{"id":5794,"date":"2015-12-11T02:06:13","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T02:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/?p=5794"},"modified":"2021-05-30T20:15:42","modified_gmt":"2021-05-31T03:15:42","slug":"far-and-away","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.icgmagazine.com\/web\/far-and-away\/","title":{"rendered":"Far and Away"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Force is back \u2013\u00a0bigger, better and bolder than ever as Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC helps J.J. Abrams restore the franchise\u2019s thrilling (film-based) roots. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin and Matt Hurwitz.<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the original Star Wars<\/em>, Episode IV: A New Hope<\/em>, writer\/director George Lucas, reportedly desirous of a diffused romantic look, approached Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC, to shoot the film. But when scheduling conflicts arose, a second Stanley Kubrick alumnus, Gil Taylor, BSC (fresh from another 20th<\/sup> Century Fox project, The Omen<\/em>), undertook the assignment. While Lucas was not wholly enamored by the results and had some sequences reshot (with Carroll Ballard and Tak Fujimoto, ASC, among those credited for the additional photography), the film was completed only slightly over schedule and went on to become a mega-hit while launching the first sci-fi\/fantasy boom in cinema.<\/p>\n

After executive-producing the next two sequels, Lucas allowed a period of time to lapse \u2013 waiting for digital technology to catch up with his vision \u2013 before embarking on a trilogy of prequels he directed and co-wrote. While massively successful, the films often failed to capture the popular zeitgeist of the originals. When Disney obtained the rights to Star Wars<\/em>, it turned to J.J. Abrams, who had jump-started Paramount\u2019s Star Trek<\/em> franchise.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Abrams was eager to take the reins of a series<\/strong> that had thrilled him as a youngster, and he intended to start off the first film of a new trilogy \u2013 Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens <\/em>\u2013 by going back to the beginning. \u201cI wanted to stay away from the prequel aesthetic,\u201d he reveals. \u201cIt was critical this film look like a continuation of the original trilogy \u2013 to have the purity of\u00a0Episode IV<\/em>, but, where appropriate, have the drama, beauty, and use of shadow seen in\u00a0The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>. I wanted the image quality to be film-based and location-shot, to feel tangible and authentic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC, Abrams\u2019 collaborator on his rebooted\u00a0Star Trek <\/em>films, came aboard very early, and says he and the director tried to keep the process as physically grounded as possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe ASC had digitized back issues of American Cinematographer<\/em>,\u201d Mindel shares, \u201cso I obtained versions of their production articles on Star Wars<\/em>, Empire<\/em> and Jedi<\/em> that we could reference from my laptop. I found [those articles] to be a hugely useful resource; I passed them around so everyone could see the direction we had to follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-9\"<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s art department also went back in time for inspiration, adhering to what Abrams calls an \u201canalog\u201d movie in look and feel. \u201cNot just in the vector graphics on screens,\u201d he describes, \u201cbut in the real displays on set. Yes, we are augmenting some scenes with [CGI] holograms.\u00a0But for the most part, [production designers] Rick Carter and Darren Gilford designed and built extraordinary, vast, and practical sets.\u201d<\/p>\n

These sets often employed 2D forced perspective rather than green screen and VFX set extensions. \u201cBecause of our familiarity with film and anamorphic,\u201d Mindel adds, \u201cwe know how to make the image drop off so the background just fades away naturally, avoiding unnecessary scrutiny. Designing with depth of field in mind helps that along, and anamorphic is also enormously forgiving with regard to set textures and surfaces.<\/p>\n

\u201cI use Panavision anamorphics on every show and approached them about helping me design a set of retro lenses,\u201d Mindel continues. \u201cThese would feature some qualities associated with late 1970\u2019s films while retaining aspects we know and love from today. I wanted to preserve that era\u2019s higher contrast levels, so Panavision added a lens coating. Another aspect involved building in a softer feel to the glass.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-1\"<\/p>\n

