American Cinematographer - March 2008 - (Page 34)

Magical Mystery Tour nique on Timeline (2003). “When we made Timeline, I noticed that Caleb used dyed muslin to fill in shadows with a cool daylight ambience, and it worked wonderfully — we didn’t have to color the lights because the coolness was built into the bounce,” says the gaffer. After wrapping Timeline, Courteau investigated dying several different materials to achieve the perfect blue hue for cool daylight fill. Working with The Rag Place and Rosco Laboratories, he experimented with several different dyes and various strengths of Silent Grid, eventually settling on a combination of Silent Light Grid and 1⁄2 CTB. “We had 12-by-12, 20-by-20 and 20-by40 frames of it on Spiderwick, and we wound up using most of them in the park to get the light we needed,” says the gaffer. To film scenes in which the forest erupts with CG goblins, the production built a section of the woods onstage. To re-create natural daylight, the crew rigged up the ceiling of the stage with massive batten strips, each fitted with six 2K FEY globes. Rigging gaffer Gilles Fortier positioned several hundred batten strips, and each ran back to a dimmer board to give Deschanel the most flexibility. Below the batten strips, Courteau stretched a 120'x240' blue-dyed gridcloth to create soft daylight ambience. Bissell’s crew rigged the forest canopy on traveler tracks so they could dial in as many overhead branches as necessary. To create direct sunlight, Courteau brought in 30 20K tungsten Fresnels to blast through the branches. “If we’d tried to use one big light for the sun, it would never have made it through the branches,” says Deschanel. “I wanted a chiaroscuro feel of light and shadow, which is exactly how it’s Deciding Spiderwick’s book will be his or no one’s, Deschanel stalks the unsuspecting Hogsqueal. Samy’s DV & Edit WE ACCEPT MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS & DISCOVER. SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY & CORPORATE P.O.’S WELCOME BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR DIGITAL CINEMA EQUIPMENT, TALK TO US! A Division of Samy’s Camera WE’VE MOVED - NEW ADDRESS! 12636 Beatrice St. Los Angeles, CA 90066 www.samysdv.com (310) 450-4365 FAX (310) 450-3079 Adding Flash Memory Capabilities to the XDCAM Family New! AG-HPX500 Three 2/3”CCD P2 HD Camcorder • Utilizes interchangeable lenses • Can shoot everything from 1080i to 720p variable frame rates •Features four XLR inputs, a chromaticaberration compensation function, and eight gamma modes PMW-EX1 New 1/2” HD Camera • Record to ExpressCard high-speed flash media • Switchable between 1080/60i and 720/60P • Capable of recording 1080/50i/30P/25P/24P and 720/50P • MPEG-2 compression technology with three, 1/2” imagers AJ-HDX900 • Adds on support for 1080i and 720p • Three 2/3" 1 million pixels Progressive CCD imagers • 24P/30P/60i recording capability • Captures film-like 24-frame images using CineGamma Affordable Professional Hi-Definition Camera Sony HVR-S270U Interchangeable Lens Pro Shoulder Mount HDV Camera • Native progressive recording • Increased sensitivity for low-light New! • Hybrid solid-state recording • 3 ClearVid CMOS Sensor system • Large cassette compatibility • Audio 4 channel recording capability AJ-SDX900 Also Available Interchangeable Lens Professional HDV Camera New! Sony HVR-Z7U Please call for our PRODUCTION PACKAGE PROMOTIONS! New! • Switch between 1080p, 1080i in the HDV format, DVCAM™, and DV recording • Down-convert material from HD to SD Sony HVR-Z1U Professional HDV Camera • Record HDV, DVCAM and DV images at 60i, 50i, 30, 25 or 24 fps, in either SD or HD • Three Super HAD™, 1/3-inch, 16:9 native CCDs • 12X Optical Zoom Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar® T* Lens • 14 bit A/D with Digital Extended Processor (DXP) SONY IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK Sony HVR-V1U 3CMOS 1080p HDV Camcorder Sony AJ-HPX2000 • Ultra-reliable solid-state camcorder records in 17 HD and SD formats • Excels at low-light shooting • New AVC-Intra codec option • The P2 card provides superior reliability in harsh environments and when exposed to shock, vibration and temperature change 34 PDW-F355 PDW-F330 XDCAM HD Camcorders Longer record times are available by • In addition to standard 60i, shoot supporting the new dual-layer 50GB progressive scan footage and still Professional Disc. The PDW-F355 edit using regular Sony HDV camcorder uses a 1⁄2-inch imager and equipment delivers 24P gen-lock capabilities • 14-bit Enhanced Imaging Processor, outputting a The PDW-F330 HD recording in 1080/ 1920x1080/60p 4:2:2 video signal 59.94i, 50i, 29.97P, 25P and native 23.98P. 2/3” P2 HD Camcorder AG-HVX200 1/3" 3-CCD 16:9 HD/DVCPRO/DV • Cinema P2 Camera with CineSwitch™ • Technology, CineGamma™ Software and IEEE 1394 Interface AJ-SD93 Also Available NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. http://www.samysdv.com

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

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