American Cinematographer - November 2010 - 22

Top: Sp3cimen breaks into a routine set in a hospital. Bottom: Part of the detail from a dance featuring the Dark Nurse (Shelby Rabara).

and post schedules, prep for 5 episodes (half a season) is 14 days. “We shoot a nineday stretch with one day off, and during that period we’ll shoot four or five episodes,” says Brooks. “Then we break for a while and come back for another nine days.” A major part of prep involves dance rehearsals, which Brooks observes regularly. “I become intimately familiar with every step the dancers make,” says Brooks. “I study their bodies and how their muscles move. I wander around the room observing the routines to figure out which angle will be best to use.” She shoots the rehearsals on her Flip camera and sends the footage to Franco, her gaffer (Jay Muranaka in seasons two and three, Michael Roy in season one) and her key grip (Rocky Rodriguez) to give them an idea of the feel, size and scope of each number. Most of the dance scenes are shot at 48 fps. “We determined our frame rate and shutter angle based on the specific dance style,” says Brooks. Though many of the dancers’ moves appear physically impossible, they are, in fact, performed without the
22 November 2010

aid of wires or special effects. “The Greater of Two Evils,” one of the most ambitious episodes from season two, introduces viewers to two sets of villains: the Umbras, who wear bowler hats and use umbrellas as weapons, and a group of misfits called Organization X. Both troupes want to destroy the heroes, but they must first battle each other. The episode was shot in a 1920s bank dressed as an art museum. The location provided a giant, open space with a number of pillars that were perfect spots to hide small lights; it also featured second-floor balconies that allowed Brooks to light the battle below. “We wanted to create a film-noir look with lots of shadows, but we had to shoot during the day,” recalls Brooks. “There were huge windows on all sides of the building, and we hung 20-by-20 pieces of black Duvetyn outside all of them, except for one that faced an alley we couldn’t access.” As luck would have it, the inaccessible windows were directly behind the dancers, exactly where the camera would be pointing. Since she was unable to black
American Cinematographer

the windows out, Brooks decided to create enough light inside the building that the windows wouldn’t key the scene. She accomplished this by placing three N inelight Maxi-Brutes gelled with 216 on the camera-left balcony above the dancers, just out of frame. In addition to the backlight, a number of 1Ks and 2Ks were hidden behind pillars; some were dimmed down or gelled with 1⁄4 or 1⁄2 CTO. Smoke was also used in the scene. “The floor was made of old, warm, beautiful marble that bounced light into the dancers’ faces,” recalls Brooks. “Because it was one of the larger locations, we shot from slightly farther away than we did in other episodes, using the 85mm or 50mm lens. “One dancer was in the foreground, and the camera was focused on his face. There was a whole row of dancers receding through to the background. They were dancing the exact same moves as the foreground dancer we were focused on, and it was nice how the focus fell off with each dancer. Charles Oliver, who directed that episode, wanted a very shallow depth of field, and the use of selective focus is something we’ve played with throughout the series. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.” Brooks has worked with most of her crew on The LXD for years. “N ick is frequently my Steadicam operator, and Elliott Schackne is often my first AC. Elliott does an amazing job pulling focus; from take to take on this show, the camera is never in the same place, and neither are the dancers! The key grip, Rocky Rodriguez, and the gaffer, Jay Muranaka, are incredibly collaborative, which makes my work so much easier. “The LXD has been a very intense experience, because the dancers have an incredible amount of energy, and I’ve never seen a crew work so hard. Everyone loves being there. When I get to the set in the morning, the energy just blows me away.”

TECHNICAL SPECS
16x9 and 2:1 Digital Capture Red One Zeiss lenses

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American Cinematographer - November, 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November, 2010