American Cinematographer - November 2007 - (Page 32)

Above: Landon (Rissa Walters) searches for clues. Middle: Kuepper (left) checks the light ratio between Walters and the dappled background. Below: Kuepper drafts a Condor into service for better camera positioning. could underexpose the actors.” Though Kuepper came to the project with no particular love of video, his desire to distinguish Sarah Landon from other features led him to the HDV format. “I didn’t want to make another 35mm film that would get lost in the mix,” he says. “I wanted to do something innovative and new.” To that end, he utilized Redrock Microsystems’ M2 cinema lens adapter to achieve a traditional cinematic look with a Panasonic HVX200 camera. The M2 enables filmmakers to adapt 35mm still-photography and motion-picture lenses to DV and HD cameras. Kuepper chose the HVX200 because he felt it had the strongest “negative” of the cameras he considered. “Due to its codec, it was the most lossless. It had a crushy feel to it, like film.” By adding the Redrock adapter and a set of Nikon Nikkor lenses, Kuepper was able to maintain a limited depth of field and a high-enough image quality for the 35mm filmout. (He shot at 720p in the camera’s native 16x9 aspect ratio.) “I really love the Nikkors,” he says. “They have a warm feel, and they’re sharp and hold good focus to the edges. I needed really fast lenses because the Redrock adapter steals some light, and I needed all the light I could get so I could adjust the depth of field if needed. I managed to get a T1.2 and some T1.4s, which helped a great deal.” Manipulating depth of field was a key component of Kuepper’s approach, both as a way of creating a claustrophobic atmosphere and in terms of conveying the characters’ emotions. The filmmakers used long lenses and shallow focus to isolate the characters, raising the tension at key moments. “The 85mm was our favorite lens,” recalls the cinematographer. “It made everything look beautiful, crushing the field just enough to create nice portrait views of the characters.” He added a Polarizer to bring out the clouds in exteriors, and occasionally used a graduated ND filter to knock down overexposed areas. “I even slipped one in sideways once, and it saved us from using a bunch of silk!” Despite Kuepper’s affection for 32 November 2007

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 2007

American Cinematographer - November 2007 Contents Editor’s Note Global Village DVD Playback Production Slate Deconstructing Bob Dylan Honoring a Lost Friend Night Terrors Losing Control TV’s Top-Rated Short Takes Post Focus New Products & Services Points East International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up

American Cinematographer - November 2007

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