D E C E MB E R 2 0 1 1 D E C E MB E R 2 0 1 1$5.95Canada $6.95www.schneideroptics.com Phooe: 818-766-3715 800-228-1254 It Starts with the GlasstmPhoto of Lowell Peterson ASC by Paul PlannetteLowell Peterson ASC received an Emmynomination for the series Six FeetUnder, and three ASC nominations forhis other television work. He is currentlyshooting the eighth and final season ofDesperate Housewives.B+W Century SchneiderWe shot the first seven seasons ofDesperate Housewives on filmbut this year I decided to take theshow HD, with Alexa. After a lotof testing, we ended up using thesame lenses and same SchneiderBlack Frost & True-Polfilters thatgave us our look on film. The onlyissue we had was IR pollution whenshooting outdoors on Wisteria Lane.Schneider came through for us withsome of the first sets of their great newPlatinum IRNDs, and all our colormatching problems disappeared.The International Journal of Motion Imaging36 Stepping into the ShadowsTom Stern, ASC, AFC illuminates secretive life of FBIs Hoover in J. Edgar54 Through a Childs EyesRobert Richardson, ASC explores 3-D digital capture on Hugo68 Silent SplendorGuillaume Schiffman, AFC shoots black-and-white silent movie The Artist78 Its Time to Raise the CurtainDon Burgess, ASC brings beloved characters back to bigscreen in The MuppetsDEPARTMENTSFEATURES VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM TO ENJOY THESE WEB EXCLUSIVES DVD Playback: Star Wars The Magnificent Seven/Return of the Magnificent Seven ObsessionOn Our Cover: FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) provides impassioned testimony in J. Edgar, shot by Tom Stern, ASC, AFC. (Photo by Keith Bernstein, courtesy of Warner Bros.)8 Editors Note10 Presidents Desk12 Short Takes: OK Gos Muppet Show Theme Song18 Production Slate: Melancholia Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy94 Filmmakers Forum: David Stump, ASC100 New Products & Services104 International Marketplace105 Classified Ads106 Ad Index107 2011 AC Index114 In Memoriam: Andrew Laszlo, ASC116 ASC Membership Roster118 Clubhouse News120 ASC Close-Up: Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AICD E C E M B E R 2 0 1 1 V O L . 9 2 N O . 1 2785468D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 1 V o l . 9 2 , N o . 1 2T h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l J o u r n a l o f M o t i o n I m a g i n gVisit us online atwww.theasc.com PUBLISHER Martha WinterhalterEDITORIALEXECUTIVE EDITOR Stephen PizzelloSENIOR EDITOR Rachael K. BosleyASSOCIATE EDITOR Jon D. WitmerTECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher ProbstCONTRIBUTING WRITERSStephanie Argy, Benjamin B, Douglas Bankston, Robert S. Birchard, John Calhoun, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray, Jim Hemphill, David Heuring, Jay Holben, Mark Hope-Jones, Noah Kadner, Jean Oppenheimer, John Pavlus, Chris Pizzello, Jon Silberg, Iain Stasukevich, Kenneth Sweeney, Patricia ThomsonART DEPARTMENTCREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion GoreADVERTISINGADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann323-936-3769FAX 323-936-9188e-mail: gollmann@pacbell.netADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce323-952-2114FAX 323-876-4973e-mail: sanja@ascmag.comADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Scott Burnell323-936-0672FAX 323-936-9188e-mail: sburnell@earthlink.netCLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Nepomuceno323-952-2124FAX 323-876-4973e-mail: diella@ascmag.com CIRCULATION, BOOKS & PRODUCTSCIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul MolinaCIRCULATION MANAGER Alex LopezSHIPPING MANAGER Miguel MadrigalASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett GraumanASC EVENTS COORDINATOR Patricia ArmacostASC PRESIDENTS ASSISTANT Delphine FiguerasASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila BaselyASC ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE Corey ClarkAmerican Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 91st year of publication, is publishedmonthly in Hollywood by ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A., (800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344.Subscriptions: U.S. $50; Canada/Mexico $70; all other foreign countries $95 a year (remit international Money Order or other exchange payable in U.S. $). Advertising: Rate card upon request from Hollywoodoffice. Article Reprints: Requests for high-quality article reprints (or electronic reprints) should be made toSheridan Reprints at (800) 635-7181 ext. 8065 or by e-mail hrobinson@tsp.sheridan.com.Copyright 2011 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA. POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.4 WWW. WARNE RBROS 2011. C OMC O N S I D E R . . .BEST CINEMATOGRAPHYEDUARDOSERRA, A.S.C., A.F.C.OFFICERS - 2011/2012Michael GoiPresidentRichard CrudoVice PresidentOwen RoizmanVice PresidentJohn C. Flinn IIIVice PresidentVictor J. KemperTreasurerFrederic GoodichSecretaryStephen LighthillSergeant At ArmsMEMBERS OF THEBOARDJohn BaileyStephen H. BurumRichard CrudoGeorge Spiro DibieRichard EdlundFred ElmesMichael GoiVictor J. KemperFrancis KennyIsidore MankofskyRobert PrimesOwen Roizman Kees Van OostrumHaskell WexlerVilmos ZsigmondALTERNATESMichael D. OSheaRodney TaylorRon GarciaSol NegrinKenneth ZunderMUSEUM CURATORSteve GainerAmerican Society of Cine ma togra phersThe ASC is not a labor union or a guild, butan educational, cultural and pro fes sion al or ga ni za tion. Membership is by invitation to those who are actively en gaged as di rec tors of photography and have dem on strated out stand ing ability. ASC membership has be come one of the highesthonors that can be bestowed upon a pro fes sional cin e ma tog ra pher a mark of prestige and excellence.Backstage Equipment, nc. 8052 Lankershim Bl. North Hollywood, CA 91605 (818) 504-6026 Fax (818) 504-6180 backstaged@aol.com www.backstageweb.comCome visit our showroom or call for our latest Magliner product catalogWe are the largest retailer specializing in Magliner customized products and accessories for the Film and Television Industry in the worldNew YorkShowroom C.W..H. 364 W. 36th St. New York, NY 10018 (877)-Mr-CASTER (877-672-2783) backstage@cwih.com www.cwih.com6BEST CINEMATOGRAPHYPeter Suschitzky, ASCCINEMATOGRAPHER PETER SUSCHITZKY PROVIDES VISUALS OF A PRISTINE PURITY AUGMENTED BY THE IMMACULATE FIN DE LEPOCH SETTINGS.-Todd McCarthy, HOLLYWOOD REPORTERWritten and Directed by Woody AllenMidnight in ParisEXHILARATING! Midnight in Paris opens with a prologue, shot with a poets eye by the great Darius Khondji, that shows off the City of Light from dawn to darkness in images of shimmering loveliness. Pity the actors who have to compete with such an object of desire. -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONEBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYDarius Khondji ASC, AFCSAD BEN SAD PRESENTSA ROMAN POLANSKI FILM CARNAGEBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYPawel EdelmanBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYJos Luis AlcaineAN EXTRAORDINARILY BEAUTIFUL NARRATIVE, PERHAPS ALMODVARS MOST VISUALLY RAVISHING FILM.-Karen Durbin, ELLETA K E S H E LT E R TA K E S H E LT E RWRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY JEFF NICHOLSA DAZZLING PIECE OF FILMMAKING, AND MUCH OF THE DAZZLE COMES FROMADAM STONES CINEMATOGRAPHY, WHICH EXPRESSES THE SWIRLING STATE OF CURTISS MIND WITH RICHLY VARIED FLAVORS OF LIGHT.-Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNALI N DARKNESSBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYJolanta DylewskaA film by Agnieszka HollandPolanskis technical collaborators use every tool in their arsenal to achieve the illusion of seamlessness: the perspectives offered up by Pawel Edelmans camera isolates the characters in stationary shots that express relationships visually.-Justin Chang, VARIETYAGNIESZKA HOLLANDS BRAVE EPIC!SINGULAR AND SUPERBLY DRAMATIC!A passion for life drives a small group of Polish Jews to take refuge from Nazi collaborators in the sewersbeneath Lvov during World War II.The suspense here, derived from a true story, is excruciating and inspiring in equal measure.The hero Socha, a perfect performance by Robert Wieckiewicz, brings Oskar Schindler to mind.-Joe Morgenstern, THE WALL STREET JOURNALBEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Adam StoneThis months issue covers a truly diverse slate of projects,startingwith Clint Eastwoods biographical dramaJ.Edgar,an ambitious attempt to crack open the psycho-logical vault of iconic FBI director J. Edgar Hoover.With some aspects of Hoovers biography still opentodebate particularly his private life, which stokedrumors of a romantic relationship with FBI Associate Direc-tor Clyde Tolson Eastwood and cinematographer TomStern, ASC, AFC chose to render his world as a shadowyrealmof closely guarded secrets. Describing the visualstrategy to AC contributor Michael Goldman, who visitedtheset (Stepping into the Shadows, page 36), Sternoffers, We wanted to create a credible noir-esque envi-ronment inside a federal bureaucracy.A bold approach was also brought toHugo by Martin Scorsese and Robert Richard-son, ASC, who were making their first forays into digital image capture and 3-D. The moviesnarrativeis drawn from the childrens bookTheInvention of Hugo Cabret ,and its look ispartly inspired by the work of French film pioneer Georges Mlis, who appears as a charac-terin the story. As Richardson tells London correspondent Mark Hope-Jones (Through aChildsEyes, page 54), Marty selected a large number of images from the book whichspoke to what he had in mind, and he asked all of us [production designer] Dante Ferretti,[set decorator] Francesca Lo Schiavo, [costume designer] Sandy Powell, [visual-effects super-visor] Rob Legato and me to be faithful to what [author] Brian [Selznick] had captured.This guided us toward a world that was created rather than bound to reality.Fans of the silent-film era can further luxuriate in the lush imagery of The Artist, whichconcernsa silent-film star who scorns the arrival of talking pictures. Shot by GuillaumeSchiffman, AFC, the French film is presented as a black-and-white silent picture, in 1.33:1,with music and title cards substituting for dialogue.AC correspondent Benjamin B met withSchiffman and director Michel Hazanavicius in Paris, where the duo described their spiritedcollaborative style (Silent Splendor, page 68). We like to provoke each other, Schiffmansays, and provocation creates these little sparks that are exactly what the film needs. Werea good pair. Michel is precise about everything; no detail escapes him. Some people wouldsay hes a control freak, but I would say hes a real director. Meanwhile, on The Muppets, ASC member Don Burgess found himself tasked withbringing beloved characters back to the big screen for the first time since 1999. Burgess tellsNew York correspondent Iain Stasukevich (Its Time to Raise the Curtain, page 78) that hisfirst step was to consult ACs 1979 coverage of The Muppet Movie, particularly the compre-hensive piece penned by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, who shot that picture. Burgess was initiallyconcerned that digital capture might demystify the Muppets, but he happily reports, Theyheld up great. We were able to enhance the quality of their design without detracting fromtheir personalities.