Lighting

Demon by Moonlight

Mon, 08/13/2018 - 12:27 -- Nick Dager

Premiering at the 2017 Austin Film Festival where it won Best Narrative Short, Demon tells the story of a desperate man emerging from the night where he encounters a solitary shack in the middle of the desert. It is in this night setting where he discovers a dark secret that the property owner possesses. Cinematographer Drew Dawson shot the supernatural drama/thriller, directed by Caleb Slain just outside Joshua Tree National Park. The Demon script had the setting as a desert landscape with a full moon. According to Dawson, the goal was to capture the entire film with moonlight, practicals, and minimal film lights

Pretty in Pink Meets Superbad

Fri, 06/15/2018 - 11:38 -- Nick Dager

“I think if you’re making a high school movie, you can’t not watch John Hughes movies for reference,” said cinematographer Hillary Spera (Duck Butter, Submission). “Even if it’s subliminal, they’re woven into the language.” Filmmaker John Hughes had a string of hit films in the 1980s that were a true depiction of high school life in middle class suburbia. Movies like 16 Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink portrayed teen characters with depth and intelligence but were also comedic.

Fahrenheit 451: Revisiting a Classic

Wed, 06/06/2018 - 11:50 -- Nick Dager

Written during the McCarthy era and published in 1953, Ray Bradbury’s classic dystopian novel, Fahrenheit 451, is set in a society where books are outlawed and firemen are charged with burning them. The novel has had many adaptations, most famously in François Truffaut’s 1966 film, which starred Oskar Werner and Julie Christie. In 2018, Ramin Bahrani co-wrote and directed the film adaptation for HBO, starring Michael B. Jordan, who also served as executive producer. The stylized film was shot by cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau, ASC (Game of Thrones, Thor: The Dark World, Terminator Genisys).

Yedlin Presents On Acquisition and Pipeline for High-Resolution Exhibition

Thu, 05/03/2018 - 11:44 -- Nick Dager

Cinematographer Steve Yedlin, ASC will present his work on cinema image quality at this month’s Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers’ Hollywood Section meeting May 16 at the Linwood Dunn Theater. The two-part demonstration, titled On Acquisition and Pipeline for High-Resolution Exhibition, premiered at Camerimage in 2016 and now is widely available online. The SMPTE Hollywood Section event will give attendees the opportunity to view Yedlin’s demonstration in a high-quality theatrical exhibition venue.

Capturing The Morning After

Tue, 11/14/2017 - 15:24 -- Nick Dager

Shanra J. Kehl’s The Morning After features eight intercut vignettes shot in eight locations in 11 days, telling the story of the moment when you wake up next to someone... the next morning. Kehl served as director/writer/producer and cinematographer on the film. She shot with shot with Cooke S4/I lenses.

Giving Reality a Cinematic Look

Wed, 08/23/2017 - 14:36 -- Nick Dager

MTV’s new reality series, Siesta Key, takes the tried and tested concept of earlier efforts like Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County and moves it to Florida, following a new group of young adults confronting issues of love, heartbreak, betrayal, class, and looming adulthood as they spend the summer together in their beautiful hometown. Siesta Key is set on a small barrier island off the coast of Sarasota. Cinematographer Gareth Paul Cox shot the series with VariCam 35 and LT cinema cameras.

Avoiding Torn Frames in Ghost

Mon, 06/12/2017 - 12:38 -- Nick Dager

Typically, torn frames appear when a flash or strobe is not properly timed with a camera’s shutter and frame rate. They appear as a flash in the bottom half of one frame followed by a flash in the top half of the next frame. An innovative light source helped Ghost in the Shell cinematographer Jess Hall, BSC avoid the problem and bring a new level of visual sophistication to director Rupert Sanders’ epic feature.

Through a Different Prism

Wed, 05/31/2017 - 15:32 -- Nick Dager

Director of photography Bobby Bukowski (When We Rise, Weeds, The Messenger, Arlington Road) has completed production of the upcoming Netflix series Gypsy, starring Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup. Bukowski shot the 10-episode dramatic series with Panasonic VariCam 35 4K camera recorders. “The greatest gift of the VariCam is the impetus to drop old habits, reinvent techniques and redefine who you are as an artist,” said Bukowski. “It’s wonderful and exciting to look at your craft through a different prism.

Arri Opening French Subsidiary

Wed, 05/17/2017 - 13:00 -- Nick Dager

In order to facilitate its business in France, Arri, the Munich-based film technology company, is announcing the founding of Arri CT (for Cine Technik) France. For the first time, Arri will have an office space solely dedicated to its camera systems and lighting business units in France while being able to offer a special promotional platform for the Alexa 65 available from Arri Rental. Arri CT France will open its doors in September in time to celebrate the company’s 100th birthday.

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