Some films from the 1970\u2019s employed filtration to achieve that softer look, and Mindel notes that having been a camera assistant in the U.K. during that period, he was \u201cvery aware\u201d of how a stocking placed either behind or in front of the lens could help offset some unforgiving aspects of film stocks from the period.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn this project, I sent someone out to buy up all the remaining Christian Dior #10 stockings,\u201d the DP describes, \u201cand we shot tests with rear nets using various glass, but we ultimately found our newly designed lenses made these forms of diffusion unnecessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Panavision provided a single set of custom primes (40, 50, 60, 75 and 100 mm), dubbed Retro-C\u2019s<\/em>, which would be shared among various units shooting on Panaflex Millennium XL2s throughout production. \u201cWe used the Retro-C anamorphics when photographing the heroic Resistance,\u201d Mindel adds, \u201cand those were augmented with C- and E-anamorphics. I divided the movie up into two halves visually, so for scenes featuring the [First Order] bad guys, I went with Primos, as they are harder, less forgiving lenses, [employing] primes plus the AWZ2 and ATZ zooms.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-6\"<\/p>\n

A digital booklet (which lived on the iPad) allowed anyone to see the idiosyncrasies and unique look qualities for each glass. As Mindel explains: \u201cIn the old days, cinematographers spent a lot of time trying to match the lenses because of the color temperature and contrast and other variables. But now we\u2019re very fortunate in that we account for such indiscretions in the DI. So if the colors from different lenses don\u2019t match up, that isn\u2019t a critically limiting factor for us as it would have been in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mindel received his lenses from Panavision just prior to shooting,<\/strong> which meant VFX Supervisor Roger Guyett had to get all the lenses mapped immediately to ensure his ILM team could proceed. \u201cI\u2019ve worked with Roger often, so it was just a matter of my being able to keep in mind his needs and relying on the unwritten language between us,\u201d Mindel states. Guyett also oversaw outside VFX vendors on the show, including Kelvin, Abrams\u2019 in-house group at Bad Robot. \u201cThere are close to 2,000 VFX shots in the film, and ILM is doing 1,200,\u201d he describes. \u201cSeven-hundred staffers at our facilities in Singapore, Vancouver, London and San Francisco operated as a global network.\u201d<\/p>\n

Guyett knows the franchise, having worked on the last\u00a0Star Wars<\/em>\u00a0feature.\u00a0But for The Force Awakens<\/em>, he says the goal was to capture light in real locations: \u201cHow your eye responds to the light, to the tactile quality of images, [and] balancing that with the practicalities of filmmaking \u2013 all\u00a0while taking advantage of techniques that weren\u2019t available back then,\u201d he explains.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-13\"<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many nods to the old-school stuff,\u201d Guyett adds. \u201cJ.J. and I spent an afternoon doing a little hanging miniature! But at the end of the day, you have to decide what\u2019s best for the movie. ILM\u2019s building a digital version of an X-Wing or the Falcon becomes a different process when you look at a real one, even if it is only a fraction of a practical set.\u201d<\/p>\n

While conceptual art and storyboarding are standard on VFX-heavy projects, they did not form an ironclad basis for what was to come. \u201cSometimes we had the benefit of previsualization,\u201d Guyett allows. \u201cBut J.J. is of the mind that you can\u2019t preplan every shot. Dan and I went over at the end of 2013 to Pinewood [U.K.] to shoot tests that laid the groundwork for everything \u2013 going to the desert and testing the BB-8 [practical robot] character. We could place BB-8 in any real environment, so our CG guys could reference those passes if some component of digital lighting might be missing.\u201d<\/p>\n

