American Cinematographer - January 2009 - (Page 61) Left: Tuvia and Zus air their grievances publicly. Below: The crew prepares to film the brothers’ fight. Serra worked with large silks to shape the light in the forest. collaboration with Serra, sharing his preparation research and digital sketches. After considering locations in Hungary and Romania, Weil found suitable locations within 15 miles of Vilnius, Lithuania. The idea, he says, “was to be as close as possible to reality, and Lithuania’s forests resemble those in neighboring Belarus.” This penchant for realism marked the entire filmmaking process, and Weil recalls that his crew imagined the partisans working as they built the forest-village set. “We tried to put ourselves in their shoes,” says the production designer. “How would you build a hut? We did it ourselves, like Boy Scouts.” He explains that the wooden huts, zemlyankas, were a form of lean-to that could easily be dug in the sandy soil of the forest. In keeping with the realistic approach, the filmmakers made an unusual decision to forego makeup for the actors. “That was Ed’s decision, and I don’t remember if we even discussed it,” says Serra. “It seemed obvious. We tried makeup in one specific scene, but we later took it out digitally because it was inappropriate. There was some dirt on the actors’ faces, but that’s all.” He notes that although makeup serves to diminish “the differences in flesh tones, which can be very distracting, I think Defiance works without makeup. The characters are in trou- ble — they’re dirty and hungry. Having clean, made-up faces would have been almost obscene.” The filmmakers sought to find a look for the picture that would convey the historical era and the travails of the partisans. “Something I share with Ed is that we both like to search for references, and it’s a pleasure discussing the American Cinematographer 61
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2008 American Cinematographer - January 2009 Contents Editor’s Note Short Takes: Triangle of Need Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler Close Focus An Old Soul Brothers in Arms A Cut Above Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain American Cinematographer - January 2008 American Cinematographer - January 2008 - American Cinematographer - January 2009 (Page Cover1) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - American Cinematographer - January 2009 (Page Cover2) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - American Cinematographer - January 2009 (Page 1) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - American Cinematographer - January 2009 (Page 2) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Contents (Page 3) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Contents (Page 4) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Contents (Page 5) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Contents (Page 6) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Contents (Page 7) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Editor’s Note (Page 8) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Editor’s Note (Page 9) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 10) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 11) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 12) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 13) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 14) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need (Page 15) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 16) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 17) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 18) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 19) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 20) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 21) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 22) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 23) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 24) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 25) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 26) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler (Page 27) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 28) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 29) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 30) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 31) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 32) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 33) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 34) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 35) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 36) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 37) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 38) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 39) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 40) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Close Focus (Page 41) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 42) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 43) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 44) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 45) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 46) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 47) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 48) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 49) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 50) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 51) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 52) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 53) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 54) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 55) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 56) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - An Old Soul (Page 57) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 58) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 59) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 60) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 61) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 62) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 63) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 64) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 65) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 66) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 67) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 68) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Brothers in Arms (Page 69) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 70) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 71) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 72) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 73) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 74) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 75) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 76) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 77) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 78) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - A Cut Above (Page 79) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me (Page 80) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me (Page 81) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me (Page 82) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me (Page 83) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 84) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 85) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 86) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 87) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - International Marketplace (Page 88) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Classified Ads (Page 89) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Ad Index (Page 90) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Ad Index (Page 91) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC (Page 92) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC (Page 93) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Clubhouse News (Page 94) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - Clubhouse News (Page 95) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain (Page 96) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain (Page Cover3) American Cinematographer - January 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain (Page Cover4)
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