2015 07

A M E R I C A N C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R J U LY 2 0 1 5 P E N N Y D R E A D F U L J U R A S S I C W O R L D E N T O U R A G E L O V E & M E R C Y A N D R E W L E S N I E , A S C , A C S V O L . 9 6 N O .
J U LY 2 0 1 5
An International Publication of the ASC

On Our Cover: The Creature (Rory Kinnear), the twisted result of one of Dr. Frankensteins
experiments, makes his home among the myriad monsters that stalk the series Penny Dreadful,
which comes to life with the help of cinematographers Owen McPolin, ISC and John Conroy,
ISC. (Photo by Jonathan Hession, courtesy of Showtime.)
FEATURES
32
44
54
64
Tortured Souls
ISC members Owen McPolin and John Conroy share
cinematography duties for the supernatural series
Penny Dreadful
Making Monsters
John Schwartzman, ASC films the dinosaurs of Isla
Nublar for Jurassic World
The Boys Are Back
54
Steven Fierberg, ASC brings a hit series to the big screen

with Entourage
Harmony and Discord

Robert Yeoman, ASC frames musician Brian Wilsons
high and low notes in Love & Mercy
64
DEPARTMENTS
10
12
14
20
74
76
80
81
82
84
86
88
44
Editors Note
Presidents Desk
Short Takes: She Wolf
Production Slate: Dope The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe
Post Focus: Restoring The Apu Trilogy
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoriam: Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Francis Kenny
VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM
LOOK FOR MORE AT WWW.THEASC.COM
Catch up with the classics

with these Web exclusives
Podcast: Jack Green, ASC, on Unforgiven (1992)
www.theasc.com
The Thing photos courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library and Universal Studios.
Unforgiven photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Photo of Eastwood and Green by Ken Regan, courtesy of the Margaret Herrick Library.
Q&A: Dean Cundey, ASC,

on The Thing (1982)
J u l y
2 0 1 5
V o l .
9 6 ,
N o .
Visit us online at www.theasc.com
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

Stephen Pizzello
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Jon D. Witmer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andrew Fish
TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, Douglas Bankston, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray,
David Heuring, Jay Holben, Noah Kadner, Jean Oppenheimer, Iain Stasukevich, Patricia Thomson
ART & DESIGN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer
PHOTO EDITOR Kelly Brinker
ONLINE
MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachael K. Bosley
PODCASTS Jim Hemphill, Iain Stasukevich, Chase Yeremian
BLOGS
Benjamin B
John Bailey, ASC
David Heuring
WEB DEVELOPER Jon Stout
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann
323-936-3769 Fax 323-936-9188 e-mail: angiegollmann@gmail.com
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CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Peru
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SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina
CIRCULATION MANAGER Alex Lopez
SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal
ASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett Grauman

ASC EVENTS COORDINATOR Patricia Armacost
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ASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila Basely
ASC ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Nelson Sandoval
American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 95th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by
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American Society of Cinematographers

The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and professional
organization. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively engaged as
directors of photography and have
demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC
membership has become one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
professional cinematographer a mark
of prestige and excellence.
OFFICERS - 2014/2015
Richard Crudo
President
Owen Roizman
Vice President
Kees van Oostrum

Vice President
Lowell Peterson
Vice President
Matthew Leonetti
Treasurer
Frederic Goodich
Secretary
Isidore Mankofsky
Sergeant At Arms
MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Bill Bennett
Curtis Clark
Dean Cundey
George Spiro Dibie
Richard Edlund
Michael Goi
Matthew Leonetti
Stephen Lighthill
Daryn Okada
Michael OShea
Lowell Peterson
Rodney Taylor
Kees van Oostrum
Haskell Wexler
ALTERNATES
Isidore Mankofsky
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Robert Primes
Steven Fierberg
Kenneth Zunder
MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
8
The horror genre has always been a favorite of mine,

so I was more than ready to set my DVR for Penny
Dreadful when Showtimes billboards for the series
began dotting the Hollywood skyline. I was wary, of
course horror is not always high art but I
remained hopeful that the show would deliver the
quality its pedigree promised.
Two seasons later, Im happy to report that
Penny has consistently provided enough chills, thrills
and flights of imagination to please even the most
jaded fans of supernatural drama. I sensed from the
very first episode that series creator and showrunner
John Logan was going for it, and that no expense
was being spared in the presentation of inventive
new storylines involving some of the horror genres
most venerable and venerated characters,
brought together in sumptuous Victorian London settings.
The cinematography for this stylish Grand Guignol has been handled by a talented
group of cameramen, including Xavi Gimnez, AEC (who shot the first two episodes and thus
set the look); Nigel Willoughby, BSC; and ISC members PJ Dillon, Owen McPolin and John
Conroy. The latter two graciously provided ACs London correspondent, Phil Rhodes, with a
detailed overview of their approach (Tortured Souls, page 32). McPolin notes that the shows
abundance of atmosphere is a top priority for Logan, who wanted to feel and taste and touch
the London of that time.
Effective ambience is also achieved in this months other spotlighted projects. While
shooting Jurassic World in Hawaii, ASC member John Schwartzman blended 35mm and
65mm to produce onscreen environments that add greatly to the movies tension and
suspense. We werent shooting in the parts of Hawaii that you see in the travel brochures,
he tells Jay Holben (Making Monsters, page 44). We were knee-deep in mud, with lots of
mosquitoes and centipedes, where you drive in as far as you can with a Gator towing your
gear, and then hoof it the rest of the way.
Steven Fierberg, ASC found himself in slightly more swanky spots while shooting the
Entourage feature for director and HBO series creator Doug Ellin. But as he notes in his interview with Debra Kaufman (The Boys Are Back, page 54), he tried not to overdo the showbiz
settings. I hope every scene in Entourage looks like you think it would look if you were at that
place or event, Fierberg says. My goal with lighting is to capture and heighten reality, not
detach myself from it.
On Love & Mercy, cinematographer Robert Yeoman, ASC sought to convey the essence
of both the 1960s and 80s while helping director Bill Pohlad tell the surf-rock saga of Beach
Boys leader Brian Wilson, a.k.a. the Mozart of Rock. In order to imbue the film with the
proper vibrations, Yeoman fought to shoot in Los Angeles, where Wilson has lived most of the
drama portrayed onscreen. Shooting in Los Angeles gives the movie so much more authenticity, as did shooting in the actual studios where the Beach Boys recorded, he tells AC contributor Mark Dillon (Harmony and Discord, page 64) who, as author of the book Fifty Sides
of the Beach Boys: The Songs That Tell Their Story, would surely agree.
10
Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.
Editors Note
Every so often its worth looking back to one of the old ASC masters for an invigorating jolt
of craftsmanship, the likes of which so far exceeds what we see today that it should make
each of us consider a different career. There are plenty of examples to call upon, but one in
particular inspired this column: Stanley Cortezs Oscar-nominated cinematography for The
Magnificent Ambersons (1942).
If you had the privilege to have met Stanley during his lifetime (1908-1997), youd
already know that he was an unforgettable figure. Tall, elegantly turned out and, even in
silence, possessed of an imposing demeanor, there was nothing about him that betrayed
his New York City roots or his birth name of Stanislaus Krantz. Instead, he projected an air
of European royalty, which, Ive been told, led some of his fellow ASC members to sarcastically refer to him as The Baron (behind his back, of course). It was an apt appraisal,
though, and his imperious presence at the Clubhouse during his astonishing 63 years as a
member was backed up by superb work on a raft of varied films, both high- and low-brow.
Stanley was no effete pretender. As a combat cameraman with the Army Signal Corps
in World War II, he traveled with General Patton; he also photographed the liberation of
Paris, the Yalta Conference, and the liberation of several concentration camps. In his later
years he carried a cane with an ornate headpiece; it fit him somehow and seemed to bestow
an even greater authority especially if you annoyed him and he gave you a swat on the
leg with it (which I can proudly attest to having experienced). But despite the outward
appearance, he was an essentially sweet man with a well-developed sense of himself. When I asked him how he came to shoot
Ambersons, which was Orson Welles follow-up to Citizen Kane, he replied, Toland was on another assignment, so Welles was free
to use the best cameraman in Hollywood.
Stanleys work leaves little room for dispute. The Magnificent Ambersons is nothing short of a master class in the use of hard
light. Its understandable that this style might appear dated to our modern eyes; I suspect it fell out of favor only because its so hard
to do, let alone do well. Here, Stanley places himself in the company of geniuses by imbuing a look so fitted to the story that he
makes it seem easy to create. I assure you: It wasnt. Recognition must also be given to the extraordinary production design of Albert
S. DAgostino. His ornate, cavernous sets surely presented Stanley with immense challenges, yet he met them with a practicality
rooted in good taste.
Few of the scenes situated in the Ambersons Victorian mansion are shot from static positions. The camera always seems to
be on the prowl booming, swooping and dollying with the characters as they navigate from one huge space to the next. The
hard-light method demands precise flagging and cutting of every lamp in use; the size of the sets would indicate that Stanleys overhead grid was the busiest in Hollywood. And when the camera starts moving, one can only imagine the intricate ballet engineered
by an army of grips and electricians as they flagged, netted and dimmed the lights while the actors and camera traveled all in real
time and without benefit of postproduction corpse revival.
If asked to sum up the photography of The Magnificent Ambersons in brief, Id call it a superlative achievement in high
contrast. Working with an extremely slow negative (ASA 25), Stanley frequently allowed his key light to fall off in dramatic fashion.
The resulting pools of black are so devoid of detail that they often become prime graphic elements within the exquisitely composed
1.33:1 frame. Even more amazingly with Welles once again indulging his penchant for deep focus, low angles and long takes
Stanley controlled his lighting to such a degree that its almost impossible to spot the double shadows so common in the cinematography of that era.
The Magnificent Ambersons is a triumph of vision and execution that makes you beg for more. Shamefully butchered by the
studio before its release, the surviving version should still be studied closely by every serious student of cinematography. And given
todays propensity for using soft light in most every situation, it might not be a bad idea for serious professionals to have a look, too.
Richard P. Crudo
ASC President
12
July 2015
American Cinematographer
Photo by Douglas Kirkland.
Presidents Desk
Short Takes
Spirit Animals
By John Calhoun
Sometimes you want to shoot a film not for the money or the
client, but just for yourself. Such was the case with Dan Shapiro and
Alex Topaller, Grammy-winning directors who together run the
successful New York-based commercial/music-video production
company Aggressive. Last year, in between projects for clients like
New Balance and Bloomberg, they took off for Argentina to shoot
the 17-minute narrative film She Wolf. It was an experience both
filmmakers describe as liberating.
This was the first time we said, Okay, were going to fund
this ourselves we dont have a client to answer to and we can just
structure the production how we want to, says Shapiro, who
started Aggressive with friend and collaborator Topaller in 2006.
Also, a lot of our work tends to incorporate visual effects and
animation, so we wanted to delve into something focused more on
live action, storytelling and working with actors.
Topaller adds, Basically, we wanted to take a big step to the
side from what weve been doing for a very long time. We didnt
really have any solid plan in mind when we decided to make She
Wolf; we just wanted to go on an adventure and shoot something
that was longer than 60 seconds and was not a music video.
The directors also determined that they wanted to shoot
outside of the New York-Los Angeles universe in which they normally
work. We wanted to get a slightly different flavor, different
scenery, says Topaller. We had some friends we had worked with
in Argentina, so that country was on our radar.
Sometime later, they made contact with British-born director
14
July 2015
of photography Ben Battersby, who is based in Buenos Aires. In

addition to commercials and music videos, Battersby has shot documentaries and other short-film work. It turned out to be a perfect
match. Since we came from an effects-heavy background, a lot of
the work weve done is very polished and glossy and [finessed] in
post, explains Shapiro. What we liked about Ben was the way he
lights his shots with practical lights, just painting the scene incamera.
Battersby, in turn, says he felt comfortable with the directors
because of their ability to handle the postproduction elements that
She Wolf demanded. I looked at Dan and Alexs work, and it gave
me confidence that they were going to be able to achieve the techniques that were [called for] in the script, says the cinematographer. Had it been a different sort of director with a different background, I may have been more wary.
She Wolf tells the story of paparazzo Ernesto (Esteban
Bigliardi), who feels responsible when his favorite target, the lovely
Sofia (Mara Alche), dies in a motorcycle accident. The photographer
takes a vacation in the wilderness and encounters a group of
wolves, one of whom becomes connected in Ernestos mind and
in several hallucinatory shots with Sofia. He eventually finds some
semblance of peace with the specter.
For opening city scenes, the production shot in Buenos Aires,
but the bulk of the film was shot 10 hours away in the Sierra de la
Ventana mountains. Battersby used an Arri Alexa Classic and a
Convergent Design Gemini 4:4:4 for recording in ArriRaw. I shot
raw mostly because I was concerned that, given the nature of the
locations and budget, I would not have the control I would like all
the time, the cinematographer explains. A case in point was the
Behind-the-scenes photos by Dan Shapiro. All images courtesy of Aggressive.
A tabloid
photographer
is haunted by
the death of
his favorite
target, who
he begins to
suspect has
been
reincarnated
as a wolf in
the short film
She Wolf.
closing scene, shot at sunset on a mountain

with no access for a generator or lighting
truck. We hiked up with a small 5K and a 4by-4 Kino, but that was basically it, Battersby
recalls. The fact that I was shooting in raw
gave me confidence that I would be able to
make changes in the grade that I wouldnt
have with ProRes.
Similarly, a night scene after Ernestos
car has crashed in the woods could be filmed
without a complicated lighting package. I
was able to create moonlight without having
a crane or balloon, says Battersby. I lit with
a 20-by-20 frame with space lights through
the top of the car. We hung it from the trees
with tripods that were in shot, and the guys
painted them out in post.
A principal visual reference point for
the filmmakers was the style cinematographer
Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS lent to the feature
Killing Them Softly (AC Oct. 12). We really
liked that aesthetic of very creamy blacks and
the way the light tones fell off, says Shapiro.
You could really feel the atmosphere in the
surrounding environments. Killing Them
Softly was an anamorphic film, and Battersby
says, I would have loved to shoot anamorphic, but there were no anamorphic lenses
here in Argentina. So I [framed for] the 2.35:1
aspect ratio and used Optefex Blue Streak
filters combined with [18 and 14] Schneider
Hollywood Black Magic filters to soften the
highlights and add the horizontal flare one
associates with anamorphic. I also tried to
keep the depth of field shallow to add a sense
of that format. Battersbys lens package
included Arri/Zeiss Ultra Primes ranging from
Top: Ernesto
(Esteban
Bigliardi) seeks
solitude after
Sofias death.
Middle: The
wolves were
photographed at
the Howling
Woods Farm in
New Jersey.
Bottom: The crew
prepares to shoot
on location in
Argentina.
16
July 2015
Top: Ernesto
crashes his Jeep
into a tree.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Ben Battersby
readies the
productions
Alexa camera
while space
lights illuminate
the scene
through a
20'x20' frame.
16mm to 135mm, an 18-80mm Arri/Fujinon Alura zoom (T2.6), and a Lensbaby for
one shifting-focus shot of Sofia outside
Ernestos wrecked car. An Optex/Nikon
300/600 was also used in various instances,
including for a shot of the moon.
Shots of the wolves did require some
creative blending during post. Argentinas
perfect for everything except wolves, says
Shapiro. For the shots of the title creature
inside the car with Ernesto, the filmmakers
used a husky that was then digitally
augmented to more closely resemble a
wolf. Shapiro continues, We painted that
very friendly dog with more wolfish features
and added a couple of shadows and darkenings.
The other on-camera canines were
in fact wolves, but they were photographed
at a preserve in New Jersey. When you first
see the paparazzo taking photographs of
the wolves out in the wild, hes in Argentina
and the wolves are in New Jersey, says
18
July 2015
Tepaller. We were lucky to find wolves in a

part of the country that has terrain [similar
to Argentinas]. In post we had to paint out
these very long leashes the wolves were on.
For that shoot, we only had about four
people, two Jokers, and a generator we
rented from Home Depot. It started raining,
and we were chasing the wolves with two
lights and a camera. The rain and sketchy
lighting worked in the films favor, giving
these scenes an otherworldly quality.
The New Jersey shoot was captured
by cinematographer Mark Pugh with a Red
Epic. The change in camera was just based
on availability, says Topaller. Since the
majority of these wolf shots were more
abstract and naturally removed from the
narrative, they didnt feel alien once they
were inserted into the film. Battersby says
his main challenge during the grade was
getting the material shot in New Jersey on
the Epic to cut with the scenes shot in
Argentina on the Alexa. We had to pay very
close attention to the color of the grasses.

