American Cinematographer March 2020 Ac0320

MARCH 2020
AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER • MARCH 2020 • HONEY BOY / SPIRIT AWARD NOMINEES – SUPERNATURAL – RISING STARS OF CINEMATOGRAPHY – AC ARCHIVE: 1940s • VOL. 101 NO. 3
M A R C H 2 0 2 0 V O L . 1 0 1 N O . 3
1920 — 2020
On Our Cover: A domineering showbiz dad (Shia LaBeouf) shares a more nurturing moment
with his child-actor son (Noah Jupe) in Honey Boy, which earned Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF an
Independent Spirit Award nomination. (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios.)
FEATURES
24 Singular Visions
38
Five unconventional features offer original perspectives and exceptional imagery
Supernatural — Family Business
48
Serge Ladouceur, CSC reflects on the 15-year evolution of the CW series
Rising Stars 2020

38 AC’s feature on promising new talent comprises a varied array of
58
up-and-coming filmmakers
AC: The 1940s — Cameras in Shooting War

The magazine’s pages turn from Hollywood filmmaking to documenting
World War II
48
DEPARTMENTS
10
12
Editor’s Note
14
President’s Desk
20
Shot Craft: The cinematographer’s reel • Smart lenses
62
Short Takes: Kamali
64
58 New Products & Services
65
International Marketplace
66
Classified Ads
68
Ad Index
70
ASC Member Roster
72
Clubhouse News
ASC Close-Up: Josh Bleibtreu
— VISIT ASCMAG.COM —
Next generation URSA Mini Pro with
Super 35 4.6K HDR sensor, 15 stops of
dynamic range and shooting up to 300 fps!
Introducing URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2, a professional digital
film camera that combines incredible 4.6K image quality with
the features and controls of a traditional broadcast camera!
The second generation URSA Mini Pro features fully redesigned
electronics and a new Super 35mm 4.6K HDR image sensor
that combine to give you much higher frame rate shooting.
You also get built in ND filters, an interchangeable lens

mount, Blackmagic RAW support, and both dual CFast
and SD UHS-II card recorders for capturing images at up to
300 frames per second! There’s even a USB-C expansion
port that lets you record directly to flash drives or SSD disks
for even longer recording times! Blackmagic URSA Mini Pro 4.6K G2 ...... $5,995
www.blackmagicdesign.com
Learn More!
Viewfinder, lens and accessories shown can be purchased separately.
Web-Exclusive Centennial Coverage
We’ll celebrate American Cinematographer magazine’s
100th anniversary throughout the year by revisiting favorite
cover stories from years past.
types of things
we did on Clock-
ers, and which
Robert Richard-
son [ASC] has
been doing in
the past few
years, are just
the tip of the ice-
berg; there’s a
Total Recall (July 1990) world of room in
Cinematographer: Jost Vacano, ASC, BVK terms of playing with stocks and even digitally
Director: Paul Verhoeven manipulating tone, contrast and texture.”
“When I see a [finished] film I try to get involved
with the picture the way an audience would,” says Lost Highway (March 1997)
Vacano. “I try to feel what emotions are coming over Cinematographer: Peter Deming, ASC
me. I don’t look at the shots and I don’t look at the Director: David Lynch
lighting. I don’t think ‘I did that well’ or ‘I did that Deming says that his biggest challenge on the show
badly.’ I just try to get a feeling of whether or not was trying to accommodate Lynch’s love of dark,
the movie works. I think inky visuals. “It was a struggle,” he concedes. “I
that’s really the only thing know what David likes; if he had his way, every-
that counts.” thing would be a little bit underexposed and murky,
which is murder for me.”
Clockers (September 1995)
Cinematographer: Malik
Sayeed
Director: Spike Lee
Summing up his feelings
about the need for experi-
mentation in the cinematic
art, Sayeed declares, “The
You’ll find all this and

more at ascmag.com/articles/historical
Stay Up to Date With AC & the ASC

Subscribe to our FREE newsletter for regular
alerts about new updates to our websites — one
Supernatural:
detailing the creativity, tools and techniques
Cinematographer’s
employed by top directors of photography, and
Edition
the other offering an insider’s view into the
In this extended version of the feature story from
American Society of Cinematographers. You’ll
this issue, series director of photography Serge
also get special offers on subscriptions to our
Ladouceur, CSC offers additional insight on
print and digital editions, as well as news and
maintaining his creative edge over 15 seasons of
deals from top manufacturers. Sign up now at
the show with the help of his many collaborators.
bit.ly/ASCNewsletter
ascmag.com/articles/supernatural
M A R C H 2 0 2 0 V O L . 1 0 1 , N O . 3
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

Stephen Pizzello
————————————————————————————————————
WEB DIRECTOR and ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
David E. Williams
EDITORIAL
————————————————————————————————————
SENIOR EDITOR Andrew Fish

TECHNICAL EDITOR Christopher Probst, ASC
SHOT CRAFT EDITOR Jay Holben
DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY and WEB PRODUCER Mat Newman
DIGITAL CONTENT CREATOR Samantha Dillard
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Benjamin B, Rachael K. Bosley, John Calhoun, Mark Dillon, Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill,
David Heuring, Noah Kadner, Debra Kaufman, Michael Kogge, Iain Marcks,
Matt Mulcahey, Jean Oppenheimer, Lauretta Prevost, Phil Rhodes, Patricia Thomson
PODCASTS
Michael Goldman, Jim Hemphill, Iain Marcks
BLOGS
Benjamin B • John Bailey, ASC • David Heuring
ART & DESIGN

————————————————————————————————————
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer
ADVERTISING
————————————————————————————————————
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann

323-936-3769 Fax 323-952-2140 e-mail: [email protected]
ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Sanja Pearce
CLASSIFIEDS/ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Diella Peru
SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

————————————————————————————————————
CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina

SHIPPING MANAGER Miguel Madrigal
————————————————————————————————————
ASC CEO Terry McCarthy
ASC SPONSORSHIP & EVENTS DIRECTOR Patricia Armacost
OPERATIONS/EVENTS MANAGER Alex Lopez
MEMBERSHIP ADMINISTRATOR Salvador Maldonado
DIRECTOR OF FINANCE & ACCOUNTING Thanh Lai
ACCOUNTING Kim Pallares
————————————————————————————————————
American Cinematographer (ISSN 0002-7928), established 1920 and in its 100th year of publication, is published monthly in Hollywood by
ASC Holding Corp., 1782 N. Orange Dr., Hollywood, CA 90028, U.S.A.,
(800) 448-0145, (323) 969-4333, Fax (323) 876-4973, direct line for subscription inquiries (323) 969-4344.
Subscriptions: U.S. $50; Canada/Mexico $70; all other foreign countries $95 a year (remit international Money Order or other exchange payable in U.S. $).
Advertising: Rate card upon request from Hollywood office. Copyright 2020 ASC Holding Corp. (All rights reserved.) Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA
and at additional mailing offices. Printed in the USA.
POSTMASTER: Send address change to American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Hollywood, CA 90078.
American Society of Cinematographers
The ASC is not a labor union or a guild, but
an educational, cultural and professional
organization. Membership is by invitation
to those who are actively engaged as
directors of photography and have
demonstrated outstanding ability. ASC
membership has become one of the highest
honors that can be bestowed upon a
professional cinematographer — a mark
of prestige and excellence.
OFFICERS - 2019/2020
Kees van Oostrum
President
Stephen Lighthill
Vice President
Bill Bennett
Vice President
Paul Cameron
Vice President
Levie Isaacks
Treasurer
David Darby
Secretary
Curtis Clark
Sergeant-at-Arms
MEMBERS OF THE
BOARD
John Bailey
Bill Bennett
Stephen H. Burum
Paul Cameron
Dean Cundey
David Darby
George Spiro Dibie
Frederick Elmes
Lowell Peterson
Steven Poster
Rodney Taylor
John Toll
Kees van Oostrum
Amy Vincent
Mandy Walker
ALTERNATES
Charlie Lieberman
Christopher Chomyn
Steven Fierberg
Levie Isaacks
Suki Medencevic
MUSEUM CURATOR
Steve Gainer
8
THIS MONTH’S
CONTRIBUTORS
EDITOR’S NOTE
Each generation of cinematographers heralds the
Rachael K. Bosley is a free- promise of fresh perspectives, and bold imagery was
lance writer and a former staff recently rewarded at the Film Independent Spirit
editor (Short Takes, p. 20). Awards, where Todd Banhazl (Hustlers), Jarin Blaschke
(The Lighthouse), Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF (Honey
Boy), Chananun Chotrungroj (The Third Wife) and
Kelly Brinker is a freelance Pawel Pogorzelski (Midsommar) were feted for their
writer and former staff editor nominated projects (“Singular Visions,” page 24). At
(“Rising Stars 2020,” p. 48). press time the winner had not yet been announced,
but all of these cinematographers brought a sense of
adventure to their respective sets. “We’re always
John Calhoun is a New York pushing boundaries, pushing ourselves,” says
correspondent for the Pogorzelski. This kind of moxie can produce some
magazine (“Rising Stars 2020,” nervy moments, but as Braier suggests, necessity
p. 48). remains the mother of invention — leading to such
techniques as “quantum cinematography,” as she calls
it. “You’re lighting for a lot of different possible realities.”
Andrew Fish is the senior The prospect of discovering interesting and unique talents provided the initial moti-
editor (“Singular Visions,” vation for our annual Rising Stars of Cinematography feature. For an industry truly seeking
p. 24). to prioritize creative diversity, coverage of new talents helps foster a wider field of view —
which, in turn, offers the potential for a broader range of stories that can engage a more
Jay Holben is a filmmaker and expansive and inclusive audience.
an associate member of the
This month’s profiles of 10 gifted cinematographers (“Rising Stars 2020,” page 48)
are intended to embrace this aspiration and encourage the pursuit of varied, distinctive
ASC (Shot Craft, p. 14). visions. The group we’ve selected offers an eclectic mix of backgrounds, personal narratives
and cinematic influences. Lebanese cinematographer Christopher Aoun aptly echoes our
Jon Silberg is a freelance guiding principle by noting, “I want to see something I haven’t seen before. I want to be
writer and publicist (“Rising surprised.”
The creative progression on the long-running CW series Supernatural is plainly
Stars 2020,” p. 48). evident and quite remarkable, making it a fascinating case study that reflects the entire
industry’s advancements (“Family Business,” page 38). The tech specs for the show form a
Derek Stettler is a filmmaker lengthy list of technologies that cinematographer Serge Ladouceur, CSC has embraced
and freelance writer (“Rising while shooting over 300 of the show’s 320 episodes. As Ladouceur reflects in his interview
Stars 2020,” p. 48). with web director and associate publisher David E. Williams, his 15-year run on the series
has been an unusual and rewarding experience: “The work I’ve done here reflects, in parts,
my approach to cinematography — and it will be the largest creative project of my career,
Patricia Thomson is a New I have no doubt — but I also look forward to new approaches. Supernatural was a once-in-
York correspondent for the a-lifetime experience.”
magazine (“Singular Visions,” This publication’s 100-year run (and counting) allows us to review the entire history
p. 24). of motion imaging, era by era. In 2020’s first two issues, we looked back at the 1920s and
’30s; this month, our archival focus is the 1940s. World War II’s impact on Hollywood film-
making and the ASC was dutifully chronicled in the pages of American Cinematographer,
David E. Williams is the web which reported on Society members joining the armed forces; training programs for mili-
director and associate tary camerawork; and new tools and techniques developed in the field, often under fire.
publisher (“Family Business,” Our staff pored over a decade’s worth of excerpts to produce an article that frames these
p. 38; “Cameras in Shooting milestones within the context of the period (“Cameras in Shooting War,” page 58).
War,” p. 58).
Photo by Chris Pizzello.
Stephen Pizzello
10 Editor-in-Chief and Publisher
PRESIDENT’S DESK
Via Della Luce
It was a brisk January afternoon when I walked from my hotel in Trastevere, one of the
oldest medieval quarters of Rome. I was on my way to a dinner, where I would present Luciano
Tovoli with our Society’s Certificate of Recognition for his contributions to the art of cine-
matography. I was guided through the Via Della Luce — the “Street of Light” — and I was smil-
ing. Just a few months earlier, on a trip with my daughter, Sara, I’d walked through the same
street, and when we came upon its name, I made the joke that Vittorio Storaro was born on
this alley.
She did not buy into my joke, but walking here again with a winter-afternoon sun lighting
up the sky, tinting the clouds warm and golden, emphasizing the spotless blue sky that
stretched high above the shadowed narrow street, looking just like a ceiling painting of the
illustrious Michelangelo, I could not resist dreaming of cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis’
images of another famed Italian city in Death in Venice. The shadowed, faintly rose- and
yellow-painted walls of the varied homesteads were broken occasionally by wild growths of plants and flowers. Roofs topped
with romantic gardens offered spectacular views of the old town —all exuding an enigmatic and intricate mood. The ambi-
ence referenced Antonioni’s films, particularly L’Avventura, photographed by Aldo Scavarda with a spectacular visual compo-
sition, mood and character. A large communal building stood out because of its grandeur and the singular presence of a beau-
tiful iron gate, reminding me of the iconic and spectacular shot at the end of The Passenger, so seamlessly executed by
Luciano Tovoli, my honored guest for the evening.
The dinner with Luciano, Vittorio, several honored guests, and family, was nothing short of a celebration of friendship
and the art of cinematography. Later that evening, I found my way back through a now dark and somewhat foreboding Via
Della Luce. It was no laughing matter having to share this narrow lane at night with a few speeding Vespas. But turning a
corner revealed a small square, triangular in shape and lit by just a few flickering lanterns. On a bench, a lone romantic couple
sat entranced with one another. The sound of family life echoed from open doors and windows, a perfect atmosphere seem-
ingly lifted directly from Fellini’s Roma, in which the director recounts his youth in the famed city, photographed poetically in
golden light by Giuseppe Rotunno. Taking in these impressions, I reflected on the wide-angle panoramic framing of Tonino
Delli Colli’s Once Upon a Time in the West, and, of course, the magic of color and darkness created by Storaro in The
Conformist.
As I continued further down Via Della Luce, leaving the square behind, the blaring sound of an Italian television broad-
cast caught my attention. Down an alley framed by a stone-gated entrance, lit by a single bare lightbulb reflecting across the
cobblestones, were a few men, wineglasses in hand, mesmerized by a movie broadcast on a small television. In the mystical
light of the bare bulb and the flickering blue haze of the television, absorbed by the drama and romance, I flashed back to
Blasco Giurato’s work in Cinema Paradiso.
The snarky buzz of a Vespa brought me back to life. I jumped out of the way, avoiding a painful confrontation, which
suddenly put me face to face with the red and green neon of the Biscottificio Innocenti bakery (if such a biscotti exists!) In
the reflection of the storefront window was the chapel of Santa Maria Della Luce, lit by a deep-orange sodium vapor. It then
dawned on me how visceral the vision of Luciano Tovoli had been, creating the Technicolor horror and beauty of Suspiria, and
how much he represented an apex in the grandeur of Italian cinematography.
By now I had arrived at my hotel. I needed to pack for an early-morning departure to a world much farther north, colder
and drenched in rain and realism. I would be leaving behind this Street of Light, Via Della Luce, a place where Vittorio Storaro
Photo by Jacek Laskus, ASC, PSC.
could have very well been born. A place where Tonino Delli Colli, Pasqualino De Santis, Armando Nannuzzi, Carlo Di Palma,
Giuseppe Rotunno, Otello Martelli, and many like them could have at one point played soccer, perhaps with a young Nicola
Pecorini taking care of the Coca-Cola.
Kees van Oostrum

ASC President
12 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

SHOT CRAFT By Jay Holben
Jendra Jarnagin has been

a cinematographer for
more than two decades,
with her work appearing
on ABC, Fox, PBS and
Hulu. She opens her
montage reel with a
mesmerizing clip of a
dancer in front of
a colorful rainbow of
Cinematography-reel frame grabs courtesy of the filmmakers. Smart-lens images courtesy of Cooke Optics. Magazine images courtesy of the AC archives.
light. As Jarnagin notes,
the start of her reel is a
quick montage “sizzle”
of the highlights, and
then a collection of
grouped clips from each
project that has a more
narrative progression.
See her reel at
www.jendrajarnagin.com.
The Cinematographer’s Reel will often seek new talent, and this is your opportunity to dazzle
and earn the job. Whether you are a second-degree recommen-
The reel is the cinematographer’s calling card. It is quite dation or a cold discovery, your reel is the first impression you
often the first impression made on a would-be employer, be that make on the people doing the hiring.
a producer or director, and offers a short window of time to Sometimes a producer and director will seek out a cine-
demonstrate your skills, style, sensibility, experience and talent. matographer whose work they know — they’ve seen specific
Creating such an invaluable tool would seem to be a simple projects and decided they want to work with the individual who
endeavor, but extraordinary amounts of controversy and confu- shot that material. Whether it’s something the
sion abound regarding the humble reel. director/producer has seen before or your reel, it’s your prior
The thoughts presented here are my own professional work that gets you the next job — always. When you have a
opinions. They are based on my role as a producer and director significant body of work behind you, the need for a dedicated
— one who hires cinematographers — not on my past experi- reel becomes less critical. But until you’ve won your Academy
ence as a cinematographer. When I’m sitting in a production Award or shot your 15th Sundance Award-winning film, you
office deciding whether to hire you, these are my considerations. need a reel.
Yes, YOU need a reel.
Getting Hired If you are a cinematographer seeking work who doesn’t
In general, the motion-picture industry works on relation- have a reel, you are significantly hindering your chances of
ships. It is truly a business of “who you know” or “who you know obtaining gainful employment.
who knows someone else.” A vast majority of the time, a cine-
matographer is hired because he or she has already worked with The Montage Reel
the director or producer. When those individuals are unavailable There is substantial debate in the industry as to whether
for a particular job, the next list of contenders is assembled from a compilation or montage reel benefits the cinematographer in
trusted sources’ recommendations. For example, the producer today’s marketplace. Allow me to address this with a scenario:
puts out a call to Emily, a cinematographer both he and the I’m a director with a project in the very first stages of
director have worked with, but she is not available, so she preproduction, and I don’t yet have a cinematographer. All of
recommends Joe. This one degree to two degrees of separation my prior cinematographers are booked, and so are their recom-
is the nature of the business. mendations — it’s a busy time! — so I’m looking for someone
When those inquiries fail, however, a producer or director new. My producer has received hundreds of résumés and

submissions, some from reputable agen-
cies, some cold. I’m open to anyone, but
we’ve got to cut down the submissions.
My producer goes through the pile and
selects a dozen for me to preview. At the
same time, I’m getting script revisions
from the writer, actor submissions
(probably video auditions) from the cast-
ing director, sketches and designs from
the production designer, and budget and
schedule revisions from the producer’s
team. It’s a lot, so I need a shortcut to
maximize my time. Though you have a
beautiful website with all of your work
laid out, visiting the websites of all 12 Kevin Garrison is an international cinematographer who has shot on nearly every continent. His work
is a combination of narrative features and commercial projects. His reel is an almost trance-like
cinematographer candidates and collection of exquisitely beautiful moments. You can see more at vimeo.com/255815446/3dd3e1d9b0.
scrolling through dozens of commercials,
music videos and clips will take me hours many will, and it will make your life a lot demonstrate lighting as well.
— time I simply don’t have. But if each of easier. Visual storytelling is key. If the
these cinematographers has a two- or Your reel should contain your camera moves in a shot, the move
three-minute compilation reel — voila, a best work — and only your best work. should be motivated and should expand
shortcut! It’s an extreme time saver for And it should be the best photographic the narrative, even if we only see one
me, your potential employer. Once I’ve work, not necessarily the work that was shot of that story. Even better, string
gone through the compilation reels, I can the hardest to do or that you were most several shots together in a sequence and
make my short list, and then look at passionate about. No one cares what it clearly illustrate your ability to execute
more of their work on their websites and took to get the shot; they only care visual storytelling. The more your reel
choose whom I will meet with. If you about the result. Many will advise you to feels like it has a story or an emotional
don’t have a compilation reel, you are “put your best shots first,” but I object to flow, the better. That’s especially true if
absolutely going to the bottom of the that concept. All the shots on the reel you’re submitting for a scripted narra-
pile, and chances are someone else will should be your best. If they’re not, don’t tive. Remember: The job is visual story-
get my attention before I get to you. The include them! That way you can concen- telling, so even in your reel, you should
reel is a CliffsNotes for your skills. trate on the overall flow of the reel be trying to tell a story. That will have
Is a compilation/montage reel still rather than worrying about which shots more impact than you can imagine. This
germane today? are the best. is the entertainment industry, so at the
You bet it is. Group together shots from one end of the day, your reel should be
project. When you spread them out entertaining.
Tips for Your Reel throughout a montage, returning to the Focus your reel. As painful as this
There are many things you can do same look time and time again, it is to read (and even more so to execute),
to help your compilation reel stand out becomes repetitive. It also suggests your you need multiple reels. If you are work-
in the crowd. Most cinematographers work is limited and you’re spreading it ing in scripted narrative, you need a reel
are not necessarily editors, so the thin to make it look like more. for drama, horror, thriller, comedy, etc.
concept of putting together a reel is Less is always more. It’s hard to Submit the reel that matches the job. If
often quite daunting. Hiring a solid accept that — but believe me, it’s true. I you submit for a horror film and you
editor to put your work together for you recently saw a cinematographer’s reel have all comedy and drama on your reel,
is absolutely worth the cost, but give that was 30 seconds of WOW, and it left chances are very slim you’ll be consid-
that editor direction. Explain how you me feeling that I absolutely wanted to ered. For a narrative reel, do not include
want it assembled and what you think is see more of that person’s work. That’s documentary, commercial, music video,
the best way to illustrate your work. what you want from your reel: to make industrial, etc. Likewise, if your reel is
Gathering footage for your reel an impression and leave them wanting documentary, don’t include music
can also be a herculean effort. Try to more. videos or narrative work. Keep the reel
work it into your deal memo from the Lighting is key. Your reel must specific to the job. If you do many differ-
start that you will get a copy of all the demonstrate your lighting ability. This is ent genres of photography, that’s
dailies or the final color-corrected paramount for a cinematographer. Yes, awesome; just make sure you have sepa-
footage. Not every project will agree to beautiful naturally lit shots are rate reels for each one. The more
this — especially larger ones — but absolutely germane, but you MUST focused your reel is for the job you want,
www.ascmag.com March 2020 15

