Ac Ac0621

June 2021 The International Publication of the American Society of Cinematographers
The Stills Issue
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JUNE 2021 VOL. 102 NO. 6
On Our Cover:
Escalator passengers at the East End Gateway
of Penn Station head toward the light in a
Contents
spring 2021 still photo taken by ASC member
M. David Mullen.
Features
22 Eight Million Stories
M. David Mullen, ASC shares his thoughts on street
photography, along with a selection of his images.
22
32 Moments of Transcendence
A gallery of artful stills taken by Society members.
48 Stills on the Scout

Location reference photos can be invaluable assets.
54 Ticket to Ride
54
Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC recalls his early days as
a still photographer.
64 Singular Visions
Photos of cinematographers at work, captured by members
of the Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers.
Departments
8 Letter From the President
10 Shot Craft: Lens Testing — Part 2
18 The Virtual World: Photogrammetry
72 Clubhouse News
76 New Products and Services
78 Ad Index
80 Wrap Shot
VISIT ASCMAG.COM
2 / JUNE 2021
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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Stephen Pizzello
WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

David E. Williams
EDITORIAL
SENIOR EDITOR Andrew Fish
SHOT CRAFT and TECHNICAL EDITOR Jay Holben
CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER and WEB PRODUCER Mat Newman
DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR Samantha Dillard
CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Rachael K. Bosley
VIRTUAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Noah Kadner
WRITER/RESEARCHER Tara Jenkins
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill,
David Heuring, Debra Kaufman, Michael Kogge, Iain Marcks, Matt Mulcahey,
Jean Oppenheimer, Phil Rhodes, Patricia Thomson, Peter Tonguette
PODCASTS
Michael Goldman • Jim Hemphill • Iain Marcks
BLOGS
Benjamin B • John Bailey, ASC • David Heuring
CREATIVE DIRECTION and DESIGN

Edwin Alpanian
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann
323-936-3769 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: angiegollmann@gmail.com
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SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS and PRODUCTS

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina
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ASC SPONSORSHIP and EVENTS DIRECTOR Patricia Armacost
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ACCOUNTING Kim Pallares
American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 101st 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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MAY 2021 / 5

CUSTOM COLLECTION
OF STILL PHOTOGRAPHY BY American Society of Cinematographers
MEMBERS OF THE ASC 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 en-
gaged 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 2020/2021
Stephen Lighthill
President
Amelia Vincent
Vice President
Steven Fierberg
Vice President
John Simmons
Vice President
Steven Poster
Treasurer
Gregg Heschong
Secretary
Christopher Chomyn
Sergeant-at-Arms
MEMBERS
OF THE BOARD
John Bailey
Christopher Chomyn
Curtis Clark
Richard Crudo
Dean Cundey
Frederick Elmes
Larry Fong
Edward Lachman
Stephen Lighthill
IMAGES BY Lowell Peterson
Steven Poster
RUSSELL CARPENTER • JAMES CHRESSANTHIS Lawrence Sher
FREDERICK ELMES • STEPHEN GOLDBLATT • EDWARD LACHMAN Rodney Taylor
Mandy Walker
JACEK LASKUS • PHEDON PAPAMICHAEL • JOHN SIMMONS
Robert Yeoman
JOHN TOLL and MORE
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6 / JUNE 2021

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MAY 2021 / 7

Letter From the President
p.8-9 Letter From the President v2.indd 8

THIS ISSUE CELEBRATES “STILL” PHOTOGRAPHY. Cinematographers call photos “stills” for the obvious reason: to
distinguish them from images that move at 24 frames per second. Of course, before there was cinematography —
but not much before — there was photography. (As reported in this issue, many successful cinematography careers
grew out of successful photography careers.) Photography remains the root technology of cinematography, and one
of the best tools for teaching cinematography; making one frame perfect is good practice for making 24-per-second
images perfect. The master, Henri Cartier-Bresson, has called that single-frame perfection the Decisive Moment, and
the photo on this page by our own master, Charlie Lieberman, ASC, demonstrates a decisive moment of its own. Mr.
Lieberman waited for the animate (people and clouds) to align with the inanimate (the lighthouse). Enjoy looking at our
June issue!
3%
ISO 12647-7 Digital Control Strip 2009
A 100 60 100 70 30 100 60 100 70 30 100 60 100 70 30 100 40 40 100 40 100 40 70 40 70 40 40 40 70 40 40 70 40 70 40 40 3 10 25 50 75 90 100
Stephen Lighthill
PHOTO BY MICHAEL M. PESSAH, ASC.

President, ASC
0-13-100-0
B 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 100 60 100 100 70 70 30 30 100 40 100 40 40 100 10 40 40 20 70 70 70 70 40 70 40 40 0000 3.1 2.2 2.2 10.2 7.4 7.4 25 19 19 50 40 40 75 66 66 100 100 100 80 70 70 100
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JUNE 2020 / 9
p.8-9 Letter From the President v2.indd 9 5/9/21 5:37 PM

CANYON DESIGN GROUP CLIENT: NATGEO ISSUE/POST: 6/1/2021 PrINTED: 04/23/2021 Mechanical:
Shot Craft By Jay Holben
Specified Lens Tests
The isolated flare from a Leitz

Summilux-C 50mm prime lens
test reveals slight onion ring in the
pink flare orb, a light ring flare, and
gentle diffraction spikes.
In our April issue, we covered the the out-of-focus image — all points view that you’re looking at. It’s also even to magnify design issues such
methodologies of a generic lens in the frame that are larger than important to use actual incandes- as aspheric “onion ring” patterns.
test. This month, we’ll take it a step the circle of confusion. It is merely cent filament holiday lights, as the When shooting the test, I’ll start
further and look at more specified that the out-of-focus highlights are LED variety can cause problems with the lens wide open and com-
testing techniques that examine where we can more easily discern with flicker at various frame rates pensate for exposure by adjusting
particular characteristics of a given what is happening with a lens’ and even weird color bias or sensor the camera’s shutter angle (see
lens. bokeh. clipping. the chart in April’s Shot Craft), so
One of the best methods for Place the holiday twinkle lights that the holiday lights are exposed
Bokeh revealing the bokeh of a lens is in front of a black background for between middle gray and about a
The out-of-focus portion of the holiday twinkle lights. These small, the cleanest representation of the stop-and-a-half above. If they go
image can be a leading factor in bright point sources are excellent bokeh. Positioning them about 8' too hot, you’ll lose details and the
defining a feel and look, arguably for providing the highlights that, away from the lens tends to be ability to see the character you’re
more so than many other attributes when rendered out-of-focus, can ideal, and allows for the ability to looking for.
or aberrations. It’s therefore not sur- reveal much about the character of test both intra-focus (in front of I’ll begin with minimum focus
prising that so much ado has been a lens. the focus plane) and extra-focus and then roll the camera. After a
made about bokeh in recent years. I prefer to use the “net” variety (behind the focus plane) character- couple of seconds, I’ll slowly pan
The bokeh of a lens can really stand (see Shot Craft in AC April ’21) istics. You can do this by focusing the camera so that the holiday
out. instead of just a strand, as you get the lens at minimum focus first, and lights move past the edge of frame
While people often discuss more spread-out sources for your then at infinity, to examine different — then slowly pan back in the
bokeh as out-of-focus highlights, buck — and the nature of a lens’ qualities of spherical aberration, other direction so the lights cross
in actuality, bokeh describes all of bokeh changes over the field of chromatic aberration and coma, and the entire frame to the other side.
10 / JUNE 2021
p.10-17 Shot Craft_v4.indd 10 5/9/21 5:40 PM

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER ASCMAG.COM
The family of Leitz Summilux-C lenses.
Large Format Directors Viewfinder

Repeat this for tilt if the lights don’t
cover the full frame. At the end of
the edges. I’m always looking at
the pupil occlusion, or what is also Full Format
the iteration, you want to make sure
that you’ve seen holiday lights over
known as the “cat’s eye” or “Petzval
swirl” effect, where oblique angles
in all its Glory
every inch of the field of view. Then get cut off and the bokeh take on a
rack focus to infinity in the same more elliptical or “football” shape.
iteration and repeat the pan/tilt This is lessened by stopping down
actions. Cut, stop down 1 stop, and the lens. An aspherical element in
repeat the test. the optical design may create a bull-
This test works best at the wide seye pattern of concentric circles
apertures on the lens. As you stop in the bokeh — aka the aforemen-
down, you’ll increase depth of field tioned onion rings. Some of the
and reduce the size of the bokeh bokeh may distort at the edges of
balls. If your lens is too fast, how- the frame, illustrating aspects of
ever, especially with longer focal
lengths, you may have huge bokeh
geometric distortion and coma.
Whether filmmakers perceive
“While recently shooting
The Pursuit of Love on the Alexa
balls that are overlapping, making these phenomena — or essential- LF with Signature Primes, I was
BOKEH AND FLARE IMAGES COURTESY OF JAY HOLBEN.
it hard to discern the qualities. You ly any of the lens characteristics able to view the full scope of this
may have to alter the focus of the described in this piece — as an beautiful format in all its glory.
LENS PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER PROBST, ASC.
lens to closer-than-infinity or far- annoyance or an emotionally af-

Light and easy to handle, the
ther-than-minimum object distance fecting look depends, of course, on
Lindsey Optics Large Format
to adjust the size of the balls so aesthetic sensibilities and the needs
Directors Finder was a great tool
they don’t overlap. of the production at hand.
We’re looking for a lot of telltale
on set when it came to
signs here. If there is color fringing Flare Testing discussing framing options
around the bokeh balls, for instance,
that is a sign of chromatic aberra-
Flare quality is another critical char-
acteristic that a cinematographer
with the director.
”
Zac Nicholson, BSC
tion in the lens. This color fringing examines when choosing a lens.
can change depending on the Though optical and optomechanical
focus distance, and it can change designers work very hard to resist
from the center of the image to flare — as the less a lens is able to
www.lindseyoptics.com • +1.661.522.7101
JUNE 2021 / 11

