DECEMBER 2016

A M E R I C A N C I N E M A T O G R A P H E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 B I L LY LY N N S L O N G H A L F T I M E W A L K A L L I E D A R R I V A L R U L E S D O N T A P P LY V O L . 9 7 N O . 1 2
D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 V O L . 9 7 N O . 1 2

An International Publication of the ASC

On Our Cover: Billy Lynn ( Joe Alwyn) reflects on his wartime experiences as he and his
fellow soldiers are feted in Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk, shot by John Toll, ASC.
(Photo by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of TriStar Pictures.)

FEATURES
34 Cutting-Edge Clarity
John Toll, ASC helps director Ang Lee envision cinemas
future with Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk 50

50 Love and War

Don Burgess, ASC crafts evolving looks for the
predominantly stage-bound production of Allied

64 Universal Translator
Bradford Young, ASC pictures humankinds first contact with
extraterrestrial intelligence in Arrival 64
74 A Date With Destiny
Caleb Deschanel, ASC re-creates the feel of vintage
Hollywood for Rules Dont Apply

DEPARTMENTS
10 Editors Note 74
12 Presidents Desk
14 Short Takes: Kryo
24 Production Slate: Manchester by the Sea A Street Cat Named Bob
84 Filmmakers Forum: Shooting and finishing The Love Witch on film
88 New Products & Services
92 International Marketplace
93 Classified Ads
94 Ad Index
95 2016 AC Index
100 ASC Membership Roster
102 In Memoriam: Rick F. Gunter, ASC
103 Clubhouse News
104 ASC Close-Up: Checco Varese

VISIT WWW.THEASC.COM
 D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6 V O L . 9 7 N O . 1 2

An International Publication of the ASC

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ONLINE EXCLUSIVE:
Cinematographer
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discusses his
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The Walking Dead
Fresh off the set from shooting the
latest season of the The Walking Dead
in Atlanta, Stephen Campbell details
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benefits of shooting on Super 16, cre-
ating compositions to establish char-
acter and drama, how he employs his
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matographer, his experiments with
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collaborating with the prosthetic and
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shows vast undead cast to life.

AC GALLERIES
Go behind the scenes of such
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Jaws, The Departed, The Game,
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Saving Private Ryan and The Shaw-
shank Redemption as we open up
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 D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 V o l . 9 7 , N o . 1 2
An International Publication of the ASC

Visit us online at www.theasc.com

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

Stephen Pizzello

WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
David E. Williams

EDITORIAL
MANAGING EDITOR Jon D. Witmer
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Andrew Fish
TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, Rachael K. Bosley, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Simon Gray, Jay Holben, Noah Kadner,
Debra Kaufman, Iain Marcks, Matt Mulcahey, Jean Oppenheimer, Phil Rhodes, Patricia Thomson
PODCASTS
Jim Hemphill, Iain Stasukevich, Chase Yeremian
BLOGS
Benjamin B; John Bailey, ASC; David Heuring
WEB DEVELOPER Jon Stout

ART & DESIGN
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer
PHOTO EDITOR Kelly Brinker

ADVERTISING
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann
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SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina
CIRCULATION MANAGER Alex Lopez
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ASC EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR John Krasno
ASC EVENTS COORDINATOR Patricia Armacost
ASC PRESIDENTS ASSISTANT Delphine Figueras
ASC ACCOUNTING MANAGER Mila Basely

American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 96th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by
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6
 American Society of Cinematographers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and professional
organization. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively engaged as
directors of photography and have
demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC
membership has become one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
professional cinematographer a mark
of prestige and excellence.

OFFICERS - 2016/2017
Kees van Oostrum
President
Bill Bennett
Vice President
Lowell Peterson
Vice President
Dean Cundey
Vice President
Levie Isaacks
Treasurer
David Darby
Secretary
Roberto Schaefer
Sergeant-at-Arms

MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Bill Bennett
Curtis Clark
Richard Crudo
Fred Elmes
Michael Goi
Victor J. Kemper
Stephen Lighthill
Daryn Okada
Woody Omens
Robert Primes
Cynthia Pusheck
Owen Roizman
John Simmons
Kees van Oostrum

ALTERNATES
Roberto Schaefer
Mandy Walker
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Oliver Bokelberg
Dean Cundey

MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
8
 Editors Note The buzz about Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk shot by
John Toll, ASC for director Ang Lee began this past April
at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. A select group of attendees
reacted with rapturous enthusiasm after being shown an
11-minute clip from the movie, which combines 4K resolu-
tion, stereo 3D and a frame rate of 120 fps. Momentum
continued to build at Septembers IBC conference in
Amsterdam, where Lee wowed the crowd with another
brief preview while delivering a keynote address.
ACs senior European correspondent, Benjamin B,
attended the IBC session, which he summarized with an
Oct. 6 entry in his blog, The Film Book, on our website
(www.theasc.com/site/blog/thefilmbook/). Benjamin
followed up by conducting interviews with Toll, Lee and technical supervisor Ben Gervais for
a comprehensive Q&A feature (Cutting-Edge Clarity, page 34) that offers a full overview
of the trios artistic and technical strategies. I think since [Ang] was going to experiment
using 3D in a new way, he wanted to start from a fresh point of view and not approach it
with preconceived ideas, which is pretty much what happened, Toll submits. It was all new
to me, and I needed to do quite a bit of catch-up in a short period of time.
Don Burgess, ASC is also no stranger to experimentation and discovery, given his
long partnership with technically adventurous director Robert Zemeckis a collaboration
that began with second-unit work on Back to the Future II and III before Zemeckis promoted
Burgess to first-unit director of photography on Forrest Gump. On Allied, the duos decision
to shoot a World War II epic almost entirely on stages was partially made possible by previs
techniques that evolved out of the virtual-camera methodology they had used on The Polar
Express. For this movie, [Bob] had to break down every sequence for everyone involved, so
this kind of previs essentially became his version of storyboards, Burgess notes in a piece by
Michael Goldman (Love and War, page 50). He would go into a room where a camera
was connected to a computer, move the camera around in his hands, and create each shot
he had in his head. That allowed us to create extremely accurate storyboards of the scenes.
First-time pairings can also be gratifying. Bradford Young, ASC was more than a
bit stoked to work on the sci-fi drama Arrival with director Denis Villeneuve, who had been
on his wish list of potential collaborators. As Young tells Mark Dillon (Universal Translator,
page 64), One day my agent called and said, They just sent us the new Denis film script
and would love for you to take a look. I said, Come on, man thats not real. I was pinch-
ing myself.
Caleb Deschanel, ASC developed a good rhythm with Warren Beatty on the Old
Hollywood period drama Rules Dont Apply, which Beatty directed while also playing the role
of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes. In a piece by Jay Holben (A Date With Destiny,
page 74), Beatty sings Deschanels praises, observing, I always feel that Caleb puts story first
and doesnt want to detract from whats happening in the movie. He doesnt want the atten-
Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.

tion to go to him or the photography; I dont think hes ever guilty of the Im here, too
syndrome. He has a good story sense and a good sense of humor, and hes a pleasure to
work with.

Stephen Pizzello
Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
10
 Presidents Desk
Workflow!

The other night, after a long day of shooting, I had a dream or, rather, a nightmare.
In the dream, we shot all day long with three cameras. Shooting the rehearsals, never cutting between
takes, changing shots on the fly, even letting the cameras run while we were relighting. The half-hour lunch
brought some short-lived sanity, and then it was an afternoon of similarly feverish recording of image upon
image. Wrap made everything cool down, and we found wed finished the day with a tally of 2TB of
photographed material five hours of raw footage!
With that, I woke up from my nightmare and found it was now the middle of the night. Unable to
get back to sleep, I browsed through my collection of photography books. My eye was caught by a book on
William Eugene Smith, an American photojournalist, strong willed and opinionated, never shy with exple-
tive-laden language, and often living on razors edge, uncompromisingly devoted to his work. He would scold
photo editors who tried to correct his vision, and he had no hesitations about abandoning an assignment
midway through, despite badly needing a paycheck. Over the years he has been credited with developing the photo essay into its
ultimate form. He was also an exacting printer, and the combination of innovation, integrity and technical mastery in his photog-
raphy has made his work the standard by which photojournalism has been measured for many years.
Specifically, I was looking at his photographic essay on the pollution of a drinking-water supply that damaged the health of
many children in Minamata, Japan. What caught my sleepy eyes were the contact sheets of his 35mm black-and-white negatives
displayed on the inside cover of the book. As you know, there are 36 exposures on a roll of 35mm film, and usually the first three
are wasted in rapid succession to arrive at the first real exposure, to eliminate potential image fogging. So, effectively this roll of film
contained 33 exposures. You could see that they were all carefully exposed and taken with only a few multiples. One image in
particular stood out: a mother bathing her disfigured daughter. The expression on their faces eluded both hope and desperation,
the cleansing bath represented an almost religious dismissal, and the three-quarter soft backlight exuded plain honesty.
Known as Tomoko Uemura in Her Bath, the image represents a photojournalistic beauty rarely seen, and is considered
by some to be one of the most important photographs of the 20th century. First published in Life magazine, this portrait probably
represents one of Smiths most telling images, and it certainly deserves its place in the Smithsonian American Art Museum. But its
important to note that 10 other exposures on that same roll of only 33 photographs went on to claim a place in various collections
and museums.
What Smith shows us is the ultimate commitment to making an image. In addition to carefully selecting the moment at
which he would release the shutter of his camera somewhat primitive by todays standards, as it had no motor drive he then
nursed that image through the printing process, paying great attention to contrast and density, feverishly dodging the exposure of
the enlarger, and using the local-bleaching technique to achieve dramatic results.
Smiths tireless, dark and haunting work made me forget my nightmare, and gave me newfound gratitude and admiration
for his visual excellence and commitment. Satisfied, I went back to sleep, with three hours remaining before my alarm would go
off, calling me to rejoin my co-workers on set.
But the nightmare returned. This time, the film editors had spent hours looking through the five hours of raw material, after
which they concluded that, despite the volume of footage, certain crucial shots had never been photographed!
My alarm clock went off, saving me from embarrassment, and soon I was back on set. But as I settled into the days work
and the cameras started rolling, recording frame upon frame, I quietly wondered what William Eugene Smith would have said in
Photo by Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC.

his expletive way if his Life photo editor had told him that he had missed something in Minamata

Kees van Oostrum

ASC President

12 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Short Takes
David (Beat
Marti) and his
wife attempt
to cheat death
through
cryogenic
technology, but
wake up
hundreds of
years later to
find that
something has
gone terribly
wrong in the
science-fiction
short Kryo.
I Future Shock
By Derek Stettler
The half-hour science-fiction short Kryo opens with a
compelling 1980s-style VHS-quality promotional video for the Phoenix
Life Extension Foundation, promising viewers that a world free of
disease and death awaits if they undergo the companys cryogenic
services. Kryo explores the potential consequences of accepting that
promise through the story of David (Beat Marti), who chooses to be
frozen alongside his terminally ill wife, Evelyn (Jana Klinge).
When they wake up from their cryo-coffins in the year
2403, David and Evelyn find themselves in a high-tech medical bay.
Exploring their surroundings, they begin to realize that something has
gone terribly wrong, and they find that they are all alone in an aban-
doned subterranean facility. As they search for answers, they discover
a terrible truth about the mysterious Phoenix Foundation and
themselves.
Kryo was a thesis project at the Filmakademie Baden-
Wurttemberg in Ludwigsburg, Germany, from which cinematogra-
pher Frederick Gomoll graduated in 2015. Although he had not previ-
ously worked with the cast or crew, Gomoll was a natural choice to
serve as the shorts director of photography. I had shot numerous sci-
fi-related projects during my studies, he recalls, but nothing as fully
realized as Kryo. Im very proud of it.
Christoph Heimer, Kryos director and a fellow student at the
film school, had seen Gomolls work and reached out to him with a
script about cryogenics. I joined because I was so captivated by the
story and the imaginable moods, says Gomoll. The main idea was
there, but it evolved a lot over time. It was a very good atmosphere
between us all. Production designer Johanna Wagner and I had a lot
of freedom to evolve ideas, and Christoph was very receptive.
14 December 2016 American Cinematographer
Producer Christian Schega rounded out the team members who
graduated with Kryo as their thesis. The screenplay was written by
Arend Remmers.
Coincidentally, just prior to joining the Kryo production,
Gomoll had finished shooting Call of Immortality, a documentary
about cryogenics that took him to locations in Germany, Russia and
Hong Kong. Asked whether he drew inspiration for Kryos look from
the real-life cryogenic facilities he had visited, the cinematographer
laughs. No, he says. There was nothing sci-fi about them!
Instead, Gomoll found himself most influenced by the
science-fiction films he watched with Kryos production team during
the six months of prep. In particular, he cites Event Horizon (AC Aug.
97), Moon (AC July 09), Cargo (2009), Prometheus (AC July 12) and
Alien (AC Aug. 79) as significant inspirations. I learned a lot about
the art of scaring the viewer by doing slow dolly shots and keeping
things hidden in darkness, he reveals. I wanted to achieve a claus-
trophobic atmosphere, and these films did that extremely well.
Pulling double duty as Kryos cinematographer and camera
operator, Gomoll contributed to the shorts palpable sense of atmos-
phere with precise camera movement; a focus on details through
close-ups; steam, smoke, snow and ice effects; and the use of
almost every lighting technology out there: LED, HMI, tungsten,
Images courtesy of the filmmakers.
fluorescent and monitor screens, he says. To cement the storys
futuristic look, Gomoll collaborated closely with Wagner to integrate
LED strips, fluorescent panels, warning lights and display screens into
the productions sets.
The ability to shoot in real locations including a decommis-
sioned 1980s Cold War-era military bunker near Dresden and an
active stone quarry also helped immensely, and sub-freezing
temperatures during the winter shoot allowed visible breath vapors
to be shot practically on set. For a long time, we discussed building
 up the underground facility in a studio,
Gomoll remembers. But it was too expen-
sive, so we looked for real locations.
Used as an armory storage facility
during the Cold War, the bunker provided
an inherently subterranean feel courtesy of
its long tunnels and massive steel door,
which remains operational and was put to
prominent use in the film. The filmmakers
did share an early concern about the loca-
tion, however. It was owned by a motorcy-
cle gang, and it was not so easy to get famil-
iar with these people, Gomoll recounts.
On the location-scout days, we had to
drink vodka and Jgermeister with them.
But in the end, they welcomed us to shoot
the movie on their property. Once the
production had approval, the art depart-
ment worked for nearly two months, build-
ing and preparing the sets within the bunker.
Apart from limited access to electric-
ity and the sub-freezing temperatures,
Gomoll says the greatest difficulty he faced
in the bunker stemmed from the locations
white walls. We had them everywhere in
the bunker, he recalls. Therefore, the
entire infirmary set was painted dark gray,
but the corridors were too big for that, so I
tried to light with backlight and flashlights as
much as I could to make it moody.
To establish a flickering-light effect
after the facilitys computer systems are
damaged, Gomoll turned to Philips Show-
line Nitro 510 LED strobes. In addition, arrays
of Trilux LED and T5 and T8 fluorescent tube
lamps were placed within the set at various
positions to emulate a real facility. Trilux
sponsored us with many LED fixtures, which
were normally [used] in buildings, the cine-
matographer says. The LED lamps came
with their own housings in different oval and
rectangular shapes. We had dimmable elec-
tronic ballasts for the [fluorescent] tubes with
a self-built dimmer board. The rest of the
conventional lights were controlled by a
GrandMA [lighting console] via DMX. With
all these lamps as practicals in the back-
ground, we had a good basic setup to estab-
lish a futuristic look. The cinematographer
notes his appreciation for the work of gaffer
Johannes Reichau, as well as the contribu-
tions of 1st AC Dino von Wintersdorff.
Top: David wakes from his cryo-coffin and is greeted by his wife, Evelyn (Jana Klinge). Middle: Marti and When additional lighting was
Klinge rehearse a scene, while director Christoph Heimer (second from left) observes. Bottom: The crew
prepares the medical-bay set.
required, Gomoll keyed the actors with
TheLight Velvet Light 1 units fitted with

16 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 DoPChoice Snapgrids. Id never worked
with these lamps before, Gomoll notes,
but from now on, I will have them on all of
my productions. He expresses gratitude to
Sean Goossen and LiteGear, who provided a
big package of LED ribbons.
To help ensure the creative team
shared a common vision for Kryos mood and
style, Gomoll helped create a 60-page
bible for the short, complete with refer-
ence images from influential films, explana-
tions of intent, concept art, storyboards, set
diagrams, and even previsualized shots that
the cinematographer had created in Frame-
Forge Previz Studio. He explains, Every room
and corridor had its own story, lighting and
colors. It was essential to have a common
thinking between the production designer,
cinematographer and director. Our bible was
very helpful.
Kryo was shot almost entirely on an
Arri Alexa Plus camera in 16:9 HD. Gomoll
captured Log C ProRes 4:4:4:4 files to SxS
cards, and cropped the footage in post for a
final 2.39:1 aspect ratio. The cinematogra-
pher had hoped to shoot anamorphic, but
the cost was prohibitive, so instead he opted
to pair the Alexa with Arri/Zeiss Ultra Prime
lenses ranging from 12mm used for
surveillance-camera shots to 135mm, as
well as a 60mm Arri/Zeiss macro lens. He was
very happy with the results, and notes that
the Ultra Primes integrated Lens Data System
was a great help for the visual-effects team.
Kryos intro sequence presented in old
Top: Evelyn and David explore the facility. Middle: The crew readies a scene inside the tunnels of VHS style, Gomoll describes was shot
the bunker. Bottom: The production prepares an exterior greenscreen set.
with a Sony CineAlta PMW-F5.

18 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 While visual effects were an integral
part of the movie, Gomoll strove to achieve
as much of the look in-camera as possible.
Accordingly, all of the screens seen in the
short with the one exception of a wall-
sized hexagonal screen displayed motion
graphics live on set, complementing
Gomolls lighting and giving the actors a real
image with which to interact. The vast
majority of these graphics were in fact
created by Heimer, who, Gomoll notes, is a
talented visual-effects artist in his own right.
Out of the productions 12 shooting
days, two took place at a studio located
at the film school for greenscreen and set-
extension work, including CG-heavy shots of
a cavernous subterranean gallery that stores
thousands of cryo-coffins. In the studio, the
art department built a section of the bridge
that connects one end of the cavern to a
control center in the middle. The visual-
effects team, which consisted of film
students, then created the rest of the envi-
ronment, using The Foundrys Nuke for
compositing and Maxons Cinema 4D for 3D
modeling.
Final color grading for the project was
performed in Assimilate Scratch by colorist
Peter Hacker. Gomoll notes that Hacker a
freelance colorist and former Filmakademie
Baden-Wurttemberg student did a
superb job and that he had complete trust in
the colorist to achieve the desired look. The
grade was performed in full HD and the final
deliverables were in ProRes, H.264 for Inter-
net and a DCP for festivals, Gomoll says. As
the cinematographer was not available to
attend the grading sessions, he contributed
his input to the colorist and director
remotely.
Gomoll cites Kryo as an exciting
opportunity to play with science-fiction
elements that he loves. Indeed, with a story
that offered everything from cryogenics and
robotics to cloning and artificial intelligence,
about the only tropes the project didnt
explore were aliens and spaceships. Next
time! Gomoll concludes with a laugh.

To watch the trailer for Kryo, visit

vimeo.com/frederickgomoll/kryo.
Top: Cinematographer Frederick Gomoll captures a POV shot from inside the cryo-coffin.
Middle: The crew preps a scene in which David wakes from his cryogenic slumber.
Bottom, from left: Gomoll, 1st AC Dino von Wintersdorff, prop artist Melanie Peter and
key grip Jonas Neitzel test a POV shot.

20 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Production Slate
Lee Chandler
(Casey Affleck,
left) is forced to
grapple with a
past tragedy
when he returns
to his hometown
to take
guardianship of
his teenage
nephew, Patrick
(Lucas Hedges),
after the death
of Lees brother
in the feature
Manchester by
the Sea.

I Family Matters
By Trevor Hogg
Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by
the Sea met with raves when it premiered at this years Sundance
Film Festival. The feature tells the story of Lee Chandler (Casey
Affleck), a reclusive Boston janitor whos forced to grapple with a
past tragedy when he returns to his hometown and assumes
guardianship of his teenage nephew, Patrick (Lucas Hedges).
With Manchester, Lonergan was helming his third movie in
16 years, following You Can Count on Me and Margaret. Hired to
shoot the family drama was cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes, whose
credits include Tiny Furniture (AC Jan. 11), Martha Marcy May
Marlene (AC Nov. 11) and Trainwreck. Even though the story is
tragic, theres a lot of comedy and warmth in the finished product,
Lipes muses. Kenny didnt want the look to be as dark as the
subject matter, and that choice helped maintain the films life-affirm-
ing quality. I view what I did on the film as getting out of the way as
much as possible and not being a distraction for the things that
matter: the performances and script.
Lipes and Lonergan had their first meeting to discuss the
script at the Waverly Diner in New York; among the topics of discus-
sion were the scripts numerous flashbacks. After we debated how
to visually differentiate past and present, Kenny decided the writing
was clear enough without a visual cue, the cinematographer recalls,
Manchester by the Sea photos by Claire Folger, courtesy of K Period Media and Amazon Studios.
so we ended up treating the past and present exactly the same on
set.
I learned a lot watching Kenny discuss story with the
actors, Lipes continues. Thats where he shines. Its a clear, fact-
based decision-making discussion. The cinematographer was simi-
larly inspired by the cast, which included Kyle Chandler as Lees
brother, Joe, and Michelle Williams as Lees ex-wife, Randi. Watch-
ing Casey Affleck was one of the highlights of my professional
career, he says. He makes smart, interesting choices about every
detail. It was a pleasure to be in the room to witness his perfor-
mance.
Principal photography commenced in late February 2015 and
continued into May. The production employed locations in the actual
Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., as well as the nearby towns of
Gloucester, Essex, Rockport and Beverly, all northeast of Boston.
Snowfall in the Boston area broke records that winter, states Lipes.
But the snow was disappearing fast and it was a struggle to keep
the cold feeling of a Massachusetts winter that Kenny was going for.
[The production] had to bring snow in and fabricate it, and we had
to frame shots to show as much [snow] as possible.
The prep period was very short, and there were a lot of loca-
tions we didnt secure until the last minute or, in some cases, until
after we started shooting, Lipes continues. The hardest location to
find was the Chandler house. There was a lot of debate about the
socioeconomic background of the family, and how that would

