OSCARS® DESIGNER CHALLENGE 2010

On Tuesday, nine fashion designers competed for the chance to have their creation worn on stage by one of the Awards escorts during the 82nd. Academy Awards on Sunday March 7.

Oscar Fashion coordinator Patty Fox and a advisory committee selected the designers and paired them with Los Angeles-based models, one of whom will wear the public's favorite gown as she brings Oscar statuettes onto the stage of the Kodak Theatre in Oscar Night®.

 The designers participating in in the Oscars Designers Challenger 2010 are Fernanda Carneiro with a black chiffon mermaid gown with lace insets; Elda De La Rosa with a blue-and-gold iridescent silk taffeta gown with hand pleated folds; Ivy Higa with a Apricot silk chiffon asymmetrical pleated Grecian gown; Phong Hong, with a gold silk charmeuse hand braided asymmetrical goddess gown; Raina Salibi with a black laser cut leather gown with bubble drape skirt;  Oday Shakar with a metallic french lace one shoulder gown with Swarosky crystals; Ari Sheumelian with a black ombre tulle strapples twisters gown; Oliver Tolentino with an Ivory pineapple and abaca fiber mermaid gown with freshwater pearl detai and Kelsy Zimba with a silver-blue duchess satin gown with pleated bodice.

Which dress will be the one worn at Oscar Night?  Which dress is the best?  Cast you vote and decide what fashion designer will have the chance to have their creation worn on stage by one of the Awards escorts during the 82nd. Academy Awards on Sunday March 7.

Public voting for "Oscars Designers Challenge 2010" began Tuesday at 5pm PT at Oscar.com, the official website of the Academy Awards.

 

http://oscar.com

KODAK RELEASES FILM CALCULATOR APP FOR iPHONE

HOLLYWOOD, February 17, 2010  --- Kodak has released the KODAK Film Calculator Glossary application and , the first of several Kodak Cinema Tools to be released, as a free download from the iTunes App Store. The tool determines the running time for any length of film in any format, or how much film is needed for a specific duration, making complex mathematical calculations quickly and conveniently.

"This is the first Kodak Cinema Tool to be made available as an application for mobile device users," says Nicole Phillips, Kodak's director of web marketing for the Entertainment Imaging Division. "We plan to release additional applications in the near future, with the goal of helping filmmakers bring their visions to the screen. This Film Calculator app provides quick, on-the-spot answers to questions wherever and whenever they arise. As we begin our foray into mobile tools, we look forward to offering new ways to connect our customers to information they need, effortlessly."

 When using the KODAK Film Calculator app, information can be entered into fields where data is known: format, length, run time and frame rate. The app then calculates and supplies the other variables. Film length can be measured in feet or meters for all formats, including Super 8, 16 mm, 35 mm, three-perf 35 mm, and 65 mm film. The intuitive user interface includes a "reset" button that makes recalculating data easy, and the "film format" drop down menu allows switching and comparing formats at the touch of a finger.

 The application also includes KODAK's Glossary, which provides instant definitions for hundreds of filmmaking terms. The glossary is designed to help filmmakers and their collaborators communicate clearly and accurately.

"Our customers are accessing information online and through social media networks, and we plan to continue to focus our efforts in these areas, supporting their needs and making information even more readily accessible at the touch of a button," adds Phillips.

Kodak's Entertainment Imaging Division is the world-class leader in providing film, digital and hybrid motion imaging products, services, and technology for the professional motion picture and exhibition industries. For more information, visit www.kodak.com/go/motion.

Join Kodak on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/KodakMotionPictureFilm.

Contact Info
Media:

Lisa Muldowney / Sally Christgau

760-438-5250

CODE NAME: ALEXA

The Digital Cinema Society (DCS) hosted an exclusive preview of the latest ARRI technology including the next generation of ARRI digital cameras with a hands-on demonstration of the prototype code named ALEXA and their innovative post-production software, Relativity and new lighting fixtures such as the redesigned lens-less daylight 1.8K/1.2K watt HMI and the cooler and output efficient Ceramic 3200K 250 watts studio spotlight.

