Page 14 - Fujifilm Exposure_36 Living The Dream_ok

STUART HARRIS
“The beauty of having the [Eterna] 400T asa is that you don’t have to go barmy with lights.”
continued from page 10
We had coffee together at his house and we ended up talking for hours about movies because he’s as mad about them as I am. So what he want- ed, what he based his look on, was the look of all my heroes. For exam- ple, he loved Gregg Toland’s lighting, as I did.
“He explained to me how he wanted darkness - it was a dark piece - and we talked about how Vanessa Redgrave’s character is going slightly mad. It was the most amazing trip to go on, a labour of love. I can’t think of a day when I didn’t want to rush to the set because it was just wonderful. Wonderful actors, a wonderful direc- tor, and a great crew. Yes, it was a great experience.”
Of course, if this is your entrée to the world of film future offers of work have a high standard to live up to. Not that he was idle. Even now Harris continues to travel widely for his job, whether shooting film or lecturing fellow professionals, or teaching at the National Film And Television School with another men- tor figure Brian Tufano BSC.
It was at the NFTS that Harris dis- covered the particular qualities of a Fujifilm stock that he used on a recent pop promo for German dance music favourite Cascada. Using a combina- tion of the Super F-125T and the Eterna 400T to shoot her song Truly Madly Deeply, it’s fair to say Harris fell in love with it.
“The Eterna 400T was lovely, though I don’t believe it’s as low contrast as they say. I think it might be slightly softer in colour rendi- tion, but I found that I could cut between the two stocks very easily - and I did. So I used it on that promo. We got a roll in the film
school; Brian and I were going to test it but we never had the chance. I just went on a limb and, thank God, I did because it’s beautiful.”
Filmed over two days in Blake’s Hotel in London, the performance cuts between Cascada’s luxurious – though, in the context of a film shoot, restrictive – hotel suite and the studio routine she is effectively rehearsing.
“I used a lot of kino lighting,” Harris recalls, “I tried to keep using cold light, because obviously she’s got lots of changes and it wasn’t that big a room, so I wanted her to be comfort- able. I used a lot of dado equipment as well. They’re small units and they don’t get really hot. The beauty of having the 400T ASA is that you don’t have to go barmy with lights. The director, Kevin Hewitt, was looking for it to be like Vogue. He wanted it to be lit in a fashion sort of way, I suppose.”
Everything comes full circle, for the time being, though Harris is unlikely to stand still long enough to notice. He remains hopeful that he can turn his skills to a feature film once more, yet he relishes the prospect of shooting any film, and passes on this enthusiasm to the students he teaches.
“Many years ago,” he recalls with a smile, “I met a great camera- man called Giuseppe Rotunno. He shot films for Fellini, and I asked if he was still enjoying his work. He looked me in the eyes and said ‘too much!’ And he was in his late seven- ties. As you do more, you become more passionately involved and end up loving it more. And I think it’s so exciting, still.” ■ ANWAR BRETT
Cascada’s Truly Madly Deeply was originated on 16mm Eterna 400T 8683 and Super F-125T 8632
Photos: scenes from Cascada’s Truly Madly Deeply pop promo
12 • Exposure • The Magazine • Fujifilm Motion Picture