American Cinematographer - June 1995 - 65

lens?' Many people say, 'Well, it's
the same size shot/ but it's not
the same effect. You're telling the
audience a totally different thing.
I think that's really important."
Deakins prefers to be in
focal lengths close to that of the
human eye's natural field of

view, which he feels lend

THE

ROCK OF THE INDUSTRY
NOW ROULS!
nettmann

cam-remote

a more

by matthews

naturalistic feel to the images.
"The wider group shots we shot
on a 32mm or 28mm," he
says,
"and on close-ups we'd shoot on
40mm or sometimes a 50mm.

a

Rarely would I go past an 85mm
lens. In that range I think you get
a sort of
presence."
"We used an Arri BL-4S
for A-camera with an Arri head,"
recalls Swanek, "and a MovieCam
Compact for B-camera/ Stead icam
[Gerrit Dangremond], We also ex¬
tensively used the Giraffe crane,
owned by Roger's dolly grip
Bruce Hamme, with a Power-pod
remote head and

It

an

The

Aero-crane.

choice

versatile for doing
any kind of crane shots in an en¬
closed space and basically over¬
lapped the shortest height that
was

very

of the

world's

leading

the Giraffe could do."
One of the most memo¬
rable shots in the film occurs in
the opening minutes, showing

directors and
*

cameramen

Cam-remote™

Dufresne's prison bus arriving at
Shawshank for the first time.

{
l

can now

a

The exterior shots of

Shawshank Prison were lit to
match the feeling of the interiors.
"In the quest to keep it looking

natural," says O'Leary, "we don't
do a lot of heavy lighting for
exteriors. You'll notice that
Deakins' day exteriors never look
lit, and I believe that is actually
one of the hardest things to do, to

light and make it look un-lit. A lot
of times the key to that is the
blocking, getting people and the
lens in the

right spot. When

we

roll axis for

3 axis operation.

which were filled with inmates.
The shot pans sideways as the
camera looms down over a roof¬
the entrance.

be

provided with

Captured with a Spacecam
mounted on a helicopter piloted
by Robert "Bobby Z" Zajonc, the
sweeping aerial shot covered
the entire facility and grounds,

top to reveal the bus turning into

,

*List available

request.

on

The new 70-degree-on-optical-axis roll module can be
added to the standard Cam-remote™ system. Roll

position and limits

are

viewed at the operator's monitor.

INTERNATIONAL AGENTS:

AUSTRALIA

BRAZIL

55

-

CANADA

02

-

418

-

7377

JAPAN

81

-

45

Oil

-

574

-

5719

JAPAN

03

-

335 8

778

-

7262

MEXICO

416

FINLAND

INTERNATIONAL AGENTS:

-

358

-

0

-

645126

FRANCE

33

-

1

-

45

-

32

-

PKAINUfc

OO

-

X

-

AO

-

UU

-

52

PORTUGAL

3959

922

-

-

7450

5

-

684

351

-

1

-

-

3600

-

-

3368

757

-

2357

UNITED KINGDOM 44-9-325-64885

UNITED STATES

818

-

843

-

0831

The smaller
GERMANY

49-40-540-8220

2-axis

Mini-Mote™

available for
ISRAEL

972

-

3

-

5241829

is

lighter film or
video camera packages.

SEE MATTHEWS
AT N.A.B. IN
American Cinematographer - June 1995

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - June 1995