Shot Craft
Bokeh from a Bausch & Lomb

Super Baltar 50mm at T2.3 (top)
and at T4.
a single small point source. Some

people like to use a flashlight, and
this isn’t a bad choice, but I prefer
a small tungsten Fresnel, perhaps
a 150-watt. You can position this
fixture about 8' away from the cam-
era, in front of a black background.
Then, pan the camera 90 degrees
to one side, so that the light is
actually shining on the body of the
camera and not hitting any glass
in the lens at all. It’s best if this can
be done with the camera pointing
at another black background such
as a 4'x4' floppy. Then, slowly pan
toward the light, going 180 degrees
past the fixture to the other side of
the room, where, ideally, you’ll have
yet another floppy. This slow pan
across the light source will reveal
how soon the lens picks up veiling
glare — and also the nature of the
spot flare and “ghost” flare — as
the lamp comes into and out of the
shot.
Veiling glare will show up as a
general loss of blacks — a lifting
of the black level with no distinct
shape to it. A lens with little
veiling-glare control, for example,
would tend to pick up flare just
a few degrees into the pan, long
before the lamp is seen in the lens’
angle of view. Once rays of light
start to penetrate into the lens be-
yond the front element, you’re likely
to see the beginnings of ghost flare
and spot flare.
A ghost flare is a mirror reflection
of the light source. Depending on
control aberrant light, the greater spot flares (and their accompany- lens is its ability to control or allow where your focus is set in relation to
the reduction in the lens’ perfor- ing, ubiquitous line of orbs) that are veiling glare, a non-distinct loss of the source, you may see a perfect
mance with regard to contrast, color achieved when there is a direct, contrast, color and resolution that representation of the lamp in the
and resolution — flares can affect bright source in the frame or just can lead to a “milking” of the blacks flare — even down to the shape of
the image in ways that are beautiful. outside of it — yet even more and an over-haze in the image. the tungsten filament! Spot flare
We’re all familiar with the classic significant to the character of a Flare testing happens best with generally takes on the shape of the
12 / JUNE 2021

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER WWW.ASCMAG.COM
JUNE 2021 / 13

Shot Craft
The nine-bladed iris of the Arriflex/

Zeiss B-Speed series of lenses —
the original release of the Super
Speeds — forms a Reuleaux
triangle.
lens’ iris or pupil, and you’ll often create a starburst pattern around It’s amazing what you can discover about your
see an “orb” or pupil-shaped re- bright highlights in the image.
favorite lenses.
flection for each element within the Odd-numbered iris blades will cre-
lens’ design. Spot and ghost flares ate twice as many burst rays as an
are the hardest to control because iris with an even number of blades.
they are derived from a bright (For example, an iris with eight
source that is in the frame — i.e., blades will produce eight burst rays, The Still-Photography Origins of “Bokeh”
within the lens’ angle of view. while a nine-bladed iris will produce “Bokeh” is a relatively new term to Western photographic language
We are also looking for other 18 burst rays.) Rounder irises will — and as this is AC’s stills issue, it’s interesting to note that it was
flare qualities with this test — such have softer, less-defined starbursts the May/June 1997 installment of the still-photography journal Photo
as “eyelash” flare (from reflection (or none at all). Techniques that first brought the word to popular attention in the
off inner mechanics or edges of the U.S. John Kennerdell, Oren Grad and Harold Merklinger each wrote
lens elements), ring flare (generally Slating an article about bokeh, all of which were commissioned by editor
reflection off the inner barrel, but For both of the tests above, slating Mike Johnston, who later said that he’d first learned of the term from
also off the inside of the edges of can be a bit of a challenge. Without photographer Carl Weese.
elements), caustics (light refraction having a backlit slate, it’s not possi- The word for this lens attribute — the concept of which had been
through the edges of elements), ble to have it in shot the whole time, appreciated and much discussed in Japan long before it reached
and “amoeba”-shaped flare orbs so I generally place it on a stand in our shores in earnest — is a variation of the Japanese term boke-aji,
(reflection off aspherical elements the corner of the frame, such that or just boke, which translates to “blur” or “haze.” (It is also the same
within the lens). it’s captured at the camera’s starting term used to describe a psychological state of confusion or dizzi-
As the source passes through pan position. At the beginning of ness.) Johnston takes credit for adding the “h” on the end, which
the frame, you can also determine the take, I’ll shine a flashlight on the he did in the interest of correct pronunciation. As a sidebar in the
the lens’ quality of diffraction, slate to make it readable and then Photo Techniques issue explains, “The word ‘bokeh’ is pronounced
especially as you stop down the iris turn it off for the rest of the take. in two evenly stressed syllables, with ‘bo’ as in ‘bone’ and ‘ke’ as in
in later iterations. Light diffracting ‘Kenneth.’”
around the edges of the iris can
14 / JUNE 2021

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JUNE 2021 / 15

Shot Craft
The iris of the B-Speed series creates this distinctive bokeh effect.
Charts the instructions for the proper dis- All of these isolated tests combined examining. Be sure to set aside time
Although lens charts might be tance per focal length. My Century — in addition to the generic testing to review the tests after you shoot,
boring, you can learn a great deal Precision chart requires a distance we discussed in April — will teach and compare various iterations. It’s
about a lens from a properly pho- of 51 focal lengths — which means you nearly everything you might amazing what you can discover
tographed chart. Just some of the you multiply the focal length by want to know about the lens you’re about your favorite lenses!
things that become readily apparent 51. So, if I’m shooting with a 50mm
are contrast control, color bias, lens, it needs to be 2,550mm (8.37')
geometric distortion, resolution, away from the chart, but a 25mm Stills in the Mix: Testing With a DSLR Camera
edge-to-center performance, lens would only need to be 1,275mm While I highly recommend testing any lenses with the camera you’ll be
falloff (vignetting or shading), and (4.18') away. using for your project, in generic testing (without a specific project),
chromatic aberration. It’s important Be sure to focus on the chart I’ll often use my Canon EOS R DSLR camera with a PL-to-RF adapter.
to note that charts are designed with the lens at its widest aperture, Since I own the camera, this provides consistency, as I’m always
to be photographed at a specific as focusing when stopping down using the same one. It also allows me to be portable, as it has a much
magnification, which means that may cause difficulty in critical focus, smaller footprint than a professional cinema camera — and it creates
each focal length needs to be a and the chart may fall out of focus stills as opposed to having to pull stills later to compare iterations and
certain distance from the chart in as you open up the aperture. lenses. So, although it must be stressed that the character of the lens
order for the full array of the chart’s The chart needs to be evenly lit may change between different digital cameras, as well as from digital
elements to be properly recorded. with no hot spots, glare or shadows. to film, the ability to test cinema lenses on a stills camera has its
Often, this equates to merely filling Generally, use two fixtures set at benefits. One of the beauties of having a mirrorless DSLR camera in
the field of view with the chart, but about 45 degrees from the face of particular is that they can be adapted to many different lens mounts,
that is not always the case. If you the chart. including the industry-standard PL.
purchase a chart, be sure to check
16 / JUNE 2021

JUNE 2021 / 17

The Virtual World By Noah Kadner
Photogrammetry: Stills to CG Realms

Shot with virtual cameras by Caleb
Deschanel, ASC — in collaboration with
visual-effects supervisor Robert Legato, ASC
— The Lion King featured CG environments
created with the aid of photogrammetry
techniques.
IMAGE COURTESY OF DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC.

When lion and cub walked to the real-world objects and surround- Photogrammetry relies on soft- to in-camera visual-effects capture,
top of Pride Rock and looked ings. The fine detail and interactive, ware-processed algorithms to gen- it is also used extensively in other
out over the savanna in the 2019 configurable nature of materials erate measurements and geometry virtual-production arenas, such as
reimagining of The Lion King, derived with the aid of photogram- by comparing differences in multiple previs, action design, techvis, and
their view was a digitally rendered metry have made this imagery stills — either photographs or pulled postvis.
environment that would not have ideal for display on the LED walls from footage — that are taken of “It’s an efficient way to build out
existed without visual information of virtual-production stages, where the same subject from different an- photorealistic 3D models,” says
gleaned from multitudes of still pho- filmmakers capture live action gles. Outputs can include a 3D tex- Chris Ferriter, CEO of Halon, a Santa
tographs. These photos, captured in within interactive visual-effects ture, environment or even a 3D map, Monica-based visualization studio
East Africa, were integrated into the environments — all in-camera. each of which can be an end prod- and technology company — which
production’s CG pipeline in part by With this issue’s emphasis on still uct in itself or a means to create has employed photogrammetry
photogrammetry — a process that photography, we thought it apropos final imagery in combination with in creating previs for projects like
creates 3D models from collections to examine the role that a still- other CG techniques. Google Maps War for the Planet of the Apes and
of stills. based system serves within this is a well-known example of convert- in-camera material for Season 1
The photogrammetry technique new frontier of filmmaking — and ing satellite imagery and aerial pho- of The Mandalorian (AC Feb. ’20).
has evolved over the past 150 years the role of the cinematographer in tography into navigable 3D imagery For the latter, he says, “We built
or so, and can now generate highly guiding the presentation of these via photogrammetry. In addition to environments, props and scanned
accurate visual representations of images-within-the-image. the benefits photogrammetry offers miniatures using photogrammetry.
18 / JUNE 2021
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JUNE 2021 / 19

The Virtual World
A drone pilot captures images in Monument Valley, which were used by Halon to help re-create
the environment on the LED interior of the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF HALON.