Cinematographer James Mathers, co-founder of DCS
introducing the event

Mike Jones, ARRI Lighting Division, Bill Russell, ARRI V.P
Western Operations, James Mathers,

The evening event called "Everything ARRI" was held on the campus of California State University Northridge and it was initiated with the introduction of the ARRI representatives by James Mathers, co-founder of the Digital Cinema Society and host of the event.

Mike Jones describing the features of an ARRI lighting fixture

Showing above, the ARRI LoCaster LED fixture (left) features an easy to use onboard controller with a choice of six color temperature settings, continuous dimming and ON/OFF switch. Weighing 2 lbs it is an ideal companion for mobile applications. To the right shown, is the Studio Ceramic 250. User benefits include lamp performance equal to a 1kW halogen lamp, cooler housing temperatures, low power consumption, long lamp life, hot restrike, integrated ballast, 3200K color temperature and a Color Rendering Index >90.

The first presentation of the evening was by Mike Jones, Lighting Division Representative, who introduced some of the TrueBlue line of studio fresnels, the new Broadcaster and Lowcaster handy LED fixtures, the 1.8/1.2K watt daylight HMI with a redesigned lens-less reflector and housing, capable of being plugged into a 20Amp household circuit and the ARRI Studio Ceramic 250 Spotlight, to a mixed and eager audience of cinematographers, camera operators, producers, directors and film school students.

Robert Primes, ASC and Bill Russell, Bill Russell, ARRI V.P
Western Operations

Cinematographers Rudy Harbon & Ronald Vidor, SOC

Three cinematographers framed in an animated conversation,
John Newby ASC, Bonnie Blake, SOC & Dianne Farrington, SOC

One of the highlights of the exclusive preview was a the show-reel projection of the images captured with the ALEV III CMOS 4:3 sensor, a 35 mm format single sensor with a spectacular base sensitivity of 800+ EI and equivalent wide exposure latitude. The video presented was shot mostly in low ambient light situations and presented no apparent signal-to-noise ratio and a very accurate color reproduction. The AlevIII sensor footage was plain amazing.

The Alexa prototype is designed around the AlevIII CMOS sensor, offering an unsurpassed sensitivity and dynamic range at 800 ASA plus offering more tha n two stops faster than its popular predecessor, the reliable D-21 used by top cinematographers as their feature film camera set-up of choice.

The Alexa comes in three camera models with an estimated price range of $69.510 to $180.700 depending of the models. The two entry level models (A-EV/A-EV Plus) utilize a 16:9 area from the sensor and are complemented by the ARRI EVF, the most advanced electronic viewfinder on the market. The high-end model (A-OV-Plus) offers a 4:3 sensor and a rotating mirror shutter linked to an optical viewfinder, ready to support anamorphic PL mount lenses.

The ARRI Alexa

At the heart of the three models is the AlevIII sensor with a Bayer color filter array and optical low pass filter with a 800+ Exposure Index and a full 35mm frame size with a maximum usable area to support 4:3 anamorphic PL mount lenses or 16:9 aspect ratio with a 3.5K pixel count to provide optimum oversampling for HD Video and 2K DI. The frame rate of the three models runs from 1-60 fps.

The ARRI Alexa

I had a hand-held test run with the Alexa on my shoulders, the camera was fitted with a prime lens, a follow focus and a matte box. The still crude ergonomic but balanced weight design of the prototype felt comfortable as an ENG news gathering camera or a hand-held feature film camera. The viewfinder is a large state-of-the-art F-LCOS array with auto-calibrating LED illumination and a sharp and clear 1280 x 720 display.

Alexa also features several output signals and methods, including T-Link certified on-board recording options, including multiple live HD and Data Mode Stream to ARRIRAW files output supported by ARRIRAW Converter, Digital Vision Nucoda, DVS Clipster, Filmlight Baselight, Glue Tools, Iridas, Avid, and other participants to the ARRIRAW Partner Program. The ARRIRAW workflow is Windows and MacOS platform compatible, allowing the users to choose the best workflow to fit their post-production needs.

