Getting The Shot:
Craft and Creed of the Unit Stills Photographer
For those unfamiliar with the actual business of movie-making, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of still photographs. But to a top notch film producer interested in high quality deliverables, it’s a no-brainer.
Deliverables encompass all the additional materials a distributor needs in order to properly release a motion picture; things like the film negative or the legal paperwork, amongst others. Poor deliverables come back to haunt unsuspecting filmmakers. From a distributor’s perspective, or for an independent filmmaker, they might be the difference between signing a deal for theatre release or actually getting into Sundance.
One of the most important deliverables is a film’s production stills. The still is the single most important publicity item a distributor needs. Distribution deals may not get signed, nor may festival entries get accepted, before stills get approved.
“A film without delivery items isn’t quite a film yet,” says Tom Rothman of Samuel Goldwyn. Deliverables are the difference between a professional product ready for the marketplace, and a home movie that may be artistically successful, but woefully unprepared for the marketplace.
Audiences see the film stills and decide, quite literally, how good a film “looks.” Screen captures from the actual film can be disastrous, as what works for a motion picture frame doesn’t necessarily work for a still frame. More often than not, the images the public see in posters, advertisements, newspapers or magazines does not actually come from the film itself, but is instead the craftsmanship of a particular crew member, whose sole job is to go on set and provide them.
A film without stills would be like a can of soup on the supermarket shelf with no label. How do you know what’s inside, without a picture? Enter the Stills Photographer. Like John D’Agostino, Stills Photographer in I.A.T.S.E. Local 600, the International Cinematographer’s Guild. Based in New York, John’s stills form the basis of a film’s entire marketing campaign.
The still is one of the most compelling and dramatic moments of the story. A good film still is both pivotal and dynamic. It generates curiosity and stimulates public interest, while reinforcing the film’s overall message. Faithful to the look and feel of the production, it may represent an entire scene in a single image, or even what the whole movie is about. It has an added value that other kinds of advertising can’t recreate. The magic of the film still is that it is real and authentic, created on set.
Professionalism on Set
The film set, by nature, is an arduous place for the photographer. With so many busy technicians, craftsmen and artists on set, professionalism is essential. Establishing trust and rapport with the 1st AD, camera assistants, grips and other key personnel is the backbone of proper set etiquette. “The key, “ John says, “is understanding the filmmaking process itself, by knowing what everyone’s else’s needs are, besides my own.”
Working With Actors
Although he is also required to document the behind the scenes action of the production, John’s principal interest is in the stars themselves - in making them look good at all times. He must know all the actors, how each one likes to work, and be diligent to stay out of their eyelines. Extra care is required during sensitive scenes involving nudity, stunts or special effects. First and foremost he respects the actor’s craft at all times. No matter how important the shot is, his work is never put ahead of theirs.
Intimacy
John’s work is intimate, sometimes as intimate as the footage from the motion picture camera itself. The big difference, however, is that principal photography is designed around the motion picture camera, not his own. This is a key difference between a Stills Photographer and a commercial or advertising photographer, used to his own set oriented around himself. The motion picture camera will always be put in exactly the right spot, at the right time. For the Stills Photographer, there is no such thing. As such, he must make more of a concerted effort in establishing a real connection with the actors and his subject matter.
Technical Challenges
Set Photography poses some of the most demanding technical challenges conceivable. Exposures are often very dark, the action fast paced, and the Director of Photography (DP) may use any kind of light source he can get his hands on, from HMI’s, to tungsten, fluorescent or natural light.
Low Light
“Some of the best DP’s are just masters of darkness; they’re often pushing the envelope and they expect me to keep up with them. As a result, I always have the fastest possible lenses ready, such as my 28mm f/1.4, the 50mm f/1.2 or the 85mm f/1.4.” Because a still needs to be exposed with a faster shutter speed than a motion picture camera, this means being at least one to two stops faster. When light readings can’t be done, John will use his spot meter to read exposure from afar, or use his camera’s histogram to measure for shadows or clipped highlights.
Stopping Motion
With actors, cameras and technicians all moving at the same time in different directions, set photography is an action environment. Actors often have complex, choreographed movements, and depth of field (DOF) may be very shallow. “A DOF within the fraction of an inch is not uncommon. But I can’t complain, because if everyone is hitting their marks and pulling focus, then I do the same. If you’re used to carefully composing the shot on ground glass, this is not the job for you. Blink and you’ve missed the shot.”
Digital photography has come to dominate the industry as a whole. With film productions shooting both indoors and out, in all kinds of light on the same day, the Stills Photographer needs a versatile tool. The perfect tool for the job is the professional DSLR, or digital single lens reflex camera, like the Canon 1ds and 1d series, or the Nikon D2 series. With the ability to buffer over 20 RAW images at a clip, shoot at 8 frames per second, and adjust ISO on the fly from 50 to 3200, it’s practically made for set photography. Compact flash cards, with sizes ranging from 2-8 GB, means that the Stills Photographer can shoot hundreds of RAW and JPEG images at a time. With the latest camera bodies, medium format quality images are now available in the 35mm form factor.
Color
For tricky mixed light scenes, John uses his mini Gretag Macbeth Color Checker card, or the Whibal, a series of grey cards specifically designed for digital photography. “Depending on what the DP decides to do, I can dial in an exact color temperature such as 5300 Kelvin, or take a reference shot with a grey card for more precise white balance later.” In this context, digital has truly revolutionized accurate color management. Using color cards and special RAW conversion software, the green/magenta end of the spectrum can be measured correctly, something that color temperature, or Kelvin (the red/blue end of the spectrum) does not.
Post Production
The digital darkroom is critical. A Stills Photographer may have to process thousands upon thousands of RAW images at a time in special conversion software such as Phase One’s Capture One Pro. Some shots will be processed into small JPEGS for client proofing online in a web photo gallery, while others go straight to 16 bit TIFF for post production. Because of the inherently improvisational nature of the production still, many images may not always be technically perfect. An image might be high ISO with plenty of shadows, or shot in mixed light, making processing the RAW digital negative even more important. “Processing difficult images is more akin to an art than a science. Both sharpening and noise reduction greatly enhance the image, but you have to remember that they also degrade quality at the same time. For master files, I’ll usually apply sharpening and/or noise reduction in separate blended layers within Adobe Photoshop for more precise control.”
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