American Cinematographer - January 2008 - (Page 71) really happened — and the global repercussions are still being felt today. In bringing Crile’s book to the screen, the first hurdle for cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC and director Mike Nichols was determining a proper tone. “Charlie Wilson’s War has a serious message, but it’s meant as entertainment,” says Goldblatt, who previously collaborated with Nichols on Closer (AC Dec. ’04) and HBO’s Angels in America (AC Nov. ’03). “Mike and I decided to adopt what we call ‘the Jon Stewart approach’ — talking about tragic events in a quite humorous way. In the last five years or so, the most serious political commentary has been on The Daily Show.” As the first day of production rolled around, Nichols still hadn’t settled on a visual style; the early budgeting for a digital intermediate (DI) gave him some leeway to “discover” the look as filming progressed. In the meantime, Goldblatt decided to go with a slightly heightened reality, which seemed appro- priate for a real-life political drama that involved outsized characters and incongruously comic situations. Nichols liked what he saw in dailies, and the look was set. Early in prep, Goldblatt suggested shooting anamorphic, but Nichols “felt it would set up a preconception of what the film was,” recalls the cinematographer. “The film is not about grandeur and vis- tas; it’s almost an interior story, and Mike felt that if audiences saw the screen open up that big, they would be expecting Lawrence of Arabia. In retrospect, I agree with him.” After considering 16mm, Super 16mm and even hi-def video for certain segments, the filmmakers decided to shoot Super 1.85:1. “I thought that would give us the highest possible quality, which would Opposite: U.S. Congressman Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) celebrates an electoral victory while surrounded by his staff. This page, top: Wilson enjoys the company of wealthy Christian conservative Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts) during a cocktail party at her opulent estate. Cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt, ASC, BSC found the actor’s whitesatin dinner jacket to be a tricky lighting challenge, especially when it was paired with Roberts’ black gown in two-shots like this. Bottom: Wilson strolls the halls of Congress with Doc Long (Ned Beatty), chairman of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee. Lighting units hidden above the set’s ceiling provided “room tone” for this scene. Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures. American Cinematographer 71
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