AC Oct 2011

O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1
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M E M B E R P O R T R A I T
Thomas Ackerman, ASC
W W W . T H E A S C . C O M
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y dad worked at the Times
Theater in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa, and I saw every
movie that came to town from the
projection booth. The smell of
machine oil and a carbon arc
was part of it, but what really got
me was the magic on the screen.
Then I landed a summer
job at the Collins Radio photo
lab. When things were slow, I
plowed through stacks of
American Cinematographer. It
changed my life.
Technical methods are
evolving much faster than they
did in the past, but the aesthetics
of making pictures remain much
the same. AC is far more than a
trade journal; its the voice of
artists around the world. No
matter how busy I am, its my
way of keeping in touch.
Thomas Ackerman, ASC
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. s i u q E
t s o M s d l r o WWo
s l a i c r e m m o c 0 0
o t n e e t s g n i r p S e c u
r e d i e n
The International Journal of Motion Imaging
28 Road Warriors
Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC envisions a modern noir
for Drive
44 Man of Action
Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC taps Super 16mm
anamorphic for Machine Gun Preacher
52 Home Invasion
Alik Sakharov, ASC re-imagines a 1970s classic
with Straw Dogs
62 King of New York
Filmmakers recall the heyday of General Camera Corp.
DEPARTMENTS
FEATURES
VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM TO ENJOY THESE WEB EXCLUSIVES
DVD Playback: Party Girl Cul-de-Sac Insignificance
On Our Cover: Driver (Ryan Gosling) is a stunt man by day and criminal accomplice
by night in Drive, shot by Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC.
(Photo by Richard Foreman Jr., SMPSP, courtesy of Film District.)
8 Editors Note
10 Presidents Desk
12 Short Takes: Woolite Torture
16 Production Slate: The Skin I Live In Margin Call
68 Post Focus: Restoring A Trip to the Moon
74 Filmmakers Forum: Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK
78 New Products & Services
82 International Marketplace
83 Classified Ads
84 Ad Index
86 In Memoriam: Takuo Tak Miyagishima
87 Clubhouse News
88 ASC Close-Up: Xavier Grobet
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1 V O L . 9 2 N O . 1 0
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44
52
O c t o b e r 2 0 1 1 V o l . 9 2 , N o . 1 0
T 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 g
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EDITORIAL
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4
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OFFICERS - 2011/2012
Michael Goi
President
Richard Crudo
Vice President
Owen Roizman
Vice President
John C. Flinn III
Vice President
Victor J. Kemper
Treasurer
Frederic Goodich
Secretary
Stephen Lighthill
Sergeant At Arms
MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Stephen H. Burum
Richard Crudo
George Spiro Dibie
Richard Edlund
Fred Elmes
Michael Goi
Victor J. Kemper
Francis Kenny
Isidore Mankofsky
Robert Primes
Owen Roizman
Kees Van Oostrum
Haskell Wexler
Vilmos Zsigmond
ALTERNATES
Michael D. OShea
Rodney Taylor
Ron Garcia
Sol Negrin
Kenneth Zunder
MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
American Society of Cine ma tog ra phers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an 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 highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
pro fes sional cin e ma tog ra pher a mark
of prestige and excellence.
6
A few years ago, I drifted into a screening of Bronson at
the Sundance Film Festival and was blown away by its
audacious style. Caught off guard by the directors chops,
I did my homework and discovered that I had somehow
overlooked the early works of Danish filmmaker Nicolas
Winding Refn, known in Europe for his gritty Pusher tril-
ogy, which brings viewers face to face with a rogues
gallery of Copenhagen drug peddlers.
During an interview about Bronson, Refn and I
bonded over our fetish for avant-garde cinema, engaging
in a truly monastic discussion of filmmakers like Kenneth
Anger and Alejandro Jodorowsky. Echoes of their inspira-
tion are evident in Refns latest film, Drive, for which he
won the Cannes Film Festivals Best Director prize this year. Riding shotgun on Drive was
Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC, whose early work on Angers Lucifer Rising gave him extra cred
with Refn.
In a fully loaded piece by associate editor Jon Witmer (Road Warriors, page 28),
Sigel says Refn used his intellect and creativity to create exciting car chases on an indie
budget: [He] wanted the films three main driving sequences to each have its own charac-
ter and not be a traditional car chase. It wasnt so much about being loud and noisy as it was
about having a defined tonality.
Life-or-death confrontations also amp up the drama in Machine Gun Preacher, shot
by Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC, and a remake of Straw Dogs, which Rod Lurie modernized
with the help of Alik Sakharov, ASC.
Schaefer and director Marc Forster had to balance scenes shot in the States with
sequences staged in and around Johannesburg, South Africa (standing in for Sudan and
Uganda). Schaefer tells David Heuring (Man of Action, page 44) that the project seemed
to want an epic feel, but without gloss. We were after an immediate, down-and-dirty feel
that people could relate to, but we also wanted to do justice to the sequences in Africa,
which have landscapes and a lot of big action sequences.
As a cinematographer on the HBO series The Sopranos, Rome and Game of Thrones,
Sakharov has shot his share of memorable showdowns, but on Straw Dogs he and Lurie
were tangling with the ghost of the ultimate tough-guy auteur: Sam Peckinpah. As Michael
Goldman reveals (Home Invasion, page 52), the filmmakers opted for visual restraint while
staging the storys brutal violence. We didnt want the photography to feel like it was call-
ing attention to itself, says Sakharov. We wanted it to feel like a camera just happened to
be there, quiet and subdued, while these events were taking place.
The glory days of Manhattans General Camera Corp. are recalled in a piece by New
York correspondent Iain Stasukevich (King of New York, page 62). The company thrived in
the 1960s and 70s, when it was a second home for current and future ASC members,
including Gordon Willis, Owen Roizman, Victor J. Kemper and Fred Schuler. General
Camera was like a home, says camera assistant Gary Muller. There was truly no other place
where you could get that kind of knowledge and honesty.
Stephen Pizzello
Executive Editor
Editors Note
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8
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Within the ASC there are two basic forms of membership: active and associate. Active members
are cinematographers, and everyone knows what we represent to the ASC, but there is some
mystery about the role of the associate member.
According to the ASCs constitution, an associate member is a person who is not a direc-
tor of photography, but is engaged in work that contributes to cinematography through either
technical expertise or the rendering of services or products directly related to cinematography.
That captures the gist of it, but in practice associates do much more. They come from all corners
of the industry; they include camera manufacturers, post supervisors, color timers, company exec-
utives, lighting-equipment designers and many others. The contributions of one legendary East
Coast associate, General Camera co-founder Dick DiBona, are detailed in this issue.
Regardless of their business affiliations, ASC associates leave those agendas at the door
when they enter the Clubhouse. They participate selflessly on committees and contribute a life-
time of knowledge and expertise toward the common goal of making our craft the best it can
be. They are a vital part of the Society.
Associate members understand what motivates us to do what we do, and they support
that vision in ways that go beyond mere tech advice or equipment discounts. They are collabo-
rators for the ASC the way our crews are on set. They are an integral part of our major functions,
such as the ASC Awards, and major contributors to publications such as the American Cine-
matographer Manual. They challenge the Technology Committee to forge the way toward new frontiers, and join in the preserva-
tion push to guarantee that our work will be seen for generations to come.
Three associates, Bob Fisher, Larry Parker and Brian Spruill, have proven so valuable and committed to the ASC that we made
them honorary members, a distinction we bestow upon a very select few.
The ASC is a small family, so the loss of any member, active or associate, is felt by us all. We recently lost Tak Miyagishima,
who epitomized the character and importance of an associate member. The innovations he brought to motion-picture camera tech-
nology became an indelible part of our craft. He was present at our events and contributed ideas toward our goals. He used his
considerable influence to open doors for our members when it mattered most. And he did all this with the grace and easy famil-
iarity of a friend.
The ASC would not exist were it not for the dedication and commitment of our associates. You know the names of our active
members theyve shot some of your favorite films. The next time you glance at the membership roster in this magazine or on our
website, take note of the names of our associates. They are our unsung heroes. If we are able to reach for the stars, its beca use
they build the platform that enables us to get there.
Michael Goi, ASC
President
Presidents Desk
10 October 2011 American Cinematographer
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fv.chapman.edu
Chapman Universitys Dodge College of Film and Media Arts
is proud to announce that Johnny E. Jensen, ASC (Lost in
Yonkers, Rambling Rose), has joined our world-class faculty in
our distinguished cinematography department which includes
Jrg Walther (Carol King and James Taylor: Live at the
Troubador), headed by Bill Dill, ASC (Sidewalk Stories).
Jensen, Dill and Walther lead the cinematographers of
tomorrow through a curriculum that emphasizes
hands-on practical application in our state of the art
facilities with industry-standard equipment.
Robert Bassett, Dean
Jensens photograph courtesy of Owen Roizman, ASC
L-R: Walther, Jensen, Dill
On-the-Rack Fashion
By Iain Stasukevich
Rob Zombie might seem an unlikely choice to direct a Woolite
commercial, but ad agency Euro RSCG Worldwide actually tailored a
spot to him. Its called Torture.
The concept is that theres a mysterious figure out in the
woods called The Torturer, and hes torturing clothes, says Zombie.
At first Zombie had to turn the project down because of tour-
ing commitments, but the agency kept changing the dates and loca-
tions to fit his schedule. When they finally locked a date in Vancou-
ver, Zombie called in cinematographer Brandon Trost.
The Woolite gig marks the third collaboration between Trost
and Zombie, after Halloween II (2009) and music videos for the
Zombie tracks Sick Bubblegum and Mars Needs Women.
I really like working with Rob, and we work really well
together, says Trost. The key is that we both know what we want,
but were not so committed [to those ideas] that its at the expense
of doing whats best for the project.
Brandon is open-minded, Zombie remarks. Im never at a
loss for what I want on set, but Im always hoping that hell have an
idea of how to take things a step further. Sometimes hell make
suggestions and Ill stick to the original plan, but thats okay because
theres no ego between us.
Filming took place over two days in and around Vancouver,
with the first day set on a derelict farmland just south of the city. The
Torturer does his worst stretching out a cardigan on a medieval
rack, shrinking a pretty top before using it to strangle a mannequin,
and fading a pair of jeans under the brutal heat of electric lamps.
The agency only produced six panels of storyboards, but we
shot it like we would a movie, says Trost.
Zombie says the style he and Trost have
worked out is predicated on speed and variety.
When were doing coverage of a scene, unless
theres a problem, I dont like to do multiple takes
with the same lenses because then you get into
editing, and you have the same setup and the same
lens over and over, says Zombie.
The duo managed about 75 setups a day on
Halloween II. Brandon gets the way I like to
shoot, says Zombie. And we usually dont have
the time to do it any other way.
One way to achieve that kind of quantity and
still craft a high-quality image is to shoot with two
cameras and minimal lighting. On Torture, Trost
explains, we shot all the spooky stuff in broad
daylight. I didnt use anything except for some
negative fill.
The fade sequence in the commercial
employs some practical tungsten fixtures provided by the art depart-
ment, and Trost punched them up with a couple of 1K Par cans.
Rob and I tend to use practicals or nothing at all, he says.
Torture was not only Zombies first commercial, but also his
first experience with a digital-cinema camera; Trost convinced him to
experiment with a Red One (upgraded with the Mysterium-X
sensor). Rob and I both like the texture of film because we can
degrade it, notes Trost. But you can do that with digital, too, and
I wanted to show him those possibilities.
Based on some tests hed done with the Red for the feature
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance , Trost decided to shoot all scenes
involving The Torturer at 3,200 ASA even though theyre all day
exteriors. It brings out noise in the image, so it starts to feel like
grain and starts to look a little more analog, he says. When you
add a little contrast, the digital grain starts to stand out. When Rob
saw that, he got really interested.
Cinematography matters to me, but I dont share this new
obsession with higher resolution, notes Zombie. I think things are
becoming so high resolution that they look like shit. People look
weird. You can see the makeup in the actors pores. Ive always shied
away from that. In fact, he tends to lean in the opposite direction:
for Halloween II, he and Trost chose to originate on Super 16mm,
and they pushed the stock so hard that shots sometimes came out
too dark or out of focus.
Being able to see the image immediately on set is what finally
convinced Zombie to take the digital plunge. Thats something that
I like about it as well, says Trost. It makes us a little more comfort-
able and allows us to work a little more quickly. Its especially good
for focus, because we do a lot of handheld work with no marks. If
we can see right away that were sharp, it makes a big difference in
Short Takes
A burly sadist puts clothing through its paces in Torture, a Woolite commercial shot by
Brandon Trost and directed by Rob Zombie.
I
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Top row, left to right: Curtis Clark, ASC; Richard Crudo, ASC; Daryn Okada, ASC; Dennis Dillon, DP; Francis Kenny, ASC
Bottom 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, Cinematographer
how quickly we can work.
With Zombie, Trost prefers to shoot
wide open, narrowing his depth-of-field as
much as possible. At 3,200 ASA, even stack-
ing multiple filters and narrowing the
cameras shutter down to 45 degrees only
afforded him a stop of T2.8. (He used Zeiss
Ultra Prime T1.9 lenses.)
If the first half of the spot is classic
Zombie, the second half is a complete shift.
We also did the Look how bright and clean
and glossy and gorgeous the world is when
you use Woolite part of the commercial,
says Trost. This segment features pretty girls
walking down a peaceful street, trying on
new clothes in a sunny bedroom, and relax-
ing in a yoga studio by a lake.
The shots in these scenes captured
at 800 ASA in single-camera setups on loca-
tion around Vancouver are smooth and
stabilized. Strong, high-key illumination is
provided by 6K and 18K HMIs. It looks like
standard commercial fare, which is
awesome because its Rob Zombie behind
the camera, says Trost. I was really happy
to see him do something totally outside his
wheelhouse.
For his part, Zombie shrugs off the
suggestion that dabbling in conventionality
might pose a challenge. How hard can it be
to light two 20-year-old girls nicely and ask
them to pretend that theyre shopping?
The challenge, if there was one, was
in the commercial medium itself. There was
little time for preparation leading into the
production, and once the shoot wrapped, all
of the footage was turned over to the post
team. (Technicolor Vancouver handled the
color correction.)
I dont know if this is normal, but
Ive never been involved with color correc-
tion on a commercial, says Trost. But Ive
always been happy with the way theyve
turned out. Thats no surprise, because the
agencies usually pump a lot of money into
the grade.
On Torture, Trost did his best to
bake in a look that couldnt be undone. I
knew my involvement [in post] would be
little to zero, and I figured that if I made it
look the way we wanted it to on the day we
shot it, then everybody would be happy with
it later.
Top: A woman admires her freshly laundered blouse. Middle: The hooded fiend hunts for unsuspecting
apparel in a Gothic landscape. Bottom: Zombie (left) and Trost take a break from the mayhem.
Bad Medicine
By Jean Oppenheimer
The Skin I Live In(La Piel Que Habito), the latest collaboration
between iconoclastic Spanish director Pedro Almodvar and cine-
matographer Jos Luis Alcaine, AEC, resists easy classification.
From one moment to the next it is a melodrama, a thriller, a horror
film and a love story, observes Alcaine. In contemplating a visual
design for such a hybrid, Almodvar initially considered an expres-
sionistic approach, but he eventually opted for a style that assidu-
ously avoids any visual clues that might influence viewers percep-
tion of the characters or hint at where the story is going. Essentially,
the look doesnt emphasize anything, says Alcaine, who
answered ACs questions via e-mail with the aid of translator Deidre
MacCloskey.
Based on Thierry Jonquets novel Mygale, the film concerns
a brilliant plastic surgeon, Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas), who
becomes obsessed with creating an artificial human skin after his
wife is horribly disfigured in a fire and takes her own life. Robert
lives and works in a secluded mansion, where he has two compan-
ions: the housekeeper, Marilia (Marisa Paredes), and a beautiful
patient named Vera (Elena Anaya), who wears a skin-tight body
stocking that covers her from head to toe. Vera has been a captive
for six years, and cameras in her room allow Robert and Marilia to
track her every move via monitors positioned around the house.
The film was shot entirely at practical locations. Most of the
action takes place indoors, with day interiors relying almost exclu-
sively on simulated sunshine. Working with a single camera (an
Arricam Studio), the filmmakers made decisions about blocking,
camera placement and camera moves on set. The only calculations
Alcaine worked out beforehand concerned the hue and angle of
the simulated sunlight. He recalls, I asked our script supervisor to
draw up a shooting schedule for me with the actual times of each
sequence. Instead of daytime, it would say 18:00 [6 p.m.]. That
allowed me to plan the color and angle of the HMIs coming
through the windows.
To light Veras room, which was located on the second floor
and had trees and a swimming pool directly outside the windows,
Alcaines crew positioned three 12K HMIs and a mix of Osram fluo-
rescents on scaffolding outside. The cinematographer has relied
almost exclusively on Osram tubes for the past 25 years. They are
inexpensive and they dont take up a lot of space, he told AC in
2006 while discussing Volver (Dec. 06). They have dimmers that
can be interconnected, they cause practically no variation in the
color of the light emission anywhere in the dimming range, and
you can shoot at any shutter setting.
Alcaines lighting package, which came from Iluminaciones
Cinetel, where owner Rafael Martos helps him design many of the
housings for the Osram tubes, included 10-banks with 20 55-watt
Dulux tubes, 20-banks with eight 36-watt Dulux tubes, 15-banks
Production Slate
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.
Plastic surgeon
Robert Ledgard,
M.D. (Antonio
Banderas)
proceeds with an
unorthodox
experiment in a
scene from The
Skin I Live In,
shot by Jos Luis
Alcaine, AEC.
I
of four 36-watt Lumilux tubes, 8-banks of
two 36-watt Lumilux tubes, and a variety
of 18-watt Lumilux tubes. We had
3,200K tubes and 5,500K tubes, and if
we needed to get an in-between color
temperature, we mixed them on the
banks, says Alcaine.
Among the films most inspired
sequences, from both a conceptual and
technical standpoint, are scenes of Robert
in his bedroom at night, watching Vera on
a giant monitor that covers one wall. Vera
knows Robert watches her, and she often
stares straight into the camera, as if meet-
ing his gaze. We shot Vera in her room
and Robert looking at her on the monitor
at the same time, and the actors were, of
course, in two separate spaces, so Pedro
had to coordinate their performances
perfectly, says Alcaine. For the smaller
monitors in the kitchen, he adds, we shot
the video footage first and then played it
when we were filming the kitchen scenes.
The camerawork in each space also
had to be precisely synchronized. At one
point, the video camera (a Panasonic AG-
HVX200) pushes in on Vera until her face
fills the frame while the Arri pushes in from
behind Robert, who is standing in front of
the screen. In another scene, Robert
watches as Vera sits with her back against
the arm of her divan, her legs stretched out
in front of her; Robert also has a divan in his
room, and the camera remains behind him
as he sits down in a position that mirrors
hers, except that he is on the opposite side
of the frame. The two characters appear to
be facing one another.
Vera is almost always lit with fluo-
rescents placed at the edge of the frame
and usually aligned with her eyes. Lighting
Roberts bedroom required ingenuity
because of the blue cast emitted by the
massive monitor. To make it work, I had to
make all of the lighting [in the room] that
same color, reports Alcaine. [I did this] by
lighting with 5,500K [tubes] placed behind
Antonio and at his sides. That way we
didnt have light all over the room, which
also helped [eliminate] reflections. The crew
dressed in black for the filming of these
scenes.
Alcaine notes that The Skin I Live In
marks his first digital intermediate with
Almodvar. Their four previous collabora-
tions Volver, Bad Education, Tie Me Up!
Top: Ledgards
daughter (Blanca
Surez) escapes
his watchful eye
at a party to
take a fateful
walk with Vicente
(Jan Cornet).
Bottom: Director
Pedro Almodvar
(right) looks on as
Banderas and
Elena Anaya run
through a scene
involving Ledgard
and his captive
patient, Vera.
This large
fluorescent source
was typical of
Alcaines approach
to Veras room.
A half-century of service, mentorship,
friendship, innovation, brilliance and passion.
Your legacy will live on.
Takuo Tak Miyagishima
1928-2011

