American Cinematographer - January 1999 - 72

Tracing a Filmmakers Footsteps
lighting Roger had put up. There was
no
way we could make changes or
add lighting. That's where it was
really good to have the Sony DVX-

Scorsese

prepares Geshi
Yeshi Gyatso (as
the Lama of

Sera) while
cinematographer
Roger Deakins

1000, because it's not cumbersome
and it's easy to operate

in very tight
with very little light. I
was
very impressed with how the
DVX-1000 held up in low-light

works out his

settings,

angle.

even

conditions."
When the set was so cramped
only one person from the
documentary crew could go in,
Wilson occasionally shouldered the
that

camera

gave

himself. "The DVX-1000

us

so

much freedom," he

enthuses. "You don't have
about the

think

to

just the situation
you're filming - which was so
refreshing. I'm not a cinematographer,
but there
to

camera,

were

handle the

moments
camera.

non-professional
camera

can

and focus

when I had

Even

a

total

handle that

on

what he's

filming, rather than worrying about
the

camera

itself."

Another

unique twist in the
production was the Canal+
requirement that the documentary
be shot in 1.77:1, an aspect ratio
Wilson says he "immediately fell in
love with. It's

much information

possible, and
tape is simply the most affordable
way to do that," notes Stieber. "The
Digital Betacam format allowed us to
achieve both quality and quantity.
The

PAL

standard

without

was

five words in Moroccan Arabic for
"dust."
never

Fortunately, the filmmakers
enough dust or

encountered

other harsh elements to knock the

the cake. We didn't have

Digital Betacam

was

to

on
deal with

pulldown, and the color

process

Betacam camera,

took

along

format

only

a

a

Sony Digital

the production also

Sony DVX-1000 DVbackup. "We were

camera as

on

camera out

of

commission.

The

better."
In addition to

January 1999

-

policy" seemed

important when Stieber
dismayed to learn that there are

even more

knocking NTSC - was the icing
3:2

70

The "insurance

as

the set

a

week

or so at a

Sony DVX-1000 camera
proved quite useful for the film's
intimate scenes in very tight interior
sets,

such

as a tent

Dalai Lama

runs

robes. "That

was as

time," Stieber points out. "The

could

thought of losing even a day of
shooting evoked panic. Our insurance
policy was this small camera."

as

where the young
under

a

monk's

tight a set as you
imagine, and it was pretty dark

well," recounts Wilson. "Sometimes

Roger [Deakins]
darkness. I had

the edge of
with whatever

was on
to

go

a

nice-sized

canvas,

especially when you're shooting in a
place like Morocco, where you've got
a lot of space around
your characters.
Also, 1.77 has a nice, painterly quality
that 1.33 may not have. It's not quite
the widest format, but it's

a

nice

compromise. People [in the U.S.]
haven't been exposed to it, but I'm
hoping the format will make an
impact in this country."
The budget didn't allow the
documentary crew to stay in
Morocco for the duration of the

Kundun shoot, so Wilson had to
choose his moments carefully. By

reading the script, he zeroed in on
key points in the story that would
need to be highlighted in the
documentary - particularly scenes
with the Dalai Lama

two-yearold, a six-year-old and a young adult,
as a

including his confrontation with
American Cinematographer - January 1999

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - January 1999
