American Cinematographer - September 1968 - 51

FILMING "THE REDWOODS

that

follows

the

tree

down

the

ground then pans down the trunk. We

Continued from Page 664

were lucky to get that shot, because
ride. ''From the rushes, I saw that I
should have been steadier," says

it just happened that, as the tree fell,
it, in effect, 'pulled its light after it.'

Chew, ''but we could only afford one

The tree was standing in a sidelight

day of aerial shooting, and we were

that accented

there, so that was it."

The ground was in the shadow of sur¬

''The

rub

was,"

says

Greenwood,

rounding

the

top

foliage,

of the

and

trunk.

exactly

what

''that next day, the weather was per¬

kind of light would be on the fallen

fect for flying

trunk would be determined by its po¬

just didn't have the budget to go up

sition and how much foliage the tree

again. We would have been happier

had cleared in its fall. As luck would

had

and filming. And

rained

the

day,

but

The
with

felling
three

have it, the tree cleared just the right
amount of foliage to

that's the breaks."
sequences

cameras.

were

Chew

shot

worked

sidelight.

Even

when

remain
it

was

the

ground, the light was essentially the

close to the trees, catching hand-held

same. We were using only hundred-

shots of the cutting and details of the

foot loads in the Arri and Bolex. Be¬

logger with the Eclair. Greenwood, at
some distance, set up his Bolex and

cause we had to pack our gear in, we
decided against the added weight of

the Arri on tripods and captured the

400-foot

fall

slow motion. At

eras. So, in a way, I was lucky to have

different times he shot at both 32 and

enough film in the Arri to run at slow

48 frames per second. The Bolex was

motion to catch that shot."

of the trees

kept in a fixed position, and as the
tree

groaned

before

falling,

magazines

for

these

cam¬

''In working close to the tree being
felled," says Chew, "1 used the Eclair.

switched the camera on to catch the

Shooting

top of the tree coming down and pass¬

time. Also, it wasn't wise to have your

ing

out of the

loads

saved

attention diverted from the cutting of

followed the fall of the tree down to

the tree, as you're never sure which

its

way the thing

impact

frame. Meantime

400-foot

the

ground

with

the

will

fall.

Because we

Arri. "1 just let the Bolex run by itself

had

while I handled the Arri," says Green¬

felling sequences, we didn't run sync

wood. "It was a little tricky, moving

sound,

from

move my way, I wanted to be able

the Bolex to the Arri

smooth
well.

timing,

There's

but

one

required

it worked
long

running

be
and

very
once

mobile
a

tree

during
started

the
to

pretty

to get out fast and not get tangled

shot

Continued on Page 695

Greenwood and Chew, on location, perch atop
the stump of one of the giant redwoods. To
show the integral relationship between the
trees and other forms of life in the forest,
Chew photographed flowers, insects and birds.

(LEFT) The film crew observes the loggers at work in order to get a clear idea of their action patterns and the various steps involved in felling
one of the giant trees. (RIGHT) Chew steadies his Eclair camera on tree trunk in order to get a shot of a logger walking up the tree which he
has just cut down. The falling of the trees was photographed in slow motion to enhance the dramatic effect of this action.

AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, SEPTEMBER 1968

American Cinematographer - September 1968

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 1968