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I N T E R N A T I O N A L
J O U R N A L
O F
F I L M
&
D I G I T A L
P R O D U C T I O N
T E C H N I Q U E S
S I N C E
1 9 2 0
JANUARY 2009
A M E R I C A N C I N E M AT O G R A P H E R J A N U A RY 2 0 0 9 R E V O L U T I O N A RY R O A D ; T H E C U R I O U S C A S E O F B E N J A M I N B U T T O N ; D E F I A N C E ; J A C K G R E E N , A S C V O L . 9 0 N O. 1
T H E
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2008 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Features and specications are subject to change without notice.
Sony, CineAlta, HDNA, the HDNA logo, XDCAM and XDCAM EX are trademarks of Sony.
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On Our Cover: Businessman Frank Wheeler (Leonardo DiCaprio) finds his marriage crumbling in
Revolutionary Road, shot by Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC. (Photo by Franois Duhamel, SMPSP, courtesy
of DreamWorks LLC.)
Features 28
42
58
70
Departments
8
10
16
80
84
88
89
90
92
94
96
Close Focus
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC captures a couples
downward spiral in Revolutionary Road
An Old Soul
Claudio Miranda exploits cutting-edge technologies on
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
42
Brothers in Arms
Eduardo Serra, ASC, AFC frames a true tale of World
War II heroism in Defiance
A Cut Above
Jack Green, ASC receives the Societys
Lifetime Achievement Award
Editors Note
Short Takes: Triangle of Need
Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler
Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain
58
70
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Visit us online at
www.theasc.com
Tripod Killer
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EDITORIAL
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Stephen Pizzello
SENIOR EDITOR Rachael K. Bosley
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jon D. Witmer
TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Stephanie Argy, Benjamin B, Douglas Bankston, Robert S. Birchard, John Calhoun,
Bob Davis, Bob Fisher, Simon Gray, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Jay Holben,
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American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 88th year of publication, is published
monthly in Hollywood by ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A.,
(800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344.
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POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.
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BEST
CINEMATOGRAPHY
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Editors Note
irector Sam Mendes first explored the illusions and delusions of American suburbia in American Beauty (1999),
which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture
and Achievement in Cinematography (for Conrad L. Hall,
ASC). On his latest project, Revolutionary Road, the English
filmmaker teamed with Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC to focus a
pitiless lens on the crumbling marriage of an outwardly enviable couple (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet)
in suburban Connecticut in 1955.
Based on Richard Yates novel, the picture led Mendes
and Deakins to spotlight the actors performances while avoiding stylistic flourishes in
their approach to the period. I hate the idea that you have to make the photography
colorful because its the 50s, or that you have to make it gauzy and sepia because its an
earlier era Ive never seen the point of that, really, Deakins tells senior editor Rachael
K. Bosley (Close Focus, page 28). Mendes seconds the motion: I didnt want to have
any shots that said, The 1950s: werent they extraordinary! I simply wanted it to be
where these characters live. In an insightful sidebar (Furnishing a Plain Period Look,
page 36), set decorator Deborah Schutt confirms, We all wanted to make a period
movie that didnt look like one.
David Fincher and cinematographer Claudio Miranda had to convey the look
of eight different decades while turning back the clock on The Curious Case of Benjamin
Button, which stars Brad Pitt as a man who is born in 1918 and ages in reverse. While
the film offers plenty of period ambience, Miranda notes, The intention was to be as
naturalistic as possible. Our initial influence for textures and framing was [painter]
Andrew Wyeth. Of course, the filmmakers also had to come up with a way to make their
main character age and regress believably, which involved some complex technologies.
Miranda and post supervisor Peter Mavromates pull back the curtain in their comments
to contributing writer Douglas Bankston (An Old Soul, page 42).
World War II is the timeframe explored in Defiance, shot by Eduardo Serra,
ASC, AFC for director Ed Zwick. In telling a true story of Jewish resistance fighters who
take refuge in a forest, Serra rebuts the notion that exterior cinematography offers fewer
opportunities to be creative. By pushing Kodaks tungsten-balanced 5279 stock two stops
and eschewing an 85 filter, he added grain and contrast to exterior images and created
unpredictable changes in the negatives red, green and blue curves. The changes are
subtle, but theyre there, Serra explains to Paris-based correspondent Benjamin B
(Brothers in Arms, page 58). With film, its important to have the three color curves
perfectly parallel, and in this picture, they really arent.
