American Cinematographer - December 2008 - 8

Editor’s Note reparing a monthly magazine is a task that might test Sisyphus himself. Each issue is the boulder we must push up the hill, and some are heftier than others. Fortunately, none have rolled back to flatten us, but we always find a fresh rock waiting at the bottom. While vetting AC’s year-end index every December (see page 101), I marvel at the scope of the projects we’ve covered — and at the fact that our small staff has once again reached the summit with collective sanity intact. This year, we ran the gamut with articles on big-budget and indie features, network- and cable-TV series, commercials, music videos, student films and experimental shorts, all shot in a wide range of formats. All told, we interviewed 141 cinematographers and many of their collaborators — not bad, considering the large and small battles we occasionally had to fight. This final issue of the year was a memorable challenge for reasons I will diplomatically withhold; suffice it to say the magazine you’re holding required a great deal of effort expended at the 11th, 12th and 13th hours. To everyone who helped push this particular stone to its peak, I offer my heartfelt thanks. This issue is filled with enlightening analyses by filmmakers who shouldered daunting loads of their own. Harris Savides, ASC kicks things off with forthright comments about Milk, his fifth collaboration with director Gus Van Sant (“A High Price for Progress,” page 28). After abandoning a plan to shoot in vérité style, the duo forged ahead on creative faith. As Savides confides to Jean Oppenheimer, “We were shooting a movie about the ’70s, so the period itself set a tone, but this was the least ‘designed’ movie I’ve shot for Gus. On one hand, that was liberating; on the other, it really stressed me out.” Another pair of creative compatriots, director Danny Boyle and cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, BSC, DFF, artfully mixed film and digital formats on Slumdog Millionaire, an inspiring drama with a striking visual palette (“Rags to Riches,” page 44). Boyle notes, “Because Anthony and I focus on emerging technology, [every collaboration] feels like an adventure. It’s easy to quality-control something people have been using for years, but you need a great cameraman to quality-control the unknown.” The director of The Punisher: War Zone, Lexi Alexander, expresses similar admiration for cinematographer Steve Gainer, ASC, who helped her create a bold look on a relatively modest budget. “As soon as I agreed to do War Zone, I knew Steve was the perfect guy to turn it into something special,” she tells Iain Stasukevich (“1-Man Riot Squad,” page 62). Indeed, Gainer knows more than most about the inner workings of cinematography after donating years of his time to restore and preserve the ASC’s collection of vintage cameras. We’re also proud to present senior editor Rachael Bosley’s overview of film preservation and restoration in the digital era (“The State of the Art: An Update,” page 74). To follow up on our 2001 special report on preservation, Rachael asked nine Hollywood experts to discuss some of the ways in which new digital technologies are impacting their ongoing efforts to preserve cinema history. P Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

American Cinematographer - December 2008

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