American Cinematographer - September 1986 - 92

worked

at

The

hattan,

a

defunct facility which was

Image Factory in Man¬

hotbed for televised special ef¬
fects. There, she ran slit-scan units and
once a

bi-packed color negatives with high-con
Here, she

mattes.

around

ANOTHER BROOKS GRAD WHO MADE IT TO THE TOR
As Director of

Photography for M.A.S.H., one of history's most highly-regarded TV
shows, Dominic Palmieri has paved the way for a new generation of creative
cinematographers. Where did Dominic learn his craft? Brooks Institute in Santa
Barbara, California.
At Brooks, we provide the type of comprehensive education that's designed to
bring the best out of our students. You'll learn all aspects of film making, including:

□

Stage & location lighting
□ Directing
□ Stage &
technique
□ Editing
location sound
□
Screenwriting
□ Production techniques
If you're considering a career in film making, first consider how important your
education can be to your career. That's why Dominic Palmieri chose Brooks. And
maybe that's why he's where he is today.
□ Film & video camera

BROOKS INSTITUTE
For information write

or

call:

Department AC,
(805) 969-2291.

Brooks Institute, 801 Alston Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93108

on a

video

moves

screen

a

startling art work with a light pen. Al¬
though reverent to film, she luxuriates
in the comfort of the paint box room and
never takes for granted the artistic free¬
dom all of this has given her.
"It's so much simpler. You
have so much more control over special
effects imagery. Everything I used to do
optically can be done so much simpler
and cheaper in video. With film there
was always a delay. You'd have to wait
to see your dailies and then do exposure
tests. And you're not seeing the whole
composite until you get back your opti¬
cal. Of course, video doesn't have that

deep, rich color you get on film. But the
paint box stuff is phenomenal.
"Our clients freak

they

out

be¬

everything immedi¬
ately," says Cansler. "Even if I can't
make all the moves with the paint box, I
can composite
everything right in front
of me. At the optical house, we used to
spend a fortune getting things aircause

see

brushed, put under the

camera,

matted onto

How to send your audience
around the world without sending
a film crew first.

cursor

and prepares

background. Here,
thing is done in one shot."

and

every¬

Her last sentiment resounds
with the Order of the Age. The "instant
video" has been created

at

Center

Stage. Blink, and

tomorrow we may
have "instant feature films" in which

conceivable special effects ca¬
pability will be built right into the regu¬
lar production camera. The director will
create and punch in an instant matte
painting and it will automatically be
laser-scanned onto the negative. Sets,
and actors, will be computer-simulated
with a verisimilitude indistinguishable
from reality. Post-production will be ob¬
solete. Star Wars will be in by Monday
and out by Friday. Orders to go.
every

-to hire

We have become both the
masters of time and technol¬

a Viking horde? Need an octopus as an extra? Or a
crocodile's-eye view of the Nile?
National Geographic is the answer. We've got two million feet of full-color
stock footage. Everything from polar icecaps to Polynesia. All with the kind of
award-winning quality you've come to expect from us.
Why spend hundreds of hours - or thousands of dollars - getting the
shot you want? Pick up the phone right now, and we'll have a 3A" U-matic
videocassette preview on its way faster than you can say,

presently writing a mammoth special
effects history book for Alfred A.

"That's

Knopf inc. in New York.

a

wrap." And

a

lot cheaper, too.

National Geographic Society
Stock Footage Library
Washington, D.C. 20036. Phone 202/857-7691
Cable: NAT. GEO. WSH, Telex 892398 NAT. GEO. WSH

slaves and
ogy.

It's all frighteningly beautiful. A

Paul Mandell is a regular contributor
to American Cinematographer. He is
American Cinematographer - September 1986

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - September 1986