[Muppets creator Jim] Henson was truly a genius, the cinematographer adds. Hecame up with fully dimensional characters that you totally buy into. You root for them. Theymake you laugh. Its really amazing how well it all works.Stephen PizzelloExecutive EditorEditors NotePhoto by Owen Roizman, ASC.8F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O NB E S T C I N E M A T O G R A P H YTOMSTERN,A.F.C.,A.S.C.WWW. WARNE RBROS 2011. C OMWhen I first got into this industry, I thought a great deal about the legacy I wanted to leave forthe next generation. I grew up watching incredible movies during the 1960s and 1970s likeTheGraduate, Day for Night, The Godfather and The Last Picture Show, movies that seemed to saysomething specifically to me. Regardless of fame or fortune, what mattered to me was that Icreate something tangible and valuable that could be preserved for the future.As I progressed in the business, the types of projects I was offered often felt somewhat lessthan desirable. Tommy Lee Jones was once asked why he performed in so many bad movies earlyin his career. His reply was that he always worked as an actor, not as a truck driver, waiter or bell-hop. If he was offered three terrible scripts, he took the least terrible one and tried to make some-thing out of it, but he always worked in his craft.I adopted the same attitude and embraced the lessons that less-than-respectable jobs couldteach me. Filming erotic thrillers taught me how to light women beautifully and quickly. Shoot-ing low-budget martial-arts films taught me how to break down action sequences. Shooting no-budget horror films taught me how to create mood and atmosphere with very few lights. Allthese experiences made me the cinematographer I am today and led to the kinds of projects Ican now take on.We who work in production live a bit of a gypsy life. Ive shot movies on seven continents,and I kept a studio apartment for 18 years because I was gone nine months a year. Relationshipsfollowed the course they naturally do for single people on the crew: I dated those I met on location. This may have provided va ri-ety, but it hardly contributed toward stability. Ultimately, a growing dissatisfaction with the quality of my life was preventi ng me fromgrowing as an artist.You cannot experience the thrill of leaping from an airplane if a parachute isnt there to support you. When I met Gina, mywife, I found my support. Her unfailing belief in my worth as a man, husband, father and artist enabled me to achieve what I couldnot do on my own. The trust in our relationship freed me to reach further than I ever had, to grasp at windmills without fear o fbeing ridiculed or criticized, to truly find my own potential.So am I still obsessed with leaving a viable legacy behind that will influence future generations? Yes, but now my criteria aredifferent. When I see my youngest son, Ryan, smile with absolute trust at me every morning, or watch my son Michael teach hisgrandparents something new he learned in school, what matters to me is that something tangible and valuable has been createdand preserved for the future, regardless of fame or fortune.I wish you and yours a peaceful holiday season.Michael Goi, ASCPresidentPresidents Desk10 December 2011American Cinematographer Upper left photo by Owen Roizman, ASC. 12 December 2011American Cinematographer Muppet ManiaBy Iain StasukevichChicago-basedrock band OK Go is known as much for itswhimsical, cleverly designed music videos as it is for its music. Thebands latest single is a cover ofThe Muppet Showtheme song, a cutfrom the Muppet-themed Green Album. When the musicians enlistJim Hensons lovable creatures to help them with the video, all hellbreaks loose. Thecollaboration was actually a match made in heaven,according to the videos director, Kirk Thatcher. Ive never met fourguyswho embody the Muppets freewheeling, creative fun andincrediblycraftsman-like approach to execution more than bandmembers Tim [Nordwind], Dan [Konopka], Andy [Ross] and Damian[Kulash], he observes.Thatcher is actually a Henson veteran: in 1986, Henson hiredhim as a character designer. The videos cinematographer, Craig Kief,hadalso worked with the Muppets before, on a project for popsinger Tiffany Thornton. The filmmakers were presented with some heavy specs for atwo-dayshoot. There were 14 sets on three stages at DelphinoStudios in Sylmar, Calif. On the second day, Kief and Thatcher werejoined by 2nd-unit director/visual-effects supervisor Christopher Alen-der and cinematographer Mateo Londono. The Muppets and production company Soapbox Films werecoming off four days of production on another Muppet project, soallthe infrastructure was in place. The key Muppet performers,including Steve Whitmire (Kermit), Eric Jacobson (Piggy and Fozzie),Bill Barretta (Rowlf and Dr. Teeth) and Dave Goelz (Gonzo), live indifferentparts of the country, so their in-person meetings oftenmeans weeks of concentrated work on a variety of projects.Kief confirms that working with puppets necessitates someunusual departures from the way he typically shoots. The puppetslike to be shot with wide lenses, up close, he notes. This is partlybecause the puppets are very small Kermit is about 18" andthe wide-lens perspective helps to make their movements feel largerand more alive. Compositionis maintained using the lower frame line asreference.Handheld work is often avoided, as are vertical cameramoves.Muppets tend to walk in groups of three and five,Thatcher observes. Then theyll line up and talk to each other, somany of our shots are proscenium-oriented from the waist up. Thehardest thing to do with a Muppet is an extreme close-up, becauseyou dont want the audience to discern that the eyes are made offelt. And over-the-shoulders are difficult because a lot of them donthaveshoulders. In addition, the characters distinctive facialfeaturesdiscourage camera operators from cutting their close-upsoff at the forehead.Whenworking, Muppet performers are most comfortablestanding, with their puppets raised over their heads. All Muppet setsthereforehad to be constructed with 3'-high puppeted floorsassembled from 4'x8' steel-deck sections that could be removed atany time. Thisalso meant that Kief needed to position his camera, aShort TakesPhotos by Craig Kief and Chris Alender. Images courtesy of Disney.Kermit the Frog,Animal, FozzieBear and Gonzoare among theMuppets whomake mayhem inOK Gos versionof The MuppetShow themesong.IBESTCI NEMATOGRAPHY PHEDON PAPAMICHAEL, ASCF O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O NPanavised Arri Alexa, at a height of 8' or 9'.All of the lights on set had to be raised aswell. Sometimes it takes a while for peopleto get into that mode of thinking, says thecinematographer.Luckily, some of mycrew, including key grips Alex Klabukov andBodieHyman, had worked on the newMuppets movie, so they were already veryfamiliar with how this works.Kief was impressed with the Alexashandlingof the Muppets bright colorpalette. The digital image was recorded as4:4:4 LOG C ProRes HD files to onboard SxScards. The only adjustment he made on setwas to inch up the saturation on the mainHD viewing monitor at video village. The colors were insane, he notes.Notonly was I dealing with Kermitsextremegreen and Gonzos blue, but wealsohad other craziness, like the bandmemberscolorful suits and a wall of LEDlights.The image held up phenomenallywell, and I knew it would look great whenwe started the timing.Oneof the videos early gags, aparodyof the classic Muppaphone act,involvesa very tricky shot. The cameradolliesacross the musicians faces, thenspeeds up (a post effect) and pulls back asMarvinSuggs (performed by Jacobson)hurls a pair of mallets over their heads. Themallets fly past the camera and start a RubeGoldbergdevice that sets the rest of thevideo in motion.Jacobsonhad trouble throwing themallets while holding the Suggs puppet, soKief and Thatcher came up with the idea tolock off the camera at the end of the shot,clearthe band from the frame, and thenhave Jacobson (sans puppet) toss the mallet.TheMuppet hands and mallets were roto-scoped back into the hero shot (by artists atSoapbox) to look as though theyre part oftheaction. We used every trick available,but it doesnt look like it, Thatcher notes. Afew shots later, some penguinsdropa curtain across the frame, and thenpullit back as the camera begins a longpush-in on a dolly. Kermit and pals emergefrom behind the curtains as the dolly passesby.Toachieve this shot, Londono andHyman guided the camera past six rows ofcurtains, lighting cues and Muppet perform-ers. Each time a curtain was pulled back, aMuppethit its mark, and 2nd-unit gafferKirean Waugh turned up a 1K or 650-wattFresnel,kicking lens flares into the uppercornersof the frame. (The lenses werePanavisionPrimos.) The shot lookscompletelyeffortless, even though it wasverycomplex, says Thatcher. Getting 15people to have perfect timing to music on a70-footdolly took almost seven hours toaccomplish, but we loved the idea of captur-ing as much in-camera as possible.Clockwise from top left: the Muppetspuppeteer the members of OK Go; DamianKulash performs against greenscreen; theArri Alexa was rotated 90 degrees tomaximize resolution.14 December 2011American Cinematographer 16 December 2011American Cinematographer Oneof my favorite shots in thevideowas something Kirk and [producer]Kris Eber came up with called the peacocksetup,says Kief. In this scene, the fourband members and four Muppets stand ina single-file line facing the camera, and thentheylean around each other on a musicalcue. During the shot, Kief had the lighting-boardoperator cycle through differentbackground lighting cues with ETC SeladorVivid R LED lamps.Whenthe band and the Muppetsstart going crazy and jumping around, I told[theoperator] to just go nuts and startcyclingthrough the backgrounds, saysKief. It was fun to see it instantly, live andin-camera.