American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 33

Sarossy earned an Emmy nomination for his work on the first season of The Borgias, which saw Rodrigo (Jeremy Irons) come to power and establish his iron rule, and the cinematographer has returned for the second season as well. Jordan directed the first two episodes of both seasons, setting the tone for the rest of the narrative. “It was my job to provide a visual guideline for all the directors who would come afterwards by establishing a style with Paul and then leaving it in his hands to maintain through the whole thing,” says Jordan. “The style basically demanded that directors commit to the dramatic dynamic of a shot and make that work, rather than gather loads of coverage.” Jordan’s decisive approach suited Sarossy perfectly. “Neil’s method was to shoot with prime lenses, as though he was shooting a movie — we’d set up a shot with the viewfinder, and that’s what we’d shoot,” says the cinematographer. “On TV projects, many directors love the idea of shooting with zoom lenses and adjusting the frame between

Opposite: Rodrigo Borgia (Jeremy Irons) ascends to the papacy and takes the name Pope Alexander VI in the series The Borgias. This page, top: Rodrigo sets aside his spiritual concerns to indulge his corporeal desires. Left: Director of photography Paul Sarossy, BSC, CSC.

Photos by Jonathan Hession, courtesy of Showtime.

takes. My ideal way of working is the way Neil does it, where we’re constantly making very committed choices for the scene.” Set during an era famed for extraordinary artistic achievements, The Borgias could not help but be influenced by Renaissance art. “We made as much reference as we could to the paintings of the period,” says Jordan. “If you look at a lot of Renaissance compositions, you notice these serried arrangements of heads, generally of angels and saints, so
ww.theasc.com w

I tried to stack compositions with just the heads and the cardinal’s birettas when I was shooting things like the cardinals in conclave. In paintings of that time, you also often see people’s feet; you see people in long shot rather than chopped off at the knees, so when we were photographing Rodrigo and various cardinals walking down those magnificent corridors, I made sure we could see their feet and their costumes trailing behind them.” Another aspect of incorporating
April 2012 33


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American Cinematographer - April 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2012

American Cinematographer - April 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: Polaris campaign
Production Slate: Footnote4:44 Last Day on Earth
Vice at the Vatican
Back to School
Sundance Standouts
Filmmakers’ Forum: Haskell Wexler, ASC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Alar Kivilo
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - American Cinematographer - April 2012
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 1
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 2
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 4
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 5
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 6
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 7
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 9
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 11
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Short Takes: Polaris campaign
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 13
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 14
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 15
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 16
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 17
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Production Slate: Footnote4:44 Last Day on Earth
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 19
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 20
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 21
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 22
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 23
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 24
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 25
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 27
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 28
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 29
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 30
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 31
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Vice at the Vatican
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 33
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 34
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 35
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 36
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 37
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 38
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 39
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 40
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 41
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 42
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 43
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Back to School
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 45
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 46
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 47
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 48
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 49
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 50
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 60
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 61
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 62
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 63
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Sundance Standouts
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 65
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 66
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 67
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 68
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 79
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 80
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 81
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Haskell Wexler, ASC
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 83
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 84
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 85
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 86
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 87
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 89
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 90
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 91
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 92
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American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 99
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 100
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 101
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 105
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - 107
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - ASC Close-Up: Alar Kivilo
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - April 2012 - Cover4
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