Once we got that right, the rest fell into
place.
Shapiro and Topaller handed the
reins over to Battersby for the grade, which
was done with colorist Ale Armeleo at his
Buenos Aires company Da8. Alex and Dan
said, Knock yourself out, and well tell you
whether we like it or not, the cinematographer recalls. They left a copy of the ArriRaw down here, so we did the grade in
DaVinci [Resolve] and delivered compressed
dailies to the guys. We had a good dialogue
over that.
Topaller notes, We used to grade
everything by ourselves, and then wed sit
in on grades with other colorists. But now I
feel like its always best to let the colorist do
the work and not be present. The less you
bother them, the better job theyre going to
do. Adds Shapiro, I think just being able
to look at [the project] with an objective eye
while letting them do their work is essential.
She Wolf was largely completed by
early 2014, but Shapiro and Topaller took
their time premiering it online. We looked
at it a few times, a few commercial projects
passed, and we went back and recut a few
things, says Topaller. The short went live
this past March. At some point, we
decided not to go the festival route,
because that would have prevented us
from showing it online, Topaller says. The
quicker we get to a bigger audience, the
better.
To view She Wolf, visit
vimeo.com/119456967.
Production Slate
Hip-Hop Heist
By Patricia Thomson
Rachel Morrisons rsum brims with intense dramas like

Fruitvale Station, Little Accidents, Sound of My Voice and Cake, but
the cinematographers latest endeavor the high-energy, comedic
romp Dope finally let her lighten up. Im a dark-drama girl, she
acknowledges, so this is a bit of a departure.
Dope is a coming-of-age story that tracks Malcolm (Shameik
Moore) and his best friends, Jib (Tony Revolori) and Diggy (Kiersey
Clemons), three geeks growing up in a drug-riddled, gangbanging
part of Inglewood. The high-school seniors are into manga comics
and BMX bikes, worship 90s hip-hop artists, play in a punk band,
and want to go to college. Things take a turn after a seemingly
friendly drug dealer (Rakim Mayers, a.k.a. rapper A$AP Rocky) wrangles Malcolm to invite the local beauty (Zo Kravitz) to a nightclub
party. After a rival gang disrupts the proceedings, Malcolm finds that
someone has hidden a gun and a bag of the drug MDMA colloquially known as Molly inside his backpack. From there, chaos
and comedy ensue as the trio uses the Dark Web, Bitcoin, and a
hacker friend (Blake Anderson) to dispose of their cache all as
Malcolm attempts to get the girl and score a Harvard acceptance.
Part of the attraction was that I found myself flipping
through the pages almost like it was a graphic novel, Morrison says
of the script. When I met with [writer-director] Rick Famuyiwa, he
20
July 2015
was able to articulate that it was indeed going to have a kinetic

energy to it and just be fun.
That spirit buoyed by snappy editing and playful devices
like split screen, backward motion, freeze-frames and social media
inspired a bidding war at Sundance. It was not one of the buzziest movies going in, but it was one of the buzziest movies going out.
Its electrifying when that happens, says the cinematographer on
the very day she learned that Dope had been invited to Cannes.
Though assisted by such recognizable talents as producer
Forest Whitaker (who also served as the films narrator) and executive producers Pharrell Williams and Sean Combs, Dope was a decidedly low-budget production, with only 24 days of principal photography and a half-day of pickups. Preproduction was a mere 12 days.
What was crucial, Morrison notes, was Famuyiwas look book,
which featured touchstones like Pulp Fiction, Bottle Rocket and
Boogie Nights; African-American geeks, Afro-punks, and teen metal
bands like Unlocking the Truth; 90s fashion as redefined by millennials; and films that captured an authentic Los Angeles, as in Jackie
Brown, Collateral and Drive.
Dope was shot mostly on location in Inglewood (where
Famuyiwa grew up), with North Hollywood standing in for exteriors
with the corner drug gang. About five days of footage were shot on
purpose-built sets serving as the nightclub, Malcolms bedroom,
the Bitcoin-exchange warehouse, the music camp, and other odds
and ends which were assembled at Lacy Street Production
Dope photos by Rachel Morrison, courtesy of Open Road Films.
Malcolm
(Shameik Moore,
far right), Jib
(Tony Revolori,
left) and Diggy
(Kiersey Clemons,
middle) are three
geeks trying to
get off the mean
streets and into
college in the
coming-of-age
comedy Dope.
Malcolm kicks
back in his
bedroom (top)
and tutors
Nakia (Zo
Kravitz,
bottom) in the
hopes of taking
her to prom.
Center. It was a quote-unquote stage,

with no grid, no flyaways, and its not
soundproof, says Morrison. Basically like
shooting on location, but all in one space.
The budget foreordained digital
capture, and Famuyiwa knew he wanted
widescreen. So much of the time, its
Malcolm and his two friends a lot of
three-shots, Morrison explains. When its
not, you want to feel Malcolms isolation.
She suggested anamorphic, which shed
just shot on Cake. It helps when youre in
small locations and might have a wall thats
4 feet behind somebody, just to have that
extra falloff to make things feel bigger. I
thought anamorphic would be a good way
to buy some scale [as well as] serve the
story.
The crew used an Arri Alexa Plus 4:3
and an Alexa XT, coupled with a partial set
of Panavision G Series Anamorphic primes
35mm, 50mm, 60mm, 75mm and
100mm supplemented by E Series
40mm, 135mm and 180mm. The 40mm
was her workhorse. I used wide and close
a lot more than I have on other films, says
Morrison, taking a cue from the work of
Wes Anderson. There was no zoom we
couldnt afford it, she says and she
chose to avoid diffusion filters in front of
the lens.
For Malcolms solo dance under the
closing credits, a vintage-2002 Panasonic
AG-DVX100 camcorder came out of the
mothballs, lent by operator Abby Linne.
Operating the DVX was Morrisons only
moment behind camera, making Dope her
first movie on which she didnt operate.
Since the film was designed as a twocamera shoot, she stayed with Famuyiwa
behind the Sony 17" OLED monitors and

let Linne and Steadicam operator Dale
Vance Jr. do the yeomans work.
Camera movement was on dolly,
sliders and Steadicam, always motivated by
the characters actions and Malcolms
emotions. When the kids were on bikes,
the crew kept pace with a golf cart, with
the camera either rigged or on Steadicam.
Famuyiwa expressly did not want to resort
to handheld to express Dopes infectious
energy. Handheld had its place, however, in
the fight scenes and in Malcolms discovery
of the illicit materials in his knapsack.
Famuyiwa also wanted to avoid the
gritty urban clich, explains Morrison.
Dope was to be colorful, vibrant, saturated, with a definitive call-out to 90s hiphop and fashion culture, but not going
back to that cheesy blue moonlight, she
says. Morrison and digital-imaging technician Randall Paulin worked out several basic
looks. More of a gamma LUT, she notes.
We made a low-con, medium-con and
www.theasc.com
high-con LUT. In addition to his Panasonic

BT-LH1710W 17" widescreen LCD for
camera monitoring, Paulin had an Eizo
ColorEdge CG232W for color correction.
They shot ProRes 4:4:4:4, recording
onto 64GB and 32GB SxS Pro cards. For onset correction, says Paulin, the looks
started as Arri Rec 709 3D LUT plus an
adjustment to Rachels taste; then variations
were made shot by shot to match different
lenses and lighting for example, getting
a [consistent] warm afternoon when it was
shot over several days with varied cloud
cover. I processed and colored rolls as they
came in and brought stills to Rachel on an
iPad as time allowed. As for dailies, he
adds, they went back and forth with post
the first few days, but it ended up being
more efficient for me to batch process
them from my renders and shuttle them
over.
Dopes lighting package was small
everything fit in a 10-ton, says Morrison and weighted toward HMIs. Though
July 2015
21
Malcolm, Jib and Diggy venture beyond their comfort zone when they attend a
nightclub party thrown by a local drug dealer.
a comedy, it was lit like a drama. Contrast

is a huge tool for telling a story, the cinematographer says. Take that away, and it
feels like youre painting with one hand tied
behind your back.
Dopes biggest setup was the nightclub, comprising a front exterior, alleyway
exterior and club interior, all shot at the Lacy
Street center. Due to scheduling, everything
had to be lit simultaneously. Between
those three environments, we had almost
every lamp working, says gaffer Kyle
Warmack. What drove the overall strategy
was the need to light very quickly and
provide total freedom for our two cameras,
all while being able to shift moods; the club
scenes have suspense, romance, comedy
and action, depending on which characters
are interacting.
The entryway where Malcolm tries
22
July 2015
to sneak in was lit with China-hat practicals

with 150-watt globes providing pools of
neutral light. Above those were Kino Flo 4'
four-banks with tungsten tubes gelled with
Rosco 4390 CalColor Cyan 90. Likewise in
the small back room where the shoot-out
occurs, China hats did the work, supplemented by a Rifa eX 55 with a control grid
over the entrance.
For the large, colorful club floor, the
goal was to light speedily from above.
During a day of pre-rigging, best boy electric
Andrew Gorrell rigged lamps to a poormans grid of speedrail and C-clamps
attached to the overhead steel beams,
constructed by key grip Greg Flores and his
team. These held six Martin Mac 500
moving lights spaced around the set, and
eight Kino Flo Image 85s gelled with 90
Cyan, E-Colour 117 Steel Blue or 162
Bastard Amber. We usually only used a

couple of tubes on each, since Rachel
always wants as much contrast as possible,
but we doubled the intensity on several
units to light the mayhem that ensues
during the police raid, says Warmack.
Around the perimeter were four
groups of Par cans gelled with E-Colour 104
Deep Amber and 106 Primary Red on
dimmer packs, as backlights for the crowd.
Every pillar in the club was fitted on all four
sides with colored Kino Flo tubes four
tubes on each pillar, with red and green on
alternating sides which were
programmed to blink on and off. Pink tubes
were used in the background, near the bar
and the entrance.
In addition, says Warmack, the DJ
stage had two vertical rails in picture with
gelled Par 38 cans on dimmer packs, plus
two Creamsource Doppio daylight LED
units to act as sleek-looking audience blinders. All of the units were routed back to
lighting programmer Eric Androvichs
control board a GrandMa2 command
wing. Between setups, he was out on the
floor with me with his remote, making
adjustments on the fly. No matter where we
were shooting in the room, we could swivel
at least three of the Martin Mac 500s to
work as a moving backlight, key or background accent.
In another party scene, as Malcolms
band plays and his online Molly market
opens for business, the revelers record the
goings-on using smartphones and posting
to Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
According to Paulin, the production made
Top: The three friends become embroiled in a high-stakes misadventure after a rival gang shoots up
the nightclub. Bottom: Cinematographer Rachel Morrison on set for the feature Little Accidents.
use of iPhones ranging from 4 to 5S, his

own LG E980, a Nokia Lumina 635 and a
Samsung Galaxy. It was all as spontaneous
as the party scene itself, he says, with
personal phones as well as prop units.
Morrison sometimes assigned the
operators specific smartphone shooting
tasks, but for the most part, the extras
were given free reign. For simplicitys sake,
she eschewed any apps. There just wasnt
the time to teach the extras, she says. Plus,
the intention was for it to look like an
iPhone, so the lower-fi, the better.
Phone and camcorder footage was
ingested into the DaVinci Resolve workflow,
but was initially left with natural color for
24
July 2015
authenticity, with slight lifting as required,

notes Paulin. It was then oriented, de-interlaced, scaled and frame-rate normalized to
1080p at 23.976 fps for the editors initial
work.
All camera footage was saved initially
to an SSD RAID, and duplicated immediately to an eSATA backup drive and a dailyshuttle FireWire drive, says Paulin. The
entire media set was archived to LTO tape
for safekeeping.
Racing the clock for Sundance, color
correction took place over eight days at
Local Hero Post. Grading was done in 2.5K
from the Alexas original anamorphic QuickTime camera masters using Assimilates
Scratch system for conform, color and

mastering, with a 2K DCP as their final goal.
Having just given birth, Morrison
spent just the first few days with supervising
colorist Leandro Marini and colorist Dave
Franks, then returned three times to check
passes. Their main objective, the cinematographer notes, was finding the right
balance between saturation, contrast and
color. We wanted it to be colorful, but not
hypersaturated. Marini adds, The film is a
little heightened and a bit surreal, so we
embraced a colorful, punchy look with a
little grit and a small amount of grain
added. In the end, we were aiming for
something that looked fun and not digital.
Though Morrisons next project is a
serious drama HBOs Confirmation,
which reunites the cinematographer with
Famuyiwa she remembers the comedic
interlude of Dope with fondness. The
moments that were laugh-out-loud on
screen definitely felt that way on set, she
attests. I love shooting drama, but theres
something nice about a set where people
are loose and having fun.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.39:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Plus 4:3, Alexa XT;
Panasonic AG-DVX100; iPhone 4, 4S, 5, 5S;
LG E980; Nokia Lumina 635;
Samsung Galaxy
Panavision G Series, E Series
Beneath the Surface

By Kevin Barnes
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is

a four-hour Lifetime miniseries that follows
the tumultuous rise of Norma Jeane
Mortenson (Kelli Garner) from displaced
child to global cinema icon. Having seen
director Laurie Collyers earlier films Sherrybaby (AC Sept. 06) and Sunlight Jr., Chris
Manley, ASC knew he was on the right
team. I knew she would be able to bring
the most out of the cast and get amazing
performances, he says. A story that deals
with mental illness both in Marilyn and her
mother, Gladys [Susan Sarandon], was
something we hadnt seen before and
would be an interesting one to tell.
The narrative covers four decades,
and care was taken to give each era its own
distinctive look. For reference, Collyer
amassed an abundance of publicity shots,
portraiture and documentary stills of
Monroes public appearances. The 1982
film Frances shot by Laszlo Kovacs, ASC
(AC March 83) was also influential, as it
spanned some of the same decades and
depicted an actress struggle with mental
health.
The production rented two Arri
Alexa Classics from Panavision Toronto, as
Manley prefers working with the companys
Primo lightweight zooms specifically the
26
July 2015
15-40mm (T2.6) and the 27-75mm (T2.6).

Manley had tested them during his tenure
on Mad Men (AC Oct. 09) and found them
equal to primes in sharpness and lack of
distortion. They dont barrel or keystone,
and they dont breathe when you rack
focus. Plus its a quick swap to a prime,
when necessary. The Angenieux Optimo
45-120mm (T2.8) was another favorite.
When you need to go beyond 75mm, its
also a quick change, the cinematographer
adds. The production also carried a 24275mm Primo zoom (T2.8) and a full set of
Primo primes. The Alexa footage was
captured onto SxS cards.
Manley sought to decrease image
contrast and imbue the shadows with a
color bias, and so, through most of the
shoot, he paired the Alexas with an Arri
Varicon. The Varicon is a descendant of the
ColorFlex later renamed Lightflex
which Gerry Turpin, BSC invented in order
to make it possible for negative flashing to
be applied in-camera rather than being relegated to the lab. The flashing process
affects the shadows and midrange while
leaving skin tones and highlights unaffected.
It gives you more exposure in the
shadows by lifting the toe of the characteristic curve, says Manley. The Varicon can
be dimmed up or down to taste. The
process also intensifies the latent image, so
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe photos by Ben Mark Holzberg and Danny Feld, courtesy of A&E Television Networks. Photo of Chris Manley, ASC by Louie Escobar.
Norma Jeane Mortenson (Kelli Garner) transforms herself into a global cinema icon in the
miniseries The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe.
that otherwise undetectable details become

visible in the shadows.
Before determining to use the Varicon, Manley explained the look he wanted
to Technicolor Los Angeles colorist Tim
Vincent, who said he could achieve the
effect in postproduction with Autodesk
Lustre, but increased noise would result. The
cinematographer also considered filters, but
the Varicon was ultimately favored for its
ability to boost exposure and preserve the
image integrity.
For scenes set in the 1930s, Roscolux
99 Chocolate was added to the Varicon gel
holder, and colors were skewed toward a
muted, pastel palette. The 1940s replaced
Chocolate with Lee 728 Steel Green as
secondary colors were introduced, including
yellow. And with the mid-20th-century rise
of Technicolor came an increase in saturation and primary colors; though Manley
used the Varicon to lift the blacks in these
scenes occasionally, he did not color-bias the
shadows. These looks were further finessed
with decade-specific LUTs made with the
help of Vincent and digital-imaging technician Baha Nurlybayev; final-color responsibilities were shared between Tim Vincent in
Los Angeles and Brett Trider of Technicolor
Toronto.
The Varicon slides into two filter slots
on an Arri MB-14 matte box, adding
awkward weight that makes it best suited
for studio-mode shooting. Nonetheless,
Manley always opted for whatever operating mode was most appropriate for the
scene at hand. When Monroe is rehearsing
All About Eve with acting coach Natasha
Lytess (Embeth Davidtz), she shrinks from a
window, claiming to hear voices outside; at
Monroes insistence, Lytess hurries to extinguish every light. Camera operator Keith
Murphy chased Davidtz through the
complex blocking with the Alexa on his
shoulder. The stability of the camera
mirrored the stability or lack of it in the
characters, muses Manley. (When
Steadicam was warranted, however, the
Varicon was replaced with a Tiffen Ultra
Con filter.)
In 1955, The Seven Year Itch generated one of the most iconic images of the
20th century: Marilyn Monroe, standing
over a New York City subway grate as her
dress billows revealingly from the updraft.
Top: Although
the movie studio
spun a story that
Monroes mother
was dead, Gladys
Mortenson
(Susan Sarandon)
in fact remained
an active and
troubling part of
her daughters
life. Bottom: The
filmmakers
combined soundstage elements
with a digital
background to
re-create this
famous scene
from The Seven
Year Itch.
Billy Wilder had shot the scene twice

once in Los Angeles on a soundstage and
again in New York as a publicity stunt. The
original New York location had changed
too much to be usable, and at temperatures
as low as -4F during the January shoot, a
Toronto exterior was deemed not conducive
to blowing even warm air up Garners dress.
So, the Marilyn production opted for the
stage, replete with a sidewalk and subway
grate rigged with hidden air hoses. Collyer
28
July 2015
and production designer Rocco Matteo

wanted storefronts that looked like 1950s
New York, but it was prohibitively expensive to build anything, and it wouldnt have
allowed the production the flexibility we
needed, recalls visual-effects supervisor
Brendan Taylor. Instead, key grip Christian
Drennan suspended a 30'x80' bluescreen,
and the desired background was computergenerated.
To re-create the shoot as it appears in
reference photos with reflections of

Monroes back, other performers, and the
camera and lights in the windows behind
her four Canon EOS 5D Mark II DSLRs
were set up on tripods at key positions
behind Garner and in front of the bluescreen. The cameras were masked by foam
core, painted chroma blue, and precise
holes were cut for the Canon EF 16-35mm
(f2.8) lenses. From these rear vantage
points, footage was recorded with a Technicolor CineStyle LUT applied; simultaneously,
the pair of Alexas covered the scene from
the front. The 5D footage was later
composited onto the glass of four CG storefronts modeled by digital artist Dominic
Cheung.
Commenting on the scenes lighting
setup, Manley notes, You have to see the
sources in the shot, and luckily MoleRichardson heads havent changed a whole
lot over the years. Even still, its not really
possible to light the scene with the prop
lights; they have to be dimmed to an
acceptable level on camera, and you want
to put them in the best spot for the composition, which isnt necessarily the best spot
to light the actors.
We augmented with our own
lights where possible, Manley continues,
adding that for overall ambience, two 20K
Cinematographer Chris Manley, ASC lines up a shot for the television series Mad Men.
Fresnels were focused into an overhead

20'x20' Ultrabounce. It helps to have a
knowledge of how cinematographers of
that time worked at 50 ASA, and how to
make a scene look good with hard sources
in close proximity to the actors.
Monroe died at age 36 in 1962, and
for scenes set in the early 60s, Collyer
wanted to evoke photos of the stars final
days. For example, there was a series of
nudes shot by photographer Bert Stern in a
house with all the windows overexposed, as
if Monroe were in Heaven a look Manley
emulated by exposing this period brighter,
with more washed-out shadows. He used
the Varicon in a neutral fashion, with white
light as opposed to a colored gel. (Because
the Varicon employs a tungsten lamp, Lee
Half or Full CTB was used in the unit for
daylight-balanced scenes.)
Garner was in almost every scene,
and it was often unavoidable to shoot
different periods back to back. As hair,
makeup and wardrobe transformations
were time-consuming, Manley recalls that
we would have an hour and a half to light
the master, which was a luxury, but only
minutes to light the coverage. For speed,
gaffer Terry Banting used 3- and 6-Lite
Barger-Lites, with one circuit on a Variac
dimmer for warmth, and Lowel Rifa 44, 55
and 88s fitted with honeycomb grids. Additionally, ETC Source Fours were frequently
30
July 2015
bounced off a piece of unbleached muslin

paper-taped to a wall, which eliminated the
need for stands. The Varicon was also a
time saver; as Manley notes, Its the fill
light that comes from nowhere.
Manley often had to juggle an
intended period look with the need to
make the actors look younger or older
Garner played Monroe from 16 to 36, and
Emily Watson, who portrayed Marilyns
childhood caretaker Grace McKee, transformed from a young woman to an older
woman in ill health. When lighting the characters younger days, the cinematographer
notes, the danger is you can very quickly
flatten out the image, which was in conflict
with the storys dark take on Monroes life.
Additionally, Manley often had to
maintain a sense of ambient light while
shooting night-for-day on location, as
happened with the re-creation of Monroes
rehearsal for the Diamonds Are a Girls
Best Friend number in Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes. The bottom two-thirds of two 20'high windows were dressed with orange,
translucent curtains, and two 18K Arrimaxes on 50' scissor lifts were projected
through the exposed glass above the
curtains and above the frame line
from the street outside. When the location
forbade any gear on the sidewalk, a plan to
diffuse the windows from outside had to be
quickly rethought; instead, Drennan had
the idea to use the locations motorized

blinds. They reminded me of a fly-system
pipe from my theater days, he remembers.
Two 12'x12' Quarter Grid rags were clipped
to the bottom of the blinds, which were
then raised into position. It was fantastic,
Manley praises. As soon as they went up,
it was like daytime in Los Angeles. We went
to picture eight minutes later.
Manley monitored the shooting on
21.5" LM-2140W LCD displays from Flanders Scientific. Imagery was viewed in Rec
709 color space with the carefully prepared
LUTs added via Pomforts LiveGrade software, and CDLs were loaded into Blackmagic Designs DaVinci Resolve 11. RAIDs
were delivered to Technicolor Toronto each
night, and H.264 iPad dailies were made
available after being thoroughly checked
and verified by Nurlybayev in ProRes
4:2:2 LT.
Manley enjoyed an extensive prep
with Nurlybayev, and he insists that the DIT
is an indispensable position in a modern
digital production. Theres a movement
against using them because producers balk
at the equipment rentals, and there is the
notion that it slows down the cinematographer, he notes. On this show, I found it
made me faster. Rather than putting gels
on lights or adding fill, he often had Nurlybayev make an adjustment to the color or
the curve and was ready in seconds. And as
to the complaint that a DIT separates the
cinematographer from the director, he credits the advent of better-quality monitors for
changing that; Manley prefers to rough-in
the scene alongside the director, then sign
off on the look at the DIT station.
Manley stresses the importance of
getting the image right on set before it goes
to editorial, where people can otherwise
get used to seeing it the wrong way. As he
notes, Its critical that the cinematographer
influence the look of the dailies.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Classic
Panavision Primo, Angenieux Optimo
Tortured Souls
Owen McPolin, ISC and