24 December 2016 American Cinematographer

shape their home in the film. Because of
how late some of the locations were
secured, the cinematographer adds,
Kenny and I werent able to shot-list a
substantial amount of the film. Instead we
spoke in more general terms about the feel-
ing of what he was going for a very quiet
look that didnt call attention to itself.
Arri Rental New York supplied the
camera and lighting equipment, which
included Arris Alexa XT camera, Canon K-
35 prime lenses and a 24-290mm (T2.8)
uncoated Angenieux Optimo zoom.
Framed for the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, the Arri-
Raw footage was captured in the cameras
Open Gate mode. Open Gate emphasizes
the character of the K-35s, because you see
more of the edges of the glass and the
flaws, Lipes opines. We shot the whole
movie at 800 ISO, which is standard for the
Alexa. I often use a 0.15 ND filter; we were
shooting wide open throughout, trying to Above: Lees life
capture a shallow depth of field and an changes when
overall softness to the image. his brother Joe
(Kyle Chandler)
Sometimes when we were doing dies from a
an interior, Kenny would turn on an extra heart condition.
practical to keep the film looking happier, Left: Lee has an
awkward
the cinematographer recalls. Kenny was conversation
also clear that [for certain interiors] he with ex-wife
wanted some kind of lighting effect from Randi (Michelle
Williams).
the television. Im hesitant to do things like
that, so I decided to use big flat-screen TVs
as lighting sources. That way, he adds,
the light source is in exactly the right place,
where the TV actually is in the scene, rather the daylight outside and so that the given to do that stuff right and have the
than cheated from elsewhere in the room. windows behind the talent didnt blow camera attached to the car.
The filmmakers tried letting a televi- out. For certain nighttime driving shots
sion station play on the TV, but they found The story is punctuated with numer- that were realized with poor-mans process
the color would be too extreme and ous scenes inside cars, often as Lee shuttles and needed to be shot quickly, the crew
erratic, Lipes explains. When we used a his nephew around town. In approaching relied on LED lighting gags. Those scenes
black-and-white film on DVD, like Hud, we driving scenes, Lipes offers, I like how deci- literally [comprised only] a static car in the
knew the hue would be consistent, [and by sive hard mounts look, as opposed to shoot- middle of a warehouse with nothing else,
playing back specific scenes] we could get a ing from a pursuit vehicle or an insert car, Lipes explains. Josh created the lighting
certain kind of movement or fluctuation to where the camera is floating independently with some LED strips that had fast chase
the light source. from the vehicle. Ive always responded to patterns to [simulate] the feeling of move-
Lee returns to the town of Manches- the way Robby Mller [BVK, NSC] shot the ment.
ter-by-the-Sea when his brother dies from a car stuff in Paris, Texas, where a lot of the Lipes reveals that his biggest chal-
heart condition; in a flashback scene, Joe frame is outside of the car you see down lenge during the production was decidedly
and his extended family learn of his condi- the side of the vehicle as well as the charac- personal as opposed to technical. My wife
tion in a hospital room. To light the day inte- ters inside. I tried to emulate that on this was in her third term of pregnancy, he
rior, Lipes says, there was a big, double- film. That can be a scheduling challenge on says. Our first child was due a couple days
diffused Kino rig in the ceiling with a lot of a small, quick film like this, where you cant before Manchester was scheduled to wrap.
daylight bulbs in it. It was a big, soft source, double the car or maintain the cost of a I needed to make sure that the transition
which our wonderful gaffer, Josh Dreyfus, rigging crew, but we did as much as we would go smoothly if I needed to leave
created so the room could compete with could to make sure that there was time early, so I turned to a valued collaborator,

www.theasc.com December 2016 25


Right: To capture
boat scenes, a
small crane with
a Libra head was
mounted on a
camera boat
that carried
supporting crew
and gear. Bottom:
Cinematographer
Jody Lee Lipes
lines up a shot.
Petr Hlinomaz, who is a camera operator
and also a gaffer who worked with master
directors of photography like Vilmos Zsig-
mond [ASC, HSC]. Petr came onto the film
as the A-camera operator and established a
relationship with Kenny and the producers,
so they were comfortable knowing that if I
had to leave suddenly, he could take over.
That planning paid off when my wife went
into labor a few days early!
Hlinomaz adds, Prior to Manches-
ter by the Sea, I did Trainwreck with Jody,
and although they are two totally different
genres, I felt like I knew what Jody was after
and how he goes about lighting and shoot-
ing. When it came time for me to take over
[on Manchester], I had been around the set
26 December 2016
and knew everyones style and the way the
story should feel. I collaborated closely with
DIT Anthony Hechanova to keep the light-
ing, color values, exposures and ratios where
Jodys were. Gaffer Josh Dreyfus and key
grip Warren Weberg were also a great help
in keeping things consistent.
I shot the last eight days of the
film, Hlinomaz continues. In that time we
had a few important scenes: Casey and
Lucas walking up a hill talking about whats
to come; Michelle Williams with her baby
and sister running into Casey and apologiz-
ing; scenes between Lucas and his girlfriend;
Casey bringing Lucas to meet [the latters
mother, played by Gretchen Mol] and her
new husband [Matthew Broderick]; band
American Cinematographer
sequences; and the boat scenes.
The boat work was especially fun,
he adds. We had a small [Aerocrane Jib]
with a Libra head on a camera boat, which
was a large barge-style vessel that also
carried our supporting crew and gear. The
difference between our follow-boat height
and the chase boat made [the jib] much
taller. The marine crew operating the vessels
was superb, experienced, and always got
our camera where we wanted it. I feel the
boat scenes were the ones where we had
the most freedom; that was where we had
the most camera movement. Being on the
sea, everything was moving and changing
constantly, so our camera was moving as
well.
For the most part, there were no
fancy camera movements, Hlinomaz
continues. Jody made the decision that he
didnt want to keep adjusting the frame for
actors. When we did a close-up, we would
leave enough room for the actors to move
[within the frame]. I generally dont like to
go up and down with an actors headroom
either, because then it becomes about the
camera as opposed to the performance.
That was a big part of it we didnt want
to draw attention to the camera.
In addition to Hlinomaz, Dreyfus and
Weberg, Lipes praises 1st AC Sam Ellison as
being always a pleasure to work with
hes someone who ups my game creatively.
When youre on the younger side as a cine-
matographer, like I am, having people like
Josh, Warren, Sam and Petr around makes
me and the film better.
At press time, Lipes had traded
Massachusetts for South Carolina, where
he was shooting a TV pilot called The Sinner
his first project away from home since his
daughter was born. The project is being
directed by Antonio Campos, who
directed the first feature that I ever shot,
called Afterschool, says Lipes. Its great to
be working with an old friend again after all
these years.
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa XT
Canon K-35, Angenieux Optimo
 James Bowen (Luke Treadaway), a London street musician and heroin addict, pulls his life together with the help of a serene orange tabby in the
I Spirit Animal
By Matt Mulcahey
In a classic montage from Day for
Night, Franois Truffauts 1973 ode to the
agony and the ecstasy of filmmaking, a
crew tries with increasing desperation to
coax a cat to walk into frame and sip from
a saucer of milk. Director Roger Spottis-
woode laughs at the reference, but insists
his feline stars caused no such exasperation
on his latest film, A Street Cat Named Bob,
which tells the true story of a London street
musician who pulls his life together with the
help of an atypically serene orange tabby.
I find animals fascinating, Spottis-
woode says. Laughing, he adds, I love
humans, too but I dont subscribe to this
thing about never work with children or
animals. In fact I find the opposite is the
case because I think you learn so much from
them.
Spottiswoodes previous experiences
with four-legged thespians include pairing
Tom Hanks with a slobbering canine for the
1989 buddy-cop film Turner & Hooch, and
enduring the icy environs of Churchill,
Manitoba, with a polar-bear cub for 2014s
The Journey Home. The latter feature was
shot by Peter Wunstorf, ASC, who
reteamed with Spottiswoode for A Street
Cat Named Bob. I was once again doing a
rather difficult film working with animals,
the director notes, and I knew how well
28 December 2016
feature A Street Cat Named Bob.
Peter works under difficult circumstances.
Based on the autobiographical book
by James Bowen, A Street Cat Named Bob
follows Bowens story of redemption from
homeless heroin addict to best-selling
author, aided by the fluffy orange compa-
triot perched atop his shoulder. In the
feature, Bowen is played by English actor
Luke Treadaway and Bob is played by, well,
Bob along with the help of half a dozen
fellow felines working under the supervision
of trainer Mark Dumas.
The plan wasnt initially for Bob to
play such a pivotal role, but once shooting
began, the cats comfort in the bustling
London locations proved indispensible.
None of the other cats could quite cope
with inner London, and we shot a lot in the
streets where you cant control the crowds
and the traffic, Spottiswoode says. Bob,
because he spent years on those streets
with James, has this extraordinary calm. The
other cats got completely distracted. Only
Bob was really good at traveling on James
shoulders or sitting on a curb and paying no
attention to the trucks flying by behind him.
He became an essential part of the film very
early on.
It was a constant shuffle with the
cats, Wunstorf adds. They are continu-
ously rewarded with food, and after a few
takes they get full and dont want to do any
more!
In order to capture the required
American Cinematographer
moments from Bob and the pseudo-Bobs,
Wunstorf ran four cameras for scenes that
featured the cats a pair of Arri Alexa
Pluses aimed at the human stars and a pair
of Sonys mirrorless a7R IIs trained on the
cats. Two additional a7R IIs were used by the
A Street Cat Named Bob behind-the-scenes photos by Andreas Lambis. All images courtesy of the filmmakers.
second unit, which was tasked with picking
up any particularly difficult bits of Bob busi-
ness.
With the exception of B camera
which lived on a Steadicam operated by
John Hembrough the majority of the film
was shot handheld, often with the camera
resting on a sandbag atop a tripod. Addi-
tionally, A-camera operator Bob Shipsey
brought his own method for toting the
Alexa. I cradle the camera in my right hand
so it doesnt sit on my shoulder, he
explains. This comes from the far-distant
days of Aaton cameras that sat in your hand
so beautifully. [This style of operating]
means that when you move, you dont have
any bounce transferred through your shoul-
der. It is almost a very poor-mans
Steadicam, using your arm as the spring.
Shipsey was also responsible for
shots from Bobs point of view. Added at
the behest of Spottiswoode, these POVs
were shot on the Sony cameras. That was
something Roger brought up when I arrived
in London, says Wunstorf. At first I was
hesitant about the idea [of] those shots, but
Bob Shipsey executed them brilliantly. The
cinematographer favored focal lengths of
 Right: Green
tones were
employed for
scenes dealing
with James
addiction and
withdrawal.
Below: A single
set, constructed
at Twickenham
Studios, served
as the separate
apartments of
James and his
neighbor Belle
(Ruta
Gedmintas).
18mm and 21mm for Bobs field of view.
Shipsey took the opportunity to have
a little fun with the idea of a cat cam. He
recalls, If any cast were required to act
directly to the cat [camera], then I would
attach small orange-tape ears to either side
of the lens partly because the idea
amused me, but also to give a point of focus
for the actor.
The a7R IIs, which were placed in
LockCircle BirdCage Pro rigs to make them
more ergonomic, recorded 4K footage in
24p to Atomos Shogun recorders in Sonys
XAVC codec; the cameras recorded in
Picture Profile 7, which is the cameras S-Log
profile. That profile was then augmented
with customized gamma, saturation and
detail in order to match the Alexa Pluses,
which captured 2K ProRes 4:4:4:4 in Log C
to SxS cards. For his on-set monitoring of
the Alexas, Wunstorf eschewed a Log C to
Rec 709 conversion in favor of live grades
performed by digital-imaging technician
30 December 2016
John Miguel King, whose work was then
passed on through the post pipeline for
matching.
The Alexas lived at their native ISO of
800, but the sensitivity of the a7R IIs fluctu-
ated based on shooting conditions and
ranged from 800 up to 2,000 for dimly lit
interiors and night scenes. Both cameras
utilized Angenieux Optimo zooms 15-
40mm (T2.6), 28-76mm (T2.6), 45-120mm
(T2.8) and 24-290mm (T2.8). The a7R IIs
were outfitted with Sony E-mount to PL-
mount adapters to accommodate the Opti-
mos. Sony/Zeiss Sonnar primes as well as
a package of Zeiss Distagon and Planar
DSLR primes were also employed, specif-
ically with the second-unit a7R IIs.
Prior to Wunstorfs arrival in London,
he began communicating with one of the
productions 2nd-unit cinematographers,
Ann Evelin Lawford, via Skype to discuss
camera tests and begin identifying the ideal
settings for matching the Arri and Sony
American Cinematographer
cameras. Wunstorf and Lawford also
consulted with Sony Europes 4K workflow
specialist Pablo Garcia Soriano for guidance.
Camera tests took place at Movietech
Camera Rental at Pinewood Studios. The
footage was then graded by Molinare senior
colorist Asa Shoul. Shoul also performed the
final grade, which was completed with Film-
Light Baselight at the cameras respective
native resolutions for a 2K DCP final deliver-
able.
We tested the Alexa and Sonys side
by side, in the presence of plenty of cats
roaming and meowing, Lawford explains.
We also tested the Sonys on their own to
best suit the needs and requirements for
[the second] unit. We adjusted every possi-
ble setting one could find in the cameras
menu, and we replicated different shooting
conditions [such as] nighttime, rig move-
ment, cat movement, rolling shutter, stabi-
lization, etc.
Wunstorf adds, Its a little extra
work in the digital intermediate, but it was
amazing how the cameras matched up.
There is a lot of Sony footage intercut with
the Alexa. The digital grade also included
tweaks to match the color of the various
Bobs eyes, as well as a slight overall bright-
ening and increase in saturation. Before
that, Wunstorf notes, the film felt a little
too somber.
The storys bleakest passage comes
at the outset, as James is living on the streets
of London before bottoming out with a
heroin overdose in a strangers unlocked car.

For these early scenes Wunstorf selected
Tiffen Antique Suede filters to mute the
colors, and often added green in-camera.
In the scene prior to James over-
dose, he talks with a fellow user amid a
London downpour an exterior sequence
shot under a covering. Gaffer Marc Rood-
hart backlit the rain with a combination of a
2K tungsten unit and 1.8K HMI gelled with
12 CTO and 12 Plus Green. A soft toplight
above the actors was provided by a 2K Jem
Ball on a dimmer. Existing practicals at the
location were either gelled with NDs and/or
White diffusion; black-wrapped; or
switched off, as the bulbs werent allowed
to be swapped out.
More severe restrictions were
enforced at Londons popular shopping and
tourist site Covent Garden, where James
spent afternoons busking, with Bob
perched on his shoulder. We were very
limited in how much gear we could have
there, recalls Wunstorf. Normally I would
use 20-by-20-foot frames, but it was impos-
sible to do in Covent Garden because some-
times we only owned 20 or 30 square feet
of real-estate. Instead we would set up a
series of [floppies] for negative fill and then
some bounce from either an 8-foot-by-8-
foot frame of Ultrabounce, a silver Rosco
flex, or just beadboard to catch the ambient
light.
The 35-day production used all prac-
tical locations with the exception of the
apartments of James and his neighbor Belle
(Ruta Gedmintas). One set was built at
32 December 2016
Twickenham Studios and re-dressed to serve
as both housing-estate flats. In that single
space, Wunstorf was tasked with creating
myriad moods and looks, from the warmth
of a holiday dinner to the sickly green of
James withdrawal as he comes off
methadone. The set was pre-lit, and we
would make adjustments depending on the
scene, says Wunstorf. We generally used
the same units, but we would move them
around, change the quality of the light by
softening it or hardening it, adjust color with
gels, and/or [adjust] the color temperature
on the Alexa.
From outside the sets walls, 12K and
5K tungsten units were pushed in through
windows; CTB, CTO, CTS and Chocolate
gels were employed depending on the
desired look. Inside the apartment, small
tungsten units, Litepanels 1x1s, Kino Flo
Celebs, Rifa-Lites and China balls were used
for eye lights, wrap and fill, with some units
often diffused with 3mm-thick sheets of
Depron clipped to the sides of the unit and
coved to form a semicircle, Wunstorf
describes. Above the set, 20'x20' and
12'x12' frames of unbleached muslin hung
as bounce sources and were used for both
ambience and as an occasional key light.
Only a center ceiling [tile] was removed,
the cinematographer notes. All the lights
were on a dimmer board, which aided the
cinematographer in the tricky assignment of
lighting simultaneously for four cameras.
Generally for wide shots I would
light the room as best as I could and still key
American Cinematographer
Left: The apartment set featured lighting
pushed through the windows from outside.
Above: Director Roger Spottiswoode (left)
and cinematographer Peter Wunstorf, ASC
discuss a scene.
the actors well, but the cat didnt always
find his light, says Wunstorf. As we
moved in closer I would make lighting
adjustments. When we shot 360 degrees,
we would put fixtures on the ground, and
the cameras would shoot over them.
The studio portion of A Street Cat
Named Bob was a welcome respite from the
chaos of shooting in Covent Garden, where
even the Zen-like Bob occasionally
unleashed his inner animal. Bob really
wanted to go into all the stores, says Spot-
tiswoode with a laugh. He kept running
into them and, not knowing it was going to
happen, we had not gotten permission to
be in the stores. I had to go in afterward and
say, Sorry we blundered in with some
cameras, but we were just following a
cat!
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.39:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Plus, Sony a7R II
Angenieux Optimo; Sony/Zeiss Sonnar;
Zeiss Distagon, Planar
 Cutting-Edge
Clarity
John Toll, ASC and director Ang Lee
devise new techniques and standards for
the high-frame-rate, high-resolution 3D
feature Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk.
By Benjamin B
| return to the U.S., Lynn and his Bravo Company are cele-
D
uring the September IBC show in Amsterdam, I had
the rare privilege of catching a glimpse of the future of
cinema: director Ang Lees presentation of an excerpt
from his film Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk, projected
at 120 fps, at 4K resolution, in stereo 3D, with 28 foot-
lamberts to the eye. The films cinematographer is John Toll,
ASC.
Billy Lynn is the story of a young soldier who impul-
sively commits a heroic act in a firefight in Iraq. Upon his

34 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Opposite and this
page, top: Billy
Lynn (Joe Alwyn)
and his fellow
Bravo Company
soldiers are sent
on a public-
relations tour to
celebrate their
heroism and
defend the Iraq
War in the 3D
feature Billy
Lynns Long
Halftime Walk.
Middle:
Cinematographer
John Toll, ASC
(left) supervises a
shot at the start
of the halftime
show. Bottom:
Director Ang Lee
(right) works
with the cast on
the halftime-
show stage.

brated and sent on a public-relations

tour to defend the war, culminating in a
football halftime show, alongside the
Alabama State marching band and a
concert by Destinys Child. The
sequence we saw intercuts this spectac-
ular show with Lynns flashback to his
fateful wartime experience.
The IBC screening reminded me
of reports of early cinema projections by
the Lumire brothers in Paris in the
Unit photography by Mary Cybulski, courtesy of TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures.

1890s when an audience watching

footage of a train coming into a station
is said to have ducked. I didnt duck, but
the screening experience was unlike
anything Id seen before. It was at once
lifelike and dazzling, visceral yet very
natural.
The event was enabled by tech-
nology used at a similar screening at
NAB and at the New York Film
Festival: two Christie Mirage 4KLH
laser projectors, along with two high-
speed Infinity Delta Media Servers
from 7thSense Design one for each
eye and Dolby 6P technology and
glasses.
The screening experience is above
all a personal one; you have to see a
similar screening for yourself to really
appreciate its impact. My immediate
experience was one of incredible clarity,
and I knew instantly I was seeing some-

www.theasc.com December 2016 35

 Cutting-Edge Clarity
thing different from ordinary cinema. It
felt like looking through a window. Part
of this clarity comes from the absence of
motion artifacts like strobing, and part
of it comes from screen brightness and
resolution.
The rendition of motion in this
screening was different from normal
movies. The movement of the actors
and camera felt much more lifelike.
Motion in 3D can sometimes be both-
ersome and even nauseating, but not at
120 fps when the camera follows
Lynn as he rushes into an Iraqi battle,
the sensation is both scary and exhila-
rating.
A frequent criticism of high
frame rate is that it looks like a soap
opera, but to me the screening at 120
fps did not feel like video. Rather, it felt
very natural and comfortable. One
possible explanation is that the absence
of motion artifacts is akin to getting rid
of temporal noise, yielding a cleaner
perception of motion and time.
The most important feature of
this new format is the strengthened
presence of people and events in the
image. This was evident in the action
sequences, but even more so in the
actors faces. And this is the real promise
of this high-tech cinematic format: the
possibility of conveying the presence of
a face with unprecedented immediacy
and intimacy.
AC spoke to Toll, technical super-
visor Ben Gervais and Lee to better
Top, from left: understand the filmmaking behind this
Dime (Garrett unique project.
Hedlund), Holliday
(Ismael Cruz
Cordova), Lynn Cinematographer John Toll,
and Shroom (Vin ASC
Diesel) prepare to
return fire at Al- Billy Lynn was Tolls first collabo-
Ansakar Canal. ration with director Ang Lee. Toll
Middle: Camera begins by telling us that he was more
operator Kim
Marks shoots the fascinated by the director and his work
aftermath of a than the technology.
harrowing event
on location in
Morocco. Bottom: American Cinematographer:
The 3D rig, not yet How did you get involved in the
in full shooting project?
mode.
John Toll, ASC: I received a call
about doing a Skype interview with
Ang Lee regarding a camera test he was

