American Cinematographer - June 2008 - (Page 18)

Right: Temudgin’s soldiers take aim at their enemies. Below left: In search of the best shot, Russian cinematographer Sergey Trofimov, RGC gets in the thick of things. Below right: Trofimov prepares to film a quiet moment between Temudgin and his wife (Khulan Chuluun). when we were filming the final battle. We had only two days to get the shots, and it rained the first night, so the terrain was very slippery. It was dangerous for the jeep and the horses.” (Although a major thunderstorm is a key component in the final battle, the filmmakers had planned to create it in post.) Most of the warriors and horses that appear in wider shots are CGI. Trofimov explains, “The second unit would get close-ups of two warriors fighting each other and then, in post, we added additional horses and riders in the foreground and background.” Although Trofimov does not like to alter the camera’s shutter speed, he did so for some moments in the battle sequences. “We used a 45-degree shutter at times, but I think it’s far better to shoot high-speed and do speed ramps in editing instead. I filmed as much as I could at 100 fps and 150 fps and let [the editors] decide which worked best.” The cinematographer used ND filters to help control depth of field. In the film, vistas of staggering beauty — whether forests, mountains or barren steppes — seem to stretch forever, but when asked about the use of deep focus, Trofimov replies, “I always pay attention to that; I try to find the optimal depth of field for every shot. In this film, it was important to feel the scale of the landscape.” Stylistically, Mongol alternates between static scenes containing very subtle moves and majestic action sequences that feature long lenses and a handheld camera. Steadicam was used sparingly. Trofimov points to the scene of Temudgin running through the Merkit camp, searching for Borte. “We used Steadicam to film him running through the camp, but all of his POV shots were done handheld.” Trofimov believes that all camera moves should be motivated, but he acknowledges that Mongol’s opening shot is an exception to this rule. “That shot was intended to tell the audience, ‘This is a big movie!’” he says. It opens on a butcher cutting a slab of meat. The 18 June 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - June 2008

American Cinematographer - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Short Takes: "100 Days, " Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings Production Slate: Mongol Production Slate: Greensburg Vintage Indy A Prince in Peril Women's World 90 Years of Precision Post Focus: A 3-D Imax Work Flow for Wild Ocean Post Focus: 3cP Incorporates ASC CDL on State of Play Filmmakers' Forum: John Baily, ASC New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index ASC Membership Roster In Memoriam: Gayne Rescher, ASC Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Rob McLachlan

American Cinematographer - June 2008

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