, which was directed by
Bharat Nalluri. Morgenthau notes,
There isnt a lot of coverage, which
allows the actors to play in one
frame. Its a fairly graphic approach
to telling the story. Fleder adds, I
think the British series is fantastic
every shot has power. I wanted to
exploit its graphic integrity, so I took
something like a hundred frame
American Cinematographer 33
L
i
f
e

o
n

M
a
r
s
u
n
i
t

p
h
o
t
o
g
r
a
p
h
y

b
y

E
r
i
c

L
i
e
b
o
w
i
t
z

a
n
d

P
a
t
r
i
c
k

H
a
r
b
r
o
n
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

A
B
C
.
34 March 2009
grabs from the show as reference
material.
For the present-day scenes in
the pilot, Morgenthau used a new
film stock, Kodak Vision3 500T
5219, with Panavision Primos and lit
for a naturalistic feel. For the 1973
scenes, he used more dramatic light-
ing and asked Kodak for the oldest
emulsion in its catalog, Vision 500T
5279. 5279 is not as perfect and
sharp-looking [as Vision3], he
notes. (Kodak discontinued 5279
shortly thereafter, and the produc-
tion has since shot the period scenes
on Vision2 500T 5260.)
Though Morgenthau consid-
ered using older lenses for the 1973
scenes, in the interest of speed and
efficiency, he decided it would be
better to stick with the Primos and
degrade the image with Clear and
Warm Tiffen Pro-Mist filters. He
also enhanced grain by underexpos-
ing by
2
3 of a stop and force-process-
ing the negative by 1 stop at
Technicolor New York.
Morgenthau stresses that he
wasnt trying to mimic a 1970s cine-
matographer shooting in the 1970s.
If we wanted to do that, we couldve
gotten away with snap zooms, fog
filters and so on, but we didnt do
any of that. We only did zooms as
very slight creep-ins on faces or to
change the frame for coverage. The
camerawork has more to do with
what Sam is feeling, because hes in a
completely alien world. Our tech-
niques werent so much vintage as
story-related, character-related and
emotion-related.
After ABC picked up Life on
Mars, the production hired two
directors of photography, ASC
members Frank Prinzi and Craig Di
Bona, to take turns shooting
episodes. Both cinematographers
say they approach the story as
Morgenthau did, using Tylers
displacement as a source of inspira-
tion. Theyre on the lookout for
what the production calls the
Martian Way, moments when Tyler
gets past and present confused. For
example, he might see a modern
newscast on a 1973 TV set or receive
a phone call from the future. Is it
Mars? Not really, but then again, it
might as well be, says Prinzi. Thats
one reason the series has fairly loose
visual parameters, he adds. As long
as we do it on time, make it cool and
make it exciting, we can do pretty
much anything we want visually. He
describes the approach as jazz light-
ing always changing in time with
the story.
When Tyler and the other
cops arent out on the street, theyre
in the office, a set designed by
production designer Stephen
Hendrickson and rigged by gaffer
Russ Engels and key grip Richard
Guinness Jr. Hendrickson had the
ceiling built with exposed trusses,
girders and fluorescent practicals,
and above that, recessed muslin
panels hide a permanent grid of Par
cans fitted with dichroic and tung-
sten bulbs. The muslin works as
diffusion for the lights above it and
also as a false ceiling when shots are
lit from the floor; Prinzi and Di Bona
both enjoy shooting from low angles.
Grid lights are individually patched
through a dimmer board, allowing
the light-board operator to easily
shift the interior ambience from cool
to warm. Engels used a lot of Brass,
Straw and
1
8 and
1
4 CTO gels on the
lamps, and, depending on the action
in a scene, extreme color tempera-
tures are sometimes mixed within a
single setup.
During the day, keylight is
usually motivated by one of the sets
many picture windows, like in a
Vermeer painting, says Di Bona. For
the pilot, Fleder wanted heavy shafts
of sunlight raking across the space,
and a smoke machine was used to
give shape to the light. The idea was
to make 73 very smoky, but the
network mandated that we couldnt
have anyone smoke onscreen, recalls
Engels. After some cast members had
an adverse reaction to the smoke,
production decided to reserve the
smoke machine for occasional use.
Another touch carried over from the
pilot is the hot splashes of light that
accent the background of many inte-
riors. Morgenthaus crew created
these with 10K Molebeams. Those
go 5 or 6 stops over, says Prinzi.
Sometimes Im shooting at a T2.8
and the background light is at a
T32!
New York City is as much a
character as a temporal point of
reference. Its the greatest backdrop
in the world you cant find that
texture anywhere else, says Di Bona.
In a 1973 scene,
Tyler and Det.
Ray Carling
(Michael
Imperioli) sit in
as Lt. Gene Hunt
(Harvey Keitel)
attempts to
strong-arm a
suspect.
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
The productions biggest challenge
was finding a location that didnt
include modern devices, such as
ATMs. Fleder recalls, I didnt think it
was possible, but we drove down
Orchard Street [on the Lower East
Side], and sure enough, there was a 2
1
2-block stretch that could pass for
1973 if you squinted.
Morgenthau, Di Bona and
Prinzi all praise Hendricksons
production design for bringing
1970s New York to life. When he
wasnt designing studio sets, he was
on location, dressing entire blocks of
downtown Manhattan to look like
Richard Nixon was still in office. I
had to find an architectural vernacu-
lar to represent the age and decay
of New York in 1973, says
Hendrickson. I did it by using archi-
tecture from the 19th century as a
jumping-off point. The city of the
series is layered with brick, cast iron,
old stucco and plaster, all chipped
and distressed. Hendrickson tended
toward darker settings, including
basements and cellars, because
thats rich and gives the cinematog-
raphers textures to light, he says.
The filmmakers were so clever
in their efforts to avoid anachro-
nisms that almost no digital effects
were required to remove physical
traces of 2008. (CG work is more
often used to add buildings, such as
the World Trade Center, to back-
grounds.) For a scene set on a
rooftop, Di Bonas methods included
shooting the actors against the dark
night sky and cheating shots around
telling parts of the skyline. Prinzi
found that backlighting or using an
extremely long lens to throw the
background out of focus allowed
him to shoot safely in almost any
direction. It helped that both cine-
matographers are longtime New
Yorkers and remember what the
shows neighborhoods looked like
back then.
At its core, Life on Mars is a
science-fiction story, and when a
burp in reality sends Tyler into a
different dimension, the produc-
tions modern Panavision cameras
are swapped for hand-cranked
35mm and Super 8mm cameras.
(Most of the show is shot with
Panaflex Platinums and Millennium
XLs.)
When Tyler first awakens in
1973, theres a 360-degree camera
move around him as he tries to
process what has happened. Fleder
had Morgenthau shoot the move
with a Platinum and a Panavision-
modified hand-cranked Arri 2-C
mounted side by side. Theres some
hand-cranked double-exposure stuff
in that scene as well, recalls
Morgenthau. I was thrilled that
some of that stuff made it into the
show. The recurring flashbacks that
show Tyler chasing a girl wearing a
red dress through a forest are
intended to be disorienting to the
audience, so they were shot handheld
in Super 8 on Fuji Reala 500D 8592
that had been re-cartridged by
Pro8mm in Burbank.
The final color for Life on Mars
is set in the dailies by colorist Chris
Gennarelli at Technicolor New York,
and then taken a step further in the
online by colorist Mike Sowa at
LaserPacific in Hollywood. Color is
one of the things that gives away
period, notes Morgenthau.
Modern color stocks are vibrant,
and if you look at color photographs
from the 1970s, youll notice that the
separation of colors was not as clean.
I wanted color bleeding into the
blacks. Morgenthau took digital
stills of his lighting setups and
colored them in Adobe Lightroom
before passing them on to
Gennarelli. Prinzi and Di Bona work
hand-in-hand with Technicolor to
get the dailies as close as possible, but
a lot of the final decisions are out of
their hands; the production schedule
often prevents them from giving
notes on every shot.
In the series second episode,
Tyler made a list of 12 possible
explanations for his mysterious
predicament, and they included
injury-induced coma and extrater-
restrials. No one who spoke to AC
knows which answer is the right one,
or how long it will take Tyler to figure
it out, but they dont seem to be too
bothered. Theyre having such a
good time theyre in no rush to spoil
the mystery of the Martian Way.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
35mm, Super 8mm
Panavision and Arri cameras
Panavision Primo lenses
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219, Vision
500T 5279, Vision2 500T 5260;
Fuji Reala 500D 8592
American Cinematographer 35
ASC member
Kramer
Morgenthau
(pictured at
work on another
project) shot the
Life on Mars
pilot.
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

G
a
r
y

F
l
e
d
e
r
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

K
r
a
m
e
r

M
o
r
g
e
n
t
h
a
u
.
True Blood
by Jay Holben
When writer/director Alan
Ball hired Checco Varese, AMC to
shoot the pilot for HBOs horror
fantasy True Blood, the cinematogra-
pher spent the next several nights
doing my homework, he says. I
watched everything I could that was
on TV at 10 p.m. I flipped to one
channel, and it looked fantastic; the
show was moody and had lots of
camera energy and a bit of a blue
tone. Then I flipped the channel, and
that show looked great, but it looked
just like the first one. Then I flipped
again, and again, and saw that most
of the shows looked the same. Thats
not the case now there are a lot of
great shows with a lot of great looks
but at the time, they all looked the
same to me! I thought True Blood
merited a very different look, some-
thing sweaty, hot and sexy, which is
what Louisiana feels like. Alan,
[production designer] Suzuki
Ingerslev and I decided to make it a
saturated show, with red reds and
green greens.
Another key component of
the look is humidity, which had to be
artificially created for the Los
Angeles-based production. When
youre in a very humid climate, there
isnt any dust, notes Varese. So
whenever we shot an exterior, I
made sure every inch was wet
down. Fire hoses were used to wet
down the vegetation in the back-
ground and Hudson sprayers were
used to saturate the closer greens. I
was obsessed with that detail
because I think it really refines the
look, says Varese. When you see
those details in the trees in the back-
ground and the sheen in the fore-
ground, it really looks like
Louisiana. The constant wetness was
tough on the actors, but it really
enhanced the look.
Set in the sleepy town of Bon
Temps, La., True Blood is based on
Charlaine Harris Southern Vampire
Series, which was begun in 2001
with the publication of Dead Until
Dark. The invention of synthetic
blood has enabled vampires to inte-
grate themselves into human soci-
ety, but the transition has not been
smooth. Tensions in town reach a
boiling point when a comely local,
Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin),
takes up with a vampire, Bill
Compton (Stephen Moyer), and
Sookies associates and loved ones
begin turning up dead.
Varese achieved his night-
exterior look by pushing Kodak
Vision2 Expression 500T 5229 by
1
1
2 stops (to 1,500 ISO) and overex-
posing his highlights and deeply
underexposing the shadows while
maintaining skin tones right at key.
I wanted the night look to have a
rough-around-the-edges feeling,
and pushing the stock a stop and a
half gave it more texture and grain
without making it grainy. You have
to control your tones, however.
To create overall ambience for
night exteriors, key grip Miguel
Benavides and gaffer Jonathon
Bradley strung lines of aircraft cable
40' above the ground, just over the
trees, in a small section of the
Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank.
From the cables, they hung rows of
6K space lights. Then Varese incor-
porated an LRX Piranha, an 80'
boom arm with three remote-
controlled fixtures, a 12K HMI and
a 12K tungsten as his moonlight
backlight.
Varese always made sure the
good guys had an eyelight. For
36 March 2009
Tormented
vampire Bill
Compton
(Stephen Moyer)
prepares to sink
his teeth into
Jessica
(Deborah Ann
Woll).
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
T
r
u
e

B
l
o
o
d

p
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

J
a
m
i
e

T
r
u
e
b
l
o
o
d
,

P
r
a
s
h
a
n
t

G
u
p
t
a

a
n
d

J
o
h
n

P
.

