American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 54

Spook Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC takes a minimalist approach to Burn After Reading, a dark comedy directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. by Jon D. Witmer Unit photography by Macall Polay Memoirs of a T he scene could have been so simple — it was just a man chopping carrots in a kitchen. But there were a few caveats: it was a practical kitchen in New York (standing in for Washington, D.C.), and even though the day interior was being shot in the afternoon, the sun wasn’t hitting that side of the house, so the exterior had to be lit. On top of that, cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC explains, this wasn’t supposed to be a “clean-looking” movie, but the man doing the chopping was George Clooney, and “when you have George Clooney, it can very easily and quickly become very clean-looking.” Only a few months before filming this scene, Lubezki had been contacted by Joel and Ethan Coen. The brothers had run into a scheduling snafu with their usual cinematographer, Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, and wondered whether Lubezki would be available to shoot an inside-the-Beltway tale of intrigue, betrayal and moronic miscalculations titled Burn After Reading. A longtime fan of the Coens, Lubezki could hardly believe he was being offered the job. “I never expected to work with them,” he says. “Roger is one of my favorite cinematographers; every time I start a project, I call him and ask for ideas. This was like being suddenly asked to replace Jimi Hendrix for one gig — it’s incredible, but you will never be able to play like that!” During that first conversation, the Coens told Lubezki the film would not be like anything they’d done before. All camerawork would be handheld, and there would be no storyboards. Coming from The New World (AC Jan. ’06) and Children of Men (AC Dec. ’06), which took similar tacks, Lubezki 54 October 2008

American Cinematographer - October 2008

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

American Cinematographer - October 2008
Contents
Editor's Note
Short Takes: DirecTV's "Fourth Wall" Campaign
Production Slate: Prison Break
Production Slate: Need for Speed: Undercover
Middle East Intrigue
Kingdom of Light
Memoirs of a Spook
Landmark Gains
Post Focus: An Overview of the ASC CDL
Filmmakers' Forum: Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Ross Berryman
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - American Cinematographer - October 2008
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 1
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 2
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Contents
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 4
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 5
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 6
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 7
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Editor's Note
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 9
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Short Takes: DirecTV's "Fourth Wall" Campaign
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 11
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 12
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 13
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 14
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 15
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Production Slate: Need for Speed: Undercover
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 17
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 18
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 19
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 20
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 21
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 22
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 23
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 24
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 25
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 26
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 27
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Middle East Intrigue
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 29
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 30
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 31
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 32
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 33
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 34
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 35
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 36
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 37
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 38
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 39
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Kingdom of Light
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 41
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 42
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 43
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 44
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 45
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 46
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 47
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 48
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 49
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 50
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 51
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 52
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 53
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Memoirs of a Spook
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 55
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 56
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 57
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 58
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 59
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 60
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 61
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 62
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 63
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Landmark Gains
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 65
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 66
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 67
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 68
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 69
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 70
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 71
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 72
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 73
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Post Focus: An Overview of the ASC CDL
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 75
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 76
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 77
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Filmmakers' Forum: Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 79
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 80
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 81
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 82
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 83
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 85
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 86
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 87
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 88
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 89
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 91
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 93
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 95
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - ASC Close-Up: Ross Berryman
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - October 2008 - Cover4
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