American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 55

Unit photography by Alison Rosa, courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

personal relationships, parenthood, ego
and success, as well as one's relationship
to a chosen art and craft. However, the
cinematographer was mystified by
director Alejandro G. Iñárritu's desire to
shoot the comedy in what appears to be
one continuous take. "The common
wisdom is that cuts are very important
in comedy," remarks Lubezki, who also
received ASC Awards for his work on
The Tree of Life (AC Aug. '11) and
Children of Men (AC Dec. '06). "The
rhythm in comedy [comes from] great
comedians but also from great editing,
and to not have any cuts was one of the
craziest ideas I had ever heard."
Iñárritu explained that he wanted
to immerse audiences in Riggan's world
so they would feel what the character is
going through as his life unravels all
around him. "I thought [connecting all
the spaces] would serve the dramatic
tension and put the audience in this
guy's shoes in a radical way," the director told AC at the 2014 Telluride Film
Festival, where Birdman had its North
American premiere.
The film glides between Riggan's
point of view and objective shots in
which he is a participant. Although he
wanted to create the illusion that the

Riggan Thomson
(Michael Keaton,
opposite and above,
left) teeters on the
brink of mental collapse
while attempting to
mount a Broadway play
in Birdman. Middle:
Cinematographer
Emmanuel Lubezki,
ASC, AMC (holding
camera) confers with
director Alejandro G.
Iñárritu. Bottom:
Riggan attempts to
connect with his
daughter, Sam
(Emma Stone).

www.theasc.com

December 2014

55



http://www.theasc.com

American Cinematographer - December 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - December 2014

Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - Cover1
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - Cover2
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 1
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 2
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - Contents
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 4
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 5
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 6
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 7
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 8
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 9
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 10
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 11
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 12
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 13
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 14
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American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 16
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 17
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 18
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 19
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 20
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 21
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 22
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 23
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 24
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 25
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 26
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 27
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 28
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 29
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 30
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 31
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 32
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 33
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 34
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 35
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 36
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 37
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 38
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 39
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 40
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 41
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 42
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 43
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 44
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 45
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 46
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 47
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 48
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 49
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 50
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 51
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 52
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 53
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 54
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 55
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 56
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 57
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 58
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 59
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 60
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 61
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 62
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 63
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American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 65
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 66
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American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 73
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American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 111
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - 112
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - Cover3
American Cinematographer - December 2014 - Cover4
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