Richard Antley, Director of Digital Imaging
describing features of ARRI Relativity software

Attendees to the event "Everything ARRI"

ARRI Relativity software, showing Texture Control

Another component of the ARRI workflow package is the ARRI Relativity software, a powerful suite of post-production tools that offer versatile control to your workflow. Using sophisticated motion estimation and spatial-temporal image filtering, ARRI Relativity software offers Texture Control, (such as adding or subtracting grain), Film Simulation, and Space Time Converter (spatial resampling and frame rate conversion). ARRI Relativity™ software is powered by Pixel Strings™, developed and licensed from Cinnafilm. Arri Relativity allows users to alter images in ways that appear as though they were achieved in-camera. Digital images can take the look of film while film images can be selectively degrained; scenes filmed at particular frame rate can be expanded or contracted to other frame rates, giving to cinematographers a broader range of flexibility while in post-production.

For more information about events and workshops held by the DCS click here.
For more information about ARRI products click here.
Read here the past posting ARRIFLEX unveils Alexa.
Watch New Digital ARRI-ALEXA-IBC 2009 video ON-DEMAND Playlist above.

SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT

Four Slamdance films to launch new video Rental and download to own program on Zune and Xbox platforms. Slamdance today announced a worldwide video content collaboration with Microsoft on both Zune and Xbox platforms. The initiative will launch during the Slamdance Film Festival on January 27, 2010 with a four film, 7-day program providing video rental throughout North America. Zune video Marketplace will make the selected films available on video-on-demand across North America on both Zune and Xbox platforms. During this 7-day period movie fans have the opportunity to rent some of the same films being screened at the Slamdance Film Festival on their computers or through Xbox LIVE.

Price per film rentals during the festivals will range from 600 to 880 Microsoft Points*. Thereafter, the video content from Slamdance will expand worldwide through the Zune Marketplace with year-round programs featuring download to own and rental videos to the more than 20 million Zune and Xbox LIVE members. The first films in the collaboration include two documentaries and two narratives, showcasing Slamdance’s range of emerging diverse and independent voices.

Additional Slamdance films will be added to the program throughout the coming enabling Slamdance to give an international audience the Slamdance programming experience without being in Park City. “We’re very excited to be the exclusive digital presenter of the Slamdance Film Festival and bring its unique festival experience to our millions of marketplace users,” said Paul Davidson, manager of Global Video Content for Zune Video Marketplace. We share their passion for nurturing and supporting new talent and by offering the films in the marketplace; we hope to do just that.”

Slamdance President and Co-Founder Peter Baxter says, “Slamdance has a true independent identity and proven track record of unearthing great films. It’s time now to be progressive and unleash our film programs outside of the festival and directly help filmmakers find popular, worldwide audiences. The standard of Slamdance films deserve this much and we believe the audience will respond.”

Films selected for Zune and Xbox distribution are:

Making its US premiere, American Jihadist, directed by Mark Claywell examines the life and times of Isa Abdullah Ali, and African-American Muslim from the ghettos of Washington, DC, labeled a “known terrorist” by the U.S. Defense Department though he’s never been charged with any crime. Ali fought for six years in Lebanon and Bosnia and was shot multiple times for his religion. What makes a person willing to pick up a gun for their religion? Are the underlying causes purely religious? Or might religious militancy be a means of addressing chronic social, economic and political issues? And what do the answers mean for the wider Islamic World? These questions underlie American Jihadist.

Adam Barker directs the documentary Mind of the Demon: The Larry Linkogle Story, a brutally honest look into the life and mind of one of the most out-spoken, forward-thinking, visionaries ever to come out of the motor-sports industry. Larry Linkogle is a world-record holding dirt-bike legend whose off-the-cuff antics and aggressive "never sell out" attitude was the spark that kick-started the entire freestyle motocross revolution. But as the new sport took off beyond expectations, so did Larry’s battles with his inner demons. A heart-wrenching account of the demise of the sport's most infamous legend, Mind of the Demon's timeline is told through incredible archival footage, and interviews with every top industry name. Past and present storylines intertwine to drive the film toward one of only two possible conclusions: the most unlikely inspirational comeback story of all time or a nosedive into a black hole of self-destruction. Narrated by Lemmy Kilmister of Motorheard, the film features interviews with sport talents including Carey Hart, Christian Fletcher, Mike Metzger, Seth Enslow and Jeff Emig among others.

