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OUTSTANDING CINEMATOGRAPHY FOR A SINGLE-CAMERA SERIES

Michael Gershman
Buffy, the Vampire Slayer
"Hush"

Buffy, the Vampire Slayer has been a cult favorite since it hit the airwaves five years ago, and cinematographer Michael Gershman is still amazed at the freedom he is given to shoot the program the way he wants. "I pretty much do the show the same way I always have, except maybe a little faster," he jokes. He adds that he doesn't go onto the set with any preconceived notions about how he will light a scene: "Once I see the rehearsal, it just kind of happens."

He says "Hush," the episode for which he was nominated, presented a great opportunity for a cameraman because half of the show, which was directed by series creator Joss Whedon, was silent. "I could put my lights anywhere without worrying about the mic shadows or boom shadows. That's not the primary consideration when I light, of course, but it was nice to not have to worry about it.

"I was a bit more extreme in my lighting," Gershman recalls. "My contrast ratios were probably greater, but the biggest change, really, was in my head and how I approached every frame. My exposures weren't different and I used pretty much the same lighting units."

Backlighting has been a trademark of Buffy since the first episode. Characters are always stepping in and out of shadows, often with just a sliver of light illuminating them. "I love to top the light, bring it down and take it off of foreheads," the cameraman says. "Sometimes I'll cut it all the way past the eyes and just leave a little slash on the cheek or neck and keep the rest of the face not dark, but darker." He uses semi-transparent toppers 216, 250 or Opal depending upon the intensity of the light, and he frequently focuses his light sources through objects in order to create patterns.

Buffy was shot on 16mm the first two seasons; when it switched to 35mm, Gershman was told that he had to use Kodak EXR 5298 and EXR 5293. Two years later he was given permission to use Vision 320T 5277 and Vision 500T 5279.

For full coverage of Buffy, see AC June '99.

— J.O.