American Cinematographer - April 2007 - 8

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This month's special focus on digital technology
offers

array of informative articles that serve as
yardsticks of progress.
Harris Savides, ASC gave Thomsons Viper FilmStream high-definition video camera a thorough
workout for David Fincher's Zodiac. In prep, Savides
pushed the camera's parameters "beyond what it
was capable of, in order to understand where it
would fail." Then, during the shoot, he was able to
exploit the Viper's unique characteristics to create a
compelling look for the film, an absorbing police
procedural that puts viewers in the shoes of the
investigators obsessed with catching an arrogant and
an

effective

elusive serial killer. David E. Williams, a Zodiac buff

who hails from the San Francisco

Bay area, covers all the angles with his comprehensive
the production ("Cold Case File," page 32).
Dave also dug deep for his piece on 300, an epic that pits 300 Spartan troops
against a massive invading army of Persians in the year 480 B.C. ("Few Against Many,"
page 52). Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel and shot by Larry Fong, the film makes
elaborate use of digitally treated images and computer-generated backgrounds. "Frank's
book was the blueprint for the look of our film," Fong notes. "We were not just making a
film using his characters and story; we were specifically making a film out of his book,
so its style and compositions were integral to everything we were doing."
The indefatigable Mr. Williams has also contributed an enlightening profile of
Gerald Hirschfeld, ASC, who recently received the Society's Presidents Award for his
exceptional contributions to the art and craft of filmmaking. The ASC's most senior
member (having joined in 1951), Hirschfeld compiled more than 40 feature-film credits,
including Fail-Safe, Young Frankenstein and My Favorite Year. As a partner in MPO
Videotronics, the world's largest commercial-production house in the 1950s and '60s, he
also helped start the careers of many notable cinematographers, including future ASC
luminaries Victor J. Kemper, Owen Roizman and Gordon Willis. These are just a few high¬
lights from a truly remarkable career that provides the basis for an entertaining and finely
detailed article ("An Exacting Eye," page 76).
Another accomplished ASC member, visual-effects expert Bill Taylor, offers his
authoritative insights into new digital technologies that have impacted rear-projection
techniques ("Rear Projection Takes a Step Forward," page 76). Taylor explains how digi¬
tal projectors and on-set color correction can now be used to create convincing hi-def
backgrounds for driving scenes shot onstage.
Finally, no April issue is complete without our annual roundup of artfully shot films
from the Sundance Film Festival ("Peak Screenings in Park City," page 90). In spotlighting
the work of six different cinematographers, senior editor Rachael Bosley and I were ably
abetted by contributing writers Patricia Thomson, Jay Holben and Jean Oppenheimer.
We will cover other exceptional entries from the fest as they are released in theaters
throughout the year.
piece

indispensable... as necessary
as my exposure and colour
temperature meters."
Russell Boyd acs. asc.
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American Cinematographer - April 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2007