The Scenesters is an innovative and quirky murder mystery that both honors and deconstructs the conventions of the classic 'who-done-it?' film noir. A dark comedy that uses the 'found footage' approach to storytelling, the film compiles supposed 'real' clips from a variety of sources - courtroom transcripts, crime scene videography, news reports, etc - all detailing how a group of Los Angeles twentysomethings got mixed up in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse with a prolific serial killer. The film's soundtrack (and plot) features indie-rock favorites The Airborne Toxic Event, The Cribs, The Sonics, Wallpaper, Le Switch, and many many more. A film by Todd Berger, the film also stars Sherilyn Fenn, Suzanne May, Blaise Miller and Jeff Grace.

Making its world premiere, a modern medieval saga The Wild Hunt tells the story of Erik Magnusson, a young man who decides to follow his estranged girlfriend Evelyn into a medieval re-enactment game when he discovers that she has been seduced by one of the players. As the down-to-earth Erik treks deeper into the game in search of his love, he inadvertently disrupts the delicate balance of the make believe fantasy-land. Passions are unleashed. Rules are broken. Reality and fantasy collide. The good-hearted game turns into a tragedy of mythic proportion. Directed by Alexandre Franchi, the film’s cast includes Kaniehtiio Horn, Mark Anthony Krupa, and Ricky Mabe.

A LOOK TO THE OSCAR® RACE

9 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILMS ADVANCE IN OSCAR® RACE AND 7 FEATURES CONTINUE IN VFX OSCAR® RACE

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 82nd Academy Awards®. Sixty-five films had originally qualified in the category.and seven films remain in the running in the Visual Effects category for the 82nd Academy Awards®.

Foreign Language films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:
Argentina, “El Secreto de Sus Ojos,” Juan Jose Campanella, director;
Australia, “Samson & Delilah,” Warwick Thornton, director;
Bulgaria, “The World Is Big and Salvation Lurks around the Corner,” Stephan Komandarev, director;
France, “Un Prophète,” Jacques Audiard, director;
Germany, “The White Ribbon,” Michael Haneke, director;
Israel, “Ajami,” Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, directors;
Kazakhstan, “Kelin,” Ermek Tursunov, director;
The Netherlands, “Winter in Wartime,” Martin Koolhoven, director;
Peru, “The Milk of Sorrow,” Claudia Llosa, director.

Visual Effects category films are listed below in alphabetical order:
“Avatar”
“District 9”
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”
“Star Trek”
“Terminator Salvation”
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
“2012”

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2009 are again being determined in two phases.
The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 65 eligible films between mid-October and January 16. The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.
The shortlist will be winnowed down to the five nominees by specially invited committees in New York and Los Angeles. They will spend Friday, January 29, through Sunday, January 31, viewing three films each day and then casting their ballots.
The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater. Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

KODAK AT SUNDANCE AND SLAMDANCE 2010:

Kodak Puts Filmmakers in the Spotlight at Slamdance and Sundance;Company Hosts Filmmaking on a Budget Panel; Presents Product Grants

Kodak will once again give its full support to the independent filmmaking community at the Slamdance and Sundance Film Festivals, which run concurrently in Park City, Utah, beginning January 21.

Kodak will host a Fireside Chat panel at Slamdance featuring independent filmmakers discussing their budgetary and aesthetic reasons for shooting on film. Producer Vanessa Hope (Imperialists Are Still Alive), director-cinematographer Josh Safdie (Daddy Longlegs), and cinematographer Gavin Kelly (The Dry Land) will share their experiences working in the Super 16 mm format. All three of the panelists' movies are screening at the Sundance Film Festival. The panel takes place on January 22, at 1 p.m. at the Treasure Mountain Inn and is free to festival attendees

PANASONIC UNVEILS HD3D CAMCORDER

Panasonic Corporation will release the world’s first* professional, fully-integrated Full HD 3D camcorder in Fall 2010. The company will begin taking orders in April.

