American Cinematographer - April 2008 - (Page 65)

Berlin International Film Festival. Eager to shoot his first feature, Crawley was thrilled when Hammer offered him Ballast. “The idea of going to work in the States was very appealing, and the script was terrific,” says Crawley. “I like films that are less narrative-based and more character-based. Getting all of those components was amazing — I probably would have jumped at any one of them!” When Hammer and Crawley began discussing the project, they discovered a shared affinity for the films of Bruno Dumont and JeanPierre and Luc Dardenne. Additionally, they found inspiration in Lars von Trier’s Breaking the Waves, which features handheld widescreen photography by Robby Müller, BVK. Crawley recalls, “I was really intrigued by that sense of being in the moment and only having one chance to catch [the action]. The idea is if you don’t get to do a reverse, or if the shot goes in and out of focus, you live with it. That makes it feel very immediate. “The thing I like about handheld — other than just as an aesthetic — is that it’s a very privileged position to be in,” he continues. “When the director says ‘Action,’ you’re in that moment and [the shot] is completely in your hands. It’s amazing to be able to put that little bit of yourself in there.” Ballast was shot in the Super 35mm 2.40:1 aspect ratio. “The flatness of the Delta landscape lends itself to that kind of photography,” notes Crawley. “I think the idea that you can take a muddy field in the Mississippi Delta and use a traditionally epic format is really intriguing. Plus, it’s a beautiful format to frame with, and it lends the film a certain presence.” Arriving in Mississippi in January 2007, Crawley had roughly one month to prep the film. Much of that time was given to rehearsals; as Hammer helped his cast develop their characters and hone the loosely scripted scenes, Crawley wielded a small video camera to gain a sense of how to cover the action. This freeform approach continued to define the production as shooting began. Crawley recalls, “The actors would run a scene, I would have a look at it, and then we’d make up our minds about how to cover it. That pushed it much more toward a documentary feel.” Ballast opens with James standing in a muddy field on an overcast winter day. Spotting a flock of birds pecking at the dirt, he runs toward them — with Crawley, camera on his shoulder, running in pursuit — and sends them scattering into the air. For day exteriors like that, Crawley avoided using lights, though he occasionally called on key grip David Ashby to bring in “reflector boards and frames for continuity. But we didn’t have anything bigger than an 8-by-8, and those were just for emergencies in case the sun suddenly came out.” To minimize the burden on his shoulder while operating the camera, Crawley used an Arricam Lite rented from Arri CSC in New York. His lens package comprised a set of Zeiss Superspeed primes and a Century 28-70mm T3 zoom, and he avoided any filtration beyond NDs and 85s. Keeping the camera running were assistants Gabi Norland, Ben Gibb and Diego Velasco; Gibb later returned to shoot some additional photography for Hammer when Crawley’s schedule precluded his own involvement. Though the film was shot almost entirely handheld, there are moments of stillness. For example, when Lawrence, who falls into a deep depression following his brother’s death, is hospitalized, the images in the hospital are framed from a tripod. “The characters motivate the camera, so when they’re not active, we’re still,” notes Crawley. “Once they wake up, we go handheld again, and they take us somewhere else.” After he’s released from the hospital, Lawrence returns to his property, a plot of land with two small homes, one for him and one for his brother. “Those houses presented the biggest challenge in that we had dark-skinned actors in dark interiors, and the outside was always bright,” recalls Crawley. “Often, the windows or an open door would blow out. Sometimes I’d set up an HMI outside a window and put it through some trace, but it’s hard to do that when you’re working in a camera style that’s all over the place. Opposite page: Lawrence (Micheal J. Smith Sr., right) and his nephew (JimMyron Ross) struggle with a difficult family dynamic in Ballast, which won the Excellence in Cinematography Award-Dramatic this year. This page: Ballast director of photography Lol Crawley works handheld, which he did for most of the shoot, on location in Mississippi. Ballast photos courtesy of Ballast LLC. American Cinematographer 65

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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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