ICG Magazine - December 2017 - The Indie Issue

ICG MAGAZINE

THE LAST JEDI THE GREATEST SHOWMAN / WONDER WHEEL / GENERATION NEXT

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for your consideration BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Director of Photography

JOHN MATHIESON, BSC

© 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation and TSG Entertainment Finance LLC. All rights reserved. MARVEL TM & © 2017 MARVEL.

“Logan is the most beautifully rendered film in the X-Men franchise, and the most visually unique of the bunch.” ­—­Mark Hughes,­Forbes

F O R Y O U R C O N S I D E R AT I O N

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

MICHAEL SERESIN

[contents]

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THE LAST JEDI THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE OF CINEMA’S GREATEST FRANCHISE HAS ARRIVED.

54 64 DEPARTMENTS

GEAR GUIDE / 16 REPLAY / 24 ON THE STREET / 30 EXPOSURE / 34 PRODUCTION CREDITS / 90 STOP MOTION / 106 8

DECEMBER 2017

WONDER WHEEL

VITTORIO STORARO, ASC, AIC, PAINTS A MULTI-HUED PORTRAIT OF DAYS GONE BY.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN SEAMUS MCGARVEY, ASC, BSC, AND AN ACROBATIC GUILD CAMERA TEAM REACH FOR THE STARS.

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GENERATION NEXT MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF

LOCAL 600 CINEMATOGRAPHERS.

ICG MAGAZINE

THE LAST JEDI THE GREATEST SHOWMAN / WONDER WHEEL / GENERATION NEXT

Cover photo by David James, SMPSP

CORRECTIONS:

The bottom photo on page 41 in our November issue (Over the Rainbow) was incorrectly captioned. The correct wording should be: Lighting Director Craig Housenick/Photo by Tyler Golden The credit listing on page 45 for Over the Rainbow omitted the names of Craig Housenick and Daniel Boland (IATSE Local 728) as co-lighting directors with Samuel Barker.

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION IN ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDING

BEST PICTURE BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

RACHEL MORRISON, ASC “ONE OF THE BEST WRITTEN, BEST ACTED, BEST DIRECTED FILMS OF THE YEAR.

A MASTERFUL EPIC. LUSCIOUS CINEMATOGRAPHY

BY RACHEL MORRISON.” “SET IN THE MISSISSIPPI DELTA, THE PERIOD FEATURE BOASTS

STUNNING EPIC CINEMATOGRAPHY

BY RACHEL MORRISON, WHO COULD BECOME THE FIRST WOMAN NOMINATED

BY THAT BRANCH.”

GUILD MEMBERS PLEASE VISIT GUILDS.NETFLIX.COM FOR UP-TO-DATE SCREENING INFORMATION.

Photo by Scott Alan Humbert

PRESIDENT’S

LETTER DECEMBER 2017 • VOL. 88 NO. 10

Steven Poster, ASC

PROBLEM SOLVED… No matter what production we’re working on, or what job classifications we belong to, our jobs as Local 600 members always consist of solving problems. And one of the great methods of problem solving is by deductive reasoning. As I learned so many years ago in college, you identify and define the problem and then create criteria to find a solution. Of course, the problems on a 100-million-dollar movie are different than those on a half-million-dollar movie, which requires a different kind of intuition and invention than with a large crew and budget.

There’s a great example of that from the early days of independent filmmaking. In 1959, a young cinematographer had to shoot on multiple days in a facility that was used to counsel troubled teens. What made it so tricky was that the space was used for other work during the day. This young DP needed to light inconspicuously, i.e., to be able to leave his lights in place during the day, and then walk in after hours with his crew to start shooting.

In solving this problem he created two firsts, one of which I’m certain has been employed continuously on virtually every production, every day, of any size and scope, ever since.

So how did his deductive reasoning process go? He first determined the type of bulb that could be lightweight enough to be fastened on the wall and plugged in, with the cord hidden – otherwise known as reflector floods or RFLs. In 1959, these bulbs were readily available in different wattages, and they could be screwed into a simple Edison base with a zip cord that snaked down the wall into a typical wall socket.

As for how to hang the lights, he had a small engineering office in his home, where he experimented with a flat piece of lightweight aluminum. The socket could be fastened to this aluminum plate, thereby creating a base that could be attached to any smooth surface. For securing the light to the wall he thought about different varieties of tape – simple transparent (Scotch) tape was too weak, as was electrical tape. So he called up a tape manufacturer named Permacel to ask for a product that could peel off after use, and be white or silver so as not to 10

DECEMBER 2017

National President International Cinematographers Guild IATSE Local 600

absorb heat. After testing what Permacel supplied in his own living room, the cinematographer ordered up several spools of what he would later name “gaffer’s tape.” He used it to tape his small aluminum plate to a window, or a piece of wood on the wall. He could also use the gaffer’s tape to secure the zip cord down the wall to the socket.

This young man was named Ross Lowell, and with these two inventions, Lowel-Lighting was born. However, he had yet one more problem: what if there weren’t a wall to fix the lamp to, but rather (heating or water) pipes? The solution: cut a notch in the aluminum plate so the fixture could be wedged in place. Finally: how could he ensure the lights would be safe? Ross told me the idea of sourcing a ball-and-socket chain that would lock the plate in place came to him in the middle of the night but he forgot to write it down! (He stayed in bed all that morning until it came back to him.)

Ross Lowell was working for CBS at the time, and they were so smitten with his brainchild, they asked him to make up professionally available lights and kits. But he wasn’t done! Ross also wanted to control the light, so he invented a way of attaching barn doors, with lightweight springy aluminum, which could go around the reflector bulb. At one point, after introducing several improvements for his “Lowel-Light Kit” (like being able to clip diffusion onto the barn doors), legendary news anchor Walter Cronkite noted (on-air) how gaffer’s tape was brought along for emergency use on NASA’s first trip to the moon; even going so far as to explain the product’s relevance and ingenious attributes for the mission.

Local 600 members are confronted with similar thorny and solvable problems every day in their work. The lessons gleaned from Ross Lowell (who always recommended buying the RFLs in any local hardware store when shooting on location with his kit) are simple and profound, particularly for those working on independent films: identify and define the problem, and then ask enough questions until the answers suggest the right solution.

You never know – great things might just be a piece of tape away.

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December 2017 vol. 88 no. 10

Publisher Teresa Muñoz Executive Editor David Geffner Art Director Wes Driver ACCOUNTING Glenn Berger Dominique Ibarra COPY EDITORS Peter Bonilla Maureen Kingsley EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Tyler Bourdeau STAFF WRITER Pauline Rogers CONTRIBUTORS David Geffner Kevin H. Martin Margot Carmichael Lester Lauretta Prevost Niko Tavernise

INTERNATIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHERS GUILD Local 600 IATSE NATIONAL PRESIDENT Steven Poster, ASC NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Heather Norton 1ST NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT Paul Varrieur 2ND NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT John Lindley, ASC NATIONAL SECRETARY-TREASURER Eddie Avila NATIONAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY-TREASURER Douglas C. Hart NATIONAL SERGEANT-AT-ARMS Christy Fiers NATIONAL EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Rebecca Rhine

PUBLICATIONS & PUBLICITY COMMITTEE Henri Bollinger, Chair

CIRCULATION OFFICE 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, CA 90046 Tel: (323) 876-0160 Fax: (323) 878-1180 Email: circulation@icgmagazine.com

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DECEMBER 2017

ADVERTISING POLICY: Readers should not assume that any products or services advertised in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine are endorsed by the International Cinematographers Guild. Although the Editorial staff adheres to standard industry practices in requiring advertisers to be “truthful and forthright,” there has been no extensive screening process by either International Cinematographers Guild Magazine or the International Cinematographers Guild.

EDITORIAL POLICY: The International Cinematographers Guild neither implicitly nor explicitly endorses opinions or political statements expressed in International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. ICG Magazine considers unsolicited material via email only, provided all submissions are within current Contributor Guideline standards. All published material is subject to editing for length, style and content, with inclusion at the discretion of the Executive Editor and Art Director.

Local 600, International Cinematographers Guild, retains all ancillary and expressed rights of content and photos published in ICG Magazine and icgmagazine.com, subject to any negotiated prior arrangement. ICG Magazine regrets that it cannot publish letters to the editor.

ICG (ISSN 1527-6007) Published Monthly by The International Cinematographers Guild 7755 Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood, CA, 90046, U.S.A. Periodical postage paid at Los Angeles, California.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ICG 7755 Sunset Boulevard Hollywood, California 90046 Copyright 2017, by Local 600, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employes, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States and Canada. Entered as Periodical matter, September 30, 1930, at the Post Office at Los Angeles, California, under the act of March 3, 1879.

Subscriptions: $92.00 of each International Cinematographers Guild member’s annual dues is allocated for an annual subscription to International Cinematographers Guild Magazine. Non-members may purchase an annual subscription for $48.00 (U.S.), $82.00 (Foreign and Canada) surface mail and $117.00 air mail per year. Single Copy: $4.95 The International Cinematographers Guild Magazine has been published monthly since 1929.

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SOFT LIGHTING | REDEFINED

WIDE ANGLE THE INDIE ISSUE

CONTRIBUTORS

D

ecember in L.A. means many things to many people, but for ICG staffers only one question matters: how long will we have to stand in line at Walt Disney Studios to see an advance screening of the latest Star Wars film? And this December the anticipation level is extremely high given The Last Jedi (our cover story for this month’s Indie Issue) was shot and directed by a pair of filmmakers we’ve known (and loved) since they debuted a supercool high-school noir feature at Sundance, some 12 years ago, called Brick. A true creative team, writer/director Rian Johnson (Exposure, page 34) and cinematographer Steve Yedlin, ASC, bring their dynamic independent roots to the story that picks up exactly where J.J. Abrams’ The Force Awakens left off two years ago – Star Wars’ young female hero, Rey (Daisy Ridley), coming face-to-face with the man who began it all, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), now long in exile.

We should also add the name of Guild cinematographer Jaron Presant to Jedi’s creative package. While Presant has overseen 2nd-unit photography for all of Johnson’s features, Yedlin describes his contributions on Jedi as going well beyond shooting plates – a traditional role for 2nd-unit DP’s on large VFX movies.

“Jaron’s work with inverse gel matching [for a large set replete with practical lighting],” Yedlin told me in an email, “was much more collaborative [with first unit] than is typical.

Also, the exterior work he did [for the island of Ahch-To], including the shot of Rey on the rocky cliffs [which also had to be matched and extended back in London] overlooking the ocean in the teaser trailer was amazing.”

Yedlin’s a pretty amazing character himself.

He met Rian Johnson while still in high school (Johnson was a USC Cinema School freshman volunteering on a student film), and taught the novice director how to load a camera. Their level of creative trust is such that Yedlin spends a lot of time with lighting and color design, while Johnson geeks out on camera placement, lens height, and framing. For Jedi, shot on film and ALEXA, Yedlin devised a single show LUT that 14

DECEMBER 2017

emulated traditionally contact-printed film.

He even dug into past color charts from the stock (Kodak 5247) used to shoot The Empire Strikes Back – a visual touchstone for Jedi for its bold approach to thematic and narrative-driven lighting.

While independent cinema often inspires thoughts of younger filmmakers like Yedlin and Johnson, there may be no filmmaker (or cinematographer) more indie than Woody Allen and Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC, who are profiled in Kevin Martin’s feature on Wonder Wheel. Like their first pairing for Café Society, Storaro dragged Allen into digital capture (not quite kicking and screaming, but almost) using his 2:1 Univisium aspect ratio that was inspired by Leonardo Da Vinci’s painting “The Last Supper.” And like that other Italian master of light and shadow, Storaro’s cerebral theories on color play out vividly in Allen’s latest feature.

Finally, I’d like to direct our readership toward the annual Generation NEXT roundup, compiled by longtime freelancer Margot Lester. The five Guild cinematographers profiled this year represent not only the best of independent risk-taking in their work, but also the growing diversity in an industry that so many say is lacking different voices.

For the first time since we began this Generation NEXT series, three of the five subjects are women, and four of the five are cinematographers of color. So for those who insist diversity in our industry is as far off as Tatooine is from Endor, I disagree: The force for change is strong, and the pool for diverse voices is expanding.

David Geffner Executive Editor Twitter: @DGeffner Email: david@icgmagazine.com

Lauretta Prevost (Replay)

“When I first moved to NYC, a dozen years ago, I landed a job on a very low-budget feature, and one of the actors was Macon Blair, the director of I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. Twelve years later, Blair is winning awards instead of getting stalked onscreen in an impossibly low-budget horror film, and I’m a DP on many diverse projects (instead of sequentially holding, on the same $30,000 feature, the roles of PA, key PA, production coordinator, 2nd AD, and 1st AD)!”

Margot Carmichael Lester (Generation NEXT)

“Writing about people who love what they do and are breaking new ground doing it is always gratifying. The folks I interviewed for this year’s Generation NEXT feature are talented, innovative and thoughtful.”

Kevin Martin (Tilt-A-World)

“This is the first time I’ve interviewed Vittorio Storaro, and I was taken with his hope that new technology can fuel image preservation.

I was also impressed by his passionate commitment toward ensuring future audiences will be able to view his work with maximum color fidelity, at a level beyond what is now readily obtainable.”

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F O R

Y O U R

C O N S I D E R A T I O N

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Anthony Dod Mantle, ASC, BSC, DFF

“ANTHONY DOD MANTLE’S CINEMATOGRAPHY IS THE TRUE STAR OF THE FILM.”

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“

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle’s use of colour is bright enough to reflect a child’s experience without prettifying reality.”

“CINEMATOGRAPHER ANTHONY DOD MANTLE DOES A MAGNIFICENT JOB

of giving ‘First They Killed My Father’ the look and heft of an epic.

This movie is filled with memorable shots.”

A FILM BY

ANGELINA JOLIE

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BY CINEMATOGRAPHER DARIUS KHONDJI, THE MOVIE MOVES FROM A MUTED NATURALISM TO GARISH ARTIFICIALITY WITH A COHESIVE EASE.”

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DECEMBER 2017

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[replay]

CREEPY CRAWLER

How to achieve tension and suspense on an indie budget

by Lauretta Prevost photos by Allyson Riggs

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I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore took home the Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. Dramatic Competition at Sundance 2017. Its unobtrusive cinematography (by Larkin Seiple) creates an observational space that helps viewers buy into the journey of the main character, Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) and her friend, Tony (Elijah Wood); and what begins as a whimsical romance soon verges into a vigilante buddy flick with the sudden fear that Ruth may be in real danger.

Amazingly, the emotional and genre shift occurs in the space of a single shot – a long one-er that Seiple created with director Macon Blair.

Ruth is alone in her house, grabbing a beer from the fridge. As the camera follows her through her home, we are reminded of an earlier moment when she discovered there had been a break-in. As the camera tracks with Ruth, it reveals (only) to the audience that an intruder is

about to enter the front door – a man we know has recently acquired a gun.

She enters her bedroom and exits the frame as the camera continues gliding down the hallway in what appears to now be the intruder’s POV – until Ruth re-emerges to lead the camera back to the now empty doorframe, leaving the audience to wonder if the intruder has left or lurks somewhere unnoticed in the house.

This shot is engaging from a narrative perspective as well as a “look what we accomplished on a budget!” angle.

(Currently streaming on Netflix, the shot can be seen near the one-hour-sevenminute mark.) Blair says he and Seiple got excited about relying on the longest takes possible.

“We tried to avoid coverage as much as we could to make certain scenes as tense as possible,” Seiple adds, and, indeed, a long single following Ruth through her

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DECEMBER 2017

Artwork © 2017 Annapurna Releasing, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

25

[replay]

“I LOVED DOING

ONE-ERS, AND IN THIS CASE IT’S THAT WE HELD SO LONG ON THE HALLWAY THAT MAKES THE SHOT SO EERIE.” CAMERA OPERATOR JONATHAN DEC

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DECEMBER 2017

home creates an eerie and building unease.

As for the shot’s pace, tempo and feel, Blair wanted the camera moving in space and panning, while still looking “controlled.” A Steadicam would “float,” too much, and the location’s small hallway precluded an operator, gear and performer all together anyway. A remote camera head was one possibility, if not for the limited two-million-dollar range of the budget.

The answer turned out to be a MōVI rig on the Mitchell mount of a dolly.

The MōVI stabilized head has become prevalent in drone photography, and is used in specialized situations for features and episodics (see ICG August 2015, Straight Outta Compton). Best boy grip Adam Lutz owned a MōVI, and dolly grip Jason Dinges crouched under the counter to push the Fisher 11 dolly; the rest of the camera team camped out at the monitor in the garage to weigh in wirelessly.

First assistant camera Matt Sanderson

notes that, “I will remember that day for the rest of my life, but not because of that shot: it’s the day I got married.”

With such a fantastic excuse for missing work (congratulations, Matt!), operator Jonathon Dec shifted to focus puller while Seiple operated the MōVI via a remote control system with joystick.

The dolly move is only about four feet, but the slow creep adds growing suspense.

Wooden two-by-fours were put down on the ground, as traditional track proved a tripping hazard to Lynskey’s multiple crosses through the space. Seiple calls the use of the MōVI an “ingenious” solve by the grip and camera team.

Shot on ALEXA MINI in 3.2K ProRes format, in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, the crew used both Zeiss Super Speeds and Super Baltars. Digital Imaging Technician Matthew Conrad says the soft edge sharpness on the Baltars is more noticeable in tight spaces with geometric shapes (i.e., hallways), so that

FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY TOBY OLIVER acs

“PEELE CREATES IMAGES THAT ARE BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIFYING, AN ELEGANCE POSSESSED BY MENACE.”

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DANIEL KALUUYA

DECEMBER 2017

© 2016 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

27

[replay]

CREW Cinematographer: Larkin Seiple Camera Operator: Jonathan Dec 1st AC: Matthew Sanderson 2nd AC: Steven Riddle DIT: Matt Conrad Steadicam Operator: Jesse Evans B-Camera 1st ACs: Danielle C. Carroll, June Zandona, Chris Mosson, Patrick LaValley B-Camera 2nd AC: Peggy Knoebel Still Photography: Allyson Riggs

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DECEMBER 2017

may have also gone into the consideration of choosing a 25-mm Super Speed over a Baltar for the shot. (The Super Speeds are also physically lighter, and a MōVI can only handle a certain amount of weight.)

“There’s a lot of balancing that needs to go into working with a MōVI,” Sanderson declares. “You need a very good tech.” A fan of the MōVI, Sanderson has seen it used as the “poor man’s version of a hot head,” such as mounting it to the front of a car so that panning and tilting remotely are options.

Dec says he appreciated how long Blair would choose to hold on a shot.

“Macon knows what he wants but also lets operators see what happens in a frame,” Dec reflects. “I loved doing one-ers, and in this case it’s that we held so long on the hallway that makes the shot so eerie.”

Seiple rated the ALEXA MINI at 1280 or 1600 (rather than its natural base of 800) to give more details in the highlights and handle rolloff better. He

says he and Blair were referencing 1970s films and going for softer images, with a slightly dirty and flat look.

