On
the Warner Bros. backlot in Burbank, surrounded by cinema history, Steven Silver, ASC is the benevolent ruler over a small kingdom of comedic television image-making. On adjacent stages along an alley dubbed “Lorre Lane,” episodes of Mom, The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men are produced. Silver serves as director of photography on the first two, and consults on the third, for which he shot almost 200 episodes and his former operator Mark Davidson is now handling cinematography. Like Two and a Half Men, Mom and The Big Bang Theory were created by Chuck Lorre. The Big Bang Theory is now in its seventh season, and in 2013 the show took home three Emmy® Awards. Mom premiered in September 2013. Each show’s story and character traits require a carefully tailored visual style, and a workflow designed for maximum efficiency in creating that style.
“
Both multicamera shows are currently shot on “Panavised” Sony F55 cameras, putting them among the first sitcoms to make the switch to 35mm sensors.
”
Mom stars Anna Faris as a newly sober, single mom trying to pull her life together. Allison Janney plays her raunchy mother, and Sadie Calvano portrays her wayward teenage daughter. The half-hour show is a comedy, but the humor comes blended with drama and borrows the occasional edgy issues from real life — such as addiction, mental illness and teen pregnancy. The show is set in California’s Napa Valley, and Faris’ character works at a very fancy restaurant, and lives modestly at home. Silver’s images punctuate the contrast. The Big Bang Theory follows a woman who lives across the hall from two brilliant but extremely geeky physicists. Her common sense contrasts with the awkwardness of her friends, with comic results. Silver’s goal was to bring the warmth and feel of a science department at a prestigious university to the main set, their apartment. Both multi-camera shows are currently shot on “Panavised” Sony F55 cameras, putting them among the first sitcoms to make the switch to 35mm sensors. But the similarities pretty much end there. “The Big Bang Theory and Mom could not be more different in subject matter and tone,” says Silver. “I was looking for a little more filmic look for Mom. The pilot was shot on film and the producers and studio were happy with the look, but wanted to continue on digital.”
For Mom, the desire for a filmic look was one reason for choosing the F55 and its larger, 35mm sensor. The F55’s other attributes include a native ISO of 1250, which can result in less image noise with similar lighting scenarios. The S-Log2 format is also a key component, recording a richer image with higher dynamic range and greater latitude. The workflow was tailored with expertise and assistance from Panavision. “Since the show is a traditional sitcom where the director, producers, and live audience see the output of the camera in real time, it was necessary to be able provide a reasonable approximation of the final color corrected product to the floor and audience monitors,” says Silver. “A system of GDP (Genesis Display Processor) boxes was incorporated into the signal path for on-set and audience monitor feeds. A single LUT was created by my video controller, my colorist, and me on stage. We took the GDP box to Technicolor and with help from Panavision further dialed in the look of the LUT, which enabled us to reasonably simulate the end product on the stage monitors. The images also go through a final color pass where the compressed, low contrast of S-Log2 is transformed.
back to TOC
38