American Cinematographer - May 2008 - (Page 20)

Production Slate A Killer’s Clues and a Survivor’s Story In this frame grab from Anamorph, shot by Fred Murphy, ASC, Detective Aubray (Willem Dafoe) views a projected image related to a serial killer’s recent crime. Murderous Perspectives by Patricia Thomson Centuries before “anamorphic” entered the vocabulary of filmmaking, anamorphic images were appearing on canvases throughout Renaissance Europe, as in Han Holbein’s portrait of two ambassadors with a skewed skull at their feet, a sly memento mori legible only from an oblique angle. Invented at a time when optics and art intersected, anamorphs take center stage in the new film Anamorph, alongside other devices used by artists from Vermeer to Canaletto, including the camera obscura, the pantograph, and a grid for creating one-point perspective. In Anamorph, directed by Henry Miller and shot by Fred Murphy, ASC, each of these pictorial tools is part of a murder tableau left behind by a serial killer. The atmospheric drama centers on Stan Aubray (Willem Dafoe), a New York detective who is weary of his trade and haunted by an incident in his past. As he investigates the serial killings with his partner, Carl (Scott Speedman), Aubray begins to suspect the killer is baiting 20 May 2008 him, luring him closer with each artful tableau. The devices integral to the crime scenes include a camera obscura, a giant pantograph, and a viewing grid that transforms several grisly items into a 3-D image. The murders are solved when Carl happens to notice a reflection that transforms a warped anamorphic image into a visually coherent clue. “I was interested in the whole idea of this film because you rarely get to illustrate visual devices like this,” says Murphy, who recalls studying such optical devices as a student at the Rhode Island School of Design. “I liked the idea of making all these things happen onscreen.” He wasn’t the only one. Anamorph also attracted veteran visualeffects supervisor Richard Edlund, ASC, whom Miller met 10 years ago in a digital-compositing class Edlund was teaching at the University of Southern California. “I think Richard remembered my tenacity,” says Miller, “and he responded to the challenging shots in the script.” Other veterans who signed on were Helena Packer, who co-supervised the visual effects; production designer Jack- son De Govia; gaffer Tim Guiness; key grip Jim Pollare; and camera operator Bruce MacCallum. It was Murphy’s cinematography in the melancholy thriller The Mothman Prophecies (AC Feb. ’02) and the Bob Crane biopic Auto Focus (AC Nov. ’02) that attracted Miller’s attention. The director came to their first meeting with storyboards illustrating the noir mood he had in mind, designs for the art machinery, and detailed concepts about color and lighting design. He even had plans to use anamorphism as a design principle in sound, music and the opening credits. Ironically, however, what wasn’t settled was whether Anamorph would be shot in anamorphic 2.40:1. “People are afraid of anamorphic for many reasons, but the truth is, once you start shooting, the challenges are the same,” says Murphy. To help decide the matter, the cinematographer shot tests comparing Super 35mm and anamorphic in two situations, an interior and a night exterior. In the former, the costume designer wore Aubray’s dark suit in front of a wall at Panavision in New York that was lit Anamorph photos/frame grabs courtesy of Kamala Films. Photos by Fred Murphy and Lacey Terrell.

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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