American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 49

The Affair photos by Mark Schafer, courtesy of Showtime. Doctor Who photos by Adrian Rogers, courtesy of BBC Worldwide.
Vikings photos by Bernard Walsh and Jonathan Hession, courtesy of the History Channel.

is divided into two halves: One half
depicts the events as told by Noah to a
police investigator, and the other shows
the same events as described by Alison.
That Alison and Noah relate the same
moments very differently - often radically so - deepens the narrative and
makes the mystery surrounding the
murder far more complex.
Mark Mylod, one of the show's
executive producers, also served as director for the pilot, and he tapped Steven
Fierberg, ASC to serve as cinematographer. Fierberg, who would stay on to
shoot all 10 episodes of the first season,
had previously worked with Mylod on
the series Once Upon a Time and
Entourage (AC July '05). "The advantage
of working with a director you've had
experience with is tremendous," says
Fierberg. "We had a very short prep, but
Mark and I were able to make decisions
very quickly. He can say one sentence
and it bespeaks a whole world to me.
We're in sync because we've done it
before together. Working with Mark is a
great collaboration."
For The Affair's visual style,
Showtime suggested that the filmmakers reference John Cassavetes' films, and
Mylod and Fierberg took the note to
heart. "I would say his movie Faces is one
of the 10 greatest films I've ever seen,"
says Fierberg. "It's wider-angle, right in
the faces of the actors. Cassavetes' shots
are extremely sophisticated and well
done. The realistic lighting and 16mm
grain has led people to unfairly overlook
the incredibly effective visual storytelling
and staging, but I am thrilled by it."
Fierberg and Mylod also had to
consider if and how the images should
underscore the show's structure, with its
separation of Alison's story, Noah's story
and, to a lesser degree, the point of view
of the investigating detective (Victor
Williams), who is usually seen near the
end of each half. "Mark and I started
with a discussion of what it means to be
subjective," the cinematographer recalls.
"I personally believe that subjectivity is
established by proximity to a particular
character. The camera has to be closer to
that person than anyone else. In TV, you

Opposite
(clockwise from
top): Scenes from
Doctor Who,
Vikings and
The Affair. This
page, top:
Detective Jeffries
(Victor Williams)
asks Noah
(Dominic West) for
his version of the
events in the
dramatic series
The Affair.
Bottom: Alison
(Ruth Wilson)
gives the detective
her side of
the story.

typically match the close-ups - there's
symmetry. For shows that have an
objective point of view, that's appropriate. But for a show like The Affair,
which is subjective, the camera should
be closer to the character whose point of
view we're seeing.
www.theasc.com

"At one point, we talked about
the possibility of having one person's
story being handheld, but not the
other's," Fierberg continues. "It's a
strong way to differentiate, but we didn't
feel it was right. It was too extreme and
wouldn't serve the story." However,
March 2015

49


http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - March 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - March 2015

Contents
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 1
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 2
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - Contents
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 4
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 5
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 6
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 7
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 8
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 9
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 10
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 11
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 12
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 13
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 14
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 15
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 16
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 17
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 18
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 19
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 20
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 21
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 22
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 23
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 24
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 25
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 26
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 27
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 28
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 29
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 30
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 31
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 32
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 33
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 34
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 35
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 36
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 37
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 38
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 39
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 40
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 41
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 42
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 43
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 44
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 45
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 46
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 47
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 48
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 49
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 50
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 51
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 52
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 53
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 54
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 55
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 56
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 57
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 58
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 59
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 60
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 61
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 62
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 63
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American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 65
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 66
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American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 73
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American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 84
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 85
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American Cinematographer - March 2015 - 88
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - March 2015 - Cover4
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