being a journeyman DPshootingindiepicturesisahardwaytomakealiving,butitdoeshaveitsrewards.Itcanbemuchmorethanajobforhireifyouareabletoenjoythecontagiouspassionofyourfilmmakingcollaborators.Igenerallyendupgettingmoreinvolved than just shooting, pulled in by the enthusiasm.This was certainly the case with 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story. Inadditiontoshootingandservingasco-producer,Ievenhadaverysmallactingrole.(Althoughnotas famous asmyolder brother Jerry “Leave It toBeaver”Mathers, I did a fair amount of acting as a child and stillhavefundoingtheoccasionaloddbitsformyfriends.) AswithmanyIndiepictures,theneedsof1000 to 1 weregreaterthantheavailableresources,butIgotbywithalittlehelpfrommyfriends.Ireceivedassistancewitheverythingfromlensing,lighting,filters,(bothlightingandcamera),andpowersolutions.Bywayofthankingthemandsharingwithreaders my practical experience using these technologies,(someforthefirsttimeonanyfeature,)IwouldliketotellyouaboutthetoolsIemployedonthismovie. 1000 to 1 istheinspiringtruestoryofCoryWeissman,ahighschoolbasketballstarwhoscored1,000pointsinhighschoolandwasexpectedtobeastandoutathleteinCollege.Followingacatastrophicstrokeattheendofhisfreshman
With a Little Help From My Friends — The Making of 1000 to 1
year, thefilmchronicleshiscomebackwiththesupportofhisfriends,family,andentirecollegecommunity.Eventheopposing team gets in on the act with an amazing showofsportsmanshipbyhelpingCorymakethefirstandonlypointofhiscollegecareer. ThemoviewasgracedwiththesupportofGettysburgCollege and tremendous production value was affordedbytheuseofthestatelycampuswheretherealeventstookplace,nexttothehistoricbattlefieldsinGettysburg,PA.Keyprofessionalswerebroughtinfromalloverthecountry,andstudents also filledmany support positions. I was hiredonto theprojectbyanoldcollegebuddy,BobBurris,whoformanyyears servedas a show runner forTVhits suchas“GrowingPains.”HewroteagreatscriptandProducedalongwithformerDisneyFinanceExecutive,BruceGordon,while another television veteran, Michael Levine, wasbroughtontodirect. Evenwithamodestbudget, theprojectattractedsuchtalentasBeauBridges(The Descendants),JeanLouisaKelly(Mr. Holland’s Opus), Michael Lerner (Oscar nominatedforBarton Fink),CassiThomson(Big Love),and inhisfirstdramaticfeature,agreatyoungactor,DavidHenrie(Wizards of Waverly Place).IrecommendedmyfriendsRichardHalsey,ACE, (Academy Award for Rocky) and his wife ColleenHalsey,ACE,tocutthepicture,andthefamousLatinJazzArtist,ArturoSandoval,isdoingthescore.
by James Mathers Cinematographer and President of the Digital Cinema Society
As with many Indie pictures, the needs of 1000 to 1 were greater than the available resources ...
The ingredients to make a nice little picture were inplace, but my humble equipment package was not quiteuptothetask.Itseemedlikeaworthyproject,soIdidn’thesitate to ask for help and the kind assistance of severalmanufacturers and vendors enabled me to have what Ineededtogetthejobdoneright.I’llstartbytellingyouabouttheglass,butletmefirstexplainwhy,asanownerofalargeensembleofqualitylenses,Iwouldneedhelp.Forbetterorworse,weallknowREDhasbeenadisruptiveforceinthe
Believeme,
fieldofDigitalCinematography,andIdon’tmeanthisinacriticalway. I think thecompanyrelishes in it,andmuchgoodhascomeoftheirinfluenceinthemarket.Thepaceofinnovationwasacceleratedthroughouttheindustryandtheaddedpricecompetitionresultedinprofessionalleveltoolsbeingmadeavailabletolotsmorefilmmakers.Butchangeis not always easy, and one challenge for me as a REDownerwaswhentheyexpandedtheimageareanecessarytocoverandget thefullqualityoutof theEpiccamera. Ihadinvestedheavilyinlensesasahedgeagainsttherapidpaceofobsolescenceintheelectronicendofcameras.Glassseemed a safe investment until my old lenses started