What is good photography?
We could spend years debating
a proper answer to that question.
I can say what I look for when
considering a cinematographer for
hire, and it always starts with lighting.
You’ve got to have great lighting on
your reel, followed by solid composi-
tion that serves the story. That’s
mostly what I’m looking for when I
watch a reel. I’ll also be judging lens
choice, creative take, understanding
Tari Segal, director of photography for CBS’ FBI, offers a narrative-feature and a television reel. Both of atmosphere, texture, and color.
show incredible variety — and she has grouped each project together to demonstrate visual
storytelling ability. The deep composition pictured here is from a short called Mojave Junction. Her
reels can be found at www.tarisegal.com.
the better your chances. In the commer- ting for a wine spot, they want to see high-speed photography, a reel full of
cial world, this gets even more specific. If wine, not beer or cola. The more you can slow-mo shots is an immediate eye-roller
you’re submitting for a car spot, don’t help producers and directors visualize for the experienced director/producer.
include beverages or cosmetics spots — what their project could look like, the It’s likely to be immediately tossed into
they want to see cars. If you’re submit- better your chances of getting hired. the bin.
This leads me to a very important Cool skateboarding shots do not
Tips from an agent: point: What if you don’t have the kind of equal great cinematography. Unless your
• HD Footage! Make sure it’s at least work on your reel that you’re submitting specialty is sports photography, GoPro
1080p. In this day and age, don’t use for? If you’re a young cinematographer shots with cool action are not enough to
standard-def footage. who wants to shoot horror movies but make a cinematography reel.
• The images are much more important you’ve never shot one, how can you get Drone shots are cool, but unless
than the music. That should go without a job shooting one? Our business is full of your specialty is drone photography,
saying, but too many people put far too terrible Catch-22s, but this one you can they are not enough to make a cine-
much weight on the music. solve: Go out and shoot the material you matography reel.
• Less is more! Keep it short — three want to be shooting. A series of natural-light/daylight
minutes or less. Yup, it’s that simple. sequences can be beautiful, but they are
• No lip flap! As you’re building the There’s nothing wrong with shoot- not enough to make a cinematography
montage, don’t have actors speaking ing material specifically for your reel. You reel, unless — sense a motif here? —
when there is no sync sound. It’s very want to shoot horror films? Get some that is your specialty.
distracting. actors together and shoot a horror
• When you’re starting out, if you can scene. Shoot horror shots if you need to. Website and Social Media
incorporate any celebrity talent and You need material on your reel that’s in I consider your website and social
recognizable faces, it will make the reel the spirit of the material you want to get media to be part of your “reel.” You must
look bigger. Be careful with featuring hired for. It’s crucial. In this day and age, have a website, and it must feature
folks that have passed away, as this will there’s no excuse for not shooting mate- expanded samples of your work. Once
date the work. rial for your reel. It does not matter what I’ve seen your reel and I’m interested, I
• Incorporate a variety of looks. Your reel camera you use; it does not matter what need to see more. I want to see scenes
should reflect the kind of work you want lens you use. Photograph it well no from narrative projects or full commer-
to shoot. matter the hardware. cial spots, full music videos, entire short
• Make sure it’s all your footage! Don’t Don’t stretch your work to fit a films, etc. Your website should have all of
ever use another cinematographer’s particular length. Shorter is better, this. It should also include a biography
work on your reel. always. about you.
A presence on social media is also
— Brian Goldberg, television partner, More Tips imperative. IMPERATIVE. Many people
Worldwide Production Agency (WPA) Slow motion does not equal great moan about it, but social-media sites are
cinematography. Unless your specialty is another calling card, and your potential

employers will look for them. Absolutely,
100-percent. Instagram is the hot place
right now, but you should have a
YouTube or Vimeo presence as well. Your
Instagram especially should be a healthy
mix of samples of your work, behind-the-
scenes photos, and some personal
images — not your cats and dogs, but
you in real life. That is the professional
purpose of social media: it gives a poten-
tial employer an idea about who you are
as an individual. That is just as important
as your work.
Reject the concept of a social-
media presence at your peril. It’s not
only part of your professional image, but
also a wonderful means for new direc-
tors to discover your work. Connect with
them and utilize the platforms just as you
would a networking event. It’s just an
extension of that.
A PL mount featuring the four copper connection points for the Cooke /i Technology. These ports provide
Does your number of followers power to the lens electronics, as well as transmit information from the lens to the camera.
matter? Not in my experience. Though
producers are often (pretty much Why is this metadata important? ing device) and reports exact focal
always) talking about social-media Generally, it’s crucial for visual-effects distance, fractional aperture, real focal
numbers for actors, we’re not marketing artists who are altering or adding to the length (which often differs from the
the project based on the cinematogra- images recorded by the camera during rounded focal length that is printed on
pher’s following. Having 50,000 follow- production. the barrel), and even the serial number
ers might be an impressive statistic, but In the old-fashioned method- of the lens if there are any problems.
it won’t be the make-or-break factor in ology, the camera team notes every lens, When the system is working properly,
whether you’re hired. Don’t fret about focal distance and aperture in a log on a this data is passed to the camera and
that. Just have a presence. shot-by-shot basis. The unit script super- then carried — married to the footage in
visor generally records these details as a perfect scenario, or available in a “side-
Smart Lenses well. These logs are passed along car” file — into postproduction, where it
(ideally) to editorial and then (again, is of incredible value to the visual-effects
What is a “smart lens,” and how ideally) to the visual-effects teams, who artists.
can it improve your life? are often scattered across the globe. Additionally, the metadata can be
However, in the heat of production, the fed into camera accessories during
A smart lens might not be able to camera assistant might have been production to remotely report the lens’
talk to your Google Assistant or your distracted and neglected to record the exact focus, aperture and zoom to hand-
Amazon Alexa and place your favorite information, or perhaps the script super- held focus devices — eliminating the
coffee order for you (which is a shame), visor missed a lens change that need to calibrate each lens and focus
but it can talk to your Arri Alexa (or Red happened at the last minute. In those ring, and providing the most accurate
or Sony) and relay a wealth of critical cases, the records are inaccurate, readout of focus setting and depth-of-
information about the lens to the camera confusing and contradictory, and it’s up field approximations for a particular lens,
or external recording device. to the visual-effects team to attempt to aperture and focal-distance setting.
Smart lenses incorporate analyze the image and try to determine Lens metadata was introduced
computer chips and encoders to report the correct focal length, focal distance when entrepreneur Les Zellan bought
metadata about the lens’ status, which and aperture in order to integrate their the ailing Cooke Optics and decided to
includes the make and model of the lens, elements into the image. When they continue the legacy line into the new
the serial number, the focal length guess wrong, the image never looks millennium. He envisioned a world in
(which is dynamic if it’s a zoom lens), the right. which metadata would be helpful, and
aperture, the focus setting, and more. All Enter metadata. The smart lens began to implement the concept into
of this information is recorded at a rate reports its data in a dynamic fashion per Cooke lenses, starting with the S4/i
of at least every frame. frame to the camera (or external record- series in 2005. (The /i stands for “intelli-

multiple focal lengths and multiple focus
distances. It’s an extremely time-
consuming process. With distortion and
vignetting information already built into
the lens, there is no need to map every
lens — they’re already mapped!
An inside look at Zeiss integrated this technology
the electronics in a into the CP.3 XD series of primes, as well
/i lens. This small
circuit board
as the Supreme Primes.
controls the Simultaneous to Zeiss’ efforts,
communications Cooke was developing the /i3 update to
with the camera as
well as the internal
the technology, which also includes
brushes and distortion and vignetting information as
encoders that standard features. This is built into
measure the lens’
exact focus, iris and
newer models of the Cooke S7/i lenses.
zoom settings. The Arri LDS system is all internal
— no external recorders necessary.
Cooke /i offers an external port on its
lenses for situations where the camera
does not see or record the data. In both
cases, the lenses are powered and
communicate primarily through four
pins on the PL lens mount. The Cooke /i
gent” and is the Cooke trademark for lenses — as well as into Sony, Panasonic pins are at the top of the mount at the
this technology.) and Red cameras. Arri cameras also read 12:00 position, and the Arri LDS
Simultaneous to this develop- and support Cooke /i metadata, while comprises four pins at the 3:00 position.
ment, Arri was working on its own lens- only Arri lenses incorporate LDS. (This Lenses that integrate both communica-
metadata system: the Lens Data System includes Arri/Zeiss and Arri/Fujinon tion systems will have eight pins, four in
(LDS), introduced around 2001 in the lenses.) Because Arri also manufactures each location.
Arri/Zeiss Ultra Primes. The two systems accessories for its LDS system, you can Although lens metadata has been
offer nearly identical data but in slightly use a standard (non-smart) lens with Arri available for nearly two decades, its
different ways. Unlike Arri, Cooke only LDS-encoded motors and capture meta- adoption in the production and postpro-
manufactures lenses, so it can only data from a vintage lens. duction pipeline has been slow, mostly
provide a lens that sends its information With the introduction of the Zeiss because user demand hasn’t been high.
out; whether a camera actually listens to CP.3 lens series, Zeiss took Cooke /i That is changing, however. One step
that data and records it, and whether metadata a step further. Within the /i toward that change is increasing aware-
the system protects that information as protocol, there are additional “user- ness of the existence of lens metadata
it moves through the various stages of identified” columns of data that Cooke and having camera assistants, cine-
post, are a whole ’nother can of beans. has left open. The engineers at Zeiss matographers and visual-effects artists
Because Arri manufactures lenses, decided to utilize these open columns to demand that their cameras and post
cameras and accessories, it can fully provide geometric distortion and software effectively capture and trans-
integrate lens metadata into camera vignetting (shading) information for each port metadata through the entire work-
systems and accessories. lens on a dynamic, frame-by-frame basis. flow. Three committees of the ASC’s
Both companies offer their tech- This is an extraordinary leap Motion Imaging Technology Council —
nologies to other camera and lens manu- forward in smart-lens technology, given the Lens Committee, the Motion Imag-
facturers. Arri requires a hefty license that in preproduction — and even during ing Workflow Committee’s Advanced
fee for the integration of the LDS system, production — the visual-effects team is Data Management Subcommittee, and
whereas Cooke charges a mere £1 per tasked with “mapping” each lens used by the Metadata Committee — are all
annual license. As so much of this busi- the production by photographing working hard to inform and motivate the
ness is driven by economy, it should be checkerboard charts to record the lens’ business to make metadata a stream-
no surprise that the less expensive unique distortions and aberrations. lined part of everyday production. It’s
Cooke system is more widely adopted. These are key to being able to integrate not the future of technology anymore.
Cooke /i technology is incorporated into elements into the scene later. Every lens It’s here now, and it can help your
Angénieux, Fujifilm, IB/E, Leitz, Panavi- must be mapped, typically at multiple production in many ways!
sion, Servicevision, Sigma and Zeiss focus distances — and if it’s a zoom, at u

Scanned from the January 1941 issue of AC, page 2 of this article features images from a test of
coated (left image) vs. uncoated (right image) lenses. Though the images have since faded, there is an
exposure difference between the two, as the coated lens allowed for more transmission of light.
There is also a better contrast, resulting in a crisper image.
From the AC Archives ment. Others obtained new lenses, 150-watt units was developed by
factory-treated with similar coatings Warner Bros. Studio last year, and
These historical technology arti- from Cooke, Bausch & Lomb, and other subsequently marketed in modified
cles are wonderful treasure troves of manufacturers. All of the lenses on the form by Bardwell & McAlister as the
information, and I find them deeply new 20th Century cameras ordered by “Dinky Inky.” It is being used increasingly
fascinating. This piece, presumably by the 20th Century-Fox Studio were thus in motion-picture studio camerawork. In
AC’s then-editor William Stull, ASC, treated by Bausch & Lomb. addition, several other manufacturers
details the innovations of the previous The chief advantages of this treat- have brought out similar lamps, among
year. I’ve picked the most interesting ment are an almost complete elimina- which may be mentioned the “Acad-
ones to share here. tion of internal flare when shooting into emy” and the Fink-Roselieve types. In
As might be expected from the strong light sources, a notable increase addition to their professional use, these
“lens guy,” I’m most fascinated by the in apparent definition and contrast, and “peanut” spotlamps make spotlights for
progress in optics at the time. The year an increase in effective speed of the first time available to the amateur at
1940 was when thin-film optical coatings between 1 and 11⁄2 stops. prices within reach of the amateur’s
were introduced into cinematography. The lenses delivered to 20th purse. They are a direct result of the
Additionally, you’ll find a note at the Century-Fox by Bausch & Lomb were lower illumination requirements of
bottom of the passage that alludes to calibrated by special photometric meth- today’s high-speed film.
the introduction of T-stops. A banner ods devised by Supervisor of Photogra- Several studios and cinematogra-
year for optics! phy Daniel B. Clark, ASC, which, it is phers have experimented with the use
claimed, give a more consistent measure of fluorescent tube units for soft front-
Technical Progress in 1940 of actual light transmission at any stop lighting, especially in close-ups. While
AC January 1941, Page 6 than previous methods. this type of lighting has not been widely
accepted in motion-picture use, its
Lenses Lighting adaptability to portrait still work has
The outstanding development in In the realm of lighting, Stull been immediately evident. A commer-
this field was the application to both notes: cial unit of this type has been marketed
new and existing motion-picture lenses Perhaps the most notable devel- by Bardwell-McAlister under the name
of various forms of non-glare coating. opment in lighting during 1940 was the “Fluor-o-photo.” u
Several of the major Hollywood studios increased acceptance of the so-called
made varying use of existing lenses “dinky” spotlights for both professional
treated with the Vard “Opticoat” treat- and amateur use. The first of these tiny,

SHORT TAKES
Living in India, a single mother and her 7-year-old skateboarding daughter forge a new path for themselves in the short Kamali.
Skating for Change project. “By the time Suganthi and I had finished talking, we
By Rachael K. Bosley were both in tears,” the director says. “I couldn’t believe what
she was going through to try and forge this new path for her
Set in the seaside village of Mahabalipuram, India, the daughter. As the daughter of a refugee [from the former USSR],
24-minute documentary Kamali offers a snapshot of a society I have always been fascinated by those parts of my own family
on the cusp of change through its focus on a single mother, history and the choices that were made that led to who I am
Suganthi, and her daughter, Kamali, a 7-year-old skateboarder. today. There I was, seeing it in action. I knew I had to come
The short was directed by Sasha Rainbow and shot by back [to India] and share their story.”
Jake Gabbay, who won a 2019 Camerimage Golden Frog for his Back in London, Rainbow and her producer, Rosalind
work on the project. The London-based cinematographer, who Croad, connected with Gabbay through agent Amber Thomp-
is largely self-taught, describes the honor as “very cool — son at Worldwide Production Agency. “Amber hit me up and
incredible, really.” said, ‘This documentary is coming. Would you be up for a meet-
Rainbow discovered the subjects of her project while ing?’” Gabbay says. “I thought, ‘Skateboarding in India? Sounds
researching a music video — for a song called “Alpha Female” wicked!’”
by Wild Beasts — that focused on the female skateboarding Rainbow noted in Gabbay’s reel a “luscious use of rich
scene in India. “Whilst doing that research, I stumbled across a color and deep blacks, which I am always drawn to, and he
photo online of a 6-year-old girl in a white dress, barefoot, could clearly shoot daylight in a dramatic, hyper-real way,
flying down a ramp,” Rainbow recalls. “I knew she had to be in which is what I was looking for, knowing we couldn’t rely on
the video; this image of her represented so much of what the lots of lighting equipment.” Another mark in Gabbay’s favor,
future could be. Once on the ground in India, we were able to she adds, was that he could provide his own camera package
Kamali images courtesy of the filmmakers.
track her down through the skate community. We reached out for the shoot.
to her family, and Suganthi and Kamali left their village for the At their meeting, the filmmakers bonded over the
first time to come to Bangalore. When they arrived, it was night aesthetic Rainbow had in mind, which was influenced by Spike
[and] Kamali emerged from the light, barefoot, holding a skate- Lee’s Do the Right Thing, shot by Ernest Dickerson, ASC. “Sasha
board the same size as her body. Her eyes widened as she took liked those empowering low angles and wanted something
in the skate park, and after a quick hello, she flew around the with a little attitude on it,” says Gabbay. “She and Roz also
park on her board. It was electrifying, and without a moment’s wanted [a cinematographer] who’d commit to the project 100
hesitation, we were running around filming her.” percent and be comfortable in that situation. I’d never been to
Over the course of interviewing Suganthi and Kamali, India, but I was game.”
Rainbow decided they should be the focus of a separate Gabbay’s first call was to focus puller Henry Keep. “I’d

worked with Henry for a few years, and
he’s great at what he does — you could
go into a war zone with him and he’ll get
you a shot. Between the two of us, we
had pretty much everything we needed
for our kit. I owned the camera and
lenses, a Red Epic Dragon and a set of
spherical Lomo standard [primes], and
he owned everything else, including the
gimbal and the batteries.
“The shoot would’ve been noth-
ing without Henry,” Gabbay adds. “He’s
meticulous. He kept a gimbal working for
three weeks straight in 40-degree pp Cinematographer Jake Gabbay (center) and sound recorder Jeremy Brown capture the daily
routine of Kamali’s mother, Suganthi. p Kamali happily greets her mother.
[104°F] weather on sand. He also kept a
fan on the camera at all times; the was burning hot, we’d take a break. bottom of the frame in the foreground
Dragon has a tendency to overheat, but That’s how we were able to shoot for — she’s skateboarding on the village half
it was smooth sailing.” three weeks and still have energy.” pipe. “I don’t know why, but I love body,
Gabbay also tapped his own In the movie, the camera is head and sky in the frame and no
brother, Max, who was 17 at the time, to seldom stationary. “I love a moving ground,” Gabbay says. “Sometimes I’d
be “our camera assistant, gaffer and camera that just gradually reveals just point the camera up, and it looked
runner.” Rounding out the crew in India things,” says Gabbay. “I used an Easyrig good.”
were editor David Higgs and sound along with the gimbal because some of He shot that scene, and most of
recorder Jeremy Brown. the takes were 40 to 50 minutes long. Kamali, on the 18mm Lomo, which yields
Gabbay recalls the three-week Sometimes I went handheld in very small an image he describes as “sharp but a bit
shoot in the summer of 2018 as “free- spaces, like the family’s home.” rough — it does its own thing.”
flowing but really well-structured. We’d One notable stationary shot holds The production rented one lens in
plan each day out based on the activities on the ocean and sky in the background India: a Zeiss 70-200mm Compact Zoom
or events that were happening, and if it as Kamali’s head drifts in and out of the (T2.9), which Gabbay used to get action

t Gabbay and director Sasha Rainbow discuss a scene. u The crew (from left): interpreter Lead Mechery, focus puller Henry Keep, Gabbay, Rainbow and Brown.
shots of Kamali’s uncle surfing in a local Redcode Raw, using 8:1 compression for skateboard right from the beginning. We
competition. “We shot that at 200 [fps] night scenes and 10:1 compression were very lucky to have that docu-
on the long end of the lens, right at the otherwise. “I didn’t like to go below 8:1, mented. Jamie Thomas met Kamali
water’s edge,” he recalls. but because we were shooting so much when he was passing through Maha-
Shooting in daylight was the footage, 10:1 is where we rested,” he bilipurum on a tour of India. He taught
norm, and Gabbay’s lighting kit was says. her to drop down the ramp, and he took
small and battery-powered: a 1x1 Fomex He also applied a film-emulation the photo of her that I found on the
LED and a Dedolight LEDzilla. However, LUT developed by Toby Tomkins at Internet. When he left, he gave her his
Suganthi’s spontaneous decision to London post house Cheat. “It emulates board, and the rest, they say, is history!”
embark on a pilgrimage in the midst of Kodak [Vision3 500T] 5219, and it’s Gabbay was on another project
the shoot led to some challenging night especially beautiful with the Lomos,” when Rainbow undertook Kamali’s final
work. “Suganthi suddenly felt inspired to says the cinematographer. “Toby devel- grade at Cheat, where she worked with
go on this pilgrimage to bless her daugh- oped it some time ago, and I shoot with colorist Jax Harney; the grade was
ter and our film, and she walked day and it pretty much all the time. I find it hard performed with Blackmagic Design’s
night for miles and miles — she was not to shoot with a look [applied] DaVinci Resolve. “I knew the results
gone for about 10 days,” says Gabbay. because it dictates how you move, I would be fantastic because I’d worked at
“We’d film in the village and then drive think.” Cheat and with Jax on other projects,”
to catch up with her, and sometimes it Throughout the shoot, Higgs Gabbay says. “Jax is great, and I
took us a few hours to reach her. It was sorted through footage and created an completely trusted her taste and style.
humbling to witness.” assembly cut every few days, and the And because I’d shot with a LUT on, I had
Shots of Suganthi walking at night team would look at it together. “We a good idea of what we would get.”
are illuminated mainly by the car head- could see what was working, what we The production’s young subject
lights bearing down on her from behind, still needed, how to focus and where,” made quite in impression on the cine-
with Gabbay doing his best to provide a Gabbay recalls. “It was really collabora- matographer, who recalls, “One time I
bit of fill. “Max and I were in front of her, tive.” was filming her in the bowl by her house,
walking backwards, and I’d ask Max to Kamali also incorporates some sitting in the middle of the ramp with my
aim one of our lights where I thought it iPhone footage of Kamali’s earliest leg out. She came down super-fast,
looked good,” says Gabbay. “At the skateboarding efforts, including a lesson tripped over my leg and went flying. As I
same time, I was trying to keep him to from U.S. pro skateboarder Jamie turned around to check on her, she had
my right, away from the traffic zooming Thomas. Rainbow explains, “Aine already hopped up and was running over
by us. All I could think was, ‘Dad’s going Edwards, an Irish woman living in Maha- to check on me! That kid is going to be all
to kill me!’” balipuram, has known Kamali since she right in life.” u
Gabbay captured Kamali in was 3, and she filmed Kamali learning to

