American Cinematographer - September 1990 - 45

re-makes, and crash and burn
movies begin to lose their box
office

magic.
Lee, with cinematogra¬

pher Ernest Dickerson, is at the
forefront of this cycle with the
third excursion into this turn -
Universal's Mo' Better Blues. Star¬

ring Academy Award-winning
actor Denzel Washington, the film
again finds Lee collaborating with
Dickerson.The association goes
back to their film school years,
with Dickerson filling the down
time between Spike Lee's "joints"

(Lee's term for his movies) shoot¬

ing pictures for directors such
Peter Wang and John Sayles.

as

In their fourth feature
film collaboration, Lee and Dick¬

explore the "cool" jazz of a
top of his musical
game; and his "hot" relationships
erson

musician at the

with friends, lovers, and himself
-

relationships that gradually

become more and more a game of
musical beds and allegiances.
This cool/hot tension is

gels

on the lights, helped the
audience to feel the heat of the
hottest day of summer. Also the

examined

using a motif of mixed
light. "Hot against cool I felt was
the best way to exemplify the
music-jazz," Dickerson says. "It
also symbolizes the life of the

Bleek, playing a

a

lot of soft light."

tionships with his ladies and his

approach," Dickerson worked
closely with production designer
Wynn Thomas and costume de¬
signer Ruth Carter, so that sets

that from one shot to the next, we
don't know which lady is going to

into frame.
"I stylized the lighting
in this sequence by having warm
light on one side, contrasted by
the cool light on the next. Indigo,
being the more earthy and prag¬
pop

matic

type, plays to the warm

light; while Clark, more lunar and
ethereal, plays to the cool light.
"Whenever you play warm

"Underdog"

harsher. On Mo' Better Blues, I
took a more romantic approach,

character, Bleek, and rela¬

symbolic scene where Bleek loses
track of which lady he's with. We
designed the sequence so the la¬
dies," Dickerson says, "in effect,
blur together. One angle shows
him (Bleek) kissing Indigo; they
fall out of frame together but the
next shot shows him falling into
frame with Clark, his other lady.
We play this entire sequence so

Quartet onstage at
the

set. Above: Denzel

using

fellow musicians.
"One sequence where
this concept works well is the

page:
The Bleek Gilliam

light I used there was hard, a little

To achieve this "romantic

main

Opposite

Washington, as
brilliant trumpet.
Left: Director of

phtography Ernest
Dickerson

ponders a dolly
shot.

and costumes worked for the skin
tone values he sought.
"I

against cool light," Dickerson
says, "these opposite wave¬
lengths seem to vibrate against
each other creating a visual ten¬
sion. They pull against each other,
just as Bleek was being emotion¬
ally pulled between the two la¬

always use reflected
light readings when determining
exposures for black skin," Dickerson
says. "Black people have so
many shades of complexion and
undercolor. This undercolor

dies."

ranges from orange, red, beige -
so
many possibilities. In fact, I feel
reflected readings are the only
way for me to be accurate."
Since Lee uses a stock

The blend of cool and
colors is in direct contrast to
his work in Do The Right Thing,
where Dickerson controlled color

company of actors, it is assumed
that Dickerson has a stock method
for lighting the actors. However,
as Dickerson sees it,
"they look

warm

by limiting his palette to "hot"
reds, yellow, and oranges. In that
film, Dickerson is careful to point
out "there was very little coolness
throughout. That, plus warming

September 1990

completely different from film to
given me
a
great range of characters to
photograph."
film. If anything they've

Besides his stock

American

Cinematographer

com-

43
American Cinematographer - September 1990

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