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AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER • JUNE 2015 • MAD MAX: FURY ROAD – AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON – TOMORROWLAND – EDEN – ASC TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE • VOL. 96 NO. 6
J U N E 2 0 1 5 V O L . 9 6 N O . 6

An International Publication of the ASC

On Our Cover: Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is mad as ever while navigating a post-
apocalyptic desert wasteland in Mad Max: Fury Road, shot by John Seale, ASC, ACS.
(Photo by Jasin Boland, SMPSP, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow
Pictures.)

FEATURES
32 Max Intensity
John Seale, ASC, ACS shifts into high gear for
Mad Max: Fury Road 50
50 Avengers Re-Assemble
Ben Davis, BSC captures the superhuman action of
Avengers: Age of Ultron

66 Picturing Tomorrow
Claudio Miranda, ASC envisions a promising future
for Tomorrowland
66
78 Trapped in a Groove
Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC frames a DJ’s highs and lows
in Eden

90 Stewards of Technology
The ASC Technology Committee leads the charge on
a broad range of industry initiatives
78
DEPARTMENTS
10 Editor’s Note
12 President’s Desk
14 Short Takes: The Way of the Dodo
20 Production Slate: Bessie • Far From the Madding Crowd
98 New Products & Services
106 International Marketplace
107 Classified Ads
108 Ad Index
110 ASC Membership Roster
112 In Memoriam: Miroslav Ondrícek, ASC, ACK
114 Clubhouse News
116 ASC Close-Up: Mauro Fiore

— VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM —
 J U N E 2 0 1 5 V O L . 9 6 N O . 6

An International Publication of the ASC

LOOK FOR MORE AT WWW.THEASC.COM

Coming soon

The Dawn of Technicolor, 1915-1935

Q&A with authors James Layton and David Pierce

Photos courtesy of George Eastman House, the Margaret Herrick Library/AMPAS, Robert McKay,
the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

www.theasc.com
 J u n e 2 0 1 5 V o l . 9 6 , N o . 6
An International Publication of the ASC

Visit us online at www.theasc.com

————————————————————————————————————
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER
Stephen Pizzello
————————————————————————————————————
EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Jon D. Witmer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andrew Fish
TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, Douglas Bankston, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray,
David Heuring, Jay Holben, Noah Kadner, Jean Oppenheimer, Iain Stasukevich, Patricia Thomson
————————————————————————————————————
ART & DESIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer
PHOTO EDITOR Kelly Brinker
————————————————————————————————————
ONLINE
MANAGING DIRECTOR Rachael K. Bosley
PODCASTS Jim Hemphill, Iain Stasukevich, Chase Yeremian
BLOGS
Benjamin B
John Bailey, ASC
David Heuring
WEB DEVELOPER Jon Stout
————————————————————————————————————
ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann
323-936-3769 Fax 323-936-9188 e-mail: angiegollmann@gmail.com
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce
323-952-2114 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: sanja@ascmag.com
CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Peru
323-952-2124 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: diella@ascmag.com
————————————————————————————————————
SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina
CIRCULATION MANAGER Alex Lopez
SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal
————————————————————————————————————
ASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett Grauman
ASC EVENTS COORDINATOR Patricia Armacost
ASC PRESIDENT’S ASSISTANT Delphine Figueras
ASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila Basely
ASC ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Nelson Sandoval
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American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 95th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by
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(800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344.
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6
 American Society of Cinematographers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and professional
organization. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively engaged as
directors of photography and have
demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC
membership has become one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
professional cinematographer — a mark
of prestige and excellence.

OFFICERS - 2014/2015
Richard Crudo
President
Owen Roizman
Vice President
Kees van Oostrum
Vice President
Lowell Peterson
Vice President
Matthew Leonetti
Treasurer
Frederic Goodich
Secretary
Isidore Mankofsky
Sergeant At Arms

MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Bill Bennett
Curtis Clark
Dean Cundey
George Spiro Dibie
Richard Edlund
Michael Goi
Matthew Leonetti
Stephen Lighthill
Daryn Okada
Michael O’ Shea
Lowell Peterson
Rodney Taylor
Kees van Oostrum
Haskell Wexler

ALTERNATES
Isidore Mankofsky
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Robert Primes
Steven Fierberg
Kenneth Zunder

MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
8
 Editor’s Note One of this spring’s hottest movie trailers was the
thrill-ride preview for Mad Max: Fury Road, which
promised viewers a deliriously unhinged demolition
derby amid a sand-and-dust sci-fi dystopia last seen
onscreen in 1985, when the third film of the original
trilogy, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, was
released. Movie technology has advanced in every
area since then, but director George Miller and cine-
matographer John Seale, ASC, ACS — aided by a
crackerjack crew and an intrepid stunt team —
wanted to lend the movie’s epic car chase a realism
that could only be achieved with live performers and
real vehicles.
“George and action-unit director and stunt
coordinator Guy Norris had spent the better part of
a decade developing and honing every aspect of the
film, as evidenced by the meticulous 3,500 storyboard frames,” Seale tells Simon Gray (“Max
Intensity,” page 32). Action-unit cinematographer David Burr, ACS reveals that custom-built
cars weren’t the only casualties of the shoot’s carnage, noting that car-mounted, Habbycam-
caged Canon 5D Mark II cameras “were often going to get wiped out.”
More summer-blockbuster mayhem is on offer in Avengers: Age of Ultron, a darker-
toned sequel to the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time. Director Joss Whedon
tapped Ben Davis, BSC to shoot, and as Davis relates in Mark Dillon’s coverage (“Avengers Re-
Assemble,” page 50), the filmmakers took a new visual tack. “The first [Avengers] was a huge
success, so you don’t want to remove yourself entirely from it,” Davis says. “But this film has
a darker visual core that reflects the script, which is more about bad times and things coming
apart than things coming together. The tone is grittier and rougher.”
On Tomorrowland, ASC member Claudio Miranda was tasked with helping director
Brad Bird achieve the “rich” look he sought for the visually ambitious sci-fi movie. Extensive
testing led Miranda to shoot 95 percent of the picture with Sony F65 CineAlta 4K digital
cameras. “We also had all these visual effects, and I was planning to use lots of low-level light-
ing and practical lighting tricks,” Miranda tells Michael Goldman (“Picturing Tomorrow,” page
66). “In these tests, you saw the strength of digital with available light. This movie is not about
being soft and mushy and squishy — it’s really about an Imax-type, big-negative experience.”
Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC was after a more naturalistic look for Eden, a drama depicting
the life struggles of a Parisian DJ (“Trapped in a Groove,” page 78). Although Lenoir crafted
colorful, stylized lighting schemes for the movie’s dance-club scenes, he tells New York writer
Iain Stasukevich that the project’s director, Mia Hansen-Løve, “has a very naturalistic idea of
beauty. She doesn’t want anything too flattering or too enhanced, so the interior days and
nights were filmed without movie lights coming through the windows. There was no money
and no time [for movie lighting], but it was also an approach I was happy to take.”
Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

This issue also offers Debra Kaufman’s update on the activities of the ASC Technology
Committee (“Stewards of Technology,” page 90), a forward-thinking group that has helped
set the agenda for many significant industry advances.

Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
10
 President’s Desk
If any good is to be derived from the death of Sarah Jones, part of it will have to include a
renewed sense of purpose toward guarding the well-being of crewmembers. While our
work is rarely conducted under overtly perilous or unsafe conditions, whenever occasions of
negligence do occur, each of us must be courageous enough to step forward and call them
out, regardless of the consequences. But even as it seems that a page has been turned,
every crewmember currently remains subject to an insidious form of abuse that’s potentially
as deadly as any train thundering down a track: the practice of working excessive hours.
I have written about this topic several times in this space, and since nothing has
changed in the interim it’s well worth bringing up again. Working excessive hours is an
industry-wide and industry-approved policy. Speaking from my own considerable experi-
ence, it’s a miracle that the extreme exhaustion my fellow crewmembers and I have endured
on innumerable occasions hasn’t led to disastrous consequences. I shudder to think of what
yet may come to pass, starting with the next job.
“As Directors of Photography, our responsibility is to the visual image as well as the
protection of our crew. The continuing and expanding practice of working extreme hours
seriously compromises both the quality of our work and the health and safety of others.
It is our obligation to oppose a situation that threatens the well-being of every member of
the crew.”
When the late ASC legend Conrad Hall expressed those sentiments in 2002, he had
just survived an arduous — but not particularly uncommon — schedule on the feature Road To Perdition. He returned home with a
desire to alert the industry and incite reform of the practice that had taken an enormous toll on his health, and he put forth the
notion that excessive hours had become a form of officially sanctioned abuse.
We all know that feeling of walking around without having had proper rest; it’s like living in a state of constant, impenetrable
jet lag. But beyond the requisite sluggishness, you might not be aware of the serious toll it takes. Reaction time is slowed, thinking
gets foggy and physical health declines. Personal relationships and quality of work suffer. And safety on set is compromised.
Everyone is aware of what happened to Sarah Jones, but they should also remember assistant cameraman Brent Hershman.
In 1997 he was killed while driving home from a shoot in a sleep-deprived state. Countless others have avoided a similar fate merely
by luck or the hand of God. It remains a black mark on the industry that no substantive action has been taken to rein in these punish-
ing hours.
The reasons why we’re putting in such regularly draconian amounts of time on the job are varied and generally uncalled for.
Certainly poor planning and incompetent scheduling are major factors. Unchecked greed is also a big part of it. But what’s happening
to us is similar in many ways to the frog in the pot of water who’s unaware until it’s too late that the temperature has been incre-
mentally turned up to the boiling point. Just compare the amount of work fit into the average day on any production a mere decade
ago and you’ll see what I mean. We’re now doing higher page counts in less time than ever before, so something has to give. That
something, of course, is the amount of time we devote to sleep.
Another ASC legend, Haskell Wexler, screened his documentary Who Needs Sleep? to great acclaim at the 2006 Sundance
Film Festival. Haskell and his co-director, Lisa Leeman, came to the same conclusions as Conrad Hall. You would think that in the
ensuing period some progress would have been made on the issue. It hasn’t. And that’s why it’s more imperative than ever before
that we keep the subject in the forefront of people’s minds.
When you strip away the emotional attachments and artistic pretensions surrounding what we do, this thing we spend so
much time on can only be seen for what it is: a job. Richard Jones, Sarah’s father, perhaps put it best: “No TV show, no movie, no
Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

job opportunity is worth the sacrifice of a human life.”

Plainly, something needs to change. And it needs to change now.

Richard P. Crudo
ASC President

12 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 Short Takes
In an ever-evolving digital world, Ümit Mesut, an East London shopkeeper, fights to keep passion for
small-format film alive in the short documentary The Way of the Dodo.
I Small-Gauge Shangri-La
By Phil Rhodes
The subject of the short documentary The Way of the Dodo
is likely to be close to many AC readers’ hearts — or any heart that’s
stirred by the puttering sound of 8mm or 16mm film moving
through the gate. This nostalgia is not only the narrative basis of Liam
Saint-Pierre’s seven-minute documentary, but intrinsic to the creation
of Ciné-Real, a non-profit film club based in East London. Established
by Saint-Pierre in 2011, the club specializes in small-gauge exhibition
and holds monthly screenings in Hackney. Without it, the documen-
tary might never have existed.
“My background is in still photography,” says Saint-Pierre. “I
started getting involved in moving images as a camera operator.
Then, living in Hackney and having an interest in film, one evening I
was wandering home and found a Super 8 projector in a bin. And I
thought, ‘This should not happen.’ So I took the projector but I
couldn’t get it working. I knew there was a shop in Hackney that
fixed these things, so I went in the next day with this Super 8 projec-
tor and asked him to fix it.”
The shop in question was Ümit & Son, now run solely by the
indomitable Ümit Mesut, a man who, if the decline of photochemi-
cal motion-picture imaging continues its present course, must be a
great prospect for the world’s last film holdout. Various sources
14 June 2015 American Cinematographer
describe the shop as an “Aladdin’s cave” of small-format film, with
projection equipment and prints for sale. It’s a small space packed
firmly with the paraphernalia of an increasingly defunct sector of
industry — the kind of collection that raises passions in every quarter
of the filmmaking world. Saint-Pierre continues: “While he fixed [the
projector], we were talking about film and how it’s sad that you
can’t go and see film projected. And as well as his love of film, he
has a love of doing a deal. He said, ‘Don’t pay; it’s on the house. You
can have it, but if you really want to watch film, I have a 16mm
projector here for £200.’”
Even at this very early stage, the documentary potential of
the situation wasn’t lost on Saint-Pierre. “I said, ‘This is a great story
— can I film you?’ And he said no, that too many people ask and
there’s no way.” It was at this point that the idea of a regular film
All images courtesy of the filmmakers.
show came into being. “I thought, wouldn’t it be interesting to put
on a film evening where we project 16mm?” Saint-Pierre continues.
“I said, ‘Would you like to be the projectionist?’ And again he said
no, he didn’t have time.”
Undeterred, Saint-Pierre bought a 16mm projector and set
up a film night in Hackney. “I did the first night with about 20
people there, and we showed a print of Jaws,” he says. The techni-
cal realities of film projection, however, came as something of an
awakening to Saint-Pierre. “There were points where I definitely
struggled,” he relates. He went back to Mesut, “and I said, ‘Can you

Top and middle: Mesut runs a shop, Ümit & Son, which specializes in
8mm and 16mm film, cameras and projectors. Bottom: Mesut serves as projectionist
at screenings for those interested in enjoying the films.
do the next one? Just once, to show me
how it’s done?’” Having finally gained
acquiescence, Saint-Pierre reports that the
following show “went down really well.
And he asked, ‘What time next month?’”
Eventually, after three years or so of associ-
ation, Mesut became willing to allow Saint-
Pierre to film him for the documentary.
The final edit of The Way of the
Dodo combines footage shot on a Canon
EOS 5D Mark II and a Blackmagic Cinema
Camera — as well as a small amount of
Super 8, using Kodak’s Vision3 500T 7219
and shot with a Nikon R8 Super Zoom
camera, although Saint-Pierre clearly wishes
there could have been much more. “I shot
the three minutes, then I ran out of money
and time. I took it to the Widescreen Centre
[equipment retailer] and sent it off, and it
came back a month later. I was always
aware of the irony that I couldn’t afford to
shoot on film.” The 5D recorded
H.264/MPEG-4 files to Kingston 32GB Ulti-
mate CompactFlash cards, and the Black-
magic Cinema recorded ProRes 4:2:2 to
Kingston HyperX 3K 240GB SSDs. Both
cameras shot at a resolution of 1920x1080,
and the digitally acquired footage was
stored on G-Technology’s 2TB G-RAIDs.
Saint-Pierre opines that the Black-
magic Cinema Camera afforded him some
extra flexibility. “You couldn’t really move
[the look of] the 5D much, but you could
make the Blackmagic look like the 5D,” he
says. Saint-Pierre was also faced with a diffi-
cult exposure compromise given the many
projected images shown, all of which were
photographed practically. “Because of the
lights in the shop, if you exposed for the
shop you couldn’t see the projection. So I
masked the area and then worked the
contrast and brightness to bring out the
blacks.”
On both the Blackmagic and Canon
cameras, Saint-Pierre relied on the Canon EF
24-70mm f2.8 L II USM and 70-200mm
f2.8 L IS II USM zooms. The macro photog-
raphy of the opening sequence was
achieved with a 9mm macro extension tube
“that I bought for about eight pounds on
eBay,” he explains. “That took me many
tries — pulling focus and [using] a Glide-
track slider.” Ultimately, it would take nearly
two days to achieve the required shots.
“Hollywood would have done that differ-

16 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 Filmmaker Liam
Saint-Pierre
preps the small
space for
shooting.
ently,” muses Saint-Pierre, perhaps with a
hint of good-natured chagrin.
Production took place over the
course of approximately 10 non-consecu-
tive days between January and October
2013, because “I had to wait for the film
fairs,” says Saint-Pierre. By necessity, much
of the production was shot under available
light, and a paucity of it at that. “Ümit’s
shop uses about three energy-saving light-
bulbs and that’s it,” he continues. “I took a
650 [watt tungsten light], but if I did it again
I’d have to take lots of lights.” As a result,
much of the material was shot wide open at
f2.8, with only occasional excursions to
f5.6.
In postproduction, “I just converted
it all to ProRes [4:2:2] HQ and edited in
[Final Cut Pro 7],” Saint-Pierre explains.
“People say that FCPX is okay now, but I
can’t move on. I used DaVinci Resolve 9 and
did the grade myself.” He cites the work of
18 June 2015
Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC; Gordon Willis,
ASC; and Christopher Doyle, HKSC as inspi-
ration, alongside the films of Terrence
Malick. “Beautiful photographic cine-
matography is, in a way, what got me into
film,” Saint-Pierre notes. He adds that while
grading, “I always think about the films I
like, and they have a timeless quality about
them. My reference points are more photo-
graphic.”
Exhibition of short documentaries is,
as Saint-Pierre himself laughingly accepts,
“always the tricky thing. I’ve entered [The
Way of the Dodo] into three times as many
festivals as it’s gotten into. It’s about how
much money you’re prepared to spend trav-
eling around. And the ones you think it’ll
get into, it doesn’t. It didn’t get into the East
End Film Festival — made for people in East
London, by people in East London.”
Perhaps less surprising, if a little tech-
nically adventurous, is Saint-Pierre’s ambi-
American Cinematographer
tion to get a 16mm print made. “I keep
getting that request,” he reflects. “If I could
get Ümit to project it, that would really be a
highlight for him.”
Saint-Pierre recognizes that
appetites for nostalgia have an evolution of
their own, which is important to under-
stand especially when considering a look
for a new work. “Super 8 [as a look] has
been done to death,” he opines. “People
are now emulating Hi-8 and camcorders;
we’re far enough from it, with two decades
between us, that we can get nostalgic
rather than thinking it’s just bad.” His
current and upcoming work embraces
these ideas, an example being a music
video Saint-Pierre recently shot on a Sony
Handycam. “That was quite nice, in a way,
because it freed me up from thinking about
what lens we were going to use,” he says.
“I could be more impulsive.”
Meanwhile, Ciné-Real’s firmly
analog exhibitions continue. “We’ve been
doing it monthly now for about three and a
half years,” Saint-Pierre enthuses. The joy
that Mesut and Saint-Pierre find in the
projected photochemical image is infec-
tious. Indeed, a couple of minutes into the
documentary, Mesut gazes at a projected
image and says with a sigh, “That’s
Kodachrome. The colors are beautiful.”
Apparently, as long as Ümit & Son remains
open, the dodo will be alive and kicking.
To view The Way of the Dodo, visit
www.liamsaintpierre.com/the-way-of-the-
dodo. ●
 Production Slate
The HBO telefilm
Bessie, starring
Queen Latifah,
brings “Empress
of the Blues”
Bessie Smith’s
career and inner
struggles to
the screen.
I A Blues-Infused Biopic
By Iain Stasukevich
The silvery-blue stage lights rise on Bessie, and we find
ourselves face to face with the eponymous blues singer in the throes
of performance, her face awash with perspiration as she stands
before an enraptured audience. Directed by Dee Rees and
photographed by Jeffrey Jur, ASC, the HBO telefilm charts the storied
career and inner struggles of the “Empress of the Blues,” Bessie
Smith (portrayed by Queen Latifah). “Our idea was to contrast the
public Bessie — glamorous and shiny, with a big, raw voice — with
her difficult internal life, and [illustrate] how those difficulties traveled
through her music,” says Jur. “This is why Bessie was so popular with
regular folk: She sang about real things from an authentic, emotional
place.”
Rees selected Jur based on his work on Carnivàle, another
period project for HBO. That series was shot on film, but for Bessie
— which begins in 1913 and concludes in the 1930s — Jur chose to
work with the Arri Alexa Classic, capturing HD ProRes 4:4:4:4 to
Sony 64GB SxS Pro cards. “I felt the Alexa would best capture all the
color and tonalities I knew we would encounter, particularly the high-
contrast theatrical environments, with dark, smoky backstage areas
and bright spotlights on stage,” the cinematographer comments. “I
love how this camera rolls into the highlights and reaches down into
the shadows in a natural way while still retaining character in the
20 June 2015 American Cinematographer
exposure.” The two-camera package was obtained from Panavision
Atlanta, along with a set of Primo primes, Primo 19-90mm T2.8 and
24-275mm T2.8 zooms, and Panavision Flare lenses.
Much of Smith’s story is told in flashback, and the filmmakers
strove to avoid an overly removed and reverent portrayal. “We
wanted Bessie to feel alive and full of energy,” Jur remarks. Indeed,
the image seems to shimmer with energy whenever Latifah is on-
camera. Jur applied a range of Schneider Optics’ Classic Soft filters
for close-ups, and for Smith’s childhood memories of her mother, Jur
Unit photography by Frank Masi, SMPSP, courtesy of HBO.
hit the Flare Lenses with ellipsoidal backlights, imbuing the distant
moment with a vibrant immediacy.
“Bessie was a bold character, and we shouldn’t be timid in
how we approach her world,” the cinematographer remarks. As an
example, he points to the relationship between Smith and her
mentor, the “Mother of the Blues,” Ma Rainey (Mo’Nique). “Dee
and I designed a color palette differentiating these two titans of the
stage,” Jur explains. “Ma often performed in a dress made of gold
coins, so we took that as a color cue, bathing her in a golden spot-
light.” The effect was enhanced with Roscolux 2003 Storaro Yellow
gel. To establish Smith’s stage presence, Jur sought the aforemen-
tioned silvery-blue glow, with gaffer Dan Cornwall applying HMI
spotlights with 1⁄2 CTO while the camera’s color temperature was set
to 3,200K.
When Latifah was on stage, Jur placed handheld cameras in
the audience to convey the energy of her connection with the