John Conroy, ISC embrace the
darkness on the chilling horror
saga Penny Dreadful.
By Phil Rhodes
|
32
July 2015
he rivalry between cinema and television has long been

intense. Ever since the 4x3, black-and-white opening
of This Is Cinerama expanded to reveal the full-color
splendor of the giant curved screen, the two visualpresentation systems have been firing broadsides at each
other. So when a television-production company really
commits to competing with the big screen by funding a
lavish show at a level that will assure the highest-quality
results the pressure, especially for a cinematographer, can
be intense.
This is the enviable dilemma confronted by cinematographers Owen McPolin, ISC and John Conroy, ISC,
Unit photography by Jonathan Hession, courtesy of Showtime.
Opposite, left to
right: Ethan
Chandler (Josh
Hartnett),
Sembene (Danny
Sapani), Vanessa
Ives (Eva Green),
Sir Malcolm
Murray (Timothy
Dalton) and Dr.
Victor
Frankenstein
(Harry
Treadaway)
contend with the
supernatural in
the horror-drama
series Penny
Dreadful. This
page, top: Ives
confronts a
shape-shifting
witch. Bottom:
Cinematographers
John Conroy, ISC
(left) and Owen
McPolin, ISC
(right) on set.
who are responsible for more than half

the episodes of Showtime and Skys
ambitious
horror-thriller
Penny
Dreadful. The visually sumptuous
series, led by series creator-showrunner
John Logan and his fellow executive
producer Sam Mendes, has just
concluded its second season of nailbiting suspense.
Set in 19th-century London,
Penny Dreadful is a dark and bloody
saga, spinning interconnected tales of
human encounters with a nightmarish
underworld and its unearthly inhabitants. Sir Malcolm Murray (Timothy
Dalton) is an English explorer and
adventurer whose unsuccessful attempt

to save his daughter, Mina, from a
vampire master cements his resolve to
thwart the shows preternatural villains;
Minas childhood friend Vanessa Ives
(Eva Green) is a stalwart heroine
tormented, quite literally, by an inner
demon; Dr. Victor Frankenstein
(Harry Treadaway) must contend with
the constantly looming threat of his
reanimated Creature (Rory Kinnear);
and Ethan Chandler ( Josh Hartnett) is
a dashing American sharpshooter
seeking to make amends for his past
misdeeds while struggling with his own
horrific curse, which occasionally
www.theasc.com
transforms him into a flesh-ripping

werewolf. Interacting with this core
group are iconic characters that include
the ageless Dorian Gray (Reeve
Carney) and other figures from the
classic-horror canon.
McPolin is the most prolific of
the series four cinematographers to
date, with seven episodes under his belt,
including three in season two. The Irish
cinematographer, whose recent credits
include Ripper Street, Da Vincis Demons
and Whitechapel, began working in the
industry during the mid-90s after
growing up on the Emerald Isle and
completing his film education in the
July 2015
33
Tortured Souls
U.K. Given the Gothic overtones of his
filmography, the cinematographer was
a natural choice to continue the work
of Xavi Gimnez, AEC, who shot the
pilot and the first two episodes.
You have to credit Xavi with
setting up the look, says McPolin.
Showtime was very interested in
ensuring that the initial episodes of the
first season had impact. The network
invested both the time and money to
meet this mandate; the first two
episodes, photographed by Gimnez,
were shot over 36 days, while new pairs
of episodes are currently scheduled to
be shot over 26 to 29 days.
During prep, the shows cinematographers plan meticulously with
its directors, and McPolin has
frequently collaborated with James
Hawes and Dearbhla Walsh to strategize his episodes. Shooting then begins
during a crossover period, with two
complete units working simultaneously
on different sets an efficient
approach conceived by co-executive
producer Karen Richards and production manager Stephen Burt. Its
impossible for one cinematographer to
do all that, says McPolin, and [the
two-unit system] allows the production to economize on gear, sets and
actors. McPolin credits his return for
the shows second season to his association with Hawes, with whom he had
teamed on the first-season episodes
Grand Guignol and Possession. He
notes, They try to keep a cinematographer following a director, so when
James came back to do season two, I
was tapped to come along.
If youre a new director of
photography and you come onto the
show, [the look] needs to be consistent, says Conroy, whose involvement
with the series began with the fourth
and fifth episodes of season two. Even
so, he says, the shows producers like
you to bring something to it thats
different. Thats also why they get
different directors. On Penny Dreadful
we had a rigging crew that changed out
from more of a harder light to a soft
light [achieved] with Chinese lanterns.
Top: A vampire
(Robert Nairne)
searches for Ives.
Middle and
bottom: The cast
and crew work
on a scene in
which Murray,
Chandler and
Sembene battle
vampires.
34
July 2015
Then, when I left, PJ Dillon [ISC] or

Nigel Willoughby [BSC] were changing my lanterns out for their lights. No
director of photography would walk in
without changing anything.
Conroy started his career as a
clapper loader for his cinematographer
father, Jack, whose credits include Jim
Sheridans Oscar-winning drama My
Left Foot. My first film-industry
memory is being on the set of Zardoz
[directed by John Boorman and shot by
Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC] when I was
8 my dad was the gaffer. I knew that
it was all I ever wanted to do. After
serving as director of photography on
the visual-effects unit for Sweeney Todd
(AC Jan. 08) and as focus puller on
Hollywood features that included
Braveheart (AC Dec. 95), The Tailor of
Panama, The Da Vinci Code (AC June
06) and The Bourne Ultimatum (AC
Sept. 07), Conroys industry pedigree
led him to the cinematographers chair
on a series of acclaimed television
productions: Silent Witness, Mr.
Selfridge, Fortitude, Luther and
Broadchurch.
McPolin notes that Penny
Dreadfuls abundance of atmosphere is
a high priority: John Logan was really
adamant that he wanted to feel and
taste and touch the London of that
time. Xavis approach, which Ive tried
to continue, was to look for textures
within the sets and characters to use
the detail in the costumes and environments. The show is very visceral, with
Frankenstein opening bodies and the
details of makeup effects you want
to capture all of that.
Comparing the productions
overall look to that of The Others
(photographed by Javier Aguirresarobe,
ASC, AEC), McPolin makes ample
use of darkness, and is keen to emphasize the support he receives from the
production team in pursuing that strategy. The characters find themselves in
some very dark environments, he says.
The backgrounds just drift away into
darkness. [While we were] grading
episodes one and two of season two,
Chris [W. King] and John [Logan],
Top:
Frankenstein is
confronted by
his Creature
(Rory Kinnear).
Middle: The
Creature, using
the name
Caliban, works
as a stagehand
at a theater.
Bottom:
Frankenstein
creates a
companion for
the Creature
from the dead
body of Brona
Croft (Billie
Piper).
www.theasc.com
July 2015
35
Tortured Souls
our producers, said over and over again
to us and to the colorist, Chris
Wallace, to Go dark, cave it in, go as
dark as you dare to tell the story
visually that we want to tell. Dont feel
restricted thats the main thing
John wants. He wants the show to feel
foreboding, for the audience to squint
and find the characters in the darkness.
Logan is very clearly the shows
lead creative presence. McPolin
confirms, Its run by one man, which
gives you a singular vision. If you have
any questions, you go up to John, ask
what he means, and he tells you.
Theres no obfuscation or dawdling
no I dont know, so Ill pitch it in the
middle. The communication is clear
and articulate.
Whats good about a period
piece, Conroy opines, is that you
dont just turn up and shoot in a car
park; it has to be designed. On a
contemporary film, if the production
needs a location and it happens to be
near unit base, [the crew will] try to
make it work. You cant do that on a
period show.
In the case of Penny Dreadful,
this assertion rings as a considerable
understatement; the show boasts at
least six opulent standing sets and a
back-lot re-creation of Victorian
London which is already in the
process of being expanded at the
productions Ardmore Studios base in
County Wicklow, Ireland. Stage power
facilities have also been upgraded to
support Penny Dreadful and the almost
universal application of tungsten light.
We shot everything tungsten, recalls
McPolin. It works, its quiet and
theyre reliable units. Many cinematographers would [agree] that the nature
of tungsten lighting tends to be a little
less severe. I used a lot of Maxi-Brutes,
Mini-Brutes, and 12- and 20K tungsten sources that are all on dimmer
racks in the studios that was a
legacy of Xavis work. I also use a lot of
[Lowel] Rifa lights 66s and 88s.
Conroy concurs. I like using big
lights. I like to use the 20K DeSisti
Top and middle:

Candles provide
practical
illumination as
Ives flirts with
Dorian Gray
(Reeve Carney).
Bottom: McPolin
lines up a shot
inside Grays
mansion.
36
July 2015
tungsten even on daylight work and

also 250-watt tungsten China balls.
These China balls, he is quick to
emphasize, were not specialty fixtures.
I went to Ikea, he says. I love square
lanterns that can fit flat against the
wall; theyre quick and easy to rig
because theyre light. Theres no big
engineering job to put up three or four
lights.
Practical light sources on Penny
Dreadful range from the relatively
everyday candles, gas lamps and firelight to more esoteric sources: the
limelight of a period theater, and the
life-creating lightning channeled
through Frankensteins laboratory.
Conroys approach to shooting
fire is perhaps slightly counterintuitive:
One of the problems with period
work is that if you shoot candlelight,
youre wide open if thats your only
light source, so the candle flame is
white and it looks fake. You have to
light things up so you can see the fire.
I think the best candle stuff is tungsten-assisted so you can see the detail
in the flame.
The theater sets follow spots,
recalls McPolin, were 1K tungstens
with 18 Plus Green to give them the
slight lime-y color the original spotlights had. To simulate hand lanterns,
we converted practical lighting
Tilley lamps. Instead of having a gas
lantern, we used small 12-volt Pygmy
lights, which were all battery-operated
and dimmable. Production design put
a small gauze over the bulb to give it
the look of a gas mantle. Eager to
avoid conventionally blue-tinged night
scenes, McPolin reveals that we
combined a sort of Steel Green and
Half Blue on all the tungsten lamps.
This green-tinged darkness was
used extensively during McPolins
work on the first second-season
episode, part of which was shot in
brick-arched tunnels beneath the
Dublin Connolly railway station. The
setting represented a place where the
underbelly of London society, the poor
and the marginalized, live in squalor,
McPolin says. He remembers the deli-
Ives volunteers
in the tunnels
below London,
where she
befriends
Frankensteins
Creature, who
now uses the
name John Clare.
www.theasc.com
July 2015
37
Tortured Souls
cacy of this genuine period location,
which featured authentic Victorian
arches. We couldnt drill into them,
and we couldnt hang anything, he
notes. We had to light from the floor.
It was a completely dark environment,
and it was vast, with 20 or 30 arches.
We had to populate it with 100 to 150
extras.
McPolin lit the scene with up to
100 China balls, colored with our Steel
Green and Half Blue. It was directionless; that was our base light and we
punctuated it with firelight, so we got a
lovely color separation between the
orange fire, the bricks, and the Steel
Green. It was so dark in there that the
actors couldnt find their way around!
Conroy is quick to credit his crew
for their creativity. For a scene between
Frankenstein and his Creature in their
living quarters, Conroy lit the space as
if the only light was coming from the
fire, he says. The crew prepared six
light boxes made up with 16 golf-ball
bulbs, warmed up with Quarter Orange
and diffused. We were able to place
them wherever the action took place, so
it always felt as if the light was coming
from the fire. These custom-made
devices saw service again in a scene shot
at Dublin Castle, depicting a tabletennis tournament. Again, the production could not rig from the historic
building, but, Conroy says, the art
department came up trumps. They
made something like snooker-table
light boxes above the tables. We could
move each of them up and down to
allow for the perspective.
Penny Dreadful is shot with the
Arri Alexa XT Plus, with three camera
bodies usually on hand to ensure that
the two-camera main unit is adequately
equipped. Only during explicitly
designed crossover periods are two full
units at work. Lenses are Cooke S4s,
with some use of Clairmonts Swing
and Shift lenses (which Conroy found
particularly handy for a sequence in
which Vanessa has a nightmare). In
terms of filtration, Conroy says, we all
decided whether we wanted to net or
not. I dont think Owen used nets, but
Top: Madame Kali

(Helen McCrory)
is a witch in
Satans service.
Middle: The crew
preps a scene
featuring Kali
and her fellow
Nightcomers.
Bottom: Ives
crosses a bloodprotected
threshold that
keeps the witches
at bay.
38
July 2015
Xavi and I did. I use 10-denier

Christian Dior sheer antiques, and I
dont stretch them I rip them and
put the laddered strands on the internal
filter holder of the Alexa. This configuration, he notes, can create both flare
and diffusion, depending on the combination of torn threads and intact fabric.
McPolin also occasionally uses a
Schneider Classic Soft filter.
Under the mainly tungsten light,
the Alexa was set for 800 ISO. I have
no problem changing it up or down,
says Conroy. I like to be wide open on
the wider lenses I live on the 27mm
and 40mm. I reckon you could shoot a
whole film on those if you had to pick
two lenses.
McPolin agrees: Most of the
time we were using 21mm or 27mm
lenses; when we went up and wide, wed
sometimes go to the 16mm and put it
on a crane. If you want [someone] to
look scared, put the camera near the
eyeline and above it.
For B-camera and Steadicam
operation, McPolin worked with Roger
Tooley, and Conroy with Vince
McGahon. Grip equipment includes
Chapman/Leonard Hybrid dollies, and
the crew intermittently employs
MovieBird cranes, under the supervision of key grip Philip Murphy.
Both Conroy and McPolin serve
as A-camera operators. Conroy operates the crane work and A camera at all
times, and McPolin occasionally delegates when a shot becomes particularly
complex. Under such circumstances,
McPolin would hand the A camera to
Tooley, with Fionn Comerford acting
as B-camera operator. This type of situation arose during production of a
particularly difficult sequence in the
sixth episode of season two. It was a
17- or 18-page scene, probably the
biggest Ive ever shot, remembers
McPolin. Dorian Gray announces a
grand ball to introduce his new girlfriend to society, and all the lead characters attend including the
antagonists. Its called the Blood Ball,
and the space we shot in was maybe 200
by 100 feet wide, 30 feet high, with
Tortured Souls
When Ives
becomes
possessed once
again, blood
rains down on
the ball.
more than 100 cast members and

extras, plus 35 dancers all in bespoke
handmade costumes. During the
sequence, Eva Greens character
becomes possessed, and blood rains
down on the entire ball.
Given the large cast, the
complexity of the period costumes and
the downpour of blood, retakes were
out of the question. We had 600 to
1,000 gallons of blood ready to go, and
the performers had to dance as if noth40
July 2015
ing was happening, McPolin says.

We spent weeks and weeks testing
how to make blood rain so that it could
be pumped through the rain towers
with the right viscosity. [During this
process] we also tested various lighting
scenarios to see what [blood color]
would be produced with the different
viscosities, depending on the strength
of backlight and color correction used
on the lamps.
We also built two sets, he
continues. One fully constructed ballroom, and the other a virtual green
set built in the exact dimensions as
the real dressed set, but this one was
constructed without dressing and
painted in waterproof green and open
at one end for crane access.
The green set was then tanked,
McPolin explains. It had to have a
sealed, watertight floor with 4-inch
edging so that when the blood rained
down on the performers and the set,
the hundreds of gallons of glutinous
blood could be contained, collected
safely and then pumped out of the
stage.
The lighting setup for this
complex sequence was designed to lend
the setting a richness, an aristocratic
quality, he says. With the brilliant
planning and skill of rigging gaffer
Kieran Dempsey and lighting gaffer
Noel Cullen, we built a lighting rig
comprising 17 soft boxes, each on its
own dimmer rack and each containing
about 12 Blondes. We could chase
lighting, pool the characters and kill
the lights around them to create these
really soft pools. I was trying to create a
sense that the light was undulating; it
The cast and crew work on the greenscreen set for the Blood Ball.
was very soft and modeled without

being blanket-lit.
The live blood effects were shot
on the green set from a MovieBird
crane equipped with a Scorpio threeaxis gyro-stabilized head. The blood
would be digitally composited onto the
conventional set, where scenes were
being shot as this interview was
conducted. What worried me,
McPolin says with a frown, was that if
the floor was slick, youd see the entire
rig overhead. Of course, I was also
thinking, If we dont do this right, Im
going to be fired. Thankfully, when the
rain of blood hits the floor, the reflection breaks up.
While discussing the shows
exotic set pieces, both McPolin and
Conroy credit the work of the art
department, which operates under
production
designer
Jonathan
McKinstry. Without good production
design, Conroy submits, there is no
good cinematography.
McPolin recalls, Jonathan was
instrumental in making sure that the
dressing, colors and textures were
right. His crew used real brickwork
and real stone.