Bold choices are often rewarding, as ASC member Jack Green quickly learned
after he gave up barbering for a life behind the camera. What the world lost in tonsorial
technique it has gained in memorable Hollywood moments. Green entered into a long
and rewarding collaboration with Clint Eastwood, beginning as a camera operator and
eventually advancing to cinematographer on a number of Eastwoods films, including
Bird, Unforgiven and The Bridges of Madison County. His record of excellence has earned
him this years ASC Lifetime Achievement Award, and Green shares some of his recollections with contributing writer Jon Silberg (A Cut Above, page 70).
Stephen Pizzello
Executive Editor
8
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Short Takes
Forging Triangle of Need for Catherine Sullivan
Above:
Mistresses bid
farewell from a
barge in Triangle
of Need, an
installation
piece directed
by Catherine
Sullivan and
photographed by
Raoul Germain.
Below: One of
the installations
three rooms at
the Walker Art
Center in
Minneapolis.
10 January 2009
Five Economies from Sullivans perspective when the piece premiered at the
Hammer Museum in Los Angeles on
five 20'-tall screens. I was astounded,
he says. I got the concept and the way
it moved around you as a viewer in the
center of it all. Once I saw the fruits of
our labor, I was so excited and proud of
the work that I really wanted to keep the
relationship going.
Four collaborations later, in
August 2007, Sullivan and Germain
introduced their latest and largest
installation, Triangle of Need, at
Minneapolis Walker Art Center. Like
Five Economies, Triangle was conceived
as a multi-screen fine-art experience
involving the layering of many different
storylines and locations playing simultaneously on multiple projectors and television screens. According to the artists
statement, Triangle delves into corporate corruption and the idea of conforming old ideals to new ones in a modern
age.
Triangles genesis can be traced
to when Sullivan was invited to make a
piece at the Villa Vizcaya Museum and
Gardens, a 16th-century Italian-style
estate built as a winter home for American industrialist James Deering in
Biscayne Bay, Fla. When Sullivan first
encountered Vizcayas main house,
formal gardens, lagoon and derelict
village, she was inspired by its potential
as a location for one of the pieces.
The project comprises several
short films that form a cohesive whole.
In one room, a six-minute looped projection intercuts 16mm shots of a spinning
figure skater with blown-up Super 8mm
footage from a Quinceaera (a traditional Latino coming-of-age celebration
for young women) at Vizcaya. In an
adjoining chamber, three flat-screen
by Iain Stasukevich
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Top to bottom: A
production still
showing
Neanderthals
cleansed by
mistresses in the
secret garden at
Floridas Villa
Vizcaya Museum
and Gardens; an
orphan passes on
in a color
segment shot at
Villa Vizcaya; a
frame grab of the
Neanderthals
arrival at Villa
Vizcaya, shot on
Kodak Double-X
7222; a frame
grab from the
Quinceaera
sequence, which
was shot with
Porst 40D
Super 8 film.
12 January 2009
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Page 14
Steadicam
operator B.J.
McDonnell
maneuvers
through the
main house at
Villa Vizcaya.
leaving the crew free to knock out ceilings and walls. To speed the filmmakers progress from one room to the next,
gaffer Andy Cook created a wood grid
with 2-by-4s above the ceiling line and
strung cables through holes in the ceiling and walls to other grids in adjacent
rooms. Germain and Cook fitted the
grids with a mix of 650-watt, 350-watt,
150-watt and 1K tungsten units on
Variac dimmers, while a 1.2K HMI was
stationed on a lift outside the secondstory window to push hard daylight
into the rooms. All lights were left clean
to produce hard shadows, and these
scenes were also shot on Double-X
7222.
As Triangles cycle concludes, the
Chicago workers, Gypsies and French
sovereigns find themselves transported
to Vizcaya, where they engage in reconstructions of scenes from old Pathscope films as a tribe of Neanderthals is
forced by the villas lord to reproduce.
