Behind the Scenes

rom the moment Angel hit the airwaves back in 1999, the audience immediately knew the look of this show was as distinct as the premise. The normally sunny landscape of Los Angeles was transformed into a noir wonderland where the action happens almost exclusively under the cloak of night, creating a world of rich atmospheres and heightened mystery. The camera lens is our window into Angel's world of the undead. Through this window, we are able to see things we've never imagined, things that have amazed us, and things we're very much glad we will never actually see in our world. Shot in the widescreen format since its third season, the cinematic qualities of Angel have only heightened under the guidance of the show's esteemed director of photography, Ross Berryman. Having learned what it takes to light Angel with Chief Lighting Technician, Dan Kerns earlier this year, CityofAngel is now shedding light on the other piece of the visual puzzle, the camera department. Berryman has assembled an impressive crew of talented camera people who focus their lens on this strange world weekly. Luckily, Adam Ward, the 'A' camera first assistant/focus puller for three seasons, graciously gave us a rare look at their world of light and shadows

THE MIX OF LIGHT AND LENS

Adam Ward pulling that focus.

To achieve the "look" of Angel, lighting and camera departments work under the guidance of Ross Berryman, the DP, to capture on film the framing, lighting and overall composition requested by the episode director. The camera department on Angel is comprised of a first unit team, which operates the main 'A' and 'B' cameras that work daily to film the principal photography of the show. The second unit team primarily works on scenery, crowd or pick-up shots to be used as fill or transition moments in the particular episode. As with all departments in the production crew, Adam explains there is a hierarchy for his team. "You have a camera intern, a loader position, the second assistant cameraman (which a lot of times is the loader, as well, on small shows) and the first assistant cameraman, which is what I am, a.k.a. the focus puller." In other words, all those jobs you read in the credits but have no clue what they do. Let us explain:

Camera Operators - are the people who operate the actual camera per the instructions of the director of photography.

Assistant Cameraman - is the assistant to the camera operator. This person is responsible for the maintenance and care of the camera and may also perform the duties of a focus puller.

Focus puller - is the person who manually adjusts the focus of the camera during filming to make sure the subjects are always in focus during each shot.

Camera loader - is the person who operates the clapboard at the beginning of a shot and loads the film stock in the cameras. The clapper title used to the refer to the older clap boards, which actually clapped to synch audio and video before the scene was shot in the pre-digital days.

Adam's position on the crew is one he truly loves. "These aren't auto focus cameras [we use], which a lot of people aren't aware of. [My job] is such a challenge on our show because it's about the nature of physics. It all relies back on the depth of field in the lens and how much available light is actually on a set, " Adam begins. "The lower the light; the lower the depth of field. Forty years ago, focus pullers wouldn't have to worry about that because the fastest lenses out there were 5/6's and 8's (re: the F-stop).

"As a broke college kid, I said, 'How do you like your coffee?'" ~ Adam on getting into the camera department.

Nowadays, everything has gotten faster, lighter and brighter. We have to be on top of our game, especially on a night show but it's a place where I am happy to be." Adam came to his position on Angel in an admittedly indirect manner. "It was a weird mish-mash of trails that got me here. I was in the military for five years right out of high school - in the NAVY Special Forces. Being a SEAL, I didn't see many movies and had no idea that this position existed. When I got out of the Gulf War, I left the Navy to go back to school and my ambition was to get my engineering degree and go back in the Navy as an officer.

"While I was in school at the University of Florida, I got sidetracked. A buddy of mine was a PA (production assistant) on a show and he said they always needed PA's for $150 a day. As a broke college kid, I said, 'How do you like your coffee?'" he laughs. "I got onto that show and into the camera department as an intern. That led to a loader position and a second AC position. I got onto a show called, SeaQuest D.S.V, where I got my union ranks and then I came out to L.A. in 1996. I got into the local union out here and started on Cybil," he continues. "Then I did a bunch of features like Collateral Damage, Baby Boy and Training Day.

standing l-r: Adam Ward, Joe Broderick, Tony Politis, David Dowell seated l-r: Carter Smith, Ross Berryman, and Britta Richardson

I met up with Ross in 2000 and we hit it off fabulously. He had just got back from doing four years of Early Edition in Chicago and that was all she wrote. I've given up working for anyone else and I'll spend the rest of my career working for Ross Berryman. He has been a DP for forty years so it's nice to work with someone who cares so much about what he does. He just got ASC (American Society of Cinematographers) status and Ross is so humble about it. He just loves what he does and could care less about the awards. He was ACS (Australian Society of Cinematographers) long before he came to the U.S. It's akin to a Ph.D. at the end of your name and he has two of them for two different countries," Adam enthuses.

Being on Ross' team over the years means Adam has risen to a level where he not only works with the rest of the camera team but he sometimes brings new people into the fold. "I do the hiring of the assistants. Ross gives me the liberty to do that and while he has overall say, he trusts me." Adam is enthusiastic in describing the current crew. "Ross has two brilliant operators, Tony Politis, who is the 'B' Camera Operator. He used to do The Crocodile Hunter shows for Steve Irwin. Joe Broderick is an incredible 'A' Camera Operator and Steadicam Operator. He is phenomenal at designing and framing shots. I'm very honored to work with them."

"The 'B' Camera Focus Puller is David Dowell, who is incredible with long lenses. The 'A' Camera Second Assistant is Carter Smith. I've known him since he was a loader and I promoted him last season to 'A' camera. He came on the show as a loader the first season. He is in charge of every single nut and bolt in the camera department. He orders all the equipment. The 'B' Camera Second Assistant/Loader is Britta Richardson. I met her and Tony on a show in San Diego called, Cover Me. She has the plucky spirit of the crew. She has to keep up with all the film, all the footage that goes through every single camera, ordering stock and loading all the cameras, as well as, double teaming as the second assistant."

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