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Editors Note
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Short Takes: String Theory
Production Slate: The Descendants ASC Awards Preview HPA Awards
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F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R AT I O N
I N A L L C AT E G O R I E S , I N C L U D I N G :
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
ADRIANO GOLDMAN
For up-to-the-minute screening information and more on this
extraordinary lm, go to: www.FocusAwards2011.com
OFFICERS - 2011/2012
Michael Goi
President
Richard Crudo
Vice President
Owen Roizman
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
6
Steve Gainer
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
HOYTE VAN HOYTEMA, F.S.F., N.S.C.
THRILLING AND MOVING FROM THE FIRST FRAME TO THE INSPIRED CLOSING MONTAGE.
The greys and browns that dominate the lm thanks to the sterling work from Director of PhotographyHoyte Van
Hoytema perfectly capture 1970s Britain. The attention to detail is really quite extraordinary. Grade: A.
OLIVER LYTTELTON, INDIEWIRE
Editors Note
Stephen Pizzello
Executive Editor
Presidents Desk
As another year kicks off, the challenges facing those who desire to pursue a career in filmmaking seem greater than ever. Technology continues to shift and evolve, the economy has
made even low-budget movies a risk for investors, and websites that facilitate the illegal viewing or downloading of films and television shows are making it difficult to get more daring
projects financed. When studios or producers cannot earn a profit from the work they create,
budgets get smaller, and the kinds of projects that are approved get safer.
Lifting copyrighted material became popular when sampling exploded on the music scene
and was legitimized as a form of artistic expression. That opened the door to lifting images as
well, and subsequently entire movies. Such piracy has so infiltrated the mentality of the public
that the suggestion that its wrong is met with dismissive sneers. If its out there, its mine. Why
should I have to pay for it?
How does this affect cinematography? In many ways. Most of the pirate sites do not
display images in anything remotely like optimum conditions. The images might have been
ripped onto someones laptop from a DVD that was created by someone crouching in a
movie theater with a small digital camera. The images might be highly compressed suggestions of what they actually were. They may have been reproduced through excessive copying
and duping until they no longer reflect the creators intent in any form.
When someone experiences a visual work of art for the first time, they will never again be
able to relive that emotional moment of discovery. It is gone forever. Yes, they may have
seen the movie, but they have not experienced it to its fullest, the way its creators intended.
Digital piracy is a huge international operation. Its not just some guy in his garage with a DVD burner. In some countries,
major producers and stars provide pirates with digital masters of their films, because the financial kickbacks they receive are more
than they would earn from conventional means. This leads to a lack of concern about preservation. Why should a producer pay to
properly store materials when there is no chance of monetizing the product in the future because unauthorized copies are flooding
the market? Many thousands of movies could be lost forever.
Please dont support torrent sites that show pirated material, and please dont buy cheap bootlegged DVDs of current movies.
And I ask you to talk to your friends who do. Let them know that, beyond the momentary satisfaction of seeing something first
or for free, they are effectively altering the kinds of movies that will be made in the future; they are helping to ruin the im mersive
cinematic experience for many others; and the movies that they love might not be available to them in the future in versions th at
are better than adequate.
The history of cinema is a legacy of an audience emotionally bonding with the work of a group of artists, of creating memories that mold our perception of the world. The considerable negative impact digital piracy has on the profitability of the ind ustry is
matched by its negative impact on our love of the movies. Remember how you felt when you saw Frodo sail away at the end of
The Lord of The Rings: Return Of The King, or the swell of emotion you felt at the climax ofThe Kings Speech, or the thrill of watching Bruce Willis get the bad guys in Die Hard? Then do your part to make sure that future audiences can also experience those cinematic highs.
10
January 2012
American Cinematographer
R . . .
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
EDUARDO SERRA,
W W W . WA R N E R B R O S 2 0 1 1 . C O M
A.S.C., A.F.C.
Short Takes
January 2012
American Cinematographer
A shock trooper shatters a girls fragile reality at 1,000 fps in String Theory. The short earned cinematographer Steve Romano the
grand prize at the International Cinematographers Guilds 2011 Emerging Cinematographer Awards.
Top: String Theory begins in a dusty room where a girl (Evelina Mambetova) sits motionless
and covered in a layer of silt. Middle: Awaking, the girl shakes off the silt; the action was captured at
1,000 fps. Bottom: The girl explores her strange surroundings.
14
January 2012
American Cinematographer
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
TOM STERN, A.F.C., A.S.C.
W W W .WA R N E RB RO S 2 0 1 1 .C O M
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January 2012
American Cinematographer
by the way.
