AMERICAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
The International Journal Of Film And Electronic Production Techniques
Technical Monthly Magazine from Los Angeles ,United States

- First issue: 1920
- "The magazine the pros read"
- Covers the technical part of movie making.
- Published in Hollywood by the American Society of Cinematographers
- Bi-monthly publication from November 1920 (Vol. 1, no 1) to March 1922 (Vol. 2, no 28).
- From March 1922 (Vol. 3, no 1) to present, monthly publication.
- 106 colour A4 pages.
- American Cinematographer in Facebook.
- Published by ASC Holding Corporation
- Website: www.theasc.com/magazine

Seamus McGarvey, BSC was behind the camera on this romantic drama based on the acclaimed novel by Ian McEwan. The story begins in the summer of 1935, when 13-year-old Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) sets off a chain of events that will alter several lives when she accuses the lover (James McAvoy) of her older sister (Keira Knightley) of a crime he did not commit. McGarvey will reveal his approach to the film's handsome look, which has already earned advance raves from critics.

American Gangster

Harris Savides, ASC teamed with director Ridley Scott on this hard-hitting crime thriller, which is based on the true story of a dogged New York City undercover cop (Russell Crowe) who attempts to bring down Harlem's most powerful and dangerous drug lord (Denzel Washington). Savides will discuss his "old school" approach to the film's visual style, which pays homages to gritty cop dramas of the 1970s.

The Golden Compass

Henry Braham, BSC analyzes his work on this ambitious fantasy/adventure epic, which is based upon His Dark Materials, the first novel in a trilogy by author Philip Pullman. The story centers on young Lyra Belacqua (Dakota Blue Richards), who journeys through a parallel universe to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from terrible experiments being conducted by a mysterious organization. Braham will outline his on-set strategies and his interactions with the show's visual-effects experts.

Tribute to Laszlo Kovacs, ASC

One of the truly great and influential cinematographers of his generation, Laszlo Kovacs, ASC passed away on July 22, 2007. His impressive list of credits includes such memorable films as Easy Rider; Five Easy Pieces; The King of Marvin Gardens; What's Up, Doc?; Paper Moon; Shampoo; Paradise Alley; Shampoo; Ghostbusters; Mask; Say Anything...; and My Best Friend's Wedding. In this tribute piece, AC will honor Kovacs' legacy by presenting comments from some of his key collaborators, as well as a selection of vintage photographs and bits of lasting wisdom from the man himself.

The December issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback reviews new DVD versions of the Jean Renoir Collector's Edition Box Set (1925-1962), which features the work of cinematographers Jean Bachelet, Alphonse Gibory, Edmund Corwin, Jean-Paul Alphen, Jean Bourgoin, Alain Douarinou, Jean Louis, Jean-Marie Maillols and Georges Leclerc; If... (1968), shot by Miroslav Ondricek, ASC; and Taxi Driver (1976), shot by Michael Chapman, ASC.

Production Slate offers articles on Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, a crime thriller shot by Ron Fortunato, ASC for director Sidney Lumet, and Redacted, a fictional exploration of the Iraq war shot by Jonathan Cliff for director Brian DePalma.

Short Takes offers an interview with cinematographer Chuck Ozeas about his work on a Toyota commercial shot in Dubai.

Post Focus previews Technicolor's new restoration of the sci-fi classic Blade Runner. This section will also offer information about the postproduction of the BBC television show Torchwood, which is being graded with FilmLight's Baselight 8 at the London branch of the visual-effects company The Mill.

Tomorrow's Technology will present updates from the ASC Tech Committee and its various subcommittees about their progress on a range of important initiatives.

Ed Lachman, ASC analyzes the intriguing challenges he faced on this adventurous and experimental Todd Haynes feature, which traces the life of musical icon Bob Dylan in unorthodox fashion. Different aspects of Dylan's persona are embodied by various characters played by Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger and Ben Whishaw. Lachman will discuss the full range of looks he crafted for the show, placing a special emphasis on his lighting techniques. He will also discuss his use of both color and black-and-white stocks in multiple formats: 35mm, 16mm, Super 16 and 8mm.

