The Association of Independent Commercial Producers (AICP) recently unveiled its 2006 AICP Show Reel. In cinematography, the honorees were: Nike’s “Awake,” directed by Jake Scott of bicoastal/international RSA Films via Wieden+ Kennedy, Portland, Ore., lensed by DP Crille Forsberg; adidas’ “Gimme the Ball,” directed by Fredrik Bond of bicoastal/international MJZ for 180 Amsterdam (180 BWA), lensed by DP Ben Seresin; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Sun,” directed by Chris Palmer and produced by London-based Gorgeous Enterprises and bicoastal Anonymous Content for Saatchi& Saatchi, New York, lensed by DP Phillippe Rousselot.
SHOOT talked with Forsberg, Rousselot and Seresin about their honored work and their business.
Crille Forsberg Forsberg’s range of work includes commercials (recently a campaign for Ikea Europe), music videos (Jane’s Addiction, Primal Scream), and features. His latest film, God Willing, earned best cinematography honors at the ’06 Gothenburg International Film Festival.
Nike’s “Awake”–which depicts athletes waking up to work out–was lensed in 35mm film on location in U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Boston and Miami. “We wanted a very naturalist approach, but something more than documentary style–a warm tone that did not feel lit,” Forsberg explains, adding that he deployed old lenses from the ’60s to achieve a softer, “contrasty” look.
Lighting was used to show the passage of time. “It’s super dark in the beginning and then you see the sun coming up during course of spot,” Forsberg relates.
Each image is unique. Among them is a person on a surfboard in a shot that gives the viewer the feeling of being out on the wave. Forsberg explains that they placed the camera in waterproof housing and sent it out in the water on a floatation device to capture that feel.
“What I want to point out is teamwork, it proves that great teamwork can go far,” the DP says of the spot. “It’s an honor to work with [director] Jake Scott — Jake has a very clear point of what he wants to get, which is very nice. At the same time, if it feels like you are on the right track, he really gives freedom– He is very involved in framing and execution. He is like a photographer himself.”
The cinematographer named additional members of the team, including underwater DP Peter Romanov (who shot a swimming pool sequence) and first a.d. Howell Caldwell.
Forsberg also sat in on the telecine session with colorist Sean Coleman of bicoastal Company 3. “The color correction is very important,” Forsberg says. “You shot it in a certain way; it’s a great way to maintain the look through the process and it makes people comfortable when they see the dailies.”
He adds that while he watches technological development, today he shoots mostly film. “Film has so much more latitude and is nicer to look at at this point. Video formats are getting better and better, but Nike would have been impossible to achieve on video at this point without months of postproduction.”
Phillippe Rousseltot Rousselot’s honored “Sun,” directed by MJZ’s Bond, had a most unique look. “Kids are playing with a ball and the ball is the Sun,” the DP relates. “So we started with only one source of light–the ball.”
Rousselot went on to explain that a 2k tungsten was placed inside the ball in order to be the source of light; the ball was attached to a cable. Since the ball was meant to be the sun, there could not be competing daylight, so he explains that the schedule was important–only shooting very early morning or late, when there were no other visible light sources. The spot was lensed in 35mm film at a variety of locations in New York, New Jersey and Arizona. The aforementioned cable was removed in post.
A veteran of commercials and features, Rousselot’s film credits include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish and Planet of the Apes. A big difference between his commercial and his feature projects, he relates, is that for his features he has been involved with the Digital Intermediate and color grading process. In contrast, the commercial work is typically handed off after the shoot. “Obviously there’s no room for that [in commercials],” he says, citing the usual schedules.
He adds that this reflects a fundamental difference between commercials and features. “In features, the goal is to entertain or to be an artist– for commercials, the goal is to sell things. It’s very different,” he acknowledges.
His next outing in the feature arena will be The Brave One, directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard; an ’07 release is scheduled.
Ben Seresin Seresin explains that the look of “Gimmie the Ball” was inspired by 19th century French painter Eugene Delacroix, particularly his “Liberty Leading the People.” The painting, he relates, shows a battle–in the commercial, the battle happens to be a soccer game, and the spot culminates with an image resembling the painting.
The epic-looking spot was lensed in 35mm on location in the country, just north of London. Seresin explains that the lighting was a unique experiment for him. “I’m usually a great fan of natural light sources, but [the light in the Delacroix painting] was very pronounced and beautiful but with an artificial source of light,” he relates. “It’s unusual for me to use a lot of artificial light in exteriors. I rarely do.”
More recently, Seresin lensed additional spot work for adidas, with director Jake Scott. He was also readying to embark on a Coke production with director Victor Garcia of MJZ.
Seresin shared some of his impressions of trends occurring in his art. “My biggest concern is what I see now as the pressure and desire to take short cuts,” Seresin relates. “I really noticed a huge sort of movement to compromise– It sort of lowers the bar.”
Addressing digital cinematography in particular, he adds, “I’m interested in any new technology — But what worries me about HD is the reason it is being used. I think there is a perversity for cost cutting in filmmaking. This makes sense from a purely financial point, but when it comes to new technology I feel very strongly that the standards of photography are being eroded– I want to preserve the quality of the filmmaking. I feel very strongly that film is still a long way ahead. I love the organic nature of film and I worry that [the aforementioned use of HD for cost savings] is another step in the erosion of the aesthetics of filmmaking.
“When quality can be enhanced by digital I will be the first to sign up. Until that point, I’d rather stick with film,” he concludes.
