American Cinematographer - February 2010 - 8

Editor’s Note This month’s cover story on The Wolfman (“Bad Moon Rising,” page 32) comes straight from the source: cinematographer Shelly Johnson, ASC, who offers a first-person account of his strategies for the show. The article is filled with insights that provide valuable context for the filmmakers’ creative choices. “A key decision production made early on was to shoot a large portion of the film on location, a different stylistic approach than the one taken on the stagebound Universal classic,” Johnson writes. “The idea was to ground the story in reality and integrate our storytelling elements into that setting. I liked this idea, particularly for our night scenes, which we wanted to shoot at a much larger scale than is possible onstage.” In discussing his work, Johnson contends that the best images are those that support good stories, soulfully told: “When I think back on the cinematography I’ve admired over the years, it’s usually not the prettiest film or the film with the most dazzling action footage that impresses me. Although I respect those types of movies, the films that get inside me with their emotional treatment of a story are the ones that hit home.” Chris Menges, ASC, BSC certainly grasps the value of impactful narratives, which is just one of the reasons he will receive the ASC International Award later this month (“Artistry and Conscience,” page 46). No less an authority than Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC pronounces Menges “probably the greatest cinematographer working today.” Meanwhile, the self-effacing Menges maintains that what inspires him are “good writing and a good story, and hopefully something with political energy.” Over the course of his illustrious career, Menges has seen camera technology advance by leaps and bounds. With the advance of digital-imaging chips, today’s cinematographers confront more choices than ever while deciding which format to use on a given project, but the Red One camera has generated so much interest — and debate — that we felt compelled to examine its facets in depth, particularly after our most recent reader survey revealed significant interest in the topic. AC technical editor Christopher Probst has put the Red through its paces on dozens of shoots, and he assesses the camera in a thorough piece (“Working With the Red,” page 56). Readers have also requested more historical articles, so we’ve obliged with a look back at one of the most visually spectacular horror films ever made, Dario Argento’s occult chiller Suspiria, shot by Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC (“Terror in Technicolor,” page 68). In helping director Argento mount his masterpiece of operatic mayhem, Tovoli imbued the film with vivid primary colors that give it the feel of an inescapable acid trip — a daring strategy that caused the cinematographer’s loyal crewmembers some concern: “I was always telling the production designer and scenic painter, ‘More red! More blue!’” Tovoli remembers. “I made the same recommendation to my very patient gaffer, Alberto, and, like a good friend, he asked me, ‘Are you sure? It’s becoming quite disturbing!’ And to my inalterably happy face he asked, ‘Are you searching to be fired?’” Tovoli persevered, and his instincts lent the nightmarish images great power: Suspiria is now considered a classic of the genre, proving yet again that risk is often rewarding. Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.
American Cinematographer - February 2010

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