The Kite Runner

Roberto Schaefer, ASC was director of photography on this adaptation of the best-selling 2003 novel by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, who tells the story of Amir, a boy from the Afghanistan town of Kabul who is haunted by the guilt of an incident involving a childhood friend. Schaefer will offer his thoughts on the production, which shot at locations in California and China (standing in for war-torn Afghanistan).

30 Days of Night

Jo Willems was behind the camera on this chiller about a bloodthirsty gang of vampires attacking an Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a full month each year. Australian correspondent Simon Gray paid a visit to the set in Auckland, New Zealand to get the full story from Willems, who will discuss his strategies for visually adapting the graphic novel written by Ben Niles and illustrated by Ben Templesmith.

Control

Martin Ruhe crafted gritty, smartly composed black-and-white images for this haunting bio-pic about English rock star Ian Curtis, who fronted the influential alternative band Joy Division before committing suicide by hanging at the age of 23. Ruhe will discuss his evocative approach to this story and his collaboration with Dutch director Anton Corbijn, well-known in the rock world for his photography (he has served as creative director for the bands Depeche Mode and U2, among others) and striking music videos (including Depeche Mode's "Personal Jesus" and Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box").

The November issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback reviews new DVD versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978), shot by Michael Chapman, ASC; Flash Gordon (1980), shot by Gilbert Taylor, BSC; and Robocop (1987), shot by Jost Vacano, ASC.

Production Slate offers articles on The Martian Child, shot by Robert Yeoman, ASC, and Sarah Landon and the Paranormal Hour, shot by Andy Keupper.

Points East presents an interview with Harlan Bosmajian about his digital cinematography on the hi-def, Manhattan-based drama Starting Out in the Evening.

Short Takes offers an interview with cinematographer Jim Matlosz about his work on "Slow Dancing," a video installation at Lincoln Center that uses high-definition video technology to show 43 ballet dancers moving at less than 1/100th of their original speed.

Post Focus examines how the digital-intermediate process is being used at LaserPacific to lend a highly stylized look to Pushing Daisies, a new ABC television series shot by Michael Weaver (pilot) and Jamie Anderson (series) for director Barry Sonnenfeld.

Oliver Wood gives a full account of his work with director Paul Greengrass (United 93) on the third film in the internationally popular Bourne franchise, in which the rogue spy of the title (played by Matt Damon) attempts to overcome his amnesia and discover the mysteries of his past. Wood will offer an insightful overview of the globe-trotting production, which shot in many locations all over the world - including the U.S., England, Germany, France, Spain, Morocco and Latvia.

Outsourced

Teodoro Maniaci (Clean, Shaven) was the cinematographer on this independent comedy about an American worker (played by Josh Hamilton) who is sent to India to train his replacement after his company decides to move part of its operation overseas. John Jeffcoat directed the project, which filmed in and around Mumbai with a mostly Indian crew, working on location and onstage at Film City. Outsourced won top honors this year at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It will be released this fall.

Caravaggio

Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC answers an Italian journalist's questions about his stunning work on a lushly photographed television bio-pic that traces the life of the great artist Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, who created a series of masterpieces during the late 16th and early 17th century. In addition to discussing his technical approach to the project, Storaro will address the influence of Caravaggio's paintings on his cinematography.

Muse music video "Knights of Cydonia"

Longtime AC technical editor Christopher Probst will provide a firsthand account of his work on a creative, artfully campy music video that recently earned him top honors in the cinematography category at the Music Video Production Association Awards. Shot in Bucharest, Romania, "Knights of Cydonia" pays homage to Spaghetti Westerns, kung-fu movies, Star Wars and Planet of the Apes, with an affectionate nod to the rock 'n' roll bombast of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Working alongside renowned music-video director Joseph Kahn, Probst found himself wrangling Barbarella-like warrior-women, robots, unicorns, holograms, horses, motorcycles and a masked cowboy hero.

