American Cinematographer - April 2008 - (Page 51)

be relatively straightforward, but it was a quite difficult process to make them convincing on camera,” says Major. “Patrick Tatopolous, a well-known creature designer, did the initial design, and we finessed his work and sent an order to a Chinese factory. The Chinese were a little reluctant because it was a small order for them, even though it was a large order for us! Also, this wasn’t really a vine that previously existed, so we had to start from scratch with the artwork, molds and casting processes. The hero vines were constructed from a combination of plastics and rubbers, and a thickness of 1⁄2mm to 1⁄3mm gave us the right translucency.” “The vines are a very important presence in the film, and polarizing the light on them [with a Schneider TruePola] made them look fresh and real, tender and more transparent,” says Khondji. “I also found that every time the vines were backlit, they looked very good. On the interiors, I tended to keep the vines dark and sketchy. Inside the shaft and chamber, the actors and walls were lit with only the flaming torches, and we didn’t add much light to the vines; we simply left them in the dark. That way, the structure of the vine on the wall became almost an etching.” Reflecting upon his collaboration with Khondji, Smith offers, “What I appreciated most was Darius’ passion for telling this story. To photograph a horror movie entirely in bright daylight was an incredible challenge, and his passion for working in this new and very raw way was really exciting. And I simply enjoyed getting to spend each day with him; he’s a gentle and inspiring presence, and I learned very quickly that that kind of energy on set really makes all the difference.” Khondji credits his siblings and the house he grew up in with sparking his love of horror. “We grew up in a large house in Paris that had a dark-gray, slate roof, and there was even a big dog like the hound of the Baskervilles,” he says. “My sister, who is older than me, would often lie in wait in a dark corner of the stairway and jump out at me. She would also lock me in the cellar every so often. Soon, I began to enjoy being scared!” I TECHNICAL SPECS 2.40:1 Anamorphic 35mm Panaflex Millennium XL, Lightweight Panavision C-Series, E-Series, Super High Speed lenses Fuji Eterna 250T 8553, 500T 8573 Digital Intermediate 51 http://www.rosco.com/swatchbook http://www.rosco.com/swatchbook http://www.rosco.com/rewards

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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