Singular
Visions
Meet the Film Independent
Spirit Award nominees for
Honey Boy
Cinematographer: Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF
Best Cinematography
Director: Alma Har’el
With emotional sensitivity and technical finesse,

Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF captured the catharsis of Honey
By Andrew Fish and Patricia Thomson Boy’s writer/co-star Shia LaBeouf as he made peace with
his childhood traumas while performing in a compelling
scripted narrative. The cinematic look and documentary
The Film Independent Spirit Awards celebrate movies style the cinematographer brought to the production
that stray from the beaten path. Bold ideas, complex rela- earned her nominations for both a Spirit Award and an
tionships and disturbing predicaments rule the roost, and ASC Spotlight award. In the following interview, we
the directors of photography who capture them are given aimed to learn about Braier herself — her earliest begin-
their due. This year’s Spirit Award nominees for Best nings, her career and personal challenges, and the under-
Cinematography were Honey Boy, shot by Natasha Braier, lying themes that inform her filmmaking.
ASC, ADF; Hustlers, shot by Todd Banhazl; The Lighthouse, And as the Society member among this year’s Spirit
shot by Jarin Blaschke; The Third Wife, shot by Chananun Award nominees, Braier and her exceptional work take
Chotrungroj; and Midsommar, shot by Pawel Pogorzelski. center stage — and grace our cover.
AC caught up with these talented filmmakers, who offered
their insights on the philosophies and methods that American Cinematographer: What are your recollec-
brought these singular stories to life. tions from the turbulent times in Argentina during your
early years?

Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF:
Argentina was a military dictatorship
that ended in 1983 — so during my
The Rover images courtesy of A24 Films and Braier. Hustlers images courtesy of STX Financing, LLC. The Lighthouse images courtesy of A24 Films. The Third Wife images courtesy of Film Movement.
childhood, there were still people

disappearing and getting murdered
by the government. My parents are
both Freudian psychoanalysts, and
they were meeting with colleagues
and had to hide the books. Any kind
of activity that was intellectual, or
Honey Boy images courtesy of Amazon Studios. The Milk of Sorrow images courtesy of Olive Films and Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF. Swimmer images by Jack English and Braier.
could be considered subversive in any

way, was actually very dangerous [to
engage in]. This was the first decade
of my life.
My parents had to be very care-
ful not to discuss certain things in
front of me when I was a kid —
because they didn’t know if I was
going to repeat them in school, which
could create big problems — for
instance, the reason you don’t see
their friend coming around anymore
is because he ‘disappeared.’ I defi-
nitely felt a kind of tension.
But everything changed [after
the] election in ’83. We had democ-
racy. It was a celebration. I remember
that day, being in the streets with my
parents. Obviously, as a kid you don’t
fully understand — but I came to an
awareness that before the election we
had all been repressed somehow, and
[after the election] everyone was
different. I think it was mainly
[seeing] my parents finally being
happier and more relaxed, and not
being prisoners in their own country.
When I was a bit older, I started to
analyze it and really understand what
happened and the context I grew up
in.
Amid all of this, did you go to
the movies? t Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF, photographed while shooting the 2009 feature The Milk of Sorrow,
Braier: My parents are both big directed by Claudia Llosa. p, pp & ppp Braier collaborates with director Alma Har’el (ppp,
Midsommar images courtesy of A24 Films.
cinephiles and they would take me to right ) on Honey Boy, a project the cinematographer calls “film therapy” for its writer and co-star Shia
LaBeouf (pp, left).
the movies — especially my dad.
Because he was so busy working, my watching movies. Maybe that’s why I also interested in quantum physics
mom thought we should have a make movies! and the mysteries of the universe, and
‘bonding date’ every week, so I would Is there a particular film that Back to the Future had all that — all
get to spend some time with him. We really affected you? those philosophical questions about
would go to the movies every Braier: Back to the Future was time and ‘What is reality?’ The movie
Tuesday. Those times made a very the movie that impacted me the most [represented] the philosophical, exis-
strong emotional imprint on me — in my childhood. It blew me away. I tential quest that I’m still pursuing.
the connection with my dad, and grew up to be a filmmaker, but I’m The other movie was The

Singular Visions
Goonies; it was about adventure and
friendship, which was really exciting. I
think cinematographers are adventur-
ers in a way. We chose this life where
we go off on adventures and meet new
people. It might be one of the closest
jobs to the pirates you see in the
movies. [Laughs.]
How do you see this ‘existential
quest’ playing out in your work?
Braier: Gloria Bell [directed by
Sebastián Lelio], for example, is a
movie about identity, personal growth,
and liberation from social program-
ming and conditioning [in regard to]
what a woman is supposed to be and
do. The Milk of Sorrow [directed by
p A frame from The Claudia Llosa] is about sexuality and
Milk of Sorrow. sexual healing. In a very poetic,
u Braier wades in
with director Lynne symbolic, metaphorical way, it follows
Ramsay for the 35mm a woman who is going through a jour-
black-and-white ney from fear to freedom. And XXY
Swimmer,
commissioned by the [directed by Lucía Puenzo] is a film
2012 Olympics. that was very [progressive] for its time,
q A still from in 2007. It was about an intersex
Swimmer.
teenager, and it was a big inquiry into
identity.
Honey Boy is a kind of ‘film ther-
apy.’ The movie is part of a therapeutic
process; Shia LaBeouf wrote it during
his rehab. He portrays his father, like in
role-play therapy — and we were
witnessing him getting into his father’s
‘skin’ and making this character three-
dimensional and human. He’s not
playing a villain — and by trying to
find this humanity in the character, he
was finding the humanity in his father,
and forgiving him. You could see the
moment of forgiveness and compas-
sion, and it was amazing to be able to
witness that. It was as if he took a
[weight] off of his shoulders, and now
he could have peace with his father.
[Taking on these similar themes]
“When you’re in your 20s and in film school or starting to do your first films, you’re has not been a deliberate decision on
also in a moment in life when you are trying to define yourself and your own identity, my part, but somehow I gravitated
and often trying to separate yourself from your parents and find out who you are. toward and fell in love with those
I became a filmmaker; I didn’t become a Freudian shrink like my parents. But in a scripts. It’s really interesting to look
way I’m kind of doing the same thing — except I’m choosing movies that I feel back and see that for almost two
somehow can help people to be freer and happier, and therefore help make the decades, that theme is always there.
world a better place.” What were some of the tech-
— Natasha Braier, ASC, ADF niques you employed to allow
LaBeouf and his young co-star, Noah

Jupe, to do this emotional work?
Braier: This was not going to be
just an actor playing a role; he was
going to go through very deep
emotions and an emotional process.
And being the daughter of two shrinks,
and having done a lot of therapy in my
life, I could see the sacredness of the
process. What I could do as a cine-
matographer was create [an environ-
ment where] he didn’t have to deal
with us. The question was — how can I
be as invisible as possible, so he doesn’t
have to deal with all the technicalities
of a camera crew and grips and
electrics coming in after the rehearsal
and doing adjustments? Because he
might just need to keep going, or he
might need to not see anyone in that
room, and only have Alma, the direc-
tor, coming in, who’s a gentle presence
that he trusts.
What I had to do first was find a
top-notch crew that could pull this off
— we had to shoot it in 20 days — and
they also had to be very sensitive and
really have compassion, so they could
help me build a system where we could
work in a very noninvasive manner
that would allow us to capture the
material in both a documentary and
cinematic way. I found an amazing
group of people that I’m super-grateful The cinematographer
captures the
to. postapocalyptic
Normally when you let your feature The Rover for
actors roam freely in the space, you director David
Michôd.
compromise on lighting because you
have to light for 360, but in this case we
had new technology: LED lighting,
transmitters and receivers. I used a lot
of LEDs to replace [the bulbs in] the
practical lights, so [the fixtures] could
[appear in camera]. I like to call it
‘quantum cinematography.’ You’re “Natasha was raised in South America and lived in Europe, and you
lighting for a lot of different possible sense in all her choices that she’s been exposed to beauty, architecture and art
realities. When the actors got in their from different places, and I think she brings that to her work,” says Julio
positions, I would see where they were Macat, ASC, a fellow Argentinian-born cinematographer. “She knows how to
on my monitor. I would be outside the take something that’s simple and guide it toward becoming something special.
room, playing with the dimmers — in She’s an artist who has had to fight to climb the ladder — which has taken
the moment, like a deejay. Which light courage and stamina — while sticking to her guns and remaining a great story-
is on or off? What intensity? What teller.”
color? To watch Macat’s Spanish-language video interview with Braier, visit
It makes you really appreciate ascmag.com/BraierMacat.
how amazing it is for the actors, to be

Singular Visions
Having earned an ASC Spotlight Award nomination for Honey Boy, Braier (second row from back, seventh from left) attends this year’s ASC Awards along
with an ever-growing number of fellow women cinematographers.
so free and not feel your presence at When I was in film school, I had stand how you like things. You exper-
all. It gave me a lot of inspiration to no idea what being a filmmaker iment, and try things, and perfect
continue to work in this way. I think if meant for your personal life. I had no things, so you are in great shape
I can do great work, and at the same idea that I was going to travel all the when you get to the film. It’s like how
time be invisible and help the actors time, and that I was not going to have a sports team trains before the
give an even better performance, then a steady life — and I also had no idea competition.
that makes me a better cinematogra- about commercials. It didn’t click Ideally, if the movie’s local, you
pher. with me that it was the same people can work with your same crew. I have
After you received your shooting both films and commercials. two crews now — the crew I used in
master’s degree in cinematography I’m so extremely grateful for commer- The Neon Demon and Gloria Bell, and
from the National Film and cials, because they allow me to make the crew I used on Honey Boy. I alter-
Television School in the U.K., how enough money to be very selective in nate, depending on who is available.
did you get your professional start? the films I choose — so I can do Honey They really feel like family, and I can’t
Braier: I was doing a lot of Boy, for example, for practically no imagine what I would do without
shorts when I was in film school, so money. I would not be able to do any of them.
when I finished, I had this network of these movies if I weren’t combining it As the cinematographer is the
filmmakers that I knew, and people with a commercial career. de facto leader of the crew, was it a
started seeing the shorts at festivals. What are some of the differ- challenge for you in the beginning
At the time, the British government ences between working on a to take on that leadership role?
was investing a lot of money in short commercial and working on a Braier: I finished film school in
films and new filmmakers. I couldn’t feature? 2001, and there weren’t many women
completely make a living out of it, but Braier: Shooting commercials is cinematographers around, [and
I would get some money. Then I like going to the gym. You keep in therefore not so many role models]. I
started shooting music videos and shape for the movies, ‘updating’ admired Ellen Kuras [ASC] and
Photo by Mat Newman.
documentaries, and after a couple of yourself with the new technologies Agnès Godard [AFC], but because
years, that led to my first film, Glue, and new equipment. And you keep there was [a lot less information
and to shooting commercials. And building your crew — your special available on the] internet at the time,
features, music videos and commer- tricks and common language — and it wasn’t like I could see a lot of inter-
cials are basically what I do now. get to know each other, so they under- views with them. And because I

feel like if you ever get to be part of
the ASC, you’ve made it. So it was of
course a huge honor to be invited —
but the best part is I have this group
of friends now who share similar life
experiences, and I can call them and
talk about the new lenses and
cameras and technologies, or about
the challenges you face with directors,
crew, producers or partners. Or if I’m
going to shoot a movie in, say,
Malaysia — who has a good gaffer
there? It’s a sense of belonging to a
family. I know they’re there if I need
them, and I’m there for them. And it’s
Braier works with the crew to help achieve Har’el’s objectives as they plan the next frame. such an honor because they’re all my
heroes as well!
never worked as a crewmember in eye or better technical knowledge,
the camera department, I never saw even though I was 20 years younger For a deep dive into the tools and
other women in the cinematographer than them and didn’t speak the techniques Braier employed on Honey
position on set, and how they owned language very well. But I have to say, Boy, see our December 2019 issue or
their authority. I had no examples of the majority of men I’ve found in read the article online at ascmag.com/
that. [From my few visits to] a couple almost two decades of being a DP articles/honey-boy-father-and-son.
of sets, and from the DPs that came to have been amazing, and they’ve been — Andrew Fish
teach us at film school, all the exam- extremely supportive of me.
ples I had were from men. I guess the [most important Hustlers
I think it took time to find a element has] been to really learn to Cinematographer:
way of being the authority, the boss, scan people, and choose the right Todd Banhazl
in a different way, that is not exactly men and women to be on my crew. Director: Lorene Scafaria
how men relate to men. How, as a And now that we [women cine- Based on a New York magazine
woman who has the final word and matographers] are more visible and article that went viral, Hustlers
the authority, do you collaborate with people can see us, it makes it more follows a posse of enterprising exotic
men and ask them to do things? How real for aspiring DPs — and I think dancers who bilk a small fortune from
do you say, ‘No, I’m right. Thank you that’s encouraging a lot of women. their Wall Street clients after the finan-
for your suggestion, but we’re going It’s easier to think that it’s possible. cial crash. It’s also a shining example
to do it my way.’ It’s a much more And our numbers keep growing. I get of female friendship, in this case
delicate political dance when you are approached by so many women who between newbie dancer Destiny
a woman. are in film school, or have just (Constance Wu) and her mentor,
I think the moment I under- finished, and they tell me how impor- Ramona (Jennifer Lopez).
stood how to collaborate with them tant it is for them to see me out there. Via the soundtrack, Janet
was when I realized that I could be a That’s something I’m very excited Jackson delivers the movie’s first line:
woman, I could be myself, and I about, to see that there are going to be “This is a story about control. My
didn’t have to prove that I was so many more. We’re going to have control.” Under Ramona’s tutelage,
another ‘man.’ It was a long journey all these diverse points of view and Destiny learns how to keep men
to learn that I had to be the authority new voices — and not just women, enthralled and tips flowing. But after
from who I am, from my femininity, but diverse voices of all kinds. the market collapses and the tap runs
from my sensibility, and I didn’t have How has your acceptance into dry, Ramona goes rogue; she assem-
to be scared of showing that. the ASC affected you personally and bles a team to “fish” for well-heeled
It’s also important to say that professionally? clients who are brought to the club
I’ve been very supported by so many Braier: Being a part of the ASC and drugged just enough to run up
amazing men in my career. Of course, is the dream of cinematographers astronomical tabs. But the operation
I’ve encountered men that had issues throughout the world. We grew up gets sloppy, and the law finally
with a woman being the boss, know- with American Cinematographer, with catches up with the women.
ing more, and having a better artistic all the heroes in its pages, and you Much about Hustlers’ visual

Singular Visions
Shot in 29 days for $20 million,

Hustlers racked up more than $150 million
at the box office. “It was the biggest film I’d
worked on at that point and also the most
successful in realizing what we were trying
to do,” says cinematographer Todd Banhazl.
Conversations with writer-director Lorene
Scafaria started with questions about power
— “the film’s DNA,” Banhazl notes — and
how to photograph the women when they
have it and when they lose it.
language is evident in the first shot, a

three-minute, handheld, single take
that follows Destiny from dressing
room to stage to audience floor. “It
sets up that you’re going to be
emotionally aligned with these char- capitalism.” Under the club’s pulsat- the resolution options. Their base was
acters,” says cinematographer Todd ing red and pink lights, women have 8K, but they also shot 7K, 6K, 5K and
Banhazl. He adds that the Goodfellas primal power over their ogling 4K “depending on the emotional
echo was no accident, as gangster clients. That palette contrasts with needs of a given scene,” Banhazl says.
films and sports movies were impor- that of Wall Street, a workplace in When Destiny and Ramona are
tant references for tropes of white, silver and cigar brown. As the queens of their empire, for example,
photographing power. The opening women’s earnings increase, they they were captured at 8K with super-
shot also introduces Banhazl’s light- trade their neon world for the palette wide prime lenses from low angles.
ing strategy, differentiating female- of finance, moving into spacious, “We called it the ‘50-Foot Woman’
only environments — like the white Manhattan apartments with look — really powerful,” says the
dressing room, lit with fluorescents floor-to-ceiling glass. Finally, at the cinematographer. By contrast, when
like a locker room — from those police station, color vanishes Destiny is interrogated by the FBI, the
designed for men, like the club stage, completely, replaced by gray slow zoom into her face was shot at
where women drip with color. concrete. 4K with Panavision’s spherical Primo
Color, in fact, has its own narra- Shooting on large-format SLZ11 24-275mm (T2.8).
tive arc. As Banhazl explains, “The Panavision Millennium DXL2s at “For us, the difference between
color story isn’t about sex — it’s about 2.39:1, the filmmakers fully exploited 8K and lower resolutions was about

The Lighthouse
Cinematographer:
Jarin Blaschke
Director: Robert Eggers
For the late 19th-century super-
natural two-hander The Lighthouse, his
second feature with writer-director
Robert Eggers, cinematographer Jarin
Blaschke shot black-and-white 35mm
negative (Eastman Double-X) and used
vintage Baltar lenses with custom
filtration to create a look in keeping
with the period. Set on a remote island
off the New England coast, the story
follows two lighthouse keepers
Cinematographer Todd Banhazl (center, holding “Delaney the Camera Reindeer”) is flanked by B-camera (played by Willem Dafoe and Robert
operator Jennie Jeddry (left) and A-camera operator Stew Cantrell on the Hustlers set. Pattinson) who engage in a battle of
wills during a seemingly endless
field of view and depth — how deep spaces, not shots. For the strip-club storm. Blaschke won this year’s ASC
the frame would feel, how present the lighting, the production employed Spotlight Award for his work on the
background environments would be, theatrical mover lights programmed to production.
and the [degree of] three dimensional- run multi-minute sequences. “We American Cinematographer:
ity in the human face,” says the cine- created a couple different club-floor Why was shooting black-and-white
matographer. “At 8K, the world in the and stage sequences for 2007 and 2011. important to this story?
frame is huge, as are the impact and We could shoot 360 degrees almost like Jarin Blaschke: When Rob first
depth of a face, whereas in 4K and 5K, a documentary, and all these amazing teased the idea for the film, all I knew
the frame becomes flatter and more ‘accidents’ started happening: back- was that it was going to be two men, a
oppressive, and faces become less lights washing over characters, [light] tight space, a tight aspect ratio,
deep and less dynamic. bouncing off the ground reflecting in madness and ‘black-and-white with a
The spherical Primo SLZ11 24- skin, areas that look too dark or too cherry on top.’ I took that to mean he
275mm was deployed for energetic bright. It has this alive, dangerous wanted to ... transport the audience to
dolly zooms as well. For primes, “we quality.” another world. Black-and-white is
ended up staying entirely with [T1.4] Banhazl says one of his most good for that; it’s instantly abstract.
Panaspeeds,” Banhazl says. satisfying moments came towards the What motivated the choice of
“[Panavision senior vice president of end. Crew and cast were exhausted vintage Bausch & Lomb Baltar
optical engineering and ASC associate] but faced the movie’s biggest scene: lenses?
Dan Sasaki [modified] them to match [musician] Usher’s arrival at the strip Blaschke: I wanted the lenses to
closer to the H Series. We wanted club. “It’s at the height of financial have some say in how we experience
something big and poppy and excess, before the crash,” says the period and the light. Panavision
contrasty, but also with imperfection Banhazl, “so we wanted it to look like introduced [a few options, including]
and humanity. The H Series had the a 2007 Hype Williams music video.” the Baltars, [which were] designed in
softness of blacks we wanted and were They switched to E Series anamorphic the 1930s. They pass a lot of blue and
more forgiving on faces, but the lenses (the only use of anamorphic in ultraviolet light, which was great for
Panaspeeds had the rich contrast we the film) and ramped up the green our orthochromatic look. They were
wanted, so we found a balance lasers. “Part of the joy of Hustlers is the most glowing, beautiful portrait
between the two.” watching these amazing actors lenses I’d ever seen. Their smoothing
The DXL2’s native 1,600 ISO shine,” he enthuses. “That scene is character could balance out the micro-
helped get the deep focus Banhazl unapologetically joyful. You get to contrast of the Double-X and the
wanted. “If I’d had the time and watch Usher reunite with JLo — these orthochromatic filter.
money, I’d have done the whole movie pillars of mid-2000s pop culture. We Tell us about that custom filter.
at a T5.6,” he says. “Environments are were at the monitor, and as tired as Blaschke: At first I tried to
so important in this movie.” we were, we felt that at least for that achieve the ortho look through
With his eye on the schedule, moment, we’d won.” conventional color correction and
Banhazl’s battle plan was to light — Patricia Thomson black-and-white filters. The CC filters

Singular Visions
were much too subtle, and the 47 Blue
and 58 Green filters were very effec-
tive but cost 3-4 stops of light.
Furthermore, you can’t operate
through the eyepiece with a nearly
opaque 47 filter. Ron Engvaldsen at
Schneider Optics was willing to make
a custom filter to my specifications. I
sketched a desired spectrograph,
indicating a complete elimination of
all light beyond 570 nanometers
[mid-yellow] while allowing all
shorter wavelengths to pass freely.
Schneider needed a month to manu-
facture the filter in 4-by-5.6 and 6-by-
6 sizes, so [as a test], we tried a
theoretically similar, obscure, 46mm
laboratory short-pass filter to exam-
ine its ortho effect and light cost.
Taping the 46mm SP filter within the
concave front of our Baltar lenses,
tests showed that it gave a stronger
effect than 58 Green, and nearly as
strong an effect as the 47 Blue. At the
same time, the overall light loss was
only 5⁄6 of a stop in daylight/HMI
and 12⁄3 stops for tungsten.
How did you approach night
interiors in the kitchen?
Blaschke: I am somewhat natu-
ralistic, so if there’s a lantern on the
table, I put a lantern on the table. That
was just an 800-watt halogen bulb
inside a lantern. The filter took our
photography down to 50 ASA. It was
extremely bright on set; everyone was
seeing spots. The first several weeks,
it was just a bare bulb, and I’d net it
off so it would fall off even faster.
After a week or two, I started putting
a small China lantern directly behind
it to enrich it ever so slightly.
What about day interiors?
Blaschke: What feels most
AC: Why the 1.19:1 aspect ratio for The Lighthouse?