This Full HD 3D camcorder will offer the following core benefits:

Easier to Use
Current 3D systems are large-scale setups in which two cameras are fitted to a rig in parallel, or vertically intersect across a half-mirror. Separate recorders are also required. In Panasonic’s new Full HD 3D camcorder, the lenses, camera head, and a dual Memory Card recorder are integrated into a single, lightweight body. The camcorder also incorporates stereoscopic adjustment controls making it easier to use and operate.

The twin-lens system adopted in the camcorder’s optical section allows the convergence point** to be adjusted. Functions for automatically correcting horizontal and vertical displacement are also provided. Conventional 3D camera systems require these adjustments to be made by means of a PC or an external video processor. This new camcorder, however, will automatically recalibrate without any need for external equipment, allowing immediate 3D image capture.

More Flexible
The solid-state memory file-based recording system offers greater flexibility to produce Full HD 3D videos in more challenging shooting environments. The camcorder is lighter weight and smaller than current 3D rigs, while providing the flexibility of handheld-style shooting. Setup and transportation is simplified, making it ideal for sports, documentary and filmmaking projects.

Solid-State Reliability and Workflow
Right and left Full HD video streams of the twin-lens 3D camcorder can be recorded as files on SDHC/SD Memory Cards, ensuring higher reliability than on other tape, optical disc, HDD or other mechanical-based recording systems. This solid-state, no-moving-parts design will help significantly reduce maintenance costs, and the 3D camcorder will be better able to perform in extreme environments and be more resistant to temperature extremes, shock, and vibration.

And users will enjoy a fast, highly-productive file-based workflow, with instant, random access to recorded content; easy plug-in to both Mac and PC-based platforms; and longer recording capacity.

More Affordable
Using a standardized, fully integrated design, the Full HD 3D camcorder will be offered at a much lower price than traditional 3D rigs. Transportation expenses for this handheld unit will be less and faster setup times reduce labor costs. Using standard, re-recordable SDHC/SD Memory Cards available already everywhere, media costs become almost insignificant.

In addition to a camcorder, Panasonic also plans to offer a professional-quality 3D Full HD LCD monitor for field use as well as a professional HD digital AV mixer for live event production. Panasonic will offer professional production equipment to allow video professionals to efficiently create 3D content, so consumers can enjoy 3D video using Panasonic 3D home theater systems.

Major Specifications (tentative)
• Product Name: Twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder (made-to-order)
• Suggested Retail Price for Main Unit: $21,000
• Available: Fall 2010 (made to order)
• Power Consumption: Under 19 W (main unit only)
• Weight: Under 3 kg (main unit only)
• Recording Media: SDHC/SD Memory Card

* As an integrated twin-lens Full HD 3D camcorder capable of recording Full HD 3D video to Memory Cards. As of January 2010 (based on our investigation)
** The point at which the left and right-camera lenses’ optical axes converge

Development Background
Movie companies and content producers are eager to produce more 3D content. 3D video is set to become a mainstream motion picture technology. In response to the resurgence of 3D movies, in September 2009, Panasonic proposed the world’s first 3D home theater systems, based around 3D-enabled Blu-ray Disc players and Plasma TVs (announced and exhibited at CEATEC 2008). In February 2009, the company established the Advanced Authoring Center (within Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory) – at which 3D movies are authored for replication on 3D Blu-ray Discs (announced at CES 2009). Currently, producing 3D movies is a painstaking process. Panasonic intends to promote the production of high-quality 3D video content by accelerating the development of 3D video production systems designed to boost production speed and efficiency.

CAPTURING ERAS THROUGH LENSES

Cinematographers invoke recent past with visual references

Evoking the mid- to late-20th century without stylizing to the point of viewer distraction is a tricky endeavor, but five cinematographers -- Dion Beebe ("Nine"), John de Borman ("An Education"), Roger Deakins ("A Serious Man"), Eduard Grau ("A Single Man") and Tom Stern ("Invictus") -- have managed to capture the essence of recent time periods without a hint of cliche.


