American Cinematographer - July 2007 - 28

Director Lajos Koltai, ASC (right) and cinematographer Gyula Pados, HSC discuss their next shot. “Lajos and I both come from Eastern Europe, where there is no money to build sets, so we are used to shooting in real locations,” laughs Pados. “Actually, we both prefer that. A real location has a different atmosphere to me and, I believe, for the actors as well.” He recalls that the biggest challenge was lighting day interiors in the mansion in such a way that the sea and sky outside were always visible in the distance. “There were huge windows, and it’s difficult to get the same amount of light inside when you have a bright sunny day outside. You have to balance [the light levels] somehow so you can see both inside the room and outside the windows.” One such scene finds Lila and Buddy’s mother (played by Glenn Close) sitting in an enclosed porch, with windows behind and to the side of her. Six 18Ks were required to create enough light inside the room. Sheets of .9ND were placed over the windows — because of windy conditions, hard gels were used most of the time — and a heavy Frost filter was on the lens. The dinner following Lila’s wedding was filmed in an enormous ballroom in another Newport location. With 200 extras, 57 setups and only one shooting day scheduled, the filmmakers had their work cut out for them. Pados used both cameras and lit the room so different kinds of shots wouldn’t require major lighting changes. Two 4K helium balloons provided ambient light, while 28 July 2007 ornamental crystal practicals — each fitted with a 60-watt bulb — in the center of each table helped light actors’ faces. “Our gaffer, Jerry DeBlau, rolled small pieces of Frost diffusion paper around each of those bulbs to soften the light a bit,” says Pados. “We dimmed them down to make them a touch warmer, and we also dimmed the helium balloons.” While the A camera concentrated on tracking shots, the B camera, equipped with slightly longer lenses, handled cutaways. At one point during the reception, Ann joins the orchestra to sing a song dedicated to Lila. Harris joins her during the number, and they dance around the stage. “Jerry built two 2-by-4-foot light boxes out of white plastic and filled them with heavily diffused bulbs — I think we used F-1,” recalls Pados. “The boxes were so light the electricians could move them around quickly. One provided the key light for Ann and Harris; the other provided ambience and fill.” A key scene in the film occurs in the present, when an elderly Lila (Meryl Streep) visits Ann, whom she hasn’t seen in years. Awakening from a sleep, Ann sees Lila bathed in strong backlight and mistakes her for an angel. The bedroom is adjacent to an enclosed porch, and the sunlight pouring onto the porch reaches into the bedroom. “I wanted a strong beam effect, so we put a 6K Par outside the porch window, creating a strong backlight on Meryl. You can’t really see who she is. Ann is close to death, and we wanted to make this scene a bit dreamy.” Lila lies down on the bed, her face just inches from Ann’s, and they reminisce. “It’s one of the most intimate moments in the film,” notes Pados. “Lajos wanted to use extreme close-ups for the two women. The light coming through the window and bouncing off the pillows is the only light in the scene. We moved the pillows so the light would bounce off them and into the actresses’ faces. I had a 40mm lens on, and we used a little arm on the Fisher dolly to position the camera.” Evening was Pados’ first U.S. shoot, and he has high praise for his crew. “Lajos recommended gaffer Jerry DeBlau, and he turned out to be one of the best I’ve ever worked with. He’s always thinking about the story and how to make the atmosphere better. I don’t think I could have done this film without him.” Focus puller Blackford “Boots” Shelton “did a wonderful job,” adds Pados. “He had to do walking shots without rehearsals, which was especially difficult because the actors walked around without marks for many of the scenes. “Also, I really like being part of the prep, and fortunately, [production designer] Caroline Hanania and I were able to spend a lot of time collaborating before the shoot. She has wonderful taste and contributed many great ideas. “Evening is really about choices,” he muses in conclusion. “We always wonder whether we’re choosing the right thing, and this is about a woman questioning the choices she’s made in her life. We wanted the differences between the past and the present to be gentle, not extreme. We didn’t want to distract from the emotions at play with a strong stylized look.” s

American Cinematographer - July 2007

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