tovignetteonmynewEpic.IcouldkeepshootingatthesameresolutionIhadbeenenjoyingwithmyREDOne;afterall,theMXsensorwascutfromthesamecloth,(orchip,asthecasemaybe.)However,Iliketogetthemostoutofmygear,soIapproachedAngenieux,themanufacturerofmymuchbelovedOptimo17-80mmandencouraged them tofindasolution. Asyoumight expect it tookmany,manymonths, butAngenieux did come up with an answer. They wouldcreateanewversionofthe17-80mmbyreengineeringandchangingouttherearelementstoexpandthecoveragearea.It would also expand the focal length to 19.5-94mm, andthestopwouldgetjustslightlyslower,(fromT2.2toT2.6,)but the effectiveangleofviewwould remain the sameaswhatI’vegrownaccustomedtowiththe17-80mm.Thisisa great range for the kindofwork I do,wide enough formostmasters,andjustlongenoughtogetaclose-up.Iwillsometimes put it on the A-camerain the morning and not take it offall day, saving timebyusing it likeavariableprime.Anewlenswouldanswer the call, butwhat about theOptimo I already owned. It turnsouttheyfiguredoutawaytoretrofitthe 17-80mm and convert it at thefactory to the 19.5-94mm, a servicethey now offer to Optimo owners.Since I had been the one pesteringthem for so many months, it wasagreed thatminewouldbe thefirstto be converted and I shipped itback to the factory inFrance. NowIwassurethatwhenthesupremelydependable folks atAngenieux toldme this was feasible, the qualitywouldbe excellent; theynever turnoutanythingless.However,thetimetablewasabitmoresketchy; it is a French company after all, and aside fromspeedingaroundParisiantrafficcircles,theFrenchdon’tliketorush.Sowiththismovielooming,andnofirmdeliverydateset,Idecidedtoexploreotheroptions. I remembered from my DCS coverage at NAB thatChuckLeehaddemoedavery interestingnewconcept, a19-90mmFujinonzoomcalledtheCabrio.IthadtherangeIlike,coveredtheexpandedimagecircleoftheEpicat5K,butwhatwasreallyuniqueaboutthislenswasthatitwasdesigned to be hand-holdable. With this PLmount lens,Fujinonmadeitmorepracticalandeffectivetousealarge
singlesensordigitalcinemacamerainahandheld,shoulder-mountconfiguration,andtheconceptmadealotofsensetome.ItmaylooklikeanENGlens,yetithadcinemaqualityglass, in a compact form factor with an integrated zoomservoweighingonlyabout6pounds,(2.7kg.)Thismeantnomorepoweringaseparatemotorwhichtendtoslipandoftenneedadjustment,andnomoreextracablesdanglingintheway.Infact,thezoom,iris,andfocusallhaveseparatebuilt inmotors,which can be accessed from a panhandlecontrol or wirelessly via a new remote being offered incooperationwithPrestonCinemaSystems. I like the ideasomuch I orderedaCabrio, but again,delivery timewastentative. Itwouldn’tbe thefirstmovie I’ve shotentirelywith primes, but I started to get a little nervouswhen itwasdowntoaboutaweekandahalfbeforeproductionon1,000 to 1, andmy twozoom lenseswerestillatoppositeendsoftheearth,(JapanandFrance.)I’msuremyfriendsatAngenieuxandFujinonstartedgettingprettytiredofmydailycalls,butitdidpayoff.Withonlytwodaysbeforethestartofproduction,bothlensesarrivedonlocation. Youmightcallitconspicuousconsumptionandit’snotaluxuryIoftengettoexperienceonlowerbudgetmovies,having two fine zooms available in the same focal range,but I think Imade good use of them both. I could keeptheheavierAngenieuxbuiltupinStudioconfigurationontheA-camera,andhavetheFujinonreadyforhandheldorSteadicamontheB-Camera.TheFujinoncameinparticularlyhandyshootingtheopeningtitlesequencewhichfeaturedtheleadactorDavidHenriedribblingabasketballthrough
thehistoricGettysburgbattlefields.ThesebattlefieldsmakeupanationalparkprotectedbytheU.S.ForestService,whoare very picky about the filming activity they allow. Wewere able to secure a daylong filming permit with strictlimitations, one of which was that the total number ofcast and crewwouldnumbernomore thanfive, and anybasketballbouncingcouldonlyhappenonthenarrowroadsthat ribbon themonuments. Therewouldbenobigcrewfordollytracksorcranes,butImanagedtokeeppacewithDavidHenrie’srunning,andgetgoodcameramovementbyshootingoutthesidesandrearofaminivanforwhichthehandheldFujinonprovedideal.Icouldquicklyadjustthe
