American Cinematographer - May 2008 - (Page 42)

Heavy-Metal Hero “the toughest part is the ending — that’s where the film can die. So anything having to do with the ending was my most dreaded set, and the Tokomak was the biggest challenge. “I knew I needed to throw everything I had at the EMP, both on the rooftop and at the Tokomak, and be as aggressive as possible,” he continues. “The real burden for the cinematographer is to deliver that material to the visual-effects team in some semblance of what [the finished sequence] is supposed to look like, so they can use it as a guide. If what I create is limiting, then they’re limited; but at the same time, I had to evaluate what would be too much on their end.” The interior of the Tokomak set was built through the open elephant doors on the production’s stage at Downey Studios. Outside the set’s glass wall, “we had some 250K Lightning Strikes units and some LumaPanels on a construction crane,” recalls Bauman. “The Lumas are great as an ambient moon source, and the Lightning Strikes were employed when all hell broke loose. Inside, we had a lot of interactive lights, with a lot of flashes when the reactor’s going to hell and things are blowing up. We used a lot of LEDs, a lot of [Kinetic Lighting] ColorBlasts, and a ton of [Martin] Atomic 3000 strobes. We had about a dozen 70K Lightning Strikes heads, and there were eight [High End Systems] DL.2 [projectors] and about 30 Clay Pakys. The [lighting cues] were so fast and furious we needed two board operators to stay on top of it.” As the Tokomak threatens to blow, Iron Man and Iron Monger trade punches on the rooftop. “I thought that was going to be the end of us,” says Libatique. “We were 25 Downey plays with the toys created by Stan Winston Studio. “Cinematography typically takes on the character of the lead performer,” says Libatique, “and Robert is so improvisational the photography became the same way.” ogy to create his own Iron Monger metalware. Their rumble takes them to the Tokomak fusion reactor and the site of the film’s final battle, which climaxes in a massive electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The filming of the Tokomak (built onstage at Downey Studios) and the rooftop above the reactor (constructed inside at Playa Vista) came at the back end of the shoot. Going into Iron Man, Libatique watched a number of superhero movies, and he realized DIRECTOR‘S VIEWFINDER NEW OIC 35 Eyepiece adjustable from -3 to +2 diopter Eyepiece adjustable to right or left eye For all lenses with 54 PL-mount For Arriﬂex 435/535 ground glasses Pivot holder for easy grip OIC 16 Eyepiece adjustable from -5 to +5 diopters 7 integrated ground glass markings Therefore no exchange of any ground glasses Immediate change from format to format For all lenses with 54 PL-mount Pivot holder for easy grip WE ACCEPT 42 www.denz-deniz.com · Tel: +49 89 - 62 98 66 0 · Fax: +49 89 - 62 98 66 20 http://www.denz-deniz.com http://www.denz-deniz.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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