American Cinematographer - April 1997 - 96

Hancuff set out to design a tool to
make sure such a thing would

The

Desktop
Cinematographer

AC examines

new

never

happen again. Five

merely requires a date and a place
to tell you precisely where the sun
will be at any given moment.
Whereas the United States Census
Bureau tracks the population of

software

America

that can aid
cinematographers in their
visual pursuits.
programs

by

43,000

SunWhere boasts
over

a

153,000 cities and 83,000 other

geographic features, including
arches, bays, beaches, capes, gla¬
ciers, islands, parks, forests and

which have revolutionized the

budgeting process. On the creative
side, screenwriters have long made
use of the
powerful word-process¬
ing capabilities of even the simplest
computer, and pioneering pro¬
grams such as Script Perfection
Enterprises' Script Thing make
their jobs even easier. Of course, it
seems

almost unnecessary to

point out the impact that com¬
puters have had upon motion
picture special effects.
As the cinematographer's
trade moves further and further
into the digital realm, it is more
important than ever for directors of

photography to keep pace with
technological advances. New tools
that are viewed as being improb¬

great freedom from the tedious
details of the business, allowing
them to

and if embraced, it can be an ex¬

not want

Because Clear

*

*

Database of over 153,000 cities and
83,000 geographic locations across U.S.
Simple to use; no need to look-up or
calculate latitude, longitude, time zone,

Daylight Savings Time,

or

magnetic

Only comprehensive database of time in
cities in U.S.

*

Assured to always be
software.

running up-to-date

*

Program takes little space on hard
PC: 80386 Windows (3.1, 95, NT)
4MB RAM, 7.19MB Hard Drive
Mac:To be released

by April, 1997

Reston, VA 20194-1623
(703)318-9818; E-mail ClearDayS@aol.com

outdated software, SunWhere, like

calendar, is available in yearly
only: September 1 to
December 31 (15 months). Al¬
though it's necessary to purchase
a

installments

individual databases for four dif¬
ferent regions within the U.S. (cen¬

sun

to shine

tral, east, west and south),

particular facade of

a struc¬

as a new

sun

set

just before its light

Frustrated and

April 1997

drive.

Clear Day Software
1162 Woodstock Lane

Topping off this list,
merely because of its direct appli¬
cation to the cinematographer's
work, is SunWhere, a Clear Day
Software program designed by an
advertising photographer. Com¬
pany founder Cliff Hancuff began
working on the program after be¬
ing jilted by Mother Nature one
late afternoon while toiling on an
architectural shoot. After waiting

the

Day does
operating with

declination.
*

SunWhere

on a

anyone

SunWhere

dustry, that there are virtually no
programs specifically designed for
directors of photography. How¬
ever, there are many software pro¬
grams with applications that can
aid the professional cinematogra¬
pher. What follows is a survey of
some of the most helpful tools.

painted the surface.

Cinematographer

readings.

exhaustive search of more than 150
software developers working for
and within the entertainment in¬

several hours for the

help files is a
the proper use

on

of a compass and the many hun¬
dreds of factors which can bias

traordinary addition to any
cinematographer's tool bag.
Given this reality, I was
surprised to find, despite a fairly

But

American

cluded within the
detailed tutorial

give directors of photography

94

sired location; it is all done for you
at the click of a mouse. Also in¬

experiment quickly with
dozens of different options and
explore new worlds without cost¬
ing the production a bundle. The
power of the desktop is growing,

ture, Hancuff was thwarted when

computer technology can also

need to

longitude, latitude, time
zones, Daylight Savings Time or
even
compass declination for a de¬

one day can be developed -
and rendered obsolete - in a flash.

able

no

research

by Jay Holben

In the quasi-organized chaos of

cities,

database of

reservations. There is

film production, it's always a
blessing to discover a new tool or
system that will simplify the quan¬
daries of moviemaking.
These days, of course, the
industry and the world at large are
immersed in a technological revo¬
lution. Computers are as much a
part of our lives as cars, and their
power and potential grow expo¬
nentially every day. Many facets of
the industry have already em¬
braced the computer as an indis¬
pensable tool. Production staffs
have integrated their desktops
with programs such as Movie
Magic and Movie Magic Scheduler,

years

later, his team at Clear Day un¬
veiled SunWhere, a program that

dejected,

as

well

main program for each
year, users can always be certain
that they have the latest version.

(The system's worldwide database,
expected sometime around the
American Cinematographer - April 1997

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