American Cinematographer - September 2010 - 47

fied that illumination, providing backlight, while more light emanated from the storefronts (supplied by 2Ks or 5Ks on stands). Maxi-Brutes were used to light the side alleys, and Skypans provided a wash on the bluescreen. “It’s not tricky, it’s just big,” Oates says of the boardwalk lighting. “We had a lot of equipment going on.” When AC visited this set, hovering near the actors was a huge “moonbox” designed by Oates and Sherron. Hung from a 135' lift, the 12'x12' softbox contained 6K space lights, all on a dimmer, and provided either keylight (Morgenthau) or fill (Freeman). “The Flyswatter,” a 20'x20' silk positioned on a Condor, was used to control light on sunny days. “It’s basically a moving cloud,” says Morgenthau. All the storefronts were rigged with practicals, and some had extra features. The Ritz lobby and adjacent dress shop, where Thompson’s girlfriend works, have skylights, which were common to the luxe architecture of the day. They were actually dimmable light boxes that could be switched from daylight to incandescent light; they held 1,200-watt Pars for day and Blondes for night. “A lot of thought went into those skylights!” says Dryburgh. The full splendor of the boardwalk is captured in wide shots, which the filmmakers didn’t hesitate to use. “A big, beautiful crane shot brings Nucky and Jimmy out of the Ritz and through the complete madness of the night before Prohibition,” notes Dryburgh. “There’s all kinds of mayhem going on, and we follow them with this big Technocrane shot that reveals this whole world, then brings them to the entrance of Babette’s Supper Club. It’s very nice.” Entire scenes were sometimes played quite wide. “That’s something Kramer and I picked up from the pilot,” notes Freeman. “We weren’t afraid to let things play in two-shots.” As for crane shots, says Morgenthau, “we did a shorthand version, because we had a lot fewer days than they had on the pilot!” In the pilot, “the camera moves

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American Cinematographer - September 2010

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