Tie Me Down! and Women on the Verge of
a Nervous Breakdown were timed
photochemically. The DI allowed us to
suppress the tiny imperfections in Elenas
skin, befitting Ledgards perfect creation,
notes the cinematographer. All of the
negative processing, scanning, color correc-
tion and filmout was handled by Fotofilm
Deluxe in Madrid. I found the work of the
entire laboratory to be of a very high stan-
dard, says Alcaine.
The Skin I Live In marked a few other
firsts for the Almodvar/Alcaine team.
Our previous four films were shot
anamorphic, but Pedro decided this one
should be 1.85:1, says Alcaine. I was
grateful because that meant I could use my
favorite lenses, [Arri/Zeiss] Master Primes.
The camera package came from EPC in
Madrid.
Another distinct difference was the
color scheme. Almodvars films are
renowned for their rich, bold colors, with a
special emphasis on red. By Pedros own
design, however, this movie looks very
neutral, says Alcaine. The tones are
beige, white, gray, black and metallic. Only
occasionally is there an explosion of red:
crimson drapes in a couple of settings, a red
dress in a shop window, or fresh blood on
the floor.
Alcaine remembers a mildly trouble-
some night exterior at a location in Galicia,
where Robert and his teenaged daughter,
Norma (Blanca Surez), attend a wedding.
Norma wanders into the garden with
Vicente (Jan Cornet), a young man she has
just met. When Robert cant find his daugh-
ter, he goes outside to look for her. The
vegetation was very thick, and light could
barely penetrate it, recalls Alcaine. My
source of inspiration was the great French
artist Henri Rousseau, in particular his 1910
painting The Dream. Even though it was
night, I tried to make the greens very strong
and bright, just as in the painting.
The films biggest lighting setup was
a nighttime car chase along an isolated,
winding road deep in a forest. Robert
pursues Vicente, who is on a motorcycle,
because he believes Vicente has raped his
daughter. The filmmakers had to light
almost a full mile of road to capture the
action. We had two 18K HMIs, three 12K
HMIs and a crane truck with six 12K HMIs,
says Alcaine.
Alcaine praises his crew for their
enormous contributions. He notes, My
gaffer, Fernando Beltran, works with me a
lot, and on this film, as always, he did a
superb job. Our camera operator was the
excellent Joaquin Manchado, who, though
a fine cinematographer himself, offered to
serve as operator in order to be part of the
production.
Contemplating the five films he has
made with Almodvar, Alcaine observes,
Its strange. Pedro and I understand each
other very well, but we hardly ever talk. Our
intuitions about the images are almost
always the same, and only occasionally do
they need any clarification. This shoot was a
real delight for me, and I think for him, too.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
35mm and Digital Capture
Arricam Studio; Panasonic AG-HVX200
Arri/Zeiss Master Prime
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219;
Fujifilm Eterna Vivid 160
Digital Intermediate
Top: Ledgard admires his handiwork after Vera returns from a trip to town.
Bottom: Alcaine (left) and gaffer Fernando Beltran confer on location.
www.clairmont.com
Why am I having so much fun?
Hollywood
818-761-4440
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604-984-4563
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416-467-1700
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505-227-2525
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514-525-6556
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toys and other kids at Clairmont Camera; a fun place to play.
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But that's old news. Everyone in the biz knows that!
I want to talk about how much fun I have at Clairmont.
The sign of a well managed team is the morale and
happiness of the players.
Clairmont is a busy place,yet somehow,miraculously,
everyone seems relaxed,delighted to see you,help you
create solutions and are just as crazy about the latest
toys and widgets as you are.
It is this uncanny ability of everyone you encounter to
share the joy and enthusiasm of our art form that kicks
the Clairmont experience into another dimension. Those
old-fashioned virtues of integrity,involvement,caring,
warmth and joy are really what it's all about.
Robert Primes,ASC
Capturing a Financial Freefall
By Patricia Thomson
The longer I work in films, the
more I find I need less lighting, says
New York-based cinematographer Frank
DeMarco. A pianist since age 6, he offers
a musical analogy: I remember listening
to jazz saxophonist Wayne Shorter when
he was in Weather Report. He was a
virtuoso; hed be playing a thousand
notes a second. I saw him again about 15
years later at the Blue Note, and he was
an older, mellow guy, and everyone in his
young, hot group was playing a million
notes a minute. Wayne was just playing
one note, but everybody was listening to
him, because he was doing something
interesting with that note. Its similar with
lighting: once you find the one light or
the minimum number of lights that work,
you make it work, really bend it. Thats
what people are going to see and feel.
DeMarco had ample occasion to
bend a few notes on Margin Call, an
ensemble drama written and directed by
J.C. Chandor, whose characters a
group of Wall Street analysts are the
first to foresee the 2008 financial melt-
down. The cinematographer had 10 days
of prep for the 17-day shoot, which took
place mainly in a high-rise office building
in Manhattan. After principal photogra-
phy wrapped, the producers approved an
18th day to shoot real trading floors
downtown and some nighttime heli-
copter shots of the hero high-rise.
The story, which takes place over
36 hours, is a pressure-cooker workplace
drama. When one analyst, Eric (Stanley
Tucci), gets sacked, he passes a jump
drive to an entry-level colleague, Peter
(Zachary Quinto), warning him to be
careful as the elevator door closes. Peter
extrapolates the drives financial formula
to its logical conclusion and sees immi-
nent disaster for the firm. He alerts his
boss, who in turn calls his boss, and so on
up the chain. The movie examines the
response of each character to the firms
likely meltdown as they race to resolve
the situation before The Street finds
out. Its not panic if youre the first one
out the door, says CEO John Tuld
(Jeremy Irons), as he greenlights a fire sale
of worthless stocks.
Most of the movie was shot on the
42nd floor of 1 Penn Plaza. As luck would
have it, the floors previous occupant was
a hedge fund. That was a gift, says
Chandor. Everything we might need
was there: boardrooms, a 200-person
trading floor, corner offices, hallways.
Even the trading-room desks had been
left in place.
Another boon was the involve-
ment of Bloomberg Trading Systems,
which not only loaned and wired up 150
trading stations, but also created a loop
of screen shots showing financial graphs
that any Wall Street trader would recog-
nize as authentic. That really helped
bring things to life, says Chandor.
Those monitors were both motifs
and practical sources. From the minute I
wrote the first couple of scenes, I decided
those screens should be a recurring visual
theme, says the director. Always loom-
ing over analysts heads and active even
during the dead of night, theyre repre-
sentative of the outside market pressure
and the paranoia in these crisis situa-
tions, he says. The screens let you
know that the market never sleeps.
Another motif is Manhattan, a
living, pulsating presence outside the
office windows. We had beautiful floor-
to-ceiling windows, and the breathtaking
view of Manhattan is definitely one of the
characters, says DeMarco. Its always
there, looming and glowing in the back-
ground.
To ensure that the windows
wouldnt blow out during day scenes,
DeMarco had his crew cover the windows
with 4'x8' sheets of ND.3, ND.6 and
ND.9. Upon doing so, they discovered a
problem: though the windows looked
identical, each had a slightly different
Will (Paul Bettany, right) consults with Sam (Kevin Spacey) as a crisis looms at their firm in Margin Call.
M
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I
width ranging from 50"-52". The 48" ND
panels therefore left a gap. DeMarcos
solution was to ask production designer
John Paino to make removable pilasters to
act as vertical window dividers. Once we
installed the ND panels, we could take
these pilasters and Velcro them against
the window, says DeMarco. They not
only hid the gaps, but they also looked
great. As exterior lighting changed, partic-
ularly at the end of the day, it was a
breeze for [key grip] Caswell Cooke and
his crew to quickly change the panels.
Our limited budget made it a
tough choice for the producers, but they
recognized that even though the ND
panels cost a little money up front, they
saved a ton of time and aggravation,
because we didnt have to add big HMIs
inside to balance with the outside light,
adds the cinematographer.
Because most of Margin Call takes
place at night, DeMarco knew he needed
to shoot at around 800 ASA. He explains,
Shooting film wasnt possible on our
budget because J.C. wanted to capture
the dialogue-heavy drama with two
cameras, so we decided to go digital.
(Footage of the real trading floors and the
nighttime aerial work was shot on film,
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219.)
DeMarco chose two Red Ones
(upgraded with Mysterium-X sensors) as
his main cameras. However, he found the
daylight-balanced sensor to be closer to
400 ASA. Maybe its 800 ASA in HMI
light, he allows, but I was shooting
mostly in tungsten or mixed light, and I
found the sensor wasnt as sensitive as its
specs claimed.
Nevertheless, the cameras sensitiv-
ity was sufficient to allow DeMarco to
make the onscreen monitors work for
him. I balanced the overall lighting on
the set so the monitors were always legi-
ble, he says. Even with overhead light-
ing, you could still very much see the
content on the monitors. In really dark
scenes, the monitors often become the
light source.
DeMarcos minimalist lighting is on
display in a shot that tracks through the
empty office after the firms bigwigs have
set the wheels of fate in motion. The
camera dollies past trading stations with
glowing monitors, and then continues
into an office belonging to Sam (Kevin
Spacey). That was a dead-of-night
scene, says DeMarco. We kept the
other rooms dark, so the monitors are
doing a lot of the lighting. We left on
some of the small tungsten practicals on
the desks, enhancing them with stronger
Top: This shot of
cast and crew
preparing a scene
in Sams office
shows the
neutral-density
panels used for
day interiors at
the location.
Bottom: Seth
(Penn Badgley)
receives a
worrisome call at
a nightclub.
bulbs on dimmers, and we hid some Kino
Flos on the floor to enhance particular
pieces of architecture.
We changed out the bulbs in the
ceiling lights to work with our color
temperatures, he continues. Once
gaffer Radium Cheung and I figured out
our night and day lighting schemes, it
was pretty simple. We used Kino Flo
Image 80s on rolling stands for big wide
shots to give everybody a little edge or
open up an area, and we used Arri
Pocket Par 200-watt and 800-watt Jokers
to put hot hits here and there for day
scenes. For close-ups, he cranked up the
computers brightness levels and
augmented that with small Rosco LED
LitePads that were balanced to match the
monitors cool hue.
Although the movies subject is
grim, Chandors goal was a handsome
film. I didnt ever want this to have a
gritty, down-in-the-pits feel, he says.
The audience has to spend an hour and
a half in this room, so I wanted it [to look]
as beautiful as possible. DeMarco strove
for smooth dolly moves and used older
Zeiss T2.1 Standard Speed primes as his
main lenses. (He also used Angenieux
Optimo 17-80mm zooms.) The older
lenses have a wonderful way of maintain-
ing a handsome image while smoothing
out the harsh look of these new large-
chip digital cameras without requiring
filters, he observes.
At times, however, the drama
called for lighting that was intentionally
brutal. DeMarco notes, The night exteri-
ors of Peter wandering the city streets in
a pensive daze were lit with a mix of
ambient city light and a little fill; the mix
reflects the characters moral ambiguity.
Cinematographer
Frankie DeMarco
takes a break on
the roof of the
productions
primary location.
26
In another example, Sam and an assistant
wait to conduct colleagues to a bigwig
meeting. Theyre standing right under a
recessed ceiling light, and it gives them
both hideous raccoon eyes. Its a severe
moment, but the look is appropriate for
the story and the emotion of the scene.
For the toplit conference-room
scenes, DeMarcos crew hung skirted
China balls on a suicide arm, which he
describes as a hefty stand with a long
pole. Then, to brighten someones face or
put a little glint in his or her eyes, I used
an altered-snoot Mole Baby Soft. Its
called a Nstor, after Nstor Almendros
[ASC]. You can shoot soft, concentrated
light 6 to 8 feet out without it spilling all
over everything. Apart from that, we just
had a few practicals in the background.
DeMarco used a Canon EOS 5D
Mark II in tandem with the Red cameras
for a couple of driving scenes. In one, two
junior analysts scour the city for Eric, their
fired boss. The Canon was suction-
cupped to the limos untinted windows.
Inside the vehicle, we positioned a
Rosco LED LitePad so you could simulta-
neously see the actors in the car and
Manhattan reflected in the curve of the
limo window, says DeMarco.
Fortunately, the technical needs
and the emotional dynamics of Margin
Call neatly converged. Using minimal
lighting allowed us to move quickly,
which was extremely important on a
movie with such a short shooting sched-
ule, says DeMarco. Using minimal
lighting also means youre not going to
have a lot of f-stop; a 40mm lens at a T2
gives you about 8 inches of depth-of-
field, so you essentially hold the face.
Thus, while Manhattan shimmers out-of-
focus in the background, the characters
are visually isolated in their own respec-
tive spaces, which perfectly reflects their
mental and emotional states.
People like this pride themselves
on being able to stay calm on their worst
day, so at key moments in the drama,
these characters just pull back, says
Chandor. Frankies cinematography
does a beautiful job of [conveying] that.
CookeOpticsLimited
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27
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
Digital Capture and 35mm
Red One, Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Arri 435
Zeiss Standard Speed, Angenieux Optimo
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219
ERRATUM
In last months print edition, Dante
Spinottis first name was misspelled in the
ASC Close-Up (page 104).

