InCamera Magazine - Kodak

8/13/2019 InCamera Magazine - Kodak

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ISSUE 22011Inside this issue Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol X-Men: First Class

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn


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Focus on Film

1 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-

Part 1 and Part 2

4 Mission: Impossible-Ghost Protocol

6 Hidden Moon

7 I Am ZoZo

8 GANTZ10 Habemus Papam

11 Pantene commercial

12 El Gato Desaparece

13 Ghoul

14 Un bonheur narrive jamais seul

17 Rest For The Wicked

18 Counter Revolution and Takeover

20 The Killing

21 Strike Back2

22 HoldinOn (Rooney video)24 The Ides of March

25 Heartland

26 Baikonur

27 Marie Claire

28 Love Is In The Air

29 Syoss/Henkel commercial

30 Footloose

33 Sadda Adda

Focus on Post

34 X-Men: First Class

Q and A

36 Vincent Sweeney/ Blue Ridge

Imagecare Program

37 Asian Cup/Anand Mondhe

38 SQ Film Laboratories Inc, Philippines

39 ABC & Taunus Film/ Waterfront Studios Group

Next Generation

40 Dark Desert Highway

41 Dr Seymour

42 Indoor

43 David Wilson/Metronomy

Industry Update

44 Kodak Cinema Tools

45 Romanias Medialab project

Publisher

Johanna Gravelle

johanna.gravelle@kodak com

Business Editor

Fabien Fournillon

[email protected]

Editor

Martin Pearce,

Chapel Publications

[email protected]

InCamera is a twice-yearly magazine published by Eastman Kodak CompanyTo receive InCamera (free subscription), to be added or deleted to the magazinesmailing list, please contact your local representative or go to www.kodak.com/go/incamera. To be featured in the magazine, please contact your local representative.You will find your Kodak representative contact information on your local KodakEntertainment Imaging website or on www.kodak.com/go/motion

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OSCAR is a trade mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts a nd Sciences. EMMY is a trade mark of, and copyrighted by,

the National Academy and American Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.Imax is a registered trade mark of the Imax

Corporation.

The opinions expressed by individuals quoted in articles in InCamera do not ne cessarily represent those of Kodak Limited,

Eastman Kodak Company or the editors of InCamera.

Because of our constant endeavour to improve quality and design, modifications may be made to products from time to

time. Details of stock availability and specifications given in this publication are subject to change without notice.

Design

Nick Vince (gvmc)

[email protected]

Contributors

Dominique Maillet

ignite strategic communications

Printers

AGF Italia

[email protected]

Tucker/CGX

[email protected].


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Navarro also earned an Academy Award for

Best Cinematography in 2007 on Pans Labyrinth. Hiswide-ranging work also includes such films as Stuart Little,The Long

Kiss Goodnight, From Dusk Till Dawnand Desperado.

Navarro was director Bill Condons choice for lensing Summit Enter-

tainments The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 and Part 2, the

final two films in the hugely-popular Twilightseries. Being approached

by Bill immediately drew my interest, Navarro says. Hes a filmmaker

Ive always liked. It was a very, very strong collaboration, and I enjoyed

every bit of it.

The two films were cross-boarded and filmed simultaneously at

locations varying from Vancouver to Louisiana to Brazil. One week,

we were shooting one movie, and within the same week, a piece of the

other. It was very complicated.

Just as complex was the creation of the looks for Breaking Dawn.

It was not simply a matter of watching the previous three films andattempting to recreate the work of the earlier cinematographers.

There is nothing which defined a single look for the three films,

Guillermo Navarro, ASC, knows about

sequels and Oscars. He shot the first two

Hellboymovies, but more typically, he says,

Ive been in the situation where I shot the

first movie and then a sequel was done after.

But this is the first time where Im actually

closing the saga.

Twilight

focus on film

A new visual landscape for


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focus on film

Prior to the wedding, Bella fantasizes about a different sort

of wedding one in which the couple is seen atop a wedding

cake, but the cake is actually made up of a pyramid of dead

bodies. Its a very beautiful shot of them, as if they were

the cake toppers with this huge collection of bloody corpses

beneath them, Navarro describes. We did a shot with Kristen

and Robert on top of a little platform with all of these bloodied

actors lying around, which you see as the camera starts revealing

whats there. So at the end, it really looks like a wedding cake,but its a nightmare wedding that shes experiencing. Its a pretty

impressive shot, and one with incredibly strong imagery.

Navarro recalls another shot filmed in Brazil when Bella first

realizes she is pregnant with Edwards child. Its probably one

of the best shots in the movie, because she realizes not only that

she is pregnant, but that she wants to keep the baby. We used a

Steadicam to follow her, until she finds her reflection in a mirror,

and locked in on that sentiment. Its a shot that really takes you

with her in her process. Its actually one of my favorite shots of

the whole movie.

The most powerful sequence, according to Navarro, is the one

that fans of the films and books have long been awaiting: thebirth of Edward and Bellas baby. The birth scene is extreme and

strange, he says. We pull the audience in so they really feel like

part of the event.

he says. The first movie is entirely different from the second

and the third. Its a completely different aesthetic.

The concept of a movie being assigned looks, Navarro says,

is something I very much resent. That expression kind of implies

responding to a scene and pulling out a gadget to see what

existing recipe we should apply to the problem. If its dark, light

it one way, or a fight, light it another way. Thats not at all how I

work and come up with things.

Upon reading the script, he says, It was clear that the story

was sufficiently different from the previous movies, and that

things were extended in a way that I could approach them from

a different perspective. I felt that doing a strong change in the

film language would help the story. And thats what we ended

up doing.

Navarro explains that he and Condon created a dramatic

visual landscape for the whole movie. We created visual

highs and lows, chose where those fit in, and then found a

very good visual narrative for certain sequences that really

benefited from it. Im very happy with how it came out.

The films were shot on a challenging schedule. Navarro and

Condon had to efficiently map out their various aesthetics

before shooting began. There was very limited time to

execute and bear with all the difficulties and adversities of a

movie like this, he says. We looked at how we were going to

tell the story, combining all of those elements.

Taking a fresh approach meant re-creating from scratch the

parallel realities of the different characters worlds. We did

a lot of tests and work on how the look of those worlds was

going to appear. We wanted to stay away from other things

that worked for the other movies, such as Edwards (Robert

Pattinson) heavy white make-up, a signature of his vampire

look, in order to focus more on what was going on inside the

characters.

The movie is very centered in the main characters

emotions, and whats really going on with them, the cin-

ematographer explains. There are such profound changes

with them in these films, so we made sure to allow room for

exploration.

Most significantly are the changes Bella (Kristen Stewart)

goes through: her transformation into life as a vampire, her

wedding with Edward, and the birth of their child. We took full

advantage of the range of emotions she experiences during her

transformation, putting as much dramatic weight as we could on

the sequence, he says.

For example, the wedding scene is very romantic and

profound, after which things settle a bit. The camera is used

subjectively; you really are there with them, enveloped in thepassion.


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focus on film

Contrary to how the scene is graphically described in the book,

Condon and Navarro chose to shoot the sequence strictly from

Bellas perspective for the movie. The camera was pretty much

positioned from her point of view, with everybody interacting

with the lens as the drama takes place. And then we just cut to

her, taking everything in.

To make the scene more eerie, Navarro also lit it in an extreme

manner. Our lighting was similar to a set-up for a surgical

procedure. I would go in and out, and then bounce from that outto what you could not see. There are things you dont see, but

you imagine. It puts the viewer in a very strong, uncomfortable

state of mind.

For less intense scenes, Navarro found himself working on the

other end of the scale. Its a very dialogue-heavy series. These

films come from very strong and popular books. Its a difficult

thing for a book to become a good movie. It has to go through a

whole transformation of its own narrative and its own language.

To help keep the energy flowing in the films many dialogue

scenes, Navarro made use of several of his favorite techniques.

I like to move the camera a lot, so I would use a Steadicam and

occasionally go handheld. Its all part of how I exercise the filmlanguage, particularly in the dialogue scenes. His cameras of

choice were a combination of Moviecams and ARRICAMS, using

Optima zoom lenses and Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses.

Another favorite piece of gear was the 27-foot Scorpio

Telescopic Camera Crane, which features a remote camera head.

Its very versatile because you can extend and retract, and boom

up and down. We cooked a lot with that. Navarro also used a

smaller 12-foot Puchi crane with a similarly-operated remote

head. Its more of a human scale crane, he notes.

Navarro chose KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film

5219 and VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207 to capture

the emotions and action of both movies. Theyre terrific stocks probably some of the best stocks ever made. They respond

incredibly well. They really obey what youre doing and are very

loyal to the choices and decisions you make.

