{"id":12269,"date":"2022-11-01T18:12:33","date_gmt":"2022-11-02T01:12:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=12269"},"modified":"2022-11-01T18:12:33","modified_gmt":"2022-11-02T01:12:33","slug":"stars-of-comedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/stars-of-comedy\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars of Comedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sitcom specialists talk about how much the genre has changed in recent years.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

by Pauline Rogers<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

When Donald A. Morgan, ASC, first started to shoot sitcoms<\/strong> at Metromedia (Good Times <\/em>and The Jeffersons)<\/em>, they were stage-bound with old Norelco tube cameras and lighting at around 200 foot-candles. And when Christian La Fountaine, ASC, started working on Newhart<\/em> with his father, George, that show was also stage-bound with BNCR cameras. Both men are still shooting comedy series, but, like many others in the genre, they mix stage with location, and everything in between.<\/p>\n

Traditional multi-camera pedestal-bound sitcoms have changed dramatically (pun intended) in recent years. One of Morgan\u2019s most interesting shows, The Ranch<\/em>, for streaming giant Netflix, is a multi-camera comedy that stars Ashton Kutcher, Debra Winger and Sam Elliot, and centers on the son of a Colorado rancher who returns from a semi-pro football career to run the family business. The Ranch<\/em>, as Morgan and line producer Melanie Patterson both observe, is not \u201cafraid to be dark or half-lit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe story calls for muted colors, half-lit faces and dark areas,\u201d describes Morgan [who was recently elected to the Television Academy Hall of Fame]. \u201cOur main tools are Sony F55s and detuned Panavision lenses. I remember one day, I was in color correction at LEVEL 3, and I passed by Lisa Wiegand\u2019s [ASC] show and saw that they were trying to apply a 35-millimeter grain. I loved it \u2013 and brought the idea to The Ranch.<\/em> We ended up painting with a 16-millimeter grain [7219 film] Live Grain electronically.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still using tungsten-based lighting for the most part, The Ranch<\/em> also uses LED daylight sources, dialed 3900 and 4500, to simulate ambient daylight through windows. \u201cWe have fun with the new tools to get our version of sunsets \u2013 creating gradations of color to fit the moment,\u201d Morgan adds. \u201cI kind of wish we had had Liteblades, Litepanels, and Cineo tools when I was first starting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Don Morgan, ASC, says The Ranch <\/i>is not afraid to use\u00a0muted colors, half-lit faces and dark areas. \u201cI saw Lisa Wiegand [ASC]\u00a0applying a 35-millimeter grain in color correction on her show at LEVEL 3 and loved it,” Morgan relates. “I \u00a0brought the idea to The Ranch, <\/em>and we\u00a0ended up painting with a 16-millimeter grain [7219 film] Live Grain electronically.\u201d\/ Photo by Saeed Adyani \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While La Fountaine says the biggest change in shooting comedy<\/strong> has been the digital cameras, it\u2019s still the lighting that\u2019s most central to helping the audiences see the characters and comedy beats. \u201cFor Alexa & Katie<\/em>, using independently controlled DMX-enabled lights expands the number of units we can use beyond the dimmer rack power because they use hot power,\u201d he explains. \u201cMerry Happy Whatever<\/em>, where we break a bit from tradition, uses Panavised Sony F55\u2019s, Primo lenses, two dollies, and two pedestals. We occasionally use a jib. And we shoot at an effective range of around 1200 ASA with a key of about 18 to 20.\u201d<\/p>\n

La Fountaine says new tools like dimmable\/programmable lighting has lessened the need for grids and \u201chot lighting.\u201d The director of photography uses everything from complex DMX-controlled lights to \u201cprosumer\u201d devices and LED cyc Strips.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn Alexa & Katie<\/em> we use Briteshots, an easily programmable light that is DMX controlled and uses minimal power and only 10 channels,\u201d he continues. \u201cThey create lightning, police sirens, strobes, film project lighting, fireworks, and color chases as you would see in a dance club. In the season finale, \u2018Winter Formal,\u2019 these lights were great for dance effects \u2013 easily programmed and versatile. They have become our go-to lights.\u201d<\/p>\n