The crew
captures
Latifah’s
portrayal of
the artist in
her element.
crowd, but he also employed a Steadicam
operated by Joseph Arena, SOC, to move in
close and record the emotional nuances of
her expressions. “The camera needed to be
physically close to her for the close-ups,”
says Jur. “You can be tight on a 100mm or
200mm, but you feel the disconnect, like
you’re observing from afar. The wide shots
were done on a 21mm or a 27mm, and the
19-90mm is a beautiful lens even on the
wide end, which made it perfect for putting
on the Technocrane to get shots of the
audience and stage.”
Arena adds, “We used a good
amount of Steadicam [throughout the
production]. One of the director’s goals was
22 June 2015
to follow Bessie on her emotional roller
coaster, and to make the audience feel
closely involved through continuous action.
We achieved some interesting ‘oners’ with a
lot of choreography, stepping on and off
cranes with the Steadicam.”
When it came to lighting actors,
equal attention was afforded to the men,
particularly Michael K. Williams, who played
Smith’s husband and manager, Jack Gee.
“Michael has incredible reflective skin that
gives back whatever you put onto him,”
says Jur. “You are going to see the sources
in his skin, so you have to take into consid-
eration the shape and the size of your light
and the bounces.”
American Cinematographer
Cornwall adds, “After our camera
tests, we experimented with backlights
from high bead-board bounces using 750-
watt Source Fours. This kept the reflectance
of the source from getting too strong on
the sides of Michael’s face. We also used
500-watt ECT bulbs with Chimera Pancakes
as his key. The spherical-type light source
wrapped around his features and allowed
the camera to see light in both eyes without
becoming too flat.”
Principal photography for Bessie
lasted 35 days, on soundstages and on
location at many of the old theaters
throughout the Atlanta, Ga. area, including
the Tabernacle, the Strand Theatre and the
Fox Theatre. “It was wonderful to film in
the South, a place that was such an integral
part of Bessie’s life,” Jur notes. “I feel the
film acquires a spirit from such places.
“We did all the theatrical lighting
ourselves,” the cinematographer continues.
“I felt the style of the shows should be an
authentic part of the historical drama, not
overly stylized or contemporary in any way.
Dan Cornwall even researched lighting
fixtures used around that time, including
the limelights and carbon arcs, but they
were impractical — not to mention unsafe
to use now.”
“In those days stage lighting was
limited to footlights and lights above the
stage that would wash down on the
performers,” Cornwall adds. “By the
1920s, the limelight — or calcium light —
had already been replaced by carbon arcs.
The HMI replaced the carbon arc and has a
similar color. For this reason, we decided to
use HMI spots.” Footlights with 100-watt
household bulbs were custom-built for
each stage, and additional lighting was
provided by 1,000-watt Par cans for the
early years of Smith’s performances —
which were designed to be simple and
straightforward — and LED Pars for the
more dramatic and saturated color of the
later years, as her star rises.
As an example of the simplified
lighting that marks the beginning of Smith’s
career, Jur offers up the scene in which
Smith records at Columbia Records for the
first time. “She’s standing in front of this
giant megaphone,” he describes. “It was a
cheap little set with curtains and four walls,
and we shot it in a Masonic hall, in the
 same space where we would do the bigger
Columbia recording later in the film.”
Cornwall employed a combination
of 10' 23-bulb and 4' 10-bulb battens to
light the small studio, using 130-volt 75-
watt spots for a warm tone and 110-volt
85-watt spots for a cooler tone. “I loved the
simplicity of it,” says Jur. “Latifah looked
beautiful and the lighting felt real.”
For Smith’s triumphant return to
New York, Jur changed the lighting so it
would have less contrast. “When she finally
gets her big recording contract and she’s in
that beautiful Columbia recording studio
with all those musicians, I wanted an almost
shadowless feel,” he points out. For this
scene, he employed 4K Umbrella Balls from
Filmwerks.
Almost every theater the production
occupied would double for a separate loca-
tion. For example, the film’s opening and
closing performances were filmed at the
Fox Theatre in Midtown Atlanta, which also
housed the hospital room where Smith
awakes after being assaulted during a night
Top and middle: on the town. Rees had designed a continu-
The crew shoots ous camera move that followed Latifah
Bessie’s first
recording
from the hospital room to the stage. “The
session. Bottom: plan was to put her in a dress that would
Cinematographer look like a hospital gown from the back and
Jeffrey Jur, ASC
enjoys a break
an evening gown from the front,” says Jur.
from shooting. During one of the more challenging
periods of Smith’s career, she shares a tene-
ment apartment with her older brother
Clarence (Tory Kittles). The interior was
constructed onstage in an Atlanta ware-
house district. “The sets had hard ceilings
and, in keeping with the 1920s, very few
practical lights,” says Cornwall, who carried
a practical kit of period lightbulbs and
fixtures to help motivate the film lighting
provided by SourceMaker LED Blankets.
“You can tape [the LED Blankets] to walls or
ceilings; they’re bi-color, dimmable and
come in many sizes,” the gaffer continues.
“They’re one of the main reasons our
production designer, Clark Hunter, could
give us sets close to the actual size of a real
period apartment.”
On more than one occasion, Jur
found himself on a set lit to period accuracy
and in need of a boost in exposure. Rather
than tweaking the Alexa’s sensitivity —
“800 ASA seems to be where it’s happiest,”
the cinematographer offers — he preferred

24 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 to open the camera’s shutter angle. He
points to the scene in which Smith sings for
a crowd in a big tent show. The set decora-
tors had hung strands of period lightbulbs
across the tent interior; rigging gaffer Tom
Fendley and his crew mounted 1K Par cans
to the tent poles and focused them at the
performance end of the tent, and bounced
Source Fours into the tent walls and ceiling
for fill. Even so, Jur recalls, “it was so dark it
didn’t even register on my light meter. I
opened up the shutter to 358 degrees,
which is the maximum for that camera. I
don’t notice the motion blur that some
people talk about, but it definitely is a
longer exposure — 1⁄24 of a second as
opposed to 1⁄48.”
Jur kept an eye on things and
remained on set with a separate 17" moni-
tor connected to a cart manned by digital-
imaging technician Stuart Huggins. “I like to
improvise a bit when working, feeling the
colors and look of a particular location, and
the DIT allows me to react to that, like jazz,”
the cinematographer enthuses.
“Without the use of live color-grad-
ing tools on set — including a calibrated
Sony OLED monitor and a Leader waveform
monitor — we would not have been able to
emulate the muted tones used through-
out,” Huggins adds. “It would have also
been difficult to see the full potential of the
performance scenes without these same
tools and a base LUT and CDL combina-
tion.”
Bessie’s color grade was performed
at Deluxe New York, with initial sessions led
by color timer Pankaj Bajpai — who had
previously worked with Jur on Carnivàle —
and final work performed by Sofie Friis
Borup. Jur and Bajpai developed a LUT to
finesse the image’s texture, saturation and
contrast. “It’s very photographic and feels of
the period,” says Jur. “It was something we
just couldn’t get in the camera. Ansel
Adams said the negative is the score and
the print is the performance. I think that’s
especially true of our film.”
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.78:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Classic
Panavision Primo, Flare
26 June 2015
In the countryside of 19th-century England, free-spirited Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) is
pursued by three different men, including sheep farmer Gabriel Oak (Matthias Schoenaerts), in
the film adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s novel Far From the Madding Crowd.
I Pastoral Romance
By Jean Oppenheimer
Writing about 19th-century British
rural life, English novelist Thomas Hardy
became famous for drawing a link between
his characters and the physical environ-
ments in which they lived. Adapted from
Hardy’s novel of the same name, the feature
Far From the Madding Crowd relates the
story of Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulli-
gan), an outspoken, sometimes haughty
free spirit, and the three very different men
who pursue her: Gabriel Oak (Matthias
Schoenaerts), a hard-working, principled
sheep farmer; William Boldwood (Michael
Sheen), an older, prosperous landowner;
and Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a dashing
but callous soldier. Bathsheba’s impulsive-
ness and naiveté have dire consequences
for all.
One of the first things that struck
Danish-born cinematographer Charlotte
Bruus Christensen when she read the book
was that Hardy depicted landscape with the
same degree of intimacy and attention to
detail as he did the human face. “The book
is page after page of these amazing descrip-
tions,” she marvels, speaking to AC from
her home outside Copenhagen. “And they
are very specific and earthy, whether Hardy
is describing Gabriel’s weather-beaten face
or the region’s topography. I kept the book
American Cinematographer
by my side throughout the shoot.”
The picture marks the third feature
collaboration between Christensen and her
fellow countryman, director Thomas Vinter-
berg, following Submarino and The Hunt
(AC Aug. ’13). The pair campaigned hard to
shoot Far From the Madding Crowd on film.
“Thomas and I both felt that the texture of
film was [essential to capturing] Hardy’s
descriptions,” notes Christensen, who oper-
ated the A camera on the primarily single-
camera production. All four Kodak Vision3
Unit photography by Alex Bailey, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.
color stocks still being manufactured were
employed: 50D 5203, 250D 5207, 200T
5213 and 500T 5219.
The film was processed at iDailies in
London, and the 2K digital grade was
handled at Company 3 with colorist Adam
Inglis, who worked with Blackmagic
Design’s DaVinci Resolve. Panavision
London provided the camera package: two
Panaflex Millenniums, plus an Arriflex 235
for one day; a set of Panavision Primo
primes; a 300mm T2 Nikon Nikkor; a 40mm
Ultra Speed; and a 17.5-75mm T2.3 and
24-275mm T2.8 Primo zoom. Christensen
tested anamorphic lenses and the Cooke
Panchros she had used on The Hunt, but
she says she “fell in love with the Primos”
due to the richness and consistency of their
color rendition throughout the range.
Shot entirely on practical locations —
primarily in the southwestern region of

Top: Oak and
Everdene
converse in the
graveyard after
the supposed
death of her
husband.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Charlotte Bruus
Christensen lines
up a shot.
Dorset, where Hardy himself was born —
the movie combines an earthy naturalism
with a sweeping romanticism. “From the
beginning, Thomas wanted a warm film,
with skin tones staying true to the color of
candlelight,” Christensen relates. “Instead
of correction filters, I used different densities
of Tiffen’s Antique Suede on the lens,
because they have less orange. They were
removed only for moonlight and a couple
of day shots when I wanted to play with the
blue sky.”
In addition to the Antique Suede,
Christensen employed Schneider Optics’
Black Frost filters on nearly all daylight
scenes and some night scenes. For close-up
singles of Schoenaerts, however, she
frequently removed the filtration.
“Matthias’ skin is so true to Hardy’s descrip-
tion of Mr. Oak that it would have been a
shame to add softness,” the cinematogra-
pher says. When shooting Mulligan, Chris-
28 June 2015
tensen played with the level of softness in
order to support the character of
Bathsheba; when Bathsheba is alone on
screen in close-up or medium shot, Chris-
tensen also used the 40mm Ultra Speed,
shooting at T2 or T2.5 to isolate her in a
shallow depth of field.
“Simplicity” is how Christensen
describes her lighting philosophy. “One
[primary] light source. When I light, it is to
create shadows, not the light. One of the
major decisions my fabulous gaffer, Alex
Scott, and I made was to go with tungsten
for both daylight exteriors and interiors. Our
aim was to achieve a rich, old-style romantic
look and feel; 5K, 10K and 20K Fresnels
really facilitated that. I wanted to achieve
the film’s look in-camera; I didn’t want to
create it in the grade. For close-ups, I like to
muddle the light a bit on the faces and used
white poly board or tracing paper to
bounce, or we’d put a Hampshire gel, with
American Cinematographer
its beautiful texture, in front of the lamp.” Arri
Lighting Rental in London supplied the light-
ing package.
The film begins in total darkness. A
door opens to reveal Bathsheba standing
outside in a sunny garden. The camera
remains stationary as she steps into the room
and disappears into the blackness. “It’s not a
‘film black’ where you can see a little bit of
the room,” stresses Christensen. “It’s [pure]
black.” Bathsheba walks through the black-
ness and re-emerges in the center of the
room, where an open window reveals she is
in a stable.
“The camera was on tracks, on the
11:1 zoom,” the cinematographer explains.
“As Carey steps into black, we start tracking
and zooming. When she reappears, I am on a
different focal length and the zoom has
stopped. We then cut to a tighter shot of her,
and I am hand-holding the camera, which
increases the sense of intimacy.”
An 18K HMI was shone through the
window, just outlining Bathsheba’s face. It
was “directed through the shrubbery outside
the stables, giving a dappled effect,” says
Scott. Quarter CTS with Hampshire Frost was
used to soften the lamp and add warmth.
HMIs were generally used for moon-
light, as in a night exterior in which Bathsheba
and Boldwood walk in the forest — a scene
the filmmakers agreed should not feel roman-
tic. An 18K on a Condor provided backlight
through the trees, but the key light was the
lantern Mulligan carried. “The lantern was
pre-prepped with a double-wicked candle
and a small mirror to reflect the light,” Scott
explains.
“It was the only thing lighting Carey
and Michael’s faces,” adds Christensen.
Bathsheba again rejects Boldwood and walks
away; 4K and 6K HMI units gelled with 1⁄8
Blue partially light Bathsheba’s path, whereas
the disappointed suitor walks off into
complete darkness.
For night interiors, such as the candlelit
dinner that Bathsheba throws for the 20 or so
farmhands in her employ, Christensen used
what she calls “one of my favorite stocks,
5213. It’s quite a slow stock and falls into
shadows quickly, which is exactly what I
wanted for the dinner.” Antique Suede on
the lens and CTS on the movie lights cast the
scene in soft, warm light. A black-skirted soft
box above the table contained four 2K Spring

Christensen
and crew
discuss a scene
with Mulligan.
Balls — and four 1K Fresnels, one in each
corner of the room, were dimmed up or
down depending on the camera angle.
Boldwood’s Christmas dance was
the one night interior shot on the 500T
stock. To accommodate shooting in 360
degrees, a helium-filled 4x2K tungsten
Airstar Tube was floated over the ballroom,
and 5K tungsten lamps, all on dimmers,
were positioned in the corners. For the first
part of the sequence, Christensen had the
camera on sticks or a dolly in order to keep
the movements smooth and formal, but
when a reluctant Bathsheba and Gabriel are
forced to dance, the cinematographer
switched to handheld.
“Key grip Simon Thorpe built a 2½-
meter round, wooden board that Matthias,
Carey and I stood on in the middle of the
room, while extras swirled around us,”
Christensen recalls. “I shot close-ups as the
two actors pretended to do their steps but
didn’t actually move. A grip used a handle
to walk the board around and around,
creating the illusion that Bathsheba and
Gabriel were actually dancing. While the
board was circling, the two actors were
passing through harsh light that cast
shadows on their faces. I thought, ‘Oh God,
this isn’t going to work,’ but it added to the
reality.”
Tension underlies another scene
between Bathsheba and Gabriel, this time
set inside a barn. He is sharpening knives on
a grinding wheel when she steps close to
him, forcing an intimacy that makes them
both uneasy. “The first time we tried it, we
had the camera and 25mm lens on track,
but it felt too distant,” observes Chris-
30 June 2015
tensen. “It didn’t capture the uncomfort-
able atmosphere. I needed to be closer, so I
switched to an Easyrig. It became a dance
between them and me, and suddenly you
really could feel the tension.”
The scene’s key illumination was a
black-skirted Spring Ball on the floor, moti-
vated by a practical lantern on a table. Simi-
larly, two practical wall lanterns motivated
the hard, three-quarter backlight, which in
fact came from two 650-watt tungsten
bulbs, one in each corner, both with full
CTS.
Christensen and Vinterberg share an
appreciation for zooming within stationary
shots. “A zoom allows you to get closer to
a character without the sense of the camera
moving forward,” the cinematographer
observes. One example in Madding Crowd
finds Gabriel awakened by a barking dog
just before dawn. He goes outside, finds
the sheep pen empty and runs into
the forest. “The camera is stationary, on
sticks, with the 11:1 zoom,” Christensen
describes. “He has his back to us in a wide
shot and turns to the camera, listening for
sounds. The moment I feel Gabriel thinking,
‘Oh my God, the cliff!’ I zoom. It’s a very
precise movement that starts and stops
within the shot, emphasizing that moment
of realization.”
Roughly 60 percent of the picture
was shot on sticks or dolly, with the other
40 percent being handheld or on the
Easyrig. There was only one crane shot, and
a Steadicam, operated by Anders Holck,
was used sparingly, as when Bathsheba and
Troy rendezvous in the forest. The
Steadicam’s floating quality suggests her
American Cinematographer
swirling emotions as she is overcome by a
romantic longing she has never before
experienced.
Given Hardy’s attention to
geographic detail, shooting landscapes was
never simply a case of photographing a
view. “Thomas and I were constantly
analyzing ‘what Hardy saw,’” says Chris-
tensen. “Was it the sheep in the distance or
the storm clouds rolling in? The answer
would dictate the type of lens we used, as
well as the framing and composition —
how much sky to include, how much land.”
Perhaps the most stunning shots in
the film are those of planting and harvesting
the wheat, which were directly inspired by
the 1978 film Days of Heaven (shot by the
late Néstor Almendros, ASC). Landscape
paintings were another important refer-
ence, especially the work of 19th-century
Danish artist Peder Severin Krøyer. The final
harvest was planned for magic hour, a dicey
proposition given the unpredictable
weather. The scene took all day to set up —
but, Christensen notes happily, “the sun
came out exactly when we needed it.”
When the sun set before the scene was
finished, magic hour was replicated with an
18K HMI directed over the wagon. The
fixture was on an “easy-lift” stand, as Scott
explains, and warmed with ½ CTO.
Having grown up on a dairy and
wheat farm that has been in her family for
generations, Christensen brought an
unusual amount of her own life experience
to Far From the Madding Crowd. She had
witnessed firsthand the light in the fields;
she had seen the pools of sunlight and
black shadows inside the stables, and
recalls the silhouettes. “I am fascinated with
the way light reacts in the real world,” she
says. “That simplicity is how I see things
naturally.”
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
3-perf Super 35mm
Panaflex Millennium, Arriflex 235
Panavision Primo, Ultra Speed; Nikon Nikkor
Kodak Vision3 50D 5203, 250D 5207,
200T 5213, 500T 5219
Digital Intermediate
●
 Max
32
Intensity
June 2015 American Cinematographer
Unit photography by Jasin Boland, SMPSP, courtesy of

Wandering the post-apocalyptic wasteland, Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy, opposite) joins forces
Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures.

John Seale, ASC, ACS with Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron, top right) to escape a savage warlord in the
action-adventure Mad Max: Fury Road. Bottom: Cinematographer John Seale, ASC, ACS on set.
and director George Miller
put pedal to steel on

M
ad Max first roared onto cinema
Mad Max: Fury Road. screens in 1979. Shot by David
Eggby, ACS, the film was set in
a dystopian near-future and
By Simon Gray charted the dehumanization of police
officer Max Rockatansky (Mel
•|• Gibson), whose wife and infant son
were taken from him by a brutal motor-
cycle gang. The burgeoning franchise
was supercharged with the high-octane,
Western-on-wheels 1981 sequel, The
Road Warrior, shot by Dean Semler,
ASC, ACS. The original trilogy
concluded in 1985 with Mad Max
Beyond Thunderdome, also shot by
Semler. Thirty years later, Max is back
(this time played by Tom Hardy) in a
reboot titled Mad Max: Fury Road.
George Miller, the director of the
original trilogy, took the helm (while
also writing the script and co-produc-
ing), and fellow Australian John Seale,

www.theasc.com June 2015 33

◗ Max Intensity
ASC, ACS signed on to shoot. Fury
Road was initially intended to be a 3D
project that would employ 4K Dalsa-
chip cameras designed by Paul Nichola.
“I continued testing and prepping these
systems, until one Monday morning
George announced that we’d now be
shooting 2D with a 3D post-conver-
sion,” Seale recalls. “I hadn’t shot a digital
film, so when George asked what camera
I’d like to shoot on, I replied, ‘Well, I’m a
Panavision man, George — always have
been. I’ll see what they have.’ Producer
and first assistant director P.J. Voeten
leaned over and whispered, ‘Alexas.’ So I
added, ‘Probably Alexas, George.’”
Fury Road carried four Arri Alexa
Ms and six Alexa Pluses into production.
ArriRaw was recorded to Codex units,
with a Log C ProRes 4:4:4 backup
recorded to SxS cards. Ten Codex CDX-
3010 onboard recorders, four transfer
Top: The Edge stations and 30 512GB onboard data
arm helped
capture elaborate packs rounded out the camera package.
chase sequences. The lens package included Seale’s
Middle: Max is favored kit of Panavision Primo zooms
strapped to the
business-end of a — five 15-40mm T2.6, two 17.5-75mm
War Boys vehicle. T2.3, four 19-90mm T2.8 and two 24-
Bottom: A 275mm T2.8 — as well as two LWZ2
tracking vehicle is
equipped with a 17.5-34mm T2.8 zooms, two LWZ1
front-mounted 27-68mm T2.8 zooms, and two 2x
camera. extenders. The only prime lenses were
four ‘mini-lenses,’ including a 16mm T2
and a 15mm T4, built by ASC associate
Dan Sasaki, Panavision’s vice president of
optical engineering, using old elements
and parts. Apart from IR filters
employed when necessary, no filtration
was used on the lenses. “We carried a kit
of polarizers, but as they can alter flesh
tones and the skies were either white or a
deep, deep blue, they stayed in the box,”
notes Seale.
Two Alexa Pluses were regularly
rigged on Steadicams, usually with a
15-40mm or an LWZ. Pluses mounted
on Performance Filmworks’ Edge arms
carried either a 19-90mm or a 17.5–
75mm lens. Other Alexa Pluses and Ms
were typically fitted with SmallHD
onboard monitors. Canon EOS 5D
Mark IIs and Olympus OM-D E-M5s
were used as crash cams, in addition to
being operated by stunt performers and

34 June 2015 American Cinematographer

occasionally by Seale.
First AC Ricky Schamburg and
2nd AC/camera coordinator Michelle
Pizanis assembled an international
camera crew. “Ricky worked with A-
camera operator Mark Goellnicht on all
the hard stuff,” says Seale. “Michelle is
amazing; she’s been on several films with
me now. She found an ex-camera tech-
nician from Panavision South Africa
named Neville Reid who came up to
Namibia with his motor home and was
put on the payroll as camera technician.
He would often stay up all night not
only fixing things, but thoroughly clean-
ing all the working cameras and acces-
sories. He was invaluable.”
Principal location photography
for Fury Road comprised five months in
Namibia, the driest country in sub-
Saharan Africa, during the Southern
Hemisphere’s 2012 winter. After a
hiatus, the beginning and end sequences
of the film were shot in Australia during
2013. “Namibia provided a great variety
of desert landscapes and certainly filled
George’s requirement not to see a single
bit of green,” explains Seale.
While Seale’s belief in the advan-
tages of multi-camera coverage is well
documented, principal photography
began as a single-camera shoot — not
only for the main unit, but, in an unusual
move, for the action unit as well. “Single
camera is a bold idea for an action film, Top: The Edge
but there are no boundaries with vehicle tracks a
motorcycle
George,” explains Seale. “He believes, as strapped to
do many others, that there is a perfect cables for a
spot for the camera to be in any given stunt. Middle:
Max is
scene. I thought it might work on this restrained
particular film because George and during a chase
action-unit director and stunt coordina- sequence.
Bottom: An
tor Guy Norris had spent the better part operator rides in
of a decade developing and honing every front to capture
aspect of the film, as evidenced by the the action.
meticulous 3,500 storyboard frames —
which we all referred to more than the
script.”
As shooting progressed, however,
Seale felt that using additional cameras
would gain valuable shots for the edit. “I
could see where a few more cameras
would be advantageous — providing
cutaways to slow down or speed up a

www.theasc.com June 2015 35

◗ Max Intensity

The crew preps

and shoots an
action sequence
in which Max
catapults himself
over to Furiosa’s
War Rig to
escape Immortan
Joe’s gang.

main and action units. The result was a

scene, capturing moments of terror, and
so on,” he says. “George was under-
standing and a B camera was added.
Then I stuck in my C camera, dubbed
the ‘Paparazzo,’ with the 11:1, and we
often added a fourth where we could.”
All 10 Alexas and more than a
dozen crash cams were used when the
scope of the action and stunt work
required a combination of the show’s
cacophonous convoy of crew — approx-
imately 1,500 sat down for lunch on at
least one “10-camera day” — with
dozens of picture and support vehicles
kicking up dust as they drove up to five
miles through the desert, then turned
around to reset.
Another of Miller’s idiosyncratic
approaches to camerawork was the stip-
ulation to center-frame actors in the
crosshairs of the 2.40:1 widescreen
frame. This, however, wasn’t Seale’s first
experience with such an idea. “Quite
early in my career I shot an episode of an
Australian television program in which
the director and I center-framed the
actors’ eyes during a rapidly edited fight
scene. The audiences’ eyes then didn’t
have to find anything; the fight was just
presented to them — bam, bam, bam,”
says Seale, thumping the table with
enthusiasm. “So I was most intrigued
with George’s idea. It was hard on the
operators at first. It’s so against the grain;
whacking everything in the center and
not worrying about what’s happening on
the edges of frame is counter-intuitive.
Early in principal photography, the oper-
ators would offer up a beautiful compo-

