American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 95

Top: An aerial view of the train station and street sets.
Bottom: The crew shoots a scene with the Ronin camera rig.

north of Winnipeg, where the Prairie Dog
Central steam locomotive runs. The train
station there is a period building that we
have dressed for Kansas City. Several of our
sets are built inside, and a limited street set
surrounds the station.
We shoot 10 pages a day in five-day
blocks, which makes it challenging to maintain quality. I'm very thankful for the expertise of the Winnipeg crew, who are committed and hard working, and have gleaned a
tremendous amount of knowledge while
working on major productions that have
come through here. My gaffer, John Clarke,
and key grip, Bill Mills, are second to none.
I've long admired the work of
Deakins and John Seale, ASC, ACS (Witness
and Dead Poets Society are among my
favorites) for their naturalistic sensibilities,

and for this show, I've employed a simplified, natural approach. I call it "stylized naturalism" - generally a strong key light, softcut for faces and wrapped around, with no
backlights and little or no fill. For separation:
kickers or low edges.
When it comes to this time period,
I'm particularly concerned with the types of
illumination that were available then - not
many! Everything is an extension of firelight,
whether it's a candle, lantern, campfire or
coal fire. I've used this as an opportunity to
keep the image warm, which I find more
pleasing for actors' faces as it minimizes variations in skin tones within any given scene.
I'm also always looking for ways to create
contrast, so we've taken to placing lanterns
in almost every interior and exterior night
shot; A-camera operator Paul Suderman
95



http://www.maccam.tv http://www.maccam.tv

American Cinematographer - April 2015

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

Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Intro
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 1
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 2
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Contents
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 4
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 5
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 6
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 7
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 8
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 9
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 10
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 11
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 13
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 14
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 15
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 20
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 21
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 28
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 38
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 43
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 49
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 50
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 60
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 62
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 63
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 64
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I1
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I2
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I3
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I4
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I5
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I6
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I7
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - I8
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 65
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 66
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 67
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 68
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 70
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 71
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 81
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - 82
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American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - April 2015 - Cover4
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