La Fountaine also uses Skypanels, Quasars, and LED cyc Strobes, all of which are DMX. He\u2019s even employed prosumer devices. \u201cIn the scene before Alexa enters a dance,\u201d he describes, \u201cwe used an outrageously expensive fifteen-dollar light as our \u2018hero\u2019 light for the entrance to the dance. It was one of those exterior Christmas-light projectors that you use on the front of your house. I think our gaffer, Walter Berry, has a Home Shopping Network addiction when it comes to picking up unusual lighting devices online. We also used rope lights and home accessory lighting devices from Ikea. From an ad in the Sunday newspaper, I found a little \u2018plug-and-play\u2019 cube light that we use for smaller profile TV effect lighting, which cost all of ten dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
While Christian La Fountaine, ASC (above) says the biggest thing that’s changed in sitcoms is digital cameras, “it’s still the lighting that\u2019s most central to helping the audiences see the characters and comedy beats. Using independently controlled DMX-enabled lights \u2013 for \u00a0Alexa & Katie\u00a0<\/em>\u2013 expands the number of units we can use beyond the dimmer rack power because they use hot power.\u201d \/ Photo by Ali Goldstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Alexa & Katie<\/em> photo by Adam Rose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Until The Good Place<\/em>, David Miller, ASC, hadn\u2019t done much<\/strong> comedy. But when Assistant Director David Hyman (whom he met when Miller was 2nd unit director of photography on The West Wing<\/em>) called, he was up for the job.\u00a0\u201cThe design of comedy today fascinates me,\u201d Miller shares. \u201cDan Bishop, who designed Mad Men<\/em>, <\/em>did an amazing job turning the old Spartacus <\/em>section of the Universal backlot into The Good Plac<\/em>e, building a world of pastels and yogurt shops that turns out to be hell. My other show, Veep<\/em>, designed by Jim Gloster, is also a very non-traditional comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0The Good Place<\/em> stage shoot employs cameras on dollies and Steadicam, with plenty of Technocrane, and the Universal backlot being re-dressed to represent \u201cthe good place\u201d itself.\u00a0\u201cWe shoot with three ARRI Alexa XT\u2019s and a Fuji 18 to 85 premier zoom. B and C cameras usually have the Fuji 25 to 300 zoom,\u201d Miller continues. \u201cVeep<\/em>, on the other hand, is all handheld \u2013 with ARRI Amiras, which are easier for the operators to hand-hold all day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Miller says LED lighting hasn\u2019t really changed his style. \u201cLED\u2019s use less electricity and don\u2019t require an air-conditioned set, but the way I use them isn\u2019t much different than [Tungsten or HMI],\u201d he states. \u201cThat said, I do like having instruments like the Sumo battery-powered light for quick setups. And the Astera tubes to give me a lot of light and consistent color.\u201d\u00a0LED\u2019s do help with very large sets, such as in the Veep<\/em> finale, for which portions of a political convention were recreated (using seven cameras!) on a large stage in downtown LA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
David Miller, ASC (above) says the design of comedy today is fascinating. \u201cDan Bishop, who designed Mad Men<\/em>, <\/em>did an amazing job turning the old Spartacus <\/em>section of the Universal backlot into The Good Plac<\/em>e,” offers Miller, who also shoots Veep.\u00a0<\/em>Miller\u00a0says LED lighting hasn\u2019t changed his style much. \u201cLED\u2019s use less electricity and don\u2019t require an air-conditioned set, but the way I use them isn\u2019t much different than [Tungsten or HMI],” he adds. \/ Photo by Colleen Hayes\/NBC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Gale Tattersall\u2019s first foray into comedy, Grace and Frankie<\/em>,<\/strong> recently wrapped Season 6. The show is shot conservatively \u2013 master shots and coverage \u2013 on three stages at Paramount Studios. Because Netflix mandates 4K delivery, Tattersall chose Canon C700\u2019s for his A and B cameras and several C300 MKII\u2019s \u2013 one permanently mounted on a Steadicam \u2013 and Cooke primes and Ang\u00e9nieux zooms, suited to shooting iconic actors like Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.<\/p>\n