In one of the films most stylized
sequences, Mambetova stands in a Plexiglas
tank that covers her torso, and its full of
butterflies. Shooting against a white background, Romano toplit the actress with a
heavily diffused 10K Fresnel and aimed two
N ine-light Maxi-Brutes at the background.
Once the butterflies were in the tank, the
filmmakers sat back and waited for something to happen.
Bugs, puppies and little kids are
arduous to photograph because theres no
way you can corral them, says the cinematographer. The beauty of the Phantom
is its circular buffer. When you shoot
anything above 450 fps at 1920x1080 on
the Phantom HD Gold, as long as the
camera is on, youre always recording into
its internal circular memory buffer. If you use
whats called a post-trigger, you can hit the
record button after the action is done, and
youve got the shot. At 1,000 fps, you get
4.4 seconds of data [in the internal
memory], approximately 2.7 minutes of
footage.
The girls reality is literally shattered
at 1,000 fps when shock troopers in
riot gear crash through her reflection in a
mirror. To give the shot a harsh look,
Romano used thinner diffusion on the 10K
and 5K.
We were fighting the light in that
scene, he recalls. It wasnt a front-surface
mirror, so I was getting two reflections from
my light sources: one from the glass and
one from the mirrored surface behind the
glass. It took a bit of finesse to get it right
a combination of the mirror angle, diffusion
and precise cutting of the light.
String Theorys trippy images
presented Romano with some creative
opportunities he hadnt encountered
before. When David Dumas first described
this film to me, I have to admit I really didnt
understand it, he says. While we were
shooting, I started to see what he and Zach
were going for, and now Im really
impressed with every part of it.
Top and middle: Romano depended on the Phantom HD Gold cameras internal memory buffer to
capture stylized sequences with live butterflies. Bottom: The cinematographer finds his light.
18
January 2012
American Cinematographer
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHRIS MENGES
W W W . WA R N E R B R O S 2 0 1 1 . C O M
From left: Matt King (Clooney) and his daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) walk the beach with A lexandras
boyfriend, Sid (Nick Krause), as Matt searches for his wifes lover in The Descendants.
Trouble in Paradise
By David Heuring
January 2012
American Cinematographer
The Descendants photos by Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP, courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
Production Slate
spend a lot of time cooking pasta, drinking wine and watching movies!
How did you arrive at a visual
style for The Descendants?
Papamichael: We saw a unique
opportunity to show Honolulu as it is
rarely, if ever, shown in cinema: not
glamorized or idealized. Its a modern
American city with traffic jams and
skyscrapers, and a few miles away,
theres an almost absurdly bizarre and
beautiful tropical paradise. Theres an
extreme contrast in wealth and poverty.
Go up the coast 30 miles, and youll see
native people living in tent cities. We
didnt want to be too obvious about it,
but these contrasts are some of the
themes we wanted to represent visually.
The look of the movie is pretty
straightforward. Its all about the performances and the intimacy of the charac22
January 2012
interiors and day exteriors.I used polarizers and definitely went for the lushness,
the color and saturation of the land.
Our second-unit cinematographer,
Radan Popovic, traveled around collecting a huge amount of images graphic
shots of buildings, traffic, people on the
streets and at the beach, and landscapes
in Kauai and quite a few of them
ended up in the film.
Did you go with natural light
on all the exteriors?
Papamichael: Yes. I almost never
light electrically on exteriors, and it was
challenging on this film because the light
and the weather change so rapidly in
Hawaii. It would very often go from dark
skies to rain to full sun within minutes.
That affected the interiors as well. There
were a lot of fluctuations that presented
challenges for me, and also for our DI
colorist at Modern VideoFilm, Joe Finley,
and the dailies timer at FotoKem, Kay
Sievert. Alexander had never done a DI
before, and it was fun to show him the
capabilities.
What was your approach to
interiors?
Papamichael: Inside I stuck to my
usual approach: all big sources, very
January 2012
TECHNICAL SPECS
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January 2012
Spinotti photo by Frank Connor. Kenny photo by Owen Roizman, ASC. Godfrey photo by Douglas Kirkland. Wages photo courtesy of Wages.
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
EMMANUEL LUBEZKI
ASC, AMC
Lisa Kennedy,
foxsearchlight.com/fyc
January 2012
we go next together.
Journalist and HPA Awards Committee Chair Carolyn Giardina joined Okada
onstage to present the HPA Judges Awards,
which recognize creativity and innovation in
post. One award was presented to Testronic
Laboratories for the File-Based QC Lab, and
the other was presented to ASC associate
Steven J. Scott of EFilm for the digital-intermediate environment employed on Terrence
Malicks The Tree of Life (AC Aug. 11).