In discussing his role on the
show, McKinstry demonstrates a keen
sensitivity to the requirements of the
camera department. On the whole,
Im conscious of how cinematographers want to light things, with threequarter backlight and so forth, so I try
to design sets that will work for that
kind of approach, McKinstry says.
And since were working in the horror
genre, I try to introduce as many
textures as possible reflective
surfaces, Damask fabrics, wallpapers
so you never get into a flat, dark hole.
McKinstry further confirms that
John Logans influence is felt on every
aspect of the production. He was very
hands-on in the first season, the
production designer continues. It was
his baby, and he was concerned about
every last detail and color and the
choice of absolutely everything. We
gradually managed to win his confidence.
The overlap between units keeps
McKinstry busy. He explains, I have
to be running around a lot. To pack the
shooting days in the schedule there has
Tortured Souls
Gray takes Angelique out on the town for a date.
42
to be quite a lot of overlap, so were

prepping sets for two different units,
going out and measuring locations, and
getting construction to build everything. Im constantly leapfrogging and
trying to stay one block ahead.
The art department, including
art directors, draftspeople and graphic
artists, totaled probably about 20,
McKinstry says Then theres the setdecorating team and props. We also
have a practical electrician for when
there are practical lights incorporated
into a set piece. Like his fellow
crewmembers, McKinstry enjoys the
scale of the project. Its not often you
get to design and build a theater! he
enthuses.
Digital-imaging technician Niall
OBrien calls the on-set workflow
something I put together on Ripper
Street, and weve been working that way
ever since. On-set creative colorimetry
is
performed
using
Pomfort
LiveGrade, with Tangent Element
control panels and Blackmagic

HDLink converters to impose the
resulting LUT on the monitored
image. This equipment, owned by
OBrien, drives 17" Sony OLED
displays. Astro 3014 monitors, with
their comprehensive test-and-measurement facilities, are also used.
Recordings are made in ProRes 4:4:4:4
to 64GB SxS cards, except when
specific visual-effects shots can make
use of the greater information in a raw
recording. In this case, Codexs USB3
Capture Drive Dock is used to move
ArriRaw material directly into a Maccentric data-wrangling workflow; on
particularly heavy raw-acquisition days,
an additional data wrangler may be
added to the camera department. Rawheavy days may generate up to 1TB of
data, whereas the unit might ordinarily
produce 300-400GB of data each day.
Three copies are made on set, using
Silverstack, while Dublin-based postproduction house Screen Scene takes
care of LTO tape backup and shipping

to the conform and grade facilities in
Canada. Dailies are created in
Assimilates Scratch and distributed on
iPads via the DAX digital dailies
system, while the final grades are
supervised via Internet link from
London.
Both in the intricacies of its
technical execution and its artistic
intent, Penny Dreadful is unmistakably
a production of grand ambition. Irish
cinematographers, such as John and
myself, are getting to do jobs that wed
never get to do beforehand, McPolin
attests. We get to shoot scale. In
Britain, particularly with the traditional
broadcasters, theyre seeing that its
important that they have a bigger scale
so they can compete. The resources
theyre throwing at [Penny Dreadful]
are incredible, because theyre going up
against the biggest movies. Think big,
they say. If you need something, well
consider it, and well do our damnedest
to get it for you.

I loved every second of it,
Conroy says. John Logan is really
generous with his time; Karen
[Richards] and the production team
were second to none. When I did the
show I had a broken foot, but I didnt
tell anybody because I desperately
wanted to shoot it! It was worth it. Its
the kind of stuff that you always strive
to shoot, and it was one of the best
production experiences Ive ever had.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa XT Plus
Cooke S4,
Clairmont Swing and Shift
43
Making
Monsters
I
John Schwartzman, ASC mixes

35mm and 65mm film for Jurassic
World, the long-awaited return to the
dinosaurs-run-amok franchise.
By Jay Holben
|
44
July 2015
n the 22 years since billionaire John Hammond (played by

the late Richard Attenborough) attempted to populate an
island-wide theme park with test-tube-grown dinosaurs in
Jurassic Park, the world has successfully whitewashed the
spectacular failure of his hubristic endeavor. The Jurassic
World park has now been booming for a decade, serving tens
of thousands of visitors at any given time. But when its popularity begins to wane, park administrator Claire Dearing
(Bryce Dallas Howard) is tasked with overseeing the introduction of a wholly new dinosaur, a genetic hybrid crafted by
Unit photography by Chuck Zlotnick, courtesy of Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Inc.
Visual-effects images courtesy of ILM/Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment, Inc.
Opposite and this

page, top: With
visitor rates
declining after 10
years of
operation, a
theme park
featuring live
dinosaurs
introduces a
new attraction,
which backfires
disastrously in the
feature Jurassic
World. Bottom:
Cinematographer
John
Schwartzman,
ASC lines up
a shot.
Jurassic Worlds scientists. The result is

the Indominus rex, a beast of unimaginable strength, speed and intelligence.
What could possibly go wrong?
Based on the late Michael
Crichtons techno-thriller novel, Jurassic
Park was directed by Steven Spielberg
and photographed by Dean Cundey,
ASC (AC June 93). The film spawned
its own genetic tribe of sequels: The Lost
World: Jurassic Park, also directed by
Spielberg but shot by Janusz Kaminski
(AC June 97), and Jurassic Park III,
directed by Joe Johnston and
photographed by Shelly Johnson, ASC.
For the latest entry in the dino-series,
director Colin Trevorrow teamed with
cinematographer John Schwartzman,
ASC, who is no stranger to spectacular
adventure tales, with a rsum that
includes The Rock (AC June 96),
Armageddon (AC July 98), Pearl Harbor
(AC May 01) and The Amazing SpiderMan (AC Aug. 12), among many
others.
For this trip to the parks home on
the fictional Isla Nublar, Schwartzman
and Trevorrow opted to shoot on film.
There were a number of reasons why
we shot film, starting with the fact that
the first three films were shot on film
no reason to jump ship! the cinematographer notes. Having done Pearl

Harbor in Hawaii, I understand the
problems of shooting in the jungle: high
contrast, dark green plants, bright blue
sky, bright white clouds. I really needed
the ability to capture those bright skies
and still see into the shadows without
having to choose between the two.
Nothing captures that dynamic range
better than film.
Much of Jurassic Worlds principal
www.theasc.com
photography took place on the

Hawaiian island of Oahu, which
included work throughout Kualoa
Ranch. When youre shooting in the
jungle in Hawaii, youve got to keep the
infrastructure as flexible as you can,
Schwartzman adds. We werent shooting in the parts of Hawaii that you see
in the travel brochures we were
knee-deep in mud, with lots of mosquitoes and centipedes, where you drive in
as far as you can with a Gator towing
July 2015
45
Making Monsters
Top: Park staff
member Owen
Grady (Chris Pratt)
serves as a
behavioral
researcher who
studies a group of
Velociraptors.
Middle: Grady
meets with parkoperations
manager Claire
Dearing (Bryce
Dallas Howard).
Bottom: Director
Colin Trevorrow
discusses a scene
with Pratt and
Howard.
your gear, and then hoof it the rest of

the way. In these environments, film
cameras have the edge moisture and
electronics are not a good combination!
With a film camera, all you need is a
24-volt battery and a cable, and it can
run.
You also dont need all the monitors you do in the digital world, the
cinematographer continues. I happen
to love to look through the viewfinder
and see the actual optics when Im lighting faces. I dont want to do that off a
monitor; I want to look through the
lens. And Colin could stand next to the
matte box, tuck in with my first AC
[Tucker Korte], and wed shoot. I told
Colin, Standing next to the camera is
one of the great pleasures of being a film
director. Youll spend months and
months looking at the footage on a
monitor, but right now, while its
happening, come next to the camera
and experience it. Thats the E-ticket
ride, the all-area-laminate position,
right on the non-eyeline side of the
camera. You see the light on the actors
faces, and you get a sense of intimacy
and trust with the performers instead of
giving direction as a bodiless voice
tucked away in some tent youre not
46
July 2015
Top: Zach (Nick

Robinson, left)
and Gray (Ty
Simpkins)
Dearings
nephews are
lost in the park
when their
Gyrosphere is
destroyed by a
hybrid dinosaur.
Bottom:
Schwartzman
measures the
light.
Oz behind the curtain.

As he has for his entire career,
Schwartzman explains, he turned to
Panavision cameras and lenses for
Jurassic World. The production carried a
pair of Panaflex Millennium XL2
cameras and the same Platinum
serial number 452 that
Schwartzman has used for the majority
of his years behind the lens. They
really did something right when they
built that camera, he attests. It still
works beautifully.
The filmmakers also incorporated 65mm cameras into the production process. We were using [Panaflex
HR Spinning Mirror Reflex
65HSSMs], the same cameras that had
been refurbished by P.T. Anderson for
The Master [AC Nov. 12], so they were
in amazing condition, Schwartzman
continues. We were only shooting
65mm to get extra definition for
daytime exteriors and the really wow
shots. If I knew that [visual-effects
vendor Industrial Light & Magic]
would be putting dinosaurs into the
shot or doing some major work on it,
wed shoot 65mm to give them the best
image we could. Surprisingly, ILM was

also a driving force in our decision to
shoot film; it was their preferred choice
[because it provided] more resolution.
We ended up shooting about
30-35 percent of the movie about
200,000 feet of film in 65mm, he
explains. If we were doing a big
sequence outside, wed do the masters
on 65mm and move to 35mm for the
coverage. If I was shooting 35mm at a
T4.5, to match the depth of field Id
www.theasc.com
have to shoot the 65mm at a T11.5,

which really wasnt a problem in Hawaii
even on 50 ISO stock!
Schwartzman shot exteriors with Kodak
Vision3 50D 5203 and 200T 5213 in
both 35mm and 65mm; he used 500T
5219 for interiors.
Schwartzman had planned to
have the 35mm negative processed at
Deluxe in Hollywood, but when the
company shuttered its film lab during
Jurassic Worlds preproduction, the cineJuly 2015
47
Making Monsters
Top: Grady and
Dearing find the
damaged
Gyrosphere, but
the boys are
missing. Middle:
The crew shoots
a control-room
scene with
Howard. Bottom:
Grady monitors
the security team
from the control
room.
matographer recalls, I called up

FotoKem and said, Were sending you
everything. Originally, they were only
going to do the 65mm. Our experience
with them was fantastic. I have known
[ASC associate] Mark van Horne [at
FotoKem] since my days doing lowbudget movies in the late Eighties.
At the end of each day of principal photography, exposed film was
shipped to FotoKem in Burbank for
development and scanning. Dailies
were then distributed via the Pix
System, which, Schwartzman observes,
can work beautifully with high bandwidth and fast Internet speed. At home,
I have a 300-megabyte-per-second
dedicated fiber connection, and I can
click on a Pix file and watch it instantly.
On the island, though, wed have to wait
20 minutes to [stream each] clip. So Pix
came out and set up encrypted hard
drives that would download the previous days dailies all day long, and wed
then watch that at the end of the day
so on Wednesday, wed be watching
dailies from Monday.
I dont really have a problem
with that, because I trust my eye, the
cinematographer continues. I have a
light meter, but I dont really look at it
48
July 2015
I know what 64 footcandles looks

like. Every once in a while we would
print something and Id ask Mark van
Horne to let me know what my lights
were. There was one point when we got
a report back that our shots were two
stops underexposed. I said, What?
How is that possible? I had Mark print
those scenes for me and tell me my
numbers, which were like 39-38-29.
Then I knew we were totally fine. It
turns out that it was a scene with a guy
silhouetted in front of a window, and
they didnt realize it was supposed to be
a silhouette. That was a little stressful
for a bit!
Jurassic World was composed and
will be released in a non-traditional
aspect ratio of 2.0:1. I wanted to
shoot this movie Scope, attests
Schwartzman. Most of my career Ive
shot Scope, and I love that format. But
[Jurassic World executive producer]
Steven Spielberg was very against the
[2.40:1] aspect ratio he felt we
needed more image height for the
dinosaurs. It was Colin who came up
with the idea of a compromise at 2.0:1.
This format wasnt entirely
foreign to Schwartzman, who had been
an apprentice for Vittorio Storaro,
ASC, AIC on director Francis Ford
Coppolas Tucker: The Man and His
Dream and was familiar with the cinematographers proposed Univisium
universal format. Where Univisium
proposes a 3-perf standard, though, the
Jurassic crew shot 4-perf and the full
Super 35mm width while framing for
2:1. Its really amazing how nicely 2:1
fits on a tablet or a phone or a computer
screen, Schwartzman observes. Its a
nicer way to frame than 1.85:1 you
compose more like you do in Scope, but
youre working with flat lenses and
the [1.9:1] Imax format is close to 2:1.
Back in the days of photochemical
printing, wed never be able to do a 2:1
release, but the beauty of DCP is that
none of those old rules apply anymore.
In continuing the Jurassic Park
franchise, Schwartzman explains, the
only real mandate that Colin and I had
was to make it feel as real as possible.
Top: A member of
the security team
comes face to face
with the Indominus
rex. Middle:
Trevorrow,
Schwartzman and
crew prep a scene.
Bottom, left to
right: Grady,
Dearing, Barry
(Omar Sy) and Vic
Hoskins (Vincent
DOnofrio) hatch a
plan.
www.theasc.com
July 2015
49
Making Monsters
Top: Grady on the

hunt for the
Indominus rex
with his trained
Velociraptors in
tow. Middle and
bottom:
Schwartzman
utilized a 50'
Technocrane to
capture a scene in
which Barry and
Grady depart in
search of the
Indominus rex.
We wanted to treat the dinosaurs just

like any other large animal. This is 2015
and we commonly genetically manufacture food, so its not a huge leap to think
that we could actually genetically manufacture dinosaurs.
Colin didnt want the film to be
overly stylized; he wanted to go with
more of a traditional style of photography, the cinematographer continues.
The only real style that I put into it
was to help the actors look good. Maybe
thats because I come out of advertising
I like to make movie stars look like
movie stars. I wanted Chris Pratt [playing Owen Grady, a member of the
parks staff ] to look handsome and
Bryce to look beautiful. When the actors
walk on set, I want them to know Im
looking after them.
Bryce is an extraordinarily beautiful redhead with almost luminescent
skin and incredibly sensitive eyes, he
adds. As much as possible, I was trying
not to light her at all for day exteriors.
Even with no lighting, we would put up
a 12-by-12 double net in her eyeline so
the overall brightness of the jungle didnt
cause her to squint. Id also try to recommend that the blocking keep her away
from any lighting she could trade
positions with Chris. It all worked out
really well.
Additionally, Schwartzman notes,
Trevorrow was steadfast about paying
50
July 2015
homage to [Spielbergs] style of camera

movement and blocking. Steven doesnt
really do a lot of cutting; he lets things
play and moves the camera to create
new frames [within the same shot]. We
lived on a 50-foot Technocrane for most
of the movie, which was a lifesaver
especially with a Taurus base, which is
an all-wheel-drive base that can level
itself off. That thing can get into places
where the crew cant even get into!
Because the terrain was so uneven and
so soft, wed never have been able to lay
dolly track; as soon as we put a dolly on
it, it would have sunk and wed have lost
our level immediately. The Techno and
the Taurus base allowed us to move the
camera in a very fluid way.
Colin was adamant about not
shooting coverage just for the sake
of shooting coverage, continues
Schwartzman. I would say, Lets put
the B camera over here and get this little
bonus shot, but hed shake his head and
say, Im never going to use it. He really
knows what he wants. I have great
respect for his talent.
Nearly all scenes shot in Hawaii
were day exteriors. We wanted to take
every advantage of Hawaii, says
Schwartzman. We were on really beautiful parts of the island, but the weather
is very unpredictable; it changes on a
dime, and you can lose sunlight in a
matter of minutes. You have to carefully
plan and hope that your plan works out
with the weather. The film only spans
about 16 hours of time, so we had to do
our best to make the changing weather
look the same.
Overall, I was trying to do the
least amount of lighting in the jungles as
possible, he continues. But because we
were working with young kids, our
schedule was incredibly tight. Once they
were on set, the meter started running
and we couldnt stop to say, Well shoot
in three hours after this storm passes.
When lighting the day exteriors was
necessary, Schwartzman says he stuck
to the usual suspects, such as 18K
HMIs for backlight or bounced into
Ultrabounce for fill.
In place of Condor cranes, the
Top: The crew

prepares for a
nighttime
exterior scene.
Bottom:
Schwartzman
lines up a shot
from under a
vehicle.
production made generous use of

Pettibone Cary-Lift construction vehicles, which, like the Taurus, feature selfleveling bases. The crew could drive
them into the jungle and hang 18K
fixtures as high as 70' in the air to create
backlight from a vantage that a traditional Condor could never reach. These
vehicles can get you out of a lot of trouble, Schwartzman attests.
About one-third of the film takes
place at night, but only a weeks worth of
night shoots including the big
jungle shootout, notes Schwartzman
were shot in Hawaii. Asked about
the challenges of shooting at night in
the jungle, the cinematographer offers,
When there are heavy greens like
there are in Hawaii they tend to
significantly absorb any blue light, so if
www.theasc.com
you backlight the jungle with the typical

blue moonlight, the leaves just go black.
We tended to warm up our fixtures by
using 12 to 34 CTO on our HMI backlights generally 18K Arrimaxes to
avoid turning the jungle into a black
hole. Because 18Ks quickly burn
through gel, the production opted to use
specialty dichroic-glass filters made by
Dwight Crane Ltd. in Toronto.
This is an action movie, so its
fairly rich in contrast, Schwartzman
notes. By the time we get to the night
[scenes], we know who all of the characters are, and I was able to get more
aggressive with the look. For close-up
work, Id typically use an incandescent
fixture like a Blonde bounced off
a card, and cool it off a bit with 14 CTB,
keeping things closer to 3,400K than
July 2015
51
Making Monsters
The crew readies a helicopter scene on the island.
the more typical 4,400K for night.