(In post, Alender thought ofadding flying CG penguins to the shot.)Kiefcame across the Selador VividLEDs while searching for a lamp suitable forlighting a pure white cyc. The problem isthatthere are gaps in the LED color spec-trum,he remarks. The Selador Vivids useseven LED hues red, red-orange, amber,green,cyan, blue and indigo thattogether create a more complete spectrumof white light.Byusing 14 Vivid lamps above and14below the white background cyc, Kiefwas able to create a smooth, solid wash ofcolorthat could be changed in an instant.It was so saturated and clear that it lookedlikea post effect, he says. DMX dimmercontrolwas routed through an ETC Ionconsole.Two big greenscreen shots close outthe video. Klabukov rigged bluescreens andgreenscreens to fly in front of the cyc, andgaffer Mark Marchetti lit them with 12 KinoFloImage 80s (six above and six below)lampedwith alternating green and bluetubes. The first greenscreen gag reveals thatOKGo are actually puppets beingcontrolledby the Muppets. The bandmembersperformed in front of a green-screenwhile wearing a floor-length skirt ofthesame chroma-key color. Each memberwasphotographed individually, with thecamerarotated 90 degrees, and thencombinedinto a single shot. We neededmorevertical resolution than horizontalresolution, Kief explains. Getting in closewiththe camera and shooting sidewaysallowed us to do that.Thereveal of the Muppetspuppeteeringthe band is a separate shot,achievedin the same fashion, with thepuppeteers watching the musicians perfor-mance on a monitor in order to make thepuppetsmovements match. According toThatcher,keying the Muppets has alwaysbeen a challenge. Kermit is a few shades offchroma green, but if he is in an effects shotwithGonzo, bluescreen cant be used,either.Theres no single color that worksfor everybody, so we had to be flexible andbeready to shoot either at a momentsnotice, says Kief.Iveshot about 50 music videos,and this is maybe the most ambitious one,muses the cinematographer. It also mightbethe most fun Ive ever had on a shoot.Everyone, including the band, thepuppeteers, Kirk, Soapbox and theMuppetsStudio, brought a creative energyto the video that was exciting andinspiring. Clockwise from top left: Tim Nordwindawakens from his nightmare; cinematographerCraig Kief and the Alexa on set; key grip AlexKlabukov uses a Panther crane to fly thecamera over the bedroom set.S EP ARATEDBYWAR.TES TEDBYBATTLE.B OUNDB Y F R I E NDS HI P .18 December 2011American Cinematographer Worlds CollideBy John CalhounCinematographerManuel Alberto Claro emerged from theNational Danish Film School with a keen desire to work with directorand provocateur Lars von Trier, but he never thought it would actu-ally happen. Claro, who was born in Chile but moved to Denmarkwith his family at age 4, says, The most memorable experiences Ivehad as a viewer were watching his films, so it was a secret dream towork with him, but his is a different generation than mine, so I neverthought it would be possible. Also, for many years he was kind ofdestroying cinema destroying the visuals and I thought that ifhekept going in that direction there would be no space for a cinematographer.With the latter remark Claro is, of course, referring to suchDogme95projects asTheIdiots,and the Brechtian experimentsDogville (AC May 04) and Manderlay. But then came Antichrist (ACNov.09), which appeared to reverse the trend. With that film,which made bold use of lighting and high-speed digital cinematog-raphy (by Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF), Claro believes vonTrier returned to an earlier way of looking at filmmaking, to classi-cal cinema. Von Triers latest picture,Melancholia, which Claro was askedtophotograph on the recommendation of producer Meta LouiseFoldager, dramatically follows through on this trend. It is the story oftwo sisters (played by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) andtheir divergent responses to a rogue planet called Melancholia thatis on a collision course with Earth. The film is divided into two parts:Production SlateMelancholia photos by Christian Geisnaes. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of Magnolia Pictures.In a striking composition fromMelancholia, shot by Manuel Alberto Claro, new bride Justine (Kirsten Dunst) floats Ophelia-like down a stream in her wedding dress.I20 December 2011 American Cinematographer Justine,named after Dunsts troubledcharacter,depicts her disastrous weddingreceptionat sister Claires palatial estate;Claire charts the emotional disintegrationofGainsbourgs character in the face ofMelancholiasapproach, even as Justinereaches a state of repose.As in Antichrist, preceding the bodyofthe film is an overture, in which thethemesand motifs running through themovie are prefigured in a series of static andhighlystylized images for example,Justine attempting to trudge forward in herwedding dress with her ankles restrained byyarn, or floating Ophelia-like down a streamwhileholding her bouquet. Most of thesestrikingcompositions were created on thegroundsat Swedens Tjlohom Castle,where all of the movies location work wasshot. Aurally underscoring this sequence isthe overture to Wagners Tristan und Isolde.(Ina statement accompanying the moviesproductionnotes, von Trier says, With astate of mind as my starting point, I desiredto dive headlong into the abyss of GermanRomanticism. Wagner in spades.)This10-minute segment was shotwiththe Phantom HD Gold camera at1,000 fps, yielding a series of painstakinglyslowed-downmicroseconds of movement.Larslikes the quality that creates, saysClaro,who notes that this overture wasprecisely imagined by the director and story-boarded accordingly.The layering of shots was a complexprocessin both production and post. Insomeof the landscapes, you have the skyfrom one direction and the golf course fromthreedifferent views, says Claro, whocollaboratedclosely with visual-effectssupervisorPeter Hjorth. The idea is verymuch like a painter creating an image fromhis head thats composed of a lot of differ-ent images. For double shadows [from thesun and Melancholia], we would shoot oneplate in the morning and one in the after-noon and combine the two shots.One shot of the castle with Justine,Claire,and Claires little boy frontally lit bythe sun, the moon and Melancholia repre-sentedlayer upon layer of addition andsubtraction. Claro recalls, We had to cleansome stuff out so you could see the [castle]more clearly, because there were trees in theway. It was a huge job to simplify it like apainter would. (Visual effects were createdJustine and her sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), share a rare moment of levity before Earthsimpending doom sends Claire spiraling into despair.22 December 2011 American Cinematographer byPlatige Image and Kingz Entertainmentin Poland, Pixomondo in Germany and Film-gate in Sweden.)Lighting instruments also had to beeliminatedin post. You need an extremeamount of light to shoot at 1,000 fps, andthelights often had to be so close to theactors,either in front of or behind them,that the sources would inevitably be in theframe,says the cinematographer. Wewould have them a few meters away fromthe actors, pointing straight at their heads. The lights for this work were primar-ily 6K HMI ArriSuns with special high-speedballasts,because although the normalones are flicker-free, when you get to 1,000fps, theyre not! says Claro.Most of Melancholia was not so styl-isticallycontrolled. With the exception ofthePhantom sequences and several aerialshots,the film features mostly handheldcamerawork. Lars wanted a kind of docu-mentary-stylecamera that followed theactors, says Claro.Henotes that the director did laydownone Dogme-style ground rule: nopiece of furniture or prop could be movedby anyone on the crew once its location wasset. That gave a kind of truthfulness to themoment,because the camera cant be inthe perfect spot every time, says Claro.Continuity between takes was deval-ued, as Claro was not permitted to repeatcameramoves. Sometimes Lars wouldnotice that I was trying to refine a pan, forinstance,and hed say, Dont do that Idont want the perfect timing. He wants thecameramanto be spontaneous like hewantsthe actors to be spontaneous; hewants the camera to react to whats goingon, like in a documentary.We never did traditional coverage,hecontinues. The script supervisor mightsay,We dont have a shot of [the actorsaying]that line, and Lars would say, Itdoesnt matter. Well just hear it. Claroshot the bulk ofMelancholiawithan Arri Alexa. Most of his previousfeatures (Reconstruction, Everything Will BeFine, Limbo) were 16mm or 35mm shoots,but, he notes, Lars was not open to shoot-ing on film he didnt want the limitationofthe length of the rolls. We shot ProRes4444and recorded everything to onboardCodex recorders. That way we could actuallyshoot for 90 minutes without stopping. Wenever did we never shot anything longerthan 10 minutes but I think the idea thatwe could was important to Lars.Likemost of the film, the weddingreceptionwas shot with Angenieuxs PL-mount28-76mm T2.6 Optimo zoom lens.Therewas a lot of zooming not foreffect, but just for panning around to followtheaction, says Claro. Its an extra tool,and it enables you to work really quickly.Arri/ZeissMaster Primes were usedfor the Phantom material and night scenesfor which some of the lighting setups weresobig that we needed 2 more stops, headds.Adistinguishing feature ofMelan-choliasfirst half, Justine, is the romanticlightingstyle. Claro recalls, Lars was quiteclearabout that from the start. He said,DanielleSteel, like everything should be alittleover-the-top in happiness. But, ofcourse, whats going on is not very happy.(Therestless camerawork helps clue theviewer into that contradiction.)In interiors, most of which were shotonstage at Trollhttan Filmstudio in Sweden,the golden color scheme was achieved withtheuse of practicals that are visible oncamera.We put up a lot of lights in thestudio, but we ended up never turning themonbecause the Alexa is so sensitive, saysClaro. We lit everything with practicals.Forthe location night exteriors, heusedsodium-vapor lights. Theyre veryeconomical.We had to light up the golfAs the enormous planet Melancholia approaches Earth, Justine, Claire and their respective husbands,Michael (Alexander Skarsgrd, left) and John (Kiefer Sutherland), keep their eyes trained on the sky.courseat night, and we only needed onegenerator for two or three lights. It workedvery efficiently.The films second half, Claire, withthegreenish-blue planet Melancholiaprogressively filling the sky, presents a strik-ing color contrast. The idea was to have acolder look because the planet is closing in,butthe imagery feels a lot colder than itactually is at first because of the transitionfromthe yellow colors of Justine, Claroobserves.The images do get bluer andbluertowards the end. I achieved thatmainlywith the white balance in thecamera.As the planets close encounterapproaches, Claro began using cyan gels onthe lights, particularly for night scenes.The handheld camera was also occa-sionallyabandoned for an important shot,like the one showing Justine lying naked ona riverbank, bathing in the reflected light ofMelancholia.We shot that from a Tech-nocranebecause we couldnt do it other-wise it was too complicated because ofthelocation, says the cinematographer.GelledHMIs on cherry pickers and HMIballoons lit this shot. For another sequence,Claroused a hard 1.2K HMI on a Tech-nocraneto simulate the light and shadowof the rising planet. Claroreports that the digital gradeofMelancholia,carried out on DigitalThe movieseerie 10-minuteprologue wasshot with aPhantom GoldHD camerarunning at 1,000 fps.24 December 2011 American Cinematographer F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O NBEST PICTUREPRODUCED BYROLAND EMMERICHLARRY FRANCOROBERT LEGERBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYANNA J. FOERSTER26 December 2011 American Cinematographer VisionsNucoda Film Master at TrollhttanFilmstudio,was quite straightforward. Larsand I were very keen to make it look natural,notto complicate things. Of course, wespent a lot of time refining it, but we werenot inventing anything. A 35mm festival print was struck (onFujifilms Eterna-CP 3514DI), but Melancho-lia was digitally projected for its