American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I1

June 2013
THE SPECTACULAR NOW
JESS HALL IS LIVING IN
When he read the script for his latest project, The
Spectacular Now, Jess Hall, BSC felt an instant connection with
the material. “The story had a kind of resonance,” he says. “It
reminded me of situations that I’ve been in throughout my
real life. I thought it stood out. It’s quite rare that you read
something that really touches you in that way.”
Hall’s background includes fi ne
art still photography as well as
eye-catching music videos and
commercials, along with the feature
fi lms Hot Fuzz, Brideshead Revisited,
Creation, The Switch, and 30 Minutes
or Less. He studied fi lm at Central
Saint Martins University for the Arts
and Design in London.
When Hall joined The Spectacular
Now, director James Ponsoldt was
already scouting locations in his
hometown of Athens, Georgia, a
setting that would play a key role and
fl avor every subsequent decision.
One of the fi rst things he said to Hall:
“This is a 35mm anamorphic fi lm.
That’s how I want to shoot it, and
that’s what I told the producers. I feel
very passionately about this.”
Ponsoldt chose the widescreen
format despite working with a trim
$2.5 million budget.
“James wanted to make
something with scope.
That’s how he had seen
the film the first time
he’d read it.”
“I was impressed by his conviction,” says Hall. “I’d shot
Son of Rambow, a small-budget feature in 35mm anamorphic,
and James loved that fi lm, so I wasn’t put off by the idea.
James wanted to make something with scope. That’s how he
had seen the fi lm the fi rst time he’d read it. And he had very
strong feelings about fi lm, and the way skin is captured and
represented on screen.”
In The Spectacular Now, a high
school senior who lives only for the
present meets a different kind of girl.
It’s a tender tale of human beings
fi nding their identities in the world,
so faces were important.
“In Son of Rambow, we were also
working with young actors, and
we had to shoot with very minimal
coverage,” Hall recalls. “So we
did a lot of developing shots —
start in a wide shot, develop into
a two-shot and possibly end in a
close-up. That was how we got the
best performances from the kids.
It’s a technique we adapted for The
Spectacular Now. James wanted
to see the relationships and the
scenes evolve on screen in real
time, in a way.”
Hall was very involved in
choreographing and blocking

American Cinematographer - June 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - June 2013

American Cinematographer - June 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: “The Volt Plasma Challenge”
Production Slate: Frances Ha • Spring Breakers
Boldly Captured
Living Large
A Killer with 2 Faces
Utopian Dreams
Filmmakers’ Forum: Edgar Burcksen, ACE
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
ASC Membership Roster
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Shelly Johnson
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - American Cinematographer - June 2013
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Contents
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 2
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 3
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 4
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 5
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 6
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 7
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 8
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 9
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 11
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 13
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Short Takes: “The Volt Plasma Challenge”
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 15
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 16
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 17
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 18
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 19
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Production Slate: Frances Ha • Spring Breakers
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 21
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 22
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 23
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 24
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 25
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 26
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 27
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 28
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 29
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 30
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 31
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 32
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 33
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Boldly Captured
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 35
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 36
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 37
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 38
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 39
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 40
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 41
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 42
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 43
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 44
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 45
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 46
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 47
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Living Large
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 49
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 50
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 51
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 52
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 53
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 54
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 55
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 56
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 57
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 58
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 59
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - A Killer with 2 Faces
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 61
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 62
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 63
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 64
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I1
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I2
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I3
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I4
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I5
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I6
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I7
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I8
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I9
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I10
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I11
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - I12
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 65
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 66
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 67
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Utopian Dreams
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 69
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 70
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 71
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 72
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 73
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 74
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 75
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 76
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 77
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 78
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 79
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 80
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 81
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Edgar Burcksen, ACE
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 83
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 84
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 85
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 87
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 88
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 89
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 90
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 91
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 92
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 93
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 94
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 95
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 96
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 97
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 98
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 99
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 103
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - ASC Membership Roster
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 105
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - 107
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - ASC Close-Up: Shelly Johnson
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - June 2013 - Cover4
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