Accepting the award, Scott noted, I
remember the first time I sat in a theater and
was even aware of cinematography. It was
at the Fox Village in Westwood, and the
movie was Days of Heaven. I was dazzled.
To think that someday I would have a part in
helping that director realize his artistic vision
onscreen is still hard for me to grasp, but Im
very, very grateful.
Most of all, thanks to the cinematographer, [Emmanuel] Chivo Lubezki
[ASC, AMC], for caring so much about his
work and the work of everyone around
him, Scott continued. He lifts us all with
his unyielding quest for beauty, authenticity
and truth in the images he [shoots].
The NAB Show sponsored the Engineering Excellence Award, which, Silverman
explained, is a celebration of the increasing
role of technology and its impact on the
creative process. Awards in this category
American Cinematographer
HPA Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Cyril Drabinsky (left) celebrates with
HPA President Leon Silverman.
BEST PICTURE
B E S T C I N E M AT O G R A P H Y WA L LY P F I S T E R ,
F O R
Y O U R
ASC
C O N S I D E R A T I O N
January 2012
for your
CONSIDERATION
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Phedon Papamichael, ASC
Cold Case
David Fincher reteams with
Jeff Cronenweth, ASC to remake
the Swedish hit
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
not only pay handsomely, but also help disprove the libel accusations against Blomkvist. During his investigation, which
reveals a number of sordid family secrets, Blomkvist teams
with young, eccentric hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney
Mara), whose eye-catching tattoo gives the story its title.
Larssons trilogy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The
Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets
By Jay Holben
Nest was brought to the silver screen by Swedish filmmakers in 2009, and when Fincher began prepping his version of
|
Dragon Tattoo, he was keen to retain its native elements by
shooting extensively in Sweden and using a Swedish crew. It
was an aesthetic choice, says Fincher. We wanted it to look
avid Fincher has tackled some twisted tales over the
and feel like a Swedish film, and I think it does. We were
course of his career, notably Seven (AC Oct. 95), Fight already getting flak for doing a Hollywood version of the story,
Club (AC Nov. 97) and Zodiac (AC April 06), but his so we made a commitment to doing as much of the movie as
latest picture, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, could be possible in Sweden, with a Swedish crew.
his most complicated narrative yet. Adapted from the first
That crew initially included a Swedish cinematograbook in Swedish author Stieg Larssons wildly popular trilogy, pher, but after a few weeks of shooting, Fincher decided to
the film follows Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), a renowned make a change. He called Jeff Cronenweth, ASC, one of his
investigative journalist who accepts an unusual job offer after
longtime collaborators, and asked him to take over.
his journalism career is derailed by accusations of libel.
Cronenweth recalls, I got a call at 6 in the morning, and it was
Wealthy industrialist Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) Bob Wagner, Davids assistant director, asking how I was
asks Blomkvist to solve a 40-year-old cold case, the disapdoing. I said, Im fine, Bob, but its 6 a.m., so this obviously
pearance of Vangers niece, Harriet, and in return Vanger will isnt a social call. Whats up? He said David and the cine-
D
32
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Unit photography by Baldur Bragason, Patricia Castellanos and Merrick Morton, SMPSP. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of Columbia Pictures.
33
Cold Case
The emotionally remote Lisbeth is isolated in the frame until she teams up with Blomkvist.
January 2012
editorial, and we just werent comfortable with that. But John Schwartzman
[ASC] was working with the Epic on
The Amazing Spider-Man and helping
to pave the way. By the time they
wrapped, RedRocket could handle the
Epic footage, and Spider-Man had
made a huge number of cards available,
so we shot the last 20 percent of Dragon
Tattoo with the Epic.
We made sure not to switch
cameras within a sequence, he continues. Although the Epic has a lot more
resolution and slightly different color
range than the One, the color is close
enough that we were confident all our
footage would match.
Indeed, at press time the digital
grade was underway at Light Iron with
colorist Ian Vertovec ( The Social
Network), and Cronenweth reports that
matching between the two cameras has
been as seamless as anticipated. Were
working with a Quantel Pablo 4K
color-correction system and a Sony 4K
projector in a theater-type setting. Were
basically just fine-tuning the original
footage as captured on set, making some
subtle adjustments to better match
shot-to-shot within a scene, and doing
some repositioning.
The filmmakers found one of the
Epics most significant advantages to be
its HDRx function, a simulated high
dynamic range mode that enables a
secondary, darker track of video to be
The productions digital Red cameras were frequently required to capture low-light situations.
35
Cold Case
Top: Banks of
fluorescent
fixtures augment
source lamps for
a dialogue scene
involving
Plummer and
Craig. Bottom:
Cronenweth
practices his
bedside manner
during a
hospital scene.
January 2012
technical one.
