American Cinematographer - May 2008 - (Page 57)

Opposite: Jonathan (Ewan McGregor), a lonely auditor, prepares to meet a new friend at a Manhattan strip joint in a scene from Deception. This page: Wyatt (Hugh Jackman), a corporate lawyer with ties to a secret sex club for the wealthy, meets with one of Jonathan’s new lovers (Michelle Williams). is the future,’ and I was pushing to shoot the whole movie on film,” recalls Langenegger. “He showed me tests from the Genesis that had been recorded out to film, and it didn’t give me goosebumps the way certain shots on film can. And for night exteriors, the digital images just didn’t feel right; with film, the background went black, but the shots captured with the Genesis had an orange sky, and you could see for blocks and blocks. But one day, Dante said, “A good shot is a good shot, and a bad shot is a bad shot. Film or digital is not what’s important.’ And I have such respect for the man and his work that I trusted he wouldn’t let [the digital footage] have the look I hadn’t liked in the tests.” Ultimately, Langenegger and Spinotti decided to use both formats; they would shoot most of nighttime location work with the Genesis, and day exteriors/interiors and soundstage work on film. They typically shot 35mm material with Primo prime lenses and HD materi- al with older Super Speed primes. The director explains, “Film seemed to have an emotional impact on faces that I missed in the digital shots. Digital felt slicker but softer, and film seemed sharper but had a bit more feeling. Using older lenses on the Genesis and the newest Primos on the film camera seemed to even out some of those differences.” Deception concerns Jonathan (Ewan McGregor), an auditor at a large financial firm who meets a lawyer, Wyatt (Hugh Jackman), with connections to a secret sex network for New York’s rich and powerful. “Jonathan ends up having sexual encounters in different hotels throughout the city,” says Spinotti. “Ultimately, the story is about growing up, gaining a sense of maturity. That’s a very important part of what I liked about it.” Shooting anywhere but New York was never a serious consideration. “New York plays an important role in the feel of the film,” Spinotti observes. “When we first meet Jonathan, we see he has a lonely life; he’s successful in his business, but he walks through the city without really connecting with anyone or anything. The original title of the film was The Tourist because that’s what Jonathan is, even though he lives in the city. “New York is the real thing, and the whole idea would have been diminished if we’d shot in Toronto,” he continues. “New York is the quintessential modern city with its huge architecture and enormous dimension. I came to New York [from Italy] many years ago, and it was just awesome to walk out and see some of those streets and buildings. You cannot go somewhere else and pretend you’re there. We were able to shoot in some very interesting office buildings with incredible views that helped make the city itself a protagonist in the story.” In the dark, atmospheric clubs and hotels where Jonathan’s sexual adventures occur, Spinotti was at times able to make use of the available light inside and simply balance to the cityscape outside the winAmerican Cinematographer 57 Photos and frame grabs courtesy of 20th Century Fox.

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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