36 June 2015 American Cinematographer

sition, only to hear George on the
comms yelling, ‘Put the red dot on his
nose, put the red dot on his nose!’ It was
a great lesson, though, because as an
operator, you have to always keep
utmost in your mind what the essence of
the shot is. What is the shot’s core
moment? And George’s center-framing
is all so the rapid pace of the editing
unfolds with total clarity. My overarch-
ing belief as a cinematographer is that I
am helping the director keep the audi-
ence in the film, and you both use all the
tools of your trade to keep the audience
with you.”
Establishing exactly what consti-
tuted a “correct” exposure with ArriRaw
sparked earnest on-set discussions
between Seale and digital-imaging tech-
nician Marc Jason Maier, as the cine-
matographer’s light meters were giving Greenscreen, stunt cables and multiple cameras were used to capture an action sequence in which Max
quite different readings than Maier’s dangles upside-down from the War Rig.
monitors. “To my mind, the native ASA
of the Alexa is closer to 400 than 800,” of analyzing exposures in the DIT van. I knew I was getting exactly what I was
explains the cinematographer. “Also, Seale explains, “I told Shaun, ‘This is seeing, I slept like a log, something I’d
Marc was shifting the ArriRaw data up your future mate, not mine. Can you sit never had the luxury of doing when I
or down the waveform to ensure the in there and explain to me why Marc was shooting film.”
maximum information was being wants me to expose at 8 and not 5.6?’ Maier adds, “My aim was to give
captured. I changed my meters to 400 It’s been such a big part of my life work- John confidence in the digital format by
ASA, and that seemed to address most ing out the exposure, I didn’t want to ensuring he was recording well-exposed
of the issues we were having.” just hand that part of my job over. I tried ArriRaw data. We established how the
To avoid further complications, working without my meters for a couple digital exposure relates to a one-light
the cinematographer charged gaffer of days, but I felt like Robinson Crusoe work print via a calibrated print-film-
Shaun Conway with the responsibility without any clothes on. However, once emulation LUT created to our specifi-

www.theasc.com June 2015 37

◗ Max Intensity
cations by FilmLight. This LUT was on
John’s reference monitor, and iPad
dailies were rendered as two versions:
Alexa Log C to Rec 709 and the other
with the print-film-emulation LUT.”
Fury Road starts in high gear as
Max is captured by the half-crazed,
machine-worshipping War Boys, who
do the bidding of Immortan Joe —
played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, whom
fans will recognize from his role as
Toecutter in the original Mad Max. Joe
is the malevolent ruler of the Citadel, a
38 June 2015
city built inside a mountain. A self-
styled demigod, he controls those below
him through the supply of water and
food. Joe is also determined to maintain
a kind of genetic purity in the Citadel,
and to this end he has taken five concu-
bines, collectively referred to as the
Wives: Toast (Zoë Kravitz), Capable
(Riley Keough), Splendid (Rosie
Huntington-Whiteley), the Dag
(Abbey Lee) and Fragile (Courtney
Eaton). Shot at Fox Studios in Sydney,
the Citadel is a combination of practical
American Cinematographer
Various camera rigs and platforms were used to
capture scenes aboard the War Rig.
sets and extensive greenscreen. Seale’s
basic premise for the lighting was shafts
of hot sunlight penetrating the other-
wise dark spaces, with the added warm
glow of firelight.
After being strapped down and
tattooed by the War Boys, Max frees
himself and attempts to escape the
labyrinthine Citadel, running through
narrow tunnels within the mountain.
“George wanted this disorientating
sequence to show Max’s fear and
desperation, so I used a combination
light coming from random directions
with 6K Pars aimed into 4'x4' mirrors to
provide light from below,” recalls Seale.
To capture several close-ups of Hardy,
key grip Adam Kuiper mounted a 2.5K
Blackmagic Cinema Camera with a
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 zoom on a Movi
operated by Peter Barta. The Movi rig
was attached to a body harness with a
mini spring arm, with the stabilized
camera rigged to Barta’s back — and
facing behind — with Barta running in
front of Hardy. The same rig was then
repurposed and worn by Hardy to main and action units, the production create the travel effect. A partial War
capture a close-up with different move- carried three fully detailed War Rig Rig cabin, mounted on a low-loader
ment. trucks. Main unit used one of the trucks named “the Buck,” was used for front
As Max runs through a work- for moving-vehicle sequences with the angles, as it had no hood. Finally, stunt
shop, he hurtles over his beloved main cast, with the vehicle controlled by sequences with the moving War Rig and
Interceptor vehicle, which is being a stunt driver in a bespoke remote drive many other vehicles were shot by the
repurposed. Lightning Strikes 8K pod. Another War Rig was used for action unit.
Paparazzi Flash units simulated the simulated travel in front of a green- At least three and often four
staccato spark-light of the welders and screen, with an air-bag system placed Alexa Ms covered the action in the War
grinders used by the mechanics. The under the rig’s axles; air was constantly Rig’s cabin, their configuration depen-
iconic car was given a large, soft glow via redistributed throughout the bags to dent upon which iteration of the truck
4K and 6K HMI Pars pushing through
an overhead Half Grid Cloth, comple-
mented with a 4K Molebeam pointing
straight down on the vehicle.
Max continues his headlong
flight and tears into the Citadel’s winch
room. Powered by people clambering
like hamsters in a wheel, the winches
raise and lower a huge platform that lifts
the War Rig — an immense truck used
to collect supplies — into the safety of
the Citadel.
The winch room, Seale recalls,
“was the biggest studio set.” Two 18K
Arrimaxes with ¼ CTO lit the two
winches, with a large center divider
isolating the light onto each. To imitate
sunlight pouring through the fissures in
the rock, additional 18Ks were directed
into 20'x20' Ultrabounces hung from
the studio rigging. Multiple 12K Maxi-
Brutes bounced into muslin on the floor
provided uplight for the set’s structures
and gave a sense of height to the space.
(Sydney gaffer Paul Johnstone looked
after this and other studio sets.)
As befits the franchise, the
centerpiece of Fury Road is a frenzied
chase sequence: Imperator Furiosa
(Charlize Theron) — a senior member
of the Citadel hierarchy — and Max
drive the War Rig, pursued by a mael-
strom of bizarre vehicles known as the
Armada, driven with reckless and
violent abandon by the berserk War
Boys. All the while, Furiosa has food,
weapons and the Wives, one of whom is
pregnant, hidden inside the truck.
As almost half of the film’s
running time is spent in and around the
War Rig, several different types of vehi-
cle equipage were used to capture the
action. To enable simultaneous use by
◗ Max Intensity
was being used. The cameras were
employed inside the cabin with the
15mm and 16mm lenses made by
Sasaki. “Dan had refocused the lenses so
the hyperfocal distance at T5.6 was
from the front element to 9 feet, so
everything in the cabin would be sharp,”
recalls Seale. To suspend the Alexa Ms
from the cabin’s ceiling, Kuiper repur-
posed track, bungee and pulley systems
from American yachting supplies
company Harken. “The track could run
in any direction [along the] x, y and z
axis,” explains Kuiper. “The camera
operators were also able to take their
cameras off one picture-vehicle rig and
move straight onto another.”
Compact LED light bars,
supplied by the Australian company
Enttec, were fitted into the interior of
the truck’s cabin. Conway notes, “At the
time, Enttec Aleph units were the
smallest and brightest LEDs we could
find. While smaller adhesive strip light-
Camera and ing was available, nothing had enough
lighting setups
for a scene in output for our needs. I went for the
which Rictus daylight spot units that were the most
Erectus heavily populated.” A laminated Minus
(Nathan Jones)
rides atop a rig Green and 251 diffusion gel was put on
driven by Nux each of the 600mm-long units, which
(Nicholas were mounted to the cabin ceiling to
Hoult).
light the Wives in the backseat, with
additional units positioned above the
windscreen to light anyone in the front
seats. The LEDs were also attached
vertically down the pillars between the
front and rear doors to provide a ¾ back
edge light on the actors. The cab was lit
to a shooting stop of T5.6.
Four 360-watt, 140-light
Creamsource Doppio LED units and
two 155-watt, 60-light Mini Doppio
units made by Australia’s Outsight
Lighting were attached to scaffold rigs
outside the cabin and pushed through
the windows or handheld when
required for side key or fill. As needed,
backlight was provided by an Arri M40.
Cinematographer David Burr,
ACS; driver Dean Bailey; arm operator
Mike Barnett and camera operator
Brooks Guyer were integral to Fury
Road ’s action unit, which shot elaborate
stunt sequences covered by Edge arms

40 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Max Intensity
The Edge vehicle captures an explosive chase sequence.
mounted with Alexa Plus cameras, two
custom-built vehicles dubbed
“Truggies” mounted with Libra heads
and Alexa Pluses (one front-mounted
and the other rear-mounted), a
purpose-built “Ledge” mount that
either carried a Libra head or a hand-
held Alexa M, and numerous Canon
5D Mark IIs with the Technicolor
CineStyle setting. The 5Ds were given
at least a fighting chance with their
placement in Habbycam cages, which
enabled them to be rigged anywhere on
42 June 2015
the vehicles, including with a Libra
head running on a short track under-
neath the War Rig. “We knew the 5Ds
were often going to get wiped out,” says
Burr, “but they were used in positions
where only a six-, eight- or 12-frame cut
was needed, like the often-cited eyeball
shot in the first Mad Max, so the differ-
ence in image quality to the Alexas
wasn’t a major concern.”
Burr has high praise for the
production’s extensive stunt crew.
“Other than the use of the Edge, cover-
American Cinematographer
age of the stunt sequences wasn’t partic-
ularly out of the ordinary, as the action
itself was so fantastic and varied,” he
recalls. One sequence involved stunt
performers on top of 20' oscillating
poles swinging from one fast-moving
vehicle to another as they try to retrieve
the Wives from the War Rig. Each pole
vehicle had a driver, a climber and two
performers acting as counterweights to
get the pole oscillating. Months of
rehearsal enabled the stunt crew to
perform their choreographed sequences
while the vehicles traveled at speeds up
to 50 miles an hour. The action was
primarily captured with a combination
of Edge arms and traditional camera
placement, with the Canon and
Olympus cameras thrown in “to add
some spice,” according to Burr.
Action-unit key grip J.P.
Ridgeway and the stunt-rigging depart-
ment commandeered a picture vehicle
as a base for a 30'-high tri-truss tower
with a platform on the top, and Norris
operated a bungee-supported Alexa M
as the vehicle moved at speed. “Guy got
some great shots, except there was a
degree of float,” recalls Burr. “That was
solved by mounting the Edge suspen-
sion arm and a stabilized Libra head on
the tower. [That] wasn’t something we
used every day, but it was a great piece of
equipment when high angles were
required.” ➣
◗ Max Intensity
Top: The crew
moves into
position to capture
a scene between
Joe (Hugh Keays-
Byrne) and
Furiosa. Bottom:
Joe in pursuit of
Max, Furiosa and
their comrades.
For a high-to-low-angle shot of
the approaching Armada, a GF-6 crane
supporting an Alexa Plus on a wirelessly
controlled Libra head operated by Burr
was lowered into a purpose-built hole in
the Namibian desert. The hole was
walled with reinforced blocks on a
concrete base. The starting camera posi-
tion was over 15' in the air as the
Armada approached at speed — led by
the Gigahorse, a double-bodied 1959
Cadillac with two supercharged 502
V8s atop a monster-truck chassis.
44 June 2015
Dynex cables ran from a bridle on the
GF6 through holes in the concrete wall,
through underground piping to a rig
approximately 50' away, where a
connected platform dolly sat on 25' of
fast track. At the right moment, action-
unit grip Brett McDowell pushed the
dolly forward, which in turn lowered the
crane to slightly below ground level,
finishing with the camera looking up at
the vehicles roaring overhead.
When a three-week night shoot
on the Namibian coast was changed to
American Cinematographer
day-for-night, it required some counter-
intuitive thinking from Seale. “The
visual-effects guys were always shooting
stills on location and then mucking
about with the image,” recalls the cine-
matographer. “One day, visual-effects
supervisor Andrew Jackson showed me
an image he’d taken in the middle of the
day and thought might work for the
upcoming day-for-night shoot. It
looked great to me, but when Andrew
said it had been taken in the middle of
the day and it had been shot two stops
overexposed and pulled back, and that’s
how he wanted me to do the whole
sequence — well that’s a shattering
thing to say to someone who has been
doing exactly the opposite all his life.”
Jackson explained that if the sequence
was overexposed without clipping the
highlights, there would be enough
retention of the dark-toned truck and
wardrobe after the image had been
pulled down in post to selectively bring
up the shadow areas without any digital
noise or artifacts.
“The result doesn’t look like
‘normal’ day-for-night,” Seale notes.
◗ Max Intensity

“But in the context of the world in

Seale and his crew ready an action sequence with Hardy.
which Fury Road takes place, as long as
the audience accepts the first few shots
as night, it will work. During produc-
tion, a couple of American cameramen
rang me and said, ‘Johnny, we hear
you’re doing day-for-night on digital.
How are you doing it?’ When I replied,
‘I’m overexposing it,’ all I heard was the
dial tone.”
Color timing was undertaken on
a FilmLight Baselight system at
Kennedy Miller Mitchell’s postproduc-
tion facilities in Sydney. Senior colorist
Eric Whipp was brought onto the
project more than a year before the film’s
release. “The final look of Fury Road is
akin to a graphic novel,” Whipp
explains. “Because the imagery was
going to be pushed quite far, it was
important to see the visual-effects work
under the grade as early as possible. The
day-for-night sequences were also going
to require a lot of fiddly, detailed roto-
scope work.” ➣

46 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 ◗ Max Intensity
Seale (holding
the camera) and
his crew shoot
a scene atop
a vehicle.
The colors of the Namibian
desert and the restriction of the art-
direction palette to brown and beige
tones provided Whipp with a challenge.
“The desert sand in Namibia is, in real-
ity, closer to a gray color, but pushing it
toward rich gold colors complemented
the characters and vehicles, providing a
strong, graphic look. The only other
dominant color in the film was blue sky,
which we embraced. In some scenes
however, we specifically avoided blue
skies or even added stormy skies to
break up the visuals.”
Given the different weather
patterns in the two main locations — a
beach half an hour from production
center in Swakopmund and the inland
Namib Desert — Seale was initially
quite concerned about continuity of
light direction and quality. “The
Benguela Current of the Atlantic Ocean
runs down the coast of Namibia, result-
ing in dense fog in the mornings and
afternoons, much like the marine-layer
fog in California,” explains the cine-
matographer. “Inland, however, the sun
shines all day, unless there were sand-
storms, which are frequent in the winter.
“I’d be shooting on the coast in
white-sky fog while Davey Burr’s action
unit was inland shooting in bright
sunshine, and the footage had to inter-
cut,” Seale continues. “The challenge of
lighting continuity is learning what you
can get away with, not what you can’t —
and given the speed with which the
action unfolds in the edit and the
awesome stunts and special effects, plus

48
 TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1

Digital Capture

Arri Alexa Plus, Alexa M;

Canon EOS 5D Mark II;
Olympus OM-D E-M5;
Blackmagic Cinema;
Nikon D800

Panavision Primo, LWZ,

custom prime; Canon L-Series;
Tokina; Olympus; Nikon Nikkor

Director George Miller plans a chase scene with model vehicles.

the aggressive treatment of the images about continuity of light and share in
in the timing, the audience won’t have George’s amazing confidence.” ●
time to analyze inconsistencies in the
lighting continuity. I was eventually
able to throw away 40 years of worrying

49
 Avengers
Re-Assemble
W
Ben Davis, BSC joins hen Earth’s mightiest heroes last assembled in 2012’s
The Avengers, they saved New York from an attack by
director Joss Whedon for Thor’s adopted brother, Loki, and an alien race called
Avengers: Age of Ultron, a bigger, the Chitauri. In the sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron,
darker sequel to Marvel’s billionaire inventor Tony “I am Iron Man” Stark (Robert
Downey Jr.) activates the “Ultron” program, a system encoded
superhero smash. with artificial intelligence intended to safeguard the planet
against a repeat of any such threats. The system goes off the
By Mark Dillon rails, however, when the now-sentient Ultron ( James Spader),
having determined that the only way to achieve peace is to
•|• wipe out the human race, takes command of Stark’s “Iron

50 June 2015 American Cinematographer


Legion” and attacks the superhero team
— which also includes Steve Rogers/
Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor
(Chris Hemsworth), Dr. Bruce
Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha
Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett
Unit photography by Jay Maidment, SMPSP, courtesy of Marvel Studios.
Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye
( Jeremy Renner). Internecine conflicts
soon cause the heroes to separate, but
they later reunite to save humankind.
Returning writer-director Joss
Whedon reached out to Ben Davis,
BSC to serve as director of photography,
taking the baton from Seamus
McGarvey, ASC, BSC, who shot the
original (AC June ’12). Davis is no
stranger to the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, having shot last summer’s
blockbuster Guardians of the Galaxy (AC
Sept. ’14). “We met when [Whedon]
was on a Guardians set visit, and it all
happened quite quickly,” recalls the
U.K.-based cinematographer. “We got
on well from the very start, which was
great. I really like working with writer-
directors because they’re so in control of
the material. They know it better than
anyone.
“The first [Avengers] was a huge
success, so you don’t want to remove
yourself entirely from it,” Davis contin-
ues. “But this film has a darker visual
core that reflects the script, which is
more about bad times and things
coming apart than about things coming
together. It’s about destruction and the
end of things. The tone is grittier and
rougher.”
The movie incorporates approxi-
mately 3,000 visual effects supplied by
20 vendors. It is Marvel’s most visual-
effects-heavy production to date —
which is unsurprising given the number
of superhero characters involved,
including a pair of newly introduced
siblings: the fleet-footed Pietro
Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-
Johnson) and the magically gifted
Wanda/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth
Olsen), as well as Vision (Paul Bettany),
www.theasc.com
Far left: Earth’s
mightiest heroes
reunite to battle an
artificial intelligence
run amok in the
feature Avengers:
Age of Ultron.
Top: Ultron is
determined to
achieve peace by
exterminating the
human race.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Ben Davis, BSC (left)
and director Joss
Whedon line
up a shot.
an android that Ultron creates as an
ideal of the perfect human.
The challenge, as always, was to
make all these fantastical beings credi-
ble. “This film is grounded in realism,”
Davis says. “It’s very earthbound, but it
so happens that these larger-than-life
superheroes exist within this world. It’s
like we’re immersing them in a war
movie.”
The director of photography had
10 weeks of preproduction, which
sounds luxurious until one factors in the
numerous global locations and the scale
of a movie with an estimated $250
million budget. The production built
massive sets at the Shepperton and
Longcross studios in Surrey, England,
and had access to a large housing area
with abandoned buildings in the
London suburb of Hendon for the
climactic showdown with Ultron and its
minions. Davis says he was hands-on
with the rigging plans for the sets and
locations: “Working through it on a
June 2015 51
◗ Avengers Re-Assemble

floor plan and a model is a good exercise

in understanding the set and where the
light should come from, and that’s
Top: The Avengers time-consuming.”
launch into battle
in a scene shot in
January 2014 was spent doing
Italy’s Aosta camera and screen tests. Working with
Valley. Middle: Technicolor, Davis crafted a look he
Captain America
(Chris Evans)
describes as “a print emulation LUT
springs into with a bit of ‘oomph.’” And on top of
action. Bottom: that, each of the disparate locations
Hawkeye (Jeremy
Renner) steers
called for its own style and color-deci-
clear of an sion list.
explosion. The main unit’s 93-day shoot
started in March 2014 in Italy’s wintry
Aosta Valley, which stands in for the
fictional country of Sokovia, where the
Avengers try to retrieve Loki’s powerful
scepter. Whedon and Davis also
planned the second-unit locations,
scouting in Johannesburg and Seoul,
where Captain America and Ultron
battle over control of Vision aboard a
moving truck on the Mapo Bridge.
Meanwhile, a helicopter unit captured
images of Bangladesh’s Chittagong
Ship Breaking Yard.
The crew shot primarily with
Arri Alexa XTs, running two and often
three cameras on the main unit. A, B
and C cameras were operated by Julian
Morson (whose Steadicam was also
always on hand), Luke Redgrave and
Sam Renton, respectively, capturing
ArriRaw files to 512GB Codex
Capture Drive XR media. A custom
2.39:1 frame was extracted from Open

52 June 2015 American Cinematographer

Gate 1.55:1, leaving extra image space
for visual-effects flexibility. “The option
of shooting film wasn’t really there,” says
Davis. “It had to be digital, and I prefer Top: Captain
to work with the Alexa camera system America navigates
the battleground
— and my crews do as well.” on his motorcycle.
Canon Cinema EOS C500 Middle: Thor
cameras with Canon Cinema CN-E (Chris Hemsworth)
plans his next
prime lenses were used in rigs and crash move. Bottom:
boxes and for run-and-gun handheld Captain America
work, capturing in 4K Canon Raw to and Thor assess
the situation.
Codex Onboard S recorders. For a scene
in which the Avengers try to evacuate
Sokovians from an island that is
propelled into the sky, Davis — in
costume — picked up additional shots
while appearing onscreen as a war
reporter. “That was the best use of the
C500,” he says. “It cuts in perfectly.”
Blackmagic Pocket Cinema
Cameras shooting compressed
CinemaDNG Raw also proved useful
for grab-and-go functions. Some of the
cameras were paired with small
Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm
f2.8 ASPH zooms or Lumix G 14mm
f2.5 ASPH II pancake lenses, and
another with a PL-mount adapter was
fitted with Super 16mm Zeiss Distagon
primes ranging from 8mm to 16mm.
The second unit also employed multiple
Red Epic Mysterium-Xs in an array for
360-degree visual-effects plates in
South Korea, as well as a couple of
GoPro HD Hero3s. ➣
www.theasc.com June 2015 53
◗ Avengers Re-Assemble

allowed us to put, say, Thor in close-up,

and then I could roam around the edges
Top and middle: A of the frame and play some of our other
celebration in characters. That’s trickier with 1.85:1.”
Avengers Tower is The crew used a full Panavision
interrupted by the
arrival of Ultron. Primo prime lens package with the
Bottom: Tony Stark, Alexa cameras, and Davis notes that the
a.k.a. Iron Man 21mm and 27mm (both T1.9) were
(Robert Downey
Jr.), realizes he most often tapped for dramatic
made a terrible moments among the group and master
mistake with the shots, such as when an enraged Thor
creation of the
Ultron program. grabs Stark by the throat. “We wanted
to put the audience closer to that, so we
used wider lenses,” he explains. “For
action sequences, it was a question of
where we wanted to put the audience at
that particular point: uncomfortably
close so they’d be immersed in it, or did
we want them to sit back and watch it?
“I like to control depth,” he notes.
“You don’t build hugely expensive sets
and then photograph them as some sort
of blurry mush — you want to see
where you are. But there are times when
it’s intense and not about the set, but
rather about what’s going on in some-
one’s eyes, so then you want to minimize
the depth of field and let everything else
fall off.”
The movie was initially planned and the sets that were being constructed Davis generally shot exterior
to be framed for 1.85:1 exhibition — the under the supervision of production action scenes at T5.6, and says that he
same aspect ratio as The Avengers — designer Charles Wood, another challenged ACs David Cozens (A
until Whedon suggested otherwise five veteran of Guardians of the Galaxy. “It camera) and Leigh Gold (B camera) —
weeks before production. He and Davis all seemed broad and wide,” Davis whom he lauds as “two of the best in the
agreed on the change after considering notes. “2.39:1 just seemed to suit the world” — by insisting on a stop of T2.8
concept art, the concluding battle scene, action and multiple characters. It for nighttime interiors. Additionally, the

54 June 2015 American Cinematographer

crew experimented with Tiffen Black
Satin lens diffusion, most often at 1⁄4
density. “I like to use smoke for atmos-
phere on set, and those filters further
keep the image from looking too digi-
tal,” the cinematographer says. “They
put air in the blacks and soften the
highlights.”
The H stage at Shepperton
housed Marvel’s largest-ever set: a
multilevel “Avengers Tower” that
included a lounge, labs, machine room
and gym. Surrounding the set was a
large greenscreen over which a view of
the Hudson River and New York
skyline would be composited. A bank of
15 24-light Dinos behind a long soft
box was rigged in front of the east side
of the greenscreen. “I needed that for a
punchy daylight that would penetrate
into the deepest part of the set,” Davis
notes. In front of the Dinos, a pair of
Half Wendy lights on a rail could be
tracked around to represent the sun’s
shifting position for various scenes.
Big scenes in that space, such as a
party that’s followed by Ultron’s initial
ambush, required many fixtures, some of
which were tucked away above the set’s
20'-high ceiling to keep the floor clear.
The 14 30'x5' ceiling pieces were hinged
and could be opened up to allow the
crew to drop down motorized trusses
rigged with 25 Image 80s. “Joss likes to
move the camera,” Davis notes. “In one
shot we could turn 180 to 360 degrees,
so I had to have the versatility to allow
him that and allow for multiple cameras
shooting — particularly because we
have multiple characters to cover in any
[given] scene and we wanted to keep
this fresh and spontaneous.”
In the wee hours, after their party
guests have left, the Avengers kick back
in civilian clothes and playfully take
turns trying to lift Thor’s hammer.
Moonlight is provided by the diffused
Dinos with 1⁄2 CTB and 1⁄4 Plus
Green. The crew also had to create the
sense of ambient light from the streets
and neighboring buildings filtering into
the skyscraper. U.K. gaffer David Smith
explains, “We used sodium-vapor gel on
2K Fresnels placed along the outside of
◗ Avengers Re-Assemble

