American Cinematographer - June 2008 - (Page 8)

Editor’s Note f anyone understands how to make a summer blockbuster, it’s Steven Spielberg, and with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, his 11th collaboration with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, he is out to thrill the popcorn crowd yet again. Indy’s return is a welcome treat for all of us who remember experiencing his first adventure on the big screen. I was 15 at the time, and I vividly recall waiting in a line that stretched around the perimeter of the Liberty Tree Mall Cinema in Danvers, Massachusetts. “This movie is supposed to be wicked good!” someone exclaimed in the emphatic argot of the region. He was wicked right — Raiders hit every high note a teenaged kid could possibly want. The minute that giant boulder started rolling toward Harrison Ford, my only thought was something akin to “This is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life!” In our article on Crystal Skull (“Vintage Indy,” page 28), Kaminski tells AC correspondent Noah Kadner that he and Spielberg sought to honor the original trilogy’s classic visual style: “There’s a legacy and a strong following with these movies that you have to respect, and we began our prep by watching the first three movies together. We were always asking, ‘How can we do this as well as [original cinematographer] Douglas Slocombe [BSC] but make it a bit more contemporary?’” Adventure also abounds in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the sequel to the 2005 fantasy epic The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Director Andrew Adamson wanted to shoot more of the sequel on location after spending significant portions of the first production onstage, and cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, BVK welcomed the decision, as he tells AC correspondent Mark Hope-Jones (“A Prince in Peril,” page 38): “Shooting on location and in real sets is a better way of working, and I hope that will remain the case for a long time. Anyone who has spent many days in front of a greenscreen knows how mentally challenging that can be!” Fantasy with a more contemporary flavor made Sex and the City one of HBO’s signature successes, and fans of the series will finally see Carrie and her friends cavort on the big screen in Sex and the City: The Movie. In his chat with Patricia Thomson (“Women’s World,” page 56), cinematographer John Thomas reveals the strategies he employed to make the stars — and the movie’s expanded settings — look their best. This month’s issue also celebrates a significant anniversary for one of the industry’s key supporters: Arriflex, which recently enjoyed its 90th year of business. To acknowledge this impressive longevity, AC historian Robert S. Birchard has penned a piece (“90 Years of Precision,” page 68) that spotlights Arri’s major accomplishments. To all of our friends at the company, I offer a cheerful “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag” (Happy Birthday)! We are also pleased to include a thoughtful opinion piece by John Bailey, ASC (Filmmakers’ Forum, page 92), that considers various facets of “the digital dilemma” currently confronting filmmakers everywhere. I Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

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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