March / 2008

Shooting Jesse Stone: Thin Ice
Ohashi on TV Movies, 16MM and HD

by David Heuring

Rene Ohashi asc, csc began his fruitful association with Robert Harmon in 1999 on The Crossing. That telefilm, a dramatization of George Washington's bold decision to lead his tattered army across the Delaware River and attack the British in 1776, earned Ohashi an American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award.

Rene Ohashi, CSC (far let) with his crew and director Robert Harmon (far right) on the set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It proved to be the first of a series of cinematography awards won by the cinematographer for his work with Harmon, including CSC Awards for Best Feature (They) and Best TV Drama (Jesse Stone: Stone Cold), an ASC nomination for Jesse Stone: Sea Change and a CSC Award nomination for the feature film Highwaymen. His awards on projects directed by Harmon are among 11 CSC Awards and 11Gemini Awards for the cinematographer.

"Every once in awhile a cinematographer finds a kindred spirit in a director," says Ohashi. "Our aesthetics and way of seeing are in sync. In the beginning, we talked and referred to films for a look, but by the time we shot the Jesse Stone telefilms, we knew each other so well. Our discussions weren't about the look so much as they were about the kind of shot angles and the style of blocking."

The set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice on location in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ohashi was raised in Toronto. As a boy he became interested in still photography, and he learned about film cameras and editing by assisting a neighbor who shot television documentaries, including hockey games for the CBC. He enrolled at York University and shot dozens of student films while there. After graduation, he bought an Aaton 16 mm camera, and shot educational films, documentaries and features for new magazine shows. Eventually, he was able to make the transition to narrative filmmaking.

The Jesse Stone television movies star Tom Selleck as a former Los Angeles cop who leaves that job because of a drinking problem. He becomes the police chief in a small New England town. The Hollywood Reporter praised Selleck's performance in Jesse Stone: Sea Change and called the movie "soulful." Jesse Stone: Thin Ice, the most recent iteration, is scheduled to air on CBC in Canada and on CBS in the United States. The Jesse Stone films are also available on DVD.

Rene Ohashi, CSC checks the light on the set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Ohashi and Harmon worked with the goal of making a film with a theatrical look. "We wanted the scope and feel of a feature film, only with a television budget and roughly 22 days," says Ohashi. "On Stone Cold, the first Jesse Stone film, we used a longer than normal prep period of three weeks to fine tune an efficient schedule, refine our shot lists, and plan to get the most out of the Nova Scotia locations. Our preparations allowed us to shoot only the strongest, well-planned images and to make the best film possible with the time and money we had."

Ohashi and Harmon chose to shoot using the Super 16 mm film format, framing for a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. "We didn't ever think about shooting HD because it does not have a filmic, theatrical look," says Ohashi. "We employed a certain amount of two-camera coverage to make our tight shooting schedule, and that style made 35 mm, even 3-perf 35 mm, beyond budgetary means. By shooting in the Super 16mm format and transferring to HD for post, we could have that theatrical look."

The decision to shoot film was partly an aesthetic one, and partly a practical one. "With the use of film, we are not encumbered with cables tethered from camera to a recorder and video playback systems," says Ohashi. "We could not make these films on these tight budgets and schedules with HD cameras. The technology isn't as flexible. We need the range of exposure that film provides because we are frequently shooting in places where we have extreme differences between the brightest and darkest elements of shots.

"A director friend recently shot on a high end HD system and estimated that he lost an hour-and-a-half a day because of the technical requirements of the HD camera system. Not to mention, that with most of the HD cameras one does not have all the tools of the language and art of cinematography at one's disposal, like variable frame rates, shutter angles, 35mm depth of field, et cetera."

Director Robert Harmon looks at the monitor with actor Tom Selleck on the set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Thin Ice was photographed using two ARRI SR3 cameras with PL-mount Zeiss variable prime and Zeiss Ultra prime lenses designed for use with 35 mm formats. "Especially on wide shots, I could see the difference in resolution and contrast, and therefore sharpness, compared to regular Super 16 lenses," says Ohashi. "The advantage is that we are using the sweetest part of the lens."
Focal lengths tended to be longer so that Ohashi could use focus depth and separation to direct the attention of the viewer as he would in 35 mm format. When wide lenses were unavoidable, he used more negative lighting in backgrounds to focus the audience's eye. These decisions also affected choices in locations and production design.