Top: Working on
the Mapo Bridge
in Seoul, South
Korea, the crew
readies an action
scene featuring
Captain America.
Bottom: Evans
catches his breath
between takes
while filming
another action
scene.

an overhead truss bounced soft light off

the window to light the edge of the
glass, and stanchions to make sure there
was some definition, as though it was
high up and there was some light
coming from underneath.”
The space also had a balcony on
which the crew created a large soft
source with 2K Blondes on a 12'x12'
bounce with a 12'x12' egg crate in front
to minimize spreading. Further motiva-
tion inside the room came from two
illuminated bars, one with hot spots
from 50 custom bulbs behind a Perspex
screen and the other lit by fluorescents.
There were also various lamps around
the table where the characters sat. “I
kept those on to try to create a sense of
intimacy,” Davis says. Source Fours on
the table for an eye light and definition
on the actors’ faces.
When possible, Davis would
bring in 1K or 2K Rifa lamps for actor
close-ups. “It’s a flattering lamp that
works particularly well with the Alexa,”
he says. “The challenge [in shooting]
with multiple cameras is to keep the
light interesting and directional on all
the characters without smothering it in
an overall source.”
Intensive preparation went not
only into rigging the movie lights —
which were complicated by the set’s
many reflective surfaces — but to
setting the practicals as well. “We had
guys wiring the practicals for five
weeks,” Smith recalls. “The art depart-
ment turned up with 200 standard fluo-
rescents and we rewired them so we
would have DMX-dimmer control of
every tube. We could supplement them
or use them as a standalone lighting
source. It saved so much time. You’re
not putting on .6 or .9 ND filters and
gelling a different color; you can do all
that on the dimmer.”
Ultron’s appearance was shot at

56 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Avengers Re-Assemble

the same time as the Avengers’ “after-

party,” with Spader clad in a fractal
motion-capture suit and a head rig with
two built-in cameras, its own lighting
and a pair of small poles with lights on
them to signify the android’s greater
height. The CGI Hulk was similarly
built on Ruffalo’s mocap performance.
Motion-capture expertise was
provided by the Imaginarium, the
British studio co-founded by mocap
performer Andy Serkis, who also
appears in Age of Ultron as villain
Ulysses Klaw. “We were trying to create
an atmosphere in which James and
Mark felt comfortable in the motion-
capture suits,” says visual-effects super-
visor Chris Townsend. “They couldn’t
look in the mirror and see their charac-
ters, so we showed them tests of what
their characters would look like and
how their movements would translate
to their characters. Andy guided them
and helped them break down mental
barriers so they could give incredible
performances.”
Lead visual-effects provider
Industrial Light & Magic, which
contributed approximately 800 shots,
did much of the Hulk and Ultron
animation. Sometimes the crew would
shoot clean background plates onto
The second unit shot in Johannesburg, South Africa, to capture the donnybrook which the characters would be compos-
that erupts between a rampaging Hulk and Stark, with the latter clad in the “Hulkbuster” ited, and in other shots the actors in
iteration of his Iron Man armor. frame would be replaced by the
animated characters. ➣
58 June 2015 American Cinematographer
◗ Avengers Re-Assemble

Principal photography was

preceded by a second-unit sequence
shot in Johannesburg in February, in
which Iron Man, clad in his giant
“Hulkbuster” armor, tries to stop a
rampaging Hulk. Whedon and Davis
were on hand for the first five days to
help establish a basic style before leaving
it to second-unit director John Mahaffie
and cinematographer John Gamble.
Davis notes, “I didn’t want to make too
big a statement of it, but the African
scenes have a hotter, sunnier look that
reflects what was there when we shot, as
well as what the story called for.”
The second unit captured
onlookers’ reactions, as well as the
destruction of vehicles and other collat-
eral damage. “My theory is: get as much
of it [for] real as you can,” Davis says. “If
a fruit market’s being destroyed, try to
get that in-camera, then add the visual-
effects elements to it.”
The Third Floor, which provided
services that included previsualization
for the main battle scenes, offered a
solution for the Hulkbuster sequence
using Ncam technology, whereby a
rough image of the animated characters
Thor, Iron Man and Captain America confront Ultron and the super-powered siblings Scarlet Witch was piped into the viewfinder and
(Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson). monitors and could be seen in the envi-
ronment. “The [camera operator] could

60 June 2015 American Cinematographer

walk around the Hulk and Hulkbuster
he saw through the lens, point the
camera at any angle and the characters
would stay in place,” explains Gerardo
Ramirez, previs supervisor at The Third
Floor. “When cameras rolled, we hit
play on our machine and the characters
performed the previs action, and the
operator could move the camera to
follow them. Many shots using this
approach feel more organic because the
camera clearly is reacting to something.”
For Quicksilver, the filmmakers
were challenged to represent the charac-
ter’s speed differently than Twentieth
Century Fox’s X-Men: Days of Future
Past (AC July ’14) — an entirely separate
franchise that happens to share the
same character. While preparing for a
running sequence in the woods, the
special-effects team’s Paul and Ian
Corbould devised a remote-controlled,
high-speed tracking system whereby a
camera travels along a high-tension
cable tied between two poles, trees or
forklifts. The resulting background
plates could be sped up or used in slow
motion and would be composited with
a shot of Taylor-Johnson running on a
treadmill in front of greenscreen. To
achieve that off-speed capability, the
crew would shoot at 120 fps with the
Arri Alexa XT (recording in 16:9
ArriRaw) or at up to 1,000 fps with the
Phantom Flex4K (recording in Cine
raw). The latter approach was specifi-
cally applied for a sequence in which the
speedster, who has switched allegiances
from Ultron to the Avengers, battles
multiples of the android. Primos were
used with both cameras.
“At these frame rates we would
record more information from his
performance and use the extra frames to
build a wispy trail behind him as he
runs,” Townsend explains. “Sometimes
we would integrate a CG character into
the background to try to provide a
‘Pietro vision,’ where you’re either seeing
through his eyes or we’re slowing things
down to capture what he’s doing.”
Gone are the days when visual
effects required locked-off shots. Much
of the action-packed first and third acts
◗ Avengers Re-Assemble
Top, from left: Captain America, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark
Ruffalo) and Thor ruminate aboard the Avengers’ “Quinjet.” Middle and bottom: The Quinjet launches
from its landing pad on Avengers Tower.
were shot handheld for a feeling of
immediacy, with dollies employed for
some of the bigger-scale scenes. Cranes
would be used for dramatic effect, as in
the earthquake sequence that results in a
segment of Sokovia moving skyward.
62 June 2015
“We craned out over the precipice to
give the idea of things falling away and
a sense of vertigo,” Davis recalls.
Octocopter drones with onboard
Red Epic Dragons (recording in 6K
Redcode Raw) were used frequently for
American Cinematographer
aerial work at heights too low for heli-
copters to fly, such as airborne battle
scenes shot in Hendon involving Iron
Man. The drones were about 3' in
diameter with a stabilized head.
Images were evaluated on set on
Sony PVMA250, PVMA170 and
PVM-2541 OLED monitors —
although Davis maintains, “If I find
myself spending all day inside the DIT
tent tweaking things, I am in the wrong
place. I need to be out on set.”
Davis viewed the feed through
his “Avengers ShowLUT,” which
helped inform his lighting decisions.
When necessary, he also tapped digital-
imaging technician Tom Gough to
push the image further using
FilmLight’s Truelight On-Set color-
management system. “Once Ben was
happy with the image, I would record
the CDL to my database, which I
would supply along with the footage to
the lab at Pinewood Studios and to
dailies colorist Vanessa Taylor,” says
Gough. “Vanessa would match all the
cameras to the look Ben created on set
for the Alexas, then export DPX files of
frames from each setup and send them
back to set for his approval. We would
view them on the screens in the DIT
tent, and then Ben would speak to her
about any changes or we’d create a new
CDL to update the rushes.” Dailies
were projected at day’s end for the
 ◗ Avengers Re-Assemble
alize the final look. For the final grade,
ASC associate Steve Scott, the super-
vising finishing artist, used Autodesk
Flame 2015 Extension 3 Service Pack
A remote- 1, while senior DI editor Bob Schneider
controlled
camera vehicle
used the same software and version for
carrying a the conform. Scott was challenged with
Canon C500 finding a cohesive look among the many
rolls into
position for
locations and visual-effects sources.
the Mapo “Joss and Ben are always going for a
Bridge convincing, real world,” he says. “They
sequence.
don’t want a lurid, over-saturated, video-
game type quality.”
Whedon entrusted Scott to add
to the unique looks of three
flashback/dream sequences: a glimpse of
department heads, either from Avid deBayered to 3414x2196 DPX 10-bit Black Widow’s tragic backstory, a
DNxHD 120 MXF editorial media or files using Colorfront Transkoder and fantasy finding Steve Rogers and Peggy
camera-native raw media. delivered the plates to the visual-effects Carter (Hayley Atwell) together in a
Davis was present for three vendors, who scaled and center- dance hall at the end of World War II,
weeks of finishing, which took place extracted to a DI working resolution of and a nightmarish episode on Thor’s
from February to mid-April 2015 for 2158x1214 (1.77:1). Imax formatted an home world of Asgard. “The Black
the 2D and 3D versions. DI producer Imax 3D version as well. Widow sequence has a more faded
Michael Dillon relates that the Technicolor had pre-timed plates look,” Scott explains. “For Thor, we
Technicolor Los Angeles crew so the visual-effects vendors could visu- pushed the colors, contrast and sharp-

64
 TECHNICAL SPECS
2.39:1

Digital capture

Arri Alexa XT;

Red Epic Dragon,
Mysterium-X;
Phantom Flex4K;
Canon EOS C500;
Blackmagic Pocket
Cinema Camera;
GoPro Hero3

Panavision Primo,
Canon Cinema CN-E,
Zeiss Distagon,
Whedon and the crew line up the action using an Arri Alexa rigged with an Panasonic Lumix
Ncam real-time camera-tracking system.

ness. The Captain America scene is
harsh and has a patina that could
suggest the past; we just tried to make it
more colorful and alluring.”
Perfecting all the visual effects
and visual elements kept those involved
busy down to the wire, and for Davis —
who will again step behind the lens for
Marvel’s Doctor Strange — that’s a good
thing. “What I love about working for
Marvel is that the people in charge are
creative filmmakers, essentially,” he says.
“Their priority is always about [doing]
the best possible work and [ensuring]
that the best possible result is put out
there.” ●

65
 Picturing
Tomorrow
DClaudio Miranda, ASC helps
director Brad Bird envision a
potential future for humanity
irector Brad Bird calls his new science-fiction movie
Tomorrowland “a very unusual film,” both in terms of its
look and how it was made. Inspired by the section of
Disneyland with the same name, Tomorrowland tells
in Tomorrowland. the story of a former boy genius (George Clooney) and a
teenage girl (Britt Robertson) who stumble into an alternate
future reality built on secret scientific achievements.
By Michael Goldman In visualizing the screenplay he co-wrote with Damon
Lindelof, Bird insisted on an image that would hold up to 4K
•|• digital projection. “I was looking for something that would
have a rich look,” Bird says. “We figured 4K digital projectors
would be the best way this movie would be exhibited. I

66 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 thought maybe 65mm could be used to Opposite and this
acquire the image, but we didn’t feel page, top: Casey
Newton (Britt
confident that the movie could be Robertson) and former
projected [in 70mm]. I also thought boy-genius Frank
maybe we could shoot different formats Walker (George
Clooney) embark on a
— something I had done [on Mission: journey into an
Impossible — Ghost Protocol] — but at alternate future reality
the end of the day, it became too compli- built upon secret
scientific
cated to get everything mastered in 4K.” achievements in the
Helping Bird make the decision
Unit photography by Kimberley French, SMPSP, courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.

was cinematographer Claudio Miranda,
ASC. “I liked the way he talked about
film versus digital,” Bird recalls. “I knew
he would give me an honest assessment
about the best way to do this — he was
very even-handed, which I liked. He
knew I had some issues with digital, and
when I talked to him about them, he
always had solid ways to help me avoid
the pitfalls and get what I wanted.”
An extensive testing process ulti-
mately led to the decision to shoot
primarily with Sony F65 CineAlta 4K
digital cameras. For their tests, Miranda
configured what he calls a “big rig” that
supported seven cameras that captured
various digital formats in addition to
35mm and 8- and 15-perf 65mm film.
All seven cameras rolled simultaneously
so that Bird could evaluate the same shot
in each format. “I shot day and night
footage on Upper Grand Street [in
downtown Los Angeles] to see what the
cameras could do, and we projected each
one on a 60-foot screen in 4K,” Miranda
relates. “I took the labels off and asked
Brad what he was looking for. He
wanted a sharp, big image for a 4K
release, so I would have needed to be at
200 ASA on film. Imax 15-perf was
great for daytime, but it fell apart in low
light — and besides, it would have been
impractical to shoot this kind of movie
with those cameras.
“We also had all these visual
effects, and I was planning to use lots of
low-level lighting and practical lighting
feature film
Tomorrowland.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Claudio Miranda, ASC
finds a frame.
tricks,” the cinematographer continues.
“In these tests, you saw the strength of
digital with available light. This movie is
not about being soft and mushy and
squishy — it’s really about an Imax-
type, big-negative experience. The F65
was the best option for achieving all the
various needs of the movie.”
Miranda estimates that 95
percent of Tomorrowland was shot with
F65s, with Sony F55s used for lighter-
weight applications such as cablecam,
Steadicam and certain visual-effects
requirements. (The finished film
includes 1,161 visual-effects shots.)
According to digital-imaging technician

www.theasc.com June 2015 67

◗ Picturing Tomorrow

At the 1964 Alex Carr, the filmmakers recorded 16-

World’s Fair, bit linear raw files to the F65’s internal
young Frank recorder with a 2.20:1 frame marker on
Walker (Thomas
Robinson) is the footage, so that the movie could
given a pin by a then be configured for both standard
girl named 2.20:1 — “Brad wanted to honor the old
Athena. The tip
of the Eiffel 65mm format,” notes Miranda — and
Tower on the “It’s Imax 1.90:1 presentation. The 2.20:1
a Small World” frame marker was used for the F55
ride scans the pin
and the young footage as well.
boy is routed to a The film’s lens package
Tomorrowland comprised Arri/Zeiss Master Primes
transport.
(ranging from 14mm to 150mm) and
Fujinon Premier zooms (14.5-45mm
T2.0, 18-85mm T2.0, 24-180mm T2.6
and 75-400mm T2.8-3.8) — essentially
the same package Miranda paired with
an F65 for Oblivion (AC May ’13).
Miranda opines that the combination of
Master Primes and Premier zooms is
“the sharpest way to go” when shooting
with an F65 for a 4K master.
First AC Daniel Ming adds that
the 4K mandate kept the focus pullers
on their toes. “It became apparent that
what is generally considered to be
within tolerance for lens calibration was
not good enough for 4K, especially with
wider lenses,” Ming says. “An image that
looked good at 2K or HD could look

68 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Picturing Tomorrow
soft at 4K, so we had to keep a close eye
on things, especially when temperatures
started to vary wildly. When the
temperatures would drop at night — to
Top: Young Frank below freezing sometimes [on location
boards the
transport in Vancouver] — the focus markings on
between the the wide lenses went out the door, and
World’s Fair and we had to check focus solely on the
Tomorrowland.
Middle and monitor. Plus, Claudio likes to motivate
bottom: Frank his light sources from practicals and use
uses a rocket realistic interactive light levels for visual
pack to travel
through effects. We were at a T1.4 frequently in
Tomorrowland. those situations, which is always a chal-
lenge.”
Carr built a workflow methodol-
ogy for Miranda that allowed the cine-
matographer to view imagery on a
small, mobile monitoring cart that was
linked by fiber-optic connection to
Carr’s main DIT cart. The smaller cart
— which included a Sony BVM-
F250A Trimaster OLED reference
monitor, two Leader LV5330 test
monitors, two HME wireless base
stations, and basic video routing
controls — could be maneuvered into
tight spaces while Carr stayed back with
his larger cart, from which he provided
a basic color grade, remote camera
control, fiber transmission and receiv-
ing, and video routing to VTR and
camera operators and assistants. Carr
typically transferred one take from each
setup to grade on set with Miranda;
then, at the end of each shooting day, he
sent XML metadata grades and reports
to a near-set lab operated by mobile
digital dailies vendor Sixteen19, which
handled archiving and processing.
“All the footage went through my
system,” Carr explains. “Second-unit
media was always shuttled to me before
going to the lab, and I inserted each
card recorded from both units into my
machine for checking and downloading
selects. I used Colorfront Express
Dailies, limited only with a curve and
CDL. Secondary corrections were not
easily translatable, and were not recom-
mended going through the dailies
pipeline. Sixteen19 brought an on-set
Colorfront system to handle audio sync,
reports and media generation for all the
various deliverables. Justin Staley was

70 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 Bridgeway Plaza — where travelers enter and exit Tomorrowland.
our dailies operator, who used
[Colorfront On-Set Dailies].
Colorfront is a powerful tool for bridg-
ing the set with dailies and editorial;
tied to a MySQL database to be used
with visual-effects pulls later on, it is a
very efficient way to create grades and
keep them throughout postproduction
and compositing.”
Miranda often kept the cameras
on cranes and dollies, sometimes flew
them on cables, and made extensive use
of a 73' Hydrascope on a Titan base.
“Tomorrowland is a place we haven’t
seen before,” the cinematographer
notes, adding that scenes set therein
consequently have “more hero shots and
vistas [than scenes set] in the ‘real’
world.”
Bird sought to further distinguish
Tomorrowland with an interactive
lighting scheme that would suggest a
sense of living light and energy. For
particular sets and lengthy sequences,
Miranda made interactive lighting
effects the primary — and sometimes
only — lighting sources. In fact,
Miranda says the intent with virtually
all of the light in Tomorrowland was to
make it constantly move with “a Tesla
type of energy, like electrical charges.”
“Claudio is very attuned to light,
how it reacts and how to keep it consis-
tent, whether we are in situations with
effects and bluescreen or not,” Bird says.
“He has this amazing ability to orches-
trate the light from one scene to the
next, changing it in an almost musical
way.”
One of the movie’s key locales is
the Bridgeway Plaza, where travelers to
and from Tomorrowland enter and exit
the reality. Crackling energy visibly
pulsates up and down the plaza’s “power
tower” — which was built on an exterior
set in Vancouver — in homage to the
work of the electrical pioneer Nikola
Tesla. Rather than relying on CG
constructs, the filmmakers created most
of the pulsating effect on set by
photographing various LEDs posi-
tioned behind lenticular lens sheets.
“Lenticular is [the type of ] plastic sheet
on those old 3D postcards,” Miranda
explains. “It has an amazing look when
used as a screen in front of light
sources.”
“It is flexible, as it’s maybe 3
millimeters thick,” notes rigging gaffer
Jarrod Tiffin, “and it comes in different
magnification levels.”
Miranda describes the constantly
moving and reshaping light as “a kind of
in-camera energy-field effect.” Gaffer
David Tickell adds that the goal was to
imbue “a life force to the energy, to show
71
◗ Picturing Tomorrow
it was always moving, pulsing, never
stagnant. We incorporated a lot of
LEDs and media behind the lenticular
lens for a 3D effect. Depending on how
you set the lenticular, it would bend and
stretch the light in different directions.”
Tiffin adds that the tower incor-
porated approximately 150 Barco
MiStrip LED units, with an inch
between each MiStrip. “Using media
servers and custom content, our media
operator, Zach Alexander, created an
energy-wave movement,” Tiffin
explains. “With the lenticular lens, each
LED was stretched to about 6 inches.
The trick was that we had to invert
every other row, as the MiStrip LEDs
are linear, not clusters — if they were all
hung the same way, you would always
see red or blue first, depending on which
way the camera was looking. By invert-
ing the rows, you get a perfect blended
color from any angle.”
The tower also includes forks,
where electricity jumps back and forth
between the tines. Tiffen explains, “The
forks had [Environmental Lights]
PixelPro units built into them, with a
timed fade pattern that the console
operators ran. Above them were four
250K Lightning Strikes and two 70K
Lightning Strikes on the sides, which
served to create energy blasts. Off the
sides of the tower with the MiStrips
were two walls that were approximately
60 feet long and 24 feet tall each, and
they had approximately 560 Philips iW
Blast and ColorBlast [LED fixtures]
hung vertically every 3 feet and bounced
into a white wall. Between these vertical
light towers and in front of the white
bounce was a giant wood gobo, painted
black, and in front of that was another
lenticular lens, which stretched the
image and gave the sense of a major
energy field. On the sides of that was
the base of the tower, which had long
runs of PixelPros that matched the
program running the forks. To help with
the scope of this, every 20 feet of
PixelPro was a DMX universe, so the
entire set consisted of almost 100 DMX
The camera is readied for the scene in which Casey enters Tomorrowland. universes. All of it was running at the
same time through the GrandMa2 and

72 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Picturing Tomorrow
[network processing units], and the
media servers and console were
controlled by [Alexander and lighting-
console programmer Benoit Richard].”
Practical interactive lighting
effects were hardly limited to the tower.
For example, Bird felt the futuristic ray
guns used in a number of important
sequences should emit a uniquely
organic and believable light. “I asked
Claudio, ‘Why, when people use
weapons like ray guns in a visual-effects
movie, do the light and shadows not
appear on people and around the
room?’” Bird relates. “They always seem
to paint it in later in post, and it doesn’t
really look like light moving through a
room. So I asked him about it, and
Claudio and his team promptly devel-
oped light arrays so that the light would
move through the set.”
The solution involved 24
Chroma-Q Color Force LED strips
configured on 6' trusses that could be
positioned above or beside the set; the
trusses could be connected to extend the
chase, depending on how far the person
firing the gun was from the target. “We
could create a big flash that began when
the actor pulled the trigger, but
controlled at the GrandMa2 lighting
console, giving us lighting effects in a
long line,” Tickell explains. “Visual
effects could then [embellish the effect]
later as needed.”
“It’s nice that we have LEDs for
this kind of lighting interaction,”
Miranda adds. “I didn’t want to just slap
a color onto the light coming out of the
guns — we wanted the light to start full
white and then decay into a little blur of
color. One character fires a ray gun and
it ends up being a cyan color, and the
next one fires and it’s more of an amber.
LED gave us a flexible way to do that
without having to re-gel the whole [rig]
or trying to control it in post.”
Tickell notes that the production
worked with Canadian company
Unlimited Design Ltd. to incorporate
LED technology into the prop ray guns,
Frank, Casey, Athena (Raffey Cassidy) and scientist David Nix (Hugh Laurie) enter the monitor and to configure the guns’ triggers to
room that hovers above Bridgeway Plaza. wirelessly cue the lighting console to set
off the choreographed LED strips — all