36 December 2016 American Cinematographer

doing for a new film. I had never met or
worked with Ang, but I certainly
admired and respected his work. We did
the call and he explained he was inter-
ested in shooting his next film in high-
frame-rate, 4K 3D and was preparing to
test cameras and 3D rigs.
Ang said that he felt like you
were interviewing him.
Toll: To avoid any misunder-
standing, I wanted him to know I had
never shot 3D and didnt know much
about it. I also had never pursued the
idea of shooting 3D because I felt poor
projection and 3D glasses often
distorted the characteristics of the
image to the point of distraction. I was
curious about his ideas, so I guess I
asked a few questions.
How many shooting days were
there?
Toll: We had a 48-day schedule,
mostly at the Georgia Dome stadium in
Atlanta [Ga.] and five days in Morocco.
I knew this would be tight and 3D
could be complicated, but I was pretty
nave about what that really meant.
Why do you think Ang Lee
picked you?
Toll: Weve never spoken about
it, but I think since he was going to
experiment using 3D in a new way, he
wanted to start from a fresh point of
view and not approach it with precon-
ceived ideas, which is pretty much what
happened. It was all new to me, and I
needed to do quite a bit of catch-up in a
short period of time.
What lenses did you use?
Toll: We put great emphasis on
clarity, resolution and sharpness. We did
tests and decided on using [Arri/Zeiss]
Master Primes. The Master Primes
looked great and gave us a great range of
focal lengths and a good inventory to
draw on for 3D matching sets.
How did you choose the Sony
F65 camera?
Toll: We shot these tests with
five different cameras and three differ-
ent 3D rigs. We looked at the test and Top: Dolly grip Mike Moad (lower right) and 1st AC Chris Toll (top right) capture a scene with
agreed that the F65 seemed most Diesel in Morocco. Middle: Mounted on a MovieBird with a Libra head, the camera tracks behind
appropriate in terms of image character- Alwyn with the aid of a Grip Trix camera car. Bottom: The crew helps move a Grip Trix camera car
through deep sand.
istics. [The cameras recorded Sony Raw

www.theasc.com December 2016 37

 Cutting-Edge Clarity
Top: Lynn and Shroom converse inside a Humvee. Bottom: John Toll and crew prep for the final scene in
the Humvee.
MXF files to Sony SRMemory cards.]
What stereo rig did you use?
Toll: We used the Stereotec
[Light Weight Rig]. This was a newer
rig. It was relatively lighter in weight
than existing rigs and had a smaller
profile. It also allowed the camera and
3D controls to be more easily accessible.
However, with both F65s and all the
accessories and controls in place, we
were still looking at a package that
weighed just over 100 pounds.
38 December 2016
We did our prep at Panavision
Woodland Hills. [ASC associate] Larry
Hezzelwood and everyone at
Panavision provided great support to
our crew including camera assistants
Chris Toll, Clyde Bryan, Sal Alvarez
and Jamie Pair, as well as 3D supervisor
Demetri Portelli and his team and
really helped pull everything together.
What ISO rating did you set for
the camera?
Toll: The majority of the time we
American Cinematographer
went with the basic E.I. of 800, but I
moved to 1,200 or even 2,000 when
absolutely necessary. We also calculated
a 2-stop exposure loss for the 120 fps
and a 1-stop loss for the 3D mirror, but
there was also a 1-stop gain from a 360-
degree shutter. Taking all of this into
consideration, we adopted a rough
working E.I. of 150. There were times
when we needed more exposure.
Hoping I had somehow made a mistake
in calculating the E.I., I would some-
times ask my gaffer, Jarred Waldron, to
recalculate. But, unfortunately, it always
came up the same.
Did you set out with a specific T-
stop in mind?
Toll: Since one of our primary
objectives was to maintain maximum
clarity, depth of field was always a
primary consideration. I tried shooting
somewhere between T2.8 and T4.0
most of the time, but we often needed to
increase depth of field. In the stadium,
we did close-ups and tight two shots of
foreground characters with the rest of
the members of Bravo Company seated
behind them. We wanted them all in
focus and would try to build the T-stop
for shots like this, but building up the
light for foreground characters often
meant building the light level for large
sections of the crowd sitting in the back-
ground. There were limits to this. A-
camera first AC Chris Toll did a great
job pulling focus and working out focus
splits, but I think he aged a bit in the
process.
Thats an interesting mix of
cutting-edge technology with earlier-
era camera size and light levels.
Toll: That was one of the major
challenges of the project. We were
working with the most up-to-date tech-
nology available to us, but we were
always thinking about the future and
how additional tools for working in this
process would catch up to the need.
Camera mobility and levels of illumina-
tion were primary concerns, and we
were fortunate we had enough space in
the stadium for cranes. The cameras
pretty much stayed on telescoping
cranes and Libra remote heads. We used
 Cutting-Edge Clarity
Top: Shroom talks to Dime as the Bravos enter the village of Al-Ansakar. Bottom, from left:
Marks, John Toll and Chris Toll stand beside a camera rig, which was mounted on a Humvee
borrowed from the Moroccan army. The rig was employed for a visual-effects plate shot.
A and B cameras when possible and had
a MovieBird 35-45-foot crane, a 50-
foot Technocrane, and a Grip Trix
Shadow Tracker with an Aero Jib arm.
The size and weight of the cameras and
3D rigs all but eliminated a Steadicam
although we did do one Steadicam
shot that camera operator Greg Smith
pulled off with great determination. In
reality the cranes and the Grip Trix
became our substitutes for dolly and
Steadicam shots. Camera operator Kim
Marks and key grip Al Laverde and his
team did an amazing job of bringing
this all together and making it work.
40 December 2016
We also used condors and
construction cranes for lighting. We
used the house lighting in the stadium
as a base starting point and then supple-
mented with four 16K HMI lighting
balloons from Skylight. We also added
6K metal-halide bulbs to the balloons to
help match the color temperature of the
house lights. I was also doing on-set
color correction with DIT Indy Saini, so
we could easily shift overall color-
temperature issues for dailies.
What was the approach for the
combat scene set in Iraq?
Toll: The concept for this scene
American Cinematographer
was to treat the combat as realistically as
possible while also staying emotionally
connected to the characters. Photo-
graphically, we stayed mobile and did
very little light control. We shot the
combat scene in Morocco in very harsh
overhead sunlight with very little artifi-
cial lighting. We tried taking advantage
of different times of day for the direc-
tion of the light, but the schedule
required shooting all day long every day.
Light control was primarily based on
exposure. I exposed for the parts of the
frame that were most important and let
the rest of the frame go uncontrolled.
We used the MovieBird 17-20 and 35-
45 cranes, and a Grip Trix Shadow
Tracker almost exclusively.
The halftime show has a differ-
ent look than the rest of the film.
Toll: The halftime show and the
combat scene are intercut in the final
film. In the story, the combat scene
attempts to re-create the hard reality of
an Iraq-war combat environment, in
contrast to a superficially theatrical cele-
bration of military heroes during the
halftime show. During our production,
the [halftime] show was like a special
event in itself. It was designed to be as
visually extravagant and as over-the-top
as we could manage. Marching bands,
drill teams, dancers, elaborate lighting
effects and fireworks were all elements.
Ang Lee had an association with
Don Mischer, a longtime producer of
football halftime events. Don came in as
an advisor and made recommendations
for the show and for people who could
work with us. As part of his team we
had two lighting designers who worked
with us, Noah Mitz and Bob
Livingston. They worked with gaffer
Jarred Waldron and me and helped
plan, install and use the huge amount of
special rigging and lighting we needed
for the show.
How did the DI go?
Toll: It went well. We had the
advantage of getting a head start
because all during production we had
done on-set color correction with DIT
Indy Saini [using Pomfort LiveGrade].
We had established basic looks for vari-
 Cutting-Edge Clarity
ous sections of the film, and this is where
we started when doing the DI. I was
working on a new project when the DI
began, but I was able to break away and
work with DI colorists Adam Inglis and
Marcy Robinson. Nearly all the postpro-
duction work had been set up in Angs
New York office, and this is where the
entire DI took place.
Now that youve seen the
finished film, what do you think of this
new format?
Toll: Theres no question this
process delivers an unprecedented look
and exciting new ways for audiences to
experience characters and story, but I
think were just scratching the surface. I
consider it a great honor to have been
asked to join Ang and this great team of
filmmakers.

Technical Supervisor Ben

Gervais
Gervais was involved in every
aspect of the technology behind Billy
Lynns Long Halftime Walk from
initial concept through testing, system
design, production, post, and even the
high-end projection at IBC. He was also
responsible for choosing the process used
for conversion from the 120-fps original
to the 60-fps and 24-fps versions.

American Cinematographer: Can

you tell us about the technical reasons
for 120 fps?
Ben Gervais: We made that
choice primarily based on the theory that
if we shot, for example, at 60 fps, then we
wouldnt be able to get a 24-fps deliver-
able without visual-effects touch-ups,
because 60 is not an even multiple of 24.
So we decided to do 120 fps because it
was a multiple of 24 and of 60. We could
get all our deliverables and there was
literally no cost added, because when you
shoot the Sony F65 above 60 fps, it only
samples every other line, so the files are
actually the same size as the 60-fps files.
Instead of being a 3:1 compressed image,
its essentially a 6:1 compressed image.
Top: Lynn sits beside his sister Kathryn (Kristen Stewart) for a family dinner celebrating his Its a little more compression than
too-brief return from the war. Middle: John Toll lines up a shot with actors Alwyn and Makenzie we would like, but since its actually
Leigh. Bottom: The crew readies a camera test.
throwing away every other line and then

42 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Cutting-Edge Clarity
compressing the remaining one at 3:1,
the quality is still there. So the argument
to do 120 fps was fairly strong, because
we didnt have to spend more money
than for shooting 60.
The only downside was that the
camera needed more light, which is
admittedly a pretty big downside. That
was definitely something that John Toll
and his gaffer, Jarred Waldron, had to
put their thinking caps on for, especially
given that our budget was not crazy
Hollywood.
Doesnt the 360-degree shutter
create motion blur?
Gervais: It does, but at 1120 of a
second. Its the equivalent of a 72-degree
shutter at 24 fps.
At 24 fps, a 72-degree shutter
would give you judder [discontinuous
motion where moving objects jump
positions in the frame].
Gervais: At 120 fps, we
completely eliminate judder, because if
we show you all 120 frames, the motion
is continuous. In 2D, judder is not that
much of an issue in a way its a
creative tool. Weve learned to overcome
our creative issues with judder. If you go
back and look at an old American
Cinematographer Manual, there are all
those tables of correct panning speeds.
Thats because when we started making
movies, people hated judder. As audi-
ences weve learned to deal with it.
Almost all the operating we do on
movies is to compensate for 24-fps
judder and motion blur. If the camera
operator didnt pan with someone in
close-up, as the person ran across the
Top and middle: frame from left to right, you wouldnt be
The camera is able to see their face because it would be
mounted on a lost in motion blur. You dont have to do
50' Technocrane
to capture the that at 120 fps.
Bravos making The camera following the char-
their entrance acter is perhaps both an aesthetic and
during the
halftime show. technical choice at this point.
Bottom: The Gervais: Sure, I think its become
crew preps part of the aesthetic as well. But with
the field.
120 fps we dont need to pan if we dont
want to. We have the option.
Theres a lot of camera motion
in this film.
Gervais: For Ang it was like,

44 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Cutting-Edge Clarity
Okay, 120 gets us the best of all worlds
you dont see individual frames and it
doesnt matter how fast something is
moving. So he does move the camera
when he feels its needed. Our working
theory is that judder is the enemy of 3D.
A 2D movie is a moving picture on a
wall, but your brain wants to believe that
a 3D image is a real, solid object that has
dimension. When you have fast motion
in 3D at 24 fps, judder becomes infor-
mation thats missing from something
your brain wants to think is real. And
that starts your brain sending signals to
the rest of your body saying, Im sick;
that causes eyestrain and headache and
things like that.
Bad 3D weve all been there.
Gervais: There are other issues as
well, like dark screens. If you increase
the screen brightness at 24 fps it exacer-
bates the judder. The brighter the image
the easier it is to see the judder. But
judder goes away with 120 fps, so you
can increase brightness for a clearer
image.
How are you preparing the 24-
fps and 60-fps versions?
Gervais: Its easy to get rid of
judder at lower frame rates if you create
more motion blur. The problem is that
you then conceal fine detail. So Ang
said, Find me the best balance of the
two. And thats where the [RealD]
TrueMotion software by Tony Davis
came in. This software is able to create
and customize a synthetic shutter to
transfer from 120 fps to lower frame
rates. So it provides us with some nice,
sharp detail on movement while reduc-
ing the perception of judder, by using
weighted averages of 120-fps frames to
create 60-fps and 24-fps frames.
Tell us about the DI.
We built a DI facility in Angs
office in New York, centered around a
specially built [FilmLight] Baselight X
that could play back 120/4K/3D. The
main mastering grade was done at that
format 120/4K/3D with a brightness
of 28 foot-lamberts to the eye. [For the
Top: The crew prepares to shoot in the stadium seats. Middle, from left: Moad, Lee, John Toll, sake of comparison] 2D standard peak
Chris Toll and 1st AD Richard Styles eye a camera move on the field. Bottom: A crewmember white is 14 foot-lamberts. We then
sets up a lighting balloon.
struck many different frame rates and

46 December 2016 American Cinematographer

versions from that, doing trim grades on I think it comes down to changing our myself up. I dont want to take down the
them as we went. All told, there were six relationship to movies. Is it still a movie, fence around paradise I just want to
different versions of the grade, with or is it something else? extend it!
some of those versions spanning multi- It must have been difficult to Do you think this is the future of
ple frame-rate formats and resolutions. shoot a movie in this new way. cinema?
We ended up mastering about 10 differ- Lee: You know, it was scary. For a Lee: I think its a long way away.
ent combinations of frame rates, 3D long time I was struggling about We had to jump many steps. With 120
brightnesses, resolutions and 2D whether to jump in or not. I thought fps, you dont see strobe; its lifted. But,
versions for theatrical release, not that 24 fps is the fence around paradise. because of that clarity, you require better
including different country-specific [Laughs.] I had a real hesitation for a resolution, and you need more bright-
versions and audio formats. Adam Inglis long time, then I decided to psych ness, all in the same package.
was the primary colorist, along with
Marcy Robinson. Doug Delaney did
the HDR versions.
Whats it like collaborating with
Ang Lee?
Gervais: For technology people,
there are obvious things you look at to
check motion: someones arm moving
fast [for example]. Ang doesnt look at
that he looks at faces. Hell look
inwards and say, How did I feel about
that performance in that version? And
it takes a real artist to be in tune with
that. As a technical person, I cant
pretend to always get that. Ang will sit
back and say, This version made me feel
better about the whole thing. Thats the
one well use. More often than not, he
also agrees with the technical side of it.
Does 120-fps 4K 3D still amaze
you?
Gervais: It does. Even though
Im probably the person on the planet
who has seen it the most, every single
time we cue it up, I just sit there and go,
Its always better than I remember it.

Director Ang Lee

The director of Billy Lynns Long
Halftime Walk is an enigmatic figure.
Lee is a leading director who says he is
not technical, and yet is emerging as a
major technological innovator. He
started our interview with a question.

Ang Lee: What did you make of

the IBC screening?
American Cinematographer:
There was a revolutionary clarity to
the image.
Lee: The first time I saw it, it was
not like I imagined it it was some-
thing else. It was like a revelation to me.
 Cutting-Edge Clarity
John Toll readies a shot.
What you call the whole
shebang: 120-fps 4K 3D with high
screen brightness.
Lee: What we did is very high-
end now, but in my mind eventually this
will be the next 24 [fps].
48
But you still believe in the
paradise of 24 fps?
Lee: We have done great art with
24. Sometimes art is what you dont
have, not what you have. This movie
medium is quite precious. Its great, but
nobody asked, Why 24? except
maybe Doug Trumbull.
You began working with new
cinema technologies by doing stereo
3D on Life of Pi.
Lee: Yes, 3D started everything
for me. I never thought about 24 fps
until 3D. All my questions started
because of 3D 3D as a storytelling
tool in our culture. It was a wake-up call.
It just hit me one day. How do we see
things? How do we engage in reality?
Why do we use the three-light principle
to create depth? Why do we watch a
movie? Why do we believe it? All sorts
of questions came out, like Pandoras
box. What do I do? How do I make
movies? All these existential questions
jumped out of the box.
Does this new format change
your mise-en-scne? Do you do longer
takes?
Lee: Im still learning this new
language, exploring what can be done.
Im self-taught. I still end up cutting
quite a bit. I cant do the elaborate shot
that I would like to do because shooting
days are expensive. Thats the reality you
have to deal with. Making a movie is an
art of compromise.
Whats the most important
feature of this new format?
Lee: Forget the action, forget the
spectacle the face is the most impor-
tant thing. Forget everything else.
Do you want to shoot all your
future movies like this?
Lee: Sure, if Im allowed to. Most
people say I shouldnt do it.
[Laughs.] Im really eager for other
filmmakers to join me.
You have said that you are not a
technical person, yet youre a techno-
logical innovator.
Lee: Philosophically, I would like
to think that my career is a prolonged
film school. Most of the time I dont
think of questions about film; I just
want to see it. When I get my hands on
it, when I interact with the medium, its
something I cant verbalize, I cant intel- TECHNICAL SPECS
lectualize. Its art. Its my clay, my sculp-
ture I just interact with it. Each 1.85:1
format is a process. Its all about learning
how to make movies. Digital Capture
So its art and technology Sony CineAlta F65
together?
Lee: I think theyre inseparable. Arri/Zeiss Master Prime
Billy Lynns Long Halftime Walk
has been released in 24-fps, 60-fps and
120-fps versions. Most modern projectors
are able to play the 60-fps 3D version,
while the 120-fps 3D version requires a
special two-projector setup. For more cover-
age of the project, including further details
about the 120-fps projection system and the
120-to-24-fps conversion process, visit
bit.ly/RevolutionaryScreening.
49
 Love and War
Don Burgess, ASC reunites
with Robert Zemeckis to frame the
World War II thriller Allied almost
exclusively on stage.
By Michael Goldman
| at least 50-percent less control, Zemeckis says. For example,
I
n reteaming with longtime collaborator Robert Zemeckis
for the directors latest effort, Allied, cinematographer Don
Burgess, ASC found himself diving into a World War II-
era romantic thriller. The movie tells the tale of two covert
operatives Max Vatan (Brad Pitt), an intelligence officer,
and Marianne Beausejour (Marion Cotillard), a French resis-
tance fighter who meet in Casablanca, fall in love, start a
family and live a normal life in London, until Vatan learns that
it all may be a lie.
50 December 2016 American Cinematographer
It was a new genre for Burgess and Zemeckis, and the
cinematographer reports that the director had some specific
desires for the project, in particular a general eschewing of
location work. Though Zemeckis did take the production to
shoot exteriors in Spains Canary Islands, which stood in for
Casablanca, the majority of the shoot including scenes
taking place outdoors were captured on London stages. It
was a decision the director says was dictated by a desire to
avoid the notoriously shifty British weather.
Any time you [shoot] outside, you have no control, or
we shot one exterior in London as an establishing shot of the
city. I figured it would be raining, but that would be okay
because that is perfect to establish London. But the day we
scheduled it, of course, it was a bald, perfect sky. We ended up
having to deal with crane and camera shadows. So no matter
what you do outside, in my opinion you have to compromise
three to four times more than when you are in a controlled
environment.
Zemeckis confidence that he could overcome any chal-
lenges posed by this stage-centric methodology was based on
 Opposite and this
page, left: Covert
operatives Max
Vatan (Brad Pitt)
and Marianne
Beausejour
(Marion Cotillard)
meet on a mission
in Casablanca, fall
in love and marry
in the feature
Allied. Below:
Director Robert
Zemeckis (left) and
cinematographer
Don Burgess, ASC
discuss a scene.

his faith in Burgess and his team, as well

as the wizardry of the various facilities
overseen by Atomic Fiction visual-
effects supervisor Kevin Baillie. The
directors work was further facilitated by
the fact that all of the movies complex
sequences had been broken down and
choreographed in detail beforehand,
using previsualizations created with a
form of virtual cinematography person-
ally directed by Zemeckis.
As Burgess explains, the previs
technique evolved out of the virtual-
camera methodology he and Zemeckis
had used on The Polar Express (AC Nov.
04). For that movie, the cinematogra-
pher notes, We developed the tech-
Photos by Daniel Smith, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.

nique of having a gear head connected

to a computer so we could put a human
touch into the camera moves. What
Bob was eventually able to do from that
phase forward was hold, in essence, a
camera in his hands, while actually
looking at a monitor making a shot
while holding this virtual camera. For
this movie, he had to break down every
sequence for everyone involved, so this
kind of previs essentially became his
version of storyboards. He would go
into a room where a camera was
connected to a computer, move the
camera around in his hands, and create
each shot he had in his head. That
allowed us to create extremely accurate
storyboards of the scenes.
In preproduction, Burgess
printed out a one-line continuity of
every scene in the entire script. As I
always do, I went through the entire
script and attached color with markers
to each scene attaching themes to
each continuity and I put that up on
a wall in my office. Thats how I break
the script down visually in my head and
figure out where to start from what Bob
is saying.
This approach is how Burgess
and Zemeckis came to conclude that
Allieds narrative should be broken
down into six specific visual looks. The
first section entails approximately the
opening 35 scenes, which take place in
Morocco and involve a warm look in a
desert environment. I started out with
normal color saturation, pushing it
slightly to the warm side, Burgess
explains.
After the characters fall in love
and return to London, section two
involves about 20 scenes in the middle

www.theasc.com December 2016 51

 Love and War
Top: Beausejour
and Vatan go
undercover as a
married couple in
Casablanca.
Middle and
bottom: Scenes
set in Morocco,
before and after
visual-effects
work. Opposite:
Lighting
diagrams for the
upstairs floor of
Max and
Mariannes
London home
(left), where the
crew rigged a
fire-chase effect
for a scene in
which a German
bomber crashes
outside; the
downstairs floor
of the home and
its exterior
garden (middle);
and the rooftop
of a Moroccan
apartment
(right).

of World War II. Here, the cinematog-

rapher initiated a desaturation process
to push the film to the cooler side as we
get to colder London, he notes.
The thriller elements then heat
up in section three, as the two characters
get entangled in spy intrigue and
become more isolated. I did that with
lenses, Burgess says, shallowing the
depth of field, making things softer in
the background.
The fourth look takes place as the
story drives toward its climax and
secrets are revealed. For this section, I
pushed the desaturation even more,
Burgess says. The film gets cooler and
I crunch the blacks more, with less fill
light, and the lenses get longer.
The movie then climaxes with
what Burgess calls the darkest part of
the film as far as the characters are
concerned, in a big reveal sequence that
takes place in the rain. It becomes
darker and colder all around, he
explains a look he underscored with
the aid of longer lenses.
Finally for the postscript,

