American Cinematographer - December 2004 - 16

camera on a

tripod," explains Zhao. "We

because of its fine

also used

23-meter [751/2'] Filmotech-

contrast," declares Zhao. "It proved

nic Cascade Crane, which has a servo-

especially useful in the forest scenes
because the dense woods were quite
dim during the day, and it was almost
impossible to get lighting units in." He
notes that he tried to use sunlight as
backlight as often as possible in these

a

controlled cable system under the arm
where we mounted the gyrostabilized

Flight Head to track the actors at high
speed. That made the foreground appear
to be speeding by. I also threw in quite a
few point-of-view shots using the
Cascade to show the trajectory of the
daggers and arrows as they zero in on
their victims."
The
on

production spent four weeks

location in China's Sichuen Province,

10 weeks

on

location in the Ukraine, and

stage at Beijing Film
Studio. Zhao and action director Tony

four weeks

on

Ching found that filming handheld using
10mm and 12mm lenses served the
scenes

low and

camera

Above: Director
of

photography
Xiaoding Zhao
(seated at
camera) is

pictured with
(clockwise from
left) focus puller
Cui Liang, focus

puller Sung
De Hua,
B-camera/

Steadicam

operator

Raymond Lam,
HKSC, and

clapper/loader
Zhao Chun

Cheng.
Right: Zhao
zeroes

in

on

his

subject.

where Zhao collaborated with senior
colorist Olivier

Fontenay.
Flying Daggers in
Super 35mm 2.35:1 using an Arri camera
package obtained at Cinerent in Beijing.
Zhao shot

An Arricam Studio served

as

the A-

Arri 435ES

was

used for B-camera and

Steadicam work, both of which were
handled

enhance Jin and Mei's

perspective.
shooting dramatic scenes in the
forests, Zhao switched to long lenses
because they "made the [forest] look

When

by Raymond Lam, HKSC. "The

fact that the 435ES

can run

at 150

fps was very important to us, given
the high-speed work the movie
called for," notes Zhao. He used a
set of Cooke S4 primes, a Cooke 5x
and 10x

zoom

and 10mm and

much

Interiors and forest
shot

other

on

because the tree leaves looked

colorful under

more

lamps, he rarely added colored gels, and
a digital finish in mind, he never

with

used filters

the lens.

on

in
impresses a prospec¬
tive client by demonstrating her master/
of a complex dance. The action was shot
at 150 fps, and Zhao wanted the colors
to be especially saturated. To create
very bright, even light, he rigged as
many as 100 Mole-Richardson 6K MaxiSpacelites with white silk skirts along
the studio ceiling, and on the studio floor
he used mainly bounced light or light
aimed through a butterfly holding soft
In

elaborate sequence set

one

the brothel, Mei

diffusion material.
One of the film's most memorable

scenes were

Kodak Vision2 500T 5218, and

day exteriors were shot on EXR
50D 5245. "5218 was a good choice

shots

occurs

in

a

flower meadow where

soldiers attack Jin and

Mei. The

perspective begins above Jin's head, but
then the camera seems to turn upsidedown and fluidly whip down to his
face and torso as he places an
arrow

in his bow and fires. Zhao

describes how he got the shot:
"We used the Cascade Crane with
the

Flight Head, and the shot's
depended a great deal on

300mm Zeiss lenses to

success

the

the

photograph
picture. "I think Cooke lenses

sunlight.

(Some of these shots were later
enhanced in the Dl.) When Zhao did use

denser and darker."

which Zhao operated, and an

camera,

best.

By placing the
shooting up into the
bamboo trees, where soldiers lay in wait
for Jin and Mei, they were able to make
the trees appear much taller and
action

scenes

grain and low

crane

and the

Ukrainian

operator's stability. The
gazes at the scene from

more details to the picture,
and the contrast is lower," he

camera

observes.

above Jin's back. It [seems as if it's

give

For much of the film, Jin and
Mei

are on

the run,

pursued by

government troops and in constant
danger. The filmmakers opted for

fast-moving shots and long lenses
usually a 300mm - to accen¬
tuate the running motion and to
heighten the sense of confinement.
-

"Some of these shots

were

made

by locking off the camera and just
panning with the action, with the
14 December 2004

camera

going to leapfrog] over his head,
but just as it reaches the top of his
head, it makes a 180-degree turn
and

moves

down to his face. In

post, we increased the frame rate
in the middle of the shot. Jin's
arrow was

shot

on a

horizontal

track, following Jin in parallel.
After Jin shot the arrow we

forward, and
changed to the arrow's POV." ■
zoomed, pushing
American Cinematographer - December 2004

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