Variety: Oscar-nommed lensers go high-tech

Variety profiles Oscar-nominated cinematographers and their cameras of choice including Wally Pfister and his use of IMAX cameras in The Dark Knight.

‘THE DARK KNIGHT’ Wally Pfister

Tools: Panavision, Millennium XL cameras and Imax MSM cameras

The Cutting Edge: Pfister shot 36 minutes of “The Dark Knight” with an Imax camera, including action sequences, which has helped resurrect that format in dramatic features. “What (director) Chris (Nolan) and I sort of invented was its use in the action format and using (the Imax) for putting large setpiece action sequences on the screen,” says Pfister. “That is what I think I am most proud of. Chris and I were basically the first ones to do it.”

Drawbacks: Besides weighing 75 pounds, making it practically impossible to do any handheld shots (Pfister managed to do one), the Imax presented a few other difficulties, such as the need to hide light sources due to the camera’s wide frame line; shallower depth of field; difficulty recording sound due to the level of noise that the camera produces; and the pricetag — Imax is roughly triple the cost of shooting 35mm film.

Results: Despite a few difficulties, Pfister was able to shoot most of the action sequences on Imax with the help of his key grip, who built rigs that were strong and flexible enough to use the camera on the side of trucks and hostess trays as well as on steady cams. “I have never stopped being amazed at how gorgeous that image is on the screen,” Pfister says. “There is virtually no film grain. It is so wonderfully vivid in color and contrast. It’s hands-down the highest image capture system that exists. There is nothing else that comes anywhere close to it.” The impressive results onscreen and at the box office has convinced a few studios to take the financial plunge. “I’ve had telephone calls from the ‘Transformers 2′ cinematographer asking about it as well as (people from) other projects, so I think that the success of ‘The Dark Knight’ will definitely lead to the use of more Imax cameras on (dramatic features).”

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