I
tsday 11 on the shooting schedule for Drive, the first
Hollywood movie from Danish director Nicolas Winding
Refn, who made his name on the international stage with
such projects as the Pusher trilogy, Bronson (AC Oct. 09)
and Valhalla Rising. Refn has invited AC to the set, built on
the fourth floor of Los Angeles Park Plaza Hotel. With a
blanket wrapped snugly around his waist, the director leads
the way down a faux-brick hallway that opens into a room
featuring four mirrored walls outlined with vanity bulbs
the dressing room of a strip club. Its time, Refn says, to
place the girls.
Based on the crime novel by James Sallis, Drive
Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC and
director Nicolas Winding Refn
craft a violent fairytale on the
streets of Los Angeles.
By Jon D. Witmer
|
Road
Warriors
Road
Warriors
revolves around the unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling), who
spends his days as a Hollywood stunt driver and his nights
behind the wheel of getaway cars for members of the Los
Angeles underworld. In order to protect his neighbor, Irene
(Carey Mulligan), he agrees to help her ex-con husband,
Standard (Oscar Isaac), pull off an easy heist. But when the
job goes horribly wrong, Driver has to cut a bloody swath to
guide Irene to safety.
Its almost a mythological story, not a story about
today or yesterday or tomorrow, so it was important that the
movie have an almost indefinable time period, says director
of photography Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC. After Drive
was in the can, Sigel spoke with ACby phone from the U.K.,
where he was shooting Jack the Giant Killer for Bryan Singer.
Drive marks Sigels first collaboration with Refn, and
the cinematographer recalls that when he was approached
about the project, I took a look at Bronson and was really
impressed. It was clearly a film with a limited budget and
limited resources, but it had a very strong vision from the
director.
I met with a lot of wonderful cinematographers
thats the good thing about Hollywood, theyre all out here,
says Refn. But when I met Tom, I really dug his energy, and
his background as a documentary filmmaker made me confi-
w ww.theasc.com October 2011 29
dent we could make our seven-week
shooting schedule work. Plus, his first
film as a cameraman was Kenneth
Angers Lucifer Rising!
Refn often cites avant-garde
filmmaker Anger as an influence. The
first visual reference I showed Ryan in
regards to Drive was [Angers] Scorpio
Rising, he says. Ryan asked, Why are
you showing me a movie with a lot of
guys working on motorcycles? And I
said, Its how its shot the sensual,
sexual nature of it, the fetish, the objec-
tification. Thats what we should try to
go for.
In addition to Angers oeuvre,
Refn and Sigel were inspired by the
look of location-scout photos Sigel
snapped using the Hipstamatic app on
his iPhone. There are some color
palettes in that program that reference
retro photographic looks, like Koda-
chrome or Ektrachrome, says Sigel. I
showed Nicolas some of the photos,
and he wasnt certain of the strange
tonalities, but he really responded to
the vibrancy of the colors. We designed
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.
Opposite: The unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling) takes the wheel in Drive, directed by
Nicolas Winding Refn and photographed by Newton Thomas Sigel, ASC. This page, top: Driver
becomes a thorn in the side of mob boss Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks). Bottom: Sigel plans a
shot of Driver and Irene (Carey Mulligan).
a lot of sets and costumes to make use
of that kind of vibrant palette.
Early in his month-long prep,
Sigel decided to shoot with Arris
Alexa digital camera. We had a tight
budget and very little time, and I was
intrigued by the look I could get
shooting available light downtown, he
explains. I did some driving tests with
the Alexa, and it blew me away in
terms of what it could do with existing
light.
I rated the camera at 800
[ASA], he continues. I think the
myth of digital is that you underexpose
because it cant hold the highlights like
film. I find that when you underexpose
digital more than a little bit, very often
you increase your noise level signifi-
cantly. Whats extraordinary about the
Alexa is that even if I pushed the
sensor to 1,600 [ASA] there was very
little noise, and I could actually under-
expose quite a bit without introducing
noise in the blacks. The dynamic range
was mind-boggling.
The cinematographer adds that
he typically shot nights and interiors
around T2.8, and day exteriors around
T8.
Clairmont Camera in North
Hollywood provided the camera pack-
age. Sigel shot most of the picture
using the 15-40mm Angenieux
Optimo zoom lens. I also used Cooke
S4 primes for the daytime car interiors,
and Zeiss Master Primes for the night-
time car interiors.
He kept filtration to a mini-
mum, although he occasionally
employed a Tiffen Soft/FX filter (in
either
1
2 or 1 density) for diffusion.
Nicolas really loves wide lenses,
like the 18mm and 21mm, says Sigel.
Thats a challenge when youre trying
to get a lot of work done in a short
period of time. You tend to want to set
up multiple cameras and have the tele-
photo lens pick off close-ups while
youre getting a two-shot, but we
limited that approach as much as we
could.
Whenever there was a fight or
an act of violence, wed get two
Road Warriors
Top: Driver and
Shannon (Bryan
Cranston) talk
inside Shannons
garage. The
location is
actually a
Hollywood
picture-car
garage; the warm
backlight was
provided by a 5K
gelled with Rosco
Urban Color.
Middle: Refn
(left) talks
Gosling and
Cranston through
a scene that
shows Driver in
his day job as a
Hollywood stunt
driver. Bottom:
Driver flips a
police car for the
movie within the
movie.
cameras on it so we didnt have to
repeat that action over and over, adds
the cinematographer.
Sigel operated the A camera,
and Greg Lundsgaard served as B-
camera/Steadicam operator. Id
worked with Greg before, says Sigel.
Hes got a good eye, and Im very
confident in what he does.
By the time Sigel joined the
production, it was a given that the
entire shoot would happen in and
around L.A. The Park Plaza Hotel
became one of the productions hubs.
The location provided ample space to
build the strip clubs dressing room, the
design of which grew out of Sigels
preproduction discussions with Refn
and production designer Beth Mickle.
Sigel recalls, I mentioned that on
Frankie & Alice,we created a dressing
room that had tables at different
angles, so when we shot we got layers
and layers of detail in the mirrors.
Nicolas took that idea one step further
and said, Lets make it all mirrors. So
we basically made a mirror box it
reminded me of a Lucas Samaras
sculpture and it was just lit with
practical light.
We had one shot where we had
to do a 360-degree camera move,
Irene and
Drivers
apartments were
built inside the
Park Plaza Hotel,
and they were
designed to
function like a
practical
location. The
common corridor
(top and
bottom) was lit
with 250-watt
Photofloods
fitted inside wall
sconces.
I
d come down with the flu and had
taken some anti-flu drugs before
meeting with Ryan Gosling about
Drive, and I was high as a kite through
dinner. Halfway through the meal, I
asked if he could take me home,
because I needed to lie down. It was like
a blind date gone bad. In the car, Ryan
turned on the radio, and REO
Speedwagons Cant Fight This
Feeling started to play. I was so out of
it I started crying, turned the radio up
and began singing. Then I turned to
Ryan and screamed, I know what
Drive is! Its about a man who drives
around at night listening to pop music
because thats his emotional release!
Ryan said, Okay, and thats how
the film was born.
I loved James Sallis book. Its an
existential story about a stuntman whos
also a getaway driver. He lives in
Hollywood, he cant quite deal with
reality, and he goes a bit psychotic at the
end. Driver is two people: by day he
works in Hollywood, and at night he
drives in an almost armored suit. I
wanted him to be like a superhero in
the making.
I wanted to make Drive an L.A.
fairytale, which is what Sallis book is.
To make the violence feel extreme, I
had to make the first half of the movie
very pure and sentimental, almost like a
John Hughes movie. Then it goes really
violent. Its like Pretty in Pink with a
head smash.
I spent a lot of time redesigning
the script with Hoss Amini, who
adapted the book, and Ryan. We had
the whole movie on index cards, and
wed move things around on the living-
room table. Then, at night, Ryan drove
me around and showed me Los
Angeles. We were almost living the
movie as we were writing it.
I felt I would benefit from work-
ing with a Hollywood cinematogra-
pher. While talking with Tom Sigel
[ASC], it quickly became clear that we
had similar tastes and understandings. I
explained to him that I dont do a lot of
coverage, and I like wide-angle lenses
because I want depth. I wanted to go
with a classical style, which I felt would
give the film its own identity. Also, Im
colorblind, so I told Tom and Beth
Mickle, the production designer, I
need contrasting colors, and I like a lot
of red. It was a wonderful collabora-
tion.
There are so many movies where
you see cars spin and fly. With our
budget, we couldnt even get close to
that kind of action, so I wanted to see if
I could define each driving scene specif-
ically. I did something similar on
Bronson, in which each of the three
fight scenes had a different feel. I dont
have a drivers license, but Ive always
been fascinated by speed, and I also
have a fetish for curves, so I wanted to
shoot the cars how I would see them
sexually. Im very much a fetish film-
maker; I make films out of what I
would like to see.
Visually and technically, I try to
make every film different. We shot a lot
of Drive in slow motion because I love
that language.
Shooting with the Alexa was a
blessing. I dont see it as a replacement
for 35mm negative, which is a unique
thing well never find a substitute for,
but as another canvas.
I stipulated in my contract that
my editor, Matt Newman, would edit
the film with me. When we make the
first cut, we make the movie incoherent
just to see what it is not. By doing that,
you can see if there might be other ways
of putting the movie together. Then we
start cutting it more as planned. Its a
constant discovery process, which I like.
Showing Drive at Cannes was
very joyful because Id been able to make
the movie I wanted to make, which in
itself is always a battle. Id been nervous
that working in Hollywood would
mean I might not have the control I
usually have. But Ryan had director
approval, and he protected me it was
a similar situation to when Lee Marvin
insisted on John Boorman directing
Point Blank and producers Adam
Siegel and Marc Platt were also very
respectful. There are a lot of smart
people in Hollywood. I was in good
hands.
Coming from Europe to make
films in Hollywood, its almost like
youre living the dreams of all the
European filmmakers who came to
Hollywood from the very beginning.
You can make your film within the
system. Theres still hope.
Nicolas Winding Refn
| Pretty in Pink With a Head Smash |
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Sigel continues. To avoid seeing the
cameras reflection in the mirrors, key
grip Alex Klabukov created a rig from
the ceiling that was almost like a heli-
copter blade the camera sat on it
and spun around above the actors, just
barely out of shot.
As the crew prepares to shoot in
the dressing room, Refn places the
extras playing the strippers and gives
them directions. In the scene, Driver
enters the dressing room and takes a
hammer to the hand of Cook (James
Biberi), the clubs proprietor, and then
throws him to the ground, demanding
information about the heist that went
bad. As the violence erupts, some of
the strippers make a speedy exit, while
others stay seated around the perime-
ter, waiting for the outburst to subside.
For much of the scene, Sigel and
Lundsgaard sit tucked in a corner of
the set, rolling two cameras.
Lundsgaard keeps his camera trained
on Cook, Sigel follows Driver, and as
the actors move through the frame, the
bare bulbs positioned around the
mirrored walls occasionally flare the
lenses. The globes were 40 or 60
watts, and they had a sort of mauve
color, says gaffer Anthony Nako
Nakonechnyj, one of Sigels longtime
collaborators. We would turn off
globes we didnt see to increase the
contrast, and we could dim them down
if they were too bright or were flaring
the lens.
The Park Plaza also housed
Drivers and Irenes apartments, which
were designed to function like practi-
cal locations. A common corridor was
constructed, and doors along the corri-
dor opened into the actual apartment
sets. Additionally, the sets windows
lined up with the Park Plazas real
windows, providing a view of down-
town L.A.
Sigel recalls that the floor used
for the apartments was way up,
beyond where you can reach with
Condors for exterior lighting. The
challenge was balancing the light
inside in a quick and efficient way, and
thats where the Alexa was great. We
Top: In this frame
grab, Driver
navigates Los
Angeles'
nighttime streets.
Middle: Sigel
checks the lights
rigged to Driver's
car for the
nighttime driving
sequences.
Bottom: An Arri
Alexa was rigged
off the front of a
stock car to
capture action
around a
racetrack. Sigel
took this photo
using the
Hipstamatic app,
and he notes that
Refn "responded
to the vibrancy of
the colors."
had a lot of plans about how to gel the
windows, but once we got in there, I
didnt need to use all of those tricks
because the camera had more dynamic
range than I expected.
To supplement the practicals
inside the apartments, the crew regu-
larly employed Kino Flo 4' two-bank
fixtures fitted with K32 3,200K tubes,
as well as several varieties of small,
homemade instruments that housed
dimmable Photofloods. The common
corridor was lit primarily with 250-
watt Photofloods fitted inside sconces
and dimmed down as needed, says
Nako. Sigel adds, We always go
through a dimmer system. Its faster
and gives you more control.
At one end of the corridor, the
crew also constructed an elevator set.
To sell the impression that the elevator
was moving from one floor to another,
the art department would redress the
hallway just outside the elevator to
appear as different floors. For shots in
which the doors open to reveal the
parking garage, the crew actually
rebuilt the elevator set in a garage at
Los Angeles Center Studios.
There, Nako explains, we
changed out all the globes and
replaced them with 4-foot
Kino Flo 3200s. We also
added kicks and sheens with
some 10Ks, and we did some
raking with Mole Baby 2Ks
with Small Quartz Plus
Chimeras; the Chimeras
usually wore a Quarter Grid
Front and a 40-degree
Lighttools LCD [light-
control device].
The elevator is the setting for a
crucial scene in which Driver and
Irene find themselves sharing a ride
with a hit man (Christian Cage) whos
been sent to kill them. Glimpsing the
killers holstered gun, Driver gently
pushes Irene toward the back corner;
the lights dim, and, in slow motion,
Driver turns and kisses Irene. Nako
explains, The units in the elevator
were recessed can lights with 75-watt
JDR Spot Globes. We also added what
I call a Mini Space Light, a variation
on the covered wagon. All the lights in
Road Warriors
Right: Driver
demands
information from
Blanche (Christina
Hendricks) after a
heist goes awry. In
the background,
Refn and Sigel
discuss the frame
while 1st AC Nino
Neuboeck stands
at the ready.
Below: When
armed thugs storm
the motel, Driver
responds with a
shocking burst of
violence. He
surveys the
resulting carnage
in this frame grab;
the light coming
through the
window behind
him was provided
by an Arrimax 18K.
www.arri.com/l-series
ARRI introduces the rst LED-based lights to truly match the versatility and homogeneity
of conventional tungsten Fresnels: a new generation of focusable, tuneable lights that ofers complete
control, combining breakthrough performance with incredible efciency.
CUT. SHAPE. FOCUS. TUNE.
the elevator were controlled by a
dimmer board.
The lights come back up to their
normal level, and then, with the camera
again rolling at 24 fps, Driver spins and
smashes the mans face into the eleva-
tors controls. A brief struggle ensues,
ending when Driver literally kicks in
the mans face. Its the ultimate irony,
going into this act of violence from his
You dont know if its his fantasy or his
reality, and he doesnt quite know
himself.
The head smash was very much
inspired by Gaspar Nos Irreversible
[AC April 03], adds Refn. Gaspar
talked me through how he did it.
For Drive, visual-effects supervi-
sor Jerry Spivack oversaw the digital
compositing of the actors body with a
prosthetic head. Similar work was also
done for an earlier scene in which
Driver and Blanche (Christina
Hendricks), an accomplice in the ill-
fated heist, hole up in a tiny motel
room. When armed thugs break into
the room, one shoots Blanche in the
head. Sigel explains that the special-
effects department built a prosthetic
head and blew it up, and we
photographed it at high speed [using a
Weisscam HS-2 recording at 250 fps].
one good moment of love, Sigel
muses. When Irene walks out of the
elevator and looks back at Driver, this
wild animal, you realize its over
between them.
Theres a scene in every one of
my films that is the heart of the movie,
and in Drive its the elevator scene,
says Refn. It was a way to tip the
viewer to Drivers essential dilemma.
Road Warriors
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This strip-club set was also constructed inside the Park
Plaza Hotel. The hallway (top left) was lit primarily
with 75-watt quartz-halogen globes inside the wall
sconces, while the dressing room (top right) was lit
with the practical vanity bulbs visible in frame. To
capture a 360-degree camera move without seeing the
camera in the mirrored walls, the crew suspended a
circular rig above the set (bottom left).
We also photographed Christina at
high speed, and then the visual-effects
team combined the heads to create the
effect of her head being blown off.
Trying to light someone in a
practical bathroom not big enough to
fit two people was a challenge, Sigel
continues. Fortunately, there was a
window we could light from, but we
needed to add 2
1
2 more stops to
accommodate the high speed. To make
matters worse, there was a tree right
outside the window. Nonetheless, the
judicious use of an 18K Arrimax did
the trick.
Nicolas wanted the moments of
violence to be incredibly visceral, the
cinematographer continues. He
wanted to go for the gore. The bulk of
the film is not violent, but when it does
turn to violence, it really is horrific.
Refn says his approach to the
films violence was in keeping with the
fairytale elements he saw in the story,
with Gosling playing the knight, and
Carey as the innocent girl whose purity
needs to be protected. When violence
comes in a fairytale, its always very
brutal, in very short sentences, and
characters die very violently.
Nicolas talks metaphorically
about character, notes Sigel. Even
when he was describing the tone of the
car sequences, it was as if the car was an
extension of Driver, like he was part
man, part machine.
Finding the character within the
driving sequences was crucial for Refn,
who doesnt have a drivers license. I
have no interest in driving and no inter-
est in cars, says the director. But this is
a movie about a man who happens to
drive a car, not a movie about cars.
Sigel says Refn wanted the films
three main driving sequences to each
have its own character and not be a
traditional car chase. It wasnt so much
about being loud and noisy as it was
about having a defined tonality.
Those three sequences were all
shot during the final two weeks of
production. In the first sequence,
Driver navigates a silver Chevy Impala
through downtown L.A. at night, evad-
Road Warriors
Top: Driver and
Irene find
themselves in
an elevator
with a hit man
(Christian
Gage) sent to
kill them.
Middle: Sigel
frames the
action while
Refn confabs
with the
actors. Theres
a scene in
every one of
my films that
is the heart of
the movie, and
in Drive its the
elevator
scene, says
Refn. Bottom:
Sigel preps a
shot that looks
outside the
elevator.
Road Warriors
ing the police and delivering two
thieves to the parking lot of the Staples
Center, where they and Driver disap-
pear into the crowd.
That first chase is meant to be
very subjective, says Sigel. For the
bulk of it, [we] dont even leave the car
the whole sequence is from Drivers
point of view. To position cameras in
and around the car, Klabukov and his
crew rigged high hats inside and
speed-rail rigs along the outside.
As part of my test, I took Ryan
out in a car, and Tony and I rigged the
car with a rack overhead with all differ-
ent kinds of tiny lights, such as LEDs
and 150-watt [Arri Fresnels], says
Sigel. We wired them all into
dimmers in the trunk that could be
wirelessly controlled, so we could turn
lights off and on or dim them up and
down. The lights were all so small and
unobtrusive that they were never in
shot, so Ryan could just drive around
while Tony played the roof rack like a
musical instrument. There were also
times when wed kill all of our lights
wed pull up to a stoplight, and you
could see the light on Ryans face go
from red to green.
For the shoot, the filmmakers
refined the system they had utilized for
the test and continued to light primar-
ily from the roof-mounted speed-rail
rig, which sat like a halo atop the car.
Off of the rig, the crew positioned Arri
Driver hunts Nino (Ron Perlman, in frame grab above) at night in the films final
chase sequence, which culminates in a crash that sends Ninos car hurtling onto the
beach. The sequence was filmed at Malibus Point Mugu, where the production set up
the sodium-vapor streetlamps shown here.
150-watt tungsten units, some gelled
with Rosco Urban Color #3152 or Lee
Fluorescent 5,700K #241, to supple-
ment the output of sodium-vapor and
mercury-vapor practicals. Nako also
employed what he calls D-Lights. Josh
Stern, my best boy, and I designed these
housings that look like an iPhone and
[fitted them with] LiteRibbon LEDs
from LiteGear. Some of the D-Lights
contained hybrid LiteRibbons, which
allowed Nako to switch between tung-
sten and daylight color temperatures,
and others contained RGB strips, which
allowed for a wider array of colors.
Nako and his crew also placed D-
Lights inside the car, along with what
the gaffer calls LED Sticks, strips of
Hybrid or RGB LiteRibbon fitted
inside 3", 6" or 12" lengths of aluminum
channel. We used the 12-inch on the
windshield [to supplement] the red-
light/green-light effect, and we used a
3-inch LED Stick in the instrument-
panel area to provide some glow, says
Nako.
To power all the lights in and
around the car, the crew placed a 12-
volt 150AH MF Truck battery in the
Impalas trunk. They put a bigger alter-
nator in the motor, so the battery was
being charged by the engine of the car
as we drove, explains Nako. The
battery pushed 32 channels of 12-volt.
Each D-Light was either two or
three channels the RGB had three
channels and the hybrids had two chan-
nels. I also had two 6-by-1.2K
Lightronics dimmer packs on top of the
car for the Arri 150s, and the whole
system was being controlled by wireless
DMX, so we could chase the car with
the follow van, where I had the ETC
Smart Fade ML dimmer board.
The second car chase takes place
during the day and begins with the heist
gone wrong, which leaves Standard
dead at the scene. As Driver and
Blanche speed away in a black Ford
Mustang, a Chrysler 300 sedan with
tinted windows begins its pursuit. I
loved the idea of this strange extra car,
says Refn. My reference was when
Cary Grant runs in the crop field in
North by Northwest. The plane comes,
and you dont really know why its
there; its a dreamlike situation. The
director was equally inspired by Claude
Lelouchs short film Rendezvous, in
which a car tears through the streets of
Paris while the revving engine fills the
soundtrack. Refn recalls, I said, What
if I did a chase thats all about the
sound of the cars?
In terms of coverage, says Sigel,
the second car chase is meant to be the
most traditional. The twist at the end is
that Drivers ability to overcome the car
thats chasing him is done by a bit of
trickery: spinning his car around and
driving backwards. Its almost like a
tongue-in-cheek play on the climactic
moment of a traditional car chase.
The sequence was shot over two
days around the Templin Highway exit
off of Interstate 5. AC visited the loca-
tion on the second day and found the
crew busy prepping the climax of the
chase, when Driver puts his Mustang
through a 270-degree spin to separate
himself from the Chrysler, which then
caroms off a guardrail. The Chryslers
crash is seen through the rear wind-
shield of the Mustang as Hendricks
freaks out in the foreground, says
Sigel; the shot was captured with an
Alexa locked down where the front
passenger seat would normally be, next
to the precision driver who took the
wheel for the stunt.
Despite the heat, Refn was again
wearing a blanket around his waist as
he oversaw the proceedings on loca-
tion. In addition to the Alexa in the
Mustang, the crew was prepping a
number of other cameras to ensure the
crash would not require more than one
take; the other cameras included an
Alexa on a remote head positioned
along the side of the road, another on a
Mercedes SUV-mounted Ultimate
Arm, and an Iconix HD-RH1 on the
Mustangs dashboard.
Sigel notes that he also set up
my [Canon EOS] 5D in a fixed-
camera position to get more coverage.
Every time I pulled out my 5D, it
ended up being used, just because you
41
can put that camera where you would-
nt dare put an Alexa. However, the
cinematographer adds, in prep, focus
puller Nino Neuboeck and I tested the
5D, 7D and Iconix cameras, thinking
they would come in handy for the car
work, but the quality of the Alexa
outdistanced the other cameras by so
far, we kept them to an absolute mini-
mum.
Sigel describes Drives third and
final chase sequence as the most
predatory. Having traced his problems
since the heist back to crime boss
Bernie Rose (Albert Brooks) and his
associate, Nino (Ron Perlman), Driver
hunts Nino at night and runs the gang-
sters car off the road. Driver then drives
straight into the side of Ninos car with
enough force to send it toppling over a
cliff.
The sequence was filmed at
Malibus Point Mugu, where the
production occupied a parking lot that
overlooked the stretch of beach where
Ninos car lands. To backlight the crash,
Sigel and Nako employed a 16-head
and a 9-head Bebee Night Light, and
for fill they utilized 4' tungsten spheres
rented from Skylight Lighting
Balloons. Additionally, the crew
brought in cobra head sodium-vapor
streetlamps, which play in frame behind
Driver as he walks onto the beach and
chases Nino into the crashing surf. The
streetlamps warm backlight was further
supplemented by what I call Light
Grenades, bare sodium-vapor globes
that we could easily move around and
flag off, depending on what effect was
needed, says Nako.
Road Warriors
Driver
approaches his
ride along one
of Los Angeles
seedier
backstreets.
Sigel says that
Drive is almost
a mythological
story, not a
story about
today or
yesterday or
tomorrow, so it
was important
that the movie
have an almost
indefinable
time period.
42
Another big effect we had on
the beach was a searchlight, which was
actually a 7K Xenon bounced into a
spinning 4-by-4 mirror, the gaffer
continues. Then, when the camera
looks at the ocean, we turned the 16-
head Bebee toward the water and lit the
atmosphere above it, so we could actu-
ally see the ocean.
Throughout the shoot, the film-
makers recorded out from the Alexa to
HDCam-SR tape. The camera was
also monitored through a FilmLight
Trulight On-Set system, which was
overseen by digital-imaging technician
Ryan Nguyen. Sigel explains that the
Trulight system allowed the filmmak-
ers to do real-time color correction on
the set. We didnt do anything radical,
but wed add some contrast and a little
bit of saturation. All of the [metadata]
would be recorded on a Flash drive
that would go to FotoKem, where
[colorist/ASC associate member]
Mark Van Horne, whom Ive known
for many years, was kind enough to sit
in during the transfer. Mark knew the
look I was going for, and if he saw
something going in the wrong direc-
tion, hed make some corrections and
give me a call. It was a very simple and
easy system.
Because of all the work we did
with the Trulight, the DI was pretty
simple, continues Sigel. The final
digital grade was carried out at
Company 3s New York facility with
colorist Tom Poole; Sigel also did some
preliminary work with colorist Stephen
Nakamura.
Drive had its premiere at this
years Cannes Film Festival, where
Refn received the award for Best
Director. In a conversation with the
director a few months later, AC at last
asked the pressing question: Whats
the deal with that blanket he wears
on set?
Its a ritual Ive had since my
first movie, says Refn. On all my
films, I find a blanket in the costume
department, and I wrap it around my
stomach to keep the energy within me.
I only take it off if Im very, very angry
or very, very hot. It keeps my stomach
warm, which centers me and gives
me peace. Filmmaking is a stressful
experience.
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43
T
he new drama Machine Gun Preacher is loosely based on
the life of Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler), a
biker and ex-con in Pittsburgh who experienced a reli-
gious conversion and subsequently dedicated himself to
helping war orphans in Sudan. He and his wife, Lynn, oper-
ate Angels of East Africa, the Childrens Village Orphanage
in Nimule, Sudan.
When director Marc Forster began discussing the film
with longtime collaborator Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC,
they agreed that the story, whose locations encompass urban
and suburban Pittsburgh and various sites in Africa, presented
a stylistic conundrum. It seemed to want an epic feel, but
without gloss, says Schaefer. We were after an immediate,
down-and-dirty feel that people could relate to, but we also
wanted to do justice to the sequences in Africa, which have
landscapes and a lot of big action sequences.
They decided to shoot Super 16mm with the new
Hawk 1.3x anamorphic lenses from Vantage Film in
Germany. We felt that would make the most of the horizon-
tal landscapes and also deliver the intimacy that anamorphic
can bring, says Schaefer. We chose the format for aesthetic
reasons, but we also knew wed be able to move a lot faster
because the cameras are small. Marc wanted to shoot a lot of
material handheld with two cameras, and I think handheld
has a more natural feel with Super 16. We also felt the smaller
cameras would be less intimidating for the many children in
our cast.
Shooting film helped in difficult circumstances
Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC takes
aim at Machine Gun Preacher, his
ninth feature collaboration with
director Marc Forster.
By David Heuring
|
Man
of
Action
Man
of
Action
bright daylight, high-contrast situations
and dark nights, he adds. As for the
grain, we embraced it!
The 52-day schedule involved
locations in Detroit, standing in for
Pittsburgh, and the area around
Johannesburg, South Africa, standing in
for Sudan and Uganda.
After Schaefer tested Hawk V-
Series anamorphic lenses and experi-
mented with Arri Relativity, a software
package that facilitates grain manage-
ment, he and Forster decided to shoot a
few large-scale wide shots in Africa and
Michigan on 35mm. When you shoot
very-wide-angle shots in Super 16, shots
with a lot of distance and depth and
small objects deep in the frame, you
sometimes lose a bit of the detail because
the resolution isnt the same as with
35mm film, explains the cinematogra-
pher. So we shot some of the very big
wide shots on 35mm, and we went
spherical because I knew I wouldnt use
the full negative. I knew I could cut into
those images and use Relativity to fine-
tune the grain so it would match the
16mm material.
Schaefers prep also included test-
ing every 16mm negative available. I
took everything into account look,
grain structure, color rendition, he says.
We decided to use Kodak [Vision3
250D] 7207 for day exteriors and most
day interiors, and [Vision3 500T] 7219
for night scenes and some darker day
interiors.
Over the course of their collabo-
rations, which have included Quantum
of Solace (AC Nov. 08), The Kite Runner
(AC Nov. 07) and Monsters Ball,
Schaefer and Forster have refined their
planning method. We come up with a
plan book that includes every location or
set drawing, says Schaefer, and we
spend weeks going over it. Marc tells me
where he wants the actors and how the
action should happen. Ill take notes and
make diagrams with arrows that indicate
movement based on how I feel the scene
should be represented and shot. Ill make
camera positions and lens notations, and
say when there should be a crane, a
Steadicam, dolly or handheld. The
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Opposite page: Sam Childers (Gerard Butler) prepares to confront the Lords Resistance
Army in Sudan. This page, top: After robbing a crack house, Childers and a friend
(Michael Shannon, right) make a fateful decision to give a stranger a ride. Middle: Childers
embarks on a new path by choosing to be baptized. Bottom: Roberto Schaefer, ASC, AIC (left)
confers with director Marc Forster.
results look like football-play diagrams.
We dont hold to it 100 percent
because we want to be creative when we
are out there on set, he continues. If
something better or more exciting
comes up, great. But our prep moves us
a lot closer to a feeling and a look, and
the plan book helps us stay true to the
story points. It keeps us from jumping
all over the place and saying, This will
look really cool here, when that idea
wont work in the cut or the arc of the
story.
I liken it to a story I heard about
Minor White, the nature photogra-
pher, he adds. He did what he called
Zen photography, where he would walk
through nature without a camera, just
seeing things. Then he would plan
everything in his head and then go back
and execute the shot.
One early scene shot in Michigan
shows Childers and a friend (played by
Michael Shannon) robbing a crack
house and then partying in their car.
The production found a real crack
house in downtown Detroit that was so
convincing the art department actually
had to clean it up a bit for the shoot.
We used two cameras for most of that
scene, Schaefer recalls. We tried to
light it very craftily with practicalsso it
would feel real.
His collaborations with Forster
have made him well versed in how to
light and shoot in tiny locations, he
notes. The Detroit crack house had a 7'-
high ceiling, and the main room
measured about 8'x6'. We had to bring
in some light from outside, mostly
mercury-vapor streetlight through the
windows, he says. We were trying to
fit all the actors and two cameras in
there while keeping our angles and
maintaining a dramatic look. I dont like
overly shaky handheld, especially on the
big screen I think it alienates the
audience. So we had to plan our shots
very well.
Schaefer usually operated the B
ManofAction
Top: Children who
have taken
refuge at
Childers
orphanage
welcome their
hero back to
Sudan. Bottom:
Burning trees
illuminate the
action as the
Lords Resistance
Army attacks a
village.
camera, working with A-camera/
Steadicam operator Jim McConkey.
The A and B cameras were Arri 416s,
and if additional cameras were needed
the team turned to Arri 16SR-2s. The
416s were equipped with 1.3x de-
squeeze viewfinders provided by
Vantage Film. Other cameras had regu-
lar finders, meaning that the image in
the finder was squeezed. Honestly, the
1.3x squeeze is not all that difficult to
work with, says Schaefer. We had no
complaints.
The biggest challenge presented
by the format, as is often the case with
anamorphic, was close focus, he
continues. You cant really get any
closer than about 3 feet. Sometimes you
want to get in the actors face, but you
just cant do it. Vantage has a beautiful
rectangular diopter that slides right into
the matte box, and we used it on about
half a dozen close-up detail shots, but
youre still limited in how much you can
move. Otherwise, shooting anamorphic
did not slow us down at all in either
Michigan or South Africa.
Most of the scenes shot in
Michigan didnt require a big lighting
package. Some day scenes mixed interi-
ors and exteriors, requiring 12K HMIs
through windows to create balance. One
house location had extensive greenery
that the crew covered with muslin to
prevent a green cast from reflecting into
interior scenes. For night exteriors in
Detroit, Schaefer mostly went with
existing streetlight.
At the beginning of the film,
Childers is released from prison, and it
isnt long before he gets into trouble
again. Out of desperation, he agrees to
attend church with his wife, Lynn
(Michelle Monaghan), a former strip-
per who changed her ways while he was
incarcerated. After his religious conver-
Top: Childers
takes the pulpit
to welcome
congregates to
his own church.
Bottom: The
preachers wife
(Michelle
Monaghan) and
daughter
(Madeline Carroll)
see him off at
the airport.
mended to me by Daniel Craig,
Schaefer says. Guy is unbelievably
resourceful; he could devise any gag or
gimmick to mount the camera at a
moments notice, including motor
mounts that allowed the operator to
wobble or shake the camera in a
controlled way. He has developed a lot
of stuff of his own, including these great
20-foot-long, single-piece dolly-track
sections called Dragon Precision Tracks.
They stay perfectly aligned and level
very quickly, and actors or operators can
run right down the middle.
Micheletti says he designed the
Dragon Precision Tracks out of frustra-
tion. I was seeking a design that would
make laying track easier, he says. I
wanted a smooth ride and a more imag-
inative, versatile configuration. There
are no cross joiners. You can lay them in
any width that works. They accept most
cranes and dollies. On a number of
occasions, we set up an 8-foot-wide
steel deck with skate wheels, creating
the ability to put two dollies on the track
at the same time.
Micheletti says the prevailing
weather conditions in and around Cape
Town, where he is based, have
prompted him to develop a variety of
ManofAction
sion, Childers is inspired by a visiting
preacher who describes his experiences
in Africa, and he decides to go there to
help out. Soon he is carrying an AK-47
and trying to rescue children who have
been rounded up to serve as soldiers. He
decides to raise money to build an
orphanage in the middle of the war
zone.
Night action in Africa was essen-
tially lit by a pale moonlight source, a
100K SoftSun that was usually 400'
away on a construction crane, and prac-
tical sources such as gas lamps, camp-
fires and, in one instance, burning huts.
The SoftSun was 1
1
2 to 2 stops
under, says Schaefer. I was happy
because material we shot in very dark
conditions came out brilliantly, so tight
and beautiful. I pushed 7219 by 1 stop,
and it actually came out less grainy than
I wanted it to be. The stock held up so
well that if I ever do another 16mm
anamorphic film, I might shoot regular
16mm with a 2x anamorphic lens,
which would give me more of that
anamorphic feel.
Although the lighting was often
minimal, Schaefer emphasizes that the
coverage style was cinematic. We didnt
want this to feel like a documentary, he
says. We wanted it to feel like a major
motion picture, if you will, with almost
classic Western imaging at times, heroic
stances. Its not super smooth, but it
feels like something very big and excit-
ing is happening.
One night scene that challenged
Schaefer called for three pages of
dialogue and near-total darkness.
Childers and some of his African
friends are driving on a remote road at
night when a vehicle approaches them
and suddenly explodes. A shootout
ensues. You have to make your choices
for a scene like that, says Schaefer. At
first, in close shots in Sams jeep, theres
a little bit of dashboard light on their
faces. The truck exploding gives us
something to use it gives us a glimpse
of their surroundings. Once Sam and
the others get out of the jeep, theyre lit
by their own headlights. Then they start
shooting at the guys running away and
are only lit by their gunfire bursts. Our
lighting was that minimalistic for much
of the shoot.
If the lighting aspect of the shoot
was relatively small, the grip logistics
were major. I was amazed by the South
African crew, especially our key grip,
Guy Micheletti, who was recom-
Childers happily
returns to Africa
to check on
progress at the
orphanage.
strategies and equipment for controlling
wind. Some of these were used on
Machine Gun Preacher, including screens
as large as 60'x20' constructed of shade
cloth, which stops 80 percent of the
wind but allows 50 percent of the light
to pass through. The screens were
staked and allowed to fly without a
frame, like a sail. The same material was
used to reduce wind around day-for-
night sets to minimize extraneous
sound. In walk-and-talk situations, two
15'x20' frames were held by grips in a V
shape and carried along, thus reducing
the winds impact on Steadicam opera-
tor McConkey while improving sound
conditions.
During the shoot, Schaefer used
Gamma & Densitys 3cP System to
send color-corrected stills to the
productions dailies timers. For the
most part, we had very good dailies, he
says. I pretty much shot the negative
for where I wanted it to sit, the sweet
spot. In the final digital grade, which we
did at Company 3 with Stephen
Nakamura, we crushed a few scenes
slightly or opened it up a bit here and
there. We also did some reframing of
the 35mm shots and some aerial shots.
Stephen is a brilliant colorist who
knows what I need and want.
Visual-effects house Buf, which
created the visual effects for the show,
also did the final scanning of the 16mm
ManofAction
50
Gaffer Scott Spencer joins Schaefer behind the camera.
and 35mm negatives. The Super 16
footage was scanned at 2K, and the
unsqueeze was done digitally. Schaefer
found Bufs willingness to work with
the unusual format was refreshing. In
the past, Ive encountered resistance
from visual-effects companies about
shooting Super 16 anamorphic, he
says. In some instances, I wasnt able to
shoot anamorphic because they said
they didnt have the time or money to
achieve the desired quality, because each
lens would have to be tracked separately,
making it a much more difficult process.
With the advent of auto-tracking, I
believe that has changed. Still, there
were some concerns about shooting
Super 16 some [effects facilities] said
it would be too grainy, and that there
would be weave. Fortunately, Buf said,
No problem, and we forged straight
ahead.
Once the digital grade was
completed, FotoKem took care of the
grain management, but Schaefer notes
that this work was not extensive. In
general, we felt the grain was right
where it should be on much of the film.
The producers agreed from the begin-
ning to use Estar-based Kodak [Vision3
2254] intermediate film, which can be
used to make close to 2,000 direct
prints. That eliminates three generations
in the post path, which is where most of
the grain gets introduced.
Schaefer has given a lot of
thought to the way grain impacts an
audience. If theres no grain or no noise
in the image, I think it can feel too real
to people, and that takes away some of
the magic of being in a cinema, he
observes. On the other hand, if you
have a whole lot of grain bobbling all
over the place, it can feel like bad late-
night TV or extreme documentary stuff
shot undercover. For this film, we
wanted just enough grain to have a cine-
matic quality, and to provoke a kind of
nostalgia in the viewer. We wanted the
image to have a touch of the dirt that
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Lowest column dolly due to 3-stage column
Equipped with the new High-Low Turnstile
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New combined high-low-platform concept
Crab, Front and Rear steering
3-stage column
Panther Dolly
www.panther.tv
The new dolly generation
3 steering modes
To get fexibility and speed on set, a low camera position on dolly is the crucial factor.
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Childers was in. Grain creates a visceral
response; its difficult to say exactly how
it works or what it does. Making those
aesthetic choices is what makes the
cinematographers job so interesting.
51
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Super 16mm and
4-perf Super 35mm
Arri 416, 16SR-2, 435
Hawk V-Series, Angenieux,
Zeiss Distagon
Kodak Vision3 500T 7219,
250D 7207/5207
W
hen director Rod Lurie phoned Alik Sakharov, ASC a
couple of years ago and asked if he wanted to shoot a
remake of Sam Peckinpahs violent drama Straw Dogs
(1971), the cinematographer told him, Rob, you got
some balls. Thats not something everyone would take on.
But Sakharov had worked with Lurie before (on
Nothing But the Truth) and had dealt with lots of controversial
subject matter in his own work, which has included The
Sopranos (AC Sept. 07, March 01) , Rome (AC Sept. 05)and
Game of Thrones. He agreed with Luries intent to follow the
Home
Invasion
Alik Sakharov, ASC helps
Rod Lurie remake the 1970s
classic Straw Dogs.
By Michael Goldman
|
overall path of the original story but give
the remake a different visual style. So he
signed on to shoot the movie in 2009 in
Shreveport, La.
Among the first decisions he and
Lurie tackled was whether to accede to
the studios suggestion that they shoot
digitally using Panavisions Genesis.
Sakharov felt the camera would not
provide the latitude he and Lurie would
need, so he insisted on shooting film
instead. The producers agreed, but
mandated that he shoot 2-perf (Super
35mm) to help keep costs down. Three
weeks into the shoot, after gate-hair
issues arose in several shots that had to
be cleaned up in post, the production
switched to 3-perf.
The filmmakers used a Panavision
package comprising a Panaflex
Millennium XL2 (A camera), a
Platinum (B camera) and a Lightweight
(Steadicam work); Primo prime lenses;
Primo 4:1 17.5-75mm and 11:1 24-
275mm zoomlenses, and Angenieux
Optimo 15-40mm and 28-76mm
zooms. Sakharov shot the picture on two
Kodak Vision3 stocks, 500T 5219
(which he used for all interior locations,
stage work and night exteriors) and
250D 5207 (all day exteriors).
Sakharov maintains that his
biggest challenge revolved around how
to light the movie. Teaming with U
n
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Opposite page:
Amy (Kate
Bosworth) and
David (James
Marsden) discover
their property is
under attack. This
page, top: Charlie
(Alexander
Skarsgrd)
introduces himself
to the couple in a
bid to land a job.
Middle: The actors
stand by as
director Rod Lurie
(center) discusses
a setup with Alik
Sakharov, ASC.
Bottom: With a
large diffusion
frame at the
ready, cast and
crew prepare a
scene depicting
Charlies first day
on the job.
Home Invasion
Shreveport-based gaffer Bob Bates, he
ended up making some choices about
both the what and the how of the
lighting scheme in order to make the
movie stand on its own visually, rather
than walk in the photographic footsteps
of its predecessor (shot by John
Coquillon).
Like Peckinpahs film, however,
the new Straw Dogs features extensive
brutality. The protagonist, David (James
Marsden), is driven to the brink of great
violence, and eventually beyond, by local
thugs who harass and eventually assault
him and his wife, Amy (Kate Bosworth).
The film contains a disturbing rape
scene, as the original film did, and a
major pyro sequence that marks a depar-
ture from the original.
In general, says Sakharov, his goal
was a contemporary aesthetic, but a
subtle one. We didnt want the photog-
raphy to feel like it was calling attention
to itself, he says. We wanted it to feel
like a camera just happened to be there,
Top: The filmmakers capture a scene in which David and Amy chat with a member of Charlies crew.
Bottom: Lighting in another room in the couples house included Whities (angled overhead at left and at
right), fixtures that Sakharov created with gaffer Kevin Janicelli years ago. Louisiana gaffer Bob Bates
embraced and helped to evolve the lights on Straw Dogs.
quiet and subdued, while these events
were taking place.
Bates, who was working with
Sakharov for the first time, says he was
amazed by the cinematographers metic-
ulous planning of camera and light
placement. That effort included layering
lighting and camera information on top
of aerial photos Sakharov had created of
key locations, giving Bates a detailed
reference template. Alik almost always
knew exactly where he wanted the
camera to be and how he wanted to light
[a location] before we started shooting,
recalls Bates. For all the big scenes, he
had printouts with notes about what we
needed where. He broke down the
script, as many cinematographers do, but
he went a lot further than that. Those
aerial pictures, which had details about
where the camera would be, what lights
were needed where and much more,
were pretty impressive!
The foundation of Sakharovs
lighting plan was an instrument he calls
Whities, which he and gaffer Kevin
Janicelli created for The Sopranos years
ago. Theyre essentially simple work-
horse lights on a dimmer system that are
easy and fast to erect and move around
horizontally or vertically on a set without
having to place them on the ground.
The goal, says Sakharov, was to speed up
the batten-strip concept so he could
light fairly sizable areas more efficiently.
Batten strips almost touch each other,
and they generate a single shadow when
you turn them on, says Sakharov. If
you put two or three of them together,
you suddenly can light a good 12-to-14-
foot area quickly and be really flexible,
providing a long throw that actors can D
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Top: This diagram shows Whities in
play for a nighttime car interior depicting
David and Amys reaction to a strange
sight in the road. Bottom: Sakharovs
photo of the setup with the actors
lighting stand-ins.
walk through. What I wanted was to
control them better, and after talking to
Kevin, we decided to encase them in
some sort of box. His team built a box
that was a prototype for what Whities
would become later on a box built
around a batten strip, and then an egg
crate to control the spill. It became a
transportable and repeatedly usable unit,
but after seeing it take some bangs, we
eventually put them in metal boxes.
We built more than 200 of them
for The Sopranos, and I still carry two
dozen with me on every show, he
continues. I use them on everything. Its
just a great way to work fast and get my
lights off the floor and up in a grid
quickly.
By the time he began prepping
Straw Dogs, Whities had evolved into
1'x4' boxes measuring 1' deep and hous-
ing strips of 100-watt bulbs that could
be mounted quickly above a set flap or a
grid, or vertically on an apple box or
stand. Sakharov says they allowed him to
light perimeters on set, and because they
are dimmer controlled, he could easily
choose which side of the set would be lit
at a given moment. The units also accept
gel frames and egg crates. They became
the primary lighting instrument for
most of the interior work on Straw Dogs.
Bates acknowledges that the
Whities initially presented him with a
bit of a learning curve, but he eventually
became very impressed with the tool
and, in fact, helped Sakharov evolve it
further. Alik is devoted to the concept,
and he even told me at the start what
bulbs to buy for the sockets, says the
gaffer. He asked me to use them all the
time, but I realized that because of the
way some of our sets were laid out, we
would need smaller versions that were
basically 2 feet long instead of 4 feet
long. So we made up some 2-foot
versions, Little Whities, and we ended
up using them extensively.
I came to really like using them,
Home Invasion
Top: David and
Amy encounter
Charlie at the
church in town.
Bottom:
Sakharov directs
his crew as the
filmmakers prep
a scene at a
high-school
football game.
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Bates continues. Each fixture can
receive up to three gel frames. We ended
up having several more gel frames made
to keep them pre-gelled for quick access,
and we also skinned them with Opal
and 250 diffusion in addition to
1
4 or
1
2 CTB frames, depending on the setup.
Alik always knew exactly what kind of
light he would get out of them. I now
own a couple of Little Whities myself,
and to be honest, Ive used them on
every show since Straw Dogs!
Sakharov says Whities gave him
not only more flexibility in his lighting
options, but also a certain realistic
imperfection and mix of color tempera-
tures that suited the subtle approach he
was pursuing. For example, during the
films climax, all hell breaks loose as
David finds himself defending his wife
and his home from assault. In that situa-
tion, says Sakharov, he was able to use
Whities for a subtle backlight effect.
The story calls for the lighting in the
house to be out, because David doesnt
want to be seen from the outside,
explains the cinematographer. Hes
attempting to move around in the house
without being detected. In those shots,
we basically used Whities to outline the
figures in the shot, and then used a mini-
mal amount of fill light from the camera
side. That was our only lighting.
Eventually, a fire is set in a nearby
barn, and Sakharov had to determine
how to create this lighting effect through
David and Amys windows. The
bedroom from which they see flames
was a set built onstage, so extensive light
was required. Bates crew bounced six
12-light Maxi-Brutes with either
1
2 or
Full CTO gels into muslin or
UltraBounce through the bedroom
windows. That was the keylight coming
through the windows, and it gave the
sense of fire flickering nicely, says Bates.
We couldnt use flame bars because we
needed control over the whole thing. Its
Home Invasion
Top: David joins
Charlie and his
crew for a
hunting
expedition.
Bottom: The
filmmakers
prepare to
augment natural
light at the
location with
Sourcemaker
HMI Lighting
Balloons and two
bounced 18Ks.
The grips also
flew 12-by silks
from the trees to
help diffuse the
sun, adds Bates.
meant to be extremely dramatic, because
through that light you see silhouettes of
the men attacking the house.
Exterior lighting was typically the
big lighting part of the job, notes
Sakharov, and his approach was to go for
large, broad, soft sources. He adds,
Sunlight is prominent in this movie,
and we had a range of big frames, such
as 20-by-20s and 12-by-20s, and
flyswatters to control it, and an array of
18Ks to mimic it. We usually had the
18Ks on a 60-foot crane, so we could
adjust or extract the arm to cover the
area where [the sun] needed to be. It was
an efficient way to do it, but we had to
plan carefully where to shoot and how to
position all the equipment around the
set so it would be out of frame.
For night exteriors, we joined 12-
by-20 frames to create a 24-foot or 40-
foot run of light. We had an array of
20Ks behind them on dimmers to
provide either sidelight or three-quarter
backlight. Then Id have a hard light
like a 20K and a Dino or Super Dino
on the direct opposite lens, raised up
on a 100-foot or 120-foot lift. That gave
me a backlight to isolate figures against
the blackness of night. On the camera
side, Id have minimal fill light to open
blacks and shadows, which was very
important on this film.
Home Invasion
The films grim finale plays out in the couples home in almost total darkness.
60
We often used the 12-by-20s
along with the fabric grids from
Lighttools, and wed use anywhere from
one to three 18Ks through it [for day
scenes], adds Bates. Sometimes wed
even go to three 18Ks and two 12K Pars.
Theres one scene in particular a band
is playing outside, and several characters
are interacting where we lined up two
12-by-20s next to each other to create a
12-by-40, and we pushed three 18Ks
and two 12Ks through them. We were
trying hard to push light in because the
actors are under a canopy in the scene,
and the background is raw sun.
One of the most delicate aspects
of Sakharovs job was filming the rape
sequence. He and Lurie wanted to avoid
breaking into handheld mode to empha-
size the chaos of the moment. Instead,
they adhered to their philosophy for the
movie as a whole and kept the cameras
stationary and unobtrusive.
Sakharov had planned to shoot
the scene with his usual two cameras, but
Lurie asked him to use three in order to
get adequate coverage more quickly. I
didnt want to do three cameras at first,
but once I understood how rough the
scene was for Kate, I said, Of course,
well figure it out, recalls the cine-
matographer. I lit more broadly to
accommodate all three cameras, and, as
is always the case when you light for
multiple cameras, some angles suffer.
But it was necessary, and Rod had a
good plan to edit it all together.
Sakharov credits A-camera/
Steadicam operator Henry Tirl and B-
camera operator Bob Foster for their
sensitivity during that scene. Tirl had
worked on Nothing But the Truth and
was requested by Lurie, and Foster was a
local operator new to the filmmakers.
Sakharov calls himself a frame
fanatic, and says he was particularly
demanding of his cameramen during
production. I work very closely with my
operators, he says. Building the frame
is one of the most important elements in
visual storytelling, so I was not easy on
them, but I had glowing discussions
with them after the project, so I think
they appreciated the input. I think Straw
Dogs gave all of us a chance to grow.
Tink LEE
www.leelters.com
126
A discovery.
An apology.
To forgive
or not?
Please visit us at: LDI
Booth No. 1220
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
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35mm
Panaflex Millennium XL2,
Platinum, Lightweight
Panavision Primo,
Angenieux Optimo
Kodak Vision3 500T 5219,
250D 5207
61
As the smiling face of General Camera Corp., DiBona
became a benevolent father figure to nearly every cameraman
working in New York between 1962 and 1992. During those
three decades, General Camera supplied equipment and
support to almost 90 percent of productions filmed on the
Eastern seaboard. Those familiar with the company say the
secret of its success was DiBonas business acumen, but they
are also quick to emphasize his deep knowledge of camera
technology and his unwavering dedication to filmmakers of
every level.
Cameras are my love, says DiBona. I was a film-
maker, a camera designer. I was born with the movies inside
me.
Born in Brooklyn in 1922, DiBona exhibited talents for
photography, machinery and music in his youth. In 1941,
shortly after the United States joined World War II, he
enlisted in the army, entering the Signal Corps as a non-
commissioned officer at its Photographic Center in Queens.
ASC
associate member Richard DiBonas living
room on Manhattans Upper East Side is filled
with dozens of photos depicting friends, family
and collaborators. For DiBona, theres practi-
cally no distinguishing among them.
King of
New York
King of
New York
Richard DiBona and others recall
the glory days of General Camera,
which helped a number of great
cinematographers make their names.
By Iain Stasukevich
|
He was selected to staff the machine
shop, where he spent the next four years
converting 35mm wind-up Eyemos and
16mm Filmos and Auricons for hand-
held use on the battlefield.
The Signal Corps station served
as a school whose faculty included some
of the most prestigious names in
cinema. Stanley Cortez [ASC] prided
himself on teaching those soldiers the
craft, DiBona recalls. He finally made
it to PFC, and a lot of the guys who
worked with him were officers. He was
always yelling at them, telling them
what to do with the camera. They
listened, of course!
During his time at the
Photographic Center, DiBona also met
fellow soldier and future ASC cine-
matographer Gerald Hirschfeld. After
the war, DiBona and Hirschfeld
accepted civilian positions in the Signal
Corps. When the U.S. ramped up its
atomic-bomb program, DiBona was
one of the cameramen present in
Nevada for the first tests. He and others
photographed the explosions from
News Knob, a mesa about 7 miles
from ground zero. I went out there
twice, DiBona recalls. We didnt get
too close, although we were close
enough to get knocked off our feet.
DiBona left the Signal Corps in
1955 to take a position as a camera tech-
nician with Camera Equipment Co.
(known as CECO) in Manhattan. It
was the biggest camera company in
New York, he says. CECO introduced
DiBona to the world of Hollywood
filmmaking. Commercials were also
making money in New York, and
CECO did big business with the
companies producing content for the ad
agencies on Madison Avenue. One of
these companies was MPO, a commer-
cial production house that had a staff of
cinematographers and its own cameras,
mainly 35mm Mitchell NCs and
BNCs.
Future ASC member Owen
Roizman worked at CECO as a techni-
cian for two summers, in 1955-56, and
then later assisted Hirschfeld at MPO.
He recalls sitting in on breakfasts with
his father, Sol, who was a cinematogra-
pher for Fox Movietone News, and
DiBona. Dick has such a dynamic
personality, and hes fantastic with
cameras, Roizman says. Whenever
there was a tough technical question
about cameras, even the pros turned to
him.
CECO founder Frank Zucker
left the company to his son, Burt, who
died in a plane crash in 1961. This
prompted the sale of CECOs assets to
another New York camera house,
Florman & Babb, which renamed itself
F&B CECO. Without the Zuckers in
charge, DiBona decided it was time to
strike out on his own, and at the invita-
tion of CECO salesman Milton
Keslow, he helped start up General
Camera.
In the beginning, says Keslow,
all we had was a name and a dream.
The companys first customer was
Hirschfeld. Dick and Milton bought a
Mitchell NC and were trying to rent it
out, he recalls. I was then the vice pres-
ident at MPO, and I told them Id rent
the camera, leave it at the studio and
give them whatever they wanted for the
year. We took their camera, and they
took our money and immediately
bought another Mitchell.
General Cameras first office was
at the corner of 7th Avenue and 48th
Street, above the legendary Cafe
Metropol. In 1962, the companys staff
comprised DiBona and Keslow, along
with DiBonas wife, Anne Marie, who
handled the books, and Joe Malavenda,
a young machinist. One year later,
DiBona hired a young German engi-
neer named Fred Schuler (future ASC).
Schuler had started out working
for Arri in Munich, and he was 24 when
he joined General Camera. One of his
first tasks was to build a noiseless
mirror-reflex viewing system. Some
35mm cameras used a prism to direct
the image through a viewfinder, but the
glass would absorb and refract precious
light before it reached the film plane.
The Arri 35IIC, an old camera by that
time, used a reflex viewing system, but
the gear-driven rotating shutter was too
loud for sync-sound production.
Most of the 35mm motion- P
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Opposite: General Camera co-founder Richard DiBona (second from left) poses with
Panavision executives (from left) Egon Stephan Sr., founder of CineVideoTech Inc., which
represented Panavision in Florida; Sydney Samuelson, founder of Englands Samuelson Film Service,
which represented Panavision in Europe and Australia; Robert Gottschalk, who co-founded
Panavision in 1953; and Mel Hoppenheim, founder of Panavision Canada. Following General Cameras
success in the 1960s, Panavision offered the company exclusive distribution of Panaflex cameras on
the East Coast. Above: DiBona (fourth from left) is surrounded by a group of Signal Corps enlisted
men at the U.S. Armys Photographic Center in Queens.
picture cameras in use were Mitchell
NCs and BNCs, which had a rack-over
design. The camera box housed the
movement, motor, magazine, controls
and viewing system. There were two
viewing positions for the cameraman:
focusing and framing. To focus, the
cameraman would rack over the
camera box laterally on its base so the
focusing tube was directly behind the
taking lens (mounted on a turret
attached to the base), then rack back to
align the aperture with the lens. An
offset viewfinder allowed the camera-
man to frame the shot while the camera
was rolling.
There was nothing inherently
lacking in the rack-over design, but
DiBona wanted to improve it so the
cameraman only had to look through
one viewfinder to operate the camera.
He asked Schuler to modify a BNC. I
didnt want to do it because I wasnt
even sure I could do it, says Schuler.
Plus, I thought it was a great camera
just the way it was. But about six
months later, one of our BNCs was
dropped and damaged. That gave us a
camera to convert, and it became the
first reflex-mirror camera produced in
the States.
The design called for the modi-
fied BNCs single-blade focal-plane
shutter to rotate at a 2:1 ratio with the
butterfly reflex mirror. This meant that
for every exposure taken, the mirror
made half a revolution. DiBona had the
idea to use beveled-spiral gears, which
were relatively quiet compared to their
straight-toothed counterparts. I used a
lot of Arriflex parts to make that
camera, particularly the mirror, says
Schuler. Because the mirror in the
35IIC is also the shutter, we had to
grind it down. We only needed it to
reflect an image to the viewfinder.
The first feature to use General
Cameras reflexed BNC was The
Swimmer (1968), shot by David L.
Quaid, ASC, whom DiBona describes
as a very adventurous cameraman. Not
surprisingly, the new technology was
met with some skepticism. Some
cameramen wouldnt look through the
eyepiece, says DiBona. They didnt
want to keep their eye there, so theyd
put the finder on the side and use that.
They thought when they looked
through the eyepiece they werent seeing
what was going on the film, because it
was a reflection off the shutter.
About nine months later, Schuler
left General Camera to become a
camera assistant. On one of his first
jobs, he assisted Haskell Wexler, ASC
on The Thomas Crown Affair (AC Oct.
68). When I got hired, I had no idea
they were shooting with my reflex
BNC, Schuler recalls. The operator
complained all the time because he had
a stiff neck. He said it was a pain in the
ass. I wasnt about to tell him I was the
one whod converted it!
By the mid-1960s, New Yorks
film and television industry had started
to change. Filmmakers began taking
advantage of smaller cameras, shooting
on locations all over the city with mini-
mal crew and minimal gear. The
cameras wed used during the war really
changed the industry equipment
became very portable, says DiBona.
16mm cameras were particularly
popular with news cameramen, who
favored the lightweight Bach-Auricon
sound-on-film cameras, but 16mm
camera bodies and magazines were part
of a single, solid cast and could only
accept 100' loads. DiBona reflexed a
batch of Auricons and chopped off the
fused magazines, replacing them with
Mitchell magazine mounts, which
allowed the cameras to run loads rang-
ing from 400'-1,200'. The cameras were
a hit with the networks, but the
Auricons motors and gears werent
strong enough to pull the larger loads at
proper sync speeds, so DiBona designed
an entirely new camera based on the
Auricon movement: the SS3 (Single
System, third design).
As General Cameras reputation
and customer base grew, the company
expanded to include lighting and grip
rentals, as well as three soundstages on
19th Street. In the late 1960s the
company moved to 321 West 44th St.,
which became Technicolors headquar-
ters when General Camera moved
again, this time to 38th Street and 11th
Avenue. It was like a supermarket
we supplied everything, says DiBonas
King of New York

