American Cinematographer - June 2008 - (Page 27)

protective structures blew away in the tornado.” Throughout the shoot, the filmmakers have used Pentax K110D digital SLRs for time-lapse work that will document the rebuilding of the town. “The cameras sit in weatherproof boxes, and one of them is on top of a grain elevator,” says Merians. “We had to use our imagination and a lot of pipes, screws and Cardellini clamps — there was nothing to rig it to! The camera is set on aperture priority and takes a picture every 30 minutes; we change out the memory card once a week and upload all the pictures to a hard drive. Another camera is currently set where an art center is being built, and we can move it around depending on what’s going up. We also shoot video that will be used as time-lapse material; we get shots of Main Street and other key locations every week.” The production also handed out Sony A1U digital-video cameras to local high-school students so they could docu- ment situations on their own and give Greensburg a more personal dimension. “Their footage might be used in the show, but currently, they’re making Webisodes for the Discovery Channel Web site,” says Merians. “Their work is great; they’re really into it, and their ability to tell a story visually is pretty sophisticated. Some of them want to move the camera in a kind of wild, frantic way, but we’ve given them tips — I tell them to hold a shot for a count of 10.” Merians, whose interest in sustainable technology preceded her involvement in Greensburg, has found the rebuilding project inspirational. “There was so much debris and wreckage when we got here,” she recalls. “Since then, the town has made such quick progress. Wind power is being harnessed, and there’s a large business incubator going up on Main Street. Every municipal building will meet the strictest standards for sustainable technology. “I wanted to do this project because the subject really excited me, and I knew it would be a challenge and a great learning experience,” she concludes. “Right now, we don’t know how long we’ll be here to document the rebuild. It will be a long-term process, and I hope Greensburg will never stop growing.” I Merians trains her camera on Greensburg’s city administrator, Steve Hewitt. Samy’s DV & Edit WE ACCEPT MASTERCARD, VISA, AMERICAN EXPRESS & DISCOVER. SCHOOL, UNIVERSITY & CORPORATE P.O.’S WELCOME BEFORE YOU BUY YOUR DIGITAL CINEMA EQUIPMENT, TALK TO US! A Division of Samy’s Camera WE’VE MOVED - NEW ADDRESS! 12636 Beatrice St. Los Angeles, CA 90066 www.samysdv.com (310) 450-4365 FAX (310) 450-3079 Adding Flash Memory Capabilities to the XDCAM Family New! 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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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