American Cinematographer - April 2001 - 124

Also, the 50-minute load of each
HD tape (when shooting at 24 fps) "saves
reload time on set, which is less

disruptive to the actors. You also don't
have to wait for film processing and
telecine or digital transfer before editing.
The 24p Universal Mastering Format
makes it easy and cost-effective to
distribute the program in any video or
film format for different markets."

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Unfortunately, Wan concedes, the
camera's relative lack of accessories is

significant

a

There are only
prime lenses made to fit the
B4 broadcast-style mount: one by Canon
and another by Fujinon. For Manhattan
Midnight, Wan had a set of Canon
primes (6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 24mm,
35mm, all T1.5) but relied equally on an
Angenieux 5.3-61 mm short zoom. A long
Fujinon 7.5-150mm broadcast-style
zoom, complete with TV-style auto iris
(which was disabled, of course), power
annoyance.

two lines of

focus and

controls,

zoom

used

was

sparingly.
Wan notes that
allows the

use

an

adapter that

of PL-mount cinema

lenses is available, but

points out that it
image upside-down. "The
industry is still waiting for the Sony
option board that reverts the image," he
explains. Panavision has adapted certain
lines of lenses for HD use, but they are
currently only compatible with the
Panavision-modified Sony cameras.
Wan obtained sensitivity of
around 400 ISO using the CineAlta

turns the

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camera

balanced to 3200° Kelvin with

no

filters, and he determined his exposures

using only the monitor. "The monitor was
my meter. Calibrating the monitor is very
important," he stresses, adding that it's
equally crucial to maintain the proper
electronic settings on the camera.
The CCD's size, approximately
comparable to a 16mm frame, limits the
cinematographer's ability to throw
backgrounds out of focus. The camera
has

a

series of built-in ND filters for

readily obtaining
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122

a larger stop, and Wan
made great use of them, especially for
exteriors. He also used less lighting and

longer lenses when he needed
background to isolate the actors.
While the

loss

of

a

detail

soft

highlights on HD is significantly less
prevalent than it is with conventional
video formats, HD produces greater
detail in the shadows compared to most
film stocks, according to Wan. "You only
need a small amount of light for the
shadows to get good separation," he
attests.

Wan, director Cheung and
production designer Kent Hoffman
utilized HD's greater shadow detail to
good effect on Manhattan Midnight,
creating a series of dark, shadowy
images filled with deep, rich colors. The
greater expanse of the 16x9 widescreen
format seems to emphasize the
atmospheric shadow areas. (Manhattan
Midnight\n\W be released on film in the
standard 1.85:1 aspect ratio.)
Wan generally favors a lighting
approach that produces a moody, rich
look. He tends to work with

small

through windows. One visually rich
physical-effects shot in Manhattan
Midnight (showing a hapless character
who gets in the way of too many bullets)
was lit very simply with three 1,2K HMIs.
One was aimed through a window (with
some smoke added to define the light),
another was bounced off the ceiling for
general illumination, and another was
focused tightly on the actor's face.
Another

colorful

in

with

scene

that

strong reddish
only with Kino Flos and
practical bulbs set in matching table
lamps at both ends of a red couch. The
practicals were dimmed way down to
occurs

a room

a

cast was lit

add to the scene's overall warmth, much

of which

came

from the set decoration.

Ironically, thanks to the
manufacturing technology,
no current monitors or video-projection
systems do justice to the 24p HD images,
Wan says. Thanks to the superior
resolving quality of film, he concludes,
"one can only see the full potential of HD
limitations of

when it is transferred to film and

projected
Eric
at

in

a

number of instruments per scene and
often starts with HMI lights aimed

on a

large screen."

■

Hudolph can be reached via e-mail
erudolph2@nyc.rr.com.
American Cinematographer - April 2001

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Cinematographer - April 2001