J
o
h
n
s
o
n
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

H
B
O
.
bad guys and ambiguous charac-
ters, he eliminated any reflections in
their eyes, ensuring they had a dull-
eyed look. He even went as far as
blocking out windows and masking
set items to eliminate any reflective
sparkle in the characters eyes.
When shooting a pilot, youre
responsible for creating something
thats repeatable, Varese notes. So
even though you always have extra
time on a pilot, you cant get too
extravagant or too exotic. If the show
is picked up, what youre doing has
to translate into the flow of a regular
production. You have to make sure
your choices are flexible enough to
last.
After True Blood was picked
up for a full season, Varese began
working in rotation with cinematog-
rapher Matthew Jensen, but after the
first few episodes, the writers strike
brought production to a halt. Varese
took a job on a feature, and when the
strike was resolved, he was unavail-
able to return to True Blood, so
Jensen took over as the shows
primary cinematographer. (John B.
Aronson and Amy Vincent, ASC also
shot episodes in the first season. For
the second season, which will begin
airing in June, Romeo Tirone will
alternate episodes with Jensen.)
Matt and I collaborated in a
very organic way, Varese recalls. I
never sat down with him and said,
This is how you have to do it,
because every cinematographer has
his own style. Jensen adds, Checco
and I talked a little bit about a few
aesthetic ideas, but the beginning of
the season was so crazy that we
didnt have much time to talk. I
watched the pilot many times, and
we discussed the improvements
Checco wanted to make.
Jensen helped refine the
shows visual language through lens
selection and camera positioning. I
wanted to avoid shooting on long
lenses because that has become stan-
dard TV grammar, and also, I feel
Suzukis phenomenal sets really lend
themselves to shooting with wider
lenses, says Jensen. Most of them
have actual hardwood floors and
hard ceilings, so you want to see the
whole set. I also wanted to experi-
ment with moving the camera closer
to the actor for a close-up instead of
shooting it with a 75mm lens; Id
rather use a 40mm and move closer
because that puts the audience in the
middle of the action. We were
usually shooting with a 25mm,
27mm or 40mm Cooke S4, and
occasionally even an 18mm. For day
exteriors, Id usually pull out the
Optimo zoom, but onstage we were
mostly shooting with primes.
Jensen typically lights the sets
to a T2.8 and works at T5.6/8 for day
exteriors. With the wider lenses at a
T2.8, theres a nice feeling to the
falloff. I love to get the camera close
37
38 March 2009
to someone with a 40mm lens and
see that shallow depth of field with a
very gentle falloff in the focus.
One of the shows key sets is
Merlottes Bar and Grill, where
Sookie is a waitress. Its a place where
several of the main characters gather
at least once per episode. Thats
where we do our highest page count
each episode, says Jensen. Alan
[Ball] was very specific that he
wanted it to feel like a family place.
We first considered using practicals
and neon to light the set, but that
proved to be a little too moody, so
then we started rigging all the ceil-
ings with fixtures, but that was tough
because theyre hard ceilings, and
were shooting so wide that were
nearly always seeing them. We had to
cut away sections of the ceiling that
could be removed when they were
off-camera so we could position
Kino Flo DMX fixtures there. For
season two, were cutting back a bit
on the lighting budget, so the Kinos
had to go. My gaffer, Evans Brown,
came up with a fixture he calls
Triffids [named for The Day of the
Triffids], which are basically home-
made lightboxes. He took 750-watt
Nooks and built an aluminum
casing around them, sprayed black
on the outside and white on the
inside, and then faced them with
1000H. We have dozens of them in
the ceiling; they have a nice, soft
spread but can be really punchy.
Theyve enabled me to lift the base in
Merlottes and get more exposure to
show off more wood in the sets.
Jensen also found lighting
behind the bar to be a bit of a chal-
lenge, thanks to a header built into
the set above the bar. He and Brown
incorporated Razor lights, which
were created by Denny Eccelston,
Vareses feature-film gaffer; the
fixtures feature two black PVC pipes
with long slots cut into one side, and
a 2' or 4' Kino Flo tube is placed
inside the inner pipe. By rotating the
two pipes in opposite directions, the
user can adjust the intensity of the
light (by controlling how much light
spills out the larger slot) as well as its
direction. Theyre great tools for
getting an edgelight or a little
keylight into places where you just
cant put any other fixture, Jensen
says.
The house Sookie shares with
her grandmother, Adele (Lois
Smith), is a location that initially
gave Jensen some problems. The
house is small, and theres a lot of
white, especially in the kitchen,
where a lot of action takes place, he
says. Although white walls are
usually something a cinematogra-
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
Right: Telepathic
waitress Sookie
Stackhouse
(Anna Paquin)
takes an order at
Merlottes Bar
and Grill, a set
that created
some challenges
for the crew.
Below: Sookie
and her brother
(Ryan Kwanten)
visit in her
kitchen.
40 March 2009
stressed it was a cop show, not a
procedural, he says. That means its
about character. The crimes exist to
solve the character, not the other
way around. The other thing I said
was, This show is M*A*S*H. This is
what happens when you put rela-
tively sane people into a crazy world
thats trying to kill them; the only
sane response is to be a little crazy.
He also added a dose of New York
attitude. Thats funny to me, and it
was missing on TV. Theres a
humorlessness to a lot of law
enforcement on TV.
The pilot, which will air April
8, was directed by Stephen Hopkins
and shot by his longtime collabora-
tor, Peter Levy, ASC, ACS. Their
previous pilots include 24 and
Californication. When I asked
Stephen what we were going for, he
pointed to M*A*S*H, a lighthearted
treatment of a serious subject, and
he also said he wanted to avoid the
clichd gritty New York look he
wanted colors, says Levy. The
script was pretty flip, so we didnt
want to impose an overly serious
style.
Levy shot the pilot in 3-perf
1.78:1 with cameras supplied by
pher shies away from, I found them
to be a blessing. Were normally in the
kitchen in the mornings or during
the day, and I found I could really
underlight the interior and have a lot
of light blasting outside on our
TransLite and Chromatrans back-
ings. I try to light them to about 3 to
5 stops over key, reflected reading. I
shoot on 5229, and Im amazed at
how much detail holds in the high-
lights and the blacks. Because the
drops are highly reflective, we found
that any unit on the floor could cause
a really bad glare, so we rigged cyc-
strips on pipes far above the drops.
We have I-beams on chain motors
that hold our sun, which we made
with a 20K tungsten and 12-Light
MaxiBrutes in season one. For season
two, weve replaced them with Big-
Eye 10Ks with T-12 globes and
Leonettis Master Blasters, single
fixtures with four 1K FCM globes;
theyre really punchy but take up less
space.
With the overexposure outside
the windows, Jensen will set the inte-
rior exposure as much as 2 stops
under. I also tend to fill inside with
1
4 CTB, and we use a lot of smoke in
the kitchen to add atmosphere and a
sense of humidity. It works well.
So much of the first season of
a show is trying to figure out what
works and what doesnt, he
concludes. Its really a process
because you rarely have time for
extensive testing. You need four or
five episodes to figure out how the
actors photograph, what effects look
realistic, how dark the night should
be and so forth. We try to continue to
refine the look to keep it fresh for us
and the audience.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
35mm (3-perf)
Arricam System
Cooke S4, Angenieux Optimo
lenses
Kodak Vision2 200T 5217,
Expression 500T 5229
The Unusuals
by Patricia Thomson
Tonally, the new ABC/Sony
Pictures Television cop show The
Unusuals harks back to the 1970s,
taking M*A*S*Hs seriocomic sensi-
bility as its model. In technique,
however, the series is a harbinger of
the future. Using Sonys PMW-EX3
and F23 4:4:4 side-by-side, the show
is among the first to combine
prosumer and professional-grade
high-definition video cameras on a
daily basis.
Shot on location in
Manhattan and at Brooklyns Steiner
Studios, the show follows police
detectives in a Lower East Side
precinct. When a new officer is trans-
ferred to Homicide, she begins to
learn the secrets and idiosyncrasies
of her colleagues, who include a
publicity-craving officer who steals
cases, a detective with a brain tumor
who repeatedly steps in harms way,
and the afflicted officers paranoid
partner, who wont remove his
bulletproof vest.
When Noah Hawley, The
Unusuals executive producer and
writer, pitched the show to ABC, he
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
The police-precinct set on The Unusuals has fixed walls and ceilings, which requires
series cinematographer Roy Wagner, ASC to light shots very precisely with less equipment.
T
h
e

U
n
u
s
u
a
l
s
p
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

P
a
t
r
i
c
k

H
a
r
b
r
o
n
,

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

S
o
n
y

P
i
c
t
u
r
e
s

T
e
l
e
v
i
s
i
o
n
.
42 March 2009
Panavision New York. He worked
with a Panaflex Platinum and a
Millennium XL2 and used Primo
primes and an Angenieux Light-
weight Optimo (15-40mm) zoom.
Because of the shows lighthearted
nature, we tended to shoot a bit
wider, putting more air around the
actors, so the audience would have
time to read the body language. We
were giving the actors a kind of
tableau to work with; human
comedy plays best in one shot.
When ABC ordered 12
episodes of the show, production
decided to switch to high-definition
video, and Roy H. Wagner, ASC took
over as director of photography,
reuniting with producer Peter
OFallon. Their previous collabora-
tions include Party of Five and
Pasadena. Wagner arrived in New
York in December and had no prep
time; he came straight from Chicago,
where he was shooting The Beast, a
noirish Showtime series the polar
opposite of The Unusuals. Im the
last choice youd make for a comedy,
jokes Wagner. I generally do dark
shows, like CSI [AC May 01]. I think
Ive done only two or three comedies
my whole career, but I like doing
different kinds of things.
With eight days per episode,
The Unusuals started out shooting
five days on location and three in
Steiner Studios. The practical loca-
tions are typical of New York: five-
floor walkups, narrow storefronts
and even narrower railroad apart-
ments. A small, lightweight camera
was needed to navigate such spaces.
Wheres the EX3? asks Wagner,
striding through a Brooklyn store-
front on a snowy afternoon. He was
hoping to show AC one of the two
EX3s that are on set at all times.
Theyre so small, you cant even find
them! he notes. Finally, in an aisle
marked Body Disposal, he spots
one. I can get them into places
where you cant even get a Super 16
camera, says the cinematographer.
Right: Det.
Delahoy (Adam
Goldberg)
reveals the
grisly contents
of a makeshift
evidence
locker. Below:
Peter Levy, ASC,
ACS (wearing
gray T-shirt)
helps block the
scene while
shooting the
pilot.
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
That helps us give the show a sense
of reality.
On the first day, we did 65
setups, he continues. We were using
EX3s to run with the characters, jump
fences, all kinds of things wed never
do with big cameras. The stuntmen
were actually jumping down and
hitting the camera, which made it
much more visceral.
The cameras remote-control
capability allows Wagner to operate it
from the video cart, which is handy
when the camera is in a hard-to-reach
place. We literally stick one to the
ceiling about once a day, says grip
Brendan Quinlan. Roy puts them
everywhere.
Its not 4:4:4 color space,
notes Wagner. We record 4:4:4 RGB
with the [Sony CineAlta] F23; that
provides the maximum amount of
information for post. The EX3 uses
4:2:0 color sampling, which effec-
tively means its recording color
information at half the horizontal
resolution and one-quarter the verti-
cal resolution of the luminance. But
the EX3s have a substantial process-
ing capability that allows them to be
side-by-side with the F23.
The EX3 captures images with
three " Exmor CMOS sensors. Seen
next to the F23s output on the video
cart, the difference is barely
discernible. There might be engi-
neers who could spot the difference,
but the audience wont, says Wagner.
Were not using a digital-
imaging technician, but the EX3 can
be managed and manipulated with
the same paintbox technology the
F23 uses, he continues. However,
were not painting on the set at all; all
image manipulation is done in front
of the sensor. This is not unlike old-
school film cinematography.
Manipulation is created through
exposure, lighting and filtration.
Wagner prefers to use multiple
cameras, and he runs two to four at
all times on The Unusuals. Two are
F23s with Fujinon HA zooms (4.5-
59mm cine-style, 7.3-110mm cine-
Contact Germanys Market Leader!
Filming in Central Europe?
For Shoots That Work,
BROADCAST SERVICES
WEVE GOT YOUR BACK.
THE VERY LATEST IN DIGITAL MOVIE-MAKING
MULTI-LINGUAL STAFF
24/7 TECHNICAL SUPPORT
CALL +49.30.230 989 0
VISIT www.camelot-berlin.de

Digital Production in Film & TV/ HFF Academy 2009
www.insightout-training.net
SEE YOU AT
43
style and 13.5-570mm optically
stabilized), and two are EX3s with
Fujinon 14x zooms. The show is
framed at 16x9, and all cameras
record at 24 fps. (The F23 records to
HDCam-SR tape, and the EX3
records to Sony SxS flash memory
cards.)
Working with multiple
cameras offers several advantages.
For one, I like how performances
match, says Wagner. Actors with
comedic skills are constantly refining
the material and trying different
approaches to it, and if you use just
one camera, nothings ever going to
match. Multiple cameras make it
easier for actors and the editor, and
the lighting strategy it imposes on the
cinematographer is not that difficult
to do. Another advantage is speed. I
dont know how Roy does it, but he
works faster than anyone Ive ever
worked with, remarks Denis Doyle,
the shows first assistant director.
www.denz-deniz.com Tel: +49 89 - 62 98 66 0 Fax: +49 89 - 62 98 66 20
DIRECTORS VIEWFINDER
Eyepiece adjustable
from -5 to +5 diopters
7 integrated ground
glass markings
Therefore no exchange
of any ground glasses
Immediate change from
format to format
For all lenses with
54 PL-mount
Pivot holder for easy grip

Eyepiece adjustable
from -4 to +4 diopter
Eyepiece adjustable
to right or left eye
For all lenses with
54 PL-mount
For Arriex 435/535
ground glasses
Pivot holder for easy grip
N
E
W
OIC 16 OIC 35
Cutting-Edge Camerawork
44
Wagner (left) brings decades of film experience to the set but has embraced the
potential of high-definition video.
Im always trying to find ways
to give the actors and director more
time, because the more options we
have in the editing room, the better
our chances of making a great show,
says Wagner. Recently, that has led to
a greater reliance on zoom lenses. On
the last several shows, Ive used
Fujinon zooms because theyre
incredibly good, incredibly sharp and
match very well. Working at the speed
I like to maintain, its good not to have
to change lenses all the time. Like
Levy, Wagner tends toward wider
focal lengths on The Unusuals to facil-
itate the comedy. For example, wed
use a 21mm instead of a 35mm, or a
17 instead of a 21mm or 24mm, says
Wagner.
Shooting quickly also means
lighting for 360 degrees. On the
precinct set, there are fixed walls and
ceilings and no lighting grids. Wagner
keeps the amount of equipment low
and lights scenes rather than shots. If
you walked onto that set, youd say it
looks like a real place, not a set
there are no movie lights, he says. I
light through windows and I use a
lot of practicals. I control every light
that goes on set and am very
involved in where theyre placed. I
push light through our 135-foot
backing, and I also have 5Ks outside
the windows. A lot of bounced light
comes off the floors from that light.
Its all precision lighting, but
with a lot less amperage, observes
gaffer Timothy McAuliffe. For night
exteriors on a film shoot, continues
the gaffer, Id usually put a Condor
down the block with a 10K or Maxi-
Brute on it, but [with HD], Im at
street level with a Par can. Wagner
notes, I dont use Condors to light
nights when I see big crosslights, I
think it looks like a TV show. It just
doesnt look right. Instead, he
carries sodium- and mercury-vapor
lights mounted on plates; these are
often placed in frame to mimic
streetlights. Film is not really good
at low light levels, says Wagner, but
HD allows you to see night as you
actually see it by eye. Collateral [AC
Aug. 04] is a prime example. Often,
people will walk by our monitors at
night and say, Wow! because it
shows exactly what theyre seeing.
I love film Ive been a film
cameraman for 40 years but I
truly love the potential of HD, he
concludes. Truthfully, Id love to
shoot a series using only the EX3.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
3-perf 35mm;
High-Definition Video
Panaflex Platinum,
Millennium XL2;
Sony CineAlta F23, PMW-EX3
Panavision, Angenieux
and Fujinon lenses
I
45
46 March 2009
Veteran cinematographer Robert F. Liu, ASC receives the
Societys Career Achievement in Television Award.
by David Heuring
A Life Full
of
Miracles
director Robert Wise and cine-
matographer James Wong Howe,
ASC. Liu went on to earn Emmy
nominations for his work on the
hit series Lou Grant and Family
Ties.
Liu was born in Shanghai in
1926. He had six brothers and one
sister. His father, who had been
educated in the United States on a
YMCA scholarship, worked as sen-
R
obert F. Liu, ASC, who was
recently honored with the
Societys 2009 Career
Achievement in Television
Award, forged a cross-cultur-
al career at a time when such inter-
national experiences were rare.
When he was a young man, his tal-
ent was recognized by Chinese film
pioneer Chuang Kuo Chuen, and
he found Stateside mentors in
American Cinematographer 47
ior clerk at Anderson Clayton, an
American firm with offices in
Shanghai. Young Bobby and one of
his brothers shared an early inter-
est in chemistry, and together they
turned the family home into a ver-
itable laboratory, making every-
thing from batteries and soap to
enlarging paper.
As a child, Liu enjoyed the
exploits of Tom Mix and other leg-
Opposite:
Director of
photography
Robert F. Liu,
ASC, on the set
of the hit series
Family Ties. This
page, left:
Filming The
Sand Pebbles,
on which Liu
(lower right,
holding radio)
was a first
assistant
director. Below
left: Liu (center)
and fellow
Chinese
exchange
student Mr. Lin
(right) visit with
James Wong
Howe, ASC, in
1960. Below
right: Six years
later, Lius father
(second from
left) sees the
family off as
they prepare to
immigrate to the
United States.
P
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

R
o
b
e
r
t

F
.

