American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 66

Brothers in Arms Right: Forced to abandon the camp, the partisans emerge from the forest only to stumble into a Nazi ambush. For the film’s climactic battle, Serra discarded his large silks in favor of sunny sidelight and backlight. Below: The crew angles in on a German tank. eyes” — eyelights that result in what he jokingly calls “the werewolf effect.” He has a similar aversion to backlight “halos.” He notes, “They were appropriate in black-andwhite films to separate people from the background, but nowadays, why make everyone a saint?” Musing that a single soft source “is closer to life,” he hastens to add that soft lighting “does not mean flat lighting. My lighting is usually very soft but very contrasty.” Serra emphasizes that in addi- tion to contrast, the placement of the source creates the mood of the shot. “The height of the light is important also, but it’s especially the angle that changes everything. A soft light in front of the character doesn’t mean the same thing as a soft light from behind. The general mood will bring meaning. If you have a frontlight, a sidelight and a backlight, there is no room left for meaning. It’s mostly a question of the triangle between the lens, the light and the eyes of the actor. A soft light behind camera doesn’t seem like much, but move it away from the camera, and already you’ve changed the mood. If you move a 4-by frame by 2 or 3 meters, it’s not the same mood at all. That’s the sort of thing I’m interested in modulating.” In the forest exteriors of Defiance, he usually placed the big bounced source close to camera or slightly to the side to provide a fill that brought out the actors’ eyes. For Defiance’s climactic daytime battle, which took a full week to 66 January 2009

American Cinematographer - January 2009

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 2009

American Cinematographer - January 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note
Short Takes: Triangle of Need
Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler
Close Focus
An Old Soul
Brothers in Arms
A Cut Above
Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - American Cinematographer - January 2009
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 1
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 2
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Contents
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 4
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 5
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 6
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 7
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 9
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Short Takes: Triangle of Need
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 11
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 12
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 13
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 14
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 15
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Production Slate: Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 17
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 18
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 19
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 20
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 21
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 22
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 23
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 24
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 25
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 26
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 27
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Close Focus
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 29
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 30
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 31
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 32
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 33
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 34
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 35
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 36
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 37
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 38
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 39
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 40
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 41
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - An Old Soul
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 43
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 44
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 45
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 46
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 47
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 48
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 49
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 50
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American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 53
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 54
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 55
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 56
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 57
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Brothers in Arms
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 59
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 60
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 61
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 62
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 63
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 64
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 65
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 66
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 67
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 68
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 69
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - A Cut Above
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 71
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 72
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 73
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 74
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 75
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 76
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 77
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 78
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 79
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Post Focus: HPA Awards, Still Me
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 81
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 82
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 83
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 85
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 86
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 87
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 91
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - In Memoriam: Robert C. Jessup, ASC
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 93
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - 95
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - ASC Close-Up: Gabriel Beristain
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - January 2009 - Cover4
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