Lohmann decided to push this approach a step further by using the 200-speed Eastman EXR 5293 film instead of 98, opting to sacrifice the faster stop in favor of a smooth, grainless look. While some cinematographers might rely on fast films as a substitute for lighting, Lohmann's tendency is to maximize the natural light boosting it, if necessary, to achieve the desired look. "I don't have one style of lighting, like soft light or hard light," he says. "Instead, my approach is defined by the scenes and the story. This picture didn't call for soft light. It is more of a throwback to my early black-and-white films with Fassbinder, which had sharply defined shadows. You have to think in three dimensions with shadows and light foreground, middle and background."
Principal photography on the Peacemaker began with 19 shooting days in New York City, where the filmmakers shot exteriors on Fifth Avenue; interiors and exteriors at the Peninsula Hotel, where the production occupied an entire floor; outside the United Nations headquarters, the target of the film's terrorists; at a 100-year old high school; and inside a huge building that housed a constructed church interior.
In Eastern Europe, Lohmann's crew included 27 Americans and more than 100 Croatians and Slovakians. He brought an operator, assistant, gaffer, key grip and dolly grip with him, and many of the crew members hired in Europe had worked with him on War and Remembrance and other films. The show's camera and lighting packages were provided by Arri Munich; his basic cameras were the Arri 535A and B, outfitted with Zeiss lenses. (The front-end labs were DuArt in New York and Arri in Europe, while release printing was done by Technicolor in Hollywood.)
To convey certain dramatic story points sometimes on an almost subliminal level Lohmann exploited the Arri 535's ability to ramp film speed during a shot with in-camera exposure compensation. "Sometimes we used that technique for something simple, like starting a shot on a character walking in slow motion, and then ramping up to normal speed," he says. "It's a bit like using Dutch angles, where you tilt the camera slightly and revert to its normal position. When viewers see things like that, they know it means that something isn't right, story-wise."
Typically, Leder began rehearsals without cameras, and would only bring them in when she and Lohmann were fine-tuning a specific scene's visual perspective. Afterwards, the duo would discuss camera angles, movement, coverage and the mood of the lighting. "In our first meeting," recalls the cameraman, "I told Mimi, 'If you're planning to shoot a conventional action movie, I'm the wrong guy.' We discussed the look and agreed that the most important thing was to tell the story and make the film realistic. Mimi is a fabulous listener and she gave me the time I needed with her to get ready." (Lohmann was hired only four weeks before production began on May 28, 1996.)
Throughout The Peacemaker, Leder wanted the camera to be constantly floating. Lohmann made liberal use of a Steadicam operated by Guy Bee (see "Diagnosing ER's Practical Approach"AC Oct. '95), who also served as the A-camera operator on the picture.
The film's camera style was designed to involve the audience as subjective participants, rather than uninvolved spectators. "The objective is to suck them into this story without drawing attention to the camerawork," says Lohmann. Three cameras were often deployed to enhance coverage from different angles, providing editor David Rosenbloom with as many options as possible. Exceptions were instances when Bee was operating the Steadicam, when sets or locations were too small, and situations in which additional cameras could compromise the scene's lighting. Important action sequences, however, were generally covered with five or six cameras.
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