premiere atCannes. Digital just looked right, closer towhatwe intended somehow, says Claro.We went back and made some correctionstothe DCP after timing the print. Thesedays, when you time both prints and DCP,you have to pay careful attention to both.Withthe Alexa, which was intro-duced just in time for Melancholias produc-tion,Claro says he is close to becoming adigital convert. Before the Alexa, I wouldalwaysargue that film looked better. Thelimitationwith digital has been the defini-tion of color; film gives you natural-lookingskintones, whereas most digital formatsrequire a lot of grading to achieve that. TheAlexas colors are equal to those of film.Iwould shoot some movies on16mm, because that still has its own look.Butif you want a clean, sharp image, theAlexa and 35mm are practically the same.TECHNICAL SPECS 2.40:1Digital CaptureArri Alexa, Phantom HD GoldAngenieux Optimo, Arri/Zeiss Master PrimeTop: Claro (standing at left) observes as director Lars von Trier guides his cast through a tense scene at the wedding dinner. Bottom: Handheld camerawork lends the drama a documentary feel.28 December 2011 American Cinematographer A Mole in the MinistryBy Jean OppenheimerWarhas always been a breedingground for spies and a boon for writers ofespionage fiction. The Cold War proved tobean especially fertile period for Britishauthors, some of who had actually served inMI6,the British Secret Intelligence Service.The most famous fictional agent is Ian Flem-ingsJames Bond. 007s more taciturn butequallyeffective counterpart is John LeCarres George Smiley, the unprepossessingfigure at the center ofTinker Tailor SoldierSpy.The antithesis of the handsome,charmingBond, Smiley (played by GaryOldman) is, in the words ofTinker directorTomasAlfredson, someone you wouldimmediatelyforget if you saw him on thestreet. Setin 1973,Tinker followsSmileysattempt to uncover a double agent who hasinfiltrated the highest echelon of MI6. Wewere not making a film about the glamourofMI6, emphasizes cinematographerHoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC, speaking toAC from his home in Sweden. Instead,he continues, the film isaboutthe lonely players of the Circus [thein-house name for MI6], who operate in adesolateworld where no one can betrusted. It is a melancholic world set in smallroomsdrenched in nicotine and bureau-cratic sweat.TinkerreunitedHoytema withAlfredson, his collaborator onLet the RightOne In (2008). When they began preppingtheirnew film, a key visual reference wasLondon,City of Dreams ,a book ofphotographsby Erwin Fieger that depicteverydaylife in 1960s London. Theimages,taken with extremely long lenses,presenta voyeuristic but also very poeticview of London, observes Hoytema. Theyhave a documentary feel but obviously weretaken with great care and [precision]. I reallygot inspired by that.Heand Alfredson decided on agrainy,somewhat colorless look for thepicture. We wanted the grain to be visible,andI conducted a series of tests beforechoosingFuji Reala [500D 8592] for daymaterialand Eterna 500T [8573] fornights,says Hoytema. With the Reala, Ioften underexposed the key by half a stop.Sincethe Eterna is slightly less grainy, Iunderexposed it a bit more.Themonochromatic palette,achievedprimarily through productiondesignand the digital timing, contributessignificantlyto the movies claustrophobicatmosphere.Hoytema is quick to note,however, that this gray world is offset withoccasionalhints of color: a green sweaterhere, an orange bedspread there. He creditsproductiondesigner Maria Djurkovic withplayinga crucial role in creating the veryspecific design and feel of the film.The57-day shoot was primarily aone-camera affair, with Hoytema operatinga Panaflex Millennium.His camera package,providedby Panavision London, includedPrimoprime lenses and Primo 3:1 (135-420mm) and 11:1 (24-275mm) zooms, andhe points out that he actually used the latteraszooms,in keeping with the style of1970s cinema. Hoytemanotes that in Sweden, heoftenworks with a zoom lens in conjunc-tionwith a fluid head that allows him tomanually zoom, giving the movement anMI6 agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) modifies his look in a scene from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.ITinker Tailor Soldier Spy photos by Jack English, courtesy of Focus Features.F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R A T I O NBESTCI NEMATOGRAPHYSt ephen Gol dbl at t , ASC, BSCwww.DreamWorksAwards.com 2011 DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLCCinematographer Stephen Goldblatt makes the most of the Southern locations, giving even the dirt roads and decaying frame houses a kind of gauzy beauty.LOS ANGELES TIMES, Betsy Sharkey30 December 2011 American Cinematographer organicfeel. ForTinker,however, hefavored a mechanical zoom. When I lookatfilms from the 70s, I like the fact thezoomsare so functional and solid. Theyhavea beginning and an end, and I likedthat idea for this movie.The primary reason I chose Panavi-sion is its front-of-the-gate filtering system,he adds. I have this strange love for shoot-ingeven bright exteriors as wide open aspossibleand stacking NDs in front of thelens on very sunny days I used a 1.2 anda .9 and was stopping down as much as 7stops!Anotherstylistic decision was toframecharacters through objects such asdoorways,hallways and windows, ortemporarily place them behind objects alto-gether.We wanted to paint a world inwhich everybody is looking in on somethingand everyone is under suspicion, explainsHoytema.One notable example of this strategyshowsSmiley entering his home. Thecamera is inside the house, two rooms backfrom the front entry, framing him through afew different doorways. Another example isa wide shot of an MI6 agent striding downthe sidewalk, screen right to screen left, onthe far side of a busy street. The camera isin the foreground, and the man disappearsevery time a car or bus passes. Other pedes-triansscurry across the road, blocking himfor a second or two. The agent is in focus,thevehicles and people are not, and thefeeling of voyeurism is unmistakable.Oneof the most beautiful shots inTinkerisan early-morning wide shot ofBudapest. After a few seconds, the camerastartspulling back, and it keeps going,eventually gliding through what appears tobe the top of a bell tower where boys areplaying.As the camera continues to pullback,we see more of the building. Thestructure is so tall, and the camera so high,it seems an impossible shot to achieve, butHoytema explains that it was quite simple:thebuilding, which he describes as abastion, was on a hill, and the front faced aravine,with the city in the distance, whilethe backyard was flat a good place to laytracksfor a 50' Technocrane. I knew theScorpiohead that came with the Tech-nocranewouldnt fit through [the smallTop: Control (John Hurt, center) convenes his top agents for a status report. Bottom:Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, FSF, NSC (at camera) stands by as director TomasAlfredson discusses a scene with the actors.Please visit www.TWCguilds.com for more information.Artwork 2011 The Weinstein Company. All Rights Reserved.BEST CINEMATOGRAPHYBEN SMITHARDBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYHAGEN BOGDANSKICORIOLANUSBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYGUILLAUME SCHIFFMANIRON LADYTheBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYELLIOT DAVISt wc p r ou d l y p r e s e n t sf or y ou r c on s i de r a t i onBEST CINEMATOGRAPHYBARRY ACKROYD32 December 2011 American Cinematographer opening at the top of] the bastion, says thecinematographer,so I substituted a flighthead. It fit by the millimeter as long aswepulled the crane at exactly the rightangle. With the exception of several craneshots, the camera was always on a dolly ortripod. One key scene captured on a tripodisa six-minute monologue delivered bySmiley as he sits in a chair and stares straightahead. He is recalling his encounter with aSovietagent, Karla, as a younger Britishagent,Peter (Benedict Cumberbatch),listensfrom behind him. Smiley nevershows emotion or reveals what he is think-ing, but he gets so caught up in his recol-lectionthat he unwittingly exposes some-thing of his inner self.It was actually a very hard scene toshoot because it was so out of character for[Smiley],says Hoytema. Tomas and Iwanted it to feel intimate, naked. For a briefmoment, we are let into Smileys soul.Thefirst part of the monologueshifts back-and-forth between a straight-onshot of Smiley and a profile shot, but as hebecomeslost in his thoughts, the camerastayson his face. The scenes intensitycomes from Gary Oldmans performance,Hoytema submits. At one point, he leanedforward in his chair, and the 35mm lens wasonly inches from his face. Its so intimate itbecomes a bit uncomfortable.We wanted to feel Karlas presence,so I went slightly darker than usual with thelighting to create the feeling of somebodyelsein the room, he continues. I usedKinoFlo tubes to simulate practical lamps,and I bounced small Fresnels into poly boardhangingon the walls. Most of the lightswereon the floor, a placement I dontnormally like to do.Hoytemaadmits to being a bitconservativewhen it comes to sources. Ididntwant anything to feel overlit in thisfilm,and I often worked with the keyslightly underexposed.Hoytemasframing andcompositionsconsistentlysuggestsurveillance, asillustrated bythese shots ofSmiley meetingwith colleagues.RYAN GOSLING RYAN GOSLINGfor your consideration in all categories includingbest cinematography newton thomas sigel, a.s.c.Severaldaytime office interiors takeplace in relative darkness. The chief of MI6,Control(John Hurt), is a volatile, paranoidmanwhose dark, messy office (a practicallocation) appears to reek of cigarette smokeandmusty furniture. Almost all daylight isshutout by the heavy drapes on hiswindows. I faked it a bit, says Hoytema. Aclosedcurtain gives a little light, but notenough for exposure, so I enhanced it a bitwithsmall Kino Flos on top of somecupboards. The smoke in the room made itobviouswhere the light sources were, sowe darkened that scene a bit in the DI.At one point, Peter throws open thecurtains and sunlight streams into the room.Forthis Hoytema employed one of hisfavoritelighting techniques: eyebrows,wideframes of Ultrabounce placed abovethewindows outside with 12Ks bouncinginto them from the ground. He added somedirect light, filtered 12K ArriMaxes on cherrypickers,and made sure there was a lot ofsmoke in the room.Hoytemahas used his eyebrowsonseveral recent films, includingTheFighter (AC Jan. 11), and notes that he typi-cally has all of the sources on the ground.This was the case for a scene in Tinker set inthe office of diplomat Oliver Lacon (SimonMcBurney),a space with large windowsalong one wall. Hoytemas crew set up theeyebrowsoutside the windows, this timeplacing 12K and 18K lamps on the groundto bounce into them.Hoytemaoften used ordinary tubelights and was meticulous about finding theright models. Tube lights were very thick inthe 1970s, but those no longer exist, so theartdepartment built some out of frostedPlexiglaspipes with smaller tube lightsinside. They had the proper appearance.Rentinglights in London provedquitea