Principal Photography

  A: Not operating is hard for me because I can see it more clearly through the camera. I like lighting through the lens, so the operator has to step aside during the lighting process. I give the operator the camera to practice the move as soon as I can, but in terms of lighting, I really need to see it through the frame. I'm not comfortable working through a video monitor. A lot of times during the actual take I stand at the camera, not at the monitor. I watch a take or two on the monitor to see the operating, and I'm very specific about the operating. So if on one take there is just the wall framed behind someone's head, where if you move over literally three inches you see the depth of a corridor or the narrow depth of a bar in the background, it makes all the difference.

  Video assist is a very important tool you have to have. When I shot Lisbon Story, a very low-budget film, in Portugal, Wim Wenders didn't want video assist. I operated because that's the European style. Sometimes you just have to see to know, particularly on a close-up. That's how I can best see the lighting and the emotion on their face. I grew to love having an operator. Sometimes there are shots the operator can do a lot better than I can. I embrace that, and it gives me more time to light. They can rehearse a tricky move, they can perfect it, do it over and over. I can really just work on the lighting with the gaffer.

  Q: What is your involvement in working with the laboratory?

  A: Working with the labs in terms of dailies is crucial. I've worked with Don Donigi and Steve Blakely of DuArt. Don Donigi is really an unsung hero. All the directors of photography who work with him know what a brilliant man he is. He oversees the timing. The man is a great synthesis of technique and knowing what people want. He also keeps up with current style. From seeing lighting, contrast, and filter tests, he gets a sense of what I am after. The man is able to aesthetically be an ally. If you're pleased with your dailies, basically you want your answer print to look like a good set of dailies. The answer print is a crucial part of the process. You deal with the density, the lightness and darkness, the color and the saturation, whether you lean towards blue or red. It's an utterly controlled, focused process. You have to work very closely with the laboratory and the timer who's doing the answer print.

  Q: Three Seasons was the first American feature film to be filmed on location in Vietnam. What is the film about and what challenges did it present?

  A: Three Seasons is three stories set in contemporary Vietnam. To connect the stories, the characters from one season/story appear in the others. The first season is the Dry Season, the story of a cyclo driver and a prostitute. The second story is the Wet Season, which takes place all at night in the rain, starring a ten-year-old and a four-year-old street urchin. The third story is the Growth Season, about a teacher and lotus picker and takes place on a lake with a temple built in the middle of it. The film was shot on an extremely low budget and was also extremely ambitious. The script was poetic and lyrical, and demanded a technical sophistication beyond our monetary means. The struggle to achieve a seamless and elegant image was simultaneously invigorating and frustrating. Ultimately, it was well worth it. The struggle itself was enticing and became part of the challenge.

  The Dry Season took place predominately on a moving cyclo. In Vietnam, there was no such thing as a Shotmaker-a Jeep with bad shocks or seemingly no shocks at all was used as a camera car at the time we filmed. The streets of Ho Chi Minh city can be potholed and bumpy. A cyclo is approximately eight feet long, and the camera lens from a Jeep was approximately twelve feet from the subjects. This forced us into using a 75mm or 100mm lens for close-ups-too long of a lens to use on unsteady moving vehicle shots with dialogue. Bumpy footage would be distracting from concentrating on the story. We brought in Will Arnot on Steadicam. This minimized the bumpiness of the roads. Another time, we used Steadicam to make a poor person's crane, as the only crane available to us was unsafe, ancient, and too heavy to move onto location. With the use of the Steadicam, we created a rig where the operator walked down a ladder, creating a cranelike effect.

  For the Wet Season, we worked with rather antiquated rain towers. A special effects expert came in from Los Angeles and trained the Vietnamese in placement and operation of the nozzles. There was a teaming curve involved in this, and a beauty in collaboration of skills and countries. The Vietnamese and the American crews enjoyed one another.

  While our camera package was generously donated to us by Panavision, our lighting package was a bit too small and basic. We were hurting for large units, our biggest unit was a 12K. When units went down, we found ourselves making due with Pars and I OKs, as it took ten days getting gear back into the country.

  In the Growth Season, working on a temple in the middle of a lake brought with it serious lighting limitations due to the distance of the land banks to the temple and the smallness of the units and rigging possibilities.

  Other unforeseen challenges had to do with weather. We had postponed production until the end of the rainy season and began shooting with the dry season, but the end of the rainy season was stubborn. For the first week of exteriors, we had bright sun every morning until lunch, then overcast clouds for the remainder of the day. This made matching light with a scene a real struggle and at times forced us into splitting scenes between days.

  It was fascinating working in a foreign tongue. As I read the scenes each night before shooting, I could not follow the dialogue literally. As multiple takes progressed, I found myself noticing the changes in the actors and thereby felt the emotion within the scene without knowing the language.

  Q: Editors often talk about invisible cuts. Is there such a thing as invisible photography?

