Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) and Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga) dance on the rooftop in a fantasy sequence. (Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Warner Bros.)

News

November 20, 2024

New December Edition of AC Closes 2024

Cover story on Joker: Folie à Deux; emphasis on visual effects with Here and Dennis Muren, ASC.

David E. Williams

American Cinematographer

Our December 2024 issue (Vol. 105 No. 12) presents a special focus on visual effects, including coverage of Here and a profile of groundbreaking visual-effects artist Dennis Muren, ASC — as well as a discussion within the Joker: Folie à Deux cover story on the incorporation of LED-wall-volume work. The issue also features reportage on Saturday Night and Anora, and respective tributes to Panavision’s 70th anniversary and OConnor’s 75th.

On Our Cover: Unhinged criminal defendant Arthur Fleck, aka Joker (Joaquin Phoenix), woos Lee Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn (Lady Gaga), during an imaginary musical interlude in *Joker: Folie à Deux,* shot by Lawrence Sher, ASC. (Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Inside this issue:

• President’s Desk: Shelly Johnson, ASC reflects on the tactile and magical qualities of motion-picture film.

• Lawrence Sher, ASC and director Todd Phillips detail their approach to Joker: Folie à Deux, which included using a telescopic crane and tight communication to achieve sweeping camera moves, and combining multiple setups — including an LED-wall volume — to yield a long, unbroken take.

Lawrence Sher, ASC (right) at work on the courtroom set. Lawrence “Doc” Karman (left) served as both vintage-camera operator and performer. (Photo by Niko Tavernise, courtesy of Warner Bros.)

• Eric Steelberg, ASC and director Jason Reitman discuss creating carefully choreographed mayhem for Saturday Night — and how shooting Super 16mm contributed to the spontaneous feel.

• Cinematographer Drew Daniels shares his strategy for shooting the Palme d’Or-winning romance Anora, directed by Sean Baker.

• Panavision executives/ASC associate members Kim Snyder, Michael George, David Dodson and Dan Sasaki discuss the company’s ongoing evolution as it marks its 70th anniversary.

• Nine-time Academy Award winner Dennis Muren, ASC reflects on a career defined by seismic changes in the field of visual effects — and explains why a filmmaker’s vision is more important than their tools.

• The Virtual World: Visual-effects supervisors Kevin Baillie and Jo Plaete and virtual-production supervisor Callum Macmillan discuss AI techniques and other technologies deployed on Here, directed by Robert Zemeckis and shot by Don Burgess, ASC.