\u201cShallow depth of field has little place in comedy unless you are trying to create a feeling of a character being isolated from reality,\u201d Tattersall explains. \u201cUsing more light allows us to shoot around T3.5 to T5.6 on set. On occasion I may rate at 3200 ISO and shoot at T11. I find racking focus between actors for lines of dialogue distracting, so I hold \u2018splits\u2019 as much as possible. The added bonus is you have more color in the actor\u2019s eyes \u2013 purely because their irises are smaller. As Jane Fonda points out, we try to make the show \u2018easy on the eye\u2019 \u2013 giving the audience the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tattersall also credits his CLT, Luke Miller, for helping to develop the lighting for Fonda and Tomlin, \u201cso we can make them as beautiful-looking as they are as people,\u201d he adds. \u201cIt\u2019s like creating a photo shoot for each shot. Luke is now a DP with Local 600, and he\u2019s shot several episodes solo. In reality, as a DP, I find I do half my work on this show in color timing. Better to fix an issue in five minutes with the colorist than on set with one hundred people waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Gale Tattersall, whose first foray into comedy was Netflix’s\u00a0Grace and Frankie,\u00a0<\/em>credits his CLT, Luke Miller, for helping to develop the lighting for stars Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, \u201cso we can make them as beautiful-looking as they are as people,\u201d Tattersall shares. \u201cIt\u2019s like creating a photo shoot for each shot.\u201d \/ Photo by Ali Goldstein<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Gale Tattersall on the set of Grace and Frankie \/ <\/em>Photo by\u00a0Melissa Moseley \/ Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Young Sheldon<\/em><\/strong>, shot by <\/strong>Buzz Feitshans IV and set in 1989,<\/strong> pushes the comedy-look envelope. The show emphasizes transitions, act-ins and -outs, and movement on specific dialog cues. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried to tailor the movement to places where it doesn\u2019t distract from the words,\u201d Feitshans describes. \u201cThis hybrid format requires fast last-minute changes to blocking, camera positioning and lighting, as the writing producers often punch up parts of the script on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the show is on stages at Warner Bros., with a little location work at Van Nuys High School, churches, and residential areas. Feitshans shoots with three ARRI Minis (one on a Steadicam). Because the young actors are with the crew for limited hours per day, the schedules are tight. \u201cThe new LED technology has helped us a lot with the limited hours,\u201d the cinematographer explains. \u201cEvery light is patched into a dimmer board. And we usually light the room in zones rather than on specific marks, which also helps us to move faster.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s really unique about Young Sheldon <\/em>is the expanded use of VFX.\u00a0\u201cWe have a meeting to discuss layers and provide live-action and background elements that are needed,\u201d Feitshans explains. \u201cLighting compatibility and lighting effects are blended into what we know will be the final product. Often we will use split-screen technology to take performances from multiple takes and blend them into one shot. And the use of photo doubles helps us to extend our allotted child hours. Often, we will shoot half the scene and then finish the other half later \u2013 then it will be blended together by VFX.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Feitshans notes about the changes in the genre: \u201cI don\u2019t think the term \u2018situation comedy\u2019 applies anymore. Comedy may have been born from those roots, but it\u2019s so much more sophisticated in terms of looks and locations. There are elements drawn from feature films, one-hour drama and traditional sitcoms. It\u2019s a hybrid, almost like a half-hour movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChange is coming, and it\u2019s impossible to resist,\u201d Tattersall concludes. \u201cA lot of \u2018humanism\u2019 has been developed by the video-game industry, and it is crossing over into entertainment. Actors were unhappy on occasion having to perform in the sterile world of blue screen. Now they may well be \u2013 sometime in the future \u2013 replaced by a thumb drive!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve already done several virtual sets,\u201d Feitshans adds. That\u2019s also coming in comedy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t freak out!\u201d they both add. It\u2019s progress \u2013 sort of.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
What makes Young Sheldon<\/i>\u00a0unique is the show’s expanded use of VFX. “We have a meeting to discuss layers and provide live-action and background elements that are needed,\u201d explains Director of Photography Buzz Feitshans IV (above). \u201cOften we will use split-screen technology to take performances from multiple takes and blend them into one shot.” \/\u00a0Photo by Darren Michaels\/Warner Bros. Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo from Young Sheldon<\/em> by Michael Desmond\/Warner Bros. Entertainment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sitcom specialists talk about how much the genre has changed in recent years.\u00a0 by Pauline Rogers   When Donald A. Morgan, ASC, first started to shoot sitcoms at Metromedia (Good Times and The Jeffersons), they were stage-bound with old Norelco tube cameras and lighting at around 200 foot-candles. And when Christian La Fountaine, ASC, started working on Newhart with his father, George, that show was also stage-bound with BNCR cameras. Both men are still shooting comedy series, but, like many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12290,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-web-exclusive"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nStars of Comedy - ICG Magazine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/stars-of-comedy\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Stars of Comedy - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sitcom specialists talk about how much the genre has changed in recent years.\u00a0 by Pauline Rogers   When Donald A. 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