“I’d underexpose a stop or two and then push up in post, so there’d be a bit more noise, and the colors would be a bit muted,” the DP explains. The LUT Conrad made for this project minimizes saturation, lowers contrast, and saves highlights. In this long one-er, numerous windows can be seen, and when blown out they lose detail in a way that feels natural and isn’t distracting.

What’s so cool about the Guild team’s work on I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is that the long single shot feels almost invisible, camera-wise. The tension it builds scratches around your comfort zone, and it is only on closer examination that we realize what effort went into heightening our unease and building our empathetic attachment.

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THE ULTIMATE ANAMORPHIC LENS TEST The Cinematographers behind ShareGrid compared 13 different brands of glass.

Then they open-sourced the results for everyone.

by Pauline Rogers photos courtesy of Brent Barbano

When cinematographers are considering anamorphic capture, and want to test lenses, the process can be a deluge of informationgathering. Is there time to test multiple brands of lenses? Is the information drawn from the Internet accurate? Is there even a budget to complete a comprehensive testing process that won’t shortchange the story and workflow?

Such questions have now been answered thanks to The Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test. Cinematographer Mark LaFleur teamed up with Brent Barbano, Local 600 DP and co-founder of ShareGrid, the largest camerasharing community in the industry, to not only be able to link artists with the right equipment, but also provide up-to-date information on the latest tools.

With their Ultimate Anamorphic Lens Test, LaFleur and Barbano have brought together 13 brands of lenses (Angénieux Optimo 44-440-mm T4.5 A2S Zoom; Atlas Orion 65 mm; ARRI/Zeiss Master Anamorphics; and lenses from Cinevision, Cooke, and Elite; as well as Hawk V-Lite Vintage ’74s, Kowa Cine Prominars; Lomo Round-Fronts; Panavision Auto-Panatar; P+S Technik 35-70-mm T3.2 Cinemascope and Todd AO Anamorphics) along with lens gurus, enthusiasts, and information seekers.

The goal? To gather as much information as possible to create a single reference point.

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“Lens tests are nothing new,” admits Matthew Duclos, who came in as an impartial professional. “But there’s simply too much variation from one test to another to gather any valuable data. Factors such as the camera, lighting, scaling, post-processing, upload compression, monitor calibration and more mean every individual test is going to provide a different result. Mark, Brent and [DP] Kyle Stryker solved that.”

Another participant, Director of Photography Phillip Holland, explains that what the team proposed “was to focus on general optical performance of many of the anamorphic options available today, using one simple setup that could be easily compared.

“Having a subject in frame, panning the camera, and using a light source to induce lens flare tells a cinematographer a lot about what he/she is going to get out of an anamorphic lens,” Holland adds. “How does the lens hold a face? Too much distortion? Too much glare?

Is the flare pleasant or too distracting?”

LaFleur and Barbano produced one shot to showcase the obvious (and subtle) differences between each set of lenses. “We wanted an accurate and fair test that is as comprehensive and detailed as possible but without losing any credibility due to multiple variables,” Barbano explains. “We considered ourselves artists, but we had to go about it in a very scientific way.”

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That meant using the same model, lighting, camera, location, etc., which would fairly display color, contrast, center sharpness, edge sharpness, distortion, vignetting, focus fall-off, focus breathing, minimum focus, bokeh characteristics, lens flares, chromatic aberrations, and, perhaps most importantly, how it renders a person’s face.

“We wanted the lighting and frame to look like a shot that could have been pulled out of a film,” adds Stryker. “But it had to have all the elements needed to see the different characteristics of each lens.” Stryker used a simple 1K Chimera with an egg crate (for key light), and fill light was a 650-watt Chimera.

Back light was a 300-watt Chimera.

“For our background, we had two windows made of distorted glass squares that gave a great way of representing the lenses’ bokeh, which were backlit with two spotted 650s with Full CTB and Steel Blue,” he continues. “We also lined the background with tungsten Christmas lights to add additional areas to show bokeh performance.

We strung China balls from the ceiling to gently lift the ambience and be another object to give a representation of bokeh/distortion.”

Rental houses and personal owners brought in lenses, so some of the sets were only available for two hours, making the task daunting.

“Performance changes immensely as you stop down the lens with anamorphics,” LaFleur observes. “It becomes arguably even more dramatic than with spherical lenses.

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Because of that, it was crucial that we test each lens at several T-stops. Most were done at 3 or as many as a 4 T-stops per lens! Only the slowest lenses were tested at fewer than 3. We would have tested them at every stop, but we did not have the time or the budget to be able to light the set to shoot at T5.6, never mind T11 or T16.”

Local 600 cinematographer Dan Kanes, from Atlas Lens Co., says it was “amazing to see how each lens draws an image differently, and what unique qualities, strengths or weaknesses can make a lens the right choice for a shoot. I think of lenses like fine wine or food for the eyes – cinematographers are connoisseurs who can ‘taste’ the difference and appreciate the subtleties that might be beneficial to telling different kinds of stories or evoking different feelings.”

The proof in ShareGrid’s success can best be seen in the reaction of Oscar nominee Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS (Lion, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Zero Dark Thirty). Two weeks out from launching the test, the ShareGrid team was contacted by Jay Holben (ASC Lens Committee co-chair). “Greig had caught wind of our test and wanted to use it to help decide what lenses he could use for his next feature,” Barbano explains.

ShareGrid compiled a sample video and met with Fraser.

“His reaction was so reaffirming,” Barbano states. “We spent two hours cycling through each brand, focal length and aperture, and [Fraser] floated through the

process with such ease.”

“It was incredible to see the extent of these tests because it quickly allowed me to make aesthetic comparisons without needing to go to the trouble to shoot all these lenses,” Fraser recounts. “Even though I will certainly do more testing, I can tell you it allowed me to strike at least eight sets of lenses off the list immediately. This will give me more time to refine my limited camera test time to finesse the details, rather than spend the time on the bigger picture.”

ShareGrid has generated more than 130 videos in 4K that can be viewed in a 4× quad player, allowing the user to select the lens brand, focal length and aperture to be played at one time and in sync with each other.

Viewers can compare four different brands, or four focal lengths within one brand or one lens at four different T-stops. An e-mail address is required for viewing, and so far, ShareGrid has logged-in viewers from Turkey, Italy, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, China, Canada, Mexico and across the U.S. “It’s amazing to me the work, talent and expertise that went into something that is offered for free,” concludes Holben. “The education that you can get is worth thousands of dollars; it’s the kind of generosity that I support with passionate vigor. I know that I’ll spend a great deal of time over the next few years continuing to learn from what is available in this test. And I hope other people learn from ShareGrid’s generosity and follow suit.”

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RIAN JOHNSON

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HOW COOL DOES THIS SOUND FOR A CAREER TRAJECTORY...

STUDYING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S STORIED SCHOOL OF CINEMATIC ARTS – THE HOUSE THAT GEORGE LUCAS ESSENTIALLY BUILT YEARS AGO ON THE WINGS OF CREATING STAR WARS – TO ONE DAY ACTUALLY DIRECTING A STAR WARS MOVIE? AND WHILE WRITER/DIRECTOR RIAN JOHNSON MAY NEVER HAVE IMAGINED HE’D GET TO HELM AN EPISODE OF THE SCI-FI ADVENTURE SAGA THAT DEFINED HIS CHILDHOOD, THERE’S LITTLE DOUBT (AT LEAST IN THIS WRITER’S MIND) THAT HE ABSOLUTELY DESERVES TO BE STEERING THE MILLENNIUM FALCON TOWARD NEW (AND DARKER?) HEIGHTS WITH THE LAST JEDI, THE EIGHTH AND PENULTIMATE STORY IN THE STAR WARS PANTHEON.

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photo courtesy of LUCASFILM, LTD

[exposure]

AMAZINGLY, THE LAST JEDI IS ONLY JOHNSON’S FOURTH FEATURE. (HE ALSO DIRECTED THREE EPISODES OF BREAKING BAD , ONE OF WHICH WON A DGA AWARD.) BUT EACH SWING HE’S TAKEN AT THE PLATE HAS MADE SOLID CREATIVE CONTACT. HIS DEBUT INDIE FEATURE, BRICK , AN OFF-CENTER NOIR SET IN A SOCAL HIGH SCHOOL, WAS A STANDOUT ON THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT, EVEN HONORED WITH A SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR ORIGINALITY OF VISION AT SUNDANCE IN 2005.

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His subsequent indie features, The Brothers Bloom (ICG, January 2009) and Looper (2012), built upon and raised the bar for a unique cinematic grammar, which is laced with equal parts narrative irony and visual poetry. Through it all Johnson has had two constants to prepare him for the mother of all directing assignments – he writes his own material (as he did for The Last Jedi), and his films are all shot by Steve Yedlin, ASC, a cinematographer and color-science whiz he met as a film student.

Drawing from his years of creative risktaking in the indie world (and a little help from ILM), Johnson is the right guy, at the right time, to drive the Star Wars franchise into uncharted galaxies.

I remember talking to you and Steve Yedlin after Brick premiered at Sundance, in 2005.

Even as first-time independents, you had a special connection. Rian Johnson: Wow, it gives you vertigo to start counting the years up, right?

Definitely. Steve went on to shoot all your movies, including The Last Jedi. How

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[exposure]

did the partnership begin, and what has sustained it? I was a freshman at USC and Steve was a senior still in high school when we met. As a freshman, you go to the bulletin board at USC to see what student films need volunteers, to get any experience you can. Steve was running the camera department on this student film, and I was so entirely useless that when they ran out of sandbags, they would have me, literally, sit on the C-stands! Steve took pity on me; he showed me how to load the camera. We started showing each other the short films we had made in high school and became fast friends.

And now you’re making Star Wars! Right.

Cut to: The Last Jedi – a perfectly natural transition. [Laughs.]

Looper, made five years ago, was a cerebral kind of action film. Five years is a lifetime in digital effects. How did that experience prepare you for The Last Jedi? Looper was certainly the first time I dealt with any volume of VFX, even though it was nothing

“I HAD TO VISUALLY TELL EACH SCENE IN A WAY THAT EXCITED ME AND NOT BE WORRIED ABOUT IT LOOKING LIKE A ‘STAR WARS’ MOVIE.”

compared to The Last Jedi, which I think had close to 2000 VFX shots. We would need to ask Ben Morris [VFX Supervisor] at ILM. Let’s just say there was a big learning curve when it came to Jedi. But the preparation was really not so much about being comfortable with a big VFX movie, and all the tools that go along with that. It was really about the best way to communicate what the scene needs to actors, department heads, and other creative partners, like Steve and [Production Designer] Rick [Heinrichs].

This is our Indie Issue, and one reason Star Wars is on the cover is the experience you and Steve bring as independent filmmakers. Can you make a Rian Johnson film when Star Wars is in the title? That was one of the most pleasant surprises about this movie, as everyone at Lucasfilm and Disney really encouraged us to do what we’ve always done. I won’t lie – I was nervous.

Coming from the indie world to a large studio environment, and what some have called “storytelling by committee,” was my biggest fear: the idea that they use directors as pawns to discard. So, when I turned in the first draft of my script, I held my breath.

Because you thought it was too Rian Johnson? Maybe. I didn’t know. But, in fact, the stuff that was more out there or challenging was what they were most excited about. They actually became co-conspirators in terms of breaking ground and taking these characters that were set up so well in The Force Awakens to a new place. It’s kind of a small miracle that J.J. [The Force Awakens co-screenwriter/director J.J. Abrams], Michael [co-screenwriter Michael Arndt] framegrab courtesy of LUCASFILM, LTD

How do you work with Steve on set, including how you made this film? I storyboard everything beforehand just so I have a plan in my head coming into scenes, not that I won’t deviate from that. When I come on set I will do a lens on a stick and compose, very precisely, the shot and the movement I want. Steve and I will talk those through, and he may have suggestions or changes. But typically I’m pretty precise with framing and camera movement. With the lens, we’ll mark down camera heights and positions for everything. And then Steve will start lighting. Lighting to me is magic, and, honestly, I could not do what Steve does – translate ideas into actual selection and placements of lighting units – if you put a gun to my head. A big part of our collaboration happens in prep – designing the sets around the lighting and the look and feel of each scene.

Steve Yedlin is known as a real colorscience geek. He can go on and on.

[Laughs.] I’ll say he can. Steve loves to dig in, and know, on an incredibly granular level, how color works, specifically how it relates to image capture. He’s certainly a very technical guy in that way, but the great thing, from my standpoint, is all that knowledge is put toward helping define the vision and story we’re trying to get onto the screen.

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[exposure]

and Larry [co-screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan] were able to create new characters that were so identifiable and that the [Star Wars] culture embraced in a single movie.

As the director of a Star Wars film, there is a huge machinery in place, of course. But in terms of the actual filmmaking process, there were times where Steve and me or Laura [Laura Dern playing Vice Admiral Holdo] and me would turn to each other and say, “This kind of feels like we’re making an indie movie.”

“I ACTUALLY WENT TO USC FILM SCHOOL BECAUSE OF GEORGE LUCAS AND A BOOK ABOUT HIM CALLED SKYWALKING… THAT’S WHAT INSPIRED ME TO BE A DIRECTOR.”

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Did you seek out any advice before you took on the project? This happened way before Star Wars came around – and it’s going to sound like name-dropping, so forgive me, but it’s germane to the topic. I was having a conversation with Chris Nolan, whose films I really love and admire because he’s worked in the studio system a long time, yet made very personal movies with his signature. Chris was basically telling me not to fear this dragon – the studio system – that was inside the cave. Don’t be afraid: I was an independent filmmaker with an independent voice and things would still turn out okay.

And as The Last Jedi proves, they really did.

Speaking of Chris Nolan, you and Steve Yedlin have only shot film together. Yet for Jedi, you used a mixture of 35 millimeter and ALEXA. Why the combination?

As you mentioned about Steve and color science, he had it so dialed-in that when he showed me how we could match – not only scene-to-scene, but shot-to-shot – the film to the ALEXA footage, I felt [a bit] more comfortable. The default was basically film, and where digital made sense, Steve would approach me, and eventually I would come around. There were also examples of scenes shot entirely on film, and the one Steadicam move in the scene would be with the ALEXA Mini, and it would match perfectly.

[Laughs.] But don’t tell Chris [Nolan] that.

Forty years is a long time for a movie franchise to remain so firmly rooted in the public consciousness. Did you reference or emulate anything from the original trilogy, directly or indirectly? The movie we looked to, visually, was The Empire Strikes Back.

It’s, inarguably I feel, the most beautiful of all the Star Wars movies, in terms of tone, lighting, textures and mood. But even as we looked at and were inspired by Empire, we also decided, early on, not to try to imitate that film, particularly with lighting, and camera, or, for that matter, anything else in

the Star Wars canon – to me that meant less moving camera and more formal, Kurosawastyle compositions. I had to visually tell each scene in a way that excited me and not be worried about it looking like a “Star Wars” movie, meaning something that came before.

Yet people are coming to see something with an incredible legacy; they’re coming to see a Star Wars movie. Doesn’t that factor into your approach? You would be hard-pressed to point to something else that has stuck around so long and retained the cultural power of Star Wars – arguably, now more than ever, which is nuts! But that’s not very healthy or helpful to have in your head when you’re making a movie. You can’t check every creative decision against what the culture is expecting, or try to calculate what will excite the fan base. At the end of the day, you try to make a movie that excites you personally, and, hopefully, makes you feel how you felt when you saw Star Wars as a kid. Then you put it out there and hold your breath. [Laughs.]

There’s an online clip of Mark Hamill talking about how overwhelming it is that Star Wars is still so popular, and how to keep that from intruding on his acting.

What’s it like to direct Luke Skywalker 30 years later? These characters have defined Mark and Carrie [Fisher] as much as they’ve defined the characters for the past 40 years.

So I wasn’t going to bluster in and say, “This is my movie – my way or nothing.” Now the flipside of that is Mark and Carrie have had the past few decades to imagine, in their minds, where their characters would end up, so they had some fixed ideas, which may not have lined up with where things were going – it would actually be really weird if they did.

So it was a…conversation? And a process, as it is always with your actors – there were things they loved, things that surprised them, and things they weren’t so crazy about and disagreed with. But the fact that both of them, at the end of the day, trusted me to make decisions about these characters that have meant so much to them, was, I guess you could say…fortifying. [Pause.]

But I won’t lie – it is weird directing Luke Skywalker. In fact, it’s never not weird directing Luke Skywalker, not for a moment.

[Laughs.] I actually went to USC Film School because of George Lucas and a book about him – unofficial, I believe ­– called Skywalking…that’s what inspired me to be a director.

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IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE OF CINEMA’S GREATEST FRANCHISE HAS ARRIVED. SO WHICH IS MORE SURPRISING?: WHO REALLY ARE THE LAST JEDI’S HEROES AND VILLAINS, OR ITS INDIE CREATORS WITH AN EDGY NEW VISION?

by

DAVID GEFFNER photos/framegrabs courtesy of

LUCASFILM, LTD DECEMBER 2017

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YOU’D HAVE TO GO BACK TO SHAKESPEAREAN LITERATURE TO FIND A MORE TANGLED FAMILY TREE THAN THAT IN STAR WARS, THE EPIC SCI-FI ADVENTURE SERIES SPRUNG FROM GEORGE LUCAS’ IMAGINATION MORE THAN FOUR DECADES AGO.

THE ORIGINAL TRILOGY (EPISODES IV, V, AND VI) REVEALED ITS NAÏVE YOUNG HERO, LUKE SKYWALKER, TO BE THE SON OF HIS HATED NEMESIS, DARTH VADER/ANAKIN SKYWALKER, AND THE BEAUTIFUL YOUNG PRINCESS FIGHTING EMPIRICAL TYRANNY WAS LUKE’S TWIN SISTER. STAR WARS’ PREQUELS (EPISODES I, II, AND III), WHICH HIGHLIGHTED THE BACKSTORIES OF LUKE, ANAKIN/VADER, OBI-WAN (BEN) KENOBI – THE ANCIENT JEDI KNIGHT WHO TRAINED ANAKIN – AND EMPEROR PALPATINE/SITH LORD, WERE ALSO STEEPED IN MORAL AMBIGUITIES, AND LUCAS COULD HAVE ENDED THE SERIES WITH REVENGE OF THE SITH, WHICH PRECEDES THE SHARED JOURNEY OF FATHER AND SON – THE FORMER’S FALL FROM GRACE AND REDEMPTION, THE LATTER’S PASSAGE FROM NAÏF TO SAVIOR – COMPLETED IN RETURN OF THE JEDI. BUT THEN CAME THE FORCE AWAKENS (EPISODE VII) A DECADE LATER, WITH A NEW SET OF HEROES AND VILLAINS WHO ALL POSSESS EQUALLY TENUOUS FAMILY CONNECTIONS.

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W

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY HAS RELEASED ONLY A FEW TRAILERS FOR THE LAST JEDI (EPISODE VIII); AND GIVEN THE LACK OF INFORMATION THEY PROVIDE, NARRATIVE SURPRISES – WHO ARE REY’S PARENTS? WILL KYLO REN GO FROM DARK TO LIGHT? DOES A GRIZZLED OLD LUKE TURN AWAY FROM THE FORCE? – ARE GUARANTEED.

