Remaking a Classic Cover
By American Cinematographer
Faced with the challenge of creating a striking image for the cover of this 80th Anniversary issue of American Cinematographer, the magazine's editorial team looked into the past to envision the future. Astute readers will immediately recognize our muse.
In the 1920s, Lewis Physioc, ASC contributed spot illustrations to the magazine which often took a thoughtful look at the cinematographer's craft. In December of 1922, one of his drawings was used for AC's cover. Fancifully depicting a cameraman in space, it offered the slogan "Give Us a Place to Stand and We Will Film the Universe." An instant classic, Physioc's imaginative illustration has been reprinted in AC's pages many times.
Seeking to link the magazine's future to its rich history, art director Martha Winterhalter turned to Physioc's work as a starting point for this issue's cover image, but proposed re-creating it photorealistically by using today's visual effects methods.
Fortunately, AC's many friends came through in spectacular fashion when asked to contribute their valuable time, effort and skills to this unusual project.
Seeking top-notch visual effects talents, one of the first calls was made to Robert Hoffman, the director of publicity for Venice, California-based Digital Domain. He enthusiastically joined the AC team and helped outline the techniques needed to bring Physioc's illustration to three-dimensional life.
Still photographer Ian Logan was recommended to shoot a photo element of the astro-cinematographer, while the character's spacesuit was procured from Disney Studios Costume Rentals it had been specially made for the Touchstone film Armageddon.
With the generous help of Panavision's director of creative services, Frank Kay, and stage manager Chris Gurrola, the photo shoot was done at the company's headquarters in Woodland Hills.
Emulating the lighting in Physioc's illustration, Logan utilized a large softbox for his key on the cameraman using a piece of foamcore for bounce fill on the figure's back while the white seamless was lit separately. The resulting 21/4" transparency was delivered by Winterhalter to Digital Domain, along with a rough design for a "futuristic" camera to replace the Panaflex used during the shoot.
[ continued on page 2 ] © 1999 ASC