The cinematographer put the 5219 through its paces

during the filming of many nighttime scenes. Nighttime

scenes are very dangerous to address in terms of their

scope, Navarro explains. A lot of action happens in

forests, and if you have to light a forest, that brings a huge

level of specialty to it.

Navarro had been experimenting with day-for-night

cinematography, which he successfully applied to scenes

in Breaking Dawn. I do a combination of using tungsten

film, which cools down the color by definition. And then I

add neutral density filters to it to keep the level stop as if itwas in real darkness.

To ensure consistency in the looks designed by the

filmmakers during capture, Navarro essentially color

timed every shot on set, accompanied by his son, Alvaro.

We color corrected on set with (Adobe Photoshop)

Lightroom software, and then printed pictures, which

got sent to EFILM for dailies. They used the photos as a

reference in order to follow the lineup of the color timing

that we did. Our dailies were spectacular because the

colorist wasnt guessing or trying to interpret anything

on his own. When I deal with darkness and extreme

situations, I need to make sure the images stay as I

intended. The only way Ive found to do that is to spend

some extra time, and do the color correction as we go.

The on-set color timing also equated to efficiencies

for EFILMs DI colorist Yvan Lucas. It also kept various

visual effects teams on track. Those shots are farmed out

to effects houses around the world. Theyre completely

disconnected from the look of the movie. So all those

things help to tie in and connect all the dots.

Injecting a breath of fresh air into the series could only

be achieved with a strong team. I knew that could only

happen with the support of a creative entity, Navarro

concludes. In addition to Bill and me, we had very strong

visual effects and production design support. I trusted

them.

Key Dataat a glanceDirector Bill Condon

Cinematographer Guillermo Navarro, ASC

Cameras/lenses Moviecams and ARRICAMS, using Optima

zoom lenses and Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses

Film stock KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219

and VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207

Colorist Yvan Lucas

1 Guillermo Navarro, ASC,(centre) and Director Bill Condon (right) on the set of

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1.

2 (L-R) Guillermo Navarro, ASC, and Director Bill Condon on the set of The

Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1.

3 Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart star in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn-Part 1

Photos by: Andrew Cooper 2011 Summit Entertainment, LLC., All rights reserved.


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focus on film

The Kremlin is rocked by an

explosion, and the Impossible

Mission Force (IMF) is supposedly

to blame. Team leader Ethan Hunt

and his crew turn rogue and must

trot the globe to clear the IMF namein Mission: Impossible Ghost

Protocol, the fourth installment

in the M:I franchise. Tom Cruise

reprises his role as Hunt with a

strong supporting cast. Distributed

by Paramount Pictures and

Skydance Productions, the film is

produced by Tom Cruise, J.J. Abrams

and Bryan Burk.

Handling the visual aesthetics

is Academy Award -winning

cinematographer Robert Elswit,

ASC whose credits read as a very

long list of incredibly fine work

Elswit captures all the action inMission: Impossible Ghost Protocol


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focus on film

(including the Oscar -winning

There Will Be Blood; Oscar

-nominated Good Night,

and Good Luck; The

Town; Syriana; Magnolia).

Handling the directing

duties is Brad Bird, whose prior,

highly successful directorial efforts

involved characters of the animated

kind (including Oscar-winnersRatatouilleand The Incredibles, and

the critically-acclaimed film The Iron

Giant). Mission: Impossible

Ghost Protocolmarks

Birds

live-action

debut.

Since Hunts team

has to survive on wits and

improvisation, Bird wanted a

matching approach to the visuals.

Elswit says, Brad wanted a morefluid approach to the design of the

movie.

Bird built some wow moments

into the film four of them, to

be exact that were shot in

large-format 65mm IMAX. The

inclusion of these stemmed from

the success Christopher Nolan and

Wally Pfister, ASC had with the

format on The Dark Night. They

proved that you can do absolutely

anything with an IMAX camera,

Elswit exclaims.

The IMAX material was shot withthe 15-perf IMAX camera, as well

as the smaller, lighter 8-perf Iwerks

camera for shots involving more

camera movement or Steadicam.

Hasselblad lenses were used.

Elswit gravitated toward wider focal

lengths 40mm, 50mm, 60mm

and 80mm for IMAX in order to fill

the large-format frame with visual

information.

The rest of the film was shot in

2.40 anamorphic with Panavision

cameras and a mix of G-series

(main), C-series and E-series(longer focal lengths) anamorphic

lenses and Panavision zooms. Elswit

composed for both IMAX and scope

simultaneously. In the 8-perf and

the 15-perf, there is a lot of leeway

there to extract a 2.40, he says.

The nice thing about the IMAX

frame is that during a shot, you

can actually recompose it slide it

vertically up or down to get all the

elements into a 2.40 frame.

Elswit especially highlights one

IMAX sequence in which Tom

Cruises character scales the Burj

Khalifa in Dubai, United

Arab Emirates,

currently the

tallest building

in the world.

The crew took

the windows

out of the 156th

floor to stick the

crane-mounted

camera outside

the building andshoot downward.

Tom is actually

climbing this

building and youve

really never been

that high except in an

airplane, Elswit remarks. Seeing

it on an IMAX screen, I do believe

youd actually experience vertigo!

Elswit chose KODAK VISION3

200T Color Negative Film 5213 and

VISION3 500T 5219 as his stocks

of choice. We were traveling so

much and it was an IMAX release,

so pretty much the mandate was to

shoot on film, he says. Plus, were

building on the previous movies all

shot on film.

The interior portion of the Dubai

daredevil sequence, before Cruise

steps outside and climbs up,

was shot later in the production

schedule in Vancouver on stage with

bluescreen wrapping around the

extensive windows. I had to mix

stocks for that and be very careful

because as soon as we go outside,

were looking at IMAX stock, the

cinematographer says. The trick incutting back and forth is to not see

a huge change in grain structure. I

think the different aesthetic in the

interiors covered that up a little bit.

Complicating matters was getting

an exposure for 5213 for IMAX

inside these day interior sequences

while at the same time matching to

the exteriors, as well as getting the

quality of light for the bluescreen

work to feel like indirect ambient

skylight coming through very large

but somewhat tinted windows. I

mixed 5219 and 5213. It was thehardest technical thing I had to do

on the movie, and I may have to

play with it in the DI. To match, I had

to go with HMIs, a wall of 6Ks on

stage positioned far away from the

set with one-quarter CTB to be the

correct color temperature, and then

had them diffused enough to feel

ambient.

Elswit hedged a bit for the

subsequent IMAX sequence set

in Dubai in a raging sandstorm,

or haboob. Tests revealed that

no increase in visual quality

could be gained shooting 15-perf

IMAX because of the degrading

grainy aesthetic windblown dust

had. After Elswit bookended the

sequence with IMAX shots, the

cinematographer had second-unit

director of photography Mitchell

Amundsen, who did the bulk

of the haboob work, shoot

4-perf spherical Super 35 and

compose for the IMAX 1.43

aspect ratio. The resultingfootage was then blown up.

Elswit considered this

sequence the most interesting

to approach after viewing

some footage shot during one

of the storms that had been

posted on the Internet. It

changes the color of the light,

he remarks. It starts as a pale

yellow, and as the sand gets

thicker and the storm whips

higher it turns to a vivid red.

Then it gets darker and darker.

Its extraordinary, and we

wanted to re-create that.

Large 40- and 60-foot

plastic Griffolyn sheets colored

yellow, orange and red were hung

in a row over the streets on location

in Dubai to filter the sunlight and

mimic the gradation of color seen

in perspective, as if Tom Cruises

character was truly traveling through

a sandstorm. Amazing work by the

grip crew there, Elswit says. We

wanted to do as much of that look

in camera because just coloring it

in a DI room wouldnt be natural.

Filtering the light was much moreorganic. It was a bigger production

issue, but Im really glad we did it

that way.

Wherever the production

happened to be filming, Elswit

utilized the regional lab for

processing. Its really hard to ship

film now, he notes. I lost some film

once on a commercial it wasnt

directly x-rayed itself, but it was kept

someplace long enough that the

x-ray machines that were working

nearby fogged it. Its better to

process the negative where you are,and Kodak maintains the standards.

The 35mm footage was

developed by KODAK Cinelabs in

Dubai and in Mumbai, India (both

KODAK IMAGECARE Program

members), as well as by Barrandov

Studios film laboratory in Prague

and Vancouver Laboratory, Inc.

FotoKem processed all the 65mm

negative, and scanned it at 11K

and 8K on the labs Imagica filmscanners.

The nice thing about having a

negative that big is you can get away

with pushing, says Elswit, which

we did with the high-speed stock for

a lot of the night interior and exterior

work. I pushed a half stop for almost

all the end sequence of the movie

on which I used 5219, which is just a

fantastic stock.

