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At AMPAS: Cinematographyin The Digital Age

June 6, 2011 in Johns Bailiwick2 Comments
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ONE

The one thousand-seat Goldwyn Theater of the Academy ofMotion Picture Arts and Sciences was near capacity the

evening of May 24 for an event hosted by Academy GovernorBill Kroyer. The program featured cinematographers and otherfilmmakers examining the evolving role of cinematography asthe motion picture industry burrows deeper into the digital age.
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Class photo: l to r: Rob Hummel, BillKroyer, John Bailey, Adrian Seery, ChrisSanders, Guillermo Navarro, Dean Semler,Dean DeBlois photo by Greg Harbaugh (c)A.M.P.A.S.

After the house lights dimmed and the curtains parted, a clipfrom a 1951 Academy produced documentary unreeled. TitledThe Cinematographer, it explained to a then contemporarymovie audience the role of the director of photography in theproduction of Hollywood motion pictures. The film opens with adolly-in profile shot of the current state-of-the-art film camera, a35mm rack-over, Mitchell BNC.
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Several tracking shots in a studio camera department reveal anarray of cameras; another shot presents a variety of lenses andfilters.

Two shots (below are frame grabs) show the cinematographerin a period appropriate suit and tie holding a Weston light

meter next to an actress,
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then a B/W contrast viewing glass to his left eye as he peersfrom behind the BNC.

The cinematographer in the film was one of the great directorsof photography of the time; in fact, an Academy Award winning

onenot an actor. A group of Young Turks seated behind mefind the film to be hilarious; their laughter spills over with the
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condescension of the ignorant. True enough, this is not howcinematographers dress for work today; perhaps these youngmen think the light meter and the contrast glass are also relicsof a by-gone day, ephemera in a what you see is what youget HD digital video, waveform monitor era.

Ill reveal the name of this esteemed cinematographer a bitlater. Here is the 10 minute film:

In his opening remarks following The Cinematographer,outgoing Academy Executive Director Bruce Davis told the

audience that this is the first in a series of programs that willlook at the increasing role of digital technology in an industryrecreating itself just as audiences and the general cultureembrace ever new technology in all aspects of their lives.Davis believes it is uniquely appropriate that cinematography isthe focus of this first program: the adoption of digital imagery,perhaps, being the greatest change to come to cinematography

since the introduction of sound.


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TWO

The first speaker, Academy Sci-Tech Council member RobHummel, gave an historical overview explaining the structure ofcolor film, first through an explanation of the physics of RGBcolor and an analysis of the Technicolor 3-strip camera, then ofKodaks introduction of single strip, multi-layered coloremulsion in 1951.

Rob Hummel with a photo he shot at ArchesNational Monument, formatted to anamorphic

full aperture frame. photo by Greg Harbaugh(c) A.M.P.A.S.

Hummel gave a contrasting illustration of how film emulsionsand video arrays interpret color, highlighting fundamentaldifferences between the two media, and why video imagersstruggle to refresh their pixels with every frame. It was a

dramatic illustration of why the random grain structure of everyfilm frame is a more effective light capturing technique than a
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fixed array of electronic sensors.

Next up, Academy award cinematographer Dean Semler(Dances with Wolves) showed clips from several of the sevenfeature films he has photographed with the Panavision HDGenesis camera.

Actor Ariel Galvan, Mel Gibson and DeanSemlerApocalypto.

Semler emphasized his ability to continue shooting on a dayscene inApocalypto, long after a film camera would have run

out of light. He said many actors prefer the longer running timeof video over film to help them stay in the flow. He showed aphoto of a Panavision magazine he had made as a joke for animpatient Jim Carreya Styrofoam mock-up Ultramag of8000 feet capacity. Semler is a major digital camera advocatebut he did wax nostalgic about film, even recalling thefamiliar whirr of a 35mm film projector in an adjacent booth as

he was waiting for a digital projection to begin.
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Jim Carrey and Semler's daughter, Ingrid,film loader, with the 8000' Ultramag.

