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MillimeterCombat Cinematography
Jun 1, 2003 12:00 PM, by Michael Goldman
 Marine/cinematographer B. Sean Fairburn |
Sean Fairburn confronted not only his mortality, but also his dual nature on the battlefields of Iraq earlier this year when he found himself on the front lines as both a Marine (Chief Warrant Officer 2) and a cinematographer. A Gulf War veteran and professional camera operator, Fairburn was called up from reserve duty at the request of the Marine Corps Public Affairs department specifically to shoot combat footage in HD.
Among other things, Fairburn captured dozens of hours of footage from two major battles—a vicious firefight southwest of Basra, and later, the battle to move tanks across a bridge on the Dejalah River, near Baghdad.
Some of the footage will be seen in an upcoming, 4½-minute short film in Regal Cinemas around the country, as part of the Movietone 2 project produced by American Rogue Films, Santa Monica, on behalf of the Marine Corps and the Navy. Other clips will likely be seen in future installments, and eventually in other documentaries.
Fairburn says shooting the footage was complicated for dozens of logistical reasons, but also because the job required him to alter his natural instincts as both a Marine and a cinematographer.
"As a Marine, you develop certain instincts—the most basic of which is to grab a weapon and return fire," he says. "Here, I had no weapon but my camera. So I had to figure out ways to shoot the best footage I could get, while still protecting myself. Unlike when shooting combat footage for the movies (Fairburn was an operator on John Woo's Windtalkers), you only have a single chance to capture the moment. I had to rely on the tanks in the unit to protect me, keeping in mind the enemy was probably firing back at them, more than at me. As a cameraman, I also had to train myself to sometimes delay my reactions, so that the camera did not shake and flinch with every shot I heard, and I had to think more tactically than a cameraman would normally think. For instance, filming over a Marine's shoulder while he fires downrange might put you in the line of fire coming back, so I had to think about how to place myself strategically."
 A typical scene captured on tape by Fairburn |
Fairburn carried a Sony CineAlta F900 camera provided by Panavision, relying mainly on a Fujinon 10x HD lens provided by Fletcher Chicago. His basic setup was to travel the battlefield in a soft-covered Humvee, accompanying the Delta Company First Tank Battalion 7th Marine Regiment, First Marine Division all the way from the Kuwait border into Baghdad. He traveled with a small crew—a team of Marines responsible for driving him to key locations on the battlefield and supplying him with tapes and batteries (Anton Bauer ProPac 14 brick with inverter). On the vehicle, Fairburn used a tripod, allowing him to shoot 360 degrees.
Beyond the obvious need to stay out of the line of fire, the other key concern was protecting his equipment from vicious weather in the Iraqi desert.
"When the elements got real nasty, I just kept everything zipped up in the bag," Fairburn says. "What it boiled down to was, the sandstorms were so severe that our entire unit stopped moving, and the enemy stopped moving, so combat stopped as well. Therefore, it made no sense for me to break out the camera: There wasn't much to shoot anyway. Beyond that, the key was diligent care of the gear, just like with a weapon. I did nightly and morning cleanups, and even while shooting, between shots, I had a 2in. paintbrush hanging from the tripod to knock dirt off the camera and lens between shots. About twice a week I opened the camera up when we found a calm environment and cleaned everything carefully."
Fairburn adds that during his time in Iraq he only experienced one instance of camera failure, and he quickly solved that problem by cleaning the camera heads in the middle of a firefight.
Continue the discussion on “Crosstalk” the Millimeter Forum.