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HAT MAY BE MORE SURPRISING THAN ANY STORY TWIST WAS

the methodology writer/director Rian Johnson (Exposure, page 34) and his longtime cinematographer Steve Yedlin, ASC, chose.

Joined by 2nd Unit DP Jaron Presant (who worked on all three of Johnson’s previous indie features), and Production Designer Rick Heinrichs (whose credits include Tim Burton and Coen brothers films), Jedi’s creative team took an approach steeped in Johnson and Yedlin’s indie roots: rigorous planning of the broad strokes so that flexibility on-set could focus on fine-grained finessing.

“I don’t want to downplay the massive scale and excitement,” observes Yedlin about being part of the Star Wars franchise. “But this really felt like the family was back together: another Rian Johnson movie. It wasn’t a ship steered by a faceless corporation.”

Yedlin adds that, “even before prep started, Rian said there was no pressure to make this look like another movie in the franchise.

Moreover, he was clear that our style of working and our aesthetics would not have to change because it was Star Wars. Rian wrote the script, it was his vision, and we really approached everything as we’ve always done together, which is not to sledgehammer the movie into a simple visual box, but to design each scene as needed.”

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THIS CREATIVE MIND MELDING HAS ALLOWED YEDLIN to explore his prime artistic

strengths – lighting and color rendition.

The cinematographer says Johnson is very collaborative in both lighting and camera, “but whereas Rian is hands-on with the specifics of lensing, when it comes to lighting, what he gives me is much more subjective. He trusts me to take his conceptual ideas and bring them to life in the details.”

One such example from Jedi’s second trailer involves a black-helmeted, black-gloved figure (Kylo Ren, or perhaps Snoke?) picking up a lightsaber from a black glossy floor. The entire background is filled with a deeply saturated red light, providing a stark (and unsettling) contrast to the foreground. A voice-over intones about someone with “raw, untamed power….”

Yedlin says the scene was discussed at length between him, Johnson and Production Designer Rick Heinrichs. “We came up with a specific color of red and a physical way to do it that we all liked,” he shares, “and then made a commitment not to hold back in any way.

It’s a good example of how carefully color was designed in this movie.”

Heinrichs says that the color palette in Star Wars is often restrained, “in keeping with the black-and-white concept of a ‘space western.’

Used sparingly, [red] can have a huge emotional impact, and Rian and Steve’s use of the color as both a ping to the Emperor’s guards in Return of the Jedi and of the status of the environments in which the color occurs looked spectacular.”

Yedlin, a highly technical shooter by anyone’s bar, says his facility for color science dovetailed with the aesthetic color design of the movie through the use of a global show LUT he created that allowed him to “be confident I could use daring colors or exposures and know that the result would provide the intended painterly look with very little shot-to-shot color grading.”

Jedi was captured primarily with Kodak 5219 (in Panavision’s XL2 cameras) and with ARRI ALEXA (using both ARRIRAW and ProRes4444). Film and digital elements were brought in to a show-specific neutral space using LUTs designed by Yedlin and then, from the neutral space, all footage received a single show LUT, which emulated the look of traditionally contact-printed film.

“We couldn’t have done this five years ago on Looper,” he continues. “At that time, color grading was tethered to film recording and we could only visualize how the footage would look when you filmed it out, so the process was predictive, not purposive. On Jedi, the neutral space LUTs brought the various cameras together, and then

the show LUT gave us our look: very similar to the look we would have gotten if we’d have contact-printed film negative, even though we didn’t actually print anything.”

Yedlin says the film elements were brought into the digital neutral space using a Scanity scanner with custom/fixed settings that pegged digital code values to physical negative densities.

The digital footage was brought to the neutral space with a LUT that mapped (the ALEXA’s) LogC (color space) to the same densities and colors as the film scans.

The cinematographer lit the movie to his global show LUT much like a traditional combo of camera negative and print stock. An example is that the “very bold red we designed [for the aforementioned scene],” he expounds, “would have a ‘filmy’ painterly feel. In traditional contact printing, the reds go a bit yellow and can’t be both very bright and highly saturated at the same time, unlike the customary video/electronic palette, which has more magenta reds that might be both bright and saturated. Having the color science figured out upfront meant we didn’t have to build this stuff from scratch in post. It was all there from the beginning.”

BUILDING AN IN-CAMERA FOUNDATION ALSO FACTORED INTO Jedi’s visual effects, which,

according to VFX Supervisor Ben Morris, with ILM in London, numbered close to 2000 shots.

“Rian was coming from a traditional [film] background,” Morris recalls, “and he wanted to do as much as he could practically, which is a recurring theme of many filmmakers these days.

I showed him some of my previous work [with Framestore], with the goal of showing how an effective mix of practical and digital effects can keep the audience guessing.”

Morris, who worked as VFX Supervisor on The Force Awakens (Roger Guyett was lead VFX Supervisor as well as 2nd Unit Director), says there is a visual language in Star Wars that many people on the franchise grew up with, “myself, J.J. [Abrams], Rian, and Steve included.

The goal is to evolve that language without disconnecting from it,” he observes.

“Contrary to popular belief,” Morris laughs, “[digital artists] prefer real photographed elements as a basis for VFX shots. That helps ground the shot and make the VFX seamless.

Rian, Steve and I lobbied to capture as much as possible on location.”

One happy marriage, seen in the trailer, is a long wide shot (alluded to in Rey’s vision in The Force Awakens) of a Jedi temple in flames, with

THE GLOBAL SHOW LUT YEDLIN CREATED ALLOWED HIM TO

“BE CONFIDENT I COULD USE DARING COLORS OR EXPOSURES AND KNOW THAT THE RESULT WOULD PROVIDE THE INTENDED PAINTERLY LOOK.”

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“ THE BACKGROUND HAD A COMBINATION OF 3D ENVIRONMENTS, MATTE PAINTINGS, EFFECTS SIMULATIONS AND QUITE A LOT OF PRACTICAL ELEMENTS.” VFX SUPERVISOR BEN MORRIS

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Luke and R2-D2 in the foreground. The temple is where Luke had trained a new generation of Jedi, including his own nephew, Ben Solo, who would later become a Dark Side leader with followers named the Knights of Ren. Morris says the striking night shot was done on a sound stage with foreground elements lensed against blue screen, and embers and wind machines provided for foreground texture.

“The background had a combination of 3D environments, matte paintings, effects simulations and quite a lot of practical elements,” Morris describes.

Regarding concept art for the sequence, Heinrichs explains that “physical models have always played an important part in our development process. And while technology that truly places the viewer within a walkabout virtual space is impressive, it’s not yet agile or efficient enough for practical set visualization discussions.”

Still, Heinrichs discovered on Jedi that “the flattened environment spheres” exported by many 3D modeling programs can be reconstituted by an iPad app (like Kolor Panotour Viewer) and the tablet’s onboard technology into a manipulative window on a virtual environment.

“This allowed Rian, Steve, Ben, and myself, with an iPad, to stand in the middle of a set on stage before it was built, as well as view proposed VFX elements and extensions while the set was being shot,” he explains. “This off-theshelf tech gave us the confidence on the burning temple set to refine the blend between physical and digital elements, using foreshortened ground rows and textures to extend the reach of what is illuminated on stage into the background.”

Yedlin says that to create the firelight on characters’ faces for the temple burn and other fire-lit sequences, he photographed real fire in prep, and then calculated corresponding HSI chromaticity coordinates to program into the arrays of ARRI SkyPanels (more on that later) that he had worked out with Gaffer David Smith (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy). Yedlin adds that this was before the existence of the SkyPanels’ new “x, y” mode, which would have made the R&D process more streamlined.

“The way that the units flickered depended on the size of the array,” Yedlin recounts. “In one case we might have a 20-foot by 20-foot SkyPanel array hanging from a crane and in another just a single panel. The larger the array, the harder the attack, the faster the oscillation and the wider the contrast range required of each individual luminaire in order for the combined effect to feel right.”

INTERACTIVE LIGHTING WAS ANOTHER KEY ASPECT OF JEDI’S LOOK, particularly for the many moving

vehicle scenes in space or in planetary atmosphere. Yedlin and Smith created a hemispheric dome – 360 horizontal degrees by 180 vertical degrees – filled with 250 ARRI

(LED) SkyPanels that were all controlled through pixel mapping. “For example,” Yedlin explains, “an actor in a ski-speeder cockpit may be completely wrapped in skycolored light one moment, then in the next, the shadow of a passing vehicle might block some of the sky with threedimensional realism, and then the light on the actor’s face might change realistically as she flies through a fireball and passes oncoming laser bolts.

“I know a more popular method is to play back a photographed or CG-rendered scene on an LED video screen,” he adds, “rather than using coarse 3D-rendered shapes pixel-mapped to LED luminaires. But we felt that was limiting for multiple reasons: Unlike our agile method that uses motion-picture luminaires, that LED-video-screen method makes it slow or impossible to change the colors or the timing of the scene quickly on set. Also, LED video screens can’t rival purpose-built luminaries for contrast and brightness output, and [unlike luminaries] LED video screens are not designed for their emitted light to be the correct color, even if they appear the correct color when viewed directly.”

An example Yedlin cites is an agile flying vehicle executing a barrel roll, not unlike an airplane in the sky.

“In real life, the lighting shift is not very pronounced when the airplane’s cockpit rolls from facing the sky to facing the ground. But in a movie you want to enhance the dramatic effect. Our SkyPanel dome allowed for highly flexible and interactive variations of color and intensity.” Yedlin is quick to add that the dome itself was never used as a hard light projecting sharp shadows. “Interactive hard light, such as a shifting sun, was created by a light on a crane inside the dome, not by the SkyPanel array itself.”

Jaron Presant says his 2nd-unit work with Kylo Ren’s TIE fighter was also shot in Yedlin’s SkyPanel dome because the correct shadows and light interaction were essential to tie physical set elements into the CG world. “We built extensions to the fighter set piece to mimic the large wings of Kylo Ren’s TIE fighter,” Presant recounts. “We put cues into the dome to mimic the blocking of ambiance by the other ships that Kylo passes as well as the missiles firing and explosions. The interaction of the light on Kylo is what helps to blend the physical sets into the CG world around them. It was a huge key in making these worlds feel real.”

Heinrichs references an elaborate set built for Jedi that takes place on Canto Bight, a casino-like planet that not only serves as an opulent playground for the wealthiest members of the galaxy but also a place where black-market weapons are sold to any taker. “[The Canto Bight scenes] reveal a gray moral line that had heretofore seemed mostly black and white,” Heinrichs adds. “Steve used a variation of his SkyPanel dome for a casino bar scene that had a huge window. [Yedlin’s] goal was all about creating action and motion with light, color and shadow, and the results were quite remarkable.”

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“THERE IS A LANGUAGE TO THE BUILT-IN LIGHTING SEEN THROUGHOUT THE SERIES, AND WE ACCOUNTED FOR THAT IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF OUR SETS.” PRODUCTION DESIGNER RICK HEINRICHS

A MAIN VISUAL REFERENCE FOR JEDI WAS THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, “not in any

direct way, but more as a shorthand for an aesthetic Rian and I share,” Yedlin observes.

“Empire is the most daring [Star Wars] film cinematically speaking. There was always an idea behind the lighting, which is very much what Rian Johnson is all about. One of many examples would be the scene with Leia and Han in the hallway [on Hoth], where their faces are completely dark. The lighting was so evocative, thematically, of the space the characters were in, and that’s something we really love.” Although most of the team’s referencing of The Empire Strikes Back was for underlying principles as opposed to literal technique, an exception was that Yedlin dug out color charts from Empire’s production negative ­– Kodak 5247 – to help inform his LUT creation.

Heinrichs says Johnson was aware of the comparisons people would make to a second Star Wars episode in a trilogy, and rather than “copy Empire in any way, shape or form, we should dig into the foundation of what we liked about it, and build something fresh.”

Building lighting into Jedi’s sets was a big topic of preproduction conversations between Heinrichs and Yedlin. “This is

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where our digital models became so helpful,” the designer continues, “to help Steve and his team figure out where to place their lights, rather than come in after the set is built and start cutting holes.

“Obviously with Star Wars you just can’t put [any lamp] in a scene because it’s not part of that world,” Heinrichs adds. “But there is a language to the built-in lighting we’ve seen throughout the series – the photon-producing type panels of various shapes and design, for example. The closest reference I could make would be the Ken Adams set from Dr. Strangelove – a large overhead source that illuminates with clear intention and lets everything else fall off.

We accounted for that in the architecture of our sets – which would often include frosted Plexiglass – and that allowed Steve to manipulate light seen in the frame.”

Presant says that for the Canto Bight sequence, Johnson and Yedlin wanted two basic colors of light for the practicals: a rich gold color and clean white.

“Since we were committed to using practical locations and sets as much as possible,” Presant explains, “there were location practicals that had to conform to this golden color. We developed color correction

to take the sodium vapor practicals at the location to the designed golden color. But with that in mind, any other lights we added needed gels to invert that correction.

“We used the ALEXA as a colorimeter,” Presant adds, “comparing color charts illuminated with a variety of gels to arrive on a very specific gel package to shift any other lights we might use to the output we were looking for, whether clean white or golden. Then we applied that package to all the lights that played in the sequence. The end result was an environment that commits fully to these two types of practicals but that is grounded in reality.”

ONE LOOK AT THE TRAILERS MAKES CLEAR SOME OF JEDI’S MOST COMPELLING MOMENTS will occur on the oceanic island

of Ahch-To, where Rey has tracked down an exiled Luke Skywalker. It’s also where Johnson and Yedlin were, perhaps, closest to their indie roots.

“The day exteriors [on the island] account for the least predetermined lighting [in the film],” Yedlin states. “Employing a large filmmaking apparatus – like giant

lights on cranes – wasn’t practical because most of the locations, especially Skellig, were either difficult or impossible to access, due to logistics or restrictions. Plus the weather was constantly changing, so the overall approach was similar to a low-budget indie movie – given the circumstances, we work to make each shot look as good as we can and don’t try to change the world!”

Presant points to a dramatic shot of Rey seen in the trailer, a night sequence that incorporated an exterior Irish location and a set piece in London.

“With our day and dusk-for-night work, our goal was to try to attain the low-contrast look of night,” he reflects. “We waited for the sun to dip and the luminance range of the scene to flatten. Then we shot the wide of Rey that looks toward the water. Back on stage for the reverse coverage, we matched all of our ratios using a large overhead Flobank array and shaping with a 20-by-20 soft box with Skypanels. We worked with what nature gave us and then used our resources to build out the sequence back on stage. But it all began with real natural light.”

One last interesting note about The Last Jedi pertains to optics. While the movie was primarily shot in anamorphic, using

Panavision G-Series (full set), C-Series Close Focus 50 mm, the AWZ (40-80 zoom) and some other anamorphics, Yedlin and Johnson also mixed in spherical lenses (a 19-90-mm Primo Compact Zoom and an assortment of Primo primes).

“We wanted the idiosyncrasies of anamorphic – oblong bokeh, curved distortion, its characteristic flares, and the anamorphic ‘egg’ [the lenses’ inability to focus at the top and bottom of the frame],” Yedlin details. “But there were times that we either didn’t want those idiosyncrasies – like if an actor’s face was going to be in the blurry part of the ‘egg’ – or when we needed to do a rack focus to closer than an anamorphic can focus. We also sometimes used spherical simply because VFX requested it: either because they wanted the extra image padding outside the framing area or because they wanted a more technically pristine lens.”

Heinrichs, who has mapped out huge franchise projects and small indie films, says the scale of The Last Jedi had no bearing on the production process. “We had 160 sets to build, and initially I had some concerns,” he concludes. “But it didn’t seem to faze Rian or Steve in the slightest. This was one of the most creatively efficient movies I’ve ever

worked on, and that may be attributable to their roots [in independent film] and the ability to get where they need to go creatively without throwing more money or time at the scene. The most amazing thing I can offer from this experience is that the movie Rian told me about – two years before we started shooting The Last Jedi – is the one everyone will see up on the screen.”

CREW LIST Director of Photography Steve Yedlin, ASC Still Photographer David James 2ND UNIT Director of Photography Jaron Presant

FULL CREW INFORMATION WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME. PLEASE SEE WWW.ICGMAGAZINE.COM FOR EXTENDED LISTING.

DECEMBER 2017

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TILT-AWORLD

VITTORIO STORARO, ASC, AIC, PAINTS A MULTI-HUED PORTRAIT OF DAYS GONE BY FOR WOODY ALLEN’S WONDER WHEEL. 62

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by

KEVIN H. MARTIN photos

JESSICA MIGLIO

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WHEN UNITED ARTISTS WAS PUZZLING OVER HOW TO CONVINCE WOODY ALLEN TO CHANGE HIS NEXT FILM’S TITLE TO ANYTHING OTHER THAN ANHEDONIA (DON’T RUN TO THE DICTIONARY, IT MEANS THE INABILITY TO FEEL PLEASURE), THEY DEVISED A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES BEFORE THE FILMMAKER SETTLED ON ANNIE HALL. ONE OF THOSE TITLES UNSUCCESSFULLY FLOATED WAS A ROLLERCOASTER NAMED DESIRE, A RIFF ON TENNESSEE WILLIAMS’ FAMOUS PLAY THAT ALSO RELATED TO ALLEN’S CHILDHOOD SPENT LIVING IN A RATTLING HOME BENEATH A CONEY ISLAND ROLLERCOASTER.

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A

SIMILAR SETTING – THE APARTMENT HOME

of carousel operator Humpty ( Jim Belushi) and his wife Ginny (Kate Winslet) – is the locale for the writer/director’s newest feature, Wonder Wheel, which plays out in and around Coney Island’s Wonder Wheel amusement park shortly after the end of WWII. A failed actress, Ginny tries to put her life back into a different kind of spotlight, embarking on an affair with Mickey ( Justin Timberlake), a lifeguard with literary aspirations. When Carolina ( Juno Temple), Humpty’s wayward daughter from a previous marriage, turns up unexpectedly, she also finds herself drawn to Mickey.

While Allen is known for attracting a hall of fame’s worth of on-camera talent, he also has a long history of collaboration with acclaimed cinematographers. That includes multiple features with the late Gordon Willis, ASC; the late Carlo Di Palma, AIC; the late Sven Nykvist, ASC; Darius Khondji, AFC, ASC; the late Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC; and most recently Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC, who shot the director’s Café Society and now Wonder Wheel.

Storaro, a three-time Oscar winner who’s known for a sophisticated employment of color, had explored electronic cinematography processes as far back as the 1980s, but it wasn’t until Café that he embraced digital capture for the entirety of a feature-film release.

“When Woody called me about Café Society, Kodak had already closed its office in Italy,” he explains. “I had used Technicolor for nearly all my movies, and they closed their laboratory. So that was the time for me to jump into this new way to record images, and perhaps find ways of improvement. I really don’t think you lose the art of a thing because you choose to capture on digital instead of film. Humans began expressing themselves on walls of caves, then on wood, photography in monochrome, then color and now digital. The material we use is always changing – what’s important is the idea being expressed.”