(Deering ordered silent-film reels from
Pathscope for screening at Vizcaya.)
Because Sullivan was working on a
commission, she and her crew had
unlimited access to the entire estate.
The villa drove a lot of the content,
she notes.
For the exteriors, Germain
planned to shoot Kodak EXR 50D 7245
with an Arri 16SR-3 and the same
lenses he used in Chicago, but he and
Sullivan hadnt accounted for Miamis
unpredictable weather. On a clear day,
the color stock provided vibrant, satu-
AMC_0109_p015:Layout 1
FILM, VIDEO,
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12/2/08
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Page 1
CONTINUING EDUCATION:
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Page 16
Production Slate
Right: British
talk-show host
David Frost
(Michael Sheen,
left) listens as
former U.S.
President
Richard M.
Nixon (Frank
Langella)
analyzes his
tenure in the
White House.
Below: Assisted
by Mark Santoni,
A-camera
operator Andrew
Rowlands, SOC
captures the
reverse angle on
Sheen as a
second camera
stands at
the ready.
Cinematographer
Salvatore Totino,
ASC often
employs two
cameras in
dialogue scenes,
noting, I
especially like
to do overs with
two cameras;
I feel you
get great
performances
out of the actors
it gives them
a live feeling,
almost as though
theyre onstage
and this is
their one
performance.
16 January 2009
Historic Conversations
by Jean Oppenheimer
A full year after wrapping
Frost/Nixon, cinematographer Salvatore
Totino, ASC is still jazzed about shooting
unto itself.
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18 January 2009
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E:=@CDF==@:<%/--%+-/%)).*
Nixon hangs up
on Frost after
drunk-dialing his
interrogator
before their final
interview. To
lend this
sequence a live
feel, the
filmmakers shot
Langella and
Sheen
simultaneously
on adjoining
sets.
20 January 2009
12/5/08
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Page 20
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Page 22
On the Ropes
by Claire Walla
Theres very little in professional
wrestling that screams realism. Participants use fake, hyperbolic names (i.e.,
Sgt. Slaughter); dress in flashy, skintight costumes; and perform an array of
choreographed moves that range from
Bodyslams to Tombstone Piledrivers.
But for Randy The Ram Robinson
(Mickey Rourke), the main character in
Darren Aronofskys The Wrestler, the
world outside the ring is painfully real.
22 January 2009
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24 January 2009
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Near right:
Cinematographer
Maryse Alberti.
Far right: The
Ram seeks
emotional
solace from a
stripper (Marisa
Tomei) who
has also
experienced
her share of
hard times.
Erratum
In our coverage of Australia in
the November issue, we inaccurately
credited all of the photos to Douglas
Kirkland. James Fisher took some of
the shots.
11/5/08
2:34 PM
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Close
Focus
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Opposite: Frank
and April
Wheeler
(Leonardo
DiCaprio and
Kate Winslet)
enjoy a rare
harmonious
moment in the
kitchen. This
page, top: The
mentally
unstable John
Givings
(Michael
Shannon,
gesturing at left)
pays a
disruptive visit
to the Wheeler
home with his
parents (Richard
Easton and
Kathy Bates).
Below: Director
Sam Mendes
(left) talks over
a scene with
Bates and
Winslet. At the
door to Mendes
left, Roger
Deakins, ASC,
BSC checks the
daylight
flooding the
room.
American Cinematographer 29
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Close Focus
Top: Arri
Compact 12Ks
bouncing off
Ultrabounce send
light through the
windows for dayinterior work at
the Wheeler
house. The rags
would also cut
the sun at the
same time,
notes gaffer Bill
OLeary. Middle:
Frank tries to
reassure his wife
in one of the
films many
kitchen scenes.
Bottom: With
bounce light
from small
instruments
inside
augmenting the
window light,
Deakins lines up
the shot.
30 January 2009
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Top: In the
elevator that
leads to his
office, Frank is
checked out by
a young
secretary (Zoe
Kazan). Middle:
Frank makes his
move. Bottom:
Amid an array of
800-watt HMI
Jokers bouncing
off muslin,
Mendes checks
the shot as
Kazan and
DiCaprio run
through the
scene.
