Pope and Finley tapped other fixtures for interactive lighting effects. When the action moves high above street level, Finley used batten strips with MR-16 globes under the actors to simulate streetlights below. When the actors got closer to the ground, the gaffer turned to Source Four Pars and Bardwell & McAllister Mac Tech HPL fixtures to create a streetlight effect that appeared to be closer to the actors. “I really like the HPL,” attests Finley. “It’s like a redesigned Maxi-Brute, but it uses the HPL Source Four-style globe. Unlike a Maxi, it has interchangeable lenses, so I can use whatever lens I want from a spot to a stipple. There are six- and 12-light fixtures, and because the bulb is smaller and the filament is so small they react really fast to dimmer control, which was crucial for these sequences.” Pope adds, “We set up 10 different dimmer-chase patterns that went with 10 different sections of the alley. We dialed each chase for a different speed and different building configuration, and then just pulled up each pattern when we were shooting elements for that section of the alley.”
“Bill Pope ASC”
From the May 2007 American Cinematographer article.
Delivers 36 Mac Tech 6 Light Convertible lights to Sony Pictures for the New Spiderman III Feature.