American Cinematographer - October 2007 - 24

Above: Diana (Radha Mitchell) is conflicted about her relationship with a married man (Billy Burke). Below: Cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau lines up a shot as director Robert Benton (center) and crewmembers look on. Feast of Love, Morgenthau cites another key influence, the paintings of John Singer Sargent. “The predominant light source in the frame would often miss the actors, keeping them in shadow, which is a much more naturalistic way of lighting and also very expressive,” he says. “That said, the actor’s face was always the most important thing to us, and we made it a focal point using contrast and composition.” When he arrived in Portland, Morgenthau had six weeks for prep, time he dedicated to going through the script with Benton, building his crew, shooting tests, and scouting locations. (Thirty-eight days of the 40-day shoot were spent on practical locations. “On a location-based shoot, much of the production design is a matter of choosing where you’ll shoot and then creating an environment there,” he says, adding that production designer, Missy Stewart, did an excellent job on the show. Adds Benton, “I believe the location is one of the characters; it doesn’t have lines, but it’s in every shot. And that character must inform the narrative. With every picture, if it’s successful, the actors are in a place they’re interacting with.” Morgenthau hired his grip and electric departments locally, working with key grip Bruce Lawson and gaffer Bruce “Sarge” Fleskes. He brought three members of his camera department from Los Angeles: A-camera operator Don Devine, B-camera operator Chris Hayes, and 1st AC Kathina Szeto. “Usually I have a Steadicam on full time, but I chose to shoot this film traditionally,” says the cinematographer. “We ended up using the B camera a lot less than I thought we would. Benton is not a twocamera director; he doesn’t need the kind of extensive coverage some filmmakers require.” (For select shots that required Steadicam work, Geoff Haley was brought up from Los Angeles.) Panavision in Woodland Hills supplied the camera package, which comprised a Panaflex Platinum, a Gold II, and Primo prime and zoom lenses. Morgenthau notes that although the production carried 4:1 and 11:1 zooms, Benton’s directing style lent itself to shooting with primes. “Once we’d set the frame, he didn’t want to change it and immediately punch in to a 200mm,” says the cinematographer. “We only used close-ups when they were called for in terms of emotion.” The only set built by the production was the bedroom where Oscar (Hemingway) and Chloe (Alexa Davalos) consummate their nascent love. To light the room for the night scene, Morgenthau used “a series of 6K space lights going through frames and coming from above. They were all on dimmers so we could bring them up and down, depending on where we were in the room, and keep them off the walls. “There’s nothing like a tungsten filament dimmed down to create a warm color,” he adds. “It has a really nice, undoctored look.” This toplight approach often casts Oscar’s eyes in shadow, subtly accentuating his reservations as he seeks Chloe’s acceptance. When working in practical locations, he continues, “I prefer to light scenes in ways that are, first of all, organic to the space. For instance, when sunlight comes through the windows on a day interior, it doesn’t come in 24 October 2007

American Cinematographer - October 2007

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