The September issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

Global Village will offer a timely salute to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers (CSC), which is celebrating its 50th anniversary.

DVD Playback will review new DVD versions of The Third Man (1949), shot by Robert Krasker; Straight Time (1978), shot by Owen Roizman, ASC; and Prince of the City (1981), shot by Andrzej Bartkowiak, ASC.

Production Slate offers interviews with cinematographer Phil Parmet about shooting director Rob Zombie's remake of the horror classic Halloween, and Peter Pau, HKSC about his kinetic work on the tongue-in-cheek action thriller Shoot 'Em Up.

Points East presents a piece about a new, feature-length HBO documentary about the 50th anniversary of the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas.

Short Takes unveils a series of celebrity portraits shot in high-definition video by celebrated artist Robert Wilson for the Voom HD Network.

Post Focus details the use of MTI Control Dailies on the feature Rush Hour 3, and present an overview of Chace Audio's new suite of services for the recovery and preservation of magnetic sound films and tapes suffering from vinegar syndrome.

Filmmakers' Forum offers a piece by cinematographer Stephanie Martin about her recent experiences shooting in Morocco for the forthcoming feature The Objective, a military thriller set in Afghanistan and directed by Daniel Myrick (co-director of The Blair Witch Project).

Wrap Shot presents an analysis of the controversial final scene of HBO's The Sopranos by cinematographer Alik Sakharov, ASC.

Sunshine
Alwin K?chler, BSC reveals the technical tricks he used on this visually stunning sci-fi drama from director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later). Set 50 years in the future, the plot concerns a team of astronauts sent into space to reignite the dying sun. K?chler discussed his use of two widescreen formats (regular anamorphic and Super 35), which he alternated in order to get interesting lens flares for scenes involving the sun.

Transformers
Mitchell Amundsen was behind the camera on director Michael Bay's sci-fi extravaganza, in which dueling alien races, the Autobots and the Decepticons, battle for ultimate supremacy on Earth, with mankind's future hanging in the balance. Amundsen discussed the technical challenges involved in such a logistically ambitious, effects-heavy production.

1408
Beno?t Delhomme, AFC set out to scare audiences silly with this tale about a paranormal investigator (John Cusack) who confronts true terror after checking into a hotel's famously haunted Room 1408. Delhomme's live-action photography was combined with chilling visual effects for the film, which takes place primarily in one setting.

Hairspray
Bojan Bazelli filmed a series of lavish, lively musical sequences for this film adaptation of the hit Broadway show, in which pleasantly plump teenager Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) teaches the people of 1962 Baltimore a lesson in race relations after earning a spot on a local TV dance show. In addition to discussing the show's technical tricks, Bazelli also discussed his approach to shooting John Travolta, who appears in hilarious drag as Edna Turnblad.

The August issue's departments also offer illuminating insights:

Global Village offers an analysis of the Russian sci-fi/fantasy film Day Watch by cinematographer Sergei Trofimov.

DVD Playback reviews new DVD versions of Matador (1986), shot by ?ngel Luis Fern?ndez; The Chocolate War (1988), shot by Tom Richmond; and The Sergio Leone Anthology, which includes the films A Fistful of Dollars (1964, shot by Massimo Dallamano and Federico Larraya); For a Few Dollars More (1965, shot by Massimo Dallamano); The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966, shot by Tonino Delli Colli, AIC); and Duck, You Sucker (1971, shot by Giuseppe Ruzzolini).

Production Slate offer interviews with cinematographers Ben Nott, ACS, about shooting the ambitious TNT miniseries The Company for director Mikael Salomon, ASC, and Javier Aguirresrobe about his work with director Milos Forman on the period drama Goya's Ghosts.

Points East present a piece on the new HBO comedy series Flight of the Conchords, shot in New York City by cinematographer Patrick Alexander Stewart.

Short Takes analyze the visually inventive "Jubilee" music video, shot by Ross Riege for the band Willowz.

