American Cinematographer - May 2014 - 4

The International Journal of Motion Imaging

SEE AND HEAR MORE CINEMATOGRAPHY COVERAGE AT WWW.THEASC.COM

Left: Super-soldier-turned-superhero Steve Rogers,
a.k.a. Captain America (Chris Evans), returns to
action in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Right: Director of photography Trent Opaloch.

In an exclusive podcast, cinematographer Trent
Opaloch will detail his collaboration with directors
Anthony and Joe Russo for the latest chapter in
the Marvel cinematic universe, Captain America:
The Winter Soldier.

Dieter Burzum Horst: "Batman Begins."
John Thiel: "Hellboy, absolutely."
Mike Stephen Charles: "Scott Pilgrim vs. the
World is by far one of the best adaptations of a
graphic novel."
Spencer Whitney: "V for Vendetta is my
choice. (Although not widely considered a
'superhero' movie, it is still based on a comicbook anti-hero.) That film would not have been
the same without the late, great Adrian Biddle,
BSC behind the camera. There is a great deal of
emotion conveyed to the viewer through the use
of creative framing and lens choices as well as
high-speed photography. Constantine (shot by
Philippe Rousselot, ASC, AFC) might be a close
second."
Hampus Lager: "The Dark Knight. Wally Pfister
[ASC] and Christopher Nolan pushed the cinematography for this genre and took it one step
further than Batman Begins."
Matthew A. MacDonald: "I don't know if it
counts as a superhero movie, but Vittorio
Storaro, ASC, AIC's work on Dick Tracy is
absolutely striking."

Michael Leatherwood: "Tim Burton's Batman. Mark Sullivan: "The Richard Donner SuperI was in awe as a kid way back in '89."
man. It made me appreciate the way a movie is
filmed."
Tanmay Toraskar: "The first two X-Men
movies. Splendid camerawork by Newton Stephen Murphy: "Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC's
Thomas Sigel [ASC]. Great use of movement, work on Superman and Dariusz Wolski, ASC's
space, colors and lighting. And also Batman work on The Crow continue to be a source of
Returns, improving on the dark, moody palette inspiration and admiration."
set by [Batman]."
Brian Macaione: "Sin City. I feel like the cineJames Wright: "Unbreakable."
matography fit this film perfectly. To this day it
remains a staple film that I can turn on and simTom Wyler: "The Dark Knight, Dick Tracy, ply enjoy the way it was shot."
Watchmen, Thor."
Ray McDonough: "Every frame of Superman."
Will Getchell: "The Dark Knight Rises. Wally
Pfister seamlessly blended the Imax format with Robert Skates: "Man of Steel has the requisite
the 35mm format, which resulted in a stellar- breathtaking fight and battle scenes, but it also
looking image."
has smaller intimate scenes and beautiful single
shots. It's in these moments that Amir Mokri's
Jonas Fischer: "Watchmen really had great work really shines. There are times when one
style."
shot says more, makes you feel more, than an
entire scene. These iconic images are what set
Luther Alexander: "Ben Davis, BSC's work in Man of Steel apart from other films in the
Kick-Ass was nice, [and] Storaro's color work in genre."
Dick Tracy was very cool."
Surrendar Shanmugam: "The Dark Knight and
Leijo Van Aubel: "The Dark Knight trilogy, and also Captain America."
I have to agree with the people who mentioned
V for Vendetta as well."

Arjun Siva Tabooz: "300!"
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Captain America photo by Zade Rosenthal, SMPSP, courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures.
Opaloch photo by Kimberley French, SMPSP, courtesy of Sony Pictures.

THIS MONTH'S ONLINE QUESTION: Which superhero movies have you most admired for their cinematography?

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American Cinematographer - May 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - May 2014