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STORARO, WHO CONVINCED ALLEN TO MOVE INTO THE DIGITAL REALM, found that the Sony

F65 – augmented by the Sony CineAlta PMWF55 for Steadicam scenes – was the most natural mode of artistic expression.

“The aspect ratio on the gate is practically 2:1, which I love,” he adds. “I also wanted 4K minimum, with 16-bit color capture. And both Woody and Amazon approved of this, so we continued this approach on Wonder Wheel.” The desired look was further optimized through the use of Cooke S4 lenses and Angénieux Optimo 15/40 mm, with capture made to Sony AXSM flash memory cards.

Wonder Wheel is A-Camera/Steadicam Operator William Arnot’s (SOC) third film with Storaro and his fifth with Allen. Arnot says that Storaro is always seeking out meaning in things, “so you don’t ever place a camera randomly,” he explains. “Wonder Wheel uses more contrast and daring color choices than Café Society, and these elements reflect the film’s nature, which includes dark events that more than justify Vittorio’s treatment. His use of color is not so much a matter of experimentation as an outgrowth of his diligence on studying [the impact and effects of color].”

Storaro notes that after shooting Apocalypse Now, he took a year off purely for education. “I had been using color creatively,” he states, “but it was in an innocent, emotional way, without knowing the principles. And I felt I needed to know the ‘why’ behind how a particular color could influence the image.”

So the cinematographer “locked himself away” to read about the whole spectrum of visible light.

“This learning process gave me a great chance to express emotions in the same way a musician uses notes and a writer employs vocabulary to make his points,” he continues. “Light and color manifest as energy, so when it arrives to us, we do not just see it with our eyes, we feel it with our entire body. We are like photographic emulsions in our different responses – warm colors raise the metabolism and blood pressure and cooler ones have an opposite effect.”

Still, Allen was reluctant to embrace such color theories, given that, as Storaro observes, “Woody likes the classic era of filmmaking, most of which 66

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“ VITTORIO’S USE OF COLOR IS NOT SO MUCH A MATTER OF EXPERIMENTATION AS AN OUTGROWTH OF HIS DILIGENCE ON STUDYING ITS IMPACT AND EFFECTS.” A-CAMERA/STEADICAM OPERATOR WILL ARNOT, SOC

was done in black and white. For me, that’s like having a musical instrument that only permits the use of three notes. Color was first used in musicals and comedies because it was believed it couldn’t capture the shades and textures for drama. By 1970, my generation – Billy Williams on Women in Love, Gordon Willis on The Godfather, Sven Nykvist on Whisper and Scream, Néstor Almendros on Days of Heaven and my work on The Conformist – began using color in a creative way in dramas. Although Ernest Haller certainly did a beautiful job on Gone with the Wind, well before us, with a very saturated approach.”

STORARO WAS UNAWARE OF CONEY ISLAND’S HISTORY,

and later discovered artists who had made it a focus in their work, including Reginald Marsh.

“On my first read, the script made me think of a Norman Rockwell illustration that showed the great joy of everyday life

in America after the war,” he recounts. “I thought that would be a good inspiration for the beginning of the film, a world that on the surface seems very pleasant. Then, when you go inside their home and meet the family, we discover the complexity of the various characters, and how it is much more than just the American dream.”

When Storaro actually saw Coney Island, his ideas changed. “I realized how fantastic it would be to live in a home with a view of the amusement park out the window, which is such a contrast to the reality you see inside, and Woody responded to that.”

Allen’s longtime production designer, Santo Loquasto, built Ginny and Humpty’s house at Silvercup Studios, with a 40-footby-300-foot green screen cyc surrounding it, lit by Kino Flo Green Spike bulbs. Various sizes of Chromakey green screens were also used on location when shots wound past the period aspects of the locale. For scenes on the beach, Key Grip William

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“WE ARE LIKE PHOTOGRAPHIC EMULSIONS IN OUR DIFFERENT RESPONSES TO COLOR – WARM [HUES] RAISE THE METABOLISM AND BLOOD PRESSURE, COOLER ONES HAVE THE OPPOSITE EFFECT.” VITTORIO STORARO, AIC, ASC

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Weberg set up 12-foot-by-20-foot and 20-foot-by-20-foot natural muslin frames to create a warm bounce of sand-toned hues. To accommodate high angles of Timberlake in the lifeguard tower, a Technocrane 15 with stabilized Libra head was employed.

For 2nd AC Beka Venezia, Storaro’s level of preparation was an eye-opener. “With many well-prepared cinematographers, you’ll get a packet of information that indicates the stock to be used for given scenes, whether we’ll push a stop or use filtration,” she recalls. “But after Vittorio first read the script, he took the entire crew to Panavision to explain his visual inspiration. It was a tremendous education into his thought processes, but just as importantly, it showed his commitment to including all of us in his vision. We left knowing everything necessary about the world we’d be living in for the next eight weeks.”

Arnot says operating for Storaro is an ongoing education. “Vittorio is very specific about composition,” he describes, “and we often discuss how to balance the frame in terms of negative space. Sometimes it is used to foreshadow action or a character joining the frame. Deciding not to give a character too much lead space, so we don’t give away what is about to happen in the frame, can yield a more dynamic change in composition.”

AS WITH CAFÉ SOCIETY, TECHNICOLOR POSTWORKS PROVIDED dailies, editorial

conforming, color grading and deliverables, with colorist Anthony Raffaele acting as point man.

Raffaele says that when working with Storaro, there will be concepts – technical, aesthetic and emotional – “that you have to wrap your head around. He will have a diagram of his setup on one side of the page, with a color idea on the other. That was mainly artwork or photography, both for color and composition. My part in his color treatment was maintaining the strong warm and cool primary tones.”

The colorist references a shot with Winslet that was inspired by Sunset Boulevard ’s famous finale, with Gloria Swanson coming toward the camera, which gave the proceedings a stage-like feel. “Since Kate’s character believes she is an actor playing a role with this life, that outlook stirred the look of the film.” For that moment, Storaro used a beam of sunlight like a theater spotlight on Winslet’s face, turning it off when she drops a knife from her hand as a close of one act.

DIT Simone D’Arcangelo (who used FilmLight’s Prelight on set) was another key factor in Wonder Wheel’s unique workflow.

“Digital cameras have such high sensitivity that any cinematographer is capable of recording an image in every location, even when using available light,” Storaro explains.

“But is that a correct methodology for expressing the story being told?”

Arnot describes D’Arcangelo as a “technical bridge” between Storaro and the

modern digital world. “Simone actually claims Vittorio is the original DIT,” the operator relays, “using a specific setting to observe the video monitors in the Eighties. Vittorio would have an exact calibration on the video tap and iris that would correlate to the ASA of the film, so he was able to make informed judgments based on the monitor image – though he’d still confirm that information with his light meter.”

Storaro’s commitment to high-quality monitor imagery even made a convert of Allen, who had previously always chosen to watch the performers rather than rely on a video tap. “I let [Allen] know that due to the advances made, he could see an image on the monitor that represented 90 percent of our final effort, with the exact tonality, contrast, and color of our final,” he adds. “I pointed out a particular detail on the monitor at one point, and he looked at it for a long while.

The next day Woody came on set, he asked, ‘Where is my monitor?’”

STORARO’S APPROACH TO THE PSYCHOLOGY OF COLOR is best seen in

the portrayal of the two women and their conflict over the young lifeguard. “Ginny dreams of being an actress and receives a warm energy,” he explains. “Orange-red is the symbology of the past and her strong personality. That contrasts with Carolina and light blue – the symbology of the future.

Ginny was very much about sunset, while

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“ VITTORIO AND WOODY DON’T DO MUCH COVERAGE, SO THERE ARE OFTEN EPIC SINGLE SHOTS COVERING MANY CHARACTERS THAT REQUIRE US ALL TO WORK TOGETHER.” A-CAMERA 2ND AC BEKA VENEZIA

the other girl would be going to school at dusk, magic hour, with that blue color sky.

I made a kind of confrontation with these colors, a complementary arrangement.” Key Grip William Weberg notes that Storaro handled color correction using the Rosco line of CTO and CTB Plus as well as his own VS Orange and VS Blue gels.

As for framing and camera movement, Storaro has equally strong notions about the respect for human visual perception.

“Since we can see roughly 180 degrees of our reality,” he adds, “we must be respectful of that when moving the camera. For example, we never used Steadicam just for geography of movement, but instead for a certain visual language that defines the character of action, in this case for Ginny alone, who is very strong and free in her movements.”

Arnot adds that whether by Steadicam or dolly, there was a lot of movement used on the built stage. “When it wasn’t a Steadicam oner,” he recalls, “we used a twoaxis remote head on the dolly for dance floor moves, partly to keep me out of the many reflections, and also because we never had time to fly walls, so space was limited. The dolly grip is so critical to the operator; Tony Campenni did a great job.”

Wonder Wheel was Venezia’s second film with Storaro, and the rewards were plain to see. “You’re never just a nameless assistant,” she reports. “And that makes you feel blessed to help someone so passionate about his vision. Vittorio and Woody don’t do much coverage, so there are often epic single shots covering many characters that require us all to work together, which means taking time to rehearse, and then a lot of takes. Watching Vittorio at his dimmer board is like seeing a puppeteer of light.”

Arnot says Storaro likes to ride the iris along with the lighting while the shot progresses. “We can adjust aperture remotely now, but he was doing this back in the Seventies, cueing his assistant via walkietalkie. You need a light touch when adjusting the iris during the shot. If you change too quickly, the adjustment will be visible, but if you do it right, it is magically invisible.”

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“All lights, including on-set practicals, are controlled via Vittorio’s dimmer board, which lives on the cart below his monitor,” elaborates Gaffer Steve Ramsey. “There are several moments in Wonder Wheel where he would take advantage of the system to crossfade lights – creating the feel of sun breaking through and then receding back into the clouds.”

In fact, Storaro’s ability to play his lights like a conductor directing his orchestra demanded a system with flexibility. “We made extensive use of RATPAC’s small, quiet dimmer racks,” Ramsey continues.

“A traditional dimmer system, with remote, centralized network of racks would have required many times the amount of cable as well as additional manpower.”

CGI WAS USED TO RECREATE SOME CONEY ISLAND ATTRACTIONS. Storaro clued-in

VFX vendor Brainstorm Digital about his color scheme, emphasizing the importance of maintaining color distinctions between particular times of the day. That would ensure a precise match in visual tonalities for what was seen outside the windows of the family home.

For the film’s digital intermediate, Raffaele employed Baselight. “Its toolset for colors was great for this workflow, with the whole job done in ACES,” he shares.

Extensive use of windows was the norm, even for the smallest background elements. “There were scenes with Carolina needing a stormblue feel after the sun had set that we handled in the DI,” Raffaele adds. “Windowing and matte creation were ways to build on Vittorio’s look, which sometimes required us to change hues in mid-shot because the tone of a conversation takes a turn.”

Storaro admits to a certain frustration over the current limitations for theatrical presentation. “No projector is capable of displaying the full range of color we can capture,” he laments. “Sixteen-bit color includes 200 billion shades. In the lab and any of the best screening rooms around the world, I can see 4K, but only in 12-bit color,

which contains 66 million color shades. So where are all those other shades? When we pass from the master at Technicolor to the DCP, it is usually only a 10-bit image, rarely 12-bit, so audiences see a portion of what we intend. As an industry, we should be striving to make sure the audience can see the full range of imagery being recorded. Whether it is digital, 35-millimeter film, panoramic Techniscope, 16 millimeter or Sony F65 – the problem is not with the acquisition.”

The cinematographer goes on to caution that a belief that digital acquisition is permanently safe “is a major, major mistake.

Unless money is spent transferring the material every few years, the image will not survive for the next generation to see,” Storaro concludes. “If the digital world does not connect with the optical, it can all be lost. There is a system being developed by [Group 47 President] Rob Hummel called DOTS [Digital Optical Tape System], which, if perfected, can permit our images to survive 500 years, perhaps a thousand.

Technology should take us forward to improve the quality for the future, and we should [as an industry] make a serious, global effort toward that goal.”

CREW LIST Director of Photography Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC A-Camera Operator/Steadicam William Arnot, SOC A-Camera 1st AC Robert Mancuso A-Camera 2nd AC Beka Venezia DIT Simone D’Arcangelo Loaders Eddie Goldblatt Maxwell Sloan Still Photographer Jessica Miglio

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Raptor Mobile Base with Hydrascope & G3 Head DECEMBER 2017

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SEAMUS MCGARVEY, ASC, BSC, AND AN ACROBATIC GUILD CAMERA TEAM REACH FOR THE STARS IN FOX’S NEW CIRCUS SPECTACLE, THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.

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BEAUTIFUL DREAMER by

PAULINE ROGERS photos

NIKO TAVERNISE/FOX

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IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 19TH CENTURY, WHEN A YOUNG PHINEAS TAYLOR BARNUM WAS LET GO FROM HIS MENIAL CLERKING JOB, HE RETURNED TO THE NEW YORK CITY TENEMENT WHERE HE LIVED WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN AND TOLD THEM, “THIS IS NOT THE LIFE I PROMISED YOU. NOT EVEN CLOSE.” LATER, HIGH ABOVE THE ROOFTOPS OF THE CITY, AS HE ENTERTAINS HIS CHILDREN, HE TURNS A REVOLVING TIN CAN INTO A MAGICAL WONDER AND INSPIRATION HITS, SETTING YOUNG PHINEAS ON THE ROAD TO EVENTUALLY BECOMING THE WORLD’S MOST STORIED IMPRESARIO, BETTER KNOWN AS P.T. BARNUM. 74

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HE GREATEST SHOWMAN, DIRECTED BY FIRST-TIMER MICHAEL GRACEY and shot by

two-time Oscar nominee Seamus McGarvey ASC, BSC (Nocturnal Animals, Life, The Soloist), is a rollicking musical centered on the improbable life of a showman/conman extraordinaire, played by Hugh Jackman.

Although McGarvey had never worked on a musical before, he had worked on music videos and knew a thing or two about blending strong images into songs. The Irish DP was able to handpick his veteran camera crew, who often had to dance through some extremely complex musical/stunt performances, along with the film’s actors.

McGarvey says that creating a 19thcentury circus film took extensive planning, including the use of digital storyboards.

Everything had to be seamless – including camera movement and the operators sometimes seen on screen. Although Showman delves briefly into Barnum’s impoverished early life, the meat of the story – his circus days and cabinet of curiosity – had to be pure spectacle.

“We talked about devising a Technicolorbased look,” the cinematographer explains.

“We did tests diminishing certain colors and heightening others. We even looked at the three-strip and two-strip Technicolor processes [using examples like The Robe or Seven Brides for Seven Brothers] and how the color responded. The idea was to transform the story’s reality into an almost otherworldly Technicolor realm – but one that was shot digitally, of course.”

First AC Robert Mancuso adds that “Seamus shot in 65-millimeter format using the ALEXA 65 with Panavision spherical

lenses. Dan Sasaki worked with us so that Seamus could shoot the whole movie with the 65 Sphero Prime lenses and Tiffen Glimmerglass filters.”

Although the main capture units were three ALEXA MINIs (operated by Maceo Bishop, SOC, on A-Camera/Steadicam; Jack Donnelly on B-Camera and Patrick Capone on C-Camera), the team also used cameras that ranged from the Phantom Flex high-speed to a Panasonic on a drone.

Digital Imaging Technician Abby Levine shares that McGarvey opted to shoot the ALEXA 65 in Open Gate ARRIRAW. “The huge sensor is commensurate with critical focus demands, and it did put a little pressure on the [focus pullers]. But Bobby Mancuso and Chris Silano [B-camera 1st] were spectacular. I’ve worked with some DPs who automatically go for a wide-open aperture, even when unnecessary. However, Seamus chose reasonable apertures and got to his desired depth of focus without needlessly torturing focus pullers and wasting valuable time.”

THE STORY COVERED A VAST RANGE – FROM THE SIMPLE moments of Barnum’s

magical promise to his children for a better life, to his many outrageous stunts that would help fulfill that promise. As Barnum says, “No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.”

One of the biggest sets was the rooftop tenement where Barnum lives with his family before he becomes successful, built on the largest stage at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios.

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“I LITERALLY DECIDED TO LIGHT THROUGH THE CANVAS OF THE MOON WITH A HUGE CIRCULAR LED ARRAY OF ARRI SKYPANELS THAT WAS BUILT BEHIND THE CANVAS DROP.” SEAMUS MCGARVEY, ASC, BSC

McGarvey says an “almost 360-degree painted backdrop of New York, Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines” rimmed the Steiner set. “It was an old-school backdrop – about 40 feet tall and maybe 400 feet long,” he recalls.

Barnum’s transformation begins on this set. As he greets his family, who is hanging their washing on the rooftop, he has gathered a few objects from his desk.

Those objects then become a birthday gift for one of his daughters, what he calls a “wishing machine.”

“It is made up of a spindle, upsidedown perforated pencil cup and a candle,” explains Gaffer Andy Day. “We had to create a device that could be concealed easily and would mimic the specular effect the device created, but at a higher intensity.

“Thanks to the combined efforts of [Construction Electrician] Gene Lynch, [Assistant Prop Master] Joel Weaver and [Special Effects Head] Jeff Brink, we created a compact but intense specular lighting source that mimicked the pattern of the candle through the spinning inverted pencil cup, and projected the lighting effect 76

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on Barnum and his family.” They also experimented with a small point source projected through a spinning “colander gobo” to light the actors.

“Gene came up with a small-filament high-wattage quartz bulb as the source, and Joel hand-drilled holes in an inverted aluminum mixing bowl to match the pattern of Barnum’s metal pencil cup,” Day adds.

“We then mounted the drilled-out bowl upside-down on a spindle over the intense bulb, which was controlled by a variablespeed motor that Jeff rigged up. It was truly a product of interdepartmental cooperation, which is always a lot of fun!”

There’s also a tender, lovely sequence on the same rooftop, where Barnum and his wife (Michelle Williams) perform an intricate dance piece. Moonlight played a key part.

Initially, McGarvey thought to frontlight the painted moon but realized after tests it would be better to backlight the moon so he could change color, ambience and translucency.

“I literally decided to light through the canvas of the moon with a huge circular LED array of ARRI SkyPanels that was

built behind the canvas drop,” the DP recalls. “It was effective, because depending on if we were shooting during day or night, I could adjust the brightness and in later shots the actual color.”

McGarvey and Day lit the set with 16 large soft boxes overhead, containing six ARRI SkyPanels each. “This allowed us to shape the soft backlight,” Day describes. “We also created a warm glow from below the deck on which the set was built to suggest the glow from the city streets. We frontlit [Scenic Designer] Alex Gorodetsky’s backing with Color Force Chroma Q units and also front-lit it with conventional tungsten cyc strips.”

SUCH MOMENTS PROVIDE A QUIET BEAUTY, BUT THE HEART OF SHOWMAN

is the musical numbers in the circus ring, a set created by Production Designer Nathan Crowley in an existing space at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. This set gave rise to dance performances, flying trapeze acts and groundbreaking spectacle that would go on

photo by Sam Emerson

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to spawn a new world of entertainment.