DiBona (left) greets an associate at a nuclear-test site in Nevada. DiBona was among the
cameramen who photographed the first atomic-bomb explosions from News Knob, a mesa
about 7 miles from ground zero.
son, Craig, now an ASC member. We
had two camera floors complete with
our own machine shop, a stock floor,
and lighting and grip on the bottom two
floors.
General Cameras position was
bolstered further when Panavision
offered DiBona exclusive distribution of
Panaflex cameras on the East Coast.
After that, we handled almost all the
films that were shot in the East, says
DiBona, who also held the exclusive
license for Chapman dollies and cranes
for a time.
What Panavision got in return
was DiBona. Hirschfeld remembers
renting a Panavision package from
General Camera for a job in Chicago:
Our zoom lens wasnt calibrated, so we
sent it back to Dick in New York for
recalibration. After that, I wrote a letter
to Robert Gottschalk, the president of
Panavision, and said Dick could cali-
brate a Panavision lens better than the
guys at Panavision. I went to see
Gottschalk in Hollywood some years
later, and he had the letter posted on a
board in the office. He wanted all of his
employees to see it.
In addition to knowledge and
equipment, DiBona stockpiled loyalty.
I wouldnt go to any other rental
company in New York, says Victor J.
Kemper, ASC, whose East Coast
features included The Friends of Eddie
Coyle (1973)and Dog Day Afternoon
(1975). Dick went out of his way to
make cinematographers comfortable
I wouldnt go
to any other
rental company
in New York.
66
and make whatever idea we had work. If
there was a problem you couldnt solve,
hed come to the set in the middle of the
night.
Like many camera houses,
General Camera bred cameramen from
its rosters of technicians and clients.
Veteran camera assistant Gary Muller
spent a couple of summers on the
General Camera prep floor in the mid-
1960s. He recalls, I was a young kid
amongst all these adults, but Dick took
me under his wing and showed me the
importance of having a good technical
foundation. His knowledge was our
guiding light.
Some of the best-known films in
the American New Wave were shot in
New York during General Cameras
reign, among them Klute (1971), The
French Connection (1971),The Godfather
(1972), Taxi Driver (1976) and Annie
Hall (1977). DiBona might be too
humble to admit it, but if it wasnt for
General Camera, many of these classics
King of New York

