American Cinematographer - March 2008 - (Page 14)

Right: Performer Melina Bielefelt in Ocean Without a Shore. Below: Gaffer Bobby Wotherspoon, camera assistant Brian Garbellini and director of photography Harry Dawson work with a configuration of three HD video cameras while shooting “The Path,” a 36'wide projection for Going Forth by Day (2002). ing,” he explains. “We didn’t have very many tools to articulate detail in the outlines of the bodies … we’re limited by the shape that’s built into the switcher.” Those shapes included standard switcher wipes such as diamonds, circles and heart shapes. “I actually got to bring out the heartwipe on this one!” the editor says with a smile. Because each wipe was completely programmable, Pete could fade, expand, feather, rotate, stop or swing them off the edge of the picture. After a period of experimentation, the effect was fine-tuned to the point where a single transition — there are two per piece — could be completed in as little as two hours. “As they put their hands through the wall, the water just flies out of their bodies like it’s coming from within them,” Viola explains. “At that moment, they became incarnated.” Viola also directed additional pieces that involved multiple subjects in the same frame. These proved to be too complex to be finessed in the linear bay, so it was decided to assemble an as-yet-unnamed companion exhibition with those additional elements; those transitions will be rotoscoped in one of LaserPacific’s Avid Nitris suites. “Those of us who work with film and video are constantly being asked to do a dance between what’s going on within ourselves and the world of technology, which is not of our making,” muses Viola. “The dance we do is as much about being inspired by the outside — your experiences in the world or a new device that’s come out — as it is about what’s going on deep inside you. It’s very much about body and soul, hardware and software. One is intangible and the other is concrete. I’ve been deeply inspired by new technologies, many of which have allowed me to move forward when I was a bit stuck. I’ve also had incredible experiences with the same old technology I’ve had for a number of years when I have a new vision or use for it.” Ocean Without a Shore was given its premiere in Venice in June 2007 at the 15th-century chapel in San Gallo that inspired the piece. Three vertical plasma screens were mounted on the chapel’s three altars to display the work, and by the time the exhibition ended in November, more than 60,000 visitors had come to see it. “Because I work without any language or lines of dialogue in my pieces, I can show Ocean in villages in China or Africa, and people would know what it’s about,” says Viola. “The fundamentals of the human condition — ecstasy, tragedy, birth and death — are universally understood. All of us have entered life through one door and will, at a certain point down the road, find ourselves at the threshold of another.” I 14 March 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2008

American Cinematographer - March 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore Production Slate: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids Magical Mystery Tour Some Kind of Monster Tantalizing Television Making Sitcoms “Sexy” Post Focus: Mega Playground Helps Set Look for Sibling Post Focus: Visual Effects Society Launches White Paper New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index In Memoriam: John McPherson, ASC ASC Membership Roster Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Wayne Kennan

American Cinematographer - March 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.