American Cinematographer - August 1994 - 28

en

the

developers of the first

visitor center at Zion Park in Utah

began researching their project,
they were struck by the tremen¬
dous impact of large-format films
in other similar venues,
came

to

and be¬

determined to create

a

film

entertain, educate and astonish

the audience with a historical tale
set in that fabulously beautiful

part of Utah. Director Keith
Merrill, who wrote the resulting

script and devised

The

a

commando-

films

simply open the door
gallery full of wonderful
unconnected paintings where the
audience may be impressed but

venue

to

an

art

not involved. The

frames per foot (6 ft./sec at 24
fps); and camera noise is un¬
avoidable. And all of this makes

multiple takes difficult.

format also

currently makes anything longer

than the standard half-hour dura¬
tion unfeasible and unwieldy

(ask the projectionist the next
time she

changes a five-foot-wide
roll containing three miles of
70mm movie stock!), and distri¬
bution options, while they con¬

There are other consider¬
well. Isolation of a sub¬

ations

as

ject through depth of field selec¬
tion is not an option, as it does
not make sense to present an im¬
age that big with only half the
in focus. Camera moves
and cuts have to be slower so as
not to disturb the audience. The
screen

production design, costumes and
makeup must withstand intense
scrutiny on the huge screen. And
screening and editing a 35mm
printdown can be frustrating (al¬
though Michael Phillips at Avid
Technology is currently working
on a
system to handle 65mm on
their non-linear, 24 fps editing
system) and requires consider¬
able experience to assess the true
impact of a scene prior to fullscale projection.
But the opportunities for

Rigors of

Zion-Treasure of the Gods
Project's documentarian discusses the
genesis of a unique special-venue film.
by Richard J. Davenport

creative filmmakers who
unit

approach to the project,

teamed with cinematographer
Reed Smoot to shoot the dramatic
core of the movie; Mike Hoover
and crew were hired to film the

exploration and climbing

tinue to

increase, still make it dif¬

ficult to justify expensive actors
a film shot for 65/15
simply
does not work in any other for¬

-

overcome
as

the limitations

of

scended from
the Pueblo

rebels,

preparing to act
out the

among

its creators,

their ancestors

how

against the

and to take

elaborate

65mm/15-perf Imax format prof¬

(utilizing knots

fers a different set of factors for
the producer to consider - not

on a

an

cord to

signify each
day), they
turned

on

their

oppressors at
the same time
on

the

same

day throughout
the region. The
drama of these
scenes was

greatly
enhanced

by

the use of
extensive
camera moves.

26

that the format
continues to

flourish.
t
O
c

-

joined by the

<2

signer, gaffer

*S and first assisO

| tant

camera¬

from
those two films, made up the
"dramatic" unit. Merrill was keen
to stretch the medium and to pro¬
vide emotionally charged se¬
man

mat

or venue.

Many other limitations,
of course, must be taken into

thrill of

a moving image, but in
days of media literacy they
expect much more. Too many

design and screening layout; each
1000-foot film magazine runs for
just three minutes and at four

American

August 1994

Cinematographer

matographer

| production de-

only in the physical production of
the film, but in script, distribu¬
tion, and duration. For example,
with a screen 80 feet high (and
audio to match), the storyline can
become lost in the visual impact
of the experience. In the early
days of cinema an audience
would pay money for the simple
these

The cine-

| and director,

look at
technology has continued to

system

With

man.

so

breathtaking

a

facilitate quality production in
this medium.
Film production in the

white

others

are

-

sec¬

assigned to cover the timelapse elements. I was asked to
shoot a brief documentary on the
making of Zion - Treasure of the
Gods and had the opportunity to
discuss the project with some of

aggression of

Canyon, the

Hidden Secrets and Yellowstone,

was

extras, many
them de¬

can

such

Smoot, Merrill and company,

veterans of Grand

tions; and Ron Fricke (Baraka)
Right: The

-

ac¬

during the actual physical
production of the film. To start

count

with, the

screen

has to be filled

with

engaging images, but faces
large; the
most significant information has
should not appear too

quences within the storyline of
his movie, and worked hard to

dispel the myth of the rift be¬
large-format and 35mm
photography.
tween

to be about two-thirds of the

way
down the frame due to theater

usual

"This film was an un¬
for this format in the

one

of dramatic footage shot
with actors," explains Smoot.
amount

"There

were

plenty of setups and
American Cinematographer - August 1994

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