52 December 2016 American Cinematographer

www.theasc.com December 2016 53
 Love and War
Top: The crew created their own rain for a scene shot at an actual airfield. Bottom: The scene
was then moved to the stage, where Zemeckis would be free of weather constraints.
The difficult part was matching the light and making it believable [alongside] the shots at
the actual airfield, Burgess says.
which takes place 18 years after the
climax saturation and color return,
and lenses get more normal, Burgess
says.
To accomplish all of this, the
filmmakers required a suite of specific
tools that included special look-up
tables built in partnership with Light
Iron, who also generated dailies and
later performed the digital-intermediate
work.
Burgess opted to shoot the movie
with Reds Weapon camera outfitted
with a Dragon 6K sensor in addition
to Reds Weapon with the companys
new VistaVision-sized Dragon 8K
sensor (40.96mm x 21.6mm) for visual-
54 December 2016
effects plates recording to 512GB
Red Mini-Mags in the 2.39:1 aspect
ratio. We liked the 8K Weapon for the
added detail in the composite shots, he
notes. Those were the only two
cameras we used on the film. The
[Weapon] is a smaller and lighter
camera, but with a bigger chip, and its
great for the way Bob and I like to shoot
a lot of work on cranes and a lot of
moving cameras. That image gave us
great detail, and I like the way it
handled highlights and shadows. In
testing, it seemed to me I could get the
different looks needed to tell this story.
For all non-visual-effects work,
the cinematographer employed Leica
American Cinematographer
Summicron-C and Summilux-C lenses
(ranging in focal length from 18mm to
135mm), along with 14mm Cooke S4
Primes for a few shots, and Panavision
Primo 70 Series lenses for the 8K
cameras work. I had my lens formulas
down for the particular looks, says
Burgess. I would look up in my
overview and it would tell me what
lenses to use in what grouping, and then
Bob would block the scene out and we
would work together on what the shots
would be, and what lens or lenses to use
on that particular scene. If I had some-
thing with limited depth of field for a
particular effect or shot, or if I had a big
space with a certain amount of available
light to use, and we wanted to match
into that where we needed an extra stop
of detail, it was nice to have those extra
fast lenses.
Light Iron collaborated with
digital-imaging technician Peter
Marsden to facilitate a workflow that
allowed him to not only input the vari-
ous LUTs for each of the six looks
during production, but to also manufac-
ture Colorfront Express Dailies and
download them to iPads for Burgess
and Zemeckis to evaluate. Marsden had
a modest footprint, working on set at a
cart equipped with a Sony PVM-A
Series OLED monitor, Pomfort
LiveGrade software, and Fuji IS-Mini
boxes to apply LUTs during production
as well as near set at a cart designed
for downloading image data, conduct-
ing QC and manufacturing dailies. The
latter cart included a Mac Pro, Red
Rocket-X, RAID drives and card read-
ers, and an Eizo CG248 screen linked
to a Colorfront Express Dailies system,
which allowed him to view original
camera media in UHD.
Burgess emphasizes that a great
deal of work was done during the
preproduction testing phase to create
the six production LUTs work that
Marsden says included developing a list
of the looks with ideas [built in] for the
color, saturation, camera movement and
lens choices for each section of the film.
At first, we designed them as 3D
LUTs, which could be used in camera,
 Love and War
A street scene in
London before
(bottom) and
after (top)
visual-effects
work.
but the Weapon camera software wasnt
ready for that just yet, so in the end I
created versions as CDLs that we used
on set and for all dailies.
Burgess reports that the lengthy
process to create the LUTs in prepro-
duction was sometimes difficult, but
that the process was worth the effort.
They were very good representations
of what the film was going to look like
when we released it, he explains. That
helped every department, from makeup
to wardrobe to production design to
visual effects. The cinematographer
adds that the process reduced the
amount of details he and Light Iron
colorists Corinne Bogdanowicz and Ian
Vertovec were going to have to wrangle
later during the color grade.
At press time, the color grade was
56 December 2016
being performed in the EXR format at
4K resolution with a Quantel Rio color-
correction system. Final deliverables
would include a 4K DCP, as well as a
UHD version for home release.
Once production was underway
on the Canary Islands, A-camera oper-
ator Peter Cavaciuti, Libra head techni-
cian Joe Buxton, dolly grip Simon Muir
and crane technician George Powell
were called on to execute some delicate
Technocrane work for action sequences
such as the lead characters frantic night
escape from the German embassy. The
Technocrane was placed on a Scarab
base in the middle of the street,
Cavaciuti explains, so we could get to
the start and the finish of the move.
This meant the grip team had to track
in the crane in a straight line as they
American Cinematographer
armed right at speed, keeping just ahead
of the actors and keeping an exploded
car nicely positioned in the background
as they ran across the road. Then we did
a really fast but smooth track-out, again
in a straight line; we stayed ahead of
them across the road as Max and
Marianne jumped into the car and the
camera and crane circled around them;
the car then drove under the crane arm.
All that time, I shouted faster or
slower down the comms to help the
guys keep the camera in the right posi-
tion while I operated the Libra head,
since due to the speed of the move and
positioning of the crane, the grips had
limited line-of-sight access to the
camera.
On shooting in the U.K., Burgess
offers, The biggest challenge on this
movie was the fact that London was so
busy with other productions that we
didnt get [access to major motion-
picture studio facilities] like Pinewood.
We had to shoot in modified buildings
and warehouses, and those create their
own challenges. Ours was height.
Because we had designed [six different
looks for the movie], we had a lot of
color-temperature changes, so we
needed units that could give us that
ability, but we had height limitations on
the stages we were using. Therefore, we
relied heavily on Arri [S30 and S60]
SkyPanels. Those units gave us the abil-
 Love and War
The crew preps a
nighttime party
scene in Vatans
backyard, a
sequence that
features an
attack by German
bombers. This
setup aptly
illustrates the
challenges of
shooting a night
exterior in a low-
ceilinged
warehouse in
Londons Gillette
Building.
ity to work with the height requirements
and still adjust the color temperature of
the lights, so that if we started the day
shooting a scene for look one or look
two, we could shift to look four or go
from day to night without changing
any gels.
Gaffer Perry Evans adds, The
Arri SkyPanels created a blanket of light
above the set, and because we pre-
programmed each look into a ChamSys
MagicQ lighting console, desk operator
Will Burns could switch us back and
forth [via DMX network control] when
we told him the scene number. That let
us jump around and dial the Arris
immediately to the correct light level.
Instead of being 3,200 Kelvin or
maybe a bit warmer for Morocco, we
could jump to the next level and go a bit
cooler, taking it to, say, 4,000 Kelvin.
And then the next one could be 4,300
Kelvin and so on.
One of the films central shooting
locations was Londons Gillette
Building which Burgess describes as,
in essence, a bunch of warehouses with
fairly low ceilings where the produc-
tion constructed several sets. Evans adds
that the Gillette site was an old factory
floor. There was no overhead grid for us
to work from. So straightaway in
December [2015], we got a gang in
58 December 2016
there and put up our scaffolding and
some grip gear in the ceiling, since
everything had to be rigged off
machines from the floor, which made it
really laborious. Normally, you go up in
the grid, throw some cables around,
throw some lamps around off tackles,
and you are up and out of the way. But
in this case we had to get in there before
they built the sets. The construction
team marked out the sets on the floor for
us, and then we rigged our lights so that
when they stood the set up a month or
so later, we had our [lights] up and out
of the way.
A similar process was followed at
other locations where the production
built sets, such as Londons LH2
Studios, a facility Burgess and Evans say
was originally designed primarily for live
musical productions, and Cardington
Studios, a huge space where the produc-
tion built an aircraft landing strip for the
movies climactic scene.
Extensive camera movement was
built into the movies aesthetic, Burgess
says, but like lighting and color, it subtly
evolved with the various looks. In
Morocco we had a steady camera plat-
form, so mostly [we did] no Steadicam
or handheld work everything was on
cranes and dollies, Burgess says. Then,
once we got back to London, things
American Cinematographer
loosened up a bit and we started to
introduce Steadicam and handheld,
especially as we began to introduce that
nervous feeling as events close in on the
characters.
During an early scene in Nazi-
occupied Casablanca, Nazi officers
confront Max at Caf Rivoli. There, in a
scene shot at LH2 Studios, the camera
that tracks Max was mounted to a 62'
MovieBird crane. We used the
MovieBird to establish Max moving
through the architecturally beautiful
club from one side to the other, using the
full travel of the telescopic arm,
Cavaciuti says. Two officers move
through in close-up and the camera
moves across their Swastika armbands as
they exit the club, revealing Max as he
walks up the stairs to the club. We follow
him across the edge of the dance floor
until he spots Marianne, and she turns
and runs toward him into a close-up
embrace. The 62-foot MovieBird is a
big beast, and we had to thread the eye
of a needle at the start of the shot as we
avoided the set, frame right and as we
moved diagonally, we had a narrow line
to follow into the ballroom to again
avoid additional set, frame right also.
As the chemistry between the two
characters builds, they dance at Caf
Rivoli. Cavaciuti shot part of their dance
 Love and War
Visual-effects
supervisor
Kevin Baillie
(left) and
Burgess discuss
the shooting of
a love scene in a
car in the
Moroccan
desert. The
cameras would
circle the setup
to create the
feeling that the
audience was in
the car with the
characters.
with multiple 360-degree Steadicam
tracks to the point of dizziness. As
Marianne becomes intoxicated by the
moment, the Steadicam moves faster
and faster around her to emphasize that
moment.
Later, when the characters are in
London, the Steadicam becomes even
more pronounced, particularly for
action-oriented scenes. One example
would be a scene shot on a hospital set
on the Gillette stages, in which
Marianne gives birth in the midst of an
air raid. Bombs are dropping and debris
is flying everywhere, Cavaciuti says.
We shot the scene mostly on Steadicam
to make it feel as though [the audience]
were inside the action, so there was
flying debris and air movers for me to
contend with. We used a brand-new
prototype of an auto-leveling device on
the Steadicam called the Wave1 [from
Munichs Betz-Tools]. It helped
wonderfully, since it kept the camera
platform on the Steadicam level even if
the Steadicam post was taken off level by
the force of wind or cork debris hitting
it.
Cavaciuti adds that there were
different kinds of challenges for the
camera crew to grapple with on the
small set built at Gillette to represent the
cramped, period London home that
Max and Marianne live in during the
war. We used the [Chapman/Leonard]
PeeWee Dolly on track or boards there,
and nine times out of 10, it was almost
60 December 2016
scraping along a wall, very often with an
offset or 2-foot slider mounted to get
further back or extreme left or right, the
operator explains. We used the Mini
Libra, often on a 12-foot Technocrane
or Key Head when I could physically
not get close to the camera on that set.
But generally, Steadicam and handheld
were used in situations to emphasize the
energy of the moment, or to draw the
viewer into a pursuit and each time,
handheld or Steadicam were chosen
very specifically by Bob and Don.
Another sequence features a
bomber getting shot out of the sky and
crash-landing close to Max and
Mariannes London home. The action
was filmed at the Gillette stage and later
supplemented with visual effects.
Zemeckis explains that the airplane has
an engine on fire, looks like it is coming
right toward our heroes house, and then
misses it by a couple of feet. We created
this effect using [LED Sunstrip] panels
where firelight comes from one direction
through windows, and then the plane
moves over the top of the house, and the
firelight continues over the house, and
then away from it. We create a tracer
effect [with the panels] a high-tech
way to create light motion.
Evans adds that Burns worked
with the visual-effects guys [to get
precise data] from the digital look of the
bomber exploding out the window. They
gave us the timing of it and where the
plane would be in the shot. The desk
American Cinematographer
operators menu then linked to their
timing in the image they gave him.
Then they later put the chase of the
lights around the house, and they timed
the two together [in post]. So wherever
the camera pointed, our lights would
run in that same direction. Even if they
moved the imagery a bit in post, our
lights moved with it.
LED technology was also put
into play for a love scene set in a
1930s-era Citron automobile that is
meant to take place in the Sahara desert
as a sandstorm approaches. The prob-
lem with doing love scenes, I always
find, is how do you pace them and how
do you end them? Zemeckis offers.
The trick was to use the camera and the
speed of the camera movement to evoke
the feeling of passion building that
was our mission.
The director therefore opted for a
constantly moving camera in the tight
space, while light becomes murky
around the lovers as the looming sand-
storm closes in. The filmmakers came
up with a 360-degree, 100'-long, 8.5' tall
LED-paneled room to surround the car
and provide what Zemeckis calls
animated light controlled by an
operator using TouchDesigner Pro soft-
ware to illuminate the actors. Baillie
adds that this approach allowed Don to
interactively sculpt light from the panels,
fly in virtual bluescreens [i.e., setting
LED panels to solid blue] when they
were needed, and give Bob the power to
have important action beats happen on
cue. Evans notes, The light panels
used to surround the car and create a
video wall were supplied by VER
each Panel being 600mm by
1,200mm, and we used the 7mm LED
spacing.
Cavaciuti and B-camera operator
Luke Redgrave shot the scene using two
Red Weapon cameras mounted on Mini
Libras on dolly tracks. The Libras were
placed on two motorized sliders, [which
in turn were] placed at 90 degrees to the
dolly track so the cameras were able to
move toward or away from the actors at
will, Cavaciuti explains. Using this
method, we were always able to stay as
 Love and War
Zemeckis
discusses a
scene with
Pitt.
close as possible to the actors keeping
my first AC Olly Tellett and Toby Eedy
on B camera on their toes!
The idea was to create a circular
camera move that never stops during the
entire scene, Burgess says. We cut up
the car so we could create the illusion
that the cameras are in the car with the
characters. Bob and I believe you need
to keep the audience in the characters
62
world and feel what they are going
through. Bob came up with this idea
over the weekend just before shooting.
I then sent out an email to my team
meaning key grip Tommaso Mele,
operator Pete Cavaciuti and gaffer Perry
Evans, along with visual-effects super-
visor Kevin Baillie and we worked
together on a plan to execute the
concept. I figured circular dolly track
with two cameras on short zoom lenses
was the best way to go. We needed to
vary the focal length as the cameras
moved around the track to maintain the
illusion of being inside the car. We also
used our big LED panels with images
of the desert moving as the windstorm
closed in and darked our car. Lenses got
tighter as the pace of the move quick-
ened to match the passion of the scene
heating up. Kevin Baillie worked on
getting the images on the LED panels
right to match what is happening
outside the car. This is a great example
of how the cinematographer and the
visual-effects producer work together to
bring life to the concept.
The largest set by far was the
exterior airfield, about the size of a foot-
ball field, built on the Cardington stages
for the movies dramatic climax in the
rain. We built a section of the airfield
with grass and mud and aircraft,
Zemeckis says, and had Rain Birds
hanging from the ceiling, with the lights
dialed in from the automated lighting
board.
Burgess emphasizes that the Arri
SkyPanels were essential, and were used
with added diffusion to light the scene.
What I wanted was the ability to raise
and lower the light bank, and individual
control of the lights, the cinematogra-
pher says. And I wanted to be able to
send rain to cover the frame with just
the right amount of backlight, so that
you could see the rain properly, and [the
image] would also be soft enough that
we could intercut with [shots of ] a real
airfield. It had to intercut and be seam-
less, so that you really felt like you were
on the airfield. That was where we built
our biggest rig, which was raised about
20' above the set using a motorized
gantry.
Perhaps the rawest emotional
moment in the movie is when Max
receives horrifying news and is forced to
make an inconceivable choice.
Zemeckis wanted to emphasize
[Maxs] shock and desolation, and make
it a moment when time stands still,
says Cavaciuti. Therefore, as the charac-
ters new reality sinks in, the filmmakers
captured Pitts performance with a
Steadicam mounted on a three-wheel
Rickshaw for extra stability, he adds.
As Max exits the interrogation
room, Cavaciuti continues, we track
back with him, and after a few yards,
we contra-zoom in tighter and
tighter, from 35mm to 76mm on the
[28-76mm (T2.6)] Angenieux Optimo
zoom. The sequence, shot at 96 fps,
slows the world down and narrows the
lens perspective as the crushing news
sinks in, Cavaciuti says. Its a profound
visual, emotional moment as his world
shrinks and the pressure increases.
At press time, Burgess had just
launched into the final digital grade.
Zemeckis explains that his normal
process is to let Burgess supervise the
DI and color questions, while he works
with Baillie and the editors to finalize
visual-effects shots and seamlessly weave
them into the cut. Anything involved
with manipulating or creating a hybrid
shot or a morph or a blend I do all
that working in the visual-effects world,
but I dont typically go into the DI,
Zemeckis says. I leave that to Don
Burgess. Thats his sphere of artistry, and
he applies anything that is on my laun-
dry list. He and I have always had a
wonderful creative shorthand.
TECHNICAL SPECS
2.39:1
Digital Capture
Red Weapon 6K Dragon,
8K Dragon
Leica Summicron-C,
Summilux-C; Cooke S4;
Panavision Primo 70 Series;
Angenieux Optimo
63
 Universal
Translator
Bradford Young, ASC helps bring

a naturalistic look to director
Denis Villeneuves soulful
sci-fi drama Arrival.
By Mark Dillon
|
A
dozen extraterrestrial spacecraft have landed across the
globe in Arrival, a science-fiction epic with a melancholy
soul. Renowned linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams)
has been enlisted to serve as Earths interlocutor by mili-
tary-intelligence officer Col.Weber (Forest Whitaker), who
has set up a base in rural Montana near one of the hovering
vessels. Joined by physicist Ian Donnelly ( Jeremy Renner), the
U.S. team makes its way aboard the vessel, where they
encounter two beings who produce mysterious symbols from
behind a large, protective, see-through screen. Deciphering

64 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 the alien messages proves an onerous
task, but as the visitors ambiguous
behavior threatens global stability,
Banks must prove that their intentions
are nonviolent before its too late.
Quebec director Denis
Villeneuve became involved with
Arrival based on the novella Story of
Your Life by Ted Chiang and adapted for
the screen by Eric Heisserer while
shooting the thriller Prisoners (AC Oct.
13), and later tapped director of
photography Bradford Young, ASC to
join him on the production. The cine-
matographer recalls that while shooting
J.C. Chandors crime drama A Most
Violent Year (AC Feb. 15), he had been
advised by gaffer Bill OLeary and key
grip Mitch Lillian, both Villeneuve
collaborators, that he and the director
might hit it off.
Polytechnique [shot by Pierre
Gill, CSC] and Denis other films were
Unit photography by Jan Thijs, courtesy of Paramount Pictures. Behind-the-scenes photos courtesy of Eames Gagnon.

already in my creative consciousness,

says Young on the phone from his
Washington, D.C., home, two days
after Arrival screened at the Toronto
International Film Festival. With a
laugh, he recalls, I thought, Yeah, right.
One day Id like to meet him, but I
doubt Id ever shoot for him hes way
too evolved. My agent had asked me
what folks I would like to work with as
I developed my body of work, and
Denis was on my list. Then one day my
agent called and said, They just sent us
the new Denis film script and would
love for you to take a look. I said, Come
on, man thats not real. I was pinch-
ing myself.
When he read Heisserers script,
Youngs excitement continued to build.
It reaffirmed Denis brilliance that
hes a real curator of his artistic practice,
Young says. That script got deep into
my DNA as an image-maker, because it
has realism invested in flesh and bone
extending into a world of allegory by
introducing these unseen beings from
afar. I could see how I could offer some-
thing.
Denis and I had a conversation,
and there was mutual respect for one
anothers films, adds Young, whose CV
Opposite: Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) introduces herself to a pair of extraterrestrials in
the feature Arrival. This page, top: Physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner) joins Banks in her efforts
to communicate with the aliens. Bottom: Cinematographer Bradford Young, ASC studies the light in
the set for the aliens spacecraft.
also includes Ava DuVernays Selma Young acknowledges that he had big
(AC Feb. 15) and David Lowerys Aint shoes to fill. Rogers residue was palpa-
Them Bodies Saints (AC Sept. 13). I was ble, Young says, but its a residue I
moved by the fact that he had seen some respect and honor. Theres a high level of
of my work and it meant so much to consciousness around image, which was
him. I told him I would do anything to humbling. I knew I had to go in with a
work with him on the film, and it went certain amount of rigor in order to do
from there. my best. I had to do my homework. I
In recent years, Villeneuves most had to be precise, but at the same time
frequent shooting collaborator has been not be arrested by precision and still be
renowned cinematographer Roger free. I felt this was still an opportunity to
Deakins, ASC, BSC, who worked bring my voice to the conversation.
alongside the director on Prisoners and During eight weeks of prepro-
Sicario (AC Oct. 15) and who, at the duction, Villeneuve related to Young
time of this writing, was assisting that he and Deakins have a preference
Villeneuve on Blade Runner 2049. for storyboarding and that they dont

www.theasc.com December 2016 65

 Universal Translator
Top: Banks searches for a communications breakthrough as the extraterrestrial vessel hangs in the
background. Bottom: Practical lights sit in position on location in Quebec.
necessarily stick to boards on the day,
but value them as a visualization exer-
cise. I had not done that before, but I
was willing to subject myself to the
process, and it became an important
pillar for us, Young explains. Sam
Hudecki, our storyboard artist, had
worked with Denis and Roger, so he was
an integral part of the process. It took a
couple of weeks to [familiarize] myself
with their way of working in order to
feel I could contribute.
Another way Young contributed
was by introducing Villeneuve and
production designer Patrice Vermette to
66 December 2016
the work of Swedish photographer
Martina Hoogland Ivanow particu-
larly her 2013 collection Speedway,
notable for its dark, mysterious images.
Outlining the movies central narrative
challenge, Young muses, How do you
create this film thats about grief, and
then [introduce] extraterrestrials who
bring enlightenment? Ivanows images
had that quality deeply haunting but
substantially hopeful. Then it was about
making the science fiction seem normal
and everyday as though youre wash-
ing dishes on a humid, cloudy day with
soft, atmospheric light, and you look out
American Cinematographer
your window and theres a spaceship
behind the trees. We called it dirty sci-
fi.
Young adheres to a less is more
lighting philosophy partly inspired by
the work of the late Harris Savides,
ASC. Gaffer Eames Gagnon and I
often looked at a handbook of Harris
quotes from all his movies, and we went
back to Birth, which is in the canon of
movies I always reference, he says.
Theres a rumor that in his later films,
Harris would only use lamps he could
put his hands on. Thats really rigid, but
that mantra stayed in my head on this
film. So if you see a lamp in the frame,
then its the only light in the room. And
if Amy is standing next to a window,
then its the window lighting her.
Nearly 60 days of principal
photography got underway in and
around Villeneuves hometown of
Montreal, Canada, in June 2015. Young
shot mostly with Arris Alexa XT, his
go-to digital camera. He captured in
ArriRaw, using Open Gate mode, at a
2.39:1 aspect ratio, and recorded to
onboard Codex XR Capture Drives.
Using the full width of the sensor
allowed us to get a nice, wide frame
without anamorphics, and opened up
Bradfords choice of lenses, offers digi-
tal-imaging technician Leon Rivers-
Moore. We shot at ISO 1,280, which is
fairly unusual, especially for a visual-
effects-heavy film. This let Bradford
work with less light and lent some
texture to the image. Rivers-Moore,
who performed dailies coloring, evalu-
ated images on Flanders Scientific
CM250 OLED monitors.
GoPro Hero4 Black cameras
were employed for imagery visible on
video screens ostensibly used for
communication between the landing
sites in various nations, while news
reports within the movie were shot with
Sonys CineAlta PMW-F55.
On Arrival, Young reunited with
Harbor Picture Co.s Joe Gawler, his
regular digital-intermediate colorist.
The two are particularly fond of the
show LUT they created for A Most
Violent Year, so they used that approach
as their foundation, although with a
cooler overall look. Everything exists in
the toe, Young elaborates. There isnt
one real highlight. Its an aggressively
dark LUT.
Young reports that on this project
he operated the camera and there was
nearly always only one. He further notes
that many filmmakers from my genera-
tion are saying, I dont even know where
to put the second camera. Lets just get
this frame right and then decide where
the camera should go next. Thats how
we executed the whole film. Its some-
thing Roger and Denis worked into
their way of shooting that carried over.
Young made one exception,
however, by putting three cameras to
work for an exterior location scene in
which Louise and Ian talk on the back
of a truck near the base. Although their
respective philosophies initially position
them as adversaries, the characters have
evolved into allies, and the filmmakers
wanted to capture their warming rela-
tionship at magic hour which
presented a limited window. We
werent looking to get more coverage
because more coverage is better it
was a time variable, the cinematogra-
pher explains. The crew therefore set up
a wide shot, along with a side profile of
the truck to which the floating space-
ship could later be added in the back-
ground and a two-shot from the
truck bed. Close-ups were shot on-stage
at a later date.
Young mostly used Camtecs
customized Vintage Series Ultra Prime
lenses developed by Camtecs Kavon Lights are put into place for helicopter interiors shot onstage.
Elhami in Los Angeles. The lenses are
Arri/Zeiss Ultra Primes, but with re- was done on the 28mm. If the filmmak- open the movie and are sprinkled
coated glass elements that offer softer ers wanted to push in for detail, they throughout; Young shot these scenes
contrast and increased flare characteris- would grab a 40mm. We wanted to with Arris Alexa XT M. The cine-
tics. You get that beautiful creaminess shoot the whole film on the 20mm, he matographer held the camera head,
and flare [similar to] a Canon K-35, but recalls, but when we shot screen tests which was connected via 20' fiber cable
with the mechanics of Ultra Prime with Amy we realized it was way too to the body which, in turn, was
lenses, Young notes. He shot them aggressive on her. It didnt give us many mounted to a backpack frame worn by
wide open, which had 1st AC Dany options to be as close as we wanted. The dolly grip Patrice Lapointe, who
Racine, in the words of Rivers-Moore, 28mm got us in a little closer, and we felt followed Young. This setup allowed
pulling focus like a boss at a constant that was where she was best represented Young to freely track Adams and the
T1.9. in frame. actresses playing Hannah at different
Young estimates that up to 90 Emotionally evocative vignettes ages.
percent of the Vintage Ultra Prime work of Louise and her daughter, Hannah, After a couple of weeks of