L
i
u
.
48 March 2009
A Life Full of Miracles
ends of the silent cinema. By the
time he reached high school, he
had begun experimenting with his
brothers 8mm Kodak camera. I
was fascinated with moving pic-
tures, but I never thought I would
end up in the business, he says. I
was very fortunate.
Inspired by Walter Pidgeons
portrayal of a U.S. ambassador to
Mexico in Holiday in Mexico
(1946), Liu set his sights on a
career in diplomacy, and he earned
a bachelors degree in political sci-
ence. Upon graduating, however,
he realized that such a career did
not align with his principles. The
saying was, An ambassador is an
honest man sent abroad to tell
lies, he notes. When I heard that,
I decided it wasnt for me.
In 1949, Liu made his way to
Hong Kong and took his first steps
toward a career in filmmaking. A
friend brought him to Great Wall
Studio, where he found work as a
boom man in the sound depart-
ment. Great Wall was also home to
Chuang Kuo Chuen, who
financed, wrote, directed and shot
features, and in 1951, when
Chuang was offered a chance to be
the director of photography on a
film in Taiwan, Liu worked as his
assistant. The two remained close,
and in 1957, Liu married Chuangs
daughter, Ivy.
In 1959, sponsored by the
National Academy of Arts and
Crafts in Taiwan, Liu made his first
trip to the United States, with the
understanding that he would teach
others upon his return to Taiwan.
With the U.S. government paying
his tuition, he was sent to the
University of Southern California,
where one of his professors,
Herbert Farmer, encouraged him
to pursue a graduate degree. Liu
subsequently earned a masters in
film from USC. During his studies,
Liu met Howe and Wise, and a few
years later, when Wise went to
Taiwan to make The Sand Pebbles
Top: Liu poses
with camera
operator/future
ASC member
Lowell Peterson
(center), 2nd AC
Lex Rawlins
(right) and 1st
AC Doug Scott
(seated) on the
set of the NBC
series The Duck
Factory. Middle:
Liu enjoys a
light moment
with actor Ed
Asner on the set
of Lou Grant.
Bottom: Liu
checks the light
for a Lou Grant
exterior.
(1966), he brought Liu aboard the
picture as first assistant director.
Liu subsequently directed
and edited a documentary,
Industry: A Free China, for the U.S.
Information Office in Taiwan.
When I showed the film to James
Wong Howe, he complimented me
on the editing, and that meant a lot
to me, Liu recalls. I didnt pay a
lot of attention at the time, but
that film helped me immigrate to
the United States.
When I came to America
for the first time, in 1959, I realized
what freedom actually is, and I
dreamed of immigrating to the
United States someday, he contin-
ues. A dream doesnt cost any-
thing! Without family in the
United States, he needed three
things to make his dream a reality:
an advanced degree at an estab-
lished U.S. university, five years of
experience, and a special achieve-
ment in his field. When Industry: A
Free China won an award at an
Asian film festival, it fulfilled the
final requirement, and Lius immi-
gration was approved. He wrote to
Farmer, who immediately offered
him a job running USCs motion-
picture laboratory, and in 1966,
Liu and his family moved to
America.
Almost three years later, Liu
left his job at USC for a chance to
work as a cinematographer. He
spent almost four years as the prin-
cipal cinematographer at the
UCLA Media Center, where he
shot documentaries and surgical
films for various medical depart-
ments. His next step was to enter
the camera union, and he tried
entering the Minority Group Pool
Program as a cinematographer but
was turned down. He tried again,
this time as a second camera assis-
tant, and within two weeks, he had
a job on Gunsmoke. I have to
thank John Flinn [ASC], he says
with a laugh. The day he went out
for his acting career, I was hired on
50 March 2009
A Life Full of Miracles
Top: Liu
(standing,
second from
right) poses
with some
Kodak
executives and
the other
participants in
the 1959 visiting
student program
at the University
of Southern
California. The
students are at
Kodaks Santa
Monica office.
Middle: When
Robert Wise
came to Taiwan
to scout for The
Sand Pebbles,
Liu (seated next
to the camera,
wearing
sunglasses)
was shooting a
World War II
movie on
Eastmancolor
for the Central
Motion Picture
Corp. His father-
in-law, Chuang
Kuo Chuen, was
the director.
Bottom: Liu
poses on the set
of his first
feature as
director of
photography for
the Central
Motion Picture
Corp., in 1962.
Gunsmoke in his place. John didnt
know it, but he helped me get a
foot in the door.
Liu went on to work for cin-
ematographer Edward Plante on
the series Medical Center. After
Gene Polito, ASC worked with Liu
on Westworld (1973), he moved
Liu up to first camera assistant on
the series Adams Rib, and shortly
thereafter, Richard Glouner, ASC
promoted Liu to operator on the
series Columbo. Im very grateful
to both of those men, says Liu.
After operating for one sea-
son on Lou Grant, a single-camera
series shot on 35mm, Liu moved
up to director of photography and
went on to shoot three seasons of
the show. When he took over, he
suggested employing fluorescent
lighting, which was rare at the
time. The main newsroom set
was lit with a tremendous number
of Photofloods above the ceiling,
he recalls. They used a lot of elec-
tricity and lasted a very short time,
and they made for a very hot set
very uncomfortable for the actors.
Everyone wondered whether fluo-
rescents would work, but I knew
from experience that color tem-
perature could be played with very
easily as long as your light sources
were uniform. I ordered warm
white fluorescents, which mingled
well with our tungsten sources
onstage.
I also gradually convinced
the producer to shoot more on
location and less onstage, he con-
tinues. When I started, we were
doing about five days onstage and
two days on location for each
hour-long episode. I proved I
could make the transition seam-
less, and by the end of the last sea-
son, we were working five days on
location and two onstage. That
was rare for a TV series at that
time.
Liu became an ASC mem-
ber in May 1984, after he was rec-
ommended by Society fellows
Mfbso
GjmnnbljoH
-%%" -%-" 89> 6
/
> C;D589> 67J# 8DB
/
89> 67J# 8DB
8:CI:G ;DG 9><>I6A >B6<>C< 6GIH
6I 7DHIDC JC>K:GH>IN
L6AI=6B! B6 / L6H=> C<IDC! 98
*OUFOTJWF'VMMBOE1BSUUJNF$FSUJDBUF1SPHSBNT
'JOBODJBM"TTJTUBODFBOE$BSFFS4FSWJDFT"WBJMBCMF
9><>I6A;>ABB6@>C<
69K6C8:9EDHIEGD9J8I>DC
E=DID<G6E=N
(96C>B6I>DC
<G6E=>8L:79:H><C
6J9>DEGD9J8I>DC
L:79:K:ADEB:CI
# # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # #
# # # # # # # #
NAB 2009
April 20
th
-23
rd
Bavarian Pavillion
weisscam@pstechnik.de
www.pstechnik.de
sales@zgc.com
www.zgc.com
> Up to 4,000 fps
> 2K resolution
> Super 35 format
> 10 F-stop dynamic range
> Global shutter
> 2-stream camera
> RAW-in-HD-SDI
> Stand alone system
> DigiMag DM-2
51
Glouner, Harry Wolf and Ted
Voigtlander. When he attended his
first dinner meeting at the ASC
Clubhouse, I looked around and
realized I had worked with about
one-third of the members pres-
ent, he recalls.
Liu compiled dozens of
episodic-TV credits, including The
Nanny, The Martin Short Show and
Hardcastle & McCormick, and he
earned two Emmy nominations
over the course of his career, one
for Lou Grant (in 1982), the other
for Family Ties (in 1989). This job
was always fun, he remarks. My
mind is always open to figuring out
a better way, and the things you
learn stay with you. I have no
regrets about going from the bot-
tom to the top twice; if you enjoy
it, it doesnt matter. Whatever job
youre assigned, you must do that
job well.
52
Two shots from The
Duck Factory. Left:
Producer/director
Rod Daniels and
Liu signal for some
adjustments. Right:
Liu looks on as
director Gene
Reynolds lines
up a shot.
A Life Full of Miracles
Im very proud of being
born Chinese, but I am deeply
grateful to have been adopted by
this great country. I love America
this is from my heart. And its
such an honor to be in this presti-
gious society, the ASC. The mem-
bers are not only loyal to each
other, but also very thoughtful
about future generations. I think
its very important to care about
those coming up. We should give
them as much as possible.
I never expected to be hon-
ored with the ASC Award, and it
was very fulfilling to receive such
an acknowledgement from the
people I worked with. My life has
been one miracle after another,
and this award was one more mir-
acle to me. I
53
Two shots from The
Sand Pebbles. Left:
1st ADs Ridgeway
Reggie Callows
and Liu. Right: 1st
AC Roger Sherman
(left), 2nd AC
Kenneth Peach Jr.
and Liu enjoy a
break on the set.
W
hen he was a child, future
ASC member Isidore
Mankofsky didnt sit in a
darkened theater and see a
classic film that wowed
him. His parents werent artists. He
didnt take any art classes, and he
never went to the ballet or opera. He
didnt even own a camera, but when
the time came for a career decision,
he plucked photographer seem-
ingly out of thin air. When I was in
high school, somewhere along the
line, it dawned on me that Id like to
do photography, he says with a
shrug. I dont know where that
came from. He got his first camera
just before he joined the U.S. Air
Force, which took him to Korea. He
recalls, It was a 35mm Argus C3,
and Im not sure how it came into
my hands, but it wasnt with me for
long after it got plenty of use in
basic training, I lost it in a poker
The ASC honors Isidore Mankofsky, ASC with
its Presidents Award.
by Douglas Bankston
AVeryActive
Member
54 March 2009
game to a quartet of noncoms.
Mankofsky, who recently
accepted this years ASC Presidents
Award, was born in New York City
and raised in Brooklyn, the Bronx
and Chicago. His parents had emi-
grated from Odessa, Ukraine, in
1923. After high school, he enlisted
in the U.S. Air Force, and when he
was stationed in Germany, he was
assigned to the motor pool. After
relentlessly badgering the squadron
commander, he received a transfer
to special services, where one of his
jobs was to take pictures of the base
athletic teams for the base maga-
zine. Knowing nothing about pho-
tography, he had to learn to shoot,
process the film and print the pic-
tures. You could say that was the
beginning of my career in the mag-
ical world of motion pictures, he
notes wryly.
Following his honorable dis-
charge, Mankofsky enrolled in the
Ray Vogue School of Photography
in Chicago, but a quick look around
revealed a lot of competition.
Then, as now, everyone who
picked up a camera thought he was
a professional photographer. But
motion-picture photography was
different it was magical. It hadnt
dawned on me that it was just 24
still frames per second. Mankofsky
traveled to Santa Barbara, Calif., to
enroll in the Brooks Institute of
Photographys motion-picture
track.
When one of his instructors
got a call for an all-around person
to work at KOLO television station
in Reno, Nev., Mankofsky inter-
viewed for the job and was hired.
One of his first assignments was to
document, on black-and-white
16mm, the new TV-antenna build-
ing on Mount Rose. I still have the
film, my first effort as a professional
cinematographer, he notes. He
returned to Chicago and worked as
an industrial photographer at
Stewart Warner Electronics for a
short time, and then, just when he
American Cinematographer 55
P
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

