American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 8

Editor’s Note
This month’s issue covers a truly diverse slate of projects, starting with Clint Eastwood’s biographical drama J. Edgar, an ambitious attempt to crack open the psychological vault of iconic FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. With some aspects of Hoover’s biography still open to debate — particularly his private life, which stoked rumors of a romantic relationship with FBI Associate Director Clyde Tolson — Eastwood and cinematographer Tom Stern, ASC, AFC chose to render his world as a shadowy realm of closely guarded secrets. Describing the visual strategy to AC contributor Michael Goldman, who visited the set (“Stepping into the Shadows,” page 36), Stern offers, “We wanted to create a credible noir-esque environment inside a federal bureaucracy.” A bold approach was also brought to Hugo by Martin Scorsese and Robert Richardson, ASC, who were making their first forays into digital image capture and 3-D. The movie’s narrative is drawn from the children’s book The Invention of Hugo Cabret , and its look is partly inspired by the work of French film pioneer Georges Méliès, who appears as a character in the story. As Richardson tells London correspondent Mark Hope-Jones (“Through a Child’s Eyes,” page 54), “Marty selected a large number of images from the book which spoke to what he had in mind, and he asked all of us — [production designer] Dante Ferretti, [set decorator] Francesca Lo Schiavo, [costume designer] Sandy Powell, [visual-effects supervisor] Rob Legato and me — to be faithful to what [author] Brian [Selznick] had captured. This guided us toward a world that was created rather than bound to reality.” Fans of the silent-film era can further luxuriate in the lush imagery of The Artist, which concerns a silent-film star who scorns the arrival of “talking pictures.” Shot by Guillaume Schiffman, AFC, the French film is presented as a black-and-white silent picture, in 1.33:1, with music and title cards substituting for dialogue. AC correspondent Benjamin B met with Schiffman and director Michel Hazanavicius in Paris, where the duo described their spirited collaborative style (“Silent Splendor,” page 68). “We like to provoke each other,” Schiffman says, “and provocation creates these little sparks that are exactly what the film needs. We’re a good pair. Michel is precise about everything; no detail escapes him. Some people would say he’s a control freak, but I would say he’s a real director.” Meanwhile, on The Muppets, ASC member Don Burgess found himself tasked with bringing beloved characters back to the big screen for the first time since 1999. Burgess tells New York correspondent Iain Stasukevich (“It’s Time to Raise the Curtain,” page 78) that his first step was to consult AC’s 1979 coverage of The Muppet Movie, particularly the comprehensive piece penned by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC, who shot that picture. Burgess was initially concerned that digital capture might demystify the Muppets, but he happily reports, “They held up great. We were able to enhance the quality of their design without detracting from their personalities. “[Muppets creator Jim] Henson was truly a genius,” the cinematographer adds. “He came up with fully dimensional characters that you totally buy into. You root for them. They make you laugh. It’s really amazing how well it all works.”

8

Stephen Pizzello Executive Editor

Photo by Owen Roizman, ASC.



American Cinematographer - December 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 2011

American Cinematographer - December 2011
Contents
Editor’s Note
President's Desk
Short Takes: OK Go’s “Muppet Show Theme Song”
Production Slate: Melancholia • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Stepping into the Shadows
Through a Child’s Eyes
Silent Splendor
It’s Time to Raise the Curtain
Filmmakers’ Forum: David Stump, ASC
New Products & Services
International Marketplace
Classified Ads
Ad Index
2011 AC Index
In Memoriam: Andrew Laszlo, ASC
ASC Membership Roster
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - American Cinematographer - December 2011
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 1
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 2
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 4
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 5
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 6
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 7
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Editor’s Note
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 9
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - President's Desk
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 11
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Short Takes: OK Go’s “Muppet Show Theme Song”
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 13
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 14
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 15
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 16
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 17
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Production Slate: Melancholia • Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 19
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 20
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 21
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 22
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 23
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 24
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 25
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 26
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 27
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 28
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 29
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 30
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 31
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 32
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 33
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 34
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 35
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Stepping into the Shadows
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 37
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 38
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 39
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 40
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 41
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 42
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 43
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 44
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 45
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 46
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 47
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 48
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 49
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 50
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 51
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 52
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 53
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Through a Child’s Eyes
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 55
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 56
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 57
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 58
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 59
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 60
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 61
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 62
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 63
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 64
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 65
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 66
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 67
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Silent Splendor
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 69
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 70
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 71
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 72
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 73
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 74
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 75
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 76
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 77
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - It’s Time to Raise the Curtain
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 79
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 80
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 81
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 82
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 83
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 84
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 85
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 86
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 87
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 88
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 89
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 90
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 91
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 92
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 93
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Filmmakers’ Forum: David Stump, ASC
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 95
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 96
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 97
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 98
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 99
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - New Products & Services
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 101
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 102
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 103
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - International Marketplace
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Classified Ads
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Ad Index
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 2011 AC Index
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 108
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 109
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 110
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 111
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 112
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 113
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - In Memoriam: Andrew Laszlo, ASC
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 115
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - ASC Membership Roster
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 117
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Clubhouse News
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 119
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - ASC Close-Up: Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - December 2011 - Cover4
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