After wrapping in Hawaii, the
crew moved to Louisiana, where they
made use of stage facilities at NASAs
Michoud Assembly Center in New
52
Orleans, as well as other locations

including an abandoned Six Flags
theme park, where they transformed
the parking lot into Jurassic Worlds
Main Street, the site of two major dino-
battles. In the first, Pteranodons with

30' wingspans escape their enclosed
aviary and attack park attendees.
We used Spidercam for a lot of
that sequence, Schwartzman explains.
Wed do shots from the Pteranodons
POV as they swooped down on the park
visitors at about 35 miles per hour,
running from 120 feet in the air and
spanning 1,200 feet of Main Street. Its
a really exciting sequence that we shot in
65mm. The Panavision 65 weighs about
80 pounds, but the Spidercam can
handle that easily. We were equating the
shots to the X-wing fighters racing
down the Death Star trench at the end
of Star Wars, only with dinosaurs instead
of spaceships.
The climactic nighttime battle
against the raging Indominus rex also
happens on Main Street. That was a
very tough sequence, submits
Schwartzman. It required incredible
planning, and we previsd the whole
sequence carefully. At that time [of the
year] we only had six hours of dark at

night, and we could only work the kids
for three hours. We had to fly as fast as
possible, with at least 10 setups a night.
Not only that, but we were covering
multiple 360-degree passes in a single
shot. Lighting this huge area at night so
that we could move quickly and allow
for those kinds of shots took a different
approach.
To
solve
the
problem,
Schwartzman and his gaffer, Rafael
Snchez, employed three large construction cranes off of which they suspended
three 50'x50' soft boxes, each one filled
with 36 6K space lights, diffused with
double Full Grid, and lined with 12'
skirts around the perimeter. We
couldnt use balloons because of the
wind, so these boxes were our solution,
the cinematographer explains. We
hung those 110 feet over the Main
Street set and put them about 1-stop
underexposed. Each box could cover
about 200 feet of area. It allowed us to
do 360-degree shots with a motorcycle

and a Libra head with ease. To help us
on the ground, I had [production
designer] Ed Verreaux design a lot of
practical lighting into the architecture,
and we ran with just that and the big
soft boxes to light that sequence.
The digital intermediate was
conducted in Los Angeles at Company
3, where colorist and ASC associate
Stefan Sonnenfeld worked with 10-bit
DPX files in Blackmagic Designs
DaVinci Resolve version 11.2.2.010 for
a 2K-plus finish (2398x1556). Ive
worked with Stefan on commercials
going back to the early Nineties, and
[our first feature together] was National
Treasure [Book of Secrets], Schwartzman
notes. We have a great working relationship. He really understands my
style.
This is a big, fun movie,
Schwartzman concludes. Colin did an
amazing job. It really delivers in every
way.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.0:1
65mm and 4-perf Super 35mm
Panaflex Platinum,
Millennium XL2,
HR Spinning Mirror Reflex
65HSSM
Panavision Primo, System 65
Kodak Vision3 50D 5203,
200T 5213, 500T 5219
Digital Intermediate
53
The Boys Are
Back
E
Steven Fierberg, ASC helps

Entourage creator-director
Doug Ellin bring Vincent Chase
and his buddies to the
big screen.
By Debra Kaufman
|
54
July 2015
ntourage, the Queens-meets-Hollywood TV series about

a newly minted movie star tearing up Tinseltown with
his hometown posse, debuted July 18, 2004 on HBO.
With only a handful of small projects under his belt,
Brooklyn-born series creator and writer Doug Ellin hit
paydirt with the series, which ran for eight seasons. When
Entourage rolled its last end credits in 2011, the shows fans
were left pining for the series indelible characters: screen idol
Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier); his best friend and
manager, Eric Murphy (Kevin Connolly); his brother, Johnny
Drama Chase (Kevin Dillon); helpful hanger-on Turtle
Unit photography by Claudette Barius, SMPSP, courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment, Rat-Pac-Dune Entertainment LLC, Entourage Holdings LLC, and Home Box Office, Inc.
Opposite: Vincent
Chase (Adrian
Grenier, second
from right) and his
cohorts (from left)
Eric Murphy (Kevin
Connolly), Turtle
(Jerry Ferrara) and
Johnny Drama
Chase (Kevin
Dillon) are back at
it in the feature
Entourage. This
page, top: The
group meets with
agent-turnedstudio executive
Ari Gold (Jeremy
Piven). Bottom:
Cinematographer
Steven Fierberg,
ASC (left-center,
wearing black) and
director Doug Ellin
(gesturing) discuss
a scene with cast
and crew.
( Jerry Ferrara); and, of course, Vinnies

over-the-top, ever-scheming agent, Ari
Gold ( Jeremy Piven).
But now theyre back. The
Entourage feature (hyped with the
tagline The Ride Aint Over) finds
Ellin back at the helm and Steven
Fierberg, ASC who shot the first 25
episodes of the series and set its visual
tone behind the lens. Since wrapping the show, Fierberg has continued
to work with several of his fellow
Entourage alumni. Ive done a movie
and pilot with [director] Julian Farino
and two pilots with [director] Mark
Mylod, he says. I also shot part of
Adrian
Greniers
documentary
[Teenage Paparazzo] and the feature
Dear Eleanor for Kevin Connolly.
When Fierberg came aboard the
feature, he and Ellin talked about the
look and spent time watching everything from Goodfellas to Woody Allen
comedies. We wanted to make
Entourage as visual as possible, says
Ellin. Its not a complete departure
from the show, but we wanted to amp
it up, so we took the time to get it right.
The series was aspirational realism, so
we still wanted it to be real not

overly stylized, but to make it pop as
much as we could.
The first shooting decision
didnt take long. We shot the series on
film, and we shot the movie on film,
says Fierberg. If we do an Entourage 2,
well probably shoot that on film, too.
Fierberg is an outspoken advocate of
www.theasc.com
film, believing that grain and other

unique characteristics of the photochemical medium create an emotional
connection with the viewer. If you
have money, and especially if youre
shooting a lot of day scenes, which we
did for Entourage, you should consider
shooting on film, he says.
Fierberg still vetted some digital
July 2015
55
The Boys Are Back
cameras during prep. We shot a test

with the Arri Alexa and film [using
the] same lenses, same everything, he
says. With 200 ISO film, I think it
would be very hard to say that film is
not better than any digital camera.
When you talk about [Kodak Vision3
500T] 5219, which is 500 ASA, you
could argue the Alexa has certain
advantages. But [Vision3 200T] 5213
is unparalleled. Fierberg shot with
both 5213 and 5219, using Arricam
Lite cameras rented from Otto
Nemenz.
Both Fierberg and Ellin had
strong opinions about how the movie
should look in comparison to the
series. We both agreed we didnt want
this to be Episode 82 of the show, the
cinematographer says. First of all, we
wanted to go widescreen 2.39:1,
not 1.85:1. We try not to do a lot of
singles, and 2.39:1 is a good format if
you have four people, or even just two
people, composed in the frame. We
shot 3-perf 35mm, which saved
money over 4-perf, but also because
anamorphic felt too movie, too
abstract. Entourage needs to feel real,
natural so spherical felt right.
Fierberg chose his lenses both to
cement the movies style and to distinguish it from the series. We shot with
Cooke S4 primes, the Fuji 18-85mm
T2.0 zoom, and Angenieux Optimo
15-40mm [T2.6], 28-76mm [T2.6]
Top: Ari meets

with a film
financier (Billy
Bob Thornton,
left) and his son
Travis (Haley Joel
Osment). Middle:
A Steadicam
moves into
position outside
Aris SUV. Bottom:
Ellin works
through a scene
with Thornton
and Piven.
56
July 2015
and [24-290mm T2.8] zooms, he

says. On the series, the look was
primarily 40mm and 65mm. But on
the movie, 21mm, one of my favorite
focal lengths, became the normal lens;
my favorite lens for stills is 28mm,
which is about the same angle of view.
I like wide angles, and extreme wide
angles as well, and I love telephoto
lenses. This movie mixes it up with a
big range of lenses.
Fierberg notes that the series was
known for its handheld look, which
many shows copied. I thought, Im
kind of bored with that look and I bet
the audience is, too. Thus, the decision was made to almost entirely
eschew handheld camerawork. We
dont do it until the very last scene,
where its done purposefully as a way to
reminisce about the show, he says.
Otherwise, its always dolly or
Steadicam.
One type of camera move that
became a leitmotif of the series is also
employed in the movie. Its a long
master where we trade off characters
inside the house and move outside into
the sunlight, pulling eight stops, and
then go back into the house, says
Fierberg. We did that extensively in
the show, and we did it in the movie.
To do complicated hand-offs and stag-
Top: Steadicam
operator Scott
Sakamoto
keeps pace
with Piven and
Osment.
Middle: Ari
relaxes in his
production
office. Bottom:
The camera
rolls on a scene
with Piven,
Grenier and
Connolly.
www.theasc.com
July 2015
57
The Boys Are Back
ing like that, you have to rehearse a lot.

A few other complicated
sequences also required extensive
rehearsing. Doug and I would stage
scenes with stand-ins; Id shoot them
on video with my [Canon] 5D, edit
them on FCPX, and then wed discuss
and fine-tune the result for the ideal
pace, Fierberg says. Doug is all about
rhythm. He has a perfect sense of
timing, [like theres] a metronome in
his head, which is why his comedy
works so well. With a lot of movies Ill
make a photo storyboard, but this was
the most effective way for us to collaborate.
The most challenging sequence
was the movies opener: a party on a
110' yacht in Miamis Biscayne Bay,
which doubled for Ibiza, Spain.
According to key grip Charles
Smallwood, the crew mounted a gyrostabilized digital remote head on the
bow of a chase boat and did some
incredibly long-lens work with a classic Canon 150-600mm zoom. The
scene also involved a camera on a helicopter that could swoop down onto the
yacht. Fierberg notes, The collaboration between myself, executive
producer Wayne Carmona and 1st AD
Gary Goldman who was on
Entourage since the beginning is
fantastic, so we always get what we
need to make the scene great.
Top and middle:

The boys walk the
streets of Beverly
Hills and
Hollywood.
Bottom: The crew
shoots poolside
with Grenier.
58
July 2015
Top and middle:

Fierberg and
crew film the
entourage in
their famed
Lincoln
Continental
convertible.
Bottom: Turtle,
Drama and Eric
enjoy a drive
with some
newer wheels.
We planned out very carefully

how to do things and then moved
quickly from one to the next, he
continues. While the Steadicam team
was working, wed set up the dolly shot,
and while the dolly shot was being
done, the helicopter was prepping. We
used two cameras, less to get two
angles and more just to do this kind of
leapfrogging. That way, I could set up
one shot and then go talk to the guys
prepping the next one. I watched all
the takes, but during the time between
shots I could go over to the other team.
I ran a lot I wasnt sitting down in
the chair very often.
Helping Fierberg execute this
plan were A-camera/Steadicam operator Scott Sakamoto, 1st AC Bob Hall,
2nd AC Dan Schroer, B-camera operators Todd Dos Reis and Mike
Weldon, and gaffer Raman Rao. The
film was shot on location, except for
scenes set in Aris office, which was
constructed onstage at the Warner
Bros. lot.
Location work proved to be a
bigger challenge during filming of the
Southern California scenes. The
houses in the Hollywood Hills were
small and up winding roads with poor
access and limited shooting time, says
Rao. Because of the locations, we
limited ourselves to one 10-ton truck.
Of course, it helped that we had a small
but outstanding rigging crew led by the
www.theasc.com
July 2015
59
The Boys Are Back
Turtle fails to
impress MMA
fighter and
UFC Womens
Bantamweight
champion
Ronda Rousey.
justifiably renowned D.J. Lootens.

The production lit with HMI
and tungsten, and, as Rao notes, the
team used a complete line of Arri Pars
for their punch and reliability. We
were particularly pleased with the M90
Par for its outstanding output-to-size
ratio.
Fierberg notes that he was striving for imagery that wouldnt look
glamorized. I hope every scene in
Entourage looks like you think it would
look if you were at that place or event,
he says. My goal with lighting is to
capture and heighten reality, not detach
myself from it. Toward that end,
Fierberg avoided backlighting just
as he had done on the series. We also
never do coverage or close-ups when
we dont need them. Although we carry
two cameras, we set up the A camera as
if it is the only camera. Then, only if the
B camera has an uncompromised shot,
will it roll. I personally feel that when
Im shooting with one primary camera,
I can light very quickly. It can be
quicker to do a couple shots one at a
time than trying to set up complicated
and compromised positions for
multiple cameras.
Entourage, he adds, was a sidelight show. By putting the light at a
60
July 2015
right angle, I didnt feel the need to fill

the shadow side very much. Its a
comedy, but the lighting isnt like a
comedy its dramatic. We light it
like a drama because were going for
the truth.
Smallwood says it wasnt
uncommon for Fierberg to use a large
wall of white on the key side of the
actor and an 8'x8' negative on the fill
side. In order to facilitate that, he
says, Steven and I worked together to
devise a lighting system that was quite
a time-saver. For interior lighting in
particular, Smallwood made Wag
Flags with unbleached muslin that
were 8' wide and unrolled to 12' tall. I
took the concept further and made
more Wag Flag frames that had Full,
Half and Quarter Grid Cloth, he
continues. We used these 8-foot
[wide] roll-ups to create a big bounce
and put a diffusion in front of that to
create very natural light a sizable
book light like standing next to a
sliding glass door with sheer curtains.
That turned out to be a light source
that Steven really enjoyed.
Using large, soft sources could be
difficult to achieve in the average
living room, says Rao. Luckily,
Steven was already aware of the potential of the K5600 Alpha units, so we
made use of their amazingly wide
spread. Wed fill a 12-by-12 Full Grid
Cloth or bleached muslin with an
Alpha 4K, and/or wed cover half a
room with bleached muslin and
bounce an Alpha 1600 for fill.
When a space was especially
tight, or when the crew was limited to
working with wall outlets or a 3,000watt putt-putt, they opted for a Kino
Flo VistaBeam 600 or 300.
A number of LED units were
tested during preproduction more
than a year prior to this writing but
generally, Rao recalls, Steven didnt
like the way they looked on skin tones
for this project. Nonetheless, they
were occasionally rigged overhead in
hallways where nothing else would fit.
Fierberg notes that LED color has
since improved and he is using them
The Boys Are Back
Ari walks his

former
assistant
Lloyd (Rex
Lee) down
the aisle.
extensively on his current projects.

Another signature camera move
from the series follows three or four
actors during walk-and-talk sequences.
To enhance such shots in the feature,
Smallwood made 8'x8' lightweight
frames on which, he says, I could
Velcro diffusion. Then one grip could
follow the actors, diffusing the sun with
62
one 8-by-8 frame. Smallwood also

made an 8'x8' frame with Ultrabounce
material white on one side and black
on the other.
A lot of scenes in Entourage take
place in busy areas, and there wasnt
time to put up a frame with stands,
Smallwood continues. Our approach
had to be more like cinema vrit,
where we ran out into the street and

did a scene. Then the traffic light
would change and wed go back to the
sidewalk. This strategy of shooting on
the fly worked especially well for all of
the films cameos. The high-profile
actors would be on set for one hour, so
there was no time for an elaborate
setup, he says.
As further reference to the films
visual departure from its television
roots, Fierberg points to a scene in a
therapists office in which Ari launches
into one of his signature rants and the
camera dollies into an extreme closeup. Thats something we never would
have done on the series because its a
dramatic movie move, says Fierberg.
But I said, Its time we do this with
Ari. In another scene, Ari is in the
office of a financier played by Billy Bob
Thornton. Doug asked, Can we get a
high angle looking down? recalls
Fierberg. We never would have done
that on the show, and [we] eventually
cut the shot to a few seconds, but it

adds scale. Doug would always encourage me to do more, to capture any shot
that would make the scene better. He
was tremendously supportive.
Fierberg also points to the
contributions of Janace Tashjian, the
films expert postproduction supervisor, who had done the series before
progressing to small projects like
Avatar, he notes. She set up a workflow where the film was processed and
all of it immediately scanned to 2K
[DPX files]. Thus, from that point on,
the workflow was no different than any
digitally originated movie. [ASC associate] Stefan Sonnenfeld did the
exceptional final grade at Company 3
on DaVinci Resolve. The final resolution is 2K.
The risks of deviating from the
tried-and-true look of the series sometimes weighed heavily on Fierberg. I
would wake up in the middle of the
night thinking Id ruined the movie,
he recalls. Here we had something

that had worked [on the series], and
Im personally responsible for doing
something thats different. Relief
came, he says, when preview screenings
generated very positive comments
about the movies visual style.
Fierberg credits collaboration for
making Entourages transition to the
big screen the best it could be. Doug
and I had almost 10 years of shots and
scenes together that we could refer to,
he says. The actors were also tremendously helpful in making the shots
work; they all know how to find the
camera. So were all used to collaborating to make a scene work.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.39:1
3-perf Super 35mm
Arricam Lite
Cooke S4,
Fujinon Premier PL 4K+,
Angenieux Optimo
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219,
200T 5213
63
T
Harmony
and
Discord
Robert Yeoman, ASC and director

Bill Pohlad mix film formats to
dramatize the rise, fall and redemption
of seminal musician Brian Wilson.
By Mark Dillon
|
64
July 2015
he Beach Boys Brian Wilson has been called The

Mozart of Rock. The band burst onto the scene in the
early 1960s with hits about surfing and hot rods that
might have seemed superficial if they had not been built
on the foundation of Wilsons complex harmonic and instrumental arrangements. As the decade wore on, his music
became increasingly ambitious, fueled by recreational drugs
that exacerbated his emotional problems. For stretches in the
70s and 80s, Wilson disappeared from public view, dismissed
as a drug casualty. His family eventually placed him under the
care of the Machiavellian Dr. Eugene Landy, who trampled
ethics underfoot in order to take control of Wilsons business
affairs and personal relationships.
This is the ground explored in director Bill Pohlads
Love & Mercy, which borrows its title from the 1988 song that
launched Wilsons solo career. The film cuts between the 60s
and the 80s, with Wilson portrayed by Paul Dano in the
earlier era and John Cusack in the later years. Scenes set in the
60s chart the production of the Beach Boys landmark Pet
Sounds album and its aborted follow-up, Smile. In the 80s,
Wilson divorced and depressed following the death of his
brother Dennis meets Melinda Ledbetter (Elizabeth
Unit photography by Franois Duhamel, courtesy of Roadside Attractions.
Opposite, from left:

During the Beach
Boys heyday in the
early 1960s,
bandmates Carl
Wilson (Brett
Davern), Mike Love
(Jake Abel) and
Brian Wilson (Paul
Dano) join Brians
wife Marilyn (Erin
Darke) for some
surf and sun in the
feature Love &
Mercy. This page,
top: In the 1980s,
Melinda Ledbetter
(Elizabeth Banks)
witnesses the
abuse Brian (John
Cusack, center)
suffers while under
the care of Dr.
Eugene Landy (Paul
Giamatti). Bottom:
Cinematographer
Robert Yeoman,
ASC frames the
action with a
handheld camera.
Banks); as their relationship develops,

Ledbetter grows increasingly troubled
by the care Wilson receives from
Landy (Paul Giamatti).
Pohlad says he didnt want to
make a traditional, linear biopic. I was
more interested in an intimate portrait
of an extraordinary guy that brings out
more human and universal elements, he
explains. The Pet Sounds and Smile era
was a pinnacle of Brians creative genius;
I couldnt tell the Brian Wilson story
without telling that [part of the story].
And I was intrigued by Melinda meeting this odd, quirky character not
knowing who he was, but being
charmed by him and then finding out
hes Brian Wilson. That was a nice way
into the story.
Having not helmed a feature in
more than two decades, Pohlad sought a
seasoned director of photography and
approached Robert Yeoman, ASC, who
was in Germany working on The Grand
Budapest Hotel (AC March 14). We had
a great connection right off the bat, even
over the phone and Skype, the director
recalls. It just felt right in terms of the
way we both saw approaching [the
story].
Yeoman speaking from

Boston while scouting the Ghostbusters
reboot for director Paul Feig recalls,
I loved the script and the take on the
story. Bill had a lot of great ideas and I
felt it would be an amazing film to be
part of. His only hesitation was the
possibility of shooting in Louisiana for
tax incentives. He strongly believed the
movie should be made in the Beach
Boys stomping grounds in and around
Los Angeles which, fortunately, was
www.theasc.com
exactly what happened. Shooting in

Los Angeles gives the movie so much
more authenticity, as did shooting in the
actual studios where the Beach Boys
recorded, Yeoman maintains.
The cinematographer also
resisted the common push toward digital capture. The story takes place in an
analog time, so I felt we needed the
grain and texture of film to give [the
settings] a realistic feel, he explains.
For scenes set in the 1980s, the
July 2015
65
Harmony and Discord

