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OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES

Thomas Del Ruth, ASC
The West Wing
Pilot

The popular NBC drama The West Wing picked up a record nine Emmys, including one for cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth, ASC, who also won an ASC Award this year for his work on the show. The series presents an optimistic White House, what Del Ruth calls "a Camelot for the masses." In keeping with that idea, he wanted to create soft, veiled images with a golden quality, strong backlighting and strong contrast. Ultraspeed Primos help him achieve the romanticized quality the cinematographer seeks; he also uses black netting behind the lens on every shot.

Del Ruth pioneered the use of Steadicam in series televison when he shot the pilot for ER, and lengthy Steadicam shots are a hallmark of The West Wing. More than 600 lights are pre-rigged, each one slaved to individual dimmers that can be brought up or down at any time. Many of the units are built right into the set.

The pilot for The West Wing was shot in 16mm, a cost-saving measure on Warner Bros.' part, but Del Ruth was allowed to use Vision 500T 7279 stock. The series switched to 35mm when it was picked up.

For full coverage of The West Wing, see last month's issue of AC.

— J.O.