AC Sept 2011

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M E M B E R P O R T R A I T
George Mooradian, ASC
W W W . T H E A S C . C O M
TO SUBSCRIBE BY PHONE:
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rowing up in the Deep South,
summers were humid and
weekend nights were spent
watching movies under the
cool stars at the drive-in. Talk about
escapism! But my real nexus with
cinematography came when my
family went to the International
Exhibition in Montreal, where I was
exposed to the National Film Board
of Canada and Czech films. From
there, it was the Ohio University
School of Film, and then the
proverbial drive out to Hollywood.
My first encounter with
American Cinematographer was
at the Atlanta Film Festival, where
AC editor Herb Lightman was the
guest of honor. AC was like
forbidden fruit. Cinematographers
were virtuosos, and just to be in
their presence, to clap a slate, load
a mag I would gladly do that for
the rest of my life! My vision
sharpened its focus, and AC was the
cynosure.
To paraphrase Ingmar
Bergman, AC is my magic lantern,
my window to the minds of geniuses,
conjuring and illuminating my
mtier. It encompasses the scope I
see in cinema, revealing the souls
landscape and encompassing heroes
and villains, the yin and the yang.
AC has chronicled cinemas
metamorphosis through the decades.
Its all within ACs digital and
vellum pages.
George Mooradian, ASC
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The International Journal of Motion Imaging
28 A Mighty Pen
Anna J. Foerster shoots Anonymous with the Alexa
44 Immersive Dance
Hlne Louvart leads a talented cinematography team
on the 3-D feature Pina
56 Airing Dirty Laundry
Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC brings a best-selling novel
to the big screen with The Help
68 Tips on Location Scouting
Location professionals and cinematographers offer advice
on selecting production sites
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM TO ENJOY THESE WEB EXCLUSIVES
Podcasts: Michael Slovis, ASC on Breaking Bad Oliver Stapleton, BSC on Dont Be Afraid of the Dark
DVD Playback: The Sacrifice New York, New York Kiss Me Deadly
On Our Cover: William Shakespeare (Rafe Spall) is an ego-driven actor serving as
a front for the actual playwright in Anonymous, shot by Anna J. Foerster. (Photo by Reiner
Bajo, courtesy of Sony Pictures.)
8 Editors Note
10 Presidents Desk
12 Short Takes: Sleep Forever
16 Production Slate: Circumstance Brighton Rock
78 Post Focus: Cinelicious
84 Filmmakers Forum: 24-Frame Video Playback
88 New Products & Services
96 International Marketplace
97 Classified Ads
98 Ad Index
100 ASC Membership Roster
102 Clubhouse News
104 ASC Close-Up: Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC
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S e p t e m b e r 2 0 1 1 V o l . 9 2 , N o . 9
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 M o t i o n I m a g i n g
Visit us online at
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PUBLISHER Martha Winterhalter
EDITORIAL
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The arrival of Arris Alexa has generated intense interest
among cinematographers, so weve already covered a
demo film shot by ASC member Sam Nicholson
(AC Sept. 10) and Prom, the cameras U.S.-feature debut
(AC May 11). The European production Anonymous, shot
by Anna J. Foerster, was the very first feature to employ
the Alexa, and Foerster notes that the dramas period
setting offered an ideal chance to evaluate the cameras
capabilities. Given our budget and timeframe and the
workflow necessary for the visual effects, all of the signs
clearly pointed toward digital capture, she tells contribu-
tor Iain Stasukevich (A Mighty Pen, page 28). At that
time, digital cameras were finally starting to offer ASAs
above 800, so you could make a movie where firelight was your primary light source. You
can push film to that ASA, of course, but that introduces grain in the image, and that would
have been wrong for this movie.
Another upcoming release, the 3-D production Pina, celebrates the creativity of the
late choreographer Pina Bausch by presenting performances of her most evocative dance
pieces (Immersive Dance, page 44). The project is the first 3-D feature from director Wim
Wenders, who received support from a skilled team that included director of photography
Hlne Louvart, 3-D supervisor Franois Garnier, stereographer Alain Derobe and Steadicam
operator Joerg Widmer. Though the filmmakers used the shoot to test a variety of new 3-D
tools, Louvart points out, 3-D is also created by lighting. Each dance piece had very precise
lighting because Pina was very precise about [that]. Peter Pabst, who had always done the
set and lighting design with her, was there to verify that we were really following the same
concept. But we needed more light, and we also had to modify the lighting and accentuate
certain things.
Although this issue has a special focus on international productions, including films
shot in Lebanon ( Circumstance, page 16) and England ( Brighton Rock, page 20), we also
examine how authentic Mississippi locations, especially antebellum mansions, enhanced the
U.S. feature The Help, shot by Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC. Although the cinematographer
and his crew endured sweltering summer temperatures, they acknowledge that the movies
strong sense of place could not have been achieved anywhere else. Stephen nearly
swooned when he walked into Skeeters house for the first time, says production designer
Mark Ricker (Airing Dirty Laundry, page 56). One look at the massive staircase and
[30'x40'] dining room, and he fell in love.
The importance of finding good locations is an aspect of cinematography that is often
overlooked and underappreciated. In an overview of this topic (Tips on Location Scouting,
page 68) contributor Ira Tiffen gathers advice from prominent location professionals and a
pair of accomplished ASC members who clearly place a high value on picking the perfect
settings: Stephen H. Burum and Gordon Willis. As Willis notes, Ive always been kind of
pushy about how and where something should be shot.
Stephen Pizzello
Executive Editor
Editors Note
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Ive been thinking a lot about the revised versions of movies that have been popping up since the
technology has facilitated seamless digital alterations, and Im starting to wonder what were ulti-
mately going to leave the next generation. Im not talking about reconstructions, like the
marvelous work done to restore Fritz Langs original cut of Metropolis, but rather the compulsion
to create something different with the material to accommodate changing tastes, morals or tech-
nology. Altering creative works is nothing new. For years, many of the classic Warner Bros. Looney
Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons were re-edited to remove potentially offensive racial depic-
tions. I object to those kinds of alterations because they mask the historical and social influences
on the creation of those works, but what Im discussing here is something else: altering movies
simply because we can.
Star Wars is an obvious example because so much has already been written and debated
about the changes George Lucas made to the original three movies. When I saw the movie for
the first time, in 1977, at the Esquire Theater in Chicago, you could hear a collective whoop from
the audience when Han Solo shot Greedo in cold blood. It was a funny moment, and the matter-
of-factness of how it was played gave Solo an edge. It made his departing line, Sorry for the
mess, iconic in a classic Western way. Ive seen the versions where Greedo shoots first, or where
they both shoot at the same time and Greedo misses, and its just not the same experience. And
because it completely changed Solos character, it irked me more than all of Lucas other tweaks to the film.
The technology used to make such changes possible has also accomplished great things in the restoration of movies that
were long thought to be irreparable. And some great filmmakers have taken part in creating new versions of their films. David L ean
played an active role in Sony Pictures reconstruction of Lawrence of Arabia, and in the process, he removed several minutes of footage
that he felt was extraneous. That new version has been widely hailed as the definitive one for two decades. Similarly, Walter Hill
was instrumental in re-creating The Warriors to include comic book-style transitions, and Peter Jacksons extended editions of The Lord
of The Rings trilogy fleshed out many themes and characters.
But what is our responsibility to preserve the version that made the film a classic in the first place? And should the work be
altered and adapted for a new audience just because we can? Is a motion picture as malleable as Cristos Running Fence, which relied
on changing weather conditions and different times of day to create unique emotional experiences each time it was viewed? Would
we be as willing to accept alterations to Edward Hoppers Nighthawks or J.D. Salingers The Catcher in The Rye? Would it be accept-
able to create a version of The Graduate wherein Benjamin reaches Elaine in time to stop the wedding?
For more than 60 years, the mysterious announcer played by musician Deems Taylor in Disneys Fantasia has led the audience
into that films brilliant mix of music and images by being a compelling presence, someone you should listen to because he is o pen-
ing the door to new wonders. Taylors distinctive voice gives the shadow figure humanity even though you cant clearly see his face;
in fact, its all the more effective because you cant see him. For the latest home-video incarnation of the movie, two minutes of footage
featuring Taylor were found and restored, but the sound was missing, so another actor was brought in to dub over his vocals. An d
the picture was brightened so Taylors face can be seen clearly. Gone is the mysterious presence, and with it went the enigmati c style
of the films presentation.
With classical music, we tend to prefer the first rendition we hear of a piece because it carries our memory of experiencing
it emotionally for the first time. From that perspective, it can be argued that a new generation will find what they deem of va lue in a
new version of a film because it is a new experience for them, and that previous, never-seen incarnations will not matter.
But for me, Han Solo will always shoot Greedo in cold blood.
Michael Goi
President
Presidents Desk
10 September 2011 American Cinematographer
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Alaska Locations Enhance Sleep Forever
By Iain Stasukevich
The music video for Portugal.The Mans Sleep Forever/Got it
All begins with director/cinematographer Michael Ragens camera
floating above purple ice floes beneath a cloudy, purple sky split by the
jagged outline of a snowcapped mountain range. The sun rises, and
the Arctic landscape comes alive as the camera swoops over glaciers
and frozen rivers. A pack of sled dogs wakes up as a grizzled musher
(lead singer John Gourley) approaches their kennel. He gets the dogs
harnessed to the sled and rides them into the Arctic wilderness.
At 13 minutes long, Sleep Forever is more a short film than
a traditional music video. The concept was inspired by Gourleys
experiences growing up in Willow, Alaska, a mushing community.
Ragen had collaborated with the band on other videos, and he was
kicking around the idea to shoot a short film or teaser for the next
Portugal album in Gourleys hometown, when Atlantic Records
approved funds for a video.
I knew wed have to keep things simple straight cuts and
holding shots on the screen, just letting them live for a moment,
says Ragen. We figured some people wouldnt have the patience to
sit through a 13-minute music video, but we decided to take the
risk.
Ten days were scheduled for the shoot, and the crew
comprised Ragen, Gourley and two producers, Rich Hutchins and
Doug McCafferty, who, in the spirit of keeping things simple, also
acted as camera assistants. Ragen brought his own Red One
(upgraded with Reds Mysterium-X sensor), a tripod and an EasyRig
2.5, as well as a small lens package comprising a Red 18-50mm
zoom, a 400mm Canon lens converted to
PL-mount, and a PL-mount Lensbaby with
wide-angle and telephoto adapters.
Hutchins and McCafferty helped
Ragen with his first order of business: find-
ing an aircraft from which to capture the
sweeping aerials that bookend the video.
In Anchorage, they found a pilot, and they
were airborne by the afternoon. Ragen
wanted to shoot ice floes, rivers, glaciers
and as many mountains as he could see in
one hour. Time was of the essence: winter
days last less than five hours and offer
about an hour of usable sunlight. The
sun would just ride along the bottom of
the horizon, recalls Ragen. It was just
beautiful. Every hour of sunlight was
magic hour.
With the pilot and producers
crammed into the tiny Cessna 206, Ragen wedged himself between
the seats and rolled continuously on the landscape below, using the
Red zoom behind a stack of Schneider ND filters. Hutchins and
McCafferty helped him swap Compact Flash cards. I had the
middle row, so I could look around and shoot out either window,
he recalls. I had to hold a really tight frame to avoid seeing the
planes wing, and we couldnt remove the windows, which were
scratched. I had to be careful about moving around and getting too
much glare off the glass. Because we were shooting through a
window, and because of our height and distance from the subjects,
all the contrast was lost in the image. I knew I could pull the contrast
back in as long as I didnt clip anything.
Ragen had hoped to shoot from a helicopter, which would
have provided a smoother ride and more versatility in terms of
getting his shots. In the Cessna, he had to shoot at 48 fps at 3K
(because some of the CF cards couldnt handle 60 fps at that reso-
lution) to help smooth out the ride. Im not a big fan of shooting
2K on the Red, because it doesnt hold up once you measure the
resolution, he remarks. I think you can even tell looking at 2K Red
footage in standard definition that its kind of soft. The compression
doesnt hold up.
Another reason to shoot 3K was to safeguard the images
integrity when Ragen stabilized it in post, which he did with Final
Cut Pros SmoothCam plug-in. The final shots are rock solid. I knew
the aerials were going to be a big part of the video, but I didnt know
what I could get until we were up in the plane, says Ragen. Luck-
ily, Alaska is beautiful in any direction you point the camera. I hadnt
seen those areas before, so I really had no idea how big the glaciers
would be. When the sun started to go down, a beautiful, pink light
Short Takes
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Director/cinematographer Michael Ragen uses his Red One to shoot a snowcapped Alaskan mountain range
for the 13-minute music video for Portugal.The Mans Sleep Forever/Got it All.
I
washed over everything. All of it was unex-
pected, in a way.
After three days in Anchorage,
Ragen traveled to the Gourley family home
in Willow for the next leg of production.
Gourleys parents are Iditarod veterans, and
while he mushed on their trails, Ragen,
Hutchins, and McCafferty used a snowmo-
bile to reach their locations, some of which
would otherwise have required a 45-minute
trudge through the snow.
Once Ragen became acclimated to
the cold, he became adept at pressing the
Reds tiny buttons while wearing big gloves,
and fast enough with lenses that the metal
didnt freeze to his fingers. (This did happen
as he worked with the Lensbaby to shoot
some of the psychedelic images in the
video. He had to manipulate the selective
focus barehanded for minutes at a time.)
Unlike Ragens fingers and toes, the
Red One (capturing 4K at 24 fps for this
material) didnt suffer any ill effects in the
frigid temps. I was really impressed with
the cameras ability to hold detail in the
snow, he remarks. During the daytime, he
rated the cameras daylight-balanced sensor
at 800 ASA, stacking 1.2 and .9 NDs and a
Rosco Hot Mirror IR filter in front of the lens
for maximum exposure and minimum focus
depth. When youre shooting directly into
the sun, you have to make a judgment call
on how much you want your sky to blow
out, but I knew we had a lot of room to
bring the shadows up if I didnt let them fall
too deep.
Night photography required higher
sensitivity. For a shot of Gourley taking
refuge next to a roaring fire, Ragen pushed
the camera up to 2,000 ASA, carefully
assessing the image via the Reds 5" LCD
monitor. I rely on the histogram a lot. My
Lead singer John Gourley plays a grizzled musher in the video, much of which was shot in
and around his hometown of Willow, Alaska.
14
exposure comes from trusting the meters in
the camera and checking the raw picture,
he notes.
Aside from the bonfire, Ragens only
other light source was the sun. As reliable
as natural light is, it creates its share of chal-
lenges. Rather than controlling the light,
you have to deal with the light youre given
and find ways to make it look its best, he
observes. Where we were, day and night
bled slowly into each other. It could be
either/or, depending on which way you
pushed the exposure.
As Gourleys musher stumbles
through the snow after his dogs, which
have disappeared during the night, he trips
and falls on his rifle. The gun goes off,
taking his head with it. But the video
continues, with Gourley delivering a
posthumous performance even as a dog
returns to chew on his carcass.
To get the shot of the face-down
Gourley singing directly to the camera, the
singer built a small wall out of snow, twigs
and branches, and then stuck his face
through it. Ragen alternated operating the
camera with applying fake blood to Gour-
leys face. (In post, visual-effects artist Stefan
Moore applied additional gore and frostbite
using Adobe AfterEffects.)
From the majestic aerials to the
gruesome third-act twist, Ragens eye for
composition and color harnesses the
beauty and danger of the Great White
North. Its not surprising, then, to learn that
he began his career studying fine art and
illustration at the Academy of Art University.
I wouldnt trade a fine-art education for
film school, he reflects. In my experience,
the fastest way you can learn filmmaking is
just to be on set as much as possible. Throw
yourself into the fire and learn.
Ragen frames
up Gourley,
whose
character
meets a
gruesome fate.
15
Forbidden Love in Iran
By Patricia Thomson
Set in contemporary Tehran, the drama Circumstance
addresses the potentially incendiary topics of sexuality and religion.
The Farsi-language feature, which had its premiere at this years
Sundance Film Festival, centers on school chums Shireen (Sarah
Kazemy) and Atafeh (Nikohl Boosheri), whose steadfast friendship
evolves into a closeted lesbian relationship. Born to liberal, secular
Muslims, the young women attend a traditional Iranian school but
also frequent Tehrans lively underground. Their relationship is forever
altered when Atafehs brother, Mehran (Reza Sixo Safai), becomes a
fundamentalist Muslim and decides to marry Shireen.
I think any family can deal with a repressive environment as
long as they have the sanctuary of the home, but when that safe
space is threatened, things become unbearable, says Maryam
Keshavarz, who wrote and directed the film. The familys world
starts to fall apart when Mehran becomes part of the repressive envi-
ronment. Its when the outside starts to seep through that you know
its going to be a tragedy.
When Keshavarz workshopped Circumstance at the 2007
Sundance Directors Lab, she was teamed with cinematographer
Brian Rigney Hubbard. Both of them had earned graduate degrees
in film at New York University, but they had never met. They hit it off
immediately, and for the next two years, as Keshavarz sought financ-
ing for the film, they met periodically in New York, where they are
both based, to compile a look book, discuss scenes and build a 65-
page shot list.
During that process, Hubbard noticed that Keshavarz favored
a snapshot aesthetic that referenced photographers such as Ryan
McGinley and Bill Henson. The images Maryam liked had a certain
sense of naturalism, but the color might be slightly shifted, or the
lighting might not provide perfect keylight on the actors I would
refer to it as the look of an aestheticized snapshot, he explains.
McGinleys work has strong but intentionally casual compositions
and saturated color, and theres a theatricality to Hensons lighting,
even though its never a perfect key.
The pair always envisioned a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. The story
is about people and their environment, and on a very literal level, I
wanted to make sure we had the environment in every close-up,
Hubbard says.
Keshavarz was keen to shoot at practical locations I dont
believe in studios, she states and when funding fell into place,
in 2009, she scouted Turkey, Egypt and Morocco. None of those
places worked, she says. Then Sundance mentor Atom Egoyan
suggested Lebanon. Its an amazing location, Keshavarz attests.
Its so small you can go from city to mountains to seaside within an
hour. And because it has experienced war, theres a mix of old build-
ings and new construction, which is also true in Tehran.
In order to pass muster with the Lebanese censors, however,
Production Slate
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A tryst between
Atafeh (Nikohl
Boosheri, left)
and Shireen
(Sarah Kazemy)
unfolds in a
glamorous
seaside location
in Circumstance,
shot in Lebanon
by Brian Rigney
Hubbard.
I
www.theasc.com September 2011 17
Keshavarz had to winnow her 110-page
script down to 60 pages. She recalls, The
censor said he liked the film, and I was
thinking, What film?!
Once Lebanon was chosen, Hubbard
lobbied to shoot film. Id heard how
unstable the electricity is in Beirut, he
notes. Plus, we had concerns about the
digital cameras that would be available
