American Cinematographer - August 2008 - 8

Editor’s Note ans of X-Files investigators Fox Mulder and Dana Scully have been waiting patiently for the next chapter in the duo’s adventures since 2002. Having made the leap from television to the big screen in the 1998 feature Fight the Future, the pair has returned in The XFiles: I Want to Believe, the movie-directing debut of series creator Chris Carter. Seeking a sure hand to shepherd the film’s visuals, Carter teamed with Bill Roe, ASC, who won two ASC Awards and earned five nominations while shooting the series from 1998-2002. The X-Files is famous for its bone-chilling storylines, but Carter, Roe and their cohorts quite literally froze last winter while working in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. Their camaraderie pulled them through, and they managed to fully exploit the shoot’s eerie environments. “This movie is a classic X-File in that sense — dark and gruesome,” Roe tells AC senior editor Rachael K. Bosley (“Dark Matters,” page 26). Carter adds, “I wanted David and Gillian to look great onscreen, and I knew there were things we wanted to obscure, to hide in shadows. I’d call that the heart and soul of the X-Files look: certain things are scary because you half-see them.” Creating thrills and chills was also the objective on The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and Journey to the Center of the Earth, both of which blend innovative CG effects with live-action photography. Simon Duggan, ACS was behind the camera on the third Mummy movie, and his experience on CG spectaculars such as I, Robot and Live Free or Die Hard made him a natural choice for the project. “Eventually, you tend not to think about the complexity of the shots,” he tells Noah Kadner (“The Emperor Strikes Back,” page 48). Chuck Schuman, the director of photography on Journey, faced the added challenge of working in the 3-D format. “One major realization for me was that many of the ‘bag of tricks’ techniques used in 2-D camerawork don’t work as well, or at all, in 3-D,” he tells Stephanie Argy (“An Eye-Popping Adventure,” page 58). Romance was in the air on Mamma Mia!, a big-screen version of the hit stage musical. Crafted around the songs of Swedish supergroup Abba, this lighthearted romp was shot by Haris Zambarloukos, BSC, who took full advantage of the production’s Greek locations. “It’s a different musical because it doesn’t have a theatrical setting,” Zambarloukos observes in his chat with London correspondent Mark Hope-Jones (“Fathers of the Bride,” page 38). “What’s difficult outside of a theatrical setting is how to break into a musical sequence directly from a dialogue scene; our film is very much about realistic human emotions and relationships, so we had to approach it first and foremost as a narrative.” As a final note, it’s my sad duty to report the passing of a true ASC stalwart: longtime Society caretaker Ben Toguchi, who died on June 10 at the age of 81. Benny tended to the ASC’s Clubhouse and grounds for nearly 50 years, and his devotion to members and employees defined the term “loyalty.” Details of his personal history can be found in this month’s Clubhouse News (page 86). Aloha, Mr. Ben, and mahalo. F Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

American Cinematographer - August 2008

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