Day says job number one for the circus set was controlling the outside sunlight. “[Key Grip] Richie Guinness and [Rigging Grip] Billy Kerwick built an immense light box [six stories high] out of shipping containers to contain a massive wall of exterior windows,” Day explains. “We then placed a dozen ARRIMAXes on scaffolding bounced into bleached muslin to create our own controllable daylight.”

For theatrical lighting the team had to recreate gaslight – the only source in Barnum’s pre-electricity era. “We utilized an assortment of large tungsten units to maintain the appropriate warmth,” Day continues. “This included 100 beam projectors, ARRI T-12s, Ruby 7s and a lot of PAR cans. Prop master Sandy Hamilton helped us dress up ETC Source 4 spots to look like period limelight units on camera. We preferred them as the ‘faux-low spots,’ as we called them.” [Lamp operators were dressed in period costume, to blend into the crowd.]

Day also incorporated four 4K HMI follow spots gelled to tungsten, which were operated on platforms rigged high within the massive space.

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various song, dance and aerial pieces,” he adds. “Dimmer-console operator Frank Blasko provided helpful presets to utilize as needed. And, of course, the outstanding rigging was done by Matt Hale and Ben Noble.”

One of Showman’s visual highlights is when Zendaya flies around the circus ring. Key Grip Guinness worked with Stunt Coordinator Victor Paguia and his crew to develop a rig that allowed the actress to be suspended off the end of a 10-foot piece of truss, with a Libra Head (stabilized) off the other. The stunt team pulled the truss around the ring as the shot evolved.”

First AC Silano says it was a bit of “a gulp moment” when McGarvey first explained the shot.

“It wasn’t that it was impossible,” he smiles. “It was more that I might fall short and waste an incredibly difficult performance moment. The shot begins 90 feet out and ends at about eight feet on a close-up of Zendaya as she smiles after finding the camera with her gaze.

No rehearsal, on a 180-millimeter lens, and wide open at 500 frames per second!”

Silano is quick to credit a new tool he used for the shot – the Preston Light Ranger 2 sent as a beta tester

by Monster Remotes. “After the slate,

I pressed the autofocus button and watched, in complete amazement, as the LR-2 tracked Zendaya through the entire arc of her swing into the definition of a perfect close-up; eyes sparkly and ears hazy,” he relates.

SUCH ACROBATICS WERE COMMON IN SHOWMAN. One of the most

dynamic is when Barnum and his performers break into a dance number at center ring. McGarvey says he would usually rely on traditional wide masters for the circus scenes. “But sometimes we’d have longer lenses to put up the dances and highlight the big scope of the performance. And this was one.”

McGarvey opted to use a drone. The DJI Inspire 2 started high in the tent, circled the ring with Jackman and the circus stars singing and dancing below, and then descended into Guinness’s hands. He caught the flying camera rig and walked right into the ring.

“Richie did two 360-degree revolutions around Hugh Jackman, who by then is seen in a cloud of smoke,” Mancuso remembers.

Choreographing dancers with the camera operators was an unusual task. McGarvey says the film’s

[KEY GRIP] RICHIE GUINNESS AND [RIGGING GRIP] BILLY KERWICK BUILT AN IMMENSE LIGHT BOX [SIX STORIES HIGH] OUT OF SHIPPING CONTAINERS TO CONTAIN A MASSIVE WALL OF EXTERIOR WINDOWS.

PLACED A DOZEN ARRIMAXES “ WE THEN ON SCAFFOLDING BOUNCED INTO

BLEACHED MUSLIN TO CREATE OUR OWN CONTROLLABLE DAYLIGHT.” GAFFER ANDY DAY DECEMBER 2017

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choreographers had worked with Gracey on commercials. “Ashley Wallen is someone who designs dances in a period context,” McGarvey offers, “but with absolutely modern elements. They wanted the dances to feel very vivid and modern.”

Wallen says she would design the choreography in the studio, “and Michael and Seamus would come in and work with us to blend the camera into the shots. The dancing wasn’t the challenge – the ability to put all the elements together was our concern.”

McGarvey, who was unable to attend the rehearsals, says Donnelly shot every rehearsal with a Canon 5D to create a “visual notepad of shots and movements that we could bring into previsualization and storyboarding. This allowed me to get a sense of the spatial scale of the dance and suggest specific camera movements – whether on Steadicam or crane – and the coverage we’d need for these scenes. Some of the dancers were precisely choreographed and shot lifted. Others, because of the scale or the energy, were shot with three cameras,” McGarvey states.

A-Camera/Steadicam operator Bishop says Showman had more camera movement than any film he’d previously done. “It played a clear and integral role in the telling of the story,” Bishop states. “The previs either informed the work or acted as a moving shot list, depending on the circumstances of the movement. All of the dance performances required that I have a clear understanding of the choreography, not only so I could get the shot but also for my safety and the safety of our cast,” he continues. “Whether on the crane or the Steadicam, the dancers and the camera were often inches from one another at any given moment.”

Bishop worked c losel y with choreographers Wallen and Jenny Griffin, who helped him weave the Steadicam in and out of the dance. “It was a first for all of us,” he admits.

IT WAS ANOTHER ZENDAYA PERFORMANCE THAT CONTRIBUTED to one of Bishop’s

biggest challenges – this time with Zac Efron for a song called “Rewrite the Stars.”

“The choreography was highly dynamic,” the operator recounts, “with actors occasionally harnessed to a rope anchored from the ceiling, spinning in circles, coming together and flying apart. Seamus and Michael wanted to feel the intimacy, so Victor Paguia was very helpful. I was often weaving between Zac and Zendaya, handing

“ALL OF THE DANCE

PERFORMANCES REQUIRED THAT I HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHOREOGRAPHY, NOT ONLY SO I COULD GET THE SHOT BUT ALSO FOR MY SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OUR CAST.” OPERATOR MACEO BISHOP, SOC

off from one to the other and then bringing them together again. We had some close calls, but Victor helped us maintain the timing and close proximity, which helped in creating an elegant and passionate scene.”

According to Bishop, these shots also required another dance – in the camera department.

“Most operators understand that working with a telescoping crane is a threeperson job,” he describes, “where everyone’s of one mind to effectively pull off even the most basic of shots. Add to that compound moves with precise timing and choreography, and it really kicks up a level. Thankfully, I had two amazing minds with which to merge – [A-Camera Dolly Grip] Joe Belschner and [Crane Operator] Kevin Gilligan on the ‘pickle.’ They, along with Libra Head Tech Lance Mayer, were up for the challenge from day one.”

Having shot movies like The Avengers and Atonement, McGarvey is no stranger to problem solving on an epic scale. Yet, still, he calls The Greatest Showman one of the most technically challenging films he’s ever done.

“Michael Gracey is such a wonderful director and brought a true verve and dynamism to the movie,” McGarvey concludes. “I was so lucky to have such a great crew who understood and grasped all the challenges with ingenuity and vigor. I am so grateful to them for rising to the task with energy and good humor. [Showman] really whetted my appetite to shoot another musical.”

CREW LIST Director of Photography Seamus McGarvey, ASC, BSC A-Camera Operator/Steadicam Maceo Bishop, SOC A-Camera 1st AC Robert Mancuso A-Camera 2nd AC Tony Coan B-Camera Operator Jack Donnelly B-Camera 1st AC Christopher Silano B-Camera 2nd AC Troy Sola C-Camera Operator Patrick Capone C-Camera 1st AC Scott Tinsley C-Camera 2nd AC Justin Mancuso Crane Operator Kevin Gilligan DIT Abby Levine Libra Head Tech Lance Mayer Loader Connie Huang Still Photographer Niko Tavernise Unit Publicist Frances Fiore

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NE GENERATION

A FASCINATION WITH LIGHT, A LOVE OF STORYTELLING, AN ABILITY TO PERFORM WELL IN MULTIPLE GENRES, A DEEP RESPECT FOR THE MASTERS – THESE ARE THE HALLMARKS OF CINEMATOGRAPHY’S NEXT GENERATION.

BY MARGOT CARMICHAEL LESTER

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YOU MIGHT HAVE EXPECTED TO SEE SOMETHING ABOUT TECHNOLOGY IN THAT LIST GIVEN THAT THESE DPS CAME UP IN THE INDUSTRY DURING A TIME OF RELENTLESS INNOVATION. BUT THE TRUTH IS THAT THE FUNDAMENTALS OF SUCCESSFUL CINEMATIC ART REMAIN CONSTANT, EVEN IN THE FACE OF SWEEPING TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS. THIS YEAR’S GENERATION NEXT CLASS MAKES THE MOVIES AND TV SHOWS THAT TRANSPORT AUDIENCES OUT OF THE TURMOIL OF EVERYDAY LIFE (AND THERE’S A BEEN A LOT THIS YEAR).

THEIRS IS EXCEPTIONAL VISUAL STORYTELLING THAT RESPECTS FEW BOUNDARIES, YET CHERISHES HISTORICAL ANTECEDENTS. MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF LOCAL 600 CINEMATOGRAPHERS – INSPIRED, ENLIGHTENED, AND DIVERSE.

EXT

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DANIEL PATTERSON LOCATION: New York, NY AGE: 35 EDUCATION: BA-Morehouse College / MFA-NYU FAVORITE FILMS: Malcolm X and Juice

SARAH SHATZ

“ A MENTAL LIBRARY OF EXPERIENCES TO PULL FROM CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAKING YOUR DAY – OR NOT.”

As a shy kid growing up in Jamaica, Queens, Daniel Patterson considered becoming a psychologist. He now reflects the idea probably came from something “I saw on television.”

But in 1992, just as Patterson was beginning to pay attention to movies, he saw two films that sealed his fate: Juice and Malcolm X, both creatively stamped by Ernest Dickerson, who directed the first and shot the second.

“Ernest’s work is patient and deliberate,” Patterson says about the movies that changed his life. “In much of my work, I try to incorporate patient moments that build to deliberate dramatic beats.”

Patterson’s also a fan of another New York-based legend, Ellen Kuras, ASC, whom he describes as “a true artist” who serves the story first. “Ellen’s work reminds me of what I aspire to be,” Patterson continues: “a visual chameleon. You cannot look at [Kuras’] body of work and think it is all the same.

Both of these filmmakers are incredibly thoughtful in their approach to every project.”

Entering the industry through an internship on Spike Lee’s 25th Hour, Patterson worked as a PA in the AD department under Mike Ellis. His first DP gig was on the feature-length fictional narrative Gun Hill Road, directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green. Most recently he returned to Lee’s camp to shoot all 10 episodes of the filmmaker’s TV sequel to his classic indie feature, She’s Gotta Have It. Spike has such a wide-

ranging palette,” Patterson shares. “He expresses these variabilities throughout his body of work. The lesson is so valuable because the only thing constant in life is change.”

Writer-director-producer Darius Clark Monroe sees similar traits in Patterson.

“He looks beyond the obvious,” Monroe states, “forcing his lens and mind to go beneath the surface of things, revealing a bigger truth about the story at hand or humanity at large.”

Patterson also has a soft spot for shorts, which, like music videos, encourage experimentation.

“Shorts are exciting because of all the potential,” he says. “It can catch wind and make way for a feature, or series, or both.” That’s how it worked for Patterson and high-school pal Justin Staley. Their first project together, Stag & Doe, earned the HBO Short Film Award at the 2010 American Black Film Festival and a TV distribution deal with HBO. Today, the duo co-owns the production company Prep School Boys Cinema.

Staley says his production partner is “technically proficient, able to create beautiful images, and prioritizes giving the director what they want above all else. But more importantly,” Staley asserts, “he has a passion and awe for the art of filmmaking that is so inspiring. Now that he is teaching cinematography at NYU Tisch, I’m happy he’ll be passing along those qualities to a new generation.”

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KIRA KELLY

“ IF SOMEONE CAN WATCH A FILM I’VE SHOT ON MUTE AND STILL KNOW AND FEEL WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE STORY, I’VE DONE MY JOB AS A DP.”

LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA AGE: 41 EDUCATION: Northwestern University FAVORITE FILMS: In The Mood For Love and Beginners SARA TERRY

Kira Kelly didn’t grow up dreaming of being a cinematographer. The New York native wasn’t sure what career she would settle on. “I was always interested in photography,” she recalls, “but even when I went to film school, I didn’t know specifically that I wanted to be a DP.” Kelly began to seriously pursue the craft after peeking through the eyepiece in film school for a sequence she had just lit. “In that moment, I was hooked,” she remembers. “I loved the idea that we create this whole world outside of the frame that the audience will never see, but it affects them.”

After film school, Kelly started working as a set PA and “badgering every gaffer I worked with to get work as an electrician.” She did, and worked her way up to gaffer.

That experience makes Kelly a great collaborator. “She finds a way to listen to your ideas and build on them in ways you never expected,” notes Directing Producer Kat Candler, “and her kindness, respect and joy make work days feel like play.”

Kelly’s first professional shoot was a docu-series on DJs, where she says she learned so much about how “shooting isn’t just about finding dope angles, it’s about how to craft a scene and tell a story.”

Her storytelling chops really came front-and-center on the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated documentary 13th, which she shot for Ava DuVernay.

“We wanted to figure out a way to have the interview setups be more stylized than your run-of-themill documentary talking heads,”

Kelly explains. “It was important that each of those interview frames said something about the story we were telling.” The project earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Nonfiction Program, making Kelly the first African-American woman to receive that recognition.

The industry attention has created more curiosity about her, to be sure, “but, ultimately, I hope people can get past the curiosity and look at my work,” she notes. “There are so many talented women and people of color shooting right now, and each of us offers a different perspective. I think it’s sad that in 2017 we’re still saying ‘the first black…’ or ‘the first woman…’ or the ‘the first Latina… .’”

Kelly currently shoots DuVernay’s acclaimed OWN TV series, Queen Sugar, in Louisiana. As in 13th, she notes, DuVernay wants dynamic compositions that mirror Kelly’s aesthetic. “Whether I’m working in documentary or in narrative, it’s so important to me that each frame tell the story.”

Production Designer Rachel Myers, who worked with Kelly on East Los High (ICG, September 2016) says she possesses a unique approach to frame composition.

“Kira’s lighting of certain characters is always nuanced and considered in the most gorgeous way,” Myers describes. “The things she notices in how she shoots scenes and chooses to cover has a wonderful delicacy for the narrative and a voiced perspective as an artist that lets you as a viewer take in the story.”

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LEONIDAS JARAMILLO Growing up in Orlando, FL, Leonidas Jaramillo wanted to be a garbage man, largely because they could, he recalls, “ride on the back of trucks on city streets. Later on, I realized the root of that desire was for having fun and adventure while on the job, and the film business seemed like a good fit.”

At 17, he was pulling cable on golf commercials, and then loading for Stephen Campbell. His first DP assignment was Infamous, a web series.

During a hiatus from film, he shot stills and worked with the legendary Annie Leibovitz. That taught him about framing and precision.

“Having efficacy in telling a story in a single frame, or showing the absolute maximum amount of beauty, pain, horror, joy, sadness and power in a single frame, is amazing,” he says. “In photo, we work within the minutia of onetenths of a stop versus motion, which is oftentimes in one-thirds.”

Working with Leibovitz taught him to light “fast, but with beauty. In ensemble photographs with multiple A-list celebrities, the narrow window of opportunity sometimes translates to less than 10 minutes – for a group shot.

Sometimes we got just 100 frames and 15 minutes of shooting with the actual subject,” he recalls.

Hunter Laizure, a gaffer and frequent collaborator, says speed is the difference-maker for Jaramillo, who won Best Cinematography for Stranglehold

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at the 2009 Action on Film Fest.

“He is faster than any DP I know while still producing better images and scenes than most,” Laizure reveals. “This comes from a philosophy that the simple answer is usually best, and there are always different ways to accomplish the same thing.”

Jaramillo’s varied levels of experience have made him adept at knowing what technique or gear does what and how. “I worked all around as a juicer, a hammer, and a nerdy camera assistant,” he recalls. “I’ve been a bloodbag for a 20by-20 (it’s not fun!) and hiked mombo combos and Honda 7000 genys up and down the 86 steps of El Matador. I know the weight of a loaded camera cart and how hard it is to push uphill, by yourself, in the mud. This has been the most crucial piece of info as a DP – it makes it easier to plan days and understand what kind of effort and time expenditure we need.”

First Assistant Nicholas Kramer says there are many benefits to being on Jaramillo’s crew: “His ability to communicate well across departments, thinking ahead about the small details, his deep knowledge of lenses and lighting, and translating a director’s vision between departments so that we’re not all running around blind,” Kramer details. “It’s fascinating to watch him work in his element. He’s rooted in the process of the film structure, which I absolutely respect and love.”

“WHEN I WORKED IN STILLS, IT WAS THE MINUTIA OF ONE-TENTHS OF A STOP VERSUS MOTION, WHICH IS OFTENTIMES IN ONE-THIRDS.”

LOCATION: Santa Monica, CA AGE: 42 EDUCATION: University of Central Florida English & Art History FAVORITE FILM: Cool Hand Luke SARA TERRY

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LAELA KILBOURN

LOCATION: Brooklyn, NY AGE: “Both old and young enough” EDUCATION: Harvard University, B.A. in Social Anthropology, cum laude in General Studies FAVORITE FILM: Nil By Mouth SARAH SHATZ

“SHOOTING VÉRITÉ, I CAN HAVE A REAL AND IMMEDIATE IMPACT ON BOTH IMAGE AND STORY.”

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Finding her way behind the camera was a process of elimination for Laela Kilbourn. Growing up on the coast of Maine, she tried theater, dance and music, as well as reading and writing stories. In college still photography beckoned, which she describes as “fun” but not fully satisfying as a storytelling outlet.

“I contemplated how to put photography and writing together, and came up with film editing, which led to taking an introductory seminar at the International Film & Television Workshops, as it was known then, in Rockport, Maine,” Kilbourn recounts.

It was there she realized she preferred being behind the camera to within the edit suite; her first job as a DP was on a narrative called Reindeer Games (released as The Girl in the Basement), shot in three weeks on 16mm.

Kilbourn is best known for her documentaries. She lensed Swim Team, which earned Best Cinematography honors in the 2017 Wales International Documentary Festival, as well as the critically acclaimed HBO documentary How To Dance in Ohio (ICG, November 2015).

“Each documentary feature I’ve done has come to me along a different route,” she states, “but pretty much all of them have tended to explore some subculture or cultural outliers, with the

aim to make what might at first seem obscure passions and experiences more accessible to a general audience.”

According to Cheryl Furjanic, director of the documentary feature Sink or Swim, Kilbourn goes all in. “Laela lives and breathes the projects she’s on,” describes Furjanic. “I’ve seen her do this from dark bars in New York City to Olympic Stadiums in Athens. She sees your vision and takes it further.”

Kilbourn says docs suit her. “Shooting vérité, I can have a real and immediate impact on both image and story,” she explains. “My hands and eyes are on the camera reacting in real time to events as they happen. I try to be ready for both what might come next and for the unexpected, as there might be only one take.”