Fellow Oscar winning cinematographer Guillermo Navarro(Pans Labyrinth) discussed his abiding love of motion picturefilm in a one on one conversation with Kroyer. Although he is

about to embark on his first HD digital video feature in 3-D, hischoice of film as a preferred medium is not the least bitnostalgic, but is based on sound technical considerations.Navarro discussed the wide dynamic range that he says stillgives film an edge, especially for a cinematographer intent onpushing that edge. His impassioned observations on thediscipline that governs the running of a film set is not a

viewpoint often cited. Navarro says that even being aware ofthe running of film through the camera gate helps distilleveryones energy, actors and crew alike. Tapes, discs, harddrives, whatever the recording medium in digital video, allpresent a less focused aestheticone that often seduceseveryone to start shooting too sooneffectively rehearsing ontape.
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Pans Labyrinth.

Rather than giving more freedom of expression to actors,director and crew, Navarro believes that such an approach canpromote distracted work habits. Video cameras left runningwhile dolly positions are re-set, props reloaded, extras moved

back to first positioncan all contribute to a more chaoticenvironment. Since videotape or hard drive space is perceivedas less costly than film, a too casual aesthetic often falls intoplace.

Navarros point is well made. I have observed this approachmyself on some of the video projects I have done. My wife,

Carol, a film editor who inherits too many reams of thisunmediated digital data calls this scattershot approachhosing it down. Another situation common on videoproductions is how removed the cinematographer becomesfrom the camera setup and his crew, trapped in a black tent ora dark corner of the set. The director also haunts the videovillage HD monitor, leaving the actors to look at only the

camera crew when a distant disembodied voice calls cut.Navarro articulated these thoughts wistfully, but his nostalgia
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was tempered with a certain resignation.

Wally Pfister clutching his Oscar forInception.

Academy Award winning cinematographer Wally Pfister spoke

on tape from his current London location forThe Dark KnightRises. His recent film Inception was widely perceived as aVFX/CGI masterwork; it would seem to be a poster child fordigital cinematography. But Pfister and director Chris Nolancontinue to affirm their advocacy of film. Pfister showed thestunning mirror sequence with Leonardo DiCaprio and EllenPage that was photographed outside the Paris Bir-Hakeim

metro station, already famous in the opening sequence ofLastTango in Paris. The large swinging mirrors that Page rolls outwere a mechanical production effect, digital technologyemployed just for removal of the reflected camera.

Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, Academy Award nominatedanimators, discussed how they worked with cinematographer

Roger Deakins to produce dramatic lighting and compositionaleffects on their animated feature How to Train Your Dragon.
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This was not Deakins maiden venture into the world ofanimation. Wall-Eand Rango testify to his abiding interest. BillKroyer observed that in animation it is now possible for acinematographer to light and compose a movie collaboratingwith the animation team, using all the skills and aestheticnuances that define his work without a camera.

Roger Deakins is a recent convert to digital videocinematography. He has stated that since his decision to shootseveral recent films in high-def video, he does not anticipatereturning to film. Even though Deakins pensive portrait byOwen Roizman hovered over the seated figures of DeBlois andSanders, I deeply missed hearing him in person, sharing histhoughts on his recent conversion to digital video with theArriflex Alexa. As it was, film advocates had most of the bullypulpit. Anyone expecting to hear only hosannahs to a brighterdigital future may have been surprised at the impassionedadvocacy for celluloids continuing relevance.

Bill Kroyer with Dean DeBlois and Chris

Sanders, Owen Roizman's portrait of RogerDeakins, above. photo by Greg Harbaugh (c)
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A.M.P.A.S.

