American Cinematographer - December 2008 - (Page 45)

the show, and the brutal police interrogation that follows his surprise success, are intercut with scenes from his youth; each question from the show’s host and the police prompts a flashback that explains each answer. As Jamal’s story unfolds, the movie travels to the slums of Mumbai, where we meet Jamal and his brother, Salim, as little boys; through Agra and the Taj Mahal, where they live as teenagers; and back to bustling Mumbai, where they find themselves as young men. Dod Mantle and Boyle had collaborated four times before, on the features Millions (2004) and 28 Days Later (AC July ’03) and on two short films for the BBC. Just prior to Slumdog Millionaire, they worked on separate projects; Dod Mantle shot the Idi Amin drama The Last King of Scotland (2006), and Boyle directed the science-fiction film Sunshine (AC Aug. ’07). “Sunshine was a very designed piece of work, and coming off that, Danny wanted to get out there and run around a bit, do something different,” recalls Dod Mantle. “He sent me the Slumdog script, and I loved it.” Boyle was convinced it was vital to throw viewers into India in order to convey what it’s really like to be there. “I didn’t think there was a way of approaching it other than a visceral insider job,” he says. In his earliest conversations with Dod Mantle, the focus was on movement and vitality. “As always with Danny, it was about energy,” says Dod Mantle. “The slum sequences were the first thing he had very clear in his mind, and he wanted energy and speed — he wanted to put a few extra gears in the car [that was] City of God!” Many of the boyhood sequences, including an extensive foot chase, were shot in the cramped, twisting alleys of real Mumbai slums. After shooting film tests in one slum, Dharavi, Boyle came away convinced film “felt really wrong” for this material. He and Dod Mantle had used MiniDV to famous effect on 28 Days Later, and they began exploring digital options for Slumdog. Dod Mantle knew MiniDV was out of the question because working on location in India would not give him the level of control he’d had on 28 Days Later, for which he was able to create elaborate lighting setups. “When we went out and looked at the slums, I knew I couldn’t light them,” he says. “I also knew the incredible contrast there would destroy the chip of any conventional consumer digital camera.” In addition to needing a digital camera with enough latitude to hold highlights, he wanted something very small so he could enter the children’s world at their level. “I hate looking down on kids,” he says. He found the right combination in the SI-2K Mini, whose imaging block, which houses its 2⁄3" CMOS image sensor and lens mount, can be separated from the rest of the camera. By separating it, Dod Mantle could hold and operate the unit with one hand. At the time, the Photos courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures and the filmmakers. Opposite: Jamal (Dev Patel) surveys an area of Mumbai that was formerly the slum where he and his brother spent much of their childhood. This page, top: Jamal competes on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in an effort to attract the attention of a long-lost love. Left: Following his surprise success on the show, Jamal is interrogated by a police inspector (Irrfan Khan). American Cinematographer 45

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

American Cinematographer - December 2008 Contents Editor’s Note Short Takes: True Blood Titles Tomorrow’s Technology Production Slate: Closer to Truth A High Price for Progress Rags to Riches 1-Man Riot Squad The State of the Art: An Update Post Focus: Deluxe New York New Products & Services International Marketplace Classified Ads Ad Index 2008 AC Index ASC Membership Roster Clubhouse News ASC Close-Up: Donald McAlpine

American Cinematographer - December 2008

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