December Issue of AC Arrives with Dune

Production design is in the spotlight, with complete details on Last Night in Soho, The Harder They Fall and Ghostbusters: Afterlife.

Our December 2021 issue is now available to digital-edition subscribers as print copies are on the way around the world. It presents a focus on production design, including features on Dune, Last Night in Soho and The Harder They Fall — as well as a profile on Kramer Morgenthau, ASC; coverage of Ghostbusters: Afterlife; and a discussion on LED-wall colorimetry. Here’s a look at this month’s slate: 

• Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS discusses the techniques and collaborations involved in the creation of a desert planet for the epic sci-fi feature Dune, directed by Denis Villeneuve. The piece includes a sidebar on Fraser’s work with FotoKem colorist and ASC associate Dave Cole, who helped incorporate photochemical stages into the finishing process of this digitally captured movie.

• AC details the career of Kramer Morgenthau, ASC and takes a look at two of his recent projects: the Aretha Franklin biographical musical drama Respect, directed by Liesl Tommy, and the crime drama The Many Saints of Newark, directed by Alan Taylor, which is a prequel to the acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos.

• Production-design spotlight: Cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr. and production designer Martin Whist discuss their collaboration on director Jeymes Samuel’s Western The Harder They Fall.

• Production-design spotlight: Cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon, production designer Marcus Rowland, director Edgar Wright and crew detail their work on the psychological horror Last Night in Soho. 

• The Virtual World: Craig Kief, ASC; Mark Doering-Powell, ASC; ASC associate member Stephan Ukas-Bradley; and others collaborate on an examination of LED-wall color fidelity. The piece explores a number of LED-wall-specific lighting-supplement solutions as well.

• Picture Partners: Cinematographer Eric Steelberg, ASC and director Jason Reitman reflect on their eighth collaboration, the supernatural comedy Ghostbusters: Afterlife — which serves as a sequel to Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, both directed by Reitman’s father, Ivan.

• Shot Craft: This month’s installment examines production designer Patrice Vermette’s influence on the look of Dune, and his creative partnership with Fraser.

• Clubhouse News: The latest bulletins from the Society feature Alice Brooks’ invitation into ASC membership, and Society member Shana Hagan’s role as instructor for the ASC’s first Master Class on documentary cinematography.

• In Memoriam: AC remembers William “Bill” Taylor, ASC.

• Wrap Shot: An image from the set of the 1984 supernatural comedy Ghostbusters, shot by László Kovács, ASC.

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On Our Cover: A desert planet tests heroes’ mettle in the sci-fi epic Dune, shot by Greig Fraser, ASC, ACS. (Frame pull courtesy of Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.)