Cold Case
January 2012
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Cold Case
Stepping away
from her
computer,
Lisbeth seeks
some answers
the oldfashioned way.
40
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Cold Case
In an attempt to blend into society, Lisbeth adopts a more feminine style, donning a
blonde wig and dressing conventionally.
January 2012
UltraStudio 3D
995
Cold Case
Left: A large silk and a solid hung from crane arms help the crew shape the
look of a street scene. Right: While shooting a night-exterior chase sequence,
crewmembers used rain spinners and hair dryers to keep mist from freezing
on the camera lenses.
January 2012
We set out to
embrace the Swedish
winter. Its a strong
element in the story,
almost a character of
its own.
American Cinematographer
in color grading.
Dolby and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. 2011 Dolby Laboratories, Inc. All rights reserved. S11/25091
Cold Case
Lisbeths
sleuthing skills
shine a light
on some
horrifying
secrets.
A sharp snap
splits the
silvery silence.
A whisper of
time, suspended.
142
Think LEE
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46
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
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Red One, Epic
Arri/Zeiss Master Primes
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CookeOpticsLimited
Animal
Instincts
T
he period drama War Horse represents new turf for cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and director Steven
Spielberg, even though the film is their 13th feature
collaboration. The movie tells the story of World War I
through the eyes of a horse who is raised by a farm boy,
Albert (Jeremy Irvine), in Devon, England, and then falls
into the hands of various British, French and German
masters during the war.
World War II has become a hallmark of Spielberg and
Kaminskis collaborations, which began with Schindlers List
(AC Jan. 94), but War Horse is their first foray into the Great
War. I was very excited about it because Id never had the
chance to re-create this war before, says Kaminski, speaking
to AC on a break from Spielbergs Lincoln.
The picture is also something of a novelty in that its a
family-friendly story that takes place during wartime. The
source material is a young-adult novel of the same name by
Michael Morpugo, and the Walt Disney Co. is releasing the
DreamWorks production. However, Kaminski notes, This
movie is not a quintessential Disney thing. Its not happy,
48
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Photos by Andrew Cooper, SMPSP and David Appleby. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of DreamWorks.
49
Animal Instincts
January 2012
Animal Instincts
Top: The camera crew dollies past a muddy battlefield for a sequence staged at Wisley Airfield in
Surrey, England. Middle: An English soldier spots Joey after the horse becomes entangled in
barbed wire between enemy trenches. Bottom: Albert and his nemesis from Devon,
David (Robert Emms, right), charge into battle.
52
January 2012
American Cinematographer
AG-HPX250
Animal Instincts
Top and middle: A 50' SuperTechnocrane was mounted on a Bickers 4x4 Taurus Quad
to capture shots of Joey and other horses pulling heavy artillery up a steep hill.
Bottom: A Scorpio Stabilized Head overslung on a Bickers Racing Quad was used to
capture a mounted German soldier, Gunther (David Kross), pulling his younger brother
from the march to spare him from combat.
54
January 2012
American Cinematographer
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Animal Instincts
Camera
operator Mitch
Dubin captures
battlefield
close-ups of
Albert and his
friend from
Devon.
SuperTechnocrane mounted on a
Bickers 4x4 Taurus Quad. Steven really
loves the Technocrane, Kwiatkowski
notes, and we did a lot of elaborate shots
with just the arm. The production also
used a MovieBird 20 from Alpha Grip,
carried by a Bickers camera car.
The cranes were often outfitted
with Scorpio Stabilized Heads. That
was the trick, because those heads
enabled us to do some longer-lens shots
with great stability, says Kwiatkowski.
That worked really well on the cavalry
charges not only for technical reasons,
but also because the cameras stability
showcased the natural energy of the
horses.
Another indispensable tool was
the Russian Arm, which was used to
track alongside galloping horses.
Equipped with a gyrostabilized Flight
Head and offering 360-degree panning
capability, the remote arm rode atop a
Stealth high-speed tracking vehicle, and
it could get quite close to the horses.
The horse trainers had worked with
that vehicle before, so they knew what
they could and couldnt do, says
56
January 2012
Kwiatkowski.
The Russian Arms speed and
handling were put to the test in a scene
showing Joeys flight through the woods.
The production cleared a 400-yard
stretch of terrain for the liberty horse
(one without a rider) and picked out
a parallel path for the Stealth.
Thoroughbreds can accelerate to full
speed within a couple of strides, but the
Stealth had to carry four people plus
crane and camera. The driver had one
foot on the gas pedal, all the way down,
and one foot on the brake at the same
time, says Dubin. When the horse
took off, the driver just took his foot off
the brake. The horse could be at full
speed within seconds! It was really
thrilling.