Jarin Blaschke: [Director Robert Eggers’] taste in art tends to end before the 20th century, [so] he sees things in a non-
widescreen way. This film was intended to be 1.33, but during its writing, I brought up 1.19 mostly as a joke, [and] Rob took
to it wholeheartedly. I’ve been practicing still photography for 25 years … [and I’ve found] the square and a moderately wide
lens to be a very effective portrait format, the perfect balance between person and environment. I was confident in suggesting
1.19 for The Lighthouse. It frames the lighthouse better, isolates our two characters more and truly traps them together when
they do share a frame.

natural for day interiors is bounce
light, so we just surrounded all the
windows with white muslin and
made a cyclorama, basically. Our filter
was more sensitive to HMIs than halo-
gen bulbs, so we got a whopping 80
ASA for day interiors. Our lenses
needed 2.8, so outside a window we’d
have two M90s plus up to two tradi-
tional 18Ks bouncing into that muslin.
We don’t see light levels like that
anymore.
To read the full article from the

November 2019 issue of AC, visit
ascmag.com/articles/stormy-isle-the-light-
house.
— PT
The Third Wife

Cinematographer:
Chananun Chotrungroj
Director: Ash Mayfair
In The Third Wife, an adolescent
bride, May (Nguyen Phuong Tra My),
becomes the third wife to a silk
merchant in 1800s Vietnam and then
must navigate the power dynamic
within the household, where bearing a
son determines one’s status. Drawn
from family stories passed down to
Vietnamese writer/director Ash
Mayfair, the feature paints a picture of
rural life that’s both poetic and
oppressive.
Behind its lyrical, painterly cine-
matography is Chananun
Chotrungroj, a native of Thailand who
started out as a still photographer. “I
knew I wanted to work in film, but I pher Sandi Sissel, ASC. Years later,
hadn’t heard of any women cine- while shooting Tan’s Pop Aye, she got Firelight drove the lighting design of
matographers in Thailand’s film the call about The Third Wife. The Third Wife. “When I read the script,”
industry,” she says. She first stepped The movie’s primary location cinematographer Chananun Chotrungroj
onto a film set as unit photographer was a farmstead with period architec- says, “I remembered a painting I saw in the
for Invisible Waves, shot by ture near Ninh Bình, two hours from Met, Georges de la Tour’s Penitent
Christopher Doyle, HKSC. The next Hanoi. “It was right next to a tall Magdalen, and thought that would be my
year, she met a Thai female director of mountain, so it was always in key idea: how the candle glows on the
photography, Niramon Ross, and that shadow,” she says. “We thought it young lady’s skin from a low angle. I think
settled it. Chotrungroj trained as a was perfect. It gives the feeling that it’s beautiful and mysterious when the light
camera assistant at a rental house (per these people are living in the shadow comes from below. So that’s our look. The
the Thai system) and then enrolled in of something huge: men and their silk, the mosquito net, the fog and the
the graduate-film program at New decisions.” smoke in the room bind the visuals
York University’s Tisch School of the Silk is a metaphor, too. together.”
Arts, studying under cinematogra- Macrophotography of the lifecycle of
www.ascmag.com
March 2020 33
Singular Visions
a silkworm parallels May’s developing
pregnancy. In fact, silk is an unbilled
supporting player, appearing through-
out in lanterns, mosquito nets and silk
wardrobe. “Silk is a very feminine
texture,” Chotrungroj says. “When we
blow wind on the mosquito netting,
the way it catches light is so beautiful.
Its shine is not flashy, but gentle. We
had this idea about lighting that
involved silk a lot, even for bounce on
people’s skin. We used real silk, which
is affordable in Vietnam.”
Chotrungroj found a natural
parallel to silk in the location’s morn-
ing mist. “We aimed to shoot all exteri-
ors in the early morning so we could
catch the fog — it gives a feeling like
silk and mosquito net.” That look was A traditional summer festival in Sweden turns horrific in Midsommar, shot by Pawel Pogorzelski.
extended into interiors with smoke
machines. “That made sense because in look and the depth of field,” she says. Midsommar is set in Sweden
[rural] Vietnam or Thailand, once the “They enabled me to capture the during the summer solstice. Dani
sun is down, everyone lights their dimmed oil lanterns and how they (Florence Pugh) and Christian (Jack
stoves, and smoke is everywhere,” says gently flickered on the actor’s skin; Reynor), an American couple whose
the cinematographer. “In that period, we often tried to go wide to capture relationship is on the rocks, decide to
people also lit candles and oil lamps.” the practicals and faces [in the same accompany some anthropologist
The Vietnamese crew wasn’t frame]. I had a very good focus friends to a commune where a special
used to her lighting approach, which puller!” solstice ritual takes place every 90
used no film lights in interiors, only Chotrungroj, who operated the years. First impressions are idyllic,
silk lanterns (some with live flame), oil camera, heaps praise on the cast. but then they witness a geriatric
lamps and flame bars that were care- “Everything looks amazing and pure suicide rite. Visitors start disappear-
fully layered to create depth in the and realistic because of the actors. It’s ing; love charms and hallucinogenic
small rooms. Outside, a 4K sometimes very rewarding to be the closest drinks come into play; and purifica-
pushed in a splash of light, while a person to them [on the set]. When the tion and fertility rites commence, with
gelled 6K might cast moonlight actors are so good and the scene the estranged couple unwittingly
through a door’s ornamental grill after comes to life, I actually forget I’m taking a leading role. Throughout,
being filtered through tree branches shooting!” Dani’s emotions and perspective tend
and a swath of silk. — PT to inform the filmmakers’ stylistic
The number of lanterns in a char- choices, thus aligning the audience
acter’s room signals his or her status. Midsommar with her.
As head of the household, the grandfa- Cinematographer: Wanting to ride the edge of
ther had a luxurious room with multi- Pawel Pogorzelski overexposure, Pogorzelski shot
ple lanterns and an oil lamp burning Director: Ari Aster camera tests in Los Angeles under the
on his desk. “He uses it to light opium “We’re always pushing bound- midday sun, comparing 35mm
and to read and write, so it’s always aries, pushing ourselves,” says cine- (Kodak Vision3 500T 5219 shot with a
lit,” says Chotrungroj. “May, as the matographer Pawel Pogorzelski of his Panaflex Millennium), Arri Alexa LF
third wife, would have only one or two creative partnership with and Mini, and Panavision Millennium
lanterns; oil and gas were very expen- writer/director Ari Aster, which DXL2. “When we watched the over-
sive. At night, because I needed the encompasses 2018’s breakout hit exposed footage of the DXL2 —
light to glow, I used a Pearlescent Hereditary and last year’s offering, suddenly, that was the movie we
filter.” Midsommar. With the latter, the AFI wanted.” The cinematographer was
Shooting at 3.2K on Arri’s Alexa alums challenged themselves to won over by the camera’s latitude, the
XT and framing for 1.66:1, Chotrungroj conjure a nightmare that unfolds “beautiful little glow” of its whites,
used Arri/Zeiss Master Primes “for the beneath a blazing sun. and Panavision’s large-format lenses,

“I’m passionate
about putting
nothing but the
best into my
clients’ hands. This
is a great camera
and it is fantastic
as a modern
director’s finder."
— Kavon Elhami
President
CamTec Motion Picture
Camera Systems
LEICA M 10-P “ASC 100 EDITION”

The M for cinematographers.
The Leica M 10-P “ASC 100 Edition” continues
Oskar Barnack’s ingenious idea and translates it into
a fitting tribute to the world of cinema on the occasion
of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the
American Society of Cinematographers.
The M 10-P “ASC 100 Edition” is an exclusive professional

tool for aiding cinematographers and filmmakers in their
search for the truly exceptional visual experience.
Please contact the ASC to order this unique Leica M10-P "ASC 100 Edition"
at www.theasc.com/leica
Singular Visions
To push the look further, the
Except for a sequence in New York City, the majority of Midsommar was shot filmmakers asked Panavision’s Brian
in Hungary at a compound near Budapest on a meadow the size of three football Mills to modify the Primo Artistes.
fields. As soon as cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski saw it, “I thought, ‘Okay, I’m in The final touch was Glimmerglass or
trouble. This is gigantic. There’s nothing I can do except embrace the sun.’ It was a Hollywood Black Magic filters added
petrifying moment.” His plans to control contrast with 40'x40' flyswatters and 18Ks into the matte box, which were used
went out the window. Instead, he deployed 20'x20' frames of Ultrabounce and in accordance with Dani’s mindset.
bleached muslin to bounce light from the ground; he exploited the actors’ white “The commune is a magical place, but
ceremonial costumes, positioning players as bounce; and he undertook a thorough that gets stripped away as she learns
lighting test, recruiting students to photograph stand-ins at three spots in the field, more about it,” says the cinematogra-
shooting 360 degrees every 20 minutes from dawn till dusk. This proved especially pher. “I took [the glow] off for the last
useful for seeing how background landscapes changed and deciding which angles part, when she sees things going
would be best for continuity, knowing director Ari Aster’s predilection for multiple darker. Then, for the very end, it’s
takes. brought up very subtly as she
becomes part of the [communal]
family.”
specifically Panavision’s Primo ing something extra about this Changes in resolution and lens
Artiste primes. “We had always community. format also underscore Dani’s state of
talked about [giving the movie] this “I have to say, Panavision was a mind. The intentionally dreary open-
fairytale look,” Pogorzelski says of his true ambassador for Midsommar, and ing sequence in New York was shot at
discussions with the director. “When Hugh Whittaker in London and Mike 5K with 35mm-format Primo primes.
Dani first sees the commune, every- Carter in Woodland Hills went out of That contrasts with the commune’s
one is dressed in white and it’s sun- their way to help us get the gear we magical, heightened look, achieved
drenched. We wanted the costumes to needed to achieve the look we with 8K resolution and the Artistes.
have an almost godlike glow, suggest- wanted,” the cinematographer adds. Color-wise, the director and
36
cinematographer found inspiration in
three-strip Technicolor, particularly
Michael Powell and Emeric
Pressburger’s Black Narcissus and
Tales of Hoffmann. Pogorzelski
observes, “There’s this richness about
the colors that we loved — they’re
vibrant, but it’s not cranked-up satu-
ration. There’s a pastel element.
[Harbor Picture Company colorist]
Joe Gawler created a beautiful LUT
for us to help re-create that.”
Further, he used polarizers to
mute the greenery. “To me, it gave the
greens more of a pastel feel; they were
a lot prettier and not as harsh in the
sun.”
As the 2:1-framed production On the set of Midsommar, cinematographer Pawel Pogorzelski (left) and director Ari Aster consider
their next move.
enters its denouement and emotions
ramp up, color does, too. “I changed to intensify certain elements, includ- “It’s Ari Aster’s madness — he
color temperature on the camera to ing the red lips and embroidered sees all those details, and he has a
help bring out the warmth, which also smock on a newly impregnated very clear vision of how he wants
brought out the saturation,” maiden. “That saturation contrast things to look. I like working with
Pogorzelski says. In the final grade, made the whole frame feel much strong directors with a clear vision.”
the filmmakers used Power Windows more saturated,” says Pogorzelski. — PT u
37
Family Business
Serge Ladouceur, CSC details

the evolution of his visual
approach to the long-running
genre series Supernatural
By David E. Williams
“We started shooting today,” Supernatural director of

photography Serge Ladouceur, CSC told AC on Jan. 7, as
the crew resumed shooting the show’s 15th season after a
holiday hiatus. “It feels strange to think we’re into our last
run.” And what a run it’s been.
Since the CW series made its debut in 2005, the And along for this entire wild ride has been Ladouceur,
labyrinthine exploits of intrepid “hunters” Sam and Dean also a co-producer on the show.
Winchester (played by Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) The French-Canadian cinematographer joined the
have repeatedly taken them from coast to coast, as well as Supernatural family immediately after the show’s dark and
to both heaven and hell, along with stints in purgatory and spooky pilot (photographed by Aaron Schneider, ASC)
alternate dimensions. Throughout, the boys have tangled was completed in Los Angeles and the production had
with and dispatched all manner of inhuman antagonists — established a home base in Vancouver. There began an
a “family business” trade they learned in childhood from odyssey across (as of this writing) 321 episodes, 314 of
their stern father (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) — backed up by which were shot by Ladouceur — with help from many
the fallen angel Castiel (Misha Collins) and surrogate dad invaluable crewmembers who have cycled through the
Bobby (Jim Beaver), among many others. But whether production over the years. Seven episodes were shot by
confronted by ghosts, ghouls, witches, demons or even longtime A-camera operator Bradley S. Creasser; three of
God himself, the brothers’ resourcefulness — as well as those were directed by Ladouceur.
their jet-black 1967 Chevy Impala, lovingly known as Not long after its inception, the show transitioned
“Baby” — would see them through to the next episode. from a distinctly episodic endeavor to the serialized story-

arc format in vogue today, which
brought new creative opportunities to
Ladouceur. Supernatural also serves as
a case study in the transition to digital
production — as the pilot and first
three seasons were shot on 35mm film,
and subsequent seasons were
captured on a series of increasingly
capable digital cameras: the Arriflex
D-21, the Red One Mysterium-X, and
ultimately Arri’s Alexa family. Rapid
advances in LED lighting and other
tools have also made a major impact
on the show.
A native of Quebec, Ladouceur
studied filmmaking at the London
International Film School. He then
worked his way up from camera assis-
tant to operator, and then from
Unit photography by Sergei Bachlakov, Dean Buscher, Michael Courtney, David Gray, Justin Lubin, Diyah Pera, Jack Rowand and Katie Yu.
second-unit cinematographer to direc-

tor of photography. His other credits
include the feature La Nuit du Déluge
(Night of the Flood, for which he earned
a CSC Award and a Genie nomination
in 1997); Armistead Maupin’s More
Images courtesy of The CW/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Additional images courtesy of Serge Ladouceur, CSC.
Tales of the City and Further Tales of the

City; Bonanno: A Godfather’s Story;
Rudy: The Rudy Giuliani Story; Mambo
Italiano; and The Case of the Whitechapel
Vampire. The latter brought him an
ASC Award nomination in 2003.
Regarding the show’s conclu-
sion, Ladouceur says, “Supernatural
has not been ‘canceled.’ That’s a
strong point for me — it’s just
ending.”
The cinematographer spoke
with AC about how he kept his
creativity fresh over the course of 15
seasons, how he embraced the show’s
digital transition, and much more.
American Cinematographer:
When I began researching the
phenomenon that is Supernatural, I
found that for many key people
involved, especially you, the IMDb
entries abruptly end — and I realized
it was because you’ve all been on
Supernatural for 15 years. That’s
crazy in this day and age. t p: Sam and Dean Winchester are played by Jensen Ackles (taking a turn as focus puller) and Jared Padalecki
Serge Ladouceur, CSC: It is (behind Ackles on dolly). tq: Serge Ladouceur, CSC flanked by (from left) gaffer Chris Cochrane and camera
operator Bradley Creasser. ppp: Ladouceur (second from right) and his camera crew from Season 1 in 2005.
crazy, and I never expected it — pp t, pp u & p: Sam and Dean are confronted by a bloodthirsty creature (Roy Campsall) in the Season 1
because, how can you? I will have episode “Wendigo,” the first of more than 300 that Ladouceur would shoot for the show.

Family Business
He wanted stories where the super-
natural would manifest itself in real
time and in real life. He was against
slow motion, and didn’t want to
beautify the fights by [way of] camera
techniques. I was in sync with this
concept, as I [wanted to create] a
naturalistic approach to the lighting.
To this day, we sometimes ask
ourselves, ‘What would Eric want?’
Even after the show started
changing to a serialized story format,
it seems the writers and producers
consistently created episodes that
were out of left field. For example,
‘Monster Movie,’ from Season 4, was
black-and-white and played with all
the tropes of Universal horror
movies.
Ladouceur: What a treat!
Robert Singer directed it, and we had
a ball doing that episode. I was
Sam and Dean use a mirror to ward off evil in the Season 1 episode “Bloody Mary.”
Shot on 35mm film, the first seasons saw Ladouceur employing extremes in contrast and shadow, emulating [Eastman] Plus-X 5231 —
reflecting the show’s dark sensibilities. sadly, it was discontinued in 2010 —
and aiming to have as little grain as
shot 320 episodes by the time we directed 50 episodes when we shoot possible. We were in our first
wrap. There are many pieces that the series finale at the end of March. I episodes after transitioning from film,
came together to form this ideal owe my job on Supernatural to Bob, and this episode was shot with the
framework that was the production of and will be forever grateful to him. Arri D-21.
Supernatural. It started with the vision Working on this show was like And then there’s the Season 11
of Eric Kripke, who created the char- being in a big family, with its moods episode ‘Baby,’ which was shot
acters and set them on their courses. and pleasures. And I share that with entirely from within the Impala.
Then there was the implementation of many people on my crew who stayed Ladouceur: Yes, and what a
that vision, and that’s where Robert for the ride. great episode that one is. Thomas J.
Singer, executive producer, comes Your producers always had in Wright directed it. The concept was
into play. Bob has been the driving their creative vision a show that was that the camera would never leave the
force behind the production — setting dynamic, dark, moody and expres- Impala, and the whole story is told
up the main elements, writers, sive. Tell us about the meeting you from the point of view of the car. We
production crew and studios. He is had early on with Eric Kripke. rigged the Impala with sometimes as
also a director with a sharp vision. I Ladouceur: Eric wanted the many as four cameras at a time. They
liked the many challenges he threw at show to be embedded in reality; he were small cameras, like Canon 5Ds,
me over the years. He will have didn’t want to create a fantasy world. the Sony a7 III, and our Alexa Mini as
SUPERNATURAL TECH SPECS TIMELINE
Season 1-3 (2005-’08) Season 4 (2008-’09)

Arricam ST x 3 Arriflex D-21 x 2 (optical viewfinder)
Arricam LT x 1 Recording to HDSR tape at 4:4:4 10-bit
Arriflex 2C (hand-cranked) Sony SRW-1 HD recorder
Cooke S4 series Red One x 2
Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm, Cooke S4 series
17-80mm Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm,
17-80mm
Sam and Dean torch cursed remains in “Route
666.” Ladouceur has used fire effects — often
just covered wagons with gels, controlled by
dimmers — consistently throughout the series,
either to bolster practical flames or create
interactive flicker that will augment CG fire
added in post.
well. And then we sent it on the road

with the actors in a free-drive mode.
Safety was our priority, and we had
full control of the road where we were
filming. It was a challenging but excit-
ing shoot. We shot in the middle of
August, and it was mostly sunny, a
challenge in itself, but at least the sun
was constant.
How did the decision to shoot
digital come about, and what kind of
testing did you do to have the confi-
dence to fully embrace that?
Ladouceur: Even before we
knew we were going to go digital, we
tested the D-21 because we were curi-
ous about it. I say ‘we’ because it was
collective thinking. I have to credit my
1st AC at the time, Matt Tichenor, He left the show a few seasons back, season, it was finally decided that
with the idea of bringing the D-21 on but we have him as an extra operator from then on, Supernatural would be
set and running some comparison as often as possible. That was Season shot digitally. And then, when it was a
tests between film and digital. Matt 3, the shortened season of the writers’ go, I did more extensive testing.
was a great [asset to] the camera crew, strike in 2007 to ’08, and we could feel My main worries were in rela-
always on top of everything technical. digital coming. At the end of that tion to exterior shooting and espe-
Season 5-6 (2009-’10) Mid-Season 6 (2011) Season 7-8 (2011-’13)

