American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 45

their disposal: gas pipes built into the set
allowed for a selective, controlled burn;
a flame-thrower with a range of 30'
served as the dragon's incendiary breath;
and kitty litter soaked in accelerant
created a slow-burning rain of fire.
Nine-light Maxi-Brutes with
Full and 1⁄2 CTO provided firelight
effects throughout the set. "The combination of practical fire effects and the
flickering light on reflective surfaces
such as the soldiers' armor and the sweat
on their faces brings the images alive
and really sells it to the audience,"
enthuses Taggart. "If they see actual
flames in shot, the electronically
controlled flickering light isn't noticed."
Fill light, Taggart adds, wasn't required
for this sequence. "The images were
kept quite moody to let the firelight get
into the shadow areas so that it read
well."
Semler has nothing but praise for
his crew. "My English crew was fantastic," he says. "Many are veterans of

large-scale productions such as the
Harry Potter and James Bond franchises, so they were completely at ease
on a production the size, scale and
complexity of Maleficent. I wish I could
mention every single one of them. Acamera operator Gary Spratling and 1st
AC John Ferguson headed up the
camera team. Steve Evans was my
unflappable digital-imaging technician.
Elliot Purvis, whom I first worked with
in Budapest on Angelina's film [In the
Land of Blood and Honey], was the
central loader. And Johnny Flemming
was my key grip; we had first worked
together as young lads more than 20
years ago on The Power of One, shot in
Africa."
Despite Maleficent marking the
19th feature Semler has completed with
EFilm, there was a surprise in store for
the cinematographer. "Neither Yvan nor
I had seen any of the visual effects,
which make up a huge part of
Maleficent," Semler notes. "I was dumb-

founded watching the brilliant images
and creatures created by Rob and his
team. Having said that, my work still
plays an essential part within all the
digital imagery. The basic principles of
cinematography remain the same: the
director's vision has to be fulfilled, the
screenplay has to be transformed into
moving images, and the sets and, most
importantly, the actors have to be lit. I'm
really proud of what we accomplished
on Maleficent."
●

TECHNICAL SPECS
2.40:1
Digital Capture
Arri Alexa Plus
Panavision Primos

45


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American Cinematographer - July 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - July 2014

Contents
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 1
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 2
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - Contents
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 4
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 5
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 6
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 7
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 8
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 9
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American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 27
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 28
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 29
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 30
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 31
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American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 33
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 34
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 35
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 36
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 37
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 38
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 39
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 40
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 41
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 42
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 43
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 44
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 45
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 46
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 47
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 48
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 49
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 50
American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 51
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American Cinematographer - July 2014 - 53
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American Cinematographer - July 2014 - Cover3
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