American Cinematographer - January 2009 - (Page 66) Brothers in Arms Right: Forced to abandon the camp, the partisans emerge from the forest only to stumble into a Nazi ambush. For the film’s climactic battle, Serra discarded his large silks in favor of sunny sidelight and backlight. Below: The crew angles in on a German tank. eyes” — eyelights that result in what he jokingly calls “the werewolf effect.” He has a similar aversion to backlight “halos.” He notes, “They were appropriate in black-andwhite films to separate people from the background, but nowadays, why make everyone a saint?” Musing that a single soft source “is closer to life,” he hastens to add that soft lighting “does not mean flat lighting. My lighting is usually very soft but very contrasty.” Serra emphasizes that in addi- tion to contrast, the placement of the source creates the mood of the shot. “The height of the light is important also, but it’s especially the angle that changes everything. A soft light in front of the character doesn’t mean the same thing as a soft light from behind. The general mood will bring meaning. If you have a frontlight, a sidelight and a backlight, there is no room left for meaning. It’s mostly a question of the triangle between the lens, the light and the eyes of the actor. A soft light behind camera doesn’t seem like much, but move it away from the camera, and already you’ve changed the mood. If you move a 4-by frame by 2 or 3 meters, it’s not the same mood at all. That’s the sort of thing I’m interested in modulating.” In the forest exteriors of Defiance, he usually placed the big bounced source close to camera or slightly to the side to provide a fill that brought out the actors’ eyes. For Defiance’s climactic daytime battle, which took a full week to 66 January 2009
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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