74 June 2015 American Cinematographer

while keeping the props lightweight
enough to not burden the actors. With
the resultant props, pulling the trigger
would simultaneously emit a visible
white light followed by a color and
signal the lighting console to send
matching color combinations through
the rigged Color Force LEDs.
Perhaps the most complicated set
to rig was the “monitor room,” which
appears onscreen as a floating sphere
that hovers above the Bridgeway Plaza.
Inside the sphere is an immersive 360-
degree environment that shows the
characters events from anywhere in the
world and any time in the future.
“Think of it like being inside a planetar-
ium, surrounded 360 degrees by a
complete visual medium,” Miranda
says. “It’s a true immersive space, with
video playing all around the actors,
wrapping around them.”
Miranda adds that the environ-
ment itself provides all of the light. To
realize the effect, his team rigged two
custom ring frames — each 5' tall and
52' in diameter, and each divided into
eight equal sections — from aircraft
cable attached to a chain motor. Tiffin
says there were approximately 1,200
inverted MiStrips on each ring, and
each of the 16 sections could be raised,
lowered, or separated entirely to permit
cameras to access the set. “The MiStrips
had a diffusion frame 1 foot off the
front, and in the center above the set was
a 30-by-30-foot truss rig with [Pixled]
F-11 LED panels, which we had to
bring in from Europe,” Tiffin explains.
He adds that all of this rigging
combined to create “the ability to have
two 360-degree rings that could become
one, or be separated to become two,
with an interactive top. Using custom
video content sent to our media servers,
Zach Alexander gave us the ability to
provide constant interactive lighting
that Claudio helped create to match the
changing tone as the scene evolved.
When the screens opened up for the
camera to poke through on one side,
Claudio would open the other side to
reveal a bluescreen lit by Kino Flo
Image 87s.” ➣
 ◗ Picturing Tomorrow
Director Brad Bird (left, red hat), Miranda and crew line up a shot with Robertson.
Not all the lighting involved
interactive techniques, of course, but
there were other challenges to deal with
along the way. When the production
76
traveled to the Kennedy Space Center’s
historic Launch Pad 39A — the erst-
while launch point of dozens of Apollo
and Space Shuttle missions — for a
night rocket-launching scene, there was
simply no way to light the pad’s 700'-tall
tower for a moonlit ambience. According
to Tickell, at the time Tomorrowland
visited the location, plans were already
underway to dismantle the tower after
the site had been leased to a private
company. “They had disconnected the
power to it,” Tickell says. “In the end, the
production ended up paying to reinstate
the power [to specific sections of the
tower], and that made the tower self-illu-
minating.
“We then purchased a bunch of
low-pressure sodium-vapor lights that
basically matched what was on the tower,
and placed them on the ground around
the different areas where we were shoot-
ing, moving them around as needed,”
Tickell continues. “We would put some
sources of light up on the platform, just
to create some odd little backlight here or
there. But for the most part it was just the
lighting of the tower and the positioning
of the sodiums that lit the whole area.”
 The movie also features a mono-
rail system meant to evoke Disneyland’s
monorail. For those sequences, as well as
certain scenes in which characters fly
with the aid of futuristic jetpacks,
Miranda wanted to add realistic light-
and-shadow effects to enhance the illu-
sion of movement. Accordingly, on the
360-degree bluescreen monorail set, the
crew built six 32'x24' truss boxes that
were 4' deep and fitted with 270 Kino
Flo Image 87s in total. The boxes were
strung end-to-end and hung on I-beam
tracks. Twenty Martin Mac III
Performances were suspended on sepa-
rate trusses on each side of the boxes,
with another 20 Vipers on each side on
the ground — for a total of 80 lights.
Tickell says Richard “was amaz-
ing at making a chase sequence out of
the [Image 87s], which is hard to do. A
lot of times when you are on and off
fluorescents, it gets very steppy. But this
was quite smooth — you really felt the
motion of the train. And we added gobo
light wheels that were basically 12-foot
aluminum wheels, with half of them
blacked out and a motor on them that
the rigging grips designed and we could
control. We could black out, say, an 18K
Arrimax and then open it to create sun
in and out of clouds. We did the same
kind of gobo effect for the flying
sequences, when [the characters] are
traveling on jetpacks through the city.”
At press time, Miranda and Bird
were working with Company 3 colorist
Stephen Nakamura on the final digital
grade — using Blackmagic’s DaVinci
Resolve — which afforded the film-
makers an opportunity to ensure the
film’s overall look adhered to Bird’s
thematic foundation for the story. In
contrast to the dystopian future often
visualized in modern science-fiction
films and literature, the director wanted
to show the brighter, more positive
future he remembers hearing about at
Disneyland when he was growing up.
One key to representing that optimistic
future was to make sure “we were not
too overbearing or overly systematic
during the DI,” says Miranda. “We
didn’t want to crush blacks. We forced
some cool tones and warm tones just to
play with mood a little bit, and we took
down some walls and created some extra
space, but it is all really subtle work. At
the end of the day, it is a pretty natural-
looking movie. When you see
Tomorrowland, we want it to be a breath
of fresh air.” ●
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.20:1 and 1.90:1 Imax
Digital Capture
Sony CineAlta F65, F55
Arri/Zeiss Master Primes,
Fujinon Premier
77
 Trapped
in a
Groove

Images courtesy of CG Cinéma. Photo of Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC by Jean-Claude

Moineau, courtesy of the ASC archives, Raphael Cohen and Film En Stock.
Paul (Félix de Givry) struggles to make his mark as a young Parisian DJ in Eden.

P
hotographed by Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC, Mia Hansen-
Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC lets Løve’s Eden chronicles more than two decades of French
the story lead the way on electronic-music culture as seen through the eyes of Paul
Mia Hansen-Løve’s Eden, a tale (Félix de Givry), a young Parisian DJ struggling to make
music while still making ends meet. Hansen-Løve wrote the
of a struggling Parisian DJ. script based on the real-life experiences of her brother (and co-
writer) Sven, and her direction lends a truthfulness to the events
By Iain Stasukevich portrayed. Lenoir — whose work includes such films as Still
Alice and Demonlover — provides naturalistic imagery that
supports this perspective, wherein the actors drive his camera-
•|• work and the immediate environment dictates his lighting. ➣

78 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Trapped in a Groove

American Cinematographer:
How did you come to be involved with
this film?
Denis Lenoir, ASC, AFC: Mia
is an old friend of mine. We met when
she was 18 and acting in the Olivier
Assayas film I was shooting, Late
August, Early September. When she
started directing, her first three movies
were all shot on film by other cine-
matographers, and this time she asked
me to work with her. She wanted to
shoot on film again, but the budget
didn’t allow it.
Which camera system did you
shoot with?
Lenoir: My experience in digital
has almost always been with Alexa,
unless the project is so specific that I
would consider another digital camera
— as if it were film and I [needed to
choose] another format like 16mm or
Super 8. For me now, though, the ques-
tion is whether to shoot ProRes or if we
can afford ArriRaw, not just in terms of
money, but time. I remember doing
comparison tests between the two
formats and seeing a difference, but not
disliking the texture of ProRes. The
difference was so small that, assuming
I’m exposing properly and not painting
Top: Cyril (Roman Kolinka) and Paul head home in the early morning after attending a myself into a corner, it was not enough
rave. Middle: Thomas (Vincent Lacoste, left) and Guy (Arnaud Azoulay) hang outside a club to justify the money, the time, and a
in the early 1990s. Bottom: Stan (Hugo Conzelmann) partners with Paul to create the more complicated workflow to shoot
musical duo Cheers.
raw, so I shot this film in ProRes 4:4:4

80 June 2015 American Cinematographer


APATOW AND LIPES
CHOOSE CLASSIC LOOK FOR
Trainwreck is the latest Judd Apatow-directed comedy to hit
the big screen. As a director, Apatow’s smashing success in the
comedy realm includes The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Funny
People and This is 40. In the producer role, he has had a hand in a
long string of other hit comedies including Bridesmaids, Superbad,
Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Pineapple Express, and he is known as a
pioneer in the “bromantic comedy” genre.
This time around, Apatow has built a film around a female
lead. In Trainwreck, Amy Schumer, who also wrote the script,
plays a semi-autobiographical character who is extremely
commitment-phobic, tending to sabotage any budding
relationship. When she meets a good man, she must face her
fears. The cast also includes Tilda Swinton, Bill Hader, Brie Larson,
Colin Quinn, Marisa Tomei, and LeBron James. The shoot was
mounted in New York City over the course about 53 days.
Apatow is known for his preference for film, joining Martin
Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, J.J. Abrams and others in being vocal
about their support of the medium. According to cinematographer
June 2015
Jody Lee Lipes, the decision to go with 35mm film on Trainwreck
was part of a strategy to give the movie a classic look and feel.
Lipes’ background includes indie credits like Martha Marcy
May Marlene, Tiny Furniture, and Afterschool, as well as the pilot
and first season of the television series Girls, where he has also
handled directing duties. His most recent film as a director
is the vérité documentary Ballet 422, released by Magnolia
Pictures, which is in theaters now. It’s a film about a young
choreographer named Justin Peck creating a new ballet at the
New York City Ballet.
Regarding Trainwreck, Lipes says, “It was important to Judd
that the movie feels like a classic, New York romantic comedy.
It’s a kind of film that has gone away to some degree, where a
woman falls in love with a perfect guy, and there’s a fairy tale
quality. We wanted to make it feel beautiful and slightly formal.”
That formalism was balanced by the spontaneity of the
comedy. “We sometimes let things play in wider shots, including
close-ups, in order to see more physicality,” he says. “Judd works
in a very improvisational way. It’s very loose — what we’re going
to accomplish on a given day, how it’s going to be shot, and what
the actors are going to say and do. I wanted to use the camera
to counter that. I kept things very locked down and static, with
carefully chosen compositions, and a decisive feeling.”
The format was 3-perf 35mm, and the aspect ratio was a
widescreen 2.35:1. The cameras were ARRICAM LTs and the
lenses were generally Cooke 5/i in the medium range of focal
lengths – usually 32mm or 40mm, and occasionally a 65 mm.
The aspect ratio and format were a creative choice dictated
partially by the New York setting. The 3-perf format had the
additional benefit of saving 25 percent over 4-perf in stock
and processing.
“Judd had shot his previous film digitally, and I think he found
the ability to keep rolling forever counterproductive,” says Lipes.
“After a certain point, the cast and crew get burned out. Being
able to take a break and reload for a minute is welcome.”
The film stocks were KODAK VISION3 500T Color
Negative Film 5219 and KODAK VISION3 50D Color Negative
Film 5203. The majority of the film unfolds in day interior
situations, which were split between stage work and locations.
“Because so many projects are
digital, shooting on film makes
the movie stand out. It just
feels more human, more analog,
more natural, and ultimately,
more stylized.”
“We did side-by-side tests with digital formats, and there
was just no comparison,” says Lipes. “It was very obvious to
everyone that film was the way to go. It felt better, and it
creates uniqueness about the film. Because so many projects
are digital, shooting on film makes the movie stand out. It just
feels more human, more analog, more natural, and ultimately,
more stylized. It’s not as sharp – it’s more pleasing. It wasn’t a
scientific decision. It just felt like the right way to go.”
The classic romantic comedy aesthetic comes with a
higher-key approach to lighting. “This was definitely the most
bright and broad lighting I’ve done for a film,” says Lipes.
“That’s what was appropriate.”
In one important scene, Schumer and Hader return to his
character’s apartment after a first date. The environment
included a lot of glass and extensive city views. Even though
it was on the seventh floor, Lipes lit up the interior from the
outside. The lights were aimed up from the sidewalks, through
the big windows, and bounced off the apartment ceiling, thus
avoiding reflections in the glass and allowing the camera to
look in any direction.
“Generally, the lighting was all very straightforward and very
traditional in a lot of ways, and it was good to go through that
exercise,” says Lipes. “I worked with a great gaffer (Andy Day)
and a great crew, and they really helped me get the film in the
right place. Coloring it in post was very simple, and Judd was
quite happy with the images in the end.”
Trainwreck is in theaters this summer.
Photos: Previous page: Amy Schumer and Bill Hader star in Trainwreck. This page, top:
Schumer and Brie Larson. This page, bottom: LeBron James and Hader in a scene from
Trainwreck. Photos © Universal Pictures.
 Dwight Chalmers is a
filmmaker and musician who
divides his time between
professional sound work for
movies and television, and
small, personal films. His
most recent short film is Dim
the Lights, an impressionistic
collage that serves as a
travelogue for a recent trip
from the Midwest to the
Pacific Ocean along the old
Route 66. The film’s audio
track includes original music
along with sounds and
ambiences gathered and
edited by Chalmers.
“At first, there were two
sides to my love for sound,”
says Chalmers. “One was
recording bands, and
the other was collecting
ambiences. For years, I have
gone out and recorded
interesting sounds —
crickets, open air spaces,
air conditioners, a soda
machine with a strange
buzz. Twenty years later, I
might use sounds from that
library on a project like Dim
the Lights.”
Chalmers looks at
shooting film in a similar
way. He collects Super
8 imagery and pieces it
into a film, working with
co-filmmaker Angie
Carpenter.
“For Dim the Lights, our
goal was to be inspired by a
location and then figure out
the story when we got there,”
he says. “I always watched my
grandfather’s trips on Super 8
and I liked how he could tell a
story within a couple rolls of
film. There weren’t hours and
hours of raw footage to sift
through. I even wanted to use
his camera moves and some
of his shooting methods. The
goal was to make these stories
feel like found footage, with a
timeless quality.”
The Super 8 aesthetic, with
prominent grain and 18 frames
per second, was an important
factor. Chalmers has a dozen
or more Super 8 cameras,
many bought for a few dollars
at flea markets or garage sales.
They include Kodak, Argus,
Bauer, Bell & Howell and
Bentley models. He welcomes
the anomalies they sometimes
introduce.
“Sometimes my footage
sits on the shelf for years
before I send it out for
development,” he says. “I
might find a little hidden
jewel, something that didn’t
make sense when I shot it.
That makes it fun. There’s one
camera that I like especially
— it has a loose gear in it, and
every now and then I’ll hear it
making a certain sound. That
means the film is starting to
jitter a little bit, which gives it
a certain look, an in-camera
effect. If we need to get
back to normal, I reload the
cartridge. We consider it a gift
from the camera.”
Editing was minimal, mostly
rearranging three-minute
reels, and deleting the
occasional unusable shot. “We
limited ourselves to four or six
rolls of film,” he says. “That
way, we’re very cautious of
what we shoot. You have to
think about the next shot, and
how to tell the story. For Dim
the Lights, we had to save at
least a half a cartridge to shoot
when we reached the Santa
Monica Pier, where Route 66
terminates.”
On the Dim the Lights trip,
Chalmers shot quite a bit of
KODAK VISION3 250D Color
Negative Film, repackaged by
Pro8mm in Burbank, Calif.,
but his cameras are also
loaded with KODACHROME
40 Film, KODAK Type G
EKTACHROME 160 Movie
Film, and KODAK TRI-X
Reversal Film. Pro8mm
scans the film at 1920X1080i
and colors it on a DaVinci
system. Chalmers gets the
images back on a hard drive.
Jon McCallum, a friend and
filmmaker best known for his
(recently re-mastered and
re-released) soundtrack for
the cult film Surf Nazis Must
Die, helps out in navigating file
formats, titles, frame rates and
other post puzzles.
Dim the Lights has screened
at the RxSM Self Medicated
Film Expo in Austin, Texas,
the Victoria Film Festival in
Victoria, Texas, and was an
official selection at the Los
Angeles Independent Film
Festival.
Photo: Left filmstrip: Scenes from Dim the
Lights. Background and top right: Dwight
Chalmers filming on Route 66. (Credit:
Angela Carpenter.)
 In order to maximize spontaneous creativity in the filmmaking You get all the benefits of 35mm — the lenses, focal lengths,
moment, Steven Annis prefers to approach each assignment great aspect ratio — and it’s just beautiful. We had used the
with a minimum of planning. format on the Bryan Ferry clip (“Loop De Li”) and the director
“I’m a believer in organic filmmaking,” he says. “I like to give fell in love with the richness, colors, and the look.”
my interpretation in the moment. If you’re surrounded by good When it came to the U2 project, the creative team went with
production design, and you have a good director, cast, grader exactly the same tools: a 2-perf PANAVISION PLATINUM
and editor, everything just camera with a set of Ultra Speed MKIIs, backed up with an
seems to happen. It’s a perfect ARRI 435 camera on STEADICAM. “I didn’t look at any old
balance between just enough photographs of the ‘70s or ‘80s, I just went in there with an
planning and the director letting image capturing device that’s been around for over a century,”
his/her actors go, and then the cinematographer explains. ”Because of its nature, film needs
you being there to capture very little manipulation and I felt confident the KODAK stock
organically.” and the old lenses would put me on the right tracks.”
Annis is an in-demand The video played out over the course of six days around
cinematographer who Belfast. There were explosions, car chases and fire scenes.
specializes in unique imagery Annis shot the entire promo on KODAK VISION3 200T Color
for music videos and Negative Film 5213. He often underexposed to dig in and to
commercials. His recent credits emphasize the grain. He gives credit to the grader, Simon
include clips for Florence Bourne at Framestore, for perfecting the color and contrast.
and the Machine, Kwabs, Bryan Ferry and Gary Clark Jr. and
commercials for Powerade, UNIQLO, Sony and Adidas.
Another recent high-end project Annis framed is “Every
Breaking Wave,” a 13-minute visual essay set to U2’s song of
the same name. Directed by Aoife McArdle, the film is set in
Belfast during “The Troubles,” the gray and desperate milieu in
which U2, now a worldwide phenomenon, got its start.
At the heart of the story is a young couple’s desperate love
as it blooms amid the desperation and violence. To depict that
bleak time period and setting, the filmmakers shot 35mm film
in the 2-perf format, which results in significant cost savings
in stock and processing, and delivers a widescreen frame with
more pronounced filmic flavor.
“The 2-perf format made its resurgence as a money-saving
device,” says Annis. “But I think the format is a perfect balance.
“Each frame of 35mm is
organic and alive! You put
some light on it and it plays
within boundaries. It’s a
magical unknown quantity,
and I love it.”
“Underexposure works well if you’ve got extreme highlights
and some ability to control the light,” Annis relates. “In murky,
flat light, it’s harder to underexpose. But at the end of the day,
we’re dealing with a magical strip of chemicals. Does anybody
really, truly know what’s going on? Each frame of 35mm is
organic and alive! You put some light on it and it plays within
boundaries. It’s a magical unknown quantity, and I love it.”
In one tense scene, a group of young toughs check their
weapons in a darkened room where strong daylight knifes
through a slit in the heavy curtains. A knock at the door proves
to be the female lead.
Regarding his approach to this scene, Annis says, “I like a
single light source. I never ever put lights inside because it plays
hell with the director’s vision. I think you have to be responsible
as a DP and think about the budget, the schedule and what you’re
shooting. On a $50 million feature that scene would have been
shot over a whole day, and every time you turned the camera
around you’d re-light. I didn’t have that luxury. We had maybe
an hour to shoot that scene, and it’s like that on most music
video jobs. You go into the location, and you find the best way
to light without compromising the final image. You have to
have an understanding director. A single light source, a good
art department, the right curtains — it’s simple, but it allows you
a kind of freedom to move quickly and efficiently.”
Annis has also made extensive use of the Super 16 film
format. Examples include multiple Calvin Harris promos and the
new Florence and the Machine videos shot in the Scottish
Highlands with Vince Haycock.
“Super 16, to me, is the only truly unique format on the planet,
and it’s an astounding thing,” he says. “When I saw the rushes
from the recent Florence and the Machine shoot, it took my
breath away. That’s the power of celluloid. Film is not the right
format for every job and every budget, but I think film can live
very beautifully alongside the digital formats.”
Annis worked as a focus puller for eight years prior to
becoming a director of photography. He says he feels privileged
to work with talented collaborators.
“For me, heaven is being put in a room with an actor or actress
who is going through some emotional strain, and filming this
person,” he says. “I’m in this industry to be part of a process — a
cog in the wheel. If someone out there in the world is affected in
a positive way by something I shot, that’s me doing my job.”
Photos: Top left and right, and bottom center: Scenes from “Every Breaking Wave”
(credit: Steven Annis); Left center: Steven Annis (credit: Jean Martin); Right center:
Behind the scenes on the music film (credit: Aoife McArdle)
 BEN RICHARDSON
FINDS FREEDOM WITH FILM ON
DIGGING FOR FIRE
Joe Swanberg and Ben Richardson have made three movies
together — Drinking Buddies, Happy Christmas, and now
Digging for Fire. The film is a dramedy, co-written with Jake
Johnson who also stars in it, about a man in a mid-wife crisis
and a woman trying to figure out where mother/wife ends
and she begins.
“We’ve got a good shorthand going at this point,” Richardson
says, “which makes us pretty efficient with shot design. So, this
time we decided to go all the way and shoot 35mm with the
camera on the dolly.”
Digging for Fire was produced in 2-perf 35mm on KODAK
VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219 and KODAK VISION3
200T Color Negative Film 5213.
A formal shooting style isn’t what Swanberg fans might
expect from the writer-director’s usual aesthetics, where
there’s a certain amount of handheld that goes on in order
to remain responsive to all the improvised performances.
But Richardson was able to maintain all those same reactive
elements while still going for something different.
Swanberg always works sans script, using instead an
outline developed in collaboration with his cast — one of the
reasons that actors are really excited to work in his movies.
Since this was a bigger scale production than his last two
films, Swanberg and Richardson did have to involve a bit
more prep in order to think about the practical aspects of
production and lighting. Richardson adds, “Although much of
the film takes place in one big location — a hillside house in
LA — it was still contained, fortunately.
“In some ways Digging for Fire is more of a structured story,”
Richardson continues, “The mystery component suggested
we break with the pure naturalism of our previous films. We
talked about landing somewhere between the ‘70s world,
which is such a strong influence for Joe, and the great ‘80s
thrillers and action movies of our childhoods.”
Using a dolly and having a bit more planning was a change
in pace for the duo. “On most films you light a scene with a
very strong idea of what the blocking and performances will
be and then you structure the camerawork around that,”
explains Richardson. “Whereas, in this situation, I had to figure
out a way to allow the actors to make whatever choices they
wanted while we were rolling, and still get great footage. That
spontaneity is one of the keys to Joe’s films, and one of the
reasons I’ll always enjoy working with him. It’s challenging, but
a really fun way to work.”
The location came to bear on the assignment as well. “In
this case, at the poolside for example, we lit from the sides
and the roof of the main house, keeping a large area free for
the actors to explore,” the cinematographer relates. “We laid
track along the edge of the pool, and just went for it. I’d look
for places to lose an actor out of shot, and then when we went
again on a longer lens, I’d look for a way to pick them up again
that would work for Joe’s cut. It feels like coverage, but no one
ever does the same thing twice!”
Choosing to shoot on film for Digging for Fire was twofold
for Richardson. Partly, it’s aesthetic. “I don’t want to say
‘tactile’ because that makes it sound like all you care about is
grain,” he explains, “but there is a certain visual integrity to
a film-derived image that is still lacking for me in most of the
digitally-derived imagery that we see.”
“Because there aren’t
The other aspect that Richardson is drawn to is the energy large monitors all around,
in the way a film shoot operates. “Because there aren’t large
monitors all around, everyone’s focus remains on the set, in everyone’s focus remains on
the moment, and on the performance. And for me, I’m working
from the image in my mind to improve a shot because you’re the set, in the moment, and
not getting that instant feedback (that you get with digital).”
Given that they wanted a sense of solidity and confidence
on the performance.”
for the visuals in this movie, shooting on film wasn’t

