American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 43
outfitted with Sony HDW-F900/3s shooting in HDCam format, which was the HD standard in 2005, when shooting began. Speedy animals were shot from a boat, and Sony HDC-950s were used in those instances because the camera head could be separated from the camera body; the camera heads were placed in small capsules that were then fitted to custom-designed Polecams or Torpedoes linked to the boat via fiberoptic cable, a technology the filmmakers refined over a year of development. The Polecam consisted of a submerged camera capsule attached to a large triangular support fastened to the side or the prow of the boat. The Polecam could not be used to shoot backwards because the boat’s wake would spoil the shot, so it was used to capture side angles of the creatures right below the surface of the water. For shots from the back of the boat, camera capsules were placed in Torpedoes that were attached to the stern with a long, metal leash; this arrangement allowed for shooting as far as 100 meters away and avoided the boat’s wake. The Panavised Sony cameras were outfitted with Zeiss 6-24mm and 17-112mm DigiZooms. In order to get the proximity requested by the filmmakers, the dominant underwater focal length was about 7mm, which Ros says is equivalent to about 18mm in 35mm. The lenses were often set to the hyperfocal distance. Underwater camera operator René Heuzey recalls, “The directors really did want us to be ‘a fish among the fish.’ The fish could not be shown to be curious of the camera. We also had to avoid seeking out the fish — the image had to float by itself. You couldn’t feel the camera chasing after the animal. Another rule was to always shoot with natural lighting.” Heuzey shot a unique sequence while moving with a large blanket octopus that unfolded an orange cape as it glided above the ocean floor. “I call that ‘the Batman shot,’” he says. “To get the images, I shot for 12 days, spending three or four hours underwater per day.
First, you have to gain the animal’s acceptance so he understands you’re not a predator. You don’t want to startle the blanket octopus, or it will let go of its ink and change color.” Heuzey often swam in the direction of the current, using the flow to help stabilize the image. He notes that he was given a very specific shot list. “For example, the directors asked me to match the blanket octopus to the sails of a sailboat featured in
another shot. That took me a couple of days.” Working with wild animals demanded patience and persistence, and produced many surprises. Heuzey remembers an orca that sought him out after he had returned to his boat. He dove back in, and the orca led him away from the boat and gave him a private show. “When I blew bubbles, he blew bubbles, and when I nodded, he
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American Cinematographer - May 2010
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2010
American Cinematographer - May 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: ASC Heritage Award Winners
Production Slate: The Man Next Door • Academy Sci-Tech Awards
Armor Wars
Wonders of the Sea
Lost and Found Families
Dark Secrets
Deep Visual Roots
Post Focus: Restoring A Star Is Born
Tricks of the Trade
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Fred Elmes
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Intro
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - American Cinematographer - May 2010
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 1
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 2
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Contents
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 4
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 5
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 6
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 7
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 9
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 11
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Short Takes: ASC Heritage Award Winners
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 13
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 14
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 15
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 16
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 17
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Production Slate: The Man Next Door • Academy Sci-Tech Awards
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 19
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 20
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 21
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 22
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 23
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Armor Wars
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 25
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 26
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 27
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 28
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 29
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 30
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 31
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 32
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 33
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 34
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 35
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 36
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 37
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 38
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 39
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Wonders of the Sea
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 41
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 42
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 43
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 44
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 45
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 46
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 47
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 48
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 49
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Lost and Found Families
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 51
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 52
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 53
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 54
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 55
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Dark Secrets
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 57
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 58
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 59
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 60
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 61
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 62
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 63
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 64
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 65
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 66
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 67
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 68
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 69
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 70
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 71
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Post Focus: Restoring A Star Is Born
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 73
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Tricks of the Trade
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 75
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 77
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 78
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 79
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 80
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 81
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 82
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - 83
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - ASC Close-Up: Fred Elmes
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - May 2010 - Cover4
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