Because of how complicated

this movie was with material all

over the place, he continues, the

production let me print almost the

whole movie, which is unheard

of these days, while we were in

Vancouver because I was matching

shots from all over. I would go to

dailies in the morning and look ateverything. I had a wonderful dailies

timer in Ed Dobbs. He was fantastic,

and it was so much fun to go there

in the morning. Probably the best

processing Ive ever had occurred in

Vancouver on this movie.

The digital intermediate is

being timed by Stefan Sonnenfeld

at Company 3 in Santa Monica,

California, and even though Elswit

has moved on to The Bourne Legacy,

hes still able to supervise the DI in

Company 3s New York facility

remotely, with real-time video

hook-ups. Its fascinating, he says.

I really like that.

1. Director of Photography Robert Elswit, ASC on the set of Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol, from Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. 2. Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt in a scene from the film.

2011 Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved.


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1 Wes Bentley and Ana Seradilla(Photo: Christopher Chomyn)

2 Cinematographer Christopher Chomyn(Photo: Tanya Reihill)

focus on film

Chomyn lights Hidden Moon

Hidden Moonis Chris

Chomyns second feature

with director-writer-

producer Jose Pepe

Bojorquez. The two

previously collaborated on

Sea of Dreamsin 2006.

Our collaboration begins earlyin the project, says Chomyn.Often, I am privileged to readseveral early drafts of the script,and to discuss the themes andcharacters with Pepe as he is

polishing the details. This affordsme the opportunity to beginthinking in visual terms very earlyin the process. By the time weare ready to officially begin pre-

production, we have establisheda working shorthand, and anunderstanding of the material aswell as of the subtext.

Hidden Moonis a romanticmystery starring Wes Bentley, Ana

Serradilla, Johnathon Schaech,Osvaldo de Leon, and Linda Gray,among others.

Photographically, we wanted

to create a world that wasgrounded in reality, but not thenegative reality that is so oftenand so easily portrayed on screen,

explains Chomyn. We sought tocreate a world that is beautiful,

rich in texture, color and mystery

a world in which the choicespresented are difficult because theoptions appear to offer desirable

possibilities, yet the consequencesof making the wrong choice areirrevocable.

Production took place over

44 days on locations in MexicoCity, Guanajuato and Veracruz,Mexico, as well as in Los Angeles,California.

Hidden Moonwas shot on35mm three-perf Super 1.85 on an

ARRICAM Lite, with some shotscaptured on the ARRI 435ES. Weprimarily used 40mm and 75mmfocal lengths, says Chomyn. Ourfilm begins in Los Angeles, where

we used the Angenieux 17-80mmas well as the 24-290mm zooms.When our story takes us toMexico, we switched to Cooke S4Prime lenses. The only exception

to this practice was when we were

in Mexico and needed the longerlength that our zoom allowed.Chomyn used a variety of Kodakfilm stocks to capture the wide

variety of locations. Our story isrich with emotion; it takes place ina world filled with color, contrast

and texture, says Chomyn. Ourcharacters live in a real world of

expansive landscapes as well asintimate interiors. There is a bigfire scene as well as other moreintimate scenes that feature thedetails visible within a candle

flame. We used

textured interiors withviews out to the sunlitocean. We have nightexteriors at the beachunder various degreesof moonlight. In each

of these settings,it is vital that the

audience connectswith our characters.Film remains the best

medium to make thatconnection.Chomyn shot tests

of all the Kodak stocksbefore selecting KODAK VISION3200T Color Negative Film 5213

for day exteriors and interiors,and KODAK VISION3 500TColor Negative Film 5219 for allnight scenes. The Kodak colornegative stocks have extraordinaryexposure latitude, and reproduce

an expansive color space thatpresents subtle color nuanceslike no other, notes Chomyn.

We were able to shoot underconditions of extreme contrast,featuring vibrant colors with theconfidence that the world we were

creating would translate on screen.The Kodak stocks gave me theconfidence to shoot clean, without

filtration to soften or degrade theimage. I was able to render exactlythe images I wanted.

Within Hidden Moon, there is aclassic black-and-white film. Thefilmmakers discussed whether toshoot color stock and desaturate orshoot on black-and-white negative.We liked the contrast and grain of

the EASTMAN DOUBLE-X CameraFilm 5222, and felt that it wouldhelp to make our black-and-whitefilm look more like it was indeed aclassic from the forties. Shooting on5222 film was the easiest and most

direct solution to create the specificlook and feel that we wanted.Hidden Moonwas processed atDeluxe in Hollywood. The telecinewas done at Burbanks ModernVideoFilm to standard definitionfor editing on an Avid. The locked

picture negative cut list went toModern so that the negative couldbe re-scanned at 2K resolution forconforming. A digital intermediatewill also be done at Modern andoutput to 35mm negative to strike

release prints.

Hidden Moonis scheduled topremiere in 2012.


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focus on film

Ouija spirit gets Super 8 treatmentI Am ZoZois an independent

horror film inspired by accounts of

real supernatural events. The story

concerns a Ouija board experiencethat goes wrong on Halloweenweekend and five young peoplewho become the target of amalevolent spirit called ZoZo.

Writer-director-cinematogra-pher Scott Di Lalla embarked onthe making of I Am ZoZowithhis One World Studios partner,Zack Coffman, who served as

producer-editor. Di Lalla andCoffman had met at UCLA in theTae Kwon Do club. Together, theyfantasized about making movies.Then in 2004, they produced

Choppertown, a cinema vritbiker documentary that was

embraced by the motorcyclecommunity, went on to winfestival awards, and launched afull-fledged distribution outfit.

For I Am ZoZo, the filmmakersfirst narrative feature, they agreed

that a good horror story requires

the perfect setting. Seattle andSan Juan Island were chosen fortheir gloomy, dreary weather toaccentuate the feeling of isolation.

Next, they discussed how toachieve the right look for the film.Horror absolutely must have theright look to elicit an eerie feeling,says Di Lalla. I had been doing a

lot of research and came acrossThe Nationals Fake Empire musicvideo. When I learned it wasdigitized Super 8, I was sold. It wasexactly what we wanted.

Di Lalla and Coffman acquired

the same type of camera as usedon the music video a Canon 1014XLS with a fixed zoom lens and

loaded up on KODAK VISION3200T Color Negative Film 7213.

It was a brand new stock and theimages were so much smoother,Di Lalla notes. We shot every

frame of I Am ZoZoon it.

Cost wasnt the decidingfactor, continues Di Lalla. It was

about shooting the film we wantedto make the right way with theright production values. Comparedto HD video, it really wasntsignificantly more expensive toshoot film, especially Super 8.

Plus, lighting was a consideration.Film has more latitude than digitalvideo in high key light situationsand the negative is extremelyforgiving.

Coffman adds, When you

shoot on film, every shot is soplanned. Yes, our budget went to anew level because of this decision,but cheap is cheap. We wanted

quality. We were frugal and

found ways to budget for the stock.Nothing out there in the digital worldemulates the look of Super 8.

The filmmakers relied extensively

on 360-degree lighting set-upsand shot long takes, often usingself-made glider and shoulder mountrigs to help the characters draw theaudience into scenes. We rehearsed

for three weeks because this stylewas unfamiliar to our nascent actors,but we got great performanceswithout a lot of retakes, Di Lallanotes.

They also chose to shoot in a 4:3aspect ratio and blow up the Super8 to 16:9. Alpha Cine in Seattlehandled processing, and Lightpress

transferred the film to 1080p HD,delivering a flat scanned image.Once the EDL was set, the duo wentback to Lightpress to work withcolorist Eric Rosen.

In post, we were really ableto open up the images and addcontrast, says Di Lalla. It wasso fantastic to see the rich, deeplook once it was color timed. TheVISION3 film, in combination withthe high-end rendering system,held up amazingly well. We were

initially concerned about how thegrain would hold up, but it wasnt anissue; we got fantastic images.

Di Lalla offers this advice: Ifbeginning filmmakers do theirresearch, and keep their story andsetting to a minimum, theyll besurprised by what they can get outof their budget.

Coffman concludes, Film willalways have a place in the worldof moviemaking. At the end of theday, you have to decide what kindof filmmaker you want to be. Thebusiness has become a sort of

Walmart culture. But art is aboutexpressing yourself and cost shouldnot be the single negotiating factorfor the right medium to showcaseyour work. Once we decided onSuper 8, we never spoke anotherword about digital. Filmmakers oweit to themselves to find the formatthat suits their vision and make ithappen. It pays you back!

One World Studios wasentertaining offers from distributorsat press time.

