American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 92

*|*

Camera-Department POV

D

uring camera prep, we got the
camera department's truck situated
enough for Dustin Keller, the loader, to
start streaming content from preinstalled Rokus to two TV screens that
were mounted on the truck's interior
walls. We had also promoted ourselves
from sitting hunched over on vertical
Pelican cases to leaning back in
individually sourced fold-out camping
chairs, a much better vantage point for
the streamed entertainment.
Henry Tirl, the A-camera and
Steadicam operator, had recently
finished hauling an Imax MSM 9802
across the beaches of France for
Dunkirk (AC Aug. '17). Video assist
Dan Furst and the Teamsters came in
right off of their work on the Marvel hit
Logan. And we all assumed 1st AD
Scott Robertson - nicknamed "The
Rev" after surviving The Revenant (AC
Jan. '16) - must now be on a perpetual
prowl for more relaxed work.
Indeed, there was a sense that
many on this crew had come to Our
Souls at Night - a Netflix original
feature directed by Ritesh Batra
- looking for something more
intimate and idyllic, and smaller in
scale, than their recent projects. With its
primary location being a bedroom
interior and a cast that rarely exceeded
two, Our Souls at Night promised to be
just that.
Yet, at the same time, it was being
touted by the local papers as the
biggest film to shoot in Colorado since
The Hateful Eight. The production
encompassed 38 days of principal
photography over eight weeks, and
would receive half of the state's annual
incentives budget. It attracted daily
throngs of onlooking locals, who would
line up in their camping chairs. Some
stayed the whole 12 hours, some yelled
for Robert Redford's attention when he
arrived on set, and a good many of them
found their enthusiasm reciprocated by
Redford's co-star Jane Fonda, who liked
to entertain and sign autographs.

92

December 2017

A Chapman/Leonard 32' Hydrascope is
angled into position for a scene in the
Brown Palace Hotel.

For locals on the crew, like
myself, this production was a rare
opportunity, and for the out-of-towners
a modest respite. For director of
photography Stephen Goldblatt, ASC,
BSC, the production represented a
measured decision. Known for being
particular about his job selections,
Stephen brought a deliberate zeitgeist
to the project. No one was spared his
sharp wit and wisecracks - not Ritesh,
and definitely not the camera, grip or
electrical departments.
Stephen brought a relentless
forward-moving energy, and he wasn't
afraid to present his opinions to Ritesh.
I can recall many an instance when our
director called for cast and crew to
move on from a scene, only for Stephen
to belay that order with a squawk from
the DIT tent. These differences of
opinion were never met with
resentment, and even began to assume a
playful pattern. Smiling, Ritesh would
poke his head into the DIT tent to ask
what Stephen wanted this time.
With Netflix's hard-and-fast 4K
mandate, two Panavised Sony CineAlta
PMW-F55s were selected as our A and
B cameras. As the production's camera
American Cinematographer

*|*

PA, I was often situated near digitalimaging technician Abby Levine, who
requested that he be hardwired to the
cameras and made exceptions only in
the face of true impossibility. A Tiffen
¼ Black Satin was always at the ready,
and our workhorse lens was the 17.575mm (T2.3) 4:1 Primo Zoom.
Given the movie's storyline, it
made sense that Stephen wanted these
stars to look their best. The Black Satin
filter helped to smooth the actors' skin,
give a glow to highlights, and strip
some contrast for the unassuming look
he was going for. But I was always
surprised by his open-ended approach
to acquiring that look. A film's language
can be defined by deliberate limitations,
e.g. only shooting at a particular focal
length or aperture, or only moving the
camera in specific instances. With
Stephen, though, every tool was always
on the table.
He would stop down if we
needed more information, and open up
if we needed less. It was a scene-byscene, shot-by-shot assessment that
was beholden to no precious rule. There
are static frames, subtle moves, and a
single elaborate crane shot that was
executed in the Brown Palace Hotel in
downtown Denver with a 32'
Hydrascope from Chapman/Leonard.
Stephen's approach to lighting was no
less expansive. Redford and Fonda had
to look attractive, yes, but that didn't
scare him away from practicals or
harder light sources, and he boldly
embraced the darkness of the film's
many night scenes while still managing
to keep the action visible.
Watching the finished film a year
later brings back the feelings of being
on set during the production: calm,
concentrated, mild. After wrap, the
crew dispersed, and the tiny towns of
Colorado, having lost the light that
beamed down on them from condors,
felt a little smaller once again.
- Aaron Hunt



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

Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Intro
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 1
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 2
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 3
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 4
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 6
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 7
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 8
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 9
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 10
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 11
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 12
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 13
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 14
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 15
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 16
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 17
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 18
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 19
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 20
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 21
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 22
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 23
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 24
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 25
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 26
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 27
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 28
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 29
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 30
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 31
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 32
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 33
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 34
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 35
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 36
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 37
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 38
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 39
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 40
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 41
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 42
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 43
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 44
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 45
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 46
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 47
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 48
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 49
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 50
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 51
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 52
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 53
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 54
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 55
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 56
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 57
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 58
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 59
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 60
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 61
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 62
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 63
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 64
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 65
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 66
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 67
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 68
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 69
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 70
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 71
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 72
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 73
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 74
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 75
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 76
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 77
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 78
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 79
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 80
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 81
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 82
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 83
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 84
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 85
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 86
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 87
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 88
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 89
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 90
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 91
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 92
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 93
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 94
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 95
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 96
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 97
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 98
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 99
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 100
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 101
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 102
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 103
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 104
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 105
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 106
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 107
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 108
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 109
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 110
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 111
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 112
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 113
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 114
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 115
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 116
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 117
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 118
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 119
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 120
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 121
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 122
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 123
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 124
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 125
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 126
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 127
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - 128
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - December 2017 - Cover4
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