DiBona (left) and a colleague service equipment in the camera shop at Camera
Equipment Co. (known as CECO) in Manhattan. It was the biggest camera company
in New York, DiBona notes.
67
might not even exist as we know them.
Roizman appreciates this better
than anyone. In 1970, he was working at
MPO as a commercial cinematographer
and looking for a way to break into
features. One day a young director
named Billy Friedkin was at General
Camera having lunch with DiBona, and
he mentioned hed just fired the cine-
matographer slated to shoot his next
feature, The French Connection. DiBona
recommended Roizman for the job,
even though the young cinematogra-
pher had just one (unreleased) feature
under his belt.
The rest is history, Roizman
says. Dicks always been a great cham-
pion of cinematographers. He pushed
for Gordy, too.
Gordy is, of course, Gordon
Willis, ASC, who also worked at MPO
as an assistant before moving up the
ranks. Dick made working in New
York great, says Willis. One of the
more outstanding stories I have about
him involves a picture Id rather not
name. I was working with one of his
Panaflex cameras, and one day we
tipped the camera down on the gear-
head and it started making noise. We
had to stop shooting, take the A camera
off and put the B camera on. This took
20 or 30 minutes, and by that time the
cast was breaking down and the crew
started going for coffee.
I sent the camera back to Dick.
He turned it around and brought it
back, but it started making the same
noise. We lost another hour. The third
time the camera came back, the same
thing happened. I was livid that this
thing was taking up all of our time.
Without saying a word, I pulled the
camera off the head and threw it into
the middle of the street. Dick never said
a word to me about it. He just sent over
a camera that was so quiet I kept it for
the rest of my career.
DiBona retired in 1992 and sold
General Cameras camera, lighting and
grip departments to Panavision.
Although General Camera is gone, the
companys name and legacy remain
sharp in the memories of the camera-
men who called it home.
General Camera was like a
home, emphasizes Muller. When you
were there, you were part of the DiBona
family. There was truly no other place
where you could get that kind of knowl-
edge and honesty.
Dick is bigger than life, says
Roizman. I love the man so much.
Like a brother, adds Kemper.
Its very hard to be all things to
all men, Willis observes, but Dick
DiBona comes very close.

