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Dear Colleague:
Here's an advance look at the August 2005 issue
of American Cinematographer magazine,
which will have a special focus on preproduction.
The Island (DreamWorks)
Mauro Fiore, ASC (Training Day, Tears of the Sun)
was behind the camera on this science-fiction drama,
which concerns a man of the future (Ewan McGregor) who
goes on the run with a female companion (Scarlett Johansson)
when he discovers that he is actually one of many “harvested
beings” who are being cultivated in a utopian facility.
Fiore will discuss his collaboration with director Michael
Bay (Armageddon, The Rock) and the challenges
he faced while shooting the project's elaborate sets
and ambitious action sequences.
Dark Water (Buena Vista Pictures)
ASC member Affonso Beato (Ghost World) and director
Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries) teamed
on this horrifying tale about a mother and daughter
(played Jennifer Connelly and Ariel Gade) who are plagued
by a ghost — and a strange assault of water — when they
move into a run-down apartment building. Beato will
detail his prep work and technical approach to the story,
which is a remake of a 2002 Japanese shocker directed
by Hideo Nakata (Ringu, The Ring Two).
Stealth (Sony Pictures)
Dean Semler, ASC, ACS (Dances With Wolves, We Were
Soldiers, XXX) will analyze the logistical challenges
he faced on this high-octane thriller, which concerns
three military pilots who attempt to bring a top-secret
artificial-intelligence program under control before
it can ignite a world war. Semler will also discuss
his working relationship with ace action director Rob
Cohen (The Fast and the Furious, XXX).
The Cave (Sony Pictures)
Director of photography Ross Emery and underwater cinematographer
Wes Skiles will outline their mixed use of 35mm and
HD cameras on this visually ambitious horror movie,
shot on both wet and dry sets at Media Pro Studios in
Romania and in caves at Hidden World, Cenote Park, in
Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula. The film's plot concerns
a group of explorers trapped in a system of underground
caves, where they are menaced by unusual life forms.
The August issue's departments will also offer
illuminating insights:
Global Village will present details on the beautifully
photographed nature documentary March of the Penguins,
which follows the flightless fowls' annual trek through
the Antarctic to seek out mates. The show's stunning
cinematography was supervised by Laurent Chalet and
Jerome Maison.
DVD Playback will review disks of three classic
titles: A Face in the Crowd (1957), shot
by ASC members Gayne Rescher and Harry Stradling Sr.;
F for Fake (1974), shot by Gary Graver
and Christian Odasso; and The Big Red One: The
Reconstruction (1980), shot by Adam Greenberg,
ASC.
Production Slate will lead off with a piece
on the HBO Films feature Last Days,
a drama based on the suicide of rock star Kurt Cobain
that was shot by Harris Savides, ASC for director Gus
Van Sant. A second article will detail the making of
Grizzly Man, a documentary shot
by Peter Zeitlinger for director Werner Herzog that
also features astounding, up-close footage of grizzly
bears taken by activist Timothy Treadwell — who, along
with his partner, Amie Huguenard, was killed in October
of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.
Short Takes will present an interview with cinematographer
David Morrison about his work on a new music
video for eclectic rock musician Beck.
Post Focus will offer a Q & A with Jerome
Sabourin, a Canadian cinematographer who does his
own color correction, and an overview of Creative
Mega Playground, a new, three-story, 45,000-square-foot
post facility located in the Greenwich Village section
of New York City.
Tools of the Trade will feature an overview
of preproduction tools by technically savvy ASC
member Jon Fauer.
The Samuelson Library will present
fascinating tidbits gleaned from the 1912 tome How
to Run a Motion Picture Theatre.
Filmmakers' Forum will offer a piece on the
Warner Bros. television series Everwood,
written by the show's A-camera operator, Brian Sullivan.
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