American Cinematographer - March 2009 - 31

Dexter by Jean Oppenheimer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) has one of the more unusual sidelines for a TV hero: he’s a serial killer. His job as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Metropolitan Police Dept. serves as a perfect cover for his nighttime activities: eliminating killers who have somehow slipped through the criminal-justice system. Romeo Tirone has been the director of photography on Showtime’s Dexter since the series made its debut, in 2006. He earned an Emmy nomination last year for his work on the show (for the episode “The British Invasion”), which is shot on high-definition video. Shortly after he completed the third season, he spoke to AC about his approach to the Los Angelesbased production. “On the first two seasons of Dexter, we shot with a Panavised Sony F900 and used an Arri 435 film camera for ramping and slowmotion work. For season three, we switched to a Sony CineAlta F23, and I was able to do speed changes incamera, which allowed us to eliminate 35mm altogether. Thanks to its four preset hyper-gamma settings, the F23 is a vast improvement over the F900, especially in terms of being able to shoot outside and in highcontrast situations. We also started using a Sony EX1 last year; it’s onethird the size of the F23 — perfect for confined quarters — and has a 1⁄2-inch chip that cuts very well with the F23’s 2⁄3-inch chip. We could put an operator in a car with the EX1 and have Michael drive around the block and do a scene while we’re setting up another shot with the other cameras. The EX1 is also a great third camera whenever we do stunts because it’s easy to rig from the ceiling, something that would take far longer to do with the F23. Sony gave me the EX1 to try out, and we just never gave it back! “We’ve used the same Primo Digital Zooms all three seasons, a 627mm, an 8-72mm and a 25112mm. Because of the speed at which we have to move, we pretty much live on the zooms, and except for some of the kill scenes, we usually shoot with two cameras. I have a 1⁄8 Tiffen Black Pro-Mist on the lens all the time to take the edge off the HD image. On the first two seasons, I shot day exteriors with a straw filter to get that warm Miami feel, but when we switched to the F23, I found I had more control over warming up the image with the onset paintbox. I use the paintbox on the set to control the iris, color saturation, black levels and highlights, essentially doing my first pass at color-correction while the actors are rehearsing, and sometimes we ride these levels during the shot, which allows me to move the camera through different lighting situations quickly. Our digital-imaging technician, Daniel Applegate, is a real collaborator when it comes to the look and how far we can stretch these cameras. “I would describe Dexter’s look as a graphic-novel style with a Scorsese-Cronenberg-Kubrick influ- ence. The main character operates in two worlds; by day, he’s kind of a nerdy lab tech, and by night, when he’s on the prowl or in the kill room, he’s a powerful, sinister figure. I use lighting to differentiate the two. When he’s in the everyday world, we use a lot more front light and see pretty much his entire face. When he’s on the prowl, we toplight him; Michael’s features play exceptionally well in that style of light. “Red is a signature color, although we try to use it sparingly, primarily when Dexter is in his ‘dark passenger’ mode. My blue is a kind of symbolic darkness; we can see what’s going on, but we feel like the characters are in the dark. I like to motivate the color with practicals, such as neon signs or a car’s taillights. “I try to give each kill scene a different feel by tinting them all differently. In the first season, one of Dexter’s first kills was a serial drunk driver who was running people over and then leaving town. Dexter caught up with him, and we gave the kill scene a really green tone, playing to the graphic-novel sensibility. “For kill scenes, the room is sealed with plastic sheeting, and Dexter’s victim lies naked on a table Dexter unit photography by Peter Iovino and Cliff Lipson, courtesy of Showtime. Opposite page: Serial killer Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) dispatches a carefully prepared victim. This page: Dexter bids farewell to another of his targets in his special “killing room.” In this set, cinematographer Romeo Tirone used two Source Four Pars to create overhead lighting that bounced off the cellophanewrapped victims. American Cinematographer 31

American Cinematographer - March 2009

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