challenge:WarHorse,HugoandthelatestPiratesof the Caribbean featurewereall in production there at the sametime.Here we were, this small produc-tion!laughs Hoytema. We were happyto get any kind of lamp! We had Fresnelsnext to old 12Ks, and we got all the scruffi-est18Ks. In terms of the look, though, itdidntmatter, because we were bouncingthe light.Forone scene in Smileys house,Hoytemaswitched to balloon lightsimported from Germany. We had two 6-meter sausage-shaped helium balloonstiedbetween the house and the backdrop, andthat beautifully simulated an overcast sky,he says. (These balloons and a 4-meter onewere also used in Budapest for a scene atanoutdoor caf, where one of Smileyscolleagues is working undercover.)The interior of Smileys house was asetbuilt in a gym at the Inglis Barracks, aformermilitary base in north England thatserved as the productions primary location.Itbecame our own backlot, saysHoytema.It was wonderful, because thebuildingskind of breathed that period ofhistory.The patina on the buildings waswonderful and very filmic.Hoytemagives high marks to hisentire crew, singling out focus puller SimonHume (a safe haven on a difficult shoot),gaffer Al Martin (a big help on my first jobinEngland), key grip Colin Stratten(incrediblysensitive to the rhythm andtone of the scenes), and B-camera opera-torPeter Taylor, who handled a secondcamera on the conference-room scenes. Oursecond-unit team, led by[director]Mikael Marcimain and [cine-matographer]Jallo Faber, was also fantas-tic, he adds.Theproductions processing anddailieswere handled by iLab London, andHoytema carried out the DI at The ChimneyPot in Stockholm. The Chimney Pot is oneofmy favorite post companies, he says,not least because of [colorist] Mats Holm-gren,who has a good eye for detail andgoodtaste and is fully engaged in thepsychological curve of the film.Henotes that he is also grateful toHenricLarsson, president of The ChimneyPot, for facilitating a 4K scan of the nega-tive. I wanted as little resolution conflictas possible between the bigger analog grainsize and the digital pixel size, but the otherpost houses we talked to said a 4K scan waseitherimpossible or prohibitively expen-sive, says Hoytema. Henric found a way. TECHNICAL SPECS 2.40:13-perf Super 35mmPanaflex MillenniumPanavision PrimoFujifilm Reala 500D 8592, Eterna 500T 8573Digital Intermediate 34 December 2011 American Cinematographer Smiley takes a call. He is someone you would immediately forget if you saw him on the street, notes Alfredson. 2011 Sony Electronics Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited. Sony, make.believe and their respective logos are trademarks of Sony.Visit sony.com/35mmWe are Super 35mm.A camera for every price and production.What do lm school students, masters of videography, a Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and honored members of the ASC all have in common? 35mm cameras from Sony. From motion pictures to stills, nobody has more ways to shoot 35mm. Award-winning breakthroughs in color palette, exposure latitude, low-light sensitivity and sharpness will upgrade your imagery. While Sony affordability, ergonomics and workow help make you more productive than ever. So the choice is no longer which 35mm camera. Its which Sony camera.Top row, left to right: Curtis Clark, ASC; Richard Crudo, ASC; Daryn Okada, ASC; Dennis Dillon, DP; Francis Kenny, ASCBottom row, left to right: Cassie Brooksbank, Senior, USC School of Cinematic Arts; Cameron Combe, Student Filmmaker, Cal State Long Beach; Brian Smith, Award-winning Photographer; Brooke Mailhiot, Cinematographer36 December 2011American Cinematographer Its March 2011, and director Clint Eastwood is consult-ingwith cinematographer Tom Stern, ASC, AFC; A-camera/Steadicamoperator Stephen Campanelli; andgaffer Ross Dunkerley before making up his mind abouta complicated Steadicam sequence for the period dramaJ.Edgar. The men are standing in a corridor built on WarnerBros. Stage 16 that is designed to look like a hallway in theClint Eastwoods J. Edgar, shot by Tom Stern, ASC, AFC,puts an infamousAmerican center stage,but not exactly in the spotlight.By Michael Goldman|Stepping into the ShadowsDepartment of Justice in the 1920s.With a couple of brief comments and a few nods, thefilmmakers reach agreement on how to execute the scene.Eastwood has decided not to line up the 50 extras playingFBI agents all the way down the hall, which was the orig-inal plan. Instead, he orders the extras to face each other intwolines, and asks Leonardo DiCaprio, who is playing J.w ww.theasc.com December 2011 37Edgar Hoover, to walk between them.Campanelliis to weave between theactorsto shadow DiCaprio andcapturemultiple POVs for Hooverandthe men he is addressing withinthe same fluid shot. Allof the crucial Departmentof Justice/FBI office scenes in J. Edgarwereshot on this opulent set,designedby James J. Murakami.Thesescenes range from Hooverstakeoverof the fledgling Bureau ofInvestigationas a young man in the1920s,to his final moments in officePhotos by Keith Bernstein. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of Warner Bros.Opposite page:An elderly J.Edgar Hoover(LeonardoDiCaprio) listensto secretlyrecordedaudiotapes ofMartin LutherKing Jr. Thispage, top: Whilestill a young man,Hoover ispromoted to FBIdirector. Middle:Director ClintEastwood andcinematographerTom Stern, ASC,AFC discuss asetup. Bottom:Hoover forgesvery closerelationshipswith his personalsecretary, HelenGandy (NaomiWatts), andassociate director,Clyde Tolson(Armie Hammer).38 December 2011American Cinematographer 50 years later.Stern, like Eastwood, didnt seetheneed for much talk about thelogisticsof the scene at hand.Everyone agreed it would be shot withtheSteadicam, and that the lightingwasnt going to change. The set had ahard ceiling, and for 1920s scenes likethis one, Murakamis team built prac-tical Hyperion lights fitted with deli-cate250-watt bulbs into the ceiling,andDunkerleys crew rigged them toadimmer to help extend the bulbslife,since each lasts only about threehours.Interms of a shot like this,Clintdelegates the specifics, and weknowwhat he likes and we do it,Sternsays of the corridor scene. Helikesthe spontaneity of things figuringit out on the spot and hedoesntwant to dilute that with toomuchdiscussion. He has confidencein us, and for this scene, once we knewhow the actors would be arranged, weknew how to light it and shoot it.Stepping into the ShadowsTop: Afteranarchists bombthe home of hismentor, U.S.Attorney GeneralA. Mitchell Palmer,Hoover bikes tothe crime scene.Middle andbottom: In framegrabs from thefilm, Hoovergreets Gandyafter she joins theFBIs secretarialpool, then takesher on a date toshow off themeticulous card-catalog system hehas organized atthe Departmentof Justice.w ww.theasc.com December 2011 39Eastwoodcalls this constantlybeing in a flexible state, able to makeadjustments, but adds that he largelyhadthe sequence, like the rest ofJ.Edgar,in his head. I knew what Iwanted to do; we just had to figure outwhereto put [the FBI agents], hesays.We wanted to give the scene abigfeel, make it as scopey as wecould,and yet get the head shots weneeded.Lots of people would spendone or two days on this, but we dontfeel the need to do that.In many ways, J. Edgar is a typi-cal example of how tightly Eastwoodsvisualsense is intertwined with hisveterancrews abilities. The film is aperiod piece/psychological drama thatunfolds in a non-linear fashion, and itischaracterized by a noirish lightingaesthetic. But the story also called foragingDiCaprio and other actorsusing practical techniques to an extentneverbefore seen in an Eastwoodfilm,and the picture also featuresmore soundstage work than is typicalfor the director.Thefilmmakers accomplishedthesethings on a shooting schedule(39days) and budget (just over $30million)that were far closer to thoseofGranTorino(2008)than todaystent-polefare. Thus, despite someCGset extensions and the strategicuseof the digital-intermediateprocess,producer Rob LorenzsuggeststhatJ.Edgar represents thewaythey used to make movies. Itsheavilydependent on proper artdirection and practical techniques.Notmuch has changed inEastwoodscamera package over theyears,and forJ.EdgarSternonceagainemployed Panavision camerasand C-Series anamorphic lenses. Weusedto use the E-Series, too, but wedontuse many of those anymore,says 1st AC Bill Coe. Wed have theC-Series primarily because they wereTop: Hooverestablishes anintimate rapportwith Tolson.Bottom: Stern sets up anotherscene staged in the same site.40 December 2011American Cinematographer because those focal lengths dont existin the C-Series.Weused just about the fullrangeof C-Series on this picture,continues Coe. Clint starts with a bigwide shot on something like a 25mmtoget the whole room, and then hemovesin. For the close-ups, hellusuallyend up on a 75mm, but onthis movie he even used a 100mm or135mmto get in really close andcapture that fantastic acting.Thefilmmakers relied onproduction design and subtle lightingtricksto visually separate the storysvarioustime periods, but this workwastaken a step further in the DIsuiteby Technicolor Hollywoodcolorist Jill Bogdanowicz, who signif-icantlydesaturated the 1920ssequencesto contrast them with thelater eras.Butmore generally, Sternsnoirish lighting scheme stands out faceshalf in shadow, low-lit roomsandthe like are omnipresent, par-ticularlyin the office scenes, many ofwhich feature even less fill lightthanEastwood usually uses. In fact,Campanelli says, Stern andDunkerleywent all the way withdark lighting, so much so I sometimessmaller,and we would use them onlyonSteadicam. But Clint and Tomlovedthe quality of the C-Series somuchthat they have become ourprimarylenses. Well only use a135mm or 180mm out of the E-SeriesStepping into the ShadowsThis page, top:After assumingthe title of FBIdirector, Hooverdelivers a sternaddress to theagents under hiscommand.Bottom: Hooverand Tolson talkbusiness in theircorridor of power.Opposite page: Alighting diagramillustrates Sternsapproach to theset, which ACvisited duringproduction.w ww.theasc.com December 2011 41hada hard time seeing through myviewing system. But it looksfantastic.Duringscenes involving theyounger Hoover, Sterns crew wouldoccasionallyuse 2K and 4K Mole-RichardsonZiplights for fill andnothing more. Dunkerley notes thatthis created just enough soft light toprevent Eastwoods beloved shadowsfrom being too hard or over-the-top.When asked if he had in mindsomeof the stylized lighting heddone as a gaffer for the late ConradHall, ASC, particularly on their finalcollaboration, Roadto Perdition(ACAug.02), Stern says there was nodirectconnection. He notes,however, that there is always a philo-sophical or emotional connection tohisrelationship with Hall when helights for Eastwood.Road to Perdition wasnt in mymind,but Connies approach was,heexplains. One of the things Ilearned from him is the importanceof serendipity, to not get too lockedinto anything. His approach was likeClints:see how the actors feel, seetheirskin in the room and thevolume in the room, and then figureout how to light it. We therefore useveryfew lighting plots or plans; wejust go and do it.Thiswas complicated by 42 December 2011American Cinematographer Stepping into the ShadowsTop: Hoover andTolson observe asa wood expertexamines a ladderused in thekidnapping ofCharlesLindberghs infantson. Middle:Hoover confrontsthe prime suspect,Bruno Hauptmann(DamonHerriman).Bottom:FollowingHauptmannsconviction,Hoover marcheshim past themedia. 