American Cinematographer - October 2008 - 8

Editor’s Note idley Scott has always promoted the worthy, and on his new CIA thriller, Body of Lies, he tapped veteran second-unit director/cinematographer Alexander Witt to supervise the firstunit photography. Though Lies didn’t offer the kind of visual splendor Scott has brought to epics such as The Duellists or Blade Runner, Witt still found his new role challenging. “[It] was a big change,” he tells AC correspondent Pat Thomson (“Middle East Intrigue,” page 28). “It’s a different job because you’re more involved with everything in almost every department.” Colorist Stephen Nakamura adds that Scott “didn’t want pretty-looking images; he wanted something gritty and dirty-looking.” Witt obliged, shooting many scenes with multiple cameras in harsh environments, including stark Morocco locations and interiors that were often lit with bare bulbs or uncorrected fluorescents. Minimalism was also the mandate on Burn After Reading, a comedic caper from Joel and Ethan Coen that presents a slapstick slant on the CIA. The duo’s regular cinematographer, Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC, was unavailable because of a scheduling conflict, so the brothers found themselves another Academy Award-nominated cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC, who was thrilled to fill in. “Roger is one of my favorite cinematographers,” he enthuses to AC assistant editor Jon D. Witmer (“Memoirs of a Spook,” page 54). “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!” In fact, the nature of the script forced Lubezki to work against his usual instincts, but he accepted the terms with good cheer. “Parts of the movie were to be shot in a Costco and a gym, settings full of fluorescent lights. It’s hard to light something that isn’t pleasing to your eye, and that’s when the directors can help you. I would try not to whine, but I would say to Joel, ‘This is horrendous — is it okay?’ And he would say, ‘Yeah, this is horrendous — it’s great!’” On City of Ember, Xavier Pérez Grobet, AMC worked at the opposite end of the spectrum, employing huge lighting setups to illuminate a fantastic underground setting. In his interview with Noah Kadner (“Kingdom of Light,” page 40), Grobet calls the picture “a dream project” that afforded him “the freedom to create any kind of lighting I could imagine.” Kramer Morgenthau, ASC is also known for his stylish lighting. On The Express, he applied his skills to a period college-football drama that called for four distinct looks, each depicting a different time in the central character’s life. “The colors were very carefully chosen, and at times we had a very restricted palette,” Morgenthau explains to David Heuring (“Landmark Gains,” page 64). “When you see the Kodachrome images with all the period costumes, it’s kind of eerie — you feel like you’re there.” For those of you still learning how to combine lighting with other elements of the pictorial palette, this month’s Filmmakers’ Forum (page 78) offers sage advice from the aforementioned Mr. Deakins, who couldn’t completely relax during a rare summer vacation. To keep busy, he penned a piece that traces his own development and encourages students to keep an open mind while mastering a unique discipline. “If you believe cinematography is more than a craft, then there can be no formula for shooting a film,” he writes. “There can be no rules. Just as we have no definition for what we mean by ‘quality,’ we can’t say what really gives an image resonance, but I’m sure there is more to it than technique.” R Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor 8 Photo by Douglas Kirkland.

American Cinematographer - October 2008

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