The Blacklist short lists Anton/Bauer, Litepanels and OConnor

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The Blacklist short lists Anton/Bauer, Litepanels and OConnor --

Thu, 30 Apr 2015 12:19

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Cinematographers Eric Moynier and Michael Caracciolo shoot NBC s hit series, The Blacklist, with support from Anton/Bauer batteries, Litepanels fixtures, and OConnor fluid heads. Mostly shot on location, the show s dramatic storytelling is a perfect match for the tools.

The Blacklist stars James Spader as ex-government agent Raymond Red Reddington, one of the FBI s Most Wanted fugitives, who comes to work with the FBI to identify a blacklist of politicians, mobsters, spies and international terrorists.

Moynier and Caracciolo are joined on the set by A camera operator Tom Weston, B camera operator Saade Mustafa, and a third rotating operator. They deploy three Sony PMW-F55 CineAlta 4K digital cinema cameras on an average day, but as many as six cameras are sometimes rolling. They re outfitted with Panavision Primo prime lenses and zooms, and Angenieux Optimo zooms.

Moynier estimates that OConnor 2575 fluid heads, rented from Panavision New York, are used 80 to 90 percent of the time. OConnor has always been my workhorse; it s my go-to fluid head, says Moynier, who has been a fan for the last 20 years. I love the feel of the 2575. It s like I m holding the story in my hands. It s not a mechanical device more of an emotional way to operate. Operating with a fluid head is very different from wheels. It s more personal, more organic. I operate with very high tensions so when I stop pushing, the camera stops in its tracks.

Weston is also a longtime 2575 user. It s a terrific all-around head that s been reliable for years, and a standard of the industry, he adds. The 2575 is robust but smooth and responds well to a soft touch. It has a great counterbalance, and I can point it straight up or straight down.

He also gives kudos to the strong locking system, a must when cameras are loaded with accessories. When I put an 11:1 Panavision lens on the lighter Sony F55, then load it up with Preston (camera and lens control), MDR (cable), batteries, two monitors and an eyepiece, it becomes a very heavy and long camera. But if I want to do an extreme tilt, I know the head s locking system will hold it all in place.

Litepanels 1x1 panels are used extensively on the series, too. They re small, slim and unobtrusive, so they can be hidden and tucked away on sets, says Moynier. And you can adjust their intensity.

I love them and use them every day, says gaffer Michael Price. They re quick to hang as backlights, with no cables; I can add them as last-minute key lights. I even use them off camera to light a dark staircase, or I ll put one on a stand when an actor needs a little work light to study the script.

He powers the Litepanels with six Anton/Bauer DIONIC HC batteries, which he values for their long charge life. We shoot a lot of long scenes, and I never have to change batteries, he says.

Anton/Bauer lithium-ion batteries also power the F55 cameras. We use the DIONIC HCs with real-time display as a source of power in conjunction with our Panavision block batteries, says Hollis Meminger, A camera 1st assistant on the show. They are extremely useful and carry a decent weight distribution when we are handheld or going extremely low profile inside car rigs, or for helicopter and airplane sequences.

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