locally and whether wed have the neces-
sary tech support. So I said to the produc-
ers, I know this really great hard drive: film.
It has amazing resolution.
Hubbard tried to obtain a camera
capable of shooting 2-perf Super 35mm in
Austria, but was stymied by border issues.
Producer Karin Chien then suggested
shooting Super 16mm. She noted that
Gamma, the productions rental house in
Beirut, had an Arri 416 and could also
supply a set of Arri/Zeiss Ultra Primes and a
Cooke 18-100mm zoom. I thought Super
16 could look beautiful, but I was
concerned about cropping [to 2.40:1],
says Hubbard. He called his NYU mentor,
cinematographer Maryse Alberti, to ask for
advice. Maryse was extremely generous in
walking through the issues she faced on
The Wrestler [AC Jan. 09]. She said, Crop
it, but make sure you do a test. We did, and
we liked the results. Hubbard subsequently
chose three Kodak film stocks, Vision3 500T
7219, Vision2 200T 7274 and EXR 50D
7245.
Hubbard arrived in Beirut for two
months prep in late 2009. Photos sent by a
source in Tehran provided a visual template.
Tehran is mainly a warm, neutral environ-
ment with splashes of color green and
blue are used over and over again as
accents, he says. Trying to re-create that
was what drove our choice of locations and
the aesthetics of the movie.
Although Keshavarz was determined
to use practical locations, securing them
proved to be a Sisyphean task. Everything
was constantly falling through, recalls
Hubbard. You had to request 10 locations
to end up with one. And every neighbor-
hood seemed to be controlled by a different
group, so negotiating permission was very
time consuming. In one location, he adds,
the use of a balcony outside one end of the
room was controlled by one party, while
permission to use a balcony off the other
end of the room was handled by another.
In the end, every room shown in the
film was a different location, mostly private
residences. (The more sensitive scenes were
shot in Hubbards and Keshavarzs local
apartments.) Finding the right Ottoman-
era architecture for Atafehs house, the
main location, was quite a feat, says the
director. Cost was a significant factor.
Almost everything shot in Lebanon is a
commercial for the Arab Emirates, and they
have a lot of money! Keshavarz notes
ruefully. You end up sitting down and
having lots of tea, trying to sell people on
your project.
Time and again, the filmmakers
confronted different ways of doing things in
Beirut. When you rent lights, you rent
everything that comes with the lights,
including the gaffer and the other techni-
cians, says Keshavarz. Before Hubbard
chose Gamma, he asked to meet with the
companys gaffer, Joseph Khamis, a.k.a.
ZuZu, and his crew. The initial response
was, You dont do that here, he recalls.
But he persisted, and when he finally met
with ZuZu, he discovered the gaffer spoke
Arabic, very little French and no English. But
then ZuZu walked Hubbard around the
corner to show him a rig his team had
designed at Hubbards request. Working
on a multi-story building in a cramped
The young women share a duet at a family gathering.
neighborhood, they had rigged a lamp
three stories up perfectly safely, says
Hubbard. I knew theyd had to talk all the
neighbors into it, and I thought, This guy is
politic hes a solver.
Throughout the shoot, Hubbard and
Khamis managed to communicate through
diagrams and gestures. The cinematogra-
pher recalls, My first AC, Fernando Gayet-
sky, and I kept a little black notebook by the
camera. He had all the lenses in Arabic, and
we had all the lighting details in Arabic. But
ZuZu and I just had a shorthand. With the
five Arabic words I learned, combined with
a little French and a few English words, we
figured it out.
The look of Circumstance evolves as
the story progresses and takes a dark turn.
For the first part of the story, we wanted
to capture the idea of youth and energy
within an environment that doesnt allow
that, says Keshavarz. Color was one
means of achieving this. Theres definitely
a color arc in the story, with warm light used
to create different moments of rebellion,
says Hubbard. In the beginning, there are
a lot of neutrals, blue and green, especially
in places like the school courtyard. The girls
homes are not a riot of color either, but
theyre very warm. I tried to keep the colors
not easily identifiable hues.
By contrast, the party scenes feature
vivid colors. The clubs are a relief from the
exterior world, says Hubbard. The lighting
for these scenes progresses from simple
multicolored lights in an apartment to a
kaleidoscopic QuickTime light display on
LED panels in an underground nightclub.
Meanwhile, Atafehs home trans-
forms from a light, airy space to a claustro-
phobic, cave-like one as Mehran asserts
control over the family. A lot of that arc
had to do with lens selection, blocking and
locations, says Hubbard.
The spacious living room is initially
seen in wide shots, and dolly shots through-
out the space suggest a sense of freedom.
As the mood becomes oppressive, theres
a progression from wide shots and wider
lenses to tighter shots and longer focal
lengths, says Hubbard. A particularly
dramatic scene, showing Atafeh returning
home from the police station and seeing her
family brokering her brothers marriage to
Shireen, was shot in details rather than
wides. Likewise, for scenes featuring the
ill-matched newlyweds, we tried to crowd
the frames as much as possible, says
Keshavarz. Theyre like tigers trapped in a
cage.
Shireen and Atafehs lesbian fantasies
have their own unique look. Slick and highly
saturated, they were intended to emulate
advertising. Iranians their age are so influ-
enced by Western media, Keshavarz
observes. One fantasy suggests a seaside
resort in Dubai, where the women shed
their clothes in a sunlit room with floor-to-
ceiling windows. Theres so much glass its
almost an exterior, notes Hubbard, who
shot the scene on 7217. Our shot sees the
horizon line. The idea is that they can be
intimate in a completely open space. We
wanted the audience to feel a sense of
release. He adds that he balanced the light
with indirect HMIs and negative fill.
Needing a seaside location with a
high-end look, the producers rented a
restaurant in Byblos and cordoned off a
private area. But at one point, someone
phoned the authorities. They thought we
were making a porn film, says Keshavarz.
We purposefully scheduled that scene on
the last day of the shoot, figuring that if we
had to reshoot it in Miami, we could.
Hubbards solution was to put the
authorities behind the camera. Inviting
them to see what youre shooting always
works, he says. Theyre always wowed
its very Hollywood. We convinced them the
girls were trying on dresses.
The stakes were particularly high that
day: dozens of cans of unprocessed film
were sitting on set. The filmmakers had
been shipping negative to FotoKem in
Burbank, Calif., every few days, but a series
of Islamic holidays had interfered with the
shipping schedule. We actually had 14
days worth of film on set when the police
Left: Hubbard at work on the set. Right: The mood in Atafehs home darkens considerably after Shireen marries Atafehs brother, a Muslim fundamentalist.
arrived, says Keshavarz. It was nerve-
wracking. I dont think insurance covers
that!
Hubbard, Chien and 1st AD Kit Bland
subsequently hand-carried those reels to
Jordan, where they were sent through
Dubai to California. In order to get it out of
Beirut, we said it was unexposed film, says
Hubbard. Otherwise, they would have
opened the cans.
The 2K scanning and color correction
took place in the safe environment of
Company 3 in Santa Monica. The filmout,
done by EFilm in Hollywood, was funded by
a Sundance grant, and the festival print was
made on Fujifilm Eterna-CP 3514DI by
Digimage in Paris.
By the time Hubbard sat down with
colorist Siggy Ferstl at Company 3, Ferstl
had a clear idea of what the filmmakers
wanted, because Hubbard had e-mailed
him many color-corrected stills from Beirut.
I was a little nervous because thats every
colorists nightmare: a cinematographer you
dont know sending you stills, says
Hubbard. But the aestheticized snapshot
we had in mind could easily look like mud if
someone tried to make it all neutral and
balanced and hide the key. Siggy really took
the time to listen and get on the same page
with me, and when we started to work
together in person, we just flew through it.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Super 16mm
Arri 416
Arri/Zeiss Ultra Prime, Cooke
Kodak Vision3 500T 7219,
Vision2 200T 7217, EXR 50D 7245
Digital Intermediate
Crime la Mod
By Nic Sadler
The British thriller Brighton Rock
follows in the fated footsteps of Pinkie (Sam
Riley), a handsome sociopath who cold-
bloodedly romances a shy waitress, Rose
(Andrea Riseborough), who is the sole
witness to his brutal slaying of another
gangster. Pinkies cruelty inflames Roses
masochistic obsession with him, but his arro-
gant disrespect toward a flamboyant mob
boss (Andy Serkis) imperils both their lives.
Based on the 1938 novel by Graham
Greene, the film places the action in the early
Sixties. The project marks the feature-direct-
ing debut of Rowan Joff (screenwriter of 28
Weeks Later and The American), who chose
John Mathieson, BSC to man the camera.
Mathieson, whose credits include Ridley
Scotts Gladiator (AC May 00), Hannibal (AC
Feb. 01) and Kingdom of Heaven (AC June
05), saw Brighton Rock as a chance to work
on a smaller scale. The result is a stylish and
atmospheric drama that immerses viewers in
the storys very specific era.
Cinematographer Nic Sadler, who
served as Mathiesons camera assistant early
in his career, conducted our interview. The
following are excerpts from the conversation.
American Cinematographer: Its
apparent you were trying to give this
film a bold look.
John Mathieson, BSC: If youre
remaking a British noir classic, youd better
do something interesting with it, especially if
you dont have any damn money! The orig-
inal Brighton Rock [1947, shot by Harry
Waxman, BSC] is very well known in British
film culture, and Graham Greene is sort of
hallowed ground. I suppose you could call
the look of our film color noir, but that
sounds a bit pretentious. If youre not shoot-
ing black-and-white, its not really noir. I
wanted to give the film a period feel, so we
used hard light and funky old lenses, Crystal
Express lenses, provided by Joe Dunton.
Theyre not a matched set; theyre converted
lenses, so there are some gaps in terms of
the focal lengths. Some of them have big,
square elements on the front, and some
dont. [According to focus puller Simon
Hume, the production also made frequent
use of an anamorphicized Optica-Elite 120-
520mm zoom provided by Panavision.]
These frames show an original Super 16mm frame (top) and the cropped final image. I was
concerned about cropping, says Hubbard, but we tested it and liked the results.
I
When you see enough anamor-
phic films, you become conscious of the
particular flares and defocused high-
lights that certain anamorphic lenses
produce. For example, Panavision lens
flares have a very distinct shape. But the
flares in this picture had a very different
feel.
Mathieson: Yeah, theyre sort of
unusual and chaotic. These lenses produce a
lot of blooming because some of the front
elements look like old skating rinks! But that
was all part of the feel. We wanted an old-
looking film and didnt have much of a
budget, so I started to think about not
shooting with beautiful lenses and maybe
mucking things up a bit. The Crystal Express
lenses are also really good at capturing the
kind of soft light and delicate colors you see
in the bedroom scenes the peachy colors
and the gold weaves in the bedspread, for
instance. On the other hand, they couldnt
really handle the contrast in the scenes
under the pier; the backgrounds have that
blooming, milked-out look. The lenses are
appallingly soft and they dont bite, but they
have very interesting qualities. I loved the
200mm, but my focus puller, Simon Hume,
kept trying to hide it from me it created
highlights that were like little Chinese fans,
but there was a big lump in them at around
the 15-foot mark, and he hated pulling
focus on them. But they gave us magical
things. When the girls in the church getting
married, I just kept bashing light on her until
she started looking like a piece of porcelain,
very Victorian romantic. You can use direct
light with these lenses and [the image]
wont look hard and coarse. You definitely
lose sharpness and crispness, but they work
well if you happen to be doing an impres-
sionistic film noir with flashy lighting.
I suppose that harks back to
noirs classic period the lenses
werent incredibly sharp in terms of
resolution, and they were very low-
contrast, but if you lit quite hard you
could introduce a sense of resolution.
Mathieson: Yeah, you could give
them a power and sharpness that probably
werent really there by using big areas of
black and cutting the light. But as soon as
you point lights at the [Crystal Express]
lenses, they start to go crazy. Once you get
used to them, you can say, Im a bit under-
exposed here, but I know if I put them
against this window, the light will bounce
around and bloom and sort of fill things in
naturally. All anamorphic lenses do that to
a certain extent, but its really pronounced in
these lenses, so you have to be pretty bold
with them theyre not for the faint-
hearted!
One wide-angle lens kept
popping up in various scenes in the
caf, the church and other settings
and it clearly had a lot of distortion in
it. Those are the kinds of aberrations
we usually try to bury, but they really
add to the character of those shots.
Mathieson: That was probably the
25mm, which didnt have the optical
wedges needed to correct the weird bloom-
ing and other anomalies around the edges.
Pinkie grows more paranoid as the story
progresses, and we wanted to make it feel
as if his world is falling down around him.
How much work did you do in
the digital grade to enhance the colors
and the look, or to smooth out the
differences between the lenses?
Mathieson: We were keen to print
the film traditionally, but the distribution
company insisted on a DI, so we did it with
[color timer] Paul Ensby at Technicolor
London. Those old lenses do bounce
around a bit; some of them had a slightly
green hue or a tinge of other colors. Even
with photochemical color timing, you can
just take that out, but we didnt try to
Left: Pinkie (Sam Riley) leads a pack of scooter-riding mods on his way to a criminal rendezvous in Brighton Rock. To find riders, the production placed a
newspaper ad that drew hordes of scooter enthusiasts. They came out in droves, marvels cinematographer John Mathieson, BSC. We put the old buggers
who were my age at the back, and their good-looking sons up front. Right: Pinkie romances Rose (Andrea Riseborough), the only witness who can tie
him to a gangland slaying. Mathieson notes, In the way we lit her, we were trying to create the idea that shes pure and will do anything for this man,
even though shes basically selling herself to the devil.
B
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Over 100 episodes with Clairmont and still counting.
Marshall Adams
www.clairmont.com
correct things too much. So even though
we did a DI, we tried to go with the organic,
slightly haphazard look the lenses gave us. I
think too many films tend to look the same
nowadays because everyone just smoothes
everything out with DI work or CG effects.
Theyre all made by very clever people, but
theres too much fiddling around in post, so
they lack the qualities you get when the
shots are created more organically, on the
set, for better or worse. On Brighton Rock,
we could have used the DI to make every-
thing look normal, but by letting the shots
breathe, letting the lenses do their thing and
letting the focus fall apart, I think we gave
the film a look that has some character. Of
course, the DI did help us match some of the
day-for-night stuff we shot on the cliff-top.
We always knew those scenes would be
fixed [in post] because we couldnt afford
to create the look entirely with lighting.
Our schedule was just seven weeks, so we
couldnt do split days or wait for the perfect
time of day.
The opening scene is classic noir:
a man ducks into a phone booth to
make a desperate call as the men pursu-
ing him suddenly materialize out of the
fog.
Mathieson: That was one of our
biggest lighting setups. We had 200-300
yards of cast-iron Victorian arches in the
foreground, and our lights were mounted
on 55-meter cherrypickers. The wind picked
up, though, so we had to keep them low; in
the end, we just left some of the lights in the
shots! We hid them behind the arches as
well as we could, but I knew we could
obscure them a bit more with the smoke
and some lens flares. The lights were plainly
visible in the rushes, but the editor found all
the angles where our actors were darting in
front of them. We got a nice flash of light on
the knife the guy pulls out, and that was
done entirely in-camera. Noir style just natu-
rally takes you from dark to light and back
again, and you can play with that a bit.
For the scene in the boarding
house where Pinkie is testing the
loyalty of his crew, you created classic
noir shadows by aiming a light through
an electric fan.
Mathieson: We originally shot that
scene with a TV set flickering, but we
thought a fan would be more noir, so we
Top: Pinkie stops to pray while being chased by thugs near Brightons Palace Pier. Location filming for
this scene and others was actually done in Eastbourne, standing in for Brighton. The pier is the key
structure in the film, says Mathieson. We wanted to emphasize the idea that its this bridge to
nowhere, the dead-end path of Pinkies life. Middle: Pinkie and Rose kiss atop the White Cliffs of
Dover. Mathieson notes, We used a Giraffe crane and remote heads to get some vertiginous
perspectives on the cliffs edge. We had to attach the actors to safety lines to prevent the unthinkable.
In fact, the piece of cliff we were on has since fallen into the sea. Bottom: Mathieson (left) and
director Rowan Joff line up a shot.
Cooke Continuing to Lead the Way
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1920s
1930s
TODAY
1980s
1950s
2000s
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built a fan that was the size of a bicycle
wheel, positioned it just out of shot and just
bashed it with a naked 5K to create those
sharp shadows. You cant light like that
without a reason; you need a strong scene
with tension.
What were some of your work-
horse lights?
Mathieson: We used lots of house-
hold bulbs, actually, along with small Dedos
and little Inkies. We didnt use any fluores-
cents because they didnt have the right
bounce quality too clean. Instead, we
were using things like biscuit-tin Zaps [a.k.a.
Zip lights], a lot of Photofloods and, for
directional fill, egg boxes big, old tung-
sten bulbs in boxes of tins. We shot most of
the picture on Kodak Vision3 [500T] 5219,
and we were pushing it nearly all the time.
We did use some big fixtures, 18Ks and the
like, through the windows.
When youre pressed for time, its
often best to have a couple of big
lamps, a lot of really small fixtures, and
nothing in between.
Mathieson: Its true. I really like that
Rosco silver stipple. Wed make up bits of
white, or just flip it over and use the silver
side. That gives you a nice reflection in the
actors eyes or face, especially on cloudy
days, or if your actor wanders away from
the bigger lights. You want to retain a good
level of contrast so you can feel them down
in the shadows. The odd bulb or a silver card
bouncing light back into the right place can
do that. Sometimes, if you actually add fill
its a bit too much.
How did you coordinate the big
scooter rally?
Mathieson: Let me tell you, if you
put a big ad in an English newspaper asking
people if they want to ride down to the
seafront and play Mods and Rockers with-
out their helmets on, they show up in the
thousands! And those guys are really good
at riding really close together in tight packs.
Mathieson
used hard
sources and
practical lamps
to give tense
scenes a classic
noir look.
26
Sequences like that allowed us to use our
wider lenses to give the film some scope.
Rowan had originally planned to shoot with
a more frantic, handheld camera, but I
talked him out of it. Instead, we created
these big, wide frames that the actors could
move around in, and we just let them walk
up to the camera rather than chasing them
around. We used a 50-foot Technocrane to
do our big shots at the pier, though. That
request made the producers eyes water a
bit, but I said, Look, its worth doing.
How did you handle the day-for-
night climax at the cliff-top lighthouse?
Mathieson: The wind wouldnt
allow us to put up the cherrypickers, so the
lights had to come in really low. In the light-
house, we installed a rotating Mac 2000
rock n roll light with a very powerful 1.2K
spot in it. As the sun would get low and
shine off the water, we used a 12K CinePar
or an ArriSun to act as the car headlights
off-camera. It was a bloody great, hot light
without the lens in, and that gave me
enough punch to work in a day situation
and still make it look like car lights. Then we
would cut to the car at night, using a
goosed-up car headlight or a Par can
strapped to the car. I had to play with the
exposure, because we were crosscutting
from a daylight source in the daytime to a
tungsten source at night. We had to crush
the whole daylight scene down in the DI
and add a bit of CGI to make the sky look
darker. The look is theatrical and a bit raw,
but it suits the scene.
Tink LEE
www.leelters.com
106
A host of
poignant summer
memories
contained in
one bite.
27
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Anamorphic 35mm
Arricam Studio, Lite
Crystal Express, Optima-Elite
Vision 2 250D 5205, Vision2 50D 5201
The churlish,
headstrong
Pinkie overplays
his hand after
demanding an
audience with
flamboyant
mob boss
Colleoni (Andy
Serkis).

