Of course, the look and location have a lot to do with Longmire\u2019s <\/em>popularity, which is ably lensed by Cameron Duncan, who rotates with Jim Muro (Guild DP\u2019s Dana Gonzalez and Tod Dos Reis have also lensed episodes, and Muro has also directed multiple episodes).<\/p>\n \u201cWe shoot on location for five or more of the seven days for each episode,\u201d explains Co-Producer Bryan J. Raber. \u201cLocations are often inhospitable to lighting [just ask gaffer Danny Delgado], so we have to be creative. Color is a large portion of each episode, which can range from a thriller to action to cop drama to anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n To support that variety, Raber says the show often pairs directors with writers and even editors and cinematographers, depending on the bend of the story. It\u2019s an interesting and fluid concept \u2013 yet it is based on a firm footing. \u201cThey are very careful on what script goes to each director, kind of like \u2018casting,\u2019\u201d describes Jim Muro. \u201cI know the story that had an \u2018adoption\u2019 thru line (Of Children and Travelers<\/em>) was given to me to direct, because of my closeness to the subject matter. I know they like the work that director Chris Chulack and I do together, so we seem to end up on the same stories.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJim established the style and look when he shot the pilot,\u201d explains Duncan, who was the operator at the time. \u201cIn the first year, it was a hybrid of our previous show, Southland<\/em>, and the classic western film genre. We incorporated a lot of handheld and active camera movements on sliders and jibs, often juxtaposed with big wide still frames. We used a chocolate filter the entire season to add warmth. Our interior Sheriff Station is plenty warm from the set design so I pulled the Chocolate filter, which helps with the stop and then bumped the color temp on the camera to 4100K.\u201d<\/p>\n Things changed in Season 2. In the first episode, the story involved a snowstorm that challenges Longmire\u2019s <\/em>hero to hunt an escaped convict in the mountains \u2013 perfect for pulling the Chocolate filter and embracing tones of blue. Since that episode, Duncan goes back and forth between Chocolate and cool tones, depending on the script and journey.<\/p>\n Longmire <\/em><\/strong>is shot on RED Dragons with Ang\u00e9nieux Optimo Zooms,<\/strong> Zeiss Super Speed Primes, and a Leica Telephoto lens system, all supported by Keslow Camera. \u201cThey have done an amazing job over the years to make the Reds not only shooter friendly but also assistant friendly,\u201d says Duncan of his evolving capture system. \u201cThey helped us to create our \u2018combat mode\u2019 camera setup, which is the Dragon stripped down to almost nothing more than a matte box, lens and focus motor. The rest of the system is umbilical to a small backpack containing battery, MDR, and video transmitter.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The genesis of \u201cCombat Mode\u201d goes back to Southland<\/em>. Muro, the camera team, and Keslow came up with a solution that centered on the RED ONE, the company\u2019s only system at the time. \u201cBy shoving everything (video transmitter, Preston MDR, and battery power)\u00a0into a backpack, I was able to literally jump from a semi-moving vehicle and chase after our heroes,\u201d Duncan explains. \u201cThe configuration became even lighter and smaller as Red developed the Epic and now Dragon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cCombat Mode\u2019 has grown to affect the entire \u2018tactical\u2019 style of shooting,\u201d Muro adds. \u201cThe eyepieces are left behind at the rental house. Every setup is done without someone sitting on a dolly and looking down an eyepiece. Almost every primary setup is on a free-form jib arm that allows a lot of interpretation. We interact with the material, and hone in on what is best for drama, acting and lighting.\u201d<\/p>\n Duncan says that evolution has allowed for even more dynamic handheld work. \u201cOur A-camera operator, Alan Jacoby, can do multiple long takes and be very interpretive and creative,\u201d he observes. \u201cYou can literally start the camera on the ground and end in a CU of our actors \u2013 no problem.\u201d<\/p>\n This past season Duncan wanted to bring the camera into the faces of characters as they are driving. So Jacoby sat in the console of the Sheriff\u2019s Bronco with his back to the dashboard, and panned back and forth from the driver to the passenger. \u201cThere\u2019s a great sense of intimacy which the scene required, and that no other large chip camera could have pulled it off,\u201d Duncan describes. \u201cThe shot could have played as a oner \u2013 but, of course, we did coverage as well.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lighting for the show has also been set free. Delgado uses everything from ARRI 18Ks to Mole 20Ks on the standing stages. Interior practicals often feature HMIs, but if the script warrants, Delgado will employ uncorrected tungsten. Even with night work, the gaffer will shift between uncorrected HMIs for moonlight to Nine-Light Fays skinned with Cyan. \u201cLighting is hard because of the locations and where we can\u2019t always get Condors in,\u201d Delgado reveals.<\/p>\n Snow is also a factor.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have to keep the snow on the ground and keep it fresh as well as make snow,\u201d he adds. \u201cRitter [fans] blowing. Night shoots. In that first big snow scene, for example, the rigging crews had to keep the snow off the stands, and we weren\u2019t close to any equipment houses for that shot [in the Season 2 premiere]. We had to keep calling in the morning, to get anything brought up. Fortunately, that only happened once.