American Cinematographer - September 2015 - 72

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Lost and Found

Top: Maryam finds shelter in an orphanage. Bottom: Practical candlelight and the stone-oven fire
provided a base layer of smoke that the filmmakers supplemented with a smoke machine for this
orphanage interior.

[Yasar] from American Cinematographer," Perdeci says. "He'd worked on
Argo with Rodrigo Prieto [ASC, AMC;
AC Nov. '12]. He normally doesn't work
on Turkish films; he does the
Hollywood films that come to Istanbul.
But he liked our film." The cinematographer grins and chuckles, then adds
that given the planned natural and practical lighting, Yasar "first saw me as a
fool, but on the first day [of production],
he understood that everything was
going to be fine."
The story begins during what
Perdeci's notes refer to as the "happy
period." Although there are references
72

September 2015

to war - Bedo and Maryam's father is
off fighting for the Ottoman Empire
- life continues more or less normally
in the village, which is introduced in the
film's opening minutes. A Steadicam
shot, operated by Ercan Yilmaz, begins
close to Bedo, who steals a snack from a
baker's shop as his sister distracts the
vendor; the Steadicam pulls back to a
wide shot and moves parallel to the
children as they proceed down the
street.
"In Turkey, we tend to only use
Steadicam for big shots," Perdeci
explains. "I would have liked some
more Steadicam [in the film], to give
American Cinematographer

close-ups that feeling of breathing, but
Steadicam doesn't come out for that in
Turkey." Sercan Sert served as the
production's primary camera operator
- assisted by focus puller Yakup Algol
- but Perdeci often grabbed the Alexa
for handheld and dolly shots.
The row of shops that represents
the village square was built based on
period photographs. Astonishingly,
Perdeci and Alyamac worked without a
designated production designer, essentially adding those responsibilities to
their list of duties on the film. They did
receive a helping hand, however, from
Alyamac's parents, who renovate old
homes for a living. Those skills proved
particularly helpful in preparing the real
house that the filmmakers chose to serve
as Bedo and Maryam's childhood home.
When the siblings return home
after their misadventures outside -
during which they also rescue the
wounded bird, whom they name Bacik
- the house is revealed in a wide,
locked-off shot, and then a handheld
camera follows the children to the front
door. The filmmakers first envisioned
Lost Birds as a widescreen movie, but
given the vertical elements present in
the house and other locations, they
opted instead to frame for a 1.85:1
release. "For our house, we needed to see
the chimneys and the smoke in the wide
shots," Perdeci notes. "With 2.35:1,
even with a 25mm [lens], I would need
to go very far back [in order to see those
elements], and the house would be too
small in the frame."
The family's Easter dinner illustrates Perdeci's desired mix of warm and
cool light. "We only have a few
moments to tell the story of the family
all together before the children are
alone," Perdeci explains, adding that he
and Alyamac wanted this scene to feel
"very warm." All of the interior lighting
comes from candles and gas lamps positioned on the dinner table and throughout the room. Additionally, blue
"moonlight" is visible outside the
windows, courtesy of a 4K HMI Par.
A day scene in Bedo and
Maryam's grandfather's workshop also

American Cinematographer - September 2015

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