Restoring Mlis Marvel
By Robert S. Birchard
Anyone who edited films in the days before Avid and Final
Cut Pro will remember the nightmare: Theres a screening in 10
minutes for the head of the studio, and all the changes have been
made except for extending that one crucial shot, the beauty shot
with the moving camera and fluid motion. You find the trim hang-
ing in the bin and splice it into the work picture, only to discover a
jump cut. A frame is missing. You can slug it with black leader for the
negative cutter, but the suits at the screening will demand to
know what that black frame was, and the carefully spun mood will
be broken. So you pull all the film hanging on hooks and search the
bottom of the bin for that elusive frame, and the clock is ticking.
Now imagine a whole film made up of one- and two-frame
trims, and some of those frames are in pieces, exponentially
compounding the challenge. And that clock you hear ticking is the
doomsday clock if you cant put these pieces back together again,
a unique treasure will be lost forever.
It was just such a nightmare that confronted Serge Bromberg
and Eric Lange of Paris-based Lobster Films when they acquired a
hand-colored print of the century-old fantasy-film milestone by
Georges Mlis, Levoyage dans la lune (A Trip to the Moon) , in a
swap with Anton Gimenez, who was then director of the Filmoteca
de Catalunya in Spain. This was the sort of bargain a slick horse
trader might make. The Spanish archive received a previously lost
film by Segundo de Chomn, and the French got a unique color
print of an otherwise common French film, only the print was
shrunken, brittle and fused together into a rigid mass that made it
resemble a hockey puck. It certainly couldnt be projected, nor was
it in any kind of shape to be fed into an optical printer for copying.
More than one film lab told Bromberg and Lang their print
was a total loss. There was, however, a bit of a silver lining: for the
most part, the film was fused only along the perforated edges of the
film, and with infinite patience and a small, flexible card it was possi-
ble to peel the film apart from itself. Then Haghefilm Conservation
Post Focus
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I
An iconic frame from George Mlis Le voyage dans la lune, recently restored to its original hand-colored glory at Technicolor.
The restoration premiered at Cannes and made its U.S. debut at the Telluride Film Festival.
B.V. in Amsterdam was able to rejuvenate
the film by placing it under a bell jar and
giving it the gas suspending it in a chem-
ical vapor originally formulated by Archives
Franaise du Film.
The film was put in the chemicals at
the end of 2001, and it took about two
years to have all the images photographed
with the best digital still camera available at
the time, recalls Bromberg, adding that
Lange supervised this work. Every time a
few images were recovered, wed photo-
graph them before they turned to dust,
which is a consequence of using the chem-
icals. Basically, there were only a few days to
photograph the stills, which can be consid-
ered the scan of the original source.
In October 2002, to celebrate the
movies centennial (and the 10th anniver-
sary of Lobsters famous Retour de Flamme
shows), Lobster publicly screened a Beta SP
tape of the available color images unsta-
bilized and unrestored with about half
the film in color and the rest in black-and-
white from a fine-grain master positive. At
the time, much of the original hand-colored
print was still in the chemical vapors. It
would be nearly a decade before anything
more could be done with these digital
snapshots.
Reconstructing the entire film was
our Holy Grail, says Bromberg, but we
never thought we could do it when we
started photographing the color frames. We
only realized it might be possible when 2K
and 4K digital technologies emerged, but
even then it seemed like a dream, because
the puzzle we were starting with was in so
many pieces.
First released in France on Sept. 1,
1902, Le voyage dans la lune was a world-
wide event movie in its day. Mlis had a
background in theater, and he was never
able to shake his reliance on stage tech-
nique he shot his films from a front-row-
center perspective against painted trompe
loeil backdrops. But he was also one of the
first to utilize jump cuts, stop-motion anima-
tion, reverse action and other camera tricks
that made his films breathtaking in their
time. Ever the showman, Mlis often
presented his films with live narration that
would flesh out character and story for
audiences, and he offered his films for sale
in both black-and-white and color.
A 1905 American catalogue for
Mlis Star Films (in the collection of the
Museum of Modern Art) lists the pictureat
845' in length with a sale price of $126.75,
or 15 cents per foot, for a black-and-white
print. Color, which was hand-painted on
each of the 13,375 frames, was consider-
ably more expensive, and it was therefore
far less common for exhibitors who were
interested in turning a fast buck to pony up
the extra money for a color print.
Probably because of its subject
matter, Le voyage dans la lune never
completely disappeared from public
consciousness and continued to elicit curios-
ity as Man began to dream of venturing into
Here is an example of a damaged frame from the hand-colored
print and the same frame fully restored.
space for real. It was even seen in the
prologue to Mike Todds adaptation of Jules
Vernes Around the World in 80 Days(1956)
as a pale, small-screen, monochrome
comparison by which to judge the modern
wonders of 70mm Todd-AO and Eastman
Color.
Was it possible to fully resurrect the
hand-colored marvel of 1902?
It became clear that there was
a possibility when Gilles Duval of the
Groupama-Gan Foundation and Severine
Wemaere of the Technicolor Foundation for
Film Heritage decided to be part of the
venture, says Bromberg. They were real
partners, not only financial backers. The
final restoration work was made at Techni-
color in Hollywood.
It may be only a coincidence, but
with his curled mustache, pointed beard
and cheerful demeanor, Tom Burton, Tech-
nicolors executive director of restoration
services, bears a striking resemblance to
Mlis. Burton oversaw the restoration of
the picture, supervising a team that included
lead restoration artist Danny Albano;
producer Karen Krause; restoration artists
Trey Freeman, Joe Zarceno and John Healy;
and colorist Mike Underwood.
What we received from Lobster
Films were digital files in various formats
and in several different resolutions, Burton
recalls. Some frames were captured via
digital camera, frame by frame, and some
were captured on a digital scanner from
short sections of the 1902 original that
could be copied on Haghefilms step printer
in Holland. Because the initial digitization
took place over a period of years in different
locations and with different equipment, the
material was not organized in any sort of
sequence; each digitization session gener-
ated its own naming convention and frame-
numbering protocol. So, for example, there
were numerous Frame Ones from different
parts of the film.
Much of the image data repre-
sented broken frames and shattered pieces
of frames, and there were even several
versions of some shots, with the files differ-
ing greatly in color, density, size, sharpness
and position, he continues. It was not
possible to play back a continuous image
stream.
Using an HDCam telecine of a black-
and-white version transferred from a 1929
nitrate dupe negative, which also contained
the final three seconds that were missing
from the hand-tinted print, we eye-
matched individual color frames and short
frame sequences, which wed reformatted
as DPX files, to the dupe neg in a digital
editing environment, says Burton. In this
editorial conform we were able to see for
the first time exactly what original color
material existed, what condition it was in
and which material was missing entirely.
The next step was a stabilization
pass, adjusting the relative position relation-
ships of all individual frames. Then de-flicker
processing was used to balance frame-to-
frame and intra-frame density variations.
Following these steps, we used Resolves
color-correction platform to do a pre-
timing to bring the widely diverse colors
and densities of the various capture sources
into reasonable proximity with one
another.
The archival dupe neg provided the
scaffolding on which the color elements
were built, but to replace most of the mate-
rial missing in the color footage, the team
turned to a black-and-white nitrate print
owned by Madeleine Malthete-Mlis,
granddaughter of the pioneering film-
maker. This print was scanned at the French
Film Archives of the Centre National du
Cinema on a Sasha scanner, which outputs
frames as vertically oriented TIFF files. This
scan was reformatted to match horizontally
oriented DPX files, and then the scenes
were digitally graded to approximate the
tinted look of the color print.
Then the serious image reconstruc-
tion began, says Burton. We used a
palette of restoration and visual-effects-
specific digital platforms, including Digital
Vision Phoenix/DVO, MTI and After Effects.
Our restoration team rebuilt shattered
frames into new, full-frame re-creations of
their original state. The black-and-white
material was then digitally painted to repli-
cate the original color frames where the
original colors had not survived.
Today such colorization can be done
with such precision that it can look like the
footage was originally shot in color, but this
would not match the look of Mlis hand-
painted original. In an effort to replicate the
workspace the hand-painters worked with
more than a century ago, Technicolors digi-
tal painters experimented with small-screen
images approximating the size of a 35mm
frame as they applied their electronic
brushes. This helped them establish, for the
final painting process, the look of the hand-
painted colors sometimes overflowing and
sometimes not quite filling the image.
The black-and-white replacement
sequences did not match the color material
in size, position, grain structure or density
because of the differing conditions of the
source elements, says Burton. Each indi-
vidual frame was carefully resized and repo-
sitioned as necessary. The grain structure
was also tweaked to match the original
source in order for it to intercut more seam-
lessly with the original. Once the recon-
struction was complete, another stabiliza-
tion and de-flicker pass was applied to
further integrate the disparate sources. A
final color-timing pass balanced the overall
color integrity of the various elements, and
then separate color-space grades were
completed for 35mm, DCP and HD release
formats.
When Technicolor showed me a
side-by-side comparison of the black-and-
white material and the original surviving
color frames in January of this year, only
then were we certain the restoration would
be possible, says Bromberg. But we had
no idea how long it would take three
months, a year? As it turned out, the work
was completed on May 2, and the film, in
its original colors, opened the Cannes Film
Festival.
These photos
reveal the sorry
state of the
original print,
which was
shrunken, brittle
and fused
together when
it was first
turned over to
Lobster Films.
the future in hand | createasphere.com/expo
NOVEMBER 2-3, 2011 | BURBANK MARRIOTT | BURBANK, CA
Launched in 2001, our largest annual gathering
features industry renowned decision makers
and thought leaders.
Explore where future technology and creative
vision converge. Featuring educational sessions,
interactive panels, and hands-on access to gear,
the Expo ofers the knowledge and tools you
need to compete in the ever-changing world of
content creation.
November 2-3, 2011
Burbank Marriott, Burbank, CA
Two full days of panels, presentations
and keynotes
Hundred of exhibits so you can get your
hands on the gear
A long list of US product releases
Over 75+ hours of education
Hosted evening reception and industry
meet ups
Gear Alley demonstrations showing how to
move it, mount it and master it
To register for FREE and for the full schedule,
log on to: createasphere.com/expo
entertainment
technology
exposition
Createaspheres Entertainment Technology Expo