Anonymous, shot by Anna J. Foerster,
questions Shakespeares true identity.
By Iain Stasukevich
|
A
Mighty
Pen
T
here were probably a few times during the filming of
Anonymous when cinematographer Anna J. Foerster was
a bit surprised to look through the viewfinder and see a
political drama set in 16th-century England rather than
spectacular fireballs, catastrophic weather or alien invasions.
After all, she had worked for Anonymous director Roland
Emmerich in various capacities on Independence Day (AC July
96), The Day After Tomorrow (AC June 04) 10,000 BC and
2012.
This time around, only the historic Globe Theatre goes
up in flames, but Anonymous also poses an incendiary question:
Was Shakespeare a fraud? The film suggests that the Bards
words are really those of Edward de Vere (Rhys Ifans), the
Earl of Oxford, who puts his plays and poetry to political
purpose after he is exiled from the court of Queen Elizabeth I
(played at different ages by Vanessa Redgrave and her daugh-
ter, Joely Richardson). To remain in the shadows, Edward
enlists an eager pawn, buffoonish thespian Will Shakespeare
(Rafe Spall), to take credit for his work.
Stylistically and thematically, Anonymous is a dark film.
Its about betrayal and all the things that come out of the
darkness of the human heart, says Foerster. She and
Emmerich researched films set in and around the same
period, including Elizabeth (AC Dec. 98), Sleepy Hollow (AC
w ww.theasc.com September 2011 29
Dec. 99), The Girl With the Pearl
Earring (AC Jan. 04) and The Duchess
(AC Sept. 08). However, they found
most of their inspiration in the hazy,
sunlit rooms painted by 17th-century
Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer; the
candlelit canvasses of his French
contemporary, Georges de La Tour; and
the Tudor portraits of the Elizabethan
era.
We studied Vermeers paintings,
many of which have soft fill light that
came through the north-facing
windows of his studio, explains
Foerster. What fascinated me about
De La Tour was the way he sometimes
lit his subjects with just one or two
candles.
Shot in Germany in 2009,
Anonymous was the first feature to be
photographed with Arris Alexa, and it
was also Foersters first foray into an all-
digital workflow. Given our budget and
timeframe and the workflow necessary
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Top left: Edward de Vere, the Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans), is the true genius behind
Shakespeares plays and poems in Anonymous. This page, top to bottom: In a contemporary
prologue, a theatrical narrator (Derek Jacobi) sets the stage for the movies story; the
younger Oxford (Jamie Campbell Bower) puts quill pen to parchment; cinematographer
Anna J. Foerster, the first to shoot a feature with the Arri Alexa, adjusts the camera
alongside director Roland Emmerich.
for the visual effects, all of the signs
clearly pointed toward digital capture,
she says. At that time, digital cameras
were finally starting to offer ASAs above
800, so you could make a movie where
firelight was your primary light source.
You can push film to that ASA, of
course, but that introduces grain in the
image, and that would have been wrong
for this movie.
In prep, the filmmakers narrowed
their choices down to the Arri Alexa and
the Red One (with the Mysterium-X
A Mighty Pen
Top: As a boy,
Oxford (Luke
Thomas Taylor,
center, wearing
wings) prepares
to perform for
Queen Elizabeth.
Middle: Foerster
and the crew
capture Oxfords
first meeting with
Elizabeth (Joely
Richardson).
Bottom: The final
composition,
shown in a frame
capture from the
movie.
sensor). Foerster knew the Red would
be the easier option it was readily
available, and she was impressed with its
resolution and sensitivity. However, she
was concerned about how the camera
rendered differences between colors,
and even more concerned about how it
handled flickering flames. When we
shot tests, the Red seemed to produce a
strange, red flare or a halo around
candlelight, she reports. It didnt
happen all the time, but when it did it
was quite prevalent.
The Alexa was still just a proto-
type that recorded with an early version
of the ArriRaw codec. The camera had
no onboard recording support and was
always tethered to a Codex digital
recorder. Visual-effects artists at
Uncharted Territory used the Codexs
native JPG2000 files for their 300
effects shots, and the Arri team used
DPX files output from the Codex for
the digital grade. The DPX files were
also backed up to LTO tape and qual-
ity-checked by Arri.
Shooting with the Alexa was a
leap of faith for the filmmakers, but Arri
pledged total support, promising to
walk Foerster through every step of the
cameras nascent workflow. Arri really
stepped up to the plate to make sure
things were going as smoothly as possi-
ble, says the cinematographer.
Everything ended up looking great.
Theres a soft transition between colors,
and the image holds up all the way from
Top and middle:
Oxfords budding
romance with
Elizabeth heats
up after a fancy-
dress ball. Prop
master Oliver
Kuhlmann set
the mood by
positioning
approximately
300 double-
wicked candles.
You would not
believe the
amount of smoke
on that set,
Foerster recalls.
Bottom: After
their dance, the
lovers arrange a
more intimate
liaison.
candles to daylight.
The storys timeline covers
decades, and each period has a specific
look. Scenes set in an earlier era are
rendered in vivid, glowing colors and
captured in fluid camera moves with
long lenses that separate Elizabeth and
Oxford from their surroundings. The
look of the storys present is cold and
grim, with many scenes composed in
wide, locked-off shots, particularly those
that take place in the royal court.
Foerster recalls that scenes set in
the earlier period were typically shot in
the 35mm-60mm range, whereas scenes
set in the present were captured at
15.5mm-25mm. Even close-ups in the
latter era were shot on short lenses, a
21mm or 18mm. We had to be careful
about distorting the actors faces, but if
the shot involved a big room on an
18mm, the actors could just walk up to
the camera for their close-ups, says
Foerster.
The production used a set of
Arri/Zeiss Master Primes, but the most
popular lens was an Arri LWZ-1 (15.5-
45mm) Lightweight Zoom. Even
compared to the prime lenses, I thought
the zoom looked fantastic, and it
allowed us to work quickly, says
Foerster. Roland is a fluid thinker. The
faster you can keep up with him, the
better.
A Mighty Pen
Top and middle:
Royal audiences
are mesmerized
by Shakespeares
brilliance during
private court
performances of
his plays. Bottom:
Oxfords ally and
ardent admirer,
Ben Jonson
(Sebastian
Armesto, left) is
one of the few
who know his
secret, though
fellow playwright
Christopher
Marlowe (Trystan
Gravelle) harbors
suspicions.
After testing an experimental
color matrix, Foerster decided to record
the raw image without making changes
to the cameras settings, using custom
viewing look-up tables she designed
with Arri color scientist Florian Utsi
Martin. It was like choosing a film
stock, she says. We developed six
LUTs, day and night for each of the two
time periods, and two more for looks
that were slightly more extreme. Our
digital-imaging technician, Timo
Andert, applied the appropriate LUT to
each scene, and looking at those on the
monitor were the only dailies we had.
We didnt have the time to do
any color correction on set, and I dont
think theres any place for that on a
feature production, she continues.
Working with LUTs is more like deal-
ing with printer lights you have
something to reference so you know
youre within the limits of your image.
Foerster took advantage of the
Alexas enhanced sensitivity to light by
shooting candlelit scenes with practical
candles as the source. She and produc-
tion designer Sebastian Krawinkel
collaborated closely on the placement of
every flame source, whether candles or
fireplaces. By researching how stages
were lit at the time, Foerster learned a
great deal about the light of that era. I
read descriptions of how disgusting
some of these places smelled because all
the candles were made of lard, she says.
It must have been revolting! The
church was the only entity that could
afford wax, so even the royal courts used
lard.
Though all the candles on set
were wax, they still caused some prob-
lems. During a scene in which young
Elizabeth and Oxford attend a ball,
prop master Oliver Kuhlmann deployed
approximately 300 candles with double
wicks. As hard as it was to breathe in the
resultant smoke, Foerster was pleased
with its light-diffusing qualities. You
would not believe the amount of smoke
on that set, she recalls.
To approximate the soft, hazy
Top: The queens top adviser, William Cecil (David Thewlis), attempts to counsel the impudent, mercurial
Oxford. Bottom: After agreeing to serve as Oxfords public face, raffish actor Will Shakespeare (Rafe
Spall, left) attempts to wrangle more money out of the deal.
look that characterizes many paintings
from the Elizabethan era, the filmmak-
ers used a smoke machine to lightly
cloud the backgrounds. We wanted to
take some of the harshness out of the
digital image, but I didnt want to use
diffusion filters because of the sources in
frame, says Foerster. You couldnt
really see the smoke after we added the
LUT and crunched the contrast, but
when youre working with that much
smoke, you end up mixing light. In day
interiors, the candlelight seeps into the
smoke and the window light seeps into
the smoke, and they mix. We used [that
combination] all the time.
Foerster shot all night scenes at
T2.8 and 1,280 ASA. Day interiors
mixed in a healthy amount of Vermeers
north-facing light, and in those situa-
tions, she set her stop between T4.5 and
T5.6 at 800 ASA. We used candlelight
and fireplace light even during day
scenes because we were assuming
gloomy English days, she says. We
couldnt dim the candles, of course, so
we had to bring up the daylight level
and compensate for the exposure.
Otherwise, the fire would have over-
powered the daylight or had the same
value.
A Mighty Pen
Top and middle: Before-and-after shots illustrate how digital effects were used to replace greenscreen
backgrounds shot on a soundstage. Bottom: Foerster researched the stagings of plays from the
Elizabethan era with the help of the book Lighting the Shakespearean Stage. There are descriptions of
the performances at court, and how all of the candle smoke could make it seem as though you were
looking at the actors through a veil, she says.
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A misconception about shooting
digitally is that you need less light, she
continues. Actually, you just use light
differently. If I were shooting at 400
ASA, I would have needed to double
the amount of light or shoot at a differ-
ent stop, but then I couldnt have played
different color temperatures off each
other at twilight or dawn, or shoot with
candles during the daytime.
Foerster was excited about seeing
her images on set as they would appear
in the dailies and the final, but she still
kept her light meter close by, using it to
sketch out contrast levels before dialing
them in on a monitor. Maybe one day
Ill give it up, but I had to have my
meter on this movie, she says. I
wanted to be precise with my work.
Window light plays significantly
in all the interior day scenes to the
point where the characters seem drawn
to them so many of the sets were
designed with huge windows in mind.
There are times when the windows are
used almost like spotlights on a theater
stage, with characters moving in and out
of shafts of light for emotional empha-
sis. Even at 800 ASA, rows of 18K
HMIs were stationed on scaffolding
outside the sets, high up and far away
and diffused through sheets of Rosco
1
2
A Mighty Pen
The movies period theater interiors were built onstage at Studio Babelsberg. Foersters crew came
up with a variety of ingenious solutions to challenges created by the circular floor plan and open
roof, and even simulated rain for a compelling staging of Hamlet.
Density Soft Frost.
The light is part of the story,
Foerster observes. She points to a scene
late in the film, when Oxford confronts
Elizabeth for what might be the last
time. As he pleads for her mercy, she
descends from her dais and its dark
half-light to stand with him in the full
light of day. She steps into that harsh,
cold daylight to clarify the situation,
says Foerster.
Only occasionally does the sun
shine down warm and bright. Foerster
cites a scene in which the youthful
Oxford moves into the home of
Elizabeths cunning adviser, William
Cecil (David Thewlis). The house is
generally very dark and somber, but in
that scene we had sunbeams shining
through because Oxford was penetrat-
ing the house with emotional light, she
says. Her usual approach to this set was
to bounce 18Ks through the windows
off 20'x20' muslin, so for this visual
departure, gaffer Albrecht Silberberg
simply positioned the HMIs to point
straight into the windows, aiming them
through
1
2 Soft Frost and
1
4 CTO to
give the light a warmer glow.
While conducting her research in
London during prep, Foerster became
fascinated with the quality of the light
filtering through old, baffled-glass
windows. That glass has different
colored pieces and is distorted by air
bubbles, and the effect on the light is
just incredible. When you look through
it, it almost looks like theres a painting
on the other side.
Using real vintage glass would
have been impractical and expensive, so
the production built its own windows.
After testing a number of plastics, the
art department arrived at a Lexan-based
polymer. The translucent panes were
deliberately molded with irregularities,
filled with air bubbles, and sandblasted
to lend a diffuse quality to the light. The
distortion also helped the filmmakers
sell the painted backdrops outside the
windows.
The sets occupied a new wing of
Studio Babelsberg, an old train depot
just down the road from the main lot.
The stages were soundproofed, wired
with electricity and suitable for produc-
tion, but they were still in the process of
being converted from their original use.
Inside, the giant cranes that once lifted
cargo onto train cars still loomed over-
head.
Because of the stages unfinished
state and the speed at which the art
department was completing its work,
Silberberg was unable to rig a full-sized
truss above the stage. He and best boy
Roland Patzelt solved this problem by
devising a pulley system with steel-pipe
rigs that could be lowered by ropes to
specific points over a given set. (On
most European crews, set electricians
handle every aspect of lighting.)
Because our lenses were so wide,
lighting was really tricky, says
Silberberg. Rigging gaffer Dietmar
A Mighty Pen
Top: Oxford and his patron, Henry Wriothesley (Xavier Samuel), tread the boards as
they make their way down a muddy street. Bottom: A-camera operator Sebastian Meuschel
uses a Steadicam to capture the action.
A Mighty Pen
Haupt hung a lot of overhead fill light,
subtly filling in the shadows with large
bounce surfaces (bleached and
unbleached muslin) and Lowel 1K Rifa
eX lights aimed through
1
2 Soft Frost.
To facilitate the lighting of green-
screen stages for what would eventually
be day exteriors, Foersters crew hung
almost 4,000 square feet of fireproof
white fabric from the ceiling. On one
side, five 15'x60' greenscreen sections
could be lowered or raised as needed,
while eight 4K and eight 6K HMIs
were positioned on each of the other
three sides; the light from these units
was bounced off the overhead surface,
which could be flagged off with netting
to give the bounce some directionality.
On the ground, 1K and 650-watt
Rifa eX lamps were used as roving
eyelights, as were a few ingenious wok
lights, two-handled steel woks outfit-
ted with an ordinary household bulb
and covered with
1
4 CTO. The woks
were connected to a dimmer board and
could be programmed to emulate a
flickering flame. The Medusa light
was a variation on the wok light, featur-
ing as many as 12 bulbs attached to flex-
ible wire necks.
Often, fill light and sometimes
even keylight was accomplished with
adjustable flame bars or with the
double-wick candles either handheld or
mounted on C-stands, says Foerster.
Any movie about Shakespeare is
bound to involve performances of his
plays, and the book Lighting the
Shakespearean Stage offered the film-
makers a wealth of information about
how plays were staged in the era.
Sometimes they started Act One in the
afternoon and Act Two at dusk, and Act
Three was staged in candlelight,
Foerster explains. They even had
devices to dim the candles at the proper
time. There are descriptions of the
performances at court, and how all of
the candle smoke could make it seem as
though you were looking at the actors
through a veil.
At the Rose and Globe theaters,
she adds, they usually staged their
performances in daylight and didnt
have much money for candles, so we
cheated [those scenes] a bit for aesthetic
reasons.
Performances take place in a
number of venues throughout the film.
When Elizabeth meets Oxford for the
first time, the 10-year-old poet (played
by Luke Thomas Taylor) is staging a
performance of his work in one of the
queens private chambers. The influence
of De La Tours paintings emerges in
the plays final act, set in a gnarled tree
lit by candles in metal intensifiers.
Silberberg hid LED rope lights behind
the tree branches to extend the firelight
into the background. There was a lot of
candlelight and also a lot of tungsten
light small sources, he details. To
provide a bit of soft front fill, we
Intent on
destroying
Shakespeares
legacy, armed
guards burn
down the Globe
Theatre and
arrest Jonson,
who attempts to
save Oxfords
manuscripts by
hiding them
beneath the
stage.
bounced two 5K Fresnels off
unbleached white muslin teasers above
and to the left and right of the camera,
with sheets of
1
2 Soft Frost between the
camera and the muslin.
A blue HMI twilight pouring
through the windows in the background
lends a sense of fantasy not only to
young Oxfords performance, but also to
the key moment when the future lovers
first meet. One could say [the look] is a
bit over-the-top, Foerster concedes,
but you could also say those moments
were a bit romanticized in Elizabeths
memory.
Many plays are staged at the
Rose, a typical Elizabethan-era play-
house with a circular floor plan and an
open roof. On the Babelsberg backlot,
the art department constructed a stand-
alone replica of the Rose that could also
double as the Globe, complete with a
muddy, winding street leading up to the
main entrance.
Foerster describes the theater as a
chimney. How do you light a chimney
and shoot a scene on a 15.5mm lens?
she asks, noting that A-camera operator
Sebastian Meuschel was often joined by
Vladimir Subotic and Philip Peschlow
on B and C cameras, respectively. That
theater was one of the most difficult
things to deal with, but we had an inter-
esting approach.
Outside the theater, the crew
positioned two 60' Condors that
allowed them to suspend 70'x45' and
45'x45' UltraBounce flyswatters like lids
over the open roof, blocking the interior
from direct sunlight. The cranes would
41
Top: A completed visual-effects composite (top) shows a scenic view of the Globe Theatre,
which was created digitally. Bottom: An effects element shows the live-action layer of
performers surrounding the structure.

