Audio Podcast: Errol Morris on HD

Dec 27, 2007 12:00 PM, Michael Goldman

In early 2008, Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Errol Morris will release his newest work—a look at the circumstances behind the infamous photographs that exposed the Abu Ghraib detainee abuse scandal during the Iraq War. The film, called Standard Operating Procedure (S.O.P.), is a complex and layered work built out of reams of material originating in formats ranging from 35mm and 16mm film to a couple of different forms of HD all the way down to cellular phone-originated video footage.

Morris worked with two cinematographers on the project—Robert Chappell and Robert Richardson, ASC. Chappell shot all the interview material for the piece in HD, using Sony HDW-F950 cameras, while Richardson filmed elaborate visual re-enactments of various events at Abu Ghraib using a combination of 35mm, 16mm, and HD imagery. The HD material shot by Richardson came in the form of stylized, high-speed imagery captured with a Phantom V9 ultra high-speed camera system (from New Jersey’s Vision Research).

A series of iconic images in the documentary, from an unexploded mortar falling to the floor of the prison to dripping blood, a blasting shower head, and the face of a snarling police dog, were shot using the Phantom, and Morris was extremely pleased with the results—one of the first uses of extensive high-speed, digitally acquired imagery seen in a major theatrical release. He was also pleased with his team’s use of HD cameras for lengthy interviews, largely because the interviews could proceed uninterrupted for hours, since he no longer has to stop and change film magazines.

Given his positive experiences with HD technology on the project and the stylized nature of his work, it seemed reasonable for millimeter to ask Morris if he would ever consider shooting an entire documentary in HD. Senior Editor Michael Goldman recently had a lengthy chat with Morris while researching millimeter’s upcoming cover story on the making of S.O.P., and discussed this topic with him. Click here to hear that portion of their discussion, and look for a detailed story on the project in the January/February print issue of millimeter.