Post Focus present an analysis of eye-popping effects sequences from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, shot by Slawomir Idziak, PSC.

Rescue Dawn
Peter Zeitlinger endured a grueling shoot in Thailand to bring director Werner Herzog's thrilling prisoner-of-war drama to the big screen. Fred Schruers, former senior editor of Premiere magazine, talks to both Zeitlinger and Herzog about the arduous location work involved in this ambitious production.

Nancy Drew
Alexander Grusynski, ASC was behind the camera on this teen-oriented mystery-comedy. Gruszynski discusses his approach to the film's poppy, stylized images.

Army of Shadows (1969)
French cinematographer Pierre L'homme, AFC discusses his role in restoring this classic World War II drama, which he shot in the late 1960s for director Jean-Pierre Melville.

The July issue's departments offers illuminating insights:

DVD Playback reviews new DVD versions of All That Jazz (1979), shot by Giuseppe Rotunno, ASC, AIC; The Queen (2006), shot by Affonso Beato, ASC; and Notes on a Scandal (2006), shot by Chris Menges, BSC.

Production Slate offers interviews with cinematographer Jan Kiesser, ASC, CSC about shooting the independent zombie comedy Fido, and Hungarian cameraman Giula Pados, HSC about his work on the drama Evening, directed by ASC member Lajos Koltai.

Points East presents a piece on the tense, New York-based terrorism drama Day Night Day Night, shot by Belgian cinematographer Beno?t Debie.

Short Takes analyzed the short film Rose, shot by Adam Meltzer.

Post Focus presents an overview of digital multi-masters by Simon Cuff, president of Digital Vision.

Filmmakers' Forum offers a piece by the head of the ASC Technology Committee, Curtis Clark, about his recent trip to Korea.

Dariusz Wolski, ASC will discuss his work with director Gore Verbinski on the latest installment of this blockbuster Pirates franchise, focusing on the show's demanding logistics and the integration of live-action footage with extensive visual effects. At World's End finds Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) sailing into uncharted waters, where treachery and betrayal await them. Also returning for another voyage is Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow and Bill Nighy as Davy Jones.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Larry Blanford was behind the camera on this high-flying sequel to The Fantastic Four, which exceeded expectations to become a major box-office hit in 2005. In the new film, Mr. Fantastic (Ioan Gruffudd), Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba), The Human Torch (Chris Evans) and The Thing (Michael Chiklis) must confront two new foes: the Silver Surfer (Doug Jones) and the planet-eating Galactus. Blanford will reveal all of the tricks he used to lend our heroes their super powers.

Mr. Brooks

John Lindley, ASC, CSC will discuss his collaboration with director Bruce A. Evans on this psychological thriller, which stars Kevin Costner as a man who is sometimes controlled by his serial-killer alter ego (William Hurt). Lindley will offer a full overview of the techniques he used to add menacing ambience to the drama.

The Alps

This stunning large-format film, which will play on Imax screens worldwide throughout the spring and summer, follows the true-life story of mountaineer and journalist John Harlin III, who sets out on an epic personal journey to climb the deadly North Face of the Eiger, the stormiest, steepest peak in all of Europe - 40 years after the same mountain claimed the life of his larger-than-life father, climbing legend John Harlin II. Filled with majestic views of Switzerland's natural beauty, The Alps put cinematographers Michael Brown and Brad Ohlund and aerial-photography specialist Ron Goodman of SpaceCam Systems through a true test of their abilities.

The June issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback will review new DVD versions of Performance (1970), shot by Nicolas Roeg; The Conformist (1971), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC; and The Films of Alejandro Jodorowsky (Fando y Lis, 1968; El Topo, 1970; The Holy Mountain, 1973), shot by Rafael Corkidi and Antonio Reynoso.

Production Slate will interview cinematographer Tetsuo Nagata, AFC about his work on La Vie en Rose, an artful biopic about the life of singer Edith Piaf, and offer a chat with Agn?s Godard, AFC about her photography for The Golden Door (Nuovomondo), a drama about Sicilian immigrants that earned the Silver Lion at the 2006 Venice Film Festival.