boom up and down as the sun moved,
allowing only the open sky to provide
ambient light.
If Foerster needed additional
light, 18K and 6K HMIs positioned
along the theaters upper levels were
bounced off the UltraBounce flyswat-
ters or huge muslin and white Duvetyn
tarps hanging down from the lower
ranks, just out of the cameras view. To
facilitate transitions from day to night in
the same scene, the crew layered addi-
tional silks over the set until it was dark
enough to bring up the candles and
firelight.
When strong winds prohibited
the team from deploying the blackouts,
Haupt ran sheets of silk and muslin
across the opening on ropes and cables
inside the theater. The strategy worked,
but it also required Foerster to avoid
photographing the upper levels of
the audience.
Each play staged in the movie has
its own look: the climax of Romeo and
Juliet takes place at twilight; hunched
witches hover around a crackling
bonfire in Macbeth; and Hamlet is
shown mainly in broad daylight and
wide shots. This was consistent regard-
less of where a play was being staged.
For example, when the story crosscuts
between a monologue from two differ-
A Mighty Pen
An exterior view of period structures built on the lot at Studio Babelsberg.
42
ent performances of Hamlet at the
Rose and at Elizabeths royal court
each performance contains a reference
to the others lighting and camera
moves.
The final digital grade was carried
out at Arris Munich headquarters,
where Martin served as the colorist. It
was important for the Arri team to keep
an eye on the DI, says Foerster. And
it was great to have Utsi handle it,
because he was there [with us] from the
beginning.
She observes that the final look is
very close to what she conceptualized
with the viewing LUTs. Of course, we
tweaked a few things, like matching
scene-to-scene or matching light levels
when we were shooting outside. We
also played with the contrast a bit and
took advantage of the masks and
windows you can do in the DI. But in
general, what we timed for was what we
saw on the monitors on set.
Henry bids farewell to his late, great friend.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa
Arri/Zeiss Master Prime,
Arri LWZ-1
43
P
ina blends cinema and dance in a powerful mlange that
illustrates the emotional and storytelling potential of 3-D
stereo filmmaking as applied to performance. The subject
of the film, which premiered at this years Berlinale, is the
work of the late choreographer Pina Bausch, whose theatrical
dance pieces give the film its strong emotional resonance.
The film was directed by Wim Wenders, who assem-
bled a formidable team for his first 3-D feature. Producer
Erwin Schmidt recalls that the filmmakers had to learn how
to shoot a movie in 3-D, and Wenders called upon 3-D
supervisor Franois Garnier, who in turn recommended stere-
ographer Alain Derobe. Director of photography Hlne
Louvart was asked to adapt Bauschs theatrical-lighting
design to the cinematic medium, and she also operated the
camera for the stage footage. Joerg Widmer was the camera
operator for the exteriors.
Bausch was known as a pioneer of Tanztheater, a
combination of modern dance and theatrical performance,
which she developed for 36 years with her troupe, living and
performing in Wuppertal, Germany. Wenders, whose credits
include The Buena Vista Social Club, Wings of Desire and Paris,
Texas (AC Feb. 85), was a great admirer of Bauschs work, and
spoke to her for many years about collaborating on a film.
Unfortunately, she died suddenly in 2009, shortly before film-
ing was to begin. At first the project was canceled, but the
grief-stricken dancers in her troupe persuaded Wenders to
proceed with it.
In Pina, Wenders interweaves genres and styles to
create an intricate homage to the woman and her work. The
film is structured around excerpts from four of Bauschs major
works, which are performed onstage by her troupe: The Rite of
An expert team helps
Wim Wenders fuse dance and
cinema for the 3-D feature Pina.
By Benjamin B
|
Immersive
Dance
Spring (with Stravinskys music), Caf
Mller, Meeting Hall and Full Moon.
These longer public performances are
linked by different strands: short dance
solos and duets in striking locations in
Wuppertal, brief filmed portraits of
dancers reminiscing, and documentary
glimpses of Bausch.
The recurring thread of the dance
works is clearly the passionate, tender,
painful relationship between men and
women. Though Wenders film carefully
avoids any explanation of Bauschs work
there are no voices other than those
of Bausch and her dancers her
dancers words evoke a driven and ques-
tioning dance innovator who encour-
aged her troupe to contribute their own
experiences to her choreography. As one
observes, All of her pieces were about
love and pain and beauty and sorrow
and loneliness. I was trying to under-
stand her, figure out why she had to keep
working and working and working.
Another dancer recalls that Bausch
would simply tell her: Keep searching.
The dancers more closely resem-
ble a theatrical cast than a homogeneous
dance troupe, with dancers often enact-
ing characters as they perform. The
troupe can dance as one, but it is also
striking in its diversity: in size, body
shape, country of origin and age. It was
good being an older dancer with Pina!
recalls one dancer. At 40, more and
more I thought, All these opportunities
to be old and a child at the same time.
Meeting Hall, one of the stage
pieces, goes further, featuring guest
appearances of a chorus line made of
men and women over 65, and another of
teenagers.
Garnier says the productions
equipment choices were driven by two
goals: to be close to the dancers and to
represent the 3-D space faithfully. The
filmmakers chose a 30' Technocrane
with a Scorpio remote head to glide the
two-camera 3-D system above the stage,
because, says Garnier, we needed to be
close to the dancers and to be mobile
with a big camera that weighed 60 kilos
[132 pounds]. The aim, adds Derobe,
was to have the camera dance among
the dancers.
For logistical reasons, Pinas 4-
week shoot was spread over three peri-
ods. Three weeks were spent shooting
performances in a theater. Each of the
four dance pieces was shot five times
during a nonstop public performance,
with the Technocrane jutting out from
the audience, its base on a platform
above the front rows of the theater.
Additional special shot pickups were
filmed without an audience, often with
the Technocrane on the stage.
Another week of production was
devoted to shooting dancers doing short
solos and duets in a variety of
picturesque and quirky locations.
Exteriors were shot in and around
Wuppertals monorail cars, in the
middle of a traffic island, on hills over-
looking nearby landscapes, in a river and
in a wood (with a dancer wielding a leaf-
blower). There were also interior loca-
tions in a mining tunnel, with a dancer
shouldering a spotlight, and some
elegant architectural spaces, including a
cultural center. Widmer shot the non-
stage footage mostly with a Steadicam
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Opposite: Dancers
frolic in a river
onstage as they
perform Pina
Bauschs Full
Moon, the finale
of the 3-D feature
Pina. This page,
above: The
ensemble
performs Meeting
Hall. Left: A
Technocrane
mounted to a
platform placed
above the
theaters front
rows was used to
shoot all of the
onstage
performances.
rig, but he also occasionally used a small
Panther Foxy crane with a jib arm.
Pina was shot in
2
3" high-defini-
tion video and recorded on HDCam-
SR tape. According to Garnier, the
filmmakers decided the
2
3" sensor
format offered more sensitivity and
more depth-of-field (for the same angle
of view) than the Red [One] or SI-2K
Mini. For the first shoot, the
Technocrane in the theater was outfit-
ted with two Sony HDC-1500
cameras. For the second shoot, the film-
makers turned to the newer, lighter
Sony HDC-P1, which was also used for
Steadicam work. Three days of pickup
shots were achieved with a pair of Sony
PMW-EX3s.
The shoot offered an occasion to
test many new 3-D techniques and
tools, including a prototype of the
Freestyle Steadicam rig (developed by
Philippe Bordelais), which has since
been released by P+S Technik. First AC
Christian Meyer also contributed a
custom Steadicam rig. Derobe offered
his custom 3-D mattebox with a half-
silvered mirror that sent the same image
to each camera. Almost all of Pina was
shot with this split-beam approach,
except for a few exteriors that were shot
with side-by-side cameras, like the
films opening wide shot of the theater
in the city.
Garnier notes that the choice of
focal lengths was crucial to reproducing
the 3-D space faithfully. The main lenses
were 7mm, 10mm and 14mm Zeiss
DigiPrimes, which he estimates covered
horizontal angles of view of 69, 51 and
37 degrees in the
2
3"format. For the
best results, he explains, the focal lengths
used with the 3-D camera on set should
have the same angle of view as the spec-
tator in the theater. Ideally, if the specta-
tor in a middle seat of the theater sees
the screen width in a 50-degree angle, to
avoid any depth distortion he should be
shown a scene shot with a 10mm that
covers a similar 50-degree horizontal
angle (in
2
3"). For this spectator, an
object shot with a 20mm lens would
appear to be compressed. If we had used
long lenses, says Garnier, the dancers
bodies would have appeared flattened.
Thus, the filmmakers decided to only
use wide-angle lenses to preserve the
proper scaling. We tended to use a
14mm for faces and a 10mm for action.
The worst case is when you
intercut between short and long focal
lengths, he adds. If you do a montage
between a wide shot very near the
performer and a very long lens far away,
you will lose your spatial reference.
Though Wenders was initially
concerned about fisheye distortion of
faces and bodies with such short focal
lengths, this distortion does not exist in
stereo, says Garnier. The brain auto-
matically corrects any deformation of the
face. If I look at a face very close, it
doesnt seem distorted. If I close one
eye, it will look distorted, but with both
eyes, no.
Derobe, who acted as the director
of stereography, was assisted by his
daughter Josephine and Thierry
Pouffary. He says he applied his natural
depth method, which has more to do
with evoking than reproducing. Depth
is not something you capture, he
stresses, but something you fabricate.
3-D is not made to be a copy of reality,
but an interpretation that is good for the
eyes of the spectator.
Immersive Dance
Above: Anna
Wehsarg
performs in one
of the movies
many unusual
locations. Right
(from left): 3-D
supervisor
Franois Garnier,
stereography
assistant
Josephine Derobe
and director of
stereography
Alain Derobe at
work on the set.
One of the driving principles of
Derobes method is to simply avoid
making the spectator uncomfortable by
avoiding awkward eye positions and
movements. But, he notes, a principle is
made to be violated, but only with an
artistic intent. You are allowed to make
the audience a little uncomfortable in
order to express something.
Derobes natural-depth method
comprised shooting with cameras near
parallel. The first step was to angle one
of the cameras so that the two lines of
sight to the farthest object, be it the back
of the stage or a mountain, were offset
by a distance equal to the distance
between our eyes a nominal distance
of 2
1
2". With this method, the specta-
tors left and right eyelines to the
farthest objects should be parallel,
meaning that everyone in the theater
should see them the same way. The goal
of this initial setting of a fixed, small
convergence angle (typically between
0.5 and 1 degree) is to keep the back-
ground in a similar distant position from
shot to shot.
Derobes method then called for
varying the interaxial distance during
the shot for example, in order to set
the position of performers in relation to
the screen. In Pina, the IA was typically
varied to keep the main dancer near the
screen in the 3-D volume. Josephine
Derobe, who often pulled IA with a
remote controller, says she would gener-
ally vary the IA between 2 and 7
centimeters (.8" and 2.75"). Garnier
adds that in extreme cases, the IA could
go up to 12 centimeters (4.7").
Left: Fabian
Prioville and
Azusa Seyama
take to the
streets for
another
performance.
Joerg Widmer
captured most of
the day-exterior
scenes using a
Steadicam rig.
Below (from
left): Garnier,
director Wim
Wenders and
artistic
consultant
Robert Sturm
observe the
action onstage.
Derobe stresses the importance