The DP describes her role as being like a “piece of furniture that’s in the room, not commanding attention.”

Documentarian Megan Smith-Harris says Kilbourn’s ability to “almost disappear” allows her to capture authentic footage. “Laela is small and strong, lithe and nearly invisible,” SmithHarris describes. “She immediately puts people at ease, and she never stops filming unless specifically asked to.

She’s always respectful of our interview subjects and of all crewmembers.

She has taught me a great deal about filmmaking.”

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QUYEN TRAN

Quyen Tran planned to be a doctor, but in college at the University of Virginia, the Fairfax, VA native became more interested in art and music and ditched pre-med. Shooting photographs to inform her painting, she realized a preference for the camera over the canvas.

“After graduation I moved to New York, and started shooting stills for newspapers and short films that my boyfriend was producing at NYU Tisch,” she remembers.

The idea of shooting movies was appealing, so she applied to film schools based on the strength of her black-and-white stills portfolio, ultimately choosing UCLA. Since then, Tran has worked on many indie films and television shows, and is currently shooting Alan Ball’s untitled drama for HBO. Her short film, SMILF, won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and is airing on Showtime, while two other indie features, The Little Hours and Deidra & Laney Rob a Train, also premiered at Sundance 2017 to critical acclaim.

“You have to be a problem-solver making indie films, and that’s what I love about them,” she reflects. “You must be especially innovative with lighting and camera movement, since these tools cost the most. For instance, if I know we won’t be able to complete a scene with the same lighting continuity, I pull the trigger early to set the lighting so a nightfor-day setup can work. This creates

more time for the director to work on the scene.”

Lisa Cholodenko, who directed two episodes of Ball’s new show, describes Tran as “super-cool under pressure, always focused, and able to see the shooting strategy in an instant from every angle. Not only is Quyen excellent technically, she’s got a beautifully refined cinematic vision.

She’s quite extraordinary – stealthy, efficient, collaborative, inventive. A rare breed!”

Tran’s inventiveness is fueled by taking calculated chances. “I love taking risks,” she offers, “like taking a single light for a night exterior, shining it on a wall and saying, ‘I’m lit.’ I think it’s fine to make mistakes, because if you play it safe, you’re not challenging yourself. I’ve had images underexposed, overexposed, out of focus, et cetera, because I was experimenting. It’s humbling, yes, but I don’t want to stop taking chances with the storytelling if I believe that’s the right feel or tone for the scene.”

The results speak for themselves, says Mike Ambrose, gaffer on Ball’s show. He appreciates how Tran maximizes storytelling “with such a balanced approach, blending creative, technical, and story in a unique and fresh way. Quyen is where she is through hard work and determination. We should all look forward to the stories Quyen Tran will bring to light for us in theaters and living rooms for many years to come.”

LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA AGE: 40 EDUCATION: University of Virginia, B.S. Commerce UCLA MFA Film & TV FAVORITE FILMS: Days of Heaven ALI GOLDSTEIN

“THE TECHNICAL CAN BE TAUGHT, BUT WORKING ON YOUR PEOPLE SKILLS WILL SET YOU APART.”

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DECEMBER 2017

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PRODUCTION CREDITS COMPILED BY TERESA MUÑOZ – AS OF NOVEMBER 1, 2017 ICG Magazine strives to maintain an up-to-date and accurate record of all crew members for the Production Credits section.

In order for us to continue to provide this service, your input is of the utmost importance. You are our only source of information.

Please take note of the following requests. They will allow us to better serve you.

Please provide up-to-date and complete crew information (including Still Photographers, Publicists, Additional Units, etc.).

Please note that the deadline for the Production Credits is on the first of the preceding cover month (excluding weekends & holidays).

Submit your jobs online by visiting: www.icg600.com/MY600/Report-Your-Job Any questions regarding the Production Credits should be address to Teresa Muñoz at teresa@icgmagazine.com

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DECEMBER 2017

“FRESH OFF THE BOAT” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Brandon Mastrippolito Operators: Greg Matthews, Brian Morena Assistants: Ray Dier, Tomi Izumi, Christian Cobb, Steve Whitcomb Camera Utility: Adam Kolkman “LIFE IN PIECES” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Mike J. Pepin Operators: Jacob Pinger, Jeremiah Smith Assistants: Chris Workman, Edward Alfred Nielsen, III, Sergei Sorokin, Jason Sharron Camera Utility: Noel Vidal “THE GIFTED” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Bart Tau, Frank Perl Operators: Marcis Cole, Andy Fisher Assistants: Christian Satrazemis, Brandon Dauzat, Jonny Quintana, Mike Fisher Steadicam Operator: Marcis Cole Steadicam Assistant: Chrisitan Satrazemis Digital Imaging Tech: Mark Gilmer Loader: Peter Johnston Digital Utility: Becca Bennett Still Photographer: Eliza Morse, Ron Jaffe “THIS MICK” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Alan Caudillo Operators: Joel Schwartz, April Kelley, Kris Krosskove Assistants: Chad Rivetti, Chris Flurry, Roger Wall, Matt Gaumer, Winona Wacker, Chris de la Riva Steadicam Operator: Kris Krosskove Steadicam Assistant: Chad Rivetti “THE RESIDENT” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: John Brawley Operators: Mark Karavite, Dave Drzewiecki, Jessica Lopez Assistants: Kris Hardy, John Metcalfe, Mark Boyle, Oren Malik, Sebastian Boada, Austin Taylor Loader: Trey Volpe Digital Utility: Amanda Gianneschi Still Photographer: Guy D’Alema “THIS IS US” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Yasu Tanida Operators: James Takata, Beau Chaput Assistants: Sean O’Shea, Rich Floyd, Brian Wells, Jeff Stewart Steadicam Operator: James Takata Steadicam Assistant: Sean O’Shea Loader: Mike “Mad Dog” Gentile Still Photogapher: Ron Batzdorff A24, HBO “2 DOPE QUEENS HBO SPECIAL” Dir. of Photography: Andrew Wehde Operators: Matt Fleischmann, Matt Klammer, Todd Somodevilla, Meg Kettell Assistants: Sarah May Guenther, Graham Burt, Jon Cooper, Caitlin Machak, Cai Hall, Rob Lau, Rob Koch, Adriana Brunetto-Lipman, Keith Anderson, Jenny Leavitt, Sam Panger, Tsyen Shen, Andrea Bias Digital Imaging Tech: Abby Levine Camera Utility: Richard Compeau ABC STUDIOS “CODE BLACK” SEASON 3

Dir. of Photography: Spencer Combs Operators: Jason LeBlanc, Mike Sharp, Brian Garbellini Assistants: Jon Sharpe, Stephen Franklin, Jim Thibo, Yusef Edmonds, Bill Marti, Tim McCarthy Digital Loader: Joe Pacella Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe “CRIMINAL MINDS” SEASON 13 Dir. of Photography: Greg St. Johns Operators: Darcy Spires, Mike Walsh Assistants: Keith Peters, Tim Roe, Todd Durboraw, Robert Forrest Steadicam Operator: Mike Walsh Steadicam Assistant: Keith Peters Utility: Jacob Kuljis “FOR THE PEOPLE” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Alan Caso Operators: Stephen Collins, Cybel Martin, Jamie Sterba Assistants: Bianca Bahena, Darby Newman, Carlos Lopez-Calleja, Chris Sloan, Tim Luke, Matt Williams Digital Imaging Tech: Earl Fulcher Utility: Lauro Avila Still Photographer: Nicole Wilder “GREY’S ANATOMY” SEASON 14 Dir. of Photography: Herb Davis Operators: Fred Iannone, Steve Ullman Assistants: Nick McLean, Forrest Thurman, Chris Johnson, Lisa Bonaccorso “HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Michael Price, ASC Operators: Joe Broderick, John Hankammer, Scott Boettle Assistants: Heather Lea-LeRoy, Vanessa Morehouse, Darrell Herrington, Drew Han, Mark Sasabuchi, Michael Stampler Digital Imaging Tech: Andrew Osborne Digital Utility: Wil Sterner “JANE THE VIRGIN” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Lowell Peterson, ASC, Joe Gallo Operators: Rory Knepp, Paul Plannette Assistants: John Flinn, IV, Veronica Bouza, John Pouncey, Don Burton Utility: Jajaira Corria Steadicam Operator: Rory Knepp Steadicam Assistant: John Flinn, IV Still Photographers: Lisa Rose, Michael Desmond, Ron Jaffe “JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!” SEASON 15 Lighting Director: Christian Hibbard Operators: Randy Gomez, Parker Bartlett, Kris Wilson, Garrett Hurt, Marc Hunter, Mike Malone Camera Utilities: Charles Fernandez, Scott Spiegel, Travis Wilson, David Fernandez, Adam Barker Video Controller: Guy Jones Still Photographers: Karen Neal, Michael Desmond 2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: Jimmy Lindsey “SCANDAL” SEASON 7 Dir. of Photography: Oliver Bokelberg, ASC, Daryn Okada, ASC Operators: Ron Baldwin, Bill Boatman Assistants: Jon Zarkos, Jorge Pallares, Anthony Schultz, Hannah Levin Digital Imaging Tech: Andrew Lemon Utility: George Montejano, III Still Photographer: Mitchell Haddad

“KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD” SEASON 1 Operators: Steve Fracol, Michael Gfelner, Terry Schroth Assistants: Mark Reilly, Joe Thomas, Thomas Nemy, Christy Fiers, Sherri Leger, Nelson Moncada Loader: Erin Strickland Digital Utility: Darrell Lane Still Photogarpher: Guy D’Alema AFN PRODUCTIONS-TELEPICTURES “THE REAL” SEASON 4 Lighting Dir./Dir. of Photography: Earl Woody Operators: Kevin Michel, David Kanehann, Steve Russell, Bob Berkowitz Steadicam Operator: Will Demeritt Camera Utilities: James Magdalin, Henry Vereen, John Markese Jib Arm Operator: Jim Cirrito Video Controller: Jeff Messenger A VERY GOOD PRODUCTION, INC. & WAD PRODUCTIONS “THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW” SEASON 15 Lighting Director: Tom Beck Ped Operators: David Weeks, Paul Wileman, Tim O’Neill Hand Held Operator: Chip Fraser Jib Operator: David Rhea Steadicam Operator: Donovan Gilbuena Video Control: James Moran Head Utility: Craig “Zzo” Marazzo Utilities: Arlo Gilbuena, Wally Lancaster BEACHWOOD SERVICES “DAYS OF OUR LIVES” SEASON 52 Dir. of Photography: Mark Levin, Ted Polmanski Operators: John Sizemore, Mark Warshaw, Vickie Walker, Michael J. Denton, Steve Clark Utilities: Steve Bagdadi, Gary Cypher Video Controller: Alexis Dellar Hanson BONANZA, INC “THE ORIGINALS” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Roger Chingirian, John Smith Operators: Ian Forsyth, Brian Davis Assistants: Matt Brewer, Kyler Dennis, Uly Domalaon, Andy Lee Steadicam Operator: Ian Forsyth Utility: Jesse Eagle Digital Imaging Tech: Billy Mueller “SHAMELESS” SEASON 8 Dir. of Photography: Kevin McKnight Operators: Matt Valentine, Ric Griffith Assistants: John Szajner, Ryan Jackson, Brandon Szajner, Gaston Richmond Digital Loader: Ken Williams Digital Utility: Kat Soulagnet Still Photographer: Paul Sarkis BRITTANY PRODUCTIONS, INC. “BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON” Operators: Bill Saxelby, Janice Min Assistants: Alec Nickel, Andrea Romansky, Nolan Maloney, Kyle Gorjanc Loader: Christina Carmody Still Photographer: Jon Pack CBS “BULL” Dir. of Photography: Derick Underschultz, John Aronson Operators: Oliver Cary, Eli Aronoff Assistants: Cris Trova, Roman Lukiw, Soren Nash, Mike Lobb, Trevor Wolfson Steadicam Operator: Eli Aronoff Steadicam Assistant: Roman Lukiw Digital Imaging Tech: Gabe Kolodny Camera Utility: Wyatt Maker

DECEMBER 2017

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20TH CENTURY FOX “EMPIRE” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Paul M. Sommers Operators: Joe Williams, Barnaby Shapiro Assistants: Betsy Peoples, Shannon DeWolfe, Andy Borham, Uriah Kalahiki Loader: Torey Lenart Utility: Amanda Kopec Still Photographer: Chuck Hodes

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“CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Todd Dos Reis, ASC Operators: Ian Dodd, Richard Crow Assistants: Eric Dyson, Megan Morris, Joel Perkal, Eric Wheeler Steadicam Operator: Richard Crow Digital Imaging Tech: Sam McConville Utility: Andres Raygoza Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe “ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT” SEASON 36 Lighting Designer: Darren Langer Dir. of Photography: Kurt Braun Operators: Jaimie Cantrell, James B. Patrick, Allen Voss, Ed Sartori, Henry Zinman, Bob Campi, Rodney McMahon, Anthony Salerno Camera Utility: Terry Ahern Video Controllers: Mike Doyle, Peter Stendal “MAN WITH A PLAN” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Gary Baum, ASC Operators: Glenn Shimada, Travers Hill, Lance Billitzer, Ed Fine Assistants: Adrian Licciardi, Jeff Goldenberg, Alec Elizondo, Clint Palmer, Jason Herring Utilities: Danny Lorenze, Sean Askins Digital Imaging Tech: Derek Lantz Video Controller: John O’Brien “NCIS” SEASON 15 Dir. of Photography: William Webb, ASC Operators: Gregory Paul Collier, George Loomis Assistants: Chad Erickson, James Troost, Nathan Lopez, Helen Tadesse, Anna Ferrarie “NCIS: LOS ANGELES” SEASON 9 Dir. of Photography: Victor Hammer Operators: Terence Nightingall, Tim Beavers Assistants: Keith Banks, Richie Hughes, Peter Caronia, Jacqueline Nivens

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Steadicam Operators: Terence Nightingall, Tim Beavers Steadicam Assistants: Keith Banks, Richie Hughes Digital Imaging Tech: John Mills Digital Utility: Trevor Beeler Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe Publicist: Kathleen Tanji “NCIS: NEW ORLEANS” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Gordon Lonsdale, ASC Operators: Jerry Jacob, Tony Politis, Vincent Bearden Assistants: Peter Roome, Brouke Franklin, Jeff Taylor, Toni Weick, Dave Edwards, Sienna Pinderhughes Steadicam Operator: Vincent Bearden Digital Loader: Christian Wells Digital Utility: Kolby Heid Still Photographer: Sam Lothridge “SCORPION” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Ken Glassing, Fernando Arguelles Operators: Paul Theriault, Chris Taylor Assistants: Scott Ronnow, John Paul Rodriguez, Chris Mack, Tim Sheridan Digital Imaging Tech: Greg Gabrio Utility: Tyler Ernst Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe Publicist: Kathleen Tanji “SUPERIOR DONUTS” Dir. of Photography: Patti Lee Operators: Mark Davison, Cary McCrystal, Robert Guernsey, Jon Purdy Assistants: Mark Johnson, Vito De Palma, Don Davis, Missy Toy, Lisa Anderson Utilites: Jordan Hristov, Selvyn Price Digital Imaging Tech: T. Brett Feeney Video Controller: Cliff Jones Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe

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“THE INSIDER” SEASON 14 Dir. of Photography: Kurt Braun Operators: Jaimie Cantrell, James B. Patrick, Ed Sartori, Henry Zinman, Tom Van Otteren, Bob Campi, Rodney McMahon, Anthony Salerno Camera Utility: Terry Ahern Video Controllers: Mike Doyle, Peter Stendal “THE TALK” SEASON 8 Lighting Director: Marisa Davis Ped Operators: Art Taylor, Mark Gonzales, Ed Staebler Hand Held Operators: Ron Barnes, Kevin Michel, Jeff Johnson Jib Operator: Randy Gomez Head Utility: Charlie Fernandez Utilities: Mike Bushner, Doug Bain, Dean Frizzel, Bill Greiner, Jon Zuccaro Video Controller: Richard Strock Still Photographer: Ron Jaffe “WISDOM OF THE CROWD” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Alex Nepomniaschy, ASC Operators: Chris Squires, Chris Murphy Assistants: Stefan Tarzan, Scott Martinez, Simon Jarvis, Lawrence Lim Steadicam Operator: Chris Squires Steadicam Assistant: Stefan Tarzan Loader: Ben Shurtleff COLUMBIA “TOSH.0” SEASON 9 STAGE CREW Operator: Jason Cochard Camera Utilities: Benjamin Steeples, Kyle Kimbriel, Roger Cohen FIELD CREW Dir. of Photography: Andrew Huebscher Operator: Jason Cochard

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Camera Utilities: Justin Metoyer, Errin Bell DIT/Video Controller: Rick Dungan

“THE EQUALIZER 2” Dir. of Photography: Oliver Wood Operators: Kirk Gardner, Christian Gibson Assistants: Wilfredo Estrada-Carasquillo, Daniel Mason, Dean Egan, Zack Schultz Digital Imaging Techs: Kyo Moon Matthew Hedges Still Photographer: Glen Wilson

DEUX SOEURS, INC. “IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK (AKA DEUX SOEURS)” Dir. of Photography: James Laxton Operators: Michael Fuchs, Malcolm Purnell Assistants: Nicholas Huynh, Michelle Clementine, Janice Burgess, Iraima De Leon Digital Imaging Tech: Tiffany Armour-Tejada Loader: Matthew Martin

CONACO “CONAN” SEASON 8 Operators: Ted Ashton, Nick Kober, Kosta Krstic, James Palczewski, Bart Ping, Seth Saint Vincent Head Utility: Chris Savage Utilities: Baron Johnson, Josh Gwilt COOK CABIN ENTERTAINMENT, LLC “NIGHTHAWKS” Dir. of Photography: Alexander Chinnici Operator: Korey Robinson Assistant: Cody Schrock Still Photographer: Walter Thomson CRANETOWN “THE QUAD” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Richard Vialet Operators: Marco Naylor, Aaron King Assistants: Brian DeCroce, Jamie Marlowe, Nubia Rahim, Rose Ashikyan Steadicam Operator: Marco Naylor Steadicam Assistant: Brian DeCroce Loader: Steve Woronko “THE RANCH” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Donald A. Morgan, ASC Operators: Brian Armstrong, Chris Hinojosa, Robert Guernsey, Michelle Crenshaw Assistants: Don Davis, Missy Toy, Vito De Palma, Adan Torres, Al Myers

EYE PRODUCTIONS, INC. “ELEMENTARY” SEASON 6 Dir. of Photography: Thomas Houghton, ASC Operators: Carlos Guerra, Jeremy Weishaar Assistants: Kate Larose, Jason Cleary, Charlie Foerschner, Kyle Blackman Loaders: Dylan Endyke, Patrick O’Shea Still Photographer: Christopher Saunders “MADAM SECRETARY” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Learan Kahanov Operators: Jamie Silverstein, Peter Vietro-Hannum Assistants: Heather Norton, Jamie Fitzpatrick, Amanda Rotzler, Damon LeMay Digital Imaging Tech: Keith Putnam Loaders: Zakiya Lucas-Murray, Christopher Patrikis “VALOR” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Yaron Levy, Robert Altman Operators: Ramon Engle, Tiko Pavoni, Hilda Mercado Assistants: Mary Stankiewicz, Jason Lancour, Zach Junquera, Kevin Wilson, Amanda Etheridge Loader: Dwayne Green Digital Utility: Brejon Wylie

