American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 16

Top left: One of Pope’s concept drawings of the
film’s robotic Mek. Top right: Green frames up the
production’s Sony F55. Bottom: Action around the
campfire was captured with the F55 and an F65,
both of which were kept on 4' sliders.

closely with production designer Mike
Conte, costume designer Susan Chan and
graphic designer Jim Pascoe to design the
elements that would bring the sci-fi environment to life onscreen. “They all worked
from my concept sketches,” says Pope. The
initial vision for the large, robotic Mek was
beyond the project’s modest budget, “so
we scaled things back and went for something a little more Star Trek or early Apollo
mission,” he says.
The production schedule began with
a two-hour shoot in a Victorian home in
Lancaster, Calif. The scenes set there represent a sort of shining for Bryce; as his situa16

April 2013

tion in the desert worsens, he closes his eyes
and finds himself in the home with his aging
mother, Luana (Florence Klein). “We
wanted [these scenes] to be free-flowing
and open, to feel almost like a cloud of
energy,” says Reddy. “We sent a skeleton
crew to the house, and we only had the F55
there. When we arrived, we walked around
for about 20 minutes to find the best places
to shoot, with strong windows and good
angles, and then the art department
brought in our hero props. We let the actors
do their own thing, and Jesse expressionistically followed them, letting the handheld
camera [rolling at 60 fps] be fluid and
American Cinematographer

revolve around them. He was so perceptive;
he knew where to be at just the right time,
and he really played off their performances.”
“That house was perfect,” says
Green, “and the F55 really enabled shooting with the available light. That camera
packs a lot of punch. I used a little 4-by
passive bounce and occasionally
augmented with a Litepanels [LED unit].
Litepanels loaned us a couple of Incas, two
traditional 1-by-1s and two Hilios. All of
these lights can be powered with a clip-on
Anton/Bauer battery. That was basically our
lighting package — really nothing more
than a 1K Fresnel!”
After wrapping in the house, the
crew drove for two hours to the Mojave
Desert to shoot Bryce and Swanson’s
dialogue at the campfire next to the Mek. In
the background, Green explains, he “placed
the Litepanels to uplight and get some
detail in the rocks. We also used the Incas
for some edging [on the actors], and we
bounced a Hilio into an 8-by for a little
ambience.
“The fire truly was my keylight for 80
percent of the film,” he continues. When
the campfire burns out, the scene is keyed



American Cinematographer - April 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2013

American Cinematographer - April 2013
Table of Contents
Editor's Note
President's Desk
Short Takes: 7x6x2
Production Slate: War Witch • The Darkest Day
Hello, Yellow Brick Road
Hell on Wheels
All In
6 Sundance Standouts
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Christopher Baffa
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - American Cinematographer - April 2013
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 1
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 2
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Table of Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 4
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 5
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 6
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 7
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 8
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 9
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Editor's Note
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 11
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - President's Desk
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 13
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Short Takes: 7x6x2
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 15
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 16
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 17
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 18
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 19
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Production Slate: War Witch • The Darkest Day
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 21
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 22
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 23
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 24
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 25
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 26
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 27
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 28
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 29
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 30
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 31
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 32
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 33
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 34
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 35
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Hello, Yellow Brick Road
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 37
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 38
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 39
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 40
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 41
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 42
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 43
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 44
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 45
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 46
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 47
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 48
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 49
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 50
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 51
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Hell on Wheels
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 53
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 54
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 55
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 56
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 57
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 58
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 59
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 60
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 61
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 62
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 63
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - All In
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 65
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 66
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 67
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 68
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 69
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 70
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 71
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 72
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 73
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 74
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 75
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 76
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 77
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 78
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 79
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 6 Sundance Standouts
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K1
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K2
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K3
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K4
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K5
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K6
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K7
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K8
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K9
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K10
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K11
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - K12
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 81
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 82
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 83
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 84
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 85
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 86
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 87
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 88
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 89
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 90
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 91
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 92
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 93
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 94
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 95
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 96
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 97
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 98
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 99
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 100
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 101
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 102
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 103
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 105
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 106
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 107
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 108
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 109
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 110
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 111
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 112
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 113
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 117
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 119
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - ASC Close-Up: Christopher Baffa
American Cinematographer - April 2013 - Cover3
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