American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 49
Unit photography by Jasin Boland, SMPSP, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
natural challenge quite like Everest.
Kormákur knew he needed someone
who was wholly up to the task to help
him bring this epic and harrowing story
to the screen. "I needed somebody who
had a worldly quality in both their
persona and their work," the director
says. "Obviously, I wanted a great cinematographer, but I also needed someone
who had dealt with movies of a certain
size and logistical challenge, as well as
someone who was physically and
emotionally equipped to go up and
work in these extreme elements - like
shooting in minus 30 degrees Celsius
[minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit] on actual
mountain cliffs at very high altitude. If
your body isn't physically prepared for
those kinds of conditions, it doesn't
matter what your passion is; you're not
going to make it."
After meeting with several candidates, Kormákur sat down with
Salvatore Totino, ASC, AIC, and the
two quickly hit it off. Totino embodied
all that the director was looking for in
talent, physical ability and drive. "Sal
and I went up to Everest twice during
prep - once as high as 24,000 feet in a
helicopter to get us as close as possible,"
recalls Kormákur. "It's very dangerous to
do that. People spend months acclimatizing their bodies for that kind of altitude. I asked the pilot if we could go
higher and he said, 'No.' He showed me
Opposite: In May 1996, Rob Hall led an expedition to the summit of the world's tallest mountain when a
fierce snowstorm hit. The tragic events are dramatized in the feature Everest. This page, top: At base
camp, Hall (Jason Clarke) makes a call to his wife. Bottom: Cinematographer Salvatore Totino, ASC, AIC
readies the cameras for a base-camp scene.
that he was trying to gain altitude, but
the helicopter wasn't going any higher
because the air was so thin that it
couldn't create the downward pressure
to go up anymore! We went up with
oxygen masks and almost got closed in
by a big cloud. If we had gotten stuck up
there, it would have been a lethal situation. The weather changes so quickly at
that altitude that weather reports don't
really work; it just happens so fast. It's a
very, very dangerous place!"
www.theasc.com
"Baltasar really wanted to make
this film feel real," Totino confirms. "A
lot of it was done real-world. We shot in
Nepal - Kathmandu, Khumbu Valley,
over one of the bridges, and up to the
[Everest Memorial] at 15,000 feet,
[which honors] the climbers that have
died on the mountain."
The real-life 1996 team took the
traditional climb up Everest, from the
Nepal side of the mountain. Base camp
for this route is set up on the southeast
October 2015
49
http://www.theasc.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - October 2015
Contents
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Intro
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 1
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 2
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Contents
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 4
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 5
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 6
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 7
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 8
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 9
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 10
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 11
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 12
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 13
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 14
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 15
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 16
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 17
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 18
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 19
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 20
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 21
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 22
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 23
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 24
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 25
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 26
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 27
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 28
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 29
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 30
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 31
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 32
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 33
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 34
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 35
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 36
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 37
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 38
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 39
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 40
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 41
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 42
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 43
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 44
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 45
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 46
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 47
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 48
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 49
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 50
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 50a
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 50b
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 51
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 52
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 53
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 54
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 55
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 56
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 57
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 58
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 59
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 60
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 61
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 62
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 63
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 64
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 65
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 66
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 67
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 68
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 69
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 70
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 71
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 72
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 73
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 74
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 75
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 76
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 77
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 78
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 79
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 80
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 81
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 82
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 83
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 84
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 85
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 86
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 87
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 88
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 89
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 90
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 91
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 92
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 93
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 94
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 95
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - 96
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - October 2015 - Cover4
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