The cameras were loaded with Kodak VISION2 200T 7217 or Kodak VISION2 500T 7218 film, depending on the situation. "Whether you are in the canyons of buildings in New York City or the changing lighting weather conditions of Halifax, Nova Scotia, 7218 can deal with it," says Ohashi. "I relied on the dailies transfer to incorporate the right amount of contrast. I prefer to use tungsten based stocks with exteriors, as I like to control color by changing the color temperature. I often use an 81EF color correction filter to create a cooler look if the scene requires it."
Ohashi describes the approach to lighting as realistic, but heightened when the drama indicated, taking the viewer on an emotional ride. At times, he used smoke to create atmosphere and to make the light palpable.

Using two cameras to save time required careful strategies. "You have to choose the right camera angles relative to the sources of light," says Ohashi. "For example, I lit a daylight interior scene through a window that provided cross light for the master shot from a frontal direction. I put the other camera at almost at a 90-degree angle, so that shot was backlit. In that situation, each camera was shooting at a different stop. We quickly set up another take with the cameras still at almost a 90-degree angle from each other, but maybe tighter. That way, we're giving the editor four angles that will intercut smoothly.

Director Robert Harmon gets a glimpse of Rene Ohashi's world through the camera lens on the set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

"This is a good example of why collaboration with an understanding director and talented crew is important," he says. "Filmmaking is a collaborative form of storytelling. My main camera operator, and second set of eyes, is Andy Chmura. There are several camera operators with whom I consistently choose to work because they understand how I think and see things. I value their input and encourage them to trust their instincts.

"There was a time earlier in my career when I sometimes chose to operate a camera myself. I don't think you can operate and do a good job of lighting for multiple cameras with today's production schedules. I think that some of the art is lost because there is no time to think ahead about lighting. I tell everyone, including the assistants, key grip, dolly grip and gaffer that I want their input because we are all investing our time and efforts in making a movie. If we all collaborate, the chances are good that we are going to make a much better film."

All the Jesse Stone productions used LaserPacific in Los Angeles for processing, dailies and posting in High Definition. On Thin Ice, dailies were streamed back to Halifax and burned to DVD. Ohashi took digital stills of selected shots, processed them using Adobe Lightroom, and posted them on an FTP site for the timer to download and view.

"A picture is worth a thousand words," he says. "I have not retransferred any of my rushes in three years because they have been as I envisioned them. Obviously once a film is cut, scenes are moved and placed in a different context to which they were intended, so timing of some shots will ultimately need adjustment, sometimes radically. But the rushes have been right on."
Ohashi adds that the final transfer for Thin Ice was done at LaserPacific on a Lustre digital grading system. "That improved the quality of the Super 16 mm images further," he says. "The difference, along with improvements in film stocks, is definitely noticeable."

Actor Tom Selleck on the set of Jesse Stone: Thin Ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

LaserPacfic's Emmy® Award-winning SuperComputer™ Assembly system automatically assembles the show based on the production's EDL. "The SuperComputer is really a time-saver that delivers affordability," says producer Steven Brandman. "I have been in the business a long time. The process has been revolutionized. That fact that you can stay in 24p, with first-generation quality, is amazing. Twenty years ago, I could spend three times as much delivering a film like Sea Change. Today, you can get into titling and effects much more affordably. You can do more, faster, for less. Those are all good things for a producer, and they all translate into higher quality."

Ohashi credits the success of the Jesse Stone films in part to his collaboration with Harmon, whose background is in architectural photography. "Robert knows how to tell a story through images, given his background and love of photography," he says. "The role of the cinematographer, working in collaboration with the director, is to bind all facets of production together and make them into a unified and unique story. But the collaborative process is a lot more than a cinematographer and a director working together. Someone wrote the script, a producer believed in it, and, and there's a cast, costume and production designers, your crew, et cetera.

"I am especially proud of the fact that this year Jesse Stone: Sea Change was nominated for an ASC Award in the TV movie, miniseries and pilot category," he says. "I believe the other nominees in that category were all 35mm productions with much higher budgets. No one I've spoke to was aware that our film was shot in Super 16mm, and I take that as a high compliment."

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