American Cinematographer - December 2004 - 54

A Darker Side of Fantasy

A

system for our lighting, but
there was a major structural problem
truss

telescoping

crane was

for

some

on

used
shots

these were really just
aircraft-assembly buildings. They
had [regular] roofing and it wasn't
designed to hold that kind of weight
because

the show's
forced-

perspective
cornfield set,
which was also

housed within

aimed

down

full

through
gridcloth to
create the

illusion of

a

bright, overcast
sky, an effect
augmented by a

finely crafted
background
cyclorama. Due
to the project's

"It

extremely complicated

set was

shoot in Count Olaf's mansion.

out, so

scale and

logistical
complexity,
Lubezki sought
additional

assistance from

Amy Vincent,
ASC, who

shooting

on

to

was

this

visited the

production.

used for

the stage

coverings over the windows made
them tough to access."
While shooting continued at
Paramount, the previously described

bring in cranes because
floors couldn't take their
weight, so the lights had to be on
chain

motors.

It

was

difficult,

though, because the sets had been
right up to the fire lanes. It was
perhaps our most difficult set, in part

built

because there

were no

square rooms;

rooms have many corners,
and the windows have different

shapes, some very small compared to
the size of the rooms. They just
weren't big enough to

bring soft light
through, so we devised a series of
wild walls. Even so, the complexity of
the sets meant that the walls
weird sizes,

pulling
December 2004

same set was

exteriors, and small, awning-like

all of the

50

the

We couldn't

was

set when AC

also finished both inside and

a

so

wall in

came

in

it wasn't like just
square room.

The

exterior sets

-

the harbor, seaside

extremely soft sources that you often
can't tell where the light is coming
from. He's also careful to make
that the set walls

source,

catwalks in

place," says Buckley,
assigned rigging gaffer Shane
Buttle
and rigging electrician
Christopher Kiso and their team to
prep the Downey sets. "We therefore
needed to install a huge overhead

even

who

at a

sure

certain level

that you

been shot there, but there weren't

-

are

aren't constantly cutting
trying to shape the light - that's
already worked out in the art direcĀ¬
tion. He also keeps sources as close to
subjects as possible: the closer you
so

and

and cornfield, among

than 12

per square

nations, but the intention and effect
are
the same. Chivo uses such

others
were being built at Downey,
which offered plenty of covered
space but fewer filmmaker-friendly
amenities. "Part of Van Helsing had
cavern

more

inch. A lot of
structural reinforcing had to be done
before we could even start lighting."
Lubezki's approach is "all
about big, soft sources, whether that
means
generating ambient light
from the ceiling or bringing in two
20Ks and putting them through Half
Straw and then 12-by-12 frames of
half or full gridcloth," notes the
gaffer. "There are all kinds of combiĀ¬
pounds

Space lights
were

couldn't have

we

-

Downey Studios.

are

to

the person

and the softer the

the softer the shadow. For
Chivo, that last level of softness is

going to be right next to the lens -
usually a 12-by-12 muslin frame on
interiors
about 90 degrees from
the face and then wrapping around
-

to

the

high cheekbone

on

the other



American Cinematographer - December 2004

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