Some rigs were custom-designed,
occasionally at the last minute. One
example was something used for
Cannon Hill, a scene that shows Joey
and other horses struggling to haul a
cannon up a steep hill. After the previs
was scuttled because of safety concerns,
Spielberg planned another elaborate
shot that moved from the bottom of the
American Cinematographer
Animal Instincts
Top: The 50' SuperTechnocrane, mounted on a Bickers 4x4 Taurus Quad, is positioned in No Mans Land
to capture shots of Joey galloping straight into barbed wire. Middle: 1st AC Mark Spath adjusts focus
for a shot captured with a Scorpio Stabilized Head. Bottom: Armed with a bullhorn, cinematographer
Janusz Kaminski coordinates some explosive action.
58
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Andree Martin
VP Technical Services
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Animal Instincts
Kaminski
takes a meter
reading with
actor Eddie
Marsan.
Y
we
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9 | regent.edu/communication
e
Regent University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associates, baccalaureate, masters, and doctorate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 300334097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of Regent University. Regent University admit s student s without discrimination on the basis of race, color, disability, gender, religion or national or ethnic origin. Regent University is cer tied by the State Council
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61
Lord of War
Barry Ackroyd, BSC and director
Ralph Fiennes stage Shakespeares
Coriolanus as a modern conflict
between intractable foes.
By Iain Stasukevich
|
62
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Opposite page:
After he is exiled
from Rome, Gen.
Caius Marcius
(Ralph Fiennes)
takes command
of Volscian troops
in his quest for
revenge against
the state. This
page, top: While
still in charge of
Romes forces,
Marcius battles
the Volscians.
Bottom: Fiennes,
who also directed,
confers with
cinematographer
Barry Ackroyd,
BSC (second from
left in gray cap).
63
Lord of War
Marcus confronts
his archenemy,
Tullus Aufidius
(Gerard Butler),
leader of the
Volscians.
and Iraq, video clips culled from location scouts and documentaries, and
animated storyboards that were
narrated by Fiennes and Redgrave
(performing monologues from the
script). Creating those storyboards was
really my first experience in the way of
directing and getting a toehold on the
film, says Fiennes.
Ackroyd says he prefers to get
most of the talking out of the way in
preproduction. I like to have the confidence of the director, and I knew that
with Ralph directing and acting in the
film, he had to be able to trust that Id
give him what he wanted. With most
directors, you reach a point where he
doesnt have to tell you exactly what it is
hes trying to get from the scene.
Sometimes thats almost impossible to
express, anyway.
The filmmakers considered
shooting on 16mm, 35mm and highdefinition video, but ultimately opted to
film on 2-perf Super 35mm with
brand-new Aaton Penelope cameras.
Ackroyd observes, The usual issues
with 2-perf are that you get more hairs
in the gate, something the Penelope is
64
January 2012
Lord of War
Top: Marcius bows to his mother (Vanessa Redgrave) as he is honored by Rome for his bravery
in battle. Bottom: Marcius eventually finds himself at odds with Romes fickle politicians.
January 2012
Lord of War
Top: Marcius is
persuaded to run
for political office
by Roman
senator
Menenius (Brian
Cox, second from
left). Bottom: 1st
AC Oliver Driscoll
assists as
Ackroyd frames a
shot for Fiennes.
January 2012
11
12
1
2
10
9
3
4
8
7
TESSIVE
TE
ES VE
Lord of War
After forging a truce with Tullus and turning the tide against Rome (top), Marcius resists
pleas of mercy from his wife (Jessica Chastain, middle) and mother (bottom).
70
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Lord of War
72
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
2-perf Super 35mm
Aaton Penelope
Angenieux Optimo
Fujifilm Eterna 250D 8563,
500T 8573
Digital Intermediate
73
Go
withthe
Flow
W
January 2012
American Cinematographer
Describing on-set
data management
as copying data
just doesnt tell the
whole story.
ww.theasc.com
w
January 2012
75
This illustrates two sample workflows that are possible when image capture is accomplished
with the Arri Alexa.
January 2012
It can be nearly
impossible to
convince some
producers that there
is a difference
between this digital
format and that one.
process, theyre losing a lot of quality
because they are subjecting [the
footage] to two separate compressions
and leaving it in a mid-level data-rate
American Cinematographer
January 2012
This generation of
film professionals is
tackling the
steepest learning
curve theyve ever
confronted.
are trying to introduce this new workflow into existing systems and methodologies. One of the biggest workflow
mistakes is that people attempt to force
material through a pre-existing
pipeline, says Willard. Ive seen
numerous productions get into major
American Cinematographer
This diagram shows how the Image Interchange Framework-Academy Color Encoding Specification,
better known as IIF-ACES, functions with three different capture devices.