Writer-director-cinematographer Scott Di

Lalla shoots a scene for I Am ZoZowith the

Super 8 Canon 1014 XLS. Photo: One World Studios


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focus on film

excellent decision.

Difficult decisions in recreating the

GANTZ RoomKawazu:Seiji and I determined the tone we sought before

shooting began. To do it, we collaborated both on a technical

level (discussing chemical processing for the desired negative

density during shooting) and an artistic level (discussing digitalprocessing after scanning), which was enjoyable. He was

truly helpful, in contact with me on the set as we confirmed

our approach and then later during the grading that would

ultimately determine the tone.

Saito: After Taro described the visual style of the film and key

concepts, we both considered the techniques needed to achieve

these goals. From the standpoint of grading, I suggested that

it was critical to ensure polished results early on, at the stage

of shooting. Discussing these things in depth with Taro during

shooting was ideal. Especially now that so much is possible in

post-production, camera operators must demonstrate more

originality.

Kawazu: Deciding the right tone for the GANTZ room was

nerve-racking. In the story, this room always appears beforeand after missions. What would be the ideal appearance for

this eerie space, detached from other scenes? In the end, we

settled on the idea of keeping the room neutral, no matter

how radically things changed before or after the scene. The

set consisted of a wooden floor

and white walls. Although the

plan called for lighting from

above, once we actually tried

it, darker image areas took on

a stronger reddish tinge from

the floor than we had expected.

This caused a range of issues,

with other colors mixed in across

shades we wanted to be neutral,

inconsistent whites on the walls

after facial skin tone adjustment,

and so on. It also proved to be

the hardest part of post-produc-

tion with Seiji.

Saito:If we had wanted to

portray the GANTZ room in an

extreme tone, many options would have been available. But

giving the room an extraordinary appearance would have upset

the overall balance of the film, because the alien fight scenes

had to be even more extreme. Looking back, I realize that our

intuition required objectivity and was quite a delicate matter.

1 Cinematographer Taro Kawazu2 The GANTZ room Hiroya Oku/Shueisha 2011 GANTZ FILM PARTNERS

3 DI grader Seiji Saito

GANTZ, a popular manga series illustrated by Hiroya Oku,

revolves around characters who, after death, somehow find

themselves directed by a mysterious black sphere (GANTZ)

to complete missions against aliens. Although the series

unique story dynamic seemed to defy live-action adaptation,

two GANTZ movies have been made. Here, cinematographer

Taro Kawazu and DI grader Seiji Saito share their thoughts

on a larger-than-life live-action movie brimming with digital

artistry and craftsmanship.

Working with a neutral yet uncompromising

director, true to his vision

Kawazu:I was very apprehensive during initial talks

about adapting GANTZ for the big screen. As a fan myself,

I wondered how we could approach the series unique story

dynamic. I must admit, I even told the director, Shinsuke Sato

it was impossible, but my negativity never fazed him. He was

determined to face the project head-on, and his constant

commitment to finding the best solutions for the material

motivated me and everyone else involved. The director

maintained a neutral attitude and was willing to incorporate as

many good ideas as we could suggest. Yet at the same time, his

creative vision was unshakable. He never simply deferred to acamera operators judgment about scenes, and he insisted on

deciding the positioning and cuts himself.

Saito: I had worked with Taro four years ago on Nihon

Chinbotsu: Japan Sinks. This time, my colleagues in post-

production and I at Imagica felt

some pressure to show our advances

in digital intermediate work (both

creatively and technically) since then.

We also took on the project hoping

our creative work would satisfy the

director.

Rich, lush imagery

supporting realism

Kawazu:We shot on film for a

realism not found in typical science

fiction movies. In my initial talks with

Seiji, we were eager to take a cue

from cinematographer Roger Deakins

(ASC,BSC) work in the 2007 film No

Country for Old Men, directed by the Coen Brothers. His work

is very stylish, both in the intensity of blacks, relative to what

else is on screen, and how he uses mixed lighting. This look

takes effort, but it seems effortless. Theres no decolorization

or bleach bypass, but the image quality is impressive and the

results are powerful. Scenes are dark, with low-key lighting,

yet what they want to show you is clearly visible. For me, the

value of shooting on film is this richness. It has always beenan advantage of film. Choosing film for GANTZ, with all of its

digital compositing and computer-generated imagery, was an

Recreating the world of


11/48

focus on film

Although the alien fight scenes are mostly shot under

low-key lighting, we gradually change the level of darkness in

each of the three missions. In this respect as well, film was a

good choice for the rich gradation and expression possible.

Rather than simply being filled with vague shadows, these

scenes retained details that were clearly visible, and those that

werent stimulate the viewers imagination. Digital compositing

played a large role, under the circumstances, and were grateful

for the valuable work of special effects shooting by the VFX

team. In miniature shooting and other production, their work

was almost a perfect match for what we had envisioned.

Saito:It occurred to me that if the movie

had been shot in HD, post-production

would have required lots of extra care.

We never could have created this mood.

Im afraid to imagine what the GANTZ

room would have looked like in HD. And

I think the special developmentpush

and pull processing to create just the right

effecttruly enhances the performance in

each scene.

A highly original sequel

Kawazu:Although the first movie

stayed fairly close to the original manga,

the sequel was highly original. It seems

like a totally different movie. In how the

movie was shot, as well, we tried a different approach this time.

But I believe that by adding some of the spice that makes

GANTZ special, we succeeded in telling an engaging story.

The director said he sought to make a totally different movie,

although one following in the same tradition.

Exceeding expectations: KODAK VISION3

Color Digital Intermediate Film

Kawazu:Using new KODAK VISION3 Color Digital

Intermediate Film 2254 was great. It impressed me with the

advances made in preserving detail. This quality in 2254 is veryhelpful when we want to preserve detail in highlights under

low-key lighting.

Saito: At Imagica, we use a color management system

developed in-house, called GaletteTM. Whenever new recording

negatives are released, we usually create the standards for

ensuring support for the film. We took the opportunity this

time to make thorough refinements to GaletteTM, in order

to expand our creative palette. We could say that 2254 film

helped us take Imagica-based film recording to the next level.

Whats more, 2254 has better negative density than 2242,

which translates into powerful images.

Kawazu:As to the release print stock, we used Kodak

VISION 2383. It supports high-contrast grading and offers

good stability. Theres minimal change even if we create severaltest pieces. The movie was shot using Panavision Primo Classic

lenses. This maintained sharpness while making images softer

than with normal Prime lenses, which is perfect in the final

stages of DI.

Expert use of KODAK VISION3 500T Color

Negative Film 5219

Kawazu: The movie was shot on KODAK VISION3 500T

5219 film. I used the push process during mission scenes and

basically developed normally for regular scenes, including

GANTZ room scenes. We wanted ordinary scenes on a

rooftop at sunset, for example to be reassuringly realistic,

yet visually rich. After all, this scene, the longest moment ofnormal reality, gives the audience their only reprieve from the

somewhat gruesome missions.


12/48

technical filefocus on film

1 Director Nanni Moretti on the set of Habemus Papam2 Actor Michel Piccoli is a reluctant Pope inHabemus Papam

I used KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219 and

KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207 film stocks,

he continues, Because I like the highly saturated colours and

rich black details. Reds and blacks were always present in the

scenes and these stocks allow those colours in particular to be

rebalanced to suit the overall tone of the story. I chose film rather

than digital because film reproduces better the richness of the

nuances of the ancient environments, the costumes and the

many faces that are part of this film.

Habemus Papamunderwent digital post-production at

Cinecitta Digital where it was scanned at 6K and then recorded

at 4K. The film has been released in DCP and 35mm positive

prints. It won the Golden Globe award for Best Film. Pesci won

the Silver Ribbon 2011 for best cinematography from the Italian

National Syndicate of Film Journalists for Habemus Papam.

Pesci concluded by paying the following tribute to director

and actor Moretti. He is a maestro who is attentative to each

element in a film. Just by listening carefully to him, I was able

to answer any queries that arose during the making of this

magnificent movie.

What would you do if you were elected Pope but didnt really

feel you were cut out for the massive responsibilities of the role?

Thats the dilemma that actor/director Nanni Moretti presents in

Habemus Papam, an Italian feature film that was nominated for

the Palme dOr at this years Cannes Film Festival. Moretti plays

the part of a psychoanalyst called in by the Vatican to help the

Pope resolve his spiritual crisis.

Director of photography Alessandro Pesci together with

camera operator Fabrizio Vicari shot the movie mainly at the

Cinecitta studios in Rome where recognizable landmarks from

nearby Vatican City such as The Sistine Chapel and the balcony

of the Pope were recreated.