Top: The
cinematographer
captures a closeup of Dano in
performance as
Wilson. Middle:
The Beach Boys
perform in their
iconic candy
stripes. Bottom:
Steadicam
operator Chris
Haarhoff
captures a scene
with Dano and
Darke.
filmmakers opted for two Kodak

Vision3 stocks: 200T 5213 and 500T
5219. We shot 3-perf Super 35mm to
give ourselves more running time on
each mag, Yeoman notes. Most of the
Super 35mm work was done with a
Panaflex Platinum on a dolly; the lighter
Panaflex Millennium XL was employed
for handheld and Steadicam shots. The
crew used Primo Prime lenses, favoring
wider focal lengths. Im a big fan of the
27mm and 40mm, Yeoman says. We
shot almost entirely on location and
there were some tight rooms so we
needed the wider lenses to get our wide
shots. He says he preferred the 75mm
for close-ups, and on occasion he would
swap the primes for a Primo 17.575mm T2.3 or 24-275mm T2.8 zoom.
To help capture the look of the
60s, Yeoman suggested shooting on
Super 16mm. Im a big believer in that
format, he says. It has a quality you
cant achieve shooting 35mm or digitally. Even the way the handheld camera
moves creates a very distinct feeling. I
showed Bill some tests and he loved it.
Yeoman clarifies that the production shot all of the 60s [recordingstudio] scenes in Super 16, and a few
other select scenes such as on the
airplane when Brian starts to freak out.
66
July 2015
The Super 16mm material was

captured on Kodak Vision3 200T 7213.
Wes Anderson and I had previously
shot extensive 16mm stock tests for
Moonrise Kingdom [AC June 12],
Yeoman says. We liked the 7213 best
and shot the entire movie on it. On Love
& Mercy, I re-tested stocks and the
faster 7219 had a little too much grain
for us. The 7213 seemed right, although
it meant we needed a bit more light.
As for the aspect ratio, Yeoman
recalls, I told [Pohlad] what I tell every
director: I love them all. What do you
think is best for the film? In the end he
thought 1.85:1 was the way to go.
During Yeomans six weeks of
preproduction, he and Pohlad watched
documentaries about Wilson and
searched out historical clips from the
Beach Boys heyday. The cinematographer also regularly visited the art department, where production designer Keith
Cunningham put up pictures of Wilson,
the group, and the fashions and color
palettes of the times.
The bands story has been dramatized in the telefilm Summer Dreams:
The Story of the Beach Boys and the
miniseries The Beach Boys: An American
Family, but the filmmakers didnt look at
either. Im stubborn about that, Pohlad
says. I didnt want to be affected by
[other films] one way or another. I
wanted to be more natural and do what
came from my experience and from
working with my collaborators, rather
than try to emulate or purposely avoid
the approach from something else.
Wilsons genius is front-andcenter during the scenes in which hes
seen producing Pet Sounds; the 23-yearold confidently directs a dozen top brass,
woodwind, string and keyboard players
collectively referred to as The
Wrecking Crew while laying down
the albums instrumental tracks. These
studio scenes were scheduled at the head
of the 35-day shoot that began in July
2013. The production shot in Studio 3
at EastWest Studios; formerly known as
Western Recorders, this studio space
was home to the actual Pet Sounds
sessions in 1966. The Wrecking Crew
Top: The Beach Boys harmonize for the album Pet Sounds. Middle and bottom: Yeoman and
director Bill Pohlad prepare to shoot two other recording sessions.
www.theasc.com
July 2015
67
Harmony and Discord

are portrayed by actual musicians familiar with Beach Boys music, and
Wilsons recent engineer Mark Linett
played his 60s predecessor, Chuck
Britz.
Pohlad wanted to capture these
sequences in the style of the eras musical documentaries, such as the 1970
Beatles doc, Let It Be, shot by Anthony
B. Richmond, ASC, BSC. I didnt
want a staid, uniform movie feeling,
the director says. I wanted it to feel real
handheld, grainy and spontaneous.
Yeoman operated the A camera
throughout the shoot; for the studio
scenes, he and B-camera operator
Casey Hotchkiss followed the action
with handheld Arri 16 SR3 cameras.
Bill did not allow us in his rehearsals
with the actors, Yeoman explains. He
would just bring us in after and say,
Okay, roll! He wanted us to be spontaneous and kind of accidental in our
approach. He constantly said, Go for
something a little weird and different.
Dont go for the obvious, pretty shot.
By doing that, the film seems more
real.
Yeoman and Hotchkiss generally
kept to the wider end of their Canon 864mm T2.4 and 11-165mm T2.5 zoom
lenses, usually around 12mm-16mm.
(They also used a selection of Arri Ultra
16 primes.) Having worked together on
such features as Get Him to the Greek
and Bridesmaids, Yeoman and
Hotchkiss shared a familiarity that
helped keep them out of each others
way, despite the cramped studio.
Yeoman consulted the video tap,
but never to evaluate image quality. Im
old-fashioned and rely on my light
meters, he says. After shooting film for
a while you know pretty much what
youre getting, but sometimes when we
were doing the two-camera coverage I
had no idea what Casey was shooting.
Bill, Casey and I would often review
what we had both done and make
suggestions to each other for future
takes.
Gaining access to the historic
recording studio came with the stipulation that nothing be disturbed.
The filmmakers
prepare matching
shots of Dano
and Cusack, each
lying in bed
while swathed in
the same blue
bathrobe, to
underscore
Wilsons
persistent and
mounting
depression.
68
July 2015
Cunningham carefully covered the digital soundboard with an analog-era top,

while key grip Joseph Dianda had to
work without drilling any holes. Gaffer
John Vecchio, another of Yeomans
frequent collaborators, notes, The grips
and art department were able to build a
kind of a grid in the ceiling that amazingly didnt involve screws. We put 4foot four-bank tungsten Kino Flos in
8-foot lengths between the sound
panels on the ceiling and diffused them
with 216 for a top light.
Yeoman explains that keeping
lights off the floor freed up the actors,
who had no marks and could move
wherever they wanted. The crew also
replaced the bulbs in old-fashioned ceiling can lights with more powerful 75watt RFL globes that down-lit the
fabric of the wall panels.
Pohlad also asked for certain lowangle shots that would include the ceiling in the frame; in one such instance,
Wilson seems in a trance as he
anxiously waits to play his new music
for the rest of the Beach Boys, who have
just returned from a Japanese tour. Such
shots required the crew to turn the Kino
Flos into practicals, which they accomplished with frames made from 1'x3'
wood battens; they blacked out the side
of the Kinos and stretched 216 diffusion
underneath to give the impression of
practical fluorescents.
Vecchio and his team created soft
sources in the studio and control room
either with a Jem Ball or book light; the
latter comprised a 2K bounced off
beadboard and through a frame of 216
White Diffusion. They also directed a
diffused 2K through the studio-door
window. Additionally, to enhance the
glow from the control rooms dials on
the faces of Wilson and his recording
engineers, the crew placed LiteGear
LiteRibbon flat against the control
console. The LiteRibbon is great,
Vecchio enthuses. We were able to
control it, dim it, and make it the color
temperature we wanted.
Yeoman generally prefers to
shoot interiors at T4, but the slower
stock used in the studio necessitated a
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Harmony and Discord

T2.8. For exteriors, he typically shot at
T5.6 and sometimes T8. He eschewed
filtration save for NDs on day exteriors
and polarizers to minimize reflections.
Occasionally Id put up a soft grad for
something super-hot, like a sundrenched sidewalk, he adds.
Super 16mm was also used for
the title sequence, which charts the
groups early-60s ascension and incorporates archival footage of the
California beach scene. The Beach Boys
are shown posing for their first album
cover at Paradise Cove Beach, playing
concerts in their blue and red candystriped shirts before increasingly large
crowds, and appearing at the T.A.M.I
Show, a 1964 filmed concert that also
featured the Rolling Stones and James
Brown. For the concert re-enactments,
Yeoman explains, we religiously studied
old concert lighting and rented those
same lights. We augmented a little with
our [modern] lighting, but tried to keep
to the period lights as much as possible.
The biggest-scale Beach Boys
concert, captured documentary-style
with four cameras positioned around
the floor and balcony at the Wilshire
Ebell Theatre, shows the group
performing in spotlight; as the band
rocks out, a close-up of Wilson playing
the bass reveals his stage fright. The
crew had three vintage long-throw
Super Troupers illuminating the actors
from the balcony, and Vecchio and
rigging gaffer Kevin Lang also tracked
down old-school R40 RFL mushroomglobe footlights, which Vecchio
describes as providing a beautiful,
underlit glow.
An evening party scene at
Wilsons sprawling Beverly Hills home
(actually filmed in Bel Air) presented
one of the productions most involved
setups. The camera, mounted on a
Steadicam operated by Chris Haarhoff,
leads Wilsons first wife, Marilyn (Erin
Darke), through the crowded house and
past the pool, stopping at a balcony
overlooking a terrace, where her
husband sits with his brothers Dennis
(Kenny Wormald) and Carl (Brett
Davern) the Beach Boys drummer
Top and middle:

After a chance
encounter,
Wilson and
Ledbetter get to
know one
another. Bottom:
A large piece of
muslin diffuses
the light for a
dinner scene.
70
July 2015
and lead guitarist, respectively. It was a

difficult shot because as Marilyns walking through the party, theres a wall of
glass that shows the pool outside,
Yeoman says. So there were reflection
issues, plus we had to make the transition to the exterior.
To light the interior, Vecchio
removed 4' Kino tubes from their backings and slipped them into Full Grid
sleeves that the grips rigged together in
groups of four. That gave me a flexible,
soft, low-profile fixture I could either
pack up above doorways or stand up
against a section of the wall we werent
seeing, the gaffer says. Additionally,
Kino Flo Celeb 200 DMX LEDs positioned low served as a TV light on the
buzzed revelers, and Vecchio trailed
Haarhoff with a small China ball to
throw some fill on the actors as they
moved through the room.
Outside, the walkway beside the
pool was lit by an 8K tungsten balloon.
A tungsten 6K Skyball on a menace arm
extending out from the roof provided
ambience above the pool, which was
also lit from underwater by HydroPar
1,000-watt units with Par 64 globes. Par
36 landscape bulbs up-lit trees and
plants. We put in some practicals, but
much of the illumination came from the
nice glow of the underwater lighting,
Yeoman notes. It felt almost like a
David Hockney painting.
The early-60s scenes have a
touch of Kodachrome brilliance, while
the palette later in the decade incorporates elements of garish psychedelia.
Overall, though, Pohlad wanted the
decade to look warm and romantic.
When the movie jumps 20 years ahead,
Danny Glickers costumes and the art
departments work provided periodappropriate visual cues. We gravitated
toward letting the production design do
a lot of the work, rather than doing
something super-dramatic with different cinematic looks, Pohlad explains.
That said, the Brian-future era would
have a cold white and blue cast to it. We
were going for that Eighties feeling.
Yeoman adds, We took more
time and were more careful with the
Top: The crew uses a flyswatter rig to control the ambient daylight for a shot with Ledbetters
convertible. Bottom: Yeoman, Pohlad and crew prepare to shoot in the car.
www.theasc.com
July 2015
71
Harmony and Discord
The real-life Brian Wilson (center) poses with the onscreen Beach Boys, as played by (from left) Graham
Rogers (Al Jardine), Davern, Dano, Abel and Kenny Wormald (Dennis Wilson).
lighting [in the Eighties-set scenes]. We

tried to glamorize Melinda, but not
unrealistically. Shes the films guardian
angel, and we wanted to portray her in a
very positive light. We would bring in a
big, soft source typically a small
1,200-watt HMI for a daytime scene or
a 2K with a Chimera over the camera
for nighttime.
FotoKem assembled the lab rolls
for scanning, which was done by EFilm
Hollywood on an Arriscan system at 3K
for a sharper image that was then scaled
down to 2K. At the end of every day,
Yeoman sent notes on color and contrast
to EFilm dailies colorist Ben Estrada,
and since the movie shot in L.A.
he would occasionally drop by the
timing bay. Bob and I discussed the
vision of the movie early on, and we
applied some looks to the hair and
makeup tests he had shot, says Estrada,
who timed with Autodesks Lustre software. We have the same view on color
correction: Less is more. That approach
allowed Bobs in-camera work to really
come through, and it produced a more
realistic image.
72
July 2015
When Estrada completed the

color correction, LUTs were then
applied for each deliverable, preserving
the intended look through to temp cuts
and early screenings. EFilm provided
Avid Media on portable hard drives to
editor Dino Jonster, and Blu-ray discs
to Pohlad and Yeoman.
After principal photography
wrapped, Yeoman spent a couple of days
establishing looks with DI colorist Tom
Poole at Company 3 in New York.
Tom caught on to our look right away,
Yeoman says. He brought some great
ideas and I encouraged him to run with
them. Yeoman then had to leave for
Budapest to prep the Feig-directed
comedy Spy; the cinematographer later
flew to Company 3s London office for
one weekend to screen a near-final pass
and offer feedback via e-mail.
Poole worked with 10-bit DPX
files in DaVinci Resolve 10; the
2048x1156 filmout was done on an
Arrilaser recorder. Poole says he saw his
main goal as helping to establish two
worlds that were distinct yet complementary. The 1960s footage was all
about playing to the strengths of the art

direction and wardrobe, he explains. I
referenced vintage Kodachrome images
for color saturation and hue. The 1980s
footage was about that time periods
poppy saturation.
Matching new and archival
footage for the title sequence presented
Poole with his biggest challenge. We
played around with coloring the negative and then filmed out to print, he
explains. We then [scanned and]
colored that print to create a highly stylized photochemical look. It took several
attempts to get it just right.
The entire production team
banded together to re-create a golden
era when Beach Boys songs mythologized California and a tortured pop
wunderkind rode the crest of his mighty
talent, wiped out and ultimately resurfaced. Along the way, Yeoman gained a
new perspective on Wilson, who visited
the set and performed at the wrap party.
I was a kid in the Sixties when all that
was going on, and I didnt really grasp
what a musical genius Brian Wilson was
and is, the cinematographer says.
Working on this film brought about a
whole new appreciation. I stand back in
awe.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
3-perf Super 35mm,
Super 16mm
Panaflex Platinum,
Millennium XL; Arriflex 16 SR3
Panavision Primo, Canon,
Arri Ultra 16
Kodak Vision3 200T 5213,
500T 5219, 200T 7213
Post Focus
Restoring The Apu Trilogy in 4K

By Debra Kaufman
When Janus Films recently released its new 4K version of The

Apu Trilogy, it marked the culmination of one of the most improbable and heroic restoration stories imaginable. The Criterion Collection, in association with the Academy Film Archive at the Academy
of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, teamed with LImmagine
Ritrovata in Bologna to salvage severely damaged film elements
through the concerted application of restoration expertise and the
latest digital technologies.
That Bengali filmmaker Satyajit Rays Apu Trilogy which
comprises Pather Panchali (1955), Aparajito (1956) and Apur Sansar
(1959) was even made is itself a bit of a miracle. Enamored of
Vittorio De Sicas Bicycle Thieves and other post-World War II neorealist films, but with no prior filmmaking experience, the 31-year-old
Ray decided to make a film out of Bibhutibhushan Banerjees
coming-of-age novel Pather Panchali. He gathered an inexperienced
crew and a cast of amateurs, and began to shoot. It took three years
to finish Pather Panchali and seven years to complete the trilogy, on
a reported budget of $3,000.
The films tell the story of Apu, a poor boy in a rural village
74
July 2015
who endures the tragedies of familial deaths and poverty, attains an

education, and then finds himself pressured into a marriage. The
marriage unexpectedly brings happiness and a child, but then
tragedy strikes again, and Apu flees his fate. By the end, he has
found a new serenity and takes joy in his son.
The trilogy was a milestone in Indian cinema and was immediately recognized by the worldwide cinema community as an
important contribution. By the time Ray died in 1992, he and The
Apu Trilogy had garnered dozens of awards and become part of the
essential history of cinema. Martin Scorsese, James Ivory, Elia Kazan,
Philip Kaufman, Wes Anderson and Danny Boyle are just some of
the directors who have mentioned the trilogys impact on their own
work.
The need to restore Rays films first came to light when
AMPAS feted Ray with an Honorary Oscar at the 64th Academy
Awards. The film clips shown were of poor quality, and a project was
soon put together to restore Rays best films. The negatives were
sent to Henderson Film Laboratories in London where, in 1993,
nitrate sparked a huge fire that severely burned The Apu Trilogy
negatives and totally destroyed a number of Ealing comedies and
other classic British films.
Relying on other elements, Sony released The Apu Trilogy in
Images courtesy of Janus Films and the Criterion Collection.
Director Satyajit
Rays famed
Apu Trilogy has
undergone a
painstaking 4K
restoration
courtesy of an
international
coalition
spearheaded by
the Criterion
Collection.
1994, and Criterion President Peter Becker

recalls looking on jealously. I admired these
films unbelievably and I always hoped
Criterion would be able to work on them.
We didnt have a licensing arrangement
with Sony, so that wasnt a possibility. And I
had no idea what happened with the
negatives.
Then, about 10 years ago, Criterion
began exploring the status of the films
rights. The films were not actively in distribution, says Becker. The Ray films were all
independently produced, and the rights had
gone back to their rights holders. So we
began the laborious process of tracking
down who owned the films and convincing
them to license them to us. With the
National Film Development Corporation in
India serving as an intermediary between
Criterion and the rights holders, the first
contracts were signed seven years ago.
From the beginning, we knew it
was going to be challenging and timeconsuming, says Becker. We tried to do
it in a way that was responsible and
cost-effective, but it wasnt cheap. Criterion
has its own 4K restoration facility in-house;
if wed had to do this work in third-party
labs, we wouldnt have been able to afford
to do it.
When Criterion began the restoration, they didnt know that some film cans
had been salvaged from the Henderson fire.
We assumed all three negatives were gone
and wed have to find the best secondary
elements that existed anywhere on the
planet, says Becker. And we did. They
came by some of the elements such as
those in a long-warehoused catalogue from
Audio-Brandon Films serendipitously.
Criterion also turned to the holdings of the
Academy. We went through all the finegrain prints and dupes, Becker recalls. But
Lee Kline, who was in charge of the restoration, wasnt 100-percent happy that we had
the best elements. Then the Academy let us
know that there were some other Apu Trilogy materials in their vault that hadnt been
listed because they werent considered
capable of being reproduced.
Kline remembers opening up the
first can of negative that came from the
Henderson fire. It was shocking, he says.
The sides were burned; it was fragile and
flaking. The film was like a Mbius strip that
had melted in different degrees on different

sides, shrunk in some ways and twisted
depending on how close to the fire it was in
the can.
After the cans were opened, Kline
asked a technician to put some film on the
scanner. We got one minute scanned and
it knocked our socks off, he says. It was a
major revelation. We realized it could be
usable. There were 11 cans for Pather
Panchali, nine for Aparajito and two for
Apur Sansar. The cans were hand-carried to
Cineteca di Bolognas LImmagine Ritrovata
film-restoration laboratory in Italy.
We asked every lab we could think
of, and there werent any experts who
could deal with it, says Kline. The lab in
Bologna knew exactly what they would do.
Theyve actually dealt with film thats been
through fire. At Cineteca di Bologna, technicians rehydrated the film to the point
where it could be unspooled safely, and also
re-created all the perforations. It was
nearly 1,000 hours of razor blades and tape
and hand-work before we could even
scan, says Kline. Even so, it wasnt all
usable. Some of it was warped in this odd
way that couldnt be fixed.
Then came the accounting of all the
elements. First the Criterion team went
through the negative to figure out what
could be used, and then determined the
best alternative film elements for all the
sections for which there was no usable
negative. Wherever we could, we used
original negative, says Kline. In the end,
about 40 percent of Pather Panchali and 60
percent of Aparajito was restored from the
original negative. Nothing in the two cans
of Apur Sansar was salvageable; its restoration relied wholly on alternative film
elements.
After doing some tests, Kline
explains, it was clear that the film needed a
pin-registered scan to make sure it was
running as flatly as possible. LImmagine
Ritrovata scanned the salvaged negative at
4K on an Arriscan. Simultaneously, Criterion
used Arriscan and Digital Film Technologys
Scanity to scan the alternative film
elements. The result was 24TB for each of
the first two films and 16TB for the last,
with careful recordkeeping to keep track of
all of the assets.
The restoration at Criterion went
www.theasc.com
Before (top) and after (bottom) frame grabs illustrate

the challenges faced during the restoration process.
through several steps. After each movie was

assembled, it went through an automated,
real-time process to address flicker, dirt and
scratches. Digital Visions Phoenix is our
workhorse for the automated processes,
says Kline. The next step was very hands-on.
We have five MTI Film DRS Nova systems,
which ran around the clock, Kline continues. An operator looks at each frame to
address all the artifacts not resolved in the
automated process. The last step was to use
Digital Visions Nucoda to color correct, shot
by shot, with a reference print.
This whole project has been a
triumph of the heroic efforts to preserve
things that needed to be preserved, even if
they didnt appear to have any commercial
value, says Becker. You have to have a
certain appetite for risk to do this sort of
work. For us, the issue was whether we
wanted to allocate this many resources to
these three films, and the answer was,
Absolutely, yes. These are major works of
global cinema history, and the chance to
recover them literally from the ashes of the
fire was irresistible.
July 2015
75
New Products & Services

