I watched Muhammed Ali with Will Smith today, I noticed that some scenes looked quite a lot like video. Anyone know if they shot some parts with video?

(Feel free to move this to a diffrent category if there is a better one)

Yep, some night scenes were shot CineAlta, and, according to IMDb, particular effects scenes were shot with "Michael McAlister's (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0563943/) Lipstick Cameras."

Quoting DP Emmanuel Lubezki (http://216.130.185.103/content/article_46.shtml), "We went location scouting at night with a still camera and a DV camcorder. I noticed that the DV camcorder could get a terrific look at night, with amazing detail in the shadows. We tested the Sony/Panavision camera with the shutter disabled, the lens wide open and +3, +6 and +12 dB gain. You're not supposed to shoot like this. But we got a wonderful look with great detail."

...and now Michael Mann is shooting his current film "Collateral" 80% on HD.

The dual lipstick cam setup was used a couple of times on Seabiscuit and it drew me right out of the movie. I've got no problem with a mixed-media look such as Mann used on Ali, or Robert Richardson uses on some of his films, but in a rich 35mm epic to suddenly go to a weird video image for a second or two as was the case in Seabiscuit was just wrong--IMHO.

Why do anyone want to do this? Is this a DP/Director trying to be arty? Altough I could accept it if he was consistent, with a tought behind it. Let's say to give it a news/documentary kind of feel and still keep the lightning and other visual prefrences of a cinema setup. But to use it in a few shots spread out over a whole film never two video scenes after one another puzzles me. I found that extra handheld camera shake sometimes made me uncomfortable, I found it wasn't called for really.

But still, it was a really nice visual film. The DP got to "arty" some times.. (I don't want to write artistic, because it's a positive term)

Thanks for the feedback guys! It was fun to know if my suspicion was correct!

<<<-- Originally posted by Charles Papert : ...a rich 35mm epic to suddenly go to a weird video image for a second or two as was the case in Seabiscuit was just wrong--IMHO. -->>>

And no sooner did you type that than did Schwartzman get tapped by the Academy for the nomination...!

Overall he did a good job, I thought, but I'd agree with Charles on this one. Don't think he'll win.