We flew some amazing aerials over the Los Angeles area a few weeks back. Went up early over downtown and right after sunrise, flew down over Long Beach/San Pedro area and had this incredible marine layer effect in the harbor. It was laying low and the big gantry cranes were protruding out from what looked like clouds. We rolled like crazy on different angles and enjoyed the undulating look of the fog. It was burning off as we shot, so it was a fleeting moment and we exposed to favor this warm hi-con look we have for this project. Director Danny Cannon was flying with us and he was mentored by the great Tony Scott. Therefore, his film languaging is largely visual and he encourages big, bold rule breaking. I told him over the headsets that I’ve never seen LA look like this from the air. His reply: “Sometimes all you need is a foreigner up here taking a look and you’ve got a new view on it.” Was he ever right.
Shelly Johnson, ASC 