Dave Thompson

"Could you discuss how you go about framing a movie which is shown in many different aspect ratios? 35mm anamorphic is shot at 2.35:1 and IMAX is at 1.43:1, yet you have to create prints to be shown in regular theaters, digital IMAX theaters and 70mm IMAX theaters. Is there a lot of reframing in post for all those different exhibition aspect ratios?" We always had 2.40 frame lines on the ground glass. In both formats 35mm spherical and 1.43. We then framed to keep the "action/actors" within the 2.40 aspect ratio. Everything else was kept safe, i.e. Boom mikes, stands, etc. in 1.43. The decision to shoot IMAX vs spherical wasn't related to sound specifically. We shot major dialogue scenes with the IMAX cameras and they just ADRed it later. I will say in regards to shooting and handholding IMAX that we dioptered a lot of the big close ups. The lenses just wouldn't get us close enough. Gregor did an amazing job pulling focus on those shots. Jo did a great job of keeping the look, feel, tone consistence not only from scene to scene but in the actual environments and translating that to the over all film. To anyone that has shot in the jungles and beaches of Hawaii, you know what I mean. The weather is constantly changing. The day for night sequences from a lighting stand point are some of my favorites in the film. And shouldering an Alexa is a tad bit more comfortable than an MSM.

Just the G60mm.

We have 2 60's for a couple of reasons. One for A camera, one for B camera. Also resolution and flare. The G holds certain highlights better than the C. Also the C60 has a closer focus than the G. Yes, we handheld the Primos. Even the 11-1.

We had in our lens package a 30, 35,40, 50, 75, 100, 135, 180mm prime. Some lenses repeated as we had primos for various reasons (flairs, bend etc). Never too many questions...

Reuel- Lionsgate released a nice BTS video that you can google. Unfortunately they didn't include any of the BTS footage of the IMAX sequences.

No. We didn't have any 60mms on CF. We are currently carrying a 60C and G60mm.

Yes on the Alexa. And we are shooting anamorphic C's, E's, 60mm G and the zooms. Not shooting Alexa for time constraints. Everyone was happy with tests of the Alexa. It looks amazing when shot anamorphic. Recording to internal Codex.

Yes.

Very close in field of view. It was tight, but workable. DOF is a whole other story!!! Great focus puller, Gregor Tavenner. He is a magician!!

Sound was pretty bad. A lot of it was ADRed. 350mm is tight but not really that tight in IMAX. It looked amazing!! The shots on JL shooting the arrow at the dome, that was the 350mm.

Anamorphic we had lenses from a 30mm to the 180mm in primes. C, E, primo. Mixed. Zooms we carried the 40-80, 70-200 and a wicked 11-1. Handheld of course. IMAX we had available to us 40mm to 350mm in primes. We didn't really lean in one direction between wide and long lenses. Francis has a tendency to shoot on the wider/closer side but we often would do close ups on 100 or 135mm. The MSM cameras are finicky. Heavy for handheld and steadi. They are just boxy all around. Not very ergo. The film displacement shakes the camera a tad bc of the speed and size of the film moving thru the gate. We set it up as not to hinder the movie in terms of shooting speed. The rest of the film was handheld and we moved fast, IMAX had to be no different. Handholding it and treating the same as a 35mm was a priority.

Reuel- I was the A camera/Steadicam operator on "CF". The movie was anamorphic up until the moment JL rises up into the arena. That is when the screen opens up and becomes IMAX. We shot most of the arena in IMAX with a select few scenes in spherical 35mm. But for the most part, it was all IMAX. Handholding an IMAX camera is definitely a beast but doable. As well as putting it on the Steadicam, heavy but manageable. For the anamorphic portion, we used mainly Cs, E's, and a few select primo anamorphics. No Gs. E's on the steadi are no problem in my opinion. Mostly the film was 90% handheld. There's a few Steadicam shots, cablecam and techno shots, but mostly Francis and Jo preferred I do it handheld. I have some photos somewhere with the MSM on the steadi that I have to dig up. If you have any questions, please ask away. Dave Thompson

Eric- I would like to make an offer for the Oconner 100. I have been looking for one. Please contact me!!!! David J. Thompson DaveThompsonsoc@mac.com

http://www.panavision.com/product_detail.p...6hqme3paimv9v10 500' mags for the LW and they can also be used on the XL.

If the shot was done with a 3 perf camera. you can also get more than 400' of film in the Panavision mags.

Lense wise we didnt really stick to a specific formula. The C series lenses we had were reglassed and pretty much had the same characteristics as the the E's and Primos. As for what went on what, we handheld everything. The C's were mostly on the A camera, as we(B) did mostly the tighter work on the 135 and 180 E's an some of CF Primos.. On the steadicam we mostly stuck with the C's, but at times put the E and Primo series on. We even handheld the 11:1 for some crazy shots. If my memory is correct we mostly stayed in the 35 to 75 range, but it really depended on the shot. Saying that I remember doing some 28mm shots and some pretty extreme low angle prism work. An interesting side note is that because of the minimum focus on the anamorphic lenses a lot of the shots were done with Diopters. The AC's had a great system with their Prestons were they could switch diopters and rings and be ready almost instantly. As for the VFX work anamorphic gets a bit tricky. We had to shoot charts at every distance for every lens for them to map.

Hey Fellows, Just wanted to set the record straight about "IAL". First I was the B/steadicam op on the first unit and present for every single shot done(even some of the second unit, as we had many crossover days). The film was shot in the anamorphic format using the C, E and Primo lenses with the Primo 11-1 and 2-1. Our focus pullers spent an incredible amount of time and effort in prep to find matching lenses for both the 1st and 2nd units. The footage that is spherical is the nite evacuation scenes. The choose to go spherical for that sequence was for the sake of ease and lighting. Attacking a sequence of that scale and caliber was not going to be easy. All nites for a week and a half with extra cameras,helicopters, tanks, boats etc. and thousands of extras it was the start of a logistical nightmare that was executed rather seamlessly. Focus Pullers Gregor Tavenner and Bobby Mancuso(some of the finest in the biz) did an awesome job. Working almost wide open on an anamorphic movie that is 90% handheld is an unbelievable task and both preformed flawlessly! I can not say enough about the job they did. The opening sequence with Shelby Mustang was shot with a real car. The only CG shot is the overhead birds eyeview of NYC with the car driving in the bottom of the frame. 2nd Unit did most of the free driving work with the car going at actual speed being pursued or tracked by the Russian Arm fellows. The footage with Will and the dog was done mainly with the car attached to the Go Mobile. I would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the shoot. Fire away!