The forthcoming film Jungle, based on Yossi Ghinsberg’s memoir, “Jungle: A Harrowing True Story of Survival,” was shot with Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses. The film recounts Ghinsberg’s 1982 journey through the Amazon where he ended up alone for three weeks before being found and rescued. Jungle stars Daniel Radcliffe in an Arclight Films production, directed by Greg McLean and lensed by Stefan Duscio.
Production for Jungle was split between Australia’s South East Queensland jungle and Colombia (substituting for Bolivia) along the rivers, jungles, villages, and towns, for its rugged and bigger landscapes.
Sydney’s digital and film equipment rental house Cinoptix supplied two ARRI Alexa XT cameras and the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses including a 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm and 100mm. Cooke Optics also stepped in to supply one of the first production models of the new 65mm Macro Anamorphic/i lens.
“I used the 65mm a lot and loved it,” said Duscio. “It is such a versatile lens that it gave us the freedom to go from mid-shot to extreme close-ups without a lens change. The 65mm had a beautiful classic ‘Cooke look’ to it.”
With some of the most intensive pre-production work he has ever done, exploring jungles and climbing cliffs, Duscio wanted a classic adventure film look, but not something hand-held. “Almost the entire film is composed with elegant compositions and simple dolly moves, practical and pragmatic setups. It was important that the audience be able to watch Jungle effortlessly, with the cinematography not calling attention to itself.”
Duscio has used Cooke lenses already on two previous feature films and various commercials, and thought that, with his desire for big landscapes, Cooke lenses would be perfect for the natural landscapes, skin tones, and faces.
“There’s a real roundness and classic quality to the lenses–sort of vintage,” said Duscio. “Today’s new lenses are way too sharp. The Cooke anamorphics are a beautiful middle-ground between traditional anamorphic lenses and going too sharp. They’re classic lenses that just feel familiar.”
The jungles of Australia, while very production friendly (the cast and crew could drive right up to the location), did present some challenging shooting conditions. “It’s very difficult once you’re under the dense jungle canopy,” added Duscio. “It’s really low light levels and you’re shooting almost wide open every day. At 3pm, it starts to get dark with sunset at 5:30pm, so by 2:30pm, we’re bringing out large HMIs and bouncing them around the forest to lift the light level under the canopy. I always tried to place our biggest HMIs as far away as possible to give Greg and the cast the creative freedom they needed for blocking, and the cameras the light they needed.”
Duscio used all six lenses in his kit with the 32mm and 40mm for wide setup masters and close-ups on the 75mm — as he likes to have the camera a bit closer to the actors – plus the 100mm and 65mm.
“We tested other anamorphics, but the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses made the biggest impact,” said Duscio. “Once Greg saw them, he was totally on board, even though he had never shot with Cooke lenses before.”
Jungle is schedule for release in the U.S. in 2017.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More