American Cinematographer - January 2014 - 16

AMC_0114_p016_p020_00 short takes 12/12/13 1:03 PM Page 16

Short Takes

Casualty of War
By Peter Tonguette

German cinematographer Kay Madsen had long wanted to
collaborate with filmmaker Korstiaan Vandiver, and earlier this year,
he finally got his chance, but Madsen admits that he was slightly
taken aback when Vandiver suggested that they team up on a short
film for the 168 Film Festival. "It's a faith-based festival," Madsen
says, "and I'm not a man of religion. I've been in two churches in my
life, so I wondered what I would be getting into."
After agreeing to participate, Madsen had to wrap his head
around another of the festival's requirements. It turned out that the
"168" was not a metaphor, but rather a literal rule: "[They] give you
168 hours to write, shoot and edit a 10-minute short."
Madsen was game, but he did not immediately have to grapple with the logistics involved in a seven-day shoot because Vandiver
first broached the idea in late February, and work on the film would
not begin until May. After three months passed, Vandiver contacted
Madsen to say they were hours away from production. "Korstiaan
called me and said, 'It has started. I'm writing a script now. We want
to shoot in two days,'" recalls Madsen.
There was no prep time, and although Vandiver had decided
on locations for the project, which focuses on an Iraq War veteran
suffering from post-traumatic-stress disorder, there was no time to
scout them. The production could not afford movie lights, so
Madsen had to trust that the available light in the locations, which
were in Studio City and Culver City, would be sufficient. Madsen
recalls, "I said to Korstiaan, 'You know what? Since this is a faith16

January 2014

based project for a faith-based festival, I'll try to have faith in your
choice of locations and just jump into it!'"
Lu is set primarily in a grimy motel room where ex-Marine
Luis "Lu" Larham (Nate Parker) grapples with memories of a horrific
incident he experienced during the war. When the filmmakers
arrived at the designated motel, they found themselves at odds with
the owner, who had developed cold feet about turning one of his
rooms over to the crew.
Fortunately, contingency arrangements had been made at a
second motel, so the team moved on. "The second one turned out
to be much better, so that was lucky," says Madsen. Vandiver, whom
Madsen describes as "a man of faith," did not call it luck. "He was
always saying, 'Look, there's someone involved here who is helping
us,'" Madsen recalls. "[My response] was, 'Yeah, okay, let's just
make the best of it.'"
Madsen brought his own Red Epic onto the project, which he
captured at 5K full frame. He says he appreciates the Epic's ease of
use: "I like a very stripped-down, simple, lightweight camera that's
also balanced, something that can sit on your shoulder easily for the
whole day." Ergonomics proved especially important on Lu, which
he shot entirely handheld. "I love operating the camera myself,
especially on handheld shots, which become like an intimate dance
with the actors. You almost feel like a member of the cast."
The cinematographer used a set of Lomo Illumina S35 T1.3
prime lenses. "They've been out in the field for four or five years, but
they've been under almost everyone's radar," Madsen observes.
"They have their imperfections, but that's actually why I love them.
With modern digital cameras, the image can be almost clinical. I try

American Cinematographer

Unit photography by Louis Kreusel. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of the filmmakers.

Luis (Nate
Parker), an Iraq
War veteran,
holes up in a
motel room to
grapple with
post-traumaticstress disorder in
Lu, a 10-minute
short written,
shot and edited
in 168 hours.

American Cinematographer - January 2014

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