Chris Clarke

Manhattan - especially the Planetarium scene.

Here's the making of... Interestingly it was shot at 358 degree shutter and 50fps. The real location shots were at 1000 ISO.

I'm reading a great book at the moment called 'The Conversations, Walter Murch and the art of film editing'. Walter Murch talks about how he edits scenes initially without the sound just to create a rhythm through the visuals and the cutting. Afterwards he tidies up the sound mistakes that have come about from the technique.

I worked on a film shot in the desert with 500 ASA stock and it is a real problem. The only practical solution is to use Panaflex's and rear gel them. You end up with T8 on the lens and an 85 N9 filter. Almost impossible to adjust your eye to when the ambient light conditions are so bright. The main unit that I worked on was fine with rear gelled Panaflex's but the 2nd unit really struggled with their 435's. It got to the point where the operators were having such a hard time that they had Panastar's sent out! It wasn't really an option to alter the processing of the stock as the whole point of using it was to be able to see into the shadows more.

I might be working with Vistavision soon for VFX plates. I was wondering if anyone knew what lenses are available for the format?

I just read the interview in Masters of Light, thanks for the tip. Here's a link to it: Masters of Light I've managed to order a back issue of the May 1975 American Cinematographer with a feature on Chinatown. Thanks for your replies.

I'm going to see Chinatown on Sunday at the BFI. I've seen it on DVD but never projected. I know that a lot of it was shot on 40mm lens but would love to hear others views on any info that you have. I think it was covered in the May 1975 issue of American Cinematographer but it's not available as a back issue. It's one of my favourite films and would really like to know more about it's techniques.

Make sure you shoot a frame leader. That way you will know that the mask you apply in post matches exactly the lines you drew on your monitors when shooting.

A focus puller showed me a trick a few years ago with an SR3. Remove the magazine, shine a torch through the gate at the same time as through the eyepiece. Now phase the camera and you'll project your ground glass markings as well as the full aperture (flickering alternately) onto a wall. Makes it very easy to compare what you are actually shooting and how much safe area you've really got.

If your final grading will be tape to tape and not a re-transfer then consider having a technical grade done when your neg is first telecined. This is where they transfer it as a best light and slightly lift your black level and lower your white. It doesn't look too good during the offline edit (kind of flat and lacking in contrast) but it gives you far more options in the tape to tape grade.

Having a polarizer on the camera would necessitate more light on the subject due to the stop loss, wouldn't it? I'm not sure whether this would outweigh the benefits of the Roscoview?

Recently, when shooting abroad, I've taken a grid test projector with me. I don't know what it's proper name is but engineers often turn up with it on set for grid tests. It attaches to the camera's mount like a lens and projects a grid that can be rotated by twisting. You power it off of a 12v battery and it has a dial where you set your film speed. It's so useful if you arrive in the country your shooting in and have to steady test 5 bodies on a truck full of assistants (with everyone wanting to get to the bar as soon as possible!)

The light produced is similar to a chinese lantern. They come in different sizes with the largest producing 1.5K (I think? Someone correct me if I'm wrong). The big advantage though is that you can leave them on in an interview situation without having to worry about them catching a light!

How about a Jem Ball in the middle of the 2 subjects just above frame? Nice soft light on both of them. You could clip some net or ND to the interviewers side to bring them down a bit and give you a little overexposure on the lady in question. A few C stand arms or a goal post should get you clear of being in shot.

If you are shooting with video being your final destination then yes, you would shoot 25fps with a 180 deg. shutter. If the project is for a worldwide theatrical release then you shoot in the standard 24fps with a 172.8 deg. shutter to compensate for the flicker induced from 50hz electricity. If you were to shoot a television screen then you would revert to the 25fps/180deg shutter in order to stay synced (and tell the sound dept!)