A period movie doesn't (necessarily) need to look like that period so much as feel like that period," Grau says of capturing "Single Man's" L.A. imagery circa 1962. "The way you evoke time and place is by the way that time and place felt." Although Grau was only 27 during the film's production, he managed to re-create the era by exploring various cameras and lenses until ultimately deciding on the Panavision Primo line of lenses for their "sharpness and precision."


Instead of sharpness, de Borman went for a softer feel to capture the essence of 1961 London for "An Education." "Lenses were critical to this film," the d.p. says. "Along with an Arriflex camera, I used old-fashion Cooke S2 lenses, which have a softness to their focus that newer lenses just don't have. Now everything is incredibly sharp and very contrasting, while the Cooke S2s not only gives beautiful portraiture but also immediately gave the project a period feel."


Instead of focusing on camera equipment, Deakins used lighting to capture "A Serious Man's" Midwestern 1967 suburbia. "Photographically I don't really like doing anything that shouts period movie," says the d.p., who used an Arriflex 535 B. "I also don't want the photography to overcome the characters. So I approached this script in a very straightforward way (in order to) discover the mood of the story, which dictates how I shoot and light." It was through lighting and in collaboration with pic's directors Joel and Ethan Coen, as well as set and costume designers, that Deakins found ways to evoke the film's undercurrents of period psychedelia.

Joel and Ethan wanted an over-the-top, orange, '60s look for this one particular scene when Larry (the film's main character) goes to his neighbor's house," Deakins explains. "So the set designer created this very orange living room and the actress was put in a very orange dress, which was perfect because I was using an orange light to exaggerate the look and feel of the era even further."


While Beebe used theatrical lighting to achieve the contemporary fantasy sequences of "Nine," he avoided any tricky illumination when it came to creating the film's 1960s Rome sequences. Using a combination of Panavision and Arriflex cameras, Beebe made extensive use of black-and-white photography as a "nod to the period," but made sure to stay away from imitating Italian cinema from the era. I was looking for the spirit of 1960s Italy, but never wanted to replicate any classic cinema moments, including Fellini's (whose "8 ½" inspired "Nine). Instead I wanted the film to reference the '60s, but not feel like it was made in the '60s."


Also avoiding any tricks was Stern, who re-created South Africa circa 1990- 95 for "Invictus." There were subtle differences in the period that needed to be conveyed, so I, as always, tried to start from a point of simplicity and stay there throughout," says Stern, who stuck with the same equipment that he has been using for years -- Panaflex cameras and anamorphic lenses. "I tend to rely on books with images from the period that are not necessarily about the film, but are of the time."

Stern arrived on location two months prior to filming and was simultaneously guided during pre-production by looking at photographs from the era, but the d.p. admits, "Typically things sort of take care of themselves once the actors started working and everything comes together in terms of location and set design."

Courtesy of Addie Moorfot -Variety

ROGER DEAKINS, KEEPING AN EYE ON THE SMALL THINGS

Roger Deakins sat down with NPR's Melissa Block for an interview at his Santa Monica home. As twilight fell, they watched two of the cinematographer's favorite scenes — from No Country For Old Men and The Shawshank Redemption — and talked about how the play of light and shadow helped him shape each shot.

Roger Deakins' least favorite phrase? "We'll fix it in post." "It's one of the worst expressions to come into the industry," says the veteran cinematographer, an eight-time Oscar nominee who shot The Shawshank Redemption, A Beautiful Mind and every Coen Brothers movie since Barton Fink. Digital post-production tweaks — everything from subtle cleanup to the deletion of geographical features and the insertion of thousands of computer-generated extras — are increasingly common in modern moviemaking. "If it's used correctly, it's a fantastic technique," Deakins tells NPR's Melissa Block. In fact, in Jarhead, which Deakins shot with handheld cameras in a California desert, director Sam Mendes wanted "this flat, surreal landscape, emptiness, the horizon going into nothing," Deakins remembers. So, in post-production, the mountains that had actually loomed on the horizon were digitally erased.