Arriflex D-21 x 2 Arri Alexa EV x 3 Arri Alexa EV x 4
Red One Mysterium-X x 2 Cooke S4 series Cooke S4 series
Ep. 5.22: Arriflex 2C (hand-cranked) Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm, Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm,
Cooke S4 series 17-80mm 17-80mm
Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm,
17-80mm

Family Business
At work on the Season 4 episode “Monster Movie” — an ode to

Universal horror films — are (p, from left) 1st AD Kevin Parks,
executive producer and director Robert Singer (in background)
and Ladouceur.
cially bright skies, because at that also a black-and-white one.

time, some 13 years ago, there were In Season 8, we moved to
still notions that you couldn’t shoot the [FilmLight] Truelight
skies properly in digital. But after on-set grading system,
these tests, I realize that yes, we could using color decision lists.
shoot outside against the sky, and that With that system in place,
even the early versions of the digital there was no need to have a
cameras were quite tolerant and series of predetermined
already advanced in terms of dynamic looks, as I was able to create
range. Still, a sky can get very bright the look of a scene, if not for
at times and difficult to handle with a specific shot, on the go.
whichever medium you use. In our We saved the CDLs that were specific ISO than what we had with film. The
early days of digital shooting, I to a given environment and then used Arri D-21 was 320 ISO, in reality —
created many LUTs for color and them again as a starting point when not ultra-fast. I was rating it at 400
luminance control. In regard to bright we would find ourselves in the same ISO, though. On film, the fastest stock
skies, I created a LUT that I named or a similar environment. I was using was Kodak Vision3 5219,
Sky LUT. It was basically a white After making the transition to 500 ISO, with a push of one stop
compression setup that allowed me to digital in Season 4, did you take always conveniently available with-
shoot against a bright sky without advantage of being able to shoot at out much added grain. [These days] I
losing too much detail. It was very higher ISOs than you could with set the Alexas at 800 ISO and go from
helpful. film? there.
I also had LUTs for fluorescent Ladouceur: When we transi- What about your expanded
Cool White, a LUT to emulate the look tioned from 35mm to digital, the options in terms of the camera’s
of an 81EF filter on 3,200K film, and cameras were not faster in terms of color temperature?
Season 9-10 (2013-’15) Season 11 (2015-’16) Season 12-13 (2016-’18)

Arri Alexa EV x 3 Arri Alexa EV x 3 Arri Alexa EV x 2
Alexa Plus 4:3 x 1 Alexa Mini x 1 Alexa Mini x 2
Cooke S4 series Cooke S4 series Cooke S4 series
Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm, Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm, Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm,
17-80mm 17-80mm 17-80mm
Century Series 2000 MK II
Periscope T4.0

I started in film, so I was trained
in the photochemical process with
very defined parameters: 3,200K- [or]
5,600K-balanced film stocks, conver-
sion filters, and so on. And then when
I started shooting digital, I realized
that on top of everything I knew from
my film background, I could start
playing with more elements the digi-
tal world was offering and introduce
those as part of the palette.
For example, in the [Season 7]
episode ‘Time After Time,’ for most of
the back-in-time scenes, I set the
Kelvin at 11,000, which gave me a
brownish look from natural daylight
and artificial sources and hyper-satu-
rated yellow hues from the practicals,
in which I’d left regular incandescent
bulbs. Another example: Sometimes
at night in the forest, I would set the
[camera’s color temperature] to
2,300K and use 3,200K balloons for
practicality and budgetary reasons.
By doing so, I shift the balance to the
blue spectrum so the lighting becomes
bluish, similar to adding a 1⁄4 CTS to
an HMI or a 3⁄4 CTB to a 3,200K light
on a 3,200K-balanced camera. If I have
an 18K in the distance on a crane, I
would have a Full CTS on it, and it
would give me that bluish backlight,
again because of the 2,300K setting. It
made our life easier on set and [in pp Two cameras cover a scene with actors (clockwise, from left) Alexander Calvert, Jim Beaver and
terms of budget]. Once I let go of Samantha Smith during production of the Season 13 episode “Good Intentions.”p Prepping a scene
starring the Winchesters’ 1967 Chevrolet Impala — essentially the show’s only “standing set” during
photochemical thinking, digital
the first few seasons.
opened up a world of possibilities.
Your shutter-angle options with a film camera. With a film like the open shutter, as it adds more
were broadened as well, once you camera, the limit is [generally] a 180- blur to the image, but I would go to a
moved to digital. degree shutter, but with the Alexas 270- or 300-degree shutter to gain an
Ladouceur: I can play with the and other digital cameras, you can go extra 1⁄2 or 2⁄3 of a stop if needed,
shutter angle in a way I could not all the way to open shutter. I do not bringing the theoretical ISO of the
Season 14-15 (2018-’20) Additional Cameras

Alexa Mini x 4 Panasonic P2
Cooke S5: 18, 25, 32, 40, 50, 65, 75, 100, 135mm Sony: a7S, a7R, a7S II, a7R II, a7 IV (w/ Leica M primes and Canon zooms)
Cooke S4: 14, 21, 27, 100, 180mm Canon DSLRs: EOS 5D Mark II, 5D Mark III (w/ Canon primes & zooms)
Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm Canon Camcorders: XA10, XA25, XA35
GoPro Hero7 Black (for underwater use)
Season 14: Angénieux Optimo 17-80mm
Season 15: Fujifilm/Fujinon Premier 18-85mm
Century Series 2000 MK II Periscope T4.0

Family Business
Castiel (Misha Collins)
spreads his angelic
wings in the Season 4
episode “Are You
There, God? It’s Me,
Dean Winchester.”
Ladouceur’s team built
special fixtures for such
scenes, including a 12K
“Angel Light”
(q & qq), composed
of 1K halogen bulbs
that could be quickly
dimmed up and down
for an intense
“heavenly” blast effect.
Keeping the same depth of field was ically for] our night exteriors and low-
important to me. A smaller sensor size light interiors. But I was eyeing the
with a greater depth of field would Alexa, which was in the making and
not have cut it for me. I stayed with was to be ready for Season 6. The
Cooke S4s until Season 12, when I release of the Alexa took a little
switched to Cooke S5s to dig more longer, though, and the demand for it
into low light, but I kept the S4 lenses was so huge that it wasn’t until the
that were not included in the S5 Christmas break of Season 6 that we
series, namely the 14mm, 21mm, could make the change. We
27mm and 180mm. I also had the completed Season 6 with three
Angénieux Optimo 24-290mm [T2.8] Alexas. ‘The French Mistake’ was the
and the 17-80mm [T2.2]. The first episode we shot entirely with
Angénieux zooms, although a little them. For subsequent seasons, we
warmer, are great lenses and a good had four Alexa EVs. When the Alexa
match to the Cookes. Also, we started Mini became available, we changed
carrying a Century Periscope [T4.0] one of our EVs to a Mini, and we
all the time for extreme low-angle eventually transitioned to four Alexa
camera close to 1,200. I used this with shots. Minis by Season 14. This is the best
earlier, less-sensitive cameras, and I You used the Red One for camera package in terms of flexibility.
keep using it today when I want to night work in Season 4? Since 2005, there has been a
use existing practical lights — on Ladouceur: One of the reasons I huge transition not only in camera
locations or on night exteriors where I chose to add the Red One to our technology, but also in lighting — a
would not use extra lighting to bring camera package was that the D-21 revolution with LED sources. How
the background to life, for instance. was a relatively heavy camera for did that affect your approach?
How did the transition affect Steadicam and handheld work — not Ladouceur: We started using
your choice of lenses? impossible, but heavy. Also, the D-21 [LED] lights from Kino Flo, the
Ladouceur: When we switched was a tethered camera, and I wanted Celebs, at the beginning of Season 12
to digital, I wanted to keep the same to have a camera that was in 2016. To me, they were a leap
look and make the transition from autonomous. The original Red One forward in lighting technology, and I
film as seamless as possible. To was 320 ISO, the same as the D-21, but saw the benefits of using them right
achieve this, I went to a camera on our second year of using the Red, away. We totally embraced that. We
system that would be similar in terms the new MX sensor had a sensitivity were the first show in Canada to use
of sensor size to a 35mm film negative of 800 ISO. That’s when I started dedi- Celebs to light whole sets. We had the
and kept the same lens package. cating more scenes to the Red, [specif- largest supply of them for over a year.

p The Supernatural camera crew from Season
The main factor was their versatility 6, with Ladouceur front and center.
— their dimming capability without p u & u Two fan-favorite Season 6 episodes
are (from top) “Weekend at Bobby’s” and “The
changing color temp, their easy DMX French Mistake.” q In the Season 8 episode
remote-control aspect, and instant “Hunteri Heroici,” Castiel and the Winchesters
switching from 3,200K to 4,300 to investigate a series of murders that play out in
the style of Looney Tunes animated shorts,
5,600 and everything in between. If I complete with giant anvils.
want to adjust the color temperature
to match a house bulb in a table lamp,
for instance, I can dial it in very easily
instead of adding gels to the existing
conventional lights. So, yes, they’re
great tools, and we’re saving a lot of
money in gels. [Laughs.]
And so much production time!
Anything that can save five minutes
on every setup adds up to hours,
maybe saving your day.
Ladouceur: Oh, totally. For
instance, if we’re daytime on a loca-
tion and we know we’re going to go
nighttime after that. During the day,
for example, I might have daylight
coming through the non-corrected
window, so we’d set these lights at
5,600K or an approximation of that —
and then when night comes, it’s just a
flip of the switch, and I’d have a
3,200K- or 2,700K-balanced set. tions to him so he can finesse the create our CDLs.
One of your other key collabo- images. We record the images in Log Our recipe with LUT and CDLs
rators is your colorist, Stephen C QuickTime ProRes clips in the applied at Technicolor creates the
Arkle. Alexa. On set, we get a Log camera dailies and transmits them to editing,
Ladouceur: Yes, Stephen Arkle, signal to which we apply a base LUT. and from editing to color timing. The
whom we call ‘Sparkle,’ has been We used a Truelight system for color- important point is to leave Sparkle
with the show since the very begin- ing on set from Seasons 8 through 11. with enough latitude in the color
ning, and he works out of Technicolor For Season 12 and beyond, we moved timing. To make this possible, and to
in L.A. The most important thing for to FSI Box IO and Teradek COLRs make his job easier, we agreed to a set
me is to transmit my detailed inten- with [Pomfort] Livegrade software to of parameters early on during

Family Business
For the Season 11 episode “Baby,” Ladouceur was faced with shooting an entire story from within the
Impala. p Creasser angles a Canon camcorder on Ackles behind the wheel. u p Padalecki gets final
touch-ups from makeup artist Trisha Porter as dolly grip DaveRiopel and 1st AC Jose Manzano assist in
rigging the car. u Camera operator Brad Creasser takes a look at the rigging.
production. For example, the black to this season’s four-Mini package. warm or cool, it will be baked into
and white levels: I don’t go to My current DIT is Jason Haycock, the dailies. Sparkle will see that and
extremes — no blacks under four who started as a second-unit DIT and will know what I’m after.
divisions and no whites over the 100 has been around the show for a long When composing a shot, do
mark unless it’s clear I don’t want time. you consider Sam and Dean differ-
details in this region. This is where I don’t do any iris pulls unless ently from the other characters?
my DIT comes into play and makes it’s critical. In a situation where I Ladouceur: We’re driven by
sure we abide by these rules. Sparkle would do an iris pull, I would rather the story and the director’s approach
will later push the envelope for me set the T-stop in between and let to it. Of course, we would favor our
in color timing [which he performs Sparkle do the pull — or the dynamic main characters in terms of camera
with Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci of gradually toning down or toning angles and composition, achieving
Resolve]. up the luminance and/or color the hero shots that the show thrives
My DIT from Season 4 to changes of a shot — in the bay. on — but above all else, I rely on
Season 13 was Ray Wong, whom I Rather quickly, Sparkle and I what the director wants to see. I like
have to credit with the implementa- came to an understanding about the to be the person who provides him or
tion and the smooth running of all look of the show, the level of contrast, her with the means of achieving his
the digital systems, from the tethered and the color treatment. If a scene has or her vision, to be the director’s eyes
D-21s we used on the fourth season a blue-green bias, for example, or and to help in any way I can to tell

the story. I remember that [executive
producer and frequent director] Kim
Manners always liked the low-angle
shots, setting the camera lower than
the eyes. Kim liked long lenses, while
others liked wide-angle composi-
tions. It really depends on the direc-
tor.
Speaking of Kim Manners,
who produced and directed so many
episodes of The X-Files, there’s a lot
of The X-Files in the DNA of
Supernatural.
Ladouceur: Kim was a shot
designer; he spent a lot of time doing
his homework, working out the
mechanics of each shot to the point
where he was calling the shots with a
technical precision that was impres-
sive. He had a big influence on the
early look of the show. And when
you say there’s X-Files in the DNA of
Supernatural, you are right. Many
people on [our] set worked on X-Files
the decade before. Kim was with us
until Season 4, when he passed away.
‘Metamorphosis’ was his farewell
episode. It was a great loss for us. I
learned a lot from him. He was a
mentor for me and for many people
on set.
As you complete your final
weeks of production, how do you
feel about 15 years of work on
pp A bounced source illuminates Ackles on the show’s dungeon set for the Season 10 episode
Supernatural as a major part of your “Soul Survivor,” with Brian Rose operating. p The set was again used for the Season 13 episode
life and creative legacy? I’m sure “Good Intentions” — with Matthew Tichenor operating — as Sam and Dean interrogate Donatello
there is a lot of introspection going (Keith Szarabajka).
on with your crew. though I would miss having him as a coming to an end, I’m happy it’s
Ladouceur: Among my crew — camera operator greatly. ending the way it is. We’ve lived
[in particular] gaffer Chris Cochrane, Life has happened while we something unique and special, but
rigging gaffer Michael Mayo and were on Supernatural. My son, we will move on. The work I’ve done
rigging grip Dave Neveaux — there Antoine, was 13 when we started the here reflects, in parts, my approach
is talk about what will come next, show, and he is now a man and to cinematography — and it will be
because we have [formed] a family, works in the videogame industry as a the longest creative project of my
and we would like to continue the level designer. With the long hours career, I have no doubt — but I also
dynamic we have created after so and being away from home, I’m look forward to new approaches.
many years. On the camera crew, lucky to be married to a wonderful Supernatural was a once-in-a-lifetime
operator Brad Creasser is my ‘accom- woman who has worked in the film experience.
plice.’ I know he wants to move on to industry — as an actress first and
shoot, and he has done such a great now as a writer-producer. So besides An expanded version of this
job shooting scenes when I was away, being my supporter and sometimes article can be accessed at
perfectly matching or anticipating my toughest critic, she understands ascmag.com/articles/supernatural.
what I would have done. I am this world. u
encouraging him to shoot, even Although I’m sad [the show] is

Rising
Stars
2020
AC looks toward the future Germany, wanted to leave Beirut from the time he was 14.
with this year’s Rising Stars of

“The situation in Lebanon was very complex. I felt trapped
Cinematography
when I was growing up, especially because of the conflicts
with our neighboring countries, Israel and Syria. When I
was young, I escaped through photos and imagery. I espe-
cially liked films and photographs that would make me
By Kelly Brinker, John Calhoun, dream of other places and other ways of seeing things.”
Jon Silberg and Derek Stettler Aoun’s parents were Lebanese and spoke French
and Arabic at home, but they sent him to a German-
language school in Beirut. His father was a fashion photog-
For the fourth year running, 10 promising directors of rapher who often traveled on assignment, and his mother
photography have earned a place on AC’s 2020 Rising Stars was a stylist. Aoun began assisting his father in the dark-
of Cinematography roster. Read on and get to know room in his early teens, and by age 16, he was a working
Christopher Aoun, Cybel Martin, Eric Branco, Laura photographer himself.
Merians Gonçalves, Michael Dallatorre, Dagmar Weaver- He began his film studies at Saint Joseph University
Madsen, Drew Daniels, Cecile Zhang, Abdelsalam Moussa of Beirut, and after one year there he transferred to the
and Greta Zozula — a group of filmmakers with a wide University of Television and Film in Munich. “Something
array of accomplishments, influences and origin stories, drew me to German culture,” he says.
and with a shared upward trajectory. Much of his early work was in documentaries. To
shoot Shadows of the Desert, he spent three years on and off
Christopher Aoun in India, capturing intimate portraits of women whose
“To me, Beirut is a city that consists of disconnected husbands had left them. “The project gave me time to just
pockets right next to each other, full of contrasts,” says be with the people there,” he recalls. “Not speaking the
Christopher Aoun about his native city. The cinematogra- language, I developed a sense of body language and
pher, who has spent most of his adult life working in rhythm to understand what was happening. I think [docu-

mentaries are] really the best [film]
school because you don’t know
what’s going to happen in advance,
yet you have to plan and understand
what the important moments are.”
Eventually, Aoun returned to
Lebanon and began shooting
commercials. One of these received
notice because “it was done in a very
documentary style, which was very
different from what people were
doing there at the time,” he explains.
“It was a commercial for a company
that removes trash from the streets.
People said, ‘We’ve never seen people
doing that work portrayed so beauti-
fully.’ That’s exactly what I try to do
in my work.”
The 2018 Lebanese drama
Capernaum, which Aoun shot for
director Nadine Labaki, incorporates
documentary techniques and is popu-
lated by young, non-professional
actors. “It’s about people you would
probably ignore,” he says. “I used a
lot of techniques [in the photography]
that many people would call ‘defects,’
Images courtesy of the filmmakers. Capernaum photo by Feres Sokhon. Cybel Martin photo by Matt Borek.
such as distortion and lens flares. I

like to work with those elements in a
way that turns them into beauty.”
Capernaum’s crew became a
family for the 90-day shoot. “My
husband, Konstantin Bock, was the
editor,” Aoun says, “and Nadine’s
husband, Khaled Mouzanar,
produced the film and composed the
score. My crew lived next door. It was
sort of like going on an expedition in
my country.”
Shooting with Arri Alexa Mini
and XT cameras and Vantage Hawk
C-Series anamorphic lenses, Aoun pp Christopher Aoun kneels for a low angle on the set of Capernaum. p Cybel Martin eyes the monitor on
kept gear to a minimum so the the set of The Rookie, as assistant director Jennie O’Keefe (left) and dolly grip Kat Bueno survey the scene.
performers could feel as though they
owned the spaces. He lit interiors by for scripts. “I want to see something I house. She continues to be equally
augmenting sunlight with HMIs and haven’t seen before,” he says. “I want enthralled by documentaries, indies,
reflectors outside, and adding just a to be surprised.” international cinema, big action films,
few reflectors inside. and essentially every kind of
The production went on to earn Cybel Martin moviemaking. After graduating from
an Academy Award nomination for Cybel Martin was steeped in New York University’s graduate-film
Best Foreign Language Film. the visual arts from an early age. Her program with an MFA in the early
Since Capernaum, he has shot parents owned the New York ad 2000s and shooting indies and docu-
several German features and some agency JP Martin Associates, and film mentaries, her dream was to get a job
commercials, and he is on the lookout was frequently discussed in the on a show that had a separate truck

