American Cinematographer - January 2020 - 76
Truth to Light
The Kigers, major plaintiffs in the case, watch a house burn under suspicious circumstances.
To achieve the effect, the front of a real house was rigged with a fireproof false front and
actually set aflame.
bookcase, bounce it off the ceiling, or
use it for more direct light," DeBlau
explains. "You put it where you need
it and you're good to go for hours!"
Adds Lachman, "I really liked those
lights. If I needed a little fill or an
edge, we could just dial in what we
wanted it to feel like - if it's more
daylight, fluorescent or tungsten."
"We even used them underwa-
ter," DeBlau enthuses, referring to
Dark Waters' opening, in which a
group of unsuspecting teenagers
take a swim in a highly polluted
river. "One of my guys was out there,
soaking wet with a couple of these
Astera lights that we wrapped in
plastic because they're not waterproof. But we sealed them tight
enough, stuck them under the water,
and they were fantastic!"
Bilott's house, as seen throughout, tells a subtle story on its own.
"So much of what you understand
about Rob and Sarah's world is built
into the location," says Lachman.
Haynes adds, "They had basically
invested in a new neighborhood at
the beginning of his becoming a partner. They'd expected that they would
probably grow out of it, as he moved
up the corporate ranks as a partner.
That didn't happen. He basically
never had another corporate client
&OR