of the Transvideo CineMonitorHD
3DView, which was designed by Jacques
Delacoux and his team in close collabo-
ration with Derobe. He explains that its
color-fringing view and its programma-
ble grid overlay are essential for a quick
appreciation of the depth in an image. It
allows us to know very precisely what the
pixel offset is for distant and close
subjects, says Derobe.
The Transvideo was key, adds
Josephine, for the constant and occasion-
ally improvised adjustment of IA during
the shot. Pouffary adds, Many shots
were done without rehearsal, especially
the exteriors with the Steadicam.
When the IA is too big, there is a
danger of miniaturization, the sensation
of seeing the world through a giants
eyes. Derobe recalls, I warned Wim
about the dangers of miniaturization,
and he said, Great. Ill use it. Wenders
devised an amusing sequence in which
two dancers are looking at a dollhouse
model of the stage, with tiny dancers
moving inside.
The lighting for Bauschs dance
pieces was designed for the stage by Peter
Pabst and Fernando Jacon. Louvarts job
was to adapt their design to the screen,
and to make it work in 3-D. 3-D is also
created by lighting, she notes.
Each dance piece had very precise
Immersive Dance
Top: Damiano
Ottavio Bigi and
Silvia Farias
Heredia perform.
Middle:
Wenders and
cinematographer
Hlne Louvart
keep an eye on
the shot during
filming of The
Rite of Spring.
Bottom: Ruth
Amarante steps
to the fore during
a moment in
the piece.
Thank you Wim WENDERS and Alain DEROBE
For using our *PUL4VUP[VY+' '9LHZ
to create these astonishing 3D images.
O| se| we 0sed a 3Dv|ew 7|a|s.|deo mo|||o| |o ca||o|a|e ||e ||s a|d |o co|||o|
||e 3D e//ec|. || add|||o| |o ||e exoe||e|ce a|d c|ea||.||, o/ o0| s|e|eo|ao|, |eam,
|||s mo|||o| was ||e mos| |moo||a|| |oo|. E|w|| /. 5C|/|D7 - 3D ||ODUCE|
Booth
11.F31 http://www.transvideo.eu/Pina
lighting because Pina was very precise
about [that], continues Louvart. Peter
Pabst, who had always done the set and
lighting design with her, was there to
verify that we were really following the
same concept. But we needed more
light, and we also had to modify the
lighting and accentuate certain things.
Louvart calculated that the
cameras were working at an equivalent
of 80 ASA, partially because of a stop
loss from the half-silvered mirror and a
gain setting of -3dB for lower noise.
She estimates that she needed 2-3 more
stops of light to bring the theater pieces
to the screen. She strove to understand
what Bausch had wanted to do with
lighting, but she also wanted to incor-
porate Wenders requests. For exam-
ple, she says, in Rite of Spring, Wim
told me that we should feel the dancers
effort, their sweat, so I wanted to make
[them] shine.
Louvart conferred with Jacon to
strengthen the existing lighting design
for Rite. She added nine 5K Fresnels
through diffusion to key the dancers
from the top, defining them against the
black background and making them
shine. She also doubled the number of
Par 64s and added crosslights. In addi-
tion, she asked Jacon to bring up the
Transtechnik dimmer board from its
average level of 60 percent to a hefty 90
percent.
Jacon estimates that the final
cinematic lighting for Rite of Spring
comprised 5Ks, Enizoom follow spots,
PCs (plan convex), flat and narrow
Par 64 cans, and 250-watt 24-volt
Beamlights. Frontlight was provided by
about 20 2K Enizoom Profiles, supple-
mented by a dozen PCs near the stage
and a dozen 1.2K Enizooms on the
side. Sidelight was provided by a dozen
Beamlights (for the heads of the
dancers) and PCs (for the feet). The top
Immersive Dance
Right: A
diaphanous
curtain adds
a theatrical
touch to a
performance
featuring Jorge
Puerta Armenta.
Below: Widmer
and his team
capture Helena
Pikon on
location.
key provided by the 5Ks was supple-
mented by three rows of Par 64s. A little
backlight was added by a dozen Par 64s.
The final effect is striking and
dramatic, as a group of muddied
women and men dancers commingle
on a floor covered with orange peat.
The dominant toplight adds depth
against a dark background, accentuat-
ing the vibrant bodies. I knew I had to
reinforce the light above, says Louvart.
It was a matter of translating Pinas
initial idea with cinema tools. When
moving in for close-up specials, she
added bounce boards to whiten the
reddish bounce cast on faces from the
peat.
Jacon notes that part of his job
was quickly dimming lights to avoid
casting a Technocrane shadow on the
dancers. Multiple shadows are frequent
in theatrical lighting, but Louvart is
categorical about avoiding them.
Theres only one sun and only one
moon, so I prefer a single shadow, she
says.
Getting single shadows took
some work on a set with dozens of
sources, especially in Caf Mller, when
dancers performed with their eyes shut
right up against the set wall. Louvart
swapped sources out for the filming,
replacing Enizooms with two 5Ks and
cutters to light the wall panels on the set.
In Meeting Hall, she replaced a
frontal bank of PCs and Enizooms with
a wall of diffusion lit by 5Ks to prevent
multiple shadows on line-ups of dancers
facing the audience.
The films finale, Full Moon, is a
spectacular water dance that is staged
next to a giant boulder. Jacon explains
that water pipes above rained down
8,000 liters [2,113 gallons] of heated
water, creating a river onstage. The chal-
lenge was to light falling water against a
black background. We put everything
we had to backlight and toplight the
water, recalls Louvart. Three 10Ks, four
5Ks and four banks of Par 64s above and
behind created a dramatic setting for the
rain-soaked dancers, with a minimum of
frontlight and half a dozen Enizoom
sidelights. The lighting ambience
required carefully flagging the lights to
allow for individual variations on the
front and back of the stage, and on the
river and boulder. The resulting
sequence is kinetic and riveting, as
dancers run wild under brightly detailed
water in a dark setting.
A common problem in shooting
3-D occurs when polarized light from
reflections on glass, metal or water yields
different values for the camera behind
the half-silvered mirror than the one
above it. Louvart says her team varied
camera positions and lighting to mini-
mize the polarized effect on the wet set
floor, but the problem was finally
resolved in the digital grade by colorist
Moritz Peters, who patiently corrected
Immersive Dance
Top: Andrey Berezin and Ruth Amarante perform at another location. Bottom: Cristiana Morganti
joins Zeche Zollverein in a performance at an urban site.
the unequal reflections in the left and
right images.
Louvart recalls that another big
lighting challenge was shooting a duet
in a house with glass walls. She needed
a very strong, soft, frontal light to
balance the sunny exterior, and ended
up using two 12Ks and three 6Ks with
the lenses off, bouncing them into the
ceiling.
The style of the mise-en-scne was
radically different inside the theater and
out. Wenders and Garnier prepared a
rigorous shot list for the stage perfor-
mances, detailing the camera angle of
view and Technocrane position using an
alphanumerical grid of the stage that was
accompanied by timing cues. The two
sat in a control booth during the perfor-
mances, communicating with the crew
by headsets.
By contrast, Widmers exterior
shoots were fairly improvised. Wim did
an incredible job of choosing the right
locations, but once we were there he let
things happen, recalls Widmer. He can
deal with the unexpected in an incredibly
creative way. If a plan turns out not to be
possible, he can quickly decide to do
something [else] that somehow ends up
even better.
Both Louvart and Widmer were
given special framing instructions by the
3-D specialists. With a laugh, Widmer
says, They all started with rules that
Immersive Dance
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54
Rainer Behr performs on location. The filmmakers spent one week of the 4-week shoot
capturing the dancers performing at sites in and around Wuppertal.
limited you. Dont do this! Dont do
that! But I enjoyed working with them
a lot.
One 3-D rule that was often
discussed was edge violation, which
occurs when an object designed to be in
front of the screen is masked by the edge
of the frame, creating contradictory
signals for the viewers eye. The edge of
frame in 2-D is completely different
from 3-D, where cutting someones
shoulder or hair can become very
important because it doesnt feel right,
says Louvart. She qualifies that you can
have something on the edge if its dark.
Widmer recalls that when a transparent
curtain once approached the edge of the
frame, the instruction was to lose it
quickly.
We broke rules all the time,
confesses Derobe.
Garnier notes that foreground
violators can be moved in post: We can
get them out of the conflict zone, but
then you also end up reducing the
depth. Derobe recalls that he spent
time in post trying to hide foreground
chairs on the bottom of the frame in
Caf Mller, but Wenders objected.
After seeing the finished film, Derobe
agreed with the directors choice.
All of Pinas exteriors were shot
using available light, according to
Widmer. We tried to shoot in back-
light as much as possible, and we would
add bounce boards and white sheets, but
no lighting, he says.
He had to adapt to the cameras
continually moving on his Steadicam
rig. There were five motors working at
once, two each for focus and iris and one
for IA. The IA was changed in every
shot as I moved closer to or farther from
the dancers. That changed my center of
gravity, so I had to figure out how to
place the motors and so on so that when
the IA changed, it didnt interfere with
my balance.
By all accounts Wenders
succeeded in uniting the two cultures of
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dance and cinema. Jacon recalls, It was
a gift for me to work with Hlne and
Wim, and to see the two ensembles
work together.
Wim Wenders is a hard worker,
but he is also very open and very gener-
ous, says Josephine Derobe. The
shoot was in his image. We were a
family.
To hear our Berlinale podcast,
which includes an interview with
Wenders about Pina, visit www.the
asc.com/ac_magazine/podcasts.
55
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
3-D Digital Capture
Sony HDC-1500, HDC-P1,
PMW-EX3
Zeiss DigiPrime
D
irector of photography Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC
was a bit apprehensive when he learned that The Help, a
drama set in Mississippi in 1962, would be filmed on
location at the height of the states summer heat. But
nothing truly prepared him or his collaborators for the 110F
temperatures and 100-percent humidity that gripped
Airing
Dirty
Laundry
Southern maids go public with
their grievances in The Help, shot
by Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC.
By Jean Oppenheimer
|
Mississippi during the 2010 shoot. One
stroke of good fortune was that most of
the story takes place indoors, primarily
in the antebellum mansions where the
wealthy, white characters reside and in
the small, neat shacks where two of their
servants, Aibileen (Viola Davis) and
Minny (Octavia Spencer), eke by.
Best friends, Aibileen and Minny
have been in service all their lives. When
Skeeter (Emma Stone), one of the
young, white women they have served,
decides to write a book from the domes-
tics point of view, the shockwaves rever-
berate throughout the town.
Set in Jackson, The Help was
filmed almost entirely in the nearby city P
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Opposite: Like
other Southern
maids toiling in
Mississippi during
the 1960s,
Aibileen Clark
(Viola Davis)
endures rampant
racism and
condescension.
This page, top: In
a gesture of
patronizing
civility,
manipulative
socialite Hilly
Holbrook (Bryce
Dallas Howard)
solicits a round of
applause for
maids working a
charity event.
Middle: When her
own maid reveals
embarrassing
details in a tell-all
book, Hilly hits
the roof. Bottom:
Cinematographer
Stephen
Goldblatt, ASC,
BSC checks the
light on location.
Airing Dirty Laundry

of Greenwood. With the exception of
interior scenes set in Aibileen and
Minnys respective homes, the film was
shot at practical locations, including
two mid-19th century estates. Stephen
nearly swooned when he walked into
Skeeters house for the first time,
laughs production designer Mark
Ricker. One look at the massive stair-
case and [30'x40'] dining room, and he
fell in love.
To take advantage of the best
natural light, the filmmakers initially
planned to shoot day interiors during
the morning and exteriors in the late
afternoon, but as the July start date
approached and the temperatures
climbed, the weather patterns changed.
Storm clouds gathered in the afternoon,
upping the humidity and turning the
sky a steel gray. The sunrises, on the
other hand, were invariably beautiful,
with gorgeous light for the first two
hours of the day, recalls Goldblatt. He
suggested to director Tate Taylor and
the producers that they flip the schedule
whenever possible and start day exteri-
ors just after dawn, leaving the interior
scenes for the afternoon.
One of the films most striking
shots shows Skeeter coming in her front
door, crossing the expansive foyer,
running up two flights of stairs, and
then walking across the landing to her
mothers bedroom. Goldblatt envisaged
it as a single shot, with the camera
bringing Stone through the door,
Top: Aibileen hovers
on the periphery as
Hilly and her friends
gossip about Celia
Foote, another local
wife. Middle: After
accepting a job offer
from Celia (Jessica
Chastain), who readily
admits shes hopeless
in the kitchen, Minny
(Octavia Spencer)
touts the many uses
of Crisco. Bottom: In
gratitude for Minnys
service, friendship and
cooking lessons, Celia
prepares a feast for
her maid.
Stephen nearly
swooned when
he walked
into Skeeters
house for the
first time.
pulling back as she crosses to the bottom
of the stairs, and then executing a
straight vertical move, while also rotat-
ing, as she runs up the steps. I needed a
hydraulic column, as it were, with a
remote camera on top that could do 360
degrees, he says. [That] would allow us
to achieve the shot without cutting.
A-camera/Steadicam operator
Will Arnot suggested a MAT
Towercam. Its lens-height range is 5-
15 feet, just a tad over the low height we
wanted to begin with and just shy of our
finishing height, says Arnot. Our key
grip, Charlie Saldaa, and dolly grip,
Andy Crawford, figured out a way to
mount the Towercam onto a Chapman
Hybrid Dolly and thus achieve our
desired finishing height. (The rig was
placed on a dance floor. Extra bracing
kept the column from swaying when the
dolly was moved, and a gyrostabilized
head eliminated vibration at the top
height.)
The Towercam is typically used
for live events, such as rock concerts and
awards ceremonies, so its a bit unusual
to ask it to carry the weight of a 35mm
motion-picture camera complete with a
4:1 zoom, remote focus and zoom
controls, notes Arnot.
The Towercam arrived with a
remote head that was too small to work
Top: Despite her
employers
callous attitudes,
Aibileen bonds
with the familys
daughter. Middle:
As a girl, Eugenia
Skeeter Phelan
(Lila Rogers)
enjoys a close
relationship with
her familys maid,
Constantine
(Cicely Tyson).
Bottom: Years
later, Skeeter
(Emma Stone) is
distraught after
Constantine
leaves her job for
reasons that
remain unclear.
with the camera, a Panaflex Millennium
XL, and the Libra Head that was
shipped in overnight was unable to
execute a full 360-degree pan, so
Crawford manually rotated the dolly in
order to complete the pan. Meanwhile,
1st AC Larry Huston was pulling focus
while running backwards up two flights
of stairs just behind Stone, using a 3"
monitor attached to his Preston FI+Z
radio focus control. Executing this
complicated shot required pinpoint
accuracy and flawless teamwork, and
Goldblatt is unstinting in his praise of
his crew, many of whom have worked
with him for years.
This and all other day interiors
were lit from outside through the
windows. Large HMIs, usually 18Ks,
were placed on Condors or, as was the
case at Skeeters house, on scaffolding.
Fill inside was provided by a bit of
hidden bounce a 2.5K HMI on a
tall stand on the upper landing bounc-