\u201d<\/p>\n Longmire\u2019s <\/em><\/strong>plotlines also cover the production spectrum. <\/strong>Duncan cites a recent episode where Lou Diamond Phillips\u2019 character trains for a new career path \u2013 a vigilante in support of his native people. \u201cThis particular set is quite small but architecturally very interesting \u2013 and so far away from something like the snow sequence,\u201d Duncan begins. \u201cWe lit the architecture and allowed Lou to have his space while he boxed. Most of my favorite lighting setups come from single sources. Here we bounced a few Pars into a 4×8 silver card. The fill is natural bounce form the interior set.\u201d<\/p>\n The Longmire <\/em>team also had the chance to shoot in a Frank Lloyd Wright home that had never been used as a set before. \u201cThe space was tricky to light and keep the ratios somewhat natural,\u201d describes Duncan. \u201cI worked with [1st<\/sup> AD] Brian Faul\u00a0to make sure we shot in the afternoon so there was backlight. Had we shot early in the day, the background would have been blown out. There are also two 18Ks going through diffusion on either side of the house just past the windows. We used a bounce behind camera to fill in the shadows and balance the light ratios to our liking.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The show\u2019s workflow has been key to its strong visuals. Duncan relies heavily on DIT Timothy Gregoire, who, in turn, has worked closely with MTI director of development Randy Reck and MTI founder Larry Chernoff to implement MTI\u2019s Cortex software, which Gregoire calls \u201cthe backbone of the post process all the way up to just before final color,\u201d and which Reck describes \u201cas an intuitive user interface,\u201d that\u2019s a hit with both with on-set DITs as well as the near-set dailies operation.<\/p>\n Gregoire says his role begins long before principle photography. He brings his complete DIT rig to the post facility handling dailies and final color (which are both handled by MTI). \u201cThere we test everything from start to finish,\u201d Gregoire continues. \u201cWe compare color calibration on my equipment, side-by-side with the gear used in dailies and final color, and then make any adjustments if required. This ensures image continuity throughout the workflow and gives me the confidence to guarantee that the DP\u2019s intentions are accurately being communicated to post. As a DIT, image continuity is a must-have.\u201d<\/p>\n Gregoire typically wrangles three running cameras, which are shooting 5K at a 5:1 compression ratio (the production will shoot 6K for big wide shots), which means an average storage requirement of 1.5TB per day. \u201cThat\u2019s a lot of material to transfer and still deliver the expected short wrap times at the end of the day,\u201d Gregoire observes. \u201cAll of the shuttle drives are now Solid-state, and interface with my DIT workstation via eSATA 6G or USB 3.0. This allows for multiple card downloads to both my onboard storage array and the shuttles simultaneously without bottlenecking. Since my move to Solid-state, transfer times have dropped to a third of what they once were.\u201d<\/p>\n On-set functions for Gregoire begin when he gets his first RED Mags. Using Cortex for Windows 7, he ingests all cards to both an onboard-protected Raid drive, and the morning SSD shuttle drives. Cortex will transfer and verify up to three cards simultaneously. Once the transfer is complete, it will load all clips into a \u201clist\u201d window.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt is here where one can log, grade, sync, transcode and even scan footage for dead pixels or dirt in the frame,\u201d Gregoire explains. \u201cFor Longmire<\/em>, I only log all the footage and then grade the last take of each setup on each camera.\u201d<\/p>\n Gregoire will also grab reference stills for later review by Duncan or Muro, and eventually post. \u201cPeriodically, the DP will review my grades and select \u2018hero\u2019 shots that should be forwarded to the dailies colorist to use as a guideline when coloring that scene,\u201d he adds. \u201cI will also mark each selected clip in Cortex as a \u2018hero\u2019 shot as well as enter any comments, concerns or specific intentions for the shot. We repeat this process throughout the day, sending a \u2018film break\u2019 on shuttle drives at lunch that contains just the footage and accompanying audio.<\/p>\n \u201cI also export the Cortex Manifest file,\u201d he continues. \u201cThis file contains a history of everything that happened in Cortex that day \u2013 from download info and logging, to CDLs and LUTs that may have been applied. It has all the notes from the DP and myself. I put the Cortex Manifest file along with a PDF version of it on the shuttle drive. This drive is sent to the near-set dailies facility.\u201d<\/p>\n Reck says the Cortex Manifest file creates an easy way to package up all metadata and all color correction, sync, LUTs and file organization in order to move the information through the workflow pipeline. \u201cThe traditional questions from the dailies operator to the on-set DIT,\u201d he says, \u201care no longer needed as the Cortex Manifest carries all the answers down stream. This seamless flow of metadata continues into VFX pulls and all the way into the final color session.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Longmire_1.jpg\")
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