sizeoftheshotwithoutpullingthecameraoffmyshoulder,which was a life saver. “1000 to 1” ended up being thefirstfeaturetouseeitherofthesetwogreatnewlenses,theAngenieux 19.4-95mm Optimo and the Fujinon 19-90mmCabrio. ThisprojectalsoallowedmetothoroughlycheckouttheSchneiderOpticsPlatinumIRNDfilters.Ihadbeenanearlytester of the prototypes, which quite effectively handledIR pollution at a wide range of ND levels. However,manufacturing problems with the complex dyes neededtoachievegoodresultscausedthefilterstofadeovertime.Schneider wasn’t about to release them before they wereready,whichresultedinafairlylongbackorder.Icannowreportafterusingthemextensivelyovermanymonthsthatthisproblemishistory,andthegelsdoeverythingthey’resupposedto.Withconstantlychangingweatherintheareaatthattimeofyear,itwasgreattohaveafullsetoftheseonhand,toquicklyswitchfilterstokeeptheproperexposurelevelalongwiththeperfectamountofIRfiltration. It was lighting, however, that probably presented thebiggestchallengeon1000 to 1,especiallywithsomuchofthe action taking place in large basketball arenas. I wasreallyworriedwhen Ifirst sawtheir shinynew3,000seatgymat the JaegerCenter. As basketball stadiumsgo, it’sa beautiful, state of the art, brightly lit facility that wasdesigned for ESPN to rollup and cover the action. Therewasgoingtobenotroublegettinganexposure,evenforthehighspeed,andnarrowshuttleangleshotsIwasplanning.Itlookedlikewhatitwassupposedtolooklike,amodernbasketballgym,butitwouldhavebeenextremelydifficulttocreatethekindofhighcontrastdramaticmoodlightingIhadinmindinthisenvironment.
Iwas relieved to find out on our scout that they hadanotheroldergymthatwasset tobedemolishedbutwasstillstanding.ItwasdrippingwitholdfashionHoopscharmand looked like it came right out of themovieHoosiers.Sincemuchofourstoryactuallytookplaceduringpracticesessions,we decided the older gymwould be the set forpracticescenes,andthenewer,moderngymwouldbegreatforthebigfinalgame,(whichiswheretherealeventstookplace.)Our“practice”gymwasringedbybeautiful,twentyfoot high arched windows, but the overhead mercuryvapor lightswerenothingshortof screamingorangeuglyand needed to be kept off. However, trying to use the
daylight,constantlychangingwiththerotationoftheearthandfrequentweathersystemscominginandoutmadethisimpractical without a substantial light available to pumpthroughthewindowstomimicthesunwhenitwentaway.
K5600 came to the rescue with their formidable 18KAlpha.Ourgaffer,SeanMurray,canexplainbetterthanIhowwell suited this lightwas forourpurposes,“ThecompactsizeandlightweightmadetheAlpha18Kaparticularjoyforus toworkwith. Thislighthadall thepowerthat I would expectfrom an 18K and thensome. But usually an18Kcomesalongwithalotofdownsidesthatalargerelectriccrewjustdealswith. Setting upa typical 18K can be abit of an event. Withthe lightweight Alpha18K,evenasmallcrewcan head up the lightquickly and safely.Rigging theAlpha intoanaerialworkplatformor scissors lift wasquick, easy, and safe.Thelightweighthelpedus avoid overloadingthe platform, andthe slim profile ofthe unit meant that itdidn’t intrude into theoperator’sspace inthebasket, or extend farout beyond the safetyrail,making it an easetooperate.”Thedesignoftheselightsmakesitpossibletousesuchapowerfulunit,evenwitharelativelysmallcrew.Wecertainlywouldnothavebeenabletomakeourschedule,orgottenthelookwereabletoachievewithoutthe18Kpouring in thewindows inaddition to theAlpha4Ks,andJokersefficientlydoingtheworkinside. Whenwegot to thenewergym, itwaswell litby thestandards of modern basketball arenas, but it would benearimpossibletogetdecentmodeling.Besidesbeingflatoverheadlighting,thecolortemperaturewastroublesome,and thewindowswere not rightly positioned in this casetopumplightthrough.Therewerenoresourcesavailableto change out the hundreds of fluorescent tubes or turnthem off and re-light with some other type of lights, soIopted to leave themon,greenas theywere,andgetmymodelingviathesame“BigGuns”,(K5600Alpha18Kand4K.) I corrected them to fluorescent by adding Rosco’sE-Colour+#244FullPlusGreenanditworkedlikeacharm.OurDIT (andNorthernCaliforniaDCSPresident,) SimonSommerfeld, ran our tests throughREDcine tomake surewe could effectively take the green cast out in post and