Pesci describes the movie as complex and magnificent

but its also essentially a comedy drama about a character

overwhelmed by the responsibilities of his role. So how did Pesci

set about achieving the right look for this movie?

In pre-production, I watched a lot of European and American

movies set in the Vatican, he confesses. I had the feeling that in

those sumptuous and rich locations the strong rays of light could

turn the images into a serious drama transforming it almost into

a noir style. For me, the light of Habemus Papamhad simply

to show the faces and emotions of the characters; sometimes

supporting their joy, sometimes accompanying a more somber

mood. I tried to follow the intention that director Moretti was

recreating on stage. My pictorial references included Caravaggio,

Edward Hopper, Norman Rockwell and Richard Estes.

Keeping faith with

film:Habemus Papam takes a

wry look at a shy Pope

Key Dataat a glanceDirector Nanni Moretti

Cinematographer Alessandro Pesci

Camera Operator Fabrizio Vicari

Cameras ARRICAM with Cooke S4

and Optimo zoom lenses

Film stock KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207

KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219


13/48

1 Director Robbie Dinglasan shot 300 women

in one day for a Pantene campaign.

2 Cinematographer Lee Meily.(Photos courtesy of Pantene Philippines and Robbie Dinglasan)

Filmmakers reveal their beauty secrets for

Pantenecampaign

Director Robbie

Dinglasan was given

only one day to shoot

300 women and their

flowing tresses outdoors

in constantly changing

lighting conditions forwhat was considered the

biggest hair commercial

ever done in the

Philippines. The campaign

marked the launch of

Procter & Gambles

Pantene Nature Care line

of hair care products in

that region.

Had I shot digital, I wouldve

had a sea of black waving stuff,

he says, lamenting a potential

lack of highlights and detail. He

knew shooting on film was the

answer, and the client and the ad

agency, Mediacom/Philippines,

agreed after seeing a side-by-side

comparison between digital and

film. The overall consensus was

that Pantene shot on film looked

glossier and higher end, Dinglasan

says.

The three spots for the

campaign were shot in onelocation in the Philippines that had

a number of different looks and

natural backgrounds depending

on which way they were facing.

However, the area was prone to

intermittent fog. I never shoot hair

outdoors unless my arm is tied to

my back with a gun to my head,

which I guess was the case, he

jokes.

Dinglasan and his go-to director

of photography for beauty spots,Lee Meily (Amigo), chose KODAK

VISION3 250D Color Negative

Film 5207 and VISION3 500T

5219 for matching granularity and

latitude response. The VISION3

platform captures images very

well with its extensive latitude

rendering soft shadows, Meily

says of the stocks shadow detail.

A great example is the shot where

a local celebrity walks into position

in front of 300 girls. We shot that

at around 5:45 p.m.way after

sunset! The raw stock is so good

that it captured the real hair color

of the girls, which ranges from light

brown to black.

The hardest thing with hair

ads, Dinglasan adds, is to

produce the right kind of highlight

to make the hair look shiny. Since

we didnt have time to bring in

the usual hard lights to do this,

only film could capture the subtle

natural highlights on the hair,

which we pushed during telecine.

Dinglasan had all the subjectsclimbing up and down stairs to

get the hair to move and bounce

and then quickly captured each

shot. We needed to get each

scene done in five takes or less,

and then move on as

the sun would move,

he points out. We

plotted where the sun

would be during each

part of the day and

scheduled our shot

list accordingly.

When the fog orcloud cover rolled

in, Meily was ready

with 18K, 6K and 4K

HMIs positioned as

backlights and gelled

to simulate the sun.

Kino Flo Diva-Lites were the key

and hair lights at all times. Even

with all the mixing and matching

of lights and sunlight, no sense of

artificiality crept into any shots.

It was for the Nature Care line,

after all. The images came out

consistent, and it looks natural,

which was our guideline, he notes.This was aided by a few other

tools, as well: an ARRI 435 Xtreme

and an ARRI 35-III with Cooke S4

prime lenses and the 24-290mm

Optimo zoom lens. We love the

soft, rounded and realistic images of

the Cooke lenses, and the Optimo

zoom amazingly matches this look,

Meily explains. So these cameras

and lenses plus our Kodak negs

thats our beauty secret!

Dinglasan, Meily and their twocamera units ended up shooting

45 rolls of Kodak film for the three

spots. The footage was processed

and transferred on the Spirit

DataCine. At this stage, Dinglasan

graded for overall colors and skin

tone. Effects and cleanup were

accomplished on Autodesks Smoke

and Flame. Once the online edit

was approved, though, the footage

was put through a second pass on

DaVinci Resolve to digitally grade

just the hair for highlights. Final

output/cleanup was done on the

Inferno.

Had I just shot this on HD,

the colorist said I couldnt have

done the double grade because

the image would start to break,

Dinglasan says. This second-pass,

digital grade on the negative is the

signature look that I use for Pantene.

Film was able to bring out

practically each individual head of

each girl, he continues. The detail

and sharpness after all that tweaking

is still what amazes me. We just like

Kodak. It looks better.

focus on film


14/48

focus on film

Carlos Sorins approach to

El Gato Desaparece

Argentinean writer-directorCarlos Sorins latest project, whichhad its international premiere atthe 2011 Toronto InternationalFilm Festival, follows a husbandand wife navigating hope andfear in their relationship. In ElGato Desaparece(The CatVanishes), university professorLuis is returning home after severalmonths in a psychiatric clinic.He went crazy after convincinghimself that his assistant, Pablo,was trying to steal his notes onthe philosophy of history, a projectthey had been working on for 15years that was to become Luis

magnum opus. When he alsostarted accusing his wife Beatrizof helping Pablo and threatenedher with violence, it was clearlytime for psychiatric help. Beatrizlooks forward to having him back,

although she wonders if he istruly cured. When the family catdisappears the first day of hisreturn, a dark misgiving nestlesitself in her mind, fueled byexaggerated rumors of the catsdeath and suspicious behaviorfrom Luis.

Sorin describes El GatoDesapareceas a suspense filmwith elements of horror. He andhis director of photography JulinApezteguia felt they had a lot ofvisual references to appeal to,but didnt want to recreate theobviousness of the genre. Imagesin this type of film are usually dark

and contrasty, Sorin explains. Wedecided to go in the opposite way.The location, a house where 70percent of the scenes occur, wasample and luminous. Enormouswindows shed bright sunlight in

every room. It was only in thenight scenes, when the situationsbecome disturbing, we would gofor the genres typical ominouslook.

Sorin notes that he generallyworks with the same crew on allof his films. It is a small crew,and because we share a lot ofexperiences together, we havelearned to work efficiently. I alsoplan the mise-en-scne, alreadythinking about the photography,which makes things easier.

The overarching classic thememade celluloid an obvious choice

for the filmmakers. From thebeginning we decided to shootin Super 35mm, using (KODAKVISION3 500T Color NegativeFilm) 5219, says Sorin. It wasa way to take advantage of thedramatic space offered by thelocation. There is also a lot ofaction that take place in secondand third shots simultaneously.We used Carl Zeiss Ultra Primelenses and accomplished theanamorphic process in post-production.

I am also trained professionallywith images from photographicfilm, and it is hard for me to acceptthe digital image, adds Sorin.

Camera angles and compositioncontributed to the look of the movie.The camera was permanentlymounted to a Panther crane, andeven in the shots that seem still,there is an imperceptible movementtowards or around the characters,Sorin describes. The image wasalways very composed and precise,but they were natural settings withno strange angulations. As a generalrule, the camera position was alwaysslightly lower than the characters,but the frequent use of close-upscreated the need to negotiate thecomposition with such a panoramicscreen.

The movies workflow includeddailies with a digital transfer toeditorial. A small percentage of thematerial was printed to 35mm, sothat Apezteguia could get a clearunderstanding of the look they werecapturing and control it throughoutthe shoot. The anamorphic processwas carried out optically, and Sorinobtained a final internegative. A DIwas done with this internegativethrough Assimilates SCRATCH,and the final product was output to35mm prints on KODAK VISIONPremier Color Print Film 2393 for

theatres.

Key Dataat a glanceDirector Carlos Sorin

Cinematographer Julin Apezteguia

Lenses Carl Zeiss Ultra Prime lenses

Formats Anamorphic Super 35mm

Film stocks KODAK VISION3 500T

Color Negative Film 5219Beatriz is unsure that her husband is cured in

Carlos Sorins psychological suspense film El

Gato Desaparece. Guacamole Films / Patagonik Film Group


15/48

focus on film

Ghoul, based on Brian Keenes

bestselling novel of the same name,

is about three boys growing up in

a small town in the early 1980s.

