American Cinematographer - March 2008 - (Page 48)

Tantalizing Television Top: A lighting diagram details Abraham’s general approach to the Sterling Cooper office set. Bottom: The company’s staff watches the results of the 1960 presidential election between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy in “Nixon vs. Kennedy.” “We also had four 20Ks and a few more T-12s on stands that could be rolled around the office floor. For tungsten close-ups, we often used Barger-Baglite six- and three-light units with Chimeras, soft cloth, diaper baffles and 60- and 90-degree honeycomb grids for control. “The walls of each office feature textured plastic ‘glass’ that has quite a specular quality,” he adds, “and by placing small fixtures in 48 March 2008 strategic places, we were able to create some nice highlights in the background.” In characters’ homes, Abraham used more traditional studio lighting but implemented practicals as much as possible. Draper’s house was a practical set, and some scenes required four or five rooms to be lit at once. “I love the color spectrum of the household bulb,” notes the cinematogra- pher. “We used a lot of batten strips with 100-watt household bulbs. The bulbs are so close they’re almost touching, so they create a single source that doesn’t cast multiple shadows. Over time, we built housings for them with channels into which you can slide diffusion frames or egg crates. We call them ‘Whiteys’ because the guy who knocked these shells out of tin back in New York was named Whitey; I used them extensively on The Sopranos and felt they suited the homes in Mad Men as well.” Sterling Cooper’s iconic ceiling influenced how the show’s Panaflex Platinum cameras were positioned. “We always talked about having the camera down low to show the ceiling, and that cued a lot of different things,” says Abraham. “It took on a life of its own — even when the ceiling wasn’t involved, we were usually down low. There was something going on with the lower-than-eyeline camera that we were all tuned into.

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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