With an increasing number of network and cable television companies recognizing their audiences' desire for eye-catching camerawork, greater opportunities have arisen for adventurous directors of photography working in the TV medium ì many of whom have also been aided by top-flight producers and directors who encourage them to take chances and push the envelope.
This year, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences bestowed Emmy Award nominations for Best Cinematography upon a wide variety of programs, perhaps foreshadowing even better and more innovative programming to come. In the following pages, we take a look at the nominees and winners in the Regular Series and Movie and Miniseries categories.
|
|
James Bagdonas, ASC
Chicago Hope
"Brain Salad Surgery"
James Bagdonas garnered prior Emmy consideration for Chicago Hope with the 1997 episode "Hope Against Hope," and received a second nomination in that same year for the MOW Hidden in America. Additionally, the cinematographer has received three ASC Award nominations — two for his efforts on Chicago Hope (in 1997 for "Hope Against Hope," and 1996 for "Time to Kill") and a third for the series Hunter (for the 1989 episode "Investment in Death").
Bagdonas moved to Los Angeles in 1973 and began working in the industry as a camera assistant for such ASC members as Roy Wagner, Conrad Hall, Haskell Wexler and John Alonzo before moving up to operate for Chuck Minsky and Ray Villalabos. In 1989, Bagdonas assumed the title of director of photography on the series Hunter, for which he had previously been serving as operator. Two years later, Bagdonas moved on to Lois and Clark: The Adventures of Superman, where he resided for three seasons before joining Chicago Hope.
Now in his third season with the medical drama, Bagdonas credits the show's inventive writers for providing him with opportunities to play with the show's established look. "We had some interesting material to deal with last season," he says. "In the nominated episode, 'Brain Salad Surgery,' one of the doctors has a brain aneurysm and goes into hallucinations from the medication. Using that [visual opportunity], the show moves into several musical sequences. That was a total left turn from anything that we had done before, so for the lighting we were able to start from scratch and light the show as if it were a stage play. We basically rewired the entire stage, changed the practicals to colored lights and lit broader shots for the dance sequences.
"In the first scene," Bagdonas continues, "[Dr. Aaron Scott, played by Adam Arkin,] is pulled into the emergency room and his colleagues break into 'Ain't That a Kick in the Head,' their version of the old Sinatra number. The emergency room suddenly becomes a lounge as spotlights dim up and down. The transitions were carefully planned out and done live, without cuts. Parts of the stage were often preset so that as we panned or dollied through, we could bring the lighting up and then change it using dimmer boards. The room would transform from our regular ER into a Broadway stage, and then back again."
Hugo Cortina
JAG
"The Good of Service"
Before earning his first Emmy nomination, director of photography Hugo Cortina got his start in the electrical department, serving under such distinguished lighting technicians as Pat Blymyer before becoming a gaffer himself and aiding such ASC cinematographers as Matthew Leonetti, Donald M. Morgan, and Don Peterman. Setting his sights on working with the camera, Cortina then began operating the B-camera on Lois and Clark before landing the A-camera spot on producer Don Bellisario's military/mystery series JAG (an acronym for Judge Advocate General), which was then being photographed under the attentive eye of cinematographer Thomas Del Ruth, ASC.
During the show's first season, Cortina was offered the chance to take over the photography when Del Ruth decided to direct an episode before departing the show. Cortina hasn't looked back since. Centered on different investigations concerning military matters, JAG employs a small arsenal of high-tech weaponry, heavy machinery and air/sea craft in its narrative backdrop. When such hardware is called into action on an appropriate location for any given episode, some cinematic sleight of hand is usually required to sell the believable usage of the gadgets, while still allowing a feasible production timetable for weekly episodes. To achieve this, the crew often utilizes poorman's process shots for scenes taking place in myriad ships, planes and helicopters to allow for recordable dialogue and repeated takes in otherwise cost-prohibitive situations. Additionally, JAG's weekly narratives rarely occur in the same locales; this adds to the Cortina's photographic chore, but enables him to approach each episode as a "mini-movie."
Cortina notes that the nominated episode, "The Good of Service," offers "a culmination of many of the elements [that make JAG visually unique]. It has big nighttime explosions, very fast-paced camerawork and some extreme lighting situations. The episode starts in Haiti, where, during a military operation to free some POWs, an innocent local boy is killed during an eruption of gunfire. The episode then moves to Washington D.C. for the resulting investigation and court trial. We had to create a very harsh, contrasty look for the Haitian part of the show, and then a more polished look for the scenes set in Washington. Overall, JAG has a fairly documentary, contrasty look, and I try to make the lighting as real as possible. I use a lot of practical fixtures — even for day interior scenes — as well as many source-motivated lights from the windows."
Since last season, Cortina has been shooting JAG exclusively on Eastman Kodak's Vision stocks. He utilizes Vision 200T 5274 for the show's day exteriors, Vision 320T 5277 for day interiors and Vision 500T 5279 for nighttime work. The cinematographer frequently force-processes his footage one or two stops, depending on the material being shot. He recalls, "I recently pushed the Vision 200T two stops for a interior black-out sequence and was amazed with the results. I also underexposed almost another stop — bringing me to about 1200 ASA — because I like to be more toward the toe end of the film's [sensitometric] curve."
[ continued on page 2 ]