2011 Panasonic Corporation of North AmericaAG-AF1001.877.803.8492 panasonic.com/af100 $ 0 l 0 1 l 0 8 $ l $ 0 0 8 N l 0 0 l l 8 N lWithmorethan50featuresitscompetitionlacks,the AG-AF100LargeImagerHDCinemaCameradelivers somuchmore,yetitsthemostaffordableinitsclass. Its4/3rdimagerprovidestheshallowdepthofeldand precise control DPs desire. And it works with virtually any lenswithanadapter.Compareourunmatchedlineupof cinematic features head-to-head. 18l F8$08l008lll86l$ 8f 0Nl8 l8 l1$ 0l$$ 10 $800100100NF8f.00M8f0 l00 f100`8 f0l088l08l l08l0f08Nll0 8 08M0f8 l ll8 0l888.Beautiful cinematic imagesNeutral density lter wheel20 variable frame ratesHD-SDI outPAL/NTSC-switchableIn-camera mic44 December 2011American Cinematographer J.Edgarsnonlinear structure.Throughoutthe film, says Stern, wepretty much wanted Hoovers office tostay dark. As we went along, I becamemore confident about throwing thingsintoblack, as Clint loves, and lettingpeoplecome out of it. We wanted tofurther and finish it off in the DI.Tolight the hero corridor forthe1960s sequences, Dunkerleybroughtin practical ceiling fixturesthatwere modified to accommodateKino Flo tubes, and added Arri T-12sat both ends of the corridor to makea brighter statement, just give it somesnap.We were mainly filming therewhen it was supposed to be daytime. Ambient light was created in allofthe rooms adjacent to the maincorridor,including Hoovers office,withoverhead soft boxes comprisingtwo6K space lights going throughbleachedmuslin. These were skirtedwith black Duvetyn to prevent spill.Sunlightis a near-constantfeature in Hoovers office. Dependingonthe scene, it sometimes brightensthe room, but more often it is tampeddown by closed blinds. Stern thereforehadDunkerley design the roomslighting for maximum flexibility. Wehung a track systemoutsideall the windows so that wecould shuffle 12K tungsten lights andputthem everywhere we wantedwhile also keeping the backing visiblecreatea credible noir-esque environ-ment inside a federal bureaucracy. Itsabout levels, how far to push it. If thescenewas more emotionally noir, Itypically ramped up the visual noir. Idgetit about three-quarters where Iwantedit, and then wed go evenStepping into the ShadowsTop: Hooverkeeps close andloving counselwith his mother,Anne Marie (JudiDench). Bottom:As her healthfails, Hoovermaintains abedside vigil.www.arridigital.com Q Proven ALEXA Image QualityQ Optical Viewnder and Mirror Reex ShutterQ The Only Digital Camera System with True Anamorphic CapabilityTRULY CINEMATIC46 December 2011American Cinematographer Stepping into the Shadowsoutsidethe windows, saysDunkerley.That said, we had evenmore lights, primarily Arri T-24s andT-12s,available on stands so that ifthecamera wasnt seeing out thewindow, we could more easily adjustthelight in the room. When thecamera was looking out the window,we relied on the hanging lights.CampanellisSteadicam wasthemain method of filming on theDept.of Justice set. Weve alwaysused a lot of Steadicam because Clintlikesto keep the camera and actorsfree,says Campanelli. But on thismovie,we also did much longerSteadicamshots than we normallydo. Id run down the hallway, follow-ingthe actors as they went fromroom to room.Indeed,a single Steadicammove actually captures two sequencesatone point. The move followsHoover and his partner, Clyde Tolson(ArmieHammer), as they leaveHooversinner office and walkthrough his outer office. The cameratracksbackwards with them into awaitingroom, through a couple ofdoors,and then makes a 90-degreeturninto the hallway, still trackingbackwardsahead of the actors. Thecameracontinues following themdownthe hallway as they stop in adoorwayand then enter anotherroom,Hoovers crime lab. At thatpoint,Campanelli is behind theTop: Hoover heedsTolsons sartorialsuggestions ashes measured fora finely tailoredsuit. Middle: Thepairs relationshipheats up whenthey shareadjoining suiteson a trip. Bottom: Late intheir lives, Hooverattempts to rouseTolson after hisfriend suffers adebilitatingstroke. Kodak, 2011. Kodak and ImageCare are trademarks.CONFIDENCE. Budgets.Locations.Ratings.Productionsarefullofuncertainties. Becondent.ChooseKODAKMotionPictureFilmandprocessata KODAKIMAGECAREProgramaccreditedlaboratory.Participating labsmaintainexcellentstandardsforconsistencyandquality.Tolocate oneofourworldwidememberlabs,visitkodak.com/go/imagecare48 December 2011American Cinematographer actors, so he pivots and tracks to thatdooras the actors walk down past asetof desks to the spot where thedrama of the scene takes place. Thatwas pretty cool,Campanellirecalls. Basically, it wasoneSteadicam shot for two sceneswith lots of dialogue. Thats what youcall a high-energy shot.Ofcourse, such shots makeCoesjob more complicated, but hesayshe is well used to it. Steadicampresentsproblems for a focus pullerbecausegenerally, the actor andcamera will be moving in places werenotaware of because we dont usemarks,says Coe. You have to go byinstinct.Clint tells me to use theForce,and thats pretty much how Ido it. Its freeform, but at a high level.IfI think something isnt sharpenough, Ill tell them I think I can dobetter. Oneof the challenges involvedinscenes depicting key characters asold men and women was the makeuptheywore. DiCaprios aging makeup,whichtook six-and-a-half hours toapplyand two hours to remove, washandledby his longtime makeupartist, Sian Grigg, while Hammer andNaomiWatts (who plays Hooversassistant, Helen Gandy) were aged byEastwoods regular makeup team, ledby Tania McComas. Theschedule allowed only asingleday of makeup tests forDiCaprio,but Eastwood was sopleasedwith Griggs work that hedidntshy away from close-ups ofHooveras an old man. Stern was likewiseconfident. With special-effectsmakeup, theres always atensionbetween the makeup artistandthe cinematographer, Sternobserves.But in this case, I foundfantasticcollaborators in Sian Griggand[DiCaprio hairstylist] KathyBlondell.When we first met, Sianpulledout a monocle that she uses,and it was the same one I use, so wehit it off right away.Inthe DI, I only found asingle flaw on Leos makeup, and wesoftened it up easily enough, contin-ues the cinematographer. Its impor-tant to avoid thermal problems on setforactors who are heavily made up,butwith Clint we never have a realhot set. The way I tended to light thisfilm was also friendly to the makeup.Twoscenes inJ.Edgararecrucialto understanding HooversStepping into the ShadowsHoover films apublic serviceannouncementwith the help ofhis loyalsecretary.With special-effectsmakeup, theresalways a tensionbetween the makeupartist and the cinematographer, but in this case, Ifound fantastic collaborators.Withover25yearsexperienceincolorcorrection,DaVinciResolveisthe worlds most loved high end color grading system! 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Simply plug in GPUs when you need more power!Automated for SpeedDaVinciResolveincludesmoreautomatictoolssuch as the 99 point 3D window tracker so youll rarely need to manually track windows! You get automatic 3D eye matching, auto-grade, auto stabilization, auto 3D color matching, automatic XML, AAF and EDL conforming, real time proxies, auto scene detection and much more!Worlds Best CompatibilityNosystemsupportsmore leformatsinrealtimethan DaVinciResolve.Gradefrommixedformatclipsonthe same timeline including raw RED and ARRI, even in bayer format,ProRes,H.264,uncompressedandmore.Getfull multi layer timeline XML, AAF and EDL round trip with editing built right into DaVinci Resolve! If your edit changes, Resolve will automatically relink grades!Learn more today at www.blackmagic-design.com/davinciresolveDaVinci Resolve SoftwareFull Resolve wth unlimited nodes and multiple GPUs. Use 3rd party control panels.DaVinci Resolve LiteFree Free download limited to 1 GPU and 2 nodes, with the same 32 bit oat quality. $995Full Resolve with colorist control surface for the most advanced facilities.DaVinci Resolve$29,99550 December 2011American Cinematographer emotionaland psychological stateand,therefore, the larger story. Thefirst comes as he mourns the death ofhisbeloved mother (played by JudiDench);weeping, he dons some ofher jewelry and clothing in front of amirror.It was a tricky scene tocapture,primarily because DiCapriowasleft to improvise in front of themirror,and the crew couldnt knowpreciselywhat he would do in thehighly emotional moment.Clint,being an actor, didntwantLeo to torment himself toomuch, so we got the wide shot on thefirst take, Campanelli recalls. Clinttold me, Just see what happens, andwe got it all in a couple of takes.Because the acting was impro-vised, the lighting had to be, too, andthat meant adopting what Dunkerleydescribesas an unorthodox way tolight for a Clint Eastwood movie. Thatsthe first time I canrecallthings getting that looseClint didnt want to limit whatLeocould do in any way, continuesDunkerley.I actually put the keylight,a 650-watt Tweenie, on a poleanddanced the light around LeowhileCampy filmed him. WhereverI sensed the lens was, I tried to keepthelight at an interesting angle. IStepping into the ShadowsTop: Hooverreceives a fatefulphone call in hisoffice. Bottom:Eastwood (farright) checks theset while operatorSteve Campanellilines up anoverhead angle ofHoover at his desk.actually used a C-stand arm and oper-ated the way a microphone boom manwould hold a mic.Ifwed done it with multiplecameras or different lenses, we wouldhave had to light with broader strokestomake it softer and, therefore, lessdramatic,he adds. But because itsanEastwood film, it was all single-camera.Theother key sequence revealsHooverand Tolsons relationship assomethingmore than professional.While traveling together, the two mencometo blows in their hotel roomover Hoovers pretense of being inter-estedin women. Their confrontationculminateswith a kiss as they roll onthefloor. Once again, the scene waslargelyimprovised. Clint neverchoreographs those things because hetruststhe actors he has cast, saysStern.So we went handheld. Thescenestarts out kind of warm andfriendly,and then it changes whenHoovermentions Mrs. Hoover andTolson goes berserk. Basically, we justfollowedtheir fight and stayed onthem as it culminated in the kiss.Iwas on a 3-foot slider withthe camera on a sandbag to do a push-in as they fell in front of me in silhou-etteand profile, face-to-face,Stepping into the ShadowsEastwood and DiCaprio discuss a scene set in Hoovers home.52Campanellirecalls. Armie was ontop and Leo was on the bottom, andwebasically wanted to do a push-inas their lips locked. Again, we got iton the first take. We shot some addi-tionalcoverage between the twoguys, but really, we got the main partin one or two takes.Despite J. Edgars short filmingschedule,Bogdanowicz was able togeta head start on the final timingbecause, for the first time, Eastwoodsteamrelied on Technicolor for HDdailies. (These were timed bydailiescolorist Mark Sachen, withBogdanowiczsupervising.) Thismeant that much