American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 57

Unit photography by Elsa Guillet-Chapuis. Photos and frame grabs courtesy of Roadside Attractions.

Opposite: Benedick
(Alexis Denisof) and
Beatrice (Amy Acker)
share an intimate
moment in a scene
from Much Ado
About Nothing,
directed by Joss
Whedon and shot by
Jay Hunter. This
page, top to bottom:
Benedick observes
Beatrice in a frame
grab from one of
Hunter’s favorite
sequences; Beatrice
and her cousin, Hero
(Jillian Morgese),
have a thoughtful
moment together;
Whedon (left) and
Hunter on location in
Whedon’s home.

Like many of Shakespeare’s
comedies, Much Ado addresses the intricate game of love. The story revolves
around two young couples: Hero
( Jillian Morgese) and Claudio (Fran
Kranz), whose impending marriage is
threatened by the villainous Don John
(Sean Maher), and Beatrice (Amy
Acker) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof ),
two headstrong individuals who take an
instant dislike to one another, but whose
friends are convinced are perfect for
each other. The action is set at the home
of Hero’s father (and Beatrice’s uncle),
Leonato (Clark Gregg).
“Attempts to film Shakespeare
frequently take a very traditional,
proscenium-style approach, and Joss
and I [both wanted] to avoid that,” says
Hunter. “We wanted to get the camera
inside the scenes — to keep the camera
close to the actors and move around
with them. I’d say 98 percent of the film
was shot handheld, and many scenes
play out as long oners.”
Hunter suggested using the Red
Epic-M and desaturating the image to
black-and-white in post. (The Epic-M
Monochrome was not yet available.) He
figured that if they ran into a lot of hot
backlight that they couldn’t balance out
on set, “we could at least shoot 5K and
have as much resolution as possible to
work with in the color correction.” The

camera’s High Dynamic Range HDRx
function was another key selling point,
given that so much of the shoot would
rely on available light.
The 12-day production schedule
certainly presented a challenge. “A page
of Shakespearean dialogue is not a
normal page of dialogue,” laughs
Hunter. On the first day of prep,
Whedon and Hunter scouted
Whedon’s property. The backyard,
where numerous scenes were set, faced
north. “Joss already had the whole
movie in his head,” says Hunter. “He
described the blocking, and we
discussed where to put the camera.” The
next day, Hunter returned to the house
and spent the whole day just observing
www.theasc.com

July 2013

57



http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2013

American Cinematographer - July 2013
Contents
Editor’s Note
President’s Desk
Short Takes: Dreamland
Production Slate: Laurence Anyways • Post Tenebras Lux
Prime Target
Wild Planet
An Indie Twist on Shakespeare
Tournament of Death
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Don Burgess
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - American Cinematographer - July 2013
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 1
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 2
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Contents
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 4
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 5
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 6
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 7
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 8
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 9
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 11
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - President’s Desk
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 13
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Short Takes: Dreamland
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 15
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 16
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 17
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 18
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 19
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Production Slate: Laurence Anyways • Post Tenebras Lux
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 21
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 22
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 23
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 24
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 25
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 26
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 27
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 28
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 29
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 30
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 31
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Prime Target
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 33
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 34
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 35
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 36
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 37
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 38
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 39
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 40
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 41
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 42
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 43
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Wild Planet
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 45
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 46
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 47
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 48
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 49
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 50
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 51
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 52
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 53
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 54
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 55
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - An Indie Twist on Shakespeare
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 57
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 58
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 59
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 60
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 61
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 62
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 63
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Tournament of Death
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 65
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 66
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 67
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 68
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 69
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 70
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 71
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 72
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 73
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 74
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 75
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 77
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 78
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 79
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 80
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 81
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 85
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - 87
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - ASC Close-Up: Don Burgess
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - July 2013 - Cover4
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