American Cinematographer - March 2009 - (Page 8) Editor’s Note erial killers are not generally known for their charm, but the protagonist of the Showtime drama Dexter (played by Michael C. Hall) could give even charismatic ladykiller Ted Bundy a run for his money. To illustrate the dual nature of the show’s homicidal vigilante, cinematographer Romeo Tirone takes a different approach to the two worlds Dexter occupies. “By day, he’s kind of a nerdy lab tech, and by night, when he’s on the prowl or in the kill room, he’s a powerful, sinister figure,” notes Tirone (“Cutting-Edge Camerawork,” page 30). “I use lighting to differentiate the two [looks]. When he’s in the everyday world, we use a lot more front light and see pretty much his entire face. When he’s on the prowl, we toplight him.” Our special focus on television production also includes an overview of ABC’s Life on Mars, a series whose look has been crafted by three accomplished ASC members: Kramer Morgenthau, who shot the pilot, and Frank Prinzi and Craig Di Bona, who alternate shooting regular episodes. Although the show concerns Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara), a detective who time-travels back to the 1970s, Morgenthau didn’t attempt to mimic the look of Seventies cinematography while setting the visual template: “We could’ve gotten away with snap zooms, fog filters and so on, but we didn’t do any of that The camerawork has more to do with what Sam is feeling because he’s in a completely alien world.” “Sexy,” “sweaty” and “saturated” are a few of the adjectives that best describe the look of True Blood, HBO’s Southern-Gothic vampire series. Checco Varese, AMC lent an abundance of atmosphere to the show before passing the camera to first-season cinematographers Matt Jensen, John B. Aronson and Amy Vincent, ASC. For the upcoming second season, Jensen will share the load with Tirone, who knows a thing or two about bloodletting after his stint on Dexter. “So much of the first season of a show is trying to figure out what works and what doesn’t,” Jensen observes. “We try to continue to refine the look to keep it fresh for us and the audience.” The Unusuals, a new show premiering in April on ABC, has also evolved since its pilot was shot on film by Peter Levy, ASC, ACS. Regular weekly episodes are now captured on high-definition video by Roy Wagner, ASC, who employs Sony’s F23 and EX3 cameras. “The EX3 can be managed and manipulated with the same paintbox technology the F23 uses,” Wagner says. “However, we’re not painting on the set at all; all image manipulation is done in front of the sensor. This is not unlike old-school film cinematography. Manipulation is created through exposure, lighting and filtration.” Two other masters of classic techniques are profiled this month: Robert F. Liu, ASC, who received the Society’s Career Achievement in Television Award at last month’s ASC Awards ceremony (“A Life Full of Miracles, page 46) and Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, who accepted the Presidents Award for his contributions to both the big and small screens (“A Very Active Member,” page 56). Both men are devoted Society stalwarts whose participation enriches us all. Those of you seeking further enlightenment are encouraged to visit your local arthouse cinema to catch Gomorrah and Tokyo Sonata, two fine foreign films featured in this month’s Production Slate section (page 18), and read this month’s Filmmakers’ Forum by Peter Sova, ASC (“Shooting Push in Hong Kong,” page 68). S Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland.
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