The non-enviable assignment of being the last speaker fell tome. Recently, a weeklong international symposium ofcinematographers was hosted by the ASC. I had been onespeaker at an afternoon program at the Academys DunnTheater that discussed the Digital Dilemma, a catchphrasethat was the title of the 2007 report by the Academys Sci-TechCouncil. Co-author of the report and Sci-Tech Council memberMilt Shefter, as well as several speakers representing thestudios, such as Sonys Grover Crisp and Andy Maltz of theAcademy, discussed ongoing efforts to archive and preservedigital media, including the digital intermediates that serve asthe master record, this in a world where the fragile andephemeral nature of these materials has spawned anotherbuzz-phrasedigital nitrate. Still pre-occupied with theconcerns of that international cinematographers program, Idecided to present a mini-historical overview of one waytraditional photochemical answer printing evolved towardtodays digital intermediate (DI). This segment began with ashort clip from Silveradothe four cowboys first riding together.
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Riding sequence from Silverado in B/Wphoto by John Hamilton.

Possessing none of the Powerpoint prowess of Rob Hummel,

the easy anecdotal humor of Dean Semler, nor the suavecharm of Guillermo Navarro, I had decided to speak fromwritten remarks, not trusting my limited extemporaneous skills.Heres what I said.

THREE

The photograph you see on screen is a 1923 portrait byEdward Weston of cinematographer Karl Struss. Five yearslater, Struss and Charles Rosher won the first Academy Awardfor cinematography for F.W. Murnaus Sunrise, one of the latemasterpieces of the silent era. Karl Struss is also theuncredited cinematographer that you saw in the film thatopened this evenings program.

Karl Struss at his camera amid Cooper-
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Hewitt lights, 1923 photo by Edward Weston.

Heres an interesting note: Struss Bell and Howell, hand-cranked camera that you see in the Weston photo and theBNC camera that he uses in the film clip from 1951or eventodays just off the line Panavision Platinum camera all ofthese film cameras are celluloid cousins. You can go out now,shoot a roll of film with any of themand run the print on anyprojector in the world. Most video cameras, even Arriflexsbrand new state of the art Alexa are obsolete within a decadeand the fate of their digital master tapes or hard drives is anunanswered question up for grabs. The sobering fact is that ourshift to embrace digital technology in all phases of productionrepresents a major sea change in how we think about andmake our movies.

I chose the clip from Silverado, filmed way back in 1984, partlybecause my friend Rob Hummel never seems to tire of seeingit . But its also an excellent illustration of how movies were

color corrected and graded at the lab until about a decade ago,when the Digital Intermediate process began to supersede cutnegative and photochemical answer printinga path that hadbeen in place for nearly a century. Id like to walk you througha bit of this history. It leads us directly into how we finish mostfilms today with the digital intermediate.

Larry Kasdan and I wanted to photograph Silverado in thewidescreen 2:40 aspect ratio. Since the introduction of FoxsThe Robe in 1953 many large-scale exterior movies, especiallyWesterns, were photographed with a lens system incorporatingan anamorphic 2-1 image squeeze that produced this format. Itwas known by several names such as Cinemascope andPanavision. A poor mans version called Techniscope was

introduced by Technicolor Italy in the early 60s. It used a 2


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perf. rather than 4 perf. frame, exposing half as much negativeas standard 35.This was the format for the Sergio Leonespaghetti westerns. Director Monte Hellman also chose it forTwo Lane Blacktop my own first feature film as an assistantcameraman.

Dennis Wilson and James Taylor in theprimer grey 55 Chevy in Monte Hellmans

Two Lane Blacktop.

It is Techniscopes deep focus look, soon re-named Super 35,that Kasdan and I wanted to emulate in Silverado. Super 35quickly became a first choice for many cinematographersbutit had one drawback. Blowups for release had to be done onantiquated optical printers. But with the introduction of the

digital intermediate this became easier and betterandSuper 35 became a standard format.

Moreover, all the tools that had been available for decades inthe photochemical world were now possible with the DIplusmore. Control of contrast or gamma, of primary and secondarycolors, of desaturation, super-saturation, solarization, bleach

by-pass, blow-ups, scene re-positioningsall now done in theDI suite without resort to dupes and the limits of RGB grading.
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In other wordsits now possible to do to the motion pictureimage everything you can do with a program like Photoshop.Once the finished look is locked in, all downstream media trackclone-like through multiple iterations. Systems that perform this

amazing work are called DaVinci, Lustre, Nu Coda, andBaselight. Also, near real time power windows allow all thesecontrols to work within isolated parts of the frame itself.