  A: In film, you have to not just record, but express the mood of the scene and the story. Some of the most beautiful paintings, still photography, and movies speak in a very quiet way. It's not necessarily the loud stripes of light, it is if it's appropriate, but often it's not. So quiet photography is something to work towards. Not to say as a cinematographer, "Look at me, I did this. I can use this type of light or crane or type of smoke," but to serve the emotion of the story. Trees Lounge is an actor's vehicle. All emphasis was on the characters. The nuance and subtlety of the acting was in itself powerful. This film was shot in twenty-four days on a low budget. The exercise of understatement in the cinematography, good lighting without fanciness, fit the limitations of the production and created a style for the film.

  Q: What films do you consider to be landmarks in cinematography?

  A: In American films, Midnight Cowboy for its perfect execution of technique, style, form, and content. It's a great story. Raging Bull is a favorite. Also, Dr. Strangelove, The Last Picture Show, The Misfits, and of course Citizen Kane for its immense deep focus and ground-breaking expressive style. Mean Streets and The French Connection for their urgency and marriage of style and story. The Godfather, Part I and The Godfather Part II, Broadway Danny Rose, The Deer Hunter, and McCabe and Mrs. Miller all represent great cinematography and are repeated studies. In European films, I adore Stroszek by Werner Herzog. There are some single images, such as the bank repossessing this man's mobile home and leaving his Midwestern plot empty, that are sheer and powerful poetry. Wings of Desire and The American Friend by Wim Wenders are repeatedly watched favorites. Also, Time Stands Still by Hungarian director Peter Gothar.

  Q: In what direction do you see your career headed at this point? Do you want to concentrate on features or do you want to continue to shoot documentaries, music videos, and commercials?

  A: It's a real goal of mine to continue in features, but I want to be connected to the material. When I first began shooting, I was more interested in stylized cinematography, leaning toward expressionistic rather than realistic. As time has progressed, I have grown more inclined to a naturalistic, heightened realism. The end result may appear less flashy. The goal is always first and foremost to aid in telling the story. I love lighting and shooting. I hope to continue shooting feature films, but I want to feel committed to the subject matter. I
want to feel that whatever the story I am part of telling-I stand behind the material and am proud to have my name on it.

  Glossary

  A camera: Camera shooting the main action in a scene.

  anamorphic: Wide-screen format. A camera lens which squeezes the horizontal plane of an image to approximately half size so it can fit into the width of 35mm film. A deanamorphizing projection lens restores the image to full size.

  animatic: An animation technique, whereby a storyboard or drawings are shot and edited to be used as a reference guide in the work print for special-effect sequences that are not yet filmed.

  answer print: A sound and picture composite print struck off the cut negative with track used to judge timing and color. When the final answer print is approved, an internegative is made from which release prints are made.

  arc light: High intensity lighting instrument which employs two burning carbon rods. A standard Hollywood lighting source during the classic studio era. HMI lights have largely replaced them.

  Arriflex: Brand name of German manufactured motion picture cameras widely used in film production. Also known as Arri.

  ASA: A numerical rating system determined by the American Standards Association given to the speed of motion picture stock which relates to light sensitivity. Also known as EI, for exposure index.

  ASC: American Society of Cinematographers. Honorary society for cinematographers located in Hollywood. Membership is by invitation only. The society maintains a clubhouse, publishes American Cinematographer magazine, hosts a website and educational services.

  aspect ratio: A measurement of the camera film frame or the projected image, stated as ratio of horizontal to vertical. A 1.85:1 (normal wide-screen) and 2.35:1 (anamorphic) are the most common ratios.

  available light: Natural light available when shooting. Can be daylight, night street light, or fluorescents or the existing lights on location.

  B camera: Camera shooting main action from additional or complementary angle to the A camera.

  back light: Light coming from behind a subject and directed towards camera lens.

  base: Shiny side of the film which is opposite the emulsion side.

  bead board: A kind of reflective board used to bounce light on a set.

  camera operator: The person who physically operates the camera during a shot under the supervision of the director of photography. Also called the gaffer.

  changing hag: Light-proof bag used to load the camera magazines.

  chief lighting technician: Person in charge of setting the lighting instruments on the set under the supervision of the director of photography.

  clapper: Also called slate. Board with a hinged stick clapped by hand onto the base so that later the picture and sound can be synchronized. The clapper contains written information concerning the scene, take numbers, filtration, exposure, etc.

  close-up: Tight shot which focuses on specific information.

  composition: Art of designing and positioning the subject being photographed into the film frame.

  computer-generated imagery: Also known as CG/. Images created directly on a computer, often combined with live action photography.

  coverage: Additional camera angles which complement a master shot of a scene.

  crane: Device used to raise the camera and operator high above a scene while shooting. The movement of a camera crane is similar to a cherry picker. Many current cranes are operated remotely, from video console.

  cutters: Pieces of hard black material of various shapes held by hand or on Century stands to block or control light on the set.

  dailies: Processed film direct from the lab which contains all of the material shot and printed on the preceding day. Also called rushes.

  denaturation: Process employed either before, during, or after shooting which drains some color out of the image.