Better yet: In the Coens' O Brother, Where Art Thou?, there's a scene where a car full of convicts hits a cow in the road. The sequence was convincing enough, Deakins recalls, that animal-cruelty watchdogs cried foul. The filmmakers invited the activists to visit the Digital Domain special-effects lab, "and the effects guys had to show them through the stages of how they'd animated this cow so it looked like it had been run over by the car." Still, to a man like Deakins — an avid still photographer, and a connoisseur of "the little things" like the quality of light or the angle of a shadow — an over-reliance on post-production magic is anathema.

"There are certain things you can't fix in post, certain things that would no longer look organic if you did it in post, really," he says. "It's one thing removing a mountain in the background of a shot; it's another thing adding 15,000 people and changing somebody's face. That kind of manipulation, I think, gives itself away eventually. ... And that's when you lose an audience." Deakins says what's essential, at least in his filmmaking philosophy, is remembering that the big things and the little things alike — "the camera style and the lighting ... the imagery and the photography and the effects" — are there to serve the movie's characters and story. He cites The Shawshank Redemption* as a case in point.

"A lot of people say it's nicely photographed, and I think it is," he says. "And I think it's the simplicity that makes it well photographed. ... It's not like these are necessarily fantastic images; it's really about the content. It's not about making great images." "I like simplicity," Deakins reiterates. When he's lighting a scene, especially, "I like using natural sources.

I like images to look natural — as though somebody sitting in a room by a lamp is being lit by that lamp." In a film framed by such a naturalistic vision, Deakins insists, attention-getting gestures have to be especially well thought out. "When you move the camera, or you do a shot like the crane down [in Shawshank] with them standing on the edge of the roof, then it's got to mean something," he says. "You've got to know why you're doing it; it's got to be for a reason within the story, and to further the story." "There's nothing worse than an ostentatious shot," Deakins argues. "Or some lighting that draws attention to itself, and you might go, 'Oh, wow, that's spectacular.' Or that spectacular shot, a big crane move, or something. But it's not necessarily right for the film — you jump out, you think about the surface, and you don't stay in there with the characters and the story."

GORDON WILLIS RECEIVES 2009 GOVERNORS AWARD

Cinematographer on some of the most acclaimed motion pictures of the 1970s and ’80s, two-time Oscar nominee Gordon Willis served as director of photography on three Best Picture winners in six years: “The Godfather” (1972), “The Godfather Part II” (1974) and “Annie Hall” (1977). Though his willingness to fly in the face of convention led him to break new ground with daring compositions, lighting schemes and lens choices, Willis’s iconoclastic ways were not fully appreciated until his influence on subsequent generations of cinematographers became undeniable. Now acknowledged as one of the form’s foremost stylists, Willis’s unwavering belief in what Longfellow called “the supreme excellence” in simplicity led him to employ surprisingly few lights and camera setups in creating his compelling visual storytelling. As a culmination of his fertile collaborations with Woody Allen and Francis Ford Coppola, Willis was Oscar-nominated for his work on “Zelig” (1983) and “The Godfather, Part III” (1990).

Born in Queens, Willis is a lifelong New Yorker and movie-lover who found his way to photography after an early stint in stage acting. In the 1950s, he cut his teeth as an assistant cameraman on documentaries and commercials but it took more than a decade to work his way up to shooting his first feature, “End of the Road” (1970), starring Stacy Keach and James Earl Jones. In the 1970s, working with filmmakers such as Allen, Coppola, Alan J. Pakula and Robert Benton, he defined the look of period films and perhaps the decade’s cinematic style as a whole. In films such as “The Paper Chase” (1973), “The Parallax View” (1974) and “All the President’s Men” (1976), he used new methods to convey mood, theme and emotion. To that end, his approach to a single place—New York City—varied immeasurably in its depictions in “Klute” (1971), “The Godfather,” “Annie Hall” and “Manhattan” (1979), among other films.

