American Cinematographer - January 2014 - 4

AMC_0114_p004_00 toc 11/29/13 6:07 PM Page 4

The International Journal of Motion Imaging

SEE AND HEAR MORE CINEMATOGRAPHY COVERAGE AT WWW.THEASC.COM
Left: Chen Lin-Hu (Tiger Hu Chen)
demonstrates his martial-arts
prowess in Man of Tai Chi.
Right: Director Keanu Reeves and
cinematographer Elliot Davis set
up a shot on set.

In an exclusive online podcast, cinematographer Elliot Davis will discuss his creative approach to Man of Tai Chi, which
follows the spiritual journey of a young martial artist whose unparalleled skills lead him to compete in a brutal underground
fight club. The movie marks the directorial debut of actor Keanu Reeves, who also plays a key role.

THIS MONTH'S ONLINE QUESTION: What's your pick for the best-shot movie of 2013, and why?

Kenny Kraly Jr: "Gravity and Thor: The Dark
World."
Charles Kennedy Jr.: "I say Gravity as well. It's
a visual achievement and not just from an
effects standpoint - the sweeping camera
movements are out of this world (no pun
intended)."

Ignacio Aguilar: "Prisoners. It seems that digital acquisition has allowed Roger Deakins [ASC,
BSC] to take more risks, [but] he still delivers a
natural and source-motivated look with tremendous contrast and very deep blacks. His
approach is low key, but adds a lot to the picture's narrative and atmosphere. Loved his
night-exterior scenes."

Victor Arias: "Gravity, of course, though I really did enjoy Sofian El Fani's work in Blue Is the
Warmest Color. It was beautifully shot. The
Mac Eiteagain: "Only God Forgives. It's dark as scenes between the two main characters were
hell, but the use of light, angles and shots adds shot mainly in close-ups, which helped give the
tension and suspense to give it a really gritty
film realism and a docu-type feeling."
look."
Ricardo Valdez Esquer: "Stoker or Prisoners."
Juan Namnun: "Rush - the rain, the rain."
William Richard Borowski: "Gravity, Only
Ysidro Sore: "Metallica Through the Never
God Forgives and Spring Breakers are the three
because it brought the 3-D concert experience films of the year with the best cinematography,
to a whole new level both visually and storyin my opinion."
telling-wise. Also because the music rocks - literally!"
Matthew Smith: Larry Smith's work on Only
God Forgives shows a sophisticated eye for satScott Gleine: "Maybe it's not the flashiest pick, urated color that rivals the Italian greats of the
but I'd like to acknowledge Adam Stone's
'70s, and also demonstrates that the man can
underrated work [in] Mud. There is a certain
produce a gorgeous image in all kinds of differtexture and nuance to the photography of that ent lighting situations."
film which really makes the viewer feel drawn
into the setting and tone of the story, making
Lizzie Ford-Madrid: "12 Years a Slave and
the overall experience more vivid and fulfilling." Spring Breakers."

Sulekh Suman: "Amongst the films I've seen,
Captain Phillips, Out of the Furnace, The Secret
Life of Walter Mitty, 12 Years a Slave and Ram
Leela (from India) all stand out. Nebraska, Gravity, Only God Forgives and Blue Is the Warmest
Color, all shot on digital, looked flawless."
Cailin Yatsko: "La Grande Bellezza (The Great
Beauty)."
Matthew A. MacDonald: "From the opening
sequence to the subtly redemptive conclusion, I
felt thoroughly transported by The Place Beyond
the Pines, thanks in large part to Sean Bobbitt,
BSC's impeccably crafted, textured images; subtle yet evocative lighting; and camerawork that
always served - indeed elevated - and never
distracted from the story."
Jan Veldhuizen: "The Conjuring. The realistic
lighting, the subtle camera movement and the
powerful zooms gave me the creeps. And Prisoners, [because] Roger Deakins seems to understand and feel every single line of the script."
Tanmay Toraskar: "Inside Llewyn Davis, [for
its] great, stylized evocation of the '60s and the
heart-wrenching, emotional capture of the
musical performances. Hats off to Bruno Delbonnel [ASC, AFC]."

To read more replies, visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/AmericanCinematographer

Photo at right by KC Chen. Both images courtesy of Radius-TWC.

Martin Alberto Montellano: "Gravity. Why?
Emmanuel 'Chivo' Lubezki [ASC, AMC]."

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American Cinematographer - January 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2014