Someone or something has been

unearthing fresh graves in the

local cemetery. The boys have to

fight this unknown evil, while each

struggles with his own problems athome. This is the summer theyll

never forget.

Ghoulis being pulled off the page

and brought to life by cinematogra-

pher William M. Miller and director

Gregory M. Wilson. The two first

collaborated over 20 years ago on

Wilsons thesis film for New York

University. The film was a success,

earning a nomination for a Student

Academy Award, and a steadfast

filmmaking team was solidified.

The best way I can describe

Ghoulis as a cross between Stand

By Meand Goonies, only much

darker, says Miller. Greg and

I knew early on that we wanted

to use camera tricks and do as

much as we could on set to avoid

using any CGI. We had 210 pages

of very detailed storyboards

before production started.

The storyboards helped all the

departments by clearing up any

questions people had about what

we planned to show in the frame.

I also designed overhead floor

plans based on location photosfor each camera set-up that

corresponded to our master shot

list, adds Miller. That allowed

everyone to know the direction the

lens was going to point, which really

helped our lighting team stay ahead

and prep the next area without

interfering with the current shot.

Chiller, an entertainment

network devoted exclusively to the

horror/thriller genre, mandated

that the project be shot on 35mm.

Chiller wanted their big films for

this year to be on film to make

a statement about their quality

and dedication, and to separate

their product from some of the

other channels that are shooting

digitally, says Miller. I was more

than happy to accommodate. The

filmmakers chose KODAK VISION2

200T Color Negative Film 5217 for

daylight scenes, and KODAK 500T

Color Negative Film 5230 for large

night exteriors. The price for the

5230 was very attractive, but I was

initially hesitant to use it because

it was a new stock. However, after

getting footage back, I was blownaway at the latitude and tight grain,

especially on the lower end. There

were details in shadows that I could

barely see with my own eyes which

the 5230 picked up perfectly.

Miller selected two Moviecams,

the SL and the Compact, in an

effort to save time. I had the

Compact built and ready for all

Cinematographer William Miller on the set of Ghoul(Photo: Joshua Aaron Stringer)

Key Dataat a glanceDirector Gregory M. Wilson

Cinematographer William M. Miller

Camera SL Moviecam and Compact Moviecam

Film stocks KODAK VISION2 200T Color

Negative Film 5217

KODAK 500T Color NegativeFilm 5230

our Steadicam and crane shots,

and the SL was my main A camera

on the dolly and sticks, explains

Miller. This system allowed us

to get many more shots done

per day, because we were never

waiting on a change-over to balance

anything. For fire effects and stunts,

we could also use both camerassimultaneously while sharing lenses

to save money.

Miller knew because of the

amount of nighttime work that they

would need Super Speed lenses

at T1.3, and went with the older

style Zeiss Mk IIIs. The benefits

were two-fold; the production

saved money, and since the Mk

IIIs were utilized a lot in the 80s,

they contributed to the look for this

period piece.

Production for Ghoulwas a little

over four weeks, and included a

large sound stage at the Celtic

Media Center in Baton Rouge,

Louisiana, along with some pick-ups

in upstate New York.

The film will premiere on the

Chiller cable channel later this year.


16/48

focus on film

humanity of my characters. Actors

take more space in the frame in 1.66.

You feel closer to them. I love actors

and Im primarily a spectator. Un

bonheur narrive jamais seul is a love

story, intended to fill you with good

feelings.

The day setting is a huge twenty

foot high hall, a relic of late 19th

century Parisian architecture,surmounted by a monumental

canopy created by Gustave Eiffels

prestigious workshops, who created

the tower that bears his name in

Paris. Formerly occupied by a large

French bank, the site is now home

to offices on either side of a large

gallery. On this occasion, it is the

setting for the multinational led by

Charlottes ex-husband, who will

soon learn, from Sacha himself, that

Charlotte and Sacha have decided to

live together.

Compare and contrast; on the

one hand, you have Sacha, a jazz

pianist and confirmed bachelor who

only goes out with girls under 21; on

the other, Charlotte who works for a

modern art foundation and has two

ex-husbands, three children and a

Philippine nanny. Sacha lives in an

attic in Montmartre, Paris; Charlotte

lives in a 300 square meterapartment in Paris most expensive

neighborhood.

Director James Huth explains,

Im telling the story of two people

who apparently have nothing

in common and are complete

opposites... except that they are

made for each other! With a couple

like this, Sophie and Gad, two of

the most popular actors in France,

everyone expects a glamorous film

in scope I prefered the 1.66 format.

What interests me in this story is the

United for the third time on a

movie set, director James Huth and

director of photography Stphane

Le Parc continue their exploration

of genre films with a romantic

comedy entitled Un bonheur

narrive jamais seulstarring SophieMarceau and Gad Elmaleh.

French romantic comedy

Un bonheur

narrive jamais seu


17/48

focus on film

At first glance, it seems difficult for a

director of photography to capture a place

on this scale. My biggest inspiration for this

setting, says cinematographer Stphane Le

Parc, was the work of photographer Ren

Burri, including his series of pictures

of the roofs in Argentina and a

railway station with such beautiful

shadows. This is the style of

image I had imagined the daywe did location spotting

when the sun was shining

brightly... except that today,

obviously, it is raining and

with my three 18 kW, it is

other is in jeans and sneakers): I have no

intermediate zone.

More seriously, talking about romantic

comedy implies talking about writing. So

are there any specifications for portraying

a great love story?

The peculiarity of James Huths writing

on this film, the director of photography

explains, is that he has chosen to makeeach shot a sequence shot covering the

entire scene so that his actors can act

continously. So the difficulty for me was

constantly juggling the contrasts created

by light so as not to generate gray images,

impossible to find this type of contrast! So

Im adapting and mixing artificial light on the

dome with natural light from the gallery to

work in some ambiance shifts.

Since the pace the actors and the extras

adopt in each scene is determined

unbeknownst to them by the shooting

pace, James Huth continuously stimulates

his troops an energetic, swirling figure

dressed in a gray suit in unison with the

office decor. If I film in a suit, he explains ,

it is primarily out of respect for my team. I

ask so much of them that the least I can do

is to be well dressed. But it is also one of the

outfits in which I feel most comfortable (the

For this movie, shooting on film was

indispensable as its definition and fine

grain works best to render skins.

s fundamentallyatural


18/48

focus on film

knowing that a fill light could quickly become

a key light. Un bonheur narrive jamais seul

is the most realistic comedy Ive worked

on so far, James Huth adds. As this story

gives pride of place to humanity, I need

a realistic image that also conveys heat

and glamour. The colors must be there

and most importantly, the skins should be

beautiful. Rendering skins is also one of the

reasons that led us Stphane and me tochoose Kodak film. Why? Because with

these stocks, the colors are present and

natural: it is both the universe where I want

to immerse my characters and this movies

truth. Nothing like my previous film, Brice

de Nicewhere the character embodied by

Jean Dujardin was largely already so colorful

himself that going at it this way would

have risked viewers feeling nauseous from

the first second. To counteract this zany

universe, I needed an image that was a bit

dull and flat. In Hellphoneand Lucky Lukeit

was different again: this time it was brilliance

and youth. There is no ready-made lighting

approach that can be applied to comedy!

What you need to do first of all, is consider

the universe in which the action takes place.

And probably also consider shooting on

film as an essential contribution to the image

to stand out from sometimes overwhelming

television writing! Anyway, I am a strong

supporter of film, James Huth continues,

I havent found yet what Im looking for

in digital. Today, I still feel an incredible

nostalgia for the days when, on my first short

films, I opened the cans of film back in the

lab to inhale the smell. It became my favorite

smell. To me it was the smell of dreams.

For Un bonheur narrive jamais seul,

the director of photography adds, film was

irreplaceable as its definition and fine grain

for skin rendering was something we were

looking for, something that is impossible

to achieve digitally. Under an intense and

colorful light, it would be possible with any

capture medium, but definitely not when

you deliberately create layers of light on

faces and work with nuances. Although we

obviously cannot produce a sad and slightly

hard picture when selling a comedy, I

nevertheless always try, in my case, to keep

areas of density and shade in the image.

Even when I allow blacks in the image, Imanage to keep some light in the shadows.

In general, I do not push the film, I just

overexpose a half f-stop or whole f-stop so

as to saturate the negative and be sure to

find everything I want in dark areas.

