American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 52

The Emperor Strikes Back Top: The Emperor rallies his forces from atop his own giant likeness. Effects experts at Digital Domain used the Massive program to render the hordes of supernatural combatants. Middle and bottom: Cranes swoop in to capture the action. lighting. I’m always trying to find a believable motivation for lighting a scene or a subject.” The relative harmony of the bar setting is shattered when the Emperor, roused from his millennia-long slumber by Alex O’Connell, crashes the party, causing a fight that spills out onto the streets. Rick chases after the 52 August 2008 Emperor’s horse-drawn carriage with a Chinese-fireworks truck. Duggan covered much of this chase, filmed on the backlot of Shanghai Studios, with a camera mounted on the remote-controlled Ultimate Arm car rig. Rhythm & Hues added CG horses and a CG Emperor to all shots of the Emperor’s carriage and also extend- ed the city streets as needed with 3-D digital matte paintings. “The animation was very challenging because the horses were bronze but also moving,” says Spears. “Integrating them into the environment was also difficult. In traditional CG work, you use greenscreens or do multiple passes for different layers of smoke and debris. Instead, we used a horseless motor-powered wagon with a battering ram to crash through things. We then had to get rid of the ram and put the horses and the Emperor back in behind all the debris. It’s becoming a more prevalent method in visual effects to shoot ‘as is’ and deal with the integration later. Five years ago, we were much more afraid of these sorts of shots.” “We’re all thinking along the same lines in terms of how to frame the characters to be added later,” notes Duggan. “Most of the scenes involving CG were thoroughly storyboarded. I always make sure that any necessary interactive lighting makes sense for the CG elements. For example, the Emperor can shape-shift into a fire-breathing dragon, and for that effect, we surrounded the frame with really good fire effects.” The O’Connells’ adventure leads into the Himalayas, where they search for the mythical Shangri-La. The mountain sets were created outdoors on the backlot at Cité du Cinéma Studios in Montreal. The art department used materials ranging from Epsom-salt to soap and shredded paper to approximate snow, while actual exterior conditions were a balmy Quebec summer. “We were flying enormous 40-by silks and lighting with 12 remote-controlled 18Ks spread over four Condors, trying to maintain a cold winter look,” recalls Duggan. “It was quite a physical challenge for the lighting and grip teams.” The adventurers meet the

American Cinematographer - August 2008

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - August 2008

American Cinematographer - August 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Letters
Short Takes: Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Possess Your Heart”
Production Slate: Pineapple Express
Production Slate: Frozen River
Dark Matters
Fathers of the Bride
The Emperor Strikes Back
An Eye-Popping Adventure
Post Focus: Dalsa’s 4K Workflow
Filmmakers’ Forum: Billy Dickson, ASC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
In Memoriam: Clifford H. Poland Jr., ASC
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: John S. Bartley
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - American Cinematographer - August 2008
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 1
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 2
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Contents
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 4
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 5
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 6
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 7
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Editor's Note
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 9
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Letters
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 11
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Short Takes: Death Cab for Cutie’s “I Will Possess Your Heart”
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 13
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 14
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 15
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Production Slate: Frozen River
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 17
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 18
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 19
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 20
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 21
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 22
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 23
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 24
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 25
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Dark Matters
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 27
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 28
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 29
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 30
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 31
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 32
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 33
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 34
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 35
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 36
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 37
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Fathers of the Bride
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 39
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 40
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 41
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 42
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 43
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 44
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 45
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 46
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 47
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - The Emperor Strikes Back
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 49
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 50
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 51
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 52
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 53
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 54
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 55
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 56
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 57
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - An Eye-Popping Adventure
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 59
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 60
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 61
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 62
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 63
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 64
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 65
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 66
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 67
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 68
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 69
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Post Focus: Dalsa’s 4K Workflow
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 71
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 72
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 73
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Filmmakers’ Forum: Billy Dickson, ASC
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 75
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 77
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 78
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 79
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 83
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - In Memoriam: Clifford H. Poland Jr., ASC
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 85
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 87
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - ASC Close-Up: John S. Bartley
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - August 2008 - Cover4
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