3D Techniques and More: Challenging Evolving Tools

 

Cinematography is the most affected among all of the filmmaking disciplines, by what might be considered runaway technology. New tools, cameras and file formats today are coming out like crazy while our D.P.’s juggles and thrives to keep up-to-date and find which will best suit their needs. A unique workflow must be designed for almost every project–that is.

 

This past year alone, cinematography appeared to be looking both forward and backward, with such innovations as the “The Hobbit’s” 48 frames-per-second imagery compelling as many detractors as champions to weigh in, and Mihai Malaimare’s 65mm work on Paul Thomas Anderson on “The Master” inspiring a renewed appreciation for a format associated with the widescreen epics of David Lean. (A digital restoration of Lean’s “Lawrence of Arabia” invited its own debate on how sharp images can be without appearing sanitized.)

 

Meanwhile, more serious filmmakers like Ang Lee are jumping on the 3D bandwagon, adding weight to a technique once considered a B-movie novelty and transforming it into a viable artistic option.

 

American Society of Cinematographers president Stephen Lighthill cautions that the tech blizzard must not obscure the real purpose of these efforts. “The tools for making images are evolving in wonderful — and challenging — ways,” says Lighthill. “The progress of 3D into the mainstream, the introduction of new cameras with great dynamic range and low light sensitivity, the potential for higher frame rates as seen in ‘The Hobbit,’ even the use of 65 mm in “The Master” — cinematographers are thrilled by the growing range of options.

 

“But it’s important to remember that all these advancements lead us back to what we do, which is to make great images that move a story forward. If we’re not careful, the chatter about numbers can distract from the real purpose of images, and demean the role of the cinematographer. We believe strongly that the way things have to work is that the director and the cinematographer concentrate fully on the story and the images that are advancing that story — without being distracted by technology.”

 

When the ASC was founded in the early years of the 20th century, the then-clubby organization’s mission statement, in part, was to serve as a platform for cinematographers to share ideas and solve the technical problems that arose with the nascent machinery of filmmaking. For most of that first century, the workflow was comparatively simple. Cinematographers chose film stocks, shot the images, and labs developed them. Innovation came at a more manageable pace, often driven by the filmmaker’s imagination.

 

Keep reading…

 

Special thanks to our news source, Variety.com | Article by David Heuring

 

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