FINALE PRODUCTIONS, LLC “OPERATION FINALE” Dir. of Photography: Javier Aguirresarobe, ASC, AEC Operator: Matias Mesa Steadicam Operator: Matias Mesa Publicist: Amy Johnson FREEFORM “THE FOSTERS” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Kees Van Oostrum, ASC Operators: Aaron Schuh, Michael May Assistants: Carlos Doerr, Tammy Fouts, Nathan Lewis, Nicholas Neino Steadicam Operator: Aaron Schuh Steadicam Assistant: Carlos Doerr Digital Utility: Duncan Robertson Loader: Daniel Benny Bailey FOX SEARCHLIGHT “ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Patrick Stewart Operators: Patrik Thelander, Phil Miller, Parker Tolifson Assistants: Palmer Anderson, Rachel Wiederhoeft, Joseph Soria, Tash Gamper, Brian Udoff Camera Utility: Zack Marchinsky Digital Utility: Jenny Woo FRONTRUNNER PRODUCTIONS, INC. “THE FRONT RUNNER” Dir. of Photography: Eric Steelberg, ASC Operators: Matt Moriarty, Cale Finot Assistants: Sebastian Vega, John Hoffler, Pat Sokley, Jack Lewandowski, Bo Webb, Dan McKee Film Loader: Nicole Turegano Still Photographer: Frank Masi Unit Publicist: David Linck

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DECEMBER 2017 101

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HARLAN FILMS, LLC “311” Dir. of Photography: Chayse Irvin Operators: Ricardo Sarmiento, Kerwin DeVonish Assistants: Christopher Gleaton, Jelani Wilson, Kiersten Lane, Kellon Innocent Loader: Alec Nickel Still Photographer: David Lee HORIZONTAL PRODUCTIONS, INC. “WALK THE PRANK” Dir. of Photography: Anthony Palmieri Operators: Garrett Benson, Rocker Meadows, Ken Fisher Assistants: George Hesse, Ryan Mhor, Dave Thomas, Keith Rash, Katie DeTemple Digital Imaging Tech: Eduardo Eguia

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IT’S A LAUGH PRODUCTIONS, INC. “K.C. UNDERCOVER” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Joseph W. Calloway Operators: Cory Gunter, Brian Gunter, Larry Blumenthal, Helena Jackson, Ken Herft, David “Boomer” Dougherty, Deborah O’Brien, Vito J. Giambalvo Digital Utilities: Selvyn Price, Terry Gunter Jib Arm Operators: Devin Atwood, John Goforth, Brian Gunter Video Controller: Nichelle Montgomery LADY PRISON PRODUCTIONS, INC. “ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK” SEASON 6 Dir. of Photography: Ludovic Littee Operators: Scott Tinsley, Denny Kortze Assistants: Beka Venezia, Rebecca Arndt, Justin Mancuso, Maxwell Sloan Digital Imaging Tech: Matt Selkirk Loader: Joshua Waterman Still Photographer: JoJo Whilden MAELSTROM PRODS. “MAELSTROM” ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Dir. of Photography: Dan Mindel, ASC Operators: Harry Garvin, Phil Carr-Forster Assistants: Serge Nofield, Natasha Mullan, Josh Benavidez Digital Imaging Tech: Robert Howie Loader: Will Cotton MARVEL ENTERTAINMENT “AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Feliks Parnell, Allan Westbrook Operators: Kyle Jewell, Bill Brummond Assistants: Coby Garfield, Derek Hackett Steadicam Operator: Bill Brummond

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Digital Imaging Tech: Ryan Degrazzio Digital Utility: Josh Novak Remote Head Operator: Clay Platner Still Photographers: Kelsey McNeal, Ron Jaffe 2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: Kyle Jewell Operators: Tony Cutrono, Miguel Pask NBC “A.P. BIO” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Blake McClure Operators: Nick Medrud, Grant Culwell Assistants: Jason Wittenberg, Dan Marino, Chris Geukens, Paulina Bryant Loader: Jack Nitz Utility: Genna Palermo Still Photographer: Vivian Zink

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Phillip Walter, Kyle Belousek Steadicam Operator: William Eichler Digital Loader: Nicholas Wilson Digital Utilities: Michael Gleeson, Marion Tucker 2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: James Zucal

“LAW & ORDER: SVU” SEASON 19 Dir. of Photography: Michael Green Operators: Jonathan Herron, Michael Latino Assistants: Christopher Del Sordo, Matthew Balzarini, Emily Dumbrill, Justin Zverin Steadicam Operator: Jonathan Herron Loader: Jason Raswant Digital Utility: Brianna Morrison

“BROOKLYN NINE-NINE” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Giovani Lampassi Operators: Phil Mastrella, Rick Page, Lauren Gadd Assistants: Jamie Stephens, Rochelle Brown, Bill Gerardo, William Schmidt, Dustin Miller Loader: Nick Gilbert Digital Utility: Chris Carlson

“REVERIE” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Joe Gallagher Operators: Dan Ayers, Mark Laskowski, Paige Thomas Assistants: Tony Gutierrez, Rob Monroy, Naomi Villanueva, Aldo Porras, Jr., Darin Krask Steadicam Operator: Dan Ayers Steadicam Assistant: Tony Gutierrez Digital Imaging Tech: Paul Maletich Camera Utility: Rachel Mangum

“CHICAGO FIRE” SEASON 6 Dir. of Photography: Jayson Crothers Operators: Rob Stenger, William R. Nielsen Assistants: Melvina Rapozo, Zach Gannaway, Brian Romano, Gary Malouf Digital Loader: J’mme Love Digital Utility: Nathan D. Sullivan Still Photographer: Elizabeth Morris

“RISE” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Tim Bellen Operators: Peter Nolan, Jennie Jeddry Assistants: Scott Koenigsberg, Alex S. Bellen, Dean Martinez, Elizabeth Casinelli Digital Imaging Tech: Paul Schilens Loaders: James Abamont, Jay Kidd Still Photographer: Peter Kramer

2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: William R. Nielsen

“SUPERSTORE” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Jay Hunter Operators: Adam Tash, Hassan Abdul-Wahid, Danny Nichols Assistants: Jason Zakrzewski, Brandon Margulies, Eric Jenkinson, Ryan Sullivan, Sean Mennie, Rikki Alarian Jones Digital Imaging Tech: Paul Maletich Loader: Estefania Garcia

“CHICAGO MED” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Lex duPont, ASC Operators: Scott Steele, Faires Anderson Sekiya, Joseph Fitzgerald Assistants: George Olson, Laura Difiglio, Keith Hueffmeier, Sam Knapp, Jason H. Bonner, Patrick Dooley Loader: Joey Richardson Utility: Matt Brown Still Photographer: Elizabeth Sisson “CHICAGO PD” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Rohn Schmidt Operators: James Zucal, Will Eichler, Seth Thomas Assistants: John Young, Don Carlson, David “YT” Wightman, Jamison Acker,

“THE BRAVE” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Mike Spragg, BSC, Jimmy Lindsey, ASC Operators: Matthew Pearce, Sean Maxwell Assistants: David Leb, Sebastian Vega, Betty Chow, Ryan Bushman Steadicam Operator: Matthew Pearce Steadicam Assistant: David Leb Digital Imaging Tech: Giovanni Carranza

“WILL & GRACE” SEASON 9 Dir. of Photography: Gary Baum, ASC Operators: Glenn Shimada, Travers Hill, Lance Billitzer, Ed Fine Assistants: Adrian Licciardi, Jeff Goldenberg, Alec Elizondo, Clint Palmer, Jason Herring Utilities: Danny Lorenze, Sean Askins Digital Imaging Tech: Derek Lantz Video Controller: Stuart Wesolik Still Photographer: Chris Haston NETFLIX “SANTA CLARITA DIET” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Paul Maibaum, ASC Operators: Craig Fikse, Heather Brown Assistants: Chuck Katz, David Seekins, David O’Brien, Mike Cahoon Steadicam Operator: Craig Fikse Steadicam Assistant: Chuck Katz Loader: Kyle Sauer Digital Utility: Sarah Lankford Still Photographer: Saeed Adyani “SUPERSTITION” Operator: Lou Chanatry Assistants: Nathan McConnell, Erik Olson, Armanda Costanza, Marc Casey Digital Imaging Tech: Jonny Revolt Utility: Rodell Francis NEW LINE CINEMA “ISN’T IT ROMANTIC” Dir. of Photography: Simon Duggan Operators: Parris Mayhew, Ricardo Sarmiento Assistants: Bradley Grant, Antonio Ponti, Suren Karapetyan, Mabel Santos Haugen Digital Imaging Tech: Patrick Cecilian Loader: Keith Anderson Still Photographer: Michael Parmalee

NEXT TAKE “SCREAM” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: David Daniel Operators: Ross Sebek, Brett Mayfield Assistants: Ian Campbell, Matt McGinn, John Thorpe, Lauren Gentry, Griffin McCann Steadicam Operator: Brett Mayfield Steadicam Assistant: Lauren Gentry Loader: Caroline Oelkers Digital Utility: Pedro Escobar Still Photographer: Curtis Baker NICKELODEON “HENRY DANGER” SEASON 4 Dir. of Photography: Mike Spodnik Operators: Tim Heinzel, Scott Ostermann, Dana Ross, Mike Tribble Camera Utilities: Jim Elliott, Frank Maronski, Doug Minges, Bill Sedgwick Jib Tech: Ryan Elliott Video Controllers: Jim Agnor, Bob Kaufmann Still Photographer: Lisa Rose NIGHT SCHOOL FILMS, LLC “NIGHT SCHOOL” Dir. of Photography: Greg Gardiner Operators: Mick Froehlich, Daniel Eckler Assistants: Freddy Thomas, Josh Hancher, Rodrigue Gomes, Saul McSween Loader: Jennifer Braddock Digital Utility: Chandra Sudtelgte Still Photographer: Eli Ade PACIFIC 2.1 ENTERTAINMENT “HOMELAND” SEASON 7 Dir. of Photography: David Klein, ASC Operators: Giorgio Scali, Rick Davidson Assistants: Dominik Mainl, Courtney Bridgers, Elizabeth Silver, Shawn Mutchler Steadicam Operator: Rick Davidson Steadicam Assistant: Courtney Bridgers Utility: Rinny Wilson

PICROW, INC. “UNTITLED JUST ADD MAGIC SPINOFF” Dir. of Photography: Mark Doering-Powell, ASC Operators: Paul Sanchez, David Hirschmann Assistants: Robert Shierer, Michael Kleiman, Paul Janossy, Dan Taylor, Andrew Oliver Still Photographer: Nicole Wilder POSSIBLE PRODUCTIONS, INC. “ESCAPE AT DANNEMORA” Operators: Craig Haagensen, Matthew Pebler Assistants: Eric Swanek, James Madrid, Michael Guthrie, Samatha Silver Digital Imaging Tech: Luke Taylor Loaders: Brittany Jelinski, Tyler Swanek PP21 PRODUCTIONS, INC. “BLACK LIGHTNING” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Scott Peck Operators: Brian Nordheim, Bob Newcomb Assistants: Anthony Zibelli, Alan Newcomb, Nelson Moncada, Catherine Greene Steadicam Operator: Brian Nordheim Steadicam Assistant: Anthony Zibelli Digital Imaging Tech: Justin Warren Camera Utility: Alfredo Santiago RADICAL MEDIA “UNTITLED LETTERMAN SERIES” Dir. of Photography: Declan Quinn, ASC Operators: Jeremiah Pitman, Vincent Foeillet, Shana Hagan, Josh Medak, Stephanie Martin, DJ Harder Assistants: Daniel Ferrell, Markus Mentzer, Chris Strauser, Lucas Deans, Nate Cummings, Noah Glazer Digital Imaging Tech: Lonny Danler Loader: Danny Park SHOWTIME “BILLIONS” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Jake Polonsky

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Loader: Taylor Hilburn Digital Utility: Katy Jones Still Photographer: Ursula Coyote

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Operators: Justin Foster, Radium Cheung Assistants: Edwin Effrein, Gus Limberis, Leonardo Gomez Loaders: Derrick Dawkins, Sean McNamara Still Photographer: Elizabeth Fisher SIDE STREET ENTERTAINMENT “PORTLANDIA” SEASON 8 Dir. of Photography: Joe Meade Operators: Simon Miya, Tyson Wisbrock Assistants: Cameron Carey, Peggy Knoebel, Danielle Carroll Loader: Justen Hundley

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SONY PICTURES “JEOPARDY!” SEASON 34 Dir. of Photography: Jeff Engel Operators: Diane L. Farrell, SOC, Mike Tribble, Jeff Schuster, L. David Irete Jib Arm Operator: Marc Hunter Head Utility: Tino Marquez Camera Utility: Ray Thompson Video Controller: Gary Taillon Still Photographer: Carol Kaelson “THE GOLDBERGS” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Jason Blount Operators: Scott Browner, Kris Denton Assistants: Tracy Davey, Nate Havens, Gary Webster, Jen Bell-Price Digital Imaging Tech: Kevin Mills Digital Utility: Dilshan Herath Still Photographers: Nicole Wilder, Adam Taylor “WHEEL OF FORTUNE” SEASON 35 Dir. of Photography: Jeff Engel Operators: Diane L. Farrell, SOC, Jeff Schuster, Ray Gonzales, Steve Simmons, L. David Irete, Mike Corwin Camera Utility: Ray Thompson Head Utility: Tino Marquez Video Controller: Gary Taillon Jib Arm Operator: Randy Gomez, Sr. Still Photographer: Carol Kaelson STALWART FILMS, LLC “LODGE 49” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Jeffrey Jur, ASC Operators: Glenn Brown, Jan Ruona Assistants: Justin DeGuire, Josh Gilbert, Taylor Case, Cameron Schwartz Digital Imaging Tech: Nick Hiltgen Digital Utility: Dumaine Babcock Still Photographer: Jackson Davis

104 DECEMBER 2017

“THE WALKING DEAD” SEASON 8 Dir. of Photography: Stephen Campbell, Paul Varrieur Operators: Deke Keener, Steve Andrich Assistants: David Galbraith, Matt Horn, Austin Blythe, Robert Veliky Steadicam Operator: Deke Keener Steadicam Assistant: David Galbraith Loader: Daniel Irons Camera Utility: Gabriel Salazar Still Photographer: Gene Page Publicist: Brandee Brooks TNT “GOOD BEHAVIOR” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Brendan Galvin, ISC Operators: Matt Doll, Mike Repeta Assistants: Patrick Borowiak, Roy Knauf, Sean Yaple, Zach Smart Digital Imaging Tech: Andy Bader Still Photographer: Brownie Harris 2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: Derek Tindall Operator: Greg Magidow Assistants: Will Hand, Alan Aldridge, Darwin Brandis, Courtney Bridgers, Will Cooper NC UNIT Dir. of Photography: Brendan Galvin Operators: Matthew Doll, Michael Repeta Assistants: Patrick Borowiak, Sean Yaple, Roy Knauf, Zach Smart Digital Imaging Tech: Andy Bader Still Photographers: Brownie Harris, Fred Norris “THE LAST SHIP” SEASON 5 Dir. of Photography: Chris Baffa, ASC, Peter Kowalski Operators: Bud Kremp, SOC, Wally Sweeterman, Ben Spek Assistants: Michael D. Alvarez, Roger Spain, Jeff Lorenz, Ana Amortegui, Ulysses Domalaon, Scott Whitbread Steadicam Operator: Bud Kremp, SOC Digital Utility: George Ballenger Utility: Ben Shurtleff Technocrane Operator: Chris Mayhugh Technocrane Tech: Colin Michael West Remote Head Tech/Operator: Jay Sheveck TVM PRODUCTIONS, INC. “THE AMERICANS” SEASON 6 Dir. of Photography: Brad Smith Operators: Gabor Kover, Afton Grant Assistants: Rory Hanrahan, Elizabeth Singer,

Sean Souza, Nick Koda Loader: Sebastian Iervolino UNIVERSAL “UNSOLVED” Dir. of Photography: Sidney Sidell, ASC Operators: Joseph Arena, Brooks Robinson, Sergio De Luca Assistants: Liam Sinnott, Patrick Bensimmon, Timothy Kane, Chris Toll, Mark Figueroa, EJ Misisco, Ray Milazzo Paul Tilden, Kirsten Laube, Blake Collins Steadicam Operator: Joseph Arena Steadicam Assistant: Liam Sinnott Loader: Brandon Gutierrez Camera Utility: Chris McGovern WARNER BROS. “BLINDSPOT” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Andrew Priestley, Jon Delgado Operators: Pyare Fortunato, Peter Ramos, John Romer Assistants: Andrew Smith, Aleksandr Allen, Liz Singer, Christian Bright, Kyle Clark, Deborah Fastuca Steadicam Operator: Pyare Fortunato Digital Imaging Tech: Chloe Walker Loader: Kjerstin Rossi, Brian Grant “LETHAL WEAPON” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: David “Mox” Moxness, ASC, Andy Strahorn Operators: Victor Macias, Robert Givens Assistants: James Rydings, Kaoru “Q” Ishizuka, Troy Blischok, Kelsey Castellitto Digital Imaging Tech: Mike DeGrazzio Digital Utility: Spencer Shwetz “LUCIFER” SEASON 3 Dir. of Photography: Christian Sebaldt, ASC, Tom Camarda Operators: Kenny Brown, Eric Laudadio Assistants: Ryan Pilon, Nathan Crum, Rob Magnano, Jason Kinney Digital Imaging Tech: John Reyes Digital Utility: Bryce Marraro Still Photographers: Ron Jaffe, John P. Fleenor, Michael Desmond “MACGYVER” SEASON 2 Dir. of Photography: Gabriel Beristain, ASC, Mike Martinez Operators: Mark Moore, Greg Faysash, Paul Krumper Assistants: Al Cohen, Kate Roberson,

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“MAJOR CRIMES” SEASON 6 Dir. of Photography: David A. Harp, Kenneth Zunder, ASC Operators: Chris Hood, Tim Roarke, Duane Mieliwocki Assistants: Matt Guiza, Randy Shanofsky, Dan Squires, Adam Tsang, Russ Miller, Veronica Bouza Digital Imaging Tech: Evin Grant “ME, MYSELF AND I” SEASON 1 Dir. of Photography: Craig Kief Operators: Dave Sammons, Todd Barron Assistants: Jarrod Oswald, Richard Avalon, Joe Solari, John Roney Digital Imaging Tech: Aaron Biller Still Photographer: Michael Desmond, Nicole Wilder, Ron Jaffe “MOM” SEASON 5 Director of Photography: Steven V. Silver, ASC Operators: Cary McCrystal, Jamie Hitchcock, Larry Gaudette, Candy Edwards Assistants: Meggins Moore, Nigel Stewart, Damian Della Santina, Mark Johnson, Benjamin Steeples Camera Utilities: Alicia Brauns, Andrew Pauling Video Controller: Kevin Faust Digital Imaging Tech: Robert “Bob Z” Zeigler Publicist: Kathleen Tanji