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Shooting Dolphin Talein 3-D
By Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK
Last summer I had packed for a six-month, once-in-a-lifetime
adventure in India shooting a movie about the life of Buddha
when the producer called with the bad news that the financing had
collapsed. Since the plane tickets had already been purchased, I took
my family for a short trip to Germany, but I still really needed a job!
Luckily, when I got back to Los Angeles, my agent arranged for
me to interview for a movie about a boy and a dolphin without a tail.
The director, Charles Martin Smith, had helmed some nice indepen-
dent films and had also starred in Carroll Ballards Never Cry Wolf, a
fabulous picture about men and nature. I felt that if we could
approach that movies quality on Dolphin Tale, we would be just fine.
Then Charles said, Well be shooting in 3-D. I was a little
shocked. The project involved child actors, a dolphin who had no
double, a location-based shoot in Florida during hurricane season and
lots of underwater work. Capturing in 3-D would add to an already
tall order.
However, I also felt Dolphin Tale might be a great opportunity
to use 3-D differently. The technology was being used mostly for big,
action-packed blockbusters, and our story was a family-oriented
drama.
I would have liked to compare various 3-D systems, but the
production worked out a deal with Paradise FX before I was hired. So
I began learning what I could about the format. After a great intro-
ductory 3-D seminar conducted by Sony and arranged through our
union, Local 600, I asked for a camera test. The Paradise system,
designed by Max Penner, uses Preston motors for all of the focus, lens-
conversion and interaxial adjustments. Max also works as the stereo-
grapher on his movies, and he brings with him a lot of knowledge and
confidence.
Arris Alexa was not available at the time, and I wasnt too
happy about shooting on the Red One, which came with the Paradise
system. I was concerned about the Reds reliability and
ergonomics, and at that time it still had a lot of trouble
in low-light tungsten situations I felt the skin tones
never looked real. On the plus side, Max had some very
nice Zeiss Master Primes and short Angenieux zoom
lenses that I knew would help.
Camera weight was another concern. The
Paradise rig weighed almost 100 pounds in studio
mode, and we also needed an underwater housing.
I was able to hire several of my longtime Los
Angeles crewmembers, including 1st AC Tommy Klines,
2nd AC Miki Janicin and key grip Loren Corl. The gaffer,
Pat Murray, had just moved to our location in Clearwa-
ter, Fla., and came highly recommended by Russell
Boyd, ASC.
I wanted to operate one camera myself, and for the second
camera we were lucky to get Michael St. Hilaire, who had also recently
moved to Florida. The underwater photography would be operated by
Pete Zuccarini, one of the most experienced underwater cameramen
in the country.
Paradise offered an underwater rig that used Silicon Imagings
SI-2K cameras, but I wasnt happy about the prospect of shooting the
very important underwater sequences at a lower resolution than the
above-water scenes. In prep Pete suggested he could build a new
housing for the 4K Red 3-D rig, and he and his engineer designed a
shiny, silver housing that we called the Volkswagen. It could work as
an underwater housing and as a splash box at water level.
I decided not to use the Steadicam, which I usually like to use,
and instead shoot everything from cranes and dollies. The 3-D camera
rig was so big it reminded me of my early days in film school, when
the only way for us students to shoot sound was to use an old Arri
blimp that had to be carried by two people. This was progress?
The production had also struck a deal with Scott Howell at
Cinemoves, which provided various Technocranes with image-stabi-
lized heads for the entire shoot. These gave us great freedom to move
the camera a lot, which helps bring the 3-D space to life. We were able
to reach almost everywhere over the dolphin pools, and for the final
scene in the lagoon we used a 50' Technocrane on a pontoon boat.
My biggest concern was how to deal with all of the day-exte-
rior shots. Going digital means less highlight retention, and the expo-
sure curves just dont roll off as nicely as film does, especially when
scenes involve harsh contrast and bright skies in backlight situations.
Most of the story takes place at a marine hospital and aquarium that
serves as home to our dolphin, Winter, but the main location wasnt
exactly pretty. It was a former sewage plant that had been converted,
so everything was built out of concrete and painted toilet blue!
The production designer, Michael Corenblith, had designed an
additional outdoor pool area, but there was no sun cover for the
Filmmakers Forum
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A young boy
(Nathan
Gamble)
bonds with a
rudderless sea
creature in
Dolphin Tale,
shot by Karl
Walter
Lindenlaub,
ASC, BVK.
actors. The typical solution flying a big silk
over the set for every scene didnt seem
very promising because the location was close
to the sea, and we had to anticipate strong
winds and heavy weather.
I knew nobody would want to wait for
the light, given that we had a six-hour on-set
schedule with child actors and a dolphin who
was making her first movie. Inspired by the
architecture of Frei-Otto, who designed
Munichs Olympic Stadium, I thought about
hanging sails over the outdoor set. I worried
that Id be stepping on Michaels toes if I
suggested this to him, but fortunately, he was
incredibly supportive. He came up with great
designs for sails and masts that would help us
deal with the harsh Florida sun and add
another layer to the 3-D photography. Our
very supportive producers (Alcon Entertain-
ment) agreed to cover the extra costs, so after
a tough process of static engineering, local sail
makers helped us add 10 masts and lots of
different sails in various colors and translucen-
cies to the set.
Because a lot of the shows gear had to
be specially built, our test period was short.
Once principal photography began, we
learned pretty quickly how to deal with four
different video-playback stations and all of the
extra cable! To keep things moving quickly
while we were capturing shots of the kids and
our dolphin, I decided to use the Angenieux
short zooms for all of the day-exterior work,
and the Master Primes for all the interiors and
night shoots. One rig was designated for
wider lenses, one for longer lenses (this one
had a smaller mirror), and one for primes or
the underwater housing.
Every lens change took time and
became a bit of an adventure, and the process
of reloading the cameras with the small SD
cards looked like a miniature science project.
Placing two cameras next to each other to
shoot A/B coverage was almost impossible
because of the size of the mirrors and the
necessary lens shades, which my assistant,
Tommy, had to make himself.
I was fortunate that our director was
very patient with the technical limitations and
hiccups we experienced. We were also lucky
to have a great first assistant director, Phil
Patterson, who had weathered many storms
on Terry Gilliams movies. With his help, I could
plan our shooting directions for each day,
keeping the sun mostly where I wanted it.
Our two child actors, Nathan Gamble
and Cozi Zuehlsdorff, were extremely gifted
and professional. Harry Connick Jr., who
plays the marine doctor and father, and
Morgan Freeman, who plays the inventor of
the dolphins prosthetic tail, kept things light
on the set. Winter was always happy to
perform a trick as long as she received some
food as an incentive, and the weather stayed
pretty consistent throughout the entire
shoot. I only had a hard time when we shot
a hurricane sequence during the only three
hours of bad weather we encountered.
Some sky replacement and DI work will help
that sequence.
Pete finished his Volkswagen just in
time for principal photography. Once
lowered into the water with a crane arm, the
600-pound rig enabled him to capture great
footage of the boy and the dolphin. We
wanted to keep rolling once Pete was under-
water, so we recorded those sequences to a
hard drive inside the housing.
My main lighting instruments were
18K ArriSuns, which gave me a great sun
effect underwater and helped soften the
contrast in almost every daylight situation
where we bounced them or extended the
sunlight. Together with the new Arri 1.8K
M18s, they almost eliminate the need for
any other HMIs.
One major set built inside a ware-
house was a big aquarium exhibition space
with six large, square windows looking into
the tanks and lots of round windows on the
second floor. I was told the objects in the
tanks would have to be all CG because we
were shooting 3-D. This required me to
devise lighting that would accommodate
several large bluescreens, interactive lighting
for the underwater world, and a lighting
scheme for the visitors space lots of fun
stuff. Best boy/rigging gaffer Marc Wostak
helped us come up with a nice solution:
bouncing our whole daylight package into
Mylar to create water reflections, and
accomplishing the rest with lots of tungsten
lights (gelled with various levels of CTB) on
dimmers.
We finished Dolphin Tale almost on
schedule, and I really enjoyed the experi-
ence. I hope the movie will help the audi-
ence feel that they can actually change
things and move forward, just as the pros-
thetic tail helps our dolphin to survive.
Top: Lindenlaub surveys a
location while working
with a 4K Red 3-D rig.
Middle: To create sun
cover for the actors on an
outdoor pool set,
Lindenlaub drew
inspiration from the
design of Munichs
Olympic Stadium and
asked production
designer Michael
Corenblith to add masts
and sails to the structure.
Bottom: Underwater
cameraman Pete Zuccarini
designed an underwater
housing for the cameras
that the crew dubbed
the Volkswagen.
Arri Unveils L-Series
LED Fresnels
Arri has introduced the L-
Series of LED Fresnel
fixtures. The L7-T, L7-D and
L7-C fixtures incorporate
Fresnel characteristics of
continuous focusing from
spot to flood and a
smooth, homogenous
light field.
The L in L-Series
stands for LED, and the 7 correlates to the 7" Fresnel-like lens
shared by all three models. The L7-T is tungsten balanced at
3,200K, the L7-D is daylight balanced at 5,600K, and the L7-C is
color-controllable. All three can be operated in identical manner.
As with a conventional Fresnel, precise light-field control can
be achieved with barn doors and flags, permitting the same cutting
and shaping of the beam that lighting designers depend on. All
three L-Series fixtures draw 220 watts of power, and the L7-T and
L7-D both produce a light output comparable to a conventional 1K
tungsten Fresnel. The white light of the L7-C can be adjusted for
different skin tones, camera sensors and mixed-light environments,
and specific color shades can be matched through full-gamut color
mixing without compromising the quality of the light field; the L-
Series combines uniform light and single-shadow rendition with
absolute control of color temperature.
In addition to RDM-enabled DMX, L-Series fixtures can be
supplied with on-board manual controls. For the color-tunable L7-C,
this enables rapid and precise adjustment of intensity, color temper-
ature, green/magenta point, hue and saturation.
The L-Series also offers a completely passive cooling system
in a high-intensity LED fixture, resulting in truly silent operation. Like
all Arri products, the L-Series Fresnels utilize durable components
designed for high-impact handling. They feature IP54 weather resis-
tance and are built to withstand the rigors of modern production.
For additional information, visit www.arri.com.
LEDZ Fires Up Superspot
LEDZ has introduced the LEDZ Superspot, a
robust LED luminaire. Similar in style to the
companys Brute products, the Superspot produces
a sharp, powerful, circular beam. Boasting 5,500K
color temperature and a throw in excess of 40', the
Superspot is comparable to a 575-watt HMI fixture
and draws only a single amp.
According to LEDZs photometrics, the
New Products & Services
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Superspot boasts an output of 3,650 foot candles at 3', 1,300 foot
candles at 6', 550 foot candles at 9', 345 foot candles at 12', 225
foot candles at 15', 110 foot candles at 21', 68 foot candles at 27',
45 foot candles at 33', and 29 foot candles at 39'.
The Superspot features an all-aluminum housing and yoke
system with a junior mounting pin. It has a slim profile and produces
no sound and minimal heat. The fixture also incorporates two built-
in dimmers, which allow for 0-100-percent output control with mini-
mal color shifting.
The Superspot comes complete with a switchable power
supply unit (110-volt to 240-volt AC) and an extension cable with
on/off switch. Additional accessories are available, including the
LEDZ speed frame, filter frame, DMX capabilities and 12-volt battery
options for mobile applications.
For additional information, visit www.led-z.com.
Gekko Expands Karess Range
Gekko Technology has expanded its Karesslite LED soft-light
range with the Karess 6012 Blendable and Karesslite 6012 FX.
Whereas the standard Karesslite is switchable between
daylight and tungsten color temperatures, the Karess 6012 Blend-
able can be adjusted to any intermediate color temperature between
3,200K and 5,600K. Lighting-system designers, lighting directors
and cinematographers appreciate the precise control this new option
provides, says Ian Muir, Gekko Technologys business-development
manager. They now have the ability to select the color temperature
they require by adjustment on the back of the unit, or remotely via
DMX. Like all Karesslites, the blendable version delivers consistent
color temperature throughout its full range of intensity variation. It
delivers an output color quality that is consistent
with more traditional technologies, as well as
providing the many benefits that LEDs offer.
Designed for visual effects and chroma-key
work, the Karesslite 6012 FX is switchable
between blue and green outputs for both blue-
screen and greenscreen applications. The unit
features on-board dimming and switching in
addition to integrated DMX.
Both the Karess 6012 Blendable and the
Karesslite 6012 FX incorporate a 6x12 emit-
ter format in a 23.6"x11.8" panel with a
front-to-back depth of 6.5" and a weight of
15.4 pounds. Power consumption is 85
watts, allowing more than 90 minutes of
continuous operation from two rear-mount-
able V-lock batteries. Power can also be
supplied from a 12-40-volt DC feed via an
XLR 4 connector, or from a mains supply.
Each Karesslite comes complete with
an integral diffusion grating, providing a
single-source output with minimal light loss.
Egg-crate options can also be deployed to
make the source more directional. Other
available accessories include the Gekko
swivel mount, yoke, encapsulated color-
correction gel sets, removable barn doors,
honeycomb louvers, remote dimmer and
soft transit case.
For additional information, visit
www.gekkotechnology.com.
Litepanels Upgrades Sola ENG
Litepanels, a Vitec Group brand, has
added more versatility to its on-camera Sola
ENG LED Fresnel light. The upgraded Sola
ENG operates on battery or AC power
thanks to a new AC/DC adapter, and the
Sola ENG Kit includes a detachable D-Tap
power cable and Stand Adapter Bracket,
making the fixture easy to mount on either
a camera or light stand.
Litepanels daylight-balanced Sola
fixtures provide great controllability and
light-shaping properties, including variable
beam control from 10-70 degrees while
utilizing just a fraction of the power of stan-
dard fixtures. Employing a 3" proprietary
Fresnel lens, the Sola ENG draws just 30
watts but produces light levels equivalent to
a 250-watt tungsten unit.
Sola Fresnels feature instant
dimming from 0-100 percent with no
noticeable color shift. The Sola ENG
provides ergonomic manual focus and
dimming via lens-style rotating control.
Output is flicker free and remains consistent
even as the battery voltage goes down.
The Sola ENG fixture measures
4"x4"x5" and weighs 10 ounces. The Sola
ENG Kit comes with the fixture, two-leaf
barn doors, three gels (
1
4 correction, full
correction and diffusion), an AC power
supply with power cord, a Stand Adapter
Bracket, a detachable D-Tap DC power
cable, and a shoe-ball mount and adapter.
www.litepanels.com.
3-Point Lighting
With Ikan iLEDs
Ikan has introduced the iLED 312
Three-Point Light Kit, which includes a
durable carrying case, three iLED 312 LED
fixtures, three light stands, three light
diffusers, three AC power adapters, six
Sony L-series DV batteries, three dual-
battery chargers and three iLED 312 soft
carrying cases.
The iLED 312 boasts a bright (6,580
lux at 50cm) wide-angle beam pattern,
tungsten-to-daylight (3,200K-6,500K)
blending, dimming, on-board battery-life
indicator, and dual battery-life capabilities.
The kits suggested retail price is
$1,799. For more information, visit
www.ikancorp.com.
Elation Professional Zooms
With Platinum Wash
Elation Professional has introduced
the Platinum Wash LED Zoom, a compact,
energy-efficient LED color wash with a
built-in zoom and integrated DMX. Featur-
ing a 300-watt Quad Color LED system and
DMX signals from up to 3,000' away. The
fixture also features an electronic dimmer
and strobe and can pan 540 degrees and tilt
265 degrees. It can be run in three DMX
modes (12, 14, or 15 channels) with a
three- or five-pin DMX input. A convenient
touch-screen display on the rear of the base
makes it easy to scroll through DMX
settings. The unit also offers multi-voltage
operation.
www.elationlighting.com.
High End Systems Breaks
out Technospot
High End Systems, a Barco company,
has introduced the Technospot, a compact,
hard-edged fixture designed for a wide vari-
ety of applications.
The Technospot features smooth
CMY color mixing and a fixed color wheel
with eight replaceable positions plus open.
Two rotating Lithopattern wheels, each
with six patterns plus open, provide a large
number of output patterns and images. The
output can be further enhanced with a
rotating four-facet prism and an animation
wheel.
The Technospot also features a
prominent 5.3" lens, 11-34-degree zoom
and more than 12,000 lumens of output
from its 575-watt mini-fast-fit lamp. With its
incredibly efficient optics, the Technospot
projects clean, crisp images that cut through
any wash. Additionally, an indigo high-
lighter provides light output from four 1-
watt indigo LEDs, thus increasing the layer-
ing abilities of the large-aperture fixture.
Other features include mechanical
strobe, a fast mechanical iris, a color LCD
menu with battery operation, low ambient
noise, RDM and DMX compatibility via
three- and five-pin XLR connectors, and an
included road case. The Technospot also
boasts high-resolution micro-stepping
motor control for smooth motion at all
speeds; fast, smooth and quiet yoke move-
ment; an exterior design that prevents stray
light scatter; a low-noise, high-efficiency
electronic cooling system; and pan and tilt
locks for easy transportation.
www.highend.com and www.barco.com.
Hive Lighting Illuminates
Plasma Line
Hive Lighting has announced plans
for a line of plasma luminaires for the enter-
tainment industry. Incorporating Luxim
light-emitting-plasma technology, the
fixtures boast flicker-free, silent operation
while generating little heat and producing
full-spectrum daylight-balanced light.
The Hive Lighting plasma range was
the brainchild of cinematographer Jon
Edward Miller and energy consultant Robert
Rutherford. These beautiful, daylight-
balanced lights are high output, have great
color quality, and are ready for the rigors of
production, says Miller. I started building
these lights for my own use and quickly real-
ized that their amazing color and power
were something I needed to share with the
industry.
Hives Hornet180 Fresnel is the first in
the product line. Using a 180-watt lamp and
pulling just 275 total system watts, a
Hornet180 Fresnel puts out more light than
built on Elations space-saving Platinum
base, the Platinum Wash LED Zoom offers
brilliant RGBW colors in a trimmed-down
fixture.
Powered by 30 10-watt RGBW CREE
LEDs, the fixture produces an output
comparable to a 575-watt discharge
moving head but draws only 360 watts at
maximum use. The LED source produces
155 foot candles at 16'.
Measuring 14" long, 13.2" wide
and 19" high, the Platinum Wash LED
Zoom is ideal for tight spaces. Weighing
35.5 pounds, the fixture is also easy to
handle and transport.
The fixtures built-in, motorized, 11-
50-degree zooming capability gives design-
ers fast beam control, allowing them to
produce a smaller wash with a longer throw
or wider coverage with a shorter throw.
Additionally, the units built-in EWDMX
receiver allows the fixture to receive wireless
Prism Projection Reveals LED Profile
Prism Projection has unveiled the Reveal Profile, a high-CRI LED profile spot with high
lumen output. The fixtures debut follows the successful launch of Prisms Reveal Color Wash
and Reveal Studio units.
The 16,000-lumen Reveal Profile features a variable color-temperature range from
2,800K to 6,500K, adjustable focus from hard to soft edge, changeable lenses for beam
angles from 14 to 70 degrees, and a flat field. The fixture also offers four shutters on a tri-
plane; an M-size gobo; DMX, Artnet and local
control; and universal AC input.
Reveal products from Prism Projection
are professional-grade solutions that offer
exceptional color rendering, palette, repeata-
bility and beam quality. Reveal-series products
incorporate energy-efficient, long-lasting
solid-state light sources applied with propri-
etary control algorithms and projection optics.
www.prismprojection.com.
400-watt HMIs and 1K tungsten Fresnels.
Additionally, Hives lamps last 10,000 hours.
Hives lights are compatible with all
standard lighting accessories. No new
scrims, barn doors or Fresnel lenses are
needed. The lights are also controllable
through DMX, laptops and a wireless
iPhone app.
Hive also plans to release the
BumbleBee540 SpaceLight and Honey-
Bee180 Softlight by the end of this year.
www.hivelighting.com.
Photon Beard Goes Nova
Photon Beard has introduced the
Nova 270 flicker-free, low-heat, energy-effi-
cient lighting fixture.
Nova is a completely new concept
in location lighting, says Peter Daffarn,
Photon Beards managing director. The
fixtures exceptionally low power consump-
tion and ultra-cool beam provides a light
output equivalent to a 2,000-watt tungsten
Fresnel. Users will have all the light they
need without breaking a sweat.
The Nova 270 utilizes what Photon
Beard describes as a new type of light
source. The unit runs cool, so no fans are
required. Additionally, the daylight-
balanced fixture is focusable from 12 to 15
degrees.
www.photonbeard.com.
DENECKE, INC...
Celebrating
35 Years of Precision!
DENECKE, INC.
25030 Avenue Stanford, Suite 240 Valencia,
CA 91355
Phone (661) 607-0206 Fax (661) 257-2236
www.denecke.com Email: info@denecke.
International Marketplace
OppCam Grip Systems
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p