I
s
i
d
o
r
e

M
a
n
k
o
f
s
k
y
.
This page, top: In
1970, Mankofsky
(right) and
director Larry
Yust film a
sequence in
Paris from the
rear of a
makeshift
camera car. The
project was a
16mm film
version of Ernest
Hemingways
My Old Man,
part of the
Encyclopedia
Britannicas
Short Story
Showcase
series. Middle:
Mankofsky lines
up an Arriflex
16mm camera
while on
location at
Fishermans
Wharf in San
Francisco for the
Encyclopedia
Britannica film
Seaport, also
directed by Yust.
Bottom: In 1956,
Mankofsky
trains his Bolex
on legendary
playwright
Arthur Miller
(left) during an
interview for
KOLO-TV in
Nevada.
was about to return to California, a
stroke of luck occurred during a
handball match at the local YMCA.
(He still plays the game to this day.)
His opponent, Jim McGuinn, a pro-
ducer of educational films at
Encyclopedia Britannica Films,
asked if Mankofsky would be inter-
ested in shooting a series in Florida.
Over the next 13 months,
Mankofsky shot 161 half-hour
16mm films that comprised a com-
plete lab course in chemistry.
One of his frequent collabo-
rators at Encyclopedia Britannica
was director/ producer Larry Yust.
Their 1969 film version of Shirley
Jacksons short story The Lottery,
part of Encyclopedia Britannicas
Short Story Showcase series, gave
Mankofsky the opportunity to try
diffused light, a technique that had
not yet gained a foothold in the
industry. His dilemma was how to
shoot a film with an outdoor setting
on a studio-bound set. Outside,
even on a sunny day, the light in the
shade is soft its just ambient
light, he notes. The only way to do
it I could think of was to hang a
bunch of big bats in the permanents
and shine Maxi-Brutes through dif-
fusion material.
Mankofskys work at
Encyclopedia Britannica was a
training ground, much like music
videos and commercials are to
todays cinematographers. Each
film was an opportunity to do
something that I added to my book
of knowledge, he says. Because
each film presented its own prob-
lems, the cinematographer was,
among a lot of other things, a prob-
lem solver. I learned as I went along.
Of course, I made mistakes. I did
everything aerials, time-lapse,
high-speed. I cant even swim, and I
shot water work! In my nine years at
Britannica, I dont think I had to
reshoot anything. Im sometimes
asked how I learned composition,
and it just came to me. He adds that
Yust was such a stickler for symme-
AVery Active Member
Top: Mankofsky
mans the
Mitchell BNCR
on the set of
Testimony of
Two Men, a 1977
miniseries for
Universal TV.
Yust (far right)
directed one
chapter of the
three-part post-
Civil War
costume drama,
with Leo Penn
helming the
other two.
Middle:
Mankofsky
checks the light
level on the fill
side of
Christopher
Reeves face
during
production of
Universal
Pictures time-
travel romance
Somewhere in
Time (1980).
Bottom: The
director of
Somewhere in
Time, Jeannot
Szwarc (right),
peers over
Mankofskys
shoulder as the
cinematographer
lines up a shot.
56 March 2009
try that he has influenced my fram-
ing ever since!
Mankofsky spent 17 years
trying to join the camera guild, to
no avail. When a group of camera-
men filed a lawsuit that ultimately
broke down the unions wall of
nepotism, Mankofsky, who wasnt
part of the suit, was grandfathered
in. That led to his first union picture,
American International Pictures
Scream Blacula Scream (1973). On
that picture, the dilemma was shoot-
ing a dark-skinned actor, William
Marshall, who was wearing a mostly
black costume at night. In my
days at Britannica, I shot with
Kodachrome, which was a very con-
trasty film, Mankofsky recalls. I
had learned to be very careful with
my lighting because Kodachrome
didnt have much latitude, maybe 1
stop, and then you were in trouble.
Print stocks at the time werent very
good; they were also contrasty. I had
to get the contrast down, and I did
that by having the lab flash the film.
Flashing the film, which brings up
detail in the blacks but does not
affect highlights, would have some
producers breaking into cold sweats,
but the powers-that-be had no idea
Mankofsky had instructed the lab to
do such a process. In that era, he
notes, producers were more hands-
off. They werent quite as dictatori-
al as they are now, he jokes.
In 1975, Mankofsky started
working at Universal TV. His agent
had received a call from a produc-
tion that was seeking a feature cam-
eraman to shoot a pilot, and from
then on, Mankofsky was pigeon-
holed as a TV cinematographer, a
tag he felt he never shook complete-
ly. I felt like it held me back, he says.
I stuck to my guns in not shooting
series. He specialized in miniseries
and telefilms; his credits in those
genres include Captains and Kings
(1976), Columbo: How to Dial a
Murder (1978), Goldie and the Boxer
(1979) and Jacqueline Bouvier
Kennedy (1981).
Top: The ABC
movie-of-the-
week version of
Neil Simons
Broadway
Bound remained
stagebound,
utilizing a two-
story set of
interiors and
exteriors. Here,
Mankofsky
takes a light
reading on
Hume Cronyn,
who won an
Emmy for his
supporting role.
Middle: Director
Debbie Allen
toasts
Mankofsky
before dragging
him in front of
the camera and
onto the dance
floor for a scene
in Walt Disney
Televisions
Polly: Comin
Home! (1990).
Bottom: A giant
among
miniatures,
Mankofsky
takes a reading
on the set of Too
Loud a Solitude
(2007) before
shooting the
crane shot that
opens the film.
Based on
Bohumil
Hrabals book,
the film uses
rod puppets to
enact the tale of
a simple man
who saves
books from
destruction in
communist
Czechoslovakia.
At the time,
Mankofsky had
shot every kind
of puppet
except rod
puppets. They
were the
hardest to work
with because
the rods were
quite
objectionable at
times, he
recalls.
American Cinematographer 57

58 March 2009
During this stretch,
Mankofsky also shot some features.
In 1979, Jim Henson called upon
the cinematographer to shoot The
Muppet Movie, the Muppets first
big-screen venture. Hensons The
Muppet Show had a high-key,
live-TV look that everyone knew
wouldnt translate to the cinema,
and Mankofsky had to devise more
film-appropriate visuals. The only
caveat Henson had was that the
color of the Muppets fur, especially
green, had to be true. Green on film,
especially at night, can be tough, and
Kodak stocks at the time werent par-
ticularly sensitive to green, notes
Mankofsky. But it was great work-
ing with the Muppets. First of all, no
one complained about the light in
his eyes or how long he had to stand
in you just stuck them on a pole.
And the puppeteers were really nice
guys. When I asked Henson to move
Kermit to the right a little for a better
frame, Henson wouldnt answer;
Kermit would answer.
Henson didnt want any spe-
cial effects, he continues. He want-
ed everything live. For example,
when Kermit was driving an older
Studebaker, four or five puppeteers
were working the puppets from the
floor of the car, so the car had to be
modified so it could be driven from
the trunk. A wide-angle lens poked
out of the distinctive front of the
Studebaker grill so the driver could
see.
The question Im asked most
about The Muppet Movie is how
Kermit rode the bike. We took a
crane with an arm extended out, and
monofilament ran from that down
to the bike. Kermits feet were
strapped to the pedals, and the ped-
als would turn as the bike wheels
turned. The voice and mouth move-
ments were remote-controlled; wed
just pull it along. However, the shot
Im most proud of is the one that
shows Kermit sitting in the directors
chair in the big soundstage. Wheres
Henson? I did that in such a simple
way, and no one has figured it out. I
put a couple mirrors in, and Henson
is behind the mirrors. I lit it so the
shadows in the mirrors looked like
they continued past the chair legs.
Mankofsky followed the
Muppets with the period film
Somewhere in Time (1980), starring
Christopher Reeve and Jane
Seymour. He had met the director,
Jeannot Szwarc, while at Universal.
Id subbed on a couple of shows
AVery Active Member
Above: Mankofsky breathes a sigh of relief as his
meter registers the whopping 1,600 footcandles of
fill light necessary to film a stagebound exterior of
Miss Piggy for MuppetVision 3-D (1991), a special-
venue film for Disney theme parks that still plays
today. Below: Mankofsky (far right) observes the
3-D camera rig being lined up for a shot on
MuppetVision 3-D. Disney built the 65mm cameras
and the two-camera 3-D rig, with the top camera
firing down into a mirror. The film stock in this
camera was run backwards, takeup to feed, in
order to correct the mirrors flipped image, thus
avoiding a quality-degrading optical in post.
Jeannot was doing, he remembers.
One Sunday morning, he called me
up to see about having breakfast at
Canters, and he asked if Id do the
film. We had a great relationship on
the film, but oddly enough, I never
worked with him again, nor with any
of the executives on that film. They
never called me back, and Ive never
known why!
Mankofsky still marvels at
Seymours photogenic quality. No
matter how you lit her, she looked
gorgeous, he says. The light just
wrapped around her. Of all the
actresses Ive photographed, she was
the easiest.
Somewhere in Time didnt do
particularly well in its theatrical
release, but it eventually caught on in
secondary markets and gained a cult
following. Avid fans of the film hold
an annual convention at the shoots
location, Grand Hotel on Mackinac
Island, Mich.
Mankofsky soon shot another
feature, Richard Fleischers The Jazz
Singer (1980), and then pho-
tographed several telefilms, including
Portrait of a Showgirl (1982), In the
Custody of Strangers (1982) and The
Burning Bed (1984). In 1985, he
hooked up with director Savage Steve
Holland to shoot the comedy Better
Off Dead, starring John Cusack. The
film was a hit, and Warner Bros.
ordered up another Holland/Cusack
picture, One Crazy Summer.
Mankofsky recalls, however, that
Cusack refused to do some of the
gags in the second picture. A lot of
the material that was really good isnt
in the movie, says the cinematogra-
pher. Or, if its in the film, it isnt the
way it was supposed to have been
done. On both comedies, Holland
managed to stick Mankofsky in front
of the camera. In One Crazy
Summer, he had me brushing the
teeth of the fake dolphin, and he also
had me inside the thing to film in the
water, he says. In Better Off Dead,
Im the neighbor in an aardvark coat,
cutting the hedges.
Sandwiched between those
comedies was a George Lucas TV
spectacle, Ewoks: The Battle for
Endor (1985), a sequel to The Ewok
Adventure. On The Ewok Adventure,
producer Thomas G. Smith had
called Mankofsky to shoot the sec-
ond unit for Industrial Light &
Magic; the two had worked together
at Britannica. Tom is one of the
most loyal people Ive worked for,
Mankofsky notes. Whenever he
had the opportunity, hed try to get
me on a film. When John Korty,
director of Ewok Adventure, had to
leave the production early due to a
scheduling conflict, George Lucas
decided to direct the rest of it, and I
shot that material, recalls
Mankofsky. George is a very, very
nice man but an impatient director.
Hes a lot like me; when something
59
60 March 2009
starts to slow down, Ill go and do it
myself.
When time came for the Ewok
sequel, Mankofsky shot first unit for
directors Jim and Ken Wheat. Actor
Wilford Brimley didnt get along
with the directing duo, so scenes fea-
turing Brimley were directed by pro-
duction designer and future director
Joe Johnston. I would quietly go
over to Wilford and ask him to move
his hat a bit so I could see his eyes,
and hed say, Oh, sure, recalls
Mankofsky. If the Wheats had
asked that, he would have thrown
them out.
Over the next 10 years,
Mankofsky shot numerous TV
movies, including Fatal Judgment
(1988), A Very Brady Christmas
(1988) and The Heidi Chronicles
(1995). He earned Emmy nomina-
tions for Polly (1989); Love, Lies and
Murder (1991); and Afterburn
(1992). He won an ASC Award for
Love, Lies and Murder and notched
additional nominations from the
Society for Davy Crockett: Rainbow
in the Thunder (1989) and Trade
Winds (1994).
In 1991, Mankofsky reunited
with the Muppets to shoot a special-
venue film in 3-D, a new format for
him. On MuppetVision 3-D, which
still plays at Disney theme parks
today, Mankofsky was the creative
cinematographer while Peter
Anderson, ASC served as the techni-
cal cameraman. Peter wanted to
shoot tests every day, but the pro-
ducer came in and said, Just shoot,
and if it doesnt turn out, then that
can be considered the test,
Mankofsky says. We only had to
reshoot one day out of the whole
schedule, and that was because the
cameras went out of sync.
Mankofsky remembers the
massive amount of light needed for
the shoot: On a big outdoor set
where Miss Piggy is fishing, I had
100 coops that each held six 1,000-
watt bulbs just to get the fill-light
level where we wanted it. For key-
light, I had an 18K, and for back-
light, I had a Xenon. It got so hot up
in the permanents that we had to
stop shooting; it overpowered the
air-conditioner! I needed 1,600
footcandles and had no idea how to
get that, but after turning on all
those coops, I put my meter up, and
it read 1,600 footcandles exactly.
Whew!
When Mankofsky started
down his cinematography path, he
had two goals: to win an Academy
Award and to join the ASC. The goal
he has met has turned out to be the
most rewarding, he says. A former
member of the Societys Board of
Governors, he serves as the Societys
secretary and chairs several commit-
tees, including the Heritage Award
Committee, the Constitution and
Bylaws Committee and the
Newsletter Committee. Recently, he
was the curator of an exhibit of ASC
members still photography. I dont
know why I do all those things! he
laughs. When I was in the service,
they told me to never volunteer for
anything. But Ive never been one to
just sit around the house. I
AVery Active Member
Right: Mankofsky
poses at the
oceans edge
with a man-
eating dolphin
during
production of the
Warner Bros.
comedy One
Crazy Summer
(1986) in
Nantucket. The
film was
Mankofskys
second gig with
director and
gifted animator
Savage Steve
Holland,
following their
collaboration on
the hit comedy
Better Off Dead.
Below: The
cinematographer,
who cant swim,
climbed into the
prop dolphin to
grab a POV shot
through its
mouth.
HANDS-ON WORKSHOPS
Pre-register Online and Get the latest updates on
upcoming Filmmaking Workshops.
Visit www.studentlmmakers.com today!
Degraining Super 16 for
Alien Trespass
by Noah Kadner
Alien Trespass, an independent
feature that was recently given its
premiere at the 2009 Palm Springs Inter-
national Film Festival, presents a classic
1950s sci-fi plot with a unique twist: it
was designed to look as though it was
actually shot in 1957 rather than simply
set in that era. Depicting an accidental
alien invasion of a small American town,
the movie was directed by Robert Good-
win and shot by David Moxness, CSC.
This had been Bobs passion project for
a long while, and I was really into the
idea, says Moxness. Its one thing to
shoot a period piece and another to
actually be one.
Aiming for a theatrical release on
35mm, the filmmakers initially explored
high-definition video and 35mm as
potential acquisition formats, dismiss-
ing Super 16mm because of its
pronounced grain. Ive worked with a
lot of HD in television, but I was against
it for this project from the start because
it felt like the wrong aesthetic and
emotion for a 1950s picture, says
Moxness. We needed the image to
have a noticeable texture, so I really
pushed for film. However, 35mm was
stretching the overall budget a bit too
far.
During prep in Vancouver, Digital
Film Central introduced Moxness to a
process called Emulsion-Specific Grain
Reduction. Its a remarkable proprietary
recipe they use after the film is scanned
for the digital intermediate, explains
the cinematographer. They showed us
a demo, shot on 16mm, of a hallway
filled with smoke. After ESGR was
applied, the grain was gone, but you
could still see all the detail and the
smoke. It looked like a perfect solution
we would be able to shoot on Super
16 and deliver a solid 35mm print.
Alien Trespass was filmed over
15 days on stages and locations around
Vancouver. Moxness and his team used
two Arri 416s and worked almost exclu-
sively with 35mm Zeiss Ultra Primes,
favoring the 12mm, 20mm and 28mm. I
brought along a whole box of lenses, but
I tried to shoot the whole picture on
those three primes to give the film a
rigid, 1950s consistency, says
Moxness, who tapped Clairmont
Camera for the package. He shot most
of the picture on Kodak Vision2 200T
7217 and 50D 7201. I ended up making
one shot on [Vision2 500T] 7218 one day,
when the schedule got away from us a
bit, but apart from that, we used the
slower stocks. I wanted to go with older
EXR stocks, but Kodak told us they just
Post Focus
F
r
a
m
e