Red Unleashes Weapon
Red Digital Cinema has unveiled Weapon, the latest addition
to its 6K Dragon family. Combining a refined color science with the
dynamic range of the 19-megapixel
Red Dragon sensor, Weapon features
an array of performance enhancements, including simultaneous onboard Redcode Raw and Apple ProRes
recording (4:4:4:4 XQ, 4:4:4:4, 4:2:2
HQ, 4:2:2 and 4:2:2 LT) as well as 1D
and 3D LUTs for precise color matching.
The Brain has been completely
redesigned for Weapon, enabling
modular performance, on-board audio
recording, improved thermal management, new interchangeable optical lowpass filters with smart detection, an
integrated top plate, and built-in Wi-Fi functionality. Capable of
faster data rates with the Red Mini-Mag SSD cards, Weapon also
offers tethered streaming ProRes via Ethernet while concurrently
archiving R3D masters. It also offers several operating improvements, such as automatic sensor calibration with a wider operating
band for sensor temperature, and improved low-light performance.
Available in a Magnesium or Carbon Fiber edition, Weapon
will be offered as both an upgrade for existing customers as well as
a new camera option.
For additional information, visit www.red.com/products/
weapon-dragon.
Mac Tech Unveils Artist Series
Mac Tech LED Lighting has added the Artist Series and the
Dual Array CoLH technology to its range of LED production lighting
products.
The Artist Series 200 and 300 products offer a thin, flat panel
design and are flexible for use in studio or on location. The same
accessories that are available on the 2x8 24V Slim Line are also available for the Artist Series. All models are packaged as a kit with a
76
July 2015
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.
durable case and accessories. The Artist Series is flicker-free, fully

dimmable, and comes in tungsten, daylight and bi-color versions.
With the new, patented Dual Array CoLH heat sync onboard
technology, Mac Techs high-output LED tubes boast brighter and
more energy-efficient operation. These next-generation tubes generate even less heat, allowing for the elimination of an external heat
sink. The Dual Array CoLH tubes are flicker-free and offer increased
compatibility with existing industry dimming systems, including the
ETC D20E product line.
For additional information, visit www.mactechled.com.
DPS Launches Cinema Division

Lighting and entertainment production services company DPS
Inc. has announced the launch of its cinematic services division, DPS
Cinema.
With the launch, DPS Inc. has also unveiled its proprietary
cinematic technology. DPS Cinemas Enhanced Environments is a
new twist on merging acquisition and effects. The technique seamlessly extends the sightlines of live sets using media (LED, projector,
etc.) through proprietary controls on as large a scale as needed,
while allowing talent and crew to visualize actual environments, as
opposed to working solely on green- or bluescreen. Enhanced Environments options include Vehicular Amplification, Set Extension and
Mediated Reality. DPS Cinemas fully customizable Enhanced Environments also allow productions to move from daylight to night
environments at the touch of a button.
DPS has also announced the addition of Bobby Finley III to the
DPS Cinema division as VP, Cinema Technologies. Finley brings more
than 35 years of experience as a cinematographer, lighting designer,
gaffer and stage technician, with credits including a 20-year tenure
at Industrial Light & Magic.
For additional information, visit www.dpsinc.com/cinema.
Sony Expands
Trimaster EL Series
Sony has unveiled the BVM-X300, the
companys first OLED master monitor to
combine 4K resolution, high dynamic range
and a wide color-gamut display. The 30"
model expands Sonys Trimaster EL series and
provides an OLED option for professional
video production applications, including color
grading, on-set monitoring and quality
control in a 4K workflow.
The monitors high dynamic range
mode gives users the ability to view the entire
range of an image accurately and clearly.
This feature offers never-before-seen image
reproduction the black is black, and peak
brightness can be reproduced more realistically with colors that are typically saturated in
a conventional standard dynamic range,
says ASC associate Gary Mandle, senior
product manager for professional displays.
This mode can brilliantly express sparkling
town lights and stars in the night sky.
The emission layers in the monitors
4K panel and a new layering design give the
BVM-X300 the ability to display ITU-R BT709
and DCI-P3 color gamuts more accurately
than any previous Sony Trimaster display. The
BVM-X300 can also display 80 percent of the
new ITU-R BT2020 color gamut.
The BVM-300 features an integrated
control panel with integrated inputs, giving
users a plug-and-play system right out of the
box. This new monitor offers the same
performance of all our Trimaster EL OLED
monitors, including unparalleled black performance, color reproduction [and] quick pixel
response, Mandle adds.
This master monitor supports both 2
Sample Interleave and Square Division
signals. It also supports HD signals including
3G-SDI Quad-link up to 4096x2160/48p,
50p, 60p; 3G-SDI single link for
1920x1080/50p, 60p; YCbCr 4:2:2 10-bit;
and 3G-SDI dual link for 1920x1080/50p,
60p, 4:4:4 12/10-bit.
For additional information, visit
www.pro.sony.com.
Spacecam Maneuvers Oculus 2.0

Spacecam Systems Inc. has introduced Oculus 2.0, the companys first stabilized remote head made strictly for ground
coverage. Oculus 2.0 attaches seamlessly to
cranes, camera cars, nautical vehicles and
more, and provides an unrestricted field of
view in all axes.
Weighing 50 pounds and measuring 23.5" long, 8" wide and 28.5" high,
Oculus 2.0 is a four-axis carbon-fiber gyrostabilized gimbal that can operate in
temperatures ranging from -20F to 110F.

The system boasts 360-degree continuous
pan, tilt and roll capability, and a pan and
tilt speed of up to 260 degrees per second.
Oculus can accept a wide variety of camera
and lens configurations up to 70 pounds.
Years of award-winning aerial-cinematography experience went into the
creation of Oculus 2.0. I designed what I
felt the industry was missing, says Ron
Goodman, president of Spacecam Systems.
Its reliable, user-friendly, and the
changeovers are lightning-fast. Weve done
over 30 lens changes in one day and rig
changes in one to five minutes, tops. The
certified training we provide makes this the
easiest system to operate.
The Oculus system has already been
employed on the upcoming features Pirates
of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,
Independence Day 2 and Pee-wees Big
Holiday, as well as numerous commercials.
Oculus 2.0 was designed, engineered and manufactured in the United
States. For additional information, visit
www.spacecam.com.
Nila Enters Arina
Nila has unveiled the Arina LED
fixture. The next generation of the
www.theasc.com
companys popular SL, the Arina boasts

greater punch, substantially less weight and
a much narrower profile.
Designed as a replacement for
2,500-watt HMIs and 6,000-watt tungsten
fixtures, the Arina draws only 800 watts of
power. Additionally, as each Arina draws
only 6 amps,
multiple Arinas
can operate on
the same standard
20-amp
circuit. The Arina
also offers all of
the same features
found in other
Nila lights: onboard or DMXcontrollable
dimming, holographic lenses,
inductive cooling,
durable housing
and more.
Other features include 90-240-volt
AC input, ETL and CE compliance, instant
on, a long throw of more than 400',
daylight and tungsten versions, color accuracy from fixture to fixture, stable color
reproduction and flicker-free operation up
to 1,500 fps throughout the dimming
range, flicker-free operation at any speed
when the output is at 100 percent, no UV
or IR emissions, long-life LEDs, and a twoyear limited warranty.
www.nila.tv.
Panasonic Introduces 4K DVX200
Panasonic has announced the AGDVX200 4K large-sensor 4 3" handheld
camcorder. The camera offers an array of
top-end features, including 4K/60p recording, a 13x optical zoom, and V-Log L
gamma curve with a target of 12 stops of
latitude.
The DVX200 is optimized for 4K/HD
production, and shares the VariCam family
characteristics of filmic tonality and
colorimetry, with natural, subtle rendering
of flesh tones, and a V-Log curve that
emulates the natural gray-scale rendition of
the VariCam 35. The camcorder incorporates a newly developed 4 3" large-format
MOS sensor and offers variable frame-rate
July 2015
77
recording up to 120 fps in Full HD mode.

The DVX200 features an integrated
and newly designed Leica Dicomar 4K f2.84.5 zoom lens. Leicas quality standards
serve to suppress the occurrence of ghosting and flare. Additionally, three manualoperation lens rings focus, iris and 13x
zoom (cam driven) provide comfortable
control similar to an interchangeable-lens
camera. The cameras multi-step zoom
control provides fast response and smooth
zooming, and the zoom control on the
handle enables variable-speed zooming.
The camcorder also features an enhanced
image stabilizer, including a five-axis hybrid
image stabilizer and 4x correction-area
image stabilizer, as well as a micro-drive
focus unit that improves focus speed, tracking and capture performance.
Other professional features include
time-code in/out, 3G HD-SDI and HDMI 2.0
(4K) video outs, easy focus and zooming,
and programmable buttons. The DVX200
records 4K (4096x2160)/24p as well as UHD
(3840x2160) and HD (1920x1080)
60p/50p/30p/25p/24p in either MP4 or
MOV file formats. There are two SD card
slots to facilitate backup and relay recording. For professionals working worldwide,
the master frame rate is selectable between
59.94Hz (23.98Hz), 50.00Hz and 24.00Hz.
The AG-DVX200 will be available
this fall with a list price under $5,000. For
more
information,
visit
www.panasonic.com.
Dedolight Illuminates Ledrama
Dedolight has introduced the
Ledrama-D daylight LED panel and the
Ledrama-B bi-color LED panel. Both products offer exceptional control and are ideal
for large productions where high output,
low power consumption and precise color
rendition are essential.
The Ledrama-D offers a panel light
suitable for the largest studios and produces
an output of 700 lux at 20' while drawing
only 220 watts. The Ledrama-B is ideal for
78
July 2015
mobile applications, offering a smooth and

continuous transition between tungsten
and daylight with smooth dimming from
100 percent to zero. When tuning from
daylight to tungsten, every LED is active.
Utilizing premium-quality surface-mount
LEDs and new optical elements, the
Ledrama-B provides high efficiency and
reach with perfect color rendition; the
fixture utilizes passive cooling, is totally silent
and, like the Ledrama-D, produces 700 lux
at a distance of 20'.
Both Ledrama models offer standard
DMX control, operation from 90-260-volt
AC or external 28-volt DC, excellent powerto-light efficiency, and a rainproof housing.
Additionally, honeycomb, diffusion and filter
holders are coming soon.

Both the Ledrama-D and Ledrama-B
are available in three sizes: Ledrama
(31.5"x22.8"), Ledrama Large (47"x15.7")
and Ledrama Small (15.7"x15.7").
Paul Tepper, president of Dedotec
USA, Inc., explains, The entire panel is
covered by an array of micro lenses that help
focus the light correctly and offer an impressive light output over a large distance. With
these lenses, we are able to produce a 45degree beam of light, as opposed to the
ultra-wide 160 degrees of other studio LED
panels.
www.dedolight.com.
Cineflex Flies New Systems,
Features
High-performance gyro-stabilized
camera-systems provider Cineflex, part of
General Dynamics Imaging Technologies,
has introduced the Cineflex Ultra high-definition, field-interchangeable camera system.
The fast-swap capability accommodates
Red, Arri and Sony cameras, and Canon,
Fujinon and Angenieux lenses.
Cineflex also now offers a Rugged
Turret for all of its camera systems, including

the Ultra. The Ultra RT features an
enhanced and ruggedized outer axis that
increases the operational airspeed in excess
of 200 knots and adds robustness for users
who prefer to use the system in off-road
ground applications.
The company has also launched the
Geo+ option for its camera systems; the
option provides enhanced capabilities for
specialized applications such as geo-pointing, geo-location and geo-steering. Geo+
provides an on-screen display that gives the
camera operator full situational awareness
of system parameters, including relative
pointing angles, camera and line-of-sight
position, slant range, and focus/iris/zoom
position. Information gathered by Geo+ is
recorded to a synchronous metadata file.
www.cineflex.com.
Luma Tech Adds Optical
Accessories
Luma Tech Inc. has been furnishing
high-speed, high-performance optics since
1995. Illumina S16 and S35 cinema lenses
are used around the world on all manner of
productions, and in collaboration with the
companys manufacturing partner
LOMO PLC of St. Petersburg, Russia
Luma Tech continues to introduce innovative new options and accessories to its product line. Most recently, the company has
announced the Lumacon system, the Illumina 1.3x Anamorphic Attachment and
Illumina Uncoated Elements.
The Lumacon is the companys
patented test instrument for the assessment
and optimization of photographic optics.
The Lumacon hybrid linear collimator
combines the proven effectiveness of
analog collimators with embedded sensors
For additional information, visit www.lumat

echinc.com in the U.S., and www.lumat
ech.tv in the E.U.
and computing that provide both precision
and speed in lens testing. Rapid, reliable
measurement of back-focus, verification of
focus scale marks, and comparison of relative lens resolution can all be accomplished
swiftly and with repeatable accuracy. The
system also features a focal-plane microscope for more advanced analysis and trouble-shooting. Additionally, an interchangeable lens mount enables testing of lenses for
various camera types.
The 1.3x Anamorphic Attachment is
an anamorphic conversion unit intended for
use with Illumina S35 Series high-speed
lenses. The device transforms existing spherical S35 lenses to the 2.4:1 anamorphic
format on digital cameras with sensors
whose native aspect ratios are 2:1 or 1.78:1.
Employing a 1.33x anamorphic squeeze, the
Illumina converter offers high optical performance with a fast T1.9 aperture when used
with S35 T1.3 primes. The device is compatible with focal lengths of 35mm and longer.
Its cylindrical front elements will provide the
anamorphic artifacts sought by cinematographers, all in a compact and affordable
package.
Lastly, this past January, Luma Tech
commenced deliveries of front elements for
Illumina S35 Series primes that are made at
the LOMO factory without their usual multilayer antireflection coatings. With these
special coating-free front elements, the cinematographer can take advantage of a wide
array of effects and artifacts associated with
vintage lenses. Manipulation of lighting,
camera angles, and diaphragm settings
makes spectacular flares, ghost reflections
and spectral effects possible. If the situation
calls for more subtle treatment, an overall
desaturation of color and reduction of
contrast can be created. These new front
elements can also be used in conjunction
with the Luma Tech Anamorphic adapter.
New S35 primes can be ordered with the
uncoated front glass already mounted, and
coated and uncoated elements can be
swapped by a lens technician without harming the host lens.
Luma Tech products are distributed
in the European Union by GearCam.
Irwin Develops 3iSpreader

Mark Irwin, ASC, CSC has introduced the 3iSpreader system, which
addresses the shortcomings of conventional
tripod spreaders in three fundamental areas:
spikes, bungees and floor contact.
The 3iSpreader system replaces
spikes with the 3iSpud, a 1" ridged
aluminum tubular plug that threads into the
spike fitting (after the spike has been
removed) and accepts a hard-rubber chair
tip. Bungee cords have been replaced with
quick-release T-pins that lock the spreader
into the " ears of the tripod bottom cast-
Telecine &
Color Grading
Jod is a true artist with
a great passion for his craft.
John W. Simmons, ASC
Contact Jod @ 310-713-8388

Jod@apt-4.com
ing, preventing any unexpected releases.

Finally, floor contact is improved with three
rubber tips; the Spud-to-Grip (STG) connectors mount to an assortment of flat pads for
different floor surfaces, allowing a solid link
to any surface without grip chain or location
mats.
The 3iSpreader is constructed of
6061 aircraft-grade aluminum and is coated
with Line-x, a black thermoplastic
polyurethane. Its inner legs extend in increments of 2.5" from 15" to 28" and are calibrated to fold up inside the tripod at any
equally locked position. The center puck
assembly is CNC-milled out of a solid billet
of 6061 aluminum and features a
retractable lifting handle. It will take the
weight of most big block batteries (up to 40
pounds) on a level elevated surface. The
complete spreader weighs 5 pounds, takes
minutes to retrofit and works in sand, snow
and water equally well.
The 3iSpreader is manufactured in
Vancouver, British Columbia and Studio City,
Calif. For additional information, visit
www.3ispreader.com.
International Marketplace
80
July 2015
Classifieds
CLASSIFIED AD RATES
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
All classifications are $4.50 per

word. Words set in bold face or all
capitals are $5.00 per word. First
word of ad and advertisers name can
be set in capitals without extra
charge. No agency commission or
discounts
on
classified
advertising.PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER. VISA, Mastercard, AmEx
and Discover card are accepted. Send
ad to Classified Advertising,
American Cinematographer, P.O.
Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078. Or
FAX (323) 876-4973. Deadline for
payment and copy must be in the
office by 15th of second month
preceding publication. Subject matter
is limited to items and services pertaining to filmmaking and video production. Words used are subject to
magazine style abbreviation. Minimum amount per ad: $45
Used AIRSTAR TUNGSTEN BALLOON LIGHTS for Sale.