Top: Skeeter interviews Aibileen and Minny after convincing them they should share their stories.
Bottom: Both maids fear their candor will have dire consequences.
ing off the white ceiling, with the doors
pretty closed up, says Goldblatt.
Asked about lighting the
predominantly female cast, he notes,
Most of them were so young you could
do virtually anything, and the more
mature ones werent the sort who would
ask for a vanity light. He put diffusion
on all the lights but never used a filter.
The lights would be shining through a
silk or Grid Cloth, and in front of that
would be a control grid, he explains.
Control grids have been around for
about 10 years, but I find I enjoy using
them more and more. They prevent the
light from going everywhere, so you get
directional, soft light. Its the best of
both worlds. When an even softer look
was required, the light was bounced into
white foamcore and then through Grid
Cloth.
The only time actual sunlight was
used for a day interior was a scene show-
ing Skeeter applying for a job at the
local newspaper. Even then, 18Ks on
Condors were required once the sun
moved around the building. It was so
hot that day that each HMI ballast was
accompanied by its own air-conditioner
and fan. Fortunately, wed done a test a
few days earlier and realized the ballasts
werent able to self-cool, recalls Colin
Campbell, Goldblatts longtime gaffer.
Overheated equipment was a
huge issue on this shoot, he continues.
If you have to turn off a really hot
HMI to move it, for example its
almost impossible to restart. It takes a
long time for them to cool down
enough to use again. I had six 18Ks but
tried never to use more than four at a
time, so we always had a couple of
spares to trade out.
In terms of the picture,
Goldblatts biggest concern was finding
the right balance between the actors
black and white faces. This was particu-
larly true for scenes that show Aibileen
interacting with Baby Girl, the blond,

Right: Skeeters
family reacts to a
news report about
a slain civil-rights
leader. Below:
Aibileen and Minny
convince other
maids to come
forward
and talk.
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fair-skinned tyke she babysits. I was
constantly concerned with getting
enough light on Viola but not
overlighting the child, says the cine-
matographer. Pairing Aibileen with
pale, redheaded Hilly (Bryce Dallas
Howard) presented similar problems.
Goldblatt notes, The trick is to light
the black actor and keep as much light
as possible off the white actor. Theres
usually enough ambient light that a
white face has sufficient exposure.
Occasionally Id have a small lamp
bouncing into some muslin on the floor.
One reason I chose [Kodak] Vision3
stocks [500T 5219 and 200T 5213] is
that they have so much latitude in the
shadows.
The productions footage was
processed by Deluxe Laboratories, and
EFilm generated HD dailies and
handled the digital intermediate.
Goldblatt requested that dailies be
projected every day, and that the editor,
director, gaffer, script supervisor and I
watch them together so that we were all
working in unison, he says. Thats so
much better than everybody watching
dailies in their hotel rooms and then
having a mutter about them when we
meet the next morning.
In the dailies, the team noticed a
slow flicker in the image that appeared
only in scenes set in two of the films
four kitchens. We tried everything
changing the stock [5213], changing
the camera, changing the generators
but nothing helped, reports Goldblatt.
The problem arrived and disappeared
without rhyme or reason, and neither
Kodak nor Deluxe could explain it.
Fortunately, it was such a slow pulse that
when the film was cut together, it wasnt
visible.
Dense with characters and
dialogue, the screenplay (adapted by
Taylor from Kathryn Stocketts best-
selling novel) was 150 pages long.
What really helped us get through the
script on time was that Tate did no

Top: Large lights
mounted on
cranes provide
nighttime
ambience.
Bottom: Key
grip Charlie
Saldaa (left)
and loader
Blake Alcantara
help to deploy a
MAT Towercam
for a shot that
follows Skeeter
up two flights
of stairs.
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more than two or three takes, says
Goldblatt. Another important factor
was that during prep, he and Taylor
decided what coverage they absolutely
had to get and what they could let slide.
I think the editor, Hughes Winborne,
was a bit nervous at first about how little
coverage we were doing, says the cine-
matographer, chuckling. He relaxed
when he realized there was a plan
that we werent just missing [material]
because wed run out of time!
As usual, Goldblatt turned to
Phil Radin at Panavisions Woodland
Hills headquarters when putting
together the camera package: a Panaflex
Platinum, two Millennium XLs, Primo
prime lenses (ranging from 17.5 to
100mm), 1.4x and 2x extenders, and
two Primo zooms, a 4:1 (17.5-75mm)
and an 11:1 (24-275mm). Goldblatt
avoids using multiple cameras whenever
possible, and only added a second one
for a ballroom sequence.
The ballroom scene presented
the films most complicated lighting
setup, according to Campbell. It was a
practical interior, and the camera had to
be able to move 360 degrees at any time,
so all the lighting had to be done from
overhead. It was 108F outside and [felt
nearly as] hot inside. My rigging gaffer,
Erik Bernstein, hung the standard pipe
truss, and then I did something Id never
done before: I used Kino Flo Image 85s
to light the entire room. I used 40 of
them, all through Roscoe Light Frost;
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I think the
editor was a bit
nervous at first
about how little
coverage we
were doing.
they were rigged to remote chain
motors and then connected to a dimmer
board. They kept the heat down and
gave us enough light. It was a great
learning experience for me.
When the budget precluded
renting a Technocrane for more than a
couple of days, Goldblatt opted for an
old Chapman Super Nova that the
production could keep for the entire
shoot at the same price. One of the shots
for which it was used is the last shot of
the film: Aibileen leaves her employers
house and walks down the road and into
the distance. I wanted the light to be
beautiful because I figured the shot
would be used for end credits, and it
was, says Goldblatt. I use all these elec-
tronic aids for predicting sunlight and
length of shadows, and I knew we had
to shoot at 4 p.m. any earlier and the
road would have been too hot.
The crane tracks back from the
front door, down the driveway and then
down the street. Arnot and Huston were
seated at the end of the arm, with the
Steadicam hard-mounted to a Mitchell
camera mount via a Garfield plate. Even
with the electric motor, there was a bit of
vibration from the road and a very slight
movement within the frame. We didnt
see it in dailies, but we did when we put
in titles, says Goldblatt. So we digitally

Director Tate Taylor and Stone share a light moment between takes.
stabilized [the shot] in post.
Goldblatt notes that an increas-
ingly important part of his process is
getting the colorslocked down before
we even start shooting. During prep, I
took photographs of the sets, used
Photoshop to color correct them and
[shots from] the hair and makeup tests,
and then sent the files to [EFilm dailies
colorist] Benny Estrada, who used them
as a reference when timing the dailies. If
we start creating a look in prep, we can
hit the ground running once shooting
begins.
Joachim Zell, EFilms vice presi-
dent of imaging science and remote
services, notes that EFilms Colorstream
Photo system for DSLR cameras was
designed expressly for Goldblatt.
Another proprietary EFilm process,
CinemaScan Dailies, allowed the trans-
fer of color-correction metadata from
the dailies through to the DI. The
material was logged and tracked against
the key frames of the film negative,
explains Goldblatt, so that when the
negative was cut and the film locked,
the dailies color corrections were already
in place and were used as a starting value
for the final grade. All the work wed
done during the shoot was available for
[DI colorist] Steve Scott, so he had a
damn good idea of the look we
intended.
Goldblatt notes that Scott is
another longtime collaborator he was
able to tap on The Help. We have a
close relationship, and he pretty much
knows what I want before I do, which is
very helpful.
When it comes to filmmaking, he
observes, I dont like to gamble with
people or luck. Making films is so
fraught with problems, you might as
well control the things you can.
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67
looking for locations, wed have lunch in this little caf, and
the placemats read Wet Mountain Valley Caf. Now, [when]
they picked this location, nobody wondered why it was called
that. Well, Ill tell you why: at 12 p.m. every day, these electri-
cal storms would descend on you like some sort of nightmare
every single day. We also discovered that the valley was
filled with rattlesnakes. We shot there for weeks and had to
deal with the weather and rattlesnakes.
Stephen Burum, ASC experienced scouting his own
locations early in his career, including when he directed and
shot second unit on Apocalypse Now (AC Feb. 01). Needing a
certain kind of terrain for shooting pass-bys of Willards boat
going up the river, he used topographical maps to give him an
idea of where to go, and then did two weeks of scouting by
helicopter. Another unusual scouting effort involved a musi-
cal television show starring Ann-Margret that he shot in
Sweden for producer/director David Winters. Unfamiliar
I
did nothing but location movies for the first part of my
career, says Gordon Willis, ASC. Regarding Comes a
Horseman, starring Jane Fonda, he says, [It was] a
beautiful location at the foothills of the Rocky
Mountains. We built her house out there on a flat. While
TipsOn
Location
Scouting
TipsOn
Location
Scouting
Location professionals and
cinematographers illuminate
the importance of choosing good
locations.
By Ira Tiffen
|
with Sweden and lacking time to scout
locations, Burum and Winters picked
postcards with appealing settings at the
airport shops upon their arrival. An
SAS airline rep helped them make the
necessary arrangements to reach the
sites.
Whether youre telling a story in a
feature, commercial or TV show, it has
to take place in a suitable environment.
At times the solution is to build a set in
a studio, but most motion-picture
projects involve at least some work on
real locations. Its less common today for
cinematographers themselves to seek
out locations, but there is much they
need to know about making suitable
selections. And, as Willis points out,
there are many considerations when
looking for and evaluating the right
locations for a production. As the indus-
try has evolved, this has become the
professional specialty of the location
scout and the location manager, who
work under the art director/production
designer.
Lori Balton is a founding
member and the current president of the
Location Managers Guild of America.
She has worked as a scout on produc-
tions helmed by numerous A-list direc-
tors, among them Michael Mann,
Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese.
She explains, We started the LMGA
because the way our job evolved
made us the proverbial red-headed
stepchild. When the industry started,
anybody could find the locations, and
the assignation of the job was a very
random thing. Over the years, weve
developed a lot of skills, but I think
many people dont really understand
what it is that we do.
Balton says that when she worked
on Rob Reiners Ghosts of Mississippi, she
spotted a house that was suitable for the
films main location as she was driving
down a street in Los Angeles one day.
The initial plan was to use the location
only for exteriors and build the interiors
onstage, but when Reiner and the cine-
matographer, John Seale, ASC, ACS,
arrived at the location, Balton encour-
aged them to reconsider. I said, I know
youre planning to build it onstage, but
this house is just so magical and evoca-
tive, can you humor me and have a look
at the inside? They took one look
inside and agreed with her.
Location professionals fall into
two key categories. Location scouts do
the initial searching and finding, and
location managers handle the subse-
quent logistics. Balton thinks of the two
categories as left-brain and right-brain
functions. There are very few people P
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Opposite page: Location manager Albert Epps enjoys the more idyllic aspects of his job as he walks a beach while scouting for t he TV
series Cougartown. This page: During a commercial shoot in Brentwood, Calif., Epps and the production team were temporarily stymied by
a massive tree that fell across a road. He recalls, We had to run around the neighborhood and find some gardeners to chop off enough
[branches] so we could get cars and people [through].
who are very, very good at both, she
notes. Generally people are either
better managers or better scouts, better
with the logistics or better with the
creative side.
After working as an actor for 20
years, Tony Salome got into location
managing around 1989. He is currently
a location manager on NCIS: Los Angeles
for CBS, and he is also the first vice
president of the LMGA. He describes
what he considers important abilities for
a good location manager or scout:
Obviously, you need to have photogra-
phy skills [and] a good eye [so you can]
look at a place and photograph it in a
manner that is representative of what
you see. You also have to have computer
skills and editing skills so you can
present those photos to other people.
You have to be a salesman. You have to
have knowledge of geography, architec-
ture and design. You have to be a detec-
tive, because many times youre looking
for something that no one else has
found.
Salome notes that although he
doesnt choose locations, he has influ-
ence over the decisions. I know that if I
dont show a certain location, [it] will
never get used. On the other hand, if I
show a location, theres a chance theyre
going to use it.
He observes that location
managing for a TV series as opposed to
a feature film is the same process, but
done much faster. We do a new episode
every eight days action, adventure,
car chases, explosions, gun battles, all on
the streets of L.A. The shows loca-
tions, he adds, are really postcards for
Southern California. We shoot a lot of
iconic locations, such as the Griffith
Observatory, the Santa Monica Pier
and the Hollywood Bowl. The city is
our backdrop.
As a former actor, Salome
compares casting directors to location
scouts and managers. Casting directors
[work] to find just the right actor, and
location managers work to find a loca-
tion that can play an integral role in the
story. Regarding cinematographers, he
adds, locations are a lot like actors: a
good director of photography can make
them all look better. Theres a nice rela-
tionship between what our cinematog-
rapher does [and] what we do.
Tips On Location Scouting

Top left: While scouting for a soft-drink commercial
in Los Angeles, photographer and location scout
Barbara J. Miller (pictured at right) snapped this
view from the roof of the old May Company
building on Broadway south of 8th Street. Bottom
left: Miller took this shot while working on a car
commercial. She notes that the director asked her
to crop to approximate the 16:9 aspect ratio, and
to include a silver car to suggest his preferred
color to the ad agency.
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Victor Hammer, the cinematog-
rapher on NCIS: Los Angeles , explains,
Tony sees the script before [I do], and
he talks over the locations with the show
runner and the director. I dont get to
the locations until way after theyre
scouted. My job is to make them work.
Before we started shooting the
show [three years ago], I talked to the
location team about my needs in terms
of the visuals: windows, natural light
sources, a little bit of space to work in
and reflective surfaces. So when Tony
sees a mirror or a lot of windows at a
location, hes going to say, Thats the
kind of location Victor would like.
Scouting has been called the
creative side of locations; managing is
considered the practical side. But some-
times you have to be creative at manag-
ing, too. Albert Epps is a location
manager for ABCs Cougartown. His
rsum also includes feature and
commercial work. Having done this for
so long, I know that cinematographers
like to shoot into the sun, he says. If
theres [no other] preference for one
location over another, and one favors
shooting into the sun, thats usually the
one I choose.
My advice [for the cinematogra-
pher] is that if the project requires
special equipment, bring that to the
location managers attention early on,
he adds.
Epps cites a commercial shoot in
Brentwood as an example of managing
the unexpected. [We] scouted the loca-
tion, and the logistics were good. We
opened up the set at 5 a.m. and discov-
ered the wind [had blown] down this
monster tree, and it completely blocked P
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For an
investment-
company ad that
traced the real
journey of a
client who had
fought in France,
Germany and
Luxembourg
during World
War II, the
director asked
Miller to find a
town that looked
as if it had barely
survived the war.
While scouting in
France, Miller
took these
atmospheric
photos of the
Citadel at
Montmedy,
which dates back
to 1221. During
the 16th century,
the original
structure was
replaced by a
fortress that was
used in both
World Wars.
the road. We had to run around the
neighborhood and find some gardeners
to chop off enough [branches] that we
could get cars and people [through].
Sometimes, its not Natures fault
when things dont go as planned.
Burum notes, Maybe youve secured
the location, you think everythings
okay, and then you get there and
discover that the wonderful fountains
that you planned to have working in the
background are shut down because
theyre being cleaned that day its the
one day a year they clean the fountains.
So then you need somebody there with
a fistful of hundred-dollar bills!
For a feature film, scouting can
take months. For a TV series, it can take
a few days each week throughout a
season. Scouting time for commercials
often ranges from a couple of days to a
week.
Barbara Miller is an L.A.-based
location scout who works extensively in
commercials. She started with a back-
ground in art and a love of traveling. A
location scout who was a friend-of-a-
friend offered Miller a job and
mentored her during her early efforts.
Miller tries planning her day so that she
photographs a location to its best
advantage. One location might be
better at magic hour, whereas another
will have her there really early in the
morning.
Remarking on the differences
among directors, she notes, Some
directors draw their own storyboards
and say, If you could find this this
ideal landscape, the way the jagged
mountains are in the background, and
[with] plenty of room in the foreground
to run the 700 head of longhorn cattle
with lightning and thunder .
Another director I work for shoots a lot
of digital video, and he likes me to
present my photos with something
close to an HD aspect ratio.
Regardless of the type of produc-
tion, typical scheduling requires the
location scout to work with the director
and sometimes the producer often

For a Cars.com
commercial, Epps
helped find a
location where the
production could
stage an explosive
stunt.
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before the cinematographer is even
hired. Willis notes, Most cinematogra-
phers are hired way too late. By the time
you get there, the designer or art direc-
tor has been running around for two
months. When he discovered prob-
lems in such situations, he notes, he
would start eliminating things. Im an
eliminator by nature. I dont add; I elim-
inate. If youre having problems, you
should take something out, not put
something in.
Willis provides an example: You
have to shoot at 5 a.m., and you get
ready to shoot only to find that the art
department is waiting for this special
truck to arrive that they want to put in
the background. Well, you need to start
shooting in 20 minutes, so you might
recommend simply eliminating the
truck.
Douglas Dresser is a location
manager and scout focusing primarily
on features. He says, I worked on Kill
Bill with Bob Richardson [ASC], and
for driving shots in the desert, he was
very clear. He said, We cant have any
highways that are on a north-south
axis, only east-west. Dresser soon
found that there were no highways
with the desired orientation in the area
where they planned to shoot. The film-
makers had to either drive 60 miles to
find a highway that worked, or spend
more time working with the natural
light to achieve the desired effect. I
think we did a combination of both,
recalls Dresser. Something as simple as
a driving shot becomes a huge deal if
youre traveling in the wrong direction.
Dresser tells another Kill Bill
road story: We were doing back-
ground plates for three or four nights
[in Mexico]. We wanted to [drive
through] the town, but they had speed
bumps. We had guys out in front of the
camera cars chiseling speed bumps
from the streets of this small town so
we could go blasting through! He
notes that the production obtained the
towns permission for this in advance,
and the team repaired the speed bumps
when they were finished.

Top: Urban locations photographed by Lori Balton (top) and Tony Salome (bottom)
demonstrate their eye for ambience.
The most important
thing for the
cinematographer is
where the sun is on
the location.
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Burum has a few observations
about roads. [When] shooting on a
highway, you have to make sure that
traffic can be stopped, that you have a
place to park your equipment, and that
you can turn around at either end. [If]
youre on a mountain road and there
arent suitable turnouts, you have to tell
the director, Were going to have to
drive 5 miles to turn around. Do you
want to do that?
Every choice on a shoot contains
some kind of compromise, Burum
continues. There are artistic, practical
and political considerations. Nothing is
perfect. You have to be very quick on
your feet and very adaptable; you have
to remember what the scene is about
and what you need to accomplish.
If youre going to build a set
somewhere, you have to make sure the
local lumber yard or hardware store
[has] the materials you need, he
continues. Then there are city services
or county services police, security,
and fire and traffic departments. All
those details have to be taken care of.
But the most important thing
for the cinematographer is where the
sun is on the location what the sun
angle is at the time of year youre going
to shoot and what the weather is in
the area, he emphasizes. If youre

To help create this interesting situation, Epps found an appropriate street corner in downtown L.A.
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77
shooting by the ocean, you have to get
tide tables. [If] you scout three or four
months ahead, you have to remember
that what youre seeing is going to
[change] with the seasons. People often
forget about that.
Willis notes that clear and effec-
tive communication is key. A lot of
people worry that theyll get in trouble
if they say something, but they get in
more trouble if they notice a problem or
potential problem and dont say some-
thing. Ive always been kind of pushy
about how and where something should
be shot.
On the ideal relationship
between the location professional and
the cinematographer, Dresser observes,
Im currently working with Tom Stern
[ASC, AFC], who is fantastic about
finding the reality in a location, about
finding the magic in it, and about giving
input on what works and what doesnt.
Its always a pleasure to work with
somebody who doesnt just say, This
wont work, but instead tells you exactly
what hes looking for and why. That
benefits the project in the long run.
One thing thats really helped us
in our communication with the cine-
matographer is the advent of digital
libraries, adds Dresser. Even if the
cinematographer is not yet on the job,
he can review some of our potential
locations and provide input.
Some have expressed concern
that such libraries might one day make
location scouts redundant, but generic
images of a location cannot replace the
storytellers eye. Though there are
professional similarities among the
people who contributed to this article,
each brings a uniquely personal vision
to his job.
Ultimately, says Balton, location
professionals exist to help the director
and cinematographer define the story
and the characters, and the right loca-
tions can mean the difference between
mediocre and magnificent results.
Location
professionals exist to
help the director and
cinematographer
define the story and
the characters.

