American Cinematographer - November 2008 - (Page 70)

Habitat for Inhumanity digital has the range of film — but that’s only an issue when you get into the highlights. It hasn’t proven to be a problem.” Geddes has found that the Mysterium sensor works best when rated at the equivalent of 320 ASA. “That keeps us out of the noise factor,” he says. “I shoot at a lower ASA for greenscreen because it gives us a better color key for post. With the Cooke S4s, I can shoot at a T2 if I need to. It’s almost as fast as film. When I shoot greenscreen with Kodak [Vision2 500T] 5218, I usually rate it at 400, so this isn’t too different.” During preproduction, Geddes shot a number of filter tests with Tiffen Black and White ProMists, circle diffusion and the like. However, during production, he quickly opted to shoot clean. “When we started shooting, the first time we dumped in a filter, it didn’t look like it did in the test,” he recalls. “Instead of taking a chance, we pulled it out, opting to add filter effects in post.” Red Ones aren’t abundant, but Sanctuary managed to procure three. Due to the high setup count, Geddes tries to shoot with two cameras as often as possible. “We’ll stagger focal lengths and do crossshooting. I love shooting 90 degrees off axis. The off-axis camera is often a little more interesting visually.” The third One stays in Steadicam mode. To stand in the middle of an empty green stage and imagine what a virtual set will eventually look like is difficult. Though he sometimes gets a rendering from the production designer, Geddes usually just has to imagine it, and his lighting follows suit. “It’s always an advantage for the cast and the post team to give them as much interactive lighting as you can,” he says. “It’s helpful to the cast to make them feel like they’re standing in the catacombs under Rome. We always try For a scene atop the Sanctuary, a small set piece was constructed for Dunne and Tapping to interact with. Visual-effects supervisor Lee Wilson’s original plan for the scene’s effects went out the window during post: “When the director and editor cut it together, they decided they wanted to move in from farther away, so they scaled it all down,” says Wilson. “It became a different lens and not necessarily a lens that tracking software could figure out easily. It worked quite nicely, but next time I’ll suggest we move the camera 30 feet back!” Anthem’s render farm.) So far, gambling on Red technology has paid off. “On this show, it’s making a huge difference,” Geddes says. “We’re getting image quality with the One that we couldn’t have gotten with any other system. In Lee’s workflow, he has the most and best information that exists in today’s production world.” Time is one luxury the crew of Sanctuary doesn’t have. An eight-day shoot is the norm for television, but “we’re actually shooting seven-day episodes,” Geddes notes. “We average 30 setups a day. On one episode, ‘Edward,’ I think we averaged 50 setups a day — brutal!” Accordingly, the cinematographer doesn’t take much time to set his looks while shooting. “Red Technology is different because it’s the RAW format,” he explains. “I can do a basic ‘one-light’ in the camera, adjusting contrast and saturation. Our data tech, Richard Win, can also make minimal adjustments to the one-light image that comes from the Red [via RedAlert], but we do our major color correction in 4K at Anthem Visual Effects. Sanctuary is an inhouse production, which allows me to be involved in post even with our demanding schedule. “I treat the One as I would any other camera,” continues Geddes. “I use Cooke S4 lenses, and they react to light the same way on the One as they have for me in the past with film cameras. To me, it’s always the glass first and the acquisition format later. One thing I have found is the One’s sensor doesn’t have the range of film — nothing 70 November 2008

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

American Cinematographer - November 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Letters Short Takes Production Slate Forging a Bond The Making of a President Thunder Down Under Habitat for Inhumanity Saluting Television’s Top Talents Post Focus New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up

American Cinematographer - November 2008

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