American Cinematographer 31
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Close Focus
Right: April
heads for an
interview in
Manhattan that
she hopes will
lead her and
Frank in a new
direction.
Below: Deakins
prepares to film
the scene with
one of his
favorite tools, a
Power Pod
remote head.
32 January 2009
9/24/08
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Page 34
Close Focus
Right: April and
Frank argue over
their plans to
move to Paris.
Below: Deakins
works with
OLeary (center)
and electrician
Scott Gregoir to
fine-tune a
ringlight
comprising 60watt bulbs that
acted as an
overhead source
in the house.
34 January 2009
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American Cinematographer 35
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A subdued color
palette and
streamlined
design
characterize the
look of the
Wheelers home.
We ruled out
anything that hit
you over the
head with the
period, notes
set decorator
Debra Schutt.
36 January 2009
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the better.
Because every shot in the
house depended on the scene and
the blocking, pre-lighting was out of
the question. We had the house
stripped apart and rewired so we
could use the sockets in the walls,
and we also put power points in the
ceilings so we didnt have to run
cables in the room, says Deakins.
American Cinematographer 37
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Close Focus
Right: Following
a particularly
savage
argument, Frank
pensively
awaits his
wifes return.
Below: April
retreats to the
woods behind
the house to
escape her
husband.
38 January 2009
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Close Focus
Seated on an
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prepares to track
Winslet on her
flight into the
woods. We
used a beach
ball as a camera
support a
poor mans
Wescam, if you
like, he says.
40
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An
Old Soul
Cinematographer Claudio Miranda and post supervisor Peter
Mavromates crack The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which
presents a main character who ages in reverse.
by Douglas Bankston
Unit photography by Merrick Morton, SMPSP
he $150 million film The
Curious Case of Benjamin
Button is only Claudio
Mirandas second feature as a
director of photography, but its
director, David Fincher, had the
utmost confidence in him they
had actually been working together
for years. Miranda worked his way
up in the electrical department and
had been a gaffer on Finchers Seven,
The Game and Fight Club, and he
had also shot additional photogra-
T
42 January 2009
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Page 43
Opposite: While
aging in reverse,
the youthful but
elderly-looking
Benjamin Button
(Brad Pitt)
admires his
improving
physique. This
page, top: Button
has a drink with
a stranger who
turns out to be
his long-lost
father. Below:
Director David
Fincher (in gray
ski cap) and
cinematographer
Claudio Miranda
(black ski cap)
crank up a
vintage Victrola
for a period
funeral scene.
American Cinematographer 43
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Page 44
AnOld Soul
Above: An
exterior view of
a revival tent
shows the
warm glow
produced by
strings of
vintage, clear
60-watt bulbs
hung from the
ceiling. Below:
Inside the tent,
a preacher
(Lance E.
Nichols)
exhorts the
frail, 7-year-old
Benjamin to
arise from his
wheelchair.
44 January 2009
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Left: Diffused
light illuminates
a close-up of
Pitt. Below:
Benjamin and
his first
paramour,
Elizabeth Abbott
(Tilda Swinton),
grow closer
during a series
of late-night
tte--ttes
over tea.
American Cinematographer 45
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AnOld Soul
Right: Elizabeth
signals for help
while
attempting to
swim the
English
Channel.
Middle: The
crew captures a
shot in the
Paramount
water tank.
Bottom: After
being pulled
from the water,
Elizabeth
reflects upon
her failed
attempt while
speaking to a
reporter on
Calais Beach in
France.
46 January 2009
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Page 47
Above: A final
composite from
the film shows
Benjamin
welcoming his
young friend
Daisy (played at
age 10 by
Madisen Beaty)
aboard the
tugboat
Chelsea, where
hes found
employment as
a deck hand.
Left: Scenes of
the tugboat in
motion were
shot on a Sony
Pictures
soundstage
with a prop
ship mounted
on a motioncontrolled
gimbal. General
ambience was
provided by
overhead space
lights, but the
motion of the
boat could
trigger specific
lighting cues,
including
gunfire and
explosions.
American Cinematographer 47
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Page 48
AnOld Soul
Top: The
tugboats
commander,
Capt. Mike
(Jared Harris), is
astounded to
learn that
Benjamin has
never slept
with a woman.
