American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 28

Clockwise from above: A cluster of Concorde and Jumbo lights create a shaft of illumination for a flashback in a monastery; Parnassus strikes a deal with Mr. Nick (Tom Waits) in a setting inspired by painter Odd Nerdrum; 1st AC Dean Morin (left), Plummer (center) and cinematographer Nicola Pecorini get cozy inside Parnassus’ wagon. Pecorini shot all of the visual-effects sequences on Kodak Vision3 500T 5219. “5219 has certain advantages, such as more information in the undertones, less grain and better blacks, but [Vision2 500T] 5218 has very little grain, too, and I thought it was also a good fit. We shot London at night with 18 because it cost a bit less, and we shot day exteriors on [Vision3] 250D 5207.” The mirror that bridges the Imaginarium and the real world sits in the middle of Parnassus’ portable stage, which folds into the side of his wagon. Production designer Anastasia Masaro built two versions of the wagon, one with the stage open, and the other with it folded up (for scenes in which the wagon actually moves). For performances on the open stage, Gilliam recalls, “Nicola positioned a bunch of lightbulbs around the set. It was crude, but it was great. It needed the sense of a little traveling theater without any sophisticated lighting.” Inside the wagon’s cramped quarters, which serve as the troupe’s home, Pecorini incorporated those same stage 28 January 2010 lights for illumination, generally using 100watt bulbs wired to separate dimmers, although he would often switch to 60- or 40-watt bulbs if they were prominent in the frame. “Very often I would take one of those rows of bulbs out of shot and put it on a magic arm at the height I needed,” he explains. “We also used some covered wagons, which are about 1-foot long and have one or two 60- or 100-watt bulbs on dimmers, and the result is like a small China ball. Those were very easy to position, and we could even clip them to the curtains.” As the wagon carries the troupe away from a performance one dreary night, its riders find Tony (Ledger) hanging from a noose beneath Blackfriars Bridge. “I couldn’t pound too much light there because it would have killed the background, but at the same time, we wanted to see the river,” says Pecorini. “There was no way to bring a crane in, so we went to the roof of a nearby building and set up two DC16s and four DC8s — we rented them from Iride, and they’re like Mini-Brutes, with 16 and eight 1,000-watt Par 64s. Then I made sure the real lights on and under the American Cinematographer bridge were properly working, and I had my guys put spun glass on some of those to make them softer.” Many of London’s day exteriors were filmed at Battersea Power Station, a crumbling, open-air structure where Parnassus’ troupe sets up camp between performances. To help shape London’s overcast skylight, Pecorini “lit from the outside with Jumbo Lights, often through Grid, and other times through 250 or 251,” he says. “I never went higher than ½ CTB in correction. “The DI is so much faster than photochemical timing for evening out a day scene,” continues Pecorini, who did the digital grade at Technicolor London with colorist Paul Ensby. Gilliam has also embraced the DI process, noting, “I love it completely. Shoot on film — it’s still the best medium for gathering the maximum amount of information — and then go straight to digital. I don’t ever want to see film projected again! I love the DI because we can fix all the bits that didn’t quite go as well as we’d liked in the rush of the daily shoot. I don’t want to sit there and change things; I just want to tidy things up a bit.” Pecorini rented his camera package — which included two Arricam Lites and two Arri 435 Xtremes — from Technovision Rome. “I’ve known them for 32 years, so I’m very good friends with them,” he says. “When we got to Vancouver, I spoke with Denny Clairmont, and he has a long history of collaboration with Technovision, so we actually got complete technical support from Clairmont Vancouver while we were in Vancouver with Technovision Rome’s cameras. I thank Denny for that.” ➣

American Cinematographer - January 2010

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

American Cinematographer - January 2010
Contents
President’s Desk
Short Takes: Hyundai Sonata Campaign
Production Slate: The White Ribbon • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Conquering New Worlds
Watchful Spirit
Super Sleuth
The Right Stuff
Editor’s Note
Post Focus: Technicolor Hollywood • HPA Awards
Filmmakers’ Forum: Shane Hurlbut, ASC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Billy Dickson
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - American Cinematographer - January 2010
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 1
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 2
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Contents
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 4
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 5
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 6
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 7
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 8
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 9
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 11
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Short Takes: Hyundai Sonata Campaign
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 13
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 14
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 15
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 16
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 17
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Production Slate: The White Ribbon • The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 19
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 20
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 21
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 22
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 23
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 24
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 25
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 26
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 27
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 28
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 29
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 30
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 31
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Conquering New Worlds
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 33
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 34
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 35
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 36
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 37
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 38
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 39
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 40
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 41
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 42
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 43
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 44
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 45
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 46
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 47
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Watchful Spirit
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 49
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 50
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 51
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 52
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 53
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 54
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 55
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 56
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 57
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 58
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 59
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Super Sleuth
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 61
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 62
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 63
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 64
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 65
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 66
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 67
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 68
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 69
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - The Right Stuff
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 71
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 72
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 73
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 74
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 75
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 76
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 77
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 78
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 79
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 81
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 82
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 83
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Post Focus: Technicolor Hollywood • HPA Awards
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 85
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 86
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 87
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Shane Hurlbut, ASC
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 89
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 90
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 91
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 92
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 93
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 95
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 96
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 97
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 101
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - 103
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - ASC Close-Up: Billy Dickson
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - January 2010 - Cover4
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