Invitation to Screening

[Steven Bernstein ASC]

I was flattered by Mr. Hopes kind words about my film, "One Night With The King" though to be honest I don't remember meeting or speaking to anyone at Fotokem by that name. Perhaps it was another lab. In any case there are about 50 seats left for the screening at the Royal on Santa Monica Blvd., in Santa Monica at 7:30 this Thursday. I would be happy to give them away to members of this site. Write to me and the first fifty or so (depending on other industry RSVP's) will get tickets.

[Mike Rizos]

Welcome to the forum Steven! I would request a ticket but I'm 2500 miles away.

[Kevin Zanit]

Welcome, hope to see you on here in the future!

 

 

Kevin Zanit

[David Sweetman]

Just got back from the screening, and I wanted to say thanks again for the invitation! The visuals were the best part, I especially liked the scene with Agag's descendent sitting in hot window-motivated sunlight. Along with all the chiaroscurro stuff, of course...what were the inspirations for the style?

 

The film seemed very sharp overall, I recall specifically a shot of a grey-haired man against square greenish bricks while talking to the king. How was it finished; was there a DI involved, or by what method did you obtain and retain the sharpness?

 

 

Anyway it's a good thing I'm shooting something for a contest tomorrow or I don't know what I'd do with this inspiration - plus we'll probably end up lighting with torches and fire since one scene is in a forest at night, so this was the perfect movie to see prior to that shoot!

[Chris Cooke]

Just got back from the screening, and I wanted to say thanks again for the invitation! The visuals were the best part, I especially liked the scene with Agag's descendent sitting in hot window-motivated sunlight. Along with all the chiaroscurro stuff, of course...what were the inspirations for the style?

 

The film seemed very sharp overall, I recall specifically a shot of a grey-haired man against square greenish bricks while talking to the king. How was it finished; was there a DI involved, or by what method did you obtain and retain the sharpness?

Anyway it's a good thing I'm shooting something for a contest tomorrow or I don't know what I'd do with this inspiration - plus we'll probably end up lighting with torches and fire since one scene is in a forest at night, so this was the perfect movie to see prior to that shoot!

 

I didn't even know you were there David. I wish that I would've known before hand. Were you the guy with the camera (I think it was a Z1U)?

I flew in from Calgary, AB Canada to see this screening and I'm glad I did. The first person that I saw when I walked through the door was Steven Bernstein, ASC. I got to talk to him a little bit which was a huge deal for a Canadian DP such as myself. Thank you so much for the invitation Steve, I really enjoyed myself.

I loved the use of mixed light sources throughout the film. Especially the first time Esther enters the King's chamber. I haven't read much about the technical elements concerning this project yet but I'm assuming that this was a Super 35mm film (as opposed to anamorphic) in order to keep the first AC from having a mental breakdown. It looked like half the film was shot using torch light as the main source which must have meant a very low stop resulting in shallow dof.

The strong points in this film were the cinematography and sets. The main actors did a good job especially the girl that played Esther but some of the supporting roles were a little weak. BTW, Steven gets to play the part of Esthers father (for flashback scenes). It was kind of odd but really cool to see him act. The directing and editing had really strong moments but at times took me out of the story. Overall, very good film and every person on this site needs to see it if they want to watch a masterful piece of cinematography.

I decided to go to Otto Nemenz this morning to check out some equipment and talk with their support staff. I ended up getting some major favor and meeting a man named Fritz (sp?). This is the guy who works with all the major DP's that come into the shop including Steven Bernstein. He took me on a forty five minute tour of the facility and then took me into his office to chat. I was really impressed with everything that they do there. They are a major player in the industry and yet they still cater to the individual needs of dp's, operators and first ac's. Fritz is good friends with other major dp's like Roger Deakins, ASC and Christopher Doyle, HKSC. I told him about this site and I hope that he comes on some time.

Thanks again Steve, I hope to see you again.

[David Sweetman]

I didn't even know you were there David. I wish that I would've known before hand. Were you the guy with the camera (I think it was a Z1U)?

That's awesome to fly in from Canada - No, I didn't have a camera with me, I sat around the middle.

 

that this was a Super 35mm film (as opposed to anamorphic) in order to keep the first AC from having a mental breakdown.

If it was anamorphic, the optic squeeze was behind the lens because I specifically remember round bokeh. Though I'd bet it was Super-35 based on the low-light torch stuff. Which by the way is really tough to do! I tried tonight and failed. Of course we didn't really have any fuel, some kerosene probably would have given us a bright enough flame.

[Chris Cooke]

If it was anamorphic, the optic squeeze was behind the lens because I specifically remember round bokeh. Though I'd bet it was Super-35 based on the low-light torch stuff. Which by the way is really tough to do! I tried tonight and failed. Of course we didn't really have any fuel, some kerosene probably would have given us a bright enough flame.

 

I looked at Steven's page on cameraguild.com and found an interview which was mostly about this particular film. http://www.cameraguild.com/index.html?inte...htm~top.main_hp

 

 

QUESTION: Was there a discussion about format for this film?

 

BERNSTEIN: We knew straight away that this is a film about big ideas, so we wanted to do something on a grand scale. We decided to compose in 2.4:1 aspect ratio in Super 35 format. We felt it was most appropriate for both the visceral emotions expressed in the story and the scope of endless horizons in all directions in the desert.

 

QUESTION: Why Super 35 rather than anamorphic format?

 

BERNSTEIN: I always advocate anamorphic, even though the lenses are inferior to spherical lenses, because you have one less generation in postproduction. But, now with the improvements in digital intermediate, that?s really no longer a concern.

 

QUESTION: It sounds like you are a DI advocate?

 

BERNSTEIN: Yes and no. I?m concerned about the compromises some people are making. You want to do a digital intermediate at 4,000 lines of resolution and someone claims that 2,000 lines is good enough. They say you won?t be able to tell the difference, or that you can?t tell the difference between Super 16 and 35 mm film, or between film and digital cinematography. The moment we make that compromise, we are on a downward spiral. It?s our obligation to produce the best imagery that we possibly can. I recently saw a remastered print of Lawrence of Arabia in 70 mm format. It was spectacular! That should be our goal.