American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 20

house turns out.
"Think of your operator like the
contractor," Stumpf concludes. "If you
have specific ideas, let us know! We're
here to execute those ideas for you. And if
you aren't sure what the shot should be or
DIY
Temporary Wallpaper
White walls are the bane of cinematographers everywhere. They're ubiquitous in practical locations the world over, and
they are the worst backdrop imaginable for
creating any photographic depth in an
image.
When shooting in a practical location,
it's often not possible to paint the walls, and
for a low-budget production, even erecting a
façade over an existing wall in order to
darken its color or add texture can be costprohibitive. A budget-conscious alternative is
to wallpaper the room - temporarily, that is.
Wallpaper isn't as trendy as paint
these days, but if you plan ahead, you can
find a paper that will work for your needs

20

November 2017

Minority Report, and quickly moved into
visual effects after that. Now based out of
New York, Russell's effects résumé includes
Sleep Dealer (AC April '08), Synecdoche,
New York, The Adjustment Bureau (AC
March '11), Tower Heist, Europa Report,
The Wolf of Wall Street (AC Dec. '13), A
Most Violent Year (AC Feb. '15) and The
Promise (AC May '17).
Echoing Stumpf's thoughts on how
to begin a collaboration, Russell offers,
"Every job is different, but the first thing I
try to do is get a list of the reference films
that the director and cinematographer
have been thinking about. That really helps
me get my head into the same space as
theirs. It seems so simple, but often these
films and ideas are discussed between the
director and cinematographer and then
never shared with anyone else.
"From there," Russell continues, "I
find it really helpful to sit with the cine-

and order it online. You'll also need a 2" roll
of low-tack blue painter's tape and a 1" roll
of double-sided carpet tape.
Measure out the width of the roll of
wallpaper, and then stripe the wall - from
ceiling to floor - with the 2" roll of painter's
tape, with its center positioned to align with
the edge of the wallpaper. Keep striping the
wall with the painter's tape until you've
spanned the area you need to cover with the
wallpaper.
Next, stripe the center of the painter's
tape with the double-stick carpet tape.
Now it's time to place the wallpaper.
Making sure it's perfectly square and straight,
align the wallpaper with the stripes of tape.
Carefully unroll the wallpaper over the
double-stick tape as you peel off the tape's
protective layer. Take your time - this is a

delicate process, and you don't want to end
up with any wrinkles or bubbles in the wallpaper.
Once the first strip of wallpaper has
been secured, repeat with the next section,
continuing until the wall (or room) has been
covered.
Removal should be clean, but don't
pull the blue tape off too quickly, as even
low-tack tape can remove paint or otherwise
damage the wall. Remove it slowly, with
even pressure.
This simple technique can vastly -
and economically - improve a practical location, transforming it from a bland white box
into a set with great photographic depth.
- JH

American Cinematographer

Top photo by Adrian Ratley, courtesy of Mark Russell.

Visual-effects supervisor Mark Russell.

you're open to more collaboration, ask your
operator, 'What do you think?' That's
important because no one person will have
the best answer or the best idea every time.
You can always disagree, but if you have an
experienced operator on your side, there's a
good chance you'll like their ideas - and
together you'll make a great-looking
show."
Among a cinematographer's many
collaborators, it's important to not overlook
those who will help shepherd the image
through postproduction. For example, to
ensure the seamless blend of photography
and digital effects, it's critical to maintain a
clear and open dialogue with the visualeffects supervisor.
Mark Russell is a visual-effects supervisor who's been working in the industry for
two decades. He began his career working
for Bonnie Curtis and Steven Spielberg on
films such as Saving Private Ryan and



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 2017

Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 1
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 2
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Contents
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 4
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 5
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 6
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 7
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 8
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 9
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 10
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 11
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 12
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 13
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 14
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 15
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 16
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 17
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 18
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 19
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 20
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 21
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 22
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 23
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 24
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 25
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 26
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 27
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 28
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 29
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 30
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 31
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 32
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 33
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 34
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 35
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 36
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 37
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 38
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 39
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 40
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 41
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 42
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 43
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 44
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 45
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 46
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 47
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48a
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 48b
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 49
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 50
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 51
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 52
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 53
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 54
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 55
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 56
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 57
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 58
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 59
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 60
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 61
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 62
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 63
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 64
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 65
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 66
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 67
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 68
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 69
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 70
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 71
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 72
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 73
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 74
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 75
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 76
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 77
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 78
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 79
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 80
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 81
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 82
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 83
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 84
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 85
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 86
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 87
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - 88
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - November 2017 - Cover4
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