www.theasc.com December 2016 67

 Universal Translator
Top: Thirty-two Mac Tech 960LS LED Sled fixtures were positioned on trusses behind a 72'x40'
sheet of seamless bleached muslin to create a massive single source in the alien ship and to
serve as the screen behind which the extraterrestrials appear. Bottom: The crew works onstage.
shooting, however, it became apparent
that these memory sequences were
falling short. Denis and I came out of a
dailies screening and it was eerily silent,
the cameraman recalls. The next morn-
ing, I get on the camera truck and Denis
is there getting an espresso, and Im
thinking, Somethings not right. He
said, Lets talk, man. We had a heart-
to-heart. This collaboration means so
much to us, and this film has so much
potential to be special. Lets be honest,
this [approach] isnt working. We
decided that those scenes had to be
treated very specifically, so we went back
and made adjustments. Maybe we
needed to be on one lens and get super-
close.
68 December 2016
Taking the latter notion to heart,
I got so close to Amy on some shots
that she was bumping her head on the
matte box, Young says with a laugh.
But she was so cool about it. She
understood what we were doing.
Young decided to work with
older Zeiss Super Speed lenses to create
a soft, retro look for these home-movie-
style sequences. He wound up using a
35mm at T1.3, allowing things to fall
out of focus and, as he says, embracing
the imperfect. The only lens filters used
throughout the production were NDs.
The memory vignettes were
exposed two stops under, while Young
was at least a stop under for the rest of
the production. With the Alexa,
American Cinematographer
underexpose as much as you can, he
advises with a chuckle. Its super-hard
to make that camera go to where you
cant get back information.
Vermette constructed a massive
set for much of the spaceships interior
in the old Dominion Bridge Company
factory in Lachine [Quebec, Canada],
commonly referred to as ADF, reports
Rivers-Moore. The set included an
enclosed 150' tunnel which, in the
movie, extends vertically from the
bottom of the ship to its center. Webers
team enters via scissor-lift and then
scales the tunnels anti-gravity walls,
which then open out into an 80'x70'
chamber. It is here that the aliens, semi-
shrouded in atmosphere behind the
main chambers large enclosure screen,
greet the humans. Bluescreen was
placed only at the tunnel opening for
extension and to show the ground
beneath the vessel. It was a dream to
have an actual ceiling on a set that huge,
with real movable walls and floors that
had the scraped texture of pumice
stone, Young says. Additional spaceship
interiors were captured at Mels Studios
in Montreal.
It was decided early on that no
lights would be built into the ship walls.
All illumination for the chamber and
tunnel came from the screen, behind
which the CG aliens appear. It was a
wonderful opportunity for me to keep
doing what Im doing, which is trying to
figure out ways to make single-source
lighting bigger, softer and better, Young
says.
The chambers source lighting
was provided by 32 Mac Tech 960LS
LED Sled fixtures each containing
24 4' daylight tubes positioned on
trusses behind the screen. In prep we
talked about the fact that its a spaceship,
so we should try futuristic, cutting-edge
lighting, explains gaffer Eames
Gagnon. So we said, Why dont we use
LEDs? Its the new generation of light-
ing.
The screen was formed from a
massive 72'x40' seamless bleached
muslin infused with fire-retardant
cotton that functioned as both a
 Universal Translator
practical set element and as diffusion.
For a scene in which Louise brazenly
removes her Hazmat suit and greets the
aliens by placing her hand on the screen,
the crew threw up Plexiglas to give her
something firmer to touch.
Additionally, they placed Full Grid
Cloth directly on the lights and another
72'x40' Full Grid on a truss 6' from the
screen for three layers of diffusion. You
could go up close to that screen and put
your hand in front of your face, and it
was still shadowless, Gagnon submits.
It was beautiful.
The lights were controlled from a
dimmer board. When the actors were at
the front of the tunnel, all of the lights
would be up at 100 percent, and as they
neared the screen, the output was
dimmed down to 20 percent. We had
hard, super-sharp light when they enter
the tunnel, which gave us lots of oppor-
tunity for falloff and to play with
contrast and no fill, Young says. As
they enter the chamber, metaphorically
it opens up, becoming gentler and more
delicate. It was difficult to figure out
how intense the light should become as
we got closer. Those are the challenges
when you have a structure bending light
in a particular way.
Most shots aboard the alien craft,
including close-ups, were taken via
Young, director crane and remote head; the occasional
Denis Villeneuve dolly work for these sequences became
and a stand-in high-maintenance maneuvers, with
work out a scene
in which the aliens massive rubber mats laid down to
bring Banks aboard protect the silicon floor. The majority of
their vessel. the rest of the movie was shot on a dolly
with an Aerocrane Jib Arm and remote
head. With the dolly work, we were
trying to be more procedural and
methodical, so we would have small,
delicate moves or none at all, Young
says.
Steadicam shots were incorpo-
rated very specifically. Peter Wilke came
in to operate for a couple of days on
scenes in the university where Louise
teaches, and Frdric Chamberland
handled the rest. The longest Steadicam
shot has Banks after arriving at the
base and seeing the spaceship for the
first time entering a busy, computer-

70 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Universal Translator
Cadieux Island, the crew had to carefully
coordinate the helicopters position with
visual-effects supervisor Louis Morin,
since Whitaker had a large bluescreen
The crew behind him and the chopper was a digi-
readies for a tal element added later.
shot of the
team, clad in I put in 7K and 4K xenon search-
hazmat suits, lights that I could pan in, Gagnon
boarding the recalls. We didnt have a lot of back-
spaceship via
scissor lift. space, because there was a tree 20 feet off
the front door and we had to go in front
of it. Then Brad was looking at the setup
and it didnt look right for him, so we
switched it. In the end, they opted to
push light into the house from a couple
heavy military tent in which personnel The helicopter is first seen approaching of Arri M40s deployed on dolly tracks to
scramble about. Here, the wandering outside Banks window, flooding her enable minor adjustments. Meanwhile,
camera was employed to evoke Banks bedroom with light. She runs to the three Solaris LED SoLED strobe lights
disorientation. front door and opens it to see Weber, a and three Martin Atomic flashes
While naturalism was nearly shadowy figure with the chopper glare provided a flashing effect on Adams.
always the goal, Young acknowledges in the background. For daytime shots in the house
that he embraced a movie light look Villeneuve came up with the idea seen at the beginning and end of the
for one key sequence early in the story, of tricking the viewer into initially movie the sun was the only light
when Weber lands a helicopter on thinking the lights were from a space- source. Blacks were placed in every out-
Banks lawn in the middle of the night. ship. Shooting at a lakefront home on of-frame corner to create contrast. In the

72
glass-heavy cottage, a window on one
side of Adams would be left wide open
as a key, while on the other side, a tiny
square of light would be allowed to pass
through for fill.
Gawler performed the final grade
at Mels in Montreal over the course of
two-plus weeks, coloring DPX files
with Blackmagic Design DaVinci
Resolve 11 on a Linux system. Joe
Walker edited the movie on an Avid,
with the post house providing him with
1920x1080 DNxHD 115 files letter-
boxed to 2.39:1.
Since Youngs wife had a baby on
the way, he and Gawler began a first
pass early on, before picture was locked
and most visual effects were finalized.
Joe Walker and Denis came in to
review, Gawler says. They were happy
with the overall mood but had specific
notes to help emulate a more saturated,
dreamy look in the memory scenes with
Louise and her daughter. Gawler
further recalls that he and Young
referred to Jean-Pierre Melvilles 1969
World War II drama Army of Shadows
to calibrate our eyes to a muted
palette.
Some of the greatest DI chal-
lenges related to the extraterrestrial visi-
tors. The aliens appear in a misty
environment, and for much of the film
remain mysterious and barely visible,
Gawler explains. We had to work
closely with the visual-effects team to
make sure we could see just enough
but not too much through the mist.
Sometimes we were able to achieve that
by adjusting the color, and other times
the visual-effects team would make
subtle adjustments.
Throughout production and
post, Young found Arrival to be an
invaluable learning experience. Indeed,
this foray into science fiction readied
him for his next project: the much-
anticipated and currently untitled
Han Solo Star Wars film directed by
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. To
prep for that project, Young has
decamped to London for a year.
Young advises that whenever
cinematographers feel unsure of
whether or not they are doing good
work, they should have faith in the
process and keep at it. I was very
worried, he admits. I wanted to do a
good job for this filmmaker whose work
means so much to me. It came later.
After four weeks of shooting, I pulled
up a shot for reference and thought,
Oh, thats interesting. The film grew
on us. And when we walked out, we
believed wed done our best.
TECHNICAL SPECS
Digital Capture
2.39:1
Arri Alexa XT, XT M
Camtec Vintage Series Ultra Prime,
Zeiss Super Speed
 A Date
With
Destiny
Caleb Deschanel, ASC trusts his
instincts while contributing to the
period atmosphere of director
Warren Beattys 1950s drama
Rules Dont Apply.
By Jay Holben
| fashion. Shuttling these women around town are a team of
I
Sn a darkened hotel room, an enigmatic billionaire sits
awkwardly across from an aspiring Hollywood starlet.
Engulfed in deep shadow, he says very little as he unfolds
the aluminum foil covering his TV dinner. Perplexed, she
nevertheless follows suit. This isnt what she had in mind
when she flew across the country to shoot a screen test.
The billionaire is the reclusive Howard Hughes, played
by Warren Beatty, an actor of comparable mystique; the starlet
is the young Marla Mabrey, a devoutly Baptist beauty queen
from Virginia portrayed by Lily Collins; and the feature is
Rules Dont Apply, which Beatty also wrote, produced and
74 December 2016 American Cinematographer
directed his first stint in the directors chair since 1998s
Bulworth. Opening with a title that reads, Never check an
interesting fact, Rules Dont Apply gleefully mixes history and
fiction as it spins a yarn of young love, sexual taboos and outsize
personality against a backdrop of old Hollywood.
The story follows Marla as she and her mother (Annette
Bening) arrive in Los Angeles and are whisked to a private
home in the Hollywood Hills, where they wait and wait,
and wait for Hughes to finally arrange the promised screen
test. Meanwhile, the aeronautics magnate, founder of his own
movie studio, has some 20-odd other women set up in similar
staff drivers, including Frank Forbes (Alden Ehrenreich), who
harbors his own dream, and hopes to get Hughes to invest in
a parcel of land off Mulholland Drive. Although Frank has
been specifically warned by his supervisor, Levar Mathis
(Matthew Broderick), to avoid any romantic entanglements
with Hughes coterie of actresses, he quickly falls for Marla.
Complicating matters, Hughes finally meets Marla and tries
to seduce her himself. In the late 1950s, the impropriety is
perilously scandalous.
In a quiet phone call with AC, Beatty offers that Marla
and Frank both come to Hollywood in 1958 and come face
to face with elements of transition, puritanism and
 Opposite: Marla
Mabrey (Lily
Collins) awaits her
long-delayed
meeting with the
mysterious mogul
Howard Hughes in
the feature Rules
Dont Apply. This
page, top: Hughes
(portrayed by
writer-director-
producer Warren
Beatty, right) enjoys
a burger with one
of his drivers, Frank
Forbes (Alden
Ehrenreich).
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Caleb Deschanel,
ASC (right) and 1st
AD Don Murphy
confer with Beatty
for a scene
featuring Hughes in
a body cast.

commercialization of what one might

call covert sexuality. In other words, its
a story about what I would call, sadly, the
commercial consequences of American
sexual puritanism as manifested in
film and television and show business.
As both a director and performer,
Beatty has worked with some of the top
cinematographers of the past half-
Unit photography by Franois Duhamel, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corp.

century, including ASC members

William A. Fraker (Heaven Can Wait),
Conrad L. Hall (Love Affair), Vilmos
Zsigmond (McCabe & Mrs. Miller),
Gordon Willis (The Parallax View),
Laszlo Kovacs (Shampoo), John A.
Alonzo (The Fortune), Allen Daviau
(Bugsy) and Vittorio Storaro (Reds, Dick
Tracy and Bulworth). For Rules Dont
Apply, he tapped another master
cinematographer: five-time Oscar
nominee and ASC Lifetime
Achievement Award honoree Caleb
Deschanel, ASC.
I felt that Caleb understood the
period, says Beatty. I always feel that
Caleb puts story first and doesnt want to
detract from whats happening in the
movie. He doesnt want the attention to
go to him or the photography; I dont
think hes ever guilty of the Im here, too
syndrome. He has a good story sense and
a good sense of humor, and hes a
pleasure to work with.
Deschanel recalls, I had been
hearing about the project for a number
of years before I actually started on it.
Everyone kept saying, We dont know if
its going to happen, but eventually it did
come together. By that point, Jeannine
Oppewall, the production designer, had
already been working on it for a couple
years.
I really loved the script and I was
excited to collaborate with Warren, he
continues. Warren is an enormously
talented person, and youre working with seen with a lot of Hollywood starlets. He
him in four different capacities: writer,
producer, director and star. I always knew
if [a conversation] had to do with the
budget, it was producer Warren; if he was
talking story, it was writer Warren. But
sometimes it was really hard to tell which
Warren you were talking to!
Its nearly impossible not to draw
some parallels between the actor-director
and the billionaire personality he portrays
in Rules Dont Apply. Theres no question
that there are similarities, Deschanel
concedes. Howard Hughes, at the age
of 18, took over his fathers company; he
was very much in the public eye and was
started his own movie company and
made movies of his own. Warren was a

www.theasc.com December 2016 75

 A Date With Destiny
big star at the age of 19, and then
continued on as a producer, writer and
director. Hes a powerhouse.
Warren has been a star-producer-
director for so long that youre dealing
with the legend as much as youre dealing
with a person making a movie, the
cinematographer continues. The best
thing to do is to ignore that as much as
you can and [focus] on where you need
to be, what you need to show, and what
needs to happen in the frame to tell the
story. I think its critical that you respect
the people you work with, but you also
have to have enough confidence to stand
up for the things that you believe in. For
the most part, Id say 90 percent of the
time, Warren would leave me to set up
the shot, and then he was happy with it.
But there was give and take, for sure.
He would also give the actors a
lot of freedom, Deschanel adds. He did
not give them a lot of notes; hed let them
figure it out. It was exciting for me to
watch him work with the actors and get
the performances. I was surprised he
didnt really dwell so much on himself.
He didnt look at playback really at all.
He would know that he wanted to do a
certain variety of things, and wed keep
rolling and do a few variations, and once
he was satisfied, that was it. It was great
that way. He didnt particularly seek out
anyones advice about, How was that?
Nevertheless, Deschanel notes,
Beatty did enjoy a certain degree of
contentiousness. He likes to have people
push back to some extent, the
cinematographer notes. He would
always want me to argue with him. But I
find that sometimes arguing a point and
being right isnt necessarily the same
thing. When it comes to something
creative, oftentimes a feeling or an
instinct is more valuable than being able
to explain it. I find its always better to
make a decision and try something
quickly to see if it works than it is to
ponder and discuss it. Most of the time I
can look at a particular scene after the
fact and come up with a reason why I did
Top: Frank greets Marla and her mother, Lucy (Annette Bening), upon their arrival in Los Angeles. something a certain way, but that doesnt
Middle: Marla and Frank enjoy a moment alone. Bottom: The crew prepares a process shot, with a mean that was what I understood at the
greenscreen positioned behind Franks car.
time. A lot of artistic creation is like that.

76 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 Frank commiserates with fellow driver Levar Mathis (Matthew Broderick).
You can intellectualize it after the fact,
and examine the sociological and
philosophical justifications, but that isnt
necessarily how you actually came to that
conclusion in the moment. I like the fact
that its a mystery. I dont want to
aggrandize the process, but its a bit like
some kind of divine inspiration.
Particularly with period films,
Deschanel asserts, Its better to go with
your instincts. I always find that by-the-
seat-of-your-pants is the most essential
way of making judgments as to whether
or not youre getting the right feel for the
story and the time period. If theres any
kind of litmus test for whether or not Im
getting it right, its if I get antsy when Im
watching dailies. If I dont feel like Im in
the moment there, thats the real litmus
test. Because Rules Dont Apply was shot
in Los Angeles, Deschanel was often
able to sit in on dailies sessions either
before call or after wrap with colorist
Jeremy Voissem at Technicolor
Hollywood.
I think the key to period films is
the imperfections, the cinematographer
continues. Things feel false when we
create an environment that is too perfect;
cars are too clean and streets are too clean
and the world has no messiness to it. [I
prefer] a kind of Star Wars aesthetic:
George Lucas created an outer space that
had exhaust trails on the back of the jets
and plumbing that dripped things like
that made the environments feel real,
which had not been done in previous
science-fiction movies.
Asked how he would define his
visual approach to the project, Beattys
answer reveals a similar penchant for
trusting ones instincts. I dont know
how to describe that, he submits. My
visual concept was that I wanted to make
it look the way that I wanted it to look.
My feeling about that is that youre either
in sync [with the cinematographer] or
youre not in sync. I like to adhere to what
I understand was Napoleons battle plan,
which is: First we go there, and then we
see what happens.
With period movies, Deschanel
adds, Youre putting [the audience] in
the period to tell a story about a character
that existed then or to give them a view
into a lifestyle that existed then. Rules
Dont Apply is a story [set] in the world
of the late Fifties and early Sixties that
just does not exist today. The mores of
people at that time are important to this
story.
Immediately transporting the
audience to that period, the feature opens
with stock footage of Hollywood from
the late 50s. We were excited to find
some really interesting stock footage that
became part of the story, Deschanel
recalls. We scoured the stock-footage
shots from all the studios, and we picked
the best. I remember arriving in Los
77
 A Date With Destiny
Top: Hughes demonstrates his piloting prowess alongside a nervous Col. Nigel Briggs
(Steve Coogan). Bottom: Camera operator P. Scott Sakamoto (sitting on ladder) keeps
watch as a crane maneuvers an Arri Alexa XT camera into position outside a cockpit set.
Angeles in the late 1960s, and it was very
much the same time as this footage.
There was the Pickwick bookstore and
billboards for airlines with prop planes
seeing this stock footage was like a
flashback to that time. Also, having done
research for other movies, Ive found that
if you look at some process footage from
the various periods, you see the way that
people behaved, walked and crossed
streets was very different then; it gives
you a real understanding of that period
of time. It was nice to have these
elements as a reminder of what things
looked like and felt like.
This stock footage was also used
78 December 2016
for background plates for process driving
shots that were captured on stage in front
of greenscreen at Sunset Gower Studios.
We did some of our own process plates,
but some of the key scenes were done
with these old stock plates, especially the
ones that really show the iconic sites,
Deschanel notes. Initially I wanted to
do the driving sequences live [on location
with the actors in a moving car] as much
as possible, and we did shoot one scene
live, when Lily takes over driving and
Alden gets in the backseat.
One of the disadvantages in using
stock plates for the process stuff was that
we got the plates after we shot the
American Cinematographer
greenscreen footage of the actors,
Deschanel continues. In the old days,
when you did process shots, you did rear
projection and you knew what was going
on. You had the footage running with the
actors and you could sync up your
lighting with everything that was
happening in the plates. We didnt have
that opportunity and, at first, it was
frustrating. But then I got into the idea
of it and thought, Why hide it? The
plates are so clearly plates of another era,
I went with the flow of it. Okay its
going to feel like a process shot. Its going
to be an element. We made it deliberate.
In a way, it was a tribute to Hollywood
from that era the way things were
done and the way they made things look
back then. Theres a certain kind of
heightened reality to it.
I love moving light, the
cinematographer adds. I really like to
have light amplify what is going on in the
minds of the characters, so in a lot of
ways, even though we did not know what
the plates would be like, we would use
the script and the emotion of the scene
as the motivation for the lighting. This
was particularly true at night where you
could have light move across the actors
faces at certain moments as if from
passing cars, etc. Colin Campbell, my ace
gaffer, and his whole team would man
lights by hand or put them on dollies,
adjust them with dimmers, or roll them
past different colored gels to imitate the
reality of cars passing, street lamps rolling
by, neon signs anything that might
alter what you see.
Deschanel elected to shoot Rules
Dont Apply with Arris Alexa XT
camera, which captured ArriRaw files to
Codex XR Capture Drives. Ive always
used the Alexa for digital projects, he
notes. Most of the film was shot with
two cameras, which the cinematographer
paired with Panavision Super Speed,
Ultra Speed and Primo lenses; the latter
were used for wide shots and scenes that
would require visual effects.
First AC Tommy Tieche offers,
The 35mm Super Speed had great color
[rendition] and held its focus well edge-
to-edge, so that was the go-to lens if it
 Flanked by Frank and longtime advisor Noah Dietrich (Martin Sheen), Hughes testifies
before Congress.
worked for a setup. Tieche adds that
Deschanel used rear nets on the lenses,
which the cinematographer describes as
old, very expensive Dior black stockings
that I really like and have had squirreled
away. They work really well behind the
lens.
If there were any issues with
flaring from the nets, Tieche adds,
[Deschanel would] switch to a [Tiffen]
Soft/FX or Glimmerglass filter and
sometimes he used both the filter and
nets.
Overall, Rules Dont Apply has a
very warm look. Deschanel says that in
addition to utilizing CTO on his lamps,
he often biases the color temperature
through the cameras white balance. I
take advantage of the fact that you can
adjust the digital camera to 2,800K,
5,600K, 7,000K or whatever, he says.
You can really play around with it and
have a lot of flexibility, though it doesnt
really do anything but make you see it
that way the bias is like timing in the
DI suite.
In terms of finding visual
references for the 1950s period,
Deschanel says he found more
inspiration in the eras television shows
than its movies. A lot of the movies of
that era were big epics like El Cid or films
like that, which were very different from
what we were doing.
The cinematographer also
revisited all of the films Beatty had
previously directed. Part of my process
with directors is to always be familiar
with their work and what theyve done
in the past, Deschanel explains. I get to
see if there are any patterns to their work
or anything that is obvious about their
style of storytelling. Its important to
know what directors have done and to be
familiar with them.
During his preproduction time
with Beatty, the cinematographer adds,
We really just discussed the script and
what feelings Warren wanted in each
scene we didnt look at a lot of
photographs or movies together. Our real
big discussion was how to lead an
audience into a world that no longer
exists and make it believable to them.
I always read the script at least 10
times before I go into production, the
cinematographer continues. And each
day, Id read a couple scenes before the
one were shooting to get a feel for what
the character knows at this point and
where weve been. Its all about the story,
and cinematography is all about serving
the story and being in the right place to
capture the actors performances. How
tight or wide do you need to be to
understand a certain type of emotion?
What is it about the performance is
it physical? Is it the way they say the
words? Is it the way their facial
expressions represent their emotions? All
79
 A Date With Destiny
those things are key elements, and they
determine how tight you need to be, or
how wide you need to be, or whatever the
point of view is.
What we do in the movies all
Top: A the work that goes into costumes and
disheveled props, set design and performances its
Marla pours
herself a drink.
all ephemeral, the cinematographer
Middle: Hughes muses. When its recorded on film or on
watches one of digital, that is where it gets its value. On
his films.
Bottom: Cast
its own, it doesnt mean anything. It only
and crew means something when the actors
capture a scene perform a scene and create a certain kind
in a darkened
hotel-room set.
of emotion, which they transmit through
their performances to the audience. That
moment is preserved by the camera. And
then you throw all the elements that were
an essential part of it away. The set is
revamped, the costumes go back into a
closet somewhere, the actors go on to
become other characters in other movies
and all those creations that went into
making you believe youre in the story
just evaporate. Its fascinating. Within the
frames of the movie is the only place
where all that energy and all that
manpower and all that creative spirit
lives! Its kind of unbelievable to think
about, but thats what we do when we
make movies.
Regarding the marked on-screen
darkness of most of the scenes featuring
the mysterious Hughes, Beatty offers,
That was Howard. Howard kept it dark.
He kept the lights low and wanted to
avoid being seen.
Asked how he lit for this dark
look, Deschanel explains, I found that if
we kept making the scene darker and
darker, it got duller. If youre projecting
the image in a theater [that is not
employing laser projection] and youre
only projecting black, it will look muddy
and gray. You need some kind of
highlight in there to trick the pupil to
close down so that the black looks
blacker. So we needed to pop things out
of the darkness to get rid of the dullness
pop light on his face, pop some flecks
of light, or amplify a lamp in the
background.
Working with the grip and electric
crews which were headed by key grip
Jerry C. Deats and gaffer Colin J.

