American Cinematographer - February 2011 - 61

[Henckel von Donnersmarck’s first feature] was a great little film, and when Florian contacted me, I said yes.” One of the challenges on The Tourist was a long nighttime chase through Venice’s labyrinthine canal system. “There was no available natural light, and we had to light [all the way] down the canals if we wanted to see to the far end,” explains Seale. “And we were shooting anamorphic! The 11:1 [24-275mm Primo zoom] is crucial to an action sequence, but it’s an f4.5 lens, and we could barely get to f2.8! I used force development, a 200-degree shutter and a digital enhancement [in post] to pull it off.” Those who have worked with Seale evince an unwavering respect, loyalty and affection for him. “John is a man of the highest integrity, an independent thinker, a fantastic storyteller and a joy to be around,” says Henry. “If you were stranded on a desert island, he would be the ideal companion because he’s incredibly resourceful and just so much fun to be with.” Script supervisor Dianne Dreyer, who has worked with Seale on six projects, says, “John has one of the keenest eyes I’ve ever encountered. The way he can find a frame almost immediately is a marvel. He makes things work that most people would say can’t be done.” “Yes, a wonderful eye but a terrible ear — he speaks the worst Italian I’ve ever heard!” jokes 1st AD Steve Andrews, a fellow Aussie who first worked with Seale back on Death Cheaters and has since teamed with him on 16 more films. Turning serious, Andrews adds, “John just has a way with people, and he has the same energy and enthusiasm today as when I first met him.” Actress Nicole Kidman also worked with Seale in Australia early in her career, 20 years before reuniting with him on Cold Mountain. It was the early 1980s, and the film was BMX Bandits. “He called me ‘Knickers’ back then — that was my nickname,” recalls Kidman, who was 15 at the time. “ BMXBandits was my first big feature. I was completely uneducated film-wise, and John was one

Seale fine-tunes a close-up of Adam Sandler for James L. Brooks’ Spanglish (2004).

of my teachers in a way. He taught me how to hit a mark, how to find my light, all those things. He’d say, ‘Knickers, Knickers, you’ve got to do this, you’ve got to do that.’ “John is easygoing, incredibly intuitive and, being Australian, brilliant with balancing light,” adds Kidman. “He works quickly and efficiently, yet the quality is never compromised.” Australian cinematographers are often credited with having a special feel for light. In his own case, Seale ascribes
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much of it to his 18 months as a jackeroo. “The sheep station was on the edge of the Queensland desert, where the clean, acid-blue skies and the winter sun’s contrasty light served as great learning tools. If you’re in the Outback with a hat on, you’re black underneath the hat. There is no fill coming off the ground. To film out there is a photographic exercise in contrast and how to make it look realistic. European and English cameramen come over and say, ‘My god, how do you light out here?’ ➣
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American Cinematographer - February 2011

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