While scouting Jordan and Dubai, Mindel dug<\/strong> out Sunpath data to work out the arc of the sun through the sky months in advance via old-school means. Even though stage work would be handled in the U.K., Mindel also recruited key members of his usual Local 600 team, including 1st<\/sup> AC Serge Nofield, A-Camera Operator Colin Anderson, SOC, B-Camera Operator Philippe Carr-Forster and 2nd<\/sup> Unit DP Bruce McCleery.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-18\"\u201cThis show was scheduled with enough time to do what needed doing,\u201d Mindel describes. \u201cMy department and grip\/electric were able to bring so much more to the film because we were organized with the proper infrastructure and could bring our projects through to completion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The DP readily acknowledges that having so many well-known and even beloved aspects of this universe already established helped to further hone their efforts. \u201cWe weren\u2019t going to add anything to the Millennium Falcon or any known structures,\u201d he reports. \u201cOn the newer sets, we used some modern lighting and different techniques \u2013 no LEDs, as I don\u2019t like their finicky color space. But it only made sense to keep the lighting style and techniques the same, using gels as needed on traditional HMIs and incandescents. Our mandate was to preserve all of those handmade qualities built into the sets and wardrobe, which avoided any jarring modernization.\u201d<\/p>\n

The cinematographer used Kodak Vision3 stocks throughout, relying on 50D 5203 and 250D 5207 for location work and 500T 5219 during stage shooting. Mindel\u2019s oft-stated preference for originating on film is not just about the aesthetic, but also about how a film workflow impacts the progress of a shoot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love [film\u2019s] natural rhythm,\u201d he declares. \u201cYou shoot a thousand feet; then, while reloading, the floor gets cleaned and a light gets moved back while the actor is allowed a glass of water. You stay more involved as a cinematographer. Instead of going to check email because the DIT is covering your ass, you\u2019ve got your meter in hand and are watching what the light is doing on that actor\u2019s face. There\u2019s just a different, deeper level of engagement.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-20\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Keeping audiences visually engaged is key to Abrams\u2019<\/strong> approach, as his love for moving camera shows. Anderson says the director eschews wide static masters followed by coverage, relying, instead, on the Steadicam to design dynamic masters that allow a scene to unfold and reveal salient points throughout the move.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me as a Steadicam operator, it\u2019s enormously rewarding that J.J. will use an entire Steadicam shot without breaking it up with coverage,\u201d Anderson shares. \u201cHe\u2019s also not about flying walls to make it easier for the camera. J.J. believes that the audience can tell when you\u2019re manipulating the physical constraints of the set, which undercuts credibility. As a result, we just squeeze the camera into the available space.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt never ceases to amaze me how the most difficult scenes to shoot are sometimes the most seemingly simplistic and straightforward,\u201d the director remarks. \u201cTwo people talking in a room \u2013 or in this case on the Millennium Falcon \u2013 are always the most painstaking. We tried as much as possible to balance the majesty and scope of Star Wars\u00a0<\/em>with the intimacy and heartbeat of each character. I tried to think about this movie in a more classic style than I normally apply. That\u2019s not to say there won\u2019t be some quick-cut action sequences, but I try to hold on shots longer, more confidently.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-8\"<\/p>\n

Carr-Forster cites the admixture of Mindel plus Abrams as a factor that \u201cmakes this a very rewarding place to work. J.J. doesn\u2019t want boring shots lacking energy, and he won\u2019t accept sloppiness,\u201d the veteran operator relays. \u201cHis eye is so good, he\u2019ll catch everything, so when you get it right for him you know you\u2019ve done well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting\u00a0 \u201ca galaxy far, far away\u201d right meant venturing<\/strong> beyond U.K. stages to provide scale and spectacle. In fact, Abrams says he\u2019s never filmed on so many locations, nor felt more inspired by his surroundings. And he\u2019s certain his cast felt the same.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in an incredible forest in Wales,\u201d he says. \u201cWe were on Skellig Michael Island in Ireland. We filmed in the deserts of Abu Dhabi. There is something about that incredible opportunity that infuses every scene, every actor, and every crewmember with an undeniable presence. It\u2019s an\u00a0energy that can only help the movie.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-12\"<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s desert shoot was for many the most grueling part of the production. Mindel says locations were spaced a couple hundred kilometers apart, and practical sets were built that used wind, sand and natural light in ways rarely done anymore.<\/p>\n