Short Takes will analyze the short films Grace, shot by Levie Isaaks, ASC, and Rose, shot by Adam Meltzer.

Post Focus will spotlight the new digital-services company Illuminate, which unites four highly regarded production, postproduction and creative studios: HTV, Metropolitan Entertainment, HD Vision Studios and HD Vision Broadcast Center.

Bill Pope, ASC swings back into action with director Sam Raimi's third installment of the hugely popular superhero franchise, which once again stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and his crime-fighting alter ego, Spider-Man. This time around, a strange entity from another world bonds with Parker, forcing him to confront a new kind of inner turmoil during his web-slinging adventures. Pope will detail his complex integration of live-action footage with CG effects, as well as his post work at Thomson's new Technicolor digital-intermediate facility, which recently opened its doors on the Sony lot.

28 Weeks Later

Enrique Chediak teamed with promising Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo (Intacto) on this sequel to Danny Boyle's 2002 horror thriller 28 Days Later. Set six months after the action of the first film, 28 Weeks begins with the U.S. Army restoring order in Britain after the suppression of the Rage virus, which turned the country's populace into a mob of undead, flesh-eating creatures. The crisis is reignited, however, when a carrier of the virus enters London and unwittingly spreads the deadly infection. Chediak will detail his efforts to create onscreen havoc in one of the planet's busiest cities.

Smallville

This hit TV series, which follows the teenage years of Clark Kent (a.k.a. Superman), is shot by two members of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, Glen Winter and David Moxness. The show's visual effects are supervised by Mat Beck, ASC, who recently took a turn in the director's chair. All three will offer their perspectives on the show, which recently earned Moxness an ASC Award for his work on the episode "Arrow."

ASC/Academy Award winners and nominees

In our annual salute to the year's best cinematography, we will acknowledge the accomplishments of all the directors of photography who were honored at this year's ASC and Academy Award ceremonies: Emmanuel Lubezki, ASC, AMC (Children of Men); Guillermo Navarro, ASC (Pan's Labyrinth); Dick Pope, BSC (The Illusionist); Wally Pfister, ASC (The Prestige); Robert Richardson, ASC (The Good Shepherd); Dean Semler, ASC, ACS (Apocalypto); and Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC (The Black Dahlia).

Academy Scientific & Technical Awards

We will present a full recap of this year's ingenious honorees, whose technical contributions to filmmaking were feted on February 10 during a prestigious dinner at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

The May issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback will review new DVD versions of A Man for All Seasons (1966), shot by Ted Moore; Reds (1981), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC; and Hollywoodland (2006), shot by Jonathan Freeman.

Production Slate will present pieces on the dynamic sports film Zidane, shot by Darius Khondji, ASC, AFC, and the feature film Vacancy, a riveting thriller shot by Andrzej Sekula.

Points East will offer an interview with cinematographer Terry Stacey about his work on The Nanny Diaries, a romantic comedy set in New York City.

Short Takes will present interviews with student cinematographers Brian Melton and Lyle Vincent, winners of this year's ASC John Alonzo Heritage Award.

Post Focus will examine the image-enhancement services that DTS Digital Images provided for David Fincher's thriller Zodiac and will present an overview of Thomson's new Technicolor digital-intermediate facility on the Sony Studios lot in Culver City.

ASC Close-Up will present a Q&A profile of Society member Nancy Schreiber.

300
Larry Fong will detail the methods he used to achieve striking imagery for the action-adventure film 300, a big-screen adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel about the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Fong shot the film entirely on Montreal soundstages in the widescreen Super 35mm format, and then supervised the project's creative use of the digital-intermediate process, which was extensively applied to emulate the look of the graphic novel.