Middle: The
jaunty Mike
promptly takes
Button to a
bordello, where
he shows off
his body art.
Bottom: Mortally
wounded by a
German U-boats
guns, Mike
offers his
friend some
final words
of wisdom.
48 January 2009
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Right: A giant
silk diffuses
the light for a
daytime street
scene. Below:
The crew
captures a
nighttime
walk-and-talk
between
Benjamin and
Daisy on a
cobblestone
street.
50 January 2009
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Page 52
AnOld Soul
Top: Benjamin is
treated to a
private
performance by
Daisy (played as
an adult by Cate
Blanchett), who
has become a
dancer with the
Moscow Ballet.
Middle: A China
ball helps to
illuminate
Blanchett during
a rehearsal
scene. Bottom:
Benjamin visits
a hospitalized
Daisy after her
career is cut
short by a
traffic accident.
52 January 2009
AMC_0308_p02 3:Layout 1
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Arri 416
Arricam ST
Cooke S4 Primes
At Otto Nemenz, weve been serving the worlds best filmmakers for
optics and support gear to outfit any shoot, any format. Our enthu-
siastic staff has the experience it takes to round up just the package
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b-benjamin button_:b_feature
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Page 54
AnOld Soul
Top: Having
finally reached
compatible
ages, Benjamin
and Daisy
consummate
their longsimmering love.
Middle: The
lovers bask in
the afterglow of
passion. Bottom:
A shaft of light
guides the
invigorated
Benjamin
toward a
motorcycle.
54 January 2009
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An aged Daisy
cares for
Benjamin in
his waning
days of life.
56
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Page 57
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
High-Definition Video and
35mm (3-perf and 4-perf)
Thomson GrassValley Viper;
Sony CineAlta F23;
Arri 435
Zeiss lenses
Kodak Vision2 50D 5201,
Vision3 500T 5219
Digital Intermediate
Printed on Kodak Vision 2383
57
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Page 58
Brothers
in
Arms
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Page 59
Opposite:
Brothers Tuvia
and Zus Bielski
(Daniel Craig,
top, and Liev
Schreiber) take
to the forests of
Belarus after
their families are
massacred by
Nazis in
Defiance. This
page, left: Tuvia
and his brothers
help a growing
number of Jews
escape the
Nazis. Below:
Cinematographer
Eduardo Serra,
ASC, AFC on
location in
Lithuania.
American Cinematographer 59
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Page 60
Brothers in Arms
Right: Tuvia and
his younger
brother, Asael
(Jamie Bell),
meet with
Shamon (Allan
Corduner), a
rabbi, in the
camp built by
the Jewish
resistance.
Below: Tuvias
leadership is
tested when one
of the camps
foragers tries to
take more than
his share of
supplies.
60 January 2009
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American Cinematographer 61
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Brothers in Arms
After parting
ways with his
brothers, Zus
continues his
fight against
the Nazis,
taking up with
a band of
Russian
partisans.
62 January 2009
AMC_0109_p063:Layout 1
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Contact us @
310/472-0809 info@cinegearexpo.com
For more information and updates, visit us at: WWW.CINEGEAREXPO.COM
AMC_0109_p058p069:c_feature
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Page 64
Brothers in Arms
Right: Tuvia
helps Lilka
(Alexa Davalos)
escape from a
ghetto. Below:
When Nazis
discover the
camp, Lilka
helps shepherd
the children to
safety.
64 January 2009
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Page 65
65
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Brothers in Arms
Right: Forced to
abandon the
camp, the
partisans
emerge from
the forest only
to stumble into
a Nazi ambush.
For the films
climactic
battle, Serra
discarded his
large silks in
favor of sunny
sidelight and
backlight.
Below: The
crew angles
in on a
German tank.
66 January 2009
AMC_0109_p058p069:c_feature
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shoot, Serra discarded the giant sunblocking silk and opted for sunny
sidelight or backlight. Light from the
side or behind, he explains, models
and gives more depth to the action.
Otherwise, its too flat. The battle is
not like the other forest scenes, in
which we were working with the
nuances of a face. This is the epic
moment.