A small fleet of Toyota Hilux vehicles formed the support caravan for this desert odyssey, and Carr-Forster remembers how \u201ceach camera had its own white pickup truck towing a rickshaw with lenses.\u201d Shooting on the dunes was usually on a stop between 8 and 11, with ND used to bring the light down. \u201cAn interesting part of the art direction affected all this,\u201d Anderson adds. \u201cMany buildings incorporated netting-like blinds that cut the light levels in a way similar to shooting through a double net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nofield says Production kept everybody hydrated on what was the toughest shoot he\u2019s ever done. And the Panavision film cameras were reliable in a situation that would have been too hot to shoot digitally without problems. \u201cOur tests had ensured we wouldn\u2019t get problems from metal expanding under extreme heat, and things worked out beautifully,\u201d Nofield recalls. \u201cFilm is a perfect medium for intense environments; combat photography shows just how well these cameras can handle a great deal of trashing.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-14\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had Patti Harrison\u2019s Camera Essentials aboard to make film-changing covers,\u201d Nofield continues, \u201cplus custom rain and dust covers that were breathable for Imax and Panavision cameras. We also brought a great deal of dry ice from Dubai that was attached with Velcro to camera bodies inside the covers to mitigate the heat.\u201d<\/p>\n

IMAX capture was mostly limited to one major desert<\/strong> action sequence, using the 15-perf MSM 9802 with Hasselblad lenses. \u201cImax cameras are very sensitive pieces of equipment, and this time we used the 15-perf unit [MSM 9802 with Hasselblad lenses], primarily in Abu Dhabi, but also for second unit in Iceland,\u201d Mindel recalls. \u201cNot being able to get film processed to view the next morning is one pitfall. But augmenting the 2.40 anamorphic with this format is a great way to deliver striking imagery.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anderson says the Guild camera team was \u201ca bit leery of Imax from past experience with threading and jams on the last Star Trek<\/em>. [See ICG May 2013.] \u201cBut to the ACs\u2019 credit, it behaved really well,\u201d he admits. \u201cDue to the extreme weight of the 15-perf cameras, we used a Libra head mounted to an ATV for a running sequence instead of the Steadicam.\u201d Both Nofield and B-camera 2nd<\/sup> AC Simon England had IMAX experience, and the former credits IMAX tech Scott Smith with working well past wrap every day to service the lenses and cameras.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-11\"<\/p>\n

For Nofield, making the film afforded him the chance to see physical production on an epic scale. \u201cGoing on a scout and seeing a practical downed TIE fighter was a real trip,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cYou think back on the model shots in the old movies and imagine what these things would look like for real \u2013 and then what you see measures up to that, and then some. Incredible attention to set and costume detail, along with the animatronics, contributes so much to the tactile feel of what we shot on set. We knew this was really Star Wars<\/em> being made here, not some green screen epic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given the ground it broke, the original Star Wars<\/em> was beset by one-of-a-kind challenges, e.g., the light-saber battles. Swords coated with front projection material used on set were prone to breakage, plus the light effect was blunted when the material was seen off-axis, necessitating optical overlays. This time out, an in-camera approach netted more significant \u2013 and dramatically impressive \u2013 results.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was excited about creating the right amount of interactive light on-set with the light sabers,\u201d Guyett recounts. \u201cBuilding them so they emitted enough light to register on the combatants became a huge plus on my end and Dan\u2019s, as we could program the amount of illumination and balance the color temperature with the sets. We could build behavior patterns into the lighting, so when two sabers clashed, they would flare in intensity \u2013 in dark environments they became our principal light source. When replacing the saber with our digital effect, it was easy to push up the brightness without having to cheat the light direction, as on the previous movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-2\"<\/p>\n

Bizarre aliens and robots are also key elements in the Star Wars<\/em> universe. Neal Scanlan handled practical aspects relating to creature work.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Neal\u2019s] work is mind-blowingly brilliant, and it showcases skill sets that are so underused in modern filmmaking,\u201d Mindel froths. \u201cWe took these creatures on location in the desert and they performed wonderfully. None of the \u2018Don\u2019t worry about the seam, we\u2019ll fix that later\u2019 talk. I can\u2019t wait to hear how new young directors respond to seeing these characters. They\u2019ll be asking how that was done and wanting to emulate our style, so the part of the industry that died out as a result of CG may get another life.\u201d<\/p>\n

