American Cinematographer - November 1999 - 76

A Less-Than-Civil War
a local warehouse by production
designer (and fellow Ice Storm alum)
Mark Friedberg. "Mark was always
there and always very inclusive," the
cinematographer says. "He always
asked my opinion on things."
Projecting sufficient daylight
into the dugout for proper exposure
often required taking out a section of
wall. "I usually used a 20K tungsten
light through a 12' by 12' frame of
light gridcloth, placed about 25' from
the set to create a soft daylight ambi¬

in

a

more

natural

look, fill light was kept to a mini¬
Elmes

explains, "Fill light
difference between
compared to what
the film sees, so I usually use just the
littlest bit, although it's important
mum.

makes up for the
what my eye sees

The

only light illuminating the
cave at night came from the fireplace
an

see

all that texture back there

-

the

that

flickering light

to

the wall
because it added to the claustropho¬
bic quality of the space."
To mimic firelight at night in
the dugout, gaffer Jonathan Lumley
see

built 2'

x

2' and 3'

x

on

3' bulb boards,

using pieces of plywood mounted
with nine sockets and then fitted

that it be there."

or

"The biggest problem of
shooting in the dugout was that
while it was easy to light the actors'
faces when they were near the fire,
the dark-gray, clay earth of the
dugout wall three feet behind them
disappeared completely. I continually
found myself having to light just the
back wall, otherwise you wouldn't
states.

rocks, roots and leaves. I wanted

ence," Elmes reveals.
To maintain

wider shots, we would burn a fire in
there and then hide lights on one side
or the other of the actual fire," he

occasional lantern. "In the

hung

on

which

often trained

fireplace (in place of actual fire)

because of the width of the

anamor-

phic frame. Elmes says that a 50mm
provided a good claustrophobic feel,
while 75mm and 100mm lenses were

used for

close-ups.

When the four Bushwhackers

discover the Evans house in flames
and Mr. Evans murdered

by raiding
Jayhawkers, they pursue the attackers
on horseback
through the woods,
but stumble right into a Federal
ambush. The chase begins at twilight,
with the successive shots becoming
darker until the four

men

enter a

clearing and find themselves trapped
by the enemy. Elmes and Lee wanted
the gunfight scene to be dark, with¬
out the hard moonlight seen in many

with different-sized tungsten

films. "The Federal attackers

running

identified

on

Diffusion and

bulbs
flicker generators.
warm
gels were then

Over 15

the

on

from underneath and within

actors

the

the front of the boards,

were

were

only by their gunshots in

the dark woods," Elmes observes.

year's service in feature films,

commercials and music films

JLOlOOOll 1

*

Mimic

-

*

35mm

or

*

Vistavision

learn and repeat
track, lift, rotate, pan, tilt, roll, focus and

zoom

digital betacam
cameras

Custom

engineered model movers
Borescope, periscope and snorkel lenses available
1 fps to 120 fps - fixed or vari-speed
Time lapse and animation capabilities
SLjjMlUie input triggers, including time-code
3D move scaling
Mix and overlay facilities
Import/export moves between rigs and 3D software
Wide range of model movers including car turntables
*

*

*

*

*

*

*

*

Feature films:

Borrowers, Lost in Space,
Merlin, Pianist on the Ocean, Saint, Jackal,

Panther Moy
Mitchell S35 or

Ninth Gate, Peut Etre,

client's

Christmas Carol,

Alice in Wonderland...

Commercials: Ford, Volvo,

BNCR

*

Field recorder systems

*

Moving single frame
Portable to any studio

camera

preference

*

or

Panavision lens mounts

or

location in

any country

Saab, GM,

BMW, Nissan, VW, Lexus, Rover, Alfa
Romeo, Smirnoff, Visa, Lennox, Nescafe,

Motion Control Cameras

MacDonalds...

6 Belvue Business Centre,

Music Films: Phil Collins,

Northolt, Middlesex UB5 5QQ, United Kingdom

Jamiroquai
George Michael, Smashing Pumpkins,

Belvue Road,

Telephone: +44 (0)208 845 6800

Celine Dion...

Facsimile: +44 (0)208 845 3900

TV

Web site: www.motioncontrol.co.uk

productions: Viaggio nel Cosmo RAI,
BBC, CNN...

74

*

E-mail:

MotionControlCameras@compuserve.com
American Cinematographer - November 1999

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