As SHOOT went to press, the 2005 series of “Dreams” shorts was about to debut at the DGA Theater in Los Angeles. The March 23 screening will be followed by a New York premiere on April 5 at the Ziegfeld Theater. Prior to the L.A. premiere, SHOOT caught up with several of the directors who reflected on their “Dreams” experience.
This is the fourth year of the annual “Dreams” program, which is presented by Sony Electronics Broadcast and Production Systems Division, and Young & Rubicam (Y&R). Though there was a recent parting of the ways between Y&R and the Sony account, they agreed to continue to work on this year’s “Dreams” project which was already well underway at the time of their business split.
The “Dreams” program turns noted spot directors loose to reflect their creative vision in shorts shot with Sony 24p HD cameras. The theme for this year’s series is “Flight.” Director/cameraman Samuel Bayer of bicoastal RSA USA said that his creative vision for the short Max could not have been fully realized without the hi-def camera. Written by Bayer and JP Danko, Max stars Robin Wright Penn and a young boy, Max, who has cerebral palsy. The short delves deeply into the close-knit, profound relationship between a mother and child. In this case, the parent is dealing with not only taking care of her son, but also financial hardship.
“Without the HD camera, there’s no way I could have gotten the kind of performance we got from Max,” related Bayer. “By having a camera that could run continuously for something like fifty minutes–running nonstop, never cutting–we were able to capture the boy in a more spontaneous manner. The situation of having a camera that you can’t hear running, that’s not intimidating, helped us in this case of working with a boy who isn’t a professional actor. That was so important, because this was an actor-driven, a performance-driven piece.”
Bayer said that he had an unsatisfactory experience awhile back shooting HD, to the point where he thought there was “no way I’d do it again.” But the “Dreams” opportunity intrigued him and now he’s done a 180-degree turn based on his experience on Max. “I would strongly consider using it [the Sony HDW-F900 camera] on other projects,” said Bayer.
At the same time, there are some limitations, noted Bayer, citing as examples the inability to do slow motion, and the lack of a varied choice of lenses. “But the technology is catching up quickly. If exposed properly, the visuals looks as beautiful as film, and in some ways can be more beautiful.” Bayer said he remains a major film proponent, but now sees the creative potential of hi-def. He said of the camera, “It’s a tool that people should not be intimidated by.”
Angus Wall of Rock Paper Scissors, Los Angeles, was the editor. Colorist was Stefan Sonnenfeld of Company 3, Santa Monica.
VUELO
Director James Gartner of Santa Monica-headquartered GARTNER described his “Dreams” short, Vuelo, as being a modern day story of the Book of Ruth from the Old Testament. The Book of Ruth is a story of redemption–not only for Ruth but also for all those who associate with her. One person transforms another and it’s an ongoing dynamic.
In Vuelo, there’s a cook who transforms everyone she touches. She is the source of light for all. The word “vuelo” is Spanish for “flight.” It also can be translated to mean “escape,” as the cook in this story escapes adversity, and helps other characters to escape from their narcissistic ways.
The Sony camera helped to advance the premise, related Gartner, who worked closely with writer Trevor Miller and GARTNER executive producer Don Block on the story. “I wanted this piece to look very dark, like the work of the still photographer Roy DeCarava–dark, coarse, unlit. The HD Sony system was wonderful, enabling us to work under low-light circumstances–and we were able to see on the monitor what we were getting. It helped us attain a great look, a filmic look.”
Gartner wanted the darkness as a contrast to the illumination that Vuelo‘s central character brought to those around her. He said the approach to the short was akin to chiaroscuro, a technique in which old-world Italian painters would paint dark first and then light on top of the dark.
“I’d love to use it again and try it in other situations,” said Gartner of the Sony camera. The DP on Vuelo was Jeffrey Kimball. Editor was Michael Saia of Jump, New York.
Gartner took on the “Dream” project just as he was easing back into the commercialmaking arena. He had taken a hiatus from spots to direct his first feature, Glory Road, which is about the Texas Western El Paso basketball team that won the 1965-’66 NCAA men’s championship, breaking the color barrier in major collegiate basketball by beating an all-white team from the University of Kentucky. Glory Road, a Disney film, was executive produced by Jerry Bruckheimer.
F950
Up until now, all the “Dreams” shorts from year one of the program had been shot on the Sony HDW-F900 camera, which records in 4:2:2 to HDCAM. (This camera was introduced at the ’00 NAB Convention.) Among the ’05 field of “Dreams” directors, the F900 was again the norm–except for one helmer, Jeffery Plansker of bicoastal Supply & Demand whose short was shot with Sony’s next generation HDW-F950 that records 4:4:4 RGB to Sony’s new HDCAM SR (super resolution) format. This newer model has become available at select rental houses this past year. Canon cine-style zoom lenses supported the production.