January 2012
G e m
TM
4:4:4
www.gemini444.com
++720-221-3861 ++803-278-0941
This illustrates how the ACES color space encompasses and exceeds the capabilities of
current camera and display devices.
January 2012
ACES is the
ultimate way to
future-proof your
digital negative.
84
January 2012
American Cinematographer
86
with pro-grade plasma sets, its impossible to match one with another when you
put them side-by-side.
Having an output image transformed to the specific, calibrated device
on which it will finally be displayed
seems like an obvious idea, but having a
working color space and workflow
process that can easily move between
any of the delivery formats, be it DCI
P3 for theatrical distribution or Rec 709
for HDTV, is a unique feature of the
IIF. Bajpai elaborates, In the colorcorrection suite, when you start with a
Rec 709 color space and try to colorcorrect that image, you can actually see
how quickly you lose details. By
contrast, when youre working from the
original logarithmic image with an IDT
into ACES color space, you can see how
much dynamic range youre able to
maintain. With IIF-ACES, everything
just sort of falls into place, and you dont
have to struggle to get the image to
balance out or retain detail.
Tape has
become a way to
mail things, and
thats it.
87
January 2012
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to:
newproducts@ascmag.com and include full contact
information and product images. Photos must be
TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.
American Cinematographer
Redrock Micro
Introduces UltraCage
Redrock Micro has introduced
UltraCage Blue accessories for the latest
generation of digital cinema cameras,
including Canons EOS C300.
Designed in partnership with Canon,
the UltraCage Blue ensures all buttons,
functions and doors on the C300 are
completely accessible, and the C300s
handgrip can be removed and attached
without removing the cage. Furthermore,
the UltraCage mirrors the compact design
of the C300 to allow users to add critical
accessories without expanding the systems
footprint.
When Canon approached us to
create a cage that would finish the C300
into a supremely functional production
camera, we wanted to do something more
than just create a square cage, says James
Hurd, Redrock Micros chief revolutionary.
We felt it was important to mirror the
C300s compactness and beautiful lines
without increasing the cameras footprint.
Customers want to retain the cameras feel
and ergonomics, and add the support,
security and features of the UltraCage.
Redrock Micro has also announced
the UltraCage Blue Universal, a version of
the UltraCage designed to work with an
array of digital camera systems from a
number of manufacturers, including Sony
and Panasonic. Both the UltraCage Blue
and UltraCage Blue Universal boast a
modular form factor that allows users to
quickly and easily switch from ultracompact to full studio-style modes.
For additional information, visit
www.redrockmicro.com.
Hurlbut, Letus Develop
Master Cinema Series
Shane Hurlbut, ASC has partnered
with camera-accessories manufacturer
Letus Corp. to produce the Shane Hurlbut
89
January 2012
American Cinematographer
provides cinematographers, camera operators and post teams with vital metadata,
including lens setting, focusing distance,
aperture, depth of field, hyperfocal distance
and focal length in both metric and imperial measurements.
For additional information, visit
www.cookeoptics.com.
Arri Alexa M and Sony F3 cameras.
Paradise FX offers Helios with a range of
matched lens pairs, including Arri Ultra
Primes and Angenieux Compact Zooms.
Using Preston G4 wireless controls,
Helios interaxial range can be adjusted
from 0" to 2", and convergence can be
adjusted from 10" to infinity. The rig
measures 18.5"x18.5"x8.5", with a
mirror-box width of 15". Without
cameras or accessories, the
rig weighs 18
pounds.
Helios can
be deployed with
Paradise
FXs
Mercury metadata
capture system. Files, time codes,
associated lens and 3-D stereo
information, such as interaxial and
convergence metadata, can be
offloaded for post or visual effects.
Additionally, camera moves can be
played back on set in the same way as a
motion-control system.
For additional information, visit
www.paradisefx.com.
Lensbaby Packages
Movie Makers Kit
Lensbaby has introduced the Lensbaby Movie Makers Kit, a complete
creative solution for filmmakers looking to
add unique effects to their footage incamera.
Conveniently packaged in a rugged
Pelican case, the Movie Makers Kit
contains two Lensbaby lenses for use on
PL-mount cameras: Muse PL with Double
Glass and Composer Pro PL with Sweet 35.
The Kit also includes one Composer Pro
with a Canon mount for use on Canons
line of DSLRs.
In addition to the lenses, the Movie
Makers Kit includes a wide range of interchangeable optics and accessories
designed to provide the filmmaker with
limitless aesthetic and creative options at a
variety of focal lengths.
