Bill Pope: Team America

October 4, 2004

If you are just realising this now, here's some old news from Moriarty at AICN:

I also got a look at the outside of the Mount Rushmore hideout for Team America, and I saw stills that show how helicopters fly out of Washington?s face and rockets shoot out of the top of Teddy Roosevelt?s head whenever they?re called into action. In fact, as I was checking out the set, Bill Pope was setting up the next shot. The director of photography for THE MATRIX trilogy and SPIDER-MAN 2. Shooting a puppet movie. And he appeared to be having the time of his life. Talking to him, I felt like I was interrupting. He told me that when he read the script, he had no idea it was going to be filmed using puppets. He just thought it was a brilliant satire of big-budget action films, and a sly political satire as well, and he wanted in. He was frank about how demanding this shoot has been, and how big a challenge it?s been to adapt to the particular demands of shooting this sort of movie. Matt talked about how they realized just how hard this was going to be as soon as they did their first camera test last year. ?All we wanted the puppet to do was turn abruptly, walk across the room and take a shot of alcohol. It took 20 hours and something like 75 takes. I love doing this movie, and I think it?s going to be sweet, but there are times where you just want to lay on the floor and cry.?

Anyone else find this INCREDIBLY bizarre?? One of the worlds top DOPs shooting a puppet film?? It's not unlike how Gerry Anderson was doing it in the 60s with renowned lighting cameramen like Paddy Seale and John Read shooting puppets...

Stuff like this NEVER happens today!!! Anyone else slightly baffled and intrigued at the same time???

Mike Panczenko · October 5, 2004

I, too, have been interested by this. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with this. It'd be interesting to hear about the technical aspects of this shoot, too. Hopefully AC will cover it.

DavidSloan · October 17, 2004

Not sure this is so odd. So what if a top DP is working on a film with puppets? This puppet film happens to have a $32 million production budget. Also, this film is the creation of the South Park guys (they studied under Stan Brakhage) who have a lot of leverage in the industry, so it doesn't seem far fetched at all. Don't get me wrong Bill Pope is a great DP, but he has a streak of popcorn films. It's not like Gordon Willis is shooting a puppet film...now that would raise an eyebrow or two.

Morgan Peline · October 17, 2004

I worked very briefly re-rigging studios in animation. I was amazed at what a good animation DP is able to create. It is a totally different world; much, much slower and quieter but just as involving. Lighting for animation is like the essence of what lighting for live action is - it's actually a lot more difficult than it looks - it takes forever just to get it just right. It's also a completely different frame of mind as far as I can see, almost zen - yes, cheesy, but it is...

I understand why someone might want to do lighting for animation. Put it this way: pure creativity, with fewer time restrictions, less compromise and almost total control. Not everyone gets that in live action....of course, I suppose Bill Pope had moving puppets to contend with, so it's not pure animation.

A camera assistant friend of mine told me a story about the first day he started a new contract working for an animation studio in England. Coming from a high pressure, tv drama background, he was very used to working very quickly and efficiently and so wanted to jump immediately into the thick of it. His initial conversation with the DP that morning went something like this:

'So, can I help you do anything? Set up a shot, clean some lenses, change a mag?', asked my friend

'Oh no, don't worry about it, why don't you go make yourself a cup of tea, we only change the mags on a Monday. I'll give you a shout in half an hour.', replied his boss.

It's a different world!

Morgan