Alfonso & Chivo

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"With just three weeks before filming of [Children of Men's] four-day sequence was to start, Emmanuel Lubezki called Doggicam Systems' Gary Thieltges, a Los Angeles-based camera-rig guru.

"They removed the car roof and installed a rail system that allowed the camera to operate on a two-axis grid, controlled by a joystick. Lubezki, his focus puller and a dolly grip sat above the actors in an enclosed translu- cent loft. The car seats were modified so the actors could use levers to tilt and lower themselves out of the camera's path as it zoomed in and out.

"The result is a remarkably intense chase scene in which the claustrophobic fear of the passengers in the car is palpable." -- from Sheigh Crabtree's 12.29 L.A. Times piece about the shooting of the already-legendary car-attack scene.

comment #1

Kristopher Tapley says ...

This was actually spelled out in a few articles in mags like American Cinematographer a few months back. Why is the LA Times regurgitating it now? I get that the film is in release, but seriously, let's have something of SUBSTANCE.

comment #2

Mark says ...

Tapley is right. Everyone in here has read American Cinematographer 4 times over. Don't waste our time, Jeffrey.

jk.

all i want to know is whether the ping pongs were CGI.

comment #3

Eric says ...

I have been wondering about this for a while. Thanks for relating it.

comment #4

OddDuck says ...

Hey, it's not like everyone who frequents this site has a subscription to American Cinematographer. I appreciated the link and the LA Times article. Makes me want to go see the movie a second time, and I just saw it yesterday.

comment #5

Kristopher Tapley says ...

Not dumping on Jeff for posting it, but it's typical of the LA Times to rehash something without any added insight.

comment #6

gruver1 says ...

Wells to Mark and Eric: Cuaron told me in that Hollywood Elsewhere interview I ran last month (http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/archives/2006/11/
cuaron_intervie.php) that the ping-pong balls were CGI.

comment #7

Thrudvangar says ...

More COM stuff, Jeff. I love that film so much.
Never heard of AmCi. I just work in a factory in Cincinnati.

comment #8

richandreas says ...

I think the original Ping Pong ball that Julianne Moore had was real and she blew it past Owen in the first blow. They could have just removed it mid blow and replaced it with a fake one, which appears to be the case. Owen catching and then kissing Moore appears to be the fake ball.

comment #9

lazespud says ...

Here's a great link to about 12 pictures of the camera rig and car in action.

http://www.doggicam.com/twoaxisdollygallery.php

I wasn't paying attention, but I thought that the camera followed them out of the car as well, which means they must have pulled it off the rig and pulled the car out of the way... but maybe there was a cut there.

In many ways the second "long" sequence seems more stunning, but the car chase was pretty incredible nonetheless. until I saw the pictures above (particularly the fourth one), I couldn't figure out how any stuntman would have let an actor drive while they did a complicated motorcycle stunt... turns out it was total movie magic!

What an amazing movie. I can't figure out why it doesn't seem to be on any oscarwatch lists.

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