80 December 2016 American Cinematographer

 A Date With Destiny
Deschanel and Sakamoto line up a night-exterior shot.
Campbell Deschanel explains, We
used Dedos [and] really sharp, really
bright, single-source lights, and we
basically had a spotlight concentrated
right on [Beattys] face, with lots of flags
and little circles and things to get exactly
what we wanted. Then we could darken
the image without it falling apart. I never
lit anything like that before.
When I have people in shadow, I
try to get a little something reflected in
the eye, the cinematographer continues.
Theres a scene in the film [shot on stage
with a Translight in the background]
where Howard finally discusses [Franks]
real-estate deal. We put Warren against a
daylight window where the sun is
creeping through and its pretty hot.
Then I kept Warren in the darkness, but
with a hard light in his eyes.
When I would try to figure out
how old movies were lit, Id always watch
the close-ups carefully to see what was
reflected in the eyes, he adds. How
many lights were there? How big was the
light? If you take a large source and shape
it, it can be beautiful. If you just blast
someone with a 10K, its like a Jerry
Lewis movie, but if you blast them with
a 10K and then start shaping it with
shadows, it becomes really exciting and
the eyes just pop and glisten.
As they entered into the final
digital grade with colorist Michael
Hatzer an ASC associate member
82 December 2016
at Technicolor in Hollywood,
Deschanel says that probably the biggest
difference of opinion he and Beatty had
was in regard to the darkness of the
Hughes scenes. Most directors want
things really bright, but Warren wanted
the dark scenes really dark, the
cinematographer recalls. We ended up
compromising to some extent. In the DI
session, we put in windows to brighten
certain areas of the frame. Thats the
thing about modern timing: You have so
much control over everything.
Hatzer worked with Autodesks
Flame Premium Lustre. There were
quite a few sequences in which Warren
wanted the scenes to look as dark as
possible, the colorist recalls. Caleb and
I felt the best approach would be to
selectively darken certain areas of the
image by using hand-drawn shapes to
create heavy vignetting and shading. We
would also work to enhance the existing
highlights on the walls and in the
background to create alternative sources
of directional light focused away from the
characters in order to trick the eye into a
heavier sense of darkness.
Working and grading with Caleb
came very easy to me because we both
come from the world of 35mm film and
completely understand the process and
language of photochemical timing,
Hatzer continues. We tried to work in
only printer points, density and contrast
American Cinematographer
on as much of the film as possible. This
technique allowed us to keep the true,
natural balance of colors throughout the
shadows, mid-tones and highlights in
order to re-create exactly what Caleb
intended on the day of the shoot.
Although this was shot digitally and
graded from ArriRaw log files, our goal
was to aim for a rich, classic film look. A
retro-style film emulation LUT created
by ASC associate member Josh Pines
helped us constrain the colors toward
that.
With his years-in-the-planning
project now in his rearview mirror, Beatty
has nothing but compliments for his
cinematographer. Caleb and I were
always very much in sync with the
simplicity of the style of shooting, and we
were very much in sync with not having
extraneous camera movement, the
director notes. I dont like to draw
attention to the way that people are being
shot or the way that people are being
clothed. I dont like to go on about those
things. The shot should speak for itself.
Same thing goes for the costume and
makeup and hair and all that stuff. Caleb
was great. I think he really understood.
He gets the joke.
For his part, Deschanel adds, I
love being in the presence of really
wonderful directors. I love figuring out
things with production designers how
you design a set so that you can light it
properly, how you build in practicals that
make it feel right for the atmosphere
youre trying to create. Thats all part of
the fun of the job that and
storytelling. Because at the end of the
day, thats really what matters: Did we tell
the story the best way we could?
TECHNICAL SPECS
1.85:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa XT
Panavision Super Speed,
Ultra Speed, Primo
 Filmmakers Forum
Elaine
(Samantha
Robinson)
uses
witchcraft in
her pursuit of
men,
sometimes
with fatal
results, in the
retro thriller
The Love
Witch.

I The Magic of Hard Lighting

By M. David Mullen, ASC
The Love Witch follows the romantic misadventures of Elaine
(Samantha Robinson), who uses witchcraft in her pursuit of men,
sometimes with fatal results. It could be described as a drama with
thriller and horror elements. Though set in modern times in a small
Taylor melodramas. Though soft lighting had crept into movies
around that period even Marnie has some semi-soft lighting at
times we stuck to more of a hard-lit 1950s approach. Color and
glamour are Billers particular visual obsessions, and the hard key-light
approach emphasizes both.
Biller has always been an advocate for shooting and finishing
on film, even when we were back at CalArts and many students used

Unit photography by Steve Dietl, courtesy of Oscilloscope.

town in Northern California, the style is thoroughly old-fashioned,
using visual aesthetics from the classic studio era of Hollywood.
I first met director Anna Biller when we were students at
CalArts in the early 1990s. We shared a love of old three-strip Techni-
color movies and I shot a 16mm short film for her in that style. Biller
is truly someone I would call a total filmmaker not only writing
and directing, but designing, building and painting her sets,
constructing props, sewing costumes, plus editing and scoring the
movie.
She asked me to shoot her latest feature in a retro style remi-
niscent of Alfred Hitchcocks color movies, in particular The Birds and
Marnie (both photographed by Robert Burks, ASC), which are also
tales that center around a glamorous but troubled woman arriving in
a new town. Other references were British horror films like Horror
Hotel and Dracula: Prince of Darkness, and some 1960s Elizabeth
video for convenience and cost reasons. She insisted on using 35mm
for this project and wanted to finish photochemically. This meant
shooting in standard 4-perf 35mm so that we could make a contact
print for release. We composed for 1.85:1 using an Arricam ST from
Otto Nemenz.
Today, ones choice in color-negative stock is limited to the four
types made by Kodak, and the single Kodak Vision 2383 print stock.
Even though standard 35mm Eastmancolor movies of the 1950s
have a somewhat coarse grain structure, Biller told me that she
wasnt interested in replicating any sort of grainy look, so in my mind,
we were aiming for the smoother look of past three-strip Technicolor
or VistaVision movies. I decided to shoot most of the production on
Kodak Vision3 200T 5213 stock, but rated at 100 ASA in order to get
very high printer-light values, which in turn would give the print a rich
look with deeper blacks and stronger color saturation. A few scenes

84 December 2016 American Cinematographer

had to be shot on Kodak Vision3 250D 5207
stock for practical reasons, but it matched
the look of 200T fairly well. If Vision Premier
2393 print stock still existed, I probably could
have overexposed the stock less heavily and
still gotten that Technicolor look we wanted.
We talked about whether to use
optics from the 1960s such as Baltars or
Panchros, but it was important to Biller that
the colors she used for the sets and
costumes were captured as accurately as
possible with maximum saturation, and
some of those older lenses have a color bias
to them or a loss of contrast. Also, because I
planned on using diffusion filters to re-create
the glamorous close-ups of the era, I didnt
want to start out with lenses that were too
soft. In the end we used Zeiss Super Speeds
with a few Standard Speeds mixed in. I also
occasionally used a 24-290mm Angenieux
Optimo, mainly for a few shots where I had
to zoom into an extreme close-up. I felt that
the modern Optimo actually matched the
look of the Super Speeds better than an
older zoom would, plus most of those
zooms are a T4 wide-open, whereas the
Optimo is a T2.8. Since I was rating the film
at 100 ASA, I needed 100 footcandles just to
get a T2.8, which became the base stop for
most of my interiors. Bumping everything up
to 200 footcandles just to be able to use a T4
zoom now and then would have been frus-
trating and time-consuming, though cine-
matographers of the past had to deal with
this all the time.
We spent the first two weeks on
stage and then went on location after that.
The sets were all lit with classic tungsten Fres-
nel lamps, often a direct 2K Junior as a key in
wide shots; a 1K or 650-watt Tweenie was
bright enough for the closer coverage. On
the second day, I tried using a 2K Zip as a key,
which looked quite good and was in
keeping with 60s-era techniques but I
dropped that approach by the end of the day
as not being hard and crisp enough. The only
area in which I cheated regarding the
hard-light style was in the use of fill, since
thats a light thats not supposed to be seen,
only felt. Even an older movie would have
used something like spun glass on a large
scoop light for a softer fill, so I didnt feel it
was inappropriate to bounce lights off of
whiteboard, or occasionally use a 1'x1' LED
Litepanel next to the lens.

Above:
Cinematographer
M. David Mullen,
ASC lines up the
camera for a
spell. Right:
Mullen measures
the light on
Robinson for a
bedroom scene.
One thing that concerned me once
we left the stage was the location shooting,
because I had some daytime locations where
I could not gel the windows to 3,200K. I
dislike using HMI Pars as hard key lights
unless they are very far away, like outside a
window. Up close, they produce an odd
shadow pattern that can only be improved
by softening the light. The daylight-balanced
solution was to use the new Mole-Richard-
son LED Fresnels, which allowed me to keep
the classic hard key-light look that only a
Fresnel lens can give you. They also have a
number of modern advantages, pulling less
power and putting out less heat than tung-
sten lighting does.
Biller had done a number of color
illustrations of her set designs, and one idea
I had was to reinforce the colors by using
colored lighting in the background, some-
times splashing pink light onto pink table-
cloths, blue light onto blue curtains, etc. In
keeping with classic aesthetics, I avoided
colored light on the faces whenever possible.
86 December 2016
There were some drug-induced
visions in the story that we created in-
camera for example, I used a kaleido-
scope lens for one shot, and for a number
of others, a plastic diffraction filter that
created rainbow streaks around practical
light sources in frame. I also created a red
vignette by cutting out an oval in a red party
gel that was then taped to the matte box.
The combination of Zeiss Super
Speeds, hard lighting and 200T stock
created quite a sharp image that needed
some diffusion to achieve the romantic
close-ups we desired. I had some nets
stretched onto filter frames; the lightest
effect was from a black tulle material I found
in a fabric store. I had some Dior and Fogal
nets as well, but they were only used on very
tight close-ups, as well as for a few fantasy
moments and flashbacks. I sometimes
combined the light black tulle with a Schnei-
der Classic Soft filter. For a separate story arc
involving a police investigation, I mostly just
used a mild Tiffen Soft/FX filter to take the
American Cinematographer
edge off so the sharpness didnt jump out
compared to the romantic look of Elaines
scenes.
We shot for a couple of days in
Eureka, Calif., to establish our small-town
setting, along with gathering footage to be
rear-projected on stage when we got back
for some process driving shots. The plates
were just shot with a little Sony NEX-6
camera which records to the AVCHD
codec using SD cards and then on stage,
the files were fed from a laptop into a 15K-
lumens LCD projector. The rear-projection
screen was 12'x6', and I ended up with
enough exposure to shoot at T2 using 250D
stock (chosen because of the color tempera-
ture of the projector lamp). I didnt feel that
it was important to shoot the plates on
35mm film since the image on the screen
would not be in sharp focus behind the
actress in the car.
FotoKem performed the processing;
their dailies colorist was Christian Soleta,
who delivered hi-def ProRes LT files for edit-
ing. The final print timer at FotoKem was Jim
Williams, and the lab work was supervised
by ASC associate Mark van Horne. FotoKem
made a color-timed interpositive after
answer printing was finished; this IP was
scanned at 2K for the DCP by Cinelicious
using their Lasergraphics ScanStation.
During the answer printing, Biller was
a stickler about getting the color right, and
though she has done this before, I think it
was hard for her to be limited to simple RGB
printer-light corrections sometimes we
and the timer talked about whether a single-
point correction was going to be too much
or not enough to get the color just right.
I think the main thing I rediscovered
in post was how much contrast there is
how dense the blacks are when you
print a movie from the original negative at
high printer lights. The look is much richer
than what most digital projection can
achieve today. We did find that in the photo-
chemical prints, maybe the greens werent
as saturated as with the digital version, and
the deeper blacks came at the expense of
some loss of shadow detail, but in general I
think the 35mm print that is playing in festi-
vals is closer to the Technicolor feeling that
the movie wanted to express than the DCP
will be.
 New Products & Services
Red Launches Helium 8K Sensor
Red Digital Cinema recently visited
the ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood to
showcase the newly unveiled Red Epic-
W and Red Weapon cameras with the
companys Helium 8K S35 sensor,
which allows for higher resolution in an
S35 frame while maintaining the
dynamic range found in the Red
Dragon sensor. Both cameras feature
the compact DSMC2 form factor.
The Epic-W 8K S35 camera
captures 8K full-frame motion at up to 30 fps, produces ultra-
detailed 35.4 megapixel stills, and offers Super 35 lens coverage; the
camera is capable of fast data speeds up to 275MB/s. The camera
Brain is priced at $29,500.
The Weapon 8K S35 is the latest option in Reds Weapon line
of cameras. The Weapon 8K features data speeds up to 300MB/s,
the ability to capture 8K full-frame motion at up to 60 fps, and a
sensor upgrade path to the Red Dragon 8K VV. It is available for the
same price as the Weapon 6K with Red Dragon sensor, at $49,500
for the Brain.
Red also announced special pricing on these new cameras
for registered Red camera owners as well as those that have
placed a deposit for Red Raven and Scarlet-W starting at
$14,500. Full eligibility details are available at www.red.com.
Additionally, Red has announced an improved image-
processing pipeline, including new color science. These improve-
ments will be available in-camera on all Brains with a Helium sensor,
and will be available in postproduction to all footage shot on Red
cameras. The new image-processing pipeline will be made available
via free firmware and software upgrades.
All of Reds DSMC2 cameras offer excellent dynamic range
with the ability to record simultaneous Redcode Raw and Apple
ProRes or Avid DNxHD/HR. The cameras also adhere to the
companys dedication to obsolescence obsolete, a core operating third-party manufacturers.
principle that allows current Red owners to upgrade their technol-
ogy as innovations are unveiled and move between camera systems
without having to purchase entirely new gear.
For additional information, visit www.red.com.
Angenieux, Band Pro, Jebsen Partner for EZ Lens Series
Thales Angenieux, in collaboration with Band Pro Film & Digi-
tal and Jebsen Industrial Technology Co., has announced the Ange-
nieux Type EZ Series, which currently comprises two fast and light-
weight zoom lenses that integrate a modular design based on Inter-
changeable Rear Optics (IRO) technology. Designed for both Super
35mm and FF/VistaVision digital motion-picture cameras, the Type
88 December 2016 American Cinematographer
SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Please e-mail New Products/Services releases to
newproducts@ascmag.com and include full contact
information and product images. Photos must be
TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.
EZ series combines the flexibility necessary for run-and-gun shooting
with high optical qual-
ity at an affordable
price.
Both lenses in
the Type EZ Series allow
the rear lens group to
be exchanged between
Super 35mm (up to
30mm image diagonal)
and VistaVision (up to
46mm image diagonal). The Type EZ-1 is a standard zoom lens with
a zoom factor of 3x. When configured for S35 cameras, the focal
range and aperture are set to 30-90mm (T2); by exchanging the rear
lens group, the lens becomes a 45-135mm (T3), covering an image
circle up to 46mm diagonal. The Type EZ-2 is a wide zoom lens with
a zoom factor of 2.7x. When configured for S35 cameras, the focal
range and aperture are set to 15-40mm (T2); by exchanging the rear
lens group, the lens becomes a 22-60mm (T3), covering an image
circle up to 46mm diagonal.
Both lenses are built in a full metal casing with internal ther-
mal drift compensation, which allows focus to remain constant
when the temperature changes. Focus, zoom and iris can be
controlled precisely due to the wide rotation angle of the three
control rings, which are also equipped with standard cinema-indus-
try gear teeth. The lens size remains consistent across the zoom
range due to the internal focusing and zooming mechanism. Users
can easily configure these lenses to support different imaging
formats and different lens mounts PL, EF or E on their own,
without returning their lenses to service centers.
Full-frame EZ zooms will cover Red 8K VV and Red cameras
recording at resolutions higher than 5.5K, Arri Alexa Open Gate, Arri
Alexa 65 with VistaVision crop, and full-frame DSLR cameras such as
Sonys a7S Mark II and Canons EOS 5D Mark IV. Detachable ENG-
style zoom servo grips and other accessories are being developed by
Deliveries are expected to start from the first quarter of 2017
through selected distribution partners. Preorders can be made by
contacting Band Pros sales representatives.
For additional information, visit www.angenieux.com,
www.bandpro.com and www.jebsenindustrial.com.
Digital Sputnik Streamlines Lighting Control
Digital Sputnik has announced the DS Flow modular light-
grading and fixture-management software suite. The system offers
an intuitive toolset-based software solution for multicolored lighting
fixtures on any size of production, from a single lighting unit up to
thousands of fixtures. DS Flow supports sACN E1.31, Artnet, OSC
 and MIDI protocols. DS
Flow will be available for
iOS, Android, Windows
and OSX.
Telecine &
Digital Sputnik manu- Color Grading
factures a modular LED
lighting platform for the
Jod is a true artist with
content-creation industry.
a great passion for his craft.
John W. Simmons, ASC
The DS Control light-
grading application Contact Jod @ 310-713-8388
allows cinematographers Jod@apt-4.com
to grade the lights to achieve the desired
look using a color-wheel-based toolset. This
approach allows the production to work in
a visual environment, taking the guesswork
out of lighting.
For additional information, visit
www.digitalsputnik.com.

Sigma Announces Cine Lenses

The Sigma Corp. recently visited the
ASC Clubhouse in Hollywood to present its
newly announced line of Sigma Cine lenses,
which are compatible with the latest high-
resolution digital cinema cameras.
Sigma has developed its own
production system by establishing the
required technology for mass production of
high-performance lenses for ultra-
megapixel shooting. For the first phase of
the companys entry into the cinematogra-
phy market, Sigma will release two zoom
lenses in Japan and the USA for EF- and E-
mount camera systems. Then, another
zoom lens and five prime lenses will be
released to the market beginning in 2017.
Sigma plans to develop additional zoom
and prime lenses, and add support for PL-
mount camera systems.
Sigmas High Speed Zoom Line
currently comprising 18-35mm and 50-
100mm lenses offers
compact construction
and a constant aperture
of T2 throughout the
zoom range, and the
optical performance is
ready for shooting 6K and
8K resolutions. The FF
Zoom Line, which
currently comprises the
24-35mm (T2.2) zoom, is
compatible with a full-frame
image circle, and like the High Speed Zoom
Line is 6K- and 8K-ready; the FF Zoom is not

89
 available in PL mount. Sigmas lineup of five
FF High Speed Prime lenses currently
comprises 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 50mm
and 85mm focal lengths; all five primes are
T1.5 and are compatible with full-frame
sensors.
Each Sigma Cine lens model is
weatherproof and has luminous paint mark-
ings to aid in changing and operating the
lens in the dark. The lenses tout a long focus
rotation of 180 degrees guided by cams for
smooth operation and accuracy. The Cine
lens design features standardized essentials
such as an 82mm front for ND filters, a
95mm front diameter for matte-box use,
and standard gear positions for accessories
such as follow focus. They also include a
manual linear iris control and electronic
mounts that provide vital camera metadata.
Each lens is manufactured and inspected in
the Sigma factory in Aizu, Japan.
For additional information, visit
www.sigmaphoto.com.
Triptent Propels Robic
Camera System
Advertising, production and technol-
ogy company Triptent has introduced Robic,
a custom-developed robotic arm system
designed for high-speed cinematography.
Robic is a fully programmable camera arm
that allows for precise, exact movement up
to 105 mph to capture motion in laser-sharp
focus at up to 2,500 fps. The Robic system
is now available for productions exclusively
through Triptent, and is compatible with
professional cameras including Vision
Researchs Phantom HD and Flex 4K, Reds
Epic, and Arris Alexa Mini.
Robic is built around a set of sophis-
ticated robotic arms developed by world
robotics leader Staubli; the arms were then
90 December 2016
custom engineered via a software toolset
written by director-technologist-inventor
Fernando Kocking to specifically service
high-speed cinematography workflows.
Robic is ideal for capturing not only table-
top and product footage, but also people
and objects, enabling new possibilities in
sports, performance, automotive, beauty
and lifestyle shoots.
The current Robic setup includes
four motion-control arms, all fully synchro-
nized to capture a shot with ultimate preci-
sion even though it may just be a millisec-
ond in time. Two of the robotic arms,
together with the custom Robic software,
are designed to control cameras, and two
are designed to control objects. The
camera-control arms can be used alone, or
can be programmed to follow the move-
ments of an object mounted on another
Robic arm for perfectly synced capture. The
system has also been designed so that
camera arms can be controlled and
programmed simply via a videogame
controller, significantly reducing prep time.
The Robic system is transportable
and can be set up on a stage or on location,
and is already in use on commercial
projects.
For additional information,
visit www.robicteam.com and
www.triptent.com.
Birns & Sawyer, Cineroid
Offer Flexible LED
Birns & Sawyer now offers the
Cineroid FL400S a high-CRI, bi-color,
flexible LED light panel.
Built with surface-mounted LEDs for
higher power output and a wider beam
angle, the FL400S offers flicker-free perfor-
ear models are available, each boasting a
American Cinematographer
mance and a CRI of 94. Measuring only
9.5"x9.5" and weighing only .33 pounds
without the bracket, the light is small
enough to fit in a kit bag. A lockable control
interface adjusts the color temperature
between 2,700K and 6,500K and bright-
ness from 0-100 percent; at full output, the
fixture draws only 65 watts and can provide
2,100 lux at 3'. The fixture is DMX-compat-
ible for larger, more complex and controlled
lighting setups. The FL400S also includes a
" mount on the back. An optional V-
mount battery plate is available.
The Cineroid FL400S kit from Birns &
Sawyer includes the waterproof LED panel,
the main control box, an AC power adapter,
a soft diffuser, and an X-bracket with spigot
mount.
For additional information, visit
www.birnsandsawyer.com.
Eartec Enhances On-Set
Communication
Eartec Co. has introduced UltraLite
full duplex systems, which provide instanta-
neous voice communication to demanding
production crews. The Ultra-
Lite systems include a
compact transceiver
installed inside the
earcup, so they do not
require belt-pack
radios. The system
allows users to
communicate
simultaneously, just
like on a regular tele-
phone, while leaving their
hands totally free.
The UltraLite system is available in
two versions. The Standard series utilizes
one base headset with up to three addi-
tional remote units without a base station.
The Hub series features a wearable mini
base station that expands the capacity to
seven crew members. Both versions feature
Digital Enhance Cordless Technology for a
range of 400 yards. The microphone swivels
270 degrees and is muted when the boom
is positioned straight up. Single- and dual-
comfortable mid-weight design.
For additional information, visit
www.eartec.com.
International Marketplace

