American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 43

Opposite: High schooler Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan) lets his newfound powers get the better of him in Chronicle. This page, top: Andrew and his friends Steve (Michael B. Jordan, middle) and Matt (Alex Russell) toy with their telekinetic abilities. Bottom: Andrew carries a video camera everywhere, enabling Chronicle’s “found-footage” aesthetic.

becomes much more fluid and cinematic.” Jensen acknowledges that working in a distinctly amateur visual style was a challenge. “It’s hard to wrap your head around these kinds of movies if you’re a cinematographer, because we’re trained to put the camera in just the right place to tell the story. On Chronicle, the camera was often in the wrong place, and for long takes! Andrew is shooting from the hip, not looking in the eyepiece, panning around and snap zooming. At times, when he gets distracted, he even pans away to nothing in the middle of a conversation. “Another thing I found difficult initially was justifying why the camera would be rolling — if Andrew is alone, or if he’s in the midst of an intense conversation with someone, why would he be shooting? We establish early on that he always has the camera with him, and we tried to make the camera behave realistically in those [more solitary] moments. When Andrew is involved in an intense conversation, the camera drops down to his side. We’ve got badly framed shots where we’re cutting people off at the eyes or showing them from the nose down! We had to get across the

Photos by Alan Markfield, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation.

important story elements, but at the same time, we were always trying to make the camerawork feel organic.” Andrew becomes a much better camera operator as the story progresses, a plot point that allowed Jensen and his camera team to adopt a more traditional approach. “When Andrew starts operating the camera telekinetically, we started doing dolly shots, and we even brought in a Technocrane, although I told the operators to avoid making any perfect crane moves,” says Jensen. “We
ww.theasc.com w

wanted all the camera moves to be a little wobbly. We wanted to swing right when the action went left, and then compensate. We wanted a little randomness. With each shot, I told them, ‘Surprise me a little.’ The key was to keep a floating feel, because the camera is supposed to be literally floating in the air. “As the story unfolds, we introduce more visual effects and stunts, and using a more traditional operating style made it easier for us to create those
March 2012 43


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American Cinematographer - March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2012

American Cinematographer - March 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: When You Find Me
Production Slate: The Ghastly Love of Johnny X • Project X
Varied Visions
Power Trip
Blazing Trails
A Wholly “Justified” Honor
Filmmakers’ Forum: Vincent De Paula
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoriam: Torben Johnke, ASC
ASC Membership Roster
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Jonathan Taylor
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - American Cinematographer - March 2012
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 1
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 2
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Contents
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 4
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 5
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 6
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 7
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 9
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 11
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Short Takes: When You Find Me
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 13
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 14
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 15
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 16
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 17
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Production Slate: The Ghastly Love of Johnny X • Project X
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 19
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 20
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 21
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 22
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 23
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 24
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 25
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 26
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 27
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 28
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 29
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Varied Visions
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 31
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 32
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 33
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 34
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 35
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 36
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 37
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 38
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 39
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 40
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 41
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Power Trip
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 43
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 44
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 45
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 46
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 47
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 48
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 49
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Blazing Trails
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 51
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 52
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 53
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 54
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 55
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 56
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 57
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - A Wholly “Justified” Honor
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 59
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 60
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 61
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 62
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 63
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 64
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 65
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 66
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 67
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Vincent De Paula
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 69
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 70
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 71
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 73
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 74
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 75
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - In Memoriam: Torben Johnke, ASC
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - ASC Membership Roster
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 81
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - 83
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - ASC Close-Up: Jonathan Taylor
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - March 2012 - Cover4
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