Rising Stars 2020
for each department. Today, as direc-
tor of photography on the CBS drama
All Rise, Martin has reached that goal
and then some.
As a communications major at
the University of Pennsylvania, where
she earned an undergraduate degree,
Martin studied film theory. During
that time, her fascination with cine-
matography gelled in Amos Vogel’s
class when Martin realized how
composition, lens choice and lighting
played into the overall effect of Taxi
Driver, shot by Michael Chapman,
ASC.
After graduating from NYU,
she shot her first feature, Dregs of
Society, on Super 16mm in 12 days, an
experience she recalls as “exhilarat-
ing.” Documentary work, she found, Eric Branco readies the camera.
offered the same kind of rush, usually
with the added benefit of travel. bilities into the work. One episode, for Eric Branco
“There’s no better way to learn about example, “has a flashback scene that Cinematographer Eric Branco
yourself than to travel,” she says. She shows a bit of my character.” Judge always knew he wanted to be
recalls that when she took her first trip Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick) “is involved in the performing arts.
to Africa, to shoot the documentary usually seen in her courtroom, gener- “When I was 8 or 9, I decided to start
Dressed Like Kings for NYU classmate ally with bright L.A. light coming in. taking acting classes — not because I
Stacey Holman, “I thought I was For the flashback, we created a differ- wanted to act, but because I wanted to
going to hear South African music ent look, rainy and overcast — June be involved in the process of telling a
everywhere, but when [Holman] and I gloom. We used Lee Silver gels on the story,” he says. “When you’re a child,
asked our sound mixer to put on some windows to help create that look.” acting is really the only outlet avail-
music he liked, he played a Beyoncé On another episode, Martin able to you.”
song! It’s fascinating to come face to added a set of wide Arri/Zeiss Ultra Born and raised in The Bronx,
face with your assumptions.” Primes to her camera package; for Branco attended the School of Visual
Alan Caso, ASC was particu- certain scenes, she wanted her camera Arts, double-majoring in directing
larly encouraging to Martin when he operators to be inches away from the and cinematography for nearly a year
brought her onto the ABC series The actors to underscore the intimacy and a half before leaving to pursue his
Rookie to shoot second unit and work within the Latinx community. “It took career. “I realized film school was not
on double-up days. Martin, who is me back to my New York days of just for me,” he says, “but while there, I
equally inspired by Michael Mann’s shooting everything on a few prime fell even more in love with cine-
Heat, Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool lenses because that’s all we could matography and discovered I loved
and Agnès Varda’s La Pointe Courte, afford,” she says with a laugh. She having control over how someone
had a ball on the show. “I’d come in also added Tiffen Gold Diffusion/FX visually experiences a story.” He
never sure what I would shoot that filters. “I think they add richness to started working grip and electric on
day,” she says. “Sometimes the whole darker skin tones without being obvi- small, independent films in New
day was gun battles, which was very ous,” she explains. York, slowly working his way up to
exciting. I shot one of those at night. Being a cinematographer, she best boy electric and eventually to
We closed down several blocks of sums up, “has never felt like work. I gaffer. In the process, he gained valu-
downtown L.A. and had multiple love the collaboration, the creative able experience working with a range
condors, three cameras and crane process and the constant problem- of cinematographers, including ASC
Photo by Jeong Park.
shots. It was the most massive thing solving. It’s the best job on the members Bradford Young and Reed
I’d done!” planet!” Morano.
On All Rise, Martin is pleased While working as a gaffer,
she can get some of her artistic sensi- Branco got what he credits as his big

break: the chance to be the cine-
matographer on a music video shot in
Africa. “That music video had a lot
more production value than anything
I’d done previously, and eventually,
that got me more music-video work
as a director of photography. I’ve
consistently tried to do good work,
and I’ve been very selective about the
work I do.”
Branco’s latest movie is
Chinonye Chukwu’s Clemency, which
won the 2019 Grand Jury Prize for
dramatic feature at Sundance and
was theatrically released late last
year. The film called upon Branco to
shift away from the frenetic handheld
work to which he was accustomed.
“Clemency is probably the most
Laura Merians Gonçalves lines up an over-the-shoulder shot.
photographically restrained movie
I’ve shot,” he says. “We were shoot- you have the right collaborators, you look at them in a positive way so that
ing in a real prison, and I tried to can figure out how to make anything it transforms you and makes you
never have movie lights on set happen.” better. The process is the result I
because I felt it was important to try Gonçalves grew up in a family want.”
and make the space feel as real as of photographers. “We were always Gonçalves never participated
possible. I wanted the actors to feel taking photos and looking at photog- in professional shadowing experi-
like it was their space. Almost every- raphy as art,” she says. Her parents ences, but over the years many cine-
thing was lit through windows or encouraged her to pay attention to matographers have served as
rigged from above, and I tried to have light, often steering family conversa- mentors. “I learned so much by
all that in place before the actors tions toward the subject. watching others do it. Someone who
walked in the door.” “Cinematography is very nostalgic looked out for me early on was the
That is one of Branco’s guiding for me. I’m always thinking about my forever kind Ramsey Nickell and,
beliefs: A cinematographer should childhood and the spaces I lived in. more recently, Ed Lachman, ASC,
never get in the way of an actor or a Memories are my best inspiration.” whose insight and patience I am
director, but always work with them. During her time at the deeply thankful for. I also wrote
Given that he worked his way up University of California, Berkeley, she many letters to [actor] Steve Martin
from grip and electric, his philosophy studied philosophy and “started to looking for advice because he’s a
of collaboration naturally extends to experiment with lighting and electric- philosopher, too, but I haven’t
other members of the crew. “Just ity. Something about that world really received his reply yet.”
because I’m the cinematographer resonated with me.” After graduat- Gonçalves approaches each
doesn’t mean my key grip or my ing, she started her journey into film- project with an “anything is possible”
gaffer won’t have a better idea than making as best boy electric on the attitude. “There are no rules and no
mine. I want collaborators, not 2001 feature Bully, directed by Larry absolutes. I love making images I
manual laborers. I truly believe crews Clark and shot by Steve Gainer, ASC, connect with on many levels —
work harder and better and are ASK. Gonçalves joined IATSE Local emotionally, psychologically, physi-
happier if they have a hand in creat- 728 and, later, ICG Local 600, and she cally. My intentions are to create
ing the image.” credits the unions and her work on imagery that illustrates [what I felt]
features, commercials, music videos when I read the screenplay. I try to
Photo by Barney Cokeliss.
Laura Merians Gonçalves and television for her real education. distill the style of the project to a
“I love being challenged and “Whether a job turns out to be glori- theme in one or two words. For
working with people who challenge ously well-received or no one ever Pacified, it was favela poetry.”
me,” says cinematographer Laura sees it, all the work serves as learning Pacified won two awards at the
Merians Gonçalves. “I like to think experiences,” she says. “You have to recent Camerimage International
through our limitations and thrive. If embrace less-than-perfect results, and Film Festival: Best Cinemato-

Rising Stars 2020
for nine years. He was mentored by
late Panavision marketing executive
Phil Radin and optical engineer and
ASC associate Dan Sasaki. “They’d let
me take camera gear out on weekends
and shoot music videos,” says
Dallatore. “I’d show Phil stuff, and
he’d be very excited; it was a very
loving, warm family atmosphere.” He
eventually moved into the marketing
department and ran Panavision’s
New Filmmaker Program, which
loans camera packages to qualified
aspirants. In 2018, he was accepted
into Film Independent’s Project
Involve, where he was mentored by
cinematographer Pedro Luque. His
work on the short Wednesday won the
Best Cinematography Award at the
Global Impact Film Festival.
Michael Dallatorre finds his frame. Dallatorre’s big break was
2019’s Brightburn, directed by David
grapher’s Debut and Best Director’s in a performing arts group called Yarovesky, whom the cinemato-
Debut (for Paxton Winters). For her Colors United, based out of my high grapher had worked with on music
work on the film, Gonçalves was also school in Watts. It had formed right videos and shorts. One of their
awarded Best Cinematography at the after the Rodney King riots.” The collaborations was a Guardians of the
2019 San Sebastián International Film group of young performers became Galaxy-related music video for James
Festival and Best Cinematography at the subject of a 1997 Oscar-nominated Gunn, who then hired them for
the Aruanda Film Festival in Brazil. documentary feature, Colors Straight Brightburn. “I was really fortunate,”
Her additional cinematography Up, directed by Michèle Ohayon and Dallatorre says. “I was concerned that
credits include the short Solipsist, the shot by Theo van de Sande, ASC. Dave was going to get a big film and
Netflix special John Mulaney & the Watching the filmmakers at they were going to say no to me. It’s
Sack Lunch Bunch, and numerous work, something clicked for not easy to jump budgets as a director
other shorts, music videos and docu- Dallatorre. “I had been doing stuff of photography.”
mentaries. with my dad’s Hi8 camcorder, and I When the next feature, Brannon
“Something that I would advise was always the one taking pictures,” Braga’s Books of Blood, came along,
to future filmmakers,” the cinematog- he says. “But I never really thought it Dallatorre decided it was finally time
rapher says, “is if you have the oppor- could be an actual job until I saw to leave the Panavision nest. “It was
tunity to shoot a film in a language what they were doing.” A friend from going to be the fifth time I asked for
you don’t speak, do it! It allowed me Colors United helped get Dallatorre two or three months off,” he says. “So,
to completely focus on the photogra- on sets as a production assistant, and after 18 years at Panavision, I left,
phy and made me realize how few after going through a summer which was very difficult to do.”
words you need, how pared-down program with Inner-City Filmmakers, Aware of his own good fortune,
you can be in that way. Language, like he enrolled in film classes at Dallatorre has made it a mission to
lighting, can be kept very minimal Los Angeles Community College. mentor others. “I was a single-parent-
and simplified. With some hand “Around that time, I did a workshop raised immigrant from a very poor
signals and three light bulbs, you can with Kodak that led me to [move into neighborhood, and to be where I am
shoot a movie.” prep work] at Panavision,” he says. “I now is a blessing,” he says. “It
asked a technician, ‘How do you get wouldn’t have happened unless I was
Photo by Boris Martin.
Michael Dallatorre a job here?’ Two months later, I exposed to seeing that it was
Michael Dallatorre’s experience was working in the shipping possible.” He serves on the selection
in the motion-picture business department.” committee for Children’s Defense
actually began in front of the camera. After a few months, Dallatorre Fund scholarships, and visits schools
The Los Angeles native recalls, “I was became a prep tech, a position he held to spread the message that “where

you’re at now isn’t where you’re
going to be. There are options. I want
to give them that spark others gave
me as a kid.”
Dagmar Weaver-Madsen
Cinematographer Dagmar
Weaver-Madsen discovered filmmak-
ing as a child, using her father’s VHS
camcorder to record plays with her
sister as they grew up in Northern
California. “My father is an engineer,
and my mother is an English Ph.D
who is passionate about storytelling,”
she says. “Cinematography feels like
a very natural combination [of those
pursuits] because it’s technical, but at
the same time it communicates story,
tone and characters.” Dagmar Weaver-Madsen hits the court for the USA series Dare Me.
After studying communications
as an undergraduate at the University empathy for other people, and with different tools — lighting and camera-
of California, Los Angeles, Weaver- High Maintenance especially, we’ve operating techniques — to bring the
Madsen applied to the school’s grad- had a chance to do that.” viewer into the character’s emotional
uate cinematography program. She In addition to High Maintenance, journey,” she says. “I want the audi-
was one of just three students chosen she says, two features constitute her ence to feel what the characters are
for the program that year, which big break: Carlos Marques-Marcet’s experiencing.
enabled her to work with a range of 10,000 km, which opens with a 23- “I think it’s important to do
directors on several different projects, minute moving master shot and projects that interest you and speak to
including one that took her to New premiered at South by Southwest; you, that let you bring some of your-
York, where she currently resides. and Kris Swanberg’s Unexpected, self to them. I hope my perspective
In New York, a friend intro- which premiered at Sundance. Also will speak deeply to someone out
duced Weaver-Madsen to Katja an important milestone for Weaver- there watching.”
Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, the Madsen winning the ASC William A.
creators of the Web series High Fraker Student Heritage Award in Drew Daniels
Maintenance, as they were developing 2011 for The Absence. Drew Daniels has been behind
the show. “I thought they were very Weaver-Madsen is the director the camera on more than 40 shorts
smart about storytelling and were of photography on USA Network’s and features since 2009, most notably
very concise and funny,” says new series Dare Me, where she has on the films of writer/director Trey
Weaver-Madsen. She and cinematog- had the chance to experiment with Edward Shults. “A mentor once said
raphers Charlie Gruet and Brian what it means to make a modern noir. to me, ‘Only do a film with somebody
Lannin, with whom she shares direc- “It’s really fun to do work that’s a bit you’d want to go on a road trip with,’
tor of photography duties across darker, moodier and more colorful, to and Trey is absolutely one of those
episodes, were excited when the try a different set of tools and paint- people,” says Daniels.
series took off and was picked up by brushes than I used previously; I’d The cinematographer’s passion
Photo by Rafy, courtesy of USA Network.
HBO. They thought a bigger budget been doing a lot of heightened natu- for filmmaking developed through
would change their shooting style, ralism, where things are beautiful but another passion: skateboarding.
but HBO loved the look they had still realistic and sometimes gritty. It’s Together with friends, Daniels shot
established during the show’s web- most important that the cinematogra- and edited skate videos, finding and
series beginnings. “HBO’s involve- phy of a piece reflect the tone and honing his early film language. When
ment meant that I joined the union, emotional needs of the story rather a close friend from that group tragi-
and that the show would reach more than any sort of personal aesthetic.” cally passed away, Daniels was
people,” says Weaver-Madsen. “I’m However, she loves cinematog- inspired to carry on his memory and
very interested in empathy and creat- raphy that is rooted in a character’s keep shooting. “He really introduced
ing work that inspires people to have point of view. “It’s about using all the me to the camera, and he helped me

Rising Stars 2020
cinematographer says, “With Waves,
Trey gave me the opportunity to
shoot a film with really bold cine-
matic language. It’s very emotional
and personal to him, and we put
everything we had into it. I’m really
proud of our collaboration. My work
on Waves represents how I see the
world and how I see cinema. Trey and
I followed our hearts and did things
in a way that felt right.”
Daniels’ credits also include Jim
Cummings’ prize-winning short,
Thunder Road; Guy Nattiv’s Oscar-
winning short, Skin; and two episodes
of the HBO series Euphoria.
“What I’ve learned so far is to
be courageous in every aspect of the
work and stay open to what the
moment has to offer,” says Daniels.
“As much as we might admire other
filmmakers, I think the moment we
try to imitate them, we’re doing a
disservice to ourselves and to the
film. Your own interpretation is
unique, and you have to listen to that
if you want to do your best work.”
Cecile Zhang
When Cecile Zhang’s work was
honored during the Pierre Angénieux
ExcelLens in Cinematography cere-
mony at the 71st Annual Cannes Film
Festival, the accolade came “totally
pp Drew Daniels shoots through the atmosphere on the set of Waves. p Cecile Zhang preps for the
next take.
out of the blue,” she says. The award
had been given to established cine-
see that it was possible to have a degree camera moves, an emphasis matographers for several years, but in
Waves photo by Monica Lek. Cecile Zhang photo by Yeo Seung Jin.
unique voice with filmmaking,” he on natural light — were elements of 2018, a separate category was created
says. the first script Trey showed me for the to recognize promising young direc-
While attending film school at short film Krisha,” Daniels recalls. tors of photography. Zhang was the
the University of Texas-Austin, The short won a cinematography first recipient.
Daniels held a range of positions on award at South by Southwest in 2014, “I think it was because of my
set. While observing cinematogra- and the pair subsequently adapted it first feature, Weihai, a black-and-
phers at work, he says, “it was imme- into a feature that went on to win white art-house film that was sent to
diately obvious to me that that was several awards, including the Grand Cannes,” she says. She was proud of
the job I wanted to do.” After film Jury Award and Audience Award at the movie and had a strong connec-
school, he began working on inde- South by Southwest in 2015. “Trey tion with the director, Liang Huan,
pendent features in the Austin area, and I are both very empathetic “but if I look back now, I think I could
and he was eventually recommended people, which I think is an important have done some things better.” If
to Shults. The two hit it off and have part of being a filmmaker,” the cine- Zhang is critical of her own work, it
so far collaborated on three features: matographer says. “That’s why I may be partly due to her training at
Krisha, It Comes at Night and Waves. work so well with him.” Beijing Film Academy, where she
“So much of my aesthetic and Of their latest collaboration, the spent seven years learning her craft,
technique — long single takes, 360- 2019 theatrical release Waves, the first as an undergraduate and then in

a master’s program. As she points out When she spoke to AC, Zhang
for the sake of comparison, was learning to dive and shoot under-
“American law school is only four water from cinematographer John
years.” Brooks for the documentary Inspirare.
Zhang had entered the acad- “The subject is a woman who is
emy — after studying painting in her China’s world-record holder in free
youth — at age 17, and immediately diving, so about one quarter of the
took to the collaborative environ- film is going to be underwater. They
ment. “Most of the time you’re alone were going to hire [someone else] to
when you’re painting, but film school do the underwater photography, but I
is very interactive, and I liked the said, ‘I will train myself to do it. If I’m
energy.” The emphasis was on not going to do the underwater part
producing work; the academy serves of a film that [requires that much
as a pipeline for China’s film industry, underwater work], what kind of
which includes features created director of photography am I?’”
specifically for online and television
platforms as well as cinemas. By her Abdelsalam Moussa
second school year, Zhang was work- Abdelsalam Moussa, the cine-
ing as a B-camera operator for a direc- matographer of the upcoming
tor of photography who had Egyptian feature About Her, was born
graduated from the academy. with filmmaking in his blood. His Abdelsalam Moussa readies a shot for his first feature,
Female cinematographers are father, Maged Moussa, was a Boy and Girl.
still quite rare in China, and Zhang respected color timer, and his grand-
recalls that in film school, “my class- father, Abdelsalam Moussa, was dean a folder on my computer.” The more
mates were all boys and they tried to of the prestigious Egyptian High he learned about photochemical tech-
help me at first. The professor yelled, Cinema Institute. “I saw negatives on niques, including push- and pull-
‘Don’t help her! No one will help her our dining table every evening,” he processing and cross-processing, the
on set!’ But I’m also the kind of recalls. more he wanted to employ the tech-
person who will show you I can do Moussa planned to study niques himself. “Nobody was doing
it.” Mu De Yuan, who was her animation in college, but he changed those lab processes in Egypt, but I
master’s degree tutor and is now course after visiting Egyptian cine- wanted to use them in my graduation
president of the Chinese Society of matographer Tarek El-Telmissany on project, Time Sand. I asked the lab to
Cinematographers, was her most set. “I saw the way he was placing the do a bleach bypass on the negative,
important mentor. “Your mentor is lights, moving the camera and lead- and it was the first Egyptian film to
responsible for all your work, and ing the whole crew. I decided then I do that. It was also the last film shot
you have to work for him,” Zhang wanted to be a cinematographer.” on 35mm in Egypt! The lab closed two
explains. Because she spoke both He worked as El-Telmissany’s years ago. Most of its chemicals and
Mandarin and English, Mu got her assistant over the next five years, film stock are sitting in a big fridge in
involved as interpreter on interna- drawing lighting plans, tracking film my home!”
tional projects that came to China. stock, shutter angles, light readings Moussa’s credits include the TV
This exposure led her to join the and more. “I was right beside him, series Moga Harra and Afrah Alqoba
International Collective of Female learning from him, until I became and the feature Cactus Flower.
Cinematographers. clapper-loader.” The fantasy/drama About Her
Zhang has already racked up a Moussa attended the High — directed by Islam El Azzazi — was
number of narrative, documentary, Cinema Institute and shot several shot digitally, but Moussa believes his
music video and commercial credits short features, primarily on MiniDV. experience shooting and manipulat-
as a cinematographer, but, she says, As he advanced, he studied the work ing film photochemically still informs
“I’m still young. My best work will that Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC and his approach and aesthetic. Set in
Photo by Mohamed Fakhry.
always be the next one, I think.” Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC had 1930s Egypt, the movie focuses on an
Inspired by the work of the late done on some of his favorite films. “I actress in a single location, her third-
Néstor Almendros, ASC, and Vittorio read many issues of American floor flat, and follows her primarily in
Storaro, ASC, AIC, she adds, “I Cinematographer, where I learned handheld long shots as she discovers
always try to get projects that are very about processes like bleach bypass important elements of her life.
different from my experience.” and ENR. I put all the information in In order to better control the

Rising Stars 2020
lighting and avoid the sounds of the thing, means something,” says
busy city of Cairo, the filmmakers director of photography Greta Zozula.
shot at night. Shooting night-for-day, “The lighting, composition, lens
Moussa notes, “also gave me more choice, color and texture of things —
control to light the story. I love to light when you add them up — mean
the space, not just the actors.” everything.”
Moussa continues to strengthen Zozula is discussing an element
his knowledge of technique by of the inspiration behind the
attending ASC Master Classes. He has “observational” approach to lighting
completed three so far, and has espe- and composition in Light From Light,
cially enjoyed the sessions taught by her second feature. The movie, which
Society members Hoyte van tells a story that touches on the
Hoytema, Linus Sandgren, Wally supernatural, premiered at the 2019
Pfister and Ed Lachman that focused Sundance Film Festival, where
on shooting with film. “It was inter- writer/director Paul Harrill was in
esting to learn that even in the United competition for the Next Innovator
States, filmmakers have to fight to Award. “I really like his vision,”
shoot on film,” he says. Moussa adds Zozula says of Harrill. “He took
that he’s delighted to be able to prac- something that could be a horror film
tice his art, no matter the medium. but approached it more like a
Photo by Jon Cooper.

