American Cinematographer - January 2009 - (Page 65)

Director Ed Zwick works out his camera placement. he sometimes obtained a similar lighting effect by punching the HMIs through a silk. He mainly used Alpha HMIs from 5600 Lighting “because they allow the widest spread.” Serra sometimes moved a fill light during the shot, as in a scene where Tuvia (Craig) hides from a German street patrol in a dark doorway and then emerges. The cinematographer asked his gaffer, Michel Atanassian, to put a Kino Flo into position for the darkest part of the shot and then move it away. “I often do that — have a small moving light operated by someone like Michel, who understands very well what we’re doing. It’s often faster and easier to light that way. When Craig is deep in the doorway, Michel is on him to get a minimum exposure, and then he turns the light away as soon as Craig comes out. I’m scared of creating a small shadow, so the light is very diffused.” When it comes to light sources, Serra has a deep commitment to simplicity and naturalism. He strongly believes that a single soft source allows for more storytelling to happen. The soft-spoken cinematographer hesitates, and then elaborates, “I don’t like to use big words, but my job is to create mean- ing. That’s what I’m there for. It’s great if the image can also be beautiful, but meaning comes first. And I don’t think that you can create meaning if the audience can see multiple lights and shadows and all that trickery. I believe sharp shadows, spots of light or rimlights are totally distracting because they’re not part of our life. I don’t want to have the audience distracted by all that.” A simpler image “allows more possibility to give meaning.” This passion for a single soft source means that Serra will never place sources on both sides of camera. “For me, the other side of camera is the forbidden zone. I just can’t bear what two sources do to a face.” In his search for authenticity and simplicity, he avoids hard backlights, eyelights and other secondary light sources. “I don’t do spots of light, and I don’t usually add other sources … maybe a bounce board, but not a light. Or I might bring the big silk a little closer for a close-up. I don’t want to have the woman in the foreground who is 1 or 2 stops brighter than the background. Every new light fixture creates a shadow, and every shadow can distract us.” Although he will often place “a frame, a little luminosity, near or behind camera,” he avoids “brilliant THE ART OF LIGHT Color Correction Diffusion Color Effect Tel: 818-238-1220 www.leefilters.com 65 http://www.leefilters.com http://www.leefilters.com

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

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