Sunshine
Alwin K?chler, BSC will discuss his collaboration with director Danny Boyle on this ambitious sci-fi thriller, which concerns a team of astronauts who are sent into space in a desperate attempt to revive Earth's dying sun. K?chler will discuss the full range of techniques he employed, including his use of both the Super 35 and anamorphic formats to achieve different kind of flares for scenes involving the sun.

ASC Presidents Award
This honor, presented to veteran cinematographer Gerald Hirschfeld, ASC at the 21st annual ASC Awards ceremony in February, salutes directors of photography who have made exceptional contributions to the art and craft of cinematography. David E. Williams will offer an overview of Hirschfeld's many stellar accomplishments, which include the features Fail-Safe; Goodbye, Columbus; Diary of a Mad Housewife; My Favorite Year; and the Mel Brooks comedies Young Frankenstein and To Be Or Not to Be. In addition to being the longest-tenured member of the ASC (joining the Society 56 years ago, in 1951), Hirschfeld helped launch the careers of legendary ASC members Gordon Willis and Owen Roizman. He has served as a filmmaker in residence at the International Film & Video Workshops and is also the author of the popular textbook Image Control - Motion Picture and Video Camera Filters and Lab Techniques.

Sundance Film Festival
Each January, industry insiders flock to Park City, Utah to attend this key festival, which has launched the careers of many independent filmmakers. AC's team of writers will scout out the most visually compelling entries for our annual roundup, which will offer insights from the event's most promising cinematographers.

The April issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback will review new DVD versions of Pandora's Box (1928), shot by G?nther Krampf; Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), shot by Haskell Wexler, ASC; and The Double Life of Veronique (1991), shot by Slawomir Idziak, PSC.

Global Village will offer insights from cinematographer Souhei Tanigawa about his work on the Japanese film Noriko's Dinner Table.

Production Slate will present pieces on Rescue Dawn, a compelling war drama shot by Peter Zeitlinger for director Werner Herzog, and Severance, a horror/comedy hybrid shot by Ed Wild.

Points East will offer an interview with cinematographer Anastas Michos, ASC about his work on Perfect Stranger, a thriller set and shot in New York City.

Post Focus will offer a piece about the use of digital cameras and post on David Lynch's surreal drama Inland Empire, as well as a piece on Milagro's Post's use of Bones software and other tools on a recent series of Chevrolet commercials.

Short Takes will present coverage of award-winning shorts from this year's Sundance Film Festival.

Tricks of the Trade will offer insights into cutting-edge digital rear-projection techniques from ASC member Bill Taylor.

ASC Close-Up will present a Q&A profile of Society member Vincent Cox.

Television cinematography
The job of shooting a hit television show involves a complex array of responsibilities, all of which impact and inform a director of photography's creative approach. In this comprehensive piece, we will discuss the challenges of small-screen cinematography with a number of professionals from top-rated shows: Thomas Del Ruth, ASC (Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip), Ross Berryman, ASC, ACS (Ugly Betty), John Aronson (Heroes), Krishna Rao (The Unit), Eagle Egilsson and Charles Mills (CSI: Miami) and Herb Davis (Grey's Anatomy). Each will offer insights into their day-to-day duties on the set.

Distinguished Achievement Award for Television Cinematography
This newly created award will be presented to veteran television cinematographer Donald M. Morgan, ASC at the annual ASC Awards ceremony in February. Our article on Morgan will present a a complete overview of his career, during which he has earned a remarkable series of honors: 5 Emmy Awards and 4 nominations, along with 4 ASC Awards and 2 nominations. Morgan will offer details about working on his most acclaimed telefilms, which include Murder in Mississippi, Dillinger, Geronimo, The Siege at Ruby Ridge, Miss Evers' Boys, For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story, Out of the Ashes and Something the Lord Made. Morgan will also discuss his contributions to several noteworthy theatrical features, including Starman, Christine and Used Cars.

The March issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

DVD Playback will review new DVD versions of 1900 (1976), shot by Vittorio Storaro, ASC, AIC; Bugsy (1991), shot by Allen Daviau, ASC; and Superman I: The Richard Donner Cut (1978/2006), shot by Geoffrey Unsworth, BSC and Robert Paynter.