“The Lion Has Wings,” written by Plansker and Owen O’Toole, takes place in the interior of an airplane. The passengers are 70 members of a choir who were shot singing elongated whole notes; editor Noah Herzog of Hollywood-based Spine “composed” this short, using each shot as a key.
The images were lensed in a controlled light environment on stage at San Fernando, Calif.-based Air Hollywood, and encompassed mostly still frames and some pans. These choices were made in support of the unique story, but as a test for the F950, this concept didn’t lend itself to being the ideal means to test the abilities of the camera. As a result, it is difficult to draw solid conclusions about the technology.
“I didn’t gain much perspective about the camera,” admitted DP Neil Shapiro. “We really didn’t put it through its paces.” He noted that he didn’t get to use it outdoors in any challenging lighting situations, and added that due to the tight production schedule, he did not have the luxury of a test day. He was unavailable for the color correction, and at press time had not seen the finished short.
The director and DP did have some new experiences; this was the first time they worked with Digital Imaging Technicians (DITs)–in this instance Sony’s Patel Dhanendra and freelancer Ryne A Niner. (This is a new role that helps the DP to record the desired look.)
Plansker liked the ability to see what you are shooting, as you are shooting. “The upshot is you find yourself feeling a lot more confident about what you shot.”
He also appreciated “the invitation to experiment,” but Plansker prefers the latitude of film. “I wish them luck, but I’m not going to turn from film,” he said. “I couldn’t see the advantage, at least the way I work. Maybe for heavy visual effects [HD would be appropriate].”
The edit was done in standard definition on an Avid. Then the EDL (Edit Decision List) was sent to R!OT Santa Monica, where the short was conformed by Randy Lowder on Discreet Smoke HD. The final color correction was completed at R!OT sister company, Ascent Media, Burbank, with R!OT colorist Siggy Ferstl who color corrected the edited HDCAM SR master using a da Vinci 2k.
“You have to approach HD very differently,” said Ferstl, who has HD experience. “HDCAM SR is improved from HDCAM with less compression and more color resolution, but it still has the same limitations as all video formats… It doesn’t have the dynamic range of film, especially in the highlights.”
FIELD OF “DREAMS”
The rest of this year’s directorial field of “Dreams” consisted of: Jesse Dylan of Los Angeles-based Form; Alison Maclean of Park Pictures, New York; Doug Nichol of bicoastal/international Partizan; Hank Perlman of bicoastal/international Hungry Man; Baker Smith of Santa Monica-based harvest; Charles Stone III of Brown Bag Films, New York; and StyleWar (a.k.a. Filip Engstrom) of bicoastal Smuggler.
Dylan’s short, Inside The Light, explores the premise of having to squeeze one’s entire life into a single day. Kris Kachikis was the DP.
Maclean’s short, Flight, centers on more than 100 actors who turn out to New York’s Lower East Side to audition for a short film about flight. Derek McKane was the DP.
Director/cameraman Nichol’s piece, 40 Love, is described as being about the trajectory of a mid-life crisis.
Perlman’s short, Switching To Glide: The Abe and Frida Kogan Story, was shot by Jo Willems. The piece is about human cannonball Abe Kogan, his wife of 53 years, Frida, and their story of danger, love and dreams.
Smith’s short, Le Roi, centers on two escaped convicts who steal a car, which hits a butterfly. The cons debate over the symbolic value of a dead butterfly. The DP was Bill Pope.
Stone’s piece is The Bet, a story that entails time traveling. The DP was Shane Hurlbut.
And StyleWar’s short, Little Pony, is described as a blend of action, drama and romance in a delicious cocktail of airplanes, exploding Xmas cookies and premium economy fuel. The DP was Joe Desalvo.
YAGODA
Ken Yagoda oversaw the program for Y&R. He has been the point person on “Dreams” since its inaugural year of ’02. The theme of “Flight” was chosen by Yagoda, who in January left his staff position as managing partner/director of broadcast production and creative resources at Y&R, New York (SHOOT, 1/21, p. 1).
Of this year’s “Dreams,” Yagoda said, “I’m thrilled. The challenges that people took were very bold; I’m incredibly proud of everybody.
“In terms of progression, there are far more effects this year, partly based on what’s available and advancements that have been made in post facilities in terms what you can do and how do it.” He added that it is also getting easier because more people have started to experiment with HD, so there’s more experience to tap into.
“People are somewhat less fearful of trying to do effects work,” Yagoda observed. “Thematically, the idea of flight may also have led them in that direction– this is first time we had a theme about kinetic energy.”