The photogrammetry process leverages the to close-ups. The goal was always “backlot” comprising thousands of
to make the light feel natural, just 3D models, each of which began
inherent detail of still photography. as if you went out into a real desert life as a series of still photographs
with bounces, fills and negatives.” captured and processed with
To achieve more accurate 3D proprietary techniques. Megascan
You look at something like 2001: A being a documentarian.” geometry, the process of collecting assets include surfaces, vegetation,
Space Odyssey [AC June ’68], and Idoine collaborated with ILM’s data for photogrammetry often and small- to medium-sized objects,
its effects hold up today because photogrammetry team — led by includes Lidar scans in addition fully standardized and based on
there’s a realism that comes along environment supervisor Enrico to the still images. Lidar data is actual physical objects. Recent
with shooting real miniatures. Damm — which was responsi- represented as a “point cloud” of high-profile projects that have em-
Photogrammetry gives you a similar ble for (among a variety of other 3D coordinates taken from different ployed the Megascan library include
creative advantage.” elements) creating skies to serve vantage points. Several solutions The Lion King (AC Aug. ’19) and its
Director of photography Baz as the background of many of the exist to combine the imagery and predecessor The Jungle Book (AC
Idoine has shot 10 episodes of show’s virtual sets, and as a prin- point-cloud information into a May ’16), which were both captured
The Mandalorian — work that has cipal source of lighting for exterior completed 3D model. Capturing with virtual-production techniques
earned him both an ASC Award scenes shot in the volume. “The Reality’s RealityCapture is one on motion-capture stages.
and an Emmy — and he views the director, production designer and I such app; it was recently acquired The photogrammetry process
cinematographer’s input as critical would review the skies both for the by Epic Games, the makers of the leverages the inherent detail of still
in helping to shape photogram- technical and creative requirements Unreal game engine widely used in photography to deliver photoreal
metry-derived assets as they’re of each load,” adds Idoine. “We virtual production. RealityCapture visual-effects imagery efficiently
prepped for the LED wall. “It’s would look at them as panoramic uses machine-learning algorithms and cost-effectively. When such
extraordinarily important, because images on a computer screen, or to process overlapping images and material is destined for in-camera
you’re basically creating the lighting very occasionally within the actual solve their geometry by analyz- capture, the cinematographer steps
environment,” Idoine says. “This is volume, to confirm we were making ing parallax. It can re-create small in to help shape it — and, as always,
especially true if you’re shooting the right choices. I’d also be looking props, create human digital doubles, give it context and intention.
in a 360- or near 360-degree LED for specific lighting components, or capture entire physical environ-
volume, as opposed to a less en- such as sunset skipping off the ments for virtual productions.
compassing LED wall. If you’re not clouds, or random clouds I could Another photogrammetry
involved in the process, then you’re use to motivate brighter and darker resource is the Quixel Megascans
just coming into the volume and areas when moving from wide shots asset library. Quixel is a digital
20 / JUNE 2021

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER WWW.ASCMAG.COM
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JUNE 2021 / 21
Image courtesy of Andrew Svanberg Hamilton

Eight Million Stories
22 / JUNE 2021
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“At our best and
most fortunate
we make pictures
because of what
stands before our
camera, to honor
what is greater and
more interesting
than we are. We
never accomplish
this perfectly,
though in return
we are given
something perfect —
a sense of inclusion.”
— Robert Adams
A Society member’s perspective
on street photography.
Essay and photos by M. David Mullen, ASC
JUNE 2021 / 23
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EIGHT MILLION STORIES
O
Previous pages: A view of Manhattan in 2012, when ddly enough, I was a cinematographer for nearly
Hurricane Sandy took out power on the Lower East two decades before I became interested in taking
Side. This page: An infrared photo of a passenger photographs on a regular basis as a creative outlet.
on the Staten Island Ferry, taken in spring 2019.
In 2011, while living in Los Angeles, I was hired to
shoot a Manhattan-based TV series called Smash;
up until then, I had managed to avoid work that re-
quired me to live away from home for more than a
few months — the length of a typical independent-feature shoot. During
my two years working in New York City, I discovered that it really is a
photographer’s paradise — it has dramatic weather patterns that sweep
24 / JUNE 2021
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AM
FOR YOUR EMMY CONSIDERATION ®
Outstanding Comedy Series
John Inwood, Director of Photography

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
Episode 102 “D’wasg”
PeacockFYC.com
Peacock © Peacock TV LLC. Girls5eva © Universal Television LLC. All rights reserved.
JUNE 2021 / 25
p.22-31 Mullen_v2.indd 25 5/9/21 5:49 PM

AMERICAN CINEMATOPHER
Above: Midtown Manhattan, winter 2019. Right: Study in Yellow

and Black, spring 2021.
through the sky, it has imposing architecture (both classic and modern),
and at the street level, it has people, lots of people, from all walks of life.
Also, everything is reachable by subway and then easily walkable from
there. You don’t have to plan a photo expedition and load up the car; you
just have to step out your door with a camera. In terms of photographic
opportunities, it’s what some would call a “target-rich” environment.
Because I had an apartment with a rooftop community deck, I start-
ed out mainly taking pictures of the Manhattan skyline in all sorts of
weather, including one showing the power outage on the Lower East
Side in 2012, days after Hurricane Sandy (see pages 22-23).
As you’d expect, my initial photographs were often postcard views of
famous landmarks. Even today, I do not avoid those kinds of shots; now,
I just try to find some interesting activity in the foreground that speaks
to daily life in the city (see my photo taken on the Staten Island Ferry,
page 24). However, it took me a while to figure out how to shoot people
26 / JUNE 2021
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AME
FOR YOUR EMMY CONSIDERATION ®
Outstanding Comedy Series
Tom Magill, Director of Photography

Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour)
Episode 107 “House Party”
PeacockFYC.com
Peacock © Peacock TV LLC. Saved by the Bell © Universal Television LLC. All rights reserved.
JUNE 2021 / 27
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AMERICAN CINEMATOPHER
This page: “I call this one Subway Ghosts,” Mullen moving about the city in any sort of interesting manner.
says. “It was taken in 2019, shortly before I was In late 2016, I returned to New York to serve as DP on the Amazon
accosted by a pair of passing pedestrians.” Prime series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. During the months of shooting
Opposite: A Times Square subway platform,
per season (we’re in the fourth season now), I found myself taking in-
summer 2019.
creasingly longer walks through the boroughs, simply hoping to become
more familiar with the city at large, while honing my craft at taking still
photographs. Some of these hikes were quite epic in length; one took me
across the entire width of lower Brooklyn, another across Queens from
Astoria to LaGuardia Airport. I actually broke my ankle on one of those
walks, just by taking one step back to line up a shot and planting my foot
in a pothole. I then walked so much over the next two months that the
sole of the rigid medical boot I had strapped on completely wore out.
(Two years later, I’m not sure the ankle is completely healed.)
I currently own four digital cameras: a full-frame Nikon Z6, an APS-C
Sony a6400 (partly because I wanted a backup camera), a Sony a6500
converted to 720nm infrared, and a small Fujifilm X100F. The full-frame
Nikon is great for night photography; it’s clean enough at high ISOs to
allow me to shoot without a tripod at a decent shutter time. For day ex-
teriors, I sometimes use the smaller Sony a6400 instead, especially for
street photography where shallow focus is less of a benefit. Occasionally,
when I want to be very low-profile, the tiny Fujifilm camera is great for
street scenes in daylight, as long as I can live with the focal length of the
fixed lens. I also love using my black-and-white infrared camera when
28 / JUNE 2021
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there are interesting clouds in the sky, along with some foliage (see my
photo of Green-Wood Cemetery, page 30). Otherwise, amid an all-con-
crete city environment, it makes more sense to shoot normal color and
convert to black-and-white later.
With my increasing amount of photographic gear, I often head out
from my apartment for a photo walk having limited myself to just a few
items, in order to stay nimble — and to save my back. If I’m intending to
shoot mostly daytime street photographs of people, I’ll take a zoom lens;
if I’m doing night shots, I’ll maybe just take a fast prime, often my 50mm
Nikon Nikkor f/1.8 lens.
I’ve discovered, as with any undertaking, that you get better over
time through repetition. There’s no magic trick that can quickly improve
your photography. Henri Cartier-Bresson said, “Your first 10,000 photo-
graphs are your worst.” He was perhaps an optimist. You learn to really
look at your environment carefully, at small details and large panora-
mas, or patterns of color and light, or anything ironic and unusual. I stop
often and take the time to look down at my feet and up at the sky, and
then look behind me as well, trying to not miss anything. I don’t have
any sort of personal style that I try to adhere to; I take pictures reflex-
ively of anything and anyone passing by that has some element of visual
interest. One recent photo, for example, simply shows a pure blue sky
meeting a bright yellow wall, but with the dark branches of a tree inter-
secting both planes of color (see page 26).
I’ve never felt particularly unsafe, even when I’ve walked through
some desolate areas in the outer reaches of the boroughs. I’ve only been
accosted once; while exiting the subway station at Canal Street, I noticed
that the sun coming down the stairs was throwing shadows of the stair
climbers before or after they came into view (see opposite page). I started
to snap away when a couple walking from behind me crossed in front of
my lens. A passing man announced, “Guy just took your picture!” and the
couple spun around and started shouting at me, then pushed me against
the wall and tried to take my wallet. (They were so intoxicated that they
couldn’t manage that.) The lesson learned that day was to be more aware
of my surroundings, and to keep moving.
JUNE 2021 / 29
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An infrared still of Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, spring 2018.
Another thing I’ve learned: Shutter speed is everything when it comes cinematography, we capture longer moments in real time, just to have
to photographing people moving on the streets; for daytime work, I usu- them appear only briefly in the final cut — and they cannot be re-ex-
ally set a shutter speed of 1/1000 or 1/500, along with a fairly deep stop, amined unless you watch the movie over again. For this reason, I believe
and then switch the camera to Auto ISO (with a compensation to slightly that cinematic compositions often have to be simpler and more graphic
underexpose the image to preserve highlight details.) At night, I use a to have any impact, due to the short duration a viewer is given to re-
fast lens nearly wide-open and a high ISO setting so I can shoot around view them and absorb their meaning. Imagine being allowed to look at
1/100 if possible. With a full-frame camera, I can get away with very high Ansel Adams’ Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico for just three seconds. Of
ISOs and, if necessary, denoise the image later. But the short shutter time course, photography can serve as a sketchbook for visual ideas that can
is the only way to quickly react to something happening right in front of be referenced later by a cinematographer. And one can think of taking
the lens; too often in the past, I discovered that I wasn’t steady when I pictures regularly as a form of daily exercise for the visual thinker; as
swung the camera over and snapped some action going by. Of course, Dorothea Lange said, “The camera is an instrument that teaches people
I’m not saying anything a sports photographer doesn’t already know! how to see without a camera.” Certainly, I think composition is a partic-
Patience is a virtue, too, when it comes to street photography; some- ular aspect of image-making that is best learned through continuous
times you find a great background, but you have to wait for someone to practice — perhaps even more so than lighting.
cross the frame to give the image some life. Luckily in New York City, you Where I think photography and cinematography converge is when
don’t have to wait long. I’ve also learned to snap the shutter immediately the composition and light in a photograph suggest a narrative, or when
if some fast-moving subject blocks my view momentarily, because you they serve to support (or stand in contrast to) an emotional quality con-
never know if some fascinating composition will result. And if a car is veyed by the subject. Of course, the actual narrative in a street photo-
partially obstructing my view, I try to use the reflective elements of the graph is often a mystery — New Yorkers are always on the move, and
hood, roof, bumper, etc. in the foreground as part of the composition. one can only guess at where they are heading and why. But thinking
Clearly, photography is a creative outlet, but how does it tie into cin- about such things allows the viewer to consider our common humanity,
ematography? To some degree, they are very different art forms. Pho- how most of us are out there daily, heading to work or looking for work,
tography is more about freezing a tiny moment in time and then having seeking companionship or enjoying it — or, like the photographer, walk-
a lot of time later to examine all the elements in the frame, whereas in ing alone and observing everyone else.
30 / JUNE 2021
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CRUELLA
JUNE 2021 / 31
p.22-31 Mullen_v2.indd 31 5/9/21 5:49 PM