really a question. From the early days of pre-production,
Swanberg and Richardson knew they were going to have
to figure out how to make it work on what was a very small
budget. Between film stocks, processing at FotoKem, and
the digital intermediate in Chicago with Nolo Digital Film,
Richardson feels they were able to pull off something that
looks tremendously high budget and high value with minimal
equipment.
Shot in large part at night, another of Richardson’s
challenges was lighting a large area with relatively little
equipment, while still aiming for a more stylized, heightened
version of night than is typical for an independent movie. “To
be honest, we were aiming in the direction of Jurassic Park!”
he notes. He used tungsten units bounced into muslins and
beadboard and created edges with Lee Soft Silver and a little
blue, while pairing the ARRICAM Lite camera with a small
set of Master Primes supplied by ARRI/CSC. “With that
wonderful 500 film stock,” he adds, “you can work at very low
light levels, and still hold rich, detailed shadows.”
Photos: Left page: A scene from Digging for Fire. This page: Jake Johnson relaxing in Digging
for Fire. Photos by Ben Richardson/Courtesy of The Orchard.
 Tacita Dean was born in 1965 in Canterbury, UK. She studied
at Falmouth School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art before
moving to Berlin on a DAAD scholarship in 2000 where she
continues to live and work.
In 2011, she made FILM as part of the Unilever Series of
commissions in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, which marked the
beginning of her campaign to protect the medium of photochemical
film (www.savefilm.org).
When Dean won the Kurt Schwitters Prize in
2009, her films were described as expressing
something that neither painting nor photography
could capture. “They are purely film. (…) Dean‘s
art is carried by a sense of history, time and place,
light quality and the essence of the film itself. The
focus of her subtle but ambitious work is the truth
of the moment, the film as a medium and the
sensibilities of the individual.”
Her most recent film, Event for a Stage had its
world premiere at the 52nd Theatertreffen in
Berlin in May. The film originated as a work made
for a stage with the actor Stephen Dillane. The
crew of four, who filmed it on 16mm, became
part of the event as well as the film, highlighting such things as film
magazine length.
Here, Tacita discusses her decision to use film in her work:
Why is film your choice of medium?
When I left art school, I began working with film as an artist,
which is very different from using it as a filmmaker. It is essential to
understand that I use it as my medium, as you would use any other
artistic medium. Increasingly, as my medium became threatened, I
started to make films that could only be made on film, using all of its
internal qualities. Not only the relationship between the grain and
the visual side of it, but also all the disciplines that happen with film.
You’re always working with finite periods of time because of your
roll length, and in order to give even the appearance of seamless real
time, you have to go to the artifice of editing.
Can you tell us more about your process?
I do all of my own editing, and I still cut my films on a cutting
table, so I need print. I work the same way that a sculptor would
work with plaster or stone. I work with material, so I need the stuff
at that point in the process, the physical resistance of the material.
I work with sync sound sometimes so need to use mag. I record my
sound digitally but transfer it to mag to cut the film. Then the sound
design goes back to digital, but then in the end it becomes optical,
analogue again. I love working with film. Mainly I love cutting it.
That’s when I make the work. It’s just the film and me.
Tell us a little about your project, FILM.
When I made FILM, which was the project I did for the Turbine
Hall at Tate Modern in London, I went back to the origins of
filmmaking, when it was an exciting new
medium. I looked at all of the things they
invented then, like aperture gate masking,
glass matte painting, illusion and mirrors
and backdrops. I wanted the whole film
to be exposed inside the camera, with no
postproduction. It was a 35mm, portrait format,
anamorphic film, which was projected 13 meters
tall. There was nothing done afterwards, except
for the editing. So it’s all about what is imprinted
onto the emulsion in that moment.
The Turbine Hall is a very high-profile event,
so a lot of journalists asked, “Why can’t this be
digital?” And my argument was that maybe you
could copy it digitally, although I’m not sure that
would be even possible, but you could never arrive at it digitally
because it’s entirely made as a result of the internal disciplines of
film with many things you cannot anticipate. These are the magical,
and I’d say chemical or alchemical, qualities of film that are unique
to it. And no amount of imitation can ever produce the same things.
As an artist, it’s about the materiality, the experience, the encounter
with the original object, which is so essential. It’s what museums and
artists do. It gives you the experience with the real object.
How important is it to you to know that the images you’re
capturing will still be viable years from now? Do you believe that
people overlook this?
Oh God, yes. You only have to talk to someone like Christopher
Nolan, who puts it so perfectly when he says that film is resolution
independent. If you don’t protect the original object, and you just
invest in making a 2K digital copy, very soon that 2K digital copy is
going to look crude. Then you’re going to want to make a 4K, or a
10K, or a future-K of it, and you’ve lost the original object.
To read the full interview with Tacita Dean, go to In Camera online
at www.kodak.com/go/motion
Photo: The artist filming “Teignmouth Electron” in Cayman Brac, September 1998. Photo © Kjetil Berge.

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at 2.8K. [Eden was shot on the Arri
Alexa Plus, recording to SxS cards at 2K
ProRes 4:4:4:4 in Log C format.]
Which lenses did you use?
Lenoir: On almost every film I’ve
shot, I’ve used some light diffusion. I
didn’t want to use any diffusion on this
film, though, because I knew that we
were shooting in dark clubs with strong
lights that I would not be able to protect
the camera from, as well as apartments
with windows that I would not be able
to tint down with ND gels, and I would
get artifacts and flaring beyond my
control. For this reason, I wanted to
have fast lenses and I wanted lenses that
are not so sharp — lenses I would have
used during the actual period the movie
is set in — so I picked the old Zeiss
T1.3 Super Speeds. I also had a 28-
76mm Angenieux [Optimo] T2.6 and
the 45-120mm [Optimo] T2.8.
The film opens in the late 1980s
and concludes in 2013. A lot changes
in that time: music, technology,
people. Did you want to reflect this in
your cinematography?
Lenoir: Typically, I would change
the palette slightly — the range of colors
and the contrast and filtration in a way
that the audience doesn’t notice. On this
one, though, I made the conscious
choice to film it all the same way. I didn’t Top: Paul has a brief romance with Julia (Greta Gerwig), an American girl in Paris.
Middle: Cyril and Louise (Pauline Etienne) attend Thomas’ costume party. Bottom: The friends
do anything to show the passage of share dinner at Au Pied de Cochon after a night at a club.
time, because ultimately the main char-

www.theasc.com June 2015 81

◗ Trapped in a Groove

Top: The group

arrives in New York
City. Middle: Paul
and Louise take a
quick trip to
Chicago while in
the United States.
Bottom: Paul tries
to smooth things
over with Louise
after Julia shows
up at the club in
New York.

acter, Paul, doesn’t change much — he

doesn’t seem to age, physically, although
mentally he does.
What kinds of creative conver-
sations did you have with Mia? What
was her vision, and yours? How did you
resolve the two?
Lenoir: Mia made a shot list with
her continuity person, and because of
the amount of time we had until the
start of production — two years and
three producers later! — she’d done it at
least twice. Fortunately, I was not
involved — and I say ‘fortunately’
because as much as I can see that it’s
important for the director to think about
[his or her] film, I hate the process of
making shot lists without even knowing
the sets or the locations.
Later, I went through the shot list
with her, which was good because it was
a way for me to understand what she
had in mind and why. By doing that, I
not only learn about how the director
wants to shoot, but I’m also able to sort
out how dark, how light, how contrasty
and how colorful the scenes ultimately
will be. You can only spend so many
hours with the shot list and doing film
tests before you go on location, but you
still have to know what equipment you
need and how much time you have —
and if you will use a thick brush or paint
in detail. I see myself as a broad-strokes

82 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Trapped in a Groove
Paul spins at a party in New York.
guy, I think. I also have this theory that
no one knows exactly what the movie
will look like before day three or four of
filming.
How did Mia want to film the
movie, from a camera-oriented
perspective?
Lenoir: One of Mia’s goals with
84 June 2015
this movie was to move the camera
more than on her previous films, and
one of the reasons she was happy to
have me was that she had seen films I’d
done with Olivier, and I am always
moving the camera. There was already
plenty of movement on her shot list,
and we ended up using a mix of tracks
American Cinematographer
and handheld. It was fascinating to see
how this talented young woman, who so
far had done movies mostly with a
locked-down camera, was suddenly not
only moving the camera, but teaching
me how to move it in new ways.
A side note: I operate the camera
when I can, and I was the operator on
Eden. I consider myself a very good oper-
ator, maybe a better operator than I am a
director of photography. What you learn
in classical cinema is that if you have a
character in frame, the second they start
to walk, you pan. Years ago I was working
with my director friend Jon Avnet on the
Boomtown pilot, and I remember him
asking me to wait and let the character
walk across the frame; then, when they
were about to bump the edge of the
frame, we’d start to pan. That way, the
camera isn’t anticipating the character;
the character is pushing the frame.
Working with Mia on Eden, we
have a shot where the character is walk-
ing toward the camera and the camera is
supposed to dolly back so the actor will
not bump into the lens. My key grip, Eric
◗ Trapped in a Groove
Aupetit, and I start to dolly back the way
we’ve been doing it our whole careers,
and Mia said we were moving too early.
Second take, still too early. Third take,
still too early. And then suddenly I real-
ized she was asking me for the same
thing Jon was asking for with the pan.
Mia wanted the character to push the
camera away. We started doing that, and
I fell in love with it and integrated it into
my personal grammar.
There seems to be a disparity
between the nighttime fantasy of the
clubs and the daytime reality of the
characters’ relationships, responsibili-
ties and addictions. Is that something
you and Mia wanted to illustrate photo-
graphically?
Lenoir: Mia has a very naturalistic
idea of beauty. She doesn’t want anything
too flattering or too enhanced, so the
interior days and nights were filmed
without movie lights coming through the
windows. There was no money and no
time for [movie lighting], but it was also
an approach I was happy to take.
At what time of year did you
shoot?
Lenoir: We shot our New York
and Chicago scenes — all in New York
City — in the summer of 2013, as well as
a few scenes in the southwest of France
by the ocean and two scenes in Paris. The
rest of the movie was shot later, in
December and January, almost all in
Paris, where we certainly didn’t have
much sun — but I had no equipment to
light with and no place to put lights in
Top: Paul tries to
strike up a
these small apartments where we filmed.
relationship with If we had a balcony, maybe I would use a
Margot (Laura Kino Flo [4-foot 4-bank].
Smet) after things
fall apart with
Did you end up using a lot of
Louise. Middle: Guy practicals for the night-interior scenes?
and Thomas form Lenoir: Mostly practicals on
the real-life duo
Daft Punk. Bottom:
dimmers — no real movie lights. We had
Writer-director Mia a generator in the forest for the opening
Hansen-Løve scene, and even an HMI balloon, and in
surveys the scene
on the set.
all of our other locations we used regular
house outlets. In the case of the [Daft
Punk album-release party, which took
place in an apartment], we had two
Source Fours that my gaffer, Christophe
Dural, would bounce off the walls to add
some fill light. ➣

86 June 2015 American Cinematographer

 ◗ Trapped in a Groove
Cinematographer
Denis Lenoir, ASC,
AFC at work on
another
production.
In that way, it makes for a very
dark film.
Lenoir: I shot the film mostly at
800 [ISO], but with a night interior, for
example, I would turn on a table lamp
with a normal 75-watt bulb as my only
source of light, and Mia would find it
too bright. This is a new problem I am
finding with digital. Because digital is so
88
fast, directors are used to working in very
little light — less than in real life! —
which brings up another point: Because
of the dark lighting, the irises of the
actors’ eyes are wider, making the pupil
seem smaller, and you lose all of the
color in the eyes — with blue eyes in
particular.
Did you take the same lighting
approach with the clubs?
Lenoir: Yes, the clubs already
had their own lights, so it was not too
difficult. One thing that was very clear
from the beginning was that Mia
wanted the clubs to be extremely dark.
She and Sven watched other films with
club scenes and they felt those settings
were all way too bright compared to
what a club actually looks like. It had to
be dark, and I was not ready for how
dark she actually wanted it; I was
reminded in almost every club that
things were too bright!
Because the clubs were dark, the
question was how we could identify
them and not make them look the
same. For that reason we decided that
every club would have its own colors
and that this theme would not change
much in the course of the scene. Three
years ago, I had spent time at Rosco
here in Hollywood and tested a bunch
of colored gels. The thing with colored
gels is that their exact color changes
depending on how you expose them. For
example, the same blue gel will either be
light-blue, medium-blue or dark-blue if
over-, properly or underexposed. I had
shot a bunch of tests with a Canon
[EOS] 5D and finally picked about 20
different colors that I really love — even
when slightly over- or underexposed —
which cover the whole spectrum of
blue-green, yellow-green, yellow-
orange, orange-red, red-magenta and so
on. So now when I need, say, a blue on
the warm side, i.e. a blue with some red
in it, I just go to my notes and pick the
[Roscolux] 79 Bright Blue — 8-percent
transmission — which is almost violet.
And I also know that I love the [Rosco
E-Colour+] 132 Medium Blue, which is
less violet but still warm. The palette is
quite restrained; in Eden clubs, you see
only three or four combinations, at most
— not like when you go into a real club,
and in the course of 15 minutes you see
a lot of colors. In the submarine at the
beginning, I used 132 Medium Blue and
158 Deep Orange, and at the following
rave, on top of the strobes I had 124
Dark Green and 143 Pale Navy Blue in
the room, 132 in the corridor, and 124
and Lee 735 Velvet Green outside. At
another location, I combined the
[Roscolux] 2003 Storaro Yellow with 52
Light Lavender, as well as Lee 192
Flesh Pink and [E-Colour+] 323 Jade.
I’m a big fan of the Gel Swatch Library
application [by Wybron, Inc.]; I have it
on my iPhone and it replaced all the
color swatches I used to carry around!
Did you do any color grading on
set?
Lenoir: I did some coloring on
set with my DIT, Léonard Rollin. We’ll
take maybe two or three LUTs that we
developed at the beginning of produc-
tion and alter them scene-by-scene —
very small changes. I also use Rec 709
color space to check my exposure,
because it’s unforgiving.
What kinds of image adjust-
ments did you make in post?
Lenoir: I was able to get the
colorist I’d worked with before, Peter
Bernaers — a Belgian freelancer. We
[used] DaVinci Resolve in 2K to adjust
contrast, saturation and brightness a bit,
but I’m totally in favor of supporting
what has been done on set. If you made
a mistake, you might be able to correct it
to a certain point in the grade, but if you
got it really wrong you need to acknowl-
edge that, because forcing it will always
end in disaster. I find it more rewarding
to go with what you have — not against
it. ●
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Plus
Zeiss Super Speed,
Angenieux Optimo
89
 Left to right: Associate member Joshua Pines; Curtis Clark, ASC; associate member David Reisner; and David Register accept the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences' Scientific and Technical Achievement Award for the ASC CDL on behalf of the ASC Technology Committee.

Stewards
of
Technology Photo by Michael Yada, courtesy of AMPAS.

The ASC Technology Committee

O
ver the past 12 years, the ASC Technology Committee
has been working diligently to integrate an unprece-
keeps pace with the breakneck dented deluge of new developments into the complex
speed of industry progress. landscape of digital filmmaking. Among the
Committee’s extensive list of achievements are the ASC Color
Decision List (ASC CDL), the ASC-PGA Camera-
By Debra Kaufman Assessment Series, the ASC-PGA Image-Control
Assessment Series (ICAS), the ASC-DCI Standard
Evaluation Material (StEM), and contributions to the
•|• Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) and the

