American Cinematographer - March 2011 - 49

Mitchell Mark II that Panavision had modified by switching out the sprockets that held the film in place for rollers, which caused the image to slip and slide around the gate, creating wobbly double exposures. The scenes were shot in three passes: at 24 fps with the Panaflex, at 12 fps with the modified Mitchell, and at 24 fps in a clean pass with the Panaflex. During the Mitchell pass, Weller shook his body to exaggerate the effect of the motion blur. “In dailies it looked like the camera was broken, but when we combined the passes in post, it helped tell the story in an interesting way,” says Moxness. “And it was much more organic than, say, shooting it normally and creating the effect in post.” When a storyline deals with the alternate universe discovered in season two, the filmmakers use a variety of visual cues to help the viewer recognize which universe they’re in. In season three’s “Entrada,” shot by Middleton, the action in the two universes is inter-

cut, a first for the plotline. Yatsko’s cinematography on season two’s “Peter” set the look for the parallel universe — emphasizing more saturated color and stronger contrast — but Middleton notes that the visual differences between the two worlds have since become less stark. “When you develop an approach for something like that, you plan on doing things that way for the run of the show,” says Middleton. “But the show evolves as you shoot it, and you adapt. The two worlds have started to look more and more alike, and now we mainly use art direction and costumes to cue the viewer in to where they are.” In “Entrada,” Peter is drugged by the parallel-universe Olivia, and struggles to focus on her as he succumbs to the toxin. Middleton had the idea to use a Lensbaby 2.0 with a Panavision mount on the Millennium XL for Peter’s POV. “When you manipulate the Lensbaby’s bellows with your

fingers to move the focus, [the result] looks like someone’s eye isn’t working properly,” he says. He mounted a Canon 5D to a hospital gurney to achieve Olivia’s drugged-out POV. Yatsko observes that the series’ visual consistency can be attributed in large part to the Vancouver crew. He refers to gaffer David Warner, key grip David Dawson, A-camera operator Chris Tammaro and Steadicam operator Lou Gruzelier as “the sentinels of Fringe.” “They know what works for the show and what doesn’t,” adds Moxness. “Because one of us is always in prep while another [cinematographer] is shooting, we’re not always informed as to how another cinematographer approaches a particular set that might reappear in one of our episodes. Having the same key crew helps us keep it fluid.” — Iain Stasukevich ●

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American Cinematographer - March 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2011