Production Slate will present pieces on The Lives of Others, a compelling German drama shot by Hagen Bogdanski, and The Situation, an HBO telefilm about the Iraq war shot by Sean Bobbitt.

Points East will offer an interview with cinematographer Matthew F. Leonetti, ASC about his work on Pride, a sports drama about a deetermined man who starts a swim team for troubled teens at the Philadelphia Dept. of Recreation.

Post Focus will offer a piece about Atlab's 4K digital intermediate for the feature film 10 Canoes; coverage of the post work for Night of the Living Dead 3D; and a tour of iO Films' new Hollywood facility.

The Invisible
Gabriel Beristain, ASC details his work with director David S. Goyer on this intriguing thriller, which concerns a teenage boy and girl whose "true selves" are invisible to others due to his untimely death and her problems after the death of her mother. Beristain will offer a full account of the shoot, which took place in British Columbia.

ASC International Award
The career of world-renowned cinematographer and three-time Academy Award nominee Michael Ballhaus, ASC will reach a pinnacle on February 18, when he will receive the International Award during the annual ASC Awards gala in Los Angeles. This prestigious award is reserved for foreign-born cinematographers who have made an enduring contribution to their art form. In an in-depth profile piece, AC executive editor Stephen Pizzello will trace the full arc of Ballhaus's career, from his early days with prolific German auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder (for whom he shot 15 films) to his later years in Hollywood, where he has worked with such prominent directors as Martin Scorsese (7 films, including GoodFellas, The Age of Innocence, Gangs of New York and The Departed), Francis Ford Coppola (Bram Stoker's Dracula), James L. Brooks (Broadcast News), Wolfgang Petersen (Outbreak, Air Force One) and Mike Nichols (Working Girl).

Tribute to Sven Nykvist, ASC
Cinema lost one of its leading lights on September 20, 2006, when legendary director of photography Sven Nykvist, ASC passed away. AC historian Robert Birchard will pen a tribute to the great Swedish cameraman, best known for his seminal work with director Ingmar Bergman, for whom he shot such classic films as Winter Light, Persona, Scenes From a Marriage and Fanny and Alexander. Over the course of his career, Nykvist also lent his talents to films by Woody Allen, Lasse Hallstr?m, Bob Rafelson, Bob Fosse, Louis Malle, Norman Jewison, Philip Kaufman, Alan Pakula and Richard Attenborough.

The February issue's departments will also offer illuminating insights:

Global Village will present an interview with cinematographer Hyung-ku Kim about his work on the South Korean horror/comedy/sci-fi thriller The Host, in which a mutant creature emerges from Seoul's Han River and proceeds to terrorize the populace.

DVD Playback will offer a review of The Premiere Frank Capra Collection, which includes five of of the director's classics shot by Joseph Walker, ASC: American Madness (1932), It Happened One Night (1934), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). In addition, we will assess the new DVDs of Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967), shot by Aldo Tonti, and Lady Vengeance (2005), shot by Jeong-hun Jeong.

Production Slate will present pieces on Miss Potter, a Beatrix Potter bio-pic shot by Andrew Dunn, BSC, and The Astronaut Farmer, a quirky drama shot by M. David Mullen, ASC.

Points East will detail the shooting of Project Rebirth, an ambitious 10-year project that will employ 10 fixed-position, time-lapse high-definition video cameras to capture the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site in New York City. Cinematographers Jim Whitaker and Tom Lappin will detail their collaboration on the project, which is scheduled to be released in the year 2011.

Post Focus will offer a piece about Cineric's restoration of Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), shot by Gilbert Taylor, BSC, as well as an overview of Sohonet's new North American headquarters, which opened recently in Los Angeles.

Short Takes will present an interview with cinematographer Jaron Pursuant about his work on the Meat Loaf video "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

Wrap Shot will be revived this month to present a look at The Last Run (1971), a crime thriller shot by the late Sven Nyvkist, ASC.