Robert Richardson and "The Aviator"

[Guest Alex Taylor]

I just got back from seeing The Aviator - what a gorgeous film! It was very sweeping and epic, which I actually didn't completely expect. The digital recreation of the two and three-strip Technicolor processes looked fantastic, too; they really lent themselves well to the feel of the picture. The CG could have been better at times, though. It was used to good effect but a few shots looked too clean.

 

One of my favourite sequences was early in the film where Howard Hughes and Kathleen Hepburn walk the red carpet, bombarded of course by photographers and the media. There are hundreds of flashbulbs, and to enhance Hughes' feeling of disorientation and fear, some big strobes were left to go 11 stops over then back down, washing out everything except the irises. Chilling and beautiful!

 

I think Robert Richardson should get Best Cinematography for this one.

Edited January 5, 2005 by Alex Taylor

[Max Jacoby]

Honestly, how good and realistic does the 3 strip Technicolor look? I haven't seen the film yet, but in the AC article, there were 2 stills, one with the normal shot and the other one with the 3 strip Technicolor LUT applied to it. And at least on paper the Technicolor still looked like someone had cranked the saturation way up, as one would expect in a music video or such. Is that really how Technicolor is supposed to look? Apparently editor Thelma Schoonmaker doesn't like the digital manipulations they did to the image...

[Saul Pincus]

Honestly, how good and realistic does the 3 strip Technicolor look? I haven't seen the film yet, but in the AC article, there were 2 stills, one with the normal shot and the other one with the 3 strip Technicolor LUT applied to it. And at least on paper the Technicolor still looked like someone had cranked the saturation way up, as one would expect in a music video or such. Is that really how Technicolor is supposed to look? Apparently editor Thelma Schoonmaker doesn't like the digital manipulations they did to the image...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Go see the film. The AC article's illustration of 2 strip Tech isn't very good and doesn't really represent it's impact on celluloid.

 

Saul.

[Greg Gross]

Does anybody know if Mr. Richardson uses dailies/principal photography for

consisitant look,color timing? Or maybe Kodak Look Manager with calibrated

still/digital camera. Timer has calibrated monitor at his location and dp also

has calibrated monitor and can e-mail shots to timer. Mr. Goldblatt used this

method with "Closer". I was wondering if Kodak Look Manager could be used

shooting any film or is "The Aviator" on to big of a scale for it? I know he likes

Panavision cameras. I'm going to see it tomorrow and also "White Noise".

 

Greg Gross