92 December 2016 American Cinematographer

Classifieds
SERVICES AVAILABLE
DoP/GAFFER WITH IMPRESSIVE TRUCK
AND CAMERAS
ALEXA, C300, ZEISS, FLYPACK WITH 5
VARICAMS
M18, SKYPANEL, HONDA 7000IS
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EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion, Polas etc. A
Good Box Rental 818-763-8547
HOLLYWOOD STUDIO ANTIQUES
www.CinemaAntiques.com
BUY-SELL-TRADE
Worlds SUPERMARKET of USED MOTION
PICTURE EQUIPMENT! Buy, Sell, Trade.
CAMERAS, LENSES, SUPPORT, AKS &
MORE! Visual Products, Inc. www.visual-
products.com Call 440.647.4999
MISCELLANEOUS
Assistant Professor, Cinematography and Film
Production
School of Film, Dance and Theatre
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Arizona State University
The School of Film, Dance and Theatre in the
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at
Arizona State University seeks an Assistant Professor of
Cinematography and Film Production to teach under-
graduate classes in narrative filmmaking, including
feature films, television and/or documentary. Practical
application of skills and technology through hands-on
production experiences; and ethical film and media-
making practices.
Deadline is December 1, 2016; if not filled, every
two weeks thereafter until search is closed.
For complete qualification/application information, see
https://filmdancetheatre.asu.edu/about/employment
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal Contrac-
tor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be consid-
ered without regard to race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran
status, or any other basis protected by law.
See ASUs complete non-discrimination statement at
https://asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html. See
ASUs Title IX policy at
https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.
www.theasc.com
MISCELLANEOUS
Assistant Professor, Sound Design for Film
School of Film, Dance and Theatre
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
Arizona State University
The School of Film, Dance and Theatre in the
Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts at Arizona
State University seeks and Assistant Professor of
Sound Design for Film to teach undergraduate
classes in narrative filmmaking, including feature
films, television and/or documentary. Practical appli-
cation of skills and technology through hands-on
production experiences; and ethical film and media-
making practices
Deadline is December 1, 2016; if not filled, every
two weeks thereafter until search is closed.
For complete qualification/application information,
see
https://filmdancetheatre.asu.edu/about/employment
Arizona State University is a VEVRAA Federal
Contractor and an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative
Action Employer. All qualified applicants will be
considered without regard to race, color, sex,
religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran
status, or any other basis protected by law.
See ASUs complete non-discrimination statement at
https://asu.edu/aad/manuals/acd/acd401.html. See
ASUs Title IX policy at
https://www.asu.edu/titleIX/.
December 2016 93
 Advertisers Index
AC 93 Eastman Kodak C4 Samys DV & Edit 39, 41
Adorama 55, 69 ECU Film Festival 85 Schneider Optics 2
Alan Gordon Enterprises 93 Filmotechnic 79 Shape 62
Amazon Studios 11, 21 F.J. Westcott 77 Sony Pictures Classics 49
Arri 43, 61 Fluotec 8 Sony Pictures Entertainment 9
ASC Master Class 89 Focus Features 5, 19, 29 Super16, Inc. 92
ASC Film Manual 72 Fox Searchlight 13 Technicolor Content &
B&H Photo-Video-Pro Audio G-Technology/HGST 81 Theatrical Services 87
83 Teradek, LLC C2-1
Backstage Equipment, Inc. Hexolux/Visionsmith 92 Thelight Luminary for
8 Horita Company Inc 93 Cine and TV, S.L. 48
Blackmagic Design 33 Jod Soraci 89 Tiffen 59
Cavision Enterprises 92 Kino Flo 63 UCLA Health MPTF (Motion
Chapman/Leonard Picture and TV Fund) 91
Studio Equip. 71 Lights! Action! Co. 92
Walt Disney Studios 17
Cinebags, Inc. 93 Manfrotto Distribution 47 Warner Bros. 15, 27
Cinematography Mole-Richardson/Studio Willys Widgets 92
Electronics 85 Depot 92 www.theasc.com 72, 94
Cinekinetic 92 Movie Tech AG 93
Cooke Optics 57
Nila, Inc. 8
CW Sonderoptic Gmbh C3
P+S Technik Feinmechanik
Deck of Aces 93
Gmbh 93
Digital Sputnik Lighting
Panasonic System
Systems 45
Communications Co. 31
Duclos Lenses 85
Panther Gmbh 73
Paramount Pictures 7, 22-23
Pille Filmgeraeteverleih
Gmbh 92
Powermills 92
Pro8mm 92

94
 2016 Index
by Cinematographer, Project Title, Format, Subject and Author

Compiled by Christopher Probst

3D Independence Day: Wiegand, Lisa, Aug. p. 88 Captain America:

Billy Lynns Long Resurgence, July p. 44 ASC Master Class, Oct. Civil War, June p. 38
Halftime Walk, Infiltrator, The, Aug. p. 24 p. 66 Carmody, Ryan, April p. 14
Dec. p. 34 Macbeth, Jan. p. 70 Ash vs Evil Dead, Carvalho, ASC, ABC,
Invisible, Oct. p. 54 Monster Calls, A, Nov. p. 30 Lula, Feb. p. 94
Jungle Book, The, Nov. pp. 62, 66 Bader, Eric, June p. 14 Cavill, John, Nov. p. 30
May p. 32 Neon Demon, The, Bailey, ASC, John, Nov. Cernjul, ASC, HFS, Vanja,
Kubo and the Two July pp. 30, 36 p. 86 Sept. p. 112
Strings, Sept. p. 52 Nice Guys, The, Barrett, ASC, Michael, Jan. Chaubal, Naveen, Jan. p. 14
11.22.63, April p. 20 June p. 72 p. 114 Chediak, ASC, Enrique,
35MM (SUPER 35MM LISTED Panic! at the Disco, Batman v Superman: Oct. p. 42
SEPARATELY) Death of a Bachelor, Dawn of Justice, Clark, ASC, Curtis, Oct. p. 20
Batman v Superman: June p. 14 April p. 72 Cohen, BSC, Danny, Jan.
Dawn of Justice, Petes Dragon, Sept. p. 36 Bazelli, ASC, Bojan, p. 82
April p. 72 Race, March p. 44 Sept. p. 36 Containment, May p. 67
Black Angel, Feb. p. 14 Star Trek Beyond, Beascoechea, ASC, Frank, Cragg, Nelson, May p. 67
Love Witch, The, Dec. Aug. p. 30 Sept. p. 111 Crudo, ASC, Richard, Oct.
p. 84 Star Wars: The Force Beautiful Planet, A, p. 66
Son of Saul, Jan. p. 28 Awakens, Feb. p. 50 June p. 56 Cundey, ASC, Dean, July
Star Wars: The Force Swiss Army Man, Blanger, CSC, Yves, May p. 87
Awakens, Feb. p. 50 Aug. p. 52 p. 46 Danish Girl, The, Jan. p. 82
65MM Tulip Fever, Sept. p. 66 Bennett, ASC, Bill, March Darby, ASC, David, Oct. p. 66
Batman v Superman: Anderson, ASC, Jamie, p. 70, Oct. p. 66 Davis, Elliot, Nov. p. 40
Dawn of Justice, April p. 120 Berlin Metanoia, Sept. Dean, Bentley, Sept. p. 28
April p. 72 Anderson, ASC, Peter, p. 14 Deepwater Horizon, Oct.
Star Wars: The Force Oct. p. 88 Berlin Station, Nov. p. 24 p. 42
Awakens, Feb. p. 50 Apuzzo, Jason, Jan. p. 14 BFG, The, Aug. p. 72 Deming, ASC, Peter, July
Accountant, The, Arkapaw, Adam, Jan. p. 70 Bigazzi, Luca, Jan. p. 20 p. 58
Nov. pp. 50, 54 Aron, Joel, Feb. p. 20 Billy Lynns Long Demolition, May p. 46
Ackroyd, BSC, Barry, Arrival, Dec. p. 64 Halftime Walk, Deschanel, ASC, Caleb,
Aug. p. 42 ASC CLOSE-UP Dec. p. 34 Dec. p. 74
Alice Through the Anderson, Jamie, April Birth of a Nation, The, Destiny, Nov. p. 72
Looking Glass, p. 120 Nov. p. 40 DIRECTORS INTERVIEWED
June p. 86 Anderson, Peter, Oct. BLACK-AND-WHITE Abrams, J.J., Feb. p. 42
Allied, Dec. p. 50 p. 88 Panic! at the Disco, Bagans, Zak, April p. 28
American West, The, Cernjul, Vanja, Sept. Death of a Beatty, Warren, Dec.
July p. 24 p. 112 Bachelor, June p. 14 p. 74
ANAMORPHIC Fraser, Greig, Feb. p. 96 Black Angel, Feb. p. 14 Bell, Otto, Sept. p. 22
11.22.63, April p. 20 Goodich, Frederic, Blaschke, Jarin, March Bradley, Jack, Aug. p. 12
Alice Through the June p. 120 p. 20 Butler, Martin, Sept. p. 28
Looking Glass, Hurlbut, Shane, July Bloodline, May p. 58 Christian, Roger, Feb.
June p. 86 p. 88 Bogdanski, Hagen, Nov. p. 24 p. 14
Batman v Superman: Klein, David, May p. 96 Braier, ADF, Natasha, July Chu, Jon M., July p. 58
Dawn of Justice, Levy, Peter, Jan. p. 116 p. 30 Clark, ASC, Curtis, Oct.
April p. 72 Moss, Peter, March Bryld, Eigil, Sept. p. 66 p. 20
Black Angel, Feb. p. 14 p. 88 Burgess, ASC, Don, Dec. Collet-Serra, Jaume,
Captain America: Civil Varese, Checco, Dec. p. 50 July p. 18
War, June p. 38 p. 104 Campbell, Tod, Nov. p. 20 Dean, Bentley, Sept.
Hell or High Water, Walker, Mandy, Nov. Capo, ASC, Gary, Feb. p. 94 p. 28
Aug. p. 18 p. 88

www.theasc.com December 2016 95

 Doremus, Drake, Aug.
p. 64
Ealer, John, July p. 24
Eggers, Robert, March
p. 20
Ernest, Alec, April p. 14
Favreau, Jon, May
pp. 32, 40
Filoni, Dave, Feb. p. 20
Furman, Brad, Aug. p. 24
Hankoff, Alexander,
March p. 14
Hauck, Dennis, May
p. 26
Howard, Ron, Jan. p. 54
Irritu, Alejandro FILMMAKERS FORUM
Gonzlez, Jan. p. 36
Kaechele, Ralph, Nov.
p. 24
Knight, Travis, Sept. p. 52
Kwan, Daniel, Aug. p. 52
Lee, Ang, Dec. p. 34
Lin, Justin, Aug. p. 30
Lowery, David, Sept.
p. 36
Maxwell, Alexander,
March p. 14
Naishuller, Ilya, May
p. 20
Nemes, Lszl, Jan. p. 28 Fraser, ASC, ACS, Greig,
Parker, Nate, Nov. p. 40
Refn, Nicolas Winding,
July p. 30
Russo, Anthony, June p. 38
Russo, Joe, June p. 38
Scheinert, Daniel, Aug.
p. 52
Snyder, Zack, April p. 72
Soria, Mel, June p. 14
Spottiswoode, Roger,
Dec. p. 28
Stillman, Whit, June p. 28
Valle, Jean-Marc,
May p. 46
Zemeckis, Robert, Dec.
p. 50
DOCUMENTARIES
American West, The,
July p. 24
Beautiful Planet, A,
June p. 56
Eagle Huntress, The,
Sept. p. 22
Ghost Adventures,
April p. 28
Nocturnes, April p. 14
Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF, Helenek, Michael, July
Anthony, Jan. p. 54 p. 12
Dryburgh, ASC, NZCS, Hell or High Water, Aug.
Stuart, June p. 86 p. 18
Eagle Huntress, The, High-Rise, June p. 22
Sept. p. 22 HISTORICAL
Empire, Oct. p. 30 Black Angel Strikes
Engstrom, John, Oct. p. 54 Back, Feb. p. 14
Equals, Aug. p. 64 Hlinomaz, Petr, Dec. p. 24
Erdly, HSC, Mtys, Jan. Hurlbut, ASC, Shane, July
p. 28 p. 88
Everything Will Be Okay, IMAX
May p. 14 Batman v Superman:
Faura, scar, Nov. pp. 62, 66 Dawn of Justice,
Fernandez, Bill, May p. 26 April p. 72
Beautiful Planet, A,
The Magic of Hard June p. 56
Lighting, Dec. p. 84 Star Wars: The Force
Seeing the Light in Awakens, Feb. p. 50
Life, Aug. p. 74 Independence Day:
Stories From the Ute Resurgence, July p. 44
Mountain Youth, Infiltrator, The, Aug. p. 24
Nov. p. 72 IN MEMORIA
Vision of a Better Beascoechea, ASC,
World, Sept. p. 86 Frank, Sept. p. 111
Fong, ASC, Larry, April p. 72 Birchard, Robert S.,
Frderer, BVK, Markus, Aug. p. 86
July p. 44, Oct. p. 20 Goodich, ASC, Frederic,
Franco, David, March p. 33 Nov. p. 84
Gunter, ASC, Rick F.,
Feb. p. 96 Dec. p. 102
Garbett, Dave, Nov. p. 30 Keslow, Milton, March
Germain, Raoul, Sept. p. 86 p. 87
Get Down, The, Oct. p. 24 Radin, Phil, June p. 118
Ghost Adventures, April Rosher Jr., ASC, Charles,
p. 28 Jan. p. 115
Goldman, ASC, ABC, Thorin Sr., ASC, Don,
Adriano, Oct. p. 86 May p. 93
Gomoll, Frederick, Dec. p. 14 INSTRUCTIONAL
Gonzalez, ASC, Dana, Sept. Practical Optics: Testing
p. 110, Nov. p. 86 Different Sensor
Goodich, ASC, Frederic, Sizes, April p. 90
June p. 120, Sept. p. 78, Student Perspectives,
Nov. p. 84, Dec. p. 103 Oct. p. 66
Graves, Kevin M., July p. 24 International
Greene, ASC, CSC, David, Cinematography Summit,
Sept. p. 110 Sept. p. 78
Guleserian, John, Aug. p. 64 In the Heart of the Sea,
Gunter, ASC, Rick F., Dec. Jan. pp. 54, 64
p. 102 Invisible, Oct. p. 54
Hankoff, Alexander, Jason Bourne,
March p. 14 Aug. pp. 42, 46
Hap and Leonard, May Jessica, Aug. p. 12
p. 62 Johnson, ASC, Shelly,
Hardcore Henry, May Oct. p. 66
p. 20
Jungle Book, The, May
pp. 32, 40
Kaechele, Ralph, Nov. p. 24
Kapinos, Pasha, May p. 20
Kaptur, Vsevolod, May p. 20
Katznelson, BSC, DFF,
David, April p. 20
Klein, ASC, David, May
p. 96
Kryo, Dec. p. 14
Kubo and the Two
Strings, Sept. p. 52
Labiano, Flavio, July p. 18
Lachman, ASC, Ed, Feb.
p. 94, March p. 87,
May p. 94, Oct. p. 86
Lawford, Ann Evelin, Dec.
p. 28
Legato, ASC, Rob, May
p. 32
Levy, ASC, ACS, Peter,
Jan. pp. 114, 116;
March p. 44
Life, Aug. p. 74
LIGHTING DIAGRAMS
Allied, Dec. p. 53
Empire, Oct. p. 35
Neon Demon, The,
July pp. 33, 34, 37, 38
Sunday Night Football,
Oct. p. 16
Swiss Army Man, Aug.
p. 62
Too Late, May p. 28
Lipes, Jody Lee, Dec. p. 24
Littee, Ludovic, July
pp. 70, 74
Lorne, Nov. p. 14
Louis, Johannes, Sept. p. 14
Love & Friendship,
June p. 28
Love Witch, The, Dec.
p. 84
Lubezki, ASC, AMC,
Emmanuel, Jan.
p. 36, May p. 94
Lyass, Fedor, May p. 20
Macbeth, Jan. p. 70
Manchester by the Sea,
Dec. p. 24
Marshall, Tobias, Aug.
p. 12
McCleery, Bruce, Feb.
pp. 50, 60
McCuaig, ASC, Don,
Oct. p. 66

96 December 2016 American Cinematographer

McGarvey, ASC, BSC, Zeitlinger, Peter, Sept.
Seamus, Nov. pp. 50, 54 p. 110
Meridian, Oct. p. 20 Niblett, Simon, Sept. p. 22
Mindel, ASC, BSC, Dan, Nice Guys, The,
Feb. pp. 36, 50 June p. 72
Monster Calls, A, Nocturnes, April p. 14
Nov. pp. 62, 66 Now You See Me 2,
Monster in a House, July p. 58
July p. 12 Nuttgens, BSC, Giles,
Morano, ASC, Reed, Aug. p. 18
Jan. p. 114, March p. 33 Opaloch, Trent, June p. 38
Moss, ASC, ACS, Peter, Orange Is the New
March p. 88 Black, July pp. 70, 74
Mr. Robot, Nov. p. 20 Ozeas, Chuck, Oct. p. 14
Mullen, ASC, M. David, Panic! at the Disco,
Oct. p. 66, Dec. p. 84 Death of a
Murty, Govindini, Jan. p. 14 Bachelor, June p. 14
MUSIC VIDEOS Passingham, Frank, Sept.
Panic! at the Disco, p. 52
Death of a Peterson, ASC, Lowell,
Bachelor, June p. 14 March p. 62
Neihouse, ASC, James, Petes Dragon, Sept. p. 36
Jan. p. 114; Pope, ASC, Bill, May p. 32
June pp. 56, 118 POSTPRODUCTION
Neon Demon, The, Black Angel Strikes
July pp. 30, 36 Back, Feb. p. 14
NEW ASC ASSOCIATES Blurring the Line,
Fetner, Chris, Oct. p. 86 Star Wars: The Force
Kaufmann, Andreas, Awakens, Feb. p. 78
Feb. p. 94 Color as Through-Line,
LaManna, Ross, Oct. Star Trek Beyond,
p. 86 Aug. p. 34
Sheridan, Ryan, May Details in the Dark,
p. 94 The Accountant,
Zell, Joachim, Oct. p. 86 Nov. p. 54
NEW ASC MEMBERS Exploring All Possibili-
Barrett, Michael, ties, Star Wars: The
Jan. p. 114 Force Awakens, Feb.
Capo, Gary, Feb. p. 94 p. 82
Carvalho, Lula, Feb. Going Big, The BFG,
p. 94 Aug. p. 72
Goldman, Adriano, HPA Honors Silverman,
Oct. p. 86 Achievements in
Gonzales, Dana, Post, Jan. p. 96
Sept. p. 110 Keeping It Real, Jason
Greene, David, Bourne, Aug. p. 46
Sept. p. 110 Pratt, BSC, Roger, Feb. p. 14
Neihouse, James, PRESERVATION/RESTORATION
Jan. p. 114 Black Angel, Feb. p. 14
Riestra, Antonio, Prieto, ASC, AMC, Rodrigo,
Nov. p. 86 March p. 33
Van Hoytema, Hoyte, Primes, ASC, Robert,
April p. 118 Nov. p. 86
Weingartner, Mark, Race, March p. 44
Sept. p. 110 Radwan, Martina, Sept.
p. 22
Raymond, Chris, Sept. p. 22 Jungle Book Shines in
Reis, Joshua, Aug. p. 24 Dolby Vision,
Revenant, The, Jan. p. 36 May p. 40
Rexer, William, Oct. p. 24 Star Trek Beyond, Aug.
Reynoso, AMC, Jaime, pp. 30, 34
May p. 58 Star Wars Rebels, Feb.
Riestra, ASC, ACK, AMC, p. 20
Antonio, Nov. p. 86 Star Wars: The Force
Roberts, Steve J., Nov. Awakens, Feb. pp. 36,
p. 72 42, 50, 60, 66, 70, 78, 82
Rose, Laurie, June p. 22 Stodden, Mike, April p. 28
Rosenlund, FNF, John Street Cat Named Bob, A,
Christian, March p. 26 Dec. p. 28
Rosher Jr., ASC, Charles, Stump, ASC, David,
Jan. p. 115 Aug. p. 74
Rousselot, ASC, AFC, Sunday Night Football,
Philippe, June p. 72 Oct. p. 14
Ruiz-Anchia, ASC, AEC, SUPER 16MM
Juan, March p. 87 Jason Bourne, Aug. p. 42
Rules Dont Apply, SUPER 35MM
Dec. p. 74 Accountant, The, Nov.
Samul, Ryan, May p. 62 p. 50
Seale, ASC, ACS, John, Jason Bourne, Aug. p. 42
Jan. p. 114, July p. 87 Too Late, May p. 26
Seiple, Larkin, Aug. p. 52 Suschitzky, BSC, Adam,
Shallows, The, July p. 18 April p. 20
Simmons, ASC, John, Suschitzky, ASC, Peter,
May p. 94, Nov. p. 86, July p. 87
Dec. p. 103 Swiss Army Man,
Smith, John, May p. 67 Aug. p. 52
Smithingham, Lewis, Tanna, Sept. p. 28
Oct. p. 54 Taylor, ASC, Bill, Oct. p. 20
Sommers, Paul M., Oct. TELEVISION
p. 30 11.22.63, April p. 20
Son of Saul, Jan. p. 28 American West, The,
SPECIALIZED CINEMATOGRAPHY July p. 24
Beautiful Planet, A, Ash vs Evil Dead,
June p. 56 Nov. p. 30
BFG, The, Aug. p. 72 Berlin Station,
Billy Lynns Long Nov. p. 24
Halftime Walk, Bloodline, May p. 58
Dec. p. 34 Containment, May p. 67
Hardcore Henry, Empire, Oct. p. 30
May p. 20 Get Down, The, Oct.
Invisible, Oct. p. 54 p. 24
Jungle Book, The, Ghost Adventures, April
May p. 32 p. 28
Kubo and the Two Hap and Leonard, May
Strings, Sept. p. 52 p. 62
Life, Aug. p. 74 Invisible, Oct. p. 54
Shallows, The, July p. 12 Meridian, Oct. p. 20
Star Wars Rebels, Feb. Mr. Robot, Nov. p. 20
p. 20 Orange Is the New
SPECIAL VENUE Black, July pp. 70, 74
Beautiful Planet, A, Star Wars Rebels, Feb.
June p. 56 p. 20
www.theasc.com December 2016 97
 Sunday Night Football, Index by Author A Presidential A Date With Destiny,
Oct. p. 14 Briefing, Feb. p. 70 Dec. p. 74
Vinyl, March p. 32 Apuzzo, Jason Rebel With a Camera, A Fierce Friendship,
Thaler, Sebastian, May p. 14 Re-Creating the Battle April p. 54 Sept. p. 36
Thorin Sr., ASC, Don, of Los Angeles, Fisher, Bob Time and Space,
May p. 93 Jan. p. 14 Memories of Vilmos, June p. 56
Toll, ASC, John, Barnes, Kevin April p. 46 A Unique Second Unit,
March p. 54, Dec. p. 34 Rewriting History, Germain, Raoul Feb. p. 60
Too Late, May p. 26 April p. 20 Vision of a Better Kadner, Noah
Tulip Fever, Sept. p. 66 Bergery, Benjamin World, Sept. p. 86 Being There, Oct.
UFO Diary, Jan. p. 14 Battle Tested, Goldman, Michael p. 54
Van Hoytema, ASC, FSF, Jan. p. 70 Carrying Cinemas Blurring the Line,
NSC, Hoyte, April p. 118 Cutting-Edge Clarity, Flag, April p. 38 Feb. p. 78
Van Oosterhout, NSC, SBC, Dec. p. 34 Color as Through-Line, Exploring All
Richard, June p. 28 Practical Optics: Testing Aug. p. 34 Possibilities,
Van Oostrum, ASC, Kees, Different Sensor A Friend in Need, Feb. p. 82
Aug. p. 86, Oct. p. 66 Sizes, April p. 90 Nov. p. 62 First-Person Mayhem,
Varese, ASC, Checco, Brinker, Kelly Hostile Planet, Aug. May p. 20
Jan. p. 114, Dec. p. 104 Shooting Specters, p. 30 Going Big, Aug. p. 72
Vinyl, March p. 32 April p. 28 Jungle Book Shines in A Visit to the Set, Feb.
Wages, ASC, William, Chagollan, Steve Dolby Vision, May p. 36
May p. 67 Global Gathering, p. 40 Kaufman, Debra
Walker, ASC, ACS, Mandy, Sept. p. 78 Left for Dead, Jan. Beast Hunters,
Nov. p. 88 Dillon, Mark p. 36 July p. 12
Wasley, Jay, April p. 28 Carrying Cinemas Love and War, Dec. Global Gathering,
Wave, The, March p. 26 Flag, April p. 38 p. 50 Sept. p. 78
Weingartner, ASC, Mark, Conjuring a Coven, Magic Acts, July p. 58 Student Perspectives,
Sept. p. 110 March p. 20 Questioning Reality, Oct. p. 66
Wexler, ASC, Haskell, Connecting the Oct. p. 20 Marcks, Iain
April p. 54, Dec. p. 103 Pieces, Nov. p. 50 Rebel With a Camera, A Clash of Titans,
Wiegand, ASC, Lisa, Dangerous Waters, April p. 54 April p. 72
Aug. p. 88 July p. 18 Shooting for Realism, Family, Friends and
Windon, ASC, ACS, Stephen Details in the Dark, Nov. p. 66 Infection, May p. 62
F., Aug. pp. 30, 34 Nov. p. 54 Welcome to the Grand Delusion, Sept.
Witch, The, March p. 20 Heroes Divided, Jungle, May p. 32 p. 66
Wolski, ASC, Dariusz, June p. 38 Gray, Simon Old-School Thrills,
March p. 87 Leading Lady, Return of the King, June p. 72
Wunstorf, ASC, Peter, Jan. p. 82 Nov. p. 30 Radical Hackers,
Dec. p. 28 Rebel With a Camera, Trouble in Paradise, Nov. p. 20
Wylam, Michael, Nov. p. 14 April p. 54 Sept. p. 28 A Space Operas High
Yedlin, ASC, Steve, Stripped Down, May Hemphill, Jim Notes, Feb. p. 50
Feb. p. 94 p. 46 Carrying Cinemas Matsumoto, Neil
Yegna Movie, Sept. p. 86 Universal Translator, Flag, April p. 38 Against the Clock,
Yellow, March p. 14 Dec. p. 64 Rebel With a Camera, June p. 86
Yeoman, ASC, Robert, Ealer, John April p. 54 Deep Cover, Aug. p. 24
Oct. p. 66 Reframing the Wild Heuring, David Family, Friends and
Young, ASC, Bradford, West, July p. 24 Family Business, Oct. Infection, May p. 67
Dec. p. 64 Fish, Andrew p. 30 HPA Honors Silverman,
Youth, Jan. p. 20 At the Helm, Hogg, Trevor Achievements in
Zeitlinger, ASC, BVK, Peter, Feb. p. 42 Family Matters, Dec. Post, Jan. p. 96
Sept. p. 110 Body Language, p. 24 Time and Age,
Zsigmond, ASC, HSC, Aug. p. 52 Holben, Jay Jan. p. 20
Vilmos, April pp. 38, 118; Carrying Cinemas The Aliens Strike McLane, Betsy, A.
May p. 94; Dec. p. 103 Flag, April p. 38 Back, July p. 44 Taking Flight, Sept.
Zuccarini, Peter, Jan. Game On, Oct. p. 14 Breaking Boundaries, p. 22
pp. 54, 64 March p. 44

