American Cinematographer - November 1998 - 49

to

be

digitally doctored. "Many

effects films

static

use a

camera

with

nodal-point tilts while shooting
actors against a bluescreen," Ward
offers, "and the actors feel completely
constrained. If I wanted

handheld,

shoot

to

shot handheld, and

we

then added all of the effects later on."

Consequently, Serra found
working with targets and

himself

markers while

on

location, which

would allow the effects artists to
his

create

camera moves

re¬

in 3-D space

via

The ASC website

ing place where
cinematography

provides

a worldwide meet¬
anyone with an interest in
can seek and exchange

With reports coming straight from film sets to
your computer screen, absorb web-exclusive,
multimedia journalism on production tech¬

niques and working cinematographers with
the aid of QTVRs, movies, diagrams, and
insightful text.
Also featured:

Painted World, Serra's compositions
and lighting would still form the

Cinematographer magazine.

depiction. (See

visual effects story, page 52.)
The duo's strategy does

beg an
question: why go to the
trouble of shooting on location in
Montana if the footage would be so
drastically altered in post? Despite
the extensive plans for the Painted
World's look, at the start of physical
production it had not yet been deter¬
mined how the "paint" effects would
be created, nor to what extent they
would be used, so beginning the
postproduction work with dramatic
landscapes instead of bare bluescreen
backgrounds seemed to be a prudent
plan.
An interesting parallel setting
was created
using Chris and Annie's
home. Open, sunlit, and inviting, the
space is transformed into a bleak
wreck in purgatory, where Annie will
spend eternity after committing
suicide
unless she is redeemed by
Chris's love. Serra vividly contrasts
life and death through the respective

from films in production, coupled
with interviews from the cine¬

information.

motion-tracking techniques. Yet
despite the fact that a heavy layer of
computer animation would later ebb
and flow over his images to create the

basis of the land's

Step into Around the Set and expe¬
rience panoramic images captured

*

*

The official online version of American

matographer and his or her
lighting diagrams.

crew,

and

Learn about the

Anatomy of a
special online viewers
break down a scene layer by
layer, or shot by shot, to reveal
the artistry behind the creation of
its images.
Shot

as

Q&As with top cinematographers about

their work, with e-mail
the world.

questions from around

obvious

Cinematography tips, reminiscences and
journals from such ASC members as Don
Burgess, Russell Carpenter and Vilmos
Zsigmond.
*

Discussions on the technology and philos¬
ophy of cinematography in public forums.
*

*
Classified ads and shopping for ASC
merchandise and subscriptions.

and AC

*

Learn the behind the

scenes

of the rodent star of Mouse
Hunt in our latest Anatomy of a
Shot.
secrets

-

use

of

a

beautiful

hideous cold blue

warm

aura

and

tones.

The home's interior

was

built

entirely
sense

ing

a

on stage, but Serra added a
of realism to the set by follow¬

specific rule: "When in the

studio, I shoot

as

I would

on a

tical location. I don't like
catwalks

or

to

prac¬
have

light from above - most

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*

Dean

Cundey, ASC describes how
bay on
soundstage..

he created the San Francisco
a
American Cinematographer - November 1998

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - November 1998
