American Cinematographer - July 2008 - (Page 43)

flare enough. In the fighting that takes place there, we wanted a sense of disorientation and a certain brutality. We found a type of security light, and the art department made a little cage for it so it would look like a light you’d see on a construction site. There were dozens of temporary support posts in there, and we could clip our lights to them quickly and easily, depending on the shot. Sometimes we’d augment with a 1K Par or a 650-watt bulb off-camera.” The iconic Battersea Power Station was the setting for several scenes, including a giant explosion. Again, the vastness of the building meant that lighting the entire expanse was impossible, and 20Ks and ¼ Wendy lights were scattered about strategically to indicate the structure’s outlines and lend some depth. “We planned a really massive fireball, and Wally didn’t want to overexpose and lose the detail of the explosion,” says Evans. “So instead of shooting wide open or near, we were going to shoot with a T4.5 or T5.6. That meant instead of one full Wendy on a cherry-picker, we needed much more. “Also, because the scene is in Imax, you see so much area,” he continues. “We had to have a lot of light, and we needed to get it up to where the shadows would be at the proper angle. We ended up rigging four Wendy lights together and hoisting them 180 feet with a construction crane. A full Wendy is 192 650-watt medium-angle bulbs — it’s the same size bulb used in a Above: The Joker’s big-rig truck is upended in a spectacular stunt staged on LaSalle Street in Chicago. The truck was driven by veteran stuntman Jim Wilkey, who triggered an explosive that shot a large steel post into the ground, causing the truck to flip end-over-end. No visual effects were used in the shot other than removal of the steel post, which was visible during the flip. The stunt was photographed with three Imax cameras and two 35mm cameras. “The height of the flip and unusually large Imax frame made it a challenge to hide the lighting from the five camera positions,” says Pfister. “Lights were just outside of the frameline on most of the shots.” Middle: Emerging unscathed from the wreckage, the Joker opens fire. Bottom: A finished frame from the film. American Cinematographer 43

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

American Cinematographer - July 2008 Contents Editor's Note Global Village: Torn from the Flag Short Takes: On a Tuesday Production Slate: Before the Rains WALL-E Batman Looms Larger A Not-So-Super Hero Spy vs. Spy Laugh Factory Post Focus: CineSynce Streamlines Dark Knight Effects New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index In Memoriam: Burton "Bud" Stone, Honorary ASC Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Bill Taylor

American Cinematographer - July 2008

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