g
r
a
b
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

o
f

D
i
g
i
t
a
l

F
i
l
m

C
e
n
t
r
a
l
.
Before and
after versions
of a scene from
Alien Trespass
(featuring Jody
Thompson)
illustrate the
effect of Digital
Film Centrals
Emulsion-
Specific Grain
Reduction
process.
62 March 2009
wouldnt be available in a reliable quan-
tity.
Working in the 1.85:1 aspect
ratio, Moxness aimed for a period Tech-
nicolor palette enhanced with careful
use of filtration. Modern film stocks are
less saturated, and I really wanted to
shift things tonally, he says. We used
CTO gels on the lights to achieve a
warm bias combined with warming
filters on the lenses, primarily Tiffen
corals. We also used Tiffen Classic
Softs and Schneider Black Frosts to
control contrast.
During filming, Moxness added
subtle, playful touches to the cine-
matography to pay homage to the tech-
nical limitations of the era. On our
process photography, we ran some of
our backgrounds slightly out sync, even
though it was all done with green-
screen, he says. So, for example, a car
pulls up and stops, and the background
plate stops just a beat later. We also
played with lighting cues by having the
cue slightly behind the actors action. In
one sequence that was inspired by a
sequence in the original War of the
Worlds [1953], you see a practical light
go off onscreen, and then we go to pitch
black before coming back up with
dimmed lighting.
After the production wrapped,
DFC scanned the original camera nega-
tive using an Arriscan. We scan Super
16 at 3K and then downconvert to 2K for
grain reduction and the DI, explains
James Tocher, DFCs founder and DI
producer. The Arriscans ability to scan
Super 16 at 3K really helps improve the
image quality. 16mm stocks are really
good these days, but a lot of people
dont realize how much resolution there
is behind the grain. The ESGR process
utilizes a proprietary processing algo-
rithm specific to each film stock 7219
receives a different method than 7201,
for example. We first sort the project
into its specific stocks, then we begin
attacking the grain directly.
Other degraining processes
typically blur and soften grain by mush-
ing it together, he continues. Then
they use image-sharpening similar to
the Unsharp filter in Photoshop to give
A T R A D I T I O N O F I N N O V A T I O N
24 SHELTON STREET, LONDON, WC2H 9UB U.K. TELEPHONE: +44 (0)20 7836 9642 EMAIL INFO@LFS.ORG.UK
T H E L O N D O N F I L M S C H O O L
At LFS each filmmaker learns to
discover their voice. The training is
second to none and the growth that I
experienced in two years is
really unquantifiable...
At LFS each filmmaker learns to
discover their voice. The training is
second to none and the growth that I
experienced in two years is
really unquantifiable...
Barney Elliott, MA filmmaking graduate 2003.
Barneys short film True Colours has screened at
over 80 festivals winning nine first prizes. He was
selected for the prestigious Cannes Cinfondation
Rsidence and the Binger Film Lab.
THE LFS TWO-YEAR
MA FILMMAKING
STARTS IN JANUARY,
MAY AND SEPTEMBER.
To find out more about training in
all departments, on a minimum of
six film exercises, including two
35mm projects, in a working studio
with students from 30 countries
visit
lfs.org.uk
63
you the illusion of retained detail. The
resulting artifacts are really evident in
areas of the frame that have fine detail
like wispy smoke or hanging fog. With
ESGR, its not nearly as much of a trade-
off between grain reduction and loss of
detail as it used to be.
For Moxness, using ESGR was a
simple addition to the DI workflow. Its
not an all-or-nothing process, he notes.
You can choose the percentage of
grain reduction on a shot-by-shot or
scene-by-scene basis. They bring up
each scene and implement a pre-built
formula that they think will be the best
match for the specific contrast and color
tones and then manipulate from there.
It takes a little extra time, but it didnt
hold up our post at all.
DFC has applied the ESGR
process to 35mm projects as well,
according to Tocher. He estimates that
the process adds one day to the total DI
time on an average project; reels can be
processed while the DI continues simul-
taneously. We spent the better part of
a year developing this process after
looking at the existing real-time and
rendered processes on the market, he
notes. A lot of broadcasters have been
discouraging the use of 16mm because
the grain takes a serious compression
hit on their digital broadcast signal, and
thats really the big fringe benefit of
ESGR: the Blu-ray discs and broadcast
versions derived from our masters are
virtually grainless, allowing for flawless
compression. DFC plans to offer the
ESGR process to the post market at
large sometime this year, he adds.
After grain reduction, Alien Tres-
pass DI was completed at DFC using a
Baselight 2K color-correction system
playing out to a Christie 2K digital
projector on a 13' screen. We spent
most of our six days in the DI enhancing
the 1950s Technicolor look wed set out
to achieve, says Moxness. I come
from the pre-fix-it-in-post days, so I try
to deliver the best image at the end of
each shoot day rather than leave it to
the DI.
Alien Trespass will be distrib-
uted theatrically by Roadside Attrac-
tions. I
64
Exhibition & Premiere Seminars: June 5 - 6, 2009
The Film Series at Cine Gear Expo: June 4 - 6, 2009
Master Class Seminars: June 7, 2009
Contact us @
310/472-0809

info@cinegearexpo.com
JOIN HOLLYWOODS PROFESSIONALS IN 2009
For the Pre-ProductionProductionPost Production Community
For more information and updates, visit us at: WWW.CINEGEAREXPO.COM
D
irector Paul McGuigan and I have
made five films together, beginning
with Gangster No. 1 (AC June 02).
Each has presented a unique challenge,
but none more so than our most recent
collaboration, Push. The film is about a
group of American expatriates who
possess extrasensory powers and hide
out among the crowds of Hong Kong. A
top-secret U.S. agency, The Division,
pursues them, hoping to harness their
powers for dangerous purposes. Dakota
Fanning, Chris Evans, Camilla Belle and
Djimon Hounsou star.
Paul looked at a few different
cities, but by the time I came aboard, he
had settled on shooting in Hong Kong,
where the story is actually set. When I
arrived in the city, I was immediately
struck by the sheer amount of artificial
light. You see photographs of Hong
Kong, but it isnt until youre there that all
the neon really hits you. Fluorescent
tubes, incandescent bulbs, colored
lanterns and a huge amount of neon
its quite impressive. The Chinese see
red as the good-luck color, and when you
walk into a grocery store, you see dozens
of red lamps. They believe the more light
they have, the more business theyll get.
We couldnt have fought against the
way the place looked even if wed
wanted to! Every kind of light was there;
the question was how to control it.
We shot everything in Hong
Kong, on location and on sets built on
local stages. Paul and I had previously
worked with Franois Sguin, a brilliant
production designer, on Lucky Number
Slevin (AC April 06). He and I embraced
the Hong Kong scene and worked to
bring it to the look of Push. The colors on
the sets rich reds and yellows and
hues of green seamlessly meld with
the exteriors. Franois built the set of a
large restaurant for an important fight
scene between Nick (Evans) and Carter
(Hounsou). When I walked onto it, I said,
The floor is real marble! How can you
afford it? His Chinese crew had brought
it from mainland China, where real
marble is cheaper than what it would
have cost to fake it.
Night shooting in the city was all
about working with available light and
then subtracting from it. When lighting
an actor, I tried to use the same kind of
light that was already there. I could have
replaced it with a combination of movie
lights and gels, but I wanted to do a
Hong Kong movie and work quickly
using what was available. The look of the
place was extreme, and I wanted to go
with that, so I used the same kinds of
tubes you see all over the city as my
movie lights. I had a wonderful local best
boy whose nickname was Dragon. Every
day, seven days a week, he went to vari-
ous markets to find an assortment of
tubes. Finding two that match is difficult;
they mostly come from the mainland, and
any two from the same unit can easily be
2000K different. But Dragon and other
electricians managed to find all kinds of
tubes and put together batches that were
at least within 500K of each other. Less
than that, and you really dont notice the
difference.
During location scouting, Paul
had discovered a monastery where
photographs of deceased monks were
mounted on walls and lit by red bulbs;
green tubes illuminated the rest of the
rooms. We wanted to preserve this
unusual look, so I asked Franois to build
a wild wall that would match the existing
red wall, which I could then both photo-
graph and use as a light source. I lit the
opposite side of the room with green
tubes (6000K-7000K) that matched the
rest of the monastery. The actors faces
were sometimes warm and reddish on
one side and greenish on the other. I liked
the way this mixture worked.
We approached our day exteriors
similarly, finding what was there and
then adding to it. For a complex
confrontation and chase through a local
fish market, we built our own extension
onto a real, functioning fish market. We
used our fish-market set so we could rig
Filmmakers Forum
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

S
y
l
v
a
i
n

B
e
r
n
i
e
r

a
n
d

P
e
t
e
r

S
o
v
a
,

A
S
C
.
A-camera
operator Stuart
Howell
prepares to film
an opening shot
for Push on a
bamboo bridge
that was
constructed
about 150'
above the city
streets. They
say bamboo is
stronger than
steel, and it did
hold up, but it
was scary
sometimes,
says director of
photography
Peter Sova,
ASC, who was
filming in Hong
Kong for the
first time.
66 March 2009
Shooting Push in Hong Kong
by Peter Sova, ASC
for the most demanding stunts. With a
24-hour reset time after exploding fish
tanks, and a five-camera setup that
included a top camera traveling on wire
rigs, we were able to match the new
market with the old one. After arriving,
wed have to work quickly. In the real fish
market, there wasnt much use planning
ahead because it would look different
every day, but we were able to shoot
reactions of the locals going about their
business. Paul also brought an old, wind-
up Bolex and grabbed some shots that
made it into the final cut.
Though the look of Hong Kong was
perfect for Push, I realized quickly that Id
had the wrong idea about the way movies
are made there. Paul and I are both big
fans of Wong Kar-wai, but he can take 18
months to make a movie. On local movies,
the crews were on a totally different pace
than Im used to; theyll shoot for 20 hours
and then stop for days. My Canadian
gaffer, Sylvain Bernier, had to coordinate
some big locations with a lighting crew of
about 30, only a few of whom spoke
English. My first local gaffer, known as
Hong Kong Boy, would get upset with the
crew because if he said he needed a light
moved a few feet, 10 of them would run
to the same place. They were eager to
please, but it wasnt very efficient.
Hong Kong is an incredibly polluted
city, and I was often disturbed to find our
trucks running unnecessarily. The explana-
tion was that if the motors were running,
we didnt need permits for specific places.
It didnt make sense to me, but I needed to
put lights somewhere.
When shooting night exteriors, it
wasnt easy to get the cooperation of
locals. Night filming in those neighbor-
hoods isnt done much at all, and when it
is, residents are not compensated for
giving their permission. Another difficulty
was filming car scenes on location.
Between permit issues and congested
traffic, we chose to shoot all the car inte-
riors onstage against bluescreen or
greenscreen. Hong Kong is the most traf-
fic-jammed city Ive ever seen, and you
cant get much cooperation to divert any
of it for a movie.
Our second unit shot plates for the
driving scenes in interesting locations.
Dix Hills, NY 11746 Dix Hills, NY 11746
(631) 656-2110
www.ftc.edu
(631) 656-2110
www.ftc.edu
When youre serious about music and the performing arts! When youre serious about music and the performing arts!
FIVE TOWNS COLLEGE FIVE TOWNS COLLEGE
Aend a four-year college thats as creave as you are.
Five Towns College oers the specialized training you need.
Contact an Admissions Representave for more informaon
or visit us at www.c.edu/signup.
67
68 March 2009
Sometimes Id be having dinner some-
where and make a note that a particular
street would make a good background
for one of the driving scenes. Visual-
effects supervisor Kent Houston was
great to work with; he was with the team
whenever they shot those plates, and he
was always present when I shot the fore-
ground elements against bluescreen. I
was able to reference the backgrounds,
which he later composited at Digiscope
in Santa Monica. (Kent also supervised
the pregrade of many visual-effects
shots with colorist Trent Johnson at
Technicolor Digital Intermediates in Los
Angeles. Ive worked with Trent and TDI
on my last four films.) Onstage, wed
have five or six setups with lights on
dimmers to simulate the effects the
street lighting would have on the people
in the car. For day-exterior driving scenes,
Id usually bounce 20Ks into real Chinese
silk, which was affordable there.
We tried to make the best of the
crowded sidewalks and the difficulty of
attaining permits by shooting certain
exteriors with the actors amid real
crowds, hiding our camera away inside a
small truck. We cut holes in the trucks
canvas top so we could park nearby and
shoot with long lenses from inside the
truck. Paul and I thought we would get
better material if we didnt disturb the
natural flow, but we quickly realized it
was impossible. Everything was so
crowded that our view of at least one of
the actors was always blocked by a
pedestrian.
We attempted to shoot with this
hidden camera at a long, outdoor market
at night, but we quickly gave up. Instead,
my operator, Stuart Howell, and my great
focus puller, David Morenz, got closer to
the actors and followed them, handheld,
through the outdoor market into an
indoor vegetable market. Most people in
the crowd just went about their business
and ignored us. It wasnt like shooting in
Times Square, where everybodys jumping
around and waving their arms to get into
the shot. Dragon was in the crowd ahead
of the actors, pulling a little cart with
some battery-operated fluorescent tubes
to help fill in the actors faces. If Dragon or
the front of his cart got into the shot, it
didnt matter; you cant tell where that
light is coming from, and Dragon blends
right into the crowd.
Something I noticed right away in
Hong Kong was all the bamboo scaffold-
ing. Even if theyre building a 100-story
skyscraper, the scaffold is bamboo. We
used a lot of bamboo ourselves, both
onscreen and in our grip department. We
set a climactic fight scene on the roof of
an unfinished skyscraper, using what
looked like a forest of bamboo (only a
small exaggeration of what a construction
site like that would really look like). We
also used bamboo to build lighting plat-
forms.
They say bamboo is stronger than
steel, and it did hold up, but it was scary
sometimes, particularly in an opening
shot of Nick walking across an open-air
corridor 14 floors above the street.
Initially, we tried to hang the camera from
a wire rig suspended outside the building
to follow him, but that was just too expen-
sive. Instead, the bamboo crew fashioned
a bridge parallel to where Chris would
walk 150' above the street. Stuart could
track with him from his apartment to the
elevator, then pan around to reveal the
Hong Kong skyline, and finally tilt down to
the teeming street below. Stuart doesnt
feel extremely comfortable with heights,
but he agreed to do it.
We were rarely able to rehearse
or block the actors for exterior scenes.
With constant changes, additional pres-
sures were put on my focus puller, as
well as the electricians, led by Sylvain,
and my grips, led by Chunkie Huse. When
youve made a lot of films and under-
stand how to do varieties of lighting, how
to work with color temperatures and how
to design a look, theres something really
exciting about pushing everything to the
point where youre sort of walking on a
tightrope all the time. Thats how it was
on Push. We were constantly being
pushed to the limit. I
These shots
show
production
designer
Franois
Sguins radical
transformation
of a
soundstage-
lobby space
(top) into the
unfinished-
skyscraper set
(bottom) for the
films finale.
M E M B E R P O R T R A I T
GUILLERMO NAVARRO , ASC
W W W . T H E A S C . C O M
TO SUBSCRIBE BY PHONE:
Call (800) 448-0145 (U.S. only)
(323) 969-4333 or visit the ASC Web site
hotography became my
companion early on, and
it led me to my first job
on a film set, shooting stills. After
that, I was completely hooked on
making moving pictures.
Living in Mexico, when
someone would arrive with a copy
of American Cinematographer,
it was like a beacon. It let me
know there actually were people
able to dedicate their lives to
cinematography; it was my
inspiration to keep chasing after
my dream.
AC is an important
reference for keeping track of this
mediums evolution and our role
as cinematographers. It is
important not only for those of
us who are working, but also
for those who are coming up.
Guillermo Navarro, ASC
P

