American Cinematographer - December 2008 - 67

David Ward/WRITER/DIRECTOR Sleepless in Seattle, The Sting office buildings, churches, warehouses and dormitories throughout the 38-day schedule. “We often had just three or four hours in a location,” recalls Gainer. “You just have to go in and take it.” He and the rest of the first unit (including A-camera operator Dave Crone and B-camera operator Dominique “Dodo” Ricard) would arrive at a location first to shoot masters and other key scenes. To save time, Gainer would often shoot with two Arricam Lites stacked, one shooting wide, the other tight. Days later, the second unit, led by director Doug Coleman and cinematographer Brian Sweeney, would come in to stage big stunts and effects. Sweeney prepared for his work by spending a lot time on Gainer’s sets, studying Gagnon’s diagrams, taking notes and snapping digital reference photos. “I wanted to make my shots look as if Steve had shot them,” says Sweeney. “He used a lot of color, backlight and smoke. It was really fun, photographically speaking.” Gainer did lose some sleep while trying to work out his approach to an early scene in which Castle, pursuing his first act of retribution, confronts the Mafia Don who ordered the hit on his family. The Don is at home, entertaining several guests in a cavernous dining room (one of the show’s few fabricated sets), when the lights suddenly go out. Castle hops up onto the dinner table, fires up a flare and drops it on the table before striding forward and decapitating the Don. “A flare,” Gainer emphasizes with a shudder. “He’s lighting a room of 20 people with a red flare. Yow!” Initially, the filmmakers tried the shot with a trick flare, an LED flashlight that could be digitally altered in post. When that didn’t work, they tried a real flare. Gainer notes, “If you read a flare with a spot meter, you’ll never be able to John Badham/DIRECTOR Saturday Night Fever, WarGames Lawrence Paull/PRODUCTION DESIGNER Back to the Future, Blade Runner MA IN FILM STUDIES MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING MFA IN SCREENWRITING MFA IN PRODUCTION DESIGN MFA IN FILM PRODUCTION: Cinematography • Directing • Editing • Sound Design JD/MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING MBA/MFA IN FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCING Alexandra Rose/PRODUCER Norma Rae, Frankie and Johnny Film has the power to make us laugh or cry, to challenge dearly held beliefs or to put forth new concepts. If you dream of telling your story, expressing your passions or bringing life to your ideas through film, the Graduate Conservatory of Motion Pictures at Chapman University has the highly accomplished faculty mentors, intensely hands-on curriculum and resources to help you reach your goals. Learn more. Call us. Visit us online. Paul Seydor/EDITOR White Men Can’t Jump, Barbershop II Bill Dill/ CINEMATOGRAPHER Dancing in September, The Five Heartbeats One University Drive, Orange, CA 92866 Just a heartbeat from Hollywood. 800-838-0036 • 714-997-6765 FTV.CHAPMAN.EDU ROBERT BASSETT, DEAN Chapman University is accredited by and is a member of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. 67

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American Cinematographer - December 2008

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