Three film stocks were used for shooting

this romantic comedy: KODAK VISION3

500T Color Negative Film 5219, KODAK

VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207,

and KODAK VISION2 50D Color Negative

Film 5201. These are three very forgiving

films with a huge advantage for me,

continues Stphane Le Parc in that they

quickly saturate the colors, which is perfectfor what James Huth wants from me. I use

the 5219 for everything at night, either in

studio or on location and the 5207 for all

that is inside or outside during the day

instead of the 5201 when Im running short

of wider f-stops or when filtering with

polarization, I find myself almost at the

limit. The novelty for me is that I used to

shoot evenings with the 5219, including in

studio while now, for the first time Im using

the Vision3 250D. For the actors to maintain

a natural look, I mix a daylight HMI with

tungsten hot spots where previously I

would simply cool tungsten sources for this

type of effect. The difference is that, visually,

you do not have the same impression of

natural and that on this movie, natural isfundamental.

How do you define a natural image?

For me, the director of

photography continues,

it is an image where

you dont feel the light: a

picture that is an integral

part of the place, looking

exactly the way one would

expect in terms of lighting

ambiance. In a way it is an

invisible intervention.

Reinforcing the

collaborative nature of

this project, James Huth

Key Dataat a glanceDirector James Huth

Cinematographer Stephane Le Parc

Formats 1.66


KODAK VISION3 250D Color Negative Film 5207

KODAK VISION2 50D Color Negative Film 5201

adds, In this film, we took inspiration from

pictures and movies dating from the fifties or

even a little before. This is no accident we

all grew up with Capras films, with actors

and actresses like Audrey Hepburn, Cary

Grant, and James Stewart and with films like

The Philadelphia Story, Its a Wonderful Life

and Roman Holiday.

But there is also something from

romantic comedies of the 60s, like Breakfast

at Tiffanys, said Stphane Le Parc, an

image and I return to this idea fairly soft

yet colorful and cheerful. What we must not

do, is confuse softness and graying. Letssay that what makes photographing comedy

somewhat complicated, is that we must

always remain in tune with regards to the

story being told.

We must always remain in tunewith the story being told.

1 Sophie Marceau and Gad Elmaleh in a scene from

Un bonheur narrive jamais seul. Photo: Christine Tamallet

2 L to R Stphane Le Parc, DP and director James Huth. Photo: James Espi.


19/48

Unrest in a rest home

Set in a retirement home, New-Zealand film Rest For TheWickedis a darkly comic detective story with a bittersweet twist.

Murray Baxter is a cop going undercover. His mission is simple,

to finally put away his oldest rival, a hitman called Frank whose

murderous ways show no sign of letting up. Just your standard

detective story right? Well no, because both men are now in their

seventies and Murray is undercover in Knightsbridge Gardens a

rest home where life is anything but restful.

Knightsbridge Gardens is a place filled with more surprises

and secrets than anyone would suspect. Sex, drugs, drink and

dancing, the old folks may be in their twilight years but they are

living life to the full. Using all his old skills, Murray is determined

to uncover Frank, the killer on a mobility scooter, who seems to

be making amends for his life of crime by bumping off bad guys.

Rest For The Wickedwas shot by cinematographer Jos

Wheeler and directed by Simon Pattison. Jos explained that we

wanted the overall look of the film to have a natural warmth and

brightness while giving certain scenes and environments a more

dramatic or stylized look. Two good examples of this are a scene

in Franks garage where the majority of the initial drama between

Frank and Murray takes place and the 70s motel room where

Jimmy Booth is shot by a young Frank.

We didnt even consider shooting digital, continued Jos. I

shot Simons last project on 16mm and he really liked the look

and feel we could achieve so right from the start we planned to

shoot on 16mm. Although we had a relatively small budget, the

support of Metro Films, Kodak and Film Lab and Images Post

made it possible to shoot on film.

The majority of Rest For The Wicked was shot on KODAK

VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213 including night interiors

and some night exteriors while the remainder was on KODAK

VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219. Principal equipment

used was an ARRI SR3 with Zeiss Super Speed lenses, a 10mm

Ultra Prime and a 200mm macro. The film was completed in

August and is set for both theatrical and TV distribution.

Key Dataat a glanceDirector Simon Pattison

Cinematographer Jos Wheeler

Format 16mm

Camera and Lenses ARRI SR3 with Zeiss 35mm Super speed

(18mm-180mm)

a 10mm Ultra Prime and a 200mm macro lenses


KODAK VISION3 500T Color Negative Film 5219

We didnt even considershooting digital, right from

the start we planned to shoot

on 16mm.

focus on film

1 Frank (Actor John Bach) waits for explosion in distance

2 Murray (Actor Tony Barry) reflects before picking up business card and calling lawyer

3 Esther (Actress Ilona Rodgers) at the dance

4 Bullet making


20/48

From politician to dictator

focus on film

Counter Revolutionand Takeover

are the latest in a series of TV

dramas that focus on fundamental

political changes in modernGerman history. The whole series,

called Vom Reich zur Republik

traces the history of Germany for a

century from 1848. The production

company for the series is

Tellux-Film GmbH based in Munich

and the director of photography is

Markus Fraunholz, BVK. Markus

explains why Kodak film stocks

were so essential to the success of

these productions.

Shooting digital wasnt really

an option, he says. We are

doing high-class historical movieswith lots of actors (up to 160 per

movie) lots of locations but only

16 shooting days for 90 minutes.

We dont just have to be fast, we

have to be super-fast and I just

cant imagine doing that digitally.

With film you dont need a bigmonitor to judge whether all the

details are OK and I think film

reproduces the texture of historical

costumes especially uniforms

and shimmering dark velvet in an

absolutely unique and wonderful

way.

For these two episodes I used

KODAK VISION3 250D Color

Negative Film 7207 for daytime

interior and exterior scenes and the

new KODAK VISION3 200T Color

Negative Film 7213 for night shots.

I love the way both these stockshandle highlights and mixed lighting

situations and I love the rendition

of colours and skin tones. In post-

production I normally do a slight

color-decreasing and these stocks

give me the perfect base.

The look I am aiming for is best

described as modern historical. I

like deep blacks and natural-looking

skin tones. For close-ups of women

I often use a light diffusion such as

Schneiders Black Classic Soft Filter.

As modern TVs are more contrasty

I tend to light that way as I would

for cinema release.

We use a lot of locations that

double for historical places either

because the actual locations are

not accessible or no longer exist. I

always struggle not to see outside

windows but at the same time

give the viewer the impression

there is an outside. Using film I

know exactly how to create a natural

looking blown-out window. I also

know that I can restore details like

curtain structure in post becauseits all on the film. Quite often we

shoot in huge spaces, like big halls in

castles, and the natural fall-off of light

is recorded so smoothly on film that I

can choose exactly what to show and

what not. Because of the limited time

and budget, I try to light everything

from outside and give the director

and the actors the best possible

space to move around in.

Most of the time I use a single

camera, an ARRIFLEX 416, but on

these last two films I also used

an ARRIFLEX 435 to give the VFXdepartment a bigger negative.


21/48

TV series shot on film chronicles Hitlers rise to power

Key Dataat a glance

Director Bernd Fischerauer

Cinematographer Markus Fraunholz, BVK

Cameras ARRIFLEX 416, ARRIFLEX 435

Film stock KODAK VISION3 250D

Color Negative Film 7207

KODAK VISION3 200T

Color Negative Film 7213

Markus concluded

by saying that this

series lets viewers

observe historicalevents in a very

cinematic form so the

use of film is simply

logical.

Counter Revolution

premiered (in HD-Cam

SR) at the ARRI

cinema in Munich

earlier this year in

advance of its TV

showing in May on

public TV station BR

Alpha whilstTakeover

is scheduled to beshown in November.

Shooting at nightThis was the first time I had ever used

(KODAK VISION3) 200T Color Negative Film7213 film stock and also the first time I had

never used 500T at all for nights. So I was

a little apprehensive as to whether I could

light one stop more (compared to 500 ASA)

without losing a natural looking night-look,

especially for exteriors.

At the beginning of the shooting, I over-lit the

nights slightly. When I saw the first rushes

it was all much too bright! Towards the end

of the shooting, I discovered that I had lit

almost everything as if I had had VISION

Color Negative Film 500T in the camera! And

there was almost no visible grain! Ive never

shot such beautiful nights before - I was reallyamazed. I surely will use it again for the next

two movies.Right:(L to R) DP Markus Fraunholz B.V.KProducer Martin.Choroba

Director Bernd Fischerauer.

focus on film


22/48

Photo: Carole Segal

Courtesy AMC

focus on film

As a boy, Peter Wunstorf, ASC

made three-minute science-

fiction epics with his fathers 8mm

camera, using multiple exposures to

create titles and making exploding

universes from drops of food color

in pools of ink. A dozen feature

films and 11 television pilots later,

Wunstorf finds himself shooting

AMCs highly-acclaimed series The

Killing.

