American Cinematographer - February 1985 - 46

eras," said Most, "and
cameras.

signed
ments

two 16mm

But Panavision is de¬

to Kodak specs. The adjust¬
took from the end of May

to June and we got the cameras
about three days before the shoot.
"There are about $3.5
million worth of cameras on this.
Six to 10 thousand feet per day go

about

through each

where Bob Collins, myself and Gil
Hubbs analyzed and chose the
best."
The staff had a meeting
each day during which the sched¬
ule was confirmed and the direc¬
tors of particular venues discussed
the athletes of interest. The direc¬
tors of photography chose the best

total of

a

making for a

camera,

million feet of film."

Jac Holzman, of Panavi¬
was enormously proud of the
company's product. "The footage
looks just gorgeous," he said. "We
never expected to provide the
equipment. There was a camera
rental facility in Los Angeles
which claimed they were handling
the Olympic film and we never
made any effort to reach for it. On
inspection of the various facilities
in town, it turned out that because
of the enormity of the shoot, there
was only one place you could
draw 24 cameras with all the
lenses needed, and that was

sion,

Michael

Margulies,

should gamble. "One of the guys
did a shot during the preliminary
relays just isolating the hand, wait¬
ing for the baton to come in, with
a 300mm lens. In slow motion he
got

the baton landing in the guy's
a pretty spectacular

hand,

moment."
The basic
age at

camera

the 23rd Olympic

pack¬
games

was an Arri Ill, a Panastar, a Panaflex with a 10 to 1 zoom and a 2X
extender. To complement this, the

ground

crewmen

had

a 1 ooomm

lens. Three 500mm lenses were
used with 2X extenders as well as
Canon 300 and 400mm lenses and
two

24 to

460mm zooms.

which shoots somewhere
from 60 to 125 frames per second
and uses anything from a 400 to

past year was

600 to

1000mm

lens, isolating
coming

tography

ting hands and faces of particular
participants."

and Gil Hubbs. The

The cameras performed
as well as the athletes, but there
was a bit of preparatory work re¬

hen

liaison with Panavision, had each
the bench from three to
four days, converting the ma¬
chines for Fuji film. As the official
film of the Olympics, Fuji pro¬
vided the stock without charge.
"We have 21 35mm cam¬
camera on

44

fed into Collins'

computer and he decided that his
main task would be the organiza¬
tion of a staff of about 60 people.
Other directors of pho¬

down the stretch. We also have
someone at the starting line get¬

quired. Madeline Most, Cappy's

American

Cinematographer

at

footage. There

then hired, Robert
Primes, Michael Margulies, ASC,
were

sembled, drawing
had

projects,

well

people Co¬

from sports

known
as

crew was as¬

on
as

from Holly¬

were

interviews

angles, lenses and frame rates.
Michael Margulies had
more than a professional interest
in the games. His wife, Carol,
bought him a kilometer of the
torch relay for $3,000 last Christ¬
mas. he ran it the day before the
opening ceremonies, between
Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey.
"I'm

Originally, the film was to
be a non-union project. However,
a contract was eventually signed so
the union procedures had to be
followed. Under this system, four
directors of photography were re¬
quired, 16 or 20 operators and the
loaders and assistants to service
them. Chuck Cohen called Robert
Collins to take over the duties of a
director of photography. The
work Cohen had done over the

whomever Bud decides

who have a tremendous
of sports experience. The
others were hired through a series
of recommendations and looking
12

amount

Panavision."

Sports filming always in¬
volves slow motion. "The he^d-on
camera on the field," Cohen said,
"past the finish line, looking
straight down, is our isolation
camera

cialty," explained Cohen, "and
what I tried to do in hiring opera¬
tors was to get those with the
most sports experience. There are

and

an

a

marathon

runner

ex-swimmer," Margulies

explained, "so I was given the
swimming event and the track and
field. There was no lighting at
those venues, so I

didn't have to
about that. I also didn't
have to worry about it at the inte¬
rior venues because of the lights
ABC had pre-hung."
Margulies had also

worry

worked as a volunteer for two
months with the opening cere¬
monies committee,

preparing the

ethnic parade. He became in¬
volved with the film, however, just
a
week before the Olympics

opened.
"The camera positions
fairly well worked out by the
time I got involved," he said, "and
it went smooth as silk. A couple of
times, the cameras were running

were

low

on

film and the

runners

(who

wood studios.
"Several guys turned out
to be great sports operators," said

provided fresh stock) had to move
fast and the guards sometimes
didn't know who they were."

Collins, "and

Gil Hubbs is an old friend
of Robert Collins and the film gave
them a chance to work together

didn't

even

the

ones

who

be great sports
operators were great technical op¬
erators and did the job we told
them with no problem at all."
turn out to

"Filming

March 1985

sports

is

a spe¬

once

again.
"I've known Bob for

years," said Hubbs. "We used

1

5

to
American Cinematographer - February 1985

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