American Cinematographer - February 2009 - (Page 32)

2 Worlds in 3 Dimensions Our first “master twin” shot is in the Real Kitchen, wide on Coraline and her mother against the window. Paul Gentry used directional soft boxes to throw backlight in through the window, with just enough front fill to keep it all looking rainy and bleak. Later, we see the same composition but on a much more appealing Other World kitchen. Paul used rose and yellow gels on focal spots to create pools and wall scrapes, making the set bright and warm. By gradually darkening walls farther from center, he made the kitchen a stronger lure. John Ashlee’s Real World version of Dad’s Study has a rainyday window key similar to that in the kitchen but accomplished with cheater lights, as the window was too small and distant to carry the load. In one shot, we see Coraline and her father reflected in his ancient computer monitor. John tried valiantly to set it up for real, even making a 2" working display, but optical geometry wasn’t on our side. Instead, he shot both reflected faces separately, and they were later composited along with a real computer display. The most finicky “master twin” interiors were Coraline’s Real and Other bedrooms, also photographed by John Ashlee. His challenge was a moving-camera match-dissolve in 3-D that was complicated by two sets with radically different physical depths. It took numerous move tests and rebuilding architecture, even bedposts, to line up on a pivotal frame in the dissolve, followed by extra finesse in post. John lit each bedroom for maximum difference in mood; Other bedroom scenes had warm practicals and multiple spots shaping and picking out details designed to delight, but it was never overly bright, allowing bright moonlight to play a part. In stark contrast, he rendered the Real bedroom with chilly soft light from the overcast sky. Above: As they venture deep into a forest, Coraline and a companion discover there is a physical limit to the Other World, which recedes into a milkywhite limbo. Below: Lit by cinematographer Frank Passingham, the Plexiglas set gives animator Phil Dale plenty of light. The rigs supporting Coraline and the cat were painted out in post and replaced with a second pass. depicts an apple orchard that occupied several sets up to 30' long and 20' deep. Mark Stewart shot two sequences there using 5K and 2K sources — larger lights than usual for stop-motion, but the reduced exposure time helped animators keep their rhythm. He used blue and pale-green gels, tight contrast ratios, large bounced sources and a soft key as the recipe for impending rain. Motion-controlled gobos provided subtle, moving cloud shadows. He switched to cooler gels and higher contrast for a scary moonlight battle pitting Coraline and her friend, Wybie, against a disembodied hand. We played key continuity looser in this rapid-cutting sequence, concentrating on making powerful images. I doubt most viewers will notice that, but they will feel the scene change to awkward preteen romance, played a little brighter and with lower contrast for a happier mood. 32 February 2009

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American Cinematographer - February 2009 Contents Editor's Note Short Takes: Circus Production Slate: The International Reverte 2 Worlds in 3 Dimensions Dead Reckoning Embracing Anamorphic Citizen of the World Post Focus: Restoring Manhatta New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Peter Suschitzky

American Cinematographer - February 2009

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