Filmmakers can achieve an array of
effects in-camera with the Movie Makers
Kit. The Sweet 35, Double Glass, Plastic
and Single Glass optics can be used to
create different quality selective-focus
effects, where one area of the image at a
given distance is in focus while other areas
at the same distance fall out of focus. The
Fisheye, Soft Focus and Pinhole/Zone plate
optics allow further in-camera creativity.
The Lensbaby Movie Makers Kit is
available for $2,900. For more information,
visit www.lensbaby.com.
Schneider Takes iPhone Pro
Schneider Optics has introduced
the iPro Lens System, designed to enable
professional-quality photographic and
video imagery on Apples iPhone 4 with
interchangeable wide-angle and fisheye
lenses.
The iPro Lens System features a
rugged iPhone case and wide-angle and
New:
New: Tristar
Tristar Dolly
Dolly
1
2
3
4
5
2
increases the iPhones field of view by 35
percent with low distortion and edge-toedge sharpness. For a super-wide, distorted
effect, the fisheye lens alters the field of
view by a dramatic 165-degrees.
iPro lens housings are precision
machined from aluminum alloy and
anodized for durability. The lens elements
are painstakingly ground and polished from
top-grade optical glass. To avoid flare, the
lenses feature multi-layer anti-reflection
coatings.
The iPro Lens System is available for
$199. For more information, visit
www.schneideroptics.com and www.ipro
lens.com.
P
PANTHER
ANTHER G
GmbH
mbH
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Raiffeisenallee
a i f f e is e na ll e e 3
8
82041
2041 O
OberhachingMunich
berhachingMunich
G
Germany
e r ma n y
T+
+49.89.61
49 .8 9 .61 3
39
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ccontact@panther.tv
ontact@panther.tv
www.panther.tv
www.panther.tv
91
New:: Twister
New
Tw
wister Dolly
Dolly
KataData Calculates Runtime
Katabatic Digital, a New York-based
grading, finishing and visual-effects studio,
has released the KataData iPhone app. KataData is a storage and runtime calculator for
on-set, post and even non-technical positions.
KataData was built for filmmakers
and post artists, and it supports an extensive
list of cameras such as
Red One, Red Epic, Phantom, Arri Alexa and
Canon DSLRs and
codecs such as DPX,
Open EXR, DN xHD and
ProRes.
KataDatas ease of
use eliminates hours of
calculations and frustration. Users simply enter
the amount of footage
they have by file size (MB,
GB or TB) and KataData
calculates the runtime or
level
le
platform
p
ttowingo
The creative way
push bar
p
of rigging!
ccombiwheels
w
rready
e
tto
o use
www.panther.tv
www.panther.tv
93
January 2012
www.digitalfilmtools.com.
New
New:: VacuRigg
VacuRigg
The
The cr
creative
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way
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95
Marquise Technologies
Enhances Rain
Marquise Technologies has
integrated Cintels ImageMill2 board
into its Rain color-grading solution,
resulting in a fully featured colorgrading station with real-time image
de-grain/de-noise, stabilization and
dust/scratch concealment features.
The upgraded Rain hardware
platform allows the parallel processing, in real time, of the restorationdedicated applications Grace, Steady and
Origin on 2K images, and up to 8 fps in 4K.
With this new set of tools, Rain provides not
only color correction, but also real-time
capabilities for image cleaning for operations such as chroma-keying and tracking.
Rain allows for immediate work on
any type of native-format image in either
2-D or stereo 3-D. In addition to high-level
grading capabilities such as the multi-point
tracker and the dedicated curves for highlights, mid tones and shadows, Rain
features a versioning mode that can memorize up to nine versions of a clip; a StoryBoard mode, which allows for the creation
of up to 32 groups of sequences to grade
them as an ensemble; QuickStore, which
provides immediate access to the grades
stored in the Grade Library; and an
enhanced Grade Library, which allows users
to access any grade stored from any project.
From its beginning, Rains philosophy [has been] the ability to work in realtime all the time, says Laurence Stoll, CEO
of Marquise Technologies. The ImageMill2
board matches perfectly our paradigm in
offering unbeaten processing performance
and excellent results.
For additional information, visit
www.marquise-tech.com.
Globalstor Unveils LCD
for 4K Post
Globalstor Data Corporation has
introduced the GS564KLC10 LCD display
for 4K dailies and postproduction, as well as
other high-resolution applications.
The 56" LCD display features an
ultra-wide viewing angle, high contrast ratio
and high brightness. The monitor also
boasts an ultra-fast response time, which
ensures the fidelity of the moving image.