p
h
o
t
o

b
y

O
w
e
n

R
o
i
z
m
a
n
,

A
S
C
P+S Technik Updates
Weisscam
Building on the success of the
Weisscam HS-1, P+S Technik and cine-
matographer Stefan Weiss have intro-
duced the Weisscam HS-2 digital high-
speed camera. In contrast to the HS-1,
the HS-2 boasts integrated functions
and components, making an additional
computer unnecessary for operation.
The HS-2s 35mm sensor
features a global shutter to allow
capturing at high speeds. The cameras
DigiMag DM-2 offers up to 2TB of stor-
age, and an on-board monitor enables
real-time preview. Additionally, as a
two-stream camera with dual-link HD-
SDI output, the HS-2 can support a raw
workflow, and an external de-bayer box
allows real-time de-bayering of raw
data into standard definition. The entire
system can also be completely
controlled by a small and lightweight
control device.
Other features of the HS-2
include 1,500 fps recording at 2K resolu-
tion, 2,000 fps recording at 1080p, 600
ASA sensitivity, 9 stops of latitude, PL
lens mount and an optional optical
viewfinder. The camera can record in
YCC 4:2:2, RGB 4:4:4 or raw uncom-
pressed.
ZGC is handling North and South
American distribution of the Weisscam
HS-2. For more information, visit
w w w . p s t e c h n i k . c o m ,
www.weisscam.com or www.zgc.com.
Air Sea Land Gear, Inc.,
Breaks Out Red Panel
Supporting the Red One digital
camera, Air Sea Land Gear, Inc. has
introduced the Remote Interface Panel.
Providing quick and easy access
to the Red Ones I/O interface, the RIP
converts all audio, video, time code,
genlock and monitor connectors into
full-size industry-standard connectors.
The RIP can also be used in stand-alone
mode or in conjunction with Air Sea
Land Gears optional RIB (Remote Inter-
face Box) break-out box. With the use of
a single industry-standard DVI-I dual-
link cable, the RIP and RIB together
allow remote access to all of the Red
Ones immediate I/Os including
start/stop at distances of up to 50'.
The combined systems built-in video
distribution amplifier can also send up
to five preview outputs.
For more information, visit
www.aslgear.com.
Telemetrics Unveils Compact
Pan/Tilt Head
Telemetrics line of servo-based
Pan/Tilt units now includes the compact
PT-CP-S4 Pan/Tilt Head, offering side
camera mounting, a DC-DC converter to
power accessories over long cable runs,
a newly designed cable-management
system, serial data control with multi-
processor architecture and more.
The new PT-CP-S4 has been
designed for user versatility and perfor-
mance, says Anthony Cuomo, Telemet-
rics vice president and general
manager. Its the perfect tool for
accommodating a variety of cameras
and studio setups without compro-
mise.
The PT-CP-S4 can be configured
with the camera either upright or
inverted mounted on the side or on
the top. The DC-DC converter at the
base of the head converts 48-volt power
to the appropriate voltage levels for the
New Products & Services
70 March 2009
head, auxiliary robotic devices, camera,
lens and viewfinder. When the pan/tilt
head is used with Telemetrics PS-RM-
48V power supply, cable distances
between the control location power
supply and the pan/tilt unit can be
measurably increased. The unit is
controlled through serial data using RS-
232 or RS-422 and also features multi-
processor architecture with flash-based
RISC (Reduced Instruction Set
Computer) servo controllers.
The PT-CP-S4s newly designed
cable-management system routes
cables to the camera through the
pan/tilt head, thereby preventing the
cables from swinging freely or continu-
ally flexing with the cameras move-
ments. The head also boasts Telemet-
rics velocity servo controls for equally
smooth preset motions and joystick
control. End stops can be set either
mechanically or electronically, and
heavy-duty cross roller bearings and
isolation-mounted motors provide quiet
operation. Up to 255 programmable
timed presets are available with multi-
axis convergence. Additionally, the unit
offers optional camera control for a vari-
ety of cameras, as well as Bluetooth
wireless control. An auxiliary control
interface is also included for Telemet-
rics Trolley, Elevating Pedestal and
Elevating Wall Mount.
For more information, visit
www.telemetricsinc.com.
Remote Station Goes
on Location
Rental Station, a division of
Media Distributors, has unveiled the
Remote Station, an on-location post
solution for turnkey video editing and
storage management.
The Remote Station consists of a
road-ready, high-definition editing
system secured in two Anvil-style road
cases. Each Remote Station includes a
high-end Panasonic SD/HD-SDI video
monitor, Genelec reference speakers, a
Mackie audio mixer and custom Apple
MacBook Pros running Final Cut Studio
2. The detachable accessory-case lid
features folding legs to form a comfort-
able editing desk for on-location use.
There is an increasing demand
from our clients to deliver end-to-end
solutions that bridge from production to
postproduction, says Steve Klein, CEO
of Media Distributors. Our preconfig-
ured fleet of HD edit systems is great for
local projects, but we feel like the
Remote Station is an ideal solution for
remote locations or for professionals
71
who need a real-world postproduction
solution for digital dailies, media archival
using LTO, or even just editing with tight
deadlines. With a short consultation up
front, we can customize the Remote
Station to the specific needs of each
client, no matter where they are or what
theyre doing, all the way up to 4:4:4 HD
and 4K work.
For more information, call (888)
889-3130 or visit www.therentalsta
tion.net.
Superlight Studios Opens
Santa Monica Facility
Superlight Studios, an interactive
advertising production facility, has
announced the launch of its new Santa
Monica facility, along with its expansion
into feature film and commercial visual
effects. The Santa Monica facility was
recently occupied by MacGuff Los Ange-
les, a local branch of the French visual-
effects house; Superlight has joined
forces with MacGuff and become the
companys stateside production arm.
Pat Hadnagy, Superlight Studios
executive producer and general
manager, heads the new facility, where
he is joined by fellow executive producer
Sarote Tabcum Jr. With a team of expe-
rienced producers, CGI artists, composit-
ing artists, visual-effects supervisors,
photographers and cinematographers,
Hadnagy and Tabcum are in charge of
directing Superlights expansion into
feature film and commercial visual
effects.
In addition to its full-service facil-
ity in Santa Monica, Superlight Studios
maintains photography studios and post
facilities in several other locations,
including Rancho Dominguez, Calif. and
Troy, Mich. Superlight Studios new
facility is located at 2403 Main St.,
Santa Monica, Calif. 90405.
For more information, call (310)
362-2202 or visit www.superlightstu
dios.com.
PostFactory Installs
DI-Grading Theater
Berlins PostFactory has installed
a new digital-intermediate grading
theater. Purpose-built to DCI specifica-
tions, the grading theater features a
FilmLight Baselight HD system, a
Christie 2K digital projector, 7.1
surround sound and FilmLights Truelight
projector probe for color calibration.
PostFactory received the Base-
light in September, and the company
will also receive FilmLights newly
developed GPU upgrade to boost
system performance. A new version of
Baselight software, with features such
as stereoscopic grading, will also
increase functionality, and PostFactory
has incorporated FilmLights recently
developed Avid integration, allowing
Baselight to share storage with the
facilitys editorial and compositing
systems.
PostFactory has set up its inter-
nal network so that output from any of
its post systems can be directed to the
DI theater. The output from an editing
system, for example, can be projected
onto the cinema screen for side-by-side
comparison with the output from the
Baselight.
For more information, visit
www.filmlight.ltd.uk or www.postfac
tory.de.
Leica Introduces D-Lux 4
The Leica D-Lux 4 is a compact
digital camera with powerful optics, a
1:1.63" CCD sensor, 10.1 megapixel
resolution and a comprehensive range
of settings.
Sporting a high-speed Leica DC
Vario-Summicron 5.1-12.8mm f2.0-2.8
lens the equivalent of a 24-60mm
focal range in the 35mm format the
D-Lux 4 also boasts an integrated image
stabilizer to reliably protect against
camera shake in all photographic situa-
tions. The lens consists of eight
elements (four aspherical) in six groups;
the optics are individually matched to
the camera sensor, working in harmony
with the electronics and software.
Furthermore, the large image sensor
also makes it possible to retain the full
24mm wide angle, and the camera can
take photos in 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9.
The cameras 460,000-pixel
display has a wide viewing angle and
enables photographers to make a reli-
able assessment of the picture compo-
sition when shooting and reviewing.
The viewing angle can also be adjusted
to ensure a clear view even when
capturing extreme camera perspectives.
Focus, shutter speed, stops and
exposure override can all be set manu-
ally with the cameras joystick, and for
users who like photography to be less
complicated, the D-Lux 4 integrates
many improved automatic functions.
Like the Leica C-Lux 3, the D-Lux 4 is
capable of recording 30 fps video in high
definition.
The D-Lux 4 is supplied with a
battery charger, a powerful recharge-
72 March 2009
able battery and a comprehensive soft-
ware package. A high-quality leather
case is available as an optional acces-
sory, as are a range of products
designed to extend the cameras poten-
tial.
For more information, visit
www.leica-camera.com.
Leica Unveils S2 dSLR
Leica Camera AG has introduced
the Leica S2 digital SLR, featuring a
custom 37.5-megapixel, 30x45mm CCD
sensor in the companys classic 3:2
aspect ratio.
In designing the camera, Leicas
engineers took a close look at the best
existing dSLR designs, combining them
in a practical camera body that incorpo-
rates the performance parameters of a
medium-format digital camera with the
ergonomics, form factor and handling
ease of a 35mm SLR. The resultant S2
boasts an advanced dual-shutter
system with an in-body focal-plane
shutter and in-lens leaf shutters, an
ultra-high-precision auto-focusing
system, a new series of lenses
designed to work with the new sensor,
and a Maestro image-processing
system that reduces power consump-
tion and provides in-camera JPEG capa-
bility.
For more information, visit
www.leica-camera.com.
Zacuto Supports dSLRs
Zacuto is now supporting dSLR
cinematography with a line of acces-
sory kits accommodating varying needs:
the Docu kit, the Cine kit, the Newsman
kit, the Indie kit and the Filmmaker kit.
The kits allow users to work
with dSLR cameras in much the same
way they would a prosumer camcorder.
All kits are balanced for smooth move-
ment and low user fatigue in both tripod
and handheld use. Zacutos trademarked
Z-Release (quick release) allows for fast
installation of such components as an
articulating arm, mattebox, follow focus,
wireless microphone, on-board monitor
and more.
The combination of Zacutos
height-adjustable Universal Baseplate
and Z-Spacer allows users to mount any
mattebox or follow focus to any dSLR,
and the new Zacuto Zwing-Away
Adapter included in the Filmmaker kit
can turn any mattebox into a swing-
away mattebox. Zacuto has also created
a universal case that keeps the camera
package assembled for shipment.
For more information, visit
www.zacuto.com.
Southpaw Ships Tactic 2.0
Soutphaw Technology Inc. is now
shipping Tactic 2.0, the next generation
of its fully customizable workflow infra-
structure. Available for Mac OSX,
Windows and Linux, Tactic 2.0 offers a
single software solution to manage the
complex flow of digital assets, ensuring
dependable, efficient and cost-effective
workflow pipelines.
New features of Tactic 2.0
include project-customization tools, a
visual node-based pipeline editor
intended to visually create pipeline
processes, a browser and custom-view
builder designed for creation of custom
views within the Tactic Web interface,
and a powerful client API enhanced to
control every aspect of Tactic.
Our goal has always been to
keep everything open and all things
possible, says Remko Noteboom, CTO
of Southpaw. With Tactic 2.0s innova-
tive and advanced new features, facili-
ties can construct and integrate their
own pipelines seamlessly across various
departments, creating limitless potential
for project and tool customization.
Southpaw has also announced
that Digital Domain has integrated
Tactic into its workflow. Its very excit-
ing to work with Digital Domains dedi-
cated, creative and talented group of
digital artists, and we are thrilled they
have chosen to integrate Tactic into their
production pipelines, Noteboom adds.
Phil Peterson, Digital Domains senior
technology officer, notes, Tactic
promises to provide us with a solid infra-
structure for managing the complex flow
of digital assets through our pipeline.
Tactic 2.0 has a suggested retail
price of $895 per user; this includes all
software upgrades and technical
support for the first year. For more infor-
mation, visit www.southpaw.com.
Domke Introduces
Long-Lens Bag
Domke, a division of The Tiffen
Co., has added the F-300 Long Lens Bag
to its Classic Collection. The bag is
designed to protect SLR and dSLR
cameras that have a 300mm lens
attached.
The F-300 is foam padded on all
four sides, and the design allows the
camera with attached lens to be
stored vertically for faster access. A 45-
degree-angle, zippered main compart-
ment allows quick access and sure
handling of the lens barrel, and the bag
also boasts an expandable front pocket
with fitted weather flap as well as a rear
pocket for accessories.
The adjustable 2" Gripper Shoul-
der Strap consists of twin tracks of high-
American Cinematographer 73
74 March 2009
friction rubber that are woven into the
thickest, toughest cotton webbing so
that it clings to the shoulder and runs
completely around the bag for extra
support. The side of the F-300 also
sports hook and loop straps to hold a
monopod, and easy-glide YKK zippers
offer further protection and durability.
The F-300 is made of heavy-
weight cotton canvas, which breathes
to minimize condensation. The smooth,
soft texture is friendly to both equip-
ment and clothing, and the fabric is
naturally water resistant.
For more information, visit
www.tiffen.com.
Celtx Smoothes Prep
with Version 1.0
Developed by Greyfirst Corp.,
Celtx version 1.0 is available for free
download. The fully integrated prepro-
duction software suite allows users to
create, organize and publish film, video,
audio, theater, comic books and other
media. Version 1.0 also contains an
Internet friendly tool enabling online
collaboration for writing and scheduling.
Celtxs unique hybrid architecture
combines the strengths of desktop and
Web applications, offering control,
stability, power and flexibility. Intended
to replace the traditional paper, pen and
binder approach to prep, the software
includes such features as Adapt To,
which converts a fully formatted script
of one type (such as a stage play) to a
fully formatted script of another (such as
a screenplay); iPhone, which allows
Celtx projects to be viewed on users
iPhones; Catalogs, a searchable dash-
board view of all story elements and
production items; Sidebar, which allows
users to easily annotate their work;
Project Scheduling, which fully inte-
grates with the script breakdown and
provides call sheets and shooting
reports; and Storyboarding, which offers
a variety of ways to view and manage
images.
For more information or to down-
load Celtx 1.0, visit www.celtx.com.
Producers Guide to
Michigan
ProducersGuideToMichigan.com
is a new Web site designed to allow
producers anywhere in the world to find
film resources in Michigan and allow
local talent and business owners to
connect with filmmakers.
The site answers the needs of
filmmakers and film-related businesses
by offering an immense directory of
professional production companies,
legal services, producers, studios, limos,
hair stylists, caterers, shooting locations,
costumers and countless other
resources. Nick Johnston, the guides co-
founder, notes, In popular shooting
locations like L.A., its common to find
numerous production management
services and directories to help filmmak-
ers find anything required to complete a
production. We simply didnt have a one-
stop resource like that here before this
site.
For more information, visit
www.producersguidetomichigan.com.
Pond5 1.0 Goes Online
Pond5.com, an open marketplace
for stock footage, has launched version
1.0 of its online service, where any video
creator with professional-quality video
footage can make it available for use in
productions ranging from features,
series and industrials to wedding and
Web videos. The companys online
collection now includes more than
50,000 broadcast-quality SD and HD
clips available for instant download,
starting at $5 per clip.
Prices on Pond5 are set by the
artists themselves, with an average
price of around $40 for HD and $20 for
SD footage. For each sale, the artist
earns 50 percent of the selling price. The
rapidly growing collection features work
from more than 400 artists and libraries
from around the world, spanning such
categories as lifestyle, aerials, motion
backgrounds, editorial and effects. All
footage is reviewed for content and
quality by Pond5 staff; approved clips
are made available for instant search,
preview, licensing and download. Clips
on Pond5 are licensed under a simple,
industry-standard royalty-free license
agreement and can be used in virtually
any production for a flat fee.
New features included in version
1.0 include an on-screen Clip Bin and
Cart, which streamline the process of
finding, organizing, sharing and select-
ing footage by letting users review and
act on their clip choices immediately,
from any screen on the Web site. Addi-
tionally, the Pond5 Stock Footage
Widget offers a fully customizable
selection of continuously updated clips
that can be created by any visitor at
Pond5.com. The Widget can then be
embedded anywhere on the Web, from
Facebook and Myspace pages to blogs,
Web sites or even a desktop. The
Widget works hand-in-hand with
Pond5s referral program, which offers
referrers 5 percent of sales or purchases
made by referred users for a full year.
For more information, visit
www.pond5.com.
CineForm Offers HD, 4K
Solutions
CineForm, Inc. has expanded its
line of high-fidelity compression-based
workflow solutions for the post market-
place with Neo HD and Neo 4K
software products for Mac OSX. The
new products extend CineForms work-
flow solutions to all QuickTime-based
video-editing and content-creation
applications for the Mac platform up to
4K spatial resolution, including Final
Cut Pro, Motion, After Effects and
others. Both products offer Cine-
Forms compression-based technolo-
gies, including Active Metadata archi-
tecture for renderless color workflows,
plus numerous format conversion utili-
ties in support of most HDV, HD, 2K and
4K cameras on the market.
David Taylor, CEO of CineForm,
notes the companys objective has
been to enable seamless workflows
across Windows and Mac platforms,
and between standard industry applica-
tions like Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro and
others. Using Neo HD or Neo 4K for
Mac, our customers can now easily
capture, edit and share media during
postproduction with colleagues who
may be using different applications on
Mac, or who may be using Windows.
Neo 4K supports up to
4096x4096 spatial resolution with 12-bit
precision, and is intended for online
editing using Final Cut Pro or other Mac-
based nonlinear editors with no need for
American Cinematographer 75
proxy files or conforming. Neo 4K also
supports 12-bit CineForm RAW, its
compression format for the emerging
class of high-resolution digital cinema
cameras such as the Red One and Sili-
con Imagings SI-2K.
Neo HD supports up to
1920x1080 spatial resolution, and it can
work with virtually all HD cameras on
the market, including Grass Valleys
JPEG2000-based Infinity camcorder.
Both Neo HD and Neo 4K support Cine-
Forms 10-bit YUV and 12-bit CineForm
4:4:4 (RGB) compression formats.
Apples ProRes is also offered as an
optional compression format when Final
Cut Studio 2 is installed. Other features
of both products include ReMaster,
which provides image/video pre-
processing plus camera- and file-
conversion functions, and SetActive
Metadata, which manages CineForms
Active Metadata architecture for non-
destructive color workflows without
rendering.
For more information, visit
www.cineform.com.
Pinnacle Updates VideoSpin
Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a part of
Avid Technology, Inc., recently
redesigned its VideoSpin.com Web site,
which hosts a free, downloadable
version of Pinnacles VideoSpin soft-
ware and a variety of resources for
video-editing beginners.
Visitors to VideoSpin.com can
experience how easy editing and shar-
ing can be by clicking on the interactive,
step-by-step tutorials, and for more
information they can view white papers,
how-to videos and user reviews, or
search the online glossary and
frequently asked questions. Visitors can
also sign up to receive a monthly
newsletter featuring further information
and special promotions for Avid prod-
ucts. The site also hosts spotlighted
YouTube videos edited in VideoSpin, and
visitors can rate their favorites and
submit their own videos to be shown on
the site.
VideoSpin is designed for
Windows XP with SP2 and Vista
systems, and the program includes
support for AVI, MPEG-1, WMV, Real
Media and Windows Media with WAV
audio support. The application can also
be used with the Advanced Codec Pack
(available for $15.99) to create, edit and
export video in other file formats, and for
one-click DVD creation, users can
purchase the InstantDVD Recorder for
$19.99.
For more information and to
download VideoSpin for free, visit
www.videospin.com.
Lightworks Unveils
Version 1.3
Lightworks has launched version
