American Cinematographer - February 2009 - (Page 8)

Editor’s Note he recent trend toward 3-D production continues with Coraline, a digital stop-motion fantasy about a girl who discovers a menacing parallel world behind the walls of her family’s new home. The project’s ambitious cinematography was supervised by Pete Kozachik, ASC, who brought considerable experience to the table(top) after serving as director of photography on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride. Adding a third dimension to stop-motion cinematography took Kozachik, director Henry Selick and their collaborators down some fascinating avenues. In a detailed, firsthand account (“2 Worlds in 3 Dimensions,” page 26), Kozachik outlines some of the trickiest aspects of 3-D production, as well as the filmmakers’ solutions. “My advice to anyone starting out fresh with 3-D is to seek counsel from a veteran of 3-D production and experiment when you have enough experience to be conversant,” he cautions. Bill Pope, ASC brought a similar willingness to push creative boundaries to The Spirit, based on Will Eisner’s comic-book character and directed by graphic-novel titan Frank Miller. Digging further into an approach previously used on Sin City and 300, two big-screen adaptations of Miller’s own work, Pope shot the picture largely against greenscreen, including eye-popping dry-for-wet sequences shot with a Phantom high-speed camera at frame rates of 200 to 400 fps. “You can do the dumbest stuff in the world, and when you’re filming at 400 fps, suddenly you’re a poet,” Pope quips in his chat with associate editor Jon D. Witmer (“Dead Reckoning,” page 40). Long a champion of the anamorphic format, John Bailey, ASC explains precisely why in a Q&A about his work on the romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You (“Embracing Anamorphic,” page 52). “This movie is an ensemble piece with intercut, parallel stories of five women and the men in their lives,” Bailey tells New York scribe Pat Thomson. “I felt the wider aspect ratio would allow us to be intimate with them yet keep them together in the same shot in a way that was more accommodating than 1.85:1.” This issue also showcases a hearty salute to Society stalwart Donald McAlpine, the recipient of this year’s ASC International Award. As contributing writer Jon Silberg observes in an enlightening profile (“Citizen of the World,” page 60), the Australian cameraman has made a truly global mark with his work on acclaimed exports from his homeland (My Brilliant Career, Breaker Morant), bold collaborations with countryman Baz Luhrmann (Romeo+Juliet, Moulin Rouge), and an impressive string of Hollywood blockbusters (among them Patriot Games, Mrs. Doubtfire and The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). He was also the man behind the camera on one of my personal favorites, the biting Bruce Beresford comedy Don’s Party, which I’ve watched and enjoyed with a few equally obsessive friends more times than I’m willing to admit. Good onya, Don. T Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland. http://www.theasc.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - February 2009

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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