But with this whiz-bang technology, the cinematographers roleis undergoing major changes. Comfy seating, snacks and latteshave made the DI suite a tempting parking place for any

interested party. In the past, photochemical answer printingwas done by the lab color timer and the cinematographerworking together in a cramped cubbyholeuntil thecinematographer felt ready to show the film to the director andproducer. Today, the DI suite is an arena for a broad spectrumof opinionswhere the colorist often juggles conflicting pointsof view and where the cinematographer struggles to be heard

above the din.

Some like to say that movie images made with digital camerasare essentially datazeroes and onesrather than artfullycreated images by the director and cinematographer. Yousometimes hear an on-set mantraDont worry, well fix it inpost. Those fixers ensconced in the DI suite eight months

later may not include the cinematographer, who often is onlocation photographing another film, like Roger Deakins andWally Pfister tonight. In this not unlikely scenario, the DIcolorist becomes the cinematographers best link to realize hisintentions. The myriad possibilities inherent in the DI processand the multiple opinions voiced in the DI suite can leave anabsent cinematographer hardly recognizing the film when it is

released.


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Understanding these problems, especially with movies borndigital, the Sci-Tech Council of the Academy, along withmembers of the American Society of Cinematographers, hasspent the last five years developing an architecture thatgenerates on-set metadata from digital cameras to track thephotography through all phases of production. Choices that thecinematographer makes on the shooting set will be easilyretrievable in the DI suite. Called Image InterchangeFramework and short-handed as IIF this system is still in atest phase. Once fully adopted, IIF will enable thecinematographer to avoid a visual Tower of Babel.

Even as this digital meta-universe expands, traditionalphotochemical answer printing is disappearing into a blackhole. Film prints struck from the filmout negative, itselfgenerated from the digital intermediateseem doomed.Several major studios have announced that within eighteenmonths they plan to end 35mm release prints for US theatricalexhibition. At that point, the most compelling reason to create afilmout negative will be for archival protection. Without this filmprotection, the digital intermediate becomes the default masterfor the completed motion picture.

Ten years ago, some cinematographers fought desperately forthe DI as it promised a whole new level of photographic control.It was then (and still is) more expensive than photochemicalprinting from cut negative and at first some producers wereloath to budget the several hundred thousand extra dollarsrequired. But since 2008, major studios have wholeheartedlyembraced the digital intermediate route. Few cinematographersare now able, even when they may feel its more appropriate,to finish photochemically. As we have seen here tonight, an alldigital workflow is the increasing reality of todays filmmakingand no nostalgia for the by-gone, hands-on era of celluloid will


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make it return.

Butthere is no free lunch. The rush to employ only digitaltechnology has created downstream problems beyond thosealready confronting the producer, director and cinematographerand that is, the archiving, preservation and frequentmigration of digital files to new formats. This includes thevulnerable digital intermediates. Frequent migration isespecially critical for movies that are born digital where nooriginal film negative exists. Movies born celluloid have oftensurvived decades of storage through benign neglect.Conversely, some films finished via digital intermediates lessthan a decade ago are now in greater danger of being lost toposterity or trapped in obsolete formats, than moviesphotographed and printed on nitrate stock almost a centuryago. Heres an example.

Brian Meacham, a preservationist of the Academys Archive, isresponsible for finding some 75 lost silent era American films,

end of the road nitrate exhibition prints that had somehowsurvived stored in New Zealands Film Archive. They are nowat the National Film Preservation Foundation of the Library ofCongress. Among them is John Fords 1927 feature, Upstream.It was shown here in the Goldwyn Theater last September 1.


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AMPAS announcement for Upstreamscreening.

The expression digital nitrate highlights this vulnerability toloss of todays motion pictures. Veteran cinematographers, stilllinked to a century old tradition of 35mm. film, but embracingthe ever-expanding potential of digital technology, areexperiencing their own digital dilemma. An important thing forus all to understand is that the digital intermediate is more than

a continuation and expansion of the traditional answer printprocess it is also a rejection of its archival stability.
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This should be of immediate concern to cinematographerstoday, who do not just capture motion picture images. We arethe creators of its artful subtleties as well as front linecustodians, in concert with post-release archivists, of its

preservation into the future.