When shooting dusk exteriors at the encampment, Serra complemented onscreen campfires with
fire lighting offscreen: gas pipes
with holes for flames. Its a very
simple setup that I used a lot on The
Wings of the Dove and Map of the
Human Heart. He adds that he is
cautious with flicker machines. If
you mix them with real fire, they can
help with background areas, but I
dont use them close to camera.
Some interiors in Defiance
have a gentler quality than the forest
footage; to contrast with the gritty,
imperfect look of the exteriors, Serra
shot inside with Kodak Vision2
500T 5218 and developed it normally, yielding a smoother image with
finer grain. In one key indoor scene,
Tuvia tries to persuade the ghetto
leaders to let the Jewish community
escape with him to the forest. Serra
lit the large room entirely with four
18Ks through the heavily frosted
windows, creating a dramatic sidelit
image. He used no lights inside, only
some bounce boards. The scene was
shot with two cameras to pick up
reaction shots, but the cinematographer confesses to cheating for the
close-up of Lilka (Alexa Davalos) as
she looks intently at Tuvia, her
future lover. It could have been shot
with the second camera simultaneously, like we did with other characters, but I discussed it with Ed, and
we quickly decided to give her a special treatment. So we moved her a
step ahead and slightly changed the
position of the fill light. Though the
close-up is not radically different
from the other shots, the delicate
lighting on Davalos face is softer
Page 67
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67
AMC_0109_p058p069:c_feature
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Page 68
Brothers in Arms
Craig reclines
in a hut under
the soft glow of
a Chinese
lantern.
68
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Page 69
TECHNICAL SPECS
Super 1.85:1
(Super 35mm for 1.85:1 extraction)
Arricam System; Arri 435, 235
ground, preferring a toplight from
the side or back.
Defiance marks Serras third
digital intermediate, and he did the
work at EFilm with colorist Natasha
Leonnet. Ive always enjoyed timing, and the DI is a gift, he remarks.
I dont use it to try to find a look; I
use it to clean up things that would
69
AMC_0109_p070p078:e_feature
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Page 70
A Cut
Above
Jack Green, ASC, once destined to be a barber,
advances to cinematographys pinnacle as the recipient of the
ASC Lifetime Achievement Award.
by Jon Silberg
n 1982, Jack Green, ASC, this
years recipient of the Societys
Lifetime Achievement Award, did
something few aspiring cinematographers would ever think
of doing: he turned down an offer
from Clint Eastwood to move up
from camera operator to cinematographer because he felt he
needed a little more experience. I
honestly didnt feel ready, says
Green. I didnt know if Clint would
give me another shot, but I loved
being his operator, anyway; operating is a great job and doesnt have
the responsibilities of being the
I
70 January 2009
AMC_0109_p070p078:e_feature
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Page 71
Bird photos courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Opposite:
Director of
photography
Jack Green,
ASC. This page:
Two scenes
from Bird, which
tells the story of
jazz musician
Charlie Parker
(played by
Forest
Whitaker). If I
could be
remembered for
my work on one
film, it would be
that one, says
Green.
American Cinematographer 71
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Page 72
Above:
Director/actor
Clint Eastwood
and Green at
work on Pale
Rider. Below: A
scarred
prostitute (Anna
Thomson) tends
to Will Munny
(Eastwood) in
Unforgiven.
72 January 2009
Productions, an aerial-photography
company based in Los Angeles. The
move, says Green, was an opportunity that I think filmmakers of every
kind outside Hollywood think
about. My wife and I packed up and
moved to Southern California. My
mom, dad and uncle were all very
happy I had an opportunity to do
something I loved.
The early 1970s saw Green
assisting a lot, predominantly on
aerial units, and working fulltime for
Tyler Mounts. Then, in 1972, there
were huge layoffs, he recalls. The
industry was in really bad shape, as
bad as it is now. Maybe worse. He
managed to keep busy freelancing as
an assistant, and in 1975, cinematographer and future ASC member
Michael Watkins moved him up to
operator on Roger Cormans
Fighting Mad (1976). It was a baptism by fire in the craft of operating
incredibly quickly under chaotic circumstances. Cinematographer Rex
Smith then hired Green to operate
on Eastwoods The Gauntlet (1977).