4 Kits available, each kit includes 1 - 8k Tube and 2 - 4k Round
For more information geoffwallace@mac.com
4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion, Polas etc. A Good Box
Rental 818-763-8547
14,000+ USED EQUIPMENT ITEMS. PRO VIDEO & FILM
EQUIPMENT COMPANY. 50 YEARS EXPERIENCE. New:
iLLUMiFLEX
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w w w . P r o V i d e o F i l m . c o m
EMAIL:
ProVidFilm@aol.com
CALL BILL 972 869 9990, 888 869 9998.
Worlds SUPERMARKET of USED MOTION PICTURE
EQUIPMENT! Buy, Sell, Trade. CAMERAS, LENSES,
SUPPORT, AKS & MORE! Visual Products, Inc.
www.visualproducts.com Call 440.647.4999
www.theasc.com
July 2015
81
Advertisers Index
AC 80, 81
Adorama 19, 39
Aerial Mob, LLC 41
AJA Video Systems, Inc. 53
Alan Gordon Enterprises 81
Arri 9, 29
ASC Master Class 8
Aura Productions 79
Eastman Kodak C4
Backstage Equipment, Inc.

69
Blackmagic Design, Inc. 11
Jod Soraci 79
JVC Kenwood USA Corp. 17
Carl Zeiss 27
Cavision Enterprises 80
Chapman/Leonard
Studio Equip. 23
Chrosziel 61
Cinelease 15
Cinematography
Electronics 61
Cinekinetic 80
Cooke Optics 13
DPS 7
Duclos Lenses 69
Filmotechnic USA C3
Glidecam Industries 25
Hertz Corporation 15
Hollywood PL 63
IBC 83
King Film USA Group 80

Kino Flo 43
Lights! Action! Co. 80
Mole-Richardson /Studio Depot
80
Nila, Inc. 69
No Subtitles Necessary 52
P+S Technik
Feinmechanik Gmbh 81
Paralinx 31
PED Denz 80
Pille Filmgeraeteverleih
Gmbh 80
Pro8mm 80
Red Digital Cinema C2-1
82
Schneider Optics 2
Super16, Inc. 81
Teradek, LLC 5
TNS&F Productions 81
Visionary Forces 81
Welch Integrated 73
Willys Widgets 80
www.theasc.com 42, 63
Yes Watches 62
In Memoriam
Andrew Lesnie ASC, ACS died from a
heart attack on April 27. He was 59.
Lesnie was born in Sydney, Australia,
in 1956, and he went on to study at Sydney
TAFE and the Australian Film, Television and
Radio School, graduating in 1979. While still
in film school, he began working in
Australias motion-picture industry, serving
as a runner on Bruce Beresfords The Getting of Wisdom,
then as a camera assistant on
Richard Franklins Patrick; both
films were shot by Don
McAlpine, ASC, ACS. Lesnie
later assisted cinematographers such as Dean Semler,
ASC, ACS; Peter James, ASC,
ACS; Brian Probyn, BSC, who
taught Lesnie at AFTRS; and
Bill Constable, ACS. He was
also hired by the popular and
irreverent childrens television
show Simon Townsends
Wonder World.
Andrew and fellow cinematography graduate Steve Newman set up the
production at Wonder World, recalls Steve
Arnold, ACS, who served alongside Lesnie
as one of the shows cinematographers.
Each crew shot two stories each day: one
in morning and one in afternoon, 400 feet
of 16mm reversal per story. To speed up the
process and add interest to visually bland
stories, Andrew used a 5.7mm Kinoptik lens
and only this lens on a handheld
camera. Close-ups of people were
completely distorted, but it was wacky kids
TV, so it was okay. This became a signature
look for the show.
From Wonder World, Lesnie moved
into shooting longer-form projects, such as a
behind-the-scenes documentary for George
Millers 1981 feature The Road Warrior.
Semler, who served as that productions
director of photography, notes, I distinctly
remember Byron Kennedy, George Millers
producing partner, saying, This Andrew
Lesnie fellow has something special and will
be a major player one day.
84
July 2015
Lesnie then began shooting 2nd unit

on such projects as the Australian miniseries
Bodyline, produced by Kennedy Miller
Productions and again photographed by
Semler. I was loading for Dean at the time,
and producer George Miller wanted
Andrew to shoot second unit, recalls 1st
AC Colin Deane. Dean agreed with the
proviso that I be Andrews focus puller

and we then made movies together for the
next 35 years. Lesnie and Deanes most
recent collaboration was The Water Diviner,
directed by Russell Crowe. Deane adds, I
always thought there would be at least one
more, but now thats not to be.
Lesnie also photographed several
shorts, documentaries and low-budget
features during the 1980s, and by the mid90s he was a regular fixture at the ACS
Awards, where he took home honors for
the features Spider and Rose, Temptation of
a Monk and Babe, and was feted with the
Milli Award which recognizes the
Australian cinematographer of the year
in both 1995 and 96. Spider and Rose
teamed Lesnie with director Bill Bennett; the
duo collaborated again on Two If by Sea.
Bennett remembers, Two If by Sea was
Andrews first foray into studio production, so he called Dean to ask his advice on
how to handle a studio picture. Dean told
him to ask for three times more gear than
he needed, because no matter what he
asked for, the studio would cut it down.
Andrew did as suggested, sure enough the

studio cut it down by two-thirds, and
Andrew ended up with exactly the gear he
needed.
He was like a puppy dog on set,
bounding around, full of enthusiasm and
energy, Bennett continues. He was
wonderful with actors respectful yet surehanded and they loved him.
Andrew always pushed to make
a shot or a sequence look amazing. He loved a sweeping
camera that used the dynamics
of cinema to full effect. If you
chose Andrew as your cinematographer, it was madness to
shackle him.
Lesnie is perhaps best
known for his long-running
collaboration with New Zealand
director Peter Jackson, which
spanned eight films, including
the Lord of the Rings and
Hobbit trilogies. In an AC interview for The
Fellowship of the Ring (Dec. 01), Lesnie
recalled that at their first meeting, Peter
was leaning back in a chair with his bare feet
up on the boardroom table. I knew at that
moment we would get on. I like to work
with people who encourage me to take part
in the storytelling; it can do nothing but
encourage you to rise to the occasion.
While discussing the myriad technicalities and logistics of the Lord of the Rings
films with AC, Lesnie always returned to
what he considered the most important
aspect of any project he undertook: the
story. Thats what I love about this trilogy,
he said. Its not just one story after another,
after another they are all inextricably
linked. Trying to bear that out photographically is quite complex; there arent many
projects that force you to have to rationalize
things as much.
Lesnie was nominated for a BAFTA
Award and received an Academy Award in
2002 for The Fellowship of the Ring.
Andrews favorite story about the Academy Award for The Fellowship of the Ring
The Last Airbender photo by Zade Rosenthal, SMPSP, courtesy of Paramount Pictures. I Am Legend photo by Barry Wetcher, SMPSP, courtesy of Warner Bros.
The Return of the King photo courtesy of New Line Cinema.
Andrew Lesnie, ASC, ACS, 1956-2015
Opposite: The
late Andrew
Lesnie, ASC, ACS
worked his magic
on The Last
Airbender. This
page, top: Lesnie
shined a light on
I Am Legend.
Bottom: The
cinematographer
with director
Peter Jackson
(foreground left),
cast and crew on
The Lord of the
Rings: The Return
of the King.
concerned the suit he hired from a shop in

Manly, Sydney, says Deane. The guy
behind the counter asked, Where you off
to mate, a wedding? Andrew answered,
No, Im off to the Academy Awards. The
guy looked at Andrew with an expression
that said, Yeah right, mate. Pull the other
one, and told Andrew, This will cost you a
lot more if you cant return it by Monday.
Andrew took the suit, won for Best Cinematography, and came home to find the
shop owner using him in his advertising
yet he still charged overdue fees! Andrew
thought this was hilarious.
Andrew was a master at putting
visual concepts onto the screen, offers
gaffer Reg Garside. On the Hobbit films,
Andrew and I shared a five-by-five-foot tent,
with two large monitors and a host of
people wanting to share it with us. This was
our on-set home for over a year; you get to
know a lot about a person in that time. His
philosophy was simple: light beautifully, but
quickly. Andrew was not just a great storyteller; he had fantastic memory, keeping the
lighting continuity for three long films in his
head.
When Lesnie became an ASC
member in 2005, one of the reasons cited
was his generosity with professionals and
students alike. As Australian Cinematographers Society President Ron Johanson points
out, I was constantly amazed at Andrews
capacity to engage with so many people,
given his incredible schedule. He took the
time to talk to students and fellow cine-
matographers at every opportunity. This

generosity of spirit endeared him to so
many.
Lesnie was also quick to give credit to
his collaborators. When AC visited the set of
King Kong (2005), Lesnie insisted that
production designer Grant Majors work
feature in the article. Major also a veteran
of the Lord of the Rings trilogy reflects,
Strangers are thrown together on film
projects, so it was great to meet somebody
I could relate to on a very creative level
especially on these highly technical and
complicated films. Andrews good humor
and sharp professionalism garnered him
such a lot of respect from his own crew and
the production at large. As far as I know, he
had the only Lord of the Rings book signed
www.theasc.com
by all the key crew and actors!

Andrew navigated a stellar career,
says Arnold. He understood how films are
made: the politics, the mechanics and the
craft. But what I will miss most about him is
his warmth, his sense of humor and his
smarts. No matter where he had traveled
and what he had done over all the years I
knew him, he was the same he was just
Andrew.
I still recall my first day at [AFTRS],
he adds. A kid walked up and introduced
himself. Hi, my name is Andrew. If youre
working on something, I want to work on it,
too.
Simon Gray
July 2015
85
Clubhouse News
Top left: ASC members share their experiences during an open house at J.L. Fisher. Bottom left:
Retired associate member Volker Bahnemann (third from right) was on hand for the recent
presentation of the annual award given in his name. Right: Associate member Garrett Brown
addresses a gathering at the Clubhouse.
ASC Members Speak at

J.L. Fisher Open House
J.L. Fisher recently fired up the grill for
its ninth annual open house and barbecue,
which was co-presented by the ASC, the
International Cinematographers Guild and
the Society of Camera Operators. A number
of companies and other industry organizations helped turn Fishers parking lot into an
outdoor exhibition hall, and as tradition now
holds, the day concluded with a spirited
Dialogue with ASC Cinematographers
moderated by George Spiro Dibie,
ASC. Dibie was joined by Society
members
Billy
Webb,
Shelly
Johnson,
Dave
Perkal,
Paul
Maibaum,
Michael
Goi,
Bill
Bennett, Robert Primes, Frederic
Goodich, Oliver Bokelberg and Suki
Medencevic. Taking questions from the
audience, the panel spoke to getting the
most out of whatever format a project
employs, whether film or digital; making
necessary compromise look like intended
style; and trends both good and bad
that are taking hold in contemporary
86
July 2015
production. I think you have to play nice to

be successful, Bokelberg offered, to which
Bennett added, My key grip once told me,
Stay flexible, stay employed. Goi summarized the spirit of the conversation when he
said, Film entertainment is a constantly
evolving aesthetic. I think its an exciting
time.
Society Hosts HDR
Demonstration
Curtis Clark, ASC, chair of the Societys Technology Committee, joined UHDTV
Subcommittee Chair Don Eklund to spearhead a daylong demonstration of the latest
high dynamic range technology as applied to
monitor displays. Eklund initiated each hourly
session with a presentation on HDR monitors
and the importance of achieving the best
outputs on professional and consumer
displays. Clark then escorted the participants
from the Clubhouses main room into the
boardroom, where eight monitors including a Sony BVM-X300 demonstrated by associate member Gary Demos, and a Canon
DP-V2410 demonstrated by Clark and associAmerican Cinematographer
Brown Leads Steadicam Panel

The Society and associate member
Garrett Brown, inventor of the Steadicam
and a National Inventors Hall of Fame
inductee, recently hosted a dinner meeting
at the ASC Clubhouse entitled Garrett
Brown & Friends: The Moving Camera. The
event included a demonstration of the
modular M1 Steadicam, the Steadicam
Tango a crane-like Steadicam accessory
and the hands-free Steadiseg Steadicam
Segway. Browns presentation included
examples of notable Steadicam scenes,
including clips from Terminator and Casino,
followed by a panel discussion with
Steadicam Guild members David Emmerichs,
Jerry Holway and Dan Kneece, along with
Steadicam operators Chris Fawcett and
Geoff Haley. Explaining Steadicam technology in relation to human movement and
vision, Brown noted, When you walk, you
see a damn beautiful dolly shot.
Fifth Annual Volker Bahnemann
Awards
The Fifth Annual Volker Bahnemann
Awards for Cinematography named for
retired ASC associate Volker Bahnemann
were awarded to Sheldon Chau at the
graduate level and Antoine Combellas at the
undergraduate level at New York Universitys
Tisch School of the Arts. The grants were
established in 2010 to honor Bahnemanns
48 years at Arri, 32 of which were served as
CEO and president of Arri Inc. and Arri CSC.
The grants which are funded through
donations from Arri, Arri CSC (now Arri
Rental), the Stahl family, and friends and
colleagues are a perpetual bequest to
annually recognize talented cinematography
students with a production grant to fund
their thesis projects.
Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

J.L. Fisher photo by Kelly Brinker. Garrett Brown photo courtesy of associate member Mark Bender. Bahnemann Award photo courtesy of Arri.
ate Joseph Bogacz were on display.

Other participating vendors included Dolby,
Vizio, Panasonic, LG and Samsung. All monitors ran footage from a film shot by Robert
Primes, ASC.
The highly anticipated

10th Edition of the
American Cinematographer Manual
is now available!
Known as the filmmakers bible for several
generations, this invaluable resource is more
comprehensive than ever moving into digital
image capture. The 10th AC Manual was edited
by Michael Goi, ASC, a former president of the
Society. He is a key speaker on technology
and the history of cinema.
Completely re-imagined to reflect the
sweeping technological changes our
industry has experienced since the
last edition, the 10th AC Manual is
vibrant and essential reading, as well
as an invaluable field resource. Subjects
include:
6" x 9", Full Color

Hardbound edition 998 pages
Two-Volume Paperback
Volume One 500 pages
Volume Two 566 pages
iPad ebook
Kindle ebook
www.theasc.com
Digital capture and workflow terminology

The explosion of prosumer cameras in
professional use
Previsualization
3-D capture
LED lighting
The Academy Color Encoding Specification
(ACES)
Digital camera prep
and more!
The AC Manual is available in a hardbound
edition, iPad and Kindle editions, and a twovolume print-on-demand paperback.
Francis Kenny, ASC
When you were a child, what film made the strongest

impression on you?
As a kid I never watched movies or television. I became a cinematographer from growing up in the cockpit of a test plane
flown by my grandfather. The airplane is currently in the
National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Ive taken
my daughter to see it. Its called the Flying Laboratory.
Have you made any memorable blunders?

Blunders? Many. Not wearing sunblock, forgetting a birthday
What is the best professional advice youve ever
received?
How to walk the line between clever and stupid. Through
discipline comes freedom.
Which cinematographers, past or

present, do you most admire?
[ASC members] Gregg Toland,
Conrad Hall, Owen Roizman, Vittorio Storaro, Haskell Wexler, Ed Lachman, Emmanuel Chivo Lubezki
there are many.
What recent books, films or

artworks have inspired you?
The book A Confederacy of Dunces,
Stanley Kubricks 2001, Victor
Hugos writings, Charles Dickens,
Tim Ferriss, the Joffrey Ballet, [ASC
associate] Jim Jannard.
What sparked your interest in

photography?
Traveling as a kid from one place to
another. Different states and different countries.
Do you have any favorite genres,

or genres you would like to try?
Something similar to One From the
Heart, where the transitions are live
and built into the sets.
Where did you train and/or

study?
Hofstra University.
If you werent a cinematographer, what might you be doing

instead?
Inventing products for cinematographers to make their job easier,
which is what Ive been doing
recently. Everything moves very fast
today. Smaller, lighter, more mobile
support gear for cameras will give
cinematographers more think time
and help them get through the day
with less setup time.
Who were your early teachers or

mentors?
My professor, David Hoffman, won
the Critics Award at the Cannes Film
Festival at the age of 26. He decided
he hated the business, so he tried
teaching. He taught for one year,
then went back into the film business. I was his student, and he hired me right out of college.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
Rembrandt, Rothko and the Beatles. Robert Kennedy.
How did you get your first break in the business?
Kindness. I helped someone become an operator. Turned out his
best friend was about to direct a movie Heathers and I was
recommended.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for

membership?
Sandi Sissel, Robert Stevens and Sol Negrin.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
I began to develop real friendships with fellow cinematographers. Its never about competition. Its the place to learn, listen,
teach, borrow, and share the insanity of what we do. The ASC
is a very special place.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a

project?
Getting out of Afghanistan alive.
88
July 2015
Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.
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A M E R I C A N C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R J U LY 2 0 1 5 P E N N Y D R E A D F U L J U R A S S I C W O R L D E N T O U R A G E L O V E & M E R C Y A N D R E W L E S N I E , A S C , A C S V O L . 9 6 N O .

An International Publication of the ASC

The Boys Are Back

Steven Fierberg, ASC brings a hit series to the big screen

Harmony and Discord

An International Publication of the ASC

LOOK FOR MORE AT WWW.THEASC.COM

Catch up with the classics

Podcast: Jack Green, ASC, on Unforgiven (1992)

Q&A: Dean Cundey, ASC,

An International Publication of the ASC

Visit us online at www.theasc.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

ART & DESIGN

SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

ASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett Grauman

American Society of Cinematographers

Kees van Oostrum

The horror genre has always been a favorite of mine,

Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

of photography Ben Battersby, who is based in Buenos Aires. In

Behind-the-scenes photos by Dan Shapiro. All images courtesy of Aggressive.

closing scene, shot at sunset on a mountain

Tepaller. We were lucky to find wolves in a

close attention to the color of the grasses.

Rachel Morrisons rsum brims with intense dramas like

was able to articulate that it was indeed going to have a kinetic

Dope photos by Rachel Morrison, courtesy of Open Road Films.

Center. It was a quote-unquote stage,

behind the Sony 17" OLED monitors and

high-con LUT. In addition to his Panasonic

a comedy, it was lit like a drama. Contrast

to sneak in was lit with China-hat practicals

Bastard Amber. We usually only used a

use of iPhones ranging from 4 to 5S, his

authenticity, with slight lifting as required,

Scratch system for conform, color and

Beneath the Surface

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe is

15-40mm (T2.6) and the 27-75mm (T2.6).

that otherwise undetectable details become

Billy Wilder had shot the scene twice

and production designer Rocco Matteo

reference photos with reflections of

Fresnels were focused into an overhead

bounced off a piece of unbleached muslin

the idea to use the locations motorized

Owen McPolin, ISC and

he rivalry between cinema and television has long been

Unit photography by Jonathan Hession, courtesy of Showtime.

who are responsible for more than half

adventurer whose unsuccessful attempt

transforms him into a flesh-ripping

Then, when I left, PJ Dillon [ISC] or

Top and middle:

tungsten even on daylight work and

Top: Madame Kali

Xavi and I did. I use 10-denier

more than 100 cast members and

ing was happening, McPolin says.

was very soft and modeled without

and real stone.

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