AMCs reputation for quality

television continues to grow

with The Killing. Adapted from

the Danish television series

Forbrydelsen, The Killingfollows the

murder investigation of a young girl

in Seattle. Its no simple procedural,

following three stories as they

unfold the victims family in their

grief; the police sifting through clues;

and a mayoral campaign that has

become embroiled in the murder.

Each episode recounts the events of

a single day, so at the end of the first

season viewers find themselves just

13 days into the story.

Wunstorfs television work

includes the pilots for Smallville,

Millenniumand Dark Angel, but this

is the first time that he has ventured

into series work. It becomes difficult

to keep the image fresh in a series

the sets are the same and the

locations are locked. But watching

the Danish series, it was so good.

And the pilot script for The Killing

was fantastic. I knew the series

would be different. Its not episodic.

Its more like one long movie. And

Veena (Sud, the executive producer

and developer of the series) hada clear sense of the visuals. It gets

darker and more obscure as the

series progresses, underscoring the

characters secrets.

Sad elegance

Wunstorf, Sud and pilot director

Patty Jenkins hit it off immediately.

When they initially talked about

working together, they told Wunstorf

they wanted the show to have a

sad elegance and a terrible beauty.

Wunstrofs mind immediately went

to Birth(Harris Savides, ASC) and

Jennifer Eight(Conrad Hall, ASC),

both of which Sud and Jenkins were

referencing for The Killing!

The pilot was shot in Vancouver

over 14 days in May. AMCs

penchant for shooting film as

opposed to digital capture was the

perfect choice for the somber, gray

look they were seeking. Wunstorf

shot the entire series on KODAK

VISION2 Expression 500T Color

Negative Film 5229, guaranteeing

a continuity of grain structure and

the simplicity needed on a tight

schedule. The 5229 was the perfect

palette and allowed us to work in

very low light levels, using natural

and supplemented natural light. The

stocks dynamic range allowed us to

do that and get those images on a

seven-day series schedule.

Difficult weather

The use of film also worked well

in the difficult weather conditions,

allowing production to move quickly.

In the end, Wunstorf said, film

allowed us to move fast. Its harder,

in my opinion to shoot digital and

make it look as good as film.

Wunstorf recalls one scene in

particular from the pilot. It was a

car scene shot late in the day in the

rain. It was gray and about to get

dark. We immediately pulled the

filters and pushed a stop. It was

getting dark enough for Wunstorf

to consider pulling the plug on the

scene. It was early in the shoot and

he worried how everyone would

react to the resulting images. But

he took the risk and shot the scene

out. It turned out to be one of Suds

favorite scenes. It was a risk, but

thats the thing about shooting film.

You know what it can do.

Wunstorf commitsto AMCs

The Killing


23/48

focus on film

Photo: (L to R) Sullivan Stephenson and Philip Winchester in Strike Back2 Photo credit Sky/HBO

The series was filmed on

location in Durban, Cape Town

and Springbok, South Africa, and

in Budapest, Hungary. Like thefirst series, Strike Back 2is based

around a fictitious UK government

facility known as Section 20 which

uses intelligence gained to send

Special Forces-type personnel on

missions around the world. Woven

around the books by ex-SAS soldier

Chris Ryan, the series interweaves

the dramatic politics of war with

the personal demons of two very

driven men.

Steve Lawes says that the look

of the show is intended to be a

fast-paced immersive experience

with a cinematic style that takes

cues from major feature films. Steve

was instrumental in persuading

the production companies, Left

Bank Pictures for the UK and Out

of Africa for South Africa, to allow

him to shoot on film rather than

RED. He says, 35mm film is still

the best and most flexible capture

medium available today. We shoot

a minimum of two cameras and

quite often four are used on a

regular basis. The logistics of using

digital would impact greatly on our

schedule.

Steve used a variety of ARRI

cameras for the shoots including an

ARRICAM ST, two ARRICAM LTs,

a 435ES and a 235. He also useda wide array of Cooke S4 Prime

lenses ranging from 14mm up to

180mm. Three Kodak film stocks

were employed; KODAK VISION3

250D Color Negative Film 5207,

KODAK VISION3 500T Color

Negative Film 5219 and KODAK

VISION2 50D Color Negative Film

5201.

For the scenes shot in Budapest

(episodes 4-7) , the negative

processing and preparation for

transferring to telecine was carried

out by Kodak Cinelabs Hungary

(KCH), a KODAK IMAGECARE

Program accredited lab. KCH

had previously worked with the

production company who were

very pleased with their work. The

production manager said, I was

very happy to work with KCH again.

I am always comfortable that our

material is in good hands in their

laboratory and that they will obtain

the best results for us.

Strike Back2airs on HBOs

Cinemax channel in the US and on

SKY1 in the UK.

Action seriesstrikes back a

second

timeDP Steve Lawes has just

completed filming the last

block of the high-octane drama

series Strike Back2.


24/48

Music video recreates

1960s look

Working with Marcus is a wonderful process because everything is

very clear, and I am liberated to go off and try new things, says Lloyd.This video had a very particular process it needed to go through.

Marcus aesthetic comes from an impossibly deep library of images. He

is into the craziest stuff, and the references for every job we do together

are so precise and manicured that its almost unbelievable. He is very

much interested in re-creating the look and feeling of things gone by.

One day its an obscure Rita Pavone video, and the next it is a Russian

punk performance or an unknown 1970s B-movie.

Lloyd welcomes the challenge of having to create, or re-create,

these specific references from the director. Marcus is so focused

on the types of images he is after, but is not necessarily overbearing

technically. Its up to me and my crew to figure out how to pull off that

certain look. Marcus doesnt sweat the small stuff, and he creates an

environment rather than a shot. We always know what we are doing

because he is so prepared.

Lloyd explains that the concept for the Holdin On video was based

on pre-MTV promotional films that bands would create to promote

their records. Typically these films featured the band just hanging out

focus on film

in weird scenarios and goofing around, explains Lloyd. There was

some live performance, but mostly just situational humor and sillycamera tricks. Marcus was really interested in going after the look and

feel of the 60s promotional films. When he first proposed the project

to me he had printed almost every shot of Richard Lesters Beatles film

Help.

The cinematographer says that the Help images served as a

primary inspiration for Holdin On, with almost every shot in the

Rooney video being a direct reference to the Beatles film. Lloyd and

Herring wanted to reconstruct not just the images, but the energy felt in

the original film.

Lloyd and AC David Edsall had extensive conversations about how

to approach the job. It was ultimately decided that the best thing to do

was simply mimic exactly what was done in the 1960s.We came up

with the idea that we should shoot the whole job in 16mm color, print

everything to a positive, and then telecine off the print, explains Lloyd.I grade almost all my own work in the end, but there is a certain quality

to print film that simply cannot be duplicated in telecine. It is an analog

system, things just dont work the same way in digital.

Matthew Lloyd, CSC and director

Marcus Herring have frequently

collaborated on projects for Los

Angeles-based production company

The Directors Bureau. So, when they

re-teamed to shoot Rooneys musicvideo for Holdin On, they hit the

ground running.

1 Robert Schwartzman (standing), Marcus Herring (kneeling with the hat on), Matthew Lloyd (operating camera), and Janice Min (2nd AC holding the slate) 2 Matthew Lloyd, CSC 3 Rooney 4 Robert Schwartzman play


25/48

The camera package for Holdin On included an ARRI SR3

high-speed body from Panavision Hollywood mounted with Canon

10-110mm lenses.

I always love shooting film because I get to

use cameras that I have employed for years, and

I know exactly how to use them, notes Lloyd.

So many digital systems are cumbersome with

cables and accessories everywhere. Also optical-

viewfinders are an essential part of filmmaking.

Who wants to use a camera that you cant just look

through? The SR3 is such a well-built, hassle-free

machine that I havent really been interested in any

newer 16mm systems.

Lloyd says shooting on KODAK VISION3 200T Color Negative Film 7213

was a necessity. I knew going into the video that we would print all ofthe footage before transferring it, so I decided to pull process the entire

negative, says Lloyd. I often employ pull process on the (72)13 stock

when I shoot it outside. I rate it a 100 ISO, and it has a tendency to help

soften the blacks and reduce chroma saturation. The lower contrast of

the 7213 pulled was essential for us. When you go to a film print you

really end up with a full-contrast image and very hard blacks. You have

to be very precise with exposure and where things lay on the curve.

David (Edsall) is very helpful with this because I tend to want to expose

by eye, and he always keeps a close watch on where black and white are

in relation to the stop on the lens.

Production of the video took place in one day in a national forest in

Antelope Valley, California. The location provided the filmmakers the

right light and a wide variety of geography to stage many of the little

vignettes. Most of the reference material was shot at either dawn or

dusk, using just bounce and diffusion.

The film was developed a

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InCamera Magazine - Kodak