The display also includes easy-to-use
96
January 2012
American Cinematographer
International Marketplace
98
January 2012
American Cinematographer
SUPER16INC.COM
DCSlider
TM
Classifieds
CLASSIFIED AD RATES
All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words set in bold face or all capitals are $5.00 per
4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion, Polas etc. A Good Box Rental
word. First word of ad and advertisers name can be set in capitals without extra charge. No
818-763-8547
agency commission or discounts on clas si fied advertising. PAYMENTMUSTACCOM PA NYORDER .
14,000+ USED EQUIPMENT ITEMS. PRO VIDEO & FILM EQUIPMENT
VISA, Mastercard, AmEx and Discover card are ac cept ed. Send ad toClassi fied Ad ver tis ing,
COMPANY. 50 YEARS EXPERIENCE. New: iLLUMiFLEX LIGHTS &
Ameri can Cin e ma tog ra pher, P.O. Box 2230, Hol ly wood, CA 90078.
Or FAX (323) 876-4973.
FluidFlex TRIPODS.
Dead line for payment and copy must be in the office by 15th of second month preceding pub li ca tion. Sub ject mat ter is lim it ed to items and ser vic es per tain ing to film mak ing and vid eo pro - www.UsedEquipmentNewsletter.com AND
duction. Words used are sub ject to mag a zine style ab bre vi a tion.
Min i mum amount per ad:
www.ProVideoFilm.com
$45
EMAIL: ProVidFilm@aol.com
CLASSIFIEDS ON-LINE
Ads may now also be placed in the on-line Classifieds at the ASC web site.
Internet ads are seen around the world at the same great rate as in print, or for
slightly more you can appear both online and in print.
For more information please visit www.theasc.com/advertiser, or e-mail: classifieds@theasc.com.
SERVICES AVAILABLE
STEADICAM ARM QUALITY SERVICE OVERHAUL AND UPDATES.
QUICK TURNAROUND. ROBERT LUNA (323) 938-5659.
99
Advertisers Index
16x9, Inc. 98
AC 92
Aja Video Systems, Inc. C3
Alan Gordon Enterprises 98
Astrodesign, Inc 85
AZGrip 99
Backstage Equipment, Inc.
6
Barger-Lite 98
Blackmagic Design 43
Cavision Enterprises 79
Chapman/Leonard Studio
Equipment Inc. 55
Cine Gear 97
Cinematography
Electronics 85
Cinekinetic 98
Clairmont Film & Digital 59
Codex Digital Ltd., 67
Convergent Design 81
Cooke Optics 47
Creative Handbook 86
Deluxe 41
Dolby 45
Eastman Kodak 37, C4
EFD USA, Inc 83
Film Gear 89
Filmtools 6
Film Und Videotechnik 99
Focus Features 5, 7
Fox Searchlight 23, 27
Glidecam Industries 71
Hochschule Film &
Fernsehen/Konrad Wolf 73
Hollywood Post Alliance 92
Kino Flo 61
Lee Filters 46
Lights! Action! Co. 99
LitePanels 2
Lowel 65
Matthews Studio Equipment
99
Movcam 57
Movie Tech AG 98
NAB 101
NBC/Universal 51
Oppenheimer Camera Prod.
98
100
P+S Technik 98
Paramount Pictures 9, 13,
17, 21, 25
Panasonic 53
Panther Gmbh 91, 93, 95
Pille Film Gmbh 99
Powermills 98
Pro8mm 98
Regent University 60
Rosco Laboratories, Inc. 87
Sony Pictures Entertainment
C2-1, 29, 31
Super16 Inc. 99
SXSW 72
Tessive 69
Thales Angenieux 39
Tiffen 77
VF Gadgets, Inc. 98
Warner Bros. 11, 15, 19
Willys Widgets 98
www.theasc.com 4, 6, 89,
91, 93, 95, 99, 100
Clubhouse News
January 2012
American Cinematographer
January 2012
103
Close-up
When you were a child, what film made the strongest impression on you?
I was blown away by Jason and the Argonauts (1963), particularly
the skeletons fight. That scene changed my life. Because of it, I
learned how to do stop-motion animation and made my own
monster films with my older brother.
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most
admire?
Since I was in film school, Ive been inspired by the naturalism of
Nstor Almendros, ASC; the style of Jordan Cronenweth, ASC; the
elegance of Sven N ykvist, ASC; and the strong compositions of
Gabriel Figueroa.
What sparked your interest in
photography?
Working for a year as an assistant in a
still-photography studio in Mexico City
with photographer N adine Markova
made me aware of the power of framing, lighting and color.
January 2012
American Cinematographer
ACQUIRE
www.aja.com
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i t
m a t t e r s .
ONFILM
J AV I E R A G U I R R E S A R O B E , A E C
In cinematography, texture is so