Green subsequently operated on
every Eastwood film until he moved
Pale Rider photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Unforgiven photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
A Cut Above
12/9/08
3:28 PM
up on Heartbreak Ridge.
Green was immediately
impressed with Eastwoods attitudes
about and approach to filmmaking.
There was very little talking about
how artistic something should be;
the focus was on craft and efficiency
and always using imagery to support
the story. Eastwood hired the same
crew as often as possible so that discussions could be conducted in
shorthand. Clint could describe
eight shots in eight words, notes
Green.
It was through operating on
these films that Green learned about
lighting. He recalls cinematographer
Bruce Surtees (Pale Rider, Tightrope)
standing on a set and giving
instructions to the gaffer using his
hand as if it were a paintbrush. You
would swear there was paint coming
out of his fingers! Bruce was a lighting minimalist. If he walked onto a
set and saw four lights burning, hed
tell the gaffer to turn one off. I realized the fewer lights you had, the
fewer complications there were. It
was fascinating to see how Bruce
expressed himself to his gaffer and
electricians. To this day, I try to
duplicate that as best I can.
Green listened to how Surtees
and Eastwood would describe lighting in emotional terms. In Pale
Rider, Clint was talking about the
scene where the bad guys are standing in the mayors house at a fireplace, planning what theyre going
to do. He described them as the
devils advocates, and he wanted
them surrounded by this boiling
firelight. I learned from him and
Bruce how to think about lighting in
an emotional way.
Green also made it a point to
watch movies with real audiences as
often as possible to see how lighting
affected people. Theres a shot in
Tightrope that I did with a Steadicam
in which Clints character, the detective, is walking down a dark hallway
full of deep shadows. The killer isnt
hiding in the shadows, but the fact
Page 73
Above: Green
zeroes in on the
action in the
drivers seat on
the set of The
Rookie. Below:
Green at work
on Midnight in
the Garden of
Good and Evil.
American Cinematographer 73
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Page 74
A Cut Above
74 January 2009
The Bridges of Madison County photo by Ken Regan, courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Right:
Photojournalist
Robert Kincaid
(Eastwood)
charms an Iowa
housewife
(Meryl Streep)
in The Bridges
of Madison
County. Below:
Eastwood and
Green talk over
a scene.
A Perfect World photos by Jane Bovingdon. Top photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Bottom photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
AMC_0109_p070p078:e_feature
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Page 75
Above: Green
and Eastwood
on location for
A Perfect
World. Below:
In a scene
from the film,
escaped
convict Butch
Haynes (Kevin
Costner) bonds
with his young
hostage (T.J.
Lowther).
American Cinematographer 75
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Page 76
Above: Green
(left) and
director Jan De
Bont, ASC (at
camera) on
location for
Twister. Right:
In a scene from
the film, Bill and
Jo Harding (Bill
Paxton and
Helen Hunt)
struggle to
escape the
terrifying funnel
cloud.
76 January 2009
Twister photos by Ron Batzdorff, SMPSP. Top photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Bottom photo courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
A Cut Above
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Page 78
Top left: A
young woman
(Winona Ryder)
struggles with
depression in
Girl, Interrupted.
Top right: Green
(center) and his
collaborators
prepare to film.
Below: Green
and director
James Mangold
on the set.
78 January 2009
A Cut Above
AMC_0109_p079:Layout 1
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Page 1
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12/5/08
1:13 PM
Page 80
Flanked by ASC
president Daryn
Okada (left) and
Richard Crudo,
ASC, EFilms
Steven J. Scott
poses with his
HPA Award for
Outstanding
Color Grading,
earned for
his work on
Iron Man.
80 January 2009
HPA photo by Ryan Miller, courtesy of Capture Imaging; Still Me photos and frame grabs courtesy of the filmmakers.
Post Focus
12/5/08
1:13 PM
Page 81
Frame grabs
from the finished
short, which
focuses on Jack
and Rosanne
(Scott Kling and
Tina Gloss) as
they struggle to
cope after Jack
suffers from a
stroke. The
footage,
captured on
MiniDV, was
transferred to
35mm film at
FotoKem.