Moments of
Transcendence
32 / JUNE 2021
p.32-47 ASC Gallery v4.indd 32 5/9/21 5:52 PM

The ASC Photo Gallery

— still images that
can move the viewer.
By Richard Crudo, ASC
I
’ve never known any cinematographer who is completely satisfied with every-
thing they’ve shot. I’m certainly not. Our chosen career is a collaborative art;
there are too many variables in play to ensure that anything but a best approxi-
mation of what was originally in mind makes it to the screen. Though we begin
a show with delusions of perfection, the inevitable shortfall is experienced in
any number of ways, even if we’re the only ones aware of the specifics. While
we suffer all manner of self-inflicted torment — at the moment of exposure,
on the work commute, in the middle of the night — there’s a correlation between
how early we learn to deal with lack of control and the long-term satisfaction we de-
rive from our work. Cinematography, like jiu jitsu, is a great teacher of humility. But
instead of tapping out early and often, something in our souls causes us to dismiss
the odds; this also drives us to try harder and do better day after day, often under the
most onerous of conditions.
Why, then, would any of us want to provoke chaos by picking up a stills camera —
on our own time, no less?
The logistical differences are certainly inviting. If our regular job involves service
to a lumbering giant, shooting stills is more akin to being a guerrilla. Our indepen-
dent streak shines through. Permission is not necessary — improvisation is. Unen-
cumbered by the big machine’s bureaucracy and hardware, we’re quick to adapt and
light of foot. We seek chokepoints, exploit weaknesses and seize the high ground to
strike at a time of our choosing. That the resulting images might have meaning is
always the goal, though that’s not for us to assign. The exercise of freedom is its own
reward. Engaging a subject and deciding precisely when to release the shutter are
replenishing acts and bring to mind the Irish proverb about living by the seashore:
“It stops old wounds from hurting. It revives the spirit. It quickens the passions of the
mind and body, yet lends tranquility to the soul.”
A decade or so ago, Francis Kenny, ASC got the notion that in addition to creating
great moving pictures, ASC members are pretty good at creating stills, too. So, a call
Richard Crudo, ASC

Over We Go, 2015
JUNE 2021 / 33

MOMENTS OF TRANSCENDENCE
Gregg Heschong, ASC

went out and samples were catalogued. Exhibitions were hung at the
Venice Waterfront, 1977
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills. Another
took place at the EFilm facility in Hollywood, and a third was sponsored
at a special venue by director Jesse Dylan. The reaction from within and
outside the industry was overwhelmingly positive — and the acclaim
has only grown since then.
Captured with everything from cellphones to view cameras and
brought to substance by both chemical and electronic post processes,
the ASC Photo Gallery — whose exhibitions have since moved to the hal-
lowed halls of the ASC Clubhouse — offers a range of subjects too broad
to sum up in a phrase. Every frame provides the viewer with a direct line
to what interests and obsesses these cinematographers, where their true
34 / JUNE 2021

passions lie, and how they see the world when given ownership over to pinpoint how this compulsion originated or where it resides (deep
what to observe. If a farm-to-table equivalent existed in photography, inside, plainly), but the satisfaction that comes from indulging it can be
this would surely be it. Boasting a technical quality that matches any- every bit physical as emotional. I think I speak for my colleagues when I
thing found in our finest institutions, the Photo Gallery has a special say that in a post-apocalyptic world, we would still find a way to express
quality that’s beyond dispute. ourselves through pictures, even if it meant scraping burnt sticks across
The ASC Photo Gallery is made up of several hundred stills, both a cave wall. And don’t let this get around, but we’d be happy to do it for
black-and-white and color. Society members Russell Carpenter, Roger free!
Deakins, Frederick Elmes, Stephen Goldblatt, Conrad L. Hall, Edward The tomb of the English architect Sir Christopher Wren is located in
Lachman, John Lindley, M. David Mullen, Phedon Papamichael, Owen the crypt of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London — a building that Wren de-
Roizman, John Simmons, John Toll, Mandy Walker and Vilmos Zsigmond signed. The epitaph inscribed above it is telling, and can be aptly applied
— to name just a few — have contributed prints from their personal to the ASC Photo Gallery, though somewhat less grandly: “Si monumen-
archives. You’ve enjoyed the stunning quality of their onscreen efforts tum requiris circumspice.” If you seek his monument, look around.
for years. Now, in the following pages, you can appreciate the intimacy As you take in these images, think of each as a witness to its creator;
conveyed by the frozen frame. they’re as particular to their authors as their own signatures. Absent the
Cinematographers are often asked what motivates us to work so demands of producers, directors and making the day, these stills reveal
hard. What’s the kick? Where does the passion come from? For most as much substance in a fraction of a second as any motion picture. And
of us, it’s simple: There’s nothing more gratifying than preserving mo- when that instant merges with an appreciative gaze, both parties can
ments in time so they can be shared with others. I’ve never been able experience a transcendent satisfaction.
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M. David Mullen, ASC

The Optimist, 2019
36 / JUNE 2021

Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC

After Hours - Los Angeles, 2017
Bill Dill, ASC

Firewall, 2004
JUNE 2021 / 37

Alar Kivilo, ASC,

CSC, ESC
Gone, 2017
One Fixed Moment

“My answer to ‘why do I make pictures?’ is ‘because I can’t
not make pictures,’” says Charlie Lieberman, ASC. Long be-
fore becoming a Society member, or chair of the ASC Photo
Gallery Committee, Lieberman started his career in stills
and “never put the still camera away.” In 2017, he began
working on new Gallery shows — which are presented at
the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood, with photos selected by
curator Paris Chong of Leica Gallery Los Angeles.
“With the Photo Gallery, the ASC presents a different
aspect of creative expression that some of our members
practice,” Lieberman says. “Everything has to be stated in
one fixed moment for a photograph to be compelling. It’s
this single moment — whether in color or black-and-white
— that has to strike the viewer as worth looking at for more
than a glance.”
Lieberman personally prints all of the images presented
in the exhibits, and invites anyone who’s showing work to
be at their printing. “I don’t think anyone has ever not cho-
sen to be there,” he says. “As is true for every cinematogra-
pher, we are obsessed with the quality of our images.”
And this “obsession,” he notes, is an important part of
the ASC’s legacy and the history of filmmaking. “I saw a
copy of the Society’s Cinematographic Annual from 1930
— a precursor to the earliest versions of the American
Cinematographer Manual — and throughout the pages
were many landscape and portrait photographs made by
members,” Lieberman says. “The Society’s connection to
still photography runs deep; many of the people who were
the first DPs got started because they knew how to shoot
stills. It’s very gratifying to me that the ASC has chosen to
present this side of itself.”
— Tara Jenkins
38 / JUNE 2021

Charlie Lieberman, ASC

Saunders Lake, OR, 2018
JUNE 2021 / 39

Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC

Young Boy With a White Hood, Rwanda, 2009
40 / JUNE 2021

Suki Medencevic, ASC,

ASBiH, SAS
Sanctuary, 2019
HMI LED
JOKER ALPHA SLICE
JUNE 2021 / 41
HorizHalf 2021.indd 1 1/6/21 9:25 PM

Phedon Papamichael, ASC, GSC

Untitled (From 3:10 to Yuma Location Scout), 2006
42 / JUNE 2021

George Mooradian, ASC

Cavern of Soles, 2019
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The Light, 2019
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Antonio Calvache, ASC, AEC

Audubon Park, Louisiana, 2019
46 / JUNE 2021

Eric Steelberg, ASC

Drumheller Sunset, 2019
JUNE 2021 / 47

Stills on the Scout
S
Taking photos during prep hooting reference stills during scouts is an important
part of my process. Every project is different — some-
provides a valuable reference times I may not have much time at the location, and
other times I can make multiple trips there with var-
for creative discussion. ious members of the production team. No matter the
frequency, there’s always so much going on that I can
By Ashley Barron, ACS forget what I’ve seen, so I “hose down” every location
I visit with stills. I leave no stone unturned and no angle unexplored,
whether I do it with a DSLR, an iPad or my phone.
It’s always been my belief that a movie is made in prep. It’s better to
have had the conversations and explored all the options before I’m fight-
ing the clock — so when the “you know what” hits the fan, I’m wasting
less time floundering and spending more time putting out fires in a way
that serves our purpose.
48 / JUNE 2021
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“The photo at left, taken with an iPhone 7S,

