American Cinematographer - May 2008 - (Page 17)

Prior to the start of production, Davis and Bassett spent time scouting in Arivaca, Arizona, a high-volume entry point for migrant traffic. “The movie is really about a journey, and we wanted to reflect that in the tones and images we created,” says the cinematographer. Davis’ initial approach was to capture the natural beauty of the land and draw as much detail out of the terrain as possible. Much of the action takes place outdoors, and this proved to be a bigger creative and logistical hurdle than he originally imagined. During the daytime, he exposed for the sun and tried to keep the sun closer to the axis of the camera in order to capture the same detail in the sky behind the actors. “At first, the migrants have a very idealistic outlook,” says the cinematographer. “But we worked on slowly degrading the image as their journey progresses and they run into hardships; we slowly reduced the amount of fill and increased the overexposure. I would push one stop and expose for the shadows without compensating, then I would push 2 stops, again without compensating and exposing for the shadows. We were really testing out how much the negative could handle.” At night, Davis was able to make the most of the uneven desert terrain, staging rows of 12K and 6K HMIs on top of nearby hills and rises in lieu of cranemounted overhead sources. He worked to reduce the amount of fill to almost nothing and set the key sources at such an axis to the characters so as to get enough detail on their faces while still maintaining a sense of foreboding. At the beginning of The Line, scenes are composed with static, picturesque framing, and as the story progresses, scenes involving the migrants feature looser, documentarystyle camerawork. This looser style takes over when the four characters collide tragically and then try to come to terms with the consequences of their decisions. After one character dies, the film resumes its original style. Davis explains, “The image disintegrates throughout the story, but at the end, precise static compositions relate the idea that the environment has not changed, but the characters have changed within that environment.” Deluxe Laboratories in Hollywood processed the production’s footage, and the filmmakers did a digital intermediate at Encore Hollywood. Release prints were made at Deluxe on Kodak Vision 2383. Davis regards The Line as the most challenging project he has undertaken to date. “It taught me the importance of persevering in the face of whatever odds I confront,” he says. “Sometimes, you just need to open your eyes and see the world around you as opposed to locking yourself into one way you think the story wants to be told.” THE NEW 320 DUAL-CHANNEL WIRELESS MICROPHONE The Butcher’s Daughter Set in a remote Midwestern area around the time of the Great Depression, The Butcher’s Daughter follows the titular character, Sarah, as she struggles to come to terms with her father’s past as a Chicago gangster. Her quiet, secluded life is shattered when two of her father’s former business associates pay an unannounced visit to their farm. All of the action is presented from Sarah’s point of view, and as the story progresses and more secrets are revealed to her, her perspective begins to change. Director Daniel Casey and cinematographer Sean Stiegemeier’s challenge was figuring out how to make the visuals reflect this change. At first, they strove to evoke the tranquil qualities of an Andrew Wyeth painting, particularly Christina’s World; finally, the images descend into a shadowy nightmare lit by naked bulbs and hard shafts of light. Stiegemeier describes his overall cinematography style as “very contrasty and dark, with a modern, music-video feel.” Going into The Butcher’s Daughter, he had little experience shooting day exteriors, and for inspiration, he turned to Days of Heaven, shot by Néstor Almendros, ASC. He wanted to use different Kodak film stocks to achieve the film’s changing perspective, and he settled on Vision2 500T 5218 and The new 320UPR discrete dual-channel UHF receiver is smaller and lighter than all previous units. It has 240 user-selectable frequencies for each channel, stereo output, digital LCD displays with multi-function readout, and separate Power On/Off switches for each channel. It operates on just 2 "AA" batteries and has a unique dual-function DC jack. Optional NiMH batteries can be recharged while in the 320UPR, or the receiver can be powered from an external, optional power supply. Additionally, the 320UPR comes with both dual-plug XLR and a stereo mini-plug output cable, removable shoe-mount, and flexible high-gain antennas. Available initially in systems with 2 bodypacks (320ULT system), or 1 bodypack and 1 plug-in transmitter (320ULX system). Carrying case included ® P.O. Box 10, Franklin Square, NY 11010 (516) 328-7500 • FAX: (516) 328-7506 For full specifications e-mail azdenus@azdencorp.com or visit our Web site: www.azdencorp.com 17 http://www.azdencorp.com http://www.azdencorp.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2008

American Cinematographer - May 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Global Village: The Fall Short Takes: ASC Laszlo Kovacs Short Takes: Heritage Award Winners Production Slate: Anamorph Production Slate: Fugitive Pieces Heavy-Metal Hero A Need for Speed Kink and the City Beautiful Minds A Hollywood Homecoming Post Focus: Paramount Restores The Godfather Filmmakers’ Forum: Levie Isaacks, ASC Teaches Marines to Shoot Movies New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Antonio Calvache

American Cinematographer - May 2008

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