90 June 2015 American Cinematographer

◗ Stewards of Technology
Left to right: Clark, Pines, Reisner, Register and associate member Lou Levinson thank a (long) list of
collaborators at last year's AMPAS Sci-Tech Awards.
AMPAS/ASC Common LUT format.
ACES — the result of 10 years of
work — has just been officially launched,
and the ASC CDL has already won
three prestigious honors: an Academy
Scientific and Technical Achievement
Award, a Primetime Emmy Engineering
Award and a Hollywood Post Alliance
Judges Award for Creativity and
Innovation in Post Production.
Approximately 140 Society
members and associate members partici-
pate in the ASC Technology
Committee’s initiatives, which comprise
an extensive slate of ongoing projects.
Curtis Clark, ASC was charged with
leading the committee in 2002, carrying
on the work of John Hora, ASC, who
had headed the Technology Committee
during the pre-digital era. Clark, who
continues to hold the position of chair-
man, led the Committee’s first meeting
under his watch in January 2003.
“At that point, we were facing a
disruption of the photochemical postpro-
duction workflow due to the emergence
of the digital intermediate,” Clark says.
Indeed, as the ASC Technology
Committee mission statement reads,
“some of the most pressing issues that the
committee needs to address include an
array of digital technologies that have
been and are being progressively intro-
92 June 2015
duced into the motion picture imaging
workflow.” The concern, notes the
statement, was that “cinematographers
will become increasingly vulnerable to
certain industry trends that could
marginalize our creative contributions,
[which] have been the cornerstone of
filmmaking since its inception.”
In addition to digital intermedi-
ate, at the time of its establishment the
Committee also examined the impact
of HD digital motion-picture cameras,
digital visual effects, digital source
mastering, digital cinema and digital
image compression. “Anything that
disrupts the comfort level of convention
is always looked at with a bit of anxiety,”
says Clark. “We wanted to address the
issues, and figure out how to shape
[them] to better serve the art of cine-
matography.”
The ASC Technology
Committee did in fact examine every
one of these issues. For example, the
advent of early digital cameras —
including Panavision’s Genesis and the
Thomson Viper — was “the beginning
of a digital evolution that would take
over image capture,” says Clark. “In
2004, Collateral was among the first
mainstream Hollywood films that
incorporated digital image capture and,
as such, it was a milestone. That led to
American Cinematographer
the first digital-camera assessments we
did, starting in 2007, in conjunction
with the PGA and Revelations
Entertainment.”
The first rumblings of digital
cinema also prompted the Technology
Committee to research and develop the
appropriate tools. “We created the
StEM not just to test digital projection,
but also to test compression technolo-
gies used in creating a digital-cinema
package [DCP], including JPEG 2000,
which won out among other compres-
sion schemes that were contenders,”
Clark says.
The Committee frequently
works in partnership with other
Hollywood guilds and organizations.
“In conjunction with AMPAS, we
created the Common LUT format,
which now has become a component of
ACES,” says Clark. In addition, ICAS
— which incorporated ACES as the
common color-encoding and color-
management system for all participat-
ing digital cameras, including scanned
film — was also accomplished with the
Producers Guild of America and
Revelations Entertainment.
“The objective of these achieve-
ments was to create a unique forum that
addressed these digital-imaging tech-
nologies and influenced their develop-
ment in a way that would better serve
the creative aims of cinematography
and filmmaking,” says Clark. “It
combines the creative filmmaker
perspective with an understanding of
the technology [in order] to harness the
disruptive threat. We saw our role as
helping to guide digital-imaging tech-
nology development in ways that would
help create effective toolsets for cine-
matography.”
ASC Technology Committee
Secretary David Reisner — who, before
becoming an associate, was the first
non-member to join or serve as an offi-
cer on an ASC committee — describes
how subcommittees have furthered
the aims of the larger group.
“Subcommittees have come and gone as
their importance has evolved,” he says.
“Camera was quite important while we
◗ Stewards of Technology
were trying to understand where we stood
with what digital cameras did and didn’t
do and set goals for manufacturers. Now
digital cameras have gotten to the point
where they’re quite good. Focusing our
attention on DI was very important
because people needed to understand
what was required of it in order to be
effective for the creative side of making
movies.
“And that’s our touch point,”
Reisner continues. “What is the technol-
ogy required and what do people need to
understand to let creatives make the
movies they want to make? In the first
eight years of the Committee, we had
some significant tasks where we could
identify their critical nature. It got people
motivated and kept them focused. Still,
there are critical issues that need to be
addressed and resolved.”
In addition to the positions held by
Clark and Reisner, the Committee’s
current vice-chairs are Richard Edlund,
ASC and Steven Poster, ASC. Current
active subcommittees are Camera,
chaired by David Stump, ASC and vice-
chaired by Edlund and Bill Bennett,
ASC; UHDTV, chaired by Don Eklund;
Digital Archive, chaired by ASC associ-
ate Garrett Smith; Digital Restoration &
Preservation, chaired by associate Grover
Crisp and vice-chaired by Michael
Friend; Joint Technology Subcommittee
on Virtual Production, chaired by David
Morin and vice-chaired by John Scheele;
Laser Projection, co-chaired by Michael
Karagosian and associates Eric Rodli and
Steve Schklair; Advanced Imaging,
chaired by associate Gary Demos and
vice-chaired by Jim Fancher and associ-
ate Phil Feiner; Digital Finishing,
chaired by associate Lou Levinson and
vice-chaired by associate Joshua Pines;
Motion Imaging Workflow, chaired by
Al Barton and vice-chaired by associates
George Joblove and Bill Feightner, along
with Greg Ciaccio; Metadata, chaired by
Stump and co-chaired by Jim Houston;
and Professional Display, chaired by Jim
Fancher and vice-chaired by associate
Gary Mandle.
“Another important matter is Ultra
HD TV, a.k.a. 4K TV, with wide color
94 June 2015
gamut and high dynamic range
[HDR],” Clark says. “UHDTV needs
to be better defined regarding mastering
and content delivery, especially for the
new HDR mode of image reproduc-
tion.”
As Reisner points out, “The idea
when we started work on digital cinema
was to try to come up with, ideally, a
single source master.” And this single
source master, Clark adds, “is what our
UHDTV subcommittee is currently
assessing, with active participation from
several major consumer TV-display
manufacturers.”
“The idea when we
started work on
digital cinema was
to try to come up
with a single
source master.”
Levinson describes how the orig-
inal Digital Intermediate subcommittee
segued into a subcommittee focused on
digital finishing. “We struggled with
issues surrounding the ASC CDL, and
then ACES, so we’ve had a more
behind-the-scenes effect than anything
else,” he says. “Now that we’ve garnered
those awards, we’ll have to find a new
morass to jump into, and there’s no
shortage of those!”
The Advanced Imaging subcom-
mittee also grew out of the original DI
subcommittee, says Demos. “When we
split off from [DI], that allowed them
to independently work out a system
architecture without the calibration and
linearization goals that we were pursu-
ing,” he explains. “Almost immediately,
the Digital Intermediate subcommittee
began pursuing the ASC CDL.”
Meanwhile, the newly formed
American Cinematographer
Advanced Imaging subcommittee
started its work with a “fairly broad
survey of linearized color science,” says
Levinson. “There was a disconnect
between digital movie processing in
RGB and CIE 1931-based color-
science models, which had dominated
TV system specifications. There was
deep respect for camera-negative film
and prints, especially prints from origi-
nal negative, and for film’s aesthetic
behavior.” The subcommittee looked
into printer points and logarithmic
representations, including film density.
“However, film has the property of
desaturating colors at both bright and
dark exposure, and this raised a number
of issues for us to consider,” he says.
A turning point came with a
presentation by Mark Fairchild, profes-
sor of color science and imaging science
at Rochester Institute of Technology.
Fairchild was discussing color-appear-
ance modeling, which touched on many
of the issues that subcommittee
members had been dealing with, and
the presentation led to Fairchild’s ongo-
ing contributions to the subcommittee.
“After studying many textbooks
and journal articles, the picture finally
began to come together when Mark
told us about the CIE 170-1:2006 work
by Andrew Stockman and others to
create a parametric color model for
vision,” Demos continues. “From this
point in time, we considered that
Advanced Imaging had found what we
were looking for, and that we had
completed one of our major projects.”
At the same time, the Image
Interchange Framework (IIF) project
was gaining momentum at the
Academy. “IIF was later renamed
ACES, the Academy Color Encoding
System,” says Demos. “The [AMPAS]
IIF committee adopted the OpenEXR
half-float and linear light, which were
both consistent with the goals and work
of Advanced Imaging. CIE 1931 was
also adopted, which was more of a
concern. However, the high level of
synergy in linear system architecture
compelled Advanced Imaging to
suspend most of its independent activi-
 ◗ Stewards of Technology
ties and begin to be involved with
supporting the explorations and test
models being pursued in the IIF.”
More recently, the Advanced
Imaging subcommittee has turned its
attention to support the UHDTV
subcommittee. “With the advent of
UHDTV, television systems began to be
reconsidered with respect to architectural
issues that might support increased
dynamic range and widened color
gamut,” says Demos. All the previous
issues for Advanced Imaging, including
consideration of CIE 1931 and its limi-
tations, have come under discussion, he
adds. “The idea of a high-dynamic-
range, wide-color-gamut digital interme-
diate as a master for future UHDTV
brings up many of the Advanced
Imaging considerations,” he concludes.
The Laser Illumination subcom-
mittee focuses on the study of new light-
source technology and the projectors that
utilize them, explains Karagosian.
“Direct-laser illuminators [are] a new
96
light source for high-end projection that
attracts the most attention,” he says.
“But other laser-originated light sources
are also emerging, such as laser-illumi-
nated phosphor.” Other areas of focus
include the metameric variability that
can be attributed to laser-light sources.
“Metameric variability is when a differ-
ent perception of color occurs across a
population of viewers,” he explains.
Also of interest is “the degree of
speckle that a light source may
produce,” Karagosian continues, as well
as wide color gamut and the selection of
primaries with some light sources and
the high dynamic range possible in
some designs. “To ‘shine a light’ on these
topics, the group is preparing a Request
for Information — RFI — to be sent to
each of the manufacturers of laser-illu-
minated projectors,” he adds. “The
immediate goal of this group is to gather
as much factual information as possible
to best educate members of the ASC
Technology Committee.”
Another goal is to engage in crit-
ical viewing of laser-illuminated projec-
tors, using test materials that the
subcommittee either selects or creates.
“The purpose of this viewing is to assist
manufacturers in building good prod-
ucts,” says Karagosian, who notes that
some members of the subcommittee are
in fact manufacturer representatives.
“Innovators need a way to connect with
the Hollywood creative community and
know that their R&D money is going in
the right direction,” he says. “We are
working to establish a process they can
plug into.”
The Joint Technology
Subcommittee on Virtual Production
was formed in April 2010 and
comprises more than 200 members
from six guilds and societies: the ASC,
the Art Directors Guild, the Visual
Effects Society, the Previsualization
Society, the International Cinema-
tographers Guild and the Producers
Guild of America. The model, says
Morin, grew out of the Previsualization
subcommittee, which held 12 meetings
over a two-year period to analyze the
growing role of previs in modern film-
making, and led to the formation of the
Previsualization Society. “When Avatar
came out, we were done with Previs,” he
says. “Then we began to focus on
Virtual Production.”
The subcommittee’s first two
meetings addressed the feature Avatar,
which had utilized virtual-production
techniques and processes. Morin says
the focus for all the meetings, which
incorporate case studies, has been more
practical than theoretical. Case studies
have included The Adventures of Tintin,
Real Steel, Gravity and Dawn of the
Planet of the Apes. “Then we took it upon
ourselves to analyze the process of
virtual production and answer questions
about best practices,” says Morin. “We
foster an environment where filmmak-
ers can talk about the good and bad
without feeling that their comments —
especially the candid ones — will be
reported out there. It’s by the industry
for the industry, helping to develop a
shared understanding of how real-time
computer graphics on set is impacting
filmmaking.” At press time, this
subcommittee had recently completed
its ninth meeting.
The ASC Technology Com-
mittee started as a way to examine and
help guide the future of digital capture
and digital intermediates. What it has
become is a comprehensive group
whose members focus deeply on all
current and nascent digital-imaging
technologies that promise to have an
impact on the creative process. “The
goal is to stay ahead of rapidly advanc-
ing digital-imaging technologies,” says
Clark. “These are hugely relevant,
immediate issues we’re dealing with.
“Going forward,” Clark
concludes, “our Technology Committee
continues to emphasize the importance
of establishing standards-based digital-
imaging parameters that will best
support the creative intent of cine-
matographers and their filmmaking
collaborators. As we have already been
doing with laser-projector manufactur-
ers, we are now making tangible
progress in gaining recognition and
respect from several major consumer-
display manufacturers for our
Technology Committee initiative on
HDR reproduction from image capture
through mastering to content distribu-
tion. They see the value we provide of
being able to interface engineering specs
with cinematographer/filmmaker
creative interests. As a result, they are
actively participating in our Technology
Committee.” ●
Industry professionals interested in
becoming active in the ASC Technology
Committee or one of its subcommittees
should contact Holly Lowzik at
holly@theasc.com. Please indicate in which
area you would like to participate.
97
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98 June 2015 American Cinematographer
• SUBMISSION INFORMATION •
Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to
newproducts@ascmag.com and include full contact
information and product images. Photos must be
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Cooke Announces
Anamorphic Zoom
Cooke Optics has
announced that it is working
on an anamorphic zoom lens.
Like the Cooke Anamorphic/i
prime set, the anamorphic
zoom will be a true front-
anamorphic lens with 2x squeeze.
ASC associate Les Zellan, chairman and owner of Cooke
Optics, notes, “In the storied tradition of Cooke 5:1 and 10:1 zooms,
this is the first in a series of front-anamorphic zoom lenses that will
complement Cooke’s set of Anamorphic/i prime lenses.”
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StarliteHD5-Arri is able to
control Arri’s Alexa Mini and
Amira cameras via a touch-
screen interface.
Constructed from avia-
tion-grade aluminum, the Star-
liteHD5-Arri monitor is the size
of a smart phone and weighs
less than 200 grams (0.44
pounds). Its compact form
factor makes it ideal for size-
and weight-critical shooting situations. Retaining all of the original
StarliteHD’s functionality — including waveform, vectorscope and
histogram displays, as well as a built-in recorder for H.264 rushes on
SD cards — the monitor will also be compatible with other cameras.
“Transvideo is one of the most renowned monitor manufac-
turers in the industry,” says Stephan Schenk, Arri’s managing direc-
tor. “The high standards of engineering and build quality at Trans-
video will ensure that the StarliteHD5-Arri is as robust and reliable as
any other product carrying the Arri brand.”
Transvideo President Jacques Delacoux adds, “We are
extremely satisfied by the co-development with Arri, which merges
the creativity and know-how of our companies in their respective
areas of excellence. At Transvideo, we are proud to see our name
associated with Arri cameras.”
The StarliteHD5-Arri will be sold exclusively through Arri sales
channels, while the standard StarliteHD 5" monitor will continue to
be sold through Transvideo and its distribution network.
For additional information, visit www.arri.com and
www.transvideo.eu.
 Samsung Updates NX1’s
Motion-Picture Features
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has
announced a firmware update for its NX1
premium compact interchangeable-lens
camera. The new firmware enhances and
refines the NX1’s capabilities, allowing it to
operate with greater precision and speed.
Key enhancements focus on movie func-
tions and controls, the user interface, and
wireless capabilities.
Both budding and experienced film-
makers will enjoy the variety of professional
movie-mode refinements. Users can now
adjust audio levels while recording video,
control ISO, and choose from two gamma
modes with master black level control and
three luminance levels, enabling greater
control over the look of the footage. Auto-
focus controls in movie mode have also
been enhanced, allowing users to select
from three AF speeds. A new feature for
controlling continuous AF behavior also
helps track focus on a moving subject while
shooting.
The NX1’s interface has also been
upgraded, making it easier to navigate
through the range of features. Users can
now set the AEL button to lock focus and
use manual focus in AF mode during
recording. The customizable UI refinements
provide a host of benefits, including revers-
ing the functions of the Mobile and Record
buttons, reversing the functions of the AF
On and the AEL buttons, and reversing the
direction of the command dials based on
preference.
The NX1’s connectivity options have
also received a boost. Users can now acti-
vate Bluetooth as a simple remote trigger,
allowing users to trigger the shutter release
as well as start and stop video via Bluetooth
rather than Wi-Fi. The NX1 can now also
store multiple paired smart devices with no
need to re-register when moving between
them. ➣
 Other updates include Trap Shot, an
addition to the Samsung Auto Shot mode;
users can now adjust the settings so that
when a moving object hits this line, the
camera will automatically take a picture.
Additionally, PC tethering via USB is now
available for those using Samsung Remote
Studio software, and developers can take
advantage of Samsung’s Software Develop-
ment Kit for Windows PC.
Launched last fall, the Samsung NX1
incorporates a DRIMe V Image Processor
that boasts exceptional color reproduction
and noise reduction and utilizes powerful
cores for the high-speed imaging
demanded by serious photographers. The
camera is also equipped with Samsung’s
newly designed 28MP APS-C CMOS sensor,
which features an innovative Back Side Illu-
mination structure with a micro lens array
to more effectively reduce noise by keeping
the path between the lens and sensors
clear, so more light can hit each pixel. The
camera supports both 4K and UHD video
recording and can capture up to 120 fps in
Full HD.
For additional information, visit
www.samsung.com.
SmallHD Re-Imagines EVF
SmallHD has introduced the
Sidefinder high-definition, fully featured
electronic viewfinder, which also boasts a
5" fold-out Full HD display that can be used
as a field monitor.
The Sidefinder’s patent-pending
“folded” shape allows for a footprint
smaller than many of today’s third-party
EVF solutions while providing a larger
screen. Its shape also enables operators to
slide the viewfinder closer to the camera,
eliminating a of the new business, which will be managed
common source of
neck strain during
shoulder-mounted
operation.
The foun-
dation of the Sidefinder is
SmallHD’s new 502 field
monitor, which boasts an
immense tool set and
simple user interface in addi-
tion to several unique settings —
including an adjustable field of view —
that can be customized based on user pref-
100 June 2015
erence. The 502’s simple interface has been
transplanted onto a tiny omni-directional
remote that can be mounted at the user’s
fingertips, so operators never need to move
their hand away from the camera to see
focus and exposure tools. For added versatil-
ity, the slim-line 502 monitor swiftly
detaches from the Sidefinder optical system
and can be used as a standalone compact
monitor on a jib arm, gimbal rig, slider or
other support.
The Sidefinder ships standard with a
specialized side-mount bracket, and it can
be fastened to any camera setup using a
15mm rod system, ¼-20-based EVF mount,
NATO rail clamp and Arri-style rosette
mount. Using a built-in LP-E6 battery
bracket, the Sidefinder accepts power from
rechargeable Canon LP-E6 batteries. Exter-
nal power may be provided via D-tap using
a regulated LP-E6 adapter cable, or from an
AC adapter that also snaps into the moni-
tor’s battery plate.
For additional information, visit
www.smallhd.com/sidefinder.
Deluxe, Technicolor Partner
for Digital Venture
Deluxe and Technicolor have entered
into a binding agreement to create a new
digital-cinema joint venture, Deluxe Techni-
color Digital Cinema, which will specialize in
theatrical digital-cinema mastering, distribu-
tion and key management services.
This joint venture in digital cinema
will bring together best-in-class technolo-
gies, personnel, work processes and facilities
to provide seamless and exceptional services
to its customers on a greater global scale.
Both Technicolor and Deluxe will be commit-
ted to the operational and financial success
by Deluxe and based in Burbank, Calif. All
other lines of business will continue to oper-
ate independently of one another.
“As the global entertainment indus-
try continues its transition to 100-percent
digital distribution and delivery, this transfor-
mational partnership will be optimally posi-
tioned to offer our companies’ existing and
future customers industry-leading digital-
cinema services with greater efficiencies,”
says David Kassler, CEO of Deluxe Entertain-
ment Services. Tim Sarnoff, president of
production services at Technicolor, adds,
American Cinematographer
“This partnership puts us in a stronger posi-
tion to offer industry-leading digital cinema
services around the world.”
This joint venture is subject to
customary closing conditions and is
expected to close in the second quarter of
2015.
For additional information, visit
www.technicolor.com and www.by
deluxe.com.
Cineverse Atlanta Opens
Cineverse, the digital-cinema divi-
sion of VER, has opened the doors of its
new Atlanta facility. The company’s 18,500-
square-foot space is located in the heart of
Georgia’s midtown Atlanta production
community.
Cineverse Atlanta is a state-of-the-
art camera-rental facility boasting an
impressive collection of cameras, optics and
evaluation equipment, along with an
accomplished team of technicians led by
veteran marketing manager Mindy Bee. The
facility offers a 40'x50' prep floor, two
28'x40' feature prep suits, a hair-and-
makeup test insert studio, an optical test
and evaluation room, a machine shop, and
AC cart storage. Cineverse Atlanta also
features a Content Driven LED Lighting
showroom, which showcases the LED tech-
nology incorporated on such features as
Gravity and Furious 7.
Cineverse Atlanta, 2301-A DeFoor
Hills Road NW, Atlanta, Georgia 30318. For
additional information, visit www.cinev
erse.net.
Gamma & Density Enables
Image Control
Gamma & Density Co. has intro-
duced Image Control software, which has
been designed to maximize control over the
creation of digital images with modern
camera systems.
 Image Control is a robust, easy-to-
use, all-in-one software solution compatible
with most popular camera systems. All
Image Control tools — including data
management, live color correction, look
management and dailies generation — are
optimized for use on set. Additionally, the
program includes tools for cinematogra-
phers’ preproduction and previs processes,
including a digital spot meter for image
analysis, lens filtration previs, and manipula-
tion and creation of on-set LUTs.
To support the growing role of the
digital-imaging technician, Image Control
also offers an array of color-correction and
image-management tools, including resiz-
able UI elements, 32-bit floating-point pixel
processing for extended highlight range
and precision, and 64-bit native application
processing for improved performance and
memory utilization.
Image Control software is compati-
ble with Mac OSX 10.9+ operating systems
and can be purchased as a yearly license
through the Gamma & Density Co. website,
where prospective users can also download
a free Demo Version with limited features.
Existing users of the 3cP Set + Post system
have the option to convert their licenses to
Image Control for an added fee.
For additional information, visit
www.gammadensity.com.

Broncolor Illuminates FT System

Broncolor has added the Focusing
Tube system to the company’s family of
continuous light and Para products.
Since its introduction in 2002, the
Broncolor Para system has been renowned
for its quality of light and rapid setup and
breakdown. The Para is a true parabolic
light bank that provides focus and the
control to create a sculpted, soft and beau-

Telecine &
Color Grading
“Jod is a true artist with
a great passion for his craft.”
– John W. Simmons, ASC
Contact Jod @ 310-713-8388
Jod@apt-4.com
102
tiful effect. The new Para Heat Resistant
reflectors support powerful light outputs,
and the new Para Focusing Tube lamp-head
design streamlines the operation, allowing
the use of HMIs, tungsten heads and strobe
heads in parabolic light banks that can be
set up in just minutes.
The Broncolor HMI FT1600 is
dimmable with constant color and a CRI of
95+. The light is absolutely flicker-free and
ideal for high-speed shooting. The FT focus-
ing rod also accepts 1K or 2K tungsten
heads, and an optional F focusing rod
provides a firm mount for Broncolor strobe
heads as well as strobe heads and standard
stud-mounted lights from other manufac-
turers. New heat-resistant materials make it
possible for both the 88 HR and the 133 HR
Paras to handle the high output from the
HMI 1,600-watt FT and 2,000-watt tung-
sten-halogen light sources.
Initially, there will be four sizes of
Para FT system reflectors: 88HR, 133HR,
177 and 222. Modular light sources will
include a choice of 1,600-watt HMI daylight
and 2,000-watt tungsten-halogen lamps.
The FT System is as easy to customize as it is
to use, and it will be adaptable to work with
other brands of products as well.
For additional information, visit
www.bron.ch/broncolor.
Power Gems Expands
Ballast Range
Power Gems has introduced the
EB1812P modular electronic ballast, which
is capable of operating any lamp in the
range of 6-18K; 300Hz operation comes as
standard. The ballast also
features built-in compensa-
tion of lamp-cable volt
drop. The power compo-
nents can be interchanged
in a few minutes, and slide-
in modules enable easy
maintenance.
The EB1812P
boasts a completely new
design concept that incor-
porates the latest silicon
carbide power device
technology. “The
advanced design is
the realization of
feedback from users
around the world and data gathered
through extensive testing,” says Dr. Phil
Ellams, director of Power Gems. “In direct
response to new working practices, we are
able to offer a smaller, lighter ballast packed
full of features such as DMX remote control
and high-speed operation as standard.”
For additional information, visit
www.powergems.com.
BBS Spotlights Pipeline System
BBS Lighting has introduced the
Pipeline Remote Phosphor
LED System, which boasts
a versatile form factor,
excellent color render-
ing, heatless and fan-
less operation, wireless
DMX control, and AC
or DC operability.
The Pipeline System provides
soft, projected light that is fully control-
lable and dimmable with no color shift or
flickering, and an ultra-high TLCI (color-
fidelity index) rating of 95+. Additional
features include low power draw, high light
output (more than 1,000 lumens per foot),
180-degree light dispersion, long lamp life
and optional wireless DMX 512 control.
Available in 3,200K, 4,300K and 5,600K
color temperatures, the lamps can be used
in a bi-color arrangement that mixes differ-
ent lamps to achieve mid-range color
temperatures.
The Pipeline System offers a conve-
nient cylindrical form factor 1" in diameter
and in lengths of 1', 2', 3' and 4'. Unlike
standard LED lighting where phosphor is
applied directly onto the light-emitting
diodes, BBS Pipes utilize a phosphor layer
positioned away from the LEDs, providing
brighter and higher-fidelity light emission.
The Pipeline Remote Phosphor LED
System offers one-, two- and four-
Pipe reflector housings for each
length. Pipes quickly snap into
the housings via magnetic locks
on each end. Control is provided
by manual dimmers or wireless
DMX. The optional Smart
Control automatically senses indi-
vidual color temperature, operates up to
eight Pipes simultaneously, and offers DMX
512 in and out and DC input. With a low
draw of 10 watts per foot, the system can
be powered from standard AC outlets (100-
240 volts, 50-60Hz) or 14-volt DC batteries.
For additional information, visit
www.bbslighting.com in the Americas or
www.brothers-sons.dk in Europe.
Filmotechnic Rolls out
Russian Arm 6
Filmotechnic USA has announced
the arrival of the Russian Camera Arm 6 —
a.k.a. Autorobot Camera Crane 6 — to its
stable of camera-car-system offerings.
Five years in the making, the Russian
Arm 6 is a gyro-stabilized camera-crane
system capable of mounting on a roof of a
camera car or other specialized vehicle. It
enables 360 degrees of camera movement
while tilting up and down. The arm was
engineered and developed to allow film-
makers to shoot from nearly any angle with
complete stability and accuracy. Remotely
operated and fully controllable, the arm is
capable of on-the-fly tracking shots for the
creation of dynamic sequences.
Key features of the Russian Arm 6
include: presets for various camera-package
payloads, individual presets for camera-arm
operators, programmable limits, a variety of
arm-length extensions, a linear vibration
isolator capable of absorbing vibration, high
torque and speed, smooth and precise
camera movement and response, and quiet
arm movements.
John Urso, Filmotechnic’s manager,
describes the Russian Arm 6 as “a high end,
versatile filmmaking technology that allows
our clients unprecedented performance in
speed, image stabilization, flexibility and
control. This new technology is based on
feedback on film sets worldwide from our
customers, partners and camera techni-
cians. The new arm fits on all our camera
cars, [including] the Ford Raptor, Porsche
Cayenne, Mercedes ML63 AMG, the
Hummer H1 and the Ferrari 360.”
For additional information, visit
www.filmotechnicusa.com.
Cartoni Grows Fluid-Head Family
Responding to the need for a rugged
and reliable fluid head for today’s wide vari-
ety of ENG cameras, Cartoni has introduced
the Tracker, which can support cameras
from 4.4-44 pounds.
The Tracker offers a sleek, compact
design with an array of top-end features,
including Cartoni’s patented “wing” contin-
uously adjustable counterbalance system
and “labyrinth” system for smooth, precise
pan and tilt movement. Ergonomically
designed knobs and levers make the head
easy to use. Weighing only 8.8 pounds, the
head is extremely durable thanks to its light-
weight magnesium-alloy construction. The
Tracker is also backed by Cartoni’s 5-year
warranty.
Cartoni has further expanded its line
of pan-and-tilt heads with its largest-capac-
ity product to date, the Magnum, which can
carry a payload of 55-210 pounds.
Combined with reliable operation, a fluid
feel with no transition tilting and a 5-year
warranty, the Magnum is an ideal choice for
studio and outdoor broadcast cameras with
long-lens configurations or bulky acces-
sories. ➣
103
 As with all Cartoni fluid heads, the
Magnum employs the company’s patented
technology to deliver perfect counterbal-
ance at any tilt angle +/- 65 degrees. High-
performance, continuous-drag fluid
modules ensure maximum flexibility in drag
intensity. A wide camera platform, incorpo-
rating a standard wedge plate, allows quick
and safe attachment of the camera, and a
micrometric sliding plate, operated by an
accessible crank wheel, ensures the perfect
centering of any configuration. The head is
also equipped with a positive horizontal lock
for safe setup. The Magnum can be
attached to Mitchell-mount tripods,
pedestals and other flat-base supports.
With 80 years of industry experience,
Cartoni exports from its headquarters in
Rome to 65 countries on five continents
through a network of agents and distribu-
tors. Formed in 1992, Cartoni USA — a divi-
sion of Manios Film & Digital — is the North
American source for Cartoni fluid heads,
tripods and pedestals.
For additional information, visit
www.cartoni.com and www.maniosdigi
tal.com.