European drama.”
Greta Zozula Zozula, a western Pennsylvania
“[With] filmmakers I tend to native, was interested in filmmaking
Greta Zozula angles upward. love and respect, every image and from an early age, shooting and
every detail, down to the tiniest little editing on a camcorder with her sister.
56
“I credit my love of films to my dad, design and set etiquette.” “And Joe was doing what I wanted to
who is a huge cinephile,” she says. She started taking professional do at the time, and he was the person
“Our access to independent and jobs while in school, dabbling in grip who kept bringing me onto the next
international films was limited, but he and electric before settling on camera. projects.”
would often bring home a lot of those The career trajectory “made sense to Meanwhile, she was also
films [on video]. When I was 12 or 13, me because it was a ‘ladder’ that [very shooting a number of shorts, including
I saw films by directors like Lars von clearly led] to cinematography. I The Immaculate Reception, which earned
Trier, Luc Besson, Michael Haneke, wanted to work on indies because I her an Emerging Cinematographer
Andrei Tarkovsky, Lisa Cholodenko, wanted projects that were more honor from the International
Kimberly Peirce and Sofia Coppola. I creative and hands-on, where I could Cinemato-graphers Guild in 2014. Her
was a little young to understand them learn the craft from cinematographers first feature as a director of
at the time, but they continue to I loved in a more intimate photography was 2018’s Never Goin’
influence my choices as a filmmaker environment.” One early credit as Back, which she got on
today.” a film loader, the 2011 indie feature recommendation from Anderson, and
At 15, Zozula was accepted into Martha Marcy May Marlene, introduced which led directly to Light From Light
a summer New York Film Academy Zozula to two important mentors: through some of the same production
program in Princeton, N.J., where she cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes and team. Her latest feature, Alice Wu’s
“realized I could do filmmaking as a 1st AC Joe Anderson, the latter of The Half of It, will air on Netflix in May.
career.” Later, when she enrolled in whom has since become a director of Zozula loves the collaborative
the School of Visual Arts photography. “I really respected Jody’s creative process with the director,
undergraduate-film program, “I approach to cinematography — the “trying to understand the motivation
picked cinematography as a concen- control and care he brought to each behind the film and the characters —
tration because it was the most hands- shot and scene, how he interacted with talking it through. Every movie
on program, allowing me to learn the the director, and the respect he gave to requires something different, which is
basics of camera, lighting, production the job and to the crew,” she says. what I love about it.” u
57
Cameras in Shooting War
The tumult of the 1940s was their cameras or to train new talents to do the job.
reflected in the pages of American Meanwhile, the government’s rationing of materials such as
Cinematographer as the global

steel, wood and aluminum forced working cinematogra-
conflict of World War II called for

phers to do more with less. “If America is to serve, as the
President has pledged it must, as the arsenal of the
total motion-picture coverage Democracies, every scrap of steel must do its bit,” noted AC
editor William Stull, ASC.
To mask shopworn or partial sets, cinematographers
By David E. Williams often had to employ deep shadows and expressive lighting,
and it has been suggested that the resulting stylistics
contributed to what the French would later dub “film noir.”
The ASC has never been an overtly political body, with its Perusing the pages of AC in 1940, however, one
World War II photos courtesy of the AC archives.
flagship publication focused on artistry rather than would hardly have known large parts of the world were
activism. However, in December 1941, America’s abrupt already ablaze. The magazine focused on new technical
entry into World War II put the country on a new footing. refinements, including improved silent cameras, anti-reflec-
ASC members were among those who reported for duty, tive coatings to make lenses faster, and the effects of “lantisi-
and AC began detailing how cinematographers could fication” to increase the speed of film stocks. There were
contribute — and were contributing — to the war effort. stories on travelogue films shot in Canada, Mexico, India
This change is graphically represented by the maga- and the U.S. National Parks, and many stories about
zine’s February 1942 issue, the first to be assembled after the amateur cinematography (16mm and 8mm).
bombing of Pearl Harbor. The cover showed a U.S. Army Scattered throughout, though, there were hints — for
cameraperson setting up a shot on an M2 light tank, example, in a report that war news was being suppressed.
presumably for a training film. The January 1940 issue of AC noted that filmmaker Julien
ASC members enlisted either to serve from behind Bryan brought footage of the German Luftwaffe bombard-

t ASC member Lt. Col. William H.
Clothier at the camera while shooting a
U.S. Army Air Force training film.
pu Society member John Alton
reports for duty. puu Future ASC
member William A. Fraker serving in
Alaska with the U.S. Navy. u Helming
the documentary The Memphis Belle: A
Story of a Flying Fortress (1944) is
director Maj. William Wyler (center),
flanked by ASC cinematographers
William V. Skall and Clothier. Aboard
the B-17 bomber is cinematographer
Harold J. Tannenbaum, who died during
production.
ment of Warsaw to be screened in Los December, as Rey Scott, cameraper- cover Hollywood productions, with
Angeles under the auspices of the son/explorer, returned to the U.S. with Society members often writing articles.
Pacific Geographic Society. However, nearly 10,000' of Kodachrome 16mm “Realism for Citizen Kane,” written by
“Requests had been made that he footage he’d shot in China, including Gregg Toland, ASC, was published in
refrain from showing ... any scenes of the Japanese attack on Chungking: February 1941. One month later, Arthur
war. So he did not.” “The bombing covered two days. It is C. Miller, ASC wrote “Putting
In July 1940, news from Asia: said Japan had announced the city Naturalness Into Modern Interior
“[Filmmaker] Porter D. Dilley is in Los would be bombed for seven straight Lighting,” detailing his work on The
Angeles after two years in China with days. It is believed that at the end of the Mark of Zorro and Brigham Young.
his camera and 25,000 feet of 16mm two days, there may not have been But when Pearl Harbor was
film. China at Bay is the title selected for enough buildings standing to justify a attacked on Dec. 7, 1941, everything
1,800 feet of the total. This part was third 1,000-mile trip.” changed, and AC editor Stull made his
taken in the South of China ... this film In September 1940, the story first assignments for a new era:
vividly portrays the defense efforts of “Uncle Sam Seeks Camera And “Movies Speed Training of R.C.A.F.
the local population. ...” Laboratory Men” revealed that the U.S. Fighting Airmen,” “Motion Pictures in
The caption to a photo of a was gearing up for war: “The United the Army,” “Roy Kellino Films
makeshift Chinese munitions factory States Civil Service Commission has England’s War Effort” and “Amateurs
staffed with young girls reads: “Note announced open competitive examina- Make Defense Films!”
the unexploded shells [stored] under tions to secure motion-picture photog- This new editorial angle
the tables. These were shot into this area raphers and technicians for remained throughout the war.
by the Japanese. The shells which do Government service. Applicants must One of the ASC members who
not explode are gathered by the have had broad, progressive, and immediately volunteered to serve (see
Chinese, broken apart with hammer responsible full-time paid experience in sidebar on page 61) was Toland, who
and chisel, and the materials used to high-grade motion-picture photo- served as a Navy lieutenant until the
make hand grenades.” graphic work.” end of the war, working closely with
The war in Asia was revisited in Meanwhile, AC continued to USNR Comm. John Ford, for whom he

Marines in the ASC Master Class
combat, historical elements, documen-

taries and interviews. Members of the
unit are also responsible for media
engagement and perform editing, graph-
ics creation and color correction. In
essence, they are a complete in-house
production company — one with an
extremely busy production schedule.
During my chat with the group’s
leader, Master Sgt. Robert Brown, I was
impressed by his expertise and commit-
ment to excellence. We shared a lot of
common ground concerning equipment
and shooting experiences, but I was
p A U.S. Marine assigned to surprised by his eagerness to expand his
the Special Purpose Marine artistic approach. When I suggested the
Air-Ground Task Force -
Crisis Response - Central ASC Master Class might be of interest to
Command documents a him and the team, he jumped at the
tactical-vehicle driving opportunity.
course in Kuwait. u Cpl.
Charles Mabry of the 2nd Thanks to a hastily arranged schol-
Marine Division Combat arship allotment, Brown and two of his
records video while on subordinates soon found themselves at
patrol with Marines in
Helmand province, the Clubhouse to take part in a week of
Afghanistan. q Sgt. Daniel intense instruction from our members.
D. Kujanpaa, left, “It really was an amazing experience,” he
documents an exercise.
told me recently. “We’re always looking
for ways to improve, and I knew the ASC
would offer the highest level of training.
There’s no question that what we
learned at the Master Class helped raised
our game to a new level. And those of us
who attended were able to pass on our
newfound knowledge to other Marines,
so in addition to being personally satisfy-
Top photo by Sgt. Kyle C. Talbot. Bottom photo by Lance Cpl. Jeremy L. Laboy.
ing, it proved to be a tremendous benefit
to the unit.”
Since then, nearly a dozen other
Marines from Communications Strategy
and Operations have graduated from the
ASC Master Class, and a special relation-
ship between the ASC and the USMC has
In January 2016, I had the privilege enemy, the crazy ones were shooting film.” been formed. The ASC is currently stan-
of speaking at an event sponsored by the That motto might express what dardizing the attendance process to
San Diego Filmmakers. As the evening most people think these Marines do, but make it easier for Marines to take advan-
broke up, I was introduced to a group of capturing images under hostile condi- tage of the many resources we have to
young men who were part of the U.S. tions is only one part of their job. Since offer.
Marine Corps 1st Marine Division’s being folded into the USMC’s “I’d love to see the program go on
Combat Camera unit, headquartered at Communication Strategy and Operations for as long as possible,” said Brown. “It’s
Camp Pendleton. And what a group they in 2017, the unit, which was formed important that we stay up to date with
were! Each Marine was knowledgeable, during World War II, provides comman- the latest techniques and equipment,
experienced, highly motivated and, most ders at every level of the Marine Air- and the ASC Master Class is the best way
important, as passionately committed to Ground Task Force with an array of visual to do that.”
cinematography as any ASC member. services. This includes the filming of — Richard Crudo, ASC
“The brave ones were shooting the training modules, field exercises,

Cameras in Shooting War
had shot The Long Voyage Home and The
Grapes of Wrath. Toland and Ford co-
directed the 1943 propaganda film
December 7th: The Movie, for which they
won an Academy Award. Toland later
spent much of the war in South
America mentoring local filmmakers to
promote U.S. interests on that conti-
nent.
Meanwhile, more first-person
accounts from the front lines were
published, including “A Russian
Cinematographer Films the Battle for
Moscow.” Author Feodor Bunimovich
wrote, “At headquarters we were told
that a trench mortar battery ... had fired
80 projectiles during the day, destroy- Future ASC great Gerald Hirschfeld (left) served with the U.S. Army, seen here with his comrades
ing two enemy machine-gun nests, two Claude Binyon and Bill Birch on the island of Okinawa.
dugouts and a large number of men.
The battery was silent. I informed the Cinematographer is ‘being used to good ASC MEMBERS IN SERVICE
commander over the telephone that advantage at this headquarters in the (a partial list from AC Dec. 1942)
motion-picture cameramen were visit- training of men who will operate train- John Alton (Army)
ing the battery. ‘Wait a bit,’ he replied. ing-film libraries within this Arthur Arling (Navy)
‘We will establish the enemy position in command.’” Joseph August (Navy)
a moment and then we will be ready to In AC of October 1945, U.S. Army Wilfred Cline (Air Force)
welcome you.’ A little while later the Sgt. Herb A. Lightman, a combat cine- Stanley Cortez (Army)
order came for the battery to open fire.” matographer of the 167th Signal Photo Floyd Crosby (Air Force)
In the February 1943 story “From Co., wrote, “Our record spoke for itself. Philip Chancellor (Navy)
a Nazi Prison-Camp to a Signal Corps The 167th had participated in four Wilfred Cline (Navy)
Camera,” freelance writer Charles major battle campaigns, shot footage William Dietz (Navy)
Sweeny reports, “Two-and-a-half years during a period of 250 consecutive Harry Davis (Navy)
ago, I was a prisoner in a Nazi prison combat days, and had been presented Ray Fernstrom (Army)
camp in France. Today I’m in with the Meritorious Service Award.” Henry Freulich (Marine Corps)
Hollywood, waiting [for] a call to active After becoming a regular contributor to A.L. Gilks (Navy)
service in the Signal Corps of the U.S. AC, Lightman would serve as the Sol Halprin (Navy)
Army. And I hope I draw an assign- magazine’s editor from 1966-1982. Reed N. Haythorne (Navy)
ment to active combat camerawork in It’s no surprise that World War II Charles W. Herbert (Army)
the field, for I’ve a score to settle with would have such an impact on the John Hickson (Army)
those Nazis for some of the things I pages of American Cinematographer, and Harry Jackson (Navy)
experienced myself.” those interested in the conflict’s history Lloyd Knechtel (Army)
The war also saw innovation, would do well to include the ASC’s Art Lloyd (Army)
exemplified by the Cunningham magazine of record in their studies. As Fred Mandl (Army)
Combat Camera, designed by Harry Stull correctly predicted in AC March of Peverell Marley (Army)
Cunningham for soldiers under fire, as 1942, “When peace is at last restored at Allen Siegler (Navy)
detailed in AC’s November 1942 issue. the end of this war, historians and William V. Skall (Air Force)
“This war ... is going to be fought dramatists alike are going to find a rich Clifford Stine (Air Force)
almost as much with cameras as with treasure in the billions of feet of motion Gregg Toland (Navy)
guns,” editor Stull stated before extol- picture film which are chronicling Paul Vogel (Army)
ing the virtues of the Cunningham. every phase of both sides of the Joseph Valentine (Army)
AC itself was an asset for the conflict.” Harold Wenstrom (Navy)
military. In September 1942, Stull noted: Al Wetzel (Army)
“...the Visual Aids Director of one of our Additional research by Stephen Gilbert Warrenton (Air Force)
largest and most important Army Pizzello. u
Service Commands told us American

NEW PRODUCTS & SERVICES
• SUBMISSION INFORMATION - Please email New Products/Services releases to [email protected] and include full contact information and product images.
Photos must be TIFF or JPEG files of at least 300dpi.
Nikon Unveils D780 DSLR users to charge in-camera and transfer files conveniently.
The Nikon D780 lists for $2,299.95 (body only) and
Nikon has unveiled the D780, an FX- $2,799.95 (single-lens kit: body and AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm
format DSLR that combines f/4G ED VR lens).
the reliability of the D750 For additional information, visit www.nikonusa.com
with pro-level features
from the D850 and D5.
Able to capture high-reso-
lution photos and 4K UHD
video with the added
benefit of fast, accurate,
phase-detect autofocus-
ing, the D780 features
Nikon’s Expeed 6 processor,
touch operability, advanced
autofocus capabilities, extensive
video features and an assortment of
in-camera creative options.
The Nikon D780 offers shooting speeds of up to 7 fps at
full resolution and shutter speeds as fast as 1⁄8,000 or as long as ETC Launches fos/4 Panels
900 seconds. The camera is equipped with a 24.5-megapixel, ETC has launched a family of fos/4 panel lights available
backside-illuminated, FX-Format, CMOS sensor and offers in small, medium and large sizes.
improved ISO performance across the entire range, which now Each size delivers unrivaled brightness in two array
goes up to 51,200 and is expandable to 204,800. options. The Lustr X8 array adds a deep-red LED to its mix that
For the Optical Viewfinder, Nikon’s proven 51-point AF enhances skin tones and gives new depth to blues, greens and
system is paired with the D5’s enhanced AF algorithm. Fifteen ambers. The Daylight HDR is a tunable, white-light array that
cross-type AF sensors maximize accuracy, and the camera uses delivers natural warmth when rendering skin tones and is opti-
an upgraded 180K-pixel Advanced Scene Recognition System, mized for output in cooler temperatures. These soft lights offer
which analyzes the scene to ensure balanced exposures and selectable CCT between 1,900-10,450K.
accurate color reproduction. The full-color screen and tactile encoders on the user
The D780 is the first Nikon DSLR infused with mirrorless interface were designed with cinema workflows in mind. The
technology, featuring the same 273-point focal plane Hybrid AF fos/4 gives nuanced color control from the full-spectrum color
system employed in the Nikon Z 6, enabling broad coverage of picker within the UI, letting users choose how to mix each
approximately 90 percent of the frame. This is also Nikon’s first color. Customized color palettes can be saved to one of the
DSLR to feature Eye-Detection AF, enabling real-time tracking many programmable presets.
of multiple eyes in a scene to help ensure sharp focus for Features of the fos/4 Panel include the Griprail, a
portraits and candid shots. When operating the electronic bracket that acts as a mounting location for the fixture as well
shutter in Live View, the D780 can shoot continuously without as for accessories; handles that double as safety-cable loca-
shutter noise at up to 12 fps. tions; rounded corners; and an industrial-gray finish.
Incorporating an FX-format BSI sensor and on-sensor Additional features include NFC configuration from a
phase-detect AF, the D780 can capture full-frame 4K UHD video mobile device, Multiverse Wireless control from a console
at 30 fps with full-pixel readout. A variety of other frame rates using City Theatrical’s Multiverse transmitter, and a suite of
and resolutions is also selectable, including Full HD/120p. The effects, including police siren, beacon, camera flash and party.
camera offers 10-bit output with N-Log or HDR (Hybrid Log- For additional information, visit studio.etcconnect.com.
Gamma) support and several advanced shooting modes,
including focus peaking, highlight display (zebra stripes) and City Theatrical Expands DMXcat
interval timer. City Theatrical has expanded the functionality of its
The camera can capture 2,260 shots on a single battery DMXcat Multi Function Test Tool with the new Multi Fixture
charge, and it features USB Type C compatibility, enabling (DMX) feature, which offers an efficient way to turn on and test

multiple DMX lighting fixtures simulta-
neously.
The new feature includes a patch
that can be implemented to group and
control lighting fixtures together to save
time and improve workflows. This patch
also allows users to assign numbers to
channels or fixtures, which can be useful
in creating a consistent, simplified
numbering system between creative and
technical teams.
Other DMXcat improvements
with the Multi Fixture feature include a
new interface for the Fixture Controller
app, which offers patching and grouping
methods for ease of use and consistency
among test and control gear. The Fixture
Controller app also now includes 16-bit
wheels, which save the user screen
space and refine the user’s control. This
feature allows users to name their
DMXcats, making it simpler for teams
using multiple DMXcats to differentiate
between various team members’
devices.
All of these new features are free
to DMXcat users when they update the
app.
For additional information, visit
www.citytheatrical.com/Products/dmxc
at.
For more New Products & Services,

visit ascmag.com/articles/new-product.
u
INTERNATIONAL MARKETPLACE

CLASSIFIEDS
CLASSIFIED AD RATES EQUIPMENT FOR SALE EQUIPMENT FOR SALE
All classifications are $4.50 per word. Words Technicolor 35mm 3 Strip Camera 4X5 85 Glass Filters, Diffusion,
set in bold face or all capitals are $5.00 per
word. First word of ad and advertiser’s name package (s/n: DF11) Polas etc. A Good Box Rental
can be set in capitals without extra charge. No Including Magazines, Lenses, Motor. 818-763-8547
agency commission or discounts on classified
advertising.PAYMENT MUST ACCOMPANY ORDER. Used to film Gone With The Wind.
World’s SUPERMARKET of USED
VISA, Mastercard, AmEx and Discover card are Museum display condition.
accepted. Send ad to Classified Advertising, MOTION PICTURE EQUIPMENT!
Minimum bid $250,000
American Cinematographer, P.O. Box 2230, Buy, Sell, Trade. CAMERAS, LENSES,
Hollywood, CA 90078. Or FAX (323) 876-4973. [email protected]
Deadline for payment and copy must be in the SUPPORT, AKS & MORE!
office by 15th of second month preceding publi- Visual Products, Inc.
cation. Subject matter is limited to items and
services pertaining to filmmaking and video pro- www.visualproducts.com
duction. Words used are subject to magazine Call 440.647.4999
style abbreviation. Minimum amount per ad:
$45

