Does anyone know any specifics on how Adrian Lyne achieves his look?
Are there any people with knowledge of cinematography out there, who picked up on what type of camera/lens/film stock he might have used?
I really loved the hazy effect the film has - made me nostalgic for a time I wasn't even alive in.
I'm an indie film director and I love Adrian Lyne.
I'm not that knowledgable with 35mm specifics like filmstock and lenses, etc (we shoot on digital). But being a large fan, here's what I have figure out from studying Lyne's signiture stylistics:
He usually uses as much natural light as possible. So if a character is indoors during the day, the image is offtimes photographed without using much key or fill lighting. I.E.--Notice how silhouetted the people look a lot of times in his films, while the windows are NOT overly bright. If the aperture of the lens were opened wider for this same image (without adding more light) in order to see the actor's faces clearer, sunlight coming through the window would be an extremely bright white (what's called "blown out").
Lyne also strives to use long lenses whenever possible.
Finally (and this is key): He very often uses fog machines to create diffusion, but not with enough smoke for the camera to pickup. We have been using this technique in a segment of my current film where one of the characters is a chain-smoker. We used a smoke machine to create constant cigarette smoke, and what I realized during filming was that when it seems like there's a ton of smoke to the naked eye, the camera still doesn't pickup the swirling smoke, but instead gives a flattening and hazy effect that remembles films like "9 1/2 Weeks", "Fatal Attraction" and "Jacob's Ladder".
Awesome, awesome reply, thanks!
I first fell in love with this sort of effect after seeing a still photo of a silent film called Vampyr (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023649/). I thought the picture had been digitally manipulated but it was in a book about films, and when I read the corresponding pages they mentioned the use of a gauze filter. I searched out the film and sure enough it really did look like that.
Adrian Lyne takes it to a new level, though. Basically because of colour.
At the moment my favourite part is where Jodie Foster exits the rain doused black pickup, in her white jeans, to enter the wrecked house... just the part where she walks up the stairs. Lasts about twenty seconds. I keep rewinding it!
There's certain parts (often without dialogue) in every Adrian Lyne film where I do the same.
Mesmerizing photography.
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Just wanted to put a plug in for Leon Bijou, the Cinematographer. In the early 70's when we were in High School, one of my best friends, Kevin Tod Haug, was making his first movie, "Pasacaglia". (His carrer so far includes Visual Effects Supervisor on many films, including "Fight Club" and "The Cell", and 2nd Unit Director on several filmes, including "The Cell", "Stay" and the 2006 film "Stranger Than Fiction") There was no "digital" anything back then, and video was only for television, so all his work was in film. Where we lived (Costa Mesa / Newport Beach, CA) there were no resources for him to do his editing, so he ended up in Hollywood. He rented space in an editing facility owned and run by Leon Bijou, who was very nice and encouraging to Kevin. (I will never forget accompanying him there. He was pursuing his dream of being a filmmaker at a time when it was very difficult and expensive, especially for a young person!) At any rate, Leon rented the space and the equipment (Moviola anyone?) to Kevin, and offered advice etc. I never knew which films Leon had been involved in. It's great to finally find one! It seems that his relatives in France were responsible for starting the Bijou Theatre chain, so it's definitely in his blood! The term "bijou" has become synonymous with "theater".
sharejerelc--Thanks for the background story on Leon Bijou! Foxes is truely a visual gem and Bijou certainly should be credited for what can only be described as art.
E
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I agree completely, I love the hazy look of this film. The opening shot of the sunrise and the scene with Jodie Foster/Scott Baio driving around to have lunch together are my favorites. Made me wish I around then too (I was, but I was in 3rd grade and I lived on the east coast) driving a vintage pickup in the Valley on an afternoon in 1979.
This is Dorsia?
One thing that helps with his lens is that all of the high schoolers looked like actual teenagers (Zits, baby fat and all!!)
shareI just figured it was a haze of pot smoke...no really...its a great softening effect. Seems to me that Valley of the Dolls also has that soft haze in certain scenes.
sharethat bee smoke effect was all the rage during the 80's. It's a fun look but miserable to work in.
shareIf you like the clear-yet-foggy look of this film, I suggest you check out "Picnic at Hanging Rock," also filmed in the 70's. It was not only beautiful cinematography, but had a balance between good acting, screenplay, and even plot development....and is something that I believe overall... utterly lacked in FOXES.
sharewhy are you asking how Adrian Lyne achieves the look of the picture?
has notihng to do with the director.
its the director of photography who does that job.
the man who did that was Michael Seresin
who had just come off Midnight Express where he shot that and did the lighting and mood for that.
Yes; but certainly Adrian Lyne (as Ridley Scott) achieves his imagery because his/their direction. Just take a look at Lyne's films and you'll find a extremely specific visual consistence, nevermind who the DP is. Lyne has work with different DPs over the years and he always accomplishes the same impressive and unique visuals that, in the end, is what we could define as an authentic "Lyne's look".
A camera, for a very visual film director -an artist one-, is his pen. The DP --NEVER underrating their work--, would be his scribe.
Having grown up in Los Angeles this movie really did capture the era. The smog problem in 1979 when this movie was filmed was still pretty bad a lot of the hazed cinemaphotography looked like natural light to me. Many days in LA back then were quite smoggy and hazy. This movie really makes me think of that era. The air here is ten times cleaner now even in summer the sky is blue it never was blue in 1979 during hot weather.
shareI absolutely love the look of this film.
It makes me feel like I am 'back there'.
"A distant ship, smoke on the horizon. You are only coming through in waves."