Bill Kroyer telling Bailey, Seery and Hummelthat their time is up. Photo by GregHarbaugh (c) A.M.P.A.S.

FOUR

Before and after the program, a section of the grand lobby was

set aside for demonstrations of several HD video cameras,including the by-now fabled swing cam system that gaveJames Cameron such freedom of movement in creating thevirtual world ofAvatar. It commanded center stage.
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The Halon/Insight virtual camera systemdemonstrated in the lobby by (l-r) A.J.Biones, Clint G. Reagan, and E. BradleyAlexander (manning the "swing-cam") photoby Greg Harbaugh (c) A.M.P.A.S.

I drove home with Carol that evening trying to sort out whatsynthesis of fact and emotion the event had offered theaudience. Ten years ago, I wrote an article for the Sunday NYTimes about digital video technology at a time when Hollywoodstudio films, though by then edited digitally on Avids, were stillphotographed with film cameras. The article was titled, DontFight, Co-exist. It documented my own journey into digital

video image capture on the Fine Line feature, TheAnniversary Party. We had photographed it in PAL format, thestill current NTSC format being of inferior resolution. EuropeanPAL offered marginally better quality; HD was not yet an easilyavailable option. The movies exhibition, however, was on35mm film prints. D-cinema was still very much at the talkingstage.

Now, a decade later, I am still struggling with this personal
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digital dilemma. Largely a cinematographer of the celluloidera and its historical continuity, but also the cinematographerof ten digital video projects, I find myself looking with mixedemotions over my shoulder. It would be easy to consign motionpicture film to the dustbin of history if only if only what?

There are still for me too many unresolved questions to justifya total embrace of digital cinema, especially if it means killingoff film, which seems to be the stated intent of some. In arecent interview I said I feel like a lemming headed toward acliff. In the center of the pack, I feel the push from behind; Ialso, unfortunately, see the cliff ahead. Its crumbling precipiceis of disappearing ones and zeros.


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2001 Exhibition poster for The AnniversaryParty.

Next posting will be in two weeks: the discovery of a lostCaravaggio masterpiece in a Dublin residence of Jesuits.

If you are a reader in Los Angeles: Craig McCalls

wonderful documentary on the life and work of JackCardiff, Cameraman is showing this week at the
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Laemmle Sunset 5 Cinemas.

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Adam LeipzigJune 6, 2011 at 8:48 am

Wow, John. What a complete and excellent report of thisevent, and important thoughts on where we may beheading. Thank you.

Reply

Alfred ThompsonJune 10, 2011 at 11:31 am

John, thank you again for such a thought provoking piece.In the end film or digital films are about storytelling, notthe technology that we use to tell our stories. But thetechnology we use does affect and shape the stories we telland how we tell them. I completely agree when you say
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that our shift to embrace digital technology in all phases ofproduction represents a major sea change in how we thinkabout and make our movies, but how do you think digitaltechnology is affecting and changing the stories we aretelling, and not just the process of making those stories?

One effect of digital editing seems to have been to speedup storytelling e.g. cuts are faster and scenes are, onaverage, shorter now than ten or twenty years ago andfor me one of the unresolved questions you mention ishow this embrace of digital technology will shapestorytelling now and in the future. I, for one, miss the careand preciseness of the shot making and storytelling inSunrise in many recent films. Thank you again for all thesethought provoking and informative essays.

Johns note: Alfred, I think you answered your own questionabout how digital has changed our film grammar. I wouldsay only that the the immediacy of the captured digital

image, with our ability to manipulate it in so many instantways beyond analog film, is very exciting on one hand; butit has perhaps made us less thoughtful about the aestheticsand deliberations of the images we make at the moment ofmaking them as though if we squeeze all the paint weneed onto the canvas all at once, we can make the paintinglater.

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Lynsey Addario: Back From the Brink
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