is an important example of a happy accident
that occurred on a scout. I took this photo
while walking between two locations. I was
struck by the beautiful way the light fell on
that corner, and though it wasn’t something
that was applicable to that specific job, this
image — in terms of light and tonality — has
always reflected the culmination of a feeling
and emotion that I strive to be able to physi-
cally re-create and use as reference on many
projects. It’s the dragon that I chase.
“The director of that project also under-
stood the feeling I was after, and it was the
reason he hired me for his next project.”
— Ashley Barron, ACS
So how do I maximize this prep, and my day, on set? By knowing that enables me to capture any angle or height during the scout. In par-
the ins and outs of the shooting location. The location will dictate your allel with this camera, I use the Artemis Pro digital-viewfinder app to
blocking, coverage, any hiding or cheating, crew size, lighting — you take stills reflecting the fields of view our chosen lens package will ren-
name it — and will certainly impact your very tight schedule. der. Don’t fret if you don’t have a camera; some of the most informa-
My prep process is holistic. I have in-depth conversations with the di- tive images I’ve taken have been with a phone. Just remember to review
rector, production designer and costume designer that go beyond visual the resulting images with a healthy dose of salt, being mindful of noise
references. From editorial to character backstories, I’m inquisitive about floors and latitude.
everything that will give me a deep-rooted understanding of the charac- Thinking back over the years, I can cite countless examples of this
ters, the world they inhabit, and how we should tell their story. So when process helping me to identify problematic backgrounds during block-
I step onto a location, my thinking starts from an emotional place. What ing, or unwanted reflections while I’m surveying shot angles. Or I might
does the location say about our characters and their world, and what realize that some element in the frame is reading onscreen as too dark
can it say? How does the space reflect the emotional state our characters — or not reading at all.
occupy on their journey, and the tone of the world we’re depicting? What To communicate with my crew, to remind myself of what was on site,
does the setting offer in terms of lighting — both inherent and potential and to help plan my lighting approach, I also use Occipital’s 360 Pan-
— and framing? orama app. This tool allows me to take a 360-degree still of the location,
These are all questions that should be resolved before an entire crew which can then be presented as either an interactive panorama (allow-
is standing alongside you, with the clock ticking and money vanishing. ing the viewer to move around the space) or as a flattened panorama.
A DSLR provides maximum flexibility for reference photos. Exposure We work in a visual medium, so communicating through visuals is
controls allow me to capture images within the project’s planned range key. Good reference images provide a starting point for conversations,
of tonalities. In terms of color, I can grade the stills later in Adobe Light- relay important information, and help communicate ideas that everyone
room or DaVinci Resolve to approximate to looks we’ve been planning, involved in the production can build upon. Teamwork makes the dream
and to see how the colors on a set or location will react with skin tones work — but everyone needs to see it to believe it.
and our palette. Additionally, the weight and form factor of DSLRs afford Being prepared allows you to open yourself up to the serendipity that
speed. Using a fast zoom lens, I can explore how the location reacts to occurs when the entire cast and crew come together on the day — and
different focal lengths and depths of field. you may not even need to fix it in post.
I specifically use a Canon G7X, which has an adjustable rear screen
JUNE 2021 / 49

STILLS ON THE SCOUT
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC took these shots at

a Budapest power station during a location
scout for Blade Runner 2049. “I spent a lot of
time trawling the internet, looking at different
architects’ work and how they used light in
their buildings. Part of the fun of signing on
for a film like this is that you get to do certain
things. You want to stretch yourself as much
as you can, play with it — you’re not there to
just bounce a lamp off the ceiling, though that
might well have been a little less stressful!”
50 / JUNE 2021

“When students ask me, ‘What is the best advice if I want to become a
cinematographer?’ I always answer first by saying this: ‘You need to be a
photographer first! Always have a camera with you as if it’s another limb
to your body. Your aesthetics will perpetually change daily, where one
day, without thinking, your ‘pictures’ will now turn into ‘photographs.’
“I take many images when I scout, because it forces me to become
acutely aware of my location in a very emotional way — heightening my
sense of ‘visual dramaturgy’ for the project I am currently scouting for.
“The scene I was prepping for with the photo above involved a
homeless man getting thrown onto the train tracks by a gang of boys. I
composed this on a scout, and it gave me the idea to have the boys enter
this frame from behind me, walk down to this background, and throw the
man off the platform. I left the camera static and used these graphic lines
to bring [the viewer] into the scene. I elected to keep the scene in a wide
shot, but I never would have had the balls to do that if I hadn’t taken this
photo and presented it to my director during the scout.”
— Crescenzo Notarile, ASC, AIC
JUNE 2021 / 51

STILLS ON THE SCOUT
“This still, taken from a series I called Expo-

sure Checks, is drawn from a series of black-
and-white Polaroids that I took to evaluate
the contrast and lighting for the actors in the
feature I’m Not There, which I shot for director
Todd Haynes. The actors were all in the
wardrobe, hair and makeup they would wear
in the actual scenes. [Actor Cate Blanchett is
pictured in her role as “Jude Quinn.”]
“These images are taken while the crew
and I are working to complete the lighting
on set — a frenetic time when everything
has to come together: camera, sound, focus,
wardrobe, hair and makeup. For the actors, it’s
a time of entering their characters in private
moments of preparation and thought.
“I’ve discovered that the actors don’t seem
to regard me as an intrusion when I have my
Polaroid camera in hand — which provides
me with a rare moment to be so close to them
when they are becoming their characters. I
realized that in those moments, they related
to the experience with me from within their
character or their own personal, emotional
space.”
— Ed Lachman, ASC
“While we all understand that ‘it’s location, not

vacation,’ working on location fits me like an
old, comfortable shoe. I always appreciate the
spirit of film history when working on some
historic stages in Hollywood, but it’s not the
same as shooting amid the bustle of real life.
“The first movie I worked on as a unit still
photographer was Three Seasons, which was
also the first American feature film made in
Vietnam since the war. Saigon was nature’s
film set. Production built one actual set and
everything else was practical locations.
“Three Seasons was a real boot camp in lo-
cation shooting: on our very first day we were
in an unpaved outskirt of Saigon during a
full-blown typhoon, but cinematographer Lisa
Rinzler and 2nd-unit DP Jamie Maxtone-Gra-
ham handled every obstacle with profession-
alism and aplomb. I was lucky that my first
film crew was filled with such professionals
across the board.”
— Hopper Stone, SMPSP
52 / JUNE 2021

JUNE 2021 / 53

Ticket
to Ride
Stephen Goldblatt,
ASC, BSC recalls his
adventures as a still
photographer.
S
By Stephen Pizzello
tephen Goldblatt was a young, am-

bitious still photographer in Swing-
ing London when he scored the gig
of a lifetime: hanging out with the
Beatles to shoot images that would
help promote their latest recording,
the soon-to-be-legendary White
Album (aka The Beatles). It was 1968, well before he be-
came a renowned ASC cinematographer.
Part of the assignment involved driving around
town with the Fab Four, looking for promising spots to
grab some snaps. Goldblatt recalls, “It was very casual,
and there was no security with us. We were just doing
it ad hoc, stopping the car and hopping out whenever
we saw an opportunity.
“At one point, we spotted this house with a nice
garden, and the Beatles hopped over the fence to pose
in the garden. The owner was in his front room at the
time, reading the paper after lunch on a Sunday after-
noon. He looked up, and suddenly he noticed the Beat-
les, at the height of their fame, standing in his garden!
Can you imagine?”
Goldblatt shakes his head, chuckling at the memo-
ry during a Zoom session with AC. The events that led
to this plum opportunity recall an old maxim often
Goldblatt’s most famous image

of the Beatles, from 1968.
54 / JUNE 2021
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JUNE 2021 / 55

TICKET TO RIDE
attributed to the Roman philosopher Seneca: “Luck is what happens

when preparation meets opportunity.” Goldblatt remembers the cir-
cumstances well. “Jeremy Banks became my agent as soon as I left art/
photography school,” he says. “I started out at the Guildford School of
Photography, but I left after two years because I was offered a job with
a magazine where Jeremy was the picture editor. That magazine fold-
Goldblatt captured this unsettling shot in 1968. ed, and then I became a picture editor on Fleet Street, at the ripe age of
21. By then, Jeremy had joined the Beatles’ company, Apple Corps, and
established a studio on Pimlico Road, in a space that used to belong to
Anthony Armstrong Jones, who had recently married Princess Margaret.
I was shooting there with one or two other photographers while also
going to film school at the Royal College of Art; behind the fixer trays in
the darkroom, I found a few sweetly discreet portraits of the princess.
“The Beatles had the White Album ready, and they needed new pic-
tures to promote it,” he continues. “They wanted two photographers
— one was the very famous Don McCullin. He was a war photographer
who wasn’t really suited for that gig, but such a great guy. The other was
me — ‘the least-known photographer in London,’ as Jeremy said. But by
then, Jeremy knew I could get the shots, because I’d already done maybe
20 assignments. So Jeremy knew I wasn’t just a student, and he pushed
for me to get the Beatles gig.
“Don turned up with two assistants, but I was by myself,” Goldblatt
adds. “That proved to be an advantage, though. In perhaps the most well
known photo I got with the four of them together, they’re all looking at
Don — but it’s much better that they’re not looking my way! I had the
best seat in the house. I’ve still got a big print of that particular photo
right over my desk at home.” (See page 54.)
Goldblatt’s work with the Beatles yielded other memorable stills, in-
cluding an unsettling shot of Paul, George and Ringo crouching around
a prone John Lennon lying on the ground — an image that would attain
an aura of supernatural prescience after Mark David Chapman gunned
down Lennon in 1980 (photo shown at left). “The Beatles were just fool-
ing around, joking and laughing, but for one second they got serious.
Later, of course, when John was murdered, the photo became an eerie
echo of the tragedy. I heard the news while I was shooting a commercial
at the Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida; I was riding in a car with the
director, on our way to a location, and the news came over the radio. I
didn’t even think of trying to exploit the photo, though; I was just upset
that John was dead.”
Goldblatt was destined for a life behind the camera. Born in South
Africa in 1945, he recalls being around 5 years old and watching his fa-
ther load an 8mm camera. The family moved to the U.K. when he was 7,
and the precocious child pursued his future career with vigor. “I started
taking pictures when I was 11. Of course, my parents wanted me to be a
doctor, like my father, or a lawyer, like their friends. Everyone was going
to Cambridge and Oxford if they were smart, or really lucky. But I wasn’t
interested in that path at all, so I didn’t study. I had an overriding interest
in photography.”
He eventually enrolled at the Guildford School of Photography. “My
parents despaired that I was going to go to this art school. My mother’s
idea of a photographer was the guy who took passport photos in the
local shopping arcade. But I went to Guildford, and I think I spent three
months trying to light two eggs, making compositions in 4x5 — which
was good training, I suppose.”
When World War II British Prime Minister Winston Churchill died,
opportunity knocked. “At the time, there was a big rivalry between Life
magazine and Paris Match,” he says. “Paris Match had the advantage of
56 / JUNE 2021

