American Cinematographer - March 2008 - (Page 58) Making Sitcoms “Sexy” George Spiro Dibie, ASC, who brought style and nuance to multi-camera series, earns the Society’s Career Achievement in Television Award. by Jon Silberg y the time George Spiro Dibie, ASC shot the first episodes of the classic 1970s sitcom Barney Miller, he was already a seasoned lighting professional. He had spent the previous decade gaffing for legendary ASC members James Wong Howe, Jack Marta and Harry Stradling Sr., among other cinematographers; he had also shot and directed a series of popular educational films through his Dibie-Dash Productions, filmed the ABC anthology Armchair Mysteries, and lit substantial stages for the multi-camera video children’s show The New Zoo Revue. So when Danny Arnold, the creator of Barney Miller, told Dibie he wanted the show’s main set — New York’s 12th Precinct police headquarters — to have a gritty, realistic feel rather than the bright, high-key look typical of sitcoms, B Dibie had definite ideas about how to achieve that ambience, and he wasn’t about to let video engineers stop him. “They had been shooting game shows in our studio, and they’d have 250 footcandles of light and expose at T5.6,” he recalls. “I lit to 30 footcandles and opened up the lenses. Two video controllers wouldn’t work with me. Someone told Danny, ‘This guy you brought doesn’t know anything about lighting for video. He doesn’t know how to get a sharp, clean look.’ Danny told him, ‘The squad room is a 24hour police station in New York. I don’t want it clean. I like what I’m seeing on the monitor.’” During the seven years he spent on Barney Miller, Dibie, who recently earned the 2007 ASC Career Achievement in Television Award, worked out many of the ideas that have since been implemented on multi-camera shows. He used smaller units, motivated 58 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 American Cinematographer - March 2008 - American Cinematographer - March 2008 (Page Cover1) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - American Cinematographer - March 2008 (Page Cover2) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - American Cinematographer - March 2008 (Page 1) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - American Cinematographer - March 2008 (Page 2) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Contents (Page 3) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Contents (Page 4) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Contents (Page 5) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Contents (Page 6) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Contents (Page 7) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Editor’s Note (Page 8) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Editor’s Note (Page 9) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 10) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 11) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 12) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 13) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 14) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Short Takes: Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore (Page 15) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 16) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 17) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 18) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 19) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 20) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 21) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 22) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 23) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 24) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Production Slate: Chantal: A Night at the Pyramids (Page 25) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 26) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 27) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 28) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 29) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 30) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 31) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 32) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 33) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 34) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Magical Mystery Tour (Page 35) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 36) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 37) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 38) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 39) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 40) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 41) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 42) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 43) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 44) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Some Kind of Monster (Page 45) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 46) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 47) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 48) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 49) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 50) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 51) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 52) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 53) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 54) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 55) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 56) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Tantalizing Television (Page 57) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 58) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 59) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 60) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 61) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 62) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 63) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 64) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Making Sitcoms “Sexy” (Page 65) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Post Focus: Visual Effects Society Launches White Paper (Page 66) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Post Focus: Visual Effects Society Launches White Paper (Page 67) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Post Focus: Visual Effects Society Launches White Paper (Page 68) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Post Focus: Visual Effects Society Launches White Paper (Page 69) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 70) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 71) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 72) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 73) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 74) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 75) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 76) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - New Products & Services (Page 77) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - International Marketplace (Page 78) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Classified Ads (Page 79) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Ad Index (Page 80) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Ad Index (Page 81) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - In Memoriam: John McPherson, ASC (Page 82) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - In Memoriam: John McPherson, ASC (Page 83) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - ASC Membership Roster (Page 84) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - ASC Membership Roster (Page 85) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Clubhouse News (Page 86) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - Clubhouse News (Page 87) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Wayne Kennan (Page 88) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Wayne Kennan (Page Cover3) American Cinematographer - March 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Wayne Kennan (Page Cover4)
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