Willy’s Widgets Boosts

Leveling-Head Offerings
Willy’s Widgets has announced the
addition of two new heavy-duty four-way
leveling heads for cranes and jib arms,
increasing the types of leveling heads the
company offers to 11.
Four-way leveling heads are now
available for the Technocrane I and II as well
as Mitchell heads, top- and bottom-bolt
heads for jib arms, and the recently released
Euro heads, which fit Egripment, Moy and
Panther products.
For additional information, visit
www.willyswidgets.com. ●
International Marketplace

106 June 2015 American Cinematographer

Classifieds
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All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words
set in bold face or all capitals are $5.00 per
word. First word of ad and advertiser’s name
can be set in capitals without extra charge. No
agency commission or discounts on classified
advertising.PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER.
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2230, Hollywood, CA 90078. Or FAX (323)
876-4973. Deadline for payment and copy must
be in the office by 15th of second month
preceding publication. Subject matter is limited
to items and services pertaining to filmmaking
and video production. Words used are subject
to magazine style abbreviation. Minimum
amount per ad: $45
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion, Polas etc. A
Good Box Rental 818-763-8547
14,000+ USED EQUIPMENT ITEMS. PRO
VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT COMPANY. 50
YEARS EXPERIENCE. New: iLLUMiFLEX
LIGHTS & FluidFlex TRIPODS.
www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com AND
www.ProVideoFilm.com
EMAIL: ProVidFilm@aol.com
CALL BILL 972 869 9990, 888 869 9998.
World’s SUPERMARKET of USED MOTION
PICTURE EQUIPMENT! Buy, Sell, Trade.
CAMERAS, LENSES, SUPPORT, AKS & MORE!
Visual Products, Inc.
www.visualproducts.com Call 440.647.4999
www.theasc.com June 2015 107
 Advertiser’s Index
Aadyn Technology 61
Abel Cine Tech 59
Adorama 25, 55
Aerial Mob, LLC 71
Aerocrane Sales & Leasing
102
AJA Video Systems, Inc. 21
Alan Gordon Enterprises 107
Arri 9, 29
ASC Master Class 109
Aura Productions 102
Backstage Equipment, Inc.
103
Barger-Lite 8
BBS Lighting 31
Birns & Sawyer 101
Blackmagic Design, Inc. 11
Cavision Enterprises 106
Chapman/Leonard
Studio Equip. 87
Chrosziel 99
Cinelease 31
Cinematography
Electronics 75
Cinekinetic 106
Cineo Lighting 91
Convergent Design 43
Cooke Optics 15
Creative Handbook 115
CTT Exp & Rentals 75
CW Sonderoptic Gmbh 57
108
DPS 69
Duclos Lenses 83
Eastman Kodak 80a-h, C4
Filmgear, Inc. C3
Filmotechnic USA 45
Gamma & Density 48
Grip Factory Munich/GFM 101
Glidecam Industries 85
Hertz Corporation 41
Hexolux/Visionsmith 61
Hollywood PL 104
Hollywood Rentals 23
Horita Company, Inc. 107
J.L. Fisher, Inc. 89
Jod Soraci 102
Jonathan Kutner 107
K5600 79
King Film USA Group 106
Kino Flo 77
Koerner Camera Systems 8
Lee Filters 76
Lights! Action! Co. 106
Litegear 64
Maccam 47
Mac Tech LED 27
Manfrotto Distribution 39
Matthews Studio
Equipment/MSE 65
Microframe Corp. 106
Mole-Richardson /Studio Depot
106
Movie Tech AG 106, 107
NBC/Universal 27
Nila, Inc. 99
Ovide Broadcast Services 88
P+S Technik
Feinmechanik Gmbh 107
Panavision, Inc. 17
Panther Gmbh 49
Performance Filmworks 95
Pille Filmgeraeteverleih
Gmbh 106
Professional Solutions
Americas 73
Pro8mm 106
Rag Place, The 104
Red Digital Cinema C2-1
Revolution/Bolt Stage
Mexico 19
RTS, Inc. 93
Samy’s DV & Edit 7
Schneider Optics 2
Selected Tables 108
Servicevision 96
Siggraph 113
Sony Electronics 73
Sumolight Gmbh 63
Super16, Inc. 107
Teradek, LLC 5
Thales Angenieux 13
TNS&F Productions 107
TV Logic 97
Ushio America, Inc. 8
Visionary Forces 107
Welch Integrated 105
Willy’s Widgets 106
www.theasc.com 104, 108
American Society of Cinematographers Roster
OFFICERS – 2014-’15 ACTIVE MEMBERS Jack Couffer Changwei Gu Gordon Lonsdale
Richard Crudo, Thomas Ackerman Vincent G. Cox Rick Gunter Emmanuel Lubezki
President Lance Acord Jeff Cronenweth Rob Hahn Julio G. Macat
Marshall Adams Richard Crudo Gerald Hirschfeld Glen MacPherson
Owen Roizman, Javier Aguirresarobe Dean R. Cundey Henner Hofmann Paul Maibaum
Vice President Lloyd Ahern II Stefan Czapsky Adam Holender Constantine Makris
Kees van Oostrum, Russ Alsobrook David Darby Ernie Holzman Denis Maloney
Vice President Howard A. Anderson III Allen Daviau John C. Hora Isidore Mankofsky
Howard A. Anderson Jr. Roger Deakins Tom Houghton Christopher Manley
Lowell Peterson, Jan DeBont Gil Hubbs Michael D. Margulies
James Anderson
Vice President Peter Anderson Thomas Del Ruth Paul Hughen Barry Markowitz
Matthew Leonetti, Tony Askins Bruno Delbonnel Shane Hurlbut Steve Mason
Treasurer Christopher Baffa Peter Deming Tom Hurwitz Clark Mathis
Frederic Goodich, James Bagdonas Jim Denault Judy Irola Don McAlpine
King Baggot Caleb Deschanel Mark Irwin Don McCuaig
Secretary
John Bailey Ron Dexter Levie Isaacks Michael McDonough
Isidore Mankofsky, Florian Ballhaus Craig Di Bona Peter James Seamus McGarvey
Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Ballhaus George Spiro Dibie Johnny E. Jensen Robert McLachlan
Andrzej Bartkowiak Ernest Dickerson Matthew Jensen Geary McLeod
MEMBERS John Bartley Billy Dickson Jon Joffin Greg McMurry
OF THE BOARD Bojan Bazelli Bill Dill Frank Johnson Steve McNutt
John Bailey Frank Beascoechea Anthony Dod Mantle Shelly Johnson Terry K. Meade
Bill Bennett Affonso Beato Mark Doering-Powell Jeffrey Jur Suki Medencevic
Mat Beck Stuart Dryburgh Adam Kane Chris Menges
Curtis Clark
Dion Beebe Bert Dunk Stephen M. Katz Rexford Metz
Dean Cundey Lex duPont Ken Kelsch Anastas Michos
Bill Bennett
George Spiro Dibie Andres Berenguer John Dykstra Victor J. Kemper David Miller
Richard Edlund Carl Berger Richard Edlund Wayne Kennan Douglas Milsome
Michael Goi Gabriel Beristain Eagle Egilsson Francis Kenny Dan Mindel
Matthew Leonetti Steven Bernstein Frederick Elmes Glenn Kershaw Charles Minsky
Stephen Lighthill Ross Berryman Robert Elswit Darius Khondji Claudio Miranda
Daryn Okada Josh Bleibtreu Scott Farrar Gary Kibbe George Mooradian
Oliver Bokelberg Jon Fauer Jan Kiesser Reed Morano
Michael O’Shea
Michael Bonvillain Don E. FauntLeRoy Jeffrey L. Kimball Donald A. Morgan
Lowell Peterson Gerald Feil Adam Kimmel Donald M. Morgan
Richard Bowen
Rodney Taylor David Boyd Cort Fey Alar Kivilo Kramer Morgenthau
Kees van Oostrum Russell Boyd Steven Fierberg David Klein Peter Moss
Haskell Wexler Uta Briesewitz Mauro Fiore Richard Kline David Moxness
Jonathan Brown John C. Flinn III George Koblasa M. David Mullen
ALTERNATES Don Burgess Anna Foerster Fred J. Koenekamp Dennis Muren
Stephen H. Burum Larry Fong Lajos Koltai Fred Murphy
Isidore Mankofsky
Bill Butler Ron Fortunato Pete Kozachik Hiro Narita
Karl Walter Lindenlaub Greig Fraser Neil Krepela Guillermo Navarro
Frank B. Byers
Robert Primes Bobby Byrne Jonathan Freeman Willy Kurant Michael B. Negrin
Steven Fierberg Patrick Cady Tak Fujimoto Ellen M. Kuras Sol Negrin
Kenneth Zunder Sharon Calahan Alex Funke Christian La Fountaine Bill Neil
Antonio Calvache Steve Gainer George La Fountaine Alex Nepomniaschy
Paul Cameron Robert Gantz Edward Lachman John Newby
Russell P. Carpenter Ron Garcia Jacek Laskus Yuri Neyman
James L. Carter David Geddes Rob Legato Sam Nicholson
Alan Caso Dejan Georgevich Denis Lenoir Crescenzo Notarile
Vanja Černjul Michael Goi John R. Leonetti David B. Nowell
Michael Chapman Stephen Goldblatt Matthew Leonetti Rene Ohashi
Rodney Charters Paul Goldsmith Peter Levy Daryn Okada
Enrique Chediak Frederic Goodich Matthew Libatique Thomas Olgeirsson
Christopher Chomyn Nathaniel Goodman Charlie Lieberman Woody Omens
James A. Chressanthis Victor Goss Stephen Lighthill Michael D. O’Shea
T.C. Christensen Jack Green Karl Walter Lindenlaub Vince Pace
Joan Churchill Adam Greenberg John Lindley Anthony Palmieri
Curtis Clark Robbie Greenberg Robert F. Liu Phedon Papamichael
Peter L. Collister Xavier Grobet Walt Lloyd Daniel Pearl
Jack Cooperman Alexander Gruszynski Bruce Logan Brian Pearson

110 June 2015 American Cinematographer

J U N E 2 0 1 5

Edward J. Pei Dante Spinotti Craig Barron Larry Hezzelwood Marty Oppenheimer Franz Wieser
James Pergola Buddy Squires Thomas M. Barron Frieder Hochheim Walt Ordway Beverly Wood
Dave Perkal Terry Stacey Larry Barton Bob Hoffman Ahmad Ouri Jan Yarbrough
Lowell Peterson Eric Steelberg Wolfgang Baumler Vinny Hogan Michael Parker Hoyt Yeatman
Wally Pfister Ueli Steiger Bob Beitcher Cliff Hsui Dhanendra Patel Irwin M. Young
Sean MacLeod Phillips Peter Stein Mark Bender Robert C. Hummel Elliot Peck Michael Zacharia
Bill Pope Tom Stern Bruce Berke Zoë Iltsopoulos-Borys Kristin Petrovich Bob Zahn
Steven Poster Robert M. Stevens Bob Bianco Jim Jannard Ed Phillips Nazir Zaidi
Tom Priestley Jr. David Stockton Steven A. Blakely George Joblove Nick Phillips Michael Zakula
Rodrigo Prieto Rogier Stoffers Joseph Bogacz Joel Johnson Tyler Phillips Les Zellan
Robert Primes Vittorio Storaro Jill Bogdanowicz Eric Johnston Joshua Pines
Frank Prinzi Harry Stradling Jr. Mitchell Bogdanowicz John Johnston Carl Porcello HONORARY MEMBERS
Cynthia Pusheck David Stump Jens Bogehegn Mike Kanfer Sherri Potter Col. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
Richard Quinlan Tim Suhrstedt Michael Bravin Marker Karahadian Howard Preston Col. Michael Collins
Declan Quinn Peter Suschitzky Simon Broad Frank Kay Sarah Priestnall Bob Fisher
Earl Rath Attila Szalay William Brodersen Debbie Kennard David Pringle David MacDonald
Richard Rawlings Jr. Jonathan Taylor Garrett Brown Glenn Kennel Doug Pruss Cpt. Bruce McCandless II
Frank Raymond Rodney Taylor Terry Brown Milton Keslow Phil Radin Larry Parker
Tami Reiker William Taylor Reid Burns Robert Keslow David Reisner D. Brian Spruill
Robert Richardson Don Thorin Sr. Vincent Carabello Lori Killam Christopher Reyna Marek Zydowicz
Anthony B. Richmond Romeo Tirone Jim Carter Douglas Kirkland Colin Ritchie
Tom Richmond John Toll Martin Cayzer Mark Kirkland Eric G. Rodli
Bill Roe Mario Tosi Leonard Chapman Scott Klein Domenic Rom
Owen Roizman Salvatore Totino Mark Chiolis Timothy J. Knapp Andy Romanoff
Pete Romano Luciano Tovoli Michael Cioni Franz Kraus Frederic Rose
Charles Rosher Jr. Jost Vacano Denny Clairmont Karl Kresser Daniel Rosen
Giuseppe Rotunno Stijn van der Veken Adam Clark Chet Kucinski Dana Ross
Philippe Rousselot Theo van de Sande Cary Clayton Jarred Land Bill Russell
Juan Ruiz-Anchia Eric van Haren Noman Dave Cole Chuck Lee Chris Russo
Marvin Rush Kees van Oostrum Michael Condon Doug Leighton Kish Sadhvani
Paul Ryan Checco Varese Grover Crisp Lou Levinson David Samuelson
Eric Saarinen Ron Vargas Peter Crithary Suzanne Lezotte Dan Sasaki
Alik Sakharov Mark Vargo Daniel Curry Grant Loucks Steve Schklair
Mikael Salomon Amelia Vincent Marc Dando Howard Lukk Peter K. Schnitzler
Paul Sarossy William Wages Ross Danielson Andy Maltz Walter Schonfeld
Roberto Schaefer Roy H. Wagner Carlos D. DeMattos Gary Mandle Wayne Schulman
Tobias Schliessler Mandy Walker Gary Demos Steven E. Manios Jr. Alexander Schwarz
Aaron Schneider Michael Watkins Mato Der Avanessian Steven E. Manios Sr. Juergen Schwinzer
Nancy Schreiber Michael Weaver Kevin Dillon Chris Mankofsky Steven Scott
Fred Schuler William “Billy” Webb David Dodson Michael Mansouri Alec Shapiro
John Schwartzman Jonathan West Judith Doherty Frank Marsico Don Shapiro
John Seale Haskell Wexler Peter Doyle Peter Martin Milton R. Shefter
Christian Sebaldt Jack Whitman Cyril Drabinsky Robert Mastronardi Leon Silverman
Joaquin Sedillo Lisa Wiegand Jesse Dylan Joe Matza Rob Sim
Dean Semler Dariusz Wolski Jonathan Erland Albert Mayer Jr. Garrett Smith
Ben Seresin Ralph Woolsey Ray Feeney Bill McDonald Timothy E. Smith
Eduardo Serra Peter Wunstorf William Feightner Dennis McDonald Kimberly Snyder
Steven Shaw Robert Yeoman Phil Feiner Karen McHugh Stefan Sonnenfeld
Lawrence Sher Richard Yuricich Jimmy Fisher Andy McIntyre John L. Sprung
Richard Shore Jerzy Zielinski Thomas Fletcher Stan Miller Joseph N. Tawil
Newton Thomas Sigel Vilmos Zsigmond Claude Gagnon Walter H. Mills Ira Tiffen
Steven V. Silver Kenneth Zunder Salvatore Giarratano George Milton Steve Tiffen
John Simmons John A. Gresch Mike Mimaki Arthur Tostado
Sandi Sissel ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Jim Hannafin Michael Morelli Jeffrey Treanor
Santosh Sivan Pete Abel Bill Hansard Jr. Dash Morrison Bill Turner
Bradley B. Six Rich Abel Lisa Harp Nolan Murdock Stephan Ukas-Bradley
Michael Slovis Alan Albert Richard Hart Dan Muscarella Mark van Horne
Dennis L. Smith Richard Aschman Robert Harvey Iain A. Neil Richard Vetter
Roland “Ozzie” Smith Kay Baker Michael Hatzer Otto Nemenz Dedo Weigert
Reed Smoot Joseph J. Ball Josh Haynie Ernst Nettmann Steve Weiss
Bing Sokolsky Amnon Band Fritz Heinzle Tony Ngai Alex Wengert
Peter Sova Carly M. Barber Charles Herzfeld Jeff Okun Evans Wetmore

www.theasc.com June 2015 111

 In Memoriam
Miroslav Ondrícek, ASC, ACK, 1934-2015
Czech cinematographer Miroslav
Ondrícek, ASC, ACK, who received Acad-
emy Award nominations for his work
on Ragtime and Amadeus, died on March
28 in the Czech Republic at the age of 80.
Born in Prague in 1934, Ondrícek
was 4 years old when he saw his first
movie. He was so captivated he tiptoed
behind the screen “to find out how
these pictures were made,” he told AC
(March ’04). As he grew up, he spent
many hours watching movies from
America and other Western countries,
and after graduating from high school,
he landed an apprenticeship in the
laboratory at Barrandov Studios.
He worked at Barrandov for
several years, eventually moving up to
assistant on documentary crews and
then features. Between projects, he
attended FAMU, the Film and TV School
of the Academy of Performing Arts in
Prague. “The most important aspect of
my development at that point was the
opportunity I had to assist the great
cinematographers of that era: Jaroslav
Tuzar, Jan Curík and Jaroslav Kucera,”
Ondrícek told AC. “These men were
the pillars of cinematography.”
In 1957, Ondrícek was chosen
by Barrandov to join a small group of
filmmakers who would further their
studies in night school. The other partici-
pants included Milos Forman, Jan Nĕmec
and Ivan Passer, whose subsequent collabo-
rations with Ondrícek would help to define
the Czech New Wave. These films
included Intimate Lighting, The Loves of a
Blonde and The Firemen’s Ball.
When the Soviets invaded Czecho-
slovakia in 1968, Ondrícek moved to
England, where he made three films with
Lindsay Anderson, The White Bus (a.k.a.
Red, White and Zero), If.... and O Lucky
Man! In 1970, he joined Forman in New
York to film Taking Off, and then George
Roy Hill came calling about Slaughterhouse-
Five. “I never felt I had to change my ways
to make films in America,” Ondrícek
112 June 2015
told AC. “A person can have the American
feel even if he or she is born in Warsaw or
Moscow or Prague. It has to do with the
way you think, the way you express free-
dom in how you approach life; it’s a combi-
nation of this and the willingness to work
hard. That’s what I appreciate and love
about America.”
Ondrícek’s collaborations with
Forman included three acclaimed period
pieces: Hair, Ragtime and Amadeus. Upon
receiving word of his Oscar nomination
for Ragtime, Ondrícek was “amazed,” he
told AC. “I just couldn’t believe all those
American cinematographers had looked at
my film and picked me as one of the nomi-
nees when there were so many wonderful
cinematographers in the United States.”
Amadeus brought Forman and
Ondrícek back to Prague for an almost
entirely location-based shoot. Just four sets
were built for the production, and it took
months of negotiation with the Czech
government to secure one of the most
important locations, the all-wood Tyl
American Cinematographer
Theater, which Ondrícek wanted to light
mainly with candles. In an April ’85 inter-
view with AC about the project, Ondrícek
noted that his crew had to build a massive
metal scaffold that extended into the
theater through the dome in the roof in
order to support 11 700-pound chande-
liers, each burning 40-60 candles. The fear
of fire was so great that firemen were
stationed every 15' throughout the
theater to watch the candles. “We
were trying to create an atmosphere of
soft candlelight all over and all the
time,” Ondrícek said. Shooting on East-
man Kodak 5293, he augmented the
firelight practicals with 250-watt
Chinese lanterns. When different
colored light was necessary, he used
spray-painted bulbs instead of gels.
Ondrícek’s other features
included The World According to Garp,
Silkwood, F/X, Distant Harmony and
Valmont. He became an ASC member
in 1996, after being proposed for
membership by John Bailey, George
Koblasa and Vilmos Zsigmond.
Late in his career, he teamed with
director Penny Marshall on four
features: Awakenings, A League of
Their Own, The Preacher’s Wife and
Riding in Cars With Boys. “Penny has a
strong understanding of dialogue, and
she recognizes immediately any kind of
false tone,” he told AC. “She is an excellent
listener, and that makes her unusual.”
Marshall presented Ondrícek with the ASC
International Award in 2004.
“I’ve always felt that the most
important thing is the story, and my only job
is to help tell it,” Ondrícek observed. “You
have to look at a movie the way audiences
do and see it as they do. It can be techni-
Photo by Douglas Kirkland.
cally perfect and artistic, but if the audience
doesn’t respond to the emotions, then the
film doesn’t work.”
— Rachael K. Bosley
●
 Clubhouse News
Top: The ASC co-hosted a
reception during the recent
Broadcast Education
Association Conference.
Bottom (from left): ASC
members Haskell Wexler, Joan
Churchill, Stephen Lighthill
and Frederic Goodich hold
court during the American
Documentary Film Festival.
Members Participate in NAB
Show, BEA Conference
The annual NAB Show was recently
held at the Las Vegas Convention Center in
Las Vegas, Nev. A number of ASC active and
associate members were seen scouting the
exhibition halls and participating in live
demonstrations hosted by many of the
show’s vendors, including Band Pro and
Canon. Additionally, the ASC and AC part-
nered with NAB to present the Creative
Master Series session “Checking into The
Grand Budapest Hotel,” which
featured Robert Yeoman, ASC in conversa-
tion with AC managing editor Jon D.
Witmer. Yeoman detailed the techniques
employed in the “Kunstmuseum chase”
sequence from The Grand Budapest
Hotel (AC March ’14), discussed the evolu-
tion of his collaboration with director Wes
Anderson, and touched on the soon-to-be-
released features Love & Mercy and Spy.
Concurrently, the Broadcast Educa-
tion Association held the BEA2015 Confer-
ence at the Westgate Las Vegas hotel, where
the ASC presented a Master Class featuring
Society President Richard Crudo and fellow
Society member Francis Kenny. The cine-
matographers discussed their work on the
FX series Justified. The ASC also co-hosted a
reception for BEA attendees.
114 June 2015
ASC Cinematographers at
American Documentary Festival
Appearing at the American Docu-
mentary Film Festival in Palm Springs, Calif.,
ASC members Stephen Lighthill, Haskell
Wexler, Joan Churchill and Frederic
Goodich addressed “The Mating of Docu-
mentary and Narrative Cinematography.”
During the session — which was organized
by Goodich, who also served as a consultant
for the festival — the cinematographers
discussed the impact newly devised visual
languages are having on both traditional
reality capture and formal fictional narrative,
the pros and cons of current digital image
capture, the modes that result from these
new tools, and what audiences understand
and expect.
EFilm Exhibits ASC Photography
EFilm’s Hollywood facility is currently
displaying 75 photographs by 55 ASC cine-
matographers in the For the Love of Stills:
ASC Photography Exhibit. The request for
the exhibit was initiated by associate
member Beverly Wood. Isidore Mankof-
sky, ASC then made the original selection,
and the photographs were hung by EFilm’s
Brian Shinkle.
In addition, a selection of about 60
photos taken by ASC members currently
American Cinematographer
hangs at FotoKem, and another 20 at Alter-
native Rentals.
Lachman, Laskus, Zsigmond
Featured in Photo Show
Photography by ASC members Ed
Lachman, Jacek Laskus and Vilmos Zsig-
mond was featured in the show Concept to
Reality: Five Cinematographers, One
Moment in Time at The Loft at Liz’s art
gallery in Los Angeles. Curated by Simon
Edery, the show also featured stills by cine-
matographers Phil Parmet and Peter Rodger
and behind-the-scenes photographer
Isabella Vosmikova.
Nowell Speaks at DCS Seminar
David Nowell, ASC recently spoke
at the joint Pictorvision-Digital Cinema Soci-
ety seminar on aerial cinematography, held
at Pictorvision’s headquarters in Van Nuys,
Calif. In conversation with DCS President
James Mathers, Nowell discussed how aerial
cinematography has changed over the
years, and spoke of his experiences on such
blockbuster feature films as the upcoming
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No
Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.
Tales, which combined manned-helicopter
and drone cinematography.
Schulman Joins MAC Group
ASC associate Wayne Schulman
has joined MAC Group as product strategist
for video and cine products. Schulman will
focus on developing new products for the
video and cine channel while playing a key
role in the sales and marketing of existing
products. Schulman’s extensive industry
experience includes product development
and marketing and sales management at
Tiffen, Manfrotto and Ikan.
“I am very excited to be able to bring
BEA photos by Adam Frazier.
my experience to the MAC Group,” says
Schulman. “I am truly impressed with the
resources available here. Our capabilities in
product development, sales and marketing
are unmatched in the industry.” ●
 Close-up Mauro Fiore, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impres- What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
sion on you? To capture that synchronicity of light and movement in a harmo-
When I was probably 11, I saw the film The Red Balloon, which left nious rhythm. To watch a great performance from behind the
an impression on me because of its simplicity and complexity. camera. Being nominated for an Academy Award, and winning, for
Avatar.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most
admire? Have you made any
Vittorio Storaro [ASC, memorable blunders?
AIC], for his boldness When I was a gaffer, we
and bravado; Sven filmed a whole day’s work
Nykvist [ASC], for his with a flicker strobe,
simplicity and naturalis- which we would discover
tic interpretations; Henri the next day. The stage we
Alekan [AFC], for his were on was run by a
brilliant black-and-white construction generator
mastery; Conrad Hall without a crystal governor.
[ASC], for his obses-
sions; Janusz Kaminski, What is the best profes-
for his fearlessness — I sional advice you’ve
was his gaffer and he ever received?
taught me to have a My father once told me
voice. that a true master only
needs a few tools. Pride in
What sparked your your work is paramount.
interest in photography?
Black-and-white photography and darkroom experimentation. What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
I have been intrigued lately by biographies of musicians, such as
Where did you train and/or study? Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Fela Kuti and James Brown.
Columbia College Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Do you have any favorite genres, or genres you would like to
Who were your early teachers or mentors? try?
High-school photography teacher Mr. Anderson; 3D-design teacher I would love to be involved in a period film with a modern perspec-
Mr. Faust; Jack Whitehead [BSC], who taught my cinematography tive and concept.
class at Columbia.
If you weren’t a cinematographer, what might you be doing
What are some of your key artistic influences? instead?
Art history: painters such as Caravaggio, for his dramatic use of I never regret my choice, but maybe an architect or a craftsman of
chiaroscuro; Vermeer, for his soft-light masterpieces; Di Chirico, for some kind.
his melancholy. Photographers such as Cartier-Bresson, Edward
Weston, Diane Arbus. Italian cinema, for its heart — maybe it’s my Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
heritage. American cinema, for its lack of pretense, and French membership?
cinema, for its analytical expression. Janusz Kaminski, Phedon Papamichael and Wally Pfister.

How did you get your first break in the business?
Janusz Kaminski called me from Los Angeles, after we had finished
film school in Chicago that year, to help out on a Roger Corman film.
There we met several new filmmakers and friends who are now a
very big part of the filmmaking community.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
The ASC brings a symbol of respect to our industry, and it creates a
community for sharing ideas with colleagues. ●

116 June 2015 American Cinematographer