geographic proximity — they could get their material to Paris in an hour. time was Ian Howard, a tabloid-minded veteran of Fleet Street with an
But Life had money, and they flew staff in on their Boeing 747 airliner, intimidating presence. “He was a 300-pound Scotsman and he had me
which had color and black-and-white developers, picture editors, every- scared to death,” Goldblatt says. “Eventually I told him I had to go back to
thing. On their transatlantic flight back to the States, they could lay out school, and he said, ‘Are you crazy?’ I felt I had to finish, so I did go back
the magazine with the edition on Churchill’s funeral. to Guildford, but then I decided Ian was right — I already had the Paris
“Paris Match only had about six photographers, and they needed Match spread under my belt, plus the three months I’d already done at
something like 46, so they engaged our entire photography school as London Life, and he hired me back to join his staff.”
stringers, just to see what would happen. The photograph I had in my The job led to many adventures, including one daring gambit that
head was to show the war memorial Cenotaph in Whitehall — there was paid off when Goldblatt scored exclusive photos of England’s national
a space next to that, and then Downing Street, where all British Prime football team after their famous victory in the 1966 World Cup. “That
Ministers live. So I had a frame in mind with the Cenotaph on the left, was a real coup for me,” he says. “I’d been dispatched to the Royal Gar-
the Duke of Wellington’s gun carriage carrying Churchill’s body, and den Hotel in Kensington by Ian, who told me to try to get into the team’s
Downing Street on the right. I went to Whitehall with a 28mm lens, and party.” Before the festivities got started, Goldblatt did finagle his way
I stayed rooted to the spot until six in the morning. I didn’t move, I didn’t into the hotel, where he landed in a reception line for Prime Minister
pee, I didn’t eat, even though there was nobody there but me — it was Harold Wilson. “As I got close to Wilson, I was sure the game would soon
just deserted. Finally, at sunrise, I saw the police sweeping the street for be up,” he says, chuckling at the memory of his youthful chutzpah. “But
security purposes, and I was sure they were going to kick me off my care- before I could be presented to the prime minister, I followed a waiter
fully chosen spot. But then I saw 30 Frenchmen in berets laying lilies on into the party through the kitchen, just as I’d seen in the movies. I was
the Cenotaph for the funeral; the lilies represented the people of France the only photographer in the world who got in!”
and the Resistance. And as they walked toward me I said in my school- Goldblatt is living testament to the benefits of such intrepid initiative,
boy French, ‘I’m working for Paris Match, and these flics are going to kick even if it did mean flouting protocols from time to time, or telling a fib.
me off the street.’ They said, ‘Come with us.’ They let me stand there with On the White Album shoot, for example, “George Harrison kept giving
them, and I wound up getting three pages in Paris Match.” (See above.) me the side-eye,” Goldblatt says. “I was supposed to be a complete un-
Goldblatt soon found work as a summer intern at a magazine called known who hadn’t photographed them before, but I actually had already
London Life, which was published by the Sunday Times. There, he met his done a shoot with them — I’d been among the 50 photographers at the
future agent, Banks, and began compiling a portfolio. The editor at the press conference for Sgt. Pepper! Eventually, George approached me and
JUNE 2021 / 57

TICKET TO RIDE
Goldblatt captured dynamic shots of the Who’s Pete Townshend

during the massive Isle of Wight Festival in 1969.
58 / JUNE 2021

asked, somewhat suspiciously, ‘Haven’t I seen you before?’ Naturally, I

lied: ‘Oh no, sir, I don’t think so.’ Fortunately, he just let it go.” Or, per-
haps, just let it be.
His memories of working on Fleet Street reflect Goldblatt’s work
ethic and tolerance of long grinds. “Ian Howard would call me at five in
the morning, which was usually when he was going to bed, and tell me
what he wanted that day. I was sometimes covering three or four par-
ties a night, five or six nights a week. I slept during the day. But I didn’t
mind, because this was London during the ’60s, and Twiggy was there!
I didn’t care if I was supposed to be at a party or not, or if I got kicked
JUNE 2021 / 59

TICKET TO RIDE
Apple Corps artist

James Taylor hadn’t
even released a record
when Goldblatt took
this shot in 1968,
published here for the
first time.
One of the last

out, but more often than not I got to stay, because I looked the part — I
pictures ever taken of
wore a nice, dark jacket, with nice pants. The stereotypical Fleet Street
Jayne Mansfield, shot
in England in 1967. “I photographer of that era was a sleazy-looking guy in an old raincoat and
was on the road with a hat, smoking a cigarette with a Rolleiflex around his neck.
her for two weeks “Those guys always used a flash, but I never did — it was a big mis-
toward the end of her take. In parties with rich or famous people, shooting without a flash was
career. She was killed more discreet — if you weren’t aiming a big flash in their faces, they liked
in a car crash three
having their picture taken. I had a Nikon 35mm camera with a Nikon
months later.”
35mm lens and Tri-X film; I might carry a second camera with a 75mm
lens on it. Zoom lenses weren’t popular then, because they were very ex-
pensive, and they weren’t very good. I developed my own film, and I had
a notebook to take down all the names — the Marchioness of this, the
Duke of that. I’d leave the party at 11 at night and go back to Fleet Street,
where there was a darkroom, and I’d develop my rolls of film. It was all
contact printing.”
Goldblatt says he had a “fire in his belly” to shoot that helped him
endure the grueling hours. “Some friends of mine I’d hired from pho-
tography school only lasted a week, because the work was just too hard
60 / JUNE 2021

During his career as

for them.” His ingenuity and cunning in pursuit of the shot also set him
a cinematographer,
apart: “That’s the secret, in the end — you’re not given access, you’ve got
Goldblatt has taken
to get it.” many behind-the-
In 1969, he was hired to shoot the Isle of Wight Festival, a massive scenes photos on
rock concert featuring some of the biggest musicians of the era. He’d sets and locations,
already done the Beatles shoot, and the event was being organized by including these shots
three brothers — one of whom had been a classmate of Goldblatt’s at of Natalie Portman
during the filming of
the Royal College of Art. “I had exclusive access to shoot onstage, but to
Closer (2004), and of
keep things exclusive, I planted three big Alsatian dogs under the stage
Catherine Deneuve
so no other photographers could creep through,” he says. “The dogs ac- and David Bowie
tually caught [famed photographer] Richard Avedon’s son! He gave me rehearsing a love
his camera, and I opened it up and ripped the film out. He was lucky he scene for The Hunger
didn’t get eaten!” (1983).
Goldblatt’s access led him to capture a thrilling shot from behind the
Who’s Pete Townshend as the rock icon jumped in the air while holding
his guitar aloft in front of the show’s massive audience. (See page 58.)
“There were so many people at that show that security simply couldn’t
stop them,” he recalls. “They came right over the fences. At a certain
JUNE 2021 / 61

TICKET TO RIDE
This page: Goldblatt captured this point, to save lives and prevent a riot, the organizers just let everyone in
panorama at 3:15 a.m. on the Day of and made it a free concert. The atmosphere was great. If you look closely
the Dead in the Mexican countryside, at the Townshend photo, you can see a line of photographers along the
near Cherán and Pátzcuaro. Opposite:
front of the stage, but they were getting nothing special — the best per-
A pensive shot of Mick Jagger that
Goldblatt snapped while working as a
spective was the position I had on the stage.”
camera assistant on the Rolling Stones His still-photography work set Goldblatt on the path to his future ca-
documentary Gimme Shelter (1970). reer when he started doing special shoots on movie sets twice a week.
“The British film crews were very disciplined,” he says. “Most of them
were ex-Army, with 40-year-old operators who had fought in World
War II when they were 18. The assistant director might be a former tank
commander — when one of those guys yelled ‘Quiet!’ it was dead quiet.
The films themselves often looked terrible — they used the old-fash-
ioned 5K-2K-1K setups on top of each set wall, and they’d just turn more
of those on as needed. There were some wonderful cinematographers,
though, and what I enjoyed was the camaraderie of being on a film set.
I could have made a career as a still photographer, but I found it pretty
lonely. Plus you were always fighting and competing to get one up on the
other guys, and I never enjoyed that part of it.”
After he moved on to pursue his career in cinematography, Gold-
blatt always kept still cameras handy, using them to capture artful and
intriguing behind-the-scenes photos on the projects he shot, or light-
hearted and revealing moments with some of the iconic actors and
filmmakers he’s worked with. “The photos I take on scouts or on sets
are good references for everyone, and they help promote communica-
tion,” he says. “On Angels in America, I was very concerned about lighting
62 / JUNE 2021

and color continuity, so I was taking reference shots with a little Canon
point-and-shoot camera the production had bought for me. I was aston-
ished at the colors it produced. Some of the reference photos I took of
Al Pacino and Meryl Streep ended up on the front page of The New York
Times Magazine. The resolution wasn’t great, but the color was good. I
didn’t embrace the shift from digital to film immediately, but I could see
that digital was really coming along. While I was still on that show, I also
bought Nikon’s first digital camera.
“The camera I use a lot now is the Leica M10-P, usually with a 25-year-
old 35mm Leitz Summilux or a 50mm Summilux,” he says, estimating
that he has more than 60,000 negatives stashed in his archive. “I also
like the Canon EOS-1D X, because it’s indestructible, and the new Canon
EOS R5, which is mirrorless.”
Goldblatt still favors a more organic approach to stills work. “If an
image has some truth to it, and it hasn’t been manipulated to death, I
think the viewer feels that,” he says.
Pondering the arc of his career behind cameras for both stills and
movies, Goldblatt notes, “I don’t know why I’m a stills photographer; it
just came naturally for me. Film lighting was a tough thing to learn. My
stills portfolio got me a special place at the Royal College of Art, which
is where my film studies began in earnest. That’s also where I met Tony
Scott, who was a classmate of mine. I was the only student in my year —
or any other year — who wanted to be a cinematographer; everyone else
in the class wanted to direct. So I shot many of their films — and f----d
them all up! But that’s the best way to learn.”
JUNE 2021 / 63

Singular Visions
I
t’s my honor to serve as president of the Society of Motion Picture Still Photographers
(SMPSP), an honorary, non-profit organization dedicated to the art and preservation of set
still photography. Our members work all over the world to record images of cinematogra-
phers and other filmmakers pursuing their art form on a wide range of productions.
Last year, to help celebrate American Cinematographer’s 100th anniversary, our members
contributed a gallery of photos showing ASC members at work. In that same spirit of contin-
ued cooperation between our two societies, AC asked to publish another selection of our stills,
featuring more cinematographers doing what they do best.
Unit still photographers must walk a fine line on set. Besides the usual issues of access, eyelines
and so forth, we need to titrate the story the director is trying to tell with the vision of the cinema-
tographer, the needs of the studio publicity department, and our own creative needs, wishes and
impulses.
In the following pages, you’ll find images taken in a wide variety of settings and locations, re-
flecting our members’ respect for cinematography and their creative approaches to photographing
its top practitioners. I hope you enjoy perusing these images as much as we enjoyed taking them.
— Hopper Stone, SMPSP President
For more information on the SMPSP, visit www.smpsp.org and Instagram feed @smpspstills.
64 / JUNE 2021
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Opposite page: Cinematographer