of the negative wasscannedat an early stage, and so, asthecut evolved, Bogdanowicz wasableto experiment with the lookbothwith and without Stern, whowascommuting from another shootwhile J. Edgar was in post.Clintliked what wed done,but, of course, he said he wanted evenmoredesaturation and blackerblacks,Bogdanowicz says with achuckle.He wanted a very strongdifferentiation between the 1920s andthe 1960s. He kept telling me, Go forIwo Jima, referring to Letters from IwoJima [ACMarch 07], which meant apretty extreme look.Forthe 1920s sequences,Eastwoodand Stern occasionallyaskedBogdanowicz to add a softvignetteto the frame. That givesthose shots an older feel, suggesting adarker lens, perhaps, she says. It alsohelpsthe 1960s material feel moremodern [by contrast]. We didnt wantthevignettes to be distracting,though.Theyre just a subtle way todirectthe eye to the center of theframe and suggest a vintage feeling. Stern raves about the DIs abil-ityto help him deliver the blacksEastwoodcraves. Clint builds theseworldson blacks, he observes. Iveunderstood that since I started work-ingfor him as a gaffer under [cine-matographer]Bruce Surtees. Richer,deeperblacks have always been themarchingorders, but now we aregreatly aided by film stocks with moredynamic range and the tools we havein the DI. Today we can really explorethatblack corner of things far morethan we could 30 years ago. CookeOpticsLimitedBritish Optical Innovation and Quality Since 1893.The Cooke LookOne Look. All Speedscookeoptics.comT: +44 (0)116 264 0700Canada, South America, USA: T: +1-973-335-4460TECHNICAL SPECS 2.40:1Anamorphic 35mmPanaflexPlatinum, Millennium XLPanavision C-SeriesFujifilm Eterna Vivid 500 8547,160 8543Digital Intermediate 5354 December 2011American Cinematographer Writer Brian Selznick has described his childrens book,The Invention of Hugo Cabret , as not exactly a novel,not quite a picture book, not really a graphic novel, ora flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all thesethings. Using a mix of prose and shaded pencil drawings, thebook tells the fictional story of 12-year-old Hugo, who lives asecret life within the walls of a 1930s Paris train station. Intothis narrative is woven the true story of French film pioneerGeorges Mlis, who directed groundbreaking special-effectsfilms at the turn of the 20th century but later endured finan-Robert Richardson, ASC explores3-D on Martin Scorseses Hugo, an adaptation of an imaginativechildrens book.By Mark Hope-Jones|ThroughaChilds Eyesw ww.theasc.comDecember 2011 55cialruin and wound up selling toys atthe Gare Montparnasse.Charmedby the highly visualstoryand its connection with cinemahistory, Martin Scorsese enthusiasticallysigned on to directHugo, an adaptationofSelznicks book, after Graham Kingpurchasedthe film rights in 2007.Directorof photography RobertRichardson,ASC, a regular Scorsesecollaborator,admits that it was amodestsurprise to learn of the direc-tors idea to shoot Hugo in 3-D, thoughitdid echo the books innovativemlangeof storytelling techniques andillustrative style.Thevisual approach centeredinitiallyaround Brians illustrations, thedepth of which begged for a provocativetranslation,and 3-D provided that forus,says Richardson. Marty selected alargenumber of images from the bookwhichspoke to what he had in mind,andhe asked all of us [productiondesigner] Dante Ferretti, [set decorator]FrancescaLo Schiavo, [costumedesigner]Sandy Powell, [visual-effectssupervisor] Rob Legato and me to befaithfulto what Brian had captured.This guided us toward a world that wascreated rather than bound to reality.Atopthis Marty placed theextraordinaryaccomplishments ofGeorges Mlis, allowing us to swim inthewaters from which Mlis createdhis highly imaginative work, he adds.Selznicksillustrations are black-andwhite, so for color references thefilmmakers turned to photographic andcinematographicprocesses that were inusein Mlis time. Richardson notes,Stilland motion-picture photographywere both in formative stages at the turnof the century. Autochrome had recentlybeendeveloped and patented byLumire,and it became the principalphotographic color process of that time.Inaddition to looking at Autochrome,we spent numerous hours at the BritishFilm Institute viewing examples of tint-ing and toning in early silent films. Outof all that came the realization that therecouldbe no better movie to shoot in 3-Dthan one dealing with the timeUnit photography by Jaap Buitendijk and Alex Bailey. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of GK Films, LLC, and Paramount Pictures.Opposite: HugoCabret (AsaButterfield) triesto evade thecrafty stationinspector (SachaBaron Cohen).This page, top:Hugo showsIsabelle (ChloMoretz) one ofhis fathersinventions.Middle: Theyoungsters enjoya magical viewof Paris from theclock tower.Bottom: DirectorMartin Scorsese(center) andRobertRichardson, ASCplan out a shot.56 December 2011American Cinematographer period in which pioneers such as MlisandLumire were creating suchastounding and magical work.With no experience in 3-D cine-matography,Scorsese and Richardsonturned to Vince Pace of Cameron PaceGroupto provide expertise, guidanceand a complete 3-D workflow, in addi-tionto Fusion 3D camera rigs. Testscarried out at CPG in Los Angeles and,later,on the set in London allowedRichardsonto explore how he mightwork with the medium.Ilike to utilize backlight often hard backlight or toplight, forthat matter, says the cinematographer.Inour tests we found that the glintsfromthe hard light created ghosting,whichcan encumber the viewing of afilm.Although I felt I should learn asmuchas possible about what made astrong3-D image, I also believed myvisionand the style intended forHugoshould lead the 3-D, not the other wayaround.How to best balance thesethoughts is what Vince brought to me.Toooften people are educatedabout 3-D in a way that devalues theirprevious knowledge, and thats unfortu-nate,because 3-D is elevated by good 2-Dtechniques and skills, Paceobserves. Cinematographers have beenworkingwith perspective and dimen-sion through lighting for a long time it wasnt new with 3-D and we canonlybuild something great on a goodfoundation.Afterinitial 3-D tests causedScorsese some concern, Pace supervisedareshoot just days before productionstarted.Demetri Portelli, the showsstereographer,explains, We needed tofinda 3-D style that would pool thecreativeand technical talents of theentire camera team. Bob Richardson setthe bar very high, and we wanted to findsolutions and protocols that would facil-itatea 3-D execution that met hisexpectationsfor image quality. Thefilmmakerscommitted to capturingevery single shot in 3-D, and some shotrequirementswere challenging. Vincetoldme that no matter what, whenMarty and Bob requested something, IThrough a Childs EyesThese frame grabs of Georges Mlis (Ben Kingsley) performing a magic trick show the scene as Alexas Log C file (top), with the on-set viewing LUT applied (middle), and with the final grade (bottom),which incorporated an Autochrome emulation.New On-set Color Management Tool Coming Soon.58 December 2011American Cinematographer would have to make it work in 3-D; thismeantquestioning old rules, findingnewsolutions and incorporating thecinematographersstyle into the depthspace.Aswith any relationship, notesRichardson, there was give-and-take.A commitment to dimensional-ize live on set means satisfying a broadrange of concerns and having the rightpeopleto allow the artistic leaders toexecute a plan, Portelli observes. Sometesting and training is necessary for theentire crew, because each department isaffected by the format in various ways.With 3-D tools in the filmmakers tool-box, a new language is emerging in ourtrade,a constantly evolving languagethat involves digital-workflow solutionsand depth-within-space concepts.Finding a digital-workflow solu-tionwas our first obstacle, and itabsorbed a fair amount of gray matter,Richardson recalls. The volume of datawas prodigious.Afterscreening the reshootssupervisedby Pace, the filmmakersdecided shooting stereo would not be arestricting factor. It was at that momentthat Bob realized he could participate in3-D, says Pace, and from that point onHugo wasin the hands of the rightpeople: Marty and Bob.Shooting3-D necessitated digi-talcapture, another medium withwhichRichardson was unfamiliar.However, the camera he selected, ArrisAlexa,was unfamiliar to almost every-one in the world at that time, because ithad not yet been released to the public.I decided to use the Alexa after testingwhatwas then on the market, saysRichardson. The Alexa was by far thefinest in respect to quality. The next stepwas to make sure we could get enoughofthem to build two 3-D rigs for thestartof shooting that meant fourcameras. Arri made a strong effort andeventually guaranteed us these cameras. Testingthe Alexa was compli-catedbecause it was a prototype, andthesoftware was constantly develop-ing, he continues. I made no compro-misefor digital capture, but I did altermyperception of the final product,whichfor me was an immense leap.Manyfilmmakers shoot with digitalcaptureand then attempt to create afilm look, but I decided instead to fullyembracedigital cinema and create alookthat best utilized what the Alexacould capture.When Marty would look at theTop: This finalframe, which alsoillustrates theAutochromeemulation, showsMlis in histoyshop at theGareMontparnasse.Bottom:Richardson donsRealD glasses tocheck out a 3-Deffect in thetoyshop set.Through a Childs Eyes60 December 2011American Cinematographer size of the 3-D rig with a wry smile, Idremindhim that the EnchantedCottage[a nickname for the bulkythree-strip Technicolor camera] createdagreat number of brilliant films, headds.Itwas Portellis responsibility toadjust the interocular (IO) distance andconvergencefor each shot; this ofteninvolved pulling one, the other or bothwhilethe cameras were rolling. I pulllivewith a wireless Preston [FI+Z]becauseduring the shot, something orsomeone might get closer to the camerathanI anticipated, and then I have tograduallybring down the IO andperhaps the convergence, says Portelli.Its not my place to call cut, so I haveto be prepared. There really is a differ-encebetween capturing 3-D live withtwo cameras on a rig [and shooting 2-Dandconverting in post]. True 3-D isverybeautiful and very remarkable.Everyframe inHugo wasa commit-mentto the medium, and were proudof that.Richardson,who operated thecamerarig whenever he could,acknowledgesthat he was initiallyconfounded by the subtle changes to theframingthat resulted from Portelliswirelesswork. Marty is extremelyprecise about composition, just as I am,saysthe cinematographer. I would beviewing a shot, and without my alteringthe framing I would find the composi-tion drifting. At first I didnt understandwhat the issue was I thought it mightbethe mirror. But I soon located theculprit: Demetri.Portellisadjustments to IO andconvergence during a take meant phys-icalchanges on the 3-D rig, with onecamera either moving farther away fromthe other or rotating on an axis. Whenyou put two cameras on a rig, you onlywantone eyepiece, and, of course, youwantit to be on the static camera,explainsPortelli. We couldnt do thatinitiallybecause for