For wholly digital characters, ILM London VFX Supervisor<\/strong> Mike Mulholland and Creative Director Ben Morris led much of the charge, along with Animation Supervisor Mike Eames. \u201cThe complexity of [CGI] characters was just incredible,\u201d marvels Guyett, who says a mix of performance capture approaches was employed.<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-15\"<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a real human on set playing the character, it provides many practical benefits,\u201d he outlines. \u201cILM has developed fantastic facial-motion-capture tech that is all low-profile on set. Wherever possible we used motion capture based on infrared; often we were able to just use IBC [image-based capture], and that was a blessing since it doesn\u2019t leave much of a footprint.\u201d Another approach employed VICON\u2019s four-camera system. \u201cOur preproduction tests taught us what a performer\u2019s smiling or wrinkling his nose would do to and for our character,\u201d Guyett adds. \u201c[With] Vicon you can rebuild the whole face just from those views.\u201d<\/p>\n

The filmmakers also used Andy Serkis\u2019 Imaginarium facilities in London. Abrams shares that \u201cboth Andy Serkis and Lupita Nyong\u2019o play characters brought to life using performance capture. While I was desperate to use tangible, analog techniques, only a fool would have rejected the opportunity to use any tool or resource available that was right for the job. For these two characters, performance capture was critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

The visceral thrill-ride qualities of the original films owe in part to the use of motion-control cinematography pioneered at ILM, which freed the camera from traditional effects constraints. Abrams says that \u201cthanks to [production illustrator] Ralph McQuarrie and of course Mr. Lucas himself, star fields, ship design, explosions [and] costumes all feel of a piece. I wanted visuals that\u00a0looked the way we remember Star Wars<\/em> \u2013 not the special editions, but the original movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Star-Wars-19\"<\/p>\n

To create the film\u2019s trademark space battles, a primarily CG approach was spearheaded by Digital FX Supervisor Daniel Pearson and Digital Artist Rick Hankins. \u201cThey rewrote and rebuilt our simulation engine for this show,\u201d Guyett says. \u201cSo it was a watershed event, [allowing] us to do spaceship choreography that I would normally think to shoot as a practical element or miniature. And the quality of [CGI] lighting was amazing, as when the Falcon flies into the downed Star Destroyer.\u201d<\/p>\n

At press time, The Force Awakens<\/em>\u2019 DI was finishing up at Company3 Los Angeles under the stewardship of colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld, with the general release being augmented by a limited 3D IMAX run. Mindel says shooting The Force Awakens<\/em> brought him back to his more humble industry roots.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the first film got made, I was a camera trainee in the U.K.,\u201d the DP concludes. \u201cAll of the elite technicians were on that film, but there was nothing any of us starting out could do to get close to those sets or be part of the thing. So getting to do this movie so many years later feels like a real closing of the circle. It was also amazing to find family members on the film who were sons and daughters of people from the original electrical and construction crews. The whole experience turned out to be the chance of a lifetime, and I can\u2019t thank J.J. enough for letting me be a part of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Force is back \u2013\u00a0bigger, better and bolder than ever as Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC helps J.J. Abrams restore the franchise\u2019s thrilling (film-based) roots. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin and Matt Hurwitz. On the original Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, writer\/director George Lucas, reportedly desirous of a diffused romantic look, approached Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC, to shoot the film. But when scheduling conflicts arose, a second Stanley Kubrick alumnus, Gil Taylor, BSC (fresh from another 20th Century Fox project, The Omen), […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5854,"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":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5794","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nFar and Away - 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\/far-and-away\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Far and Away - ICG Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Force is back \u2013\u00a0bigger, better and bolder than ever as Dan Mindel, ASC, BSC helps J.J. Abrams restore the franchise\u2019s thrilling (film-based) roots. By\u00a0Kevin H. Martin and Matt Hurwitz. On the original Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope, writer\/director George Lucas, reportedly desirous of a diffused romantic look, approached Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC, to shoot the film. 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