American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 20
Production Slate
From left: Matt King (Clooney) and his daughters, Scottie (Amara Miller) and Alexandra (Shailene Woodley) walk the beach with A lexandra’s boyfriend, Sid (Nick Krause), as Matt searches for his wife’s lover in The Descendants.
I
Trouble in Paradise By David Heuring
The Descendants, Alexander Payne’s latest collaboration with Phedon Papamichael, ASC, is a family-centered drama infused with the chaotic relationships and dark humor that moviegoers have come to expect from the director who also made Sideways, About Schmidt (AC Jan. ’03) and Election. The story takes place in Hawaii, where a successful lawyer, Matt King (George Clooney), must reconnect with his daughters, Alexandra (Shaine Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller), after his wife suffers an accident and falls into a coma. When Alexandra reveals that his wife was cheating on him, King sets out to track down her lover. His journey, which coincides with his need to make a decision about a family estate on Kauai of which he is the sole trustee, leads him to face some hard truths about love and family. Papamichael recently spoke with AC about his creative partnership with Payne, which began with Sideways and contin20 January 2012
ued to evolve on The Descendants. American Cinematographer: Tell us why your collaboration with Alexander Payne works. Phedon Papamichael, ASC: We have a great collaboration, despite the fact that we aren’t always on the same page aesthetically. My main thing is that I really want to serve the director. Some cinematographers really want to put their own imprint on a project to some degree. I certainly express my opinions, but I very much enjoy helping a director get what he wants. I’m not always determined to convince the director that there is a different way of going about it; I get satisfaction from finding out what somebody likes and giving that to them. It’s important to me that I don’t turn it into my thing. I want to get to the bottom of what makes a director tick. How do you discover that? Papamichael: Preproduction is the most important thing in that regard. I start by discovering what kind of movies the director likes. That gives me some insight into how he likes to tell stories. Alexander and I don’t shotlist or storyboard. We
American Cinematographer
The Descendants photos by Merie Weismiller Wallace, SMPSP, courtesy of Fox Searchlight.
American Cinematographer - January 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2012
American Cinematographer - January 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: String Theory
Production Slate: The Descendants • ASC Awards Preview • HPA Awards
Cold Case
Animal Instincts
Lord of War
Go with the Flow
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Rodrigo Prieto
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - American Cinematographer - January 2012
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 1
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 2
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Contents
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 4
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 5
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 6
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 7
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 9
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 11
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Short Takes: String Theory
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 13
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 14
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 15
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 16
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 17
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 18
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 19
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Production Slate: The Descendants • ASC Awards Preview • HPA Awards
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 21
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 22
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 23
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 24
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 25
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 28
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 29
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 30
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 31
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Cold Case
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 33
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 34
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 45
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 46
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 47
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Animal Instincts
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 61
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Lord of War
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 63
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 72
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 73
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Go with the Flow
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 75
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 86
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 87
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 89
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American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 96
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 97
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 101
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - 103
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - ASC Close-Up: Rodrigo Prieto
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - January 2012 - Cover4
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