those first fewweeks,there was no way to flip thefixed-eyecamera into the eyepiece, asthat camera was seeing a mirror reflec-tion. So the camera Bob was operatingThrough a Childs EyesThis series of frames showing Hugos father (Jude Law) at work depicts the Alexas Log C file (top), the on-set viewing LUT applied (middle), and the final grade with Autochrome emulation (bottom).our extendedfamily of lightweightOptimo zoomsnow includes45 120mm.973.812.3858angenieux@tccus.com www.angenieux.comTheperfectportraitlenshasfinallyarrived 45-120mmOptimozoomlensjoinsouraward winning15-40mmand28-76mmfamilyof hand-held lenses to provide a combined focal rangeof15-120mm.Theyallowyoutotake fewer lenses on location without any sacrifice in performanceandwithouttheexcessweight ofalltheprimelensestheyreplace.Plus Optimo35mmZoomLensesdeliverthe extremelyfastaperturesandoutstanding contrastandcolorreproductionthathave made them the optics of choice for DPs all over the world. Take our extended family of Optimo 35mmZoomLensesonyournextshootand experience the difference.NEW 45mm - 120mmActual product image may vary15mm - 40mm28mm - 76mmexplains. Also, mirrors are defective bynature,whether minutely or more so,andthe organic mirrors are easilydamaged.We used only prime lensesand tended to work between 18mm and75mm.Changinglenses on the rig andensuring they were matched could takeupto 15 minutes. To minimize thistimedelay, Richardson continues, Iwould ask that the next lens we wantedtouse be placed on a second rig inadvance, and instead of swapping lenses,we changed rigs. Sometimes, however, Iwouldcall for a new lens after Martydecided upon a composition.Thefirst lens changes and rigalignmentsestablished problem areasand helped streamline the process, saysPortelli.The camera departmentbecame like a pit crew at an auto race:eachperson had a very specific job toaccomplishto get the lens changesdown to as little time as possible.Asophisticated dailies pipelinewas set up at Shepperton Studios, wherethemajority of the shoot took place.(Twoweeks were spent on location inParis.)As part of its Slate2screenservice, CPG provided all of the hard-warerequired to process the largeamount of data generated on set and tomake any slight stereo corrections to thefootageimmediately after it was shot.Theproduction hired a freelancecolorist, Greg Fisher, in order to get thedailies as close to the final color grade aspossible.Itwas never our intention tohavethat type of facility on the set,Richardsonnotes. We started offtryingto work with EFilm in LosAngeles, but transporting the data on adaily basis proved too difficult. In addi-tion, most labs are set up to grade on awhitescreen, and [our 3-D viewingtechnology]RealD requires a silverscreen. We found that utilizing our 3-Dscreeningroom put us within reach oftimingthe dailies ourselves all weneeded was a grader. When I met withGreg,I was deeply impressed by hisknowledge.He agreed to take on theproject,and he suggested that with a62 December 2011American Cinematographer Through a Childs Eyeswouldsuddenly move when I changedthe IO. It was a learning process for Arrias well; they had to adapt the Alexa for3-Drigs. They soon developed a solu-tionthat allowed me the full ability tobuilddepth without disturbing thecamera operator. Inaddition to working withbrand-newcameras, Richardson choselenses that were hot off the productionline:Cooke 5/i primes. Matched pairsweredelivered to the set as fast as theLeicestershirefactory could manufac-ture them, supplementing sets of CookeS4 primes.Testing in prep established that itwasbest to avoid very wide or longlenses with the 3-D rigs. Going widerthan18mm required a larger mirror,whichmeant a larger rig, RichardsonTop: Lighting grip Howard Davidson (left) provides fill for the young leads as Steadicamoperator Larry McConkey, SOC captures the shot with his Steadicam hard-mounted on a dolly. Visible at foreground left are the hands of 1st AC Gregor Tavenner and his Preston remote focus unit. The use of a monitor for focus pulling is becoming quite common now that cameras like the Alexa produce such high-quality video signals, McConkey notes, but here Gregor is doing it the old-fashioned and still often the best way, estimating the distance by eye with occasional reference to the sonar measuring system mounted on the Steadicam. Bottom: McConkey and Tavenner (at left of camera) at work on anotherSteadicam shot. Traditionally reliable. Daringly innovative.BERFILM TECHNOLOGYMADE IN GERMANYDigital Film Camera ExcellenceA passion for innovation and exceptional pictures thats the maxim of P+S TECHNIK, the Munich-based manufacturer of hlgh-end, proeuulonol 6lm equlpmenl.WEISSCAM HS-2 MKIIwww.pstechnik.deContact North & South AmericaMichael Gamboeckmlohoel.gomboeokpuleohnlk.de64 December 2011American Cinematographer [FilmLight] Baselight he could do colorcorrectionswhile the [Quantel] Pablomade3-D corrections in the sameroom.Fisher created a display LUT forthe projected dailies, and a version of thesame LUT was made for the monitorsonset. This helped the filmmakerswith 3-D decisions on set, as the imageshada similar tonal curve to theprojected images, says Fisher. There isa relationship between the grade of theimageand how depth is perceived, sogettingthe monitors close to what wewerelooking at projected ensured abettertranslation from set to thetheater.Using his own 3-D monitor as areference,Scorsese demanded anaggressive approach to the 3-D, and hewouldrequest more or less [of theeffect]depending upon the sequenceand the intention he had in mind, saysRichardson.He would often pushDemetrito go beyond the acceptableand then pull back to where he felt the3-D worked best.I would sometimes hear Martysvoiceon the radio telling me to usemore IO or less IO, recalls Portelli. Atothertimes, hed say, Demetri, Imgoing to concentrate on the actors, so itsyour job not to miss any 3-D opportu-nities.In those instances, Id take thescript and Martys notes and try to bringthe best 3-D depth to every shot. Hugo(Asa Butterfield) spendsmuch of his time inside the Paris trainstation, for which a vast, detailed set wascreatedat Shepperton by DanteFerretti.Long, flowing takes showingthe boys movements through the hustleand bustle of the station were achievedwithRichardson operating a stabilizedheadon a mobile crane. However, itbecameclear in prep that the skills ofLarryMcConkey, SOC, Scorseseslong-timeSteadicam operator, wouldalsobe required, and this presented achallenge: no practical Steadicam solu-tion for the Fusion/Alexa rig existed.Acouple of months beforeproduction, Bob called me up at about 5inthe morning and said, Larry, youvegot to get on a plane to L.A. right nowso you can work with Vince on design-ingthis gear! recalls McConkey.Thats how it started for me. When Igot to L.A., the CPG team showed mewhatthey had for a Steadicam, and Istartedto laugh because it was just soimpossible.McConkey and CPGs engineersspent the next six weeks developing a rigthat built upon a patent-pending designPaceoriginally developed forAvatar(ACJan.10). The team focused onshedding weight wherever possible andincorporatinga counterbalance systemthatwould compensate for IO andconvergence adjustments during a take. Itwas vital for McConkey andPortellito work together closelythroughout the shoot. Portelli recalls, Iwould try to be considerate [of Larry] inmy choices of when to pull. For exam-ple,Larry might suggest that I shouldadjust as he went through a doorway.Each shot ended up being a littledancebetween me and Demetri, saysMcConkey.If he was very consistentand he was then I knew whenthose changes were coming, and I couldbuildthem into my sensory expecta-tions.Scorsesewanted most of theimagesto suggest Hugos perspective,which meant a lot of low-angle shots. Iinvestigated using a modified Segway togetlow-mode shots, says McConkey.Itwas a very liberating way of doingfast shots through a crowd, and I endedup using it for a little chase scene. Afterthefirst take, we heard Marty yellingand screaming. We thought somethingwas terribly wrong, but it turned out tobe because he loved it!Thelast shot in the movie is asingle,long Steadicam shot that couldnothave been accomplished any otherway, or without the Fusion rig workingas well as it did, he adds.Toallow as much freedom ofmovement as possible on the station set,Richardsonlit it mainly from above.We used soft boxes overhead that weregelled Full Blue, while the stage lip wassurroundedby Dinos and Maxis, hesays. Depending on the direction, weduse the Dinos to create a general back-light,adding gel when necessary. Thereasoningbehind overheads with Bluewas that I could alter the color temper-atureof the Alexa without filters or aloss in stop. If I wanted a white top, Idsetthe camera at 5,600K and not useThrough a Childs EyesRichardson lines up a shot of Moretz in the clock-tower set. He recalls, When Marty would [note] the size of the 3-D rig, Id remind him that the Enchanted Cottage [3-strip Technicolor camera] created a great number of brilliant films.www.abelcine.comwww.visionresearch.com Having the Phantom Flex on our production has made a huge difference. Being able to jump from 24fps to anything from 200 to 800fps and back again without a huge re-light has meant we get more great shots in less time. The images are the best I've seen from a high-speed camera and it cuts great with our Genesis cameras.Aaron Morton Director of PhotographySpartacus: Gods of the ArenaThe images are the best I've seen from a high-speed camera...FEATURESMelancholiaDreddAbraham Lincoln: Vampire HunterTree of LifeHidden Beauty: A Love Story That Feeds The EarthCaptain AmericaThe Green HornetSource CodeFinal Destination 5Honey 2ProdigyDragonInceptionTRON: LegacyIron Man 2Scott Pilgrim vs. The WorldResident Evil: AfterlifeJackass 3DStep Up 3DSecretariatSherlock HolmesZombielandTELEVISIONSpartacus: Blood and SandMentalBears of the Last FrontierNo Ordinary FamilyTop ShotTime WarpThe Hard Times of RJ Berger (promo)BBC One: Nature's Great EventsSNL Digital Short: Cherry BattleNurse Jackie (opening)SNL Digital Short: On the GroundDancing with the Stars (idents)Fight ScienceToughest Cowboy (intros)Burn NoticeSports ScienceDexter (main title sequence)MythBustersCOMMERCIALSDigisport: BasketballTelmex television HD: Una Gota de SudorDelux Weathershield: Tough ElementsPrince Rackets: Frederico and othersRogers Sportsnet: Comin' HomeSun Ich: Purely FruitCitron CS3: Anti Retro - Blenders and othersAqua Minirale: FrisbeeCoke Zero: Bound by BlackSony Bravia: Cricket World CupPublix: Magical MomentsSmirnoff: Smirnoff and ColaNational Greyhound Championships:One Helluva BattleMcDonalds: Bursting With FruitSony: Eye CandyHome Depot: Mexican National TeamPedigree: CatchAmnesty International: Child - Shell HellDekorall: FashionGoogle: Google Chrome Speed TestsDR2 station ID: Tennis ballsVisa Black Card: Female James BondQuiksilver: Cypher BoardshortPanasonic Viera: Elegance MattersNFL: Play60 Thanksgiving PSASpeedo: SculptureSprite Zero: CatapultCanon Pixma MP996: GymnastsCanon EOS 7D: Flying GirlsPhantom Flex, HD or v640 camerasutilized on recent projects, aboveFlexFeature films, television, sports and commercial productions haveaffirmed Phantom