98 December 2016 American Cinematographer

Mulcahey, Matt Stump, ASC, David
Crash Course, March Seeing the Light in Life, STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP,
p. 14 Aug. p. 74 MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
Love and Dystopia, Thomson, Patricia Title of publication:
Aug. p. 64 Behind the Bars, AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
Shot in the Dark, July p. 70 Publication no. 0002-7928
April p. 14 Celluloid Antihero, Date of filing: October 7, 2016
Spirit Animal, Dec. May p. 26 Frequency of issue: Monthly
p. 28 Costumed Comedy, Annual subscription price: $50
Vintage Cool, June June p. 28 Number of issues published annually: 12
p. 14 A Dynamic Double-
Location of known office of publication:
Mullen, ASC, M. David Whammy, July p. 74 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028.
The Magic of Hard Its Only Rock n Roll, Location of the headquarters or general business offices of the
Lighting, Dec. p. 84 March p. 32 publishers: Same as above.
Oppenheimer, Jean Rising Up, Nov. p. 40 Names and address of publisher: ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr.,
Cool, Calm and in Smoke on the Water, Hollywood, CA 90028; Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Stephen Pizzello, 1782
Control, March p. 62 Oct. p. 42 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028. Owner: ASC Holding Corp.
Family, Friends and Tolsky, David Known bondholders, mortgages, and other security holders owning
Infection, May p. 58 Heros Journey, Sept. or holding 1 per cent or more of total amount of bonds, mortgages or
A Guided Tour of Hell, p. 52 other securities: same as above.
Jan. p. 28 Tonguette, Peter Extent and nature of circulation: Total numbers of copies printed (net
Looks That Kill, July Panic in Berlin, Sept. press run): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12
months, 34,354; actual number copies of single issue published nearest to
p. 30 p. 14 filing date, 35,000.
Rebel With a Camera, Williams, David E. Paid and/or requested circulation: Paid/Requested Outside-County Mail
April p. 54 Deep Focus, Jan. p. 64 Subscriptions stated on Form 3541: average number of copies each issue
Rhythm Revolution, A Legacy of Excellence, during preceding 12 months, 26,994; actual number of copies of single issue
Oct. p. 24 March p. 54 published nearest to filing date, 26,560.
Refn, Nicolas Winding Savage Sea, Jan. p. 54 Paid and/or requested circulation: Sales through dealers and carriers,
Moving Pictures, Witmer, Jon D. street vendors and counter sales, and other non-USPS paid distribution: aver-
July p. 36 Animated Allies, age number copies each issue during preceding 12 months, 5,775; actual
number of copies single issue published nearest to filing date, 5,750.
Rhodes, Phil Feb. p. 20
Total paid and/or requested circulation: average number copies each
Faulty Tower, June Black Angel Strikes issue during preceding 12 months, 32,769; actual number copies of single
p. 22 Back, Feb. p. 14 issue published nearest to filing date, 32,310.
Keeping It Real, May Carrying Cinemas Flag, Nonrequested copies distributed outside the mail (samples, compli-
p. 14 April p. 38 mentary and other free copies): average number of copies each issue
Keeping It Real, Aug. Desperate Measures, during preceding 12 months, 1,260; actual number copies of single issue
p. 46 Aug. p. 18 published nearest to filing date, 2,300.
To Be Bourne, Aug. Force Perspective, Feb. Total nonrequested distributions: average number of copies each issue
p. 42 p. 66 during preceding 12 months, 1,260; actual number copies of single issue
published nearest to filing date, 2,300.
True Peril, March p. 26 In Memoria, Jan. p. 115,
Roberts, Steve J. May p. 93, Nov. p. 84, Total distribution: average number of copies each issue during preceding
12 months, 34,029; actual number of copies of single issue published nearest
Stories From the Ute Dec. p. 102 to filing date, 34,610.
Mountain Youth, Spy Game, Nov. p. 24 Copies not distributed (office use, left over, unaccounted, spoiled
Nov. p. 72 Wylam, Michael after printing): average number of copies each issue during preceding 12
Silberg, Jon Campfire Tale, Nov. months, 325; actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to
Carrying Cinemas Flag, p. 14 filing date, 390.
April p. 38 Total: average number of copies each issue during preceding 12 months,
Cutting-Edge 34,354; actual number of copies of single issue published nearest to filing
Cameraman, date, 35,000.
March p. 70 Percent Paid and/or Requested Circulation: average number of copies
each issue during preceding 12 months, 96%; actual number of copies of
Rebel With a Camera, single issue published nearest to filing date, 93%.
April p. 54
Stettler, Derek I certify that the statements made by me above are correct and complete.
Car Trouble, Aug. p. 12 Stephen Pizzello, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
Future Shock, Dec.
p. 14

www.theasc.com December 2016 99

American Society of Cinematographers Roster
OFFICERS 2016-17 ACTIVE MEMBERS Jack Cooperman David Greene Bruce Logan
Kees van Oostrum Thomas Ackerman Jack Couffer Xavier Grobet Gordon Lonsdale
President Lance Acord Vincent G. Cox Alexander Gruszynski Emmanuel Lubezki
Marshall Adams Jeff Cronenweth Rob Hahn Julio G. Macat
Bill Bennett Javier Aguirresarobe Richard Crudo Gerald Hirschfeld Glen MacPherson
1st Vice President Lloyd Ahern II Dean R. Cundey Henner Hofmann Paul Maibaum
Lowell Peterson Russ Alsobrook Stefan Czapsky Adam Holender Constantine Makris
2nd Vice President Howard A. Anderson III David Darby Ernie Holzman Denis Maloney
James Anderson Allen Daviau John C. Hora Isidore Mankofsky
Dean Cundey Peter Anderson Roger Deakins Tom Houghton Christopher Manley
3rd Vice President Tony Askins Jan de Bont Gil Hubbs Michael D. Margulies
Levie Isaacks Christopher Baffa Thomas Del Ruth Paul Hughen Barry Markowitz
Treasurer James Bagdonas Bruno Delbonnel Shane Hurlbut Steve Mason
King Baggot Peter Deming Tom Hurwitz Clark Mathis
David Darby
John Bailey Jim Denault Judy Irola Don McAlpine
Secretary
Florian Ballhaus Caleb Deschanel Mark Irwin Don McCuaig
Roberto Schaefer Michael Ballhaus Ron Dexter Levie Isaacks Michael McDonough
Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Barrett Craig DiBona Peter James Seamus McGarvey
Andrzej Bartkowiak George Spiro Dibie Johnny E. Jensen Robert McLachlan
MEMBERS John Bartley Ernest Dickerson Matthew Jensen Geary McLeod
OF THE BOARD Bojan Bazelli Billy Dickson Jon Joffin Greg McMurry
John Bailey Affonso Beato Bill Dill Frank Johnson Steve McNutt
Bill Bennett Mat Beck Anthony Dod Mantle Shelly Johnson Terry K. Meade
Dion Beebe Mark Doering-Powell Jeffrey Jur Suki Medencevic
Curtis Clark
Bill Bennett Stuart Dryburgh Adam Kane Chris Menges
Richard Crudo Bert Dunk Stephen M. Katz Rexford Metz
Andres Berenguer
Fred Elmes Carl Berger Lex duPont Ken Kelsch Anastas Michos
Michael Goi Gabriel Beristain John Dykstra Victor J. Kemper David Miller
Victor J. Kemper Steven Bernstein Richard Edlund Wayne Kennan Douglas Milsome
Stephen Lighthill Ross Berryman Eagle Egilsson Francis Kenny Dan Mindel
Daryn Okada Josh Bleibtreu Frederick Elmes Glenn Kershaw Charles Minsky
Woody Omens Oliver Bokelberg Robert Elswit Darius Khondji Claudio Miranda
Michael Bonvillain Scott Farrar Gary Kibbe George Mooradian
Robert Primes
Richard Bowen Jon Fauer Jan Kiesser Reed Morano
Cynthia Pusheck David Boyd Don E. FauntLeRoy Jeffrey L. Kimball Donald A. Morgan
Owen Roizman Russell Boyd Gerald Feil Adam Kimmel Donald M. Morgan
John Simmons Uta Briesewitz Cort Fey Alar Kivilo Kramer Morgenthau
Kees van Oostrum Jonathan Brown Steven Fierberg David Klein Peter Moss
Don Burgess Mauro Fiore Richard Kline David Moxness
ALTERNATES Stephen H. Burum John C. Flinn III George Koblasa M. David Mullen
Bill Butler Anna Foerster Fred J. Koenekamp Dennis Muren
Roberto Schaefer
Frank B. Byers Larry Fong Lajos Koltai Fred Murphy
Mandy Walker Bobby Byrne Ron Fortunato Pete Kozachik Hiro Narita
Karl Walter Lindenlaub Patrick Cady Greig Fraser Neil Krepela Guillermo Navarro
Oliver Bokelberg Sharon Calahan Jonathan Freeman Willy Kurant Michael B. Negrin
Dean Cundey Antonio Calvache Tak Fujimoto Ellen M. Kuras Sol Negrin
Paul Cameron Alex Funke Christian La Fountaine James Neihouse
Gary Capo Steve Gainer George La Fountaine Bill Neil
Russell P. Carpenter Robert Gantz Edward Lachman Alex Nepomniaschy
James L. Carter Ron Garcia Jacek Laskus John Newby
Lula Carvalho David Geddes Rob Legato Yuri Neyman
Alan Caso Dejan Georgevich Denis Lenoir Sam Nicholson
Vanja ernjul Michael Goi John R. Leonetti Crescenzo Notarile
Michael Chapman Stephen Goldblatt Matthew Leonetti David B. Nowell
Rodney Charters Adriano Goldman Peter Levy Rene Ohashi
Enrique Chediak Paul Goldsmith Matthew Libatique Daryn Okada
Christopher Chomyn Dana Gonzales Charlie Lieberman Thomas Olgeirsson
James A. Chressanthis Nathaniel Goodman Stephen Lighthill Woody Omens
T.C. Christensen Victor Goss Karl Walter Lindenlaub Michael D. OShea
Joan Churchill Jack Green John Lindley Vince Pace
Curtis Clark Adam Greenberg Robert F. Liu Anthony Palmieri
Peter L. Collister Robbie Greenberg Walt Lloyd Phedon Papamichael

100 December 2016 American Cinematographer

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 6

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

www.theasc.com December 2016 101

 In Memoriam
Rick F. Gunter, ASC, 1951-2016
Richard Frank Gunter, ASC whose
credits as a cinematographer included the
series St. Elsewhere; Dallas; Beverly Hills,
90210; and Wizards of Waverly Place
died on Aug. 31. He was 65.
Gunter was born on July 28, 1951, in
Los Angeles. His father, Marvin L. Gunter,
worked in the film industry, climbing the
ranks of the camera department and even-
tually becoming a director of photography.
Rick Gunter made his own first forays into
the business as a child actor; he stopped
performing in his early teens, and his inter-
ests then led him into still photography.
After graduating from Hollywood
High School, he attended San Fernando
Valley State College now known as Cali-
fornia State University, Northridge where
he focused his studies on photography and
psychology. Upon completing his degree,
and with his fathers encouragement,
Gunter entered the motion-picture field in
1974, beginning as a 2nd AC and working
with cinematographers including ASC
members Gerald Perry Finnerman and John
A. Alonzo. He soon joined Universals
camera department, where he worked
alongside such cinematographers as Enzo A.
Martinelli, ASC; Frank R. Hale; John McPher-
son, ASC; and Joe Biroc, ASC.
With McPherson alone, Gunter
notched credits on such classic series as The
Incredible Hulk, The Gangster Chronicles
and Kojak, and moved up the ranks to 1st
AC and eventually camera operator. In the
latter role, he joined McPherson for the first
season of St. Elsewhere, and he remained
with the show when McPherson moved on
and Marvin Gunter took the reins. In 1987,
when the senior Gunter retired, Rick Gunter
was promoted to director of photography
and saw the show through to its finale in
1988. In his application for membership in
the ASC, Gunter recalled the series fondly,
noting, I had the opportunity to create
many different moods, from surrealistic to
natural, from dream sequences to hectic
emergency dramas.
After wrapping St. Elsewhere,
102 December 2016
Gunter photographed the after-school
special Two Teens and a Baby; telefilms
including Home Fires; and multiple pilots,
including Running Wilde, starring Pierce
Brosnan. For the latter project, Gunter
created a warm look and strove to keep the
camera moving to underscore the shows
suspense. He spent three and a half years
shooting Dallas, after which he joined the
Aaron Spelling-produced Beverly Hills,
90210 in May 1992 for the start of the
series third season.
While in production on the fourth
season of 90210, Gunter sat down with
journalist and honorary ASC member Bob
Fisher for a wide-ranging interview spon-
sored by Kodak. Acknowledging an interest
in shooting features, Gunter also pointed
out that his television schedule never
allowed him the time. Ive always said that
if I start a show, Ill finish it, he noted. I
wont leave in the middle. I respect the
people that hire me to finish a show, and I
honor that. That respect was reciprocated;
when Gunter left 90210 at the end of the
shows eighth season, it was to go on to the
Spelling-produced Love Boat: The Next
Wave.
While working on Love Boat, Gunter
was proposed for active membership in the
ASC by McPherson and fellow Society
members Kees van Oostrum and Robert F.
American Cinematographer
Liu. He was officially made a member on
June 15, 1998. In their letters of recommen-
dation, Liu described Gunter as a quiet and
talented cinematographer; McPherson
noted, I highly respect his integrity and
honesty; and van Oostrum shared, I have
gotten to know him as a wonderful camera-
man and a great colleague.
Gunter went on to work on series
including Charmed, Grounded for Life, Im
in the Band, Kickin It, Jessie and Lab Rats.
He enjoyed a particularly long tenure behind
the camera of Wizards of Waverly Place, and
his contributions were recognized with an
Emmy nomination in 2011 in the
Outstanding Cinematography, Multi-
Camera Series category for his work on
the episode Dancing With Angels.
On Jan. 1, 2015, Gunters ASC
membership status was officially changed to
retired. Years earlier, while speaking with
Fisher, he expressed gratitude toward all the
cinematographers and crew with whom he
had worked while climbing the ranks. John
McPherson was the most influential,
Gunter acknowledged. I learned a lot
about how to treat people from watching
him work.
You have to convey to a director
and the producers that you know what
youre doing [and] that you can handle what
they want, he added. When a director
says, I want to do it this way, you say,
Okay, and you have to make sure he
believes you. And then the crew to get
the most out of the crew, you have to treat
them right and listen.
Above all, Gunter repeatedly empha-
sized his desire to craft natural-looking
images. You dont want the photography
to dominate the story, he said. Let it help
tell the story.
Photo by Douglas Kirkland.
Gunter is survived by his wife, Cathy;
three sons, Brian, Cory and Terry; and six
grandchildren.
Jon D. Witmer
 Clubhouse News
ASC, American Cinematheque
Honor Zsigmond, Kovacs
The ASC, in collaboration with the
American Cinematheque, recently held a
special screening of McCabe & Mrs. Miller
and No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo &
Vilmos. Honoring the artistry, friendship
and memory of ASC members Vilmos
Zsigmond and Laszlo Kovacs, the
double-feature program was held at the
Aero Theater in Santa Monica, Calif. The
program included an introduction by No
Subtitles Necessary director James Chres-
santhis, ASC, GSC and AC contributor Jim
Hemphill.

USC Installs Wexler Endowed

Chair in Documentary
The University of Southern Califor-
nia School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) recently
dedicated and installed the Haskell Wexler
Endowed Chair in Documentary, estab-
lished through the generosity of the George
Lucas Family Foundation. During the dedi- Clockwise from top-left: ASC President Kees van Oostrum; Caleb Deschanel, ASC; Peter Flinckenberg, FSC;
and Michael Goi, ASC, ISC share memories of the late Frederic Goodich, ASC.
cation ceremony, Michael Renov, professor
and vice dean of academic affairs at
Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

SCA, was installed as chair holder. Speakers
at the event included SCA Dean Elizabeth
M. Daley; Frank Price, chair of SCAs board
of councilors; USC Provost Michael Quick;
honoree Renov; and the wife of the late
Haskell Wexler, ASC, Rita Taggart Wexler.
Several ASC members were in attendance,
including Joan Churchill, Christopher
Chomyn, Caleb Deschanel, James
Neihouse, Woody Omens and Newton
Thomas Sigel.
Simmons Photography Exhibit
at ArcLight
Memorial photos by Alex Lopez.
layers of childhood and family. Simmons
photographs served as an excellent pairing
with student work on the walls of the
theater.
Haynie Joins Light Iron
Light Iron, a postproduction solutions
provider and member of the Panavision
family of companies, recently appointed
ASC associate member Josh Haynie to the
newly created position of vice president of
U.S. operations. Haynie previously held the
position of managing director at EFilm.
Panavision CEO and associate member Kim
Society Hosts Memorial
for Goodich
Society members, friends and loved
ones recently gathered at the ASC Club-
house to honor the memory of Frederic
Goodich, ASC, who passed away on Aug.
30 at age 76. A prolific contributor to Soci-
ety endeavors, Goodich was lauded at the
private memorial for his lasting influence
and for his tireless involvement with the
filmmaking community. Several ASC
members offered their thoughts and
memories of Goodich at the service, includ-
ing ASC President Kees van Oostrum,

ArcLight theaters in Hollywood
recently exhibited photographic works by
John Simmons, ASC and students from
Belmont High School. The exhibit featured
a fusion of Simmons archival images from
his days as a teen street photographer with
selections from his current portfolio, includ-
ing poignant captures showcasing the
Snyder stated, The addition of Josh Haynie Richard Crudo, Isidore Mankofsky, Michael
comes at a key moment in the overall Goi, Caleb Deschanel, Robert Primes, Peter
growth of Panavision. We are committed to Anderson and Francis Kenny.
providing a full portfolio of innovative,
creative solutions throughout the produc-
tion and post process.

www.theasc.com December 2016 103

 Close-up Checco Varese, ASC

When you were a child, what film made the strongest impres- Have you made any memorable blunders?
sion on you? Yes yes, but, Senator, I dont recall. Sorry!
I was born and raised in Peru. My father took me to see The Magnif-
icent Seven that is the first memory of a movie theater that I have. What is the best professional advice youve ever received?
Wake up before everybody else; go to sleep after everybody else;
Which cinematographers, past or present, do you most work more than you think you should.
admire?
Dante Spinotti [ASC, AIC], Christopher Doyle [HKSC], Emmanuel What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
Lubezki [ASC, AMC] and Gabriel I often take inspiration from
Figueroa. photographers. Sebastio
Salgado I have no words to
What sparked your interest in describe his framing and sensibil-
photography? ity.
I studied architecture in Italy, and
after graduating I returned to Peru, Do you have any favorite
only to find that it was very difficult genres, or genres you would
to have an opportunity in that field. like to try?
By chance one of my friends Im intrigued by action movies. I
needed a camera assistant for a think there is a pirate movie
National Geographic documentary somewhere in my future, waiting
in the Amazon jungle. I happened for me. Sandokan and the
to be in the right place at the right Malaysian tigers are hiding in a
time. script in a drawer!

Where did you train and/or study?
I started as a camera assistant in documentaries, then a news
cameraman and war correspondent for several years. Finally I got an
opportunity and took a Steadicam workshop, and then I started
shooting second unit.
Who were your early teachers or mentors?
Guillermo Navarro, ASC, AMC took me as a Steadicam operator on
several of his movies.
What are some of your key artistic influences?
Probably the most important influence I had was my artistic educa-
tion in Italy. Once you learn how to understand spatial volumes, color
and light in architecture, the transition to cinematography is a natural
progression. You dont build walls in architecture, you build spaces
the same is true in cinematography.
How did you get your first break in the business?
One has many godfathers in several stages of ones career too
many to mention.
If you werent a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
Surgeon for Doctors Without Borders.
Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
membership?
Guillermo Navarro, Gabriel Beristain, Steven Poster, Antonio
Calvache.
How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
The ASC has impacted me in many ways, and has opened the door
for me to share my experiences with colleagues in ways I would have
never expected. I have enjoyed the privilege of teaching two Master
Classes as a mentor, and a third in Puerto Rico where I am filming a
movie. I personally believe that most of us ASC members are shoot-
ing movies in remote places, and it would be great if we could give
a workshop, a master class or even just a conversation wherever
we are during prep, on the camera-test day, on a Saturday. We
could share knowledge and learn so much every time we are
abroad.

What has been your most satisfying moment on a project?

When you are on the plane going back home, you fall asleep in the
seat and wake up remembering that you should have done that
one shot. Youre always looking for one more camera move, one
more shot, one more take.

104 December 2016 American Cinematographer