Chris Rock’s character of Lance Barton – fresh from an untimely accident on earth – adapts to his new environment in heaven. The first part of the clip shows him entering the nightclub. The lighting and color schemes laid out in last week’s diagram are the same: cool blue backgrounds and warmer foregrounds. … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #40 – DOWN TO EARTH”
Month: April 2021
FUTURE PROOF…?
On a recent morning I caught pieces of Casablanca in Blu-ray format on a 65” television. A few hours later I sat in a screening room and saw an optically projected 35mm print of some film I’d shot a few days earlier. Over lunch I was shown a sequence from Lawrence of Arabia on … Continue reading “FUTURE PROOF…?”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #39 – DOWN TO EARTH
Down To Earth was my second go-round with good friends Paul and Chris Weitz, who co-directed. It’s a remake of Warren Beatty and Buck Henry’s Heaven Can Wait (1978; shot by William A. Fraker, ASC) – which itself was a remake of Alexander Hall’s 1941 comedy, Here Comes Mr. Jordan (photographed by Joseph Walker, … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #39 – DOWN TO EARTH”
THE IMPORTANCE OF CRAPPY MOVIES
The Turner Classic Movie channel is amazing… It always provides something watchable, even if you’re not interested in the subject matter. The other night I stumbled upon a picture that got me thinking in a way much too sophisticated for such trash. It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) is certainly no Citizen Kane. It’s … Continue reading “THE IMPORTANCE OF CRAPPY MOVIES”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #38 – JUSTIFIED
One of the biggest challenges a cinematographer can face is an expansive night exterior located far from motivated light sources. I’m referring to such places as the open ocean, the plains, a forest, a mountainside…or, as in this case, the remote desert. There’s no shortage of heavy artillery available to help define the … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #38 – JUSTIFIED”
CINEMATOGRAPHER AS PRODUCER
How is it that some smart executive hasn’t recognized the benefits of offering their cinematographer a hand in producing? Along with the Line Producer, UPM and First AD, we are acutely sensitive to the money-time-equipment-manpower conundrum. With so many critical elements under our control – and a profound understanding of how the pieces fit … Continue reading “CINEMATOGRAPHER AS PRODUCER”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #37 – AMERICAN PIE
Made in a happy atmosphere, American Pie was one of the most memorable productions I’ve had the fortune to be part of. Director Paul Weitz (along with his brother and close collaborator Chris) had this unbroken shot in mind from our earliest discussions. Ostensibly meant to bring one of the main characters from the … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #37 – AMERICAN PIE”
UNSUNG HEROES
Seeing as it’s awards season and everyone’s in a froth about who’s hot, we should refocus some of that energy toward the majority of cinematographers, the unsung heroes of what we do. You know who I mean: The lunch-pail gals and guys, the ones who always deliver first-class work yet for inscrutable reasons are … Continue reading “UNSUNG HEROES”
LIGHTING DIAGRAM #36 – ISHTAR
This’s the final entry in my series of Ishtar lighting charts, beloved relics of my days as an assistant cameraman. I don’t quite know what I’ll be posting next in this department…but I promise it will be exciting and educational. The Emir’s palace…and yet another scene between two people across a flat surface. … Continue reading “LIGHTING DIAGRAM #36 – ISHTAR”