American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 24

Silver’s technical solution to the scene’s requirements involved a Sourcemaker tube light tethered to a boat to create reflections on the ocean, as well as a large fixture mounted to a Champion crane to provide background “moonlight” along the beach.

process helps me leave the real world for a moment and shift my brain toward cinema fantasy and a “what could be” state of mind. I read the script again, this time picturing the blocking of the actors and where I think they might be in relation to the set. I then build a shot sequence in my head, which helps me to quickly begin conversations with the director and other departments. By preparing this way, I can have an intelligent opinion on various topics, such as where and how I think the sets should be laid out; what the perimeters of the backgrounds may be for the art department; the size and scope of the production, and how that will affect the hiring of extra crew and the ordering of specialty equipment, and so on. As the show progressed, Sheen’s character was replaced by a new character, Walden Schmidt (Ashton Kutcher), who buys the beach house and befriends Alan. Walden is going through a divorce and gifts his valuable wedding ring to Alan, who thinks about pawning it but eventually returns it to Walden. Here is the scene I’d like to discuss: BEACH LOCATION EXT. BEACH – CONTINUOUS (NIGHT 2) (Alan, Walden) A somber Walden is standing and looking at the ocean. Alan crosses in and hands him the ring.

ALAN Here. WALDEN My ring. Thanks. Walden puts the ring back on his finger, then: WALDEN You know what? I was right the first time. I don’t need this anymore. ALAN Are you sure? WALDEN Positive. Walden takes off his ring and throws it into the ocean. WALDEN I feel better already. ALAN (whimpers) Oh, good. Walden crosses off. Alan watches him for a beat, then turns and runs into the ocean. ALAN My precious! My precious! My precious! He dives into the waves over and over, searching for the ring.
American Cinematographer

In my mind’s eye, this initially seemed like a straightforward scene. Had I not already shot the ocean for the show a few years prior, I’d have simply treated this scene like any other location, albeit with its inherent challenges. However, I had shot a night swimming sequence in the ocean years earlier. I was more fortunate then, because the scene called for the swimmer to be revealed by a helicopter searchlight, which set up a source we could use as our key. For this scene, though, the audience had to somehow believe Alan could see into the night ocean well enough to search for a ring. The last time I’d shot the ocean, I pounded the water with 18K HMIs from both sides of the beach. The foam from the breaking waves read fine, but beyond the breakers the water registered as entirely black. The illusion that Alan could find or would even bother to search for a ring in that darkness seemed improbable. I live out by the beach and grew up taking night swims during full moons with friends. On those evenings, there’s enough ambient light to see your way around on the beach. The moon’s reflection shimmering off the water’s surface helps to silhouette the horizon from the night sky. On summer nights, if there were waves and the tide was high enough to cover the rocks, we’d surf all night. Remembering this inspired my “what could be” approach and helped develop the way our beach scene would be shot. I researched shooting day-for-night and checked with the producers to see if

24

July 2012



American Cinematographer - July 2012

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

American Cinematographer - July 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
Short Takes: Keane’s “Silenced by the Night”
Production Slate: Trishna • Two and a Half Men
Ancient Aliens
High Anxiety
Hair-Metal Heroes
Shooting J.R.
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Peter Lyons Collister
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - American Cinematographer - July 2012
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 1
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 2
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Contents
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 4
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 5
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 6
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 7
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 9
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Short Takes: Keane’s “Silenced by the Night”
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 11
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 12
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 13
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 14
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 15
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Production Slate: Trishna • Two and a Half Men
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 17
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 18
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 19
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 20
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 21
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 22
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 23
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 24
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 25
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 26
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 27
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 28
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 29
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Ancient Aliens
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 31
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 32
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 33
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 34
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 35
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 36
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 37
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 38
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 39
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 40
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 41
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - High Anxiety
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 43
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 44
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 45
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 46
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 47
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 48
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 49
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 50
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 51
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 52
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 53
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Hair-Metal Heroes
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 55
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 56
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 57
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 58
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 59
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 60
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 61
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 62
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 63
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Shooting J.R.
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 65
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 66
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 67
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 68
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 69
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 70
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 71
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 73
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 74
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 75
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 76
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 77
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 78
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 79
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 80
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 81
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 85
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - 87
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - ASC Close-Up: Peter Lyons Collister
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - July 2012 - Cover4
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