American Cinematographer - April 2008 - (Page 17)

THE NEW 320 DUAL-CHANNEL WIRELESS MICROPHONE Friesenbichler takes aim on set with the Arri D-20. The new 320UPR discrete dual-channel UHF receiver is smaller and lighter than all previous units. It has 240 user-selectable frequencies for each channel, stereo output, digital LCD displays with multi-function readout, and separate Power On/Off switches for each channel. It operates on just 2 "AA" batteries and has a unique dual-function DC jack. Optional NiMH batteries can be recharged while in the 320UPR, or the receiver can be powered from an external, optional power supply. Additionally, the 320UPR comes with both dual-plug XLR and a stereo mini-plug output cable, removable shoe-mount, and flexible high-gain antennas. Available initially in systems with 2 bodypacks (320ULT system), or 1 bodypack and 1 plug-in transmitter (320ULX system). above and below the working stop there are,” he says. “Cinematographers working with the D-20 have to get to know the characteristics of the user settings just like they have to know the characteristics of various emulsions. “When I shoot digitally, a waveform monitor takes over 90 percent of the work normally done with my light meter,” he adds. “I definitely start to pay more to attention to highlights and deep shadows, and the ND grads come out of the box more often than they do on my film shoots.” Footage was captured in 4:4:4 via dual-link to a Sony SRW-1 deck on HDCam-SR tape. Between the two shoots, Friesenbichler and Valdes-Iga reviewed their footage (projected on a 2K NEC projector) in a screening room at Cineworks, the Miami facility that is handling all of the production’s post. “The images were just stunning in terms of color rendition, and in terms of the dynamic range of the chip and motion rendition,” recalls the cinematographer. “Everything about the image fit the criteria of what a good picture is.” Cineworks is providing Milia with 2K screening facilities, standarddefinition downconversions for editing, and a digital intermediate on Assimilate Scratch. (Valdes-Iga intends to finish to a digital-cinema master.) At press time, Friesenbichler was looking forward to the color correction. “It will be subtle,” he says. “I want to play with a lot of contrast in the beginning to establish Nathaniel in such a way that we have a very superficial idea of him. It begins with a very cold look, and then warmer colors begin to take over.” One way the D-20 enabled him to achieve this transition was its ability to handle lighting conditions with mixed color temperatures on set. “When you’re shooting digitally and introduce warm colors in skin tones, you often get a lot of weird artifacts on skin — it doesn’t look natural,” he notes. “But once I saw the first projection at Cineworks, I was very confident that I could mix tungsten sources with HMI sources, balance to HMI and let the tungsten go.” After working with the D-20, Friesenbichler has come to regard it as a digital camera capable of realizing looks he previously thought only film could achieve. “Over the past few years, there have been some exciting advances in technology for cinematographers like me who are just starting out,” he muses. “As a cinematographer, you want to create the right picture for the story, and you have to know the palette each tool offers you. A tool is there to work, not stand in your way.” I Carrying case included ® P.O. Box 10, Franklin Square, NY 11010 (516) 328-7500 • FAX: (516) 328-7506 For full specifications e-mail azdenus@azdencorp.com or visit our Web site: www.azdencorp.com 17 http://www.azdencorp.com http://www.azdencorp.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2008

American Cinematographer - April 2008 Contents Editor's Note Global Village: The Counterfeiters Short Takes: Milia Production Slate: Paranoid Park Production Slate: All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Card Sharks Temple of Doom 3-D Cinematography Sundance 2008: Mining for Movies Post Focus: Digital Film Tree Gets into Peyote Post Focus: FotoKem’s 3-D Workflow Post Focus: Technicolor Digs in at Pinewood Filmmakers’ Forum: Steven Fierberg, ASC on Searchers 2.0 New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Rodney Taylor

American Cinematographer - April 2008

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