it seemed toworkquitewell. I couldput the18Kall thewaydownatoneendofthegym,bottomitwithashelfofstaggereddoublenets,andkeepiteven,tofollowtheactionallthewaydowntotheothersideofthecourt.AlittlePlusGreenonmydaylightbalancedLitepanelsHilioswasallIneededforlightsfloatingonthefloorforfillandclose-ups. Another practical set featuring “Mean Green”fluorescentswastherealtrainingroomwheretheyrushedCoryWeissmanrightafterhehadhismassivestroke.Thisroomhadalowceiling,impossibletokeepoutoftheframe,and the fluorescents had somewhat unusual bases whichwouldhavebeendifficulttochangeout.Luckilytheywererecessed,soIwasabletogelthemwithsquaresofRosco’sE-Colour+#244FullPlusGreenwhich converted them todaylightandallowedmetolighttheroomwithmyJokers.Tooureyesonthesettheselookedanalarmingweirdshadeofpurple,butagain,afterlookingattests,itworkedjustfineoncamera. TheLightpanelsHilio,whichisfairlylightweightanddraws only 115watts also came in handy for a couple ofshortcar interiorscenes. WetowedthepicturecarwithaU-haultrailerandpoweredtwoHiliosoffasmallinverter.
TheHilioshaveplentyofoutputwhichallowedustosoftenthemwithRosco250Diffusion,andaddRosco#248,HalfMinusGreentocompensateforthegreentintinherentinthewindshield;(whichisachallengewithmanymodern,ener-gyefficientcarsthesedays).Insidethecar,aLitepanels1x1BicolorrunningoffanAntonBauercamerabatteryprovidedplentyofexposurefromthefillside,evenontheverysunnydayweshot.Italwaysamazesmehowclosetothesubject
youcansneakaLightpanels1x1whenfightingatoobrightbackgroundasinadaylightcarinterior.Itcanberightoffcamera,inchesfromthetalent,butIsupposebecauseofthemanysmallsourceLEDs,itdoesn’tgiveawayyourlighting,anditdoesn’ttorturetheActorwithahotlight. Allinallthiswasafast,simplerigwhichfit thebudgetandshoot-ingstyleofthisproduction.Ilovemy1x1sandsneaktheminconstantly;they’relightweight,useverylittlepower,aredimmable,colorselect-able, and stay cool tothe touch. Litepanelsalso loanedme one oftheir new “Inca” (de-notes Incandescent)units; this one wasaboutthesizeandout-putofa1KBaby-Baby,but onlydraws a littleover 100 watts, and itstayscooltothetouch;gottalovethesenewLEDs. Finally, I would like to discuss camera support andpower.ItendtouseaJibArmalot;mineisaFrankensteinof a contraption customized from many manufacturers’partsincludinga9ftarmandunderslungWeaverSteadmanTriAxishead. Formore traditionalcamerasupport, Iwaslucky tohavemy favoritefluidhead, theO’Connor 2575,whichishardtobeatforsmoothsoliddependabilitywithawiderangeofcameraconfigurations;nomatterhowmuchparaphernaliayouhangonthecamera. IwasspoiledtoalsohaveadollyandSteadicamstandingby.ForcameraandveryportablelightingneedsIcountonAntonBauer,Hytron140sforlongruntimeswhenweight
is not an issue, andwe used their superefficient Dionic HConboardsforhandheldandSteadicam. After lots of yearsintheIndiearena,andthe huge resource ofpeopleIknowthroughthe Digital CinemaSociety, I’m in a good
position to lineup crewand services all theway throughpost. Iknowwhosharesthepassiontotreat littlemovieswiththesamecareandrespectasamajorfeature,andwhoknowshowtomakedimeslooklikedollarsonthescreen.Iknow1000 to 1willbeamovieIwillbeveryproudtohaveworked on, and I couldn’t have gotten such good resultswithoutalittlehelpfrommyfriends.Withsincerethanks,(inalphabeticalorder)to:
•Angenieux•AntonBauer•Fujinon•HollywoodRentals•K5600•Litepanels•RoscoLabs•SchneiderOptics•Steadicam