Iraj Ashouri lines up a shot for the
television series Transition From
Suffering. (Photo by Habib Majidi,
SMPSP.)
Above: Claudio Miranda, ASC on

set with singer Katy Perry. (Photo
by Lacey Terrell, SMPSP.)
Right: Jody Lee Lipes, ASC mans a

broadcast pedestal camera on the
set of the 2019 feature A Beautiful
Day in the Neighborhood. (Photo
by Lacey Terrell, SMPSP.)
JUNE 2021 / 65
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 65 5/9/21 6:27 PM

SINGULAR VISIONS
Above: Tommy Maddox-Upshaw, ASC

catches the glow of a fluorescent
fixture while shooting Season 2 of On
My Block. (Photo by Nicola Goode,
SMPSP.)
Right: Bruno Delbonnel, ASC, AFC

during production on the 2016 feature
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar
Children. (Photo by Jay Maidment,
SMPSP.)
66 / JUNE 2021
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 66 5/9/21 6:27 PM

Right: Florian Ballhaus, ASC

checks a filter. (Photo by Barry
Wetcher, SMPSP.)
Below: Craig Kief, ASC rides a

dolly while shooting the 2013
short film Love’s Routine with a
plastic-wrapped Willem Dafoe.
(Photo by Hopper Stone, SMPSP.)
JUNE 2021 / 67
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 67 5/9/21 6:27 PM

SINGULAR VISIONS
Right: Uta Briesewitz, ASC

makes her point on the set of
the television series Hung.
(Photo by Lacey Terrell,
SMPSP.)
Below: Seamus McGarvey, ASC,

BSC establishes his frame line
while shooting the 2009 feature
The Soloist. (Photo by François
Duhamel, SMPSP.)
68 / JUNE 2021
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 68 5/9/21 6:27 PM ASC c

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JUNE 2021 / 69
p.64-71
ASC SMPSP_v3.indd
canon Studio Ad.indd 691 5/9/21
4/15/21 6:27 PM
5:18 PM
SINGULAR VISIONS
Above: Julio Macat, ASC goes

“behind the scenery” on the 2018
feature Life of the Party. (Photo by
Hopper Stone, SMPSP.)
Right: Maryse Alberti checks her

reference monitor with A-camera/
Steadicam operator Christopher
T.J. McGuire, SOC on the set of the
2020 feature Hillbilly Elegy. (Photo by
Lacey Terrell, SMPSP.)
70 / JUNE 2021
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 70 5/9/21 6:27 PM

Above: Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC

is backlit on the set of the 1999
thriller In Dreams. (Photo by
François Duhamel, SMPSP.)
Right: Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC

during production on the 2007
feature The Kite Runner. (Photo
by Phil Bray, SMPSP.)
JUNE 2021 / 71
p.64-71 SMPSP_v3.indd 71 5/9/21 6:28 PM

Clubhouse News
Latest Bulletins From the Society
Clockwise from top left: Awards producer Patty Armacost, host Ben Mankiewicz and co-producer
Delphine Figueras; ASC President Stephen Lighthill; stage manager Tom Crawford with ASC Vice
President John Simmons; ASC Awards Chair Dana Gonzales, ASC.
35th ASC Awards Show: A Live/Online Hybrid Hit Awards is networking,” Gonzales says. “You get to see people you haven’t
PHOTOS BY DELPHINE FIGUERAS AND ALEX LOPEZ.

Dana Gonzales, ASC was entering uncharted waters when Society Presi- seen in a year, see colleagues from international locations, and meet with
dent Stephen Lighthill asked him to take the helm of the 35th annual ASC vendors. Attendees can also interact with ASC members.” The camara-
Awards ceremony. It was August of 2020 — more than half a year into the derie of watching the show with colleagues and friends, he adds, was
global shutdown caused by Covid-19 — when Gonzales was appointed something he absolutely wanted to preserve.
ASC Awards chair and show director, and he was uncertain if any part Lighthill adds, “I think we ended up not only reminding people that we
of the ceremony could take place in person. But as someone who had have a prominent headquarters in Hollywood, but also that our event, in
attended 14 ASC Award ceremonies, as both a nominee and presenter, normal times, is an intimate one where you get to hang out with people
he was very familiar with the Awards, and given his experience as a cin- and share a glass. I believe we managed to do that online — to keep it
ematographer and director, he felt confident that he and the Awards and feeling centered on the Clubhouse, and intimate at the same time.”
Sponsorship Committees could put on a great show. Gonzales partnered with honorary ASC member and longtime ASC
As 2020 came to a close and Los Angeles County remained under strict Sponsorship and Events Director Patty Armacost, who served as show
closures, it became clear that the 35th annual ASC Awards would take producer; co-producer Delphine Figueras (who produces the Soci-
place virtually. “For me, one of the most important aspects of the ASC ety’s popular online interview series Clubhouse Conversations); and
72 / JUNE 2021
p.72-75 Clubhouse News v3.indd 72 5/9/21 6:30 PM

Clockwise from top left: George Mooradian, ASC; a live orchestra at the ASC
Clubhouse; Alex Lopez with ASC members Craig Kief and Mooradian; Alex
Beatty (far right) discusses the Clubhouse setup with Gonzales.
co-producer Mat Newman (who also serves as the Society’s chief technol- social events, nearly all attended, and those who participated found the
ogy officer and web producer) to tackle the creative and technical hurdles unique social venues to be a fun and engaging way to interact, with “table
presented by the show’s unprecedented format. “Patty and Delphine are hopping” as boisterous as ever. Gonzales credits much of the endeavor’s
the cornerstones of this Awards show, and I could have never done this success to ASC associate Tom Fletcher, who conducted training courses
without them,” says Gonzales. “They know the Awards, the structure of the on Filmocracy daily during the month preceding the Awards, so all guests
show and the sponsorships, and I got to bring my skillset and expertise could familiarize themselves with the platform; he also cites the efforts of
to the live-streaming aspect of this year’s show. Mat and I had the same ASC associate Suzanne Lezotte and the undertaking’s other volunteers.
thoughts about the power of digital and social media. We both placed As Covid-19 numbers dropped in California, Gonzales pushed to add
an importance on having networking at the online event, and we worked a live, directed component to the event, staged at the ASC Clubhouse in
together to accomplish the technical aspects.” Hollywood. “Having the live portion of the show at the Clubhouse was very
The biggest and most hotly anticipated social events of the Awards are special,” he says. “People hadn’t been to the Clubhouse in more than a
the always-lively pre-show cocktail hour and after party, and the Awards year, and for people who know and visit the Clubhouse often, that meant a
team re-created this environment through a virtual meeting space on Fil- lot. We also decided to stream the show, so people all over the world who
mocracy for invited guests. Around 1,000 people were invited to join these had never been to the Clubhouse could feel like they were there. That was
JUNE 2021 / 73

Clubhouse News
Left: The Filmocracy overmap centered on the ASC Clubhouse,

surrounded by virtual buildings sponsored by companies that supported
the Awards. Right: For the “dinner presentation,” seats were set for
guests to enjoy the streaming show.
really important to me.” including coordinating producers Alex Lopez, who oversaw Clubhouse
Lighthill offers, “Being in the Clubhouse with people was nice. It was preparation and equipment, and Sal Maldonado, who — with a team of
a little nerve-wracking, because the live portion required a lot of people volunteers — helped guests navigate Filmocracy; Alex Beatty, who served
running cameras, watching out for lights, and keeping the smoke machine as the show’s editor and AD; Tara Jenkins, who conducted all pre-show so-
going. But we were very vigilant about testing everyone [for Covid-19], cial-media promotions; and longtime ASC Award trophy presenter Brittany
and nobody got sick afterwards. The atmosphere was very fun. It was a Belt, who pitched in as sponsorship coordinator. “This year’s show relied
wonderful feeling to know that we were showing everyone what a great tremendously on video packages, such as the Social Conscience series
show the ASC Awards is.” produced and edited by Alex Beatty, which became the glue that con-
Gonzales notes that many longtime ASC Awards collaborators came nected the Awards segments,” Gonzales notes. “Alex also made the virtual
back to help create this year’s show, which took place Sunday, April 18 — Nominees Reception possible through his experience producing the online
including host Ben Mankiewicz, of Turner Classic Movies; show writer Matt ASC Master Class. And Tara was instrumental in creating a successful
Oswalt; and technical producer Dave Taylor of Senovva, who seamlessly social-media campaign that let the world know that this year’s show would
blended the live production in the Clubhouse with the live presenters and be streaming for free.”
nominees who made their appearances via Zoom. To elevate the look of Says Lighthill, “We had a lot of help putting the show together. There
the show, Gonzales also brought in George Mooradian, ASC to light the were many people with their hands on knobs and buttons getting the show
Clubhouse; composer, conductor and pianist Arturo Cardelús to arrange out ‘over the air.’ There’s no way for us to broadcast the event, but putting
original music performed live by an orchestra; Tim Kashani, who served it online made it very accessible, and I think we managed to do that in a
as Zoom live-show technical director; Don McCuaig, ASC, who crafted the stylish way that felt like a broadcast.”
event’s stunning opening reel; and project manager Lisa Gonzales Simon, Gonzales notes that the 35th ASC Awards would not have been
who brought her skillset of ground-up platform-building and scheduling to possible without the many sponsors who supported the show and the
the unique situation that the 2021 Awards presented. Society. The first supporter that signed on was Keslow Camera, which
A group of prominent ASC members rose to the occasion by graciously sponsored the Feature Film Award, pre-show cocktail party and ASC
volunteering to serve as Awards presenters, including Kira Kelly, Robert Awards social media. Other major supporters of the event were Panavi-
Yeoman, Ellen Kuras, John Simmons, Patti Lee, Rodney Taylor, James sion, which sponsored two competitive awards categories, the Nominees
Whitaker, Edward Lachman, Philippe Le Sourd, Paul Cameron, Matthew Reception, red-carpet interviews, and the always-anticipated after party;
Libatique, Polly Morgan and Roger Deakins — who presented the Feature Fujinon, which provided camera lenses; and Arri, Canon, FotoKem, Picture
Film Award alongside his wife and Team Deakins podcast partner, James. Shop and Red Digital Cinema, all of which sponsored competitive Awards
Sony — which had also sponsored the ASC Student Heritage Awards categories.
that took place as a virtual event on February 27 — donated cameras Show producer Armacost admits, “When Dana first conceived of a
for the ASC Awards’ live-streaming portions, and shipped cameras to all virtual Awards paired with an interactive viewing platform, I was worried
the presenters. Sony’s Dan Perry, an ASC associate, coordinated camera that we wouldn’t be able to raise the necessary sponsorship. How do you
delivery. Gonzales also acknowledges the efforts of several ASC staffers, sell a virtual building to host a virtual cocktail party? Luckily, with Dana’s
74 / JUNE 2021