Cinelicious Invests in Films Future
By Jay Holben
Opening a boutique post house with a focus on film projects
could be perceived as risky in this day and age, but Paul Korver, the
principal officer at Cinelicious in Hollywood, believes now is the
perfect time to invest in film. So many people believe all the
progress is happening in digital and that no one is innovating in film,
but that couldnt be further from the truth, he says. Todays film
stocks are better, and todays film-scanning technology allows us to
really get the absolute best out of the negative, which is especially
important with the coming of 4K theatrical projection.
Located in a hip, industrial environment on Melrose Avenue,
a few blocks west of Paramount Studios, Cinelicious currently offers
one color room a Baselight system connected to a Spirit Datacine
and a state-of-the-art Scanity 4K digital film scanner but a 4K DLP
projection DI theater with a 25' screen was nearing completion at
press time.
Digital Film Technologys Scanity is the star of the facilitys
workflow. Capable of scanning at 4K at 15 fps, and offering a
dynamic range of 3.1-3.3 density, the Scanity features an LED lamp
source, a Time Delay Integration line sensor and dedicated Field-
Programmable Gate-Array image processing.
The Scanity is a sprocketless, tension-driven system, utilizing
computer-controlled positioning driven by a photographic sensor
that locks each frame in place within 6 microns (the size of one 4K
pixel), delivering pin-registration accuracy without ever penetrating a
perf. This combination of gentleness and accuracy makes the Scan-
ity ideal for not only visual-effects and feature-DI scanning, but also
archival and restoration work, which often involves delicate materi-
als. (Cinelicious also offers a temperature-controlled vault for the
proper storage of nitrate film materials.)
The Scanity has a 16mm gate that is prepared for 16mm,
Super 16mm and Ultra 16; the latter uses a wide area of regular
16mm (into the perfs) to create an organic 1.85:1 aspect ratio with-
out requiring the lens recentering that is necessary when converting
16mm cameras to Super 16mm. The scanner can also accommo-
date 2-perf, 3-perf and 4-perf 35mm and 8-perf 35mm VistaVision.
Post Focus
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Cinelicious is a boutique post house that serves film and digital projects but is particularly focused on film. Todays film
stocks are better, and todays film-scanning technology allows us to really get the absolute best out of the negative, enthuse s the
companys principal officer, Paul Korver.
In choosing a scanner, I wanted the
best technology possible, and we took
about a year to find the Scanity, says
Korver. We created a roll of test film that
had resolution charts up to 250 line-pairs
per millimeter, which is way beyond the
range of any scanners [in the 80-150 lp/mm
range], and created density wedges from 0
to 4, in addition to shooting registration
charts at Panavision Hollywood. I wanted to
create a film loop that would push any scan-
ner to the absolute limit of what it could do.
Then we graded the results based on reso-
lution, registration and dynamic range.
Registration and resolution were on
par with other high-end, pin-registered
scanners, but what blew us away about the
Scanity was its dynamic range, Korver
continues. Kodak Vision3 stocks have 3.1-
3.3 density range; all other scanners were
hovering around 2.3 density, but the Scan-
ity came in at 3.3. This should be great news
for cinematographers who want all that
information to play with in their DI.
Korver got his start in the business by
creating Fifty Foot Films, a company that
filmed special events on 35mm, 16mm and
Super 8mm. Shortly after opening the
doors, Korver had teams shooting private
events all around the country, but he was
frustrated by post facilities insistence on all-
digital workflows. I was looking for a post
house that could simply telecine straight to
ProRes files, and back in 2008 I couldnt find
anyone, he recalls. Everyone wanted to
go to tape first and then charge us for digi-
tizing the tape to ProRes. Instead, we
bought an Ursa Diamond telecine, hired a
colorist and offered our post workflow in a
high-end studio we built in my garage,
which is how Cinelicious was born.
Cinelicious began taking on outside
clients, and was soon receiving film and
hard drives from productions all around the
world. We set up a pipeline that allowed
us to offer ColorCast Live sessions, which
streamed the color session over the Internet
with live Flash Encoding so that the client
could watch the session from anywhere in
the world, he says. We started getting
requests for agency-supervised finishing at
the studio, but I was reluctant given the
location. I knew we had to evolve to a new
space to be truly client friendly.
Korver soon moved the work out of
Top: Cinelicious
1960s-inspired
lobby. Middle:
The facilitys color
room boasts a
FilmLight Baselight
system, which is
connected to a
Spirit Datacine and
Scanity 4K digital
film scanner.
Bottom: The
Scanity (left) is the
star of the
facilitys workflow.
his garage and into the full-service facility
on Melrose Avenue. Just as he wished,
Cinelicious works off of a completely data-
centric workflow, forgoing tape rooms for a
large SAN server and Quantum LTO-5 robot
for backup and storage.
Cinelicious feels like a high-end
commercial post house, and indeed,
commercials are a part of the companys
client base, but the facility caters to inde-
pendent and studio productions as well.
Two years ago, fewer than 10 features
had a 4K finish, and they were all $100
million productions, says Korver. Now,
with the Scanity and our streamlined post
workflow, we can bring the cost of a 4K DI
down into the range of $20 million produc-
tions, maybe even $10 million productions.
We dont shy away from all-digital
filmmakers, he adds. We just happen to
really, really love film. With artists who are
passionate about image making, you dont
hear, I want to make film look like digital!
You hear, I want digital to look like film.
We are dedicated to supporting
filmmakers at the highest level, no matter if
the tool of choice is film or digital, 2-D or 3-
D. Other people might say were crazy for
investing in film at all, but I say were blaz-
ing a trail for cinematographers to get the
most out of their images.
Cinelicious, 5735 Melrose Ave., Los
Angeles, CA, 90038, phone: (323) 464-
3700, website: http://cinelicious.tv/.
Facility News
Studio 108 Opens New Facility
Studio 108 has opened the doors of
its new, integrated effects/animation/
production/post facility in Richmond, Va. It
has tripled its size with the move, which
coincides with the companys 10th anniver-
sary.
Studio 108 has built a reputation
as the regions go-to creative resource for
innovative and compelling commercials,
corporate media, music videos and films
that exceed our clients expectations with-
out going over budget, says Jack Hart-
mann, founder of Studio 108. Our expan-
sive new bi-level space in Manchester Flats
provides our team of multi-disciplined direc-
tors, writers, producers, editors, effects
artists, animators and mixers with an inspir-
ing open-architecture creative environment
that allows them to take our work to the
next level. It also offers our clients the kind
of over-the-top amenities that leave them
looking forward to coming back and work-
ing with us again.
Our goal was to create a truly full-
service creative environment that would
provide a seamless workflow, whether
clients call upon us to work with them on a
specific phase of their project, or take
advantage of the inherent cost effective-
ness of our one-stop concept through
completion capabilities, says Tyler Snidow,
director of business development for Studio
108. Once a client gives us the reins of
that first job, the benefits of working with
a team that approaches each project as a
unit and collaborates through every stage
of production become clear.
Among the new facilitys offerings
are three master suites, each featuring Final
Cut Pro, After Effects and Cinema 4D and
integrating editorial, motion graphics and
color-correction capabilities. Additionally,
the main level boasts a dedicated audio
suite outfitted with a sound booth, Pro
Tools, Final Cut Pro and After Effects.
The facility also houses a 20'x40'
live-action studio, which provides a
complete arsenal of equipment, including
HD and SD cameras, lighting packages, a
rolling greenscreen, grip equipment and a
set-fabrication workshop. Studio 108 also
offers two state-of-the-art remote vehicles,
which are fully equipped to accommodate
location shoots.
Our new space puts the industrys
most cutting-edge technology at the
fingertips of our team in a creative
haven where they can collaborate seam-
lessly, under one roof, says Hartmann.
Innovative problem solving supported by
strong client service in comfortable
surroundings where creativity flourishes
thats what the new Studio 108 is all
about.
For additional information, visit
www.studio108.com.
Codex Enables Pivotal Post
Los Angeles facility Pivotal Post,
which supplies state-of-the-art editorial
systems to film and television productions
worldwide, is using Codexs Digital Lab
system as the hub of its Digital Mobile Lab
service. The mobile workflow is designed
for backing up digital camera media,
processing dailies and preparing deliver-
ables for editorial and other post processes.
The service allows film and television
productions to perform on-set or on-loca-
tion much of the digital laboratory work
that formerly required a post facility.
Digital workflows have made
editorial a central part of production, often
in a near-set environment, says Sarah
Priestnall, Codex Digitals vice president for
market development. As a result, it is
natural that Pivotal Post should seek to
extend the support it provides to its Avid
rental customers by supplying them with
Codex equipment and workflow expertise.
We are excited to be a key part of this new
business initiative.
82
Pivotal Post CEO Kevin Hyman
enthuses that the Digital Mobile Lab is an
ideal solution for preparing dailies and deliv-
ering them to editorial. Its a perfect hand-
off, and Codex makes the best technology
for doing so. We couldnt be happier with
this relationship.
www.pivotalpost.com and www.codexdig
ital.com.
Company 3, Method Studios
Share 3-D Services
Company 3 and sister facility
Method Studios now offer clients a seam-
less workflow for stereoscopic 3-D feature-
film digital intermediates. Filmmakers have
the option to have any portion of left/right
eye alignment fixes addressed within
Methods dedicated stereography division.
When you work in stereo, there are
always certain discrepancies between the
two eyes, explains Steven Shapiro, lead
stereographer and director of software and
pipeline at Method. Shapiro, who has been
intricately involved in stereoscopic postpro-
duction for nearly a decade, notes that the
collaboration allows clients to maximize the
close relationship between both compa-
nies, which share a building on Santa
Monicas Arizona Ave. If any alignment
issues come up during grading, we can
literally walk down to Company 3s DI
theater, located within Methods Santa
Monica facility, ascertain the problem, fix it
and drop it back into the timeline while the
color-grading session continues, he says.
www.company3.com and www.method
studios.com.
Deluxe Acquires StereoD
Deluxe Entertainment Services
Group Inc. has closed on a definitive asset-
purchase agreement to acquire the busi-
ness assets of StereoD, LLC, a leading
provider of conversions of 2-D theatrical
content into stereoscopic 3-D imagery.
StereoDs 2-D to 3-D conversion credits
include Captain America: The First Avenger,
Thor and The Green Hornet.
StereoD has grown rapidly in a year
and a half, not only because of its propri-
etary VDX technology, but also because of
its proven ability to service its clients, says
ASC associate member Cyril Drabinsky,
president and CEO of Deluxe. They are a
perfect fit for Deluxe, both for StereoDs
traditional content business and in new
areas such as 3-D Blu-ray, 3-D TV channels,
3-D commercials and 3-D streaming
content.
William Sherak, president of
StereoD, will continue to run the business,
reporting to Drabinsky. StereoDs talent
pool of stereographers and graphic artists is
joining Deluxe as part of the transaction.
With StereoDs 2-D to 3-D workflow, and
Deluxe offering the full scope of all other
deliverables, this becomes a true one-stop
shop for our clients, says Sherak.
www.bydeluxe.com.
83
Assessing the Merits of 24-Frame Video Playback
By Monte Swann
Since the beginning of time, or at least since Howard the Duck
(1986), the first movie I ever worked on, TV monitors have been blue.
While preparing to shoot a scene in the apartment occupied by the
main character, Beverly (Lea Thompson), Richard H. Kline, ASC told
me to warm it up a little bit! The sets were built in a brutally cold
San Rafael warehouse, and most of us were gathered around
portable gas heaters or bundled up in Arctic gear. Rubbing my hands
together, I replied, Yeah, its really cold. Richard gave me an odd
look, then pointed to the TV and said, Its too blue. I looked down
at the TV and realized he was not commenting on the temperature
onstage, but was instead referring to the color temperature of the TV.
This was my first solo mission, and I had only been working
for Video Image, a pioneer in the burgeoning field of 24-frame video,
for a few months. I gave Richard a thumbs up, as if to say, I knew
that, and casually walked back to my playback machines. In those
days, 24-frame playback material was mastered on
3
4" U-Matic
cassettes containing two passes of the same material. The first pass
was corrected for tungsten (3,200K), and the second pass was
normal, or daylight (4,500K). I cued up the corrected pass and
hustled back out to the set.
The image on the TV was an unnerving shade of orange, but
when I viewed it through my 80B filter, it looked normal. I made a
few adjustments to the TV, set the exposure and, using a sync box on
the camera, rolled out the shutter. Richard checked it with his meter
and gave me the nod. Of course, I wouldnt really know if Id screwed
up until dailies were screened the next day, so I was nervous. As it
turned out, the monitor looked fine, and although I was feeling really
impressed with myself, no one else seemed to even notice they
commented on how good the actors and set looked, how moody the
lighting was or how sharp the focus was.
That, of course, is the way it should be: unless the color or
exposure is off, or if, God forbid, theres a shutter bar flickering across
the bottom of the screen, no one should notice the TV in the scene.
Today, although we have flat-screen LCD monitors, plasma
screens with fluorescent backlights, and DLP projectors with bright,
shimmering mirrors, things havent really changed much. The new
flat screens are really cool, but thats the problem: theyre really, really
cool. The old tube-type CRT televisions burned around 4,500K,
whereas the new flat screens burn anywhere from 6,000-14,000K
and are far greener than their predecessors.
The first time I worked with a plasma screen was on Enemy of
the State (1998). Everyone was excited about the new technology
and claimed it would all but eliminate the need for 24-frame video
sync. Keen to promote the worlds first flat-screen plasma TV in this
high-profile film, Phillips sent over a few of its soon-to-be-released
42" plasma screens. During prep, the director of photography, Dan
Mindel (future ASC), suggested we include the plasma in the camera
tests.
Using the standard correction tools of the time, a pre-recorded
tape corrected for 3,200K and an 80B filter, I adjusted the color on
the screen for tungsten light. No matter how much tweaking I did,
however, the color just didnt look right. I checked it with my Minolta
color meter, and, sure enough, the temperature was decidedly green.
This, of course, was the result of the fluorescent backlight. Using the
tint controls on the Phillips monitor, I was able to add enough
magenta so the image looked normal on the meter. But this new
technology had one other artifact to reveal. Because plasma screens
are not based on the scanning technology of CRT monitors, everyone
assumed it would not be necessary to feed it with a 24-frame video
source and sync it to the camera. This bit of misinformation revealed
itself all too clearly when our film test was screened the following day:
a rolling shutter bar could be seen floating down the plasmas massive
screen.
If anything, plasma technology has made the video engineers
job more challenging. Its still necessary to sync the screens to 24-
frame and color correct them. The real problem, however, is that most
plasma screens wont accept the oddball frequency generated by a
Filmmakers Forum
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Left: Though their newness was appealing, large plasma screens proved problematic during camera tests for Enemy of the State, so the
filmmakers chose to stick with older, reliable CRT technology for the movies many onscreen monitors. Right: Just a few years e arlier,
LCD technology was used for a variety of small screens in Demolition Man.
24-frame video system, and finding one
that will is always frustrating. As a result, all
the screens featured in Enemy of the State
were old, reliable CRT monitors, including
the video wall in NSA headquarters.
LCD technology was available at the
time we had used such screens exten-
sively a few years earlier on Demolition Man
(1993) but plasma was the only technol-
ogy available in a large-format screen.
LCD technology seemed almost fool-
proof at first, requiring only a standard 30-
frame video signal. The only downside at
the time was a very narrow sweet spot limit-
ing your angle of view. In a Demolition Man
scene that shows the prison warden (played
by Mark Colson) talking to Huxley (Sandra
Bullock) on a handheld device, it was neces-
sary to attach the screen to the actor and
the dolly with a C-stand arm to maintain its
angle to the camera. As the technology
advanced, the screens got better and larger,
but some of them revealed other problems.
The newer backlight units are increasingly
susceptible to the flicker and flutter similar
to that of an unregulated 50-cycle European
light source.
If you saw the latest Star Trek movie
(AC June 09), which offered me another
chance to collaborate with Dan Mindel, you
might remember the seamless video screen
that wrapped around the perimeter of the
bridge of the Enterprise. This was built from
a customized Orion display system using 16
42" plasma screens placed side by side. The
rest of the set was populated with dozens
of large LCD screens displaying the various
control surfaces of the ship. A few days
before filming was scheduled to begin, we
prepared to shoot a camera test on the
bridge. I balanced the color on all the moni-
tors by displaying a gray-scale chart on each
screen, then set the exposure and shot the
test. The LCD screens looked great, but
there was a major flicker rolling through the
plasma screens, even though we were feed-
ing them a 24-frame signal. This set was
designed around the plasmas, and they
couldnt be easily replaced.
After Dan and I discussed all our
options, he decided to use a 144-degree cut
shutter, one of the oldest tricks in the book;
it was the method used in the early days of
television to archive live TV shows on film.
The cut shutter eliminated the plasma
flicker, but it also caused many of the LCDs
to flicker. The only solution was to replace all
the LCDs with models using more tolerant
backlights.
With the advances in digital
compositing, some filmmakers are opting to
shoot greenscreen instead of a live image on
a monitor. Shooting a greenscreen elimi-
nates the need to make an immediate deci-
sion on the content of the image, but it also
limits the actors ability to interact with the
image. It also affects the scenes lighting:
instead of featuring the corrected light emit-
ted by the video screen, the scene is awash
with a pale-green glow that appears on
every reflective surface on the set. Of course,
this green spill has to be removed in post.
On Unstoppable (2010), the
command center for the company responsi-
ble for the runaway train featured hundreds
of flat-screen monitors. Director Tony Scott
and cinematographer Ben Seresin, BSC real-
ized early on that greenscreen playback was
out of the question because of the glass
partitions jutting into the set from all angles.
Tony prefers to use real locations and real
technology when he can. (Lets face it: noth-
ing looks more real than the real thing.) To
achieve the look he wanted, Ben used a mix
of sources, including Kino Flos and tungsten
lamps, and because the monitors were
featured in every shot, they were used as
sources as well. Color correction was critical,
and I spent many hours tweaking each
monitor until everything had the proper
balance. It worked well; nothing about the
monitors looked unusual.
The 24-frame video process has been
utilized with great effect in many films, and
it will likely continue to be a part of the
creative process on many more. If your next
project takes place in ancient Rome, you
wouldnt think twice about the need for
realistic wardrobe and set dressing. By the
same token, if your story takes place in CIA
headquarters or a broadcast-TV studio, why
would you second-guess the value of real-
time imagery?
Right: To balance the
color on all the plasma
and LCD monitors
featured on the bridge
of the Enterprise in the
latest Star Trek movie,
the author displayed a
gray-scale chart on each
screen, then set the
exposure and shot a test.
In this photo, the gray
scale appears on the row
of LCD monitors, which
are just below the
plasmas. Below: A frame
from the finished film
shows the final effect.
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October 24-30, 2011
Packstag Orlanoo: Octobr 24-26
LDlnstitut Octobr 24-3C
LD Pro|ction Mastr Classs: Octobr 26-27
Prossional Training: Octobr 27-3C
Exhibit Hall: Octobr 28-3C
Orang County Convntion Cntr
Orlanoo, FL
Envision.
BuiId.
Tech.
Go. www.Idishow.com
The onIy US tradeshow and conference specihcaIIy
for the Iive entertainment production industry
ProfessionaI training
The Iatest and best gear
The industry's Iargest US networking opportunity
t h e p o we r o f 1
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In association
with:
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Visit us throughout the year:
0`W\UW\U
2SaWU\BSQV\]Z]Ug
to Life
P+S Unveils X35
P+S Technik has intro-
duced the PS-Cam X35, a
robust digital camera that
combines sync-sound and
high-speed capabilities.
The PS-Cam X35s
design allows continuously
adjustable speed rates
from 1-450 fps, and the
camera boasts a dynamic
range of 11 T-stops. The
18 GB internal memory allows for more than four minutes of 24 fps
recording; a 36 GB memory upgrade is planned. The camera also
features two switchable HD-SDI interfaces in 1.5G and 3G for exter-
nal recording and monitoring.
The camera features a CMOS 35Digital sensor with a
21.1x11.9mm capture size for 1920x1080 full HD. It currently
features HD 4:2:2 10-bit uncompressed recording, but options are
in the works for 4:4:4 10-bit and raw 12-bit uncompressed. The
camera is also 3-D compatible and features time code in/out and
genlock in/out, as well as RS232, USB, GigE and planned WLAN
control.
Numerous IMS-mount adapters are available for the X35s
PS-IMS lens mount. Other accessories include a hand unit for remote
control, HD-SDI recorders, standard batteries and an electronic
viewfinder.
For additional information, visit www.pstechnik.de.
Flying-Cam III Takes Flight
Flying-Cam has introduced the Flying-Cam III, a.k.a. Special
Aerial Response Automatic Helicopter, an all-electric vertical-take-
off-and-landing miniature unmanned aerial system boasting 30
minutes of flight time. The system is the result of seven years of
R&D.
Incorporating efficient aerodynamics, innovative automatic
flight modes and modular interchangeable payloads in a portable,
New Products & Services
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.
quickly deployable system, SARAH boasts a new gyrostabilized
camera head that is integrated using motion-control technology for
repeatable moves. The head features automatic horizon leveling and
can hold cameras such as the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Red Epic, Sony
PMW-F3 and Panasonic AG-AF100. The system offers a heading
accuracy of 0.5 degrees and a DGPS boasting 2.5cm precision.
For additional information, visit www.flying-cam.com.
Oppenheimer Powers Alexa
Oppenheimer Camera Products has introduced the Alexa On-
Board Mains Power Supply, offering a
complete AC power solution for Arris
Alexa digital camera.
The device provides universal
world power capability from 90-264-
volt AC at 50/60Hz. It mounts
mechanically (not electrically) to the
Gold Mount or V-Mount battery plate;
electrically, it provides 28-volt DC
power from its outlet to the cameras
two-pin Fischer inlet with a custom
cable. If necessary, users can inter-
change the Power Supply mounting between Gold Mount and V
Mount. The system weighs less than 3 pounds and is cooled by a
quiet fan.
The Power Supply includes four accessory ports, supplying
one 14-volt outlet in the Arri-standard two-pin Lemo and three 28-
volt outlets in the Arri-standard three-pin Fischer. The total capacity
of the Power Supply is 250 watts, giving users more than 100 watts
of headroom over what the camera (and its own accessory ports)
might draw.
The system is housed in a custom enclosure that is powder
coated for durability. The main components are rated at more than
3 million hours. The Power Supply comes with a one-year warranty
against manufacturing defects.
For additional information, visit www.oppenheimercamer
aproducts.com.
Meduza Offers Modular Stereo Shooting
Meduza Systems recently unveiled the Meduza Camera
System, a digital stereoscopic 3-D camera.
Designed and built specifically to shoot 3-D, the Meduza
allows filmmakers to shoot in native 4:3 format at 4096x3072 reso-
lution. The camera format and resolution level mean the image is
being acquired at a 1:1 pixel ratio for 15-perf/70mm format and still
allows for smaller extraction for traditional cinema and TV screens,
says Jonathan Kitzen, president of Meduza Systems.
The Meduza features interchange-
able lenses and precise, remote-controlled
variable interaxial and convergence. Weigh-
ing less than 15 pounds, the Meduza is a
single camera with a single set of electronics
and a single set of controls that powers two
imaging sensors at the same time, eliminat-
ing synchronization issues.
The Meduza is completely modu-
lar, says Chris Cary, CEO of 3D Visual Enter-
prises, the parent company of Meduza
Systems. This is a completely new approach
to the very specific needs of stereoscopic
3-D content creation . The camera is not
sensor dependent. As sensor capability
advances, new modules will be available in
weeks, not years. Filmmakers can choose
the sensor and custom configuration that
fits their needs and still have the ability to
completely change over the camera in
seconds.
www.meduzasystems.com.
Rule, Fastec Go High Speed
with TS3Cine
Rule Boston Camera and Fastec
Imaging have introduced the TS3Cine high-
speed camera. This portable digital camera
features a unique 7" built-in LCD screen and
records 1280x1024 images at up to 500 fps;
the camera can also record up to 20,000 fps
at reduced resolutions.
Built by Fastec, the TS3Cine is offered
exclusively through Rule Boston Camera.
The TS3Cine boasts an accessible,
easy-to-navigate menu system that can also
be operated over Gigabit Ethernet using
either a PC or Mac with standard Web
browser for long-distance control. Addition-
ally, multiple storage options allow users to
easily download images to thumb drives,
Backstage Equipment, nc. 8052 Lankershim Bl. North Hollywood, CA 91605 (818) 504-6026 Fax (818) 504-6180 backstaged@aol.com www.backstageweb.com
Come visit our showroom or call for our latest Magliner product catalog
We are the largest retailer specializing in Magliner customized products and accessories for the Film and Television Industry in the world
New York Showroom C.W..H. 364 W. 36th St. New York, NY 10018 (877)-Mr-CASTER (877-672-2783) backstage@cwih.com www.cwih.com
See us at Cine Gear Expo New York,
September 23 & 24, 2011 at the Metropolitan Pavilion
WWe
e are the largest retailer specializing in Magline

