American Cinematographer - November 2013 - 92

AC applauds this year's
Emmy-nominated
cinematographers.
By Julie Sickel
*|*

T
elevision
Triumphs

he cinematography honors at this year's Emmy Awards
went to Christian La Fountaine, for the multi-camera
series How I Met Your Mother; Eigil Bryld, DFF, for the
single-camera series House of Cards; Adam Arkapaw, for
the miniseries Top of the Lake; Morgan Fallon, Zach Zamboni
and Todd Liebler, for the nonfiction series Anthony Bourdain:
Parts Unknown; and the cinematography team on the reality
series Deadliest Catch.
La Fountaine, a double nominee who was also recognized in the same category for his work on 2 Broke Girls, recalls
that the script for "The Final Page (Part 2)," the winning
episode of How I Met Your Mother, "was beautifully written
and filled with so many opportunities to create some really
memorable moments, including Barney professing his love for
Robin and popping the question on the rooftop at night as a
light snow started to fall, and Ted and Robin in a limo,
expressing their feelings for one another.
"In my first meetings with our director/executive
producer, Pam Fryman, nine years ago, she emphasized that
she wanted our show to look as romantic as possible, and she
didn't want me to be afraid to push the limits with my lighting," continues La Fountaine. "In this episode in particular, the
story lent itself to that kind of imagery. We had 15 different
sets or locations and a heavy load of setups, but, as always, our
crew stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park."
Bryld expresses a great deal of pride in his Emmy win
for the "Chapter 1" episode of House of Cards, which he
describes as "a series that takes place essentially in offices and

corridors." In a Feb. '13 interview with AC, he described
spending several weeks of prep with executive
producer/episode director David Fincher to design a very
specific visual aesthetic for the series. Among the ground rules
were no Steadicam shots, no handheld shots and no zoom
lenses.
The team shot in a slightly cropped 2:1 aspect ratio with
two Red Epics and Arri Master Primes. For lighting, "we
often used laptop screens and practical fixtures as sources," said
Bryld. "We were on our toes all the time, trying to find the
light."
Arkapaw recalls that during prep for the seven-episode
miniseries Top of the Lake, he and directors Jane Campion and
Garth Davis "didn't really watch other films." Instead, "we had
a lot of roundtable discussions with Fiona Crombie, the
production designer, in order to find the ideology of the
aesthetics. We wanted to get the tone right. We didn't want it
to be too dark and heavy feeling, but we still wanted a sense of
mysticism and magic. From there, [the evolution of the look]
was a pretty organic process."
The filmmakers chose Arri Alexas, Arri Master Primes
and Angenieux zoom lenses. "Film wasn't an option for
budgetary reasons, and at the time, the Alexa was the best
option to achieve a naturally beautiful look," Arkapaw notes.
The Australia-based cinematographer adds that
winning the Emmy was "a nice little shot in the arm. Being
recognized by one of the most recognizable awards institutions was a lovely surprise."
➣

Left: Cinematographer Adam Arkapaw with Top of the Lake creator/director Jane Campion. Middle: Chris La Fountaine (right) with brother and camera
operator George La Fountaine Jr. on the set of How I Met Your Mother. Right: Eigil Bryld, DFF accepts his Emmy for House of Cards.

November 2013

American Cinematographer

American Cinematographer - November 2013

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