Top: Guests could interact with each other online before,

during and after the show. Bottom: Composer, conductor
and pianist Arturo Cardelús.
guidance, a passionate Awards production team, and the support of a phe-

nomenal Sponsorship Committee, this seemingly out-of-the-box concept
became a successful reality. All of our friends and allies believed in what
our small but mighty group could accomplish. The sponsors, ASC Board,
and, most importantly, the Society’s membership all worked to make this
the best Awards show possible in a very challenging time.”
Between Filmocracy and Zoom, 4,800 individual computers logged on
to the event, tripling the 1,600 attendees at past Awards ceremonies, with-
out accounting for multiple people watching together. Lighthill notes, “For
us, one of the most important goals was to increase our regular attendance
so that people around the globe could see the Awards and experience the
world’s most important cinematography-award event.”
For Gonzales, this success was a truly collaborative effort that required
everyone involved to perform above and beyond the call of their usual du-
ties: “Our team was actually quite small. I’m really proud of all the amazing
work that everybody did.”
He adds, “My main goal was to hold our own at the ASC. I didn’t want
to lose any ground. This has been a tough year, and I didn’t want this
Awards show to be the dark year no one would talk about. I wanted these
Awards to be as important as last year’s and next year’s Awards. Everything
needed to be as high-quality as possible, because we are the ASC. At the
end of the show, we wanted every ASC member to feel proud of who and
what the ASC stands for, and to celebrate the direction of our esteemed
Society.”
JUNE 2021 / 75

New Products and Services
For more of our latest tech reports, visit
ascmag.com/articles/new-products.
Zeiss Grows Supreme Prime Radiance Line

Zeiss is adding four lenses to its T1.5 Supreme Prime Radiance
line: 18mm, 40mm, 65mm and 135mm. The 18mm and 135mm
add telephoto and wide-angle specialties to the seven focal
lengths previously released, while the 40mm and 65mm
enhance the standard range. Zeiss Supreme Prime Radiance
lenses offer a distinctive look with consistent flares that can be
controlled at all times.
For more information, visit zeiss.com.
Canon Announces New RF Lenses

Canon USA announced the RF100mm F2.8 L Macro, RF400mm
F2.8 L and RF600mm F4 L lenses. Engineered for full-frame EOS
R-series cameras, the RF100mm is a medium-telephoto macro
lens that delivers close-up imagery at up to 1.4x magnification
with autofocus. Inheriting the optics of the EF 400mm model, the
RF400mm is designed for sports, wildlife and more. The RF600mm
offers the image quality of a Canon L series super-telephoto lens.
For more information, visit usa.canon.com.
76 / JUNE 2021
p.76-79 NewZeiss
Productsisv4.indd
adding76 four lenses to its add telephoto and wide-angle enhance the standard range. be controlled at all times. 5/9/21 6:31 PM
Marketplace
Samyang Unveils VDSLR MK2 and Tiny Series

Samyang Optics unveiled a VDSLR MK2 Lens Set comprising five FE and AF 75mm F1.8 FE. The AF 35mm F1.8 FE is recommended
focal lengths: 14mm T3.1, 24mm T1.5, 35mm T1.5, 50mm T1.5 and for street photographers, vloggers and Instagrammers. The
85mm T1.5. Designed to cover full-frame (36x24mm) sensors, AF 75mm F1.8 FE is optimized for portraits and everyday
the lenses are available in seven mounts: Canon EF, RF and M; Fuji photography.
X and MFT; Sony E; and Nikon F. For more information, visit samyanglens.com.
Samyang also introduced Tiny Series lenses AF 35mm F1.8
JUNE 2021 / 77
p.76-79 New Products v4.indd 77 5/9/21 6:31 PM

NEW PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
Advertisers Index
Amazon Studios 13, 15, 17, 19 Peovi 43
Arri 7 Pille Filmgeraeteverleih 77
Blackmagic Design 3 Pro8mm 77
Carl Zeiss C3 Rip-Tie 77
Cavision Enterprises 77 Roe Visual Co. Ltd 5
Cine Gear 79 Sigma Corp of America 29, 59
Duclos Lenses 38 The Studio - B&H 69
Eastman Kodak C4 Tiffen 45
Epic Games 21 Vitec CS/Teradek C2, 1
Ernst Leitz 31 ASC Photo Gallery 6
IDX System Technology 53
K5600 41
Lee Filters 35
Lindsey Optics 11
Milk Studios 63
National Geographic Channel 9
Peacock TV LLC 25, 27
Musashi Optical Releases Takumi 2

Musashi Optical System has expanded its offerings for full-frame cinema cameras with
the release of the Takumi 2 29-120mm T/2.9 cinema lens. Featuring a nine-bladed iris
and designed for cameras with an industry-standard PL mount, the lens offers a constant
T/2.9 aperture throughout the zoom range.
For more information, visit musashi-opt.co.jp.
Hedén, PLC Electronics,

Focusbug Launch Cine
RT, VLC-3 Integration
Hedén Group, PLC Electronics Solutions
and Focusbug Technologies have launched
an integration that connects the Cine
RT base sensor to the VLC-3 receiver.
Distance data from the Focusbug Cine RT
system can now be shown in the display of
the YMER-3 handset, and the Aux button
on the YMER-3 handset can activate focus
tracking based on the distance data.
For more information, visit heden.se.
78 / JUNE 2021

CINE GEAR
EXPO 2 0 2 1
LA EVENT
SEPT 23-26
PARAMOUNT STUDIOS - HOLLYWOOD, CA
W W W. C I N E G E A R E X P O . C O M
GO AHEAD - EXPERIENCE IT ALL

LIVE EVENTS | ON AIR EVENTS | VIRTUAL MARKETPLACE | FILM COMPETITION | MASTER CLASSES
MAY 2021 / 79

Wrap Shot
Scandal for Sale
Cinematographer Karl Freund, ASC frames up his stills camera on

actor Charles Bickford during the production of the newspaper drama
Scandal for Sale (1932). Examining this archival image almost 90 years
later, ASC Photo Gallery Committee chair and Society member Charlie
Lieberman determined that Freund is shooting with a Leica I camera
fitted with an Elmar 135mm f/4.5 lens — a tool commonly employed for
exposure tests, as it used the same 35mm roll film as motion-picture
units. In 2019, Leica honored this heritage and the ASC’s centennial
with a special “ASC 100 Edition” of their M10 camera, offering unique
features and the Society’s classic Art Deco shield logo.
80 / JUNE 2021
p.80 Wrap Shot_v1.indd 80 5/9/21 6:34 PM

Add Flare
to Your
Filmmaking
ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance Lenses

ZEISS has added four new lenses to the ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance
family. The 18mm and 135mm focal lengths add telephoto and wide-an-
gle specialties and the new 40mm and 65mm lenses enhance the
standard range. The ZEISS Supreme Prime Radiance family now covers
all possible applications for high-end film production. With a maximum
aperture of T1.5, controlled flare characteristics can be achieved, even in
low light conditions.
For more information: www.zeiss.com/cine/radiance
p.Cover 3 Carl Ziess.indd 3 5/9/21 6:36 PM

p.Cover 4 Eastman Kodak.indd 4 5/9/21 6:37 PM

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June 2021 The International Publication of the American Society of Cinematographers

The Stills Issue

p.Cover 1 AC June 2021.indd 1 5/9/21 5:23 PM

48 Stills on the Scout

p.2-3 TOC_v1.indd 2 5/9/21 5:24 PM

Introducing DaVinci Resolve 17

www.blackmagicdesign.com Available for Mac, Windows and Linux

WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

CREATIVE DIRECTION and DESIGN

SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS and PRODUCTS

ASC CEO and PUBLISHER Terry McCarthy

p.4-7 Masthead and ASC Board.indd 4 5/9/21 5:26 PM

Credits: Lux Machina Consulting <<<<<<<<<

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MEMBERS OF THE ASC The ASC is not a labor union or a guild,

You’ll find everything in the ASC Gallery at MUSEUM CURATOR

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ARRI SIGNATURE ZOOM LENSES. TRULY CINEMATIC.

p.4-7 Masthead and ASC Board.indd 7 5/9/21 5:26 PM

p.8-9 Letter From the President v2.indd 8

PHOTO BY MICHAEL M. PESSAH, ASC.

OUTSTANDING LIMITED SERIES

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Specified Lens Tests

The isolated flare from a Leitz

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The family of Leitz Summilux-C lenses.

Large Format Directors Viewfinder

lens to closer-than-infinity or far- annoyance or an emotionally af-

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Bokeh from a Bausch & Lomb

a single small point source. Some

p.10-17 Shot Craft_v4.indd 12 5/9/21 5:41 PM

p.10-17 Shot Craft_v4.indd 13 5/9/21 5:41 PM

The nine-bladed iris of the Arriflex/

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“GORGEOUSLY SHOT BY SHABIER KIRCHNER”

p.10-17 Shot Craft_v4.indd 15 5/9/21 5:41 PM

p.10-17 Shot Craft_v4.indd 16 5/9/21 5:41 PM

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Photogrammetry: Stills to CG Realms

IMAGE COURTESY OF DISNEY ENTERPRISES INC.

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p.18-21 Virtual World_v4.indd 19 5/9/21 5:47 PM

PHOTOS COURTESY OF HALON.

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Learn more at: unrealengine.com/film-tv

p.18-21 Virtual World_v4.indd 21 5/9/21 5:47 PM

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p.22-31 Mullen_v2.indd 23 5/9/21 5:49 PM

p.22-31 Mullen_v2.indd 24 5/9/21 5:49 PM

Outstanding Comedy Series

John Inwood, Director of Photography

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Above: Midtown Manhattan, winter 2019. Right: Study in Yellow

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Outstanding Comedy Series

Tom Magill, Director of Photography