American Cinematographer - December 2010 - 53

were very difficult because the camera was only about 200 ASA. For 127 Hours, we changed our whole setup to record uncompressed instead of using the Cineform compression. We recorded 12-bit raw data and gained about half a stop, which isn’t a lot, but it helped. We also had the software customized to allow us to shoot with a 360-degree shutter when we needed a bigger exposure range. That gave us another stop.” Each unit carried several SI-2K Minis, covering two slightly different handheld gyrostabilized configurations. The first configuration, used when space allowed, incorporated a PLmount and was used with Zeiss Ultra Primes at the wide end and lighter Cooke Speed Panchros at longer focal lengths. The second configuration, designed for the tightest shooting conditions, utilized a C-mount that accepted very small Schneider Kreuznach and Fujinon lenses, allowing the cinematographers to position the front element within 1½"of Franco’s face. This was especially helpful for scenes that took place under a rope bag that Ralston covered himself with to

keep warm. “There’s an extraordinary intimacy to these smaller cameras,” notes Dod Mantle. “We could get right inside that rope bag with James, close enough to see the dirt on his fingers. It’s very hard to do anything like that with normal gear. “I always shot with the Mini either on gyros or on a bungee-cord rig, as I’ve learned on many different projects that the camera’s innate vibration is always noticeable on the big screen when you shoot handheld without them,” he adds. Film cameras were never used inside the canyon sets, though both units carried a Moviecam Compact MKII (from Clairmont Camera) as backup and took advantage of the resolution and sensitivity of 35mm film for landscapes and plate shots. Further adding to the eclectic mix of camera systems, Dod Mantle and Chediak both carried a selection of Canon DSLRs. “Canon and I help each other develop technology,” notes Dod Mantle, “but I don’t choose lots of cameras for the sake of having an orgy of formats. The physical restrictions of this shoot meant we had to find methods of image capture
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that would help us explore the space at hand.” The Canon cameras, a mix of EOS-1D Mark IV, 5D and 7D models, were often used in a burst mode, capturing high-resolution still images at a rate of around 11 fps. Chediak explains, “We used them for specific moments, such as the moment when Aron carves his name on the rock where he’s trapped, and they formed part of the language of the movie. We also used them to shoot a big sequence where we follow all the routes he took to get into the canyon.” For Boyle, the mix of cameras made perfect sense. “I think that language is really appropriate to a world where just about everybody is carrying around cameras and phones that shoot video,” he observes. “It’s also a language that has developed through YouTube. Rather than being locked into the liquid beauty and smoothness of celluloid, people are prepared to see an image fractured by a mix of formats. I love that, because it’s very dynamic to work with.” Chediak had never shot a digital feature, so he spent the first three weeks
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American Cinematographer - December 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 2010