American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 44
Back to School
Cinematographer Christopher Probst and director Joseph Kahn detail their approach to the indie genre mash-up Detention.
By Christopher Probst •|•
hen I first read the script for Detention, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Co-written by Joseph Kahn (who also directed) and Mark Palermo, the story is a schizophrenic mash-up of dissimilar genres, including slasher films, comedies and science fiction, and it’s full of selfaware film and pop-culture references. The plot is so bizarre that it’s difficult to summarize, but we eventually settled for “a mix of Scream and The Breakfast Club, coupled with a little bit of Back to the Future.” Aiming mainly for the media-saturated Twitter generation, it also unapologetically moves at a breakneck pace. Joseph and I have worked together for more than 15
44 April 2012
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years on hundreds of music videos and commercials, and I also contributed second-unit cinematography on his feature Torque. After making Torque within the studio system, Joseph decided he wanted to have more creative autonomy on his next feature, so he funded Detention himself. This meant we would be making a feature for a budget that wasn’t much larger than what we’d worked with on some commercial and music-video shoots. “When I decided to do this film, I said, ‘I’m going to bet the farm on this movie, but I don’t want to repeat what we have done before. I want to push the limits of everything we know!’” says Kahn. “That’s a very unsafe thing to do when you’re paying for something yourself and you’re used to making million-dollar commercials.” Adding to the challenge was the fact that there were just six weeks between Joseph’s decision to make Detention and the start of principal photography. Preproduction commenced immediately in the form of casting and location scouting with producers Richard Weager and MaryAnn Tanedo, and at the same time, we tried to cram in as many paying jobs as possible so Joseph could raise additional money for the production. One project we shot during this time was the video for Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie.” Captured in anamorphic
American Cinematographer
American Cinematographer - April 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2012
American Cinematographer - April 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: Polaris campaign
Production Slate: Footnote • 4:44 Last Day on Earth
Vice at the Vatican
Back to School
Sundance Standouts
Filmmakers’ Forum: Haskell Wexler, ASC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Alar Kivilo
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - American Cinematographer - April 2012
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 1
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 2
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 4
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 5
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 6
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 7
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 9
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 11
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Short Takes: Polaris campaign
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Production Slate: Footnote • 4:44 Last Day on Earth
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Vice at the Vatican
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Back to School
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Sundance Standouts
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Haskell Wexler, ASC
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - New Products & Services
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 105
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 107
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - ASC Close-Up: Alar Kivilo
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Cover3
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