Technology Committee and the Interna-
tional Standards Organization.
At the ASC Awards in 1999, in recog-
nition of their exceptional contributions to
the art of filmmaking, Miyagishima and
Panavision colleague Albert Mayer Sr.
received the Presidents Award. Miyag-
ishimas other honors included a Fuji Gold
Medal, for his contributions to anamorphic
lens design; the Academys John A. Bonner
Medal of Commendation, for his service to
the Academy; and the Academys Gordon E.
Sawyer Award, for his overall technical
contributions to the motion-picture industry.
During Miyagishimas tenure at
Panavision, the company was honored with
more than 20 Academy Sci-Tech Awards.
He was a pioneer, says Stephen H.
Burum, ASC. He was there at the very first.
He was the living spirit of Panavision, and he
reflected Panavisions ethic of being a
forward-looking, progressive company.
Besides that, he was a great guy.
Tak was that rare person in our
industry who made you feel like family, says
Daryn Okada, ASC. Ill always remember
the gleam in his eyes when he saw how to
make an idea reality and help all of us create
images in the demanding framework of
production. And as much as I will miss him,
I feel hell be right there every time I look in
the eyepiece and roll the camera.
Miyagishima retired in 2009, but he
remained active in the industry. Early this
year, the Academy named him one of the
first three Academy Science Fellows.
My dream of building bridges never
materialized, but my luck at being in the
right place at the right time certainly proved
right, Miyagishima reflected in 1994.
Images being an international language
without boundaries assisted me in achieving
my goals of being able to build bridges of
understanding. I would not have had the
opportunities to achieve my dreams had it
not been for Panavision.
Miyagishima is survived by his wife,
three sons and three grandsons.
Jon D. Witmer
Associate member Takuo Tak

Miyagishima died Aug. 4 following an
extended fight with pneumonia. He was 83.
Miyagishima was born on March 15,
1928, in Gardena, Calif. He served in the U.S.
Army during the Korean War, and during his
service he occasionally worked as a projec-
tionist of training films.
Miyagishima attended East Los Ange-
les Junior College and the University of Cali-
fornia-Los Angeles with the hope of design-
ing bridges. In 1954, he joined a small manu-
facturing company as an engineer/designer.
Among the companys clients was Panavi-
sion, which had been founded that year by
Robert Gottschalk and future ASC member
Richard Moore. Gottschalk quickly recog-
nized Miyagishimas talents, and by the end
of the year Miyagishima was one of Panavi-
sions first full-time employees.
Among Miyagishimas early projects
were the Super Panatar projection lens and
the Micro Panatar printing lens. As Panavision
turned its focus toward camera systems and
taking lenses, Miyagishima contributed to
such advancements as the 65mm Ultra and
Super Panavision camera systems, the Panav-
ision Silent Reflex Camera, and several series
of 35mm spherical and anamorphic lenses.
Over his decades of service at Panavi-
sion, Miyagishima moved up from draftsman
to senior vice president of engineering, and
he remained a constant force behind the
companys technological advances, including
its push into digital capture. In 2004, reflect-
ing on his 50 years with Panavision, Miyag-
ishima told AC, If a director of photography
wanted a certain focal-length lens, we would
look into it. For Lawrence of Arabia, all the
mechanical parts of those lenses came off my
table. George Kraemer and I actually cali-
brated the mirage lens in the alleyway right
outside Panavision!
Miyagishima also designed the
companys three-format logo.
Miyagishima became an ASC associ-
ate in April 1995, after being proposed by
Society members Woody Omens and Kees
Van Oostrum.
Tak was the most terrific engineer,
says Van Oostrum. I could go to him and
say, This doesnt feel right. Somehow it does-
nt merge with what we do every day. And
he would listen, nod and come back with a
solution. As cinematographers, we deal with
feelings and ideas that dont necessarily
translate into engineering, but Tak had the
ability to translate those ideas so eloquently,
beautifully and effectively. Its a trait Ive never
really found in another engineer.
There was a synergy effect when Tak
and Panavision came together, notes
Omens. It was a relationship made in
heaven. He was a friend to the industry and
to the people in it.
Miyagishima was also active in such
organizations as the Academys Science &
Technology Council, the SMPTE Projection
Takuo Tak Miyagishima,1928-2011
In Memoriam
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Dod Mantle, Geddes, Silver,
WalkerJoin Society
The Society has welcomed
Anthony Dod Mantle, David Geddes,
Steven V. Silver and Mandy Walker to its
ranks of active members.
Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC,
BSC, DFF grew up in Oxford, England. In
1985, he moved to Denmark and enrolled
in the National Film School.His first
feature as a cinematographer was the
German film Terrorists, which went on to
achieve cult status after being banned in
Germany. His credits since then have
included The Celebration, Julien Donkey-
Boy, Dear Wendy (AC Oct. 05) and The
Last King of Scotland . Hehas enjoyed
multiple collaborations with Lars von Trier
on such films as Dogville (AC May 04),
Manderlay and Antichrist (AC Nov. 09),
and with Danny Boyle on such features as
28 Days Later (AC July 03), Millions,
Slumdog Millionaire (AC Dec. 08)and
127 Hours (AC Dec. 10). Dod Mantle
won ASC, Academy and BAFTA awards
and the Camerimage Golden Frog for
Slumdog Millionaire.
David Geddes, ASC, CSC was
born in Vancouver, and he developed a
love of storytelling while working in British
Columbias lumber mills and logging
camps, where spoken yarns provided the
only entertainment. Geddes studied
photography at the Banff Centre School
of Fine Arts and the Northern Alberta
Institute of Technology, and then partici-
pated in the Simon Fraser University Film
Workshop. He earned his first cinematog-
raphy credits on documentaries, shorts,
corporate films and investigative journal-
ism pieces before moving into 35mm tele-
vision production with the series 21 Jump
Street. He has since shot more than 70
projects, including the series Beverly Hills,
90210, Dark Angel, Sanctuary (AC Nov.
08) and Lie to Me , and the features
Heres to Life! and Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.
Steven V. Silver, ASCwas born in
Illinois and grew up in Southern Califor-
nias San Fernando Valley. He began
shooting with his fathers Super 8 cameras
when he was 8 years old. At age 19, he
set the cameras aside to hitchhike across
Asia. Upon returning to the States, he
rekindled his passion for cinematography
during his studies at San Fernando Valley
College. Silvergot his start in the industry
with jobs at Hill Production Service and
the Howard A. Anderson Co. He joined
the union and climbed the ranks, starting
as an assistant. His cinematography cred-
its include themulti-camera series Still
Standing, Dharma & Greg, The Big Bang
Theory and Two and a Half Men . For his
work on the latter, he earned six Emmy
nominations, taking home the award in
2007.
Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS was
born in Melbourne, Australia, where she
developed an early love for art in general
and film in particular. When she was 12,
she began developing her own photos in
a darkroom her father set up in the
familys shed, and in high school she
began studyingfilm history. While study-
ing film at the university level, Walker met
a producer who hired her as a production
assistant on the feature Dusty. She then
made her way up through the camera
department, notching her first cinematog-
raphy credits on music videos and student
films. Her first feature credit was Return
Home. Since thenshe has photographed
such features as Lantana (AC Feb. 02),
Australia (AC Nov. 08)and Red Riding
Hood (AC April 11). Her commercial cred-
its include spots for Chanel, American
Express, Mercedes, Nike and Gatorade.
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From Top: Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC,
DFF; David Geddes, ASC, CSC; Steven V.
Silver, ASC; Mandy Walker, ASC, ACS.
Clubhouse News
When you were a child, what film made the strongest impres-
sion on you?
The Czech movie Jumping Over Puddles (1972), which I now know
was directed by Karel Kachyna. I havent seen it since. Also, Ive
always loved Miracle in Milan (1951)by Vittorio De Sica.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most
admire?
Sven Nykvist, ASC, for his
understanding of simplicity;
Gabriel Figueroa, for his ability
to create strong, meaningful
images; and Vittorio Storaro,
ASC, AIC, for being the
Renaissance Man of cine-
matography.
What sparked your interest
in photography?
My mother was a photogra-
pher, and that planted the
seed in me. I grew up in the
darkroom (in more ways than
one).
Where did you train and/or
study?
I studied at Centro de Capacitacin Cinematogrfica in Mexico City.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Eduardo Maldonado, a documentarian who was the director of our
film school; Santiago Navarrete, who put me on the right track in my
early days; and David Watkin, BSC. Fortunately, I was able to tell
David he had been my teacher before he died.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
Motion, rhythm, light, shadows, volume, space, shapes and
humans.
How did you get your first break in the business?
I shot La Mujer de Benjamin , produced by our film school, and it
earned a bunch of awards worldwide. And working with Julian
Schnabel on Before Night Falls definitely put me on the map.
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?
Having fun with my crews, creating an environment where we all
want to go to work. Also, watching a film I shot and being proud of
it is always satisfying.
Have you made any memorable blunders?
Many. I once tried to play the piano in front of Sir Anthony Hopkins,
and he kindly asked, Can you play Far Away?
What is the best professional advice youve ever received?
Life is like an airplane: you either get onboard, or you dont. Its up
to you.
What recent books, films or
artworks have inspired
you?
Julius Shulmans photographs,
Richard Neutras architecture
and F.W. Murnaus Sunrise,
one of the most beautiful
movies of all time.
Do you have any favorite
genres, or genres you
would like to try?
Science fiction and Westerns. I
had the chance to shoot
science fiction on Gil Kenans
City of Ember , and I loved
doing it. I also enjoyed shoot-
ing Deadwood.
If you werent a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Im not sure. Maybe Id have a taco stand on Broadway in down-
town L.A.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
Emmanuel Lubezki, Henner Hofmann and Gabriel Beristain in
other words, the Mexican Mafia!
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
It feels great to be part of the community. Being able to exchange
ideas and share our work with each other helps make us better cine-
matographers.
Xavier Grobet, ASC, AMC Close-up
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DAN MI NDE L , AS C, B S C
ONFILM
To order Kodak motion picture lm,
call (800) 621-lm.
Eastman Kodak Company, 2011.
Photography: 2011 Douglas Kirkland
What rst drew me to photography was
the ability to freeze time. Once you had the
image, you discovered things that the naked
eye never saw. Now, telling stories with
motion pictures is what really interests me.
We cinematographers live and breathe it. The
idea of having a 35 mm frame with chemicals
that react to a focused beam of light, and
turning that into a picture that is one of the
most incredible things I can imagine. I try to
excite and stimulate the lm with light so
that it does something that its not supposed
to do. Those imperfections can give the
images an unquantiable magic. They put
another layer of illusion onto something that
is already articial, tricking the audience into
thinking its real. Film is a handmade art form
that comes with a set of emotional tools. I
like to use these subtleties and variations as
part of the emotional landscape of the story.
To me, the lm medium is irreplaceable.
Dan Mindel was born in South Africa
and educated in London, where he began
his career as a loader at a commercial
production house. He moved up to director
of photography and segued into the feature
lm world, eventually shooting Enemy of the
State with Tony Scott. Since then, his credits
include Shanghai Noon, Skeleton Key, Spy
Game, Mission: Impossible III, Domino, and
Star Trek. He is currently lming the feature
lm Savages with Oliver Stone, using a wide
variety of lm formats.
All these productions were photographed on
Kodak motion picture lm.
For an extended interview with Dan Mindel,
visit www.kodak.com/go/onlm.

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O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

CIRCULATION, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

ASC GENERAL MANAGER Brett Grauman

. From motion pictures to stills, nobody has more ways to

One Look. All Speeds

King of New York

King of New York

Associate member Takuo Tak

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