American Cinematographer - December 2011 - 88

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It’s Time to Raise the Curtain
standing aluminum box truss built by key grip Michael J. Coo. Atop the truss were two adjustable 1'x20' box trusses that spanned the length of the room. The rig’s support legs were hidden behind cleverly placed pilasters. Burgess and gaffer Rafael Sánchez worked out a practically motivated lighting plan, using Blondes, Redheads and 750-watt Lowel Rifa 66s as soft sources, and 750watt Lekos to highlight parts of the set. A large blackout tent was constructed outside the floor-to-ceiling windows on one end of the room, where a 10K gelled with CTB created a moonlight effect for a scene in which Kermit plays a forlorn tune on the piano. “The Muppets’ lighting requirements are really no different than those of any other actor,” says Burgess. “Some things work just fine and some don’t work at all, and you make those discoveries while you’re making the movie.” “A lot of [the Muppets] don’t have noses, so you don’t have to worry about nose shadows,” adds Sánchez. “And their eyes have a permanent sparkle. They catch the light really well!” Kermit’s mansion is bisected by a 150'-long hallway lined with paintings of Muppets, which hang behind aged scrim dust covers. To capture a tracking shot following Kermit out of the living room and down this “memory lane,” Coo attached Muppet performer Steve Whitmire’s traveling puppet rig (a small, flat dolly) to one end of a Fisher 10 dolly. Whitmire controlled Kermit while lying on his back, and Moriarty rode the dolly with the camera on a Steadicam. As Kermit sings the song “Pictures in My Head,” the paintings lining the hallway come to life and sing along with him. During prep, Burgess lit and shot stills of each Muppet involved in the gag, and artists then used the photos as reference for the oil paintings. The paintings come to life through the assistance of a visual-effects transition, and the “live” paintings were shot with the actual puppets inside framed shadowboxes built into alcoves set in false walls. Burgess and Sánchez re-created

Top: Gary and Mary wish Kermit well as he and his friends prepare to stage a star-studded telethon to save their theater. Bottom: Kermit strums his banjo while performing “The Rainbow Connection” with Scooter, Swedish Chef, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy, Sam Eagle and Beauregard.

ambience with 6K space lights, and he shaped the action on the floor with large bounced sources and 2K Blondes and 1K Redheads fitted with Chimeras. The filmmakers didn’t always have access to the custom-designed floors of a soundstage, however. One particularly challenging location was the historic Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills. In the film, the palatial property belongs to Kermit, whose fortunes have vanished. He now lives as a recluse.
88 December 2011

“James wanted [the mansion] to reflect a certain period, in this case the 1970s,” says Burgess. The location was decked out with shag carpeting, 1970s furniture and autographed photos of people who were famous during the Carter Administration. Saklad notes, “To be ‘Muppety,’ which is the term we used to define our look, there is a sense of period to even contemporary things.” Burgess lit the living room from overhead with a 16'-tall 12'x16' freeAmerican Cinematographer



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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