  diffusion: Plastic or paper material placed on lights to soften the light source.

  diffusion filters: Glass or plastic materials placed on the lens to lower contrast and soften the image.

  director of photography: Also known as dp. Person responsible for the photography of a film. The director of photography is in charge of the camera crew and utilizes cameras, lights, and technical equipment to interpret and realize the screenplay on film.

  dolly: Freewheeling camera cart used to move the camera and operator during a shot. The dolly is operated by the dolly grip.

  dupe: Copy made from a positive print. A dupe negative is a copy made from another negative.

  emulsion: Dull side of the film stock where the photo chemicals are layered.

  exposure: The act of light being focused to the emulsion of the film stock.

  exteriors: Outdoor locations.

  eyeline: Direction in which a character is looking.

  fill light: Light added to the key light of a scene to fill in shadows or highlight an area.

  filters: A treated transparent piece of glass or gelatin put over the lens to reduce light, control color, or create optical effects.

  fine grain: A film stock which produces a sharp image with a small and tight grain pattern.

  first assistant cameraman: Works directly under the director of photography. Maintains the camera and follows focus. Known as focus puller in British system.

  flicker: Repetitive pattern of light and dark produced on a screen by the projector. Not seen by the naked eye because of persistence of vision.

  focus: The process of turning the lens ring until the image is clear and sharp.

  ,footcandle: A measurement of the intensity of light. One footcandle is the intensity of the incident brightness of a surface one foot in radius from the source of one standard candle.

  format: Size and dimensions of the film frame.

  gaffer: Person on the set responsible for electrical work. Reports directly to the director of photography.

  graduates: Neutral density filters graded from top to bottom to control exposure in specific areas, such as the sky. Called graders in British system.

  grip: Person who works with and under the supervision of the director of photography and the gaffer to control, cut, and modulate the light. Grips also construct camera platforms and rigs and pull set walls.

  handheld: Technique where the camera is held and operated by the operator without a tripod or dolly.

  HMI: Stands for hydrargyrum (mercury), medium arc length, and iodide. Lighting instruments color balanced for daylight.

  IATSE: International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees. Union which includes cameraman, editing, sound, and production design guilds.

  interiors: Scenes shot inside a studio or location.

  interlock: When a separate picture and track are projected together in sync.

  Kelvin: A scale for measuring color temperature of a light source.

  key light: The main light used to illuminate a shot, the nominal source.

  keystone: A distortion of an image caused by a camera or projection lens not being at a right angle to what it is photographing or the intended surface. The image then appears in the shape of a keystone.

  lens: Optical device made of glass which collects light. Lenses are manufactured in various focal lengths and, when attached to the camera, they carry the image to the film's emulsion.

  letterbox: Process which allows a wide-screen film to be presented on videotape in its original format. When a videotape is letterboxed, black bars appear on the top and bottom of the image.

  loader: Person who loads the film into the camera magazine, often the second assistant cameraman.

  to-mode: An extremely low camera angle. The camera is shooting from very close to ground level, usually from a Steadicam.

  low con: Low contrast filter.

  magazine: Casing which houses film stock as it moves through the camera. Also called mag.

  master shot: Full shot which contains all of the action in a scene.

  multiple cameras: Two or more cameras positioned in contrast
ing or complementary angles to simultaneously photograph a scene.

  negative space: Parts of a composition, usually black or neutral in color, adjacent to the principal element of a shot.

  net: A netting material placed over the lens to soften or diffuse a shot. Tulle or women's stockings are used frequently.

  original negative: The camera negative exposed during the shooting of a film used to make dupe negatives and positive prints.

  overexposure: More than normal amount of light strikes the film emulsion, causing an overbright image. Overexposure can be utilized as a creative tool to produce hot, desaturated images for aesthetic, atmospheric, or psychological purposes.

  pan: Horizontal camera movement, right to left or left to right, from a fixed camera position.

  pan and scan: Electronic process applied to a wide-screen film transferred to video, so the entire image can be presented in what simulates a camera pan or in a readjusted composition.

  Panavision: Popular brand of movie camera which employs both a spherical and anamorphic lens system.

  Par light: A powerful directional lighting unit on which various lenses can be put on sealed beams, such as car headlights.

  practical light: Light emanating from a working fixture on-set, such as a table, ceiling, or floor lamp seen on-camera.

  principal photography: The main body of the film photographed during the production process. Does not include reshoots, special-effect shots, or other photographic elements which are produced and added during the postproduction of a film.

  rack focus: When the point of camera focus is deliberately shifted from one person or object to another. Used as a storytelling device to direct the viewers' attention.

  reflectors: Silvered, reflective material used to bounce or control light.

  registration: The placement of each frame in exactly the same position at the film plane to maintain steadiness of the image.

  saturation: The degree of density or purity of color.

  second assistant cameraman: Person who works under direct supervision of the director of photography. Responsibilities include keeping camera reports and operating the clapper. Known as clapper boy in British system.