American Cinematographer - November 1999 - 82

Televised Gems
used the

Bill Roe

The X-Files

helicopter on the opening
sequence. Almost every day we have

"The Unnatural"

cranes,

hotheads and Steadicams."

Creative movement
Bill Roe earned the 1999 ASC

also

was

day for scenes inside

Outstanding Achievement Award for

the baseball team's bus, which

his camerawork

episode "Drive" (see AC May '99).
"The Unnatural" marked the writing
and directing debut of series star
David Duchovny, who penned a
story that revolves around an

photographed via "poor man's
process" on a hastily arranged stage
in Simi Valley. Roe recalls, "We
mounted our lamps on cranes to
create the effect of the sunlight
changing direction as the bus trav¬

African-American

eled, and we used

The X-Files

on

baseball

team

touring the country and playing
exhibition games in the 1940s. One
very talented player - who shuns
the attention he receives
to

be

an

alien who

-

had

a

was

lot of smoke. We

special dolly track inside the
bus to use with a bungee-cam setup.
We did a lot of fun things."
a

simply loves play¬

The X-Files

production built a
baseball diamond in Simi Valley to
represent the makeshift parks put up
by traveling teams of the Forties. "We
researched the lights they used in
those days and imitated them by
mounting standards in the backs of
five period pickup trucks and
topping them with huge Skypans,"
says Roe. "In those days, the genera¬
tors wouldn't sync, so the lights
would pulse a little bit. We re-created
that effect ourselves. It really added a
certain authenticity."
Roe and Duchovny considered
a
variety of special looks and
processes to help convey the period,

memories. This
wanted to

use

Movie Of

filmed

at

Lansky
John A. Alonzo brings to his
work

a

wide range of experience and
over the course of more

skill honed

than 50 feature films

director of

as a

photography. In 1975, he received
Academy Award and BAFTA nomi¬
nations for Chinatown. A few of his

other

credits

include

Star

Trek:

was

drawn

to

it

work better when each aspect

script, which was writ¬
by David Mamet," says Alonzo.
"The director, John McNaughton,
had a very interesting grasp on the
story about the life of Meyer Lansky,
which Mamet had put together using

production makes its

facts

draw attention

to

itself. It

own

seems

to

of the
contribu¬

ten

as

well

as

fiction. We discussed

tion, and then that combination

the desire that human

suggests the sense of period."
As with most X-Files episodes,

for

"The

Unnatural"

employed a
constantly moving camera propelled
in a wide variety of ways. "One nice
thing about The X-Files is that we get
to use a lot of toys," Roe enthuses. "We

on

a

a

crucial

trip to

beings have
good memories and how that fit

in with the story.

challenge for me as a
cinematographer was to interpret
McNaughton's vision. He gave me a
couple of picture books and some
about

"We

we

shot it in

an

People usually shoot it
up close, because the natural
tendency is to want to see everything
in detail. Instead, we got back, so we
could see the masses of people, and
put Richard Dreyfuss [who plays
Lansky] in the foreground. That way
the shot tells more of a story; it tells
you where you are and gives you a
sense of place."
Many scenes for Lansky were

memory.

at

the landmark Ambassador

As

you

Angeles. "We shot parts

of scenes set in Poland there, as well

as

of some New York sequences,"
he points out. "We even used a matte
painting of the Brooklyn Bridge. It
kind of a

return to

an

old-fash¬

ioned way

of making movies, when
Hollywood couldn't leave town. We
used all of the available
skills

do it

to

resources

and

that

was

right. To

me,

wonderful."

Robbie

Greenberg, ASC

Winched

The

"The

books

attests.

Wailing Wall in

unusual way.

was a

do something dras¬
photography, it may just

mounted

Alonzo
the

Jerusalem, and
John Alonzo, ASC

nomination. "I

sometimes if you

was

authentic,"

or

because of the

tic with the

we

making the film."

For A Minieries
The Week

decided to let the wardrobe,
colors, and lighting provide the

Roe. "I find that

idea

Outstanding Cinematography

straight. "We did numerous tests, but

says

an

Israel for

parts

period feel,"

was

tion could afford

Vanishing Point, Sounder, Black
Sunday, Norma Rae, Blue Thunder,
Steel Magnolias and Internal Affairs.
The HBO production of
Lansky earned Alonzo his first Emmy

we

you

relatively modest budget. Alonzo,
McNaughton and production
designer Ed Macavoy each cut many
corners to ensure that the
produc¬

Hotel in Los

shoot it

in

The film

filmed

to

person,

things that happened in
your life, but you may not be
completely accurate about the facts.
The facts are glamorized or softened,
but they sate your appetite for good

Generations, Harold and Maude,

but in the end decided

older

an

remember

key scenes in which Lansky
visits the graves of his grandparents
and several religious sites. "The trip
to Israel really made the picture

turns out

ing the game.

80 November 1999

the order of the

become

HBO

production

Winched, which tells the story of

powerful columnist and radio star
(Stanley Tucci),

Walter Winchell

earned

director

Robbie

Greenberg

of

photography
a

1999 ASC
American Cinematographer - November 1999

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