1.3 of its editing software for Alacrity
and Softworks. Version 1.3 includes a
number of new features and advances to
offer faster and easier editing for video
and film productions. With real-time
mixed-format editing and native support
for avi, mxf and QuickTime, Lightworks
1.3 offers easy integration in the world
of open file transfers. Supported formats
include HDV, XDCam and P2, and OMF,
AAF and DPX sequences are also
supported for interchange.
Building on Lightworks proven
multi-seat editing, version 1.3s full
networking now supports larger
volumes, allowing easy integration with
large storage arrays of over 100TB.
Lightworks 1.3 also maintains full meta-
data interchange and native-file-format
76 March 2009
support with the Geevs video server,
allowing integrated tapeless systems to
be built. An optional HD Codec pack for
Lightworks 1.3 allows Lightworks to edit
with Red raw files and Prores422 files
from Final Cut Pro.
For more information, visit
www.lwks.com.
Karesslite Comes to America
Gekko Technologies Karesslite is
now available in the United States
through Gekkos dealer network.
Aimed at studio and documen-
tary market sectors, the
Karesslite is a soft LED
panel boasting a large
projected output and
beam-modifying optics
with a strong punch
and high versatility. The
fixture can be used in
an array of applications,
either as a single unit or
mounted in multiples.
The Karesslite also
features built-in DMX and battery-
power options, and a padded carrying
bag is available to protect the fixture.
Gekko has also announced that
Hotcam Video Facilities in New York has
joined the companys dealer network.
For more information, visit
www.gekkotechnology.com or www.hot
camny.com.
Boris Expands
Continuum with Film Look
Boris FX has expanded its Contin-
uum family of visual-effects plug-ins
with the release of Film Look. Effects
included in the unit include Film Process,
Film Damage, Match Grain, Film Grain,
Deinterlace and Prism.
Film Process deepens the color
response of a digital image to emulate
films dynamic color range; it can also be
used to color grade and mimic a variety
of analog lens filters, optical processes
and special effects. Film Damage simu-
lates the appearance of old film stock,
allowing users to add scratches, grain
particles, hair, dirt, dust and water
spots, as well as simulate flicker and
camera shake.
Match Grain takes a snapshot of
media thats gone through a telecine
and generates a grain structure to
match, enabling users to add grain to
video footage so it will cut more seam-
lessly with film-originated footage. Film
Grain, on the other hand, creates an
auto-animated noise effect designed to
simulate the appearance of grain parti-
cles in film emulsion.
Deinterlace converts interlaced
video clips into progressive-scan
frames, and it can convert 29.97 fps
NTSC video into 24 fps frames by adding
pulldown. Prism is typically used to
simulate the photographic effect of
chromatic aberration in which a bad
lens can generate prismatic color fring-
ing along edges of high contrast within
the image.
Boris Continuum Film Look
supports Abode After Effects and
Premiere Pro, and Apple Final Cut Pro
and Motion. For Avid systems, the Film
Look filters are included as part of Boris
Continuum Complete AVX. The Film
Look unit is available for a recom-
mended price of $299, and customers
who purchase individual units may
credit the price toward the purchase of
the full Boris Continuum Complete plug-
in suite.
For more information, visit
www.borisfx.com.
Massive Releases
Version 3.5
Massive Software has released
Massive 3.5, a new upgrade to the
companys artificial-intelligence-driven
animation system, which allows artists
to create and direct anything from CG
humanoids to birds, animals, cars and
more, delivering realistic and emotive
virtual performances. Massive agents
are 3-D characters that use sight, sound
and touch to interpret and react
autonomously to the world around
them.
The release of Massive 3.5
improves on many of the most-
requested features from Massive users,
including extended support for FBX files
and Python scripts, says Stephen
Regelous, Massive Softwares founder
and product manager. With Agent
Fields, Massive users can easily and
efficiently handle local interactions
he trilogy book set and DVD, Storaro: Writing With Light, is the project of a
lifetime: an encyclopedia by a single man a visionary, a researcher and a scholar
about the mystery of vision. Each book explores Storaros films and philoso-
phies through a collection of writings, inspirational paintings, Storaros own color
photographs and black and white production stills documenting his work.
Each volume contains over 400 pages, in-
cluding color paintings, hundreds of
Storaros color photographs from the var-
ious films, and black and white produc-
tion stills that document his work on the
sets of his various films.
The set also includes a DVD on the cre-
ative journey of the author, touching on
around 40 films, and extending the collec-
tion of images, studies, and research that
make up Storaros collected work.
Each volume is bilingual in Italian and
English and is printed with the highest
quality and care, measuring approximately
12 x 12 inches.
78 March 2009
Camera Tools, providing users with
immediate, professional-quality cine-
matic results in real time; Craft Vehicles,
allowing artists to create the most real-
istic and accurate simulations for in-
motion vehicles; and Craft Accessories,
simulating and animating props such as
missiles, cameras and other moving
parts.
Broadening its already wide-
spread FreeWare catalog, Craft Anima-
tions has also announced free light
versions of Craft 4-Wheeler, Craft
ObserverCam and Craft Airplane. 4-
Wheeler allows users to modify accel-
eration, top speed, steering angle, brake
force, suspension and weight of any
four-wheeled vehicle; ObserverCam
boasts the ability to move in all direc-
tions, enabling camera animations with
the help of input devices; and Airplane
lets users rig and animate any type of
airplane model in addition to modifying
weight, top speed, elevation speed and
turn speed.
Additionally, TurboSquid, the
online marketplace of 3-D animation
assets, is now an official reseller of
Craft Director Tools. For more informa-
tion, visit www.craftanimations.com or
www.turbosquid.com.
FilmFellas Premieres Online
Zacuto, in conjunction with
Vimeo.com, has premiered FilmFellas, a
new series of Webisodes offering
behind-the-scenes conversations with
influential and emerging filmmakers
who are active in independent produc-
tions.
Cast and topics change regularly,
with a new episode premiering every
two weeks. January and February
featured Film School and Beyond, a
four-part series exploring a variety of
topics for young filmmakers, from
schools and mentors to gaining experi-
ence and finding distribution. The
second four-part series, Mumblecore
and More, will premiere in March and
April and dig into directing styles, busi-
ness models, credit-card debt and more.
To watch FilmFellas in full-screen
HD on Zacutos Vimeo channel, visit
http://zacutovideo.com.
Mobigrip Keeps Electronics
on Leash
Reno, Nev.-based Mobigrip has
introduced the Mobigrip device leash for
handheld electronic devices. Mobigrip is
an assistive disc with an integrated
bungee, and it attaches easily to almost
any handheld device, including cell
phones, iPods, digital cameras, remote
controls and more. Mobigrips bungee
gently secures the electronic device to
the users finger and helps keep it
secure in the palm of the hand.
Manufactured in the United
States, Mobigrip is designed for easy
application: Users simply peel, stick and
secure the Mobigrip to a portable elec-
tronic device. Furthermore, the Mobigrip
is removable, leaves no residue, and is
available in a wide range of colors and
patterns.
For more information, visit
www.mobigrips.com. I
between large numbers of agents. Agent
Fields can be applied with the simplicity
of particle-based simulators, without
losing the flexibility extensibility of
Massive.
Other features of Massive 3.5
include Maya particle-file support,
improving integration and allowing a
Massive simulation to be imported into a
Maya scene as simple particles, and
improved dynamics and increased control
of hair and fur; Mental Ray hair shader
allows users to get high-quality hair and
fur renderings without writing custom
shaders.
For more information, visit
www.massivesoftware.com.
Craft Director Tools
Available for Mac
Users of Autodesk Maya can now
enjoy Craft Animations Craft Director
Tools a process-driven animation suite
based on neural networking, artificial
intelligence and autonomous control
systems on the Mac OSX Tiger and
Leopard platforms.
Craft Director Tools offer an
entirely new way of animating by quickly
and accurately directing the physical
motion paths of objects such as cars,
planes and helicopters, explains Luigi
Tramontana, Craft Animations co-
founder and CTO. Using either autopilot
functions or input devices such as
joysticks and Direct X game controllers,
professional animating is now as fun as
playing a game. We are thrilled that the
creative Mac community can now receive
the benefits of these tools.
Craft Director Tools include Craft
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please e-mail New Products/Services
releases to newproducts@ascmag.com and
include full contact information and product
images. Photos must be TIFF or JPEG files of at
least 300dpi.
SUPER16INC.COM
Top-notch camera and lens servicing
Ask about Ultra 16!
T: 607-642-3352 bernie@super16inc.com
Toll-free: 877-376-6582 FREE ESTIMATES
International Marketplace
80
Blue Ring
Gaffers Glass
Made in
the U.S.A.!
Find the Hot Spot
www.gaffersglass.com
for dealers contact:
N
E
W
!
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
USED EQUIPMENT. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT
COMPANY. (972) 869-9990.
USED EQUIPMENT. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT
COMPANY. (888) 869-9998, providfilm@aol.com.
www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com.
11,000 USED ITEMS. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT. (972 )869-
9990.
BUY-SELL-CONSIGN-TRADE. 47 YEARS EXPERIENCE. CALL
BILL REITER.
PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT COMPANY. (972) 869-9990.
PRO VIDEO & FILM USED EQUIPMENT LIST:
www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com.
NEED USED EQUIPMENT? PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT.
(888) 869-9998. www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com
PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT COMPANY. USED EQUIP-
MENT. (888) 869-9998.
Worlds SUPERMARKET of USED MOTION PICTURE EQUIP-
MENT! Buy, Sell, Trade. CAMERAS, LENSES, SUPPORT, AKS &
MORE! Visual Products, Inc. www.visualproducts.com Call
440.647.4999
SERVICES AVAILABLE
STEADICAM ARM QUALITY SERVICE OVERHAUL AND
UPDATES. QUICK TURNAROUND. ROBERT LUNA (323) 938-
5659.
Watch At
American Cinematographer 81
Classifieds
Advertisers Index
AC 39, 69
Alamar Productions, Inc. 80
Alan Gordon Enterprises
80, 81
Arri 41
Backstage Equipment, Inc.
43
Band Pro 5
Bron Kobold 63
Burrell Enterprises 80
Camelot Broadcasting Service
43
Cavision Enterprises 27
Center for Digital Imaging
Arts at Boston 51
Chapman/Leonard Studio
Equipment Inc. 11
Cine Gear Expo 65
Cinekinetic 4
Cinematographer Style 79
Cinema Vision 81
Cinemills 71
Cinematography
Electronics 6
Clairmont Film & Digital 21
Cooke 6
CPT Rental Inc. 81
Debbie Clifton 80
Eastman Kodak 9, C4
Entertainment Lighting
Services 80
Filmtools 67
Five Towns College 67
FTC/West 81
Fuji Motion Picture 49
Glidecam Industries 13
Golden Animations 81
Hybrid Cases 80
K 5600, Inc. 45
Kino Flo 53
Laffoux Solutions, Inc. 80
London Film School 63
Maine Media Workshops 6
Movie Tech AG 80
MP&E Mayo Productions 81
NAB 29
NBC/Universal 37
New York Film Academy 17
North Carolina Film
Commission 23
Oppenheimer Camera Prod.
80
P+S Technik 51
Panasonic Broadcast 7
PED Denz 44, 81
Pille Film Gmbh 80
Production Resource Group
15
Pro8mm 80
SAE Institute 59
Sim Video Productions, Ltd.
25
Sony C2-1
Schneider Optics 2
Stanton Video Services 64
Super16 Inc. 80
Superflycam 43
Tiffen C3
VF Gadgets, Inc. 81
Videocraft Equipment Pty
80
Walter Klassen FX 52
Welch Integrated 61
Willys Widgets 80
www.theasc.com 64, 77,
67, 71, 79, 81, 82
Zacuto Films 81
ZGC, Inc. 6, 51
82
The Deer Hunter, wherein the friends at
a soldiers wake break into a sponta-
neous rendition of God Bless America,
Zsigmond admitted he found the scene
corny when he first read the script.
But [director] Michael Cimino said,
Just wait for the rehearsal, and see
what the actors do with it. And he was
right. For me, the key moment in this
scene is when the woman comments on
the weather she says, Its so gray.
That told me everything about how the
scene should look and feel.
Both Toll and Zsigmond demurred
when Kaminsky asked them to describe
their respective styles. Im not sure I
can characterize my style so much as
my approach, said Toll. Whenever I
read a script, Im constantly trying to
visualize what the story should look like.
What is the nature of the story, and how
can we tell it with images? Zsigmond
concurred, adding, I think the most diffi-
cult part of moviemaking is the begin-
ning. Regardless of how much prep you
do, Ive found that the style of a picture
starts to develop in the first or second
week of the shoot probably because
Ive worked with so many directors who
are great improvisers.
We cinematographers dont
shoot our movie, he added. We
create the movie together with many
contributing artists. After the interview,
James Chressanthis, ASC introduced
a screening of his documentary about
Zsigmond and the late Laszlo Kovacs,
ASC, No Subtitles Necessary.
Another ASC member, Dante
Spinotti, was present at the festival on
camera, in Eric Brickers documentary
Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of
Julius Shulman, which chronicles the
life and influence of the renowned archi-
tectural still photographer. In the movie,
Spinotti notes that Shulmans photogra-
phy, particularly the famous Los Angeles
shot Case Study House #22, signifi-
ASC Talents in Palm Springs
ASC members John Toll and
Vilmos Zsigmond were the guests of
honor at the Palm Springs International
Film Festival/Palm Springs Art Museum
seminar Talking Pictures: A Close-Up on
Great Hollywood Cameramen in January.
Tolls latest feature, Guillermo Arriagas
The Burning Plain, was the festivals clos-
ing-night film.
In an interview with David Kamin-
sky, M.D., a former PSIFF vice chairman,
Toll and Zsigmond discussed their respec-
tive approaches to the craft and screened
clips from the World War II drama The
Thin Red Line (1998), which brought Toll
his second ASC Award and third Oscar
nomination, and the Vietnam War drama
The Deer Hunter (1978), which brought
Zsigmond his second Oscar nomination
and helped cement his reputation as one
of the leading cameramen of the American
New Wave.
The Thin Red Line was a cine-
matographers dream [director] Terry
Malick is so visually articulate, and he
wanted to tell this story primarily with
images, said Toll, who screened a clip
showing the Americans attack on a
Japanese encampment in the jungle.
Terry wanted to explore the idea of war
as the real enemy, and the random nature
of the violence was something we tried to
convey visually.
Toll acknowledged that his early
experiences as a camera assistant and
operator on documentaries came in handy
on Malicks film, but he noted that he and
the director were not interested in creating
a vrit feel. We didnt want to use hand-
held to simulate a documentary sensibility,
like so many films do today, he said. We
went handheld for some scenes because
Terry wanted me to be free to improvise
[moves] within a sequence, to follow
dialogue and really explore the emotional
thread of the scene.
After screening the final scene in
cantly influenced his work with Michael
Mann on Heat (1992). Recalling that his
and Manns attempts to closely replicate
the photo were unsuccessful, Spinotti
sits down with Shulman and gets him to
divulge how he got the shot.
Visual Acoustics won the festi-
vals Audience Award for Best Documen-
tary Feature.
Rachael Bosley
Rawlings Teaches
Wounded Marines
Richard M. Rawlings Jr., ASC
is serving as a visiting faculty member at
the Wounded Marine Training Center for
Careers in Media in San Diego, Calif.
Rawlings, whose recent credits include
Desperate Housewives and Gilmore
Girls, is teaching cinematography at the
center, which enlists industry profession-
als to instruct and mentor wounded
Marines so they can pursue careers in
media and the arts. Founded by cine-
matographer Kevin Lombard and his
wife, Judith Ann Paixao, the center grad-
uated its first class last year. (Levie
Isaacks, ASC wrote about the inau-
gural cinematography class in the May
08 issue of AC.) For more information,
visit www.woundedmarinecareers.org.
Green, McAlpine Discuss
Art of Light
The UCLA Film & Television
Archives Art of Light series recently
spotlighted ASC Lifetime Achievement
Award honoree Jack Green, ASC and
ASC International Award honoree
Donald McAlpine, ASC, ACS with
screenings at the Hammer Museum. The
archive screened Clint Eastwoods
Unforgiven (1992), shot by Green, and
Bruce Beresfords Breaker Morant
(1980), shot by McAlpine, and both cine-
matographers discussed their work
following the screenings. I
Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer 83
84 March 2009
When you were a child, what film made the strongest
impression on you?
A Clockwork Orange (1971) had a profound effect on me. I sat in the
lobby afterwards and just knew I was going to make films.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most admire?
ASC members Gordon Willis, Rodrigo Prieto and Harris Savides, and so
many more. Prieto is continually doing something fresh and new.
Savides is forever simple and elegant, often using old-school methods.
And Willis work in Klute, the Godfather films, Pennies From Heaven,
and his eight films with Woody Allen is meaningful, innovative and so
right for the story; his influence can still be felt today.
What sparked your interest in photography?
My father made 8mm home movies, and I started to experiment with
his camera. I set up a studio in the attic and made a science-fiction film
complete with in-camera titles, effects and exploding galaxies.
Where did you train and/or study?
I was not formally trained, so I learned mainly through reading books at
the public library. It was there I discovered American Cinematographer;
the library had bound volumes of back issues. After high school, I
started knocking on doors. There was an opening at CKRD, a small-town
TV station. I had nothing to show, but they needed to hire someone
quickly. I realized early on how important a good attitude is.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Ken Hewlett, CSC; Harvey LaRocque; and Suzanne Whitney taught me
how to tell story with a camera and set me on the path to lighting. I will
also always remember my high-school teachers Mr. Adams and Mr.
Macarthur for their love of teaching and ability to connect with
students.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
The work and ideas of Gordon Willis, Woody Allen, Stanley Kubrick,
Edward Hopper, Egon Schiele, Thomas Eakins and Rembrandt, many
photographers, and a lot of music.
How did you get your first break in the business?
It was on a movie called Hyper Sapien, photographed by John Coquil-
lon, BSC. They needed an extra loader, and I was thrown into the hot
seat. John was very encouraging. He was always sharing stories and
explaining why he was doing things. It was a wonderful experience.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
A scene in which a little boy stands in a dark hallway leading to the
afterlife, not the usual white light. Looking through the viewfinder, I
realized it was exactly how Id imagined it on my first read of the script.
It came together effortlessly with two lights and a fluorescent practical.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
During filming of the pilot for Millennium, we were shooting in a strip-
club set, and I arrived right at call time. I still needed to take some light
off the walls but succumbed to the pressure to shoot. The next morning,
I was called into the camera truck and had to explain why the shot didnt
look like Id said it would.
What is the best professional advice youve ever received?
Be yourself. I was about to interview for the aforementioned pilot, and
I was nervous. My good friend Dominique Fortin said, Just be yourself;
they will like you. I didnt try to fake it. I thought it went badly, but in
prep, the producer told me, You came in and only spoke about the work,
and thats all Chris Carter cared about.
What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
Photographer Todd Hido, Edvard Munch at MoMA, The Spirit of the
Beehive, and those early films by Ingmar Bergman and Sven Nykvist,
ASC, which Id never seen. Also, authors Eckhart Tolle and James Hollis.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like
to try?
I would love to do an old-fashioned vampire film in black-and-white (no
CGI or flying cameras), a hopelessly romantic love story, and a Woody
Allen movie.
If you werent a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Hmmm can you get paid for cooking and entertaining? Also, the
more I get to know people, the more interested I become in psychology.
Arent cinematographers also part-time psychologists?
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
Steven Poster, John Bartley and Alan Caso.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
To become a member of the ASC is the greatest honor and very
humbling. Ive met some of my heroes, and they are such gentlemen.
My first time in the ASC Clubhouse as a member, I mentioned Bullitt to
William Fraker, ASC, and his eyes lit up. He spoke about it with such
enthusiasm it was as if hed photographed it yesterday! I look forward
to meeting other members. I
ASC CLOSE-UP
Peter Wunstorf, ASC
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