82 January 2009
12/5/08
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Page 84
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Page 87
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12/5/08
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Page 88
International Marketplace
88 January 2009
12/5/08
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American Cinematographer 89
12/9/08
3:30 PM
Page 90
Advertisers Index
AC 77, 92
Alamar Productions, Inc. 88
Alan Gordon Enterprises
88, 89
Arri 49
ASC 83
Backstage Equipment, Inc.
85
Barger-Lite 67
Burrell Enterprises 88
Camelot Broadcasting Service
87
Cavision Enterprises 27
Center for Digital Arts
at Boston University 6
Chapman University 25
Cine Gear Expo 63
Cinekinetic 4
CinemaGadgets.com 88
Cinematographer Style 93
Cinema Vision 89
Cinematography
Electronics 67
Clairmont Film & Digital 21
Cooke 6
CPT Rental Inc. 89
Deluxe 23
Eastman Kodak 13, C4
Entertainment Lighting
Services 88
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Filmtools 85
Flying-Cam 6
Focus Features 5
FTC/West 89
Fuji Motion Picture 51
Glidecam Industries 17
Goldenanimations 88
Hybrid Cases 88
JEM Studio Lighting, Inc. 81
K 5600, Inc. 40
Kino Flo 57
Konrad Wolf Hochschule 67
LA Shorts Fest 69
Laffoux Solutions, Inc. 88
Lee Filters 65
Litepanels 2
MP&E Mayo Productions 89
NAB 91
New York University 15
North Carolina Film
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Oppenheimer Camera Prod.
88
Otto Nemenz, Intl. 53
Panasonic Broadcast 33
Paramount Studios 11
Paramount Vantage 9
PED Denz 39
Pille Film Gmbh 88
Pro8mm 88
AMC_0109_p091:Layout 1
12/2/08
10:47 AM
Page 1
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AMC_0109_p092p093:00 memoriam
12/6/08
10:38 AM
Page 92
In Memoriam
Robert C. Jessup, ASC, 1930-2008
obert C. Jessup, ASC, who lent his
talents to features, commercials,
telefilms and series over the
course of four decades, died on Aug.
14 at the age of 78.
Born on May 23, 1930, Jessup
grew up in New Jersey before moving
to Des Moines, Iowa, to attend Drake
University. In 1951, he enlisted in the
U.S. Air Force and was assigned to the
1st Combat Camera Unit as a sound
mixer. Later that year, he was assigned
to the 2nd Photo Squadron in Japan,
where he worked as a sound recordist
and a camera assistant in the Documentary Film Unit. Jessup was then
reassigned to the 1354th Video
Production Squadron, where he
worked as an audio engineer before
transitioning to television cameraman.
After an honorable discharge in
1955, Jessup worked as a cameraman
and lighting director at TV stations in
Florida and Indiana. In 1958, he settled
in Dallas, Texas, taking a job as a
camera assistant with Jamieson Film
Co. Climbing the ranks in Jamiesons
camera department, he advanced from
operator to cinematographer in 1960,
and he headed the department for
most of the next decade, notching
credits on such projects as Night Fright
(1967) and the telefilms In the Year
2889, Creature of Destruction and
Mars Needs Women (all 1967).
In 1969, Jessups work on The
Banyan Tree earned him a cinematography award at the Atlanta Film Festival, and he set out to work as a
freelancer. By the mid-1970s, he was
president of Film Production Services
Inc., a company that provided crews
and equipment to productions shooting in the Midwest and South. That
didnt slow his accomplishments
behind the camera, however; earning
first-unit credits on such features as
92
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Clubhouse News
Lieberman, Neyman
Join Society
The Society has welcomed Charlie Lieberman and Yuri Neyman as active
members.
After earning a B.A. in anthropology from Northern Illinois University,
Charles Lieberman, ASC settled in
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ASC CLOSE-UP
Gabriel Beristain, ASC, BSC
When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
My first pet, a tomcat, was called Lucifer, so I guess Cinderella (1950)
made a big impression on me. As for live action, I loved The Red Balloon
(1956) and, later, Battleship Potemkin (1925) and Cabaret (1972).
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