“THE BIG BANG THEORY” SEASON 11 Director of Photography: Steven V. Silver, ASC Operators: John Dechene, Richard Price, SOC, Jamie Hitchcock, Brain Armstrong Assistants: Nigel Stewart, Chris Hinojosa, Steve Lund, Meggins Moore, Benjamin Steeples Camera Utilities: Colin Brown, Jeannette Hjorth Video Controller: John O’Brien Digital Imaging Tech: Robert Zeigler Publicist: Kathleen Tanji “THE MIDDLE” SEASON 9 Dir. of Photography: Blake T. Evans Operators: John Joyce, Bret Harding Assistants: Jefferson T. Jones, Roger Spain, Bryan Haigh, Suzy Dietz Steadicam Operator: John Joyce Steadicam Assistant: Jefferson T. Jones Loader: Richard Kent

COMMERCIALS AKINA “DROPBOX” Dir. of Photography: Kasper Tuxen Assistants: Ryan Rayner, Sean Kisch Digital Imaging Tech: Michael Borenstein ASSEMBLY “CHUCK E. CHEESE” Dir. of Photography: Nick Taylor Assistants: Rick Gioia, Jeff Taylor “FIREHOUSE SUBS” Dir. of Photography: Nick Taylor Assistants: RickGioia, Jeff Taylor, Jordan Levie

“MICHAELS” Dir. of Photography: Nick Taylor BISCUIT “IBM” Dir. of Photography: Igor Martinovic Operator: Oliver Cary Assistants: Bob Ragozzine, Chris Carmody, Jeff Taylor, Dan Keck, Sachi Bahra Digital Imaging Tech: Rob Cauble Digital Utility: Matt Harding BRAND NEW SCHOOL “ACURA” Dir. of Photography: Shawn Kim Assistants: Chris Slany, Matt Sumney Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell Crane Operator: Bogdan Iofciulescu Crane Tech: Dustin Evans BULLITT “TOYOTA” Dir. of Photography: Mike Svitak Operators: Derek Edwards, Ian Clampett Assistants: Bradley Rochlitzer, Samuel Butt, Roush Niaghi, Jordan Oglesby, Isaiah Fortajada Digital Imaging Tech: Joe Kocsis CAVIAR “CRICKET WIRELESS” Dir. of Photography: Brandon Trost Assistants: Robert Lau, Mitch Malpica Digital Imaging Tech: David Berman CHELSEA PICTURES “MOUNTAIN DEW” Dir. of Photography: Eric Treml Operator: John Lehman Assistants: Michael Ashe, Matthew Mebane, James JG Gribble Digital Imaging Tech: Andy Bader

//////PRODUCTION CREDITS

Trevor Rios, Stefan Vino-Figueroa, Mike Torino, Danny Vanzura Steadicam Operator: Mark Moore Digital Imaging Tech: Greg VanZyck Digital Utility: Anna-Marie Aloia Publicist: Kathleen Tanji

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DECEMBER 2017 105

Operator: Scott Thiele Assistants: Chris Wittenborn, Robert Faison, Eric Arndt, Matt Arredondo Digital Imaging Tech: Jason Helgren Remote Head Tech/Operator: Josh Ramos GIFTED YOUTH “LITTLE CAESARS” Dir. of Photography: Jeff Powers Assistants: Tom Arsenault, Logan Hall Digital Imaging Tech: Michael Borenstein “TWITTER” Dir. of Photography: Tim Hudson Assistants: Erik Stapelfeldt, Micah Bisagni, Daisy Smith Digital Imaging Tech: Eric Yu Steadicam Operator: Liam Clark GIRLBRAND “FOX-THE GIFTED” Dir. of Photography: Richard Henkels Assistants: Ethan McDonald, Jordan Martin Digital Imaging Tech: Erica McKee HARVEST FILMS “ESPN” Dir. of Photography: Peter Donahue Operator: Afton Grant Assistants: Bob Ragozzine, Pete Morello, Nate McGarigal, Dan Keck Digital Imaging Tech: Mariusz Cichon HEY BABY FILMS “BOSTON PRIVATE” Dir. of Photography: Hunter Baker Assistants: Bob Ragozzine, Dan Keck Digital Imaging Tech: Hunter Fairstone Levin

CMS “A CHRISTMAS STORY PROMOS” Dir. of Photography: Tristan Nyby Assistants: Jared Wennberg, Josh Vandermeer BTS Operator: Mikael Levin BTS Assistant: Ezra Riley

//////PRODUCTION CREDITS

“CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL” Dir. of Photography: Charlie Libin Assistants: Pedro Corcega, Kyle Gorjanc Digital Imaging Tech: Bjorn Jackson “FX NETWORKS” Dir. of Photography: Jesse Roth Operators: John Connor, Steven Wolfe Assistants: Jim Apted, Kayler Jay, Simon England, E. Gunnar Mortensen, Hilkiya P. Browne Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell Steadicam Operator: Colin Hudson Technocrane Operator: Bogdan Iofciulescu Oculus Tech: Shawn Fossen “ROSE PARADE PROMO-AMAZON PRIME” Dir. of Photography: Tim Hudson Operators: Brad Richard, Cameron Glendenning Assistants: Eric Stapelfeldt, Faith Brewer, Ambar Capoor, Daisy Smith, Nathan Cummings Digital Imaging Tech: Eric Yu Digital Utility: Paulina Gomez “ROCKETTES CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR” Dir. of Photography: Jeff Schwartz Assistant: Andi Obarski Digital Imaging Tech: Artur Dzieweczynski “VIZIO” Dir. of Photography: Martin Ahlgren Phantom Tech: Brannon Brown Assistants: Laura Goldberg, Kira Hernandez

106 DECEMBER 2017

Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell Digital Utility: Marco Escobedo COMMUNITY FILMS “BURLINGTON” Dir. of Photography: Jesse Green Operator: Nicola Benizzi Assistants: Carolyn Pender, Brett Walters, Jamison Henson Digital Imaging Tech: Tyler Isaacson DUMMY “GO-GURT” Dir. of Photography: Jay Feather Assistants: Lila Byall, Kira Hernandez Digital Imaging Tech: Scott Resnick “THE NATIONAL LOTTERY” Dir. of Photography: Jay Feather Assistants: Lila Byall, Kira Hernandez Digital Imaging Tech: Michael Borenstein FARM LEAGUE “MICHELIN TIRES” Dir. of Photography: Dustin Miller Operator: Cole Koehler Assistant: Jamison Henson FIREFLY “FX NETWORKS” Dir. of Photography: Paul Tolton Operators: John Connor, Chris Robertson Assistants: Steve Wolfe, James Jermyn, E. Gunnar Mortensen, Jessyca M Harrison, Josh Knight Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell FURLINED “BP” Dir. of Photography: Kasper Tuxen

HEY WONDERFUL “HEY WONDERFUL” Dir. of Photography: Matthew Woolf Operators: Ray Hoover, Shaun Harkins, Jonny Harkins Assistant: Ken Thompson Digital Imaging Tech: Tom Wong HUMBLE “RAM” Dir. of Photography: Mike Belcher Assistants: John Scivoletto, Geoffrey Jean-Baptiste Digital Imaging Tech: Tom Wong IDENTITY “PETSMART” Dir. of Photography: Tobias A. Schliessler, ASC Assistants: Paul Santoni, Max DeLeo Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell “SAMSUNG” Dir. of Photography: Stephen McGehee Assistants: Walter Rodriguez, Matt Degreff Digital Imaging Tech: Tyler Isaacson Phantom Tech: Steve Romano INDEPENDENT MEDIA “CADILLAC” Dir. of Photography: Janusz Kaminski Assistants: Jeff Porter, Fredi Vaszuez Digital Imaging Tech: Lonny Danler Technocrane Operator: Nazariy Hatak Remote Head Tech/Operator: Jay Sheveck LIGHT SWITCH, INC. “OLD NAVY” Dir. of Photography: Larry Sher Movi Operator: Robert Spaulding Assistants: Seth Kotok, Lila Byall, Arthur Zajac Digital Imaging Tech: John Spellman Technocrane Tech: Carlos Gonzalez

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//////PRODUCTION CREDITS

MJZ “GARANIMALS” Dir. of Photography: Adam Beckman Assistants: Tobin Oldach, Nathan Lopez Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell “NY LOTTERY” Dir. of Photography: Peter Deming Assistants: Joe Volpe, Mitch Malpica Digital Imaging Tech: Bjorn Jackson “XFINITY” Dir. of Photography: Gyula Pados Assistants: Daniel Hanych, Eric Matos Digital Imaging Tech: James Petersmeyer MOXIE PICTURES “RED” Dir. of Photography: Alar Kivilo Assistant: Peter Morello Digital Imaging Tech: Tyler Isaacson NONFICTION UNLIMITED “HUMIRA COMPLETE” Dir. of Photography: Andy Lilien Assistants: Adam Miller, Jeff Taylor Digital Imaging Tech: Anthony Hechanova O POSITIVE “AT&T” Dir. of Photography: Marc Laliberte Else Operator: Mike Berg Assistants: Christian Carmody, Al Rodgers Digital Imaging Tech: David Berman

108 DECEMBER 2017

“AT&T” Dir. of Photography: Larry Fong Operator: Mike Berg Assistants: Rick Gioia, Kyle Repka Digital Imaging Tech: David Berman Technocrane Tech: Brady Weston Libra Tech: Sean Folkl Crane Tech Assistant: Michael Cambria “AT&T” Dir. of Photography: Marc Laliberte Else Operator: Mike Berg Assistants: Christian Carmody, Al Rodgers, Alex Dubois, Dante Corrocher Digital Imaging Tech: David Berman Crane Tech’s: Lance Rieck, John Kuegel “CURE ALZHEIMER’S” Dir. of Photography: Marc Laliberte Else Operator: Mike Berg Assistants: Christian Carmody, Al Rodgers, Sam Elliot Digital Imaging Tech: David Berman PACIFIC RIM FILMS “NISSAN” Dir. of Photography: Tobias Schliessler, ASC Operator: John Skotchdopole Assistants: Paul Santoni, Greg Kurtz, Darin Necessary, Tyler Emmett Digital Imaging Tech: Matthew Love Loader/Utility: Johanna Salo PARK PICTURES “TOYOTA” Dir. of Photography: Kristian Kachikis Assistants: Richard Carlson, Lila Byall, Dan Urbain Digital Imaging Tech: Casey Sherrier “VISA/STARBUCKS” Dir. of Photography: Shawn Kim Operator: Bo Webb Assistants: Matthew Mebane, Will Hand, Monica Barrios-Smith Digital Imaging Tech: Jason Johnson PELLINORE PRODUCTIONS “CROSS CHANNEL” Dir. of Photography: Tami Reiker, ASC Assistants: Daniel Hanych, Jason Adler Digital Imaging Tech: Bret Suding PRETTYBIRD “CHIPOTLE” Dir. of Photography: Roman Vas’Yanov

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Operator: William Arnot Assistants: Simon England, Steve Wolfe, Richard Dabbs Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell Technocrane Operator: Chuck Harrington Crane Tech: Carlos Gonzalez Scorpio Head Tech: Chris Bangma RADICAL MEDIA “DOMINO’S” Dir. of Photography: Eric Schmidt Assistants: Lila Byall, Kira Hernandez Digital Imaging Tech: John Spellman RATTLING STICK TRAKTOR “NISSAN” Dir. of Photography: Larry Fong, ASC Operator: R. Michael Merriman Assistants: Ryan Rayner, Paul Santoni, James Jermyn Digital Imaging Tech: Rafael Montoya “OLD NAVY” Dir. of Photography: Tristan Sheridan Assistants: Mike Blauvelt, Arien Hatch, Andrew Porras Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell Steadicam Operator: Chris Cunninngham ROWDY FILMS “VERSACE BOTTLE SHOOT” Dir. of Photography: James Fealy Assistant: Jay Eckardt Digital Imaging Tech: Joe Belack SECOND CHILD “PIZZA HUT-PIZZA PARKA” Dir. of Photography: Richard Henkels SERIAL PICTURES “DIOR” Dir. of Photography: Philippe Le Sourd Assistants: Rick Gioia, Jordan Levie, Christopher Moone Digital Imaging Tech: Mariusz Cichon SKUNK “GOOD YEAR-MORE DRIVEN” Dir. of Photography: Justin Brown Assistants: Matthew Mebane, Monica Barrios Digital Imaging Tech: Jason Johnson SMUGGLER “CRICKET WIRELESS” Dir. of Photography: Sebastian Pfaffenbichler Operator: Barry “Baz” Idoine

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SCH_McLachlin_ICG_Final.qxp_Layout 1 7/28/17 4:41 PM Page 1

Robert McLachlan ASC, CSC has counted on Schneider MPTV filters for his work on successful series from Game of Thrones and Westworld, to Ray Donovan.

So when Schneider came out with new RHOdium Full Spectrum NDs and Radiant Softs for diffusion that improves skin tones and creates pleasing highlight bloom—he was game to try them.

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McLACHLAN FINDS NEW FILTER SOLUTIONS

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Our super-star DIT, Tim Nagasawa never misses a thing.

But when we slid a new RHOdium filter in without telling him, he thought the iris control wasn't working because even though we’d moved outside, there was no color shift at all.

These make every other ND filter ever made obsolete as far as I’m concerned.

As for the Radiant Softs, they soften and handle highlights very gently and also lower contrast subtly. When we were shooting under harsh sunlight with Susan Sarandon and Liev Schreiber we found they did a lovely job. I just wish everyone would use them when they were taking my picture!

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info@schneideroptics.com • 818-766-3715 • 800-228-1254 Assistants: Adam Cowan, Mike Blauvelt, Dustin Fruge Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell “DELL” Dir. of Photography: Jo Willems Assistants: Steven MacDougall, Eric Jensch Digital Imaging Tech: Adrian Jebef

//////PRODUCTION CREDITS

“EBAY” Dir. of Photography: Sam Levy Assistants: Johnny Sousa, Patrick Bracey Digital Imaging Tech: Loic de Lame “IKEA” Dir. of Photography: Brian Hubbard Operator: Ari Issler Assistants: Sam Elliot, Paul Bode, Yayo Vang Digital Imaging Tech: Joe Bottazzi, Jr. Steadicam Operator: Parris Mayhew STYX FILMS “TIME MURDERS” Dir. of Photography: Mitch Amundsen Operators: Henry Tirl, Casey Hotchkiss Assistants: Todd Schlopy, Mark Santoni, Milan Janicin, Matt Fortlage Technocrane Operator: Colin Michael West Technocrane Tech: Nazariy Hatak Remote Head Tech/Operator: Jay Sheveck SPARE PARTS “SETH MYERS BRANDING” Dir. of Photography: David Waterston Assistant: Alex Waterston Digital Imaging Tech: Joe Belack

110 DECEMBER 2017

STATION FILM “LION’S DEN” Dir. of Photography: Andy Lilien Assistants: Adam Miller, Jeff Taylor

“STELLA ARTOIS” Dir. of Photography: Jason McCormick Assistants: Garret Curtis, John Takenaka Digital Imaging Tech: Michael Borenstein

SUPER PRIME “IWC” Dir. of Photography: Adam Arkapaw Operator: R. Michael Merriman Assistants: Steve MacDougall, Ryan Rayner, Seth Peschansky Digital Imaging Tech: Conrad Radzik

THE RESERVE “FORD” Dir. of Photography: Christopher Probst Operator: Michael Merriman Assistants: E. Gunnar Mortensen, Niranjan Martin, Rudy Salas, Eric Amundsen Digital Imaging Tech: Jesse Tyler

SUPPLY & DEMAND “KRAFT” Dir. of Photography: Paul Cameron, ASC Operator: David Weldon Assistants: Thomas Barrios, Doug Price, Paul Santoni, Greg Kurtz, Kevin Potter, Digital Imaging Tech: Steve Harnell, Andy Bethke Steadicam Operator: Dana Morris Utility: Will Cotton Techno Crane Operator: Clay Platner Crane Tech: Dustin Evans Scorpio Tech: George Dana

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2ND UNIT Dir. of Photography: Robby Baumgartner TASTE + SUPPLY & DEMAND “CHICK-FIL-A” Dir. of Photography: Thomas Schauer Operator: Ed Richardson Assistant: John Clemens Digital Imaging Tech: Joe Belack THE SWEETSHOP “BIG O TIRES” Dir. of Photography: Eric Treml Assistants: Michael Ashe, Eric Jensch Digital Imaging Tech: Scott Stephens WASHINGTON SQUARE “MIRALAX” Dir. of Photography: Adam Beckman Assistant: Jordan Levie

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112 DECEMBER 2017

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THIS IMAGE OF ZAC EFRON AND ZENDAYA WAS SHOT AT THE OLD CAPSYS CORP. WAREHOUSE ON THE STEINER STAGES LOT IN BROOKLYN, NY. THEY WERE HARNESSED FOR DAYS SHOOTING THIS MUSICAL NUMBER UNDER THE DIRECTION OF OUR AMAZING DIRECTOR, MICHAEL GRACEY, AND SUBLIMELY LIT BY ONE OF THE COOLEST DP’S ON THE PLANET, SEAMUS MCGARVEY, ASC, BSC, WITH SETS DESIGNED AND BUILT BY THE WIZARD NATHAN CROWLEY. WITHOUT THESE TWO ARTISTS, AND OUR FANTASTIC TEAM OF HMU/WARDROBE, STUNTS AND MAIN CREW, THIS IMAGE WOULDN’T HAVE EXISTED. I HAD PLENTY OF PLACES TO LURK LIKE A NINJA UNDER THE MASSIVE ARM OF THE 50-FOOT TECHNOCRANE WITH LIBRA HEAD THANKS TO MY FRIENDS FROM MONSTER REMOTES. 114 DECEMBER 2017

ZAMBARLOUKOS, BSC, GSC Using the world’s largest LED Enhanced Environment for Murder on the Orient Express

‘

Nothing really compares to the Enhanced Environment—the control, the fact that you can go and handpick your locations and your environment.

It gives me the opportunity to go shoot those environments prior to production start, rather than relying on 2nd unit after we have begun.

I come back with the plates and we pick what we're going to use and we create our interior lighting to suit the environments we already have.

Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, GSC keeps his ducks in a row when he shoots. He calls it a “committed kind of filmmaking” and fortunately it suits the style that he and long-time collaborator Sir Kenneth Branagh have established. So when presented with lensing a fresh 65mm celluloid version of the classic, Murder on the Orient Express, the team looked for a smart solution to control the variables. The script attracted top talent to populate the speeding rail cars that would house the mystery. However thirteen stars with thirteen schedules travelling to icy mountain locations spelled a logistical nightmare.

The solution? Just outside London, at Longcross studios VER assembled dual LED screens 40’ high, 90’ long with 40’x30’ end caps — the largest and highest resolution Enhanced Environment ever deployed for a motion picture.

Watch the interview at ver.com/Haris

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