American Cinematographer - April 2013 - 52
Hell onWheels
Director Derek Cianfrance and
cinematographer Sean Bobbitt, BSC
meld a guerrilla-filmmaking
aesthetic with an epic canvas for
The Place Beyond the Pines.
By Michael Goldman
•|•
O
ne day in August 2011, on location in Schenectady,
N.Y., not long after forging an intense camaraderie with
Sean Bobbitt, BSC, director Derek Cianfrance faced a
troubling few seconds wondering whether Bobbitt had
badly hurt himself during their joint pursuit of realistic visuals
for the production at hand, The Place Beyond the Pines. They
were shooting part of the opening sequence, the so-called
“Death Cage” scene, in which Luke (Ryan Gosling) performs
a motorcycle stunt with two other bikers in a round, steel cage
as part of a carnival act. The stunt comes at the conclusion of
a long, one-take tracking shot that follows Luke through the
carnival grounds, onto a motorcycle and into the cage.
Bobbitt, who was doing his own operating, insisted that
52
April 2013
he film the action from the bottom of the cage himself as the
three motorcycles crisscrossed above him. Cianfrance recalls,
“Sean was covered in armor in there — he looked like
Robocop with a camera. We started filming, and then my
handheld monitor went static, I heard a gasp from the crowd,
and I saw Sean under three motorcycles. We opened the cage
and got the bikes off him, and he was okay, just mad that he
didn’t get the shot. He wanted to try it again. We did, and
then my monitor blacked out again. Motorcycles had stalled
in midair, one fell on him, and Sean was on the bottom of the
pile again. This time, he was shaken up and went to the hospital. We got the shot [from outside the cage] the next day, but
I think he was mad at me for not letting him back into the
cage. He’s a cinema warrior.”
Both filmmakers agree that Bobbitt’s documentary
background, including stints in war zones, was helpful on The
Place Beyond the Pines. Though the movie is epic in scale,
covering the interactions between two generations of two
families over a couple of decades, it is intimate in style and
approach. Shooting 2-perf Super 35mm, Bobbitt captured all
but a few shots in the picture himself with a handheld
Arricam Lite.
The first half of the film chronicles Luke’s attempts to
change his career path after he learns that a former girlfriend,
Romina (Eva Mendes), bore his child. In an effort to support
her and his child, he transitions to robbing banks. The consequences of that decision then reverberate through a number of
American Cinematographer
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
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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
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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
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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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