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| Mystery Train: HD Production on 'This Man's Life' |
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By Staff, February 20, 2008
Director of Photography Marty Mullin deployed a pair of Fujinon HD lenses for the independent short "This Man's Life." Mullin equipped his Panasonic VariCam with a selection of Fujinon lenses, including the HAe5X6 (E series Cine Zoom 6-30mm) and the HAc15X7.3 (C Series Zoom 7.3-110mm). Produced by Orlando-based Stars North, the film stars Michael Rooker and Bill Cobbs. It is currently in postproduction, being readied for the international film festival circuit.
"This Man's Life" tells the story of a doctor who is traveling home by train to claim his inheritance after his father's death. Most of the film takes place from within a moving train. The film's writer, Todd Thompson, who also produced and directed the film, chose a unique narrative approach. The story's flashback sequences never leave the interior of the train car.
This method of storytelling presented many production challenges. A small dolly barely fit down the aisle. With principal actors and 65 extras, plus crew and equipment, Mullin had to shoot in very cramped spaces and had to climb over people and seats to get the angle he wanted.
But, according to Mullin, lighting the tiny train car presented the greatest challenge: "There were so few options for light placement. The luggage rack was too open to hide the lights; the roof of the train was not an option because of tunnels; and there just wasn't any extra room anywhere. Thankfully, the Fujinon lenses were fast. They transmitted more light, which allowed me to put up fewer lights. Even when I went to the telephoto end of the zoom, I didn't have the ramping problem you sometimes have with other lenses."
"This Man's Life" is the third in a series of four short films produced by Smithy Sipes and Todd Thompson of Stars North. Their first two films--"Time and Again" and "Once not Far from Home"--were shot on 35mm film with Panavision cameras and lenses. Budget constraints prevented them from using that equipment on this shoot. Of particular concern was maintaining the quality for this production in spite of the different equipment. As the Stars North team continues its postproduction work, they say they're pleased with results so far and would consider using the same equipment configuration for future productions.
"It looks pristine," explains Sipes. "And because these Fujinon lenses held up to the other films shot on 35mm, we know we have the speed and convenience to shoot HD with lenses that make it look like 35mm. It's really leveled the playing field for independents."
Sipes' fellow producer, Todd Thompson, agrees. "From what I've seen, you really can't tell the difference between what was shot on 35mm versus the HD footage. To know that it can look that beautiful and be done on a relatively non-existent budget opens up a whole new comfort level."
DP Mullin said not only did the Fujinon Cine Style lenses provide beautiful images, they satisfied some major "must-have" elements on the set. "I knew going into this film that the E series has some of the best HD lenses you can get, and the C series is also superior, but even I was taken aback by how beautiful the images were when I first looked through them while we were prepping. The lenses provided good barrel rotation, let me lay proper focus marks, and we saved time because we didn't have to change primes."
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