American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 55

Unit photography by Jessica Forde, courtesy of Universal Pictures.
Additional images courtesy of Thierry Arbogast, AFC and EuropaCorp.

As the percentage of her brain usage
increases, she develops an array of
powers, including super intelligence,
telekinesis and the ability to perceive
and decode electro-magnetic signals.
Discovering that she cannot survive
without the drug, she flies to Paris,
where she consults a scientist, Prof.
Norman (Morgan Freeman), to help
her better understand and harness her
new abilities. As her brainpower accelerates toward 100 percent, the film
leads to a climax of metaphysical
proportions.
Arbogast first collaborated with
Besson on the classic French action
thriller La Femme Nikita, in which a
drug-addicted young woman becomes
a trained killer, and they have since
worked together on such projects as
The Fifth Element (AC May '97),
The Messenger, The Extraordinary
Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec and The
Family. The cinematographer says he

Opposite: In the
feature Lucy, the
eponymous
heroine (played by
Scarlett Johansson)
gains new powers
when she unlocks
her mind's full
potential. This
page, top: Prof.
Samuel Norman
(Morgan Freeman)
attempts to
comprehend Lucy's
predicament.
Bottom:
Cinematographer
Thierry Arbogast,
AFC.

and Besson both started working in the
film industry at a young age. "We didn't
go to film school; we're both self-taught.
Luc believes that we can always do
better, and he is constantly seeking to
make progress, to evolve by making
different films. I like to work with him
because I also want to evolve in my
work."
www.theasc.com

When AC meets Besson in Paris,
the director explains that Lucy is
intended as a superhero movie with a
philosophical twist. "The story takes an
ordinary person and puts her in an
extraordinary situation," he says.
"Because Lucy gets to 100 percent, she's
the person with the greatest power on
earth, but she ends up saying, 'I don't
September 2014

55



http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - September 2014

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

Contents
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 1
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 2
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - Contents
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 4
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 5
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 6
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 7
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 8
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 9
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 10
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 11
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 14
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 17
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 18
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 19
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 21
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 23
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 24
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 25
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 26
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 28
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 29
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 33
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 34
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 36
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 37
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 38
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 39
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 40
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 41
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 42
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 43
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 44
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 44a
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 44b
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 45
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 46
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 47
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 48
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 49
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 50
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 53
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 54
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 55
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 56
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 57
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 58
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 60
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 85
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 86
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 101
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 102
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 103
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 104
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 104a
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 104b
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 105
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 106
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - 107
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American Cinematographer - September 2014 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - September 2014 - Cover4
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