American Cinematographer - December 1999 - 57

problem
became

battle

on the exterior sets, but it
really complicated when we

used it in

a

effects

smaller set like Ichabod's

that

where I didn't want the audi¬
to feel the smoke. It's difficult,

room,
ence

but after

get a

of smoke

was

CCE process.
use more

also

In

much. Our

too

dependent

our case, we

smoke, because

we

was

knew

grimace. "One problem with using
that sometimes, when

working outside with

our

we

big

the smoke would reveal

where the

light

That drove

me

coming from.

was

insane, and I lost the

T

3

can

tests

be

a

bit much. When

with the Headless

though, we found that
the lightning really added a lot of
energy to the character - it made
him more impressive, scary and
Burtonian. Every time the Horseman
is going to kill someone, the light¬
ning appears as dramatic punctua¬
tion. The problem with lightning is
that it really affects the editing of the
movie. If it's really fast-paced in one

"Of course, if you're going to
smoke, you have to live with the
limitations," he points out with a

Pi-

did

Horseman,

use

cranes,

cranes, or to

edge off."
atmospheric touch
the use of "lightning flashes"

otherwise it
we

balanced out.

was

the

appeared in a scene. "Usually I hate
lightning as an effect, because it has
the potential to take the viewer out of
the movie a bit," Lubezki says. "If it's
supposed to be raining, it's fine, but

the
could

on

the process also affected the blacks in
the opposite way, so everything

smoke

to

whenever the Headless Horseman

use

that the process would 'see through'
it. The smoke affected the blacks, but

were

closer

Another

smoke you
better feel for the proper level

and how much is

was

take the

week of using

a

couple of times; in two or
beg the visual
team at ILM to erase the light

a

three shots, I had to

S

H

C

M

I

K

cut, and you go to a shot where the
lightning doesn't match, you start to

feel this lack of freedom. It took
while

us a

learn how to

keep it constant
without obliterating the images with
lightning. It looks really interesting
when you're shooting it, but you have
to control yourself!"
to

Lubezki
that the

use

notes

with

chuckle

a

of lightning gave

Burton

the chance to

play God on the set. "I
gave the Lightning Strikes control
box to fohn Higgins, but Tim always
told him when

to cue

the flashes

-

he would sit there and

signal lohn by
twitching his index finger. Since Tim
would be so heavily involved in the
editing, we felt that it would be best if
he was responsible for the rate and
speed of the lightning. I guess that's
one of the perks of being a big-time
movie director!"

PROUDLY

P

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American Cinematographer - December 1999

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