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elevision Industry in the world m and TTe

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3 to 11 stops with no blue color shift
at maximum density. The kit comprises a
screw-on True-Match filter in 67mm to
95mm sizes that mounts on the camera
lens, a Schneider 4"x4" rotating two-slot
filter holder and a True-Match 4"x4" filter.
The filters can be purchased separately,
without the filter holder, for those who
already have a 4"x4" rotating mattebox
with 4mm slots.
www.schneideroptics.com.
Polecam Goes Wide for DSLRs
Polecam has unveiled the Polecam
Wide motorized camera head, a single-
operator broadcast-quality head designed
to accommodate DSLR cameras or small
camcorders. The Polecam Wide is fully
compatible with Polecam rigs of up to 6-
meters span.
The new head operates under
high-precision electronic controls, which
allow slow or fast action to be tracked with
great finesse, says Steffan Hewitt, Pole-
cams founder and managing director. Pan
and tilt angle can be smoothly adjusted or
continuously varied at a wide range of
speeds, from ultra-slow 4 seconds per
degree up to a fast 7 seconds per complete
360-degree rotation. Integral slip-rings can
be used to convey power to the camera and
to export composite video for monitoring.
That provides the capability of shooting
unlimited horizontal pans without getting
cables in a tangle.
Pan and tilt speeds are joystick
controlled via an electronic drive system
programmed with a U-shaped acceleration
and deceleration profile, Hewitt continues.
This delivers fine control when the stick is
in its central range, becoming faster as the
stick is deflected towards its maximum
angle.
Technical features of the Polecam
Wide include high-resolution pulse-width-
modulated electronic drive, replacing the
bipolar direct-current feed used on Pole-
cams previous joystick control system. Opti-
cal pulse encoders fitted to the pan and tilt
motors provide feedback to the motor
controller, ensuring smooth and stable
operation. Motor braking is activated when-
ever the joystick is stationary. An integral
12-pin connector delivers up to 12 volts at
1 ampere to power a camera.
www.polecam.com.
Transvideo Expands
Monitor Line
Transvideo has introduced its
TitanHD monitor and CineMonitorHD
3DView family of monitors to the U.S.
market.
The wireless TitanHD system incor-
porates MiMo OFDM technology, which
provides up to 300' of clear, interference-
free HD/SD/composite signal. The wireless
capability allows users to remain near the
camera rather than tied to a power source
away from the action.
The CineMonitorHD 3DView Evolu-
tion is an all-in-one monitor for stereogra-
SD cards or portable storage drives. The
TS3Cines built-in solid-state drive provides
up to 256 GB of internal storage.
www.rule.com, www.fastecimaging.com
and www.ts3cine.com.
Schneider Offers True-Match
ND Kit
Schneider Optics has introduced the
True-Match 10-stop variable ND filter kit,
designed to work in conjunction with
Schneiders DSLR 4" Filter Support system.
The filters in the True-Match kit work
in combination to produce a density range
ABC Products Makes Moves with Jib 100
ABC Products has introduced the Jib 100, which was designed to accommodate a
wide range of professional camcorders.
The Jib 100 boasts high stability and weighs only 41.8 pounds, and it packs down to
59"x14"x9", making it easy to transport. The jib features a boom length of 64", a total
crane length of 94" and a lift of 84" with a maximum payload of 44 pounds.
Additional features include
an integrated horizontal and vertical
brake and a trimmer to precisely level
the jib. The Jib 100 also provides a
euro-mount adapter at the jib head
that permits the mounting of such
accessories as low rigs or remote
heads. The crane support can be
mounted on any solid tripod with a
100-150mm-diameter ball adapter.
For additional information,
visit www.abc-products.de.
phers that includes all the necessary func-
tions to make 3-D pictures easily from HD-
SDI cameras. The 3DView Evolution
includes a patented gen-lock analyzer, two
HDMI inputs and two HD-SDI inputs.
The CineMonitorHD 3DView S
includes all the functionality of the evolu-
tion model, plus it synchronizes the HD-SDI
or HDMI inputs to make 3-D movies with
DSLRs or high-speed cameras such as the
Phantom HD or Weisscam. The synchro-
nized signals are available on HD-SDI
outputs.
https://transvideo.eu.
Flanders Scientific Takes
Monitor into Field
Flanders Scientific, Inc., has intro-
duced the LM-1760WF Field Unit. Based on
the LM-1760W, this lightweight 17" moni-
tor has been specifically modified for field
use and supports 12-volt DC directly, with-
out the need for an external 12-volt to 24-
volt DC adapter. The unit is also equipped
with a standard AC power connection.
The LM-1760WF comes with a
carrying bag with integrated hood, which
can be used in both a desktop and light-
stand configuration. The combined weight
of the monitor and carrying bag is 17.5
pounds. Made of durable cordura and
ballistic nylon, the interior of the bag helps
protect the monitor with foam padding and
a single-piece honeycomb frame. The built-
in four-sided hood provides shade for view-
ing, and the back leg can be adjusted for
optimal tilt.
The Field Unit also comes with two
clear protective covers, which can be
attached to the front of the monitor via
simple hook-and-loop fastener strips. These
covers help protect the LCD panel from
damage. The covers are made of high-qual-
ity, scratch-resistant, optical-grade acrylic.
The Field Unit also ships with a light-
weight, durable VESA to
5
8" spigot light-
stand adapter, which allows for quick and
easy mounting on a light stand. The adapter
features two pivot points for maximum
adjustability, and it can be left attached
even when not in use.
The LM-1760WF with carrying bag
and hood, protective covers, and VESA
adapter is available for $2,795. For addi-
tional information, visit www.flandersscien
tific.com.
DaVinci Shares Resolve Lite
Blackmagic Design has announced
the availability of DaVinci Resolve Lite, a
reduced-feature version of DaVinci Resolve
that includes many powerful color-correc-
tion features in a downloadable software
package free of charge.
Based on DaVinci Resolve 8, DaVinci
Resolve Lite runs on the latest iMac, 17"
MacBook Pro and Mac Pro computers.
Resolve Lite limits projects to SD and HD
resolutions, two color-correction nodes, a
single processing GPU and a single Red
Rocket card. Resolve Lite can still accept
high-resolution source footage in 2K and
4K from the latest digital cameras, such as
those from Red and Arri, and it does include
high-quality optical resizing, curve grading,
XML import and export, 32-bit float
processing, YRGB image processing, multi-
layer timelines, stabilization, window track-
ing, primary and secondary color correction,
real-time processing, capture and playback
with deck control, compatibility with third-
party control panels, and more.
Stereoscopic 3-D features, noise
reduction, power mastering, remote grad-
ing and sharing projects with an external
server are only offered in the full DaVinci
Resolve. Users who want to eliminate these
restrictions can purchase the full DaVinci
Resolve software for $995.
www.blackmagic-design.com.
Third Floor, Framestore Join
for London Office
Previsualization company The Third
Floor, Inc., has joined visual-effects
company Framestore to provide European
filmmakers with top-tier previs expertise.
Based in the U.K., the new venture is
known as The Third Floor London, and it
will see the two companies sharing staff,
tools, skills, philosophies and an initial head-
quarters at Framestores Wells Street office.
This partnership enables us to help
directors and their entire crews maintain
and realize their vision from early develop-
ment through to the final visual effects
through a collaborative and efficient
process, enthuses Chris Edwards, The
Third Floors CEO and creative director.
William Sargent, CEO of Framestore,
adds, This is a genuinely exciting venture
that will be a serious boost to the burgeon-
ing European market. I have long been an
admirer of The Third Floor team. We have a
shared passion for filmmaking, visual excel-
lence and storytelling, and we can further
harness these mutual passions by combin-
ing skills, contacts and resources.
www.thethirdfloor.com and www.frame
store.com.
Keyframe Details Cam Report
Norwegian developer Keyframe
Software has released Cam Report 2.5 for
the iPhone and iPod Touch. This update of
the camera-reporting system covers both
European slate and American and
German shot conventions, as well as
supporting Arri, Red and Canon file names.
Cam Reports digital reporting
system gives users a unique toolset for
metadata handling, report generation and
communication of data across all aspects of
the workflow. The app provides user-speci-
fied and pre-defined tags that follow the
report through to the final edit and color
grade. Additionally, reports can be
reviewed, printed and shared securely over
the Web, and they can also be exported as
PDFs. Cam Report 2.5 also allows users to
add reference pictures to a take, either from
Innovision Gets Close
With Probe II-Plus
Innovision Optics has released the
Probe II-Plus, which features a mounting
system for DSLR camera systems. The
unique periscope attachment allows users to
capture extreme close-ups and different
angles of view, putting the lens less than "
from the ground and allowing it to fit in
small spaces. The Probe II-Plus is also water-
proof.
The attachment features high-resolu-
tion glass elements and relay optics for
images with remarkable edge-to-edge
sharpness, flat field and extreme depth of
field. State-of-the-art multiple coatings
provide sharp, low-dispersion images.
The Probe II-Plus is available with a
variety of standard-resolution focal lengths
(9mm, 12mm, 16mm, 20mm and 32mm)
and with high-resolution focal lengths
(12mm, 20mm, 28mm, 40mm and 55mm).
Additionally, the Probe II-Plus is available in
interchangeable Straight 45-degree and 90-
degree Periscope attachments.
www.innovision-optics.com.
the users library or directly from the
iPhones built-in camera.
Cam Report is available in the Apple
App store for $29. For more information,
visit www.kfapps.com.
Soluble Apps Puts ShotList
in Pocket
Soluble Apps, in collaboration with
Northern Film & Media, has introduced the
ShotList app for the iPhone, iPod Touch and
iPad. The app brings the production strip-
boards system to mobile devices, allowing
users to plan and track every scene of a
shoot as it happens.
Users can enter as much or as little
information into the app as they want.
ShotList can be used to provide a series of
shot numbers and storyboard frames, or it
can contain all of the detail which would
usually be pulled from a script and entered
into a production strip board as part of the
scheduling process. This powerful pocket-
sized tool lets filmmakers react and respond
quickly to on-the-day challenges, such as
weather conditions or issues with locations
or cast.
Within ShotList, users can add, edit,
delete or re-order scenes freely across multi-
ple shooting days, with instant updating of
the total number of script pages to be shot
each day. Each scene can be clearly marked
as To Do, Delay, Cut or Done as
the production progresses. Up to six story-
board frames can be viewed for each scene,
and storyboards can be marked off as they
are shot. Hot-linked notes can also be
stored for each scene, and users can keep
everyone on the production informed of
changes by emailing the latest one-line
schedule or exchanging updated project
files with other ShotList users via Dropbox.
ShotList is available via the Apple
App Store for $29.99. For more informa-
tion, visit www.solubleapps.com.
Innovative LED Lighting
Solutions
www.gekkotechnology.com
Tel: +44 (0)8448 005 326
See our
products on
Stand 11.D40
at IBC
94
Tamajii Draws Storyboards
Toronto-based company Tamajii has
introduced Storyboards, an iPad app
designed to help filmmakers create, edit and
share storyboards with ease.
Developed for filmmakers of all levels,
Storyboards offers thousands of drawings of
characters and props to allow shots to be
composed quickly and easily. Tamajii also
offers a custom drawing service to provide
users with specific characters and props for
their storylines. All elements can be dragged,
dropped, rotated and edited using standard
iPad gesture controls. Shots can also be fine-
tuned without the need to redraw or recon-
struct entire frames.
Storyboards can be printed and
exported in both PDF and proprietary Story-
boards format, allowing them to be shared
with other iPad users via iTunes or email.
Individual frames can also be viewed in the
iPad Photo Album. The application also
allows storyboards to be outputted to an
external monitor or projector using a digital
AV or VGA adapter.
The app is available for free in a Basic
Edition via the iTunes and Apple App Store,
and it can then be upgraded to a Premium
Edition for $14.99 via an in-app purchase.
www.tamajii.com.
StoryBoard Artist Gets Update
PowerProduction Software has
released StoryBoard Artist Version 5, which
enables fast creation of digital storyboards.
Extended file import options, new built-in
artwork, automatic storyboard generation
and sketch-style presentations headline an
array of new features in Version 5.
StoryBoard Artist has served as a
high-end storyboarding solution for [more
than] a decade, says Paul Clatworthy, CTO
of PowerProduction Software. Since the
initial StoryBoard Artist release, we have
added indispensible features such as the
Timeline, which sets storyboard frames in
time with tracks of audio and Non-Linear
Links, which accounts for user interactivity in
game and mobile app development. Version
5 builds upon this rich history of innovation
by introducing automatic storyboard gener-
ation and sketch-style presentations.
New features include extended file
import options such as 3-D Google
SketchUp files; built-in artwork including
Character, Prop and Location options; object
effects, which allow users to easily
customize built-in artwork; Sketch Mode for
printing, working and presenting; and
QuickShots Technology for fast, automated
storyboard creation.
StoryBoard Artist Version 5 is avail-
able through the PowerProduction Software
worldwide reseller channel and direct from
the PowerProduction Software website for
$799.99. For more information, visit
www.powerproduction.com.
International Marketplace
Monitor Yoke Mounts
TM
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All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words set in
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For more information please visit
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Advertisers Index
16x9, Inc. 96
AC 1,
Aja Video Systems, Inc. 9
Alan Gordon Enterprises 96
American Film Market 75
Arri 35
ASC 95
Assimilate 67
AZGrip 97
Backstage Equipment, Inc.
89
Bardwell & McAlister, Inc 11
Barger-Lite 81, 96
Bron Imaging Group - US 55
Burrell Enterprises 96
Cavision Enterprises 39
Chapman/Leonard Studio
Equipment Inc. 51
Chemical Wedding 85
Chimera 63
Cine Gear Expo 79
Cinematography
Electronics 6
Cinekinetic 96
Clairmont Film & Digital 23
Codex Digital Ltd., 53
Convergent Design 73
Cooke Optics 25
CTT Exp & Rentals 81
Deluxe C2
DV Expo 99
Eastern Entertainment 6
Eastman Kodak C4
EFD USA, Inc 19
Film Gear 65
Filmtools 91
Fujifilm 16a-d
Gekko Technology 94
Gemini 3D Camera 93
Glidecam Industries 13
Grip Factory Munich/GFM 89
Hive Lighting 91
Hollywood Rentals 82
Innovision 97
J.L. Fisher 43
K5600 21
Kino Flo 15
Kobold 55
LDI 87
Lee Filters 27
LitePanels 2
MAT - Berlin 41
Matthews Studio Equipment
96
Mississippi Film Office 65
M.M. Muhki & Sons 97
Movcam Tech. Co. Ltd. 37
Movie Tech AG 97
Musicians Institute 66
New York Film Academy 42
Oppenheimer Camera Prod.
6, 96
Panther Gmbh 54
PC&E 14
PED Denz 96, 97
Pille Film Gmbh 97
Power Gems Limited 26
Pro8mm 96
Rosco Laboratories, Inc 77
ServiceVision USA 76
Shelton Communications
96
S.Two 83
Super16 Inc. 97
Surreal Road Limited 89
Sylvania 7
Tessive LLC 61
Thailand Film Office 91
Thales Angenieux 5
Tiffen C3
Transvideo/France 49
VF Gadgets, Inc. 96
Willys Widgets 96
www.theasc.com 4, 93, 98
Zacuto Films 97
98
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September 20-22, 2011
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American Society of Cinematographers Roster
OFFICERS 2010-11
Michael Goi,
President
Richard Crudo,
Vice President
Owen Roizman,
Vice President
John C. Flinn III,
Vice President
Victor J. Kemper,
Treasurer
Frederic Goodich,
Secretary
Stephen Lighthill,
Sergeant-at-Arms
MEMBERS
OF THE BOARD
John Bailey
Stephen H. Burum
Richard Crudo
George Spiro Dibie
Richard Edlund
Fred Elmes
Michael Goi
Victor J. Kemper
Francis Kenny
Isidore Mankofsky
Robert Primes
Owen Roizman
Kees Van Oostrum
Haskell Wexler
Vilmos Zsigmond
ALTERNATES
Michael D. OShea
Rodney Taylor
Ron Garcia
Sol Negrin
Kenneth Zunder
Roger Deakins
Jan DeBont
Thomas Del Ruth
Bruno Delbonnel
Peter Deming
Jim Denault
Caleb Deschanel
Ron Dexter
Craig Di Bona
George Spiro Dibie
Ernest Dickerson
Billy Dickson
Bill Dill
Anthony Dod Mantle
Stuart Dryburgh
Bert Dunk
Lex DuPont
John Dykstra
Richard Edlund
Eagle Egilsson
Frederick Elmes
Robert Elswit
Geoffrey Erb
Scott Farrar
Jon Fauer
Don E. FauntLeRoy
Gerald Feil
Steven Fierberg
Mauro Fiore
John C. Flinn III
Ron Fortunato
Jonathan Freeman
Tak Fujimoto
Alex Funke
Steve Gainer
Ron Garcia
David Geddes
Dejan Georgevich
Michael Goi
Stephen Goldblatt
Paul Goldsmith
Frederic Goodich
Victor Goss
Jack Green
Adam Greenberg
Robbie Greenberg
Xavier Grobet
Alexander Gruszynski
Changwei Gu
Rick Gunter
Rob Hahn
Gerald Hirschfeld
Henner Hofmann
Adam Holender
Ernie Holzman
John C. Hora
Tom Houghton
Gil Hubbs
Shane Hurlbut
Tom Hurwitz
Judy Irola
Don McCuaig
Seamus McGarvey
Robert McLachlan
Geary McLeod
Greg McMurry
Steve McNutt
Terry K. Meade
Suki Medencevic
Chris Menges
Rexford Metz
Anastas Michos
Douglas Milsome
Dan Mindel
Charles Minsky
Claudio Miranda
George Mooradian
Donald A. Morgan
Donald M. Morgan
Kramer Morgenthau
Peter Moss
M. David Mullen
Dennis Muren
Fred Murphy
Hiro Narita
Guillermo Navarro
Michael B. Negrin
Sol Negrin
Bill Neil
Alex Nepomniaschy
John Newby
Yuri Neyman
Sam Nicholson
Crescenzo Notarile
David B. Nowell
Rene Ohashi
Daryn Okada
Thomas Olgeirsson
Woody Omens
Miroslav Ondricek
Michael D. OShea
Anthony Palmieri
Phedon Papamichael
Daniel Pearl
Edward J. Pei
James Pergola
Lowell Peterson
Wally Pfister
Bill Pope
Steven Poster
Tom Priestley Jr.
Rodrigo Prieto
Robert Primes
Frank Prinzi
Richard Quinlan
Declan Quinn
Earl Rath
Richard Rawlings Jr.
Frank Raymond
Tami Reiker
Robert Richardson
Anthony B. Richmond
Mark Irwin
Levie Isaacks
Peter James
Johnny E. Jensen
Torben Johnke
Frank Johnson
Shelly Johnson
Jeffrey Jur
Adam Kane
Stephen M. Katz
Ken Kelsch
Victor J. Kemper
Wayne Kennan
Francis Kenny
Glenn Kershaw
Darius Khondji
Gary Kibbe
Jan Kiesser
Jeffrey L. Kimball
Adam Kimmel
Alar Kivilo
David Klein
Richard Kline
George Koblasa
Fred J. Koenekamp
Lajos Koltai
Pete Kozachik
Neil Krepela
Willy Kurant
Ellen M. Kuras
George La Fountaine
Edward Lachman
Ken Lamkin
Jacek Laskus
Andrew Laszlo
Denis Lenoir
John R. Leonetti
Matthew Leonetti
Andrew Lesnie
Peter Levy
Matthew Libatique
Charlie Lieberman
Stephen Lighthill
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
John Lindley
Robert F. Liu
Walt Lloyd
Bruce Logan
Gordon Lonsdale
Emmanuel Lubezki
Julio G. Macat
Glen MacPherson
Constantine Makris
Denis Maloney
Isidore Mankofsky
Christopher Manley
Michael D. Margulies
Barry Markowitz
Steve Mason
Clark Mathis
Don McAlpine
ACTIVE MEMBERS
Thomas Ackerman
Lance Acord
Lloyd Ahern II
Herbert Alpert
Russ Alsobrook
Howard A. Anderson III
Howard A. Anderson Jr.
James Anderson
Peter Anderson
Tony Askins
Charles Austin
Christopher Baffa
James Bagdonas
King Baggot
John Bailey
Michael Ballhaus
Andrzej Bartkowiak
John Bartley
Bojan Bazelli
Frank Beascoechea
Affonso Beato
Mat Beck
Dion Beebe
Bill Bennett
Andres Berenguer
Carl Berger
Gabriel Beristain
Steven Bernstein
Ross Berryman
Michael Bonvillain
Richard Bowen
David Boyd
Russell Boyd
Jonathan Brown
Don Burgess
Stephen H. Burum
Bill Butler
Frank B. Byers
Bobby Byrne
Antonio Calvache
Paul Cameron
Russell P. Carpenter
James L. Carter
Alan Caso
Michael Chapman
Rodney Charters
James A. Chressanthis
T.C. Christensen
Joan Churchill
Curtis Clark
Peter L. Collister
Jack Cooperman
Jack Couffer
Vincent G. Cox
Jeff Cronenweth
Richard Crudo
Dean R. Cundey
Stefan Czapsky
David Darby
Allen Daviau
www.theasc.com September 2011 101
Bill Roe
Owen Roizman
Pete Romano
Charles Rosher Jr.
Giuseppe Rotunno
Philippe Rousselot
Juan Ruiz-Anchia
Marvin Rush
Paul Ryan
Eric Saarinen
Alik Sakharov
Mikael Salomon
Harris Savides
Roberto Schaefer
Tobias Schliessler
Aaron Schneider
Nancy Schreiber
Fred Schuler
John Schwartzman
John Seale
Christian Sebaldt
Dean Semler
Eduardo Serra
Steven Shaw
Richard Shore
Newton Thomas Sigel
Steven Silver
John Simmons
Sandi Sissel
Bradley B. Six
Michael Slovis
Dennis L. Smith
Roland Ozzie Smith
Reed Smoot
Bing Sokolsky
Peter Sova
Dante Spinotti
Terry Stacey
Ueli Steiger
Peter Stein
Tom Stern
Robert M. Stevens
David Stockton
Rogier Stoffers
Vittorio Storaro
Harry Stradling Jr.
David Stump
Tim Suhrstedt
Peter Suschitzky
Alfred Taylor
Jonathan Taylor
Rodney Taylor
William Taylor
Don Thorin
John Toll
Mario Tosi
Salvatore Totino
Luciano Tovoli
Jost Vacano
Theo Van de Sande
Eric Van Haren Noman
Kees Van Oostrum
Checco Varese
Ron Vargas
Mark Vargo
Amelia Vincent
William Wages
Roy H. Wagner
Ric Waite
Michael Watkins
Michael Weaver
Jonathan West
Haskell Wexler
Jack Whitman
Gordon Willis
Dariusz Wolski
Ralph Woolsey
Peter Wunstorf
Robert Yeoman
Richard Yuricich
Jerzy Zielinski
Vilmos Zsigmond
Kenneth Zunder
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Alan Albert
Richard Aschman
Kay Baker
Joseph J. Ball
Amnon Band
Carly M. Barber
Craig Barron
Thomas M. Barron
Larry Barton
Wolfgang Baumler
Bob Beitcher
Mark Bender
Bruce Berke
Bob Bianco
Steven A. Blakely
Mitchell Bogdanowicz
Michael Bravin
William Brodersen
Garrett Brown
Ronald D. Burdett
Reid Burns
Vincent Carabello
Jim Carter
Leonard Chapman
Mark Chiolis
Denny Clairmont
Adam Clark
Cary Clayton
Michael Condon
Sean Coughlin
Robert B. Creamer
Grover Crisp
Daniel Curry
Ross Danielson
Carlos D. DeMattos
Gary Demos
Mato Der Avannesian
Kevin Dillon
David Dodson
Judith Doherty
Cyril Drabinsky
Jesse Dylan
Jonathan Erland
Ray Feeney
William Feightner
Phil Feiner
Jimmy Fisher
Scott Fleischer
Thomas Fletcher
Gilles Galerne
Salvatore Giarratano
Richard B. Glickman
John A. Gresch
Jim Hannafin
William Hansard
Bill Hansard, Jr.
Richard Hart
Robert Harvey
Josh Haynie
Charles Herzfeld
Larry Hezzelwood
Frieder Hochheim
Bob Hoffman
Vinny Hogan
Cliff Hsui
Robert C. Hummel
Roy Isaia
George Joblove
Joel Johnson
John Johnston
Marker Karahadian
Frank Kay
Debbie Kennard
Milton Keslow
Robert Keslow
Larry Kingen
Douglas Kirkland
Timothy J. Knapp
Karl Kresser
Chet Kucinski
Chuck Lee
Doug Leighton
Lou Levinson
Suzanne Lezotte
Grant Loucks
Howard Lukk
Andy Maltz
Steven E. Manios
Peter Martin
Robert Mastronardi
Joe Matza
Albert Mayer, Jr.
Bill McDonald
Karen McHugh
Andy McIntyre
Stan Miller
Walter H. Mills
George Milton
Mike Mimaki
Michael Morelli
Dash Morrison
Nolan Murdock
Dan Muscarella
Iain A. Neil
Otto Nemenz
Ernst Nettmann
Tony Ngai
Mickel Niehenke
Jeff Okun
Marty Oppenheimer
Walt Ordway
Ahmad Ouri
Michael Parker
Warren Parker
Kristin Petrovich
Ed Phillips
Nick Phillips
Joshua Pines
Carl Porcello
Howard Preston
David Pringle
Phil Radin
Christopher Reyna
Colin Ritchie
Eric G. Rodli
Domenic Rom
Andy Romanoff
Frederic Rose
Daniel Rosen
Dana Ross
Bill Russell
Kish Sadhvani
David Samuelson
Steve Schklair
Peter K. Schnitzler
Walter Schonfeld
Juergen Schwinzer
Steven Scott
Don Shapiro
Milton R. Shefter
Leon Silverman
Garrett Smith
Timothy E. Smith
Kimberly Snyder
Stefan Sonnenfeld
John L. Sprung
Joseph N. Tawil
Ira Tiffen
Steve Tiffen
Arthur Tostado
Jeffrey Treanor
Bill Turner
Stephan Ukas-Bradley
Mark Van Horne
Richard Vetter
Dedo Weigert
Franz Weiser
Evans Wetmore
Beverly Wood
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 1
Jan Yarbrough
Hoyt Yeatman
Irwin M. Young
Michael Zacharia
Bob Zahn
Nazir Zaidi
Michael Zakula
Les Zellan
HONORARY MEMBERS
Col. Edwin E. Al drin Jr.
Neil A. Armstrong
Col. Michael Collins
Bob Fisher
David MacDonald
Cpt. Bruce McCandless II
Larry Parker
D. Brian Spruill
Society Welcomes
New Associates
Jeffrey A. Okun, Steve Schklair and
Jeff Treanorwere recently named associate
members of the ASC.
Visual-effects supervisor Jeffrey A.
Okun began his career with a still camera,
which he used to chronicle the rock scene
of the 1970s. As his interests turned toward
moving images, he found work as an editor
for title designer Saul Bass, and later as a
cinematographer on commercials and short
films. He transitioned into visual effects as a
fix-it guy on features, series and commer-
cials, and he has since earned credits as
visual-effects supervisor on such features as
The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, The Day
the Earth Stood Still and Red Riding Hood.
Okun currently chairs the Visual Effects
Society, and he is a member of the Visual
Effects Branch of the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts & Sciences, the Academy of
Television Arts & Sciences and BAFTA.
Steve Schklair, the CEO of 3ality
Digital Systems, holds a masters degree
from the University of Southern Californias
School of Cinema. He was a vice president
at visual-effects studio Digital Domain, a
creative director for R/Greenberg Associ-
ates, and an executive producer for interac-
tive-media pioneer Robert Abel. In 1989, he
served as director of photography for the
award-winning film To Dream of Roses ,
which was produced in partnership with
Douglas Trumbull for release at the 1990
Osaka World Expo.
Jeff Treanor, the U.S. film and tele-
vision representative for Rosco Laboratories,
was born and raised in Los Angeles. After
earning a bachelors degree in behavioral
studies from The Masters College, he
became a deputy sheriff for Los Angeles
County. In 1997, he leftlaw enforcement
and entered the film industry as the assis-
tant manager of the expendables store on
the Warner Hollywood lot. When Warner
sold the property, Treanor helped start
Quixote Studio Store. He joined Rosco
Laboratories in 2006 as the theatrical sales
representative for the West Coast.
ASC Stills on View in Maine
Maine Media Gallery, a part of
Maine Media Workshops + College,
recently hosted an exhibit of still photogra-
phy shot by ASC members. Thomas
Ackerman, Bill Bennett, Richard
Bowen, Russell Carpenter, Rodney
Charters, Richard Crudo, Steven Fier-
berg, Michael Goi, Robbie Greenberg,
Conrad L. Hall , Peter James, Francis
Kenny, Jacek Laskus, Denis Lenoir,
Stephen Lighthill, Isidore Mankofsky,
Michael B. Negrin, Rene Ohashi, Daniel
Pearl, Robert Primes, Marc Reshovsky,
Owen Roizman, Paul Ryan, Dean
Semler, Sandi Sissel, Dante Spinotti,
Vittorio Storaro, John Toll, Haskell
Wexler and Vilmos Zsigmond had work
in the show.
Our art form is different than still
photography in many ways, but both disci-
plines share a vital purpose, notes Crudo.
As cinematographers, our creative process
allows us to produce an indelible record of
who we are and how we see the world.
Though the tools we use light, composi-
tion and movement have remained
consistent, we always strive to apply them
in ways that are both unique and reveal-
ing.
For more information about
Maine Media programs, visit www.main
media.edu.
Zsigmond, Winterhalter
Travel to India
Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC and AC
publisher Martha Winterhalter recently trav-
eled to Mumbai to attend the Cinema India
Expo, an annual gathering of filmmakers
and service providers in the heart of the
Bollywood industry. During their time at the
Expo, Zsigmond taught two master classes,
which were presented by Createasphere in
collaboration with Kodak and the ASC. In
Clubhouse News
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Top to bottom: ASC associate members Jeffrey A.
Okun, Steve Schklair and Jeff Treanor.
the first class, he detailed his approach to
specific scenes in the films The Rose,
Deliverance and Close Encounters of the
Third Kind. The following day, Zsigmond
discussed lighting and camerawork with
the standing-room only audience, which
comprised more than 250 attendees.
During their visit, Zsigmond and
Winterhalter toured Reliance MediaWorks
lab and soundstages in Film City, as well as
Kodaks offices and lab in Mumbai.
Bailey Joins Academys
East Africa Outreach
John Bailey, ASCwas among eight
members of the Academy of Motion
Picture Arts & Sciences who recently trav-
eled to Kenya and Rwanda for an educa-
tional and cultural exchange with filmmak-
ers, students and local creative communi-
ties. Along with Bailey, the delegation
comprised producer Stephanie Allain,
sound mixer Willie Burton, editor Carol
Littleton, writer/director Phil Robinson,
production designer Wynn Thomas and
actress Alfre Woodard. The trip was under-
taken as part of the Academys Interna-
tional Outreach Initiative, which brings film
artists to countries with developing film
industries and creates opportunities for
conversations between emerging and
established filmmakers.
The itinerary included numerous
workshops and seminars at One Fine
Day Films in Nairobi and a visit to the
Kakuma refugee camp near the Sudanese
border, where FilmAid International
provides filmmaking training and open-air
screenings. In Rwanda, the delegates inau-
gurated the KWETU Film Institute and
taught master classes. The group also
participated in the opening night of the
Rwanda Film Festival in Kigali.
Cundey Joins Breakfast Club
Dean Cundey, ASC recently partici-
pated in the Societys ongoing series of
Breakfast Club interviews. Moderated by
ACassociate editor Jon D. Witmer, the inter-
view covered Cundeys first steps into the
film industry as well as his groundbreaking
work with such directors as Robert
Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg and Ron
Howard. Cundey illustrated his work with
clips from Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Back
to the Future Part II and Jurassic Park. He
also took questions from the enthusiastic
audience, which comprised students and
professionals alike. The program began
with breakfast, during which attendees
could mingle and network.
ASC Breakfast Club seminars are
open to the public. Tickets are $20 for
Friends of the ASC, $35 general admission
in advance and $40 at the door. For infor-
mation on future events, visit
www.theasc.com.
Barron Revisits Forbidden Planet
ASC associate and visual-effects
supervisor Craig Barron recently joined
sound designer Ben Burtt at the Academys
Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood for a
screening of the 1956 sci-fi classic Forbid-
den Planet, shot by George Folsey, ASC.
Barron discussed the films breakthrough
effects sequences, including how the
animated id monster was combined with
live-action photography, and Burtt
explained the creation of the films elec-
tronic score.
Clockwise from top left: Indian Society of
Cinematographers members (from left) Adeep
Tandon, Anoop Chatterjee and Apurba Bir present
Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC with birthday cake while AC
publisher Martha Winterhalter (in mirror) snaps a
photo; Zsigmond with (from left) Ankur Acharya,
Ankit Sharma, Ajit Jadhav, Mehernoz Maloo, Rachna
Pawar, Ashutosh Naidu, Rajesh Jiandani, Suresh Iyer
and Amit Sherigar; Zsigmond with (from left) Rajan
Kothari, Krishnamurthy, Raffey Mehmood, Ken
Metzker, Sudhir Phulsane, Andre Menezes, Mahesh
Aney and Bobby Singh; John Bailey, ASC leads a
lighting class in Nairobi, Kenya; Dean Cundey, ASC
and AC associate editor Jon D. Witmer; Ben Burtt
(left) and ASC associate Craig Barron flank Robby
the Robot.
When you were a child, what film made the strongest impres-
sion on you?
In those days, without television, every film made a strong impres-
sion, but I should mention the original The War of the Worlds (1953)
and The Bridges of Toko-Ri (1954).
Which cinematographers, past or
present, do you most admire?
ASC members William Daniels, Jimmy
Wong Howe and, more recently, Bill
Fraker, Giuseppe Rotunno and Vittorio
Storaro. Great cinematographers seem
to have the ability to bring beautiful
prints all the way to the movie theater.
What sparked your interest in
photography?
I dont remember exactly what took
me to still photography as a kid, but I
loved the magic of the darkroom
the negative and the print and the
image appearing in the developer
bath.
Where did you train and/or study?
I was mostly self-taught. A cinematog-
rapher uncle of mine was my first
teacher, in Nairobi, Kenya. When I
returned to Italy, I worked for Italian TV
in Milano, far from the movie industry
in Rome. I was shooting mostly 16mm.
I would experiment and watch the movies of the masters.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
Visual art from Giotto to modern artists, design, architecture and
photography.
How did you get your first break in the business?
When I was on staff at the Italian state TV station, I got a call from
Marco Ferreri, a well-known director in Rome. Then I got another,
from Sergio Citti. I decided to leave the safety of TV and become a
freelancer.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
Any time my original choice of visual language proves to be the right
one when the film is completed.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
Some 30 years ago, I was shooting 16mm reversal and pushing to
2,000 ASA. I did not consider the limited latitude of a night exterior
in Venice, where I was working with gondolas and actors in a 17th-
century drama. Later, all I could see in the shot were the torches the
actors were holding.
What is the best professional
advice youve ever received?
It was actually given to my son when
he was getting ready to direct his thesis
film at the American Film Institute. Jay
Fortune, a New York gaffer Id just
completed a film with, suggested to
him, Dont lose your sense of humor,
even when everything seems to be
going in the opposite direction.
What recent books, films or
artworks have inspired you?
Photography by Robert Frank and Nan
Goldin. Im inspired any time I visit a
modern-art museum. I still refer to
Stanley Kubrick, and what about
Fellinis 8
1
2?
Do you have any favorite genres,
or genres you would like to try?
Movies where I can use a lot of shad-
ows. I did a Western with Sam Raimi
some time ago, and a musical in Italy
with Gabriele Salvatores 25 years ago. I
would like to do those genres again.
If you werent a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Climbing mountains or farming.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
Allen Daviau, Vilmos Zsigmond, Steven Poster and Vittorio Storaro.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
I still remember how proud I was when I moved to the United States,
in 1997, and was accepted into the ASC. I got to know Tonino Delli
Colli, AIC when he came to L.A. to accept the ASC International
Award. The ASC offers inspiring guidance and is a continuous refer-
ence for me.
Dante Spinotti, ASC, AIC Close-up
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Film. No Compromise.
IMAGE IS
EVERYTHING...
SHOOT FILM.
KODAK.COM/GO/MOTION

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