B
r
e
n
d
a

B
a
s
t
e
l
l
.
Now say goodbye to IR pollution with Tiffens innovative
new line of Hot Mirror Infrared Neutral Density filters. The
Tiffen HMIRND combination filters are the complete solution
to the IR pollution problem, blocking both the near IR and IR
regions of the spectrum. Designed for high definition cameras,
especially those that dont incorporate an internal IR blocker,
exclusive Tiffen HMIRND filters block unwanted IR light and
have matched IR and ND components to assure accurate color
reproduction in the near infrared region.
The new Hot Mirror IRND filters incorporate Tiffens unique
ColorCore

technology that unlike surface coated filters

sandwiches the coating within the filter for safe, easy cleaning
without fear of damaging the filter. This also allows Tiffen
HMIRNDs to be ground and polished to assure perfect
parallelism. Used in almost every major movie and TV
production around the world, Tiffen filters have earned
two Technical Achievement Awards and a Scientific and
Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture
Arts and Sciences for their ColorCore Filter Lamination
Process (1985, 2000) and Ultra Contrast Filters (1993)
repectively, as well as a Prime Time Emmy Award (1998)
for filter engineering excellence.
The Tiffen HMIRND filters are available in popular
motion picture sizes, in densities 0.3 to 2.1, and are
backed by Tiffens 10-year warranty. For more infor-
mation about the hottest new filters in the business
visit www.tiffen.com today.

New Tiffen Hot Mirror

IRND Filters
Make All The Difference.
Looking for a
solution
to
IR
pollution?
1-800-645-2522 tiffen.com
The Difference is Tiffen
> I < > > 8 I ; @ E < I
FE=@CD
"n high school, tool urt clusses und sung in
musicul productions, ulthough ulwuys ound
mysel helping with the sets und lighting. When
decided wunted to mule movies midwuy
through college, the closest muor wus drumu.
wus no uctor, but met greut people, worled
hurd, und mude lms, not much dierent thun
my entire cureer being u cinemutogrupher.
ulwuys see the cinemutogrupher us u lmmuler,
not u cumerumun. love thut cinemu is
entertuinment, but it is certuinly urt us well.
Lile other urt orms, we ure inuencing our
uudiences. Cinemu, through our portruyuls,
ullows people to experience emotions und
events they might never come to lnow in their
reul lie. We do huve the responsibility to tell
the truth."
Creg Curdiner eurned u Cinemutogruphy Awurd
ut Sundunce or Jlkli\ in 994, in uddition to
un ndependent Spirit Awurd nominution. t
wus his rst euture cinemutogruphy credit.
His subsequent worl includes Kf<e[8ccNXij#
FiXe^\:flekp#D\e`e9cXZb@@#9`b\i9fpq#<c]#
?\iY`\=lccpCfX[\[#J_\jk_\DXe#K_\>Xd\
GcXe#N\cZfd\?fd\IfjZf\A\eb`ej und IXZ\kf
N`kZ_DflekX`e%
[All these lms were shot on Kodul motion picture lm.
=fiXe\ok\e[\[`ek\im`\nn`k_>i\^>Xi[`e\i#
m`j`knnn%bf[Xb%Zfd&^f&fecd%
1o order Kodul motion picture lm,
cull (800) 2 - lm.
www.motion.lodul.com
Eustmun Kodul Compuny, 2009.
Photogruphy. 2008 Douglus Kirllund