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
Alan Gordon Enterprises Cavision Enterprises 64 K5600 57 Rotolight Group Ltd. 9
64 Chapman/Leonard Kino Flo 37 Selected Tables 66
Arri 7 Studio Equip. C3 Maine Media Workshops 8
ASC/Leica Camera 35 CineGear 67 Teradek, LLC C2-1
Mole-Richardson 64
ASC Master Class 65 Cinematography www.ascmag.com 64
ASC Photo Gallery 63 Electronics 8 NAB 71 wwwtheasc.com 56
CMB Film Services, Inc. 36 NBC/Universal C4
B&H Photo-Video-Pro
Audio 23 Cooke Optics 5 Pille Filmgeraeteverleih
Backstage Equipment, Inc. Ernst Leitz Wetzlar Gmbh Gmbh 64
62 13 Pro8mm 64
Blackmagic Design, Inc. 3 Fujifilm/Fujinon 11
66
MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
OFFICERS – 2019-’20 ACTIVE MEMBERS Jack Cooperman Nathaniel Goodman John R. Leonetti Bill Neil
Kees van Oostrum Thomas Ackerman Jack Couffer Victor Goss Matthew Leonetti Alex Nepomniaschy
President Lance Acord Nelson Cragg Jack Green Philippe LeSourd John Newby
Marshall Adams Jeff Cronenweth Adam Greenberg Peter Levy Yuri Neyman
Stephen Lighthill Javier Aguirresarobe Richard Crudo Robbie Greenberg Matthew Libatique Sam Nicholson
1st Vice President Lloyd Ahern II Dean R. Cundey David Greene Charlie Lieberman Vern Nobles Jr.
Bill Bennett Russ Alsobrook Stefan Czapsky Xavier Grobet Stephen Lighthill Crescenzo Notarile
2nd Vice President Howard A. Anderson III David Darby Alexander Gruszynski Karl-Walter Lindenlaub David B. Nowell
James Anderson Allen Daviau Rob Hahn John Lindley Rene Ohashi
Paul Cameron Peter Anderson Roger Deakins Jess Hall Jimmy Lindsey Daryn Okada
3rd Vice President Fernando Arguelles Jan de Bont Gregg Heschong Robert F. Liu Jules O’Loughlin
Levie Isaacks Paul Atkins Bruno Delbonnel Henner Hofmann Walt Lloyd Thomas Olgeirsson
Treasurer Christopher Baffa Thomas Del Ruth Adam Holender Bruce Logan Woody Omens
James Bagdonas Frank DeMarco Ernie Holzman Gordon Lonsdale Michael D. O’Shea
David Darby
King Baggot Peter Deming John C. Hora Emmanuel Lubezki Vince Pace
Secretary
John Bailey Jim Denault Tom Houghton Julio G. Macat Anthony Palmieri
Curtis Clark Florian Ballhaus Caleb Deschanel Gil Hubbs Glen MacPherson Phedon Papamichael
Sergeant-at-Arms Michael Barrett Ron Dexter Paul Hughen Paul Maibaum Andrij Parekh
Andrzej Bartkowiak Craig DiBona Shane Hurlbut Constantine Makris Daniel Pearl
MEMBERS John Bartley George Spiro Dibie Tom Hurwitz Denis Maloney Brian Pearson
OF THE BOARD Gary Baum Ernest Dickerson Judy Irola Isidore Mankofsky Edward J. Pei
John Bailey Bojan Bazelli Billy Dickson Mark Irwin Christopher Manley James Pergola
Bill Bennett Affonso Beato Bill Dill Levie Isaacks Michael D. Margulies Dave Perkal
Mat Beck Anthony Dod Mantle Tim Ives Barry Markowitz Lowell Peterson
Stephen H. Burum
Dion Beebe Mark Doering-Powell Peter James Steve Mason Wally Pfister
Paul Cameron Todd A. Dos Reis Johnny E. Jensen Clark Mathis Sean MacLeod Phillips
Bill Bennett
Dean Cundey Andres Berenguer Stuart Dryburgh Matthew Jensen Don McAlpine Bill Pope
David Darby Gabriel Beristain Bert Dunk Jon Joffin Don McCuaig Steven Poster
George Spiro Dibie Steven Bernstein Lex duPont Frank Johnson Michael McDonough Jaron Presant
Frederick Elmes Ross Berryman John Dykstra Shelly Johnson Seamus McGarvey Michael A. Price
Lowell Peterson Josh Bleibtreu Richard Edlund Jeffrey Jur Kevin McKnight Tom Priestley Jr.
Steven Poster Oliver Bokelberg Eagle Egilsson Adam Kane Robert McLachlan Rodrigo Prieto
Michael Bonvillain Frederick Elmes Stephen M. Katz Geary McLeod Robert Primes
Rodney Taylor
Richard Bowen Robert Elswit Ken Kelsch Greg McMurry Frank Prinzi
John Toll David Boyd Scott Farrar Victor J. Kemper Steve McNutt Christopher Probst
Kees van Oostrum Russell Boyd Jon Fauer Wayne Kennan Terry K. Meade Cynthia Pusheck
Amy Vincent Natasha Braier Don E. FauntLeRoy Francis Kenny Suki Medencevic Richard Quinlan
Mandy Walker Uta Briesewitz Gerald Feil Glenn Kershaw Chris Menges Declan Quinn
Jonathan Brown Cort Fey Darius Khondji Rexford Metz Earl Rath
ALTERNATES Don Burgess Steven Fierberg Gary Kibbe Anastas Michos Richard Rawlings Jr.
Stephen H. Burum Mauro Fiore Neville Kidd Gregory Middleton Frank Raymond
Charlie Lieberman
Bill Butler John C. Flinn III Jan Kiesser David Miller Tami Reiker
Christopher Chomyn Frank B. Byers Anna Foerster Jeffrey L. Kimball Douglas Milsome Ben Richardson
Steven Fierberg Patrick Cady Larry Fong Adam Kimmel Dan Mindel Robert Richardson
Levie Isaacks Sharon Calahan Markus Forderer Alar Kivilo Charles Minsky Anthony B. Richmond
Suki Medencevic Antonio Calvache Ron Fortunato David Klein Claudio Miranda Tom Richmond
Paul Cameron Greig Fraser George Koblasa George Mooradian Antonio Riestra
Gary Capo Jonathan Freeman Lajos Koltai Reed Morano Bill Roe
Russell P. Carpenter James Friend Pete Kozachik Donald A. Morgan Owen Roizman
James L. Carter Tak Fujimoto Neil Krepela Donald M. Morgan Pete Romano
Lula Carvalho Alex Funke Willy Kurant Polly Morgan Giuseppe Rotunno
Alan Caso Steve Gainer Ellen M. Kuras Kramer Morgenthau Philippe Rousselot
Vanja Černjul Robert Gantz Christian La Fountaine Rachel Morrison Mauricio Rubinstein
Michael Chapman Ron Garcia George La Fountaine Peter Moss Martin Ruhe
Rodney Charters David Geddes Joe Labisi David Moxness Juan Ruiz-Anchia
Enrique Chediak Darren Genet Edward Lachman M. David Mullen Marvin Rush
Christopher Chomyn Dejan Georgevich Jacek Laskus Dennis Muren Richard Rutkowski
James A. Chressanthis Michael Goi Dan Laustsen Fred Murphy Paul Ryan
T.C. Christensen Stephen Goldblatt James Laxton Hiro Narita Eric Saarinen
Joan Churchill Adriano Goldman Patti Lee Guillermo Navarro Alik Sakharov
Curtis Clark Paul Goldsmith Rob Legato Michael B. Negrin Mikael Salomon
Peter L. Collister Dana Gonzales Denis Lenoir James Neihouse Linus Sandgren

M A R C H 2 0 2 0
Paul Sarossy Kees van Oostrum Terry Brown Cliff Hsui Walter H. Mills Milton R. Shefter
Giorgio Scali Checco Varese Reid Burns Christine Huenergardt George Milton Ryan Sheridan
Roberto Schaefer Ron Vargas Vincent Carabello Nichole Huenergardt Mike Mimaki Marc Shipman-Mueller
Tobias Schliessler Mark Vargo Jim Carter Robert C. Hummel Michael Morelli Leon Silverman
Aaron Schneider Amelia Vincent Elisabetta Cartoni David Inglish Dash Morrison Rob Sim
Nancy Schreiber William Wages Martin Cayzer Zoë Iltsopoulos-Borys Nolan Murdock Joseph Slomka
Fred Schuler Fabian Wagner Leonard Chapman Alan Ipakchian Nancy Murray Garrett Smith
John Schwartzman Roy H. Wagner Mark Chiolis Jim Jannard Dan Muscarella Timothy E. Smith
John Seale Mandy Walker Michael Cioni George Joblove Iain A. Neil Kimberly Snyder
Christian Sebaldt Michael Watkins Denny Clairmont Tor Johansen Otto Nemenz Stefan Sonnenfeld
Joaquin Sedillo Colin Watkinson Adam Clark Joel Johnson Ernst Nettmann Michael Sowa
Dean Semler Michael Weaver Cary Clayton Eric Johnston Tony Ngai John L. Sprung
Lorenzo Senatore William “Billy” Webb Al Cleland John Johnston Jeff Okun Joseph N. Tawil
Ben Seresin Mark Weingartner Dave Cole Mike Kanfer Marty Oppenheimer Ira Tiffen
Eduardo Serra Jonathan West Michael Condon Andreas Kaufmann Walt Ordway Steve Tiffen
Steven Shaw Jack Whitman Grover Crisp Marker Karahadian Ahmad Ouri Matthew Tomlinson
Lawrence Sher Lisa Wiegand Peter Crithary Frank Kay Michael Parker Arthur Tostado
Brad Shield Jo Willems Daniel Curry Dan Keaton Dhanendra Patel Jeffrey Treanor
Richard Shore Stephen F. Windon Scott Dale Michael Keegan Snehal Patel Bill Turner
Sidney Sidell Alexander Witt Marc Dando David Keighley Mitch Paulson Stephan Ukas-Bradley
Newton Thomas Sigel Dariusz Wolski Ross Danielson Patricia Keighley Gary Paz JD Vandenberg
Steven V. Silver Peter Wunstorf Carlos D. DeMattos Debbie Kennard Eliott Peck Arthur Van Dover
John Simmons Tom Yatsko Albert DeMayo Glenn Kennel Dan Perry Mark van Horne
Sandi Sissel Steve Yedlin Steve Demeter Robert Keslow ßKristin Petrovich Jannie van Wyk
Santosh Sivan Robert Yeoman Gary Demos Lori Killam Nick Phillips Dedo Weigert
Michael Slovis Bradford Young Mato Der Avanessian Douglas Kirkland Tyler Phillips Marc Weigert
Dennis L. Smith Richard Yuricich Kevin Dillon Mark Kirkland Anna Piffl Steve Weiss
Roland “Ozzie” Smith Alexis Zabe David Dodson Scott Klein Joshua Pines Alex Wengert
Reed Smoot Peter Zeitlinger Judith Doherty Timothy J. Knapp Jorg Pohlman Evans Wetmore
Bing Sokolsky Xiaoding Zhao Peter Doyle Franz Kraus Carl Porcello Franz Wieser
Peter Sova Jerzy Zielinski Cyril Drabinsky Karl Kresser Sherri Potter Beverly Wood
Glynn Speeckaert Kenneth Zunder Matthew Duclos Ross La Manna Howard Preston Jan Yarbrough
Dante Spinotti Jesse Dylan Jarred Land Sarah Priestnall Hoyt Yeatman
Buddy Squires ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Kavon Elhami Chuck Lee David Pringle Irwin M. Young
Terry Stacey Pete Abel Seth Emmons Doug Leighton Doug Pruss Michael Zacharia
Eric Steelberg Rich Abel Jonathan Erland Lou Levinson David Reisner Bob Zahn
Ueli Steiger Alan Albert Per D. Fasmer Suzanne Lezotte Christopher Reyna Nazir Zaidi
Peter Stein Richard Aschman Ray Feeney Forest Liu Colin Ritchie Michael Zakula
Tom Stern Gerhard Baier William Feightner Joe Lomba Eric G. Rodli Joachim Zell
Robert M. Stevens Kay Baker Chris Fetner Grant Loucks Robert Rodriguez Les Zellan
David Stockton Joseph J. Ball Jimmy Fisher Wayne Loucks Domenic Rom
Rogier Stoffers Amnon Band Thomas Fletcher Howard Lukk Andy Romanoff HONORARY MEMBERS
Vittorio Storaro Carly M. Barber Claude Gagnon Andy Maltz Frederic Rose Col. Edwin E. Aldrin Jr.
Gavin Struthers Craig Barron Benjamin Gervais Gary Mandle Daniel Rosen Patty Armacost
David Stump Thomas M. Barron Salvatore Giarratano Steven E. Manios Jr. Dana Ross Col. Michael Collins
Tim Suhrstedt Larry Barton John A. Gresch Steven E. Manios Sr. Jim Roudebush Bob Fisher
Peter Suschitzky Wolfgang Baumler Dan Hammond Chris Mankofsky Bill Russell David MacDonald
Attila Szalay Bob Beitcher Jim Hannafin Michael Mansouri Barry Russo Larry Mole Parker
Masanobu Takayanagi Mark Bender Bill Hansard Jr. Gray Marshall Chris Russo D. Brian Spruill
Jonathan Taylor Bruce Berke Lisa Harp Frank Marsico Kish Sadhvani Marek Zydowicz
Rodney Taylor Jaymie Bickford Richard Hart James Martin Dan Sasaki
William Taylor Steven A. Blakely Robert Harvey Peter Martin Erik Schietinger
Romeo Tirone Joseph Bogacz Michael Hatzer Robert Mastronardi Oliver Schietinger
John Toll Jill Bogdanowicz Josh Haynie Mel Mathis Steve Schklair
Mario Tosi Mitchell Bogdanowicz Fritz Heinzle Joe Matza Peter K. Schnitzler
Salvatore Totino Jens Bogehegn Charles Herzfeld Albert Mayer Jr. Walter Schonfeld
Luciano Tovoli Jean-Marc Bouchut Larry Hezzelwood Bill McDonald Wayne Schulman
Jost Vacano Michael Bravin Sean Hise Dennis McDonald Alexander Schwarz
Stijn van der Veken Simon Broad Frieder Hochheim Karen McHugh Steven Scott
Theo van de Sande Michael Brodersen Bob Hoffman Andy McIntyre Yang Shao
Eric van Haren Noman William Brodersen Vinny Hogan Guy McVicker Alec Shapiro
Hoyte van Hoytema Garrett Brown Jay Holben Stan Miller Don Shapiro

CLUBHOUSE
NEWS
t (From left) Daniele Nannuzzi, AIC; Kees van Oostrum, ASC; Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC; Paul René Roestad, FNF; and Adolfo Bartoli, AIC.
p John Simmons, ASC. u Society CEO Terry McCarthy.
Society Honors Tovoli Simmons Photo Exhibition McCarthy tapped as ASC CEO
During a presentation and cele- Photographs by John Simmons, The American Society of Cine-
bration in Rome on January 9, Luciano ASC are currently on view at the matographers recently brought aboard
Tovoli, ASC, AIC was awarded the Ameri- Museum of African American Art in Terry McCarthy as its new CEO. He will
can Society of Cinematographers’ Certifi- the exhibition “No Crystal Stair: The be heavily involved in all business
cate of Recognition by ASC President Photography of John Simmons.” The matters relating to the Society —
Kees van Oostrum. exhibition includes 48 black-and-white including events, education, publica-
IMAGO President Paul René Roes- photographs captured between 1965 tions and more — as well as American
Luciano Tovoli, ASC, AIC group photo by Valentina Valente. Terry McCarthy photo by Alex Lopez.
tad, FNF, who attended the event, noted and 1973 in locations including Chicago, Cinematographer operations.
in his report, “Van Oostrum said in his Nashville and New York City. Originally from Ireland,
speech that the reason for this presti- Simmons, who co-founded the McCarthy comes to the ASC with more
gious recognition was Luciano Tovoli’s ASC Vision Committee and has previ- than 30 years of experience in journal-
Photo of Clubhouse by Isidore Mankofsky, ASC; lighting by Donald M. Morgan, ASC.

outstanding cinematography and visual ously served as a Society vice president, ism, television and print media, as well
artistry over decades, and for setting grew up in the 1960s in Chicago, where as non-profit management. He served
new and unprecedented standards of he began his career in journalism. His as president of the American Academy
cinematographic creativity. photographs first appeared in The in Berlin, and before that as president
“[Tovoli] has worked with names Chicago Defender, a newspaper founded and CEO of the Los Angeles World
like Michelangelo Antonioni, Francis for African-American readers. Affairs Council.
Veber, Ettore Scola, Andrei Tarkovsky, The exhibition will be on view McCarthy earned four Emmy
Dario Argento, Barbet Schroeder, Juan through March 29 at the Museum of Awards and an Edward R. Murrow
Luis Bunuel and Julie Taymor,” Roestad African American Art, located at 4005 Award during his career as a journalist
continued. “Among his many extraordi- Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, Calif. (inside and reporter. He served as Time maga-
nary films, of which many [have] seri- the Macy’s at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw zine’s East Asia correspondent and
ously influenced generations of cine- Plaza). Shanghai bureau chief, as well as Los
matographers and filmmakers, [are] The Angeles bureau chief. After September
Passenger, Suspiria and Titus.” He added 11, 2001, he set up Time’s bureau
that Tovoli was the founder and first offices in Kabul and Baghdad. Moving
president of IMAGO. into television, he served as the main
The next day, during a gathering Baghdad correspondent for ABC News.
at Cinecittà Studios, van Oostrum was Later, at CBS News, McCarthy embed-
presented with honorary AIC member- ded with the 3rd Battalion 1st Marines
ship by Tovoli and the board of the Ital- in southern Afghanistan. u
ian Society of Cinematographers.

CLOSE-UP
Josh Bleibtreu, ASC
When you were a child, what film made throughout Alaska, and also Montana and
the strongest impression on you? Wyoming. On Alaska’s North Slope,
2001: A Space Odyssey. hundreds of miles from the nearest road, I
spent time with an older Inuit Eskimo man
Which cinematographers, past or present, who had been born in a seal-skin hut and
do you most admire? fished with hooks made from bone. He was
Conrad Hall, ASC; Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC; the last of a generation. It was a humbling
Gordon Willis, ASC; Gregg Toland, ASC; experience.
Chivo Lubezki, ASC, AMC; Bob Richardson,
ASC; Wally Pfister, ASC; Freddie Young, BSC; Have you made any memorable blunders?
Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC; John Toll, ASC; Lots. I try to forget them. Once, as a 1st AC,
and Robert Elswit, ASC. The list could go on! I forgot to set the stop on a big stunt. Luck-
ily, the lab was somehow able to rescue it.
What sparked your interest in photogra-
phy? What is the best professional advice
My father had a black-and-white darkroom. He loved photog- you’ve ever received?
raphy and he loved films — he was a real cinephile. Also, my Always show up early and be prepared. Read the script, know
brother Jason was a photographer who specialized in conflict the story inside-out, and approach every shot with these ques-
zones, and he inspired me and taught me a lot. tions: What information or emotion are we trying to convey to
the audience? How can we make the shot more effective?
Where did you train and/or study? What’s the previous cut and the following cut? Where does this
I started volunteering on student films at UCLA, AFI and USC, shot fit in the film? Be honest to the story, not your ego; less is
and then I worked my way up the ranks, starting as a loader. usually more; and remember filmmaking is a team effort. You
need to be a positive leader, listen to your crew, and be open
Who were your early teachers or mentors? to what Conrad Hall called ‘happy accidents.’
Peter James, ASC, ACS; Don Burgess, ASC; Doug Ryan; and
Buddy Fries, to name a few. What recent books, films or artworks have inspired you?
Season 3 of Goliath, shot by Jeff Greeley; David Mullen, ASC’s
What are some of your key artistic influences? work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; and the films Ida, Cold
Nature, the quality of light, shadows, shapes, textures, music, War and 1917. I’ve been reading an excellent English quarterly
books, and films. called Granta. Also, T.C. Boyle’s Tooth and Claw is great!
How did you get your first break in the business? Do you have any favorite genres or genres you would like to
I met camera operator Doug Ryan, who had just come back try?
from working on Apocalypse Now. He offered me my first paid Drama, action and documentaries.
job: $50 a day to drive the camera truck and work as the
loader/2nd AC on a film in Santa Barbara. If you weren’t a cinematographer, what might you be doing
instead?
What has been your most satisfying moment on a project? Animal biologist, chef, teacher, or food or travel writer, or an
When it all comes together — after all the meetings, planning outdoorsman living in the mountains, cutting wood, fishing and
and sleepless nights — and it works, it’s an incredible feeling! tending a big garden.
Also, on Apollo 13, floating in zero gravity, operating a camera
inside a 737 that was in a nosedive going just over 700 mph Which ASC cinematographers recommended you for
from 40,000 feet straight down to under 10,000 feet with Tom membership?
Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton. We did two five-hour Don Burgess, Paul Cameron, Roberto Schaefer and Wally Pfis-
flights a day for weeks. What a blast! Another: I was 1st AC and ter.
shot additional photography on a National Geographic docu-
mentary called The Grizzlies, shot by Peter Pilafian. Part of the How has ASC membership impacted your life and career?
story was about the Craighead family putting satellite collars on It’s a lifelong dream come true — the highest honor! I’m still
grizzly bears so they could track them via satellite. We traveled pinching myself. u

American Cinematographer March 2020 Ac0320

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

American Cinematographer March 2020 Ac0320

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

MARCH 2020

Supernatural — Family Business

Rising Stars 2020

AC: The 1940s — Cameras in Shooting War

You also get built in ND filters, an interchangeable lens

You’ll find all this and

Stay Up to Date With AC & the ASC

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF and PUBLISHER

SENIOR EDITOR Andrew Fish

ART & DESIGN

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Marion Kramer

ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR Angie Gollmann

SUBSCRIPTIONS, BOOKS & PRODUCTS

CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Saul Molina

Kees van Oostrum

12 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

Jendra Jarnagin has been

14 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 15

16 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 17

18 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 19

20 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 21

22 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

With emotional sensitivity and technical finesse,

24 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

childhood, there were still people

could be considered subversive in any

www.ascmag.com March 2020 25

26 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 27

28 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 29

Shot in 29 days for $20 million,

language is evident in the first shot, a

30 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

www.ascmag.com March 2020 31

AC: Why the 1.19:1 aspect ratio for The Lighthouse?

32 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

To read the full article from the

The Third Wife

34 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

LEICA M 10-P “ASC 100 EDITION”

The M 10-P “ASC 100 Edition” is an exclusive professional

Serge Ladouceur, CSC details

“We started shooting today,” Supernatural director of

38 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

second-unit cinematographer to direc-

Tales of the City and Further Tales of the

www.ascmag.com March 2020 39

SUPERNATURAL TECH SPECS TIMELINE

Season 1-3 (2005-’08) Season 4 (2008-’09)

well. And then we sent it on the road

Season 5-6 (2009-’10) Mid-Season 6 (2011) Season 7-8 (2011-’13)

www.ascmag.com March 2020 41

At work on the Season 4 episode “Monster Movie” — an ode to

cially bright skies, because at that also a black-and-white one.

Season 9-10 (2013-’15) Season 11 (2015-’16) Season 12-13 (2016-’18)

42 March 2020 American Cinematographer — 100 Years

Season 14-15 (2018-’20) Additional Cameras

www.ascmag.com March 2020 43