In subsequent years, Willis continued to garner wide acclaim for his artistry on films such as “Pennies from Heaven” (1981) and “The Purple Rose of Cairo” (1985), giving each the distinct and unified look that best served their individual stories. To this day, filmmakers send him scripts in hopes of having his unmatched eye behind the lens of their cameras.

Did You Know?

In the seven years from 1971 to 1977, six films shot by Willis accumulated 39 Oscar nominations with 19 wins, including three for Best Picture. For “All the President’s Men” (1976), he put a winch in the dome of the Library of Congress that enabled his remote-controlled camera to pull back from a desktop to a full view of the library floor, all in one shot. Willis enjoyed six cinematic collaborations with director Alan J. Pakula spanning 1971 (“Klute”) to 1997 (“The Devil’s Own”).

During the Korean War, he spent four years in the Air Force on a motion picture unit photographing instructional films. He has his own “theory of relativity,” which he explains as “I believe in the relativity of moviemaking, which includes a world of light and dark, big and small, high and low, good and evil.” Director Francis Ford Coppola, a collaborator on three films, once said of Willis, “He has a natural sense of structure and beauty, not unlike a Renaissance artist.”

Selected Filmography

• The Devil’s Own (1997)
• The Godfather, Part III (1990)
• Presumed Innocent (1990)
• Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
• The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985)
• Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
• Zelig (1983)
• A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)
• Pennies from Heaven (1981)
• Stardust Memories (1980)
• Manhattan (1979)
• Comes A Horseman (1978)
• Interiors (1978)
• Annie Hall (1977)
• All the President's Men (1976)
• The Drowning Pool (1975)
• The Godfather Part II (1974)
• The Parallax View (1974)
• The Paper Chase (1973)
• Bad Company (1972)
• The Godfather (1972)
• Klute (1971)
• The Landlord (1970)

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Jeff Bridhges present Oscar statuette to Gordon Willis

© Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ® "Oscar®," "Oscars®," "Academy Awards®," "Academy Award®," "A.M.P.A.S. ®" and "Oscar Night®" are the trademarks, and the ©Oscar® statuette is the registered design mark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ®
photo: Douglas Kirkland

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO AND VILMOS

TO AIR NATIONALLY ON THE PBS SERIES INDEPENDENT LENS
ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009

NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY: LASZLO AND VILMOS follows the lives of renowned cinematographers Laszlo Kovács and Vilmos Zsigmond from escaping the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary to present day. An Official Selection of the Cannes Film Festival, James Chressanthis’ NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY will air nationally on the Emmy and Peabody Award winning PBS series Independent Lens on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 10PM (check local listings.)

As film students in Hungary, Laszlo and Vilmos took to the war-torn streets of Budapest to shoot footage of the Russian invasion, and subsequently volunteered to smuggle it out of the country. Barely escaping with their lives, the two friends fled to America and settled in Hollywood, eventually saving enough money to buy their own 16mm camera.

After working on a string of low-budget horror and biker movies, both men soon rose to prominence in the late 60's and 70's, shooting the films that defined what came to be known as the American New Wave: Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces, McCabe and Mrs. Miller, Deliverance, Paper Moon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and more. Working with directors including Robert Altman, Bob Rafelson, Peter Bogdanovich, and Martin Scorsese, they helped create a new American film aesthetic, and pioneered innovative, fearless ways to tell stories.

“When it comes to Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond, it's clear that the American New Wave of the late 1960's and early '70s wouldn't have flowered as it did without them." – Leonard Maltin

Told through interviews with Laszlo (who died in 2007) and Vilmos, as well as directors including Rafelson, Bogdanovich, John Boorman, Graeme Clifford, Richard Donner, William Richert, Mark Rydell, composer John Williams and actors such as Jon Voight, Peter Fonda, Sandra Bullock, Karen Black, Dennis Hopper and Sharon Stone, NO SUBTITLES NECESSARY is an intimate portrait of two giants of modern imagemaking and their deep bond of brotherhood that transcended every imaginable boundary. Two heroes. One road.

http://www.laszloandvilmos.com/
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/
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